Xi meets Fijian PM in Beijing, pledging to strengthen development cooperation

Xinhua) 08:05, August 21, 2024

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka, who is on an official visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka in Beijing on Tuesday.

Xi congratulated Fiji's Men's Rugby Sevens team on winning the silver medal at the Paris Olympic Games.

Noting that Fiji was the first Pacific island country to establish diplomatic relations with China and that next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, Xi said that for nearly half a century, the two countries have always supported and helped each other, setting a good example of equal treatment and friendly cooperation between countries large and small.

China attaches great importance to China-Fiji relations and is willing to continue to provide assistance to the best of its ability for Fiji's economic and social development, and work with Fiji to grasp the general direction of bilateral relations and promote the building of a China-Fiji community with a shared future to better benefit the two peoples, Xi said.

Xi briefed Rabuka, who had visited Yunnan, Fujian and Zhejiang provinces prior to the meeting, on China's practices and experience in poverty alleviation. The completion of the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects for more than 1.4 billion people is a historic achievement the Chinese people have made under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and a historic contribution China has made to the cause of poverty reduction and the development of humanity, he stressed.

"In this process, we have left no ethnic group, region or individual behind, fully demonstrating the socialist system's political advantage in concentrating resources on major undertakings. We have won the heartfelt support of the people of all 56 ethnic groups in China," Xi said.

China is endeavoring to build itself into a stronger country and rejuvenate the Chinese nation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization that adheres to a path of peaceful development, Xi said.

Noting that China and Fiji both belong to the Global South, Xi said China is ready to help Fiji and other Pacific island countries cope with climate change, and strengthen development cooperation with them to make the Pacific Ocean an ocean of peace, friendship and cooperation.

Rabuka congratulated the Chinese Olympic delegation on its excellent performance at the Paris Olympics. He said he visited China 30 years ago as prime minister, and through his Yunnan, Fujian and Zhejiang tours this time, he witnessed the tremendous achievements China has made in poverty eradication and development under the leadership of President Xi.

Fiji is willing to learn from China's experience, and strengthen cooperation with China in poverty reduction, infrastructure and connectivity, he said.

Fiji appreciates China's adherence to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, supports the global initiatives proposed by President Xi, and is willing to continue the Belt and Road cooperation with China, promote the development of relations between Pacific island countries and China, and make the Pacific Ocean a peaceful ocean, Rabuka said.

He noted that Fiji fully understands China's position on the Taiwan question and will continue to firmly pursue the one-China policy.

A joint statement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Fiji was issued.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka, who is on an official visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Chinese premier lands in Moscow for meeting between Chinese, Russian heads of gov't and visit

Xinhua) 09:21, August 21, 2024

MOSCOW, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived here on Tuesday to hold the 29th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government and visit Russia at the invitation of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

Li arrived at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, where a grand welcome ceremony was held. The premier reviewed the honor guard accompanied by senior Russian government officials.

In a statement released upon arrival, Li said that under the strategic guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, China and Russia set a model for a new type of international relations and relations between neighboring major countries.

Over the past 75 years, China-Russia relations have withstood the test of changing international situation and become stronger and fresher over time, Li noted, adding that China-Russia relations in the new era have shown new vigor and vitality, with stronger mutual political trust, fruitful cooperation in various fields, deeply rooted friendship, and close and effective international coordination.

Li said his visit to Russia is aimed at implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state, carrying forward the enduring friendship from generation to generation, and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation.

He pointed out that the two heads of state have met twice this year, laying out the top-level design and strategic plan for the new development of China-Russia relations at the new historical starting point of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.

It is believed that with joint efforts of both sides, the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era will surely enter a brighter future, Li said.

During his stay, Li will meet with Mishustin to exchange in-depth views on bilateral relations, practical cooperation and key issues of common interest.

The regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government, held every year since its inception in 1996, is an important mechanism for implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state and promoting bilateral cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between China and Russia and the launch of the China-Russia Years of Culture.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
State District Judge Christine Hortick Courtesy of the Hortick Campaign State District Judge Christine Hortick Courtesy of the Hortick Campaign

In a rare rebellion by a judge against court procedures, Judge Christine Hortick said she intends to pursue her challenge to Bexar Countys system for scheduling pretrial hearings in civil cases all the way to the Texas Supreme Court.

Hortick told the San Antonio Express-News that she has hired an attorney to file a challenge with the states highest court in an attempt to resolve an ongoing feud with her superiors and the 13 other District Court judges over the courts centralized docket system.

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Under that 62-year-old system in Bexar County, pretrial hearings are assigned to different civil court judges rather than staying with the same one all the way through the case. Hortick maintains the system is outmoded because attorneys have to rehash the basics when a pretrial issue is assigned to a judge unfamiliar with the case. The system is also hard on litigants, especially children, when they have to relive the details of disputes, Hortick said.

Hortick gave notice last week that she would pull out of the Presiding Court system beginning Monday. She called the system inefficient and costly to litigants in time and money. Horticks superiors responded with an order requiring her to work within the centralized docket system.

The order was signed by Judge Jacqueline Jackie Valdes, the local administrative judge, and Senior District Judge Sid Harle, who presides over the multicounty 4th Administrative Judicial Region in South Texas.

Hortick did not show up at the courthouse Monday. She returned Tuesday afternoon and handled a pretrial hearing referred to her by Presiding Court.

As far as Im concerned, shes in full compliance, and I appreciate it, Harle said Wednesday.

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Hortick, however, made clear that she was not backing off. In an interview, she said she had hoped the other judge would allow her to opt out of the centralized docket.

At this point, theyve opted to not allow me to leave, so theres no consent or approval to do that, she said. The only recourse I have is legal action, to have the Texas Supreme Court tell us, once and for all, what are we doing in Bexar County.

The order from Harle and Valdes requires Hortick to serve as Presiding Court judge during the month of September, but Hortick doesnt plan to follow that directive. She said she will ask the states high court to issue a stay of the order so she is not held in contempt.

Just what Horticks challenge will look like is still being worked out, but she said it will center on whether the District Courts local rules, which form the basis of the Presiding Court system, are valid under the state constitution.

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She said that under the Presiding Court system, she must give up jurisdiction over cases assigned to her when, in her view, the state constitution requires her consent when she is asked to essentially trade cases with other judges. In most other Texas counties, a case usually remains with the judge to whom it was assigned at the time it was filed.

Hortick declined to identify the attorney she has hired to pursue the challenge.

The judge wants to hear only cases assigned to her 225th District Court from start to finish. Under the Presiding Court system, theres the potential for judge-shopping by lawyers and inconsistent rulings as cases move from judge to judge during the pretrial phase, she said.

Hortick said she has not heard from her colleagues on the Bexar County bench.

I dont anticipate that Ill hear from them, she said. Im sure theyre not happy about it. But I cant worry about whether theyre happy with me or not. I came out against Presiding about a year ago or so. Every effort to be productive and collaborative has been met with nothing but stonewalling.

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She added that she has received phone calls and texts of support from lawyers and judges in other jurisdictions.

Although her superiors have sought to block her efforts to withdraw from the centralized docket, the District Court judges have created a task force to examine the Presiding Court system. Judges Nadine Nieto and Angelica Jimenez are co-chairs; Hortick and about 15 lawyers serve as members.
A 45-year-old Rapid City man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for second-degree rape of a child.

Aubry Glascock appeared in Pennington County Court Tuesday morning for his sentencing hearing before Judge Jeffrey Connolly.

Glascock had entered a plea agreement with the Pennington County States Attorneys Office on May 24. In exchange for a guilty plea, Glascocks charges for first-degree rape and part two information for being a habitual offender would be dismissed.

The state alleged Glascock had raped the victim from the ages of four to nine in both South Dakota and Colorado.

Despite being investigated in Pennington County in 2012, Glascock was not prosecuted until now due to his incarceration in Colorado, where he was serving a prison sentence for sexually assaulting the same victim.

Senior Deputy Pennington County States Attorney Roxanne Hammond said she has never seen a case where the defendant takes such accountability for their actions, however, the damage Glascock has done to the victim is long-lasting."

I commend the defendant for taking responsibility for his actions, but the reality with this type of abuse is that an apology doesnt take away the prison that the victim gets to live in every single day, and for that, he does not deserve to walk free, Hammond said.

Hammond said despite Glascock turning himself in to the authorities in California, the trauma he put the victim through should not go unpunished. The state requested the court consider 30 years in prison.

Hammond said this is a fair request considering how forthcoming Glascock has been and providing justice for the victim.

Defense attorney Paul Brankin also noted Glascocks need to take responsibility for his action, commending him for being the one to turn himself in. Brankin suggested the court consider suspending some of the 30-year sentence.

In the state of South Dakota, second-degree rape carries a maximum sentence of 50 years and a $50,000 fine.

Connolly said he also was impressed by the PSI (pre-sentence investigation) and how much Glascock had taken responsibility. However, with the extent of the crime, Connolly said 25 years in prison seemed to be appropriate considering all the factors of the case.
Come out and meet Gen. Andrew Lewis, the colonial hero who twice secured Virginias freedom, on Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Salem Museum.

The immersive event General Andrew Lewis: Colonial Hero Day, features live re-enactments of the Battle of Mount Pleasant and Dunmores War. Mingle with Fincastle Company actors outfitted in attire from the late 1700s, complete with weapons, tools and general supplies. Wander the museums five floors of galleries filled with exhibits devoted to the general and his contribution to American independence, including 350 years of Roanoke Valleys history.

The event, which is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is free and open to the public, thanks to the support of generous sponsors, the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.

Its a wonderful opportunity for people to experience the past for one day and realize how different the settlers way of life was compared to how we live today. There are so many things we dont even think about in terms of how they survived day-to-day life, said Garrett Channell, director of the Salem Museum. Traveling by horse and buggy, protecting a wood home from fire, using tools to cook over a fire, buying materials and sewing clothes  it will all be on display. Visitors can just immerse themselves in the colonial lifestyle.

Channell said actors interpreting historical figures will interact with visitors throughout the day. In fact, Channell, who also is a Fincastle Company actor, will be portraying Gen. Lewis himself. He welcomes all questions, too.

Im honored to be able to re-create the character and educate people on General Lewis many accomplishments, he said. He is the one who gave Virginia self-rule and allowed us to be free. I hope to be able to convey how important he was to our history.

Gen. Lewis was also a close friend of George Washington and distinguished himself first by leading his troops to defeat the Shawnee warriors at Point Pleasant (present day West Virginia) during Dunmores War. Also during Dunmores War, considered a precursor to the Revolutionary War, the general was able to secure the Virginia colonys western border. He was later tasked with driving the last royal governor, Lord Dunmore, out of the state.

Have a few days to explore? Youll find plenty to do in downtown Salem. The quaint city features 16 restaurants, boutique hotels, multiple antique shops and dozens of historical markers including the East Hill Cemetery, Old Courthouse, Old Post Home and the Great Road, to name a few. Otherwise known as Main Street, the Great Road also once served as the main conduit for settlers heading west during the pre-Revolutionary days and beyond.

General Andrew Lewis: Colonial Hero Day takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 7. For more information, please visit salemmuseum.org.
Prince George County police officers are not required to use body-worn cameras on the job, an issue that has begun to simmer amongst attorneys defending clients in the county.

Prince George County wraps around Hopewell and Petersburg, though the two are their own localities with their own law enforcement agencies.

Police Chief Keith Early said that the department has discussed implementing them as it prepares its next budget. But Early flagged costs that arent necessarily within the police department to control, saying that body-worn cameras come with significant investments beyond just an equipment investment.

Our highest priorities have been investing in the effective hiring and retention of police officers and emergency communication officers (salaries), along with increasing our staffing to meet the needs of our growing community, Early said.

Early said the department will continue to review the issue. Prince George County officials did not return a request to clarify whether they were looking to add the technology in the future.

Nearly every law enforcement agency in central Virginia uses body-worn cameras, including police in Richmond; Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover counties; and Ashland. Petersburg and Hopewell police use them as well. Some departments adopted the accountability technology as early as 2016.

Police and body cameras Departments in the Richmond area that use body cameras: Ashland

Chesterfield

Hanover

Henrico

Hopewell

Petersburg

Richmond Departments in the Richmond area that don't use body cameras: Prince George County

Virginia State Police

Last year, Chesterfield police Lt. Dave Shand described the devices as a security blanket that takes documentation of activities beyond the word of a police officer against the word of a defendant.

The long-standing exception has been the Virginia State Police, who also said theyve lacked the funding, which would need to be appropriated by state lawmakers. A bill to carve out the funding was transformed into a study in this years legislative session.

Body-worn cameras do come with indirect costs  namely bigger workloads for prosecutors that need to comb through arrest footage.

Still, defense attorneys who practice in Prince George said they believe its past time for the county to require them for the countys 63 sworn police officers, who work cases that can overlap into the cities of Petersburg and Hopewell.

Several criminal defense lawyers told The Times-Dispatch that the devices are a boon to the entire criminal justice system, capable of protecting both officers and defendants from miscarriages of justice.

Robert Lichtenstein has practiced law in Virginia since 1988. He described body-worn cameras as both a sword and shield for clients. Video, rather than a written police report or eyewitness testimony, can be much more vibrant, Lichtenstein explained.

To me, its inexplicable that (Prince George County) doesnt have body-worn cameras, said Lichtenstein. And I dont buy into its too expensive or whatever. Many jurisdictions that are less prosperous seem to find the money to have body-worn cameras.

As an example, Lichtenstein pointed to Petersburg and Hopewell, which support body-worn cameras for their officers.

Lichtenstein said that sometimes, body-worn camera footage is decisive enough that cases will be dropped by prosecutors at an earlier stage in legal proceedings. Alternatively, a client sees their behavior on video and decides its in their best interest to take a plea, Lichtenstein explained.

Ive had clients exonerated because the video was not comparable or mirrored by the police narrative, said Lichtenstein. A body-worn camera is instrumental to the administration of justice.

Where memory can be hazy, body-worn camera footage can be crystal clear. Video evidence can clarify when, how, or if a defendant made a specific statement, said former Hopewell Commonwealths Attorney Anthony Sylvester.

Sylvester, who is now in private practice, offered one example: a concealed weapons violation where a weapon is found in a drivers car.

Exactly where a gun is in a car, in terms of it being concealed and or apparent, that accurate portrayal or presentation is critical, said Sylvester.

Sylvester said they also offer immunity against human error, which can occur when a police officer is required to record an incident from memory.

Its one thing to describe the incident, its another thing to actually see it, said Sylvester. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Prince George County Sheriff R. W. Buck Vargo said he sympathized with law enforcement officers who dont get the protection that objective footage of an incident can offer.

I sympathize with any law enforcement officer who cant have body-worn camera footage, said Vargo. It could save them a lot of headaches in the future, and it could convince a jury.

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A man died after he was shot multiple times outside a Northeast Side hotel Tuesday night, San Antonio police said. Douglas Sacha/Getty Images

A man shot multiple times during an argument Tuesday night outside a Northeast Side hotel died from his injuries, San Antonio police said.

Another man involved in the argument also was shot, and the suspected shooter of both men was arrested at the scene on an unrelated warrant, according to a preliminary police report.

The shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. outside a hotel in the 6400 Block of Interstate 35 North.

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According to the report, officers were called for a shooting in progress and found a 32-year-old man lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds.

He was taken to the hospital, where he died of his injuries. His name has not been released.

While police were at the scene, a man approached officers and said he'd been shot. The man, 31, was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

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Witnesses told police they saw a man arguing with two men when he took out a firearm and started shooting toward them, the report states.

Police said they arrested the suspected shooter as he was fleeing the scene. The man, 33, was booked in the Bexar County jail on an unrelated warrant.
Recently, I toured a notable American cathedral that, as a parish, had been founded by preRevolutionary War French immigrants. When our group came to a panel that included images of four martyrs who had evangelized different European peoples, our docent told us the story of St. Denis, who took Christianity to the French in the third century. Most representations of St. Denis, including this one, reflect the final episode of his life, in which he walked several miles while preaching despite having been beheaded. So he was depicted in this panel as a headless body holding a severed head. Our docents near-apology that such a fantastical event had been memorialized there was met with patronizing head nodshow could anyone other than primitive premoderns ever believe such a preposterous thing?!

More than 1700 years after St. Deniss martyrdom, Frances political situation is chaotic in the wake of European and National Assembly elections. Marine Le Pens National Rally, long a pariah, is now undeniably a mainstream party, having made significant gains in European elections and the national elections that followed. National Rallys electoral success paralleled gains by similarly controversial parties in other parts of EuropeGeert Wilders PVV in the Netherlands, the AUR in Romania, the AfD in Germany, and Georgia Melonis Brothers of Italy. Elsewhere, parties like Polands Law and Justice and Hungarys Fidesz have exerted political power for several years. The rightward political shift in continental Europe has been met with alarm across the continent among the elites, with many attempting to undermine these parties in the media and the courts as a means of labeling them extremists.

It likely does not occur to many political analysts in France that the story of St. Denis has any bearing on the political trends they are tracking. How could it? And how many French voters even now know who St. Denis was?

But it has been the central mistake of European electoral politics of the last generation to forget St. Denis and all the other figures, stories, and myths that have defined what it means not to be European but a particular kind of European: What does it mean to be uniquely French and not Spanish or German? What does it mean to be uniquely Polish and not Italian or British? Just like the American docent, too many European peoples have become embarrassed and begun to apologize for their national identities. They were not overly concerned when the European Unions compound of drab buildings intentionally designed not to reflect a particular European style replaced blocks and blocks of identifiably Belgian buildings in central Brussels. And nobody seemed to care when the House of European History, a museum dedicated to the amalgamation of the history of European peoples into one amorphous pan-European history, opened just behind the European Parliament.

As the nonelite living and working away from capital cities have awakened to this, elections have becomedespite what those in power would have anyone believemuch less about policy and political platforms and much more about reasserting national identity. Not every concern about what it means to be French or German or Spanish is an embryonic expression of nationalist homicidal aversion to ones neighbors. The left elites, the globalists, the EU technocrats, and others who have been in charge for the last generation have quite frankly overplayed their hand, and now the pendulum has swung in ways that are proving to be very difficult to manage.

Interestingly, the rightward shift on the Continent has occurred concurrently with the electoral collapse of the British Conservative Party, the most successful political party in history. The Conservatives suffered a humiliating defeat in national elections that saw a Labour Party surge and capture more than 400 seats in Parliament. But the election results hide the fact that this is not a Labour mandate, although it can easily be interpreted as such. Nigel Farages Reform Party divided the vote on the right in such a way that Conservative or Reform candidates often finished second and third with enough combined votes to take the seat. Labours share of the vote in 2024 was not much more than their share of the votes in the last national election, in 2019, when thenPrime Minister Boris Johnson led the Conservatives to a stunning victory on the promise to Get Brexit Done!

The rightward Continental shift and the Labour insurgency in Britain are related politically and socially even if the result has been to place power in the hands of very different politicians. Britain is on the same path as the rest of Europe, but just one election cycle behind. The rightward lurch in the next election cycle will not be the fault of the left-wing government alone. Fourteen years of largely chaotic Tory rule did not produce improvement in many areas.

The root of the problem is that it is impossible to have reasonable conversations about immigration. The influx of migrants and refugees into Europe since approximately 2015 has had a profound impact on every European nation, but to do anything other than celebrate this or even to gently suggest that present rates are unsustainable is simply impermissible. It is labeled as racist at worst and insensitive at best.

On July 29, in Southport, England, a 17-year-old wielding a knife attacked a group of children and killed three and injured 10 other people. The attacker was a British citizen born to Rwandan parents in Cardiff, Wales. Online speculation that it was a Muslim asylum seeker sparked days of destructive protests by those who oppose mass immigration. In the wake of mostly peaceful protests by those on the American left, commentators were quick to remind us that a riot is the language of the unheard. While the British rioters were prodded by misinformation in Southport, the kindling that finally caught fire there had already been stacked high by events like the decades-long Rotherham child sex abuse scandal and the London BridgeBorough Market attack in 2017. Then in 2019, the world watched as a terrorist killed two people on London Bridge as a brave civil servant held him off with a narwhal tusk! The scene was sad for more than one reasonthe loss of life, yes, but also because the picture evoked a once-great civilization fighting off its own destruction with tools not fit for use.

It is because England has proved unable to address productively the economic, cultural, and social challenges presented by the influx of immigrants that radical voices have been able to make headway and push genuinely extreme positions into the political mainstream. During the campaign, National Rally effectively promised to ban halal and kosher foods and clothing associated with Muslim communities. In fairness, however, the last French prime minister had already done something similar in French schools while serving as the education minister. These types of solutions are neither real nor sustainable solutions but unproductive reactionary policies. Thats all the French (or the British or the Germans) can expect if the subject remains taboo.

The political and social ban on reasoned discussion not just about immigration but also on what it means to be French or German or British in the context of mass immigration has festered into genuine racism among some bad actors within many of these parties enjoying electoral success. Most are labeled as anti-immigrant parties, but all that many of their members want is a chance at public dialogue about how the U.K., for example, could ever manage the more than 100 million people eligible for protection under the laws of the nation of 67 million if they were to show up on British shores.

European nations and peoples are different in important ways. They speak different languages, eat different foods, have different histories, and are defined by different national myths and sources of pride. These unique sources of identity have been overshadowed (and sometimes attacked) by mass immigration and the project of European integration. Until these differences are acknowledged, respected, and protected, any progress that is possible regarding European integration or multiculturalism will be unrealizable, and the frustration it foments will provide cover for the worst impulses among ussparking increasingly frequent and, possibly, violent riots as more and more voices critical of these trends are left unheard.
Come out and meet Gen. Andrew Lewis, the colonial hero who twice secured Virginias freedom, on Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Salem Museum.

The immersive event General Andrew Lewis: Colonial Hero Day, features live re-enactments of the Battle of Mount Pleasant and Dunmores War. Mingle with Fincastle Company actors outfitted in attire from the late 1700s, complete with weapons, tools and general supplies. Wander the museums five floors of galleries filled with exhibits devoted to the general and his contribution to American independence, including 350 years of Roanoke Valleys history.

The event, which is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is free and open to the public, thanks to the support of generous sponsors, the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.

Its a wonderful opportunity for people to experience the past for one day and realize how different the settlers way of life was compared to how we live today. There are so many things we dont even think about in terms of how they survived day-to-day life, said Garrett Channell, director of the Salem Museum. Traveling by horse and buggy, protecting a wood home from fire, using tools to cook over a fire, buying materials and sewing clothes  it will all be on display. Visitors can just immerse themselves in the colonial lifestyle.

Channell said actors interpreting historical figures will interact with visitors throughout the day. In fact, Channell, who also is a Fincastle Company actor, will be portraying Gen. Lewis himself. He welcomes all questions, too.

Im honored to be able to re-create the character and educate people on General Lewis many accomplishments, he said. He is the one who gave Virginia self-rule and allowed us to be free. I hope to be able to convey how important he was to our history.

Gen. Lewis was also a close friend of George Washington and distinguished himself first by leading his troops to defeat the Shawnee warriors at Point Pleasant (present day West Virginia) during Dunmores War. Also during Dunmores War, considered a precursor to the Revolutionary War, the general was able to secure the Virginia colonys western border. He was later tasked with driving the last royal governor, Lord Dunmore, out of the state.

Have a few days to explore? Youll find plenty to do in downtown Salem. The quaint city features 16 restaurants, boutique hotels, multiple antique shops and dozens of historical markers including the East Hill Cemetery, Old Courthouse, Old Post Home and the Great Road, to name a few. Otherwise known as Main Street, the Great Road also once served as the main conduit for settlers heading west during the pre-Revolutionary days and beyond.

General Andrew Lewis: Colonial Hero Day takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 7. For more information, please visit salemmuseum.org.

This content was produced by Brand Ave. Studios. The news and editorial departments had no role in its creation or display. Brand Ave. Studios connects advertisers with a targeted audience through compelling content programs, from concept to production and distribution. For more information contact sales@brandavestudios.com.
Richmond, Virginia-based Carmax is proposing to build a $19.9 million, 25-acre superstore in San Marcos, according to filings with the state. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Used auto retailer Carmax plans to build a $19.9 million superstore along Interstate 35 just north of San Marcos.

The company is proposing a 45,600-square-foot used car facility and auction building on a 26-acre plot at the crossing of the interstate and Chuck Nash Loop, according to filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

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The Carmax store would be on a stretch of the interstate that includes several other dealerships, including Griffith Ford San Marcos, Chuck Nash Chevrolet Buick GMC and Steel Hyundai Kyle.

Construction is projected to begin in May 2025 and could be completed by March 2026, according to the filings.

Based in Richmond, Va., CarMax describes itself as the nations largest retailer of used autos. The publicly traded company reported revenue of $26.5 billion for its most recent fiscal year, and has more than 240 store locations and nearly 30,000 employees, according to the companys website.

Carmax currently has 27 stores in Texas, including two in Austin and two in San Antonio, according to the companys website.
" " This large uncut specimen of rhodonite was mined from the Ural Mountains in Russia, where the first piece of the mineral was originally found in the 18th century. koroboky/Shutterstock

As sleeping babies lay in their cribs in the 18th-century Ural Mountain villages near Sidelnikovo, Russia, parents slipped pink stones next to them, called orlets. Rocking their child's crib slowly, parents told local folklore about how eagles (orels), the king of birds, brought the same beautiful and valuable stones to their nests. By placing rhodonite next to their children, the villagers hoped it would bring their children courage and acuity, like the majestic eagle.

Eventually, rare rhodonite crystals and stones became highly prized in Russia, donned by czars and fashioned into enormous ornaments. Today, this pink stone  with its notable charcoal veining  is less known for its monetary value and rarity but more for its metaphysical value as a stone of power, protection, and self-love.

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In this article, we'll explore how these rose-colored stones would go on to develop a huge following amongst mineral collectors, alternative health enthusiasts, and romantics.
Seven fluffy white Chilean flamingo chicks are on display at a zoo in southwest England for the first time since 2018  and one is particularly notable for the way it made its entrance. Two male flamingos named Arthur and Curtis successfully hatched an egg together  a first for the Paignton Zoo.

The zoo has had several all-male pairings during past breeding seasons, so the same-sex couple is not an unexpected turn of events, said Pete Smallbones, the zoos curator of birds. But the zoo is not sure exactly how the couple acquired the egg.

Its likely that this egg became available  unprotected, kind of just left (in a nest)  and then theyve taken the opportunity, said Pete Smallbones, the zoos curator of birds. As a bird department, were more than aware of how its a known thing for flamingos, penguins and other species to have same sex pairings. So, it wasnt a shock  I suppose it was a slight surprise, just because it wasnt quite the expected (male and female pairing).

During breeding season, the couples usually spend more time together and follow each other around the enclosure, but a pairing is confirmed when two birds pick a nest to share, where they will take turns sitting on the mud mound with or without an egg. This year, however, a same-sex pair had an egg to sit on. While two male birds hatching an egg together is notably rare, it has happened a handful of times at other zoos.

The successful hatching between two males highlights the social birds innate parental instincts and flexibility, experts say. It also underscores the need for conversation about the near-threatened Chilean flamingos that are declining in the wild and their native home of South America, according to the zoos news release. And experts have some theories as to how and why their pairing came to be.

Birds of a feather

Chilean flamingos can be finicky when it comes to breeding. In the wild, observations have shown the species to avoid breeding for up to nine years as the birds wait for weather and environmental conditions to be just right, Smallbones said. But even at the zoo, which provides their preferred mud nests, they often dont breed every year.

One year at the Paignton Zoo, flamingo eggs laid several weeks too late had to be taken away as the chicks would likely not have thrived in the colder weather conditions, Smallbones said. Avian influenza concerns disrupted another prior breeding season, since the birds were removed from their enclosure as a safety precaution, he added.

Curtis and Arthurs chick, which does not have a name yet, is almost a month old and appears to be thriving, Smallbones said. The parents are obviously doing a great job. The chick has been observed exploring the exhibit with another chick roughly the same age but will still return to Curtis and Arthur for food.

While the two males are the only same-sex pairing the zoo is aware of this breeding season, the zoo could potentially welcome more chicks this year as several eggs are still incubating, according to the news release.

Urge to nest

A number of other zoos have observed same-sex pairings among certain bird species. There are even several egg-hatching success stories, such as in 2007 when the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in Gloucestershire entrusted an abandoned egg to two male flamingos, and in 2018 when two male penguins at Sydneys Sea Life Aquarium also became adopted parents to a chick.

Being in a same sex pair is a relatively common occurrence in captive flamingos, because of small flock sizes, said Paul Rose, a biologist and senior lecturer on animal behavior at the University of Exeter. Actually hatching an egg is more unusual. These two male flamingos were likely very keen to nest but could not attract a female partner and so the same urge to nest brought them together.

Sometimes, same-sex flamingo pairs have been observed disrupting other nests  as Chilean flamingos nest as a flock  in an attempt to obtain eggs of their own, Rose said.

In the wild, Chilean flamingo flock sizes can be in the hundreds during breeding season, according to Rose. The Paignton Zoo currently has 26 female flamingos and 25 male flamingos in the exhibit, which suggests there are enough females for the males to pair with, Smallbones said. While more research is needed to determine why same-sex bird pairings occur, it is possible that Arthur and Curtis found an egg from a male and female couple that wasnt being cared for and jumped at the opportunity to tend to it, or they took over another couples nest, Smallbones said.

It takes two

Flamingos often have non-breeding partnerships that consist of same-sex associations, according to a June 2020 study led by Rose. The birds tend to be very particular in who they like to spend their time with, and will actively seek out some birds in a flock and avoid others, Rose added in an email. I am not surprised that two male flamingos are successful in raising a chick because of their social flexibility, but I dont believe it would have been their first choice of breeding partner.

While same-sex bird couples are recorded more in captivity than in the wild, according to Rose, a number of albatross species  types of seabirds  have more females than males in the population, and occasionally, females will pair together to raise one egg, or both will lay eggs and care for them together, said Kevin McGowan, an ornithologist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Similar to flamingos, hatching an egg and taking care of an albatross chick requires two dedicated parents, as egg incubation takes as long as 60 days  about 28 days for flamingos  and both parents need to provide food for the chick.

You cant do it on your own. So, these birds have figured out how to make it work. Its in their instincts to want to take care of an egg, however the circumstances, McGowan said. For Arthur and Curtis, the strong natural instinct to breed was likely the driver for the same-sex pairing. There is a grand desire to have kids, and these two guys (Arthur and Curtis) figured out how to do it, McGowan added.

Research on the occurrence of same-sex pairing in the wild could provide more information on the possible adaptive benefits of the behavior, such as if a wild flamingo lost its partner but had an egg to look after, Rose said. This demonstrates how resourceful animals can be when they are driven to do something a specific time of the year or season.

___

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Air Force trainees down meal rations during a break from exercises at the Chapman Annex of Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. The annex is home to Air Force special warfare training, including pararescue. KAYLEE GREENLEE BEAL

In a troubling turn of events over the weekend, Air Force security personnel guarding the entrance to a training annex at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland twice came under fire in the dead of night.

The assailants have not been identified, and authorities have made sometimes contradictory statements about what their aims and motives may have been. No one was injured.

Here is what we know  and don't know  based on reporting by Sig Christenson, the Express-News' military affairs correspondent.

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What exactly happened, and where?

It went down in the early hours of Saturday, Aug. 17. Guards from the Air Force Security Forces, who protect U.S. air bases worldwide, were keeping watch at the main gate to the Chapman Training Annex, at Ray Ellison Boulevard and Medina Base Road on San Antonio's Southwest Side.

At about 2:15 a.m., they saw a sedan approach and heard gunfire and the whine of bullets flying past, according to accounts from the Air Force and the San Antonio Police Department.

How did the Air Force respond?

More guards were sent to the gate to bolster security, although no one will say how many.

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Shortly before 5 a.m. Saturday, the sedan returned, and someone inside fired another volley at the gate, according to the Air Force and SAPD.

This time, the security personnel fired back.

How many attackers were there?

An Air Force spokeswoman, Stefanie "Stevi" Antosh, said it was more than one, but she didn't provide a number.

NBC News, quoting an unidentified source, said there was a single shooter, along with one other person in the sedan, and that neither individual appear to be affiliated with the military.

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Authorities provided no details of the cars make, model or color.

Air Force trainees participate in a combat simulation at the Chapman Training Annex of Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. The annex is home to Air Force special warfare training, including pararescue. Kaylee Greenlee Beal

Was any evidence found at the scene?

SAPD officers found shell casings near where the sedan had stopped. That's all the evidence we know of.

Who did this, and why?

If the Air Force and the police know, they aren't saying. But they have ruled out certain explanations.

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Antosh said there's no indication the shootings were politically motivated or an act of terrorism.

A few hours after the incident, she said there was "a sense" the incident was gang-related. But on Monday, an SAPD spokeswoman, Capt. Michelle Ramos, said police did not have evidence of gang involvement.

SAPD is investigating the incident as an aggravated assault with deadly weapon.

What is the Chapman Training Annex?

It's the home of Air Force special warfare training. Long known as the Medina Annex, it was renamed in 2020 for Air Force Master Sgt. John Chapman, a combat air controller who was killed in a battle in Afghanistan on March 4, 2002, and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

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Has this incident rattled the Air Force?

"Rattled" would be too strong a term. Authorities closed the Chapman Annex gate for a few hours, but it reopened around 9:40 a.m. Saturday. Lackland was never locked down, and the base's security condition remained unchanged at Force Protection Condition Bravo.

By Saturday afternoon, there was little indication the entrance to the annex had been the site of gunfire a few hours earlier. A lone security officer was visible at the guard shack.

That said, Antosh revealed that Air Force Security Forces were working with local law enforcement to develop comprehensive security measures to protect gates at JBSAs three major installations  Lackland and Randolph AFBs and the Army's Fort Sam Houston  as well as Camp Bullis, a training range in northern Bexar County.

When was the last time something like this happened at JBSA?

Lackland was briefly locked down on June 9, 2021, after two individuals were reported to have fired shots at the base near the Valley Hi Gate and then fled on foot. No injuries were reported.

In 2016, Lackland was rocked by an on-base murder-suicide. Air Force Technical Sgt. Steven D. Bellino, a former Green Beret, killed his squadron commander and then himself.

Bellino had tried out for the service's pararescue program. He breezed through the initial physical training at the Chapman Annex but went AWOL after disputing the results of a team-building exercise in which he and another trainee had to move a brick under water from one end of a pool to the other.
CHICAGO  The Democratic National Convention's second night highlighted the party's past presidents, particularly Chicago's own Barack Obama. The Democrats also went all-in on promoting cross-party appeal, featuring a former Donald Trump spokeswoman and a Republican mayor from the battleground state of Arizona.

Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, ducked out of Chicago to hold a rally just up the interstate in Milwaukee, wooing voters in swing state Wisconsin.

It's a recognition that, regardless of whatever good vibes may exist at the convention, Democrats expect this presidential election to be razor-close.

Here are some takeaways from the convention's second night.

The ex-presidents club

If the Republican convention was all about Trump, the Democrats on Tuesday wanted to put Harris in a pantheon with past presidents.

The biggest validators of the night were former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle. The latter linked Harris with her husband by telling the rapt crowd, America, hope is making a comeback.

Barack Obama, for his part, reached back to his own 2004 convention speech to tie Harris to his legacy. I am feeling hopeful  because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where everything is possible, he said.

It wasnt just the Obamas making the case for the vice president. The grandsons of Jimmy Carter and John F. Kennedy also portrayed her as the natural heir of past Democratic leaders.

As groundbreaking as Harris candidacy is as the first woman of color to be her partys nominee, these speeches by an ex-president and presidential progeny were all about linking her to a broader historical arc and evoking the excitement of Obamas 2008 run that Harris hopes to replicate.

Diverting from the high road

The Obamas did not hold back in lacing into Trump. Michelle Obama's well-worn adage from years past that when they go low, we go high no longer seemed operative.

Barack Obama called Trump a 78-year-old billionaire who hasnt stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.

Michelle Obama also took a personal swipe, saying: For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black.

Playing off her famous line about Republicans going low, Michelle Obama suggested that Trump was going small and that its unhealthy, and quite frankly, its unpresidential.

DNC dance party

Political conventions technically happen so that delegates can nominate presidential and vice presidential candidates.

This year, the Democrats took care of that job in advance. But that didn't stop them from holding a ceremonial do-over and turning it into a raucous dance party.

DJ Cassidy strode on stage in a bright blue double-breasted suit and spun tunes for every state as they nominated Harris and Walz. Minnesota got "1999" by native son Prince, Kansas got "Carry on Wayward Son" by, well, Kansas. "Born in the U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen played as New Jersey weighed in.

Usually it was governors or state party chairs calling out the votes, but some states passed the mic to make serious points. Kate Cox, who unsuccessfully sued her home state of Texas while seeking an abortion for a nonviable fetus, announced Texas' votes. A survivor of the 2017 Las Vegas strip gun massacre announced Nevada's votes.

The roll call highlight was when Atlanta rapper Lil Jon strode through the United Center to the beats of "Turn Down for What," his song with DJ Snake, and rapped his support for Harris and Walz.

Democrats are eager to highlight how Harris' ascension energized the party. The roll call fit that vibe.

Harris, Walz take detour to battleground Wisconsin

Harris and Walz ditched Chicago for the night to hold a primetime rally in Milwaukee that packed the same arena that had hosted the Republican National Convention just last month.

Their appearance served as a second-stage power boost to the main event in Chicago, and Harris was beamed in to the main hall to thank delegates for their roll call.

In her Wisconsin remarks, Harris stressed repeatedly that the election will be close.

"We know this is gonna be a tight race to the very end," she said. "We have some hard work ahead of us.  We like hard work; hard work is good work."

She scoffed when someone in the crowd seemed to call out that she'd already won.

A message for Republicans: It's OK to Quit Trump

The Democrats are making a play for disaffected Trump voters  and they used one of his former White House staffers to make their case.

Stephanie Grisham worked in various roles in the Trump White House, including communications director and press secretary, allowing Democrats to argue that those who know Trump best have seen him at his worst.

"He has no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth," Grisham said. "I couldn't be part of the insanity any longer."

Kyle Sweetser, a Trump voter from Alabama, told the convention the former president's tariffs made life harder for construction workers like him. Republican Mayor John Giles of Mesa, Arizona, also spoke about why he's backing Harris. Giles sees Trump's policies as hurting cities like his.

A weighty prop targets Project 2025

Each day of the DNC is to feature a speaker brandishing an oversized tome designed to represent the Project 2025 policy book from the conservative Heritage Foundation.

Project 2025 is on one hand a very typical Washington effort, uniting a bunch of wonks and activists to map out a potential agenda for the next president.

In this case, the authors include many officials who served in Trump's administration and remain close to the candidate. Its organizers say they got dozens of conservative groups to sign on to the push, making it far more meaningful than the average collection of policy papers.

Democrats use Project 2025 as shorthand for their warnings about what might transpire in a second Trump term, particularly potential revisions to civil service rules to ensure more of the federal workforce is loyal to the president. It's also got page after page of other proposals, grist for attacks from the convention podium.

On Tuesday, it was Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta's turn to wave the big book. "It is a radical plan to drag us backwards," he declared.

Michigan Sen. Gary Peters didn't wield the prop, but name-checked the initiative.

Harris chimed in from Milwaukee, telling the rally crowd, "Can you believe they put that thing in writing?"

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Dont ask Amanda Browder to hem up a skirt or make a quilt. The Missoula, Montana, native insisted that such things were outside of her skill set.

But what about draping the exterior of a downtown building with huge swatches of fabric? Well, thats exactly what she does best.

An artist best known for her large-scale public art installations, Browder has wrapped buildings in New York City, Grand Rapids, Michigan and, even, Bruges, Belgium, among many other places.

For the past 18 months she's been creating Razzle Dazzle, a textile installation that will eventually cover the outside of both the Sioux City Art Center as well as the adjacent Gilchrist Learning Center.

2024 ArtSplash preview Terri McGaffin and Vikki Jacobs, right, sew sections of massive Razzle Dazzle textile art installation which will adorn the side of the Sioux 

2024 ArtSplash preview Michele Melo, special projects coordinator for the Sioux City Art Center, talks about the design for the ArtSplash 2024 poster which depicts f

The project  which also involved the handiwork of nearly 500 volunteers plus a massive quantity of donated fabric  will be unveiled to the public at the Art Centers 30th annual ArtSplash, taking place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 at 225 Nebraska St.

We wanted to celebrate ArtSplashs 30th birthday with a little razzle dazzle, Sioux City Art Center executive director Todd Behrens said with a smile. This is taking that idea to the extreme.

But dont confuse what Browder and her crew are accomplishing with a simple quilting bee.

No, this is turning the entire exterior of the art center into a colorful piece of folk art, special events coordinator Michele Melo explained. Its like nothing youve ever seen before.

Still for such a massive undertaking, Browder enlisted a handiwork of volunteers during public sewing days that took place at West High Schools gymnasium and the Tyson Events Center, among other locations.

This piece could only be accomplished through community support and, in many ways, that is very empowering, Browder said.

At the start of every project, Ill meet women wholl say, Oh, Im not very creative, but I made 15 quilts last year, she added, shaking her head. That always disturbed me. Ill turn around and say, OK, thats cool. Lets take all of that talent and utilize it into covering up a building.

2024 ArtSplash preview Michele Melo, special projects coordinator for the Sioux City Art Center, and Todd Behrens, director of the Art Center, describe the design fo

2024 ArtSplash preview Todd Behrens, director of the Sioux City Art Center, discusses the vendors and activities at the 2024 ArtSplash.

Sure enough, volunteers as young as 10 as well as those over the age of 80 participated in the project.

Yet dont call Browders crew of top-notch stitchers seamstresses.

I cant help but think seamstress is a slightly derogatory term because it depicts something that only ladies do, she explained. I prefer the term sewists because it is more professional and that we utilize the work of both men and women.

OK, what are Browders sewists working on now? According to volunteer Kris Mueller, it was the 109-by-44-ft stitched-together fabric that will cover the Art Centers rotunda.

It is going to look outstanding once it goes up on the building, she said, marveling at massive piece of brightly-colored material.

2024 ArtSplash preview Todd Behrens, director of the Sioux City Art Center, right, and Michele Melo, special projects coordinator for the Art Center, discuss ArtSpla

An experience knitter, Mueller said working on the project violated some long-held rules.

I was always taught to not let the threads show or to not let the seams show, she said. Amanda said all of that detail stuff goes out the window because nobody see it on top of the building.

Unlike some of the other volunteers, Terri Parish McGaffin has an extensive background in the fine arts.

The longtime head of Morningside Universitys art department, she jumped a the chance to participate in the public sewing days.

When I saw Amandas work, I immediately thought of Christo (Vladimirov Javacheff), the famous Bulgarian artist who was known for wrapping buildings, landmarks and landscapes in fabric, McGaffin noted. But Amanda said she wasnt influenced by Christo.

No, my work is much more garish and cartoonish than that, Browder said.

We think shes just being modest. Having said that, Browders work may well be temporary.

Fabric, especially cotton, is stronger than you think, she explained. When it is stretched tautly onto a building, it will withstand a lot.

2024 ArtSplash preview Sue Mullin, left, and Sue Chartier sew a part of the massive Razzle Dazzle textile art installation which will adorn the side of the Sioux Cit

2024 ArtSplash preview Amanda Browder, left, helps Sue Mullin align pieces of fabric at the Tyson Events Center to complete the Razzle Dazzle community sewing project.

Maybe, but it wont withstand a Midwestern winter.

We just hope it lasts until around Halloween or so, Behrens said. Having it survive ArtSplash is first and foremost on our minds.

As it should be since the annual event has become a local staple over the years.

People associate Saturday in the Park with the Fourth of July and, now, they associate ArtSplash with Labor Day weekend, he explained. Thats pretty cool.

In fact, the festival has evolved into a downtown-wide event.

Not only will we have art vendors, we will also have live music, food trucks and fun interactive stuff for both children and adults, Behrens said. Plus all of the downtown art galleries will be open. So, people can make ArtSplash into an all-day thing.

Which is good news for Melo, who is a proponent on making art accessible for everybody.

Art galleries still have a reputation for being stuffy or boring, she said. In reality, it is anything but boring or stuffy.

Thats especially true when the entire Sioux City Art Center will be wrapped up as if it was a big birthday present.

Now, this is totally fitting for ArtSplashs 30th year.

We wanted to give the community something they had never seen before, Behrens said. I think Razzle Dazzle will fit the bill.

Details WHAT: Sioux City Art Center's 30th annual ArtSplash WHEN: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 WHERE: Sioux City Art Center, 225 Nebraska St.
Pay Dirt is Slates money advice column. Have a question? Send it to Athena, Kristin, and Ilyce here. (Its anonymous!)

Dear Pay Dirt,

My father-in-law is a very old-fashioned man. He lost his only son when he was in high school. It is a family tradition to name sons after their fathers.

So he is John VI. He offered to pay for college for any grandson named after him. My wife and I are gay and expecting our first son via surrogate. My sisters-in-law all have boys. None of them have taken their father up on the offer. I think my wife and I should take him up on the offer. She is worried about causing bad blood with her sisters. Thoughts?

Name

Dear Name,

Giving your son his grandfathers name seems pretty straightforward and sweet. But there must be a reason your wife is worried about it causing bad blood. Does she think it might bring up some issues of favoritism among your sisters? Whatever the reason, I wonder if your wife is willing to have a conversation with her sisters about this before you proceed. She doesnt need to ask them for permission to name your child, but she can let them know that the two of you are considering it. What do they think about it (and why didnt they choose to cash in themselves)? Giving them the chance to weigh in on the matter might help soften any hard feelings.

Theres another potential issue to consider, though. Do you expect your father-in-law to hold up his end of the bargain? If youre only taking his name for the free tuitionand not the significance of itconsider the possibility that your father-in-law could always change his mind. He might not have the funds for it after all; he might ultimately think its unfair to the other grandkids. How would you and your wife feel if that were to happen? Its something to think about. College is wildly expensive these days, so the free tuition is a big bonus. But I would also make sure youre attached to the name and the meaning that comes with it.

Want Advice From Pay Dirt?

For questions on the money issues in your life try submitting to Pay Dirt!

Dear Pay Dirt,

A person who I considered to be a good friend for eight or nine years asked my husband and I, along with others, if we would like to join them in starting a marijuana business. She and her brother were in it together. We trusted them because they were like family. So we agreed. We sold our house, and the friend happened to be a realtor so she put it on the market for us. It sold quickly. We moved over 100 miles away so we could be close to where this business was going to be.

After a few years, the business was a go. They asked my husband to help with a few tasks and paid him for the first few months, but then the payments stopped. They now owe him $11,000.00 for the work he did for them. I sent them invoices every month for a year and never received payment. I have since then discovered that they and one of their business partners (who is in charge of funding) have been involved in legal battles with another group of people that they never paid back for their investment money: $150,000! So our piddly $11,000 is nothing to them.

After finding all of this out, I have not spoken to my friend in seven months. I am hurt and feel betrayed by her. I constantly think about the whole situation and her involvement. I feel it is a waste of my energy to keep holding these bad feelings toward her but cant seem to stop. I have not told her about my reasons for not speaking to her. But silence on her end seems to me like she has figured it out on her own. She fits the definition of a narcissist. My question is: What can I do to let this all go?

Betrayed By Friend

Dear Betrayed,

This is a huge betrayal, but its also a lesson in being careful about who you trust before you uproot your life. If you havent heard from your friend in seven months, she knows theres a problem and is likely avoiding you. And if she was a true friendor at the very least, someone you could trustthe least she couldve done was be upfront with you about everything. After all, you sold your house and relocated to help them launch this business. Its unclear what the companys status is, but she should have been forthcoming with this information.

You could take legal action, which would involve consulting with a lawyer and maybe heading to small claims court, or the lawyer could send them a demand letter to see if it lights a fire. A lawyer might also be able to help you negotiate a settlement or a smaller payment plan. But dragging this out might be a lengthy and ugly process, especially if your friend has ghosted you, so you have to be prepared for that.

Whether you go the legal route or not, would you be willing to reach out to your friend for an explanation? Theres a slim chance youll get those invoices paid anytime soon, but if you decide to hire a lawyer, you might want to hear her side of things and give her a chance to explain herself. Be honest about how this has affected you. If her response is positive, maybe you can work something out before you take any further steps. Even if you dont get a dollar back, hearing from her might help you put the situation behind you.

I dont see how its possible to trust your friend now, and you go so far as to suggest shes a narcissist, so the friendship probably wont ever recover. But for the sake of closure, reaching out to ask for an explanation might turn out to be what you need.

Want more Pay Dirt every week? Slate Plus members get an additional column each week. Sign up for Slate Plus now.

Dear Pay Dirt,

My husband and I both own our own solo businesses. They make enough to get by but we are not putting money into saving for a vacation house or anything beyond regular bills and contributing to our simplified employee pensions. We have a 4-year-old son.

A few years ago when money was coming in pretty well, we bought disability and life insurance for both of us. The life insurance is called 20-pay whole life insurance and it was sold to us as a way to invest because we can take money out of it for retirement. Our monthly bill for these policies is $1,700. Our businesses have not been doing well for several months and we have no cash savings. That $1,700 is looking like an attractive bill to cut out or cut down. Do we need to keep these policies no matter what? These might add up to a lifetime payment of $600,000. Are we better off investing that money elsewhere?

Times are Tight Now

Dear Times are Tight,

For those who arent familiar, a whole life policy is a type of life insurance policy that also functions as an investment vehicle. It usually has a high premium, and you pay into the policy like any other life insurance policy, but your money also grows over time. Many personal finance experts do not recommend them as an investment. The fees are high and, historically, the stock market has produced better returns. In other words, in most cases, your money would be better invested in a retirement account like the simplified employee pension plan you mentioned.

Of course, with a life insurance policy, youre also paying for peace of mind. If the worst case scenario happens, your family gets a big payout. Peace of mind is great, but $1,700 a month is a lot to pay for it, especially when youre already stretched thin. The trouble is that canceling the plan can be costly. Youll likely be on the hook for fees, and since youre cashing out, youll probably have to pay taxes on any interest earned on the policy. That said, the extra $1,700 a month of breathing room in your budget might be worth the hit.

Before you go that route, talk to the company about your options. For example, you might be able to stop paying premiums in exchange for a smaller benefit. Talk to the insurer and, ideally, your financial planner. Its always a good idea to see if there are more options before making any big moves.

If you still want life insurance, look into a term life policy, which only pays out for a set time in the event of a death. In other words, its not permanentif you outlive the policy, you dont get the benefit. But this type of policy also allows you to pay a much smaller premium. You get the comfort of knowing your family is taken care of but at a fraction of the cost.

Kristin

Classic Prudie

Help! My adult daughter is planning a wedding in November. I just learned she was married in secret in August. Shes now angry and says I invaded her privacy by looking up her marriage license online. I wouldnt have looked at all, but she accidentally wore a ring during a FaceTime call. I asked if she was married, she said no, and thinks I should have left it alone. She still wants the wedding with 100 guests, and is expecting me to pay for it.
It was a quiet first day at the Democratic National Convention on the hot-button issue of IsraelPalestine. The tens of thousands of pro-Palestine protesters that organizers had anticipated ended up numbering in just the four digits. There was only one real skirmish with police outside the convention. Inside the United Center, it was largely quiet as well, with few mentions of the conflict from speakers, little in the way of Israeli or Palestinian flags, and merely one dustup between delegates.

And it was an especially quiet night at the launch party of Zioness Action Fund, the brand-new, unabashedly progressive, unapologetically Zionist, excitedly pro-Kamala and pro-Democrats political arm of the pro-Israel nonprofit, despite a star-studded lineup featuring members of Congress and an RSVP list that was oversubscribed. Event is SOLD OUT!!!!! We are over capacity, read an email sent out by the organizers.

Promised attendees included congresswomen Shontel Brown, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Kathy Manning, and Marilyn Strickland; congressmen Dan Goldman, Jared Moskowitz, and Adriano Espaillat; and Sens. John Fetterman and Cory Booker.

When I arrived at the event, on the third floor of a swanky downtown Chicago venue, there were about three dozen people present, facing a small stage in the middle of a dark, cavernous, and mostly empty room. A pile of T-shirts that read Zioness AF, available in black and blue, sat unattended on a long table out front. CNN political commentator Van Jones was at the dais, finishing a speech that linked the struggle of the Black community to that of the Jewish community (and taking a weird potshot at Puerto Ricans in the process).

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The lineup of speakers was chock-full of the Democratic Partys most loyal supporters of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and top recipients of its financial support. No one said a critical word about the organization all night.

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AIPAC, the lobbying group closely allied with right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, has been the largest and most influential outside spender in Democratic elections in 2024, via its United Democracy Project super PAC. It is, critically, not a loyal Democratic operation. In 2022 AIPAC endorsed 109 of the 147 Republican members of Congress who had voted to overturn the 2020 election for the benefit of Donald Trump; the United Democracy Project is funded in large part by Republican megadonors. If Zioness Action Fund was meant to be a counterweight to that, there was little evidence of this. Based on the lineup, and the content of the speeches, it seemed more like a spinoff.

It was after midnightthe first night of speeches at the DNC had, famously, run long; Biden had just finished upand things at the party were struggling to get going. Grindset impresario and assiduous podcast guest Scott Galloway loitered by the back bar.

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Related From Slate The Only Thing That Could Kill the Vibes at the DNC Read More

Before the event even began, its attendees were already dropping like flies. Fetterman, the junior senator from Pennsylvania, announced Sunday that he would be skipping the DNC altogether, a shocking move for an elected Democrat at any level. He claimed he was skipping the event to spend time with his kids, a justification that has raised a number of eyebrows at the convention.

I scanned the room. I didnt see Booker anywhere either.

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The first elected official I finally saw take the stage was Wasserman Schultz, the Florida congresswoman, whose speaking slot at Monday nights DNC had been unceremoniously scotched at the last second for time. For Wasserman Schultz, a onetime chair of the DNC herself, this party becoming her biggest stage of the night seemed not much of a consolation prize. She told the crowd that she was pushing to form a Jewish caucus in Congress. If were not at the table, were on the menu, she said. Thank God we had Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the White House who understood that. The verb tense of that last sentence felt notable. After her brief remarks, she made a beeline for the exit.

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Next came Ilan Goldenberg, the Harris campaigns Jewish liaison, whose hiring had been announced all of a week ago. He tried to assure the attendees of Harris record on Israel.

Then Amanda Berman, founder of Zioness, got on the mic and apologetically announced that both Strickland and Moskowitz had left before addressing the crowd. Manning hadnt even shown up, I was told, though I was informed that her spouse had been in attendance. The number of partygoers unaffiliated with the organization or its official program was low, and dropping. There was not an A-list or a B-list or a C-list celebrity to be found.

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In fact, the only other member of Congress who delivered remarks was a surprise politician who hadnt even been named on the invite: Illinois Rep. Brad Schneider. It was his birthday. He repeated again and again his support for the Jewish democratic state of Israel.

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After he spoke, I went up to him to chat. I didnt realize there was press here, he said warily. Earlier that day, Michigan Sen. Gary Peters had told Politicos Jonathan Martin that Bidens policy on Gazathe unconditional and massive military support for Netanyahu and a bombing campaign that has killed at least 40,000 Palestinianswas not Kamala Harris policy on Gaza.

I think she has differences, said Peters, insisting that Harris should go public with those differences and distinguish herself as much as possible from the current White House stance, which is deeply unpopular with Democrats and independents. Though the official party platform shows scant evidence of it, Harris has been known to more readily criticize Netanyahu and seems genuinely attuned to the politics of the issue, especially for youth voters.

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Schneider was eager to talk. Did he worry that the ground was shifting within the party on Israel with Biden on the way out and a more vocally critical Harris taking over? No, he saidHarris rhetoric was less important than her actions, which he thought wouldnt change. Listen to what she says, but watch what she does, he told me with a knowing look. I asked if he was worried that Netanyahu, who clearly would prefer Trump to win, was hurting Joe Biden and Democrats on this issue. Im gonna give an indirect answer because its my job, he responded. Im not gonna defend everything Israel has done.

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Finally, I went over to Mondaire Jones, who had served as the nights big finisher. Jones is a former member of Congresshe left in 2023. During his one term, he was best known as a left-wing advocate for court reform; now, as he tries to get back in, he has rebranded himself as a vocal supporter of Israel, staking out a position on the far right of the Democratic caucus. (His Republican opponent is a top AIPAC affiliate.)

Jones was not eager to talk. Im surprised youre here, he said, rebuffing my first attempt. He antagonizes me on Twitter, he said to a bystander, in an attempt to pass me off a second time.

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I waited him out. As we walked to the elevator together, I asked him what he thought about a potential shift in the Democratic Partys stance toward Israel. That there was a need for this event at allProgressive, Pro-Israel, Pro-Kamalaseemed to indicate some uncertainty. He really did not want to answer. I asked him if hed seen Bidens speech, resoundingly cheered by all Democrats in attendance, during which the president had said: Those protesters out in the street, they have a point.

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In his own speech, Jones had railed against those pro-Palestinian activists, pejoratively referring to them as so-called protesters. For a brief moment, Jones seemed genuinely surprised. Did he really? he asked.

I pressed him for more. Some of the protesters and uncommitted delegates Id spoken with felt as if the party had barely moved an inch on Gaza, despite evidence of widespread famine and reports of sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli military detention. But attendees at this party, now scattered on the sidewalk, seemed concerned that a perceptible shift was already underway. I asked Jones if he was surprised how much money AIPAC had spentthe most ever in a congressional race by an outside groupto knock his old neighbor and fellow freshman Jamaal Bowman out of Congress. Was that a sign of weakness or strength? He laughed, shut the door of his cab, and rode off.
Thomas Michael "Mickey" O'Donnell, 81, of Valley Lee, Maryland, passed away peacefully at home on August 11, 2024, surrounded by his loving family. He was born on September 7, 1942, in Washington, DC to the late William and Janice O'Donnell.



Mickey grew up a couple of blocks from the Capitol. He attended St. Francis Xavier through the 8th grade, Bishop Ireton for 9th and 10th grade, and Suitland High School for his last two years of high school, graduating in 1961.



In 1958, Mickey met the love of his life, Dot, while visiting a friend in her Forestville, Maryland neighborhood. Mickey spent much of his time hanging out with Dot and neighborhood friends, playing outside, as teenagers do. Married on June 23, 1961, this teenage courtship turned into a loving marriage of 63 years. Mickey and Dot began their marriage together in a small apartment in Washington, DC. After having their first three children, they bought a home in East Pines before settling into a house in Riverdale, which they would call home for over 50 years. This home was where his four children spent much of their childhood, and it was the center for large family gatherings and holiday celebrations. Mickey loved being surrounded by family and friends.



Mickey began his career working in the plumbing sales industry. He quickly built a customer base because of his ability to make business transactions a more personable experience. Through his work in sales, he recognized the need for a business that sells plumbing repair parts. This unique business idea turned into reality in 1977, when Mickey established his own wholesale plumbing supply company named T.M. O'Donnell Company. His business began in his basement, moved to Beltsville in 1981, and it remains open today, operated by his son and grandsons. T.M. O'Donnell Company was, and still is, more than just a place to purchase plumbing supplies; it is a hub for building enduring friendships and relationships.



When not at work, Mickey would spend much of his time in St. Mary's County. Tall Timbers Marina became his weekend get-a-way location, which is where he met many life-long friends. Mickey was the Captain of the Colleen. He enjoyed fishing and spent many weekends running charter boat trips, with his son serving as the mate. In 1990, he bought his home in Valley Lee, where he and Dot would happily spend his remaining years. Mickey often expressed his love for this home as he gazed at the water's edge to enjoy the peaceful scenery and observe the active wildlife.



Having an outgoing personality, Mickey would often participate in social events. One event he particularly loved was the car show in York, PA. This was a great opportunity for Mickey and Dot to travel in his '37 Ford Coupe, to admire other cars, and to socialize with the people who had a shared interest in old cars. Other events he enjoyed were the yearly fishing trips with the If You Can Hack It Fishing Club. These trips were likely more about friendship than about catching fish.



Mickey possessed a unique gift of bringing joy to others, always offering a comment that could brighten any moment. Anyone who spoke with Mickey was guaranteed to experience smiles and laughter. He could quickly turn a bad situation into a joke. His lighthearted personality was welcomed by all.



Mickey is survived by his beloved wife, Dot; his sisters, Patricia "Pat" Newton (Carlton) and Mary "Betty" O'Donnell; his four children, Eileen Higgins (Don), Richard "Rich" O'Donnell (Fran), Catherine "Cathy" Burkins (Jay  deceased), and Sheila Rohde (Tim); his ten grandchildren, Sean Higgins, Stephen Higgins, Chris O'Donnell, Shannon Kovash, Christina Schwartz, Nick O'Donnell, Tim Rohde Jr., Jenny Crupi, Michael O'Donnell, and Anna Burkins; his thirteen great-grandchildren, Noel Higgins, Natalie Higgins, C.J. O'Donnell, Kaylie Higgins, Bailey Pickens, Cassie Schwartz, Hailey Higgins, Bella Higgins, Levi Schwartz, Abby Schwartz, Mya Crupi, Alivia Crupi, and Nora Rohde; and one great-great-grandchild, Taylor Williams.



In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of the following associations:



Alzheimer's Association - link to Mickey's tribute page - Alzheimer's Association



American Diabetes Association - Diabetes Research, Education, Advocacy | ADA



Leukemia Society - Donate to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (lls.org)



A celebration of life gathering of family and friends will be held on Saturday, September 7, 2024, in St. Mary's County. For details, please contact Eileen, Rich, Cathy, Sheila, or Dot.
Anne Patricia Quinn of Lexington Park, MD peacefully passed away on Wednesday August 14th, 2024, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. Anne was born on June 20th, 1949, in Derry, Ireland. She was the daughter of the late Ambrose McConnell and Philomena Deehan McConnell.



Anne is survived by her husband Mike, who she married on February 5th, 1972 and has had 52 wonderful years with. She was the loving mother of Terry (Libby), and Michele, and late Michael Paul who she now joins in Heaven. Devoted and loving grandmother of Chelsie, Matthew, Lizzie, and Joseph, who she now joins in Heaven. She was the sister of Phyllis, Vera (Ian), Lizzy (Don), Ka (Brendan), Ray (Kitsie), Ambrose (Kathleen), Gerard (Patricia), Paddy, and James; Anne was predeceased death by brother John (Judy) and sister Caroline (Mada).



Anne and Mike started their life adventure while Mike was in the Navy and for the next 26 years they moved throughout the world and made lifelong friends, before retiring to Lexington Park. Anne was the glue that held the family together, she was the ultimate momma (and Meme) bear, fiercely nurturing and encouraging them to succeed in life.



Anne loved traveling, especially to her native Ireland to visit her family, relatives and many friends from childhood. She and her sisters loved to play Bingo, and enjoyed many get togethers in local pubs with her friends and family, where there was great banter and laughs. Recently she travelled to Edinburgh, Scotland where she went with Libby, Chelsie and Lizzie to see Taylor Swift, where they had the best time and made a lasting memory.



Anne was a devout Catholic and dedicated to St Jude and Padre Pio. One of the highlights of her life was her visit to Rome where she was lucky enough to have met and be blessed by the Pope Benedict. Any time anyone would ask for a prayer she would light her St Jude candles and pray for his intersession.



Anne was the most devoted and loving mother, Meme to her grandchildren, and friend you'd ever have the honor of knowing. She will be missed more than anyone can put into words.



A Life Celebration Visitation will be held on Thursday, August 22, 2024 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. with prayers recited at 7:00 p.m. at Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., 22955 Hollywood Road, Leonardtown, MD 20650. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Reverend Raymond Schmidt on Friday, August 23, 2024 at 11:00 a.m., at St. John Francis Regis Catholic Church, 43927 St. John's Road, Hollywood, MD 20636. Interment will be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.



In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
Another large plant is planned, while sites for small modular reactors are being explored.

The AP300 small modular reactor is based on the proven, licensed Westinghouse AP1000 reactor design. (Source: Courtesy of Westinghouse)

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In the next 15-20 years, experts have forecast Slovakia will need 15-30 TWh more electricity per year than it currently generates, as industry, heating and transport is decarbonised. This would call for a potential doubling of production from current levels of 30 TWh.

To achieve this goal, Slovakia plans to harness wind, sun and water power, but also to build new nuclear plants.

This comes at a time when nuclear power is already playing a greater role in Slovak energy production.

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Related article Slovakia has clear plan to remain "nuclear energy powerhouse" Read more

The completion of the fourth reactor at the Mochovce nuclear plant  expected next year  will mean Slovakia can cover as much as 75 percent of its national energy consumption from nuclear power.
Robert Jindra had been the chief conductor in Kosice for the past three years.

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Robert Jindra, the chief conductor of the Kosice State Philharmonic, has resigned from his position just several days after publicly criticising Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova. The Czech artist voiced his concerns over the ministers recent controversial dismissals of two directors.

Last week, the minister dismissed the director of the National Gallery and the National Museum without naming significant managerial failures for their removal. Former director Alexandra Kusa from the National Gallery and Matej Drlicka, the former head of the National Theatre, are among those who have criticised the ministers actions regarding public media and culture, which many believe to be autocratic attempts to control the cultural landscape in Slovakia.

Earlier this week, the minister faced a two-day protest in Bratislava, attended by nearly 30,000 people.

Lets stop this incompetent person who is ruining Slovak culture, Jindra wrote on social media last week. Slovakia, my dear friends, I'm with you.

He also signed a petition calling for the ministers dismissal, which has garnered over 180,000 signatures.

Vulgar term in Facebook post

In another post on his private Facebook profile, Jindra referred to Simkovicova with a derogatory term, according to a screenshot shared by the minister on Telegram. Jindra later removed the post from Facebook. This post led to expectations that Jindra might lose his position.

The use of such language by an employee of a state cultural institution is shocking and unacceptable, stated the ministry in a press release.

As of Wednesday afternoon, August 14, Jindra was no longer employed by the Kosice Philharmonic. He had held the position of chief conductor since 2021. It is currently unclear who will conduct the concerts that were planned with him.

Robert Jindra. (Source: Facebook/Kosice State Philharmonic/Jakub Simonak)

Jindra emphasised that his private opinions do not represent the stance of the institutions with which he is affiliated. My purely private statements on entirely different matters, even those made over a month ago and taken out of context, have been deliberately and purposefully pieced together. He explained that his derogatory remark was a reaction to the ministers homophobic comments from early July, in which she attacked LGBT+ people and spoke about the supposed extinction of the white race in Europe due to LGBT+ people. Her words essentially amounted to categorising people as either necessary or less necessary to society.

My post [with the derogatory term] may have offended Mrs. Simkovicova, but her statements have offended many, Jindra told the Moja Kultura website.

Jindra noted that he had not written the entire derogatory term but had used asterisks, and that the comment was made under the pressure of strong emotions.

Directors contract to end soon

The Kosice Philharmonic has thus lost its collaboration with this prominent Czech artist who also works in Prague and guest conducts in German-speaking countries.

The Philharmonics director, Lucia Potokarova, met with the culture minister on August 12 and informed her that Jindra had offered his resignation on August 8. It is unclear whether Simkovicova had requested Jindras resignation. However, the artistic board of the Kosice State Philharmonic, which is an advisory body to the institutions director, also discussed the situation and recommended that Potokarova accept the resignation.

Potokarovas contract as director ends in three weeks. It is unclear whether the ministry will extend her contract. Potokarova had signed a statement from the Association of Slovak Theatres and Orchestras, of which she is a member, criticising the minister for dismissing directors of national institutions without dialogue with the directors themselves.

Potokarova described Jindra as a talented conductor and thanked him for the memorable concerts, noting that his work brought French classical music to Kosice.

Besides undeniable artistic qualities, one of the criteria for selecting a chief conductor is their personal qualities and chemistry with the orchestra. The current situation is all the more regrettable, she concluded.
Video shared by Russian embassy and television.

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Members of Brat za Brata, a pro-Russian Slovak motorcycle gang, visited the eastern Slovak village of Dargov on Wednesday, August 14. Their mission: to remove Ukrainian flags painted on Soviet military equipment at a victory monument on the Dargov Pass.

The flags, a gesture of support for Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict launched by Russia in February 2022, had been added by unknown individuals, reports the Sme daily.

At the turn of 1944 and 1945, the village of Dargov became the centre of bloody battles between the Nazi German and Soviet armies. Approximately 22,000 soldiers died, and the small village was destroyed. Ukrainians also took part in the liberation of Slovak territory in the Red Army ranks.

After the Second World War, locals raised a monument featuring military equipment as a sign of gratitude for the gesture.

Story about pro-Kremlin vandals on Russian TV

Now, members of the pro-Russian group Brat za Brata (Brother for Brother) visited the memorial to remove Ukrainian flags painted on the equipment. The group published a video, showing their boss Matus Alexa covering the Ukrainian flag on the Soviet T-34/85 tank with green paint. Other members then sprayed a red star on the tank as well as the SU-100 tank destroyer.

An uncut video was published by the Russian embassy in Slovakia, and later the Russian state television Rossiya 1 also aired a short report about them.

This is not the first time that support for the contemporary Russian army was supported in this way. In the summer of 2022, an unknown perpetrator sprayed the letter Z on military equipment.

Spreading Kremlin-aligned propaganda

The pro-Russian group, which was established in 2014, spreads pro-Kremlin propaganda. For example, in 2022 they visited the village of Ladomirova, eastern Slovakia, after Russian ambassador Igor Bratchikov accused the then village mayor of defaming the military cemetery. The bikers also published the name and photo of the former mayor, who subsequently received death threats.

Members of Brat za Brata were also spotted a few months ago in occupied Crimea. They were part of a delegation monitoring the Russian presidential elections, effectively legitimising the process.

Not long ago, Meta blocked their Facebook and Instagram accounts, with almost 120,000 followers on the former social media platform. However, the US tech firm restored the accounts within 24 hours, refuting Alexa's claim that the European Parliament had ordered Meta to block Brata za Brata's accounts.
Marc Whyte, San Antonio city council member representing District 10, arrives for a court appearance related to his 2023 DWI arrest on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Marc Whyte, San Antonio city council member representing District 10, arrives for a court appearance related to his 2023 DWI arrest on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Assistant District Attorney Luis Echeverria talks with reporters about developments in Marc Whytes DWI case, on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News

Attorneys for City Council Member Marc Whyte, whos facing a charge of driving while intoxicated, pressured prosecutors on Tuesday for more information about the state employee who tested the alcohol level in Whytes blood after his arrest Dec. 29.

During a brief court appearance, defense attorney Thom Nisbet focussed on blood tests conducted by Texas Department of Public Safety employee Karen Ream in other cases.

We do have cause to believe there is additional exculpatory evidence of Karen Ream  issues she may have had as a chemist in other jurisdictions in Texas, Nisbet said.

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He told Judge Erica Pena that information about chemistry anomalies in other Ream-administered tests may be missing from a batch of evidence provided by Assistant District Attorney Luis Echeverria. The prosecutor was required by law to give the Northeast Side council members lawyers all evidence that could be used against him at trial  the date for which hasnt been set.

Echeverria said hed complied with state law because he turned over all the records hed received about Reams work in Bexar County. He added that the Bexar County District Attorneys office can gather records from other jurisdictions if Whytes defense team identifies the cases.

Echeverria and Whytes lawyers talked behind closed doors for about 30 minutes. Echeverria later said they were discussing evidence in the case.

In the same session, Echeverria said hes being removed from the case, without offering an explanation. The DAs office declined to comment about his removal.

A new prosecutor is expected to be assigned in the next couple weeks.

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Whyte was on hand in Bexar County Court 11 on Tuesday for what was supposed to be a pretrial hearing. But it was delayed until Oct. 2.

He remained in the courtroom while the attorneys talked privately. He stood up from his front row seat for a few minutes while he waited until a bailiff asked him to sit back down. He declined to answer reporters' questions as he left the courthouse.

Whytes arrest

Whyte, 44, was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving the night of Dec. 29. The Bexar County District Attorneys office formally charged Whyte with driving while intoxicated in July.

San Antonio police officer Devin McCroy said in an affidavit that he witnessed the first-term council member speeding and changing lanes without signaling on a Northeast Loop 410 frontage road, and pulled him over shortly after 11 p.m.

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The officer also alleged that Whyte smelled strongly of alcohol, his eyes were glassy and red, and he swayed back and forth after getting out of his car.

Whyte told the officer he had one drink at El Mirasol restaurant on Northwest Military Highway, a second at Myrons Prime Steakhouse next door and a third at the nearby Thirsty Horse Saloon.

Days after his arrest, Council Member Melissa Cabello Havrda said that she, Whyte and a few other people she declined to identify met at El Mirasol for dinner. Some of the party went to Myrons at one point and then returned to El Mirasol. Both are in Alon Town Centre on Northwest Military Highway.

Some members of the group, Whyte included, went to Thirsty Horse afterward. But Whyte drove Cabello Havrda home before making his way to the dance hall.

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The San Antonio Police Department on Jan. 11 released body-camera video of the arrest. In the 20-minute recording, the first-term council member appeared coherent and polite, and was adamant that he was sober.

Yet the Texas Department of Public Safety reported in late February that Whytes blood alcohol concentration was 0.089 grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood a few hours after his arrest. DWI is defined in the Texas Penal Code as driving with a BAC of 0.08 or higher.
An actress in the play likened Stefan Kuffa to a censor.

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It was a Sunday evening in the small, remote village of Mala Frankova, nestled in the Kezmarok district of eastern Slovakia. Roughly a hundred spectators gathered to enjoy an outdoor performance by the National Theatre of Kosice at the local amphitheatre. The show, Little Gem  an acclaimed Irish play by Elaine Murphy  tells the stories of three generations of women grappling with life, love, and sexuality. But what was meant to be an evening of culture turned into a spectacle of disruption.

The peace was shattered when Stefan Kuffa, a deputy environment minister and far-right nationalist appointed by the Slovak National Party (SNS), strode in front of the audience. Three-quarters of an hour into the play, he attempted to halt the performance, declaring it inappropriate for the crowd, which included children.

Lukas Marhefka, the editor-in-chief of Zamagurske noviny, a local paper, was among the audience members. He was the first to bring the incident to light. People asked Kuffa to leave because they couldnt see the stage, Marhefka said in a video. Instead of stepping aside, Kuffa launched into a tirade, addressing the crowd about who should  and should not  be watching the play. He even likened the performance to pornography. Tempers flared, leading to a heated argument and the abrupt interruption of the performance.

Its unbelievable, Marhefka said. He single-handedly disrupted the performance of actress Dana Kosicka.

The play was part of a hunting event held in the village last Sunday.

Theatre critical of Kuffa

The play in question, Little Gem, premiered in 2008 and has garnered widespread acclaim, including an award at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Its exploration of love, death, and intimacy through the voices of three women  granddaughter, mother, and grandmother  seemed to have struck a particularly sensitive chord for Kuffa. One monologue, delivered by actress Luba Blaskovicova as the grandmother, candidly reflects on a friends advice to visit a sex shop to reignite her passion for life. It was during Kosickas salsa-related monologue that Kuffa chose to intervene.

Kuffa has since denied Marhefkas account, yet in an official statement, he admitted to disrupting the play. I acted in good faith to prevent the performance containing perverse scenes, targeted solely at adults, from continuing in front of our children, he said on Facebook.

Blaskovicova responded by comparing Kuffa to a censor.

The National Theatre of Kosice defended its production, noting that the play is clearly marked as suitable for viewers aged 18 and over on its website. However, festival organisers had failed to communicate this to the audience, leading to an apology to the theatre from the event organisers. Nonetheless, the theatre stood by its stance that the situation did not justify anyone interfering with the performance or ejecting the audience from the cultural event. It further emphasised that it is the responsibility of parents, not organisers, to decide what content is appropriate for their children.

The performance eventually resumed, though no longer in the original amphitheatre. After Kuffa was escorted away by the villages mayor, Milan Kalafut, the play continued in an alternate venue offered by the organisers.

Like Kuffa, who comes from Mala Frankova, Kalafut criticised the play, and called it unsuitable for the conservative local community following the incident.

Kuffas provocation

Kuffas intervention, however, extended beyond the performance itself. Late in the evening, while theatre staff dismantled the set, Kuffa reappeared with his phone in hand, filming the workers. This encounter ended with a brief physical altercation, after a staff member struck Kuffas hand with a metal rod. Kuffa later posted a video of the incident online, sparking an ongoing police investigation.

The Mala Frankova incidents have rippled through Slovakias political sphere. While opposition parties have called for Kuffas resignation, Slovak National Party chair Andrej Danko denounced the assault on Kuffa by the theatre worker.

Meanwhile, a commenter on social media claimed that Kuffa had harassed and insulted the theatre troupe throughout the day.

Minister wants an investigation

The Culture Ministry also weighed in, siding with Kuffa.

Children and youth must be protected from inappropriate content and from the persistent pressure of liberal-progressive propaganda, Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova (SNS) stated. She described the play as far beyond the bounds of what is suitable for children and youth, citing both its sexual content and language.

There is no confirmation as to whether Simkovicova herself saw the production. However, Dennik N, a prominent Slovak daily, reported that the minister used a photograph from a different staging of the play Little Gem, involving a sex toy, to publicly criticise the national theatre and the play itself on social media. The image, although related to Little Gem, was taken from a rendition at the Bratislava-based theatre L+S.

Simkovicova has faced criticism for purging cultural institutions, attacking the LGBT+ community, and attempting to consolidate control over cultural funding in an effort to reshape Slovakias cultural landscape.

The minister has since announced plans to investigate whether the performance in the village of Mala Frankova violated laws regarding the moral protection of minors. Additionally, Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (SNS) has expressed hopes that General Prosecutor Maros Zilinka will also look into the matter.

Kuffas actions mirror a similar incident in 2016, when far-right politician Marian Kotleba halted a theatre performance due to its coarse language.
Irish TV crew in Bratislava, Blue Church visit, and foreigner attacked.

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Update: On Wednesday, we updated the main story in the news digest by adding a statement from the museum.

Hello. Here is the Tuesday, August 20 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.

Pagan ritual exhibit censored after Kuffas visit

Deputy environment minister Stefan Kuffa and the Slovak Museum of Nature Protection and Speleology in the background. (Source: TASR/The Slovak Spectator)

After a visit by Deputy Environment Minister Stefan Kuffa to the Slovak Museum of Nature Protection and Speleology, a controversy has erupted over the museums step to alter part of a historical display portraying a pagan ritual from the Bronze Age. The museum, located in northern Slovakia, removed a figure in the exhibita man depicted as kneeling before a couple preparing to offer him as a sacrificeafter Kuffa reportedly expressed discomfort with the scene a few months ago. The kneeling figure was replaced by a bowl of rye.

The decision has been met with outrage by critics, particularly from the non-parliamentary Demokrati party, led by former defence minister Jaroslav Nad. The party accused Kuffa of imposing censorship on scientific and cultural heritage.

Kuffa is literally mocking human knowledge and the work of generations of archaeologists, historians, and speleologists, said Michal Kica, a Demokrati member and former deputy environment minister. Ideological interference with scientific research is unacceptable in a free society.

Kuffa, an ultra-conservative politician aligned with the hard-right Slovak National Party, has drawn national attention for his extreme views. He has previously voiced support for the crowning of Jesus Christ as the king of Slovakia and has made inflammatory statements about LGBT+ people, suggesting they would be better off dead.

The museum, which falls under the purview of the Environment Ministry, did not comment on the specifics of Kuffas involvement in the alteration on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the museum denied that Kuffa had influenced the work of its staff. According to the museum, the exhibition was adjusted in order to tailor it to a childrens audience.

The kneeling man has been removed and replaced by a bowl of rye. (Source: TASR - Jan Kroslak)

Related: Over the weekend, deputy environment minister Stefan Kuffa disrupted a theatre performance during a cultural event in a small village, insisting that parents remove their children from the audience. Kuffa deemed the Irish play being performed as perverse.

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If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription with no ads and a print copy of The Slovak Spectator sent to your home in Slovakia. Thank you.

FEATURE STORY

You really need to get rid of your mosquitos!

Bratislava is a great place to film - especially on the street, you dont even need a permit if youre shooting without a tripod, says Irish producer Mairead Tucker. (Source: Mairead Tucker)

The Slovak capital recently dazzled as the backdrop for an Irish language travel show, showcasing its vibrant attractions. However, the shoot was far from smoothan Irish Instagram star emerged as the most dramatic casualty of the trip.

Tour

Rare Blue Church tour with organ music

St. Elizabeth's Church, known as the Blue Church, in Bratislava. (Source: TASR)

Dont miss this rare opportunity to explore the iconic Blue Church on Bezrucova 2 in the Old Town, Bratislava. Experience a stunning organ performance in the enchanting atmosphere of this Art Nouveau masterpiece, typically accessible only during services.

No reservation is required for the tour, which runs every half hour from 10:00 to 15:00, Monday through Friday. Tickets are 5 and can only be purchased on site.

The tour, which will end on August 30, is conducted in English, with printed materials available in German, Hungarian, Slovak, Spanish, and Italian.

IN OTHER NEWS

The Culture Ministry will cancel its Cultural Policy Institute at the end of August due to reorganisational changes related to the consolidation of public finances. The Justice Ministry and the Defence Ministry have dissolved their analytical units.

Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky (Smer) and Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Hlas) are currently visiting China to negotiate with major companies that may invest in Slovakia . Two months ago, Transport Minister Jozef Raz (Smer nom.) also visited China, and Prime Minister Robert Fico is also planning a trip there.

Starting next year, the minimum wage will rise to 816 from the current 750. This increase results from a legally mandated formula that activates if unions and employers cannot reach an agreement on wage adjustments, which was the case this time.

The Open Culture! platform has kicked off a relay protest named the Slovak Cultural Uprising outside the Culture Ministry. They are demanding the removal of Minister Martina Simkovicova and her Chief of Staff, Lukas Machala. The protest takes place daily from 8:00 to 20:00, concluding on August 29 to mark the 80th anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising.

The judge at the Specialised Criminal Court has dismissed the charges against former judge David Lindtner, who advises Prime Minister Robert Fico and Minister Susko, due to significant procedural errors. The prosecutor has filed an appeal. The charges involve allegations of interference with judicial independence and indirect corruption. Recently, the government apologised to Lindtner for his unlawful detention.

As of January 1, the Belarusian embassy in Slovakia has ceased operations. The Pravda daily reports that an unnamed source attributed the closure to Belarusian officials deeming some of Slovakias activities in Minsk as unacceptable interference in their internal affairs. To put it cautiously, it involved facilitating the transfer of cash to individuals persecuted by the local regime, the source said, noting that this situation began following the change of government in 2020.

The Steiner antiquarian bookshop in Bratislava is spotlighting the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia these days. (Source: Courtesy of Jana Liptakova)

WEATHER FOR WEDNESDAY: Wednesday will see mostly cloudy to overcast skies across the country. Expect rain throughout the day, with thunderstorms possible at times. Daytime temperatures will range from 23C to 28C, reaching up to 33C in the south and Zemplin region, eastern Slovakia.

Storm warnings will be in effect on Wednesday from 10:00 to 21:00 in central and eastern Slovakia. In Slovakias far southeastern region, a heat alert will be in effect on Wednesday afternoon, too. (SHMU)

AUGUST 21 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Jana.

Thank you for subscribing and reading. It means a lot to us.

P.S. If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.

Follow The Slovak Spectator on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram (@slovakspectator).
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240821/attack-on-ukrainian-village-hits-kraken-unit-1119855945.html

Attack on Ukrainian Village Hits Kraken Unit

Attack on Ukrainian Village Hits Kraken Unit

Sputnik International

The "incoming strike" was recorded in Galytsynovoe in the Nikolaev Region of Ukraine, and the location of neo-Nazi Kraken Regiment* was hit, the coordinator of the pro-Russian underground network, Sergei Lebedev, told Sputnik on Wednesday.

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russia's special operation in ukraine

ukraine

russia

army tactical missile system (atacms)

nikolaev

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"There is the village of Galytsynovoe in the south of the Nikolaev Region, there is an alumina refinery and an important port area. Extremists from the Kraken gang, which is banned in Russia, have settled in these places. And finally, they were struck," Lebedev said. Lebedev added that the strike was allegedly carried out on the warehouse where the missiles were located. He suggested that these were ATACMS missiles. The Kraken Regiment is a Ukrainian military volunteer unit, part of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine. The national battalion was formed by veterans of the Azov Regiment* and take part in counter offensives and sabotage operations.*banned in Russia for terrorism and extremism

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240705/exclusive-russian-specialists-studied-concept-of-operation-of-atacms-cluster-submunition-1119249010.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240821/bidens-desperation-for-foreign-policy-win-explains-why-blinken-jumped-the-gun-on-gaza-deal-1119862969.html

Bidens Desperation for Foreign Policy Win Explains Why Blinken Jumped the Gun on Gaza Deal

Bidens Desperation for Foreign Policy Win Explains Why Blinken Jumped the Gun on Gaza Deal

Sputnik International

The US administration is particularly eager to announce an agreement, driven by both diplomatic and domestic pressures, Dr. Imad Salamey, an assistant professor of political science at Lebanese American University, told Sputnik.

2024-08-21T18:07+0000

2024-08-21T18:07+0000

2024-08-21T18:07+0000

analysis

middle east

benjamin netanyahu

simon tsipis

antony blinken

israel

tel aviv

lebanon

hamas

democrats

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The US administration is particularly eager to announce an agreement, driven by both diplomatic and domestic pressures, Dr. Imad Salamey, an assistant professor of political science at Lebanese American University, told Sputnik, commenting on why Israeli officials havent confirmed Tel Avivs readiness to accept the bridging proposal announced by Secretary Blinken on Monday.By contrast, the Israeli government may face significant internal challenges regarding the deal, the observer said. Prime Minister Netanyahus government is deeply divided, and any official confirmation could exacerbate these divisions, potentially leading to resignations or even the collapse of the coalition. Thus, while the US is keen to publicize progress, Israel might be more cautious, weighing the domestic repercussions of any public acknowledgement of the agreement.Blinkens public announcement could [also] be interpreted as a strategic move to exert public pressure on Israel, according to the scholar. The pressure serves multiple purposes: it advances US diplomatic interests in the region, reinforces the image of the US as a global leader, and garners domestic support by showcasing the administrations proactive role, Salamey said.Netanyahu Has No Interest in DealBut Israeli media reports indicate that the government has no intention of agreeing to the agreement announced by the US and at least in Israel, its clear to everyone that there will be no deal, Tel Aviv-based international affairs observer Dr. Simon Tsipis told Sputnik.But in my view this is just an excuse for the fact that Netanyahu is not interested in making any deal with Hamas, no matter its contents, the observer noted. Tsipis recalled that for Netanyahu, the conflict in Gaza has become not just a matter of his governments political survival, but his personal freedom, given the multiple Israeli criminal investigations hanging over his head, which would inevitably resume if the conflict were brought to a peaceful conclusion.Plus, its becoming increasingly clear to people whose relatives and friends are being held hostage by Hamas with each passing day that there are practically no more of them left alive. Yesterday, six bodies of hostages were pulled out of one of the tunnels. If earlier, several months ago, it was assumed that there were more than 220 of them being held there, now its assumed that there are no more than 100 still alive. The rest are dead, and the pressure inside Netanyahu is growing. By showing society that there are no more living hostages, hes trying to let off the political pressure building up within Israeli society, Tsipis said.As far as the US and Blinkens hasty announcement of an agreement, Tsipis believes its tied to the fact that the Biden administration is effectively running on autopilot at this point after the president announced that he would not be seeking another term, and the Democrats began preparing Vice President Harris to take the reins.These remaining months before the elections are accompanied by total confusion, and this, naturally, is reflected in US officials statements. The American side is now completely inactive and has virtually no influence, and this is felt in Israel too, Tsipis said. There is no pressure from the US because there is no one to apply this pressure, because even if the US is not yet in a state of anarchy, it is in a transitional period and has a kind of temporary government.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240820/philadelphi-corridor-gaza-war-negotiations-sticking-point-which-could-wreck-entire-peace-process-1119844008.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240820/israels-litany-of-new-conditions-ruined-hamas-ceasefire-deal---analyst-1119840655.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240818/hezbollah-has-150-bln-in-israeli-infrastructure-in-its-sights-may-have-flown-uav-over-bibis-house-1119813041.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240821/canadian-ambassador-says-ottawa-never-imposed-conditions-on-weapons-sent-to-ukraine-1119851568.html

Canadian Ambassador Says Ottawa Never Imposed Conditions on Weapons Sent to Ukraine

Canadian Ambassador Says Ottawa Never Imposed Conditions on Weapons Sent to Ukraine

Sputnik International

Canadian Ambassador to the United States said on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention that Canada has never imposed restrictions on the weapons it provided to Ukraine.

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"Canada actually has never put conditions on the weapons that we've been providing for Ukraine during the conflict," Hillman said on Tuesday. The remarks were in response to a reporter's question about the Canadian government's recent statement that Ukrainians can use Canadian-supplied weapons inside Russia as they see fit, asking whether this signifies a change in policy and if there are any limits to that. Hillman added that Canada has consistently provided weapons to Ukraine, emphasizing that the decision on their use should be determined by the Ukrainians themselves. Last week, the Canadian Department of National Defense said Ukraine can use the tanks and armored vehicles donated by Canada inside Russia. The Russian Embassy in Ottawa told Sputnik on Friday that Canada has reaffirmed it is waging an undeclared war against Russia - together with the rest of the collective West - by allowing Ukraine to use Canadian-supplied military equipment in Russia's Kursk region. The thugs, foreign mercenaries and all the Western-supplied weaponry and equipment will be destroyed and the Kiev regime is doomed to collapse, the Russian Embassy said.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240728/canadas-trudeau-part-of-globalist-managerial-class-does-not-have-final-say---brother-1119548625.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240821/check-out-vladimir-putins-visit-to-russias-chechnya-1119855345.html

Photos: Check Out Vladimir Putins Visit to Russias Chechnya

Photos: Check Out Vladimir Putins Visit to Russias Chechnya

Sputnik International

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia and arrived in Chechnya on Tuesday as part of his working trip to the North Caucasus Federal District.

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In Chechnya, the Russian president visited the tomb of the republics first president, Hero of Russia Akhmat Khadzhi Kadyrov. The Russian head of state also inspected a model of a new district in Grozny named after the Russian president, was acquainted with the work of the Russian Special Forces University, and talked to volunteers who will be sent to the special military operation.Putin also met with the head of Russias Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov.Take a look at Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to the Chechen Republic in Sputnik's gallery:

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240821/every-entry-of-western-reporters-into-kursk-region-to-be-considered-separately---zakharova-1119858418.html

Every Entry of Western Reporters Into Kursk Region to Be Considered Separately - Zakharova

Every Entry of Western Reporters Into Kursk Region to Be Considered Separately - Zakharova

Sputnik International

Each case of illegal entry of Western reporters into the Kursk region will be considered separately, and this applies to reporters from all countries, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

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"And with every journalist, or so-called journalist, or those who work under the cover of Western journalists...every case [of Western journalists entering the Kursk Region] will certainly be under control, it will be checked, it will be monitored, it will concern journalists from all countries," Zakharova told Radio Sputnik. On August 17, Russian Federal Security Service launched a criminal case against against Italian journalists Stefania Battistini and Simone Traini for unlawfully crossing the Russian border and filming in the town of Sudzha in the Kursk Region.Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the Kiev regime had carried out a provocation and was firing indiscriminately, including at civilian targets. Putin said that the enemy would receive a worthy response, and all of Russia's goals would be achieved.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240821/iran-shuts-down-german-soft-power-tool-institute-in-tehran-in-apparent-tit-for-tat-move-1119864110.html

Iran Shuts Down German Soft Power Tool Institute in Tehran in Apparent Tit-for-Tat Move

Iran Shuts Down German Soft Power Tool Institute in Tehran in Apparent Tit-for-Tat Move

Sputnik International

The German Foreign Ministry summoned Irans ambassador after the Islamic Republic shuttered two branches of German Language Institute of Tehran, which receive funding from the German government.

2024-08-21T18:51+0000

2024-08-21T18:51+0000

2024-08-21T18:51+0000

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The German Foreign Ministry summoned Irans ambassador on Tuesday after the Islamic Republic shuttered two branches of German Language Institute of Tehran (formerly the Goethe Institute), which receive funding from the German government and operate under the auspices of the German Embassy.The German Foreign Office slammed the move, saying it was in no way justifiable, and that that the institute "is a popular and recognized meeting place where people put a lot of effort into learning languages under difficult circumstances. The institutes work is intended to strengthen the connection between the people of Iran and Germany, the Foreign Office assured.The language centers closure comes a month after Berlin raided and shut down Islamic Center Hamburg, a Shia Islamic cultural center accused by Berlin of promoting extremism and radical Islamic ideology, spreading aggressive antisemitism, and providing support for Lebanese political and militia movement Hezbollah, which German authorities deem a terrorist organization.German police also raided 53 affiliated properties across eight German states, banning affiliates in Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt, confiscating assets and shutting down four separate mosques.German harassment and monitoring of Islamic Center Hamburg goes back to the 1990s. In 2022, its deputy director was expelled from Germany over alleged communications with Hezbollah. In 2023, after the start of the Gaza war, Greens politician Jennifer Jasberg demanded the centers closure, saying she did not want Hamburg to serve as a breeding ground for hatred against Israel.Iranian authorities blasted Islamic Center Hamburgs closure as an act of Islamophobia, a boon for terrorism and a move reminiscent of the racist policies of the Nazi regime. Iranian acting foreign minister Ali Baqeri slammed the measure as an unjustified move that flouts all principles of freedom of religion and thought.Iranian authorities said their investigation into the German Language Institute is ongoing, and indicated that other German state-affiliated entities are being looked at.While it paints itself as autonomous and politically independent and engaged only in the exchange of culture and language, Germanys Goethe institute has been characterized by some as a tool of soft power for Berlin. Russia froze Goethe Institute bank accounts in Russia in 2023 in a tit-for-tat move after Berlin moved to block the accounts of the Russian House of Science and Art in Berlin several months prior. Moscow said it would unblock the accounts only after the complete and unconditional unfreezing of the bank accounts of the Russian center.The Goethe center was opened in Iran in 1958 under the auspices of the West German government, but saw its activities restricted after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and banned completely in 1987. The institute was reopened in 1995 under the German Language Institute moniker.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/its-not-over-irgc-warns-europeans-who-rushed-to-israels-defense-during-april-strikes-1118483317.html

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why did iran shut down german institute, what is the german language institute, what is the hamburg islamic center, are german-iran relations good, are german-iran ties deteriorating
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240821/journalist-medhurst-arrest-is-the-assange-effect-continued-1119852811.html

Journalist Medhurst Arrest is the Assange Effect Continued

Journalist Medhurst Arrest is the Assange Effect Continued

Sputnik International

The arrest of independent journalist Richard Medhurst on Thursday at Heathrow Airport in London is a continuation of trying to intimidate journalists worldwide from reporting on the empire.

2024-08-21T03:11+0000

2024-08-21T03:11+0000

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analysis

julian assange

richard medhurst

scott ritter

united kingdom (uk)

foreign agents registration act (fara)

heathrow airport

fbi

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/06/1a/1119136643_0:97:3072:1825_1920x0_80_0_0_a37af9bc60d069c73113398da84fbb69.jpg

The arrest and detainment of Medhurst and several other journalists stems from the case against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, activist, organizer, and commentator Misty Winston told Sputniks The Critical Hour on Tuesday.Assanges Wikileaks released a video named Collateral Murder in 2010, which showed US helicopters firing on Iraqi citizens and medical personnel. A few months later, Swedish prosecutors issued the first arrest warrant for Assange, accusing him of sexual assault. Assange denied the accusations and the investigation was eventually dropped but that kicked off a 14-year saga that saw the publisher be confined for over 12 years, first in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for nearly eight years and then more than four years in the UKs notorious Belmarsh Prison.Assange was released in June of this year after signing a plea deal with the United States, which was seeking his extradition on espionage charges. By that time, according to his family, his health had seriously deteriorated. He has rarely been seen in public since.Like Assange, Medhurst was critical of the Western empire and the military-industrial complex. As were other journalists who have recently been detained by UK authorities, including Kit Klarenberg, Craig Murray, and Vanessa Beeley, all of whom have been arrested or detained by authorities in recent months.Journalist Glenn Greenwald's late husband and former Brazilian politician David Miranda, who was instrumental in revealing the Edward Snowden leak, was also detained in the UK under the same law that Medhurst was arrested for. Miranda successfully sued the UK government, arguing that the law did not apply to those participating in journalism. However, the law has since been amended to include expresses an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed (deemed a terrorist) organization, if in doing so is reckless as to whether a person to whom the expression is directed will be encouraged to support a proscribed organization.This is not the first time that this has happened, but it is going. As I said when the Assange stuff was going on, this will continue to get worse. They have opened Pandoras box, explained Winston. Theyve normalized this attack on journalism. And so it is going to continue. Were going to see more and more journalists being censored, being arrested, being imprisoned, all of those things. And itll continue until we start to stand up and say, no, thank you. We dont want this.Beyond simply attempting to imprison or intimidate the individual journalists being harassed, these actions have a larger goal of intimidating journalists worldwide, in what is known as the chilling effect.Earlier this month, former UN weapons inspector and frequent Sputnik radio guest and columnist Scott Ritters house was raided by the FBI on alleged Foreign Agent Registry Act (FARA) violations. Ritter has denied the charges.You know, all of us need to be peeping out our windows for when were going to see camouflaged guys come wandering up with their flashbang grenades to give us the Uhuru 3 treatment, exclaimed The Critical Hour co-host Garland Nixon, referring to member of the African Peoples Socialist Party, who are currently facing alleged FARA violation charges.Its not just about Kit. Its not just about Richard Medhurst, concluded Winston. This is meant to send a message to all other journalists and commentators out there, that if you dare speak against Israel and the empire, this is what will happen to you. And so, its really going to create a chilling effect across that type of journalism.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240626/assange-to-speak-to-public-when-recovered---stella-assange-1119143871.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220730/fbi-raids-african-peoples-socialist-party-claims-the-group-was-controlled-by-fsb-1097960392.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240821/over-40-of-french-want-new-prime-minister-to-represent-national-rally-party---poll-1119867046.html

Over 40% of French Want New Prime Minister to Represent National Rally Party - Poll

Over 40% of French Want New Prime Minister to Represent National Rally Party - Poll

Sputnik International

About 42% of the French would like to see a representative of the right-wing National Rally (RN) party as the countrys new prime minister, a poll by the Harris Interactive polling company showed on Wednesday.

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At the same time, 36% of French respondents would like the new prime minister to represent either the Socialist Party or the Republicans Party, the document said, adding that only 28% would prefer a candidate from French President Emmanuel Macrons Renaissance party. According to the survey, 40% of the French consider incumbent Prime Minister Gabriel Attal a good governmental leader. Meanwhile, 39% of respondents support the candidacy of Jordan Bardella, the leader of the National Rally. The top five most popular candidates among the French public also include ex-French Labor Minister Xavier Bertrand (32%), European Central Bank governor Christine Lagarde (30%) and French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin (29%), the survey read. The candidacy of Lucie Castets, nominated by the left-wing New Popular Front bloc as a candidate for the post, is supported by only 17% of the French, the data showed. The survey was conducted online among 1,083 French people aged 18 and older between August 19-20, 2024. The margin of error ranged from 1.4 to 3.1 percentage points. The results of the French polls left the country facing a hung parliament, with no party holding a majority. The New Popular Front, a broad alliance that includes France Unbowed, the Socialists, the Greens and the Communists, came out on top in the runoff, seizing 182 seats in the lower-house National Assembly. The centrists came in second with 168 seats, while National Rally won 143 seats.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240717/frances-le-pen-says-convinced-that-macron-would-dissolve-parliament-again-in-1-year-1119403885.html

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Jireh Trujillo fixes her friend Betty Lous hair as they wait to be called to their first class at Hot Wells Middle School on the first day of school after the pandemic, in August 2021. The school last week had to move students to the gym and an elementary school next door because of air-conditioning problems. Jessica Phelps/San Antonio Express-News

The San Antonio Independent School District, which has struggled to cool some of its aging buildings during a late summer heat wave, got the OK from its board to bypass state procurement laws so it can fast-track air-conditioning repairs.

The board authorized staff Monday to procure HVAC equipment or services without the normal bidding required under the states Education Code, declaring it would prevent or substantially impair the conduct of classes or other school activities. The legal finding makes the district more nimble in responding to system failures by not having to take 30 to 45 days to advertise for, evaluate and award bids, officials said.

As you are aware, some of our systems might have parts fail or other kinds of failures of the system, and in order for us to respond rapidly and get the systems back online, so kids can learn in an environment conducive for learning, were asking that you approve this measure, Deputy Superintendent Patti Salzmann told trustees.

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Jaciel Sigala, 12, sings with the Hot Wells Middle School mariachi ensemble at the start of the SAISD Mariachi Spectacular for Fiesta at the Tobin Center in 2023. The school last week had to move students to the gym and an elementary school next door because of air-conditioning problems. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News

READ MORE: San Antonio schools see small gain on testing scores

A few days before the school year began Aug. 13, the district informed parents it would move students, if buildings werent sufficiently cool, to another campus by bus. Even with modern chillers in place, some older schools are hard to cool for long periods in the summer because of inadequate insulation and outdated windows and doorways, officials said.

Last week, sixth-grade students at Hot Wells Middle School were moved next door to Ball Elementary, and seventh- and eight-graders were sent to the middle school gym. Parents were notified and given the option of picking their children up.

Pablo Escamilla, the districts lawyer, said the law allows SAISD to bypass the bidding process because of the emergency, if the board determines that normal methods of procurement would prohibit you from being able to provide the kind of environment you need. If a purchase exceeds $250,000  the superintendents limit for spending without board approval  the staff must inform trustees of the expense, but it wont legally need to be ratified, Escamilla said.

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Friends and seventh graders at Hot Wells Middle School  Corina Garza, Audrianna Esqueda and Aubrianna Esqueda  talk before the start of their first day of school after the pandemic, in August 2021. The school last week had to move students to the gym and an elementary school next door because of air-conditioning problems. Jessica Phelps/San Antonio Express-News

The district has vendors under contract, purchasing co-ops and cooperative agreements with other districts to provide repairs and maintenance but could be forced to work with an alternative vendor if a specialized part or system fails, officials said.

Anthony Rogers, a member of Our Schools San Antonio, a parent-driven advocacy group, said hed just been out in triple-digit heat and was concerned for the districts students, staff and teachers.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240821/pictures-chinese-premier-li-qiang-visits-russia-1119862232.html

Pictures: Chinese Premier Li Qiang Visits Russia

Pictures: Chinese Premier Li Qiang Visits Russia

Sputnik International

On Wednesday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Moscow for an official visit, during which he held meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

2024-08-21T17:23+0000

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Russia and China will celebrate the 75th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations this year.Russia was the first country to recognize the Peoples Republic of China on the day after its establishment. "Over the decades, Russian-Chinese relations have reached an unprecedented high level of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction," Mishustin said.He also noted that mutual investments between Russia and China continue to grow. Despite external pressure, Moscow and Beijing have exceeded target trade figures, hitting over 20 trillion rubles ($220 billion) in 2023.Explore Sputnik's gallery to find out more!

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240821/police-across-canada-responding-to-bomb-threats-targeting-jewish-organizations-1119864977.html

Police Across Canada Responding to Bomb Threats Targeting Jewish Organizations

Police Across Canada Responding to Bomb Threats Targeting Jewish Organizations

Sputnik International

Canadian Law enforcement agencies reported on Wednesday that they were responding to multiple bomb threats targeting Canadian and Jewish institutions across the country.

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Earlier, Bnai Brit Canada reported that more than a hundred Jewish institutions had received identical emails at 5:00 a.m. ET containing bomb threats, including at their Toronto and Montreal offices. "We are aware of threats made via email to Jewish Organizations across Canada. Today, TPS [Toronto Police Service] attended bldgs. In Bathurst St & Sheppard Ave W area for a bomb threat. The Bldgs were evacuated as a precaution and cleared," the TPS said via X. In a separate statement, Ottawa police said it was assisting the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) with an ongoing operation at several hospitals across the capital city and the region, targeted by bomb threats.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240821/three-units-of-ukraines-national-guard-refuse-to-obey-orders-in-donetsk-region--reports-1119862427.html

Three Units of Ukraines National Guard Refuse to Obey Orders in Donetsk Region  Reports

Three Units of Ukraines National Guard Refuse to Obey Orders in Donetsk Region  Reports

Sputnik International

Russias steady advance throughout the Donetsk Peoples Republic (DPR) is shown not just by Russian troops liberating settlement after settlement, by also by Ukrainian soldiers refusing to follow the commands of their superiors.

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Three companies of the Ukrainian National Guard have refused to obey orders to fight Russian forces in Donetsk.The men, led by their commanders, refused to carry out combat missions near Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk in Ukrainian), located in the Kiev-controlled part of the DPR, Strana reported, quoting a serviceman of the second battalion of the 15th National Guard Brigade."But the trouble was that we had already arrived at Pokrovsk with a huge manpower shortage," he added. "After a week of fighting there were even fewer of us, 10 to 13 men in a company, including commanders.Vladislav said it was impossible to defend the positions, as Ukrainian troops were outnumbered 30 to one by the Russian forces. He said they were regularly under attack.The soldier also complained of the extremely poor cohesion and lack of communication within the ranks. Only one unit was covering their flank, but they abandoned their position without telling their comrades.According to Vladislav, one of the groups was unable to retreat and the fate of its men remains unknown  whether they were killed or captured.After the retreat the troops were threatened with punishment by their commanders.Our three companies from among those transferred to Pokrovsk refused to carry out combat orders," Vladislav said. "The superiors came and suggested that those who refused to carry out the tasks should step forward."But all the men, including their officers, took responsibility."All those who remained, led by their commanders, stepped forward," he said. "The superiors videotaped it and left. Now we do not know what will happen next, we are waiting for the consequences."All the guardsmen who refused to follow orders had been fighting since the start of the Russian military operation, and all had experienced artillery shelling and combat. "But there are simply too few of us left, Valdislav said.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240821/un-on-reports-of-new-us-strategy-rising-risk-of-use-of-nuclear-weapons-causes-concern-1119865820.html

UN on Reports of New US Strategy: Rising Risk of Use of Nuclear Weapons Causes Concern

UN on Reports of New US Strategy: Rising Risk of Use of Nuclear Weapons Causes Concern

Sputnik International

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned about the heightened risk of nuclear weapons being used, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday, amid reports of the United States approving a new secret nuclear strategic plan refocusing on an alleged Chinese threat.

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"The secretary-general is very concerned about the acute risk of nuclear weapons being used," Dujarric said during a press briefing. Dujarric stressed the importance of dialogue and diplomacy to move toward a nuclear-free world. The remarks were in response to a reporter's question about a New York Times report that US President Joe Biden approved a classified US nuclear strategy plan that shifts focus to China, a country with significantly fewer nuclear warheads and a no-first-use policy. The new strategy is also said to address concerns of potential coordinated nuclear challenges by China, Russia, and North Korea against the United States. The document is highly classified and has no electronic copies, the report said. Biden is expected to provide a notification to Congress in connection with the revised strategy before leaving office, the report said. The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed concerns with the reports about the new US strategy. The US is promoting a "Chinese nuclear threat" to evade its nuclear disarmament commitments, the ministry said.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240821/us-mercenary-group-seen-in-kursk-region-say-ordered-by-kiev-not-to-comment-1119853021.html

Russia Previously Linked US Mercenaries Seen in Kursk to Chemical Provocations in Ukraine

Russia Previously Linked US Mercenaries Seen in Kursk to Chemical Provocations in Ukraine

Sputnik International

The alleged US private military contractor company, Forward Observations Group (FOG), told Sputnik that Ukraine security services told them they should not comment on allegations that they are operating inside the Kursk region.

2024-08-21T03:32+0000

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A few days ago, FOG posted on social media under the nickname "gearlab.official" a photo of its members participating in the Ukrainian incursion in the Kursk region.In the photo posted on Instagram (owned by Meta, banned in Russia for extremism), three men in military gear holding weapons and carrying blue armbands are posing in front of an armed vehicle."The boys in Kursk," the caption said.Geolocation data showed that the photo had indeed been published from the Kursk region.This is not the first time the group, which officially brands itself as a company selling tactical gear, has come into the spotlight. In March 2022, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned of a plot involving the destruction of 200-litre barrels with toxic chemicals in highly populated areas of the Donetsk region. According to the warning, Forward Observations Group was engaged in delivering and storing the toxic chemicals cargo.On November 15, 2023, the founder of the mercenary group, Derrick Bales, published a photo on Instagram depicting a soldier walking along a snowy street somewhere in Ukraine, under which a comment from the official fog account subsequently appeared reading "The time we brought chemical weapon on frontline."Both the US State Department and the Pentagon have declined to provide any comments regarding the presence of American mercenaries on Russian soil.The alleged US private military contractor group, Forward Observations Group, told Sputnik that at the direction of Ukraine's security services, they would not be able to comment on allegations that they are participating in Kiev's offensive in Russia's Kursk Region.The Forward Observations Group responded on Tuesday that all questions should be directed to the Security Services of Ukraine when asked if they're operating in Ukraine's Kursk offensive. The White House National Security Council and the State Department did not immediately respond to Sputnik's request for comment on this matter. The Forward Observations Group described as a military lifestyle brand online but there is some controversy about the status of the group as it appears they have been active in Ukraine based on their social media posts. Last week, the Forward Observations Group posted on social media a photo of its members allegedly participating in the Ukrainian incursion in the Kursk Region. In the photo posted on Instagram*, three men in military gear holding weapons and carrying blue armbands are posing in front of an armed vehicle. The caption on the post read: "The boys in Kursk." Geolocation data showed that the photo had been published from the Kursk Region. Earlier this month, a resident of a village in the Kursk Region told Sputnik that foreign mercenaries had entered their village, including from France and Poland.*owned by Meta, banned in Russia for extremism.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240821/us-private-military-company-operating-in-kursk-was-in-ukraine-conflict-zone-for-2-years-1119852428.html

US Private Military Company Operating in Kursk Was in Ukraine Conflict Zone for 2 Years

US Private Military Company Operating in Kursk Was in Ukraine Conflict Zone for 2 Years

Sputnik International

The Forward Observation Group, a private mercenary company based in the United States, is currently operating in Kursk and has been operating in Ukraine for years, a Sputnik investigation found.

2024-08-21T01:17+0000

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The group attracted media attention after it shared photos of its team members taking part in Ukraine's military incursion into Russia's Kursk Region last week. The group's official account on Instagram* shared a controversial photo showing three members of the group posing in front of a military vehicle, with the caption saying "The boys in Kursk" and the posts geolocation tagged as "Kursk, Russia." On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned US Charge d'Affaires Stephanie Holmes to lodge a protest in connection with the actions of US mercenaries in the Kursk Region. An Instagram account believed to belong to the group's founder, former US infantry soldier Derrick Bales, showed that FOG had been operating in the conflict zone in Ukraine for over two years. Bales uses "Raoul Duke" as a pseudonym for his personal account, under the handle "raoulduke_69," on Instagram. Public pictures of Bales show the same tattoos on both of his arms as the person appearing under the "raoulduke_69" account. Raoul Duke was the pseudonym Hunter S. Thompson used for his seminal gonzo journalism novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.Bales' first post related to FOGs activities in Ukraine dated back to as early as February 26, 2022, two days after Russia's special military operation began. In his post, Bales shared a photo of a broken armored vehicle with the group's flag with a canoe on it with the caption "Canoe szn [Ukrainian flag emoji] [black flag emoji]." Bales went on to share a series of photos apparently showing members of the group taking part in military operations with the geolocation tagged as "Kyiv, Ukraine." In subsequent posts from the same account, Bales showed possible members of the group engaging in various kinds of military operations in the conflict zone in Ukraine. In a video posted on February 18, 2024, Bales showed a person apparently laying an anti-tank mine with the caption "Back with the boys next month. [Ukrainian flag emoji] [black flag emoji]." In a photo posted on April 25, a person could be seen operating a drone with the geolocation tagged as "Chasiv Yar," which is the city of Chasov Yar (also known as Chasiv Yar) in the Donetsk People's Republic, where the fighting is currently taking place. Judging by the tattoos on the person's hand, it appears that it was Bales himself operating the drone in the photo. The most recent post from the account on Tuesday showed a person with the FOG patch on his chest carrying what appears to be an artillery shell, with the geolocation tagged as "Chasiv Yar" once again. The posts on the account tagged FOGs official account on Instagram in various posts, indicating the account's strong link to FOG. According to a post on Reddit, FOG also supported at least one Ukrainian SSO unit, the 73rd Maritime Special Operations Regiment, by serving as a mortar team for it, as well as passing along tactics and medical training. In March, the Russian Defense Ministry said that 13,387 mercenaries had arrived in Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's special military operation. Back then, as many as 5,962 mercenaries were reportedly eliminated.*owned by Meta, banned in Russia for extremism.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240810/russian-forces-eliminate-15-foreign-mercs-with-thermobaric-weapons-near-sudxha-in-kursk-region-1119705546.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240821/watch-black-sea-fleet-marines-capture-18-ukrainian-assault-fighters-in-kursk-region-1119857561.html

Watch Black Sea Fleet Marines Capture 18 Ukrainian Assault Fighters in Kursk Region

Watch Black Sea Fleet Marines Capture 18 Ukrainian Assault Fighters in Kursk Region

Sputnik International

Earlier, 19 servicemen of the same 22nd separate mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were captured by Black Sea Marines near the village of Olgovka in the Kursk region.

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"Marines of the 810th Brigade near the village of Spalnoye in the Kursk region captured a group of 18 Ukrainian assault soldiers belonging to the 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces," the ministry said.Earlier, 19 Ukrainian servicemen of the same 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade were captured by Black Sea Marines near the Kursk region village of Olgovka.

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Marines of the 810th Black Sea Fleet Brigade captured 18 Ukrainian servicemen near the village of Spalnoye in the Kursk region Sputnik International Marines of the 810th Black Sea Fleet Brigade captured 18 Ukrainian servicemen near the village of Spalnoye in the Kursk region 2024-08-21T10:39+0000 true PT0M30S

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Three $8,000 Prospect Series divisions for sophomore pacing colts went postward on Tuesday evening, Aug. 20 at Georgian Downs with Larjon Levi, Tricky Mcwicky and Onyx Bovino capturing their respective splits.

Larjon Levi kicked off the action with the swiftest mile of them all.

The Patrick Bissett student was driven by Samuel Fillion as they took post four in the field of seven. Lamborghini Lou (Paul MacKenzie) lived up to his name and was quick on the engine, controlling the tempo with panels in :28, :58.3 and 1:25.2. Larjon Levi got away fifth, pulled second over en route to the half, and kept chugging away through the third quarter pole. Still fourth at the top of the stretch, Larjon Levi had to turn on the afterburners to sweep past his foes and challenge the leading favourite. With the final few steps ahead, Larjon Levi broke free to prevail by a half length in a 20-1 upset in 1:55. Lamborghini Lou had to settle for second best with Lotto Max (Travis Henry) completing the show ticket.

Larry Lane owns the sophomore gelded son of All Bets Off out of the Jeremes Jet mare Twin B Elite. Larjon Levi was unraced as a freshman and has made 12 starts this year, winning six of those and yielding $20,592 in earnings. His upset score paid $41.80.

Brett MacDonald and the David Frey student, Tricky Mcwicky, protected their rail position in the second division, leading the whole mile en route to a 1-1/2-length triumph in 1:55.3 over All Bets On Red (Jason Ryan) and Harborlite Ambrose (Austin Sorrie).

Tricky Mcwicky (McWicked-Hat Trick Honey) is owned by breeders Stuart and Patricia Bolender. Unraced as a freshman, he recorded his fifth career win from 26 starts this year with $65,176 earned. He paid $3 to win.

Onyx Bovino was driven by J Harris to a gate-to-wire score by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:55.3 for trainer Lacey McCabe. Gladiator S Bg (Jason Ryan) finished second with Rise N Grind (Brett MacDonald) third.

Owned and bred by Glenview Livestock Ltd, Onyx Bovino (Bettors Delight-Lady Terror) won his third race in 13 tries this year and sixth race from 18 career starts, producing $40,299 in lifetime earnings. He returned $2.80 to win.

To view Tuesday's harness racing results, click the following link: Tuesday Results - Georgian Downs.

(Standardbred Canada)
Jeremy Wallace has covered politics and campaigns for more than 20 years. Before joining the Hearst Texas newspapers in 2017 he covered government and politics for the Tampa Bay Times, The Miami Herald and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Previously he covered Congress for the Boston Globe and Detroit Free-Press. Originally from San Antonio, he attended the University of North Texas and earned his bachelors degree from the University of Missouri.

Jeremy also authors the Texas Take with Jeremy Wallace newsletter, where he shares insights from inside the Capitol along with the occasional Willie Nelson reference. You can sign up here.

You can follow him on Twitter, @JeremySWallace, or email him at Jeremy.wallace@chron.com.
GRAND ISLAND, Neb.  The Hall County Historical Society and its partners want to get its documentary on Grand Island hero David Kaufmann in front of as many people as possible.

During an encore presentation of A Life Well Lived: An Account of David Kaufmann on Saturday at the Grand Theatre, Michelle Setlik with the society announced efforts to enter the movie into the National Education Television Association, which is the distribution network for PBS stations across the country.

The documentary tells the life of Kaufmann, who emigrated from Germany to Grand Island, became a successful businessman and then saved hundreds of lives and affected countless descendants by sponsoring German Jewish immigrants to America. Through his work, people that might have otherwise remained in Germany under Nazi rule were able to flee to the U.S.

Setlik said after the movie that the association has different levels, and the film backers are targeting a $5,000 level that would give them access to professionals whod develop a curriculum component to go with the documentary, because our goal has always been to get this out into public schools.

Nebraska in particular, but there are other states that have Holocaust education required, Setlik said.

The backers are already working with NET to broadcast the documentary on Nebraska public television airwaves and we hope to get this film to other markets, too, Setlik said.

Good news on that effort came Saturday  the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation presented a $5,000 check to the society on stage at the Grand.

This was an amazing surprise. I was very shocked, Setlik said afterward. I was going to have to shift back to fundraising mode to raise that money. Now theyve taken that (need) away.

The film is currently 45 minutes long. Setlik said theyll work to expand it to 58 minutes to hit the mark required by PBS. That shouldnt be a problem, given the number of interviews done by filmmakers. Chimney Rock Media made the film in partnership with the Hall County Historical Society and the Institute for Holocaust Education, an agency of the Jewish Federation of Omaha.
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Dung beetles use the Milky Way at night to navigate. Engineers have used the same technique to develop an AI sensor for navigation in low light. Credit: University of South Australia

An insect species that evolved 130 million years ago is the inspiration for a new research study to improve navigation systems in drones, robots, and orbiting satellites.

The dung beetle is the first known species to use the Milky Way at night to navigate, focusing on the constellation of stars as a reference point to roll balls of dung in a straight line away from their competitors.

Swedish researchers made this discovery in 2013 and a decade later, Australian engineers are modeling the same technique used by the dung beetle to develop an AI sensor that can accurately measure the orientation of the Milky Way in low light.

University of South Australia remote sensing engineer Professor Javaan Chahl and his team of Ph.D. students have used computer vision to demonstrate that the large stripe of light that forms the Milky Way is not affected by motion blur, unlike individual stars.

"Nocturnal dung beetles move their head and body extensively when rolling balls of manure across a field, needing a fixed orientation point in the night sky to help them steer in a straight line," Chahl says. "Their tiny compound eyes make it difficult to distinguish individual stars, particularly while in motion, whereas the Milky Way is highly visible."

In a series of experiments using a camera mounted to the roof of a vehicle, the UniSA researchers captured images of the Milky Way while the vehicle was both stationary and moving. Using information from those images, they have developed a computer vision system that reliably measures the orientation of the Milky Way, which is the first step towards building a navigation system.

Their findings have been published in the journal Biomimetics.

Lead author UniSA Ph.D. candidate Yiting Tao says the orientation sensor could be a backup method to stabilize satellites and help drones and robots to navigate in low light, even when there is a lot of blur caused by movement and vibration.

"For the next step, I want to put the algorithm on a drone and allow it to control the aircraft in flight during the night," Tao says.

The sun helps many insects to navigate during the day, including wasps, dragonflies, honeybees, and desert ants. At night, the moon also provides a reference point for nocturnal insects, but it is not always visible, hence why dung beetles and some moths use the Milky Way for orientation.

Chahl says insect vision has long inspired engineers where navigation systems are concerned. Chahl explains, "Insects have been solving navigational problems for millions of years, including those that even the most advanced machines struggle with. And they've done it in a tiny little package. Their brains consist of tens of thousands of neurons compared to billions of neurons in humans, yet they still manage to find solutions from the natural world."

More information: Tao et al, Computer vision techniques demonstrate robust orientation measurement of the Milky Way despite image motion, Biomimetics (2024). DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics9070375. Journal information: Biomimetics
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The Boeing 787 Dreamliner taxis after its landing at Le Bourget airport, east of Paris, upon its presentation for the first time at the 49th Paris Air Show at the airport, June 21, 2011. Credit: AP Photo/Francois Mori, File

Federal safety officials are requiring inspections of cockpit seats on Boeing 787 Dreamliners after one of the jets went into a dive when the captain's seat lurched forward without warning and disconnected the plane's autopilot system.

Boeing also has stopped test flights of a new version of its 777 jetliner after discovering a damaged structural part between the engine and the rest of the plane. The new model has not yet been approved by regulators.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in an order scheduled to be published Wednesday that it will require operators of 787s to inspect both pilot seats for missing or cracked caps that cover a switch used to move the seats.

During a March flight by Chile-based Latam Airlines, the captain's seat moved forward and hit a switch that disconnected the autopilot system. The plane, flying from Australia to New Zealand, rapidly dropped about 400 feet (120 meters) before the co-pilot regained control, according to a preliminary report by Chilean authorities. Several dozen passengers were injured, according to news reports.

Within days of the incident, Boeing recommended that airlines look at the cockpit seats on 787s for loose caps on the switches and told them how to turn off power to the motorized seats.

The FAA said it has received four other reports from Boeing of cockpit seats moving when not intended to, including one in June.

The FAA said its safety order will affect 158 planes registered in the United States.

Separately, the FAA published a final rule requiring airlines to inspect inlets around ducts in engine anti-ice systems on 787s for signs of heat damage. The agency proposed the rule in February after a report of damage to "multiple" engine inlets caused by missing or "degraded" seals around the ducts.

Boeing identified the inlet issue in bulletins sent to airlines last year.

Meanwhile, Boeing suffered a setback in its effort to win FAA certification of the 777-9, a new, long-range addition to its lineup of 777 jets. The plane might be most noteworthy for its folding wingtips, which would allow the larger model to fit at airport gates designed for other 777s.

Boeing said Tuesday it has stopped flights after one of four test planes was found to have cracks on a part called a thrust link that helps balance load between the engines and the aircraft. The issue surfaced after a test flight returned to Hawaii.

"During scheduled maintenance, we identified a component that did not perform as designed," Boeing said in a statement. "Our team is replacing the part and capturing any learnings from the component and will resume flight testing when ready."

Boeing said there are four thrust links on each 777-9two on each engine for redundancy. The company said the component is new to the 777-9 and is not used on existing 777s or other planes.

Boeing, which is based in Arlington, Virginia, said it was keeping the FAA and airlines informed about the issue.

The problem with the component was first reported by The Air Current.

 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Most of the world's biggest operational solar farms are in China.

Australia on Wednesday approved plans for a massive solar hub intended to power millions of homes domestically and supply electricity to Singapore.

The SunCable project is expected to produce 6 gigawatts (GW) and begin supplying power by 2030.

Here is a look at other major solar projects that have been announced, are under construction or are already operating worldwide.

Midong solar project, China

Most of the biggest operational solar farms are in China, which is adding renewable capacity at a rate that far outstrips the rest of the world.

In June, the Midong solar power project in the Xinjiang region was brought online, with an operating capacity of 3.5GW.

The project is touted as China's biggest yet, exceeding the capacity of its two previous largest solar projects in Ningxia and Qinghai regions.

But it is likely to be overtaken soon, with other megaprojects already in the works, including the Inner Mongolia Tengger solar farm.

The project is under construction and is projected to have a capacity of 8GW, according to Global Energy Monitor's (GEM) solar tracker.

China is building almost twice as much wind and solar capacity as every other country combined.

It has 339GW under construction, including 180GW of solar, according to GEM.

Khavda is a massive solar and wind energy project in a desolate region of India's Gujarat.

Khavda solar park, India

The Khavda solar park is an enormous renewable energy project under construction in a desolate region of India's Gujarat, near the border with Pakistan.

A hybrid solar-wind project, it is slated to have a whopping 30GW capacity when fully operational, around 2027.

The site has already begun generating power however, with 551 megawatts of solar capacity coming online earlier this year, according to Adani Green Energy, one of the firms developing the massive site.

It says the park will be the world's largest renewable energy installation when complete, and capable of powering 16.1 million homes a year.

India, which is currently heavily dependent on coal, aims to install 500GW of renewable energy by 2030, and achieve net-zero emissions by 2070.

Al Dhafra, United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates inaugurated the 2GW Al Dhafra solar plant last year, weeks before it hosted UN climate talks.

Located south of the capital Abu Dhabi, it stretches over 21 square kilometres (eight square miles) of desert, an area about one-fifth the size of Paris.

The project was described as the largest single-site photovoltaic power plant in the world upon its inauguration.

It can generate enough power for 160,000 homes across the oil-rich Gulf state.

The UAE aims to triple its renewable energy over the next seven years as it attempts to achieve net zero by 2050.

Egypt's Benban Solar Park is visible from space.

Benban Solar Park, Egypt

Egypt's Benban Solar Park, built in the western desert some 40 kilometres from the city of Aswan, was connected to the national grid in 2019.

It is often described as Africa's largest solar project and one of the world's biggest, with a capacity of around 1.5GW, though that could be increased if planned expansions go ahead.

Visible from space, the $4 billion World Bank-funded project stretches over 37 square kilometres (14 square miles) and produces enough electricity to supply 420,000 households, according to the UN.

Chill Sun Project, United States

Among the biggest planned solar farms in the United States is the Chill Sun Solar Project.

The projected 2.25GW facility is proposed for construction in the sun-drenched state of Nevada, which is already home to dozens of smaller solar plants.

The United States is adding renewable capacity fast, behind only China, but at a far slower rate.

It has 40GW of wind and solar in construction compared to China's 339GW, and it generates 16 percent of its electricity from wind and solar, according to Ember, a think tank.

 2024 AFP
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A new national survey has found that most adult Australians use different types of digital media regularly, yet their overall confidence in their digital media abilities remains quite low, showing very little change since 2021.

Two-thirds of adult Australians (65%) use three or more different media formats on a daily basis, and people who regularly consume a diverse range of media have far more confidence in their media abilities.

Additionally, 4 in 10 adult Australians have experimented with text-focused generative AI services. However, there is a strong overall negative sentiment towards this technology, with the majority of adults wanting regulation to mitigate potential harm.

Many adults report encountering misinformation frequently, and there is strong support for action with 4 in 5 (80%) adults wanting the spread of misinformation addressed, a 6% increase since 2021.

Almost everyone (94%) who wants misinformation to be addressed agrees that people need to be taught how to identify misinformation.

The surveya collaboration between Western Sydney University, University of Canberra and Queensland University of Technologyasked 4,442 adult Australians in January to April 2024 about their media literacy abilities and is a follow up to the inaugural survey conducted in 2021.

Lead author Associate Professor Tanya Notley, School of Humanities and Communication Arts and Institute for Culture and Society, said despite almost all Australians using social media and digital platforms in their everyday lives, progress has been slow when it comes to adult media literacy.

"Most adult Australians are not confident about their ability to identify false and misleading information online, create a video and post it online, edit a digital photo, change social media privacy settings, or seek help from relevant authorities if they are being harassed online," said Associate Professor Notley.

"We found that there is overwhelming demand among Australians for adult and school-based media literacy education. However, too many Australians have not received any form of media literacy education or they don't have access to support when they need it."

The survey found while most Australians (68%) have heard of the term media literacy, only one-third (33%) have some understanding of what it means.

Older adults, those with a lower level of education and lower household income are less likely to know what media literacy means.

"There is an urgent need for more media literacy educational resources and support to address the media interests, needs, deficiencies and concerns of adult Australians. Australians want actionfrom governments, media companies and education providerson issues that concern them such as online misinformation, the exploitation of their private data, racist or racially insensitive broadcast content, and risks to society that are associated with generative AI," said Associate Professor Notley.

There is strong support for media literacy initiatives: 4 out of 5 (82%) believe media literacy education for adults is needed. Professor Sora Park emphasized the timing is ripe. "Australians want to know more about the rapidly changing media environment. They want to be educated about how to protect themselves and their family from scams and misinformation.

"However, support is not always readily available. Targeted media literacy programs are needed especially for those who have lower levels of media literacy including regional, less educated, older and people living with a disability," said Professor Park.

Associate Professor Notley stated it is important to acknowledge that significant progress has been made since 2021 with a 9% increase in adults who have some understanding of media literacy.

"This is likely the result of the advocacy efforts of the Australian Media Literacy Alliance (AMLA) and the work of Australian organizations who have implemented media literacy programs for young people, or training for teachers and librarians in recent years," she said.

"We recommend that media literacy should be more actively promoted by governments, public institutions, education providers, policymakers, and the corporate sector."

More information: Adult Media Literacy in 2024: Australian Attitudes, Experiences and Needs. apo.org.au/node/327239
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Credit: Matter (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.matt.2024.07.014. https://www.cell.com/matter/fulltext/S2590-2385(24)00424-7

A new technology can extract lithium from brines at an estimated cost of under 40% that of today's dominant extraction method, and at just a fourth of lithium's current market price. The new technology would also be much more reliable and sustainable in its use of water, chemicals, and land than today's technology, according to a study published in Matter by Stanford University researchers.

Global demand for lithium has surged in recent years, driven by the rise of electric vehicles and renewable energy storage. The dominant source of lithium extraction today relies on evaporating brines in huge ponds under the sun for a year or more, leaving behind a lithium-rich solution, after which heavy use of potentially toxic chemicals finishes the job. Water with a high concentration of salts, including lithium, occurs naturally in some lakes, hot springs, and aquifers, and as a byproduct of oil and natural gas operations and of seawater desalination.

Many scientists are searching for less expensive and more efficient, reliable, and environmentally friendly lithium extraction methods. These are generally direct lithium extraction that bypasses big evaporation ponds. The new study reports on the results of a new method using an approach known as "redox-couple electrodialysis," or RCE, along with cost estimates.

"The benefits to efficiency and cost innate to our approach make it a promising alternative to current extraction techniques and a potential game changer for the lithium supply chain," said Yi Cui, the study's senior author and a professor of materials science and engineering in the School of Engineering.

The research team estimates that its approach costs $3,500 to $4,400 per ton of high-purity lithium hydroxide, which can be converted to battery-grade lithium carbonate inexpensively, compared with costs of about $9,100 per ton for the dominant technology for extracting lithium from brine. The current market price for battery-grade lithium carbonate is almost $15,000 per ton, but a shortage in late 2022 drove the volatile lithium market price to $80,000.

Meeting growing demand

Lithium, so far, has had a critical role in the global transition to sustainable energy. The demand for lithium is expected to rise from approximately half a million metric tons in 2021 to an estimated 3 million to 4 million metric tons by 2030, according to a report by McKinsey & Co. This sharp increase is driven mostly by the rapid adoption of electric vehicles and renewable energy storage systems, both of which rely heavily on batteries.

Traditionally, lithium has been extracted from mined rocks, a method that is even more expensive, energy intensive, and driven by toxic chemicals than brine extraction. As a result, the dominant method for lithium extraction today has switched to evaporating salt-lake brines, though still at high financial and environmental costs. This method is also heavily dependent on specific climatic conditions that limit the number of commercially viable salt lakes, throwing into doubt the lithium industry's ability to meet rising demand.

The new method from Cui and his team uses electricity to move lithium through a solid-state electrolyte membrane from water with a low lithium concentration to a more concentrated, high-purity solution. Each of a series of cells increases the lithium concentration to a solution from which final chemical isolation is relatively easy. This approach uses less than 10% of the electricity required by current brine extraction technology and has a lithium selectivity of almost 100%, making it very efficient.

"The advantages displayed by our approach over conventional lithium extraction techniques enhance its feasibility in eco-friendly and cost-effective lithium production," said co-lead author of the study, Rong Xu, a former postdoctoral researcher in Cui's lab, now a faculty member at Xi'an Jiaotong University in China. "Eventually, we hope our method will significantly advance electrified transportation and the ability to store renewable energy."

Cost and environmental benefits

The study includes a brief techno-economic analysis comparing the costs of current lithium extraction with those of the RCE approach. The new method is expected to be relatively inexpensive due mostly to lower capital costs. It eliminates the need for large-scale solar evaporation ponds, which are expensive to build and maintain. The new method's use of significantly less electricity, water, and chemical agentsaside from the sustainability benefitsfurther lowers costs.

By avoiding the extensive land use and water consumption of traditional methods, the RCE approach also reduces the ecological footprint of lithium production.

The RCE method works with a variety of saline waters, including those with varying concentrations of lithium, sodium, and potassium. Study experiments showed that the new technology could extract lithium, for example, from wastewater resulting from oil production. It could potentially be used to extract lithium from seawater, which has lower lithium concentrations than brines. Lithium extraction from seawater using conventional methods is not commercially viable today.

"Direct lithium extraction techniques like ours have been in development for a while. The main contending technologies to date have significant drawbacks, like the inability to operate continuously, high energetic costs, or relatively low efficiency," said Ge Zhang, a Stanford postdoctoral scholar and co-author of the study. "Our method seems to have none of these drawbacks. Its continuous operation could contribute to a more reliable lithium supply and calm the volatile lithium market."

Looking ahead

The scalability of the RCE method is also promising. In experiments where the scale of the device was increased fourfold, the RCE method continued to perform well, with both energy efficiency and lithium selectivity remaining very high.

"This suggests that the method could be applied on an industrial scale, making it a viable alternative to current extraction technologies," said Cui.

Nevertheless, the study highlights some areas for further research and development. The researchers experimented with two versions of their method. One extracted the lithium more quickly and used more electricity. The other was slower and used less electricity. The slower extraction resulted in lower costs and a more stable membrane for extracting the lithium continuously and for a long time, compared with the faster extraction. Under high current densities and faster water flow, the membranes degraded, leading to reduced efficiency over time.

Even though this was not evident in the slower extracting experiment, the researchers want to optimize the design of their device for potentially faster extraction. They are already testing other promising materials for the membrane.

Also, the researchers did not demonstrate lithium extraction from seawater in this study.

"In principle, our method is applicable for seawater as well, but there could be stability problems for the membrane in seawater," said Zhang.

Still, the team remains quite optimistic.

"As our research continues, we think our method could soon move from the laboratory to large-scale industrial applications," said Xu.
Harris County Constable for Precinct 1 Alan Rosen listens during the funeral mass for Harris County Sheriffs Deputy Fernando Esqueda on Friday, July 19, 2024, at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer

Harris County constables will receive a 17.5% pay increase this year  a bigger boost than the raise already approved this month by Commissioners Court  after a grievance committee made up of local residents approved their requests Tuesday.

Harris County is divided into eight precincts, each represented by an elected constable. The committee awarded a $45,000 pay increase to each of the eight constables, raising their base salary from $133,598 to $178,509, according to the Office of County Administration.

Commissioners Court sets the salaries for elected officials during the annual budget approval process, but if elected officials do not agree with their approved salary, they can take their grievances to a committee of randomly selected citizens, much like a jury.

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Most Harris County elected officials havent received a pay increase since 2016. However, Commissioners Court approved a 9.2% increase for elected officials  including the sheriff, constables and themselves  as part of the proposed budget for the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

The constables objected to the raise, though, arguing that they would still be paid less than their chief deputies. Most county employees received a 7% increase in 2023, including deputies.

There is no other county in Texas where a law enforcement leader makes less than their subordinates, Constable Alan Rosen told the committee Tuesday. This is not just about pay parity. Its about pay equity. Its about aligning compensation with the stakes involved.

Its not necessarily unusual for an elected officials top employees to earn more than their boss.

All five members of Commissioners Court have staffers who earn more than they do. County Attorney Christian Menefee has a lower salary than the first assistant county attorneys. Last year, then-Mayor Sylvester Turner was ranked just 17th among city employees in terms of pay. Houston City Council chiefs of staff earn more than their bosses, as well.

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However, constables on Tuesday argued that the pay gap doesnt exist in other law enforcement agencies in Texas.

Constable Mark Herman said that constable pay should be even higher than the 17.5% increase they were awarded by the committee.

If it were up to me, every constable would be making the same as (Harris County Sheriff) Ed Gonzalez, Herman said. Our jobs are the same. We take the same risks.

While constables are responsible for one precinct, Gonzalez oversees the county as a whole, as well as the Harris County Jail.

The vast majority of inmates at the jail are arrested by the sheriffs office or the Houston Police Department, not the constables office, according to an analysis published earlier this year by the Chronicle.

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Gonzalezs base salary is currently set at $199,160, though he is set to receive the same 9.2% increase Commissioners Court approved this month for elected officials, including themselves. Gonzalez, like most Harris County elected officials, hasnt received a raise since 2016.
CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. lessened its stake in Edison International (NYSE:EIX  Free Report) by 13.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,168 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 486 shares during the quarter. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd.s holdings in Edison International were worth $228,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new stake in Edison International in the 2nd quarter worth $3,700,000. RBA Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Edison International by 6.2% in the second quarter. RBA Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,050 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $2,732,000 after buying an additional 2,231 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its stake in Edison International by 3.3% during the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 379,868 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $27,278,000 after buying an additional 12,136 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Edison International during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in Edison International by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 924,280 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $66,373,000 after buying an additional 9,600 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.95% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Mizuho increased their target price on Edison International from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Edison International from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Edison International from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Argus upped their price objective on Edison International from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, UBS Group cut Edison International from a buy rating to a neutral rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $83.00 to $82.00 in a report on Friday, July 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $80.09.

Insider Transactions at Edison International

In other Edison International news, CEO J Andrew Murphy sold 32,505 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.12, for a total value of $2,604,300.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 19,660 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,575,159.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Edison International news, CEO J Andrew Murphy sold 32,505 shares of Edison International stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.12, for a total value of $2,604,300.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 19,660 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,575,159.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Caroline Choi sold 10,004 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.77, for a total transaction of $758,003.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 26,918 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,039,576.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 73,845 shares of company stock worth $5,823,662. Company insiders own 1.03% of the companys stock.

Edison International Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:EIX traded down $0.18 on Tuesday, hitting $83.71. 1,603,303 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,020,871. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.71 and a beta of 0.91. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $76.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $72.46. Edison International has a 12 month low of $58.82 and a 12 month high of $84.13.

Edison International (NYSE:EIX  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The utilities provider reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.18. Edison International had a return on equity of 13.01% and a net margin of 6.60%. The business had revenue of $4.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.01 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Edison International will post 4.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Edison International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, July 8th were paid a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 8th. Edison Internationals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 136.84%.

About Edison International

(Free Report)

Edison International, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation and distribution of electric power. The company supplies and delivers electricity to approximately 50,000 square mile area of southern California to residential, commercial, industrial, public authorities, agricultural, and other sectors.

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Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lowered its holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG  Free Report) by 0.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,354,761 shares of the companys stock after selling 2,280 shares during the quarter. Procter & Gamble accounts for about 0.7% of Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned about 0.06% of Procter & Gamble worth $223,427,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 64.7% in the 1st quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 196 shares of the companys stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the companys stock.

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Procter & Gamble Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE:PG traded up $2.01 on Tuesday, reaching $170.43. The companys stock had a trading volume of 4,513,165 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,643,645. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1-year low of $141.45 and a 1-year high of $171.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market cap of $402.24 billion, a PE ratio of 27.76, a PEG ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.41. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $167.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $163.36.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

Procter & Gamble ( NYSE:PG Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. Procter & Gamble had a return on equity of 33.46% and a net margin of 17.71%. The firm had revenue of $20.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $20.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.37 earnings per share. The companys revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, July 19th were issued a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 19th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.36%. Procter & Gambles payout ratio is presently 65.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on PG shares. Argus lifted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $179.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $157.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They issued an outperform rating and a $187.00 target price for the company. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $173.95.

Get Our Latest Report on Procter & Gamble

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Jon R. Moeller sold 72,174 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.01, for a total transaction of $12,342,475.74. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 263,158 shares in the company, valued at $45,002,649.58. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Procter & Gamble news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 8,842 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.90, for a total value of $1,458,045.80. Following the sale, the insider now owns 11,537 shares in the company, valued at $1,902,451.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Jon R. Moeller sold 72,174 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.01, for a total value of $12,342,475.74. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 263,158 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,002,649.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 84,389 shares of company stock worth $14,373,932. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the companys stock.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.

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Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Cencora, Inc. (NYSE:COR  Free Report) by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 91,118 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,300 shares during the quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLCs holdings in Cencora were worth $20,529,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of COR. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cencora during the 2nd quarter valued at $655,000. TD Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in Cencora in the 1st quarter valued at $95,313,000. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in Cencora in the 1st quarter valued at $3,579,000. Cairn Investment Group Inc. bought a new stake in Cencora in the 1st quarter valued at $2,294,000. Finally, Lake Street Advisors Group LLC bought a new stake in Cencora in the 1st quarter valued at $836,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.52% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on COR. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Cencora from $285.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Cencora from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Cencora from $236.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. SVB Leerink reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $275.00 price target on shares of Cencora in a report on Thursday, June 27th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Cencora from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $254.57.

Cencora Price Performance

Shares of Cencora stock traded down $0.44 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $238.41. The companys stock had a trading volume of 680,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,376,743. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $231.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $232.66. Cencora, Inc. has a one year low of $171.65 and a one year high of $247.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.93, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market cap of $47.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.45.

Cencora (NYSE:COR  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.16. Cencora had a net margin of 0.65% and a return on equity of 266.60%. The firm had revenue of $74.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $73.32 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.92 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Cencora, Inc. will post 13.56 EPS for the current year.

Cencora Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 26th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 9th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. Cencoras dividend payout ratio is presently 22.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Silvana Battaglia sold 1,473 shares of Cencora stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.69, for a total transaction of $357,482.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,948 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,656,970.12. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Cencora news, EVP Silvana Battaglia sold 1,473 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.69, for a total value of $357,482.37. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,948 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,656,970.12. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. sold 4,438,171 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.56, for a total transaction of $1,067,646,415.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 19,980,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,806,388,800. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,338,756 shares of company stock valued at $1,476,658,274. Company insiders own 15.80% of the companys stock.

Cencora Company Profile

(Free Report)

Cencora, Inc sources and distributes pharmaceutical products. The company's U.S. Healthcare Solutions segment distributes pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter healthcare products, home healthcare supplies and equipment, and related services to acute care hospitals and health systems, independent and chain retail pharmacies, mail order pharmacies, medical clinics, long-term care and alternate site pharmacies, and other customers; provides pharmacy management, staffing, and other consulting services; supply management software to retail and institutional healthcare providers; packaging solutions to various institutional and retail healthcare providers; clinical trial support, product post-approval, and commercialization support services; data analytics, outcomes research, and additional services for biotechnology and pharmaceutical manufacturers; pharmaceuticals, vaccines, parasiticides, diagnostics, micro feed ingredients, and other products to the companion animal and production animal markets; and sales force services to manufacturers.

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China Resources Beer (Holdings) Company Limited (OTCMKTS:CRHKY  Get Free Report)s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $5.75 and last traded at $5.81, with a volume of 47909 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $6.40.

China Resources Beer Price Performance

The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $6.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

About China Resources Beer

(Get Free Report)

China Resources Beer (Holdings) Company Limited, an investment holding company, manufactures, distributes, and sells beer products in Mainland China. The company offers its products under the Nong Li, Snow, and Jinsha brands. The company was formerly known as China Resources Enterprise, Limited and changed its name to China Resources Beer (Holdings) Company Limited in October 2015.

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Cynthia Lee Fontaine, aka Carlos Diaz Hernandez, of RuPauls Drag Race fame, performs during a Equality Advocacy Day rally at the State Capitol, Monday, March 20, 2023. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News

The Texas Department of Public Safety will no longer allow Texans to change the sex on their drivers license  even if they have a court order.

Texas now joins a number of conservative states that have set new policies that aim to block or make it more difficult for transgender people to adjust their driver's licenses to reflect their gender identity, including Florida, Kansas and Missouri. Some of those have drawn legal challenges.

In a statement Wednesday, the department said that as of the previous day, the agency will no longer comply with court orders mandating the change to driver's licenses after Attorney General Ken Paxton's office raised concerns about their validity.

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The department said that was because "neither DPS nor other government agencies are parties to the proceedings" and because officials have questions about the legal basis for courts to issue the orders. The department and attorney general's office plan to initiate a "comprehensive legal review," the statement said.

A spokesperson for Paxton's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sheri Gipson, the chief of the driver's license division at the DPS, first confirmed the move to the Texas Newsroom.

The DPS website previously stated that anyone seeking to change their gender could bring an original certified court order or an amended birth certificate verifying the change, according to an archived version of the site. That language could no longer be found on the site as of Wednesday.

Brad Pritchett, interim CEO of the LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Texas, said the new policy denies trans people the minimum respect of having a state ID that reflects their identity and will hurt more than 92,000 transgender adults in Texas.

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We use our IDs to navigate all areas of life  driving, voting, employment. Having an ID that reflects who you are is a basic form of dignity that many take for granted, Pritchett said. Every Texan deserves privacy, respect, and safety.

The policy change comes after Paxton in 2022 asked for data from DPS on transgender Texans who requested changes on their licenses, according to the Washington Post. The agency at the time said it advised Paxtons office that the requested data did not exist or could not be accurately produced and that therefore it did not provide any.
Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM  Free Report) by 10.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,093 shares of the semiconductor companys stock after buying an additional 398 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc.s holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing were worth $701,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in TSM. Seed Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 1.3% during the second quarter. Seed Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,558 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $792,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management grew its position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 1.5% during the second quarter. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management now owns 4,027 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $700,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Cadence Bank grew its position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 0.5% during the first quarter. Cadence Bank now owns 15,004 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $2,041,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. ZRC Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 20.9% during the second quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 405 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Old Port Advisors grew its position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 2.9% during the second quarter. Old Port Advisors now owns 2,546 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $443,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 16.51% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $168.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Susquehanna reiterated a positive rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $130.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $200.00.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Price Performance

Shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing stock traded down $3.31 on Tuesday, reaching $172.14. The stock had a trading volume of 13,525,212 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,138,627. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited has a 1 year low of $84.01 and a 1 year high of $193.47. The company has a market cap of $892.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 2.39, a quick ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The businesss 50 day moving average is $171.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $151.43.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The semiconductor company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.11. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing had a net margin of 37.85% and a return on equity of 25.89%. The firm had revenue of $20.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.14 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 34.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited will post 6.44 EPS for the current year.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 12th will be paid a $0.4871 dividend. This is an increase from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $1.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 12th. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.57%.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Profile

(Free Report)

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, packages, tests, and sells integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices in Taiwan, China, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Japan, the United States, and internationally. It provides a range of wafer fabrication processes, including processes to manufacture complementary metal- oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) logic, mixed-signal, radio frequency, embedded memory, bipolar CMOS mixed-signal, and others.

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Focus Financial Network Inc. lessened its stake in shares of iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWO  Free Report) by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,568 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 54 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc.s holdings in iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF were worth $731,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fiducient Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF in the 4th quarter valued at about $466,000. BOCHK Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF in the 4th quarter valued at about $202,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Flaharty Asset Management LLC now owns 60,666 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $15,301,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF by 94.4% in the 4th quarter. Stonebridge Financial Planning Group LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $822,000 after acquiring an additional 1,583 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CreativeOne Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF by 291.4% in the 4th quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 6,118 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,543,000 after acquiring an additional 4,555 shares during the last quarter.

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iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF Stock Performance

NYSEARCA IWO traded down $2.78 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $272.64. The stock had a trading volume of 304,501 shares, compared to its average volume of 477,495. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.25 and a beta of 1.31. iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF has a one year low of $203.42 and a one year high of $291.61. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $268.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $263.14.

iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF Profile

iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Russell 2000 Growth Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the small-capitalization growth sector of the United States equity market.

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Horizons Wealth Management trimmed its position in iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF (BATS:ESML  Free Report) by 45.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,803 shares of the companys stock after selling 2,324 shares during the quarter. Horizons Wealth Managements holdings in iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF were worth $113,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC increased its holdings in iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF by 36.7% in the 2nd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 1,125 shares of the companys stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. SWS Partners raised its stake in iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF by 13.1% in the first quarter. SWS Partners now owns 7,550 shares of the companys stock valued at $304,000 after buying an additional 874 shares in the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its holdings in iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF by 10.2% in the second quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 8,309 shares of the companys stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 772 shares in the last quarter. 1ST Source Bank lifted its position in iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF by 7.9% in the first quarter. 1ST Source Bank now owns 9,095 shares of the companys stock valued at $366,000 after acquiring an additional 668 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Trust grew its stake in iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. American Trust now owns 9,857 shares of the companys stock worth $397,000 after buying an additional 685 shares during the last quarter.

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iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF stock traded down $0.41 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $40.06. 58,396 shares of the company were exchanged. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $39.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $38.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.66 billion, a PE ratio of 14.50 and a beta of 1.18.

iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF Profile

The iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF (ESML) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in small-cap stocks. The fund tracks an index of US small-cap companies with high environmental, social, and governance factor scores as determined by MSCI. ESML was launched on Apr 10, 2018 and is managed by BlackRock.

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NIPPON STL & SU/S (OTCMKTS:NSSMY  Get Free Report)s stock price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $7.15 and last traded at $7.55, with a volume of 29907 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $7.48.

NIPPON STL & SU/S Trading Up 0.9 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm has a market cap of $7.17 billion, a PE ratio of 2.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 1.35. The companys 50-day moving average is $7.23 and its 200 day moving average is $7.59.

About NIPPON STL & SU/S

(Get Free Report)

Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation engages in steelmaking and steel fabrication businesses worldwide. It operates in five segments: Steelmaking and Steel Fabrication, Engineering and Construction, Chemicals, New materials, and System Solutions. The company offers steel plates; hot- and cold-rolled steel sheets and coils, coated steel sheets, color coated steel sheets, electrolytic tin plates, and electrical steel sheets; bar and rod materials; and structural steel products.

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Summit Global Investments bought a new stake in shares of Clearway Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CWEN  Free Report) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 35,485 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $876,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Abundance Wealth Counselors lifted its stake in shares of Clearway Energy by 24.2% during the 2nd quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 36,855 shares of the companys stock worth $910,000 after acquiring an additional 7,177 shares during the last quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Clearway Energy by 228.6% during the 2nd quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 13,800 shares of the companys stock valued at $341,000 after buying an additional 9,600 shares during the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in Clearway Energy during the second quarter worth $712,000. Fulton Bank N.A. lifted its position in shares of Clearway Energy by 12.9% during the 2nd quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 11,757 shares of the companys stock valued at $290,000 after buying an additional 1,347 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Clearway Energy by 49.8% during the 1st quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,879 shares of the companys stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 625 shares in the last quarter. 38.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley upgraded Clearway Energy from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and upped their price objective for the company from $25.00 to $36.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com upgraded Clearway Energy from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Clearway Energy from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $32.00 target price (up previously from $30.00) on shares of Clearway Energy in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $31.17.

Clearway Energy Stock Down 1.5 %

CWEN traded down $0.44 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $28.74. 439,872 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 875,904. The stock has a market cap of $5.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.83 and a beta of 0.85. Clearway Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $18.59 and a fifty-two week high of $29.20. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $26.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.65.

Clearway Energy (NYSE:CWEN  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.66 by ($0.23). The company had revenue of $366.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $424.59 million. Clearway Energy had a net margin of 7.21% and a return on equity of 1.80%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.33 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Clearway Energy, Inc. will post 0.74 EPS for the current year.

Clearway Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.417 per share. This represents a $1.67 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. This is a boost from Clearway Energys previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Clearway Energys dividend payout ratio is 251.52%.

Clearway Energy Profile

(Free Report)

Clearway Energy, Inc operates in the renewable energy business in the United States. The company operates through Conventional and Renewables segments. It has approximately 6,000 net MW of installed wind, solar, and energy generation projects; and approximately 2,500 net MW of natural gas-fired generation facilities.

Further Reading

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Summit Global Investments cut its holdings in shares of Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:VWO  Free Report) by 21.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,164 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 4,388 shares during the quarter. Summit Global Investments holdings in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF were worth $707,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of VWO. Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its holdings in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 263,352 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $11,785,000 after acquiring an additional 4,797 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 21.3% during the 2nd quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,709 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $337,000 after acquiring an additional 1,352 shares during the period. Wealthspan Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 31.7% during the 2nd quarter. Wealthspan Partners LLC now owns 6,385 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $279,000 after acquiring an additional 1,537 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at about $291,000. Finally, Sunpointe LLC purchased a new position in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at about $449,000.

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Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF Stock Down 1.0 %

VWO traded down $0.44 on Tuesday, reaching $44.75. The companys stock had a trading volume of 10,194,407 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,460,294. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $44.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.86. The company has a market capitalization of $81.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.50 and a beta of 0.80. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF has a fifty-two week low of $37.46 and a fifty-two week high of $45.72.

Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF Profile

The Fund seeks to track the performance of the FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index, that measures the return of stocks issued by companies located in emerging market countries.

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Sweetgreen, Inc. (NYSE:SG  Get Free Report) CFO Mitch Reback sold 9,156 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.61, for a total value of $335,201.16. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 379,181 shares of the companys stock, valued at $13,881,816.41. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Mitch Reback also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Tuesday, August 20th, Mitch Reback sold 9,497 shares of Sweetgreen stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.40, for a total value of $317,199.80.

On Wednesday, May 22nd, Mitch Reback sold 8,837 shares of Sweetgreen stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.98, for a total value of $282,607.26.

Sweetgreen Stock Down 4.8 %

Shares of SG stock traded down $1.67 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $33.15. The company had a trading volume of 3,971,122 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,757,519. Sweetgreen, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.64 and a 52 week high of $37.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -35.65 and a beta of 2.30. The stocks 50-day moving average is $28.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.71.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sweetgreen

Sweetgreen ( NYSE:SG Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.11) by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $184.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $180.79 million. Sweetgreen had a negative return on equity of 19.34% and a negative net margin of 14.33%. The businesss revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.20) earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Sweetgreen, Inc. will post -0.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SG. Baillie Gifford & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Sweetgreen by 6.2% in the second quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 12,326,336 shares of the companys stock worth $371,516,000 after buying an additional 721,740 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Sweetgreen by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,420,947 shares of the companys stock worth $212,713,000 after purchasing an additional 70,395 shares during the period. Driehaus Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Sweetgreen by 231.8% in the second quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 2,688,403 shares of the companys stock valued at $81,028,000 after purchasing an additional 1,878,216 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Sweetgreen by 2.3% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,763,572 shares of the companys stock valued at $53,151,000 after purchasing an additional 39,823 shares during the period. Finally, Hood River Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Sweetgreen by 42.6% in the second quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC now owns 1,643,028 shares of the companys stock worth $49,521,000 after buying an additional 490,806 shares during the period. 95.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their price target on Sweetgreen from $31.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Bank of America increased their target price on Sweetgreen from $39.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday. Piper Sandler reissued a neutral rating and issued a $39.00 price target (up previously from $33.00) on shares of Sweetgreen in a research report on Monday. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Sweetgreen from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Sweetgreen from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $37.00.

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About Sweetgreen

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Sweetgreen, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates fast food restaurants serving healthy foods at scale in the United States. The company also accepts orders through its online and mobile ordering platforms, as well as sells gift cards that do not have an expiration date and can be redeemed. The company was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

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Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. trimmed its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH  Free Report) by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 66,824 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock after selling 2,238 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 1.2% of Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc.s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $34,031,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 84,405,255 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock worth $41,755,280,000 after acquiring an additional 544,740 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 26,062,928 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock worth $12,893,331,000 after acquiring an additional 94,641 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 15,122,203 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock worth $7,961,369,000 after acquiring an additional 324,733 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 11,860,985 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock worth $6,244,158,000 after acquiring an additional 542,424 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth about $5,802,231,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total transaction of $1,624,727.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 29,501 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $16,812,029.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CAO Thomas E. Roos sold 2,851 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $569.88, for a total transaction of $1,624,727.88. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 29,501 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,812,029.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,500 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $579.03, for a total transaction of $868,545.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,785 shares in the company, valued at $4,507,748.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the companys stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.3 %

UnitedHealth Group stock traded up $1.87 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $580.65. The company had a trading volume of 1,638,356 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,197,138. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $436.38 and a 1-year high of $591.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $531.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $507.93. The stock has a market cap of $536.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.59.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.66 by $0.14. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 26.55%. The company had revenue of $98.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $98.73 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $6.14 EPS. The firms revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 27.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $8.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. UnitedHealth Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Argus raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $570.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $560.00 to $604.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $546.00 to $601.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $600.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $614.17.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. The UnitedHealthcare segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services for national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; health care coverage, and health and well-being services to individuals age 50 and older addressing their needs; Medicaid plans, children's health insurance and health care programs; and health and dental benefits, and hospital and clinical services, as well as health care benefits products and services to state programs caring for the economically disadvantaged, medically underserved, and those without the benefit of employer-funded health care coverage.

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Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC trimmed its stake in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL  Free Report) by 0.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 132,896 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 1,125 shares during the quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned 0.05% of Xylem worth $18,025,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main lifted its position in Xylem by 1,503.7% in the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 1,649,926 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $188,685,000 after buying an additional 1,547,043 shares in the last quarter. Duality Advisers LP purchased a new position in Xylem in the first quarter valued at about $6,746,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Xylem by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,048,996 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $3,207,683,000 after purchasing an additional 187,847 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Xylem by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 338,315 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $43,737,000 after purchasing an additional 38,603 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Xylem by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 393,856 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $50,902,000 after buying an additional 5,477 shares during the last quarter. 87.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Xylem Stock Performance

XYL stock traded down $0.23 on Tuesday, reaching $134.15. 761,407 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,214,914. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.33. Xylem Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.59 and a 12 month high of $146.08. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $135.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $132.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.58 billion, a PE ratio of 47.74, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.04.

Xylem Announces Dividend

Xylem ( NYSE:XYL Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.04. Xylem had a return on equity of 9.48% and a net margin of 9.11%. The firm had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.98 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Xylem Inc. will post 4.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 29th will be issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 29th. Xylems dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.25%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Geri-Michelle Mcshane sold 2,278 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.63, for a total value of $315,799.14. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,536 shares of the companys stock, valued at $490,195.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Rodney Aulick sold 21,800 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.01, for a total transaction of $3,030,418.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 76,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,604,655.87. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Geri-Michelle Mcshane sold 2,278 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.63, for a total value of $315,799.14. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,536 shares of the companys stock, valued at $490,195.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on XYL. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Xylem in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. They set a buy rating and a $165.00 price objective on the stock. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Xylem from $146.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Xylem from $147.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Mizuho boosted their price target on Xylem from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on Xylem from $135.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, June 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $147.54.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Xylem

Xylem Profile

(Free Report)

Xylem Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and servicing of engineered products and solutions worldwide. It operates through four segments: Water Infrastructure, Applied Water, Measurement & Control Solutions, and Integrated Solutions and Services. The Water Infrastructure segment offers products, including water, storm water, and wastewater pumps; controls and systems; filtration, disinfection, and biological treatment equipment; and mobile dewatering equipment and rental services under the ADI, Flygt, Godwin, Sanitaire, Magneto, Neptune Benson, Ionpure, Leopold, Wedeco, and Xylem Vue brands.

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Shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) shot up 0.7% on Monday . The company traded as high as $253.39 and last traded at $253.37. 291,771 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 2,985,551 shares. The stock had previously closed at $251.71.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AXP has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. William Blair reissued an outperform rating on shares of American Express in a report on Monday, June 3rd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of American Express from $221.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on American Express from $265.00 to $267.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on American Express from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of American Express from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an underperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $230.70.

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Read Our Latest Stock Report on AXP

American Express Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $177.16 billion, a PE ratio of 20.30, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The companys 50 day moving average price is $238.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $230.42.

American Express (NYSE:AXP  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 19th. The payment services company reported $3.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.26 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $16.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.60 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 32.94% and a net margin of 15.53%. The firms revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.89 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American Express will post 13.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Express

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sawgrass Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American Express by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sawgrass Asset Management LLC now owns 10,384 shares of the payment services companys stock worth $2,404,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management increased its position in American Express by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 4,315 shares of the payment services companys stock worth $983,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Ignite Planners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Express by 0.9% during the second quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 4,682 shares of the payment services companys stock worth $1,103,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Willner & Heller LLC boosted its position in shares of American Express by 4.1% in the second quarter. Willner & Heller LLC now owns 1,087 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $252,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Beacon Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of American Express by 18.9% in the second quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 271 shares of the payment services companys stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.33% of the companys stock.

American Express Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as integrated payments company in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Canada, the Caribbean, and Internationally. It operates through four segments: U.S. Consumer Services, Commercial Services, International Card Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services.

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Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) is in his second term representing Texas' 22nd Congressional District. Samuel Corum/Getty Images Congressman Troy Nehls speaks during the annual Texas Youth Summit held at Grace Woodlands Church on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022 in The Woodlands. Michael Wyke/Contributor Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) is in his second term representing Texas' 22nd Congressional District. Melissa Phillip/Staff photographer

A gay former staffer of Houston area U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls has sued the congressman's office, alleging a homophobic workplace.

Alex Chadwell worked at Republican congressman's office from 2021-2023 as a legislative correspondent and field representative. Chadwell also worked on Nehls campaign in 2019, according to the lawsuit.

While Chadwell worked at the office, he alleges that he was subjected to offensive comments about being gay and gay people in general from Nehls, his chief of staff and special adviser, according to the lawsuit, which was filed on Friday. Chadwell said he was told that the office would never support LGBTQ+ issues and that gay people shouldnt be let into the military. Those colleagues also made offensive remarks, such as Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve, and that gay people would all go to hell, according to the lawsuit.

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When leadership found out that Chadwell was gay, he alleges that his workload was reduced and he was not afforded roles and responsibilities he would have been previously. He also alleges that this resulted in his ultimate resignation, after being pressured to take a different job, despite a pay cut, because he did not have a future at the representatives office, the lawsuit alleges.

Ultimately, Chadwell resigned. On his last day in the office, he alleges that the chief of staff called him and told him the separation was because their lifestyles did not align, which Chadwell believed was a reference to him being gay, according to the lawsuit.

Nehls office has not responded for comment, but a spokesperson from the office told the Texas Tribune that the claims did not have merit and that they believed the office would exonerated in the court of law.
StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of American Shared Hospital Services (NYSEAMERICAN:AMS  Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the stock.

American Shared Hospital Services Price Performance

Shares of AMS stock opened at $2.99 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The stock has a market cap of $18.93 million, a P/E ratio of 37.38 and a beta of 0.70. American Shared Hospital Services has a one year low of $2.16 and a one year high of $3.69.

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American Shared Hospital Services (NYSEAMERICAN:AMS  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.06. American Shared Hospital Services had a return on equity of 4.29% and a net margin of 2.50%. The business had revenue of $7.06 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.15 million. Analysts predict that American Shared Hospital Services will post 0.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Shared Hospital Services

American Shared Hospital Services Company Profile

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AMS. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in American Shared Hospital Services in the first quarter worth about $31,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in shares of American Shared Hospital Services by 31.2% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 55,501 shares of the companys stock valued at $177,000 after acquiring an additional 13,201 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in American Shared Hospital Services by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 179,637 shares of the companys stock worth $574,000 after acquiring an additional 8,436 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 23.16% of the companys stock.

(Get Free Report)

American Shared Hospital Services provides stereotactic radiosurgery and advanced radiation therapy equipment. It operates in two segments, Medical Equipment Leasing, and Retail. The company offers radiosurgery equipment for the Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery, a non-invasive procedure to treat malignant and benign brain tumors, and arteriovenous malformations, as well as for trigeminal neuralgia.

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Amotiv Ltd (ASX:AOV  Get Free Report) declared a final dividend on Thursday, August 15th, MarketIndexAU reports. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 11th will be paid a dividend of 0.22 per share on Wednesday, September 11th. This represents a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 22nd.

Amotiv Price Performance

About Amotiv

(Get Free Report)

Amotiv Limited, through its subsidiaries, manufactures, imports, distributes, and sells automotive products in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, South Korea, France, and the United States. It operates through Automotive, Auto Pacific Group (APG), and Davey segments. The Automotive segment offers automotive and heavy-duty filters for cars, trucks, and agricultural and mining equipment; automotive electrical and lighting products; and fuel pumps and associated products and accessories for the automotive after-market.

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Kontoor Brands, Inc. (NYSE:KTB  Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the seven brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $78.83.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Kontoor Brands from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Kontoor Brands from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Kontoor Brands from $76.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Kontoor Brands from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd.

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Kontoor Brands Stock Down 0.8 %

KTB stock opened at $71.41 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 1.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.16. Kontoor Brands has a fifty-two week low of $39.90 and a fifty-two week high of $74.90. The business has a 50-day moving average of $68.08 and a 200-day moving average of $64.81.

Kontoor Brands (NYSE:KTB  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $607.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $592.97 million. Kontoor Brands had a net margin of 9.35% and a return on equity of 72.43%. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.77 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kontoor Brands will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kontoor Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 10th. Kontoor Brandss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.63%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Scott H. Baxter sold 29,212 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.52, for a total transaction of $2,089,242.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 318,188 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,756,805.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CAO Susan Denise Sumner sold 4,713 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.36, for a total transaction of $341,032.68. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 15,379 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,112,824.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Scott H. Baxter sold 29,212 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.52, for a total transaction of $2,089,242.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 318,188 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $22,756,805.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.60% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KTB. Arizona State Retirement System increased its position in shares of Kontoor Brands by 1.1% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 14,050 shares of the companys stock worth $929,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kontoor Brands by 5.0% in the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,544 shares of the companys stock valued at $234,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its position in shares of Kontoor Brands by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 4,979 shares of the companys stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its position in shares of Kontoor Brands by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 25,000 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,654,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in Kontoor Brands by 2.2% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 9,340 shares of the companys stock valued at $616,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. 93.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kontoor Brands Company Profile

(Get Free Report

Kontoor Brands, Inc, a lifestyle apparel company, designs, produces, procures, markets, distributes, and licenses denim, apparel, footwear, and accessories, primarily under the Wrangler and Lee brands. The company operates through two segments: Wrangler and Lee. It licenses and sells apparel under the Rock & Republic brand name.

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Shares of Bank of Cyprus Holdings Public Limited (LON:BOCH  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as GBX 399.22 ($5.19) and last traded at GBX 399.22 ($5.19), with a volume of 76598 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at GBX 385 ($5.00).

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Bank of Cyprus Holdings Public from GBX 563 ($7.32) to GBX 595 ($7.73) and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th.

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Bank of Cyprus Holdings Public Price Performance

Bank of Cyprus Holdings Public Company Profile

The company has a market cap of 1.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 2,750.00 and a beta of 0.74. The businesss 50 day moving average price is GBX 349.30 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 333.23.

(Get Free Report)

Bank of Cyprus Holdings Public Limited Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of banking, financial, and insurance services in Cyprus, Greece, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Israel, and internationally. The company offers current, demand, savings, sight, quick, and fixed deposits; housing, student, vehicle, mortgage, consumer, and business and business premises loans; and trade finance facilities, Escrow, and project finance services, as well as hire purchase services for car and equipment.

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Legacy Capital Group California Inc. cut its holdings in BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF (NYSEARCA:BKHY  Free Report) by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,776 shares of the companys stock after selling 490 shares during the quarter. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. owned about 0.14% of BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF worth $367,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BKHY. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF in the 4th quarter valued at $127,000. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $666,000. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF by 34.7% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 77,261 shares of the companys stock worth $3,682,000 after purchasing an additional 19,895 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its position in BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF by 33.1% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 26,189 shares of the companys stock worth $1,235,000 after purchasing an additional 6,514 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 81,511 shares of the companys stock worth $3,885,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046 shares in the last quarter.

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BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF Price Performance

Shares of BKHY traded up $0.10 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $48.22. The companys stock had a trading volume of 7,827 shares, compared to its average volume of 32,098. The business has a fifty day moving average of $47.51 and a 200 day moving average of $47.28. BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF has a 1 year low of $44.04 and a 1 year high of $48.51.

BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF Increases Dividend

BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF Profile

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st were paid a $0.3081 dividend. This is an increase from BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETFs previous dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 1st.

(Free Report)

The BNY Mellon High Yield Beta ETF (BKHY) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in high yield fixed income. The fund tracks a market value-weighted index of USD-denominated high yield corporate bonds with broad maturities. BKHY was launched on Apr 24, 2020 and is managed by BNY Mellon.

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Shares of Canadian National Railway (TSE:CNR  Get Free Report) (NYSE:CNI) have been assigned a consensus rating of Hold from the sixteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$179.29.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on CNR shares. Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of Canadian National Railway from C$188.00 to C$187.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Canadian National Railway from C$172.00 to C$169.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Desjardins cut their price target on Canadian National Railway from C$194.00 to C$192.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Canadian National Railway from C$202.00 to C$189.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, TD Securities dropped their target price on Canadian National Railway from C$185.00 to C$180.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th.

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Insider Buying and Selling

Canadian National Railway Stock Up 0.0 %

In other news, Director Josephine Ann Marie Depass Olsovsky purchased 2,610 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of C$115.29 per share, for a total transaction of C$300,906.90. In other Canadian National Railway news, Director Josephine Ann Marie Depass Olsovsky purchased 2,610 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of C$115.29 per share, with a total value of C$300,906.90. Also, Director Shauneen Elizabeth Bruder acquired 544 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of C$160.21 per share, with a total value of C$87,156.42. 1.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

CNR stock opened at C$155.10 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of C$97.64 billion, a PE ratio of 18.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.65. Canadian National Railway has a 52 week low of C$143.13 and a 52 week high of C$181.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 107.62. The firm has a 50 day moving average of C$160.27 and a 200 day moving average of C$169.22.

Canadian National Railway (TSE:CNR  Get Free Report) (NYSE:CNI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported C$1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of C$1.93 by C($0.09). The company had revenue of C$4.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of C$4.40 billion. Canadian National Railway had a return on equity of 27.41% and a net margin of 32.02%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Canadian National Railway will post 7.740982 earnings per share for the current year.

Canadian National Railway Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th will be given a dividend of $0.845 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 6th. This represents a $3.38 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. Canadian National Railways dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.14%.

About Canadian National Railway

(Get Free Report

Canadian National Railway Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail, intermodal, trucking, and marine transportation and logistics business in Canada and the United States. The company provides rail services, which include equipment, custom brokerage services, transloading and distribution, business development and real estate, and private car storage services; and intermodal services, such as temperature controlled cargo, port partnerships, and logistics parks.

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Legacy Capital Group California Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of CAVA Group, Inc. (NYSE:CAVA  Free Report) by 4.3% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 19,166 shares of the companys stock after selling 851 shares during the period. Legacy Capital Group California Inc.s holdings in CAVA Group were worth $1,778,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CWM LLC increased its stake in CAVA Group by 101.2% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 505 shares of the companys stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in CAVA Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC boosted its stake in CAVA Group by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 7,574 shares of the companys stock worth $531,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares during the last quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CAVA Group by 66.7% during the first quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 1,000 shares of the companys stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American International Group Inc. raised its position in shares of CAVA Group by 194.2% in the first quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 709 shares of the companys stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 468 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.15% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of CAVA Group from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Citigroup boosted their target price on CAVA Group from $60.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on CAVA Group from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Wedbush reissued an outperform rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of CAVA Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut CAVA Group from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and set a $77.00 target price for the company. in a report on Monday, June 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CAVA Group presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $84.42.

Insider Transactions at CAVA Group

In related news, CFO Tricia K. Tolivar sold 5,949 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.47, for a total value of $562,002.03. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 297,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,114,272. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, CFO Tricia K. Tolivar sold 5,949 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.47, for a total value of $562,002.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 297,600 shares of the companys stock, valued at $28,114,272. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Ronald M. Shaich sold 1,231,979 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.25, for a total transaction of $107,490,167.75. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 5,000 shares in the company, valued at $436,250. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,420,564 shares of company stock worth $124,690,835 over the last ninety days.

CAVA Group Trading Down 2.0 %

NYSE CAVA traded down $2.03 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $98.18. The company had a trading volume of 1,500,880 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,556,200. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 239.45 and a beta of 3.27. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $88.80 and a 200 day moving average of $74.94. CAVA Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $29.05 and a 1-year high of $101.20.

CAVA Group (NYSE:CAVA  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 28th. The company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.04 by $0.08. CAVA Group had a net margin of 3.75% and a return on equity of 5.18%. The firm had revenue of $259.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $246.02 million. CAVA Groups quarterly revenue was up 27.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that CAVA Group, Inc. will post 0.34 EPS for the current year.

CAVA Group Profile

(Free Report)

CAVA Group, Inc owns and operates a chain of restaurants under the CAVA brand in the United States. The company also offers dips, spreads, and dressings through grocery stores. In addition, the company provides online and mobile ordering platforms. Cava Group, Inc was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Washington, the District of Columbia.

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Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lessened its holdings in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW  Free Report) by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 154,452 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 2,385 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLCs holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $36,599,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Illinois Tool Works in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Security National Bank purchased a new stake in Illinois Tool Works in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc purchased a new stake in Illinois Tool Works in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works during the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 79.77% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $275.00 to $240.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $230.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $217.00 to $215.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $251.00 to $246.00 and set an in-line rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Illinois Tool Works from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Illinois Tool Works currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $250.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David Byron Smith, Jr. acquired 775 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $238.82 per share, with a total value of $185,085.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 121,506 shares of the companys stock, valued at $29,018,062.92. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.88% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Illinois Tool Works Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE ITW traded up $2.31 on Wednesday, hitting $245.69. 205,809 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,143,207. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $240.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $249.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 1.10. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 52-week low of $217.50 and a 52-week high of $271.15.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.45 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.08 billion. Illinois Tool Works had a net margin of 19.15% and a return on equity of 99.74%. Illinois Tool Workss quarterly revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.41 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Illinois Tool Works Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.44%. This is a positive change from Illinois Tool Workss previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. Illinois Tool Workss payout ratio is presently 59.17%.

Illinois Tool Works Company Profile

(Free Report)

Illinois Tool Works Inc manufactures and sells industrial products and equipment in the United States and internationally. It operates through seven segments: Automotive OEM; Food Equipment; Test & Measurement and Electronics; Welding; Polymers & Fluids; Construction Products; and Specialty Products.

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Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI increased its position in Extra Space Storage Inc. (NYSE:EXR  Free Report) by 61.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,905 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after purchasing an additional 1,489 shares during the quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FIs holdings in Extra Space Storage were worth $607,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Extra Space Storage by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 33,686,389 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $4,951,899,000 after acquiring an additional 170,380 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Extra Space Storage by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,083,752 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,135,738,000 after acquiring an additional 577,918 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Extra Space Storage during the 4th quarter valued at $1,022,811,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Extra Space Storage by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,219,030 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $516,107,000 after acquiring an additional 186,940 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centersquare Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Extra Space Storage by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 2,546,475 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $341,941,000 after acquiring an additional 32,591 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.11% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EXR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Extra Space Storage from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Extra Space Storage from $140.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a sector underperform rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Bank of America cut Extra Space Storage from a neutral rating to an underperform rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $172.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Extra Space Storage from $140.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Extra Space Storage from $157.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, May 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Extra Space Storage currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $161.92.

Insider Buying and Selling at Extra Space Storage

In other Extra Space Storage news, Director Joseph J. Bonner sold 677 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.22, for a total value of $100,344.94. Following the sale, the director now owns 5,229 shares of the companys stock, valued at $775,042.38. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, Director Joseph J. Bonner sold 677 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.22, for a total value of $100,344.94. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,229 shares of the companys stock, valued at $775,042.38. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Joseph D. Margolis sold 7,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.58, for a total transaction of $1,144,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 31,690 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,835,260.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Extra Space Storage Price Performance

Shares of Extra Space Storage stock traded up $1.77 on Wednesday, hitting $171.13. 308,292 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,060,181. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $160.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $149.17. Extra Space Storage Inc. has a 1-year low of $101.19 and a 1-year high of $171.46.

Extra Space Storage Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. Extra Space Storages payout ratio is presently 144.32%.

Extra Space Storage Company Profile

(Free Report)

Extra Space Storage Inc, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a self-administered and self-managed REIT and a member of the S&P 500. As of December 31, 2023, the Company owned and/or operated 3,714 self-storage stores in 42 states and Washington, DC The Company's stores comprise approximately 2.6 million units and approximately 283.0 million square feet of rentable space operating under the Extra Space, Life Storage and Storage Express brands.

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Entree Resources (OTCMKTS:ERLFF  Get Free Report) and Austin Gold (NYSE:AUST  Get Free Report) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, profitability and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares Entree Resources and Austin Golds net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Entree Resources N/A N/A -145.18% Austin Gold N/A -35.82% -34.68%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

62.1% of Austin Gold shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.4% of Entree Resources shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 70.7% of Austin Gold shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Analyst Ratings

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Entree Resources 0 0 0 0 N/A Austin Gold 0 0 1 0 3.00

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Entree Resources and Austin Gold, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Austin Gold has a consensus target price of $3.00, suggesting a potential upside of 185.71%. Given Austin Golds higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Austin Gold is more favorable than Entree Resources.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Entree Resources and Austin Golds top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Entree Resources N/A N/A -$9.58 million ($0.05) -22.00 Austin Gold N/A N/A -$4.00 million ($0.32) -3.28

Entree Resources is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Austin Gold, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Volatility & Risk

Entree Resources has a beta of 1.12, indicating that its share price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Austin Gold has a beta of 1.38, indicating that its share price is 38% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Austin Gold beats Entree Resources on 8 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Entree Resources

(Get Free Report)

Entree Resources Ltd., a mining company, engages in the exploration, evaluation, and development of mineral property interests in Canada. Its principal asset is the Entree/Oyu Tolgoi joint venture property comprising Hugo North Extension copper-gold deposit and the Heruga copper-gold-molybdenum deposit located in Mongolia. The company was formerly known as Entree Gold Inc. and changed its name to Entree Resources Ltd. in May 2017. Entree Resources Ltd. was incorporated in 1995 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

About Austin Gold

(Get Free Report)

Austin Gold Corp., a gold exploration company, focuses on the acquisition, exploration, and evaluation of mineral property interests in Nevada. The company holds interest in Kelly Creek Project located in the Kelly Creek Basin, in southeastern Humboldt County, Nevada; Fourmile Basin Project that comprises various unpatented lode mining claims covering approximately 6410 acres located in Nye County; the Lone Mountain Project consisting of various unpatented lode mining and patented mining claims located near Lone Mountain in Elko County. It also holds interest in the Miller Project consisting various unpatented lode mining claims located in Elko County in Nevada. Austin Gold Corp. was incorporated in 2020 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

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African leaders set to attend FOCAC summit in Beijing, China

09:22, August 21, 2024 By Abu Bakarr Kargbo ( People's Daily Online

African leaders are poised to attend the upcoming 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, the People's Republic of China. The event, scheduled from Sept. 4 to 6 this year, aims to foster dialogue and strengthen ties between China and African nations.

Chinese ambassador to Sierra Leone, Wang Qing, shared insights on the forthcoming summit during a media briefing at the Face to Face with China program. He highlighted the foundational role of FOCAC as a platform for collective dialogue, uniting China with the African Union Commission as well as 53 African countries that maintain diplomatic relations with China. The summit signifies a milestone in solidifying the friendship between China and Africa, with a focus on elevated political and mutual trust.

Wang emphasized the rapid development track of China-Africa relations facilitated by FOCAC. He underscored President Xi Jinping's advocacy for sincerity, practical results, friendship, and good faith in shaping a shared future between China and Africa. This strategic vision aligns with building a robust China-Africa community and navigating global challenges through collaborative efforts rooted in multilateralism.

The ambassador highlighted the substantial progress in China-Africa trade cooperation, with China emerging as Africa's largest trading partner since 2009. The bilateral trade volume surged to $282 billion in 2023, accounting for over 21.5 percent of Africa's total external trade. China's commitment to enhancing trade diversity by promoting non-resource product imports from Africa and providing favorable tariff treatments signifies a paradigm shift towards balanced trade relations.

Moreover, investments and financing collaborations between China and Africa have revitalized economic and social development across various sectors. From mining and agriculture to the digital economy and healthcare services, China's support has bolstered industrialization efforts in African countries, fostering export capacity and economic growth.

The solidarity and mutual assistance demonstrated by China and Africa amid the COVID-19 pandemic serve as a beacon of international cooperation. Joint efforts in combating the virus and providing medical assistance underscore the strong bond and collective resilience shared between the two regions.

The summit is poised to catalyze further progress in people-to-people exchanges and cultural interactions between China and Africa. Through collaborative research initiatives, media partnerships, and vibrant cultural events, the foundations for deeper understanding and mutual appreciation are being laid.

Deputy Political Director at the Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone, Ge Yao, highlighted the significance of the upcoming FOCAC summit as the first meeting between African and Chinese leaders post-COVID. He said the summit presents a pivotal opportunity to chart the course for enhanced cooperation in the new era, with a focus on practical collaboration and governance experience sharing.

The FOCAC summit stands as a testament to the enduring friendship between China and Africa, and is poised to open new avenues for common development and foster an even stronger China-Africa community with a shared future. The gathering of leaders in Beijing signals a renewed commitment to unity, collaboration, and mutual prosperity between China and Africa, paving the way for transformative partnerships in diverse sectors and fostering greater regional integration and cooperation.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Wu Chengliang)
A Catholic friar in New York is accused of running an unholy scam that bilked donors of at least $650,000 they thought would fund charitable medical clinics in Lebanon.

But Pawel Bielecki  who took a vow of poverty to join the Province of St. Mary of the Capuchin Order  allegedly spent the money on luxuries that included trips to the Hamptons, meals at fancy restaurants, liposuction and a $334-a-month gym membership.

The province, based in suburban White Plains, says on its website that its friars are "inspired by the life and ideals of St. Francis of Assisi" and "dedicated to serving those in need, living a simple life together as a community of brothers, and drawing closer to the Lord through prayer."

For at least the past nine years, Bielecki, 48, of Manhattan, allegedly portrayed himself as a priest and physician who was operating two clinics in Beirut to help Christians, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said Monday.

Bielecki repeatedly appeared on local radio shows and used crowdfunding websites to solicit donations for medicine, food and equipment, including baby incubators and an ambulance, authorities said.

He also falsely claimed to have been seriously injured by the massive, August 2020 explosion at Beirut's port, according to to the criminal complaint against him.

Bielecki even allegedly lied to the Province of St. Mary, where his personnel file contains a fake medical school diploma, authorities said.

The province  which provided Bielecki with a monthly, $250 stipend and a credit card for "friary-related expenses"  uncovered his alleged fundraising scheme, contacted law enforcement and has cooperated with the investigation, according to the complaint.

It didn't return immediately a request for comment Tuesday.

Bielecki was arrested Saturday on charges of wire fraud and mail fraud, which each carry a maximum, 20-year prison sentence.

During a court appearance later that day in U.S. District Court in White Plains, he agreed to remain in custody pending a future bail application, according to court records.

Bielecki was represented at the hearing by a public defender, who didn't immediately return a request for comment on Tuesday.

Bielecki was advised during the hearing to hire his own lawyer "promptly" but hasn't yet done so, records show.
Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK  Get Free Report)s share price traded up 0.3% during trading on Wednesday after Scotiabank raised their price target on the stock from $104.00 to $113.00. Scotiabank currently has a sector perform rating on the stock. Duke Energy traded as high as $112.92 and last traded at $112.72. 407,497 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 2,932,632 shares. The stock had previously closed at $112.38.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on DUK. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. KeyCorp increased their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $110.85.

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Insider Buying and Selling

Institutional Trading of Duke Energy

In other news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total transaction of $61,365.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,884 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,259,617.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink . Company insiders own 0.10% of the companys stock.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 4,163.9% in the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 882,552 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $85,352,000 after buying an additional 861,854 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,515,388 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $799,599,000 after buying an additional 842,458 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 65.7% in the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,052,969 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $205,769,000 after acquiring an additional 813,744 shares during the last quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 9,923.0% during the 2nd quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 769,265 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $77,103,000 after purchasing an additional 761,590 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in Duke Energy by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,141,020 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,081,125,000 after purchasing an additional 509,039 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the companys stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

The companys fifty day moving average is $106.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $100.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.25% and a net margin of 10.78%. The business had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.91 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.71%. This is a boost from Duke Energys previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. Duke Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 105.03%.

Duke Energy Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I), and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest.

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Enova International, Inc. (NYSE:ENVA  Get Free Report) CEO David Fisher sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.46, for a total value of $834,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 423,239 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,323,526.94. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Enova International Price Performance

NYSE:ENVA traded up $0.64 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $82.22. The companys stock had a trading volume of 126,100 shares, compared to its average volume of 245,916. Enova International, Inc. has a twelve month low of $35.30 and a twelve month high of $88.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.78, a current ratio of 12.07 and a quick ratio of 12.07. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $70.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.18. The company has a market capitalization of $2.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.75 and a beta of 1.45.

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Enova International (NYSE:ENVA  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The credit services provider reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $628.44 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $622.92 million. Enova International had a net margin of 7.52% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The firms revenue was up 25.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Enova International, Inc. will post 7.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ENVA. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Enova International by 27.6% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 855 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. J.Safra Asset Management Corp increased its position in Enova International by 25.1% in the 2nd quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 1,163 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in Enova International by 21.1% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,649 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $228,000 after acquiring an additional 636 shares during the period. Summit Global Investments raised its stake in shares of Enova International by 7.5% during the second quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 25,464 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $1,585,000 after acquiring an additional 1,785 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Enova International during the first quarter worth $223,000. 89.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ENVA has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Enova International from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Maxim Group increased their price target on Enova International from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Enova International from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. JMP Securities increased their target price on Enova International from $78.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a market outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, BTIG Research assumed coverage on Enova International in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. They issued a buy rating and a $90.00 price target for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $79.00.

Read Our Latest Analysis on Enova International

About Enova International

(Get Free Report)

Enova International, Inc, a technology and analytics company, provides online financial services in the United States, Brazil, and internationally. The company provides installment loans; line of credit accounts; CSO programs, including arranging loans with independent third-party lenders and assisting in the preparation of loan applications and loan documents; and bank programs, such as marketing services and loan servicing for near-prime unsecured consumer installment loan.

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TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX  Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by equities researchers at Evercore ISI from $115.00 to $126.00 in a research note issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an outperform rating on the apparel and home fashions retailers stock. Evercore ISIs target price would suggest a potential upside of 11.20% from the companys previous close.

TJX has been the subject of several other reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $132.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $110.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Monday, June 3rd. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $109.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, TJX Companies presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $116.71.

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TJX Companies Stock Performance

TJX stock opened at $113.31 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market capitalization of $128.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.88. TJX Companies has a 12 month low of $86.71 and a 12 month high of $115.35. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $111.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $103.04.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 22nd. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $12.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.48 billion. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 64.26%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.76 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that TJX Companies will post 4.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at TJX Companies

In related news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.17, for a total transaction of $2,043,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 571,148 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,354,191.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Kenneth Canestrari sold 20,332 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $2,033,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 110,893 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,089,300. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.17, for a total transaction of $2,043,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 571,148 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $58,354,191.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,003 shares of company stock worth $5,060,941 in the last ninety days. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TJX Companies

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Chase Investment Counsel Corp raised its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Chase Investment Counsel Corp now owns 34,968 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock valued at $3,849,000 after buying an additional 840 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 229.8% in the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 221,497 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock valued at $24,387,000 after buying an additional 154,342 shares in the last quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,816,000. Core Alternative Capital increased its position in shares of TJX Companies by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Core Alternative Capital now owns 55,407 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock worth $6,100,000 after purchasing an additional 1,379 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of TJX Companies by 20.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 15,656 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailers stock worth $1,724,000 after purchasing an additional 2,634 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.09% of the companys stock.

TJX Companies Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

The TJX Companies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an off-price apparel and home fashions retailer in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. It operates through four segments: Marmaxx, HomeGoods, TJX Canada, and TJX International. The company sells family apparel, including footwear and accessories; home fashions, such as home basics, furniture, rugs, lighting products, giftware, soft home products, decorative accessories, tabletop, and cookware, as well as expanded pet, and gourmet food departments; jewelry and accessories; and other merchandise.

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Shares of Everest Group, Ltd. (NYSE:EG  Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of Moderate Buy by the nine analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $431.00.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Everest Group from $387.00 to $403.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Everest Group from $454.00 to $438.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Everest Group from $450.00 to $445.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Everest Group from $419.00 to $405.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Everest Group from $392.00 to $393.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, August 12th.

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Everest Group Price Performance

EG stock opened at $377.24 on Friday. Everest Group has a 52 week low of $343.36 and a 52 week high of $417.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $376.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $377.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.63.

Everest Group (NYSE:EG  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $16.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $16.97 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $4.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.32 billion. Everest Group had a net margin of 18.36% and a return on equity of 24.09%. Everest Groups revenue for the quarter was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $15.21 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Everest Group will post 61.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Everest Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $2.00 per share. This represents a $8.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. Everest Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.89%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Everest Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Everest Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. American National Bank acquired a new stake in Everest Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in Everest Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Everest Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.64% of the companys stock.

About Everest Group

(Get Free Report

Everest Group, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance and insurance products in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through two segment, Insurance and Reinsurance. The Reinsurance segment writes property and casualty reinsurance; and specialty lines of business through reinsurance brokers, as well as directly with ceding companies in the United States, Bermuda, Ireland, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

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Fifth Third Bancorp decreased its position in shares of Fomento Economico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:FMX  Free Report) by 8.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 32,095 shares of the companys stock after selling 2,974 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorps holdings in Fomento Economico Mexicano were worth $3,455,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Fomento Economico Mexicano by 448.6% during the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 203 shares of the companys stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp lifted its stake in shares of Fomento Economico Mexicano by 78.2% during the 1st quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 221 shares of the companys stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Fomento Economico Mexicano during the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of Fomento Economico Mexicano by 48.6% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 318 shares of the companys stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new stake in Fomento Economico Mexicano in the 2nd quarter valued at $51,000.

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Fomento Economico Mexicano Price Performance

Shares of Fomento Economico Mexicano stock traded down $2.87 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $107.36. The companys stock had a trading volume of 786,366 shares, compared to its average volume of 688,606. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $110.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $119.08. Fomento Economico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. has a one year low of $99.24 and a one year high of $143.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market cap of $38.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.05, a P/E/G ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.94.

Fomento Economico Mexicano Increases Dividend

Fomento Economico Mexicano ( NYSE:FMX Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter. Fomento Economico Mexicano had a net margin of 3.75% and a return on equity of 8.65%. The firm had revenue of $11.54 billion for the quarter. On average, analysts predict that Fomento Economico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. will post 5.38 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 17th were issued a dividend of $1.0206 per share. This represents a yield of 1.5%. This is an increase from Fomento Economico Mexicanos previous semi-annual dividend of $0.74. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 17th. Fomento Economico Mexicanos dividend payout ratio is presently 14.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Fomento Economico Mexicano from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $139.50.

Read Our Latest Analysis on FMX

Fomento Economico Mexicano Company Profile

(Free Report)

Fomento Economico Mexicano, SAB. de C.V., through its subsidiaries, operates as a bottler of Coca-Cola trademark beverages. The company produces, markets, and distributes Coca-Cola trademark beverages in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay.

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Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in shares of Trane Technologies plc (NYSE:TT  Free Report) by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,492 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 346 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorps holdings in Trane Technologies were worth $3,122,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of TT. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Trane Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $655,804,000. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in Trane Technologies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $206,211,000. TD Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in Trane Technologies by 719.8% in the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 750,894 shares of the companys stock worth $183,143,000 after acquiring an additional 659,299 shares in the last quarter. Putnam Investments LLC increased its holdings in Trane Technologies by 27,824.4% in the 4th quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 572,730 shares of the companys stock worth $139,689,000 after acquiring an additional 570,679 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kodai Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Trane Technologies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $77,615,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.97% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity at Trane Technologies

In related news, EVP Raymond D. Pittard sold 1,805 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.65, for a total value of $593,213.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 83,517 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,447,862.05. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Trane Technologies news, EVP Raymond D. Pittard sold 1,805 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.65, for a total transaction of $593,213.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 83,517 shares in the company, valued at $27,447,862.05. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Christopher J. Kuehn sold 4,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.67, for a total transaction of $1,274,680.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 61,293 shares of the companys stock, valued at $19,532,240.31. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 44,243 shares of company stock worth $14,216,550 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.38% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Trane Technologies from $287.00 to $326.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Trane Technologies from $325.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Trane Technologies from $247.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Trane Technologies from $360.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Trane Technologies from $334.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $323.29.

Read Our Latest Report on TT

Trane Technologies Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of TT stock traded up $3.99 on Wednesday, hitting $351.66. The stock had a trading volume of 631,424 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,123,650. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $334.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $313.12. The company has a market cap of $79.60 billion, a PE ratio of 37.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.01. Trane Technologies plc has a one year low of $184.02 and a one year high of $353.44.

Trane Technologies (NYSE:TT  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.22. Trane Technologies had a net margin of 12.33% and a return on equity of 33.97%. The business had revenue of $5.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.68 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Trane Technologies plc will post 10.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Trane Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 6th will be paid a $0.84 dividend. This represents a $3.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. Trane Technologiess dividend payout ratio is currently 35.90%.

Trane Technologies Profile

(Free Report)

Trane Technologies plc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, sells, and services of solutions for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, custom, and custom and transport refrigeration in Ireland and internationally. It offers air conditioners, exchangers, and handlers; airside and terminal devices; air sourced heat pumps, auxiliary power units; chillers; coils and condensers; gensets; dehumidifiers; ductless; furnaces; home automation products; humidifiers; indoor air quality assessments and related products; large and light commercial unitary products; refrigerant reclamation products; thermostats/controls; transport heater products; variable refrigerant flow products; and water source heat pumps.

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StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Flexible Solutions International (NYSE:FSI  Free Report) in a report published on Sunday morning. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the stock.

Flexible Solutions International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE FSI opened at $2.94 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.85, a current ratio of 2.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The businesss 50 day moving average is $1.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $2.02. The company has a market cap of $36.61 million, a P/E ratio of 15.47 and a beta of 1.47. Flexible Solutions International has a 12 month low of $1.36 and a 12 month high of $3.14.

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Flexible Solutions International (NYSE:FSI  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The company reported $0.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $10.53 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.34 million. Flexible Solutions International had a return on equity of 6.24% and a net margin of 6.23%. On average, equities analysts expect that Flexible Solutions International will post 0.29 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Flexible Solutions International

About Flexible Solutions International

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Flexible Solutions International stock. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in shares of Flexible Solutions International, Inc. ( NYSE:FSI Free Report ) by 4.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 379,245 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 17,400 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 3.05% of Flexible Solutions International worth $664,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. 54.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

(Get Free Report)

Flexible Solutions International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets specialty chemicals that slow the evaporation of water in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Energy and Water Conservation Products, and Biodegradable Polymers.

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iShares Currency Hedged MSCI United Kingdom ETF (NYSEARCA:HEWU  Get Free Report) shares traded up 0% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $24.82 and last traded at $24.82. 100 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 97% from the average session volume of 3,330 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.81.

iShares Currency Hedged MSCI United Kingdom ETF Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $8.69 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.66 and a beta of 0.56. The firms fifty day moving average price is $24.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.82.

About iShares Currency Hedged MSCI United Kingdom ETF

(Get Free Report)

The iShares Currency Hedged MSCI United Kingdom ETF (HEWU) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in total market equity. The fund tracks an index of large- and mid-cap UK stocks, hedged against movements in the pound for US investors. HEWU was launched on Jun 29, 2015 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Krilogy Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF (BATS:EFV  Free Report) by 25.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 14,385 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 2,878 shares during the period. Krilogy Financial LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF were worth $763,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of EFV. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank grew its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 3,125.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 516 shares of the companys stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF during the 1st quarter valued at $47,000.

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iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of BATS EFV traded up $0.48 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $55.88. 737,092 shares of the company traded hands. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.89 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $53.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $53.81. iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF has a 1 year low of $49.15 and a 1 year high of $59.57.

iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF Profile

iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Value Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI EAFE Value Index. The Index is a subset of the MSCI EAFE Index and constituents of the Index include securities from Europe, Australasia (Australia and Asia), and the Far East.

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Legacy Capital Group California Inc. boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Ireland ETF (NYSEARCA:EIRL  Free Report) by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,632 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 501 shares during the quarter. Legacy Capital Group California Inc.s holdings in iShares MSCI Ireland ETF were worth $814,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of EIRL. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in iShares MSCI Ireland ETF by 205.4% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,194 shares of the companys stock valued at $412,000 after purchasing an additional 4,166 shares during the period. Choate Investment Advisors bought a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI Ireland ETF in the 1st quarter worth approximately $208,000. Brookstone Capital Management grew its position in shares of iShares MSCI Ireland ETF by 32.0% in the 1st quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 5,007 shares of the companys stock worth $347,000 after buying an additional 1,214 shares during the last quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Ireland ETF by 4.1% during the second quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,769 shares of the companys stock valued at $822,000 after buying an additional 501 shares during the period. Finally, Comerica Bank raised its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI Ireland ETF by 141.4% during the first quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 461 shares of the companys stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter.

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iShares MSCI Ireland ETF Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSEARCA EIRL traded down $0.35 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $68.70. The company had a trading volume of 1,981 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,002. The companys fifty day moving average is $67.10 and its 200-day moving average is $67.46. iShares MSCI Ireland ETF has a one year low of $50.51 and a one year high of $70.64. The company has a market cap of $120.22 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.14 and a beta of 1.03.

About iShares MSCI Ireland ETF

The iShares MSCI Ireland ETF (EIRL) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI All Ireland Capped index, a market-cap-weighted index of Irish firms. EIRL was launched on May 5, 2010 and is managed by BlackRock.

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A former American NATO commander says Ukraine's ongoing incursion into Russia shows Moscow can't "do much" about it  as reports Tuesday said more than 122,000 residents have fled the region and Ukraine damaged its last key bridge.

Retired Army Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, a staunch supporter of Ukrainian resistance to Russia's February 2022 invasion, said on social media that America has "failed to help Ukraine win because of excessive fear that Russia might escalate."

"UAF has shown that Russia can't/wont do much," Hodges wrote on X Monday, using an abbreviation for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

UAF are exposing our continued self-deterrence. We've failed to help Ukraine win because of excessive fear that Russia might escalate. UAF has shown that Russia can't/wont do much. https://t.co/ffQG7zhCc3  Ben Hodges (@general_ben) August 19, 2024

Hodges' comments were followed Tuesday by a report that said more than 122,000 residents have abandoned their homes in Russia's Kursk region since Ukraine launched a cross-border offensive there on Aug. 6.

Russia's Tass news agency, also said the refugees were being housed in "temporary accommodation centers" spread across 24 regions, citing Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Hours later, the Associated Press reported that Ukrainian forces had damaged the last of three bridges over the Seym River in Kursk.

"As a result of targeted shelling with the use of rocket and artillery weapons against residential buildings and civilian infrastructure in the Karyzh village...a third bridge over the Seym River was damaged," an unidentified representative of Russia's Investigative Committee said in a video clip posted on the Telegram messaging website, AP said.

Russian military bloggers and pro-war users of Telegram also said the third bridge had been damaged, according to AP.

The development raises the possibility that Russian troops could wind up trapped between the Seym and advancing Ukrainian forces.

Ukraine's top military commander, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, said its army controlled 488 square miles of Russian territory and 93 settlements, up from 386 square miles a week ago.

Syrsko later met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy, who said in a video address afterward that Ukraine was achieving "set goals" in Kursk.

On Sunday, Zelenskyy said for the first time that Ukraine was trying to create a demilitarized buffer zone there to keep Russia from launching cross-border attacks.
The Bank of Nova Scotia (TSE:BNS  Free Report) (NYSE:BNS)  Research analysts at National Bank Financial lowered their Q3 2024 earnings estimates for Bank of Nova Scotia in a report released on Thursday, August 15th. National Bank Financial analyst G. Dechaine now anticipates that the bank will post earnings of $1.63 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.65. The consensus estimate for Bank of Nova Scotias current full-year earnings is $7.01 per share. National Bank Financial also issued estimates for Bank of Nova Scotias Q4 2024 earnings at $1.59 EPS and FY2024 earnings at $6.49 EPS.

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Bank of Nova Scotia (TSE:BNS  Get Free Report) (NYSE:BNS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 28th. The bank reported C$1.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of C$1.55 by C$0.03. Bank of Nova Scotia had a net margin of 26.43% and a return on equity of 9.91%. The business had revenue of C$8.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$8.32 billion.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on BNS. CIBC upped their target price on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from C$64.00 to C$68.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. National Bankshares lowered their price objective on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from C$67.00 to C$66.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. TD Securities increased their price objective on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from C$68.00 to C$69.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Cormark lowered their price objective on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia from C$68.00 to C$65.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group set a C$67.00 price objective on shares of Bank of Nova Scotia and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of C$66.57.

Read Our Latest Research Report on BNS

Bank of Nova Scotia Stock Performance

Shares of TSE BNS opened at C$64.74 on Monday. The firms 50 day moving average price is C$63.34 and its 200-day moving average price is C$64.76. The company has a market cap of C$79.63 billion, a PE ratio of 10.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.96. Bank of Nova Scotia has a 52-week low of C$55.20 and a 52-week high of C$70.40.

Bank of Nova Scotia Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 29th were paid a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 3rd. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.55%. Bank of Nova Scotias dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.55%.

Bank of Nova Scotia Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

The Bank of Nova Scotia provides various banking products and services in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Colombia, the Caribbean and Central America, and internationally. It operates through Canadian Banking, International Banking, Global Wealth Management, and Global Banking and Markets segments.

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Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ  Get Free Report)s stock had its overweight rating reiterated by Piper Sandler in a report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $22.00 price target on the stock. Piper Sandlers price target indicates a potential upside of 26.15% from the companys current price.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Needham & Company LLC reissued a buy rating and issued a $22.00 price objective on shares of Utz Brands in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays decreased their price target on Utz Brands from $23.00 to $19.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Utz Brands from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Stephens lifted their target price on Utz Brands from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Utz Brands from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $20.17.

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Read Our Latest Report on Utz Brands

Utz Brands Price Performance

Shares of UTZ traded up $0.45 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $17.44. 104,768 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 799,624. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.40. The company has a market cap of $2.46 billion, a PE ratio of -69.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.00. Utz Brands has a 52-week low of $11.17 and a 52-week high of $20.04. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $16.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.55.

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.03. Utz Brands had a net margin of 0.29% and a return on equity of 6.80%. The firm had revenue of $356.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $356.23 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.13 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Utz Brands will post 0.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Utz Brands

In related news, Director Bruce John Lindeman acquired 4,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $16.11 per share, with a total value of $64,440.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 42,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $684,352.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, Director Bruce John Lindeman acquired 4,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $16.11 per share, with a total value of $64,440.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 42,480 shares of the companys stock, valued at $684,352.80. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Christina Choi sold 3,160 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.98, for a total transaction of $56,816.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 29,740 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $534,725.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 17.00% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of Utz Brands

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Picton Mahoney Asset Management acquired a new stake in Utz Brands during the 2nd quarter worth $5,422,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Utz Brands by 26.0% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,212,493 shares of the companys stock valued at $19,691,000 after acquiring an additional 250,557 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Utz Brands by 22.0% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,238,425 shares of the companys stock worth $20,607,000 after purchasing an additional 223,462 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Utz Brands by 15.2% during the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,331,581 shares of the companys stock worth $24,554,000 after purchasing an additional 175,956 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in shares of Utz Brands in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,981,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.97% of the companys stock.

About Utz Brands

(Get Free Report)

Utz Brands, Inc engages in manufacture, marketing, and distribution of snack foods. It offers a range of salty snacks, including salty snacks, including potato chips, tortilla chips, pretzels, cheese snacks, pork skins, veggie snacks, pub/party mixes, tortilla chips, salsa and dips, ready-to-eat popcorn, and other snacks under the Utz, Zapp's, ON THE BORDER, Golden Flake, Boulder Canyon, Hawaiian, TORTIYAHS!, etc.

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EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG  Free Report)  Equities research analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q3 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of EOG Resources in a report released on Wednesday, August 14th. Zacks Research analyst N. Banerjee now expects that the energy exploration company will post earnings of $3.19 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $3.31. The consensus estimate for EOG Resources current full-year earnings is $12.13 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for EOG Resources Q4 2024 earnings at $2.90 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $12.07 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $3.04 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $3.01 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $3.22 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $3.04 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $12.31 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.69 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.95 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $11.83 EPS.

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EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The energy exploration company reported $3.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.98 by $0.18. EOG Resources had a return on equity of 25.65% and a net margin of 30.33%. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.49 earnings per share. EOG Resourcess quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on EOG. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of EOG Resources from $166.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday. Benchmark reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of EOG Resources in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on EOG Resources in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. They set an overweight rating and a $157.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com upgraded EOG Resources from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a sector perform rating and set a $147.00 price objective on shares of EOG Resources in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $144.15.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on EOG Resources

EOG Resources Price Performance

EOG Resources stock opened at $125.25 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.98 billion, a PE ratio of 9.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.30. EOG Resources has a 52 week low of $108.94 and a 52 week high of $139.67. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $125.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $124.91. The company has a quick ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

EOG Resources Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 17th. EOG Resourcess dividend payout ratio is currently 28.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other EOG Resources news, COO Jeffrey R. Leitzell sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.48, for a total transaction of $505,920.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 35,058 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,434,135.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EOG Resources

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wright Investors Service Inc. increased its position in shares of EOG Resources by 0.8% in the first quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc. now owns 10,163 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $1,299,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of EOG Resources by 11.0% in the second quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 820 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Bailard Inc. increased its position in shares of EOG Resources by 0.4% in the second quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 19,899 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $2,505,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Field & Main Bank increased its position in shares of EOG Resources by 1.4% in the first quarter. Field & Main Bank now owns 6,163 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $788,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PDS Planning Inc increased its position in shares of EOG Resources by 4.1% in the first quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 2,152 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $275,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.91% of the companys stock.

About EOG Resources

(Get Free Report)

EOG Resources, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, explores for, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas primarily in producing basins in the United States, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and internationally. The company was formerly known as Enron Oil & Gas Company.

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Realty Income Co. (NYSE:O  Get Free Report) dropped 0.5% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $60.19 and last traded at $60.26. Approximately 494,659 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 92% from the average daily volume of 6,054,548 shares. The stock had previously closed at $60.56.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on O shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Realty Income from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Realty Income in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. They issued a sector weight rating for the company. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Realty Income from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley restated an equal weight rating and issued a $62.00 target price on shares of Realty Income in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Realty Income from $61.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Realty Income presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $61.73.

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View Our Latest Analysis on Realty Income

Realty Income Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $52.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.80, a PEG ratio of 5.05 and a beta of 0.96. The stocks fifty day moving average is $56.18 and its 200-day moving average is $54.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.83.

Realty Income (NYSE:O  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $1.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. Realty Income had a net margin of 17.74% and a return on equity of 3.26%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 31.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.00 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Realty Income Co. will post 4.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Realty Income Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a sep 24 dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.263 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. Realty Incomes payout ratio is 291.67%.

Institutional Trading of Realty Income

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. American National Bank acquired a new stake in Realty Income during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Vima LLC acquired a new stake in Realty Income during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. grew its holdings in Realty Income by 444.4% during the 2nd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 490 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. WASHINGTON TRUST Co grew its holdings in Realty Income by 65.7% during the 1st quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 497 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Realty Income during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.81% of the companys stock.

Realty Income Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Realty Income, The Monthly Dividend Company, is an S&P 500 company and member of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats index. We invest in people and places to deliver dependable monthly dividends that increase over time. The company is structured as a real estate investment trust ("REIT"), and its monthly dividends are supported by the cash flow from over 15,450 real estate properties (including properties acquired in the Spirit merger in January 2024) primarily owned under long-term net lease agreements with commercial clients.

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Laurentian Bank of Canada (TSE:LB  Free Report)  National Bank Financial lowered their Q3 2024 EPS estimates for Laurentian Bank of Canada in a research note issued on Thursday, August 15th. National Bank Financial analyst G. Dechaine now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $0.81 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.83. The consensus estimate for Laurentian Bank of Canadas current full-year earnings is $3.99 per share. National Bank Financial also issued estimates for Laurentian Bank of Canadas Q4 2024 earnings at $0.97 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $3.58 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $3.97 EPS.

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LB has been the topic of several other research reports. Desjardins upped their target price on shares of Laurentian Bank of Canada from C$25.00 to C$26.00 and gave the stock a sell rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Laurentian Bank of Canada from C$28.00 to C$26.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 6th. National Bankshares dropped their price objective on shares of Laurentian Bank of Canada from C$27.00 to C$26.00 and set an underperform rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 3rd. Raymond James reduced their target price on Laurentian Bank of Canada from C$27.00 to C$26.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 4th. Finally, CIBC decreased their price target on Laurentian Bank of Canada from C$30.00 to C$28.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Laurentian Bank of Canada has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of C$28.24.

Laurentian Bank of Canada Price Performance

Laurentian Bank of Canada stock opened at C$26.38 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of C$1.16 billion, a P/E ratio of -94.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.25. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of C$26.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$26.57. Laurentian Bank of Canada has a 52-week low of C$24.45 and a 52-week high of C$39.73.

Laurentian Bank of Canada (TSE:LB  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 31st. The company reported C$0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of C$0.84 by C$0.06. The business had revenue of C$252.59 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of C$253.47 million. Laurentian Bank of Canada had a negative return on equity of 0.01% and a negative net margin of 0.04%.

Laurentian Bank of Canada Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 1st were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 2nd. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.13%. Laurentian Bank of Canadas payout ratio is currently -671.43%.

Laurentian Bank of Canada Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Laurentian Bank of Canada, together with its subsidiaries, provides various financial services to personal, business, and institutional customers in Canada and the United States. It operates through three segments: Personal Banking, Commercial Banking, and Capital Markets. The Personal Banking segment offers financial services, such as financial advisory services to financial intermediaries; and operates digital direct-to-customer platform to retail clients.

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China Gold International Resources Corp. Ltd. (OTCMKTS:JINFF  Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 577,200 shares, a drop of 6.9% from the July 15th total of 620,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 4,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 125.5 days.

China Gold International Resources Stock Performance

JINFF stock opened at $5.32 on Wednesday. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $6.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $5.91. China Gold International Resources has a twelve month low of $3.49 and a twelve month high of $7.42.

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China Gold International Resources Company Profile

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Further Reading

China Gold International Resources Corp. Ltd., a gold and base metal mining company, acquires, explores for, develops, and mines mineral properties in the People's Republic of China. It primarily holds 96.5% interest in the Chang Shan Hao gold mine located in Inner Mongolia; and holds interest in the Jiama copper-gold polymetallic mine that hosts copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, lead, and zinc metals located in Tibet.

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Summit Global Investments lessened its stake in Snap-on Incorporated (NYSE:SNA  Free Report) by 14.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,100 shares of the companys stock after selling 369 shares during the quarter. Summit Global Investments holdings in Snap-on were worth $549,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Snap-on in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Snap-on during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Snap-on during the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Snap-on during the 1st quarter valued at $56,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Snap-on by 529.0% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 195 shares of the companys stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.88% of the companys stock.

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Snap-on Stock Up 1.2 %

Snap-on stock traded up $3.31 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $278.66. 59,173 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 293,153. Snap-on Incorporated has a 1 year low of $249.84 and a 1 year high of $298.49. The firm has a market cap of $14.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 4.06 and a quick ratio of 3.05. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $269.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $275.70.

Snap-on Announces Dividend

Snap-on ( NYSE:SNA Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The company reported $5.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.94 by $0.13. Snap-on had a net margin of 21.90% and a return on equity of 19.90%. The firm had revenue of $1.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.89 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Snap-on Incorporated will post 18.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th will be paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 19th. Snap-ons dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.03%.

Snap-on declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, August 8th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 3.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the companys leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on SNA. Roth Mkm restated a buy rating and set a $324.00 target price on shares of Snap-on in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Tigress Financial restated a buy rating and set a $336.00 target price on shares of Snap-on in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Barrington Research restated an outperform rating and set a $325.00 target price on shares of Snap-on in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Snap-on from $282.00 to $275.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Snap-on has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $315.00.

View Our Latest Research Report on Snap-on

Insider Transactions at Snap-on

In other news, CEO Nicholas T. Pinchuk sold 24,145 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.95, for a total value of $6,493,797.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 759,019 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $204,138,160.05. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Jesus Arregui sold 8,434 shares of Snap-on stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.17, for a total value of $2,236,443.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 252 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $66,822.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Nicholas T. Pinchuk sold 24,145 shares of Snap-on stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.95, for a total transaction of $6,493,797.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 759,019 shares of the companys stock, valued at $204,138,160.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 56,799 shares of company stock valued at $15,192,138. Insiders own 4.10% of the companys stock.

Snap-on Company Profile

(Free Report)

Snap-on Incorporated manufactures and markets tools, equipment, diagnostics, and repair information and systems solutions for professional users worldwide. It operates through Commercial & Industrial Group, Snap-on Tools Group, Repair Systems & Information Group, and Financial Services segments.

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SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:JNK  Get Free Report)s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $96.42 and last traded at $96.41, with a volume of 1094421 shares. The stock had previously closed at $96.27.

SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF Stock Up 0.2 %

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $94.95 and a 200-day moving average of $94.47.

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Institutional Trading of SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF by 223.6% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 2,545,240 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $242,307,000 after purchasing an additional 1,758,741 shares during the last quarter. Arch Capital Group LTD. acquired a new position in shares of SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF in the 1st quarter valued at $100,794,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF by 25.2% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,737,137 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $259,047,000 after acquiring an additional 550,840 shares during the period. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF in the 4th quarter valued at $48,448,000. Finally, Dynasty Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF in the 1st quarter valued at $46,519,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.54% of the companys stock.

About SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF

SPDR Barclays High Yield Bond ETF (the Fund), formerly SPDR Barclays Capital High Yield Bond ETF, seeks to provide investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of the Barclays Capital High Yield Very Liquid Index (the Index). The Index includes publicly issued United States dollar denominated, non-investment grade, fixed-rate, taxable corporate bonds that have a remaining maturity of at least one year, regardless of optionality, are rated high-yield using the middle rating of Moodys, S&P, and Fitch, respectively, and have $600 million or more of outstanding face value.

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Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER  Get Free Report) shares shot up 0.7% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $74.29 and last traded at $73.80. 2,402,226 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 18,876,740 shares. The stock had previously closed at $73.31.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on UBER. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Uber Technologies from $91.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Uber Technologies from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Uber Technologies from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Uber Technologies from $86.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Uber Technologies from $103.00 to $100.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $87.47.

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View Our Latest Analysis on Uber Technologies

Uber Technologies Price Performance

The firms 50-day moving average is $69.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $71.32. The company has a market cap of $154.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 119.03, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.21.

Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The ride-sharing company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.16. Uber Technologies had a net margin of 5.02% and a return on equity of 17.06%. The company had revenue of $10.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $10.57 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.18 earnings per share. Uber Technologiess quarterly revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Uber Technologies, Inc. will post 1.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Uber Technologies news, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi sold 500,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.91, for a total transaction of $35,955,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,266,114 shares in the company, valued at $91,046,257.74. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi sold 500,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.91, for a total value of $35,955,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,266,114 shares of the companys stock, valued at $91,046,257.74. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Tony West sold 28,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.67, for a total transaction of $1,978,760.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 96,945 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,851,103.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 617,234 shares of company stock worth $44,017,734. Insiders own 3.84% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Uber Technologies by 222.7% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 355 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. grew its position in Uber Technologies by 111.6% in the 1st quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 383 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Uber Technologies by 563.9% in the 2nd quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 405 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 344 shares during the period. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Uber Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Uber Technologies by 1,038.5% during the second quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.24% of the companys stock.

About Uber Technologies

(Get Free Report)

Uber Technologies, Inc develops and operates proprietary technology applications in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia excluding China and Southeast Asia. It operates through three segments: Mobility, Delivery, and Freight. The Mobility segment connects consumers with a range of transportation modalities, such as ridesharing, carsharing, micromobility, rentals, public transit, taxis, and other modalities; and offers riders in a variety of vehicle types, as well as financial partnerships products and advertising services.

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Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER  Get Free Report)s share price rose 1.4% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $73.11 and last traded at $73.08. Approximately 3,598,516 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 18,967,182 shares. The stock had previously closed at $72.04.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on UBER shares. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Uber Technologies in a report on Monday, July 22nd. They issued a hold rating and a $77.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Uber Technologies from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Wedbush reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Uber Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Uber Technologies in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Uber Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Uber Technologies has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $87.47.

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Uber Technologies Trading Up 0.2 %

The firm has a market cap of $154.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 119.03, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a 50 day moving average of $69.14 and a 200 day moving average of $71.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.21.

Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The ride-sharing company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $10.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.57 billion. Uber Technologies had a net margin of 5.02% and a return on equity of 17.06%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.18 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Uber Technologies, Inc. will post 1.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi sold 500,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.91, for a total value of $35,955,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,266,114 shares in the company, valued at approximately $91,046,257.74. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi sold 500,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.91, for a total transaction of $35,955,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,266,114 shares in the company, valued at approximately $91,046,257.74. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Tony West sold 89,234 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.18, for a total value of $6,083,974.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 124,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,518,750.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 617,234 shares of company stock valued at $44,017,734 over the last quarter. Insiders own 3.84% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in UBER. Ted Buchan & Co bought a new stake in shares of Uber Technologies during the second quarter valued at approximately $286,000. Truist Financial Corp increased its holdings in Uber Technologies by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 490,554 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock valued at $35,653,000 after buying an additional 20,815 shares during the period. Fiera Capital Corp raised its stake in shares of Uber Technologies by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 89,712 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock valued at $6,520,000 after buying an additional 4,350 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Uber Technologies by 142.4% during the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 79,070 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock worth $5,747,000 after acquiring an additional 46,449 shares during the period. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Uber Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $24,232,000. Institutional investors own 80.24% of the companys stock.

About Uber Technologies

(Get Free Report)

Uber Technologies, Inc develops and operates proprietary technology applications in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia excluding China and Southeast Asia. It operates through three segments: Mobility, Delivery, and Freight. The Mobility segment connects consumers with a range of transportation modalities, such as ridesharing, carsharing, micromobility, rentals, public transit, taxis, and other modalities; and offers riders in a variety of vehicle types, as well as financial partnerships products and advertising services.

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A Michigan woman who was caught on video flinging cat feces at her neighbors denied the unsavory allegations.

Speaking with WJBK-TV, the unidentified woman said the animal poop wasn't directed at any particular house in her Redford Township, Michigan neighborhood, but rather, the street.

"Totally untrue about me throwing it at anybody else's property," she alleged, according to the station.

"The street is public property. Nobody owns the street. So by throwing it out into the street, we're not throwing it on anyone's property," her husband clarified.

According to her next-door neighbor, Mark Dellamora, the woman has targeted his family multiple times with her alleged fecal attacks, ever since he and his wife began to "put out a little makeshift cat shelter for strays, and a bowl of food and water," several years ago.

Dellamora said the incidents  including the latest one on Sunday  were completely "unprovoked. We've never had any bad blood with them."

The woman and her husband alleged the Dellamoras' makeshift cat shelter  which has since been removed  attracts feral cats who defecate on their lawn, ruining the grass.

"On a bad week, there might be five or six spots that need to be cleaned up  piles," the husband explained. "And they're not just normal; these feral cats, they've got diseases. They don't defecate like a normal household cat would. It's a mess. It stinks, and it's like a cow pie."

"When they defecate, it is messy and it smells; it's very sour," he added.

The couple has reached out to the city for direction on the matter.

At the same time, Dellamora said: "I sincerely doubt one bowl of water on my porch is leading to any extra animals in the area."
Veracity Capital LLC cut its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS  Free Report) by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,244 shares of the companys stock after selling 224 shares during the period. Veracity Capital LLCs holdings in Novartis were worth $345,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Private Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Clearstead Trust LLC raised its stake in Novartis by 73.5% in the 1st quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 269 shares of the companys stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the period. Finally, Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new stake in Novartis during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on NVS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a hold rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Friday, July 19th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Novartis from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Novartis from $121.00 to $122.50 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Novartis in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. They set a buy rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays upgraded Novartis to a strong sell rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Novartis presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $118.13.

Novartis Price Performance

NYSE:NVS traded up $0.48 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $117.61. 711,792 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,437,086. The business has a 50 day moving average of $109.29 and a 200 day moving average of $102.93. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $92.19 and a 1-year high of $117.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The company has a market capitalization of $240.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.57.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The company reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.10. Novartis had a return on equity of 34.56% and a net margin of 33.76%. The company had revenue of $12.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.83 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 7.44 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Profile

(Free Report)

Novartis AG engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. The company offers prescription medicines for patients and physicians. It focuses on therapeutic areas, such as cardiovascular, renal and metabolic, immunology, neuroscience, and oncology, as well as ophthalmology and hematology.

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Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM  Get Free Report)s stock had its outperform rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at Telsey Advisory Group in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $170.00 target price on the specialty retailers stock. Telsey Advisory Groups price target indicates a potential upside of 23.52% from the companys current price.

WSM has been the subject of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, June 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $137.50 to $155.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, June 4th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a hold rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $340.00 to $170.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $138.77.

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Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM stock opened at $137.63 on Monday. The companys 50 day moving average price is $147.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $141.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.90, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.75. Williams-Sonoma has a fifty-two week low of $62.44 and a fifty-two week high of $174.26.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.65. The business had revenue of $1.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.83% and a return on equity of 54.50%. Equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma will post 7.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.45, for a total value of $6,258,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,070,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,551,066.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP David Randolph King sold 20,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.93, for a total transaction of $2,878,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 101,024 shares of the companys stock, valued at $14,539,879.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.45, for a total value of $6,258,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,070,956 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $167,551,066.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 77,862 shares of company stock valued at $11,800,439. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams-Sonoma

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. EntryPoint Capital LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 520.0% during the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 93 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Contravisory Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth $33,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Williams-Sonoma

(Get Free Report)

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.

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COLUMBIA  Gov. Henry McMaster and Lt. Gov. Pamela S. Evette were joined by Attorney General Alan Wilson, Congresswoman Nancy Mace and members of the General Assembly for a ceremonial bill signing of S. 142, which creates the crime of child luring and strengthens protections for human trafficking victims across South Carolina.

"Protecting our children and victims of human trafficking is essential to building safe communities and allowing our state to continue to thrive," said McMaster. "By enacting this legislation, we are not only defending our people but equipping our prosecutors and law enforcement with additional tools to ensure criminals are held accountable."

The criminal offense of child luring applies to adults who lure, entice, or attempt to lure a child with the intent to harm them. This carries a felony penalty of no more than $10,000, a sentence of no more than ten years, or both. The act also expands the definition of sex trafficking to include the sexual exploitation of minors as well as participation in the prostitution of a minor.

Victims of human trafficking may now motion the court to expunge a non-violent offense stemming from trafficking if they were forced to commit the crime by their captor. Further, the bill adds that a person under the age of eighteen who is a victim of human trafficking may not be prosecuted for prostitution or any other non-violent misdemeanor or class F felony.

"We need to prevent victims from being prosecuted for crimes they committed because they were entangled in the human trafficking ring," said Wilson. "I am so grateful we brought in safe harbor to protect victims of human trafficking."

Additionally, the bill establishes an address confidentiality program through the Attorney General's Office that allows domestic violence victims and others to use a designated address to conceal their place of residence from their abusers.

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"This bill is an important step forward in protecting the innocent and making it easier for them to come forward," said Sen. Katrina Shealy. "Together, each part of this act will work to build a stronger body of armor for children and victims in South Carolina."

Further, it addresses sentencing issues related to kidnapping and murder. It removes a provision in the existing criminal code that impeded independent sentencing for kidnapping if the offender was also sentenced for murder. This change ensures that, even if a murder conviction is overturned, the individual can still face punishment for a separate kidnapping offense.
Police in Romania raided the homes of controversial internet personality Andrew Tate as part of an investigation into new allegations against him.

They include sex with and trafficking in underage persons, along with money laundering and intimidating witnesses, according to the BBC.

The special prosecution service of the Romanian Organized Crime Directorate (DIICOT) announced in a statement that authorities searched four of Tate's houses in the capital, Bucharest, and in Ilfov County on Wednesday morning.

In response, Tate took to his X account to post:

"The Matrix is real. And they have a tried-and-true playbook. Slander is their number one tool, and the process is the punishment. But unfortunately for them, Good always wins in the end."

The Matrix is real.



And they have a tried and true playbook.



Slander is their number one tool and the process is the punishment.



But unfortunately for them,



Good always wins in the end. pic.twitter.com/UrjhTjlxMh  Andrew Tate (@Cobratate) August 21, 2024

Tate is a self-declared misogynist and was previously banned from social media platforms for his misogynistic views.

Both Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, who also faces the same charges, have large followings on social media.

The brothers are accused of exploiting women through an adult content business, which prosecutors allege operated as a criminal group.

They were initially detained in Romania in December 2022 and released from house arrest in August 2023.
(TBTCO) - FTSE Russell duy tri Viet Nam trong Danh sach Cho xet nang hang trong ot cap nhat anh gia hang nam thang 9/2024. Cung voi viec ghi nhan no luc va ho tro lien tuc cua Chinh phu, co quan quan ly oi voi cac cai cach cua thi truong, To chuc nay anh gia tich cuc ve cac giai phap cua Viet Nam, trong o bao gom mo hinh thanh toan Khong yeu cau co u tien (NonPrefunding) uoc quy inh tai Thong tu 68/2024/TT-BTC va nhieu quy inh khach uoc cap nhat trong Thong tu nay.
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Arabian Mills for Food Products Company has announced its intention to proceed with an initial public offering (IPO) of 30% of the firms issued share capital and list its ordinary shares on the Main Market of the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul).

On June 24, the Capital Market Authority (CMA) approved the companys application for registering its shares and the offering of 15.39 million shares by way of a sale of existing shares by Abdulaziz Al-Ajlan Sons for Trading and Real Estate Investment Company  Ajlan & Bros (Ajlan & Bros), Sulaiman Abdulaziz Al-Rajhi International Company, and The National Agricultural Development Company (NADEC). The final offer price of the offer shares will be determined at the end of the book-building period.

Ajlan Alajlan, Chairman, Arabian Mills, said: Today we are one of the leading wheat and feed milling companies in Saudi Arabia. Our commitment to quality and excellence is resolute, enabling us to serve the Saudi communitys daily nutrition needs while contributing to the kingdoms food security agenda.

Platform to invest and expand

The decision to go public is a natural next step for Arabian Mills. It will provide us with the platform to invest and expand our production capacities and capabilities, and expand our product portfolio to meet the growing demand from KSAs growing F&B and agribusiness while furthering our ambitions to embed sustainable practices at every step of the milling and distribution process. With the support of new shareholders, we aim to take Arabian Mills to new heights, driving growth and creating long-term value for all stakeholders.

Rohit Chugh, Chief Executive Officer, Arabian Mills, added: The decision to go public is a decisive one toward accelerating our growth trajectory. Since our privatisation in 2021, we have significantly scaled the business, increased profitability margins, and strengthened our market share. This was only made possible thanks to the efforts of our teams and the backing of our shareholders.

Looking ahead, the growing market for flour, feed, and bran in the kingdom presents compelling opportunities, and we are well-positioned to capitalise on robust demand through continuous innovation and quality enhancements. Our focused strategy will deliver value and further our growth ambitions. We have a robust product pipeline, which includes the launch of new SKUs and variations tailored to meet diverse consumer needs and preferences, supported by an effective marketing and sales strategy. We are also expanding our presence in the kingdom by opening distribution centers in strategic locations to ensure we reach more customers more efficiently. To support our expansion plans, we are constantly enhancing our operations to optimise utilisation, minimise downtime and enhance our margins.

Higher standards

By going public, we are also committing to higher standards of transparency and corporate governance, which we believe will ultimately benefit our shareholders and other stakeholders alike. This IPO is a catalyst for Arabian Mills to achieve sustainable, long-term growth and to continue our purpose of driving milling excellence and delivering nutrition.

With respect to the offering, the company has appointed HSBC Saudi Arabia as Financial Advisor, Global Coordinator, Bookrunner, Underwriter, and Lead Manager. Alrajhi Bank, Saudi Awwal Bank (SAB) and Banque Saudi Fransi have been appointed as receiving agents for retail investors.--TradeArabia News Service
Dubai Investment Real Estate (DIR), a leading real estate developer in the UAE, has announced that it has joined hands with Al Mujama, a leading owners association in the UAE, Yellow Door Energy (YDE), a leading sustainable energy provider for businesses in the Middle and Africa, and Clyde Engineering, for the successful launch of a 1.2 megawatt-peak solar power system.

DIR, the real estate arm of Dubai Investments, a leading investment company listed on the Dubai Financial Market, said the solar power system is spread across nine residential buildings in the premier residential community of Ritaj, located in Dubai Investments Park.

Over 2,000 solar panels have been installed on the roofs of the buildings, producing 1.9 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity in the first year of operation, meeting 30% of the buildings energy consumption needs.

This is equivalent to reducing carbon emission by 756,000 kilogrammes per year.

The project, which is in line with the UAEs Net Zero by 2050 Target and 2050 Clean Energy Strategy, operates under a solar lease, whereby significant cost savings are realized for Al Mujama without expending its own capital investment.

Mohammed Bin Hammad, Senior Director of Jointly owned Properties at Dubai Land Department, said: "This project aligns with our strategic vision of promoting innovation in the real estate sector, reflecting the foresight of our wise leadership. By utilising the suns energy to meet a significant portion of the needs in the Ritaj residential community, this collaboration between the public and private sectors highlights the importance of joint efforts in achieving sustainability goals and demonstrates how such partnerships can drive impactful change."

"These advanced solutions support the UAEs Net Zero by 2050 target and the 2050 Clean Energy Strategy, showcasing our commitment to a more resilient future. We commend all partners for their dedication to environmental stewardship and look forward to more initiatives that contribute to the progress of our real estate sector," he stated.

DIR General Manager Obaid Salami said: "Al Mujama is honored to play a key role in advancing the UAEs sustainable future with the implementation of the solar power system. This initiative not only highlights the Companys unwavering commitment to sustainability but also delivers significant cost savings for the residents by reducing energy consumption."

"It sets a new standard for Jointly owned Properties in driving impactful, eco-friendly change. By generating clean energy, we are fostering a greener, more affordable living environment that benefits communities today and secures a healthier, more resilient future for generations to come," noted Salami.

"Al Mujama is dedicated to leading the way in environmental stewardship and innovation, and we look forward to continuing to set new benchmarks in sustainable residential living," he added.

Mansoor Serkal, the General Manager of Al Mujama, said: "We are striving to ensure all our communities are operated in the most cost effective and energy efficient manner to provide best possible value to the owners. We have been working hard with our solar developer Yellow Door Energy and our energy consultant Clyde Engineering."

"To-date, we have already produced savings of over 18% on our community energy costs. We are dedicated to protecting our environment and are proud to have 30% of our energy needs at Ritaj provided by solar power," he stated.

Yellow Door Energy Group CEO Jeremy Crane said: "We are honoured to partner with Dubai Investment Real Estate and Al Mujama on this solar lease, marking a significant stride in advancing sustainability efforts in the UAE. This milestone is proudly added to our rapidly growing portfolio of successful projects in the UAE and internationally, where we have been awarded 240 megawatts of solar projects."

"As the leading solar developer in the Middle East and Africa, we are excited to empower businesses to transition to clean energy, lower their electricity costs and actively contribute to the UAEs Net Zero by 2050 Initiative," he added.

Philip Mills, the CEO of Clyde Engineering, said this project will provide a major improvement in the carbon footprint at the Ritaj Community.

"This project was implemented with guaranteed solar production and zero capital expenditure from the client. Therefore, it is both a win for the environment and for the owners in Ritaj," he stated.

The inauguration of the solar power plant marks a significant milestone in the journey towards sustainable development and energy efficiency in the UAE's real estate sector in alignment with the UAE's Net Zero by 2050 target.

The collaboration integrates technological innovation and environmental stewardship to set a precedent for incorporating renewable energy solutions in residential communities and pave the way for more sustainable projects, he added.
Bahrain's Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning has announced key regulatory changes aimed at enhancing housing services for Bahraini citizens.

One of them is the scrapping of the condition that disqualifies wives who have inherited property from accessing housing services, reported BNA citing the Minister of Housing and Urban Planning.

The ministry will now only review income criteria at the time of issuing nomination certificates, rather than during the allocation process, ensuring that housing applications remain unaffected by changes in financial status or inherited assets, stated Amna bint Ahmed Al Rumaihi.

She pointed out that the ministry had begun implementing these new standards, which were developed in close co-ordination with both legislative and executive authorities.

These changes reflect feedback from citizens received through various channels, including the national suggestions and complaints system 'Tawasul.'

The minister also lauded the Cabinet for its recent approval to streamline the process for obtaining nomination certificates for ownership services.

This includes a crucial amendment that simplifies eligibility criteria, particularly for widows and divorced individuals with minor children, by removing age-related conditions for children listed in housing applications.

Al Rumaihi also announced a key update to the nomination process for housing, particularly benefiting widows and divorced individuals with minor children, said the BNA report.

"The new regulation ensures that if an applicant from this group is granted a nomination certificate, the application will not be affected by the children reaching the age of 21. This change is part of the ministrys ongoing efforts to prioritise housing for those in need," she explained.

These amendments to the housing regulations are designed to better serve Bahraini families and address the diverse needs of the community, stated the minister, adding that this affirmed its commitment to continuously improve housing services in response to citizen feedback and legislative input.
GS Inima, a global leader in the water sector, said it has successfully completed the acceptance tests of the final phase of the Barka V desalination plant in Oman and is now delivering water to Nama Power & Water Procurement Company, the single procurer of power and water capacity and output in the Sultanate of Oman.

Positioned as one of the groups with the largest volume of plants in terms of concessions and with the longest history in reverse osmosis desalination, GS Inima had played a major role in the project as EPC contractor.

In this key role, the Spanish utility major was responsible for the construction and commissioning of the desalination plant as well as the technological leadership, in charge of the engineering, procurement, construction supervision and commissioning of the project for the pre-treatment, reverse osmosis process and post-treatment of the plant.

Barka V achieved 100% availability, including the last Performance Test Total Contracted Water Capacity for 105,000 cu m/day. The reliability testing involved the plant operating at its full capacity, producing 100,000 cu m per day of quality drinking water for 30 days.

Barka V was one of the largest infrastructure projects recently undertaken in the Sultanate of Oman, whose construction started in March 2022 and ended in June 2024.

The project, which uses reverse osmosis technology will cater to the needs of 800,000 residents in Muscat, Dakhiliyah and Batinah areas, the most populated zones of the country.

According to GS Inima, the Barka V plant also achieved an important health and safety milestone, having overseen 3 million work hours without lost time incidents (LTI), and the maintenance of excellent safety conditions throughout the project.

With completion of the project in 26 months, Barka V has also set a construction record in the desalination industry in Sultanate of Oman.

Nama Power and Water Procurement Acting CEO Ahmed bin Salem bin Mohammed Al Abri said: "The commencement of commercial operations at Barka V underscores PWPs commitment to meeting the growing demand for potable water. This milestone reflects our continuous efforts to implement new projects that ensure water security and provide potable water in the Sultanate of Oman."

"By expanding the production of energy and desalinated water at the best economic cost, we aim to fulfill our mission of delivering sustainable solutions for our community," he stated.

GS Inima pointed out that this achievement reaffirms its capacity to undertake and successfully complete projects of high technical complexity, providing an optimum response to the clients requirements while achieving the highest levels of occupational risk prevention and safety standards.

Within the region, the Spanish utility major is also in charge of the construction and operation and maintenance of Ghubrah III  the largest desalination plant in the Sultanate of Oman currently under the construction phase.

"We are proud to have reached this milestone on time which is the result of the strong collaborative and successful teamwork between our partners, engineers, the constructions team and Nama," remarked its CEO Marta Verde.

"Leveraging from our global expertise, we are now focused on to keep up the good work, fully committed to working with all industry partners in Oman to continue to meet their growing water and energy demands," she added.-TradeArabia News Service
Business solutions provider Transguard Group has announced it is seeking 1,000 motor bike riders to join its workforce.

This is an exciting opportunity for experienced food delivery drivers to join one of the most trusted companies in the UAE, said Allan McLean, Head, Transport, Transguard Group.

To be considered, applicants must have a UAE driving license issued in or before February 2024. Benefits include a fixed monthly salary, tips, a company-provided motor bike, mobile phone, SIM card, accommodation, medical insurance, an annual flight ticket and 30 days paid leave. Transguard will also reimburse fuel expenses up to AED300 ($81.7).

Open Days

Starting August 19, 2024, applicants are invited to attend one of Transguards Open Days at its Jebel Ali 6 and Sonapur 11 accommodations, Monday to Thursday, 8am to 1pm.

This is Transguards second major recruitment announcement of 2024. In May, the business solutions provider announced a series or Open Days at Emirates Headquarters for chauffeur drivers.--TradeArabia News Service
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), a world-leading aluminium smelter, has joined hqnds with Nasser Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Centre (NAIRDC), the research and development arm of the Nasser Vocational Training Centre (NVTC), to deliver a comprehensive three-day Advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) Applications in Industry 4.0 course for 35 of its employees.

The course, which concludes tomorrow (August 22), covers various aspects of AI, including modern applications, future trends, and fundamentals of generative AI and prompt engineering.

"Artificial Intelligence is a dynamic force revolutionising industries and societies," remarked Albas Chief Executive Officer Ali Al Baqali after visiting the students today at the companys Oasis Hall along with Dr Jassim Haji, Executive Advisor for AI and Data Science, NAIRDC and representatives from both organisations.

"This cutting-edge course is pivotal to our Industry 4.0 journey and our dedication to cultivating a future-ready workforce. By empowering our team with AI expertise, well streamline operations, drive innovation, and achieve unprecedented excellence." he noted.

"Were also pleased to partner with NAIRDC, a leading institute in Artificial Intelligence in Bahrain, to elevate our employees AI acumen," he added.

NAIRDC Chief Executive Officer Dr Abdulla bin Naser Al Noaimi said: "We commend Alba for their commitment to technological innovation. Together, we are working to implement high-quality initiatives that leverage cognitive integration with modern technology and artificial intelligence."

Highlighting the pivotal role of AI in driving transformation in the industrial sector and various processes across organizations in the near future, Al Noaimi said: "This collaboration with Alba is not the first of its kind and expressed pride in NAIRDC's leadership in AI at both local and regional levels."

He also emphasized the importance of continued joint efforts with all entities to accelerate digital transformation and the adoption of AI applications in Bahrain.-TradeArabia News Service
The National Agricultural Development Company (NADEC) has successfully implemented SAP Signavio, leveraging the technology to advance the company's digital transformation strategy.

The initiative is aligned with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, and aims to enhance the efficiency of NADECs services, supporting diversification of its products and enabling it to enter new sectors in the food industry. It will also support expansion into local, regional, and global markets while improving customer satisfaction and product quality.

Supported by the SAP Customer Success programme, NADEC achieved the deployment within just five days, and customers, staff and partners are already benefitting from the results. In total, 51 business processes have been transformed, including finance, procurement, warehousing, production, quality control, sales, transportation, and plant maintenance.

Operational excellence

Saad Saud Alhowaimel, NADEC, Vice President - Digital & Technology, said: Achieving operational excellence is fundamental to NADECs goal of supporting a diversified economy and contributing to regional and global food security strategies. Through the SAP Signavio business transformation project, we have integrated and streamlined our business processes, automated tasks and gained greater visibility, insight and control over our diverse operations. This empowers our employees deliver exceptional service for our customers and partners across KSA, GCC, and the wider Middle East region.

The NADEC SAP Signavio project was so successful that it outperformed competitors across global industries to win the category of Best Achievement in a Business Process Management Program at this years prestigious Business Transformation & Operational Excellence Awards held in the US.

The goal of the transformation project was to create a single source of information to evaluate where NADEC could best integrate its business processes to acquire real-time system data on business transactions and inventory visibility across different verticals. Implemented solutions include SAP Signavio Process Insights, SAP Signavio Process Manager, and SAP Signavio Process Collaboration Hub, all of which were integrated with SAP S/4HANA, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. The integration resulted in a precise and comprehensive roadmap for business process improvements and strategies.

A total of 116 recommendations were implemented across the 51 business processes analysed. These led to significant results including a 37% reduction in average transactional time and near-perfect accuracy across product costing.

Ideal solution

Omar Bukhari, Head of Consumer Retail Services, SAP Saudi Arabia, commented: SAP Signavio is an end-to-end business process transformation platform that enables enterprises to quickly understand, benchmark, improve, transform and manage their business processes rapidly and at scale. This makes it an ideal solution to support NADECs focus on operational excellence and growth. The NADEC teams forward-thinking approach and readiness to collaborate inspired our Customer Success department, and the resulting solution will enable the continued agility and high performance needed to propel NADECs expansion and long-term success.

Eman Goubran, Head of Sales EMEA South, SAP Signavio, commented: SAP SIgnavio was selected for the project for multiple reasons including the ease of integrating the system with existing SAP solutions; the effortless creation of models, simulations and flow charts; the fact that the Signavio Process Collaboration Hub enables NADEC employees to share knowledge seamlessly; and the specialized expertise and support provided by the SAP Customer Success program. The SAP Signavio project is part of a wider digital transformation and modernisation strategy to support NADECs expansion into new and varied markets.

Last year, NADEC launched an ambitious strategy as part of its plans for transformation in the coming years, aiming to achieve a significant shift in the food industry and actively contribute to the policy of self-sufficiency and food security in Saudi Arabia, based on three key criteria: sustainability, growth and health.

NADECs strategy primarily focuses on developing food projects based on quality and sustainability, achieving operational excellence, localising modern food industry technologies and methods, and training and developing national talents and skills, with the goal of contributing to self-sufficiency in line with Vision 2030 for food security.--TradeArabia News Service
Bahrain Network (BNET), the national broadband service provider of Bahrain, has launched BNET E-Sourcing, a digital platform designed to manage supply chain and supplier relations.

The platform was developed in partnership with SAP, a global leader in e-commerce, procurement and supply chain management solutions, and SEIDOR, an IT services and consulting company, alongside the efforts of a dedicated team from BNET's Procurement and Logistics Department.

The BNET E-Sourcing platform utilises advanced features to incorporate supplier selection features, facilitate negotiation, tendering and contract management processes.

Procurement efficiency

The platform aligns with BNET's ongoing commitment to enhancing procurement efficiency and driving operational excellence to enhance collaborative opportunities between partners and suppliers. Training sessions were conducted with BNETs Procurement and Logistics Department to streamline the launch of the platform and ensure a smooth transition. As part of the adoption phase, further training sessions with all relevant stakeholders will be arranged. Additionally, video guides and step-by-step guidelines are available to ensure a smooth transition and full understanding of the platform's functionalities.

Laalea Rostom, Director of Procurement and Logistics at BNET, said: "The platform has made our vision of strengthening relations between all stakeholders a reality. Driven by our innovation and collaborative spirit, the platform is set to play a crucial role in delivering a seamless customer experience. We would also like to extend our gratitude to our partners for developing this platform, and for their expertise and support in making this launch a success."

Tariq Laham, Head of Enterprise Business at SEIDOR, commented: "This will create a positive impact and digital revolution in the procurement and logistics space. We will continuously develop this platform to meet the digital aspirations of today's business markets."

Sauquib Ahmed, Managing Director of SAP in Bahrain, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, said: "We look forward to contributing to unlocking BNETs full potential, in addition to supporting the achievement of their visions and aspirations. We have both laid the foundation for an exceptional digital platform, establishing opportunities for seamless and streamlined automation, and more efficient and reliable operations."--TradeArabia News Service
A pair of missing scissors forced the shutdown of one of Japan's busiest airports.

The scissors had been used at a store in the departure area of a domestic flight and caused an hours-long security search at the New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido.

Due to heightened concerns over the potential threat that the missing scissors could be used as a weapon on board a flight, 36 flights were canceled on Saturday, and another 201 were delayed amid the search, according to CNN.

"We are aware that the incident occurred due to the lack of proper usage, storage, and management systems by the store users," New Chitose Airport's operators said in a statement.

The airport handles approximately 15 million passengers a year. It was especially busy due to travelers returning home from a Japanese holiday, NDTV reported.

Japanese rock band 9mm Parabellum Bullet was among the affected by passengers and the band missed its performance at the Rising Sun music festival in Hokkaido.

"We will definitely get our revenge!!" the band said in a statement posted on the event's website.

Several travelers also took to social media to voice their frustrations.

"I feel like crying because my flight was canceled due to someone losing a pair of scissors," one user wrote on X.

"Because of this incident, the flight I was supposed to take was canceled, and now my reunion with my family, which I was looking forward to, has been shortened. It's a major disappointment," said another.

The scissors were eventually located, and flights resumed.

"We will investigate this incident, determine its cause, and prevent its recurrence. We will also reaffirm that this incident could relate to hijacking and terrorist attacks, and we will ensure that all airport personnel are fully aware of the importance of management," the airport operators stated.
CNTXT, a leading cloud and digital transformation firm, has announced an expanded partnership with Google Cloud to introduce a new premium cybersecurity offering to the Saudi market -- Sovereign Controls by CNTXT.

The new offering is designed to support the digital transformation journeys of organisations operating in the region who must meet strict data sovereignty, regulatory and security requirements.

With this offering, CNTXT, a reseller of Google Cloud Platform services for Saudi-based customers, helps local organisations meet digital sovereignty requirements by delivering a managed External Key Management (EKM) with Key Access Justifications (KAJ) service, as well as localised support. EKM with KAJ encrypts customer data at rest with keys stored outside of Google Clouds infrastructure.

Designed to protect

This offering also requires detailed justifications each time access to keys is required, offering customers the ability to deny access for any reason, including extraterritorial data requests. This innovative solution is designed to protect highly sensitive workloads that would typically remain on-premise, providing an additional layer of control for organisations moving to the cloud

The EKM solution is offered in Saudi Arabia by SITE, as an integral part of the DATA SHIELD powered by Fortanix product and Google Clouds Cloud External Key Manager service. SITE provides innovative, reliable Digital and Cybersecurity services and solutions, and develop future technologies to address needs, aspirations, and threats, while fostering an entrepreneurship ecosystem and developing a highly talented pool of Saudi human capital.

This integration allows organisations to move their data to the cloud while maintaining the same level of security for keys that they are accustomed to in their own on-premises environments.

DATA SHIELD powered by Fortanix enables users to create, store, and manage encryption keys outside of the Google Cloud environment. This ensures that encryption keys are always under customer control and stored inside a FIPS 140-2 level 3 certified HSM, away from the cloud. With the click of a button, organisations can enable or disable access to their data from specific instances and locations in real-time, ensuring the highest level of security for their data.

"We are thrilled to bring Cloud External Key Manager to Saudi Arabia, offering organisations the ability to securely move their most sensitive workloads to the cloud," said Abdullah Jarwan, CEO at CNTXT.

"With the integration of SITEs DATA SHIELD powered by Fortanix EKM, organisations can trust that their data is protected by the highest standards of security and encryption."

Secure migration

Majed Alamri, Chief Business Solutions Officer at SITE, said: "We are excited to introduce the External Key Manager to Saudi Arabia, empowering organisations to securely migrate their most sensitive workloads to the cloud. With the integration of SITEs DATA SHIELD powered by Fortanix EKM, clients can be assured that their data is protected by the highest standards of security and encryption."

Bader Almadi, Google Cloud country manager for Saudi Arabia, said: Google Cloud is committed to working with local trusted partners to help our customers meet digital sovereignty requirements. We are proud to offer Sovereign Controls by CNTXT to help Saudi-based organisations meet more stringent data sovereignty requirements.

This offering thats provided through Assured Workloads, and built on Google Cloud's Class C-certified infrastructure offers customers the ability to deny access to their data for any reason, empowering organisations across the Kingdom to accelerate their digital transformation journeys while helping to meet regulatory requirements and maintaining more control over their data.--TradeArabia News Service
Nokia has partnered with Axiom Space to integrate advanced 4G/LTE communication capabilities into the next-generation spacesuits that will be used for the Artemis III lunar mission.

Together, Nokia and Axiom Space will incorporate high-speed cellular-network capabilities in the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), supporting HD video, telemetry data and voice transmission over multiple kilometres on the Moon.

This advancement will enable Artemis III crewmembers to capture real-time video and communicate with mission controllers on Earth while they explore the lunar surface.

Vital bridge

Russell Ralston, Axiom Space executive vice president of extravehicular activity, said: Axiom Space is excited to work with Nokia to build on the advanced capabilities of our next-generation spacesuit. Adding high-speed 4G/LTE network capability on the Moon will serve as a vital bridge linking astronauts to Earth, facilitating crucial data exchange, and enabling high-definition video communication over long distances.

Nokia plans to deploy the first cellular network on the Moon as part of Intuitive Machines IM-2 mission, which is scheduled to be delivered to the launch site in 2024.

During that mission, Nokia aims to demonstrate that cellular connectivity can facilitate crucial communications during future lunar or Mars missions. Nokias Lunar Surface Communications System (LSCS), pioneered by Nokia Bell Labs research and innovation, will be deployed during IM-2 and will be further adapted for use in the AxEMU spacesuit.

Thierry E Klein, President of Bell Labs Solutions Research at Nokia, said: Just as astronauts will need life support, shelter and food, they will need advanced networks to communicate with each other and go about their crucial work. Bell Labs has a long history of working on space projects, and Nokia is a leader in designing and building networks that connect the world. We are taking advantage of the same standards-based technologies that connect billions of devices on Earth every day, while bringing new innovation and technologies to bear on the specific challenges encountered in space."

Fully autonomous LSCS

The fully autonomous LSCS has two components: a network-in-a-box combines the radio, base station and core network elements of a terrestrial cellular network into a single unit, and device modules that will be integrated into the AxEMU spacesuits. Both the network and device modules have been carefully engineered to withstand the extreme environmental conditions on the lunar surface and the dynamic stress of spaceflight, and have been optimised for size, weight and power consumption.

Axiom Spaces spacesuits will provide astronauts with advanced capabilities for space exploration while providing NASA with commercially developed human systems needed to access, live, and work on and around the Moon.

Axiom Spaces development of these next-generation spacesuits and Nokias lunar surface communications innovations are significant advancements toward furthering American leadership in space exploration, enabling a deeper understanding of the Moon, the solar system and beyond.--TradeArabia News Service
The Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) has opened nominations for the 2025 Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Prize for Impactful Achievement in Islamic Economics aimed at recognising and rewarding successful projects that address significant development challenges in IsDB member countries, a report said.

The IsDBI indicated that the prize is valued at $100,000 for the first-place winner, while the second and third-place winners will receive $70,000 and $30,000, respectively. It also noted that eligible contributions must have been made within the past seven years and should be replicable in other locations, Saudi Press Agency, SPA, said.

The 2025 IsDB Prize focuses on the "Development Solutions Achievement" category.

The winner and runner-up will be honoured at a ceremony during the IsDB Group's 2025 annual meetings, scheduled to be held in Algeria.
Abu Dhabi Airports, the operator of the Emirate's five airports, has announced the recent launch of three direct routes by Indian airline IndiGo, a report said.

These new routes will connect Zayed International Airport to Mangaluru, Tiruchirappalli, and Coimbatore in India, Emirates News Agency, WAM, said.

This expansion further strengthens the connectivity between Abu Dhabi and key destinations across India, bringing the number of IndiGo-operated routes to 13.

Nathalie Jongma, Vice President of Aviation Development at Abu Dhabi Airports, said: "We are extremely encouraged by this announcement as it reflects the vibrancy of our respective hubs.

This expansion is about much more than just adding flights - it is about creating accessible links for families and friends, opening new pathways for businesses, and building on our successful partnership with Indigo."

Sanjeev Ramdas, Executive Vice President Airport Operations and Customer Services at IndiGo, said: "This expansion strengthens our presence in the region and underlines the vital role Abu Dhabi plays as a hub for our travellers."
The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has issued the classification index for air transport service providers and airports in Saudi Arabia to inform passengers about their performance and help them make informed choices.

The assessment is based on the number of complaints filed with GACA by travellers, reported SPA.

According to GACA, 1422 complaints were filed by travellers on Saudi air carriers in July and of these the national flag-carrier Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) had the least number of complaints (25 per 100,000 travellers) and a complaint resolution rate of 100%.

Low-cost carrier Flynas came in second, with 27 complaints per 100,000 travellers and a resolution rate of 100% folwowed by Flyadeal with 34 complaints per 100,000 travellers and a resolution rate of 99%, said the GACA report.

The most common complaints in July were about luggage, flights, and tickets, it added.

According to the report, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh had a remarkably low complaint rate of 0.4% per 100,000 passengers and a 100% complaint resolution rate, despite serving over 6 million annual passengers. With less than 6 million annual passengers, Hail International Airport had a complaint rate of 1% per 100,000 passengers and a 100% complaint resolution rate.

Bisha Airport had the lowest complaints among domestic airports, with a complaint rate of 3% per 100,000 passengers and a 100% complaint resolution rate. These low complaint rates testify to the high quality of service these airports provide, stated the report.

GACA reiterated that the monthly classification report aims to help passengers make informed choices, promote transparency, demonstrate its credibility and keenness to deal with travellers' complaints, stimulate fair competition, and develop and improve services.

Senior civil avitaion officials said multiple communication channels including social media accounts are available around the clock to facilitate interaction with travellers and airport visitors.

Through these channels, the authority receives complaints concerning boarding passes, employee behavior, and services for persons with disabilities and limited mobility, reorted SPA citing the officials.

In support of its partnering airports, GACA prepared a booklet containing guidelines on handling traveller complaints. The booklet, which was circulated among airport operators, sets out service agreements and the rules for all types of complaints and inquiries.

The authority also trains, through regularly held workshops, employees of national airlines and ground service companies that deal directly with travellers on how to comply with passenger protection regulations, it added.
Casper voters have narrowed the field of hopeful city councilors.

Ward I

There are two seats open in Ward I and Pat Sweeney, Amber Pollock, Ken Dockweiler and Julie Collins-Thiel made it through the primary election.

Pollock was born and raised in Casper and went to the University of Wyoming. She is a local business owner and was previously involved with ENGAGE, a state group focused on attracting young people to stay and get involved in their communities, the Star-Tribune previously reported.

Sweeney is a longtime public servant who previously served in the state legislature and city council. He still wants to be involved, he told attendees at a Politics in the Park event in June.

Julie Collins-Thiel has called herself a born-and-raised, third-generation Wyomingite who served on former governor Matt Meads Wyoming Senior Services Board and currently is on the Casper Housing Authority Board.

Ken Dockweiler has lived in Casper for around 25 years with his family and believes a citys key responsibilities are infrastructure and public safety, he has said.

Im very honored, and would very much like to continue to serve the people of Casper, Sweeney said on Tuesday night.

I still have some work to do between now and the general election, but really thankful for everybody who did come out and give me a vote today, Pollock also said on Tuesday night. Im looking forward to the opportunity to continue to serve people of Ward I.

I am thrilled to still be on the ballot for the general election, and I see that I have my work cut out for me, Collins-Thiel said in a voicemail. But I am going to work very, very diligently and hopefully will be successful in my bid for office.

Im looking forward to this next phase of the campaign and getting out to meet more of the voters in Ward 1, Dockweiler said over text on Wednesday morning.

Heres how they fared percentage-wise:

Amber Pollock (incumbent), 25.87%; Dawn Madrid, 6.74%; Julie Collins-Thiel, 14.36%; Ken Dockweiler, 16.28%; Kianna Smith, 7.32%; and Pat Sweeney, 29.04%.

Ward II

There are two seats open on Ward II and they will be contested in the general election in November by Lisa Engebretsen, Kyle Gamroth, Matthew Larson and Ross Schriftman.

Gamroth currently serves as a councilor representing Ward II. He is running again, he has shared, out of a dedication to Casper and his constituents and listed communication and transparency as key values for himself.

Engebretsen is currently the vice mayor. She has her own realty company.

Schriftman has said he chose Casper to live out the rest of his life after moving out of Pennsylvania. Issues he will focus on include public safety, infrastructure, roads, water, sewer and open spaces like parks, he has said.

Larson wrote in the Star-Tribunes voters guide that he is a professional geologist for a local oil company. I am Casper born and raised, a U.S. Navy veteran and University of Wyoming graduate. I have a strong understanding of the issues most important to the people of Casper.

Gamroth wrote in a text to the Star-Tribune on Tuesday night that he is thankful for the support and consider it a privilege to be able to serve my community on council ... Any resident, from my ward or not, is welcome to reach out if they ever have any questions or concerns.

Larson wrote in a text to the Star-Tribune on Wednesday morning: All I would like to say is congratulations to the successful candidates and good luck in the general.

Heres how they fared percentage-wise:

Bill Brockley, Jr., 5.41%; Gabriel Tullis, 4.71%; Kyle Gamroth (incumbent), 28.25%; Lisa Engebretsen (incumbent), 22.96%; Matthew Larson, 20.06%; and Ross Schriftman, 18.10%.

Ward III

Michael McIntosh and Marcia Neumiller made it through for the lone open seat in Ward III. They were the only two candidates running for that seat in the primary.

McIntosh is running for council out of a desire to communicate as clearly and comprehensively as possible with the community, he said at a Politics in the Park event in June. He was appointed to serve on council for about four months in 2022, and he feels that interlude gives him a boost to run again.

Marcia Neumiller introduced herself at a Politics in the Park event earlier this summer as a longtime Casperite who is raising a family. Her children and stepchildren, she said, motivate her to want to keep Casper as lovely as possible for future generations.

In a text on Wednesday morning, McIntosh said I am excited to be able to move forward to the general election and look forward to letting the people of Ward 3 learn more about me so they can make a good choice in November.

Neumiller also commented through text, saying The only thing I can say is that I have my work cut out for me. ... There are numerous issues that need to be discussed and opinions that need to be voiced. I want to be accessible to every voter in Ward 3 so I will be out meeting my neighbors and talking about their concerns.

Heres how they fared percentage-wise:

Marcia Neumiller, 48.36% and Michael McIntosh, 50.75%.
Voters around Wyoming on Tuesday cast their ballots to see who they would like to see in office next year.

In Natrona County, all nine House representatives were up for reelection while only three senate seats were up.

Wyoming voters also voted whether they wanted to see a change in representation in Washington D.C., which Rep. Harriet Hageman and Sen. John Barrasso facing reelection.

U.S. House

Harriet Hageman, a Republican, and Kyle Cameron, a Democrat, have won their primaries for the United States House of Representatives seat representing Wyoming.

The Republican race was called just after 8 p.m. despite only about one fifth of the vote being counted.

Hageman is well positioned to win the seat again after she unseated Liz Cheney in the 2022 midterm election.

Hagemans team did not immediately respond to a request for comment following the win.

The Democratic race was called early as Cameron was the only Democrat running for the seat.

U.S. Senate

John Barrasso, a Republican, and Scott Morrow, a Democrat, have both won their respective primaries for the United States Senate seat for Wyoming.

Barrasso faced two opponents in his primary: John Holtz, from Laramie, and Reid Rasner, a Mills resident. Barrasso has held the Wyoming Senate seat since 2007. Prior to this, he was a state senator for Wyoming.

Thank you, Wyoming! I am grateful for your overwhelming vote of confidence. I will continue to fight for every vote this November. Together, we can restore a Republican majority in Washington and secure a better future for hard-working Wyoming families, Barrasso said in a statement to the media.

The Associated Press called the race at 8:01 p.m. with only 18% of the votes having been submitted.

Scott Morrow ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for the seat.

Statehouse

A fight over control for the House of Representatives unfolded in the 2024 primary election.

The fight for control over the Wyoming House of Representatives intensified through the 2024 primary election as it became clear that the far-right Wyoming Freedom Caucus needed to gain just six seats to hold an outright majority in the legislative body.

Many more moderate Republicans in the statehouse have lost ground to further-right conservatives over the past couple of elections, and the Wyoming Freedom Caucus has gained ground in the Legislature.

During the 2023 and 2024 legislative sessions, the group had the ability to stop any bill from being introduced because all bills require a two-thirds vote to be introduced.

The groups did not have the power to pass legislation as it would need 32 seats in the House to gain a simple majority but the caucus has been gaining steam.

Several races in Casper were part of the proving grounds for a return to moderate conservatism or a push farther to the right.

House Districts 35 and 57 saw two Freedom Caucus aligned incumbents being challenged for their seats while House District 38 saw a long-time house member being challenged for his seat by a hard-right candidate.

No Democrats filed to run for any state Senate or House seat in Natrona County.

Natrona County was among the last counties to report.

HD 35

Rep. Tony Locke defeated political newcomer Chris Dresang.

Locke will retain the seat he first won in 2022 and although not officially a member of the Freedom Caucus, his legislative votes closely align with the organization.

Locke was one of numerous Wyoming Freedom Caucus endorsements for the Wyoming House of Representatives.

Common sense, conservative values is where House District 35 stands and Im blessed to be a part of it, Locke said following his win.

Dresang, a Natrona County District school administrator, began his campaign against Locke in March and sought a more moderate approach.

HD 36

Art Washut, the Republican incumbent, ran unopposed for the House District 36 seat.

Washut did not immediately respond to a Star-Tribune request for comment.

HD 37

House District 37 will go to Republican Steve Harshman as he ran unopposed for the position. Harshman has held the seat since 2003.

Harshman told the Star-Tribune he is working on numerous bills for the legislature, including the gravel pit issue.

Ill continue to put Wyoming first and work to move our beautiful state forward and thats what we have to keep doing and handing it off to the next generation, Harshman said.

HD 38

Jayme Lien defeated senior lawmaker Rep. Tom Walters.

Walters, a moderate republican, has served in the Legislature since 2013 and has served on the House Appropriations committee since 2017.

His appointment to the committee that manages and balances the states budget marks his seniority in the legislature.

Lien won the endorsement of strongly conservative groups including the Freedom Caucus.

I think that [House District 38 residents are] ready for somebody that will listen to them and somebody that is in favor of property tax reform, less spending and pro life votes, Lien said following her win. Good Lord willing, this would be the outcome, and Im grateful to him for everything, and I couldnt have done this without the support of the people.

HD 56

Elissa Campbell beat out two other candidates for the House District 56 seat.

The race did not see an incumbent in the race for the seat as outgoing moderate Rep. Jerry Obermueller chose not to not seek reelection.

Campbell won out over Pete Fox and Pamela Mertens.

I know theres going to be a pretty steep learning curve, but Im really excited, Campbell told the Star-Tribune following her win.

Campbell gathered the endorsements of Speaker of the House Albert Sommers and Senate President Ogden Driskill.

Fox, a Casper native that believes in limited government and increasing energy production.

Mertens, a retired military veteran with a doctorate that has worked in higher education, moved to Wyoming in August, according to media reports.

The Freedom Caucus did not endorse any candidate for this race.

HD 57

Political newcomer Julie Jarvis beat out notable Freedom Caucus member Jeanette Ward.

Jarvis works as an administrator for the Natrona County School District.

Im honored and excited at the opportunity to serve my district, and Im hoping to collect as many more surveys as possible, just to truly be able to represent the people, Jarvis said following her win.

Ward during the 2024 Legislative Session brought bills that tackled hot button issues. Bills included one that sought to codify the definition of a male, female, boy, girl, mother and father based on their sex determined at birth; and one that sought to prohibit the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization from having any jurisdiction in Wyoming.

The win by Jarvis is a departure from the hardline representatives that have come out of House District 57.

Ward first won her election to the seat in 2022 and succeeded Chuck Gray, who held the seat from 2017 to 2022.

HD 58

Rep. Bill Allemand won reelection to the House District 58 seat.

Tom Jones, who has served as General Manager of the Central Wyoming Fair and Rodeo for decades, challenged Allemand for the seat.

Allemand was first elected to the House District 58 seat in 2022 and a member of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus.

Allemand was unable to provide comment by deadline.

HD 59

J.R. Riggins is set to capture House District 59 after Tuesday as he ran unopposed. Riggins will take over the district from Kevin OHearn. OHearn has not released a statement on why he chose to not seek reelection. OHearn originally won his seat in 2020, and he later won reelection in 2022.

Riggins did not immediately respond to the Star-Tribunes request for comment.

HD 62

Kevin Campbell beat out Edis Allen on Tuesday by only seven votes.

Allen is the owner of a Martinizing cleaners franchise and is from Glenrock. Campbell joined the race late, and he only decided to run after the Converse County Republican Convention.

House District 62 comprises parts of Natrona and Converse counties.

In Converse County, Campbell lost by 89 votes. However, he won in Natrona County by 96.

Campbell will replace outgoing Rep. Forrest Chadwick  who only served one term.

The Freedom Caucus endorsed Kevin Campbell for the seat.

Campbell said that he will start as quickly as he can on looking into issues he cares about like EMS service, property taxes and infrastructure.

He also said that he hopes residents of his district reach out to him with any concerns they want addressed.

SD 2

Brian Boner, a Republican from Douglas, will remain the seat holder of Senate District 2 as no one chose to run against him. Boner first won the seat in 2015.

I look forward to getting past election season and focusing on policy decisions that we are going to face as a state, Boner said following his win.

Boner added that property taxes and abortion are big issues that will likely be tackled this upcoming session.

SD 28

Sen. Jim Anderson squeaked out a win against a Freedom Caucus endorsed candidate with a 30-vote margin.

The win feels good, even though it was pretty darn close, Anderson told the Star-Tribune, adding that he felt like an underdog. He had the backing of the Freedom Caucus and the Gun Owners of America, and all those nasty out-of-state PACs that attacked me continuously. I thought maybe he had an upper hand.

Anderson explained that the fight between him and the Freedom Caucus wasnt done yet, and that hell push them to be reasonable and negotiate for legislative solutions.

The senator says hell work on legislation to encourage more medical professionals to work in Wyoming Specifically, he plans to attack what he sees as a failure of the WWAMI initiative, a program that pairs medical students from rural states with programs elsewhere.

The problem is that many Wyoming medical students leave but dont return.

Were rapidly losing all of our medical professionals in the state. Im working to keep private practice doctors in the state and bring students back.

WWAMI is an acronym for the states served by the UW School of Medicines M.D. and Graduate Medical Education programs: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho.

Bryce Reece, Andersons challenger, was endorsed by some of the most conservative members in the Legislature and has called Anderson a Democrat in mailers sent by his campaign.

Anderson has held the seat since 2013.

SD 30

Sen. Charles Scott won reelection to the seat he has held since 1983.

Scott, a staunch conservative, was challenged by Charles Schoenwolf and Robert Hendry.

Charles Schoenwolf previously ran and lost for the same seat in 2020 and Hendry is a former Natrona County Commissioner.

Scott did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia's economic and trade links with China are "yielding results" as he welcomed Chinese Premier Li Qiang to the Kremlin.

Moscow has looked to Beijing as an economic lifeline since the Ukraine conflict began, with the two boosting trade to record highs as Russia faces heavy economic sanctions from the West.

"Our trade relations are developing successfully... The attention that the two governments on both sides are paying to trade and economic ties is yielding results," Putin said in a meeting with Li.

"Our states have worked out large-scale joint plans, projects in economic and humanitarian spheres, we expect for many years ahead," he added.

Li told Putin that "Chinese-Russian relations are at an unprecedentedly high level," according to the Kremlin's translation of his remarks, saying Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had created a "strong impulse for further deepening of bilateral relations".

In a separate meeting with Li, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin hailed the countries' links as a powerful stabilising factor.

"Our partnership and strategic cooperation is especially important in a situation where new contours of the global order are being formed," Mishustin said.

"And in these conditions, the Russia-China link is a powerful stabilising factor, promoting economic growth in both countries and increasing quality of life for our citizens," the Russian premier said.

Moscow and Beijing both rail against "western hegemony", particularly what they see as US domination of global affairs, and Mishustin on Wednesday said the two countries must "focus efforts on protecting our shared interests".

Facing Western sanctions, Russia has pushed to use non-Western currencies as the basis for its trade.

"Today the share of the ruble and the yuan in mutual settlements is already over 95 percent," Mishustin said.

China presents itself as a neutral party in Russia's offensive on Ukraine and says it is not sending lethal assistance to either side, unlike the United States and other Western nations.

But it is a close political and economic ally of Russia, and NATO members have branded Beijing a "decisive enabler" of the war, which it has never condemned.

Beijing has also benefited from cheap Russian energy imports and access to vast natural resources, including steady gas shipments through the Power of Siberia pipeline.

Li's visit comes as India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Poland, set to make his first visit to Ukraine at the end of the week. India, China's regional rival, is also close with Russia, but Modi has repeatedly called for an end to the conflict.
THE theme for this years World Sight Day: Love your eyes, kids, is a call to action, says co-founder of the Trinidad Eye Hospital (TEH) and Hummingbird Medal Gold recipient, Dr Ronnie Bhola.

One of the main problems affecting our young population that is causing concern among health care professionals like Bhola is myopia  a condition in which people can see close objects clearly but objects farther away appear blurred.
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Homicide detectives are at the scene of a double murder in Barrackpore where a woman and her
The prevalence of bullying in our school system has become a critical issue that demands immediate attention.

Too many students face harassment and intimidation from their peers, which can have severe emotional and psychological impacts.

This toxic environment not only affects the victims but also creates an atmosphere of fear that hinders the overall learning experience for all students.
David Clark and Brian Alan DeLaney are going to be busy this weekend.

The operators of Houston Film Meet (a free, monthly get-together for those involved in the local film community) and Not Another Film Screening (a free, monthly mini film fest of sorts featuring five locally made shorts) will not only be hosting the next NAFS on Friday at Bad Astronaut Brewing Co., they will also have a table at the Houston Media Conference, a three-day symposium on filmmaking in Houston beginning Friday at the Norris Conference Center, sponsored by the Houston Cinema Arts Society and SWAMP (Southwest Alternate Media Project).

Not Another Film Screening When: 7 p.m. Friday Where: Bad Astronaut, 1519 Fulton Details: Free; facebook.com/NotAnotherFilmScreening Houston Film Meet When: 7 p.m. Sept. 10 Where: Bad Astronaut, 1519 Fulton Details: Free; facebook.com/groups/houstonfilmmeet Houston Media Conference David Clark and Brian Delaney will have a booth at the event When: Friday-Sunday Where: Norris Conference Center, CityCentre, 816 Town & Country Blvd. Suite 210 Details: $75 (all-access pass which allows access to expo vendor floor, keynote speaker and workshops); free for expo vendor floor only; cinemahtx.org/houston-media-conference

On top of that, away from these public events, they are also going to be working on a proposed sketch-comedy project together.

HOUSTON AS HOLLYWOOD?: After decades of struggle, more films and TV may be produced here

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It's all just part of their plan to help make Houston  a city known more as an exporter of filmmaking talent (Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, Bassam Tariq) than an incubator  a more hospitable place for those who either want to make a living in film or simply take part in the creative process as a side hustle or hobby.

"Our vision for everything we've been putting out since we've been collaborating has been, 'What can we do to be the rising tide that lifts all boats?,'" says Clark, 39, in a Google Meet interview. "We're trying to connect people and put everyone in the same sandbox.  We just want to help connect people, get them resources, put them in touch with people who can make stuff happen. Because when you have a passion as a creative, it's really painful to not be able to find an outlet for it. You either have to move, go somewhere where you can do it, or you have to give up on it."

Enjoying Houston filmmaking

It all started when Clark, whose day job is in oil and gas but who is also a writer, and composer/music teacher DeLaney were each trying to do their own film-community meet-ups. In fact, DeLaney had taken over as host of a group with roots going back to 2006. Ultimately, they joined forces and decided to host two monthly events: the film meet/mixer (every second Tuesday) and the film screening (no set day). The first one took place in May.

"I want to keep the mixer as purely a mixer," DeLaney, 41, says in the same interview. "It's just there for other filmmakers to get to know each other, hang out, have a beer. We do have time for announcements, if you've got a project that needs crew.  But most of it, I just want to keep it just focused on the actual mixing and meeting people aspect."

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David Clark, left, and Brian Alan DeLaney, right, watch director Roderick Jones during the production on the set of their proposed sketch comedy show Karen Warren/Staff photographer

The Not Another Film Screening is meant to show that there's "some good filmmaking that's coming out of Houston that we might not know about," Clark says. "It's a fun night to go and attend.  You're going to get a horror film. You're going to get a stoner comedy. We've done a crime film.  If you watch all five films and there wasn't something there for you that you enjoyed, the issue's on your end. We try to put something in for everybody and showcase and highlight the local community."

Both events are held at Bad Astronaut, north of downtown.

"Bad Astronaut was nice enough to provide the venue, so we didn't have to come out of pocket and do a venue fee," Clark says. "So, we thought, 'Hey, we're not trying to make money off an audience of filmmakers who aren't making a living doing this. We're trying to celebrate the community.' So we made it free to attend, free to submit films. Just come out and enjoy Houston filmmaking."

'Death Bike' and 'Men in Cars'

For the filmmakers who participate, Houston Film Meet and Not Another Film Screening are ways to get to know fellow creatives and craftspeople in a fractured, sprawling city where community sometimes can be hard to find.

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"The sense of community and the networking, obviously that's really nice," says Dwight Yarotsky in a separate phone interview. He showed the trailer for his still-to-be-finished horror film "Death Bike," at a recent NAFS event.

"Anytime you have that strong anchor of community, in any town or city that you're in, that really helps you," he continues. "L.A., I've thought about going out there  but you're just another person in L.A. What I've noticed is that people in Houston, because there are fewer opportunities for them, there's more enthusiasm."

Director Molly Vernon, who teaches filmmaking and film studies at College of the Mainland and Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and whose film "Men in Cars" screens Friday night, concurs via email. "There is no better place to pitch ideas and garner feedback on developing projects than these gatherings of film fans and filmmakers," she says. "To stay current, a seasoned filmmaker like myself must work with new filmmakers and fresh ideas as often as possible."

David Clark talks with Adrian Mauro and director Roderick Jones talk on the set of their proposed sketch comedy show Karen Warren/Staff photographer

Clark and DeLaney say the events draw around 100 people.

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"We have our core group of people who show up to every meet-up, but then it seems like half of them are brand-new people. Either they just moved here or just found out about the meet-up," says DeLaney. "It's just like there's an unbelievably large number of people who just want to be working in the industry.  We're just trying to do everything we can to connect all those people so we can actually get projects made."

Clark says it's OK if some of those who show up aren't burning to be the next Steven Spielberg or Spike Lee. "It's just a fun industry to work in," he says. "Not everybody has ambitions of 'Hey, I want to go be in Hollywood. I want to make a living doing this.' Sometimes it's just fun to create something with people who share your passion."
For more than 80 years, Lucila Gomez Bejarano welcomed people into her home in Tumacacori  from casual visitors who left with their bellies full of her homemade tamales to foster children who stayed until they were grown.

The Santa Cruz County native, who recently had a bridge in Rio Rico named in her honor, died on Aug. 14, just nine days after her 105th birthday.

She was born Lucila Gomez on Aug. 5, 1919, in the soon-to-be ghost town of Calabasas, a late 19th century railroad stop along the Santa Cruz River in present-day Rio Rico.

At 17, she married a young cowboy named Raul Arvizu Bejarano, and they settled in Tumacacori, where they raised four children.

After Raul died in 1960 at the age of 43, Bejarano continued to live in the house they shared just up the road from Tumacacori National Historical Park. Even into her 100s, she could still be seen sweeping up leaves in her yard.

Bejarano ended up sheltering more than 20 foster children at that address over the years. One of those kids, Tony Velasquez, led the effort to get the bridge named for her.

His campaign succeeded in June, when the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted to dedicate Rio Ricos Pendleton Drive bridge over Sonoita Creek, just east of the Santa Cruz River, as the Lucila G. Bejarano Crossing.

Velasquez said he was just looking for a lasting way to celebrate the woman who raised him from the age of 9, along with his six siblings. Seven little kids  seven little Indians  showed up at her house, and none of us were separated, he told the supervisors on June 20. She made a tremendous home for us. Dedication, kindness, love  she showed us everything.

On Monday, Velasquez posted a picture of Bejarano and a tribute to her on the Viva Nogales! history page he runs on Facebook. This was my beautiful foster mother (who) back in 1967 took in all seven of us foster kids and made us part of her loving family, he wrote. I will miss her greatly.

Bejarano served as a model of strength and perseverance for those who knew her, according to her obituary notice, which described her as a patient, kind, independent woman who cherished her family.

She is survived by her children, Lilia Masterson, Ernesto Bejarano, Norma Megariz and Raul Bejarano; eight grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren and 14 great-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Raul; her five brothers, Gilbert, Ignacio, Ramon, Eduardo and Febronio Gomez; and her sister, Petra Wisdom.

A memorial for Bejarano was held at Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church in Nogales on Tuesday afternoon. After the service, she was buried next to her husband at the Nogales Cemetery, where he has waited for her for 64 years.
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

I am a Franciscan Sister, a member of a Catholic religious community whose patron saint is Francis of Assisi, who loved all creation and the poor. When Pope Francis took the name of this saint on the day he was elected, Franciscans worldwide knew that this Jesuit would pursue a pro-creation agenda in his outreach to the poor. It wasnt surprising that he wrote a document in 2015 called Laudato Si, calling for attention to and conversation about the environmental crisis. He urged a new way to live in harmony with all of creation.

As a follow-up to this, Pope Francis issued another document in 2023, called Laudate Deum. With even more urgency, he calls for faster action against the climate crisis and he challenges climate change deniers to understand the danger. He calls on politicians and business leaders to transition to renewable forms of energy and to see how these adaptations are generating countless jobs in different sectors.

When Pope Francis asks us to think about where the power over humanity lies, this evokes serious reflection from us when we consider the policy positions of political candidates who deny climate change, want to roll back green energy, and seek to accelerate the mining of fossil fuels. He admonishes us that our immense technological development has not been accompanied by a development in human responsibility, values and conscience.

In our part of Arizona, environmentalists are currently protesting the opening of new mines that will destroy wildlife habitats and take huge amounts of water from the community. An excellent feature article in the Star on Sunday, August 11, told us about the copper mine in Mexico that is causing farmers and ranchers wells to run dry. In his document, Pope Francis laments that people are not clearly told that a project will result in the clearing of their lands, a decline in the quality of their lives, a desolate and less habitable landscape lacking in life. He asks why people with great power would even care about the damage being done if they feel securely shielded by financial resources.

As he nears the end of his powerful exhortation, Pope Francis asserts that unless citizens control political power ... it will not be possible to control damage to the environment. He exhorts us to demonstrate the nobility of politics and not its shame. As we prepare for an extremely consequential election in November, our pope offers a clear direction to anyone looking at candidates for office. Each of us who believes climate change is real is doing our best to reuse, recycle and renew, but Pope Francis says, the most effective solutions will not come from individual efforts alone, but ... from major political decisions on the national and international level.

Vote wisely!
Editor's Note This column originally published in June 2007. The Tulsa World now uses the term "Tulsa Race Massacre" to refer to 1921 events. Click here to read more from the archives as well as current mass grave search efforts.

A black attorney had been in Tulsa only a few months when the race riot of 1921 erupted, but he was able to convince a surging group of black residents they shouldn't invade white areas to set fires.

Buck Colvert (Ben) Franklin shouted until he was hoarse that May 31, 1921, to bring the mob under control. "Think," he begged. "Two wrongs don't make a right."

He made such a persuasive speech that the group that had gathered in front of Booker T. Washington High School decided against getting gasoline to set fires in white neighborhoods in retaliation for damage to the Greenwood area.

It was believed that his action prevented much greater damage from the riot. The riot that continued into the next day had erupted after an angry group of whites became a mob planning to lynch a black man because of a rumor that he had accosted a young white female elevator operator.

After Franklin's speech to the other blacks, he was rounded up with many others and taken to a detention center where they were held while all their belongings were stolen or burned.

Shortly after the riot, Franklin set up his law practice in a tent and drafted a lawsuit aimed at blocking a new ordinance passed by the city commission -- a lawsuit that eventually went to the state Supreme Court, which threw out the ordinance.

The ordinance would have required fireproof construction in rebuilding the Greenwood area, which would have made the cost prohibitive for blacks.

Franklin believed the real purpose of the ordinance was to force blacks to move out of town rather than rebuilding.

Franklin's best-known criminal case was in 1934 when he convinced a District Court judge that black people should be allowed to serve on juries. The trial of his client, R.C. Foster, was the first time a black person was on a jury in Oklahoma.

Foster, charged with murder for killing an underworld character, was acquitted. Born in the Chickasaw Nation in southwestern Oklahoma, Franklin was the son of slaves.

His father was owned by the brother of a governor of the Chickasaw tribe; his mother by Choctaws who treated her the same as a member of their family.

Franklin received his first education at a black school founded by white missionaries of the Baptist Church and later attended Roger Williams University in Nashville and Atlanta Baptist College.

After graduating and getting married, Franklin and his wife moved back to Oklahoma to farm, but his interest in law exceeded his interest in farming and ranching.

With his education and his sharp mind, he was able to pass the bar examination after completing a correspondence course in law.

He opened law offices in Ardmore and Rentiesville, one of the dozens of all-black towns that developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Franklin also served as postmaster for a time in Rentiesville.

But it was difficult for a black lawyer to make a living, especially in a small community, so he moved to Tulsa months before the riot.

Most blacks hired black lawyers only if the other side had a black lawyer. They preferred to hire white lawyers because they believed a black lawyer could not prevail against a white lawyer with a white judge.

In his autobiography, Franklin noted that "white lawyers hired black runners to falsely warn black people that black lawyers could not prevail against them."

Franklin, however, was able to prevail in many of the cases he handled after the race riot and was credited with knocking down the ordinance that would have prohibited rebuilding of the Greenwood area.

Franklin, who was honored by Greenwood residents at a special ceremony when he retired in 1959, died in 1960.

Speaking in Tulsa at the 2000-01 Presidential Lecture Series at the University of Tulsa, historian John Hope Franklin credited his father for his love of reading.

"When I wasn't in school, I was at his law office watching him work," John Hope Franklin said. "I guess that's why I read and write for a living."

The younger Franklin, a past president of the American Historical Association, has received many honors.

He has been inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, has been named one of the state's 11 cultural treasures, was named to Oklahoma Historians Hall of Frame and received the Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award.

Like this column? Read all the columns in the Only in Oklahoma series from the Tulsa World Archive.
The Sugar Land City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance to establish a music advisory board aimed at promoting the citys local music industry. Houston Chronicle Sofar Sounds-Houston is a global music events company which promotes local artists. Sofar gigs follow a specific structure, with typically three artists performing and no opener or headliner. The venues are nontraditional, ranging from living rooms and art galleries to coffee shops or even airplane hangars. Sofar Sounds Houston Sofar Sounds-Houston is a global music events company which promotes local artists. Sofar gigs follow a specific structure, with typically three artists performing and no opener or headliner. The venues are nontraditional, ranging from living rooms and art galleries to coffee shops or even airplane hangars. Sofar Sounds Houston Sofar Sounds-Houston is a global music events company which promotes local artists. Sofar gigs follow a specific structure, with typically three artists performing and no opener or headliner. The venues are nontraditional, ranging from living rooms and art galleries to coffee shops or even airplane hangars. Sofar Sounds Houston

Sugar Land leaders who want to foster more live music events and help residents who want to grow a music career are creating a framework to do so, starting with a new advisory board that will be sworn in Tuesday.

The effort has been led by Sha Davis, 36, civic arts manager for the city and a Houston-based professional musician who has been with the city of Sugar Land since February of 2023. Davis developed and managed Sugar Lands first Make Music Day music festival in June.

"Having a music advisory board definitely gives (the city) more of an industry," said Davis. "Sugar Land doesn't have a music industry at all."

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Creating the board is also a requirement of joining the Texas Music Office's Music Friendly Texas Certified Community Program.

Inspired by Houston music program

The city of Houston has been certified for more than a year, Davis said, and so are more than 60 communities in Texas.

"Houston, honestly, really didn't have one--it had a large music community and a lot of really talented, popular artists," she said.

"But building industry, providing resources, having forums that people can come to and have, like a town hall and speak about what the music industry needs --that didn't exist until their music advisory board was formed."

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Davis said she's done musical residencies in Houston. A residency is a program in which a musician spends time at a specific location such as a school or cultural institution, and spends time composing, putting on concerts and conducting workshops with children.

"Being in Houston really helped," she said. "Like Houston, we want to build our music database of all music venues, studios, booking agents."

Dallas, Fort Worth, and Galveston have been certified, and The Woodlands is working on its certification, Davis said.

Who is on the music advisory board?

Board members include Mark Winters, Ebony McFarland, Jalen Baker, Sam Asthana and Eric Estrada, city spokesman Doug Adolph said.

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We want to make sure the venues in Sugar Land know that we exist, partner with the local venues, so we can work together in bringing music, more music, to a variety of venues," said McFarland, who also serves as the coordinator for Sugar Land Civic Arts.

Estrada is the local promoter and producer for Sofar Sounds-Houston, a global, London-headquartered music events company which promotes local artists. Sofar gigs follow a specific structure, with typically three artists performing and no opener or headliner. The venues are nontraditional, ranging from living rooms and art galleries to coffee shops or even airplane hangars, he said.

Estrada said as a member of the music advisory board, he is looking forward to bringing the community together.

I've seen the impact that these shows have outside of just the performance itself -- like, economic impact and morale. I've seen businesses win over clients by treating them to a show  its magical. You never really know what all the overall benefits are going to be.

How does the music advisory board operate?

The board will hold monthly meetings, either via Zoom or in person, said Davis.

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The application to the Texas Music Office program involves multiple steps, with the final step being the appointment of a music advisory board, according to city documents.

The city submitted its application in May 2023 and participated in mandatory liaison training in September, Davis said at a recent city council meeting.

This was followed by a workshop with the governors office at Sugar Land City Hall in February. Between March and May 2024, the city received applications from candidates for the music advisory board. The city received less than 100 suitable applications, Adolph said.

FORT BEND INSIDER: Never miss a story with our bi-weekly newsletter

The move to acquire the certification and therefore create a music advisory board was driven by research starting last March, during which Davis said she learned from residents and data that there was a clear demand for more live music events.

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"A lot of people are really hoping for more live music opportunities, not just big concerts, but small things that residents can walk to and be a part of, like buskers in the city,' she said at a recent meeting. "Things like the busker program we started at the Imperial Farmers Market.

The specific goals of the music advisory board, according to Davis, are to:
The Price Tower in Bartlesville will be put up for public auction on Aug. 22, when the iconic Frank Lloyd Wright-designed skyscraper will be officially placed on the Ten-X Commercial Real Estate Auction Platform.

The actual auction, according to an email forwarded to the Tulsa World by Cynthia Blanchard, the tower's current owner, will take place Oct. 7-9.

According to the email, signed by Scott Schlotfelt, the managing director of Commercial Oklahoma: "The auction will include the Price Tower property itself, excluding the art collection. The art collection will be addressed in Phase 2 of the new ownership transition. This phased approach aims to ensure a smooth and successful transition, preserving the rich legacy of Price Tower while opening up new avenues for growth and development under new ownership.

"We are committed to securing a fair and competitive sale, and we encourage all interested parties to participate in this unique opportunity to become a part of the ongoing history of Price Tower," the email states.

The Price Tower was built in 1956, commissioned by Bartlesville oil man H.C. Price to serve as his company's headquarters. The tower also contained apartments, offices and retail spaces. When Price sold his company to the Phillips Petroleum Company, the building was used primarily for storage.

In 2000, the building was donated to the nonprofit organization Price Tower Arts Center, which operated the building until 2023, when the nonprofit turned it over to Copper Tree, a company founded in 2022 of which Blanchard is the CEO.

In April of this year, Blanchard sold a number of items from the Price Tower collection, including some rare and one-of-a-kind items designed by Wright himself, to a Dallas firm specializing in mid-century furniture and design.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, a Chicago-based nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting the architect's work, protested the sale, saying that it violated the preservation easement it has on the tower.

Blanchard contends that the change in ownership nullifies the easement, and that she does not need to permission from the Conservancy to sell items from the collection.

On Aug. 9, the Price Tower closed to the public, the majority of its staff was laid off, and all reservations to the boutique hotel, The Inn at Price Tower, had been cancelled.
Curtis Killman Tulsa World Staff Writer Follow Curtis Killman 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

Three Broken Arrow police officers who were fired earlier this month were found to have violated department policies, including one rule violation that has resulted in possible criminal allegations involving found property, according to termination letters obtained by the Tulsa World in response to an Open Records Act request.

Broken Arrow officials announced Monday that four of the citys police officers had left their employment  three by termination, one by retirement  following an internal investigation into a May 23 incident.

Officials did not elaborate Monday on the incident or provide any names involved in the announcement, other than to say one of the four officers was not disciplined but instead chose to retire from the agency.

However, Broken Arrow officials on Wednesday  in response to an Open Records Act request  released to the Tulsa World termination letters addressed to the three officers who faced disciplinary action.

The three letters indicate that Kaitlin Anderson, Jonathan Chisum and Jesse Sandoval were all fired Thursday, Aug. 15.

Your actions resulted in serious rule infractions, including pending criminal allegations, each of the three officers two-page termination letter states.

The letters indicate that an internal investigation of the May 23 incident resulted in the substantiation of the following findings:

Category III misconduct regarding criminal allegations

Category III misconduct regarding serious rule infractions (moral turpitude)

Category II misconduct regarding handling of found property

The Tulsa County District Attorneys Office confirmed Wednesday that it was reviewing a report from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation regarding the incident.

A spokeswoman for the District Attorneys Office could not provide a timeline on when a decision might be made other than to say that it will likely be sooner than later.

In June, the Broken Arrow Police Department announced that it had placed four unnamed officers on leave in response to allegations of misconduct.

In a news release at the time, police stated that: On Monday, May 27, 2024, during a call for service, Broken Arrow Police Department patrol officers discovered alleged misconduct by fellow officers which had occurred on Thursday, May 23, 2024. The alleged misconduct was related to the call for service and the patrol officers investigation.

The letter to Anderson states that during an Aug. 1 predetermination hearing she agreed that she was trained to book all found property into the departments property room and as a field training officer was responsible for training recruit officers in the same process.

You admitted to violating policy by your actions, the letter signed by Chief Brandon Berryhill states. Although you stated you didnt feel like you were committing a crime, your actions resulted in theft of property and a serious rule infraction of the Broken Arrow Police Department.

The letter goes on to define found property and the process for handling it, specifically mentioning how the policy relates to firearms and ammunition.

Similar policy statements were contained in the letter to Chisum.

Your interactions with an officer with just over one year of experience appeared to have discouraged another officer from completing their duties according to policy, the letter to Chisum states.

You took no responsibility for your actions and attempted to justify your wrongdoing by explaining previous actions you had done according to policy in the past, the letter to Chisum continues.

The letter to Sandoval states that he admitted to using poor judgment and apologized for his actions and for bringing discredit to the department.

In announcing the results of its latest internal investigation, the Broken Arrow Police Department said in a statement that it has a proud and rich history of serving the community and ensuring Broken Arrow is a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.

We will continue to uphold the core values of Professionalism, Integrity, Accountability, Courage, and Compassion among our officers and build on the trust and relationship we have with the members of our community, the statement concluded.

The Tulsa World was unable to reach the three officers for comment.

This is the second time in less than 30 days that Broken Arrow police have announced the firing of an officer or officers.

The department announced July 23 that it had fired Sgt. Michael Ferguson in connection with the May 29 arrest of a homeowner.

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Related Content DOCUMENT: Oklahoma Consolidated Performance Review Report FY 2024

Just days after Oklahoma legislators launched an investigation of the Oklahoma State Department of Educations finances, a scathing new federal report has surfaced that reveals significant compliance or quality concerns that require urgent attention by OSDE.

A large team from the U.S. Department of Education from Dec. 11-14 conducted a review of federal programs and $2.72 billion in related federal funding handled by the Oklahoma State Department of Education and then a desk review of a sampling of a handful of school districts, mostly in the Oklahoma City metro area, between Dec. 12-Jan. 11.

Out of 52 indicators reviewed, 32 were deemed so out of compliance or lacking in quality that they require urgent attention by the (state) and will be revisited until the (state) has remedied the issue, in most cases between 30 and 60 days.

Another seven indicators came with recommendations because of quality implementation concerns.

State Superintendent Ryan Walters is facing a slew of questions and criticism about his state agencys handling of state and federal funds since he took office in January 2023.

On Thursday, an investigation of OSDE finances was launched by the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency, or LOFT, after Oklahoma Speaker of the House Charles McCall, R-Atoka, declined a different proposed probe that could have led directly to Walters impeachment.

Among the complaints made against Walters during his year and a half in office are that school districts are not receiving timely estimates of federal Title I allocations that allow them to budget for each new school year, that some federal grants have been allowed to lapse, and that money appropriated by the Legislature for specific purposes such as maternity leave and asthma inhalers has not been spent appropriately or at all.

The Oklahoma Consolidated Performance Review Report for fiscal year 2024, which was dated July 25, questioned the OSDEs internal controls, late annual audit reports and oversight of charter schools.

Additionally, the federal report flagged the OSDEs record keeping and noted that the agency either did not have written procedures or was unable to find records for multiple federal grant programs, including schools identified for comprehensive and additional targeted supports.

The review found that OSDE is not fully reporting all required data on its school report cards and is not offering state report card translations in languages spoken by sizeable populations within Oklahoma, including Marshallese and Cherokee, that are not available from Google Translate. Federal law requires that report cards be accessible to parents with limited English proficiency, either through oral interpretation or written translation.

Among the specific Title I concerns raised in the report was the lack of documentation that the OSDE is ensuring that school districts are complying with parental notification requirements. Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Title I schools are required to notify parents whose children are taught for at least four consecutive weeks by instructors who are not certified for the subject and grade level they have been assigned to teach.

The only two areas where the agency was commended were for supports offered for multilingual learners and data collection efforts by the Office of Indian Education for Title VI programs.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Education told the Tulsa World it conducts approximately four comprehensive, consolidated monitoring reviews of state educational agencies each year.

When asked for comment on the report, Dan Isett, director of communications for the State Department of Education, released a statement, saying: Many of the issues in this report from the US Department of Education are from the 22-23 school year and have been addressed in the LOFT report in June that gave OSDE high marks for compliance and stewardship of taxpayer money. 

The policies, procedures, and documents requested by the USDE were those used or developed in the 22-23 school year. The snapshot of data taken in December 2023 for the USDE report found some areas that needed improvement, the number of which are similar to other states that have undergone this process.

The OSDE team has moved swiftly to address these findings, has already resolved many of them, and all will be resolved by the October deadline. Although the full report is not due to USDE until mid-October, the agency has worked quickly and diligently to resolve any remaining issues.
Fulbright University Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City has received a grant worth US$1.5 million from Google to improve its AI education, president of the university Scott Fritzen said on Monday.

During a discussion about AI between Googles chief scientist Jeff Dean and students at Fulbright University Vietnam, Fritzen informed that the school would use the grant to integrate AI into all academic programs, develop AI-related majors and minors in its undergraduate curriculum, and equip students with AI application skills.

The amount will also support the university in recruiting AI experts to expand AI teaching, enhance AI-related research by lecturers and students, and boost initiatives in association with Vietnamese and international partners.

Fritzen claimed that AI is reshaping the world in unprecedented ways.

Googles chief scientist Dean said Vietnam is home to multiple young talents in technology, especially AI.

He suggested local universities should offer more opportunities for students to study AI and access new learning methods with AI integrated into their curricula.

Dean asserted that collaboration between universities and AI-focused organizations would also benefit students by enhancing their education and skills.

In addition to the $1.5 million grant to Fulbright University Vietnam, Google has partnered with the Vietnam National Innovation Center to launch initiatives like Google AI Essentials, aimed at equipping the local workforce with vital AI skills, and Google for Startups Accelerator SEA Vietnam, which supports the development and testing of generative AI (GenAI) among Vietnamese startups.

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Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz waits to pin badges on new police officers during the graduation ceremony for Houston Police Academy Cadet Class 264 on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024 in Houston. HPD welcomed 53 new officers to the force during the graduation. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz salutes after pinning badge on the new police officers during the graduation ceremony for Houston Police Academy Cadet Class 264 on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024 in Houston. HPD welcomed 53 new officers to the force during the graduation. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz embraces officer J.T. Corliss after pinning his badge to his uniform during the graduation ceremony for Houston Police Academy Cadet Class 264 on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024 in Houston. HPD welcomed 53 new officers to the force during the graduation. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz embraces officer Carmen Correa Ocasio after pinning her badge to her uniform during the graduation ceremony for Houston Police Academy Cadet Class 264 on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024 in Houston. HPD welcomed 53 new officers to the force during the graduation. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer

A new records management system in 2025 and new police chief give the Houston Police Department a chance to prevent a future scandal like the ongoing suspended cases from gripping the ranks, according to an independent panels final report.

City leaders should hire an independent consultant to conduct a performance staffing study, the department should hire more civilian employees, and better use human resources to train and assign staffers already in the agency, Christina Nowak, a member of the external committee appointed by Mayor John Whitmire, said to City Council on Wednesday.

We all recognize there are staffing shortages, but it is on HPD to find ways to improve the department, find efficiencies, in addition to simply boosting recruitment, Nowak said.

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MORE FROM HOUSTON CHRONICLE: HPD graduates smallest cadet class of year with 53, with new chief in attendance

Members of the committee Wednesday unveiled their final report into the more than 268,000 cases the department suspended using an internal code citing a lack of personnel beginning in 2016. The 90-page document largely echoes points the committee already addressed during a preliminary hearing on the scandal in May. It did not single out any individuals for blame.

Among the top findings of the final report:

Each division within the department operated and used the code with near-total autonomy.

The department is facing severe staffing shortages.

An outdated records management system further exacerbated the problem.

There wasnt enough discussion among top leaders in the department and those within each investigative division.

But in comments before city council, members of the committee said the department needed to take concrete steps to fix these issues, particularly with the opportunity presented by a new records management system, or else the scandal would surface again in the future. They cited a 2014 report under former Chief Charles McClelland that identified many of the same issues about staffing and uninvestigated cases raised during the investigation into the current suspended cases scandal.

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Department leaders for months have said they need more than 2,000 more officers to keep pace with the population growth in Houston in recent years.

Were asking that HPD ring the bell sooner if lack of resources is affecting public safety, so that they give all the stakeholders, city council, the mayor and anybody else who has a voice and opportunity again to come to the table and come up with solutions, Nowak said.

Department leaders in July released their internal report examining the history and causes of the suspended cases code. Then, earlier this month, the council confirmed Noe Diaz as the departments newest full-time police chief.

Whitmire wants future accountability

Whitmire on Wednesday said hed like to see regular reports from the police and fire chiefs so no one can say they didnt know something like this scandal was happening.

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We, quite frankly, owe Houstonians an apology, and Ill go a step further and say we cant govern by spin, Whitmire said, criticizing the One Safe Houston initiative, which put $53 million from the American Rescue Plan toward multiple public safety initiatives like addressing behavioral health and domestic abuse.

Former Mayor Sylvester Turner, who started the initiative, did not immediately return a phone call for comment.

Whitmire said implementing the recommendations at HPD would start with him at the top. He added he would also hold Diaz accountable.

You cant fix something if you dont acknowledge its a problem, Whitmire said. And Chief Diaz will be the first to say, we got challenges.

Whitmire said he wanted Diaz, who was absent from Wednesdays meeting, and his command staff to be at work instead of at council.

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Hes still very busy establishing his team, and theyre working on on the backlog as we talk, Whitmire said, adding that it was ultimately the mayors responsibility to make sure changes were made.

Hours after Wednesday's hearing on the final report, Diaz released a prepared statement thanking the committee and saying he was reviewing the report, considering its recommendations.

"We believe this report will help us become better servants to the community and improve our department for generations to come," he said.

Wednesdays presentation was the last scheduled report on the suspended cases scandal.

But Whitmire told reporters that Houstonians shouldnt expect this final report to be the end of the scandal.

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Its what you dont know that scares you the most, Whitmire said. Im sure theres still the rest of the story.

The panel shared a preliminary report in May saying the code was first approved by Martha Montalvo, who served as the departments acting chief for a few months in 2016, and that the special victims division began using it immediately.

The preliminary report largely focused on processes and plans department leaders might implement to stave off something similar happening in the future. The report, ordered by Whitmire, recommended the department should standardize reporting procedures and put departmentwide directives in writing to prevent another scandal from happening in the future.

The committee recommended the special victims division partner with the Houston Area Womens Center and victims services to conduct better outreach in sexual assault cases. It also recommended, with the implementation of a new records management system in 2025, the department standardize the options employees have on recording results.
Vietnam and China have announced a joint statement on further strengthening their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and promoting the building of the Vietnam-China community with a shared future with strategic significance.

The joint statement was launched on Tuesday as a summary of the outcomes of the three-day state visit to China by Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and his spouse at the invitation of Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping and his spouse.

During the visit, the Vietnamese leader held talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi, Prime Minister Li Qiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress of China Zhao Leji, and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference Wang Huning.

At these meetings, the two sides had in-depth exchanges of opinions and reached important common perceptions on further strengthening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and promoting the building of the Vietnam-China community with a shared future in the new situation, the joint statement said, adding they also discussed international and regional issues of mutual concern.

Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President To Lam (L) shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping before their talks in Beijing, China, August 19, 2024. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

Priority to Vietnam - China ties considered strategic choice

The Communist Party of Vietnam and the Communist Party of China are carrying a historic mission, striving for the happiness of the people, for national development, and for peace and progress of mankind, the Vietnam News Agency cited the joint statement.

In the cause of struggling for national independence and liberation, the two Parties, two countries, and people of Vietnam and China supported each other, establishing the Vietnam-China traditional friendship as both comrades and brothers.

Now entering a new era, the two nations will not forget their initial wish of friendship, engrave the common mission, steadfastly pursue the path to socialism, and promote modernization in line with each country's situation, according to the joint statement.

The Chinese side affirmed its support for Vietnam to develop prosperously, bring happiness to its people, and build a strong, independent, and self-reliant economy.

China also advocated Vietnam developing open and friendly external relations and promoting an increasingly important role for peace, stability, development, and prosperity in the region and the world.

In a joint statement, China reaffirmed its commitment to a policy of friendship with Vietnam, highlighting the country as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy.

Meanwhile, Vietnam underscored that its relationship with China remains a top priority within its foreign policy framework of independence, self-reliance, multilateralism, and diversification.

The statement emphasized that this alignment represents a strategic choice for both nations.

Both sides stressed the importance of fully implementing the common understandings and agreements reached during the bilateral visits of their top leaders.

They were committed to advancing the construction of the Vietnam-China community with a shared future, aiming for more tangible outcomes.

The two nations also agreed that the Vietnam-China Bilateral Cooperation Steering Committee should guide ministries, agencies, and localities in both countries to actively contribute to building this community.

Reaffirming that defense and security cooperation is a cornerstone of Vietnam-China relations, both countries were committed to deepening their collaboration in these areas.

They agreed to enhance joint efforts to combat telecom fraud, cybersecurity threats, economic crimes, human trafficking, and illegal immigration, as well as to track and recover assets of criminals who have fled abroad.

The two nations also concurred on establishing a hotline between their Ministries of Public Security and moving swiftly to ratify a state-level agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons between Vietnam and China.

Both sides vowed to intensify information exchange and share experience in countering interference, separatism, and color revolutions, with the aim of jointly safeguarding political and regime security.

They also pledged to bolster bilateral cooperation in the legal and judicial fields.

Vietnamese Minister of National Defense Phan Van Giang (R) and his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun jointly plant a friendship tree within the framework of the eighth Vietnam - China Border Defense Friendship Exchange Program in April 2024. Photo: Nguyen Bao / Tuoi Tre

Promoting strategic development connectivity

According to the joint statement, the two countries leaders agreed to promote strategic development connectivity between the two countries, effectively implementing the cooperation plan connecting the Two Corridors, One Belt framework with the Belt and Road initiative.

They also underscored the need to accelerate the hard connectivity between the two countries in terms of railways, expressways, and border gate infrastructure, while upgrading the soft connectivity in terms of smart customs.

China agrees to assist Vietnam in planning the Lang Son - Hanoi and Mong Cai - Ha Long - Hai Phong standard gauge railway lines, and in preparing a feasibility study report for the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong standard gauge railway line.

The two nations will hasten the pilot construction of smart border gates at the Huu Nghi (Vietnam) - Youyi Guan (China) international border gate, while proceeding with the trial construction of cross-border economic cooperation zones and jointly building safe and stable production and supply chains.

The joint statement encouraged enterprises with strong capabilities, reputations, and advanced technologies in both Vietnam and China to invest in each others markets, particularly in sectors such as hi-tech agriculture, infrastructure, clean energy, digital economy, and green development.

Both countries pledged to create a fair and favorable business environment for foreign enterprises.

The two sides also agreed to enhance the role of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area, leverage e-commerce platforms and trade fairs, strengthen customs cooperation, and boost the export of key products to each other.

China expressed its willingness to facilitate the opening of additional Vietnamese trade promotion offices in China, while Vietnam voiced its support for Chinas bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and welcomed Hong Kongs steps toward joining the RCEP.

In a further display of goodwill, the two neighboring countries declared 2025 as the Year of Vietnam-China Humanitarian Exchange and announced plans to jointly organize a series of events to mark the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

Huu Nghi International Border Gate in Lang Son Province, northern Vietnam, which borders China. Photo: Ha Quan / Tuoi Tre

Complying with international law

The leaders of Vietnam and China reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing coordination and multilateral cooperation in building the Vietnam-China community with a shared future, a goal they described as having strategic significance.

The joint statement underscored that both nations should adhere to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and fundamental norms of international relations, while advocating for a multipolar world characterized by equality, order, and comprehensive, inclusive, and sustainable economic globalization.

Both countries pledged to promote human rights exchanges and cooperation based on equality and mutual respect, firmly opposing the politicization, instrumentalization, and double standards often associated with human rights issues. They strongly rejected the use of human rights as a tool to interfere in the internal affairs of other nations.

The two sides also vowed to continue coordinating within multilateral mechanisms, including the United Nations and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum, and to support each others candidacies for international organizations.

China was further committed to working with ASEAN countries to advance the initiative of building the Five Common Homes of peace, security, prosperity, beauty, and friendship.

It also pledged to accelerate the development of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0, boost cooperation within the Mekong-Lancang framework, and strengthen collaboration in the Greater Mekong Sub-region economic cooperation framework.

A Vietnamese coast guard officer is seen in a joint patrol between the Vietnam Coast Guard and its Chinese counterpart in late April 2024. Photo: Quan Doi Nhan Dan (Peoples Army) newspaper

Effectively resolving disagreements

Vietnam and China engaged in deep, sincere, and frank discussions on maritime issues, underscoring the importance of better managing and proactively addressing disagreements at sea to maintain peace and stability in the East Vietnam Sea and the broader region.

Both sides were committed to actively seeking fundamental and long-term solutions acceptable to both parties, in accordance with the Vietnam-China agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues, and in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They agreed to avoid actions that could complicate the situation or escalate disputes.

The two countries also pledged to continue the effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the East Vietnam Sea and to work together toward achieving a substantive and effective Code of Conduct (COC) for the waterway, in line with international law, including UNCLOS.

Vietnam and China agreed to enhance coordination to effectively implement legal documents related to their land border and associated agreements. They plan to promote cooperation in areas along the land border and to organize activities commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Vietnam-China Land Border Treaty and the 15th anniversary of the three legal documents on the Vietnam-China land border.

In the joint statement, Vietnam reaffirmed its commitment to the 'One China' policy, acknowledging that there is only one China and that Taiwan is an inseparable part of its territory.

Vietnam recognized the government of the Peoples Republic of China as the sole legitimate government representing all of China.

The statement emphasized Vietnam's support for the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and China's efforts toward reunification.

Vietnam firmly opposed any actions aimed at promoting Taiwan's independence in any form and pledged not to establish any state-level relations with Taiwan.

The joint statement concluded with both sides agreeing that the state visit of General Secretary and President To Lam, from Sunday to Tuesday, was a resounding success, marking a significant milestone in the development of the Vietnam-China community with a shared future of strategic importance.

This relationship, they noted, is crucial for promoting peace, stability, and development in the region and beyond.

Lam expressed his gratitude for the warm reception from the Chinese side and extended a respectful invitation to his Chinese counterpart to visit Vietnam again soon. The Chinese leader gladly accepted the invitation.

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A waste-to-energy plant project, worth almost VND2.3 trillion (US$92 million) in investment in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam, was approved in 2022 but its feasibility study remains incomplete and the investor has yet to be chosen.

The provincial administration worked with relevant agencies on Tuesday to address issues related to the long-running waste treatment project, located in Vinh Tan Commune of Vinh Cuu District.

In September 2022, authorities gave the green light to implement the Vinh Tan waste-to-energy plant project, whose developer is Le Delta JSC, under the public-private partnership format in two phases.

The project would process 800 metric tons of waste and generate 20MW of electricity per day in phase one.

Its waste treatment capacity would amount to 1,200 metric tons per day in phase two, with its electricity output reaching 30MW.

However, its feasibility study has not been done, causing the project to fall behind its schedule by about two months, said Phan Trung Hung Ha, deputy director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment.

The Vinh Tan waste-to-energy plant project has hit a snag due to an incomplete environmental impact assessment, stalling the investor selection process.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment recently rejected the projects environmental report, citing the need for further revisions.

At a recent meeting, Vo Van Phi, vice-chairman of the provincial administration, emphasized the critical importance of the project and urged all stakeholders to expedite their efforts.

Phi specifically called on the project developer to revise the environmental report and resubmit it to the ministry for approval.

He also directed the provincial Departments of Natural Resources and Environment, along with the Department of Science and Technology, to assist the developer in finalizing the report by the end of next month.

Phi instructed Vinh Cuu authorities to allocate the necessary budget to promptly complete the detailed planning for the project.

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Read what is in the news in Vietnam today:

Society

-- Police in Yen Bai Province, northern Vietnam announced on Tuesday that they were investigating a crash from Monday involving a female driver on a large-displacement motorbike who collided with and overturned a car, injuring three people.

-- Rescuers promptly freed a South Korean female tourist who was trapped under a 45-seater bus following its collision with a motorbike in Da Nang City on Tuesday afternoon.

-- Traffic police under the Ministry of Public Security said on Tuesday they were probing an incident in which a seven-seater car suddenly reversed and drove the wrong way on the Ho Chi Minh City-Trung Luong-My Thuan Expressway, as shown in a video posted online.

-- A group of runners discovered a stranded turtle and collaborated with the management board of Con Dao National Park to successfully rescue and release it back into the sea in Con Dao Island District, off the coast of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province in southern Vietnam, last weekend.

-- Two police captains from the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang donated blood to save a child with thalassemia in a timely manner on Tuesday.

-- The Peoples Committee of Da Lat City in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong said on Tuesday that they were investigating the case of a dog, often used for paid photo services with tourists at Lam Vien Square, being brutally beaten, as shown in a viral video.

-- Police in Thua Thien-Hue Province announced on Tuesday that they have prosecuted a police lieutenant colonel, stripped him of his title, and banned him from leaving his place of residence after he caused a fatal accident by driving under the influence.

Lifestyle

-- The nature documentary series 'Planet Earth III' received five nominations at the 2024 Emmys, including two for the episode featuring Son Doong and Va Caves in Quang Binh Province, north-central Vietnam.

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A group of runners discovered a stranded green sea turtle and collaborated with the management board of the Con Dao National Park to successfully rescue and release it back into the sea in Con Dao Island District, off the coast of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province in southern Vietnam, last weekend.

The runners were joining a running event called Save Turtles Run 2024 when they spotted the male turtle weighing some 65 kilograms.

The turtle is a male green sea turtle weighing over 65 kilograms. Photo: Con Dao National Park

They immediately reported the case to the management board of the Con Dao National Park.

The management board quickly dispatched a team to the location to join hands with the runners to rescue the stranded sea turtle and release it back into the ocean.

Around 200,000 sea turtles are rescued and returned to the sea per year in Con Dao.

The green sea turtle is stranded on the beach in Con Dao Island District, off the coast of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. Photo: Con Dao National Park

Nguyen Khac Pho, director of the management board of the Con Dao National Park, said Save Turtles Run had been held annually over the past three years with a view to improving residents' and tourists awareness of protecting sea turtles while helping them explore the beauty of Con Dao.

The event attracted 230 runners this year.

From January 1 to April 15, the Con Dao National Park management board helped 65 sea turtles lay eggs and released 3,374 turtle hatchlings into the ocean.

The runners saw the turtle while participating in Save Turtles Run, a running event to preserve sea turtles. Photo: N.S. / Tuoi Tre

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Kon Tum Province in Vietnam's Central Highlands experienced a magnitude-4.2 earthquake on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Institute of Geophysics.

The tremor occurred at approximately 1:05 pm, with its epicenter located in Kon Plong District.

The quake's impact was felt as far as Pleiku City in Gia Lai Province, about 100 kilometers away.

Nguyen Hong Anh, an official in Pleiku, recounted feeling the ground shake and his office building tremble while he was resting on the fourth floor.

"It lasted only a few seconds," he said.

In Kon Plong, forest ranger Dinh Hong Khoan described the tremor's effects at a forest protection station near the Thuong Kon Tum hydropower reservoir.

"The ground and the roof shook violently for about 4-5 seconds," Khoan said, noting that no damage was observed.

By 2:30 pm, the district had experienced seven additional tremors, with magnitudes ranging from three to 3.4.

The area has been hit by numerous earthquakes in recent weeks, causing concerns among residents.

On August 8, five earthquakes reaching a magnitude of 2.5 to 4.2 struck Kon Plong, but posed no disaster risk.

Between July 28 and August 1, the district was hit by more than 60 earthquakes, most of them classified as level-zero natural disaster risk, except for the one with a magnitude of five that occurred at 11:35 am on July 28.

The tremors were felt not only in Kon Tum but also across many other provinces and cities in Vietnam, and even in some areas of neighboring Thailand and Cambodia.

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The governments of Vietnam and Australia sent representatives to attend the funeral of Professor Vo Tong Xuan, honorary rector of Nam Can Tho University in Can Tho City, southern Vietnam on Wednesday.

At approximately 10:35 am, Nguyen Van Hieu, the Party chief of Can Tho City, led a delegation to pay their final respects to Professor Vo Tong Xuan, who passed away in Ho Chi Minh City at 7:00 am on Monday.

Representing Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the National Assembly deputies of Can Tho, Hieu offered incense and conveyed condolences to the professor's son, Vo Tong Anh, and other family members.

Earlier that day, representatives from the Australian government, including officials from the Australian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), also paid tribute to the late professor.

Nguyen Thi Thanh An, ACIAR Vietnam country manager, highlighted Professor Xuan's significant role as the first Vietnamese advisor to Australia's Policy Advisory Council for International Agricultural Research and Development approximately 25 years ago.

She expressed profound respect and sorrow for his passing, noting his dedication to advancing Vietnamese agriculture and his role as a model for many young scientists.

An emphasized that Professor Xuan had established a strong foundation for the partnership between Australia and Vietnam, particularly in agricultural research.

She extended her deepest condolences to the family, writing in the condolence book, "May you rest in peace."

Nguyen Thi Thanh An, country manager of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research in Vietnam, wrote in the condolence book when attending the funeral of Professor Vo Tong Xuan in Can Tho City, southern Vietnam, August 21, 2024. Photo: Chi Quoc / Tuoi Tre

Peoples Teacher Prof. Xuan was revered as a leading expert and an active contributor to Vietnams agricultural research and science.

He was Vietnams agricultural master, who helped many nations in the region with food security.

Born in An Giang Province in the Mekong Delta region in 1940, Xuan secured a scholarship to study at the University of the Philippines Los Banos College of Agriculture and Food Science in 1961.

In 1966, he graduated from the university and earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural chemistry.

He then served as a postgraduate at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines.

While his career was at its peak at the Philippines-based institute, he decided to return to Vietnam for work in June 1971.

After going back to his country, he worked at Can Tho University, teaming up with Japanese researchers to carry out multiple projects related to rice-growing techniques and debuting numerous scientific articles to popularize agricultural techniques and policies.

In 1974, he traveled to Japan to study rice-growing techniques in tropical areas at Kyushu University.

He completed his agronomy curriculum there and earned his PhD in 1975.

In addition to his expertise in agriculture, he was also a dedicated and talented educator.

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Vietnamese rescuers swiftly freed a South Korean tourist who had been trapped under a 45-seater bus following a collision with a motorbike in Da Nang City on Tuesday afternoon.

The incident occurred at 4:27 pm, when the command information center at the Da Nang police department received reports of a person pinned beneath a bus on a road leading to Linh Ung Pagoda.

Rescue teams, along with vehicles and equipment, were immediately dispatched to the scene.

Upon arrival, they discovered that the South Korean woman had sustained multiple injuries.

According to one of the rescuers, they immobilized the bus and employed air lifting bags and a hydraulic hoist to elevate the vehicle and free the victim.

Within ten minutes, the rescuers managed to extract the 32-year-old woman and transfer her to medical personnel for treatment.

Dashcam footage from a passing car showed that the bus was traveling on the right side of the road when a motorbike suddenly veered from the opposite direction and slid, resulting in the woman being trapped under the bus.

Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

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An auction for The Block: Phillip Island is expected in early November but listings are now live with price guides revealed.

Domain reports for the first time in eight years, the price guides have been set below $2 million.

The four-bedroom homes all have uniform price guides of $1.7 million to $1.85 million well below recent $3 million to $4 million prices.

The price guide reflects the shows move to Phillip Island, about 90 minutes drive from Melbourne.

House 1: Jesse and Paige ($1.7 million to $1.85 million)

House 2: Courtney and Grant ($1.7 million to $1.85 million)

House 3: Haydn and Ricky ($1.7 million to $1.85 million)

House 4: Kylie and Brad ($1.7 million to $1.85 million)

House 5: Kristian and Mimi ($1.7 million to $1.85 million)

Of course, producers have also confirmed one couple does not make it to series end, with another couple stepping in at very short notice.

Photos of the homes only show rooms currently revealed, but will be updated ongoing.
Rose Marie Kosmetatos, facing, hugs her attorney Lori Laird on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, after a split jury found her and husband, Antonios Pagourtzis, not liable in the 2018 school shooting at Santa Fe High School. The jury found most of the blame fell on their son, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, the accused shooter, and Lucky Gunner, an ammunition seller. POOL/Jennifer Reynolds/Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News Antonios Pagourtzis, left, reacts as he and his wife, Rose Marie Kosmetatos listen to Galveston County Court No. 3 Judge Jack Ewing read the jurys verdict Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, at the Galveston County Courthouse in Galveston, Texas. POOL/Jennifer Reynolds/Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News

The parents of the accused shooter in the 2018 Santa Fe School massacre were not found financially culpable in a civil lawsuit, and Dimitrios Pagourtzis' criminal trial is not on the horizon, as he has never have been found mentally fit to stand trial.

But while victims and families seek justice, the one thing they were able to get from the civil trial is details about the deadly shooting, Clint McGuire, one of the attorneys for the families of the victims of the shooting, said. Reflecting on the civil trials verdict, he said Tuesday he was proud to have brought his clients one important thing that had eluded them for six years  information.

Unlike other Texas school shootings, like Uvalde, where details were quickly released to the public, the parents in Santa Fe have had to wait for years for information about their loved ones last moments as the accused gunman, Pagourtzis, 23, repeatedly has been found not competent to stand trial.

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And, after testimony in the civil trial from psychiatrist Dr. Bradley Peterson on Pagourtzis mental state, its not clear he ever will come before trial, attorneys for the defendant and McGuire agreed.

Hopefully a criminal trial will occur, McGuire said. But based on what Ive seen, the fact that were six years in, typically speaking, those restored to competency are done so within 90 to 120 days.

Pagourtzis defense attorney, Nick Poehl, agreed with McGuire, saying the fact that the Galveston County District Attorney Jack Roady and County Court-at-Law No. 3 Judge Jack Ewing allowed the civil case to go to trial is a testament that they think a criminal trial is unlikely.

If there was a feeling that a criminal trial was going to happen anytime in the near term, this case would not have been allowed to proceed, Poehl said.

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As such, the details released during the course of the weekslong civil trial may be the most information the parents and victims get about what happened in the halls of Santa Fe High School on May 18, 2018, McGuire said. Eight students and two teachers were killed, while 13 others were wounded.

The parents were able, through this civil case, to gain a little closure about what happened, McGuire said. At the time of the shooting and since, because of the issues with the criminal case, they have not had access to why it happened. With this lawsuit, we were able to provide valuable information.

Antonios Pagourtzis, center, wipes away tears after he and his wife, Rose Marie Kosmetatos, left, were found not liable for the 2018 shooting at Santa Fe High School by a split jury Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, at the Galveston County Courthouse in Galveston,Texas. POOL/Jennifer Reynolds/Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News

Delay in trials

Roady, in a prepared statement, said the legal issues in the civil case were separate from the criminal proceedings and that he looked forward to prosecuting Pagourtzis once hes been found competent.

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But Roadys office did not respond to a request for comment about whether he was confident Pagourtzis ever would stand trial.

The civil trial has taken six years to come to fruition. During the past two weeks, family of victims and the accused shooter have taken to the stand to testify about the mental health of Pagourtzis, who surrendered to police shortly after the shooting. The many findings that Pagourtzis is mentally unfit to stand trial have delayed any criminal proceedings until at least 2025.

MORE FROM TRIAL: Parents of accused 2018 Santa Fe school shooter not liable for negligence, jury finds

In testimony last Thursday, Peterson, the psychiatrist, said Pagourtzis suffers from persistent psychosis and a type of schizoaffective disorder heavily influenced by bipolar disorder. Pagourtzis believed he was part of a CIA plot and was receiving instructions on behalf of a mysterious deity named Natasha, Peterson said.

The trial culminated with the jury late Monday finding Pagourtzis parents not liable for negligence. The case was filed shortly after the shooting by parents of the victims and several wounded survivors, who asserted Antonios Pagourtzis and Rose Marie Kosmetatos failed to recognize their sons deteriorating mental health and didnt secure the familys firearms, leading to the shooting.

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Poehl in comments to the Chronicle on Tuesday, said despite his pessimism on his clients mental state, that he hoped a criminal trial would one day happen.
Europe's leading solar power grid is 'vulnerable' to hackers. This is what a cyberattack could mean

Europe's leading solar power grid is 'vulnerable' to hackers. This is what a cyberattack could mean

A new study by a cybersecurity firm confirmed that one of Europe's largest solar energy grids is vulnerable to multiple types of attacks on its system.

Over a six-month period, researchers with cybersecurity firm Secura researched hacker forums on the dark web and conducted interviews with experts from the energy sector to find out where the most common threats to Dutch solar energy would come from.

"There is a significant area of attack in the solar power industry in the Netherlands and this will expand especially in the future," the report says.

Related

While Germany produces the most solar power in Europe, the Netherlands is the leader in solar energy per capita, the amount of energy produced by person, according to SolarPower Europe, the solar industrys association.

There are over 3 million solar power installations throughout the Netherlands which in turn deliver between 17 to 20 gigawatts of power to the national energy grid every year, the report found.

The report follows a recent probe by investigative journalism platform Follow the Money that shows that a hacker could have gained control of millions of Dutch smart solar panel systems using a backdoor into their online system.

Related

What attacks should we anticipate?

There are a few reasons why malicious actors might want to attack the Dutch solar system, such as the fact that it accounts for so much of the countrys energy.

For example, the report says that interference by a state actor is "relatively high" because it "allows for an easy route to disruption," which another country could use in negotiation.

"A strategic dependency arises for the Netherlands (in that scenario) because it can affect vital infrastructure," the report says.

The biggest impact that a cyberattack would have is on the central and high-voltage grid: the part of the grid that can hold and deliver the most energy.

Related

That however is unlikely, because the report says, this grid is used by many European states, and would likely not be the source of a targeted attack against the Netherlands.

Hackers could also create too much solar power by manipulating the tipping point for a panels inverters, so they transform too much direct current energy from the Sun into alternating current energy, the type thats needed for the grid.

If that happens, it could create a local power outage that the report says is easy to repair if done on a small individual solar panel.

What happens in case of a cyberattack?

The report says its hard to know what will take place after an attack but that money will likely be lost, whether small residential units or a large solar farm are targeted. How much is lost depends on whether any of the equipment is physically damaged.

Power outages could be likely, especially if combined with attacks on wind power generators, battery storage systems, or charging stations.

If there are prolonged power outages, the report says it could lead to social unrest because peoples individual needs would not be met. For example, widespread power outages could make it harder for Dutch residents to buy food or use their phones to stay in touch with one another.

Related

The cyberattacks and resulting power outages could also "damage confidence" in solar energy, the report continued, which would "reduce the willingness to invest in it and delay the energy transition".

Euronews Next reached out to Secura but did not receive an immediate reply.

'Were a future-looking sector'

While the threat of a cyberattack on solar is low for now, industry group SolarPower Europe said its important to put in place more measures to prevent any future attacks.

Were a future-looking sector, on our way to providing the majority of Europes electricity. We take that responsibility seriously.

Dries Acke, deputy CEO of SolarPower Europe, said in a July press release said there are some "clear steps" to take, like improving cyberattack risk assessments and empowering customers to learn more about how to keep their solar panels safe from malicious threats.

The industry is also asking that solar panels be labelled critical products, so they will be subjected to more cybersecurity assessments.

An EU-level threat monitoring group should be formed to look closely at threats to rooftop solar installations or any "centrally coordinated" devices, Acke continued.

"Were a future-looking sector, on our way to providing the majority of Europes electricity. We take that responsibility seriously," Acke added.

The EU said in a July report from the blocs cybersecurity agency that they are is unprepared for a large-scale attack on its energy infrastructure, including solar.

The report asked the Commission to analyse supply chain vulnerabilities in solar and to find ways to put in place cyberprotection for the technologies that are used to control how and when the panels generate energy.
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Amplify releases new K-12 Math curriculum

Amplify, a publisher of Next Generation curriculum and assessment programs, Wednesday released "Amplify Desmos Math", a new, curiosity-driven K12 core math program that builds students' lifelong math proficiency.

Wednesday August 21, 2024 8:56 PM , ummid.com News Network

Brooklyn (New York): Amplify, a publisher of Next Generation curriculum and assessment programs, Wednesday released "Amplify Desmos Math", a new, curiosity-driven K12 core math program that builds students' lifelong math proficiency.

The program's lessons are standards-aligned, easy to use, and fully customizable by educators.

Amplify Desmos Math expands on the Desmos Math 68 curriculum, which is featured in a recent efficacy study led by WestEd that demonstrates increased math achievement across more than 900 schools in nine states.

The program combines the best problem-based lessons with tightly aligned personalized practice, assessments, and intervention, creating an integrated experience for teachers and students that includes:

Core Instruction: Amplify Desmos Math lessons provide a structured approach to problem-based learning, where each lesson builds on students' curiosity using a "Proficiency Progression" to develop lasting grade-level understanding for all students.

Amplify Desmos Math lessons provide a structured approach to problem-based learning, where each lesson builds on students' curiosity using a "Proficiency Progression" to develop lasting grade-level understanding for all students. Screening and Progress Monitoring: "mCLASS" assessments and daily formative checks measure what students know and how they think. The asset-based assessment system provides teachers with targeted, actionable insights, linked to core instruction and intervention resources.

"mCLASS" assessments and daily formative checks measure what students know and how they think. The asset-based assessment system provides teachers with targeted, actionable insights, linked to core instruction and intervention resources. Integrated Personalized Learning: "Boost Personalized Learning" activities help students access grade-level math through engaging, independent digital practice. The program's signature "Responsive Feedback" adjusts to students' work, providing item-level adaptivity to further support their learning.

"Boost Personalized Learning" activities help students access grade-level math through engaging, independent digital practice. The program's signature "Responsive Feedback" adjusts to students' work, providing item-level adaptivity to further support their learning. Embedded Intervention: Integrated resources like Mini-Lessons and math fluency games provide targeted intervention on specific concepts or skills connected to the daily lesson. Extensions are also available to stretch students' understanding.

"Engagement is a real challenge in math classrooms," said Jason Zimba, Amplify Chief Academic Officer of STEM.

"Knowing this, we created a program with interesting problems that students are eager to solve, one that keeps them engaged and learning. Amplify Desmos Math achieves rigor and delight, motivating all students to explore new horizons and develop new understanding", Jason said.

"Digital Platform"

To complement robust printed materials, Amplify Desmos Math leverages a digital platform that enables educators and students to connect with one another as they work through lessons, engage in personalized learning, and check for understanding.

The interactive platform and facilitation tools foster mathematical discussions and allow educators to see student thinking in real time.

"Right now, teachers have to jump between platforms to access meaningful data, understand it, and use it," said Alexandra Walsh, Amplify Chief Product Officer. "By combining instruction, assessment, and differentiation on the same digital platform, we've made student data more accessible, so educators can spend less time toggling and more time responding to student needs."

Amplify Desmos Math is available:

KindergartenAlgebra 1

As a beta release for the 2024-2025 school year, for pilot implementations and early adoptions



As a commercial release for the 2025-2026 school year

Geometry, Algebra 2, Integrated 1, Accelerated Grades 6 and 7

As a beta release for the 2025-2026 school year



As a commercial release for the 2026-2027 school year

Integrated 2 and 3

As a commercial release for the 2026-2027 school year

In addition, hundreds of free math lessons and activities from Amplify Desmos Math are openly available on Desmos Classroom.

"Interested educators can not only teach the lessons, but also customize them, or even build their own from scratch. Educators can visit teacher.desmos.com to create a free account", Amplify said.

Amplify, a pioneer in K12 education since 2000, is leading the way in next-generation curriculum and assessment. Its core and supplemental programs in ELA, math and science engage all students in rigorous learning and inspire them to think deeply, creatively and for themselves.

(The featured image used here for representation is generated by DALL-E3 AI.]

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Googles (Illegal) Search Monopoly

Google, the worlds most conspicuous and dominant behemoths of Silicon Valley, was found to be operating an illegal monopoly in internet search and advertising markets, thereby breaching the Sherman Act.

Wednesday August 21, 2024 6:40 PM , Dr Binoy Kampmark

The occasion sparked much in the way of visionary language and speculative musings. This month, one of the worlds most conspicuous and dominant behemoths of Silicon Valley was found to be operating an illegal monopoly in internet search and advertising markets, thereby breaching the Sherman Act which renders monopolisation, attempted monopolisation and conspiracy to monopolise unlawful.

In a Memorandum Opinion ruling running into 286 pages, Judge Amit P. Mehta of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia found that Google acted as a monopoly in its general search and general search text advertising markets and had breached Section 2 of the Sherman Act by making exclusive dealing agreements with various vendors (Apple, Samsung, Verizon and so forth).

In doing so, Googles search engine was given exclusive default status on various platforms and devices, notably web browsers, wireless carriers and smartphone manufacturers.

These partners agree to install Google as the search engine that is delivered to the user right out of the box at key search access points.

Through its revenue share operation, involving the payment of billions of dollars to its partners, Google not only receives default placement at the key search access points, but its partners also agree not to preload any other general search engine on the device. Such a distribution system had forced Googles competitors to seek other means of reaching users.

The decision offers a chronology of how such monopoly developed. Initially, Google most likely reached the high summit of market supremacy through legal means, making its search product enviably singular. The problem here was Googles conduct in seeking to maintain that supremacy in the market, thereby foreclosing it to competitors.

The memorandum ruling is also valuable for revealing the tactical and strategic approach of the company in preserving its dominance, not to mention showing full self-awareness of that fact. Were such partners as Apple to develop their own search engine as the default in Safari, for instance, a fortune would be at stake.

The company also showed a sketchy practice to preserving evidence, indulgently destructive in the practice of deleting chat messages after 24 hours, unless the default setting was turned to history on.

According to arguments of the DOJ and the regulators, doing so revealed knowledge that Googles practices were likely in violation of the antitrust laws and wanted to make proving that impossible. In Judge Mehtas words:

Any company that puts the onus on its employees to identify and preserve relevant evidence does so at its own peril. Google avoided sanctions in this case. It may not be so lucky with the next one.

Other practices included an extensive, overly indulgent misuse of attorney-client privilege by filling email communications with gratuitous references to the companys in-house legal team. Directions were also issued to employees to avoid using certain antitrust buzzwords in their communications. A March 2011 presentation, Antitrust Basics for Search Team, was blatant in instructing employees to avoid any reference to markets, market share or dominance, not to mention scale and network effects. Best also avoid, according to the presentation, any metaphors to wars or sports, winning or losing.

The exclusionary conduct engineered through Googles agreements was found by the Court to have had three primary anticompetitive effects: market foreclosure, preventing rivals from achieving scale and diminishing the incentives of any rivals, including nascent challengers, to invest and innovate in general search.

Causation of such harm could be inferred in this case if the anticompetitive conduct in question reasonably appeared capable of making a significant contribution to  maintaining monopoly power. There was no need for but-for proof, something that made the task of the US Department of Justice that much easier. It followed that the companys distribution agreements are exclusionary contracts that violate Section 2 because they ensure that half of all GSE [general search engine] users in the United States will receive Google as the preload default on all Apple and Android devices, as well as cause anticompetitive harm.

The saga is set to become even lengthier, given that no remedies have yet been identified. These, as Robert Milne and Edward Thrasher of White & Case explain , can vary in terms of severity and effect, ranging from prohibiting Google from entering into the exclusive agreements to privilege the default status of its search engine, to requiring the company to share data and relevant code with other competitors in the search market, to the more drastic breaking up of the company.

Google has announced that it will appeal the decision, and the commentary about how it could do so is already mushrooming. Geoffrey A. Manne, president of the International Center for Law and Economics, is one, offering a detailed overview about where Judge Mehta is said to have misread or misunderstood such concepts as proof of anticompetitive conduct.

Invariably, scribblers in the tech industry have seized the opportunity to wonder what the alternatives to a post-Google world  or one where the company is stripped of its monopolistic ascendancy  might look like. Natasha Lomas in Techcrunch writes dreamily that a web lacking Googles acquisitive, data-pinching domination, let alone existence, is absolutely bigger than mere utility. This presented a chance for different models of service delivery  ones that prioritize the interests of web users and the public infosphere  to achieve scale and thrive.

Broadly speaking, the Google decision can be said to nest in a range of recent efforts and undertakings by government regulators to conserve competition in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital markets, a point made by the July 23, 2024 Joint Statement on Competition in Generative AI Foundation Models and AI Products from the US Department of Justice, the US Federal Trade Commission, the European Commission, and the United Kingdoms Competition and Markets Authority.

The regulators are mindful of potential attempts by firms to restrict key inputs for the development of AI technologies, entrench or extend existing market power in digital markets in adjacent AI markets or across ecosystems, taking advantage of feedback and network effects to increase barriers to entry and harm competition, create instances of monopsony power and develop and wield AI in ways that harm consumers, entrepreneurs, or other market participants.

Such talk is hardly novel. It peppers and haunts the incipient stages of the webs existence: misty visions of the informed cybersphere; communities of engaged digital citizens rowdily if respectfully engaged in civil discourse. All of this done in defiance of policing measures and the suspicious eye of the authoritarian State. Eventually, techno utopianism is as faulty as any other variant of the unrealised idyll. The honey, milk and fruit always seem better on that side of the river, till the journey is made.

[Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He currently lectures at RMIT University. Email: bkampmark@gmail.com. The featured image used here for representation is generated by DALL-E3 AI.]

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Nainital Nurse rape and murder case that fails to move the nation

A similar case of rape and murder like the lady doctor in Kolkata has come to light. This time from Nainital, Uttarakhand on August 14, 2024, the victim is a Muslim nurse.

Wednesday August 21, 2024 10:41 PM , Syed Ali Mujtaba

[The featured image used here for representation is generated by DALL-E3 AI.]

New Delhi: A similar case of rape and murder like the lady doctor in Kolkata has come to light. This time from Nainital, Uttarakhand on August 14, 2024, the victim is a Muslim nurse.

Since Uttarakhand is a BJP-ruled state, there is a conspiracy of silence in the media for this case, while it is gung-ho, for a 'bhadrlok' victim in the TMC-ruled state.

The 32-year-old nurse, worked at a private hospital in Nanital. She lived with her 11-year-old daughter at Rudrapurs Islam Nagar colony in Nanital.

The deceased went missing since July 30 and after a prolonged wait, her sister lodged a missing persons complaint at Rudrapur police station on July 31.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Police recovered a body from the bushes along the border of Uttarakhand. The skeleton was found at a vacant plot in Dibdiba area of Uttar Pradesh. The post-mortem report of the female body confirmed a case of rape and murder.

Instantly, the Uttrakhand Police declared to crack the case of missing nurse. SSP Dr. Manjunath TC said that after scanning the CCTV cameras it was found that the missing nurse was traveling in a tempo from Indra Chowk in Rudrapur police limits.

After the investigation, the police arrested the tempo driver Dharmendra from Jodhpur. The accused is a resident of Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh and was driving tempo in Nanital and had fled to Rajasthan.

During the interrogation, the accused confessed that he waylaid the victim with the intention of robbery. He took the deceased to a secluded place, where he first raped her, then strangled her to death. He dumped her body in a vacant plot and ran away with the money and jewelry kept in her purse.

Well no bells toll for the Muslim nurse's rape and murder case, while the entirety is in shock for the trainee doctor in Kolkota.

We the citizens of India have been witnessing the defilement of womens bodies time and again. First, it was Nirbhaya in Delhi, Jammu rape case, trainee doctor's rape and murder in Kolkata, and now the brutal rape and murder of the Muslim nurse in Nanital. Will this lust for sexual gratification ever end in India?

[The writer, Syed Ali Mujtaba, is a journalist. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com.]

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Saudi National wins SAR 500,000 at 44th King Abdulaziz Quran Contest Makkah

Saudi National, Saad bin Ibrahim bin Hamd has won the top prize at the 44th Edition of the King Abdulaziz International Holy Quran Competition or 2024 Makkah Quran Contest for Memorization, Recital and Explanation held at the Grand Mosque

Thursday August 22, 2024 1:10 AM , ummid.com News Network

Makkah al Mukarramah: Saudi National, Saad bin Ibrahim bin Hamd has won the top prize at the 44th Edition of the King Abdulaziz International Holy Quran Competition or 2024 Makkah Quran Contest for Memorization, Recital and Explanation held at the Grand Mosque.

At a glittering ceremony held at Makkah Grand Mosque after Isha prayers Wednesday, Saad was awarded a cash prize of 500,000 Saudi Riyals or SAR 0.5 million prize.

The prize distribution ceremony was attended by all Imams of Masjid al Haram Makkah and Secretary-General of the Muslim World League (MWL) and Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa, along with other local and international dignitaries.

3 Top Winners

Saad won the top prize of the annual Quran Competition in the first category named Memorization of the entire Holy Quran, with accurate recitation and intonation following the seven rules of recitation.

The second prize of SAR 450,000 in the first category went to Nigerian national Nasir Ibrahim Muhammad, and the third prize of SAR 400,000 went to Ziya Talal Fatehi Ibrahim (Deyaa Talal Fatehi Ibrahim) of Jordan.

5 categories

The competition was divided into five categories:

Memorization of the entire Holy Quran, with accurate recitation and intonation following the seven rules of recitation

Memorization of the Quran along with interpretation of its terms

Memorization of 15 juz (parts) of the Quran with proper recitation and intonation

Memorization of five juz with correct recitation and intonation

A category for shorter lengths of memorization with corresponding recitation and intonation requirements.

Other winners

Among the winners of the Makkah Quran contest are also two Bangaldesh citizens - Anas bin Ateeque (1st prize of SAR 200,000 in 3rd category) and Muaz Mahmud (1st prize of SAR 150,00 in 4th category).

Some other winners are Htut Myat Oo of Myanmar (4th prize of SAR 50,000 in 5th category), Ach (Ahmed) Farhan of Indonesia (3rd prize of SAR 130,000 in 4th category), Obada Nouraldin Mohammed Rebhi Sultan of Palestine (2nd prize of SAR 140,000 in 4th category) and Ali Imran Abdullah of Australia (3rd prize of SAR 55,000 in 5th category).

Closing Ceremony

The closing ceremony was held in the courtyards of the Makkah Grand Mosque immediately after the Isha prayer Wednesday Aug 21, 2024.



The King Abdulaziz Quran Competition is organized annually by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance.

A total of 174 contenders representing 123 countries participated in this edition held in 5 categories. This marked the most significant number of participating countries in the competition's history.

The final qualifiers of the 44th Holy Quran competition at the Makkah Grand Mosque was started at Masjid al Haram in Makkah August 10, 2024. It continued till August 15 when juries assessed and analysed the talent of the participants.

After the culmination of the final round of the Quran contest, all participants are visiting different historical places and places of religious importance including Masjid an Nabawi, King Fahd Glorious Qur'an Printing Complex and other monuments, historical mosques, and archaeological sites in Madinah in Madinah - The City of The Prophet (Peace be upon him).

The Quran contest participants, who are being hosted as the special guests of King Salman, were also taken for a special trip to Clock Tower in Makkah.

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HA NOI  The prices of Vietnamese rice are rising, contrasting with the trends in Thailand and Pakistan, according to the Viet Nam Food Association (VFA).

The price of 5 per cent broken rice from Viet Nam, at US$575 per tonne, is $14 per tonne higher than that of the same type from Thailand and $34 per tonne higher than that of the same product from Pakistan.

Vietnamese 25 per cent broken rice exports reached the price of $539 per tonne, surpassing the same type of rice from Thailand and Pakistan by $27 per tonne and $22 per tonne respectively.

Compared to other top rice-exporting countries, Vietnamese rice currently has the highest export prices.

This marks an impressive comeback for Vietnamese rice, as just a month ago, export prices were lower than those of Thailand, Pakistan and Myanmar.

The unexpected increase in rice imports from traditional partners has driven up market demand. This surge has contributed to the continuous rise in Vietnamese rice prices, pushing them back to the highest level globally.

Director of Viet Hung Co. Ltd. in Tien Giang, Nguyen Van on, said that in the past half month, his company has continuously exported shipments to the Philippines, with volumes increasing by over 30 per cent compared to July.

According to him the last months of the year are typically when countries ramp up their rice imports. This year, the two largest import markets for Vietnamese rice, the Philippines and Indonesia, have announced increases in their rice import volumes.

The Philippines has increased its rice import target from 4.2 million to 4.5-4.7 million tonnes. Meanwhile, Indonesia may import up to 4.3 million tonnes of rice, instead of the 3.6 million tonnes initially announced at the beginning of the year. This change is due to a 9.5 per cent decrease in the country's rice production from the start of the year to August, compared to the same period last year.

General Director of Phuong ong Food Co. Ltd. Nguyen Viet Anh said that the demand for rice in the market has remained consistently high and price fluctuations are largely driven by seasonal factors.

At this time, with limited supply and countries accelerating imports to prepare for next year's drought season, rice prices have been pushed higher.

He predicted that Viet Nam's rice exports are likely to remain stable, with prices continuing to rise until the end of the year if India has not lifted its rice export ban to stabilise domestic food security.

Chairman of the Viet Nam Food Association, Nguyen Ngoc Nam, said that the demand from traditional Vietnamese rice importers, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Ghana, Malaysia, Singapore and others continues to be high.

Additionally, Vietnamese rice exporters are expanding into new markets, including the Middle East, Africa, South America, Japan and South Korea.

Statistics from the association show that over the past seven months, Viet Nam has exported over 5.1 million tonnes of rice, with a turnover of $3.2 billion, an increase of 25 per cent in volume and 5.8 per cent in value year-on-year.

Viet Nam's average rice export prices are currently very high. At certain times, the export price of Vietnamese rice to Brunei reached $959 per tonne, to the US $868 per tonne, to the Netherlands $857 per tonne, to Ukraine $847 per tonne, to Iraq $836 per tonne and to Turkey $831 per tonne.

With the increase in imports from partners, Nam said that rice exports could reach around eight million tonnes this year, earning more than $5 billion - a new record for the industry.  VNS
4 arrested at mostly peaceful pro-Palestinian demonstration amid U.S. Democratic National Convention: media

Xinhua) 09:56, August 21, 2024

CHICAGO, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Four people were arrested after breaching a security fence amid a mostly peaceful pro-Palestinian protest outside the venue of the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago on Monday, reported U.S. media.

Police were assessing whether the current fencing near the center was sufficient, said Superintendent Larry Snelling of the Chicago Police Department, speaking to reporters at the fenced perimeter, reported CNN.

"Our job here is to make sure that we keep the DNC safe, keep our city safe and keep our people safe," Snelling said as documented in videos on social media.

The majority of protesters remained peaceful and had left the area before the breach occurred, reported CBS.

The DNC's security team confirmed that protesters breached a portion of the fencing on the outer perimeter near the convention arena but said law enforcement personnel acted quickly and there was no threat to attendees, according to Reuters.

Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched near the venue of the DNC on its opening day to express their dissatisfaction with the Biden administration's handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

During the convention, Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to formally accept the Democratic presidential nomination, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is expected to formally accept the party's vice presidential nomination.

The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has recently surpassed 40,000 since the outbreak of the current conflict on Oct. 7, 2023.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
HISD parent Jessica Campos addresses the HISD board sharing her experience and frustration with the lost of wrap-around specialists in school, especially for immigrant families on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024 in Houston. Elizabeth Conley/Staff Photographer

Houston ISD students are losing more days to air conditioning issues, with the closure of T. H. Rogers School in Tanglewood on Wednesday, an email to parents shows.

AC issues forced early dismissals and closures at Heights High School and Reynolds Elementary School last school year. It is unclear at this time whether more schools closed due to air conditioning issues Wednesday, but starting earlier in August means the district must navigate an additional two weeks of August heat.

At other campuses, including Lanier Middle School and High School for Law and Justice, students have had to be moved out of hot classrooms, according to messages by those principals sent to school communities Wednesday. These issues arise as students take beginning-of-the-year benchmark exams through Thursday.

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State-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles characterized the ongoing air conditioning issues as a daily battle the district will fight until temperatures cool down in fall. The district aims to keep classrooms between 70 to 75 degrees, he said at a district Board of Managers meeting.

I said to the board and to our community, we will fight the air conditioning battle every day until October, Miles said Thursday, adding they had to move students due to air conditioning issues from Montgomery Elementary School to another school that day.

But meanwhile, parents continue to express concern for the health of their children amid climbing temperatures. At the Thursday board meeting, parent Tia James Glenn said the dance classroom at Crockett Elementary School was 81 degrees with five fans. Glenn said she wasnt aware of any portable air conditioning offered at that time.

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She had one last year, so this AC problem has been going on for a very long time with no resolution, Glenn said to the board.

The air conditioning issues strike at the heart of a community debate as to whether to support a $4.4 billion school bond on the ballot this November. While the district promises to use some of that money to fix air conditioning issues, some community members are skeptical the money will be used as promised and call for greater transparency from the district.

The district would devote $1.35 billion of the bond to campus safety; heating, ventilation and air conditioning system updates and testing school facilities to meet environmental standards.

In a bid to win community support, district officials presented their heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) work order statistics from the past academic years at community bond presentations. Eugene Salazar, district operations administrative officer, said more than half of the work orders in recent years pertained to mechanical, electrical and plumbing issues, including HVAC issues. That comes out to on average 242 campuses per month reported HVAC issues, Salazar said at a May 30 bond presentation.
HA NOI  Credit institutions will have to develop a roadmap to comply with the share ownership ratio regulation under the newly-issued Law on Credit Institutions.

According to the Law, which took effect from July 1 this year, the share ownership cap by an institutional shareholder in a credit institution is reduced from 15 per cent to 10 per cent and for an individual and his/her related parties from 20 per cent to 15 per cent.

The amendments are aimed at limiting and preventing cross-ownership and ownership that dominates the operations of credit institutions.

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), said it is drafting a circular to implement the new share ownership ratio regulation. The draft will require credit institutions, which have shareholders and related parties owning shares exceeding the regulated limit, to coordinate with the shareholders and related people to develop and implement a roadmap to ensure compliance with the regulation.

The draft circular states credit institutions will have to send their roadmap directly or via post to the SBVs Banking Inspection and Supervision Agency, shareholders and related parties within 120 days. The credit institutions, organisations and individuals are the ones responsible for implementing that roadmap sent to the SBV.

If necessary, credit institutions can coordinate with related organisations and individuals to adjust the applicable measures and implementation date, but they must still ensure the compliance roadmap deadline.

According to the draft circular, the shareholders and related parties are not allowed to increase the number of shares held at the credit institution in any form, until they ensure compliance with the prescribed share ownership limit regulation, except in the case of receiving bonus shares or dividends in shares.

Also, they will not be permitted to receive cash dividends (if any) for the number of shares held exceeding the limit until they ensure compliance with the new ownership limit regulation.

From the effective date of this circular, credit institutions are not allowed to grant new credit to the shareholders and related parties.

In case a credit institution, shareholders and related parties, do not comply with the compliance roadmap, the SBV will consider and apply handling measures according to the provisions of law.

According to the SBV, it is challenging to enforce comprehensive regulations to address cross-ownership issues and requires an integrated approach, using national data on population and business registration and coordination between various governmental agencies.

Under a directive on the implementation of monetary policies in 2024, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked the Ministry of Public Security to coordinate with the SBV to develop measures to prevent and handle cross ownership and manipulation at credit institutions.

Scrutinising cross ownership and manipulation at credit institutions aims to ensure system safety, as well as financial and monetary security, the PM noted.  VNS
HCM CITY  The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) held a national forum on promoting the Viet Nam  EU partnership and sustainable development in HCM City on August 21, aiming to bolster the cooperation between Vietnamese businesses and the EU market.

In his opening remarks, VCCI Vice President Vo Tan Thanh said the EU is one of Viet Nam's most crucial partners, and Viet Nam is a safe and potential investment destination for European enterprises. He also stressed that Viet Nam is the only Southeast Asian nation with a comprehensive cooperation framework with the bloc.

Thanh urged the EU to share more information and experiences with Viet Nam and assist the nation in the development of green, modern, and efficient policies and growth models. He called for EU support in enhancing Viet Nam's infrastructure, human resources, technical assistance, and technology transfer to help the country meet international standards. Additionally, he hoped for broader access to various EU market segments beyond the traditional markets of northern, western, and eastern Europe.

Recommending EU investors to expand cooperation with Vietnamese provinces and cities, Thanh affirmed that the VCCI is committed to supporting the Vietnamese and EU business communities in their cooperation and investment, thereby further enhancing the Viet Nam-EU relations.

Jean Jacques Buouflet, Vice President of the European Chamber of Commerce in Viet Nam (EuroCham), acknowledged Viet Nam's efforts in building a policy framework for green economic development and its strong commitments to sustainable growth. He cited the country's national green growth strategy, which aims for net-zero emissions by 2050, alongside national strategies on forestry, environmental protection, and sustainable development.

However, Buouflet noted that Viet Nam still lacks specific legal frameworks for green development across various sectors and guidelines for mobilising financial resources to support this transition. EuroCham recommended that Viet Nam persist in developing these frameworks and increasing social resources to implement green transition goals, leveraging international experience and knowledge to avoid misallocation and waste of resources.

EuroCham is willing to support Viet Nam in accelerating its green transition, particularly in renewable energy, green transport, and green finance, the official said. The chamber is committed to close collaboration and sharing expertise with different sectors in Viet Nam to advance sustainable green economic development.

At the forum, Vietnamese and EU economists, VCCI officials, and representatives from the Ministry of Industry and Trade discussed market trends, new opportunities in the EU market, smart agriculture, green finance, and potential business prospects in emerging fields.

Currently, the EU is Viet Nam's largest development partner, fifth largest trading partner, and the sixth largest foreign investor. Meanwhile, Viet Nam is the EU's largest trading partner in ASEAN and 14th globally. Two-way trade in the first half of 2024 stood at nearly US$32.39 billion, up 13.5 per cent year on year, in which Viet Nam's exports were valued at $24.69 billion, up 15.4 per cent.  VNS
HA NOI  The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) will focus on implementing a series of solutions to combat counterfeit and fake goods, especially in the e-commerce marketplace, the Minister of Industry and Trade said at the 36th session of the National Assembly's Standing Committee held in Ha Noi on August 21.

At the session, deputy Chu Thi Hong Thai from Lang Son Province, said that according to the report from the General Secretary of the National Assembly, preventing and combating smuggling and counterfeit goods has not been totally effective.

Counterfeit and smuggled goods of unknown origin are still being sold widely with increasingly sophisticated tricks, mainly in cyberspace.

Thai recommended that the ministry should have strong enough sanctions to deter violations of goods' origin and a roadmap for implementation of the sanctions.

Responding to Thai's request, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien said that in a market economy, preventing and combating trade fraud, smuggling and counterfeit goods, poor quality goods and tax evasion, are important tasks.

But they are also huge challenges for countries, including Viet Nam, especially in the e-commerce space.

"Recently, MoIT has coordinated with relevant agencies to advise competent authorities to issue many mechanisms and policies to improve the effectiveness of this work," Dien said.

They include the issuance of the Law on Consumer Protection, the project against counterfeit and poor quality goods, amendments to and supplements of regulations on penalties in traditional trade and e-commerce.

At the same time, the ministry has implemented a mechanism for receiving and processing information about counterfeit and poor quality goods via the portal on e-commerce management and protection of consumer rights. This is a national portal of the Vietnam e-Commerce and Digital Economy Agency, MoIT.

In addition, it has coordinated with other forces in preventing and combating commercial fraud, including the police, border guard, customs and members of National Steering Committee against Smuggling, Counterfeit Goods and Trade Fraud (National Steering Committee 389) in localities to request e-commerce websites to review and remove thousands of fake and poor-quality goods with numerous violations.

The ministry has further strengthened dissemination to guide consumers in finding out violations and build a database for sharing the information with relevant agencies. The agencies include the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Information and Communications, the State Bank and the Ministry of Finance.

Thanks to carrying out the series of measures, tens of thousands of violations have been handled recently, so the State has collected tens of thousands of billions of Vietnamese ong in fines for violations in commerce.

Dien said that in the future, the ministry will continue to work with competent authorities to amend and supplement regulations on penalties for the violations in commerce, especially e-commerce, to protect consumer rights.

The ministry will effectively implement the project fighting counterfeit and poor quality goods issued by the Prime Minister.

It will also improve the effectiveness of the portal in receiving and processing information on violations of commercial fraud.

The ministry will promote communication to help consumers improve their knowledge about counterfeit and poor quality goods.

Electricity prices

Responding to the questions related to electricity prices, Minister Dien said that the tiered electricity price list is a popular model in all countries to encourage customers to use electricity economically and efficiently and enhance social responsibility of environmental protection. Because more output in electricity production will create more impacts on the environment.

Retail electricity prices have six levels, according to Decision No. 28/2014/Q-TTg of the Prime Minister.

Implementing the Resolution of the National Assembly Standing Committee and the direction of the Government, MoIT and relevant offices have amended and supplemented this decision, Dien said.

Accordingly, in the draft submitted to the Government, the retail electricity prices are restructured into five levels.

Of which, level 1 is increased from 0 - 50kWh to 0 - 100kWh as proposed by the National Assembly. This calculation method will contribute to supporting poorer consumers, he said.

In addition, to eliminate the unreasonable gap between electricity users, the draft proposes adjusting the electricity price frames in production and daily life so that they are closer.

Some production sectors are adjusted to match the price list in the service sector to ensure no cross-subsidy between electricity users.  VNS
HA NOI  The Executive Board of the Vietnam Women Forum in Europe (VWFE) held a working session with the Hanoi Association for Women Entrepreneurs (HNEW) on August 21 to strengthen connections between Vietnamese women in the country and those in Europe.

Members of both sides exchanged a lot of information relating to the experience of importing and exporting Vietnamese goods to Europe and vice versa.

VWFE President Phan Bich Thien said this was a concrete action to implement an agreement signed between the two sides in April this year, elaborating that it was also a practical step towards collaboration between domestic entrepreneurs and overseas Vietnamese for the cause of national development and construction.

The partnership is expected to help to connect entrepreneurs of Ha Noi with their peers in Europe, bringing specific benefits to both sides and creating more favourable conditions for charitable activities in Viet Nam, which is one of the forum's key initiatives, she added.

HNEW Vice President Nguyen Thi Hoai Huong noted that this meeting offered a chance for female entrepreneurs of Hanoi to gain more information and explore opportunities to bring Vietnamese products to the global market.

At the meeting, domestic and overseas female entrepreneurs discussed the advantages and limitations in leveraging the status of Vietnamese products in the international arena. They expressed a strong desire to connect with each other for mutual benefit in the future.

Nguyen Tuyet Hanh, a business owner distributing food products in the Czech Republic, shared that Vietnamese products are of excellent quality and are favoured in Europe. However, shortcomings in branding and packaging are affecting their exports. Hanh suggested Vietnamese businesses pay more attention to product origin and food safety issues, contributing to profits for both sides.

Female entrepreneurs of Hanoi also introduced the potential and strengths of their businesses to their peers in Europe.

Nguyen Hong Loan, Deputy Director of Minh Anh Trade and Consulting Co. Ltd. said she hoped to find partners who are importing food distributors and explore opportunities to export Vietnamese agricultural and food products.

VWFE was set up in June 2023, gathering nearly 300 members from 21 countries, aiming to connect Vietnamese women in regional nations as well as between them and their peers at home.  VNS
JAKARTA  Viet Nam joined ten other member countries of the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) at the second AZEC Ministerial Meeting held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 21.

The event aimed to look into the countries efforts to pursue the targets of net zero emissions, encourage businesses to engage in decarbonisation efforts, and hold a business matching forum to enhance cooperation in the future.

In his opening remarks, Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said AZEC is a venue for governmental organisations, leaders of sectors, and experts to discuss and affirm the importance of renewable energy and sustainable practices in all fields around the world.

Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Saito Ken said the strength of AZEC is the partnership between the public and private sectors, adding that 350 decarbonisation projects and 100 memoranda of understanding (MoU) have been carried out in the region so far.

As many as 70 new MoUs were signed at the meeting, which also recorded many significant results, including a joint statement of the second AZEC Ministerial Meeting, the publication of an MoU for the new AZEC project, and the organisation of the AZEC Business Forum.

In particular, the launch of the Asian Zero Emission Centre on this occasion aimed to encourage the participation of business entities in decarbonisation efforts as well as a business matching forum to strengthen collaboration in the future.

At the business forum held as part of the meeting, Viet Nam shared its efforts in efficient energy use to achieve net-zero targets.

Pham Van Tan, deputy director of the Climate Change Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said that Viet Nam and its partner Japan have identified more than 80 projects that could be implemented within the AZEC framework.

Japanese businesses and AZEC member countries will work with the Vietnamese Government and partners to carry out those projects in the time ahead, he noted.

AZEC is part of the emissions reduction initiative first initiated by the Japanese Prime Minister at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, the UK. It was officially launched at the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, in 2022.

The AZEC members consist of Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.  VNS
KHANH HOA The organisers of the successful Nha Trang International Light Bay Festival, an international drone light show competition held in July, has proposed making it an annual event to boost tourism.

Nguyen Hoai Thu, the chief organiser and chairwoman of Corex Business Solutions Joint Stock Company, has said recently that this would help build the citys reputation as a tourist destination.

She said her company is developing a programme for next year that promises to be more attractive, unique, and innovative than this year's.

Nguyen Tan Tuan, chairman of the Khanh Hoa Province People's Committee, said the festival helped showcase Nha Trangs tourism offerings to the international market and highlighted the broader attractions of the province.

Since the drone performance teams participated in this event, Khanh Hoa became the first locality in Viet Nam to obtain two Guinness World Records for the largest light display of world wonders and the largest light display of Vietnams cultural symbol, the Lac bird, he pointed out.

If the festival becomes an annual event, it would need to feature something special and unique each year, he added.

The four-day festival attracted more than 660,000 visitors to the city, with over 288,000 staying overnight.

During the 2024 Nha Trang International Light Bay Festival hotels in the citys downtown reported average room occupancy exceeding 90 per cent.

There were over 50 million live viewers on TV and other media. VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam and China have issued a joint statement on further strengthening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries and building a Viet Nam-China community with a shared future on the occasion of state visit to China by Party General Secretary and State President To Lam from August 18-20.

Following is the Vietnam News Agencys translation of the joint statement

1. At the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam To Lam paid a state visit to China from August 18 - 20, 2024.

During the visit, General Secretary, President To Lam held talks with General Secretary, President Xi Jinping, had meetings with Premier Li Qiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China Zhao Leji, and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Wang Huning. In an atmosphere of sincerity and friendship, the two sides informed each other about the situation of their respective parties and countries, exchanged in-depth opinions, reached important common perceptions on further strengthening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, and promoting the building of the Viet Nam-China community with a shared future in the new situation, and discussed international and regional issues of mutual common concern.

2. The Communist Party of Viet Nam and the Communist Party of China are the two ruling Communist parties in the world, carrying a historic mission, striving for the happiness of the people, for national development, and for peace and progress of mankind. In the cause of struggling for national independence and national liberation, the two Parties, two countries and people of Viet Nam and China provided assistance and supported each other, establishing the Viet Nam-China traditional friendship as both comrades and brothers. This year marks 100 years since President Ho Chi Minh came to Guangdong for revolutionary activities; 2025 sees the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and China, and the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Viet Nam.

Entering a new era, the two sides will not forget their initial wish of friendship, engrave the common mission, steadfastly pursue the path to socialism and promote modernisation in line with each country's situation, follow the Viet Nam- China friendship path that has been established by generations of leaders of the two parties and two countries, continue to deepen and elevate the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, together build the Viet Nam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, promote relations between the two Parties and two countries to a new height, strive for the happiness of the people and strong and prosperous country, for the development of the socialist cause, and for the cause of peace and progress of humankind.

3. The Vietnamese side warmly congratulates China on the 75th anniversary of its founding, the successful organisation of the third plenum of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee, and highly values the great achievements China has achieved in the new period; believes that China-style modernisation has opened up choices of paths and implementation plans for the autonomous development of developing countries; China's comprehensive reform and door-opening of foreign affairs at a high level will bring new momentum and new opportunities for the development of other countries. The Vietnamese side wishes and believes that under the steadfast leadership of the Communist Party of China Central Committee with comrade Xi Jinping as the core, under the orientation of Xi Jinping Thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, the Party, Government and people of China will comprehensively build a modern socialist power and successfully realise the goals for the second centenary.

The Chinese side congratulates Viet Nam on and highly values its important achievements obtained in nearly 40 years of reform and nearly 15 years of implementing the "Platform for national building in the transition period to socialism" (supplemented and developed in 2011), especially the important, outstanding and comprehensive accomplishments since the 13th National Party Congress, thus promoting Viet Nam's combined strength and international influence to the highest ever level. The Chinese side wishes and believes that under the sound leadership of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee, headed by comrade To Lam, the Party, State and People of Viet Nam will successfully implement the goals and tasks set by the 13th National Party Congress, make thorough preparations and successfully organise the 14th National Party Congress in 2026, build Viet Nam into a socialist-oriented high income developed country by 2045. The Chinese side affirms its support for Viet Nam's prosperous development, happy people, building of a strong, independent, self-reliant economy, along with promoting synchronously the cause of renewal, industrialisation, modernisation, comprehensive international integration, developing foreign relations of friendship, and bringing into play the increasingly important role for peace, stability, development and prosperity of the region and the world.

4. China emphasises its persistent policy of friendship with Viet Nam and always considers Vietnam a priority in its neighbourhood diplomacy. Viet Nam affirms that the country always considers relations with China a top priority in its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation, and diversification. These are the strategic choices of the two sides.

The two sides underline the need to seriously implement the common perception and results achieved during the bilateral visits of the top leaders of the two Parties and two countries, especially the two historic visits by late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to China in 2022 and General Secretary and President Xi Jinping to Vietnam in 2023, along with the "Joint Statement on continuing to promote and deepen the Viet Nam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership" and the "Joint Statement on continuing to deepen and elevate comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, and building a Viet Nam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance" issued during the two visits, respectively. They also emphasises the need to adhere to the 16-word motto and the four-good spirit, persistently implement the six major directions, namely higher political trust, more practical and deeper defence - security cooperation, more substantive and deeper cooperation, more solid social foundation, closer multilateral coordination, and better control and settlement of differences; promote the building of the Viet Nam-China community with a shared future to gain more substantive results, striving for the happiness of the people and the prosperity of the country, for the cause of peace and progress of mankind.

5. The two sides affirm to maintain strategic exchanges between high-ranking leaders of the two Parties and two countries, and jointly orient the development of the Viet Nam-China relationship. They will fully promote the special role of the Party channel, further strengthen the overall coordination role of the exchange and cooperation mechanisms between the two Parties, especially high-level meetings, theoretical workshops between the two Parties, and exchanges between the two Parties' agencies of foreign affairs; improve the effectiveness of cooperation between the respective agencies of the two Parties at the central level and Party committees at the local level, especially in provinces/border areas; comprehensively implement theoretical exchanges and experience sharing in Party and nation management; jointly deepen awareness of the Communist Party's ruling regulations, the law of building socialism, and the law of human development to serve Party building and the development of the socialist cause of each side; and strengthen friendly exchanges and promote the role of the cooperation committee mechanisms between the National Assembly of Viet Namand the National People's Congress of China, friendly exchanges between organisations at the central level and border provinces of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. The two sides agree that the Viet Nam-China Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation strengthens overall coordination, directs ministries, sectors and localities of the two countries to build the Viet Nam-China community with a shared future, and enhance mechanisms and forms of exchange and cooperation in strategic areas such as diplomacy, defence and security.

The Vietnamese side reaffirms its adherence to the "One China" policy, recognising that there is only one China in the world, Taiwan is an inseparable part of China's territory, and that the government of the Peoples Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing all of China. Viet Nam supports the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and Chinas great cause of reunification, resolutely opposes any dividing act for "independent Taiwan" in all forms and does not develop any state-level relations with Taiwan. Viet Nam considers issues related to Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet as internal affairs of China and believes that under the leadership of the Chinese Party and Government, these regions will maintain stability and develop prosperously. China supports Viet Nam in maintaining social stability, ensuring national security, development, and national solidarity.

6. The two sides affirm that defence - security cooperation is one of the pillars of Viet Nam-China relations. They agree to enhance defence - security cooperation, strengthen exchanges at all levels between the two countries' armies through channels such as the border defence friendship exchange, and defence and security dialogue, deepen border, naval, and coast guard exchanges; and promote cooperation in areas such as political work, defence industry, mutual visits of naval ships, and United Nations peacekeeping. The two sides enhance mechanisms between the Ministries of Public Security of the two countries, such as the ministerial conference on crime prevention cooperation, strategic security dialogue, and political security working group; promote cooperation in areas such as combating telecom fraud, cybersecurity, economic crime, human trafficking, organisation of illegal immigration, and tracking and recovering assets of criminals who have fled abroad; coordinate to establish a hotline between the two countries' Ministries of Public Security, expedite the ratification of the state-level agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons between Viet Nam and China, and establish and expand cooperation between Viet Nam's Ministry of Public Security and China's Ministry of Emergency Management. The two countries strengthen information exchanges and share experiences on countering interference, combating separatism, preventing "colour revolution," and jointly protect political security and regime security; and expand legal and judicial cooperation to ensure a legal foundation for collaboration in various fields between Viet Nam and China.

7. The two sides agree to promote development strategy connectivity between the two countries, effectively implement the cooperation plan connecting the "Two Corridors, One Belt" Framework with the "Belt and Road" Initiative; accelerate "hard connectivity" in terms of railways, expressways and border gate infrastructure; upgrade "soft connectivity" in smart customs; China agrees to provide assistance for Viet Nam to develop the planning of the Lang Son - Ha Noi and Mong Cai - Ha Long - Hai Phong standard gauge railway lines, develop a Feasibility Study Report for the Lao Cai - Ha Noi - Hai Phong standard gauge railway line. Hastening the pilot construction of smart border gates at the Huu Nghi (Viet Nam)  Youyi Guan (China) international border gate and the dedicated cargo transport road in the area of boundary markers 1088/2 - 1089 (Tan Thanh - Po Chai). Actively researching and deploying pilot construction of cross-border economic cooperation zones, jointly building safe and stable production and supply chains.

The two sides encourage and support enterprises with capacity, reputation and advanced technology to invest in the other country, with a focus on enhancing cooperation in hi-tech agriculture, infrastructure, clean energy, digital economy and green development; create a fair and favourable business environment for each other's enterprises. Deepening the exchange of experiences on state-owned enterprise reform and management, collaborating in human resources training; actively studying greater cooperation in the key mineral sector. Making good use of the financial and monetary cooperation working group between the two countries, enhancing information exchange and experience sharing on policy management and reform in the financial-monetary field, and boosting monetary cooperation. Accelerating the implementation of economic and technical cooperation projects such as the Traditional Medicine Hospital (Subsidiary 2).

Effectively upholding the role of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA); making good use of e-commerce platforms and trade fairs; enhancing customs cooperation and expanding the export of each countrys key products to the other. China is ready to continue creating favourable conditions for Viet Nam to open additional trade promotion offices in various locations in China. Viet Nam supports Chinas accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) based on adherence to the agreement's standards and procedures, and actively welcomes Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China's application to join the RCEP.

8. Both sides affirm commitment to preserving the traditional friendship, upholding shared ideals and missions, and consistently promoting popularisation work on the Viet Nam-China friendship. The two sides declare 2025 as the "Year of Viet Nam-China Humanistic Exchange" and will jointly organise a series of activities to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and China. Through Party, youth and friendly city channels, effectively utilising "red relic sites" in localities such as Guangxi, Yunnan, Guangdong, and Chongqing, and holding activities in research, education, culture, and tourism in diverse forms. Encouraging more tourists to visit the other country. Promoting the role of the China Cultural Centre in Viet Nam and welcoming Viet Nams establishment of a cultural centre in China; encouraging cooperation in media, news, publishing, broadcasting, studying collaboration in vocational training, strengthening exchanges and collaboration in medicine, health care, traditional medicine, disaster prevention and mitigation.

9. The two sides affirm to strengthen coordination and multilateral cooperation that aligns with the building of the Viet Nam-China Community with a shared future that carries strategic significance. The two sides should persevere in the "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence" and basic norms of international relations, jointly protect the international system with the United Nations as its core and the international order with international law as its foundation, protect international justice, fairness and the common interests of developing countries. Resolutely promoting an equal, orderly multipolar world and comprehensive, inclusive and sustainable economic globalisation. The two sides agree to step up cooperation within the framework of the major initiatives - Community with a Shared Future for Mankind, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilisation Initiative, which aim to protect the common interests of all mankind, for the cause of peace, justice and progress of people all over the world, and meet the aspirations of people worldwide for a better world. The two sides advocate human rights exchanges and cooperation based on equality and mutual respect, firmly opposed the "politicisation," "instrumentalisation," and double standards in human rights issues, and resolutely protested the use of human rights issues to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. Strengthening coordination and cooperation in multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, and supporting each other's candidacy for international organisations. China supports Viet Nam in hosting APEC 2027 and backs Viet Nam's accession and promotion of its role in multilateral mechanisms.

The two sides agree to jointly promote open regional cooperation. China supports ASEAN in building an ASEAN Community of solidarity, unity, self-reliance and development, and in maintaining its central role in the ever-evolving regional architecture; works together with ASEAN countries to advance the initiative of creating the "5 Common Homes" of peace, security, prosperity, beauty and friendship; accelerates the development of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0. Stepping up the implementation of cooperation areas within the framework of Mekong-Lancang cooperation, striving to promote the building of a Community with a Shared Future for Mekong-Lancang countries for peace and prosperity; promoting cooperation within the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) economic cooperation framework.

10. The two sides discuss in depth and in a sincere, straightforward manner sea issues, stressing the need for better control and active handling of disagreement at sea, and maintenance of peace, stability in the East Sea and the region.

The two sides agree on the need to adhere to the common perceptions of high-ranking leaders of the two Parties and countries, together maintain peace, stability in the East Sea, persevere in friendly consultation to actively seek essential and long-term solutions acceptable to both sides in accordance with the Viet Nam-China agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues and international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, take no action that can complicate the situation or extend disputes. Pushing ahead with discussion on cooperation for common development at sea and the delimitation of sea area beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin towards early substantial progress, actively promoting cooperation in less sensitive sea-related fields. Continuing to implement comprehensively and effectively the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), working on the basis of consensus consultation towards a substantive, effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Continuing to coordinate to effectively implement the legal documents on land border and related agreements, promoting cooperation in areas along the Viet Nam-China land border, well organise activities marking the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Viet Nam-China land border treaty and 15 years since the signing of the three legal documents on Viet Nam-China land border.

11. During the visit, the two sides signed documents on cooperation in Party school, connectivity, industry, finance, customs plant quarantine, healthcare, press and broadcasting, locality cooperation and social affairs and livelihood.

12. The two sides reach unanimity that the state visit to China of Party General Secretary and President To Lam is a success, significantly promoting the building of the Viet Nam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance that is conducive to peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

Party General Secretary and President To Lam thanked the Chinese side for the warm and friendly welcome and invited Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping to visit Viet Nam again early. Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping thanked and accepted the invitation with pleasure.

Beijing, August 20, 2024. VNS
HAVANA  The ASEAN Committee in Cuba (ACC), grouping the embassies of Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Malaysia, held an ASEAN flag-raising ceremony in Havana on August 20 to mark the 57th founding anniversary of the bloc.

Apart from ambassadors of the member countries, the event saw the participation of representatives from the embassies of China, Japan, and Timor-Leste, and representatives of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP).

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Le Quang Long, the rotating chairman of the ASEAN Committee in Cuba, emphasised the spirit of cooperation, friendship and solidarity of the ASEAN community over the past decades, highlighting ASEAN's core values of peace, stability and prosperity through solidarity and cooperation.

The block will welcome Timor-Leste as its 11th member, he said, adding that this is also a testament to ASEAN's commitment to comprehensive cooperation in the region.

In Cuba, the ASEAN Committee has worked closely to promote the interests of the member countries, as well as the community's solidarity for the peace, development and happiness of the people both in Southeast Asia and in Cuba.

Regarding the ASEAN-Cuba ties Long stressed that the relationship is based on mutual respect, solidarity and a shared vision for the future.

In November 2020, Cuba became the first Caribbean country to sign the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC). This important step underscores Cubas commitment to promoting peace and cooperation in the region.

He noted that Cuba undertook as an observer at the 44th Session of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) in 2023, highlighting the Caribbean island nations desire to strengthen relations with ASEAN and contribute to regional stability.

The diplomat took the opportunity to extend his thanks to the ASEAN dialogue partners, namely China and Japan, for their important contributions to the bloc's success.

For his part, Ariel Lorenzo Rodriguez, Director of the Asia and Oceania Division under the General Division of Bilateral Affairs of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spoke highly of the solidarity, friendship, and increasing role of ASEAN in the international arena.

He affirmed that Cuba always attaches importance to the relations with ASEAN countries, and stands ready to cooperate with ASEAN in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, language training, culture, sports, and climate change response.

On this occasion, the ASEAN Committee in Cuba organised a group walk and activities for children to strengthen solidarity and friendship.  VNS
HA NOI  The State visit by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Central Committee and State President To Lam and his spouse to China from August 18-20 was a great success, marking a new milestone and ushering in a new phase of development in the friendly neighborliness and comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.

This is a particularly important diplomatic event between Viet Nam and China in 2024, with a significant impact on the long-term development trend of the relationship between the two Parties and countries.

The visit, Lam's first foreign trip since his election as the General Secretary of the 13th CPV Central Committee, included 18 key activities.

During the talks with Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, Lam emphasised his desire to work with his Chinese counterpart and other Chinese high-ranking leaders to inherit and uphold the long-standing tradition of friendship between the two Parties and countries, guiding the Viet Nam-China relationship into a new phase of increasingly stable and sustainable development.

Xi strongly affirmed that China maintains its persistent policy of friendship with Viet Nam, and always takes Viet Nam as a priority and strategic choice in its neighbourhood diplomacy.

A highlight of the visit was a tour of Guangzhou in Guangdong province marking the 100th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minhs arrival in Guangzhou as an international advisor to the Communist International. From 1924 to 1927, President Ho Chi Minh and Chinese revolutionaries established a close friendship that was later described as comrades-cum-brothers friendship.

This activity provided an opportunity for both sides to reminisce about the traditional friendship, solidarity, and mutual support between the two Parties, countries, and their peoples, laying a stronger social foundation for the bilateral relationship, according to Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Central Committee and head of its Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung.

Looking ahead to 2025 when the two countries will celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties, the leaders decided to designate 2025 as the "Year of Viet Nam-China Humanistic Exchange" to raise public awareness of the traditional bilateral friendship.

Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency in Beijing, Director of the Institute for Viet Nam Studies at the Zhengzhou University Prof. Yu Xiangdong said that Lam's visit is a strategic choice based on the stable development of the bilateral relations, demonstrating Viet Nam's consistent stance and "bamboo diplomacy" policy, benefiting the noble cause of modernisation that the CPV is constantly promoting and in conformity with the fundamental interests of the two countries and their peoples, and being useful to maintaining and protecting peace, stability, development, and prosperity of the region and the world over.

He stressed that the visit has symbolic significance, demonstrating the desire to continue the political legacy left by late Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong - who laid the foundation for the strategic and especially important relationship between Viet Nam and China.

More than 30 years after the normalisation, especially more than 15 years since the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership framework in 2008, Viet Nam-China relations have witnessed rapid strides and comprehensive progress in all fields.

Following the historic official visit to China by General Secretary Trong in October 2022 and the third state visit to Viet Nam by General Secretary and President Xi in December last year, the two sides agreed to further deepen and elevate the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, and build a Viet Nam  China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, thus opening a new chapter in the bilateral relations.

So far this year, the relationship between the two countries has maintained a positive development trend, with a strong atmosphere of cooperation spreading across levels, sectors, and among the general public. The bilateral relationship is said to be at its most profound, comprehensive, and substantive level ever, with increasing growth in economic, trade, and investment cooperation.

On the occasion of the Vietnamese top leaders visit, the two countries issued a joint statement on further strengthening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and building a Viet Nam-China community with a shared future.

High-ranking leaders of the two Parties and countries devoted much attention and time to discussing cooperation orientations in various fields, agreeing to strengthen cooperation in strategic areas such as diplomacy, defence, and public security; expand cooperation connecting the "Two Corridors, One Belt" Framework with the "Belt and Road" Initiative; accelerate "hard connectivity" in terms of railways, expressways and border gate infrastructure; and upgrade "soft connectivity" in smart customs.

China agreed to provide non-refundable assistance for Viet Nam to develop the planning of northern railway routes connecting Viet Nam with China, hasten the pilot construction of smart border gates, implement the pilot construction of cross-border economic cooperation zones, jointly build safe and stable production and supply chains, and support Chinese enterprises with capacity, reputation, and advanced technology to invest in Viet Nam.

Ministries, sectors, and localities of the two countries signed documents on cooperation in Party school, connectivity, industry, finance, customs plant quarantine, health care, press and broadcasting, and locality cooperation. The signed documents vividly reflect the two sides' determination to promote deeper substantive cooperation.

The visit is an important activity implementing Viet Nam's foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralism, and diversification, which includes a policy of considering relations with China a top priority.

The high-level agreements and specific results achieved during the visit will continue to contribute to consolidating the favourable foreign situation, creating a peaceful and stable environment, offering more favourable conditions for pushing socio-economic development, elevating the country's position and prestige, and successfully implementing the targets set by the 13th National Party Congress.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam's efforts to address the 'yellow card' warning from the European Commission (EC) for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing over the past seven years had yielded some results.

The system for fisheries monitoring had been reorganised, with 28 coastal provinces now having fisheries control forces.

A Supreme People's Court resolution criminalising IUU-related offences had been established.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan answered the question by National Assembly deputy Tran Thi Nhi Ha of Ha Noi at the question-and-answer session during the 36th session of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Wednesday morning in Ha Noi.

Deputy Ha asked Minister Hoan about the current difficulties in persuading the EC to lift the yellow card for Viet Nam and whether the ministry had specific commitments to resolve the issue.

Minister Hoan said that the main strategy to resolve the issue involved effectively implementing the Viet Nam Fisheries Development Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2045 and the Strategy for Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development 2021-30, with a vision to 2050, approved by the Prime Minister.

Developing the fisheries sector would focus on three pillars of reducing fishing, increasing aquaculture and marine conservation to ensure fish stock for future generations.

He also added that despite a reduction in the number of fishing vessels from over 100,000 to 86,000, the fleet remained extensive compared to regional countries, affecting sustainable development.

In the future, the country needed to continue demonstrating its efforts to address the IUU yellow card, collaborate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Public Security and Ministry of Defence in implementing an action month.

Additionally, the limited expertise in fisheries necessitated collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Training to enhance awareness among fishermen to protect fishery resources.

Also at the question-and-answer session, National Assembly deputy Pham Hung Thang of Ha Nam Province questioned minister Hoan about solutions for supporting the production and consumption of agricultural products, expanding new foreign markets for Vietnamese farm produce and completing legal policies on developing trademarks, brand ownership and key agricultural products in Viet Nam.

The Minister replied that the standardisation of all agricultural-product quality remained a significant challenge for the countrys agricultural sector.

We cannot contemplate expanding into foreign markets if our products do not meet the market standards.

Therefore, we must focus on issuing codes, specifying cultivation and breeding areas in the near future.

Minister Hoan emphasised that rebuilding centralized raw material areas and strengthening cooperatives were crucial to address the fragmented nature of the domestic agriculture sector.

Policies aimed at consolidating small agricultural fields into larger ones and transforming small forests into extensive areas required further attention from localities.

Moreover, developing regional specialty products was a channel for marketing processed goods and enhancing the value of local agricultural products at various levels.

Currently, we had over 13,000 OCOP (One Commune-One Product) items. Effective implementation of the initiative would relieve market pressure and create livelihoods and jobs for farmers.

Additionally, the policy of opening markets had been consistently applied to both domestic and international markets.

In highlighting measures to open up agricultural markets, he pointed out that the agricultural ministry and the Ministry of Industry and Trade had continuously negotiated protocols with various countries to facilitate agricultural exports.

Regarding trademarks and product branding, the agricultural ministry was conducting in-depth research, as having a strong brand could significantly increase value.

However, difficulties remained, he said.

Specifically, there was no National Assembly resolution mandating the Government to issue a resolution on branding.

Besides, confusion persists between 'trademark' and 'brand', he said.

While trademarks were easier to establish and protect, a brand reflected consumer trust in the quality, standards and consistency of a product.

Therefore, the agricultural ministry was collaborating with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to build agricultural product brands.

In his opening remarks at the beginning of the hearing session, Chairman Tran Thanh Man said that the issues at the question-and-answer session were crucial matters of great concern to voters and the public.

So, he hoped the question-and-answer session would be lively, constructive and provide extensive reflections on the current situation, offering numerous proposals and recommendations to the Government and relevant ministers for better direction, resolution to address difficulties to meet the expectations of voters and the people nationwide.  VNS
Tatcho Mindiola in his office at the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Houston Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008. Dave Rossman/For the Chronicle

Tatcho Mindiola Jr., a retired University of Houston professor who turned the UH Center for Mexican American and Latino/a Studies into one of the premier programs of its kind, died over the weekend. He was 85.

Mindiola died surrounded by his family Saturday evening at Baylor St. Lukes Medical Center after a sudden illness, said his wife, Cindy Mindiola.

Born and raised in Houston, the professor led the Center for Mexican American Studies as its director from 1980 until his retirement in 2015. Mindiola saw his position as a way to increase the educational opportunities for Houstons growing Mexican American and Latino communities, and the center grew to include tenure-track faculty, fellowships and scholarship programs.

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Cindy Mindiola said her husband rarely bragged about his achievements in academia and the community.

He never really about talked about being the professor, she said. In fact, Ive had so many people at church come up to me and say, I didnt know Tatcho was all this and all that.

She remembered him as a loving father to their four adult children and a doting grandfather who never missed a chance to play with their young grandchildren. They brought so much joy to his life, she said.

Mindiola was born May 6, 1939, to Tatcho Mindiola Sr., a baker, and Hortencia Rocha Mindiola, a housewife. Mindiolas mother raised him and his five other siblings in the Heights and later sold cosmetic products to support the family.

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Mindiola grew up in Houston but he previously said his large family, including an uncle and other extended family, kept him connected to his Mexican American roots.

After graduating from what is now Heights High School in 1957, he enlisted in the U.S. Army so he could later go to college. His service consisted mostly of clerical work, a relief for Mindiola who previously said he never wanted to go to war.

Mindiola was accepted to the University of Houston while in the Army and he hoped to be discharged in time to attend classes in the fall of 1962. A freeze in discharges jeopardized those plans, but the then-23-year-old pleaded for help from U.S. Sen. Ralph Yarborough of Texas.

A letter addressed to Mindiolas superiors, bordered in red to signal its urgency, arrived a week before classes started and ordered him to be discharged immediately.

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He continued working as a clerk for freight companies around Houston as he completed a business administration degree. After graduating, he realized he did not want to go into business at all.

A mentor set him on the path of sociology, and he earned a masters degree from UH. Mindiola then earned a doctorate in sociology from Brown University.

In 1974, Mindiola began teaching Mexican American studies and sociology at UH as the Center for Mexican American Studies struggled to get off the ground. He was named the permanent director in 1980, and he remained in the post until he was 76.

Mindiolas death spurred an outpouring of tributes from his former students and the institution he served for 34 years.

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Tatcho Mindiola Jr., a leader whose vision, dedication, and unwavering commitment have left an indelible mark on the University of Houston, the CMALS community, and all who were fortunate enough to know and work with him, the UH Center for Mexican American and Latino/a Studies wrote on its Facebook page. His leadership inspired us to strive for excellence and to believe in the power of unity and purpose.

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State Sen. Carol Alvarado, who Mindiola taught, said on X (formerly Twitter), Ill have more to say about this later  RIP primo.

Russell Contreras, a journalist and UH graduate who was mentored by Mindiola, called his former professor a pioneer in Mexican American studies and said Mindiola encouraged him to pursue journalism to cover the people who are right outside this window in that neighborhood over there.

State Rep. Armando Walle also paid tribute to his late mentor on social media.

He was a scholar but also a mentor to many who wanted to serve in politics, he wrote on X. Many of my successes can be attributed to his guidance.

During a breakfast at Erics Restaurant on the University of Houston campus last year, Mindiola reflected on much of his life in an hour-and-a-half-long interview.

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He had grown frail, requiring the assistance of a nurse at his home in Third Ward near UH and relying on a chair lift to get upstairs. But he recalled his academic career vividly and candidly.

In the early days after becoming director, Mindiola recalled going behind the backs of UH administrators to find money for the program. He successfully lobbied his connections in the state Legislature for the money.

I developed this reputation of being uncooperative, he said with a laugh. But I didnt give a s---. I knew what I wanted, and I eventually succeeded with some help.

During breakfast, he had reflected on why his work mattered.

Well, for our history, Mindiola said. So that people know who we are and so that books can be written about us.
HA NOI  Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu and Japanese Senior Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Funakoshi Takehiro exchanged views on the relations between Viet Nam and Japan at their talks in Ha Noi on August 21.

They rejoiced at the recent comprehensive and effective development of bilateral ties, notably the elevation of the relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership last year.

The officials said apart from political trust and all-level delegation exchanges, cooperation in economy, trade, investment, labour, education, and agriculture, among others has also reaped practical results, adding the two sides are expanding collaboration to new areas like digital transformation and green transition. Meanwhile, their coordination at multilateral forums and international organisations has been enhanced.

Funakoshi affirmed that the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to closely coordinate with the Vietnamese side in implementing high-level agreements substantively and effectively to advance the bilateral ties on par with the new framework, and that it will join efforts to materialise the results reached at the 12th meeting of the Viet Nam - Japan Cooperation Committee earlier this month.

Vu stated that Viet Nam continues viewing Japan as a leading and long-term strategic partner, and hopes to work together in promoting the implementation of the comprehensive strategic partnership.

Both officials consented to increase exchanges and meetings at all levels and through flexible formats, and also improve the efficiency of bilateral dialogue mechanisms.

Vu took the occasion to convey invitations to Japanese leaders to attend the fourth Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit and the ASEAN Future Forum, scheduled to be held in Viet Nam in 2025.

The two sides also compared notes on measures to boost cooperation effectiveness in national defence, security, economy, official development assistance (ODA), investment, climate change response, green transition, and digital transformation.

The host said the Vietnamese Government attaches great importance to and is making efforts to effectively carry out high-level agreements with Japan. He suggested the Northeast Asian country provide new-generation ODA with preferential terms and more flexible, streamlined procedures for Viet Nam, prioritising key infrastructure projects.

He also called on Japan to soon determine loan commitments for the projects on infrastructure development, climate change response, and livelihood support for ethnic minorities in 11 northern mountainous and midland provinces of Viet Nam.

Vu proposed the Japanese ministry coordinate with other ministries and agencies of the country to simplify procedures and gradually work towards visa exemption for Vietnamese citizens.

At the talks, Funakoshi noted that Japanese investors consider Viet Nam a priority destination, expressing his hope for coordination to stimulate ODA and investment ties between the two countries, and promote bilateral cooperation within Japan's Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) initiative.

Lauding the contributions by the nearly 570,000-strong Vietnamese community to his countrys socio-economic development, the official said the Japanese Government will create more favourable conditions for them to live, study and work there.

The two sides also touched upon regional and international issues of shared concern such as cooperation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Mekong River, and East Sea issues. They agreed to intensify the coordination of stances and mutual support at international and regional forums like ASEAN, the United Nations, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).  VNS
HA NOI  Politburo member and standing member of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Central Committee's Secretariat Luong Cuong received a delegation of the ruling People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) in Ha Noi on August 21.

At the meeting, Cuong affirmed that Viet Nam attaches importance to the traditional friendly and cooperative ties with the MPLA, the State and people of Angola, and briefed the guests on outstanding achievements Viet Nam has recorded over nearly forty years of oi Moi (Renewal), preparations for the 14th National Party Congress, as well as the countrys goals set to the mid-21st century.

The official said the MPLA delegations visit offers a chance for the two Parties leaders to exchange views on the bilateral ties and cooperation orientations, along with the international situation, helping to consolidate and tighten the friendship and traditional cooperation between the two Parties and countries.

Ample room remains for the two countries to strengthen their cooperation, he said, suggesting the two Parties focus on instructing the implementation of cooperation agreements signed by Viet Nam and Angola.

Politburo member and the secretary in charge of the MPLA's foreign affairs Manuel Domigos Augusto, head of the delegation, spoke highly of the Southeast Asian nations reform achievements, and hailed it as an active and responsible member of the international community, with marked contributions to peace and stability in the region and the world, including the East Sea.

He also appreciated Viet Nams wholehearted support to African countries, including Angola, especially during struggles for national independence.

The official highly valued cooperation outcomes between the two Parties over the past time and noted his hope to learn more from Viet Nams experience in national development, ensuring social justice, and improving the countrys role and position in the international arena.

He also suggested the two Parties work harder to consolidate the traditional relations and promote practical, intensive, and extensive collaboration, particularly in the economy, trade, investment, agriculture, and education.

Earlier the same day, Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and Chairman of its Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung held talks with the MPLA delegation, during which they agreed to tighten the relations between the two Parties, creating a firm political foundation for the multi-faceted cooperation between Viet Nam and Angola.

The two sides will also step up theory, experience, and practice exchanges, and cooperation in personnel training, while facilitating trade and investment ties, cultural cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges, especially between youths and women, and closely coordinating at international forums and multilateral mechanisms, for the sake of each Party and country, and for peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the world.

On this occasion, Trung and Augusto signed a cooperation agreement between the two Parties for the 2024-29 period.  VNS
HCM CITY  The Ministry of Health has urged HCM City authorities to take immediate action against the current measles outbreak, which has resulted in the deaths of three children.

The deceased children, aged between four months and seven years, all had pre-existing health conditions.

The ministry has instructed local healthcare facilities to provide timely treatment to individuals diagnosed with measles to minimise severe cases and fatalities.

The HCM City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) has been asked to work with agencies to establish a comprehensive monitoring network for both measles infections and vaccination efforts.

Hospitals within the city are required to adhere to stringent infection control protocols and to maintain an adequate supply of medical resources.

Earlier, the Department of Health had recommended the Peoples Committee declare a measles outbreak due to the rapid increase in cases.

As of August 12, more than 600 cases of fever accompanied by rash have been reported, with 346 confirmed cases of measles, over half of which involve patients from other provinces.

According to the HCDC, measles infections have been identified across 57 wards within 16 city districts, with the highest number of cases reported in Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon, and Binh Tan districts.

Over 84 per cent of the affected children were either unvaccinated or had incomplete vaccination schedules.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease that can spread rapidly following an incubation period of seven to 21 days.

Initial symptoms typically include fever and a rash, which usually begins on the face and subsequently spreads to the back.

Additional symptoms may include conjunctivitis, cough, runny nose, rapid breathing, shortness of breath, and, in severe cases, seizures.

Medical experts have cautioned the disease can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis, otitis media, keratitis, diarrhea, and even death.

Measles can only be effectively managed when the community immunity rate reaches 95 per cent and each individual has received two doses of the vaccine.

Healthcare centres are asked to review the vaccination records of at-risk populations and to ensure that eligible children receive the appropriate vaccinations.

If a child has not received or missed their vaccination appointments, they must be taken to medical facilities for consultation and immunisation without delay.

Parents and guardians are advised to consult local healthcare stations for information regarding the vaccination schedule.

Measles remains one of the 11 infectious diseases for which vaccination is mandatory for children, with the first dose administered at nine months of age and the second dose at 18 months of age.  VNS
HA NOI  Identifying the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing as a priority to remove the European Commission's (EC) yellow card warning against Vietnamese seafood, the coastal provinces in the southern part of the Hong River Delta, namely Thai Binh, Nam inh and Ninh Binh, are working hard to prevent illegal fishing.

Decisive action, clear progress

Given that local fishermen primarily operate nearshore, and following the Government's directives on combating IUU fishing, the three coastal provinces have actively monitored illegal fishing to prevent all violations. With decisive, regular, and continuous instructions, recent efforts have focused on addressing weaknesses in seafood exploitation pointed out by the EC, thus leading to a positive change in compliance with laws among fishermen.

Cao Thi Nga, head of the Fisheries Inspection, Control, and Management Office of Nam inh Province, said that awareness of the penalties for illegal fishing has improved among local fishermen. They now adhere to regulations by reporting before departure, logging their catches, and submitting their logs. As a result, violations related to fishing have significantly decreased, and no fishing vessels in the province have infringed upon foreign waters or been detained by foreign authorities.

As of May 15, 533 out of 542 fishing vessels with a length of 15m or more in Nam inh, or 98.34 per cent, have been equipped with the vessel monitoring system (VMS). The remainder have not installed monitoring devices as they are inactive, docked, or out of service.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Thai Binh Province, as of June 30, the locality had registered 706 fishing vessels that meet the requirements for seafood exploitation in the national fishing vessel database VnFishbase, with a total capacity of over 101,000 KW.

In addition to dissemination campaigns to raise fishermen's awareness, the department organised eight inspection teams in the first half of 2024 to detect violations.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Tran Van Kha, Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the Ninh Binh Border Guard, stated that the Border Guard has proactively developed plans and enhanced monitoring at sea to promptly detect and address any violations while supporting fishermen in developing sustainable maritime economy.

Restructuring, protecting natural resources

The provinces have a continuous coastline stretching nearly 150km, with thousands of hectares of mudflats and a vast continental shelf. This presents huge potential and advantages for developing the marine economy.

Alongside efforts to have the yellow card warning lifted, these localities are restructuring their fishing industry towards sustainable development, thus creating suitable livelihoods, and improving the quality of life for fishermen.

Tran uc Viet, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nam inh Province, said that in the coming time, the department and localities will continue to reshuffle the agricultural sector, restructure the fleet of fishing vessels by gradually reducing the number of those operating nearshore. The plan is also to invest in communication systems to ensure the monitoring of fishing activities, thus meeting the requirements of Vietnamese law and international conventions.

Meanwhile, leveraging existing advantages, Thai Binh aims to become a leading agricultural production center in the Hong River Delta, with a focus on developing and modernising the production of agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products, as well as improving the value chain of agricultural products in the province. For sustainable development, the province will enhance the application of science and technology in aquaculture, fishing, and processing by the value chain, meeting domestic consumption and exports.

Although Ninh Binh has only one coastal district - Kim Son, the province has maximised this advantage over the years to develop aquaculture, generating high income for its residents. With a total aquaculture area of nearly 5,000ha (including up to 4,000ha of saltwater and brackish water aquaculture), Kim Son has identified saltwater and brackish water aquaculture in coastal mudflats as a development focus.

In October 2024, the EC will send its fifth inspection team to Viet Nam to assess the countrys compliance with recommendations on combating IUU fishing. This inspection will be decisive in determining whether Viet Nam can remove the restrictions on its seafood exports to the EU. The three coastal provinces in the southern part of the Red River Delta continue to monitor and detect fishing violations, contributing to the nationwide efforts to regain the "green card".  VNS
HA NOI  The implementation time of the Ha Noi's urban railway line 2 project, connecting Nam Thang Long Urban area to Tran Hung ao Street, is to be completed by 2031 instead of 2015 as per the initial plan.

The reason for adjusting the project implementation time is that the process of reviewing, examining and appraising the project adjustment has lasted from 2012 until now, but has not been completed, so the construction and equipment packages of the project have not been implemented.

Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the progress and implementation timeline of the project to suit the current circumstances.

Ha Noi has scheduled the completion and commission of the project by 2029, followed by an additional two years for operational and maintenance training.

It was part of Proposal No 275 submitted by the city administration to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to review and approve adjustments to the investment plan for the Ha Noi Urban railway line 2 project.

Duong uc Tuan, deputy chairman of the Ha Noi People's Committee, said due to the longer than expected process of implementing procedures of the project, such as having to change the location of station C9 and changing regulations on public investment and debt, means plans must be adjusted to fit the current reality.

According to the document, the proposed total length of the project is 11.5km, consisting of 8.9km of underground track and 2.6km of elevated track, with a fleet of ten trains, each comprising four carriages.

Compared to Decision No 2054, issued on November 13, 2008, by the Ha Noi People's Committee, while the overall length of the project remains unchanged, modifications have been made to the length of the underground section (increased from 8.5km to 8.9km) and the elevated section (reduced from 3km to 2.6km). Additionally, the number of trains has been decreased from 14.

Another adjustment concerns the estimated total investment for the project, which is proposed to rise to VN35.58 trillion (approximately JPY200.74 billion/US$1.42 billion), an increase of VN16.03 trillion (JPY95.5 million/$642 million) since 2008.

Of this, Official Development Assistance (ODA) loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the Special Terms for Economic Partnership (STEP) will amount to JPY167.07 billion, equivalent to VN29.67 trillion ($1.19 billion), up by VN13.187 trillion ($527 million).

Ha Nois own contribution from its budget is set at VN5.9 trillion (around JPY33.665 billion/$235 million), an increase of VN2.846 trillion ($113.7 million).

Under the submission, Ha Noi administration proposed that the Government allocate capital for the project over three middle-term public investment periods to align with the revised project timeline.

The allocation consisted of about VN9.2 trillion ($366 billion) for the 2021-25 period, about VN19.9 trillion ($791 million) for 2026-30 and around VN5.58 trillion ($221.8 million) for 2031.

Currently, the 2019 Law on Public Investment does not specifically address the balance and allocation of mid-term public investment funds over consecutive periods.

Thus, Ha Noi's administration said it would propose the Prime Minister to approve the adjustments and would report the projects status to the National Assembly in late this year, in accordance with Article 104 of the Governments Decree No 29 on major national project assessment and monitoring.

Since the Ministry of Planning and Investment completed its report on the investment adjustment in May 2021 and with the Government Office's approval of the C9 underground station location as noted in Notification No 328 on October 14, 2022, Ha Noi submitted four requests for approval of the adjustments, including three in 2024 alone.

That demonstrates the complexity of the project, which was initially approved by Ha Noi Peoples Committee under Decision No 2054 issued on November 13, 2008.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, head of the Hong (Red) River Delta Coordination Council, chaired the fourth meeting regarding the issue.

He ordered relevant ministries, agencies and localities to expedite the completion of procedures to accelerate the implementation of regional and inter-regional projects, including the Urban railway line 2 from Nam Thang Long Urban area to Tran Hung ao Street.

PM Chinh also called for proposals on special mechanisms and policies for the Government to review and decide.

The Urban railway line 2 project, approved by the Ha Noi People's Committee in November 2008, stretches from Nam Thang Long Urban area, Nguyen Van Huyen Street, Hoang Quoc Viet Street, Hoang Hoa Tham Street, Thuy Khue Street, Phan inh Phung Street, Hang Giay Street, Hang uong Street, Hang Ngang Street, Hang ao Street, inh Tien Hoang Street, Hang Bai Street and ends at Tran Hung ao Street.

It consists of three elevated stations and seven underground stations and a depot located in Xuan inh Ward, Bac Tu Liem District. VNS
BAC GIANG  Settled in the heart of Hiep Hoa District, Bac Giang Province, the commune of Xuan Cam is an important place in Viet Nams revolutionary history.

Recognised as one of 16 Safety Zone or An Toan Khu (ATK) in Vietnamese, this small commune once played a crucial role in sheltering revolutionary cadres during the resistance wars.

Today, Xuan Cam is not only preserving its revolutionary legacy but is also showcasing a remarkable transformation in its journey towards modernisation and rural development.

It is also a commune of resilience, patriotism and deep commitment to Viet Nam's struggle for independence.

In the early 1940s, this commune became a pivotal red address for the revolution, hosting key leaders such as Hoang Quoc Viet, Le Thanh Nghi, and Nguyen Trong Tinh, who built and nurtured the revolutionary movement here.

On 12 March 1945, under the leadership of Le Thanh Nghi and Nguyen Trong Tinh, the people of Xuan Bieu village rose up and seized power, marking the first successful uprising in Bac Giang Province - a spark that ignited the August Revolution nationwide.

A complete transformation

Deputy Chairman Nguyen Quang Liem said this revolutionary spirit has instead fuelled their ongoing efforts to develop the commune, particularly through the new rural development movement.

In 2015, after years of concerted effort, Xuan Cam was recognised as a new rural commune, a milestone that laid the foundation for further progress.

Once characterised by narrow, unpaved roads and modest infrastructure, the commune today boasts synchronised development. The main roads in all five of Xuan Cams villages have been widened, with some now spanning up to 12 metres, greatly improving connectivity and accessibility.

This progress showcases the impact of collective effort and forward-looking leadership in driving meaningful change.

Education is also a priority, with all three of the communes schools meeting national standards.

But the transformation is most evident in the economy.

Xuan Cam has embraced agricultural innovation, introducing high-yield crops and modern farming techniques.

The establishment of a 30-hectare peach-growing model serving the Tet festival in Cam Hoang village is a standout success, generating over VN1 billion (US$40,000) per hectare annually.

Large-scale field models covering over 200 ha have also been developed across the communes, including the provinces first mechanised rice planting initiative in Cam Trung village.

Drones now buzz over the fields, spraying pesticides over more than 30 hectares.

Additionally, Xuan Cam Commune has fostered the growth of handicrafts and cottage industries, which provide steady employment for hundreds of local workers. With monthly incomes ranging from VN8 million to VN12 million, these industries have become a cornerstone of the communes economic vitality.

One of the most remarkable aspects of Xuan Cams transformation is the communitys willingness to unite for the greater good.

In a land where the memories of sacrifice are still vivid, over 500 households in the commune have voluntarily dismantled parts of their homes and auxiliary structures, donating over 20,000 square metres of land to expand roads and improve infrastructure.

This generosity has paved the way for development, with the expanded roads now stretching nearly 8km.

The value of the donated land alone exceeds VN300 billion.

These efforts have paid off handsomely. The average income per capita in Xuan Cam now stands at VN52.28 million per year, a significant increase over the previous year.

Meanwhile, the communes multidimensional poverty rate has dropped to 2.21 per cent, down by 2.13 per cent from the year before.

Preserving cultural heritage

As Xuan Cam modernises, it remains deeply connected to its cultural roots, particularly through preserving quan ho folk songs, an integral part of the regions cultural heritage.

Despite not being a traditional quan ho village, Xuan Cam has embraced this art form with enthusiasm, said Nguyen Quang Liem, deputy chairman of Xuan Cam Commune's People's Committee.

In recent years, the commune has established five quan ho clubs, drawing over 200 members from across its villages.

The initiative has even extended into the local schools, where quan ho youth clubs have been formed, ensuring that this beautiful tradition is passed on to future generations.

Nguyen Van Hung, the head of the quan ho club in Cam Xuyen village, recalled how the club began with just 25 members, united by their love for the melodies of quan ho.

Today, the club has grown significantly, thriving on its members' passion and voluntary contributions

The club gathers at the village cultural house every weekend to practise and share their love for quan ho.

The commune regularly organises cultural and artistic festivals, encouraging exchanges between its quan ho clubs and those in neighbouring areas, such as the traditional quan ho villages of Hoa Long Ward in Bac Ninh City. This cultural exchange enriches the community, ensuring that quan ho remains a vibrant and living tradition.

By 2026, the commune aims to establish five quan ho villages, contributing to the overall number and quality of such villages in Bac Giang Province, deputy chairman Liem said.

From its revolutionary past to its modern successes, Xuan Cam exemplifies resilience, innovation and cultural preservation, ensuring it remains a harmonious place to live.  VNS
MOSCOW  Around 100 Vietnamese labourers working at the "Hanoi" garment factory - the largest group of Vietnamese working near conflict zones in Russia's Kursk oblast, have been still working hard to ensure timely delivery of products to customers, despite the ongoing conflict in border areas between Russia and Ukraine.

Located near Zheleznogorsk city, about 120km from the centre of Kursk province and about 140km from the conflict zone, the road leading to the factory shows almost no signs of the nearby conflict.

Inside the garment factory, three production lines are still operating as usual. Workers are busy sewing and processing winter clothing items to meet the market demand.

Nong Minh uc, from the northern province of Cao Bang, who has been working at the factory for two years, said the situation has largely remained unchanged since the news of the conflict.

Ngo Thi Thuy Quynh, a worker from the southern province Soc Trang, was quite worried in the beginning when she first learned the news, but everything seems to remain fine, and orders are still good.

Nguyen Thanh Bao, manager of the factory, from the southern province of ong Nai, said the situation there is still stable, adding that everyone is focused on their work, and the company has not been negatively affected.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Russia is maintaining daily contacts with representatives of the Vietnamese community in Kursk to keep updated on information related to overseas Vietnamese there.  VNS
TOKYO  The Viet Nam-Japan quality agricultural workforce cooperation forum, a joint effort between the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), took place in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, Japan has been a key partner in Viet Nam's agricultural modernisation, providing assistance in irrigation systems, water-saving technologies, livestock and crop production techniques, and post-harvest processing. Moreover, Japan has invested in the future of Vietnam's agriculture by training numerous officials, engineers and farmers in the application of cutting-edge technologies.

Speaking at the event, Director of the Economic Development Department at JICA Shimokawa Takao lauded Viet Nam as Japan's largest source of labour. He informed that between 2021 and 2023, JICA dispatched agricultural workforce development advisors to the Viet Nam National University of Agriculture to support technical interns aspiring to work in Japans agricultural sector.

While the number of Vietnamese technical interns in agriculture in Japan has been declining, Takao expressed hope that the introduction of specific skill assessments in agriculture since March would encourage more Vietnamese to pursue career opportunities there.

Delegates heard presentations from representatives of JICA, the Thuy Loi (Water Resources) University, the Viet Nam National University of Forestry, the Bac Giang Agriculture and Forestry University, the Viet Nam National University of Agriculture, the Hiroshima University, representatives from Miyazaki prefecture, and Vietnamese and Japanese enterprises.

A discussion session capped off the event, providing delegates with a platform to ask questions and share ideas and information on opportunities and measures to bolster bilateral cooperation in training and using quality human resources in the sector.  VNS
HA NOI  Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son on August 21 lauded contributions made by overseas Vietnamese (OVs) to the country, and highlighted policies for them, an integral part of the nation.

Speaking at a gala dinner for more than 400 Vietnamese expats who returned home to attend the 4th World Conference of Overseas Vietnamese and the 2024 forum of OV intellectuals and experts, Son expressed his delight at the growing OV community that has been appreciated by local authorities for their good characteristics and contributions to host societies.

The minister affirmed that the Party and the State, particularly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, always take care of the community, citing the issuance of policies for them, along with a range of programmes and activities that bring them back to their roots.

Son also commended the performance of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which hosted the gala dinner, saying it has served as a bridge between Vietnamese abroad and their homeland, contributing to strengthening the great national solidarity bloc.

The minister noted his hope that OVs will make more contributions to host countries as well as national construction and defence at home, maintain their solidarity, and preserve traditional traits and the Vietnamese language.

On this occasion, Son and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang, chairwoman of the committee, witnessed the signing of 10 Memoranda of Understanding and cooperation agreements within the framework of the conference and the forum. VNS
What are the opportunities for Vietnam and Singapore to expand cooperation in the digital economy and green economy in the context that the two countries are striving to meet net-zero commitments by 2050?

Kenneth Loh, vice president of the Singapore Chamber of Commerces Hanoi office

The recent signing of the Green-Digital Economic Partnership between Vietnam and Singapore has presented a significant opportunity for both countries to expand their cooperation in the digital and green economies.

In term of digital economy cooperation, businesses can explore the digital infrastructure development, fintech innovation, e-commerce, digital services and cybersecurity.

As for the green economy sector collaboration, areas such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, circular economy, carbon markets and green finance potentially could be considered favourably. Further, the synergistic effect of the digital and green economy would yield significant result in areas such as digitalisation of green initiatives, green fintech and smart cities.

Singapore and Vietnam signed an MoU on areas like the green-digital economic partnership and maritime cooperation in 2023. How has bilateral cooperation in the fields developed since then?

The MoU was for bilateral cooperation in green and digital economies, as well as maritime sectors. This agreement marked a significant step in deepening bilateral cooperation, and there have been encouraging signs of progress and mutual benefits for businesses in both countries.

In the energy sector, both Vietnam and Singapore have been collaborating on renewable energy projects, exploring opportunities in areas like liquefied natural gas, and sharing knowledge on sustainable energy practices. On the digital front, Singapore, with its advanced digital infrastructure and expertise, has been actively assisting Vietnam in building its digital ecosystem.

This includes developing digital platforms for sectors like banking, finance, e-commerce, and land management. In terms of innovation initiatives, Singaporean companies are increasingly setting up research and development centres in Vietnam, leveraging the countrys talent pool and market potential.

The MoU can potentially benefit businesses of both countries through increased investments from Singaporean businesses, particularly in the technology, renewable energy, and infrastructure sectors. On the other hand, Vietnamese businesses can gain better access to the Singaporean market and beyond.

Last year, Vietnam and Singapore signed an upgraded connectivity framework agreement, which expands bilateral cooperation in energy cooperation and sustainable development. How has the expansion made impacts on investment trends among Singaporean businesses in Vietnam?

The upgraded connectivity framework agreement between Vietnam and Singapore, with its focus on energy cooperation and sustainable development, has indeed resulted in a shift in investment trends.

The likely impact would be increased investment in energy and sustainability due to Vietnams growing energy demands, coupled with its renewables potential, thus making it an attractive market for Singaporean investors. The focus of investments is likely to be in solar, wind and hydropower generation. In the areas of sustainable development such as green infrastructure, waste management and circular economy are similarly attracting increased funding from the Singaporean businesses.

The agreement would also be likely to have a broader impact on the bilateral trade and investment between Singaporean and Vietnamese businesses that may result in the diversification of investment portfolios beyond the traditional sectors such as manufacturing and real estate.

In addition, it may strengthen bilateral trade in energy resources, equipment and services. Furthermore, the agreement may encourage the knowledge and technology transfer of Singapores expertise in sustainable development and clean energy, thereby fostering Vietnams innovation and capacity building.

Ultimately, the upgraded framework positions Vietnam as a more attractive destination for foreign investment.

What are the new opportunities for businesses and investors of the two countries in areas such as carbon credits, renewable energy, and the digital economy in the months to come?

The upgraded connectivity framework between Singapore and Vietnam presents a wealth of opportunities for businesses and investors in these burgeoning sectors.

In carbon credits. Both Vietnam and Singapore can collaborate on developing a robust carbon market framework, including standards, verification, and trading platforms. In addition, Vietnams rich biodiversity offers significant potential for carbon sequestration projects, such as reforestation, mangrove restoration, and sustainable agriculture.

Further, as demand for carbon offsets grows globally, Singapore and Vietnam can facilitate cross-border trading, with Singapore acting as a hub for carbon credit finance and trading.

In renewable energy. Vietnams abundant solar and wind resources, coupled with Singapores financial and technological capabilities, create a promising partnership in generating solar and wind power. In addition, Singapores expertise in energy storage technologies can be transferred to Vietnam to support the integration of renewable energy into the grid.

Further, both countries can collaborate on green hydrogen production and utilisation, leveraging Singapores advanced industrial capabilities and Vietnams renewable energy potential.

Vietnam and Singapore deepen collaboration on smart and sustainable industrial parks Singapores Sembcorp Development, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sembcorp Industries, and its state-owned joint venture partner in Vietnam, Becamex IDC Corporation, announced the addition of four new Vietnam Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIPs) on August 29.

Interest rises for Singapores businesses Vietnam and Singapore have upgraded their bilateral connectivity framework agreement to include new areas, making it more favourable for businesses of both nations to intensify trade and investment ties.

Vietnam and Singapore's strategic vision for trade and investment Quang Anh, associate at VILAF and Vaibhav Saxena, lawyer at VILAF, spoke to VIR about the blossoming ties between Vietnam and Singapore.

Vietnam and Singapore ink MoU to promote development of stock markets The Singapore Exchange signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Vietnam Exchange to boost the development of Singaporean and Vietnamese stock markets.
In this image taken from video, former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin, right, accompanied by defense attorney Eric Nelson, addresses the court as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides over Chauvin's sentencing, Friday, June 25, 2021, at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis. Chauvin faces decades in prison for the May 2020 death of George Floyd. (Court TV via AP, Pool) Associated Press People visit a George Floyd mural near Cuney Homes in Third Ward, following the guilty verdict on all counts in the murder trial of former former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin. Godofredo A. Vasquez, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of killing George Floyd, has been transferred to a Texas prison, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed Wednesday.

Floyd grew up and spent much of his life in Houston's Third Ward. He moved to Minneapolis in 2014 where he worked as a security guard and truck driver.

Here's what you need to know about the former police officer responsible for Floyd's death.

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Who is Derek Chauvin?

Chauvin is one of four former Minneapolis officers convicted in the death of Floyd, along with Thomas Lane, Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao.

Floyd's death sparked widespread outrage and protests after a bystander-captured video showed Chauvin, who is white, kneeling on the Black man's neck for roughly 9 minutes in May 2020.

What Texas prison is Derek Chauvin being moved to?

Chauvin has been transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution Big Spring in Howard County, according to bureau records. Big Spring is located about 107 miles south of Lubbock.

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The low-security, all-male federal prison has 825 inmates, including 113 who are at an adjacent minimum security satellite camp. It's unclear whether Chauvin will be held at the adjacent camp.

Where has Derek Chauvin been up to this point?

Before his transfer to Texas, Chauvin was serving out his sentence in a medium-security Arizona prison. While there, he was stabbed 22 times by another inmate in November, the Associated Press reported.

Chauvin was attacked at the Federal Correctional Institution Tuscon by inmate John Turscak, who is serving a 30-year sentence for crimes he committed as a member of the Mexican Mafia. Turscak told investigators he would have killed Chauvin if prison staff had not intervened, according to the Associated Press.

For privacy, safety and security reasons, a bureau spokesperson told the Chronicle that they cannot discuss the conditions of confinement for any individual, including reason for transfer.

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What was Chauvin's sentence?

Chauvin is currently serving a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd's civil rights and a a 22-year state sentence for second-degree murder. His current release data is set for Jan. 7, 2038, according to the bureau.
Dr. Rabie Sleiman (left) and Pham Thi Thanh Mai

The ACC clinic appears to be growing at a measured pace to ensure high service quality. Could you provide more details on this approach?

Sleiman: When we develop our clinics, we ensure that we build it to its maximum capacity. We want to be able to optimise our customer service and our patient care before we consider expanding to different regions.

In Southeast Asia, historically, I've seen chiropractic clinics that would expand really fast and at the same time lose a lot of quality in patient care. We at ACC don't want this scenario to happen. We want to be very strategic and we hope to make sure that we are doing our service exactly the way we intend it to be, providing premium quality healthcare.

Chiropractic technique involves a doctor using their hands to adjust the vertebral subluxation. Could you share more details about this profession and how to ensure there are no risks when practising these methods?

Sleiman: Chiropractic doctors undergo eight years of rigorous training. We are trained extensively in proper diagnosis and anatomy, even more so than some medical doctors in terms of accumulated hours. We are also very familiar with the nervous system. Before we even begin learning adjustment techniques, we need to understand why we're making those adjustments.

Now, there are many out there who claim to be chiropractic doctors or something similar, and that is extremely dangerous. When they perform adjustments, it may seem simple because you hear a pop or click, but they don't understand why theyre doing it. This can often lead to serious injuries. That's why I always emphasise the importance of choosing a specialist in the field to guarantee your safety and health. It's crucial to choose a qualified and licensed professional.

ACC Chiropractic Clinic

Can you explain the role of FV in supporting and collaborating with ACC?

Mai: We have had a comprehensive and good cooperation. The common goal is to care for patients and taking patients as the centre of our activities. Our treatment and care plans are comprehensive, meeting all the needs of patients in terms of treatment, physical and mental care, including preventative and follow-up care.

FV Hospital applies Western medicine methods, including internal medicine and surgery, while ACC can help patients overcome musculoskeletal conditions, recover after surgery at the hospital.

Therefore, both of us can provide a comprehensive process for patients to remain the pioneers in providing world-class healthcare to Vietnam.

Could you share more about the future research and training cooperation plans between FV and ACC, and their contribution to the sustainable development?

Mai: Currently, ACC is not only a member of FV but also a member of Thomson Medical Group Singapore. With such cooperation, ACC receives support from Thomson Singapore and effective coordination from FV. We have set out some specific directions and cooperation in training and technology transfer.

We do training in both specialised and non-specialised fields. In the specialised field, doctors can learn and share experiences with each other in diagnosis and treatment, and utilise available resources from both sides. For example, ACCs doctors could send patients to FV to do imaging diagnostic studies before making an accurate treatment plan.

In the coming time, FV, ACC, and our partners from Singapore will develop home care services, providing rehabilitation physiotherapy for patients post-stroke, patients who are bedridden, or patients after knee, hip, or orthopaedic surgery. With such services, we are targeting patients that dont have the ability to physically access our services at our facilities.

Under the transfer of technology and techniques from Singapore, these services will become very effective and unique in Vietnam.

Has ACC faced any difficulties when entering the Vietnamese market, and how has it overcome them?

Sleiman: From my 14 years of experience practising in Vietnam, I've encountered several challenges. Many patients find a variety of options but are often confused because they don't know where to find the best care.

Additionally, many Vietnamese people aren't fully educated about chiropractics, which can pose a challenge. When I first arrived in Vietnam, I saw only two chiropractic clinics in the entire country. Now, there are many more clinics in Vietnam, and a lot of them are trying to follow in our footsteps. They see ACC as pioneers in chiropractic and want to emulate us. I feel proud and flattered by this.

However, there are also those who pretend to be like us, and that presents another challenge and danger to patient safety. Patients might go to these places and get poor service, thinking, Oh, these guys are like ACC, but in reality, theyre not.

What are ACC's plans to promote this treatment method, and what are your development plans for the future?

Sleiman: Promoting our treatment methods is a key focus, and its one of the reasons Im very proud to be part of the FV Group.

FV Group has been in Vietnam for quite some time, focusing on being a premier speciality hospital. With ACC, we hope to leverage our large patient base to promote our services.

Now, under the umbrella of Thomson Medical Group, we can expand our reach further into Southeast Asia, showcasing our innovative, non-invasive techniques and procedures. I'm really looking forward to this collaboration, and Im happy to be a part of it because I believe it will benefit us as a whole.

US and Vietnam build momentum with upgraded ties In the six months since the historic upgrade of the US-Vietnam relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the United States and Vietnam have built on the momentum of our elevated relationship to advance bilateral cooperation across a range of areas.

Partnership key to improving healthcare in Vietnam Stakeholders are joining Vietnams efforts in improving healthcare accessibility, and sustainably developing the sector. Nguyen Thi An, country director of HealthBridge, spoke with VIRs Tung Anh about how businesses can make a contribution.
What key factors have contributed to CMC's success in the 14 years since becoming a listed business?

CMC stands is one of only two IT companies in Vietnam recognised in Forbes Vietnams Top 50 Best-Listed Companies in 2024. This marks the first time CMC has received this prestigious accolade, underscoring investors trust and confidence in us.

Beyond our impressive business performance, a significant reason for the recognition is CMCs proactive embracement of AI transformation, delivering AI consulting services and technological solutions across Vietnam and globally.

Having been in operation for 31 years, CMC has continuously evolved, particularly lately, when we have been leading the way in embracing new technological waves such as AI, IC design, cloud computing, and cybersecurity. In 2017, we launched our digital transformation strategy, and today, we are advancing to the next stage - AI transformation.

CMC achieved remarkable financial results last year. Despite a slight dip in net revenue to over VND8 trillion ($335 million), our pre-tax profit soared to almost VND550 billion ($23 million), the highest amount since listing on the stock exchange. In the second quarter of 2024, our share price surged following news of our partnership with Nvidia. Alongside FPT, our share price consistently reached record highs, contributing to a wave of tech stock appreciation, despite the broader markets stagnation.

CMC now is a top technology conglomerate in Vietnam, with around 10 member units focusing on four strategic business areas: digital infrastructure, solutions and technology, global business, and research and education. Today, CMC operates at a regional scale, with revenues and corporate value estimated at $400 million.

We are proud that CMCs presence spans over 30 countries and continents, including Japan and South Korea. Moving forward, we plan to expand our international footprint by establishing more subsidiaries.

CMC also owns more than 20 core technologies, such as a FaceID technology, ranking 12th globally by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology. This capability enables us to meet the diverse needs of thousands of partners and customers.

How are the current AI transformation trends impacting Vietnam?

AI is not a new technology; its research dates back to the 1960s. However, recent advancements, particularly in generative AI models, have significantly impacted every aspect of society. Earlier this year, when I attended the Davos Conference, AI emerged as the central theme among discussions by global leaders, scholars, and the global business community.

Both the EU and the US are pushing for new AI-related legislation in response to its profound and widespread impacts, as well as the inherent risks it poses. This requires a balanced and responsible approach to AI development.

Chinh, (third from right), speaking about CMC's AI transformation strategy

AI transformation is also being vigorously pursued in many countries within the region. For instance, South Korea launched a national AI transformation initiative in 2022, solidifying its position as a leader in e-government, digital government, and now, AI transformation.

Service providers are increasingly embedding AI into their products and services to enhance business productivity, better understand customer needs, and create new value.

In Vietnam, AI also has strong influence across all sectors, from government to enterprises and everyday life. The technological advancements of this new era have significantly streamlined tasks and processes that were previously challenging for humans to manage.

Looking ahead, AI will continue to evolve, making further strides in assisting human life. To reduce the unfamiliarity and novelty of these advancements, individuals, organisations, and businesses must anticipate the future trends of AI, which are likely to emerge in 2024.

CMC is beginning a comprehensive transformation with AI technology, starting with CMC University. Will this cover the companys four core business areas?

CMC Corporation has been making investments in research and development and applying new technologies.

In July, we started to transform CMC Digital University to an AI university, committing to applying AI in operations, teaching, and enhancing student experiences. This transition is a critical step, reflecting our commitment to integrating AI into every aspect of university life, from management, teaching, and learning to research and student engagement.

The AI university model is not just about teaching AI or offering AI-related majors. More importantly, its about using AI technology to comprehensively transform a universitys operations, from teaching and learning to administration.

"AI transformation is the process of applying AI technology to fundamentally and comprehensively change how we operate and interact across all societal sectors, from government and business to everyday life. The goal is to leverage AI's potential to improve efficiency, increase value, and create a digital economy, enhancing quality of life and promoting sustainable, and green development."

Similarly, in our core business areas, we have begun transitioning all activities to an AI platform. We have established dedicated AI-transformation, or AI-X, units and integrated AI applications into financial management, human resources, and operations.

For example, the C-Meet application developed by CMC ATI is an AI-driven technology solution that converts speech to text and can produce meeting minutes immediately after each meeting.

Besides internal AI transformation, CMCs top technology experts can provide AI consulting services and solutions, both made by CMC, and those of our partners companies to our clients. Some notable products include C-OCR for Vietnam's social security; C-LS, an AI-based software designed to detect overlaps and conflicts in legal documents; and C-OCR for the automotive industry.

CMC is also proud to be among the first Vietnamese telecommunications companies to provide AI infrastructure platforms to numerous prominent corporations domestically and internationally.

What are CMC's strategic priorities, and how does AI fit into its objectives?

We are aware that AI is a fundamental driver of sustainable growth and innovation among businesses. Our strategy begins with fostering an AI transformation culture internally, nurturing a modern work environment within the company, and training a high-quality workforce capable of adopting and applying AI technology in daily operations.

This approach reflects CMCs commitment to continuous learning, improvement, and the application of the most advanced technologies. This enables us to deliver groundbreaking solutions that enhance efficiency, optimise business processes, and meet the needs and expectations of our customers.

CMC promotes international cooperation to develop AI technologies and solutions

CMC is committed to this revolutionary transformation, not only within Vietnam but also globally. In our corporate strategy, we have identified key areas for development, including AI/DX and Cloud Computing. To achieve this, CMC has received training programmes from our partners in Japan, South Korea, and the US to build a highly trained IT workforce.

To date, our expert team has successfully executed over 2,000 IT projects, with more than 90 per cent completed on time across various sectors. Now, our focus is on helping businesses maximise the benefits of digital transformation through AI technology.

CMC has delved deeply into researching new technologies, creating an ecosystem of over 20 core technologies that effectively support business digital transformation efforts globally. A standout feature of CMC's products and services is the integration of AI technologies, which significantly enhances efficiency, fosters innovation, ensures high quality, and saves time and costs in the long term.

According to our strategic direction, the AI-powered management platforms developed by the CMC ATI Institute will become more sophisticated, providing businesses with enhanced monitoring capabilities and responsive measures to a growing array of cybersecurity and data protection risks.

In Vietnam, CMC is recognised as one of the top technology enterprises. However, on a global scale, we acknowledge that we are still at a mid-level compared to the largest international companies.

By 2028, our goal is to transform CMC into a global digital corporation with a scale of billions of dollars and a workforce of 10,000-15,000 employees.

My greatest concern is how to expand CMC's global influence. This requires us to grow the company at a substantial rate and make a significant global impact by offering products and services sourced from Vietnamese ingenuity that will be utilised worldwide. And AI technology aligns perfectly with the capabilities of both CMC and the people of Vietnam, making it a focal point for our future endeavours.

NIC shake hands with CMC to develop digital talent Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung beat the drum to open the first course at CMC University.

OPSWAT signs strategic partnership with CMC Cyber Security OPSWAT, a global leader in critical infrastructure protection and cybersecurity solutions, on December 7 opened a new office in Hanoi, and signed a strategic partnership agreement with CMC Cyber Security Co., Ltd., making new moves to expand its footprint in Vietnam.
Domestic production illustrates resilience, illustration photo/ Le Toan

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trades (MoIT) official report on industrial performance for the first seven months of this year, Vietnams industrial production has continued to expand, driven by increasing demand both domestically and internationally.

The index of industrial production (IIP) rose by 2.84 per cent on-year in 2023. The growth accelerated to 5.7 per cent in the first quarter of this year, and further to 7.7 per cent in the first half. Notably, the index of industrial production (IIP) surged by 11.2 per cent on-year in July, bringing the cumulative seven-month growth rate to 8.5 per cent. This compares favourably to the same period last year, when the IIP recorded a 0.8 per cent decline.

Significantly, Julys IIP figures showed robust growth across key sectors compared to the same period last year: a 13.3 per cent increase in the manufacturing and processing industry, nearly 10 per cent in the electricity production and distribution industry, and a 12.1 per cent rise in the waste and wastewater management and treatment sector.

Building on the recovery trend since late 2023, Vietnams industrial production continues to follow a positive trajectory, signalling the beginning of a new growth phase for the economy, said Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang.

This improvement is attributed to a steady increase in new orders over the past four consecutive months, the MoIT highlighted. According to S&P Global, production output in July surpassed that in June, reaching the highest level since 2011. For instance, in Ho Chi Minh City, the IIP for July increased by 9.6 per cent on-year, with the manufacturing and processing industry up by 13.4 per cent, while inventory levels dropped by 17.8 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The General Statistics Offices (GSO) Q2 survey on manufacturing and processing enterprises released last month revealed that, compared to Q1, 28.8 per cent of firms reported an increase in export orders, while 49.6 per cent indicated stable orders. Looking ahead to Q3, 33.1 per cent of enterprises expect a rise in orders, and 50.6 per cent predict stability. Only 16.3 per cent foresee a decline in export orders.

In the first seven months of this year, total export turnover reached an estimated $227 billion, up 15.7 per cent on-year.

According to the GSO, business confidence has been gradually recovering. During this period, over 95,200 new businesses were established, with registered capital totalling $35.6 billion  up 6.3 and 2.4 per cent, respectively, on-year.

Moreover, nearly 44,300 businesses resumed operations, reflecting a 4.7 per cent increase on-year. This brought the total number of newly established and reactivated enterprises to nearly 139,500, a 5.8 per cent increase on-year. On average, nearly 20,000 enterprises commenced or resumed operations each month.

These figures underscore the resilience of the business community amid growing challenges, the GSO commented. They also reflect the governments significant efforts to support enterprises, as authorities at all levels have rigorously implemented government resolutions aimed at achieving the highest possible outcomes. This has helped maintain a positive socioeconomic trend, laying a solid foundation for the coming months and quarters.

In a resolution following the governments July meeting on the national socioeconomic situation, further regulatory improvements were mandated, with a focus on enhancing administrative reform and creating a more transparent and conducive business and investment environment.

Relevant authorities have been instructed to review and amend all relevant regulations and address legal obstacles to mobilise all possible resources, both domestic and foreign, for national development. The resolution also called for the resolution of any contradictory or overlapping legal documents.

More dialogues must be organised to assist enterprises in overcoming challenges, alongside increased anti-corruption efforts, the development of e-government and e-society, and the promotion of cashless payments across all sectors, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed.

In the first half of 2024, 168 business regulations and 247 administrative procedures were simplified or eliminated, while nearly 140 officials and 1,200 state officers faced disciplinary actions.

According to the GSO, the push for administrative reform has contributed to increased employment. In the first seven months of this year, nearly 600,400 workers were newly employed by enterprises, reflecting a 2 per cent increase on-year.

Last year, Vietnams population reached approximately 100.3 million. The labour force aged 15 and above stood at 52.4 million, an increase of 666,500 from the previous year, with the labour force participation rate rising to 69 per cent, up 0.3 per cent on-year.

The government has tasked the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs with finalising draft amendments to the Law on Employment, which are scheduled for review during the National Assemblys next session in October and November.

The new law aims to enhance the quality of the workforce, offering greater support in areas such as insurance, employment opportunities, access to loans, working conditions, and connectivity between educational institutions and enterprises to boost labour productivity.

The World Bank has cautioned that for Vietnam to sustain its economic growth, it must urgently improve productivity, which remains relatively weak. Productivity growth is crucial for sustaining Vietnams economic miracle. Although Vietnams labour productivity has grown by about two-thirds since 2010, outpacing all its regional peers, largely due to improvements in the business environment, enhanced human capital, and substantial foreign direct investment inflows, productivity levels remain well below those of its peers, the World Bank noted in a report last month.

Signs are up for industrial production and services Vietnams production and services are beginning to gain momentum, with expectations for a more positive recovery by the years end.

Industrial production on back foot Vietnams industrial production remains challenged despite signals of recovery in August, while a decline in business confidence means it may be a stretch to hit government-set goals.

Shoots of recovery seen in industrial production Although Vietnams targeted economic growth may be unreachable, there are positive signs of recovery in industrial production and business confidence.

Activities in industrial production heat up Vietnams industrial performance is looking up, with the economy forecasted to see a stronger outlook moving into next year.

Pro-business landscape heads industrial production wishlist Despite a slowdown in industrial production, confidence among the business community is expected to continue climbing, which is backed by government efforts to provide a more friendly business environment.
What is your take on Decree No.80/2024/ND-CP on direct electricity purchase and sale between renewable energy generation units and large electricity consumers?

Dr. Oliver Massmann, partner and general director of consulting firm Duane Morris Vietnam LLC

Decree 80, which I refer to as the DPPA decree, has been highly anticipated and is warmly welcomed by everyone involved in the energy sector. I, like many others, have been waiting for years for this decree to be issued, and its a positive step by the government to finally release it now.

However, certain sections still require further guidance from the authorities, particularly regarding the detailed procedures for participating in grid-connected DPPAs.

How effectively do you think this decree will be deployed in Vietnam?

I believe this decree will play a crucial role in Vietnams renewable energy development. Investors are likely already making moves based on this decree, which should lead to increased investment in the country.

However, some uncertainties in the decree still need to be addressed. Further is necessary on the procedures for participation, guidance, the contract forms, and the parties eligible to participate under the DPPA mechanism. These clarifications must come from the governmental authorities to ensure the decrees enforceability.

Additionally, the electricity operation licence remains the most important sub-licence for electricity trading activities, and since this licence is under the sole discretion of the competent authorities, its requirements could significantly impact the decision-making of energy investors.

Based on Germanys experience with renewable energy policies, what suggestions would you offer to improve the effectiveness of this new decree in Vietnam?

Germanys renewable energy sector is among the most innovative and successful worldwide, thanks to a comprehensive legal framework that includes the Grid Expansion Acceleration Act, the Renewable Energy Act, and the Building Energy Act.

These laws offer incentives for renewable energy, establish that the use of renewable energies is of overriding public interest until greenhouse gas neutrality is achieved, and streamline procedures for grid planning and construction. Drawing from Germanys experience, I would suggest that Vietnam provides clear guidance on the DPPA decree to address current ambiguities, including more detailed procedures, a streamlined process, and less emphasis on sub-licences.

How can Germanys expertise in renewable energy contribute to Vietnams energy transition, and what collaborative opportunities do you see between the two countries in this field?

According to the Energy Industry Act, the electricity grid in Germany is subdivided into transmission grids (maximum voltage) and distribution grids (high, medium, and low voltage). The high voltage transmission grid is largely owned by four transmission system operators. At a lower level of distribution grids, distribution grids are operated by numerous regional and municipal grid operators. To expand the grid infrastructure to encourage renewable energy supply, the Grid Expansion Acceleration Act was issued to reduce the time required for planning and approval procedures for interstate or international very-high voltage lines.

Further, to prevent security risks, in Germany, investment screening can be utilised by competent authorities to review the acquisition of German firms by foreign buyers on a case-by-case basis under the Foreign Trade Payments Act and the Foreign Trade and Payments Ordinance in energy sectors.

Generally, under the investment screening mechanism, in some specific sectors (meaning grid operation), the parties entering into an acquisition transaction of more than 10 per cent voting rights must notify their transaction to the Ministry of Economic Affairs for the ministrys review. Conversely, in Vietnam, the grid is now under the sole operation and management of Vietnam Electricity while funding from other investors is not yet formally recognised. Further, a screening mechanism similar to that of Germany is also absent.

I believe that Germany can help Vietnam in developing relevant mechanisms to promote the grid as well as prevent unwanted investment in specific sectors. This support can be implemented in various ways, such as training, assignment of experts, and treaty on the collaboration. As a German expert myself, I am more than willing to support Vietnam in this regard.

Soaring German investments are testament to trust in Vietnam Amid the prevailing winds of trade protectionism and escalating international sanctions, German investment in Vietnam is a testament to investors' trust in the potential of the Southeast Asian country.

German Business Association unveils ambitious plan The German Business Association (GBA) has launched its 2024 action plan, focusing on enhancing interaction with its members, expanding its presence in the northern region, and driving strategic development initiatives to strengthen bilateral economic relations with Vietnam.

Germany's Ziehl-Abegg Vietnam inaugurates new production facility in Dong Nai Ziehl-Abegg Vietnam announced the opening of a new production facility in the southern province of Dong Nai on June 12, a significant addition to its global operations.

Germany supports green technology pilot for Vietnamese businesses Green technology pilot for Vietnamese textile and garment exporters were showcased at the Demo Day in Hanoi on June 17 as part of the German governments initiative to support Vietnamese businesses in their green transition.

Germany to ban Chinese telecom giants from 5G network Germany said Thursday it will phase out the use of components from Chinese telecom giants Huawei and ZTE in its 5G networks in the coming years due to national security concerns.

Binh Dinh seeks investment opportunities from Germany, France A delegation from the south central province of Binh Dinh led by Permanent Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Le Kim Toan paid a working trip to Germany and France to explore investment opportunities from July 17-22, reported the provincial Department of Planning and Investment.

German players leading wave of Euro investments European companies including German ones continue to venture into Vietnam as part of their efforts to diversify supply chain and strengthen manufacturing base in Asia.
In early August, a delegation led by the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, John Lee, paid a working visit to Vietnam. The delegation included around 30 leaders from international, mainland Chinese, and Hong Kong enterprises across sectors such as finance and insurance, innovation and technology, professional services, infrastructure, transport and logistics, energy, and hospitality.

Enterprises from Hong Kong often boast some of the most advanced facilities in Vietnam, Photo: Le Toan

The visit yielded fruitful outcomes, with 30 MoUs exchanged between Hong Kong and Vietnamese entities. These agreements span various cooperative areas, including trade, economic partnership, investment, aviation, education, and tourism promotion.

Vietnam is our seventh-largest merchandise trading partner globally, and second-largest among ASEAN countries, Lee said. Beyond trade, we are also keen on investing in Vietnam. Today, many Hong Kong companies and conglomerates have expanded their operations across ASEAN, with Vietnam being a key focus.

I am confident that Vietnams sustainable economic growth, driven by key industries such as manufacturing, construction, services, exports, high-tech and advanced manufacturing, and renewable energy, will continue to present ample market opportunities for Hong Kong companies to thrive.

Several well-established brands have led the way here in this regard. For example, Sun Wah Group has been operating in Vietnam for over 30 years, investing well over $1 billion in diverse sectors, from seafood and coffee to real estate and technology.

Similarly, Cathay Pacific and Swire Group were among the first to collaborate with Vietnam Airlines in its early days. Jardine Matheson, based in Hong Kong, has invested more than $4 billion in Vietnam, engaging in multiple industries and joint ventures. Since 2007, Lee & Man Paper Manufacturing has operated one of the most advanced facilities in Vietnam, producing over 550,000 tonnes of packaging paper annually.

Winnie Lam, general secretary of the Hong Kong Business Association Vietnam and COO of Avison Young Vietnam, said, Hong Kong has consistently been a top foreign investor in Vietnam. Many multinational corporations use Hong Kong as their regional hub and a gateway to Vietnam. Additionally, numerous Hong Kong investments are channelled through offshore entities such as the BVI.

In recent years, Hong Kong has also become a gateway for Chinese companies entering Vietnam. Many of these companies, originally from China and listed in Hong Kong, are expanding globally through Hong Kong, further enhancing the islands status as an international connector and gateway to Vietnam, Lam added.

While real estate, hospitality, and garment manufacturing remain attractive sectors for Hong Kong investors, there is a growing interest in technology, green energy, and environment-related services and products. Vietnams expanding middle-class and rising spending power are also drawing more tertiary service providers to the market, Lam said.

In early August, two Hong Kong-based corporations, Kingboard and Computime, signed MoUs with Standard Chartered Bank.

Kingboard, one of the worlds largest laminate manufacturers, and Computime, a technology and manufacturing company focused on smart and sustainable living, will leverage Standard Chartereds comprehensive financial solutions, including financing, treasury services, and sustainable finance advisory, to expand their business and production lines in Vietnam.

Peter Lam, chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, expressed optimism about the business potential between Hong Kong, Vietnam, and the broader ASEAN region.

In recent years, Hong Kong has made significant strides in new sectors such as innovation and sustainability. Our advancements in green tech, smart manufacturing, and supply chain management, supported by world-class research and development, industrial park infrastructure, and robust government backing, offer substantial opportunities for collaboration with ASEAN businesses, he said.

In addition, Hong Kong is now the largest source of government green bonds in Asia. ASEAN businesses seeking green financing opportunities can rely on Hong Kongs professional services for support, he explained.

Hong Kong toasts return of Vinexpo Asia Vinexpo Asia, the regions leading international wine and spirits trade exhibition, opened to much celebration at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre this week.

Hong Kong Airlines boosts Da Nang tourism with new daily flight Flight HX548, operated by Hong Kong Airlines, landed at Da Nang International Airport on July 19, bringing 152 passengers from Hong Kong (China) to explore and experience tourism services in the central city.

30 Hong Kong companies to visit Vietnam Some 30 leaders of leading international, Mainland Chinese and Hong Kong enterprises and conglomerates will visit Vietnam to explore the investment and business opportunities.

Vietnam Airlines, Hong Kong International Airport cooperate to open new routes National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) (China) will work together to develop new air routes under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that the former presented to its Hong Kong partner on August 1.

Hong Kong delegation signs 30 MoUs with Vietnamese government agencies and businesses A delegation led by Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive John Lee has concluded a working trip to Vietnam, having signed 30 MoUs.

Hong Kong's expertise to help develop Ho Chi Minh City During his visit to Vietnam from July 31August 2, Hong Kong chief executive John Lee expressed his willingness to share the special administrative region's experience of building a global a financial centre with Ho Chi Minh City.
Vietnamese leaders have admitted that the move from fossil energy to renewables is slow going, Photo Le Toan

In a fresh report posted on its website, the ministry (MoIT) stated that the national electricity system will provide enough electricity for national socioeconomic development and demand of the public and enterprises.

In the first seven months of this year, the total output of domestically produced and imported electricity is estimated to hit 174.1 billion kWh, which is 11.7 per cent higher than that in the same period last year.

In 2023, the total output of domestically produced and imported electricity reached 280.6 billion kWh, up 4.56 per cent on-year. It is forecasted that the economys total demand for power this year will increase by about 9.6 per cent on-year, meaning a big burden for the electricity industry.

However, the MoIT cited Vietnam Electricity (EVN) as having reported that in the remaining months of this year, the electricity supply for the public and domestic production will be ensured.

But EVN also admitted that electricity demand will continue to increase at a high level until the years end, while the national power systems reserve capacity is forecast to remain low until the end of October. In the case of of high load combined with unfavourable factors of the power system, there is still a potential risk of having to adjust load during peak hours.

The MoIT said it will continue closely monitor and supervise the supply of fuel such as coal, gas, and oil, and the performance of different electricity sources. It will also direct groups and corporations, as well as related units, to seriously implement solutions to provide sufficient power for the economy in the remaining months of this year.

Urged by the government, the MoIT is now working with the ministries of transport, planning and investment, and construction to speed up the building of the 500kV transmission line project from Quang Trach to Pho Noi, which must be put into operation in early September.

Considered a key initiative in the electricity industry, this 519 kilometre project is costing $931.5 million and is funded by the National Power Transmission Corporation under EVN. It has a scale of two circuits of 500kV transmission line.

For power grid projects currently under construction for power connection and support hydropower sources and electricity importation, the MoIT will focus on working with localities to solve problems in site clearance compensation, and at the same time urge contractors to speed up progress, the ministry stressed.

At present, Vietnam is making efforts to create improvements for the development of renewable energy as part of its international commitment made in 2021 to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

The government also approved the nations Power Development Plan VIII (PDP8) to 2030, with a vision to 2050. Last week, it requested the MoIT to effectively implement the plan.

A decision approving a roadmap for the implementation of the PDP8 has been released, reflecting Vietnams commitment to accelerating the transition from conventional fossil fuels to cleaner and renewable energy sources, addressing environmental concerns, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and aligning with global sustainability targets.

By 2030, Vietnam aims to diversify its energy mix significantly. According to the approved roadmap, the country plans to bolster its capacities in thermal, liquefied-natural-gas thermal, and coal-fired thermal power plants to 14,930MW, 22,400MW, and 30,127MW, respectively.

Meanwhile, the focus will be on ramping up renewable energy sources, with capacities for offshore wind, onshore wind, and biomass power reaching 6,000MW, 21,880MW, and 1,088MW, respectively. Additionally, electricity generated from waste is expected to contribute 1,182MW, alongside an additional capacity of rooftop solar power set at 2,600MW.

To facilitate efficient energy storage, a total capacity of 300MW for battery storage is also planned.

Last December, Vietnam announced its resource mobilisation plan for the Just Energy Transition Partnership, which has been since then fuelled by the international community pledging to accompany the country in its journey. The International Partners Group has committed to mobilise significant financing to support Vietnam towards this goal: At least 15.5 billion ($16.8 billion) in public and private finance in the next few years.

However, the transformation from fossil energy to renewable energy and new energy sources in order to materialise the governments international commitment to achieve net-zero emissions remain at a slow pace, the MoIT admitted in its report.

It is estimated that by 2022, coal-fired power plants accounted for 32.5 per cent in the Vietnams energy mix, while the PDP8 also calls for the gradual transition of such plants to alternative forms of energy.

However, according to the United Nations Development Programme, in future, detailed conversion plans must be prepared for many such plants, and discussed between owners and other stakeholders.

DPPA streamlining closer to acceptance The business community has asked for relaxed regulations for large customers to be able to buy and sell electricity directly.

Durable electricity supply to be ensured Escalating power consumption has sparked an imperative to boost construction of a transmission line and simultaneously mobilise maximum capacity from coal-fired and gas-to-power plants to ensure adequate electricity supply this summer.

Vietnam's PM assures no energy shortages in 2024 at WEF discussion Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a discussion with Professor Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), and around 20 leaders of major WEF corporations on June 26 in Dalian, China.
Some ports are implementing ventures to expand scale and look to the long term, Photo Le Toan

The leadership of PVT Logistics is planning to expand and develop logistics services such as chemical warehouses, bulk cargo and crew supply services, maritime human resources, and more amid stiffening competition in the market.

Deputy director Tran Hong Kien said, In the next five years, our revenue and profit are expected to grow continuously on an annual basis at an average rate of about 11 and 23 per cent, respectively. Return on equity is expected to reach about 14 per cent a year on average. This is a good performance compared to other companies in the same industry.

The company will gradually improve efficiency and standardise investor relations activities, prepare good conditions for expanding charter capital, develop the fleet, and list shares on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange as well as increase the foreign ownership ratio from zero to 49 per cent.

Accordingly, by the end of 2025, PVT Logistics aims to develop the fleet of 14 ships, of which 60 per cent will be chemical tankers of 13,000-25,000DWT and 40 per cent will be bulk carriers of 28,000-65,000DWT. It also plans to increase the charter capital to $27.5 million in 2024 and higher in the following years.

Focusing on the core business of oil/chemical tanker operations, PVT Logistics is currently operating in international markets such as Europe and North America, meeting the requirements of large chartering associations such as Womar Pool and major oil groups such as Shell, ExxonMobil, and Petronas.

To improve operational efficiency, the company has shifted from transporting finished petroleum products to chemicals in the international market to tap into the global energy transition trend. The company is also expanding its operations into the field of bulk cargo transportation of grain and iron ore.

Driven by the transformation, in the first six months of 2024, PVT Logistics continued to record a positive business picture with estimated revenues of $28.66 million, up 18 per cent on-year. Its pre-tax profit reached $2.83 million, up 62 per cent. It is expected that for the whole of 2024, revenue and profit are estimated to hit $54.58 million and $5.83 million, up 18 and 85 per cent on-year.

Similarly, Gemadept prioritises investment and improving the capacity of the port and logistics ecosystem. In the northern market, South Dinh Vu Port aims to reach maximum capacity in 2024, creating a favourable premise for further implementation of phase 3 of the project.

In 2024, Gemadept will continue to implement key projects to expand scale to facilitate its long-term growth plans. They include the expansion of South Dinh Vu Port, the Gemalink deepwater port project, and a project to dredge the depth of Ha Nam canal channel. The company also has ambitions to venture further into new projects, strengthen cooperation, and seek mergers and acquisitions to expand its port-logistics ecosystem.

Germadept recorded net revenue of $49.16 million, up 29 per cent on-year during the period. Of the sum, port and logistics activities reached $41.04 million and $8.16 million, respectively. Revenue growth was attributed to the container handling segment, especially in the southern region, with a leap in both output and handling fees.

Elsewhere, Vietnam Maritime Corporations (VIMC) is focusing on developing a new fleet and new business activities, including acting as a goods sales agent, instead of focusing only on shipping as in the past.

VIMC has actively implemented solutions to market development to grow market share. Specifically, its seaport system continues to develop new container service routes at Danang, Quy Nhon, CMIT, and SSIT ports.

Deputy director Le Quang Trung said, New activities were promoted and brought in positive revenue, contributing positively to total revenue. For example, in the first six months of 2024, subsidiary Vosco recorded $73.75 million from coal trading activities.

He added that the business activities of the entire corporation during the period achieved many positive results. VIMCs shipping output reached 9.5 million tonnes, or 60 per cent of the 2024 plan. VIMCs total revenue reached $536.25 million and total profit reached $117.08 million.

Other domestic logistics companies also witnessed improvements in the January-June span. Revenues of Vietnam Container Corporation in the second quarter reached $29.91 million, up 20 per cent on-year. Profit after tax of the parent company reached $2.83 million, about 2.4 times higher than the same period, mainly coming from financial revenue.

According to Viet Dragon Securities, the export-import value of sea container goods reached $103 billion and $68 billion, up 10 and 8 per cent on-year, respectively.

Asian giants retain grip of Vietnamese logistics sector There will be little change in current trends of mergers and acquisitions in Vietnams logistics industry this year as domestic players remain sellers and Asian investors continue to gain the upper hand.

Logistics primed for Euro take-off While foreign investors are keeping an interest in Vietnamese logistics, the country is being urged to take more drastic action to solve existing problems in order to absorb more European investment in particular.

Vietnamese logistics companies upbeat on 2024 outlook As Vietnam's economy is expected to recover and achieve a growth target of 6 per cent in 2024, logistics businesses are optimistic about the logistics industry in 2024.
Ryan Nickerson is a general assignment reporter for the Houston Chronicle's weather team. He can be reached at ryan.nickerson@houstonchronicle.com.

Before coming to the Chronicle, Ryan worked for Houston Community Newspapers, covering the Bellaire and Memorial areas. Ryan graduated from Texas Southern University, enjoys riding his bike, is passionate about sports, and loves black and white movies.
A person crosses Caroline Street in the afternoon heat Saturday, May 25, 2024, near Discovery Green in Downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer

Excessive heat warnings continue for much of the Houston area Wednesday as the heat dome remains firmly in place.

Houston's hottest week of the year continues through at least Thursday before temperatures finally drop closer to what's normal for late August. As temperatures fall, a plume of deep tropical moisture could bring more widespread rain by next week.

Let's dive directly into the forecast.

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Dangerous heat Wednesday

You probably already know this, but Houston is in the middle of its hottest stretch of weather since last year.

High temperatures at Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport, the official climate site of the city, have averaged 100 degrees since Aug. 16. If you were hoping for cooler weather, Wednesday is definitely not going to be the day.

Afternoon temperatures peak at between 101 and 103 degrees depending on where you are. Some backyard thermometers may even crack 105 degrees. Places inside Loop 610 are most likely to see highs of 103 degrees or a bit higher, with areas outside Beltway 8 likely rising to between 100 and 102 degrees. Regardless of where you're at Wednesday, it's going to be a hot one.

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Not only will it be hot, but Wednesday's heat could be dangerously high. Heat index values of 112 to 115 degrees are likely, resulting in excessive heat warnings for much of Southeast Texas. Heat safety should remain top of mind through this week. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and taking frequent breaks in the shade or air conditioning if possible.

Heat finally breaks

The National Weather Service office in League City, which covers Greater Houston and Galveston, said "the worst of the heat will be behind us as we move into Thursday" in a forecast discussion posted Tuesday.

What's behind temperatures gradually falling? The heat dome responsible for this week's hot weather will finally begin to loosen its tight grip on the Lone Star State. This means highs above 100 degrees will yield to highs in the upper 90s by Friday. While not exactly "cool," it's at least closer to normal for late August and that trend will continue through the upcoming weekend.

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Forecast highs this weekend are going to be between 95 and 97 degrees for Houston as rain chances finally return.

Tropical moisture next week?

A pattern change is expected into next week as an area of low pressure could bring tropical moisture to Southeast Texas.

Visible satellite is shown above the Atlantic basin on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. No organized tropical development is expected through early next week, though an influx of deep tropical moisture could move from the northeast Gulf of Mexico toward Texas. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Global forecast models are latching onto the idea that an area of low pressure will attempt to develop off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. This disturbance will travel westward across the Gulf into next week, potentially bringing with it a surge of deep tropical moisture. Will tropical trouble develop from this? At this point, it's hard to say for sure, but it is something we'll have to closely watch over the next couple of days.

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Justin Ballard is the Houston Chronicle's first ever newsroom meteorologist. He can be reached at justin.ballard@houstonchronicle.com.

He brings five years of experience forecasting tropical systems, severe weather outbreaks, and blizzards to the Houston Chronicle. His unique experience in forecasting will serve him well in his role at the Chronicle, as Houston has experienced a number of impactful weather events in recent years.

Justin looks forward to his work with the Houston Chronicle, where he'll be responsible for posting daily weather forecasts. On top of daily forecasts, he is excited to tackle more in-depth weather and climate stories that impact the residents of Southeast Texas.

A North Carolina native, Justin joined the Chronicle in July 2023. He graduated with his bachelor's degree in meteorology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in December 2017.
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Nevadas Supreme Court declined Tuesday to wade into an electoral controversy despite pleas from the state's top election official and attorney general after one county initially voted against certifying recount results from the June primary.

The Democratic officials wanted the justices to make clear that counties have no legal authority to refuse to certify election results.

The high court said in a ruling that the matter was moot since the Washoe County Commission's original 3-2 vote against certification was later nullified when it re-voted the following week to certify the results.

The court dismissed Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar and Attorney General Aaron Ford's request for a ruling declaring the commission acted illegally. But the justices also made clear that they have the legal authority to make such a declaration and warned they may do so on an expedited basis if it becomes an issue again.

As petitioner argues, even when an issue becomes moot, we may still consider the issue if it constitutes a matter of widespread importance capable of repetition, the court said.

Aguilar and Ford had argued that it's likely the county commission would refuse to certify results from the general election in November. The court agreed that the issue is important but said it wasn't persuaded there would be a repeat.

Aguilar and Ford did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

Once seen as a mundane and ministerial task, election certification has become a pressure point since the 2020 election. During the midterms two years later, a scenario similar to what is unfolding in Washoe County played out in New Mexico after that states primary, when a rural county delayed certification and relented only after the secretary of state appealed to the states supreme court.

Aguilar and Ford said in their request to the Supreme Court that Nevada law makes canvassing election results  including recounts  by a certain date a mandatory legal duty for the county commission. It also says commissioners have no discretion to refuse or otherwise fail to perform this duty.

Aguilar and Ford have argued previously that the certification flap has potential implications this November in one of the nations most important swing counties, which includes Reno and Sparks. Voter registration there is roughly split into thirds among Democrats, Republicans and nonpartisans.

It is unacceptable that any public officer would undermine the confidence of their voters, Aguilar said.

Two of the Republican Washoe County commissioners  Jeanne Herman and Mike Clark  have consistently voted against certifying results and are supported by a wider movement that promotes election conspiracy theories. Republican Clara Andriola, whom that movement targeted in the primaries, initially joined them in voting against certification, one of which involved the primary race she won.

After the board revisited the issue and approved the recount numbers, Andriola said she reversed course after speaking with the county district attorneys office. She said it made clear that the commissions duty is to certify election results without discretion.

Our responsibility is to follow the law, Andriola said.

Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford released this statement:

"I respect the Supreme Court's decision, although I strongly believe that legal uncertainty in this matter contributes to unfounded distrust in our elections. I will continue to work with Secretary of State Aguilar to protect Nevadans' right to have their electoral voices heard."

(Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)

AUGUST 20, 2024:

Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar and Attorney General Aaron D. Ford have filed a brief urging the Nevada Supreme Court to confirm the legal obligations of Washoe County commissioners and hear the petition filed by both offices following the Washoe County Board of Commissioners failure to certify two vote counts in the June Primary.

"While the Washoe County Board of Commissioners corrected their failure to canvass the recounted elections, their initial vote sent a dangerous message. The Supreme Court must take up this issue and confirm the obligation of county commissioners to certify the votes of their constituents, said Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar. We must have a legal precedent affirming that the canvass of the vote is ministerial, and that no elected official can deny the results of a legitimate election.

Im grateful to our partners in the Attorney Generals Office for their commitment to our democracy and dedication to upholding the integrity of our elections."

Last month, Washoe County commissioners voted 4-1 to canvass the results of two primary election races that underwent recounts. The vote reverses a previous vote on the issue made by the Commission.

Commissioner Clara Andriola said she received the clarification she needed from the Registrar of Voters office to canvass the vote.

Commissioner Michael Clark said he was made aware that the commission vote to canvass the election is not discretionary, and that he could face criminal prosecution and be removed from office for not voting to certify the election results.

Commissioner Jeanne Herman was the sole vote against certifying the election results.

"Yesterday, my office filed a brief with Nevada Supreme Court explaining why our case against the Washoe County Board of Commissioners for initially refusing to certify the June 2024 primary election recount results is not moot," said Attorney General Aaron Ford.

"Although the Board eventually canvassed the recount results, we have asked the Court not to dismiss our case so as to provide clear guidance on this important issue. It is vital that the Court to make a ruling confirming the legal obligation of county commissioners to canvass and certify election results. Otherwise, we run the risk of further voter disenfranchisement and the destabilization of Nevada and federal elections."
Prolific rock musician Neil Young, 78, is releasing his most copiously comprehensive box set yet: Neil Young Archives Vol. III (19761987), a heap of recorded history stretching across 198 tracks, 11 films and 28 hours. Fifteen tunes are previously unreleased, and you can hear one of the prettiest now, Lady Wingshot, which premiered exclusively on AARP on Aug. 21.

Listen to Lady Wingshot by clicking on the video player above.

Members only

Its a midtempo duet with the late Nicolette Larson, Youngs partner on the 1978 hit Lotta Love, recorded Nov. 10, 1977, in Nashville. At the end, you hear persnickety perfectionist Young complaining that one guitar is just a little louder than all the other ones.

For Young, the archive is not a retirement hobby. He remains an active recording and touring musician, an outspoken environmental activist and a mercurial rock insurrectionist. Hes also one of the most demanding music historians alive, especially when it comes to his music. The limited deluxe edition of Neil Young Archives Vol. III (19761987), available at neilyoungarchives.com for $449.98 starting Sept. 6, holds 17 CDs and five Blu-rays, plus a 160-page book and a poster. (Thats $2.15 per tune or movie; theres also a 17-disc CD box set of only the music for $240.) It spans 11 studio albums, including country/folk Comes a Time, grunge prototype Rust Never Sleeps, rockabilly detour Everybodys Rockin and Kraftwerk-influenced electronic Trans.

The "Neil Young Archives Vol. III" box set. Courtesy Warner Records

Tracks youve never heard before outnumber previously released versions of songs by about double: 121 to 62. The new ones are unreleased versions of live performances, studio cuts, mixes or edits.

The massive deluxe edition features his never-released albums Oceanside Countryside, Johnnys Island and Summer Songs, and unreleased films Across the Water, Boarding House, Trans and Catalyst. Sprinkled throughout the collection are Rap tracks, with Youngs comments on recording details. Rarities abound. On A Snapshot in Time, Young is heard rehearsing with Larson and Linda Ronstadt. The 1976 European and Japanese tour by Young and Crazy Horse is captured in Across the Water. Theres even the 1982 comedy he codirected and starred in, Human Highway.


June 2024 Quarterly Financial Statements and MD&A

Toronto, Aug 21, 2024 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Resouro Strategic Metals Inc.( ASX:RAU ) ( CVE:RSM ) ( 8TX:FRA ) ( RSGOF:OTCMKTS ) is a mineral exploration and development company focused on the discovery and advancement of economic mineral projects in Brazil, including the Tiros Titanium and Rare Earth Elements Project ("Tiros Project") in Minas Gerais and the Novo Mundo Gold Project in Mato Grosso.



Resouro Strategic Metals Inc., formerly Resouro Gold Inc., was incorporated on August 4, 1992 under the laws of British Columbia, Canada. The Company's head office and registered is Suite 250 997 Seymour Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6B 3M1. The Company's shares are listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (the "ASX") under the symbol "RAU", the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSX.V") under the symbol "RSM", the Over-the-Counter pink sheet US exchange (the "OTC") under the symbol "RSGOF" and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (the "FSE") under the symbol "8TX".



The Company has four subsidiaries. Ison Mining Pte Ltd. ("ISON") is owned by Resouro. ISON was incorporated under the laws of Singapore. ISON owns 100% of the outstanding shares of ISON do Brasil Mineracao Ltda ("ISON do Brasil"), a company incorporated under the laws of Brazil. Tiros Stratmet Pte Ltd ("TSPS") is 100% owned by Resouro. TSPS was incorporated under the laws of Singapore. TSPS owns 90% of the outstanding shares of Tiros Minerais Estrategicos Mineracao Ltda ("TMEL"), a company incorporated under the laws of Brazil. A third party holds a 10% non-controlling interest ("NCI") over the Tiros project assets through its 10% ownership of TMEL.



The Company changed its fiscal year end to March 31st effective May 15, 2022, upon the completion of the Company's reverse takeover transaction ("RTO") (Note 3). The change in the fiscal year end to March 31st was made in order to streamline the Company's financial reporting.



The Company is an exploration stage company and has interests in mineral exploration properties in Brazil.



Substantially all of the Company's efforts are devoted to financing and developing these properties and/or acquiring new ones. There has been no determination whether the Company's interests in mineral exploration properties contain mineral reserves, which are economically recoverable. The recoverability of resources discovered is dependent upon the reserves being economically recoverable, the ability of the Company to obtain the necessary financing to complete their exploration and development, confirmation of the Company's interest in the underlying claims and leases, ability to obtain the necessary permits to mine, and future profitable production or proceeds from the disposition of these assets.



These condensed interim consolidated financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis, which assumes that the Company will be able to meet its obligations and continue its operations for the next twelve months. Realization values may be substantially different from the carrying values shown and these condensed interim consolidated financial statements do not give effect to adjustments that would be necessary to the carrying values and classification of assets and liabilities should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern. The Company's continuing operations and the ability of the Company to meet mineral property and other commitments are dependent upon the ability of the Company to continue to raise additional equity or debt financing and to seek joint venture partners. At the date of these condensed interim consolidated financial statements, the Company has not achieved profitable operations and has accumulated losses since inception. The Company had a working c capital surplus of $5,869,095 (March 31, 2024 $900,874) and an accumulated deficit attributable to shareholders of $11,714,559 (March 31, 2024 $9,805,476) for the three months ended June 30, 2024. The Company has incurred a loss from operations of $2,003,097 for the three months ended June 30, 2024 (June 30, 2023 $554,819).



These factors indicate the existence of material uncertainties that may cast significant doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern, and accordingly, the appropriateness of the use of accounting principles applicable to a going concern. Management estimates that the Company currently has adequate capital to operate for the coming year.



*To view the full quarterly report including Management Discussion and Analysis, please visit:

https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/0A4C2SK6





About Resouro Strategic Metals Inc.





Resouro Strategic Metals Inc. (ASX:RAU) (CVE:RSM) (OTCMKTS:RSGOF) (FRA:8TX) is a Canadian-based mineral exploration and development company focused on the discovery and advancement of economic mineral projects in Brazil, including the rare earth elements and titanium Tiros Project and the Novo Mundo and Santa Angela gold projects.



The Tiros Project, located in northern Minas Gerais, Brazil, is an exploration project focused on rare earth elements and titanium covering an area of approximately 450 km2. The Tiros Project comprises 17 exploration permits, and one exploration permit application held by the Company's Brazilian subsidiary; and 6 exploration permits and one exploration permit application that have been validly assigned to the Company's Brazilian subsidiary and are awaiting ANM approval. The Company holds, via its wholly owned Brazilian subsidiary, a 90% interest in the Tiros Project and the remaining 10% interest in the Tiros Project is held by RBM Consultoria Mineral Eireli (RBM), an unrelated third-party vendor.



The Novo Mundo Project is located in the Alta Floresta Gold Province close to the northern border of the state of Mato Grosso, central Brazil. Within the licensed area is the small town of Novo Mundo, which is 30km west from the larger town of Guaranta do Norte. It comprises three exploration permits. The Company also has another interest in an exploration permit, being the Santa Angela Project, which is not considered material to the Company's operations. Interests in the Novo Mundo Project and Santa Angela Project are held via the Company's wholly owned subsidiary.

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Husband and wife owners Bobby and Janice Jucker wave at a customer as they stand inside Three Brothers Bakery on South Braeswood in Houston, TX on August 9, 2024. The Jewish bakery has survived four floods and two hurricanes, including Hurricane Harvey. Sharon Steinmann Young customers look at pastries on display at Three Brothers Bakery on South Braeswood in Houston, TX on August 9, 2024. Sharon Steinmann A baker decorates cakes at Three Brothers Bakery on South Braeswood in Houston, TX on August 9, 2024. The Jewish bakery has survived four floods, including Hurricane Harvey. Sharon Steinmann Political themed cookies are pictured at Three Brothers Bakery on South Braeswood in Houston, TX on August 9, 2024. Sharon Steinmann Husband and wife owners Bobby and Janice Jucker sit inside Three Brothers Bakery on South Braeswood in Houston, TX on August 9, 2024. The Jewish bakery has survived four floods, including Hurricane Harvey. Sharon Steinmann Customers look at pastries on display at Three Brothers Bakery on South Braeswood in Houston, TX on August 9, 2024. Sharon Steinmann

Few people would voluntarily crown themselves the King and Queen of Disaster. But Bobby and Janice Jucker, co-owners of Three Brothers Bakery, proudly embrace the title. After enduring four floods, two hurricanes, a fire, a pandemic, a freeze and a freak derecho  sustaining at least $5.39 million in total losses over 23 years  theyve earned it.

Their South Braeswood location, which has served the neighborhood by Brays Bayou since 1960, is a monument to resilience after Houstons worst natural disasters. Like so many properties in the area, it has been rebuilt over and over again: in 2008, after Hurricane Ike tore their roof clean off, in 2015 and 2016 after the Memorial Day and Tax Day floods filled the store with water, and in 2017, when Hurricane Harvey pumped a 4.5-foot deep river through their industrial kitchen. The current was so strong it knocked over 800 pounds of ice.

Each time, concerned customers and the media have asked the Juckers, is this it? Will the beloved bakery close for good? Each time, against all odds, theyve been buoyed back into business with the help of two critical life rafts: the National Flood Insurance Program and U.S. Small Business Administration loans. Two things that Project 2025, the Heritage Foundations sweeping conservative blueprint for Donald Trumps second term, hopes to dismantle.

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Weve already shared our pressing concerns about Project 2025s dangerous policy buffet  a smorgasbord so transparently authoritarian even Trump has tried to distance himself from it. But nestled deep in the 922-page agenda is a nugget of commonsense criticism that is worth seriously engaging with. It represents the central dilemma that Houston, and other coastal cities like it, will have to grapple with to survive a new normal of extreme weather wrought by climate change.

The NFIP was created six decades ago to provide Americans affordable flood insurance at a time when many private insurers were fleeing the market. Both the left and right have criticized the program for encouraging people to buy, build and rebuild in flood-prone areas. As Project 2025 points out, taxpayers have already bailed out the NFIP 16 times in 25 years, totaling $42 billion in loans and grants, and the program is currently $20 billion in the red. Clearly, Project 2025 architects argue, the NFIP must go.

We agree something needs to change. We cant keep subsidizing properties that flood repeatedly and incentivizing people to keep building there. But in a state like Texas, where 1 in 6 people live in a flood hazard zone and 98% of the population lives in a community that participates in the NFIP, can we afford to get rid of what is often the only thing keeping small businesses afloat after disaster?

Already, 43% of small and mid-sized businesses that close after a disaster never reopen and an additional 29% go out of business within two years, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This year, the May derecho and Hurricane Beryl were the final nail in the coffin for several of the 15 Houston-area restaurants forced to shut their doors  some a few months after opening. The ripple effects of those losses  on the local economy and the families whom the businesses sustained  are devastating.

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Without the NFIP, Three Brothers Bakery would be one flood away from closing permanently and leaving 75 people without a job, Janice told two editorial board members who met her at the Braeswood location a few weeks ago. That shop is the nerve center, servicing their three other locations in Memorial, Washington and Tanglewood. If that one goes, so do the other ones.

Three Brothers Bakery on S. Braeswood took on four and a half feet of water in Hurricane Harvey flooding. Katrina Kidder

When Harvey flooded their labyrinthine kitchen, filling their commercial mixing bowls and more than half a dozen industrial coolers with poopoo water, Janice said, they were overwhelmed. The smell of spillage from the wastewater treatment plant up the street prompted the unlucky staff member who discovered the damage to throw up. Sky-high stacks of flour were spoiled. Racks and racks of baked goods were trashed. The motors on three vans were completely shot. It was like cleaning up with toothbrushes, Janice said.

Dina Rodas makes cupcakes at Three Brothers Bakery on South Braeswood in Houston, TX on August 9, 2024. The Jewish bakery has survived four floods and two hurricanes, including Hurricane Harvey. Sharon Steinmann

But the Juckers pride themselves on paying their people, no matter what. Its the number one lesson they teach other small businesses to prioritize. Armed with the funds to pay their employees overtime, they were able to reopen after only 17 days.

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The insurance made all the difference, Thomas Baker, the shops manager of 14 years, told us. Those payments helped get us back up and running and we were able to maintain our legacy. He pointed to a photo above his office door frame. It was a portrait of Sigmund Jucker, one of the three Jewish brothers who originally founded the bakery after surviving the Holocaust and fleeing Poland in 1949. Today, it is still a staple among many Jewish families and institutions breaking challah together every Friday evening to mark another week. Its a community that understands disaster better than some, with many Meyerland-area families themselves facing repeat floods. The financial precarity of all these disasters and loans even lost the bakery its kosher certification in 2019.

We reached the point where we had to ask the question: Will we be a closed kosher bakery  permanently closed  or a bakery that makes Jewish-style products? Jucker told the Jewish Herald-Voice at the time. We had to choose the latter.

A baker makes Rugelach at Three Brothers Bakery on South Braeswood in Houston, TX on August 9, 2024. Sharon Steinmann

While Project 2025 raises important points about a well-intentioned program in need of reform, it is drastically shortsighted in its solutions. For both the NFIP and the SBA loan program  without which Janice says Three Brothers Bakery would have gone broke three times  the plan insists that privatization is the answer to reduce federal bloat.

They seem to be unaware of the fact that private insurers arent exactly flocking to the flood insurance market, Rob Moore, a senior policy analyst for the environmental advocacy group NRDC Action Fund, said. Thats the very reason the program began in the first place. Already, our high-risk Houston area has prompted insurers to raise premiums to impossible highs, pricing out Houstonians who need insurance more than ever.

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But where Moore agrees with Project 2025 is with the need to rethink the role of federal, state and local government in disaster recovery. States do need to shoulder a larger burden, he said. When states constantly rely on FEMA for smaller disasters, they leave the agency with fewer resources to respond to unprecedented events, such as in 2017, when FEMA cleaned up four major disasters simultaneously: Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and the California wildfires. Moore pointed out Texas excruciating hesitation to dip into its Rainy Day Fund  on literally the rainiest day possible, he said  to fund Harvey recovery efforts. From our nearly three-hour interview with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the head of the Texas Division of Emergency Management after Hurricane Beryl, its clear Texas is already moving away from dependence on FEMA for immediate aid.

Janice still believes the state could do more to bring Texans relief. After the 2021 freeze, she helped push Texas lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 678, a framework for a small business disaster recovery loan program. She hopes to get it funded next session, allowing affected businesses to access bridge loans of up to $50,000 to pay employees and reopen after a disaster.

Linda Connelly of Houston buys pastries at Three Brothers Bakery on South Braeswood in Houston, TX on August 9, 2024. The Jewish bakery has survived four floods, including Hurricane Harvey. Sharon Steinmann

While we were speaking with Janice and Bobby, one customer, Linda Connelly, came over to thank them. She was touched by the Juckers' kindness during Beryl. They had opened their doors to Connelly and her family, who were without power, and gifted them apple pie and cinnamon rolls. These people are heaven, she said.

Its fair to question whether we should prop up businesses that have flooded over and over again. And even to consider whether it might be cheaper in the long run to spend millions buying out or relocating flood-prone commercial properties. But tell that to the third, fourth and fifth-generation customers who cant imagine their neighborhood without that little corner bakery.

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Media consulting firm Ormax Media has released the latest edition of Indias largest audience research to size the OTT universe in the country, titled The Ormax OTT Audience Report: 2024. Based on a sample size of 12,000 across urban and rural India, the research was conducted in June and July of 2024.

Select findings of the report released by Ormax Media reveal that the Indian OTT audience universe is currently pegged at 547.3 million (or 54.73 crore) people. This translates to a penetration of 38.4%. The 13.8% growth in the universe vis-a-vis 2023 is entirely driven by the AVOD audience, which grew by 21%, while the SVOD segment witnessed a degrowth of 2%. The report defines an OTT audience who watched at least one online video (free or paid) in the last one month. The report breaks down this universe by gender, age, NCCS, pop strata, states, and cities.

Speaking about the findings of the report, Keerat Grewal, Head of Business Development (Streaming, TV & Brands), Ormax Media, said, While the overall expansion rate of the OTT universe has stably been around the 13%-mark post-pandemic, this years report highlights the significant role of AVOD segment in expanding the universe. The growth is driven by AVOD audiences, with most of the new entrants into the category watching video content only on YouTube and social media. The stagnation in SVOD audience size is also reflective of the trend, whereby free content is driving OTT growth in small town and rural India.

The report reveals that India has 99.6 million active paid (B2C) OTT subscriptions, a number very similar to last year. The average number of platforms subscribed to per paying audience member has come down from 2.8 to 2.5 in 2024, highlighting the waning need among audiences to subscribe to too many platforms.

This years report also elaborates on various devices used by the OTT audience in India to watch online video content. Smartphone emerges as the most preferred device to watch online video content, with 97% of Indian OTT audience using it, and a sizeable 81% audience watching OTT content only on their smartphone. The connected TV audience base is estimated at 69.7 million.

Elaborating on the significance of the report, Grewal said, This years report offers an in-depth look at the dynamic growth and future trajectory of the OTT landscape in India, that can help OTT platforms and agencies with growth strategy, acquisition and retention decisions, revenue planning and content strategy. We have also expanded the scope of this years report to provide an insight into devices of consumption, which will help in defining distribution strategy. This report stands as a testament to Ormax Medias ongoing commitment to providing insights that empower platforms, production companies, and agencies to enhance profitability through data and analytics.
GRM Overseas, India's leading exporters of Basmati rice, and a leading player in the India's FMCG sector, is thrilled to announce the signing of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan as its brand ambassador for Its Basmati Rice and Wheat Flour(Atta). Salman Khan's popularity, among people across GRMs target market geographies and demographics fit perfectly with 10X.

Harnessing Salman Khans Stardom for Unprecedented Impact

Salman Khan is not just a beloved actor; he is a cultural icon with a massive fan base spanning across India and beyond. His unparalleled popularity, coupled with his relatable and down-to-earth persona, makes him an ideal ambassador for GRM. Salmans influence extends beyond the silver screen, resonating with audiences across various demographics, from urban centers to rural heartlands. His widespread appeal ensures that GRM reaches every corner of the country. By partnering with Salman Khan, GRM is set to leverage his iconic status to further strengthen its brand presence and connect with millions of consumers globally.

His association with GRM underscores the brands commitment to quality and excellence, making him the perfect face to represent their mission of delivering the finest products to households everywhere.

"We are incredibly excited to have Salman Khan join the GRM family," said Atul Garg, Managing Director of GRM Overseas. "We found Salmans mass appeal and fanbase to be a perfect match for our 10X brand range of Basmati Rice and 10x Shakti range of Wheat Flour(Atta)."

Salman Khans unparalleled fame and widespread appeal make him a household name across India and beyond. Revered by millions for his charisma and authenticity, Salmans influence reaches every demographic, creating a deep connection with audiences of all ages. His dedication to health and fitness is widely recognized, further solidifying his status as a role model for those aspiring to lead a healthier lifestyle. By associating with Salman Khan, GRM not only taps into his immense popularity but also reinforces its commitment to delivering premium, nutritious products that resonate with consumers. Salmans iconic status ensures that GRMs message of quality and well-being will reach and inspire a vast audience, making him an ideal ambassador to elevate the brands presence.

Speaking on the association, Salman Khan said "I'm excited to partner with GRM, a brand that shares my belief in the importance of quality and authenticity. I believe we can inspire more people to make healthier, more conscious food choices in their daily lives. Looking forward to seeing where this journey takes us together."

Both GRM and Salman Khan believe in the power of family, community and the impact of collective progress. Through his influence, GRM aims to inspire and engage consumers globally, encouraging them to be part of a movement that prioritizes sustainability and empowerment.
John Saunders, CEO and Global President of FleishmanHillard under Omnicom PR Group, will be stepping down on October 1, with J.J. Carter taking over his role. At that time, Saunders will assume the position of chairman. Carter, at present the Global Chief Operating Officer and President of the Americas for FleishmanHillard, will be reporting to Omnicom PR Group CEO Chris Foster in his new capacity and join the global leadership team.

Carter will continue to work from San Francisco, with no plans to relocate to St. Louis, Missouri, the place where Saunders is based, or to New York City.

Saunders, originally from Dublin, Ireland, has led FleishmanHillard for nine years. He was appointed Regional President for EMEA in 2011, following his role as Regional Director for Europe, which he began seven years earlier. He led the foundation of Fleishman-Hillard Saunders in 1990.

In 2023, Ciscos North America PR business was retained by the company which continues to work with pivotal clients such as JPMorgan Chase, Johnson & Johnson, Philips, Samsung and PepsiCo. However, the firm lost major accounts like UPS and AT&T, with the latter choosing Jackson Spalding as its lead PR agency.

Carter has been with FleishmanHillard since the year 2005, taking on several leadership roles before being named Global Chief Operating Officer and President of the Americas in 2016.
Joy Personal Care, the Indian home-grown personal care brand, under the aegis of RSH Global, announced Medha Shankr, a national crush as its new brand ambassador. Known for her roles that celebrate determination, femininity, and simplicity, Medha represents todays young women. Her inspiring journey and relatable persona perfectly align with Joy Personal Care's commitment towards inclusivity and breaking stereotypes.

A breath of fresh air in Bollywood, Medha's powerful performances and refreshing presence have captured the hearts of millions. Her strong connection with young people makes her the perfect face for Joy Personal Care, a brand that values individuality and self-care.

Sunil Agarwal, Founder and Chairman of Joy Personal Care (RSH Global), remarked, We are glad to on board Medha Shankr, a talented actor as our brand ambassador. Her refreshing approach and genuine charm align with our brands principles of authenticity and inclusivity. This association will help us forge a deeper connection with our audience.

Poulomi Roy, Chief Marketing Officer of Joy Personal Care (RSH Global), added, Medha Shankrs vibrant persona and strong rapport with young women make her a perfect fit for an ambassador of Joy Personal Care. Her powerful on-screen presence and genuine connection with the audience make her an ideal ambassador. As a young, confident, and inspiring role model, Medha resonates deeply with the consumers. We are confident her involvement will greatly further our mission to inspire confidence and embrace natural beauty.

Medha Shankr expressed her enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, I am thrilled to begin this new journey as Joy Personal Cares brand ambassador. Promoting the brand's core message of embracing inner beauty aligns perfectly with my values. We should all celebrate our unique beauty and feel confident in our own skin.



Also Read: Joy Personal Care aims to democratise sports viewing: Poulomi Roy
In 2023, the U.S. broke a world record for a single country's annual production of crude oil. And it appears on track to break that record this year. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer

Not much of a 'war' on oil

Regarding Colin Allred tries to reassure oil and gas workers while also supporting renewable energy (Aug. 15): In the article referenced there is a quote from Sen. Ted Cruz with regards to the Biden administration: Theyve waged a war on U.S. oil and gas production.

On March 11, 2024, the U.S. Energy Information Administration published actual data on annual crude oil production showing that we produced more oil than any other nation in history over the past six years. In 2023, the U.S. broke a world record for annual production of crude oil by one country. Forbes reported in April that the pace of daily oil production was even higher than the 2023 record year.

Based on the political dialogue in some corners, this might be surprising. In fact, Drill baby drill appears to be exactly what is going on already. It sure doesnt look like the war on oil is hurting our domestic producers.

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In 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, demand for gasoline cratered and so did the prices. Thats why gas prices in Texas briefly dropped as low as $1.57 per gallon. It wasnt some great stroke of genius by the prior administration but rather a consequence of a horrible situation that none of us want to go through again.

Heres a fact: Gasoline prices here today are roughly the same as they were at the start of 2011. This despite the fact that our domestic production of crude oil has more than doubled over that time. Check the facts, listen to the rhetoric, decide for yourself what makes sense.

Joseph Quinlan, Houston

HISD tragedy

Regarding Father of late HISD student says nurse did not know CPR (Aug. 16): I am appalled but sadly, not surprised, that a student died because a school nurse apparently did not know CPR. I have long wondered if school nurse is an accurate title and if they have actual nursing training.

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Years ago, a school nurse called me to tell me that she thought my daughter had gangrene in her finger. What she had was a black fingernail where she had smashed it! No one should be called a nurse unless they have gone through nursing training, which includes CPR. Whatever their title, they should all be trained in CPR, which does not require a nursing degree. Experts will say that even if you do CPR improperly, it is better than nothing. But proper training is even better.

Emily Murphy, Kingwood

Tap Metro funds

Regarding the editorial Show us the money. Whitmire should reveal how hell fix Houstons budget. (Aug. 15): The mayor has been voicing his solution since January: Metropolitan Transit Authority.

By ending its pursuit of the University Bus Rapid Transit Line project, Metro doesnt have as much need to use its funding for capital expenditures. Major transit projects typically require years of planning and community engagement before spending money on construction.

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The mayor appoints five of the nine positions on Metros board of directors. The writing is on the wall that Metros general fund balance can be used by the mayor to help bridge any Houston budget gap that materializes in the near future. Metro has a AAA bond rating, and a $100 million transfer to the city wont change that.



Art Smiley, Humble

Trump is no Maduro

Regarding the letter to the editor Trump is Americas Maduro (Aug. 16): I believe that Tom Hix needs to read up on right- and left-wing politics. Kamala Harris is a left-wing Democrat. Donald Trump is a right-wing conservative Republican.

As a Democrat, Harris believes in more government control, higher taxes and large welfare and social programs. As a Republican, Trump believes in smaller government, and fewer regulations over the economy. How, then, does that put him in the category of a dictator?

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Each party says terrible things about the other, but fact-checking would really be helpful. No, Mr. Hix, Trump should not be mentioned in the same breath as Maduro. Read up on what each of these candidates want for this country. Dont believe everything you read or hear.
Rediscover the magic of Bollywoods golden era with the re-release of timeless classicMaine Pyaar Kiya (1989), marking the movies 35th anniversary. As part of our PVR INOX Timeless Hits initiative, these beloved films are returning to the big screen across 35 locations nationwide, offering you the chance to immerse yourself once again in their captivating romance, drama, and unforgettable music. Maine Pyaar Kiya became a cornerstone of Bollywood romance, introducing audiences to the heartwarming love story of Salman Khan and Bhagyashree.



Blink Twice

Step into the gripping world of psychological thriller, Blink Twice, Zoe Kravitzs fearless directorial debut that blends pulse-pounding suspense with biting social satire. When tech mogul Slater King (Channing Tatum) whisks cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) away to his private island, it feels like a dream come true. But as strange and unsettling events unfold, paradise quickly becomes a nightmare. Frida must unravel the islands dark secrets before its too late.

Featuring a star-studded cast including Simon Rex, Alia Shawkat, and Christian Slater, Blink Twice is more than just a thrillerits a razor-sharp dissection of power, privilege, and the perilous games people play. Kravitzs daring vision combines high-stakes tension with sly humour, delivering a film thats as thought-provoking as it is exhilarating. As the story twists and turns, youll find yourself questioning whats real, all while being thoroughly entertained.

Alien: Romulus

The Xenomorphs are finally back in theatres for the first time since 2017, seven years after Alien: Covenant, with Alien: Romulus. This seventh instalment in the legendary sci-fi horror franchise bridges the gap between Ridley Scotts 1979 original and James Camerons explosive 1986 sequel, Aliens. Directed by Fede Alvarez and produced by Scott, Alien: Romulus plunges a group of young space colonistsplayed by Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, and Archie Renauxinto a nightmare as they stumble upon a derelict space station in the darkest reaches of the galaxy. What they discover is the stuff of legend: Xenomorphs, the deadliest creatures in the universe, lying in wait.

With stunning production design by Naaman Marshall, Alien: Romulus captures the gritty, lived-in feel of the original films and introduces fresh terrors that will leave audiences on the edge of their seats. The film delves deep into themes of isolation, fear, and the dangers of unchecked corporate greed, making it a worthy successor in the franchise. Its another great film to transport you back as if you are watching an Aliens movie for the first time. Releasing in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu, Alien: Romulus is set to reawaken the terror that made Alien an enduring classic.



Harold and the Purple Crayon

Some stories never lose their charm, and Harold and the Purple Crayon is among them. The beloved tale makes its colourful leap from page to screen, ready to enchant a new generation. The film, a delightful blend of animation and live-action, is set to charm audiences of all ages. Directed by Carlos Saldanha, known for his work on family favourites like Ice Age and Rio, this film marks the first-ever adaptation of Crockett Johnsons beloved 1955 childrens book.

In this whimsical adventure, we follow the grown-up Harold, played by Zachary Levi, who discovers that his magical purple crayon can bring anything he draws to lifeeven outside the pages of his book! But as Harold enters the real world, he learns that his drawings can cause more mischief than he bargained for. Alongside a star-studded cast, including Lil Rel Howery, Jemaine Clement, and Zooey Deschanel, Harold must navigate the challenges that come with such a powerful tool, all while trying to save both his imaginative world and the real one from chaos.

With a screenplay by David Guion and Michael Handelman, this lively adaptation is a heartwarming and humorous celebration of the power of creativity and imagination. Harold and the Purple Crayon promises to be a joyous and uplifting journey for the whole family, filled with laughter and inspiration.



Fakt Purusho Maate (Gujarati)

Fakt Purusho Maate is poised to be a must-watch family entertainer this week, bringing Amitabh Bachchan back to the big screen in a pivotal role as God. This sequel to the 2022 hit Fakt Mahilao Maate promises to entertain and spark conversations on gender equality and intergenerational conflicts. Directed by Jay Bodas and Parth Trivedi, the film weaves together humour and depth as it explores the sacred 16 days of Shraadh (Kaagvas) in a vibrant Gujarati setting.

The story follows Purshottam, portrayed by Darshan Jariwala, who returns from the afterlife to meddle in his grandson Brijeshs (Yash Soni) love life. As Purshottams old-fashioned ideals clash with the modern values of Brijesh and his fiancee, played by Esha Kansara, comedic chaos ensues. The film cleverly uses magical realism to create a narrative that challenges traditional patriarchal views while embracing the complexities of contemporary relationships. With its mix of light-hearted comedy and profound themes, Fakt Purusho Maate has already generated a lot of buzz in the industry. Bachchans performance as God adds a layer of gravitas to this delightful exploration of the conflicts between tradition and modernity.
Bollywood's favourite superstar, Sanjay Dutt, is back to set hearts racing, but this time, it's not on the silver screen. A long-standing connoisseur of Scotch and brand ambassador for The Cartel Bros, premium scotch whisky brand The Glenwalk, Sanjay Dutt announces the launch of the brands newest innovation: the Zero-Calorie Ginger Ale. This latest venture marks another milestone in their successful partnership as the actor introduces a refreshing twist on a classic.

The latest addition to the Glenwalk family, the Zero-Calorie Ginger Ale, is a testament to the brand's commitment to innovation and health. Crafted with the finest natural ingredients and a unique blend of spices, this refreshing beverage delivers a bold ginger flavour without the guilt. Scaling new heights, the new range is now available at all retail outlets in Mumbai and is coming soon on quick e-commerce platforms. The 250ml bottle is perfectly sized for on-the-go refreshment, and its stylish design complements The Glenwalk's premium image.

Talking about the new Zero-Calorie Ginger Ale launch, Sanjay Dutt says As someone who's always believed in a healthy lifestyle, I'm absolutely thrilled to be a part of The Glenwalk journey. The Zero-Calorie Ginger Ale is a fantastic option for those who want to indulge in a refreshing drink without compromising on their health goals. It's a perfect fit for every season!"

We're thrilled to introduce The Glenwalk range of non-alcoholic beverages and what better way to kick things off than with a refreshing Ginger Ale? Perfect for those seeking a healthy and flavorful alternative, this zero-calorie drink is ideal for anyone watching their intake without compromising on taste," says Mokksh Sani, the founder of Living Liquidz and co-founder of The Glenwalk

Launched in June 2023 with brand partner Sanjay Dutt at the helm, The Glenwalk has leveraged the expertise of Cartel Bros spearheaded by co-founders Mokksh Sani, Jitin Merani, Rohan Nihalani, Manish Sani and their Chief Business Officer Neeraj Singh for its rapid rise in popularity across India. Talking about his journey with The Cartel Bros. and The Glenwalk, Sanjay Dutt shares "I've known Mokksh for years, and his passion for creating something extraordinary is infectious. When he first pitched the idea of The Glenwalk, I knew it was special. It wasn't just about creating a product; it was about building a lifestyle."

Known for its innovative and high-quality drinks, this exciting new launch marks Cartel Bros.'s foray into the non-alcoholic beverage market. Talking about the new development, Jitin Merani, Co-founder of Cartel Bros. says, "With The Glenwalk, we're entering a new chapter at Cartel Bros. This launch reflects our commitment to providing premium beverages that cater to a variety of lifestyles. The Glenwalk Zero-Calorie Ginger Ale embodies our core values of innovation, quality, and health-consciousness. We can't wait to see how consumers embrace this refreshing addition to our portfolio."

Sanjay's belief in The Cartel Bros. and The Glenwalk extends beyond the product itself. He sees it as a catalyst for positive change in India. "Our country is evolving rapidly, and The Cartel Bros. and The Glenwalk is right at the forefront of this transformation," he states. "With Mokksh's strategic brilliance and our shared vision, we're creating something truly special."

As Sanjay Dutt continues to inspire millions with his on-screen charisma, his partnership with The Cartel Bros. promises to be a long-lasting and successful one. The Zero-Calorie Ginger Ale is just the beginning of an exciting journey. So wait no more! This season, ditch the complicated and embrace the simple pleasure of The Glenwalk Zero-Calorie Ginger Ale- because sometimes, the best things in life are simply good for you, and undeniably delicious. Try The Glenwalks Zero-Calorie Ginger Ale today!
SBI General Insurance, one of Indias leading general insurers, strengthen its leadership team by appointing Monish Uprit as Regional Head  West 2 and Preet Deep Singh as Regional Head  North 1. This appointment is in line with the companys goal of bolstering its regional presence for expansion and growth.

In their new roles, Uprit and Singh will lead and drive the West 2 and North 1 businesses respectively, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and meeting key operational performance benchmarks.

Monish Uprit brings over 25 years of rich experience in the Insurance industry. Prior to joining the company, Uprit held pivotal roles at ICICI Prudential, TATA AIG, and Cholamandalam MS, where he demonstrated exceptional capability in driving business growth and operational efficiency. He is a Commerce Graduate from DAVV, Indore, and holds an MBA from the Institute of Management Studies, Indore.

Preet Deep Singh brings with him over two decades of extensive experience in the General Insurance industry. He has previously held significant positions at esteemed companies such as Bajaj Allianz, Go Digit, and IFFCO Tokio, where he played a key role in advancing strategic initiatives and operational excellence. Mr. Singh, an Engineering Graduate from Visvesvaraya Technological University and a Post Graduate from the Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies, Pune.

Commenting on these appointments, Rakesh Kaul, Chief Business Officer of SBI General Insurance, said, We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Monish Uprit and Mr. Preet Deep Singh to the SBI General Insurance family. Their extensive experience and profound knowledge of the General Insurance industry will be critical in driving our growth and strengthening our presence in the West 2 and North 1 regions. We are confident that under their leadership, our regional operations will achieve new milestones.

Both Uprit and Singh will report directly to the Chief Business Officer and will be responsible for overseeing strategic and operational initiatives in their respective regions, further enhancing SBI General Insurance's commitment to providing exceptional insurance solutions and services to its customers.
Future Generali India Life Insurance Private Ltd. has announced the appointment of Sunil Kapoor as Chief Risk Officer (CRO), effective from 29th July 2024. Kapoor has joined the leadership team to spearhead the Risk and Information Security Function. In his capacity as CRO, Sunil will be responsible for establishing, implementing, and maintaining robust risk management practices to augment the risk management framework of the company.

With over two decades of experience in risk management, Sunil brings a wealth of expertise that will contribute to Future Generali India Life Insurances continued growth and success. He has held significant roles at renowned companies in the financial services sector, including SBI Capital Markets, HDFC Life Insurance, HDFC Pension Fund Management, IDFC Bank, and CCIL. He is a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) and an Associate Company Secretary (ACS). He also possesses the Financial Risk Manager (FRM) credential from Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP), USA and the Diploma in Information Systems Audit (DISA) credential.

Sunil Kapoor will report to Alok Rungta, Managing Director & CEO of Future Generali India Life Insurance who expressed, We are thrilled to welcome Sunil Kapoor to our leadership team. His extensive experience and deep understanding of risk management will be invaluable as we navigate the evolving landscape of the insurance industry. We are confident that Sunils expertise will play a crucial role in driving Future Generali India Life Insurances strategic initiatives, ensuring robust risk management practices and reinforcing our lifelong commitment to our customers.
Urban Company, Asias largest tech-enabled home services marketplace, is proud to announce the release of its first short film which celebrates the trades that sustain our daily lives. The inaugural short film, titled Flushback, takes viewers on a journey through the history of plumbinga legacy of which is deeply rooted in India's heritagewhile also highlighting the profound respect and dignity the plumbers deserve.

The short film is set as an engaging conversation between a female customer and a plumber. While solving the problem the customer faces, the plumber takes the customer on a flashback, or as we call it flushback, of Indias water management marvels, starting 5000 years ago in the Indus Valley Civilization. The film not only brings dignity and pride to the plumbers profession but also elucidates how plumbing was the critical foundation for the formation of mankinds civilisation. In this 7-minute film, each important historical and technological innovation has been captured with a unique style of animation, music and treatment relevant to the contemporary style of the times.

Flushback is more than just a look at the history of plumbing; its a powerful reminder of the skill, dedication and often-overlooked expertise that go into the trades that make life so convenient. In a world where the comforts of home are often taken for granted, this film encourages viewers to pause and reflect on the many hands that contribute to our everyday ease. By connecting the historical evolution of plumbing to the modern-day, Urban Company hopes to foster a deeper appreciation for the tradespeople who make our lives better. Flushback - A short film by Urban Company

At the launch of the short film, Bhavya Sharma, Director of Communications & ESG, Urban Company, said, "Every profession, every trade has a rich history and an essential role in society. Through our first short film Flushback, we explore the fascinating and intricate history of water management systems and honor the skilled professionals who make our lives better every day. This film is an acknowledgment of their contribution, a spotlight on their craftsmanship, and an expression of our collective gratitude for the role they play in our everyday lives.

" Kireet Khurana, Director & Founder, Climb Media, "Directing Flushback was challenging and fun. Making a film on the impact of plumbers in our society was a great opportunity to understand their importance. To make an engaging manner laced with humor was a greater delight. I am absolutely certain that it will inspire the viewers to look at plumbers in a different light, while also instill pride for every plumber about their noble profession."



Also Read: Urban Company unveils third film in Dignity of Labour series
Ushang Sheth has recently taken on the role of Head of Corporate Communications & PR at HDFC Securities. He began his career as a Research Trainee at Lotus Knowlwealth and later held a similar position at Reliance Mutual Fund. Ushang has also served as a Financial Service Advisor at Asit C. Mehta Investment Intermediates Ltd., a Senior Research Analyst at CNBC TV 18, and a Principal Correspondent at Zee Media Corporation Limited. His career further includes roles such as Account Manager at Adfactors PR, Director - Banking & Financial Services at Genesis BCW, and Chief Manager - Group Corporate Communications at L&T Finance. A graduate of the University of Mumbai, Ushang brings over 14 years of experience in Corporate and Financial Services. He has a proven track record of driving growth in dynamic businesses through strategic communication, brand awareness campaigns, creative storytelling, and corporate reputation management.
The US Chamber of Commerce has announced the appointment of Rahul Sharma as the new India-based Managing Director of the US-India Business Council (USIBC), effective August 20, 2024. He will lead a strong team of policy experts dedicated to the over 200 member companies of the Council, and to fostering the partnership and prosperity of both the U.S. and India. Alexander Slater, USIBCs current Managing Director, is returning to Washington, D.C., following USIBCs India Ideas Summit scheduled for September 12th in New Delhi. He will assume a new role as Senior Advisor to USIBC President and Ambassador (Ret.) Atul Keshap.

We are thrilled to welcome Rahul Sharma to the USIBC family, said Ambassador Atul Keshap, USIBC President. Rahuls vast experience and proven track record in media, policy, and corporate advisory and communications will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen the U.S.-India partnership and achieve our shared goal of $500 billion in trade. Rahuls globally recognized leadership and hands-on experience managing regulatory and policy developments will further enhance our ability to advocate for our members and build U.S.-India business and investment ties.

With nearly four decades of experience, Sharma, a former journalist and newspaper editor, brings extensive knowledge of Indias business landscape to USIBC. He joins USIBC after six years leading APCO India, where he guided corporate clients, managed business and policy advocacy goals, and advised state governments on investment communications. Sharmas appointment comes as USIBC prepares to celebrate its Golden Jubilee in 2025, marking 50 years of its role as the top business voice in the U.S.-India corridor. I look forward to my new role at USIBC and working with a unique team committed to enhancing and deepening business and strategic ties between the worlds two greatest democracies, said Sharma.

Sharma, long recognized as a leading voice in Indias public affairs landscape, previously served as Deputy Secretary General for the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), where he was instrumental in driving the organizations membership growth. His journalism background includes roles with organizations such as Reuters, Hindustan Times, Khaleej Times, and The Economic Times. He is a founding member and past president of the Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI).

Sharma holds a masters degree in international affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, a masters degree in international trade and economy from Flinders University, and a post-graduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication.

During nearly five years at USIBC in New Delhi, Alexander Slater has led USIBCs India team through a period of transformational growth.
The Federal Council

Bern, 21.08.2024 - On 21 August, the Federal Council decided to adopt further measures of the EU's 14th package of sanctions against Russia. These measures will take effect on 27 August. On 9 July, 69 individuals and 47 entities were already added to Switzerland's sanctions list.

In response to Russia's ongoing military aggression against Ukraine, as well as Russia's continued destabilising actions that undermine Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and security, the EU adopted new measures against Russia on 24 June as part of its 14th package of sanctions. Already on 9 July, the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER), in its capacity as the competent body, implemented sanctions on an additional 69 individuals and 47 entities.

On 21 August, the Federal Council decided to adopt further measures of the EU's 14th package of sanctions against Russia. These include a clarification of the bans on Russian diamonds, making them internationally harmonised. The effective implementation of sanctions against Russia and international coordination are of great importance to the Federal Council. The Federal Council has also extended the deadlines for granting exemption permits with regard to the withdrawal of investments from Russia. The aim is to ensure that Swiss companies can legally terminate their business activities in Russia. The amendments will enter into force on 27 August.

The 14th package of sanctions adopted by the EU on 24 June provides for a number of additional measures, which are currently being examined in detail. The head of the EAER informed the Federal Council about the measures at their meeting on 21 August. The Federal Council will discuss these measures in due course.

Address for enquiries

Enquiries from the media:

EAER Communications

info@gs-wbf.admin.ch

+41 (0)58 462 20 07



Enquiries from businesses:

sanctions@seco.admin.ch

+41 (0)58 464 08 12

Publisher

The Federal Council

https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start.html



Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research

http://www.wbf.admin.ch




Delegates cheer during the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley) Erin Hooley/Associated Press Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appear at the Fiserv Forum during a campaign rally in Milwaukee, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. Jacquelyn Martin/AP Julian Castro, left, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, are seen during the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Paul Sancya/Associated Press Maria Teresa Kumar, president and CEO of Voto Latino, speaks during the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, walks during the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley) Erin Hooley/Associated Press U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) speaks as House Democrats gather for an event on gun violence at the East Front of the U.S. Capitol. Alex Wong/Getty Images U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia speaks with U.S. Dept. Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres as Marshall Middle School students make their way to the building for the first day of school on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024 in Houston. Elizabeth Conley/Staff Photographer

Vice President Kamala Harris campaign has fired up Black voters and Asian American communities in ways President Joe Biden was struggling with before he left the race for the White House.

But Latino leaders in Texas and beyond say her appeal to their communities is deeper than people realize and has been years in the making. Its positioned her to improve on the sagging poll numbers Biden was facing with Latino voters just before he dropped out of the race in July.

This isnt her first rodeo, U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, said.

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READ MORE: These are the key Texas Democrats to watch at the DNC in Chicago

Garcia said Harris for years has been working closely with her and other Latino leaders long before she became a presidential candidate. She has surrounded her campaign with important Latino advisors, including Californias Julie Chavez Rodriguez, her campaign manager, and U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, who is one of the national co-chairs of her campaign. Escobar on Thursday will be prominently featured throughout the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, when Harris is scheduled to speak.

Garcia herself is an advisor to the campaign and said she speaks to Harris' team at least once a week.

Its clear we will have a seat at the table to craft public policy, Garcia said of a potential Harris administration.

Houston has already seen signs of that. Back in November, Harris traveled to Garcias heavily Latino 29th Congressional District to address health care issues and education. Garcia said it was a clear signal that Harris gets that Latino voters are engaged on more than just immigration.

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Theres been limited public polling of Latino voters since Harris started running for president. But, what has been released suggests shes doing better with those voters already than Biden was earlier this summer.

Biden won 63% of Hispanic voters in 2020 on the way to narrowly defeating Donald Trump. But in July, polling from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago showed only 36% of Hispanic adults had a somewhat or very favorable opinion of Biden.

A separate August poll by Univision, which surveyed 1,100 Latino registered voters nationwide, shows Harris doing better against Trump than Biden was, with 53% of those voters picking her over former President Donald Trump.

The Biden campaign knew they were struggling with Latino voters in swing states like Arizona and Nevada particularly. They started running Spanish-language ads earlier than ever in a presidential campaign, and also started doing more interviews exclusively with broadcasters like Univision.

But it really wasnt moving the numbers with Latinos, and that was the problem, said Chuck Rocha, a national Democratic strategist from Tyler.

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Rocha said Harris may not be Latina, but her story has the potential to resonate with Latinos who are second or third-generation Americans. Harris' mother is originally from India and her father immigrated from Jamaica.

Biden could talk about the immigrant experience, but with Harris, Democrats will be able to visualize it to Latino communities in a far more personal way.

They can tell her story through the lens of her immigrant parents, Rocha said.

That has the potential to be a powerful, aspirational message to Latino voters, who have always been Americans but may have deeper family roots abroad, Rocha said.

Yet, Republicans and Donald Trump are convinced they are picking up more Latino support than ever. Trump did vastly better with Latino voters in places like Florida and South Texas than he did in his 2016 election and has been telling audiences at his rallies hell do even better with those voters this year.

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To that end, his campaign has partnered with right-leaning conservative groups nationwide to reach Latino voters. That includes working with the America First Policy Institutes Hispanic Leadership Coalition, which is led by Bob Unanue, the CEO of Goya Foods. Unanue was a featured speaker during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month.

The Latino community is diverse, but we are united in our values, Unanue said during his speech. Values that include an unwavering faith in God, an abiding love of family and a fierce work ethic. We want the freedom to worship, to love, and to work in a way that gives us purpose, gives us a reason to get up every day.

The campaign has also launched a Latino Americans for Trump Coalition, and at his rally this summer in Nevada, he had four Latino immigrants speak to warm up the crowd before he took the stage. During his speech there, Trump talked about how border policies from the Biden administration were totally destroying our Hispanic population.

Data from the Pew Research Center shows why Latino voters are so important this year. An estimated 36.2 million Latino voters are eligible to vote this year, up from 32.3 million in 2020. Nearly 15% of all voters in November nationwide will be Latino.

While Republicans are making a play for that vote, Democrats are doing more to feature those voices during the four-day Democratic National Convention. On Monday, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, who at, age 33, leads the third largest county in the nation, spoke. On Wednesday night, Latino social media influencers Olivia Julianna, 21, and Carlos Eduardo Espina, 25 were preparing to take the stage. Julianna is from Houston and Espina is from College Station.

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While those speaking roles and Harris advisors reflect Latino voices, it isnt just a recent thing, said state Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston. Harris has a long history in California politics, rising from San Francisco district attorney to state attorney general before becoming a U.S. senator.

Being from California, you can see shes very sensitive and aware of Latino culture, Alvarado said.

Alvarado said she saw that first hand in 2005 at a swearing-in ceremony for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, that citys first Latino leader. Alvarado said she first met Harris, who was still the San Francisco district attorney, at that event. She said that proved right away that Harris understood how big of a moment that was for Latino leaders well beyond California.
On Monday afternoon, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, posted a picture of Green Acres Cafe being a part of the Taste of Americas Cities in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention. The post instantly went viral amongst Birminghamians.

People were confused because the branding thats associated with the iconic restaurant -- the brown paper bag, fried chicken, and Black servers, were not present. Not to mention, the signage was red instead of green, and they were only serving fried green tomatoes.

My Green Acres has never been served that way...Where is my greasy brown paper bag, user Pasocca Simone asked.

Where is the lady that yell out my number when the order is ready?! user Mirandal Kendricks said.

Im confused, someone please explain, user Kimberly Webster Grant said.

Greg Gratton, owner of Green Acres told AL.com that a representative from Taste of Americas Cities contacted him to let him know that Woodfin recommended the restaurant be a part of the lineup in the DNC event.

Once the post went viral, the mayor reached back out to Gratton to make sure he was still OK with the picture being posted.

I looked at it, and I saw the Green Acres name on a red banner, instead of a green banner, Gratton said. So I told him to leave it up, because I felt like that would represent Green Acres in Chicago, from when Green Acres was first started in 1946. I wasnt worried about the colors. But thats when everybody started saying somebody bought Green Acres.

Tomeka Bell, the CEO of Green Acres, took to Facebook Live on Tuesday morning to address the comments and let the people know what was going on.

Number one, we have not sold the legacy to anyone, nor have we franchised in Chicago, although the original location started in Chicago, Bell said in the video. No we have not gotten rid of the brown bag. We still have our whole fresh fried chicken wings, all the way, fried green tomatoes.

The Taste of Americas Cities was an event held on Monday at the DNC as part of an event put on by the Democratic Mayors Association.

Green Acres Cafe has been a staple in Birmingham since 1950 known for serving fried chicken wings, fried fish, fried green tomatoes, and getting it served all the way, with fries, topped with salt, pepper, ketchup, hot sauce and white bread. Throughout the years, theyve had several locations, but their most popular store opened in the Historic Fourth Avenue Business District in 1990.
Only one real-life location still exists from filming Gone With the Wind and it draws more than 100,000 tourists each year, including some actors from the movie who visited before their deaths.

It is known simply as the Old Mill and is located in a public park in North Little Rock, Ark. It can be seen briefly in the opening credits sequence of the 1939 film but some visitors are surprised to learn that the old mill is not a mill at all  its a sculpture, as are most structures in Pugh Park.

See the films opening here.

Artist Dionico Rodriguez, who sculpted in concrete, could make sculptures that realistically simulated wood, mushrooms, trees, bricks, iron and all kinds of materials. The Arkansas Parks and Recreation website says: Rodriguezs secret techniques were so detailed and exacting that you can identify the species of trees in most of his work, adding not even his assistants knew all of his secrets.

This fantastical bridge was made of concrete by Dimonico Rodriguez in Pugh Park in North Little Rock, Ark.Kelly Kazek

Visitors can go inside the mill, even up the stairs, and look around. There is no entry fee. Its an amazing structure, arrived at by crossing a small concrete bridge made by Rodriguez to look like wood. A few yards away, across a stream, youll find a larger, fantastical bridge with concrete forming a tunnel of logs and twigs. Children will love crossing it and searching for other Rodriguez sculptures hidden in nature.

The parks address is 3800 Lakeshore Drive, North Little Rock, Ark.

The Old Mill was built in 1933 to resemble a 19th century grist mill. It is actually a sculpture made of concrete in North Little Rock, Ark. It appears in the opening credits sequence of "Gone With the Wind."Kelly Kazek

In Gone With the Wind

The mill, built in 1933, was likely chosen for an appearance in Gone With the Wind because it was designed to look like an abandoned grist mill from the Civil War era. The website says it was made to look like an 1880s mill but it is based on earlier structures.

Neither the stone mill building, nor the general layout is a reproduction of any particular mill, but is a familiar design of early Arkansas, designed to fit the contour of a rough area, the website says.

Pugh Park was established by local developer Justin Matthews in 1931. He conceived the idea for the grist mill replica to honor Arkansas early settlers. Matthews builder, Frank Carmean, designed the mill and Rodriguez was hired to create it.

It was never a working mill. The mill, completed in 1933, is intended to appear abandoned  absent of doors and windows due to thieves or decay  just as old mills that were in service in the early 1800s had become by the 1930s, the website says.

It also says, it is believed to be the only remaining structure from the movie.

Over the years, the mill was visited by Rand Brooks, who played Scarletts first husband Charles Hamilton, and Ann Rutherford, who played Carreen OHara, in the film.

The bridge, arch and "log" in front of the Old Mill in North Little Rock, Ark., shows Dimonico Rodriguez's skill with concrete sculptures. The Old Mill is the only known surviving structure seen in "Gone With the Wind."Kelly Kazek

The park today

The Old Mill was gifted to the City of North Little Rock by the Justin Matthews Company in 1976. In 1991, the city decided to renovate its popular attraction. They found the perfect person for the job  Carlos Cortes, Rodriguezs great nephew and the son of Rodriguezs assistant, Maximo Cortes. Rodriguez died in 1955.

The Old Mill, along with other structures in the park, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Its a good day to take a listen to the podcast. We have discussion about Delta 8 -- what it is and how it has caused legal trouble for people even if its legal.

The report follows below. Thanks for reading,

Cruisin to Seattle

Carnival Cruise Line is offering a unique cruise out of Mobile beginning in 2026. It will require a time and money investment, by the way.

But AL.coms Lawrence Specker reports that the Carnival Spirit will shove off from Mobile on April 12, 2026, and end up in Seattle 16 days later. Sixteen days. Columbus probably got antsy after 16 days at sea.

The ship will spend the summer cruising from Seattle to Alaska, then return to Mobile in October. The ship takes 5-, 6-, 8- and 12-day cruises while its working out of Mobile.

The cruise from Mobile to Seattle will include a stop in Cartagena, Colombia; a trip through the Panama Canal; and visits to Puntarenas, Costa Rica, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

As for cost, if youre two people staying in an interior room itll run you just over $3,000.

More Turmoil in Tarrant

He didnt get arrested last week for allegedly blocking necessary information from the town clerk, but Tarrant Mayor Wayman Newton is heading to court anyway, this time to face an impeachment lawsuit, reports AL.coms Joseph D. Bryant.

Five residents of the town filed the lawsuit, alleging willful neglect of duty, corruption in office, incompetency, and other offenses involving moral turpitude. The accusations describe a corrupt, inept administration and includes allegations that Newton has used his office to pay family members and benefit his own company.

Newton called the lawsuit frivolous, and said it was brought by supporters of the city council. Relations between the mayor and council have been contentious for years.

Scott Morro is the attorney who filed the unusual impeachment lawsuit on behalf of the five citizens. It is unusual, but its part of the constitution, he said. So its a bold move, its a rare move, but in this city its a necessary move.

Anti-crime measures in Birmingham

A couple of new measures are being taken to help discourage or fight crime in Birmingham.

The Birmingham City Council has signed off on an agreement with the Birmingham Board of Education to share video taken by cameras on school property, reports AL.coms Greg Garrison.

BPD has been increasing its access to cameras throughout the city, and now police will able to tap into areas around school buildings.

And the city has also launched a program called Project Safe Streets that impedes access to neighborhoods, reports AL.coms Alaina Bookman. This one inevitably came with disagreement among residents. It involves placing barriers at entry points to a neighborhood to target speeding, shootings, theft, prostitution and violent crime.

Currently the barriers have been placed throughout the East Lake neighborhood.

Quoting

You were able to show youre not afraid of him. You would challenge, and he got to show he will stand up for his players.

Terry Saban to Paul Finebaum (according to Finebaum) after he and Alabama football coach Nick Saban engaged in a famously intense exchange at the 2016 SEC Media Days.

More Alabama News

On the Podcast

We talk with reporter Amy Yurkanin, who has done reporting on Delta 8, hemp, and the trouble a pregnant woman found herself in after using a legal product.

You can find Down in Alabama wherever you get your podcasts, including these places:
Lawyers for an Alabama Death Row inmate set to be executed in November said the states process for nitrogen hypoxia executions is a set of suggestions and customs, changeable at any time, and asked a federal judge to halt an execution set for this fall.

Carey Dale Grayson, 49, will be put to death on Nov. 21 at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore. Hes set to be the third execution this year using nitrogen gas.

The first was Kenneth Smith. Smith was executed in January and was the first nitrogen hypoxia execution in the country. The execution quickly became controversial, with Smith writhing on the gurney for several minutes.

In to court records filed late Tuesday, Graysons lawyers asked a federal judge for a preliminary injunction barring the state to execute Grayson.

Rather than investigating what went wrongas other states have done following issues with executions(Alabama has) chosen to ignore clear and obvious signs the current protocol contains major problems that will result in more unconstitutionally torturous executions if it continues to be employed, new court filings say.

Alabamas present method of using nitrogen for executions does not work the way (the state) claim(s), and carries an unacceptable risk of conscious suffocation, in violation of the Eighth Amendment.

The lawyers said the state has made unwritten alterations to the heavily redacted protocol, doesnt use qualified people throughout the procedure to monitor medical equipment, and havent revealed what they conceded in a confidential settlement with another prisoner earlier this month.

In other words, this is hardly a protocol. It is a set of suggestions and customs, changeable at any time, and neither this Court nor Mr. Grayson knows exactly what Defendants will do when executing Mr. Grayson.

Attorneys representing the state have said Smith held his breath for several minutes after the nitrogen began to flow through his gas mask, causing the physical reaction.

Graysons lawyers included Smiths autopsy report in court filings. Their medical expert, a longtime anesthesiologist, read the autopsy and concluded Smith suffered from negative pressure pulmonary edema. According to the expert, that condition occurs when inspiration is attempted against an upper airway obstruction, leading to fluid being drawn from blood vessels into the alveoli.

That conclusion support(s) the conclusion Mr. Smith was suffocated while conscious, in violation of the Eighth Amendment, the lawsuit says. The states process for nitrogen executions creates a risk of unconstitutional pain, the expert said.

The autopsy notes Smiths lungs did have evidence of fluid and blood.

Graysons lawyers, along with lawyers for Alan Miller-- who is set to be executed using the same method in September-- have argued Smiths mask didnt fit properly, allowing oxygen to seep in. Graysons lawyers said in court records the mask did not work as (the state) represented...

It does not inherently produce an airtight seal, said Graysons lawyers Tuesday. It must be fitted to the person wearing the mask and tested as dictated by the manufacturer. That is critically important because, when oxygen leaks into the mask during the execution, breathing air comes into what is supposed to be a closed system, prolonging the execution, and suffocating the prisoner.

Grayson was convicted with three other men for the brutal Feb. 22, 1994 slaying and mutilation of Vicki Lynn DeBlieux.

His medical expert said, in court records, that the state should do a physical examination of inmates prior to executions to identify any upper airway obstructions that could inhibit his ability to breathe in the nitrogen gas. He also said the state should provide some type of pre-hypoxia sedative.

The filing repeats earlier claims that Assistant Alabama Attorney General James Houts is involved in the training for prison officials on using masks. In fact, the only person (Graysons lawyers are) aware that is involved in the training is Assistant Attorney General James Houts, a scuba hobbyist and private pilot employed by Defendant Marshall. His job, crucially, is related to the fit of the mask.
A former University of Alabama student charged with multiple sex crimes including the rape of another student has been granted bond but must stay away from campus, the victim and her family and friends.

Gambill Colvard Gentry, a 23-year-old from Davidson, N.C., was arrested last month on charges of first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, and four counts of first-degree voyeurism. Two of the charges are Class A felonies, and the other four are Class C felonies.

The sexual assault, according to court records  was captured in photos and videos reportedly taken by the suspect. He was initially denied bond.

Gentry has been banned from the campus, authorities said. The victim is an acquaintance of Gentry and a current UA student.

A Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit investigator previously testified for the prosecution at the hearing. The defense called as a witness a Birmingham therapist who works with sexual addicts and offenders.

Attorneys for Gentry  Tommy Spina, Brett Bloomston and Ben Preston  sought bond for Gentry, saying he is not a flight risk and is willing to be electronically monitored.

Tuscaloosa County District Judge Joanne Jannik denied Gentrys bond request, noting was no way to reasonably assure the victim in this case will be safe from the defendant.

The order noted that Gentry traveled to New York to visit the victim after being asked by the victim not to do so.

Testimony also showed, the judge previously said, that he has harassed the victim and made threats to the victim.

A second bond hearing was held Wednesday morning before District Judge Bradley Almond, who granted Gentry a $60,000 cash bond.

Gentry will be on electronic ankle monitoring but is allowed to leave Alabama to receive inpatient treatment at an undisclosed facility.

He is prohibited from attending any University of Alabama events at any time and at any location, cannot have contact with the victim, her family, or her friends.

Gentry, if allowed to have a cell phone in treatment, must install an accountability app, according to the judges order.

On behalf of our client and his family, we are exceptionally grateful to all parties involved to have reached an agreement to have the opportunity to address all the underlying issues that gave rise to the behavior resulting in our clients arrest, his attorneys said in a statement to AL.com.

The investigation began last month when the victim told authorities she met Gentry at a bar, woke up the next morning with no memory of the night before, and suspected that she had been assaulted, said Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit Capt. Jack Kennedy.

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 has been in custody since July 25.

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.
Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz is speaking for the first time about the couples yearslong struggle with infertility and clarifying that they used a common treatment called intrauterine insemination to start their family  not in-vitro fertilization (IVF), which has become a national flashpoint in the debate over reproductive rights.

Our fertility journey was an incredibly personal and difficult experience, she said in a statement. Like so many who have experienced these challenges, we kept it largely to ourselves at the time  not even sharing the details with our wonderful and close family.

The family decided to start sharing their struggles with infertility earlier this year after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos created through IVF should be considered children. Several IVF clinics in Alabama immediately suspended treatments in response to the ruling, and Gov. Tim Walz started to talk about the couples struggles to conceive their daughter Hope in speeches and conversations with the press. Walzs governor campaign put out a fundraising blast saying they used I.V.F. to start a family.

After seeing the extreme attacks on reproductive health care across the countryparticularly, the efforts in Alabama that jeopardized access to fertility treatmentsTim and I agreed that it was time to formally speak out about our experience, Gwen Walz recently told Glamour magazine.

Walz has continued to talk about their experience on the national stage as he campaigns as the vice presidential nominee alongside Kamala Harris. In his debut as her running mate, he told a crowd in Philadelphia that the issue of IVF treatments is personal for me and my family.

Many news outlets, including the Star Tribune, have reported the family relied on IVF to conceive, and national infertility groups such as Resolve put out statements after Walz was announced as the vice president nominee that he conceived his children through a challenging IVF journey.

They clarified that statement Monday after Gwen shared in more detail her experience using intrauterine insemination to get pregnant.

This deeply personal information was only recently clarified, the organization said in a release, adding that the conversations the family has sparked around fertility treatments have still made millions of would-be parents across the country feel seen.

Walzs political opponents are accusing him of intentionally misleading the public about the issue, which is the center of a heated debate nationally over reproductive rights. Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance posted a recent video on X where Walz said my kids were born through IVF and said the governor lied about the procedure. Who lies about something like that?

In statements, the Harris campaign has said the Walzes had their daughter, Hope, through reproductive health care like IVF. Mia Ehrenberg, a Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson, said the governors previous comments about IVF reflect that the governor talks how normal people talk. He was using commonly understood shorthand for fertility treatments.

Around one in six couples experience infertility, or difficulty conceiving after a year of unprotected sex, according to the World Health Organization. Some choose to seek treatment, which can range from medications to procedures that are costly but can increase a couples changes of getting pregnant.

Intrauterine insemination, or IUI, is a less invasive fertility procedure that involves placing sperm directly into a womans uterus to increase the chances of fertilization. Unlike IVF, the IUI procedure doesnt involve frozen embryos, which the Alabama high court ruled should be considered children. Fertility clinics in Alabama feared they could be sued if embryos were destroyed.

The Walzes struggled for seven years to conceive their first child. In his State of the State address earlier this year, the governor said the anxiety and frustration blotted out the sun.

What those judges did was a direct attack on my family, he said. My children. Gwen and I will not forget it. We will not forgive it.

Gwen said the only person who knew what they were going through was a next door neighbor and nurse who helped her administer the shots needed as part of the IUI process. She would rush home from school and the neighbor would give her the shot so they stayed on track, Gwen said. Their daughter is now 23 years old. The couple also have a son, Gus, who is 17.

Many of our closest family and friends were surprised when we shared these experiences so many years later, she said. Studies have shown that many women with infertility struggle to share their experiences with family and friends.

But Gwen said opening up about their experience taught us that there is always hope and we hope other families find solace in our story.

Since then, I have been greatly touched by the women who have shared their stories with me.

_____

2024 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit at startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama on Tuesday called on the nation to embrace Kamala Harris in urgent messages to the Democratic National Convention that were at times both hopeful and ominous.

But a moment of the former presidents speech caught the internets attention and continues to make its rounds.

Obama: The people who will decide this election are asking a very simple question, who will fight for me? Whos thinking about my future? About my childrens future? About our future together? One thing is thing is for certain, Donald Trump is not losing sleep over that question. Heres a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. It has been a constant stream of gripes and grievances thats actually been getting worse now that hes afraid of losing to Kamala.

He added: Theres the childish nicknames. The crazy conspiracy theories. This weird obsession with crowd sizes. It just goes on and on.

wow this clip has really mushroomed on social media https://t.co/bBvdQ1EqJy  George Conway (@gtconway3d) August 21, 2024

Barack Obama made a gesture with his hands and looked down at them after he delivered the weird obsessions with crowd sizes line, drawing laughs from the audience.

Ok this is a perfect comedic delivery. pic.twitter.com/7ZOUaG9j19  Jason Kander (@JasonKander) August 21, 2024

I cannot believe this moment happened pic.twitter.com/u14mY9GD9E  Yashar Ali  (@yashar) August 21, 2024

Obama, the first Black president in U.S. history, insisted the nation is ready to elect Harris, who is of Jamaican and Indian heritage and would be the nations first female president.

The fiery messages from two of the Democratic Partys biggest stars underscored the urgency of the moment as Harris works to stitch together a broad coalition in her bid to defeat Trump this fall.

The vice president is drawing on stars like the Obamas and other celebrities, officials from the far left to the middle, and even some Republicans to boost her campaign.

And while the theme of the night was a bold vision for Americas future, the disparate factions of Harris evolving coalition demonstrated, above all, that they are connected by a deep desire to prevent a second Trump presidency.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Presbytery of South Alabama, a regional branch of the Presbyterian Church (USA), is downsizing its office space, selling its headquarters on the Eastern Shore Parkway in Daphne.

The building had been the presbytery office since it was built in 1994, said the Rev. Bob Madsden, who is the regional presbyter, or top executive for the South Alabama presbytery, formerly known as the Mobile Prebytery.

The presbytery includes 21 churches with about 3,000 members, including the Government Street Presbyterian Church in Mobile and Trinity Presbyterian Church in Fairhope.

We decided that we had more space than we needed, so we decided to convert the building into capital that can be invested, and the proceeds from those investments can be used to support our ministries in new and creative ways, Madsden said.

The building was listed at a price of $699,500 on July 17. It currently has a pending contract on it.

A potential buyer is doing their due diligence, Madsden said. There is not an awful lot on the market in Daphne thats similar.

The presbytery staff is in the process of moving to rooms at the Spanish Fort Presbyterian Church. The presbyterys library of research material and curriculum has been offered to area congregations, Madsden said.

Were trying to get everything into homes where things will be used in furtherance of similar types of work, he said.

The presbytery approved the plan to sell the building at a meeting in June, Madsden said. We presented the proposal to list the building for sale then, he said.
Speaking at the second night of the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night, former First Lady Michelle Obama warned that a Trump victory in November could mean the end of in vitro fertilization.

Its his same old con: doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make peoples lives better, Obama said.

Because cutting our healthcare, taking away our freedom to control our bodies, the freedom to become a mother through IVF like I didthose things are not going to improve the health outcomes of our wives, mothers, and daughters.

Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth on Tuesday issued a similar warning, telling people to look up what happened in Alabama.

Duckworth told Trump to stay out of our doctors offices and while youre at it, out of the Oval Office, too.

Cause if they win, Republicans will not stop at banning abortion. They will come for IVF next. Theyll prosecute doctors. Theyll shame and spy on women.

After a controversial Alabama Supreme Court ruling in February, Trump said he would strongly support the availability of IVF and called on lawmakers in Alabama to preserve access to the treatment that has become a new flashpoint in the 2024 presidential election, The Associated Press has reported.

The court ruled that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law. That led to some Alabama clinics and hospitals pausing IVF services.
By Matt Brown, Associated Press

ATLANTA  Every Monday evening, the Andrew and Walter Young Family YMCA basement becomes a sanctuary for men who, local leaders say, have too often been denied one.

The Black Man Lab, which for nearly a decade has sought weekly to create a safe, sacred and healing space for Black men in metropolitan Atlanta, regularly gathers more than 100 men to pray, meditate and talk through challenges and triumphs they are facing and learn from peers and elders.

Its almost a communion, said Carttrell Coleman, a visual artist from South Fulton, Georgia, who has attended the weekly meetings for seven years. Its an opportunity for us to share our voices and get resources. The networking is always a good thing. Its a fellowship, of sorts.

One recent meeting in the immediate aftermath of President Joe Bidens suspension of his reelection campaign took on special weight as attendees considered the prospect of a Black woman winning the presidency. The candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris has refocused attention on Black men, a demographic that Democrats and Republicans view as persuadable but whose multifaceted experiences and political preferences often go unaddressed in public debate.

Harris campaign has also reignited discussions amongst Black men about their influence in this election.

Black men are the target, and we hold the keys to the kingdom. This is our moment, said Lance Robertson, executive director of the Black City Councilmen of Georgia, during the meeting. The Black man has built America. Now its time for the Black man to save America.

Black male voters are traditionally one of the most consistently Democratic leaning demographics in the nation. This year, however, both major parties view Black men, especially those under the age of 40, as attainable voters. Whether Black men turn out in high numbers and to what degree they maintain traditional support for Democratic candidates may prove decisive in November.

To be frank, I think early on in this process a lot of Black men viewed this election with much skepticism and dread, said Bishop Reginald Jackson, who presides over all 534 African Methodist Episcopal churches in Georgia. But since the change in the Democratic ticket, there has been a turnaround. I think they feel they have something that they can support. I think a lot of issues which made a lot of them skeptical are being addressed.

At the Black Man Lab event, the men present came from all walks of life. Attendees ages ranged from 8 to 86, with multiple pairings of fathers, grandfathers and grandsons telling the group about the unique circumstances each generation faces as Black men in America.

Black voters have historically prioritized policies on civil rights and economic mobility, leading to overwhelming support for Democrats.

But how those concerns translate into political preferences has shifted as traditional ties to institutions like the Black church have frayed for some younger Black Americans. The Black church, in a lot of respects, has been a turnoff for the Black man, and were only now working to address the need and correct it, Jackson said.

For many younger Black men, advocates stressed, issues like wealth creation, entrepreneurship, police reform and anti-discrimination policies in the workplace are top of mind.

We want to see jobs and opportunity for Black men, especially, said Andre Greenwood, chair of the YMCA that hosts the Black Man Lab event. Greenwood, who supports Harris, said economic messages will be most important to Black male voters.

Harris entrance into the presidential race has unleashed a flurry of organizing among her Black male allies. A day after Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris, a virtual conference tailored for Black men garnered more than 53,000 attendees and raised more than $1.3 million. The event, organized by Win With Black Men, a collective of Black male-led groups, has hosted regular meetings every week since then to engage organizers targeting Black men.

Up until this point, these folks were not really engaged with this campaign season, let alone volunteering for outside organizations. I think what were seeing now is a massive level of organic energy that you cant deny, said Quentin James, founder of the Collective PAC, a Democratic political action committee that supports Black candidates.

Win With Black Men said it would direct the raised funds to organizations nationwide for Black male engagement. More than 150 groups have applied for support. James stressed that while the recent fundraising windfall is notable, the Harris campaigns own engagement effort with Black men may not be enough unless it is paired with robustly funded outside groups that have longstanding trust in local communities.

Harris has also revamped her outreach to Black men. The campaign believes it has a winning message for Black mens priorities.

Its wealth and its health, Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright said of the message.

Seawright leads the Democratic National Committees Chop It Up town halls for Black men at barbershops and other venues in battleground states this year. He noted that Black men arent monolithic and added that it is a mistake for campaigns to assume we only care about criminal justice reform.

The culminating effort also aims to address longstanding skepticism among many Black men about the political system, which is seen as discriminatory and unresponsive to their interests. Others have tackled potential hesitancy among men about electing a woman to the nations highest office.

Republicans, too, see an opportunity to make inroads with Black men precisely because of those longstanding frustrations. Donald Trump often speaks of his interest in garnering greater Black voter support. Black Republicans, including Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida and Wesley Hunt of Texas, have hosted a Congress, Cognac, and Cigars event series in cities including Atlanta, Philadelphia and Milwaukee.

Black men have been taken for granted by the Democratic Party for years, but President Trumps message is resonating at historic levels because he is doing the work, said Janiyah Thomas, Black media director for the Trump campaign.

Marcus Robinson, a senior spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, called Republican outreach strategy hot air, racially charged rhetoric and offensive stereotypes, from questioning Vice President Harriss identity to claiming Black voters should relate to Trump because he is a convicted felon.

For many attendees at the Black Man Lab event, the reinvigorated presidential race is an opportunity to make sure their interests are addressed at the highest levels of government.

I was in the street doing wild stuff and this saved my life, said Damon Bod, an exterior house technician from Atlanta, of his experience with the Black Man Lab event. Bod said he lost his entire immediate family to violence and that the event provided him counsel and a community.

He said he would support Harris in the election because the men who supported him felt she would advance Black mens interests.

Ive been looking at it and hopefully shell do a bit of good. My brothers have said she will, people who know me. But only God knows, Bod said.

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.
Students from mainland, Taiwan discuss journalism in all-media era

Xinhua) 09:59, August 21, 2024

HOHHOT, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- A cross-Strait journalism camp for university students opened on Tuesday in the city of Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, with approximately 200 students from both the mainland and Taiwan in attendance.

The students are from 10 universities on the mainland and eight universities in Taiwan.

The camp, the 30th of its kind, will focus on opportunities and challenges for future journalists on both sides of the Strait in the era of all-encompassing media.

The 11-day event will be held in Inner Mongolia and Beijing, and the students will live, study and take part in various activities, including cultural research, lectures, media organization visits and short video production.

First held in 2004, the location of the journalism camp has alternated between the two sides of the Strait, covering most of the major journalism schools on the mainland and in Taiwan. It has become an important platform for exchange and communication between journalism students from both sides of the Strait.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The clean energy electric truck from Tesla, the Semi, hit the headlines once more as one was involved in a nasty crash along California's I-80, which led to the highway's closure for almost an entire day on Monday Monday. After the crash, the electric truck caught fire and burned throughout the day, which led to the decision to close down the road for around 16 hours after the accident occurred.

Tesla Semi Crash: Electric Truck Burned Along California's I-80

KCRA 3 News first reported the incident on Monday. According to the report, a Tesla Semi crashed into a tree along California's Interstate 80 (I-80) near Nevada at around 3 a.m. local time. It was also revealed that after the crash, the Tesla Semi caught fire, which led to long hours of efforts to extinguish the flames by responding firefighters.

It was reported that the firefighters on the scene used up thousands of gallons of water to extinguish the flames and cool the Semi's batteries down to around 100 fahrenheit. This is said to be the batteries' manageable temperature.

It has been noted that this Semi does not have a trailer and its power cells were the only ones burning.

I-80 Closed For Almost 16 Hours Because of Semi Crash

While this accident started at around 3 a.m. on the I-80, it was only around at around 4 p.m. that firefighters were able to control the flames. By then, the Semi returned to a manageable temperature, which allowed the authorities to safely move the vehicle. However, I-80 was not reopened to the public until 7 p.m., 16 hours after the accident took place.

After the Semi's battery cells burnt out, the crew transported the destroyed electric truck to Tesla's Gigafactory in Nevada.

Tesla's Electric Vehicles and Their Flammability

Electric vehicles are highly flammable if it is caught in a crash or an accident, especially when the incident causes damage to their battery pack, which is usually located underneath the vehicle. Tesla is known for using lithium-ion (Li-On) materials for its batteries, and it contains flammable electrolytes that can lead to fire incidents almost immediately after a crash.

Many crash incidents involving electric vehicles, including Tesla cars, have been notorious for involving fires after the accidents take place, and they typically get out of hand fast. However, it should be noted that crashes are not the only causes of fire incidents involving Tesla's electric vehicles (EVs) as there was a case of "spontaneous" combustion on a brand-new Tesla Model S Plaid. This incident took place in 2021 and claimed the life of an executive.

Regular ICE cars are also known for catching fire, but not a lot are caused by its batteries, which are mostly small compared to what electric vehicles have in them, particularly as these are the main source of power.

For a massive and heavy vehicle like the Tesla Semi, crashes may lead to a fire incident, and the recent one that took place along California's I-80 is an example of it.

Related Article: Tesla Model S Burst Into Flames Due to Battery's 'Spontaneous' Combustion
Red, white, and blue balloons and streamers filled the room as the crowd waived signs and American flags.

That spectacle was not the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week.
This is a guest opinion column

Hundreds of students from a variety of family backgrounds with individual needs cross school thresholds daily across Alabama. Understanding that education is only part of a students well-being, educators and schools are encouraged to provide opportunities for every student. This means considering a students needs holistically.

For example, if a student comes to school hungry or in a state of hypervigilance due to abuse, bullying, or other trauma, she will have a difficult time paying attention and learning. Such needs must first be addressed before the student can be expected to function appropriately in a classroom environment.

While we encourage educators and schools to approach students holistically based on needs, we dont ask for the same from our outdated education funding system.

This system determines how much money each school district receives from the states education budget. It is a system driven by numbers rather than students unique needs. It also lacks transparency and does not allow schools to adjust how they spend money to address their students needs.

VOICES for Alabamas Children (VOICES) has been researching child well-being and advocating for policies to improve the lives of children and their families for more than 30 years. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that every child in Alabama is safe, healthy, educated, and financially secure, resulting in strong families and communities. Our Alabama Kids Count Data Book is the most comprehensive and trusted source for Alabama child well-being data and guides our policy and advocacy work.

Data published in the 2023 Alabama Kids Count Data Book shows low student academic achievement. During the 2022-2023 school year, only half of Alabamas fourth-graders and 21% of eighth-graders were proficient in math. That same school year 54.6% of fourth-graders and 50.6% of eighth-graders were proficient in English language arts.

While student achievement is low for all student groups, students who perform the best are those whose families (and communities) can provide the things they need to thrive. Some students such as rural students, students with disabilities, and students from low-income communities are disproportionately affected by the achievement gap and are more likely to attend schools with less funding and fewer resources.

Groups of students who are disproportionately affected in Alabama include:

44% of Alabama children who live in rural counties

18.3% of our states children who experience food insecurity

29,210 children who received mental health services for serious emotional disturbances (in 2022)

More than 1 in 5 Alabama children (22.3%) living in poverty.

Investing in public education is a good idea and a crucial step toward building a better society and a stronger economy. Research demonstrates that individuals who receive a quality education are more likely to secure stable jobs, contribute positively to their communities, and avoid reliance on public services. By providing better education, we can reduce crime rates, improve public health, and create a more prosperous society for everyone.

Despite the proof that investment in education is beneficial, Alabama ranks 39th in the nation in the amount of money spent per pupil. The states average was $14,402 in FY2022, which was $4,009 below the national average. Only 2.5%, or $183 per student per year, of state education funding is dedicated to supporting students in poverty, students with special education needs, and English learners.

This is why VOICES is proud to be one of the 30 statewide coalition members of Every Child Alabama. Together, we are advocating to modernize Alabamas student funding formula to ensure that every child has the resources they need to reach their full potential. It is past time to implement a student-weighted education funding formula so that Alabama can ensure all school districts receive proportionate funding and more flexibility to address the individual needs of students in their communities.

Rhonda Mann is the executive director of VOICES for Alabamas Children, a nonprofit, nonpartisan childrens advocacy organization that speaks for the well-being of Alabamas children through research, public awareness and advocacy.
History is a nightmare from which Northern Ireland is trying to awake.



The hundreds-of-years-old rift between nationalist Catholics -- who want a united Ireland -- and Protestant Unionists -- who wish to remain part of the United Kingdom -- has its origins in the Ulster Plantation when England divvied up land in the northeast of the island to loyal subjects from northern England and Scotland to help mollify the historically quarrelsome region. Most are familiar with the most recent flareup in the region, the 30 years of conflict known as The Troubles, which formally ended in the late nineties, but the conflict continues to smolder, with traditions passing down the tales of turmoil on both sides of the issue.

On August 3 in Belfast, that long-standing tension took a symbolic pause when anti-migration activists gathered across the UK to protest the stabbing deaths of three little girls in Southport, England.

Interestingly, for pro-immigration globalists, the event was an unwelcome detente.



The enemy of my enemy is my friend

That day in Belfast, anti-immigration protestors from the Republic of Ireland flew the Irish tricolor flag alongside local loyalists flying the Union Jack flag of the United Kingdom; in fact, the nationalists from the Republic of Ireland at the rally were also said to have been the most virulent. What started as a largely peaceful gathering eventually devolved into attacks on foreign-owned shops and migrant hotels. Later that day, the nationalist flagbearers were seen drinking with loyalists in a downtown pub.



According to a BBC article, one bystander at the protest summed up the gathering of nationalists and loyalists as: Divided by politics, united by racism.

On finding out about the banners, Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Simon Harris said Leave our flag alone.

For John Barry, a Catholic professor at Queens University Belfast writing in New Lines magazine, the provisional alliance was too much as well:

People who wanted the reunification of Ireland, who had traveled from Dublin to express their strong anti-immigrant feelings, were standing shoulder to shoulder with people with anti-Irish and anti-Catholic sentiments, including a convicted loyalist paramilitary killer, and were later that evening feted as heroes in a local loyalist pub, after the pogroms and violence.

While a loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson was quoted in an article in the Belfast Telegraph saying:

It strikes me therefore as somewhat of an absurdity that some of those from within unionism and loyalism, who are legitimately concerned about the traditional fabric of areas and communities being eroded, appear to see it as fruitful to make common alliances with those who are aggressively and passionately devoted to Irish nationalism.

On the other hand, an article in Unherd presented a contrary opinion:

This is the best thing that ever happened in this country, one protestor from Drogheda, in the Republic, draped in an Irish tricolour told me, Now we can come together against the real enemy. Indeed, protestors from the Republic, at the front of the crowd, were by far the most vigorous and aggressive in confronting the counter-protestors on the other side of police lines, themselves seemingly mostly drawn from Northern Irelands Catholic community. Look at you all, one Dubliner, standing in front of a Coolock Says No banner, shouted at the pro-migration protestors, who were waving Palestinian, LGBTQ+ and trade union flags, you dont even have one fucking tricolour, no Union Jack, nothing from this island.

Much has been made of the root cause of the anti-migration protests in the UK and Ireland, the incident in late July when the 17-year-old son of a Kenyan immigrant stabbed three little girls to death, injuring others. Before the details of the killer were release, online rumors were rife with accusations that the killer was a Muslim migrant just off the boat.

In fact, he is a natural-born Brit and a Christian -- while still one could argue that he is in fact a product of Britains immigration policies.

Xenophobia or Common Sense? What the Numbers Say

Despite Brexit and ongoing voter sentiment against unfettered migration, consecutive prime ministers have lacked the political will and follow through to crack down on migration. This has led to an influx of non-UK and non-EU migrants who have proven difficult to assimilate into society, with many bringing hegemonic (e.g., jihadist) and violent beliefs and taboo sexual practices with them from Islamic countries, leading to racial tension, knifings, and other crimes as well as grooming gangs that have been systemically molesting young British girls.

The year ending June 2023 saw 1.2 million migrants to the UK. Of those, 968,000 were non-EU nationals.

The Republic of Ireland, known for its lily-white population, quaint rural villages, and great craic, is experiencing similar anti-migration sentiment. For example, the attempt of the Irish government to house so-called asylum seekers in the Coolock suburb of Dublin led to recent anti-migration riots.

In fact, cross-border activities are on the rise. Further anti-migration activities are expected to further culminate in a Dundalk Says No rally in the Irish border town of Dundalk.

For the year ending April 2023, the Republic of Ireland saw 141,600 immigrants -- a 16-year high -- of which 81,100 were from countries other than the UK or EU countries.

Conversely, the numbers for Northern Ireland are surprisingly low.

As Barry also reported in New Lines magazine:

It is plain to see that the riots in Belfast were based on lies, because the focus of the anger was immigration, while Northern Ireland actually has very little: 3.4% of the 1.8 million inhabitants in the north of Ireland belong to ethnic minority groups, and as of March 31 this year, 2,748 people were in receipt of asylum support -- the lowest number of any U.K. region and down from 3.030 in March 2024. Its a nonissue and yet it fueled attacks on people and property.

According to the 2021 census, approximately 6 percent of the population was born outside the UK or Ireland; and 97 percent identified as white.

It Aint Much, But Its Something

Globalist and progressive outrage at the mixing of the flags in Belfast underscores the presence of two different worldviews at work in the UK and Ireland. For one, the liberal elite dismiss the riots as far-right racism and hooliganism. For example, an op-ed in the Economist asked how to deal with the uprising. Their conclusion: Punish the thugs. Stand up for immigration. And improve local services. And politicians have been calling for summary trials, long sentences, and draconian crackdowns on social media posts, including prison terms.



Meanwhile, the largely working-class anti-immigration protestors are fed up with being labelled racist thugs when all they want, arguably, are good jobs and safe neighborhoods and kids. The people of Northern Ireland have enough to deal with. Still reeling from 30 years of The Troubles, many are trying to do whatever they can to integrate the Catholic nationalist and Protestant loyalist communities to keep the nightmare of history at bay. Of course, violence and hooliganism are tough to defend -- and were not defending them here. But if speaking out against migration brings the two sides together, so be it. Trying to make the best of the situation instead of outright dismissing the participants are racist thugs might be a move in the right direction.

Image: Vector Portal
Yesterday, I had the tremendous pleasure of hearing James Lindsay speak at a Moms for Liberty event. Typically, the speech was a guided tour of leftism through a brilliant and informed mind. Lindsay focuses on education because that has been the lefts main (and very successful) avenue of attack for decades, but he also provides an overview of how leftism works.

One of Lindsays most important points is about the word queer, which extends far beyond bizarre sexuality. If you understand that word, you also understand why a Biden-Harris Department of Energy official has called for queering nuclear weapons. Its not that she wants to have sick sex with them; its that she wants to destroy Americas nuclear arsenal capabilities.

Image by Andrea Widburg

As James Lindsay explains, the word queer is much bigger than homosexuality, although it was introduced into mainstream America through the gay liberation movement. In their important and accessible book, The Queering of the American Child: How a New School Religious Cult Poisons the Minds and Bodies of Normal Kids, Lindsay and his co-author Logan Lancing explain what the word queer means in the American neo-Marxist lexicon. After discussing the words history, they sum it up this way:

Queer Theory is a radical ideology that uses activism (queering) to convince people that nothing is normal or natural. It specializes in convincing people that sex, gender, and sexuality are social (political) constructsfabrications invented and sold as the truth by dominant classesbut those categories are not limiting factors. Queer Theorys activity is to deconstruct the very concept of normalcy. [snip] Queer Theory broadly argues that society is a prison constructed by dominant classes who artificially label some things as normal, legitimate, or true for their own benefit. (Emphasis in original.)

Everything normal, accepted, and traditional, no matter how useful its been in creating the most prosperous, liberty-based culture in the history of humankind, must be overthrown.

When it comes to sex, queer identity means an identity opposed to the heterosexual norm that has dominated humankind since our simian ancestors came down from the trees and the monogamous norm thats been a part of the Judeo-Christian morality that defines Western culture.

So, what does it mean when a Department of Energy official wants to queer Americas nuclear weapons system? Were about to find out if Kamala Harris gains the Oval Office because a Harris-Biden official has called in the past for queering nuclear weapons:

A recent hire at the nuclear security wing of the Department of Energy has previously called for disarmament policies  which reduce or eliminate nuclear weapons  arguing that advancing queer theory was essential to that agenda as well as important to Americas national security. The Biden-Harris administration announced Sneha Nair had been appointed as special assistant at the National Nuclear Security Administration in February 2024. Nair believes in eradicating purported White supremacy in the nuclear field as well as queering nuclear weapons as part of a diversity, equity and inclusion push she believes is essential for deterring threats to nuclear energy facilities in the U.S. Finally, queer theory informs the struggle for nuclear justice and disarmament, she wrote last year. Queer theory helps to shift the perception of nuclear weapons as instruments for security by telling the hidden stories of displacement, illness, and trauma caused by their production and testing.

The linked Fox News essay has more information about Nairs ideas. It also explains that Nair came from something called the Stimson Institution, which receives substantial funding from George Soross Open Society Foundations and Qatar. Unsurprisingly, Nair thinks its just awful that the government keeps people with foreign ties out of our nuclear energy program.

The gist of Nairs argument is that white people, especially men, need to be marginalized in the nuclear energy program because their viewpoints make it impossible to understand how power operates and who the real threats are to America (hint: those white men are the real threats). The American nuclear program needs to abandon the concepts of merit and loyalty to America in favor of promoting people of color, minorities, and women, all of whom have a more nuanced and appropriate understanding of nuclear power. Most importantly, they are willing to reject the idea that having a bigger arsenal deters Americas enemies.

If you werent scared of a Harris administration before, I certainly hope you are now.
The Jewish identity, uniquely, is racial, religious, and cultural. In the Venn diagram that Kamala Harris professes to love so much, these three identities can, but dont have to, overlap. Some of the most antisemitic people in the world have been genetically Jewish (e.g., Karl Marx and George Soros). Many genetic Jews who are not religious still cherish their racial and cultural identity. And then theres Doug Emhoff, a genetic Jew who is divorced from both religion and culture but whom the Democrats just trotted out at their convention to hide the antisemitic stench hanging over their party.

There shouldnt be any question anymore about the antisemitism that lies at the heart of the Democrat party. And yes, there are antisemitic Republicans, but theyre pathetic, fringy figures. They dont sit in Congress (Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, Im looking at you), and theyre not Kamala Harriss Jewish liaison. Nor are they turning out in the tens of thousands on campuses across America and right outside the Democrat convention in Chicago:

Pro-Palestine protestors (rioters) just marched towards Chicago police officers at the Israeli consulate and engaged ATTACKED them.



Follow me here and @TodayisAmerica for live coverage pic.twitter.com/P7vHoT71Oi  Cam Higby  (@camhigby) August 21, 2024

This open antisemitism creates a problem for the Democrats. While Jewish numbers are relatively small compared to other parts of the Democrats constituency, theyre important to the party. (See, e.g., Sen. Chuck Schumer, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Rahm Emanuel, Jon Stewart, Rob Reiner, and a score of other high-profile Jewish Democrats.) Jews are reliable voters, generous donors, and successful academic and media indoctrinators.

So far, Jews have tolerated the Harris-Biden administrations equivocation regarding Israels existential war against Hamas and the other Iranian proxies arrayed against it on every border. They dont seem to mind that the administration hasnt thrown all its moral support behind Israel, something that would have seen Israel defeat Hamas within a month. Theyre okay with the equivocation, the weapons withholding, and the millions in dollars and food that ended up supporting Hamas.

However, except for the most antisemitic Jews, most Jews have one limit: The fear of the Nazis lies at the center of every Jewish psyche. For now, leftist Jews, too foolish to realize that antisemitism is integral to leftism (see, e.g., Karl Marx), still believe that the Democrat party is their bulwark against antisemitism in America. The risk for Democrats is that Jews, even the most passionate ones, may finally become afraid of the Democrats rising antisemitism. Once that happens, their lizard brains will tell them to run.

For now, the Democrats believe that Kamalas husband, Doug Emhoff, is their ace in the hole to placate worried Jewish Democrats. After all, they reason, if the woman in the Oval Office has a Jewish husband, how antisemitic can the party be?

The answer to that question can be seen in England, where Keir Starmer, the new Labour Prime Minister, who has a genetically Jewish wife, heads a government that wants an arms embargo against Israel. On the left, even genetically Jewish spouses are meaningless.

Thankfully for the Dems, few American Jews know whats happening in England. Thus, last night, they trotted out Doug Emhoff to reminisce about how Jewish he is. Just listen to the Jewish schmaltz (syrupy grease) Emhoff is spreading, a bad actor repeating someone elses words:

Doug Emhoff is proudly placing his Jewish identity at the DNC!



From reaffirming his and VP Harris commitment to fighting antisemitism, shouting out his Hebrew school, and bragging about Harris mean Passover brisket, its refreshing to see a proud Jewish top official. pic.twitter.com/NNszpWr5XH  Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) August 21, 2024

While we know that Emhoff is genetically Jewish and probably has a cultural connection, the truth is that whether Emhoff went to Hebrew school or still goes to synagogue, nothing touches him. We know this because this faker couldnt even get the Passover story right.

Passover is the central story of Judaism because it is when God did the miracles that rescued the Jewish people from slavery. He capped these miracles by handing down the moral code that has held them together as a people for over 3,000 years.

And then theres the Hanukkah story, which happened over a thousand years later. That story retells how a small band of Maccabees prevailed against all odds to defeat the overwhelmingly powerful Syrian Greek occupation. In Emhoffs perverse retelling, though, the Jews cowered in the darkness, hiding from their enemies:

The story of Hanukkah and the story of the Jewish people has always been one of hope and resilience, Emhoff, who is Jewish, wrote on X. In the Hanukkah story, the Jewish people were forced into hiding. No one thought they would survive or that the few drops of oil they had would last. But they survived and the oil kept burning, he added. During those eight days in hiding, they recited their prayers and continued their traditions. Thats why Hanukkah means dedication. It was during those dark nights that the Maccabees dedicated themselves to maintaining hope and faith in the oil, each other, and their Judaism. In these dark times, I think of that story, Emhoffs post concluded.

Emhoff deleted the tweet, having revealed that his Judaism was, at best, performative and bore no relationship to his culture, faith, values, or knowledge.

Sadly, I suspect that most of the Jewish Democrats I know will be thrilled by Emhoffs nudge-nudge-wink-wink Jewish identity. Theyll think it means all is right with the Democrat party, never realizing that Emhoff is the court Jew, performing for the King even as the Kings army slaughters Jews and drives the survivors from the land.

Image: YouTube screen grab.
The stench of cognitive dissonance wafting from the Democratic National Convention in downtown Chicago is heavy. Last night, the audience of Democrats went from uproariously cheering for Bernie Billionaires Are Evil Sanders when he called for a communist economy instead of one that only supports the billionaire class, to immediately erupting in applause for J.B. Busting at the Seams Pritzker (the man was literally one deep breath or gout-y hors doeuvre away from his suit button exploding into kingdom come) when he bragged about being an actual billionaire, apparently unlike Donald Trump.

Here is a side-by-side video montage of the two sloppy Democrats:

Bernie: Billionaires are bad



*One speaker later*



JB Pritzker: Take it from a billionaire...



LOL pic.twitter.com/rACATnUoA6  Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 21, 2024

From Peter the Great in the comments: Yeah, inherited all of it and ate half of it. Fact-checker verdict? Mostly true. (Pritzker was looking exceptionally large on stage, a rotund blob of blue suit with little hands poking out at the arm cuffs and blubbery head on top; in fact, if you couldnt see his burrito back-of-the-neck roll and turkey caruncle yourself, you might think he were wearing a fatsuit.)

Now, Im not really quite sure what Pritzker is even talking about since Trump is actually a billionaire, plain and simple, but nonetheless, there is a major difference between the two, and one thats worth noting, and Peter the Great beat me to it. J.B.s granddaddy, and other family members before J.B. are the ones who earned that money, not J.B., hes merely a fortunate beneficiary of generational wealth. In fact, any money that he has made himself has come on the backs of taxpayers.

But Trump? Trump wheeled and dealed in the private sector his whole life, and when he finally did get into government, he donated his salary! The left loves to rag on Trump, diminishing his business prowess by denigrating him for coming from money, but then what does that say about J.B.? Why the cheers? What is impressive about being born into wealth? Did J.B. have anything to do with that or is that pure providence?

What is impressive though is turning a few million into billions, which is exactly what Trump did. There are a lot of wealthy people who were fortunate enough to be born into similar circumstances, but how many of them multiplied that wealth 1,000-fold?

Not only was it the Sanders and Pritzker contradiction though, but MichaelI mean Michelle Obama too. Michelle, who with Barack has a reported combined net worth of $70 million and owns several multi-million dollar mansions in some of the most exclusive and ritzy enclaves in America, took the stage and talked about folks who took more than they needed. Sounds strikingly similar to a well-known line from a lesser-known work of Karl Marx, that is his 1875 Critique of the Gotha Programme: From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs! Certainly Michelle isnt talking about us now is (s)he? Oh yes (s)he is. Now, Im all for the rich enjoying the fruits of their labor or that of their family, but thats not exactly how the Obamas got all that money.

Back to Pritzker though, who also said this: Trump is rich in only one thing: stupidity.

This is coming from the governor of the failed state of Illinoisso whats Pritkzer rich in then? Even more stupidity? I mean, how do you break a state so badly? Corruption? Artery-clogging plaque? Visceral fat? Taxpayer money? Sweaty palms? Wickedness? All of the above?

Theyre both billionaires but only one man is a towering 63 while the other is a squatty 59 (a stature only humiliating because of his obesity), and only one man has a supermodel for a wife while the other has a Muenster, who strangely, actually looks like a relative of Herman Munster. Jealous much?

Image: YouTube video screen grab.
Is the Democrat party a political party, or an organized crime cartel?

This description of what they really did to the Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. campaign by RFK, Jr.'s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, left even RealClearPolitics founder Tom Bevan reeling:

Shanahan describes how the RFK, Jr. campaign ended up being a spoiler, or marginalized, candidacy because of all the nasty, underhanded, and questionably legal maneuvers the Democrats did to them, nonstop. And she believed they could have been a winner without such underhanded doings.

...I did not put in tens of millions of dollars to be a spoiler campaign. I put in tens of millions of dollars to win, to fix this country, to do the right thing. I will say that ClearChoice, this PAC, this DNC-aligned PAC, that was created specifically to take us out has spent millions of dollars to take us out. They have unfortunately turned us into a spoiler. And, we don't want to be a spoiler, we wanted to win, we wanted a fair shot. The DNC made that impossible for us. They have banned us, shadowbanned us, kept us off stages, manipulated polls, used lawfare against us, sued us in every possible state, they've even planted insiders into our campaign to disrupt it and to create actual legal issues for us. The extent by which, the sabotage they've unleashed on us, it's mind-blowing, I mean, we're still learning new ways they have sabotaged us. I really wanted a fair shot at this election, and I believed in the America, that I, a little girl, pledged allegiance to. And that is not where we are at today and it's not because of the Republican Party taking us out. It is exclusively because of the Democratic Party taking us out and I am so disappointed I ever helped them. I am so disappointed that I helped Chuck Schumer in that Georgia runoff secure a majority. It's probably one of the biggest mistakes of my life.

Based on this kind of behavior, I would like to know if the break-ins and potential assassination attempts against RFK, Jr., reported with application after application for Secret Service protection, had anything to do with these dirty tricksters, too. Was someone trying to scare RFK, Jr., or do something worse? Based on the other crap described, I think it's a legitimate place to look.

It also makes me wonder at why RFK, Jr.'s requests for Secret Service protection were denied by Biden, King Rat of the Democrats, against all precedent, and no one could understand why. RFK, Jr., after all, has a history of assassinations in his family, and was able to show that break-ins and security lapses had happened, yet the answer from Joe was always 'no.' It made no sense.

He eventually got the protection he asked for but only after the assassination attempt against President Trump.

Even if these Democrats weren't involved in those vile acts, what Shanahan described was sordid enough -- shadowbans, lawfare, ballot disqualification, spies, saboteurs.

This isn't a party about ideas, it's about brute force. It doesn't want to win elections, but secure an Escobar-like power at any price, as happened in Colombia.

Yet Eddie Haskell-like, it continually babbles about "democracy."

Maybe the question should be raised about breaking up this lawless party given its lawless nature. At a minimum, Congress should hold hearings. And the Trump Republicans should welcome them into the fold the way big ships rescue lifeboats for this election. This is about saving democracy and a two-party system. With Democrats gone, in coming years, they can be the liberal party and the Trumpsters can be the conservative party, with honorable competition of ideas, not the dirty Democrat deeds we see now. This shouldn't be what politics in a free society is about.

Image: Twitter video screen shot
Elon Musk spotted this video on X (Twitter) featuring Lee Hsien Loong, the recently retired prime minister of Singapore, and couldn't help sharing:

Wisdom is a good word for it, because left unsaid, it's also about experience.

Who is Lee Hsien Loong? He's the senior, or emeritus, prime minister of Singapore, the third in the nation's history, and the son of Singapore's founding father, the great Lee Kuan Yew. Suffice to say, he had a wise father to start.

But he had his own achievements, and on his watch, from 2004-2024, Singapore seriously prospered -- see here:

This is the man who is behind  Singapore's incredible growth, who uplifted Singapore from poverty to richest nation in the world.



 Singapore GDP per capita:



1970: $926

2000: $23,853

2010: $47,237

2022: $82,808  Global Index (@TheGlobal_Index) August 21, 2024

I lived in Singapore from 1996 to 1998 before he became prime minister, and it was plenty prosperous then.

It's now four times wealthier.

Obviously, it's not exactly like our system in that being on a small island, it's kind of a one-party system, it could use a freer press, and it tends to clamp down on dissent. But economically, it's one of the world's freest countries, and it goes out of its way to ensure that all its residents have access to high quality education and opportunities. Heck, it's one of the world's cleanest countries, too, spic and span.

As Lee Hsien Loong discusses wokedom, the idea of racial grievance groups getting offended at every statement and everyone walking on tenterhooks as a result, his disdain is obvious.

That's because Singapore's experience counters that in spades.

Because hard as it is to believe now, Singapore was not always the economically free, prosperous, and sparking clean country it is now.

It actually used to be the opposite -- a stinking port town full of race riots, crime, communists, hookers, trash, and chaos.

It was so bad it got thrown out of the Malayan Federation in 1963 for this reason, and Lee, being the top elected official from Singapore in the Malayan Federation, a post-colonial cobbled nation from the British empire, ended up the country's first prime minister. He wrote in his memoirs that he was absolutely terrified at his city being cut loose by what became Malaysia.

It didn't turn out as bad as he thought it would -- in fact, it was a blessing in disguise, because Singapore had him leading it.

In Singapore, Lee and the others knew all about race chaos, being a tiny nation of about 4 million people with four different cultures, three kinds of Chinese nationalities -- the elegant, educated Teo Chew, the middle-of-the-road Hokkien, and the rough nomadic Hakka (of which Lee was one), the Malays, the Tamil Indians, and the remaining British remnants.

Lee sought to keep a multicultural emphasis as a means of keeping the peace, as Wikipedia notes, but it was accompanied by a hardcore rule of law and equal justice under the law approach, which was the style of Lee, whose education at Cambridge University made him a lawyer.

Lee was all about rule of law and equal treatment under rule of law. Multiculturalism could not work any other way.

Equal opportunity, not equal results, and Singapore is still permeated with this mentality.

Lee started out with a largely Fabian socialist orientation, but died in what we would recognize as a conservative, a veritable soulmate of Ronald Reagan, a close ally whom he openly admired, based on his ferocious fealty to rule of law, which made the kind of multiculturalism seen in Singapore (they did adopt the common language of English to ensure locals could understand each other) possible.

So now that Lee Hsien Loong sees wokery up close, he can see where the problems are, his tone suggests in fact that he's utterly amazed that any nation could be so stupid as to adopt this idea, making a nation "not robust" as he put it. He's pretty well steeped in a country that rejected it.

The U.S. would do well to learn from this intelligent man and take a look at the Singapore experience, which teaches a lot about why wokedom leads to disaster. In the meantime, the video is great.

Image: Twitter screen shot
Ever since Google announced the Circle to Search feature, there has been massive hype around it. Initially, the feature was available to flagship smartphones from Google and Samsung. However, Samsung gradually made the feature available for the older Galaxy phones from 2021 as part of the Galaxy AI update. Sadly, the Galaxy S21 FE was one such model that didnt get the Circle to Search for unknown reasons. No worries, that has changed now.

Galaxy S21 FE gets the magical Circle to Search feature bundled with August 2024 security update

This week, the Circle to Search was made available for the Galaxy S21 FE as part of the August 2024 security update. So, if you are a Galaxy S21 FE user who has been waiting to experience the magic of AI, this is your time. For the uninitiated, the Circle to Search is an exciting AI feature that enables you to get information about any visual element you see on a website, photo, or video.

All youve to do is long-press the home button or gesture handle when you spot something interesting. The best part is that the feature runs Google Search as soon as you circle or highlight the element. That too, without having to leave the app youre using. Handy, right? Lets not forget that the Circle to Search feature also replaces the Google Assistant on Samsung phones with Galaxy AI support.

The latest update has rolled out in Vietnam but soon it will be available for other markets too

It is worth noting that the latest update for Galaxy S21 FE also bundles the August 2024 security patch. It fixes 50 security vulnerabilities in Samsung One UI as well as Android. The latest Galaxy S21 FE update that brought Circle to Search was rolled out initially in Vietnam. However, we expect the update to make its way soon to the other regions as well.

Whenever it comes your way, dont forget to Download and Install the update from your devices settings. First, head over to Settings > Software update. Next, follow the on-screen instructions to update your Galaxy S21 FE to enjoy Circle to Search.
Google will have to face a class-action lawsuit regarding its data collection practices, a federal appeals court has decided. The search giant had managed to get the case dismissed by a lower court in 2022.

Google will have to face an old data collection lawsuit again

Google will have to once again fight a class action lawsuit that questioned its data collection practices. At the heart of the lawsuit is Google Chrome and its Sync feature.

Several litigators had pulled Google to court claiming Chrome collected user data without their consent. Filed way back in 2020, the lawsuit alleged Google collected data from Chrome users, while completely ignoring the Sync features settings.

Chrome Sync saves bookmarks, passwords, open tabs, and other data to your Google account. It gives Chrome users quick and easy access to this information when signing into Chrome on multiple devices.

Ninth Circuit revives Google Chrome data collection class action https://t.co/3dDYDXZ6fx  Courthouse News (@CourthouseNews) August 20, 2024

The lawsuit alleged Chrome intentionally and unlawfully collected and delivered a lot of information without explicit permission of the users. Google argued users consented to data collection by accepting the companys privacy policy when installing Google Chrome.

The lower court accepted this argument and dismissed the case. However, a federal appeals court has reversed the lower court ruling. Judge Milan D. Smith Jr. reportedly observed that Judge Gonzalez Rogers didnt consider whether users understood this agreement.

Consequentially, the judge has asked the lower court to reconsider the entire case. In other words, Google will have to present a more convincing argument. Moreover, the case now appears to hinge on users reading and understanding the lengthy terms and conditions, particularly regarding privacy policies.

Will Chrome allow data access without turning on sync?

Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda has expressed concern about the reversal of the lower courts decision. However, he claimed the company is confident it is in the right.

We disagree with this ruling and are confident the facts of the case are on our side. Chrome Sync helps people use Chrome seamlessly across their different devices and has clear privacy controls.

It is interesting to note that the Circuit Judge reportedly implied Googles policies lack focus in his ruling. Here, Google had a general privacy disclosure yet promoted Chrome by suggesting that certain information would not be sent to Google unless a user turned on sync. A reasonable user would not necessarily understand that they were consenting to the data collection at issue.

Google has revised the conditions for using the Sync feature. Users no longer have to turn on the feature to access their previously saved information. However, Castaneda stressed that the two matters arent related. In a similar case, Google confirmed it would delete or anonymize data Chrome had collected when users were browsing with Incognito mode turned on.
Products featured in this Yahoo article are selected by our shopping writers. We will earn a commission from purchases made via links in this article. Pricing and availability are subject to change.

Save on a new suitcase at Argos. (Argos / Yahoo Life UK)

Planning a last-minute getaway? Off on a staycation? New job requires more travelling? Well, good thing Argos has launched a suitcase sale, slashing the price of a number of big-name luggage brands including IT and American Tourister, as well as a selection of Argos own-brand cases, too.

That's right, you can now save up to 50% off a brand-new cabin case, underseat bag, medium or large suitcase if you buy from Argos right now, but you'll have to act fast, because some designs have already sold out.

 Browse luggage at Argos

 Shop cabin cases

 Shop suitcases

 Shop luggage sets

Whether you're looking for something with lots of room to check-in at the airport, a small underseat roll-on that's great for commuting, or a classic cabin you can take practically anywhere, Argos has plenty of options to choose from. Keep reading for an edit of our favourites.

Top picks from Argos suitcase sale

IT IT Luggage World's Lightest 2 Wheel Cabin Suitcase 23 45 Save 22 Dimensions: H55 x W39.5 x D19 (cm) Recommended by a huge 94% of shoppers who have purchased it, this case is described by one shopper as the "lightest case" they've ever bought, with various others also impressed by its maneuverability and lightness. Different to usual cases, this pick comes with a wide comfort handle that lays flat for stress-free packing. 23 at Argos

Rock Rock Allure Rose Pink Cabin Case 40 80 Save 40 Dimensions: H56 x W39 x D23 (cm) This cabin case stands out for its brushed metallic-look finish and sturdy design. As for features, it comes complete with a push-button handle, eight smooth rolling 360-degree wheels, a TSA combination lock and fully lined interior with a mesh divider section. 40 at Argos

This article was originally published on Yahoo Life UK.
Brandon Sklenar has defended the women involved in It Ends With Us, amid controversy around the film.

The US actor, who played Atlas Corrigan in the Colleen Hoover adaptation, addressed all this stuff swirling online amid speculation of a potential rift between director Justin Baldoni and producer Blake Lively  who co-led the cast.

Colleen and the women of this cast stand for hope, perseverance and for women choosing a better life for themselves, Sklenar wrote in a statement on Instagram.

Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about.

It is, in fact, the opposite of the point.

What may or may not have happened behind the scenes does not and hopefully should not detract from what our intentions were in making this film.

Rumours regarding the alleged fractured relationship between Lively and Baldoni began around the films release at the beginning of August.

The film tells the story of Lily Bloom (Lively) as she falls in love with Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni) before reconnecting with her first love (Sklenar)  amid a backdrop of domestic violence.

Sklenar said it was disheartening to see the amount of negativity being projected online.

This film is meant to inspire. Its meant to validate and recognise. Its meant to instill hope, Sklenar said.

Its meant to build courage and help people feel less alone.

Ultimately its meant to spread love and awareness. It is not meant to once again, make the women the bad guy, lets move beyond that together.

Blake Lively and Isabela Ferrer attending the UK gala screening for It Ends with Us at Odeon Luxe, central London. Picture date: Thursday August 8, 2024.

Sklenar asked for those thinking about spreading hate on the internet, to ask yourself who its helping.

He concluded the post, writing: Lets be a part of something better together.

A part of a new story being written for women and all people everywhere.

Lead with love and please be kind.
Coldplay have performed a Taylor Swift song during their show in Vienna.

Swift had been scheduled to play at the Austrian capitals Ernst Happel Stadium in early August, but the three sold-out shows were cancelled after police uncovered an alleged plot by suspected terrorists.

The British bands frontman Chris Martin joined forces with opening act Maggie Rogers to perform Swifts 2008 hit Love Story, according to videos circulating on social media.

Taylor Swift performing at her first London concert at Wembley Stadium, during the Eras Tour (Ian West/PA)

The Coldplay cover, during their Music Of The Spheres wold tour, appeared to be a nod to Swift fans who had missed the opportunity to see the pop superstar perform live.

The alleged foiled terrorist attack came days after an attack in Southport in which three young girls were killed in a mass stabbing at a holiday club Swift-themed event.

Grammy award winner Swift paid tribute to the victims, saying she was completely in shock after the horrendous trauma.

The cancelled Vienna dates formed part of the European leg of her Eras Tour, which concluded on Tuesday.

Swift made Wembley Stadium history as the first solo artist to perform eight times in a single tour.

The billion-dollar tour took fans through her back catalogue, including hits from albums 1989, Red, Midnights and her latest chart-topping 11th studio album  The Tortured Poets Department.
England midfielder Conor Gallagher has completed his move from Chelsea to Atletico Madrid.

The 24-year-old, who came through the youth ranks at Stamford Bridge, has signed a five-year contract with the Spanish outfit after the clubs agreed a reported 33.7million fee.

Gallaghers future had been the subject of speculation for some time as he entered the final year of his contract and with it unclear how he fitted into new manager Enzo Marescas plans.

Thank you, and good luck, Conor.  pic.twitter.com/LZundZneOl  Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 21, 2024

A statement from Atletico read: Atletico Madrid and Chelsea have reached an agreement for the transfer of Conor Gallagher, who has signed for the club until 2029.

Gallagher had been a regular in the Chelsea side over the past two seasons after loan spells at Charlton, Swansea, West Brom and Crystal Palace earlier in his career.

He made 95 appearances for the Blues, scoring 10 goals, and also captained the side on a number of occasions last season.

He was also part of the England squad which reached the final of Euro 2024 this summer.

A post from Chelsea on X read: Thank you, and good luck, Conor.

Gallagher sent a departing message to the Blues on Instagram.

To everyone at Chelsea, thank you for making my dreams come true. Its been an absolute honour every time I put on the shirt, and it was a dream come true to captain the team on many occasions, he said.

I loved every moment. These memories will last forever. I appreciate all the love and support from the fans. Hearing the chant of my name at the Bridge is a special feeling, and the banner you displayed meant the world to me.

Thank you for everything. I wish the club all the best for the future, and I hope to see you all soon at Stamford Bridge.
Boccia champion David Smith is raring to go for Paris but feels Adam Peatys near miss at the Olympics proves how difficult it is to win gold at three successive Games.

The 35-year-old travels to the Paralympics as Britains most successful player of the boules-like sport and looking to defend the individual BC1 title he claimed in Rio and retained in Tokyo.

Swimmer Peaty last month fell agonisingly short in his attempt to achieve a similar feat in the 100m breaststroke after he was forced to settle for joint silver in the French capital behind Italian Nicolo Martinenghi.

Adam Peaty was unable to clinch a third successive Olympic gold (Martin Rickett/PA)

This time around, Im probably not going in as the absolute favourite, as maybe I was in Tokyo, Smith told the PA news agency.

There are probably about five or six athletes that could quite easily challenge in the BC1, which is probably the first time ever its been that competitive  thats exciting.

Ive medalled at every tournament for the last four years. I feel like it would be wrong for me not to expect that, I guess.

But Im not putting myself under (the pressure of) I must win it. To go three in a row, Adam Peaty showed how hard that is to do.

David Smith is Great Britains most successful boccia player (Tim Goode/PA)

Ive got bags of energy so well see what that turns up and as long as I can play well and put on a show for the crowd then Ill be relatively satisfied. Im in a good place and raring to go.

Smith has won five medals across four Paralympics, beginning with team gold in 2008 in Beijing followed by two silvers at London 2012.

The Eastleigh-born athlete, who recently regained world number one status, faces stiff competition in his quest to add to the medal tally from the likes of Thailands Witsanu Huadpradit, Muhamad Syafa of Indonesia, Dutchman Daniel Perez and Portuguese player Andre Ramos.

If anything, Im probably more driven than I was when I started, said Smith.



Back in Beijing, I was probably a little bit like a happy amateur: lots of talent, probably not so directed.

Im probably in a space now where I feel like Ive mastered my craft and I know what I need to do.

The field has tightened up. Theres a lot more density at the top. Im just trying to keep my head above the water.

Smith was selected as ParalympicsGBs closing ceremony flagbearer following his exploits in Tokyo, an experience he rates as the pinnacle of his career.

Great Britains David Smith sported a red and blue mohawk in Tokyo (Tim Goode/PA)

He sported an eye-catching red and blue mohawk back then but remained tight-lipped when quizzed on his hairstyle of choice this time around.

Its all booked in but not reveals yet, said Smith.

Im keeping it as modest as possible until the last possible moment  partly because I dont want the colour to wash out before the closing ceremony.

Youll find out soon enough.
A retired accountant who killed a lifelong friend and left another paraplegic after colliding with their motorbikes during a road trip to Scotland has been spared jail and told to live his life anew by a judge.

Paul Shrubsole, 60, trembled in the dock as the judge told him he was being given a chance to live in a way your friends and victims cant, more than three years after a fatal accident caused when his attention lapsed behind the wheel.

The court heard Shrubsole, from Essex, has not driven since July 24, 2021, when he used hands-free to make a call while driving on the M74 in South Lanarkshire and collided with Julian Wiseman, 57, and Paul Allum  his lifelong friends from Kent University, one of whom was his best man.

The three men had travelled from the south of England when Shrubsoles concentration lapsed as traffic slowed and he called one of his travel companions  striking the two motorcyclists with his Nissan Qashqai.

Defending, Tony Graham KC told the court Shrubsole voluntarily surrendered his driving licence following the crash, describing him as an unremarkable man with an unblemished driving record and no previous convictions.

Mr Wiseman died at the scene, while Mr Allum suffered spinal cord injuries which left him in a wheelchair, the court heard.

Shrubsole was convicted of causing death by careless driving following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

Mr Graham said: On July 23, 2021, three men who had enjoyed four decades of friendship set off to enjoy what should have been a holiday, what should have been an enjoyable road trip, what should have been the first proper relief after lockdown.

Julian Wiseman died and Paul Allums life changed forever.

Nothing I can say and nothing my lord can do will restore Mr Allums health or bring Mr Wiseman back to life.

Paul Shrubsole, 60, leaving the High Court in Glasgow after sentencing (Andrew Milligan/PA)

The crash happened at 30-40mph, and would have likely caused only bodywork damage had Shrubsole struck another car, the court heard.

Mr Graham said: If Mr Allum and Mr Wiseman had not been on motorbikes, the chances are that motorists would have exchanged details. The consequences would have been nothing more than an increase in excess.

The court heard Mr Allum had supported Shrubsole throughout the court case, and was coping with remarkable fortitude with his injuries.

Mr Wiseman was described as a rare force of life who was adored by his fiancee, their son, a huge friendship group and former students, the court heard.

Shrubsole, who is a married father, has no intention of driving again, according to his defence.

Mr Graham urged a community sentence be imposed, describing Shrubsole as respectable and adding: He has never been a burden on the state.

Sentencing, Judge Lord Arthurson said: I have read moving statements by Mr Wisemans fiancee and son which reflect the talent and energy of his adult life. He was a rare and wholly genuine lifeforce.

Mr Allum suffered a spinal cord injury and is paraplegic, and now depends on a wheelchair and requires the support of two carers.

Mr Allum appears to be coping with remarkable fortitude and strength of character. That fortitude extends to his continued support for you in this case. Rarely have I seen such a broken man in a court room.

There is no public benefit of sending you to prison. You are of good character. You have not driven since this terrible incident and do not intend to drive again.

He imposed a two-year community payback order and 300 hours of unpaid work, as well as a disqualification of five years, passing further responsibility to Basildon Crown Court in Essex.

Lord Arthurson said: Mr Shrubsole, you should regard this sentence as an opportunity as your friends and victims cant  you have a chance to begin your life anew.

I suggest you dedicate the years of this order to helping others and rehabilitating yourself. Im telling you the opportunity is there to be grabbed by you.
A Jupiter-bound European spacecraft made history as it briefly returned to Earth in a flawless fly-by.

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) performed a risky manoeuvre known as gravity assist, coming just 4,250 miles (6,840km) above the planets surface on Tuesday at 10.56pm UK time.

The tricky move  the first ever fly-by of its kind  saw the spacecraft use the moon and the Earths gravity as a natural brake to slow itself down and send it towards Venus.

This technique allows Juice to take a shortcut to Jupiter through the inner solar system and save precious fuel, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).

Ignacio Tanco, ESAs spacecraft operations manager for the mission, said: The gravity assist fly-by was flawless, everything went without a hitch, and we were thrilled to see Juice coming back so close to Earth.

The Juice spacecraft flew past Earth at 10.56pm UK time (Juice/European Space Agency)

The spacecraft first flew past the moon at 10.15pm UK time, increasing its speed by 0.9km/s relative to the sun to pivot towards Earth.

The Earth fly-by then slowed down Juice by 4.8 km/s relative to the sun as it zoomed above South-east Asia and the Pacific Ocean, sending it towards Venus where it will perform another gravity assist next year.

These manoeuvres are expected to save the mission 100150kg of fuel, the ESA said.

Mr Tanco said: Thanks to very precise navigation by ESAs Flight Dynamics team, we managed to use only a tiny fraction of the propellant reserved for this fly-by.

The spacecraft flew past the moon at 10.15pm UK time (Juice/European Space Agency)

This will add to the margins we keep for a rainy day, or to extend the science mission once we get to Jupiter.

A scientific camera called Janus snapped images during the fly-bys of Earth and the moon.

Claire Vallat, ESAs Juice operations scientist, said: The timing and location of this double fly-by allows us to thoroughly study the behaviour of Juices instruments.

It happens early enough in Juices journey that we can use the data to prepare the instruments for arrival at Jupiter.

And given how well we know the physical properties of Earth, the moon, and the surrounding space environment, its also the ideal location to understand how the instruments respond to a real target.

An artists impression of the Juice spacecraft cruising towards the moon and the Earth (European Space Agency)

The mission launched in April 2023 on a 4.1 billion-mile journey to Jupiter which will take more than eight years.

Onboard are 10 scientific instruments, including from the UK, which will investigate whether the gas giants three moons  Callisto, Europa and Ganymede  can support life in their oceans.

The Venus fly-by is expected to take place in August 2025, which will send Juice back out towards Earth.

The spacecraft will fly past its home planet again in September 2026 and January 2029, gaining two more boosts before arrival at Jupiter in July 2031, the ESA said.
Five bodies have been found inside the wreck of a luxury yacht that sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily but one person remains missing, officials have said.

Salvatore Cocina, the head of Sicilys civil protection agency, told the PA news agency that searches have finished for the day on Wednesday and will resume on Thursday morning.

He confirmed that of the five bodies found, only four had been recovered, and the whereabouts of the missing sixth person remains unknown.

Members of the public and media watch as a body bag is brought ashore (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the people unaccounted for after the yacht, named Bayesian, sank at around 5am on Monday.

Identities of the recovered bodies have not been confirmed by authorities, despite local and international media reporting some had been identified.

Body bags were seen being taken to the port of Porticello on Wednesday afternoon, with the process of bringing the fifth body to shore being described by Mr Cocina as ongoing.

He said there will be an investigation in due course, but the priority is finding the missing.

As the body bags were taken back to the port, dozens of emergency services staff were waiting, and one bag was seen being put in the back of an ambulance.

The missing also included Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda.

(PA Graphics)

Inspections of the yachts internal hull took place on Wednesday morning.

A team of four British inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) also arrived in Porticello to look at the site of the sinking.

The MAIB is looking into what happened because the Bayesian was flying a British flag, it is understood.

The Italian coastguard said the MAIB is not involved in the search for the missing people and has not been requested to assist.

A helicopter was drafted in to help the search effort as divers from the local fire service entered the water with torches attached to their headgear.

A police boat and divers also entered the water on Wednesday afternoon.

(PA Graphics)

Fire crews said they had been accessing the vessel through natural entrances, without making openings.

Remotely controlled underwater vehicles have been used, with naval units and cave divers also taking part in the search, the coastguard said.

The Bayesian was moored around half a mile off the coast of Porticello when it sank at about 5am local time on Monday as the area was hit by a storm.

Vincenzo Zagarola, of the Italian coastguard, previously said the missing tourists were feared dead.

The wreckage of the Bayesian is resting on the seabed off the coast at a depth of 50 metres (164ft).

Fire crews described the operation as complex, with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts.

(PA Graphics)

Of the 22 passengers and crew on board, 15  including Mr Lynchs wife, Angela Bacares  were rescued after escaping on to a lifeboat.

Survivors have been recuperating at a hotel complex in Porticello, where authorities were gathering witness statements.

The boat trip was a celebration of Mr Lynchs acquittal in a fraud case in the US.

The businessman, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was cleared in June of carrying out a massive fraud relating to its 11 billion US dollar (8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.

The Financial Times reported that Mr Bloomer appeared at trial as a defence witness for Mr Lynch, while media reports suggest the pair are close friends.

In a separate incident, Mr Lynchs co-defendant in his US fraud trial, Stephen Chamberlain, died after being hit by a car while out running in Cambridgeshire on Saturday.
A great white shark swimming in shallow water Mark F Lotterhand via Shutterstock

Ever since Jaws put millions of moviegoers off of ocean swimming in 1975, people have feared great white sharks as the powerful apex predators that they are. While some of these fears are overblown, and the likelihood of actually getting bitten by one is very low, most people would think twice before going anywhere near a great white, to say the least.

But even the most powerful predator can find themselves in dire straits, and that's what happened when a great white shark washed up on a Nantucket beach on Friday. Luckily, a few brave Good Samaritans managed to set aside their fears and stepped in to save the day!

According to the Nantucket Current (@nantucketcurrent), the beached shark was discovered on Nantucket's Low Beach by Liza Phillips, who was visiting from California with her family and friends. At first, Liza thought she was looking at a beached whale, but as she and her group approached, they realized they were standing face-to-fin with a great white shark.

Related: Father and Son's Encounter with Massive Great White Shark Leaves People Shocked

Initially, the group was stunned, and they anxiously waited to see if the great white would right itself and get back in the water. But as the stranded shark continued to flounder helplessly on the sand, Phillips realized that they were its only hope of survival.

"It was so helpless, we were thinking it was going to get back in itself but it was completely beached," Phillips told the Nantucket Current. "We said we have to step up and try to help. Definitely, there was some adrenaline involved."

Despite the danger of approaching the flailing shark, Phillips and her friend Ted Rock carefully rolled it deeper into the water. At first, things looked grim as the shark flipped helplessly to the side. But with a few last pushes, Phillips and Rock managed to move it upright, and it finally swam back into the sea.

Phillips never expected to take on the role of shark savior when she hit the beach that day. Now, she'll have an incredible story to bring back with her to California.

"Touching a great white? That's not even something you put on a bucket list because it's just so unbelievable," Phillips marveled.

Saving a Stranded Shark

While shark beachings aren't very common, they can happen when a shark is injured, sick, or gets stressed or disoriented while swimming in shallow water. Unlike beached whales and dolphins, which can potentially survive on land for an hour or more, sharks need a constant flow of water past their gills to breathe. Without it, most will die within minutes.

If you were to encounter a beached great white, National Geographic first recommends tossing water on the shark's body to get it as wet and oxygenated as possible. The next step is getting it back into water deep enough to flow past its mouth and gills so that it can breathe again and, hopefully, regain enough strength to swim forward on its own. Depending on how sick or injured the shark is, survival is still not guaranteed, but at least it'll have a fighting chance!

What Phillips and her friend did was very brave and potentially saved the shark's life. However, New England Aquarium shark expert John Chisholm told Boston.com that their rescue was a dangerous one - not just because of the bite risk, but also because of potential injuries from the shark's rough skin and thrashing tail.

It takes true courage to put oneself on the line to help an animal in need like Liza Phillips did. Still, if you ever end up assisting a shark rescue yourself, please take care and stay safe!

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.
Relatives of Humza Yousaf who live in the Gaza Strip have had to flee their home again, the former first minister has said.

The cousin of his wife Nadia El-Nakla was told to evacuate Mr Yousafs father-in-laws house with her children amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Ms El-Naklas cousin Sally, her husband and four children had been staying at the house in Deir al Balah, a city in the central Gaza Strip.

Their previous home in another part of Gaza had been destroyed earlier in the war.

Mr Yousafs parents-in-law were trapped in Gaza when the fighting broke out after the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas.

Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla were able to return to Scotland in November after being allowed to pass through the Rafah crossing, but other members of Nadia El-Naklas family remain in the Palestinian enclave.

Posting on X, Mr Yousaf said: Nadias cousin & family told to evacuate my father-in-laws house in Gaza where theyre taking refuge.

No Hamas. Just innocent men, women & children now looking for a cart for their possessions, hoping to survive another day.

Somehow, the world watches on, incapable of humanity.

Nadia's cousin & family told to evacuate my father-in-law's house in Gaza where they're taking refuge. No Hamas. Just innocent men, women & children now looking for a cart for their possessions, hoping to survive another day. Somehow, the world watches on, incapable of humanity pic.twitter.com/9IvYAR80wY  Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) August 21, 2024

The SNP former first minister shared an Instagram story posted by his wife.

She wrote: My cousin Sally is in Gaza she has evacuated/been displaced more than 10 times.

Her flat in Hamad city was destroyed and she had been living at my dads house in Deir Al Balah. Yesterday her husband had an operation. She has 4 kids.

Today my dads house and my extended family received an evacuation order. They have no place to go. Sally is looking for a cart to carry blankets! My heart is (broken) May God protect them.

Another post on her Instagram referred to targeting of the house.

The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has deteriorated during the conflict and Gazas health ministry says more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7.
Renowned author, journalist and feminist activist Nell McCafferty has died at the age of 80.

Her family said she died in the early hours of Wednesday at a nursing home in Co Donegal.

The former Irish Times journalist, originally from Londonderry, was a prominent voice on womens rights issues across the island of Ireland and in 1970 co-founded the Irish Womens Liberation Movement (IWLM).

Considered a journalistic trailblazer and fearless social commentator, McCafferty wrote several books and also wrote for publications including the Sunday Tribune and Hot Press.

Nell McCafferty, centre, died aged 80 at a nursing home in Co Donegal (Niall Carson/PA)

Campaigning for the legalisation of contraceptives in Ireland in the 1970s, she famously took part in an event known as the Contraceptive Train in 1971 when members of the IWLM travelled across the border to Belfast, bought a range of contraceptive products and took them to Dublin, where they staged a protest at the citys Connolly station.

Irish president Michael D Higgins said McCafferty had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness and had a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism.

Mr Higgins said he and his wife Sabina were privileged to be friends with her and said she will be deeply missed by us all.

Nell McCafferty was a pioneer in raising those searching questions which could be asked, but which had been buried, hidden or neglected, Mr Higgins said.

Indeed, this is one of the aspects which was most remarkable from the very beginning in her work.

For example, Nell knew that standing behind the rituals of courts and unfortunate defendants, there was always a complex story which she had a gifted empathy to understand. In her column, In the Eyes of the Law, she opened peoples eyes to the operation of the District Court and its interaction with those who found themselves before it.

Nell had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness, and this made her advocacy formidable on behalf of those who had been excluded from society. A defining feature across Nells life was such a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism wherever she saw it.

Irish premier Simon Harris paid tribute to McCafferty as a fierce, fearless and fiery campaigner who suffered no fools.

If she was in the room or in the debate, you knew about it, the Taoiseach said.

Her passion and wrath was not scattergun  it had a laser-like focus on calling out inequality and injustice. She suffered no fools but had a kindness and warmth for many.

Her wit and Derry turn of phrase made her impossible to ignore.

As one of the women who took the train in 1971, she set in train an unstoppable wave for equality and a changing of Ireland for the better. That change has not yet reached its conclusion but it would be nowhere if it wasnt for warriors like Nell.

In an Ireland trying to emerge from the shadows and find who it was, Nell McCafferty was one of the people who knew exactly who she was and wasnt afraid to enter every battle for gay and womens rights. We all owe her a great debt for this.

Nell McCafferty left Ireland a much better place than she found it and she played her part with spirit and style. May she rest in peace.

I want to express my deep sadness at the death of former journalist, author and campaigner Nell McCafferty today. Nell was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. A proud feminist, and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in pic.twitter.com/sg8hLAk4kh  Michelle ONeill (@moneillsf) August 21, 2024

Stormont First Minister and Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle ONeill said McCafferty was a trailblazer in every sense of the word.

She added: A proud feminist and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in our society.

She eloquently spoke up for disadvantaged women through her work with the Irish Womens Liberation Movement, particularly highlighting the poverty and injustices women faced in the late 20th century across the island.

Nell McCafferty was a towering figure in Irish journalism with great courage and honesty, and was an important figure during the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement.

A proud daughter of Derry, Nells wisdom, humour and humility will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her. I want to extend my deepest sympathies to her family and friends at this very difficult time.

Deeply saddened at the passing of Nell McCafferty. Nell was an exceptional journalist & campaigner  the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights & womens rights. She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland. (1/2)  Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) August 21, 2024

Irelands deputy premier Micheal Martin said he was deeply saddened at McCaffertys death.

Nell was an exceptional journalist and campaigner  the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights and womens rights, the Tanaiste posted on X, formerly Twitter.

She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland.

In addition to her brilliance as a writer, activist and feminist, Nell brought great warmth and humour to every engagement.

She made a difference. Sympathies to her family, friends and former colleagues.

Farewell, Nell. Talented. Feminist. Fearless. Nell McCafferty lived and worked every day to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Most often, the powerful didnt like it. Thats how how she knew she was doing the right thing. Her writing and campaigning helped pic.twitter.com/Ro6pjkce9I  Mary Lou McDonald (@MaryLouMcDonald) August 21, 2024

Mary Lou McDonald said McCaffertys writing helped change Ireland for the better.

The Sinn Fein leader posted on X: Farewell, Nell. Talented. Feminist. Fearless.

Nell McCafferty lived and worked every day to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

Most often, the powerful didnt like it. Thats how she knew she was doing the right thing.

Her writing and campaigning helped to change Ireland for the better.

She will be deeply missed.

Irelands Press Ombudsman, journalist Susan McKay, also paid tribute.

She was an absolutely wonderful journalist, a really ground-breaking journalist, Ms McKay told BBC Radio Ulster.

She changed the way that all of us who came after her wrote journalism and did journalism, because she went straight to people.

You know, if you look back at journalism before Nell, and indeed before some other brilliant woman of her generation, ordinary people were never asked for their opinion. They were written about by gents who thought that they knew how best to analyse society.

Nell went straight into working-class places, she talked to people who had experienced real hardships and afflictions in their lives, and she brought their voices alive.

She was tremendously brave and courageous and she wrote about all of the most important stories of her time.

And its very, very sad that she has died, but she had been very ill for quite a number of years, and, you know, wasnt really in a position to appreciate life to the same extent as she had been before.

Very sorry to hear about the death of Nell McCafferty. A mould breaker and establishment shaker, she spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could. An icon for so many people across Ireland. Nell will be sadly missed but her activism will endure.  Colum Eastwood (@columeastwood) August 21, 2024

SDLP leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood described McCafferty as a mould-breaker and establishment shaker.

She spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could, he said on X.

An icon for so many people across Ireland. Nell will be sadly missed, but her activism will endure.

Leader of the Irish Labour Party Ivana Bacik said she is deeply saddened.

She described McCafferty as a wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon.

It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends, she posted on X.

Deeply saddened to hear today about the death of the wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon  Nell McCafferty. It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends. #RIPNell pic.twitter.com/ULHxsnDEBk  Ivana Bacik (@ivanabacik) August 21, 2024

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) described McCafferty as one of the most renowned journalists in Ireland.

She was a lifelong member of the NUJ and a former union activist.

Irish secretary Seamus Dooley said: With the death of Nell McCafferty, a bright light has been extinguished.

She was one of the most renowned journalists in the country as a reporter, columnist, author and broadcaster.

The public recognised in her a deep commitment to social justice.

The fact that she was so often referred to only by her first name is a reflection of her special place in Irish journalism and in the public consciousness.

This stemmed from her unique qualities as a reporter and storyteller.

Nell McCafferty could be hilariously funny, frequently controversial and delighted in being contrary.

She was never afraid to challenge the consensus and took pleasure in afflicting the comfortable.

Throughout her career, Nell blazed a trail for feminists and played a significant role in the development of the feminist movement in Ireland.

Always provocative, Nell had the ability to trenchantly argue her case with unique style.

In a piece published in the Irish Times earlier this year to mark McCaffertys 80th birthday, President of Ireland Michael D Higgins hailed her enduring courage as a writer.

Those who have had Nell as a friend and an ally are very fortunate in their being given the gift of experiencing humanity in all its possibilities and vulnerabilities, and delivered as she did it with a sense of humour that paid tribute to the authenticity of her Derry upbringing, he wrote.
Irelands president has led tributes to renowned author, journalist and feminist activist Nell McCafferty, who has died at the age of 80.

The celebrated writers family said she died in the early hours of Wednesday at a nursing home in Co Donegal.

The former Irish Times journalist, originally from Londonderry, was a prominent voice on womens rights issues across the island of Ireland and in 1970 co-founded the Irish Womens Liberation Movement (IWLM).

Nell McCafferty, centre, died aged 80 at a nursing home in Co Donegal (Niall Carson/PA)

Considered a journalistic trailblazer and fearless social commentator, McCafferty authored several books and also wrote for publications including the Sunday Tribune and Hot Press.

Campaigning for the legalisation of contraceptives in Ireland in the 1970s, she famously took part in an event known as the Contraceptive Train in 1971 when members of the IWLM travelled across the border to Belfast, bought a range of contraceptive products and took them to Dublin, where they staged a protest at the citys Connolly station.

President of Ireland Michael D Higgins said McCafferty had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness and had a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism.

Statement by President Michael D. Higgins on the death of Nell McCafferty https://t.co/IlvxH3OsnK  President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) August 21, 2024

Mr Higgins said he and his wife Sabina were privileged to be friends with her and said she will be deeply missed by us all.

Nell McCafferty was a pioneer in raising those searching questions which could be asked, but which had been buried, hidden or neglected, Mr Higgins said.

Indeed, this is one of the aspects which was most remarkable from the very beginning in her work.

He added: Nell had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness, and this made her advocacy formidable on behalf of those who had been excluded from society.

A defining feature across Nells life was such a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism wherever she saw it.

Irish premier Simon Harris paid tribute to the journalist as a fierce, fearless and fiery campaigner who suffered no fools.

If she was in the room or in the debate, you knew about it, the Taoiseach said.

Her passion and wrath was not scattergun  it had a laser-like focus on calling out inequality and injustice. She suffered no fools but had a kindness and warmth for many.

Her wit and Derry turn of phrase made her impossible to ignore.

As one of the women who took the train in 1971, she set in train an unstoppable wave for equality and a changing of Ireland for the better.

That change has not yet reached its conclusion but it would be nowhere if it wasnt for warriors like Nell.

In an Ireland trying to emerge from the shadows and find who it was, Nell McCafferty was one of the people who knew exactly who she was and wasnt afraid to enter every battle for gay and womens rights. We all owe her a great debt for this.

Nell McCafferty left Ireland a much better place than she found it and she played her part with spirit and style. May she rest in peace.

I want to express my deep sadness at the death of former journalist, author and campaigner Nell McCafferty today. Nell was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. A proud feminist, and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in pic.twitter.com/sg8hLAk4kh  Michelle ONeill (@moneillsf) August 21, 2024

Northern Irelands First Minister and Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle ONeill said McCafferty was a trailblazer in every sense of the word.

She added: A proud feminist and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in our society.

She eloquently spoke up for disadvantaged women through her work with the Irish Womens Liberation Movement, particularly highlighting the poverty and injustices women faced in the late 20th century across the island.

Nell McCafferty was a towering figure in Irish journalism with great courage and honesty, and was an important figure during the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement.

A proud daughter of Derry, Nells wisdom, humour and humility will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her.

I want to extend my deepest sympathies to her family and friends at this very difficult time.

Deeply saddened at the passing of Nell McCafferty. Nell was an exceptional journalist & campaigner  the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights & womens rights. She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland. (1/2)  Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) August 21, 2024

Irelands deputy premier Micheal Martin said he was deeply saddened at McCaffertys death.

Nell was an exceptional journalist and campaigner  the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights and womens rights, the Tanaiste posted on X, formerly Twitter.

She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland.

In addition to her brilliance as a writer, activist and feminist, Nell brought great warmth and humour to every engagement.

She made a difference.

Sympathies to her family, friends and former colleagues.

Irelands Press Ombudsman, journalist Susan McKay, also paid tribute.

She was an absolutely wonderful journalist, a really ground-breaking journalist, Ms McKay told BBC Radio Ulster.

She changed the way that all of us who came after her wrote journalism and did journalism, because she went straight to people.

You know, if you look back at journalism before Nell, and indeed before some other brilliant woman of her generation, ordinary people were never asked for their opinion.

They were written about by gents who thought that they knew how best to analyse society.

Nell went straight into working-class places, she talked to people who had experienced real hardships and afflictions in their lives, and she brought their voices alive.

She was tremendously brave and courageous and she wrote about all of the most important stories of her time.

And its very, very sad that she has died, but she had been very ill for quite a number of years, and, you know, wasnt really in a position to appreciate life to the same extent as she had been before.

Very sorry to hear about the death of Nell McCafferty. A mould breaker and establishment shaker, she spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could. An icon for so many people across Ireland. Nell will be sadly missed but her activism will endure.  Colum Eastwood (@columeastwood) August 21, 2024

SDLP leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood described McCafferty as a mould-breaker and establishment shaker.

She spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could, he said on X.

An icon for so many people across Ireland.

Nell will be sadly missed, but her activism will endure.

Leader of the Irish Labour Party Ivana Bacik said she is deeply saddened.

She described McCafferty as a wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon.

It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends, she posted on X.

Deeply saddened to hear today about the death of the wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon  Nell McCafferty. It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends. #RIPNell pic.twitter.com/ULHxsnDEBk  Ivana Bacik (@ivanabacik) August 21, 2024

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) described McCafferty as one of the most renowned journalists in Ireland.

She was a long time member of the NUJ and a former union activist.

Irish secretary Seamus Dooley said: With the death of Nell McCafferty, a bright light has been extinguished.

She was one of the most renowned journalists in the country as a reporter, columnist, author and broadcaster.

The public recognised in her a deep commitment to social justice.

The fact that she was so often referred to only by her first name is a reflection of her special place in Irish journalism and in the public consciousness.

This stemmed from her unique qualities as a reporter and storyteller.

Nell McCafferty could be hilariously funny, frequently controversial and delighted in being contrary.

She was never afraid to challenge the consensus and took pleasure in afflicting the comfortable.

Throughout her career, Nell blazed a trail for feminists and played a significant role in the development of the feminist movement in Ireland.

Always provocative, Nell had the ability to trenchantly argue her case with unique style.

McCaffertys funeral will take place on Friday in her native Derry.

A requiem mass will be held at 12.30pm at St Columbas Church, Long Tower in the city, followed by a private cremation in Co Cavan.
Absolutely Fabulous star Jane Horrocks has said death has become more taboo in recent years and needs to be talked about.

The British actress, 60, is an ambassador for the UKs leading end of life charity, Marie Curie, and has helped to launch its Diary Of A Wardrobe auction, which has seen celebrity donations from the likes of model Kate Moss, Dame Julie Walters and Dame Shirley Bassey.

Speaking about the charity, she told the PA news agency: We dont talk about death enough, and its (Marie Curie) all about living and prolonging life.

And people dont talk about the inevitable that is going to come to us all at some point in our life.

And I feel it should be talked about more and possibly not feared in the way that the Western world seems to fear it.

She continued: Its (death) got more taboo, I think, as time has gone on, with medication, with the intervention of medication to prolong life.

The actress has been working with Marie Curie for years and said it is a great charity as families are very much included in the death process.

Horrocks was working with them when her mother died but had not asked for help at the time, which she said she would have done in hindsight, as she found the handling of her mothers death brutal.

She said she was asked to leave the room so the carers could prepare her body following her death, and found it really hard.

We stayed a very short time, and then it was home  and I wasnt present when my dad died  but it just felt a bit brutal, actually, very brutal, she said.

June Whitfield, Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Julia Sawalha and Jane Horrocks attending the premiere of Absolutely Fabulous The Movie (Ian West/PA)

And I really struggled with that and if somebody had said, Listen, rigor mortis (stiffening of the body) is not going to set in for a while so you dont need to be frightened about that, you can sit with her for as long as you want.

You can sit with her all night if you wanted to and wed be fine with that. But that didnt happen.

I just think theres lots of myths surrounding death that people pass on, people say, Oh, theyre turning yellow now. And that process takes a while.

Its not immediate and I just think its all full of myths and fear and horror. And actually, when my mum did pass, it was a very beautiful thing, it was very gentle.

I know people might have other experiences than I experienced with my mum, but that was my experience.

And it just did feel like she just faded away and it wasnt horrific at all.

It was just the way that it was dealt with that was not very inclusive or compassionate, Id say.

I wish Id have talked to Marie Curie about about this before my mum did die, she added.

To raise money for the charity the actress hatched a plan for an auction, which she came up with when she was clearing out clothes from her house.

I then thought, Oh, its quite a small auction if its just my clothes, she said.

So then me and the people at Marie Curie reached out to many other people.

Horrocks said the auction is special as the items will be personalised and come with an added extra like a message or photograph from the celebrity.

Items being sold include a bronze coloured dress worn by Horrocks when she sang with Robbie Williams at Londons Royal Albert Hall, Christian Louboutins donated by Moss, a coat worn by Dame Emma Thompson, and Daniel Craigs bloodied shirt from a production of Macbeth.

The Diary Of A Wardrobe Auction is being held on September 19 at 2pm in Surrey and live internationally online  with bidders able to register on the Ewbanks Auctions website.
Kirstie Allsopp has questioned if parents being fearful of their children exploring the world is due to the 24-hour news coverage and a belief that the world is a worse place.

The Location, Location, Location presenter, 52, received mixed opinions online after revealing she allowed her 15-year-old son to go interrailing across Europe with his 16-year-old friend this summer.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4s Today programme on Wednesday, Allsopp said she agreed to it as she feels he is a very sensible young man, but admitted she struggled emotionally as she missed him over the summer break.

Reflecting on how perspectives have changed on allowing young people freedom, she said: In previous generations, people did things far younger.

We are looking at a mental health crisis with young people. A lot of people are talking about it and writing about it.

Kirstie Allsopp said she did not want her son to be left behind by his peers (Ian West/PA)

We have to ask ourselves  how much of this is because of our fear and our worry, and how much of our fear and worry stems from 24-hour news and a lot of belief that the world is a worse place?

She pointed out her elders had taken on major pursuits as teenagers, including her father-in-law joining the Arctic convoys of the Second World War aged 16, her mother-in-law going to university in South Africa aged 15 and her father joining the army at 17.

The discussion came about after Allsopp shared on X, formerly Twitter, that her son had just returned from three weeks of interrailing, travelling through Europe usually via train, with his friend.

She wrote: For obvious budget reasons, inter-railing isnt on the cards for everyone, but in this increasingly risk-averse world its vital that we find any ways we can to give our children the confidence that only comes from trusting them.

Of course I missed spending the summer with our son, but Im so proud of him & my loss is nothing compared to his gain & the encyclopaedic knowledge he now has of the differences between one McDonalds & another, if were afraid our children will also be afraid, if we let go, they will fly.

Her post sparked a conversation online with some criticising her for letting him go while others praised her decision.

Discussing her decision on Radio 4, Allsopp also she did not want her son, who is young for his school year, to be left behind by his peers.

Hes 16 today and hes a summer-born child, so hes very young for his year, she said.

My little boy has returned from 3 weeks inter-railing, hell be 16 on Wednesday so he went with a mate whos already 16 due to hostel/travel restrictions, but they organised the whole thing; Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, Marseille, Toulouse, Barcelona & Madrid 1/3  Kirstie Allsopp (@KirstieMAllsopp) August 19, 2024

As any parent of a summer-born knows, theres always this dilemma that their friends will turn key ages before them, and do you hold them back simply because of the number of days in a year? Or do you say Yes, you can do what your cohort is doing. So, I think thats the first thing.

She continued: Its strange to say I didnt struggle with it on a practical level, because he came to me with a proposal, hes a very sensible young man, hes never been in trouble at school, and so when he said, I want to do this, I thought, Right, okay, good on you.

I struggled on an emotional level that I knew Id be not seeing him for quite a lot of this summer.

Hes only got two more years at school and then hell probably go to university ,and then hell be away. So, as a parent, its always that thing of Oh, I want to be with my child, or is it good for them to do their own thing?

Allsopp, who is mother to sons Oscar Hercules and Bay Atlas with husband Ben Andersen, also noted parents worry about different things and, for her, her fear is her children travelling in cars with new drivers and drugs, rather than travelling.

Asked if she would have treated a daughter the same way, she said she would as her parents treated her the same way as her brother.

Obviously, girls face different dangers. Statistically, actually, boys are more at danger from violent attacks from strangers, she said.

The dangers that girls can come across, as we all know, are often from people they know.
Five bodies have been found in the search for six missing people after a luxury yacht sank in a tornado off the Sicilian coast, the head of Sicilys civil protection agency Salvatore Cocina said.

It comes after the body of man believed to be the boats chef, Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan man, was recovered near the yacht on Monday.

Among those missing are British tech magnate Mike Lynch after the Bayesian sank at around 5am local time on Monday when it was moored half a mile off the coast of Porticello.

The cruise was reportedly a celebration of Mr Lynchs recent acquittal on fraud charges in the US.

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch is missing after the luxury yacht, Bayesian sank in bad weather off the coast of Sicily (PA Media)

 Who is involved and why were they there?

Mr Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah  who had recently finished her A-levels and was bound for Oxford University  remain missing.

Also unaccounted for are Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley and insurance company Hiscox, and his wife Judy, a psychotherapist; and Chris Morvillo, a lawyer from Clifford Chance and part of the legal team representing Mr Lynch, and his wife Neda, who reportedly runs a luxury jewellery line.

The body of a man believed to be chef Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan man working onboard, was recovered near the yacht.

Fifteen of the 22 people onboard  including Mr Lynchs wife, Angela Bacares  were rescued after escaping on to a lifeboat.

The Telegraph reported Mr Lynch had guests from the legal firm that represented him and his own company to join him on the voyage.

Among others rescued were Charlotte Golunkski and her one-year-old daughter Sophie. Ms Golunkski kept her daughter alive by holding the girl over her head in the water.

Morgan Stanley International Bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer (Morgan Stanley International Bank/PA)

 How did the boat sink?

Italian authorities said stormy conditions caused the yacht to sink, but investigations are continuing.

It is believed the luxury vessel may have been hit by a water spout, a rotating column of wind that forms over a body of water and is often likened to a tornado.

According to the US National Ocean Service, tornadic weather spouts have the same characteristics as a land tornado and are often accompanied by severe thunderstorms, high winds and seas, large hail and frequent dangerous lightning.

 What search and rescue efforts are under way?

Salvatore Cocina, the head of Sicilys civil protection agency, told the PA news agency that four bodies have been recovered and that efforts to bring a fifth to shore are ongoing.

In the afternoon, body bags were seen being taken to the port of Porticello, where dozens of emergency services staff were waiting.

(PA Graphics)

Vincenzo Zagarola of the Italian coastguard previously said the missing tourists were all feared dead.

Asked about the likelihood of them being alive, he said: Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not.

Italys fire brigade said it developed a plan to enter the wreckage of the Bayesian, which is resting on the seabed off the coast at a depth of 50 metres. It described the operation as complex, with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts.

Remotely controlled underwater vehicles are being used, with naval units and cave divers also taking part in the search, the Italian Coastguard has said.

Divers reached parts of the vessel through the gap, the Giornale Di Sicilia reported on Tuesday.

If you manage to get inside, you understand there is a world of objects. So, getting inside and descending into the compartment below from the stairs that are narrow and going into all of the cabins is a really hard and difficult job, fire department diver Marco Tilotta told the Reuters news agency, according to the BBC.

We are not stopping. We have resources, manpower and means. Our goal is to find all the people who are missing, so that is our job.

Dr Jean-Baptiste Souppez, a senior lecturer of mechanical, biomedical and design engineering at Aston University, said the next 24 hours are crucial to find survivors trapped inside the wreck.

(PA Graphics)

The speed at which the vessel sank (a few minutes, according to survivor and witness accounts) and the fact that it remains intact and on its side could favour the formation of small air pockets inside, he said.

This is obviously highly speculative and impossible to predict accurately.

 Who is Mike Lynch?

The British multimillionaire, from Suffolk, owes his fortune to software firm Autonomy, which he sold to Hewlett-Packard for billions in 2011.

He graduated with a PhD from the University of Cambridge. He is married to Angela Bacares and they have two daughters.

He has a reported net worth valued at around 852 million, according to The Independent.

His business ventures led him to once being dubbed Britains Bill Gates, but also landed him in legal trouble.

(PA Graphics)

Autonomys sale was dogged by fraud claims, and he faced civil action in the UK before being extradited to the US to face criminal charges.

In June, he was cleared of 15 fraud charges after allegations that he inflated Autonomys worth.

 What do we know about the Bayesian?

The 56-metre sailing boat was launched by Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi in 2008, according to the company website.

It was once called the Salute, but was later renamed after Mr Lynchs PhD thesis on statistical theory by mathematician Thomas Bayes.

Media reports suggest the yachts owner is listed as Revtom Ltd, a company owned by Mr Lynchs wife.

 Who was Stephen Chamberlain and how is he connected to the incident?

Mr Chamberlain was an associate of Mr Lynch and stood trial for fraud alongside him after Autonomys sale.

Days before the yacht disaster, Mr Chamberlain died after being hit by a car while out jogging.

Stephen Chamberlain was killed whilst out running on Saturday in the village of Stretham in Cambridgeshire. (Cambridgeshire Police)

Mr Chamberlain, Autonomys former vice president of finance, was cleared of all charges by a San Francisco court in June.

Relatives said in a tribute released through police that he was a much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend.

He was an amazing individual whose only goal in life was to help others in any way possible, they said.
A 29-year-old man who rode a childrens scooter before throwing it at a hotel housing asylum seekers and telling a police officer to f*** off has been jailed.

Scaffolder Perrie Fisher was also seen riding a bike wearing an England flag before throwing it in a skip, and throwing bicycle wheels at the walls of Potters International Hotel as part of a crowd of around 200 people in Aldershot on July 31.

The Farnham man was arrested at Gatwick airport on return from his Dubai holiday on August 19 after he did not appear at magistrates court following the incident.

He was brought before Basingstoke Magistrates Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to violent disorder and a bail act offence.

Winchester Crown Court on Wednesday heard how 85 families were living in the hotel and there were people inside the accommodation in great fear of what was going to happen to them.

Basingstoke Magistrates Court in Hampshire (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Around 1,900 worth of damage was also caused from the disorder after a small group of protesters got into the hotel car park at around 6.40pm and more and more joined them.

Judge Nigel Lickley KC described how Fisher threw the childrens scooter with force at the hotel and there was a loud bang and cheering from the crowd as a result.

The bikes had been provided for the hotel residents to use, the court heard.

Prosecutor Tim Devlin said a large crowd started shouting illegals out, we want our community back and f*** off.

He added the police were massively outnumbered and the situation was rapidly getting out of hand.

In mitigation the court heard the act was out of character for the new dad who felt remorse for what he had done.

Sentencing Fisher, Judge Lickley said the occupants of the hotel were the real target of Fishers actions which were fuelled by hostility over race and religion.

The sole purpose of activity, of which you were one, was to intimidate and frighten the occupants of the building, he said.

The mob you were part of was very intimidating.

He added that while Fisher had asked for his court hearing to be adjourned before going on holiday he showed a cavalier attitude to the courts and serious offence you faced by missing his court date.

Fisher was sentenced to 29 months imprisonment for both offences.

He will be released from prison after serving half of his sentence and will spend the rest on licence, the judge said.

Fisher has received the longest sentence within the Wessex region, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.

CPS Wessex deputy chief crown prosecutor, Sophie Stevens, said: Fishers part in the violent disorder seen in Aldershot has not only endangered vulnerable individuals but has also disrupted the peace and security of our communities.

Todays sentence underscores the severity of his actions and should serve as a deterrent to those who may consider engaging in such unlawful behaviour.
A man has been remanded in custody charged with the murder of a woman found dead at her home in Co Londonderry.

Sophie Watson, 57, was found unresponsive at the property in Ashgrove Park in Magherafelt on Sunday afternoon.

She had suffered a number of stab wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Andrzej Pajaczkowski, 43, also of Ashgrove Park in Magherafelt, appeared before a district judge on Wednesday morning via video-link from the Serious Custody Suite at Musgrave PSNI station in Belfast.

Bearded and wearing a grey custody tracksuit, the Polish national spoke briefly at the outset of the short hearing to confirm his name, date of birth, address and that he understood the charge against him.

Magherafelt Magistrates Court, sitting in Londonderry courthouse, heard that the accused, who was assisted during the hearing by a Polish interpreter, had lived in Northern Ireland for the last 20 years.

The accused appeared from Musgrave Police Station, Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA)

A detective constable told district judge Oonagh Mullan that she could connect the accused to the charge.

Pajaczkowskis defence solicitor Eoghan McKenna noted to the judge that his client had replied not guilty after being charged.

He made no application for bail but said such an application may be made at a later point.

We are conscious of ongoing police inquiries in the area, said Mr McKenna.

We also require some investigation of bail address issues and I also want to obtain some medical evidence before progressing the bail application.

Your worship will have noted the not guilty reply after charge  this will be a complicated and complex investigation.

The judge remanded the accused in custody to appear before the same court, via videolink, on September 18.

Detectives have said they are continuing their inquiries into the murder and have appealed for anyone with information to come forward to them or anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers.
The family of renowned author, journalist and feminist activist Nell McCafferty have said they are humbled and comforted by the tributes following her death.

The celebrated writer, 80, died in the early hours of Wednesday at a nursing home in Fahan, Co Donegal following a long illness.

The former Irish Times journalist, originally from Londonderry, was a prominent voice on womens rights issues across the island of Ireland and in 1970 co-founded the Irish Womens Liberation Movement (IWLM).

Nell McCafferty, centre, died aged 80 at a nursing home in Co Donegal (Niall Carson/PA)

Considered a journalistic trailblazer and fearless social commentator, McCafferty, who was raised in Derrys Bogside area, authored several books and also wrote for publications including the Sunday Tribune and Hot Press.

Campaigning for the legalisation of contraceptives in Ireland in the 1970s, she famously took part in an event known as the Contraceptive Train in 1971 when members of the IWLM travelled across the border to Belfast, bought a range of contraceptive products and took them to Dublin, where they staged a protest at the citys Connolly station.

McCafferty had previously been in a long term relationship with fellow author Nuala OFaolain, who died in 2008.

A statement from McCaffertys family to the PA news agency concluded with Goodnight Sisters  the phrase she used to sign off at the end of TV appearances and also the title of two volumes of her writings.

There arent words to convey the emotion that we feel at the loss of Our Nell, said the family.

We are humbled and comforted by the outpouring of love, respect and admiration on this rainy August day.

We once again rely on the woman herself to express the depth of our feelings in just two words: Goodnight Sisters.

President of Ireland Michael D Higgins led the tributes, describing McCafferty as a writer who had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness and a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism.

Statement by President Michael D. Higgins on the death of Nell McCafferty https://t.co/IlvxH3OsnK  President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) August 21, 2024

Mr Higgins said he and his wife Sabina were privileged to be friends with her and said she will be deeply missed by us all.

Nell McCafferty was a pioneer in raising those searching questions which could be asked, but which had been buried, hidden or neglected, Mr Higgins said.

Indeed, this is one of the aspects which was most remarkable from the very beginning in her work.

He added: Nell had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness, and this made her advocacy formidable on behalf of those who had been excluded from society.

A defining feature across Nells life was such a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism wherever she saw it.

Irish premier Simon Harris paid tribute to the journalist as a fierce, fearless and fiery campaigner who suffered no fools.

If she was in the room or in the debate, you knew about it, the Taoiseach said.

Her passion and wrath was not scattergun  it had a laser-like focus on calling out inequality and injustice. She suffered no fools but had a kindness and warmth for many.

Her wit and Derry turn of phrase made her impossible to ignore.

As one of the women who took the train in 1971, she set in train an unstoppable wave for equality and a changing of Ireland for the better.

That change has not yet reached its conclusion but it would be nowhere if it wasnt for warriors like Nell.

In an Ireland trying to emerge from the shadows and find who it was, Nell McCafferty was one of the people who knew exactly who she was and wasnt afraid to enter every battle for gay and womens rights. We all owe her a great debt for this.

Nell McCafferty left Ireland a much better place than she found it and she played her part with spirit and style. May she rest in peace.

I want to express my deep sadness at the death of former journalist, author and campaigner Nell McCafferty today. Nell was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. A proud feminist, and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in pic.twitter.com/sg8hLAk4kh  Michelle ONeill (@moneillsf) August 21, 2024

Northern Irelands First Minister and Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle ONeill said McCafferty was a trailblazer in every sense of the word.

She added: A proud feminist and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in our society.

She eloquently spoke up for disadvantaged women through her work with the Irish Womens Liberation Movement, particularly highlighting the poverty and injustices women faced in the late 20th century across the island.

Nell McCafferty was a towering figure in Irish journalism with great courage and honesty, and was an important figure during the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement.

A proud daughter of Derry, Nells wisdom, humour and humility will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her.

I want to extend my deepest sympathies to her family and friends at this very difficult time.

Deeply saddened at the passing of Nell McCafferty. Nell was an exceptional journalist & campaigner  the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights & womens rights. She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland. (1/2)  Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) August 21, 2024

Irelands deputy premier Micheal Martin said he was deeply saddened at McCaffertys death.

Nell was an exceptional journalist and campaigner  the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights and womens rights, the Tanaiste posted on X, formerly Twitter.

She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland.

In addition to her brilliance as a writer, activist and feminist, Nell brought great warmth and humour to every engagement.

She made a difference.

Sympathies to her family, friends and former colleagues.

Irelands Press Ombudsman, journalist Susan McKay, also paid tribute.

She was an absolutely wonderful journalist, a really ground-breaking journalist, Ms McKay told BBC Radio Ulster.

She changed the way that all of us who came after her wrote journalism and did journalism, because she went straight to people.

You know, if you look back at journalism before Nell, and indeed before some other brilliant woman of her generation, ordinary people were never asked for their opinion.

They were written about by gents who thought that they knew how best to analyse society.

Nell went straight into working-class places, she talked to people who had experienced real hardships and afflictions in their lives, and she brought their voices alive.

She was tremendously brave and courageous and she wrote about all of the most important stories of her time.

And its very, very sad that she has died, but she had been very ill for quite a number of years, and, you know, wasnt really in a position to appreciate life to the same extent as she had been before.

Very sorry to hear about the death of Nell McCafferty. A mould breaker and establishment shaker, she spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could. An icon for so many people across Ireland. Nell will be sadly missed but her activism will endure.  Colum Eastwood (@columeastwood) August 21, 2024

SDLP leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood described McCafferty as a mould-breaker and establishment shaker.

She spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could, he said on X.

An icon for so many people across Ireland.

Nell will be sadly missed, but her activism will endure.

Leader of the Irish Labour Party Ivana Bacik said she is deeply saddened.

She described McCafferty as a wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon.

It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends, she posted on X.

Deeply saddened to hear today about the death of the wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon  Nell McCafferty. It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends. #RIPNell pic.twitter.com/ULHxsnDEBk  Ivana Bacik (@ivanabacik) August 21, 2024

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) described McCafferty as one of the most renowned journalists in Ireland.

She was a long time member of the NUJ and a former union activist.

Irish secretary Seamus Dooley said: With the death of Nell McCafferty, a bright light has been extinguished.

She was one of the most renowned journalists in the country as a reporter, columnist, author and broadcaster.

The public recognised in her a deep commitment to social justice.

The fact that she was so often referred to only by her first name is a reflection of her special place in Irish journalism and in the public consciousness.

This stemmed from her unique qualities as a reporter and storyteller.

Nell McCafferty could be hilariously funny, frequently controversial and delighted in being contrary.

She was never afraid to challenge the consensus and took pleasure in afflicting the comfortable.

Throughout her career, Nell blazed a trail for feminists and played a significant role in the development of the feminist movement in Ireland.

Always provocative, Nell had the ability to trenchantly argue her case with unique style.

McCaffertys funeral will take place on Friday in her native Derry.

A requiem mass will be held at 12.30pm at St Columbas Church, Long Tower in the city, followed by a private cremation in Co Cavan.
Businessman John Margerison (left) has sent concerns notices to Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten. Composite: AAP

The attorney general has approved legal assistance for Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten in relation to defamation threats by a business associate of the former Liberal minister Stuart Robert.

On 12 August Mark Dreyfus approved assistance in relation to a defamation claim made against the prime minister on 23 July and for defamation claims on 23 and 25 July against Shorten, the government services and national disability insurance scheme minister, according to documents tabled to parliament.

Guardian Australia understands that both relate to concerns notices sent by lawyers acting for the businessman John Margerison.

Guardian Australia has not seen the defamation concerns notices sent to Albanese and Shorten and it is not known what statements they relate to.

The approvals cover their legal costs, any damages or costs that may be awarded against them, and a reasonable amount to settle proceedings.

Dreyfus wrote that in both cases he was satisfied the proceedings relate to the actual or alleged performance  of the applicants ministerial duties and the applicant acted reasonably and responsibly in relation to the matter.

The approval of taxpayer-funded legal assistance follows the revelation in parliament on 12 August that Margerison had sent concerns notices to the Labor MP Julian Hill. Hill told parliament the concerns notice related to a number of publications, including an official media release of the audit committee and a video of me answering a question in question time and tabled what he said were copies of the publications named in the concerns notice.

On 14 August that issue was referred by the House of Representatives to the privileges committee, to assess Hills claim it could amount to a contempt of parliament.

In November 2022 Shorten asked Services Australia and the National Disability Insurance Agency to investigate allegations that Robert had provided private advice to a lobbying firm pursuing lucrative government contracts.

Last year the audit committee heard allegations that the lobbying firm Synergy 360 proposed a structure that would benefit Robert financially, including a plan to transfer shares to United Marketing, a company controlled by Margerison.

Robert has rejected the allegation in the strongest possible terms and said there was zero evidence for it. He said he had never part-owned any company that ever received anything from Synergy 360. He has denied any wrongdoing and said that departmental procurement was conducted with the highest levels of probity.

Lawyers representing Robert have described the release of the allegations as egregious and an abuse of privilege.

In September the audit committee recommended the matter be referred to the National Anti-Corruption Commission for consideration. At that time, Hill noted that Robert, his longtime friend, business partner and political fundraiser Margerison and others strongly deny any improper conduct.

The Nacc has not made any public comment on the referrals.

Guardian Australia contacted Albanese, Shorten and lawyers acting for Margerison in the Hill matter for comment.
A supporter of Move Forward protests outside parliament in Bangkok after Thailands constitutional court banned from office its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat. Photograph: Wason Wanitchakorn/AP

People in Thailand are accustomed to sudden changes of government brought on by military coups, numbering more than a dozen since the 1930s. But in the past two decades, they have increasingly seen such changes imposed by the courts, which have ousted four prime ministers and dissolved three election-winning political parties, often on narrow technical grounds.

Now anger  along with a sense of resignation  is brewing over the perceived heavy-handed involvement of Thailands nine-member Constitutional Court in the countrys fractious politics.

Related: They are trying to exterminate us: Thailands banned political leader speaks out

The courts presence in political life has become so significant that experts say it has replaced King Bhumibol Adulyade  who died in 2016  as the ultimate political arbiter in Thailand.

Anger flared on 7 August when the court dissolved the reformist Move Forward party (MFP), which won the most parliamentary seats in the 2023 election but was blocked from taking power, and whose progressive leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, has been banned from running for office for 10 years.

A week later, the court removed prime minister Srettha Thavisin for an alleged ethical violation regarding the appointment of a cabinet member. He has been replaced by Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the youngest prime minister in Thai history and a member of the prominent Shinawatra political family.

On Tuesday, Pita said that despite his ban and the break-up of Move Forward, his resolve to one day lead Thailand and enact major reforms was unbroken.

We confuse movement with progress, he told Reuters. Its almost like were going around in circles and were thinking were going somewhere, but actually were going nowhere.

He told the news agency that elected politicians needed to reform institutions such as the courts to guarantee their independence and accountability to the public.

Mookdapa Yangyuenpradorn, human rights associate at Fortify Rights, worries that these actions  part of what she characterises as a decade-long trend of judicial overreach  will breed cynicism and discourage Thais from engaging with politics.

Theres a feeling of hopelessness and numbness that drives people further away from involvement in politics and drives away trust in a functional democratic society, she says.

Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a professor at Kyoto Universitys centre for south-east Asian studies, said he believed people have been left with less respect for  and confidence in  the judicial system, while the courts involvement in politics poses an existential threat.

In any other country when you talk about the collapse of key institutions, one may collapse but the country survives, like France with the monarchy, he says. But in a country where the justice system collapses, it cant survive, and thats what I fear with Thailand. I think the judiciary is on the brink of collapse because of its politicisation.

Yangyuenpradorn and Chachavalpongpun are far from alone in their concerns.

On Monday, 134 Thai academics and legal scholars issued a statement condemning the courts recent decisions.

They argued that the constitutional court had overstepped its jurisdiction in an approach that conflicts with the principle that laws restricting individual rights should be interpreted narrowly and with great caution.

The court has not publicly responded to the recent criticisms against it.

Reform of the political system, including the judiciary, was a key policy of Pitas now defunct party. Yangyuenpradorn hopes the Peoples party  the party that the remaining Move Forward MPs have regrouped under  will preserve it as a policy.

Democracy will be unable to truly take root in Thailand until a consensus is reached on the courts overreach, political science researcher Napon Jatusripitak says.

In what kind of democracy is a court  given the power to disfranchise 14 million voters by dissolving their chosen party and unseat a democratically elected prime minister, all within one week?

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report
Chinas president, Xi Jinping, and his US counterpart, Joe Biden, meeting at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2022. Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Joe Biden has approved a US nuclear strategy to prepare for possible coordinated nuclear confrontations with Russia, China and North Korea, according to a New York Times report on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, the White House said the president approved the plan earlier this year and it was not a response to a single country or threat.

The spokesperson Sean Savett said that while the specific text of the guidance is classified, its existence is in no way secret. The guidance issued earlier this year is not a response to any single entity, country, nor threat.

The Times reported that the deterrent policy takes into account a rapid buildup of Chinas nuclear arsenal, which will rival the size and diversity of the US and Russian stockpiles over the next decade. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has threatened to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

According to research by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, China had an estimated 500 nuclear warheads in January, up from 410 in January 2023. The US and Russia have more than 5,000 warheads each. But Chinas arsenal is thought to be expanding at a much faster pace than any other countrys.

The US-based Arms Control Association said it understood US nuclear weapons strategy and posture remained the same as described in the administrations 2022 nuclear posture review, and there had been no reorientation away from Russia and toward China.

Daryl Kimball, the executive director of the Arms Control Association, said that while US intelligence estimates suggested China might increase the size of its nuclear arsenal from 500 to 1,000 warheads by 2030, Russia currently had about 4,000 nuclear warheads and it remains the major driver behind US nuclear strategy.

Biden approved the revised strategy  called the nuclear employment guidance  in March, according to the Times, but an unclassified notification of the policy change has not yet been presented to Congress.

After years of nuclear arms reduction efforts, the administration has been signalling willingness to expand the US arsenal to counter China and Russias nuclear strategies more recently. In February, the US warned allies that Russia could be planning to put a nuclear weapon into space.

On Tuesday, a retired senior colonel in the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army, Zhou Bo, published a piece in Foreign Policy arguing that the US and China could still cooperate on nuclear diplomacy. Zhou said that it is impossible for Beijing to stand by idly in the face of deteriorating relations between Russia and the US, but that there was space to strengthen the policies governing the control of nuclear weapons stockpiles.

Zhou argued that nuclear-armed states should declare a no first use policy, as so far only China and India have done.

Related: Global spending on nuclear weapons up 13% in record rise

On Tuesday, the Times reported that two senior administration officials had earlier been permitted to allude to the revision in US nuclear strategy without disclosing its existence.

In June, Pranay Vaddi, a senior director of the national security council, warned that absent a change in nuclear strategy by China and Russia, the US was prepared to shift from modernisation of existing weapons to expanding its arsenal.

Vaddi also alluded to the highly classified document, saying it emphasised the need to deter Russia, the PRC [Peoples Republic of China] and North Korea simultaneously.

The last major nuclear arms control agreement with Russia, New Start, which sets limits on intercontinental-range nuclear weapons, expires in early 2026 with no subsequent agreement in place.

China and Russia are now more politically and economically aligned. Last month, Chinese and Russian long-range bombers patrolled together near Alaska for the first time and held live-fire exercises in the South China Sea.

The second US administration official permitted to refer to the document, Vipin Narang, an MIT nuclear strategist who served in the Pentagon, said earlier this month that Biden had issued updated nuclear weapons employment guidance to account for multiple nuclear-armed adversaries and for the significant increase in the size and diversity of Chinas nuclear arsenal.

It is our responsibility to see the world as it is, not as we hoped or wished it would be, the Times quoted Narang as saying. It is possible that we will one day look back and see the quarter-century after the cold war as nuclear intermission.
Ron Holland designed the superyacht that sank on Monday and will likely be questioned by investigators

The designer of Mike Lynchs superyacht Bayesian is likely to be contacted by British investigators.

The vessel was designed by Ron Holland, a naval architect, who now lives in Vancouver.

Gavin Pritchard, a retired Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) inspector, told The Telegraph that Mr Holland would, in the normal way, be contacted by the MAIB as its investigation into the sinking gathers pace.

Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily in the small hours of Monday morning with 22 people aboard including its owner, Mr Lynch, the millionaire tech entrepreneur.

Mr Pritchard, a Royal Navy officer who was a principal marine accident investigator, said the priority of the MAIB would be to secure perishable evidence.

He said: Theyll be wanting to interview survivors, get some electronic data, which would be things like radar tracks of the vessel or voice recordings of radio calls.

Superyacht Bayesian before it sank. The immediate priority of the MAIB will be to secure 'perishable evidence' from the incident - costanostrayachtsupply.com/PA

Bayesian sank while on a celebration cruise organised by Mr Lynch.

He had organised the trip to mark the end of more than a decade of legal wranglings over his 2011 sale of Autonomy, the British tech company, to Hewlett Packard for $11 billion.

MAIB investigators would be working closely with their Italian counterparts to find out why the yacht sank, Mr Pritchard said.

Right now its on-site evidence collection. They want to see what the wreck looks like, and theyll want to interview the people who were on board.

Thats why the MAIB will want to look at the vessel using either [a remotely operated vehicle] or divers, or will want to have a look and see what the positions of watertight doors, hatches and windows were.

Itd be important to state that [the MAIB] doesnt attribute blame, added Mr Pritchard, who ran one of the branchs four investigative teams before his 2022 retirement.

One of the first questions that accident investigators ask is has anything like this ever happened before? And I have to say, having observed this tragic event, I honestly cant think of anything similar to this.

He said that the key question for the MAIB would be finding out why Bayesian sank as quickly as it did  reportedly within 60 seconds of a tornado or waterspout passing over the yacht.

Thats the question that the investigators will have to answer: Why did it sink so quickly? Thats the key one, in my mind, for two reasons, said Mr Pritchard.

First is that that is a lesson that will be more widely applicable to lots of other ships  ships should not sink quickly.

And the second point is that all vessels, from even small boats right up to supertankers, are all equipped with watertight doors [and] watertight windows, and theyre designed to withstand the risk of flooding, whether thats flooding coming into the hull or down-flooding with water that gets on top of boats.

Italian investigators are examining the wreck, which currently lies in about 50 metres of water just off Porticello harbour in northern Sicily, to see if any portholes or windows were open.

Air temperatures at Palermo airport, some 12 miles west of the sinking site, were reported as around 27-28C until the hour that a storm passed through the area at about 5am local time on Monday.

Mr Pritchard said that focusing on the cause of the sinking, including any role played by the Bayesians mast  at 237ft-high, the second tallest aluminium mast in the world  would help the MAIB identify lessons for the wider maritime world about safety aboard sailing yachts.

I dont think it would be completely wrong at this stage to say because it had the most enormous mast  second biggest mast in the world  its vulnerable to being blown over because its [been caught in] an extreme meteorological event, said the retired investigator.

Referring to the 16-year-old yachts age and seeming lack of involvement in any previously reported safety incidents, he added: The design of that boat will have been perfectly safe. Its been checked and double-checked. And theres all sorts of audits and checks that are done on these vessels. So its, you know, itd be wrong to speculate that somehow the design of the vessel was unsafe.

Id say its vulnerable, because somehow the waters got in and it should have had watertight doors shut.

Mr Holland could not immediately be contacted for comment.
Mike Lynch likened his court case to a near-death experience - Simon Dawson/Bloomberg

When the foreman of the jury read out the not guilty verdict in a San Francisco courtroom on June 6, not only did Mike Lynch and his wife sitting in the front row of the gallery burst into tears, so did the defendants lawyers. There was not a dry eye on our crowded side of the courtroom, said Chris Morvillo, a key member of Lynchs legal team, in a recent interview.

The outpouring of emotion was an indication of the intense pressure that the whole group had been under leading up to and during the 12-week case. But it also illustrated the closeness of the bonds forged over the 13 years in which a tightly-knit group fought to clear the tech billionaires name.

I know for sure that I will never forget the dramatic moment the words not guilty rang out in the courtroom, said Morvillo back in June. I will also never forget the trust and confidence that Mike placed in his legal team.

One of the best-known  and most controversial  figures in the UK technology sector, Lynch was the co-founder of Autonomy, a software business he later sold for 8bn, and Darktrace, a multi-billion pound cyber security company. For years, the entrepreneur, a Cambridge graduate and computer science expert, had been dogged by allegations of fraud and wrongdoing.

Sometimes described as the UKs answer to Bill Gates, he suffered an ignominious extradition to the US in 2023, frogmarched from his Suffolk home in handcuffs, to face charges he had falsely boosted its revenues to defraud US tech giant HP (Hewlett-Packard), which bought Autonomy in 2011.

But now the 59-year-old was free. The holiday on Lynchs superyacht, the Bayesian, which ended in tragedy when it sank off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday morning, was a chance for the tech entrepreneur to mark the start of a new chapter in his life, to reward some of those who had stood by him  including Morvillo  and plan his next steps. Reid Weingarten, another member of Lynchs legal team who wasnt on board, has confirmed the the outing was in part intended as a celebration of the acquittal.

This was the beginning of a new life for Mike, former cabinet minister Lord Deben, a friend of Lynchs, said on Wednesday. He made such a contribution to Britain. His companies have put British IT in the forefront, and he was going to do it again. It was not to be, however. On Wednesday afternoon, diving teams recovered four bodies from the sunken yacht with local authorities saying they included Lynch and his teenage daughter Hannah.

The survivors of the disaster include Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old daughter. Golunski had been an employee at HP at the time of its takeover of Autonomy and spent more than a decade working with Lynch at Invoke Capital, a company he founded to invest in and advise European technology companies. She was quoted in Italian media as describing Lynch as an extraordinary person. Her husband, James Emslie, was also on the boat and survived. Emslie also worked at HP and later became the first sales employee at Darktrace, in 2013.

Those still missing include Jonathan Bloomer, 70, a City veteran who had known Lynch for years, and his wife Judy. The chairman of FTSE 250 insurance firm Hiscox and former chairman of Morgan Stanley International was appointed to Autonomys board of directors by Lynch in 2010.

In that role, Bloomer was responsible for providing oversight for crucial checks on Autonomys books  which were later called into question by HP. The US tech giant accused Lynch of masterminding a scheme to pump up the revenues of the firm, inflating its sales through so-called round trip transactions.

However, Bloomer provided evidence as a defence witness in both a $5bn civil fraud case brought against Lynch by HP in the UK and the US criminal trial. He told the US court that Lynch didnt come to the audit committee and was mostly interested in the strategy, new products, new areas to look at  claims which backed up Lynchs account that he was not across the details of individual deals at Autonomy.

Chris Morvillo, Charlotte Golunski and Jonathan Bloomer were three of Lynch's loyal team and all on board the Bayesian with him when it capsized - Patrick McMullan via Getty | Facebook | Hiscox/PA Wire

Also present on the Bayesian were members of the entrepreneurs legal team, key advisers who had helped him avoid decades behind bars. One was Ayla Ronald, a 36-year-old senior associate at Clifford Chance who had acted for Lynch on multiple cases. She survived with her partner, Matthew Fletcher. But among the missing is Morvillo, a veteran partner at Clifford Chance and star litigator in New York, and his wife Neda.

It was Morvillo who decided to put Lynch up on the witness stand during the closing days of the trial, which many considered a high risk legal gambit. Mike is a fantastic communicator and we knew he would make a terrific witness, Morvillo said in an interview with Law.com in June. In a recent interview, Lynch described his feelings on hearing the verdict. When you hear that answer, you jump universes, he told the Sunday Times. If this had gone the wrong way, it would have been the end of life as I have known it in any sense.

In that instant the entrepreneur had gained the opportunity for a fresh start. Had he been found guilty, Lynch faced up to 25 years in prison. Given his age and a serious lung condition, he didnt expect to ever walk free. He likened the court case to a near-death experience: That is very much how I handled it. Its bizarre, but now you have a second life. The question is, what do you want to do with it?

Those who know how he operates think its likely he would have been bouncing possible answers to that question off the inner circle he assembled on his 56-metre sailboat. Lynch had said that one of his main priorities after being acquitted was to get some much-needed rest. But those close to him say he found it impossible to put his brain into neutral and couldnt stop himself dreaming up new schemes. I was due to meet up with him in the next week or two to discuss future plans but I know he was full of ideas, said one close adviser.

Among those plans he has talked about are a lobbying effort against the one-sided extradition treaty between the UK and the US, which he understandably felt incredibly passionate about.

David Davis, the Conservative MP who had taken an interest in Lynchs ordeal and developed a close relationship with him, told The Telegraph the entrepreneur was preparing to campaign against the Blair-era agreement, having met him for lunch shortly after his return to the UK.

On Wednesday evening, Davis said of his friend: The battle in America frankly required balls of steel  a very strong degree of nerve to take on. Most people who fight those battles lose them. He knew that. The chances were against him, he did it anyway.

He was outraged that the extradition treaty led him to being trotted off the US for what most people would not consider to be justice. He was very determined and very brave. When he came back he was determined to do something to correct this treaty.

One adviser described Lynch as 'an aggressive businessman' - Yui Mok/PA Wire

Lord Deben added: We are not going to let this issue escape. We have got to change the law. This must never happen again. One thing we can do for the whole family is to see this law rescinded.

Lynch had also said he wanted to fund a British equivalent of the Innocence Project, the US non-profit organisation dedicated to helping free those who have been wrongly convicted, along with other philanthropic work.

In his interview with the Sunday Times, the 59-year-old had said that hed also been grappling with some big Saint Peter questions that might get posed when he eventually found himself in front of the Pearly Gates. Lynch also had plans to invest in the tech scene.

But few doubt he wanted to gestate new companies of his own. One passion project that had already taken shape for Lynch, who was quite deaf and relied heavily on lip-reading, was developing artificial intelligence that would allow hearing aids to filter ambient noise.

People complain that the UK doesnt produce any big tech companies, said one adviser. There have only been a handful that could go toe-to-toe with those born out of Silicon Valley and Mike founded two of them: Autonomy and Darktrace. And the second of those he founded when he was on parole and focused on winning his legal cases. Imagine what he could have done if able to fully focus on business once again.

This is a sentiment shared by Richard Holway, a leading expert on the UK tech scene and a longstanding friend of Lynch and with whom he corresponded throughout his legal ordeal: I just dont know how he withstood the strain. I could not have done so. Mike was a unique British tech talent. Goodness knows what he could have achieved next.

The seeds of Lynchs legal nightmare were sown in his crowning achievement: selling Autonomy, the tech company he founded in 1996, to HP for more than 8bn 13 years ago. A year later the US computing firm took a $8.8bn writedown on its acquisition, saying it had discovered serious accounting improprieties at the UK company.

The US company essentially accused Lynch of cooking the books in order to make the sale. The truth of that accusation has been disputed and fought over in courts on both sides of the Atlantic for the best part of the years since, during which Lynch was plunged into legal purgatory but fiercely defended by his allies.

He was an aggressive businessman and quite hard work at times, said one adviser. But he was fiercely clever, a proper scientist, a proven entrepreneur and a motivational manager. Thats a rare combination and inspired a lot of respect. People tended to follow him from company to company because he was a successful guy who knew how to win.

Having founded Autonomy in 1996, Lynch had long maintained a circle of close allies and business confidents  some of whom stayed with him across multiple companies and worked with the entrepreneur for decades.

These included Stephen Chamberlain, who was later accused and acquitted alongside Lynch in the US. In a bizarre twist of fate, compounding tragedy upon tragedy, Chamberlain was hit by a car and killed while out running in Cambridgeshire on Saturday. He was an amazing individual whose only goal in life was to help others in any way possible, his family said.

Chamberlain's last moments were registered on Strava, an app that was tracking his run - X

Many of those who worked at Autonomy for Lynch in the late 2000s  such as Sushovan Hussain, Andrew Kanter and Nicole Eagan went on to take up senior roles at his later firms, such as Darktrace or Invoke Capital. Poppy Gustafsson, who joined Autonomy as a relatively junior accountant in 2009, later rose to become chief executive of Darktrace, a FTSE 100 business now valued at 4bn. Lynch was the founding investor in Darktrace and closely involved in its early development.

At times Lynchs loyal followers raised eyebrows and attracted suspicion. In a 2022 judgement finding he had defrauded HP, a High Court judge described some of his closest Autonomy colleagues as a cabal, formed of lieutenants [who] would not have done anything of which they thought he might disapprove. Lynch had reportedly planned to appeal the ruling.

HP sought to prove he had ruled with a culture of distrust and paranoia, while the US government insisted he was the driving force behind a massive fraud and a controlling, dominating, intimidating boss.

In one colourful email revealed in the civil case, Lynch wrote to a sales representative threatening to squeeze down the telephone line to tell him directly how the f--- I feel about this. Indeed, Lynch appeared to revel in this reputation as a ruthless leader  albeit with his tongue firmly in cheek  naming rooms at his headquarters after James Bond villains and keeping a tank of piranhas in the office.

Yet friends of Lynch argue the loyalty of his business associates was genuine, and while the entrepreneur may have been a demanding boss, he was generous both at work and in his personal life. They say it was typical of the man that he would invite lawyers and staff who had supported him during his trial on to his yacht to celebrate with his family.

Holway said Lynch was an enthusiastic backer of the Princes Trust technology group, and that every time you asked Mike to do something for the charity he would assist. He said Lynch was one of those people who inspired huge loyalty among his co-workers.

Holway, who criticised the decision to extradite him to the US in a series of blog posts for Tech Market View, said the entrepreneur always messaged to thank me every time I posted my views. He added: My very last message from Mike was to arrange for us to have lunch at Wiltons next month to celebrate his acquittal in the US.

Executives in Britains tech sector who knew Lynch also pointed to him as a towering figure who helped elevate the industry, building multiple successful companies despite the legal campaign against him.

Mike is a rare figure in British tech. He cared deeply about the UK tech scene and encouraged many founders to follow in his footsteps. Its so sad that tragedy struck so soon after he had cleared his name in the US, said Brent Hoberman, the founder of Lastminute.com, who knew Lynch for many years.

Davis noted the bitter irony that the disaster struck aboard a yacht called the Bayesian  named for the statistical theory Lynch mastered as part of his PhD at Cambridge in the 1980s  a precursor to modern AI technologies. The name of his yacht  Bayesian  is all about conditional probability, he said. The probability of these three events is so improbable, it is hard to calculate.

Less so the acute sense of loss felt this week. In a LinkedIn post soon after Lynchs acquittal, Morvillo paid tribute to his client, his team and also his family: None of this would have been possible without your love and support. I am so glad to be home.

The post ended with the words: And they all lived happily ever after.
Kamala Harris at a rally in Wisconsin on Tuesday night. Photograph: John Moore/Getty Images

Away from the deafening roar of the party faithful that nightly fills the Democratic national convention in Chicago an urgent question is being asked behind the scenes: how can the party convert the energy that has exploded around Kamala Harriss belated candidacy into actual votes on election day?

All eyes are on the blue wall states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, where the identity of the 47th US president is likely to be settled. The outsized significance of the three states in the race is evident in the scramble of the presidential candidates to woo them.

Harris and her running mate Tim Walz took a cut from the convention on Tuesday to dash to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a campaign rally  Harriss third visit to the critical battleground state this month alone. The same day, Donald Trump sprinted to Livingstone county, Michigan, having paid his second visit to Pennsylvania on Monday in as many days.

At the convention, breakfast meetings staged by the local parties of the blue wall states have been bombarded by Democratic aristocracy, among them Walz, the governor of Minnesota chosen by Harris to be her running mate. He made a surprise visit to the Wisconsin and Pennsylvania breakfasts on Monday, telling them that his mission was to fight for politics with a sense of dignity, with a sense of kindness, with a sense of joy.

Under Americas arcane presidential system, the 44 electoral college votes commanded between the blue wall states have been what it took in recent presidential cycles to tip a candidate over the 270 votes to win the White House. These rust belt states were reliably Democratic until Trump and his narrative of the forgotten man broke through the wall in 2016, taking all three by the narrowest margins.

Joe Biden took them back in 2020. But their political allegiances remain fickle, and the 2024 election looks set once again to be coming down to the wire.

Recent polls from the New York Times-Siena College, as well as trackers from fivethirtyeight.com and realclearpolitics, all show Harris surging from Bidens shaky standing before he stood aside. But her improved strength against Trump is still within the margin of error, and as Harry Enten of CNN reminds us, polls in 2016 consistently underestimated Trump in the blue wall states in his battle against Hillary Clinton.

The good news for Harris is that the burst of excitement around her sudden emergence as nominee appears to be having an impact on the ground. In Wisconsin, which Biden won by barely 20,000 votes in 2020, more than 40,000 people have signed up as Democratic volunteers since the ticket switched to Harris.

Ben Wikler, chair of the Wisconsin Democratic party, told the Guardian that every single metric that we can track is going up. He noted that for each of the last six presidential races, the result in his state came down to less than one percentage point.

He said: We have had more volunteers sign up since Kamala Harris became our nominee than the margin of victory in 2016 and 2020. Energy is through the roof, in every part of the state.

The challenge facing Wikler, in common with other Democratic leaders across the rust belt, is as he puts it, turning enthusiasm into work. There are millions of people who have barely begun to tune into this election, and they are the ones who might go either way or sit out election day  and having direct conversations with them is key.

A half of all Wisconsinites live in communities of fewer than 15,000 people. To reach them, the party has developed an elaborate network over the past seven years based on neighbor-to-neighbor teams.

Reproductive rights are likely to feature heavily in the tussle for Wisconsins 10 electoral college votes. Surveys suggest that abortion is the top political issue for 15% of voters here, rising to 30% of Democrats.

For Wikler, such concern is not surprising  Wisconsin had a near total abortion ban for 451 days after the US supreme court overturned the right to an abortion. So this is not academic, he said.

In Michigan, which Biden won by 154,000 votes in 2020, 60,000 people have been registered to vote since the Harriss propulsion to the nomination. Here, too, the party is attempting to maximise turnout in the big urban centers of Detroit and Flint, where the Democratic base is concentrated, as well as extend deeper into rural areas.

Garlin Gilchrist, the lieutenant governor of Michigan, said that the Harris campaigns recent rollout of a new economic approach  billed as the opportunity economy  was a message that would fly in his state. Were going to bring down costs, were going to make drugs more affordable, were going to give you a pathway to purchase a home  thats what people need to hear. Its a message that says, Im with you.

In Michigan, however, Democratic organizers are also facing blowback from voters over Bidens staunch support for Israel amid its retaliatory war with Hamas in Gaza, which has claimed more than 40,000 Palestinian lives. Dearborn is the largest city in the US with an Arab majority, with more than half of its 110,000 population with roots in the Middle East and North Africa.

More than 100,000 people voted uncommitted in Michigans Democratic primaries in February.

Gilchrist said he was heartened by a recent brief meeting between Harris and Walz and leaders of the uncommitted movement at a rally in Detroit. Theres a willingness to build that relationship that is going to lead to figuring out how we can move forward together, he said.

Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, a state which Biden won by 80,555 votes in 2020, Democrats are looking to sustain the Harris enthusiasm wave through November.

Morgan Overton is vice-chair of the Democratic party in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, which covers Pittsburgh and surrounding suburbs. With a population of 1.2 million, the city increasingly matches Philadelphia as critical in determining the outcome of presidential elections.

Overton said that she was consumed by the question of how to keep current energy levels elevated as what she called a generational election approaches. I dont want my future descendants looking back on this year and asking, Why didnt you do enough?, she said.
Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay have gone head-to-head with rival restaurant empires and petty insults for the past 10 years - DAVE BENETT/GETTY IMAGES

Gordon Ramsay has admitted that his wife is a fan of Jamie Oliver and cooks his recipes at home.

Ramsay, who has been locked in a decade-long quarrel with the fellow TV chef, lamented his wife Tanas choice of cookbook at home while speaking on the Dish podcast.

Despite claiming to have buried the hatchet, the chefs have never been able to resist the occasional jab at each other.

Ramsay addressed his wifes partiality to Olivers cookbook collection on the podcast hosted by Angela Hartnett, a fellow cook and friend, and Nick Grimshaw, the broadcaster.

Discussing the stress of cooking, Hartnett said: If you see Tana when Ive been around for supper, shes so relaxed.

Because why should she switch, shes got five kids, shes got him [Ramsay] hanging around trying to interfere, and shes just out and she just cooks something everyone wants to eat, like a great lasagne or a brilliant shepherds pie. Shes amazing.

Ramsay responded: Yeah and theyre all Jamie Oliver recipes. Do you have any idea how hard that is for me?

Oliver, 49, and Ramsay, 57, have never shied away from discussing their fallouts publicly and the latter took to TikTok over the weekend to provide an update.

A fan had asked Ramsay if he thought about Oliver when he listened to Charli XcXs latest song, Girl So Confusing.

The song presents an unfiltered insight into the long-standing feud between Charli and fellow artist Lorde.

In response, Gordon held up and hid behind a copy of Jamies Italy, saying: Come on guys, that is old news, I love Jamie!

The feud began in 2009 when Oliver criticised Ramsay for comparing Tracy Grimshaw, the Australian journalist, to a pig.

Ramsay apologised for his comments, but not without dismissing Oliver as a one pot wonder.

This criticism prompted Oliver to retaliate by mocking Ramsay for having Botox.

In 2010, Oliver told the Mirror: If I was to choose between Gordon Ramsays cookbook or Tana Ramsays, it would be Tanas every time. In my opinion, her books are a damn sight better than his.

Ramsay reignited the feud at the grand opening of his Bread Street Kitchen in Hong Kong in September 2014. A few months earlier, Oliver opened a restaurant in the same city but had given the celebration a miss.

Ramsay told CNBC: Two British chefs, Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay, rubbing shoulders together in Hong Kong.

At least Im here, I came to my opening, right? If youre going to open a restaurant in Hong Kong, at least turn up.

Ramsay with his wife Tana - DAVE BENETT/GETTY IMAGES

The tension spilled over in March 2015 when Oliver, speaking at the Sydney Opera House, said: Gordon will do anything to try and take the p out of me because he is deeply jealous and cant quite work out why I do what I do and why he cant do that.

He is too busy shouting and screaming and making our industry look like a bunch of shouters and screamers.

Hes just a ranter, hes paid to rant. Hes paid to shower negativity and all his proteges dont talk to him because hes like that and its a shame.

However, Olivers restaurant empire collapsed in 2019, with almost 1,000 jobs lost and 22 of his 25 restaurants shuttered amid a downturn in the casual dining sector.

Oliver's restaurant empire collapsed in 2019 - TRISTAR MEDIA/GETTY IMAGES

Speaking on The Jonathan Ross Show in 2019, Ramsay said: I dont think anyone likes to revel in that kind of failure.

Bottom line is, hes a great guy and a great chef and it was sad to see him disappear overnight but we had a drink and it was a tough time, like it is for all of us out there. Yeah [I called] straight away.

Ramsay added that the families had a barbeque together while on holiday in Cornwall in 2018.

Ramsay and Tana, 49, married in 1996 and have six children.
Republican attorney generals have emerged as major allies of the oil industry on litigation to beat back climate change lawsuits and environmental rules. Photograph: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A powerful group that boasts 28 Republican attorney generals, including many who have sided with oil and gas firms to block states seeking compensation for weather disasters caused by climate change, has raked in millions of dollars from fossil fuel giants and a dark money fund tied to Federalist Society co-chair, Leonard Leo.

The Republican Attorneys General Association (Raga) has roped in about $5.8m from oil and gas giants and their allied lobbying groups since Joe Biden was elected president in 2020, campaign finance records show.

Further, Raga has received a whopping $18.8m from the Leo-linked Concord Fund since 2014 when the dark money non-profit first registered with the IRS, according to the liberal leaning Center for Media and Democracy.

During the first half of 2024, the Concord Fund was the largest donor to Raga, plowing $2m into the groups coffers. The Concord Fund, formerly called the Judicial Crisis Network, spent millions of dollars supporting Donald Trumps three conservative supreme court nominees and is led by Leos longtime close associate Carrie Severino.

Related: Survivors of climate disasters demand US inquiry into big oils climate crimes

Labelled by watchdogs and critics as a pay to play operation for often supporting lawsuits by major donors, Raga has garnered six figure checks from fossil fuel giants such as Koch Industries, which is chaired by billionaire Charles Koch, the American Petroleum Institute and the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers.

While oil and gas monies have been pouring into Ragas coffers, Republican attorney generals have emerged as major allies of the oil industry on litigation to beat back climate change lawsuits and environmental rules

Raga, which bills its mission as Defending the Rule of Law. Keeping America Safe, drew fire during Trumps fight to thwart Biden from assuming office when an affiliate, the Rule of Law Defense Fund, spent $150,000 on robocalls to boost attendance at Trumps January 6 rally. The robocalls urged patriots to come to the rally and said: We will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal.

Launched in 1999, Raga has raised and spent tens of millions of dollars to help elect conservative attorney generals  including many who have filed corporate-friendly litigation.

Key Democrats in Congress and energy analysts voice sharp criticism of Ragas role in defending fossil fuel interests at a time when climate-related disasters are rising, and Raga is raking in millions of dollars from oil and gas interests and dark money groups

Raga is one tentacle of the effort by rightwing billionaires and the fossil fuel industry to capture our courts and government to the benefit of big corporate interests, Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island Democratic senator, said.

With big oil facing the possibility of real accountability in honest courtrooms, obedient Raga attorneys general are rushing in to provide taxpayer-funded legal services for their polluter funders. Its a corrupt scheme.

Energy experts too see GOP attorneys general working in tandem with the oil industry to block major environmental rules.

Red state AGs are trying to put up a brick wall against important new environmental regulations, Michael Gerrard, who heads the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University, told the Guardian Since the beginning of the Obama administration, everything that Democrats do to curb fossil fuel emissions or fight climate change is challenged by red states and industry.

Gerrards point is underscored by several recent legal moves by Republican attorneys general who belong to Raga and have been busy this year filing legal actions to defend fossil fuel interests in key battles.

In late May, for instance, 19 Raga members asked the supreme court to halt actions by Democratic attorneys general in five states including California, Connecticut and Minnesota which brought cases in state courts seeking billions of dollars in damages from oil and gas companies due to climate change-related weather disasters such as wildfires, severe storms and floods.

The Raga members argument, which experts have said is unusual, comes as dozens of local and state governments have filed lawsuits that allege fossil fuel businesses for years deceived the public about their products risks which contributed to climate crisis.

The Republican attorneys general argue only federal agencies can regulate interstate gas emissions and that the state suits will increase costs for consumers in other states.

They do not have authority to dictate our national energy policy, Steve Marshall, the Alabama attorney general, said in a statement announcing the 19 state lawsuit. If the Supreme Court lets them continue, California and its allies will imperil access to affordable energy for every American.

Earlier in May, 27 Republican attorneys general and industry trade groups filed lawsuits to block the Environmental Protection Agency from going forward with a new Biden administration rule that requires coal-fired power plants and new natural gas plants to make large scale reductions in carbon emissions.

The EPA rule, which had just been approved in April, requires existing coal-fired plants and many new ones to cut their emissions by 90% by 2032 which could require billions of dollars in new expenditures.

Furthermore, this April, 20 Republican attorneys general filed a petition asking the supreme court to intervene in a major lawsuit brought by Honolulu against Sunoco and slated to go to trial later this year that seeks billions of dollars in damages from major oil companies for misleading the public about climate crisis-related disasters.

The move by the Republican attorneys general came as several oil and gas giants including the powerful American Petroleum Institute filed similar petitions with the high court.

The growing volume of litigation by GOP attorneys general attacking environmental rules and trying to thwart climate change lawsuits, dismays energy experts and watchdog groups.

What the oil industry is trying to do is to block efforts to hold them accountable for their actions, and undo the laws that would hold them accountable, said Joe Romm, a senior research fellow at the University of Pennsylvanias Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media.

The oil industry is a lot like their pal Donald Trump. They both believe they should be above the law.

Long time Raga watchers concur.

It should come as no surprise that state attorneys general whose electoral campaigns are buttressed by the fossil-fuel funded Raga are using their public offices to attack efforts to mitigate climate change despite how rising temperatures are harming their states, said Lisa Graves, the executive director of the progressive watchdog group True North Research and the co-founder of Court Accountability.

More broadly, Graves lambasted Raga as a pay-to-play group that has received millions via Leonard Leo, the rightwing lawyer who orchestrated the packing of the US supreme court.

In a similar vein, Jim Jones, the former Republican Idaho attorney general, told the Guardian last year that he was troubled by Ragas conservative direction.

Theyve become political operatives instead of the people in their states to safeguard the rule of law. They seem to be pandering to rightwing extremist groups to gain office in the first place and then to retain office.
A giraffe in Nairobi national park, where Kenyas expanding capital is fragmenting and degrading wildlife habitats. Photograph: Amir Cohen/Reuters

Over the next 50 years, people will push further into wildlife habitats across more than half the land on Earth, scientists have found, threatening biodiversity and increasing the chance of future pandemics.

Humans have already transformed or occupied between 70% and 75% of the worlds land. Research published in Science Advances on Wednesday found the overlap between human and wildlife populations is expected to increase across 57% of the Earths land by 2070, driven by human population growth.

You have places such as forests where there are virtually no people, where we will start to see some more human presence and activities, and interactions with wildlife, said Neil Carter, the principal investigator of the study and an associate professor of environment and sustainability at the University of Michigan in the US.

People are increasing their pressures and negative impacts on  species, which is something that weve seen already for many years. It is part of the cause of the biodiversity-loss crisis that were in, he said.

As humans and animals share increasingly crowded landscapes, the bigger overlap could result in higher potential for disease transmission, biodiversity loss, animals being killed by people and wildlife eating livestock and crops, the researchers said.

Related: Death tolls mount as elephants and people compete for land in Sri Lanka

Biodiversity loss is the leading driver of infectious disease outbreaks. About 75% of emerging diseases in humans are zoonotic, meaning they can be passed from animals to humans, and many diseases concerning global health authorities  including Covid-19, mpox, avian flu and swine flu  likely originated in wildlife. Understanding where people and wildlife will overlap is key to preventing the acceleration of viral spillover from wildlife, said Kim Gruetzmacher, a wildlife conservation veterinarian and researcher, who was not involved in the study.

The vast majority  up to 75%  of emerging infectious diseases (which can lead to epidemics and pandemics) stem from non-human animals, the majority of which originate in wildlife, Gruetzmacher said. It is not the wildlife itself which poses a risk, but our behaviour and specific contact with it.

To forecast future overlap between humans and wildlife, researchers at the University of Michigan compared estimates of where people are likely to inhabit land with the spatial distribution areas of more than 22,000 species.

The expansion of human and animal overlap will be most concentrated in regions where human population density is already high, such as India and China, they found. Agricultural and forest areas in Africa and South America will also experience substantial increases of overlap.

However, in some regions the human-wildlife overlap was projected to reduce, including across more than 20% of land in Europe.

The research can guide policymakers to avoid the human and wildlife conflicts and focus more on the conservation of species richness, said Deqiang Ma, the lead author of the study and a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan Institute for Global Change Biology.

Rob Cooke, an ecological modeller at the UK centre for Ecology and Hydrology, who was not involved in the study, said it gave a broad picture overview of whats happening and what could change, but more research was needed into what kinds of species and how are we going to interact, and what kind of repercussions does it have.

Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield on X for all the latest news and features
Member for Moreton Graham Perrett has decided to retire: Im just young enough to get another career doing something else. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

After almost two decades as a federal Labor MP, Graham Perrett has decided to retire, setting up a battle in his marginal Queensland seat.

The longtime Labor left warrior and author known for his morning walk playlists, committee work, white line fever in MP sporting matches and jovial nature told Guardian Australia it was just time.

I ran in 2004, unsuccessfully, so it has been 20 years of this stuff and it is just time to move on to another challenge, the 58-year-old said.

Im just young enough to get another career doing something else. So its time to give someone younger, give someone else a go.

Reflecting on his career, Perrett said people shouldnt underestimate the influence of backbenchers or those on committees whose work is often unheralded but can bring about real change.

I think marginal seat members who speak to their leaders make for better governments because you say this is what people care about in the marginal seats and theyre the people whose minds can be changed by circumstances, rather than rusted on to either party, he said.

Related: Labor MP calls for Order of Australia to be stripped from undeserving dead recipients

So I think that is crucial and I think Ive spoken up judiciously. Ive certainly felt that Ive been listened to.

Perrett made the decision to walk away in recent weeks, ahead of the Greens announcement it had recruited the 35-year-old social worker and organiser of the Justice for Palestine group, Remah Naji, as their candidate.

Perrett knows Naji, a Palestinian-Australian. Like Queensland Greens firebrand Max Chandler-Mather, Naji used to be a Labor member.

She used to work on my campaigns. Ive door-knocked with her, he said.

Asked about Labor members turning to the Greens, Perrett said people had their own motivations. He said hed seen how perfect can be the enemy of the good and that good government is about progressive, gradual, real change.

And if you look back for the last 130 years, all of that in Australia has been delivered by the Labor party.

I mean theres a time when [the Greens] need to accept that the good things that come from institutional government of locking in [change], rather than having policies unpicked by the Tony Abbotts of this world.

Perrett said the Greens come in and think that this is some low-hanging fruit that is their right, because they think weve done all the hard work for them. But theres a little bit of fighting to be done in the trenches.

Moreton, Queenslands most culturally diverse electorate, has long been on the Greens hitlist but Perrett said he and Labor had fought off many challenges since he took the seat from the former Liberal MP Gary Hardgrave in 2007.

Perrett surprised most political watchers by holding on in the 2013 swing against Labor, despite his slim margin.

Ive seen more safer seats than Moreton fall by the wayside  in 2013 about 13 or 14 seats with bigger margins than mine fell away, whereas Moreton had a swing to it.

Related: Veep stars respond to Australian MP who knocked himself out laughing at episode

He said there is a bit more work to do but Ill be doing my darndest to make sure that Moreton stays in the hands of the Labor party.

As long as Moreton remains a marginal seat, Perrett said he believes Labor values will mean the party continues to hold it.

Its the most multicultural electorate in Queensland, which is a significant thing in terms of the diaspora you have to be able to speak to, he said.

There are significant Chinese community, Taiwanese, Korean, Muslim communities from around Africa, north-east and south and the Vietnamese community. So lots of different communities to speak to. Then youve got some of the wealthier parts of Brisbane and some battle areas of Brisbane industry belts.

Youve got to be nimble, prepared to get out and talk to people about whats important to them. Cost of living and education and health were the things I was retailing 20 years ago and theyre still pretty important things in my electorates.

The former Queensland Labor state secretary Julie-Ann Campbell is expected to win preselection to replace Perrett, but the decision is yet to be finalised.
Michelle Obama told Democrats at Chicago's United Center that 'hope is making a comeback' - J. Scott Applewhite

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Michelle Obama has declared that hope is making a comeback after Kamala Harris replaced Joe Biden as the Democrats candidate.

In a fiery address to the partys national convention in Chicago, the former First Lady rallied voters behind the 59-year-old Ms Harris shortly after she formally accepted the Democratic presidential nomination on Tuesday night.

Mrs Obama, 60, speaking in her home city, said there was something wonderfully magical in the air since Ms Harris replaced Mr Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket last month.

America, hope is making a comeback, she said to a rousing reception from thousands of Democrats at the United Center.

She described Ms Harris as more than ready for this moment and said the vice-president was one of the most qualified people ever to seek Americas highest office.

In a nod to the historic nature of her White House bid, she said Democrats could not afford to get a Goldilocks complex, adding: We cannot indulge our anxieties about whether this country will elect someone like Kamala instead of doing everything we can to get someone like Kamala elected.

The former First Lady said Kamala Harris was 'more than ready for this moment' - Andrew Harnik

Mrs Obama went on to warn that Donald Trump, the Republican candidate who was her husband Baracks successor in 2017, would attempt to distort the truth in a thinly-veiled reference to his racially-charged comments about his opponents.

My husband and I, sadly, know a little something about this, she said. For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us.

His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be black.

Referencing Trumps claim that illegal immigrants were taking black jobs, Mrs Obama quipped: Whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those black jobs? The comments prompted roar of laughter from the crowd.

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The former First Lady, who remains one of the Democrats most popular figures, repeatedly skewered the Republican candidate in her address, but rarely mentioned him by name.

She described how most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward, or benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth in a withering rebuke of the 78-year-old former president and property magnate.

Her address came amid reports the Obamas were instrumental in backing calls for Mr Biden, the man who was her husbands deputy for eight years, to withdraw from the race.

There is no other choice than Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, she told the audience, describing how the party had embraced a renewed sense of hope.

Ms Harriss entry into the race has dramatically shifted the polls, which had Mr Biden on course to lose before his exit on July 21. She now holds a narrow lead over Trump in several swing states.

But Mrs Obama warned that while Ms Harris and her running mate Mr Walz were packing arenas and folks are energised, they faced an uphill battle against those desperate for a different outcome.

She warned that, with just two and a half months until election day, we cannot afford for anyone to sit on their hands and wait to be called upon, adding: There is simply no time for that kind of foolishness.

In a grim portend of what a second Trump term would bring, she described him doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies, gutting our healthcare, taking away our freedom to control our bodies and banning our books.

She then introduced her husband, who is still among the countrys most popular politicians. He delivered the keynote address on the second day of the four-day Democratic convention, saying that America was ready for a new chapter.

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Tuesdays programme also featured a speech by Doug Emhoff, who is hoping to take on Mrs Obamas former role as the first spouse.

The second gentleman introduced himself to the public and described Ms Harris as a joyful warrior but tough as nails.

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Teenagers who fail GCSE maths and English tend to face worse health outcomes and are more likely to be engaged in criminal behaviour, the Exeter University study shows. Photograph: David Davies/PA

The government has been urged to reassess what a social mobility expert has called the national scandal of teenagers leaving school without GCSE passes in English and maths despite multiple retakes.

Ahead of this summers GCSE results being published on Thursday, Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said his research suggested too many young people lacking the qualifications had lower chances of future success and increased reports of poor mental and physical health.

Its a national scandal that every year a fifth of teenagers fail to master the basic GCSE grades in both English and maths needed to function and flourish in life. Our research reveals the dire individual consequences of this academic failure, Elliot Major said.

Related: GCSEs should be branded separately in England, Wales and NI, expert says

Without basic grades in both English and maths, the odds of success are stacked against you: it doesnt just impact on your academic prospects but has wider life consequences for health and criminality.

Students in England who fail to gain at least a passing grade 4 in maths or English GCSEs are required to be reexamined in the subjects while they remain in education, but pass rates remain stubbornly low among those resitting.

Last year just 16% of students resitting GCSE maths in England passed with at least a grade 4, while 26% did the same in GCSE English.

Elliot Major said: We also need to review our national resits policy to identify best practice so more students are able to secure their grades second time round.

In a new working paper, academics from Exeter and University College London tracked 11,500 pupils in England who first sat GCSEs in 2016-17. It found that those who failed were more likely to have longstanding illnesses, behaviour problems or to have attempted suicide, compared with others their own age.

Elliot Major said that by the ages of 17 and 18, those who did not pass English and maths were also twice as likely to be cautioned by the police, by 12% to 6%.

Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, told PA Media earlier this month that she was considering the future of the resits policy.

I do want to make sure that all young people have got a really firm foundation in English and maths because that is the springboard for the rest of their lives, Phillipson said.

Elliot Major said: We need an urgent review of why so many pupils end up without basic grades after a decade of schooling, assessing how we can better diagnose and help four- and five-year-old children falling behind.

The stress of studying for exams was reinforced by a new survey published by the Association of School and College Leaders, which found that more than three-quarters of teachers saw pupils with mental health issues relating to GCSE anxiety in the past academic year.

Pepe DiIasio, ASCLs general secretary, said that reforms to the content and structure of GCSEs since 2015 had made the exams more challenging.

It is clear that the current high-stakes, end-of-course exam model is causing significant stress and anxiety among students, which is unacceptable, DiIasio said.

The survey also found that 58% of teachers said that parents had contacted their school because of worries about how their child was coping with exam pressure, while 65% said they knew of students not attending school due to exam anxiety.

While only 9% of teachers backed scrapping GCSEs, 31% said they wanted fewer papers sat for each course. Analysis by ASCL found that a student taking a typical set of GCSEs would spend a total of 33 hours sitting exams.
Barack Obama gives his memorable address at the convetnion in Boston in 2004. Photograph: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

From skinny kid with a funny name to elder statesman: Barack Obama, the former US president, will be the headline speaker at the Democratic national convention in Chicago on Tuesday  20 years after he first burst on to the national political scene.

Obama, a state legislator from Illinois, was days from his 43rd birthday and months from being elected to the Senate when he was given a slot at the partys 2004 convention in Boston. Rising star to woo voters with upbeat keynote speech, was the Guardian headline on 27 July 2004.

Related: DNC 2024 live: Barack Obama to headline day two and Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders and Doug Emhoff also to speak

Obama brought Democrats to their feet with a plea for hope and unity. Two decades later, America is more divided than ever, but on Tuesday the first Black president, back in his home city, will make the case for party nominee Kamala Harris to become the first woman and first woman of colour to win election to the White House.

The president will talk again in personal terms about what it takes to be president in this moment and what hes prepared to do and that this is an all-hands-on-deck moment, where we all have to get involved, Valerie Jarrett, a former senior adviser to Obama, said at an Axios House event in Chicago on Tuesday.

One of the lessons we certainly should have learned: its not just enough to elect a president. You also have to stay engaged throughout the term of your presidency. Sometimes you elect a president and you go, OK, Im done, and you go back to your jobs, and thats not the way democracies work.

Michelle Obama, the former first lady, who is popular enough in her own right that some Democrats floated her as an alternative to Joe Biden, will be speaking on Tuesday night as well.

Jarrett, chief executive of the Obama Foundation, added: Our democracy has been under threat and under attack and it is up to us to be those active and engaged citizens to ensure that we get back on track. I think thats part of the message youll hear from both of them tonight. So be there or be square.

Back in July 2004, in a 16-minute speech, Obama framed the presidential election, talked up nominee John Kerry and told his origin story as the son of a Black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. He told delegates: Lets face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely.

Obama did not dwell on policy, but his sweeping indictment of divisive politics struck a chord. There is not a liberal America and a conservative America  there is the United States of America, he said. There is not a Black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America  theres the United States of America. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we participate in a politics of hope?

Joel Rubin, a Democratic strategist, recalled: It was such a wonderful moment. It was an inspiring moment. It was like a moment to feel truly patriotic and proud to be part of a political party that wanted to bring back the country together. It spoke to the power of our country as a unified people.

Two and a half years later, Obama reprised that theme when he launched his presidential campaign before thousands of supporters gathered outside the Illinois capital of Springfield. His campaign motto was hope and change.

Yet the flipside of hope was fear, an emotion that Republican Donald Trump was able to exploit to win the White House in 2016. After eight toxic years, the young Obamas dream of a genuinely united nation seems as elusive as ever.

Rubin, a former Obama administration deputy assistant secretary of state, added: He diagnosed the problem in America right now. One speech never fixes a country. Its part of a process.

What you do is you elect leaders who have a commitment to that kind of vision and, unfortunately, we regressed in 2016 because we had Donald Trump come in committed to the opposite vision by not healing but destroying and magnifying difference rather than unity. But the message for the Democratic convention today is similar to the Obama message of unity and forward purpose.

Since leaving the White House, Obama has given powerful speeches as a surrogate for Hillary Clinton and Biden during their presidential runs. On Tuesday, Obama will set the stage for another historic candidate, delivering a forceful affirmation that Harris is the right leader for the moment, according to an adviser.

The Rev Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist who also spoke at the 2004 convention, said: The historic nature of this convention is not lost on any of us, but especially those of us who grew up in the civil rights movement. Last night, we felt the clear through-line from Fannie Lou Hamer in 1964, Shirley Chisholm in 1972, the Rev Jesse Jackson in the 1980s, and Barack Obama in 2008.

I think that will be felt as much when Obama takes the stage here in his home town. I cannot help but think of when I ran for president in 2004 and met briefly with him before each of us spoke. It was clear that night that he struck a tone with the nation  one that still resonates with many of us 20 years later.

Obama will also honour the legacy of Joe Biden, who served eight years as Obamas vice-president. Biden will not be in the hall to see his former running mate speak, as he departed Chicago after delivering his own speech.

Media reports suggest that Biden is still needled by the role that Obama  along with party leaders Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer  played in pressuring the 81-year-old to not seek re-election due to concerns over his mental capacity.

Schumer, the Democratic majority leader in the Senate, told a CNN-Politico Grill event on Monday: Im not going to give my private conversations with the former president. Thats up to him to decide. But we had a number of serious discussions.

Democratic convention highlights:
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Barack Obama hailed a new chapter for America under Kamala Harris as he praised selfless Joe Biden for stepping aside from the presidential election.

In an address to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where his wife Michelle also spoke on Tuesday, Mr Obama returned to his campaign message of hope in an appeal to the party to work hard for Ms Harris.

The former president, 63, hinted at his concerns about Mr Bidens age as he portrayed Ms Harris as a younger and more dynamic candidate, and compared Donald Trump to an inconsiderate neighbour using a leaf-blower.

We dont want four years of bluster and bumbling and chaos, he said.

Weve seen that movie before  and we all know that the sequel is usually worse. America is ready for a new chapter.

Mr Obama praised Mr Biden, his former running mate, for putting his own ambition aside for the sake of the country by stepping aside on July 21 to make way for Ms Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket.

He was one of several Democratic grandees to push Mr Biden privately to stand back from the race, amid polling that showed he would likely lose to Trump.

History will remember Joe Biden as a president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger, Mr Obama said on Tuesday. I am proud to call him my president, but even prouder to call him my friend.

Both Michelle and Barack Obama delivered powerful speeches on Tuesday night - MANDEL NGAN

The speech came on the second day of the convention, where party delegates held a symbolic roll call to demonstrate their support for Ms Harriss campaign. The vice president herself will speak on Thursday night as she formally accepts the nomination.

In his speech, Mr Obama described Ms Harris as a person who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice and a champion, who was not born into privilege and actually cares about what other people are going through.

Contrasting her with Trump, Mr Obama recounted her career as a prosecutor and described her as a civic-minded public servant who understood the concerns of ordinary voters.

We cant just point to what weve already accomplished, he said. We cant just rely on the ideas of the past. We need to chart a new way forward to meet the challenges of today. And Kamala understands.

Both Obamas stressed that the election is likely to be close in some states, urging Democrats to do something and volunteer to help the partys ground operation ahead of polling day on November 5.

Mrs Obama said the result would be decided by a handful of votes in every precinct.

The former First Lady said 'hope is making a comeback' - EVA HAMBACH

They also criticised Trump, who previously promoted the theory that Mr Obama was not born in the United States, sparking a decade-long feud.

Heres a 78 year old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago, Mr Obama said.

It has been a constant scream of gripes, and grievances. And thats actually been getting worse, now hes afraid hes going to lose to Kamala.

He added that Trump had a weird obsession with crowd sizes, while gesturing suggestively with his hands to indicate a few inches, and said he saw political power as nothing more than a means to his ends to help his rich friends.

I heard someone compare Trump to the neighbour who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day, he said.

From a neighbour, thats exhausting. From a president, its just dangerous.

Mr Obama reused some of the themes of his own presidential campaigns, focussing on a positive message about Ms Harris and chiding the crowd for booing Trump: Dont boo  vote. Delegates chanted his old campaign slogan: Yes we can.

But his 35-minute address also reflected his more recent thinking on Americas damaged social fabric, which has been the topic of his latest writing.

We live in a time of such confusion and rancour, with a culture that puts a premium on things that dont last: money, fame, status, likes, he said.

We chase the approval of strangers on our phones. In that space between us, politicians and algorithms teach us to caricature each other and troll each other and fear each other.

He said that Ms Harris would bring about a restoration of what Lincoln called, on the eve of the Civil War, our bonds of affection...an America that taps what he called the better angels of our nature.

Thats what this election is about, he said. And I believe thats why, if we each do our part over the next 77 days  if we knock on doors, if we make phone calls, if we talk to our friends, if we listen to our neighbours, if we work like weve never worked before  we will elect Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States, and Tim Walz as the next Vice President of the United States.

Read below for all the news from the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night.

05:03 AM BST

Thats all for now

Thanks for following our live coverage of the Democratic national convention. This live blog is now closed, but well be back tomorrow for day three of the event.

04:43 AM BST

Obama issues rallying cry as he finishes speech

If we knock on doors, if we make phone calls, if we talk to our friends, if we work like weve never worked before, if we hold firm to our convictions, we will elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States, Barack Obama says in a rallying cry to the assembled Democrats.

We will elect leaders up and down the ballot who will fight for the hopeful, forward-looking America we all believe in.

Mr Obama concludes: Together we too will build a country that is more secure and more just, more equal and more free.

So lets get to work. God bless you. God bless the United States of America.

04:39 AM BST

We yearn for an America where we work together

Barack Obama says the presidential election is an opportunity to restore unity to the US after years of political polarisation.

As much as any policy or program. I believe thats what we yearn for, a return to an America where we work together and look out for each other, he tells the convention.

A restoration of what Lincoln called on the eve of civil war, our bonds of affection, an America that taps what he called the better angels of our nature.

That is what I believe this election is about.

04:30 AM BST

The two-decade relationship between Obama and Harris

Barack Obama has known Kamala Harris for two decades.

The pair began their political careers at similar times, mixing in overlapping Democratic social circles.

As president, Mr Obama inadvertently shone a national spotlight on Ms Harris when he referred to her as brilliant, dedicated, and by far, the best looking attorney general in the country.

The comments, made during a San Francisco fundraiser in 2013, ignited a sexism storm. Mr Obama later called Ms Harris to apologise.

04:28 AM BST

Obama: Democracy isnt just a bunch of dusty laws

Issuing a defence of democracy, Barack Obama says: I think most Americans understand that democracy isnt just a bunch of abstract principles and and dusty laws in some book somewhere.

Its the values we live by. Its the way we treat each other, including those who dont look like us or pray like us or see the world exactly like we do.

Former President Barack Obama speaking at the Democratic National Convention - AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

He urges Democrats to stay away from thinking that the only way to win is to scold and shame and out yell the other side, adding: After a while, regular folks just tune out, or they dont bother to vote.

We need to remember that weve all got our blind spots and contradictions and prejudices, and then if we want to win over those who arent yet ready to support our candidates, we need to listen to their concerns and maybe learn something in the process, Mr Obama says.

04:22 AM BST

Yes, she can

Yes, she can, Barack Obama says, adapting his old campaign slogan for Kamala Harris. The crowd takes up the chant.

04:20 AM BST

Kamala is the neighbour rushing over to help

Barack Obama praises Kamala Harris and says she is the neighbour rushing over to help rather than the neighbour running the leaf-blower.

Former US President Barack Obama arrives onstage after his wife and former First Lady Michelle Obama introduced him - MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

This is a person who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice and a champion, he says.

As you heard from Michelle, Kamala was not born into privilege. She had to work for what shes got, and she actually cares about what other people are going through.

04:18 AM BST

Obama: Trump only cares about power

The truth is, Donald Trump sees power as nothing more than a means to his ends, Barack Obama continues.

He wants the middle class to pay the price for another huge tax cut that would mostly help him and his rich friends.

He killed a bipartisan immigration deal written in part by one of the most conservative Republicans in Congress, that would have helped secure our southern border.

Because he thought trying to actually solve the problem would hurt his campaign.

Later in the speech, he claims that Trump has got pretty stale.

04:16 AM BST

Trump is like a neighbour running his leaf-blower

Turning to Donald Trump, Barack Obama says: Heres a 78 year old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his gold escalator nine years ago.

It has been a constant stream of rights and grievances... Childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes.

It just goes on and on and on.

The other day, I heard someone compare Trump to the neighbour who keeps running his leaf-blower outside your window every minute of every day.

That gesture when Barack Obama talks about Donald Trump's "weird obsession with crowd sizes"  pic.twitter.com/XQpVWskEyg  The Recount (@therecount) August 21, 2024

04:07 AM BST

Obama pays tribute to his brother Biden

Barack Obama pays tribute to Joe Biden, saying the decision to select him as his running mate was one of his best decisions. Mr Biden has made the same comment about Kamala Harris.

Joe and I come from different backgrounds, but we became brothers, Mr Obama says.

What I came to admire most about Joe wasnt just his smarts, his experience, it was his empathy and his decency and his hard earned resilience, his unshakable belief that everyone in this country deserves a fair shot.

He adds: History will remember Joe Biden has an outstanding president who defended, democracy, at a moment of great danger.

And I am proud to call him my president, but I am even prouder to call him my friend.

04:05 AM BST

Crowd chants yes we can as Obama soaks up applause

The crowd is chanting yes we can at Barack Obama as he stands on the stage and absorbs their applause.

I dont know, but Im feeling fired up, he says. Im feeling ready to go, even if I am the only person stupid enough to speak after Michelle Obama.

04:05 AM BST

A political homecoming for the Obamas

This is something of a political homecoming for the Obamas.

Michelle Obama is a proud product of Chicagos Southside.

It was from this city that Barack Obama launched his historic White House bid in 2007.

Former first lady Michelle Obama takes the stage during Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention - REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

In the crowd that chilly February day was one Kamala Harris, an early endorser of the young Illinois senators candidacy.

Tonight, hes repaying the favour as he tries to rally the public behind Ms Harris.

04:01 AM BST

Democrats cannot get a Goldilocks complex about Harris

Michelle Obama has urged Democrats not to be complacent about electing Kamala Harris as she issued a rallying cry for the new presidential candidate,

There are still so many people who are desperate for a different outcome, who are ready to question and criticise every move Kamala makes, who are eager to spread those lies, who dont want to vote for a woman, she said.

So no matter how good we feel tonight or tomorrow or the next day, this is going to be an uphill battle.

Former first lady Michelle Obama speaking during the Democratic National Convention - AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

In what appeared to be a plea for party unity, Mrs Obama added: So folks, we cannot be our own worst enemies. Because the minute something goes wrong the minute a lie takes hold, folks, we cannot start wringing our hands. We cannot get a Goldilocks complex about whether everything is just right.

And we cannot indulge our anxieties about whether this country will elect someone like Kamala, instead of doing everything we can to get someone like Kamala elected.

03:57 AM BST

Obama skewers Trump - while barely using his name

Michelle Obama has repeatedly skewered Donald Trump without having to use his name too often.

She describes how most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward, or benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth.

The crowd is lapping it up. The applause deafening at times.

03:56 AM BST

Trump feels threatened by successful black people

Mentioning Donald Trump for the first time, Michelle Obama says that he tried to demonise her and her husband, the former US President Barack Obama.

For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us, she says.

His limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happen to be black.

03:53 AM BST

Obama hearkens back to Clinton convention

Michelle Obama says of Kamala Harris: She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency.

It is a line with some context. At the 2016 convention, her husband Barack Obama described Hillary Clinton as more qualified than anybody to hold Americas highest office.

I can say with confidence there has never been a man or a woman - not me, not Bill, nobody - more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as president of the United States of America, he said.

03:52 AM BST

Obama: Trump fails forward and is a whiner and cheater

Michelle Obama is taking a number of swipes at Donald Trump without mentioning the Republican by name.

Kamala has shown her allegiance to this nation, not by spewing anger and bitterness, but by living a life of service and always pushing the doors of opportunity open to others, the former First Lady said.

She understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth.

Former US First Lady Michelle Obama speaks on the second day of the Democratic National Convention - EVA HAMBACH/AFP via Getty Images

If we bankrupt the business or choke in a crisis, we dont get a second, third or fourth chance.

If things dont go our way, we dont have the luxury of whining or cheating others to get further ahead.

03:50 AM BST

Electric atmosphere as Michelle Obama talks

The atmosphere in the room as Michelle Obama speaks is absolutely electric.

The crowd is oscillating between wild applause and complete silence as she pays tribute to her mother, whom she said died recently.

She drew a comparison between the life of her mother and Kamala Harriss mother, and praises Ms Harris for her work and allegiance to this nation.

We all deserve the opportunity to build a decent life, she says.

03:50 AM BST

Harris is one of the most qualified people to seek the presidency

My girl, Kamala Harris, is more than ready for this moment, Michelle Obama told the Democratic national convention.

She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency, and she is one of the most dignified.

Former first lady of the United States Michelle Obama speaks during Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention - REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid

A tribute to her mother, to my mother and to your mother too, the embodiment of the stories we tell ourselves about this country. Her story is your story.

She added: No one has a monopoly on what it means to be an American. No one.

03:47 AM BST

Michelle Obama: Hope is making a comeback

America, hope is making a comeback, Michelle Obama tells the crowd in Chicago as she takes the stage in her hometown.

Its a catchy line, and a bit of a theme of this convention. Earlier Doug Emhoff spoke of Kamala Harris as a happy warrior.

The crowd in Chicago is on its feet as Michelle Obama takes the stage at the DNC pic.twitter.com/nMcDEYcVpf  Rozina Sabur (@RozinaSabur) August 21, 2024

Tim Walz has spoken of putting joy back into politics. The Democrats are focused on the power of running a positive messaging campaign.

Mrs Obama describes it as a contagious power.

The exhilaration of once again being on the cusp of a brighter day, she says.

03:41 AM BST

Michelle Obama heads onto the stage

Michelle Obama, the former First Lady, got a rapturous reception from the crowd in Chicago as she walked onto the stage.

Former first lady Michelle Obama speaking during the Democratic National Convention - AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

03:40 AM BST

Obamas up next

Tonight well hear from two figures who are not just the Democrats best speechmakers, but possibly the best political speakers in the country.

Barack Obamas oratorical talents were crucial to the popularity of his presidency. Michelle Obamas 2016 convention speech moved the audience to tears.

In 2020, figures suggest it was Mrs Obamas virtual address that drew more eyeballs than any other speaker.

It remains to be seen whether shell outshine her husband tonight, but both Obamas are likely to bring more star power than every other figure well see on stage this week - including its keynote speaker, Kamala Harris.

03:40 AM BST

Harris still makes time for calls with stepchildren

Doug Emhoff highlights the virtues of his beautiful, blended family, describing how his two children refer to Kamala Harris as Momala.

He reveals that despite becoming the Democratic presidential candidate in the last month, she still makes time for phone calls with his children while taking a respite from the campaign trail.

Shes always been there for our children, and I know shell always be there for yours too, he says.

Whether intended or not, the comments offer a rebuke to JD Vances comments about childless cat ladies, whom the GOP vice presidential candidate suggested dont have a direct stake in Americas future.

03:39 AM BST

I learned what drives Kamala

Doug Emhoff is also offering an intimate insight into Kamala Harris, describing how they met after being set up on a blind date.

She still plays the first voicemail he left her on their anniversary each year, he says.

As I got to know her better and fell in love fast - I learned what drives Kamala, he says.

Its what youve seen over these past four years and especially these past four weeks.

03:37 AM BST

Emhoff talks about Harris relationship with stepchildren

Those of you who belong to blended families know that they can be a little complicated, Doug Emhoff continued.

But as soon as our kids started calling her Mommala I knew wed be okay.

Kamala Harris has previously been attacked as one of a bunch of childless cat-ladies by JD Vance, the Ohio senator and Donald Trumps running mate.

He added: Shes always been there for our children. And I know shell always be there for yours, too.

03:34 AM BST

Emhoff recalls being set up with Kamala Harris

Doug Emhoff recalled how he left a rambling voicemail for Kamala Harris when he was set up with her on a blind date.

In 2013 I walked into a contentious client meeting. We worked through the issue. And by the end of the meeting the now, happy client offered to set me up on a blind date, which is how I ended up with Kamala Harriss phone number, he told the convention.

Now, for generations, people have debated, when to call a person, youre being set up and never in history has anyone suggested 8:30am?

And yet, thats when I dialled. I got Kamalas voicemail and I just started rambling.

03:30 AM BST

Has Emhoff been taking tips from Michelle Obama?

Were hearing from the man who became Americas first ever Second Gentleman.

Doug Emhoff, husband of Kamala Harris, is now hoping to take on another history-making title: the First Gentleman.

US Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff speaks on the second day of the Democratic National Convention - MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Perhaps he solicited some tips from Michelle Obama backstage on how to navigate the role of spouse to the most scrutinised politician on earth.

03:29 AM BST

Emhoff gets huge reaction from Chicago crowd

Doug Emhoff just got a huge reception from the crowd in Chicago. The delegates on the convention floor here are waving red signs that say Doug.

Hello to my big beautiful blended family up there, he says to his family members watching from a box. My mother is the only person in the world who thinks Kamala is the lucky one, to marry me, he jokes.

03:29 AM BST

My mother thinks Kamalas the lucky one

My mother is the only person in the whole world who thinks Kamala is a lucky one for marrying me, Doug Emhoff said, in a line that drew a laugh from the crowd in Chicagos United Centre.

I love you so much, Mr Emhoff said, addressing his wife directly.

Im so proud of how youre stepping up for all of us, but thats who she is - wherever shes needed, however shes needed, Kamala rises to the occasion.

03:26 AM BST

Doug Emhoff makes his way onto the stage

Doug Emhoff, the Second Gentleman and Kamala Harris husband, has made his way onto the stage and will shortly begin his speech.

03:23 AM BST

Republican mayor: Weve become a cult of Donald Trump

The Republican party has been reduced to the cult of Donald Trump, a Republican mayor has told the Democratic national convention.

John Giles, the mayor of Mesa in Arizona, said: Trump doesnt know the first thing about public service like a child, he acts purely out of self interest.

Mesa, Arizona Mayor John Giles speaking during the Democratic National Convention - AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

He continued: My hero [Arizona senator] John McCain taught us to put country over party, and thats how vice president Harris and Governor Walz will lead.

I have an urgent best message for the majority of Americans who like me are in the political middle. John McCains Republican Party is gone, and we dont owe a damn thing to whats been left behind.

03:17 AM BST

Protesters detained by police as clashes break out

Pro-Palestine protesters have been detained by police outside the Israeli consulate in Chicago as clashes broke out between officers and demonstrators.

A man wearing a press helmet is taken into custody by police near the Israeli consulate in Chicago - AP Photo/Noah Berger

A large crowd is reported to have remained in the area as the confrontation died down, with protesters shouting slogans including: Free, free Palestine.

It is unclear how many protesters have been detained. More than a dozen were arrested by police as activists marched on the convention centre and pushed through a security perimeter.

03:13 AM BST

Democrats risk missing Obama due to queue chaos

Democrats risk missing Barack Obamas keynote speech this evening because of chaos in the security queues outside.

The line outside Chicago's United Center tonight is even worse than yesterday. I saw 2-hour wait times on average.



Maybe that's why Biden went so late last night. He wanted to give people a chance to hear his farewell. #DNC2024 https://t.co/aIWoVo2jwI  Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) August 21, 2024

There have been issues on both evenings of this convention with huge lines outside the United Centre, after protesters forced tighter security measures on the nearby streets.

Frank Luntz, the American pollster, said some people are waiting two hours to get in. Anyone joining the queue now might miss all of the speeches.

03:01 AM BST

Pictures: Democrats celebrate as Harris confirmed as nominee

A delegate wearing an "Obama" hat attends the second day of the Democratic National Convention - ALEX WROBLEWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Delegates cheer during the ceremonial roll call vote on the second day of the Democratic National Convention - ALEX WROBLEWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

New York delegation members hold pictures of New York Governor Kathy Hochul during the ceremonial roll call - ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

02:49 AM BST

Trump is rich in only one thing - stupidity

Illinois governor JB Pritzker brought the house down with a quip that makes a virtue of his immense fortune.

Discussing Donald Trumps claims of huge wealth, he says: Take it from an actual billionaire, Trump is rich in only one thing - stupidity.

Mr Pritzker was considered a strong contender to be Kamala Harris running mate. His delivery tonight is a reminder of just how deep the current Democratic bench is.

02:48 AM BST

Illinois governor: Americans dont want Donald Trump

JB Pritzker, the Democratic governor of Illinois, fired out a series of attacks Donald Trump when he took to the convention stage.

Americans dont want to be forced to drive 100 miles to deliver a baby because of draconian abortion law shut down the maternity war, he said - one of several criticisms of Trump this evening on abortion rights.

Americans with LGBTQ kids dont want them facing discrimination at school because the state sanctioned it, Mr Priztker continued.

Americans want to go to their neighbourhood grocery store and not have to worry about some random guy open-carrying an AR-15. The semi-automatic rifle was used by a would-be assassin to shoot at Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania in June.

The Illinois governor claimed that Kamala Harris wanted to create a country with a little serenity, the serenity that comes from a balanced chequebook, an affordable grocery bill and a housing market that has room for everyone.

If theres one thing I know about Donald Trump, hes not bringing anyone any kind of serenity, he added.

02:44 AM BST

Sanders fails to work crowd into a frenzy

Ive seen a fair few of Bernie Sanders speeches, but this is the Vermont senator at his least energetic.

The 82-year-olds trademark angry tirades were missing from this address, and he isnt working the crowd into a frenzy the way Ive seen him do many times before.

Is this a sign the party has moved on from the days of the Bernie Bros?

02:40 AM BST

Sanders: We must end horrific war in Gaza

Bernie Sanders pressed Kamala Harris to guarantee access to life-saving drugs if she wins the White House in November.

Joe and Kamala may made sure that no senior in America pays over $35 a month for insulin. We need to make sure that reality is true for every American, he told the Democratic national convention.

Bernie Sanders, Independent from Vermont, speaks on the second day of the Democratic National Convention - MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

I look forward to working with Kamala and Tim to pass this agenda.

Mr Sanders got his biggest cheer of the night when he declared: We must must end this horrific war in Gaza, bring home the hostages and demand an immediate ceasefire.

02:35 AM BST

Delegates losing interest during Sanders speech

Bernie Sanders is now addressing the crowd at the DNC, where delegates appear to be losing interest and chatting among themselves after a fiery roll call.

The last time Mr Sanders was at a DNC, he had just dropped out of the 2020 Democratic primary and endorsed Joe Biden. There was a scramble on the convention floor to decide what would happen to the delegates who had voted for him, and there was more than a little hostility between their campaign teams.

The veteran Vermont senator was one of the voices who came out with concerns about Mr Biden in the weeks before he stood down. Now, hes speaking full-throatedly in support of Kamala Harris.

02:34 AM BST

Too many Americans are struggling

Bernie Sanders, the independent Vermont senator, paid tribute to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris record before pivoting to an attack on oligarchs.

When the political will is there, Government can effectively deliver for the people of our country.

And now we need to summon that bill again, because too many of our fellow Americans are struggling every day to just get by, to put food on the table to pay the rent and to get the health care they need.

He added: We need an economy that works for all of us, not just the billionaires.

02:26 AM BST

Schumer: Trump peddles anti-Semitism

Chuck Schumer told the convention that he was the highest ranking Jewish elected official in American history and accused Donald Trump of pushing anti-Semitic tropes.

I want my grandkids and all grandkids to never, never face discrimination because of who they are, the New York senator said. But Donald Trump, this is a guy who peddles anti-Semitic stereotypes.

He went to accuse the Republican of fuelling Islamphobia, claiming: His prejudice goes in all directions.

02:23 AM BST

Republican strategist: Harris is no communist

Ana Navarro, on stage now at the DNC, is rejecting the communist label Donald Trump and other Republicans have tried to stick on Kamala Harris.

Navarro, a Republican strategist and native of Nicaragua, says she saw the perils of communism first hand under Daniel Ortega.

In a bit of unfortunate scheduling, following Navarro shortly on stage is one Bernie Sanders, a progressive senator who once defended the strongman.

02:22 AM BST

Newsom swamped by delegates as he leaves convention floor

Gavin Newsom is getting swamped by delegates and journalists as he tries to get off the convention floor during Chuck Schumers speech. He appears to have stopped to give an interview to a TV reporter right in front of the stage where Schumer is speaking.

02:21 AM BST

Trump return would mean American carnage, warns Schumer

There will be American carnage if Donald Trump returns to the White House, the most senior Democrat in the Senate has claimed.

Chuck Schumer told the Democratic national convention: This November, we can choose a brighter, a fairer, a freer future, or we can relive the dark night of Trumps American carnage.

Only one candidate will move America forward, Kamala Harris.

02:17 AM BST

Newsom making a forceful pitch for cabinet position

Californias governor, Gavin Newsom, appears to be making a forceful pitch for a cabinet position in a future Harris administration as he represents California at the DNC roll call.

Gavin Newsom speaks alongside California delegation as they cast their vote during the ceremonial roll call vote on the second day of the DNC - ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

Mr Newsom and Kamala Harris have run in the same political circles for years.

The pair are sometimes described as frenemies on account of the perceived rivalry between the two young Democratic stars as they worked their way up the ranks in Americas largest state.

02:15 AM BST

Harris hails freedom and optimism as she accepts nomination

I thank everyone there and here for believing in what we can do together, Kamala Harris said as she accepted the Democratic partys nomination.

We are so honored to be your nominees. This is a people-powered campaign, and together, we will charge a new way forward.

A future for freedom, opportunity, of optimism and faith. So to everyone in Chicago and across America, thank you. Thank you.

Thank you, and youre going to hear from our wonderful second gentleman [Doug Emhoff] shortly. Ill see you in two days, Chicago.

02:12 AM BST

Harris addressing DNC from Wisconsin

Kamala Harris is making surprise speech to the Democratic national convention, speaking virtually from a rally in Wisconsin after she was confirmed as the partys presidential candidate.

01:54 AM BST

Harris: Trump will face consequences for attacking abortion rights

Kamala Harris is expected to go after Donald Trump on abortion rights at a rally in Wisconsin today, after the former president said he had no regrets about the overturning of Roe v Wade.

She will tell supporters in Milwaukees Fiserv Forum:

Yesterday, when he was asked if he had any regrets about ending Roe v. Wade, Donald Trump  without even a moments hesitation  said no. No regrets. Thats because he hasnt had to face the consequences. Women and families have. Well, we will make sure he does face the consequence at the ballot box this November.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz gestures during a campaign rally at Fiserv Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

01:44 AM BST

The Daily T: Can Kamala beat Trump?

As the Democratic National Convention kicks off, Harris has broken with tradition to take to the stage before her big speech on Thursday, stealing President Bidens moment in the spotlight. Its a signal that its well and truly the Kamala show.

Kamal and Sunday Telegraph Political Editor Camilla Turner chat to US Editor Tony Diver to ask the question on everyones lips - can she beat Donald Trump?

01:41 AM BST

A uniquely American blend of politics and celebrity

There is a different tenor to tonights programme. The crowd is far more fired up. Theyve also all been handed remote-controlled LED wristbands, so there are plenty of flashing multi-coloured lights throughout the arena.

There are also plenty of musicians and celebrities both appearing on stage and in the crowd. Its a uniquely American blend of politics and celebrity.

01:39 AM BST

Harris crosses delegates threshold to rubber-stamp candidacy

Kamala Harris has now crossed the threshold of 2,350 delegates to become the Democrats presidential candidate for the 2024 election. The vote is simply a rubber-stamp - she had already been confirmed at a virtual roll-call earlier this month.

Kamala Harris reacts as she holds a photographer's camera while flying on Marine Two, on her way to O'Hare International Airport, Chicago - KEVIN LAMARQUE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

01:26 AM BST

Party atmosphere at DNC as DJ blasts out dance music

Each state has been given its own theme song as delegates cast their votes for Kamala Harris, creating a party atmosphere on the convention floor.

Sweet Home Alabama played while Alabama voted, while Florida was assigned Tom Pettys I Wont Back Down - a song often used at campaign events by Ron DeSantis, the states Republican governor.

Eminems Lose Yourself was blasted out for Michigan, which has just voted.

01:19 AM BST

Harris campaign using Republicans to court independent voters

The inclusion of Donald Trumps one-time White House communications director in tonights programming is part of a deliberate strategy by Democrats to court independent voters.

Stephanie Grisham is one of a number of Republicans who will address the Democratic national convention here in Chicago.

We are also due to hear from other prominent conservatives, including Mike Pences former national security adviser and a former GOP congressman, later in the week.

The Republicans Against Trump movement proved effective in the 2020 campaign, and Kamala Harris will need to replicate its success and appeal to a significant number of Republican and independent voters if she is to prevail in November.

01:15 AM BST

Awkward evening ahead as Michael Cohen turns up in press stand

We just had a surprise performance in the convention hall from Lil Jon, the rapper.

But hes not the only unexpected guest. Ive been surprised to find myself sitting next to Michael Cohen, the former Trump lawyer who turned on his own boss during the Stormy Daniels trial that ended in Trumps conviction.

Cohen is here as a journalist, producing his own podcast. He wasnt interested in talking about the case and said he wouldnt answer any of my questions  which might make this an awkward evening for me from here on.

12:58 AM BST

Roll call to anoint Harris as Democratic nominee begins

The roll call that will designate Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate for the 2024 election is now underway.

This part of the convention is symbolic, as Ms Harris - who is currently campaigning in Wisconsin - has already been selected in a virtual vote.

Jewel Cannada-Wynn of Pensacola, Florida arrives to the second day of the Democratic National Convention - Alex Wong/Getty Images

12:40 AM BST

Grisham: I wanted my speech to turn Republicans against Trump

Stephanie Grisham, a former top aide to Donald Trump who spoke at the convention this evening, told CNN that she had done her job if just a few Republicans or independents turned against her former boss.

She is one of several Republicans who are speaking tonight, in an overture by the Harris campaign to conservatives who have been isolated by Trumps brand of politics.

Kyle Sweetser, former Trump voter, was one of the first people to take to the stage, while John Giles, the Republican mayor of Mesa in Arizona, will be among the final speakers tonight.

12:30 AM BST

Harris and Walz arrive in Wisconsin

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have landed in Milwaukee ahead of their rally at the Fiserv Forum this evening.

12:11 AM BST

Trump mocks his own supporters, says former aide

Donald Trump has no empathy or morals and calls his supporters basement dwellers, one of his former top advisers has claimed.

Stephanie Grisham, the former White House press secretary, told Democrats in Chicago: Trump mocks his supporters - he calls them basement dwellers... He has no empathy no morals and no fidelity to the truth.

He used to tell me, It doesnt matter what you say, Stephanie - say it enough, and people will believe you.

Ms Grisham said she had been part of the Trump family but resigned following the storming of the Capitol by Trumps supporters on Jan 6, 2021.

I couldnt be part of the insanity any longer, she said.

11:49 PM BST

Harris has JFKs energy and vision

Kamala Harris has John F. Kennedys energy, vision, and optimism for the future, his grandson told the Democratic national convention.

Jack Schlossberg, grandson of former US President John F. Kennedy, speaks on the second day of the Democratic National Convention - MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Jack Schlossberg continued: Like President Kennedy, Vice President Harris has dedicated her life to public service.

She believes in America like my grandfather did, that we do things not because theyre easy, but because they are hard.

11:47 PM BST

Jimmy Carter is holding on to vote for Harris, says grandson

Jimmy Carter, the 99-year-old former US President, is holding on until November despite his failing health so that he can vote for Kamala Harris, his grandson has said.

Jason Carter told the convention: His legacy is measured by the lives he has touched and the good he has done. Kamala Harris carries my grandfathers legacy.

Jason Carter, grandson of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, speaks on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention - Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

She knows what is right, and she fights for it. She understands that leadership is about service, not selfishness, that you can show strength and demonstrate decency, and that you can get a whole lot more done with a smile than with a scowl.

Pawpaw is holding on. He is hopeful, and though his body may be weak tonight, his spirit is as strong as ever.

My grandfather cant wait to vote for Kamala Harris.

11:43 PM BST

Sanders to take on oligarchs and price gouging in DNC speech

Bernie Sanders will talk about on progressive economics when he addresses the convention around 2am BST (9pm ET), according to excerpts from his remarks.

The Vermont senator, who sits as an independent, is expected to say:

When the political will is there, government can effectively deliver for the people of our country. We need to summon that will again - because too many of our fellow Americans are struggling every day to just get by - to put food on the table, pay the rent, and get the health care they need. These oligarchs tell us we shouldnt tax the rich; we shouldnt take on price gouging; we shouldnt expand Medicare to cover dental, hearing and vision; and we shouldnt increase Social Security benefits for struggling seniors. Well Ive got some bad news for them. That is precisely what we are going to do, and were going to win this struggle because this is precisely what the American people want from their government.

11:33 PM BST

Second day of DNC begins

The second day of the Democratic national convention has officially begun.

One order of business tonight will be a roll-call that ordains Kamala Harris as the partys presidential candidate - a purely ceremonial function, because she has already been confirmed by a virtual vote.

11:28 PM BST

Harris: We are moving forward with this election

This November, we will come together and declare with one voice, as one people: we are moving forward. pic.twitter.com/Zeqyqe55qc  Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 20, 2024

11:24 PM BST

Everything you need to know about the 2024 US election

Donald Trump will face Kamala Harris in the 2024 race for the White House after an eventful start to the campaign.

Joe Biden pulled out of the race after intense pressure following his disastrous first debate with Trump.

The first TV debate between Ms Harris and Trump is due to take place on September 10, a few days before states with the longest in-person polling periods open for early voting.

But, the 2024 timetable is also complicated by the blizzard of litigation faced by Trump, who has had to juggle campaigning with a series of court appearances.

Read the full explainer from Rozina Sabur, our deputy US editor, here.

11:18 PM BST

Where is Kamala Harris?

While Democrats congregate in Chicago for the second night of their convention, Kamala Harris will be campaigning in a neighbouring state.

The vice president will be joined by her running mate, Minnesota governor Tim Walz, for a rally in the battleground state of Wisconsin. Recent state-wide polls have put Ms Harris several points clear of Donald Trump.

The pair will address supporters in Milwaukees Fiserv Forum, where the Republican national convention was held last month.

11:14 PM BST

Excerpts released from Doug Emhoffs speech

Kamala Harris is a joyful warrior and as tough as it comes, Doug Emhoff will say in his speech tonight when he pays tribute to his wife.

Kamala is a joyful warrior, he is expected to say when he takes to the stage at the Democratic national convention in Chicago.

He will add: Heres the thing about joyful warriors: Theyre still warriors. And Kamala is as tough as it comes.

11:09 PM BST

Obama pays tribute to Bidens resilience

Barack Obama paid tribute to Joe Biden for his resilience and unshakable belief after the US President passed the torch to Kamala Harris last night.

What I admire most about Joe is his decency, his resilience, and his unshakable belief in the promise of our country, Mr Obama said of his former running mate.

What I admire most about Joe is his decency, his resilience, and his unshakable belief in the promise of our country. Over the last four years, those are the values America has needed most. I am proud to call him my president, and I'm so grateful to call him my friend. pic.twitter.com/7eI4pc5VOQ  Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 20, 2024

Over the last four years, those are the values America has needed most. I am proud to call him my president, and Im so grateful to call him my friend.

Mr Biden is reportedly frustrated with Mr Obama for not backing him when he came under pressure from Democrats to drop out of the presidential race last month.

10:53 PM BST

Obama will be the nations explainer-in-chief

Barack Obama will act as the US explainer-in-chief and put the Democrats on an election footing when he addresses the convention tonight, his former campaign manager has said.

Jim Messina, who guided Mr Obama to victory in the 2012 general election, also suggested that Donald Trump would struggle against Kamala Harris in a presidential race because he was an old guy going up against a young challenger.

Barack Obama has sort of become the explainer in chief role to the country to explain the moment theyre in, he told Fox News. And I think thats the transition to this general election that were seeing tonight.

He added: Americans are optimists. They want to hear about the future. They dont want to hear about the past.

And thats exactly the problem Donald Trumps going to have, because hes now the old guy in this race against the young challenger. And so now hes in that same role. And its a difficult role.

10:45 PM BST

Who is scheduled to speak at the DNC tonight?

Barack Obama, the former US President, and Michelle Obama, the former First Lady, are scheduled to address the Democratic national convention tonight.

Doug Emhoff, the Second Gentleman and Ms Harris husband, will talk about his wife while she campaigns in Milwaukee in the battleground state of Wisconsin.

Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, and Bernie Sanders, the independent Vermont senator and a former contender for the Democratic presidential candidate, are also expected to make remarks.

The schedule also features the grandsons of two presidents: Jason Carter, whose grandfather is Jimmy Carter, and John F. Kennedys grandson Jack Schlossberg.

10:37 PM BST

13 people arrested at DNC protests on Monday

More than a dozen people were arrested at pro-Palestinian protests outside the Democratic national convention on Monday, Chicago police have said.

Some 13 people were detrained for offences including criminal trespass, resisting and obstructing, and aggravated battery of police officers - which means causing serious bodily harm.

We are not going to tolerate vandalism and violence in our city, Superintendent Larry Snelling said.

10:34 PM BST

Pictured: Trumps former fixer spotted at DNC in Chicago

Michael Cohen, former attorney for Donald Trump, stands in front of a sign with a picture of Kamala Harris - REUTERS/Vincent Alban

10:27 PM BST

Welcome

Hello and welcome to the live blog. Benedict Smith here. Well be bringing you all the updates from the second day of the Democratic national convention, where both Barack Obama, the former US president, and Michelle Obama, the former First Lady, are scheduled to speak.
Palestinians heading for the so-called humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi after an IDF evacuation order this month. Photograph: Habboub Ramez/Abaca/Rex/Shutterstock

Thousands of people facing Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have been forced to abandon plans to comply with Israeli evacuation orders telling them to move to a designated safe humanitarian zone because there is no space for them there.

At the weekend the Israeli military told residents of multiple neighbourhoods in and around the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah to leave their homes before planned attacks and go to the narrow strip of coast around the small town of al-Mawasi that was designated earlier in the war to receive displaced people.

My uncles and father tried to find a new safer place to move our family to but their efforts did not succeed yet as all spaces within the safe zone are occupied, said a 34-year-old woman who has been living with 16 relatives on the edge of the designated safe area, who did not want to be named.

Related: My family has fled Rafah for yet another safe area. By now we know there is no such thing | Mohammed Al Khatib

Humanitarian officials confirmed the overcrowding in the humanitarian zone was dissuading those given evacuation orders by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from leaving, despite the dangers of remaining.

Theres just no space and people know that, so they stay where they are. You cant get hold of tents, so even if you found somewhere, it would be difficult to get any shelter, and conditions there are terrible, said a UN official based in Gaza. Some people refuse to move [to al-Mawasi] because they just dont want to leave their homes but most because theyll have nowhere to live if they go there.

The vast majority of Gazas population has been displaced, often multiple times, and 86% of the territory has been put under evacuation orders by the Israeli military, according to the UN. Israeli officials say the orders are aimed at reducing civilian casualties and blame Hamas for using people as human shields.

Several hundred thousand people have packed into al-Mawasi since the beginning of the conflict despite minimal provision there of even basic services. Water supply is inadequate, there is almost no sanitation, healthcare is rudimentary and infectious diseases are on the rise. Aid groups fear the outbreak of diseases such as polio.

The situation there is just getting worse and worse, the UN official said.

A UN bulletin published on Monday said that since the start of August the Israeli military had issued nine evacuation orders that were affecting an estimated 213,000 people across Gaza. The bulletin said the population of Gaza, which was 2.3 million before the war, was increasingly concentrated within the Israeli-designated zone in al-Mawasi, with 30,000 to 34,000 people crammed into each square kilometre, compared with an estimated 1,200 people per square kilometre before October 2023.

Since a reduction ordered by Israeli military last month, the area of the humanitarian zone has shrunk by a fifth, to 40 sq km  just 11% of the Gaza Strip.

This reduction in space, combined with overcrowding, heightened insecurity, inadequate and overstretched infrastructure, ongoing hostilities, and limited services is exacerbating the dire humanitarian situation for the hundreds of thousands of people forced to live inside it, the UN said.

The IDF said the reduction was because the eastern part of the zone had been used for significant terrorist activity and rocket fire toward the state of Israel. The adjustment is being carried out in accordance with precise intelligence indicating that Hamas has embedded terrorist infrastructure in the area defined as the Humanitarian Area, it said.

On Monday, the IDF retrieved the bodies of six hostages held in Gaza since the beginning of the conflict from a tunnel that it said was under an area previously designated as part of the humanitarian area.

A series of airstrikes within the humanitarian zone have also convinced many people in Gaza who receive evacuation orders that they are better off remaining where they are.

One airstrike in al-Mawasi in July may have killed Mohammed Deif, the most senior Hamas military commander in Gaza and one of the architects of the attacks into southern Israel that triggered the conflict, but also caused at least 92 deaths and wounded more than 300, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

No place is safe, said Yussef Abu Taimah, from the town of al-Qarara in Khan Younis, as he prepared to relocate his family for the fourth time after the Israeli order.

Some cannot move to al-Mawasi  or anywhere else  because they have no fuel. Siham Bahgat, 24, said her family of eight had tried to flee their tented camp on the edge of the humanitarian zone on Monday afternoon after they heard shooting nearby. We loaded all our important stuff but we could not get very far because we ran out of petrol, which has been very difficult to get for months, so we decided to stay and sleep the night where we were, she said.

The Hamas attacks in Israel on 7 October resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and 250 hostages being taken to Gaza by the militant Islamist organisation. Israels retaliatory military offensive has so far killed more than 40,000 people in Gaza, according to the territorys health ministry.
Capturing megafauna, like woolly mammoths, 13,000 years ago, might have relied on enticing the animals to charge on to sharp pikes driven into the ground. Photograph: Andrew Nelmerm/Getty Images/Dorling Kindersley

When it came to taking down giant animals, prehistoric hunters would quite literally have faced a mammoth task. Now researchers have shed fresh light on how they might have done it.

Experts studying sharp stone points made by the Clovis people, who lived in the Americas from about 13,000 years ago, say that rather than hurling spears at enormous animals such as giant bison, mammoths or ground sloths, the tribes could have planted their weapons point-up in the ground to impale charging creatures.

We are only now recognising that people in many cultures have hunted or defended against megafauna with planted pikes for thousands of years, said Dr Scott Byram of the University of California, Berkley, a co-author of the study.

He added that hunters using pikes often encouraged large game to charge at them, and a planted pike could produce far greater force than a hand-thrust or thrown spear. It follows that pikes would have been preferred against aggressive megafauna, he said.

Writing in the journal Plos One the team note that while Clovis points are well known, no intact weapons have been found, so exactly how the points were used is unclear.

However, they point out that historical sources  including paintings of boar hunting and descriptions of bear, lion and jaguar hunts  depict people using piercing weapons braced against the ground when hunting hefty animals, while that approach has also been used for defence against predators and against charging warhorses in military battles.

To explore the idea that Clovis people could have used their stone points in a similar way, the team conducted experiments using replicas of what they believed the weapons might have looked like, with the stone point held by lashings between a wooden pole and bone rod.

The team found a sharp Clovis point could pierce cow hide with relatively light force, but would break if it was dropped point-down on to an oak plank at high force (representing an encounter with bone). However, the team found they could adjust the lashings so that these broke apart in the latter scenario, releasing the point without breaking it but potentially allowing the pike to plunge deeper into an animal.

Byram added that the shape of certain Clovis points would have made for very effective pike tips, and such an application could explain the discovery of complete Clovis points with unbutchered mammoth remains.

The team are now planning experiments involving something akin to a replica mammoth  a block of ballistics gel mounted to a moving object with large mass  in order to understand how the outcome might change if the impact does not only involve a force acting in a head-one direction.

Prof Metin Eren at the Kent State University anthropology department in the US, who was not involved in the work, said it was not the first time that archaeologists had proposed a pike use for Clovis points.

But he added: Of course the major problem is that archaeologists have never discovered any sort of Clovis wooden spear or dart shaft, much less any hard evidence that spears were actually used in a pike-like fashion. We really need to make sure our conclusions dont outrun our experiments, and, more importantly, the actual archaeological record.
Roy Minton - Eugene O'Hare

Ror Minton, the playwright, who has died aged 90, wrote the screenplay for the 1979 feature film Scum, directed by Alan Clarke, one of the most important  and controversial  works in British cinema history.

A grim Borstal drama, Scum was originally filmed in 1977 for the BBCs Play for Today strand. To protect against possible trouble Minton undertook extensive research to establish the authenticity of the brutal world it depicts, including visits to Feltham young offenders institution and lengthy interviews with former Borstal inmates and prison officers. An ex-prison service officer was recruited to act as adviser on the production.

The film focused on three young offenders, Carlin (Ray Winstone), Angel (Davidson Knight) and Davis (Julian Firth), who arrive at an unnamed Borstal and whose lives are made intolerable by the staff and a trio of inmates who collaborate with the warders to maintain a brutal regime of intimidation.

While Carlin ascends the ladder of power, which affords him some protection, Angel is subjected to violence and racial abuse, and, most shockingly, the sensitive Davis is raped by three other boys while working in the greenhouse, and later commits suicide in his cell.

Scum (1979): l-r, Davidson Knight as Angel, Julian Firth as Davis and Ray Winstone as Carlin - Allstar Picture Library Limited/Alamy

The BBC version of Scum was completed in 1977 and was ready for transmission. Its producer, Margaret Matheson, had highlighted the most controversial scenes for the attention of senior staff and nobody had commented. When she wrote the billing for Radio Times, however, Bill Cotton, newly appointed controller of BBC One, and the Corporations director of programmes, Alasdair Milne, decided that Scum was too controversial to be broadcast.

Then Margaret Matheson took the brave, or possibly foolhardy, decision to show the film to the press, driving the cans of film to a preview theatre in Soho. At the showing, Minton distributed a closely-typed four-page hand-out in which he dubbed the production the Billy Cotton Banned Show, accusing the BBC of misappropriating public money, exercising dangerous and secretive censorship, and branding him a liar; he called on Milne and Cotton to defend their decision publicly.

Minton maintained that every incident in the play was based on an actual occurrence in a Borstal institution, to which BBC sources objected that even if the incidents portrayed were inspired by real events, they had not all happened in one Borstal, nor in a single year, as suggested in the film.

Despite the ensuing furore, Margaret Matheson kept her job and, undeterred, Clarke and Minton bought the rights to Scum. Two years later, with many of the same cast, they turned it into a raw, hard-hitting masterpiece of modern British cinema.

But the film spelt the end of a productive relationship between playwright and director. Minton, a confrontational personality, had apparently been affronted when Clarke tried to alter his script and was angered by changes made in the film version, including the decision to drop a homosexual relationship between Carlin and another inmate.

When in 2009 Mark Kermode made a documentary about the film for Radio 4 it was clear that Minton still carried the resentment with him, insisting he had been betrayed and saying he faked a reconciliation at Clarkes deathbed in 1990.

Meanwhile, no doubt helped by its notoriety, Scum became a box-office hit. The controversy over the film is thought to have been instrumental in persuading Margaret Thatchers government to introduce what became the 1982 Criminal Justice Act which abolished the Borstal system in the UK.

The son of a miner, Minton was born Roy Davies in Nottingham on August 28 1933. He briefly went down the pits himself, before going to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London to train as an actor, adopting Minton as his stage name.

In 1963 he made a brief appearance on Coronation Street as a policeman and also had roles in Television Playhouse, The Wednesday Play and The Gamblers before deciding to become a full-time writer in the late 1960s.

He went on to write dozens of television plays, an early example being Sling Your Hook (1969), broadcast on the BBCs Wednesday Play strand. Described by its producer, Irene Shubik, as a seaside postcard come to life, it drew on Mintons own background in a story of a bus excursion to Blackpool by a group of Nottingham miners, only one of whom, for various reasons, makes the return journey home.

But he became best known for his collaboration with Alan Clarke. Their first work together, broadcast in Rediffusions Half Hour Story slot in 1967, was The Gentleman Caller, in which two brothers find ways to convince a social security snooper that they have a genuine claim to benefits.

Their other collaborations included Stand by Your Screen (LWT, 1968) starring John Neville as Christopher Gritter, a young man who revolts against the suburban conformity of his parents and refuses to participate in the big bad world by living behind screens in their living room. Funny Farm (Play for Today, 1975), starring Tim Preece as a nurse in a mental hospital, highlighted societys neglect of the mentally ill.

After his collaboration with Clarke came to an end, Minton went in to write the screenplay for Scrubbers (1982), a film focusing on female Borstal inmates, directed by Mai Zetterling. However Minton angrily dissociated himself from the finished product, complaining that his screenplay had been savaged without his knowledge. The production, he said, was arguably the worst film ever made.

Minton, who had a brief stint as resident dramatist at the Nottingham Playhouse, continued to write, though in later life he largely turned his back on the theatre and television business.

In 2008, in what seems to have been his first and only blog, he wrote: I have written four novels, an autobiography, film scripts, stage and television plays, stage musicals, short stories and filthy ditties... However, due to the deadening, ignorant state of the powerful, I have for years refrained from putting my work on the market place. The only reason I carry on is because writing is what I do.

A few years ago he collaborated with the Irish actor, playwright and screenwriter Eugene OHare on writing a stage version of Scum, but as OHare recalled: In the end our friendship became the dominant thing and our desire to pitch our stage script didnt feel important any more. [Mintons] company was a lot like his scripts; provocative, irreverent, shrewd, clever, wildly funny, and above all deeply compassionate.

Mintons archive, including the only printed copy of a huge autobiographical novel, is in the permanent collections department of Nottingham University Library.

Roy Minton is survived by his long-term partner Jeanette and by two sons.

Roy Minton, born August 28 1933, died August 17 2024

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Drone strikes hit Moscow overnight in what was described "one of the largest" carried out by Ukraine

Russian authorities have closed airports in two cities in Russias Far North amid fears of further Ukrainian drone strikes.

All flights were cancelled and the airspace restricted over Murmansk, which hosts a military airbase, and Apatity. Both Arctic cities have been largely untouched by the war so far.

Such measures are usually taken by Moscow in the event of expected or incoming Ukrainian drone attacks.

It comes after Kyiv launched what Moscows mayor described as one of the largest aerial attacks against the Russian capital since war broke out in February 2022.

Some 45 Ukrainian drones were downed overnight, and 11 destroyed over the Moscow region, Russias ministry of defence claimed.

03:34 PM BST

Thanks for following todays live blog

Thank you for following todays live coverage of the war in Ukraine.

Well be back soon with more updates and analysis from the conflict.

03:28 PM BST

Russian soldier blows up military base before defecting to Ukraine

A Russian soldier blew up his assault units headquarters before escaping and defecting to Ukraine, Kyiv has revealed.

The soldier, an FPV drone pilot identified only by his call-sign Silver, said the operation was meticulously planned with Ukraines military intelligence and the Freedom of Russia Legion, a pro-Kyiv Russian partisan group.

Footage showed the moment Silver threw a grenade into a basement where his commander and fellow officers were sleeping, before he disappeared amidst the confusion.

The defecting soldier then crossed the frontline and surrendered to Kyivs forces.

Kyiv claimed on Tuesday that the former Russian soldier has provided valuable intelligence on Moscows positions and offensive plans.

Silver said he had become disillusioned with Russias war in Ukraine and other crimes carried out by his command, including extrajudicial executions, beatings and extortion against both civilians and soldiers within his unit.

Russian soldier blows up military base before defecting to Ukraine

03:17 PM BST

Modi arrives in Poland ahead of Ukraine trip

Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, has arrived in Warsaw, Poland, ahead of his trip to Ukraine later this week.

Mr Modi will hold talks Thursday in Warsaw with Polands prime minister Donald Tusk and president Andrzej Duda, which are expected to focus on security and the war in Ukraine.

Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, during a news conference with Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's prime minister on Tuesday - Bloomberg

02:39 PM BST

Six children in hospital after Russian strike on eastern village

Six children were left in hospital after a Russian attack on a village in eastern Ukraine.

A childrens cafe was reportedly hit in the strike, which occurred in the village of Malokaterynivka, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, on Tuesday.

Yurii Borzenko, chief physician of Zaporizhzhia Childrens Hospital, told Radio Liberty: Three children are in hospital with concussion of moderate severity without blast injuries.

One girl is here with mine-blast damage to the soft tissues of her left shoulder. She had a surgery today, she is conscious and talking now. And one more child has neurosurgery and is in the operating room now.

The aftermath of the Russian attack on a children's cafe in the settlement of Malokaterynivka - National Police in Zaporizhzhia

02:16 PM BST

The Kremlin is sending teenage cannon-fodder to Kursk

If the Kursk incursion was intended to draw Russian troops away from the battle front in Ukraine, it has failed  so far, writes David Axe.

As a strong Ukrainian force including some or all of at least half a dozen brigades pushes deeper into Kursk on the 15th day of the invasion on August 21, its apparent the Kremlin is resisting the urge to redeploy a lot of big regular formations to the oblast to meet the Ukrainian advance.

Instead, its sending conscripts: young draftees with only cursory training, little heavy weaponry and dubious leadership.

These conscripts arent lasting long in combat.

Read the full story here.

Russian President Vladimir Putin talks to troops during his visit to the Chechen Republic - Shutterstock

02:04 PM BST

Pictured: Russian helicopter fires towards Ukrainians in Kursk

Russian Mi-35M helicopter fires towards Ukrainian positions at an undisclosed location in border region - Rusian Defense Ministry Press Service

01:37 PM BST

Russia and Ukraine heading for stalemate, says Pentagon

Neither Russia nor Ukraine have the resources to mount major offensives in the next six months, the US Defense Intelligence Agency said in a new report.

The report, which covered the three months up until June 30, suggested Ukraine is only able to hold defensive positions. The assessment was made prior to Kyivs daring invasion into Russias Kursk region two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, US intelligence said it believed Russia does not have adequate resources to threaten a deeper advance into Ukrainian-held territory, such as Kharkiv city.

Ukrainian troops fire a "Giatsint-S" 152mm self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions in Donetsk region - Ukrainian 24th Mechanised Brigade

01:10 PM BST

Russia experiences mass disruption on Telegram and WhatsApp

Russia has recorded mass disruptions on Telegram and WhatsApp, its state telecommunications monitoring service said on Wednesday.

The cause of the mass disruption is not yet known.

Russian media report outages of Telegram, WhatsApp messengers, as well as problems with access to Wikipedia, Skype and other apps and websites.



Earlier, Russian authorities slowed down YouTube and reportedly tested completely blocking its work in Russia. pic.twitter.com/7oWmMDZS2O  Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 21, 2024

12:59 PM BST

Kursk pontoon bridge destroyed using US-made rocket systems, says Kyiv

Ukrainian forces destroyed pontoon bridges and engineering equipment using US-made Himars rocket systems in Russias Kursk border region, Kyiv said on Wednesday.

It is the first official recognition by Ukraine that Western weapons have been used as part of its invasion.

At least three bridges were damaged or destroyed along the River Seym since Kyivs unprecedented invasion was launched two weeks ago.

Where do Russian pontoon bridges disappear in the Kursk region? Operators...accurately destroy them, Ukraines Special Operations Forces said on Telegram messenger.

This satellite photo shows a pontoon bridge across the Seim River between the town of Glushkovo - Planet Labs PBC

12:41 PM BST

Ukraine launches largest drone attack on Moscow

Ukraine targeted Moscow in one of the largest drone strikes ever launched by Kyiv against the capital, Russian officials said on Wednesday.

Eleven drones were destroyed over the Russian capital and its surrounding areas overnight, the defence ministry said.

This is one of the largest ever attempts to attack Moscow with drones, Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, said.

Mr Sobyanin confirmed no damage or casualties had been reported.

Kyiv rarely targets Moscow with drones, with Russia last claiming to have defended a strike back in May.

It comes as Ukraine continues its daring invasion into Russias Kursk border region, where it claims to have captured up to 35 km of land across more than 90 settlements.

12:37 PM BST

Kursk invasion exposing Russian personnel shortages, says MoD

Ukraines Kursk invasion has exposed Russian personnel shortages, the UK Ministry of Defence suggested on Wednesday.

Its latest intelligence update stated that Russian troops have been pulled out of high priority areas.

Not only that, specialists have been used in infantry roles, which the MoD said makes it more difficult to retake territory in Kursk.

The high casualty rates that result mean that Russia needs to continuously replenish front line infantry personnel, which will almost certainly continue to limit Russias ability to generate higher capability units, the update read.

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 21 August 2024.



Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/RuyUBJmVx3#StandWithUkraine  pic.twitter.com/gpmQHF0fEe  Ministry of Defence  (@DefenceHQ) August 21, 2024

12:12 PM BST

Watch: Military footage shows Ukrainian forces fighting in Kursk region

New footage released by Ukraines military on Tuesday showed its forced fighting in Russias Kursk region.

In a video briefing to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraines Army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, reported fighting in the area of Malaya Loknya, about 11.5 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.

He added that he hoped the fighting there would allow Kyivs military to capture many prisoners.

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12:05 PM BST

Russia says captured another village in east Ukraine

Russias army have captured another village in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region, where it is advancing even as Kyiv mounts a major counterattack into Russian territory, it said Wednesday.

In a daily briefing, Russias defence ministry said its troops had captured the village of Zhelanne, which lies between the frontline cities of Donetsk and Pokrovsk.

It comes amid claims by Russia that it had captured a string of towns and villages in the Donetsk region in recent weeks.

10:47 AM BST

Ukraine parliament votes to join International Criminal Court

Ukraines parliament will join the International Criminal Court which prosecutes serious crimes including genocide and crimes against humanity, it voted on Wednesday.



Parliament adopted the ratification of the Rome Statute, opposition lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak said on Telegram, referring to the courts founding treaty.

10:26 AM BST

Watch: Ukraine destroys bridge over the Seym River in Kursk

Ukrainian forces have destroyed three permanent bridges over the Seym River in Kursk over the past six days, as well as an unknown number of pontoon crossings built by the Russians to replace the bridges.

Russian troops south of the Seym in Kursk, to the west of Ukrainian forces in the Russian region, are reliant on these bridges and crossings for vital supplies.

It comes as Ukraines incursion into western Russias Kursk region entered its third week yesterday.

The move could potentially trap Russian forces between the river, the Ukrainian advance and the Ukrainian border.

Satellite photos by Planet Labs analysed by the Associated Press confirmed a bridge in the town of Glushkovo had been destroyed.

A Russian military investigator said Ukraine had totally destroyed one bridge and damaged two others in the area.

Russian military bloggers and several high-profile pro-war Telegram channels in Russia claimed the third bridge had been targeted and damaged, according to the Associated Press.

Ukrainian SOF in concert with Defense forces successfully destroyed pontoon crossings in Kursk region.



Moreover, russian field ammunition depot, EW vehicle as well as 152 mm howitzer were damaged. pic.twitter.com/VjMzIdLFvr  SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES OF UKRAINE (@SOF_UKR) August 21, 2024

10:08 AM BST

Moscow comes under one of largest Ukrainian drone attacks yet, Russia says

Moscow has suffered of the largest barrages yet by Ukrainian drones yet, Russia has said, adding that it destroyed all of them.

Some 45 Ukrainian drones were downed overnight, Russias ministry of defence said.

It said 11 were destroyed over the Moscow region, 23 over the Bryansk region, six over Belgorod, three over Kaluga and two over Kursk.

This was one of the biggest attempts of all time to attack Moscow using drones, Moscows mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on Telegram.

Mr Sobyanin said all the drones were destroyed because strong defences had been created around the capital.



The governor of the Bryansk region, Alexander Bogomaz, said there was a mass attack on his region but 23 drones were destroyed.

Firefighters work at a site of an infrastructure facility hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine - REUTERS

A burning children's cafe hit by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the village of Malokaterynivka, Zaporizhzhia region - REUTERS

09:47 AM BST

Ukraine downs 50 out of 69 Russian drones overnight

Ukrainian forces destroyed 50 out of 69 attack drones launched by Russia during an overnight strike, Kyivs military said on Wednesday.

The air force said another 16 drones were likely downed by electronic warfare during the attack, which also included two ballistic missiles and one cruise missile - saying it shot down only the latter.

One drone entered Ukraine from Belarus and another had returned to Russia, the military added.

09:19 AM BST

Kremlin believes Kursk invasion will last months - report

Moscow believes Kyivs assault on Kursk will last for months, officials have reportedly told Russia media.

Officials interviewed by Meduza, a Russian outlet based in Latvia, said the estimate is quite optimistic  if everything goes well.

The Kremlin has also reportedly readopted measures used during the Covid-19 pandemic, in which citizens were told to prepare for a new normal.

People walk near a banner with an advertising poster calling for military conscription in Moscow - Shutterstock

08:58 AM BST

Kyiv strikes S-300 missile system in Russias Rostov region

Ukraine claimed on Wednesday that it struck an S-300 anti-aircraft missile system in Russias southern Rostov region overnight.

The attack took place near Novoshakhtinsk, according to Kyivs General Staff, who said the system had been used to attack civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

Explosions were observed at specified targeting points, the General Staff said on Wednesday. The accuracy of the strike is being assessed.

08:45 AM BST

Pictured: Fires in Kursk region along River Seym

Fires have been seen burning along the River Seym in the Kursk region just days after Kyivs forces bombed three crucial bridges.

The satellite image, captured on Tuesday, shows fires near the village of Krasnooktyabrskoe, which is just outside the area Ukraine claims to control in Kursk.

Fires near the village of Krasnooktyabrskoe in Russia's Kursk region - Planet Labs PBC

08:30 AM BST

Kyiv continues to make advances in Kursk

Ukrainian forces have continued to make advances in Kursk over the last few days, military analysts have suggested.

Kyiv has also focused on destroying pontoon bridges over the River Seym after three crucial crossings were destroyed by Ukraine over the weekend.

At least one pontoon bridge has been destroyed, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

NEW: Ukrainian forces continued attacking throughout the Ukrainian salient in Kursk Oblast on August 20 and recently made additional advances.



Kursk Tactical Updates (1/11) pic.twitter.com/b0KC6HZrL0  Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) August 21, 2024

08:13 AM BST

Nato countries failing to fulfill pledges to Ukraine - report

Several Nato countries have failed to fulfill pledges reportedly made to Ukraine at last months Washington summit, according to US media.

At least five air defence systems that were promised have not been delivered to Kyiv, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

It comes after Volodymyr Zelensky called out the UK, US and France over their slowing support.

There are no vacations in war, the Ukrainian president said on Sunday, adding: Decisions are needed, as is timely logistics for the announced aid packages.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, attends a meeting with manufacturers in the framework of the Made in Ukraine - AFP

07:50 AM BST

Pictured: Putin inspects Nato weapons

Vladimir Putin has been pictured inspecting what Russia describes as Nato military trophies captured in battle.

Vladimir Putin, accompanied by head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, inspects Nato weapons captured in the battles in Ukraine - Pool Sputnik Kremlin

07:43 AM BST

No peace negotiations until complete defeat of Ukraine, says Russia

Ukraines invasion into Kursk means there will be no peace talks until Moscow completely defeats Kyiv, the deputy head of Russias security council said on Wednesday.

Dmitry Medvedev wrote on Telegram: The empty chatter of intermediaries that no one had appointed about the wonderful peace is over. Everyone understands everything now, even though they do not say it out loud.

He added: There will be NO MORE NEGOTIATIONS UNTIL THE COMPLETE DEFEAT OF THE ENEMY!

A Ukrainian serviceman patrols an area in the controlled by Ukrainian army town of Sudzha, Kursk region - REUTERS

07:30 AM BST

Moscow airports back to normal after drone strike

Moscow airports returned to normal operations on Wednesday after temporary restrictions were in place overnight at three of the citys airports.

Temporary restrictions were in place at the Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports from 2.31am Moscow time (11.31pm UK time) until 6.30am, the aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said.

There were no restrictions at the major Sheremetevo airport.

07:26 AM BST

Welcome to our live coverage

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage.

Were bringing you the latest updates from the Ukraine war.
A convenient way to scan and pay or a shoplifter's dream? Self-checkouts are under increasing scrutiny - SolStock

Self-checkout shoppers have admitted they use the tills to steal from stores, according to a major poll.

One in eight adults (13 per cent) said they had selected a cheaper item on a self-service till than the one they were buying, according to the poll of 1,099 adults by Ipsos.

It is known within the industry as the banana trick because it is thought to be so common. It is so-called because it often consists of putting an item through a self-checkout as a cheap fruit or vegetable product and walking out with a much more expensive product.

This is the first time, however, that pollsters Ipsos have quantified the extent of the scam. If applied to the entire UK adult population, it would mean six million people have taken advantage of self-checkouts to steal from shops.

It comes as shoplifting has hit a record high with a record 443,995 offences in the year to March, a 30 per cent increase and equivalent to 50 offences every hour.

Retailers say that shoplifting is now so widespread that it is adding at least 6p to every store transaction by customers owing to the cost of the 1.8 billion stolen each year and the extra 700 million being spent by retailers on security measures.

Eight per cent of the adults questioned admitted they had taken something from a shop up to the value of 10 without paying. Thirteen per cent said they had taken something from a shop that was worth up to 1.

The banana trick is when a customer at a self-checkout puts through an item as a cheap fruit or vegetable then walks out with a much more expensive product - Digital Vision /Tang Ming Tung

More than a quarter (26 per cent) said they did not believe that shoplifting goods worth under 10 should be an offence, and almost half (47 per cent) believed the same about stealing goods valued under 1.

A similar proportion (48 per cent) said they did not believe the banana trick  putting a cheaper item through the till  should be treated as a criminal offence.

The apparent increase in such thefts stems from a 50 per cent rise in the number of self-checkout machines in UK supermarkets from 53,000 to 80,000.

In the US, stores have started to rip many of them out and return to staffed checkouts. Some in the UK such as Booths have removed self-service checkouts although this is largely to do with customers finding them slow and frustrating to use.

Last November, Archie Norman, the chairman of Marks & Spencer, said that shoplifting was becoming more common among middle-class customers because of faulty checkouts.

With the reduction of service you get in a lot of shops, a lot of people think, This didnt scan properly, or its very difficult to scan these things through and I shop here all the time. Its not my fault, Im owed it.... You see it with the self-checkouts, theres a little bit of that creeping in, Mr Norman said.

There has been a 50 per cent rise in the number of self-checkout machines in UK supermarkets from 53,000 to 80,000 - Alamy /Kathy de Witt

More than a quarter (26 per cent) of those polled by Ipsos admitted they had accidentally not paid for an item when shopping. A third (34 per cent) thought such behaviour was acceptable and 71 per cent said they did not believe it should be a criminal offence.

The poll also found that almost one in five (19 per cent) also admitted to fare evasion, defined as using public transport without purchasing a ticket. Eight per cent had taken food from a shop without paying for it and 9 per cent had eaten food or drink themselves without paying for it.

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Hannah Shrimpton, the Ipsos head of crime, cohesion and security said the majority of the public still believed even low-value shoplifting was wrong even if there was a minority which admitted to it.

While a quarter of Britons admit to unintentionally failing to pay for an item, with a third finding this acceptable, the overwhelming majority think intentional theft is unacceptable, even of low-value items, she said.

This suggests a clear distinction in public perception: accidental oversights are seen by a minority at least as forgivable, and by most as not worth criminal sanction, while deliberate theft, regardless of value, faces strong disapproval.

Cary Cooper, a professor of organisational psychology at Manchester Business School, said the cost of living and risk-taking were often drivers for shoplifting along with a belief by people that they could beat the till and sneak through items for free, as it were.

He said the stores were paying the price for removing human contact, adding: I think we have lost the whole concept of being consumer friendly. We are not interested in that, whether for insurance or online banking.
Patty perfection: Beefy Boys' grass-fed, dry-aged Hereford beef, daily-baked buns, with American cheese (for that classic burger taste)

Have we reached peak burger? Ever since Gourmet Burger Kitchen sizzled onto the scene in 2001, turning the grab-and-go meal fix into something with a serious side order of sass, the burger has kept on reinventing itself. Its been plump and pinkish, jaw-defyingly tall, healthily lettuce-wrapped, truffled, a two-meat hybrid, vegan, or the latest must-have  smash.

Theres even a national day for burgers, 22 August, and this most democratic of foods will no doubt be celebrated at Meatopia, the annual festival of all things barbecue at Londons Tobacco Dock next week.

Weve been waiting for the burger bubble to burst, but it refuses to, says Anthony Murf Murphy, co-founder of The Beefy Boys, a trio of burger joints in Hereford, Cheltenham and Shrewsbury. Now, its all smash burgers, but give it a couple of years and something else will trend. Murphys book, The Beefy Boys: From Backyard BBQ to World-Class Burgers, landed last week; its a pacy feast of a cookbook that tracks the story of four tong-wielding pals who make burgers so good  grass-fed, dry-aged Hereford beef, daily-baked buns, American cheese for the classic burger taste (but hold the tomatoes; too watery)  that they compete in, and win, global competitions.

Chef Anthony 'Murf' Murphy's burgers are so good, he wins international competitions

That world stage is key. Every culture has the concept of a burger, says Mursal Saiq who founded Cue Point with her partner and fellow chef, Josh Moroney. At their lively, inclusive spot near Elephant & Castle in south-east London, the pair blend Saiqs Afghan and Moroneys British-Guyanese heritage to create halal smash burgers laden with cucumber, dill pickles, burger sauce and American cheese. George Wood at Brix and Bones, Norwich, agrees: Burgers are part of all our lives, says the self-styled head fire-starter whose menu centres on meticulously sourced and aged meat cooked over flames. Its only in recent years that chefs have taken things to new heights.

Indeed. McDonalds posted its first drop in sales in three years last month, as the cost-of-living crisis collided with a price-rise (in 2020 a Big Mac was 2.99; its now 4.69), but new burger places are still opening. Top catering butcher, Philip Warren, has moved to bigger premises, turning its Launceston shop into Native Burger bar; Copenhagen smash hit, Gasoline Grill, is popping up at Londons Standard hotel until 15 September; and French brand, Junk, makes its UK debut in Soho next month.

Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton has swapped fine dining for laidback eaterie Mary's, which includes a 10-seat burger bar

Even Jason Atherton is embracing the patty. His Michelin-starred Mayfair restaurant, Pollen Street Social, closed in July to be replaced by an informal restaurant, Marys, which includes a 10-seat burger bar. The first 14 smash burgers were flipped last week and will be on the menu until December when works start on a permanent burger restaurant, Meat and Two Veg.

Chef Mauro Colagreco may have topped the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants list, but that doesnt stop him offering a burger at Saison, his Mediterranean-inspired restaurant in the luxurious Raffles London at the OWO hotel. People asked for it, he says, so we responded. The 34 burger is made from Hereford beef topped with streaky bacon, gherkin, lettuce, and Ashcombe cheese. Burgers are eaten all over the world. Why shouldnt they have a place in a refined environment?

Six of the best burger experiences  according to chefs

These chefs, experts at live-fire cooking, share their best burger experiences, and tips for burger perfection this Bank Holiday weekend. Chill the drinks and grab your tongs!

George Wood, head chef, Brix and Bones, Norwich

The beef is the hero for me. Always choose high fat content because its the melting fat that binds the meat and gives that lovely crust and layers of texture and flavour. My best ever? The aged cheeseburger at Whole Beast [Sam and Alicja Bryants residency at The Montpelier pub, Peckham].

Its made with Norfolk wagyu mixed with dry-aged rib cap, which has loads of marbling. They press the meat hard, but its not quite smashed. Then its American cheese, bread and butter pickles, diced onion and fermented chilli burger sauce. One of those rare food moments that almost brings a tear to your eye, it tasted so good.

Whole Beast's aged cheeseburger is made with Norfolk wagyu mixed with dry-aged rib cap

Georges tip

Roll a ball of beef, then put it into a hot cast-iron skillet and only then press it. If you shape the meat too much beforehand you can lose texture; its like over-working dough.

brixandbones.com

Stu Deeley, head chef, Smoke at Hampton Manor, Solihull

Check out The Meat Shack in Birmingham city centre. Paul and Cats burgers are as good as Ive had anywhere. They get the ratios and seasoning right every time, and every bite is as delicious as the first. Thats a skill. Go for the Dutch Piggy  a good char, then they flip, add Edam cheese and streaky smoked bacon, pickles and sauces, top with the bun. Their blue cheese sauce is my favourite, and the bread is like milk bread, bouncy and light.

Stus tip

Make a good sauce with plenty of acidity. I make one with mayo, confit garlic, ketchup, gherkins, paprika, a bit of chilli, pickle juice and mustard. It does the trick on the home barbecue!

hamptonmanor.com/smoke/

Melissa Thompson, barbecue expert and food writer

One of the best burgers Ive ever had was at Dannys Burgers in Bristol. It was their take on an Oklahoma smashed burger where fresh onions are smashed into the patty as the meat is pressed into the grill, making the beef and onion as one. It had the perfect crust, the taste of lovely dry-aged beef shone through, and it was all brought together with American cheese  because a burger isnt the time to get fancy with cheese. Pickles too, for hits of acidity. I prefer a simple burger which means the basics  the beef, bun and accompaniments  need to shine. And this one shone brightly.

No time to get fancy: Danny Burger's take on an Oklahoma smashed burger does the basics brilliantly

Melissas tip

Dont overlook the sides when you barbecue. Make a couple of salads, at least one featuring grilled vegetables such as courgettes, and a fresh sauce to bring everything together. Motherland: A Jamaican Cookbook by Melissa Thompson (Bloomsbury, 26) is out now

Mursal Saiq, chef and co-founder Cue Point London

I cant get Smash N Slide burgers out of my mind. Its a takeaway on an industrial estate in Northolt, a lockdown project run by husband and wife Zubair and Shanaz Rahim. Three patties, onions, cheese, pickles, perfect seasoning and a stunning crisp edge every time. Amazing. So simple, so tasty, zero gimmicks. The beef is native-breed, grass-fed and halal. I dont get there as often as Id like but I honestly cant stop thinking about them.

All hands on deck: Smash N' Slide's epic three patty burger

Mursals tip

Pay attention to your fire. Set up a decent castle with wood, get it burning before you add charcoal, and get it really hot before grilling.

cue-point.co.uk

David Carter, chef-founder, Smokestak, London

I grew up in Barbados where Chefette is a local fast-food brand  its quarter-pounder has legendary status around the island. And its certainly my earliest burger memory. Word has it that by two years old I could dunk a whole one. A good burger? You need a damn good bun and a damn good patty made with proper meat from a proper animal, with proper dry-ageing. For me it needs to be a one-hander, not too fiddly or everything just spills out. Bleecker Burger nails it  mines a bacon double cheeseburger [the current National Burger of the Year].

Bleeker Burger 'nails it' with their bacon double cheeseburger

Davids tip

Use a flat-top griddle so the burger can sizzle and caramelise in its own fat while crisping the edges. Im all for char, but what you gain in smoke you lose in fat, texture and browning.

smokestak.co.uk

Anthony Murphy, co-founder, The Beefy Boys, Hereford/Shrewsbury/Cheltenham

My favourite burger memory is the Double-Double Animal Style at In-N-Out Burger at Big Sur. It was 2016, I was on my honeymoon in California. OK, its not the most gourmet burger, but Ill never forget it. Two patties, two slices of cheese  thats the double-double bit  and its animal-style because they caramelise the onions, add extra spread (like thousand island dressing) and mustard-fry the patties for fantastic caramelised flavour. Incredible.

Murfs tip

Steam! Cook the burger patty, then place the bun lid with the cheese on top of the patty. Keep it on the griddle, spray water onto the plate next to the burger, and cover with a pan lid to create a burger sauna. The cheese melts, the bun warms up, it makes all the difference.

thebeefyboys.com

The Beefy Boys: From Backyard BBQ to World-Class Burgers (Quadrille 20) is out now
A Swedish brown bear in its natural habitat. Conservationists argue that the hunting quotas are in breach of EU law. Photograph: Ondrej Prosicky/Shutterstock

Sweden has issued licences to kill 20% of its brown bear population in the countrys annual bear hunt, which begins today, despite concerns from conservationists.

Officials have granted licences for just under 500 brown bears to be culled by hunters. That equates to about 20% of the total population, according to official figures, and would bring the number of bears in Sweden down to approximately 2,000  a drop of almost 40% since 2008.

The high number of licences issued has alarmed conservationists, who say large predator populations in Europe could face collapse in some countries without proper protection. It is a pure trophy hunt, said Magnus Orrebrant, chair of the Swedish Carnivore Association. Wildlife management in Sweden is about killing animals instead of preserving them to the best of our ability.

Brown bears were hunted almost to extinction in Sweden in the 1920s, but thanks to careful management the population recovered to a peak of about 3,300 in 2008. Over the past five years, however, increasing numbers of bears have been hunted, culminating in a record 722 killed last year. This year, licences to shoot 486 bears have been issued, and a further indeterminate number could be shot where bears are assessed to be a threat to farm animals.

In November 2022, a new law gave local hunting associations more power to oversee the management of large predators, including bears. In recent years, hundreds of wolves and lynx have also been culled, fuelling ecologists concerns.

Magnus Rydholm, communications director for the Swedish Association for Hunting and Wildlife Management, said: We are only following the directive of the Swedish governments wildlife policy. It is all about a balance between humans and the large predators. Thats why the bear hunt starts tomorrow.

But some hunters have expressed concerns over the declining number of brown bears. Anders Nilsson, a hunter in Norrland, in north Sweden, said: There are those within the hunting community that are concerned about too many bears being killed off.

Related: Hundreds of lynx to be hunted in Sweden following biggest ever wolf cull

If hunters continue to kill bears at a similar rate next year, the country will be only one annual hunt away from the minimum number of 1,400, considered necessary by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency to maintain a viable population.

Brown bears are a strictly protected species in Europe, and conservationists argue that the high hunting quotas are in breach of the EU habitat directive, which says deliberate hunting or killing of strictly protected species is prohibited. Under EU rules, this prohibition can be lifted as a last resort to protect public safety, crops or natural flora and fauna.

Researchers are concerned that the brown bear is heading the same way as the moose population in Sweden, Orrebrant says, which has declined by 60% since the end of the last century.

Conservationists argue that a larger bear population would make Sweden a more attractive destination for ecological tourism, which would bring in more revenue than selling hunting licences.

Orrebrant said: Because the hunters killed off too many moose, the bear is now suffering for it.
NSW police are appealing for information as the investigation into the death of Xiaoting Wang (pictured) continues. Composite: AAP/Supplied

A University of Sydney student who was found dead in an apartment in the citys inner west last week has been identified as a 21-year-old woman from China.

New South Wales police are appealing for information as homicide detectives continue their investigation continues into the death of Xiaoting Wang, who was found inside an apartment in Burwood with stab wounds.

Another 21-year-old Sydney university student from China was also found dead in the courtyard of the apartment complex, however police are yet to identify the man.

Supt Christine McDonald said Wangs death had deeply affected the community, and that a vigil would be held for her in Burwood next Tuesday.

There are many people in the Burwood and wider Sydney community who have been affected by the death of Xiaoting, McDonald said.

She, like many international students, came to this country for education and opportunity, and for her life to end like this is tragic.

I urge anyone affected by the deaths to attend a vigil, which is being held later this month, to support each other through this time.

Police were called to the courtyard of the building last Monday after reports of concern for someones welfare. There, they initially found the body of the 21-year-old man.

After a crime scene was set up and police commenced an investigation, they then discovered Wangs body inside the apartment.

A second crime scene was established at the unit which underwent forensic examination, police said.

In a press conference shortly after the bodies were found, McDonald said it was too early to say yet whether the incident was a murder-suicide or domestic related.
Residential properties at a construction site near Aylesbury

I can remember as a young person being drawn to Margaret Thatchers Conservative Party by its crystal clear values. I saw a party that was unashamedly ambitious for our country and believed in aspiration, opportunity, low taxes, property ownership. It was a prospectus which appealed to me as someone starting out in life and looking to make something of myself.

Today there are precious few young people being drawn to the Conservative banner in the same way. The Partys reliance on older voters has been a common thread in political commentary for a long time, but the general election this year has shown we simply cannot continue like this. Our failure to reach younger voters is now an existential threat to us.

According to YouGov, just 8 per cent of 18 to 30 year old voters backed the Conservatives in the July election. The median age of a Tory voter was 63. We cannot hope to build an effective electoral coalition which can win us a majority at a general election if we continue to limit our appeal to the over 60s. There is much talk about which groups of voters the Party should be focused on winning back  Reform voters, Lib Dems, the Red Wall  but we are not talking enough about the generational challenge.

For me, that should start with showing younger voters our values and, crucially, how those values can make a tangible difference to them. Most young people are like I was back in the 1980s  they are aspirational, they are willing to work hard and think people should be rewarded for doing so, and they want the opportunity to own their own home and start building a family. They share conservative values, but they are not voting Conservative.

There is no single policy that will solve this issue; it will require a determined focus on winning back younger generations through everything we say and do. But as a start, we could look at ways to use the tax system to send an unequivocal message to younger voters that the Conservatives are on their side.

One way of doing that could be through what I am calling the Headstart. When you start your first job, the first 5,000 of National Insurance you pay would go not to HMRC but into a savings pot of your own. This could be a Lifetime ISA account where funds can be used to go towards a deposit on your first home. If not used for a house purchase, the money would be invested and grow over time as the start of your retirement pot, showing young people the value of saving, the magic of compound interest and of course the value of tax cuts.

This is, of course, not a solution to the wider issues in our housing market. We need to reform our planning system and build more homes. Supply is crucial. But this would give young people an immediate head start. Unlike other attempts to give first time buyers a helping hand, like stamp duty relief or mortgage guarantee schemes, which also provide demand side assistance, this would be structured as a tax cut which people have to work for. It could be a way of illustrating to young workers the value of lower taxes and property ownership.

We will never rebuild the broad-based support we need to win the next election without a compelling offer to all generations. And we need a big bold offer to younger generations covering a number of policy areas. Id like to bring the average age of a Tory voter right down to 41, the UK average age, so we are truly representing the nation we seek to serve. The decline of Conservative support among the young is not an inevitability  just look at what Pierre Poilievre has achieved in Canada. But if we fail to address it, our Party will struggle to recover.

Rt Hon Mel Stride is Conservative MP for Central Devon and a candidate for the partys leadership
Donald Trump on Tuesday at a campaign stop in Howell, Michigan. Photograph: Nic Antaya/Getty Images

Donald Trump has pledged to shield police officers from legal accountability if he is re-elected as president after falsely claiming the US is in the grip of a wave of violent crime that he blamed on the Black Lives Matter movement and people crossing the Mexican border.

Related: DNC 2024 live: Barack Obama to headline day two; former aide says Trump has no fidelity to truth

Speaking to police officers in Michigan on Tuesday, the former president sought to pin responsibility for the imagined crisis on his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, whom he characterised as among Marxist district attorneys with a record of being anti-police and pro-criminal during her term as the district attorney in San Francisco in the 2000s.

At the same time, Trump lamented his own legal difficulties, including his criminal convictions for fraud in New York and other looming prosecutions.

They go after guys like me, but they dont go after guys that kill people, he said.

Flanked by local sheriffs in Howell, a small city in greater Detroit where a group of white supremacists marched last month chanting We love Hitler, we love Trump and carrying signs reading White Lives Matter, Trump painted a picture of Americans living in fear of leaving their homes because of crime.

Its just insane, but you cant walk across the street to get a loaf of bread. You get shot, you get mugged, you get raped, you get  whatever it may be, he said.

The former president claimed that this alleged crime wave materialised when Joe Biden and Harris took office.

Since Comrade Kamala Harris took office, her administrations crime statistics show shes presided over a 43% increase in violent crime. These are all government numbers, he claimed.

In fact, official statistics show that violent crime is at an almost 50-year low in the US.

Nonetheless, Trump pledged to crack down on local Marxist DAs who refuse to enforce the law while, he said, ruining the lives of police officers for doing their jobs.

Over the past four years, the Marxist left has waged a vicious war on law enforcement in our country. Theyve taken away the dignity and the spirit and the life of some of these police officers, and thats why you see it  the crime is so out of control in our country, he claimed.

Trump said that the police have a lot of difficulty with the laws of our land.

Were going to get rid of that difficulty, because they shouldnt have difficulty, our police, he said.

Trump added: Were going to be guaranteeing immunities.

The former president accused Harris of a pro-crime, anti-police record.

She repeatedly endorsed defunding the police, he said. If she ever had a chance, she would do whatever she could to defund the police because thats where her spirit is, thats where her heart is, and we cant have a president like that.

In 2020, then senator Harris gave support to the defund the police movement in the wake of a white police officers murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Harris said at the time that it was right that BLM questioned the amount of money spent on militarising police departments at the expense of social services, housing and education

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, she told the radio programme Ebro in the Morning.

The former president also claimed that Harris bore responsibility for a rise in shoplifting as Californias attorney general a decade ago.

She came up with a concept of, $950 and below you dont even get prosecuted. So guys are walking into stores with calculators to figure [it] out, he said, to the evident amusement of the police officers around him.

Did you know that they have calculators adding it up? They want to make sure theyre under $950, but it didnt matter, because they didnt prosecute the ones that went over either.

In fact, there is no such policy in California and the accusation appears rooted in a ballot measure passed by voters in 2014 that reclassified some thefts and misdemeanors.

Trump blamed much of the imagined increase in crime on people crossing the Mexican border, for which he also blamed Harris as the supposed border tsar, even though immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than US citizens. He also claimed that some Latin American countries are exporting their criminals to the US.

We have criminals from all over the world pouring into our country right now, he said.

However, Trump was upset about at least one instance of prosecutors upholding the law.

Were not getting justice in New York, he said of his own conviction over paying hush money to an adult film star.

The former president is also facing criminal prosecutions over his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, the storming of the Capitol on 6 January 2021, and his handling of classified documents.

Anytime I fly over a state, they indict you. Got indicted more than the great Alphonse Capone, he told the police officers, to laughter.
It wont have escaped even the most casual observer that Russian tyrant Vladamir Putin is having a disastrous summer. The highly successful Ukrainian incursion into the Russian territory of Kursk has cast doubt on his ability to maintain the control which is essential to his grip on power.

Now that Ukrainian forces hold more than 1,250 square kilometres of Russian territory  a psychologically damaging situation which has not occurred since the Second World War  Putins worries will only have been magnified by successful drone strikes overnight and this morning on Moscow itself.

In a rare admission of failure, Russian authorities confirmed that Ukraine launched over 45 separate drone sorties into Russian territory over the early hours of Wednesday. These, crucially, included at least 11 drone strikes on Moscow. This was one of the largest drone strikes on the capital since Russia widened its war on Ukraine in February 2022.

Todays strike is on a par with the May 2023 attack, when at least eight drones were destroyed over the capital in an attack that Putin said was Kyivs attempt to scare and provoke Russia. Quite how Ukraine can further provoke a country which has invaded it, occupies around 18 per cent of its territory, and has committed war crimes including the forced deportation of children into Russia, is a mystery.

But Ukraine most certainly has scared the Russian population. This is a very smart tactic by the Ukrainians, who increasingly overcome their disadvantages in manpower and conventional munitions by exploiting gaps in Russian defences.

Todays drone operations resulted in all three of Moscows major airports shutting down, causing widespread travel disruption. Wealthy Muscovites far removed from the carnage and brutality of the Donbas woke up this morning to a real bombardment, and the terrifying noises and experiences of air defences shooting down drones over their leafy capital.

It was either by design or delicious coincidence that Moscow was under attack as Putin was returning from his visit to Chechnya, demonstrating further the incapability of the Russian intelligence services and again further eroding Putins position in the eyes of his people.

The level of psychological damage done to Muscovites, who largely view Putins war in Ukraine as removed from their day-to-day business, has now been reinforced. After the attack last year, they were assured that it wouldnt happen again and Putin said he knew what needed to be done to strengthen Moscows defences. Now it has happened again and Putin is exposed as incompetent.

This matters, as so far Putin has been at pains to spare the residents of the main Russian cities  Moscow and St Petersburg  from the horrors of the war in order to maintain their support. With these strikes, Ukraine lets the Russian middle classes and oligarchy know that they cannot sit the war out as spectators.

Ukraines recent battlefield successes  on land and now in the air  demonstrate a remarkable performance by Ukrainian military intelligence, and an ability to reach past what has often been viewed as a largely stagnant and transparent battlespace. It had been thought that modern battlefield sensors and satellites left little room for surprise. The Ukrainians are increasingly discrediting that viewpoint, and deserve much credit for this.

Addressing Chechnyan troops destined for the meat-grinder front line in the Donbas, Putin declared yesterday that Russian forces (and their Chechen mercenaries) are absolutely, absolutely invincible.

Putin should know by now, however, that in war there are no absolutes. And in the war that Ukraine is now waging against the Russian aggressors, even pampered Muscovites are beginning to wake up this reality.
The state government spent $3.3m to upgrade card readers across Victorias Myki transport ticketing network due to the 3G shutdown, documents reveal. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

The Victorian government was forced to spend $3.3m on short-term upgrades to the ageing Myki public transport ticketing system to be 4G-compatible because the new system would not be ready before the 3G network shuts down, data obtained by Guardian Australia reveals.

A new $1.7bn Myki ticketing system is due to begin testing in parts of regional Victoria later this year ahead of a 2025 launch, following extensive delays in the project stemming from choosing the contractor to roll out the system.

Related: Optus and Telstra delay 3G network shutdown until October

Initially, the Victorian government suggested the new system would be in place by the end of 2023. Guardian Australia previously reported other proposals put to the Victorian government claimed to have been able to deliver the new scheme earlier than 2025.

The delays in modernising Victorias public transport ticketing system to allow credit card and iPhone payments, among other improvements, meant taxpayer funds were spent to keep the older Myki system running until the new one is operational.

As a result of Telstra shutting down its 3G mobile network  now scheduled to cease operations at the end of October  $3.3m was used to upgrade card readers across the rail, tram and bus network to 4G to keep operating, Guardian Australia has learned.

The upgrade, described as a short-term measure to ensure service continuity, was completed in October last year. In April, the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning refused to provide the figure for how much the upgrade cost, instead pointing to $543m in funding allocated in the most recent state budget for ticketing system improvements as part of the overall $1.7bn Myki upgrade.

The card readers will be overhauled when the new ticketing system is rolled out from next year.

It was necessary to complete these upgrades as soon as possible to ensure the retirement of the 3G network would have no impact on the public transport network, a Victorian government spokesperson said.

We will replace more than 23,000 devices progressively over the coming years to unlock new payment options.

The opposition, however, said the money could have been spent on improvements for the system.

Related: We will now reach the 21st century: Victoria to overhaul Myki system with new ticket operator

Each dollar wasted by this government for incompetence is a dollar not able to go back into the system to improve it, the shadow minister for public transport, Matthew Guy, said.

The New South Wales government provided similar information in a submission to the federal parliamentary inquiry examining the shutdown of the 3G networks, stating $20m had been invested to transition all 15,000 transport and road operations services on 3G, including traffic signage, operational systems and buses.

Optus and Telstra voluntarily delaying the shut down of their 3G networks by two months this month in part due to hundreds of thousands of non-phone devices like smart meters and medical alert systems not yet being upgraded.

In a response to the parliamentary inquiry this week, the federal Albanese government indicated the communications minister, Michelle Rowland, was still assessing whether to use her powers to further delay the 3G shutdown amid these concerns.
Crane worker

Visa requirements for skilled workers in engineering and IT coming to fill jobs in Britain could be tightened up as part of efforts to boost homegrown talent, the immigration minister has suggested.

In an article for The Telegraph, Seema Malhotra said the two sectors had been recruiting heavily from abroad for too long when they should be drawing from a growing pool of homegrown talent.

She blamed the last government for failing to boost UK skills, saying engineering was the starkest example where the number of work visas for overseas recruits had doubled, while the number of apprenticeships had nearly halved from 45,180 in 2017 to 25,080 in 2022/23.

How was that possible in the country of Brunel, Hardwich and Watt? Why werent ministers doing everything in their power to train up a new generation of engineers to fill these posts here in Britain? she said.

That was not just a failure on immigration policy, but on skills and the economy too.

This was why the Labour Government had asked its migration advisory committee (MAC) to investigate how engineering and IT firms, which account for a sixth of all overseas skilled worker visas, could be weaned off their reliance on migration to the benefit of domestic workers.

Options could include raising the minimum salary threshold for overseas workers in these sectors  or restrictions based on regions of Britain where salary levels and labour force shortages vary.

We must deliver these reforms to bring order to the immigration system, and rebuild faith that the system is once again working in our national interests, said Ms Malhotra.

Visa numbers expected to fall

Her comments come ahead of figures, published on Thursday by the Home Office, which are expected to confirm skilled worker and student visas have fallen by a third in the past year after a series of measures including a higher salary threshold and curbs on the number of dependents.

An analysis by The Telegraph showed that the number of visa applications for study and work, including dependants, fell from 541,200 in the first seven months of last year to 353,300 in the same period this year.

Net migration  the number entering the UK minus the number leaving  hit a record high of 764,000 for the year ending December 2022 before falling to 685,000 in the year ending December 2023.

Labour has adopted all of the measures to cut migration introduced by the Tories apart from halting plans to raise the current 29,000 a year wage threshold for Britons to bring a family member from abroad until a review of the policy is complete.

Ms Malhotra said, however, that the restrictions represented little more than a sticking plaster solution to a much wider problem, which we can no longer afford to ignore.

The real challenge for the economy and the immigration system is to deal with the root cause compelling so many businesses to recruit internationally  the underlying skills shortages here at home, she said.

Radical options to reduce net migration

Before the election, Sir Keir Starmer also floated more radical options to meet his pledge to reduce net migration which are still being developed in Government.

Under the proposed legal changes, bosses who break employment law  for example by failing to pay their staff the minimum wage  would be banned from hiring workers from abroad.

Training would also be linked to immigration, so sectors applying for foreign worker visas must first train Britons to do the jobs.

At the Home Office, we are determined to reform the immigration system so that it is properly working for our economy too. A disparate, disconnected system of the kind we inherited is doomed to fail, said Ms Malhotra.

So we will ensure that the independent migration advisory committee, Skills England, the Industrial Strategy Council and the DWP are all working together to ensure our policies and decisions on immigration, skills and growth are all properly intertwined.

Immigration needs to be properly controlled

By Seema Malhotra

Immigration has always been important to Britain, but it needs to be properly controlled and managed so the system is fair, and works in our countrys best interests.

The last Tory government gave us the worst of all worlds; ramped up rhetoric on the one hand with a lack of proper controls or sensible immigration plans on the other.

As a result, net migration under the Conservatives trebled in the four years after 2019, reaching a new record high, and largely driven by a huge increase in work visas.

Lack of domestic training for occupations ranging from healthcare to IT meant employers having to increase their dependence on overseas recruits instead.

Even worse, the Tories introduced a new rule that meant employers recruiting for jobs on the Shortage Occupation List were able to pay overseas workers less than the going rate  a direct incentive to recruit from abroad and undercut local wages.

The Labour Party called for them to reverse this for years, but they left it until their final few months in office to act.

For me, the starkest evidence of the Tory failure lies in engineering, where in recent years the number of work visas for overseas recruits doubled, while the number of completed apprenticeships for young Britons nearly halved.

How was that possible in the country of Brunel, Hardwich and Watt? Why werent ministers doing everything in their power to train up a new generation of engineers to fill these posts here in Britain?

That was not just a failure on immigration policy, but on skills and the economy too.

This Government wont carry on in this shambolic and self-defeating way.

Break down barriers to opportunity

During the election campaign, Keir Starmer pledged to get a grip and bring net migration down, with a major overhaul of the skills and employment system linked to firm visa controls so the immigration system works properly for our country.

Thats why we will continue with the changes belatedly introduced last year  ones we called for and supported at the time, including raising the skilled worker salary threshold and ending the unfair discount which meant employers could pay migrants less than UK workers. We will also continue to restrict the right of some overseas students and care workers to bring dependents to the UK.

But on their own, these changes represent little more than a sticking-plaster solution to a much wider problem, which we can no longer afford to ignore.

The real challenge for the economy and the immigration system is to deal with the root cause compelling so many businesses to recruit internationally  the underlying skills shortages here at home. For too long, young people have been let down by a skills system that is too fragmented and doesnt meet the demands of the current labour market. As part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity, we will change this.

The Tories never developed the skills strategy needed to create a workforce to allow Britain to lead in the sectors of the future, leaving us behind many other OECD countries. They never grasped that we cannot grow our economy and ensure opportunity for all without investing in human talent.

The Secretary of State for Education is already turning this around, establishing Skills England to repair our broken skills base, identify training gaps and plans, and creating the skilled workforce of tomorrow here in the UK. And the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is driving through new plans to get more people back into work.

At the Home Office, we are determined to reform the immigration system so that it is properly working for our economy too. A disparate, disconnected system of the kind we inherited is doomed to fail. So we will ensure that the independent migration advisory committee (MAC), Skills England, the Industrial Strategy Council and the DWP are all working together to ensure our policies and decisions on immigration, skills and growth are all properly intertwined.

Draw from homegrown talent

To forge the best path forward, we need a comprehensive understanding of the reasons why key sectors have been reliant on migration for so long and how we might be able to shift this to benefit domestic workers.

The Home Secretary has asked the MAC to look immediately at two sectors  IT and engineering  which have been recruiting heavily from abroad for too long, to advise on what needs to change. These sectors are vital to the UKs economic growth and national infrastructure. They should be drawing from a growing pool of homegrown talent.

We must deliver these reforms to bring order to the immigration system, and rebuild faith that the system is once again working in our national interests.

Migration is a huge part of our national story. For generations, people from all over the world have come here to study and work. They have fallen in love, built families and contributed to the social and economic fabric of our country.

But the last Government lost control of the system and allowed work visas to become a cheap, unfair, and unsustainable alternative to training our own workforce.

The untenable situation has gone on for long enough  only a serious approach from a serious government will suffice.
Two drug smugglers jumped into the water in a bid to avoid being caught with 39 million of cocaine after they were chased by Border Force officers.

Bruce Knowles, 55, and Ferhat Gumrukguoglu, 31, were intercepted by officials near East Benacre Broads in Suffolk with 350kg of cocaine in the hull of their boat.

Investigators believe Knowles, from Dereham, and Gumrukguoglu, from the Netherlands, travelled towards French waters to pick up the drugs from a larger ship, before bringing them back to the UK.

Footage released by the National Crime Agency (NCA) shows Gumrukguoglu leap from the vessel and swim towards the beach.

The pair had initially stopped when the Border Force cutter moved in but Knowles restarted the engines of the rigid-hulled inflatable boat and tried to flee.

Knowles and Gumrukguoglu initially stopped... - National Crime Agency

...but then restarted the engine and continued to flee

The boat was grounded on the beach and officers moved in to arrest Knowles, after he also jumped overboard in a bid to escape during the incident on June 24.

Officers from Norfolk and Suffolk Police pursued Gumrukguoglu after he fled from the beach, arresting him later that day in Wrentham, Norfolk.

Knowles jumped into the water as he tried to escape officers - National Crime Agency

The boat was towed to a harbour in Lowestoft where it was searched by NCA officers, who found the haul of 39 million in drugs hidden under tarpaulin.

Both men were interviewed and gave no comment, but were subsequently charged with importing a controlled drug.

They pleaded guilty to the offence at Ipswich Crown Court on Tuesday and will be sentenced later this year.

Lydia Bloomfield, the NCA branch commander, said: Knowles and Gumrukguoglu knew they were going to lose a huge quantity of drugs when they were intercepted at sea by our Border Force colleagues.

Both were working for a wider organised crime group, who will now feel the effects of a loss of this amount.

Sally Hawkyard, the Border Force deputy director, said: Our Border Force officers played a pivotal role in detecting and seizing millions of pounds worth of cocaine, which ensured that these two men were brought to justice.

We remain committed to stopping illegal drugs from entering the country, where they ruin lives and fuel organised criminal gangs.

Border Force will continue to work tirelessly to keep the public safe and our borders secure.
Germany's Braunschweig F260 warship (left) moored alongside HMS Belfast at London Bridge - ELLIOTT FRANKS

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The German navy has made its presence known in London by blaring out the Darth Vader theme as one of its warships advanced up the River Thames.

Londoners looked on as the German warship was towed slowly past Butlers Wharf on the South Bank near Tower Bridge.

The Braunschweig F260 ship played the Imperial March track from the Star Wars saga as it floated by.

In footage of the arrival, sailors can be seen on deck dressed in light blue shirts, dark trousers and navy blue life jackets.

A German navy spokesman told The Telegraph: The commander can choose the music freely. The choice of music has no deeper message.

The Braunschweig F260 is the lead ship of the German navys latest Class K130 corvette fleet. Tower Bridge opened to allow the warship through and go alongside the HMS Belfast on Friday.

The ship, which was commissioned in 2008, has since left London and was moored in Plymouth on Wednesday morning.

A spokesman for the German Embassy in London said: The commander of the corvette FGS Braunschweig is a big Star Wars fan and an admirer of the legendary musical scores of John Williams.

He chooses a different Williams tune whenever his ship is visiting a foreign harbour.
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has announced 'strong and clear steps' to boost border security

Yvette Cooper has announced a raft of strong and clear steps to boost the UKs border security and curb illegal immigration.

These included deporting more people over the next six months than since Theresa May was prime minister, expanding detention capacity by reopening closed centres, and hiring new caseworkers to track down illegal immigrants.

The Government has touted the measures as a major surge in immigration enforcement and returns activity. But the data show they are but a drop in the ocean.

Migrants are removed from a Border Force vessel off the coast of Dover in March 2023 - Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Europe

The number of asylum applications refused or withdrawn hit 68,564 over the 12 months to March 2024, a threefold increase on the previous year and the highest number since 2003.

Unless the people affected appeal on humanitarian grounds, they are liable to be removed from the country by the Home Office.

The Home Secretarys goal of getting enforced returns back to 2018 levels will tackle little more than a tenth of the problem.

Not-so-record-breaking returns

Ms Cooper claimed that over the next six months, she hoped to achieve the highest rate of removals since 2018, in order to reverse the damaging drop in enforcement under the Tories.

This would entail beating the previous six-month highs, of 13,410 in 2018 and the most recent record of 14,703 set between October 2023 and March 2024. These figures refer to the sum total of enforced and voluntary returns over two successive quarters.

But even that is a low bar  both early 2024 and 2018s records are well below the 24,503 high of the past two decades set in early 2012.

In reaction to the announcement, Dr Peter Walsh, a senior researcher at the Migration Observatory, told Radio 4: If we look at enforced removals, last year there were 6,000 and in 2018 there were 9,000  so this would require 3,000 more, a 50 per cent increase, which sounds achievable. But, as Dr Walsh went on to explain, this was not exactly a particularly commendable goal either.

Looking at enforced removals alone, in 2018 there were 9,236  the lowest annual total since comparable records began in 2004.

The 2004 beginning of the series is also its height: there were a record 21,425 removals under Tony Blairs Labour government  more than double the Home Secretarys plan.

Questionable small-boats progress

Labour sources have claimed the Governments approach to stemming Channel crossings is already working, with fewer migrants reaching UK shores in the six weeks since the election than during the same period last year and in 2022.

But transparency data on small boats activity released by the Home Office discloses this to be a highly selective analysis.

A total of 5,000 migrants crossed the Channel during the first 42 days Sir Keir Starmer was in No 10  from July 5 to Aug 15.

Migrants are brought in by Border Force on Aug 14, some of the 5,000 who crossed the Channel from July 5 to Aug 15 - Jordan Pettitt/PA

This is indeed 6.7 per cent lower than the 5,357 arrivals over the same period in 2023, and dramatically lower than the 7,407 in 2022.

However, across his first six full weeks in office  Monday to Sunday, starting July 8  migrant arrivals were higher than last year in three, or half, of them.

The sum total across the period is also higher than last year, by 5,514 to 5,371.

Dwarfed detention capacity

An extra 290 detention spaces are to be created at the former immigration removal centres at Campsfield in Oxfordshire and Haslar in Gosport to support the higher pace of removals.

Campsfield House closed in 2019, but at its peak in 2016 it housed 256 detainees. Haslar shut in 2015 and did not hold more than 164 people at any point.

Some 290 detention spaces are to be created at the former immigration removal centre at Campsfield in Oxfordshire - James Allen/Campsfield

The Government is also said to be studying options for further expansions of detention capacity, currently at 2,300.

The latest figures show that as of March 31 2024, 1,913 people were in immigration detention centres across the country. While this was 20 per cent higher than on the same date in 2023, the tally is yet again dwarfed by the less recent past. On Dec 31 2014, the Home Office was housing 3,462 people.

Some 200 people came to the UK via small boats on Monday alone, and almost 750 arrived just last week. The total number of migrants crossing the Channel for the year is now beyond 20,000.
An arson attack on a restaurant in Co Antrim, which is believed to have been racially motivated, has been condemned as deplorable.

Muslim Out was daubed on a wall of the Railway Bar and Steam Dining bar and restaurant complex on the Ballyclare Road area of Newtownabbey of which just a shell is left.

In a statement on Facebook, the business said they are shattered and deeply saddened to see it destroyed.

North Belfast MP John Finucane described the incident as deplorable.

In a statement, police said they received a report at around 1.50am on Wednesday that the premises had been set alight.

Colleagues from Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service attended and dealt with the fire, which is being treated as deliberate ignition, they said.

Inquiries are continuing and at this stage, the incident is being treated as a racially-motivated hate crime.

The remains of a bar and restaurant in Newtownabbey following an arson attack which police are treating as hate crime (Rebecca Black/PA)

Police would appeal to anyone with any information in relation to the incident, to contact detectives on 101 quoting reference number 68 21/08/24.

In a statement on Facebook, the Railway Bar and Steam Dining announced the closure of the business.

Our establishment, once a place of joy and community, has fallen victim to a devastating act of organised hate, they said.

This venue was more than just a business; it was a piece of history, a place that brought people together and created lasting memories.

We are shattered and deeply saddened to see it destroyed.

It is heart breaking to see this chapter end in such a tragic way.

No matter our skin colour or background, we all share the same goal: to make a living, provide for our families, and offer a space where people can enjoy their time together.

As a young Nepalese-British individual, born into a Hindu family, raised and educated in Belfast, I never imagined that my skin colour and religion would make us a target for such a hateful act.

My sole intention was to run a business, provide jobs, and make a modest living.

Unfortunately, the reality we faced was beyond anything I could have imagined.

While this has been a painful experience, I sincerely hope that this crime marks the end of such hatred. The world is vast and full of hope, and we must continue to look forward.

North Belfast MP John Finucane (Liam McBurney/PA)

North Belfast MP John Finucane described the attack as sickening and deplorable.

He added: This business operates to serve our community and employ workers. It is totally unacceptable that it has been targeted in this way.

These disgusting and disgraceful attacks which are fuelled by racism, hatred and discrimination have no place in our inclusive and forward-looking society.

Those intent on causing hate and stirring up division must face the full force of the law, and I would appeal to anyone who may have information on this incident to bring it forward to police.
Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has toasted Brazils decision to grant special protected status to Scotch whisky during a visit to a distillery.

Brazils legal recognition of Scotch whiskys special status, which happened during the UKs pre-election period in June, is expected to gives distillers better access to South Americas largest economy.

The Geographical Indication will make it easier to tackle counterfeits and give distillers the confidence to increase their exports to the country  and could be worth around 25 million over five years, the Department for Business and Trade said.

Jonathan Reynolds hailed the move during a visit to Glengoyne Distillery in Killearn on Wednesday (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Mr Reynolds visited Glengoyne Distillery in Killearn, north of Glasgow, on Wednesday to celebrate the move.

The Trade Secretary said: Scotch whisky is one of Scotlands finest products and is in high demand across the globe.

This Government is committed to maximising Scotlands potential, and todays announcement gives Scottish distillers the confidence they need to export to one of the worlds largest economies without having to compete with fake knock-offs and pale imitations.

Businesses who export more are better off, and removing trade barriers like this will unlock more global markets and drive economic growth across the UK.

The minister signed a cask after sealing it by hammering in a cork during his distillery visit (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Mark Kent, chief executive at the Scotch Whisky Association, said: As the first foreign product to be granted Denomination of Origin status in Brazil since 2019, Scotch whisky now sits beside Tequila, Cognac and Champagne with special legal protection.

This is fundamental to ensure that millions of Brazilians can have confidence in the quality and history of what theyre buying.

Exports of UK products with a Geographical Indication are estimated to be worth more than 6 billion per year.

Scotch exports alone were worth 5.6 billion in 2023, accounting for 74% of Scottish food and drink exports and 22% of all UK food and drink exports.
Search for six people missing in sunken superyacht enters third day

The search for six people rescuers fear are trapped inside a luxury yacht that sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily is entering its third day.

The Italian Coastguard has not ruled out the possibility that those missing, including technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, may still be alive, with experts speculating air pockets could have formed as the yacht sank.

Among those missing are also Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

Jeremy Bloomer, Jonathan Bloomers twin brother, told the BBC: Its a slow process and it will take time. So there might be air pockets, but we dont know. Its still wait and see, so fingers crossed.

The body recovered at the scene of the sinking on Monday was that of Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working on the Bayesian superyacht, the Italian Coastguard told Sky News.

Gareth Williams, a friend of the chef, told the BBC: I can talk for everyone that knew him when I say he was a well-loved, kind human being with a calm spirit.

Another friend, Eli Fuller, told the outlet Mr Thomas was friends with everybody, always positive and sought after in his profession.

Bayesian was moored around half a mile off the coast of Porticello when it sank at around 5am local time on Monday as the area was hit by a storm.

Vincenzo Zagarola of the Italian Coastguard said the six missing tourists were feared dead.

Asked about the likelihood of them being alive, he said: Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not.

Italian emergency services heading towards the area off the Sicilian coast where a luxury yacht sank in a tornado (Jonathan Brady/PA)

He told the PA news agency: We think they are still inside the boat, that is our very hard idea.

Our search and rescue activity by sea and air has gone on for around 36 hours.

Of course, we do not exclude that they are not inside the boat, but we know the boat sank quickly.

We suppose that the six people missing may not have had time to get out of the boat.

 #Porticello #Palermo, riprese alle 8 di #oggi le immersioni dei #sommozzatori speleo dei #vigilidelfuoco per le ricerche dei 6 dispersi. Complesso lingresso nello yacht, in atto la pianificazione per aprire accessi piu agevoli e ispezionare linterno [#20agosto 11:00] pic.twitter.com/QRTdGtO8r2  Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) August 20, 2024

Italys fire brigade Vigili del Fuoco said it is developing a plan to enter the wreckage of Bayesian, which is resting on the seabed off the coast at a depth of 50 metres.

It described the operation as complex, with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts.

Dr Jean-Baptiste Souppez, a senior lecturer of mechanical, biomedical and design engineering at Aston University, said the next 24 hours are crucial to find survivors trapped inside the wreck.

The speed at which the vessel sank (a few minutes, according to survivor and witness accounts) and the fact that it remains intact and on its side could favour the formation of small air pockets inside, he said.

This is obviously highly speculative and impossible to predict accurately.

A sign the rescuers may be looking for is a banging noise at regular intervals.

This is common practice on submarines and was one of the signs the search mission for the Titan submarine was looking for after it went missing last year.

But whether air pockets formed on the Bayesian is simply impossible to predict.

Of the 22 passengers and crew onboard, 15  including Mr Lynchs wife, Angela Bacares  were rescued after escaping onto a lifeboat.

The Mirror reported Ms Bacares is in a state of shock and sadness as she awaits news of her husband. She has reportedly been joined by the couples elder daughter who was not aboard the boat.

More of the yachts rescued crew members were named by the Italian Coastguard on Tuesday, with Leo Eppel and South African nationals Leah Randall and Katja Chicken all confirmed as having been on board.

Survivors are recuperating at a hotel complex in Porticello where authorities are gathering witness statements.

The Telegraph reported authorities are investigating whether hatches left open by crew members contributed to the sinking, as well as what onboard measures were taken in preparation for the storm.

The ships captain James Calfield, 51 told Italian media: We didnt see it coming.

Mr Lynch, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was cleared in June of conducting a massive fraud relating to the 11 billion US dollar (8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.

(PA Graphics)

The boat trip was a celebration of his acquittal.

The Financial Times reported that Mr Bloomer appeared at trial as a defence witness for Mr Lynch, while media reports suggest the pair are close friends.

A spokesperson for Morgan Stanley said the bank was shocked and saddened while Clifford Chance said it was a tragic incident.

David Tabizel, Mr Lynchs Autonomy co-founder, told Sky News: Im just heartbroken for him and his family and I hope theres a miracle about to occur.

If anyone has the resilience to survive this  he does. And I hope hes found an air pocket.

Mr Tabizel added: He has been one of the most influential, intelligent and most honourable human beings I have ever had the honour of knowing.

The former school of Mr Lynchs daughter has said its thoughts are with their family and everyone involved.

A spokesperson for Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London, said: We are all incredibly shocked by the news that Hannah and her father are among those missing in this tragic incident and our thoughts are with their family and everyone involved as we await further updates.

Ed Llewellyn, British ambassador to Italy, met some of the survivors of the sinking at a hotel.

Morgan Stanley International Bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer (Hiscox/PA)

Ayla Ronald, a New Zealand national working at Clifford Chance, survived the ordeal.

Her father Lin Ronald confirmed to the Telegraph she had been invited aboard as a thanks for assistance in Mr Lynchs recent court case.

Another of the survivors, British tourist Charlotte Emsley, told la Repubblica she held her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, to stop her from drowning.

Charlotte and Sofia were treated in hospital, as was Sofias father, James Emsley.

Stephen Chamberlain died after being hit by a car (Cambridgeshire Police/PA)

In a separate incident, Mr Lynchs co-defendant in his US fraud trial, Stephen Chamberlain, died after being hit by a car while out running in Cambridgeshire on Saturday.

In a statement released through Cambridgeshire Police, Mr Chamberlains family said: Steve was a much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend.

He was an amazing individual whose only goal in life was to help others in any way possible.
Watch: 'I travelled to 16 cities in 6 months using just 11.5 days of annual leave'

How much time we can spend away is often dictated by the holiday allowance we have left, but a woman has shared how she managed to travel to 16 places in six months using just 11.5 days of annual leave.

Ella Brown, 24, from Hockley, Essex, didn't want her job in PR to get in the way of her time off, so decided to meticulously plan her trips away to really make the most of her annual leave.

In the first six months year she has managed to visit 16 destinations, including Croatia, Sorrento in Italy and Munich in Germany, by using the Easter and late May bank holidays and cramming in short breaks over weekends.

Brown got the travel bug after taking a gap year in September 2021 and spending three months in America.

When she returned to start work in September 2022 she still wanted to still carry on travelling and looked at guides on how to maximise her 25 days off a year.

Ella Brown pictured (right) on the South Italian coast and (left) at the Hungarian Parliament Building. (Ella Brown/SWNS) ((Ella Brown/SWNS))

She initially started looking at dates in December 2023 and planned to fly out to Malaga, Spain, in January 2024 with her boyfriend, Sam, 24, a physiotherapist, using a half day on a Friday and flying back on Sunday.

But their flight got diverted on the way back and they ended up spending a day in Paris and using one extra annual leave day.

"We made the most of it," she says.

"Malaga was incredible. The UK is depressing as a place in winter and it's nice to get a bit of winter sun."

In March the couple went to Nantes, France, for a weekend, using no annual leave.

"It cost us 170 each for everything," she says.

Brown, 24, on her sixth month trip around Europe. (Ella Brown/SWNS) ((Ella Brown/SWNS))

Brown went away with her family in April over the Easter weekend, taking four days of annual leave.

"We did an inter-railing trip," she explains. "We did Rome, Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Capri in Italy.

"I did love Sorrento," she continues. "We stayed at an Airbnb on a lemon farm."

Using just one more day of her annual leave, Brown then went to Zadar, Croatia, for a girls weekend.

"It's one of my favourite countries," she says. "It's absolutely beautiful."

Brown and her boyfriend also booked five days off for a 10 day trip, using another bank holiday, and travelled around Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Salzburg, Hallstatt, Munich and Nuremberg.

"Hallstatt is the village which inspired Frozen," she says.

"It was a hectic 10 days but we saw so much.

"We were getting up early and going to bed late.

"As soon as you get a focal point in Europe it's so easy.

"Some of the trains were cheaper than my daily commute costs."

Brown has been travelling with her boyfriend, Sam. (Ella Brown/SWNS) ((Ella Brown/SWNS))

Brown has also booked nine days off for a trip to Turkey in August and has three days annual leave already taken off for a trip to Mallorca in October.

She now has three annual leave days left which she may save for a trip to Australia in January.

After carrying two days holiday over from 2023, Brown started the year with 27 annual leave days and also took half a day for a hen do and a day to go and see Taylor Swift.

As well as making the most of her annual leave Brown believes travelling doesn't have to be the financial drain some think.

Brown collecting oranges in Italy. (Ella Brown/SWNS) ((Ella Brown/SWNS))

"You can do it for a lot cheaper than people realise," she explains.

"We noticed if me and my boyfriend were are home for a weekend we spent 100 to 150 on dinner, brunch, shopping," she says.

"That money would pay for us to spend in a different country.

"It's a nice way to continue see the world and making the most of weekends and time off," she says of her travels.

"I'll click on anywhere on my chosen dates on Skyscanner and it will come up with all the solutions."

Brown at the Colosseum in Rome. (Ella Brown/SWNS) ((Ella Brown/SWNS))

Brown also recommends trying destinations you might not have considered.

"Don't turn your nose up at places you might not know," she advises.

"You don't realise how many lovely cities there are until you go there.

"I look at the time to see where I could strategically book dates.

"This year is the first year I've really planned out what I wanted to do.

"It's all quite logical.

"There is no point putting your love of travel on hold for work."

Places Ella has been to this year

Malaga

Paris

Nantes

Rome

Sorrento

Positano

Amalfi

Capri

Zadar

Budapest

Bratislava

Vienna

Salzburg

Hallstatt

Munich

Nuremberg

Turkey

Brown doesn't want her job to get in the way of her love of travelling. (Ella Brown/SWNS) ((Ella Brown/SWNS))

Brown's tips for making the most of your annual leave

Plan around bank holidays and weekends to maximise annual leave - "Even though you can maximise using bank holidays you should still be considerate of colleagues"

Be as flexible as possible with your destination

Book the earliest flights out you can to get more time at a destination

Pick a base and travel around to different cities while there

Use your weekends for short, budget trips

Go out of season for cheaper flights and costs

Follow Ella on TikTok and Instagram @thatgingerabroad

Additional reporting SWNS.

Travel: read more
Shan Hanes in Morton County Jail, Kansas.

The former CEO of a small Kansas bank was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison for looting the bank of $47 million  which he sent to cryptocurrency wallets controlled by scammers who had duped him in a pig butchering scheme that appealed to his greed, federal prosecutors said.

The massive embezzlement by ex-CEO Shan Hanes in a series of wire transfers over just eight weeks last year led to the collapse and FDIC takeover of Heartland Tri-State Bank in Elkhart, one of only five U.S. banks that failed in 2023.

Hanes, 53, also swindled funds from a local church and investment club  and a daughters college savings account  to transfer money, purportedly to buy cryptocurrency as the scammers insisted they needed more funds to unlock the supposed returns on his investments, according to records from U.S. District Court in Wichita, Kansas.

But Hanes never realized any profit and lost all of the money he stole as a result of the scam.

Judge John Broomes on Monday sentenced Hanes to 293 months in prison  29 months more than what prosecutors requested after he pleaded guilty in May to a single count of embezzlement by a bank officer.

During the sentencing hearing, I called his actions pure evil, said Brian Mitchell, who for years was Hanes next-door neighbor in Elkhart, a town of 2,000 or so people in southwestern Kansas, north of the Oklahoma panhandle.

Mitchell, whose farm and movie theater chain businesses banked at Heartland Tri-State, said there were around 30 shareholders in the bank who attended Hanes sentencing, more than a year after their stock value was wiped out in the failure.

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There were people who lost 70, 80% of their retirement as a result of Hanes actions, Mitchell told CNBC on Wednesday in a phone interview.

One local woman is struggling to afford a nursing home for her 93-year-old mother, while another woman cant retire now because of the crime, Mitchell said.

Mitchell, who was not a shareholder but who belonged to the investment club victimized by the CEO, said Hanes showed little, if any, remorse for his actions, despite hearing victims tell the judge about the effects of his crime.

Shan was facing the judge, and he just looked over his left shoulder for a second, and didnt make eye contact, and said, Sorry, Mitchell recalled, describing the scene in the courtroom. And that was it.

But Hanes had a look of absolute shock on his face when Broomes imposed the stiff sentence and ordered the former bank chief taken into custody immediately, Mitchell said.

Mitchell said that for years he considered Hanes a good guy, who like other people in Elkhart pitched in to help others in the small community when they needed help, and preached at his local church. Hanes also testified several times before Congress about community banking.

But prosecutors and bank regulators said that Hanes, who has three daughters with his school teacher wife, began stealing after being targeted in a pig-butchering scheme in late 2022.

That scheme was described in a court filing as a scammer convincing a victim (a pig) to invest in supposedly legitimate virtual currency investment opportunities and then steals the victims money  butchering the pig.

Hanes, who had served on the board of the American Bankers Association, and been chairman of the Kansas Bankers Association, in December 2022 began making transactions to buy cryptocurrency, which appeared to be precipitated by communication with an unidentified co-conspirator on the electronic messaging app WhatsApp, prosecutors wrote in a court filing.

To date, the true identity of the co-conspirator, or conspirators, remain unknown, the filing notes.

Hanes initially used personal funds to buy crypto, but in early 2023 he stole $40,000 from Elkhart Church of Christ and $10,000 from the Santa Fe Investment Club, according to prosecutors and a defense filing.

He also used $60,000 taken from a daughters college fund, and nearly $1 million in stock from the Elkhart Financial Corporation, his lawyer said in a filing.

In May 2023, he began to make wire transfers from Heartland Tri-State Bank to accounts controlled by scammers, at first with a $5,000 transfer.

Two weeks later, on May 30, Hanes wired $1.5 million and a day after that, he sent another transfer of the same amount the following day, filings show.

Three days later he directed two wire transfers totaling $6.7 million to be sent by the bank to the crypto wallet, and a whopping $10 million less than two weeks later, and another $3.3 million days afterward.

Hanes told bank employees to execute the wire transfers, and made many misrepresentations to various people to get access to the funds so they could be transferred, prosecutors wrote. Heartland Tri-State employees circumvented the banks own wire policy and daily limits to approve Hanes wire transfers, according to a report by the Office of the Inspector General of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

We believe that the CEOs dominant role in the bank and prominent role in the community contributed to a reluctance on the part of Heartland employees to question or report the alleged fraudulent activities earlier, that report said.

Prosecutors wrote that the series of 11 wire transfers from Hanes to the scammer illustrate a common pattern in pig-butchering schemes.

First, there is an initial investment followed by another transaction required to secure or guarantee those funds, prosecutors wrote. Further investments may be made, but always require another need for funds, to guarantee or unfreeze the earlier transfers. This pattern is clearly represented in the defendants embezzlement.

Mitchell confirmed that to CNBC, saying that he got a call from Hanes at 7:40 a.m. on July 5, 2023.

He said, Brian, I need your help, and youre the only guy who can help me, Mitchell recounted.

Mitchell, who had survived prostate cancer two decades ago, said he thought Hanes was calling him to say that he had the same type of cancer.

But when Mitchell showed up at Heartland Tri-State to meet Hanes, before the bank had officially opened to customers that morning, the CEO told him something much different  and stranger.

The first thing he says is, Brian, I need to borrow $12 million for ten days, and Ill give you $1 million for loaning it to me, Mitchell recalled. Im sitting there and I said, am I in a bank in Elkhart, Kansas, or in an alley with a loan shark in Chicago.

When he asked Hanes what he wanted the money for, Hanes pulls out his phone and acts like hes logging in and he shows me this account that has $40 million, $42 million, Mitchell said. He said, Brian, Ive got this money and its in cryptocurrency, and I need $12 million to help verify the funds.

Hanes then hold him he had been in touch with a banker in Denver named Jim and another guy in Oklahoma and they had invested in crypto held in Coinbase accounts, where they had made a lot of money, Mitchell said.

I told him, Youre in a scam, dude. Youre in a scam, Mitchell said. I stopped him and said, Is this bank money youre playing with? And he said, No, Brian.

Hanes kept telling him he needed the $12 million to activate the funds he had already transferred to the crypto account, which he said was in Hong Kong, Mitchell recalled.

I said, Get on a plane, go to Hong Kong, hire an interpreter, and go get a bank check for the funds supposedly held there, Mitchell said. Then I said, Im not going to loan you the money. I said, Youre in a scam, walk away.

But later that same day, after Mitchell rebuffed his entreaties, Hanes had bank employees wire $8 million to the scammers accounts, prosecutors said in a court filing.

Two days after that, Hanes had employees wire the scammers another $4.4 million.

In the meantime, Mitchell, who was unaware of those transfers during that period, said that after meeting with the CEO he was worried that Hanes would get access to customers deposits at the bank and transfer the $12 million that he had asked for.

We kept checking our lines of credit, Mitchell said.

The next week, I was in the bank, and one of the employees caught me, she just looked so stressed, Mitchell said. The woman told him that Hanes had wired money out of the bank.

I said, Dont say another word to me... Ive got to talk to a board member, Mitchell said.

And I talked to a board member that night, and he went to talk to an attorney that night, Mitchell recalled.

Hanes was fired within days.

About two weeks later, on July 28, 2023, Heartland Tri-State was closed by the Kansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner was taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Shareholders were wiped out, but depositors did not lose any money, as Dream First Bank, National Association, of Syracuse, Kansas, assumed all deposits.

Heartland Tri-State, had nearly $140 million in total assets and $130 million in total deposits as of the prior March.

Word quickly spread that a scam had led to the banks failure.

But Hanes remained uncharged until last February, when he was charged by federal prosecutors with embezzlement. He was separately charged in Morton County, Kansas, state court by the county attorney in a 28-count complaint related to looting the bank.

Hanes was under house arrest until his sentencing in federal court this week.

I talked to him last month when he was out mowing his yard, Mitchell said.

Hanes, who had traveled at one point to Perth, Australia while being scammed to try to recover the funds he transferred, told Mitchell that he believed there had been a way to recover the money up to the point he was arrested.

He said ... If I just had another two months I could get the money back, Mitchell recalled.

Mitchell said that at Hanes sentencing, Judge Broomes asked Hanes several questions about his actions, but, He didnt really have any good answers.

Broomes later looked at the victims in the courtrooms gallery before announcing Hanes sentence.

He said ... I want you to forgive Shan. I know that hes hurt you, I know this, but I want you to move on, and I want you to find some joy in your life. Let me discipline him, Mitchell recalled.

Broomes also told Hanes that although several people had noted how intelligent the former CEO was, If you were that intelligent you would have stopped this, Mitchell recounted.

Hanes lawyer John Stang, who did not respond to a request for comment, in a sentencing submission wrote, Mr. Hanes made some very bad choices after being caught up in an extremely well-run cryptocurrency scam.

He was the pig that was butchered, Stang wrote. Mr. Haness vulnerability to the Pig Butcher scheme caused him to make some very bad decisions, for which he is truly sorry for causing damage to the bank and loss to the Stockholders.

Kansas U.S. Attorney Kate Brubacher, in a statement, said, Hanes greed knew no bounds. He trespassed his professional obligations, his personal relationships, and federal law.

Not only did Shan Hanes betray Heartland Bank and its investors, but his illegal schemes also jeopardized confidence in financial institutions, Brubacher said.
It's a happy day for the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck, North Dakota and one of their donkeys. The mama donk has given birth to the perfect newborn  a baby boy named Roger.

Zoo officials say they've been waiting for months for Roger's arrival. A new baby is always something to celebrate.

Speaking with KXNET, zoo employee Brent Weston told them that they'd been anxiously awaiting for the birth to happen.

"This is probably the most anticipated event of the summer," Weston explained on August 19. "Our mom, Patty, has made us wait, but there is a new baby donkey, a boy named Roger. Roger was just born a couple of days ago."

Mom Patty was in labor for hours before little Roger entered the world  finally.

"Its been very busy over here," Weston said. "I mean, its always busy in this petting zoo area, but the donkeys have definitely been getting more attention."

"Like I said, its been very anticipated," he added. "Shes made us wait. She started showing signs that the baby could be coming any time now a month or two ago. And yeah, we just come in every morning and asked, Is it here yet?'"

Thankfully, Roger didn't make his mama wait any longer and he was eventually born. According to the zoo's website, Roger and Patty are both miniature Donkeys. These Donks are native to the Mediterranean islands of Sicily and Sardinia.

"While these animals are quite common in the United States, they are extremely rare in their native lands, even being on the verge of becoming extinct," they note. Making Roger's birth all the more special.

Most mini Donkeys are 36 inches tall at their withers (that's the spot between their shoulders). And they have a pretty long lifespan too. Most of these animals can live to at least 30 years old. One mini Donkey even lived until it was 47 years old.

Many mini Donkeys live on farms in the United States where they act as "watch Donkeys" for the property. This means they keep an eye out for predators who target sheep and goats. This is usually because Donkeys naturally don't like dogs or their much scarier relatives  wolves and coyotes.

As for Roger, it seems as if the newborn is adjusting to life at the Dakota Zoo easily. Although Weston said that the baby has been known to get a case of the "zoomies" every now and then. Guests can visit Roger, and the zoo's many other residents, from 10 to 6 daily at the Dakota Zoo.

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CHICAGO  Chicago Police and the FBI are investigating if saboteurs placed bugs in a breakfast buffet prepared for delegates at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday.

"Multiple unknown female offenders are alleged to have entered a building...and began placing unknown objects onto tables containing food," the convention's information center said in a statement. "The offenders are believed to have then left the area. One victim was treated and released on-scene. Along with CPD, FBI-Chicago is assisting in the investigation."

One witness told USA TODAY the creatures appeared to be crickets while other reports suggested maggots.

The incident took place at Fairmont Hotel, where delegates from Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Missouri and South Dakota are staying.

More: Dozens arrested near Israel's Chicago consulate as Dems pick Harris

"We were all coming down to breakfast, and there were these two women who had hidden themselves in the bathroom," Indiana delegate Karen Tallian told USA TODAY. "And they ran out and threw maggots into the breakfast buffet." Tallian, a retired state senator, said friends who reached the dining room ahead of her had witnessed the contamination.

The incident was the most recent example of ongoing efforts to disrupt the convention, including multiple bomb threats at hotels where delegates and other attendees are staying. Fox32-TV reported that the threats were made against at least three hotels.

"We ran out every single threat yesterday and they are continuing to come in today," Derek Mayer, the deputy Secret Service special agent in charge, said at a Wednesday morning briefing.

What's true and what's false? Sign up for USA TODAY's Checking the Facts newsletter.

More: Fashion at the DNC: After speech, Michelle Obama's outfit has internet buzzing

No one claimed responsibility for the breakfast buffet outrage.

Last month, maggots and other insects were reportedly released at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC, during a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Chicago has seen nightly protests during the convention by organizations seeking an end to the Gaza war and an end to U.S. military support for Israel.

"All Americans have the right to peaceful protest, but ugly attacks like this have no place in our democracy," Indiana Democratic Party spokesperson Sam Barloga said. "We thank the security team for responding swiftly.

What's true and what's false? Sign up for USA TODAY's Checking the Facts newsletter.

More: Fact-checking DNC Day 3: See what Tim Walz, Bill Clinton get right and wrong

The incident occurred around 6:45 am.

"We can confirm that a group of individuals caused a disruption at a DNC-related breakfast event at our hotel this morning. We are grateful for the swift response of law enforcement," Fairmont Chicago officials said in a statement. "Our team acted immediately to clean and sanitize the area, ensuring that the event could continue without further incident. We maintain the highest standards of food safety and cleanliness throughout our property and have strict protocols in place to handle any disruptions."

By the time she arrived for breakfast at 7:45, Indiana State Rep. Carolyn Jackson, said, "there was all new food out."

The investigation was first reported by WGN.

Contributing: Medora Lee, USA TODAY; Brittany Carloni, Indianapolis Star

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FBI investigating insect incident at Dem breakfast in Chicago
Animals are amazing. They constantly surprise us  or maybe we just need to stop underestimating them all the time. Just look at two horses who were pasture mates in the past, but were sadly separated. That is until recently, when the two horses saw each other again. And their reunion is bringing everyone to tears.

Zazu and Lightning were once thick as thieves. But that all changed when Zazu was brought to a new home.

We all know how it feels when your bestie moves away. But these two weren't destined to be apart forever. In a heartwarming video online, it shows the day that Zazu and Lightning saw each other again. Would they recognize each other? Would they get along? The tension was palpable.

Related: 6-Month-Old Horse Desperately Tries to Make Friends With the 'Boss Mare' in Adorable Video

Zazu was hanging out in his new pasture when his caretaker surprised him with a visit from Lightning.

"We just took Lightning in as a lease horse," they explained in the footage.

The two immediately recognized each other. Lightning even nickered, which is a horse's way of asking you to come closer. The two took off together, stopping to snack on hay together.

"That is so cute!" their caretaker praised.

We're incredibly touched by the reunion. People in the comments section were absolutely emotional too. "One of the hardest thing about keeping horses is losing their friends," one person pointed out. "And just like that Lightning went from a lease horse to a permanent horse," someone teased. While another commenter made a very good point. "It makes me so happy and so sad at the same time," they wrote. "Sad because of how humans move animals around without thinking of their emotions. Its clear theyre happy to be reunited," they added.

How Horses Communicate

Horses obviously can't tell us when they're happy. But they do express themselves. You just have to speak their language.

The most obvious horse noise that you're probably familiar with is neighing. But what are they actually saying? A neigh is a horse's way of checking in. It's like them saying "how are you?" It's also how they find the rest of their herd.

Squeals are a different story altogether. That means their space has been invaded and is a warning to their fellow horses.

Horses also have a tendency to snort. It's not exactly clear why they do this, although researchers in France believe it's their way of showing they're content.

You can also take a look at your horse's ears and eyes if you want even more information on how they're feeling. The more time you spend with horses, the more you'll be able to read their feelings. Although we can all easily tell that Zazu and Lightning are as happy as can be.

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At least four people were killed and more than a dozen were wounded in a Birmingham, Alabama, shooting.

A man is in critical condition after a 2-year-old accidentally shot and injured him in Virginia, police said Wednesday.

The man had "placed his handgun on a nearby chair" and was getting ready to leave the house in Petersburg Monday morning around 9:50 a.m. when the nearly 3-year-old toddler got hold of it and "accidentally discharged the firearm, shooting the victim," Chesterfield County Police Department said in a news release.

The victim was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition, police said. A department spokesperson told USA TODAY Wednesday morning the victim's status remained critical.

Victim is boyfriend of child's mother

No one else in the house, including the child, was injured in the incident, as per the police.

While the victim's identity has not yet been released, police said the victim is the boyfriend of the child's mother.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing, police said.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man shot by toddler in accidental shooting at Petersburg, VA home: PD
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told hostage families Tuesday that a cease-fire deal may not be reached and that the Israeli military will not relinquish control of the Gazan-Egyptian border, a key demand of the Hamas militant group.

The Hostages Families Forum quoted Netanyahu as saying Israel "will under no circumstances leave the Philadelphia axis and the Netzer Corridor" and that he was "not sure" a deal could be struck. The group accused Netanyahu of refusing any hostage deal.

"There is no hope and no heroism in a 'firm' stand that will result in the continued death of all the abductees," the group said in a social media post. "The Israeli government abandoned the abductees on 7.10 and is now abandoning them for good."

The Biden administration has been promoting a bridging proposal amid hopes a deal could be hammered out by week's end. After Netanyahu announced Monday that Israel could accept the plan in principle, Hamas released a statement dismissing the plan as little more than a list of Israel's demands. Hours later, President Joe Biden accused Hamas of "backing away" from a deal.

Hamas expressed "great astonishment and disapproval" for Biden's claim, blaming the "complete American bias toward the Zionist occupation and the full partnership in the aggression and war of genocide against defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip."

Israel accepts truce plan: US urges Hamas to do the same

Developments:

 Delta Air Lines on Tuesday extended suspension of flights to and from Israel from Aug. 31 to Sept. 30. Earlier, American Airlines extended its flight suspensions until March 29, 2025.

 Tehran supports any move to end the war in Gaza and help its people but "does not consider the U.S. actions sincere," Iran's Revolutionary Guards spokesperson Alimohammad Naini said.

Members of CODEPINK, a feminist, anti-war organization demanding a cease-fire in Gaza and an arms embargo on Israel, hold signs at Union Park during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 19, 2024.

Israel, US blamed for airstrike deaths

Gazas Government Media Office condemned Israeli airstrikes on a school and two other locations within several hours Tuesday that it said killed at least 25 Palestinians.

At least 12 women and children perished when the Israeli military conducted a strike on a school Israel said was serving as a Hamas command and control center. The military said it took several steps to ease the risk of harming civilians at the Mustafa Khaft School compound in Gaza City but accused Hamas of "brutally exploiting" the civilian population by operating within schools and other public buildings.

The airstikes, which also blasted a market in Deir el-Balah and a mobile phone charging point in Khan Younis, wounded dozens, Al Jazeera reported.

We hold the Israeli occupation and the American administration fully responsible for the catastrophic and dangerous consequences of these ongoing massacres," the media office said in a statement.

Israeli opposition leader: Netanyahu sabotaging talks

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid led a chorus of opposition to Netanyahu, accusing him of trying to derail the cease-fire talks. Others involved in the talks also complained, telling Israel's Kan public broadcaster they believe Netanyahu intentionally derailed the negotiations by telling some hostage families that Israel would not relinquish control of the Gaza-Egypt border under any circumstances. Such a pronouncement was sure to be rejected by Hamas, they said.

Lapid said Netanyahu's tactics could be fatal to the hostages still held in Gaza.

"Enough with the briefings, enough with the tweets, enough with the rhymes in front of cameras," Lapid wrote in a social media post. "All of Netanyahu's attempts to sabotage the negotiations should stop. Deal now, before they all die."

Cause of death for latest recovered hostages unclear

Israel's chief military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said he remained determined to bring home all the hostages, from those alive to get medical treatment and counseling to those dead to bury. Hagari declined to say how many hostages were still alive. When asked whether the six bodies of hostages recently recovered were victims of friendly fire, he said army forces would investigate the precise circumstances of their deaths.

"We will not give up on any of them," he said, calling it a moral obligation. "But we will not be able to bring back all of them in rescue operations."

Israeli expert: Latest turn in talks a win for Israel

A former Israeli Intelligence official and regional analyst says Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's rejection of the U.S. cease-fire proposal provides Netanyahu with "maneuvering space" while crippling Irans ability to retaliate against Israel.

Avi Melamed, author of Inside The Middle East: Entering A New Era, told USA TODAY the Biden administration blaming Hamas for the failure to consummate a cease-fire deal clears the way for continued U.S. military aid. It also allows Israel to continue the war in Gaza and to attack Iran-backed Hezbollah targets in Lebanon with little concern that either Iran or Hezbollah would risk a bold counterstrike that could draw the U.S. directly into the fray.

"Unless Sinwar compromises, its unlikely a deal is immediately within reach," and Israel will continue its unrelenting offensive, Melamed said.

Blinken meets with Egypt's El-Sisi

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Tuesday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, thanking him for his role in trying to mediate a cease-fire. Blinken stressed the importance of working together to prevent regional escalation of violence, the State Department said in a statement.

The Egyptian state-run media said El-Sisi emphasized to Blinken that a cease-fire in Gaza must mark the beginning of broader international recognition of an independent Palestinian state and the enforcement of the two-state solution. Israel and Netanyahu, however, have repeatedly rejected calls for Palestinian sovereignty.

Body of war hero among hostage remains retrieved by Israel

Israel retrieved the bodies of six hostages from the Gaza Strip, the military said Tuesday. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the bodies of Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Abraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell and Chaim Peri were recovered by Israeli soldiers from tunnels under the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. Zahiro Shahar Mor, the nephew of Munder, said Israeli authorities had "torpedoed" proposals that could have brought the hostages safely home.

"My uncle was a war hero who lived his whole life building the country," Mor said. "Hamas took him but the continuous abandonment is on the hands of the Israeli government."

Israeli officials say 109 hostages are believed to be held in Gaza, although many of them are thought to be dead.

Threatening words: Hamas, Iran vow to respond to killing of Ismail Haniyeh

Iran retaliation could be delayed

There could be a long wait for Iranian retaliation against Israel for killing Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran three weeks ago, said Naini, the Revolutionary Guards spokesperson.

"Time is in our favor and the waiting period for this response could be long," Naini said.

Haniyeh and his bodyguard were killed after attending an inauguration ceremony for the new Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Hamas and Iran immediately blamed Israel, which has pledged to take down Hamas leaders responsible for the Oct. 7 attack that left almost 1,200 people dead and about 250 taken hostage. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for Haniyeh's killing.

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel war: Netanyahu says cease-fire may not happen
By Daniel Wiessner

(Reuters) - A federal judge in California on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit accusing social media platform X of forcing out workers with disabilities after Elon Musk took over the company and barred employees from working remotely.

U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin in San Francisco said the plaintiff in the 2022 proposed class action, Dmitry Borodaenko, failed to show how Musk's mandate to return to the office specifically impacted employees with disabilities. The judge gave him four weeks to file an amended lawsuit including more detailed claims.

Borodaenko, a former engineering manager and cancer survivor, claims he was fired shortly after Musk acquired X, then called Twitter, for refusing to report to the office during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawsuit claims X violated a federal law requiring employers to accommodate workers' disabilities.

Musk said in a memo to the company's staff in November 2022 that employees should be prepared to work "long hours at high intensity" or quit, and later tweeted that it was "morally wrong" to work from home.

Martinez-Olguin on Wednesday said the ban on remote work did not amount to disability discrimination.

"Borodaenkos theory improperly relies on the assumption that all employees with disabilities necessarily required remote work as a reasonable accommodation," Martinez-Olguin wrote.

A lawyer for Borodaenko did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

X responded to multiple requests for comment with emails stating "busy now, please check back later."

The lawsuit is one of several that former employees filed in the months following Musk's $44 billion acquisition of the company and the ensuing layoffs of about 75% of its workforce.

Other cases accuse Twitter of not giving employees and contractors advance notice of layoffs, failing to pay billions of dollars in promised severance, and disproportionately targeting women and older workers for job cuts. X has denied wrongdoing.

Some of those cases have been dismissed, prompting appeals from the plaintiffs that are pending.

(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and David Gregorio)
Mpox has been making headlines ever since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a global health emergency last week. Considering that, its totally fair to have questions about the virus, including its symptoms.

The form of mpox thats currently spreading in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and several other African countries is different than the type that has been circulating in the U.S. at very low levels since 2022. Still, the type of mpox thats currently spreading in Africaknown as clade Ihas been detected in Sweden, raising concerns that it may continue to spread outside of Africa.

Clade I mpox has not been detected in the U.S. so far and infectious disease doctors are generally not worried about mpox causing a pandemic. But its also natural to have questions, especially given how much chatter it's gotten lately.

With that in mind, heres what you should know about the symptoms of mpox.

Meet the expert: Infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

What are the first symptoms of mpox?

Mpox doesnt cause any symptoms at first, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Once youre infected, the virus has an incubation period of three to 17 days, where you'll likely feel fine. From there, you may develop flu-like symptoms.

The first symptoms are fever, chills, muscle aches, headache, and swollen lymph nodes, says infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

The CDC says you may also experience these symptoms:

Exhaustion

Headache

Respiratory symptoms (including a sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough)

Rash

After the flu-like symptoms show up, people with mpox usually get a rash on the hands, feet, chest, face, or mouth or near the genitals, per the CDC. The rash can look like pimples or blisters, and can be painful or itchy. It also may go through several stagesincluding scabsbefore it heals, according to the CDC.

How is mpox treated?

The current standard treatment for mpox is an antiviral medication known as tecovirimat, but its not always used. Most people do not need treatment for monkeypox, Adalja says. However, tecovirimat is given to those severe disease or who are immunocompromised.

Recent research conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that the drug did not reduce the length of time children and adults had mpox lesions during a clade I infection. But Adalja says that doesnt mean that tecovirimat is ineffective.

The cases of mpox that are occurring in the United States currently are clade II, he points out. (And tecovirimat has been found to be effective against this clade.) Also, the study did show a trend towards benefit in severe clade I infection.

Meaning, if you become seriously ill with mpox, tecovirimat should be able to help.

What should I do if I suspect I have mpox?

If you develop a rash and flu-like symptoms in the United States right now and havent recently traveled to areas in Africa where mpox is circulating, the odds are pretty low that you have the virus. Still, its possible to contract the virus in the U.S.

If someone suspects they may have mpox, they should seek medical attention and reduce close contact with others until seen by a medical professional, Adalja says.

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TODAY

In an age of text messages and emails, it might seem a bit dated to drop a letter in the mailbox. But there are still plenty of reasons to send mail the old-fashioned way.

For instance, a wedding or other invitation is best received via snail mail because while a text or evite is pretty much instantaneous, its not quite the same as getting an official hard copy to have on hand.

And while birthday wishes are meaningful no matter how theyre conveyed, getting a funny or sweet card in the mail is an especially thoughtful way to recognize someone special. The same goes for a Christmas or sympathy card.

If youve got something to send and are wondering how to properly address an envelope, were here to offer some assistance.

Addressing an envelope takes some thought to do it properly, according to Diane Gottsman, a national etiquette expert at the Protocol School of Texas.

I always use the name of the person, including an honorific when appropriate, Gottsman tells TODAY.com. Do not abbreviate the city and state for a formal envelope and make sure and include a return address.

But thats just the beginning. Read on to learn, step-by-step, how to correctly address an envelope along with some additional guidance on using labels and other helpful tips.

How to address an envelope

How to address an envelope (TODAY / TODAY)

Write the return address in the top left corner. Write the recipient's address slightly centered on the bottom half of the envelope. Place the stamp in the top right corner.

There are two addresses that are typically seen on the envelope, but only one is technically required: the recipient's. The sender's address isn't necessary, but it is recommended. If there are any mistakes that prevent the delivery of the letter, the lack of a return address means the post office will be unable to send it back in order to fix any problems.

How to write the sender's (return) address

How to write a return address (TODAY / TODAY)

Start with your full name. Write your street address on the next line. Use two lines, if needed. Follow that line with the city, state and ZIP code of your address.

How to write the recipient's address

How to write an address (TODAY / TODAY)

For informal letters, follow the same format as the sender's address. If sending a letter to someone at a specific business, the first line should be the company's name. In the next line, follow "ATTN:" or "c/o" with the individual's name. If the letter is not to someone at a specific business, the first line should simply be their name. The next lines two should be the street address, city, state and ZIP code.

How to format military addresses (APO, FPO, DPO)

How to format a military address (TODAY / TODAY)

Even though they follow the same format as regular addresses, military addresses don't use the city and state names that many are used to.

The city name will be either APO (Air/Army Post Office), FPO (Fleet Post Office) or DPO (Diplomatic Post Office). For the state, AA (Armed Forces America), AE (Armed Forces Europe) and AP (Armed Forces Pacific) are used, depending on the duty station. The ZIP code is the same, but sometimes the extra four number code is required for delivery.

How to write an international shipping address

How to write an international shipping address (TODAY / TODAY)

If sending a letter to an overseas address that isn't military, the address format typically stays the same  just with the addition of the country name as the last line.

Some countries place the ZIP code in front of the city and country but it varies from country to country, so just check to be sure.

How to find the "ZIP+4" code

If you're unsure of the extra four-number code, USPS has a ZIP code lookup tool on their website.

Choose to look up the ZIP code by address and enter all the required information. Press "Find" and USPS will give you the ZIP+4 code.

How many stamps to use and mailing costs

How many stamps should you use (TODAY / TODAY)

Placing the stamp on a envelope is easy, it simply goes in the upper righthand corner. Knowing which stamps and how many to use can be the tricky part, however.

In July of 2024, a postage rate change went into effect leading to new pricing on sending mail.

For a standard 1-ounce letter being mailed in the U.S., the price of a postage stamp is now 73 cents. Square, oversized and oddly-shaped envelopes start at $1.19. Standard, rectangular postcards cost 56 cents to mail.

On a standard letter, each additional ounce over 1 ounce requires additional postage of 28 cents per ounce.

Purchasing Forever stamps is always a good idea because even when stamp prices increase, they remain usable regardless of how much new stamps cost, which is why they're known as "Forever" stamps.

Sending a 1-ounce letter internationally, including Canada, Great Britain and more than 180 other countries, costs $1.65. For larger envelopes, postage prices will vary depending on weight, size and destination.

Global Forever stamps are available for purchase and work just like the U.S. ones; once purchased, they remain usable indefinitely, even if prices increase.

With the appropriate stamp, accurate addresses for both the sender and the recipient, and the right placement of all three on the envelope, your letter is ready for mailing.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
(Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov on Tuesday inspected Chechen troops and volunteers readying to fight Ukraine, the Kremlin said, in what was Putin's first trip in 13 years to the North Caucasus republic.

The previously unannounced trip to the mostly Muslim republic that is part of Russia comes as Moscow fights to push Ukrainian forces out of its Kursk region two weeks after they smashed through the border in the largest invasion of Russia since World War Two.

"As long as we have men like you, we are absolutely, absolutely invincible," Putin told troops at the Russian Special Forces University, a training school in Chechnya's Gudermes, according to a transcript on the Kremlin's website.

"It is one thing to shoot at a shooting range here, and another thing to put your life and health at risk. But you have an inner need to defend the Fatherland and the courage to make such a decision."

The foreign occupation of Russian land has been an embarrassment for Putin and his army, even as Russian forces continue their gradual but steady advances on the frontline in eastern Ukraine.

Kadyrov, sanctioned by the United States in 2020 and in 2022 for alleged human rights abuses and mobilising Chechen troops to fight Ukraine, told Putin at a separate meeting on Tuesday that Chechnya had sent more than 47,000 troops since the start of the war to fight Ukraine, including about 19,000 volunteers.

Kadyrov has often described himself as Putin's "foot soldier."

When asked by a journalist whether "Putin's foot soldiers" like Kadyrov justify his trust, Putin said "If I had more of these foot soldiers, I would be very happy, but even one such foot soldier is worth a lot", reported the RIA agency.

BESLAN AND KURSK

Before heading to Chechnya, Putin visited for the first time in at least 16 years the town Beslan in North Ossetia. The 2004 school siege by Islamic militants there left more than 330 dead in what has been the bloodiest incident of its kind in modern Russian history.

Among those killed were 136 children, Putin said at a meeting in Beslan with the mothers of the children killed in the attack.

"This tragedy will remain an unhealed wound in the historical memory of all of Russia," Putin said, according to the transcript published on the Kremlin's website.

But he also added that Russia continues to face enemies that try to destabilise the country.

"And just as we fought terrorists, today we have to fight those who commit crimes in the Kursk region, in Donbas," Putin said, referring to Ukraine's surprise incursion into the Russian territory and the broader Donbas region in Ukraine's southeast, which Russian forces partially control.

"We will punish the criminals. There can be no doubt about this."

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Stephen Coates and Michael Perry)
Congressional Republicans have ordered Columbia University to hand over all records related to recent conversations among high-level administrators about antisemitism on the New York City school's campus.

In a legally binding request on Wednesday, North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx demanded to see any communications about antisemitism between the university's former president and other top campus officials since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

A former college administrator who is a major critic of higher education, Foxx accused the school of not sufficiently cooperating with legislators' efforts to understand what prompted some Jewish students and staff to feel unsafe as anti-war protests overtook the campus last spring.

The subpoena came nearly a week after the university's president resigned under internal and external pressure prompted by her handling of student protests. Minouche Shafik, a former World Bank executive and Columbia's first woman president, was only a year into the job and stepped down just before the start of a new academic year.

Columbia president resigns: Minouche Shafik steps down months after protests over the Israel-Hamas war

In a statement, Columbia spokesperson Ben Chang said the university has complied with lawmakers' requests and is dedicated to combating all forms of discrimination, including antisemitism.

"We have provided thousands of documents over the past seven months in response to the committees dozens of ongoing requests, and we remain committed to cooperating with the committee," he said.

Zachary Schermele covers education and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: In antisemitism probe, GOP congresswoman subpoenas Columbia
Ukraines bold military incursion into Russia has caught President Vladimir Putin off guard and impressed NATO countries, but U.S. officials are concerned that if the operation continues, Kyivs forces could be stretched too thin.

Russia, so far, has struggled to organize an effective response to the Aug. 6 surprise Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region, which has forced it to divert some troops from Ukraine to shore up its defenses inside Russia itself, according to three U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter.

But the number of troops that Russia has had to withdraw from Ukraine is not significant, said one of the U.S. officials, and it remains unclear if the Russian military will be forced to scale back its presence along front lines near Kharkiv or elsewhere. So far, Russia has yet to mobilize enough combat power to retake the territory captured by Ukraine.

U.S. officials and military analysts warn that there is a risk that Ukraines supply lines could be overextended as it tries to sustain troops fighting inside Russia as well as fend off Russian assaults across eastern Ukraine.

Its a concern, said one U.S. official.

As Ukrainian troops push forward inside Russia, including attacks on key bridges leading into the area, Moscows forces are advancing in eastern Ukraine, near the city of Pokrovsk.

U.S. officials say the precise objectives of the Ukrainian offensive inside Russia remain unclear, including whether Kyiv intends to hold on to captured territory indefinitely to use as a bargaining chip in potential peace negotiations, or pull back into Ukraine.

Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters on Tuesday that the Ukrainians clearly have compelled the Russians to struggle in their response.

It has certainly demonstrated the creativity and the battlefield prowess of the Ukrainians, Ryder said. But when it comes to what their longer-term objectives are, thats something that were still discussing with them.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, on Monday about battlefield dynamics, Ukraines ongoing operations, and Ukrainian reconstitution and training efforts, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Soldiers at the Ukraine-Russia border checkpoint in Sudzha, Russia, on Aug. 16.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that the offensive is aimed at creating a buffer zone along Ukraine's border to protect it from Russian aerial bombardment and wear down Russias military.

In a speech, Zelenskyy said the offensive has shown that Russias threats of retaliation amount to bluster and that Ukraines supporters should ease restrictions on the use of Western-made weapons.

We are witnessing a significant ideological shift  the naive, illusory concept of so-called red lines regarding Russia, which dominated the assessment of the war by some partners, has crumbled these days somewhere near Sudzha, Zelenskyy said, referring to a town in western Russia now occupied by Ukrainian troops.

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had seized more than 480 square miles and 92 settlements in Russias Kursk region. But it is unclear whether they can hold the territory for an extended period.

Matthew Savill, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute, a U.K.-based think tank, said that if Ukraine tries to retain control of the captured area inside Russia, its troops would soon be vulnerable to heavy Russian air and ground attacks.

The challenge is that it looks like the Ukrainians might be about to consolidate and dig in, Savill said. Once they do that, and their rate of advance has slowed, they will become a target. And so the question for them is, how long are they planning to endure?

If Ukraine tries to hold on to territory around Kursk for several months, that is going to be tough just to logistically supply that in the face of Russian air attack, added Savill, a former senior official in the U.K. ministry of defense.

But Savill said there was a chance that Ukraines assault in the Kursk region could force Russia to bolster its ranks and pull out large numbers of troops north of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, which has been under intense pressure from Russian forces for months.

Savill, other former officials and analysts have said Ukraines incursion was designed to change perceptions of the war in the Kremlin, inside Ukraine and among Western allies.

They have shown that they go on the attack. They can pose a threat, he said. They have probably changed calculations in Moscow about the extent to which it needs to defend more effectively along the whole line.
Taylor Swift has broken her silence on the alleged terrorist plot thwarted at her canceled Vienna shows earlier this month.

The pop star, who performed the last of five shows at London's Wembley stadium Tuesday, paid tribute to the end of the European leg of her Eras Tour in an Instagram post Wednesday. In a lengthy caption, she let fans know that it was for their safety that she waited until this moment to address the Vienna situation.

"Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating. The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows," Swift wrote in the caption. "But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives."

She continued: "I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together. I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London. My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us."

"Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows," she wrote.

"In cases like this one, silence is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when its right to. My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that."

What happened? Everything to know about arrests, Swift's past security concerns

Three people have been arrested in relation to the suspected terrorist plot that had been planned for one of Swift's Vienna shows on Aug. 8-10. The suspects are an 18-year-old Iraqi national, a 19-year-old Austrian living in a town near the Hungarian border, and a 17-year-old boy hired by a company that was to provide services to the Ernst Happel Stadium.

On Aug. 7, the three scheduled shows at Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium were canceled after the Vienna Federal Ministry of the Interior officials confirmed arrests were made in relation to "planned attacks at major events." These were the first shows to be canceled on the tour, which launched in March 2023.

The Eras Tour is nearing its end after a year and a half and nearly 130 shows. Swift will return to North America in the fall and winter to perform in Miami (Oct. 18-20), New Orleans (Oct. 25-27), Indianapolis (Nov. 1-3), Toronto (Nov. 14-16, 21-23) and Vancouver (Dec. 6-8).

Latest on Vienna concerts: US confirms role in identifying alleged terrorist plot

Read Taylor Swift's full statement on canceled Vienna shows:

"In summation," her Aug. 21 Instagram caption began.

"We have officially wrapped the European leg of The Eras Tour. With it came the most passionate crowds Ive ever played for, new traditions in the show, and an entirely new era added in. It was a more hectic pace than wed done before, and Im so proud of my crew/fellow performers for being able to physically perform that show and build our massive stage, take it apart, and make magic with so few days in between for recovery and travel. Theyre the most impressive people I know and Im so lucky they gave The Eras Tour their time, their energy, and their expertise.

"Walking onstage in London was a rollercoaster of emotions. Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating. The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows. But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.

"I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together. I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London. My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us.

"Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows.

"In cases like this one, silence is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when its right to. My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that.

"And then London felt like a beautiful dream sequence. All five crowds at Wembley Stadium were bursting with passion, joy, and exuberance. The energy in that stadium was like the most giant bear hug from 92,000 people each night, and it brought me back to a place of carefree calm up there.

Our reporter's view: Ed Sheeran joins Taylor Swift onstage for epic triple mashup

"We had some EPIC surprise performances from my long time friends @teddysphotos, @florenceandthemachine, and @jackantonoff. Performing Florida!!! with Flo for the first time was unforgettable and Ed took me right back to our old Red Tour memories. It was the most dizzying honor to become the first solo artist to play Wembley 8 times in one tour.

"To the fans who have seen us this summer, youll always have the most sparkling place in my memories. You were a dream to perform for, dance with, and share those magical moments with. Well see you all again when we resume The Eras Tour in October, but for now we get to take a much needed rest. Thank you for the adventure of a lifetime. May it continue"

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Taylor Swift breaks silence on Vienna terrorist plot: Full statement
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With mpox cases on the move after a surge in cases in Africa, travelers may fear risks to their health.

The disease  formerly monkeypox  has been on the rise in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other African countries. The first case outside Africa was detected in Sweden last week.

The type circulating there known as clade I is different from clade II, which has been in the U.S. after a global outbreak in 2022. A new variant, clade Ib, appears to be more transmissible and deadly. The World Health Organization has declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years.

But travelers dont need to be too concerned yet.

I think they ought to note this, Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert and professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told USA TODAY. I dont know that they should be worried about it.

What is mpox?

Mpox is endemic in parts of Central and West Africa, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

People usually get mpox through contact with the skin lesions or bodily fluids of infected wild animals in Africa (alive or dead) or humans, including respiratory secretions, or through contact with materials contaminated with the virus such as bedding clothing, and sex toys, the health agency said on its website. The virus can also be contracted during sex or other close contact.

Headache, muscle aches, rash, swollen lymph nodes and fever are among the common symptoms.

At least a dozen African countries with outbreaks have seen more than 2,800 confirmed cases this year and over 500 deaths, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. There are more than 17,000 suspected cases across the continent.

Should travelers be worried about mpox?

Schaffner recommended travelers going to African countries where the virus has been circulating get vaccinated before they go given the highly communicable nature of the new strain. The CDC has a Level 2 advisory in place for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries, warning travelers to practice enhanced precautions.

I think if youre traveling to other countries at the moment, theres essentially no risk, Schaffner added.

Thailand has detected an mpox case in a European man who arrived from Africa last week and is awaiting test results to determine the strain, a disease control official said Wednesday.

Though clade II cases in the U.S. have primarily been seen among men who have sex with men  though anyone can become infected  Schaffner said the clade I cases circulating in Africa appear to be more generally distributed.

How can travelers protect their health?

Travelers who got vaccinated for mpox in the wake of the 2022 outbreak dont need a booster at the moment, according to Schaffner. It looks as though your protection will still be viable, and so that's a very good thing, he said.

The CDC also recommended travelers to the DRC or neighboring countries avoid close contact with people who have symptoms of mpox and wild animals such as rats, squirrels and monkeys  living or dead.

Visitors should also steer clear of meat or products derived from wild animals, including lotions, creams and powders, and avoid contaminated materials. Schaffner said hotel bedding and other linens are safe, provided theyre appropriately laundered.

Travelers who get a new, unexplained skin rash should immediately seek medical care.

Schaffner said infectious disease experts expect further spread of mpox to other countries and recommended travelers stay tuned for developments.

The world is a very small place, he said. These viruses travel with us. They don't need passports.

Contributing: Pararat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um, Reuters

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Should I travel amid mpox outbreaks? What to know.
NEW YORK (AP)  A U.S. government report expected to stir debate concluded that fluoride in drinking water at twice the recommended limit is linked with lower IQ in children.

The report, based on an analysis of previously published research, marks the first time a federal agency has determined  with moderate confidence  that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. While the report was not designed to evaluate the health effects of fluoride in drinking water alone, it is a striking acknowledgment of a potential neurological risk from high levels of fluoride.

Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.

I think this (report) is crucial in our understanding of this risk, said Ashley Malin, a University of Florida researcher who has studied the effect of higher fluoride levels in pregnant women on their children. She called it the most rigorously conducted report of its kind.

The long-awaited report released Wednesday comes from the National Toxicology Program, part of the Department of Health and Human Services. It summarizes a review of studies, conducted in Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, and Mexico, that concludes that drinking water containing more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter is consistently associated with lower IQs in kids.

The report did not try to quantify exactly how many IQ points might be lost at different levels of fluoride exposure. But some of the studies reviewed in the report suggested IQ was 2 to 5 points lower in children who'd had higher exposures.

Since 2015, federal health officials have recommended a fluoridation level of 0.7 milligrams per liter of water, and for five decades before the recommended upper range was 1.2. The World Health Organization has set a safe limit for fluoride in drinking water of 1.5.

The report said that about 0.6% of the U.S. population  about 1.9 million people  are on water systems with naturally occurring fluoride levels of 1.5 milligrams or higher.

The findings from this report raise the questions about how these people can be protected and what makes the most sense, Malin said.

The 324-page report did not reach a conclusion about the risks of lower levels of fluoride, saying more study is needed. It also did not answer what high levels of fluoride might do to adults.

The American Dental Association, which champions water fluoridation, had been critical of earlier versions of the new analysis and Malins research. Asked for comment, a spokeswoman late Wednesday afternoon emailed that the organizations experts were still reviewing the report.

Fluoride is a mineral that exists naturally in water and soil. About 80 years ago, scientists discovered that people whose water supplies naturally had more fluoride also had fewer cavities, triggering a push to get more Americans to use fluoride for better dental health.

In 1945, Grand Rapids, Michigan became the first U.S. city to start adding fluoride to tap water. In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and continued to promote it even after fluoride toothpaste brands hit the market several years later. Though fluoride can come from a number of sources, drinking water is the main source for Americans, researchers say.

Officials lowered their recommendation for drinking water fluoride levels in 2015 to address a tooth condition called fluorosis, that can cause splotches on teeth and was becoming more common in U.S. kids.

Separately, the Environmental Protection Agency has maintained a longstanding requirement that water systems cannot have more than 4 milligrams of fluoride per liter. That standard is designed to prevent skeletal fluorosis, a potentially crippling disorder which causes weaker bones, stiffness and pain.

But more and more studies have increasingly pointed to a different problem, suggesting a link between higher levels of fluoride and brain development. Researchers wondered about the impact on developing fetuses and very young children who might ingest water with baby formula. Studies in animals showed fluoride could impact neurochemistry cell function in brain regions responsible for learning, memory, executive function and behavior.

In 2006, the National Research Council, a private nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., said limited evidence from China pointed to neurological effects in people exposed to high levels of fluoride. It called for more research into the effect of fluoride on intelligence.

After more research continued to raise questions, the National Toxicology Program in 2016 started working on a review of the available studies that could provide guidance on whether new fluoride-limiting measures were needed.

There were earlier drafts but the final document has repeatedly been held up. At one point, a committee of experts said available research did not support an earlier draft's conclusions.

Since fluoride is such an important topic to the public and to public health officials, it was imperative that we made every effort to get the science right, said Rick Woychik, director of the National Toxicology Program, in a statement.

Malin said it makes sense for pregnant women to lower their fluoride intake, not only from water but also from certain types of tea. It might also make sense to have policy discussions about whether to require fluoride-content on beverage labels, she said.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), the Republican vice presidential nominee, made a pitch to supporters of independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after Kennedys running mate suggested the two campaigns may join forces.

Ive never talked to RFK about this, but my pitch to him and to a lot of his voters would be, the Democratic Party of my grandparents that supported his uncle, John F. Kennedy, for president has been completely abandoned by the modern leadership of the Democratic Party, Vance said Wednesday on Fox Newss Fox And Friends.

Vance said he thinks it would be good for former President Trumps campaign to team up with Kennedy and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan.

He criticized the current Democratic Party, contrasting it with Democrats from years ago who he said cared about strong borders, American manufacturing and strong national security.

This modern Democratic Party is focused on division. Its focused on putting people into racial and gender buckets and then using those divisions for political power, and it doesnt believe in anything common sense like American manufacturing or a strong American border, Vance said.

Kennedys long-shot campaign is waning as support for Trump and Vice President Harris has swelled at their respective nomination conventions in recent weeks.

Shanahan, Kennedys running mate and a political newcomer, strongly implied on a podcast Tuesday that the campaign could come to an end soon to support Trump.

We are taking a very serious look at making sure that the people that have corrupted our fair and free democracy do not end up in office in November, she said.

Shanahan said the Kennedy campaign has two options: It can stay in the race but run the risk of a Harris presidency by pulling votes away from Trump, or it can walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump.

Vance said he believes the Democratic Party has gone so far in the leftward direction that Kennedy wouldnt be welcome, should his campaign end and he want to join Harris.

He said he hopes Kennedy endorses Trump and joins their effort, because this [is] about saving the country, Democrat or Republican. Its about saving the country through common sense.

And unfortunately, theres only one political party that really represents common sense anymore. Its Donald J. Trumps Republican Party, Vance said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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A long-awaited moment brought a flood of joyful tears to 5-year-old Cataleya when she finally met her baby sister.

Cataleya had been dreaming of having a sister since she was just 3 years old. When her mom, Indhira Ferreira, and dad, Daniel Perez, shared the news of their pregnancy, Cataleya's happiness was so overwhelming that she cried tears of joy.

But nothing could have prepared her for the incredible emotions she felt when she met her little sister, Valeria, for the first time at a hospital in Lancaster, California.

Their bond has been amazing from the start, said Indhira. Cataleya loves helping with Valeria - whether its fetching diapers or assisting with bath time - its the cutest thing ever!

Watch the video above to see Cataleya meeting and holding her baby sister for the first time!

Humankind is your go-to spot for good news! Click here to submit your uplifting, cute, or inspiring video moments for us to feature. Also, click here to subscribe to our newsletter bringing our top stories of the week straight to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch this little girl's happy tears when she meets a newborn sister


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by Arundathie Abeysinghe

The number of women seeking work abroad continues to rise: from 40 percent in the pre-pandemic period to 46 percent in 2023. The main destination remains the Middle East, where they find employment mainly as domestic workers. The government is trying to reverse this trend, but still more than a thousand choose to expatriate every month.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - A study conducted by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) has revealed that the number of Sri Lankan women seeking employment abroad has increased by 2 percent since 2023. In fact, the figure rose to 46 percent in 2023, while it was about 40 percent in the pre-Covid-19 pandemic period.

Since 2022, the Colombo government has promoted overseas employment as a response to the worst economic crisis the island nation faced during the post-independence era.

However, the decision has proven to be a double-edged sword: since most women who leave for overseas employment are under the age of 45, the choice to expatriate has proven to be one of the key factors in contributing to declining fertility rates.

According to data provided by the United Nations International Migrant Stock, there are currently about 214 million international migrants in the world, representing 3.1 percent of the global population.

A large proportion of these, the study continues, come from Sri Lanka and are employed as domestic workers in Middle Eastern countries such as the U.A.E., Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Lebanon.

The island is also one of three Asian countries, along with the Philippines and Indonesia, where women seeking work abroad make up between 60 and 70 percent of legal migrants. Most of these women are employed across the border as domestic workers.

Since the 1980s, Sri Lankan women choosing to migrate in search of work have surpassed those of men, and the main destination has been the Middle East.

Medical counselors Samantha Jayatissa and Nilanthi Gamage explain to Asia News that most of these women are married and have at least one child. They have left their children with elderly parents or their husbands, while some women are newly married and childless. Sometimes, some female workers are not married. Among the reasons for migration, the experts continue, are poverty, domestic violence or alcohol and drug addiction of the spouse resulting in their choice to leave the country. They work for several years abroad and by the time they return home, their childbearing age has dropped. This situation is widespread in both urban and rural areas.

Domestic policy experts and scholars agree that most Sri Lankan women seek work abroad as a source of income that would help them shed debt burdens and alleviate financial difficulties at home.

Their hope is to return as soon as possible, but often behind this decision to return are almost no plans as far as their long-term economic sustainability is concerned. In fact, they rarely see the need to reintegrate as they do not understand the economic and labor market conditions until they try to reintegrate into their usual life back home. The most distressing situation occurs once they return home, when they lose hope of bearing children and starting a family, having reached the age of 50. Most families in urban and rural areas are disappointed by this situation. This has also affected the demographic condition of the country.

According to senior officials of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (Slbfe), unskilled and low-educated women have outnumbered men and other categories of skilled workers seeking work abroad in recent years. In addition, these migrant women-comprised largely of domestic workers-have taken on another percentage of inward remittances.

Recently, but extremely belatedly, the problem of women between the ages of 21 and 40 (of childbearing age) seeking work abroad has attracted the attention of policymakers. However, there is no immediate and viable solution to the problem, while the exodus continues with at least 1,000 to 1,200 female workers seeking work abroad each month as caregivers or domestic workers.
Today's news: Pakistani Shiite pilgrim bus overturns in Iran, 28 dead; Total sentences of 4.4 million years in prison for Uyghurs in China; One year after Fukushima water release begins, South Korea discloses that no radioactivity hazards in its sea and fish; Ukrainian parliament bans activities of Orthodox Church linked to Moscow Patriarchate.

INDIA-MALAYSIA

India and Malaysia revived their relations with the visit of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to New Delhi. Relations had soured in 2019 when then Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad condemned Modi's choices on Kashmir and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. We have decided that we will elevate our cooperation to the level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said yesterday after the talks.

PAKISTAN-IRAN

A bus carrying Pakistani Shiite pilgrims has overturned in central Iran, killing 28 passengers and injuring 23 others. The accident occurred in the central Iranian province of Yazd and was caused by a technical defect in the bus' braking system. Millions of Shiite Muslims are currently taking part in the Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraq's Karbala governorate.

CHINA

Uyghurs imprisoned by China in the western region of Xinjiang have been sentenced to a total of 4.4 million years, according to a report by Yale University's Genocide Studies Program. The figure highlights the scale and severity of the Chinese government's crackdown on the mostly Muslim Uighurs since 2017, when thousands of Uighurs and other Turkic minorities were herded into re-education camps and prisons.

SOUTH KOREA-JAPAN

Radioactivity levels in the waters around the Korean peninsula have never exceeded the safe limit since Japan began releasing treated water from its Fukushima nuclear power plant a year ago. The Korean government said this today, drawing an initial balance. In 12 months, South Korea has completed 49,633 tests on radioactive levels. There has not been a single case that has passed the radioactive safety criteria in tests on our waters, on our fisheries, Vice Minister Kim Jong-moon said.

SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi Arabia has introduced a new investment law in an effort to attract foreign direct capital, simplify financial processes and continue to diversify its economy away from oil. The new law also allows foreign investment in the country's special economic zones without. Only sectors related to national security will be restricted to Saudi nationals.

UKRAINE-RUSSIA

The Verkhovnaja Rada in Kiev approved by 265 votes out of 450 a law banning the activities of religious associations in Ukraine that have ties to Russia, primarily the Orthodox Upz Church, whose communities will be given nine months to break all relations with Moscow, which according to President Zelenskyj uses the Church to threaten independence.

RUSSIA

The vast majority of taxi drivers in Russia will not be able to work as of September 1, as they have not received the new type of work permit, introduced mainly to weed out illegal migrants, with a new insurance policy will liability to passengers, and the association of 2.5 million taxi drivers has appealed to the government.
In his weekly Wednesday catechesis, recalling today's feast of St. Pius X, Francis addressed a thought for all catechists and catechists: They work so hard, in some parts of the world they are the first to carry out the faith: may the Lord give them courage. The invitation to continue praying for peace in the Holy Land, Ukraine and other war-torn parts of the world.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - With the anointing of the Holy Spirit, Christians are called to spread the good odor of Christ in the world. Pope Francis explained this today while addressing the faithful present in the Paul VI Hall for the weekly Wednesday audience.

Continuing the cycle of catechesis dedicated to the Holy Spirit, Francis commented on Jesus' words, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; therefore he has anointed me (Lk. 4:18). In the baptism in the Jordan River, the pontiff commented, God the Father anointed with the Holy Spirit,' that is, He anointed Jesus as King, Prophet and Priest. In fact, with fragrant oil kings, prophets and priests were anointed in the Old Testament. In the case of Christ, instead of physical oil, there is spiritual oil, which is the Holy Spirit; instead of symbol there is reality.

Jesus, the pope continued, was filled with the Holy Spirit from the first moment of his Incarnation. That, however, was a 'personal grace,' incommunicable; now, instead, he receives the fullness of the gift of the Spirit for his mission which, as head, he will communicate to his body which is the Church. Therefore, the Church is the new 'royal, prophetic and priestly people.'

The Hebrew term 'Messiah' and the corresponding Greek term 'Christ,' both referring to Jesus, mean 'anointed one.' Will our very name 'Christians' be explained by the Fathers in the literal sense of 'anointed in imitation of Christ?

Besides through the wind, then, the Spirit is also symbolized by oil. What does this teach us? The pope responded by quoting the Holy Thursday Mass oration during which the bishop, consecrating the oil known as Chrism, says referring to those who will receive the anointing in Baptism and Confirmation,

May this anointing penetrate and sanctify them, so that, freed from their native corruption and consecrated temple of his glory, they may spread the fragrance of a holy life.

We know that, unfortunately, sometimes Christians do not spread the fragrance of Christ, Francis commented, but the bad smell of their own sin. This, however, should not distract us from the commitment to realize, as much as we can and each one in his own environment, this sublime vocation of being the good odor of Christ in the world.

The fragrance of Christ is given off by the fruits of the Spirit, which are 'love, joy, peace, magnanimity, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control' (Gal 5:22). If we strive to cultivate these fruits, he concluded, then, without our being aware of it, someone will feel some of the fragrance of Christ's Spirit around us.

Greeting then the groups of pilgrims present, he took the opportunity of today's feast of St. Pius X to address a thought to all our catechists and catechists: They carry on so much work, he said, in some parts of the world they are the first to carry on the faith. Let us pray today for the catechists: may the Lord make them courageous and may they go forward.

Finally, the pope also renewed today his invitation to continue to pray for peace: Let us not forget the martyred Ukraine that is suffering so much, let us not forget Myanmar, Su Sudan North Kivu and so many countries that are at war. Let us pray for peace. And let us not forget Palestine and Israel, may there be peace.
Chinese Paralympics delegation to leave for Paris on Wednesday

Xinhua) 10:01, August 21, 2024

BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Paralympic delegation will leave for Paris on Wednesday in two batches, which was announced at a motivational conference held here in Beijing on Tuesday, with all delegation members' taking part.

At the conference, Cheng Kai, leader of the Chinese Paralympics delegation, also the president of China's Disabled Persons Federation, stressed that the delegation members are supposed to be self-disciplined, to have the will to fight and the faith to win, and are expected to make all-out efforts to finish their tasks and to create new glorious moments in Paris.

Cheng also encouraged the athletes to be free from arrogance and rashness, to make persistent efforts to exceed themselves, and to show the world how brave the Chinese delegation is. He warned them to make sure the gold medals they win are ethical, high-minded and clean, and advised them to take the chance to make more friends worldwide.

The Paris 2024 Paralympics, to be held between August 28 and September 8, will be the 11th Summer Paralympics that China participates in.

Established on August 16 in Beijing, the Chinese Paralympics delegation consists of 516 people. Among them, 284 are athletes, including 126 males and 158 females, with an average age of 25.8.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
by Gianni Criveller

A new book presented today at the Rimini Meeting recounts the reality of the island from the faces of its people and the missionary experience of the St. Charles Borromoeo Fraternity. Extracts from the preface, written by our editorial director: In Taiwan we experience many things that seem to us like pages from the Gospel.

At the Rimini Meeting - the Italian summer kermesse of Communion and Liberation - the session Stories of Rebirth in Taiwan is being held this afternoon. Speakers include Fr. Donato Contuzzi, missionary of the Fraternity of St. Charles Borromeo, Fr. Gianni Criveller editorial director of AsiaNews, and Xu Yahan, a young Taiwanese convert to Catholicism, to present the book The Cross and the Dragon, in which Tempi journalist Leone Grotti recounts the reality of Taiwan from the experience of the missionary presence of the Fraternity of St. Charles Borromeo. The volume - published by Cantagalli and arriving in bookstores in Italy later this month - includes a preface by Father Criveller, from which we publish excerpts below.

Taiwan is indeed a very beautiful place: even the ancient name -Formosa- by which it was known in the West until a few decades ago says so. For the public it remains a mysterious place: many know its name, but would not know where to place it, or say anything more about it. Some know about the high-tech products-particularly microchips-that have flooded international markets.

It is worth getting to know Taiwan by stepping out of stereotypes: it is the best place for those interested in the traditional culture, religions, and folklore of the Chinese people. (...) Taipei does not only have tall skyscrapers, subway lines and shopping malls. There are still the small streets of working-class neighborhoods, where there is a small temple and devotional altars at every turn. Modernity has not abolished traditional religion; on the contrary, the enrichment of the people has made it possible to restore ancient temples and multiply opportunities for worship. (...)

Catholics in Taiwan are free and in dialogue with believers of other religions. The Church has played the role of bridge-church to China, a mission that is now very difficult because of political developments on the Mainland. The challenge of multiculturalism, multi-religiosity, secularization, and the unresolved relationship with Beijing constitute major challenges that believers face with their own weak strengths and some apprehension about the future. (...) The reader of this book will, I think, be able to agree that Taiwan cannot be regarded as just a problem-almost a troublesome one-to be solved in the complicated Chinese chessboard. Taiwan is much more than that: with the practices of freedom and democracy, it has opened a way and a hope for the Chinese nation and also for the Chinese Church. (...)

The political tensions of recent years and the increasingly frequent and threatening military exercises frequently bring attention back to Taiwan, which we hear about only in connection with China's possible reunification action and as an object of tension over control of the Pacific Ocean. But Taiwan deserves instead to be known and appreciated for what it is. And the people of Taiwan deserve to be heard.

This is another reason why reading this book is very important: it gives us an inside view of a very special, precious surprising piece of Taiwan. In these pages Taiwanese people have a face, a name, a story to tell. Reading the book you have in your hands was, for me too, a heartening experience. I recognized in it places, people, events, moods, aspirations and difficulties that I myself, in my own small way, experienced during my four years on the island (1991-1994). I was at the beginning of my missionary life among the Chinese people: the feelings, challenges and hopes of the missionaries of the Saint Charles Fraternity were also mine.

I also found in the book a communion of missionary vision. For years I have been teaching, in Hong Kong and Italy, Theology of Mission, and I continue to reflect on the mystery of mission. In Taipei I had met young people who, attending Fujen Catholic University, had adhered to the gospel of Jesus. I interviewed them in order to understand that mysterious and fascinating event that goes by the name of conversion, namely the acceptance of Jesus as the heart of life.

In my readings of missionary history in Taiwan and China, I found that frequently the beginning of people's conversion is 'by grace received': a healing or the resolution of family difficulties or other helpful benefits. Converts with less than spiritual motives are called 'flour Christians' in Taiwan; 'rice Christians' in Hong Kong and China. Opponents of Christianity accuse them of converting to get material help from missionaries. Yet missionaries must always exercise charity in imitation of Jesus the good shepherd. Conversion is not the goal of aid, but the generous willingness to succor human frailties can generate, in those who accept the gift, a desire to know Christ, the cause that drives missionaries to give their lives. And we know that from children and grandchildren of rice and flour Christians have arisen vocations and witnesses of faith even to martyrdom. The dynamic of conversion, often described in this book, is always marked by grace and deserves respect, even when apparently the motivations are not only spiritual.

So much is experienced in Taiwan that seems like pages of the Gospel to us. The outcome of mission is not measured by worldly success and numbers, but rather by the quality of the Gospel witness of those who welcome Christ. I find very beautiful what Fr. Silanos experienced, One of the greatest gifts I was given in Taipei is to be able to participate in the gaze with which Christ looks at these people and of the method he uses: patience. A phrase that makes me think of the testament of Christian De Charge, the prior of Tibhirine. Martyrdom will finally allow him to plunge my gaze into that of the Father, to contemplate with Him His children of Islam as He sees them, all illuminated by the glory of Christ.

Taiwan shows us very eloquently what is true everywhere: Jesus does not meet in masses. He stands at the door and knocks. Relationship is central to the missionary dynamic, and each person is to be welcomed and accompanied as a precious gift. From this personal relationship comes friendship. A theme in my opinion that is fundamental to our existence as men and women disciples of Jesus. The theme of friendship, one of the best ways to describe mission, emerges almost on every page in this book. Benedict XVI had wonderful words to describe the Christian fact as friendship with Jesus, and mission as the sharing, the gift of this friendship with others. The community of Jesus' disciples is built on plots of friendship.

Matteo Ricci, the great missionary to China, titled his first book in Chinese Of Friendship-a theme that united the gospel, Chinese culture, and Christian humanism. There is no greater love than one who gives his life to friends: Jesus did it; missionaries do it. The work of Christ, our peace, is to break down the divisive wall of enmity. The experience of friendship creates the movement that moves hearts and draws people to Jesus. Doctrines and reasoning are also important steps for adherence to faith: but people are touched in their hearts when they encounter friendship. In the five Confucian social relations, which are the Chinese ethical basis, friendship is the fifth virtue, but the only elective one, that is, based on free choice. And therefore it is the most important, the most human, the one that most corresponds to the dignity of people created in the image of God. Friendship means freedom and gratuitousness, that is, the gift of self.

From friendship comes happiness: If there were no amicitia in the world, wrote Matteo Ricci, there would be no happiness. I really liked the reference to happiness in reading the book. Christianity was born on Easter morning from a proclamation of joy. If Christians and missionaries do not bring joy into people's lives, then they are not evangelical: we are all destined for happiness.

The book is a valuable testimony that mission is missio Dei - God's work, even before missionaries. Mission certainly changes, but it never dies, because it comes from God. And missionaries are disciples who seek to take on the same gaze as God. Taiwan is the beautiful island today because God is at work there. This account, very well written and full of evangelical authenticity, is precious evidence of that.

Pictured: a Stations of the Cross celebration in Taipei with the missionaries of the St. Charles Borromeo Fraternity.
21 August 2024 08:30 (UTC+04:00)

Ulviyya Shahin Read more

In a significant development for regional energy markets, Azerbaijan and Turkiye are poised to formalize an "Operation Agreement" between the Nakhchivan State Energy Service and the Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEIASH). This upcoming agreement, reported by Azernews via the Telegram channel of the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan, aims to streamline and expand energy exchanges between the two nations.

The planned agreement marks a crucial step in deepening the energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkiye. The discussions leading up to this agreement have addressed several technical and operational aspects, including the transmission and distribution substations on both sides of the border. Key considerations have been the current condition of the power transmission lines, the precise locations of the meters, and the application of relay protection systems. This comprehensive approach is expected to enhance the reliability and efficiency of energy flows between the two countries.

The European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSO) has granted approval for specific energy transmission parameters under this agreement. ENTSOs endorsement allows for the export of 75 megawatts from Turkiye to Nakhchivan, with the Turkish side operating in passive island mode. Conversely, Nakhchivan will be permitted to import 40 megawatts while in passive island mode. These stipulations are designed to ensure stable and balanced energy exchanges, mitigating risks associated with grid imbalances and operational disruptions.

The anticipated agreement holds several economic implications for both Azerbaijan and Turkiye. For Azerbaijan, which has been investing in its energy infrastructure and seeking to increase its role in regional energy markets, this agreement represents a significant boost. It not only diversifies its energy export opportunities but also strengthens its position as a critical player in regional energy security.

For Turkiye, the arrangement provides an opportunity to optimize its energy exports and manage its grid more effectively. The ability to export surplus energy to Nakhchivan can help Turkiye balance its energy production with demand, potentially leading to increased revenue from energy sales and enhanced grid stability.

The agreement could also have broader implications for regional energy cooperation. By solidifying the energy link between Azerbaijan and Turkiye, it may encourage other neighboring countries to explore similar collaborations. This could pave the way for more integrated regional energy markets, fostering greater energy security and economic stability across the area.

The forthcoming "Operation Agreement" between the Nakhchivan State Energy Service and TEIASH is poised to enhance energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkiye significantly. With the backing of ENTSO and a detailed operational framework, this agreement promises to bolster energy security, optimize resource use, and strengthen economic ties between the two nations. As the finalization of the agreement approaches, stakeholders on both sides will be keenly observing its potential to transform regional energy dynamics.

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21 August 2024 16:22 (UTC+04:00)

Elnur Enveroglu Read more

What sort of impressions did the state visit of President Vladimir Putin to Azerbaijan create in the region?

What did the Foreign Ministry of Armenia mean by its implicit response to Lavrov's criticism?

Good-faith support of Russia in the peace talks, or being a mediator as a third party?

What are the common interests of the West and Russia in opening the Zangazur corridor?

On August 18-19, the state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Azerbaijan was marked by very important events. During the meeting, documents intended to develop friendship and cooperation, as well as trade relations and investment, were signed between the two countries.

Russia is the largest country in the region, and Azerbaijan attaches great importance to strengthening relations with its northern neighbor, Russia.

Azerbaijan, which regained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union, further developed its relations with Russia. Most recently, on February 22, 2022, a declaration of alliance consisting of 43 articles was signed between Baku and Moscow.

The documents signed within the framework of President Putin's visit to Baku completed some provisions of the declaration of alliance.

Reasons for strengthening Baku-Moscow relations

In 2020, Azerbaijan's retaliatory measure against the Armenian offensive signaled a victory that could end the 30-year occupation. However, there were certain obstacles in the course of the war, which Azerbaijan could overcome only thanks to its political superiority. Russia's good move in not preventing Azerbaijan's military operations and anti-terrorist measures against separatist groups in Garabagh in 2023 contributed to the quick end of the Garabagh conflict. In addition, the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Garabagh in 2024 earlier than the time specified in the agreement has once again demonstrated the official Kremlin's special attitude towards Azerbaijan.

Subtle moments that bring Russia closer to Azerbaijan

The 4-year period from 2020 until now is of exceptional importance in the history of Azerbaijan. During this time, in addition to the solution of the Garabagh conflict, Moscow's interest in opening communications over Zangazur and reaching a peace agreement between Yerevan and Baku has been the best reflection of the geostrategic realities formed in the region. In the literal sense of the word, Russia sees Azerbaijan as a beacon in the South Caucasus against the backdrop of the worsening of relations with the West and Armenia. In this regard, the state visit of President Putin to Baku can be evaluated as the official Kremlin considers Azerbaijan its most reliable ally.

Russia is already loyal to the issue of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and it lambasts the Westernized Armenia that avoids peace talks and refuses to participate in the bilateral platform.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's last statement accusing the Armenian side of sabotaging the negotiation process was a message for both the West, which plays the role of influence, and Yerevan, which is unable to fulfill its promise.

Considering the response of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, it seems that the Pashinyan administration, which is loyal to the dictates of the West, completely rejects Russia's participation in the negotiation process. But what is the main premise of Russia's proposal for peace talks? Is it to mediate in the process as a third party, or is it just a good-faith contribution that Moscow wants to make to the peace process as soon as possible? Certainly, Azerbaijan is currently on the side of conducting negotiations on a bilateral platform. Because the participation of the third party in the negotiations causes certain contradictions and slows down the processes. Here, the national interests of the mediating parties impact the two parties reaching a common agreement. But Putin's proposal is different from the West's attempt to intervene, and he seems to be more in favor of stability in the region.

Converging interests in the Zangazur corridor

Recently, interest in the opening of the Zangazur Corridor has begun to be felt more in the position of both the West and the Russian side.

Both the war with Georgia in 2008 and the sanctions imposed by the West after the war with Ukraine led to the narrowing of Russia's transport opportunities, as well as the interruption of its direct relations with Armenia and Europe.

The closure of the railway through Abkhazia and the serious problems on the Upper Lars highway have cut ties with Armenia, Russia's most important ally at the time, and reduced its hopes for it.

Due to all these reasons, Russia is interested in opening both the North-South Corridor and the Zangazur Corridor and expanding the transport opportunities for the country. In addition, the opening of the Zangazur Corridor provides Russia with a direct connection to Iran via Nakhchivan and through the North-South Corridor from Astara.

Although Iran, in turn, does not take a positive approach to the opening of the Zangazur Corridor, the geostrategic realities in the region have softened Tehran's position somewhat. Even the fact that the West has started military exercises in Armenia does not worry Iran as much as before. So every problem is feasible and has a solution. If Iran, standing rigid with its conservative approach and no-trespassing red line, is changing today, then there can be no problem in opening the Zangazur Corridor. The only problem is that Armenia will understand how much it can benefit from the opening of the Corridor and at the same time it can get great chances in the region with the thawing of the ice with Ankara.

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Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews deputy editor-in-chief, follow him on @ElnurMammadli1

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21 August 2024 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

Nazrin Abdul Read more

Preparation for the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), set to take place in Baku this November, is advancing across multiple fronts, Azernews reports.

According to the COP29 Azerbaijan Operating Company, the technical testing phase has commenced to guarantee the smooth operation of information and communication technologies (ICT) systems during the event, adhering to UNFCCC protocols and standards.

This testing phase, known as the Proof of Concept (PoC), began on August 19 at the Baku Stadium, the event's venue. The initial day saw representatives from the COP29 Azerbaijan Operating Company and the UNFCCC inspecting existing systems within the venue's infrastructure. They toured two database centers as well as aggregation and communication rooms.

Over the course of three weeks, the PoC phase will rigorously assess the security, functionality, and effectiveness of the network and services designated for the climate conference. This includes evaluating ICT and wireless network security, simulating the accreditation process, and conducting cybersecurity tests. These evaluations are critical for identifying potential risks and ensuring that technical preparations address any issues that may arise during the event.

The PoC phase, running until September 8, will also involve relevant staff from partner and contractor companies responsible for operations at the venue. Upon completion, the PoC will confirm the readiness and operational status of the ICT infrastructure for COP29.

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21 August 2024 11:17 (UTC+04:00)

Ulviyya Shahin Read more

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and China from January to July this year has witnessed significant growth, Azernews reports.

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21 August 2024 17:36 (UTC+04:00)

Ulviyya Shahin Read more

Rashad Nabiyev, Azerbaijan's Minister of Digital Development and Transport, announced on X that there have been talks about bringing Starlink's satellite broadband service to Azerbaijan, Azernews reports.

These discussions occurred during a meeting in Baku with Rebecca Slick Hunter, Starlink's Director of Global Licensing and Market Activation, who is visiting the city.

Last year, a cooperation agreement was signed between Azerbaijan's Space Agency, Azerkosmos, and the US company SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation).

The contract was signed by Samaddin Asadov, Chairman of the Board of Azerkosmos, and Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer of SpaceX.

The agreement stipulates that Azerkosmos and SpaceX will collaborate on distributing SpaceX's Starlink broadband satellite internet service in Azerbaijan.

Starlinks satellite internet, which has already been successfully tested in Azerbaijan by Azerkosmos, will be available to users at sea, on land, along railways, and in remote work and information centersessentially in areas with insufficient internet coverage.

Samaddin Asadov expressed his enthusiasm for partnering with a leading global technology company like SpaceX. As a partner in providing Starlink internet services, we will enhance our advanced satellite technology offerings at sea and on land, overcoming the limitations of traditional telecommunication infrastructures, said Asadov.

During the meeting, Gwynne Shotwell highlighted that this partnership represents a significant step towards the sustainable development of space collaboration between Azerbaijan and SpaceX. She also praised the International Astronautical Congress set to take place in Baku as a major global initiative and announced that SpaceX will be participating in the event.

Starlink, a SpaceX initiative led by Elon Musk, seeks to deliver high-speed internet to remote and underserved regions globally using a network of low-Earth orbit satellites.

The company SpaceX aims to provide internet access to every point on Earth through its Starlink satellite network. SpaceX began launching satellites into orbit in 2018 and has deployed over 4,000 satellites to date. These small satellites, produced in the USA, weigh between 230 and 260 kg and are expected to have a service life of 7 years. The Starlink satellites are placed in orbits at altitudes of 540 to 570 km above the Earth's surface, which is considered low Earth orbit.

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21 August 2024 15:00 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

Azerbaijani cinema art will be showcased at the 5th - Lendoc Film Festival (LEFF) to be held in Russia on August 23-27, Azernews reports.

Lendoc Film Festival is an international film festival held in St. Petersburg since 2020 on the basis of the Lendoc Open Film Studio

The event is aimed at supporting and developing interest in the cultural and ethnic wealth and diversity of the regions of Russia, CIS countries and neighboring countries, as well as creating joint film projects.

The festival guests are expected to include representatives of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Iraq, India, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

On August 27, the jury, which includes heads of federal channels, digital platforms, film distribution companies, as well as heads of state film enterprises of the CIS countries, will conduct the pitching of joint production projects. The presenter of the pitch will be Ivan Kudryavtsev, director of cinema channels of Digital Television JSC.

In the final pitching, contracts will be signed on the co-production of winning projects that will receive producer support.

Lendok film studio also prepared a series of round tables and master classes with the participation of film industry professionals for young filmmakers and guests of the festival.

Among them, Ali Khamrayev's master class, "The road to the debut" and "Documentary films in the broadcasting era: what films are needed today?"

The festival program also includes round tables and creative meetings with producer and cameraman Alexander Rubanov.

In the festival's three competition programs - fiction, non-fiction and Lendocstart student film competition, the jury and audience will evaluate 36 films, including a number of world and Russian premieres. Screenings will take place in Lendok Cinema Studio, Aurora, Dom Kino and Rodina cinemas, Lenfilm cinema center and Capella.

In 2024, the festival announced an international competition for the second time, and the organizers received over 700 applications from Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Spain, Italy, Israel, and Argentina.

The Lendocstart student film competition is taking place for the first time this year and includes 14 screenplays in two blocks divided into six feature films and eight documentaries.

All festival screenings are free for spectators, and registration is available on the website from August 14.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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21 August 2024 14:42 (UTC+04:00)

Fatima Latifova Read more

Azerbaijan will call for a ceasefire at COP29, Azernews reports, cioting Deputy Minister of Energy and the Secretary of the 29th session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP29) to be held in Baku this November, Elnur Sultanov as he said during interview to Anadolu Agency.

He stated that the main topic of COP29 will be climate change, and that the agenda will also include a call for developed countries to provide more support to developing nations, as climate change most severely impacts Africa.

Sultanov noted that Armenia has also been invited to COP29.

"We expect around 80,000 guests. Invitations have been sent to all the worlds presidents, and ministers from more than 50 countries are expected to attend, with this number likely to increase. COP29 will be unlike any other event Azerbaijan has hosted so far. We will lead the climate discussions and showcase Azerbaijans hospitality. There is no chance of COP being unsuccessful."

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21 August 2024 09:00 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan constantly makes intensive efforts to establish peace and security in the South Caucasus and the world in general. Our country continues to contribute in this direction. Azerbaijan's pragmatic foreign policy, good-neighborly relations with neighboring countries, and efforts to expand the format of the alliance, strategic partnership, and cooperation are noteworthy. In this context, the strategic partnership relations between Azerbaijan and Russia are developing in an upward direction.

Azernews reports that these views were voiced by political commentator Sahil Karimli in his statement to AZERTAC.

Emphasizing that Azerbaijan-Russia relations are currently at the level of alliance, S.Kariml said that Azerbaijan, in addition to contributing to peace, stability, and security in the South Caucasus, is making constant efforts to expand trade relations with its neighbors and raise import-export relations to a high level. Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to Azerbaijan, conducting various negotiations, establishing contacts, and exchanging a number of documents during the visit are clear proof of this.

"It is known that Azerbaijan always attaches importance to issues of security, import-export operations, and economic cooperation in the region, and in recent years there has been close cooperation with Russia in all fields. Our relations in the political, military, and humanitarian fields are at a high level. Azerbaijan's support to the countries of the region in oil and gas projects, and its location in the area where transport, communication, and energy corridors pass, also have a positive effect on the development of this cooperation on the rising line.

It should be emphasized that Azerbaijan has close relations with the West, Europe, and the CIS members, including Russia. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's farsighted foreign policy and visionary diplomatic course is based on the fact that we cooperate with both Europe and Russia in parallel. Our country contributes both to oil and gas projects and to the establishment of economic and political relations", Karimli added.

According to the political commentator, today there are a number of projects with Russia in the field of oil-gas and transport communications, where the special role of import-export operations is evident. There is a deep cooperation between the two countries in the direction of the introduction of Azerbaijani products to the Russian market and vice versa, the supply of Russian products to our country, and mutual investments.

In addition, Karimli believes that after the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Azerbaijan, the cooperation between Baku and Moscow will expand further. As President Ilham Aliyev repeatedly emphasized, Russian-Azerbaijani relations should be an example for many, and all the countries of the region should continue cooperation in the direction of the policy of good neighborliness.

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21 August 2024 10:41 (UTC+04:00)

Nazrin Abdul Read more

The COP29 Azerbaijan Operating Company has announced a new global television program to broadcast daily updates during the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azernews reports.

The "Daily Show" will provide comprehensive summaries of conference activities, making vital information accessible to a worldwide audience.

Broadcasting live from a studio at Baku Stadium, the event's venue, the program will air through various television networks, online streaming platforms, and official COP29 channels. The show will feature interviews, expert analyses, and updates, offering viewers an in-depth look at the conference proceedings.

Mukhtar Babayev, the designated President of COP29, emphasized the importance of the program: "As the impacts of climate change become more pronounced globally, the need for clear and accessible information grows. Our goal is to present climate action in a more understandable and engaging format, addressing concerns about rising temperatures and potential solutions. This daily program is a key step toward achieving that objective."

The "Daily Show" will be produced by the British media company Hi Impact, renowned for its expertise in high-quality broadcasts. To maximize outreach, the COP29 Operating Company is exploring partnership opportunities for the project, with partner selection ongoing until the end of September. Final decisions on partnerships will be made by the COP29 Presidency and the UNFCCC. For further details and to apply as a project partner, visit the COP29 official website.

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21 August 2024 12:52 (UTC+04:00)

Fatima Latifova Read more

The Chairman of the Caucasian Muslims Office (CMO), Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, is on a visit to Brazil, Azernews reports.

As part of the visit, Sheikh-ul-Islam Pashazade participated in the G20 Interfaith Forum held in the capital city, Brasilia, where he met with the Forum's President, Kol Durham.

The meeting emphasized the importance of involving religious leaders in cooperation with political figures and governments and expressed satisfaction with the effective continuation of dialogue. It was noted that the main topics of the G20 Brazil Summit included food security, environmental protection, peace-building, relations between wealthy and impoverished countries, human trafficking, and modern slavery. The necessity for religious leaders to provide spiritual assessments on these issues was highlighted.

During the Forum, Sheikh-ul-Islam Pashazade met with various figures, including Muzaffar Kamilov, advisor to the President of Uzbekistan, Zuhair al-Harisi, Secretary-General of the KAICIID International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Elder Ahmed Salem Korbitt of the Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the USA, Rodrigo Vitorino Souza Alves, head of the G20 Brazil Local Organizing Committee, Omar Rapozo, rector of the Sacred Heart Redeemer, Sheikh al-Mahfud bin Bayyah, Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Peace Forum in the UAE, among others, to exchange views on the Forums topics.

In his address at the Forum, Sheikh-ul-Islam Pashazade spoke on the topic "Let Us Forget No One: Partnership for People and Planet." Expressing gratitude for the invitation to the G20 Interfaith Forum during Brazil's presidency, Pashazade emphasized that in the modern era, where threats and dangers to human life on our shared planet are increasing, it is a global necessity to enhance joint efforts by political, social, and religious leaders. He stressed that manifestations of xenophobia, hate speech inciting ethnic, religious, and racial discrimination, and attempts to clash civilizations must be resolutely condemned by the international community. He highlighted issues threatening humanity such as ecological and war crimes, ecosystem destruction, soil degradation, scarcity, food insecurity, and famine. He commended the Forum for promoting peace and security, calling for an end to conflicts and inequalities, and focusing on crucial issues such as hunger, poverty, food security, environmental protection, religious freedom, and the rights of children, women, and youth. He emphasized that all traditional religions advocate for mercy and respect for the environment and warn of the calamities, crises, and trials that would otherwise occur.

Sheikh-ul-Islam Pashazade informed the Forum participants that the ecological crisis and the consequences of climate change will be discussed at COP29 in Baku this November, where religious leaders will actively participate in the moral assessment of climate issues.

The CMO Chairman also noted that Azerbaijan, which has fully restored its territorial integrity and sovereignty recognized by the international community, is currently implementing peaceful reconstruction projects in the liberated Karabakh and East Zangezur regions, addressing the consequences of ecocide and urbanization, and striving for peace and progress in the region.

Sheikh-ul-Islam praised Brazil's honor of hosting the G20 Summit and COP30, and characterized the cooperation platform of COP chairing trio consisting of the UAE, Azerbaijan, and Brazil as a significant event.

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Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum has added a remarkable exhibit to its rich collection, Azernews reports.

Collector Khoja Abasi, a member of the Azerbaijan Literary and Cultural Society- Isq Yol residing in Berlin, has donated Garabagh carpet Achma-yumma, woven in Shusha in 1825.

This stunning carpet is a feast for the eyes, adorned with intricate geometric and floral motives as well as stylized human and zoomorphic images, demonstrating the cultural heritage of Garabagh region. The vibrant patterns also reflect the craftsmanship of the artisans of that era.

At the event marking the donation, Khojat Abasi expressed his joy and fulfillment in realizing a long-held dream, by returning 199-year-old exquisite work to his native land.

The Carpet Museum director Amina Malikova expressed deep gratitude to Khojat Abasi for his noble initiative and for donating such a rare and exceptional piece of craftsmanship to the museum.

In her speech, Amina Malikova emphasized the importance of Achma-yumma carpet, highlighting its original composition, harmonious color palette and the richness of its ornamental designs.

Malikova underlined that this remarkable art piece will take a worthy place in the exposition of the museum's branch in Shusha, a city with centuries-old culture and history, located in Azerbaijan's Garabagh region.

By showcasing this unique treasure, the museum aims to honor its heritage as well as promote the enduring legacy of Azerbaijani craftsmanship for generations to come.

Founded in 1967, the National Carpet Museum holds more than 14,000 exhibits of the finest Azerbaijani carpets.

Initiated by eminent carpet artist Latif Karimov, the museum is beautiful inside and out.

The museum's new building is designed in the form of a rolled carpet. Now, the museum hosts multiple events, including international symposiums, conferences, and various exhibitions.

In 2019, the museum received national status for its significant contribution to promoting Azerbaijani carpet weaving art.

In 2020, the Carpet Museum enriched its collection with a beautiful pile of carpets purchased by the Culture Ministry at the Sartirana Textile Show in Italy.

The 19th-century Guba carpet "Ugakh" was donated to the Carpet Museum, while the Garabagh carpet "Chelebi" enriched the collection of the museum's Shusha branch.

For four years, the Carpet Museum won the Travellers' Choice Awards. The award proves once again that the professional activity of the National Carpet Museum is highly appreciated by visitors from all over the world.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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21 August 2024 20:28 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Iran and Permanent Representative to the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Ali Alizadeh met with Asad Majid Khan, the new Secretary General of the organization in Tehran, Azernews reports, citing the post shared on the Embassy's official X account.

The post reads:

"I am Pleased to meet with the new Secretary General of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), dear Dr. Asad M. Khan.

We exchanged views on further strengthening the role of the ECO and continuing Azerbaijans active cooperation and contribution within the organization."

Further to the post, the Ambassador said that he congratulated and wished success to the new SG on his endeavors.

Pleased to meet with the new #Secretary General of the #Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), dear Dr. Asad M. Khan.



Exchanged views on further strengthening the role of the #ECO and continuing #Azerbaijans active cooperation and contribution within the organization. pic.twitter.com/1yjA3BXzSD  Ali Alizada  (@Ali_F_Alizada) August 21, 2024

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21 August 2024 08:00 (UTC+04:00)

By News Centre

Germany on Tuesday summoned the Iranian ambassador in Berlin to protest the closure of a German language school in Tehran, Azernews reports, citing Yeni Shafak.

We condemn the actions of the Iranian security authorities against the German Language Institute in Tehran. This cannot be justified by anything. The Iranian ambassador is summoned to the Foreign Office. We call on the new Iranian government to allow teaching to resume immediately, an unnamed Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

Language exchange is the basis of mutual understanding. The institute is a popular and recognized meeting place where people put a lot of personal effort into language acquisition under difficult conditions. The institute's employees are very committed to their work, which is also intended to strengthen the connection between people in Iran and Germany, the official added.

Iranian authorities have closed the German Language Institute (DSIT) in Tehran. Security forces had sealed off the building in the north of the capital, the German Press Agency (dpa) reported, citing eyewitnesses.

Pictures were reportedly shared on social media showing a large police presence in front of the language school.

Authorities justified the move by citing violations of Iranian laws, according to the Misan justice portal. Two "illegal" facilities in the Federal Republic of Germany have been closed, it said.

The German language school was founded in 1995 by the German Embassy in Tehran and offers language courses at levels A1 to C2, with certificates recognized in Germany.

It is self-funded through language courses and exam fees and is not affiliated with the Goethe-Institut. The language school currently employs 85 teachers, according to the German Foreign Ministry.

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21 August 2024 10:07 (UTC+04:00)

New Jersey Senator Bob (Robert) Menendezs Senate career came to a close Tuesday, capping roughly five decades in Democratic politics that took him from the local school board to chair of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee, just over a month after a jury convicted him on federal bribery charges, Azernews reports, citing apnews.

On July 16, a New York court found Bob Menendez guilty of a total of 16 counts, including bribery, financial fraud, obstruction of justice, and acting as a foreign agent. His arrest is scheduled for October 29. Menendez faces 222 years in prison.

Menendez's wife, Nadine of Armenian origin, was also charged with the listed items. However, her trial was postponed indefinitely due to her illness.

Menendez signaled his resignation would take effect at the end of the day Tuesday in a letter last month to Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, who said Friday hes tapping a former top aide to succeed the three-term incumbent.

Besides, George Helmy will succeed Menendez until the November election results for the Senate seat are certified late in the month, the governor said. At that point, Murphy said Helmy would resign and hell name the winner of the election to the seat.

The stakes in the Senate election are high, with Democrats holding on to a narrow majority. Republicans have not won a Senate election in Democratic-leaning New Jersey in over five decades. His resignation also comes as Democrats gather in Chicago for their national convention to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris to be their standard bearer nationally in November.

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21 August 2024 21:22 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

Mobile operator Vodafone plans to enter the Uzbek market. This was announced by entrepreneur Farkhod Mamatjanov at a meeting with the president held on August 20 in Nukus, Azernews reports.

Farkhod Mamatjanov is the founder of the textile company UzTex Group and the main shareholder of InfinBANK, and also owns a number of other businesses. He noted that his structures have begun cooperation with the British operator Vodafone, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world, in order to introduce 5G Standalone mobile communications in Uzbekistan.

"We have privatized the Perfectum company. After conducting research inside the bank, we came to the conclusion that in order to reach private entrepreneurs at the grassroots level, a high-quality Internet is needed. In partnership with Uzcard, we have launched a revolutionary plan  the creation of Vodafone. If everything goes according to plan, the launch will take place next year," Mamatdzhanov said.

The entrepreneur added that the Finnish company Nokia will participate in the project as a supplier of equipment and technologies. He stressed that the supply of equipment has already begun, and installation work is actively underway.

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21 August 2024 19:51 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

The Chinese authorities will investigate subsidies for dairy products imported into the country from the European Union, Azernews reports.

The inspection will be carried out on the basis of an application submitted at the end of July by two Chinese associations in charge of issues in the field of dairy industry production. In this regard, on August 14, Chinese government consultations with the EU took place, at which this problem was discussed.

The investigation will be conducted until August 21, 2025 and may be extended for another six months. It will affect Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Romania, the Czech Republic and Croatia.

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After two woke curricula were presented to the Beaufort County School Board, one in social studies and one in math, the three conservative school board members launched an effort to reform the curriculum process. One objective was bringing in genuine parent involvment in the process and the other was to give board members more involvement in choosing the curriculum. It was always an uphill process due to the six board members who are little more than rubberstamps for superintendant, Matthew Cheeseman, a California liberal.

In the end, it was Cheeseman who read off what he would accept, gutting much of what the conservative board members had tried to do. Cheeseman's language was likely either written or influenced by the Durham liberal Democrat activist who Cheeseman had brought in as the school board attorney.

A big thing lost was meaningful parent involvement in the curriculum process. This is important because recently polling shows 71% of North Carolina parents are concerned about political indoctrination of their children in the public schools.

Under the Cheeseman language, there will be a window dressing of parents chosen and directed by school administrators as part of the curriculum committee. The original draft had called for a community standards committee of one parent from each school board district chosen by the board to give their input on whether a proposed curriculum met local community standards.

Teaching of cursive writing, multiplication tables, and America's founding documents and founding fathers was also cut by Cheeseman. When the process started the curriculum policy had a weak reference to founding documents, but even that has now been deleted. The conservative board members had tried to insert robust language on teaching each of these things.

Cheeseman also deleted even a general reference to curriulum respecting local community standards. Instead, he inserted strong language to demand adherence to the standards of the ultra-liberal state school board and DPI, who are the sources of the very political indoctrination opposed by parents.

The new curriculum policy did make a few steps forward. The language from the conservatives that allows the board to have approval of the curriculum committee members, give direction to the curriculum committee, and to be given three proposals to consider instead of a single proposal to rubberstamp as the process had worked was allowed by Cheeseman.

Another advance that was less than desired was in keeping the board informed on what the curriculum development committee was doing. Cheeseman also rewrote that language to make a central office staff member responsible for that, but the central office staff member designated has a history of not being forthcoming with the school board. That staff member had falsely told the school board that the recommended Savvas woke social studies curriculum was the only one approved by DPI. He also falsely told the school board that the Bridges math curriculum was "not Common Core" only to have to reverse himself at the next meeting after board members and community members had researched it and found out that it was Common Core.

The problem with the state school board was illustrated a couple of years ago when its ultra-liberal majority appointed by Gov. Cooper rammed through a woke state social studies curriculum. This was vigorously and vocally opposed by Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and State Treasurer Dale Folwell, who serve on the state school board by virtue of their offices, but they were outvoted by Cooper's ultra-liberals. It is that woke agenda that Cheeseman demands we follow.

This all adds up to a crying need to replace Cheeseman's flunkies on the school board this November and get some new members who will stand up for parents and our local community.
A prevalent issue in healthcare for several years has been increased strain on physicians, hospitals and other healthcare workers  and ASCs may be the solution.

Becker's connected with Beth LaBouyer, RN, executive director at the California Ambulatory Surgery Association, to discuss multipronged benefits ASCs offer to hospitals.

Editor's note: This response has been edited lightly for length and clarity.

Question: What are some key ways ASCs can alleviate the burden on hospitals, particularly in terms of patient volume, resource allocation and specialized care delivery?

Beth LaBouyer: There is still a high volume of ASC-eligible cases that are being handled in hospitals unnecessarily  those need to be shifted to ASCs. Because ASCs focus on certain surgery types, they can structure scheduling in a way that optimizes time in the operating rooms and reduces turnover time between surgeries. This allows more cases to be done more quickly, which reduces patient wait times and alleviates the burden on hospitals. In particular, there is an important opportunity to address outdated policy limitations in California that restrict cardiology procedures. Already, CMS has approved 23 cardiac catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention procedures to be payable in the ASC setting  and these are being performed safely in ASCs across the country.

In fact, a recent study by ECG of claims data from 2022 and 2023 suggests approximately 10% of CATH and PCI procedures are being performed in the ASC setting. But California law must be updated to allow these procedures to be done in California ASCs.

That is important because of three factors:

Demand. The demand for cardiac care in the U.S. continues to rise as more patients are screened and treated for cardiovascular disease. Timeliness of care. Research shows that the length of time between initial patient outreach to a cardiologist to the time of a patients CATH or PCI procedure in California can be as long as five months. Cost savings. The cost of these procedures are 36-47% lower in an ASC when compared to the hospital outpatient department Medicare rate, and it is expected that the cost savings is even greater for commercial payers.

As more cases are safely migrated to ASCs, there will be increased opportunities for cost savings and greater access to care.
A physician who was practicing in Salt Lake City has pleaded guilty to distributing oxycodone outside of medical practice in what the Justice Department called a "sex for scripts" scheme.

An investigation found that David Rodriguez, MD, prescribed oxycodone to a patient 15 times between May 2018 and January 2019, even though the patient had been a patient of the physician only from 2013 to 2014, the Justice Department said Aug. 19.

When the patient returned to see Dr. Rodriguez in 2018 for pain treatment, he did not ask the patient about her current medical history nor ask what controlled substances she might be taking despite clear indicators she was using illicit drugs, the release said.

The patient requested an oxycodone prescription at the first appointment and Dr. Rodriguez provided the first of 15 prescriptions at a high dosage. Dr. Rodriguez provided his patient his Snapchat information and began sending her nude pictures, the release said.

"The patient believed this to be a 'sex for scripts' trade, where if she engaged in sexual behavior, Rodriguez would write her prescriptions for oxycodone," according to the release.

In 2018, the patient filmed her appointments with Dr. Rodriguez, which included him inappropriately touching the patient and other sexual activity. After the sexual activity concluded, Dr. Rodriguez wrote the patient a prescription for oxycodone.

Dr. Rodriguez faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $1 million, the release said.






A physician is being sued for allegedly stealing trade secrets, including patient information, after leaving a Milford, Conn.-based practice.

In a suit filed Aug. 16 in New Haven Superior Court, OB-GYN Physicians and shareholder Kay Kourounis, MD, filed a suit against Novo Women's Health, a practice started by Aubrey Rauktys, MD, in 2021, Law360 reported Aug. 19.

The suit alleges that Dr. Rauktys started the company after leaving her position at OB-GYN Physicians and solicited employees and hundreds of patients to come to her competing business, breaking her covenant to not solicit patients or workers.

The suit also alleges she continues to use third-party credentials to download patient lists and materials even though her own access was revoked.

The suit accuses Dr. Rauktys of "intentionally, unethically, recklessly, unscrupulously engaged in deceptive acts, in bad faith and with sinister motives" for financial gain, interfering with Dr. Kourounis' relationship with patients and causing substantial business losses.

Additionally, although Dr. Rauktys was barred from practicing within 10 miles of OB-GYN Physicians' principal place of business in Milford during her employment or for a year after she left, her original place of business was only a mile away.

Novo Health is accused of violating Connecticut trade secret protection and unfair trade practices laws. The complaint also demands an independent accounting of Novo Health's business transactions and an injunction against using the trade secrets.

OB-GYN Physicians is also asking for Dr. Rauktys and Novo Health to make a public apology and retract all alleged falsehoods made about the plaintiffs, along with damages and royalties on Novo Health's profits from the trade secrets.

Neither Dr. Rauktys nor her attorneys immediately responded to Law360's request for comment.

Becker's has reached out to Dr. Rauktys and her attorneys and will update this story when more information becomes available.
Houston-based National Interventional Radiology Partners and its physician CEO Andrew Gomes, MD, have agreed to pay $8.8 million to resolve allegations they illegally paid physicians kickbacks for clinic and ASC referrals.

Beginning in 2015, Dr. Gomes allegedly established a number of clinics throughout Texas to treat peripheral arterial disease. He raised capital for these clinics from physicians with practices that would provide a strong Medicare referral patient base, the Justice Department said.

Dr. Goes pitched to the physician investors that they could ensure high returns on their ASC investments from referring significant numbers of patients, adding that more patient referrals would lead to more revascularization surgeries and higher profits. Dr. Gomes also told the physicians that once the ASCs were open and profitable, they could be sold.

The whistleblower in the suit, who filed his complaint in 2018, will receive nearly $1.7 million in the recovery.






The Callahan (Fla.) Town Council has deferred a vote on a new medical office building until Sept. 3, according to an Aug. 20 report from the Jacksonville Daily Record.

The town's commissioner told proposers that she wanted to see a 3D rendering of the facility before voting.

The towns planning and zoning board has recommended approval of the 6,600-square-foot facility, according to the report.

Ground is expected to be broken on the facility in 2024, and it will include 11 patient beds. A tenant for the new facility has not yet been named.
As Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare has sold off hospitals in 2024, its Conifer subsidiary has struck contracts to provide revenue cycle management services for the offloaded hospitals.

Conifer has also extended an existing partnership with a health system in 2024.

Here are five RCM partnerships that Conifer made or extended this year:

1. On Aug. 5, Conifer lined up a 10-year contract to provide services to five Alabama hospitals Tenet plans to sell to Orlando (Fla.) Health. The deal is expected to close in the fall.

2. Orange, Calif.-based UCI Health on March 26 completed a deal to acquire Dallas-based Tenet's Pacific Coast Network, which includes four hospitals in Southern California and their associated outpatient locations. Tenet CEO Saum Sutaria, MD, said on the company's Feb. 8 earnings call that the deal also includes a contract for Conifer services.

3. Tenet and Roseville, Calif.-based Adventist Health announced Feb. 29 that Conifer will enter into an agreement to provide hospital and physician revenue cycle services for Adventist. Adventist also signed a definitive agreement to purchase two California hospitals from Tenet, which was finalized March 29.

4. Conifer and Lebanon, N.H.-based Dartmouth Health extended their partnership through a new multiyear deal on Feb. 5. Conifer will continue to provide Dartmouth Health with comprehensive RCM services that include patient access, financial clearance, coding and patient financial services.

5. Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health completed its deal to acquire three South Carolina hospitals from Tenet on Feb. 1. As part of the deal, Conifer entered into a new and expanded 15-year contract to provide RCM services to the three hospitals and related operations.








Jellico (Tenn.) Regional Hospital is one step closer to reopening after the Jellico Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted 3-2 to install Community Hospital Management LLC as the new operator of the city's hospital, the LaFollette Press reported Aug. 20.

CHM CEO Kim Haverly told the publication she hopes to reopen Jellico Regional as a critical access hospital by January, but the timeline will depend on CMS' credentialing process.

A previous motion to give control of the hospital's operations to Jamestown, Tenn.-based Phoenix Rural Health failed after a 2-3 vote. PRH was founded in 2019 to save struggling rural hospitals and had planned to reopen Jellico Regional as a rural emergency hospital.

"We get the Becker's Hospital Review newsletter sent to us almost daily and Tennessee is the second-largest state in the country for rural hospital closures," Ms. Haverly told the LaFollette Press. "When we saw that Jellico was closing back in March, we knew that we needed to be an advocate for the community. We've been pursuing it pretty heavily since May."

CHM plans to survey residents in the community to see what type of services they would like to have at the hospital.

Becker's has reached out to the hospital's administrators and the mayor's office and will update this story as more information becomes available.
After a $3 million collaboration, Cleveland Clinic is set to become a shareholder in Strolll, a software that uses augmented reality to help people with Parkinson's disease.

Cleveland Clinic will acquire a stake in Strolll through an exclusive software license agreement, according to a news release Strolll shared with Becker's. Additionally, as part of this new agreement, Strolll will integrate a digital therapeutic module called Dual-task Augmented Reality Treatment (DART), developed by Cleveland Clinic researchers, into its platform.

DART aims to assist the nearly 80% of Parkinson's patients who experience falls annually due to difficulties with postural instability and gait dysfunction. According to the release, patients using the DART platform wear augmented reality glasses, and complete a series of tasks that challenge both their body and mind. The platform simultaneously measures their gait and cognitive performance throughout the training.

After the initial integration of the DART platform, Strolll will also establish its U.S. headquarters on Cleveland Clinic's main campus in Cleveland.
Matthew Banks, CEO of Crestwood Medical Center in Huntsville, Ala., has stepped down from his role.

Mr. Banks is no longer with the organization, a hospital spokesperson said in an Aug. 20 statement to Becker's.

He stepped into the role in July 2022, succeeding 15-year CEO Pam Hudson, MD, according to a news release from the hospital.

Before joining Crestwood Medical Center, Mr. Banks was CEO of Merit Health Wesley in Hattiesburg, Miss., for four years, the 2022 release said.

Both hospitals are part of Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems.
Marlow Levy, RN, was named president of two Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic hospitals, effective Sept. 4.

Mr. Levy will lead Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby, Pa., and Saint Francis Hospital in Wilmington, Del., according to an Aug. 20 news release from the health system.

He most recently served as vice president of operations at Jacksonville, Fla.-based Baptist Health since 2022. Mr. Levy has also previously worked at Norfolk, Va.-based Sentara Health and Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente, the release said.

Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic, based in Newtown Square, Pa., is part of Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health.
It is not unusual for hospitals and health systems to hire external candidates as CEOs, particularly in recent years.

One reason an external candidate might have a competitive advantage over an internal candidate is previous CEO experience, Michelle Johnson, senior partner at executive search firm WittKieffer's healthcare practice, told Becker's.

"I think when there is less of a margin for error, organizations sometimes put a premium on that 'been there, done that' level of expertise and experience," Ms. Johnson said.

Sometimes an organization is in need of a fresh perspective or there is a mandate for change, which naturally lends itself toward external consideration, she said.

A potential concern when hiring outside CEOs is that stakeholders might not know exactly how a new hire will lead. Internal candidates can have the advantage of already understanding the constituencies, communities and local market dynamics, Ms. Johnson said.

However, internal candidates also tend to need more leadership development through mentorship and support, she added.

Phil Wright, CEO of Memorial Regional Hospital South in Hollywood, Fla., stepped into the role in October. He brought more than 25 years of leadership experience to the role, previously having served as chief business development officer and COO of AdventHealth Ocala (Fla.), formerly Munroe Regional Medical Center.

Building relationships and gaining trust with staff and stakeholders were the most important factors in guiding a smooth transition to the new organization, Mr. Wright told Becker's.

Listening  done through town halls and meet and greets  was the best way to achieve those goals, as it provides a greater understanding of concerns, strengths and weaknesses to inform future decision-making, he said.

Mr. Wright prioritized this for the first three to six months, then developed strategic ideas and a vision for where the organization should go based on those previous conversations. It is a formula that has worked for him in the past, he said.

"And hopefully along the way, there are a few quick wins that you can obtain while you're in the new position that help with trust-building, so people see that you're engaged and really tuned into what's happening with the organization," Mr. Wright said.

He also noted that it is necessary for new CEOs to understand their unique situation, given that CEOs are brought in externally for various reasons.

"Knowing the assignment, knowing the culture of the organization, the history of the organization, and having a clear understanding of what it is that the organization wants from you as a CEO is pretty important," Mr. Wright said.
A Texas federal judge has issued a nationwide injunction blocking the implementation of the Federal Trade Commission's noncompete ban, which would have invalidated tens of millions of existing noncompete agreements and prohibited employers from entering into or attempting to enforce any new noncompetes.

In an Aug. 20 ruling, U.S. District Judge Ada Brown said the FTC's noncompete ban is "unreasonably overbroad without a reasonable explanation," siding with tax preparation company Ryan LLC and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, both of which argued that the FTC lacks authority to implement rules defining unfair methods of competition.

Ms. Brown temporarily blocked the ban in July, but her Aug. 20 decision makes that injunction permanent across the U.S.

The American Hospital Association and the Federation of American Hospitals filed an amicus brief in July urging the court to vacate the final rule.

The hospital groups had pushed the FTC to limit the reach of its authority specifically for the healthcare industry. Pointing to hospitals registered under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code claiming tax-exempt status as nonprofits, the AHA argued that these entities are outside the FTC's jurisdiction  a claim the FTC refutes.

AHA General Counsel and Secretary Chad Golder described the noncompete rule as a "breathtaking assertion of regulatory power" by three unelected commissioners who "did not attempt to understand the disruptive impact it would have on hospitals, health systems and the patients they serve."

"We are pleased that Judge Brown vindicated what the AHA predicted when this unlawful regulation was first released  the 'only saving grace is that this rule will likely be short-lived, with courts almost certain to stop it before it can do damage to hospitals' ability to care for their patients and communities,'" Mr. Golder said in an Aug. 20 statement shared with Becker's.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne Clark also said the ruling was a "significant win" in its fight against government micromanagement of business decisions.

"A sweeping prohibition of noncompete agreements by the FTC was an unlawful extension of power that would have put American workers, businesses and our economy at a competitive disadvantage," Ms. Clark said in a statement. "We remain committed to holding the FTC  and all agencies  accountable to the rule of law, ensuring American workers and businesses can thrive."

The FTC told Becker's it is "disappointed" in the court's decision, which does not prevent the agency from addressing noncompetes through case-by-case enforcement actions, but it is considering a potential appeal.
In a phase 3 trial spanning three years, weekly injections of tirzepatide reduced the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 94%, Eli Lilly said Aug. 20.

Tirzepatide, the active ingredient of diabetes drug Mounjaro and weight loss medication Zepbound, also led to an average weight loss of 22.9%.

About 1,030 adults who have prediabetes or are obese or overweight took the therapy for 176 weeks, and the drugmaker said its safety and tolerability profile was consistent with past research.

Mounjaro and Zepbound are glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptides (GIP).

Mounjaro and other GLP-1 medications approved for Type 2 diabetes might affect the growing prevalence of the condition  between 2012 and 2022, the overall prevalence of diabetes increased by 18.6%, a recent study found.

Here are three other updates on GLP-1s:

1. An emerging concern

Because of medication costs and side effects, some patients are breaking open their GLP-1 pens with the intent of spreading out their doses.

"There's a lot of desperation that we're seeing in our practice, and people looking for all kinds of workarounds," Laura Davisson, MD, director of medical weight management at West Virginia University Health Sciences in Morgantown, told The Atlantic.

Physicians and pharmaceutical companies advise against rationing these medicines.

2. Compounded GLP-1s

So far in 2024, U.S. poison control centers have answered 159 calls involving compounded GLP-1 medications. In 2023, there were 23, according to The New York Times. In July, the FDA issued a warning about overdosing on these medicines, reporting some hospitalizations after patients self-measured doses and healthcare providers miscalculated doses.

Despite the potential risks, the market for compounded formulations continues to grow  and some physicians are becoming more comfortable with them.

Sesame, a healthcare marketplace company backed by General Catalyst and a Costco partner, now offers a weight loss program for $249 a month.

The service includes an initial video consult, lab work and follow-up appointments as needed, and four semaglutide injections per month. Ozempic and Wegovy, the brand names for semaglutide, can cost up to $1,300 per four-week supply.

Hims & Hers Health also sells compounded semaglutide. In a recent regulatory filing, the telehealth medication company disclosed its acquisition of a 503B compounding outsourcing facility in July.

WeightWatchers is weighing the possibility of selling compounded GLP-1 medications, according to a Bloomberg report. The company is also planning layoffs of an undisclosed number of employees, including 40% of its leadership.

3. Adherence

Doug Langa, executive vice president of North America operations and president of Novo Nordisk, said the average duration of Wegovy use is about six months. In an Aug. 7 earnings call, Mr. Langa said this low adherence is due to supply constraints.

Research from Truveta, an EHR analytics company, highlighted more factors playing into discontinuation. In a study of 96,544 patients who initiated GLP-1 use, 46% of patients with Type 2 diabetes and 65% without Type 2 diabetes stopped within a year.

The opposite trend is appearing in cardiology, according Jeffrey Wessler, MD, a cardiologist with New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health.

"People want to take it," Dr. Wessler told Becker's. "It is really transforming how I think about managing an early stage cardiometabolic patient."

Truveta analysts found that discontinuation was tied to higher weight loss, high income and an absence of gastrointestinal adverse events. Access barriers also played a role, and there are large economic and racial disparities with respect to those receiving these medications, according to The Washington Post.
Jeffrey Shuren, MD, retired as director of the FDA's medical device division in July. Now, his ties to the industry are being questioned.

Dr. Shuren's wife, Allison Shuren, represented medical device manufacturers as a lawyer with the Arnold & Porter law firm in Washington, D.C., during Dr. Shuren's FDA tenure, according to The New York Times.



Here are six takeaways from the Times' investigation:
BrewDog is opening its first bar in Northern Ireland

A Scottish brewing giants plans to open its first bar in Northern Ireland has generated excitement among fans, as it confirmed it will open its first outlet here in Belfasts new Grand Central Station.

In 2021 BrewDog hinted it was eyeing up Belfast among around 40 new pub locations, with one large bar already in Dublin as well as dozens across the UK.

However, the popular brand is well used to its share of past controversies.

The companys laddish humour and disruptive marketing provoked a backlash when it was founded by James Watt and Martin Dickie back in 2007.

A series of blunders and scandals have dogged the indie firm since then, with accusations of transphobia, a fall out with the UKs alcohol trade group and allegations of plagiarism.

As early as 2009 it became embroiled in a row with the advertising standards agency after the Portman Group  a social responsible body for alcohol promotion in Scotland  branded the company as grossly irresponsible for calling one of its products Speedball.

The term is also used to described the combination of heroin and crack cocaine.

Shortly afterwards, BrewDogs Tokyo beer was taken off the shelves for breaking the code on minimum mandatory standards for drinks marketing.

Criticism didnt stop the brand opening the doors of its first pub in Aberdeen a year later as prestigious industry awards poured in.

In 2010 BrewDog provoked anger from animal welfare activists after 12 bottles of its 55% The End Of History ale were packaged inside the bodies of taxidermied squirrels and other wildlife.

Campaigners condemned the use of shock tactics to get attention as terribly out of date when it involves exploiting or degrading animals.

Read more BrewDog opening first Northern Ireland bar

The firm was accused by the Portman Group of encouraging anti-social behaviour and binge drinking with The Dead Pony ale advertising campaign.

Even a successful demonstration calling on MPs to review a 300-year-old licensing law that dictated beer could only be served in third, half or full pint measures was soured over the brewers decision to employ a dwarf to stand outside parliament for a week holding a sign in what it dubbed the worlds smallest protest.

Mr Watt advocated for free speech and artistic expression in 2013 after the Advertising Standards Agency cautioned against using foul language to promote the brand online  in particular the inclusion of words such as motherf****er, tits and b******s

We dont believe in mindless censorship, the co-founder said in defence.

As for the ASA  those motherf*****s dont have any jurisdiction over us anyway.

Subsequent scandals include the not for gays packaging of the brands Hello My Name is Vladimir product, taking a swipe at Russias ban on homosexual propaganda in the run up to the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.

Thousands of people signed a petition in 2015 opposing BrewDogs funding ad Dont Make Us Do This... Equity for Punks which featured both co-founders in a red light district setting dressed in drag. The skit was branded transphobic due its offensive caricatures.

Mr Watt and Mr Dickie changed their first names to Elvis by deed pole in 2016 to end a legal battle with the Elvis Presley Estate.

The row started with the launch of Elvis Juice  a grapefruit-infused IPA  in 2015 when the official estate of the King of Rock n Roll filed a lawsuit alleging trademark infringement.

Earlier this year, Mr Watt stepped down as CEO following a string of other controversies including a solid gold promotion in 2021 which forced him to pay 500,000 to the winners of a competition described as misleading by the ASA. A number of winners complained after discovering unique cans placed in some packs were gold-plated.

Despite Mr Watt retaining over a fifth of the firms shares, his decision to step aside has been hailed as the beginning of a new era. Time will tell.
Communal space at Bradbury Place, Elkstone's first development of student accommodation in Belfast

The Murray's Exchange site where a new block of student accommodation is to be built, close to the transport hub

Around 870 student rooms are to be built on the site of an old tobacco factory in Belfast, the location for the citys newest university housing plan.

Murrays Exchange, where Murrays Tobacco Factory once stood, is the third major development of student accommodation in Belfast from Irish investor Elkstone.

Elkstone said the scheme would address demand for student accommodation, with an estimated shortfall of 6,000 rooms even after developments in the planning system at present are complete.

The 870-room block will be next to the citys Grand Central Station, the biggest integrated transport hub on the island of Ireland.

The development at Murrays Exchange is to include single bedrooms with ensuite bedrooms, along with shared kitchen, living and dining space, and self-contained studios with private kitchens.

There will be facilities such as a gym, cinema room, study room, and a social hub.

Part of the old tobacco factory was listed and developed for office accommodation.

However, the rest of the site has not been used since it was vacated following the closure of the factory nearly 20 years ago.

Ciaran McIntyre, Elkstone co-founder and head of real estate, said: Whilst Murrays Exchange was constructed in 1900, a large part of the site has laid vacant for almost 20 years. Our plans to develop a purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) scheme would not only assist in bolstering the supply of much-needed student beds in the city, but would also assist in revitalising the rich history of the development site.

With the adjacent transport hub at Grand Central Station set to bring a new dimension to the area, the PBSA scheme will deliver a wide range of economic and community benefits, including increased footfall, more employment opportunities, and enhanced activity for surrounding businesses.

Located close to both Queens and Ulster Universitys Belfast campus, Murrays Exchange is an exciting proposal for Belfast that will allow students to reside in modern, city centre facilities.

Ciaran McIntyre, Elkstone

A spokesman said more information would be provided in the next few weeks, as a community consultation takes place.

In May, Elkstone announced a new 850-room development of student accommodation at 39 Corporation Street, on the edge of the city centre and close to the Ulster University campus.

Elkstone has already built student accommodation in locations including Stoneybatter Place, Dublin, Queen Street, Galway and Copley Court in Cork

The company is launching its first Belfast scheme, the 20m Bradbury Place development, next week.

Communal space at Bradbury Place, Elkstone's first development of student accommodation in Belfast

Other developments are taking place in the city centre in anticipation of the arrival of students after the summer holidays.

A major health facility which will cater to the city centres growing population won planning approval last week.

Healthworks on Great Victoria Street is being developed by OConnor McCann (OCMC) to include occupational health services, pharmacies and GP practices.

OCMC said the development would serve the growing inner-city population around Weavers Court, and students living between Queens University in south Belfast and Ulster University in the north of the city.

Around 5,000 student accommodation units have been built in Belfast in 12 developments since 2016. Another 1,200 beds are due to be completed this year, with around 4,000 units in the planning process.

But in a submission to Belfast City Council, the universities said another 6,000 rooms will still be needed in Belfast by 2030.

Watch: Huge explosion as army deals with WW2 bomb in Newtownards
Taylor Swift says scrapping Vienna shows over terror plot filled her with fear (Liam McBurney/PA)

Taylor Swift has said an alleged terror plot which led to the cancellation of three Eras Tour shows in Vienna filled me with a new sense of fear.

The pop superstar had been scheduled to play at the Austrian capitals Ernst Happel Stadium in early August, but the sold-out shows were cancelled after police reportedly uncovered a plot by terrorists.

Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating, 34-year-old Swift said in a post on Instagram.

The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows.

But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.

Swift said she was heartened by the love and unity she saw from fans who banded together after the news broke.

I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London.

My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us.

Swift also addressed online criticism for not issuing a statement after the Vienna shows were cancelled.

Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows, she said.

In cases like this one, silence is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when its right to.

My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that.

The cancelled Vienna dates formed part of the European leg of her Eras Tour, which concluded on Tuesday in London.

Swift made history as the first solo artist to perform at Wembley Stadium eight times in a single tour, a record previously held by Michael Jackson for his Bad Tour in 1988.

Taylor Swift described breaking Wembley records as a dizzying honour (Liam McBurney/PA)

It was the most dizzying honour to become the first solo artist to play Wembley eight times in one tour, Swift said.

The US singer said she felt a rollercoaster of emotions walking on stage in London, with five shows closing the tour in the last week after three in June, but described it as a beautiful dream sequence.

All five crowds at Wembley Stadium were bursting with passion, joy, and exuberance, she said.

The energy in that stadium was like the most giant bear hug from 92,000 people each night, and it brought me back to a place of carefree calm up there.

Swift described performing new track Florida!!! with Florence Welch from Florence + The Machine as unforgettable, while bringing Ed Sheeran on stage took me right back to our old Red Tour memories.

Taylor Swift performs on stage with surprise guest Ed Sheeran (Natasha Leake/PA)

He previously performed on her The Red Tour, which ran from 2013 to 2014, and in 2022 he re-released The Joker And The Queen as a duet with Swift.

Swift signed off the post, writing: To the fans who have seen us this summer, youll always have the most sparkling place in my memories.

You were a dream to perform for, dance with, and share those magical moments with. Well see you all again when we resume The Eras Tour in October, but for now we get to take a much needed rest.

Thank you for the adventure of a lifetime.
The family of renowned author, journalist and feminist activist Nell McCafferty have said they are humbled and comforted by the tributes following her death.

The celebrated writer, 80, died in the early hours of Wednesday at a nursing home in Fahan, Co Donegal following a long illness.

The former Irish Times journalist, originally from Londonderry, was a prominent voice on womens rights issues across the island of Ireland and in 1970 co-founded the Irish Womens Liberation Movement (IWLM).

Nell McCafferty, centre, died aged 80 at a nursing home in Co Donegal (Niall Carson/PA)

Considered a journalistic trailblazer and fearless social commentator, McCafferty, who was raised in Derrys Bogside area, authored several books and also wrote for publications including the Sunday Tribune and Hot Press.

Campaigning for the legalisation of contraceptives in Ireland in the 1970s, she famously took part in an event known as the Contraceptive Train in 1971 when members of the IWLM travelled across the border to Belfast, bought a range of contraceptive products and took them to Dublin, where they staged a protest at the citys Connolly station.

McCafferty had previously been in a long term relationship with fellow author Nuala OFaolain, who died in 2008.

A statement from McCaffertys family to the PA news agency concluded with Goodnight Sisters  the phrase she used to sign off at the end of TV appearances and also the title of two volumes of her writings.

There arent words to convey the emotion that we feel at the loss of Our Nell, said the family.

We are humbled and comforted by the outpouring of love, respect and admiration on this rainy August day.

We once again rely on the woman herself to express the depth of our feelings in just two words: Goodnight Sisters.

President of Ireland Michael D Higgins led the tributes, describing McCafferty as a writer who had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness and a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism.

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Mr Higgins said he and his wife Sabina were privileged to be friends with her and said she will be deeply missed by us all.

Nell McCafferty was a pioneer in raising those searching questions which could be asked, but which had been buried, hidden or neglected, Mr Higgins said.

Indeed, this is one of the aspects which was most remarkable from the very beginning in her work.

He added: Nell had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness, and this made her advocacy formidable on behalf of those who had been excluded from society.

A defining feature across Nells life was such a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism wherever she saw it.

Irish premier Simon Harris paid tribute to the journalist as a fierce, fearless and fiery campaigner who suffered no fools.

If she was in the room or in the debate, you knew about it, the Taoiseach said.

Her passion and wrath was not scattergun  it had a laser-like focus on calling out inequality and injustice. She suffered no fools but had a kindness and warmth for many.

Her wit and Derry turn of phrase made her impossible to ignore.

As one of the women who took the train in 1971, she set in train an unstoppable wave for equality and a changing of Ireland for the better.

That change has not yet reached its conclusion but it would be nowhere if it wasnt for warriors like Nell.

In an Ireland trying to emerge from the shadows and find who it was, Nell McCafferty was one of the people who knew exactly who she was and wasnt afraid to enter every battle for gay and womens rights. We all owe her a great debt for this.

Nell McCafferty left Ireland a much better place than she found it and she played her part with spirit and style. May she rest in peace.

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Northern Irelands First Minister and Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle ONeill said McCafferty was a trailblazer in every sense of the word.

She added: A proud feminist and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in our society.

She eloquently spoke up for disadvantaged women through her work with the Irish Womens Liberation Movement, particularly highlighting the poverty and injustices women faced in the late 20th century across the island.

Nell McCafferty was a towering figure in Irish journalism with great courage and honesty, and was an important figure during the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement.

A proud daughter of Derry, Nells wisdom, humour and humility will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her.

I want to extend my deepest sympathies to her family and friends at this very difficult time.

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Irelands deputy premier Micheal Martin said he was deeply saddened at McCaffertys death.

Nell was an exceptional journalist and campaigner  the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights and womens rights, the Tanaiste posted on X, formerly Twitter.

She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland.

In addition to her brilliance as a writer, activist and feminist, Nell brought great warmth and humour to every engagement.

She made a difference.

Sympathies to her family, friends and former colleagues.

Irelands Press Ombudsman, journalist Susan McKay, also paid tribute.

She was an absolutely wonderful journalist, a really ground-breaking journalist, Ms McKay told BBC Radio Ulster.

She changed the way that all of us who came after her wrote journalism and did journalism, because she went straight to people.

You know, if you look back at journalism before Nell, and indeed before some other brilliant woman of her generation, ordinary people were never asked for their opinion.

They were written about by gents who thought that they knew how best to analyse society.

Nell went straight into working-class places, she talked to people who had experienced real hardships and afflictions in their lives, and she brought their voices alive.

She was tremendously brave and courageous and she wrote about all of the most important stories of her time.

And its very, very sad that she has died, but she had been very ill for quite a number of years, and, you know, wasnt really in a position to appreciate life to the same extent as she had been before.

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SDLP leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood described McCafferty as a mould-breaker and establishment shaker.

She spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could, he said on X.

An icon for so many people across Ireland.

Nell will be sadly missed, but her activism will endure.

Leader of the Irish Labour Party Ivana Bacik said she is deeply saddened.

She described McCafferty as a wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon.

It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends, she posted on X.

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The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) described McCafferty as one of the most renowned journalists in Ireland.

She was a long time member of the NUJ and a former union activist.

Irish secretary Seamus Dooley said: With the death of Nell McCafferty, a bright light has been extinguished.

She was one of the most renowned journalists in the country as a reporter, columnist, author and broadcaster.

The public recognised in her a deep commitment to social justice.

The fact that she was so often referred to only by her first name is a reflection of her special place in Irish journalism and in the public consciousness.

This stemmed from her unique qualities as a reporter and storyteller.

Nell McCafferty could be hilariously funny, frequently controversial and delighted in being contrary.

She was never afraid to challenge the consensus and took pleasure in afflicting the comfortable.

Throughout her career, Nell blazed a trail for feminists and played a significant role in the development of the feminist movement in Ireland.

Always provocative, Nell had the ability to trenchantly argue her case with unique style.

McCaffertys funeral will take place on Friday in her native Derry.

A requiem mass will be held at 12.30pm at St Columbas Church, Long Tower in the city, followed by a private cremation in Co Cavan.
I was standing in Ukraine in a graveyard not far from the front line, and all these fresh graves with all the flowers on them and Im just saying to myself, whats this all about?
Belfast International Airport has revealed that last month was the busiest July ever recorded at the airport.

It said over 700,000 passengers jetted off to 70 destinations, with almost 6,000 flights recorded as the peak school holiday period got underway.

The busiest day was July 14 and saw over 26,000 passengers travelling through the airport.

Dan Owens, chief executive officer of the airport said: This year we expanded our range of routes and frequencies for the summer period, which have helped drive the July figures we are releasing today.

"All of our airlines have added new destinations to our route portfolio including Malta, Bodrum, Tunisia and Larnaca which indicates that there is clear demand to travel to a wide range of destinations.

The most popular destination in July was Palma in Mallorca, with 40,000 passengers heading to the Spanish hotspot.

This comes despite the region continuing to be hit by anti-tourism protests.

The protests  which have seen thousands of locals take to the streets  have highlighted growing concerns about overtourism in the Balearic Islands, with demonstrators marching through the streets in Palma de Majorca holding anti-tourist signs, and even incidents in Barcelona where residents squirted diners in tourist areas with water guns during a protest against mass tourism.

Other popular destinations from Belfast International included Faro, Paris and Dalaman in Turkey.

The data also states that reportedly 90% of passengers waited for less than 15 minutes to get through security.

The airport was also recently given a good rating by the Civil Aviation Authority for the services it provides to passengers with reduced mobility.

Dan Owens continued: Our continued growth reflects the strategic focus we have on improving the overall customer experience as well as on increasing connectivity and choice.

Our journey to transforming the passenger experience is well underway with one year of our 100m five-year investment plan almost complete. This investment will see the opening of our new security search hall in the coming weeks as well as further upgrades to terminal facilities, commercial areas, seating and gate areas and a new duty free and hospitality offering.
An inquest into the death of Belfast schoolboy Noah Donohoe was set to commence in September (Family Handout/PA)

The coroner who was due to hear the inquest into the death of schoolboy Noah Donohoe has stepped down from the case.
Belfast son who stole from 82-year-old mum to pay off drug dealers is jailed: This was a shameful offence
Almost 10,000 children have been registered for Northern Irelands Childcare Subsidy Scheme within a fortnight of it opening.

The 25m scheme was announced in May and includes a 15% childcare subsidy on top of the 20% granted by the UK government.

Education minister Paul Givan said he is encouraged by the uptake of the scheme. The families of these children will see their childcare bills reduced from September 2024, he said.

I have stated that making childcare more affordable was one of my top priorities, and I am pleased that this scheme is about to deliver on that commitment for hard-working families across Northern Ireland. My intention was to have the scheme operational by September this year and am delighted that we are on track to do so.

The subsidy can be offered by registered childcare providers who are signed up to the Tax Free Childcare (TFC) scheme and can register a child below primary school age. This includes daycares, playgroups, childminders and Approved Home Childcare (AHC) providers.

The Minister continued: I am grateful for the excellent work of our delivery agent, Early Years Organisation for helping us achieve this and to other partners who have helped to promote the scheme and support its rapid roll-out. I specifically want to pay tribute to the 1280 childcare providers, including daycares, childminders, playgroups and Approved Home Childcarers who have so far signed up to offer the scheme to their parents.

He said: Although the closing day (20th August) has just passed for guaranteeing timely September payments, registration remains open for both providers and parents and I would encourage anyone who has not yet signed up, to do so as soon as possible. Early Years Organisation will continue to process these as they receive them.
A mother living in Craigavon has said she and her partner are experiencing an impossible situation after their one-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a rare and life-threatening genetic condition.

Fourteen-month-old Robyn Neville Quinn was diagnosed with Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome in March, an immune disorder so rare in females that it affects one in one billion baby girls.

Her parents, Meagan Quinn and Adam Neville (both 25), are originally from Co Laois but now live in Northern Ireland.

Robyn Neville Quinn in hospital (Photography by Anna)

Though Robyn was born healthy, her parents noticed a small rash appear on her body in the weeks after her birth.

Meagan and Adam took their child to hospital, where at first the rash was dismissed as a cows milk allergy. But the young couple persisted, insisting it was more than that.

The parents have now turned to crowd fundraising in an appeal to raise money to help Robyn receive life-saving surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

Robyns birth was normal; she was discharged within a couple of days, Meagan recalled.

But I just started to notice, in the first couple of weeks, that she wasnt very well  very tired, very sick looking, just not herself.

Thats when we were told it was a cows milk allergy and that she needed to be closely watched.

She just came out in this huge rash. But A&E would tell us it was that, or eczema, but I actually thought it could have been meningitis and I demanded a blood test. I knew there was more to it. I knew the rash was causing bruising.

Thats when we were told the platelets in her blood were around six, when theyre supposed to be in the hundreds.

Robyn Neville Quinn, who has Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome (Photography by Anna)

Robyn received the diagnosis of Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome after extensive genetic testing in London, which took around six months to complete.

The syndrome is commonly found in boys, as its carried by one X chromosome, and almost never in girls, who have two X chromosomes.

The disorder is described as a rare, abnormal immune system function which causes an immune deficiency, eczema and a reduced ability to form blood clots  essentially meaning that Robyns immune system is completely compromised.

Robyn soon started to build antibodies against her platelets, which means her body was fighting off the blood, continued Meagan.

Its really bad if her body continues to fight transfusions, because she will eventually stop accepting them.

Were just heartbroken over it all, especially because were so far away from our family as well; we dont get much help.

It has been really hard on us. Its an impossible situation.

Why us? Why Robyn? That is all we ask ourselves, because its so rare. And no one is able to give us proper answers because they dont know.

Meagan and Robyn (Photography by Anna)

Robyns compromised immune system means that, despite being an active one-year-old, she is not able to enjoy the same activities as fellow children her age.

She is very tired and has very little energy and appetite, explained Meagan.

But because her immune system is compromised, we have to keep her sheltered. She cant go swimming or to soft play, which is unfortunate but its the only way we know we can keep her safe.

Its intended that Robyn will receive a stem-cell transplant which will rebuild her immune system.

Robyn (Photography by Anna)

Meagan described the operation as life-saving for her baby daughter, adding: Its the only treatment for her condition, so we have to go for it.

We have to make sure she is OK. Robyn needs a better life, and if this continues she could die, simply because her blood wont make platelets.

I didnt know anything about stem cells, and it really highlighted the importance of the Bone Marrow Registry, because its such a simple task that could save someones life, like Robyns.

But once she receives it, she, all being well, will be cured of Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome  which will be amazing.

She will receive a whole new immune system because of the transplant, added Meagan.

Robyn (Photography by Anna)

The couples family have since launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to help with costs accumulated with the transplant, which will hopefully take place in October, such as flights and accommodation.

They are unaware of how long they will need to stay in England following Robyns transplant, as recovery times from stem-cell transplants  which takes blood stem cells donated from a person and inserts them into anothers bloodstream  can vary.

Work-wise, its been really hard on us, Meagan said.

I havent been able to return and we dont know what the outcome or recovery of the transplant will be, so we dont know how long were going to need to be with Robyn in London.

Read more One-in-a-billion wee star Robyn needs our help

To donate or find out more about Robyns journey, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/arer84-robyns-journey
Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 21st August 2024 The scene on the Ballyclare Road, Ballyclare as an earlier fire at premises in the had reignited. The restaurant has suffered significant damage following a racially motivated arson attack. Picture by Matt Mackey / PressEye

The scene on the Ballyclare Road (Picture by Matt Mackey / PressEye)

The burnt out restaurant on the Ballyclare Road. Picture by Peter Morrison

Left: The attack on the Railway Bar and Steam Dining restaurant on the Ballyclare Road in Glengormley. Right: The NIFRS extinguishing the blaze.

The burnt out restaurant on the Ballyclare Road. Picture by Peter Morrison

A bar-restaurant in Co Antrim is to close after being targeted by arsonists in what police are treating as a racially-motivated hate crime.

Parts of the Ballyclare Road were closed in the early hours of yesterday as firefighters tackled the blaze at the former Railway Bar and Steam Dining restaurant near Newtownabbey.

Photographs from the scene showed damage on the roof and exterior walls.

Watch: Firefighters battle arson attack at Co Antrim Indian and Nepalese restaurant

Racist graffiti was sprayed on a wall by the arsonists

The restaurant recently rebranded as an authentic Indian and Nepalese eatery, with a takeaway service only opening days ago.

In a post on social media, the bar's management announced that "with a heavy heart" they were closing their "beloved" business.

"As a young Nepalese-British individual, born into a Hindu family, raised and educated in Belfast, I never imagined that my skin colour and religion would make us a target for such a hateful act," the post said.

It added: "Our establishment, once a place of joy and community, has fallen victim to a devastating act of organised hate.

"This venue was more than just a business; it was a piece of history, a place that brought people together and created lasting memories.

"We are shattered and deeply saddened to see it destroyed. Your favourite local pub, a place that brought so much happiness to so many, has been brought to its knees."

Left: The attack on the Railway Bar and Steam Dining restaurant on the Ballyclare Road in Glengormley. Right: The NIFRS extinguishing the blaze.

The attack has been widely condemned.

Sinn Fein MP John Finucane said the attack was sickening and deplorable.

The racist attack on a business in Newtownabbey in the early hours of this morning was absolutely sickening and deplorable, he said.

"This business operates to serve our community and employ workers. It is totally unacceptable that it has been targeted in this way.

These disgusting and disgraceful attacks which are fuelled by racism, hatred and discrimination have no place in our inclusive and forward-looking society.

Those intent on causing hate and stirring up division must face the full force of the law, and I would appeal to anyone who may have information on this incident to bring it forward to police.

The burnt out restaurant on the Ballyclare Road. Picture by Peter Morrison

DUP MLA Pam Cameron condemned the attack on the business. There can be no justification for attacking any property and particularly for the sinister graffiti that was sprayed onto the building.

The owners of the restaurant have been working hard to build up their business and contribute to the local community. Their efforts are a world away from those with nothing to offer but hate, destruction and chaos.

We will continue to stand with all those who want to build a better Northern Ireland, and particularly with those who feel fearful because of recent attacks such as this, she said.

The PSNI said the fire was being treated as deliberate.

At around 1:50am, it was reported that a property was set light in the area. Graffiti was also reported on the premises following the incident. Colleagues from Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service attended and dealt with the fire, which is being treated as deliberate ignition, a spokesperson said.

The scene on the Ballyclare Road (Picture by Matt Mackey / PressEye)

Enquiries are continuing and at this stage, the incident is being treated as a racially-motivated hate crime.

The Ballyclare Road remains closed as a fire at the premises has reignited.

Anyone with any information in relation to the incident can contact detectives on 101, quoting reference number 68 21/08/24. Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The arrest is in connection with a shooting in May last year. PSNI stock image: Aodhan Roberts

A 50-year-old man who was today arrested on suspicion of attempted murder by police investigating the INLA has been released on bail pending further inquiries.

The incident in question took place on Antrim Road on May 31, 2023, when four masked men entered a property, and another man was shot in the back and legs.

The injured man, who is in his 40s, was taken to hospital while another man at the property was left shaken but uninjured.

Detectives from the Paramilitary Crime Task Force carried out the investigation, searching a property in north Belfast on Wednesday morning.

A PSNI spokesperson said: A 50-year-old man arrested today, Wednesday 21st August, on suspicion of attempted murder, by detectives from the Paramilitary Crime Task Force investigating criminality linked to the north Belfast Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), has been released on bail to allow for further police inquiries.

The investigation continues.

Speaking following the incident, Sinn Fein MLA Caral Ni Chuilin condemned the shooting.

There is no place for guns on our streets," she said.

This reckless attack has caused disruption for residents and left people living in the nearby flats traumatised.

Anyone with information on this attack should bring it forward to the PSNI.
Residents return to their homes after experts successfully deal with 83-year-old device

Army and police deal with bomb which was discovered on a building site in the Rivenwood housing development area of Newtownards, Co. Down. Pic: Presseye

A still from doorbell footage issued by Graeme Stewart of the controlled explosion of a WW2 bomb in Newtownards, Co Down, on Tuesday. Pic: PA

Residents who were forced to relocate from their homes due to the discovery of a World War II bomb were allowed to return after a controlled explosion was carried out on the device in Co Down.

Minimal damage was caused to nearby properties in the Rivenwood area of Newtownards when the explosion occurred yesterday.

Black smoke could be seen billowing from the scene at 3.38pm on Monday as experts successfully completed what police described as a highly complex operation.

PSNI Superintendent Johnston McDowell thanked those affected by the operation as he confirmed residents could return home yesterday evening.

He also praised the Armys 321 EOD and search squadron as he confirmed the munition was an air-dropped SC-500 German bomb believed to be around 83-years-old.

But [it] still posed a significant risk to public safety, even after all this time, he added.

The Ards and North Down District Commander had previously warned residents who refused to evacuate their homes that there was a risk of death or serious injury. Occupants of over 400 homes within a 400m exclusion zone were forced to flee the area on Saturday.

Army and police deal with bomb which was discovered on a building site in the Rivenwood housing development area of Newtownards, Co. Down. Pic: Presseye

James Fraser, the developer of the site, said there are no reports of broken windows but solar panels have been damaged on some properties. But residents may have to shell out for the repairs from their own pockets.

Joan McCabe (63) has spent days worrying about the new house she is due to move into next month  it is situated right beside where the 1,100lb bomb was found.

The Rivenwood resident is now waiting to find out the extent of the impact of the controlled blast. I know there is damage to solar panels and roof tiles, but Im still not allowed in to see it, she said. Im not sure about structural damage and will need to wait for it to be assessed. But at least its still standing.

Litigation expert William McSorley said house insurance policy providers often include a war exclusion clause which can affect coverage. The partner at Millar McCall Wylie Solicitors referred to the notable case of Allianz Insurance plc v University of Exeter, when the court ruled that damage from a controlled explosion of a WWII bomb was not covered due to the clause.

The war exclusion clause typically excludes coverage for damage occasioned by war, which includes unexploded bombs from WWII, Mr McSorley told the Belfast Telegraph.

Therefore the resulting damage in Newtownards may not be covered by standard home insurance policies.

Its always best to review your specific policy details or consult with your insurance provider to understand the exact coverage and any exclusions that may apply.

Mr McSorley encouraged affected homeowners to consider seeking legal advice after they have exhausted efforts through the insurance route. The Ministry of Defence will have to show that they have taken the appropriate safety precautions to minimise the damage caused.

Footage of a huge explosion as army deals with WW2 bomb in Newtownards

Prior to police confirming that the device was to be dealt with on site, efforts were underway to rescue abandoned pets. Lost and Found Pets Ards & North Down had been contacted by a distraught resident who was forced to leave their beloved rabbit behind at the weekend.

Andrea Mammus, from the group, said the woman was understandably denied access when she tried to return to the property and that talks had been underway with police to help get the animal into the care of someone who had volunteered to look after it.

We have now had over 800 offers from people willing to foster animals, she told this newspaper. We were trying to get to this rabbit and were aware of a cat that was left behind.

We had carers arranged for both. Anyone who asked us for help, we have been able to help.

Ms Mammus said all animals will be returned to their owners as soon as they are told the area is safe for them to return to.

The controlled explosion was carried out following lengthy discussions with ATO specialists about whether the bomb should be removed instead.

The operation was expected to take more than five days to complete but great progress on the mitigation stage meant the situation developed faster than anticipated.
The family of renowned author, journalist and feminist activist Nell McCafferty have said they are "humbled and comforted" by the tributes following her death.

The celebrated writer, 80, died in the early hours of Wednesday at a nursing home in Fahan, Co Donegal following a long illness.

The former Irish Times journalist, originally from Londonderry, was a prominent voice on women's rights issues across the island of Ireland and in 1970 co-founded the Irish Women's Liberation Movement (IWLM).

Considered a journalistic trailblazer and fearless social commentator, McCafferty, who was raised in Derry's Bogside area, authored several books and also wrote for publications including the Sunday Tribune and Hot Press. A statement from McCafferty's family concluded with 'Goodnight Sisters' - the phrase she used to sign off at the end of TV appearances and also the title of two volumes of her writings.

"There aren't words to convey the emotion that we feel at the loss of Our Nell," they said.

"We are humbled and comforted by the outpouring of love, respect and admiration on this rainy August day.

"We once again rely on the woman herself to express the depth of our feelings in just two words: Goodnight Sisters."

Campaigning for the legalisation of contraceptives in Ireland in the 1970s, she famously took part in an event known as the Contraceptive Train in 1971 when members of the IWLM travelled across the border to Belfast, bought a range of contraceptive products and took them to Dublin, where they staged a protest at the city's Connolly station.

McCafferty had previously been in a long term relationship with fellow author Nuala O'Faolain, who died in 2008.

Irish President Michael D Higgins said Ms McCafferty was a pioneer in her work over many years.

It is with great sorrow that so many people will have learnt of the death of Nell McCafferty, he said.

Nell McCafferty was a pioneer in raising those searching questions which could be asked, but which had been buried, hidden or neglected."

President Higgins said he and his wife Sabina were privileged to be Nells friends and said she will be deeply missed, especially by those who experienced her enduring strength, courage, warmth and humour. May I express my deepest condolences to Nells family, colleagues and many friends, he added.

First Minister Michelle ONeill described Ms McCafferty as a trailblazer in every sense of the word.

A proud feminist, and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in our society, she added.

She eloquently spoke up for disadvantaged women through her work with the Irish Womens Liberation Movement, particularly highlighting the poverty and injustices women faced in the late 20th century across the island.

Nell McCafferty was a towering figure in Irish journalism with great courage and honesty and was an important figure during the peace process.

A proud daughter of Derry, Nells wisdom, humour and humility will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her. I want to extend my deepest sympathies to her family and friends at this very difficult time.

The SDLP leader Colum Eastwood described Ms McCafferty as an icon. Very sorry to hear about the death of Nell McCafferty. A mould breaker and establishment shaker, she spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could, he said.

Taoiseach Simon Harris described her as "fierce, fearless and fiery".

A Requiem Mass will take place at 12.30pm at St Columbas Church in Derry city followed by a private cremation in Co Cavan.
Four bodies were brought to shore by rescue teams on Wednesday (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Five bodies have been found in the search for six people missing after the sinking of a luxury yacht off the coast of Sicily.

The islands civil protection agency confirmed on Wednesday that four out of the five bodies have been recovered and a sixth person remains unaccounted for.

It comes after the body of a chef on the superyacht, Recaldo Thomas, was recovered on Monday.

(PA Graphics)

The identities of the bodies found on Wednesday, and the remaining missing person, have not been confirmed but the group of six unaccounted for after the yacht sank are Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah, Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy, Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda.

Here, the PA news agency details what we know of those who were on board.

 Recaldo Thomas

The first body recovered at the scene of the sinking on Monday was that of Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the Bayesian superyacht, the Italian coastguard told Sky News.

In a tribute shared on Tuesday, Gareth Williams, a friend of Mr Thomas, told the BBC: I can talk for everyone that knew him when I say he was a well-loved, kind human being with a calm spirit.

Mr Thomas grew up in Antigua and spent his time there during the off-season, Mr Williams said.

Another friend, Eli Fuller, told the outlet Mr Thomas was friends with everybody, always positive and sought after in his profession.

 Mike Lynch

Mike Lynch (Yui Mok/PA)

British technology tycoon Mr Lynch founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, and made his name as one of Britains most influential entrepreneurs.

In June, the 59-year-old was cleared of conducting a massive fraud relating to an 11 billion dollar (8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.

The boat trip was a celebration of his acquittal.

He was made an OBE for services to enterprise in 2006. That same year, he was appointed to the board of the BBC, and was later elected to then-prime minister David Camerons council for science and technology in 2011.

David Tabizel, Mr Lynchs Autonomy co-founder, told Sky News on Tuesday: He has been one of the most influential, intelligent and most honourable human beings I have ever had the honour of knowing.

Ruth Leigh, a neighbour of Mr Lynch from Pettistree in Suffolk, said on Tuesday: Once a year hed host a party on the lawn and wed all go to it.

Hes just a really nice person. I know that sounds a bit trite, but for a man in his position with every right he could have been quite lofty but he wasnt, he got involved.

(PA Graphics)

He used to come and speak at the church in the village on Remembrance Sunday.

He was a very charitable man, he gave a lot of his time and effort which was good. We just had an incredibly high opinion of him.

 Hannah Lynch

The 18-year-old daughter of Mr Lynch had recently finished her A-levels and was due to study at Oxford University.

A spokesperson for Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London, where Hannah was a former pupil, said on Tuesday: We are all incredibly shocked by the news that Hannah and her father are among those missing in this tragic incident and our thoughts are with their family and everyone involved as we await further updates.

 Jonathan Bloomer

Jonathan Bloomer (Hiscox/PA)

The Morgan Stanley International bank chairman is a prominent businessman who holds a number of boardroom roles after an extensive career in financial services.

He was the chief executive of global finance group Prudential between 2000 and 2005, and is chairman of Morgan Stanley International as well as Hiscox and property business SDL.

Mr Bloomer was among those to give evidence as a defence witness for Mr Lynch, and media reports suggest the pair are close friends.

Aki Hussain, group chief executive of Hiscox, said in a statement on Tuesday: We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event.

Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular our chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among the missing, and with their family as they await further news from this terrible situation.

A spokesperson for Morgan Stanley said on Tuesday: We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragedy.

Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular the Bloomer family, as we all wait for further news from this terrible situation.

(PA Graphics)

 Judy Bloomer

Mr Bloomers wife Judy is a respected psychotherapist.

 Chris Morvillo

Mr Morvillo, a partner at law firm Clifford Chance, represented Mr Lynch during the long-running criminal fraud trial where he was eventually cleared of all charges.

A spokeswoman for Clifford Chance said on Tuesday: We are in shock and deeply saddened by this tragic incident.

Our thoughts are with our partner, Christopher Morvillo, and his wife Neda who are among the missing.

Our utmost priority is providing support to the family as well as our colleague Ayla Ronald, who together with her partner, thankfully survived the incident.

 Neda Morvillo

Mr Morvillos wife Neda reportedly runs a luxury jewellery line.
Italian emergency services prepare to head toward the area off the Sicilian coast where the search continues six tourists missing after a luxury yacht sank in a tornado off the coast of Sicily. (PA Wire)

British tech magnate Mike Lynch and five others are missing, feared dead after their luxury yacht sank in a tornado off the Sicilian coast.

The luxury vessel  named the Bayesian  was moored half-a-mile off the coast of Porticello when it sank around 5am local time on Monday.

Rescue efforts are currently underway, with Vincenzo Zagarola of the Italian Coastguard telling PA news agency authorities believe the missing six people are likely to be trapped inside the boat.

Of course, we do not exclude that they are not inside the boat, but we know the boat sank quickly, he said.

We suppose that the six people missing may not have had time to get out of the boat.

The cruise was reportedly a celebration of Mr Lynchs recent acquittal of fraud charges in the United States.

 Who is involved and why were they there?

Technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hanna  who had recently finished her A-Levels and was bound for Oxford  remain missing.

Also unaccounted for are Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley and insurance company Hiscox, and his wife, Judy, a respected psychotherapist; as well as Chris Morvillo, a lawyer from Clifford Chance and part of the legal team representing Mr Lynch, and his wife, Neda, who reportedly runs a luxury jewellery line.

The body of a man was recovered near the yacht, believed to be that of chef Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan man working onboard.

Fifteen of the 22 people onboard  including Mr Lynchs wife, Angela Bacares  were rescued after escaping onto a lifeboat.

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch is missing after the luxury yacht, Bayesian sank in bad weather off the coast of Sicily (PA Media)

The Telegraph reported Mr Lynch had guests from the legal firm that represented him and his own company to join him on the voyage.

Among others rescued were Charlotte Golunkski and her one-year-old daughter Sophie. The brave mother kept her daughter alive by holding her over her head while she was in the water.

 How did the boat sink?

Italian authorities have reported bad stormy conditions that caused the yacht to sink, but investigations into the exact circumstances of the tragedy remain ongoing.

It is believed the luxury vessel may have been hit by a water spout, a rotating column of wind that forms over a body of water and is often likened to a tornado.

According to the US National Ocean Service, tornadic weather spouts have the same characteristics as a land tornado and are often accompanied by severe thunderstorms, high winds and seas, large hail, and frequent dangerous lightning.

(PA Graphics)

 What search and rescue efforts are underway?

Vincenzo Zagarola of the Italian Coastguard said the six missing tourists were feared dead.

Asked about their likelihood of being alive, he said: Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not.

Italian emergency services headed out to sea towards the area off the Sicilian coast, where the search continues for six missing tourists. (PA Media)

Italys fire brigade Vigili del Fuoco said it developed a plan to enter the wreckage of Bayesian, which is resting on the seabed off the coast at a depth of 50 metres. It described the operation as complex, with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts.

Firefighter divers reached parts of the vessel through the gap, Giornale Di Sicilia reported on Tuesday, but are yet to make it to the cabins.

If you manage to get inside, you understand there is a world of objects. So, getting inside and descending into the compartment below from the stairs that are narrow and going into all of the cabins is a really hard and difficult job, fire department diver Marco Tilotta said per Reuters news agency, according to the BBC.

We are not stopping. We have resources, manpower and means. Our goal is to find all the people who are missing, so that is our job,

Dr Jean-Baptiste Souppez, a senior lecturer of mechanical, biomedical and design engineering at Aston University, said the next 24 hours are crucial to find survivors trapped inside the wreck.

Morgan Stanley International Bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer is one of six people missing (Morgan Stanley International Bank/PA)

The speed at which the vessel sank (a few minutes, according to survivor and witness accounts) and the fact that it remains intact and on its side could favour the formation of small air pockets inside, he said.

This is obviously highly speculative and impossible to predict accurately.

Rescuers could be looking for signs of life including banging noises at regular intervals.

 Who is Mike Lynch?

Mike Lynch, the British billionaire and tech entrepreneur, owes his fame and fortune to software firm Autonomy, which he sold to Hewlett-Packard for billions in 2011.

Hailing from Suffolk, he graduated with a PhD from the University of Cambridge. Mr Lynch is married to Angela Bacares, with whom he shares two daughters.

The father-of-two has a reported net worth valued at around 852 million, according to the Independent.

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His business ventures led him to once be dubbed Britains Bill Gates but also landed him in legal trouble.

Autonomys sale was wrapped in fraud claims, and he faced civil action in the UK before being extradited to the United States to face criminal charges.

In June, he was cleared of 15 fraud charges after allegations he inflated Autonomys worth.

 What do we know about the Bayesian?

The 56-metre sailing boat was launched by Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi in 2008, according to the company website.

It was once called the Salute, but was later renamed after Lynchs PhD thesis on statistical theory by mathematician Thomas Bayes.

Media reports suggest the yachts owner is listed as Revtom Limited, a company owned by Mr Lynchs wife.

 Who was Stephen Chamberlain and how is he connected to the situation?

Stephen Chamberlain was an associate of Mike Lynch and stood trial for fraud alongside him after Autonomys controversial sale.

Days before the yacht disaster, Mr Chamberlain died after being hit by a car while out jogging.

Stephen Chamberlain was killed whilst out running on Saturday in the village of Stretham in Cambridgeshire. (Cambridgeshire Police)

Mr Chamberlain, Autonomys former VP of Finance, was cleared of all charges by a San Francisco court in June.

Relatives of Mr Chamberlain said in a tribute released through police that he was a much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend.

He was an amazing individual whose only goal in life was to help others in any way possible, his family said.
Disorder broke out in various locations in the UK in the wake of the Southport killings, including in Middlesborough, pictured (Owen Humphreys/PA)

A Pakistani web developer is facing a criminal charge over claims he helped spread misinformation about the accused Southport attacker.

Farhan Asif, 32, has been charged with cyber terrorism after false claims quickly spread online that the suspect was a Muslim immigrant to the UK, when in fact he was born in Wales and comes from a Christian family.

Pakistani police announced the charge on Wednesday, and said that Asif claimed he was not the original source of the false information, but reposted it from social media.

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After three little girls were murdered at a holiday club in Southport on July 29, false rumours including a fake name for the suspect spread on X, formerly Twitter, appearing to originate from an apparent news website called Channel3 Now.

The sites editor-in-chief posted an apology July 31 for the misleading information published in a recent article on our website, Channel3 Now. We deeply regret any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused.

The false details spread quickly online in the UK, with riots breaking out in various locations.

There were also anti-racist counter-demonstrations attended by thousands of people.

Pakistans Federal Investigation Agency, which deals with cyber-terrorism, has taken over the investigation.

In Pakistan police charge suspects with offences, and they are indicted later.

Trouble flared as the anti-immigration protest descended into violence in Rotherham on August 4 (Danny Lawson/PA)

Federal investigators were given a day to question Asif by a court on Wednesday, and he is due to appear in court on Thursday when investigators are expected to seek more time to quiz him.

Hundreds of people have so far been charged in the UK following the widespread disorder.

On Wednesday, the latest batch of defendants to appear in court included men accused or convicted of unrest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham.

The unrest outside the Holiday Inn Express, in Manvers, on August 4 left 58 police officers, three police horses and a police dog injured, and saw attempts to storm the building and set it on fire.

Railway engineer Morgan Hardy, 29, of Melton High Street, Rotherham, is accused of throwing chairs, fencing and a fire extinguisher at police guarding the hotel, and denies violent disorder.

Former soldier Peter Beard, 43, of Becknoll Road, Brampton Bierlow, Rotherham, was jailed for two-and-a-half years after admitting pushing aggressively at the line of officers.

The disorder saw missiles thrown at police and attempts to storm the building (Danny Lawson/PA)

The father-of-three, who undertook tours of duty in Kosovo, Bosnia and Northern Ireland, was told by Judge Jeremy Richardson KC: Your conduct was shameful, it was disgraceful and, in many respects, astonishing.

Passing sentence at Sheffield Crown Court, the judge heard how Beard served in the Royal Green Jackets between 1998 and 2003, and said he was astonished that the defendant had become involved as he had been on the receiving end of public order incidents as a peacekeeper.

A 27-year-old man who threw a wood panel onto a fire outside the hotel admitted a charge of arson with intent to endanger life.

Recorder of Sheffield Judge Jeremy Richardson KC told Thomas Birley his offending is unquestionably the most serious of all those he has dealt with in the last fortnight in relation to the rioting outside the Holiday Inn Express, at Manvers, Rotherham, on August 4.

Birley, of Rowms Lane, Swinton, Rotherham, who also admitted violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon, will be sentenced on September 6.

Elsewhere Jake Lowther, 20, of Abrams Fold, Banks was sentenced to 18 months in a young offenders institute for throwing stones at police in Southport.

Trouble flared during a protest in Southport (Richard McCarthy/PA)

Liverpool Crown Court heard that he picked up two pieces of brick or stone from a broken wall and threw them towards police, with one hitting a riot shield.

A number of people involved in the Southport disorder were jailed on Wednesday, including father-of-three Luke Moran, 38, who was sentenced to three years after trying to smash a police van window.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the officer inside, Pc James Hayes, feared for his life as Moran used a large piece of concrete to hit the carrier three times.

Cocaine addict Daniel Carrigan, 41, of Preston Grove, Liverpool, was jailed for two years and eight months after admitting violent disorder and criminal damage, for throwing items at a police van and kicking the vehicle.

The court heard he had been convicted of a racially aggravated common assault in 2016 after telling a traffic warden he should return back to his own country.

Thomas Whitehead, 53, was arrested on a plane at Manchester Airport after his picture was circulated by police as part of the mob that had gathered outside the towns mosque.

Officers walk past a burnt out police vehicle in Hartlepool (Owen Humphreys/PA)

The father-of-three was sentenced to one year and eight months for violent disorder for throwing items at police.

Manager for a scaffolding firm Nicholas Sinclair, 38, of Bury Road, Birkdale, was seen in footage throwing bricks at the officers, and was jailed for two years and four months for the same offence.

In a separate case, a man who live-streamed disorder outside an asylum hotel was warned to get a lawyer and that he is in a serious position by Judge Maurice Greene at Manchester Crown Court.

Aaron Johnson 32, of Criterion Street, Stockport, admitted inciting racial hatred by using racist language in a live stream broadcast to millions of people from outside an asylum hotel in Stockport on August 5.

He will be sentenced on September 19.

Declan Dixon, 22, of Salisbury Avenue, Hindley, Wigan, was jailed for 18 months at Teesside Crown Court for throwing a missile towards police on July 31 in Hartlepool.

Declan Dixon (Cleveland Police/PA)

The electrician, who told police he had been present out of curiosity, had admitted violent disorder and possessing cocaine.

Michael Stevenson, 34, of Newport Road, Middlesbrough, who tried to set fire to a wheelie bin which was pushed towards riot police during disorder in the town, was jailed for 26 months.

Scaffolder Perrie Fisher, 29, who rode a childrens scooter before throwing it at a hotel housing asylum seekers in Aldershot and telling a police officer to f*** off, was sentenced to 29 months.
An audit found a raft of security failings at a scandal hit jail after a prisoner allegedly escaped, according to a report (Lucy North/PA)

An audit found a raft of security failings at a scandal hit jail after a prisoner allegedly escaped, according to a report.

HMP Wandsworths Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) said a security audit identified 81 points of failure and resulted in long overdue upgrades being made to CCTV cameras which had not worked for over a year.

Daniel Khalife is accused of fleeing custody in September last year while being held on remand over spy charges. He allegedly strapped himself underneath a food delivery lorry and was arrested a few days later. The former soldier denies all the charges against him and is due to stand trial in October.

The prisons watchdog called for the category B Victorian jail in south-west London to be put into emergency measures after deeply concerning inspection findings in the wake of the alleged incident.

Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor wrote to then justice secretary Alex Chalk in May to issue an urgent notification for improvement.

Earlier this month the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announced it would be redirecting 100 million from across the prison service to spend over five years on bringing in urgent improvements as well as sending in extra specialist staff after the full details of Mr Taylors inspection were published, laying bare a shocking level of chaos at the prison with staff unable to account for prisoners during the working day.

The latest findings from the IMB, published on Thursday, described Wandsworth as a failing prison which was constrained by staff absence and hindered by underfunding and lack of support from the prison service.

Its report said the alleged escape led to multiple reviews and action including previously unavailable funding being made available for security improvements and significant investment in a bid to stop illicit items being brought into the prison.

The security audit was carried out in November while an internal review completed in December made 39 recommendations, the report said.

The MoJ is yet to publish these documents or confirm whether any disciplinary action has been taken.

Court artist sketch of Daniel Khalife (Elizabeth Cook/PA)

The extra funding allowed long overdue upgrades and repairs of the prisons antiquated CCTV systems, according to the IMB. This included a new system installed in May this year in the visits hall to replace an old system which had not been functioning for over a year.

This immediately led to an increase in the number of illegal passes detected.

While the IMB  made up of volunteers tasked by ministers to scrutinise conditions in custody  welcomed the improvements in security at the gate and reception, it warned it was possible the measures led to an increase in drone activity, with 261 instances noted during the reporting period, with such activity relatively rare in the previous year.

The IMBs annual report for 2023-24 concluded the prison  which is since under new leadership  was not safe, with close to 1,000 assaults recorded either between prisoners or on staff, and it was alarmingly easy for prisoners to get hold of contraband with cell searches finding phones, drugs, makeshift weapons and alcohol.

The shortage of experienced staff  with almost half having been in their job for less than a year  undermined attempts to make the prison run effectively and staff absence often reached 50%, it said.

IMB chairman Matthew Andrews said: For HMP Wandsworth and the men whose treatment we monitor, this year has been as bad as any in our memory and, by many measures, worse.

The recently released report from His Majestys Inspectorate of Prisons was highly critical but said little that surprised us. Many of the same issues had been raised in previous IMB annual reports and ignored by the Ministry of Justice.

Previously Mr Taylor described his inspection of Wandsworth as catastrophic and symbolising the problems that characterise what is worst about the English prison system.

He told how security remained a significant concern at the prison but said failings were evident in almost all aspects of the prisons operation as he highlighted how an action plan made in the wake of the last escape in 2019 had not been completed and that prior to the latest alleged incident security procedures had been neglected for a considerable time.

The security audit resulted in the prison being handed the lowest grade of unsatisfactory and while there was a clear vision of what was needed to address concerns, the pace of improvement was slow, he said.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: The new Government inherited a justice system in crisis and has been forced to take action and get a grip of the situation across the prison estate, so we can lock up dangerous offenders, protect the public and make prisons safer for hard-working staff.

Earlier this month, the new Lord Chancellor announced that the Prison Service is deploying extra specialist staff and will redirect 100 million to be spent over five years at HMP Wandsworth to ensure immediate action is taken to improve conditions.
The UK is falling behind other high-income countries due to long waits for hospital care, a new report suggests.

The Health Foundation said that the UK is among the poorest performing countries when it comes to hospital-based care.

A decade ago, the UK was one of the best nations for people seeing hospital specialists in less than four weeks.

But it slipped from being one of the better-performing nations in 2013 to one of the worst in 2023, according to new analysis by the think tank.

The Commonwealth Funds International Health Policy Survey, which has been running for nearly two decades, saw adults from 10 high income countries, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, the US and the UK, asked about their experiences using a range of services including hospital care, GP support and dentistry.

The 2023 survey saw 21,000 people were asked their opinions including 3,361 adults in the UK.

Analysis of the data by the Health Foundation found that the UK has some of the longest reported waiting times to see a specialist and, alongside Canada, has the largest proportion of people waiting one year or more for an appointment.

The latest official figures show the waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England has risen for the third month in a row.

An estimated 7.62 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of June, relating to 6.39 million patients  up slightly from 7.60 million treatments and 6.37 million patients at the end of May.

(PA Graphics)

The list hit a record high in September 2023 with 7.77 million treatments and 6.50 million patients.

Some 2,621 patients in England had been waiting more than 18 months to start routine treatment at the end of June and there were 58,024 patients who had been waiting more than 65 weeks to start treatment.

A total of 302,693 people in England had been waiting more than 52 weeks to start routine hospital treatment at the end of June.

And some 302,693 people in England had been waiting more than 52 weeks to start routine hospital treatment at the end of June, down slightly from 307,500 at the end of May.

The Government and NHS England have set the ambition of eliminating all waits of more than a year by March 2025.

The Health Foundations analysis found that the UK is among the better-performing countries for people reporting access to same- or next-day GP appointments.

But the survey also highlighted concerns about access and cost of dentistry.

(PA Graphics)

The findings suggest that pressures on health systems are not unique to the UK, but the cumulative impacts of the pandemic and below-average spending growth have left UK health services in a more precarious state than those in most other surveyed countries, according to the the Health Foundation report.

Ruth Thorlby, assistant director of policy at the Health Foundation, said: These findings show the UK consistently coming near the bottom of the pack on peoples experience of healthcare compared to other high-income countries.

It sheds yet more light on just how much work the Government has to do to get the NHS back on its feet.

The combined effect of the pandemic and below average spending growth has left the NHS in a fragile state.

The Government is right to prioritise bringing down waiting lists, but that can only be done with a concerted effort to improve primary care and ensuring good coordination between hospitals and GPs.

National and local health leaders also need to be vigilant against creeping costs denying people access to healthcare.

Nowhere is this more apparent than dental care where too many people are avoiding treatment due to costs.

If these trends continue, the risk is that more and more people, particularly from deprived communities, will delay seeking care, which could store up more health problems in the future.

There are no quick fixes, but the NHS can recover with the right mix of policy change, innovation and investment.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: We inherited a broken NHS and it is unacceptable that so many people are waiting longer than needed for care.

It is our mission to get the health service back on its feet and build an NHS fit for the future. We know that waiting lists are too high, and it is one of the reasons the Health and Social Care Secretary ordered a full independent investigation into the state of the NHS to lay bare the scale of the problem.

We will tackle head on the biggest issues gripping the NHS by delivering an extra 40,000 appointments every week and learning from good practice across the country, taking the best of the NHS to the rest of the NHS.

Conservative former health secretary Victoria Atkins, who now serves as shadow health secretary, said: Despite our progress in tackling the longest waits in England, Labours failures in Wales and the SNPs in Scotland have dragged Britain down the international rankings.
Kamala Harris rallied thousands of voters at a rally in the arena where Republicans held their convention last month.

While the Democratic National Convention continued in Chicago, the partys presidential nominee told a rally in Milwaukee  in the battleground state of Wisconsin  that she was running a people-powered campaign.

Together we will chart a new way forward, the Vice President said in remarks that were partially broadcast to the convention. A future for freedom, opportunity, of optimism and faith.

Joined in Milwaukee by running mate Tim Walz, she drew attention to Republican rival Donald Trump saying on Monday he had no regrets about appointing the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v Wade and ended the constitutional right to abortion.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz appear at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

Thats because he hasnt had to face the consequences, she said. Women and families have. Well, we will make sure he does face the consequence at the ballot box this November.

They seemingly dont trust women. Well, we trust women.

She argued that Mr Trump threatens the values and freedoms that Americans hold dear and said someone with his record should never again have the opportunity to stand behind the seal of the president of the United States.

As they awaited the speech, her supporters listened to the roll call at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago which confirmed Ms Harris nomination. She was officially nominated earlier this month in a virtual roll call of delegates.

Via a video link she told the convention: I thank everyone there and here for believing in what we can do together.

She told supporters in Milwaukee that there was a contrast between herself and Mr Trump: one vision focused on the future and another focused on the past.

We know this is going to be a tight race until the very end, she said. We have hard work ahead of us but we like hard work. Hard work is good work. And with your help, this November we will win.

She wrapped up her roughly 25-minute remarks in Milwaukee with one of the signature call-and-response mantras of her campaign: When we fight, we win.

Supporters arrive before Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

Texas Democrats used their roll call moment in Chicago to bring light to the issue of abortion rights, with TV actress and Texas native Eva Longoria introducing former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards.

Kate Cox, who was denied emergency abortion care by the Texas Supreme Court, told conventiongoers about her experience after the overturning of Roe v Wade. Because of these abortion bans I had to flee my home, Ms Cox said in an emotional moment.

Theres nothing pro-life about letting women suffer and even die.

She added that she is now pregnant and her baby is due in January, in time to see Ms Harris sworn in as president.

Mr Trump told a rally in Howell, Michigan, on Tuesday that Ms Harris was the ringleader of a Marxist attack on law enforcement across the country.

Kamala Harris will deliver crime, chaos, destruction and death, he said in one of many generalisations about an America under Ms Harris.
Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump is to speak at a rally, his first since narrowly surviving an attempted assassination when a a gunman opened fire in Pennsylvania last month (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Donald Trump rallied against vice president Kamala Harris approach to national security in North Carolina in his first outdoor rally since narrowly surviving an attempted assassination in Pennsylvania last month.

The world is on fire, and Kamala and Biden have marched us to the brink of World War III, Mr Trump said, blaming the current White House for the deadly Afghanistan withdrawal and wars between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas.

Supporters arrive to hear Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speak (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Mr Trump spoke from a podium surrounded by panes of bulletproof glass at the rally at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame.

Storage containers were stacked around the perimeter of the space to create additional walls and block sight lines, and snipers were positioned on roofs at the venue, where old aircraft were sitting behind the podium and a large American flag was suspended from cranes.

The event, billed as being focused on national security issues, is part of Mr Trumps week-long series of counterprogramming to the Democratic National Convention, which is underway in Chicago.

Allies have been urging him to focus on policy instead of personal attacks as he struggles to adjust to running against Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

On Tuesday night, the convention showcased a double dose of Obama firepower, as the former president and former first lady assailed Mr Trump, calling him out repeatedly by name.

Michelle Obama said of Mr Trump: His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black.

She also referenced a comment he made in a June debate, asking: Whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has been visiting battleground states in his busiest week of campaigning since the primaries (Evan Vucci/AP)

Barack Obama mocked Mr Trumps obsession with his crowd sizes and called the former president a 78-year-old billionaire who hasnt stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.

Its been a constant stream of gripes and grievances thats actually gotten worse now that hes afraid of losing to Kamala, the former president said.

Mr Trump briefly addressed the criticism, asking the crowd if theyd seen the speech by the man he continues to call Barack Hussein Obama.

He was taking shots at your president. And so was Michelle. You know, they always say, Sir, please stick to policy. Dont get personal. And yet theyre getting personal all night long, these people, he said, asking: Do I still have to stick to policy?

Mr Trump was joined on Wednesday by his running mate, JD Vance, who cast Ms Harris as a candidate selected by power brokers instead of voters and lambasted her vice presidential pick, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz before Mr Trump took the stage.

That included continuing to hammer Mr Walz for, at times, mischaracterising his service record as an Army National Guard member, as well as his retirement from service before his units deployment to Iraq.

What wont Stolen Valour Tim Walz lie about? Mr Vance, who served four years as a Marine, asked the crowd.

The former president has spent the week visiting battleground states in his busiest week of campaigning since the Republican primaries.

Security gets in position prior to Republican presidential nominee former president Donald Trumps speech (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Reflecting the importance of North Carolina in this years election, the trip is Mr Trumps second to the state in just a week.

Last Wednesday, he appeared in Asheville, North Carolina, for a speech on the economy.

Mr Trump won North Carolina by a comfortable margin in 2016. The state delivered the former president his closest state-wide margin of victory four years ago and is once again considered a key battleground in 2024.

Before Mr Trump arrived, his plane did a flyover of the rally site and the gathered crowd erupted into cheers.

Lisa Watts, a retired business owner from Hickory, North Carolina, who was attending her fifth Trump rally, said shes feeling very positive about the race.

A month ago they never spoke her name and now shes like, quote quote the saviour for the country, Watts said of the vice president. I dont think that her record proves that she is ready to run this country.

Ms Watts said she does not think Mr Trumps chances of winning are much different now from when Mr Biden was the Democratic nominee.

I think the Democrats are going to try to do everything they can to keep her up on that pedestal, she said, predicting the hype around Ms Harris will fade.
UPDATE: This story was updated Sept. 16 to correct the actual sale price.

SHEFFIELD  The 85-acre Option Institute campus has sold for $5.35 million to a pair of Deutschebank executives looking for a new business venture and a slower pace of life.

Andrew Murray and James Davies plan to relocate to the campus with their respective families within the next four weeks. Over time, they plan to restore and transform the campus and its centerpiece 1880 manor house into a wellness center immersed in nature.

Since 1983, Option Institute founders Barry and Susan Kaufman have held workshops on the property to help families of children with autism "to live their very best life" as part of the Son-Rise Program and the Option Institute International Learning Training Center. The sale, the couple said, was something they never planned for, but the pandemic changed their business model so much so that keeping the large campus no longer made sense.

Under the name Olifi Properties, Murray and Davies bought three parcels on Undermountain and County roads in Sheffield and in Salisbury, Conn., as part of the deal.

As Murray and Davies considered exiting banking and their next steps following their high-powered careers in New York and London, Murray suggested they look to the Berkshires. He grew up in Westchester County and skied Jiminy Peak and Catamount as a child.

When real estate broker Lance Vermeulen showed Murray and Davies the Option Institute property in April, Murray said both he and Davies were drawn to the natural features on the site  the mountainous terrain, the pond, streams  as well as its proximity to the Appalachian Trail.

The listing at Elyse Harney Real Estate refers to the campus stunning distant views.

At that time, the property was listed at $7.5 million, less than half the original 2020 listing price of $16 million.

The Kaufmans said they never anticipated selling the property. After doing a yearslong search, they bought the property in 1983 after Susan Kaufman saw a postage stamp-sized ad for the property in a newspaper.

"We spent six years looking for a property and talking about all the details of what we'd do when we got the property," Susan "Samahria" Kaufman said.

Barry "Bears" Kaufman said the two built up the campus.

"We built it as if it was a forever place for us," he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person programming both on campus and around the world, forcing the couple to pivot to online programming. Still in operation, the Option Institute has a staff of about 28 running mostly online programs from the institute and across the world. The Kaufmans, now in their 80s, are among the teachers but no longer at the helm.

Under the auspices of the Option Institute, the 85 acres has 12 structures with an auditorium, group meeting areas, breakout private offices, a fitness center, a pondside cottage, a dining hall with commercial kitchen, and more than 56 guest rooms.

Murray said he and his husband, Chris Murray, hope to have a child within the next year through a surrogate. They, along Davies, his wife, Olivia Scanlon, and their 7-year-old daughter, all plan to live on the Connecticut portion of the property in separate homes.

The transaction was compressed, Murray said, based on the sellers desire for a quick closing.

Real estate agent Juliet Moore represented the property for the sellers with Elyse Harney-Morris at Elyse Harney Real Estate.

There was plenty of initial interest, Moore said, particularly among hotels, but a complicating factor was that the campus is suited to a commercial use but is zoned residential. The number of buildings and the amount of infrastructure also contributed to the complexity.

We had such a positive experience with everybody on both sides, Moore said, who praised the work of the Kaufmans on the campus, saying they assisted 45,000 people since founding the institute in 1983.

The Kaufmans still run a scaled-down Option Institute across the street from the 45-acre campus.

Murray said hes been embraced warmly already in the Berkshires and that the two intend to invest "a significant amount relative to the purchase price" of the property.

Weve been very committed to this new venture together, Murray said, adding that both Davies and he are looking forward to spending more time in nature and community as well as learning the land they've just purchased, which they have not yet hiked in its entirety.

"We felt so welcome by the local community," he said. "Were just excited to get up there and get to know more people."
I often can only consider the needs that are right in front of my face. Sometimes that is very purposeful; because we live in such a loud world, I need to quiet those voices that want to distract me by pulling me towards focusing on problems I cant fix. I intentionally lean into my little world seeking to be faithful in my little. But in my efforts to protect my sanity, I cannot forget Gods call to care for and spread the good news of Jesus to the nations (Matthew 28:1820; Acts 1:8).

The nations feel far, their needs hard, and we also have so many issues right here. How can we be worried about the unreached people of the world? Yet, sharing the good news is very close to Gods heart. It matters because God needs us for the good news to be shared across the globe.

Thankfully, missions can be something we engage in with more ease than we might expect. So much of the American church is so focused on our projects here that even the smallest shift towards global missions can make a massive impact on more of the world.

Supporting Global Missions Financially Matters

We know that only 0.1% of all Christian giving is directed toward mission efforts in the 38 most unevangelized countries in the world. A vast majority of mission giving goes towards those who are already a part of the Christian church. In general, American Christians give about 95% of their offerings to home-based ministries, leaving global missions vastly underfunded and undervalued in our faith communities. An easy way to expand your participation in Gods call to spread the gospel is to expand the ways you give your money.

We live in a part of the world where we are blessed with much, so we are expected to give with a great level of generosity. We do not want to give blindly, however so many missions organizations and individuals that are willing to dedicate their lives to mission work cannot expand because they are not well funded. Loving our global neighbor well can begin with us prioritizing giving to those who are called.

Connect with a work that overlaps with your life. Do you know a church that invests in a specific community in a different part of the world? Do you really love a particular type of food or learning about a specific culture? Is your heart moved by the idea of undernourished children? Lean into those places of interest and ask God to reveal a way to invest in making a difference through those who work in these places for Gods glory.

Pray for the Global Church

We read the psalmist call for Gods glory to be declared among the nations and his great works to be seen among all peoples (Psalm 96:3). We serve a great and glorious God who spurs us to pray that the whole world would bow in worship. There is such beauty when those from different places and backgrounds come together in unity to worship the one true God!

As we see the nations worship, we see a more complete picture of Gods beloved bride. This bride is not called to be a western, white, or rich one. It includes people from every tongue, tribe, nation and culture. Such unity is more stunning than we could ever imagine. Seeing the world come to Jesus should excite our hearts as its the best glimpse we have of Heaven while here on earth.

While we may not all have the chance to go and share the good news in Iraq or other closed nations, we can pray for God to reveal himself powerfully in these places. The exciting truth is that God is showing up in power across the globe and really when we join in prayer, we get the privilege to become a part of this exciting reality.

My brother recently spent time in Iraq praying and sharing with native Christians from the area. They shared reports of meeting a man with a face of fire in visions, and they responded by giving their lives in service to him. They are meeting Jesus through divine encounter. Gods grace is so abundant and his love is unfailing. He is being revealed in every part of the globe and when we join in praying for the nations, we join in His glory, which is being revealed through good works across the nations.

Go When You Can

The small Christian college I went to required every student to take a cross cultural trip. This was an intentional requirement, so that students would graduate with a broader, more gracious view of the world we live in, the world God created. In your life, the same push to discover God in a different place opens your eyes and heart to parts of God that are undiscoverable as a middle-class American church-goer.

Going is about sharing and praying and giving in a place that needs the hands and feet of Jesus to show up. But it's also about seeing God with fresh eyes as we realize he is alive and active across the world. God wants to give us a greater view of who he is, how he loves, and what the church is called to be. If you can, go to give, to learn, and to see God in a new way.

Resources to Learn More

David Platt is a wonderful teacher who helps us catch the vision of our global God. Stratus is a resource he points to that helps us learn about the global church.

Learn more about missions work though AGWM. Maps Global works to train and send groups to unreached areas of the world with the mission of sharing the Gospel. Convoy of Hope offers practical support and shares Gods love with people groups across the globe.

These are just a few to get you started! There are so many ways to get involved in what God is doing across the globe.

Lets be a people of God that love beyond reason, seeking that Gods Kingdom will come and will be done across the globe as it is in Heaven.

Photo credit: Getty Images/steve007

Amanda Idleman is a writer whose passion is to encourage others to live joyfully. She writes devotions for My Daily Bible Verse Devotional and Podcast, Crosswalk Couples Devotional, the Daily Devotional App, she has work published with Her View from Home, on the MOPS Blog, and is a regular contributor for Crosswalk.com. She has most recently published a devotional, Comfort: A 30 Day Devotional Exploring God's Heart of Love for Mommas. You can find out more about Amanda on her Facebook Page or follow her on Instagram.


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China helps African nations reduce debt pressure

Xinhua) 10:04, August 21, 2024

BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- China has been helping African countries alleviate debt pressure through multiple channels, a commerce official said Tuesday.

Under the framework of the G20's Debt Service Suspension Initiative, China has played an active role in helping relevant nations reach debt suspension agreements, Shen Xiang, director of the West Asia and Africa Department under the Ministry of Commerce, told a press conference.

Under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation framework, China has canceled the debt of relevant African countries in the form of interest-free government loans that were due to mature by the end of 2021, Shen said.

Chinese financial institutions and enterprises have engaged in investment and financing cooperation with African countries based on market principles and international rules.

They fully respect the will of African nations and take into consideration their actual needs. Moreover, China never attaches any political conditions, which has earned widespread appreciation from African nations, he said.

Commercial bonds and multilateral debts accounted for 66 percent of Africa's external debt, while China-Africa bilateral debt only represented 11 percent of Africa's total external debt, Shen said, citing statistics compiled by the IMF.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
British tech magnate Mike Lynch and five others are missing, feared dead after their luxury yacht sank in a tornado off the Sicilian coast.

The luxury vessel  named the Bayesian  was moored half-a-mile off the coast of Porticello when it sank around 5am local time on Monday.

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Rescue efforts are currently underway, with Vincenzo Zagarola of the Italian Coastguard telling PA news agency authorities believe the missing six people are likely to be trapped inside the boat.

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Of course, we do not exclude that they are not inside the boat, but we know the boat sank quickly, he said.

We suppose that the six people missing may not have had time to get out of the boat.

The cruise was reportedly a celebration of Mr Lynchs recent acquittal of fraud charges in the United States.

Who is involved, and why were they there?

Technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hanna  who had recently finished her A-Levels and was bound for Oxford  remain missing.

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Also unaccounted for are Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley and insurance company Hiscox, and his wife, Judy, a respected psychotherapist; as well as Chris Morvillo, a lawyer from Clifford Chance and part of the legal team representing Mr Lynch, and his wife, Neda, who reportedly runs a luxury jewellery line.

The body of a man was recovered near the yacht, believed to be that of chef Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan man working onboard.

Fifteen of the 22 people onboard - including Mr Lynchs wife, Angela Bacares - were rescued after escaping onto a lifeboat.

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British technology tycoon Mike Lynch is missing after the luxury yacht, Bayesian sank in bad weather off the coast of Sicily (PA Media)

The Telegraph reported Mr Lynch had guests from the legal firm that represented him and his own company to join him on the voyage.

Among others rescued were Charlotte Golunkski and her one-year-old daughter Sophie. The brave mother kept her daughter alive by holding her over her head while she was in the water.

How did the boat sink?

Italian authorities have reported bad stormy conditions that caused the yacht to sink, but investigations into the exact circumstances of the tragedy remain ongoing.

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It is believed the luxury vessel may have been hit by a water spout, a rotating column of wind that forms over a body of water and is often likened to a tornado.

According to the US National Ocean Service, tornadic weather spouts have the same characteristics as a land tornado and are often accompanied by severe thunderstorms, high winds and seas, large hail, and frequent dangerous lightning.

(PA Graphics)

What search and rescue efforts are underway?

Vincenzo Zagarola of the Italian Coastguard said the six missing tourists were feared dead.

Asked about their likelihood of being alive, he said: Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not.

Italian emergency services headed out to sea towards the area off the Sicilian coast, where the search continues for six missing tourists. (PA Media)

Italys fire brigade Vigili del Fuoco said it developed a plan to enter the wreckage of Bayesian, which is resting on the seabed off the coast at a depth of 50 metres. It described the operation as complex, with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts.

Firefighter divers reached parts of the vessel through the gap, Giornale Di Sicilia reported on Tuesday, but are yet to make it to the cabins.

If you manage to get inside, you understand there is a world of objects. So, getting inside and descending into the compartment below from the stairs that are narrow and going into all of the cabins is a really hard and difficult job, fire department diver Marco Tilotta said per Reuters news agency, according to the BBC.

We are not stopping. We have resources, manpower and means. Our goal is to find all the people who are missing, so that is our job,

Dr Jean-Baptiste Souppez, a senior lecturer of mechanical, biomedical and design engineering at Aston University, said the next 24 hours are crucial to finding survivors trapped inside the wreck.

Morgan Stanley International Bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer is one of six people missing (Morgan Stanley International Bank/PA)

The speed at which the vessel sank (a few minutes, according to survivor and witness accounts) and the fact that it remains intact and on its side could favour the formation of small air pockets inside, he said.

This is obviously highly speculative and impossible to predict accurately.

Rescuers could be looking for signs of life, including banging noises at regular intervals.

Who is Mike Lynch?

Mike Lynch, the Irish-British billionaire and tech entrepreneur, owes his fame and fortune to software firm Autonomy, which he sold to Hewlett-Packard for billions in 2011.

Hailing from Suffolk, he graduated with a PhD from the University of Cambridge. Mr Lynch is married to Angela Bacares, with whom he shares two daughters.

The father-of-two has a reported net worth valued at around 852 million, according to the UK Independent.

His business ventures led him to once be dubbed Britains Bill Gates but also landed him in legal trouble.

Autonomys sale was wrapped in fraud claims, and he faced civil action in the UK before being extradited to the United States to face criminal charges.

In June, he was cleared of 15 fraud charges after allegations he inflated Autonomys worth.

What do we know about the Bayesian?

The 56-metre sailing boat was launched by Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi in 2008, according to the company website.

It was once called the Salute, but was later renamed after Lynchs PhD thesis on statistical theory by mathematician Thomas Bayes.

Media reports suggest the yachts owner is listed as Revtom Limited, a company owned by Mr Lynchs wife.

Who was Stephen Chamberlain, and how is he connected to the situation?

Stephen Chamberlain was an associate of Mike Lynch and stood trial for fraud alongside him after Autonomys controversial sale.

Days before the yacht disaster, Mr Chamberlain died after being hit by a car while out jogging.

Stephen Chamberlain was killed whilst out running on Saturday in the village of Stretham in Cambridgeshire. (Cambridgeshire Police)

Mr Chamberlain, Autonomys former VP of Finance, was cleared of all charges by a San Francisco court in June.

Relatives of Mr Chamberlain said in a tribute released through police that he was a much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend.

He was an amazing individual whose only goal in life was to help others in any way possible, his family said.
A broken-hearted family are desperate to trace a phone belonging to their loving father who collapsed whilst in Cork city centre on Tuesday and died in hospital as it contains irreplaceable family photographs.

The family of Kieran O'Donovan from Glamire, Co Cork are keen to find the iPhone as it stores priceless family shots from over the years.

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Mr O'Donovan's daughter, Karen, made an emotional appeal for help via The Opinion Line on Corks 96FM.

She said that her father, who suffered from a heart complaint, parked his car on Wellington Road in Cork city around 4pm on Tuesday.

Mr O'Donovan went down a hill by York Street in order to get to MacCurtain Street. When he got to the bottom of the hill he collapsed.

A passerby went to his assistance and paramedics were at the scene within minutes.

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They administered emergency medical attention. Mr ODonovan was rushed by ambulance to Cork University Hospital (CUH).

However, tragically he was pronounced dead shortly after he arrived at the hospital.

All of his possessions were accounted for including his car keys.

However, Karen said that his iPhone, which was in a navy case, was missing.

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It is understood Mr O'Donovan had the phone with him at the junction of York Street and MacCurtain Street.

Family members and emergency services carried out a trawl of the area involved but no trace of the phone was found.

Karen is hoping that her appeal will result in the phone being returned to the grieving family.

"It is much more than a phone - that is all we care about, just finding it. We just want his phone back as it has everything, all the pictures of his grandchildren everything.

It would have been somewhere between the bottom of York Street up as far as the post office.

Gardai say he got into difficulties at the bottom of York Street and that he tried to go in to an apartment block that had an open door to get help and thats probably where he lost the phone.

Karen has urged anyone with information on its whereabouts to text Corks 96FM on 083  3969696.
Activist Majella Beattie, of Care Champions, has said that the family of a non-verbal woman who was subjected to inappropriate contact by another resident in a HSE-run facility have called for the other resident to be removed.

A review by the HSE found that there was a failure to implement safeguarding measures at the facility where one resident touched the breast of another resident who is immobile.

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A report into the incident in June last year revealed that there had been a failure to implement and review safeguarding measures following a previous incident in 2014.

The family of this lady are very much traumatised. They very much talk about their daughter being unable to protect herself, and relying on others for all her care. It is very difficult for them to live with the fact that their daughter has been harmed twice by the same person., she told RTE radios Morning Ireland.

They are very much aware that Resident B also has a disability and is also entitled to the support they need. But they do not believe that their daughter should have to live in the same home as the person who harmed her.

This family wants Resident B to be removed so that their daughter can live safely in her home. The problem is the ongoing trauma to this young lady because she is so vulnerable, and has no way to protect herself. This young man with his disability, she will hear him, she will see him. And they don't want her to be re-traumatised.

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2014 report

In a previous incident in 2014, Resident B kissed Resident A and touched her breast. Following that incident, a report stated that due to Resident As disability, reduced inhibition and communication problems, she would be "very vulnerable to inappropriate advances from male residents who suffer from acquired brain injury with impaired cognitive function and executive dysfunction".

The 2014 report made recommendations to prevent the risk of a similar safeguarding incident happening again.

However, the latest review revealed no staff member recalled safeguarding plans being discussed or that they were informed of the 2014 incident.

Minister of State Ann Rabbitte has expressed disappointment that the first time she heard of the case was from the media.

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I'm hearing it for the first time this morning, she told RTE radios Morning Ireland.

Ms Rabbitte said she had an email ready to send to the HSE, and she was disappointed that she had not been informed of the incident and the report.

She said she had no doubt that it was very distressing for the family of Resident A, but also for the family of Resident B.

There had been other stories like this, she said which was why Bernard Gloster had made safeguarding one of his priorities.

It felt like there had been a complete failure or breakdown of procedures in this case, said Ms Rabbitte.

It was important to ensure the development of a safeguarding culture with increased visibility and understanding of safeguarding in the care system where people are in the care of the State, she said.
An application has made to the High Court for an injunction preventing a site in Coolock being used to house persons seeking international protection.

Three members of the public, Melissa Kelly, Amanda Farrelly and Alan Croghan are seeking orders including an injunction restraining the former warehouse for Crown Paints in Coolock, being developed into units to house mainly Ukrainians fleeing the conflict in their home country with Russia.

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The proceedings are against several respondents including the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth Roderick O'Gorman, Dublin City Council, the Chief Superintendent of Coolock, and Townbe Unlimited Company, which it is claimed is the leaseholder of the site.

It is understood that other parties may be added to the proceedings.

Representing themselves they claim that the decision to allow the site to be converted into housing for refugees is unlawful and should be halted on grounds including that there was, in breach of planning laws, a failure by the authorities to enter into a process of public consultation regarding the proposed development.

Speaking on behalf of the respondents, Ms Kelly told the court that she also believes the decision to develop the site into accommodation for international protection seekers is also unconstitutional.

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She argued that they were also entitled to an injunction because of the "public unrest" over the proposal and that it may cause "serious harm" to those living in the locality.

The site has been the scene of violence and unrest. Several gardai were injured and there were arson attacks on a Garda car and a digger.

Fireworks were aimed at lines of Public Order Unit gardai, while glass bottles and rocks were also thrown.

Over a dozen people were arrested and were subsequently charged with public order offences.

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The matter was briefly mentioned before Mr Justice Rory Mulcahy during Wednesday's vacation sitting of the High Court.

The judge said that he had some knowledge of the situation having made orders in July restraining persons unknown from attending at or engaging in violent behaviour at the site.

The judge said that he was not prepared to grant an interim injunction ex-parte basis, on grounds including that the applicants had delayed in bringing their action.

Some of the matters raised by the applicants, the judge added, were simply not capable of being decided by a court of law.

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However, the judge said that they had raised some issues in their application that did merit a response from the respondents.

On that basis alone, the judge said that he was prepared to grant the three applicants' permission on an ex-parte basis to serve short notice of the injunction application on the respondents.

The judge adjourned the application to a date later this month.

Wednesday's application is the latest proceedings to come before the court in respect of plans to develop into 500 modular units primarily for Ukrainians do not have suitable accommodation in Ireland.

Last month Mr Justice Mulcahy granted various orders in favour of Townbe and developer Remcoll Capital Limited, restraining persons unknown from engaging in any threatening or intimidatory behaviour towards their employees at the site.

The court also made orders restraining any trespass at the site.
Minister of State Ossian Smyth has expressed amazement at reports of plans to postpone the Residential Zoned Land Tax.

I was amazed to read this. I didn't see that coming at all, he told RTE radios Today with Claire Byrne show.

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Just to be clear, obviously we have a housing crisis. And yet Ireland is a country that has a lot of land. And so part of the Housing for all Strategy three years ago was that we passed a law which said that people, if they were found to be hoarding land, land that's both zoned for housing and provided with services that they would have to pay a tax.

The idea was when we passed that law, we said, anybody who owns this land, you've got two years, to get ready. In other words, you got two years to either start building on the land, or to dezone the land, or else if you don't want to do that, sell on the land, if you don't want to build on it, you can pay the tax.

So that was basically the idea in 2021, 2023 came around, time to pay the tax. And the government decided to give people an extra year because they weren't ready. So we pushed it forward to three years. So now here we are three years later.

"I opened the newspaper the other day, and it says some politicians are thinking that we should do it another year. And I just thought that's the last thing that we should be doing right now.

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Mr Smyth denied that the government had made a decision on the issue. It isn't the government. The government has already made a decision about this and has passed a law. So we have a policy. We have a law.

The suggestion of deferring the tax for a further year was not something with which he could agree, he said.

We've now gone through the exercise of mapping out the country and finding where are these land banks that are both zoned for residential housing and ready to build on, provided with services. And it turns out that there are 6500 hectares and it's enough land for 220,000 homes. So it would be absolutely transformative to provide that housing.

These figures have been published and were available as every local authority had been obliged by law to publish a map indicating what land was available zoned for housing but had not yet been built upon.

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So we're holding back. If we don't go ahead and do this we're holding back housing for 220,000 families. All the political parties are agreeing that we need to build 50,000 homes a year. Why would we delay this for a year? That's not the right answer.

The majority of the land involved was not agricultural, he added. It was land outside of towns. Or State owned.

Deferring the entire tax for a year because you found some hard cases that are the minority of people is not the right answer. So if there are people who want to come, if there are a proposals to identify somebody who is a hard case, who's being treated unfairly and that they need to have some kind of a pay off or an exemption, that's fine.

"But what we're not going to do is defer tax for a year. I would never accept that that's not going to happen.

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That suggestion, that the whole tax will be deferred for a year, 220,000 people are going to be denied their housing because a minority of people are being unfairly treated.

The Green Party was open to finding a solution, he said. This was the case with all laws if it was found that there was a difficulty for some people who were being unfairly treated.

Farmers who had land that had been zoned for housing, could apply to have it dezoned, he said.

We can we can find a solution to this problem. And if there's somebody in some particular situation which is really unfair, I'm sure we can find a way around this.

"But what we are not going to do is get rid of land hoarding tax, which could provide housing for 220,000 families simply because there is a small number of undefined cases.
President Michael D Higgins has led tributes to renowned author, journalist and feminist activist Nell McCafferty, who has died at the age of 80.

The celebrated writers family said she died in the early hours of Wednesday at a nursing home in Co Donegal.

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The former Irish Times journalist, originally from Derry, was a prominent voice on womens rights issues across the island of Ireland and in 1970 co-founded the Irish Womens Liberation Movement (IWLM).

Nell McCafferty, centre, died aged 80 at a nursing home in Co Donegal (Niall Carson/PA)

Considered a journalistic trailblazer and fearless social commentator, McCafferty authored several books and also wrote for publications including the Sunday Tribune and Hot Press.

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Campaigning for the legalisation of contraceptives in Ireland in the 1970s, she famously took part in an event known as the Contraceptive Train in 1971 when members of the IWLM travelled across the border to Belfast, bought a range of contraceptive products and took them to Dublin, where they staged a protest at the citys Connolly station.

President of Ireland Michael D Higgins said McCafferty had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness and had a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism.

Statement by President Michael D. Higgins on the death of Nell McCafferty https://t.co/IlvxH3OsnK Advertisement  President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) August 21, 2024

Mr Higgins said he and his wife Sabina were privileged to be friends with her and said she will be deeply missed by us all.

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Nell McCafferty was a pioneer in raising those searching questions which could be asked, but which had been buried, hidden or neglected, Mr Higgins said.

Indeed, this is one of the aspects which was most remarkable from the very beginning in her work.

He added: Nell had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness, and this made her advocacy formidable on behalf of those who had been excluded from society.

A defining feature across Nells life was such a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism wherever she saw it.

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Taoiseach Simon Harris paid tribute to the journalist as a fierce, fearless and fiery campaigner who suffered no fools.

If she was in the room or in the debate, you knew about it, the Taoiseach said.

Her passion and wrath was not scattergun  it had a laser-like focus on calling out inequality and injustice. She suffered no fools but had a kindness and warmth for many.

Her wit and Derry turn of phrase made her impossible to ignore.

As one of the women who took the train in 1971, she set in train an unstoppable wave for equality and a changing of Ireland for the better.

That change has not yet reached its conclusion but it would be nowhere if it wasnt for warriors like Nell.

In an Ireland trying to emerge from the shadows and find who it was, Nell McCafferty was one of the people who knew exactly who she was and wasnt afraid to enter every battle for gay and womens rights. We all owe her a great debt for this.

Nell McCafferty left Ireland a much better place than she found it and she played her part with spirit and style. May she rest in peace.

I want to express my deep sadness at the death of former journalist, author and campaigner Nell McCafferty today.



Nell was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. A proud feminist, and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in pic.twitter.com/sg8hLAk4kh  Michelle ONeill (@moneillsf) August 21, 2024

Northern Irelands First Minister and Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle ONeill said McCafferty was a trailblazer in every sense of the word.

She added: A proud feminist and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in our society.

She eloquently spoke up for disadvantaged women through her work with the Irish Womens Liberation Movement, particularly highlighting the poverty and injustices women faced in the late 20th century across the island.

Nell McCafferty was a towering figure in Irish journalism with great courage and honesty, and was an important figure during the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement.

A proud daughter of Derry, Nells wisdom, humour and humility will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her.

I want to extend my deepest sympathies to her family and friends at this very difficult time.

Deeply saddened at the passing of Nell McCafferty.



Nell was an exceptional journalist & campaigner - the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights & womens rights. She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland. (1/2)  Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) August 21, 2024

Tanaiste Micheal Martin said he was deeply saddened at McCaffertys death.

Nell was an exceptional journalist and campaigner  the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights and womens rights, the Tanaiste posted on X, formerly Twitter.

She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland.

In addition to her brilliance as a writer, activist and feminist, Nell brought great warmth and humour to every engagement.

She made a difference.

Sympathies to her family, friends and former colleagues.

Irelands Press Ombudsman, journalist Susan McKay, also paid tribute.

She was an absolutely wonderful journalist, a really ground-breaking journalist, Ms McKay told BBC Radio Ulster.

She changed the way that all of us who came after her wrote journalism and did journalism, because she went straight to people.

You know, if you look back at journalism before Nell, and indeed before some other brilliant woman of her generation, ordinary people were never asked for their opinion.

They were written about by gents who thought that they knew how best to analyse society.

Nell went straight into working-class places, she talked to people who had experienced real hardships and afflictions in their lives, and she brought their voices alive.

She was tremendously brave and courageous and she wrote about all of the most important stories of her time.

And its very, very sad that she has died, but she had been very ill for quite a number of years, and, you know, wasnt really in a position to appreciate life to the same extent as she had been before.

Very sorry to hear about the death of Nell McCafferty. A mould breaker and establishment shaker, she spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could.



An icon for so many people across Ireland. Nell will be sadly missed but her activism will endure.  Colum Eastwood (@columeastwood) August 21, 2024

SDLP leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood described McCafferty as a mould-breaker and establishment shaker.

She spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could, he said on X.

An icon for so many people across Ireland.

Nell will be sadly missed, but her activism will endure.

Leader of the Labour Party Ivana Bacik said she is deeply saddened.

She described McCafferty as a wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon.

It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends, she posted on X.

Deeply saddened to hear today about the death of the wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon - Nell McCafferty.



It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends. #RIPNell pic.twitter.com/ULHxsnDEBk  Ivana Bacik (@ivanabacik) August 21, 2024

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) described McCafferty as one of the most renowned journalists in Ireland.

She was a long time member of the NUJ and a former union activist.

Irish secretary Seamus Dooley said: With the death of Nell McCafferty, a bright light has been extinguished.

She was one of the most renowned journalists in the country as a reporter, columnist, author and broadcaster.

The public recognised in her a deep commitment to social justice.

The fact that she was so often referred to only by her first name is a reflection of her special place in Irish journalism and in the public consciousness.

This stemmed from her unique qualities as a reporter and storyteller.

Nell McCafferty could be hilariously funny, frequently controversial and delighted in being contrary.

She was never afraid to challenge the consensus and took pleasure in afflicting the comfortable.

Throughout her career, Nell blazed a trail for feminists and played a significant role in the development of the feminist movement in Ireland.

Always provocative, Nell had the ability to trenchantly argue her case with unique style.
A man has been remanded in custody charged with the murder of a woman found dead at her home in Co Derry.

Sophie Watson, 57, was found unresponsive at the property in Ashgrove Park in Magherafelt on Sunday afternoon.

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She had suffered a number of stab wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Andrzej Pajaczkowski, 43, also of Ashgrove Park in Magherafelt, appeared before a district judge on Wednesday morning via video-link from the Serious Custody Suite at Musgrave PSNI station in Belfast.

Bearded and wearing a grey custody tracksuit, he spoke briefly at the outset of the short hearing to confirm his name, date of birth, address and that he understood the charge against him.

Magherafelt Magistrates Court, sitting in Derry courthouse, heard that the accused, who was assisted during the hearing by a Polish interpreter, had lived in Northern Ireland for the last 20 years.

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The accused appeared from Musgrave Police Station, Belfast. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA.

A detective constable told district judge Oonagh Mullan that she could connect the accused to the charge.

Pajaczkowskis defence solicitor Eoghan McKenna noted to the judge that his client had replied not guilty after being charged.

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He made no application for bail but said such an application may be made at a later point.

We are conscious of ongoing police inquiries in the area, said Mr McKenna.

We also require some investigation of bail address issues and I also want to obtain some medical evidence before progressing the bail application.

Your worship will have noted the not guilty reply after charge  this will be a complicated and complex investigation.

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The judge remanded the accused in custody to appear before the same court, via videolink, on September 18th.

Detectives have said they are continuing their inquiries into the murder and have appealed for anyone with information to come forward to them or anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers.
A mother of a little boy suffering with a life-threatening curve on his spine, shared a heartbreaking video of her son struggling in pain, and pleaded with Taoiseach, Simon Harris, to help her son receive the urgent care he so desperately needs.

In 2017, Gillian Sherratt and Stephen Morrison were told by doctors that their baby son Harvey would require urgent scoliosis surgery as his lungs and heart were already starting to be crushed by his twisting spine and ribcage.

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Last February, Harveys parents shared a video of Harvey struggling to breathe due to his complex health needs.

However, seven years after Harveys doctors warned that controlling his scoliosis was life or death, Harveys mother informed the Taoiseach in an email that Harvey is still awaiting the life-saving surgery.

In 2017, Mr Harris, then the Minister for Health, told parents of children waiting years for scoliosis surgery that they would wait no longer than four months for the procedures, but this has not happened, and prolonged scoliosis surgery waiting lists continue due to inadequacies in the health system.

You continually tell families like ours that you care, and you have been promising to fix this since 2017. 2017 was the year we were told that Harveys ribs were crushing his lungs and controlling his scoliosis was life and death. Here we are in 2024 and nothing has changed..., states Ms Sherratts email to the Taoiseach.

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Ms Sherratt stated she is incredibly concerned for Harvey who is now eight and half years old.

Harvey has Spina Bifida and scoliosis which in itself is challenging, but when those conditions are coupled with a lack of access to therapy, and incredibly long wait lists for urgent and life changing surgeries, then it becomes impossible to adequately care for your child, wrote Ms Sherratt.

Harvey had an Xray in January 2024 that showed his scoliosis curve is at 110, if you have read in to scoliosis then I am sure you are aware how this is at a point where it is detrimental to his health and quality of life, Ms Sherratts email continues.

Ms Sherratt sates that Harvey was listed for urgent surgery in February 2022 after repeated pneumonia infections, however Harveys surgeon has not been available for surgery and 30 months later he (Harvey) is still only on the surgical list...as he does not have a surgeon willing to operate..

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Ms Sherratts email informed the Taoiseach that a Paediatric Spinal Taskforce, established last January by the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, to address the scoliosis surgery waiting lists crisis, and which has met three times, has not made contact with my family, nor is there any details online of how to contact them to enquire as to when your child will finally be treated.

Ms Sherratts email also highlighted delays in the long-awaited new Childrens Hospital, as well as how the result of a HSE investigation into where funding for scoliosis surgery was actually spent is not known.

Here we are in 2024 and nothing has changed except...longer wait lists, more children waiting, a still not complete hospital, and funds not being spent as intended and no answers yet as to where the money *we* fought for went.

You say you care but your actions have left us feeling anything but, Ms Sherratt states.

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She also informed the Taoiseach that her five-year-old daughter Lyla is facing open heart surgery next month and this is just more stress and concern that we do not need.

Another summer has just passed and Harvey has spent the majority (of it) in his room, often needing to go back in to bed because he is in so much pain, Ms Sherratts states.

Is that the life you think the children of Ireland deserve? Would you accept that if it was your own child?

Can you imagine being told your child has a potentially life threatening condition but that it will be years before it would be treated?, she asked.

We need actual action, not more empty promises...We need contact details and open dialogue with the task force so that we can actually feel its existence.

We need answers as to where the funding for scoliosis and spina bifida services went.

Most of all, these children need to get their quality of life back before their whole childhood passes. I look forward to hearing from you, Ms Sherratts email concludes.

The Department of the Taoiseach has been asked for a response.
The States prison watchdog has repeated its call on the Irish Prison Service (IPS) to intensify its efforts to physically prevent contraband from entering the countrys prisons following another suspected death of a prisoner who had consumed illicit substances.

The Office of the Inspector of Prisons recommended that the IPS should also intensify its interactions with An Garda Siochana to develop a multi-agency written strategy to tackle the problem of drugs and other prohibited materials getting into prisons.

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The call for greater measures to prevent and detect contraband in prisons follows the death of a prisoner a few hours after reports he had consumed drugs and home-made alcohol in Cloverhill Prison in Dublin three years ago.

In a report into the death of the 34-year-old remand prisoner on August 12th, 2021, the OIP noted the governor of Cloverhill acknowledged that it was the second death in the prison that year in which contraband appeared to have been a factor.

The prisoner  identified only as Mr E  had been remanded in custody three months earlier while awaiting trial on drug charges which was listed for hearing on August 24th, 2021.

He was sharing a cell with two other prisoners at the time of his death.

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One of them told OIP investigators that Mr E told him that he had acquired 5-10 tablets known as zimos (a slang word for benzodiazepines) in the yard from another prisoner that afternoon.

The deceased told his cellmate that he had already consumed four zimos while he was in the yard.

A couple of prisoners who played cards with Mr E later that evening said he was in good form before all inmates were locked in their cells for the night.

OIP investigators were also informed that there were four litres of hooch or illicit alcohol in their cell.

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They were told that the three prisoners, including Mr E, drank about two litres between them, with one prisoner claiming it had quite an effect".

Both of Mr Es cellmates reported that he was slurring his speech at 11.30pm when he was placed in a chair near air vents to try and sober him up.

One prisoner said he decided to sit up all night to make sure Mr E was OK.

He reported that the deceased was snoring loudly at one stage but did not find that unusual.

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The other cellmate woke at 3.30am and told Mr E who was still sitting in a chair to go to bed.

He recounted how he helped Mr E into the toilet where he threw up.

He told the OIP staff that he placed the deceased in the recovery position in the lower bunk because he was concerned Mr E might fall from the top bunk.

The other prisoner said he placed a mattress on the floor to prevent Mr E from hitting the ground in case he fell out of his bed.

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The two other prisoners spoke at 5.30am before falling back asleep in the belief that Mr E was OK as he had not vomited since 3.30am.

One of them said they noticed soiled bed clothes in the lower bunk when they woke at 7am and realised that Mr E had been ill again.

He began CPR on Mr E at 7.03am after hearing him making a gargling sound but was unresponsive when called.

The other prisoner started banging on the cell door to raise the alarm.

Report

The report noted that prison officers found Mr Es cellmates in a panic, stating: Hes after getting sick and we cant wake him.

A nurse who attended the deceased said he was unresponsive and cold to the touch with dry blood visible on his face and on the bed clothes.

The OIP observed that paramedics called to the prison had ceased resuscitation efforts on Mr E at 8.05am, and he was formally pronounced dead an hour later by a doctor.

The prison watchdog noted that Cloverhills chief nurse officer had raised concerns about the length of the waiting list for drug counselling at a critical incident review meeting held on the day after Mr Es death.

The meeting was told that an extra 18 prisoners had been added to the list that day.

The OIP noted it had made the same recommendations in its report into the other suspected death of a prisoner from taking drugs in Cloverhill in 2021, which was published earlier this month.

In its recommendations, the OIP urged the prison authorities to use technological measures to prevent and detect contraband in prisons.

It also called for any strategy to tackle the problem to also contain measures to prevent exploitation and coercion being used to bring drugs and other illicit substances into prisons.

The IPS said it accepted the recommendations and their implementation was ongoing".

Drug Strategy

The IPS said it had published a new Drug Strategy in 2023 with a renewed focus to address substance abuse in prisons.

It claimed engagement with gardai had resulted in 75 arrests at Wheatfield/Cloverhill prison complex over a 13-year period to mid-March 2024.

The OIP report also noted that Mr Es family criticised how they found out about his death via a phone call rather than in person.

However, the IPS said its protocol was for a prison chaplain to contact the next of kin by phone if they could not attend the home of the deceased family person.

In the case of Ms E, it explained that the chaplain had not attended the home because of Covid-19 restrictions and that it was practice to contact families by phone at the time.
As part of International Beatleweek, that celebrates The Beatles in Liverpool, we take a look at how the renowned pop band not only changed the landscape of music, but fashion too.

The Beatles entered the Sixties dressed as teddy boys and left as mop topped, sharply suited heart-throbs.

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The Beatles early Teddy Boys image of the Fifties was drastically different to what they later cultivated (Alamy/PA)

After an infamous trip to Hamburg, Germany, the bands manager, Brian Epstein, decided to dress the band in matching made-to-measure suits.

These suits, often in dark hues and paired with ties and crisp white shirts, were meticulously crafted to present a unified, polished image, says London-based fashion expert Fausta Urte Geigaite, this bespoke elegance set them apart, offering a fresh, accessible look that appealed to both the youth and the establishment.

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The Beatles became known for cosmopolitan suits and slick mop haircuts (Alamy/PA)

Although the suits were a way to tidy their appearance, the band themselves were quite mischievous, and in a way The Beatles were the perfect contradiction. Clean cut in their appearance but rebellious in their nature; the bands fashion helped appeal to both parents and teens.

As the band grew  so did their styles. Psychedelia became a pool of inspiration for liberals and free thinkers of the decade. Influenced by fin de siecle Art Nouveau, Victoriana and circus imagery  psychedelias diverse sources found a direct parallel with The Beatles fashion and musical eclecticism.

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The Beatles new colourful and avant-garde style was exhibited on their album cover art (Alamy/PA)

The bands music began to implement heavily effected sounds, Eastern intervals and avant-garde tape looping. Visually, the four grew out their mop haircuts and wore brightly coloured military suits, famously exhibited on the Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover.

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The Beatles wore brightly coloured military uniform on the Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover (Alamy/PA)

By the mid-Sixties, each band member had developed their own iconic style. John Lennon was known for his minimalist and sometimes unconventional style, which included round wire-rimmed glasses and Nehru jackets.

John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, were renowned for being the most liberal of the group (Alamy/PA)

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Paul McCartney was more polished and conservative, sticking with the sharp suits of the early Sixties, whilst George Harrison had an eclectic style, playing with traditional Indian prints, silk and denim.

Paul McCartney didnt stray far from Brian Epsteins early style transformation (Alamy/PA)

George Harrisons hippy haircut and moustache became emblematic of his style paired with Eastern textiles (Alamy/PA)

Ringo Starr had a more casual and laid-back approach to fashion, often appearing in simple jackets, trousers and T-shirts. He later became known for his distinctive earring and sunglasses.

Ringo Starr later became known for his small round glasses and peace emblems (Alamy/PA)

Most of these iconic elements have not been lost to history. Their ability to blend sophisticated, tailored outfits with elements of avant-garde ensured their style legacy, says Geigaite.

In 2024, Sixties fashion has come swinging back, with the revival of quilted print jackets, mod shift dresses, Mary Janes and acidic suits. The returning styles show the enduring legacy that The Beatles helped cultivate with their experimental and eclectic style.

The Beatles bright and bold approach continues to inspire suit tailoring from Gucci to Saint Laurent (Alamy/PA)

The bands influence on fashion remains palpable even today. From their initial tailored suits inspiring countless reinterpretations in menswear, to the resurgence of Western boots echoing the Cuban heel worn by the band members, later being dubbed the Beatle boot.

Designers often reference the eclectic and bold aesthetic of their later years in collections that celebrate individuality and breaking the norms, says Geigaite. In essence, The Beatles taught us that fashion, much like music, is a platform for personal expression and cultural dialogue.

How to get the modern look

(Nobodys Child/PA)

Nobodys Child Cream Palermo Mini Shift Dress

(Cotton Conscious/PA)

Cotton Conscious Block Print Quilted Cotton Jacket  Blue

(Next/PA)

Forever Comfort Ankle Western Cowboy Boots, Next

(Debenhams/PA)

House of Holland Pink Flame Clashing Colours Blazer, Debenhams
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has reported more than 1,000 new mpox cases in the last week up to Tuesday as African health authorities asked for desperately needed vaccines to help fight its growing threat on the continent.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the outbreaks in Africa a global emergency.

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Mpox belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox but causes milder symptoms such as fever, chills and body aches, and mostly spreads through close skin-to-skin contact, including sexual intercourse.



A girl suffering from mpox walks past a treatment centre in Munigi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Moses Sawasawa/AP)

People with more serious cases can develop lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals.

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While mpox has been reported in 12 of Africas 54 countries during these outbreaks, the vast central African nation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has recorded by far the most cases this year.

Out of a total of 18,910 cases in 2024, 94%  or 17,794  were in the DRC, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said, with 535 of the 541 deaths reported.

The figures are likely to be an underestimate, as only about one in five suspected cases in the DRC are being tested for mpox.

Africa CDC director-general Dr Jean Kaseya said many affected African countries had limited testing and surveillance capabilities.

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Over the last seven days, the DRC recorded 1,030 of the 1,405 new cases in Africa, according to statistics provided late on Tuesday by the Africa CDC.

Only 16% of the cases have been confirmed by virus tests, but the infections meet the agencys definition of the disease.

The rising mpox case count in Africa and a new form of the virus identified in the DRC that might be more easily transmitted led the WHO to declare it a global health emergency last week.



A young girl suffering from mpox waits for treatment at a clinic in Munigi (Moses Sawasawa/AP)

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Some hope this will encourage donors to share vaccines and other help to curtail the outbreaks in Africa before cases spread internationally as Sweden recorded a case of the new mpox variant first seen in the DRC.

The WHO has previously said its past efforts to raise donations for mpox failed to elicit even a single donor dollar.

Dr Kaseya said that his organisation had received a pledge of 215,000 mpox vaccines from the European Union and the vaccine maker Bavarian Nordic, which were due to arrive in the next few days.

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The United States aid agency said it had donated 50,000 other doses of the same vaccine to the DRC.

Japan has also donated some doses to the DRC.

But Africa is likely to need much more.

The DRCs health minister said his country alone needs three million vaccine doses to end the outbreaks there, which have spilled into at least four nearby African countries.

A 2022 global mpox outbreak in more than 70 countries was shut down in the space of months with vaccines and treatments made available in rich nations, but hardly any doses reached Africa.



A health worker attends to an mpox patient at a treatment centre in Munigi (Moses Sawasawa/AP)

It had been spreading largely unnoticed for years in Nigeria and elsewhere before it sparked international concern.

Since then, the virus has continued to steadily sicken people in the DRC, with few effective containment efforts.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa criticised the global response to the 2022 outbreak, calling it unfair as treatments and vaccines were made available to rich Western nations while Africa was given little support.

In a statement, he urged the international community to guarantee equitable access to mpox diagnostics and vaccines this time.

Mr Ramaphosas comments evoked memories of Africas anger at largely being shut out of vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Then, Africa received doses much later than richer countries and had to pay more in some cases.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control recommended last week that travellers to mpox-affected areas see if they might be eligible to get vaccinated, in a move that could increase pressure to secure mpox shots.





Dr Kaseya said mpox was now growing and spreading while countries waited for doses.

While the DRC was clearly the country causing the most concern, he said it was noticeable that cases in nearby Burundi had more than doubled to 572 in a week.

Dr Kaseya also asked for solidarity from the international community in dealing with mpox and specifically urged against any Covid-like travel bans being placed on African countries that would isolate them as the disease is not as easily transmissible.

Dont punish Africa, he said.

We need you to provide appropriate support. This vaccine is expensive.
A TV documentary is set to follow the trial of UK child serial killer Lucy Letby.

The two-part Channel 4 series will examine the case of former neonatal nurse Letby, who was convicted last August of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six others between June 2015 and June 2016, the broadcaster said.

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Letbys trial ran for 10 months from October 2022 to August 2023, with a retrial ordered after a jury was unable to reach a verdict on one count of attempted murder of a baby girl.

Child serial killer Lucy Letby was sentenced to 15 whole life orders following the deaths of multiple babies at the Countess of Chester neonatal unit (Cheshire Constabulary/PA)

Last month, the 34-year-old was found guilty of the attack on the newborn infant during a night shift in the Countess of Chester hospitals neonatal unit in February 2016.

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Letby was sentenced to 15 whole-life orders  making her only the fourth woman in UK history to be told she will never be released from prison.

Channel 4 said the documentary  currently titled The Trial Of Lucy Letby  is in pre-production and does not yet have a release date, but it will have a feature-length theatrical release.

It is to be directed by Emmy award-winning and Bafta-nominated filmmaker Daniel Bogado.

The British-Paraguayan documentary maker was the former series editor of Unreported World  Britains longest-running foreign affairs strand  on Channel 4.

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He also directed 9/11: One Day In America, which marked two decades since the attacks and was nominated for a Bafta, while his 2014 documentary Nigerias Hidden War also won an Emmy for best investigative journalism.
Michelle Obama tore into Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention, criticising his character and racist attacks that have targeted her and her husband Barack in the past.

"His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black," she said of Mr Trump.

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She also taunted Mr Trump for his reference on the campaign trail to "Black jobs," which he claims are being taken by migrants crossing into the US away from Black Americans.

"Whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those 'Black jobs?'" Ms Obama asked, drawing an enthusiastic response from the crowd.

World How Obama boosted Harris and continues to shape th... Read More

The former first lady was speaking in support of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, who will formally accept the party's nomination for president at the convention and, if elected, would be the first Black and South Asian person to become president.

Michelle Obama also drew a contrast with Mr Trump and most Americans who don't grow up wealthy like Mr Trump, whose father was a real estate investor.

"We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth," she said.

"If we bankrupt a business or choke in a crisis, we dont get a second, third, or fourth chance," she said. "If things dont go our way, we dont have the luxury of whining or cheating others to get further ahead."
Search crews have carried out further inspections of a luxury yacht that sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily as the hunt for six people feared trapped in the vessel continues.

The Italian Coastguard has not ruled out the possibility that those missing, including technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, may still be alive, with experts speculating air pockets could have formed as the yacht sank.

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Among those also missing are Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

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Inspections of the yachts internal hull took place on Wednesday morning.

A team of four British inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) have arrived in Porticello, where they are expected to look at the site of the sinking.

The MAIB is looking into what happened because the yacht Bayesian was flying a British flag, it is understood.

The Italian Coastguard said the MAIB is not involved in the search for the missing people and that it has not been requested to assist.

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Fire crews from the Vigili del Fuoco said they have been accessing the vessel through natural entrances, without making openings.

Remotely controlled underwater vehicles are being used, with naval units and cave divers also taking part in the search, the Italian Coastguard has said.

Mr Bloomers twin brother, Jeremy Bloomer, told the BBC: Its a slow process and it will take time. So there might be air pockets, but we dont know. Its still wait and see, so fingers crossed.

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Italian emergency services head towards the area off the Sicilian coast where the luxury yacht sank in a storm (Jonathan Brady/PA)

The body recovered at the scene of the sinking on Monday was that of Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working on the Bayesian superyacht, the Italian Coastguard told Sky News.

Gareth Williams, a friend of the chef, told the BBC: I can talk for everyone that knew him when I say he was a well-loved, kind human being with a calm spirit.

Another friend, Eli Fuller, told the broadcaster Mr Thomas was friends with everybody, always positive and sought-after in his profession.

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Bayesian was moored around half a mile off the coast of Porticello when it sank at around 5am local time on Monday as the area was hit by a storm.

Vincenzo Zagarola, of the Italian Coastguard, said the six missing tourists are feared dead.

Asked about the likelihood of them being alive, he said: Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not.

 #Porticello #Palermo, riprese alle 8 di #oggi le immersioni dei #sommozzatori speleo dei #vigilidelfuoco per le ricerche dei 6 dispersi. Complesso lingresso nello yacht, in atto la pianificazione per aprire accessi piu agevoli e ispezionare linterno [#20agosto 11:00] pic.twitter.com/QRTdGtO8r2  Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) August 20, 2024

He told the PA news agency: We think they are still inside the boat, that is our very hard idea.

Of course, we do not exclude that they are not inside the boat, but we know the boat sank quickly.

We suppose that the six people missing may not have had time to get out of the boat.

The wreckage of Bayesian is resting on the seabed off the coast at a depth of 50m (164ft).

Fire crews described the operation as complex, with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts.

Dr Jean-Baptiste Souppez, a senior lecturer in mechanical, biomedical and design engineering at Aston University, said the next 24 hours are crucial to find survivors trapped inside the wreck.

He said: The speed at which the vessel sank (a few minutes, according to survivor and witness accounts) and the fact that it remains intact and on its side could favour the formation of small air pockets inside.

But whether air pockets formed on the Bayesian is simply impossible to predict.

Of the 22 passengers and crew on board, 15  including Mr Lynchs wife, Angela Bacares  were rescued after escaping on to a lifeboat.

The Mirror reported that Ms Bacares is in a state of shock and sadness as she awaits news of her husband. She has reportedly been joined by the couples elder daughter who was not on board the yacht.

(PA Graphics)

More of the vessels rescued crew members were named by the Italian Coastguard on Tuesday, with Leo Eppel and South African nationals Leah Randall and Katja Chicken all confirmed as having been on board.

Survivors are recuperating at a hotel complex in Porticello, where authorities are gathering witness statements.

The Telegraph reported that authorities are investigating whether hatches left open by crew members contributed to the sinking, as well as what onboard measures were taken in preparation for the storm.

The ships captain, James Calfield, 51, told Italian media: We didnt see it coming.

The boat trip was a celebration of Mr Lynchs acquittal in a fraud case in the US.

The businessman, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was cleared in June of carrying out a massive fraud relating to its 11 billion US dollar (8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.

Morgan Stanley International Bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer is among those missing (Hiscox/PA)

The Financial Times reported that Mr Bloomer appeared at trial as a defence witness for Mr Lynch, while media reports suggest the pair are close friends.

A spokesman for Morgan Stanley said the bank is shocked and saddened, while Clifford Chance said it was a tragic incident.

David Tabizel, Mr Lynchs Autonomy co-founder, told Sky News: Im just heartbroken for him and his family and I hope theres a miracle about to occur.

If anyone has the resilience to survive this, he does. And I hope hes found an air pocket.

The former school of Mr Lynchs daughter, Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London, said its thoughts are with their family and everyone involved.

Stephen Chamberlain died after being hit by a car (Cambridgeshire Police/PA)

One of the survivors, British tourist Charlotte Emsley, told Italian newspaper la Repubblica she held her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, to stop her from drowning.

The pair were treated in hospital, as was Ms Emsleys father, James Emsley.

In a separate incident, Mr Lynchs co-defendant in his US fraud trial, Stephen Chamberlain, died after being hit by a car while out running in Cambridgeshire on Saturday.
Former US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle have called on the nation to embrace Kamala Harris in speeches at the Democratic National Convention.

Mr Obama wrapped up the second night of the convention in Chicago, praising the Vice President and her running mate Governor Tim Walz while taking aim at Republican rival Donald Trump.

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The former president called Mr Trump a 78-year-old billionaire who hasnt stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.

Its been a constant stream of gripes and grievances thats actually gotten worse now that hes afraid of losing to Kamala, the former president said.



Former president Barack Obama addresses the Democratic National Convention (Paul Sancya/AP)

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We dont need four more years of bluster and chaos. Weve seen that movie  and we all know that the sequels usually worse.

For all the energy and memes and rallies of the campaign, he said, this will still be a tight race in a closely divided country.

Make no mistake, it will be a fight, he said.

For all the incredible energy weve been able to generate over the last few weeks, this will still be a tight race in a closely divided country  a country where too many Americans are still struggling and dont believe government can help.

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He praised President Joe Biden and his decision to withdraw his candidacy for a second term.



Former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as he is introduced during the Democratic National Convention (Brynn Anderson/AP)

History will remember Joe Biden as a president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger, Mr Obama said as the crowd chanted, Thank you, Joe.

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I am proud to call him my president, but even prouder to call him my friend.

Former first lady Michelle Obama told the convention something wonderfully magical is in the air.

Its the contagious power of hope, she said. America, hope is making a comeback.

She tore into Mr Trump, who has long attacked the first black president and first lady, before harkening back to a recent comment the Republican nominee made about preserving so-called black jobs.

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Former first lady Michelle Obama addresses the convention (Brynn Anderson/AP)

His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be black, he said.

Whos going to tell him that the job hes seeking might be one of those black jobs?

She warned that Mr Trumps policies and rhetoric only makes us small. And let me tell you  going small is never the answer.

Going small is petty its unhealthy and, quite frankly, its unpresidential, she said, calling Ms Harris and Mr Walz good, big-hearted people.

In an appearance perhaps intended to needle Mr Trump, his former press secretary Stephanie Grisham  now a harsh critic of her former boss  also took to the convention stage earlier in the evening.

She said Mr Trump has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth.

I love my country more than my party, she said. Kamala Harris tells the truth. She respects the American people. And she has my vote.





Senators Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, and Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent beloved by progressives, praised Ms Harris.

I look forward to working with Kamala and Tim to pass this agenda, Mr Sanders said. And lets be clear. This is not a radical agenda.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who would become the nations first gentleman if his wife wins the presidency, shared personal details about their relationship with Ms Harris  their cooking habits, their first date and her laugh, which is often mocked by Republican critics.

You know that laugh. I love that laugh, Mr Emhoff said as the crowd cheered.

Her empathy is her strength.

Among the celebrities appearing at the convention on Tuesday night were director Spike Lee and actors Sean Astin, Eva Longoria and Wendell Pierce.
Before JD Vance began his rapid rise to vice presidential candidate, he co-founded a Silicon Valley-backed donor organisation to finance right-wing news stories, voter turnout operations and election polls with a goal of spreading US president Donald Trumps brand of nationalism, according to previously unreported documents on the group.

Founded in 2019, Rockbridge Network seeks to influence US politics through a centrally controlled network of right-wing political groups backed by some of the same deep-pocketed tech investors who helped bankroll Mr Vances political rise.

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The existence of Rockbridge and Mr Vances link to it have been previously reported. But three internal Rockbridge documents reviewed by Reuters and half a dozen sources familiar with the group reveal the scale of its ambitions, its roughly $75 million budget for 2024 and its role in seeking to influence Novembers presidential election.

Rockbridge showcases how Mr Trumps selection of Mr Vance as his running mate could empower a new set of Republican businessmen: heavyweight tech investors who favour far-reaching de-regulation. Many want to weaken the US Securities and Exchange Commission, which regulates Wall Street, and reduce oversight of cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence.

Their financial backing of Rockbridge illustrates Silicon Valleys growing influence in conservative politics and marks an evolution from more traditional deep-pocketed Republican activists, whose political networks have lost influence since Mr Trump took over the party.

Super PAC

Rockbridge oversees five political groups and one super PAC focused on financing right-wing investigative reporting, underwriting polls, turning out voters in battleground states and spurring churchgoers into political activism, according to a seven-page Rockbridge prospectus issued to donors ahead of an April retreat in Palm Beach, Florida. Super PACs  short for political action committees  can spend unlimited amounts of money to campaign independently for candidates.

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Mr Vance, identified in the prospectus as Rockbridges co-founder, appears to retain no formal relationship with the group. He maintains informal ties to it, however, and spoke to more than 100 of its members and donors gathered at its bi-annual retreat in April, according to an attendee and a memo outlining the events agenda.

A longtime associate of Mr Vances, Republican businessman Chris Buskirk, is Rockbridges other founder.

Rockbridge Networks donor outreach is run by Rockbridge Network LLC, a for-profit Delaware company that helps manage donations for the networks political groups. Its owners are not identified in corporate records.

Two Rockbridge officials, who handle donor contacts and donations, are also members of Mr Vances current fundraising team, according to two of the internal documents and a campaign official. Many of Rockbridges donors support Mr Vance politically.

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A spokesperson for Mr Vance declined to comment about Rockbridge. The Trump campaign did not respond to questions about the networks role and its links to at least two of the campaigns staffers.

Hillbilly Elegy

Mr Vances poor, unstable upbringing in Ohio led to his best-selling 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, and the Trump campaign is hopeful his story will resonate with working-class voters.

We need a leader who is not in the pocket of big business, but answers to the working man, union and nonunion alike, Mr Vance said in his July 17th acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. His resume also includes a degree from Yale Law School and a lucrative career as a San Francisco Bay Area-based venture capitalist.

The Rockbridge network he co-founded draws heavily from the elite worlds of tech and investing. A number of high-profile Silicon Valley venture capitalists and crypto investors have thrown their support behind Mr Trump.

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Conservatives in the tech industry have said they are concerned about the Biden administration's crackdown on crypto and cautious approach to artificial intelligence.

Rockbridge hasnt disclosed its financial backers and isnt required to reveal them under campaign-finance laws.

But according to two sources with knowledge of Rockbridge, they include Peter Thiel, a German-born libertarian billionaire who poured millions into Mr Vances 2022 US Senate race.

Its members also include venture capitalist Blake Masters, a Thiel protege and former candidate for US Congress in Arizona, and investor Omeed Malik, a former Democrat who now backs conservative-friendly companies, the sources said. Right-wing activist and heiress Rebekah Mercer, a major donor to Mr Trump, is also a backer.

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Spokespeople for Mr Thiel and Ms Mercer did not respond to requests for comment. Mr Masters did not respond to requests for comment.

Since being selected by Mr Trump as his running mate last month, Mr Vance has held rallies in battleground states and headlined fundraisers, including one in Silicon Valley. His debut has sometimes been shaky, notably due to his unearthed 2021 comments about "childless cat ladies," a jab seen as misogynistic and discriminatory to people without children.

Recruiting churchgoers, investing in media

Reuters reviewed two documents distributed to donors who attended Rockbridges April retreat in Palm Beach. A five-page memo details the three-day meetings agenda. A separate seven-page prospectus explains Rockbridges political vision and projects. Reuters also obtained an invitation sent to donors for a private dinner in Dallas last month to discuss Rockbridge. All three documents are labelled "confidential".

The prominence of the guest speakers at the Palm Beach gathering underlined Rockbridges influence. Mr Trump himself spoke by video from New York, where he was on trial in his hush-money case at the time.

Trump campaign co-chair Susie Wiles gave a presentation during a section titled Winning the White House".

Influential conservative legal figure Leonard Leo and New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, a Trump donor, also spoke, according to the memo.

Mr Leo did not respond to questions sent to him at the Federalist Society, the conservative legal group he heads.

Mr Johnson didn't reply to questions sent to him via the New York Jets.

Rockbridge, according to the documents, consists of a cluster of smaller groups, none of which appear to have their own websites or much of a public footprint. It has 150 to 200 members and has a 2024 budget of between $70 million and $80 million, the source familiar with the group said. The cost of membership ranges from $100,000 to $1 million, according to the Rockbridge prospectus.

Two Rockbridge groups  Virginia-based Better Tomorrow and Washington-based Over the Horizon  focus on get-out-the vote operations, according to the documents.

They are helping Mr Trump and Mr Vance in seven swing states, the source familiar with the group said. The two groups, plus a newly created, Buskirk-led super PAC first revealed by The New York Times, will have a total of around 5,000 people in the field seeking to drive turnout, the source added.

Another Rockbridge group, Faithful in Action, has more than 160,000 members, according to the prospectus.

Its mission is to recruit churchgoers into political activism, the prospectus said. It was incorporated in 2023 in Wyoming, and state records show its president is Buskirk. Reuters was unable to independently confirm its size or current activities.

Efforts to influence journalism

Rockbridges efforts to influence journalism are led by Firebrand Action, incorporated in Virginia in 2022. State records list Firebrands president as Buskirk and its secretary as James Blair, a member of Mr Trumps campaign staff and a former deputy chief of staff for Florida governor Ron DeSantis.

Mr Blair resigned from Firebrand in the spring before joining the Trump campaign, said a source familiar with his role.

Rockbridge funds reporting published by aligned media outlets, the prospectus said. Reuters was unable to identify any articles or media outlets backed by the group.

Firebrand and Revitalization Partners, a charitable investment account, are both listed in the prospectus as supporting investigative journalism and public polling that has been included in the go-to RealClearPolitics and FiveThirtyEight polling averages for political races. The document didnt name the polls involved.

RealClearPolitics and FiveThirtyEight did not respond to requests for comment.

Rockbridge has also served as an incubator for new ventures. At a 2022 Rockbridge summit, Buskirk, investor Mr Malik, hedge fund heiress Ms Mercer and former Arizona congressional candidate Mr Masters started discussing how to finance a parallel economy of conservative businesses, one attendee said.

That would eventually become 1789 Capital, a $150 million Palm Beach-based venture capital firm owned by Mr Buskirk, Mr Malik and Ms Mercer, the source added.

Last year, 1789 Capital announced its first investment: $15 million into conservative TV personality Tucker Carlsons newly formed company Last Country Inc".

In April, at a fireside chat with more than 100 prospective Rockbridge donors at the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, Mr Vance sat across from Mr Buskirk in an armchair, according to an attendee and the memo outlining the agenda.

Vance against support for Ukraine

The source said Mr Vances speech went hard on his key policy planks: reluctance to take on Russia in Ukraine; false claims that Mr Trump won the 2020 election; and an emphasis on what Mr Vance deems family values such as the importance of marriage and children.

Mr Vance and Mr Buskirk were introduced to each other by Mr Thiel and first met in San Francisco following Mr Trumps 2016 election victory, according to the source familiar with Rockbridge.

At the time, Mr Vance was working for Mr Thiels venture capital firm, Mithril Capital. Mr Vance and Mr Buskirk launched Rockbridge in 2019 as an informal network to replace the current Republican ecosystem, the prospectus said.

Mr Vances ascension to the presidential ticket has attracted more donor interest in Rockbridge, said two sources familiar with the group.

On July 25th, 10 days after Mr Vance was picked, an invitation went out to several Republican donors for a private dinner and discussion about Rockbridge Network in Dallas, according to an invitation seen by Reuters.
Donald Trump has spoken from behind bulletproof glass at his first outdoor rally since last months attempted assassination.

During an event in North Carolina focused on national security, he blamed President Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris for the deadly Afghanistan withdrawal and wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, while returning repeatedly in his remarks to the Democratic gathering in Chicago, where speakers have condemned Mr Trump as a threat to the country should he return to the White House.

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The former president, now the Republican nominee, asked the crowd at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame whether they had seen the speeches given on Tuesday by former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.



Barack and Michelle Obama at the Democratic National Convention (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle/AP)

He was taking shots at your president. And so was Michelle. You know, they always say, Sir, please stick to policy. Dont get personal. And yet theyre getting personal all night long, these people, he said, asking: Do I still have to stick to policy?

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Mr Trump, who is facing Ms Harris in the November election after Mr Biden stepped aside, spoke from behind a podium surrounded by panes of bulletproof glass which formed a protective wall across the stage  part of ramped-up security measures aimed at keeping him safe after the attack by a gunman in Pennsylvania on July 13.

Storage containers were stacked around the perimeter to create additional walls and block sight lines. Snipers were positioned on roofs at the venue, where old aircraft were sitting behind the podium and a large American flag was suspended from cranes.

The event was part of Mr Trumps week-long series of counter-programming to the Democratic National Convention, which is under way in Chicago. Allies have been urging him to focus on policy instead of personal attacks against Ms Harris as he struggles to adjust to Mr Bidens departure from the race.

The second night of the Democrats convention on Tuesday was a highly energised affair that featured speeches from both Obamas, who went after Mr Trump in biting terms.

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His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happen to be black, Mrs Obama said.



Donald Trump arrives at the campaign rally in North Carolina (Julia Nikhinson/AP)

Mr Obama mocked Mr Trumps obsession with his crowd sizes and called him a 78-year-old billionaire who hasnt stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.

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Its been a constant stream of gripes and grievances thats actually gotten worse now that hes afraid of losing to Kamala, the former president said.

After mentioning the Obamas early in his speech, Mr Trump came back to the former presidents comments.

He was very nasty last night, he said. I try and be nice to people, you know. But its a little tough when they get personal.

He then asked the crowd whether he should listen to advisers who he said have told him: Please, sir, dont get personal. Talk about policy.

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Should I get personal or should I not get personal? he asked. The crowd overwhelmingly chose the former.





Mr Trump described Ms Harris as the most radical left person ever to run for high political office in our country, and said the woman he now calls Comrade Kamala will destroy the country if she is elected to the White House.

While he has acknowledged the race is closer than before Mr Biden dropped out, his aides believe Ms Harris remains relatively unknown and efforts to highlight her past statements and the positions she took in previous races will turn off swing voters after her honeymoon period ends.

Mr Trump repeatedly referenced the Biden administrations withdrawal from Afghanistan, and said that, if he wins, he will ask for the resignation of every senior military official who was involved.

He pledged to get critical race theory and transgender insanity the hell out of our US armed forces. During his administration, he instituted a Pentagon policy that largely barred transgender people from serving in the military, which Mr Biden reversed.

Our warriors should be focused on defeating Americas enemies, not figuring out their genders, he said.



JD Vance speaks during the campaign rally (Julia Nikhinson/AP)

If you want to have a sex change or a social justice seminar, then you can do it somewhere else, but youre not going to do it in the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, Space Force or the United States Marines.

He also pledged major investment in the armed forces and said he would launch the largest peacetime recruitment drive in the nations history.

Were going to make it so hot that Im going to want to resign and join the military, said Mr Trump, who received a series of deferments, including one attained with a physicians letter saying he suffered from bone spurs in his feet.

He was joined on Wednesday by his running mate JD Vance, who cast Ms Harris as a candidate selected by power brokers instead of voters and condemned her vice presidential pick, Minnesota governor Tim Walz, before Mr Trump took the stage.

He accused Mr Walz of mischaracterising his service record as an Army National Guard member, as well as criticising him for retiring from service before his units deployment to Iraq.

What wont Stolen Valour Tim Walz lie about? Mr Vance, who served four years as a marine, asked the crowd.
Donald Trump rallied against vice president Kamala Harris approach to national security in North Carolina in his first outdoor rally since narrowly surviving an attempted assassination in Pennsylvania last month.

The world is on fire, and Kamala and Biden have marched us to the brink of World War III, Mr Trump said, blaming the current White House for the deadly Afghanistan withdrawal and wars between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas.

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Supporters arrive to hear Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speak (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Mr Trump spoke from a podium surrounded by panes of bulletproof glass at the rally at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame.

Storage containers were stacked around the perimeter of the space to create additional walls and block sight lines, and snipers were positioned on roofs at the venue, where old aircraft were sitting behind the podium and a large American flag was suspended from cranes.

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The event, billed as being focused on national security issues, is part of Mr Trumps week-long series of counterprogramming to the Democratic National Convention, which is underway in Chicago.

Allies have been urging him to focus on policy instead of personal attacks as he struggles to adjust to running against Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

On Tuesday night, the convention showcased a double dose of Obama firepower, as the former president and former first lady assailed Mr Trump, calling him out repeatedly by name.

Michelle Obama said of Mr Trump: His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black.

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She also referenced a comment he made in a June debate, asking: Whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?



Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has been visiting battleground states in his busiest week of campaigning since the primaries (Evan Vucci/AP)

Barack Obama mocked Mr Trumps obsession with his crowd sizes and called the former president a 78-year-old billionaire who hasnt stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.

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Its been a constant stream of gripes and grievances thats actually gotten worse now that hes afraid of losing to Kamala, the former president said.

Mr Trump briefly addressed the criticism, asking the crowd if theyd seen the speech by the man he continues to call Barack Hussein Obama.

He was taking shots at your president. And so was Michelle. You know, they always say, Sir, please stick to policy. Dont get personal. And yet theyre getting personal all night long, these people, he said, asking: Do I still have to stick to policy?

Mr Trump was joined on Wednesday by his running mate, JD Vance, who cast Ms Harris as a candidate selected by power brokers instead of voters and lambasted her vice presidential pick, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz before Mr Trump took the stage.

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That included continuing to hammer Mr Walz for, at times, mischaracterising his service record as an Army National Guard member, as well as his retirement from service before his units deployment to Iraq.

What wont Stolen Valour Tim Walz lie about? Mr Vance, who served four years as a Marine, asked the crowd.

The former president has spent the week visiting battleground states in his busiest week of campaigning since the Republican primaries.



Security gets in position prior to Republican presidential nominee former president Donald Trumps speech (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Reflecting the importance of North Carolina in this years election, the trip is Mr Trumps second to the state in just a week.

Last Wednesday, he appeared in Asheville, North Carolina, for a speech on the economy.

Mr Trump won North Carolina by a comfortable margin in 2016. The state delivered the former president his closest state-wide margin of victory four years ago and is once again considered a key battleground in 2024.

Before Mr Trump arrived, his plane did a flyover of the rally site and the gathered crowd erupted into cheers.

Lisa Watts, a retired business owner from Hickory, North Carolina, who was attending her fifth Trump rally, said shes feeling very positive about the race.

A month ago they never spoke her name and now shes like, quote quote the saviour for the country, Watts said of the vice president. I dont think that her record proves that she is ready to run this country.

Ms Watts said she does not think Mr Trumps chances of winning are much different now from when Mr Biden was the Democratic nominee.

I think the Democrats are going to try to do everything they can to keep her up on that pedestal, she said, predicting the hype around Ms Harris will fade.
Jermaine Bollinger - "Cre8ion" | INOV8 Public Relations

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE (August 20, 2024) - Jermaine Bollinger, a seasoned artist in the Christian music industry, is excited to announce the release of his latest single, "Love," featuring Little Egypt Worship, to Christian radio. The track is the newest offering from Bollingers album Cre8ion and exemplifies his unique blend of contemporary Christian music, infused with a deep passion for faith and artistry.

"Love" is a powerful anthem that challenges the listener to reflect on the true meaning of love as demonstrated by Jesus Christ. With evocative lyrics like "So you say, 'Love,' but do you say it like He displayed it?" Bollinger's songwriting encourages believers to go beyond superficial expressions and embody the transformative power of love in their everyday lives. The collaboration with Little Egypt Worship adds a dynamic layer to the song, blending harmonious vocals and heartfelt worship that resonates deeply with listeners.

Produced by Bollinger at his own Salvation Studios, "Love" showcases his extensive musical expertise, honed over years of experience as a multi-instrumentalist and recording engineer. Bollingers training under industry legends such as Todd Herreman, who has worked with the likes of Prince and Michael Jackson, is evident in the polished production and intricate soundscapes of the track.

Jermaine Bollinger is no stranger to success in the Christian music scene, with a remarkable track record that includes twenty #1 singles and nominations for prestigious awards. His previous hits, such as "Hallelujah" and "I Belong To You," have established him as a formidable presence in Contemporary Christian music. With "Love," Bollinger continues to build on this legacy, offering a song that not only inspires worship but also challenges believers to live out the true essence of love.

As "Love" makes its way to Christian radio, Bollinger hopes the message of the song will resonate with audiences across the country, inspiring them to reflect on their understanding of love and to live out their faith with renewed passion.

"Love" is currently available on all major streaming outlets.

Watch the Lyric Video:

https://youtu.be/uGFweuIPTWU

Connect with Jermaine Bollinger:

https://www.jermainebollinger.com/

https://www.facebook.com/jermaine.bollinger

https://www.instagram.com/jbcartunes86/

https://twitter.com/jbcartunes

https://www.youtube.com/@jbcartunes

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2NE1JESbK4TI4PaLdDMztH
Improving Australias biggest pizza chain from the inside out will be the legacy of Dominos Pizzas new chief executive officer Kerri Hayman, as the business hopes to convince investors it is firmly back on a path of growth.

Hayman, who started with the business 36 years ago as a pizza maker and last week took over the top job from her brother, group CEO and managing director Don Meij, signalled her intention to invest in training store workers to instil a culture of obsession with quality and boost pizza sales.

Don Meijs sister Kerri Hayman is the new chief executive of Dominos Pizza, Australia and New Zealand.

When you have an obsession with the basics on making a great product, youre going to do well. When you focus on your team members and get them to fall in love with the job, youre going to do well, she said.

We get really nerdy with the things that we do in store. A simple thing like putting sauce on a pizza, how hard can that be? Well, looking at the tool we use to do that and making it easy for the team member to use, make it a training tool  Theres a lot that goes into it, more than what you probably think.
In a significant legal development, a federal judge has ruled against the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in a case involving pro-Palestinian demonstrations that allegedly created a hostile environment for Jewish students. The ruling, issued on August 14, 2024, marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing debate over free speech and campus safety.

The case centered around a series of protests organized by pro-Palestinian student groups on the UCLA campus. These demonstrations, advocating for Palestinian rights, reportedly led to the creation of "Jew Exclusion Zones," areas where Jewish students felt barred unless they denounced their faith or views supporting Israel. This prompted allegations that the university failed to protect their rights and ensure a safe learning environment.

The judge's decision was a preliminary injunction mandating UCLA to ensure Jewish students have equal access to campus facilities and activities. The ruling requires that if Jewish students are blocked from accessing specific programs or areas, UCLA must also restrict access for all students.

Pro-Palestinian groups, such as Amnesty International at UCLA, have expressed concerns, arguing that the protests are a crucial part of advocating for Palestinian rights. They emphasize the importance of peaceful protest without fear. Meanwhile, Hillel at UCLA, representing Jewish students, welcomed the court's decision, highlighting the need for a safe and inclusive campus environment.

Legal experts, including those from the UCLA School of Law, have noted the broader implications of this ruling. Eugene Volokh, a distinguished professor of law, emphasized that the decision underscores the delicate balance between protecting free speech and ensuring equal access to educational opportunities. He highlighted that while universities must allow for diverse viewpoints, they also have a constitutional obligation to prevent discrimination based on religious beliefs.

This ruling has sparked a wide array of reactions. Supporters argue that it underscores the importance of balancing free speech with student safety, while critics claim it could have a chilling effect on campus activism. UCLA, in response, has stated its commitment to fostering an inclusive environment and is reviewing the court's decision to determine its next steps.

The implications of this ruling extend beyond UCLA, as universities nationwide grapple with similar issues. The outcome of this case may set a precedent for how institutions address conflicts arising from campus protests and demonstrations in the future. Observers are closely watching how UCLA will implement changes to ensure compliance with the court's decision while maintaining its commitment to free expression.

Personal stories from students affected by the protests reveal the human impact of the conflict. Yitzchok Frankel, a third-year law student and one of the plaintiffs, expressed relief at the court's decision, stating, "No student should ever have to fear being blocked from their campus because they are Jewish." This sentiment reflects the broader concerns of Jewish students who have faced intimidation and discrimination, seeking a safe educational environment.
Many are worried that China is making way more than the world needs. From electric vehicles to solar panels, plunging prices at home and abroad are igniting a new round of trade wars. Even Beijing is concerned: In a top-level meeting late last month, policymakers pledged to curb vicious competition among businesses.

Industrial overcapacity has flared up in recent months. There isnt enough global demand to absorb all the lithium batteries, solar modules or steel that Chinese factories can produce. But this is happening at the painful expense of corporate profits. More than half of industry supply in solar, EV, steel, and construction machinery isnt making money, a sharp deterioration from a year earlier, according to Goldman Sachs.

Xi Jinpings government has less sway in sectors where overcapacity is the most acute. Credit: AP

Even those producing consumer staples are not spared. Fresh milk, for instance, is caught in its longest price slump in 14 years, exacerbating a deflationary gloom thats enveloping the economy.

Weve been here before. China went through an extended producers deflation between 2012 and 2016, caused by the same problem. As the economy slowed, the utilisation rate in the steel and coal industries contracted from 79 per cent and 90 per cent in 2010 to 70 per cent and 65 per cent in 2015, according to the International Monetary Fund. Back then, excess capacity was also an international issue. About half of the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations against China in 2016 were related to steel.
It all started with a seemingly innocuous joke.

During a dinner to celebrate the Rural Womens Awards in Parliament House on Tuesday night, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dropped an off-script remark about a discussion with Indonesian president-elect Prabowo Subianto concerning beef exports.

When we had dinner  beautiful Australian beef  not the live export  we made sure it was dead.

Its fair to say the rather limp gag failed to land.

Despite the joke not making it into the version of the speech distributed to media, it was quickly swooped on by the federal opposition, and some farmers groups, who are very upset about the governments decision to ban live sheep exports.
The industry is aware of bad behaviour and is slowly changing, says the owner of Maggies Snacks and Liquor.

Sexual harassment and gender-based violence has reached endemic levels. Bars are common sites of abuse but fine-dining restaurants are not immune, and cultural change is urgently needed.

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A Herald and Good Food investigation reveals a top Sydney restaurant group allegedly ousted female staff after they reported sexual assaults and encouraged on-duty sex and drug use. See all stories .

Late nights, gendered power imbalances and the ubiquity of alcohol conspire to make hospitality one of the least friendly industries for women working in front-of-house service positions. This has been thrown into sharp focus with explosive news that one of Sydneys top bar and restaurant groups, Swillhouse Group, owners of Le Foote, Restaurant Hubert and four other venues, faces claims it pushed female staff out of the company after they reported sexual assaults, encouraged staff to have sex with customers and take drugs while on shift, and discriminated against women. Exclusive Sex, sleaze and Swillhouse: The sinister side of the glitzy hospitality scene As long as theres alcohol and ego in hospitality, there are always going to be problems with people being inappropriate, says Kaidee Grzankowski, a 24-year veteran of the industry who is now a co-owner of Maggies Snacks and Liquor in Melbournes Brunswick East. The behaviour is not changing, she says. The industry is more aware of it. We are speaking about it, we are acting on it more quickly, but it still goes on. Grzankowski, who started working in restaurants at 14 (she is now 38), says she has been sexually assaulted in the workplace and not believed when she spoke up about it. I was conditioned to accept that speaking out was causing trouble, she says. If anything happened, whether it was a customer or staff member or even a boss touching us or saying something inappropriate, it was, Keep your head down, keep your mouth shut and crack on, no matter what. Its a toxic culture, and its beyond time for it to change.

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Kaidee Grzankowski, of Maggies Snacks and Liquor in Brunswick East, says change is overdue. The data backs her up. In 2023, United Workers Union released a study called Hospos Harassment Problem. Hospitality has a systemic sexual harassment and gender-based violence problem that has reached endemic levels, the report says. Its survey of South Australian workers found that 47 per cent of respondents had experienced sexual harassment at work, and 58 per cent of these reported that the perpetrator was a supervisor. The victims are much more likely to be women or non-binary, and the skewing of the industry to young, migrant, casual workers further increases the likelihood of them experiencing harassment. Its not just an Australian problem. In the United States, more sexual harassment claims  are filed in the restaurant industry than in any other, where as many as 90 per cent of women and 70 per cent of men reportedly experience some form of sexual harassment, states a 2018 report from Harvard Business Review. Claire Van Vuuren, of Bloodwood in Sydneys Newtown, wants to create an atmosphere of inclusivity. Steven Siewert Claire Van Vuuren is the chef and owner of Bloodwood in Sydneys Newtown and a founding board member of the mentoring and support organisation Women in Hospitality.

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I dont put up with any bad behaviour, and I always promote inclusivity, she says. I want to create an environment where everyone is comfortable. Shes disappointed that men still dominate the ranks of business owners and head chefs. I thought by 2024 that it would be 50-50, she says. Van Vuuren is no fan of television shows such as The Bear, which has won multiple Emmys for its portrayal of a restaurant under immense pressure. The verdict: What do Aussie chefs really think of hit TV show The Bear? That doesnt help the situation, she says. That kind of yelling: I was tense the whole time. Its sad that people are idolising a male chef that isnt dealing well with their stress levels. Evil Thoughts bar, which opened in Brunswick in April 2024. Morgan Kilgariff opened Evil Thoughts bar in Melbournes Brunswick in April, partly because shed had enough of being an employee in toxic workplaces. Now 29, she has worked in hospitality since she was 18.

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In my first job, my supervisor  a married man with two kids  sent me unsolicited pictures of him in bed, she says. Before I got the courage to speak up, I was worried that this is the guy who does my roster, this is the guy that pays me. When I did tell someone, he locked me in a room and screamed that Id ruined any chance he had for a promotion. Its a toxic culture, and its beyond time for it to change. Kaidee Grzankowski, Maggies Snacks and Liquor In other workplaces, she was unsupported when reporting assault. Being assertive routinely resulted in being told she was too dramatic and emotional and should consider medication. In a busy pub, while collecting glasses one shift, she was deliberately shoved by a male customer and ended up on the floor covered in broken glass. Her male boss reprimanded her. For women, I dont think the industry is ever going to change, she says. You always end up the villain if you speak up. I am not going to work for a man again. Kilgariffs experiences reflect the research. Not So Hospitable is a University of Melbourne study based on information gathered by South Australian sexologist, researcher and former hospitality worker Jamie Bucirde. The report says the service mantra the customer is always right is dangerous for workers.

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The prioritisation of customer satisfaction and venue profit over the safety and dignity of hospitality workers underscores a troubling cultural norm within the industry, it says. In 2023, the University of Newcastle published a study called Gender, sexual harassment, and violence in the hospitality industry, based on interviews with workers in Melbourne and Newcastle. The research drew a connection between femininity norms and harassment, especially for waiters and servers. Gender norms related to femininity (such as creating a friendly, welcoming and fun atmosphere) are central to the working practices expected from women, queer and non-binary workers, says the report. These same gender norms also informed frequent instances of being sexually harassed at work by customers. Women were also called upon to manage difficult patrons. Gendered associations which position femininity as a caring capacity associated with managing complex interpersonal relations create situations of significant potential harm for workers, the Newcastle study found. Men are often situated in positions of power within the industry, and support the careers of other men even when they engage in abusive behaviour. University of Newcastle study Bars are common sites of abuse but fine-dining restaurants are not immune, with some customers assuming their money buys them more than food and wine. Tamara, a respondent to the University of Newcastle study, outlined a situation in which a male customers napkin twice ended up on the floor. He asked her to bend down to pick it up, and got annoyed when she brought him a new one instead.

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Turning to the WA Supreme Court, where Australian Federal Police deputy commissioner Leanne Close has told of her shock after discovering she was in the middle of a potential crime scene midway through a meeting with Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds about Brittany Higgins alleged rape.

While giving evidence in the former defence ministers defamation suit against Higgins, Close told the court she texted Reynolds to arrange a meeting at her ministerial office on April 4, 2019.

Linda Reynolds in the Senate last week. Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald

It was there that Close informed Reynolds she and her colleague were there to discuss an alleged sexual assault, which prompted Reynolds to request her chief of staff Fiona Brown join them.

But Close told the court it wasnt until she was inside the office that she became aware that was where the alleged incident had occurred.

Senator Reynolds pointed to the couch and said, it happened right there, Close told the court.

I was shocked ... I was thinking, were sitting in the middle of a potential crime scene that hasnt been examined, and I was concerned about the security implications of two staff having sex on a couch in the office, and that they had been intoxicated.

I didnt understand how they obtained access and the security implications of that, let alone a young woman being found on that couch.

Loading

While poring over contemporaneous notes that have since become evidence in the defamation trial, Close recalled her concern for Higgins welfare as Reynolds told her the former staffer did not wish to report the incident over fears for her job.

Close told the court she was equally concerned about the fact the office had since been cleaned.

The meeting with the AFP occurred just three days after Reynolds and Brown met with Higgins in the same office regarding what was then being treated as a breach of parliamentary security.

When grilled by Reynolds lawyer Martin Bennett, Close conceded she was unaware at the time that other AFP personnel knew about the security breach as early as March 28, 2019, and that police had offered Higgins assistance after lodging a complaint on April 1, 2019, which she ultimately opted not to pursue.

Higgins alleged she was raped by colleague Bruce Lehrmann at the office in Parliament House on March 23, 2019 after a night out.

Lehrmann has maintained his innocence since his 2022 criminal trial was aborted.

However, the Federal Court found the rape allegation to be true on the balance of probabilities in a separate action Lehrmann is now appealing.
Police are concerned a man who allegedly lured a young boy from a Sydney train station and raped him at knifepoint in a park may have preyed on other children.

Malik Ahmad, 33, was refused bail on Wednesday after he allegedly approached the 13-year-old who was waiting at Mount Druitt train station just after 1am last Thursday.

The boy was allegedly lured away from Mount Druitt train station and attacked in a nearby park. Credit: Google Maps

He allegedly took the boy to a nearby park, where he threatened him with a knife and sexually assaulted him before leaving the scene in the white van.

Police arrested Ahmad at Duke Street, Mount Druitt, on Tuesday.
A woman has been killed every four days in 2024. We bring you stories of lives lost in recent years. Some of the cases featured are still before the courts.

Xiaoting Wang was found dead in her Burwood unit. Credit: NSW Police

Xiaoting Wang came to Australia seeking opportunities and a university degree. Instead, the 21-year-olds life was cut short  her body and that of her boyfriends found at their Burwood unit block.

On the morning of Monday, August 12, members of the public discovered the body of a 21-year-old man in a garden bed at a Conder Street unit block. It appeared he had leapt to his death.

When police entered his apartment, they discovered the body of Wang, who lived in the same unit and studied with the man at the University of Sydney. Both were Chinese nationals.

Police believe she had been stabbed to death inside the unit. Detectives are investigating if the incident is a domestic violence-related murder-suicide.
Three men have been charged with attempted murder after an alleged home invasion in Brisbane this week.

Armed with a gun, the trio reportedly forced entry to a property in Zillmere just after 8pm on Monday.

A confrontation with a man followed. The weapon was fired multiple times before the alleged attackers fled in a white station wagon. No one was injured.

The accused are a 25-year-old from Woodridge, 19-year-old from Springwood and 20-year-old from Browns Plains.

Multiple other weapons and driving charges have been laid by police. The men were refused bail and will face Brisbane Magistrates today.
Monash Council took Derrimut to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal after an investigation found up to 440 members were being let inside the gym at one time  more than double the 180 people allowed. However, tribunal member Dalia Cook made an interim order in May allowing the gym to have 295 members inside the gym between 7am and 6pm and 440 between 7pm and 7am. Resident Reynie Hafner is frustrated over cars lining the streets. Credit: Joe Armao Monash Mayor Nicky Luo said the council disapproved of the decision. The gym has hired security guards to manage patron numbers at peak times, meaning members can queue to enter.

Cook said in her judgment: One practical challenge for the gym operator is that when it sought to restrict patron numbers in the past, this led to unruly behaviour by some patrons. Documents filed on behalf of council referred to at least one attendance by Victoria Police. After the gym opened, a childcare centre next door hired security and installed bollards to protect its parking spaces, as parents were unable to drop off and pick up their children. The council tried to resolve the issue by introducing new parking restrictions, including limits of 30 minutes in front of some businesses and 90 minutes on residential streets. But some locals say this only created new problems. Davis said: Our customers now are distracted, running in and out, moving their cars while they shop.

Fellow trader Sally Smith, of Australian Lighting, said she was disappointed by VCATs decision and that the gym should not be allowed to have more than 180 members inside at any time. Were getting let down by the council, she said. Credit: The Age Davis also said the area was now riddled with turfed protein bar wrappers and drink containers: Im over it. A Derrimut Gym spokeswoman declined to answer specific questions from The Age due to ongoing VCAT proceedings.

Derrimut Gym is committed to continuing to work productively with Monash City Council to ensure that any alleged issues are properly and expediently resolved for the benefit of local residents and businesses, she said. The matter will return to VCAT for a final enforcement order in November. Reynie Hafner, who lives a seven-minute walk from the gym, says she and other neighbours are frustrated by cars lining their streets and having to pay for parking permits. Were far enough away. You wouldnt think wed be impacted, but we are, she said. Hafner, who is a member of another 24/7 gym only 200 metres from Derrimut, questioned why the development was ever approved.

Everyone is really pissed off. I blame the council completely, she said. Loading The situation is winding up gym members too. The club has received many negative reviews for overcrowding and lack of parking. Alana, who asked that her surname not be used, said she was seeking a refund for her 12-month membership. She said members who wanted to work out during peak times faced queuing for 30 to 60 minutes. Once inside the gym, she said, there were more queues for equipment.

Its so crowded. You can wait 30 minutes for a squat rack. Ive never experienced anything like that before, she said. Everyone I know has had a parking fine and I felt sorry for adjoining businesses. Luo, the mayor, said she understood that the higher-than-expected number of patrons had affected locals. She said the council did not anticipate parking to be a problem, as the plan included 111 car spaces, half of which are shared. The gym was not required to build new parking. A significant issue here has been the ongoing non-compliance of the business with their planning permit. The council said it advertised the planning application in 2022 and received no objections. Fifty-three complaints about the gym and parking have been received since the club opened. The gym has submitted an application to permanently increase its patron numbers.
Loading Higgins went on to explain how the support she received was limited to receiving a brochure for an employee counselling service with a month-long waiting list and that she was given the option of returning home, staying in Canberra or travelling to Perth to campaign alongside Reynolds ahead of the 2019 election. Despite having sighted a security report stating Higgins had been found partially undressed in her office, Reynolds testified that at the time of the meeting there was no allegation a sexual assault had occurred and that she would not have hosted the meeting there if she had known. Higgins partner, former press gallery journalist David Sharaz, first approached Maiden about the story in January 2021, writing a text message about a Me Too incident the Liberal Party had covered up. I am letting this be [Higgins] decision, but shes drafting a plan for you. She wants to do it in an election year, Sharaz wrote.

Maiden confirmed Higgins later sent a document referred to as The Dossier, but rejected that it went by that name at the time and said that was something that entered the media lexicon afterwards. Journalist Samantha Maiden. The article would be published on news.com.au on February 15, 2021, with Maiden telling the court the timing was dictated by Higgins desire to have the story drop during a parliamentary sitting week. Higgins tell-all interview with journalist Lisa Wilkinson for The Project was aired later that evening. Maiden told the court Higgins gave her the impression her intention was altruistic and she wanted the story to have an impact. She was concerned it would be a one-day wonder. She wanted there to be an impact given what she saw as systematic failures [in the governments handling of the alleged rape], Maiden said.

But Maiden labelled a text message she had received from Sharaz on the morning of publication hailing the article a f---ing scoop inappropriate. The court was then taken to a series of text messages between Maiden and senior Labor Party figures, including Penny Wong and Tanya Plibersek, regarding questions to be levelled at Reynolds during question time. Maiden insisted there was nothing remarkable about the correspondence and dismissed any assertion she had acted as a conduit for the staffer or that Higgins had a plan to bring down the Morrison government. Reynolds lawyer, Martin Bennett, grilled Maiden about a text exchange between herself and Higgins in which Higgins told her she did not believe Reynolds should resign because she was just following instructions from the prime ministers office. Just having played my little part in your operation has been one of the greatest moments of journalism Ive ever had, Maiden texted Higgins.

When asked what she had meant by operation, Maiden told the court she believed Higgins had shown great bravery at great cost to raise issues that had resulted in legal reform and improved parliament as a workplace. During cross-examination by Higgins lawyer, Rachael Young, SC, Maiden recalled a conversation in which Reynolds had told her she did not know whether the rape allegation was true, because she was not in the room. Loading Maiden also recalled being approached during Lehrmanns criminal trial by Reynolds long-time partner, Robert Reid, who she said was peppering her with questions about Higgins whereabouts. The Walkley Award-winning journalist is the latest person to give evidence in Reynolds defamation case against Higgins over a series of social media posts Reynolds claims accused her of mishandling the rape allegation and silencing victims of sexual assault.

Reynolds has also argued Higgins and Sharaz engaged in a calculated and premeditated campaign to attack her via her political opponents and the media. Higgins is defending the allegations on the basis the substance of her posts was true. Several of Reynolds high-profile colleagues have been called to attest to the impact the saga had on her at the time, including former prime minister Scott Morrison and former foreign affairs minister Marise Payne. On Tuesday, Payne told the court she watched her colleague of more than 30 years struggle under the weight of mounting pressure from what she described as unprecedented questioning. Payne described seeing Reynolds shaking, breathing heavily, and gripping her desk in the parliamentary chamber after days of being aggressively targeted over the alleged rape before her public breakdown in late February 2021.
Returning to the WA Supreme Court now, where an interview recording between journalist Samantha Maiden and Brittany Higgins played for the court showed how the former staffer felt her alleged rape in Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds ministerial office rendered her toxic to the government.

Shortly after fronting court on Wednesday, Maiden was played portions of an hour-long interview with Higgins conducted at her home over dinner on January 21, 2019.

Journalist Samantha Maiden.

In the recording, the former staffer can be heard telling Maiden she felt like a problem for Reynolds during a meeting they had alongside chief of staff Fiona Brown in April 2019.

That would be the sole meeting the trio had regarding a security breach, during which Higgins claims she was raped by colleague Bruce Lehrmann following a night out on March 23, 2019.

Lehrmann maintains his innocence.

She was actually quite nice, [Reynolds] and Fiona I mean, Higgins could be heard saying.

I didnt feel it was a fair conversation on the basis I had been terrified [ever] since, and I was very new. [Reynolds] didnt know me or like me really. I was just a problem for her.

But Higgins told Maiden the nature of the discussion at that meeting was a blur she could barely recall because she was distracted by being within metres of the couch she had allegedly been assaulted and found partially undressed on.

The meeting had been arranged by Higgins former press gallery journalist husband David Sharaz, with the court shown a text message from Sharaz indicating Higgins was drafting a plan for her regarding a Me Too incident that had been covered up by the party.

Read more here.
Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt has dared the construction union to bring on a High Court challenge to new laws designed to place scandal-plagued unions into administration, declaring the bill robust enough to withstand a legal challenge.

The construction division of the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union has been rocked by a series of allegations, including corruption and infiltration by bikie gangs in the Building Bad investigation by this masthead, The Australian Financial Review and 60 Minutes.

Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Murray Watt in the Senate at Parliament House. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The allegations prompted new laws from the Albanese government, which allowed the union to be placed into administration for up to three years and officials to be banned for life from working for it.

A deal between Labor and the federal opposition on the laws was struck earlier this week, with some unions angered that the Greens did not moderate their demands and strike a deal with Labor to change some of the harsher measures.
Ukraine has launched one of the largest ever drone attacks on Moscow, the citys mayor said, with Russian air defence units destroying at least 10 drones flying towards the capital on Wednesday.

Some of the drones were destroyed over the city of Podolsk, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. The city in the Moscow region is about 38 kilometres south of the Kremlin.

The air defence systems of the Defence Ministry continue to repel enemy UAV [unmanned aerial vehicles] attacks, Sobyanin said on the Telegram messaging app at 4.43am on Wednesday (11.43am AEST).

This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow using drones ever. We continue to monitor the situation.
I can still remember sitting in a youth hostel in Sydney, the soothing tones of the ABC announcer telling me Al Gore had won Florida and was all but certainly president-elect. Lets get something to eat, I told my partner.

When we got back from our meal, the world had changed. How many people can remember the month in limbo that followed, or our new vocabulary of butterfly ballots and chads that were hanging, dimpled and even pregnant?

The QAnon Shaman, Donald Trump, and the US Supreme Court.

In the end, resolution came from the US Supreme Court, which voted 5-4 along partisan lines to end the Florida count and effectively award the presidency to George W. Bush, creating a popular sentiment that the election was stolen by Republicans.

For the first time since 1888  when the Democrat Grover Cleveland suffered a defeat in between two victories  the winner of the popular vote could not prevail in the United States Electoral College system.
Every Australian who is looking to buy a home should first speak with a mortgage broker. Even if theyre not ready to buy yet, working with their broker to understand what is required to apply for finance and secure a home loan will ensure they are prepared throughout the property purchasing journey, Pannek said.
JK Tyre & Industries is set to invest Rs 1.32 crore in acquiring a 26 per cent equity stake in Truere Galaxy Private Limited, a company focused on generating solar power. This strategic investment will involve purchasing 1.32 million equity shares at a face value of Rs 10 per share, the company said in an exchange filing on Wednesday.

Truere Galaxy, incorporated only earlier this year in April, specialises in renewable energy through the installation of rooftop solar panels. The investment by JK Tyre aligns with its commitment to sustainable and cost-effective energy solutions. By securing a group captive power status, JK Tyre aims to source solar power for its operations, furthering its sustainability goals. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp

Truere Galaxy operates within the electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply sectors and is based in Bishrakh, Uttar Pradesh. The company, which has two directors, Narender Kumar and Pravin Gupta, is classified as a private entity with an authorised and paid-up capital of Rs 1 lakh.

JK Tyre plans to invest Rs 1,400 crore over two years

Earlier this year, Anshuman Singhania, managing director of JK Tyre & Industries, told The Economic Times that the company is operating at 85 per cent of its available capacity. To meet the growing demand for its products, Singhania added that JK Tyre has embarked on a significant investment plan. The company is nearing the completion of an Rs 800 crore investment cycle to enhance capacity at its facilities. In addition, JK Tyre plans to invest a further Rs 1,400 crore over the next two years to expand production, particularly in the truck, bus, and passenger car radial segments, solidifying its leadership in the radial tyre market.

JK Tyre profits up 37.41 per cent in Q1FY25

Financially, JK Tyre posted a strong performance in the first quarter (Q1) of the financial year 2024-25, with a 37.41 per cent year-on-year increase in profit after tax (PAT), reaching Rs 211.44 crore. However, revenue from operations saw a decline of 2.12 per cent year-on-year, totalling Rs 3,639.08 crore. Despite geopolitical challenges and rising ocean freight costs, the companys exports achieved double-digit growth during the quarter. JK Tyres subsidiaries, including Cavendish Industries Ltd and JK Tornel in Mexico, also made notable contributions to the overall revenue and profitability.

Following its quarter results, the company said it was optimistic about the demand for tyres, driven by ongoing policy reforms and a sustained focus on infrastructure development. The companys strategic investments in capacity expansion and renewable energy are poised to strengthen its market position and support its long-term growth objectives.




Leaders of various parties from the INDIA bloc posing together for a photo. (PTI)

With just a month left for the much-awaited assembly elections in Jammu-Kashmir, all eyes are on whether the Congress-led INDIA alliance will present a united front against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or take solo bids on the polls. On Wednesday (August 21), Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Imran Hussain said that the party has decided to fight the elections with full strength.

The Aam Aadmi Party will contest the elections in Jammu and Kashmir with full strength. I appeal to the people here that they have given a chance to all the parties, this time they should give a chance to the Aam Aadmi Party, Hussain told media reporters, without once naming the INDIA bloc or any associated discussions over the alliance. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp

Assembly elections in Jammu-Kashmir are scheduled from September 18 to October 1 in three phases. The counting of votes will be done on October 4.

Congress' exploring alliance in J-K polls?

On Wednesday, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party President Mallikarjun Kharge are also set to embark on a two-day visit to J-K to check election preparations.

Notably, on Monday, J&K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra had said that the party is open to talks to strike a "respectable alliance. However, he noted that the alliance would have a different criteria compared to the Lok Sabha elections.

INDIA bloc was formed in June 2023 to bring down the BJP in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections. While that did not happen, the Opposition grouping of nearly two dozen non-BJP parties managed to prevent the saffron party from scoring a full majority on its own. The most impact of the alliance was observed in Uttar Pradesh, where the BJPs tally dropped to half compared to its 2019 Lok Sabha seat score of 63.

Regional INDIA bloc parties in J-K

In Jammu-Kashmir, the regional INDIA parties are the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference party and the Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples Democratic Party. To be clear, these parties did not contest the Lok Sabha polls together and pitied their candidates against each other in three of the five constituencies. Notably, neither party contested the Jammu seats -- Jammu and Udhampur, which were unsuccessfully fought by the Congress.

On Monday, Congress Karra also said that both the regional parties have approached the Congress for an alliance in the coming polls.
Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not as Iron Man, but as Fantastic Four villain Doctor Doom. The new role, revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 Hall H event, has shocked and bewildered the Marvel fans since.

Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp Everyone was stunned and full of questions as a result of the unprecedented confusion brought about by this news. Many people wondered how the studio would deal with the fact that Tony Stark and Doctor Doom both look the same. At first, fans thought that Doom might be a Tony Stark gone berserk from another universe. However, RDJ has now confirmed that he is not Tony Stark but Victor Von Doom.

Victor Von Doom: About the role of Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom

For those who are unfamiliar, Iron Man, played by Robert Downey Jr., dies heroically in Avengers: Endgame while defending Earth-616 from Thanos. One of the events that fans have looked forward to the most is his return to the role of Tony Stark.

However, he returns as Doctor Doom rather than Iron Man. He now discusses his decision to play Victor Von Doom and clarifies that he is indeed portraying the character, putting the Tony Stark variant theory to rest.

Comic Book Movie says that Robert Downey Jr. talked about how the idea of having him play Doctor Doom again in the MCU came about, how it was confirmed, and how it was carried out. He recalls how his desire to assist Bob Iger outside of the MCU and contribute to what was going on in the parks set the stage for everything else.

The actor then talked about sitting down with Kevin Feige to talk about why he was wanted back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and how to make the expectations worth it.

Robert Downey Jr speaks about the role of Doctor Doom

Robert Downey Jr. stated on how they arrived at the concept of Doctor Doom and how he is Victor Von Doom, Then we both realized over time that it was another thing that just disproves any doubt anyone could ever have about that guya very sophisticated creative thinker about how we can avoid going backwards, how we can avoid disappointing expectations, how we can continue to exceed expectations. And he brought up Victor Von Doom. I looked up this character and I was like, 'Wow.' Later, Kevin said, 'Lets get Victor Von Doom right. Let's get that right".

Robert Downey Jr. further added, "So then I said to Kevin, 'Can I go talk to Bob Iger?' He goes, 'About?' I go, 'About everything.' I'd gone to Bob's house, and I don't know how to describe that experience. I've had a lot of really cool experiences, but I go to Iger's pad, we sit down, and he goes, 'I like it.' I was like, 'He likes it.' He said, 'Come by the Imagineering Campus.' Feige and I go to the Imagineering Campus, and you want to talk about two guys who are not easily impressedlet alone at the same time...I can't say too much, but whats going on there right now is so beyond my expectation of what was possible".

More about the Doctor Doom in the MCU

It is evident that the Avengers film Avengers: Doomsday is named after Doctor Doom; however, how will he enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe and eventually become the big bad who wreaks havoc in Doomsday?

According to the recent rumours, he will be seen killing the entire Council of Kangs in the Fantastic Four post-credits scene, effectively saying goodbye to Jonathan Majors' antagonist and paving the way for Doom to become the next major antagonist.
The court said the Task Force would also prepare an action plan to prevent gender-based violence and ensure a dignified working space for interns, residents, and non-resident doctors | (Photo: PTI)

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi on Wednesday requested resident doctors of the institute to resume their duties immediately so that patient care services are normalised. The doctors are protesting to demonstrate their unwavering commitment to patient care in the light of the murder and alleged sexual assault of a female trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in the West Bengal city of Kolkata on August 9. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp According to a release from the Office of the Director, AIIMS, "The undersigned along with the entire AIIMS family stands behind the cause of the safety of all healthcare professionals at AIIMS New Delhi & across the Country. However, as doctors, our supreme duty is also to ensure that the patients visiting our portals do not go unattended."

"The Government of India is committed to the cause of healthcare professionals' safety unequivocally and the Hon'ble Supreme Court, while assuring affirmative action for ensuring safety of healthcare professionals, has requested all doctors to resume duties in the interest of patient care. Accordingly, the undersigned is kindly requesting the Resident Doctors of AIIMS New Delhi to resume their duties immediately so that patient care services are normalized," Prof M Srinivas, AIIMS Director said.

It also said that a five-member committee has been formed to address any immediate concerns of the healthcare professionals of AIIMS, New Delhi.

In a press release on Wednesday, the Resident Doctors' Association of AIIMS, New Delhi said that they will provide OPD services from Jantar Mantar on Wednesday to demonstrate their unwavering commitment to patient care.

"To express our solidarity with the residents of RG Kar MC & H, Kolkata, and to demonstrate our unwavering commitment to patient care, we will provide OPD services from Jantar Mantar starting from 11:00 am onwards. This move highlights our dedication to serving patients despite the current challenges" the release said further.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Tuesday constituted a 10-member National Task Force to make recommendations on the prevention of violence and safe working conditions for medical professionals. The task force includes Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, among others.

Days after the rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata sparked nationwide protests, the apex court suo motu took up the case and directed the task force to submit an interim report within three weeks and a final report within two months.

The court said the Task Force would also prepare an action plan to prevent gender-based violence and ensure a dignified working space for interns, residents, and non-resident doctors.

The top court also asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a status report on the status of the investigation in the rape case. The court asked the West Bengal government to file a status report on the mob attack incident in the RG Kar hospital on August 15.
Opposition parties in Mahrashtra have given a call on Aug 24 to protest the Badlapur incident. Two girls, aged three and four, were allegedly sexually assaulted by a janitor in a girls' toilet in Maharashtra's Thane district. Protestors held a rail roko protest against the alleged assault of 2 kindergarten students at the Badlapur station.



A day after the Supreme Court ordered the deployment of CISF at Kar Medical College and Hospital, a team of the central paramilitary force on Wednesday visited the state-run medical establishment and inspected the security arrangements. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) team led by a senior officer reached the hospital in the morning. They talked to the local police and hospital authorities about the security arrangements, an official said.

The Kolkata Police has suspended three of its officers in connection with the vandalism at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital here last week, officials said. The suspended policemen include two assistant police commissioners, they said. The Kolkata Police has suspended three of its officers in connection with the vandalism at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital here last week, officials said. The suspended policemen include two assistant police commissioners, they said.

A group of people had entered the medical facility and vandalised its emergency department, nursing station, and medicine store in the early hours of August 15.



The violence at the state-run hospital took place amid midnight protests by women in various parts of West Bengal against the alleged rape and murder of a woman doctor at the health facility. Three officers have been suspended... Two are assistant police commissioners and one is an inspector, an official said. Further investigation is underway. Senior doctors have been asked to report for duty in place of the junior medics at several hospitals, even as the state government urged the protestors again to resume work, officials said. "Our stir will continue until we ensure justice for our sister. We understand that patients are facing problems, but our demands are justified," a junior doctor told PTI.
Resident doctors will stage a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Wednesday, the 10th day of their indefinite strike over the alleged rape and murder of a medic in a Kolkata hospital.

Elective services in several government hospitals across the city have remained suspended due to the protests.

AIIMS, GTB, Lady Hardinge Medical College & Associated Hospitals, Maulana Azad Medical College and its associated hospitals have released individual statements urging participation in the silent protest.

After the Supreme Court hearing on Tuesday, the central government-run RML Hospital had called off the strike, saying, "The Ministry of Health and the Medical Superintendent's office have assured that all necessary permissions for enhanced security measures at medical institutions have been obtained with a 45-day timeline set for implementation."



However, within an hour, the RML RDA clarified, "There was some miscommunication, and we apologize for the same. We want to clarify that we stand with our colleagues and other RDAs. We will make our decision only after there is a consensus among all RDAs, and the common decision of all RDAs will be our decision. We stand united."



The apex court on Tuesday constituted a 10-member task force to formulate a national protocol to ensure safety and facilities for the doctors. It also requested the protesting doctors to end the strike, saying abstention from the work of doctors affects those segments of the society that are in need of medical care.
FOCAC summit to elevate China-Africa ties in pursuit of modernization, shared future: envoy

Xinhua) 10:05, August 21, 2024

ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The 2024 summit for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), scheduled for early September in Beijing, will inject vitality into China-Africa relations, jointly advancing modernization and building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future, Hu Changchun, head of the Chinese Mission to the African Union (AU), said here Tuesday.

Addressing a press briefing on the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the 2024 FOCAC Beijing summit, Hu said the upcoming FOCAC summit is expected to further deepen solidarity and cooperation between China and Africa. He said the summit will make new contributions to promoting global modernization and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

Hu said the 2024 FOCAC Beijing summit will be an event to celebrate China-Africa friendship, explore cooperation, and chart the course for the future under the theme of "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future."

From Sept. 4 to 6, the forum will hold a series of activities including the opening ceremony, a welcoming banquet and a gala performance, high-level meetings, the Conference of Chinese and African Entrepreneurs, and bilateral meetings.

"China and Africa have always been focusing on cooperation to actively push forward the implementation of the outcomes of FOCAC, which has strongly promoted their common development, brought tangible benefits to the two peoples, and laid a solid foundation for the building of a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future," Hu told reporters.

He stressed that China, as "Africa's good friend, good partner and good brother," applies the principles of sincerity, real results, amity, good faith, and of pursuing the greater good and shared interests as its Africa policy.

"Over the past 11 years, China has stayed committed to these principles. Together with our African friends and drawing strength from the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation, we have pressed ahead on the path of solidarity and cooperation, stood for justice amid shifting global dynamics, and looked out for each other in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic," Hu said. "We have taken China-Africa relations to new heights and entered the new stage of jointly building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future."

Responding to questions on the crucial role of FOCAC in terms of augmenting China-Africa relations, Hu emphasized that the close interaction between the two peoples has closely linked the Chinese dream and the African dream, writing the most vivid chapter of the China-Africa community with a shared future.

Under the framework of FOCAC, people-to-people exchanges between China and Africa have become increasingly close and fruitful, and have been an important pillar of the common aspiration for building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future, he said.

As of 2023, China has sent cumulatively 24,000 medical team members to Africa. A total of 45 medical teams are currently working at more than 100 sites in 44 African countries, according to the press briefing.

Amid the ever-expanding China-Africa cooperation in capacity building and talent development, Hu said China has established 67 Confucius Institutes and 10 Confucius Classrooms in Africa. A total of 16 Luban Workshops have been set up in 14 African countries, while more than 80,000 African students are studying in China.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The father of the junior doctor murdered during a rest break at a Kolkata hospital has spoken of his daughters passion for medicine and the sacrifices their family made to support her dreams.

We are a poor family and we raised her with a lot of hardship. She worked extremely hard to become a doctor. All she did was study, study, study, he told The Guardian. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp

The 31-year-old doctor, who was brutally raped and murdered at RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata on August 9, had devoted her life to medicine  a dream she pursued despite the odds. Her father shared the devastation that now engulfs their family. All our dreams have been shattered in one night. We sent her to work, and the hospital gave us her body. Its all finished for us. My daughter isnt coming back. Im never going to hear her voice or laugh. All I can do now is concentrate on getting her justice.

The horrific crime, coupled with the perceived mishandling of the case by authorities, has sparked nationwide protests and strikes among doctors. The Indian Medical Associations head, Dr RV Asokan, expressed anguish over the incident, saying, We failed her in life but did not fail her in death a reference to the widespread outrage and ongoing strikes in response to her death.

Tragic end to aspiration

The young doctor, whose identity is protected under law, had always aspired to a career in medicine. She was one of the few who managed to secure a coveted spot in one of Indias medical colleges, an achievement made possible through her relentless hard work and the unwavering support of her family.

She was my only child. We worked hard to make her a doctor I will never be happy again, a neighbour shared, recounting the grief-stricken words of the doctors mother.

Dreams met with tragedy

Her journey began at the College of Medicine & JNM Hospital in Kalyani, West Bengal, where she pursued her medical education. Her father, a tailor by profession, stretched every rupee to finance her education, driven by her ambition and their shared hope for a better future.

Remembering the day she confided in him about her dream to become a doctor, her fathers voice broke with emotion. She said: Papa, its a good thing to become a doctor and help others. What do you think? I said: OK, do it. Well help you. And look what happened, he lamented.

Remembering the struggles

Her dedication to her studies and her desire to make a difference in the world fuelled her fathers determination to expand his tailoring business. Despite their modest means, they managed to improve their financial situation. When she expressed concerns about the safety of her long bus commute between the hospital and their home, her father borrowed money to buy her a car. At first, she told me to wait, she said we couldnt manage the EMIs and she didnt want to overburden us. But then she found the bus ride so tiring after a long shift that she agreed to the car, he recalled.

Her humble beginning

Her parents, who still reside in the lower middle-class suburb where she grew up, had recently renovated their home in her honour. The brass nameplate at their door bore her name, proudly prefixed by Dr.

The entire neighbourhood has been in shock since the news of her death spread, and the disbelief lingers. The girl has gone now, said a neighbour. But well stand by her parents so they dont feel alone.

Safety betrayed at hospital



The crime has also shaken the medical community and the public, especially given that it occurred within the hospital  a place she and her family believed to be safe. Like all parents, we worried about her safety but only while she was travelling. The moment she reached the hospital, we relaxed. She was safe. Its like when we used to drop her off at school  once she was inside the gate, you feel she is safe, her father said.

Doctors dedication remembered

Colleagues and neighbours describe her as a dedicated young doctor who was determined to repay her parents sacrifices by providing them with a comfortable life. Her former teacher, Arnab Biswas, noted that unlike many young people who chose medicine for its earning potential, she treated it as a calling. Having witnessed Covid-19 patients struggling for breath, she chose respiratory medicine as her specialisation.



As the protests continue, her family and community are left grappling with their grief and loss. Her neighbours, who consulted her for medical advice and admired her achievements, now yearn to find ways to support her grieving parents. One neighbour said, She was not just a doctor to us; she was one of our own. We will stand by her parents in this dark time.
BEML has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Malaysia's largest rolling stock manufacturer, SMH Rail. This landmark agreement was formalized in the presence of Tengku Zafrul B Tengku Abdul Aziz - Minister of International Trade and Industry, Malaysia during an event in Delhi.

This strategic partnership marks a historic collaboration between India and Malaysia, aiming to strengthen bilateral relations and address the growing global demand for advanced rail and metro rolling stock. Together, BEML and SMH Rail will focus on marketing, supply, and servicing of rail and metro rolling stock products, with a particular emphasis on markets in Malaysia, Southeast Asia, and Africa.
1. What's the Just Dial Ltd share price today?

Just Dial Ltd share price was Rs 1,216.75 at 04:01 PM IST on 8th Oct 2024 . Just Dial Ltd share price was up by 6.34 % over the previous closing price of Rs 1,144.25 . Just Dial Ltd share price trend:

Last 1 Month: Just Dial Ltd share price moved down by 1.77 % on BSE

Last 3 Months: Just Dial Ltd share price moved up by 21.20 % on BSE

Last 12 Months: Just Dial Ltd share price moved up by 62.86 % on BSE

Last 3 Years: Just Dial Ltd price moved up by 21.70 % on BSE

2. How can I quickly analyse the performance of the Just Dial Ltd stock?

The performance of the Just Dial Ltd stock can be quickly analysed on the following metrics:

The stock's PE is 74.23

Price to book value ratio is 2.57

Dividend yield of 0.00

The EPS (trailing 12 months) of the Just Dial Ltd stock is Rs 16.40

3. What is the market cap of Just Dial Ltd ?

Just Dial Ltd has a market capitalisation of Rs 10,347 crore.



4. What is Just Dial Ltd 's 52-week high/low share price?

The Just Dial Ltd s 52-week high share price is Rs 1,384.00 and 52-week low share price is Rs 696.00 .



5. Is the Just Dial Ltd profitable?

On a consolidated basis, Just Dial Ltd reported a profit of Rs 141.22 crore on a total income of Rs 367.44 crore for the quarter ended 2024 . For the year ended Jun 2024 , Just Dial Ltd had posted a profit of Rs 141.22 crore on a total income of Rs 367.44 crore.



6. Which are Just Dial Ltd s peers in the Others sector?

Just Dial Ltd s top 5 peers in the Others sector are One 97, TBO Tek, Indiamart Inter., Just Dial, Easy Trip Plann., Le Travenues, MSTC .



7. Who owns how much in Just Dial Ltd ?

Key changes to the Just Dial Ltd shareholding are as follows:
In the wake of landslides in Sikkim, the Congress on Wednesday hit out at the government and said hydel projects in ecologically fragile regions have been coming up over the past few years without giving adequate thought to their cumulative environmental impact. The opposition party also asserted that dams on the Teesta river are the prime example of how ecology is being fundamentally altered with grave consequences for this and future generations. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp A massive landslide struck east Sikkim on Tuesday, damaging parts of a 510-mw hydroelectric project on the Teesta river. The landslide happened at Dipu Dara near Singtam in Gangtok district around 7.30 am, causing significant damage to the powerhouse of the Teesta Stage V hydroelectric project of the NHPC.

In a statement, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said a series of landslide disasters in Sikkim has substantially damaged the Teesta V, a 510 MW hydel power station on the Teesta.

This disaster comes on the heels of the Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) and riverine floods in the Teesta River basin in October 2023, which caused massive devastation in Sikkim and Kalimpong, West Bengal, he noted.

The Union Budget, unveiled in July 2024, had a section dedicated to 'Irrigation and Flood Mitigation,' where Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made the vague promise of "assistance" without any details of funds for Sikkim, he said.

"In a classic case of the Government's confrontational federalism, the Budget was indifferent to the areas in West Bengal which were equally affected," Ramesh said.

"The obvious vendetta politics aside, the Budget announcements were insufficient - what the entire region needs is for a development framework that centres ecological dimensions, the case for which has become apparent from the cascading series of disasters in the last year," the former environment minister argued.

National Highway 10, the lifeline of Sikkim and Kalimpong, runs along the Teesta and has been in a precarious state with frequent landslides and closures, he pointed out.

As of today, the NH has been closed for over a month, severely affecting trade, tourism, and more importantly, the security of these sensitive border areas of India, he said, adding these floods are an economic, social, and political disaster for these regions.

These natural disasters, like the October 2023 catastrophe and the recent landslides, have become commonplace due to ecological destruction and unplanned constructions, Ramesh said.

A spate of hydro projects on the Teesta River has caused the river to become more flood-prone, washing away sections of the NH10, the Congress general secretary said.

As per the National Hydropower Development Corporation (NHDC), 47 hydropower projects are in different stages of development on the Teesta River in Sikkim and West Bengal, he noted.

Of them, nine have been commissioned, work on 15 dams is going on and another 28 are in the pipeline, Ramesh said.

The October 2023 disaster was provoked by the GLOF, but it only reached its catastrophic scales due to the failure of the Teesta-III dam, the Congress leader said.

Amidst these hydel projects, IRCON has also undertaken tunnelling of this sensitive region for the Sivok-Rangpo railway line (14 tunnels), contributing to the region's increased vulnerability, Ramesh said.

"The mismanagement in the debris disposal has also resulted in the riverbed level going up, making the region more flood prone," he said in his statement.

Aside from this environmental catastrophe in the making, these projects have also been undertaken without local communities in mind, Ramesh argued.

The people of Sikkim and Kalimpong have not gained from the hydro projects in terms of employment, share in power, or revenue generation, he said.

No consultative process was undertaken with the local communities in advance of the railway line projects, he added.

Ramesh further said that the recent experience has shown that this lack of consultation was a shortsighted decision. The authorities had dismissed members of the local Lepcha community when they challenged the Teesta V project's environment clearance in 2014, including on the grounds of the absence of studies on the potential impact of GLOFs on the project.

"True to their warnings, the GLOF overtopped the Teesta V dam as well, causing damage to the project back in October. A few months later, landslides have now struck the same dam," he said.

Hydel projects in ecologically fragile regions have been coming up over the past few years without giving adequate thought to their cumulative environmental impacts, Ramesh stressed.

"Dams on the Teesta are the prime, but not the only, example of how - in the name of development - ecology is being fundamentally altered, with grave consequences for this and future generations," the Congress leader said.
In mid-July, Sirisena reported to the court that he had already paid SLR 58 million and pleaded for six more months to pay the balance of 42 million | Image: Wikimedia commons

Sri Lanka's former president Maithripala Sirisena has settled in full the SLR 100 million compensation for the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 270 people, including 11 Indians, during his tenure. Sirisena, 72, was ordered by the Supreme Court to pay SLRs 100 million as compensation to victims for his negligence in preventing the country's one of the worst terror strikes despite having credible information of an imminent attack. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp His lawyers said the full payment of rupees 100 million was completed on August 16. Nine suicide bombers belonging to local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed



Jamaat (NTJ) linked to ISIS carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three Catholic churches and as many luxury hotels on April 21, 2019, killing nearly 270 people, including 11 Indians, and injuring over 500. Sirisena was also the minister of defence at that time.

The attack stirred a political storm as the then President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe were blamed for their inability to prevent the attacks despite prior intelligence being made available.

In mid-July, Sirisena reported to the court that he had already paid SLR 58 million and pleaded for six more months to pay the balance of 42 million.

A presidential panel of inquiry appointed by Sirisena after the attacks ironically found the then-president guilty of his failure to prevent the attacks.
Trump supporters frequently create social media posts and memes using AI-generated images, some of which get shared by the former president. | (Photo: Reuters)

Former President Donald Trump has been active on his social accounts as Democrats gather for their convention in Chicago, but some of his posts don't have much to do with reality. Ahead of the Democratic National Convention, he posted a fake image of someone who looks like Vice President Kamala Harris addressing what appears to be a communist rally in Chicago with a depiction of a red banner with a communist symbol. That followed his repost of a phony video of himself dancing next to billionaire Elon Musk, one of his most vocal supporters. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp

Just before the convention kicked off, he reposted an image of Taylor Swift in an Uncle Sam outfit and accepted her endorsement for his campaign, which she had never given.

They're the latest examples of how Trump is promoting images produced by artificial intelligence tools to attack his opponents or create illusions of support around his own campaign. It's in keeping with a long-standing strategy in which Trump amplifies messages from QAnon adherents to those who deny the results of fair elections -- to score political points and satisfy his base by promoting alternate realities.

Some of the images and videos Trump has shared are cartoonish or obviously fake. Yet the rise in AI-generated content across political social media concerns experts who say it can be used to push more insidious and believable disinformation. As fake images, videos and audio clips created by generative AI models begin to saturate social media, they also risk eroding people's trust in what they see and hear.

The AI-generated deepfakes of Taylor Swift are yet another example of AI's power to create misinformation that deceives and defrauds voters, said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, a progressive consumer rights advocacy group that has pushed for legislation to regulate AI. The potential harms to our society that could result from such misinformation, including abuses of our elections, are wide-reaching and immensely damaging.

One AI-generated image in Trump's Truth Social post, shared on Sunday, showed women in Swifties for Trump shirts, a reference to the artist's devout fans. The fake image showing Swift dressed as Uncle Sam included text saying, Taylor wants YOU to VOTE for DONALD TRUMP. In his repost of the image, Trump added, I accept!



One of the images Trump shared included a small satire label, though he didn't clarify whether he meant his post was in jest.

Swift, who remains on her world tour and has a show scheduled Tuesday night in London, has made no endorsement in this year's U.S. presidential race. Her spokesperson did not return multiple messages seeking comment.

To Republicans outside Trump's orbit, the focus on someone like Swift one of the most talked about artists in the world is all about garnering attention for Trump at a time when much of the focus is on Harris and Democrats.

This is how he and the campaign can wrest back news cycles, said Doug Heye, a longtime Republican spokesperson and operative. "I hesitate to say to their credit, but I think we all know, if you want to be talked about, Taylor Swift is a great way to do it.

A Harris spokesperson did not respond to questions about Trump's use of images generated by artificial intelligence.

Trump supporters frequently create social media posts and memes using AI-generated images, some of which get shared by the former president.

Before Trump shared the phony Swift images, his supporters had been creating and posting their own AI-generated videos and images of the pop star appearing to support Trump. They also shared numerous images of Harris dressed as a communist leader or addressing a Soviet crowd.

Political operatives have long been concerned about what the rise in artificial intelligence could mean for elections.

Some members of Congress have pushed for legislation to regulate the use of AI-generated images in politics, but no legislation to do so has gotten close to passing. The Federal Communications Commission has proposed requiring political advertisers to disclose their use of artificial intelligence in television and radio ads, but such a rule would not affect the social media platforms.

While several social media companies have rules for labeling AI-generated content, they aren't always followed. Across platforms, misleading and lifelike images of both Trump and Harris amass millions of views, with some users not recognizing what they are seeing is fake.

Given her influence and millions of fans, Swift has often become a trending political topic during election years.

In 2020, she supported President Joe Biden, writing a month before the election that she was going to be cheering for then-vice presidential nominee Harris, this year's Democratic nominee, in her debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence. She also was openly critical of Trump ahead of the 2020 election, saying he had stoked the fires of white supremacy and racism.

While she has remained on the sidelines so far this year, she has not escaped notice from prominent conservatives who worry about a Swift endorsement of the Democratic presidential ticket.

Some of her supporters have responded to Trump's posts by taking to social media and declaring their intentions to vote for the former president. Trump's campaign is seizing on that support.

Steven Cheung, Trump's spokesman, did not address the use of fake images in response to questions, but called Swifties for Trump" a "massive movement that grows bigger every single day.
As Chinese inbound tourism gains momentum with the extension of its visa-free policy to more countries and the recovery of international flights, Alipay, the leading digital payment and lifestyle platform in China, now supports 16 languages on its App, further enhancing the travel experience of international tourists exploring China.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240821042872/en/

An international visitor paying with Alipay at a souvenir store in China (Photo: Business Wire)

These languages include Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Turkish, Malay, Indonesian, Thai, Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese.

This service upgrade enables international tourists, to explore China like a local with Alipay, using the language that they are familiar with.

For example, Italian tourists can download the Italian version of the Alipay App and enjoy mobile payment services in Italian while making offline payments in China. They can also enjoy frequently-used travel services such as hailing cars, booking hotels and purchasing plane and high-speed train tickets on the Alipay homepage in their native language, thanks to the Apps embedded translation tool.

Using the Alipay App has become increasingly popular for international visitors travelling within China as the countrys rich culture and history, stunning scenery, gourmet cuisine, modern transportation like high-speed trains, and convenient and secure mobile payment have become frequently enjoyed among international visitors.

A study conducted by the Silk Road Research Institute of Beijing Foreign Studies University in June 2024 on international tourists' travel and payment experiences in China, found that international visitors are interested in trying local mobile payment methods like Alipay. The study revealed that 84% of those surveyed used at least one type of mobile payment in China. Among international travelers who used Alipay, nearly 97% would recommend it to their friends visiting China.

Alipay has also recorded a surge in consumption from international tourists in China. The spending of international visitors in China using Alipay increased by eight times in the first half year of 2024 compared to the previous year.

Since 2022, Alipay has partnered with international card networks to further enhance its payment services for international travelers. After downloading the Alipay app, international tourists can sign up and link their international credit or debit cards from Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover, and Diners Club International to pay at the tens of millions of Alipay partner merchants across China, including restaurants, cafes, tourist attractions, shopping malls, street stalls and public transport. Alipay also collaborates with industry partners to offer international travelers with convenient travel services such as online translation, hotel booking, ride hailing, purchasing tickets to tourist sites, riding shared bikes and taking public transport.

In addition to paying like a local with Alipay, international travelers can also use their home e-wallet to scan Alipay QR codes and pay across China through Ant Internationals Alipay+ solution. These 12 overseas e-wallets include AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR, China), Kaspi.kz (Kazakhstan), MPay (Macao SAR, China), Touch 'n Go eWallet (Malaysia), Hipay (Mongolia), NayaPay (Pakistan), Changi Pay (Singapore), OCBC Digital (Singapore), Kakao Pay (South Korea), Naver Pay (South Korea), Toss Pay (South Korea) and TrueMoney (Thailand).

About Alipay

In the digital era, Alipay has evolved from a trusted payment tool to an open platform that connects businesses, institutions, service providers, and other partners with consumers. Alipay enables partners from various industries to offer safe and convenient payment options. It also enables partners to communicate and deliver different digital services to their customers in China through Alipay mini programs, lifestyle accounts and other tools. The Alipay platform has connected over 80 million businesses with more than one billion consumers.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240821042872/en/
A GRAIGUECULLEN family is facing an agonising ordeal as their beautiful four-month-old daughter and granddaughter battles a rare form of leukaemia in Australia. Little Fiadh Vicky Hoolan Derich is currently undergoing intensive chemotherapy in a Melbourne hospital, her devastated parents Sara Hoolan and Nathan Derich along with grandparents Peader and Ruth Hoolan from Sleaty, Graiguecullen at her side.

In a tragic twist of fate, Fiadh was diagnosed with leukaemia on the day her grandparents and aunt Laura arrived from Ireland to Darwin, Australia to meet their beloved granddaughter and niece for the very first time.

What was supposed to be our first family holiday, and the first time my family got to meet our sweet little angel, quickly turned into what will eventually be at least a six-month hospital stay interstate, away from all our friends and family, said Sara.

Fiadh was immediately rushed to Melbourne so the Hoolan family just managed to meet her for a few minutes on a Darwin runway just before her care jet flight departed for Melbourne.

We got a call to say the Fiadh and Sara were being rushed to Melbourne and we could not change our flight plans. However, after three long flights, almost 36 hours because of stop-overs, we were rushed by some of Saras friends from the airport to go to the care flight jet, so we could get five minutes to see them, explained Peader.

Not a nice way to get to meet your granddaughter. But I have to thank the care flight crew, who assured us they were in good hands, he added.

Fiadhs diagnosis is a rare one, with only around one child in Australia being diagnosed each year. She began her intense chemo treatment immediately, with sickness and viruses almost inevitable as her little body continues to fight.

A few weeks later, Peader and Ruth went to Melbourne for ten days to try to comfort and ease the burden on Sara and Nathan and to spend time with their beautiful granddaughter.

They have a long, long hard time ahead. It looks like it will be another six months before they leave the wonderful hospital in Melbourne to return home to Darwin where they live, Peader told The Nationalist.

Sara and Nathan will be watching their child in hospital until possibly February next year, a very draining experience for any parent to have to go through, he added.

Saras friends in Darwin and the Irish community there have rallied to assist the family, supporting Peader, Ruth and Laura during their time in Australia and also setting up a GoFundMe page to support Fiadh at this very difficult time.

It has been heart-wrenching watching such a little innocent thing being poked and prodded and going through what she has and we can only imagine what is ahead of us and her, Sara said in a post on Fiadhs GoFundMe page.

Fiadh is such a strong little girl and is doing such an amazing job, still smiling and being her inquisitive little self every day, but she does have a long road ahead of her before she can even go outside, let alone get home.

We know we still have a long way to go and it wont be easy being stuck in a hospital or watching our sweet little girl go through treatment for the next six months, especially being so far away from everyone and not being able to earn an income during this time, but it well and truly warms our hearts to know how many people are thinking of her and us through the whole process.

It is hard to think that so many of her firsts will be in this tiny hospital room and knowing we cant take her pain away, but it will all be worth it when she comes out the other side, said Sara. The support we have and continue to receive has been overwhelming and will never be forgotten. Our sincerest gratitude to everyone. After three weeks, Laura returned to Graiguecullen, while Peader and Ruth are due to return home this weekend.

We are in Darwin now and leave here on the 24th, so only a couple more days before we fly home. It is going to be a hard trip home leaving Australia. As I said earlier, we were looking forward to two months spending time with our precious grandchild, said Peader.

Fiadhs condition was discovered when the three-month-old was having lower than expected weight checks over a few weeks and had very pale skin.

Id like to let other parents be aware of Fiadhs condition and to warn other parents whose child is not putting on weight, has real pale skin and does not appear to be growing not to be afraid to seek medical help  its better to catch this leukaemia early, he said.

Peader offered a huge thank you from the Hoolan family and Saras friends in Darwin. A massive thank you to those who took the time and their hard-earned cash to donate to the GoFundMe page for little Fiadh and I know plans are in place to have a night out to raise money for the cause by the Irish community in Darwin, he said.

We will continue to have everything crossed that all goes well and she comes out even stronger on the other side, and we are counting down the days til we can say our sweet little girl is cancer-free, said Sara.

To support the family, go to www.gofundme.com/f/donate-to-help-baby-fiadh-through-leukaemia-treatment.
By Grainne Ni Aodha, PA

Hospices are a beacon showcasing the best of humanity at a time when there is a lot of negativity and anxiety in the world, actor Brendan Gleeson has said.

The Irish star, who has featured in films including The Banshees of Inisherin and In Bruges, is asking the public to support a nationwide fundraising campaign for hospices.

The Oscar-nominated actor, who has fronted several campaigns championing hospices, said Irish people are generally good at confronting death.

If you dont take on board how final death is, you dont really get a proper perspective on how delicious life can be, he told the PA news agency in Bewleys Cafe in Dublin city.

The hospice movement generally has been a kind of a little bit of a beacon, in the sense that its given a degree of positivity to the way life is framed, which I find really refreshing.

Both of Gleesons parents, Pat and Francis, spent their final days in St Francis Hospice in Dublin.

The hospice found a way for me to be able to say goodbye to my parents in a way that seemed actually beautiful, he said.

I found that a remarkable triumph over circumstance, and it gave me kind of a faith in the humanity it takes to make that happen, because it doesnt happen by mistake.

He added: At the moment, I can have a chat at any point with the memory of when my folks were well and not fighting the last throes of life  when they were in their fullness. So, I can have the conversation with those entities and so I feel theyre never really gone.

With the hospice, you feel this is something thats perpetuating a feeling that goodness is paramount within this particular world and its very hard to keep that front and centre the way things are happening.

Theres an awful lot of negativity, anxiety  and a lot of it well-founded  but its always been this way. Weve always been careering towards our own destruction and, at the same time, elevating ourselves beyond any other life form, and its just the human condition.

So, I find tipping the scales on the good side is the hospice movement and I feel honoured to be a part of it.

People who wish to register to host a coffee morning on September 26, or on a different date, can visit hospicecoffeemorning.ie or make a donation on the same website.

Gleeson said it was exciting that an in-patient unit with 24 single rooms was planned for St Francis Hospice, which would offer more privacy to families and their loved ones.

He said his father Francis spent time in a four-bed room: The conversation was a little inhibited; you are in hearing distance of others, trying not to earwig, and at the same time attempting an intimate conversation with your loved one in quite a loud voice.

Because patients are at that stage, you have to speak fairly loudly. Single rooms make it so much easier.

The Dubliner was speaking before travelling to Los Angeles ahead of the worldwide release of his latest work in Joker: Folie a Deux, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga.

Brendan Gleeson praised Joaquin Phoenixs performances as the Joker. Photo: Ian West/PA.

He said he agreed to take part in the movie because he thought Phoenixs performance in Joker was one of the most remarkable things Ive ever seen.

He said the actor inhabited this extraordinary place thats so conflicting, thats so sympathetic in some ways, and utterly repulsive in others.

It took the idea of mental instability into a place where we have to accept some culpability when it gets out of control, and at the same time theres an element of wildness in that, where youre sort of saying, I dont know if anybody can contain whats been released now.

He said it is increasingly difficult to get a storyline like that offered by the Banshees of Inisherin, as there is a trend of cinema emphasising visuals and action sequences.

But he said that when done right, superheroes are just a different way of exploring the nature of humanity, and cited Heath Ledgers portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight as proper character study.

Turning to the Phoenix Joker movies, he said: I was mesmerised by the first film and thrilled to be a part of the second.

I havent seen it yet, but I just love the bravery of taking it on and bringing Lady Gaga into the mix, and having music as a part of it. I cant wait to see it, to be honest.

Gleeson, who turns 70 next March, said that he is aware of his age, but said he was once told good health is a golden crown which only those who are ill can see.

I try to keep an eye on the crown and as long as Im motoring around alright, I appreciate life.

He told PA: I do think that curiosity, the maintenance of curiosity in the freshness of the world, and seeing the world again in the framework of how precious it is and how transient, if you can maintain it, then life keeps coming up with things that are wonderful. We all know it can be the simplest thing in the world.

The mortality thing, I understand  you do the math, as I say. But I feel in bonus country, in a way. Ive been allowed to see my kids grow up. Ive been allowed to see things through a little bit.

Its all bonus country anyway. So we continue with the bonus country.
Vivienne Clarke

Activist Majella Beattie, of Care Champions, has said that the family of a non-verbal woman who was subjected to inappropriate contact by another resident in a HSE-run facility have called for the other resident to be removed.

A review by the HSE found that there was a failure to implement safeguarding measures at the facility where one resident touched the breast of another resident who is immobile.

A report into the incident in June last year revealed that there had been a failure to implement and review safeguarding measures following a previous incident in 2014.

The family of this lady are very much traumatised. They very much talk about their daughter being unable to protect herself, and relying on others for all her care. It is very difficult for them to live with the fact that their daughter has been harmed twice by the same person., she told RTE radios Morning Ireland.

They are very much aware that Resident B also has a disability and is also entitled to the support they need. But they do not believe that their daughter should have to live in the same home as the person who harmed her.

This family wants Resident B to be removed so that their daughter can live safely in her home. The problem is the ongoing trauma to this young lady because she is so vulnerable, and has no way to protect herself. This young man with his disability, she will hear him, she will see him. And they don't want her to be re-traumatised.

2014 report

In a previous incident in 2014, Resident B kissed Resident A and touched her breast. Following that incident, a report stated that due to Resident As disability, reduced inhibition and communication problems, she would be "very vulnerable to inappropriate advances from male residents who suffer from acquired brain injury with impaired cognitive function and executive dysfunction".

The 2014 report made recommendations to prevent the risk of a similar safeguarding incident happening again.

However, the latest review revealed no staff member recalled safeguarding plans being discussed or that they were informed of the 2014 incident.

Minister of State Ann Rabbitte has expressed disappointment that the first time she heard of the case was from the media.

I'm hearing it for the first time this morning, she told RTE radios Morning Ireland.

Ms Rabbitte said she had an email ready to send to the HSE, and she was disappointed that she had not been informed of the incident and the report.

She said she had no doubt that it was very distressing for the family of Resident A, but also for the family of Resident B.

There had been other stories like this, she said which was why Bernard Gloster had made safeguarding one of his priorities.

It felt like there had been a complete failure or breakdown of procedures in this case, said Ms Rabbitte.

It was important to ensure the development of a safeguarding culture with increased visibility and understanding of safeguarding in the care system where people are in the care of the State, she said.
James Cox

Immediate abolition of hospital car parking fees for those receiving cancer treatment is needed, a Fine Gael Senator has said.

Senator Maria Byrne, Fine Gael Seanad spokesperson on finance, said: "It is completely baffling that hospitals across Ireland continue to charge full parking fees to patients undergoing cancer treatments, with many offering no concessions whatsoever.

This practice must end. Cancer patients already face immense challenges, and the last thing they should worry about is the financial burden of parking fees."

Ms Byrne pointed to a "significant disparity" in parking fees at different hospital, along with how easily information can be accessed on concessions.

"This lack of consistency leaves many patients in the dark, adding to the difficulties they face during an already challenging time.

"This situation is yet another example of the day-to-day financial pressures on those battling cancer. Many have had to leave their jobs to focus on treatment and recovery, and we need to acknowledge the toll this takes."

Ms Byrne added: "Being unwell is not a choice, and the financial burden experienced by cancer patients is unjust. Common sense and compassion must prevail - hospital car parks should not be profiting off those who have no choice but to be in the hospital for treatment."

University Hospital Limerick is one of three public hospitals in Munster that offers free parking for cancer patients.

Ms Byrne said this is a "positive step", but one that should be replicated nationwide.

"Every cancer patient, regardless of where they receive treatment, deserves this basic consideration.

"It's not just about fairness - it's about dignity. The Irish Cancer Society have done great work in highlighting this need and shown we have an opportunity here to do something simple yet profoundly impactful.

Eliminating these fees would make clear that we stand with cancer patients in their fight. It's a small gesture that could make a significant difference in the lives of those who need it most."
GERARD COUZENS

An Irish teenager remained in intensive care in hospital in Majorca following a near-drowning at his hotel pool.

The youngster was resuscitated on Tuesday afternoon after being pulled out of the water by lifeguards who initially assisted him before emergency responders took over.

On Wednesday, sources at Manacor Hospital confirmed he remained in intensive care as it emerged the holidaymaker is 14 and not 16 as first reported.

The source said: The outlook for this patient is unclear at the moment. He was admitted to the hospital just after 4.15pm yesterday and is still in intensive care.

He was described as being in a very serious condition when he was rushed to hospital.

The alarm was raised around 2pm on Tuesday. The drama happened at an all-inclusive hotel called Globales Bouganvilla in Sa Coma in eastern Majorca, near to the Love Island villa.

The circumstances surrounding the incident are still unclear.

In June 2022, a six-year-old boy from north Belfast died following a pool incident while he was on holiday in Majorca.

Corey Aughey was treated in intensive care at a hospital in the island capital Palma for three days before losing his fight for life.

He had also been staying at a hotel in Sa Coma which was not named at the time.

The Aughey family had only touched down in Majorca a few hours before the tragedy struck.

Later the same month, an Irish seven-year-old died in hospital after being pulled out of the pool at HYB Eurocalas Hotel in the East Coast Majorcan resort of Calas de Mallorca.
By Cate McCurry, PA

Mobile phones could be banned in secondary schools under plans being considered by the Minister for Education.

Norma Foley said she is looking into introducing a ban on mobiles in post-primary schools.

The Department of Education published guidelines for parents last year, as part of an initiative to keep childhood smartphone free.

The Fianna Fail minister is set to go further to reduce the use of mobile phones in schools.

Speaking at Ardscoil Ris in north Dublin, Ms Foley said that the Government has done a huge body of work around mobile phones.

Ive met with mobile phone providers, Ive met with the social media platforms and we will continue to educate both at primary and at post-primary, but I am now in a space where Im saying  looking to introduce a ban on the mobile phone at post-primary, the Kerry TD said.

Minister for Education Norma Foley, with Principal John McHugh, during a visit to Ardscoil Ris in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA)

I think were very conscious of the world in which we live. All studies, including, for example the United Nations study last year, telling us that mobile phones interrupt learning in a school environment.

Obviously theyre a cause of cyber bullying and we know too the conversation, the integration, the community of conversation thats so important in school, is very much interrupted by the fact that students take out their mobile phones at different times.

But I want to be clear, schools are doing a huge body of work on the ground in relation to this.

All of them would have policies in relation to appropriate use of the mobile phone. But equally so, I meet principals who tell me, the mobile phone, even though students keep it in their bag, the beeping of it is an interruption to study.

Its a continuous hum almost in the background.

Im very clear that I think we need to establish in our schools a culture of non-acceptance of the mobile phone.

Moving forward now with the band working with our schools on mobile phones, particularly in post primary, its not the issue really in the primary, in that theyre not using them particularly during school hours in the primary.
David Raleigh

A mother of a little boy suffering with a life-threatening curve on his spine, shared a heartbreaking video of her son struggling in pain, and pleaded with Taoiseach, Simon Harris, to help her son receive the urgent care he so desperately needs.

In 2017, Gillian Sherratt and Stephen Morrison were told by doctors that their baby son Harvey would require urgent scoliosis surgery as his lungs and heart were already starting to be crushed by his twisting spine and ribcage.

Last February, Harveys parents shared a video of Harvey struggling to breathe due to his complex health needs.

However, seven years after Harveys doctors warned that controlling his scoliosis was life or death, Harveys mother informed the Taoiseach in an email that Harvey is still awaiting the life-saving surgery.

In 2017, Mr Harris, then the Minister for Health, told parents of children waiting years for scoliosis surgery that they would wait no longer than four months for the procedures, but this has not happened, and prolonged scoliosis surgery waiting lists continue due to inadequacies in the health system.

You continually tell families like ours that you care, and you have been promising to fix this since 2017. 2017 was the year we were told that Harveys ribs were crushing his lungs and controlling his scoliosis was life and death. Here we are in 2024 and nothing has changed..., states Ms Sherratts email to the Taoiseach.

Ms Sherratt stated she is incredibly concerned for Harvey who is now eight and half years old.

Harvey has Spina Bifida and scoliosis which in itself is challenging, but when those conditions are coupled with a lack of access to therapy, and incredibly long wait lists for urgent and life changing surgeries, then it becomes impossible to adequately care for your child, wrote Ms Sherratt.

Harvey had an Xray in January 2024 that showed his scoliosis curve is at 110, if you have read in to scoliosis then I am sure you are aware how this is at a point where it is detrimental to his health and quality of life, Ms Sherratts email continues.

Ms Sherratt sates that Harvey was listed for urgent surgery in February 2022 after repeated pneumonia infections, however Harveys surgeon has not been available for surgery and 30 months later he (Harvey) is still only on the surgical list...as he does not have a surgeon willing to operate..

Ms Sherratts email informed the Taoiseach that a Paediatric Spinal Taskforce, established last January by the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, to address the scoliosis surgery waiting lists crisis, and which has met three times, has not made contact with my family, nor is there any details online of how to contact them to enquire as to when your child will finally be treated.

Ms Sherratts email also highlighted delays in the long-awaited new Childrens Hospital, as well as how the result of a HSE investigation into where funding for scoliosis surgery was actually spent is not known.

Here we are in 2024 and nothing has changed except...longer wait lists, more children waiting, a still not complete hospital, and funds not being spent as intended and no answers yet as to where the money *we* fought for went.

You say you care but your actions have left us feeling anything but, Ms Sherratt states.

She also informed the Taoiseach that her five-year-old daughter Lyla is facing open heart surgery next month and this is just more stress and concern that we do not need.

Another summer has just passed and Harvey has spent the majority (of it) in his room, often needing to go back in to bed because he is in so much pain, Ms Sherratts states.

Is that the life you think the children of Ireland deserve? Would you accept that if it was your own child?

Can you imagine being told your child has a potentially life threatening condition but that it will be years before it would be treated?, she asked.

We need actual action, not more empty promises...We need contact details and open dialogue with the task force so that we can actually feel its existence.

We need answers as to where the funding for scoliosis and spina bifida services went.

Most of all, these children need to get their quality of life back before their whole childhood passes. I look forward to hearing from you, Ms Sherratts email concludes.

The Department of the Taoiseach has been asked for a response.
Ellen O'Donoghue

Journalist, author and women's rights activist Nell McCafferty has died at the age of 80.

The Irish Times reports she passed away this morning at a nursing home in Co Donegal.

She was born in Derry in 1944, and went on to co-found the Irish Women's Liberation Movement.

Taoiseach Simon Harris led tributes to McCafferty, saying that she left Ireland "a much better place than she found it, and she played her part with spirit and style.

"Nell was fierce, fearless and fiery. If she was in the room or in the debate, you knew about it.

"Her passion and wrath was not scattergun, it had a laser-like focus on calling out inequality and injustice. She suffered no fools but had a kindness and warmth for many. Her wit and Derry turn of phrase made her impossible to ignore," the Taoiseach said.

"As one of the women who took the train in 1971, she set in train an unstoppable wave for equality and a changing of Ireland for the better. That change has not yet reached its conclusion, but it would be nowhere if it wasnt for warriors like Nell.

"In an Ireland trying to emerge from the shadows and find who it was, Nell McCafferty was one of the people who knew exactly who she was and wasnt afraid to enter every battle for gay and womens rights. We all owe her a great debt for this."

In a piece published in the Irish Times earlier this year to mark McCaffertys 80th birthday, President Michael D Higgins hailed her enduring courage as a writer.

Those who have had Nell as a friend and an ally are very fortunate in their being given the gift of experiencing humanity in all its possibilities and vulnerabilities, and delivered as she did it with a sense of humour that paid tribute to the authenticity of her Derry upbringing, he wrote.

Journalist Mary Kenny founded the Irish Women's Liberation Movement with Nell McCafferty and others in 1970.

She told Newstalk Nell's wit would never be forgotten.

"I mean thats the thing about Nell, she had a modern sense of humour, so even people who were critical of her, perhaps, because she was so upfront, were completely disarmed by her charm and by how funny she could be, you know that very special Derry way, so indeed very, very sad. She had been unwell," Ms Kenny said.

Irish Press Ombudsman, journalist Susan McKay, also paid tribute.

She was an absolutely wonderful journalist, a really ground-breaking journalist, Ms McKay told BBC Radio Ulster.

She changed the way that all of us who came after her wrote journalism and did journalism, because she went straight to people.

You know, if you look back at journalism before Nell, and indeed before some other brilliant woman of her generation, ordinary people were never asked for their opinion. They were written about by gents who thought that they knew how best to analyse society.

Nell went straight into working-class places, she talked to people who had experienced real hardships and afflictions in their lives, and she brought their voices alive.

She was tremendously brave and courageous and she wrote about all of the most important stories of her time."

Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik said she is deeply saddened.

She described McCafferty as a wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon.

It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends, she posted on X.

- Additional reporting PA
By David Young, Grainne Ni Aodha and Cate McCurry, PA

The family of renowned author, journalist and feminist activist Nell McCafferty have said they are humbled and comforted by the tributes following her death.

The celebrated writer, 80, died in the early hours of Wednesday at a nursing home in Fahan, Co Donegal following a long illness.

The former Irish Times journalist, originally from Derry, was a prominent voice on womens rights issues across the island of Ireland and in 1970 co-founded the Irish Womens Liberation Movement (IWLM).

Nell McCafferty, centre, died aged 80 at a nursing home in Co Donegal (Niall Carson/PA)

Considered a journalistic trailblazer and fearless social commentator, McCafferty, who was raised in Derrys Bogside area, authored several books and also wrote for publications including the Sunday Tribune and Hot Press.

Campaigning for the legalisation of contraceptives in Ireland in the 1970s, she famously took part in an event known as the Contraceptive Train in 1971 when members of the IWLM travelled across the border to Belfast, bought a range of contraceptive products and took them to Dublin, where they staged a protest at the citys Connolly station.

McCafferty had previously been in a long term relationship with fellow author Nuala OFaolain, who died in 2008.

A statement from McCaffertys family to the PA news agency concluded with Goodnight Sisters  the phrase she used to sign off at the end of TV appearances and also the title of two volumes of her writings.

There arent words to convey the emotion that we feel at the loss of Our Nell, said the family.

We are humbled and comforted by the outpouring of love, respect and admiration on this rainy August day.

We once again rely on the woman herself to express the depth of our feelings in just two words: Goodnight Sisters.

President of Ireland Michael D Higgins led the tributes, describing McCafferty as a writer who had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness and a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism.

Statement by President Michael D. Higgins on the death of Nell McCafferty https://t.co/IlvxH3OsnK  President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) August 21, 2024

Mr Higgins said he and his wife Sabina were privileged to be friends with her and said she will be deeply missed by us all.

Nell McCafferty was a pioneer in raising those searching questions which could be asked, but which had been buried, hidden or neglected, Mr Higgins said.

Indeed, this is one of the aspects which was most remarkable from the very beginning in her work.

He added: Nell had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness, and this made her advocacy formidable on behalf of those who had been excluded from society.

A defining feature across Nells life was such a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism wherever she saw it.

Taoiseach Simon Harris paid tribute to the journalist as a fierce, fearless and fiery campaigner who suffered no fools.

If she was in the room or in the debate, you knew about it.

Her passion and wrath was not scattergun  it had a laser-like focus on calling out inequality and injustice. She suffered no fools but had a kindness and warmth for many.

Her wit and Derry turn of phrase made her impossible to ignore.

As one of the women who took the train in 1971, she set in train an unstoppable wave for equality and a changing of Ireland for the better.

That change has not yet reached its conclusion, but it would be nowhere if it wasnt for warriors like Nell.

In an Ireland trying to emerge from the shadows and find who it was, Nell McCafferty was one of the people who knew exactly who she was and wasnt afraid to enter every battle for gay and womens rights. We all owe her a great debt for this.

Nell McCafferty left Ireland a much better place than she found it and she played her part with spirit and style. May she rest in peace.

I want to express my deep sadness at the death of former journalist, author and campaigner Nell McCafferty today.



Nell was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. A proud feminist, and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in pic.twitter.com/sg8hLAk4kh  Michelle ONeill (@moneillsf) August 21, 2024

Northern Irelands First Minister and Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle ONeill said McCafferty was a trailblazer in every sense of the word.

She added: A proud feminist and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in our society.

She eloquently spoke up for disadvantaged women through her work with the Irish Womens Liberation Movement, particularly highlighting the poverty and injustices women faced in the late 20th century across the island.

Nell McCafferty was a towering figure in Irish journalism with great courage and honesty, and was an important figure during the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement.

A proud daughter of Derry, Nells wisdom, humour and humility will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her.

I want to extend my deepest sympathies to her family and friends at this very difficult time.

Deeply saddened at the passing of Nell McCafferty.



Nell was an exceptional journalist & campaigner - the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights & womens rights. She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland. (1/2)  Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) August 21, 2024

Tanaiste Micheal Martin said he was deeply saddened at McCaffertys death.

Nell was an exceptional journalist and campaigner  the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights and womens rights, the Tanaiste posted on X, formerly Twitter.

She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland.

In addition to her brilliance as a writer, activist and feminist, Nell brought great warmth and humour to every engagement.

She made a difference.

Sympathies to her family, friends and former colleagues.

Irelands Press Ombudsman, journalist Susan McKay, also paid tribute.

She was an absolutely wonderful journalist, a really ground-breaking journalist, Ms McKay told BBC Radio Ulster.

She changed the way that all of us who came after her wrote journalism and did journalism, because she went straight to people.

You know, if you look back at journalism before Nell, and indeed before some other brilliant woman of her generation, ordinary people were never asked for their opinion.

They were written about by gents who thought that they knew how best to analyse society.

Nell went straight into working-class places, she talked to people who had experienced real hardships and afflictions in their lives, and she brought their voices alive.

She was tremendously brave and courageous, and she wrote about all of the most important stories of her time.

And its very, very sad that she has died, but she had been very ill for quite a number of years, and, you know, wasnt really in a position to appreciate life to the same extent as she had been before.

Very sorry to hear about the death of Nell McCafferty. A mould breaker and establishment shaker, she spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could.



An icon for so many people across Ireland. Nell will be sadly missed but her activism will endure.  Colum Eastwood (@columeastwood) August 21, 2024

SDLP leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood described McCafferty as a mould-breaker and establishment shaker.

She spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could, he said on X.

An icon for so many people across Ireland.

Nell will be sadly missed, but her activism will endure.

Leader of the Irish Labour Party Ivana Bacik said she is deeply saddened.

She described McCafferty as a wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon.

It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends, she posted on X.

Deeply saddened to hear today about the death of the wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon - Nell McCafferty.



It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends. #RIPNell pic.twitter.com/ULHxsnDEBk  Ivana Bacik (@ivanabacik) August 21, 2024

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) described McCafferty as one of the most renowned journalists in Ireland.

She was a long-time member of the NUJ and a former union activist.

Irish secretary Seamus Dooley said: With the death of Nell McCafferty, a bright light has been extinguished.

She was one of the most renowned journalists in the country as a reporter, columnist, author and broadcaster.

The public recognised in her a deep commitment to social justice.

The fact that she was so often referred to only by her first name is a reflection of her special place in Irish journalism and in the public consciousness.

This stemmed from her unique qualities as a reporter and storyteller.

Nell McCafferty could be hilariously funny, frequently controversial and delighted in being contrary.

She was never afraid to challenge the consensus and took pleasure in afflicting the comfortable.

Throughout her career, Nell blazed a trail for feminists and played a significant role in the development of the feminist movement in Ireland.

Always provocative, Nell had the ability to trenchantly argue her case with unique style.

McCaffertys funeral will take place on Friday in her native Derry.

A requiem mass will be held at 12.30pm at St Columbas Church, Long Tower in the city, followed by a private cremation in Co Cavan.
Attock Cement sells additional stake in Iraq cement firm for US$5.85m

ICR Newsroom By 21 August 2024

Attock Cement Pakistan Ltd, a Pakistan-based cement producer which manufactures ordinary Portland cement, sulphate-resistant cement, Falcon rock cement and Falcon block cement, has announced its sale of an additional stake in Saqr Al Keetan of Cement Production Co Ltd (SAKCPCL). SAKCPCL operates a 0.54Mta grinding facility in the Basra region of Iraq.

Attocks stake (4,500,000 shares) in the Iraq-based company will be sold to an undisclosed acquirer for US$5.85m.

Attock, a subsidiary of Pharaon Group, operates the 4.271Mta Hub Lasbela plant in Pakistan. Attock Cements 3Q24 report announced a 19.3 per cent increase in clinker production and a 10.7 decrease in cement production YoY.

Published under
Semen Indonesia International clinker exports to Taiwan up 80%

Muriel Bal By 21 August 2024

PT Semen Indonesia International (SII) reported a significant increase in clinker exports to Taiwan in the first half of 2024. Clinker exports to Taiwan reached 0.564Mt, up 80 per cent YoY from 0.314Mt in the 1H23. The increase reflects the growing demand from Taiwans construction industry, which is increasingly reliant on Indonesian clinker.

SII's President Director, Ridwansyah, stated that the rise in export volume to Taiwan is the result of hard work and collaboration among SIG, PT Semen Tonasa, and SII in providing high-quality products. "We are optimistic that this positive trend will continue and open up greater opportunities in the international market," he said.



In addition to Taiwan, SII also exports clinker to China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, the Maldives, Fiji, Australia and Benin.

Published under
Asia Cement (China) sees 1H revenue down 35%

Muriel Bal By 21 August 2024

In its unaudited results for the first half of 2024, Asia Cement (China) Holdings Corp reported a revenue of CNY2689.4m (US$377.1m), down 34.5 per cent from CNY4105.1m in the 1H23.



Gross profit fell 79.4 per cent to CNY133m in the 1H24 from CNY646m in the 1H23. The companys gross profit margin declined from 16 per cent to five per cent over the same period.



The company posted a loss before tax of CNY223.6m in the 1H24, down from a profit before tax of CNY395m in the 1H23.



Net loss for the 1H24 reached CNY411.2m, of which CNY404.9m was attributable to the owners of the company. In the 1H23 the company returned a net profit of CNY200.3m, of which CNY195.8m was attributable to the owners of the company.

Published under
Vitruvian Health Care System makes history by naming the first female CEO in the history of what is now Bradley Medical Center that has cared for the healthcare needs of the community for over seven decades.Lisa Lovelace, MBA, MA, was named president and chief executive officer of Bradley Medical Center on Aug. 1. Her leadership through this acquisition has been invaluable to our organization and her commitment to the Cleveland community has been evident throughout her career, said Jeff Myers, president and chief executive officer of Vitruvian Heath Care System.We are excited to see Bradley Medical Center evolve under the guidance of Lisa and the leadership team.Officials said, "Lisa is no stranger to Cleveland, as she is from Bradley County, graduated from Bradley County High School and then was proud to come back to Cleveland as a healthcare executive starting out at the Bradley Medical Centers Westside Campus. With over 26 years as a healthcare executive, she has been recognized as a leader people look up to and works to align with the team to solve problems. She has been recognized as a leader who helps grow and mentor those around her to help them reach their goals."In her role of assistant chief executive officer/chief operating officer at Bradley, she was one of the driving forces that brought growth in key specialty services such as cardiology, neurology and primary care, so that her family, friends and community neighbors had access to quality, compassionate care close to home. She is a true servant to her community, striving for excellence, for every person, every time, whether it is the employees, the medical staff, the volunteer or our patients."Even though Lisa has had the opportunity to work around the region as a healthcare executive, her heart remained in Cleveland as she continued to foster the community by serving on local boards such as YMCA board, the Family Resource Agency board as well as United Way, Funds Distribution and Existing Industry committees, and is a graduate of the Bradley County Chamber of Commerce Leadership Cleveland."Joining Ms. Lovelace will be Tammy Seay, vice president and interim chief nursing officer; Ernie Elemento, vice president and chief operating officer; Wes Griffith, vice president and chief financial officer; and Jeanette Fetter, vice president and chief quality officer.Officials said, "Tammy Seay DNP, RN, CNOR, vice president and interim chief nursing officer, has served over 28 years as a nurse and as an executive nurse leader, impacting organizational performance and promoting a culture of high quality, safety and team member engagement. Tammy is a familiar face to the newly named Bradley Medical Center as she previously served as the assistant chief nursing officer. Making the transition to vice president and interim chief nursing officer has been seamless. Through the acquisition, Tammys leadership was evident as she stood by her team to ensure safe, quality care as we crossed over and became Bradly Medical Center. Her drive for excellence was recognized when asked to be involved in the application of the Tennessee Center for Performing Excellence for her facility in Knoxville. Tammy is dedicated to leading change, motivating, and developing effective teams to implement long-term improvements to deliver exceptional service for our community."Ernie Elemento, MBA, vice president and chief operating officer, joins us from Hamilton Medical Center. He has over 20 years of executive leadership and 10 years of clinical experience when he practiced as a licensed physical therapist. This combination allows him the ability to help drive operational change with a true understanding of the needs of his departments. He is recognized for his collaborative leadership, strategic planning, patient and associate engagement, and physician partnerships. While at Hamilton, Ernie oversaw the Peeples Cancer Institute, Pharmacy, Imaging, Laboratory, Rehab, Hamilton Spine Health, and Sport to name a few. Ernies departments are already recognizing him for his contributions and support as evidenced by his leadership during the night of the acquisition. The mission to care for the Cleveland community is clearly of top priority for him and his departments."Wes Griffith, MBA, MAcc, vice president and chief financial officer, may be a name you have heard from before. Like Lisa, Wes was previously on the executive team and has come back to the Cleveland community. Wess expertise in financial operations will be valuable as we work to evolve and grow resources for Bradley Medical Center. Wes works directly with managers regarding any questions around financial objectives and goals. His leadership style has allowed many managers to grow stronger and more confident in their knowledge of their own departments financial goals, evidenced by receiving the Trusted Leader award back-to-back years in his previous facility."Jeanette Fetter, RN, MBA, vice president and chief quality officer, has over 40 years experience in Nursing and Management/Administration and is a native of Bradley County. She began her journey at Cleveland State Community College where she received her associates degree to start her journey as a healthcare executive. Jeanette has witnessed a lot of change during her 40-year career at our facility, but her commitment to her team, the patients and her community never has. This was never more evident than witnessing her leadership during the acquisition. She leads by example and is well respected amongst the healthcare community for her expertise in quality standards, The Joint Commission standards, and other regulatory standards. Many of her processes have been used in other facilities and recognized as best practices."I am proud of this team, and we look forward to serving with compassion to improve the health and well-being of our communities and be the model for excellence and service in health care, said Ms. Lovelace, president and chief executive officer Bradley Medical Center.
A referendum may be held next March on changing the city charter to allow younger firefighters and those who live outside the city.

Fire Chief Phil Hyman said when he joined the department recruitment "was solely by word of mouth."

He said that "worked for years," but eventually recruitment numbers were so low that it was hard to get enough to hold an academy.

Chief Hyman said recruitment has been enhanced with the hiring of a recruitment coordinator and other measures.

But he said he favors allowing the department to take on new firefighters as young as age 18.

He also said the city is missing out on many good candidates from Georgia and elsewhere because of a charter requirement that they live within the city.

Voters would have to decide on approving the changes - probably at a referendum at the time of the next city election in March 2025.
Crackdown on illegal currency trading in Macao sees 3 billion yuan seized

Xinhua) 10:32, August 21, 2024

BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Police in China's Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces and Macao Special Administrative Region have seized foreign exchange worth 3 billion yuan (420 million U.S. dollars) involved in illegal transactions in recent joint operations, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said on Tuesday.

In two joint operations, 252 suspects were captured for illegally exchanging currencies and related unlawful acts, with 57 of them repatriated to the mainland by Macao police.

An increasing number of individuals have conducted illegal trading in currencies in Macao in recent years, resulting in other crimes, such as fraud, robbery and human smuggling, posing a threat to public security and people's safety in the region, according to the MPS.

Coordinated crackdowns launched by police from the mainland and Macao uncovered 19 criminal gangs in Macao, Nanchang of Jiangxi, and Zhuhai of Guangdong, with over 300 individuals involved.

Taking orders from the gang leaders, the members performed various tasks, including withdrawing cash from banks, making contacts with illegal banks, and soliciting clients near casinos and hotels in Macao.

The gangs were busted in joint operations under the direction of the MPS.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The Collegedale Commission is taking action on issues at the Collegedale Airport that local pilots believe are overdue. Three pilots who have long had hangar leases there spoke at the Monday night commission meeting asking for the city to dedicate money for making certain safety improvements to the airport.

The city has already appropriated $200,000 to begin needed work at the airport, though some of that is cosmetic. On Monday night the commissioners in a unanimous vote set aside another $296,390 into a restricted fund for the airport that will be added to original funding for safety projects. Airport Director Ryan Byford said that a capital improvement plan for the airport is being finalized that will help prioritize the projects.

At the meeting, the municipal codes ordinance was amended regarding increasing permit, plan review, inspection and development fees. It has been 15 years since these fees were increased in Collegedale. The commissioners were told that this year, expenses exceeded revenue by $340,000 because all aspects of what it costs to run the city have increased including expenses such as salaries, benefits, codes enforcement operations, inspections and third party contracted attorneys and engineers, to name a few.

The recommendation from Municipal Technical Advisory Services (MTAS) was to raise those fees up to similar rates charged by other municipalities in the surrounding area. The commissioners want to be pro-development but want to close the gap to stop losing money. That is expected to happen within two-five years with this move. The commissioners see the increased fees as one way not to over-burden city taxpayers. This is viewed as a good time to implement the increases in fees since it is before several planned large, new developments in the city have begun submitting permits.

About a year ago, Collegedale received a grant that gives retention incentive grants of up to $10,000 in bonuses at specified longevity marks for officers. Police Chief Jack Sapp said this would only apply to five of the citys officers. The chief said that he had been approached by a business owner in the city who offered to donate $69,000 to the police department to be used as one time, $3,000 incentive bonuses to the other current full-time officers with at least one year of experience. City Attorney Sam Elliott said that the city is allowed to receive charitable gifts that can be used as the city sees fit. The vote was unanimous to accept this gift and use it for the police retention.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Collegedale Commission falls on Labor Day so will be moved to the following day, Tuesday, Sept. 3, at 6 p.m.
UTC's Center for Urban Informatics and Progress will host the inaugural Chattanooga Connect conference Oct. 21-23 at the University Center on the campus of UTC. Chattanooga Connect will convene global industry leaders, policymakers, technologists, researchers to explore the future of urban transportation and cutting-edge advancements in digital infrastructure, AI, and connected and automated vehicles.

Kristin White, deputy administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, will provide the keynote address. Ms. White's leadership in transportation safety and innovation aligns with the event's focus on shaping the future of connected mobility and her remarks will offer insights into national policy developments and regulatory frameworks that are driving these revolutionary technologies.

Other confirmed speakers and panelists include Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter and Laura Chace, president and CEO of ITS America. Additional speakers will be announced soon.

Chattanooga Connect 2024 is an opportunity for researchers, industry partners, and policymakers who are passionate about the future of urban mobility, says Dr. Mina Sartipi, director of CUIP. Those who attend this event will be at the forefront of discussions that will determine where connected and automated vehicle technologies, AI, and smart city innovations go as we move forward. A smarter, more sustainable, more connected future starts here at Chattanooga Connect 2024.

Additional speakers and panelists will be announced in the coming weeks. Registrations are open now and limited sponsorship opportunities are still available.

For more information visit go.utc.edu/Chattanooga-Connect
Three people were displaced by a fire off of Rossville Boulevard Tuesday night.

Chattanooga Fire Department Green Shift companies were called to the 2600 block of E 44th Street just before 6 p.m. Responding personnel spotted smoke on their way to the scene and found a working residential structure fire on arrival.

All occupants had escaped the burning home safely.

Firefighters made an interior attack on the fire and worked to get it extinguished. They also fought flames in the attic by accessing the roof.

There were no injuries. The cause is under investigation.

The Red Cross will be assisting the impacted residents.

Mutual aid partners provided coverage at fire halls. Engine 14, Engine 5, Engine 9, Ladder 5, Squad 13, Battalion 1, Battalion 3, CFD Investigations, Hamilton County EMS and CPD were on the call.
Signal Centers has hired Lesa Witt, a native Chattanoogan and lifelong resident, as the new director of the Imagination Library program. In her role, Ms. Witt will reach out locally to ensure all families know about the program that inspires a love of reading by gifting books free of charge to children from birth to age five, officials said.

Statewide, she will work with the Tennessee Child Care Resource & Referral Network to ensure families in the Tennessee Department of Human Services' Child Care Certificate Program are enrolled.

Officials said, "Research shows that early access to age-appropriate books sets children up for success in school and life. Nationally, the Imagination Library boasts 90 percent of parents that receive Imagination Library books for their children report an increase in their childs vocabulary. Meanwhile, a household with 25 age-appropriate books will see their children complete two more years of education than a household with zero books."

Here at Signal Centers, we want to see kids succeed and grow into the best they can be, and the statistics tell us that process starts at an early age, said Donna McConnico, Signal Centers CEO. Thats why it was crucial for us to hire a strong director for our program, and we are pleased to have found that in Lesa Witt.

Ms. Witt recently served as the program manager for Read20, where she enjoyed helping children reach their full potential by guiding them on their literacy journeys. She has worked in the nonprofit and educational sectors for more than 20 years, including with Chattanooga Room in the Inn, Hickory Valley Christian School, Siskin Childrens Institute, and McCallie School. Currently, she serves on the Soddy Daisy Library Read20 Advisory Board and Duoloyi Ministries Board.

Through local program partner, Signal Centers, DPIL serves 13,000+ Hamilton County children each month. To ensure the program has staying power, Read20 recently gifted the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga with their endowment fund designating as the Dolly Parton Imagination Library Endowment Fund. Gifts to the fund can be made by visiting the Foundations website. Additionally, the Governors Early Literacy Foundation matches every dollar donated. Meaning that with a gift of only $25, donors can purchase a years worth of books for a local child.

Signal Centers, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) known for its statewide literacy efforts, has been a cornerstone of the Chattanooga community since 1957. The organizations comprehensive services include high-quality early childhood education, developmental therapies, independent living and employment support for adults, technology assistance, parental support, and professional training in the education field, all aimed at fostering lifelong learning and independence.

The major funding partners who help make Dolly Partons Imagination Library possible locally include Robert Finley Stone Foundation, city of Chattanooga, Hamilton County government, Women of Distinction, and Governors Early Literacy Foundation.
After several years of software development and programming, Sheriff Austin Garrett, the HCSOs Crime & Intelligence Analysis Unit, Information Services, and Public Relations personnel announce the release of the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office's first public mobile app and online Crime Data Dashboard.

The new Hamilton County Sheriffs mobile app can be downloaded for free and features information, real-time alerts, access to press releases, and links to services to help make the agency more accessible to the public.

The Sheriffs App offers residents the ability to search for active warrants, request an incident report, deposit funds for inmates, and submit tips anonymously, including those pertaining to schools. The new app also allows citizens to download the annual report, view the agencys operational policies and procedures, learn about the Citizens Academy, DARE Program, view a contact directory of important county offices, and other items pertaining to public safety.

The app can be downloaded from the Apple or Android Store for free by searching Hamilton County Sheriffs Office, Tennessee.

The new and unique crime data dashboard is also free and is updated every 24 hours. The dashboard provides information on law enforcement-related calls specifically based off incident reports. The information displays general incident statistics as well as charts and graphs that visually represent current and historical crime trends.

While many agencies can provide general statistics upon request, this new Public Crime Data Dashboard will allow citizens the opportunity to view, 24 hours a day, data broken down by crimes against persons, property and society.

When utilizing the new dashboard, citizens can choose, based on their preference, any area of the county in the unincorporated areas via a map, street, or zip code where they wish to see crime data and the information will be mapped to the block range of where the incident occurred. Once a search has been made, the user will initially see hot spots on the map, however as the user zooms in they will be able to see the crime by type. The data shown will include incident reports taken within the unincorporated areas of Hamilton County. However, some incidents may be visible within a local municipalitys jurisdiction (e.g. Chattanooga Police Department) due to the fact HCSO personnel may have been the primary responding law enforcement agency to that specific incident or generated a report.

Crime data can be selected by year or by specific month ranges, and the user will be able to utilize tabs located at the bottom left corner of the page to navigate to different categories of data and filters.

The last tab, About the Data, offers viewers information on how the numbers are maintained, what types of crime are contained within the categories, and any specific disclaimers that our citizens need to be aware of as they use this important tool. This new dashboard will also serve as a resource for local realtors and families who are looking to move or relocate to Hamilton County and what types of crimes are occurring in various neighborhoods.

"As your sheriff, I am committed to utilizing a data-driven approach to enhance our law enforcement operations," said Sheriff Garrett. "Our new app and online crime dashboard will increase transparency and provide the public with accurate, timely information about our services and crime occurrences in Hamilton County's unincorporated areas. I am proud of our HCSO staff, especially those in Information Services, the Crime Analyst Unit, and Public Relations, for their dedication in bringing both of these two valuable initiatives to life. Our agencys commitment to delivering premier law enforcement services is a testament to why your Sheriffs Office is leading the way."

The Online Public Crime Data Dashboard can be viewed by visiting: https://www.hcsheriff.gov/crimedashboard.

Please note, any data that is pulled by the app or the Crime Dashboard is subject to change based on the investigatory process, case disposition, or delays in the reporting process. For example, lab results can take several months to be received and can play a key part in the charging of a suspect, particularly pertaining to crimes of a sexual nature or involving drugs.




Meghan Markle and Victoria Beckham were once quite close, but the two women allegedly had a falling out shortly after Meghan married Prince Harry. Now, some think Meghan has extended an olive branch.

Meghan Markles fame skyrocketed the day her relationship with Prince Harry went public back in 2016. The two were introduced through a mutual friend, and after meeting on a blind date, they clicked instantly. A whirlwind romance turned into a 2018 royal wedding, and Meghan has made plenty of ultra-famous friends along the way.

Still, Meghan isnt quite as close with some friends as she once was. Namely, Meghan and pal Victoria Beckham had an alleged falling out a while back, and it ultimately impacted Prince Harrys relationship with David Beckham as well. But the Duchess of Sussex might have just sent a subtle olive branch to her former friend.

Meghan Markle wears a Victoria Beckham blouse while in Colombia in 2024 | Diego Cuevas/Getty Images

Meghan Markle wore one of Victoria Beckhams designs during her Colombia trip

Meghan and Victoria have not been close in quite some time, according to rumors. Long story short, Meghan and Victoria were friends; Victoria and David attended Harry and Meghans wedding in 2018. But somewhere down the line, Meghan supposedly became suspicious that Victoria and David were leaking stories about Harry and Meghan to the press. Harry, in turn, had an awkward phone call with David, and the friendship was effectively over.

The jury is still out on whether all of that is true, but even if it really happened, Meghan seems to be over the drama. During her four-day Colombia tour with Harry in August 2024, Meghan was spotted wearing a top from Victorias fashion collection. It seemed to send the message that she wants to put the past behind her.

Meghan Markle has a few close friends she keeps in her inner circle

Meghan and Harrys move to the United States came with plenty of criticism. The two kept a close-knit circle and had falling outs with some other friends, but it shouldnt come as a surprise given they were embroiled in controversy whether they liked it or not. Of course, David and Victoria Beckham were two friends who reportedly saw distance with the couple.

These days, Harry and Meghan keep a tight crew. Celebrities like Tyler Perry and Serena Williams have remained in the couples inner circle, while longtime friends like Jessica Mulroney have made their way out.

Harry and Meghan recently embarked on a four-day trip to Colombia, where they talked about their philanthropic work, especially in the digital space. Its here that Meghan extended the subtle olive branch, but its unclear if things between the Sussexes and the Beckhams will improve over time.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently returned from a quick trip to Colombia, where they visited for philanthropic purposes. But 1 part of the couples trip cost nearly $2 million.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the royal family back in 2020, so they have not taken any official royal tours since they performed duties on behalf of the family. However, 2024 seems to be the year of travel for Harry and Meghan; the couple made it to Nigeria back in May, where their trip had all the makings of a royal tour  and they just returned from a high-profile Colombia trip that had the same feel.

While Colombia seemed elated to welcome Harry and Meghan, the couples one request cost the government nearly $2 million.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Vizzor Image/Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan Markles security cost $1.95 million

Harry and Meghans Colombia tour stemmed from an invitation given to the couple by the countrys vice president, Francia Marquez. Harry and Meghan have continued their philanthropic work ever since leaving the United Kingdom more than four years ago, and Colombia wanted to have the couple to its country in order to speak about their work, offer insight, etc. around a number of issues theyve been involved with.

Of course, most celebrities require security. And having never been to Colombia on an official visit, it comes as no surprise that Harry and Meghan wanted to make sure all the correct security measures were in place. However, that cost the government a pretty penny; according to Express, Colombia spent $1.95 million on security for the Sussexes from start to finish of their trip. Express also reports that a now-removed Colombian media article said Harry and Meghan needed around 3,000 police officers and soldiers for total protection, as well as a number of security elements like helicopters and protective dogs. The couple spent about four days overseas.

Security has been a point of contention between Prince Harry and his family

Harry and Meghan have not returned to the UK as a couple in quite some time. The two dont have the same level of security there as the other royals because they no longer hold their working royal titles, and Harry doesnt think its safe for them to travel to his home country with his wife and kids.

Harry and his father, King Charles, have been at a stalemate over security for quite some time. Charles has not intervened in the British Home Offices decision to pull Harrys taxpayer security, which has only added to tensions between the father and son.

Tensions have been high between Harry and the rest of the royals for years, and the security issues havent helped. Harry and Meghan likely wont return to the UK any time soon, however it seems that they are starting to do their own version of royal tours, having traveled to a couple of places this year on their own time.
When a reactor at the Chernobyl power plant in Pripyat, Ukraine, exploded in 1986, over 50 tons of toxic radioactive material was released into the air. The effects of the nuclear disaster could be felt all the way in France. For 10 days, the radioactive material continued to waft out of the plant.

Months later, investigators decided it was time to explore the site. There, they discovered that a hot, lava-like blob of chemicals had burned its way down into the plants basement, where it had hardened into a solid mass.

From then on, the mass was called the Elephants Foot because of its color and shape. It contains a mix of corium, uranium, and other radioactive materials. To this day, the Elephants Foot still radiates high levels of radiation.

The explosion occurred during a safety test. The uranium core of reactor four of the plant overheated, reaching a temperature of more than 2,912 degrees Fahrenheit. The extreme heat caused a chain of nuclear reactions, leading to an explosion that destroyed all 1,660 of the reactors pressure tubes.

That resulted in a second explosion, exposing the radioactive core of the reactor. Hundreds of workers at the power plant were killed after being exposed to the radiation.

Many even sacrificed their own lives to contain the explosion. Others fell ill with terminal diseases like cancer, and millions of people who lived near the blast were left with health issues.

Even now, researchers are still studying the aftereffects of the Chernobyl explosion and how the Elephants Foot formed. When the reactor was blasted apart, a combination of heat, steam, and molten nuclear fuel gushed out through the concrete floor to the basement.

Eventually, it solidified and became known as the Elephants Foot. At the time it was discovered, the structure was radioactive and searing hot.

When it was first measured, it released almost 10,000 roentgens per hour, which meant that an hours exposure equated to four and a half million chest X-rays. A mere thirty seconds of exposure would have caused fatigue and dizziness, and more than five minutes would lead to death.

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New York, US (PANA) - Violence cost the world nearly $20 trillion last year, but investment in peace and conflict prevention has been steadily decreasing, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Wednesday
The art world has long been a breeding ground for forgeries and fraud. Some fakes have been crafted so meticulously that they deceive even the best art experts.

But what happens when these supposed masterpieces are finally revealed as mere copies? Many stories of forged artworks that were later exposed have surfaced in the past few decades. Here is one of the most recent.

An art dealer was arrested by officials in France and Spain for trying to sell a fake Leonardo da Vinci painting.

According to Spanish police, the dealer was a man in his 40s, and he had claimed the imitation piece was worth almost $1.5 million.

After two years of investigative work, they were finally able to make the arrest. In 2022, the man attempted to bring the painting from Spain to Italy.

But at the Modane border, about 75 miles from Milan, French customs officials confiscated it from his vehicle. Ultimately, it was insufficient paperwork that led to the end of this mans scheme.

For any work of art that is older than 100 years, Spanish law requires an export license to be issued. The man had a license that claimed the painting was worth $1.4 million.

It was a portrait of Gian Giacomo Trivulzio, an Italian military commander. Apparently, Leonardo had painted it while working for Duke Ludovico Sforza in Milan between 1482 and 1499.

However, the license had been expired for several months, which meant the man had been smuggling the painting across borders.

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Home News 7 pro-life activists convicted for abortion clinic blockade, face 10 years in prison

Seven pro-life activists have been convicted of violating federal civil rights law and the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act in connection with a 2020 abortion clinic blockade in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the convictions Tuesday against Calvin Zastrow, Eva Zastrow, Eva Edl, Chester Gallagher, Heather Idoni, Joel Curry and Justin Phillips.

The FACE Act subjects anyone who "by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction, intentionally injures, intimidates or interferes with or attempts to injure, intimidate or interfere with any person because that person is or has been" providing "reproductive health services" to federal charges.

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In addition to FACE Act charges, each defendant faces a "felony conspiracy against rights" charge. Edl and Idoni face additional charges in connection with an April 2021 abortion clinic blockade in Saginaw, Michigan.

"These defendants orchestrated an unlawful clinic blockade and physically obstructed patients seeking access to their doctors, without regard to the serious medical needs of the women they blocked from accessing reproductive health care," said DOJ Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke.

"These defendants intentionally broke the law. One woman's fetus experienced fetal abnormalities and the defendants' coordinated campaign of physical obstruction posed a grave and real threat to her health and fertility."

The Thomas More Society, a legal group representing Gallagher, seeks to have the "conspiracy against rights" charges against its client thrown out Tuesday.

"Yet again, the Biden-Harris Department of Justice has decided to characterize the actions of peaceful pro-lifers as a felony 'Conspiracy Against Rights,' punishable by over a decade in federal prison," Thomas More Society Senior Counsel Steve Crampton said in a statement.

"We are optimistic that our Motion to Dismiss the felony conspiracy charges will receive full and fair consideration by the Court," Crampton added. "We also believe that the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Fischer v. United States confirms that the Department of Justice's novel strategy to inflict [maximum] pain upon peaceful pro-lifers by adding a charge of felony Conspiracy Against Rights cannot be squared with the law and we stand ready to make that case."

As explained in a motion to dismiss filed on Gallagher's behalf on July 22, the June 28 Fischer decision determined that "the Sarbanes Oxley Act's prohibition on obstructing official proceedings  must be narrowly interpreted to apply only to the impairment of the availability or integrity of documents, etc., for use in official proceedings  rather than to any obstruction of an official proceeding in any manner."

The motion also highlighted the Supreme Court's warning that a broad reading of the Sarbanes Oxley Act would effectively "criminalize a broad swath of prosaic conduct, exposing activists and lobbyists alike to decades in prison" and that a peaceful protestor could conceivably be charged under the law and "face a 20-year sentence."

"The federal' conspiracy against rights' statute  was enacted in 1870 primarily to stop the Ku Klux Klan's rampant violations of African Americans' civil rights," the legal document declared.

The motion to dismiss noted that the statute prohibits "two or more persons" from "conspir[ing] to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person  in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States."

The Thomas More Society maintains that a DOJ trial attorney was misguided in suggesting that the "conspiracy against rights" statute should be applied to FACE Act violations because they "are often planned and coordinated offenses that involve more than one subject."

Prosecuting FACE Act violations under the "conspiracy against rights" statute elevates all violations committed from felonies to misdemeanors. The motion to dismiss characterized this use of the statute as running afoul of the penalties clearly laid out by the U.S. Congress in the law, which made perfectly clear that first-time nonviolent offenders would face misdemeanor charges as opposed to felony charges.

If convicted under the "conspiracy against rights" statute, Gallagher and other defendants could face up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine. The defendants' "sentencing will take place at a later date."
Home News Anti-Israel activists clash with police near DNC; over 70 arrested

A few miles from where Vice President Kamala Harris was officially declared the Democratic Party's presidential nominee in Chicago, anti-Israel protesters burned the American flag and violently clashed with police in riot gear, ignoring calls to disperse.

Police arrested over 70 people protesting outside of the Israeli Consulate in Chicago on Tuesday evening, according to the Chicago National Lawyers Guild. The demonstration at the consulate escalated after protesters attempted to break through a line of police, with some throwing signs at the officers or physically clashing with them.

One of the groups responsible for planning the protest is believed to have ties to terrorist groups.

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The protesters assembled the same week as the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to express opposition to the United States' continued support of Israel amid its ongoing war to eradicate the terror group Hamas in Gaza following the deadly Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel in which about 1,200 people were killed.

Behind Enemy Lines, a left-leaning group that advertised on Instagram plans to "Shut Down the DNC for Gaza," is one of the organizers of the protest, according to NBC News.

In response to the arrests Tuesday, the group requested jail support for the activists it claimed were "brutally arrested" by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's "thugs." Behind Enemy-Lines accused the police of defending the "genocidal criminals" inside the DNC.

Another group reportedly behind the protest, Samidoun, is tied to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, according to The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. The PFLP has been on the list of terrorist entities under Canada's criminal code since 2003 and listed as a foreign terrorist group by the U.S. government since 1997. Israel and Germany banned Samidoun due to the group's alleged ties to terrorist groups, according to CIJA.

The demonstration outside the Israeli Consulate began around 7 p.m. local time, according to NBC News. After several demonstrators violently confronted police, another group of activists emerged from behind a police barricade and heightened tensions.

While officers tried to usher the protesters away from the consulate, the demonstrators spread out and began marching on several streets where traffic had not been blocked. Some of the activists reportedly descended on a taxi with passengers inside.

Law enforcement definitively ended the protests at the corner of Monroe and Canal Streets before arresting the remaining protesters, NBC News notes.

Journalist Andy Ngo shared the footage in a Tuesday X post showing activists wearing face masks, burning an American flag and chanting "Free Palestine!" A man from the crowd attempted to confront one of the activists burning the flag, who then shouted, "F this country! Burn it down!"

Another video shared online by journalist Alexandre de Galzain shows anti-Israel activists fighting with police after officers arrested many of the protesters outside of the consulate during the evening. A separate video the journalist posted shows police arresting anti-Israel activists as some demonstrators screamed profanities at the police through a megaphone.

The Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest said in a Tuesday statement that it was "appalled" by the violence that occurred in front of its offices.

"This is anything but peaceful and completely contradictory to the spirit of the DNC," the consulate stated. "This vocal minority does not represent the vast bipartisan majority of Americans who stand strong in support of Israel."

"It was incredibly heartwarming to see many Americans countering this hate in front of our office, echoing the strong bond between America and Israel," the statement added.

The consulate expressed disappointment with Chicago Mayor Johnson for agreeing to the demands of the anti-Israel activists, accusing Johnson of failing to show support for the city's Jewish community. Johnson allowed the anti-Israel activists to set up a stage and sound system for their planned protests during the DNC.

"Lastly, we are grateful to all the law enforcement officers who are out protecting the city during the DNC," the consulate added. "We applaud their self-sacrifice and countless hours of work to ensure the safety of all Chicagoans."

The second day of the DNC saw law enforcement and U.S. Secret Service investigating bomb threats at several hotels on the Near West Side. Law enforcement looked into the matter and determined that the threats were not credible, reports Fox 32.
Home News Christians in Pakistan reeling year after horrific attacks

LAHORE, Pakistan  A year after one of the worst attacks on Christians in Pakistan, Christians called for justice regarding the rioting in Jaranwala, as most of those arrested have been discharged or released on bail.

More than 25 churches and 85 homes of Christians in Jaranwala were ransacked and looted on Aug. 16, 2023, by a frenzied mob of thousands of Muslims after two Christian brothers were accused of writing blasphemous content and desecrating copies of the Quran. The attack drew nationwide condemnation.

Only a dozen suspects of the more than 300 people arrested are facing trials in an anti-terrorism court, said the chairman of the Minorities Alliance Pakistan, attorney Akmal Bhatti.

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A majority of the suspects have either been bailed out or were discharged from the cases due to defective police investigation, Bhatti told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News from Faisalabad.

The attorney and political leader said that denying justice to Christians made a mockery of Pakistans constitution, which guarantees security and protection to religious minorities.

The Jaranwala incident is a stark reminder of the challenges faced by religious minorities in Pakistan, he said. The governments failure to bring the perpetrators to justice shows its [lack of] interest in protecting religious minorities from future violence.

Amnesty International found that of the 5,213 suspects, 380 were arrested, while 4,833 remained at large.

Of the arrested suspects, 228 were released on bail and 77 others had the charges against them dropped, Amnesty stated, based on information from police after filing a Right to Information Request.

Trials of suspects have not started, and about 40% of victims who lost property are still awaiting government compensation, according to Amnesty.

Despite the authorities assurances of accountability, the grossly inadequate action has allowed a climate of impunity for the perpetrators of the Jaranwala violence, Babu Ram Pant, Amnesty Internationals deputy regional director for South Asia, said in the statement.

Blasphemy accusations are common in Pakistan, and those found guilty of insulting Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, can be sentenced to death. While authorities have yet to carry out death sentences for blasphemy, often the accusation alone can spark riots and incite mobs to violence.

The two Christian brothers in Jaranwala were acquitted of the blasphemy charges earlier this year after an anti-terrorism court found that they had been framed by another Christian following a personal dispute.

Ostracization

Two Christian residents of Jaranwala said area Christians continued to face intimidation and exclusion after the Aug. 16, 2023, attacks.

The situation has worsened as our Muslim neighbors and other people have stopped talking or doing business with us, Salim Masih told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. I used to run a tailoring shop and had three or four Muslim apprentices, but after the incident my Muslim landlord told me to vacate the shop, and my staff also refused to work under me.

He added that he was unable to provide for his family as he receives a fraction of the orders he used to get before the attacks.

Resident Yaqub Gill said he was one of the complainants in the 17 private cases filed by Christians, along with five registered by the state.

I was constantly threatened by local Muslims to withdraw my complaint, Gill said. I informed the police, but instead of taking action against those people, they framed me in a fake case.

Christian residents are hard-pressed following the attacks, he said.

A lot of our people worked in nearby factories but after the incident, many were fired from their jobs, Gill said. Those having small businesses have suffered financial losses because the local Muslims are not doing business with them.

Soon after the police crackdown, Christians started getting threats from members of extremist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) to withdraw from the cases, he said.

Due to the threats, many Christians refused to stand as witnesses in court, leading to bails for the suspects, he said.

Salman Farooq of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said that among those bailed out in recent months were Younis Machhi, who made the announcement on the mosque loudspeaker for people to riot.

Theres clear video evidence of Younis Machhi inciting the people to attack Christians, yet he, too, has walked free on bail, Farooq said. Almost all those who have been freed from custody have been hailed as heroes on their return.

A fact-finding visit to Jaranwala found many Christians complaining of police detention and torture, Farooq said.

Apart from this, the families have not been completely rehabilitated, and while the government promised compensation money, not every household has managed to acquire this because in some households there are multiple families staying after their homes were destroyed, and the less powerful residents of that household have not been able to take the money. At least 50 families have not received the money.

When they go to the local administration, they receive no help, he said.

He endorsed the claims of the two Christians that social relations between the Christian and Muslim community soured after the Jaranwala attacks.

Christian workers are being fired from their workplaces, including factories in and around that tehsil and in Faisalabad as well, Farooq said. Children are facing discrimination in schools from other children as well. Its a sad situation.

Church leaders and rights activists say that the governments failure to implement a 2014 landmark judgment by former Chief Justice Tassaduq Jillani has left religious minorities communities vulnerable to repeated acts of violence and persecution.

The Jaranwala incident questions the effectiveness and enforcement of legal protections for minorities, said Church of Pakistan President Bishop Azad Marshall.

The state could have prevented the attacks in Jaranwala and other places if it had fully implemented Jillanis recommendations, he added.

The judgment condemned violence against minorities and laid out comprehensive recommendations to protect minority rights and promote religious tolerance. These included creating a special police force for protecting places of worship, establishing a National Council for Minorities Rights, and reforming educational curricula to foster religious harmony.

Despite the urgency of these recommendations, implementation has been sluggish and incomplete. Efforts to bolster security for places of worship have been inconsistent, and the nationwide establishment of a dedicated special police force as envisioned in the Jillani judgment remains unfulfilled.

The senior church leader said he regretted that his demand for accountability from police and the administration was stonewalled by the Punjab government.

We filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the incident and hold the negligent officials accountable, but the provincial government fiercely opposed it, Marshall said. We feared that the suspects would not be prosecuted, and this is exactly what has happened.

With the rise of threats from extremist groups like Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, tensions demand immediate and decisive action by the government, he said.

The path forward for Pakistan involves not just the protection of minority rights, but the promotion of an inclusive and tolerant society where all citizens can live without fear of persecution, Marshall said. The stakes are high, and the consequences of inaction could be dire. Pakistan must act now to ensure a future where all its citizens can live in peace and harmony.

In 2023 alone there were at least 193 attacks on minorities, including assaults on individuals, properties and places of worship, according to the Centre for Social Justice. An increase in blasphemy cases has seen at least 350 persons behind bars in Punjab Province as of June, of which 103 were accused of blasphemy since January, according to the centre.

There has also been an upsurge in killings related to blasphemy allegations in the past two years. At least six people were killed after blasphemy accusations in 2023, according to the report. Along with two extrajudicial killings, another three who were accused of blasphemy died in jail between June 2023 and 2024. Thus, a total of 11 individuals accused of blasphemy have lost their lives in the past 18 months, it stated.

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.

Originally published at Christian Daily InternationalMorning Star News
Home News JD Vance accuses Andy Beshear of wishing rape upon his family members

Republican vice presidential hopeful Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, has taken issue with comments made by Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear this week while attending the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

During the convention, Beshear was interviewed on the MSNBC program Morning Joe on Tuesday, claiming that Republicans were extreme on the abortion issue.

Beshear alluded to comments Vance made in 2021 in which the bestselling Hillbilly Elegy author took issue with the idea that abortion could be justified in cases of rape.

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Its not whether a woman should be forced to bring a child to term, Vance said, but whether a child should be allowed to live even though the circumstances of that childs birth are somehow inconvenient or a problem to society.

"JD Vance calls pregnancy resulting from rape' inconvenient.' Inconvenience is traffic. I mean, it is, make him go through this," Beshear said earlier this week.

"It is someone being violated, someone being harmed, and then telling them that they don't have options after that, that fails any test of decency, of humanity."

Vance took to his X account to respond to the comment, calling Beshear a "disgusting person" for allegedly "wishing that a member of my family would get raped."

William Martin, communications director for Vance, issued a statement in response to Beshear's remarks, calling them "disgusting" and "vile," adding that they "should not be tolerated in American politics."

"We call on Kamala Harris to immediately repudiate Governor Beshear's comments and demonstrate that regardless of partisan disagreements, this kind of violent rhetoric has no place in our public discourse," Martin added, as quoted by The Hill.

Beshear has denied the framing of his comments, explaining that "of course," he is not wishing harm on Vance's family.

"It's ridiculous, but it's also deflection. JD Vance knows that he and Donald Trump are so wrong on this issue, and so he's trying to make himself the victim," said Beshear, according to The Hill.

Beshear's comments come during the DNC gathering where Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to officially accept the presidential nomination of the Democrat Party.

Many speakers at the convention have conveyed a pro-choice message on abortion and have supported legalizing abortion nationwide without any apparent restrictions on the procedure.

For example, Hillary Clinton gave remarks on Monday evening in which she told convention attendees that, if elected president, Harris would "restore abortion rights nationwide." After the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 ruling overturning the 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, states have been able to enact restrictions on the legality of abortion. To make abortion legal nationwide, Congress must pass legislation or the Supreme Court must overturn its 2022 ruling.
Home News Obamas, Doug Emhoff extol Kamala Harris as source of hope, compassion

The second night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, featured speeches from second gentleman Doug Emhoff, former first lady Michelle Obama and former President Barack Obama.

The Obamas dedicated much of their time to ripping into former President Donald Trump, presenting him as a racist and a misogynist whose second term would be disastrous. Invoking themes of their 2008 campaign, the two also suggested Vice President Kamala Harris provides the hope that Obama himself promised.

Here are three highlights from their remarks.

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Home News Persecution watchdog calls for US sanctions on Azerbaijani torturers

The persecution watchdog International Christian Concern has requested that the U.S. government impose sanctions on several Azerbaijani officials accused of torturing Armenian Christians. The request, based on findings from its investigation, invokes the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which targets individuals implicated in human rights abuses by freezing their assets and banning their travel to the West.

The ICC said in a statement shared with The Christian Post that its extensive investigation, which analyzed sworn testimonies from victims held under Azerbaijani custody between 2020 and 2021, uncovered systematic abuses.

The torture of Christian POWs was consistent and atrocious, stated ICCs lead investigator. Despite the complex backdrop of the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict, the collected evidence highlighted undeniable instances of religious persecution and severe human rights violations, ICC reported.

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ICCs months-long investigation targeted officials and facilities involved in the abuse of POWs during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. Sanctions were specifically requested against the Baku Pre-trial Detention Center, managed by the Ministry of Justice, and the Military Disciplinary Unit of the Baku Garrison, under the Ministry of Defense. ICC sought sanctions also against four leaders at these locations for their roles in the severe and routine mistreatment of prisoners.

Armenia, the oldest Christian nation in history, sits at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, bordered by several nations hostile to its sovereignty, the watchdog explained. One of these is its eastern neighbor, Azerbaijan, an ethnically Turkish and predominantly Muslim country led by the longstanding dictatorship of the Aliyev family and President Ilham Aliyev.

On Sept. 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched a rapid military offensive to seize control of Nagorno-Karabakh, a region predominantly inhabited by 120,000 ethnic Armenian Christians. Described by Baku as an anti-terrorist operation, the military assault led to the forced dissolution of the ethnic Armenian enclave, officially declared by Azerbaijan on Jan. 1.

The U.S. Magnitsky Laws are an incredibly powerful and effective tool our government created in the Soviet era to target individuals in rogue states involved in human rights abuses, Jeff King, president of ICC, said.

He added, Individuals involved in torture hide behind the state, which could care less about what the U.S. or the international human rights community has to say. The Magnitsky laws allow us to go after individuals  they can no longer hide behind the State.

King, however, acknowledged that while these laws are powerful, understanding how to work with the U.S. government to sanction individuals that persecute Christians is something that can take an organization years or decades to learn.

The European Centre for Law & Justice has also accused Azerbaijan of conducting cultural genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh, documenting the systematic destruction of Armenian Christian heritage in that region.

In a report, the ECLJ detailed extensive damage to religious sites and artifacts, a strategy aimed at erasing Armenian presence from the region. The ongoing destruction and falsification of historical ties by Azerbaijani authorities were sharply criticized by the ECLJ, calling for a stronger international response to preserve the regions cultural and religious heritage.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was a long-standing dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which was recognized internationally as part of Muslim-majority Azerbaijan even though it had a majority Armenian population. It was controlled by ethnic Armenians as the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh, a de facto independent state not recognized by the United Nations.

Before the recently concluded Paris Olympics, the Switzerland-based human rights group Christian Solidarity International had urged the International Olympic Committee to impose sanctions on Azerbaijan due to the ethnic cleansing of Armenian Christians in Nagorno Karabakh.

CSI advocated for Azerbaijani athletes to participate only as neutrals, echoing broader calls to address atrocity crimes committed by nations. In letters to IOC President Thomas Bach and U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, CSI sought collaboration between the IOC and the U.N.'s OHCHR to establish clear punitive criteria for countries involved in such atrocities.

CSI President John Eibner accused President Aliyev of orchestrating a military invasion after imposing a severe blockade on Nagorno Karabakhs Armenian Christian community. He cited a Freedom House report claiming Azerbaijan implemented a systematic strategy to expel the ethnic Armenian population from the region, branding the act as genocidal.

In its 2024 annual report, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom highlighted increasing religious freedom violations within Azerbaijan.

The USCIRF report, for the first time, recommended that Azerbaijan be listed as a country of particular concern, a designation reserved for nations engaged in severe violations of religious freedom. This followed a trend of negative conditions post-Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, including threats to religious sites and discriminatory actions against Christian and Muslim communities alike.
DNC 2024 Highlights, Gateway Church's New Scandal, Border Policies Responsible For Murder

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Top headlines for Wednesday, August 21, 2024

In this episode, we discuss highlights from the Democratic National Convention, including the 92-page Democratic Party Platform, a gender-neutral prayer room, all-gender restrooms, and more. We delve into a new lawsuit facing Gateway Church in Texas over serious allegations of grooming and abuse. Additionally, we cover the House Judiciary Committee's report on the tragic murder of Laken Riley and its ties to current border policies, and more.

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Home Opinion Democrats' abortion agenda runs through battleground Pennsylvania

In just a few short months, swing state voters will maintain or sway the reins of power in Washington. One area worth considering is how Democratic politicians have drifted away from areas of compromise on abortion and become increasingly hostile toward pro-life advocates, from the top of the ticket to candidates representing the pivotal battleground state of Pennsylvania.

The animosity has been most evident with the partys presidential nominee. In her role as the attorney general of California, Kamala Harris was a proud co-sponsor of an act that forced pregnancy resource centers to offer women information about local abortion facilities. The resource centers fought back and successfully challenged the law on free speech grounds.

Harris also used her attorney general position to punish an undercover journalist for publishing stomach-turning discussions with Planned Parenthood executives regarding the trafficking of body parts obtained through abortion procedures. She had the reporters home raided, and her office worked with Planned Parenthood on drafting legislation to make secretly recording conversations with healthcare providers a statewide crime.

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As a senator, Harris was critical of a district court judicial nominee due to his membership with a service-oriented fraternal order opposed to a womans right to choose, implying that such knowledge would disqualify him from taking a seat on the federal bench. She also introduced an act that would have ended protections for doctors who declined to perform abortions for reasons of conscience.

Harris opposed bills aiming to halt abortions performed after the gestational age when babies start to feel pain and those providing the same standard of care for survivors of botched abortion attempts as babies born prematurely. She also expressed resistance to a bipartisan amendment that prevented government funding of abortion.

Representative Summer Lee of Pennsylvanias 12th Congressional District has since echoed Harris call for taxpayers to fund abortion-related costs, including travel expenses, and to eliminate protections for babies born alive after failed abortion attempts. A member of the House Pro-Choice Caucus, she has the goal of ensuring full abortion access at the federal level.

Lees agenda includes ending the filibuster and expanding the Supreme Court until justices who will restore and further broaden the Roe v. Wade decision have the majority. Unlike fellow Squad members Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman, who were ousted in their primaries, Lee fended off a more moderate challenger in April and plans to continue enacting radical policies if she survives Novembers general election.

Also seeking to retain a congressional seat, Bob Casey has expressed his approval of an act co-sponsored by Harris that prevented reasonable abortion restrictions, such as parental notice and admitting privilege laws. Pennsylvanias senior senator has more gradually voted in line with Planned Parenthoods legislative goals over time, and he now holds a 100% score with the organizations action fund alongside his junior pro-abortion colleague, John Fetterman.

Despite claiming to be pro-life, Caseys decision-making is a far cry from the values of his late father, who admirably took on the leading abortion organization in a case that produced the landmark Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling. The senior senator is battling in a tough race this election cycle that will likely determine control of the upper chamber, and he has the endorsement of both Fetterman and the states governor.

A vice-presidential finalist for the Harris ticket, Josh Shapiro filed a lawsuit as attorney general that sought to end the religious exemption for a group of Catholic nuns from a contraceptive mandate that included paying for abortion-inducing drugs in employer health insurance plans. His office also turned a blind eye to legal and ethical concerns about gruesome fetal tissue research projects conducted at the University of Pittsburgh.

Last November, Shapiros administration created a complaint form for the public to submit anonymous reports regarding deceptive conduct against the states pregnancy resource centers. The move came after the governor ended a longstanding contract funding a program offering classes and essential items, including diapers and formula, to new parents in need.

Harris isnt slowing down her desire to nationalize abortion on demand, even collaborating with Planned Parenthood to offer free abortions at this years Democratic National Convention. She holds the distinction of being the first vice president to visit an abortion clinic as part of her Fight for Reproductive Freedoms tour. She selected a clinic in a state with no restrictions on the procedure led by her running mate, Governor Tim Walz, who has been rightly criticized for repealing a Minnesota law against coercing women into abortions.

Reproductive rights are a cornerstone of the Harris-Walz campaign, which has the financial backing of the abortion industry and its well-funded proponents. With full-fledged support from leading Democrats in the Keystone State, abortion without negotiation is a rallying cry at the expense of the unborn and the advocates who give them a voice.
Home Opinion Why this Iranian American Christian woman will not vote for Kamala Harris

Amid the Democratic National Convention taking place in Chicago, theres legitimate excitement seeing a woman heading a major political partys ticket this year. Women are being encouraged to vote for Kamala Harris as a woman. But as a Christian and an Iranian American woman, I will not be voting for Harris because she represents exactly the values that endanger women in the Middle East and around the world. And neither should you.

For my first 33 years, I lived under the harsh rules of the extremist Iranian Islamic regime. I have countless scars from extremist Islam, including the torture and death of my husband, the breaking apart of my family, my arrest and imprisonment, misogyny in every aspect of life, and the execution of my closest friend.

I am very grateful to the United States, my adopted country and home, for providing me all the freedom as a woman, free from fear, persecution, and discrimination. I appreciate all my freedoms in America, and I always celebrate seeing women being empowered, flourishing, and attaining the highest leadership positions.

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However, being a woman is not a good enough reason to vote for a candidate, especially when such a candidate does so much harm to the well-being of hundreds of millions of women around the world. Theres no more vivid example of how Harris threatens women than by her support of the evil Islamic Republic regime, the enemy of women everywhere.

When I emigrated to the United States after being sentenced to death by hanging in Iran for the crime of converting to Christianity, I thought that in America I would be safe to be a Christian and express my faith freely. After a few years and completing two degrees, I was shocked and disappointed to see how some American leaders endanger Americas core Judeo-Christian values.

Americas misguided policies of appeasing Irans evil Ayatollahs, serve as useful idiots to the Islamic regime. Rather than holding the Islamic Republic regime accountable, many politicians have empowered and strengthened them.

It is enraging to see that close advisors of some of our democratic leaders/politicians are agents of the evil Ayatollahs who have infiltrated American society, politics, and media to threaten America from within.

Because I love America, its urgent to warn Americans about the importance of preserving our freedoms and values and exposing the lies of the Islamic regimes agents in our midst, especially those embraced by people like Harris.

Too many times I have seen Harris speaking at events standing next to and being embraced by well-known agents of the Islamic regime. Any average Iranian knows the truth that Americans who support Harris must know; these agents pose a huge threat to America and the world, and of course women.

Through these events, and her actions and record, Kamala clearly supports the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), hated by Iranians because of its treason to their own people.

As a woman, how can Harris be so indifferent to the suffering of Iranian women who have been persecuted, abused, and murdered because of not having a proper Islamic hijab? One prominent example is Mahsa Amini who was murdered in 2022. Another recent example is Arezoo Badri who was shot by the regimes morality police just a month ago, and who is still fighting for her life. How can Harris close her eyes to the women whose faces were scarred permanently because of radical Muslims throwing acid onto their faces for not obeying the strict Islamic rules? How can she stand with exported agents of the Iranian regime in America, much less listen to their advice?

How can she stand with and appease the enemies of our allies such as Hamas which massacred and kidnapped many innocent Israelis, and Americans? As a woman, how can her policies not reflect the simple truth that the savage Islamic terrorists responsible for killing, kidnapping, raping, sexually mutilating, and dragging the bodies of innocent women through the streets of Gaza are the enemies of all women?

For decades, Iranians have been fighting against the Islamic regime. Now, by supporting the Islamic regime financially, the Democratic Party has emboldened it and its terrorist tentacles around the world, subjecting women to unspeakable horrors.

If America does not wake up to stop appeasing the Islamic regime and all it represents, these threats to women here are not far away, and the only choice will be what color hijab to wear. Maybe.

Women, and anyone who cares about our Judeo-Christian values would be foolish to vote for Kamala Harris.

America needs a strong leader who will fight for America, for its core values, and for its future. Kamala Harris is not that person.
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - Continuous Israeli military evacuation orders in Gaza threaten already extremely vulnerable people in the enclave with further forced displacement, raising concerns that vital services could soon be cut off, UN humanitarians warned on Wednesday
Home News 11% of Protestants can't distinguish between Old, New Testaments

More than one-tenth of Protestants cited a New Testament story when asked about their favorite Old Testament passage, according to the results of a new study.

Lifeway Research released a report last week titled Protestant Churchgoer Views on Bible Stories based on responses collected from 1,008 American Protestant churchgoers in September 2023. The survey asked respondents Of all the stories found in the Old Testament of the Bible, which one is your favorite?

A plurality of those surveyed (13%) identified the book of Exodus and its focus on Moses as their favorite part of the Old Testament. The story of Noah and the Ark was the second most popular, with 11% of Protestant churchgoers listing it as their favorite part of the Old Testament.

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However, the share of respondents who enjoyed the story of Noah and the Ark the most was equivalent to the percentage who listed a New Testament story or book as their favorite part of the Old Testament. An additional 7% responded with none when pressed on their favorite part of the Old Testament, while 3% said they did not know.

This means that only 79% of participants actually identified an Old Testament story or book when asked about their favorite part of the Old Testament.

While churchgoers may open a Bible at church, at least 1 in 5 may not be familiar with how it is organized and what distinguishes the New Testament from the Old Testament, said Scott McConnell, CEO of Lifeway Research, in a statement shared with The Christian Post. Some of these attendees may have spent less time in the Bible while others may not know the Bible for themselves because someone else has always been their GPS for navigating it.

Other books and stories widely embraced by Christians as their favorite parts of the Old Testament include the book of Genesis (10%), the story of David and Goliath (8%), the story of Adam and Eve (5%), the story of Job (4%), the story of Ruth (4%), the story of Joseph (3%), the story of Jonah (3%), the story of Daniel (3%), the story of Esther (2%), the story of David (2%), the book of Psalms (2%), the story of Cain and Abel (2%), the story of Abraham (1%), the story of Elijah (1%) and the story of Samson (1%).

Less than 1% of respondents selected all remaining options as their favorite book or story in the Old Testament. The survey also examined churchgoers ability to recite or summarize some of the most notable Bible stories from memory.

When it comes to the story of David and Goliath, 34% said they could tell it all accurately, while 39% insisted they could tell it, but some details might be missing or wrong. Twenty-three percent expressed confidence that they could only give a quick overview of the story, and 3% believed they couldnt tell any of it. Less than 1% asserted that it was not a Bible story.

Slightly higher shares of respondents thought they could tell all (39%) or most (43%) of the story of Noahs Ark as the percentage of those surveyed who felt confident enough to only give a quick overview dropped to 17%. Just 1% said they couldnt tell any of it, while less than 1% didn't recognize it as a Bible story.

There was much less confidence regarding the ability to recite all (24%) of the story of Daniel and the Lions Den from memory although the same percentage (39%) that thought they could summarize the story of David and Goliath accurately said the same about Daniel and the Lions Den. One percent contended that it was not a Bible story.

Twenty-nine percent of respondents expressed confidence in their ability to tell all of the story of God asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, while 35% thought they could describe most of it. Twenty-six percent characterized their knowledge of the story as enough to give merely an overview, while less than 1% did not believe it was a Bible story.

As for the story of Jonah and the big fish, a plurality (35%) told pollsters that they could tell most of it from memory, while 28% maintained they could tell all of it. Twenty-six percent viewed their knowledge of the story as enough to give a quick overview and 8% did not think they could tell any of it. Two percent of those surveyed could not identify it as a Bible story.

While most of the survey dealt with respondents views about actual Bible stories, it included a question asking for their thoughts about a nonexistent Bible story: The story of Romulus and Remus. Only a plurality of those surveyed (39%) recognized that the fictional passage was not part of the Bible.

By contrast, a majority of respondents seemed to think the Bible does contain the aforementioned book. Thirty-three percent of those surveyed said they couldnt tell any of it as 16% highlighted their ability to give a quick overview about the nonexistent passage, and 6% possessed an even higher degree of confidence that they could recall most of it. Just 1% proclaimed that they could recite Romulus and Remus from memory.

The large number of churchgoers that readily admit they are fuzzy on some of the details of Gods interactions with the patriarchs helps explain the need for regular Bible teaching in churches, remarked McConnell. While recognizing the names of every person mentioned in the Bible may have little value, the Christian faith does place great value on recognizing biblical teaching from other voices because Jesus said He is the only way.
Home News Are Church of England parishes dropping use of the word 'church'? CofE says rebranding claim is 'complete nonsense'

The Church of England is pushing back on a report suggesting that dioceses are increasingly refraining from using the word church to describe new congregations and faith communities popping up.

The Centre for Church Planting and Theology Research, which describes itself as an organization that exists to provide the church with quality theological reflection on the activity of starting new churches, for the benefit of the whole church, released a report titled New Things: A theological investigation into the work of starting new churches across 11 dioceses in the Church of England. The findings in the report are based on research conducted between November 2022 and June 2023 in 11 of the CofEs 42 dioceses.

The research conducted for the report consisted of interviews with representatives of each diocese following their completion of a questionnaire. Based on the information gathered from the questionnaires and interviews, the Centre for Church Planting and Theology Research discovered that all 11 dioceses had started new things within the last 10 years, with around 900 new things (on the dioceses own terms) started.

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The report adds: 89% of these are integrated within the existing parish system rather than existing as stand-alone churches. Anecdotally, these new things were seen to be growing in perceived contrast to most inherited churches. This includes 40 new resource churches (brand new churches and churches becoming resource centers).

The report further noted that new language has emerged in the CofE that involves abandoning the use of the word church in favor of terms like community and congregation.

According to the research, Not one diocese used the term church in their main descriptor. Instead, the report stated, Almost all of the dioceses had chosen a descriptor that allowed for breadth in ecclesial form.

The term worship was used in the main descriptor for new faith communities in six of the 11 dioceses examined, while two used congregation and seven used the term community. The report suggested that the word Church feels immediately restrictive and limiting because it seems [too] wedded to a particular form  whatever the size  and this form is likewise unobtainable for many of the things started.

There is a lack of uniformity in our ecclesial descriptors, the report added. This both in terms used, and in the justification, explanation, and parameters of these. In this sense, each diocese is working with a unique ecclesiology; a way of addressing the question: what is a church? Some of the differences were stark. Especially when it comes to the issue of traditional ecclesial forms (worship, sacraments, etc.), with some dioceses recognizing these as central, and others less so.

Still, the document stressed that a lack of uniformity does not mean a lack of precision or care. The embrace of terms other than church to describe places of worship is seen as reflective of a move away from the traditional understanding of what constitutes a church.

A spokesperson for the CofE released a statement to Premier Christian News describing the idea that the Church of England has plans to drop the word church or that it is rebranding itself as complete nonsense.

The denomination sought to clarify that the report looks at new initiatives mostly created by parish churches  ranging from new youth groups or sport outreaches, right up to new congregations, with some of these not meeting in a church building  and noted that they do not always refer to what is happening as new churches but are using a variety of terms.

Noting that some people have claimed this means the Church of England has plans to drop the word church or is rebranding itself, the spokesperson insisted that It does not.

While the report acknowledged uncertainty regarding whether it is possible to hold together the [Anglican denomination] if the local churches differ in their fundamental self-understanding, it concluded that the lack of uniformity did not result in dioceses engaging in practices that do not derive from the [CofEs] own tradition and forms.

The report cited the embrace of new terms for churches as part of an effort to make the CofE a church where mixed ecology is the norm  where every person in England has access to an enriching and compelling community of faith by adding new churches and new forms of Church to our parishes, cathedrals, schools and chaplaincies.

As part of its vision strategy for the 2020s, the CofE hopes to start more than 10,000 new worshiping communities throughout the decade. While 900 such communities were established over the past decade, as recorded in the report, not all of them survived.

Representatives from eight of the 11 dioceses studied reported that some of the new churches launched during this time now do not exist, due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns that worsened already declining attendance as the primary reason why many churches had shut down.

The report did not highlight exactly how many newly formed congregations were closed in each diocese, only noting that one diocese saw 15 of 44 new things shut down as did seven of the 40 new worship communities formed in another.

New worship communities formed in the CofE faced other challenges as well, specifically difficulty appointing leaders, divergence between the diocesan vision and the vision of leaders of the individual congregation and finding meeting places.
Home News Biden-Harris border policies responsible for Laken Riley's murder at hands of illegal immigrant: report

U.S. Border Patrol released the illegal migrant charged with killing Laken Riley one day after apprehending him, and despite multiple encounters with law enforcement after his arrival in the United States, Immigration and Customs Enforcement allowed the man to roam free, according to a congressional report.

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee and its Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement released an interim 8-page report Friday, asserting that Riley's death in February is a result of the border policies under the Biden-Harris administration.

The Christian Post reached out to DHS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for comment on the report. Responses are pending.

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Riley was a 22-year-old nursing student whose body was discovered on the University of Georgia campus. The man arrested for the 22-year-old woman's murder, Jose Antonio Ibarra, entered the country illegally through El Paso, Texas, on Sept. 8, 2022.

According to the report, Ibarra was released into the U.S. one day after his apprehension because border patrol determined the migrant's release was warranted due to "urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit." Ibarra reportedly lived "safely" in Ecuador from January 2017 through July 2022 before traveling to the U.S.

While the U.S. Department of Homeland Security cited the Central Processing Center's detention capacity as the reason for Ibarra's release, the judiciary committee highlighted the agency's data showing it could have detained Ibarra.

"As a result of his release, Ibarra was free to commit crimes in the United States, including allegedly kidnapping and murdering Laken Riley in Georgia," the committee and its subcommittee claimed in the document.

Ibarra and his brother, Diego, had also previously been charged with shoplifting from a Walmart. An immigration attorney told Fox 5 in February the brothers were cited and released on the scene because shoplifting is considered a misdemeanor.

In September 2023, The New York City Police Department arrested Ibarra for "acting in a manner to injure a child," which ICE later entered into its enforcement system, according to the House Judiciary report. On Feb. 26, four days after Ibarra allegedly killed Riley, the migrant's previous application for asylum remained pending.

Despite encounters with law enforcement prior to Riley's murder, the report noted that ICE never filed a detainer against Ibarra until after the killing.

"The information obtained by the Committee shows in stark terms the real-world consequences of the Biden-Harris Administration's failure to secure the border and enforce immigration law," the report stated. "Taken as a whole, the Committee's investigation into the criminal illegal aliens the Biden-Harris Administration has allowed to enter the United States exposes the widespread failure to adequately vet, apprehend, detain, and remove illegal aliens."

"In some cases, the illegal aliens had committed crimes in their home countries but were nevertheless released from DHS custody," the document continued. "In other cases, the illegal aliens had criminal records or were gang members and were still released into the United States. In all cases, the illegal aliens went on to commit crimes in American communities ranging from murder and robbery to brutal assault."

The committee report accused Senate Democrats of failing to consider H.R. 2, the Secure Border Act of 2023. The act would limit asylum eligibility to non-US citizens who arrive in the country through a port of entry, among other provisions. Democrats argued that the bill politicized a tragedy and is too broad in scope.

"To secure America, the Senate must pass, and President Biden must sign into law, H.R. 2. In the meantime, the Committee and Subcommittee will continue to conduct vigorous oversight to inform legislative reforms to address President Biden and Vice President Harriss' dangerous immigration policies," the report stated.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol data from fiscal year 2021 through the middle of July 2024, the agency recorded over 52,000 arrests of illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds.
Home News Chicago cardinal gives invocation at DNC despite promotion of abortion

A Catholic cardinal delivered an invocation at the Democratic National Convention on Monday despite the Democratic Party's unapologetic embrace of abortion rights.

Cardinal Blase Cupich of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago gave the invocation on the first night of the convention in Chicago, Illinois.

Cupich did not address Democratic policies during the invocation, instead praying that God will "help us to truly understand and answer the sacred call of citizenship." He described the United States as "a nation composed of every people and culture united not by ties of blood but by the profound aspirations of life and freedom, justice and unbound hope."

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"These aspirations are why our forefathers saw America as a beacon of hope," he added. "In every generation, we are called to renew these aspirations to reweave the fabric of America. We do so when we live out the virtues that dwell in our hearts but also when we confront our failures to root out ongoing injustices in our national life, especially those created by moral blindness and fear of the other."

Cupich's appearance at the event comes as the Democratic Party Platform calls for codifying the now-overturned 1973 Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide into federal law. Convention attendees have been encouraged to take advantage of a mobile abortion clinic parked nearby offering free abortion pills and vasectomies.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that "direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to moral law" and that "formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense."

Cupich also prayed for "peace" and called on God to guide Americans as they seek to "forge this new chapter in our nation's history." He hopes it would be "rooted in the recognition that for us, as for every generation, unity triumphing over division is what advances human dignity and liberty."

"Let it be propelled by the women and men elected to serve in public life who know that service is the mark of true leadership and let this new chapter of our nation's history be filled with overwhelming hope, a hope that refuses to narrow our national vision but rather, as Pope Francis has said, to dream dreams and see visions of what, by Your grace, our world can become," he concluded.

Joseph Strickland, the bishop emeritus of the Catholic Diocese of Tyler, Texas, called Cupich's speech "a missed opportunity to call the Democratic Party back from the abyss."

"We will never have peace until we return to God and respect life," Strickland, who was removed by Pope Francis last year, stated in a social media post.

Cupich has developed a reputation as one of the more liberal Catholic leaders in the U.S.

Reacting to the declaration handed down by the Vatican late last year authorizing priests to bless same-sex couples, Cupich praised the development as "a step forward, and in keeping not only with Pope Francis's desire to accompany people pastorally but Jesus's desire to be present to all people who desire grace and support."

Cupich was also one of 60 Catholic bishops who signed on to a letter calling on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to delay a debate about whether to move ahead with a draft document recommending the withholding of communion from pro-abortion Catholic politicians.

Cupich is not the only Catholic Church leader to give an invocation at one of the two major political parties' conventions this year.

Archbishop Jerome Listecki of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee prayed on stage at the Republican National Convention, which took place in his city last month.

Like Cupich, Listecki drew upon American history in his remarks, noting that "Our founding fathers held these truths self-evident, that all are created equal endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." After stating that "For 248 years, we have sustained this vision," Listecki explicitly endorsed the pro-life position by highlighting the need to "guard the dignity of every life from conception to natural death."

Listecki prayed that God would "assist our elected officials and candidates always to protect our freedoms, to preserve our democracy and to govern fairly." He offered up specific prayers for first responders, members of the military, and the victim of a shooting at a rally for Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump.

After leading the audience in a moment of silence for the shooting victim, Listecki asked God to "keep the United States of America in thy holy protection and incline the hearts of the citizens to a brotherly affection and love for one another through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Amen."
Home News DNC features 'gender-neutral prayer room,' repurposed 'all-gender' women's rooms

The Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, offered a "gender-neutral prayer room" with Islamic prayer mats and also appears to have repurposed several women's rooms at the venue as "all-gender."

According to a DNC map of the convention at Chicago's United Center, one "all-gender restroom" is on each of the four levels of the arena that serves as home to the Chicago Bulls. However, a different map of the venue suggests they are typically women's restrooms.

Other bathroom facilities that circle the arena are grouped in the typical fashion of men's and women's restrooms.

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Washington Times correspondent Susan Ferrechio reported that a women's restroom in the nearby press filing center at Advocate Center had also been repurposed into an all-gender facility.

The bathroom situation at the DNC comes as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate Gov. Tim Walz, faces scrutiny for signing a 2023 state education law in Minnesota that potentially mandated free tampons in public school boys' bathrooms.

A "gender-neutral prayer room" is also provided on the concourse level of the United Center for the DNC, along with prayer rooms exclusive to men and women.

Footage circulating on X showed that the curtained gender-neutral prayer room features Islamic prayer mats and a table with Clorox wipes, though no Christian or Jewish iconography is present.

The DNC arena is outfitted with a gender neutral prayer room pic.twitter.com/oA9F18VLSE  Brent Scher (@BrentScher) August 20, 2024

The set-up drew scorn on social media, with many on X mocking the Democratic National Committee for its apparent attempt to accommodate both gender ideology and Islam simultaneously.

"This has to be a joke," journalist Miranda Devine tweeted.

The 2016 Democratic National Convention at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, also made headlines when it featured a women's room repurposed with a makeshift sign temporarily designating it as an all-gender restroom during the convention.

A woman named Nikki Nice, who spoke to The Guardian at the time, noted that she and her friend shared the bathroom with Jesse Jackson, who emerged from a stall as they were coming in.

"We were like: ''Ahhh,'" Nice said. "Just experiencing Reverend Jesse Jackson coming out of a stall  that just speaks everything about what an all-gender restroom really is about. So I'll take that any day."

Not all who used the all-gender restroom that year were happy about it, with one woman complaining to The Cut about urine on the toilet seats after men had used it.

Other aspects of this year's DNC this year have raised eyebrows, including a Planned Parenthood van that is offering free vasectomies and chemical abortion drugs.
Home News Fate of pastor, 13-year-old daughter kidnapped in Nigeria unknown after ransom payment

ABUJA, Nigeria  The whereabouts of a pastor and his daughter kidnapped in northwestern Nigeria were unknown after their captors threatened to kill them even after receiving a ransom payment.

Isa Andrew, chaplain with All Saints Protestant Church of the Zamfara State Police Command, and his 13-year-old daughter, Grace Isa Andrew, were kidnapped from their home in Gusau on July 14. Relatives and friends had managed to pay a ransom of 6 million naira ($3,770 USD), only to have the captors threaten to kill him if they did not receive another 6 million naira along with three motorcycles by Aug. 15.

Relatives received a video of the blindfolded pastor making an appeal for payment of the ransom, his daughter standing beside him with an AK-47 rifle strapped to her shoulder as a sign that she would be married off and made to join the assailants.

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Pastor Andrew in the video identified himself as a pastor and chaplain who worked with the Interfaith Directorate of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), saying his daughter, Grace, was with him. He said that after they were kidnapped from their home, his family paid a ransom of 6 million naira, but that the captors upon collection demanded another payment of the same amount along with two Boxer motorcycles and a Honda motorcycle.

We did all we could, we sold everything that we have; sold our properties, sold our car, sold our items; we took loans, my brother took loans, my wife took loans persons of goodwill also assisted us to raise the 6 million naira that was demanded, Pastor Andrew said. As it is, fellow Nigerians, I want to beg of you, I want to beg of our nations first lady, the mother of the nation, to please come to our aid. Shes the Esther of our time, please come to our aid.

He said his daughter was being exposed to a lot of maltreatment, exposed to starvation, and that he was a diabetic whose health was deteriorating each day.

Please come to our aid, assist us. We have been given from now up to next week Thursday, 15 August, 2024, otherwise I will be executed, and my daughter will be forcefully married out. Shes just 13 years of age, he said. Please help us. I need your help. The Lord bless you.

The Zamfara State Police command confirmed the kidnapping of the pastor and his daughter in the wee hours of July 14. State Police Commissioner Mohammed Dalijan said 53 patrol vehicles had been deployed to various streets in Gusau.

Gusau resident Timothy Soladoye obtained a copy of the video and confirmed that it was his pastor who was kidnapped with his daughter.

We are still contributing for his release, Soladoye told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News before the Aug. 15 deadline. Please let us share and do something for their possible release before the said Thursday, 15 August.

The video was widely circulated across social media platforms on Aug. 10.

Gusau resident Emmanuel Bulus also sent out a plea.

Isa Andrew is not only a dedicated civilian working with the Nigerian police but also serves as a chaplain in their church, Bulus said. My fellow Nigerians, I implore you, lets not allow this tragedy to unfold. We must rally together to save Isa and Grace and reunite them with their wife and mother and two other children.

Pastor Andrew was reportedly abducted eight days after gunmen released parish priest Mikah Suleiman of St. Raymond Catholic Church Damba, who had been kidnapped for 16 days.

In Open Doors 2024 World Watch List (WWL) of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria was ranked No. 6, as it was in the previous year. Nigeria remained the deadliest place in the world to follow Christ, with 4,118 people killed for their faith from Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023, according to the WWL report.

More kidnappings of Christians than in any other country also took place in Nigeria, with 3,300. Nigeria was also the third highest country in number of attacks on churches and other Christian buildings such as hospitals, schools and cemeteries, with 750, according to the report.

Originally published at Christian Daily InternationalMorning Star News
Home News Florida Supreme Court upholds financial impact warning on pro-abortion ballot initiative

The Florida Supreme Court has upheld the inclusion of a financial risks warning as part of a state ballot question that could make abortion a constitutional right in the Sunshine State.

Floridas highest court ruled 6-1 on Wednesday in Floridians Protecting Freedom, Inc., et al v. Kathleen C. Passidomo, et althat the financial impact statement could remain, despite a pro-choice groups objections.

The revised statement says that if the proposed amendment on the November ballot passes, it would result in significantly more abortions and fewer live births per year in Florida.

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The increase in abortions could be even greater if the amendment invalidates laws requiring parental consent before minors undergo abortions and those ensuring only licensed physicians perform abortions, continued the statement.

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.

Chief Justice Carlos G. Muniz, appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, authored the majority opinion, writing that the plaintiffs actively participated in the Estimating Conference process that they now challenge, without questioning or objecting to the Conferences authority to issue a revised financial impact statement on its own initiative.

The record demonstrates that those who participated in the Estimating Conferences revision process, including the petitioners, understood that the Conference was acting on its own initiative, continued Muniz.

Justice Jorge Labarga, an appointee of former Democrat Gov. Charlie Crist, authored a dissenting opinion, writing that the petitioners should not be precluded from their claim to extraordinary relief.

As the sponsor of the amendment, Floridians Protecting Freedom was entitled to contribute to the process of reconsidering and revising the financial impact statement, Labarga wrote.

Had the petitioners not engaged in the process, they would have lost their opportunity to participate and to potentially influence the finished product. Because they did participate, they are now penalized, and their arguments are deemed waived or forfeited.

Labarga believes todays decision has significant implications beyond the present proposed amendment and related financial impact statement.

Despite the majoritys focus on the actions of the Estimating Conference, make no mistake that todays decision opens the door to the legislative branch leadership to intervene in the citizen-driven constitutional amendment process  even in the midst of ongoing legal proceedings such as were taking place here, he continued.

The Liberty Counsel, a Florida-based Christian conservative legal organization, praised the court for upholding the warning on the ballot, believing that voters should be aware of the reported broad ramifications of the proposed amendment.

Voters should understand that Amendment 4 will not only allow abortion up to birth for any reason, but will force Floridians to pay for abortion, and will place women at extreme risk by overriding every health and safety standard, said Liberty Counsel Chairman Mat Staver.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida denounced the ruling, believing the inclusion of the financial warning statement was anti-democratic.

This ruling, allowing an unauthorized and unlawful financial impact statement to stand, is a direct affront to the rights of Florida voters, who deserve accurate and lawful information when making decisions on constitutional amendments, said Michelle Morton, staff attorney at the ACLU of Florida, in a statement.

We are disheartened by the Florida Supreme Courts refusal to take action against the States politicization of these financial impact statements and flagrant bypassing of the judicial safeguards that are supposed to protect the integrity of our electoral process.
Home News Gateway Church faces new lawsuit from woman who alleges she was abused at 13

Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, is facing a new lawsuit from a woman who alleges she was groomed and sexually abused at the age of 13 by an older participant in a youth group hosted by the church at King's University beginning in 2016.

Julia Long claims in the lawsuit, cited by The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, that she regularly attended nighttime youth group meetings at the Southlake-based university as a teenager, which catered to some 200 members between 11 and 18.

The lawsuit states that the group had little or no supervision by Gateway's counselors, pastors, leaders, chaperones or volunteers, which created an environment allowing then 17-year-old Gabriel Snyder to allegedly groom Long using "biblical beliefs and teachings of ... Gateway's pastor and ministers."

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She alleges that Snyder, who is now 25 and imprisoned at the Hightower Unit in Dayton, Texas, for the sexual assault of a child in a separate case, convinced her that it was God's will that she submit to him as a female.

Though Snyder has not been criminally charged in this case, Long alleges Snyder sexually assaulted her outside King's University at night multiple times beginning in December 2016 until February 2017 when she was 13. By that time, Snyder had turned 18. The lawsuit states that there were surveillance cameras above the areas where she was assaulted, but she didn't receive help from anyone.

She is seeking more than $1 million for assault, negligence and damages.

In a statement to CBS News Texas, Gateway Church said it takes abuse claims "very seriously" but is "unable to further comment regarding ongoing litigation at this time."

The lawsuit follows the recent resignation of the church's founder, Robert Morris, who resigned amid allegations he sexually abused a 12-year-old in the 1980s.

George Boll, Long's attorney, told the news outlet that his client decided to go public with her story and identity as part of her healing process.

"This lawsuit is part of a healing process for her.  She had the chance to be Jane Doe but chose not to because she was a victim here. This is part of her healing process," Boll said.

In April, two months before Morris resigned over his allegation of child sex abuse, Gateway Church settled a lawsuit in which at least five Gateway Church pastors and a youth leader were accused of concealing the sexual assault of another minor by a church member.

The initial lawsuit was filed in Tarrant County Texas in August 2020 on behalf of a minor identified as A.D. and her mother.

Gateway Church, Denise Edwards and youth leader Logan Edwards were all named as defendants, along with Doug Vaughn and Gateway Church pastors Kelly Jones, Rebecca Wilson, Samantha Golden, Mondo Davis and Sion Alford.

The plaintiffs in the case were both members of Gateway and sought damages of more than $200,000 but not more than $5,000,000. Gateway employees were accused of gross negligence and breach of their fiduciary duty to the plaintiffs as members.

In settling the case on April 18, Gateway Church and its pastors admitted no liability and stated that they only settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount to "buy peace."

In June, 54-year-old Cindy Clemishire reported that Morris began sexually abusing her on Dec. 25, 1982, when she was just 12 years old. Morris was a married young adult traveling evangelist at the time. Clemishire says the abuse continued for 4.5 years before Morris' actions came to light. But he was later allowed to return to ministry.

Clemishire contends that officials at Gateway Church were informed of her allegations against Morris for years. However, Executive Director of Gateway Media Lawrence Swicegood reiterated in a statement to The Christian Post that the current board of elders did not know that the megachurch founder had been accused of child sex abuse.

"The Board of Elders called a special meeting and accepted the resignation of Pastor Robert Morris several weeks ago. Gateway Church is committed to protecting people  first and foremost children and the most vulnerable. Abuse simply cannot be tolerated," he said.

"The Board of Elders has retained the law firm Haynes and Boone, LLP to conduct a thorough and independent inquiry so that the facts can be understood. Even though this abuse occurred many years before Gateway was established, the Elders are committed to finding the truth and holding people accountable."
Home News NYC grants Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine $1.5M

The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in Manhattan has been awarded a $1.5 million grant by New York City to renovate a historic building on the church's 11-acre campus called Synod Hall to create a larger community center to help people in need.

Thanks to the support of the New York City Council, the church's social service arm known as Cathedral Community Cares, which has been in operation for nearly 40 years, the mother church of the Episcopal Diocese of New York will be better able to help the community's most vulnerable members with services like clothes, hot meals and a weekly food pantry.

"It's a privilege to do this work," Thomas Perry, program director of Cathedral Community Cares, said in a statement. "Every morning, we get to come in and do everything we can to help other people, to make a positive difference in the world. Not everyone gets to do that. But that also means expansion is the next step. If we want to keep serving others, helping everyone who comes to us and not turning anyone away, we need to tackle this project of Synod Hall."

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About 40% of the people served by Cathedral Community Cares are considered regular clients and another 60% are considered new or temporary. This cohort includes low-income New Yorkers, homeless or insecurely housed families, seniors, and people newly arrived in the United States.

The Rev. Canon Eva Suarez said Cathedral Community Cares served 35,000 visitors last year, and she expects that number to grow.

"New Yorkers from all walks of life are finding themselves in dire need of food, clothing, and access to social services," she said in a statement sent to The Christian Post. "Our current space is just too small to serve the diverse needs of our clients, or to welcome everyone who would like to volunteer."

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and City Council Member Shaun Abreu were noted among the key figures behind the grant. They pointed to the church's legacy of service to the community as a factor.

"When it comes to getting resources to those who need it most, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine does a lot with a little space. This $1.5 million investment in Synod Hall will take the vital work they do to the next level, allowing for increased wellness and social services," Abreu said in a statement. "I couldn't be more excited to break ground on this project and support this new community hub as it uplifts Morningside Heights and all of Upper Manhattan for years to come."

"Scripture tells us 'to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share,'" he added. "This is the driving force behind this renovation: to make sure no one goes unserved on our watch."

Speaker Adams said this center at the cathedral and other places like it is critical to building a safe and healthy city.

"[W]e must continue investing in their maintenance and expansion," Adams said. "I look forward to seeing the positive impact of this investment for years to come."

The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine claims to be the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world. It was originally built in 1913 by J.P. Morgan as a convention space for the Episcopal Church.

Synod Hall was designed in the French Gothic Style by noted architects Ralph Adams Cram and Frank Ferguson. The renovation of the hall is expected to preserve the building's beauty and historical character, while increasing its usefulness as a community space.
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - The first food supplies destined for desperate communities in Sudans Darfur region have crossed the Adre border from Chad, after it was reopened this week by the Sudanese authorities following a six-month closure
Home News Mercy Culture Church Pastor Landon Schott: Youre not a Christian if you vote for a Democrat

Landon Schott, senior lead pastor of the multi-campus Mercy Culture Church in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas, doubled down Tuesday morning on a controversial declaration made Monday that Americans who vote for Democrats aren't Christian.

"I'm not a big Trump guy. I'm not a Republican  but there is only one party that is standing up at their convention saying that 'we're going to overturn Roe v. Wade.' Listen to me very clearly. I know people don't like this because most people aren't pastored, most people aren't confronted spiritually, and most pastors just care if people show up and give. And if they show up and give, then they don't care," Schott said in an Instagram video.

"I couldn't care less. I don't really care if you like me. I don't care if you go to our church. I care that you know God and that you're right with God. ... If you think that aligning with a party that is flippantly murdering children and celebrating it  friend, you are not on the Lord's side," he added.

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Schott planted Mercy Culture Church  a non-denominational, charismatic congregation  after he was blessed by controversial Gateway Church founder Robert Morris in 2017.

He now leads seven campuses with thousands of followers, including an online operation and a Spanish-speaking flock.

Pastor Tom Lane, a former executive pastor at Gateway Church who recently denied having any knowledge of child-sex abuse allegations currently being investigated against Morris, is an apostolic elder at Mercy Church.

In his initial Instagram post on Monday, Schott branded the Democratic Party as "The Demon Party" and delivered his very blunt opinion about Christians who support the party.

Citing Romans 1 and Revelation 3, he wrote:

Ive been asked over and over Pastor Landon are you saying youre not a Christian if you vote for a Democrat? LET ME BE VERY CLEAR THAT IS CORRECT!! YOU ARE NOT A BIBLE BELIEVING, JESUS FOLLOWING CHRISTIAN IF YOU SUPPORT THE GODLESS ROMANS 1 EVIL OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY!  Please, stop pretending youre a follow[er] of Jesus. Youre simply a Luke-warm pretend Christian!!!

Though he says he isn't a Republican and believes there are "evils on both sides," Schott stopped just short of endorsing the Republican Party. He listed the agenda of the Democratic Party, including the party's support for abortion, homosexuality and transgenderism.

The Democratic National Convention kicked off in Chicago, Illinois. Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to accept the party's nomination to potentially become the first woman and the nation's 47th president on Thursday.

"It blows my mind how people that think they are following Jesus can be aligned with worldly celebrities, wicked world leaders, demonically led politicians that defy God, that defy God's word, that don't want the Bible in school, that don't want anything to do with God in society, but you think that you're a Christian? You think that you're a follower of Jesus?" Schott asked on Tuesday.

He addressed ongoing debates he has had with other Christians about issues like poverty, contending that Democrats aren't the only ones who care about the impoverished.

"That's not true. And if you look at these cities they are being destroyed, all of their policies aren't working. The most devastated cities in America are Democrat cities because their policies don't work. It's mind-boggling," he asserted.

The pastor responded to black Christians who say because they are black, they are "with her," referring to Harris.

"It's the same thing that gay Christians do. You try to put an identity before your Christianity. A gay Christian? There's no such thing. There's no category. I'm a black Christian? I'm sorry, there's no such category. There's no such category as a white Christian," he added.

"I pastor a very multicultural church. Maybe one of the most diverse churches in DFW. And they're there for one reason. It's not because I'm a white pastor or we have African American worship leaders. It's not because we even try to be diverse. It's because we built a church around the presence of God. Likeminded people who love God's word and love his spirit."

Schott is far from the first pastor to make similar claims that Christians can't vote for Democrats.

A church-state watchdog group filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service in 2022 over a sermon that controversial Tennessee Pastor Greg Locke preached suggesting Christians shouldn't vote for a Democrat.

"Though Locke stated he was not a 'full-fledged Republican,' he clearly told his congregants to vote against the Democrats, from the pulpit of his church," reads the letter written by Ian Smith, an attorney with Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Pastor Alton R. Williams of World Overcomers Outreach Ministries Church in Memphis made pointed comments during a recent sermon, saying that he couldn't vote for a party that is "for all kinds of sexual perversions."

"I can't vote for a party that is going to accept transgenders going into women's restrooms," he added. "I can't do it. I can't go with a party that wants to cut little girls' breasts off to make them boys. I can't go with a party that says you can be a boy today and a girl tomorrow. ... I can't support a party that wants to remove God from its party platform. You in trouble when a nation forgets God."
Home Opinion David French, Kamala Harris and the bizarre story of the failed messiah Shabbetai Tzvi

As an unashamedly pro-life Christian who believes life begins at conception, New York Times journalist David French has announced that, Im going to vote for Kamala Harris in 2024 and  ironically enough  Im doing it in part to try to save conservatism. With all respect to Mr. French, with whom Ive dialogued privately about this, I find his position both indefensible and bizarre.

For my part, I am no starry-eyed, adorer of former President Trump, for whom I voted twice.

In June 2022, I expressed my preference for another GOP candidate rather than Trump.

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And on January 6, 2021, as the Capitol riot was taking place, I stated that Trump was morally responsible for the mayhem, not because he intended for it to happen but because of his irresponsible rhetoric in the previous months.

In fact, Trump supporters who read my columns on a regular basis know that, to their dismay and even disgust, whenever I speak well of Trumps accomplishments, I offer a series of caveats and disclaimers.

Still, no matter how much disdain French may have for Trump and his most ardent MAGA followers, I wholeheartedly reject the idea that a pro-life Christian can cast a vote for a candidate who is the most radical pro-abortion candidate in our nations history.

To vote for her is to support the possible federalizing of something worse than Roe, not to mention packing the Supreme Court or changing it in other, irreparable ways.

When it came to the ill-fated pro-life evangelicals for Biden, whom I also took to task, they naively felt that they could influence Mr. Biden to change his point of view. They were sadly disappointed and ultimately dismantled their website.

Frenchs approach is somewhat different, arguing that there were fewer abortions under recent Democratic presidents than Republican presidents, as if voting for a pro-abortion candidate is the key to reducing abortions.

For French, though, the ultimate goal is undoing the damage done to the conservative movement by Donald Trump, under whose leadership the GOP has now gutted its pro-life and pro-family platforms. And in order to hasten that change, French will vote for Harris.

That leads me to the tragic story of the failed mystical Messiah Shabbetai Tzvi (1626-1676). Hailing from Smyrna (now Izmir, Turkey), his Messianic claims ignited the Jewish world as he amassed a large following, including some of the leading rabbis of his day along with many wealthy and prominent Jews. Could Tzvi be the long-awaited deliverer?

Confident in his mission and calling, he traveled to Constantinople, demanding that the sultan, the leader of the Ottoman Empire, acknowledge his kingship and rule. Instead, Tzvi was imprisoned, where his Messianic fame continued to grow as he entertained visitors from around the world.

Eventually, the sultan had enough of all the drama, demanding that Tzvi convert to Islam or die. Shockingly, he chose to convert, justifying his actions with reference to rabbinic traditions connected with the coming of the Messiah.

According to these traditions, the Messiah would come when the world was either totally righteous or totally unrighteous. Tzvi reasoned that, since the world did not prove worthy of accepting him, he would convert to Islam, thereby hastening the final apostasy. (What a convenient way to save his life.)

Yet even that is not the end of the story.

Some of his followers followed suit and also converted to Islam in an effort to hasten the redemption, actually forming a sect within Islam called the Donmeh  a sect that apparently still exists to this day. These sectarians lived fully as Muslims but secretly practiced certain Jewish rites, along with reciting daily prayers in recognition of Tzvi as the Messiah.

Truth really is stranger than fiction.

Yet it was the story of Tzvis conversion to Islam that came to mind when I learned that French would be voting for Vice President Harris.

To be sure, I do not equate his vote for Harris with a full-blown apostasy to Islam, as was the case with Tzvi. But the idea that, by voting for someone like Harris (something that, to my knowledge, French would never have countenanced before his Never Trump days), French would somehow help hasten the restoration of a truly conservative movement strikes me as similar to the logic of Tzvi. In the sarcastic words of Paul (which he quotes only to reject), Let us do evil that good may result (Romans 3:8).

French wrote, Im often asked by Trump voters if Im still conservative, and I respond that I cant vote for Trump precisely because I am conservative. I loathe sex abuse, pornography and adultery. Trump has brought those vices into the mainstream of the Republican Party. I want to cultivate a culture that values human life from conception through natural death. Yet America became more brutal and violent during Trumps term. I want to defend liberal democracy from authoritarian aggression, yet Trump would abandon our allies and risk our most precious alliances.

Obviously, I could push back against some of the broad strokes with which French paints here, also asking if he really believes that a Harris presidency would do more to stand with Israel, to stand against China, and to secure our borders. But as one who also grieves over the deleterious effects of the Trump presidency, in particular as his presidency negatively affected the witness of the Evangelical church, Im not here to defend Trump.

I can only say that Frenchs defection to the Democratic side for the purpose of helping to restore a conservative GOP, even if his defection is only for one election, is eerily reminiscent of the spiritual descent of Shabbetai Tzvi.

Had French simply encouraged Christians not to vote for Trump so as to pave the wave for his defeat, rather than casting a vote for the most left-leaning, pro-abortion candidate in our nations history, he would have made a much more credible case.
The direction of the Starmer government bodes ill for orthodox Christians

Tom Baldwin's biography of Sir Keir Starmer shows that the Prime Minister has the leadership ability to implement his left-wing agenda leading to further restrictions on Christian freedom of expression.

Keir Starmer, The Biography reveals a leader with the capacity for the intellectual hard work required to master the details of government and the moral ability to inspire trust in his followers.

Very arguably, the last Prime Minister to combine those two qualities was Margaret Thatcher until around 1989 when she started to alienate too many of her former followers among Conservative ministers and MPs.

One anecdote from the biography by the Labour Party's former communications director who has been a senior journalist on The Sunday Telegraph and The Times stands out as an example of Starmer's leadership ability. Baldwin records testimony from Starmer's barrister colleague, Gavin Millar, who shared an office with him when they were tenants in the leftist Doughty Street Chambers in London in the 1990s.

Millar recalled an occasion when Starmer was chairman of the chambers' management committee and was being deluged with complaints from lefty lawyers about the "nasty red" chairs and the cheap desks in their offices.

Starmer sent a message to the entire chambers: "I would remind you all that we are human rights lawyers. We're here to defend the rights of vulnerable people to (the) best of our ability. We're not here to be concerned about the colour of chairs."

Millar said he heard no more complaints after that. This may seem a trivial incident but what Starmer said then and the way he said it are the unmistakable marks of a leader.

As a former vicar, I know how easily a trivial matter, such as the colour of the carpet in the church building, can obsess a group and spread like a virus. Good leadership as Starmer displayed on this occasion can save a peer group from itself and keep the organisation focussed on its central aim.

Baldwin describes another example of Starmer's leadership ability in self-discipline under pressure at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool in October 2023: "As he began his leader's speech to a hall packed with almost three thousand people, a man climbed on to the stage, emptied a bag of glitter over him and shouted something about 'a people's house', before being dragged away."

Baldwin observed that people watching the news that night would have seen how "the Labour leader stood his ground, locked his hand unyieldingly on that of the protester and stared straight ahead".

Based on the evidence in Baldwin's book, published shortly before Labour won its massive General Election victory on July 4, I would suggest that in Keir Starmer the country has a real leader with the capacity to lead it in the direction he believes in. If he succeeds, I believe he would lead the country in the wrong direction from a Christian perspective.

In his article for The Spectator in July, 'Does Keir Starmer's atheism matter?', former Catholic Herald editor Dan Hitchens described Starmer's reaction to churches that uphold the traditional Christian teaching on marriage and sexual ethics:

"Good Friday, 2021, at Jesus House For All Nations church in Brent, north-west London. Face masked, head bowed, hands clasped, Sir Keir Starmer stands alongside Pastor Agu Irukwu. The pastor opens his arms to invoke Almighty God.

"We hear Starmer in voiceover: 'From rolling out the vaccine to running the local food bank, Jesus House, like many other churches across the UK, has played a crucial role in meeting the needs of the community.' A nice video tribute for Easter, this. Good to see churches getting some recognition. A sign, perhaps, of the inclusive national unity a Labour government would foster.

"By Easter Monday, Starmer has apologised, deleted the video and more or less vowed never again to darken the door of Pastor Irukwu, who, it has emerged, is an opponent of same-sex marriage. Whoops. Sorry. Didn't realise it was that kind of church."

According to Hitchens, Starmer said: "It was a mistake and I accept that."

The Starmer government's neo-Marxist assault on free speech flagged up when within weeks of getting elected when it put on hold the Conservatives' Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act. This bodes ill for orthodox Christians. But if the Prime Minister ever thinks back to Communist Eastern Europe as a young socialist in the 1980s, he might remember that Christianity has a tendency to triumph over Marxism.

Julian Mann is a former Church of England vicar, now an evangelical journalist based in Lancashire.
New York, US (PANA) - The UN Secretary-General has paid tribute to victims and survivors of terrorism just as the world marks international day which spotlights the issue each year
Aboneaza-te la rubricile dorite si primeste zilnic notificari pe email cu link-uri la articolele care au fost adaugate in ultimele 24 de ore. Notificarile vor fi expediate la adresa indicata mai jos. Daca doresti sa schimbi adresa - o poti modifica editand informatia de profil aici.
A sight loss charity formed by the merger of Vision Foundation and Fight for Sight last year has confirmed its name and published new branding.

The merged charity will be known as Fight for Sight, and is led by chief executive Keith Valentine.

Olivia Curno, the former chief executive of Vision Foundation, has now taken on a role as CEO of not-for-profit social care provider Elizabeth Finn Homes, which works in partnership with financial security charity Turn2us.

66,000 spent on rebrand

Fight for Sight said it spent 66,000 working with an agency on the rebrand, including a brand narrative, its new logo and visual identity, and to ensure that the brand was inclusive and accessible.

The charity, which recorded an expenditure of 4.35m in the year to March 2023, said the rebrand costs equate to 1% of its planned charitable spend for this year.

Keith Valentine, Fight for Sights CEO, said the charity now has a bold brand underpinning our ambitions.

The brand is aesthetic, accessible, and paired with a distinctive tone of voice, which denotes an optimistic future for us as a charity and, crucially, for everyone impacted by vision loss, he said.

The logo resembles an eye and the eyelid below it. The eyelid curves upwards and resembles arms outstretched.

Its new logo features a changed colour palette, dark navy and aqua, which provides AAA contrast accessibility.

30m spending plans

The charity plans distribute almost 30m across scientific research and social change as part of its five-year strategy.

Funding will not only focus on individual projects, but on scaling up and providing infrastructure for the most impactful work.

Heather Giles, chair of Fight for Sight, said: The researchers we fund are at the forefront, making breakthroughs and discoveries that will help to better understand, diagnose, prevent, and treat eye disease.

She added, on behalf of the trustees, Id like to thank everyone who has brought our ambition to life through this incredible new identity.

Fight for Sight also rebranded in 2019 to focus on creating a movement, not a remote funding body after feedback from users and scientists.

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,
It was 3 a.m. on Monday and Captain Karsten Borner and his crew were already awake, preparing for an approaching thunderstorm just off the Sicilian coast.

Moored behind their schooner was a luxury yacht that carried tech tycoon Mike Lynch and a group of friends, family and advisers. Built to withstand hurricanes, the Bayesian was 56 meters (184 feet) long and worth an estimated 30 million ($39 million), making it one of the most capable high-endsailing vessels.

At some point between 4 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. the weather hit. Borner and his crew worked hard just to keep their ship, the Sir Robert Baden Powell, upright. Despite being anchored, he still needed to run the engine at full power just to keep it steady. There was a violent gust of wind and heavy rain, what Borner guessed was a tornado.

Suddenly, the Bayesian was gone. She disappeared, Borner said. At first, he and his crew wondered if the yacht had simply left. Borners first mate insisted it had sunk. I said nonsense. Itssuch a big ship. I cant believe it.

Three days later, Italian divers were still struggling inside the wreck of the Bayesian, about 50 meters below the surface. Of the 22 people on board, one was confirmed dead and six were still missing  including Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter and Morgan Stanley International chair Jonathan Bloomer.

The Bayesian had been cruising off the north coast of Sicily before mooring outside the port of Porticello, a small fishing village east of Palermo.

The trip was meant to be a celebration, a family holiday to draw a line under a torrid period for Lynch. Only months before the disaster the 59-year-old had been potentially facing up to 25 years in a US prison.

The entrepreneur had been fighting accusations that he duped Hewlett Packard Co. into overpaying for his software firm Autonomy Corp. In June, a San Francisco jury found him not guilty. Lynch was still fighting the Silicon Valley giant in a civil case in London, but he felt hed been given a second life.

On the morning the Bayesian sank, local fisherman Fabio Cefalu had ventured out to sea. But he decided to turn around and head back to port. The water was becoming too rough. Half an hour later, the storm hit Porticello.

The whole town was upside down, all tables and restaurants were upside down, said GiuseppeCefalu, Fabios brother who had remained on shore. A garbage skip was pushed into the middle of the street. The extreme event lasted 10 to 12 minutes, they said.

At about 4:20 am, the Bayesian sent out a flare, said Fabio. The yacht took about 60 seconds to sink, according to what he saw and footage from a security camera. Porticello fishermen began athree-hour long rescue attempt on the urging of port authorities about 20 minutes later, Cefaluadded. They found mattresses, boat furniture, and what they believe is one of the four radar components of the ship.

Next to where the Bayesian sank, Borner first saw the flotsam of ship parts, then a flashing light that drew them to a life raft. It was holding 15 people, including a baby. Four of them were wounded.

Borners crew brought the rescued back to their ship and gave them dry clothes and towels, tea and coffee and some food. The sun had risen by the time the local coast guard arrived to retrieve the injured. Lynchs wife, Angela Bacares, didnt want to go, Borner said. He presumed she was still in shock. She stayed on our boat, he said.

The yacht, built by Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi, launched in 2008 and was last refitted in 2020. According to its brochure, it had the worlds second-tallest sailing mast, at 72 meters high. Guests slept in luxury cabins clustered around the center of the yacht. It was capable of sailing vast distances, with a range of up to 3,600 nautical miles (4,140 miles).

Prosecutors in Sicily have opened a probe into the sinking. Officials will examine whether the keel was lifted, which would make the ship more susceptible to tilting, before it flooded with water, a person familiar with the matter said. The prosecutors declined to comment.

A keel would have prevented some of the tilting, with its weight designed to pull the boat upright, said Jae Jones, who was a principal inspector at the UKs Marine Accident Investigation Branch, or MAIB. It also acts as a break and reduces the rocking even at anchor.

As the yacht was a UK-flagged vessel, MAIB sent four inspectors to Sicily to conduct a preliminary assessment, a spokesperson for the Department for Transport said. They arrived at the scene on Monday and have been speaking with the local authorities and emergency service crews to determine whether they need their own inquiry.

The weather phenomenon that hit the ship is called a waterspout. Typically 2 to 3 meters in width, theyre not uncommon in Italy during the late summer, driven by the warm Mediterranean waters. Jones described it as like a swirling mass of wind and water going across the deck.

Italy experiences more than 100 tornadic events a year, said Andrew Pedrini, a meteorologist at forecaster Atmospheric G2. Offshore marine spouts often go unreported, though. In coastal areas, a fierce wind can pick up then die down in seconds with little warning, according to a fellow captain of a super yacht, who asked not to be named discussing the tragic events.

Commenting on whether the tragedy could have been foreseen, Salvo Cocina, head of Sicilys Civil Protection Agency, said only the level of probability could have been predicted. It was impossible to calculate when and where such weather would hit, he said. Warming seas have increased the severity of such events, Cocina added.

For now, the rescue attempts are continuing in Porticello. Local media reported on Wednesday that small teams of divers have been able to access indoor sections of the boat.

On shore, TV anchors from across the world have set up on a pier overlooking one of the emergency operation bases, right under a monument to the Virgin Mary, meant to protect sailors.

Borner, the schooner captain, was concerned a part of the Bayesian was open, which could have explained how it sank so rapidly. It was one of his first questions to one of the crew members who were rescued. He said it was closed, said Borner. He himself was really surprised it had sunk so quickly.

Copyright 2024 Bloomberg.
A plea deal struck with Boeing over a criminal charge related to software tied to two fatal 737 MAX crashes should be accepted, the U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday, after some relatives of the 346 people killed in two crashes called for it to be rejected.

Last month, the planemaker finalized an agreement to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge and pay at least $243.6 million after breaching a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement. The government said the planemaker knowingly made false representations to the Federal Aviation Administration about key software for the 737 MAX.

The Justice Department said in a court filing on Wednesday the deal is a strong and significant resolution that holds Boeing accountable and serves the public interest.

It requires Boeing to accept the statutory maximum fine of $487.2 million, on top of the billions the company has already paid in connection with the 2021 deferred prosecution agreement and prior or ongoing civil lawsuits, the Justice Department said.

The department rejected the victims families contention that Boeing should face much higher fines after the crashes in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopia in 2019 killed their relatives.

The government cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Boeings fraud directly and proximately caused the 737 MAX plane crashes, the Justice Department said, adding it could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the loss or gain from Boeings fraudulent activity exceeded $243.6 million.

Related: U.S. FAA Requires Inspections of Boeing 787 Planes Following Mid-Air Dive

Paul Cassell, a lawyer for some of the families, said in a court filing last month the fine of up to $487 million is inadequate  or, at the very least, rests on misleading accounting and inaccurate accounting.

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Justice Department has a separate ongoing criminal investigation into the Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines ALK.N 737 MAX 9 in-flight door plug emergency and it noted the plea deal does not provide immunity for any other misconduct, including the Alaska Airlines incident.

The plea deal agreed last month requires Boeing to spend $455 million to strengthen its compliance, safety and quality programs over three years of court-supervised probation and that will directly benefit the public by reducing the risk of the recurrence of Boeings fraudulent misconduct, the department said. Boeing will also face oversight from an independent monitor, it noted.

U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor can also decide to require Boeing to pay restitution, which could include compensation to victims families beyond what many have already received in settlements or as part of $500 million for relatives under the 2021 agreement.

(Reporting by David Shepardson and Jasper Ward; Editing by Eric Beech and Jamie Freed)
A Mississippi poultry processing plant has agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor that requires it to pay $164,814 in fines and put in place enhanced safety measures following the death of a 16-year-old boy at the facility.

The agreement, announced Friday in a news release, comes after an investigation of Mar-Jac Poultry by the departments Occupational Safety and Health Administration into the death of an underaged worker who was pulled into a machine as they cleaned it July 14, 2023.

Tragically, a teenage boy died needlessly before Mar-Jac Poultry took required steps to protect its workers, said OSHA Regional Administrator Kurt Petermeyer in Atlanta. This settlement demands the company commit to a safer workplace environment and take tangible actions to protect their employees from well-known hazards. Enhanced supervision and increased training can go a long way toward minimizing risks faced by workers in meat processing facilities.

Mar-Jac was aware of these safety problems for years and had been warned and fined by OSHA, yet did nothing. Hopefully, Mar-Jac will follow through this time so that no other worker is killed in such a senseless manner, Jim Reeves, an attorney for the victims family, told WHLT-TV.

Related: Work Safety Group Releases List of Dirty Dozen Employers

The victims family sued Mar-Jac Poultry MS, LLC, and Onin Staffing earlier this year. The lawsuit alleges that Perez was killed due to Mar-Jac ignoring safety regulations and not turning off machinery during sanitation. The suit also claims Onin Staffing was negligent in illegally assigning the 16-year-old to work at the plant.

Headquartered in Gainesville, Georgia, Mar-Jac Poultry has raised live birds for poultry production since 1954 at facilities in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi for food service customers in the U.S and abroad, the DOLs news release said.

A telephone call Friday to the company seeking comment about the settlement was not answered.

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
BMW is recalling 720,796 U.S. vehicles over concerns of a short circuit, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Tuesday.

An improperly sealed electrical connector on the water pump may be exposed to water and short circuit, the NHTSA said.

The recall includes some crossovers including the X1 and X5, along with some 5-series sedans among other models.

Related: BMW, Venture to Recall 1.36M Cars in China Due to Airbag Risks

Dealers will inspect and replace the water pump and plug connector as necessary, and install a protective shield for free, the U.S. auto safety regulator said.

The NHTSA also said that BMW was aware of about 18 customer complaints, concerns or field instances but has not received any reports of accidents or injuries related to this report in the U.S.

(Reporting by Gursimran Kaur and Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee)
The Guardian, August 20, 2024

Relief set in the moment Hasina crossed the border into Iran. For two years, the Taliban barred the 24-year-old medical student from continuing her studies. Now, as part of a growing exodus of Afghan women who desperately want an education, Hasina is pursuing her degree in Tehran.

I was terrified the Taliban would prevent me from leaving, she says. Last year, they stopped 100 female Afghan students boarding a flight to take up places at university in the United Arab Emirates where they had won scholarships.

As a precaution, Hasina  whose full name has not been given to protect her identity  left Afghanistan with a tourist visa for Iran. She was accompanied by her father, they posed as a family going on a visit, but he returned home alone. Now, Hasina is enrolled at the Iran University of Medical Sciences in the capital, studying to become a surgeon.

It has been more than 1,000 days since the all-male Taliban government shut the door on girls education beyond the age of 12 after their August 2021 government takeover. Neighbouring Iran  which had previously denounced the Talibans ban on girls education  has opened it.

More than 40,000 Afghan students  most of them women  are now studying at university in Iran, according to the countrys deputy science minister for international affairs, Vahid Haddadi-Asl. More than 600,000 Afghan children are also enrolled in schools across the country, the Norwegian Refugee Council says, explaining that they can enrol in Iranian public schools regardless of their legal status because of a 2015 government decree.

The busy streets around the university in central Tehran. More than 40,000 Afghan students, mostly women, are studying in Iran. Photograph: Stefanie GlinskiSince the Taliban came to power, the number of Afghan students has increased, Irans ambassador to Germany, Mahmoud Farazandeh, tells the Guardian. The issue of education, especially of women, is of great importance. The doors of Iranian universities are open to Afghan women and girls who have been deprived of education, he says.

Accurate figures on the number of Afghans living in Iran are hard to come by  many cross through unofficial border points, complicating documentation. Estimates suggest that about a million Afghans have fled to Iran since the Taliban takeover. Many Afghan families left to ensure their children went to school. At least 1.5 million girls in Afghanistan are still barred from education.

With a shared language and many cultural similarities, Iran has become a last resort for many Afghan women determined to finish their studies. According to the World Bank, Irans female literacy rate sits at 85%, while Afghanistans reaches roughly 23%  despite heavy investment in the education sector during the 20 years of the US-led invasion.

Studying at a private university in Iran is not cheap, Hasina explains, saying she pays $4,500 (3,550) annually  a discounted rate. Her family scrambles to raise the funds, but is determined to support her education.

I miss my family and my home and I hope that one day I can go back; I hope the oppression women across our country face will end. Still, nothing can compensate for the years the Taliban has stolen from Afghan girls and women, including from me, says Hasina, adding that she is surprised to see how different things are in Iran. There are women everywhere here: professors, doctors, employees. It amazes me.

Heather Barr, a director at Human Rights Watch, says there are no signs of any positive developments regarding education or womens rights in Afghanistan. The Taliban are intensifying their crackdown, sending the message that women shouldnt be educated  and that extends to education outside Afghanistan as well, she says, adding that the Talibans ban has been denounced by the Muslim community, including Afghanistans neighbours Iran and Pakistan, two countries where many Afghan women now study.

Many Iranians have voiced concerns over growing numbers of Afghans entering the country, with Afghans repeatedly reporting discriminatory and derogatory behaviour towards them.

There have also been reports of pushbacks at the border. Still, Iran could benefit from the influx, as its population growth rate had dropped to 0.7% in 2022, down from 2.3% in 2015. Afghan students who have been accepted into universities additionally invest in the Iranian economy and could contribute to the workforce in the future.

Farzaneh, 23, arrived in Tehran four months ago, accompanied by her brother. She is continuing her journalism studies at Allameh Tabatabai University, hoping to one day return home to cover Afghanistan. She pays about 800 (680) a year; funded by part-time jobs. Tuition fees in Kabul, where she previously studied, were lower, but when the Taliban took over Farzaneh was dismissed from classes. For two years she struggled to find a way to continue her studies  this year she was finally accepted into university in Tehran.

Most women just want to leave Afghanistan now to rebuild their destroyed dreams elsewhere. This is so painful to me. If the situation for women continues like it has, I dont have hope, Farzaheh says. Im studying to make my family  my father  proud, but I miss my friends and my home. I remember those days when we smiled and were happy together. These days are gone.

Originally published by The Guardian on July 4,2024
CHICAGOIn 2018, John Russell was a Central Ohio farmer who unsuccessfully ran for Congress.

But on Thursday, hell be speaking at the Democratic National Convention, using the same podium as Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris.
PAINESVILLE, Ohio Lake Erie Colleges Fall into Health Fair will be back in 2024, offering free health, wellness and lifestyle services at the one-day event.

The health fair will take place Sept. 7 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 391 W. Washington St. in Painesville. Overflow parking will be available at the Garfield Center on Gillett Street.

Attendees can access a comprehensive range of free services, including health screenings for cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure, diabetes and BMI, as well as hearing and vision exams, dental checkups, womens health services, immunizations, CPR, first aid training and more.

New this year is the Health Truck Park, an outdoor expansion that will host mobile healthcare units offering a variety of services from Central Outreach, Homeless Hookup, University Hospitals and the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.

In addition to health services, the event will provide resources for lifestyle health assessments, substance use support, sexual education, STD and HIV testing, aging services, and LGBTQ+ support. Visitors can also receive free items such as clothing, shoes, books, feminine products, hygiene supplies, food and even haircuts.

Last year, the health fair provided approximately 1,400 services to more than 150 attendees.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information on how to attend, volunteer or sponsor the event, visit the health fair website.

This story was written with the assistance of AI.
WASHINGTON, D. C. - Passing legislation through the U.S. Senate can take years. Scoring political points there takes a few minutes. Ohios JD Vance has had way more success with the latter than the former in less than two years as a U.S. Senator.

The Cincinnati Republican hasnt passed any of his standalone legislation since taking office in 2023, but his use of the institutions bully pulpit to excoriate Democratic President Joe Biden and extoll GOP candidate Donald Trump delivered a huge prize last month: Trumps decision to make Vance his vice-presidential running mate.
As the 2024 presidential election looms on the horizon, in vitro fertilization (IVF) has emerged as a pivotal issue, taking center stage at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) this week. The topic has gained significant traction following recent events and policy proposals, highlighting its importance in the broader landscape of reproductive rights and healthcare access.

The spotlight on IVF intensified in February when the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos should be considered children. This controversial decision prompted some clinics in the state to temporarily pause IVF treatments, causing widespread concern and backlash. In response to the public outcry, Alabama lawmakers swiftly passed legislation to shield IVF providers from civil or criminal liability, allowing clinics to resume treatments.

The Republican partys position on IVF and related issues remains complex and has been complicating the partys messaging on abortion. Many Republican policymakers, from state houses toCongress, believe that life begins at conception, arguing that fertilized eggs should be granted full rights and legal protections of human beings. The Republican National Committees 2024 platform, crafted in collaboration with the Trump campaign, supports states establishing fetal personhood through the Constitutions 14th Amendment.

Former President Trump, however, has taken a more moderate stance. In an April 8 video statement, Trump said abortion legislation should be left to the states and expressed support for making it easier for families to have babies. He specifically stated, That includes supporting the availability of fertility treatments, like IVF, in every state in America.

Democrats have seized on the issue. After the Dobbs decision stripped away the federal right to abortion, backlash against the decision, including its potential consequences for IVF, have resulted in a wave of progressive victories. Since Dobbs came down, several states have put abortion on statewide ballots and become a central issue in key statewide races  and now at the DNC and in the presidential race.

Michelle Obama

Former First Lady Michelle Obama delivered a powerful speech at the DNC on Tuesday, offering a scathing critique of former President Trumps policies and their potential impact on womens health and reproductive rights. In her address, Obama pointedly referenced her personal experience with IVF, stating, You see, gutting our health care taking away our freedom to control our bodies the freedom to become a mother through IVF, like I didthose things are not going to improve the health outcomes of our wives, mothers, and daughters.

Gov. Andy Besheaer, Kentucky

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, speaking at the DNC on Tuesday, emphasized the importance of womens reproductive freedoms, including the right to pursue IVF treatments. In his address, Beshear stated, All women should have the freedom to make their own decisions. Freedom over their own bodies. Freedom about whether to pursue IVF. Freedom about whether to have children at all.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Illinois

The senator delivered an passionate speech, sharing her personal story of using IVF to have her daughters after struggling with infertility. Duckworth warned that Republicans might target IVF next if they succeed in banning abortion, urging voters to protect reproductive rights. My struggle with infertility was more painful than any wound I earned on the battlefield, declared Duckworth, who lost her legs in combat in Iraq,, emphasizing the personal nature of the issue.

Social media influencer Nabela Noor

Noor emphasized the essential nature of IVF for many women, stating, For many women, IVF is the only choice. That choice, and more, is at stake in November.

Gwen Walz

In a piece published in Glamour magazine this week, coinciding with the DNC, Gwen Walz, wife of Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz, shared her personal experience with fertility treatments. Walz clarified that she underwent intrauterine insemination (IUI) treatments, not in vitro fertilization (IVF), to conceive their son.

Our fertility journey was an incredibly personal and difficult experience, she said, in discussing the IUI treatments. We hope other families find solace in our story. She said a neighbor who happened to be a nurse would come help with the shots I needed as part of the IUI process.

Walzs account provides a firsthand perspective on the subject, offering insight into the experiences of individuals who have utilized such medical interventions to start their families. I am so grateful that we had access to reproductive technology, Walz stated in the article.

The timing of this publication, during a week of heightened political attention, brings additional focus to the ongoing debate surrounding access to reproductive technologies.

Michael Tyler, Harris-Walz communications director

At a DNC media briefing on Wednesday, campaign spokespersons defended Gwen Walzs comments in Glamour and criticized the GOPs stance on abortion and IVF, framing Republican attacks on Walz, framing her as a liar, as insensitive to the personal struggles many Americans face with infertility.

Frankly, I think its a little bizarre that JD Vance and Donald Trump want to attack the governor for experiencing something that other Americans have gone through themselves, said Michael Tyler, Harris communications director at the press briefing.

Why it all matters

The prominence of IVF at the DNC marks a significant shift in the reproductive rights debate, with far-reaching implications for the 2024 election and beyond. By focusing on fertility treatments, Democrats are broadening the conversation beyond abortion, potentially resonating with a wider range of voters who may not have strong opinions on abortion but care deeply about family planning. Theyre using personal stories and emotional appeals to connect with voters who may have experienced infertility or know someone who has. Meanwhile, Republicans, particularly Trump, are attempting to strike a balance between appealing to their conservative base and avoiding alienation of voters who support IVF and other fertility treatments.

Making IVF an issue in this election really is smart of Democrats, because Republicans truly cannot agree on whether or not they support it and powerful anti-abortion groups generally do not  many flat-out oppose it and want it banned, said feminist author and lawyer Jill Filipovic on X on Tuesday. So the GOP just wants to ignore the issue.

The IVF debate draws stark contrasts between party positions, potentially influencing swing voters and energizing both Democratic and Republican bases, albeit for different reasons. Democrats emphasis on protecting access to fertility treatments positions them as defenders of reproductive freedom, while some Republican stances on when life begins raise complex legal and ethical questions about the rights of embryos.

This divide is exemplified by initiatives like Project 2025, a conservative policy blueprint that proposes wide-ranging changes to federal agencies and policies if Republicans win in 2024, and includes regulating IVF at the federal level.

As the political discourse around IVF continues to evolve, one unexpected outcome has been the increased visibility of those who have undergone fertility treatments.

I do appreciate that this election cycle has made people very open about having IVF, said New York writer Ashley Reese via X on Tuesday. Shows that a lot more people do it than you think.
Voice of America, August 20, 2024

Ayaz Gul

Taliban morality police in Afghanistan said Tuesday that they had "seized and destroyed" more than 21,000 musical instruments over the past year as part of a crackdown on what they called anti-Islam practices.

Officials of the so-called Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice discussed their annual performance at a news conference in Kabul a day after Taliban authorities publicly staged a mass burning of hundreds of musical instruments in the nearby northern Parwan province.

The provincial moral police department also urged residents not to use musical instruments at weddings and other celebrations.

Speaking in the Afghan capital Tuesday, ministry officials claimed to have destroyed thousands of immoral films and blocked many more from use on personal computers nationwide as part of societal reforms being undertaken by the Taliban administration. They did not elaborate on the nature of the films.

The ministry said without discussing specifics that it had successfully implemented 90% of reforms across audio, visual, and print media in Afghanistan.

Free media advocacy groups and local journalists say that Taliban leaders have significantly curtailed press freedom and access to information in the country.

The Islamist Taliban revived the Ministry of Vice and Virtue to police public morality after retaking control of the war-shattered, impoverished South Asian nation three years ago when all U.S.-led Western troops withdrew from Afghanistan after their involvement in the war for almost two decades.

The Taliban ministry has introduced strict guidelines for local media professionals, binding female presenters and guests to comply with an Islamic dress code on air requiring that only their eyes be visible.

Women are prohibited from working on national radio and television stations, and dramas featuring female performers are banned. De facto Afghan authorities have also enforced strict gender-based segregation in workplaces at large.

Meanwhile, Hibatullah Akundzada, the reclusive Taliban supreme leader, convened a meeting Tuesday of governors of all 34 Afghan provinces in the southern city of Kandahar and asked them to uphold sound Islamic governance, his spokesman said in a post-meeting briefing.

Strengthen the Islamic framework, enforce Sharia law, and reinvigorate divine ordinances, Zabihullah Mujahid quoted Akhundzada as telling the meeting

Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, the minister of vice and virtue, was quoted by state media as saying on Monday that the Taliban are determined to implement Islamic Sharia and no ones pressure is acceptable in this regard.

The morality ministry reported Tuesday that it also had dismissed more than 280 security force members for failing to grow a beard in line with the Talibans strict interpretation of Islamic law.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said last month that the Talibans morality police were contributing to a climate of fear and intimidation among the people and identified the ministry as the leading violator of human rights in the Taliban government, which is not recognized by any country.

The U.N. report noted that the activities of the de facto ministry have had negative impacts on the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Afghanistan, with a discriminatory and disproportionate impact on women.

The morality police department has banned womens beauty salons, prohibited females from traveling without a male guardian beyond 78 kilometers from their home limits, and banned them from visiting parks, gyms, and public baths.

The Taliban have also banned school education for girls beyond the sixth grade, and many women are not allowed to work in public as well as private organizations, including U.N agencies.

The U.N. Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization said in its new report last week that Taliban authorities had deliberately deprived 1.4 million girls of schooling since returning to power, putting at risk the future of an entire generation and making Afghanistan the only country in the world to deny girls ages 12 and older access to education.

Taliban officials dismiss criticism of their governance as interference in the countrys internal matters and defend their policies, saying they are aligned with Afghan culture and Islamic law.

During the previous Taliban rule in Kabul from 1996 to 2001, the Ministry of Vice and Virtue garnered notoriety for its arbitrary abuses. Particularly, women and girls were banned entirely from education and employment at that time.
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The class of 2025 is just starting their final year of college, but they're already sour on their job prospects after graduation. A majority, 57% of rising seniors, are pessimistic about their future job plans  up from 49% last year  according to a new report from Handshake, the college career resource, based on responses from 1,925 students graduating with a bachelor's degree in 2025 surveyed between June 14-July 5. Rising seniors say the tight job market is the No. 1 reason for their pessimism, with nearly 2 in 3 saying competition for entry-level jobs is a stressor in their overall post-grad outlook. Job creation has slowed on Handshake this year compared to 2023 levels, matching national patterns around job openings and hiring. As a result, class of 2025 students are applying to more jobs. Today's seniors have have submitted 24% more applications per job on average than the class of 2024 students at the same time last year. "I applied to more than 100 openings before I got my current internship. And I think applications for full-time jobs are starting very early," one class of 2025 finance major said, according to the Handshake report. "Some companies are already making offers to students graduating in spring 2025. I'm going through the process with one company right now and it's going well, but if that doesn't work out I'll start applying to as many jobs as I possibly can." Additionally, students say their concerns around student loan debt, November elections and generative AI are dampening their view of their post-college years. That being said, "While they are short-term pessimistic, they are still long-term optimistic about their careers," says Christine Cruzvergara, the chief education strategy officer at Handshake. "And so it's about helping them get over this initial hump. How do we just get them get started?"

How to stand out in a competitive job market

Cruzvergara says one of the best ways students can find their footing in a competitive market is to broaden the roles they're open to. Take a computer science student who originally wanted to work for a tech company, she says: "Tech jobs are down by about 20,000 [in July]. So instead of going into tech, you might consider, what other industries can I go into where I can still use my tech skills?" Many students who originally wanted to work for a tech company have pivoted to government and health-care jobs, according to Handshake data, which are known to be stable industries that are constantly hiring. "The second thing is to begin your networking and make sure that you're actually meeting people in your field, whether they have the job role that you want" or are in an industry that you're newly exploring, Cruzvergara says. That being said, she cautions against applying to jobs too widely. Doing so could lead to burnout. "Make sure you're very clear with yourself about what you're interested in, where your skill set lies and what types of jobs you're applying for," Cruzvergara says. "Once you've identified those, then by all means, apply to as many jobs as possible that meet that criteria." Mass applying haphazardly "will catch up with you later," she adds. "Even if you ended up getting an interview, you're probably not going to do a great job if you haven't given some of the things I just mentioned some thought. "

Student loan payments are back on the table

The job market isn't the only thing worrying the class of 2025. Federal student loans are back on the table after years of being on pause, and roughly half of today's college seniors say their college debt is a major source of stress. That share rises among women, Black students and first-generation students with student loans. Debt-burdened students are prioritizing workplaces that offer loan repayment support. Cruzvergara says more employers are now introducing the benefit as a result of young prospects pushing for it. Almost 9% of jobs posted on Handshake in the past year offered student loan repayment help as an employee benefit. It's most common among government jobs, where 18% of roles offer college debt assistance, followed by health care (14%), non-profits (9%) and education (6%).

Students believe the November election will impact their careers

College students are increasingly applying to government jobs because they offer job security; on the other hand, many are also concerned about how elected officials in government will impact their futures. Almost half, 46%, of class of 2025 students believe the election will impact their careers. It's worth noting that the survey closed in early July prior to the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden ending his re-election campaign and Vice President Kamala Harris being named the presumptive nominee for the Democratic party. "This generation has been so specific about having value alignments around stability, the economy, climate change and mental health," Cruzvergara says, and students are highly aware of how each candidate could impact their lines of work in those spaces. Students understand that "regardless of what area folks go into, there will be some ripple effect" of how national policy impacts their jobs, she says.

Long-term optimism
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought during a whirlwind trip to the Middle East to inject urgency into efforts to broker a Gaza ceasefire deal, but departed the region on Tuesday with an agreement between Israel and Hamas still elusive.

Blinken and mediators from Egypt and Qatar have pinned their hopes on a U.S. "bridging proposal" aimed at narrowing the gaps between the two sides in the 10-month-old war, after negotiations last week paused without a breakthrough.

The deal "needs to get done, and it needs to get done in the days ahead, and we will do everything possible to get it across the finish line," Blinken told reporters in Doha before departing for Washington.

A senior Biden administration official travelling with Blinken said the U.S. expects the ceasefire talks to continue this week.

Blinken travelled to Egypt for talks on Tuesday with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and then to Qatar.

After meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, Blinken said Israel had accepted the proposal and urged Hamas to do the same. The Palestinian group has not explicitly rejected it, but says it overturns previously agreed terms.

Blinken was asked in Qatar about Israeli troop withdrawal terms within the ceasefire framework and about an Axios report that quoted Netanyahu as saying he may have convinced Blinken that Israel should keep troops in the Philadelphi Corridor between Egypt and Gaza.

"The United States does not accept any long-term occupation of Gaza by Israel," Blinken said. "More specifically, the agreement is very clear on the schedule and the locations of (Israel Defense Forces) withdrawals from Gaza, and Israel has agreed to that. So that's as much as I know. That's what I'm very clear about."
An aerial view of new BYD electric cars to be exported on a dock in Yantai in east China's Shandong province.

The Chinese government on Wednesday hit out at the European Union over tariffs on electric vehicle imports, after the bloc lowered duties on several major electric automakers, including Tesla .

A Ministry of Commerce spokesperson told reporters that Beijing continues to believe that the EU's probe into China's subsidies for its electric vehicle industry have come to "pre-set conclusions," adding that the bloc is promoting unfair competition.

"China will take all necessary measures to resolutely defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies," the Ministry of Commerce spokesperson said, according to a Google translation.

On Tuesday, the European Commission, the EU's executive body, lowered import duties on a number of electric vehicle manufacturers importing cars into the EU from China.

It also set tariffs on Elon Musk's electric vehicle maker Tesla at 9%, below a previously anticipated 20.8% rate.

These tariffs come on top of existing EU duties of 10% on battery electric vehicles imported into the region from China.
Pictured are are crystals of the antimony ore stibnite (antimony sulphide). Universalimagesgroup | Universal Images Group | Getty Images

BEIJING  China's latest export controls has rattled insiders of the critical minerals industry, and some are concerned that Beijing will leverage its global supply chain dominance in unprecedented ways. China's Ministry of Commerce announced Aug. 15 that export controls on antimony would take effect Sept. 15. Antimony is used in bullets, nuclear weapons production and lead-acid batteries. It can also strengthen other metals. "Three months ago, there's no way [any] one would have thought they would have done this. It's quite confrontational in that regard," Lewis Black, CEO of Canada-based Almonty Industries, said in a phone interview. The company has said it's spending at least $125 million to reopen a tungsten mine in South Korea later this year. Tungsten is nearly as hard as a diamond, and used in weapons, semiconductors and industrial cutting machines. Both tungsten and antimony are on the U.S. critical minerals list, and less than 10 elements away from each other on the periodic table. "My sector is now thinking this is getting much closer to home than graphite," Black said, referring to China's previous export controls. Last year, Beijing, the world's largest graphite producer, said it would enforce export permits for the crucial battery material amid scrutiny from foreign countries worried about its dominance.

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"I can't explain this move and I think that's what rattled a lot of people in this sector, my customers, and they don't have a plan B, which China is very aware of. There hasn't been one for 30 years," he said. "There's always been an equilibrium ... they were never weaponized because they could create this snowball of escalation," he said. China accounted for 48% of global antimony mine production in 2023, while the U.S. did not mine any marketable antimony, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's latest annual report. The U.S. has not commercially mined tungsten since 2015, and China dominates global tungsten supply, the report said. "I think it's the start of some export restrictions in a number of rare earths, minerals," Tony Adcock, executive chair of Tungsten Metals Group, said in a phone interview. He said he found it hard to believe that China would just restrict antimony. The way that the [Chinese Commerce Ministry] statement was written, we've extrapolated that to tungsten and other rare earths. It may not happen," Adcock said, noting that "tungsten is probably the highest economic importance." China's Commerce Ministry spokesperson He Yadong reiterated to reporters Thursday Aug. 22 that the export controls on antimony were part of national security interests and not targeted at any country. Asked about whether tungsten would also be subject to controls, he only said in general terms that China would progress on export management in line with national rules and regulations.

Tungsten's military importance

The U.S. has sought to restrict China's access to high-end semiconductors, following which Beijing announced export controls on germanium and gallium, two metals used in chipmaking. While tungsten is also used to make semiconductors, the metal, like antimony, is used in defense production.

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"China has a declining tungsten production, but tungsten is absolutely vital, far more than antimony, in military applications," said Christopher Ecclestone, principal and mining strategist at Hallgarten & Company. He expects China will put export controls on tungsten by the end of the year, if not in the next month or two. "During a situation where there's a bit of a race to secure metals in case there is some sort of flare up in tensions, frankly we talk about South China Sea or Taiwan, you want to have as much tungsten as you can," Ecclestone said. "But you also want people on the other side to have as least tungsten as you can engineer." The U.S. is already keen to reduce its reliance on China for tungsten. Starting in 2026, the U.S. REEShore Act prohibits the use of Chinese tungsten in military equipment. That refers to the Restoring Essential Energy and Security Holdings Onshore for Rare Earths Act of 2022. The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party in June announced a new working group on the U.S. critical minerals policy. Ecclestone said that last week, the niche market of antimony trading noticed that the U.S. price for buying the metal from Rotterdam was exponentially higher than the price for delivery out of Shanghai. That's after antimony prices kept rising even after pandemic-related shipping disruptions ended, he said. "There's a suspicion that the Pentagon has been re-stuffing its reserves of certain metals, and most notably antimony because it needs antimony for munitions," said Ecclestone, who founded the mining strategy firm in 2003. The U.S. Department of Defense did not respond to a request for comment. China is acting more in retaliation "against what it views as an intrusion into its national interests," Markus Herrmann Chen, co-founder and managing director of China Macro Group, said in an email. He pointed out that China's Third Plenum meeting of policymakers in July "put forward a completely new policy goal of better coordinating the entire minerals value chain, likely reflecting the further heightened supply importance of 'strategic mineral resources' for both business and geoeconomic interests."

Emerging alternatives
The former CEO of a small Kansas bank was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison for looting the bank of $47 million  which he sent to cryptocurrency wallets controlled by scammers who had duped him in a "pig butchering" scheme that appealed to his greed, federal prosecutors said.

The massive embezzlement by then-CEO Shan Hanes in a series of wire transfers over just eight weeks last year led to the collapse and FDIC takeover of Heartland Tri-State Bank in Elkhart, one of only five U.S. banks that failed in 2023.

Hanes, 53, also swindled funds from a local church and investment club  and a daughter's college savings account  to transfer money, purportedly to buy cryptocurrency as the scammers insisted they needed more funds to unlock the supposed returns on his investments, according to records from U.S. District Court in Wichita, Kansas.

But Hanes never realized any profit, and lost all of the money he stole, as a result of the scam.

Judge John Broomes on Monday sentenced Hanes to 293 months in prison  29 months more than what prosecutors requested after he pleaded guilty in May to a single count of embezzlement by a bank officer.

During the sentencing hearing, "I called his actions 'pure evil,' " said Brian Mitchell, who for years was Hanes' next-door neighbor in Elkhart, a town of 2,000 or so people in southwestern Kansas, north of the Oklahoma panhandle.

Mitchell, whose farm and movie theater chain businesses banked at Heartland Tri-State, said there were around 30 shareholders in the bank who attended Hanes' sentencing, more than a year after their stock value was wiped out in the failure.

"There were people who lost 70, 80% of their retirement" as a result of Hanes' actions, Mitchell told CNBC on Wednesday in a phone interview.

One local woman is "struggling to afford a nursing home" for her 93-year-old mother, while another woman "can't retire" now because of the crime, Mitchell said.

Mitchell, who was not a shareholder but who belonged to the investment club victimized by the CEO, said Hanes showed little, if any, remorse for his actions, despite hearing victims tell the judge about the effects of his crime.

"Shan was facing the judge, and he just looked over his left shoulder for a second, and didn't make eye contact, and said, 'Sorry,' " Mitchell recalled, describing the scene in the courtroom.

"And that was it."

But Hanes had a look of "absolute shock" on his face when Broomes imposed the stiff sentence and ordered the former bank chief taken into custody immediately, Mitchell said.

Mitchell said that for years he considered Hanes a "good guy," who like other people in Elkhart pitched in to help others in the small community when they needed help, and preached at his local church. Hanes also testified several times before Congress about community banking.

But prosecutors and bank regulators said that Hanes, who has three daughters with his school teacher wife, began stealing after being targeted in a pig-butchering scheme in late 2022.

That scheme was described in a court filing as "a scammer convincing a victim (a pig) to invest in supposedly legitimate virtual currency investment opportunities and then steals the victim's money  butchering the pig."

Hanes, who had served on the board of the American Bankers Association, and been chairman of the Kansas Bankers Association, in December 2022 began making transactions to buy cryptocurrency, which "appeared to be precipitated by communication with an unidentified co-conspirator on the electronic messaging app 'WhatsApp,' " prosecutors wrote in a court filing.

"To date, the true identity of the co-conspirator, or conspirators, remain unknown," the filing notes.

Hanes initially used personal funds to buy crypto, but in early 2023 he stole $40,000 from Elkhart Church of Christ and $10,000 from the Santa Fe Investment Club, according to prosecutors and a defense filing.

He also used $60,000 taken from a daughter's college fund, and nearly $1 million in stock from the Elkhart Financial Corporation, his lawyer said in a filing.

In May 2023, he began to make wire transfers from Heartland Tri-State Bank to accounts controlled by scammers, at first with a $5,000 transfer.

Two weeks later, on May 30, Hanes wired $1.5 million and a day after that, he sent another transfer of the same amount the following day, filings show.

Three days later he directed two wire transfers totaling $6.7 million to be sent by the bank to the crypto wallet, and a whopping $10 million less than two weeks later, and another $3.3 million days afterward.

Hanes told bank employees to execute the wire transfers, and "made many misrepresentations to various people" to get access to the funds so they could be transferred, prosecutors wrote. Heartland Tri-State employees circumvented the bank's own wire policy and daily limits to approve Hanes' wire transfers, according to a report by the Office of the Inspector General of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

"We believe that the CEO's dominant role in the bank and prominent role in the community contributed to a reluctance on the part of Heartland employees to question or report the alleged fraudulent activities earlier," that report said.

Prosecutors wrote that the series of 11 wire transfers from Hanes to the scammer "illustrate a common pattern" in pig-butchering schemes.

"First, there is an initial 'investment' followed by another transaction required to secure or guarantee those funds," prosecutors wrote. "Further 'investments' may be made, but always require another need for funds, to guarantee or unfreeze the earlier transfers. This pattern is clearly represented in the defendant's embezzlement."

Mitchell confirmed that to CNBC, saying that he got a call from Hanes at 7:40 a.m. on July 5, 2023.

"He said, 'Brian, 'I need your help, and you're the only guy who can help me,' " Mitchell recounted.

Mitchell, who had survived prostate cancer two decades ago, said he thought Hanes was calling him to say that he had the same type of cancer.

But when Mitchell showed up at Heartland Tri-State to meet Hanes, before the bank had officially opened to customers that morning, the CEO told him something much different  and stranger.

"The first thing he says is, 'Brian, I need to borrow $12 million for ten days, and I'll give you $1 million for loaning it to me,' " Mitchell recalled. "I'm sitting there and I said, am I in a bank in Elkhart, Kansas, or in an alley with a loan shark in Chicago."

When he asked Hanes what he wanted the money for, Hanes "pulls out his phone and acts like he's logging in and he shows me this account that has $40 million, $42 million," Mitchell said. "He said, 'Brian, I've got this money and it's in cryptocurrency, and I need $12 million to help verify the funds.' "

Hanes then hold him he had been in touch with a banker in Denver named "Jim" and "another guy in Oklahoma" and they had invested in crypto held in Coinbase accounts, where they had made a lot of money, Mitchell said.

"I told him, 'You're in a scam, dude. You're in a scam,' " Mitchell said. "I stopped him and said, 'Is this bank money you're playing with?' And he said, 'No, Brian.' "

Hanes kept telling him he needed the $12 million to "activate" the funds he had already transferred to the crypto account, which he said was in Hong Kong, Mitchell recalled.

"I said, 'Get on a plane, go to Hong Kong, hire an interpreter, and go get a bank check' " for the funds supposedly held there, Mitchell said. "Then I said, 'I'm not going to loan you the money.' I said, 'You're in a scam, walk away.'"

But later that same day, after Mitchell rebuffed his entreaties, Hanes had bank employees wire $8 million to the scammers' accounts, prosecutors said in a court filing.

Two days after that, Hanes had employees wire the scammers another $4.4 million.

In the meantime, Mitchell, who was unaware of those transfers during that period, said that after meeting with the CEO he was worried that Hanes would get access to customers' deposits at the bank and transfer the $12 million that he had asked for.

"We kept checking our lines of credit," Mitchell said.

"The next week, I was in the bank, and one of the employees caught me, she just looked so stressed," Mitchell said. The woman told him that Hanes had wired money out of the bank.

"I said, 'Don't say another word to me... I've got to talk to a board member,'" Mitchell said.

"And I talked to a board member that night, and he went to talk to an attorney that night," Mitchell recalled.

Hanes was fired within days.

About two weeks later, on July 28, 2023, Heartland Tri-State was closed by the Kansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner was taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Shareholders were wiped out, but depositors did not lose any money, as Dream First Bank, National Association, of Syracuse, Kansas, assumed all deposits.

Heartland Tri-State had nearly $140 million in total assets and $130 million in total deposits as of the prior March.

Word quickly spread that a scam had led to the bank's failure, but Hanes' involvement in it did not come to light for months.

Hanes remained uncharged until last February when federal prosecutors accused him of embezzlement. He was separately charged in Morton County, Kansas, state court in a 28-count complaint related to looting the bank.

Hanes was under house arrest until his sentencing in federal court this week.

"I talked to him last month when he was out mowing his yard," Mitchell said.

Hanes, who had traveled at one point to Perth, Australia while being scammed to try to recover the funds he transferred, told Mitchell that he believed there had been a way to recover the money up to the point he was arrested.
Lil Jon performs during the roll call on Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 20, 2024.

The Democratic National Convention changed its tune this election year, getting delegates joyfully dancing and singing as they nominated Vice President Kamala Harris to lead their presidential contest ticket.

DNC musical host DJ Cassidy blasted a different song in Chicago's United Center as each state's delegation rose to cast their votes for the nomination roll call Tuesday night, boosting an already celebratory mood in the hall.

Some songs featured the state's name in their title, including Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama," Beyonce's "TEXAS HOLD 'EM" and The B-52s' "Private Idaho."

Other songs were chosen due to the artist's home state: Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A" for New Jersey; Prince's "1999" for Minnesota; Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" for Indiana; and Chappell Roan's "Good Luck, Babe," for Missouri.

Rhode Island's delegation cast their ballots to the tune of "Shake It Off," by Taylor Swift, who owns a home in the state.

When DNC Secretary Jason Rae asked Georgia's delegates how they cast their votes, Lil Jon  an Atlanta native  emerged from the stands to the roar of the crowd.

The rapper sang his hit song "Turn Down for What," changing its lyrics to "Turn out for what," and led the crowd in chants of Harris' slogan: "We're not going back."

The roughly hour-long roll call, normally one of the dullest segments of a party's convention, took social media by storm.

Many compared it to the Republican National Convention's roll call in July, which was markedly quieter.

"I'm sorry but this #DNC2024 roll call with DJ Cassidy, themed state music and party/club atmosphere is blowing the RNC's roll call out of the water," Meghan McCain wrote in a post on social media site X.

"It looks like a giant party and celebration and everyone in that room looks like they're having a blast," wrote McCain, whose father, late Republican Sen. John McCain, was the party's nominee for president in 2008.

The Lincoln Project tweeted, "Tired: RNC roll call. Wired: DNC roll call."

The Democratic National Convention Committee published the setlist of 62 songs on Spotify, as requested by several social media posts.

Unlike past conventions, Tuesday's delegate roll call was only ceremonial. Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison announced earlier this month that Harris had secured the party's nomination after an online vote.
Chinese embassy urges U.S., certain countries to stop provoking confrontation in South China Sea

Xinhua) 11:22, August 21, 2024

MANILA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The United States and certain other countries should stop provoking confrontation in the South China Sea and cease actions that undermine regional stability and exacerbate tensions, the Chinese embassy in the Philippines urged Tuesday.

In a statement issued Tuesday regarding the Xianbin Jiao collision, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the Philippines said that the United States and certain countries are not parties to the South China Sea issue and have no right to interfere in maritime matters between China and the Philippines.

On Monday, two Philippine coast guard vessels, without permission from the Chinese government, intruded into the adjacent waters of Xianbin Jiao of China's Nansha Qundao and, in disregard of China Coast Guard's dissuasion and warning, acted dangerously by deliberately ramming the China Coast Guard vessel that was carrying out law enforcement operation.

"On the day of the collision, the U.S. State Department issued a statement, and Embassies of the United States and some of its allies in the Philippines also wasted no time in taking sides and making inflammatory statements, which raises questions about their underlying motives," the spokesperson said.

The Chinese diplomat noted that spokespersons of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Coast Guard have issued statements on this incident, on-site video footages have been released, and the facts are clear and the truth is evident.

"If they genuinely care about peace and stability in the South China Sea, why do they persist in sowing discord and fueling tensions?" the spokesperson said.

The statement said that China is committed to handling maritime disputes with the Philippines properly through dialogue and consultation. "We hope the Philippines will honor its commitment, earnestly observe the understandings and arrangement reached with China, refrain from taking actions that may complicate the situation, and work with China to get the situation at sea under control."

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
By SA Commercial Prop News

Atlantic Leaf Properties CEO, Paul Leaf-Wright said the management is pleased with the results, which are in line with forecasts and keep the company on track to deliver the estimated full year dividend of 8.5 pence per share.



UK-focused Atlantic Leaf Properties Ltd, says the referendum for Britain leaving the European Union (Brexit) could provide a golden opportunity for investors.

Property funds in the UK have started selling flagship buildings inorder to provide liquidity to investors. Investors are more worried about properties in sectors thought to be vulnerable to Brexit, such as London offices.

The referendum outcome, has sent property stocks in the UK such as Capital & Counties Properties, Capital & Regional, Intu Properties and MAS Real Estate, into massive sell-down on the JSE and London Stock Exchange (LSE).

Also read: AUCTION  Corporate disposal to hit the Auction block

Local JSE-listed property counters with investments in the UK and greater parts of Europe were among the many casualties. Among those hit is Texton Property Fund, whose stock has fallen by 12.71%.

Also in the firing line is Vukile Property Fund, with jittery investors sending the stock down by 4.12%. Vukile has a 26% stake in Atlantic Leaf worth around R700 million.

Others included, Accelerate Property Fund's stock pulling back by 3.7%, Tower Property Fund at -3.37% and Attacq Limited at -4.02%

The share price of other counters like sector heavyweight Redefine Properties, which is exposed to the UK and Germany through its 30.1% stake in JSE and LSE-listed Redefine International, and retail focused-Rebosis Property Fund, which holds a 62% stake in UK mall owner New Frontier Properties, have both recovered since June.

Recently the Bank of England was warned of the possibility that commercial property funds may be suspended because of the rate of withdrawals prompted by the Brexit vote.

READ: Brexit decision shocks rand-hedge real estate counters

However, Atlantic Leaf said in statement that management believes the uncertainty created, could provide good acquisition opportunities for investors.

On Tuesday, the Mauritius-based property investment group released its financial results for the first quarter of the year ending 28 February 2016.

The company reported adjusted headline earnings per share of 2.34 pence per share for the three months ended 31 May 2016, up 33% from the comparative period in 2015.

CEO Paul Leaf-Wright said said the management is pleased with the results, which are in line with forecasts and keep the company on track to deliver the estimated full year dividend of 8.5 pence per share.

The company has had a busy start to the current financial year, with all acquisitions announced in the previous financial year having now been completed. Atlantic Leafs total property assets now stand at 264 million.



In its 2016 full year results, the company also announced that it would be pursuing a migration of its listing from the AltX to the main board of the JSE.

We are advanced in our plans to migrate to the main board and are liaising regularly with the JSE to satisfy their requirements to implement the move. We will keep shareholders informed of updates, Shaun Fourie, Head of Asset Management and Operations at Atlantic Leaf said.
Ryan Salame, former co-chief executive officer of FTX Digital Markets Ltd., exits federal court in New York, US, on Tuesday, May 28, 2024.

Ryan Salame, a former top lieutenant at the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, asked a New York federal judge Wednesday to void his guilty plea to campaign finance and money-transmitting crimes, saying prosecutors are reneging on a key element of his plea agreement.

Salame's lawyers in a court filing said the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office, in an effort to get him to plead guilty last September, told the attorneys and Salame in April 2023 that they would stop investigating his domestic partner Michelle Bond for campaign finance violations if he pleaded guilty.

"Considering Salame's manifest desire to protect Bond"  who is the mother of his eight-month-old child  "Salame responded by agreeing to enter into a plea agreement," the filing said.

"Yet the Government failed to abide by its word, recently resuming its investigation into Bond and pursuing an indictment against her," defense attorneys wrote.

The lawyers asked Manhattan U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan for either an order setting aside Salame's guilty plea "on the basis of the Government's breach," or an order that prosecutors abide by their promise not to pursue criminal charges against Bond.

Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, declined to comment on Salame's filing.

Salame is due to begin serving a 7-and-a-half-year prison sentence on Oct. 13. Salame also was ordered to pay more than $6 million in forfeiture and more than $5 million in restitution.

In a social media post about the filing, Salame wrote: "It's all true but I just made a court filing I'm pretty nervous about because I know it means the most powerful body in the world is going to come at me and my loved ones again, but I'm hoping it encourages more people to be honest and tell the truth and expose un-American."

Salame was not a cooperating witness in the criminal trial last fall of his former boss at FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, who was convicted of a massive fraud and conspiracy, and sentenced in March to 25 years in prison.

The charges against Salame stemmed from his involvement in a multi-million dollar campaign finance scheme during his tenure at FTX.

Bankman-Fried was allegedly also deeply involved in the campaign finance scheme.

But prosecutors opted not to pursue similar charges against Bankman-Fried after he had already been convicted by a jury on seven counts related to securities fraud and money laundering.

Three other cooperating witnesses who testified against Bankman-Fried at trial, and who pleaded guilty, are awaiting sentencing.

They include Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research, who at one time dated Bankman-Fried.

Also convicted were former FTX engineering chief Nishad Singh; and Gary Wang, the co-founder and chief technology officer of FTX.

Singh and Wang will be sentenced Oct. 30 and Nov. 20, respectively.

Ellison's sentencing has not been scheduled yet.
Hedge funds' favorite stocks are beating the broader market due to the continuous strength of technology giants, according to Goldman Sachs. The Wall Street bank analyzed the holdings of 693 fundamentally driven hedge funds with $2.8 trillion of gross equity positions at the end of the second quarter, based on regulatory filings. It then compiled a basket of the most popular long positions, dubbed Goldman's "Hedge Fund VIP basket," consisting of 50 stocks that most frequently appear among hedge funds' 10 largest holdings. The VIP basket has outperformed the S & P 500 this year with a gain of 19%, compared to the S & P 500's 17% return. This Goldman portfolio has a long history of beating the market especially during elevated volatility, trouncing the S & P 500 in 59% of the quarters since 2001. "From an implementation standpoint, the Hedge Fund VIP list represents a tool for investors seeking to 'follow the smart money' based on 13-F filings," Goldman said. The VIP basket includes stocks from nine of the 11 S & P 500 sectors with real estate and utilities absent from the list. Technology stocks have the largest representation in the portfolio with a 24% weighting. Most of the "Magnificent Seven" megacap tech stocks  Amazon , Microsoft , Meta , Google's Alphabet , Apple and Nvidia  stood at the top of the list, the bank said. Tech shares have continued to power the bull market despite a short-lived pullback a few weeks ago. Meta shares have gained more than 50% this year, while Nvidia is up more than 158%. Uber , Taiwan Semiconductor , Hess and Eli Lilly were also among stocks that mattered the most to hedge funds in the second quarter, according to Goldman.  CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed reporting.
Jim Cramer's daily rapid fire looks at stocks in the news outside the CNBC Investing Club portfolio. Toll Brothers : The homebuilder reported better-than-expected earnings and the stock jumped roughly 6%. Jim Cramer said Wednesday it was a "remarkable quarter." There's a shortage of the kind of $1 million homes that Toll Brothers builds, Cramer added. The company has kept a lid on overbuilding and stands to benefit, he predicted. Target : Shares soared 13% after the big box retailer beat on earnings and revenue. "This was the first real upside surprise," Cramer said, reflecting on a quarterly miss earlier in the year that hurt the stock. Macy's : The department store chain lowered its full-year sales outlook and the stock sank 13%. "That was a disturbing one," Cramer said. "They had a really good quarter and they still guided lower." That means Macy's has little confidence in the rest of the year and ahead of back-to-school season, Cramer added. American Express : Bank of America downgraded the stock to a hold from buy. The stock fell 3%. The analysts cited muted consumer spending. BofA still likes it longer term, however. Cramer countered: "This stock has been downgraded the whole way [up]." He added that this is not the Amex of old and that wealthier younger people view it as "aspirational." Texas Instruments : The stock got an upgrade at Citi. Cramer said activist investor group Elliott Management has had a positive influence on the chipmaker when it comes to capital allocation. Shares rose 3%.
Liquid natural gas is becoming a hot global commodity as China and India seek alternatives to coal and Europe turns its back on Russian energy due to the war in Ukraine. Global LNG demand is expected to grow 5% annually through 2034, according to a report published by Stifel Financial this week. By 2030, demand worldwide is forecast to reach 596 million metric tons, a 47% increase over 401 million metric tons in 2023. LNG demand has grown five times faster than oil over the past 20 years, according to the 90-page report. It is viewed as a "bridge fuel" between fossil fuels and renewables because it burns cleaner than coal and crude oil. Stifel recommends Cheniere , Chart Industries and Golar LNG as companies poised to grow as they build out LNG infrastructure to meet rising demand. Chart manufactures plants that cool natural gas into a liquid and warms it back into a gas after delivery. Based in Georgia, Chart could see high single-digit to low double-digit annual revenue growth over the next decade by providing "picks and shovels" to build out the LNG supply chain, according to Stifel. The investment bank has a price target of $199 for Chart, implying 71% upside from Tuesday's close of $116.48 per share. So far this year, Chart has fallen about 15%. Cheniere is an LNG export powerhouse with 45 million metric tons of annual capacity, representing 48% of the U.S total. The Houston-based company is planning to increase its LNG capacity to 75 million metric tons by 2031. Stifel has a stock price target of $204 on Cheniere, indicating about 11% upside from Tuesday's close of $183.07 per share. Cheniere has gained 7% this year and 15% over the past three months. Golar manufactures floating LNG facilities, essentially one-stop shops where natural gas is extracted, turned into a liquid and picked up by ships for delivery. The company has two operational units in Cameroon and Senegal with a total capacity of 5 million metric tons per year. Stifel's price target for Golar is $53 per share, suggesting 63% upside from Tuesday's close of $32.61 per share. Golar's stock has risen 42% this year, though shares have pulled back almost 7% this month. GLNG YTD mountain Golar LNG shares have outperformed the sector and the market in 2024.
Microsoft did not specify the timing for a broader release for Windows computers that meet the system requirements for the Recall feature, which the company calls Copilot+ PCs. Microsoft unveiled this new class of Windows PCs from a variety of device makers that can run AI workloads and showed Recall running on them at an event in May .

Recall takes screenshots of activity on screen so people can search for information they saw earlier. Security researchers quickly expressed concerns about the risks of Windows automatically capturing images, without users opting in. Researchers released open-source software showing how personal information might become easily accessible to attackers. Microsoft responded in June and said Recall would be turned off by default . It also committed to security enhancements for the feature.

Microsoft said Wednesday it will release its controversial Recall artificial intelligence search feature for Windows users to test beginning in October.

Microsoft corporate vice president of windows and devices Pavan Davuluri speaks about Recall during the Microsoft May 20 Briefing event in Redmond, Washington, on May 20, 2024.

Device makers are keen on showing that people can run AI models on their local PCs, rather than relying on cloud-based servers from OpenAI or other companies to service their requests. Apple has released MacBooks that can run AI models, and Microsoft's newest Surface Pro is a Copilot+ PC that can also run local AI.

Timing for the wide release of Recall might be critical. Consumers could be more interested in buying new computers during the holiday season if Microsoft brings Recall to all devices that support it by then.

"With a commitment to delivering a trustworthy and secure Recall (preview) experience on Copilot+ PCs for customers, we're sharing an update that Recall will be available to Windows Insiders starting in October," Microsoft said in Wednesday's update to a June blog post. "As previously shared on June 13, we have adjusted our release approach to leverage the valuable expertise of our Windows Insider community prior to making Recall available for all Copilot+ PCs."

Security has become a higher priority for Microsoft's rank-and-file engineers. In the current fiscal year that started July 1, the company will evaluate cybersecurity contributions in employee reviews that will factor into pay. The company promised to revamp security processes after a Department of Homeland Security report in April on China's breach of U.S. government officials' Microsoft-based email accounts raised several concerns.

"We continue to prioritize security above all else," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told analysts on a July conference call.
The fire service dive team leaves port heading for the dive site for the Bayesian off the coast of Porticello, Sicily, on the third day of the search for six tourists missing after the luxury yacht Bayesian sank in a storm on Monday whilst moored around half a mile off the coast.

Five bodies have been recovered from the wreck of the superyacht that sank in a storm early Monday morning, according to NBC News and Sky News.

Divers recovered four bodies Wednesday from inside the superyacht, Salvatore Cocina, director of the island's Civil Protection Agency, confirmed to NBC News. Cocina later told Sky News that a fifth body had been found and was being brought to shore.

Rescue teams did not immediately identify the names or sex of the victims.

The total number of victims now stands at six, after one person was confirmed dead earlier this week.

One person remains missing. Specialist divers had warned that the operation to search for the missing passengers was proving challenging.

Italian emergency services had gained access to some rooms on the ship, but were struggling to access sleeping cabins where those onboard may have been at the time of the disaster. This had prevented the divers from seeing if anyone is inside.

The wreck is lying at a tilt at a depth of approximately 50 meters (164 feet), while narrow access points, thick glass windows, and a range of objects and electrical cables are obstructing access.
Bank of America detailed a list of what it deems to be the most important stocks in the U.S. To create the list, the firm searched for stocks in the MSCI USA Index with a market capitalization exceeding $100 billion with an average daily trading volume of at least $100 million. The company then screened for importance, which calculates the volatility of relative return compared to the MSCI index over the previous decade. Bank of America also searched for earnings, price and news momentum, and ranked stocks via their ability to perform in an economic upturn and continue to offer long-term stable earnings growth. Here are some of the names that made the cut: It is no surprise that Bank of America included Nvidia in its screen. The artificial intelligence chipmaker has rallied 160% year to date as Wall Street ramps up bets on its long-term potential. The company is up 9% over the past month despite some recent volatility. Nvidia fell more than 5% in July and is on deck to report earnings later this month. Drugmaker Eli Lilly also met the screen's criteria. The company has made headlines this week on news that its weight loss drug reduced the risk of developing diabetes in a late-stage trial. Shares have rallied roughly 63% this year as Wall Street bets on its foray into the sector. "Magnificent Seven" stocks Apple and Tesla also made the cut. Apple shares have gained 17% year to date, while Tesla is down 10%. Earlier this year, Apple unveiled its long-awaited AI strategy , known as "Apple Intelligence." The tools are expected to help fuel an upgrade cycle in the new iPhone later this year. Meta Platforms was another member of the group. The social media stock has outperformed its peers over the past month, surging about 12%. Shares are up 50% this year. JPMorgan Chase , UnitedHealth and Exxon Mobil also made the list.
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Former President Barack Obama on Tuesday night told the Democratic National Convention that "America is ready for a new chapter" and "we are ready for President Kamala Harris." "And Kamala Harris is ready for the job," said Obama, who preceded the vice president's Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, in the White House. Obama, who left office after two terms, blasted Trump as he contrasted the Republican with Harris. "This is a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn't stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago," Obama said, referring to Trump's announcement of his presidential candidacy in 2015 in Trump Tower in New York. "The childish nicknames and crazy conspiracy theories and weird obsession with crowd size," Obama said, drawing widespread laughter from the convention audience in Chicago. "It just goes on and on."

Former President Barack Obama speaks during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. Robert Gauthier | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images

But Obama argued, "Kamala Harris won't be focused on her problems  she'll be focused on yours." "Kamala Harris is ready for the job. This is a person who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice and a champion," Obama said. The former president said that Harris, while working as a prosecutor in California, "stood up for children who had been victims of sexual abuse."
Health-care marketplace Sesame on Wednesday announced a new clinical weight loss program that will help eligible consumers access compounded versions of Novo Nordisk 's blockbuster obesity drug Wegovy for $249 per month.

Sesame allows patients to book and pay for appointments with doctors and specialists directly through its website, so it cuts out middlemen such as insurers.

The company said it is adding compounded semaglutide  the active ingredient in Wegovy and Novo Nordisk's diabetes injection Ozempic  to its platform to help users safely access obesity and diabetes treatments at a time when many of the branded drugs are in short supply. Sesame already offers branded weight loss and diabetes drugs through its platform, including through a partnership with Costco .

But the company's new program could serve as a more affordable weight loss alternative, as compounded medications are typically cheaper than their branded counterparts. Wegovy and Ozempic both cost roughly $1,000 per month before insurance, and most weight loss programs from competing digital health companies do not include the cost of those medications.

"We are, based on this drug supply shortage, on behalf of American consumers, making a version of compounded semaglutide available to our users at  [a] very accessible price point," Michael Botta, president and co-founder of Sesame, told CNBC in an interview. "In fact, we think it's probably the most affordable price point the consumer can find on an apples to apples basis."

Wegovy and Ozempic are part of a highly popular class of weight loss and diabetes medications called GLP-1s, which mimic certain gut hormones to tamp down a patient's appetite and regulate their blood sugar. The treatments have exploded in popularity in recent years, and some analysts predict the industry could generate more than $100 billion in annual revenue by 2030.

Supply shortages are one of the biggest hurdles for Novo Nordisk and its main rival, Eli Lilly, since spiking demand can make it difficult for many patients to find the treatments. When brand-name GLP-1 medications are in shortage, certain manufacturers can prepare compounded versions if they meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirements.

The lowest dose of Wegovy is in short supply, but all other doses of the drug and Ozempic are available, according to the FDA's drug shortage database.

Compounded medications are custom-made alternatives to branded drugs designed to meet a specific patient's needs, such as not being able to swallow a pill or being allergic to the dye of a certain product. Those compounded drugs can be prescribed, made and dispensed under two sections of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

That law created two classes of compounding pharmacies. The FDA regulates so-called 503B pharmacies, which can make larger batches of medications without individual prescriptions. Meanwhile, 503A compounding pharmacies can create custom medications for individual patients and are largely regulated by states rather than the FDA.

But both Wegovy and Ozempic are under patent protection in the U.S. and abroad, and Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly do not supply the active ingredients in their drugs to outside groups. The companies say that raises questions about what some manufacturers are selling and marketing to consumers.

Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have both stepped in to address illicit versions of their treatments, suing weight loss clinics, medical spas and compounding pharmacies across the U.S. over the past year. The FDA last month also said it had received reports of patients overdosing on compounded semaglutide due to dosing errors such as patients self-administering incorrect amounts of a treatment.

Botta said Sesame initially "stayed very far away" from compounded medications because the company felt uncertain about their purity and quality. But he said the more Sesame learned about compounded versions of GLP-1s, the "more we see that they're effective, they seem to be quite safe. People tend to have a good experience taking them."

Sesame then sent its teams to inspect several 503B compounding pharmacies.

"What we decided to do was work with a compounding pharmacy that certainly meets our bar when it comes to inspecting their processes, their quality, their output," Botta said.

The compounding pharmacy partnered with Sesame will manufacture prefilled, single-use syringes rather than a single vial of medicine that patients have to measure themselves. Botta said that could help patients "avoid the risk that comes from overfilling a syringe, over-injecting, taking too much  overdosing on this medication."

To participate in Sesame's new program, patients will have to fill out an intake form and select a health-care provider. They will have a consultation with the provider via video, complete some lab work and receive a prescription if the provider decides it is appropriate.

Patients will be able to access ongoing consultations via video chat, as well as a nutrition, fitness and mindfulness content library. The content will not be immediately available upon the launch of the new program Wednesday, but Sesame said it will be live in about two weeks.

Anyone who signs up in the interim will automatically get access to it when it is available, the company added.

"There are millions upon millions of Americans who are struggling both with obesity itself and with all of the downstream effects of obesity," Botta said. "Being able to connect patients who otherwise are struggling with the supply shortage is something we think is worth doing."
A floating apartment. A residential yacht. A holiday home that travels the globe. The World, a luxury liner, has many descriptions, but "cruise ship" is not one of them, said resident Jim Minarik. "The only thing that's similar between the world and a cruise ship is they float on the water," he said. "If our ship was a cruise ship, there'd probably be 1,500 passengers. When we're really busy, we have between 200 and 300." The World has 165 privately owned apartments, ranging from 290-square-foot studios to 3,240-square-foot four-bedroom residences. Minarik and his wife bought their apartment in 2020 with plans to spend one to two months a year on the ship. However, he said, they now spend up to half of the year on board.

Many residents bring their own furniture and employ interior designers to decorate their apartments. Source: The World

"We just found we love so much about the community, the way of travel  it's very leisurely and comfortable," he said. "You're continuously seeing something new." Minarik said the couple were so enamored by the onboard experience that they eventually bought a second, larger apartment on The World, keeping the first apartment for family and friends.

Life aboard the ship

Like many cruises, The World has multiple restaurants and bars, yoga classes and a gym, two pools, a medical center and round-the-clock room service. But the similarities mainly end there. For starters, on this ship, the owners call many of the shots. "It's a democratic society on board," said Residential Director Eddie Wong. "They vote on things like the itinerary, they vote for refurbishments on the ship," as well as its board of directors.

An outdoor pool sits quiet while The World was docked in Singapore in May 2024. Around 150 residents live on the ship during the year, though this number usually doubles during expedition trips and year-end holidays, said Residential Director Eddie Wong. Source: CNBC

Itineraries change yearly, Wong said. The schedule for 2026 has been finalized, he said, and includes stops in Antarctica, French Polynesia and Easter Island, the latter of which he called "one of the most sought-after locations in the world." The World docks in around 100 ports per year, stopping for two to five days, rather than a few hours. "We'll pull into a port, like the Amalfi Coast," said Minarik. "We stay for three or four days, so we may not even get off on the first day  we might just go off for dinner."

The World creates photo books after its expedition trips, which in 2024 includes trips to Antarctica, Australia's Kimberley region, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, Wong said. Source: CNBC

Several owners live on the ship full time, but most come and go as they please, he said. After cruising from South America to South Africa, Minarik said, he and his wife disembarked in Cape Town and went on safari for two weeks, before heading home to Orange County, California. The friends they were traveling with caught back up with the ship, which by that time had moved up Africa's west coast, he said.

The residents of The World

Many owners are North American, said Wong. "But we have residents from around 20 different nationalities  we have a lot of Australians on board" too, he said. Minarik, the former CEO of a large consumer electronics business, said owners have all had some level of financial success. "That's just a fact, but what's really interesting is everybody has a great story," he said. Purchase prices for residences range from $2.4 million to $15 million  a figure which doesn't include quarterly maintenance fees, which can be around 10% of the purchase price annually.

Maintenance fees come with $33,000 worth of food and beverage credits aboard the ship, but they also pay for crew, renovation and upkeep to the ship, which has a full-sized tennis court. Source: The World

Yet money is not a big topic aboard The World, Minarik said. "There's definitely no keeping-up-with-the-Joneses because whether you're a multi-millionaire, there's plenty of billionaires," he said. "So what you talk about is your love of travel and the experiences." He said one of his friends from the ship is an 82-year-old guy who gives "more money than I could even imagine" to charity. What do they talk about? "Diving," said Minarik.

A Champagne bar set up on Antarctica's Penola Strait. Source: The World

Potential buyers are vetted, Wong said. In addition to financial and criminal checks, he said, buyers need two letters of recommendation from an existing resident. Every year, about 10% of residences go up for sale, a company representative told CNBC Travel. The average length of ownership is seven to eight years, Wong said. By that time, owners have seen most of the world several times over, he said. Others leave to be closer to specialized medical care or to spend more time with family. Minarik agreed that the biggest downside of ship life is time spent away from his children and grandchildren. He said he and his wife plan their lives to balance their love for family and exploration. Another drawback? Minarik said he can't bring his dogs on board. But "if I was to come up with anything other than you can't have your pets and your family, I'd be making stuff up," he said.

Only ship of its kind?

Wong said that while other companies have tried, The World is still the only ship of its kind.

Residents can cook in their apartments using groceries bought in ports or in a store on board that stocks produce and gourmet items. Source: The World
SC State University-enrolled small and minority farmers gather to celebrate accomplishments during the one-year commemoration of Climate-Smart Grown in SC program, at Camp Harry E. Daniels.

The Climate-Smart Commodities Program dispersed over $850K in financial incentives to farmers.

ORANGEBURG, S.C .  SC State University Public Service & Agriculture (SC State PSA) commemorated its one-year partnership with Climate-Smart Grown in SC, a climate-smart commodities partnership with Clemson University, during a celebratory event for enrolled SC State University farmers on Thursday, July 25, at Camp Harry E. Daniels Conference Center, in Elloree, SC.

The program recognized and celebrated SC State University enrolled farmers who have successfully completed the programs requirements for adopting climate-smart conservation practices, including growing cover crops, practicing prescribed grazing and nutrient management in beef cattle production and adopting no and reduced-tillage practices, while receiving technical support from SC State 1890 Extension ag agents.

As part of the climate-smart commodities program, enrolled farmers received financial incentives based on the commodity grown, key designated climate-smart practices and the total acreage designated for that commodity and practice. SC State PSA to date has provided more than $850,000 in financial incentive payments to year-one enrolled farmers.

Our one-year involvement program was a farmer-centered day, celebrating our farmers achievements and resilience while reflecting on the past activities and events that took place during the year-one implementation, said Dr. Chishimba Nathan Mowa, climate-smart commodities projects director for SC State PSA. We look forward to the future success of our program as we enroll more farmers throughout South Carolina for year two.

Over 90 small-scale, under-resourced, and minority farmers throughout South Carolina attended the one-year commemoration event along with SC State 1890 Extension ag agents, Clemson University and SC State PSA project management and leadership team. The event featured two panel discussions that involved open and engaging conversations on the challenges farmers experienced during the program implementation and how the program can improve in year two.

During the celebration event, six farmers received special recognition and acknowledgments for the performance/production of the best in leafy greens, peanuts, and beef cattle production. Jonathan Bennet and Louis Berry from Clarendon and Orangeburg counties respectively, received the first-ever Budding Farmer (youngest farmer) and Senior (oldest farmer) Climate-Smart Agriculture award.

Farmers recognized during the event include:

Louis Berry, Oldest Climate-Smart farmer, Beef Cattle Producer, Orangeburg County

Jonathan Bennet, Budding Climate-Smart producer, Leafy green producer, Clarendon County

Magaret Harrison, Climate-Smart Leafy Green Producer, Upstate

William Weekley, Climate-Smart Leafy Green Producer, Calhoun

Edie McFadden, Climate-Smart Beef Cattle Producer, Clarendon

Robert Sprowl, Climate-Smart Cattle Producer, Greenwood

Jason Waltz, Climate-Smart Peanut Producer, Calhoun County

Dan Garrick, Climate Smart-Peanut Producer, Orangeburg County



The climate-smart program gave me a great starting point, being a novice seeking guidance and getting my son established in farming operations and the industry, said Adrien Priester, a peanut producer. We came from a 30-year break into the farm service, so were restarting to get the next generation on the right path. When the climate-smart program became available, it was the pathway forward to allow us to start the process right and be more efficient as we move forward our farming operations.

Climate-Smart Grown in SC has been a great asset to the farm, said Monique Daniels. The practices such as growing cover crops, no and reduced tillage, as well as mulching have preserved the soil through erosion control. These practices have had a great impact on my leafy greens, allowing me to grow them into a good crop and sell them at a higher market value. Going forward with Climate-Smart Grown in SC will have a great impact in 2025, and being able to enroll new farmers in the climate-smart programs will provide so many benefits to them."

Climate-Smart Grown in SC, a $70 million grant awarded by the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in October 2022, is the largest public partnership grant in South Carolina. SC State University and Clemson University, the only two land-grant institutions in South Carolina, administer the program. The program provides technical and financial assistance to producers to implement climate-smart production practices, measure, verify and report carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions as well as develop markets and promote the results of climate-smart commodities practices and products.

For more information on Climate-Smart Grown in SC program, contact Dr. Chishimba Mowa, climate-smart commodities projects director, at cmowa@scsu.edu or Dr. Atakora Williams, climate-smart program coordinator, at watakora@scsu.edu.
China's steel industry has been struggling as the country's property sector remains in the doldrums and is unable to absorb excess capacity, industry watchers told CNBC.

"Chinese demand has been a major disappointment for metals across the board," said Sabrin Chowdhury, head of commodities analysis at BMI, highlighting the slump in steel and iron ore in particular.

"This is mainly due to the weak property sector in China. The property sector downturn is set to last several years, and that definitely does bode negatively for industrial metals that are required in infrastructure," she added.

China is the world's largest producer of steel, accounting for more than half the world's output at over a billion tons a year.

It is also the world's leading consumer of steel and iron ore, and prices for both materials have dropped as steel supply remains bloated amid weak domestic demand.

China steel rebar prices are down over 20% year to date at 3,208 Chinese yuan ($450) per ton, data from financial information provider Wind showed. Prices of China iron ore, the key material for steel, have plunged over 28% so far this year, according to FactSet data.
Ukrainian soldiers prepare a vehicle adapted to fire helicopter shells as the Russia-Ukraine war continues in the direction of Toretsk, Ukraine, Aug. 19, 2024.

Ukraine carried out one of the largest-ever drone attacks against Moscow on Wednesday, as Kyiv continues to launch counteroffensives on Russian soil.

Russia's Defense Ministry said it destroyed 45 Ukrainian drones overnight, of which 11were over Moscow, according to a Google-translated update on Telegram.

"This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow with drones ever. We continue to monitor the situation," Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a separate Google-translated Telegram post, after assessing the strikes resulted in "no damage or casualties at the site of the fall of the debris" in earlier updates reporting the offensives.

Some of the drones were neutralized over Podolsk, a nearby city south of Moscow, the official added. Citing Russian aviation watchdog Rosaviatsiya, state news agency Tass said in a Google-translated report that airports in the Moscow region resumed regular operations after restrictions were briefly introduced during the night.

CNBC has reached out to Ukraine's Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meeting at Taj Exotic Hotel on October, 15, 2016 in Benaulim, Goa, India. Mikhail Svetlov | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Ukraine on Friday is likely to be closely watched by New Delhi's long-standing ally, Russia. The trip comes as India looks to navigate alliances with arch enemies Russia and the West, as one of the few countries to have robust trading and diplomatic relations with both parties since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 set off heightened global tensions, sanctions and animosity toward the Kremlin. Modi's government has looked to remain neutral throughout the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, but has been criticized for maintaining tight trade and diplomatic ties with Moscow. India has refused to condemn the war and has continued to buy discounted Russian oil, despite Western efforts to boycott such energy purchases, whose revenues fund the conflict. Now, India appears to be seeking closer relations with Ukraine through Modi's visit to Kyiv this week, which comes at the behest of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Modi's trip will be the first by an Indian head of state to Ukraine since diplomatic relations were established over 30 years ago, when the European country achieved independence in 1991. Rick Rossow, chair in U.S.-India policy studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told CNBC that "India clearly has a far deeper relationship with Russia" but wanted to build on fledgling bilateral relations with Kyiv. "For instance, in fiscal year 2021-22, India's goods trade with Ukraine was only around $3.4b [billion], compared to $13b with Russia. And Russia provided access to high-end weaponry which other major producers like the United States have only recently approved for export to India," Rossow said in emailed comments. "Following the invasion, India's imports from Russia have spiked dramatically, even as Russia has difficulties meeting defense export orders," he noted. "But India does have students studying in Ukraine, buys defense equipment from Ukraine, and Ukraine is among India's 50-largest trade partners," he said, concluding that relations between the two nations are "not insignificant."

'Landmark' visit

Modi and Zelenskyy do not know each other well and only met twice in recent months, on the sidelines of this and last year's G7 summits in Italy and Japan, an Indian official noted when announcing the trip Monday. He described Modi's upcoming visit as a "landmark and historic." When they meet one-to-one on Friday, Modi and Zelenskyy are set to discuss "bilateral relations" and "multilateral cooperation," Kyiv said, while the ongoing war with Russia is also likely to dominate the agenda. "Bilateral relations" between Ukraine and India are certainly at an earlier stage of development than those between Moscow and New Delhi, with the latter duo now looking to deepen their established lucrative ties, particularly on the energy and trade front. Earlier, Modi's met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in July, making his first visit to the Kremlin since 2019. During this engagement, Ukraine said Russia's military attacked a children's hospital in Kyiv, killing 41 people and injuring over 150 others. The assault drew worldwide condemnation, even as Russia denied carrying out the strike and stated, without providing evidence, that Ukrainian anti-missile fire was to blame. Following his meeting with Putin, Modi issued a statement in which he seemed to voice his disapproval of the attack, saying in televised comments that "whether it is war, conflict or a terrorist attack, any person who believes in humanity is pained when there is loss of lives," according to a Reuters translation. "But even in that, when innocent children are killed, the heart bleeds and that pain is very terrifying," he added.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin bids farewell to India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi following their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia July 9, 2024. Gavriil Grigorov | Via Reuters

Despite the comments, Putin and Modi were showed hugging during the visit, and the New Delhi leader was featured addressing his Russian counterpart as "dear friend," while extolling their "mutual trust and mutual respect." Their discussions, their respective governments said, led the leaders to pledge to deepen bilateral trade and cooperation in numerous areas, from agriculture to space, medicine and energy infrastructure. The fact that Modi's meeting with Putin coincided with the deadly hospital attack was widely seen as an embarrassment for the Indian prime minister, however. Ukraine heavily criticized the trip, with Zelenskyy saying it was a "huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world's largest democracy hug the world's most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day."

Pragmatism or peace?

India  along with China, Turkey and several Middle Eastern countries  is seen as one of the few international partners of Russia that could have a potential role as a future mediator between Russia and Ukraine, although Indian media cite sources saying the government is reluctant to intervene in such a capacity. A peace process between Moscow and Kyiv remains a distant prospect for now, with the war in an active phase and both sides distant over the terms of a potential cease-fire. Ukraine insists it will not negotiate until Russian troops leave its soil, while Moscow declared four Ukrainian regions to be Russian territory back in late 2022, and says it will not abandon these territories.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold an informal meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, on July 8, 2024. (Photo by Gavriil GRIGOROV / Sputnik POOL / AFP) (Photo by GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Gavriil Grigorov | Afp | Getty Images
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ORANGEBURG, S.C.  Christian Jones considers himself an extrovert, and he plans to use that personality trait to make his freshman year at South Carolina State University all it can be.

I'm looking forward to a great experience, really to have fun and to see whats better for me, said Jones, a criminal justice major from Columbia, South Carolina. I'm really outgoing. I like to make friends. I'm just here for the experience.

Jones is among hundreds of freshmen who arrived at SC State this week for the start of the Fall 2024 Semester. After arriving, freshmen learned about SC State traditions and dos and donts through the orientation process during Welcome Week.

Joness father, Clinton Jones, gave his son advice in preparing for his first year of college.

We are military, so this is his first college experience. We are happy for him, the elder Jones said. We want him to experience it, get his education first of all, and be focused.

Stay focused, read your emails every day, keep God first, and stay out of trouble -- one day at a time, he said to his son.

With classes set to begin on Tuesday, Aug. 20, SC State also welcomed back returning students this week. Students are excited to be back on campus, and they are looking forward to engaging in the HBCU culture. They are particularly looking forward to SC States Homecoming, which is set for Oct. 26.

"I want to encourage all freshmen to stay true to who you are, Student Government Association Marketing Manager Xavier Mitchell-Brown said. Please go to class, join organizations, and just have fun. Do not be afraid to go out there to meet others.

For more information about SC State and how to join Bulldog Nation, visit www.scsu.edu.
ORANGEBURG, S.C.  The South Carolina State University Foundation has been awarded a $50,000 grant from Power:Ed, the philanthropy of South Carolina Student Loan Corporation (SCSLC), to provide scholarships to 17 deserving SCSU students who meet the university's requirements for financial support.

Power:Ed and SC Student Loan Corp. are proud to support SC State University and its vital work to educate and build a skilled workforce in South Carolina, Power:Ed Executive Director Claire Gibbons said. Need-based scholarships can make all the difference in helping students complete their education and succeed in school, their careers and in life.

High-achieving students at South Carolina State University face several disparities that prevent them from continuing their education. Some students are forced to disenroll due to their inability to pay student tuition.

SC State is dedicated to eliminating the challenges dealt by poverty through tuition scholarships. Providing scholarships assists in equipping students with the opportunities needed to excel in their educational pursuits while preparing them for entry into the South Carolina workforce.

Power:Ed has been a vital partner for SC State in recent years, SC State President Alexander Conyers said. The organizations generous support has helped the university retain students toward completing their degrees and fulfilling their promise as productive citizens.

I thank Ms. Gibbons, Power:Ed and the South Carolina Student Loan Corporation for their support of SC State and our students, Conyers said.

In FY 2023-24, Power:Ed awarded $1,000,000 in 25 grants to South Carolina education and career readiness nonprofit organizations, and the SCSLC philanthropy is committed to investing another million this fiscal year, starting with this grant to SC State. Grants are administered quarterly, and the next grant funding deadline is October 1, 2024.
If you think about it in broad strokes, the hit British sitcom Derry Girls is strikingly similar to Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, with one obvious difference  Derry Girls won an Emmy.

When the British public broadcasting station Channel 4 premiered Northern Irish playwright and screenwriter Lisa McGees personal and punchy coming-of-age sitcom about life in her hometown of Derry during the turbulent mid-1990s, the channel probably didnt anticipate that Derry Girls would become their biggest comedy series since Father Ted, their last successful sitcom about Ireland in the 90s, and their first scripted international sensation to pair with The Great British Bake Off as their American-beloved megahits. Thankfully, the heart, humor and joyful chaos of Derry Girls translated well from Northern Irish to American English, and today, over two years after the series finale, Derry Girls is still one of the most streamed sitcoms on Netflix U.S. with the subtitles on.

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Unsurprisingly, there is a significant amount of fanbase overlap between Derry Girls and the top American sitcom about self-aggrandizing misfits causing trouble in a city that threatens to become a war zone at any moment. According to Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia Twitter, Derry Girls is the perfect show to watch if youre looking for a gender-swapped Always Sunny with a slightly less boozy setting:

Fans of both shows may start to see some parallels between characters when the cast of Derry Girls and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia are held up next to one another  most obviously, the Irish (or British) equivalent of Sweet Dee is poor James, the punching bag of the group and the token gender outcast. That would mean that James often abusive cousin Michelle is Derry Girls Dennis, which is fitting concerning her ruthless pursuit of self-interest and her obsession with getting laid. Orla is Charlie, obviously, seeing as they both live in fantastical alternate realities and serve as the wild card of their respective gangs.

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The fit for the last two core characters is a bit of a slant rhyme. We can say that Claire is Mac considering that theyre both the only gay members of their groups and that theyre usually the first to moralize. However, Erin doesnt feel like a perfect Frank, seeing as shes usually the last Derry Girl willing to get real weird with it and she isnt into Franks usual indulgences like guns, whoo-urs and hanging out under the bridge.

But, ultimately, its the spirit of the shows that connects Derry Girls to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia in their mutual audiences minds. Each episode is typically structured around the group trying to achieve a goal through an outrageous and likely illegal scheme, and it almost never ends with the characters getting what they want. However, Derry Girls tends to take a more empathetic approach to its characters lives, and empathy, even when its expressed eloquently, always feels a little bit out of place on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

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Oh, also, Paddys Pub is an Irish bar, but the many crucifixes in Derry Girls are decidedly not dripping with blood.
Artificial intelligence enthusiasts keep trying to bring The Simpsons to life through their soullessly generated slop, but their efforts will only ever pale in comparison to how one British TV channel put crooked smiles on so many Simpsons fans faces.

The intro to The Simpsons is arguably the most iconic opening sequence in television history. While the signature opener has undergone many changes in the 35 years since the show began  most for the worse  the core montage has generally remained intact and incredible over so many seasons. So, when one Simpsons fan decided to introduce their own twist on the intro sequence with a live-action, A.I.-generated video that debuted Adam Sandler playing Homer, the Simpsons purists of the internet objected to the sacrilege in the strongest terms possible.

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The Simpsons by Adam Sandler went super viral on Simpsons Twitter with 30.5 million views, but it also inspired backlash among many A.I.-averse fans, one of whom pointed out that, when it comes to live-action Simpsons, Sky One did it first.

The British television station Sky One, which was the home of The Simpsons throughout the 1990s and early 2000s as it aired daily episodes of America's greatest comedic cultural export, actually made two different live-action intros to promote its syndication deal with 20th Century Fox. The first live-action Simpsons intro, which Sky One debuted in 2000, celebrated the shows 10th anniversary. But because it was such a huge hit the first time around, Sky One decided to do an encore performance in 2006, thus giving the world two of the most loving live-action tributes to The Simpsons that only humans could create.

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While the uncanny and near-but-certainly-not-lifelike appearance of The Simpsons by Adam Sandler will inevitably impress some fans on a technical level, theres an unmistakable difference in quality between the A.I. version and the real thing, lovingly and painstakingly planned and executed by living, breathing, die-hard Simpsons fans.

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Of course, the original poster of The Simpsons by Adam Sandler" didnt have to spend the likely tens of thousands of pounds that Sky One used to create such masterpieces. Sadly, real-life creatives like the ones who made these intros may still have to compete with A.I. artists who exert as much effort into completing their inferior projects as Homer's drinking bird.
A not insubstantial number of former Saturday Night Live cast members have gone on to direct feature films. The latest example of this trend is Kyle Mooney, who is following up his acclaimed dramedy Brigsby Bear with the soon-to-be-released Y2K, which basically looks like if Stephen Kings Maximum Overdrive was a teen comedy (and also not powered by cocaine).

But not every SNL alum has been quite so successful when it comes to the arena of filmmaking. In fact, some of Lorne Michaels former employees have helmed movie projects that were the cinematic equivalent of that one SNL episode hosted by Steven Seagal.

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Some of the worst movies directed by former SNL stars include

Dan Aykroyds Nothing But Trouble It takes an especially terrible movie to make one feel any kind of sympathy for Chevy Chase. Written and directed by Aykroyd, 1991s Nothing But Trouble is a grotesque horror-comedy turd about two yuppies who get railroaded by an elderly small-town judge (played by Aykroyd in full Spirit Halloween makeup, complete with a dong-shaped nose for some reason). Its painfully unfunny, hopelessly boring and completely wastes an impressive cast, which also includes Demi Moore and the great John Candy (also Tupac, weirdly).

] Chris Rocks I Think I Love My Wife While his most recent film as a director, Top Five, wasnt bad, Rocks earlier effort, I Think I Love My Wife, was a sloppy remake of an acclaimed French film, all about a horny husband who desperately wants to cheat on his wife, but ultimately decides not to. What a hero. Incidentally this movie was written by Rock and Louis CK, two guys who probably shouldnt have been offering any sort of commentary on how to maintain a healthy marriage.

Harry Shearers Teddy Bears Picnic Years after proving his directorial capabilities with the Martin Mull-hosted Cinemax mockumentary series The History of White People in America, Shearer made the less successful comedy Teddy Bears Picnic in 2002. Even with a cast featuring some of Shearers hilarious friends, like Bob Einstein, Fred Willard and Spinal Tap pal Michael McKean, this satire about an elite mens club retreat is a complete mess. Shearer reportedly self-funded the low-budget project using his Simpsons money. Thats why theres a Thank You to Rupert Murdoch at the end of the credits, Shearer explained in a 2002 interview. Its his money, he just doesnt know it. It just kind of flowed through me."
What a pal! Comedian Rob Schneider showed up at the premiere of Adam Sandlers Netflix special Love You this week with a copy of his new book, You Can Do It!, firmly in his grip. Theres no better way to support a friends project than hopping on his platform to promote your own stuff.

Speaking of self-promotion, Schneider used the red carpet to tell The Hollywood Reporter that hes killing it as a comedian these days, despite recently being kicked off the stage at events ranging from a hospital fundraiser to a gathering of Republican muckety-mucks.

When people are yelling at him during sets, that simply means Im doing it right, he boasted. The thing about free speech is, free speech is all speech. Free speech isnt for the nice stuff. It isnt for the socially acceptable stuff. Free speech is the speech that challenges you. Free speech is the not-nice stuff. Easy speech or speech thats acceptable to everybody doesnt need any protection. Im there to challenge the audience.

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Do I need to free-speech mention that Rob Schneiders new free-speech book is about free speech?

For more evidence that Schneider is doing it right, look no further than the statement issued by the Hospitals of Regina Foundation after potential donors walked out on jokes about vaccines, womens rights and the persecution of white men. We do not condone, accept, endorse or share Mr. Schneiders positions as expressed during his comedy set, it read. An unconditional apology was offered right after to our guests and our community. We reiterate this sincere and unconditional apology today, for any offense caused by Mr. Schneiders recent comedy set, at the Four Seasons Ball.

The fact that a charity was appalled by Schneiders behavior just reinforces his bad-boy comedy credentials, he explained. People get upset about things now. And thats okay, he said. I think the more challenging the comedy is and society is, the more interesting the stand-up and art is going to be. When everythings smooth, art is boring. So the 90s could have been kind of boring, but this is a good time now, and its a challenging time.

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Theres at least one person who isnt walking out on Schneider these days. Thats Sandler, the only guy outside of Tucker Carlson whos hanging out with the persecuted comedian in public. According to Schneider, heres how the Sandmans comedy invitation went down:

SANDLER: Hey buddy, when can you come?

SCHNEIDER: For what?

SANDLER: Just can you come out here?

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With no more charity or political events on his calendar, Schneider had plenty of time to drop by the taping of Sandlers special. The next thing you know, Schneider found himself on stage, no doubt holding up a copy of You Can Do It for the cameras.

He always includes me, Schneider said about the guy who's cast him in at least 15 movies. Its a lovely thing.
Elizabeth Wilson is an intern on the breaking news team. She is a rising senior at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo majoring in journalism with a minor in political science. She has lived in San Francisco for the past decade and is excited to join the breaking news team. Wilson was most recently a fellow for the CalMatters College Journalism Network, where she covered higher education policy. She previously interned at the San Luis Obispo Tribune. At her campus paper, Wilson is a data and investigations reporter. Her award-winning reporting has focused on student experiences with campus safety. In her free time, she enjoys walking around the city, watching nostalgic TV shows and finding new music.
Northern spotted owls, two of which are seen here, are being pushed out of their habitat by invasive barred owls. Danny Hofstadter, Peery Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Lab, University of Wisconsin at Madison

Jack Dumbacher recalled the somber silence after the shot.

The wildlife geneticist had called out into the dark of the Klamath National Forest, mimicking the hoots of a barred owl, and lured a bird out of the shadows and into his colleagues flashlight beams. Dumbacher took aim and fired.

On that night 15 years ago, Dumbacher was testing a theory that is now the basis for a controversial plan, expected to be finalized in the coming days or weeks, to protect the threatened northern spotted owl. The goal: reducing the population of its primary, and invasive, competitor.

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I remember watching the owl drop to the ground, said Dumbacher, who is curator of ornithology at the California Academy of Sciences. Its terrible to have to do this, but its also terrible to do nothing.

Barred owls have expanded into West Coast forests over the last four decades from their native range in the northeastern United States. But where barred owls appear, the iconic and native northern spotted owl disappears.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to allow licensed professionals to kill, at most, 450,000 barred owls over 30 years in California, Oregon and Washington to protect not just the northern spotted owl but also the forest ecosystems where the threatened bird evolved.

Kessina Lee, a state supervisor with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife in Oregon, which developed the plan, said her agency expects far fewer barred owls to actually be culled through the program. And that eye-popping number still only represents less than half of a percent of the global barred owl population.

The program is voluntary for landowners, such as public land agencies, tribal governments and timber companies, and there is no associated funding.

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A spokesperson for Sierra Pacific Industries, the largest private landowner in California, said the company oversees 1.5 million acres of commercial timberland in the state in which it is required to protect both the habitat of the northern spotted owl habitat and the California spotted owl, a close cousin native to the Sierra Nevada. The companys wildlife biologists have been studying the impacts of barred owl removal in collaboration with the service for several years to help determine the appropriate level of barred owl management needed to conserve spotted owl populations in the long term, the spokesperson said.

Lee said that the services objective is to create sanctuaries where spotted owls can thrive without competition from the more aggressive and successful barred owl. Many barred owls will likely be left unharmed.

Were really at a crossroads, Lee said. If we dont act now, we will only have barred owls on the landscape.

Barred owls eat a broader range of prey, including rodents, salamanders, frogs and smaller owls. The northern spotted owl eats only rodents, primarily flying squirrels and wood rats.

Scientists believe that the proliferation of barred owls threatens to knock western forest ecosystems further out of balance. Theyre out there hoovering up everything in the forest, Lee said.

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In experiments conducted over the last decades, scientists found that spotted owls returned to habitats when barred owls were removed.

Opponents of the plan have argued its cruel. In a July letter, animal rights organizations Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy said the service was turning from protector to persecutor of American wildlife.

Every sensible person wants to save spotted owls from extinction, but strategies that kill a half-million look-alike forest owls must be taken off the table in violating our norms about proper treatment of any native owl species in North America, wrote Animal Wellness Action President Wayne Pacelle.

But many environmental groups support the proposal.

Tom Wheeler, executive director of the Environmental Protection Information Center, a nonprofit conservation group in Eureka, said that ensuring the northern spotted owl survives helps to safeguard forest ecosystems that have been severely harmed by human activity, including logging and development.

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We humans caused this problem, so we have an enhanced moral obligation to try to prevent the extinction of the northern spotted owl, Wheeler said.

The northern spotted owl has been nearly lost from forests in British Columbia, Washington and Oregon, pushed toward extinction by the widespread logging of old growth forests. Their populations have also severely dwindled in its Northern California range spreading north of San Francisco. Marin County is a last bastion for spotted owls because barred owls have yet to proliferate there. Preventing further incursion is crucial, Dumbacher said.

The plan also aims to protect the California spotted owl.

Opponents of the plan have said authorities risk killing the wrong animal because spotted and barred owls are visually similar.

Robin Bown, who is leading the services barred owl management program, said even novice birders can quickly learn to tell the birds apart. The permit will allow only trained and licensed professionals to hunt the owls. They will have to take certain measures to confirm owl species, by listening for the barred owls unique calls and confirming certain visual features. They will be required to take photographs and measurements of the owl, and then bury it near the area where it was found.

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Barred owls are light gray in color with vertical brown stripes and a white face. They have a distinctive series of hoots, often described as sounding like: Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?

Northern spotted owls are a deep chocolate brown with horizontal white spots and have a brown face with a distinct white X around their eyes. Their calls include two or three short barking hoots followed by a louder sound like hooo-ah.

If they cant be sure, they are to walk away, Bown said of the hunters.

If the Fish and Wildlife Service moves forward with the plan, the agency also must acquire a permit under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to cull barred owls. Even then, the service must renew the program every three years to ensure the plan is working.

As for Dumbacher, he said he understands those who are against killing one animal to save another. But he became convinced after seeing consistent data showing spotted owls returned to places where barred owls had been removed.
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) on Wednesday abandoned its multi-year effort against Clearview AI, which it had ordered to stop collecting images of people in Australia after accusing the company of improperly grabbing images of faces from across the Internet.

The OAIC decision went out of its way to not withdraw its accusations, and it even suggested that Clearview never stopped the practice, nor did it apparently delete images. But OAIC said that it decided it wasnt worth the resources to pursue given that Clearview is facing so many other investigations.

We reiterate that the determination against Clearview AI still stands, Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind said in a statement. I have given extensive consideration to the question of whether the OAIC should invest further resources in scrutinizing the actions of Clearview AI, a company that has already been investigated by the OAIC and which has found itself the subject of regulatory investigations in at least three jurisdictions around the world as well as a class action in the United States, Kind said. Considering all the relevant factors, I am not satisfied that further action is warranted in the particular case of Clearview AI at this time.
Damon Roberts, 20, faces multiple gun-related charges in Alameda County Superior Court pertaining to the Aug. 1 shooting of Run Hua Kuang. Rafe Swan/Getty Image

Run Hua Kuang was taking a nap after work in his Oakland apartment when a bullet fired from his neighbors unit pierced a wall and struck him in the head.

The Aug. 1 shooting left the 33-year-old father on life support, according to his sister.

Police allege Damon Roberts, who lives next door with his mother, fired the round. Roberts, 20, faces several gun-related charges in Alameda County Superior Court in connection with the shooting. On Wednesday, he appeared in court in a jail suit, but his plea hearing was postponed until Aug. 27.

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His attorney was also in court but declined to comment on the case.

The shooting occurred on East 19th Street near 23rd Avenue, according to the Oakland Housing Authority Police Department.

Kuang, a delivery truck driver who immigrated to the U.S. from China in 2005, was shot as he took a nap after coming home from work, according to a GoFundMe page his sister created to raise funds for his family. The bullet pierced Kuangs headboard, struck his head and exited out his left eye, the page states.

After the shooting, Kuang, a husband and father of two children, underwent a seven-hour surgery and was placed on life support, according to the page.

The page describes Kuang as the sole provider for his family. His life was built upon being disciplined and devoted as a husband, father, and son, the page states.

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An update on Kuangs condition was not immediately available Wednesday.

Roberts was arrested Aug. 12 and booked into jail without bail.

Roberts was convicted of robbery in Alameda County in 2021 and 2022. As a result of the two felony convictions, he was prohibited from having guns and ammunition.
People eat dinner, wait for tables and drink at the bar at Sunset Reservoir Brewing Co. in 2015 in San Francisco. Leah Millis/The Chronicle Owner Hilary Passman, center, chats with relatives Zach Passman, right, and her uncle, Steven Passman, left, while her oldest daughter helps George Passman, 7, with a puzzle at Sunset Reservoir Brewing Co. in 2015 in San Francisco. Leah Millis/The Chronicle

An Outer Sunset favorite for craft beer and artist performances will close at the end of the month.

Sunset Reservoir Brewing Co., at 1735 Noriega St. in San Francisco, announced on Instagram that it will pour its last frosty Kolsches and hopped-up IPAs on Aug. 31. The post did not specify any motives behind the decision to end operations. We had an amazing decade of love, memories and award-winning brews. Over the next couple of weeks we hope to create a few more unforgettable memories with all of you, the message partially read.

Owner Hilary Passman said she is closing the brewery to focus on her other company, Devils Teeth Baking Co., and its three locations  including her downtown popup going permanent as part of the city-sponsored Vacant to Vibrant program. A downturn in business was not a factor in closing, she said.

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Hilary Passman, owner of the Sunset Reservoir Brewing Co. in 2015 in San Francisco. Leah Millis/The Chronicle

Passman said the space will have a new tenant, described as an experienced restaurateur who lives in the neighborhood, in the coming months. She declined to disclose any details of the incoming business.

Change is hard, but change is good, Passman said.

The bar opened in 2015 during a high time for craft beer in San Francisco. The opening garnered plenty of buzz, with hourslong waits. Since then, musical events and drag brunches were among the bar and restaurants regular fixtures, with customers biting into burgers, salads and tacos over pints. Passman believes the bar and restaurant was the first to do drag brunch in the Outer Sunset.

We wanted to be like a European pub where anybody of any ilk was welcome to hang out, she said.

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Brewing staff have picked up several accolades at national brewing competitions, such as the U.S. Open Beer Contest, bringing back medals in 2021 and 2022 for their cucumber gose and English-style pale ales.
A Patelco Credit Union Branch in Novato. Aidin Vaziri/The Chronicle The ATM at the Patelco Credit Union branch in Dublin in 2018. The credit union was hit by a major security breach in late June. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

This summer, Patelco Credit Unions half-million members lost access to most banking services for weeks after a huge ransomware attack. Now the credit union is saying members personal information was accessed in the breach.

The notice of data breach, which is required by law, was issued late Tuesday by Patelco, the third-largest credit union in the Bay Area, with more than $9 billion in assets. It said that the June 29 ransomware attack involved unauthorized access to some of our databases.

According to the statement, the credit union and external cybersecurity professionals conducted an investigation, which revealed that an unauthorized party gained access to our network on May 23, 2024, leading to access to the databases on June 29, 2024.

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The databases accessed in the attack contained Patelco members information, the statement said: Following the investigation and a thorough review of the data involved, we confirmed on August 14, 2024, that the accessed databases contained your personal information.

The investigation did not determine which specific data was accessed, Patelco said  Accordingly, we are notifying individuals whose information was in those databases.

A Patelco spokesperson reached by the Chronicle could not say how many members data may have been accessed.

The information in the databases included the first and last names, Social Security numbers, drivers license numbers, date of birth and email addresses of current and former Patelco members and employees, the statement said. Not every data element was present for every individual, it said.

The credit union is offering members 24 months of free identity theft protection and credit monitoring through Experian IdentityWorks. It also said members could place a security alert on their credit files or freeze them with the credit bureaus, and gave instructions for obtaining a free copy of their credit report.

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Patelco said members with questions or concerns can call a confidential toll-free response line at 833-251-9595 weekdays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Some more ways to protect yourself: Use what the National Cybersecurity Alliance calls the core four best practices. They are:

1. Use unique passwords

Dont use the same password for everything, especially not your main email account or your banking accounts. Dont use any of the 10,000 most frequently used passwords.

2. Use two-factor authentication wherever you can

Multifactor authentication means youll have to wait a few seconds for a text or call to verify your identity before you can log in to your email or bank account. It adds a crucial extra layer of protection from thieves.

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3. Keep your phone and computer software up to date

Make sure your phone and computer always have the latest software available. If youre not sure an update youre being offered is legitimate, search online to see whether theres been one recently.

4. Be aware of phishing scams and how to avoid them

Dont tell someone your password or two-factor authentication code in an email or over the phone. Be wary of any text or email asking you for any personal information or offering a too-good-to-be-true job offer or investment opportunity.
While a new biography claims the late Queen found President Trump 'very rude', what were her instincts regarding Vladimir Putin whom she met in 2003?

Then home secretary David Blunkett, who was present with his guide dog during the official reception for the Russian tyrant, revealed: 'My dog barked very loudly [at Putin].

'I did apologise to the Queen, saying, 'Sorry Your Majesty, about the dog barking'. She said, 'Dogs have interesting instincts don't they, Mr Blunkett?'

A new biography claims the late Queen found President Trump 'very rude', what did she think of Vladimir Putin when he came to London in 2003?

Putin came to Britain for a four-day state visit as Russian leader

Queen Elizabeth II hosted President Vladimir Putin at Buckingham Palace in June 2003

Then home secretary David Blunkett (right) was present with his guide dog that barked loudly at the Russian president

James Taylor's rendition of his 1971 hit You've Got A Friend dropped at Democratic Convention

Ex-BBC correspondent Jon Sopel notes American star James Taylor's rendition of his 1971 hit You've Got A Friend was dropped at the Democratic National Convention, supposedly due to scheduling issues.

Sopel points out: 'Which deprived Joe Biden from listening to the lyric 'when you're down and troubled and you need a helping hand, and nothing, nothing is going right'.' Who thought it appropriate in the first place?

Noises off for Duke and Duchess of Sussex

Why do the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's videos have no sound, depriving us of eavesdropping on their chit-chat while on parade?

Former BBC royal correspondent Michael Cole suggests: 'Perhaps to avoid instances such as the one when TV cameras (with sound) filmed them coming out of a door, side-by-side, and Meghan snapping at Harry, 'HAND!'  obliging him to clasp hers for the camera.'

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex hold hands at an engagement while on their trip to Colombia

Toyah Wilcox addresses morbid rumours

So famous that Coronation Street called a character after her  'they had my blessing for that'  upcoming Strictly contestant Toyah Willcox, 66, pictured, was asked in Uncut magazine if it was true that she once slept in a coffin.

Singer-songwriter and actress Toyah Wilcox will appear on Strictly Come Dancing 2024

She replied: 'I tried. We lived opposite a funeral parlour, and we got on very well with them. They also had a morgue for people who'd just died. I remember once they said, 'did I want to come in and see Dick Emery?' Absolutely, no! Not right'

Kamala inspires Loose Women's Kaye

Kaye Adams, 61, of ITV's Loose Women, says on her podcast How To Be 60: 'Kamala Harris has really helped me rethink 60, cos she's 59 but in terms of the coverage of this election now she is the young buck, she's on TikTok, she's cool, she's happening.

'The energy around her is incredible. But she is nearly 60. It's all about framing, isn't it? Because she's been framed as young, she IS young and yet she's 59.

'And in another conversation you could think 'Oh God they're 59!' It is about just framing your thinking. Anyway that's my cod psychology.'

And we're all the wiser for hearing it, surely!

Loose Women presenter Kaye Adams says US presidential candidate Kamala Harris has taught her about how to be 60

Long live Kathy Lette!

Highlighting a study in the BMJ stating Australians have the longest life expectancy, London-based Antipodean socialite Kathy Lette says in the Sydney Morning Herald: 'This has caused a bit of a kerfuffle among Britons, who don't like to think of Aussies as superior in any way.'

A saucy 65, Kathy adds: 'My own maternal grandma lived to 101 and my beloved mum has just turned 93.' So irrepressible Ms Lette is due to be name-dropping for a good while yet!
A popular bakery in Queensland has just taken the crown for the best sausage roll in the country.

Kenilworth Bakery, on the Sunshine Coast, beat out fierce competition with their sausage rolls and were named the 'best in Australia' in the Wotif 2024 Uniquely Australia awards.

The travel app's annual awards are across six different, distinctly Aussie experiences and are a guide to the nations best 'local gems'.

The pastry institution behind the winning sausage roll is already famous for buns, pies and a viral 'coffee in donut' which fans line up for up for hours to get their hands on.

But it's their 'impressively long' $25 one kilogram sausage roll (which also comes in a smaller size for $5) - that Aussies have driven for hours to try - that scored top marks in Wotif's most competitive category.

Owner Jenna Sanders 'incredibly crafted' creation is a mammoth log of butter-kissed golden pastry encasing a perfectly rich savoury sausage filling.

Ms Sanders spoke to FEMAIL and said that her 'secret family recipe' has been passed down through three generations and uses oats instead of just breadcrumbs.

'The oats soak up the flavour really well which is one of the many reasons why our sausage roll is so popular.'

Wotif's Uniquely Australian Awards 2024 crowned Kenilworth Bakery on the Sunshine Coast as home to Australia's best sausage roll

Jenna Sanders from Kenilworth Bakery won the award - which was the most hotly contested across all six Wotif categories, with the most Aussies voting

The handmade sausage rolls are made with absolutely no machinery and are also baked fresh every day.

If you manage to eat Australia's best sausage roll in one sitting - and all of the tomato sauce that it requires - the bakery will even give you your money back.

But Kenilworth's head baker and owner thinks it's 'sacrilegious' to use any tomato sauce on a sausage roll: 'A good sausage roll doesn't need the sauce.'

Jenna said that they sell about 2,000 of the popular rolls during a standard week, and even more during school holidays - and she is easily able to finish one of the 1KG rolls in one sitting.

The popular bakery also enjoys a cult following for 'amazing' 1kg donuts, including the jam and cream and 'strawberry snake' - selling 5,000 every Saturday.

Kenilworth Bakery beat out other finalists such as beloved SA baker Banana Boogie Bakery for the best sausage roll in the country according to Aussies voting in Wotif's 2024 annual awards

The other bakeries in the running for selling the best sausage roll Bourke Street Bakery (NSW) Rolling Pin (VIC) Ben's Bakehouse (NT) Emu Lane (WA) Three Mills Bakery (ACT) Banana Boogie Bakery (SA) Summer Kitchen (TAS Advertisement

Other state finalists in the best sausage roll category were Bourke Street Bakery (NSW), Rolling Pin (VIC), Ben's Bakehouse (NT), Emu Lane (WA), Three Mills Bakery (ACT), Banana Boogie (SA) and Summer Kitchen (TAS).

Thousands of Aussies participating in Wotif's awards also voted across another five categories that included: Best Finger Bun, Best Hotel Bar, Best Surf Club, Best Lookout Point and Best Regional Museum.

Cult Sydney foodie destination Humble Bakery in Surry Hills, took out the gong for Best Finger Bun in Australia for their Insta-famous iced-pink sticky buns.

Other Wotif award winners were The Terrace Rooftop Bar (QLD) for Best Hotel Bar, Henley Surf Life Saving Club (SA) for Best Surf Club and Wineglass Bay Lookout (TAS) for Best Lookout Point in Australia.

Travel expert Rebecca Hurley said the Uniquely Aussie Awards are all about spotlighting the country's best experiences and providing some travel-inspo ahead of the warmer months.

The Terrace Rooftop Bar (QLD) won Wotif's Best Hotel Bar

Wineglass Bay Lookout in Freycinet, Tasmania won Best Lookout Point in Australia

'With thousands of entries across the six categories, the awards show Aussies are eager to share their local travel favourites,' she said.

'However, it is the classic sausage roll which caused the most debate, earning the title of the most voted category by Aussies.'

Those tempted to visit one of Kenilworth Bakery's locations might be convinced by one Aussie who endured a two hour trek just to sample the 'insanely good' treats.

'I have never been so impressed with a sausage roll. Awesome, made my day,' she said.
Ask any woman over 40 on a dating app and she'll confirm this.

A decent looking woman in midlife can pull a great-looking guy in his 20s or 30sbut not an out of shape 56-year-old, bald and beer-gutted, with numerous aches and pains.

That guy still ticks the 'under 40' box as the cut off for women he wants to meet, curiously confident he will be attractive to this group.

It's one reason why many midlife women are discovering the joys of dating someone much younger than them  and there are many more.

Two in five women on the dating app Feeld are now open to meeting members who are 15 or more years younger than them.

US Census data shows the percentage of marriages between older women and younger men has grown in the past two decades: 14 per cent of marriages of women over 50 was to a partner younger by least five years.

Not only is it easier for women to date younger men, those that do are happier. An American study of 300 women found women with a partner at least ten years younger are happier than those with partners their own age or older.

Sex and relationships expert Tracey Cox (pictured) spoke to midlife women who choose to date younger men rather than their own contemporaries

All hail Sienna

We can thank celebrities for helping derogatory terms like 'cougar' and 'cradle-snatcher'  applied to women who dated younger men but never the reverse  to disappear.

Cher's at it  dating a 38-year-old at 78-years-old  but then she's always been at it. (Good for her!) It's when respected actresses like Sienna Miller have a baby with a partner who is 15 years younger, that the taboo gets challenged.

In a recent magazine interview, Sienna said younger men respect women more because they've grown up with a slightly more level playing field.

Guess what? She's right.

Actress Sienna Miller (left), 42, is in a relationship with actor Oli Green (right), 27

It takes a certain type

Not all young men are open to dating women older than them: they tend to be self-assured, mature and confident enough to make unconventional choices.

It's not just any woman who suits this arrangement, either.

The type of woman who's inclined to go out with a younger man is usually better than average looking. Let's be brutally honest here: physical appearance is nearly always the initial attractor. These women don't necessarily look younger than their age, but they do have buckets of sex appeal.

I interviewed a wide range of women (ranging in age from 46 to 61) who've dated a man at least ten years younger to find out what their experience was.

Here's what I discovered.

'I thought I'd feel self-conscious naked, but he made me feel like the sexiest woman alive'

Nicole, 51, has been dating men younger than her for more than six years.

'When people ask why I don't date men my own age, the answer is because they don't want to date me!

'Any female over 45 will share my frustration with how older men behave on dating apps. Well, the feeling is mutual now I've gone younger. It's a totally different experience  and a lot more positive.

'The first young guy I went out with was also the only decent guy who responded to my profile.

'At first, I thought it was a joke  why would a guy that young and good-looking want to date me? We arranged to meet, and I was convinced he'd either not turn up or run once he saw me in real life. He did neither. We had a brilliant evening and there was no pressure for sex at the end of it.

'I asked why he chose me over a younger woman, and he said he was tired of their "dramas and insecurity". Part of me bristled, aware I was guilty of both in my 20s as well, but it made me realise just how confident I was now compared to then. I could see the appeal of being with a woman who didn't cling or want commitment.

One 51-year-old woman told Tracey Cox that sex with her younger lover was 'fantastic' (stock image)

'We had sex after date three (yes, that old rule stuck!) and it was fantastic. I thought I'd feel self-conscious, but I didn't. He made me feel like the sexiest woman alive.

'The oral sex he gave me was the best I've ever had. I couldn't get enough of him and we saw each other for four months. It ran its course after that: we still text but I don't want a serious relationship, just a bit of fun.

'Since then, I've dated three other younger men and each was an enjoyable, ego-boosting experience.

'I don't raise too many eyebrows doing what I do though I got a bit of resistance at the start from my daughter, who's 24. She was a bit funny about me dating men not much older than her. But now she knows I'm not going to marry one and make her call him 'Dad', she thinks it's liberating.

'My Mum wishes she could have her time over again so she could do the same and my Dad says men have been doing it for years, so why shouldn't women?

'My married girlfriends are deeply envious and want all the intimate details. I don't think I'll settle down with a much younger man but, who knows? Never say never.'

Younger men are more appealing because...

They look great

Let's acknowledge the less woke but obvious appeal first, shall we? Youth is attractive physically. Young men are energetic, more muscle-bound and have penises that spring to attention within seconds.

But while this is a definite plus, most of the women I spoke to say the following quality is what appeals more

Data from the popular dating app Feeld reveals that two in five women are now open to meeting members 15 years (or more) their junior (stock image)

They're more positive about life

World weary, depressed at not having achieved what he'd hoped, feeling undervalued and judged by a woke world he doesn't quite understandThe 'grumpy old man' label fits a lot of older men.

Here's why I love older women (by younger men dating them)

Here's what younger men told me when I asked what they liked about dating older women. 'They're not hanging around waiting for a man to fill their life. You don't become her life, you become a part of hers. There's more freedom to be your own person.' 'Of course, older women are better in bed. They're less inhibited, more willing to try new things and  ironically  worry less about their bodies than younger girls do. They're more accepting of their flaws.' 'My girlfriend is 12 years older than me and it shows in all the right ways. She challenges me intellectually, provides a different perspective on life and she's wise. It's a hell of a lot more interesting than watching a young girl incessantly scrolling through Instagram.' 'There's no pressure to settle down and have a baby because she's done that already. The focus is on fun and sex not commitment.' 'Young women obsess about their looks and weight. It's exhausting constantly having to reassure them. Older women are more comfortable in their skin.' 'The sex is fantastic. Older women know what they're doing, they don't overreact when things go wrong, they take charge. They're also not scared to make the first move. They pick you up rather than the other way around.' Advertisement

Younger men are less jaded. They're more fun, spontaneous, curious about the world and exciting. Their energy and enthusiasm for life is both refreshing and invigorating.

The sex is better

Many women in midlife experience a renewed sense of sexual freedom and confidence.

They're more likely to take the lead and become the sexual aggressor than a younger woman - and less likely to lie back and let him do all the work. It's nearly always good news if the woman takes control because we focus less on intercourse.

Sex becomes more about giving each other pleasure and enjoying the journey  the only real way to ensure both of you have an orgasm during partnered sex.

Young men have grown up with the 'she comes first' mantra, they know about the orgasm gap, what a clitoris is, where to find it and how to stimulate it. In short, they're more sexually savvy. The more a man knows about a woman's sexual response system, the better lover he will be.

They've grown up in a more female-friendly, enlightened age

It's not just the sexual messaging that's better, young men are less sexist. Their mothers invariably worked as well as their fathers; she might well have earned more than him.

Today's young men grow up hearing terms like 'emotional intelligence' and 'self-care'. Men in their 50s can be oblivious to concepts like this. They're less likely to have done work on themselves; less open to new ways of thinking.

The older women I spoke to say the younger men they've dated had an emotional intelligence and maturity they don't see in men their own age.

They're not stuck in their ways

Dating a younger guy often means you're introduced to new ideas, trends and perspectives. They're more flexible in their views and less set in their ways. Life is infinitely more interesting than existing with an 'It's-Thursday-so-it-must-be-egg-and-chips' man.

There's less emotional baggage

Fewer scars from past relationships means a less cynical view of life  not to mention a healthier bank balance that hasn't been decimated by divorce settlements.

Who would YOU rather date? The one who thinks all women are 'crazy b****es' or one who likes women?
Viewers and critics alike have ardently praised a new BBC X-rated sitcom about a tetraplegic woman - which contains some very explicit sexual scenes for its representation of disabled storylines.

Fans of the new hit show We Might Regret This have gushed about the 'funny, quippy and tense' programme which was created by Toronto-born artist Kyla Harris, who moved to the UK some 10 years ago.

Kyla, who co-wrote and created the show with long-time friend Lee Getty, is a wheelchair user, who has some use of her arms.

Though fictional, the series is inspired by some of the experiences shared by the two friends when Lee was working as Kyla's personal assistant (PA) some decades ago, a job she accepted not long after they met (which they now describe as a 'total risk'), but which ultimately yielded a strong bond.

Lee does not appear onscreen, but Kyla does, playing a 30-something Canadian artist and tetraplegic Freya who has moved to London for 50-something lawyer Abe (played by Darren Boyd) with whom she's having a fast-moving relationship, with the two moving in together.

Fans of the new hit show We Might Regret This have gushed about the 'funny, quippy and tense' programme which was created by Toronto-born artist Kyla Harris, who moved to the UK some 10 years ago. Kyla Harris (pictured, left) playing Freya in We Might Regret This with fellow actor Elena Saurel (who plays her friend and PA Jo)

Social media has been impressed with not only the show's wit - as some have hailed it 'the BBCs smartest, sharpest sitcom since Fleabag' but its masterful handling of disabled love stories.

'It's about adult friendships, romance and it's done with a disabled lens,' one penned. 'I'm so freaking happy to see this on screen.'

'Interesting show!,' another added. 'There are some great well developed characters in it and I like how disability is incidental to the story and not the starting end of each plot point.'

A third agreed, writing: 'You have no idea how long I waited for a story like that... with disability representation and romance.'

Meanwhile critics have praised the show as a 'ribald disability romcom that knows no boundaries' as well as 'witty TV that is totally liberating to watch'.

The Telegraph's Jasper Rees was full of admiration for the programme's punchy dialogue, while the Guardian was very positive in its review of the ensemble cast.

Elsewhere, The Times celebrated the sitcom's laugh out loud moments while the Independent revered its handling of emotionally complex issues.

The bold series immediately shows viewers that it is unafraid to push boundaries, with the first episode opening on a sex scene between Freya and Abe. However, the moment is ruined when a PA comes into the room.

Fans of the new hit show We Might Regret This have gushed about the 'funny, quippy and tense' programme. Pictured: Kyla Harris and Darren Boyd

Social media has been impressed with not only the show's wit - as some have hailed it 'the BBCs smartest, sharpest sitcom since Fleabag ' but its masterful handling of disabled love stories

Within the first few minutes of the programme, the PA asks Freya invasive questions about whether she has sensation 'down there'.

This is something that Kyla has experienced in her real life, as she discussed on BBC Radio 4's Women's Hour.

Speaking about how she hopes the programme may help people understand disability better, Kyla said: 'I am a wheelchair user...I need assistance with daily activities and personal care.

'So for instance, I need people to...open doors for me or help me pee, and so I'd have 24 hour care to assist with that.'

She went on to explain the misconceptions, prejudice and ableism that affects disabled people evert day.

'We're hoping that We Might Regret This is an antidote to that,' Kyla continued. 'Lee was my personal care assistant on and off for 10 years.'

In a BBC interview promoting the series, Kyla further explained this idea, saying: 'So much of what we see on screen about disability is made by non-disabled people, theyre often stories of tragedy or inspiration and really shape how people view disability - both for non-disabled people and how disabled people internalise stories about themselves.

'As disabled people are the most underrepresented group in front of and behind the screen, we really want to contribute to changing how people currently define disability and the disabled experience.'

THE TELEGRAPH

Rating:

Giving it four stars out of five, Jasper Rees of The Telegraph enjoyed the show's punchy dialogue and unapologetic honesty.

'The writing, tangy and ribald, is at its most nakedly truthful when portraying what feels rooted in lived experience: when Freya embraces freedom in a motorised wheelchair, say, or when working as a model her disability is exploited by the able-bodied but empty-headed,' the critic said.

'As for the casual nudity, rare in television comedy, it looks like a defiant way of normalising disability. That, and all the touching scenes involving her urethra.'

THE GUARDIAN

Rating:

The Guardian also awarded the sitcom four out five stars, calling it 'very funny' as well as cleverly written.

Frances Ryan added that the show is equally strong in its stellar cast, who all perfectly land the dynamics between the characters.

'There is Abes soon-to-be ex-wife, Jane (played with fantastic dryness by Sally Phillips), and his wayward son,'the critic explained.

'Levi (Edward Bluemel), who is busy trying to get into bed with Jo. Some of the funniest early scenes come from Freyas outgoing PA, Ty (Aasiya Shah), who plays "well-meaning but useless"with aplomb. Part of the humour comes from the way their relationship subverts how we are often told to treat disability and care.

'Freya isnt a helpless figure portrayed as lucky to have a carer. She is an adult in control who is increasingly exasperated by her employee ("Shes going to make me commit a crime").'

THE TIMES

Rating:

Carol Midgley of The Times gave the show four out of five stars, saying that you'll find yourself laughing out loud seconds into episode one.

She also expressed how well the format works, thanks to Freya serving as the 'perfect lead character'.

'She is clever and wisecracking but can also be stroppy, as can Abe,' the review read.

'The therapy sessions with Abe and his ex Jane (Sally Phillips) are brilliantly written and acted. They are here to discuss their grief over a dead son and Jane says she is "bored".'

THE INDEPENDENT

Rating:

The Independent's Nick Hilton has praised the show's ability to propel emotional stories cleverly and with good pacing, giving it four out of five stars.

Not only are these scenes escalated well, but they are done so with excellently placed in comedy.

Nick also added that the storylines where disability is front and centre are 'unflinching yet accessible'.

'This is not a story of incidental disability: Freya's tetraplegia is the governing narrative force,' he explained.

'"She's half his age, but she uses a wheelchair," Jane tells her therapist, of her ex-husbands new squeeze. "So, you know, swings and roundabouts."

'In a sea of shows about inclusivity, it is refreshing to see one that embraces the exclusivity: the adaptations necessitated, the care required, the subtle uniqueness of each person in each position.'
A King's Guardsman and serving British soldier has been crowned the new Mr England.

Manuel Alcantara Turner, who has attended the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth's funeral, now has the chance to become the next Mr World.

The 22-year-old beat 12 other competitors to take the title at The City Rooms, in Leicester, yesterday evening after being whittled down from more than 150 entries.

Manuel, based in Windsor, Berkshire, joined the Army aged 16, and said it turned him from 'a boy into a man'.

He said: 'It's an absolute honour to win this. I will represent my country well and hopefully make everyone proud.

Manuel Alcantara Turner beat 12 other competitors to take the title at The City Rooms, in Leicester, yesterday evening

'I have been based out of Windsor with the British Army and have been since I was 16 but I'm originally from Newcastle.

'Since being in the Kings Guard I've been on ceremonial duties for the King's coronation and the Queen's funeral as well as the Queen's last birthday parade.

'In terms of actual soldiering, I've been deployed twice to Kenya and have been training Ukrainians.'

Manuel, who is originally from Whitley Bay, Tyneside, smiled for the cameras as he wore his Mister England sash and his trophy.

He can be seen in snap donning his full scarlet King's Guardsman uniform complete with the bearskin cap.

'This is the first time I've ever done anything like this, so I was quite nervous but I do think myself quite a charismatic kind of guy.

'I know my work would appreciate it and I checked with them just in case so time of work will not be an issue [for the Mr World contest].

'In terms of ambitions, it's to serve my country. That has always been my ambition and always will be.

Manuel said his ambition is to 'serve my country' adding that it has always been a dream of him

Manuel Alcantara Turner smiled for the cameras as he wore his Mister England sash and his trophy

Manuel Alcantara Turner said joining the Army aged 16 turned him from 'a boy into a man'

Manuel is pictured holding tropical fruit in his Army uniform. He joined the forces aged just 16

The 22-year-old went up against more than 150 entries before he was crowned Mr England

The soldier can be seen in snap donning his full scarlet King's Guardsman uniform complete with the bearskin cap

Manuel will now represent England in the next Mr World final and is pictured here with a cheetah

Manuel Alcantara Turner has been crowned the new Mr England - pictured with Miss England Milla Magee

'All I want to do is lay my life down for England so I think that's pretty deserving for Mr England.'

Manuel competed in an interview, fashion shoot and a catwalk round, which was hosted by the current Miss England Milla Magee.

The lifeguard - dubbed the 'Cornish Pamela Anderson' - had taken to her local beach in the hunt for entries after the contest suffered a 'hunk shortage' early on.

Manuel will now represent England in the next Mr World final due to be held in Vietnam in November.
As the summer holidays draw to a close, hundreds of thousands of students across the nation are bracing themselves for one of the most significant moments of their academic journey.

On Thursday, Year 10 and 11 pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive their GCSE results, with emotions running high as they anticipate the outcome of years of hard work.

At the weekend, experts said officials may be in favour of 'feel good results' this year, which means there could be a rise in top grades.

Alan Smithers, professor of education at Buckingham University, acknowledged we could also see a repeat of last week's surprise bumper A-level results, which were a record high for non-Covid times.

For those curious about how they might fare in a GCSE exam today, FEMAIL has compiled a selection of tricky maths questions featured in an AQA problem solving resource.

These questions - designed to challenge even the most confident mathematicians - offer a glimpse into the rigorous assessments students across the UK have tackled.

On Thursday, Year 10 and 11 pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive their GCSE results, with emotions running high as they anticipate the outcome of years of hard work

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Consider yourself a maths wiz? Try these real GCSE Maths questions We've picked out ten problem solving questions practice questions featured on examination board AQA's 90 Maths Problems resource. Scroll down to the box below for the answers - no peaking or cheating! 1. Bouncing Ball 2. Box Clever 3. Coins 4. Digitification 5. Put the numbers in 6. PQR 7. Purple Paint 8. Repeater 9. Square Root Range 10. Stamps Advertisement
The mother of Princess Beatrice's step-son has shown off her incredible figure in a bikini as she documented her sunny European getaway.

Dara Huang, 41, who shares eight-year-old Christopher 'Wolfie' with her ex Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, took to Instagram to share snaps of herself enjoying some handmade ice-cream.

The American architect posed in a chic swimsuit that showed off her enviable body, featuring a red top and black and white bottoms.

Wearing her raven tresses down, Dara smiled for the camera as she sampled the dessert from a stand.

Videos shared on social media also showed clips of fruit being cut up to be used in the sweet treat and later mixed in with dairy.

Dara Huang, 41, who shares eight-year-old Christopher 'Wolfie' with her ex Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi , took to Instagram to share snaps of herself enjoying some handmade ice-cream

'Ever wonder how ice cream is made?' she wrote in the caption. 'What happens when you have your own ice cream stand.'

It is not known what country Dara is currently in, but a later post of her snacking on a plate of fruit at the beach confirmed that the social media star, who has 66,600 Instagram followers, is in Europe for a 'working holiday'.

It comes as last month, she shared a sweet set of pictures on social media of herself and Wolfie enjoying a glamorous weekend away in Paris.

Dara - who has previously designed for Four Seasons hotels -wrote in her post that it had always been Wolfie's dream to see the Eiffel tower.

In the thread of pictures and videos, Dara shows Wolfie gazing up towards the Parisian architecture as his doting mother snaps a sweet picture from below.

In another picture, Dara sits hugging her young son in a restaurant while he leans into her shoulder for an affectionate cuddle.

Dara captioned the sweet Instagram post: 'We made it!!! Wolfies dream was to see the Eiffel Tower and we made his dreams come true this weekend.

'I had the most romantic weekend with my little man. Hard to believe Paris is only a two hour train journey from London.'

The mother of Princess Beatrice 's step-son has shown off her incredible figure in a bikini as she documented her sunny European getaway

Videos shared on social media also showed clips of fruit being cut up to be used in the sweet treat and later mixed in with dairy

The two didn't just tour the city for landmarks. Mother and son appeared to be staying at a luxurious country house, equipped with a swimming pool and a selection of large bedrooms.

Dara shared several videos posing in the many mirrors at the French home as well as several of Wolfie exploring the vast new territory.

In one clip, Wolfie is seen leaping into a large outdoor pool as Dara cheers him on from the sidelines, congratulating the bomb dive.

Christopher 'Wolfie' Mapelli Mozzi was born on 28 March 2016. Dara and Edo chose to go their separate ways two years later, in 2018.

Edo and Beatrice are parents to two-year-old Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi, and co-parent 'Wolfie' with Dara and her current partner.

Wolfie made his first appearance at a royal engagement last December at the Together At Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey alongside Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

Princess Beatrice 's stepson Wolfie looked adorable as he made his first appearance at a royal engagement at the Princess of Wales ' Westminister Abbey carol concert in December 2023

Dara was born and grew up in America, to where her maternal grandfather had emigrated from Taiwan. She was granted British citizenship last year.

Speaking about the co-parenting dynamic between herself and her former fiance, Dura said she is glad her eight -year-old son has 'two sets of parents trying to help him on both sides'.

Dara added: 'It's all about your point of view. I don't understand people who are divorced and then hold their children as collateral; that doesnt make any sense.

'It's about creating a happy home and lifestyle.'

She told Harper's Bazaar: 'Wolfie has had two sets of parents trying to help him on both sides, and I just think, "The more, the merrier."

'I feel lucky to have such positive people around him, who really embrace him  because it didnt have to be so easy.'

Dara added: 'It's all about your point of view. I don't understand people who are divorced and then hold their children as collateral; that doesnt make any sense.

'It's about creating a happy home and lifestyle.'

Dara, a Harvard-educated architect who grew up in Florida, has an undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and transferred to the Ivy League school for her Masters in Architecture. She now lives in Chelsea in west London.
A business owner who moved to south east Asia was left horrified when her luscious locks, which were two-and-a-half ft long, fell out during her trio.

Holly Marie, 27, from Cardiff, was housebound for two months after the hair loss, which she blames on hard water in Bali, left her feeling 'ugly'.

Hollie arrived on the island in 2021 when she noticed her hair started thinning but was clueless why it was happening.

Within months she had lost the majority of her 30-inch long blonde hair after it became matted and 'huge chunks' fell out every time she brushed it.

This forced a horrified Hollie, who'd been wearing wigs for months to hide patches, to shave her head completely.

Holly Marie, originally from Cardiff, began to lose her hair after she moved out to Bali but couldn't understand what was causing the loss

Mortified, Hollie felt unable to leave her house for two months because she felt 'so ugly'.

After putting her hair loss down to stress, the sun or even alopecia, Hollie claims a hairdresser revealed the 'hard, poor quality' of the island's tap water was to blame.

To prevent other tourists from going through her 'traumatising' experience Hollie, who's lived in Bali for the last three years, set up her own shower filter business.

Documenting her hair journey on TikTok, Hollie shared a clip urging people to be aware of how water can affect hair and skin that went viral, racking up 786,800 views.

Before Hollie's hair loss began her luscious blonde locks were approximately 30 inches and down to her waist

Hollie had always had long hair so she couldn't understand why it started falling out when she moved

Shortly after she made the move to Bali, Hollie noticed her naturally blonde hair was coming out in clumps

Hollie documented her hair loss on TikTok, still none the wiser as to how and why it was falling out

After several months of living in Bali Hollie's hair had thinned out significantly

The business owner began wearing wigs to hide the increasingly thinning hair on her head

Pictured: Hollie Marie in a pink wig to cover up her hair loss

One shocking clip shows the large clumps of hair found on Hollie's brush after a single use.

Hollie, originally from Cardiff, Wales, said: 'It's horrifying. You just take a lot about yourself for granted, iIt's such a shock when things like this happen.

'I noticed I was losing hair, but because I had so much hair initially it took a while to notice how drastic the change was.

'Three months into living in Bali I went on a trip and on the drive back my hair fused together.

'The texture of my hair changed and my hair strands literally melted together, it was really scary.

'The bonds of my hair had changed. It had matted so badly that the people at the hairdressers couldn't do anything with it so they had to cut it all off.

'I went back to the hairdresser because I was still losing a lot of hair.

Eventually the now 27-year-old decided to shave her head after seeing how thin it had become

Eventually, after watching a video created by a hairdresser online, Hollie realised the hard water in Bali was causing her hair to fall out

When she first shaved her head at Christmas in 2021 she was frightened to leave the house because of how it made her feel

She revealed she felt 'ugly' with short hair which made her avoid seeing people

'Everytime I brushed it, huge clumps were coming out. I noticed I had a bald patch and thought 'what the f**k is going on?'.

'I went to a doctor thinking 'do I have alopecia?'. But my eyelashes were still intact and my eyebrows were still there.

'I never put my hair in the pool really so I knew it wasn't the pool water.'

The content creator, who is a natural blonde and has never dyed her locks, revealed she was losing so much hair she decided to shave it all off on Christmas Eve 2021.

Now, after investing in a filter for her shower to treat the hard water in Bali, she feels better than ever

Hollie's hair has now recovered thanks to washing her hair with filtered water and it's at shoulder length

Hollie now runs her own business providing shower filters to soften the hard water and documents her own hair regrowth updates on TikTok

Hollie said: 'I had about one-fifth of my hair left on my head. The texture was horrible, it was so matted all the time. I thought 'let's start again, completely fresh'.

'I had to get a guy from a barber to come round and shave my head. I'd been wearing wigs for four months anyway.

'The next day I was spending Christmas with a load of friends which was kind of traumatising. I have never wanted a shaved head.

'I knew I wouldn't suit it, I looked like Bob the Builder. It was very strange. You take your hair for granted, it's not something you ever think will desert you. It's part of your identity, it's your crown.'

After shaving her head, Hollie, who still didn't know the cause of her hair loss at the time, didn't leave the house for two months - not even to go to the gym. She also began avoiding people.

'It was not a good period for me, especially in the first year,' she said. 'I had horrific hair growth phases.'

While she believes that appearance is 'the least interesting thing' about a person, she argued it can still have a 'huge impact' on how you feel.

It wasn't until April 2022 that Hollie realised the potential cause of her hair loss when she watched a video by an Australian hairdresser in Bali, who revealed her hair loss was down to the water on the island.

Hollie: 'I didn't realise it was the water until I went to a hairdresser and she told me this happened to a lot of people.

'The quality of water here is so hard that it can really affect your hair and skin.

'I really regret not being proactive when I first noticed clumps of hair coming out. I thought 'maybe it's stress, maybe it's the sun'.

'I just blamed it on anything else. I would never have thought of the tap water being a problem.

'It wasn't until I started making videos about it that loads of people started replying to me and saying 'oh my God this happened to me but I didn't realise it was because I went to Bali'.'

Not fully trusting the 'cheap' shower filters sold online to protect her hair, Hollie developed her own business, Travel with Hair, in December 2022 that stocks the items in Bali.

Now sporting shoulder-length hair, Hollie vows to 'always use a filter' on her shower head and wants to spread awareness to others.

Hollie said: 'I left it too late to do anything. By the time I thought I needed to do something about my hair loss and speak to a doctor, I had lost a significant amount.

'It's scary. The last thing anyone wants is to come back from their holiday and find they've lost all their hair.

'It gave me an idea. I suffered something really traumatising and I can help people not go through the same thing.

'If you're coming for 10 days, you should be fine. If you're coming for two weeks or longer it's quite important to get a filter.

'The filters are actually designed especially for the water found in South East Asia.

'They fit the majority of showers, we test all the water and we make them specifically.

'It's small, you can carry it on the plane, and it's easy to attach, it literally takes 30 seconds.'It'll also prevent any heartbreak, because who wants that when they go on holiday?'
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, center, takes part in the roll call vote during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday, Aug. 20. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle California Gov. Gavin Newsom is on the floor of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday, Aug. 20. He delivered the states delegates votes for Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee for president. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

CHICAGO  When Gov. Gavin Newsom addressed the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, he spoke for only about two and a half minutes, hailing Vice President Kamala Harris as a star and California as a land of dreamers and doers and entrepreneurs.

The thing we pride ourselves most on is we believe the future happens in California first, he said when announcing Californias delegates cast their votes for Harris to be the Democratic nominee for president from the floor of the convention hall. Ive had the privilege for over 20 years to see that future taking shape with a star in an Alameda courtroom by the name of Kamala Harris.

Newsom arrived late Monday evening in Chicago, where Democrats are holding their convention to formally nominate Harris. He spent Tuesday morning in private meetings with donors, spokesperson Nathan Click said. Ahead of his speech, he did interviews with local TV stations as a surrogate for Harris from a media staging area outside the convention floor. As of Tuesday, he didnt yet have firm plans or any other speaking obligations slated for the rest of the week, Click said.

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Newsoms brief remarks stand in contrast to more prominent speeches given by other California politicians from the convention stage, including Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, and other governors, including Kathy Hochul of New York and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico.

Newsoms lack of a prominent role in the convention marks a swift retreat from the spotlight for the second-term governor. Newsom often served as the top Democratic attack dog for Joe Biden before the president dropped out of the race. But since Harris shored up support to replace Biden as the nominee, other Democratic governors, most notably Harris running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have taken Newsoms place in the national spotlight.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom greets people at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday, Aug. 19. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Eric Schickler, a political science professor at UC Berkeley, noted that Newsom already has an elevated profile because of his role as a top Biden surrogate, unlike some of the other speakers.

Hes already made a national name for himself within the party, so he doesnt necessarily need to be introduced that way, he said.

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He also noted that the Harris campaign likely doesnt want to further link herself to California state government and the challenges its facing. Republicans have been trying to blame Harris for Californias liberal crime policies and its high homeless population, though as attorney general and as U.S. senator she didnt directly set state policy.

Newsom and other Democrats seen as likely 2028 presidential contenders while Biden was the nominee would have likely been much more visible at the convention as they tried to build support for their future campaigns. But they are now in limbo, Schickler said. If Harris loses, they would still have a shot, but they cant be seen as trying to steal the spotlight from Harris.

If Harris defeats Trump in November, she will likely run for a second term in 2028. That means the next generation of stars in the party, including Newsom, may have to wait until 2032 for a truly open lane to run for president. On Election Day that year, Newsom would be 65.

That puts Newsom, who was sworn into office as San Francisco mayor the same day Harris was as district attorney, in a potentially awkward position as he campaigns for Harris. For his part, Newsom has brushed off any awkwardness and has said he is proud to back her campaign.

Newsom has long stoked suspicions that he plans to run for president. He launched a national fundraising effort to attack Republicans in their home states and has traveled to conservative states to encourage voters in those areas to support abortion rights and gun control. He also debated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Fox News, using the platform to defend his record in California and stump for Biden. He rebutted suggestions he was running a shadow presidential campaign by saying he was modeling the kind of proactive, aggressive attacks he believed Democrats should be doing more of.

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To quiet rumors that he was gearing up for his own presidential bid, Newsom went out of his way to demonstrate his loyalty to Biden. He raised millions of dollars for the Biden campaign through his vast email list of supporters. He served as a spin-room surrogate for the president at a Republican primary debate and during Bidens debate with Trump in June. After Bidens halting debate performance, Newsom was swarmed by reporters in the spin room, barraging him with questions about whether he would be the nominee if Biden stepped down. He repeatedly said he would not.

Instead, Newsom flew across the country to stand with Biden during a meeting at the White House. That weekend, he campaigned for Biden in Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.

Newsom hasnt gone on a similar campaign swing for Harris, though he has solicited donations for her campaign through his email list.

Newsoms staffers say he will continue to campaign and fundraise for Harris and other Democrats this election cycle. Newsom has raised more than $7 million for the then-Biden, now-Harris campaign, $1 million for the Democratic National Committee, more than $1 million for Democratic Senate candidates, and more than half a million for Democratic House candidates, Click said.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi pointed to Newsom as one of the key figures helping to elect Democrats in congressional races in California that could determine the balance of power in the House of Representatives.

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Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi attends the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday. Gabrielle Lurie

Gavin Newsom is helping us win our House races, and Im so happy about that because we must win those races, she told fellow Californians at their delegation breakfast on Monday.

Newsoms diminished role in the convention is a bit of a full-circle moment for the governor. He lamented being treated as a pariah at the convention in 2004 where in response to issuing same-sex marriage licenses as San Francisco mayor, he lost a speaking role and was shunned by fellow Democrats.

He played a much more prominent role in 2008, when he boosted his profile with a long list of appearances, including being toasted by Californias LGBTQ caucus and hosting a party at a hipster warehouse in Denver dubbed Unconventional 08.

Time magazine honored Newsom that year as one of its five hotshots to watch Democrats. One of Times other hotshots: San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris.

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In 2016, he addressed the convention that nominated Hillary Clinton. He skipped the 2020 convention as his state battled massive wildfires and a raging pandemic, but still addressed delegates virtually in a video address.

Since Biden dropped out, Newsom has been a less visible surrogate on the presidential campaign trail, but hes continued to antagonize Trump.

Hes really losing it, Newsom tweeted on Friday, linking to a story in which Trump accused Harris of ruining San Francisco but also saying he loved San Francisco 15 years ago  when Harris was district attorney and Newsom was mayor.

Newsom has also mocked Trumps rambling social media posts and his interview with billionaire Elon Musk.

Glitchy. Tech issues. Uncomfortable silences. A complete failure to launch. And thats just the candidate, Newsom tweeted in the wake of the interview, which had major technical problems.

He didnt mention Trump in his brief speech on Tuesday, instead focusing on Harris.

Its time for us to do the right thing, he said, and thats to elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States of America.
I took myself to the cinema on Sunday night to see a film I thought would be really important. Its called It Ends With Us and is based on a novel of the same title written by Colleen Hoover.

The novel was inspired by the authors experiences of observing her fathers violence and her mothers suffering. It was well reviewed, sold millions of copies and was perceived as a story which would raise awareness of domestic violence.

I thought it would be helpful for there to be a film which would be seen by women and perhaps men which would explain how common such abuse is in the home and show rather than tell what damage it does.

Im afraid I was bitterly disappointed.

Blake Lively as Lily Bloom opposite Justin Baldoni as Ryle Kincaid in It Ends With Us, which is based on the novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover

The film does not portray domestic violence as it really is at all, writes Jenni Murray

Blake Lively plays the beautiful, smiling Lily Bloom whos arrived in Boston to set up a flower shop. We learn quickly at her fathers funeral that her mother has suffered from his violence. Lily cant bring herself to deliver a eulogy. Soon after the funeral she meets the charming, handsome brain surgeon, Ryle Kincaid, and falls hopelessly in love.

Glossy romance fills almost the whole of the film with a mere hint that he might have nudged her face on one occasion and pushed her down the stairs  both by accident. Its when he attempts to rape her, knocking her unconscious, after he discovers shes seen an old lover that he begins to fit the picture of the abuser.

She finds shes pregnant. Hes there for the birth of their daughter then calmly walks away when she tells him she wants a divorce.

The film does not portray domestic violence as it really is at all. Its true that abusers are often handsome, rich and charming and that such violence can happen in even the most ordered and wealthy homes, but the idea that such a man would accept rejection without complaint is ridiculous. We know its often at that point that the violence escalates and women brave enough to try to escape often die. The words It Ends with Us spoken to a baby daughter are, sadly, fiction.

I knew nothing of domestic violence until the late 1980s and early 1990s when it became arguably the most important subject we covered on Womans Hour.

Id heard of Erin Pizzey, who founded a charity called Refuge in 1971. She offered a safe house to women and children in Chiswick, west London, but left the charity in the 1980s and now campaigns for mens rights.

Ryle only begins to fit the picture of the abuser when he finds out Lily has seen an old lover

It was in 1989 that I learned how the legal system in this country had different rules for the way violent men and women were treated. Sara Thornton had endured repeated beatings from her husband, had sought help from the police but none came.

She stabbed him and killed him, was convicted of murder and given a life sentence. The judge said she could have simply walked out or gone upstairs.

Soon after Thornton lost her appeal, Joseph McGrail killed his common law wife as she lay drunk by kicking her repeatedly in the stomach. He was given a two-year suspended sentence for manslaughter and walked free. The judge expressed every sympathy for him, adding, This lady would have tried the patience of a saint. I and many other women were outraged by this discrepancy in treatment.

The law reform campaign Justice for Women was founded in 1990 and I became an ardent supporter of its work.

It has taken more than 30 years for campaigns by lawyers, some MPs and journalists like me to have the issue taken seriously. Laws have been changed, judges have been trained and Refuge and Womens Aid have done their best to help women find safe places for themselves and their children. And its taken until now for the police to truly accept that a call from a terrified woman is not just a domestic.

Last month the National Police Chiefs Council analysis revealed that as many as two million women a year are estimated to be victims of male violence. Theyve called it an epidemic so serious it amounts to a national emergency. Louisa Rolfe, the national lead for domestic abuse and an assistant commissioner in the Metropolitan police, said the real figure was likely to be four million as many offences are not reported.

Now, though, theres a chance violence against women and girls will be taken seriously enough for it to be placed high on the political agenda.

The Prime Minister is said to be haunted by the story of Jane Clough, a 26-year-old nurse who was stabbed 71 times by her former partner in 2010. He had been charged with raping her and had been freed on bail. Starmer became friends with Janes parents when he was director of public prosecutions and the issue of violence against women and girls is now a priority for him.

Police are to be asked to monitor the countrys 1,000 most dangerous abusers; control rooms responding to 999 calls will be given a domestic abuse advisor; and theres to be a mission delivery board focused on halving violence against women and girls within a decade.

Jess Phillips heads the board as the first ever minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls. Starmer could not have made a better appointment. I know her well and I dont remember ever meeting a more determined and straightforward politician. She worked at Womens Aid for a long time before entering parliament.

She is dedicated to this cause: for the last nine years, on International Womens Day, she has read out in parliament a list of all the women murdered in the previous year.

I have confidence in both Phillips and Starmer on this issue. I invited Starmer on to Womans Hour to talk about violence against women. He cares about it. But he must ensure the police are taking it seriously and that there are no Wayne Couzens left in the force.

As prisoners are released early to make space there must be no rapists or stalkers among them and the courts must be open for dealing with these cases in good time. Too many rape victims and women whove been beaten give up because it takes too long to get to court. Lots to do Jess and Keir. Just get on with it.

At least Brad tried with Shiloh

Angelina Jolie with Shiloh who is keeping her mothers surname

Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt has officially dropped her father Brad Pitts name and become Shiloh Nouvel Jolie. It seems she prefers to keep her mothers name.

Brad set up a skate park in his home for Shiloh, and an art studio to reflect their common interest in art. It seems none of it has brought them closer.

No reason was given for dropping the name, but the Pitt-Jolie divorce initiated in 2016 and still not finalised due to ongoing custody and financial issues, cant have helped matters.

Motorists aren't cash machines

It's awful that fund-strapped councils appear to be using drivers as cash machines, Jenni Murray writes

Ive been fined twice recently, both for driving down streets I used to use a lot and which are now one way with no adequate signs.

I fear driving around my home city. Every so often I realise my speed has crept over 20mph to 22. Several of my friends are due to go on speeding courses  caught going 24mph. Its awful that fund-strapped councils appear to be using drivers as cash machines.

Well done BBC for insisting on no protest flags at the recent Last Night of the Proms. Its a proudly British event and I was never more delighted than when I succeeded in getting two tickets for my parents 60th wedding anniversary. Its my Dads favourite night of the year and he was thrilled to go into the Royal Albert Hall with his little union flag.

People used to laugh at me for my Delia version of shepherds pie or Victoria sponge. Cant you even boil an egg? theyd say. Delia is a self-proclaimed culinary equivalent of a Volvo but her basic dishes are reliable and delicious.

No interval? Then I'm a no-show!

David Tennant plays Macbeth in a near two hour production at the Harold Pinter Theatre

My nights out, not as many as they used to be, are to the theatre. I dress up. I order a drink for the interval. So, whats this new fashion of letting plays run with no interval? Its increasingly common and not always for a short play. The theatres will go bankrupt without the profit on drinks and ice cream and sometimes the plays are so long!

I will not be seeing David Tennants Macbeth at the Harold Pinter Theatre at nearly two hours. No interval and no chance to slip out if Im bored.
Queen Mary of Denmark looked typically stylish as she stepped out in Assens alongside King Frederick today.

The royal couple - who have been plagued by rumours of marriage woes over the past year - visited the Danish city as part of their summer tour on the Royal Yacht Dannebrog.

For her outing, the Australian-born Queen, 52, looked the epitome of elegance in a orange and cream midi dress, which billowed in the wind as she walked alongside her husband.

She teamed the eye-catching garment with a sophisticated cream blazer, which featured statement overlapping lapels, long sleeves and a cinched waist.

Finishing off her stylish ensemble, the royal mother-of-four donned blush heels and a matching headpiece.

Queen Mary of Denmark looked typically stylish as she stepped out in Assens alongside King Frederick today

Adding a touch of glitz to her outfit, Queen Mary wore three gold necklaces and a pair of diamond earrings.

Frederik, 56, meanwhile, looked as equally smart as his wife, sporting military uniform for the outing before changing into a sophisticated suit and tie.

During their visit, the couple toured a reforestation project, an energy-efficient wastewater treatment plant, as well as one of Denmark's leading companies in rainwater cleaning products.

Yesterday, the pair put on a bright and summery display as they visited the Baltic Sea island of r.

They looked to be enjoying the weather on r, as Mary wore a smart sunhat and Frederick looked cool in a pair of shades.

After arriving to the island via boat at lunchtime, the royals took to Instagram to thank the locals for the 'great welcome' they'd received.

Mary and Frederick looked cheery as they waved to crowds on their arrival, before shaking hands with local residents on the island in southern Denmark.

For her outing, the Australian-born Queen, 52, looked the epitome of elegance in a orange and cream midi dress, which billowed in the wind as she walked alongside her husband

The royal couple (pictured attending a demonstration on water cleaning) - who have been plagued by rumours of marriage woes over the past year - visited the Danish city as part of their summer tour on the Royal Yacht Dannebrog

Mary teamed the eye-catching garment with a sophisticated cream blazer, which featured statement overlapping lapels, long sleeves and a cinched waist

Frederik, 56, looked as equally smart as his wife, sporting military uniform for the outing before changing into a sophisticated suit and tie

The Queen, who looked impeccably stylish in a pleated maxi skirt and white blouse, was also gifted a bouquet of flowers after stepping ashore.

She added baby blue kitten heels from Jimmy Choo, which had a fishnet design and featured the designer's initials.

Meanwhile her husband Frederick looked smart in a grey suit and red tie as he grinned alongside his wife in what made for a very positive display.

Yesterday, they put on an warm display as they made the first stop on their summer tour to Bornholm.

The pair were pictured tasting local produce and speaking with small business-owners during their tour of the small island 105 miles southeast of Copenhagen

During the engagement, Frederik and Mary were pictured laughing and smiling together and later wrote on Instagram how Bornholm had lived up to its nickname of 'sunshine island'.

Queen Mary looked effortlessly elegant in a white shirt, rust-coloured trousers and chunky trainers.

The mother-of-four styled her brown hair in her signature brown waves and completed her low-key ensemble with minimal jewellery and tortoiseshell sunglasses.

During their visit, the couple toured a reforestation project, an energy-efficient wastewater treatment plant, as well as one of Denmark's leading companies in rainwater cleaning products

Finishing off her stylish ensemble, the royal mother-of-four donned blush heels and a matching headpiece

Arriving at Lundager Forest, the King and the Queen of Denmark take interest in two dogs spotted at the occasion

Adding a touch of glitz to her outfit, Queen Mary wore three gold necklaces and a pair of diamond earrings

Meanwhile, King Frederik was dapper in a slim-fitting blue shirt, brown trousers and boots.

Members of the Danish Royal Family have been touring the country on the Royal Yacht Dannebrog every summer for the past 100 years.

This is the first time Frederik and Mary are participating in a summer tour as reigning monarchs - following the King's ascension to the throne in January.

Last year, it was Frederik's mother, Queen Margarethe, 84, who completed the boat tour.

In December 2023, Queen Margrethe shocked the nation and many royal watchers around the world when she used her annual New Year's Eve speech to announce live on television that she was stepping down as Queen after 52 years.

This made Margrethe the first monarch to abdicate the Danish throne in 900 years and lead to speculation that the royal had made this decision to keep her daughter-in-law, who is extremely popular with the public, on side.

The announcement came just weeks after Frederik hit the headlines when he was pictured on a night out in Madrid with a Mexican socialite, sparking rumours of an alleged 'affair'.

The former monarch signed her historic abdication papers with her son and grandson Prince Christian, 18, present in Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen.

The Queen's last words before leaving the Council of State were: 'God save the King.'

King Frederik X and Queen Mary on a city walk in the city of Assens

Australian-born Mary and Frederik's 23-year romance was often dubbed a 'real-life fairytale' after they met in a Sydney pub.

But pictures emerged of the monarch having an evening out with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova - the former daughter-in-law of the billionaire Duchess of Alba - in November last year.

The pair were seen walking through Madrid before heading to her apartment building, changing clothes and heading out again for the evening.

The Danish Palace refused to comment on rumours of an affair between Frederik and Genoveva, however the socialite strenuously denied any suggestion of a romantic relationship.

The Royal Yacht Dannebrog has served as the Danish Royal Family's cruise ship since May 1932 and has travelled over 800,000 miles.

The luxury yacht hosts the Royal Family on both their private holidays and during official overseas engagements.

The yacht's royal compartment still contains furniture and fittings dating back to 1879 that that was on board the family's previous yacht.
Make-up lovers around the world are saying au revoir to classic French beauty brands such as Chanel and Nars in favour of UK-born products instead - thanks to a little sprinkling of celebrity.

British labels such as Charlotte Tilbury, Victoria Beckham Beauty and Rimmel London are showing signs of overtaking the tres chic beauty lines that have dominated the industry for decades, new figures show.

As British businesses utilise social media and new forms of advertising in order to promote their products, they are enlisting some of the UK's biggest names including Rita Ora and Maya Jama to help them along the way.

And according to new data, it's working. Figures released by Circana and reported by The Times, a research firm based in the US, show sales of luxury beauty products in the UK rose by 11% in the year leading up to June - whereas France reported a more modest rise of 6% in the same period.

UK beauty brands may be overtaking French classic labels in sales figures, according to new data. But is the celebrity effect taking hold? Pictured: Sienna Miller for Charlotte Tilbury

It suggests that, while classic French brands will always be popular choices among make-up lovers, the UK labels are rising sharply in popularity.

Millie Kendall OBE, founder of the British Beauty Council put the figures down to the 'adaptable and agile nature of the British beauty industry.

She said the industry has 'a lot to be optimistic about' thanks to the fact the UK was surpassing big EU players, including France, in sales growth over the last year.

Speaking about the evolution of marketing among British brands, UK-based brand expert Hayley Knight said: 'Influencer and celebrity marketing has been around for several years now, but brands are developing campaigns that engage with their audiences, and foster deeper connections and drive consumer interest.'

One of the UK's biggest and most popular beauty brands, Charlotte Tilbury, is one such example of a true British success story.

Since the brand was launched in September 2013, it has enlisted a plethora of famous faces to help promote the brand and help it reach star status.

Trinny Woodall is one such beauty brand founder who personalises her content with clips of herself applying her own products

Victoria Beckham is the face of her eponymous brand, Victoria Beckham Beauty. She posts clips of herself applying her products to interact with her audience

One such brand which has utilised the influencer effect in order to find success is REFY, a Manchester-based brand of which its co-founder Jess Hunt is its face

In particular, CT has chosen to work with models and A-listers of diverse ages in order to appeal to a broader range of clients.

From Bella Hadid, to Kate Moss, to Swinging Sixties icon Twiggy, the British brand has well and truly achieved star status with its celebrity promoters over the years.

But while she has brought on big names to promote her products, the brand's founder herself has also ensured she's a well-known face to her customers as she has also fronted several campaigns for her beauty line over the years.

Tilbury, 51, is often at the forefront of her campaigns as she achieves star status in her own right by flaunting her flawless make-up on camera

Tilbury, 51, will often make a sparkling cameo in her slick videos, showing off her flawless make-up and strawberry blonde hair as she greets her customers - ensuring her name is included in the star-studded line up.

And Tilbury's method isn't unique - across the UK beauty scene, brand founders are ensuring they are alongside their A-list promoters in showing off their products.

Both Trinny Woodall of Trinny London and Victoria Beckham of her eponymous brand are often at the forefront of their marketing campaigns - using their own flawless skin and make-up to prove their products are the real deal.

In addition, they utilise social media to speak directly to their customers in a way that personalises the products.

A recent clip on Victoria Beckham Beauty's Instagram account showed the founder telling customers about the brand's new Posh Balm for lips (named after her Spice Girls alter-ego).

She said: 'I am a lip balm girl. I've always been obsessed with lip balm' before introducing the new product to her followers.

Trinny Woodall adopts a similar laid-back, conversational style in speaking to her followers about new or existing products in her Trinny London range.

In particular, she teams up with celebrities in her 'in the bathroom' series, where she enlists famous faces including comedian Joanne McNally or beauty journalist Ateh Jewel to get ready with her in front of the camera, often while in their dressing gowns or loungewear.

The 'GRWM' (get ready with me) influencing trend allows such brands to enlist celebrities for personalised videos as they test out new products in real time, helping customers to see how such products look when they are applied on camera.

Away from the celebrity gaze, many UK brands are using GRWM clips to show before and after shots of products being applied.

One such brand, whose social media presence was the key to its suuccess, is Manchester-based Refy.

Its co-founder and CEO Jess Hunt is often the face of the brand's GRWM videos, to the point where her image has become synonymous with the brand itself.

Hunt's social media strategy has sent some of Refy's products, such as their primer and their eyebrow kits, stratospheric as they have achieved 'viral' status with everyone wanting to get their hands on them.

Hayley said: '[REFY's] Instagram presence is curated to showcase its products in a way that resonates with its target audience, leveraging the influence of popular social media figures to amplify its reach. This approach not only drives immediate sales but also fosters community and gets the customers invested in their brand.'

She also shouted out a global name, subscription model Beauty Pie, for adopting similar marketing strategies in promoting their products.

'Beauty Pie, founded by Marcia Kilgore, is another example of british beauty brands that have successfully used influencer and celebrity marketing to drive sales and traffic, as well as its own membership model to drive word-of-mouth marketing,' she said.

'The brand also employs well-known faces for its campaigns, adding to its credibility.

'Through this, Beauty Pie has seen substantial growth, with reports indicating a significant increase in memberships and sales over the past few years, and their strategy has allowed it to carve out a unique space in the saturated beauty market.'

She said: 'When small brands are able to collaborate with A-List celebrities, creatively in their marketing and advertising campaigns, including through the popular, engaging GRWM videos, it often results in a significant boost in brand awareness and sales.

'Working with the correct celebrities and influencers can bring both prestige and value that can set a small brand apart from competitors.'
A new study has added fuel to concerns that America could face a surge in dementias in coming years and decades due to COVID.

The research found that nearly two-thirds of people over 65 who were hospitalized with the virus went on to suffer cognitive decline, which can be a precursor for dementia, weeks and months after the infection cleared.

Independent experts told DailyMail.com this is a trend they're watching closely, since if there is a link, it could affect the millions of older adults who were infected with the virus.

CDC data shows that over-65s accounted for nearly half of hospitalizations in the first two years of the pandemic, or roughly 1.7m people. The new study stops short of concluding that COVID and dementia are definitively linked, but experts described the evidence as 'compelling'.

The study looked at people over 65 who were hospitalized with COVID-19 in 2020. This means their study population was very sick, and its difficult to say how people with less severe illness might be affected

Data from the CDC's COVID-Net lab showed the cumulative amount of COVID hospitalizations from 2021 to 2022. Studies have estimated that roughly 1,701,300 people over 65 were hospitalized in this year

The researchers from the University of New South Wales reviewed 18 older studies as part of their paper.

It is available as a pre-print in the journal Ageing Research Reviews, which means that is has yet to be reviewed by other scientists.

The review looked at about 412,900 participants hospitalized with COVID-19 and 411,900 healthy participants - both groups only involved people over age 65. They included data from Europe, North America and Asia.

Most of the studies included in the review looked at trends from 2020 and 2021, before vaccinations were made widely available. Most of the studies also focused on individuals who were severely sick with the condition.

The studies didn't report vaccination status, what strain of COVID the patients had or whether they used personal protective equipment.

They were tested for their brain health by taking cognitive assessments which measure an individual's memory, attention span, language skills, spatial orientation and visual skills, in both written and verbal formats.

Roughly 65 percent of over-65s in the study who were hospitalized with the virus had some degree of mild cognitive impairment, a brain-fog like condition which can sometimes be a precursor to dementia.

Most of the patients scores on cognitive tests got better as time went on, the paper notes, which means their cognitive impairment seemed to wane.

Still, some of the studies included in the report found ]evidence of new onset dementia.

Dr Vin Gupta, a public health physician not involved in the research, told DailyMail.com that it's difficult to know if that's accurate since they didn't have information about the patients before they had COVID.

One of the studies they included followed patients for a year after being hospitalized for COVID, and found that those who had been severely sick has a 15 percent incidence of dementia, whereas the group that didn't get sick had a .75 percent incidence of dementia.

Researchers aren't sure why COVID could be causing these changes in the brain, but theorize it could have to do with inflammation or changes in blood flow, Dr Gupta said.

Dr Gupta and other independent experts have also raised concerns about the study, however. The study failed to rule out other factors that add to dementia risk, like high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity.

'This is another study that is directional and adds some incremental insights as to what might be happening with COVID and its impacts on human organ function, but I think it's far from definitive,' he said.

Dr Eve Elizabeth Pennie, general practitioner and medical contributor for Drugwatch who was not involved with the research, told DailyMail.com that she found similar weaknesses in the study.

However, it is adding more evidence to a trend that public health experts have been watching.

'Given the growing evidence from similar studies, the findings are compelling and somewhat expected,' Dr Pennie said.

No prior studies have concluded that COVID-19 causes dementia, but multiple previous studies have shown that there may be a link between the two, Dr Gupta said.

Many diseases come with secondary side effects - like the link between chicken pox and shingles.

Therefore, it's reasonable to suspect that this virus might have some downstream affects, experts say.

In previous outbreaks of similar viruses like SARS in 2003 and MERS in 2012, researchers noted cognitive impairment was a side effect.

COVID-19 causes a host of changes across the body - including an increase in inflammation and changes to blood pressure and clotting, both of which may cause changes in the brain, the study authors wrote.

In addition, in rare cases, COVID-19 can also cause more severe neurological conditions like encephalitis, a swelling of brain tissue which kills or harms swaths of neurons.

It's less clear how COVID-19 would be directly linked to dementia. The study authors suggest that the virus may increase the amount of beta-amyloid, a protein that builds up in the brain of Alzheimer's patients, in the body.

Dementia has been linked to COVID by a number of studies. But finding a link is not the same thing as proving a cause, Dr Gupta cautioned

Otherwise, the changes in blood flow could cause frequent, small injuries to the brain tissue, depriving it of oxygen often enough to cause long term effects that might lead to dementia. Researchers aren't sure yet which theory may explain this link, Dr Gupta said.

Dr Pennie noted that though these findings are in line with current trends, they come with some big caveats.

First, the paper didn't control for pre-existing conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease, all factors common in people over 65 that make one more likely to develop dementia.

Second, most of the studies included didn't have data from before their patients got COVID-19.

This means that their cognitive impairment could've been there before they were infected with the virus, and it's difficult to know what COVID actually caused in them.

Also, most of the data was collected in 2020, before widespread vaccination, and all of the patients included had a very severe case of the disease, since they were hospitalized for it.

This makes it impossible to apply what we learned here to the general population today, who are more likely to be vaccinated and have a less serious case of COVID-19 Dr Gupta said.

Taken together, though it points to some trends, Dr Gupta said 'it's a very weak study from a design standpoint.'
Unable to touch your toes? You could have a five times higher risk of death compared to those who can, a study suggests.

Data from over 3,000 middle-aged people found those who found the exercise difficult had a far higher chance of dying within a decade compared to those who were more supple.

Brazilian researchers assessed the flexibility of participants in a study using a system called Flexindex.

This examines how people can stretch in 20 ways using seven different joints, with some examples including being able to touch your toes, being able to touch the back of your left shoulder with your right hand over your head.

At the end of the tests people are given a total score of between 0 and 80.

Brazilian researchers assessed the flexibility of participants in a study using a system called Flexindex (stock image)

In the most recent analysis, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, experts found people aged 46 to 65 with higher Flexindex scores had between two and five better odds of surviving the next decade.

Of the 3,000 plus participants included in the analysis about one in 10 were dead at its conclusion.

Survivors had an almost 10 per cent higher Flexindex score compared to those who died, the authors, from the Exercise Medicine Clinic  CLINIMEX, in Rio de Janeiro, said.

This translated into women with a low Flexindex score having an almost five times higher risk of dying.

Men with a low score had almost twice the risk once factors like age, obesity and existing health conditions into account.

Dr Claudio Gil S. Araujo, an author on the paper, said: 'Being aerobically fit and strong and having good balance have been previously associated with low mortality.

'We were able to show that reduced body flexibility is also related to poor survival in middle-aged men and women.'

He added that as flexibility tends to decrease as we age, people may wish to include stretching exercises into their routine and medics may wish to flexibility assessments in physical health evaluations.

The NHS also advises that improving flexibility may help lower the risk of injury.

Flexibility, alongside aspects like balance, is considered one of the signs of overall good physical health.

Maintaining the ability to move easily is one way to help avoid sarcopenia, the medical term for when muscle function becomes compromised with old age.

Such muscle weakness can lead to an increased risk of falls, one of the biggest causes of hospital admissions among the over 65s in the UK.

Over 200,000 falls admissions in this group were recorded in England alone in 2022/23, with 20,000 fall related deaths also recorded among the entire population in this time.

Such falls can lead to direct injury like bone fractures and the immobility and hospital stays during the recovery can also lead to people suffering further muscle weakness and health complications.

There were a number of limitations to the recent study.

One is that participants were primarily affluent and white which may limit the implications to other groups.

Another is that while poor flexibility was considered an indicator of increased risk of death in the study, the issue itself wasn't what killed people, and what these factors may be wasn't identified in the study.

A number of other tests, such as being able to stand on one leg for 10 seconds, have also previously been linked to increased protection against death.
Spanish pensioner Maria Branyas Morera, the world's oldest verified living person, has died aged 117.

Branyas, who survived two pandemics, the 1918 Spanish flu and Covid, and two world wars, died peacefully in her sleep according to her family.

She previously attributed her longevity to 'order, tranquillity' and 'staying away from toxic people'.

Her impressive 117-year lifespan is far in excess of even the highest predicted in the UK.

Here, MailOnline reveals how your local area compares for life expectancy  as some regions see a dramatic fall in the average length of survival.

It means children born in some parts of the UK today could die a decade earlier than young residents of other regions.

Maria Branyas Morera, who was the oldest person in the world, celebrating her 117th birthday in March

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Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows women in the wealthy borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London enjoy the highest average life expectancy at age 65 in England at 88.3 years.

This was followed by those in the South Hams District of Devon (88.2 years) and Winchester in Hampshire (88 years).

Men in Hart in Hampshire had the highest life expectancy at 86.2 years, followed by those in South Cambridgeshire (85.51).

East Devon and Winchester came joint third at 85.46 years life expectancy.

In contrast men in Manchester had the lowest average life expectancy at just 80.8 years, about six years less than those in Hart.

This was followed by those in Barking and Dagenham in East London at 81 years, with Liverpool and Blackpool coming joint third lowest at just a fraction more at 81.04 years.

Women in Blaenau Gwent in southeast Wales had the lowest average life expectancy for those aged 65 at 82.8, again about six years less than those in the highest performing areas.

This was followed by women in Manchester (83.2 years) and those in Knowsley in Merseyside (83.3 years).

But the above data relates to adults currently in their 60s  and the picture is bleaker for children born today.

A boy born in Hart between 2020 and 2022 can expect to reach his 83rd birthday (83.7) and, while the highest recorded, is three years behind what a man who is 65 at the same time in that area is expected to live to.

Meanwhile, a boy born in Blackpool will likely only live to 73 (73.41), a gap of more than a decade compared to Hart.

Branyas was born in San Francisco in 1907. Pictured: Branyas in 1925 when she was just 18

Branyas became the world's oldest person following the death of French nun Lucile Randon in January 2023

Disparities are also present for girls, one born in Kensington and Chelsea between 2020 and 2022 should get to 86 (86.34), two years less than a woman aged 65 in the area at the same time.

Meanwhile girls born in Blaenau Gwent in the same period will likely only live until 78, a gap of 7.5 years compared to their peers in London.

Stark divides remain between the north and south, with nine of the ten local authorities with the highest male life expectancy falling in the south of England. All ten for women were in the south.

The ONS estimates are based on a figure called period life expectancy.

This is a hypothetical measure that assumes the mortality rates recorded in an area between 2020 to 2022 applies throughout a person's life.

It uses the death registrations in the period from 2020 to 2022 for each age group, the probability of death and numbers of people surviving in each group to come to this figure.

Stark divides remain between the north and south, with nine of the ten local authorities with the highest male life expectancy falling in the south of England. All ten for women were in the south. A girl born in Kensington and Chelsea (pictured), which ranked first among girls, should get to age 86 (86.34)

Their peers in Blaenau Gwent (pictured) will likely only live until 78, a gap of 7.5 years. The south west and south east of England recorded the highest life expectancy among both men (80 and 80.1 years) and women (83.9 and 83.8 years)

The ONS is keen to emphasise that it is an assumption that current trends will continue and, if the health of the nation were to improve, children born in 2020 and 2022 will not necessarily live shorter lives than those who came before.

Life expectancy across the three UK nations included in the most recent analysis fell to its lowest level in more than a decade.

According to the latest statistics, boys and girls born in England came in at 78.9 years for men and 82.8 among women, down from 79.1 for men and 82.9 for women in 2012.

Wales ranked lower with 77.9 years for men and 81.8 years with women, down from 78.1 for men and. 82.1 for women recorded a decade prior.

Meanwhile, the figures stood at 78.4 and 82.3, respectively for men and women, in Northern Ireland, again a decline on the 77.7 and 82.1 in 2021.

Statisticians have suggested that the Covid pandemic could be behind the trend both in terms of the virus itself and the disruption the pandemic posed to checks for heart health and cancer.

The data also covers the period in which Britain was plunged into a cost of living crisis, which experts warned increased the risk of malnourishment due to high food and energy prices.

These ONS figures, the latest available, cover average life expectancy meaning some people will live less and others far longer.

According to analysts, boys and girls born in England are expected to live the longest, at 78.9 for men and 82.8 among women. By local authority, a boy born in Hart can expect to reach his 83rd birthday (83.74), the longest life expectancy recorded. Pictured, Hartley in Hart

Meanwhile, one born in Blackpool (pictured) will likely only live to 73 (73.41), a gap of more than a decade. Uttlesford in Essex came in second at 82.69, with South Cambridgeshire in third at 82.65

Promisingly, there were about 15,000 centenarians (those who live to over 100) living in England and Wales in 2022 according to the latest data, the highest ever recorded.

The vast majority of British centenarians, about four out of five, are women.

Centenarians still remain a fraction of the overall population however, only accounting for 0.03 per cent.

When it came to Branyas, experts had marvelled at her overall mental and physical health for her age, but in a heartbreaking final message to her social media followers on Tuesday, she warned that she felt 'weak'.

'The time is near. Don't cry, I don't like tears. And above all, don't suffer for me,' she said on the account, which is run by her family. 'Wherever I go, I will be happy.'

Guinness World Records had officially acknowledged Branyas's status as the world's oldest person in January 2023 following the death of French nun Lucile Randon aged 118.

There were about 15,000 centenarians living in England and Wales in 2022 according to the latest data, the highest ever recorded, and a rise of 3.7 per cent on the previous year

Jeanne Calment  who holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest person ever  reached 122 years old. Pictured, Ms Calment enjoys her daily cigarette and glass of red wine on the occasion of her 117th birthday

Following Branyas's death, the oldest living person in the world is now Japan's Tomiko Itooka, who was born on May 23, 1908, and is 116 years old.

The title of the oldest person to have ever lived belongs to French woman Jeanne Louise Calment whose life spanned 122 years and 164 days.

Branyas was born in San Francisco in 1907, while the city was suffering from a second wave of the Bubonic plague.

Her family took the decision to return to Spain in 1915 during the First World War after her father fell ill.

He ended up dying of tuberculosis on the ship they were crossing the Atlantic on, with his now-centenarian daughter injuring herself in a fall during the same voyage and later discovering she had lost her hearing in one ear.

She went on to survive two world wars, the Spanish flu pandemic, the Spanish Civil War, and most recently Covid.

She married Catalan doctor Joan Moret aged 23 in 1931. Her husband died more than 46 years ago when he was 71.
Kids who catch Covid are more likely to be left with debilitating lingering symptoms than adults, landmark new research has suggested.

US scientists found children were left with prolonged symptoms 'in almost every organ system' after being struck down with the virus  a phenomenon now better known as long Covid.

The researchers, who tracked almost 4,000 kids who'd been infected, also discovered younger children were more likely to suffer trouble with memory or focusing, and teens a loss of taste or smell.

Experts today labelled the findings 'convincing evidence' that kids are not 'faking it' and warned, 'we will need to be prepared to deal with it for a generation'.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's daughter Violet last month revealed she contracted a post-viral condition in 2019 and urged medical facilities to impose 'mask mandates' in a passionate speech to the LA County Board of Supervisors

The 18-year-old called on the board 'to confront the long Covid crisis' by strengthening pandemic-era protections in hospitals and government buildings. Pictured, Jennifer Garner with Violet Affleck

It comes as Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's daughter Violet last month revealed she contracted a post-viral condition in 2019 and urged medical facilities to impose 'mask mandates' in a passionate speech to the LA County Board of Supervisors.

The 18-year-old called on the board 'to confront the long Covid crisis' by strengthening pandemic-era protections in hospitals and government buildings.

US officials suggest one in ten people who catch the virus will develop long Covid, while around two million people in the UK are reported to live with the condition, including 112,000 children.

Professor Lawrence Kleinman, an expert in pediatrics and population health at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and study co-author said: 'We have convincing evidence that Covid is not just a mild, benign illness for children.

'Some children are severely affected, they are not faking it or making it up.

'This is a new chronic illness in children with all the unknowns that brings. We will need to be prepared to deal with it for a generation.'

Symptoms of long Covid have long been thought to be wide-ranging, from fatigue and breathlessness to muscle and joint pain.

In the new study, researchers analysed survey results submitted by the parents or guardians of almost 900 school age children aged 6 to 11 and over 4,000 adolescents, aged 12 to 17.

Of the the school age children, 751 had suffered a Covid infection. This figure stood at 3,109 among adolescents.

The survey assessed 74 known and potential long Covid symptoms across nine areas of the body including the heart and lungs, neurological, menstrual and gastrointestinal.

US scientists found children were left with prolonged symptoms 'in almost every organ system' after being struck down with the virus  a phenomenon now better known as long Covid

Researchers found 45 percent of school-age children with Covid reported at least one prolonged symptom after initial recovery versus 33 percent of uninfected children.

More than a third (39 per cent) of Covid infected adolescents, meanwhile, reported one prolonged symptom, compared with 27 percent of uninfected adolescents.

But the most common symptoms among adolescents were loss of smell and taste, followed by low energy, muscle aches and fatigue.

Among school-age children, memory and focus issues topped the list, followed by stomach pain, headaches and back or neck pain.

By comparison, adults who had been struck down by the virus reported 37 symptoms more frequently than those who did not have Covid, including brain fog, and gastrointestinal and heart symptoms.

Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the scientists said children experienced prolonged symptoms after Covid infection 'in almost every organ system, with the vast majority having multisystem involvement'.

Dr Tanayott Thaweethai, study co-author and an expert in biostatistics at Harvard University also said: 'This work describes the first data-driven approach to revealing symptom patterns among school-age children and adolescents, which are both distinct from those seen in adults.

'We hope this leads to a better understanding of long Covid in pediatric populations.'

Ministers have repeatedly said they won't resort to imposing lockdowns unless a doomsday Covid variant appears.

A wall of immunity among the population  built up by repeated waves of infection and vaccine rollouts  has given officials confidence to consign pandemic-era measures to history.

Spikes in Covid cases can still cause mass illness across the country, sparking chaos in schools, the health service and public transport.

But officials also no longer track the prevalence of the virus in the same way they used to, as part of the Government's ushering in of pre-Covid normalities.
Major US pharmaceutical companies have been running clinical trials at hospitals affiliated with the Chinese army and may have tested drugs on prisoners in China's illegal concentration camps.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has sent a scathing letter probing the FDA for more information about decades of research from companies like Eli Lilly and Pfizer.

The letter states these companies have been conducting clinical trials in China at medical centers and hospitals affiliated with the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

Some of this research was conducted in the regions where the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been accused of setting up camps to house and commit genocide against Uyghur Muslims.

This means it's possible those trials could've been conducted on unwilling participants, the letter states.

Xi Jinping, the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has been in power since 2013

The letter raises concerns over US pharmaceutical research conducted at Chinese-military affiliated hospitals, chiefly over data security and human rights issues

The representatives said, 'we believe that U.S. biopharmaceutical entities could be unintentionally profiting from the data derived from clinical trials during which the CCP forced victim patients to participate.'

In addition, they write that they're concerned that the data collected in these clinical trial could have been easily accessed by the Chinese Communist Party.

The letter asked FDA commissioner Dr Robert Califf to share more information about the clinical trials conducted in China in order to respond to the representatives' concerns.

These include questions about the FDA's review of Chinese military-run hospitals, how they measure data security threats and whether they warned against testing in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), where China has been accused of being 'engaged in genocide of the Uyghur population'.

The group responsible for the letter includes Representative John Moolenaar from Michigan, Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi from Illinois, Representative Anna Eshoo from California and Representative Neal Dunn from Florida.

Rep. Moolenaar, Rep Dunn and Rep Krishnamoorthi are members of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.

Rep Eshoo has raised concerns about American healthcare data being shared with China before.

In the letter, the representatives honed in on Eli Lilly's Alzheimer's drug donanemab, known as Kisunla and Pfizer's kidney cancer drug axitinib, known as Inlyta, Axios reported.

These trials were run at military-affiliated hospitals.

According to the investigation, Lilly's trials were run at the People's Liberation Army's general hospital and medical school and the military's Air Force Medical University.

Pfizer's trial was conducted at a hospital under the People's Liberation Army's Academy of Military Sciences, according to Fierce Pharma.

These kinds of trials produce 'sensitive and proprietary data', that may be difficult to keep secure if they are run at a CCP-sponsored site, the representatives said.

In addition, the quality of their data was called into question.

'There are also concerns with the trustworthiness of clinical trial data produced overseas from PLA institutions,' the letter states.

'The United States needs the FDA to take on a greater role in protecting U.S. national security interests.'

Hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs have been thrown into forced reeducation camps, forcibly sterilized and had their families broken up in a Chinese crackdown on the minority, the report says. Pictured: Images of Uyghurs in a camp in China, released in 2017

This comes amid a greater crack down on Chinese biotech companies. The House Select Committee will be voting on an Act in September to suspend contracts with Chinese biotech firms who the committee has identified as posing a potential national security risk.

On top of concerns about data, the representatives highlight potential human rights issues. A 2022 report from the United Nations accused China of detaining more than a millions Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, sending them to forced labor camps.

Inside these camps, international officials have alleged that the CCP has sanctioned forced sterilization, rape, torture and genocide against the Uyghurs. Most of these camps are housed in the XUAR.

The letter said some research has been conducted within in the region, raising doubts that the participants took place willingly. The letter reads: 'there is simply no ability for firms to conduct due diligence to ensure that clinical trials done in XUAR are voluntary.'

The FDA has said they will respond to the lawmakers claims.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Eli Lilly and Pfizer representatives for comment.

Eli Lilly told DailyMail.com: 'Lilly conducts clinical trials around the world to ensure diversity in our research and increase access to our medicines.

Lilly is committed to IP protections, and we conduct robust assessments of our partners to ensure they meet Lilly standards for research and data privacy. Further, we oversee their activities when conducting clinical trials to ensure quality and data integrity.'
Dr Antonio Ocana, onwer of Ocana Medical Center in Florida, was accused of malpractice after his patient ended up in a coma

A man in Florida ended up in a month-long coma after his cough was ignored by doctors, a lawsuit claims.

Rafael Cardona, 75, visited Ocana Medical Center in Tampa on January 14, 2019, with a sore throat, body aches, and cough.

A lawsuit filed by Mr Cardona does not specify 'whether a physical examination took place,' but the patient came back 10 days with 'a deep cough with chest pains and upper left back pain.'

The clinic's owner, Dr Antonio Ocana, either did not perform or did not document performing an evaluation, according to the complaint.

Instead, he allegedly prescribed an Albuterol inhaler, corticosteroid prednisone, and pain reliever Tramadol based on what he was told by another provider in the office.

After he was rushed to the hospital days later, doctors discovered Mr Cardona actually had pneumonia and had gone into sepsis.

Rafael Cardona, 75, was placed in a medically induced coma for 42 days after his pneumonia was ignored, causing him to go into sepsis (stock)

When Mr Cardona returned the next day, the pain had radiated to his left mid-back, worsening when he took deep breaths.

The complaint, obtained by the Miami Herald, said that Dr Ocana 'signed off on the visit note' but 'did not perform or did not document performing an in-person evaluation.'

'The standard of care required that [Dr Ocana] refer [Mr Cardona] for specialized or emergency consultation during the Jan. 24, 2019 or Jan. 25, 2019 visit.'

On January 28, Mr Cardona was rushed to the hospital with pneumonia and sepsis, which kills one American every 90 seconds.

This led doctors to place Mr Cardona in a coma for 42 days. As sepsis attacks healthy tissues and organs, a medically induced coma can help slow the damage.

And because about a third of all sepsis cases are caught in a hospital, it can mean that doctors have to admit wrongdoing and face litigation.

Sepsis occurs when an infection causes a freak overreaction of the immune system, in which chemicals in the bloodstream go haywire.

Instead of sending infection-fighting white blood cells to attack a foreign invader, it targets healthy tissues and organs such as the limbs and the lungs and kidneys, leading to organ failure and, at times, amputations.

Sepsis is responsible for 300,000 deaths and is the leading cause of hospital death in the US. And for every hour that treatment is delayed, the chance of death increases by four to nine percent.

Mr Cardona was also left with a pulmonary abscess, a cavity in the lung filled with pus usually caused by a bacterial infection like pneumonia. If left untreated, an abscess can rupture and cause fluid to leak into the lungs, making it difficult to breathe.

According to the complaint, the malpractice suit against Dr Ocana was settled in 2022, and Mr Cardona was awarded $237,500 from Dr Ocana's insurance.
What was meant to be a victory holiday on board Mike Lynch's luxury yacht, celebrating his recent acquittal in the US courts, is turning out to be more of a nightmare as each hour passes.

Along with Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, four of his high-powered City guests are also still missing and presumed dead.

On board the yacht the Bayesian with Lynch and his family  his wife Angela Bacares has been rescued  were Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International and his wife, and Christopher Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance, and his wife, Nada.

Both Bloomer and Morvillo were closely involved in Lynch's fraud case.

They were on the Bayesian as thanks for their help during his three-month trial after he was cleared of fraud charges after US giant Hewlett Packard bought the FTSE 100-listed Autonomy, his data analysis firm, for $11billion.

Tragedy: Autonomy founder Mike Lynch (pictured) is missing after his superyacht was hit by a freak storm off the coast of Sicily

Bloomer, a former Hiscox chairman and Prudential chief, gave evidence during the San Francisco trial as he had led the audit committee at Autonomy while Morvillo represented him.

Yet there is another peculiar twist of fate to this tale of horror which tests the realms of probability.

Only two days before the Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily on Monday, Stephen Chamberlain, the former vice-president of finance at Autonomy and co-defendant in the fraud case, was hit by a car while jogging near his home in Cambridgeshire.

Chamberlain, who also worked at another Lynch-backed company, Darktrace, the cyber-security specialists, was put on life support after the accident but died soon afterwards in hospital.

As one Cambridge colleague of Lynch and Chamberlain told me, the likelihood of these tragedies coming so close  and so soon after they were both acquitted  is nothing short of extraordinary.

So it is no surprise the Silicon Fen community is buzzing with conspiracy theories. The coincidence is so weird that you can't blame them. Some say that they were hit-jobs. Or that the US secret service alphabet men were involved.

Conspiracies aside, the double tragedies have left the City reeling with horror and sadness for all those involved.

As you can also expect, the mood in Cambridge  where Lynch studied and founded so many tech companies  is sombre as the many colleagues he worked with and supported mourn the loss of a great friend but also his brilliance.

Questions are also being asked about what happens to Invoke Capital, the $1billion venture fund he set up after selling Autonomy to invest in fast-growing companies in the UK and across Europe. Working closely with Cambridge University, Invoke specialised in the field of artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies.

Lynch's ambition was to provide  alongside the funds  proper expertise so they could scale-up into global businesses, often perceived as the weakness of so many dynamic young UK companies that miss the big time.

He hasn't done too badly. Invoke's most successful companies include Darktrace, which employs 1,500 people and worth around 1billion and Luminance, an award-winning machine learning platform for the legal industry.

Another high performing Lynch investment is the pioneering AI fraud-detection engine, Featurespace, run by Martina King, which is going great guns helping companies track down everything from money laundering to the theft of credit cards.

Featurespace is a classic example of the sort of venture that Lynch was so good at spotting  and one that was supported early on by the incredibly tight and brainy Cambridge network.

Founded in 2008 by David Excell, an Australian academic, and the late Bill Fitzgerald, a Cambridge professor and expert in Bayesian statistics  and a mentor to Lynch at Cambridge  its expertise lies in adaptive behavioural analytics.

This is a form of artificial intelligence that predicts human intention by analysing online data, making it possible to crackdown on fraudsters in any online scenario from gambling to rogue trading.

Lynch was a significant investor. When I interviewed King some years ago, it was natural to ask her what she thought about the allegations against Lynch.

All she would say is: 'The man's a genius.' That's not a bad legacy.
Stunning scenery of spring water terraces in Shangri-La, SW China's Yunnan

People's Daily Online) 11:33, August 21, 2024

Photo shows the stunning scenery of the Baishuitai scenic spot in Baidi village, Sanba town, Shangri-La city, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Shangri-La)

The Baishuitai, which translates to white water terrace, scenic spot covers an area of around 3 square kilometers in Baidi village, Sanba town, Shangri-La city, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. It is a natural wonder formed by calcium carbonate dissolving in spring water.

The pools within the terrace are crystal clear, presenting a fantastic blue color, shimmering like jade and as blue as a gemstone. As the light and shadows of the sky change, the scenery also transforms.

Photo shows the stunning scenery of the Baishuitai scenic spot in Baidi village, Sanba town, Shangri-La city, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Shangri-La)

Baishuitai is about 100 kilometers from downtown Shangri-La. Its beautiful scenery attracts tourists from far and wide.

Photo shows an aerial view of the Baishuitai scenic spot in Baidi village, Sanba town, Shangri-La city, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Shangri-La)

Baishuitai is also renowned for its rich historical and cultural ambiance. The surrounding traditional villages offer a wide array of cultural heritage items, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the distinctive charm of the region.

Tourists go sightseeing at the Baishuitai scenic spot in Baidi village, Sanba town, Shangri-La city, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of Baishuitai scenic spot)

Photo shows an aerial view of the Baishuitai scenic spot in Baidi village, Sanba town, Shangri-La city, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Shangri-La)

The Lijiang-Shangri-La Railway, connecting Shangri-La with Lijiang, another well-known tourist city in Yunnan, offers a more comfortable travel experience for tourists, while various festivals further enhance the reputation of Shangri-La.

Every year, a worship ceremony takes place at Baishuitai on the eighth day of the second lunar month. People from the Naxi, Tibetan, Lisu, Yi, and Bai ethnic groups in the local area come together to sing and dance, expressing their aspiration for a beautiful life and their wishes.

Photo shows the opening ceremony of the 2024 Shangri-La Baishuitai Dongba Cultural Tourism Festival. (Photo courtesy of Baishuitai scenic spot)

Photo shows the scenery of the Baishuitai scenic spot in Baidi village, Sanba town, Shangri-La city, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the culture and tourism bureau of Shangri-La)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Barack Obama greets Michelle Obama before speaking on the second night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

CHICAGO  During prime-time speeches on Tuesday, Barack and Michelle Obama portrayed Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as regular people and former President Donald Trump as a privileged elite.

The Obamas speeches punctuated a theme of the convention, which is that Harris and Walz have roots in the middle class and understand the struggles of everyday Americans. Harris husband Doug Emhoff talked about her cooking for their children and friends during his speech earlier in the evening. The night before, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez talked proudly of being a bartender and working for a living, something she said Harris and Walz understand. During the conventions roll call of states, Hans Storvick, a former neighbor and student of Tim Walz, said the governor taught his students how to learn about global issues with respect, curiosity and kindness and made time to attend his brothers funeral in the midst of state budget negotiations.

Both the former president and former first lady excoriated Trump for his perennial complaining and argued that he hasnt demonstrated gratitude or humility, despite his privilege. They drew a contrast between him and Harris and also between him and regular people.

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If we see a mountain in front of us, we dont expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top, Michelle Obama said, making a thinly veiled reference to Trump announcing his 2016 presidential bid while riding down an escalator.

She also jabbed at Trump for his claims that immigrants were taking Black jobs during the presidential debate in June.

Whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs? she asked. The audience roared.

Her husband also prompted laughter at several points in his speech, including a line about Walzs style.

You can tell those flannel shirts he wears dont come from some political consultant. They come from his closet, he said. And theyve been through some stuff.

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Both the former first lady and former president received standing ovations and inspired spontaneous chants in the packed United Center.

But the crowd went silent while Barack Obama, who returned to the city that launched his political career, described the hard work and decency that both his grandmother and his mother-in-law demonstrated.
Wilko will open another new store since it was taken over and rebranded following its dramatic collapse last year.

The retailer, which was bought rival budget retailer The Range last year, has announced plans to open a new store in Uxbridge, west London, this autumn.

It marks the brand's seventh store opening since it was bought, following previous openings in Exter, Plymouth, Luton, Rotherham, St Albans and Poole, and its first in the capital since its relaunch.

Return: Wilko was a familiar name on the high street - and will be back in London later this year

Before its collapse, the budget homeware chain had 400 stores across the UK but collapsed into administration last August leading to nearly 12,500 job losses.

Mark Jackson, former Wilko boss, penned an open letter last year and said: 'We left no stone unturned when it came to preserving this incredible business but must concede that with regret, we've no choice but to take the difficult decision to enter into administration.'

Signs of Wilko's woes emerged six years before its collapse when the company commenced a redundancy consultation affecting 4,000 jobs.

Wilko posted a 65million loss for that year and continued to disappoint thereafter.

The brand also struggled with growing competition from rivals B&M and Poundland, who captured a larger share of the market and at a lower cost.

A key part of B&M's success lies in the retailer's ability to source its huge range of merchandise directly from its own Asia-based buying operation, which it gives it an edge on design and value.

B&M and the owner of Poundland agreed to take on a number of Wilko shops, before CDS Superstores, trading as The Range, stepped in to strike a 5million deal for its remaining stores and intellectual property.

The Range was set up by Chris Dawson, a tycoon dubbed the 'Del Boy billionaire', in 1989 and has 213 stores across the UK.

Alex Simpkin, chief executive of CDS Superstores said today: 'Our expansion is about bringing wilko back to the heart of communities, providing quality and value in every corner of the UK.

'We've had a great reception from customers in our six locations to date, and from wilko.com shoppers, and we're thrilled to announce our reopening in Uxbridge, which also marks our return to Greater London too.'
A primary school teacher has been banned from the classroom after a sick WhatsApp chat, where sexist and homophobic messages about female staff were exchanged with male colleagues, was unmasked by police.

Matthew Clare, 36, was part of the 'barbaric' 'Nip Clockers' group chat at Engayne Primary School in Upminster, east London, alongside 'three other colleagues'.

In a slew of grossly offensive messages received by Mr Clare, female colleagues were branded as 'kinky sluts', 'pure filth' and 'f***buddy material', the Teaching Regulation Authority (TRA) said.

One comment comparing the figures of two different female teachers, sent to Clare by an unknown member of the group, read: 'She top (redacted) on the filthy scale She's be a dirty f***'.

Another homophobic jibe received by Clare referred to a colleague as a 'skin head carpet muncher' while other posts discussed what they thought might be colleagues' preferred sexual positions - with the vile chat leaving shell-shocked staff at the primary 'appalled'.

Clare has now been banned from teaching while all the others involved in the chat have resigned from the primary - with one of the disgraced educators now teaching at a new job at a London prep school.

Matthew Clare, 36, has been banned from teaching after becoming involved in an offensive WhatsApp chat called Nip Clockers

A misconduct hearing carried out by the TRA heard that Clare admitted the messages gave the impression he was regularly ogling his female colleagues breasts.

One read: 'Clocked the Ns massively coming on from lunch. This cold weather.'

Scores were kept about many teachers, with Clare posting 'T*** looked cracking tho' which received the response of 'that rack alone makes her top 2 material',

Another discussion revolved around 'Do you reckon all the women from work have a go (group chat) about our massive shlongs?'

Clare replied 'Ha Ha Hopefully!!!' and 'Is that sexual assault?'.

Teaching watchdogs heard that the messages were found on a colleague's phone seized in March 2021 by the Metropolitan Police who then raised the matter to the local authority.

Clare had participated in the group between July 2019 and February 2020. He was suspended and resigned after being busted.

A second teacher involved in the scandal was Grant Twist, who taught Year 3 at Engayne, before resigning in May 2021 when the WhatsApp group was exposed.

He has been spared a teaching ban and has since moved to 16,818-a-year Snaresbrook Preparatory School in South Woodford, north-east London.

The second teacher was Grant Twist, who taught Year 3, before resigning in May 2021 when the WhatsApp group was exposed. He has since moved to Snaresbrook Preparatory School in South Woodford, north-east London

Twist's messages included: 'No brarisky when bending over a tableno kid wants a lose boob smacking them in the faceimagine tagging her on the boob.'

In response to a discussion about 'tagging' a female colleague on the breasts, bottom and vagina, Mr Twist sent a message saying 'With my dick', the TRA said.

The panel was told this referred to a 'tag' game which involved staff members touching each other.

Twist claimed at least two female colleagues were aware of the tag game, but not that there were discussions that it should extend to the touching of intimate body parts.

In the chat, he also referred to some of the pupils in his English class as 'spaz boys', the TRA said.

Twist also received a message from a member in the group about one female colleague with the comment 'someone is going to have to take one for the team and donkey punch her.'

This referred to the controversial Britflic film Donkey Punch in which a girl dies from a blow after her attacker learns of an urban myth that hitting women during sex will enhance their orgasm.

Another message received by Twist and Clare in the group referred to female staff members as 'c** slave' and 'kinky sl** bucket' and said of one: 'She'd make a decent porn hub video'.

A separate homophobic jibe received by Twist and Clare within the group referred to a 'carpet munching sl**' and 'she ain't got any bfs because she's a lesbo'.

As well as the sexist and homophobic comments within the group chat, there were also racist jibes and hate messages about one of the pupil's mothers, who was described as 'top of my c*** list'.

The pair were teachers at Engayne Primary School, in east London (pictured)

One exchange in the group referred to 'K-O-ing her' so her head would crack 'like an egg' with Clare responding 'would love to see it on the Key Stage 2 playground'.

Another member of the group commented: 'I feel so sorry for her husband. I'd argue it is worse than prison.'

Mrs Melissa West, who chaired the Teaching Regulation Agency hearing, said: 'Mr Clare was in a WhatsApp group with male colleagues at the school within which he received and sent inappropriate messages about a significant number of female colleagues, a student, and a parent of the school.

'Mr Clare stated that while the comments he made gave the impression that he was regularly looking at the breasts of multiple female colleagues, this was in fact fictional and he was not actually doing this.'

During the hearing, Mr Clare admitted that he contributed to the WhatsApp group but claimed he did not instigate any of the problematic topics. Mr Clare expressed remorse for joining these discussions however, insisting that he would never act on the statements made in the posts.

However, the panel concluded: 'The messages Mr Clare sent and received were by their very nature explicitly sexual and contained graphic sexual comments about Mr Clare's female colleagues.

'In the panel's view, the messages spoke for themselves and the panel was satisfied they were sexual in nature.'

While the panel determined that Mr Clare was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct as a result of these posts, they noted that he had apologised for his actions and expressed regret for not reporting the conversations.

Clare was banned from the profession for at least two years. The fate of the two other teachers involved in the group is not yet clear. However, a source at the school has since confirmed none of those involved in the chat were now employed at the primary.

Banning Clare, David Oakley, for the Education Secretary, said: 'The findings of misconduct are particularly seriousreceiving or sending inappropriate messages which discussed female colleagues in a way which was sexually objectifying, homophobic, misogynistic, and denigrating... racist and engaging in inappropriate discussion of a parent.'

Twist was spared a teaching ban after the panel accepted he had shown genuine remorse over his behaviour and was getting counselling.

Professor Antony Moss, chairman of governors at the school, said the behaviour of the perverted educators left staff horrified.

Speaking to MailOnline, he added: 'As soon as this matter was brought to our attention, the teachers involved were immediately suspended in the interest of pupils and staff.

'Engayne Primary School leadership conducted a thorough investigation and passed the findings to the relevant bodies, including the Teacher Regulation Agency (TRA), to ensure this matter was dealt with as quickly as possible so sanctions could be brought.

'We were shocked and appalled by this incident and the behaviour of the teachers named in the report. We have a zero-tolerance approach to this type of behaviour.

'We recognise this news will impact members of school community and have already offered support to those directly affected.'
Finance guru Alan Kohler has said excess immigration is to blame for Australia's housing crisis, and it is being fuelled by the influx of international university students.

Kohler, the ABC's finance expert, said it is not the permanent migration of workers that is chiefly responsible for the soaring demand - and prices - for homes, but the burgeoning number of foreign university students.

'Most of Australia's migrant intake has been outsourced to universities and colleges, who see new arrivals as customers rather than migrants,' he wrote in a piece for The New Daily.

'They (universities) use 'education agents' in other countries to recruit them, paying sales commissions to spur them on.'

Kohler regarded the agents as being 'bit like legal people smugglers' - eager to take their cut but with no interest in the negative consequences.

Kohler said it was policy changes to immigration in 2001 under the Howard government that saw Australia 'change forever'.

The changes have made it much easier for students from countries such as India, China, and Pakistan to enter and gain permanent residency, compared to before when it was 'almost impossible,' Mr Kohler explained.

Kohler said that under the changes, Australia's migrant intake - including students - tripled to 300,000 a year between 2005 and 2008.

Finance guru Alan Kohler has said excess immigration is to blame for Australia's housing crisis, which is only being fuelled by the influx of international university students

The Albanese Government is now planning to cap the number of international students being accepted into universities.

The proposal is widely opposed by tertiary education providers, who have become increasingly reliant on the up-front fees paid by foreign students rather than the local students paying off HECS.

It's understood the cap on numbers could rise if the tertiary institutions funded student accommodation, thus easing the fierce competition for properties in the broader rental market with Australia's big cities having an ultra-tight vacancy rate of 1.3 per cent.

Any reduction in the number of international students would significantly dent the revenue streams for universities, having a knock-on effect on funds available for research projects.

'The current Labor government's point of view is that the universities have become addicted to foreign students and they should not be deciding Australia's population growth based on their desire for revenue,' Kohler explained.

'Also universities really need the money in the absence of government funding  without foreign students, research would dry up and the national science effort would suffer.'

The imbalances created by a soaring population is not just felt in the rental market and house prices, but labour shortages - particularly in the construction sector.

That has sent the prices commanded by tradespeople soaring which in turn has led to the collapse of a record number of construction companies, and yet more shortages in the supply of homes.

The Albanese Government's goal of 1.2 million new homes by 2029 was predicted to fail almost from the time it was announced, and is already behind schedule.

The target requires 240,000 homes to be built each year but that number is now sitting at just 150,000.

The government is also hoping to bring net overseas migration down to 260,000 in this financial year, after hitting 547,300 in 2023.

'Getting Australia's population growth down to something approaching the actual capacity of the construction industry to build houses for them all  as opposed to what the government might wish it was  is not going to be easy,' Kohler said.

An Australian earning an average, full-time salary of $100,017 would only be able to buy a $650,110 home with a 20 per cent deposit of $130,022, with the banks only able to lend someone 5.2 times their salary before tax.

This individual would be in mortgage stress buying the typical unit in Melbourne or Brisbane and paying $3,353 a month in home loan repayments - or more than a third of their pay.

Someone renting in Sydney, where $694 is the median weekly unit rent, would be giving almost $3,100 a month to a landlord.

The middle-priced house in Australia's major capital cities is beyond the reach of the average Australian worker buying on their own, which means they are limited to units or a home with a small backyard in a far, outer suburb.
The owner of a tour company has fired back at a tourist who posted vision of a crocodile trap adjacent to an area where customers were canoeing on the river, denying any suggestions the families were at risk.

Adam Mackay, who runs Go Wild Adventure Tours at Kununurra in Western Australia's remote Kimberly region, slammed the woman for posting a video that implied the tour customers were being put at risk because the trap indicated there were crocodiles nearby.

Mr Mackay told Daily Mail Australia she has 'no clue' about the measures in place to protect tourists - even though there have been sightings of saltwater crocs in the area.

He said rangers and 'the whole community' are on watch for crocodiles, and said the presence of traps was precisely why he was confident people were safe to go on or in the water.

'Check out this rant from someone who doesn't have a clue!' he posted on Facebook in response to the tourist's video.

'That trap (in the video) actually caught a 1.8m saltie a couple of weeks BEFORE this video was made, that's how we know that the area is safe.

'That's what the traps are for.

'This is the only river in Australia that is protected from salties, which is why everyone in the know can happily swim and play on the upper Ord.'

Adam Mackay (pictured) who runs Go Wild Adventure Tours in Kununurra, said the tourist has 'no clue' about the safety measures in place to protect visitors

Mr Mackay, who runs the travel company's 'Econoeing Tours', which offer tourists certified self-guided camping and canoeing activities, explained to Daily Mail Australia that there are very few sightings of crocs in the river.

He said the Ivanhoe Crossing, a raised pathway on the lower end of the Ord River, has plenty of people wading into the water even though it is a known saltwater crocodile habitat.

Mr Mackay said there are plenty of people who swim in the water on the weekend.

The stretch of the river that the female tourist filmed is protected from crocs, he said, with traps and a removal program that is managed by rangers.

'It's obviously city folk putting their values on ours, they don't know what's going on up here,' he said.

Mr Mackay, who has been running the business for 25 years, said the clip has caused people to overreact about the potential danger of using the waterway.

'What is has done...I've got customers, who are going [on a guided tour] on Thursday and they've rung me after seeing the post asking, 'Are you sure it's safe?'' he said.

Mr Mackay put up a Facebook post on Monday to explain the trap the woman filmed is an important safety measure.

He explained the cage caught a massive 1.8-metre saltwater croc just weeks before the woman posted the video.

The croc was the same one that had been accidently released after it was let out of the trap a few months ago.

Western Australia's Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is responsible for the management of the trap.

It has set up six traps along Lake Kununurra, which is located at the upper part of the Ord River, as part of its ranger program.

Mr Mackay (pictured centre), who has been running the business for 25 years, said the clip posted by a tourist showing a crocodile trap has caused people to overreact about the potential danger of using the waterway

The woman filmed a video of the crocodile trap on the banks of the Ord River (pictured) before she posted the clip on social media, causing a stir among those heading to the area

'I rely on them [the rangers] to keep me informed. When they do keep me informed, I have to stand in front of my customers and say 'Do you know that we've got a confirmed sighting [of a crocodile]' Mr Mackay said.

'Most people choose to participate anyway.'

Commenters on social media rallied behind Mr Mackay and praised his knowledge and experience running the guided tours.

'His tours are extremely safe, well planned and has been the highlight of my teaching career,' one person wrote.

Others slammed the woman for being critical of the activities conducted at the river.

'Id suggest the tourist needs to check themselves! Why come to the Kimberley region in the first place?' another person wrote.

Some were shocked after Mr Mackay said the large croc was caught by the trap just weeks before the woman visited the river.

Mr Mackay put up a Facebook post (pictured) on Monday to reveal the trap caught a massive saltwater croc just weeks before the woman filmed and uploaded the viral video

'Is this man insane admitting this and saying it proves it's safe!' one person said.

Mr Mackay explained the Ord River is the only river in Australia that is protected from saltwater crocs.

He said only three crocodiles have been sighted and caught in the last two years and that the reptiles are usually sighted during the wet season.

Lake Argyle is home to the world's largest population of Johnston River crocodiles, also known as the Australian freshwater crocodile.

Mr Mackay said he relies on rangers, who manage the crocodile traps along the river, to inform him about crocodile sightings and he ensures this information is communicated to his customers (pictured)

Swimming is considered 'at your own risk' at the lake after a 2.5-metre freshwater crocodile was euthanised by authorities when it bit a woman at the lake in 2022.

Tourists are warned not to camp or swim along secluded banks, where the crocodiles can become defensive of their nests or sunbaking spots.

While mostly inhabited by freshwater crocodiles, visitors are also urged to be wary of 'salties', which are known to venture into the lake after rainfall.

A spokeswoman from the DBCA told Daily Mail Australia Lake Kununurra is a saltwater Crocodile Control Zone.

'DBCA manage crocodile traps in this area as a part of an ongoing saltwater crocodile management program to detect and remove estuarine (saltwater) crocodiles from the area,' the spokeswoman said.

'This is clearly communicated and displayed on signage at all major public boat ramps along the lake'.

Locals and visitors are urged to be Crocwise when visiting the area at all time as WA's North West is crocodile country.
The viciousness with which the Nazi party subjugated Europe in the early 20th century can never be overstated.

Led by Adolf Hitler and his hate-fuelled ideology of fascistic racial purity, the regime committed countless atrocities for years, the effects of which are still felt today.

But while the fuhrer was known for assembling a notoriously sadistic band of male lieutenants including Heinrich Himmler, Martin Bormann and Hans Frank, history tells us that women in the Third Reich played a key role in the sickening war crimes.

Just yesterday, a 99-year-old Nazi known as the 'Secretary of Evil' failed in her bid to overturn a conviction for being an accessory to over 10,000 murders at the infamous Stutthof concentration camp.

Irmgard Furchner joins a long line of women infamous for the cruelty they inflicted upon their victims.

From a nymphomaniac 'hyena' who took sexual pleasure from watching women undergo surgery with no anaesthetic, to the 'Red Witch' who carefully selected prisoners to kill in order to turn their skin into ornaments, MailOnline takes a look at the cruellest women to thrive in the Third Reich.

Irmgard Furchner (pictured) was known as the 'Secretary of Evil for her role at the infamous Stutthof concentration camp

Irma Grese (left), known as the Hyena of Auschwitz and Ilse Koch (right), known as the Red Witch of Buchenwald

History tells us that women in the Third Reich played a key role in the sickening war crimes . Pictured: Herta Bothe (left) known as the Sadist of Stutthof and Hermine Braunsteiner (right), known as the Stomping Mare

Irma Grese, the Hyena of Auschwitz

At just 22 years old, Irma Grese, the Hyena of Auschwitz, became the youngest woman to be executed under British law in the 20th century.

Her horrific crimes certainly fit the punishment.

Known by one female prisoner at Auschwitz-Birkenau, where she was a guard, as 'the most depraved, cruel, imaginative pervert I ever came across', Grese committed countless sadistic acts in the pursuit of furthering the Nazi cause during her short career as a member of the Women's SS Division.

But despite her age, she quickly rose through the ranks, becoming an SS Oberaufseherin, or Chief Overseer. She was given command over 30,000 women prisoners in Auschwitz-Birkenaus camp BII/c.

Prisoners at Auschwitz-Birkenau knew her for wearing heavy boots and carrying a whip and pistol, vicious tools she used liberally to kick, beat and shoot concentration camp prisoners for minor infractions.

Grese was said to have derived near-sexual pleasure from watching prisoners in agony.

At just 22 years old, Irma Grese, the Hyena of Auschwitz, (pictured) became the youngest woman to be executed under British law in the 20th century

One prisoner said Grese, number 9, was 'the most depraved, cruel, imaginative pervert I ever came across'

Grese was said to have derived near-sexual pleasure from watching prisoners in agony

Main entrance of Auschwitz II

Gisella Perl, a trained doctor who was a prisoner at Auschwitz-Birkenau, recalled after the Second World War that the Hyena would often watch medical operations, which were almost always performed without anaesthesia.

Perl said: 'Irma Grese invariably arrived to watch the operation, kicking the victim if her screams interfered with her pleasure and giving herself completely to the orgasmic spasms which shook her entire body and made saliva run down from the corner of her mouth.

'Irma Grese was enjoying the sight of this human suffering. Her tense body swung back and forth in a revealing, rhythmical motion. Her cheeks were flushed and her wide-open eyes had the rigid, staring look of complete sexual paroxysm.

'She did this on multiple occasions so she could relive this sadistic moment repeatedly. She always came to watch the operations of these women whose breasts had been slashed open and had become infected with the lice and dirt which pervaded the womens camp.'

Grese's perversions didn't end there - she is rumoured to have been sleeping with Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, as well as Josef Kramer, the commandant of Birkenau and later Bergen-Belsen.

Irma Grese is rumoured to have been sleeping with Nazi doctor Josef Mengele

Survivors recalled that Irma Grese killed at least 30 people a day

Following legal proceedings at the Belsen Trials, she was sentenced to death by hanging

A view of barbed wire fence and surveillance towers at the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz Birkenau

Claims were made after the way that she took part in deciding who would live or die alongside Mengele.

Survivors recalled that she killed at least 30 people a day.

Her time at Bergen-Belsen, another concentration camp which she transferred to after her time at Auschwitz-Birkenau, was marked by even deeper sadism.

At Belsen, she was known for making prisoners kneel for hours at a time, severely straining their muscles.

She also made them hold heavy rocks over their heads, punishing them if they did not stand up straight.

Prisoners were also made to stand upright in snow, ice and rain between 3am and 9am. Failure to do so properly would result in severe beatings.

Following her arrest by British forces at the end of the war, she nonchalantly said of her war crimes: 'It was our duty to exterminate anti-social elements so that Germanys future would be assured.'

Following legal proceedings at the Belsen Trials, she was sentenced to death by hanging.

For a woman known for her perverse attraction to prolonged violence and suffering, this was the last thing she wanted for her own execution, which was carried out by the infamous hangman Albert Pierrepoint in December 1945.

Pierrepoint, known as Britain's last hangman, was seemingly left stunned by how she approached her own death, writing in his autobiography: 'She walked into the execution chamber, gazed for a moment at the officials standing around it, then walked to the centre of the trap where I had made a chalk mark.

'She stood on this mark very firmly and, as I placed the white cap over her head, she said in a languid voice, "Schnell".'

Herta Bothe, the Sadist of Stutthof

At 6ft 3in, Herta Bothe, the 'ruthless overseer' of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, towered above nearly everyone when she was arrested by Allies troops who liberated the northern German camp on April 15 1945.

Even more striking was the fact that, despite her height, she looked like a common civilian. While others wore night-black jackboots, she wore ordinary shoes.

But her civilian clothing belied the horrific truth of the sick cruelty she was capable of.

During the Belsen trials, a camp survivor said she saw Bothe beat an 18-year-old girl to death for daring to eat food scraps from the kitchen.

Another prisoner told war crime prosecutors that he saw her shoot two people for no reason at all.

Despite her arbitrary cruelty, she was only given a prison sentence of 10 years for using pistols against prisoners.

During the Belsen trials, a camp survivor said she saw Bothe (pictured, right) beat an 18-year-old girl to death for daring to eat food scraps from the kitchen

This undated photo from 1945 shows the Nazi concentration camp Stutthof in Sztutowo, Poland

German Nazi party official and head of the SS, Heinrich Himmler, center, visits the Nazi concentration camp Stutthof in Sztutowo, Poland Nov. 23, 1941

On top of this, she was released from prison early and was allowed to live out her days in relative peace.

Living under the same Lange, she was able to lead a quiet live for another half century.

Bothe was unrepentant of her war crimes. In a 1999 interview, less than a year before she died at the age of 79, she unashamedly said:

'Did I make a mistake? No. The mistake was that it was a concentration camp, but I had to go to it, otherwise I would have been put into it myself. That was my mistake.'

Ilse Koch, the Red Witch of Buchenwald

Nine days after American soldiers liberated the Buchenwald concentration camp in April 1945, United Press correspondent Ann Stringer filed a story that sickened the world.

In her own words, she saw a lampshade 'two feet in diameter, about eighteen inches high and made of five panels  made from the skin from a mans chest.

'Along side were book bindings, bookmarkers, and other ornamental piecesall made from human skin, too. I saw them today. I could see the pores and the tiny unquestionably human skin lines.'

The sickening ornaments belonged to llse Koch, wife of SS officer Karl Koch.

As the wife of a high-ranking Nazi official, she was afforded rights and powers that few had.

And as a Nazi with a proclivity for power, she abused these to no end.

he sickening ornaments belonged to llse Koch (pictured)

As the wife of a high-ranking Nazi official, she was afforded rights and powers that few had

A barbed wire fence encloses the memorial site of the former Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald near Weimar, eastern Germany

One prisoner, a 'Dutch engineer' who spent time in Buchenwald, said Koch 'would have prisoners with tattoos on them line up shirtless. Then she would pick a pretty design or mark she particularly liked.

'That prisoner would be executed and his skin made into an ornament.'

Testimonies were even more detailed at her war crimes trial.

Kurt Froboess, a prisoner at Buchenwald from 1937 until liberation, told the American military tribunal in Dachau: 'It was a hot day. Some prisoners were working without a shirt. Mrs. Koch arrived on a horse.

'There was a comrade therehis first name was Jean, he was either French or Belgianand he was known throughout camp for his excellent tattoos from head to toe.

'On his chest he had an exceptionally well-tattooed sailboat with four masts. Even today I can see it before my eyes very clearly. Mrs. Koch rode over. She took his number down. Jean was called to the gate at evening formation. We didnt see him anymore.'

For her part, Koch vigorously denied ever owning ornaments made of human skin

She experienced severe delusions while at Aichach women's prison, and believed that survivors of concentration camps would abuse her in her cell

Steles with the engravings 'Buchenwald' and 'Majdanek' that are part of the memorial dedicated to the murdered Sinti and Roma are pictured at the memorial site of the former Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald

Though there were many other testimonials that spoke to Koch's love of ornaments made of human skin, no physical evidence of this was ever produced at an official trial.

For her part, Koch vigorously denied ever owning ornaments made of human skin.

She claimed during the Dachau trial that the first time she had even heard of lampshades was when 'I read about it in Life magazine.'

Following years of legal wrangling, with her war crimes case being passed between military and civilian courts, she was eventually sentenced to a life sentence with no change of parole.

In a written judgement, judges at a West German court found she had consciously suppressed 'any feeling of compassion and pity she had as a woman.'

She instead gave 'free rein to her pursuit of power and prestige, her arrogance and her selfishness.'

The court noted that Koch had a 'stubborn and irresponsible denial' and refused to acknowledge the 'slightest admission of guilt.'

But it appears that the guilt of her crimes eventually broke her.

She experienced severe delusions while at Aichach women's prison, and believed that survivors of concentration camps would abuse her in her cell.

In her suicide note, which she wrote to her estranged son Uwe, she said: 'There is no other way. Death for me is a release.'

Hermine Braunsteiner, the Stomping Mare

Prisoners of the Majdanek concentration camp quickly learned to fear the shine coming off Hermine Braunsteiner's black jackboots.

She was equally happy using the polished mid-calf boots, studded with steel, to kick out a stool underneath a young girl to hang her to death as she was stomping old women to death.

Equally adept with her hands as she was with her feet, she was also known for whipping at least two women to death and grabbing children by their hair before tossing them in the back of vans to take them to gas chambers.

One French doctor, trapped at Majdanek, said of Braunsteiner: 'I watched her administer twenty-five lashes with a riding crop to a young Russian girl suspected of having tried sabotage.

'Her back was full of lashes, but I was not allowed to treat her immediately.'

Her cruelty was legendary, even by Nazi standards. For her sick work she was given the War Merit Cross, 2nd class, in 1943.

Prisoners of the Majdanek concentration camp quickly learned to fear the shine coming off Hermine Braunsteiner's (pictured, centre) black jackboots

Her cruelty was legendary, even by Nazi standards

View of guard towers, fence, and crematorium chimney at Majdanek

But her loyalty to the party wavered at the end of the Second World War.

Ahead of Majdanek's liberation by the Soviet Red Army im May 1945, she fled the camp before returning to her native Vienna.

A year later, she was arrested by Austrian police and handed over to British authorities.

Though she was convicted of crimes against human dignity for her abuse at Ravensbruck, where she spent some years working as a guard, she was acquitted of her war crimes in Majdanek, which included murder, as there weren't any witnesses who were willing to take the stand.

As a result, she received just three years in prison, and had all of her property confiscated.

Destitute, she worked low-end jobs at hotels and restaurants until she met her future husband, American man Russell Ryan, while he was on holiday in Austria.

The pair married in October 1958, and she entered the US in 1969, settling down in Queens, New York, after becoming a US citizen in 1963.

Upon realising that the jig was up, she reportedly said: 'My God, I knew this would happen. You've come'

Following a series of trials, she was given a life sentence for her crimes

After her identity was revealed, the US worked to revoke her citizenship as she had failed to disclose her war crimes convictions

Red Army soldiers examining the ovens of the burned-down New Crematorium at Majdanek

In New York, she was known locally as a friendly housewife with a penchant for cleanliness.

But her unearned marital bliss would not last.

A famed Nazi hunter managed to track down her route from Austria to New York, and informed the New York Times that there was a Nazi living quietly in the city.

The Gray Lady sent a junior reporter to track her down.

Upon realising that the jig was up, she reportedly said: 'My God, I knew this would happen. You've come.'

After her identity was revealed, the US worked to revoke her citizenship as she had failed to disclose her war crimes convictions.

Though she initially managed to avoid extradition back to Germany, she was forced back to West Germany after its government accused her of being jointly responsible for the deaths of 200,000 people.

Following a series of trials, she was given a life sentence for her crimes, but was later released from prison following complications of diabetes.

Irmgard Furchner, the Secretary of Evil

99-year-old Irmgard Furchner has spent her whole life denying the horrific war crimes crimes she was complicit in at the tender ages of 18 and 19.

As the secretary to the SS commander of the infamous Stutthof concentration camp, she was convicted of being an accessory to over 10,000 murders.

At a federal court hearing in Leipzig last month, the Nazi's lawyers tried to cast doubt over whether she could really be considered an accessory to the atrocities committed at the camp, and whether she had been fully aware of what was going on.

She was tried in a juvenile court as she was 18 and 19 at the time of the alleged crimes, and the court couldn't establish beyond a doubt her 'maturity of mind' then.

But the court ruled that Furchner 'knew and, through her work as a stenographer in the commandant's office of the Stutthof concentration camp from June 1, 1943, to April 1, 1945, deliberately supported the fact that 10,505 prisoners were cruelly killed by gassings, by hostile conditions in the camp,' by transportation to the Auschwitz death camp and by being sent on death marches at the end of the war.

99-year-old Irmgard Furchner (pictured) has spent her whole life denying the horrific war crimes crimes she was complicit in at the tender ages of 18 and 19

As the secretary to the SS commander of the infamous Stutthof concentration camp, she was convicted of being an accessory to over 10,000 murders

Furchner's guilt appears to still be weighing on her even decades later.

In September 2021, she was detained for several days by Germany police after she tried running away at the start of her trial.

Furchner ran away from her care home in Norderstedt, northern Germany, and tried to take a taxi to the city's railway station, but did not make it far.

She was held for five days, with the start of the trial being delayed thanks to her attempted escape.

While she reportedly remained silent through much of her trial, she said toward the end: 'I'm sorry for everything that happened. I regret that I was in Stutthof at the time. I can't say anything else.'

One of the women was Maria Mandl, a senior SS guard in Auschwitz from October 1942 to October 1944 who was nicknamed 'The Beast' by prisoners

Female guards at the SS holiday camp in the town of Porabka

SS women arriving at an SS holiday camp in the town of Porabka in what was then German occupied Poland

Maria Mandl, The Beast

Maria Mandl, a senior SS guard in Auschwitz from October 1942 to October 1944 was nicknamed 'The Beast' by prisoners.

Born in 1912 the daughter of a shoemaker, she first started work in a Nazi concentration camp in Lichtenburg Germany in 1938 before being transferred to the camp for women in Ravensbruk, also in Germany.

In 1942 she was sent to Auschwitz where she became infamous for her sadism and sending 'an estimated half a million women and children to their deaths in the gas chambers.'

After Auschwitz was liberated in January 1945, Mandl fled into the mountains of southern Bavaria.

Mandl was later caught and arrested by the US military in August 1945 and held at Dachau Prison.

She was then handed over to Poland in November 1946 and later sentenced by a Kracow courtroom, as part of the Auschwitz trial, to death by hanging. Mandl was hanged on 24 January 1948, aged 36.

SS women arriving at an SS holiday camp in what was then German occupied Poland

Among the women featured in the project is Emma Zimmer (left), who worked as a female SS guard at three concentration camps. She was later sentenced to death by hanging by the British military tribunal. Another female SS guard who was sentenced to death was Therese Brandl (right), who worked at three concentration camps between 1940 and 1945

Emma Zimmer

Emma Zimmer, who worked as a female SS guard at three concentration camps and was later awarded the War Merit Cross Second Class without Swords for her long-time service for the SS.

Born on August 14, 1888, in Hamersheim, she started work as a guard from December 1937, initially in Lichtenberg concentration camp and from May 1939 in Ravensbruck concentration camp for women.

At the beginning of October 1942, she was delegated to Auschwitz concentration camp, where she stayed until December 1943.

In September 1943, she was awarded the War Merit Cross Second Class without Swords for her long-time service for the SS.

But later that year, due to her age, health problems and alcohol abuse at work she terminated her career as a female SS guard in concentration camps.

She was later detained by US military forced in the spring of 1945 and deported to internment camp number 77 in Ludwigsburg.

Subsequently, she was handed over to British authorities. She was sentenced to death by hanging by the British military tribunal in the 6th Ravensbruck Trial. The sentence was carried out in September 1948.

Therese Brandl

Therese Brandl worked at three concentration camps between 1940 and 1945.

Brandl, born on February 1, 1909 in the Bavarian town Staudach, worked at Ravensbruck concentration camp for women from September 1940 to March 1942.

Later she was delegated to Auschwitz concentration camp, where she stayed until the end of 1944 working as SS Report Leader and supervised the prisoners working in the Rajsko subcamp.

In December 1944, she was delegated at her own request to work in the subcamp Muhldorf.

After the war, she was sentenced to death by hanging in the trial against 40 former members of the staff of Auschwitz concentration camp. The sentence was carried out in January 1948.
Even in the dwindling twilight, the divers and the patrol boats are still out there off the Sicilian coast as I write, lending the tiniest credence to that slenderest of hopes: might someone, in some miraculous air pocket, still be alive?

It is now two days since the 183ft British superyacht, the Bayesian, capsized in seconds and sank in 150ft of water in the early hours of Monday.

Six people are missing, including the owner, British tech guru Mike Lynch, and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah.

Yet, divers have since reported finding a hull still apparently intact and lying on its starboard side with heavy detritus  furniture and so on  blocking their path to some of the cabins within.

In the absence of bodies, one expert raised the dim possibility that someone might still be trapped in a submerged pocket of air.

Robert Hardman in Porticello, Sicily, with the life raft used by the survivors of the shipwreck

Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, are among those missing after the superyacht sank off southern Italy

Nick Sloane, a salvage engineer who worked on the wreck of the Italian Costa Concordia cruise ship, told Sky News yesterday that theyve got a very small window of time to try to find people.

He added that, since the yacht was on its side and not upright, the prospects of trapped air were much greater. The next 24 hours are critical, he said.

Jeremy Bloomer, twin brother of missing passenger Jonathan Bloomer, last night told the BBC: Its a slow process and it will take time. So there might be air pockets, but we dont know. Its still wait and see, so fingers crossed.

The authorities have not  quite  abandoned all notions of a miracle, though they were managing expectations last night.

Italian coast guard spokesman Vincenzo Zagarola told reporters: We suppose that the six people missing may not have had time to get out of the boat.

Asked about the chance of any of them being alive, he replied: Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not.

Here in the village of Porticello, it has to be said, an air of profound gloom hangs over what is usually a busy harbour. For now, it barely stirs, save for the comings and goings of rescue craft.

Nothing could be more poignant than the hunt for Hannah Lynch. She had only just learned that she had secured the precious A-Level grades needed to fulfil her dream of a place at Oxford when disaster struck in the blackness before dawn.

There had already been so much for the Lynch family to celebrate that it could not all be crammed into one cruise.

It is now two days since the 183ft British superyacht, the Bayesian, capsized in seconds and sank in 150ft of water in the early hours of Monday

Hardmanon the coast of Porticello in Sicily, the coast near to where the ship sank. The vessel was caught in the middle of a tornado which hit water and became a water spout

Wholly exonerated by an American jury after defending himself against a punitive 12-year legal assault in relation to the sale of his software business to the USs Hewlett-Packard corporation, Mike Lynch had wanted to thank those who had stood loyally by through his darkest hours. Even a superyacht the size of the Bayesian, with six elegant guest staterooms, could not accommodate them all.

So there would be a rotating circle of staunch friends and allies invited aboard to toast Dr Lynchs new lease of life. Now there was something very different for the family to celebrate, alongside the latest batch of guests who arrived last weekend. And how it must have melted the hearts of Dr Lynch and his wife Angela Bacares.

For their beautiful, clever younger daughter, Hannah, was now going to study for a degree at one of the worlds finest universities. Dad might have been a mathematical prodigy during his days at Cambridge but Hannah was looking forward to reading English at Trinity College, Oxford.

What happier way to crown this summers burst of good fortune for a family who, for all their wealth, had been through so much trauma in recent years. One schoolmate at west Londons Latymer Upper School remembers Hannah as a wonderful, popular, creative talent full of dreams.

The last picture of the luxury superyacht which had 22 people on board, including ten crew members

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch is still missing. His wife, Angela Bacares, was among the 15 people rescued

This shocking maritime accident is already perplexing many of the most experienced names in sailing. How could one of the worlds tallest yachts, designed by some of the finest in the business, simply capsize and sink in seconds?

How could it do so not mid-Atlantic or in the depths of a winter storm but in August in the Mediterranean less than a mile from the shore. And at anchor. And with all its sails furled?

And, however unfair it may turn out to be, there is a question which may be asked in due course: why were the skipper and all but one of the crew in the life raft while six of their passengers were unaccounted for?

Standing here on a breezy Sicilian shore, watching the rescue boats and helicopters frantically trying to find the missing, the bewildering sense of disbelief weighs every bit as heavily as the tragedy of it all.

They've got a small window of time. The next 24 hours are critical

The only piece of evidence on display when I arrive here in Porticello is the inflatable life raft, tied to a coast guard pontoon. No bigger than two paddling pools stuck together with an orange tent on top, it was this which proved so providential in the early hours of Monday morning.

In those terrifying seconds as the boat went over, someone had managed to chuck this thing over the side and pull the ripcord connected to the gas cylinders which inflates a life raft much like the airbag in your car.

The canopy of this model specifies a maximum of 12 people on board. We know that up to 15, including a baby, were drifting helplessly when the rescue boats arrived on the scene. The foil blankets and empty emergency water packs still lie strewn on the floor.

There are now two investigations running in parallel here. Out at sea, teams of divers and maritime investigators are circling the same patch of water beyond the harbour of Porticello.

Divers plunge into the waves to search the wreckage, 150ft beneath the surface

'Even in the dwindling twilight, the divers and the patrol boats are still out there off the Sicilian coast,' writes Robert Hardman

A few miles away, on dry land, the survivors are recovering at a five-star hotel complex where the authorities are gathering witness statements and piecing together some sort of timeline.

Yesterday the British ambassador to Rome, Lord Llewellyn, former Downing Street chief of staff, sombre and suited, arrived in Sicily to meet the survivors and their families, hear their stories and thank the Italian authorities.

No one can imagine the pain of Ms Bacares, who sustained serious injuries during her escape from the boat. She has now been joined by her elder daughter, Esme, a student, who was thankfully not on board at the time of the sinking.

How could one of the worlds tallest yachts, designed by some of the finest in the business, simply capsize and sink in seconds?

Another family in deep shock is that of Dr Lynchs New York lawyer, Christopher Morvillo, and his wife, Neda. Their two daughters were believed to be heading to meet up with them in Crete. Now they may face life as orphans. Also missing are Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife, Judy, a respected London psychotherapist.

As friends of all of the above come to terms with the news, they are also starting to ask so many of these urgent questions. For example: how come another, smaller yacht, within shouting distance, managed to survive the same weather?

I take a boat out to the edge of the search area and have a close look at the Sir Robert Baden-Powell. Here is a handsome schooner half a century older than the Bayesian, bobbing around at anchor apparently unscathed.

At the first sign of terrible weather, her Dutch skipper said that he had started using his engine to counter some of the strain on his anchor. When extreme wind starts pushing an anchored boat in a different direction, there can be a very sudden and dramatic wobble when the chain goes taut and the anchor bites.

The search continues for the six people still missing after the wreck. The body of the vessel's chef was recovered on the first day of the search

Helicopters are aiding in the search. Hardman writes that 'the authorities have not, quite, abandoned all notions of a miracle'

Was that the moment when the Bayesian went keeling on to her side, only for a colossal gust of wind  many have reported seeing an aquatic tornado called a waterspout  to flatten her record-breaking 246ft mast against the water at the same time? That might then indeed have pushed her beyond the point of righting herself. With water pouring over the side, sinking would have been swift and irreversible.

That is one possibility put to me by a very experienced Royal Naval expert yesterday. It was supported by two of the most respected figures in yachting. Rod Heikell and his wife Lucinda have written the definitive guides for sailors cruising across the Mediterranean (some call their books bibles). Their Italian Waters Pilot is now in its 11th edition and includes specific advice on every stretch of the Sicilian coast, including Porticello.

A rather plain village in an attractive setting, it notes, warning that approaching yachts must beware of a barely visible rock called the Scoglio di Formica one mile east of the harbour.

Could the Bayesian have scraped against that? I dont think it was the rock as it is on every chart and the crew would have been well aware it was there, says Lucinda, speaking from Britain yesterday.

There could have been a moment of sudden instability if the wind suddenly went from five knots to above 40 and the yacht went swinging violently on its chain. But everyone is open-mouthed at how quickly it went down.

Rod, who first started sailing these waters 40 years ago, tells me that he is in no doubt that something is changing in the Med. There have always been thunderstorms and waterspouts but they are now of a different intensity and frequency, he says.

Historically, the Mediterranean has avoided hurricanes because its waters were not warm enough. However, with the water now three degrees warmer in the space of a few years, he has identified the phenomenon of what he calls a medicane. He also points out that weather forecasting is now vastly improved.

'No bigger than two paddling pools stuck together with an orange tent on top, the liferaft was proved so providential in the early hours of Monday morning'

Central to questions over the disaster will be the yachts British skipper, James Cutfield. He is understood to be based in Palma, Majorca and to have worked for the Lynches for a number of years. Some will want to know why he was in the life raft when some of his passengers were not.

Old hands are quick to point out, in his defence, that Cutfield and his crew were likely to have been on deck trying to deal with the sudden maelstrom when the yacht went down and, thus, were not trapped below. His only version of events thus far has been a quote, to Italys La Repubblica newspaper: We didnt see it coming. Professor Luca Mercalli, president of the Italian Meteorological Society, said yesterday that the crew should have ensured that all on board were at least awake and equipped with lifejackets during Mondays storm.

However, a senior figure in the world of superyachting has told me, in response: This was a big boat which has been through a lot. Youre not going to get everyone out of bed for what did not look exceptionally serious  until, very suddenly, it was.

Hardman on the water near to the edge of the search area off the coast of Porticello, 'an area famous for its winds'

This area has been famous for its winds since time immemorial, immortalised in the greatest of the classics. Both Homer and Virgil talked of the mighty Aeolus, God of Winds, living in these waters. Hence the name of the nearby archipelago, just north of Milazzo, from where this cruise began.

Called the Aeolian Islands, they include the occasionally active volcanoes of Vulcano (named after the God of Fire) and Stromboli. The Lynches had been cruising these awesome islands and alluringly blue waters in the days leading up to the disaster. They were then seeing a little more of the Sicilian coast before their return to their home in Suffolk.

That such a happy adventure could end in such horror is a reminder of just how fickle the Med can be, even in high season. Sailors everywhere will now be wondering: what if that had been me? I know I will.

Two weeks ago, I took my own family sailing in a rented boat a fraction of the size of the mighty Bayesian. Our destination? Sicily, Milazzo and the Aeolians. Luckily, Aeolus was on holiday that week.
You dont get to the grand old age of 96 without learning a thing or two about human nature.

Imagine if the late Queen had kept a log of all the many dignitaries shed had occasion to meet during the course of her record-breaking reign. What a fascinating document that would be, what insights might lie within its pages.

After all, as Craig Brown points out in his brilliant new book, A Voyage Around The Queen (serialised this week in the Mail), she got to meet practically everyone of significance over the past 70 years, including some distinctly dodgy characters.

Nicolae Ceausescu, Bashar al-Assad, Robert Mugabe, Idi Amin, Donald Trump, Emperor Hirohito, Vladimir Putin  they were all entertained by Her late Majesty.

Apart from the time she supposedly hid behind a bush to avoid speaking to Ceausescu, if she had any sort of opinion about her guests she tended to express it tangentially.

Queen and Trump at the state banquet in 2019, when they 'sat next to each other... at the top of a huge U-shaped table groaning with beautiful blooms and glittering crystal'

For example, Lord Blunkett once recalled how, during Vladimir Putins State visit in 2003, the Russian premier arrived almost 15 minutes late.

When his entourage finally swung into view Blunketts guide dog, Sadie, started barking. Mortified, he apologised to the Queen. She simply replied, Dogs have interesting instincts, dont they?

She had a brilliant way of making her feelings known via a few carefully chosen phrases. Perhaps her most famous one was recollections may vary - her withering response to the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs preposterous Oprah Winfrey interview in 2021.

It follows that for the late Elizabeth II to be critical of a head of state  and not just any head of state: Donald Trump, the then President of America, one of Britains closest allies  she must have been really quite ticked off.

According to Brown, at a lunch a few weeks after one of Trumps official visits, she described him to a fellow guest as very rude; he writes that she particularly disliked the way he couldnt stop looking over her shoulder, as though in search of others more interesting.

She is also said to have speculated that he must have some sort of arrangement with his wife Melania, or else why would she have remained married to him?

Ouch. I mean, neither are particularly controversial opinions among Trump detractors; but from the late Queen herself, always such a shrewd judge of character, thats quite damning.

Especially since, in typical fashion, The Donald thought he had been a big hit. There are those that say they have never seen the Queen have a better time, a more animated time, he told Fox News.

The Queen and Trump met two years running, in 2018 and 2019. The second time was a State visit when he saw her in a more informal setting at Windsor Castle (that was the time he famously ambled ahead of her, forcing her to side-step him); and again, in the far more formal setting of a State banquet at Buckingham Palace.

There, they sat next to each other in the splendour of the banqueting suite, at the top of a huge U-shaped table groaning with beautiful blooms and glittering crystal, flanked by ever-watchful equerries and tiara-laden ladies-in-waiting.

I know because  astonishingly  I was there, somewhere towards the bottom of that table, seated next to Sir Simon Case (these days the head of the Civil Service but back then the man in charge of Prince Williams private office), and one-removed from Tiffany Trump, the Presidents daughter from his second marriage to Marla Maples. A fairly shallow vessel, as I discovered when I tried to engage her in conversation.

It was a magnificent evening, my first (and undoubtedly last) glimpse of that dazzling world. The circumstances were slightly bizarre: Jeremy Corbyn (the then leader of the Opposition), being an avid Republican, had turned down his invitation; as a result, my then husband, Michael Gove, had been invited in his capacity as Secretary of State for the Environment  and I as his plus-one.

I remember it like it was yesterday: the paintings, the gilding, the Beefeaters, the slightly bizarre choice of music, the incongruously humdrum bowls of crisps at the reception beforehand, the confusing array of cutlery and glasses, the giant mirrors, the well-oiled formality, the Chateau Lafite. Especially the Chateau Lafite.

But the dinner itself was not even the highlight of the evening. That came after the main event, while we were enjoying our coffee and chocolates. A discreet tap on the shoulder and we were ushered into a side-room.

It was the royal equivalent of a humble Swiftie being handed a back-stage pass to meet Tay-Tay herself.

As I wrote at the time, like walking into Madame Tussauds only to discover that all the waxworks had come alive. Off to the right, Princes Andrew and Edward. On my left, Ivanka Trump deep in conversation with the then Duchess of Cambridge. Beyond them, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, as they were. All just chatting away as though this were a perfectly normal drinks party.

Honestly, quite surreal, especially for a girl from the Mumbles, Wales

In the middle of all of it was Trump, sucking all who came near him into his orbit, like a giant pulsating orange sun. His presence was palpable  that odd stature, his chest puffed out, head tilted back, jutting jaw, that unique diction. Not charisma, exactly, but something else, a mixture of bravado, arrogance and extreme awkwardness.

And yes, he was constantly looking over the shoulder of whoever he was talking to, seeing if there was someone more interesting in the room.

Melania was keeping well away from the scrum surrounding him. Nevertheless, she was watching proceedings like a cat, her face as inscrutable as the Mona Lisas.

I made my way over to where she was standing next to the wife of the American Ambassador, whom I vaguely knew. Up close, Melania looked older, but those cats eyes of her were mesmerising, as was her exquisite white dress against her expensive tan. Everything about her was impeccable, from her appearance to her conversation, every inch the consummate political wife.

The Queen is also said to have speculated that he must have some sort of arrangement with his wife Melania, or else why would she have remained married to him? Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II, Donald Trump and Melania Trump during a state visit to London in 2019

We chatted and then, as always happens at these things, Melania was ushered away to talk to someone more important and I found myself suddenly alone.

It was then that I saw her. Out of the corner of my eye, a small, dazzling figure in shimmering white and diamonds moving across the floor, just inches away from me. The Queen herself, Elizabeth II.

Except something was wrong. She did not seem at all happy; in fact, I would go as far to say that she was extremely displeased. All around me, various equerries and ladies in waiting stiffened to attention, their royal antennae clearly on alert.

Who left that door open? she snapped to a nearby flunky, the irritation audible in her voice. That door is supposed to be kept shut.

It was clear that something  or perhaps someone  had tried her patience to the limit. It was also very clear that she had had quite enough for one night and that the evening, as far as she was concerned, was over.

The ladies-in-waiting fluttered to her side, surrounding her like a flock of elegant, elderly swans  and she was gone.

Was it The Donald who had soured her temper? Or was she really just cross because someone had left a door open?

Recollections may vary, of course. But I have a sneaking feeling that Craig Brown is right: the door actually had nothing to do with it.
An American soldier who fled the US while facing child pornography charges has resurfaced in a Russian military propaganda video, revealing the skills he learned in the Air Force are now helping him serve the Kremlin.

Wilmer Puello-Mota boarded a flight to Istanbul, Turkey, on January 7, the same week he was due to appear in a Rhode Island court charged with possession of child pornography, obstruction of the judicial system, forgery and counterfeiting.

In a video distributed by the Russian Defence Ministry, a man by the name of Will recalls traveling from the United States to Moscow in January, then onto Donetsk where he 'served for three months'.

From there, he 'had some friends who went on to serve with the Ministry of Defence'.

In a video distributed from the Russian Defence Ministry, a man by the name of Will recalls traveling from the United States to Moscow in January, then onto Donetsk where he 'served for three months'

Those friends encouraged him to join the 137th brigade with them, the apparent filming location of the video, by telling him it was 'great'.

'So I decided to join them and here we are,' he said.

Former colleagues and associates have since confirmed the man in the footage featured on the Russian Defence Ministry appears to be Puello-Mota, 27, Stars and Stripes reported.

In the vision, he rebukes suggestions he's a traitor for leaving America and fighting for Russia during the invasion of Ukraine.

'The United States and Russia aren't at war,' he said. 'I don't consider myself a traitor.'

Puello-Mota described the training he received in the US during his time in the U.S. Air Force and the Massachusetts National Air Guard.

'We deal with things like drones and other things... I've definitely been able to apply some of those skills, leadership skills as well here,' he said.

Puello-Mota described the training he received in the US during his time in the U.S. Air Force and the Massachusetts National Air Guard

In the vision, he rebukes suggestions he's a traitor for leaving America and fighting for Russia during the invasion of Ukraine

His role in Russia is a reconnaissance drone operator. A Facebook profile purporting to belong to Puello-Mota depicts a photo uploaded as recently as February of him operating a drone in military uniform.

He also referred to the two years he spent as a 'city councilor' - elected in Holyoke Massachusetts.

It was during this time, he said, that he was able to 'zoom out into the international level of politics', prompting an overwhelming feeling that he 'had to do something about it'.

He failed to mention in the clip that he was arrested in Rhode Island in 2020 and skipped out on his trial date when he traveled to Russia.

Puello-Mota called police to report his firearm had been stolen from his room. When police arrived, they found naked images of a 17-year-old girl on his phone, prompting his arrest.

He was later charged with attempting to deceive prosecutors and his commanders about the case.
Labour's flagship border security announcement was condemned as a 'farce' last night amid a catalogue of confusion over Yvette Cooper's new target to deport failed asylum seekers.

The Home Secretary pledged the number of removals of failed applicants and others with no right to be in Britain will increase to the 'highest level since 2018'  levels already exceeded under the Conservatives last year.

Figures show there were 24,938 removals  enforced and voluntary  in 2018. In 2023, the figure was 26,264.

A Labour spokesman said the target applied to total removals from July to December only. But, again, the figure for the second half of 2018  11,528  was beaten by nearly 3,000 in the same period last year, when 14,389 foreign nationals were removed from the country under the Tories.

After being challenged over the figures, a Home Office spokesman later said the target was to remove more people than any six-month period since 2018, including from April to September last year when 14,484 were removed.

Yvette Cooper's border security announcement was branded a 'farce' amid confusion over her new deportation targets

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The Home Secretary said that removals of failed applicants would be at the 'highest level since 2018'- levels already exceeded by the Conservatives last year (pictured: Migrants wave to a smuggler's boat in an attempt to cross the English Channel in April)

Pictured: A group of migrants are escorted to Dover, Kent on a Borer Force vessel following a small boat incident on August 14

Asylum seekers being escorted into the Port of Dover by Border Force officials on Sunday

Yet again, however, that figure was exceeded under the Tories between October and March this year, with 14,703.

Robert Jenrick, the former immigration minister and Tory leadership hopeful, said: 'This farcical target shows Labour are completely clueless about border security. Less than two months in and it's already a shambles. They've scrapped... the Rwanda policy and their border security unit is still without a commander.'

He added: 'Sir Keir Starmer has surrendered to the people smuggling gangs and it's the British public who will pay the price.'

Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK which campaigns for tougher border controls, said: 'The Government has either screwed up by failing to analyse the figures, or it is trying to deceive the public. Neither is acceptable.'

Ms Cooper also announced 'up to 100' officers will join the National Crime Agency to target trafficking gangs by the end of the year a 33 per cent rise on current numbers deployed on border security.

In addition, 300 extra Home Office caseworkers have been redeployed to process removals. In a further move, Ms Cooper said she was increasing the capacity of immigration removals centres, including 290 spaces at Campsfield House, near Oxford, and Haslar at Gosport, Hants.

The reopening of the disused centres was first announced by the Conservatives in 2022.

Conservative leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick said that Labour was 'completely clueless' on border security and called the Government's plans a 'shambles'

A drone picture of an inflatable dinghy carrying migrants towards Britain in the Channel earlier this month. Ms Cooper said that staff were being 'urgently recruited' for the Government's new Border Security Command

A group of migrants travelling across the English Channel in an inflatable dinghy on Sunday

There will also be a new 'intelligence-driven programme' to target employers who hire illegal workers.

Ms Cooper said: 'We are taking strong and clear steps to boost our border security and ensure the rules are respected and enforced. Our new Border Security Command is already gearing up, with new staff being urgently recruited and additional staff already stationed across Europe.'

She vowed to establish a system that is 'better controlled and managed, in place of the chaos that has blighted the system for far too long'.

But shadow home secretary James Cleverly, also running to be Tory leader, said the measures fail to even 'scratch the surface', insisting: 'Labour clearly aren't serious about tackling the people smugglers or stopping the boats.'

It came as the Home Office confirmed 206 migrants crossed the Channel by small boat on Monday, bringing the total this year to 19,294.
Vice President Kamala Harris was once the inspiration of a poem describing law school as a slave ship, written and performed in honor of her graduation from the University of California Hastings Law School.

Author and playwright Lisa B. Thompson, then a student at the University of California, wrote and performed a poem about life as a black student for the College of the Law African Peoples Graduation Celebration in 1989.

Harris was one of the graduates that Thompson celebrated, offering some context into the intellectual environment that the vice president was surrounded by during law school.

I am writing a poem about them three years of law school at Hastings, wrote Thompson in her poem, referring to Kamala as one of ten black graduates of the program.

She also dedicated her poem to 'those fifteen disqualified by intellectual apartheid,' black students who apparently failed to graduate.

Author and playwright Lisa B. Thompson wrote and performed a poem decrying racism in Kamala Harris' law school

The text of the poem was later published by the law school.

Thompson wrote about the struggle of her fellow black students, in law school where their C grades could still earn them a JD or a Juris Doctor degree to practice law.

It should take more than a nation of millions to hold us back from disposing of institutional racism, sexism, classism, fascism and recalling our chant C=JD, C=JD, C=JD, she wrote.

She compared law school to a slave ship.

'Law school is only the middle passage there are those who jumped ship to swim back home or who drowned in the cruel waters of exams, outlines, performance anxiety, and financial sobriety,' she wrote.

Kamala Harris celebrates with fellow law school graduates from the University of California Hastings Law School

Vice President Kamala Harris appears on stage at the Democratic National Convention

Thompson also chided some professional black lawyers, describing them as Africans who do not know they are African by believing the lies and act as a super negro, pleased to assist in all forms of litigation.

The Hastings students, Thompson wrote, were no longer facing racist exams or confronted by belligerent flyers decaying walls breaking ignorance and hate.

Thompsons reference to the belligerent flyers likely referred to a scandal the disrupted the school, after a bulletin board decorated by the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) was vandalized with a racist marking.

At the time, Harris was the President of the Black Law Students Association at the University and condemned the action as what we deal with all the time.

Thompson celebrated Harris graduation as a success for black students.

US Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks at the campaign rally at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris

This is a poem for ten beautiful Africans who conquered insane tasks without losing sanity who juggled memory, fear, pain, love, passion, with energy beyond days, she wrote.

Thompson urged them not to forget to protect those who adore you from the wicked world.

Later in life, as Harris ran for president, Thompson posted on social media that she was specifically referring to Harris.

I need to share my experience about writing and performing a poem celebrating newly minted JDs Kamala Harris, Dion Raymond, and a handful of others for the Hastings Law School Black Graduation she wrote in a post on X.com.

Wow! This is so Senator Harris! I need to share my experience about writing and performing a poem celebrating newly minted JDs Kamala Harris, Dion Raymond, and a handful of others for the Hastings Law School Black Graduation.  Dr. Lisa B. Thompson (@DrLisaBThompson) August 16, 2020

After graduation, Harris went to work as a prosecutor in Alameda County, California until she met and dated State legislature speaker Willie Brown as he was running for mayor of San Francisco. Harris went on to serve as a lawyer in the San Francisco District Attorneys office before she quit and campaigned against her former boss Terrence Hallinan.

Thompson, now an established professor at the University of Texas in Austin, went on to have a prolific career in the arts, writing books and plays about the black experience in America. She wrote Beyond The Black Lady: Sexuality and the New African American Middle Class and Single Black Female a book she turned into a play. She is also a co-host of the podcast Black Austin Matters.

Thompson did not respond to a DailyMail.com request for comment.
The housing development on 300 Octavia St. in San Francisco was damaged during a 2023 four-alarm fire and has remained blighted since. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle David Robinson, president of the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association, said the property remains abandoned and unsecured, providing opportunities for additional fires and safety concerns. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle On Tuesday, a group of Hayes Valley residents descended on a directors hearing at the Department of Building Inspection. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

A year after a suspicious fire engulfed a half-built condo complex in San Franciscos Hayes Valley  damaging two adjacent structures and leaving a dozen people homeless  what remains of the building has become a refuge for squatters, raising fears that the property could once again become a fire hazard, according to neighbors.

On Tuesday, a group of Hayes Valley residents descended on a directors hearing at the Department of Building Inspection, or DBI, to draw attention to the ongoing issues at 300 Octavia St., a 14-unit project that was abandoned after the fire that erupted before dawn just over a year ago.

S.F. Bay Area property map: Heres who owns every building in the region

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Today, the concrete foundation and the first floor remain intact, but the wood-framed upper stories that were charred in the fire were torn out. A fence that encircles the slender 2,300-square-foot property is easily opened, and clothing, furniture and a make-shift lean-to indicate that the abandoned property appears to continue to attract trespassers.

David Robinson, president of the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association, said the property remains abandoned and unsecured, providing opportunities for additional fires and safety concerns.

As of this morning the fence is still open and there is evidence of people living inside the property, he said.

Debris believed to be from people squatting at 300 Octavia St. has neighbors concerned that another fire could occur if people start fires for warmth. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

One of the Hayes Valley residents who attended the hearing was Cheryl Czekala, who the fire displaced from her rent-controlled apartment of 40 years at 276 Oak St., a two-unit building to the east of 300 Octavia. The Hayes Valley property owner, Greenview Planning and Design LLC, did not show up to the hearing.

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Czekala said that she woke at 6 a.m. to a loud rattling noise that sounded like hail. When she looked outside she saw the the reflection of flames in neighboring windows, grabbed her walker and started getting dressed.

By the time I was tying my shoes there was a fireman at my bedroom door saying, You gotta get out of here, said Czekala, a widow and retired administrator at University of San Francisco. He said, Go down the street because its going to get really hot.

A firefighter helped her gather her laptop, parents wedding rings, a sweater and identification. The western portion of her apartment  the dining room and kitchen  was soaked and filled with debris and grime. Czekala lost her extensive library and art collection and has been living in an apartment on Bay Street near Fishermans Wharf that she got through the citys Department of Human Services disaster coordinator.

She said she misses her old neighborhood but is hesitant to move back as long as there are squatters next door. Shes concerned they will continue to have fires, especially as winter approaches.

Rusted steel reinforcing bars are exposed at 300 Octavia St. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

In April, the Chronicle reported that investigators had reached an impasse in the inquiry into what caused the fire, concluding that they couldnt determine for sure whether the blaze was arson or an accident. The property had been the source of complaints prior to the fire, with a neighborhood group writing a letter to Mayor London Breed outlining what they saw as a dangerous situation with encampments sprouting up in and around the site.

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Greenview bought the property in 2020 for $3.1 million, one of a dozen parcels that were freed up when the elevated freeway  damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake  was replaced by a new Octavia Boulevard in 2003. The company could not be reached for comment and someone who answered the phone said, We dont do business in San Francisco.

After the fire, the developer approached the neighborhood group about filing a lawsuit against the city for allowing encampment around the property, according to the neighbors. We gave them a firm no, said Jennifer Laska, the former president of the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association said.

Since then the developer has not responded to multiple notices of violations filed by city inspectors or complaints from members of the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association.

Following the fire, the developer approached the neighborhood group about a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for rebuilding the project, according to the neighbors. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

At the hearing Tuesday six residents spoke of their frustration in trying to get the attention of Supervisor Dean Preston and the property owner.

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We are here to urge the city to be swift and urgent in making sure the property gets secured by any means necessary, said Laska. We need resolution on this very quickly before another fire happens at this site and causes damage to the building next door, which is almost ready for residents to return.

Hayes Valley resident Jim Warshall, a former city building commissioner, said the situation is discouraging. When you have a derelict owner who does this and doesnt even show up at the hearing its questionable what can be done.

Preston said his office has been in touch with some of the residents who were displaced and shares the frustration of the neighbors that the project remains stalled and that the site isnt secured and have urged departments to push the property owner to be a better neighbor.

Greenview has sued its insurance company, Lexington Insurance, according to court records. The lawsuit says the claim related to the blaze was denied because the policy only covers the property for fire loss if the jobsite was fully illuminated, and had a monitored camera system with night vision.

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Chicago businesses already suffering from a crime wave are now dealing with a 'nightmare' of DNC-caused closures, protests and security checkpoints causing critical customers to flee the city.

The four-day Democratic rally at the United Center is expected to draw over 50,000 people to the city. And it has already brought highly-protected politicians like President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Barrack and Michelle Obama and many others to the Windy City.

Pro-Hamas protestors swarmed the Israeli consulate in Chicago Tuesday evening wearing black riot gear before burning an American flag making the second consecutive day of chaos.

Motorcades, security details, elaborate fencing and more have all been common sights in the area since the convention's start on Monday, and many business owners have had enough.

'It's caused a commotion because people can't get down the streets where all the little shops are,' Sarah, a small boutique manager and Chicago resident told DailyMail.com. 'It's a nightmare.'

Massive anti-scale fencing surrounds luxury stores in Chicago's high-end shopping district during the Democratic National Convention. Business operators in the area told DailyMail.com business has slowed during the event hurting local shops

'They have closed all the streets ... so you can't even walk back into this area. If you're on one side of the street and you want to come back into [this] area, they ask for ID.'

The barricades are most pronounced in the heart of Chicago's economic district dubbed the 'Magnificent Mile' for all of its beautiful luxury shops, Sarah said.

'All up and down Michigan Avenue, they've closed off streets with big fencing. So that's an issue. And fencing that would have been nice to keep out the illegal migrants!'

She was irate that the city was seemingly putting on a facade of health for the wave of incoming Democrats.

'The other thing they do for the DNC is clean up the entire city for the week while these politicians come in and then after that, it won't matter.'

'They can burn it down. They won't even care. Honestly, it's the truth. I mean, crime in this area, every other week some store gets broken into it's a joke,' she said exasperated over the issue.

'I don't, honestly, I don't even know if they even thought about businesses, really,' Sarah said about the city's preparations. 'I don't think they put any thought into how it was going to affect the businesses.'

Victor, a manager of a luxury store adjacent to the fenced-off hotel where senior party leadership is staying, was less worried over the DNC's impact on shops.

Fences surrounded multiple hotels around downtown Chicago during the DNC

The increased security fencing ran for blocks and cut off many businesses from pedestrian traffic

'None of the barricades are really bothering our business,' he said.

But the expected protests, congestion and Democratic fever was enough to send his high-end clients packing for more exclusive, relaxing pastures, he said.

'Our regular clients, if stuff like this happens in the city, they just vacate, and then they come back right after,' he told DailyMail.com.

'We've been having Palestinian protests for a while. I mean, they even go as far as stopping traffic in the middle of the highway.'

And crime, well its normal compared to the rest of Chicago, saying his location suffers 'regular hits here and there, but that's pretty normal.'

President Joe Biden embraces Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris as first lady Jill Biden hugs second gentleman Doug Emhoff during the first day of the DNC

Hundreds of police have been activated to deal with the DNC and surrounding protests

Many were called in to deal with protestors who marched nearby the United Center Monday

Down the street another clothing store employee, Jessica, told DailyMail.com, 'There's so many closures, and we're anticipating more closures today.'

She also brought up how the convention had slowed the flow of shoppers to the area, citing the barricades lining city streets near where Democrat party leaders are staying.

President Joe Biden waves as he stands on stage with his grandson Beau Biden during the Democratic National Convention Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago

Multiple security guards lining up outside of high-end retail stores also disclosed to DailyMail.com the stores had seen slowed traffic during the DNC.

Residents even some frustrations with the Democratic conventions impact on town.

Ronald said he saw the increased police presence throughout the city as 'unsurprising' given the amount of people that have come to town, adding that crime has been a major problem for the city.

Some Chicago residents noted the increased police presence around the event

'It's out of control, but it's out of control, and it's always been out of control in certain areas,' the lifelong Chicago resident told DailyMail.com.

Ken, another longtime resident said the impact has not been so bad:

'Traffic's a little bit crazy in places, and there are roadblocks popping up in different places, but I don't know. I don't think it's that bad.'
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s running mate, Bay Area lawyer Nicole Shanahan, admitted on a podcast released Tuesday that they're thinking about dropping out of the presidential race and endorsing former President Donald Trump.

Shanahan appeared on an episode of Tom Bilyeu's Impact Theory and said she and RFK Jr. have two options - they could stay in the race and hope to get 5 percent of the vote to officially start a new political party.

'But we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Walz presidency,' the former Democrat said. 'Because we draw votes from Trump or we draw somehow more votes from Trump.'

'Or we walk away right now and join forces with, with Donald Trump and and, you know, we walk away from that and we explain to our base why we're making this decision,' she added. 'Not an easy decision.'

The Washington Post reported last week that Kennedy had tried to get in touch with Harris to see if she'd be interested in giving him a Cabinet gig in exchange for an endorsement.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s running mate, Bay Area lawyer Nicole Shanahan, admitted on a podcast released Tuesday that they're thinking about dropping out of the presidential race and endorsing former President Donald Trump

The Democrats said publicly they have no interest in bartering with Kennedy, whose famous family members endorsed President Joe Biden and now Harris.

Shanahan explained that some of the Democratic Party's moves to prevent her ticket from playing a 'spoiler' role in the election turned her off from ever supporting them.

'The DNC made that impossible for us. They have banned us, shadowbanned us, kept us off stages, manipulated polls, used lawfare against us, sued us in every possible state,' she claimed. 'They even planted insiders into our campaign to disrupt it and to create actual legal issues for us.'

'The extent by which the sabotage they've unleashed upon us, it's mind-blowing. We are still learning news ways they have sabotaged us,' Shanahan continued.

The Democrats have filed a number of lawsuits to keep the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket off the ballot.

A spokesperson for the party has charged again and again that Kennedy's entire camapign was meant to give Trump a leg up.

Trump, on the other hand, was heard on the phone last month suggesting he could throw RFK Jr. a bone.

Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (left) had a phone conversation last month with former President Donald Trump (right), where it was clear Trump was courting him for a potential endorsement. Democrats, on the other hand, have no interest

Shanahan said on Impact Theory that the ex-president 'has taken genuine, sincere interest in our policies around chronic disease.'

'He takes it seriously. For that reason, I think it behooves us to sit and see if we can actually make some change,' the vice presidential candidate added.

She added later in the podcast that she hasn't been personally engaged in the conversations with the Trump campaign.

'I am not in talks with Trump, I want to make that clear,' she said.

The 38-year-old said that Kennedy would do an 'incredible job with HHS' and then butchered what the acronym stood for.

'Human Health Services,' she told Bilyeu.

It's the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

During the sit-down, Shanahan - whose claim to fame before entering politics was being the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin - also hinted at what her next move could be: running for governor of California.

The Oakland native said she'd be 'happy to support somebody great to run for California governor so we can nip this dynastic lineage in the butt.'

'I would consider running as well,' she said.
A Long Island grandmother whose son is missing after their yacht sank has been distraught but hopeful - as it was revealed her granddaughters were nearly victims of the horrible tragedy.

Cathy Morvillo - who son Christopher Morvillo was aboard the Bayesian sail boat that sank off the off the coast of Sicily - was awaiting good news as searchers attempt to reach the sunken vessel.

'Cathy is distraught, she is holding out hope they are still alive,' a neighbor told DailyMail.com Tuesday.

Another neighbor called what took place a tragedy' and said the Morvillo family was 'sweet, kind and the nicest people you will ever meet'.

'Its heartbreaking. We are waiting with bated breath,' the person said. 'Its a wonderful family and we are all grieving along with them. His mother still has hope that theres some chance her son and daughter-in-law are alive.'

Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda had been aboard the Bayesian sailboat when a waterspout hit the area on Monday morning, wrecking the ship and causing it to rapidly sink

Morvillo is a prominent attorney in New York City and lives at his $2.3 million Connecticut home alongside his two daughters Sophie and Sabrina, both seen here

Christopher Morvillo is a prominent attorney in New York City and lives at his $2.3 million Connecticut home alongside his wife Neda and two daughters, Sophie and Sabrina.

According to fellow attorney David Oscar Markus, Sophie and Sabrina had been due to fly out to Italy to spend time on the luxurious boat.

'He was so excited about the trip,' Markus wrote in a blog post after discovering Morvillo was missing.

'He couldn't wait for his daughters to meet up with him and his wife. I am so thankful the girls had not yet arrived when this tragedy struck.'

Morvillo had represented British tech billionaire Mike Lynch during a financial fraud trial earlier this year in the US. Lynch, who owned the ship, was also aboard.

They were all celebrating the massive legal victory when a waterspout hit the area on Monday morning, wrecking the ship and causing it to rapidly sink.

Luxury sailboat Bayesian was docked off the coast of Porticello when a waterspout struck the area just before 5am on Monday

While 15 of the 22 people on board were rescued, the yacht's chef tragically died while six people including the couple remain missing, thought to be trapped in their cabins.

A spokesperson for Morvillo's law firm told PEOPLE: 'We are in shock and deeply saddened by this tragic incident.

'Our thoughts are with our Partner, Christopher Morvillo, and his wife Neda who are among the missing, and with their families.

According his biography, Morvillo has extensive legal experience and has worked as a federal prosecutor.

Part of his work has included Lynch's fraud trial, as well as the criminal investigation into the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

According to a biography on Morvillo, he has extensive legal experience and has worked as a federal prosecutor. His home in Connecticut is seen here

Emergency and rescue service officials work at a port near the site where a luxury yacht sank, in Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, Italy, August 20

His wife Neda meanwhile has been described by fellow news outlets including the BBC as being a designer of jewelry.

Among those missing is Lynch's 18-year-old daughter Hannah and Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy.

Lynch had invited family and friends onto the yacht to celebrate his 'second life' after being acquitted of all charges in a US fraud trial.

In an extraordinary twist his co-defendant Stephen Chamberlain, who was also cleared of the charges, has died after being hit by a car while running in England over the weekend.

Two months before the superyacht sank, Morvillo shared glowing remarks about Lynch and his colleagues after they managed to have the pair acquitted.

In a post to LinkedIn, he praised the 'superstar lawyers' for making 'this gargantuan task seem manageable even in the darkest hours'.

He also thanked his 'patient and incredible wife' and two daughters for their love and support.

He hauntingly signed off the post: 'And they all lived happily ever after.'

Meanwhile the rescue mission for the couple and those who have yet to be recovered remains ongoing.

Divers trying to find the missing six passengers managed to smash through a 3cm-thick porthole with the help of a local blacksmith with experience working on boats.

The blacksmith made special jacks for the divers that enabled them to enter the hull of the vessel and its common areas through the glass window on Tuesday.

Italian media reported that they have not yet reached the cabins due to obstructions.

An engineer has claimed the missing passengers could still be alive in air pockets 164ft below the surface, meaning divers - who can only remain underwater for ten minutes per dive due to the depth of where the wreck is - are competing in a race against time.

Scuba divers on the scene amid the search for the missing sailboat in Porticello, Italy, today

Engineering expert Nick Sloane, who led the salvage operation for the Costa Concordia, has claimed that there is a chance there may be survivors trapped in air pockets inside the wrecked ship

Nick Sloane, who worked on the Costa Concordia salvage operation, said divers are entering a 'critical' 24 hours to rescue anyone who might still be alive.

The Italian coastguard has insisted it is continuing its search, even though a positive outcome after nearly two days is 'difficult to imagine'.

'They've got a very small window of time to try to find people stuck inside with hopefully an air pocket, and they could be rescued,' Sloane told Sky News.

'You've got a maximum of two to three days to try to get someone out, so the next 24 hours are critical.'

Divers from Napoli and Messina are assisting with the huge search operation, which is being made more due to the obstructions.

A helicopter was seen flying over Porticello on Tuesday afternoon, while an underwater vehicle has been helping divers search for missing passengers.

Italian rescue workers are using a remotely operated underwater vehicle in their search.

In a statement, the coastguard said five patrol cars, one helicopter and divers had been working since the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Despite the sliver of hope, Italian Coastguard officials admitted they believe the six people who are still missing have died and their bodies are inside the wreck.

It is believed the ship sank after its mast - one of tallest in the world at an enormous 246ft-high - snapped during the brutal incident and keeled over, taking the hull beyond the 'down-flooding angle', according to nautical experts.
Millions of pounds of foreign aid cash have been squandered on projects in areas where people are wealthier than those in the poorest parts of Britain, a report has found.

A project to promote a traditional form of all-female opera to younger audiences in Shanghai, China, was among those identified as having been awarded money from the UK's 15billion foreign aid budget.

The initiative, which aimed to 'merge historical cultural forms with contemporary artistic expressions', was handed 200,165 of UK taxpayers' cash, according to the Institute of Economic Affairs think-tank.

Another project in the Chinese city, which aimed to 'enhance public engagement with urban heritage through graphic design', received 202,384.

A third got 202,323 'to foster creativity in Chinese communities'. Meanwhile, in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, 244,061 was given to help tackle road traffic.

Millions of pounds in foreign aid is being spent on areas where people are wealthier than the poorest parts of Britain

Swansea in Wales has a per capita GDP of 27,525 (file photo)

Among projects financed by the UK's 15billion foreign aid budget was an initiative to promote all-female opera in Shanghai, where the GDP per capita is 19,520

The skyline of Kuala Lumpur. Foreign aid money has paid for projects in the Malaysian capital, where GDP per capita is 21,199

Money has been spent on projects in affluent foreign areas over the last five years. In Mexico City, taxpayers paid for a temporary cycle lane.

Other initiatives were funded in Campeche, on the Gulf of Mexico, which has a GDP per capita  or economic output per person  of 24,994. GDP per capita in Shanghai is around 19,520, 21,512 in Shenzhen and 21,199 in Kuala Lumpur.

By comparison, it is 17,635 in Ards and North Down in Northern Ireland, the UK's poorest region.It is 20,572 in Redbridge and Waltham Forest, in east London, 20,669 in Torbay, Devon, and 21,520 in Southend, Essex.

The richest regional recipient of UK foreign aid cash, according to the report, was Ordos in China, where it is 27,500.

There are around 69 regions in the UK with a GDP per capita lower than this.

The study, called Robin Hood in Reverse, argues for an overhaul of the way foreign aid cash is distributed, as current rules fuel waste and effectively mean lower-income UK taxpayers are funding projects abroad in areas where people are wealthier than them.

It identified 13 projects in China, Malaysia and Mexico worth just under 3million (2,978,417) where money had potentially been wasted. The true amount of waste is likely to be much higher.

Leyton in Redbridge and Waltham Forest, east London, where the GDP per capita is 20,572

The richest regional recipient of UK foreign aid cash, according to the report, was Ordos in China, where GDP is 27,500

Initiatives have also been funded in Campeche, a city on the Gulf of Mexica with a GDP per capita of 24,994

By comparison Torbay, Devon has a GDP per capita of 20,669

One change it recommends is applying international metrics of poverty at a regional as well as national level.

Mark Tovey, who wrote the report, said: 'Taxing hard-working people in left-behind Britain to fund projects in affluent regions abroad is a policy of Robin Hood in reverse.

'We urgently need to re-evaluate our aid priorities to ensure that UK taxpayers' money supports the world's poorest, focusing on stamping out infectious diseases, ending hunger and genuinely lifting those in desperate need out of poverty.'

The UK has a target to spend 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income on foreign aid every year.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office was contacted for comment.
An etiquette expert has weighed in a common birthday tradition that has become controversial for spreading a slew of germs.

Barbara Wallraff, a columnist for the Boston Globe, found nifty alternatives for blowing out candles without spraying germs all over cakes.

She gathered clever tips from people who offered useful hacks to avoid bacteria from hitting the delicious party treat.

During the pandemic, Stephanie Nurenberg, of Northampton, found that it was best to sing 'and then an adult takes the candles out of the cake, and each participant gets to blow one out.'

Wallraff added that 'some fine-tuning' might have to be done with that method as a party for a child would obviously have far less candles than that of a 90-year-old.

During the pandemic, Stephanie Nurenberg, of Northampton, found that it was best to sing 'and then an adult takes the candles out of the cake, and each participant gets to blow one out.' (pictured: Kim Kardashian blowing out candles on her 30th birthday in 2010)

Barbara Wallraff, a columnist for the Boston Globe , gathered some clever tips from people around the nation who found clever alternatives for blowing out birthday candles without spraying germs all over cakes

Tom Hayden, of Chelmsford, informed Wallraff of the new 'joke candles' trend that are being sold online.

Hayden recommended searching for 'make a safe wish candle holder' or 'clean wish candle holders' which have suction cups holders at the end of each candle that stick to the cake packaging.

Margaret Yorganjian, of Charlestown, suggested another clever hack for avoiding germs on birthday cakes.

She revealed that her family has turned to placing wax paper or plastic wrap on top of cakes, then using candles to poke holes through to create an outline of the person's age on top.

Yorganjian said: 'So instead of, for instance, 12 separate candles, one only has a decorative larger-sized number 1 and number 2. 'It works!'

'Make a safe wish candle holder' (pictured) or 'clean wish candle holders' which have suction cups holders at the end of each candle that stick to the outside packaging of cakes

Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is seen ringing in her birthday in October 1999 as she takes a big breath to blow out the many candles

Susan J. Evans, from Carlisle, shared a disturbing birthday experience with Wallraff she will never forget.

'I do have a memory that might make you smile,' Evans said.

'I attended a birthday party years ago for a local woman turning 98. She huffed and puffed and blew out the candles.

'But along with that breath came her dentures, landing on the cake!'

A team of researchers at Clemson University in South Carolina previously found that the saliva spread from blowing out birthday candles increases bacteria in the icing by 1,400 percent.

Dr. Paul Dawson, a professor at the university, conducted the study with a group of his undergraduate students to get them thinking about food safety.

The research team put frosting on a piece of foil atop a cake-shaped Styrofoam wheel, which they stuck candles in.

Margaret Yorganjian suggested placing wax paper or plastic wrap on top of cakes, then using candles to poke holes through to create an outline of the person's age on top. (pictured: Actress Sofia Vergara blowing out her birthday candles in July 2011)

Before blowing out the candles, they all ate pizza, to 'simulate a birthday party,' and 'help the salivary glands get going.'

They then lit the candles and blew them out.

The team of researchers found that there was a lot of bacteria, but more surprisingly, that each blow resulted in different types of bacteria.

On average, blowing out the candles caused the frosting to grow 14 times as much bacteria.

However, in one case, it was increased by more than 120 times, suggesting certain people transfer more bacteria than others.
Matt Gaetz brushed by a primary challenger backed by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday.

Gaetz, R-Fla., who led the successful ouster of McCarthy, emerged victorious over his sole GOP opponent Aaron Dimmock, a retired Navy officer who Gaetz attacked as not living in the Florida district.

'Kevin McCarthy wants to recruit me an opponent but he couldn't even find someone from Northwest Florida to run against me,' Gaetz said.

'So he had to pick someone who last voted in Pensacola 20 years ago.'

Gaetz and McCarthy's feud has intensified ever since his ouster last year. A PAC affiliated with the former speaker pumped over $3.5 million into taking down Gaetz, but its efforts failed.

The group has highlighted the ongoing Ethics Committee investigation into Gaetz over alleged drug use and sexual misconduct. Gaetz has called the investigation 'frivolous' and accused McCarthy of being behind it.

Matt Gaetz brushed by a primary challenger backed by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday

'I live in Pensacola,' Gaetz's challenger Dimmock fired back with a laugh when asked about it by a local news network.

'Aaron Dimmock was advertising on his own Linkedin that he lived in Jefferson City, Missouri, the day he qualified against me for Congress,' Gaetz said.

Dimmock explained that he lives in Pensacola but owns a home in Missouri and spends time there as well.

'I live here in Pensacola,' he explained. 'I do own a home in Missouri, as many people own homes in different locations. And yes, most recently, I was there for some work I was doing.'

Watching the numbers come in with my Congressional bestie!!



CONGRATS @mattgaetz on the MASSIVE win!!  pic.twitter.com/ncxGC39KJN  Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) August 21, 2024

Dimmock attributed this to his military service, noting that he lived across the globe but had longstanding family ties to the area.

'I had the opportunity to be stationed in the State of Florida many times,' Dimmock said. 'Three of our four children were born in this state, and we're proud to call Florida home, specifically Pensacola.'

Gaetz confronted McCarthy last month at the Republican National Convention (RNC).

'What night are you speaking? If you took that stage, you would get booed off of it. Youd get booed off the stage!' Gaetz snickered at the California Republican.

McCarthy said in April that he lost his job because he refused to help Rep. Matt Gaetz cover up 'sleeping with a 17-year-old.'

'I'll give you the truth why I'm not speaker,' McCarthy said at a Georgetown University talk entitled 'How Strong Is Our Democracy?'

'It's because one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old,' the California Republican went on. 'Did he do it or not? I don't know.'

McCarthy has long accused Gaetz of launching the historic motion to vacate that ousted him from the speakership last year over an ongoing ethics investigation into his conduct.

Gaetz shot back to the speaker's accusation on X: 'Kevin McCarthy is a liar. Thats why he is no longer speaker. Just ask the 224 people who voted to remove him.'

Gaetz, R-Fla., who led the successful ouster of McCarthy, emerged victorious over his sole opponent Aaron Dimmock, a retired Navy officer who Gaetz attacked as not living in the Florida district

In February, McCarthy suggested married Gaetz 'lies about who he sleeps with.'

The House Ethics Committee first opened an investigation into Gaetz in April 2021, but paused it during while the Department of Justice launched their own investigation into the member.

The DOJ eventually decided not to bring charges against Gaetz.

The House Ethics Committee, however, has reopened their probe into the Floridian.

Additionally, newly reported text messages show Gaetz soliciting a young woman who his now-imprisoned pal Joel Greenberg had paid for sex to join him on a three-day excursion to the Florida Keys.

The messages, reported by ABC News, allegedly occurred in May 2017, months after the Florida Republican was sworn into office.

Texts described in detail to the outlet reportedly show Gaetz asking the woman to fly on a private plane and join him, one other woman and three other men in the Keys.

McCarthy is the only speaker to ever lose the gavel mid-term in Congress. He subsequently left the House and has left no holds barred since on the eight Republicans who voted to oust him.
The family of a carpenter who fractured his skull in a moped crash in Bali say they feel 'numb' as they wait for him to wake up from a coma.

Shane Ramsey, 30, had been visiting Bali for a close friend's wedding and was riding a moped in Seminyak on Sunday when he crashed into a roadside pole.

The 30-year-old was rushed to hospital where he underwent brain surgery and has been in a coma since.

He was not wearing a helmet and does not have travel insurance, which would have only cost about $50 a week.

His family have already paid $70,000 for him to undergo emergency neurosurgery, while hospital bills cost $9,000 a day.

Mr Ramsey may also need a medivac flight back to Perth which is estimated to cost $150,000.

Shane Ramsey is in a coma in a hospital in Bali following a moped crash. His mother Catherine is by his side

His mother, Catherine Ramsey, immediately flew from Perth to be by her son's side.

She told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Ramsey has suffered three bleeds on the brain - necessitating the surgery - and a fractured skull.

'He is stable at the moment but the actual extent of the damage to his brain is unknown at this stage,' she said.

'He's still in a coma and we won't know for a few days yet what the end result will be.

'All I know is it's extensive damage and we don't know if he will come out of the coma or if he will have lasting issues.

'We're holding on, we just feel numb at the moment.'

Mr Ramsey had been on his way to watch a UFC fight with friends when the accident happened.

His mother earlier told Nine News she would sell their family home if she had to.

'I just want to get him home, we're in a strange country,' she said.

Doctors remain unsure of the extent of the damage caused to his brain.

Mr Ramsey had plans to buy a property when he returned home.

The family of Perth carpenter, Shane Ramsey (pictured), have revealed the horrifying extent of his injuries after crashing his moped while on holiday in Bali

The young tradie has been in hospital since Sunday and his family say they don't know the full extent of his injuries

A GoFundMe was launched on Monday to help pay for Mr Ramsey's medical bills and the potential medical evacuation home.

More than $74,000 has been raised at time of publication.

Mr Ramsey had just completed a three year apprenticeship and was looking forward to the future ahead.

The carpenter's former boss also took to Facebook on Monday to raise awareness about the fundraiser.

He recalled bumping into his former apprentice a few weeks ago.

'You forget how f***ing fragile life can be (and) how quick everything can change,' he wrote.
An 18-year-old was seriously injured after an unidentified driver apparently decided to play a game of chicken with his car on a darkened road.

Jordan Potter, of Spokane, Washington, told KHQ he was driving home from his job at a Super One supermarket the night of August 3, and was heading westbound on 29th Avenue when a car heading eastbound swerved into his land and was coming straight at him.

The teenager swerved to the left in order to avoid a head-on collision with the other vehicle - which he describes as large with round headlights - but smashed into a concrete barrier in front of a home.

The impact was powerful enough to deploy the airbags of his vehicle and knocked him unconscious, destroying the front hood of his car.

Doctors later said Potter had a traumatic abdominal hernia, abdominal wall contusion, a dislocated foot and a concussion, and needed stitches in his left hand. He will also need surgery in October.

Jordan Potter, 18, suffered major injuries after an unidentified driver apparently decided to play a game of chicken with his car on a darkened road on August 3

But Potter says he is only interested in finding the driver of the other vehicle - especially after another woman claimed the exact same thing happened to her earlier in the night.

'I'm just trying to figure out who did this, you know, trying to catch them,' he told the local news station.

He added that he could not believe what had happened.

'I did not think it was real,' Potter recounted. 'I totally thought I was dreaming. When I woke up, I was like, "There's no way this just happened."'

Potter said the other vehicle had swerved into his lane and was coming at him head-on, so he swerved out of the way - and collided into a concrete wall

Potter suffered traumatic abdominal hernia, abdominal wall contusion, a dislocated foot and a concussion, and needed stitches in his left hand

Fortunately, neighbors in the area rushed to Potter's aid following the collision - including Caleb and Katelyn Watters, who were spending their first night in the home blocked by the concrete barrier.

'It was just really sad to see a kid really confused, and we're just wanting him to be safe,' Katelyn said, with her husband adding, 'We hope he's doing OK.'

Their next door neighbor, Kacey Lochridge, then called Potter's parents.

'Thankfully, he remembered his mom's number, so I was able to call his mom, dad and just let them know what happened, and we told them to go to Sacred Heart, where they were sending him,' she said, referring to the Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center.

Potter's father, Justin, said it was difficult for him to receive the call.

'Any parent having to drive to the scene of an accident for one of their kids is really hard to deal with.'

The teenager says he is focused on finding the driver of the other vehicle

Justin is now calling on the driver of the other vehicle to turn himself over to police.

'Leaving an 18 year old on the side of the road, unconscious, is cowardly,' he said.

'I suggest that you turn yourself in and take accountability for your actions.'

Meanwhile, the teenager says he will 'for sure' get a dashcam for his next vehicle and 'would recommend that to anybody.

'I also want to give thanks to God because this was a pretty severe crash, and I feel like it could've gone a lot worse,' he added.

The Spokane Police Department said they are investigating the incident.
A father-of-six has died in a horrific skydiving accident with his devastated wife fearing the family could now lose their home.

Roger Goltz, an IT technician from Jervis Bay, on NSW's south coast, died at the weekend, leaving behind his wife Kelly and their six children aged between 14 and 25 years old.

Mr Goltz was an experienced skydiver and had completed about 80 jumps before the accident on Saturday.

While his parachute opened perfectly, it's understood Mr Goltz turned too low and fast due to the wind, which put him on the wrong angle to land.

Mr Goltz suffered a catastrophic brain injury upon impact. He was put on a ventilator at the scene before being taken to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

'Roger and my 18-year-old son Kai had gone skydiving like they always do. Kai saw his dad go down but didn't realise it was him until he saw his shoe,' Mrs Goltz told Daily Mail Australia.

Mrs Goltz, whose four out of six children live at home, is now worried she may not be able to keep her house as skydiving was not covered by their life insurance.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help support his family who say they have been left with an 'irreplaceable void in our hearts'.

Roger Goltz, who lives in Jervis Bay, on NSW's South Coast, died over the weekend, leaving behind his wife and six kids

Mr Goltz is an experienced skydiver and had completed about 80 jumps, many with his teenage son, before the accident on Saturday

'Roger was just always chasing the next adventure and just loved his kids, he was one of them I suppose,' Mrs Goltz said.

'The kids are devastated and wondering did he hurt or was he scared and what it means for the two girls and who's going to walk them down the aisle?

'They've just lost their best mate.

'All you had to do was imagine it and he'd make it happen.'

Mrs Goltz said a fellow skydiver with 40 years of experience said he'd seen similar turns go wrong in the air but never one that claimed a life.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help support his family who say they've been left with an 'irreplaceable void in our hearts'

He was extremely close with his six children

Mr Goltz (far right) had done several skydiving jumps with his teenage son Kai

She is now awaiting a coroner's report to try to understand what went wrong.

The family are being supported by Mr and Mrs Goltz's parents

'Roger just loved life and his family,' Mrs Goltz said.

A memorial service will be held for Mr Goltz next Thursday.
A knife thug who tried to kill his lawyer in his office has been jailed for 11 years.

Muhammad Shoaib, 71, feared he was going to die after he was stabbed in the chest by client Esaya Neguse.

Chilling CCTV footage released yesterday showed Neguse, 37, seconds before the attack. He had 11 previous convictions and had been freed early from a previous 12-month jail term for being threatening and abusive towards police.

Mr Shoaib's colleagues tackled Neguse after he launched the terrifying attack in Glasgow's south side before police officers intervened.

The former Alba party council election candidate was left suffering nightmares and panic attacks after the vicious stabbing. He told STV: 'My life has changed since the attack, I thought 'I am going to die'.

A grab shows Esaya Neguse at MS Solicitors in Glasgow, just seconds before he stabbed his own lawyer

Neguse (pictured) had 11 previous convictions and had been freed early from a previous 12-month jail term for being threatening and abusive towards police

Neguse is shown on CCTV footage entering the solicitors' practice before his chilling attack

He is then shown sitting down on one of the waiting chairs, while the person sat at the desk stands up

'It happened so suddenly I couldn't even shout. I have flashbacks and have had panic attacks. I wake up in the night sometimes, thinking someone is attacking me.'

Neguse admitted attempting to murder Mr Shoaib after his victim told jurors of his horrific ordeal.

Sentencing Neguse at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday, Lord Colbeck said: 'You attempted to murder a solicitor representing your interests.

'You did so using a weapon that you were carrying for that purpose. I take into account a degree of planning was involved.'

The court heard the lawyer was at work on September 21, 2022, when Neguse turned up unannounced at the office of MS Solicitors in the city's Victoria Road. Mr Shoaib agreed to see him but instead of taking a seat, Neguse whipped out a kitchen knife.

The lawyer told jurors: 'He started attacking towards my neck, then for a second time on my chest. I had to put my hand out to stop him. The blood was coming out of my chest. It was like a shower of blood.'

Mr Shoaib screamed to his colleagues  fellow lawyer Muhammed Ibrahim and legal secretary Amin Syed  for help, who managed to get Neguse out of the room as he still clung onto the six-inch blade.

Mr Shoaib said: 'I thought I was going to die. The whole floor was filled up with my blood.'

CCTV footage showed Mr Ibrahim and Mr Syed dragging the attacker outside to attract the attention of police stopped at traffic lights.

Neguse, wearing a red jacket and baseball cap, is seen holding a letter just seconds before making his move in a vile attack

Muhammad Shoaib, 71, was told he was lucky to survive after the blade entered millimetres from his lung

A surgeon told Mr Shoaib he was lucky to survive as the blade had entered millimetres from his lung.

Neguse  from Eritrea in East Africa  also pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Shoaib's colleagues, having a knife in a public place, behaving in a threatening manner and spitting on a police officer.

The hearing yesterday was told Neguse had changed his plea to guilty after viewing the CCTV of the incident during the trial.

Lord Colbeck ordered Neguse be supervised for a further five years on his release. He was further made subject of a non-harassment order banning him from approaching or contacting Mr Shoaib.
Light-rail trains travel through the Twin Peaks tunnel near the Forest Hill Muni Metro station in San Francisco. The tunnel will be closed for eight days of repair work starting Thursday. Paul Chinn/The Chronicle The station will be closed during an eight-day shutdown of the Twin Peaks tunnel for repair work starting Thursday. Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

The Twin Peaks tunnel, which carries San Francisco Muni Metro trains between downtown and the citys western neighborhoods, will close beginning Thursday for eight days of construction.

During the tunnel shutdown from Aug. 22 through Aug. 29, both the West Portal and Forest Hill stations will be closed, requiring transfer to a surface bus at the Castro and Church stations when traveling westbound. The buses will then make all normal Muni Metro stops before reaching the terminals at Balboa Park and the San Francisco Zoo.

The changes will affect the K-Ingleside, M-Ocean View, L-Taraval and S-Shuttle lines. The N-Judah uses the Sunset Tunnel, which will be open and operating as usual. The J-Church and T-Third lines will not be affected.

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The weeklong closure follows weekend closures of the same lines in both June and July, as part of a summer program to maintain and repair tracks in the 2-mile long tunnel. Leaks, cracks and fractured rebar resulting from 106 years of wear and tear were detected last fall during a detailed structural inspection of the tunnel. The repairs are expected to require intermittent closures over the next five to 10 years.

The Thursday closure will start at the beginning of service in the early morning, and trains will not resume until the beginning of service Friday, Aug. 30. People using the bus shuttle are advised to allow for an extra 15 minutes of travel time. Muni ambassadors will be at the stations to assist transfers.

A service map of the San Francisco Muni Metro system. Courtesy SFMTA

This is the first major overhaul of the tunnel since it opened in 1918 following four years of construction to bore through the solid rock of Twin Peaks. Its completion accelerated the housing developments of West Portal, Forest Hill and Ingleside Terrace.
Donald Trump had some surprisingly nice words about former adversary Barack Obama ahead of his predecessor's speech at the Democrat National Convention Tuesday.

Trump was asked his thoughts on the 44th president and longtime nemesis - but while slamming Obama's policies on trade, Trump spoke highly of his character.

'I like him, I think he's a nice gentleman but he was very, very weak on trade if you take a look at what happened to our country trade-wise it was a disaster.'

Trump cited Obama's dealings with China and Japan as a huge flaw in his presidency, but had some praise for the former president and his wife Michelle, also speaking Tuesday.

'I happen to like him. I respect him and I respect his wife,' Trump told CNN.

Donald Trump had some surprisingly nice words about former adversary Barack Obama ahead of his predecessor's speech at the Democrat National Convention Tuesday

Trump has said similar things about Obama in the past, despite his criticism in the lead-up to his 2016 election victory and previous claims that Obama was not born in this country.

'I liked him,' Trump said of Obama in a 2021 interview with Bill O'Reilly, The Sun Sentinel reported  even though the crowd booed upon hearing the former president's name.

Trump added he thought Obama was 'smart and sharp.'

Before Trump's positive comments aimed at Obama on Saturday, he spent several years in a feud with the former president.

Trump, while still a private citizen, spent years promoting the 'birther' conspiracy that Obama was not born in the U.S.  and therefore could not serve as president.

After becoming a politician, Trump claimed that Obama was the 'founder of ISIS' and 'one of the worst presidents in the history of the United States.'

Despite a rocky election season in 2016, Obama still wrote Trump an Inauguration Day letter and left it in a drawer in the Oval Office. Trump said at the time it was 'beautiful.'

Despite a rocky election season in 2016, Obama still wrote Trump an Inauguration Day letter and left it in a drawer in the Oval Office. Trump said at the time it was 'beautiful'

The words come in high contrast to Trump's take on the current Democrat standard-bearer, Kamala Harris, whom he has constantly said is a 'low IQ individual'.

In an interview ahead of the first night of the Democrat National Convention Monday, Trump says that he hopes those attacks aren't 'necessary' but says he's trying to save the country.

He said: 'I've always spoken my mind, I don't think she's very good at this, I think she'll destroy our country'.

Trump elaborated on what he based his criticism that he believe Harris isn't intelligent.

'I looked at the things that she said, I looked at the way she deals I looked at her crazy record, I looked at her policies, I just don't happen to think so. I could say she is and that would be very nice,' he told CBS News.

In contrast, Trump believes that he is the man to bring intelligence to the White House and protect the American economy.

'I don't think she's a very bright person. I think I am a very bright person and a lot of people say that. I don't think she's a very bright person and you know what? Our country needs a very smart person but I don't consider that an insult, that's just a fact'.

The former president has previously attacked Harris' intelligence, saying at rallies: 'She happens to be a very low IQ individual.

The words come in high contrast to Trump's take on the current Democrat standard-bearer, Kamala Harris, whom he has constantly said is a 'low IQ individual'

'We don't need another low IQ individual.

'She is terrible, she's worse than (Biden). I don't feel sorry for him. He's a bad guy.'

The Obamas headline night two of the Democrat convention in Chicago, which will also feature Vermont socialist Bernie Sanders.

Trump is preparing to debate Kamala Harris for the first time on September 10 in Philadelphia.
The university student found stabbed to death inside a unit in Sydney's inner-west has been pictured for the first time.

The body of Xiaoting Wang, 21, was found inside a high-rise apartment block on Conder Street in Burwood just after 8.45am on August 12.

Her partner, also 21, is suspected of stabbing her before jumping to his death from a balcony, with police discovering his half-naked body in the unit's courtyard.

Ms Wang is believed to have gone back to China recently before flying back to Australia and had recently told friends she wanted to leave her boyfriend.

CCTV footage from inside the complex showed the couple in what appeared to be a verbal argument just hours before their deaths.

A NSW Police spokesman previously told Daily Mail Australia officers will investigate whether there was any history of domestic violence between the pair.

Detectives are also understood to be investigating whether the woman was allegedly sexually assaulted before her death.

A friend of Ms Wang, who was interviewed by police on Monday night, told officers that the victim wanted to leave her partner.

Chinese university student Xiaoting Wang, 21, was found dead inside a high-rise apartment block on Conder Street in Burwood just after 8.45am on August 12

Pictured is the Burwood unit where the bodies of a man and woman were found on August 12

The 21-year-old is understood to have informed her boyfriend a few days ago that she no longer wanted to be in a relationship with him.

The couple are understood to have been living in Australia on student visas.

Superintendent Christine McDonald last week said officers had recovered the suspected murder weapon from the unit.

Police established a crime scene and covered the man's remains with a tent.

'It was pretty scary...then they covered it up before we could really see much more,' a female resident in the apartment block said.

Another resident who lives nearby said they heard a 'really loud clap' at about 6am.

'I wasn't sure what it was, I didn't hear anyone scream though. It was dead silent,' they told Daily Mail Australia.

'[Then] at around 8.15am I saw about eight police officers and three detectives.

'Police were standing around counting the balconies, there was a white cloth there then it began to rain so they put up a blue tent.'

Superintendent Christine McDonald last week said officers had recovered the suspected murder weapon from the unit (pictured, officers leave the scene in Burwood)

Superintendent McDonald said 'there are many people in the Burwood and wider Sydney community who have been affected by the death of Xiaoting'.

'She, like many international students, came to this country for education and opportunity, and for her life to end like this is tragic.

'I urge anyone affected by the deaths to attend a vigil, which is being held later this month, to support each other through this time.'

A vigil will be held next Tuesday, August 27, at the Burwood Pavilion Centre at 5pm.

Police have urged anyone with information about the incident to come forward as a strike force is established to investigate the deaths.
A blind, special needs kitten was left 'so confused' after she was dumped back at the shelter just months after she was adopted.

The gray and white kitten - then named Elena by staff at the Greenville Humane Society in South Carolina - was adopted in January at just three months old.

But in late July, staff members found the kitten in a box at the shelter - with no explanation, the Greenville Humane Society posted on Facebook Monday.

They were left heartbroken as they recognized the cat.

'We don't know why she was brought back to us. Why she was left,' the shelter wrote. 'She was so confused. She didn't know where she was.'

A gray and white kitten was returned to the Greenville Humane Society in South Carolina just a few months after she was adopted

The shelter said staff first met Elena when she was just three months old.

She was the runt of the litter, and vets determined she was completely blind.

'It can be scary enough being in a big shelter when you're still so tiny, but her lack of vision only makes it that much more terrifying for a young kitten,' the shelter wrote at the time.

'Her unfamiliarity of her current surroundings paired with her blindness has made her miserable  shes always in fight or flight mode. She hisses when she hears a noise. She doesnt want to be pet. Shes just so, so scared.'

But shortly after posting about the kitten, the Greenville Humane Society announced she was adopted.

'We were so happy for her,' the shelter wrote in its post Monday.

The kitten was the runt of her litter, and vets determined she was completely blind

The Greenville Humane Society said it was left heartbroken when the kitten was returned to them in late July without an explanation

After returning to the shelter, vets have discovered that the kitten is suffering from hydrocephalus - a rare birth defect that causes increased fluid in the brain.

It can cause cats to appear constantly wobbly, and unable to control their gait, according to the National Kitten Coalition.

'She couldnt catch a break, and it broke our hearts to see her so confused and wondering what was next,' the shelter wrote.

But she has grown stronger, learning her way around the shelter and bonding with other felines.

As a result, the Greenville Humane Society said it 'renamed her Mabel, because shes no longer that scared, blind baby we used to know.'

It said it is now looking for Mabel's forever home. 'One that will commit to caring for her for life. Not just temporarily. But forever.'

The shelter has since renamed the kitten Mabel, noting that she is no longer the 'scared, blind baby we used to know'

The shelter noted that Mabel will require daily medication for the hydrocephalus, which she will need for the rest of her life.

The medication costs $25 each month, but the humane society insists Mabel 'is completely worth it.

'She has so much love to give, and she deserves to find a family that will give her love in return.'

Facebook user Julia Price later commented on the post that she had met Mabel at the shelter and the kitten 'stole my heart.

'She seemed a little nervous with all the activity (it was busy!), yet cautiously checked out and accepted pets from everyone who came in and out,' Price wrote, sharing a photo of Mabel asleep in her arms.

'Eventually, she decided I was trustworthy and curled up in my lap to nap for nearly an hour. I only left because it was closing time!'

Price added that she could not adopt Mabel 'because my current foster situation isn't suitable for her.'

Fortunately, another family has since adopted the sweet kitten, the shelter wrote in an update - as they assured the public they will never let the people who adopted her in the first place get another pet from them.
Safety procedures at a UK spaceport 'worked like clockwork', its chief executive has claimed, despite a rocket engine exploding during a launch test.

Footage showed the shocking moment a huge fireball erupted into the air on Monday following a test by German company Rocket Augsburg at SaxaVord Spaceport on the island of Uist in Shetland.

RFA confirmed that nobody was injured in the explosion and the pad was 'saved' and has since been secured.

The nine-engine test was one of many different trials that were being carried out before it was passed as fit to launch.

RFA were planning to launch the rocket, which is called RFA One, this summer from Shetland.

Safety procedures at a UK spaceport 'worked like clockwork', its chief executive has claimed, despite a rocket engine exploding during a launch test on Monday

RFA confirmed that nobody was injured in the explosion and the pad was 'saved' and has since been secured

The nine-engine test was one of many different trials that were being carried out before it was passed as fit to launch

Shocking footage shows the moment large flames and massive smoke clouds emit from the bottom of the rocket.

Soon after, the entire structure is set on fire.

Despite the incident, Frank Strang, SaxaVord Spaceport's chief executive officer, has remained optimistic about the incident, telling local publication Sheltand News:

'I am delighted that all the protocols and procedures worked,' he said on Tuesday.

'The pad performed as it was supposed to. RFA will conduct their investigation into what the problem was; they will fix it and then we will carry on.'

'The good news is that all our procedures and protocols  bearing in mind that we are the first licensed spaceport in the UK  worked like clockwork.

'Nobody was hurt, all the reporting mechanisms were in place, and everything was done as it should be', he said, adding that it was an accepted fact within the space industry that failures such as Monday's were inevitable.

Shocking footage shows the moment large flames and massive smoke clouds emit from the bottom of the rocket

Soon after, the entire structure is set on fire

Despite the incident, Frank Strang, SaxaVord Spaceport's chief executive officer, has remained optimistic about the incident, telling local publication Sheltand News: 'I am delighted that all the protocols and procedures worked,' he said on Tuesday

The port in Shetland is co-owned by Frank and Debbie Strang who bought the site 15 years ago

'That's why you have all these measures in place,' he said.

The port in Shetland is co-owned by Frank and Debbie Strang who bought the site 15 years ago.

With the UK space industry expanding at the moment, with it worth 17.5bn supporting 48,800 jobs, more spaceports are being planned.

Scotland are planning to follow Cornwall Spaceport in getting permission to build five more sites.

While Glasgow Prestwick and Spaceport Machrihanish are also hoping to join in on the space race.
There were 12 guests on the doomed 30million Bayesian superyacht when it was sunk off the coast of Sicily after being hit by a freak tornado.

Here the Mail looks at who was on board the boat when disaster struck:

Mike Lynch: MISSING

The 59-year-old tech tycoon has an estimated net worth of 852million.

Raised in Ilford, east London by Irish parents, he made his millions after setting up software firm Autonomy in 1996.

It was the father of two who brought the group together to celebrate his recent acquittal on charges in the US on the yacht.

The Cambridge graduate had faced fraud and conspiracy charges after selling Autonomy for 9billion to US giant Hewlett Packard in 2011.

He owns a multi-million pound ivy-covered house in Chelsea, west London. He has a string of accolades including an OBE for services to enterprise in 2006.

It was Mike Lynch who brought the group together to celebrate his recent acquittal on charges in the US on the yacht

Hannah Lynch: MISSING

The younger of Mike Lynch's two daughters Hannah was on the yacht having completed her A-levels and securing a place to read English at Oxford.

The 18-year-old won prestigious accolades during her time at Latymer Upper School where fees are 25,000 per year.

The teenager was awarded prizes for excelling in English, Religion and Philosophy as well as a special William C Smith award for Poetry.

Friends described her as a 'supernova' who is kind and gentle, intellectual and a staunch feminist.

Jonathan Bloomer: MISSING

Veteran businessman Mr Bloomer is the chairman of Morgan Stanley International bank and insurance firm Hiscox.

The 70-year-old Briton was educated at Imperial College London and has previously served on a number of high profile company boards.

He is said to be close friends with Dr Lynch and appeared at his US trial as a defence witness.

Veteran businessman Jonathan Bloomer is the chairman of Morgan Stanley International bank and insurance firm Hiscox

Judy Bloomer: MISSING

The wife of Jonathan Bloomer, Judy is listed as a former director of property developer Change Real Estate along with her husband.

She is described as a 'brilliant champion for women's health' and has been a trustee and supporter of gynaecological cancer research charity the Eve Appeal for more than 20 years.

Judy, who studied English language and literature at Cambridge, worked as a psychotherapist for nearly 30 years.

The wife of Jonathan Bloomer, Judy is listed as a former director of property developer Change Real Estate along with her husband

Christopher Morvillo: MISSING

American Christopher Morvillo, a partner at the Clifford Chance law firm in New York, represented Dr Lynch in his US trial in San Francisco.

He expressed his elation on LinkedIn after securing Dr Lynch and his colleague Stephen Chamberlain's acquittal on fraud charges in June.

Mr Morvillo wrote: 'A huge thank you to my patient and incredible wife, Neda Morvillo, and my two strong, brilliant, and beautiful daughters, Sabrina Morvillo and Sophia Morvillo.'

He hauntingly signed off the post: 'And they all lived happily ever after.'He worked on the terrorist investigation into the 9/11 attacks.

Lynch's attorney Christopher Morvillo (pictured) is also missing

Neda Morvillo: MISSING

The 57-year-old, who runs luxury jewellery line under her maiden name, Neda Nassiri, was on the yacht with her husband Mr Morvillo.

The couple have two daughters, 27 year-old Sabrina, a voice actress, and 23 year-old Sophia.

American Christopher Morvillo, a partner at the Clifford Chance law firm in New York, and his wife Neda Morvillo

Recaldo Thomas: BODY FOUND

The luxury yacht's on board chef Recaldo Thomas has been confirmed dead after his body was found floating near the shipwreck.

Mr Thomas was Canadian-Antiguan and one of the ten members of crew on board.Gareth Williams, who had been friend with the chef for 30 years, described him as a 'well-loved, kind human'.

His body was identified by Italian authorities yesterday.

The luxury yacht's on board chef Recaldo Thomas has been confirmed dead after his body was found floating near the shipwreck

Angela Bacares: RESCUED

The 57-year-old is Dr Lynch's wife and the mother of his daughters Hannah, 18, and Esme, 21.

She is the owner of the doomed 30million luxury yacht. The mother of two, who was born in the US, holds the majority share in Darktrace, a British cybersecurity firm she co-founded with her husband.

According to the Standard Tech Rich List, she has an estimated worth of 190million.

The 57-year-old is Dr Lynch's wife and the mother of his daughters Hannah, 18, and Esme, 21

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch is still missing. His wife Angela Bacares (right) was among the 15 people who were rescued from the yacht

Charlotte Golunski: RESCUED

The 35-year-old British mother was travelling on the yacht with her partner James Emsley, 36, and one-year-old baby girl Sofia.

The Oxford graduate is a partner Dr Lynch's Invoke Capital and has worked there since 2012.

The mother of one was able to save her baby from drowning after being plunged into the rough waves in darkness.

She clung on to Sofia, holding her above the water until she was able to get to a lifeboat. The family were said to be recovering well.

Charlotte Golunski was able to save her baby from drowning after being plunged into the rough waves in darkness

Golunski, 36, (pictured) her husband and her one-year-old baby also survived

Sofia Emsley: RESCUED

The girl of one  who was saved from the waves by her mother Ms Golunski  has eaten a muffin, pizza and a croissant and played happily with nurses at a hospital in Palermo.

Domenico Cipolla told Italian media: 'She is very alert and communicates with a glance. If she was two-three years old she would risk trauma, but I think she will forget this.'

Ayla Ronald: RESCUED

Ayla Ronald, a senior associate at Clifford Chance, had been invited on the trip with partner Matthew Fletcher, 41.

Ayla Ronald, a senior associate at Clifford Chance, had been invited on the trip with partner Matthew Fletcher, 41

Leah Randall and Katja Chicken: RESCUED

Leah Randall leaves the Coast Guard Headquarters after a sailboat sank in the early hours of Monday

Katja Chicken (in green), from South Africa, was rescued from wreckage and pictured on Monday

The 36-year-old worked alongside Mr Morvillo in helping defend Mike Lynch. She is from Christchurch, New Zealand, but lives in London with her boyfriend.

Ms Ronald's father Lin said his daughter had been invited to go sailing by Dr Lynch as a result of the success in the US court case. He said that she was left 'very shaken'.

Two crew members on the vessel  Leah Randall and Katja Chicken, both from South African  were rescued from wreckage.

The captain James Calfield, 51, who also survived, told Italian media just five words in hospital: 'We didn't see it coming'.

Another member of crew Frenchman Matthew Griffith, 22, was rescued as was guest Irish citizen Sasha Murray, 29.
Donald Trump's former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham made an appearance at the Democratic National Convention where she received cheers as she laid into her old boss in scathing speech.

'I saw him when the cameras were off. Behind closed doors, Trump mocks his supporterscalls them basement dwellers,"' she said. 'When people were dying in the ICU, [Trump] was mad that cameras weren't watching him. He has no empathy. No morals. No fidelity to the truth.'

Grisham told DailyMail.com after her speech that it was 'surreal' to speak at the convention amid thousands of Democrats.

'Everybody's been really welcoming, and so it's been great,' she said. 'I was really scared, I'm not going to lie.'

Grisham was chief of staff and press secretary to former First Lady Melania Trump as well as White House press secretary and communications director during the Trump administration.

She learned she would be speaking at the convention five days ago, she told DailyMail.com.

Former White House press secretary in the Trump administration Stephanie Grisham spoke on Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention

After the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, she resigned from the Trump administration. She addressed her decision in her convention speech.

'On January 6, I asked Melania if we could at least tweet that while peaceful protest is the right of every American, theres no place for lawlessness and violence,' Grisham said. 'She replied with one word: No.'

'I became the first senior staffer to resign that day. I couldnt be part of the insanity any longer,' Grisham added.

Grisham was one of several Republicans to appear at the Democratic National Convention on night two as the Harris campaign makes a point to reach across the aisle in their effort to eat into the GOP voting base.

The former Trump official spoke about how close she once was with the Republican presidential nominee and his family.

'I wasnt just a Trump supporter. I was a true believerone of his closest advisors. The Trump family became my family,' she recalled. 'I spent Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas at Mar-a-Lago.'

Grisham with former President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One on August 7, 2019

Grisham spoke during her speech about how she resigned from the Trump administration after the attack on January 6. She said she would be voting for Kamala Harris saying she 'tells the truth'

'He used to tell me, It doesnt matter what you say, Stephanie. Say it enough, and people will believe you. But it does matter what you sayand what you dont say,' she told the welcoming crowd.

While serving as White House press secretary, Grisham not once ever held a press briefing. Trump campaign officials blasted her in response to her convention speech.

'Thats one more time at the podium than she logged as White House press secretary, when she didnt hold a single press briefing while occupying the position,' wrote Tim Murtaugh who worked on the Trump 2020 campaign and recently rejoined the 2024 campaign.

During her speech, Grisham spoke of her time at the White House.

'When I was press secretary, I got skewered for never holding a White House briefing. Its because, unlike my boss, I never wanted to stand at that podium and lie,' she said.

'Now, here I am: behind a podium, advocating for a Democrat because I love my country more than my party,' she went on.

'Kamala Harris tells the truth. She respects the American people, and she has my vote,' Grisham finished.

'I'm still very much a Republican,' she told DailyMail.com, but she said the election was too important.
A fresh cronyism row erupted last night after a Labour think-tank director was given a top job in the heart of Whitehall.

Jess Sargeant has spent the past year as Director of Constitutional Change at Labour Together, which has close links to Sir Keir Starmer and his allies.

But it emerged on Tuesday that in recent weeks she has been quietly appointed Deputy Director of the Cabinet Office's Propriety and Constitution Group, which is responsible for 'ensuring the highest standards of propriety and ethics across all government departments'.

Sources insisted Ms Sargeant, who previously worked for the Institute for Government, had been hired on a fixed-term contract because of her expertise in constitutional reform and would not be involved in any work on ethics or ministerial investigations in the unit, which is where the Prime Minister's powerful Chief of Staff Sue Gray once worked.

However news of her appointment comes shortly after two people linked to Labour donations were given senior jobs within Government.

Sources insisted Jess Sargeant, who previously worked for the Institute for Government, had been hired on a fixed-term contract because of her expertise in constitutional reform (file image)

Jess Sargeant has spent the past year as Director of Constitutional Change at Labour Together, which has close links to Sir Keir Starmer and his allies

Former banker Ian Corfield, who gave 20,000 to MPs over the past decade, was made Director of Investment in HM Treasury while Emily Middleton was made a Director General in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology under Peter Kyle after her firm Public Digital gave him more than 65,000 in opposition.

Last night Shadow Paymaster General John Glen said: 'There is now overwhelming evidence that the Labour Government is undermining the integrity and impartiality of the Civil Service.

'Everyone expects a new government to appoint political Special Advisers, but parachuting in so many Labour staffers as civil servants without open and fair competition is not only an abuse of taxpayers' money but also puts at risk the fundamental and enduring impartiality of our civil service.

'This goes to the heart of Whitehall - from Sue Gray, right across to the division in charge of propriety and ethics.'

News of her appointment comes shortly after two people linked to Labour donations were given senior jobs within Government (pictured: Sir Keir Starmer delivers a speech and takes media questions)

Former Tory Cabinet minister and Brexit negotiator Lord Frost said: 'It would be a truly shocking, amazing appointment, and would destroy what confidence there remains in PET [the former name of the Propriety and Constitution Group].

'Remember, Ministers are not allowed to see the papers of a previous government. The same does not apply to (in this case) so-called civil servants.'

Ex Cabinet Office adviser Henry Newman said: 'A recent Labour staffer joining the Propriety and Ethics directorate as a senior civil servant would be quite extraordinary.'

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: 'We do not comment on individuals.'

However Whitehall sources confirmed Ms Sargeant's appointment.
Jimmy Carter's grandson Jason said the 99-year-old ex-president 'wishes he could be here' at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) but 'can't wait' to vote for Kamala Harris for president.

Jason also gave a brief update on Cater's health: 'Papa is holding on, he is hopeful, and though his body may be weak tonight, his spirit is as strong as ever.'

'For my grandfather, it was never about fame, recognition, accolades or awards. His legacy is measured by the lives he has touched and the good he has done,' Jason said. 'Kamala Harris carries my grandfather's legacy.'

He continued: 'She knows what is right, and she fights for it. She understands that leadership is about service, not about selfishness. That you can show strength and demonstrate decency. And that you can get a whole lot more done with a smile than with a scowl.'

Jimmy Carter has been in hospice care for a year and a half. In June, Jason revealed that the elder Carter is no longer awake every day.

Jimmy Carter's grandson Jason said the 99-year-old ex-president 'wishes he could be here' at the Democratic National Convention ( DNC ) but 'can't wait' to vote for Kamala Harris for president

He said the decline began after the death of the 38th president's beloved wife Rosalynn in November 2023 at the age of 96.

'After 77 years of marriage I just think none of us really understand what it's like for him right now,' Jason told Southern Living during a conversation in June. 'We have to embrace that fact, that there's things about the spirit that you just can't understand.'

'[He's] experiencing the world as best he can as he continues through this process,' Jason, 48, added.

'I'm only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris,' Carter told his son Chip, his grandson Jason told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

Carter is due to turn 100 on October 1, a little over a month before Harris will face off against Donald Trump in the presidential election.

Former president Jimmy Carter has revealed he is hoping to live long enough to vote for Kamala Harris in November

He was last seen in public at the funeral of his wife of 77-years Rosalynn Carter who died last year

Jimmy Carter's oldest grandchild Jason (left) revealed that the 99-year-old former president is no longer awake every day after 16 months in at-home hospice care

In recent days, Jason Carter said his grandfather is 'more alert and interested in politics and the war in Gaza'.

Even into his early 90s, Carter was active. He was often seen building homes and teaching Sunday school at his Baptist church as recently as 2020.

The onetime commander-in-chief moved into hospice care at his home in Plains, Georgia that he built with Rosalynn in 1961.

'[Plains] is the place that has given him the greatest support and it is the only place where he would go through this part of his life,' Jason, who lives in Atlanta, said. 'That's his home in every way, and he really cherished that time and that support.'

The Carters deeded their property to the National Park Service  and when he dies they plan to turn their home into a museum.

Carter was last seen publicly at his wife's memorial events in November in a wheelchair and covered by a blanket but has largely remained out of view since deciding to terminate medical intervention.

He will be buried alongside her when he dies.
A jailed war criminal known as the 'Butcher of Bosnia' is suing the UK government for inhumane treatment as he is not allowed a laptop in his cell.

Radovan Karadzic, 79, who is in Albany prison on the Isle of Wight, is after 50,000 for human rights breaches, and is also claiming that he has been banned from communicating in his native Serbian.

He appeared in court via video link last week to sue Secretary of State for Justice Shabana Mahmood.

If he wins, taxpayers would have to pay his bill, as well as other legal costs.

This comes after his daughter Sonja Karadzic-Jovicevic claimed in 2021 that he was being held in 'unhealthy' and 'uncivilised' conditions after he was moved to the Isle of Wight.

Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic (R) and his general Ratko Mladic on Mountain Vlasic, April 1995. Karadzic, 79, who is in Albany prison on the Isle of Wight, is suing the UK government for human rights abuses

Karadzic is behind some of the most atrocious war crimes since World War II. Pictured: Bosnian Muslim women and survivors of the Srebrenica massacre hold posters with photos of missing men after the Srebrenica fall, during a peaceful protest in Tuzla, 70 kms (43 miles) north of Sarajevo, Tuesday, April 11, 2006

A sign at the main entrance to the Albany site of HMP Isle of Wight on Parkhurst Road, Newport, Isle of Wight, where Karadzic is serving a life sentence

She had told Bosnian news agency SRNA: 'As for the physical condition in which he is accommodated, it is unacceptable.

'If we add to that the fact that he is in a building full of carcinogenic asbestos that is banned around the world, it is clear in what condition he will be in.'

She also claimed that moving the 'Butcher of Bosnia' to Britain was done deliberately to spite her family.

She said: 'My father is in a very uncivilised situation, and as far as his family is concerned, his relocation to the south of England was deliberately made to keep him far away, outside the rules of the United Nations Resolution adopted by the Security Council.

'It will be very difficult for us physically, financially and procedurally, because of visas, and immunisation during the pandemic, and even after that, to ever go there and visit him.'

She also claimed he had his books and computer taken off him and was no longer able to speak his language and live his culture.

The former Bosnian Serb leader was convicted in 2019 of genocide against Croats and Muslims during the Balkans War.

Radovan Karadzic, Bosnian Serb wartime leader (second right), and his general Ratko Mladic (first left) walk accompanied by bodyguards on Mount Vlasic frontline in Serbia. FILE - In this April 15, 1995

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic makes an initial appearance at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on July 31, 2008 in The Hague, The Netherlands

A Bosnian Muslim woman cries between graves of her father, two grandfathers and other close relatives, all victims of Srebrenica genocide, July 10, 2020, at the cemetery in Potocari near Srebrenica, Bosnia and Hercegovina. More than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed after the Bosnian Serb Army attacked Srebrenica, a designated UN safe area, on 10-11 July 1995, despite the presence of UN peacekeepers

Bosnian Muslim women pray as relatives of victims of Srebrenica genocide visit sites of 1995 mass execution of their loved ones, on July 13, 2020 in Brnjevo near Srebrenica, Bosnia and Hercegovina

Bosnian Muslims celebrate in Sarajevo after the announcement by the Serbian president's office that Serbian security forces arrested Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic, one of the top two Balkans war crimes suspects, after 13 years on the run

A psychiatrist-turned-politician, he as responsible for some of the worst atrocities committed in Europe since the end of the Second World War, including the massacre of 8,000 men and boys in the Srebenica genocide.

He was originally jailed for 40 years at the International Criminal Court in the Hague, before it was increased to a life sentence without parole. He is expected to die in jail.

Prisoners convicted by the United Nations' ICTY are distributed between member states.

He was flown in frim the Netherlands to the UK in 2021.

Britain was heavily involved in his conviction, with former Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab acting as one of the young lawyers to draft the legal procedure to transfer him to the UK.
The wife of missing British tech billionaire Mike Lynch is in a 'state of shock and sadness' as she waits for updates on the rescue of her husband and their 18-year-old daughter.

Angela Bacares, 57, was one of 15 people to survive when luxury superyacht Bayesian was struck by a waterspout off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, Italy, in the early hours of Monday morning.

The sailboat's chef has tragically been confirmed dead while six people remain missing - including Mrs Bacares' husband Lynch and their teenage daughter Hannah.

Mrs Bacares has sought refuge with other survivors in a hotel, which is just a six-minute drive from Porticello harbour, near to where the boat sank.

A hotel guest told The Mirror that the mother is in a very distressed state as she waits for updates on whether her husband and daughter are alive.

It is feared those missing were asleep in their cabins when the boat was struck and suddenly disappeared under the water.

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch is still missing. His wife Angela Bacares (right) was among the 15 people who were rescued from the yacht

Lynch (pictured) invited family and friends on his superyacht to celebrate his triumph over fraud charges in the US. Lynch is still missing

Italian fire brigade boats sail as a rescue operation continues for the missing people who were on board the sailboat

The superyacht (pictured) was docked off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, when it was hit by an over-sea tornado, known as a waterspout

Lynch with his wife Angela Bacares. Mrs Bacares has survived while Lynch is still missing

Hannah had just completed her A-Levels and gained a place to study English at Oxford University before the tragedy.

The teenager was an academically gifted pupil and won a number of awards at Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London, between 2017 and 2024, including outstanding academic achievement while in lower sixth form and the William C Smith award for poetry.

Lynch and his wife Angela were also frequent donors to the school, contributing to Latymer Upper School's bursary fund in 2023, 2022 and 2021.

The vessel - which had been carrying 10 crew members and 12 passengers - had been moored just 300 metres from the coast near Palermo when it was hit by a terrifying waterspout at around 5am on Monday.

Tornado-speed winds flipped the superyacht so quickly that people on board were left swimming for their lives with those who made it off stranded in the pitch black water as the storm raged around them.

One maritime expert suggested that despite potentially facing winds of up to 100mph as a result of the extremely rare phenomenon the boat should have been able to withstand the force of the gales, raising questions about how it ended up sinking.

Search teams have already found the body of one man and there are fears more bodies will be found in the hull of the sailboat by specialist divers.

Among the 15 who survived include a one-year-old British baby called Sofia, who was kept afloat by her mother, 36-year-old Charlotte Golunski.

CCTV captured the last moments of the Bayesian superyacht before it sank beneath the waves during a ferocious storm early on Monday morning

Search divers head out to the scene of the wreck near Porticello this morning as the operation to find the bodies of those missing continue

Luxury sailboat Bayesian was docked off the coast of Porticello when a waterspout struck the area just before 5am on Monday

Charlotte Golunski, 36, (pictured) her husband and her one-year-old baby also survived

Mr Ronald told the Telegraph: 'I have texted with my daughter. She has only said to me that there are deaths, and she and her partner are alive' (pictured: Ayla Ronald)

Lynch's attorney Christopher Morvillo (pictured) and his wife Neda are also missing

Chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer (pictured), and his wife are also missing

Neda and her husband Christopher are both missing in the wake of Monday's superyacht sinking

Judy Bloomer, who is missing, is a supporter and former board member of the Eve Appeal, a charity that raises awareness and funds research into gynaecological cancer

Mrs Golunski, an Oxford graduate and senior associate at Invoke, also survived after fighting to prevent her child from drowning.

The mother told Italian newspaper Republicca: 'I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning.

'It was all dark. In the water I couldn't keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.'

Mrs Golunski's British husband James Emsilie, 36, also survived the tragedy.

Another survivor is Clifford Chance lawyer Ayla Ronald, 36, who was part of the successful legal team invited to go sailing with Lyncchah, according to her father Lin.

On-board hostesses Leah Randall, 20, from South Africa, also survived the tragedy.

Heidi Randall, Leah's mother, told Sky News: 'I'm beyond relieved that my daughter's life was spared by the grace of God.

'It doesn't make it any easier living with heartache of those who have lost their lives or missing.'

Leah was photographed leaving the coast guard headquarters yesterday alongside a fellow crew member.

Leah and 22-year-old crew member Katja Chichen, from Germany, said as they were questioned by investigators: 'We are alive by a miracle,' according to Italian news agency ANSA, who reported that one of the girls sobbed as she said: 'It was terrible.'

Other survivors included Irish woman Sasha Murray, 29, Matthew Fletcher, 41, from London, James Cutfield 51, from New Zealand, Myin Htun Kyaw, 39, from Myanmar, crew member Leo Eppel and Frenchman Matthew Griffith.

Speaking from a hospital room in the town of Termini Imerese close to Palermo, Mr Cutfield, in a state of grief and shock, could only utter one sentence.

'We didn't see it coming,' he told La Repubblica.

Rescuers claimed that survivors spoke of the ship going down in 'two minutes' and that it appears that the yacht 'wasn't anchored in a safe place' at the time of sinking.

They were rescued by crews from nearby boats including that of Karsten Borner, the captain of a sailing ship anchored near the Bayesian, who said his team struggled to keep their boat afloat when the tornado hit.
Weather satellite imagery captured a disorganized area of showers and thunderstorms in the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday afternoon, the beginnings of a likely tropical storm that may impact Hawaii this weekend. CSU/CIRA & NOAA

Just over a year since Maui was devastated by the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than 100 years, meteorologists are keeping a close eye on Hawaii for another potentially impactful weather event.

Two disorganized areas of showers and thunderstorms are expected to merge over the central Pacific Ocean on Tuesday night and slowly strengthen through the day Wednesday. The National Hurricane Center predicts an 80% chance that a tropical cyclone will form and move west near the Hawaiian Islands late this weekend or early next week.

It is highly likely that the cyclone will reach tropical storm status, with sustained winds of at least 39 mph. There is a much lower probability of reaching Category 1 hurricane strength, with sustained winds of at least 74 mph.

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The storms name will depend on exactly where in the Pacific it reaches tropical storm strength. If the disturbance reaches cyclone strength east of 140 degrees west it will be named Hector. A storm formation in the central Pacific region will be given the name Hone.

A named storm in the central Pacific would be the first of the hurricane season. The National Hurricane Center previously predicted 1-4 named storms in the central Pacific this year, down from the usual 4-5.

While it is too early to determine the exact location and magnitude of potential impacts, interests in Hawaii should closely monitor this disturbance, the hurricane center wrote in an online forecast.

Although the storm is at least five days out from potentially impacting Hawaii, a few weather models predict heavy rain, large waves and widespread strong winds on the Big Island. The most recent tropical storm to make landfall on the Big Island was Tropical Storm Darby in 2016.

Multiple weather models predict a tropical system making a close pass to Hawaii later this week. University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

If the storm moves well south of Hawaii, the state will be spared from intense rainfall, but locally strong winds could increase fire danger across the drought-stricken state. Last August, strong winds on the eastern side of several Hawaiian Islands resulted in wildfires, including the deadly and destructive Lahaina Fire. Some scientists initially attributed the strong winds and resulting fire to distant Hurricane Dora, but later research found the hurricane had little to no effect on local winds.

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The path and strength of the storm will depend on several factors. Warm ocean water serves as fuel for tropical storms and hurricanes, while wind shear  changes in wind speed and direction with height  is their kryptonite.

Right now, you can see some shear present in the disturbance, said Laura Farris, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Honolulu. Farris said that after strengthening, the system will move over cooler waters most likely as it moves closer to the island, and it will encounter more wind shear, likely weakening the storm.

Weather models are struggling to resolve and predict the development of the system. Early stages of coordination are underway for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aircraft to fly into the storm to collect valuable data for forecasters and weather models. The aircraft, collectively known as the Hurricane Hunters, are based in Florida, but would make a pit stop in California before heading toward Hawaii to investigate the storm, according to Farris.

For now, Farris encourages the public to remain vigilant and stay tuned to www.weather.gov/hfo and www.nhc.noaa.gov/?cpac for the latest information.

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A Virgin cabin crew member who was sacked for drinking a glass of Prosecco almost eight hours before a shift - and for having casual sex after he'd requested a later start time because he was tired - has won his claim for unfair dismissal.

In a claim lodged with the Fair Work Commission it was revealed Dylan Macnish, who is based in Perth and started working for Virgin in July 2022, was sacked from his cabin crew role in February over a series of allegations levelled by the airline between September and December last year.

It was alleged Mr Macnish had turned up to work hungover on several occasions and had once met up with someone for an early morning sex session after removing himself from rostered duty while staying in Virgin-provided hotel accommodation.

In evidence to the hearing he was also accused of breaching Virgin's rules around alcohol consumption after drinking a glass of Prosecco at a work Christmas party seven-and-a-half hours before a shift.

But in a judgment published last week, Commissioner Pearl Lim upheld Mr Macnish's claim, finding some of Virgin's reasons for sacking him were 'mystifying' and ordering the airline to reinstate him.

In September last year, the Commission heard, a colleague shared their concerns with management that Mr Macnish had allegedly come to work worse for wear on two occasions and had even been boasting about being hungover.

Mr Macnish denied this during the Fair Work hearing.

Instead, he claimed that he had used the word 'dusty' to describe himself during an early morning flight, which he took to mean he was tired and not on his best form, according to the judgment.

In a judgment published last week, Commissioner Pearl Lim found some of Virgin's reasons for sacking Mr Macnish were 'mystifying' and ordered the airline to reinstate him (stock image)

The hearing heard evidence of a second 'medical incident' on November 25 during a layover from Perth to Brisbane.

Cabin crew were told that a man had suffered a suspected stroke at the gate desk and Mr Macnish helped move the passenger into a wheelchair, the judgement stated.

But, while doing this, the man accidentally urinated on Mr Macnish's sleeves, an incident that left him distressed and upset.

He had been due to fly back to Perth on a 'paxing' flight at 8.20am the following day, whereby a member of cabin crew travels back as a passenger.

These flights are still considered duty as there is the possibility they will get called up to work.

However, Mr Macnish claimed he could not fall asleep in his Virgin-provided hotel room due to anxiety stemming from the incident.

At 4.26am, he rang Virgin's rostering team to tell them he would be too tired for his flight and they moved him to a flight that afternoon.

Less than an hour after hanging up, he met up with someone he had been speaking to on the Grindr dating app and brought them back to his hotel room at 5.18am, the judgement outlined.

'This was on the basis that having a physical interaction with someone would help him fall asleep,' Commissioner Lim wrote.

'He met with an individual outside his hotel, and they went up to Mr Macnishs hotel room. They had sex and Mr Macnish fell asleep shortly after.'

His boss Lydia Ridge, leader of Crew Culture at Virgin, had concerns that he had been out partying because he had 'accessed fatigue' less than four hours before he was due to sign-on.

She requested CCTV footage of Mr Macnish's hotel hallway and his hotel room swipe card record, the Fair Work decision revealed.

On 12 December, Ms Ridge sent Mr Macnish a letter informing him that Virgin was investigating two allegations of misconduct.

Firstly, they denied the urinating incident took place and secondly, they claimed he had removed himself from rostered duty to engage in 'social activities'.

Mr Macnish acknowledged that while having sex is perhaps not an orthodox method of falling asleep, 'it is common in the gay community, and it was successful for him', the report stated.

Five days later, on December 17, Mr Macnish attended the Virgin Christmas Party at the Como Lawn Bowl Club in South Perth around 2pm.

The hearing heard from a colleague who testified Mr Macnish appeared to be under the influence of alcohol because he was acting 'lovey dovey' and seemed keen to continue the festivities at a nearby pub.

But Mr Macnish said he only had one glass of Prosecco and was home by around 4.30pm.

An hour later, he was told that a cabin crew member was needed for a red-eye flight that evening with a sign-on time of 10.55pm.

Mr Macnish wanted to take the job but found himself in 'uncharted territory' as he had never had a drink within eight hours of a flight before.

Virgin states that cabin crew members cannot have a drink within eight hours of their rostered shifts.

Mr Macnish said he thought this was a guideline rather than a hard-and-fast rule.

He claimed he then used a personal breathalyser which returned a blood alcohol reading of zero per cent.

Despite this, a rumour circulated the following week that he had flown while drunk, the report outlined.

Mr Macnish attempted to clear this up by alerting management that he had consumed a glass of Prosecco within the eight-hour window.

Virgin stood him down on December 20 and terminated his employment in February, citing all three alleged incidents as cause.

However, Commissioner Lim heavily criticised the airline, labelling its approach to the fatigue management issue 'mystifying'.

Daily Mail Australia understands that Virgin Airlines is reviewing the decision and considering its options. It has 21 days to respond (stock image)

'During Ms Ridges cross-examination, Ms Ridge conceded that if a straight, married man were to have sex with his wife after accessing fatigue, then it would "probably not" be any of Virgins business to comment on it,' Commissioner Lim wrote.

'Ms Ridge also acknowledged that it is common practice for Virgin employees who are on layovers or who are working in other cities away from their home base to use dating apps when they are staying in Virgin-provided accommodation.

'There is nothing wrong with using dating apps for casual sex. What happens between informed and consenting adults is their own business, unless it breaches a lawful and reasonable workplace policy.'

Commissioner Lim found that there was 'no valid reason for Mr Macnishs dismissal'.

'Even if I had been satisfied that there was a valid reason, it was still harsh in the circumstances and thus unfair,' she concluded.

'I find that the appropriate remedy is reinstatement (to his role as cabin crew member).'

Daily Mail Australia understands that Virgin Airlines is reviewing the decision and considering its options. It has 21 days to respond.

Mr Macnish was approached for comment.
Disney has dropped their 'preposterous' opposition case against a grieving widower's lawsuit over his wife's death at one of their theme parks.

Kanokporn Tangsuan, 42, suffered a deadly allergic reaction on October 5 last year after she and her family dined at Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant in Disney Springs. The family claims their waiter assured them the food would be allergen-free.

Her husband Jeffrey Piccolo filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Florida, claiming Walt Disney Parks and Resorts was negligent and failed to properly train their staff about food allergies.

Disney's initial response was to dismiss the suit as it argued it should instead be sent to arbitration because those were the terms Mr Piccolo agreed to when he created an account for the Disney+ streaming service in 2023.

Now, however, Disney has reversed its position, citing the 'sensitive' nature of Mr Piccolo's complaint.

Jeffrey Piccolo (left) filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Disney after his wife Kanokporn Tangsuan (right) died from an allergic reaction

Tangsuan and her family had dined at Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant (pictured) in Disney Springs on October 5, shortly before she had a deadly allergic reaction

Disney said the matter should go to arbitration because that is what Piccolo agreed to when he created a Disney+ account in November 2019. Pictured is an excerpt of the Terms & Conditions of the Disney+ subscriber agreement

Disney also argued Piccolo agreed to their terms and conditions of arbitration when he bought tickets to Epcot

Now, Disney has reversed its position, citing the 'sensitive' nature of Mr Piccolo's complaint. Pictured: Disney+ application

Josh D'Amaro, chairman of Disney experiences, said: 'At Disney, we strive to put humanity above all other considerations.

'With such unique circumstances as the ones in this case, we believe this situation warrants a sensitive approach to expedite a resolution for the family who have experienced such a painful loss.

'As such, we've decided to waive our right to arbitration and have the matter proceed in court.'

Piccolo's lawyers previously branded Disney's argument as 'preposterous' and said it 'borders on the surreal', a court filing obtained by DailyMail.com revealed.

Piccolo is seeking in excess of $50,000 from Disney for mental pain and suffering, funeral expenses, medical expenses and loss of income.

He said his wife was highly allergic to dairy and nuts and the couple chose to eat at the pub because they believed Disney would have proper safeguards in place.

The couple repeatedly asked their server about allergen-free food, and claimed the waiter even went to confirm with the chef.

'The waiter unequivocally assured them that the food would be allergen free,' the lawsuit read.

Tangsuan, a medical doctor at NYU Langone in New York City, ordered the following menu items at the restaurant: 'Sure I'm Frittered,' 'Scallop Forest,' 'The Shepherd Went Vegan,' and 'Onion Rings.'

The bottom of the menu available online notes, 'Cross-contamination may occur and thus we CAN NOT GUARANTEE that any dish we prepare will be completely free of gluten/allergens.'

Tangsuan was highly allergic to dairy and nuts and the couple chose to eat at the pub because they believed Disney would have proper safeguards in place

Piccolo said they repeatedly asked their server about allergen free food, and they said the waiter even went to confirm with the chef

Tangsuan was a medical doctor at NYU Langone in New York and her husband is seeking in excess of $50,000 from Disney

She began having severe difficulty breathing and collapsed to the floor, 911 was called and the caller told the dispatcher Tangsuan had self-administered an epi-pen.

Piccolo and his mother Jackie had tried calling Tangsuan to meet back up with her, but a person answered her phone and told them she had been taken to the hospital.

She died at the hospital and the medical examiner investigation determined the cause of death was a result of anaphylaxis due to elevated levels of dairy and nut in her system.

The lawsuit notes that although Disney does not own the pub, 'Disney had control over the menu of food offered, the hiring and/or training of the wait staff, and the policies and procedures as it pertains to food allergies at Disney Springs restaurants, such as Raglan Road.'

They argue Disney failed to properly train its employees on food allergies, and the employees failed to properly warn Tangsuam about allergens in her food.

The filing said Disney and the pub, 'owed a duty of care to its invitees/guests to ensure that food that was designated as allergen free and/or food that was requested to be prepared allergen free, was in fact free from allergens that would cause death or serious physical harm to guests with food allergies.'
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A Sydney man who has been receiving Centrelink unemployment benefits since 2019 has been busted with a Lamborghini, Harley Davidson and two Rolex watches.

In May, police launched an investigation into the unexplained wealth of individuals with alleged links to organised crime networks.

The investigation led them to a Parramatta unit in July.

During the search, detectives located and seized a Lamborghini Huracan, a Harley Davidson V-Rod and two Rolex watches.

The seized items have a combined value over $500,000.

A 39-year-old man, who has been receiving unemployment benefits since 2019, was charged on August 16 with dishonestly possessing and tampering with a unique identifier.

He was issued a Court Attendance Notice to appear before Parramatta Local Court on Friday 4 October 2024.

A Sydney man who has been receiving Centrelink unemployment benefits since 2019 has been busted with a Lamborghini, Harley Davidson and two Rolex watches

During the search, detectives located and seized a Lamborghini Huracan, a Harley Davidson V-Rod and two Rolex watches

All items seized are estimated to be worth over $500,000 combined
A high-profile candidate for Lord Mayor of Melbourne has sparked anger by pushing for an end to work-from-home arrangements, forcing staff back into the city and reinvigorating the moribund central business district.

Former AFL great Anthony Koutoufides, 51, announced last week he will be a candidate to become Melbourne's next Lord Mayor and wants to bring back city workers to boost activity and trade.

Mr Koutoufides, who is running as an independent, said his 'first priority' would be to work with state government to bring public servants back to the city, news.com.au reported.

'We will work with the state government to introduce new laws that government and corporate workers must work at least four days a week in their office to enliven the city,' he said.

But while the policy would be popular with city businesses, it met resistance from those workers who prefer doing their job from home.

Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary Luke Hilakari said a Lord Mayor has 'no right or ability' to dictate or intervene in working arrangements.

Mr Hilakari said that since the onset of Covid lockdowns, workers have found different ways of working that have been more beneficial for their families - as well as increasing their productivity and reducing stress.

Former AFL great Anthony Koutoufides is running for Lord Mayor of Melbourne and is pushing for and end to work-from-home arrangements for public servants so as to increase activity and trade in the centre of the city.

'Workers decide how we spend our money. Ideas to force people back to the CBD to subsidise unsuccessful city businesses will only come at the expense of local small businesses in the suburbs,' he said.

Pollster Kos Samaras said on social media platform X that 47 per cent of Australians worked from home at least one day a week in 2023.

Mr Samaras said in Melbourne over 45,000 residents are home-based workers at least part of the week, and it saves them 'two hours per week' by not commuting, as well as hundreds of dollars each month in fares, petrol and parking, which is 'an important point during a cost of living crisis'.

Victorian workers blasted the proposal on social media with many saying going back-and-forth from the office was a waste of time and money.

'If they are so insistent on employees not working from home perhaps they can pay their travel costs and travel time each working day of the year,' one wrote.

Another added: 'This disproportionately impacts workers with carer responsibilities - i.e. mostly women. Flexible working is a feminist issue,' another agreed.

But not everyone was against bringing the workforce back into the CBD.

'WFH (full time) long term does not work well with young staff who require mentoring to help their development,' one wrote.

'It also doesn't promote the benefits that you get from a few hours off email, away from the laptop and having face to face discussions,' another said.

Victorians took to social media to push back against the proposed ban - saying the flexibility has mostly helped women stay in the workforce (pictured commuters in Melbourne on a cold morning)

Other Victorians said people should think of all the retail and hospitality staff who lost their jobs because of the lack of people working in the city.

Mr Koutoufides' proposal seemed a non-starter given the Victorian government has already stated they will not be changing their work-from-home arrangements.

Earlier this month, premier Jacinta Allan's office said that the flexibility WFH provides 'helps more women stay in work', which they said is 'better for everyone'.

After a directive by the NSW Premier to get government workers back into the city, the Victorian premier's office said public servants from NSW should think about moving to Victoria.

The premier also went on Triple M radio on Tuesday, saying the levels of people in the city are already back to pre-pandemic levels and the city is 'pumping'.
He was addressing a gala in Canberra with 600 farmers

Farmers have been left 'disgusted to the core' after Anthony Albanese cracked a joke at an agriculture awards dinner about banning the livestock trade.

The Prime Minister made the bizarre comment while addressing about 600 people at the black-tie AgriFutures Rural Women's Award gala at Parliament House on Tuesday night.

Referring to a meal he shared with the Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto, Mr Albanese said: 'We had dinner, beautiful Australian beef - not the live export, we made sure it was dead.'

Earlier this year, Labor announced live sheep exports would be phased out over a four-year period, with a total end to them by May 2028. The decision was widely criticised by farmers who said the ban would decimate their businesses.

One gala guest said on X there was an 'audible murmur of discontent in the room' when Mr Albanese cracked the joke.

On Wednesday, Nationals leader David Littleproud said he was contacted by farmers who saw the comment as mocking their industry.

Pictured: Farmers and agricultural workers who attended the dinner on Tuesday night

'Why the Prime Minister would choose the AgriFutures awards  a night celebrating our agriculture industry  to mock our industries is beyond me,' Mr Littleproud said.

He said farmers were planning a rally outside Parliament House on September 10 over the live export ban, and that more people would now likely join the demonstration.

Farmers also took to social media to slam the PM.

'Seriously???,' one X user wrote.

'On the night, which celebrates the outstanding contribution of rural women, how could Anthony Albanese be so out of touch to think a joke about [live export] is going to land.

'Wonder if he will front the #FarmyArmy on 10th September?'

Another said: 'If this isnt enough reason to stand side by side at the National Ag Rally in Canberra on September 10th then I dont know what is .'

A third user wrote: 'Wow. Literally unable to read the room. What a disgusting comment.'

The function was an awards night for women in agriculture (pictured)

Mr Albanese's joke was not well received

WA Livestock and Rural Transporters president and 'Keep the Sheep' spokesperson Ben Sutherland said he felt betrayed and hurt.

'I am disgusted to the core,' he said.

'Labor throws rural communities into the wind and continually keeps laughing about it. It's no joke, in my eyes it's quite scary to have a government that doesn't care about regional Australia.'

He accused the Albanese government of taking farmers for granted and destroying livelihoods.

A spokesperson for Mr Albanese told Daily Mail Australia the comment was supposed to reinforce the importance of the beef industry.

'Exports of beef to Indonesia hit a record high in 2022-23,' they said.

'The Government fulfilled an election promise on the live sheep export ban and has offered an adjustment package.

'We will continue to discuss this with the industry and the WA Government.'
Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz is still astonished at her familys sudden circumstances since Kamala Harris picked her husband Tim as her running mate.

So much is new, she can hardly put it into words. 'I could probably name what isnt wild about it,' she told DailyMail.com on the second day of the Democratic National Convention as it was underway Tuesday night.

Walz packed 21 family members into prime seats in the United Center to soak in the moment, while her husband's image was beamed into the stadium from Milwaukee after acts including Lil Jon and Patti LaBelle.

She stopped for an interview inside a venue packed with cheering Democrats who are suddenly embracing the Minnesota governor, 60, along with his dad jokes and his call for campaigning with 'joy.'

The Minnesota first lady cast aside what she said were staff admonitions not to talk to the press  in a signal of how she might chart her own path if she makes it to Washington. (Harris has resisted pressure for a formal interview and answered only brief questions from reporters).

One surreal moment for Walz came when she suddenly saw her name appear in huge letters on a campaign bus for a tour through battleground Pennsylvania before the power couples made their way to Chicago.

I would say this. When you see your name like the Harris-Walz on the bus, you know the sign? Wow. I mean, really? she said in amazement. Its a real education, I guess. Even if youre running. It happened fast, she said.

She said the block letters with the two names made a big impression.

Teachable moment: Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz spoke to DailyMail.com about what it was like to be vaulted to prominence after husband Gov. Tim Walz became VP Kamala Harris's runningmate

Walz sported a bright red dress for the occasion, and came into the arena to snap selfies with some of the 21 family members she brought along. All the while she tended to her mother as well as her mother-in-law at the event, which featured performances by rappers like Common and Lil Jon along with speeches by political luminaries headlined by Barack Obama.

There is one topic she simply wont touch: whether the Harris and Walz names merit an apostrophe: an obscure but controversial topic that got the New York Times treatment after the two names became linked. The issue, which appears to be an unsettled stylistic question, is whether to add an 's' after either or both of them when stating a possessive.

It's Waltz's curse.

Im staying out of that one. Its a really interesting conversation. Im an English teacher, she sidestepped diplomatically.

Gwen Walz and Gov. Tim Walz taught in the same school in M

Letter-pressed: Walz spoke about seeing her family name in huge block letters on the Harris-Walz campaign bus

There are lots of disagreements on grammar, she explained.

Nor is she ready to give any hint that she's measuring the drapes on the U.S. Naval Observatory, the mansion in Washington, D.C. that is home to the sitting vice president.

Were trying to hold the Minnesota House right now, she quipped when asked if she'd make any changes.

Walz didnt speak about her future career plans should she move to Washington. First lady Jill Biden continues to teach at a community college.

She has long championed educational causes, and sponsored clubs at school. She and Walz met at a school where they both taught in Nebraska. In addition to teaching, she served as a public school administrator in Minnesota for two decades. She has also worked to expand educational opportunities for prisoners.
An American backpacker who allegedly landed at Australia's busiest international airport with a 24-karat gold-plated handgun worth $2000 in her luggage told officers she wanted the pistol 'for protection', a court has been told.

Liliana Goodson appeared before Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday for a special fixture hearing after pleading not guilty to two charges of intentionally importing prohibited goods, being both a firearm and ammunition.

The already heavily-tattooed joint American-Peruvian citizen entered the courthouse clutching a stuffed dachshund dog toy and with new markings on her cheeks and chin, including large red colourings around her lips and chin.

The Florida woman was arrested at Sydney's International Airport in April 2023 after officers attached to the Australian Border Force allegedly discovered the Colt-45-style pistol in her luggage.

Police allege they detected the garish pistol, which was not loaded, as it passed through the X-ray machine in luggage belonging to the 29-year-old, who had recently arrived on an international flight from Los Angeles.

Taken into custody by ABF officers, Ms Goodson told investigators in an electronically recorded interview, later played in court, that she was a student and had come to Australia to try to 'get into the clown institute in Sydney'.

Questioned about the pistol, Ms Goodson said the firearm was 'not even in the back of my mind at all' when she packed it for her move to Australia, and she had googled that it was OK as long as it was in her case.

'I had very little life experience because I was very sheltered, so a lot of things that are common sense to some people are not common sense to me. It skipped my mind that something could happen,' Ms Goodson said.

Liliana Goodson appeared before Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday for a special fixture hearing after pleading not guilty two charges of importing a firearm and ammunition

Officers attached to the Australian Border Force allegedly discovered the golden Colt-45-style pistol in her luggage

The American admitted carrying the pistol into another country could be serious because 'it's deemed a weapon somewhere else' but claimed she had no understanding of Australian firearms laws and did little research.

The court was told Ms Goodson had not declared the weapon on her incoming passenger card, and despite seeing that weapons were prohibited when shipping the rest of her belongings, she also packed her ammunition inside.

Ms Goodson told the investigators that she once had three firearms and the other two had been accidentally donated, with the weapon in question formerly stowed under the passenger seat of her car for protection.

Asked about its use in Australia, she said: 'I'm going to be honest, I'm scared of shooting it, but in LA if you just brandish a weapon people will like scatter ... I would probably just pistol whip until I got training again.'

The interview played in court canvassed Ms Goodson's extensive history with firearms, including that she had a concealed carry permit in the US but she could not load the gun as the magazine was stuck.

The American woman told investigators that she believed she could apply for a permit once she was an Australian citizen, which she believed would take just six months, and in the meantime the gun would 'lie around'.

Ms Goodson, when told she was being placed under arrest, said 'it was a dumb mistake and there was no intention to harm'. She also earlier admitted to having in her bag a 'cat spine, squirrel feet and rabbit pee'.

If she failed to get into clown school, Ms Goodson earlier said she would 'try going through the acting route' and also went by the name River and Clover.

Goodson appears to have had even more facial tattoos since her arrest and first court appearance in 2023

Before leaving the US, she said she was living in her truck.

One of the interviewers, ABF investigator Hannah Ditirech gave evidence that investigators located the gun in a small blue, plastic case, and inside it were markings bearing the name Colt and a receipt for the pistol.

In her opening, the police prosecutor told magistrate Susan Horan she would allege Ms Goodson had searched on Google 'can I have a gun in a suitcase' and made notes in an app on her phone to a similar effect.

The court was told Ms Goodson had intended to stay in Australia for a year and had allegedly told ABF officers upon arrival that ammunition would arrive in Australia with further belongings coming from the United States.

In his brief, one sentence opening, Ms Goodson's lawyer told the court the 'issue in dispute' in the hearing would be that she 'never intended to import a firearm', stating she was suffering from drug and mental health issues.
Pro-Hamas protestors swarmed the Israeli consulate in Chicago Tuesday evening cursing against the Jewish nation while wearing black riot gear before burning an American flag.

The event marks the second consecutive day of anti-Israel and anti-DNC protesting in the Windy City.

The group was a part of the 'Make it Great Like '68!' protest that was advertised during the first day of anti-DNC demonstrations.

The anti-Israel demonstration was advertised as a way to 'shut down the DNC for Gaza.'

Videos of the event show a violent and angry crowd of protestors aggressively confronting police - screaming in their faces in blatant attempts to escalate the tension.

Protesters burn a flag near the Israeli Consulate during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. Some protestors were later arrested

Protestors pushed police to the pavement as the chaos escalated Tuesday evening

Eventually a group of activists circled up, laid an American flag out on the concrete and doused it in flammable liquid before setting it ablaze before the police, media and pedestrians around.

A man can be seen in footage from the chaos going into the circle of onlooking protestors trying to rescue Old Glory for a fiery end.

His efforts were thwarted by protestors who blocked him from retrieving the American banner.

As the mayhem continued police moved in to quash the protest.

Videos show agitated activists getting in the officer's faces, screaming at them and praising the Palestinian war effort.

Later protestors upped the ante and were shoving police to the pavement.

A demonstrators is taken into custody by police police near the Israeli Consulate during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago

Media were in the midst of the clash between protestors and police, one member of the press can be seen above running as a law enforcement officer tumbles

Protestors fell to the floor after clashing with police in riot gear

The second day of protests on Tuesday drew far fewer activists than Monday

Additional police forces were moved in wearing riot gear, donning helmets with face-protecting visors and enhanced body armor.

The confrontation ended in a number of arrests and police were seen taken several activists into custody.

It was the second day in a row the Chicago protests led to apprehensions.

On Monday thousands of protestors descended on the city for the 'March on the DNC.'

The event brought so many people hundreds of officers were on duty to contain the demonstrations should they go awry, which they did.

Monday evening protestors were arrested after breaching the outermost perimeter of the Democratic convention.

Scores of law enforcement dressed in riot gear eventually pushed protestors from the broken barricade and repaired it as the remaining activists left the scene.

The Chicago Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A surprising figure with very close MAGA ties was spotted at the DNC on Monday night as she announced she's backing Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

Claudia Conway, 19, the daughter of Kellyanne Conway - the former Senior Counselor for Donald Trump - was seen posing with her father George Conway at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

The duo grinned as Claudia wore a green 'Kamala' button on her shirt, while George proudly held one in his hand.

The teenager posted pictures of her and her father with the caption: 'MAGA's most-hated.'

Claudia Conway, 19, was seen posing with her father George Conway at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois on Monday night

Their 19-year-old daughter posted pictures of her and her father and said: 'MAGA's most-hated'

In a video of her view at the convention, Claudia said: 'These crowds arent AI generated, btw.'

The following day, Claudia posted a video with her mom and dad. As they each introduced themselves, their daughter said the three of them were 'just a merry band of trouble makers.'

George, 60, a lawyer and frequent Trump critic, and Kellyanne, 57, got divorced in 2023 after more than two decades together.

In the clip, Claudia asked George to talk about his time at the first night at the DNC, as he said he was 'surprised at the crowd.'

'I had been to other conventions before and it was really, really - the crowd was just big!

'I was really impressed by the enthusiasm of it,' he added, comparing them to past Republican conventions he's attended. 'I thought they put on a pretty good show.'

Meanwhile, her mother, a Fox news contributor who was former President's top advisor from 2017 to 2021, had some harsh criticism about the DNC.

'I felt really badly for Joe Biden and I would've thought he'd give a speech where he can have a caper to a 52 year career in Washington,' Kellyanne said.

Despite her mother serving as the former President's top advisor from 2017 to 2021, Claudia has persistently voiced her opposition to Trump. (pictured: Kellyanne and Trump in 2016)

Last night, Biden, 81, cried as he gave one of his final major addresses as president.

He began by wiping away a tear as his daughter Ashley introduced him in front of thousands of supporters chanting 'we love Joe' in the packed United Center.

'The man didn't jump off from the ticket, he was pushed, everyone knows that,' Kellyanne added.

Biden admitted he had made 'a lot of mistakes' in his career. 'But I gave my best to you,' he said. 'For 50 years, like many of you, I gave my heart and soul to the nation.'

The President insisted he was not angry about stepping aside after a growing chorus of senior Democrats had demanded he drop out.

Claudia's mother then said she was not impressed with Democrat Hillary Clinton's speech before her daughter quickly cut her off and disagreed.

'I can disagree, I think Hillary gave a fantastic speech last night,' Claudia told her mom.

'Well, it was 20 minutes long and it was a lot about Donald Trump, but look, if you're Hillary you're never gonna get over 2016,' Kellyanne replied.

The following day, Claudia posted a video with her mother and father as they each shared their views on the convention. (pictured: Claudia being interviewed at the DNC)

Her mother then tried to touch on a point Claudia made after the night before, but her daughter quickly cut her off and said: 'I'll speak for myself.'

As she did this, George laughed while Kellyanne continued to speak.

Despite her mother serving as the former President's top advisor from 2017 to 2021, Claudia has persistently voiced her opposition to Trump.

During the second night of the DNC, former first lady Michelle Obama delivered a series of blistering insults of Trump in front of the roaring crowd.

The former first lady called the Republican nominee misogynistic, racist, petty and small in the powerful takedown that upstaged her ex-president husband Barack.

She said Kamala Harris is 'my girl' and called on the Democratic Party to unite behind her after the Obama inner circle was accused of helping force Joe Biden from the race.

In a mic drop moment that sparked a frenzied reaction from the audience, she said of Trump: 'Who's going to tell him the job he's currently seeking might be one of those black jobs?'

The former first lady declared 'hope is making a comeback' as she entered the arena after Harris was formally declared the Democratic presidential nominee and held a rally 90 miles away in Milwaukee.

While the Obamas spoke, Harris held a rally 90 miles away in Milwaukee on Tuesday night. (pictured: Harris on Monday after she made a surprise appearance at the DNC)

During the second night of the DNC, former first lady Michelle Obama delivered a series of blistering insults of Trump in front of the roaring crowd.

But she then hit Trump with a barrage of personal attacks on a night when her husband appeared to use a crude hand gesture to mock Donald's 'weird obsession' with size.

Michelle was one of the last to take the stage, after Harris' husband Doug Emhoff retold the story of how they went on a blind date following an 'unfortunate divorce' from his first wife.

The Second Gentleman described the embarrassing voicemail he left for her when they were dating that Harris makes him listen to on every anniversary.

He added how he knew his now-wife would fit in with his blended family when his kids from a previous marriage started calling her 'Momala.'

Before his remarks, Emhoff embraced his son Cole on stage during night two of the DNC. His daughter, Ella, was also in attendance.

On night one, she was brutally roasted for the 'trashy' outfit she chose to wear to cheer on her stepmother.
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A crazed gunman who shot up his parents-in-law's home before taking his own life had been trying to track down his wife after she left him and fled interstate.

The Victorian man, 50, fired several shots into the Antwerp Street home, in Auburn in Sydney's west, just before 10pm on Tuesday before fleeing the scene.

He then tried to carjack two vehicles on nearby Mona Street.

The first attempt was unsuccessful, and the motorist drove on - but the second driver, a 55-year-old man, was shot in the neck in front of his 15-year-old daughter.

The gunman then fled to the banks of Duck Creek where he turned the gun on himself, while the driver was rushed to hospital in a serious but stable condition.

Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden said the gunman's wife, 50, their two children, aged 15 and 20, and his wife's parents - aged in their 70s - were inside the home at the time of the attack.

A family member was sweeping up shattered glass from the front balcony on Wednesday, and said they were 'broken' but doing 'okay' under the circumstances.

'It was a miracle [no one was hurt when he shot into the house],' she said. 'I thought I had almost lost my entire family.'

Police are seen at the Antwerp Street property on Wednesday

A relative cleans the shattered glass outside the property on Wednesday

A relative of the family arrived at the property on Wednesday to speak to police

Officers are seen arriving at the home on Antwerp Street after shots were fired just after 10pm

Assistant Commissioner McFadden said the gunman's wife had fled Victoria earlier this week to seek refuge at her parents' home after 23 years of marriage.

Police said the husband travelled to NSW to hunt down his family in the hours leading up to the attack.

'The male has become enraged and smashed the front windows of the premises and forced open the front doors, but did not enter,' Assistant Commissioner McFadden said on Wednesday.

'He's removed a handgun and pointed it at the man in his 70s, he's fired the firearm, but it did not operate.

'He then turned the handgun towards the woman, aged in her 70s, and a shot was discharged inside the premises. He did not hit anyone and the male left.

'We are very thankful at this stage that we don't have another domestic violence homicide on our hands.'

Assistant Commissioner McFadden said the first motorist was a 56-year-old woman, who did not stop and immediately contacted police.

He said the second driver was shot at through the driver's side window and suffered shoulder and facial injuries.

Assistant Commissioner McFadden said the man was not known to be a registered gun owner and investigations are under way to determine how he accessed the weapon.

He was also not actively known to police in Victoria or in NSW for domestic violence matters.

Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden speaks to reporters on Wednesday

A bullet casing could be seen on the ground outside the home

Duck Creek (pictured) where the gunman's body was located

A 'wealth of support' is being offered to the family as they process the traumatic event.

The incident comes as NSW Police on Wednesday launched operation Amarok Seven, targeting high-risk domestic violence offenders across the state.

Asst Commr McFadden said it was a challenge for detectives dealing with domestic violence matters that occur across different borders as officers do not have access to interstate records.

He urged anyone who might be suffering from domestic violence to contact police so measures could be put in place to help protect them.

'When we look at the history of this male, he has holdings in NSW that take us back to 1980, 1990 - there is nothing of any substance since that time that would concern us,' he said.

'Victoria have no active interactions with him for 10 years, so we're starting to really look at what are those factors that bring a challenge and risk to the community.

'It's not easy, but it's an unrelenting commitment that we have on a daily basis to make sure we are protecting victims and holding perpetrators to account.

The man then shot at a car (pictured) striking a 55-year-old man sitting inside in the neck

Forensic officers are seen inspecting the door at the front of the home

Detectives were seen scouring the home for evidence earlier on Wednesday, with a bullet casing seen lying in the driveway.

A firearm was also found and seized for evidence.

Neighbours said they heard bangs and looked outside to see a short man running away from the scene on Antwerp Street.

They said they were shocked and that an elderly couple had lived at the four-bedroom, single-storey home for more than 30 years.

'They are a nice couple, very hard working,' one resident told Daily Mail AUstralia.

Another man who lives on Antwerp Street told Daily Mail Australia said he understands there are three people who typically live at the home.

He said his sister-in-law was leaving their property when she heard two to three loud bangs and quickly ran back inside their home, where they watched the commotion.

'There was an older man in his car, reversing erratically in the street,' one person said.

'He kept reversing in and out of his driveway, then in and out of the driveways next to him. Then he pulled into the driveway and was arguing with the people inside.'

The neighbour called the police, at which point, the older man was let inside the home.

Officers who arrived at the home then took off down the street in search of the gunman, the neighbour said, before it was announced a short time later over the police radio that they had located his whereabouts.

Crisis Support on 13 11 14 (24 hours/7 days)

Text Lifeline on 0477 13 11 14 (6pm  midnight, 7 nights)

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Michelle Obama delivered a series of blistering insults of Donald Trump in front of a roaring Democratic National Convention crowd on Tuesday night.

The former first lady called the Republican nominee misogynistic, racist, petty and small in the powerful takedown that upstaged her ex-president husband Barack Obama.

The 60-year-old said Kamala Harris is 'my girl' and called on the Democratic Party to unite behind her after the Obama inner circle was accused of helping force Joe Biden out of the race.

In a mic drop moment that sparked a frenzied reaction from the audience, she said of Trump: 'Who's going to tell him the job he's currently seeking might be one of those black jobs?'

The Obamas spoke while Harris held a rally 90 miles away, sparking speculation the White House is angry over the role they allegedly played in Biden stepping aside.

Michelle declared 'hope is making a comeback' as she entered the arena Tuesday night after Harris was formally declared the Democratic presidential nominee.

She then hit Trump with a barrage of personal attacks on a night when her husband appeared to use a crude hand gesture to mock Donald's 'weird obsession' with size.

Former first lady Michelle Obama was given a hero's welcome at the Democratic National Convention where she delivered a brutal takedown of former president Donald Trump

The former first lady hugging her husband former president Barack Obama before his address at the Democratic National Convention

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Former US first lady Michelle Obama speaks on the second day of the Democratic National Convention on August 20

Michelle was one of the last to take the stage, after Harris' husband Doug Emhoff retold the story of how they on a blind date following a divorce from his first wife.

Celebrities including Lil Jon, Eva Longoria and Spike Lee were in the audience as she re-used a famous line from her 2016 convention speech which didn't stick to: 'When they go low, we go high  so we can dunk on them.'

'Something wonderfully magical is in the air, isn't it?' Obama said as the crowd gave her a hero's welcome at United Center in Chicago.

'Not just here in this arena, but spreading all across this country we love, a familiar feeling that's been buried too deep for too long. You know what I'm talking about? It's the contagious power of hope.'

The former first lady invoked hope was a reminder of her husband former president Obama's own historic run for the presidency. Obama gave a ringing endorsement of Harris calling her 'ready for this moment'.

'Her story is your story. It's my story. It's the story of the vast majority of Americans trying to build a better life,' she said.

Obama first eluded to Harris's Republican opponent Trump before turning on him directly by name.

Her fiery speech was perhaps the most vicious rebuttal of the GOP presidential nominee at the convention to date.

'Kamala has shown her allegiance to this nation, not by spewing anger and bitterness, but by living a life of service and always pushing the doors of opportunity open for others,' she said.

'If we bankrupt a business or choke in a crisis, we don't get a second, third, or fourth chance,' she said. 'If we see a mountain in front of us, we don't expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top.'

She warned that she knows what comes next and there would be those who would try to distort Harris's truth.

Barack Obama speaks on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention on August 20

Former president Barack Obama greets wife Michelle as he arrives to speak on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention on August 20

The former first lady declared 'hope is making a comeback' at the Democratic National Convention as she heaped praise on Kamala Harris calling her ready for the moment

Michelle Obama greets her husband on stage after her speech at the DNC yesterday

Michelle Obama introduces her husband onstage at the DNC

'My husband and I, sadly, know a little something about this,' she said. 'For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us,' she said.

'His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be black.'

'Who's going to tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those "black jobs?"' she said.

The crowd in the arena went absolutely wild in response to her stunning takedown.

'It's his same old con: doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people's lives better,' she went on.

She argued that 'going small is petty' and called it 'unhealthy' and 'unpresidential'.

Obama gave a ringing endorsement of Harris, saying she and Harris both built their lives on the same foundational values' and praised her and running mate Tim Walz as 'good, big-hearted people'.

'She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency, and she is one of the most dignified, a tribute to her mother, to my mother, and probably to your mother too,' she said.

But the former first lady did not just heap support on the Democratic presidential nominee, she warned that Democrats face an uphill battle and a close race. The former first lady used her remarks as a call for action.

'This is up to us, all of us, to be the solution we seek. It is up to all of us to be the antidote to all the darkness and division,' she said.

She said 'our fate is in our hands' and urged Democrats to 'work like our lives depend on it' until Election Day.

Barrack and Michelle Obama embrace on stage at the DNC last night

Michelle Obama accused Trump of 'ugly, misogynistic, racist lies' and accused him of being small, petty and unpresidential

Michelle Obama is one of the most beloved members of the Democratic party. Many had hoped the former first lady would run herself though she has always shied away from politics

After embracing his wife, former President Obama said he's ready to go 'even if I'm the only person stupid enough to speak right after Michelle Obama'

Obama's attacks on Trump and praise of Harris had the crowd on its feet

Obama may have been upstaged by his wife Michelle Obama and joked about the challenge of going on after her

Obama was a superstar in the United Center in Chicago. She is one of if not the most beloved Democrat in the party. Many hoped at one point she would run for president herself despite her past rejection of the political spotlight.

But the former first lady might be one of the most powerful advocates for Harris and Democrats without running in any race herself.

Her message was so well received, when she went to introduce her husband, the former president, he joked that he's ready to go 'even if I'm the only person stupid enough to speak right after Michelle Obama.'

The former president also delivered his own zingers against the ex-GOP president.

'We don't need four more years of bluster and chaos. We've seen that movie - and we all know that the sequel is usually worse,' Obama said to applause.

He slammed the 78-year-old for 'whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago' and having constant gripes.

'The other day, I heard someone compare Trump to this neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of the day,' he quipped. 'From a neighbor, that's exhausting. From a president, it's just dangerous.'

Barack Obama delivers remarks during the second night of the Democratic National Convention

Former President Obama gave his own address after Michelle where he celebrated President Biden, touted Kamala Harris' candidacy and delivered his own smackdown of Donald Trump

Obama may have been upstaged by his wife Michelle Obama, and joked about the challenge of going on after her

While the Obamas spoke, Harris held a rally 90 miles away in Milwaukee

Celebrities including Lil Jon (pictured), Eva Longoria and Spike Lee were in the audience as she re-used a famous line from her 2016 convention speech which didn't stick to: 'When they go low, we go high  so we can dunk on them.'

As the Obamas spoke, Harris and Walz were just ninety miles away in Milwaukee where they were holding a separate rally in Wisconsin, so they were not in attendance for Tuesday's powerful speeches.

Their packed battleground state event on Tuesday was at the same venue where Republicans held their convention just last month.
A young girl is fighting for life after she was struck by a car that was pulling out of a driveway on a suburban street in a horror accident.

The 12-year-girl was riding her e-scooter on a footpath on Main Road at Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, at about 7.50am on Wednesday.

She is understood to have been trapped underneath the sedan.

The girl suffered life-threatening injuries and was rushed to Sunshine Coast University Hospital.

A spokesman from the hospital told Daily Mail Australia she remains in a critical condition.

The 21-year-old woman who was driving the Kia 4 was also assessed at the scene by paramedics and is assisting police with their inquiries.

The woman is understood to be a local resident and the car had green P-plates. The vehicle has number plates registered to Victoria, the Courier Mail reported.

Police set up a crime scene and officers are investigating the incident.

The 12-year-girl was riding her e-scooter on a footpath on Main Road at Maroochydore (pictured) on the Sunshine Coast, around 7.50am on Wednesday

Officers have cordoned off Main Road in both directions until the investigation is completed.

Police are only allowing residents living in the area to pass through provided they have proof that they live nearby.

Earlier, bystanders quickly rushed to the help the girl, who was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

Queensland Ambulance Service Acting Director of Clinical Operations, Tony Hucker, said the girl suffered injuries to her chest.

Inspector Michael Langsdorf urged motorists to drive safely and to constantly be aware of their surroundings.

'I'd just like to remind everyone of the need to work together for road safety,' Inspector Langsdorf said.

'That's whether you're driving a vehicle, you're a pedestrian on a footpath, whether you're riding a bicycle or a scooter.'

Officers have cordoned off Main Road in both directions until the investigation is completed

Inspector Langsdorf said police do not yet know what may have caused the crash.

Anyone with information, including dashcam footage has been urged to contact police.

The latest incident comes after a woman was slapped with a $250 fine after her vehicle struck an e-scooter rider on the driveway of her home.

The incident occurred in March out the front of her Kalgoorlie-Boulder home, near Emu Flat, in Western Australia's south.

The rider of the scooter fell to the ground and injured her pelvis while the 26-year-old woman was driving the vehicle immediately rushed to her aid.

The woman pleaded guilty in the Kalgoorlie Magistrates Court on Monday for failing to give her name and address following the incident.


Former President Barack Obama resurrected his 'hope' and 'change' message from 2008 to fire up the Democratic National Convention and mocked his successor Donald Trump.

The first black president offered his support to another candidate with a 'funny name'  Kamala Harris - before comparing Trump to an annoying neighbor.

He told fellow Democrats in Chicago that 'the torch has been passed' to Harris and that the United States was ready for her to become president.

'Yes she can,' Obama said of Harris, prompting the boisterous crowd to repeatedly chant the phrase, recalling Obama's own 'Yes we can' campaign slogan.

Former US President Barack Obama delivers remarks during the second night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago

Obama went on to tear into Trump for 'the childish nicknames and crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes,' earning a roar from the crowd at the United Center.

It was a line that brought to mind Trump's recent bizarre claim that a large Harris crowd was fake, and Trump's dubious claim to have had a larger inaugural crowd than Obama.

The attack, accompanied by a hand gesture, also appeared to echo jokes about the size of Trump's hands that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) briefly latched onto in the 2016 campaign.

'We all knew what that hand gesture meant Barack Obama,' former CNN host Don Lemon, taking the remark in a more suggestive way, posted on X.

At a convention where a string of speakers have gone after Trump for his policies, and videos have alternated between ridiculing him and calling him a grave threat, Obama weighed in.

'We don't need four more years of bluster and chaos. We've seen that movie - and we all know that the sequel is usually worse,' he said to applause.

Former President Barack Obama ridiculed Donald Trump's 'weird obsession' with crowd sizes in a convention speech where he called for 'passing the torch' to Kamala Harris

Barack Obama gestures as he mocks Donald Trump

The former president had the convention crowd on its feet when he brought back some of his favorite lines, including when he told the crowd: 'Don't boo: vote.'

'I dont know about you but Im feeling fired up,' he said early on, reminding Democrats of the cheer that was part of his own White House run. 'I am feeling ready to go,' he added.

Obama joked about the peril of following wife Michelle Obama after her opening speech, which nearly upstaged his own with a biting quip about Trump.

'Who's going to tell him (Trump) the job he's currently seeking might be one of those black jobs?' Michelle Obama said.

The former president has gotten under Trump's skin in the past, and tried to do so again.

'Here's a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. It's been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that's actually gotten worse now that he's afraid of losing to Kamala,' Obama said.

'The other day, I heard someone compare Trump to this neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of the day,' he quipped. 'From a neighbor, that's exhausting. From a president, it's just dangerous,' said Obama, who owns large homes in Washington, Chicago and Hawaii.

Obama may have been upstaged by his wife Michelle Obama, and joked about the challenge of going on after her

Obama's attacks on Trump and praise of Harris had the crowd on its feet

Obama said Trump only considers the presidency as 'a means to an ends.'

'He wants the middle class to pay the price for another huge tax cut that would mostly help him and his rich friends,' Obama said.

The attacks came after Trump had given an interview with some unusually kind words for Obama and Michelle Obama.

In addition to attacking Trump, Obama's other mission was to 'pass the torch,' and he spent much of his speech building up Kamala Harris.

Obama, who launched to stardom in part through his own 2004 convention speech, did so at first by linking Harris to another unlikely politician - himself.

Former US President Barack Obama (R) walks to greet Former US First Lady Michelle Obama after she introduced him on the second day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago,

'Im feeling hopeful because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible,' he said near the top of his remarks.

'We are ready for a President Kamala Harris,' he said.

It was another seal of approval after his former aides helped bring about the extraordinary change at the top of the ticket.

Obama gushed about his former sidekick President Joe Biden, who was on vacation in California 24 hours after his own convention speech, which ran past midnight.

Obama's aides had been among the crucial figures pushing for Biden to get out of the race after his debate disaster against Trump in June. The episode brought back old tensions after Obama encouraged Biden not to run in 2016 as Hillary Clinton prepared her own ultimately unsuccessful run.

the former president called his own decision to pick Biden as his running mate in 2008 'one of my best,' praising his 'empathy and his decency,' as well as his 'hard-earned resilience.'

'History will remember Joe Biden as a president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger. I am proud to call him my president, but even prouder to call him my friend,' he said.

He hailed Biden for 'putting his own ambition aside for the sake of the country,' and said he was a 'steady' leader 'at a time when the other party had turned into a cult of personality.'

Former U.S. President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago

'The torch has been passed. now it is up for all of us to fight for the American we believe in,' said Obama.

A former organizer, Obama tried to caution the crowd as well, telling them that 'for all the rallies and the memes, this will still be a tight race in a closely divided country.' He warned there would be low points ahead.

And the famed orator, sometimes accused of being professorial, also slipped in an attack on social media.

'We chase the approval of strangers on our phones...and then we wonder why we feel so alone,' Obama said.
Democrats have a serious issue with rising anti-Semitism within the Party, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) claims.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators descended on the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois this week  and on the first day the protesters were able to break through a security fence surrounding the event and others were able to get into the United Center.

Rep. Donalds told DailyMail.com that he thinks there would be even more violence and unrest surrounding the Convention if Harris selected Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as her running mate because he is Jewish.

'I'm not surprised about the protests,' Donalds said at Trump Tower on Tuesday. 'The Democrats have a serious anti-semitism problem in their party  they do. That's the reason why Josh Shapiro is not the vice presidential nominee.'

'I could only imagine what these protests would be like if he was the VP nominee,' he continued. 'It would be worse, and that's a sad state of affairs for the Democrat Party.'

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) told DailyMail.com that the Democratic Party has a 'serious anti-Semitism problem'

Democrats have been grappling with a riff in the party between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian factions amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas terrorists operating out of Gaza.

Progressives for Palestine have shown up for the Democratic Convention in Chicago to protest policies related to the Israeli-Hamas war.

And while many of these vocal activists say they will still vote for the Democratic nominee in 2024, some are urging their fellow progressives to 'abandon Harris' and either not vote at all or cast their ballot in November for a third party candidate instead.

On night one of the Convention, these demonstrators were able to breach security fencing around the perimeter of the United Center.

Others were able to get into the arena where they conducted a silent protest by turning their backs to the stage and covering their mouths during speeches from Democratic Party leaders.

Pro-Palestinian protesters breached the security fencing around the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on night one on Monday. And one night two (pictured) protesters clashed with police at the Israeli Consulate in Chicago

On night one of the DNC on August 19, protesters were able to get into the United Center for the Convention and turned their backs to the stage in protest of the U.S. backing of Israel in it war with Hamas

Donalds said that the first night of the DNC was not inspired and was so focused on attacking Donald Trump that there were no real policies put forward.

'The Democrats didn't say anything last night about policy, like not one thing,' Donalds observed.

'Last night, it just was a struggle session around Trump derangement syndrome,' he continued in his interview with DailyMail.com on Monday. 'That's what I heard last night. I didn't hear anything about what they were actually going to do with the country.'

'They focused solely on Donald Trump, and they sprinkled in lightly some Kamala Harris and some Joe Biden. So for the American people watching this at home, I think the question for them is, what exactly is Kamala Harris and Tim Walz going to do with the country?'

'Are they going to do something different than what Joe Biden has done?' he questioned. 'Because what Joe Biden has done has not been popular. Are they going to do something new? It's not clear.'
An Aboriginal Elder has slammed plans to transfer a large plot of land in remote Queensland to an Indigenous group as a 'waste of time and money'.

Rex McGrady opposed plans to hand the 210ha Toobeah Reserve near the NSW and Queensland border to the Bigambul Native Title Aboriginal Corporation.

Local publican Michael Offerdahl previously described it as a secretive 'Aboriginal land grab' that will hand over 95 per cent of the town and $2million worth of land.

Toobeah has a population of just 149 people and is currently one of 15 Queensland towns where Aboriginal corporations have applied to have state land handed over to them, the Courier Mail reported.

Mr McGrady said he believed handing over the land will create division.

'I do not believe further division through policies such as this will have a positive benefit on my people and the Toobeah Community especially,' he said.

'I stand with (the) Toobeah community and the Gamilaroi people in opposing this transfer and the waste of time and money that could have been directed at achieving positive outcomes for my people.'

Mr McGrady said the 'recent spate of crime' in the area demonstrates that both money and the local voice needs to be used to help 'break the cycle'.

The small rural town of Toobeah in Queensland (pictured) has had a Native Title claim, with a local Elder raising concerns

The area holds significance not just for the Bigambul but for the Gamilaroi Nation as well - but the Gamilaroi Elder claims their voices were ignored in the claim (pictured the Native Title claim in the town of Toobeah)

The Elder said it will give 'our people' a purpose, as well as be an incentive and a direction for residents - something that has been lost.

Mr McGrady said the was filed by the Bigambul people - even though the land also holds significance to the Gamilaroi people.

The Elder, who grew up in Toobeah, said the Gamilaroi Nation had been excluded and 'not allowed' to talk about their connection to the area or to tell their stories.

Growing up in the small town without power, his family tended to eat meals outside, around a campfire, and he would hear his parent's stories of the connection to the land, their culture, tribe and stars.

The residents in Toobeah said they wouldn't be part of any future negotiations of their small, rural town and said the state needed to 'wake up'.

A joint statement said people needed to stand up and fight for equality.

The town's community also said Aboriginal Freehold only provides an economic advantage to an Aboriginal corporation that only represents 20 per cent of Indigenous people.

The residents of Toobeah said they will not benefit directly as the land will solely be in the corporation's name.

Mr Offerdahl said if land from the town is handed over there would only be 33 titles of land and one public toilet left in the town.

Michael Offerdahl (left) and Gamilaroi Elder Rex McGrady have both criticised the land claim

He said everyone had been using the reserve together for more than a century.

But Bigambul Native Title Corporation executive director Justin Saunders said the reserve is less than one per cent of the Toobeah district.

Mr Saunders said Toobeah Reserve is culturally significant for the Bigambul people and the land has a connection to songlines, land and waters, ceremony and marriage.

He said the site could become an eco-cultural tourism attraction and that the Bigambul people want to work with the community.

Goondiwindi mayor Lawrence Springborg, a former LNP state leader whose council area includes Toobeah, has defended the deal.

Daly Mail Australia contacted Bigambul Native Title Aboriginal Corporation for comment.
A food delivery driver died in an alleged hit-and-run, with a man now charged with drink driving over the 'senseless tragedy'.

A 27-year-old cyclist, who is yet to be identified, was allegedly hit while riding home on Plummer Street in Port Melbourne around 8pm on Monday.

'The driver of the car initially fled the scene before handing himself in to police a short time later,' a spokesperson for Victoria Police said.

The 32-year-old driver was subsequently charged with failing to stop and render assistance at an accident and drink driving.

He was bailed and will appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday.

Transport Workers Union national secretary Michael Kaine said the 'tragic' incident marked the 18th food delivery rider to be killed on Australian roads in recent years.

'Gig workers in Australia working in food delivery are some of the most vulnerable workers in this country,' Mr Kaine said.

'For a food delivery rider to not return home after a shift is a senseless tragedy that his family and the wider gig community will be now forced to grapple with.

A 27-year-old cyclist, who is yet to be identified, was allegedly hit while riding home on Plummer Street in Port Melbourne around 8pm on Monday

'Food delivery riders currently have no rights like a safe and fair minimum wage, sick leave, protection against unfair contract terminations, and workers' compensation in the horrific event something goes wrong.'

The alleged victim appeared to be riding a DoorDash-branded bike at the time of the incident.

The company said it was assisting police and trying to establish if it is one of their riders.

It's understood the incident did not occur during an active delivery ride.

Transport Workers' Union national secretary Michael Kaine said the 'tragic' incident marked the 18th food delivery rider to be killed on Australian roads

A Door Dash spokesperson said the company was 'absolutely devastated by this tragic loss of life'.

'Our hearts are with the riders' loved ones during this horrible tragedy. We have reached out to Victoria Police to assist with bringing those responsible to justice and assist with any investigation,' the spokesperson added.
She referenced her own ordeal in the Senate in 2021

Linda Reynolds has launched into a rare defence of a Greens senator who came under attack in Parliament by referencing her own 'abuse' in the Senate following Brittany Higgins' rape claims.

Senator Reynolds was grilled during Senate Question Time in 2021 over the way she handled the rape two years earlier, in February 2019, when Ms Higgins, then her staffer, disclosed she had been assaulted.

Ms Reynolds was accused of making Ms Higgins choose between pursuing her rape complaint and her job and trying to cover up the assault - which she denies.

Ms Reynolds wound up in hospital with cardiac severe issues after a week of parliamentary scrutiny, and is now suing Ms Higgins in the WA Supreme Court for perpetuating the claims against her on social media.

On Wednesday, she spoke about her own ordeal in relation to a situation in the Senate the previous evening which saw Greens member Jordon Steele-John - who has cerebral palsy - become visibly angry and upset about reforms to the NDIS.

Her comments also referred to an ongoing debate about whether politicians should be subject to workplace-style behavioural standards, largely to do with name-calling after Teal MP Zali Steggall called Peter Dutton 'racist' last week.

'I fully understand the need for robust policy debate under parliamentary privilege and the role that plays in democracy,' Ms Reynolds told the Senate.

Senator Jordon Steele-John is pictured in the Senate on Tuesday evening, during his ten-minute speech

'But I am, more than most, here with a very clear understanding of the personal toll this abuse takes when parliamentary privilege is abused for personal attacks.'

Ms Reynolds referred to Senator Steele-John's reaction to the proposed NDIS reforms, which include tighter budget measures for participants in an effort to bring the overall cost of the scheme down.

He was furious, claiming reforms were not designed in consultation with disabled Australians who are on the scheme. He spoke for ten minutes about how let down he felt by his own peers in Parliament.

He said: 'Never in the history of the Australian disability rights movement has a government so profoundly betrayed the trust placed in it by the community.'

'With the passage of this bill, the Australian disability community will enter a period of shadow, harm, difficulty and, yes, death. A type of life we thought we had escaped will return for many of us.'

Labor Senator Tim Ayres then stood up and said Mr Steele-John was engaging in a 'scare campaign' - which caused uproar.

Senator Tim Ayres (pictured) said Mr Steele-John's fears over the NDIS reform was a 'scare campaign'

Mr Ayres said: 'I just say this in response to that contribution. A scare campaign has to have some foundation in the truth, no matter how much hyperbole...'

Mr Steele-John yelled: 'Oh shut up, Tim! You disgrace this chamber with your nonsense! You've no idea.'

Mr Ayres withdrew his statement.

On Tuesday, Ms Reynolds said Mr Ayres' comments were a 'stain on the government'.

'What Senator Steele-John said was not a scare campaign; it was absolutely what we are all hearing, and it is the genuine fear of people with disabilities right across this nation.'

'Senator Steele-John, I would like to apologise for what has just been said to you.

'If you, ... had any decency, you would stand up right now and you would apologise to our colleague here, who has just given the most heartfelt speech he will probably ever give.'

Linda Reynolds is suing Brittany Higgins, left, for defamation over social media posts

She doubled down on those comments on Wednesday, saying: 'Last night, I think, was one such opportunity that we should reflect on our shared humanity and our shared compassion.

'The words used during this debate were deeply wounding to to Senator Steele-John because this is not just another bill that we passed in this place. This is a bill that will impact the lives of 660,000 NDIS participants.'

She urged the Labor government to take the opinions of disabled Australians into account before passing the bill. Later on Wednesday, the federal government secured the support of the states and territories to overhaul the scheme.

Ms Reynolds made her comments relating to her own civil court case under the protection of parliamentary privilege.
Barack Obama returned to the limelight Tuesday night with a speech at the DNC that set the internet on fire when many believed he made a crude joke about Donald Trump.

The 44th president was running what sounded less like a speech in favor of Kamala Harris and more like a puerile roast of Trump when he laughed at his successor's 'weird obsession with crowd sizes'.

Obama started to motion with his hands from large to small, before looking down and catching what he was doing as the partisan liberal crowd roared with approval.

As one commenter on social media noted: 'This ain't the 'When they go low, we go high' party anymore'.

Conservative commentator Todd Starnes called Obama 'weird' and 'creepy' for having weight in 'on the size of President Trump's private parts.

Barack Obama returned to the limelight Tuesday night with a speech at the DNC that set the internet on fire when many believed he made a crude joke about Donald Trump

Another X account mocked Michelle Obama's famous quote of 'when they go low, we go high' by saying that eight years later, the Democrat platform was 'Trump has a small d***'.

'They're having a weirdo off at these conventions,' added another user, frustrated with both parties.

Conservative influencer Benny Johnson responded by mocking Obama's party bringing in Lil Jon, saying 'Democrats have to bring rappers to their events to fill seats'.

'We all knew what that hand gesture meant @BarackObama,' posted former CNN host Don Lemon, taking the remark in a more suggestive way.

Others praised Obama for the crude joke, with one person saying that 'Barack Obamas crowd size joke might be the biggest burn in political history'.

Obama apparently hadn't heard a rare moment of kindness from Trump ahead of his predecessor's speech at the Democrat National Convention Tuesday.

Trump was asked his thoughts on the 44th president and longtime nemesis - but while slamming Obama's policies on trade, Trump spoke highly of his character.

'I like him, I think he's a nice gentleman but he was very, very weak on trade if you take a look at what happened to our country trade-wise it was a disaster.'

Obama apparently hadn't heard a rare moment of kindness from Trump ahead of his predecessor's speech at the Democrat National Convention Tuesday

Trump cited Obama's dealings with China and Japan as a huge flaw in his presidency, but had some praise for the former president and his wife Michelle, also speaking Tuesday.

'I happen to like him. I respect him and I respect his wife,' Trump told CNN.

Before Trump's positive comments aimed at Obama on Saturday, he spent several years in a feud with the former president.

Trump, while still a private citizen, spent years promoting the 'birther' conspiracy that Obama was not born in the U.S.  and therefore could not serve as president.

After becoming a politician, Trump claimed that Obama was the 'founder of ISIS' and 'one of the worst presidents in the history of the United States.'

Despite a rocky election season in 2016, Obama still wrote Trump an Inauguration Day letter and left it in a drawer in the Oval Office. Trump said at the time it was 'beautiful.'

Obama dusted off his 'hope' and 'change' message to fire up the Democratic convention and rolled out some of the mockery he has deployed against Donald Trump going back years.

The first black president pitched another candidate with a 'funny name'  before comparing Donald Trump to an annoying neighbor while promoting Kamala Harris as a new successor.

Despite a rocky election season in 2016, Obama still wrote Trump an Inauguration Day letter and left it in a drawer in the Oval Office. Trump said at the time it was 'beautiful'

In a convention where a string of speeches have gone after Trump for his policies and videos have alternated between ridiculing him and calling him a grave threat, Obama weighed in. 'We don't need four more years of bluster and chaos. We've seen that movie - and we all know that the sequel is usually worse,' Obama said to applause.

The former president gave a twist to his 2008 campaign slogan and a seal of approval for Harris and her prospect.

Barack and Michelle Obama headlined night two of the Democrat convention in Chicago, which also featured Vermont socialist Bernie Sanders.

Trump is preparing to debate Kamala Harris for the first time on September 10 in Philadelphia.
Budget airline Jetstar has been hit with a class action on behalf of hundreds of thousands of customers who were allegedly denied refunds for cancelled flights during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Echo Law launched the class action in the Federal Court of Australia on Wednesday morning.

The firm claims the Qantas-owned budget carrier didn't adequately refund customers for dozens of flights that were cancelled during the Covid-19 period between 2020 and 2022.

The class action alleges Jetstar issued customers with restricted travel credits, which were lower than the amount customers should have been refunded.

The law firm claims Jetstar's actions violated its contractual obligations.

The legal action aims to recover the outstanding amounts it alleges are owed to the airline's customers.

Customers are also seeking compensation for the difference between the value of the travel credits and the refund.

The firm has also alleged the airline mislead customers about their rights in the event of widespread cancellations of flights during the pandemic.

A class action has alleged Jetstar didn't refund customers for dozens of flights that were cancelled during the Covid-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2022 (stock image)

It alleges that this conduct is a violation of Australian Consumer Law.

Partner at Echo Law Andrew Paull said Jetstar allegedly obtained significant financial advantage through the use of the restricted travel credits.

Mr Paull claimed the scheme allegedly withheld money from customers even though they were unable to fly.

'Jetstar engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct in contravention of Australian Consumer Law, by misleading customers as to their rights in the event of widespread Covid cancellations,' Mr Paull told 7 News.

'The right thing for Jetstar to do when it cancelled all those flights was to return its customers' money without delay.'

The class action, which was launched in the Federal Court of Australia on Wednesday, claims the failure to issue the money was a violation of Jetstar's contractual obligations (stock image)

A spokeswoman for Jetstar told Daily Mail Australia the airline will review the claims filed in the class action.

'Last year we removed expiry dates for Covid vouchers so they can be used indefinitely,' the spokeswoman said.

'These vouchers are also multi use, meaning they can be used across multiple bookings and for multiple people.'

The spokeswoman said the travel credits issued were worth the same value of the original booking.

The spokeswoman said also said the credits are part of the booking process outlined in the terms and conditions.

Customers are seeking compensation and the class action aims to recover the outstanding amounts owed to travellers (pictured passengers at Sydney's International Airport terminal)

Daily Mail Australia understands Jetstar removed expiry dates from all Jetstar Airways Covid vouchers in August 2023.

The vouchers cannot be redeemed for cash. Customers can check their remaining voucher amount by logging into the voucher balance portal.

The class action is being funded by Court House Capital, an Australian firm that funds litigation cases.

Customers taking part in the class action will not face any out-of-pocket costs.
EQS-Ad-hoc: Lenzing AG / Key word(s): Personnel

Lenzing AG: Rohit Aggarwal new CEO as of September 1, 2024  Stephan Sielaff to leave the company as of August 31, 2024



21-Aug-2024 / 14:42 CET/CEST

Disclosure of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



Rohit Aggarwal new CEO as of September 1, 2024  Stephan Sielaff to leave the company as of August 31, 2024 Lenzing  Rohit Aggarwal will take over the position of CEO as of 1 September 2024. Outgoing Chief Executive Officer Stephan Sielaff will leave the company end of August 2024, by mutual agreement with the Supervisory Board. Your contact for

Public Relations:



Dominic Kofner

Vice President Corporate Communications & Public Affairs

Lenzing Aktiengesellschaft

Werkstrae 2, 4860 Lenzing, Austria



Phone +43 7672 701 2743

E-mail media@lenzing.com

Web www.lenzing.com



About the Lenzing Group



The Lenzing Group stands for eco-responsible production of specialty fibers based on cellulose and recycled material. As an innovation leader, Lenzing is a partner of global textile and nonwoven manufacturers and drives many new technological developments. The Lenzing Groups high-quality fibers form the basis for a variety of textile applications ranging from functional, comfortable and fashionable clothing to durable and sustainable home textiles. Due to their special properties and their botanical origin, the TUV certified biodegradable and compostable Lenzing fibers are also highly suitable for everyday hygiene products.



The business model of the Lenzing Group goes far beyond that of a traditional fiber producer. Together with its customers and partners, Lenzing develops innovative products along the value chain, creating added value for consumers. The Lenzing Group strives for the efficient utilization and processing of all raw materials and offers solutions to help transform the textile industry from the current linear economic system towards a circular economy. In order to reduce the speed of global warming and thus also support the targets of the Paris Agreement and the EU Commissions Green Deal, Lenzing has developed a clear science-based climate action plan that aims to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and a net-zero goal (scope 1, 2 and 3) by 2050.



Key Facts & Figures Lenzing Group 2023

Revenue: EUR 2.52 bn

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Employees (FTE): 7,917



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A mum of four 'intentionally' took her own life and her children's lives by driving headfirst into an oncoming truck, a coroner has determined.

Charmaine McLeod, 35, was killed alongside her children Aaleyn, 6, Matilda, 5, Wyatt, 4 and Zaidok, 2, in a fiery crash on Queensland's Bunya Highway near Kingaroy on May 27, 2019.

A lengthy coronial inquest in Brisbane last year picked apart Ms McLeod's complex mental health conditions - including her borderline personality disorder and schizophrenia.

It also investigated her repeated, unfounded claims of domestic and family violence and sexual assault to authorities in the months before her death.

On Wednesday, coroner Kerrie O'Callaghan concluded the deaths of Ms McLeod and her four children could not have been prevented - even if authorities had taken a different approach to the issues she had raised.

Ms McLeod's father Paul Harris slammed the findings as a 'waste of time' on Wednesday.

'Waste of time, waste of money, waste of peace,' he said outside the Coroners Court in Brisbane.

At the time of her death, the Hervey Bay mum believed she would lose custody of her kids to her ex-husband following an email exchange with her lawyers on the day of the crash.

James McLeod was married to Charmaine for nine years and is the biological father of Aaleyn, Matilda, Wyatt and Zaidok.

In her findings Ms Gallagher said the exchange triggered a 'dramatic response' in keeping with her untreated mental health conditions - namely, 'the killing of herself and her children'.

'I am unable to determine whether this was solely an act of revenge against Mr McLeod or a result of a genuine perceived fear for the safety of herself and her children,' Ms Gallagher said.

A coroner has found Charmaine McLeod 'intentionally' took her own life and the lives of her children Aaleyn, Matilda, Wyatt and Zaidok in a horrific crash back in 2019

The crash occurred about 7.30pm on May 27, 2019 after Ms McLeod overtook a semi-trailer, then 'suddenly swerved' into another travelling in the opposite direction

James McLeod (pictured) was married to Charmaine for nine years and is the biological father of Aaleyn, Matilda, Wyatt and Zaidok.

'It is difficult to conclude however that Ms McLeod acted "protectively" in killing her children.'

The crash occurred about 7.30pm on May 27, 2019 after Ms McLeod overtook a semi-trailer, then 'suddenly swerved' into another travelling in the opposite direction.

Aaleyn was thrown 20m from the car, which had caught fire.

Following the crash, a handwritten note was found in Ms McLeod's purse among the debris, the inquest was told.

In it, Ms McLeod said: 'To emergency I'm sorry. Yes intentional.'

She also said she 'couldn't cope with custody s*** any longer', claimed she had been raped and abused and two of her children 'molested' and attacked her solicitors and the Family Court system.

'How much more? Far out. This is what pushes one to the brink of murder/suicide,' the note added.

It ended with 'Blame the courts' and 'Not enough help for DV victims and kids'.

Throughout the inquest, the court was told Ms McLeod had accused Mr McLeod of sexually assaulting her and two of their children and of being violent to her.

Police determined the allegations to be 'unfounded' during subsequent investigations.

Mr McLeod denies the allegations and has never been charged with any wrongdoing. He declined to comment on Wednesday.

Ms O'Callaghan made no adverse findings against the individuals or agencies who dealt with Ms McLeod, her mental health conditions and her children.

This included the police investigation into Ms McLeod's complaints that Ms O'Callaghan said was 'adequate and appropriate'.

'Ms McLeod's condition was very complex and no one could have predicted her suicide or filicide of her children,' she said.

'With the benefit of hindsight, it will be seen that with respect to some issues things could have been done differently or with a different focus.

At the time of her death, Ms McLeod was embroiled in a bitter custody battle and feared she would lose her children

The coroner made no adverse findings against anyone who dealt with Ms McLeod (pictured) and her children

'Ultimately, however, I conclude that even with a different approach...the death of Ms McLeod and her children would not have been prevented.

'The murder and filicide was virtually impossible to detect by the agencies.'

In her findings, Ms O'Callaghan recommended Queensland Law Society consider providing a mental health specialist consultant service to solicitors.

She said it would help them seek advice to assist 'vulnerable clients and those with complex, trauma and/or DFV needs'.

She also recommended the provision of 'professional development opportunities' for solicitors.

'I acknowledge Mr McLeod and Ms McLeod's family. I extend my deep condolences to them and their unimaginable loss,' Ms O'Callaghan said.
This video is no longer available

This video is no longer available

Guests and crew members on the doomed Bayesian superyacht were filmed peacefully enjoying it's owner's 'victory' trip just days before the boat sank off the coast of Sicily.

Video taken by curious onlookers showed a group of people on the 30million vessel as it floated off Porticello, with men and women in white polo shirts seen moving around the deck in calm waters off the island of Vulcano last week.

The boat had been taken to Mediterranean island by British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, who had invited family and friends with him to celebrate his 'second life' after being acquitted of fraud charges in the US.

Just days later six of those on board would be missing and 15 others dramatically rescued after the boat capsized following a direct hit from a freak 'black swan' waterspout during severe thunderstorms on Monday morning.

Today the search operation for those who are still not accounted for - including Mr Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter and a senior boss at Morgan Stanley - enters its third day, with divers warning they are not expecting to find anyone alive.

It comes as:

The Bayesian superyacht was filmed floating in the waters off the coast of Sicily by curious onlookers last week

In the footage people wearing white polo shirts could be seen walking around on the deck of the 30million superyacht

The boat was seen close to the island of Vulcano, which lies near Sicily, last week

Search workers head out to the scene of the sinking of the Bayesian this morning as the operation to find those still missing enters its third day

Hannah's parents Mike Lynch and Angela Bacares (pictured) were on board with their daughter. Mrs Bacares survived while Lynch is still missing

The superyacht (pictured) was docked off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, when it was hit by an over-sea tornado, known as a waterspout

Efforts to access the boat, which is resting 164ft (50m) down on the seabed, have been hampered by furniture blocking the entrances - having to smash their way through a 3cm-thick porthole to get access - and the depth which means they can only spend 10 minutes at the bottom before having to come back up.

Those in charge of the operation say they believe the missing are in their cabins and despite suggestions that there could be survivors in air pockets, the chances of them still being alive two days on are incredibly slim at best.

It comes as Italian authorities have launched an investigation into whether hatches left open by crew members caused the boat to sink so rapidly.

Meteorological experts have said the waterspout - which brought tornado speed winds in a matter of seconds - was a 'black swan event' due to its extreme rarity and severe impact.

Survivors who were thrown into the water during the terrifying incident have described it going under the water in minutes, while CCTV footage shows the superyacht vanishing in moments.

One expert at the scene said an early focus of the official investigation into the tragedy, launched by prosecutors in nearby Termini Imerese, would be whether the yacht's crew had closed access hatches into the vessel before the storm struck.

Investigators would look at whether appropriate measures had been taken, given the forecasts for bad weather overnight, and if any of the crew members are criminally liable.

Sailing expert Sam Jefferson, editor of magazine Sailing Today, also said that he believes open hatches and doors could have contributed to the rapid sinking of Mr Lynch's superyacht.

He said: 'I would have said that the boat got hit very hard by the wind, it was pinned over on its side.

'I imagine all the doors were open because it was hot, so there were enough hatches and doors open that it filled with water very quickly and sank like that.'

Search divers head out to the scene of the wreck near Porticello this morning as the operation to find the bodies of those missing continue

The huge Bayesian overturned during a severe thunderstorm on Monday morning

Rescue workers look at the plans of the the Bayesian as they organise a search operation for six people who are still missing after the superyacht sank

Andrea Ratti, a nautical design professor at Milan Polytechnic University, said that a boat the size of the Bayesian would only sink so quickly by taking in a huge amount of water.

He suggested that portholes, windows or other openings may have been left open, letting in water.

Weather records show temperatures reached around 33C the day before the sinking, which may have led to the vessel's occupants wanting air to flow through while they slept.

Luca Mercalli, the president of the Italian Meteorological Society, said on Tuesday that the crew should have made sure that all the guests were awake and given them lifejackets in light of the forecasted heavy rains.

Chief prosecutor of Termini Imerese, Ambrogio Cartosio, and his team are expected to interview the 15 survivors soon to determine what led to the tragic sinking of the Bayesian yacht.

Among the survivors is Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, 57, who is said to be in 'a state of shock and sadness', the Daily Mirror reports, as the search for her husband, daughter and four others has entered its third day.

The Italian coastguard has insisted it is continuing its search, even though a positive outcome after nearly two days is 'difficult to imagine'.

Frigate Captain Vincenzo Zagarola told Italian radio station RTL: 'Given the time that has passed and the circumstances of the event, it is naturally difficult to imagine that things can go well but we are not giving up, so we are busy [searching] with naval and air resources.'

Nick Sloane, who worked on the Costa Concordia salvage operation, said divers are entering a 'critical' 24 hours to rescue anyone who might still be alive.

'They've got a very small window of time to try to find people stuck inside with hopefully an air pocket, and they could be rescued,' Mr Sloane told Sky News.

'You've got a maximum of two to three days to try to get someone out, so the next 24 hours are critical.'

But when Mr Zagarola was asked about the likelihood of the missing passengers being alive, he said: 'Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not.'

A total of six people are still missing - Mr Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

The body of Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working on the yacht as a cook, was found in the water shortly after search operations began on Monday.

Divers from Napoli and Messina are assisting with the huge search operation, which is being made more difficult due to cables and furnishings obstructing the way to the cabins, Italian media reported.

Dr Jean-Baptiste Souppez, a senior lecturer of mechanical, biomedical and design engineering at Aston University, said that divers 'may be looking for a banging noise at regular intervals'.

Chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer (pictured), and his wife are also missing

Lynch's attorney Christopher Morvillo (pictured) and his wife Nada are also missing

Neda and her husband Christopher are both missing in the wake of Monday's superyacht sinking

Judy Bloomer, who is missing, is a supporter and former board member of the Eve Appeal, a charity that raises awareness and funds research into gynaecological cancer

'This is common practice on submarines and was one of the signs the search mission for the Titan submarine was looking for after it went missing last year,' he said and added: 'But whether air pockets formed on the Bayesian is simply impossible to predict.'

After inspecting the command bridge, which is outdoors, the cave divers descended into the main lounge from an internal ladder.

But inside, they were obstructed by floating objects from chairs and cushions to utensils and plates.

Marco Tilotta, inspector of the Palermo Fire Department's diving unit, said: 'We checked the hull from the outside and now we have entered the vessel to inspect all the rooms.

'Access to the hull is difficult, getting inside, going down to the compartment below through the narrow stairs and going into all the cabins to analyse centimetre by centimetre is really hard and difficult work.'

It comes as school friends of missing Hannah are anxiously waiting for updates on her safe return, with her prestigious Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London, saying it is 'in shock' after its former pupil disappeared.

A spokesperson for the 25,000-a-year school said: 'We are all incredibly shocked by the news that Hannah and her father are among those missing in this tragic incident and our thoughts are with their family and everyone involved as we await further updates.'

Hannah had just completed her A-Levels and gained a place to study English at Oxford before the tragedy.

It is believed the ship sank after its mast - one of tallest in the world at an enormous 246ft-high - snapped during the brutal incident and keeled over, taking the hull beyond the 'down-flooding angle', according to nautical experts.

Among the 15 who survived include a one-year-old British baby called Sofia, who was kept afloat by her mother, 35-year-old Charlotte Golunski.

Mrs Golunski, an Oxford graduate and senior associate at Invoke, also survived after fighting to prevent her child from drowning.

The mother told Italian newspaper Republicca: 'I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning.

'It was all dark. In the water I couldn't keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.'

Mrs Golunski's British husband James Emsilie, 36, also survived the tragedy.

Another survivor is Lynch's wife Angela Bacares, who is now reportedly recovering from her injuries in a wheelchair.

She revealed that the first sign of the freak waterspout that sunk the luxury sailboat Bayesian was a 'slight tilt' that woke her up.

Lynch's wife told La Repubblica that she and her husband woke up at 4am when the boat suddenly 'tilted'.

Mrs Bacares said that they were not worried at the time, but that she still got up to see what was happening, until glass shattered and created confusion on board.

She sustained abrasions on her feet - likely after walking on glass shards during the sinking - which have left her unable to walk and sitting in a wheelchair, La Repubblica reports, while she also has bandages on others part of her body.

Another survivor is Clifford Chance lawyer Ayla Ronald, 36, who was part of the successful legal team invited to go sailing with Lynch, according to her father Lin.

On-board hostesses Leah Randall, 20, from South Africa, also survived the tragedy.

Charlotte Golunski, 36, (pictured) her husband and her one-year-old baby also survived

Mr Ronald told the Telegraph: 'I have texted with my daughter. She has only said to me that there are deaths, and she and her partner are alive' (pictured: Ayla Ronald)

On-board hostess Leah Randall, 20, from South Africa, was also on board and survived

Heidi Randall, Leah's mother, told Sky News: 'I'm beyond relieved that my daughter's life was spared by the grace of God.

'It doesn't make it any easier living with heartache of those who have lost their lives or missing.'

Leah was photographed leaving the coast guard headquarters yesterday alongside a fellow crew member.

Leah and 22-year-old on-board hostess Katja Chicken, from Germany, said as they were questioned by investigators: 'We are alive by a miracle,' according to Italian news agency ANSA, who reported that one of the girls sobbed as she said: 'It was terrible.'

Other survivors included Irish woman Sasha Murray, 29, Matthew Fletcher, 41, from London, James Catfield 51, from New Zealand, Myin Htun Kyaw, 39, from Myanmar, crew member Leo Eppel and Frenchman Matthew Griffith.

On Tuesday evening two crew members, Tus Koopmans and Eaton Parker, were also named as survivors. No age or nationalities were provided.

Speaking from a hospital room in the town of Termini Imerese close to Palermo, Mr Catfied, in a state of grief and shock, could only utter one sentence.

'We didn't see it coming,' he told La Repubblica.

Rescuers claimed that survivors spoke of the ship going down in 'two minutes' and that it appears that the yacht 'wasn't anchored in a safe place' at the time of sinking.

They were rescued by crews from nearby boats including that of Karsten Borner, the captain of a sailing ship anchored near the Bayesian, who said his team struggled to keep their boat afloat when the tornado hit.

Fabio Cefalu, a fisherman in Porticello who witnessed the tragedy unfold, said he saw a waterspout  a sort of mini-tornado  that lasted about 12 minutes shortly before 4am.

At around 4.10am he said he saw a red flare go off from Bayesian but by the time he was able to reach the area about 20 minutes later the yacht had all but disappeared. 'We found only the cushions, and a few planks floating in the water,' he said.
A young boy who was allegedly raped at knifepoint in a Sydney park begged passers-by for help after the terrifying attack, a court has heard.

Father-of-three Malik Ahmad, 33, was reportedly refused bail on Wednesday after he allegedly lured a 13-year-old boy from Mount Druitt train station to a nearby park shortly after 1.15am last Thursday.

He allegedly threatened the boy with a knife and raped him before fleeing the scene in a white van.

The boy then desperately flagged down drivers to ask where the police station was so that he could report his alleged assault, a court heard.

Police arrested Ahmad on Duke Street in Mount Druitt at 6.20pm on Tuesday.

'He was taken to Mt Druitt Police Station where he was charged with aggravated sexual intercourse with a child between 10 and 14 and intentionally sexually touch a child between 10 and 16,' a spokesperson for NSW Police said.

Ahmad's defence lawyer Aqib Javed told Mount Druitt Local Court that his client intends to fight the charges, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

He argued that the father-of-three should be released on bail to support his pregnant wife and that he was not able to receive adequate treatment for a gunshot wound in his leg.

Malik Ahmad, 33, was reportedly refused bail on Wednesday after he allegedly lured a 13-year-old boy from Mount Druitt train station (pictured) to a nearby park shortly after 1.15am last Thursday

He allegedly threatened the boy with a knife and raped him before fleeing the scene in a white van

But the police prosecutor strongly opposed bail, arguing there was no evidence of a bullet wound.

She said the prosecution's case relied on high-quality CCTV, which captured Ahmad and his alleged victim at various points.

Magistrate Bree Chisholm refused Ahmad bail, saying he was accused of a 'disturbing opportunistic attack on a vulnerable child' and the prosecution's case was 'overwhelming'.

'It is in the publics interest for him to remain in custody,' she said.

Ahmad's wife, who he has reportedly been married to for 14 years, wept outside of court.

He will next face Penrith Local Court on October 18.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
A hero British mother who saved her baby daughter from drowning as the Bayesian superyacht sank during a freak storm survived because she was 'sleeping on deck' when it hit.

Charlotte Golunski was left holding her daughter Sophia 'afloat with all her strength' in the pitch-black water when the boat went down early on Monday morning after being struck by a waterspout.

The 35-year-old was left screaming for help as the storm raged around her, before being helped onto a liferaft where she and 14 other survivors took shelter while awaiting rescue.

The Oxford graduate was discharged from hospital yesterday alongside Sophia, and has been reunited with her husband who was not with her when the tragedy unfolded but also survived.

At least one person is known to have died in the tragedy, while six others including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter are still missing with fears they are dead in the wreck of the boat as search operations continue.

It comes as:

Charlotte Golunski heroically saved her baby daughter's life after the Bayesian superyacht sank on Monday morning

A doctor has revealed that Ms Golunski had been sleeping on the deck of the boat when it was hit by a freak waterspout that caused it to capsize

The mother and other survivors were rescued from a liferaft (pictured) they had taken shelter in as the storm raged around them

Ms Golunski leaves hospital in Palermo alongside her husband James Emslie and their daughter Sophia on Tuesday

Ms Golunski works as a senior associate at Invoke Capital, a firm founded by Mr Lynch and had been invited on the trip as the British billionaire celebrated his 'second life' after being acquitted of fraud charges in the US.

Italian doctors claim that she had been sleeping with baby Sophia on the deck, while her husband James Emslie was on another part of the boat, when the 'black swan' waterspout hit at around 5am on Monday morning.

Dr Domenico Cipolla, the head of paediatric care at the Di Cristina Children's Hospital in Palermo where Ms Golunski was taken in the aftermath of the disaster, shed new light on her experience.

He told Sky News: 'She said that she was sleeping with the child on deck while her husband was a little further away in another part of the boat and she felt the oscillations of the ship.

'In an instant it was dark and she found herself in the water in just a few minutes. She said she tried to hold on to the child but lost the child from her grip for three seconds.

'She then managed to catch her in the water.'

Ms Golunski had previously told Italian newspaper Repubblica about the nightmare passengers found themselves plunged into and how she saved her daughter's life.

She said: 'I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning.

'It was all dark. In the water I couldn't keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.'

On Tuesday Ms Golunski and her daughter left hospital with Mr Emslie, Dr Cipolla revealing the pair had 'hugged and comforted each other' after being reunited but also 'cried' for those who did not make it.

A total of six people are still missing - Mr Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

The body of Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working on the yacht as a cook, was found in the water shortly after search operations began on Monday.

The search operation to find them in the wreck of the boat has continued into a third day.

Search workers head out to the scene of the sinking of the Bayesian this morning as the operation to find those still missing enters its third day

Mike Lynch (left) is still missing while his wife Angela Bacares (right) was among the 15 people who were rescued from the yacht

The superyacht (pictured) was anchored off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, when it was hit by an over-sea tornado, known as a waterspout

What is a 'black swan' weather event? The waterspout which caused the catastrophic capsizing of the Bayesian has been dubbed a 'black swan', by meteorological experts. The term is used for rare weather events that are considered unpredictable and more severe than one could reasonably expect. Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in the United States in 2005, is considered to be an example of this. Waterspouts - which are essentially tornadoes that take place over water - are another example of a so-called 'black swan'. Michael Shanck, chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, said that waterspouts He said: 'Waterspouts are rare but do happen. 'They're a black swan event for ship captains and crews. They're high impact. 'That water carries significant weight. And if the waterspout ends up dumping a load of that water on board the vessel, that's going to cause significant damage.' Despite thunderstorm alerts being in place, the nature of waterspouts means there would have been likely no warning it was coming, others have claimed. Dr Pete Inness, a lecturer in meteorology at the University of Reading, said: 'As with tornado warnings, you can say there's a probability they could happen 24 hours in advance. 'You can say, over that particular area of sea, there's an increased likelihood, but until one actually forms you can't say where it will be or how strong it is, and even then they typically only last for a couple of minutes, so there is no real warning.' Advertisement

Efforts to access the boat, which is resting 164ft (50m) down on the seabed, have been hampered by furniture blocking the entrances - having to smash their way through a 3cm-thick porthole to get access - and the depth which means they can only spend 10 minutes at the bottom before having to come back up.

Those in charge of the operation say they believe the missing are in their cabins and despite suggestions that there could be survivors in air pockets, the chances of them still being alive two days on are incredibly slim at best.

It comes as Italian authorities have launched an investigation into whether hatches left open by crew members caused the boat to sink so rapidly.

Meteorological experts have said the waterspout - which brought tornado speed winds in a matter of seconds - was a 'black swan event' due to its extreme rarity and severe impact.

Survivors who were thrown into the water during the terrifying incident have described it going under the water in minutes, while CCTV footage shows the superyacht vanishing in moments.

One expert at the scene said an early focus of the official investigation into the tragedy, launched by prosecutors in nearby Termini Imerese, would be whether the yacht's crew had closed access hatches into the vessel before the storm struck.

Investigators would look at whether appropriate measures had been taken, given the forecasts for bad weather overnight, and if any of the crew members are criminally liable.

Sailing expert Sam Jefferson, editor of magazine Sailing Today, also said that he believes open hatches and doors could have contributed to the rapid sinking of Mr Lynch's superyacht.

He said: 'I would have said that the boat got hit very hard by the wind, it was pinned over on its side.

'I imagine all the doors were open because it was hot, so there were enough hatches and doors open that it filled with water very quickly and sank like that.'

Andrea Ratti, a nautical design professor at Milan Polytechnic University, said that a boat the size of the Bayesian would only sink so quickly by taking in a huge amount of water.

He suggested that portholes, windows or other openings may have been left open, letting in water.

Weather records show temperatures reached around 33C the day before the sinking, which may have led to the vessel's occupants wanting air to flow through while they slept.

Chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer (pictured), and his wife are also missing

Lynch's attorney Christopher Morvillo (pictured) and his wife Nada are also missing

Neda and her husband Christopher are both missing in the wake of Monday's superyacht sinking

Judy Bloomer, who is missing, is a supporter and former board member of the Eve Appeal, a charity that raises awareness and funds research into gynaecological cancer

The Italian coastguard has insisted it is continuing its search, even though a positive outcome after nearly two days is 'difficult to imagine'.

Frigate Captain Vincenzo Zagarola told Italian radio station RTL: 'Given the time that has passed and the circumstances of the event, it is naturally difficult to imagine that things can go well but we are not giving up, so we are busy [searching] with naval and air resources.'

When Mr Zagarola was asked about the likelihood of the missing passengers being alive, he said: 'Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not.'

Among the survivors is Mr Lynch's wife Angela Bacares, who is now reportedly recovering from her injuries in a wheelchair.

She revealed that the first sign of the freak waterspout that sunk the luxury sailboat Bayesian was a 'slight tilt' that woke her up.

Lynch's wife told La Repubblica that she and her husband woke up at 4am when the boat suddenly 'tilted'.

Mrs Bacares said that they were not worried at the time, but that she still got up to see what was happening, until glass shattered and created confusion on board.

She sustained abrasions on her feet - likely after walking on glass shards during the sinking - which have left her unable to walk and sitting in a wheelchair, La Repubblica reports, while she also has bandages on others part of her body.

Another survivor is Clifford Chance lawyer Ayla Ronald, 36, who was part of the successful legal team invited to go sailing with Lynch, according to her father Lin.

On-board hostess Leah Randall, 20, from South Africa, also survived the tragedy.

Heidi Randall, Leah's mother, told Sky News: 'I'm beyond relieved that my daughter's life was spared by the grace of God.

'It doesn't make it any easier living with heartache of those who have lost their lives or missing.'

Leah was photographed leaving the coast guard headquarters yesterday alongside a fellow crew member.

Mr Ronald told the Telegraph: 'I have texted with my daughter. She has only said to me that there are deaths, and she and her partner are alive' (pictured: Ayla Ronald)

On-board hostess Leah Randall, 20, from South Africa, was also on board and survived

Leah and 22-year-old on-board hostess Katja Chicken, from Germany, said as they were questioned by investigators: 'We are alive by a miracle,' according to Italian news agency ANSA, who reported that one of the girls sobbed as she said: 'It was terrible.'

Other survivors included Irish woman Sasha Murray, 29, Matthew Fletcher, 41, from London, James Cutfield 51, from New Zealand, Myin Htun Kyaw, 39, from Myanmar, crew member Leo Eppel and Frenchman Matthew Griffith.

On Tuesday evening two crew members, Tus Koopmans and Eaton Parker, were also named as survivors. No age or nationalities were provided.

Speaking from a hospital room in the town of Termini Imerese close to Palermo, Mr Cutfield, in a state of grief and shock, could only utter one sentence.

'We didn't see it coming,' he told La Repubblica.

Rescuers claimed that survivors spoke of the ship going down in 'two minutes' and that it appears that the yacht 'wasn't anchored in a safe place' at the time of sinking.

They were rescued by crews from nearby boats including that of Karsten Borner, the captain of a sailing ship anchored near the Bayesian, who said his team struggled to keep their boat afloat when the tornado hit.

Fabio Cefalu, a fisherman in Porticello who witnessed the tragedy unfold, said he saw a waterspout  a sort of mini-tornado  that lasted about 12 minutes shortly before 4am.

At around 4.10am he said he saw a red flare go off from Bayesian but by the time he was able to reach the area about 20 minutes later the yacht had all but disappeared. 'We found only the cushions, and a few planks floating in the water,' he said.
Ukraine has launched what is believed to be the largest ever drone strike against Moscow since Vladimir Putin's invasion began in February 2022.

Russian officials said they shot down 11 drones flying to Moscow, and were forced to fend off a further 23 over the border region of Bryansk, six over the Belgorod region, three over the Kaluga region and two over the Kursk region.

Moscow forced the temporary closure of three airports  but no casualties or significant damage to buildings was reported, according to the citys mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

It comes after Putin's forces bombed a children's hospital in the wartorn Zaporizhzhia region, leaving at least one boy dead and four other young people injured.

Video footage showed Russian air defence systems working overtime through the night, with anti-aircraft systems abruptly blowing up drones across western Russia, leaving them as little more than fireballs and debris.

Many of Ukraine's drones that targeted Moscow were destroyed over the city of Podolsk, which lies 24 miles south of the capital.

Video footage showed Russian air defence systems working overtime through the night

Vladimir Putin (pictured) has made gains in Ukraine's industrial Donbas region

Putin's forces hit a children's cafe in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region

Putin was seen visiting Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov (pictured) last night

Mr Sobyanin said of the attack: 'This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow using drones ever.'

Despite this, the mayor reported that no injuries, casualties or damages were reported in the aftermath of the attack.

A ring of anti-aircraft and anti-drone missile systems meant Moscow city centre was unscathed. Even so, a large-scale attack so close to the Kremlin is likely to increase pressure on president Vladimir Putin. Only eight drones were involved in Kyivs attack on Moscow in May last year.

The governor of the Bryansk region said there were no casualties or damages in his region either.

Ukraine has not yet commented on the latest drone attack against Russia, though it did say its forces hit a missile complex in Novoshakhtinsk in Rostov.

'It should be noted that the Russian invaders also use S-300 complexes for attacks on peaceful cities of Ukraine, destroying residential buildings and terrorizing the civilian population,' the Ukrainian army said in a statement on Wednesday morning.

It comes after the Lavender Cafe, a children's cafe in the Zaporizhzhia region, was struck by a Russian missile.

Distressing police pictures showed children being helped in the aftermath of the strike on civilians.

A 15-year-old boy tragically died in the strike. The others injured in the shelling were aged 11, 14, 17 and 18, said police.

A teenage girl is reportedly in a serious condition.

The destroyed cafe was in the village of Malokaterynivka, some 19 miles from the frontline, and was known to be popular with local children.

The head of the regional military administration, Ivan Fedorov, said there had been a direct strike on the cafe.

'These are the consequences of the Russian strike on Malokaterynivka,' he said.

Many of Ukraine's drones that targeted Moscow were destroyed over the city of Podolsk, which lies 24 miles south of the capital

Moscow's mayor Sergei Sobyanin said of the attack: 'This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow using drones ever'

The Lavender Cafe, a children's cafe in the Zaporizhzhia region, was struck by a Russian missile

A 15-year-old boy tragically died in the strike. The others injured in the shelling were aged 11, 14, 17 and 18

'The terrorist state [Russia] mutilates civilians and will not even stop at children. We must stop this.'

The bitter war between Russia and Ukraine has escalated in recent weeks, with Ukraine boldly sending its forces into Russian territory, the biggest foreign attack against Putin's nation since the Second World War.

Kremlin officials quoted in the Russian media yesterday conceded it will take several months to liberate the 92 settlements occupied by Ukraine.

But the picture is very different in eastern Ukraine where Russian forces have retained the upper hand. Yesterday, Moscow said its forces had gained further ground there.

The Kremlins priority appears to remain capturing all of the Donetsk region and no forces have been pulled away from it to tackle the Kursk incursion.

Ukrainian forces operating in Russia are believed to have used US-made HIMARS rocket systems there for the first time. They remain barred from using UK-supplied long-range Storm Shadow missiles inside Russia.

The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank based in Washington, said in its daily report late on Tuesday that the Ukrainians have made additional advances in their incursion, now in its third week.

It noted that Ukrainian forces appear to be striking Russian pontoon bridges and pontoon engineering equipment over the Seym River in an area west of the Kurst oblast.

The daring incursion into Russia has raised morale in Ukraine and changed the dynamic of the fighting.

Russia meanwhile, has been making headway in eastern Ukraine, particularly in the industrial region of Donbas.

Putin was last night seen with Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov, considered by many to be one of his closest allies, in Chechnya, where the pair were inspecting troops gearing themselves up to fight Ukraine.

Putin was last night seen with Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov, considered by many to be one of his closest allies, in Chechnya

Chechnya is a largely Muslim republic that is still part of Russia

Kadyrov told Putin on Tuesday that Chechnya, a largely Muslim republic that is part of Russia, had sent more than 47,000 troops since the start of the war to fight Ukraine

The Kremlin has relied on Kadyrov to keep the North Caucasus stable following years of turmoil

'As long as we have men like you, we are absolutely, absolutely invincible,' Putin told troops at the Russian Special Forces University, a training school in Chechnya's Gudermes, according to a transcript on the Kremlin's website.

'It is one thing to shoot at a shooting range here, and another thing to put your life and health at risk. But you have an inner need to defend the Fatherland and the courage to make such a decision.'

Kadyrov told Putin on Tuesday that Chechnya, a largely Muslim republic that is part of Russia, had sent more than 47,000 troops since the start of the war to fight Ukraine, including about 19,000 volunteers.

He has described himself as Putin's 'foot soldier' several times in the past.

The Kremlin has relied on Kadyrov to keep the North Caucasus stable following years of turmoil.

International rights groups have accused Kadyrov's security forces of extrajudicial killings, torture and abductions of dissenters, but Russian authorities have stonewalled repeated demands for investigations.

The Kremlin scrambled fighters from Chechnya to help protect Moscow from an abortive mutiny launched by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin last year, but some commentators warned that Kadyrov's ambitions could also potentially pose a threat to federal authorities.
A man was bitten on the testicles by a huge python in Thailand, leaving his bathroom sprayed in blood as he desperately beat it to death with a toilet brush.

Horrifying pictures show the aftermath of Thanat Thangtewanon's exchange with the 12ft reptile hiding in the U-bend of his home toilet on Tuesday.

Thanat said that moments after sitting down he felt a sharp pain tear thorough his testicles.

He said: 'I felt something biting my balls. It was very painful, so I put my hands in the toilet to see what was wrong. I was shocked that I grabbed a snake,' he said.

'I quickly stood up and plucked it out. I felt pain, really bad pain, and there was blood everywhere, but I was more shocked to have found a python in the toilet.'

In a desperate attempt to break its grasp, Thanat grabbed the toilet brush and started whacking at the snake's head until it loosened its grip and died.

Uncomfortable pictures show blood in Thanat's bathroom after being bit on the testicles

Thanat shared his horror after beating a snake to death that had attached itself to his testicles

The snake pictured dead on the floor after Thanat attacked it with a brush

The father immediately went to a hospital to get a tetanus vaccine.

He said doctors told him he would not need stitches as the wound was not deep enough to severe the skin and it would heal in a couple of weeks.

He added: 'My testicles are safe now. I'm lucky it wasn't a venomous snake. A cobra would have killed me.

'But I haven't used that toilet again since.

'Every time I go, I check what's inside and put a brush in there to make sure.'

Pythons attacking people using toilets have happened several times before in Thailand.

In 2016, a resident Attaporn Boonmakchuay was ambushed by a 10-foot-long python while using a squat toilet in Chachoengsao province.

His wife ran into the room upon hearing him scream, and helped prise the python's jaws from his penis.

He passed out from blood loss, but survived after being treated at the Chularat Hospital.

He replaced the squat toilet with a more modern version following the attack.

In 2020, a housewife Boonsong Plaikaew was bitten on her buttocks by a python while sitting on the toilet bowl in Samut Prakan province.

Volunteers gave her first aid and caught the snake which was later released into the wild.

The reticulated python is found throughout Southeast Asia, where they live in forests, swamps, canals and even in cities, causing them to come into conflict with humans.

The species is one of the world's largest snakes and can eat humans, cats, dogs, birds, rats and other snakes.
McDonald's today announced plans to flood Britain's high streets with 200 new restaurants in the next four years.

In its biggest expansion since 2002, the fast food chain has announced a 1billion investment with a view to 'supporting successful high streets'.

The rollout will test new restaurant formats, including smaller branches, and is set to create some 24,000 jobs.

It follows a grim few years for once bustling shopping hubs with recognisable names vanishing nationwide. Yesterday, Ted Baker became the most recent addition to the scrap heap after the closure of its last 31 stores.

However, the move will spark concerns amid Britain's obesity crisis, which costs the country 100billlion per year, according to a recent analysis.

Experts have long blamed the nation's ever-expanding waistline on the rise of processed, calorie-laden food served in restaurants such as the 200 new ones which will be opened by 2028.

McDonald's new 1bn announcement, made in a report marking the brand's 50th year in Britain, represents a marked increase on the 618million invested in the five years to 2023.

The fast food chain already owns 1,435 UK restaurants, around 80 per cent of which are owned by franchises, employing over 170,000 Brits, making it the country's biggest private employer of young people. It has not revealed the location of the new branches.

McDonald's has pledged to create 24,000 new jobs across the UK and Ireland by opening over 200 new restaurants in the next four years

Alistair Macrow, the chief executive of McDonald's UK&I, said he was 'delighted' that the brand were announcing a plan to commit to British high streets

Alistair Macrow, the chief executive of McDonald's UK&I, said: 'We have come a long way since we first opened our doors in Woolwich 50 years ago.

'I'm delighted that in this milestone year we are able to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to growth, and announce the creation of new jobs across the country.

'It's a moment to celebrate, and also to look ahead to what's next. Whether that's continuing to provide the best value for our customers, investing in our restaurants, supporting our suppliers across the UK or launching new initiatives for young people where our communities need them most.

'We're proud of what we have delivered in the last 50 years and are committed to investing in new opportunities and supporting growth across the UK.'

The report said more than 51.56bn has been spent on UK-based suppliers since 1974 and claimed to have added nearly 95bn of gross value to the economy.

As well as trialing smaller high street branches, the investment will go towards new 'drive to' restaurants and the brand said it will upgrade its preexisting locations too.

The huge investment proposal comes despite the company registering its first loss in sales across the globe since before the Covid pandemic last month.

And the news also comes against a backdrop of struggling UK high streets, in a week that saw Ted Baker clothes stores shuttered across Britain.

A different American company, Authentic Brands, which owns Ted Baker's intellectual property, said that despite 'tireless efforts' it could not 'overcome' the financial issues the business faced.

Authentic blamed the process on 'damage' done during a partnership with Dutch company AARC Group, and the 'significant level of arrears' that had built up during the association.

The fashion brand's demise came almost a year to the day after Wilko, another much-loved high street name, closed its doors for good, before relaunching online.

Banks have also been decimated on the UK high street.

As of May this year, 60 per cent of UK bank branches had shut since 2015, when Which? started tracking closures.

By the end of 2024, some 3.1 million Brits across 33 parliamentary constituencies will be without a single bank branch.

Bank and building society losses from January 2015 to the end of 2025 (including scheduled)

A closed Lloyds bank branch in Plymouth, Devon, as bank branches across the country vanish

While the rate of closures had initially appeared to slow down since it reached a peak in 2017, researchers said in 'recent years there has been a troubling surge'.

Bank bosses have been accused of 'engaging in a race to close branches' after the Government announced plans in 2020 for laws to protect access to cash, which could make it harder to close a branch if alternative cash provision is lacking.

Barclays led closures with 1,216 branches biting the dust; while NatWest Group, which comprises NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank, has closed 1,360 branches, Which? said.

Lloyds Banking Group, made up of Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, has shut 1,146 sites, the consumer group added.
A 12ft crocodile mauled a grandmother to death in Indonesia, police have revealed, with video showing the moment authorities recovered her body from the belly of the beast.

Halima Rahakbauw, 54, was washing pots in a river in Wali village on the Maluku islands after spending Tuesday morning looking for clams when the reptile struck.

Rahakbauw's neighbour, Rustam Ilyas, said relatives and friends started a search when she failed to return home.

After spotting a sandal and part of a leg in the river, villagers reported the incident to police, who found the crocodile eating the woman's body and shot it dead.

The predator was hauled out of the water and locals recovered parts of Rahakbauw's body from its stomach before cutting the animal up into pieces and disposing of it.

Local residents, helped by police and the military, pulled the beast out of the water after it was shot dead

The victim has been named as 54-year-old grandmother Halima Rahakbauw

The huge beast is seen after being shot dead by police, who tied ropes around it and dragged it onto land

The dead reptile is inspected by locals in the water near Wali village on the Maluku islands

Video shows residents, assisted by police officers from the Bursel Police and the Indonesian National Army, pulling the crocodile from the water

Locals recovered parts of Rahakbauw's body from the animal's stomach before cutting it up into pieces and disposing of it

'The victim died horribly, their legs and hands were swallowed by a crocodile that was about 12ft long,' Ilyas said.

Another eyewitness, who had been driving over a nearby bridge at the time of the attack, told local media: 'I saw someone swimming, but I couldn't see their body, only their legs.

'To make sure, I went about 15 metres, got out of the car and after I saw clearly that it was a human being eaten by a crocodile, after that I reported it to the Village Official and local officials and contacted the community to help search.'

The man named Ali Rahangmetan described walking down towards the shoreline to check if the body part belonged to a human or animal, before realising to his horror that the crocodile had a dead body in its jaws.

'It looks like a crocodile is walking, carrying a corpse,' he said. 'The characteristics of the person are unknown, both the gender and the head are no longer visible, only the legs and intestines are visible.'

Shocked locals are seen gathering around the croc after hearing the news that it had savaged Rahakbauw

Video shows locals and officials dragging the carcass of the beast to be cut open

At the same time, villagers began to raise concerns about Rahakbauw's whereabouts.

Her relative, Jamia Seknun, said they had seen her walking earlier that morning while holding a bucket that she usually used to collect shellfish.

They pieced together that the victim must have been Rahakbauw - a fact confirmed when her body parts were pulled from the dead crocodile's stomach and examined.

Video shows residents, assisted by police officers from the Bursel Police and the Indonesian National Army, pulling the crocodile from the water before laying it out to be dissected.

'The villagers had to cut open the crocodile's belly to remove some of the victim's body parts,' a local police officer said.

The corpse of the crocodile after it had been shot by police. It was then hauled out of the water and cut open

The river where Rahakbauw had been searching for clams when she was mauled to death

Neither the police nor villagers could identify the crocodile's species. Indonesia is home to several species of crocodiles that regularly attack and kill humans.

On Sunday, a 63-year-old tin miner was killed by a crocodile near a river on Bangka island in Sumatra.

In 2018, a mob in Indonesia's easternmost region of Papua butchered nearly 300 crocodiles in revenge after a local man was killed by one of the reptiles.

In 2019 a scientist was dragged by a huge captive crocodile into its enclosure and killed on the island of Sulawesi.
Jacqui Lambie has accused Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi of being 'religiously racist' in a blistering spray in Parliament for trying to pass a motion to release private emails from Jewish groups.

Ms Faruqi, a NSW Senator, tried to pass a motion on Wednesday that would have seen documents from Jewish organisations, and correspondence from staff at the Human Rights Commission, made public.

The motion was part of an effort by the Greens to uncover details about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Before the vote, Senator Lambie - an independent from Tasmania - was granted permission to give a minute-long statement.

She calmly said Senator Faruqi often calls out racism, adding: 'Nothing wrong with that, we all should.'

Ms Lambie then said Senator Faruqi's motion had 'completely crossed the line', and the situation descended into screaming from both sides by the time her minute was over.

Ms Lambie referenced ASIO director general Mike Burgess who last week urged leaders to be careful not to use inflammatory language when speaking about international issues.

She accused the Greens of doing the opposite.

Jacqui Lambie has accused Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi of being 'religiously racist' in a blistering spray in Parliament

Pictured: Mehreen Faruqi in the Senate on Wednesday evening, while trying to pass her motion

'Here we are again, and here's the Greens going again, stoking division and whipping hate,' she said.

'Imagine if there was a motion put up in this place asking for all correspondence from Muslim groups and staff with the Human Rights Commission.'

She accused the Greens of 'gaslighting' the Commission, calling the party 'hypocrites' and yelling: 'I hope your voters punish you in the next election.'

Senator Faruqi made an inaudible comment.

Senator Lambie yelled again: 'You're religiously racist! Absolutely disgusting.'

Pictured: Senator Jacqui Lambie unleashing on the Greens and Senator Faruqi

'You are religiously racist.'

Senator Lambie then complied with a request to withdraw the comment.

There was division over the motion. It was eventually voted down, with 12 votes for yes and 28 votes for no.

The Greens pledged allegiance to Palestine following the Hamas attack on October 7.

They continually called on the Albanese government to place sanctions against Israel amid the ongoing and deadly conflict between the states.
Kamala Harris campaigned 90 miles away from the Democratic National Convention stage, where last night Barack and Michelle Obama called on the nation to embrace her, out of 'sensitivity and respect' for Joe Biden, sources have claimed.

A DNC insider told Fox News the Harris campaign is in 'tricky territory' because the Vice President is still serving in Biden's White House.

Harris' team reportedly opted to have her speak in Milwaukee, Wisconsin last night while the party's two most popular figures - the Obamas - rallied in Chicago on her behalf because they wanted to 'avoid the optics' of her appearing alongside Barack, whom Biden allegedly views as a driving force in ending his 2024 campaign.

'Obamas are still not on the White House good side,' the insider told Fox News. 'It would not be helpful to their relationships.'

Barack, despite allegedly acting as a 'puppet master' in the plot to force him to drop his re-election bid, last night hailed Biden in his speech, branding him an 'outstanding president' who 'defended democracy at a moment of great danger'.

Kamala Harris campaigned 90 miles away from the DNC last night, where Barack (left) and Michelle Obama (right), were calling on the nation to embrace her. Sources claim she avoided appearing alongside the couple (pictured at the DNC yesterday) out of 'sensitivity and respect' for Joe Biden

The Vice President's team allegedly wanted to 'avoid the optics' of her appearing alongside Barack, whom Biden (pictured during his DNC speech on Monday) allegedly views as a driving force in ending his 2024 campaign

Barack told fellow Democrats in Chicago last night that 'the torch has been passed' to Harris and that the America was ready for her to become president.

The former president, who was greeted with rapturous applause and cheers at the packed arena hosting the party's nominating convention, said Harris would fight for Americans, and called her November poll rival Donald Trump 'dangerous'.

'Kamala Harris is ready for the job. This is a person who has spent her life fighting for people who need a voice,' he said, adding that the Vice President is 'someone who sees you and hears you and will get up every single day and fight for you.'

'Yes she can,' Barack said of Harris, prompting the boisterous crowd to repeatedly chant the phrase, recalling his own 'Yes we can' campaign slogan.

He also praised 'selfless' Biden for 'putting his own ambition aside' and passing the reins to Harris.

'At a time when the other party had turned into a cult of personality, we needed a leader who was steady and brought people together, and was selfless enough to do the rarest thing there is in politics - putting his own ambition aside for the sake of the country,' Barack gushed.

'History will remember Joe Biden as an outstanding president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger - and I am proud to call him my president but I am even prouder to call him my friend.'

Before his stardust performance, his wife and former first lady Michelle told convention goers 'something magically wonderful is in the air.'

'It's the contagious power of hope,' she said, calling Harris 'my girl' and saying that hope - another rallying cry of her husband's successful 2008 campaign - 'is making a comeback.'

Barack last night praised 'selfless' Biden for 'putting his own ambition aside' and passing the reins to Harris (pictured at her rally in Wisconsin last night)

Barack said Harris (pictured with her running mate Tim Walz in Wisconsin last night) would fight for Americans and called her November poll rival Donald Trump 'dangerous'

The Obamas' speeches come just weeks after insiders told the New York Times that Biden blamed Barack and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi for forcing him out of the 2024 campaign.

Sources claimed that Biden suspected Pelosi was stirring the pot and Barack acting as a 'puppet master' behind the scenes.

Biden and Barack forged a friendship by working closely together during the former president's two terms in office, but he has offered little in the way of public support.

The two appeared together at a glamorous Hollywood fundraiser in June, where Barack was said to have been 'shocked' at the deterioration in Biden.

Barack reportedly told allies that the president should seriously consider whether he should stay in the race.

Recent reports have suggested that Biden remains bitter at his former allies for pushing him out of the contest, but the President, in his own address Monday evening, said it's 'not true' that he's holding grudges.
August 20, 2024: Inside Ukraine, Russia has switched from attacking Ukrainian military forces to going after civilian infrastructure. This reduces the habitability of Ukraine and forces more Ukrainians to leave their homeland. This is another example of the old Roman adage, create a desert and call it peace. This change in Russian tactics forced Ukraine to call on NATO to supply sufficient air defense systems to thwart the increasing Russian attacks.

NATO was already working on that by developing a system called Sky Shield. Last year a coalition consisting of Germany, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovenia and Latvia and the Netherlands agreed to jointly select and purchase enough air defense systems to protect all of them from missile attacks by Russia. Switzerland also wants to join. The Swiss have stayed out of European wars for over 200 years but the recent Russian aggressiveness and frequent use of guided missiles carrying non-nuclear warheads has changed Swiss attitudes towards total neutrality.

There are another nine nations in eastern Europe making similar joint purchasing plans. The most likely purchases will be of systems like the American Patriot, the European IRIS-T, the Norwegian NASAMS and the Israeli Arrow system for use against longer range, and thus faster, ballistic missiles. In addition to the Russian threat, Iran also has guided missiles and has threatened to use them against Europe. Israel has been subject to that threat for over a decade and developed the Arrow system to deal with it. Arrow works and some European nations are looking into purchasing Arrow as well.

This effort includes improving aerial intelligence gathering. There are already systems for that in the form of existing MQ-9 Reaper drones carrying pods that can detect incoming Russian missiles at a sufficient distance to provide enough time to launch interceptor missiles or other countermeasures.

The majority of NATO nations need improved air defense systems to deal with the real Russian threat. Before the Ukraine War that threat was theoretical. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 the threat against Europe went from theoretical to real. The missiles Russia is firing into Ukraine could be aimed at nearby NATO countries. Attacking NATO seems like a suicidal option for Russia, but the invasion of Ukraine did not make sense either. As expected, that military conflict has been a disaster for Russia, which lost so many soldiers, tanks and other armored vehicles, artillery and munitions that they have had to cease launching ground attacks with troops, tanks and artillery, and instead go after the Ukrainian economy with missiles.

This unexpected war and the way it turned out has alarmed European nations. For example, it made NATO nations bordering Ukraine and Russia realize that they were unprepared to defend themselves from Russian missiles and aircraft delivered guided bomb attacks.

Until Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, Europe was not concerned about air defense systems because there was no threat. But the war in Ukraine involved heavy use of cruise and ballistic warheads with high-explosive warheads. In effect, these missiles were unmanned bombers that were difficult but not impossible to stop. Western Europeans realized that they were within range of these missiles and now they had an air defense problem they could not avoid. That led to the Sky Shield Coalition.

While Patriot has been in combat before, especially during the 2003 Iraq War, it has seen a lot of combat actions since. That enabled further improvements which made the Patriot more capable, especially against ballistic missiles. The European IRIS-T is undergoing similar evolution in Ukraine. The Ukrainians were quick to master the operation of both Patriot and IRIS-T systems they received. The Ukrainians had experience with Russian built systems and found Patriot and IRIS-T major improvements. Ukraine also obtained the Norwegian NASAMS systems, which was favored because of its adaptability.

The Ukraine War was the first time there was heavy demand for the European IRIS-T SAM (Surface to Air Missile) system. Until 2022, IRIS-T found it difficult to compete against the similar and earlier NASAMS system. While demand for NASAMS was also heavy, IRIS-T was a bit cheaper and available for NASAMS customers who did not want to wait.

NASAMS development began in 1998 when 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.

Before the Ukraine War, Norway had six NASAMS batteries for its own defense. Eleven other nations, like Hungary, Spain, Holland, Chile, and the United States, Finland and Lithuania also bought NASAMS before the Ukraine War. Fortunately, NASAMS was still in production but its manufacturer, Kongsberg, soon found itself unable to keep up with the demand from NATO nations that had sent their NASAMs batteries to Ukraine. Each battery consists of a control center and three to twelve missile launchers, with six missiles per launcher. The heavy use of NASAMs in Ukraine proved that the system was quite capable in combat. So capable that the Ukrainians recently ran out of missiles for their NASAM batteries. NASAMS launchers can use a wide variety of surface to air or air to air missiles and NATO countries dont want to exhaust their supplies of missiles because that would make them defenseless against attack by anyone. American and European manufacturers of the missiles NASAMs can use are increasing production but dont expect to catch up with current demand until 2025. That should be sufficient because Russia does not have an endless supply of missiles. Russia has increased production of ballistic and cruise missiles but economic sanctions limit how many they can produce. Russia also has few allies. North Korea and Iran have been helpful but Iran is now at war with Israel and North Korean production facilities are limited.

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 the competitor 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 could work with different radars and air-to-air missiles. NASAMS has been tested and configured to work with nearly 30 different radar systems and can fire just about any air-to-air missile that can be fired from NATO aircraft. All that is required are 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 AMRAAM ER, AIM-9X Sidewinder and the European IRIS-T. The last one is an interesting story. Norway had a big stock of the initial air-to-air version 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 a ground-to-air 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 types.

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.

Seven years later, in 2005, Germany introduced a similar and cheaper SSM system based on and called IRIS-T. The IRIS-T missile has a shorter range than NASAMs systems that use the American AMRAAM. Launched from the ground, AMRAAM has a range of 30 kilometers. The updated AMRAAM 2 has a 50 kilometers range. IRIS-T has a range of 25 kilometers.

Ukraine received both NASAMS and IRIS-T and found that both systems were equally effective at intercepting Russian missiles fired at cities. Ukraine also received the longer range (200 kilometers) Patriot air defense system. The Ukrainians found a way to use Patriot against Russian hypersonic missiles aimed at ground targets. The Russians did not expect this and were not pleased.

One IRIS-T battery consists of three truck-mounted launchers, carrying eight missiles each. The missiles have a range of 40 kilometers or 25 miles), and a separate command vehicle that can be positioned up to 20 kilometers (12 mi) away. A NASAMS battery is supposed to consist of six to twelve launcher vehicles, each with six missiles in storage/launching containers. These are controlled by a radar and fire control system, each mounted on trucks. The number of launchers assigned to a battery varies widely, depending on the preferences and needs of the user.




This is the moment elite Romanian troops stormed controversial influencer Andrew Tate's 'fortified' compound, following new allegations of 'sex with a minor' and 'trafficking'.

Romanian authorities launched a fresh raid on the his home in the early hours of this morning.

One of the world's best-known influencers, Andrew Tate has been accused of having formed an organised criminal network in early 2021 in Romania and Britain, along with his brother Tristan.

Footage published by Romanian media outlet Observator, showed masked policemen making their way into the Tate residence with metal ladders.

One clip showed a masked cop on the compound's roof shining a light through an upstairs window.

Tate was later seen being walked out of his building, with Tristan behind him.

This is the moment elite Romanian troops stormed controversial manosphere influencer Andrew Tate's 'fortified' compound

Andrew Tate (pictured) was later seen being walked out of his building

His brother Tristan (pictured) was led out by cops shortly after

The office for organised crime (DIICOT), said that four search warrants were executed, in connection with 'the crimes of forming an organised criminal group, trafficking in minors', 'sexual relations with a minor' and 'money laundering'.

Prosecutors allege that 37-year-old Tate, his 36-year-old brother and two women set up a criminal organisation and sexually exploited several victims.

They have denied those charges, and a trial date has not yet been set.

Prosecutors 'conducted a raid this morning, on August 21, 2024, at the residence of the Tate brothers as part of a search related to a new investigation', an official said.

Andrew Tate has been posting about the raid since it took place this morning.

He said: 'I don't have phone because it was taken by the police.

'But when I speak loud my words are heard by someone from a computer far far away by magic.'

Andrew Tate talks to media as he is being led for questioning after a police search raid on his residence

A masked gendarme patrols the courtyard of the residence of internet influencer Andrew Tate during an early morning police search raid, on the outskirts of Bucharest, Romania

Andrew Tate flanked by masked gendarmes is led for questioning after a police search raid on his residence

The brothers were detained in 2022 in Bucharest and spent three months in detention before being released under judicial supervision to await trial.

The brothers also face rape and assault allegations in separate cases in Britain, where they have also been accused of tax evasion.

Today's raid comes a month after the Tate brothers were banned from leaving Romania.

The Court of Appeals in Bucharest said in July it had overturned a previous ruling which allowed the controversial internet personality free movement within the European Union while awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking.

That ruling came after the brothers just two weeks earlier had celebrated being given permission to leave the country for the first time in two years.

When the brothers received initial news that they were able to leave Romania, a spokesperson for the pair said: 'The Romanian courts have ruled in favour of Andrew and Tristan Tate, lifting restrictions on their travel within the European Union,' adding: 'This represents a significant victory and a major step forward in the ongoing case.'

'It reflects the significant progress the legal team have made in challenging the allegations brought against them.

Andrew and Tristan's lawyer, Eugene Vidineac said: 'We embrace and applaud the decision of the court today, I consider it a reflection of the exemplary behaviour and assistance of my clients.

'Andrew and Tristan are still determined to clear their name and reputation; however, they are grateful to the courts for placing this trust in them.

Gendarmes wearing balaclavas walk outside the residence of internet influencer Andrew Tate during an early morning police search raid, on the outskirts of Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024

Gendarmes wearing balaclavas hold a battering ram used to break down a door outside the residence of internet influencer Andrew Tate

Police officers outside the Tate brothers residence in Pipera, Ilfov, near Bucharest, Romania, August 21, 2024

Police squad cars outside the Tate brothers residence in Pipera, Ilfov, near Bucharest, Romania, August 21, 2024

One of the world's best-known influencers known for misogynist and sometimes violent maxims, Andrew Tate has been accused of having formed an organised criminal network in early 2021 in Romania and Britain

'For the brothers, who have faced limitations on their movement for nearly two years, this ruling is a welcome relief.

'It allows them to resume their lives with greater freedom and peace of mind.

'They are now able to travel freely throughout the EU to pursue professional opportunities without restriction.'

This 'relief' was short-lived, however, and the ruling was overturned just a fortnight later.

Tate and Tristan were initially arrested in December 2022 along with two Romanian women - model Georgiana Naghel and former cop Luana Radu - but were formerly indicted in June last year.

The two female suspects - dubbed 'Tate's Angels' - also face extradition to the UK once their court proceedings in Romania come to an end.

The brothers have been accused of 10 allegations of rape and sexual assault from three alleged victims in the UK.

Andrew Tate (C) and his brother Tristan Tate (L) return to Bucharest Court after a snack break. Andrew and Tristan Tate, Bucharest Court, Bucharest, Romania - 04 Jul 2024

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan were banned from leaving Romania last month

Tate strikes a pose at the Court of Appeals in Bucharest before it overturned a July 5 ruling allowing him and his brother to leave Romanian territory providing he remains within the European Union, as he awaits trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women

Andrew Tate grimaces upon arriving at the court

The pair faced complaints from victims who claimed they were drugged and subjected to sexual acts between 2012 and 2015.

Romanian law states the trafficking of adults carries a lengthy prison sentence of up to a decade, as does rape.

The Tate brothers were held in police custody during the criminal investigation from late December 2022 until April 2023, to prevent them from fleeing the country or tampering with evidence.

They were then under house arrest until August, when courts placed them under judicial control, a lighter preventative measure that enabled them to move around freely but not leave the country.

Just two weeks ago, the brothers celebrated as they were given the news they were allowed to leave Romania and had free movement within the European Union

Tate took to X on July 5 to share a message in celebration of being given the right to leave Romania for the first time in two years. This celebration was, however, short-lived

Pictured: A police officer escorts Andrew Tate, centre, handcuffed, from the Court of Appeal in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Romanian prosecutors have said the Tate brothers recruited their victims by seducing them via social media and falsely claiming to want a relationship or marriage - ultimately pretending to fall in love with them before getting them to work for their business after luring them to their villa on the outskirts of Bucharest.

The victims were then taken to properties outside the capital Bucharest, and through physical violence and mental intimidation were sexually exploited by being forced to produce pornographic content for social media sites that generated large financial gain, prosecutors said.

Tate, who has amassed 9.7 million followers on X has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors in Romania have no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to silence him.

In 2016, Tate appeared on the 'Big Brother' reality television show in Britain but was removed after a video emerged showing him attacking a woman.

He then turned to social media platforms to promote his divisive views.

Giving tips on how to be successful, along with misogynistic and sometimes violent maxims, his videos have made him one of the world's best-known influencers.
This is the dramatic moment two drug smugglers leapt into the sea in a failed bid to escape the authorities after being caught with 37million of cocaine in their boat.

Bruce Knowles, 55, and Ferhat Gumrukguoglu, 31, were intercepted by Border Force near East Benacre Broads in Suffolk with 350kg of cocaine in the hull of their boat.

Footage released by Britain's 'FBI', the National Crime Agency (NCA), shows Dutchman Gumrukguoglu, leap from the vessel and swim towards the beach.

The pair had initially stopped when the Border Force cutter moved in but Knowles restarted the engines to the rigid hulled inflatable boat and tried to escape.

The boat was grounded on the beach and officers moved in to arrest Knowles, after he also jumped overboard during the incident on June 24.

This is the dramatic moment two drug smugglers were caught with 37million of cocaine in their boat before leaping into the sea in a failed bid to escape police.

Bruce Knowles, 55, and Ferhat Gumrukguoglu, 31, were intercepted by Border Force near East Benacre Broads in Suffolk with 350kg of cocaine in the hull of their boat. Pictured is the moment Gumrukguoglu (rear) leapt from the speeding boat

Knowles is pictured wading into the sea after his fellow drug smuggler, Gumrukguoglu, leapt from the boat earlier in the chase

Pictured: Dutchman Ferhat Gumrukguoglu (left), and Bruce Knowles (right, who was driving the boat during the chase

Officers from Norfolk and Suffolk Police chased Gumrukguoglu after he fled from the beach, arresting him later that day in Wrentham, Norfolk.

The boat was towed to a harbour in Lowestoft where it was searched by NCA officers, who found the 39million narcotics haul hidden under a tarpaulin.

Investigators believe Knowles, from Dereham, and Gumrukguoglu, from the Netherlands, travelled towards French waters to pick up the drugs from a larger ship, before bringing them back to the UK.

Both men were interviewed and gave no comment, but were subsequently charged with importing a controlled drug.

They pleaded guilty to the offence at Ipswich Crown Court on Tuesday and are now facing a prison sentence.

NCA Branch Commander Lydia Bloomfield said: 'Knowles and Gumrukguoglu knew they were going to lose a huge quantity of drugs when they were intercepted at sea by our Border Force colleagues.

'Both were working for a wider organised crime group, who will now feel the effects of a loss of this amount.'

Police believe the pair had collected their stash of drugs from a larger vessel in French waters

The drugs were stashed inside the boat under a piece of tarpaulin (pictured)

Knowles (pictured) initially stopped for Border Force officers before then leaping overboard in a lame effort to escape the authorities

Border Force Deputy Director Sally Hawkyard said: 'Our Border Force Officers played a pivotal role in detecting and seizing millions of pounds worth of cocaine, which ensured that these two men were brought to justice.

'We remain committed to stopping illegal drugs from entering the country, where they ruin lives and fuel organised criminal gangs.

'Border Force will continue to work tirelessly to keep the public safe and our borders secure.'
Keen revellers have arrived early for the Reading and Leeds festivals, with tens of thousands of teenagers expected for a celebratory post-exams weekend.

Pictures show excited teens laden with huge rucksacks, camping chairs and full Waitrose bags full of supplies for a weekend of partying.

The smiling groups wearing sunglasses, crocs and wellington boots aren't taking any chances when it comes to the weather.

And that's a good thing- as downpours and wild winds are expected to batter the country in the coming days.

Keen revellers have arrived early for the Reading festival with tens of thousands of teenagers expected for a celebratory post-exams weekend

The smiling groups wearing sunglasses, crocs and wellington boots aren't taking any chances when it comes to the weather

Fans arrive early in the sunshine for the early bird camping prior to the start of Reading festival

Pictures show excited teens laden with huge rucksacks, camping chairs and full Waitrose bags full of supplies for a weekend of partying

Smiling fans have arrived early for the Reading festival which begins on Friday

Areas affected by heavy rain - including Glasgow, Ayrshire and other places in western Scotland - are likely to see heavy rainfall over the course of Wednesday and Thursday

Up to six inches of heavy rain and 60mph winds are set to bring 'dangerous conditions' and travel disruption in the next two days, forecasters said.

This weekend will see performances from Catfish and the Bottlemen, Lana Del Ray and the Two Door Cinema Club - and even a silent rave.

It's an opportunity for students to let loose following a summer of studying and stress for A-Level exams, with the results released last week.

And tomorrow, 16-year-olds across the country will open their results - but the festival mean they can put that out of their minds and focus on the fun.

It comes after analysis suggested top GCSE grades could drop by up to 71,000 to reverse easy Covid marking, but more 'feel-good results' may also be on the cards.

As the festival is always held on the August bank holiday weekend it has become a staple for those wanting to celebrate their results.

Armed with tents and a weekend worth of booze punters are well prepared for the annual events.

But the weather may damper the sprites of some festival goers after The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for rain in Scotland spanning 9am on Wednesday to 3pm on Thursday.

The incoming miserable weather marks an end to the blistering summer which saw the hottest day of the year so far.

Fans arrive early in the sunshine for the early bird camping prior to the start of the festival

Early bird campers for a sold out Reading Festival arrive at the train station

Reading Festival early bird campers are dropped off laden with camping gear

The moonrise at Seaham last night before Brits woke up to a chilly morning

Brits have been told to expect downpours and wild winds to batter the country in the coming days. Pictured: People battle against winds and rain on the Garth Pier in Bangor, on August 15

Walkers enjoy the mist and fog in Richmond Park in southwest London on August 2 as Brits see an end to the scorching summer weather

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for rain in Scotland spanning 9am on Wednesday to 3pm on Thursday

The rest of the country will see calmer weather with unsettled conditions for some on Thursday as bands of rain weaken and gradually move south-east, the forecaster added.

Areas affected by heavy rain - including Glasgow, Ayrshire and other places in western Scotland - are likely to see heavy rainfall over the course of Wednesday and Thursday.

This could cause difficult driving conditions, travel disruption, and flooding in places.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Jason Kelly said: 'A band of rain will move in from the west on Wednesday morning and will become slow moving with heavy bursts of rain at times, especially over high ground in Scotland.

Two girls on a horse and cart ride through the ford in Eynsford

The rest of the country will see calmer weather with unsettled conditions for some on Thursday. Pictured: An overcast day in Bournemouth, Dorset on August 19

The windy weather could accompany up to six inches of rainfall within 24 hours in some areas

A member of the public uses her coat to protect herself from the rain in Sheffield on August 12

Downpours in London on August 6 as Brits see the end of summer weather

The incoming miserable weather marks an end to the blistering summer which saw the hottest day of the year so far. (Pictured: Holidaymakers and sunbathers enjoying the scorching hot afternoon sunshine at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis)

'This rain will persist into Thursday for many within the warning area, with 75-100mm likely quite widely, with higher accumulations possible over the higher ground.

'Gusty winds will accompany the rain, with 50-60mph possible near Irish Sea coasts and the west of Scotland.

'Coupled with spring tides, this could lead to some dangerous coastal conditions before winds gradually ease later on Thursday.'

The Met Office said remnants of Hurricane Ernesto, which ripped through the North Atlantic last week, will play a 'background role' in the downpours and windy weather.

The weather will be sunny with scattered showers for most of the UK on Tuesday, with heavier rain and stronger winds in the north-west.

The weekend is forecast to get off to an unsettled start, as overnight rain slowly clears, but should be calm and dry for much of England and Wales as the weekend progresses.

Met Office meteorologist Dan Rudman said temperatures are likely to be 'around or slightly below average for the time of year'.

He added the more settled weather is set to continue into the bank holiday Monday for much of England and Wales, with occasional showers in the North West.
A homeowner is furious after the local council decided an anonymous one-sentence submission was enough to heritage list his property - costing him a fortune.

Tian Xiang Sun claims he has lost $461,250 because of the secretive process to put the heritage overlay on his home at 23 Clapham Street Balwyn in Melbourne's inner-west.

The ruling has prevented Mr Sun from demolishing the home and building a new one, which was the plan when he bought the property at auction last July and settled three months later.

Mr Sun entered into a building contract shortly after making the purchase, unaware that in September, a public submission was made to City of Boroondara Council requesting the home to be heritage listed.

That single sentence submission described the house as 'an interesting and well-resolved example of a low-slung Japanese-influenced craftsman bungalow'.

According to the anonymous author, the property also exhibited 'superb and highly intact decorative detailing and distinctive use of massing to create a very grounded low-slung house which is comparatively unique within Boroondara'.

On the basis of that submission, council officers recommended the property for heritage listing, which requires an owner to preserve the property, despite it previously being passed over for heritage protection in 1991 and 2015.

As a result, Mr Sun, who was unaware of the heritage nomination for several months after settlement because neither seller or the council were obliged to divulge it, had to default on his building contract as he couldn't go ahead with construction plans.

This house in inner west Melbourne has been recommended for heritage listing, taking its new owner by surprise as he intended to demolish it

Mr Sun, who is Chinese-born, has engaged law firm Mills Oakley to argue that the council's heritage nomination process is unfair.

The lawyers also are arguing Mr Sun has been discriminated against because of his ethnic background.

Council officers have denied Mr Sun was racially targeted.

'These allegations are rejected as baseless,' a report from officers to council said.

'It is worth noting that the nomination ... was lodged by the nominator and accepted by council before the settlement date.

'Accordingly, council officers had no knowledge of the current owner's identity when the nomination was accepted.'

This single sentence submission by an anonymous author was the basis of council officers deciding to heritage list the property

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal confirmed to The Age that a matter involving the parties was filed on its human rights list last week.

On Monday, Boroondara councillors voted to retain the heritage nomination process and to proceed with listing 23 Clapham Street, along with seven other inner west Melbourne properties that were also suggested by open submission.

Councillors also rejected an amendment that submissions could be only be by people who live in Boroondara.

However, Councillor Cynthia Watson argued that the process was flawed.

'Is it fair that somebody from Vladivostok can see your property on the internet and then put it forward?' she told The Age.

She also said that heritage submissions on a property should not be submitted while it was changing hands as this was unfair for the unsuspecting new owner.

The homeowner claims the spanner thrown in the works by the unexpected heritage listing has cost him nearly $500,000

'Property owners are collateral damage to heritage protection,' she said,

Boroondara's urban living director Scott Walker said the council was ready to defend the legal action brought by Mr Sun.

'Council bases its decision solely on the heritage value of the property, regardless of who nominated it, who owns it, or when it was purchased,' he said.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted City of Boroondara Council for comment.
Police have warned the Government may need to introduce further emergency measures to tackle the UK's prison overcrowding crisis which could leave forces 'unable to make arrests'.

Senior officers believe there is a risk that the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) may have to go beyond the current measures - known as Operation Early Dawn - and bring in the contingency plan Operation Brinker.

Operation Brinker would mean bringing in a 'one-in, one-out system' whereby the prison service would have to report on how many places it had available each day.

Defendants would be held in police cells for longer than 24 hours and they could not be summoned to a magistrates' court until a space in prison becomes available, if they are remanded into custody.

As a result, suspects could be driven around the country in secure fans to find a free cell.

Labour triggered Operation Early Dawn in the North of England this week in the wake of the recent riots in towns and cities.

The Government said its 'decisive action to tackle violent thuggery on our streets' had 'exacerbated longstanding capacity issues in our prisons'.

Since taking office, Labour has also cut the proportion of a sentence inmates must serve behind bars from 50 per cent to 40 per cent.

The temporary move - due to start on 10 September - is expected to result in 5,500 offenders being released in September and October.

But the Telegraph reported officers have said it is touch-and-go as to whether the early release scheme will come in time to avoid Operation Brinker.

One officer told the newspaper that Operation Brinker would have an immediate impact on policing and potentially cripple the justice system within days.

Phil Jones, custody lead for the Police Federation, said using station cells to hold suspects for longer than a day would impact officers' ability to make arrests.

The MoJ said 215 people involved in the recent rioting across the UK have so far been sentenced, adding more pressure on the prison service. Pictured: Police being targeted in the Sunderland riots

Senior officers have warned the Government may need to bring in further emergency measures known as Operation Brinker. Pictured: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer

Operation Brinker would mean bringing in a 'one-in, one-out system' whereby the prison service would have to report on how many places it had available each day

He told The Telegraph: 'If we have a sustained period of time where prisoners are in police cells, then there could be a situation moving forward where we don't have the capacity in the system to do business as usual.

'If you cannot get people to the courts, to remand hearings, you are going to have that blockage and you cannot move prisoners to where you need to. We will have to see over the next 10 days whether it impacts on business as usual.'

The Ministry of Justice believes it will be able to get through to September 10 without introducing Operation Brinker.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced plans to cut the proportion of the sentence inmates must serve behind bars from 50 per cent to 40 per cent.

The temporary move, which does not apply to those convicted of sex offences, terrorism, domestic abuse or some violent offences, is expected to result in 5,500 offenders being released in September and October.

A Ministry of Justice (MoJ) spokesman previously said everyone released will be 'strictly monitored' and face 'tough licence conditions', such as electronic tagging and curfews.

Labour triggered Operation Early Dawn in the North of England this week in the wake of the recent riots in towns and cities. Pictured: A prison guard walks through HMP Berwyn

Rioters took part in the mayhem that erupted in Bristol city centre on August 3 during the Enough is Enough demonstration (Pictured: Police detain a protestor)

Rioters were also seen trying to tip over a police van during the violence a few weeks ago

Operation Early Dawn was triggered after the riots that broke out across the country following the stabbing of three girls at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport on July 29.

The attack was wrongly blamed on an Islamist migrant in a false theory spread through online misinformation.

Accused Axel Rudakubana, born in Cardiff to Christian parents from Rwanda, has been charged with three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed weapon.

Following the tragedy, far-right activists began targeting mosques and accommodation for asylum seekers.

Violence broke out in cities across England and also in Northern Ireland - and has been followed by a hundreds of charges including for children as young as 12, while those arrested also include a 69-year-old accused of vandalism in Liverpool.

Following a large number of rioters being jailed over the past few weeks, Operation Early Dawn was activated (pictured: A police officer attempts to extinguish a wheelie bin that has been set alight by anti-migration protesters in Rotherham)

So far, 460 cases have been heard by magistrates, 327 have been remanded in custody and 215 rioters have been sentenced or are awaiting sentence.

Meanwhile, the probation service has been given a 'fighting chance' to try and deal with early release, the Chief Inspector of Probation said today.

Martin Jones told BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'When I heard the first news of the early release, my concern was how much time the probation service would have to prepare for that.

'I was actually quite pleased they had about eight weeks, (which) isn't very much time but I think it gave them a fighting chance to prepare for this.

'On my inspection visits that take place regularly I have seen a huge a mount of work taking place. I would describe it as heroism by probation to try to ensure the best arrangements possible are in place.

'But, of course, my job going forward will be to scrutinise how effective those plans have been and I won't know the answer to that question until we start inspecting those cases.'

Mr Jones went on to say that staffing levels and excessive caseloads could be a problem for the probation service as it seeks to deal with the early releases.

He told the BBC: 'We know that good probation practice keeps communities safe and reduces reoffending, but they need the staff and the resources to do that.

'At the moment, I fear that the caseload is too high to do that well enough in all cases and that is something I think will require urgent attention going forward.'

He added: 'The probation service doesn't have the probation officers it needs to deliver its core caseload and therefore what you see is probation officers with excessive caseloads.

'There is a limit therefore as to what you can properly do as a result of that.

'If you are looking to release somebody from prison, a most important thing is to understand the risk that person represents.

'Are they a high risk offender or are they a low risk offender? What are their needs? Do they have mental health difficulty? Do they have drug addiction problems?

'If you do not understand that at the point that person is released, it's a recipe for failure and quite often will result in recall to prison or increased reoffending.'
A senior officer would have been alerted to a family of killers 'fixated' on police if he had access to interstate reports ahead of a fatal ambush of uniformed colleagues, a coroner has been told.

Brothers Nathaniel, 46, and Gareth Train, 47, opened fire on four junior constables as they walked up the driveway of a remote property at Wieambilla, west of Brisbane, late in the afternoon of December 12, 2022.

State Coroner Terry Ryan previously heard NSW Police Detective Senior Constable Tim Montgomery contacted Chinchilla officers near Wieambilla asking if they could attend the property for a missing persons 'welfare check' on Nathaniel Train, but did not share the latest police reports.

Some of the reports summarised emails from Gareth Train telling his brother officers wanted to 'see you dead' and vowing to 'greet them as they deserve' if they turned up to his remote bush property.

Queensland Detective Chief Inspector Garry Watts testified in Brisbane Coroners Court on Wednesday he would have held back officers from attending the Wieambilla property if he had seen the emails.

Det Insp Watts was the operations manager for the police southwest district that included Wieambilla at the time of the shootings.

'The last two emails, if brought to my attention, would have required further investigation before attending,' he said.

The detective said he would have referred the emails to the Brisbane-based Queensland Fixated Threat Assessment Centre for its opinion on the contents.

NSW Police saw chilling threats from Gareth Train (pictured with wife Stacey) at least five hours before they, along with Gareth's brother Nathaniel, fatally shot two Queensland officers

Some of the reports summarised emails from Gareth Train telling his brother officers wanted to 'see you dead'

Det Insp Watts agreed the centre's work 'includes people fixated on police' as well as politicians and public figures.

Nathaniel Train had been reported missing in NSW nearly three weeks before the shootings and had an outstanding arrest warrant for Queensland offences.

The Train brothers used high-powered rifles to kill officers Matthew Arnold, 26, and Rachel McCrow, 29, during the ambush while Randall Kirk retreated under fire and Keely Brough hid for more than two hours.

Det Insp Watts said he could not see a threat to police in the emails despite Gareth Train claiming in the messages people he knew were working with officers on a plan to kill his brother.

'SERT (Special Emergency Response Team) would not have been engaged just on that information alone,' Det Insp Watts said.

The specialist Queensland team can deploy heavily armed officers in armoured vehicles and the unit was sent to the scene after the Trains had killed three people.

Queensland Constables Matthew Arnold, 26, (left) and Rachel McCrow, 29, (right) were shot dead by the brothers at Wieambilla, west of Brisbane, while attempting to locate Nathaniel

Nathaniel, Gareth and Stacey Train went on to also kill their neighbour Alan Dare, 58, soon afterwards. All three Trains were shot dead hours later by specialist officers after they refused to surrender and opened fire on a police armoured vehicle

Mr Ryan heard a more in-depth background check of the Trains before the shootings would not have produced police files that labelled them a terrorist threat.

Det Insp Watts said there was 'no rush' on Nathaniel Train's missing persons case and he would have at least consulted with his detectives if given access to the full NSW police report.

Queensland Senior Constable Stephanie Abbott said she would not have instructed junior officers to go to the Wieambilla property if she saw Gareth Train's emails.

'In (your prior interview) you said there were literally a million other things you would have done? Some of the other things you mentioned were getting intel, speaking to counterterrorism, speaking to other Train family members?' Sen Const Abbott was asked.

'Yes,' she said.

Sen Const Abbott said she did background checks and passed on the relevant information she had about the Trains at the time to the officers in an email, including that Nathaniel Train had a licence for two rifles and a shotgun.

'I said 'if it gets too dark, don't go down there in the dark',' Sen Const Abbott said.

Nathaniel Train joined Gareth and his sibling's wife Stacey, 45, to kill neighbour Alan Dare, 58, soon after fatally shooting the two constables.

All three Trains were shot dead by specialist officers hours later after they refused to negotiate or surrender.

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Waitrose has revealed plans to open 100 new 'convenience' stores over the next five years as part of a 1billion investment in new shops and refurbishments.

The supermarket will also trial new hatches where food delivery riders - from Deliveroo and Uber Eats - can make collections outside store opening hours.

The premium supermarket chain will open the stores across England, Wales and Scotland - marking the first time it has opened new shops for six years.

The stores will focus on 'areas which differentiate the grocer', including deli service counters, wine selections, dry aged beef cabinets and dedicated parmesan sections.

The 1billion investment will be spent on launching the new stores to build on the 'Little Waitrose' convenience model, the supermarket said.

The move will offer competition to other 'convenience' stores, such as Tesco Express and Sainsbury's Local, which have expanded massively across the country in recent years.

It comes after research found that living near a Waitrose may boost your home's value - but you'll also pay a 'posh premium' of up 40 per cent compared other branded goods to shop there.

The new 'convenience' stores will be opened across England, Wales and Scotland with the first due to open in leafy Hampton Hill, west London

James Bailey, executive director of Waitrose, (pictured) said the supermarket is on a 'real positive upward trajectory'

The first of its new stores is due to open in leafy Hampton Hill, west London, by the end of this year.

The upmarket chain also plans to improve 150 existing stores - almost half of its existing 329-strong chain.

It will also transform a shop in London's Finchley Road to trial new services, products and concepts over the next year.

This will help the group - which is part of the John Lewis Partnership - draw up a blueprint for all its shops which will be shared in 2025, the supermarket said.

James Bailey, executive director of Waitrose, said the 'groundwork we have undertaken behind the scenes in recent years' means the company can now open new shops and ensure 'our existing ones are providing great shopping experiences that match the quality of our products'.

He added that new in-store concepts will be tested and rolled out nationally 'as we continue to work towards the Waitrose of the future'.

The first new Waitrose store is set to be in Hampton Hill later this year, followed by another in the capital early next year.

Waitrose, owned by the John Lewis Partnership, plans to invest 1billion in new stores and refurbishments over the next five years

The 1billion investment will be spent on launching the new stores, building on the 'Little Waitrose' convenience model

Investment will focus on innovations such as chilled departments for wine and beer, and a dry aged beef cabinet and dedicated parmesan section in shops.

It will also focus on expanding collaborations with other sellers including Crosstown Doughnuts and Hot Wok meals provided by Sushi Daily.

The Finchley Road shop, in north London, will be the first to feature a hatch where food delivery riders, like Deliveroo and Uber Eats, can make collections outside the store's opening hours.

The announcement comes as Waitrose began to regain market share after a period in which it came under pressure from its rival Marks & Spencer and the cost of living crisis, in which shoppers often sought cheaper options.

In the three months to the beginning of August Waitrose recorded its strongest growth since November 2023, according to data from analysts at Kantar.

The announcement comes ahead of the arrival of Jason Tarry, the former Tesco boss, who will next month replace Sharon White as chair of the John Lewis Partnership.

Mr Bailey said older stores were being refurbished to feature 'more of what people expect from us and love such as counters, unequalled service and a lot more fresh food'.

He added: 'The transformation of our Finchley Road store marks the next evolution of our journey to create a great shopping experience for our customers, underpinned by a high-quality product offering tailored to the local area, and the quality service we are synonymous with.

'In designing the store, we have taken time to understand how our customers like to shop, and used this knowledge to introduce new concepts that will be tested and rolled out nationally as we continue to work towards the Waitrose of the future.'

Research in June found that living near a Waitrose may boost your home's value - but customers pay up to 40 per cent more for branded goods at the store than at Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons

A basket of branded items bought from Waitrose was found to cost nearly 9 more than the exact same goods at other supermarkets. The basket included 20 household items, which came to a total of 72.16 at Waitrose.

The average total across the Big Four retailers was 63.33.

The research, which was carried out by the Mail, compared the cost of items including Heinz baked beans, Hovis bread and Fairy washing up liquid, across the five supermarkets.

The products were the same size and not part of multi-buy deals. Only the full retail price was taken into account rather than prices available to loyalty card holders.

Waitrose shoppers were found to pay an average of 44p more per item. A 350g packet of Cathedral City mature cheddar cheese cost 4.25 at Waitrose. But it was 3.50 at Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's and just 2.75 at Morrisons.

The starkest price difference was a large box of Persil non-bio washing powder costing 7.50 at the other supermarkets and 40 per cent more in Waitrose at 10.50.
Laila and mum have since returned home

An 11-year-old Australian girl who was stabbed in London's Leicester Square has returned home and bravely spoken for the first time since the harrowing ordeal.

Laila Johnson was with her mum Samantha, 34, in the tourist hotspot on August 12 when she was attacked, allegedly by a homeless man.

The schoolgirl, from Candelo near Bega on the NSW south coast, was left with injuries to the face, shoulder, wrist and neck after the 'random attack' with a steak knife.

Ioan Pintaru, 32, allegedly put her in a headlock then began his frenzied attack and stabbed the girl eight times before he was restrained by members of the public then arrested by police.

Laila was rushed to hospital in a serious condition and underwent plastic surgery.

Police allege that Pintaru was not known to the girl or her mother.

Just days after the alleged attack, Laila was released from hospital and went to see US pop star Taylor Swift live at Wembley, accompanied by two police officers.

She and her mother returned to Australia on Sunday and has since returned to school to perform the lead role in a Alice in Wonderland play.

Laila Johnson was with her mum Samantha, 34, in the tourist hotspot on August 12 when she was attacked, allegedly by a homeless man

Laila was still able to attend a Taylor Swift concert last Tuesday following the alleged attack

'I had to get to the Taylor Swift concert. It was amazing,' Laila told the Daily Telegraph.

'Some people organised for us to go into a VIP box and there was food being served and a private toilet, which was very exciting.'

She refused to let the alleged attack taint her holiday in London.

'I've met so many lovely people, especially in the hospital and the police who have been looking after me,' Laila said.

'They've just been so lovely'.

Laila and her mum were visiting London after going to the Olympics in Paris to cheer on the Matildas during the group stage.

They were window shopping in Leicester Square when the stabbing unfolded.

'We just came out of the Lego store and she was jumped on and, yeah, did not see it coming and suspect anything, obviously,' Ms Johnson told Seven News.

'Did not see it coming, did not suspect anything.

'It was all very scary. But it could have been way worse.'

Laila Johnson (pictured) has since returned home on the NSW far south coast

Laila paid tribute to the hospital staff who looked after her.

'It was bad to meet them under those circumstances but they are some people I will remember forever,' she said.

'There were so many people in hospital and after hospital that made me feel so much more safe.'

Ms Johnson paid tribute to how her 'incredible' daughter has handled the traumatic ordeal.

'She's the most optimistic kid you could meet, she's super bouncy,' she said.

'She's ready to get back to normal.'

Ms Johnson remains in contact with the hero security guard Abdullah, who tackled the alleged attacker to the ground.

She has thanked him for saving her little girl's life.

Laila has paid tribute to the police and staff who looked after her in hospital

An aerial view of the police cordon at the scene in London's Leicester Square on August 12

Ioan Pintaru, 32, allegedly put the girl, 11, in a headlock before attacking her last week

Police officers stand in front of the cordoned-off area in London's Leicester Square on Monday

Pintaru, of no fixed abode, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court last week charged with attempted murder and possession of a bladed article.

He wore a grey prison-issue sweatshirt and the court heard he is a Romanian citizen.

The charges were read to him through an interpreter during the ten-minute hearing.

Pintaru was remanded in custody to next appear at the Old Bailey on September 10.

He has a four-year-old child who lives in Manchester, but he is currently homeless.

David Burns, prosecuting, told the court that the mother and daughter were in Leicester Square as tourists.

He said the defendant 'approached the 11-year-old girl, placed her into a headlock', adding: 'He's then stabbed her eight times to the body.

'She sustained wounds to the face, shoulder, wrist and neck area. Fortunately members of the public intervened, which prevented any further injury being made to the child.'

Mr Burns said officers were called and 'found the defendant being held by the members of the public'.

The prosecutor added: 'He was detained and searched and found a knife on his person.

'In relation to the complainant - she was taken to hospital and she currently resides in hospital where she's undergoing treatment.

'I understand that she required plastic surgery for the injuries she sustained.'

District Judge Michael Snow described the incident as a 'random attack on a child'.

Discarded clothing and emergency medical equipment in the TWG Tea shop after the alleged attack

Police were seen detaining a man in Leicester Square after an 11-year-old girl was stabbed on August 12

A court artist's sketch of Ioan Pintaru appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court last week

He told Pintaru: 'These charges must be tried at the Central Criminal Court. You must remain in custody pending that appearance.'

Laila's mum was initially thought to have also been hurt but blood from her daughter's injuries was mistaken for injuries of her own, the Metropolitan Police said.

Detectives added that that there was no suggestion the incident was terror-related, and they do not believe the suspect and the victims were known to each other.

Leicester Square and the surrounding area attracts an estimated 2.5million visitors every week and is home to shops, theatres, cinemas and restaurants.

Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah said: 'This is a horrific incident and our thoughts are with the victims and their family. We will continue to provide support to them over the coming days and weeks.

'I would like to pay tribute to the members of the public, including staff from local businesses, who bravely intervened in this incident. They put themselves at risk and showed the best of London in doing so.

'An urgent investigation is now ongoing and detectives are working to establish the details around exactly what happened.'
A police officer accidentally shot himself in the foot at a police station on the Gold Coast on Monday night.

The male sergeant is understood to have loaded his service Glock pistol and was holstering it when it discharged at Southport Police Station.

A Queensland Police spokesperson confirmed the officer was taken to hospital for an injury to a left toe and 'has since been discharged'.

'No other officers were injured,' the spokesperson said.

'Support is being provided to the officer and colleagues at the station.'

The incident is now being investigated by the Gold Coast police district.

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland has also been alerted.

It's the latest in a string of 'friendly fire' incidents involving Queensland Police service weapons.

A police officer has been rushed to hospital after his service pistol discharged while he was holstering the weapon at Southport Police Station (pictured) on Monday night

Last year, two officers were rushed to hospital in separate incidents.

One involved a senior constable, who suffered injuries from a stray bullet while participating in a training exercise at a pistol club north of Brisbane.

The other resulted in a male sergeant being accidentally shot in the calf during a live-fire training session in Childers, south of Bundaberg in central Queensland.

Another officer accidentally shot himself in the calf in 2018, which police said at the time was 'not following our rigorous processes we have in place for safety'.

Kym Slade, 48, took her own life with a police-issued gun in July 2023 at Loganholme Police Station.

Friends, family and colleagues of the officer were offered immediate support by Queensland Police in the wake of the tragedy.
Flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Rome to evacuate the injured

British passengers travelling on an easyJet flight from Corfu to London that was struck by brutal turbulence on Monday have described their terror as the plane suddenly plummeted, badly injuring two members of the crew.

The British carrier's Airbus A320, flight EZY8120, departed from Corfu Airport in Greece at 12:44pm local time on Monday and was bound for London Gatwick with 181 passengers and crew on board.

But just 20 minutes into the flight, the easyJet aircraft was battered by turbulence while cruising at 485mph at an altitude of 28,000ft which violently smashed two members of the cabin crew who were preparing to serve food against the ceiling.

One received a badly sprained ankle and the other broke her leg, according to witnesses on board, forcing pilots to make an emergency landing at Rome's Fiumicino airport.

Passenger Sharleigh told MailOnline: 'I honestly thought we were going to die and have never experienced anything like it in my life.

'The pilot said we may experience ''mild turbulence''... next thing the plane started ferociously shaking and suddenly just dropped. Everyone was screaming - my friend woke up from her sleep and we just held each other as we thought we were going to die,' she said.

Another passenger Melanie described the experience as 'being in free-fall on a rollercoaster'.

'Literally out of nowhere the plane just plummeted and then must've pulled up again - I felt myself pull up and go back down again.

'I just went into kind of a brace position and just screamed... The whole plane was screaming - my niece was sitting in front of me and she was bawling her eyes out. It was just completely shocking.

'I'm not a nervous flyer, but I was extremely nervous all the way back after that, I was holding onto the seat in front of me for dear life.'

Flight EZY8120 is seen moments before boarding on the tarmac in Corfu under a moody sky

An easyJet Airbus A320 made an emergency landing at Rome's Fiumicino airport after suffering significant turbulence

Flight tracking data showed how the plane diverted from its flight path and landed at an airport near Rome

Notification sent by Greece's civil protection agency gave passengers warning of inclement weather

Passengers and the injured crewmembers were met with easyJet crew, airport staff and paramedics who provided immediate assistance upon their landing in Rome.

'Both of the crew hit the ceiling of the galley,' a flight attendant said.

'One had a badly sprained ankle, one had a broken tibia.'

Another passenger named Jodi told MailOnline: 'I was sat in the middle of the plane and it suddenly felt like we'd crashed into a wall... The plane then dropped again and shook from side to side. This is when people started shouting, screaming and crying and the cabin lights were turning on and off.

'One of most distressing parts of it all was that the captain wasn't announcing anything over the tannoy to reassure us, so all passengers were extremely scared that it was going to happen again.

'Two staff down the end of the plane didn't have their belts on and have suffered injuries. We could see one of the staff lying on the floor at the back of the plane.

'The remaining staff blocked our view of the staff member on the floor whilst the paramedics tried to get her on a stretcher but we could hear her yelping and screaming in pain.'

Melanie added: 'It appeared everyone was okay but then there was an announcement over the tannoy asking whether there were any medically trained people on board. It became apparent that the cabin crew had injured themselves... We heard them moaning, it was horrendous to hear.'

The injured flight attendants were immediately tended to by paramedics, while a replacement crew and aircraft were arranged to allow the passengers to continue to London Gatwick on Monday evening some seven hours later.

The aircraft involved in the incident remained parked in Rome the day after the event for safety checks.

Passengers praised easyJet cabin crew and airport staff whom they said handled the incident 'exceptionally'.

'EasyJet dealt with this very well. We diverted to Rome, paramedics came on board and took the two crew to hospital,' one passenger said.

'We were then taken to the terminal while they flew out another crew to bring us home. The new crew were very reassuring and the captain spoke to us in the cabin himself, and we were kept updated throughout the return flight which left at about 8.15 that evening.

'The new pilot and crew were exceptional in keeping us informed and reassured.'

At least two people have been injured on an easyJet flight from Corfu to London

Pilots were forced to make an emergency landing at Rome's Fiumicino airport

Southern Italy was wracked by inclement weather on Monday. A towering waterspout is seen in this image snapped off the coast of Salento

An easyJet spokeswoman confirmed the incident in a statement to MailOnline.

'Flight EZY8120 from Corfu to London Gatwick on 19 August experienced turbulence which unfortunately resulted in two cabin crew members being injured.

'As a result the Captain took the decision to divert to Rome where the crew members were met by medical services.

'The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is easyJet's highest priority and our pilots are trained to manage incidences of turbulence.

'The flight landed normally in Rome where customers were supported in the terminal and a replacement crew and aircraft were arranged to continue the flight to London Gatwick.'

Meanwhile, Italy's air safety agency, ANSV, declared it had launched an investigation into the incident to determine whether the turbulence was a sudden and unforeseeable event - known as 'clear air turbulence' - or if it was visible on the aircraft's weather radar but underestimated by the pilots.

'Given the type and severity of the injuries reported, we have initiated a safety investigation, classifying the event as an ''accident',' the ANSV stated in a press release.

But the agency added that investigators will also need to clarify why the pilots chose to divert to Rome instead of the closer airports of Bari or Brindisi.

The shocking incident came at a time when southern Italy was wracked by inclement weather and took place just hours after the Bayesian superyacht capsized and sank off Sicily after being smashed by a deadly waterspout.

The 30million vessel went down a matter of minutes after being struck by a freak waterspout while it was anchored off the coast of Porticello in Sicily just before 5am on Monday.

Southern Italy was blighted by high winds and storms on Monday

Search workers head out to the scene of the sinking of the Bayesian this morning as the operation to find those still missing enters its third day

Rescue workers and divers from the Italian fire brigade work overnight as a rescue operation continues for the missing people who were on board

A handout photo made available on 19 August 2024 by Perini Navi Press Office shows the 'Bayesian' sailing boat

While 15 people were rescued in the aftermath of the disaster, six people including billionaire Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah and a boss at Morgan Stanley bank remain missing.

The search for those unaccounted for entered its third day this morning, with rescue divers continuing their efforts to reach the cabins in the hopes of finding them.

An engineer has claimed the missing passengers could still be alive in air pockets 164ft below the surface, meaning divers - who can only remain underwater for ten minutes per dive due to the depth of where the wreck is - are competing in a race against time.

Their operation has been hampered by difficulty getting into the ship with divers forced to smash their way through a 3cm-thick porthole to gain access to one area and other parts of the wrecked vessel blocked by furniture.

One expert at the scene said an early focus of the official investigation into the tragedy, launched by prosecutors in nearby Termini Imerese, would be whether the yacht's crew had closed access hatches into the vessel before the storm struck.

Investigators would look at whether appropriate measures had been taken, given the forecasts for bad weather overnight, and if any of the crew members are criminally liable.
August 21, 2024: Europe, like all industrialized nations, is suffering from a population decline. Fewer children are being born because parents consider raising children a burden that can be avoided. This is not a problem for nations like the U.S. and France which accept and absorb migrants. Most nations refuse to do this and are now seeking other solutions. One includes using more automation and drones to do the work people used to perform. This is not a solution, but a bad idea described as a solution. Technology is a tool used by people, not a substitute for a declining population.

For major European nations like Germany that resist migrants or recruiting them as soldiers, the prospects are not good. Population and economic decline are the result of the refusal to face reality. There is also a growing popular aversion to military service. Nations that depend on volunteers to fill their ranks are no longer attracting enough men to maintain current military strength. Current events in Ukraine provide an alternative. Nearly three years of war have left Ukraine and Russia with troop shortages. The Ukrainian solution was more drones and continuous innovation in drone design. Hundreds of Ukrainian drone manufacturers, many working at home using commercial parts, turn out over 3,000 drones a day. Many of these drone builders have family or friends in the military and sending them more droves is appreciated.

Russia, as the invader, has no similar drone manufacturing and design system. Drones are a state monopoly in Russia and that means Russian drones are always behind the Ukrainians in terms of quantity and quality. This results in more casualties among Russian troops and demoralization from continuous Ukrainian innovation in creating new drones that kill Russian soldiers in unexpected ways. This has led to the Russian invasion stalling in late 2023 and the Ukrainian drones continuing to inflict losses on the Russian forces. Russian leaders have, so far, refused to accept defeat. Time is not on their side.

NATO nations have long supported and supplied Ukraine with weapons, munitions and commercial goods for Ukrainian civilians as well as refuge for Ukrainian refugees. With regular access to Ukrainian tactics and new military technology, NATO nations are developing new weapons and strategies. NATO nations are facing a shortage of volunteers, a refusal to reinstate conscription and the continuing need for effective armed forces to deal with a number of potential crises. Currently, the most popular solution is creating small groups of well-trained troops backed by large numbers of drones. The soldiers would develop ways to make best use of the drones in whatever kind of conflict they encountered. To a lesser extent drones are already being used by police for surveillance and pursuit. Police cannot use many armed drones because most police work is carried out among civilians and a few criminals.

In combat zones there are fewer rules and restrictions. Its a kill or be killed environment that favors the side with more drones and better ideas on how to use them. The war in Ukraine has fully established this. NATO nations noted an opportunity to learn from this and that intense learning process will continue until the war in Ukraine is over. At that point NATO nations will already be implementing solutions to their own military manpower problems using lessons from the Ukraine war.
A man who broke into a private complex for a swim has launched a legal battle against the property's owner after breaking his back in a botched dive that left him paralysed from the neck down.

The man, who was aged 18 at the time of the accident in 2022, was taking part in a dangerous 'pool squatting' challenge of illegally accessing a stranger's pool in Toulouse, France when he was injured.

Now, he has taken the apartment's management company to court to sue for negligence, with the owners still responsible for ensuring the pool's upkeep under the French civil code.

'When damage occurs on their property, in this case a swimming pool, the owners must answer to the damage that is caused to the people who injure themselves, even if they entered illegally,' French lawyer Fabien Gaillard told BFM TV.

The owners of the house claim they told the teenager to leave, and that a sign at the entrance to the pool clearly showed the depth at each end - but he chose not to listen.

'We're completely at a loss,' Alexandra, one of the owners of the property, told La Depeche. 'We feel sorry for this young man who hurt himself and shattered his life at the age of 18, but he knew not to jump there and he had no business being there.'

File. Under French law the man may have a case against the owners of the apartment

The owners of the property said that this was not the first time people had broken in to the private pool complex.

She said since it opened six years ago, swimmers had broken in every year, with the 'pool squatting' craze only getting more popular.

Anthony, a witness, told La Depeche that he had seen the teenager and his friends 'jumping around like idiots' before the accident.

But while the squatting itself is illegal, squatters are still afforded certain rights under French law.

Article 1244 of the French civil code, the heavily revised descendent of Napoleon's original 1804 Code, stipulates that owners are responsible for damage, or injury, that occurs in their homes as a result of neglect, even when someone enters illegally.

Owners have a responsibility to prove that a pool is well maintained, keeping invoices of photo evidence and the sort.

These kinds of claims are decided on a case-by-case basis, property lawyer Romain Rossi-Landi told Le Figaro.

'To avoid this obligation to compensate the squatter, the owner will have to demonstrate that the accommodation was in good condition before the squat or that it was prevented by the squatter from fulfilling its maintenance obligation,' he said.

Property owners hit by the trend of pool squatting say they have received threats and sometimes violence from brazen young people breaking into their homes.

Patricia, a resident of Toulouse, told La Depeche that she has been suffering from pool squatters for years.

'They cut our liner with a cutter two years ago,' she told the French outlet. 'It cost us 14,000 euros (12,000).'

Another, unnamed, told the outlet, 'a few years ago, one of the co-owners came down to make them leave and he was beaten up.

'It is common for groups of eight to ten people to make threats'.

'They don't care much about video surveillance.'

In 2022, police were reported to be receiving about 10 to 15 calls a day from people reporting strangers invading other people's swimming pools.

A council hotline in Toulouse recorded more than 200 calls from locals about the problem in a space of just three months.

'We get gangs of youths who come and try to gatecrash the pool,' Patrick Lammertyn, a Toulouse resident, told The Times.

'We often have to call the police, but they dont always come.'

File. Owners are still liable for damages if a squatter injures themselves in their private home

Pool squatting has increased in recent years in spite of the self-evident risks.

In a slight twist, last month a homeowner in Repentigny, Canada documented how she returned home to find an entire family using her private swimming pool.

Maryse Chausse was told they had rented the pool out using an app.

She later discovered a former tenant of the house was still renting out the swimming pool online.

'Is this the first time she's done this? I can't say. We're not always at home,' she told Noovo Info.
Business bosses are warning Sir Keir Starmer that Labour's plans to bolster the power of trade unions could harm investment in Britain.

Under a planned overhaul of workers' rights, Labour want to grant unions new rights of access to workplaces to recruit and organise members.

Ministers are also planning to make it easier for unions to force companies to recognise and negotiate with them.

The proposals are part of Labour's 'New Deal for Working People', which it has pledged to legislate for within the party's first 100 days of taking office.

According to The Times, the Prime Minister is being urged to water down the plans due to fears they could damage business confidence.

Business bosses are warning Sir Keir Starmer that Labour's plans to bolster the power of trade unions could harm investment in Britain

A senior executive of a FTSE company revealed there were concerns about Labour's plans. Pictured: The City of London

A senior executive of a FTSE company told the newspaper: 'A lot of us are concerned.

'We've got unions knocking on the door knowing they've got new powers coming down the track.

'Labour plans to fundamentally change industrial relations in this country and it's not clear whether business will be given the chance to engage on the small print.

'We're worried about the consequences of these changes and we know investors are too.'

Matthew Percival, of the Confederation of British Industry, also expressed concerns about Labour's proposals.

'Where employees want a union to represent them then business fully supports that,' he said.

'It is not in the interests of a business or its employees for a union to be negotiating on behalf of a large group of workers when only a small percentage of them actually want to be represented by that union.

'The risk in those circumstances is that employment relations actually deteriorate because firms are required to negotiate not with all their staff but a union representing a minority.'

Jane Gratton, of the British Chambers of Commerce, urged ministers to fully consult with firms before implementing any changes.

'The Government must take its time, engage with employers, and ensure that any changes are proportionate and affordable,' she said.

But Paul Nowak, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said: 'Good employers recognise the benefits that come from working with recognised unions, and most recognition agreements are made voluntarily.

'The Government is right to stop union-busting employers unfairly blocking union organising.

'At the end of the day, it's staff who should be able to decide if they are represented by a union  not their employer or the business lobby.'

A Government spokesman said: 'Far from supporting the economy, the strike legislation we inherited didn't prevent strikes - we lost more days to strikes than France since the Trade Union Act was introduced.

'Instead, by supporting workplace rights fit for a modern economy our plans will support growth and allow us to move on from strikes to deliver the change this country needs.'
The CEO of Rostec said WW3 could break out if Ukraine carries on

Former KGB general Sergei Chemezov says the West needs to stop Ukraine

A top Putin ally has warned the West that it risks triggering a third World War if it allows Ukraine to carry on its assault of Russian territory.

Sergei Chemezov, a close ally of despot Vladimir Putin, says the United States and its Western allies risk triggering a global war if Washington continues to 'provoke' the conflict in Ukraine and allow Kyiv to attack Russian territory.

Chemezov, CEO of the Rostec corporation which supplies many of Russia's arms for the war, said Russia felt confident and had enough weapons more than two years into its brutal invasion of Ukraine.

The Putin sycophant, a former KGB general, reiterated the Kremlin's position that the conflict is a battle between the West and Russia.

'In a situation where the West, led by the United States, provokes war, we must be ready,' Chemezov, who served with Putin in East Germany in the KGB before the Soviet Union collapsed, said, adding: 'The third year of the special operation is under way, and Russia feels confident.'

He said no one would provide a time frame for when the war might end, and accused the US of stoking the conflict by supplying weapons to Kyiv and allowing strikes deep into Russia.

A former KGB general warned the West that it could trigger a third World War (File image of a nuclear explosion)

Sergei Chemezov (pictured), a close ally of despot Vladimir Putin, says the United States and its Western allies risk triggering a global war

The Putin sycophant, a former KGB general, reiterated the Putin's (pictured) position that the conflict is a battle between the West and Russia

Medics, volunteers and military personnel undergo a tactical training, including first aid and the simulation of a wounded comrade evacuation, in the southern Russian Rostov region

'The further it goes, the greater the risk that the world will be drawn into a global conflict. It looks strange, but Western countries do not seem to understand just how fraught this is for them.'

Putin said last week Russian forces would eject Ukrainian troops from Russian sovereign territory but they remain inside Russia.

The Russian leader said in June he could deploy conventional missiles within striking distance of the West if they let Ukraine strike deeper into Russia with long-range Western weapons.

The autocrat claims the Ukrainian invasion is part of an existential battle with a declining and decadent West, which he says humiliated Russia after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 by encroaching on what he considers Moscow's sphere of influence, including Ukraine.

The West, which has supplied Kyiv with large amounts of weapons, has consistently rejected Moscow's interpretation of the war and regards it as unprovoked land grab by Russia.

Health workers, volunteers and military personnel hold a joint training for war-zones in Aksaysky District in Rostov Oblast, Russia

Chemezov said no one would provide a time frame for when the war might end, and accused the US of stoking the conflict by supplying weapons to Kyiv

Moscow says the West was involved in planning for Ukraine's attack on the Kursk region. Western powers, which want to avoid direct military confrontation with Russia, have denied this and say Russia has stoked the war.

Chemezov, 71, was placed under American and EU sanctions after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

He said it was a 'myth' that there were empty shelves in Russian shops because of sanctions and increased defence spending.

'Go to any Russian hypermarket and see for yourself - everything is fine,' he said.

Sanctions have destroyed supply chains, forcing Rostec to shift deadlines for the Yakovlev MC-21 airliner and to replace about 40 imported elements in the Superjet-100, but none of this is fatal for Russia or Rostec, he said.

Rostec's headcount will rise by tens of thousands this year, he said, describing the departure from the Russian market of Western companies such as Boeing and Airbus as an 'opportunity' for Rostec for which wanted to say 'thank you'.

Ukrainian soldiers who arrived from the front disembark from a US-made M113 armoured personnel carrier in an undisclosed area in the eastern Donetsk region, on August 5, 2024

Ukrainian soldiers drive in a vehicle in an undisclosed area of the eastern Donetsk region, on August 5, 2024

'We have passed the main stress. We managed to extract advantages from the situation and draw the necessary conclusions. One of them is: no more joint business based on trust with Western countries,' Chemezov said.

Russia is the world's third largest arms exporter after the US and France, although its share of the global market fell in 2023 because of the war in Ukraine, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Chemezov said defence companies would continue to make a significant contribution to Russia's economy even after the conflict in Ukraine.

Weapons exports have declined, but there are signs of significant delayed demand from abroad, he said, partly due to the fact that Russian weapons had been proven on the battlefield in Ukraine.

'Our partners are sympathetic and ready to wait,' Chemezov said, without naming them. 'There is already a considerable queue on the waiting list.'
The children of late French actor Alain Delon have overruled his wish for his dog to be put down and buried with him, following a massive outcry from animal rights activists.

The legendary actor, who passed away at the age of 88 on Sunday, said he wanted Loubo, his 10-year-old Belgian malinois, to be put down and buried with him in his cemetery at his home in the village of Douchy, in north-central France.

But animal rights groups were up in arms at the idea that a healthy animal would be put down.

France's SPA, an equivalent to the RSPCA, was one of many groups furious with the Plein Soleil's actor's decision.

'The life of an animal should not depend on that of a human. The SPA is happy to take his dog and find it a family.'

Delon said of Loubo (pictured) in 2018: 'I love him like a child.'

Alain Delon (pictured, with another dog in 2014) said he wanted Loubo, his now-10-year-old Belgian malinois to be put down and buried with him

Alain Delon's family (pictured) said they would keep Loubo alive, against their father's wishes

On Tuesday, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation said Delon's daughter Anouchka had confirmed the family would keep the dog alive.

'I've just had Anouchka Delon on the phone and she has told me that Loubo is part of the family and will be kept. The dog will not be put down,' a foundation spokesperson said.

Delon was a lifelong animal lover, having built an animal cemetery at his home, which be bought in the 1970s.

He buried the remains of 35 of his dogs that he had kept at various points in his life.

But he publicly stated that Loubo was always his favourite dog.

'He's my end-of-life dog I love him like a child,' Delon told Paris Match in 2018.

'I've had 50 dogs in my life, but I have a special relationship with this one. He misses me when I'm not there.

Loubo is a Belgian Shepherd, otherwise known as a malinois

He will now be looked after by Delon's children

Delon was a lifelong animal lover, having built an animal cemetery at his home, which be bought in the 1970s

When asked what animal he would like to be reincarnated as, he said in a 1996 television interview: 'A malinois'

'If I die before him, I'll ask the vet to take us away together. He'll put him to sleep in my arms. I'd rather do that than know that he'll let himself die on my grave with so much suffering.'

When asked what animal he would like to be reincarnated as, he said in a 1996 television interview: 'A malinois.'

Last year, Anouchka posted a snap of Loubo to Instagram with the caption: 'Wherever there's an unfortunate person, God sends a dog. Thank you, Loubo, for being there for your master.'

In March this year, she posted another picture of Loubo outside Delon's home.

It was captioned: 'Guardian of the temple  With him theres no betrayal, no calculation, only love.'

Though Delon's children treated his pets with courtesy, they have also been accused of 'inhumanly' treating his live-in lover/carer.

Delon was one of the last living legends of a golden era for French cinema in the 1960s until his death on Sunday

All three of Delon's children were wary of Rollin and last year sought to oust her from the high-walled household in the central French town of Douchy (pictured)

Hiromi Rollin, 66, had been living part-time with the sickly Delon as his assistant and carer for some 17 years but claimed the pair had been in love for three decades

Hiromi Rollin, 66, had been living part-time with the sickly Delon as his assistant and carer for some 17 years but claimed the pair had been in love for three decades.

The Japanese-born cinema worker declared on Monday that Delon's three children - Alain-Fabien, Anouchka and Anthony - refused to let her see him upon his death.

She had previously accused them of taking advantage of their father's declining mental state and said they'd evicted her from his household last July.

'We loved one another for 30 years. I lived with him for 17 and was separated from Alain unfairly, brutally and violently,' she told French outlet Le Figaro, claiming Delon's children said she was nothing more than a housekeeper even though they knew 'we were sharing the same bed'.

'His children did not even allow me to say ''au revoir''. It's inhuman,' she declared.

It comes after a court previously dismissed a lawsuit brought by the Delon children against Rollin for abuse of a vulnerable person and harassment.

Anthony, 59, Anouchka, 33, and Alain-Fabien, 30, squabbled bitterly for years over their father's medical treatment prior to his death.

Anouchka claimed that Anthony, the eldest, was aggressively hassling his father about his mental state following a 2019 stroke.

Alain Delon is pictured with co-star Ursula Andress in the film Soleil Rouge

French actor Alain Delon receives a Lifetime Award during an awards ceremony at the Locarno Film Festival, on Aug. 2, 2012

French actor Alain Delon waves as he arrives with his daughter Anouchka Delon to be awarded with an Honorary Palme d'Or at the 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 19, 2019

Anthony in return said Anouchka had sought to hide damning results of Delon's cognitive tests from the rest of the family.

But all three of the children were wary of Rollin and last year sought to oust her from the high-walled household in the central French town of Douchy, where Delon lived out his final years as a recluse.

When she left Delon's property for a trip last July, they filed a lawsuit against her and with the help of a private security company and police barred her from entering the home upon her return.

Delon himself is said to have supported the suit, according to The Times, but also confirmed the pair had been lovers, contradicting the claims of his children.

Rollin and Delon first met in 1992 on the set of 'The Return of Casanova' in which the actor played the titular character and Rollin worked as an assistant director.

They cultivated a strong professional relationship which later became 'intimate', according to Delon himself.

As he grew old, Rollin became a live-in assistant and carer, but Delon described her as his 'Japanese companion'.

His children refused to acknowledge their relationship and claimed she was taking advantage of their father.
The fiance of an Ecuadorian politician's daughter who was mowed down by a speeding Mercedes driver just weeks before their nuptials has given tribute.

Vanessa Charlotte Sagnay de la Bastida was holding hands with her fiance Michael Williams while crossing the road when a vehicle came at them at speed.

Octavian Cadar collided with the 27-year-old near Wandsworth Bridge,south west London, causing her to 'somersault' over a railing on March 16, 2022.

The couple dashed in different directions in a panic when Cadar drove towards them at more than double the 20mph speed limit.

Ms Sagnay - daughter of Ecuadorian politician Carlos Sagnay de la Bastida - was hit before she reached the pavement, causing her to somersault in the air and land on a railing.

She suffered a catastrophic head injury and died at the scene around 13 minutes later, despite the efforts of an off-duty doctor.

Vanessa Charlotte Sagnay de la Bastida was hit while crossing the road before she reached the pavement, causing her to somersault in the air and land on a railing

Ms Sagnay de la Bastida was holding hands with her fiance Michael Williams while crossing the road when a vehicle came at them at speed

Octavian Cadar collided with the 27-year-old near Wandsworth Bridge, south west London , causing her to 'somersault' over a railing on March 16, 2022

Cadar, 39, has been jailed for 10 years after a jury found him guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

Grieving fiance Mr Williams told the court: 'She never got to hear what I wrote in my wedding vows. Instead I read them at her funeral.'

The court heard Cadar - who is Romanian and had lived in the UK for 20 years - had just left a McDonald's restaurant on the way to see his girlfriend and was driving at 48mph in the 20mph zone.

Her relatives wept at Southwark Crown Court as Mr Williams said in an impact statement: 'She was half of me. I am less of a person without her. Charlotte was an amazing friend.'

'Friendship like that made it easy for me to be myself and my best self, and I know her friends felt the same.'

'She never got to hear what I wrote in my wedding vows. Instead I read them at her funeral.

'I have given up on having pleasant dreams. At least in my nightmares I am with Charlotte.'

The court heard as Cadar roared towards the couple Mr Williams ran to the other side of the road.

The victim is the daughter of Ecuadorian politician Carlos Sagnay de la Bastida

She suffered a catastrophic head injury and died at the scene around 13 minutes later

But Ms Sagnay de la Bastida tried to turn around and return to the pavement when she was hit.

Cadar applied the brakes just a tenth of a second before the collision.

He denied causing death by dangerous driving but was convicted by a jury after just 42 minutes of deliberations.

Ms Sagnay de la Bastida's mother Jeanne told the court: 'My daughter was and will always be my life, my everything, my everyone.

'I have become an empty vessel. I feel I have no skin. Everything hurts me. There is no peace, no relief, in the torture of what happened to her.

'When my daughter was born instead of suffering from postnatal depression I experienced post-natal euphoria. I felt as though I was floating above the ground.

'Her family have been devastated by this. Each one of them has struggled to function in the best way they can. She was deeply loved by everyone who knew her.'

Jeanne told the court that Charlotte was looking forward to her wedding.

Ms Sagnay de la Bastida studied psychology at the University of St Andrews and graduated with a master's degree from King's College London

'She was only weeks away from this blessing when everything was taken from her.

'They had already picked out names for their babies; babies that will never be my grandchildren and that I will never hold in my arms.

'I am in a bottomless pit from which there is no escape. I used to think that it would be hard to die but now I know that it is hard to live.'

Prosecutor Amanda Hamilton had earlier told the court: 'He was heading towards Wandsworth Bridge and was going to go over to the north side of the river because he was heading to Fulham.

'Just before the entrance to the road there is a round sign that says 20mph.

'Walking along that road was Vanessa Charlotte Sagnay de la Bastida.

'She was aged 27 at the time and her and her fiance Michael Williams were heading home from lunch.

'At about 10.06pm as they came up to some traffic lights, Mr Williams pressed the button, then looked to the right and the road was clear.

'He started crossing towards the central reservation. As they were crossing, Mr Cadar drove his Mercedes off the roundabout at speed.

Ms Sagnay de la Bastida tried to turn around and return to the pavement when she was hit

'They heard the car coming and Mr Williams ran on continuing with their journey while Charlotte ran back to the pavement she had just left and the Mercedes vehicle struck her.

'Mr Williams told police he saw Charlotte hit on her left hand side by the bonnet of the car and he watched as she was thrown forwards over a railing and he believed she hit the street sign.

'He heard a scream and then saw her land on the ground.'

An eyewitness said he heard 'revving sounds' he associated with a 'speeding vehicle' and then saw the Mercedes heading north and heard a loud thud.

Ms Hamilton said: 'He saw a person somersaulting twice in the air and then he heard another thud.'

He then saw Mr Williams run over to her and scream 'What have you done?'. Cadar got out of his car and said: 'I didn't see.'

He then approached Mr Williams and shouted: 'Why did you freeze, why didn't you keep walking?'

An off-duty doctor began to give CPR to Ms Sagnay de la Bastida but she was clearly dead.

Paramedics attended and her life was pronounced extinct at 10.19pm due to injuries to the head.

He suggested to police that the couple had been 'messing around' and stopped in the road.

Cadar told the court: 'I saw some pedestrians crossing the road.

'When I first saw them I didn't really think much about it because I thought they were going to cross the road by the time I got over there but as I was approaching them they stopped.

'I steered to the left and tried to avoid them. I tried to be as clear in the movement as possible.'

'After they stopped everything happened in a few seconds, I decided to change lanes to avoid them but as I'm approaching the pedestrian crossing one of the pedestrians ran back in the direction I was moving towards and I struck her with my left hand side of the car.

'She was trying to get out of my way and that's when I pushed her up in air..'

Ms Sagnay de la Bastida studied psychology at the University of St Andrews and graduated with a master's degree from King's College London.

She was employed by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust as a research assistant within their Department of Psychology.

Judge Anuja Dhir told Cadar: 'Had you been observing the speed limit you would have been able to stop before you reached the crossing.'

'When they became aware of your car, Mr Williams hurried across the road, but Ms de la Bastida turned back.

'Your car struck her and threw her body up into the air, over a railing and into a street sign.

'She died at the scene as a result of what has been described as a massive cranial and cerebral destruction.'

'Ms de la Bastida was a 27-year-old woman who had her whole life ahead of her.

'The victim impact statements all speak of her exceptional qualities as a friend, as a daughter, a fiance, a friend and as an accomplished psychologist and researcher, but you put an end to all that.

'Charlotte had so much to look forward to, she was loved and admired by many and I am sure that she will continue to be missed by them.

'The Crown suggest that it is an aggravating factor that you wrongly placed the blame on Ms de la Bastida when you said to Mr Williams after the collision'Why did you freeze?'

However, you said to PC Small, when he arrived, that the collision was 100 per cent your fault.'

The court heard that Cadar has one child.

He was jailed for ten years and disqualified from driving for a total of ten years and eight months including the time he will spend in custody, and he will then have to pass an extended driving test.

Cadar, of Clydesdale Way, Belvedere, southeast London, denied but was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.
A gunman has left three people dead after rampaging through a school in Bosnia with an automatic weapon, according to local reports.

Three employees of a high school in the western town of Sanski Most were killed when a man, who is believed to have been a janitor at the school, opened fire at around 10.15am, police said.

The attacker turned the gun on himself, with cops saying 'he tried to commit suicide and was gravely injured.'

The gunman was rushed for emergency treatment at a hospital in a neighbouring town, where he is said to be in a serious condition.

Local media, citing witnesses, said the suspect had a history of disagreements with the school's management and had been under disciplinary proceedings when he sought out specific people and shot them in the bloody attack.

The shooting took place at a high school in the western Bosnian town of Sanski Most

The victims have been identified by police as the school's principal, a secretary and a teacher.

A number of staff members are gathered at the site in a 'state of shock' after they reportedly witnessed the bloody attack.

Police and emergency services are on the scene and an investigation is underway

Bosnian schools are closed for the summer holiday, which means no classes were being held at the time of the shooting.

Sanski Most is about 180 miles (300km) northwest of Bosnia's capital, Sarajevo.

Mass shootings are comparatively rare in the Western Balkans which is awash with weapons that remained in private hands from wars in the 1990s.

In July, a war veteran in neighbouring Croatia shot five people including his mother in a nursing home and wounded six others.
A popular influencer allegedly bashed and assaulted by her ex says she is 'learning to love myself again'.

It's been two months since Tara Eslami was allegedly dragged by the hair and punched in the face multiple times in a Sydney hotel room by her then-boyfriend- TikTok star Rabih Houchar, 26, who also allegedly threatened to kill her.

On Monday, Houchar, known as @Dior_onma_body to his 16,800 followers, appeared in the NSW Supreme Court on Monday, where he pleaded not guilty to domestic violence related assault occasioning actual bodily harm, destroying or damaging property and stalking or intimidating.

He had been in custody but was freed on bail on Monday on strict conditions of home detention, no internet access and must report to police.

On Tuesday, Ms Eslami, who has over 17,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram thanked wellwishers who have rallied around her in recent weeks.

She uploaded a short clip of her opening a card that read: We believe you, love you and support you.

Tara Eslami accompanied this recent photo taken at exclusive Melbourne restaurant Nobu that she was 'learning to love herself again'

TikTok star Rabih Houchar, 26, (pictured) has been granted bail over accusations he violently assaulted his girlfriend Tara Eslami

The clip also showed off boxes of chocolate dipped strawberries and cupcakes sent to her by supporters.

'I am nothing without my team, you have become my family thank you so much,' Ms Eslami captioned the clip.

In recent weeks, Ms Eslami has shared photos of herself looking and relaxed in trendy Melbourne bar Ototo, South Yarra rooftop venue Beverly, at gourmet eatery Nobu and chilling at a smoothie bar.

'Learning to love myself again with the people that love me the most,' she captioned the photo at Nobu.

In recent weeks, Tara has shared photos of herself looking and relaxed, including this photo at South Yarra rooftop bar Beverly

Ms Eslami posted this photo of herself enjoying a beverage at trendy Melbourne bar Ototo

Court documents state Houchar was in an on and off again relationship with Ms Eslami when they returned from lunch to the Vibe Hotel in Sydney on June 16.

Daily Mail Australia previously revealed that she attended a lavish boat party to celebrate the birthday of a fellow influencer on the night of the alleged assault.

If you or someone who know needs support, contact 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
The captain of Mike Lynch's doomed superyacht is a 'well respected' seafarer who has worked on boats since he was a teenager and was previously employed by a Turkish billionaire.

James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealander, was in charge of the Bayesian when it capsized and sank off the coast of Sicily during a storm, leaving one man - the ship's chef - confirmed dead and six passengers missing.

The luxury 30million sailboat was anchored just a few hundred metres off the coast of Porticello on calm seas when it was suddenly struck by a violent tornado, known as a waterspout, just before 5am on Monday.

Mr Cutfield spoke for the first time about the tragedy from his hospital bed in Palermo, telling an Italian newspaper: 'We didn't see it coming.'

Officials are today investigating whether hatches left open by crew caused the boat to sink in a matter of minutes, as divers continue searching for the missing - who include Mr Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah and a boss at Morgan Stanley.

The captain's brother, Mark Cutfield, said he was a 'very good sailor' and was 'very well respected' in the Mediterranean. He told the NZ Herald that James is currently in hospital but is 'okay' and does not have injuries that are 'too dramatic'.

A former competitive sailor, James married his wife last year in Palma, Mallorca. He has eight years' experience captaining luxury yachts and has worked in the industry for three decades.

It comes as:

James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealander, was in charge of the Bayesian when it sank off the coast of Sicily during a storm

Divers in scuba gear stand on a fire service boat as they prepare to resume the search operation in Sicily this morning

A video still showing the Bayesian yacht days before the disaster on Monday

Italian rescuer return to Porticello Harbour after dive to shipwreck of the Bayesian as the search enters its third day. Pictured: Wednesday, August 21

Mike Lynch (pictured) invited family and friends on his superyacht to celebrate his triumph over fraud charges in the US. Lynch is missing alongside his 18-year-old daughter Hannah

The search for the missing entered its third day this morning, with rescue divers continuing their efforts to reach the cabins in the hopes of finding them.

An engineer has claimed the missing passengers could still be alive in air pockets 164ft below the surface, meaning divers - who can only remain underwater for ten minutes per dive due to the depth of the wreck - are competing in a race against time.

Their operation has been hampered by difficulty getting into the ship with divers forced to smash their way through a 3cm-thick porthole to gain access to one area and other parts of the wrecked vessel blocked by furniture.

One expert at the scene said an early focus of the official investigation into the tragedy, launched by prosecutors in nearby Termini Imerese, would be on whether the yacht's crew had closed access hatches into the vessel before the storm struck.

Investigators would look at whether appropriate measures had been taken, given the forecasts for bad weather overnight, and if any of the crew members are criminally liable.

Sailing expert Sam Jefferson, editor of magazine Sailing Today, also said that he believes open hatches and doors could have contributed to the rapid sinking.

He said: 'I would have said that the boat got hit very hard by the wind, it was pinned over on its side.

'I imagine all the doors were open because it was hot, so there were enough hatches and doors open that it filled with water very quickly and sank like that.'

Andrea Ratti, a nautical design professor at Milan Polytechnic University, said that a boat the size of the Bayesian would only sink so quickly by taking in a huge amount of water.

He suggested that portholes, windows or other openings may have been left open, letting in water.

Weather records show temperatures reached around 33C the day before the sinking, which may have led to the vessel's occupants wanting air to flow through while they slept.

Luca Mercalli, the president of the Italian Meteorological Society, said on Tuesday that the crew should have made sure that all the guests were awake and given them lifejackets in light of the forecasted heavy rains.

Chief prosecutor of Termini Imerese, Ambrogio Cartosio, and his team are expected to interview the 15 survivors soon to determine what led to the tragic sinking of the Bayesian yacht.

Meanwhile a British team will also take part in the probe, with a former marine accident investigator saying they will look at whether the windows or watertight doors were open.

Gavin Pritchard, who was a principal investigator with the UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) before retiring in 2022, told The Telegraph: 'The MAIB will want to look at the vessel using either an ROV [remotely operated vehicle] or divers, or want to have a look and see what the positions of watertight doors, hatches and windows were.

'It'd be important to state that doesn't attribute blame,' he added, saying the job of the MAIB is to establish a cause for the sinking - rather than legal liability - so safety-critical findings can be spread across the maritime industry.

Search workers head out to the scene of the sinking of the Bayesian this morning as the operation to find those still missing enters its third day

Rescue workers look at the plans of the the Bayesian as they organise a search operation for six people who are still missing after the superyacht sank

The Italian search and rescue team off the coast of Sicily on Wednesday

CCTV captured the last moments of the Bayesian superyacht before it sank beneath the waves during a ferocious storm early on Monday morning

He added: 'One of the first questions that accident investigators ask is, has anything like this ever happened before? And I have to say, having observed this tragic event, I honestly can't think of anything similar to this.'

It comes as school friends of missing Hannah are anxiously waiting for updates on her safe return, with her prestigious Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London, saying it is 'in shock' after its former pupil disappeared.

A spokesperson for the 25,000-a-year school said: 'We are all incredibly shocked by the news that Hannah and her father are among those missing in this tragic incident and our thoughts are with their family and everyone involved as we await further updates.'

Hannah had just completed her A-Levels and gained a place to study English at Oxford before the tragedy.

The Italian coastguard has insisted it is continuing its search, even though a positive outcome after nearly two days is 'difficult to imagine'.

Frigate Captain Vincenzo Zagarola told Italian radio station RTL: 'Given the time that has passed and the circumstances of the event, it is naturally difficult to imagine that things can go well but we are not giving up, so we are busy [searching] with naval and air resources.'

Nick Sloane, who worked on the Costa Concordia salvage operation, said divers are entering a 'critical' 24 hours to rescue anyone who might still be alive.

'They've got a very small window of time to try to find people stuck inside with hopefully an air pocket, and they could be rescued,' Mr Sloane told Sky News.

'You've got a maximum of two to three days to try to get someone out, so the next 24 hours are critical.'

But when Mr Zagarola was asked about the likelihood of the missing passengers being alive, he said: 'Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not.'

Divers from Napoli and Messina are assisting with the huge search operation, which is being made more difficult due to cables and furnishings obstructing the way to the cabins, Italian media reported.

Dr Jean-Baptiste Souppez, a senior lecturer of mechanical, biomedical and design engineering at Aston University, said that divers 'may be looking for a banging noise at regular intervals'.

'This is common practice on submarines and was one of the signs the search mission for the Titan submarine was looking for after it went missing last year,' he said and added: 'But whether air pockets formed on the Bayesian is simply impossible to predict.'

After inspecting the command bridge, which is outdoors, the cave divers descended into the main lounge from an internal ladder.

Divers return after another attempt to gain access to the shipwreck which lays 50m underwater. Pictured: August 21

But inside, they were obstructed by floating objects from chairs and cushions to utensils and plates.

Marco Tilotta, inspector of the Palermo Fire Department's diving unit, said: 'We checked the hull from the outside and now we have entered the vessel to inspect all the rooms.

'Access to the hull is difficult, getting inside, going down to the compartment below through the narrow stairs and going into all the cabins to analyse centimetre by centimetre is really hard and difficult work.'

A helicopter was seen flying over Porticello this afternoon, while an underwater vehicle has been helping divers search for missing passengers.

Italian rescue workers are using a remotely operated underwater vehicle in their search.

In a statement, the coastguard said five patrol cars, one helicopter and divers had been working since the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Despite the sliver of hope, Italian Coastguard officials admitted they believe the six people who are still missing have died and their bodies are inside the wreck.

It is believed the ship sank after its mast - one of tallest in the world at an enormous 246ft-high - snapped during the brutal incident and keeled over, taking the hull beyond the 'down-flooding angle', according to nautical experts.

Among the 15 who survived include a one-year-old British baby called Sofia, who was kept afloat by her mother, 36-year-old Charlotte Golunski.

Mrs Golunski, an Oxford graduate and senior associate at Invoke, also survived after fighting to prevent her child from drowning.

Italian divers off the coast of Porticello, Sicily, as the rescue mission reaches day three

Lynch's attorney Christopher Morvillo (pictured) and his wife Neda are also missing

Neda and her husband Christopher are both missing in the wake of Monday's superyacht sinking

Chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer (pictured), and his wife are also missing

Judy Bloomer, who is missing, is a supporter and former board member of the Eve Appeal, a charity that raises awareness and funds research into gynaecological cancer

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch is still missing. His wife Angela Bacares (right) was among the 15 people who were rescued from the yacht

Luxury sailboat Bayesian was docked off the coast of Porticello when a waterspout struck the area just before 5am on Monday

A life raft is seen docked at the harbour near the port where the emergency and rescue workers are launching their search operation

The mother told Italian newspaper Repubblica: 'I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning.

'It was all dark. In the water I couldn't keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.'

The head of Palermo Emergency Medical Services, Dr Fabio Genco, told the BBC that there had been 'apocalyptic' scenes in the aftermath of the sinking.

He said: 'The word that the mother and all the injured kept repeating was the 'darkness' during the shipwreck.

'They spoke of about five minutes, from three to five minutes, from the moment the boat was lifted, raised by the waves of the sea until it sank.

'There were truly apocalyptic scenes where everyone was searching and hoping to find the people who at that moment were not present, just missing.'

He added: 'Unfortunately in the face of death and the face of life there is no difference between rich and poor, between nobles and commoners.'

Mrs Golunski's British husband James Emsilie, 36, also survived the tragedy.

Another survivor is Lynch's wife Angela Bacares, who is now reportedly recovering from her injuries in a wheelchair.

She revealed that the first sign of the freak waterspout that sunk the luxury sailboat Bayesian was a 'slight tilt' that woke her up.

Lynch's wife told La Repubblica that she and her husband woke up at 4am when the boat suddenly 'tilted'.

Mrs Bacares said that they were not worried at the time, but that she still got up to see what was happening, until glass shattered and created confusion on board.

She sustained abrasions on her feet - likely after walking on glass shards during the sinking - which have left her unable to walk and sitting in a wheelchair, La Repubblica reports, while she also has bandages on others part of her body.

Another survivor is Clifford Chance lawyer Ayla Ronald, 36, who was part of the successful legal team invited to go sailing with Lyncchah, according to her father Lin.

Charlotte Golunski, 36, (pictured) her husband and her one-year-old baby also survived

Mr Ronald told the Telegraph: 'I have texted with my daughter. She has only said to me that there are deaths, and she and her partner are alive' (pictured: Ayla Ronald)

On-board hostess Leah Randall, 20, from South Africa, also survived the tragedy.

Heidi Randall, Leah's mother, told Sky News: 'I'm beyond relieved that my daughter's life was spared by the grace of God.

'It doesn't make it any easier living with heartache of those who have lost their lives or missing.'

Leah was photographed leaving the coast guard headquarters yesterday alongside a fellow crew member.

Leah and 22-year-old on-board hostess Katja Chicken, from Germany, said as they were questioned by investigators: 'We are alive by a miracle,' according to Italian news agency ANSA, who reported that one of the girls sobbed as she said: 'It was terrible.'

Other survivors included Irish woman Sasha Murray, 29, Matthew Fletcher, 41, from London, James Catfield 51, from New Zealand, Myin Htun Kyaw, 39, from Myanmar, crew member Leo Eppel and Frenchman Matthew Griffith.

On Tuesday evening two crew members, Tus Koopmans and Eaton Parker, were also named as survivors. No age or nationalities were provided.

Speaking from a hospital room in the town of Termini Imerese close to Palermo, Mr Catfied, in a state of grief and shock, could only utter one sentence.

'We didn't see it coming,' he told La Repubblica.

On-board hostess Leah Randall, 20, from South Africa, was also on board and survived

Survivors Leo Eppel (in the black t-shirt) and Katja Chicken (in the green top) as they leave the Coast Guard Headquarters on August 19

Rescuers claimed that survivors spoke of the ship going down in 'two minutes' and that it appears that the yacht 'wasn't anchored in a safe place' at the time of sinking.

They were rescued by crews from nearby boats including that of Karsten Borner, the captain of a sailing ship anchored near the Bayesian, who said his team struggled to keep their boat afloat when the tornado hit.

Fabio Cefalu, a fisherman in Porticello who witnessed the tragedy unfold, said he saw a waterspout  a sort of mini-tornado  that lasted about 12 minutes shortly before 4am.

At around 4.10am he said he saw a red flare go off from Bayesian but by the time he was able to reach the area about 20 minutes later the yacht had all but disappeared. 'We found only the cushions, and a few planks floating in the water,' he said.

Graphic shows how ferocious waterspout capsized doomed Mike Lynch's Bayesian superyacht before vessel sank beneath the waves in a matter of minutes

by David Averre

Experts reviewing the tragic sinking of the Bayesian off the coast of Sicily earlier this week have delivered theories on how the superyacht was forced beneath the waves.

The luxury sailboat was anchored just a few hundred metres off the coast of Porticello on calm seas when it was suddenly struck by a violent waterspout just before 5am on Monday which the captain said no one had seen coming.

Tornado-speed winds battered the vessel so ferociously that there was no time for those on board to raise the alarm or call for help before they were left swimming for their lives.

Those who made it off were stranded in the pitch-black water as the storm raged around them, while six people are believed to have been trapped inside the below-deck cabins when the boat sank beneath the murky surface.

It is believed the ship sank after its mast - one of tallest in the world at an enormous 246ft-high - snapped during the brutal incident and keeled over, taking the hull beyond the 'down-flooding angle', according to nautical experts.

Former shipyard manager and maritime technical inspector Gino Ciriaci told Italian daily Corriere Della Sera said once the mast had fallen, the vessel was far more prone to pitching and rolling as it was battered by waves without the sails to steady it.

In the case of the Bayesian, he said the waterspout was so violent that the boat, dragged down by its broken mast, tilted until the edge of the deck slipped under the surface.

The entire ordeal likely lasted only a few minutes, with the ship sinking rapidly as it took on seawater.

Your browser does not support iframes.

A handout photo made available on August 19 by Perini Navi Press Office shows the 'Bayesian' sailing boat, in Palermo, Sicily, Italy

Your browser does not support iframes.

Both the hull and the superstructure, the part above the main deck, were made from aluminium

The British-flagged Bayesian arrived in Porticello on Sunday night after stopping in Milazzo around 100 miles up the coast towards the Italian mainland

A handout photo made available on 19 August 2024 by Perini Navi Press Office shows the 'Bayesian' sailing boat, in Palermo, Sicily, Italy

Inspector Marco Tilotta, leading the Palermo Fire Brigade's diving unit, likened the grim search operation to the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster in 2012 which claimed the lives of 33 people.

Eerily, the specialist cave divers called in for the search and rescue operation found 'virtually everything intact' on board, with little sign of damage, and 'no rips in the side, no signs of impact,' he told MailOnline.

The boat is resting on the seabed on its starboard (right hand) side, 164ft below the waves, and the first efforts of the dive teams were unsuccessful in moving furniture impeding their access to the cabins below, said Insp. Tilotta.

The rescuers still hope that survivors might be found, against all odds, in trapped air pockets, but Insp Tilotta admitted 'it is a race against time and the quality of the oxygen will be bad'.

His choice of words however told the unpleasant truth: 'We will do everything to recover the bodies. The weather conditions are worsening but we hope to continue operations without problems'.

Salvo Cocina, of Sicily's civil protection agency, said of the Bayesian's crew: 'They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.'

In the next few hours and days, the accident investigators will have to work out exactly how it was possible for the vessel to capsize and sink so quickly while others were hardly affected.
All but one of the crew onboard Mike Lynch's doomed superyacht survived because they were awake and on deck while their passengers remained asleep in the cabins below, a maritime expert suggested today.

Six people including 'Britain's Bill Gates' and his 18-year-old daughter, as well as a Morgan Stanley boss, are still missing after the 30million Bayesian sank amid a freak thunderstorm.

The ship's chef, Recaldo Thomas, was the first named victim of the disaster early on Monday morning, but his nine other crew members survived and all the people missing are passengers.

Stephen Askins is a partner at Tatham & Co, a London law firm with a specialism in maritime law. He has spent over thirty years working in the maritime sector, including dealing with the aftermath of accidents.

He told MailOnline that forecast bad weather likely meant the crew were already up and working when the Bayesian sunk, allowing them to quickly escape in a liferaft.

Meanwhile, it would have been harder for passengers below deck to flee in the 60 seconds it reportedly took the boat to sink.

Luca Mercalli, the president of the Italian Meteorological Society, said on Tuesday that the crew should have made sure that all the guests were awake and given them lifejackets in light of the forecasted heavy rains.

It comes as:

Luxury sailboat Bayesian was docked off the coast of Porticello when a waterspout struck the area just before 5am on Monday

A liferaft that some of the passengers and crew used to escape the stricken ship

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James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealander, was in charge of the Bayesian when it sank off the coast of Sicily during a storm

Mike Lynch is still missing. His wife Angela Bacares (right) was among the 15 people who were rescued from the yacht

Rescue personnel and divers continue to search the area this afternoon

Stephen Askins told MailOnline: 'All the crew apart from the chef have survived, which tells me that they were all up. The people who survive these things are awake and on deck, meaning they are able to launch a liferaft.

'I'm sure they would have looked at the weather reports, and you can imagine a conversation between the captain and owner about how the weather was going to worsen, which is why the crew were awake.

'The crew were all up and when it all kicked off they were able to grab one of the liferafts, but other people were trapped below. Things happened so quickly that it would have been difficult for them to reach the passengers.'

An investigation has now been launched by Italian prosecutors in nearby Termini Imerese. Britain's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) will also investigate the incident, although their report will not seek to attribute blame.

Mr Askins said Italian officials will ask detailed questions about events in the hours before the tragedy.

'They will want to find out if the captain was at fault over anything,' he said. 'It will be a really nasty process for the crew as they'll be asked the same questions over and over again.

'If I was looking at this I'd be very interested in the weather report, what the captain was briefing the crew and what the captain was briefing the owner.

'It's a case of looking at what happened and then asking yourself whether in all the circumstances what he did was reasonable.'

James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealander, was in charge of the Bayesian when it was suddenly struck by a violent tornado, known as a waterspout, just before 5am on Monday.

Mr Cutfield spoke for the first time about the tragedy from his hospital bed in Palermo, telling an Italian newspaper: 'We didn't see it coming.'

Officials are today investigating whether hatches left open by crew caused the boat to sink in a matter of minutes, as divers continue searching for the missing - who include Mr Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah and a boss at Morgan Stanley.

The captain's brother, Mark Cutfield, said he was a 'very good sailor' and was 'very well respected' in the Mediterranean. He told the NZ Herald that James is currently in hospital but is 'okay' and does not have injuries that are 'too dramatic'.

A former competitive sailor, James married his wife last year in Palma, Mallorca. He has eight years' experience captaining luxury yachts and has worked in the industry for three decades.

The search for the missing entered its third day this morning, with rescue divers continuing their efforts to reach the cabins in the hopes of finding them.

An engineer has claimed the missing passengers could still be alive in air pockets 164ft below the surface, meaning divers - who can only remain underwater for ten minutes per dive due to the depth of the wreck - are competing in a race against time.

Their operation has been hampered by difficulty getting into the ship with divers forced to smash their way through a 3cm-thick porthole to gain access to one area and other parts of the wrecked vessel blocked by furniture.

One expert at the scene said an early focus of the official investigation into the tragedy, launched by prosecutors in nearby Termini Imerese, would be on whether the yacht's crew had closed access hatches into the vessel before the storm struck.

Investigators would look at whether appropriate measures had been taken, given the forecasts for bad weather overnight, and if any of the crew members are criminally liable.

Sailing expert Sam Jefferson, editor of magazine Sailing Today, also said that he believes open hatches and doors could have contributed to the rapid sinking.

He said: 'I would have said that the boat got hit very hard by the wind, it was pinned over on its side.

'I imagine all the doors were open because it was hot, so there were enough hatches and doors open that it filled with water very quickly and sank like that.'

Lynch's attorney Christopher Morvillo (pictured) and his wife Neda are also missing

Also missing is the chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer (pictured), and his wife Judy

Judy Bloomer, who is missing, is a supporter and former board member of the Eve Appeal, a charity that raises awareness and funds research into gynaecological cancer

Andrea Ratti, a nautical design professor at Milan Polytechnic University, said that a boat the size of the Bayesian would only sink so quickly by taking in a huge amount of water.

He suggested that portholes, windows or other openings may have been left open, letting in water.

Weather records show temperatures reached around 33C the day before the sinking, which may have led to the vessel's occupants wanting air to flow through while they slept.

Chief prosecutor of Termini Imerese, Ambrogio Cartosio, and his team are expected to interview the 15 survivors soon to determine what led to the tragic sinking of the Bayesian yacht.

Meanwhile a British team will also take part in the probe, with a former marine accident investigator saying they will look at whether the windows or watertight doors were open.

Gavin Pritchard, who was a principal investigator with the UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) before retiring in 2022, told The Telegraph: 'The MAIB will want to look at the vessel using either an ROV [remotely operated vehicle] or divers, or want to have a look and see what the positions of watertight doors, hatches and windows were.

'It'd be important to state that doesn't attribute blame,' he added, saying the job of the MAIB is to establish a cause for the sinking - rather than legal liability - so safety-critical findings can be spread across the maritime industry.'

He added: 'One of the first questions that accident investigators ask is, has anything like this ever happened before? And I have to say, having observed this tragic event, I honestly can't think of anything similar to this.'

It comes as school friends of missing Hannah are anxiously waiting for updates on her safe return, with her prestigious Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London, saying it is 'in shock' after its former pupil disappeared.

A spokesperson for the 25,000-a-year school said: 'We are all incredibly shocked by the news that Hannah and her father are among those missing in this tragic incident and our thoughts are with their family and everyone involved as we await further updates.'

Hannah had just completed her A-Levels and gained a place to study English at Oxford before the tragedy.

The Italian coastguard has insisted it is continuing its search, even though a positive outcome after nearly two days is 'difficult to imagine'.

Frigate Captain Vincenzo Zagarola told Italian radio station RTL: 'Given the time that has passed and the circumstances of the event, it is naturally difficult to imagine that things can go well but we are not giving up, so we are busy [searching] with naval and air resources.'

Nick Sloane, who worked on the Costa Concordia salvage operation, said divers are entering a 'critical' 24 hours to rescue anyone who might still be alive.

'They've got a very small window of time to try to find people stuck inside with hopefully an air pocket, and they could be rescued,' Mr Sloane told Sky News.

'You've got a maximum of two to three days to try to get someone out, so the next 24 hours are critical.'

Divers return after another attempt to gain access to the shipwreck which lays 50m underwater. Pictured: August 21

When Mr Zagarola was asked about the likelihood of the missing passengers being alive, he said: 'Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not.'

Divers from Napoli and Messina are assisting with the huge search operation, which is being made more difficult due to cables and furnishings obstructing the way to the cabins, Italian media reported.

Dr Jean-Baptiste Souppez, a senior lecturer of mechanical, biomedical and design engineering at Aston University, said that divers 'may be looking for a banging noise at regular intervals'.

'This is common practice on submarines and was one of the signs the search mission for the Titan submarine was looking for after it went missing last year,' he said and added: 'But whether air pockets formed on the Bayesian is simply impossible to predict.'

After inspecting the command bridge, which is outdoors, the cave divers descended into the main lounge from an internal ladder.

But inside, they were obstructed by floating objects from chairs and cushions to utensils and plates.

Marco Tilotta, inspector of the Palermo Fire Department's diving unit, said: 'We checked the hull from the outside and now we have entered the vessel to inspect all the rooms.

'Access to the hull is difficult, getting inside, going down to the compartment below through the narrow stairs and going into all the cabins to analyse centimetre by centimetre is really hard and difficult work.'

A helicopter was seen flying over Porticello this afternoon, while an underwater vehicle has been helping divers search for missing passengers.

Italian rescue workers are using a remotely operated underwater vehicle in their search.

In a statement, the coastguard said five patrol cars, one helicopter and divers had been working since the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Despite the sliver of hope, Italian Coastguard officials admitted they believe the six people who are still missing have died and their bodies are inside the wreck.

It is believed the ship sank after its mast - one of tallest in the world at an enormous 246ft-high - snapped during the brutal incident and keeled over, taking the hull beyond the 'down-flooding angle', according to nautical experts.

Among the 15 who survived include a one-year-old British baby called Sofia, who was kept afloat by her mother, 36-year-old Charlotte Golunski.

Mrs Golunski, an Oxford graduate and senior associate at Invoke, also survived after fighting to prevent her child from drowning.

Italian divers off the coast of Porticello, Sicily, as the rescue mission reaches day three

The mother told Italian newspaper Repubblica: 'I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning.

'It was all dark. In the water I couldn't keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.'

The head of Palermo Emergency Medical Services, Dr Fabio Genco, told the BBC that there had been 'apocalyptic' scenes in the aftermath of the sinking.

He said: 'The word that the mother and all the injured kept repeating was the 'darkness' during the shipwreck.

'They spoke of about five minutes, from three to five minutes, from the moment the boat was lifted, raised by the waves of the sea until it sank.

'There were truly apocalyptic scenes where everyone was searching and hoping to find the people who at that moment were not present, just missing.'

He added: 'Unfortunately in the face of death and the face of life there is no difference between rich and poor, between nobles and commoners.'

Mrs Golunski's British husband James Emsilie, 36, also survived the tragedy.

Another survivor is Lynch's wife Angela Bacares, who is now reportedly recovering from her injuries in a wheelchair.

She revealed that the first sign of the freak waterspout that sunk the luxury sailboat Bayesian was a 'slight tilt' that woke her up.

Charlotte Golunski, 36, (pictured) her husband and her one-year-old baby also survived

Mr Ronald told the Telegraph: 'I have texted with my daughter. She has only said to me that there are deaths, and she and her partner are alive' (pictured: Ayla Ronald)

Lynch's wife told La Repubblica that she and her husband woke up at 4am when the boat suddenly 'tilted'.

Mrs Bacares said that they were not worried at the time, but that she still got up to see what was happening, until glass shattered and created confusion on board.

She sustained abrasions on her feet - likely after walking on glass shards during the sinking - which have left her unable to walk and sitting in a wheelchair, La Repubblica reports, while she also has bandages on others part of her body.

Another survivor is Clifford Chance lawyer Ayla Ronald, 36, who was part of the successful legal team invited to go sailing with Lyncchah, according to her father Lin.

On-board hostess Leah Randall, 20, from South Africa, also survived the tragedy.

Heidi Randall, Leah's mother, told Sky News: 'I'm beyond relieved that my daughter's life was spared by the grace of God.

'It doesn't make it any easier living with heartache of those who have lost their lives or missing.'

Leah was photographed leaving the coast guard headquarters yesterday alongside a fellow crew member.

Leah and 22-year-old on-board hostess Katja Chicken, from Germany, said as they were questioned by investigators: 'We are alive by a miracle,' according to Italian news agency ANSA, who reported that one of the girls sobbed as she said: 'It was terrible.'

On-board hostess Leah Randall, 20, from South Africa, was also on board and survived

Survivors Leo Eppel (in the black t-shirt) and Katja Chicken (in the green top) as they leave the Coast Guard Headquarters on August 19

Rescuers claimed that survivors spoke of the ship going down in 'two minutes' and that it appears that the yacht 'wasn't anchored in a safe place' at the time of sinking.

They were rescued by crews from nearby boats including that of Karsten Borner, the captain of a sailing ship anchored near the Bayesian, who said his team struggled to keep their boat afloat when the tornado hit.

Fabio Cefalu, a fisherman in Porticello who witnessed the tragedy unfold, said he saw a waterspout  a sort of mini-tornado  that lasted about 12 minutes shortly before 4am.

At around 4.10am he said he saw a red flare go off from Bayesian but by the time he was able to reach the area about 20 minutes later the yacht had all but disappeared. 'We found only the cushions, and a few planks floating in the water,' he said.

Graphic shows how ferocious waterspout capsized doomed Mike Lynch's Bayesian superyacht before vessel sank beneath the waves in a matter of minutes

by David Averre

Experts reviewing the tragic sinking of the Bayesian off the coast of Sicily earlier this week have delivered theories on how the superyacht was forced beneath the waves.

The luxury sailboat was anchored just a few hundred metres off the coast of Porticello on calm seas when it was suddenly struck by a violent waterspout just before 5am on Monday which the captain said no one had seen coming.

Tornado-speed winds battered the vessel so ferociously that there was no time for those on board to raise the alarm or call for help before they were left swimming for their lives.

Those who made it off were stranded in the pitch-black water as the storm raged around them, while six people are believed to have been trapped inside the below-deck cabins when the boat sank beneath the murky surface.

It is believed the ship sank after its mast - one of tallest in the world at an enormous 246ft-high - snapped during the brutal incident and keeled over, taking the hull beyond the 'down-flooding angle', according to nautical experts.

Former shipyard manager and maritime technical inspector Gino Ciriaci told Italian daily Corriere Della Sera said once the mast had fallen, the vessel was far more prone to pitching and rolling as it was battered by waves without the sails to steady it.

In the case of the Bayesian, he said the waterspout was so violent that the boat, dragged down by its broken mast, tilted until the edge of the deck slipped under the surface.

The entire ordeal likely lasted only a few minutes, with the ship sinking rapidly as it took on seawater.

Your browser does not support iframes.

Your browser does not support iframes.

Both the hull and the superstructure, the part above the main deck, were made from aluminium

The British-flagged Bayesian arrived in Porticello on Sunday night after stopping in Milazzo around 100 miles up the coast towards the Italian mainland

A handout photo made available on 19 August 2024 by Perini Navi Press Office shows the 'Bayesian' sailing boat, in Palermo, Sicily, Italy

Inspector Marco Tilotta, leading the Palermo Fire Brigade's diving unit, likened the grim search operation to the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster in 2012 which claimed the lives of 33 people.

Eerily, the specialist cave divers called in for the search and rescue operation found 'virtually everything intact' on board, with little sign of damage, and 'no rips in the side, no signs of impact,' he told MailOnline.

The boat is resting on the seabed on its starboard (right hand) side, 158ft below the waves, and the first efforts of the dive teams were unsuccessful in moving furniture impeding their access to the cabins below, said Insp. Tilotta.

The rescuers still hope that survivors might be found, against all odds, in trapped air pockets, but Insp Tilotta admitted 'it is a race against time and the quality of the oxygen will be bad'.

His choice of words however told the unpleasant truth: 'We will do everything to recover the bodies. The weather conditions are worsening but we hope to continue operations without problems'.

Salvo Cocina, of Sicily's civil protection agency, said of the Bayesian's crew: 'They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.'

In the next few hours and days, the accident investigators will have to work out exactly how it was possible for the vessel to capsize and sink so quickly while others were hardly affected.
A Pakistani web developer accused of spreading disinformation about the Southport knifeman which triggered the UK riots has been charged with cyber terrorism.

Farhan Asif reportedly worked for news aggregation website Channel3Now - which a Daily Mail investigation revealed started out as an obscure Russian YouTube channel ten years ago and spread the misinformation to millions online.

It was falsely claimed that the knifeman - whose identity could not be published at the time due to his age - was a migrant who arrived in the UK via boat and was on an MI6 watchlist.

Police in Pakistan have charged Asif with cyber terrorism, in relation to the disinformation thought to have fuelled the widespread rioting.

He has been charged under Section 9 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, which outlaws creating a sense of fear or insecurity in society.

Federal investigators in Pakistan were given a day to question Asif by a court on Wednesday, and he is due to appear in court on Thursday when investigators are expected to seek more time to interrogate him.

Farhan Asif (pictured above) allegedly worked for news aggregation website Channel3Now, which published false articles about the identity of the Southport stabber

Bebe King, six, was killed in the horror attack in Southport last month

Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven (pictured) was another victim of the knife attack on the Taylor Swift-themed dance class

Alice Aguiar, nine, died in the early hours of the morning of July 30 after being rushed to hospital following the attack

A burnt out police van near a mosque in Southport as shocking riots broke out

King Charles is pictured in the background of a floral display for the Southport victims, which also includes a number of balloons and cuddly toys

The huge display has been left in the wake of the tragic killings of three girls who were stabbed during a Taylor Swift-themed summer party in the town last month

An unnamed police officer told the Pakistani newspaper Dawn: The allegations should not be taken lightly as they can have a far-reaching impact on the Pakistani community in the UK in particular and Muslims in general.

Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, were tragically killed in the July 29 attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, which sparked the riots after online misinformation wrongly said it had been committed by a Muslim migrant.

Channel3Now reported that the suspect was a '17-year-old asylum-seeker' called Ali al-Shakati, who allegedly arrived in the UK by boat in 2023 and it claimed he was on an MI6 watch list.

But the actual suspect was Axel Rudakubana, now 18, from Banks, Lancashire, who will stand trial next year after being charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article in a public place.

Channel3Now was one of the first accounts on X to share incorrect details about the Southport suspect. The first mention of the name came from the account of Bernie Spofforth, an anti-lockdown activist and Cheshire businesswoman.

More than 50 police officers were injured as up to 1,000 people gathered outside a Southport mosque after the fake news over the identity of the suspect in the killings was shared online.

Asif was uncovered as a significant figure in the Channel3News website in an ITV News investigation, which found that he ran the website - which has since been shut down - from his luxurious housing estate in Lahore.

'I don't know how such a small article or a minor Twitter account could cause widespread confusion,' he told ITV News after being confronted about the fake news the website spread.

'Channel3Now mentioned that [the suspect was] a Muslim and an immigrant, but this has no connection to the chaos, which is being caused by people in his own country.

'If there was misinformation, it could have been addressed calmly. Why was there such an uproar?'

A senior official in the local Pakistani police force told The Telegraph Asif had been detained over allegedly spreading fake news that resulted in violent riots.

He has since been handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency.

Asif denied writing the article about the Southport knifeman and told ITV News that he understands that the article was deleted a day after it was posted and that an apology was issued.

He claims that four people from the information search team were fired over the fake news article.

A police van set alight on July 31 as trouble flares during a protest in Southport, after three children died and eight were injured in a 'ferocious' knife attack during a Taylor Swift event

Dawn said their own investigation into the fake news showed that Asif was not the source of the information and had simply copy and pasted it from a social media post.

Ten others seriously injured during the attack on the dance class at the Hart Space Community Centre in Southport a the end of July.

A 17-year-old male, who the police said was born in Britain, was charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and one of possession of a bladed article.

The UK's worst unrest in more than a decade led to some 1,100 arrests.

The government pledged that rioters who hurled bricks at police, looted shops and attacked mosques and hotels used to house asylum-seekers would feel 'the full force of the law.'
Most mornings, around nine, James Harvey  with his ever-present poodle in tow  has breakfast at his favourite cafe in Walthamstow Village in north-east London.

A more unlikely looking rabble-rouser, youd be hard-pressed to find.

Hes always arguing, usually about politics, said Sam Davis, the likeable and no-nonsense owner of the establishment in this bijou corner of E17.

In the past the bone of contention was Brexit, among other things.

Mr Harvey, in his fifties, a passionate Remainer, would sometimes clash with fellow customers over his bacon sandwich or sausage roll.

It was one of the reasons Ms Davis put up a sign outside which read: No Brexit talk  or anything to do with politics.

The site of the new bakery set to open on Orford Road in Walthamstow, north-east London

Gail's bakery is famed for its cinnamon buns, almond croissants and sourdough loaves

But James Harvey  Walthamstows answer, in some ways, to Citizen Smith, the would-be revolutionary in the classic 1970s sitcom of the same name  has now found a new cause which has already attracted hundreds of supporters.

What do you think it could be? Is it:

(a) launching a campaign to stop Nigel Farage setting up a branch of his Reform party here in Labour territory;

(b) establishing a charity to help asylum seekers;

(c) fighting tooth and nail to prevent the opening of a Gails branch in the heart of the neighbourhood?

The answer, as counter intuitive as it may seem, is the last one.

Surely few at Gails, which serves iced lattes with cute red-and-white paper straws, could have imagined the decision to move to E17 would have triggered such a furious backlash.

The arrival of the artisan bakery, famed for its cinnamon buns, almond croissants and sourdough loaves, would normally be welcomed with open arms by the local community because it is perceived as a marker of an areas upmarket credentials and often the precursor, say estate agents, to a rise in house prices.

Whats not to like then, especially if you own a property in the area, except maybe paying 3.80 for one of those almond croissants.

Plenty, it seems, according to Mr Harvey.

He ensured Walthamstow Village  an enclave of artisan restaurants, independent shops, pubs and expensive period town houses  made headlines last week by starting a petition entitled: Prevent Gails from establishing a store on our High Street.

Underneath, two baguettes formed an X across the Gails logo.

The bakery chain, with 130 shops across the UK, Mr Harvey claimed, is an existential threat to the uniqueness of the vibrant local neighbourhood.

The company, with massive scale and advertising reach, could overshadow much-loved local stores, lead to decreased visibility and pedestrian traffic which, in turn, could threaten their very existence and dismantle  yes, theres more  an iconic space reflective of Walthamstows spirit.

Quite a shopping list for a company which simply bakes fresh handmade bread, pastries and cakes every day, not to mention bite-sized pistachio, lemon and rose cakes beloved of middle-class women.

The petition entitled Prevent Gails from establishing a store on our High Street'

Local independent Bern's and the Beans only opened on June 6 and owner Cathy Scanlon has said the arrival of Gail's may see her cafe lose business

The new Gail's bakery will occupy a shopfront next to the local Labour Party office

Gails even inspired the Liberal Democrats general election campaign.

The party faithful were told to get out the Gails vote  a strategy which gained the nickname Operation Cinnamon Bun  by targeting leafy commuter belt seats which had a branch of the bakery chain and where people were also turning to the Lib Dems.

In urban Walthamstow, however, more than nearly 800 residents  and counting  have already joined James Harvey and signed his petition. The anger is almost visceral.

I am from Walthamstow and have lived here most of my life, wrote one woman who epitomised the quiet fury of many.

This would be the final straw in the gentrification of the area and its knock-on effects would be catastrophic for businesses and for local people. We need to fight this!

You could be forgiven for thinking Orford Road, the famed main artery through Walthamstow Village with around 20 stores, cafes, restaurants and gastropubs, with names like Berns & the Beans, Eat17 (house speciality: chicken burgers doused in award-winning bacon jam) and The Village Bakery, where Mr Harvey has his breakfast, is about to be razed to the ground.

The reaction, many might think, is also compounded by a hint of hypocrisy.

The proposed site for the new Gails, which occupies two shopfronts  No 25/27 at the end of the street  is next door to a Nisa Local.

There are 4,000 Nisa convenience stores nationwide. True, they are independently run but, at the same time, they are all supplied by grocery wholesaler Nisa, a subsidiary of the Co-op.

Further up Orford Road is the so-called poshest Spar store in London, with its own high-end pizzeria inside, which is run in partnership with the same people who run adjoining Eat17.

Nevertheless, it is one of 2,600 Spar outlets in the UK operating under the same global brand name. There are also two other Eat17 branches, incidentally, in Hackney and Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire.

Ben Hills, pictured with friend David Emery, right, has lived in Walthamstow Village since 2013 and dismissed fears that the new branch would lead to 'over-gentrification'

But not once has a baguette, or even an artisan breadstick, been drawn in anger against these stores.

And underneath all this is a worrying subplot which has become an all-too familiar story in Britain in 2024.

Love local independent bakeries and hate Zionist moguls, one woman gave as a reason for adding her name to the stop Gails petition.

Another signatory made defamatory and utterly unfounded allegations about the same Zionist moguls adding: We do not want them in our borough.

We emailed both women via a message facility on the petition but neither responded.

Their comments were presumably aimed at Luke Johnson, the former chairman of Bread Holdings, Gails parent company, who has previously described Israel as an astonishing country, buzzing with energy and confidence, a magnet for talent and investment  a cauldron of innovation.

His investment company sold Bread Holdings in 2021 but Johnson retained a minority stake in the bakery chain, which was founded by Israeli baker Gail Mejia and businessman Ran Avidan when they opened the first Gails in Hampstead High Street in 2005.

Johnson, one of the countrys most successful businessmen who turned Pizza Express into a household brand, also holds pro-Brexit views and has spoken out against woke universities and climate alarmists, opinions at odds with many in Walthamstow.

Politics, admit some residents, has played a part in the decision to oppose Gails.

In the 2016 referendum, nearly 60 per cent of the population of the borough voted to remain in the EU.

Walthamstow, described as a hipster haven at the end of the Victoria Line and regularly featuring in lists of Londons coolest neighbourhoods, is a Labour stronghold.

Only last month, the local council agreed to withdraw pension investments in firms linked to Israeli arms supply following pressure from local campaign group Waltham Forest for a Free Palestine (WF4P).

Lucy Barnes referenced the decision in her comments on the petition. Weve only just managed to get the council to divest in the arms trade which are in turn arming Israel, she fulminated. And now were inviting in Gails.

Before the petition Cathy Scanlon, the 60-year-old manager of Berns & the Beans, a cafe which opened on June 6, was oblivious to the fact a new competitor was about take over the empty premises which was previously Italian restaurant Nuovo Mondragone.

I think I was first to sign the petition, said Ms Scanlon. Gails do similar food to us for a similar price so we would probably lose business, she said, but insisted: Their smoked salmon bagels wont be as nice as ours.

Over at the Village Kitchen, manager Billy Smith is a kindred spirit. Yes, Ive signed the petition, he declared. We just dont need Gails here. We are all small independents. Its very friendly. Were all in a WhatsApp group, so we talk things over with each other.

If they [Gails] go ahead, then what next? A McDonalds or a chicken shop? Theres a good chance people just wont go there.

Mr Smith says Gails Israeli links and the pro-Brexit stance of Luke Johnson has not helped because, he says, it is out of step with an area which prides itself on its Left-wing stripes. The new Gails would be sited next door to the Walthamstow Labour Party office.

But really, its more about the fact that it is a chain and about the businesses who are going to suffer when Gails opens, he insisted.

From the furore youd think Walthamstow is united in its anti-Gails stance, but thats not the case.

The new Gails, they said, would provide a boost for an area of the street which has been struggling.

The rumour mill began a few weeks ago and I saw one of the contractors outside who confirmed there would be a Gails there, said David Emery, a photographer who lives on Orford Road and uses the cafes and pubs on his doorstep.

The space has been empty for around two-and-a-half years, so Gails will put some much-needed life back into that end of the road which used to be lively and fun. Anything that gets the area buzzing again is a good thing.

Would he patronise Gails himself and risk the ire of this neighbours? Yes, he replied. I have no problem with Gails at all.

But Village Kitchen owner Billy Smith has signed the petition and said the area does not need Gail's because of the abundance of local independent businesses

Walthamstow, like many other places, has been undergoing intense gentrification for the past 14 years, according to a 2021 report, which found the average price of a house sold here soared from 165,000 in 2010 to 445,000 in 2016 and that 60 per cent of residents left the neighbourhood.

I get why people are concerned, said Ben Hills, 41, who works in finance and has lived in Walthamstow Village since 2013, where property prices are now in the stratosphere, but he dismissed fears that Gails would lead to over-gentrification.

I dont know how much more gentrified we can get, he added. Gails will bring new people to the village and new customers for everyone. The site has been sitting empty, doing nothing.

In fact, there is little anyone can do, petition or otherwise, to stop Gails because the site is being privately let. It is a done deal.

Back at the Village Bakery, owner Sam Davis tells us that James Harvey sent her an email urging her to boycott Gails when it opened.

She signed the petition but wouldnt be joining any boycott, she said, adding: Its not personal and its not about politics. I dont have anything against Gails. Everyone is independent here and we just dont want a chain.

Mr Harvey himself did not turn up for breakfast on the day we were there, and at the time of writing, he had not responded to a message left at the cafe asking him to ring us.

In a recent interview, Gails chief executive Tom Molnar revealed deciding where to open a branch was half maths, half art.

Meeting local people, listening to the emails.

The company also uses an algorithm that shows how residents in each post code behave.

James Harvey, metaphorically speaking, has now crashed the computer.

Additional reporting: Tim Stewart
Lauren Laverne's 20-year marriage to fellow DJ and television producer Graeme Fisher is a love story like something out of a fairy tale.

The happy couple first met in the early 2000s while they were both working on a pop television show.

Graeme was left smitten and invited Lauren to a gig on Valentine's Day and from there the shoots of their blossoming romance were formed.

It was on their first date that Lauren would have her most memorable kiss, telling The Guardian in 2022: 'He invited me to a gig and we both thought other people would come, but nobody did. We realised that it was Valentine's Day and ended up getting together.'

As the BBC radio DJ, 46, now battles against cancer having revealed today she has been diagnosed with the disease, it will be Graeme who will be by her side in support as he has been for more than two decades.

Lauren Laverne 's 20-year marriage to fellow DJ and television producer Graeme Fisher is a love story like something out of a fairy tale

The happy couple first met in the early 2000s while they were both working on a pop television show. It was on their first date that Lauren would have her most memorable kiss. In 2022 she listed the above picture as one of her favourites

Mackem girl Lauren, 46, and Graeme wed in her native County Durham in 2005 in the same church as her parents.

They set up home in London with Lauren telling Red magazine in 2019 that she thought the pair were 'really lucky and I'm glad we're happy and we still get on well'.

'But I'm not going to sit here and spout kernels of wisdom, because there might be people reading this going through a divorce thinking, 'Lauren, shut up',' she said.

'We've been together a long time and we get on great, but that's not necessarily the goal for everyone.'

Graeme has previously worked on shows such as Face the Music: The Feeling (2008) and Rock School (2005) but left his job to become the primary carer of their children - Fergus, who was born in 2007, and Mack who arrived in 2010.

Talking to The Guardian, Lauren said: 'My husband has gone from the job he was doing making TV programmes to being the main carer for our boys.

'He has a fantastic relationship with them, we both muck in, and to be honest, it's all a bit of a scramble.'

Lauren also once revealed how her husband is the one with the culinary skills in the family.

She has said: 'My husband cooks. I'm learning, but slowly.'

Graeme and Lauren on a date night at the Royal Albert Hall in September 2021 to see the world premiere of James Bond film No Time To Die

Graeme left his job to become the primary carer of their children - Fergus, who was born in 2007, and Mack who arrived in 2010

Mackem girl Lauren, 46, and Graeme wed in her native County Durham in 2005 in the same church as her parents

She told the Evening Standard in 2008 how her home in the capital was her favourite place to be.

'It's in a part of London like the countryside, but with people and a Space NK at the end of the road,' she said.

'There was a naked woman outside Pizza Express last week, wearing a cowboy hat.'

On Instagram, Graeme sometimes gives an insight to their sweet relationship. He previously shared a snap of them on a date night at the Royal Albert Hall in September 2021 to see the world premiere of James Bond film No Time To Die.

In April he posted a picture of Lauren wearing a black outfit and sunglasses to wish her a happy birthday in which he spoke gushingly about his wife.

'Happy Birthday to this totally AMAZING human,' he wrote alongside a heart emoji.

Desert Island Discs host Lauren this morning told how she is expected to make a full recovery and said the disease had been caught early.

She bravely announced her cancer diagnosis by posting a picture of herself smiling in her hospital bed.

The mother of-two did not reveal the type of cancer she had been diagnosed with but said it had been picked up 'unexpectedly' during a screening test.

Lauren thanked the medical teams 'who have got me this far with incredible skill and kindness'.

Breaking the news of her diagnosis, she wrote: 'Right then, some personal news I recently had a cancer diagnosis. It was (thank God) caught early and unexpectedly during a screening test and I am expected to make a full recovery.

Lauren today bravely announced her cancer diagnosis by posting a picture of herself smiling in her hospital bed

She urged others that might be 'avoiding a test or putting off an appointment to get yourself checked out' to 'please, please do it today' (Pictured here in June 2015 arriving to celebrate the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction at London's Royal Festival Hall)

She took over on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs when Kirsty Young stepped away from her role for a brief period because of her fibromyalgia treatment

In an Instagram post, the 46-year-old star told fans from her hospital bed that she was expected to make a 'full recovery'

'I'm in hospital at the moment and wanted to take this moment to say thank you: Firstly to the medical teams who have got me this far with incredible skill and kindness.

'To my family and friends who have been absolutely extraordinary every step of the way - I am so very grateful and love you so much. And of course thank you to my colleagues - including those at @itg_ltd, @bbc6music, @bbctheoneshow and #DesertIslandDiscs for their support - and for giving me the time off that I need to get better.'

She went on to urge others that might be 'avoiding a test or putting off an appointment to get yourself checked out' to 'please, please do it today'.

'Half of us will get cancer at some point, and if you do, finding out asap is everything,' she said.

'It's usually my job to bring the good vibes on air but any you have to spare are very much welcome here. Sending loads of love to anyone in a similar boat, or who has made it back to shore. xxx'
Scottish First Minister John Swinney had a book festival appearance cut short last night after he was heckled by a pro-Palestinian protester.

The SNP leader, who was on stage alongside former Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford, was harangued by a woman in Edinburgh.

She accused Mr Swinney of giving money through a Scottish Government agency to companies 'complicit in Gaza'.

The protester also demanded the resignation of both Mr Swinney and his fellow SNP minister Angus Robertson over a recent meeting with an Israeli diplomat.

She claimed the pair were 'legitimising a genocidal apartheid state', despite other members of the audience asking her to stop and allow others to speak.

The event's host, Laura Maxwell, said she had hoped to take more questions from the audience but it was no longer possible.

As the talk ended, the protester was escorted from the venue at the Edinburgh Futures Institute.

Scottish First Minister John Swinney had a book festival appearance cut short last night after he was heckled by a pro-Palestinian protester

The SNP leader, who was on stage alongside former Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford, was harangued by a woman in Edinburgh

The heckler accused Mr Swinney of giving money through a Scottish Government agency to companies 'complicit in Gaza'

Mr Swinney and Mr Drakeford took part in the Edinburgh International Book Festival event to mark 25 years of devolution in Scotland and Wales.

The SNP leader's appearance followed a fierce row at Holyrood over Mr Robertson's meeting with Israel's deputy ambassador Daniela Grudsky two weeks ago.

Mr Robertson faced a backlash from within SNP ranks over the talks, with veteran MSP Christine Grahame describing his position as a 'liability'.

SNP MP Ruth Maguire said she shared the 'anger' felt by party members in relation to the meeting.

Mr Robertson apologised on Monday over the meeting and said it should have been limited to calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

But Scotland's External Affairs Secretary said he had not considered resigning his position.

He told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme yesterday: 'I haven't because I think it was right to communicate the message that we did.

'But I have reflected very strongly on the impact that it has created and the impression that was created, which is why I issued the apology yesterday.

'I most certainly did not want to create an impression that there was a normalisation of relations between the Scottish Government and the Israeli Government when there is not.'
CCTV footage has shown the moment a shopkeeper suffered a heart attack and died after he attempted to chase down a thug who stole a bottle of wine from his store.

Acilan Nagenthiram, 44, pursued the man who ran from his store in Southwest London and following a short altercation, he had a heart attack and collapsed onto the pavement.

Despite the efforts of ambulance crews, Acilan later died at a major trauma centre in the capital, leaving behind his wife Tharsini and his sons Thinoshan, Vishanthan, Kashvin and Kethushan.

His funeral took place at Croydon Crematorium on Thursday August, 15.

Today marks one month since the tragic incident and as of yet, there have been no arrests.

Now, CCTV footage has been released to assist the police investigation.

CCTV footage has been released to try and assist police with their investigation

Acilan Nagenthiram, 44, pursued the thief who ran from his store in Southwest London. He suffered a heart attack and later sadly died

The unidentified man allegedly made the theft at Four Seasons Mini Market in Streatham, Southwest London on Saturday July, 21 at 9.30pm

The unidentified man allegedly made the theft at Four Seasons Mini Market in Streatham, Southwest London on Saturday July, 21 at 9.30pm.

He is described as a black male, in his mid 20s, wearing a dark grey hoodie, a black backpack, dark tracksuit bottoms, white socks and dark trainers.

Local resident, John Mulvey has slammed police officers for their seemingly lack of progress in finding and arresting the shoplifter.

Mr Mulvey, 58 said: 'There is a big thing about shoplifting at the moment, how rife it is, and how the police do nothing unless they steal more than 200 of goods.

'It is just ironic that you can post something on Facebook, be arrested, charged, appear in court and be sent to prison within a week - but steal a 8 bottle of wine and get away with it.

'Acilan was one of four family members who have served the community for the last 20 years, due to his dedication he didn't finish this shift  I wonder if the man knows this and will come forward.'

Emergency services were called but sadly Acilan later died at a major trauma centre in the capital

Today marks one month since the tragic incident and as of yet, there have been no arrests

There was a short altercation between Acilan and the thief before Acilan collapsed on the pavement

Paramedics arriving at the scene in Estreham Road

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'We were called at 9.35pm on Saturday 21 July 2024 to reports of a medical incident in Estreham Road, SW16.

'We sent a number of resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, paramedics in fast response cars and an incident response officer.

'The first of our crews arrived at the scene in five minutes.

'Our crews treated a man at the scene, before taking him to a London major trauma centre.'

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'Police were called to Estreham Road, SW16, at 21.50hrs on Sunday, 21 July to reports of a man who had collapsed in the street.

'He was taken to hospital but sadly died a short time later.

'The man, a shopkeeper, had been chasing a suspected shoplifter before he collapsed.

'Detectives in Central South BCU are investigating the full circumstances of the incident. There have been no arrests.

'Any witnesses, or anyone with any information, is asked to call police on 101, quoting CAD 7393/21Jul, or Crimestoppers, 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111.'

Last month new Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer announced his commitment to tackling shoplifting offences under 200 in the King's Speech.

According to The Telegraph, a new bill aims to reverse a 2014 'charter' where theft of products under 200 is 'low value'.
A female Barclays bank executive was discriminated against when her male boss assumed she didn't want a promotion so she could look after her family instead.

A tribunal has ruled that Nazia Lawrence was 'stereotyped' by Mark Bell when he told her he thought she was 'happy' to remain as a vice president at the finance giant.

The employment tribunal heard that Mrs Lawrence had recently told managers that due to family pressures she was not able to prioritise advancement at work.

However, by assuming that meant she had no further interest in promotion, her boss had sexually discriminated against her, making a remark that would have not been made to a man, the panel concluded.

Praising Mrs Lawrence for her 'great courage' in bringing the case, Employment Judge Sarah Moor said: 'Mr Bell's comment to her...reveals he had assumed that the cause of her temporary lack of priority (family pressures) meant she had lost her desire totally for promotion.

'This is a significant leap, a large assumption to make. We consider that had she been a high-performing man (with similar temporary family pressures) he would not have made that assumption or stated... that he was happy to stay as VP.

A tribunal has ruled that Nazia Lawrence (pictured) was 'stereotyped' by her male boss when he told her he thought she was 'happy' to remain as a vice president at Barclays

The tribunal concluded that by assuming that Mrs Lawrence had no further interest in promotion, Mark Bell (pictured) had sexually discriminated against her

A tribunal has ruled that Nazia Lawrence was 'stereotyped' by Mark Bell when he told her he thought she was 'happy' to remain as a vice president at Barclays

'We judge that Mr Bell has applied to [Mrs Lawrence] the stereotype of the female carer - the assumption that women take on family care and lose the desire for advancement at work because of home pressures.

'He has, in that one comment, brushed to one side the palpable and longstanding evidence of [Mrs Lawrence's] obvious appetite for work and progression.

'There is a clear distinction to be made here between the family pressures and caring [she] talked about that meant a temporary loss of priority to a total loss of desire for progression.

'We infer Mr Bell simply would not have lost sight of that distinction had [Mrs Lawrence] been a man to whom the stereotype of family carer would not have applied.

'We find that by stating to [her] that she was happy to remain as VP he subjected [her] to a detriment because of sex and unlawfully discriminated against her.'

The tribunal in East London heard that Mrs Lawrence had worked at Barclays Execution Services as a Vice President since 2015 and was a Global Tax Operations Risk and Control Officer.

She was regarded as an 'excellent performer' and identified within the bank as having 'high potential', the hearing was told.

However, she was told that at the time there was no chance of promotion in London due to a cost cutting policy to avoid creating new posts in high cost locations.

'Over the course of 2021, [Mrs Lawrence] clearly had some significant personal family issues involving the health of close family members and requiring changes in her personal life which will have placed an extra burden upon her at that time,' the tribunal heard.

The tribunal in East London heard that Mrs Lawrence had worked at Barclays Execution Services as a Vice President since 2015 and was a Global Tax Operations Risk and Control Officer (stock image)

'She described these in detail to her managers.'

As a result, Mrs Lawrence said that she could not 'focus on or prioritise going for promotion at that time because of the pressing personal issues she was dealing with'.

'This meant looking and applying for vacancies,' the tribunal heard. 'It did not relate to her desire for promotion.

'[She] had not said that she "no longer" wished to try for promotion - this would have made no sense.

'Her comment...was purely temporary bearing in mind the personal pressures on her at the time and was not about no longer pushing but simply a matter of priority.'

In November 2021 Mrs Lawrence - who describes herself as Asian Muslim - was left feeling 'betrayed' after learning that a male colleague had obtained an in-role promotion to director in London.

She complained to her bosses that she had not been given 'equal opportunities' and that there was one rule for one 'set' of people and another for another.

In January 2022 Mrs Lawrence launched a grievance over her treatment, having claimed to be the victim of 'discrimination, injustice, inequality and favouritism'.

Later that month she met Mr Bell for an appraisal meeting in which he accused her of being unwilling to take feedback and said she 'just wanted the glory for good work'.

He was also found by the tribunal to have said 'words to the effect that he understood she was happy to remain a VP'.

Mrs Lawrence went off sick the following month and launched tribunal proceedings against Barclays in April claiming race, sex and religion discrimination, harassment and victimisation.

Her complaint that she had been discriminated against by being denied promotion was supported by one member of the tribunal panel.

However, it was dismissed by the majority which found that her colleague had been appointed as director on the basis of his 'plainly consistently outstanding performance'.

Her claim regarding the 'happy to remain as VP' comment was upheld.

The tribunal ruled: 'While [Mrs Lawrence] had said her de-prioritising of promotion temporarily was for family caring reasons, this had become in the manager's heads "no longer desiring promotion".

'This difference is not mere semantics or emphasis. It turns [her] from an ambitious, promotion-seeking individual with high potential to a colleague who is just happy to remain a VP.

'We find this change to have been based on assumptions about caring responsibilities taking over, subsuming the female carer for the long term.

'We do not consider the managers would have reached this view if Mrs Lawrence had been a man who had just had family issues for a period. The stereotype of women caring for family members for the long term just doesn't apply to men.'

Praising Mrs Lawrence for taking her employer to the tribunal, Judge Moor said: 'It was reasonable for her to point to [her colleague's] promotion and ask, given her very good record and the stretch opportunity which had expanded her role, why promotion had not happened for her.

'We consider that she has shown great courage in testing that question at the Tribunal.'
A cult member who beat her own two-year-old daughter to death 37 years ago has welcomed finally being jailed.

Ellen Rachel Craig, 62, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, admitting she had killed her daughter Tillie Craig on a property near Oberon in central NSW on July 7, 1987.

After becoming unhappy with the way the toddler was sweeping a path, she grabbed some plastic irrigation tubing and beat the girl across the arms, legs and body until she was no longer moving.

At the time, both mother and child were living on a rural property in Porters Retreat, which served as the headquarters of the cult The Family or the Community of Eden.

Informing leader Alexander Wilon of the death, Tillie's body was cremated in a 44-gallon drum, her ashes spread out over the property and the drum thrown in a nearby river never to be found, agreed facts filed with the court say.

Craig moved back to her birth country of New Zealand in November 1987 where she changed her name to Jowelle Tenzing Smith.

She continued to lie about the toddler's death until she was arrested and extradited back to Australia to face trial in November 2021.

While Craig was under the influence of Mr Wilon, who had previously disciplined Tillie, her assault on her daughter was far more extreme, Justice Natalie Adams said on Wednesday.

Tillie Craig died on a property near Oberon in central NSW on July 7, 1987

Ellen Rachel Craig, 62, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, admitting she had killed her daughter (pictured together)

'To say that the circumstances of Tillie's death are tragic would be a gross understatement,' the judge said.

'She died at the hands of someone who was meant to protect her.'

According to the agreed facts, Mr Wilon tightly controlled the lives of those living at the property, including beating them when they did not obey him and making them have sex with him in 'Papa's Room'.

He told his followers that their egos 'must be completely destroyed' if they wanted to remain with him.

Craig was sentenced to a maximum jail time of nine years over the death of her daughter, with a non-parole period of six years.

Justice Adams found the 62-year-old had expressed remorse for her actions both towards her daughter and to Tillie's father Gerard Stanhope who had searched for the toddler for decades without success.

'I took away her potential. I took away her right to a happy life,' Craig wrote in a letter to the court.

'My actions were horrible, terrible, horrific.'

Craig is seen with her face covered in a police image

While Craig was under the influence of Alexander Wilon (above), who had previously disciplined Tillie, her assault on her daughter was far more extreme, Justice Natalie Adams said on Wednesday

Craig said she now welcomed her prison sentence, wanting justice for her daughter.

'I know, understand and am at peace with the purpose of my imprisonment.'

In a victim impact statement, Mr Stanhope described the indescribable pain of finding out what had happened to his child.

He said he was haunted by the memory of taking his struggling, crying and terrified daughter to a van where Craig waited to take her back to The Family's property in January 1987.

That was the last time he saw the two-year-old.

'To this day, I carry a sense of guilt that I didn't listen to what she was trying to tell me in the only way she could,' he wrote.

Justice Adams found the 62-year-old had expressed remorse for her actions both towards her daughter and to Tillie's father Gerard Stanhope (pictured with Tillie)

Justice Adams took into account Craig's physical health issues, her struggles with mental health, drugs and gambling, and the more onerous conditions in jail where she remains under protective custody.

Craig told her psychiatrist she enjoyed the simple life of prisons as she believed it could bring the kind of monastic life she had been looking for.

The 62-year-old held her head down for most of the sentence as she watched by audio-video link from Dillwynia's woman's prison.

The maximum penalty for manslaughter is 25 years.
Divers searching the wreck of a 30million superyacht for survivors have finally gained access to the 'master cabin' where British tech tycoon Mike Lynch had been sleeping before it sank.

Rescue teams are working against the clock in a bid to find anyone alive inside the Bayesian, which sank off the coast of Sicily after being hit by a 'black swan' waterspout.

Desperate officials say they are still hoping there may be survivors trapped in air pockets inside the ship, with divers listening for 'banging noises' that may indicate signs of life and an underwater robot deployed to aid in the search.

Six people, including Mr Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter and the chairman of Morgan Stanley International, are believed to have been trapped in their cabins following the catastrophic incident at 5am on Monday morning.

The search operation to find them has been beset with problems, with floating debris blocking the narrow corridors of the vessel and the depth of the wreck meaning divers can only spend 10 minutes at the bottom before having to return.

A British investigation team has arrived on the island this morning, with experts attempting to determine exactly what caused the ship to sink so rapidly after witnesses claimed it went under the water in the space of just two minutes.

It comes as:

Search divers return to shore in an inflatable boat after the latest attempt to find people missing from the Bayesian superyacht

A specialist scuba diver floats in the water as he speaks to a colleague on the fire service boat above the wreck site

Mike Lynch (left) is still missing after the boat sank while his wife Angela Bacares (right) survived

Chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer (pictured), and his wife are also missing

Lynch's attorney Christopher Morvillo (pictured) and his wife Neda are also missing

A total of 15 people, including a British mother and her baby daughter, dramatically escaped the sinking ship with moments to spare, plunging into the raging pitch-black sea during the storm before seeking shelter in a liferaft and awaiting rescue.

The yacht's 'well-respected' captain, 51-year-old New Zealander James Cutfield, had remarked from his hospital bed they 'didn't see it coming' in the darkness.

While the body of the ship's cook, Recaldo Thomas, was found the same day, there has been no sign of the others who are missing, aside from disturbing reports that bodies had been seen by divers through portholes in the sunken ship.

A total of six people are still missing - Mr Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

Efforts to get into the vessel, which is lying on its side and is almost completely intact, have been difficult though with the depth and nature of the yacht proving challenging.

At 164ft (50m) down, the wreck is so deep that divers can only spend 10 minutes on the seabed before having to return to the surface for their own safety.

A new team of Italian firefighter divers who have experience in deep water environments have been drafted in to help,

It is hoped that they will be able to spend up to 20 minutes underwater at a time, having brought special tanks with them that allow them to stay under the surface for longer.

Neda and her husband Christopher are both missing in the wake of Monday's superyacht sinking

Judy Bloomer, who is missing, is a supporter and former board member of the Eve Appeal, a charity that raises awareness and funds research into gynaecological cancer

It was Mike Lynch who brought the group together to celebrate his recent acquittal on charges in the US on the yacht

Divers in scuba gear stand on a fire service boat as they prepare to resume the search operation in Sicily this morning

Meanwhile, frustrated divers on the scene have reportedly complained about floating debris blocking the narrow corridors and entrances inside.

What is a 'black swan' weather event? The waterspout which caused the catastrophic capsizing of the Bayesian has been dubbed a 'black swan', by meteorological experts. The term is used for rare weather events that are considered unpredictable and more severe than one could reasonably expect. Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in the United States in 2005, is considered to be an example of this. Waterspouts - which are essentially tornadoes that take place over water - are another example of a so-called 'black swan'. Michael Shanck, chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, said that waterspouts He said: 'Waterspouts are rare but do happen. 'They're a black swan event for ship captains and crews. They're high impact. 'That water carries significant weight. And if the waterspout ends up dumping a load of that water on board the vessel, that's going to cause significant damage.' Despite thunderstorm alerts being in place, the nature of waterspouts means there would have been likely no warning it was coming, others have claimed. Dr Pete Inness, a lecturer in meteorology at the University of Reading, said: 'As with tornado warnings, you can say there's a probability they could happen 24 hours in advance. 'You can say, over that particular area of sea, there's an increased likelihood, but until one actually forms you can't say where it will be or how strong it is, and even then they typically only last for a couple of minutes, so there is no real warning.' Advertisement

After inspecting the command bridge, which is outdoors, the divers have been able to access the main lounge after descending down an internal ladder.

Inside, they were obstructed by floating objects from chairs and cushions to utensils and plates.

However, divers have this morning been able to break through to the 'master cabin' where Mr Lynch and his wife Angela Bacares, who survived, had been staying during the trip, it is claimed.

Italian outlet Giornale Di Sicilia reported that a remote-controlled robot has been brought in to assist the search teams.

The 'robot' is capable of operating on the seabed up to an altitude of 300 meters and can continue for between 6 and 7 hours.

The device equipped with advanced technology that allows it to investigate the seabed and record detailed videos and images which will be used in the prosecutor's investigation.

After three days of searching, Italian coastguard officials insist they are still looking for 'missing people'.

Asked if they were focusing on recovering bodies rather than rescuing people, Coastguard spokesman Vincenzo Zagarola replied: 'Reasonable, but we still look for the missing people.'

A close friend of Mr Lynch has called the incident a 'Shakespearean tragedy' after it happened while he was on a 'victory' trip with friends and family celebrating being acquitted of fraud charges in the United States in June.

British entrepreneur Brent Hoberman, who has known Mr Lynch for 28 years, describes him as a 'bit of a boffin' who was 'quick-witted and smart' with an 'infectious love of technology'.

He added he hoped there would be 'an amazing second act' and those who know him are praying for a miracle and he is found alive.

'God, what an amazing ending that would be,' he said.

Italian authorities have opened an investigation into whether hatches left open by crew members on superyacht, which is owned by Mr Lynch, caused it to sink so quickly.

Ambrogio Cartosio, the chief prosecutor of the town of Termini Imerese, near Porticello, will concentrate on several key questions.

Firstly, how was it that nearly all the crew survived, except for chef Recaldo Thomas, and all the six missing people were passengers, not crew.

Other aspects of the accident which the investigation will focus on will include whether the boat was still chained to its anchor, which in strong winds could itself make the vessel more unstable as the storm could push the boat along and the anchor force the bow lower in the water.

The superyacht (pictured) was docked off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, when it was hit by an over-sea tornado, known as a waterspout

The Bayesian was fitted with a sophisticated 'drop keel' centreboard, which effectively lowers a weight down from beneath the keel, lowering the boat's centre of gravity and improving its stability. Whether or not that device was raised or lowered will be a vital focus of the investigation.

Another possible reason for the rapid sinking of the boat might be if the portholes were left open by the guests because of the heat of the Sicilian evening, allowing the boat to take on water more quickly in the storm.

Prosecutor Cartosio and his team will also gather evidence from emergency workers, divers, fire personnel and Coast Guard.

Salvo Cocina, president of the Civil Protection Agency in Sicily told MailOnline that all the survivors from the tragedy were offered counselling and psychological help for their trauma, but all refused help.

Mr Cocina said: 'We wanted to make sure that everyone was offered every kind of help they might need, but no-one from the passengers or the crew accepted counselling.'

He denied suggestions that the rescue operation had now morphed into that of recovering the boat and a grim cargo of bodies.

'The operation is not complete  we don't differentiate between rescue and recovery in these circumstances, because the people are still in the boat.

'The divers have not yet reached the cabins, so we have not yet given up hope that there may be air pockets in their keeping them alive.'

Witnesses reported the boat went down in a matter of minutes after being hit by a tornado during the severe thunderstorm while anchored in Porticello, off the coast of Sicily.

One expert at the scene said an early focus of the official investigation into the tragedy, launched by prosecutors in nearby Termini Imerese, would be whether the yacht's crew had closed access hatches into the vessel before the storm struck.

Investigators would look at whether appropriate measures had been taken, given the forecasts for bad weather overnight, and if any of the crew members are criminally liable.

Meanwhile, a British four-person team from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) have arrived in Sicily to conduct their own investigation into what happened.

Luxury sailboat Bayesian was docked off the coast of Porticello when a waterspout struck the area just before 5am on Monday

A life raft is seen docked at the harbour near the port where the emergency and rescue workers are launching their search operation

They are understood to have arrived on Tuesday and are expected to carry out a 'preliminary assessment' of the site on Wednesday.

The MAIB is looking into what happened because the sailing yacht Bayesian was flying a British flag, it is understood.

The Italian coastguard said the MAIB are not involved in the search for the missing people and that it did not request assistance.

Italian coastguard spokesman Vincenzo Zagarola said: 'Even if they come (probably) the searches are carried out by the Italian authorities. Initiative (was) not requested by us.'

Gavin Pritchard, who was a principal investigator with the UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) before retiring in 2022, told The Telegraph: 'The MAIB will want to look at the vessel using either an ROV [remotely operated vehicle] or divers, or want to have a look and see what the positions of watertight doors, hatches and windows were.

'It'd be important to state that doesn't attribute blame,' he added, saying the job of the MAIB is to establish a cause for the sinking - rather than legal liability - so safety-critical findings can be spread across the maritime industry.

He added: 'One of the first questions that accident investigators ask is, has anything like this ever happened before? And I have to say, having observed this tragic event, I honestly can't think of anything similar to this.'
David Sharaz sent an 'inappropriate' message to a journalist calling Brittany Higgins' interview about her rape allegations a 'f***ing scoop', a court has heard.

Messages from Mr Sharaz to News Corp journalist Samantha Maiden concerning her story about Ms Higgins' allegations were read to the West Australian Supreme Court on Wednesday as part of Senator Linda Reynolds' defamation trial against Ms Higgins.

The senator is suing her former staffer Ms Higgins - who is defending the claim - over a series of social media posts containing alleged mistruths that she believes damaged her reputation.

'She's going to come out with the story and it's going to be tough. It's also going to be big,' Mr Sharaz wrote in one text.

'She had a Me Too incident and the party covered it up. Please keep that between us,' Mr Sharaz said in another.

'She's drafting a plan for you.'

After the story broke, Mr Sharaz messaged: 'It's a weird story. Journalism hat on. What a f***ing scoop.'

Maiden told the court: 'I do recall receiving that message and I thought it was inappropriate.'

David Sharaz sent an 'inappropriate' message to a journalist calling Brittany Higgins' interview about her rape allegations a 'f***ing scoop', a court has heard

It also emerged in court on Wednesday that Ms Higgins felt toxic and told Maiden that Senator Linda Reynolds 'hated' her.

Excerpts of Maiden's interview with Ms Higgins for her 2021 article were played to the Perth defamation trial on Wednesday, as Senator Reynolds' lawyer Martin Bennett wrapped up his case.

'She just avoided me. Avoided being in photos with me, I was toxic. She hated me,' Ms Higgins told Maiden during the recorded interview.

'She worked her entire life to finally (become the defence minister) and I was like, in her first two weeks ... some little twit she doesn't know who gets assaulted in her office and she hates it, she hated me.'

Ms Higgins also spoke to Maiden about a meeting she had with Senator Reynolds and her then-chief of staff Fiona Brown in the days after she was allegedly raped in 2019.

'Her standard lines about how she felt ill and 'I'm horrified' ... then it kind of turned to ... 'as a woman this is what we go through',' Ms Higgins said.

'And she said 'if you choose to go to the police we will support you in that process but we just need to know ahead of time'.'

Messages from Mr Sharaz to News Corp journalist Samantha Maiden (pictured) concerning her story about Ms Higgins' allegations were read to the West Australian Supreme Court on Wednesday

'She was actually quite nice, like her and Fiona ... I didn't feel like it was like a fair conversation, ... I was the very junior staffer and ... she didn't know me and she didn't like me and I was just some problem for her.'

Ms Higgins told the reporter she believed the meeting was the senator 'ticking a box'.

'I felt like they had to have this conversation with me to be able to say on record that 'we told her she could go to the police' but as soon as Linda Reynolds had that meeting she never brought it up with me again,' she said.

Ms Higgins told Maiden the 'weirdest part was when Linda decided to finally talk to me about the incident, she brought me back into her ministerial office (where the alleged rape occurred)'.

'That was the first time I did go back there. So I was sitting having this meeting about my choices, about what had just happened to me,' she said.

'I'm sure she was saying very many lovely words, but all I knew was the couch, and I was there by myself with Fiona and Linda and the couch.

'I thought maybe they just hadn't considered it.'

Ms Reynolds (pictured) is suing Ms Higgins and her husband David Sharaz over comments she alleges are mistruths that she believes damaged her reputation.

Asked why the article was published during a parliamentary sitting week, Maiden said Ms Higgins wanted it to have an 'impact'.

'She gave me the impression that her motivation was altruistic. She wanted to achieve reform of the parliamentary workplace ... was anxious and concerned that it would be a one-day wonder,' Maiden said, giving evidence via an audio-visual link flanked by three lawyers.

Asked if Ms Higgins had ever said she wanted to 'bring down the Morrison government' or Senator Reynolds, Maiden said no.

The trial continues on Thursday with evidence from former Australian Federal Police deputy commissioner Leanne Close.

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The King has met with the families of three young girls killed in the horror knife attack in Southport last month.

Charles held a private audience this morning at Clarence House with the families of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar.

It comes after he expressed his profound 'shock' at the killings and the resulting riots while visiting Southport on Tuesday.

Bebe, Elsie and Alice were killed after a knifeman burst into a Taylor-Swift themed dance class and began stabbing attendees on July 29.

The 17-year-old suspect was arrested soon after as ten others were left injured, but false information on social media claiming he was a Muslim asylum seeker led to the outbreak of riots by far-right thugs throughout England and Belfast.

Axel Rudakubana was actually born in Cardiff to Christian parents. He remains in custody charged with three counts of murder and ten of attempted murder.

The King travelled from Scotland to Southport to meet with affected children and their families. He pictured visiting the floral tributes to the victims on Tuesday

King Charles appeared moved by the huge number of floral tributes left in Southport

The King opened his hands as he spoke of his amazement at the floral tributes left in Southport

It comes after a fatal stabbing attack on a Taylor Swift themed dance class which left three children dead, including Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven (pictured)

Bebe King, six, was also killed in the horror attack in Southport last month

Alice Aguiar, nine, died in the early hours of the morning after being rushed to hospital following the attack

King Charles signs a book of condolence during his visit to Southport Town Hall following the horror attack

Buckingham Palace confirmed that the King had met with the families of the three girls, but said no further details would be published.

Visiting Southport yesterday, Charles spoke of his heartfelt appreciation of the way in which the local community rallied around its own as he met with emergency services personnel, faith leaders and some of those who opened their doors in acts of kindness.

Among them were Diane, 50, and her husband Dan, 48, whose home backs onto the Hart Community Centre, where the violence occurred.

The King suspended his traditional Balmoral break to hold a private meeting with some of the injured young children and their families and also looked at floral tributes left to the three victims.

Patrick Hurley, MP for Sefton, which includes Southport, met the King with other local leaders at a fire station, and said afterwards: 'He was very keen to express his sympathy and empathy. Very keen to make sure the people of Southport know that from the symbolism perspective, the country's heart goes out to the people here.'

Diane and Dan comforted the families of some of those who tragically lost their lives or were injured on the day, and have continued allow police to use their facilities as investigations continued.

The couple are unable to speak in detail about events of the day due to the ongoing police enquiries.

But Diane said: 'I came straight home from work and we have been within the police cordon for the last three weeks. The barriers have just gone up yesterday.

'It's a bit surreal. It's as if everything is going to back to normal but for us it will be quite a thing to get over.

'It was a surreal conversation with the king because we've opened our doors to the six or eight police officers who were manning the cordon each day.

'We have opened our front door all day for them to use our facilities. They get tea and coffee and food but nowhere to go to the toilet. At night we leave our back door open for them to use the toilet too. The king laughed and I said 'well everyone's got to go!'

'The King said he was shocked, really shocked at what happened, and said it was kind of us to open our house. We said it was the right thing to do.

'You don't imagine it happening in our own town, let along at the end of your backyard. 'My husband and daughter were there and I rushed back from work to see a couple of people still being treated before being put in ambulances and taken away.

'We were able to be there even in a small way for one of the deceased parents. We were able to support them. I just said to them if you want to come and sit in the quiet. I won't repeat what happened or what was said but as a parent your heart goes out to them. It's heartbreaking.

'We are Christians and I've prayed for the families of the deceased but I've also prayed for his parents [the accused] as effectively they have lost a son. Imagine being the parent of the children who done it?

'The King said it was a very kind thing for us to do and was shocked at what had happened.

'We think a lot of the royal family. His visit shows that they have a compassionate heart and the fact that Charles, Camilla and William and Kate all put out statements after it happened was touching.

'He's very easy to talk to, I was surprised. I think [criticism of him not coming down earlier] is undeserved. This was the right time. '

King Charles stopped to shake the hands of some members of the public during his trip to Southport

Charles, 75, who is still undergoing cancer treatment, is expected to fly from Balmoral. The King is pictured at the floral display in Southport on Tuesday

The monarch also appeared to read some of the messages and tributes left in Southport

The huge display has been left in the wake of the tragic killings of three girls who were stabbed during a Taylor Swift-themed summer party in the town last month

The King waited to visit Southport until the region's police were less stretched by unrest

King Charles is pictured in the background of the floral display, which also includes a number of balloons and cuddly toys

King Charles appeared moved when he saw the scale of the tributes left for those killed in the attack

He was seen speaking to members of the public as he examined floral tributes in Southport

King Charles waved from the window of his car as he left Southport this afternoon

The event took part at the community fire station in Southport where His Majesty was met by regional leaders including the mayors of Liverpool City Region and Sefton.

The King met with staff from each of the three emergency services, the fire brigade, ambulance and police.

'Were you there? He asked several of them, adding: 'I hope you are not too exhausted. Were your teams there on the night? When you do finally get off duty? It's all my fault, I am sure.'

Imam Ibrahim Hussein of the Southport Mosque was present when it was attacked by rioters the day after the killings.

He said: 'They targeted our mosque because of what was circulating in the [social] media. They targeted our mosque and wanted to kill us and destroy the mosque. We were terrified obviously because the whole building was shaking.

'Fire bombs were thrown at the mosque. It was awful, the slogans and the shouting and the chanting. I thought that [kind of behaviour] was over with.

'We thought we were in multi-cultural Britain. We don't expect that at all. We don't expect them the pick on a minority. We were at a loss really what was happening.

'I was one out of seven that was actually there and we felt every blow and very brick that was thrown at the mosque. We felt the whole thing shaking. We had to do our prayers in the middle of this. We could feel the anger. '

King Charles had tea as he met with community leaders this afternoon and thanked emergency services for their hard work

Britain's King Charles III meets with representatives from Merseyside's emergency services and local community groups at the Community Fire Station in Southport

King Charles was seen speaking with police officers who had been involved in the response to the riots

The King spoke with emergency responders after a difficult few weeks for the town

Representatives from local police, ambulance services and firefighters were all present

His Majesty met with those affected by the attack and riots alongside thanking front-line emergency staff for their ongoing work

Charles shook hands with a young girl in Southport and greeted her as he arrived in the town

Hundreds of people, including children on their summer holidays, turned out to greet the King

Residents young and old came together to thank Charles for visiting the town just weeks after the fatal tragedy

The King stopped to talk to locals who had waited hours for a glimpse of him outside the town hall

At one point, the King appeared to read one of the messages of tribute left on one of the bunches as he slowly walked through the floral display

Dozens of balloons and stuffed animals - which are only brought out during good weather - were also on display outside the town hall

Members of the public had been waiting since 11.30am for the King to arrive in order to greet him

He added: 'The community is the source of our strength. Unity was more than we expected. What they did brings tears to your eyes. They were there before we were cleaning up and tidying up. People even brought food and drink. I do not believe how people can be supportive and so nice. It was incredible. '

He said of the king's visit: 'It means quite a lot actually. For His Majesty to take time from his heavy schedule and visit a small town such as this means a lot to us. His Majesty has always been championing the cause of the Muslim and Islam.

'He always praises and brought out the good side and what Muslims have contributed to humanity. A lot of people are ignorant. We are very grateful to him.

'I think this is the right time for the visit. If the king had come earlier that would be a bigger burden on the services. We are very grateful to him.

'I think he can make a difference.we are grateful for his contribution to inter faith relationships and the protection of Islam. He is the right person and His Majesty is listened to and people appreciate his words.

'His message has been seen here. We in the mosque have been visited by the synagogue and the churches a few times and we are very well connected together.

'We know each other by name. I have the pleasure of receiving a nice cheque from the Jewish community that was presented to me. No matter what is thrown at us we respect each other's faith.'

The Imam said he has always felt safe before but now 'in the back of my mind' worried as he walked around town.

After meeting the king he said: 'He was referring to community and how terrifying it must have been for us. How scary and terrifying it must have been for us and our mosque and our community.'

King Charles is pictured inspecting some of the floral tributes in Southport on Tuesday

The King was accompanied by members of his security team and the press

King Charles III waved as he arrived in Southport to meet local community and emergency services

His Majesty arrived earlier on Tuesday to meet with the survivors and families of the victims of the tragic attack. King Charles is pictured arriving in Southport

The crowd welcomed the monarch as he arrived, with some singing 'God Save The King'

Charles is seen surrounded by locals during his visit to Southport on Tuesday

The King also spoke to Chanaka Balasuriya, 48, and his wife, Thanuja, 47, who run a mini mart in Southport that was attacked by looters, along with neighbours Rose Tucker, 32, who runs a nail salon next door and has raised almost 15,000 times get them open again.

He described how they closed the shop early on the Tuesday as they were expecting some sort of demonstration and watched in horror on CCTV from home nearby as it was attacked, looted and almost entirely destroyed inside.

Mrs Balasuriya said: 'We had never faced something like this in our life. From our house we could see the smoke in the area put the CCTV on. It was heartbreaking to see. Our children. 12 and nearly 19, were crying when they pushed through the front door. We have built up our business from scratch. '

Miss Tucker said she felt compelled to help and she knew what it was like to set up a small business and how tough things were.

'I knew they would have to start from scratch. They tried to set it alight, all the stock was ruined. I knew the expense of it. But we also wanted to show them that's not what we are like. That's not the people of Southport. We set up a Go Fund Me and have been overwhelmed at the donations,' she said.

'It's been a bit of light in a very dark tunnel.'

Mr Balasuriya said people had come from day one to help with flowers, chocolates and food and even giving them money to help get the shop open again.

'It's been very touching,' he said.

Members of the public stopped and waved as the King's convoy drove past them in Southport

Charles took time to do a walkabout in the town centre and speak to residents, many of whom asked after his health

The King was seen laughing and in good spirits as he spoke with members of the public

Earlier this month it was revealed that the King had asked for 'daily updates' on the riots sparked by the Southport atrocity

The King asked for daily updates on the riots which broke out after the fatal attack in Southport

In the town far-right yobs set a police van on fire as more than 1,000 people gathered following false information being shared on social media

The King was also said to be engaging 'privately' around the issues that the shocking national unrest and violence had generated

A tribute to those killed in the Southport attacks was held on the same night as unrest broke out in the town

His wife said: 'We feel really blessed to be around this amazing community. We didn't know that many people knew us and that we had a shop. We have had postcards even from around the country after seeing what happened and saying what they feel. They say if they ever happen to visit Southport they will come to see us. It's very reassuring. '

Miss Tucker said the king's visit had 'brought some light'. 'It shows what happened will not be tolerated, we are different from that. It does so much for different communities. It shows he is about action not just words,' she said.

Mr Balasuriya said it has been 'an honour for us'. 'It's been a huge support,' he added.

His wife added: 'It shows he is aware of what happened. He could see we were nervous and put us at ease. It's reassuring. He knew what had happened to us. We value that he cancelled his holiday and has come here despite having cancer. It's surreal and comforting.

'He said I am sorry about what had happened. He wanted to meet us because he knew what happened to our shop.'

Many locals told him how much they appreciated his visit. 'Thank you so much for coming, it means an awful lot,' said one.

Linsey Hislop, 43, asked him about his health, to which the King replied: 'I'm not too bad.'

King Charles will meet with the grieving families of the three dead girls at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday after they were invited by Taylor Swift  who has also expressed her devastation at the tragedy  to attend her concert in the capital.

The King is then expected to return to Balmoral.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, from Banks, Lancashire, will stand trial next year after being charged with three counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder.
A suspected serial rapist who evaded authorities for over 30 years was finally snared after he was spotted living a double life on a luxury yacht.

Stephen Paul Gale, 71, was allegedly identified as the infamous 'Boston Strip Mall Rapist' through DNA testing, leading to a manhunt that saw investigators track him to a $1.5 million yacht in Los Angeles this week.

As cops swooped in to arrest him, Gale reportedly realized he was being trailed, ran from his boat to his car, and led police on a daring high-speed chase through LA for over 90 minutes before he was apprehended.

Gale was subsequently charged in connection with the kidnapping and rape of two women in Framingham, Massachusetts at gunpoint in 1989.

Investigators - who Gale has been avoiding for two years since a new DNA test matched him to the crimes - said he was known to have ties to organized crime, lived in numerous states and used a variety of aliases over the years.

Stephen Paul Gale, 71, was arrested this week under suspicion of being the infamous 'Boston Strip Mall Rapist', who raped two women at gunpoint in 1989

Gale was arrested following a police chase through Los Angeles, which ended with him being hospitalized with medical complications as she was charged in connection with the crime

The search for Gale heated up in March of this year when he was indicted on four counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping and one count of armed robbery.

When he allegedly raped two women in 1989, police say Gale posed as a customer in a Hit or Miss department store before cornering his victims with a gun.

Gale then allegedly ordered them into the back of the store in different rooms, and sexually assaulted them before fleeing, reports WCVB.

The search for the rapist responsible went cold for decades, with victims speaking out over the years demanding police re-open the investigation.

A DNA profile was created in 2001 from evidence left at the scene, however this failed to match with any DNA on law enforcement databases.

In 2022, 33 years after the attacks, the Framingham police employed a forensic lab to re-test DNA from the scene to determine a suspect profile.

Gale was identified through this method - and was evading cops for two years.

A decades-long manhunt ended with police tracking Gale down to this $1.5 million yacht in a Los Angeles marine

Gale reportedly realized cops were closing in, leading him to attempt to flee in a daring 90-minute police chase

Footage captured the moment police ended the chase by throwing a spike strip in front of Gale's vehicle's tires

Following Gale's arrest (pictured), it emerged that he was also being sought for questioning over several further violent sexual assaults in the Boston area between 1989 and 1990

However, the 71-year-old had not been seen since 2007 - leading authorities to appeal to the public for information and offer a $5,000 reward.

Gale was also identified as a possible suspect in several further violent sexual assaults in the Boston area between 1989 and 1990, KTLA reported.

According to reports, the US Marshals and the District of Nevada aided in the manhunt and received information that he was in the Los Angeles area.

He was tracked to a huge $1.5 million yacht, the largest in the bay at the time, however he reportedly became aware he was on cops' radar and knew they were closing in.

It is unclear how Gale acquired the money for the multi-million dollar vessel, although reports allege he was known to embezzle and swindle funds from people he knew.

Before cops could breach his yacht this week, Gale fled in his vehicle and led police on a chase through Los Angeles.

Footage captured the moment police threw a spike strip in front of Gale's vehicle, ending the 90-minute pursuit soon after.

He was taken into custody outside the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and images showed him being taken away on a stretcher.

Gale was taken into custody outside the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and images showed him being taken away on a stretcher

He has since missed two court dates due to medical issues, including for a separate charge related to theft and check forgery in 1996.

Following Gale's arrest, locals in the Los Angeles marina where he was allegedly evading the law on his yacht were shocked to discover he was a suspected serial predator.

'Are you kidding me,' local Don Smollet told KTLA when he was told this week.

'Well, Ive talked to him. I dont know a lot about him, but Ive talked to him many, many times. Hes been here. He remodeled that boat. He brought it here.'

Smollett added that Gale told people he was connected to the Dior fashion company, and even named his yacht after the brand.
Dramatic footage shows tourists running in terror as waterspouts struck beach resorts in southern Italy this week.

High winds and stormy seas - thought to have been caused by a waterspout - hit and sank the British-flagged Bayesian yacht on Monday as it was anchored off Sicily.

On the same day as the disaster, a huge waterspout threatened boats and people holidaying on the Italian mainland.

Video shows a vortex striking a beach in the Campania region, north of Sicily, on Monday, sending umbrellas and heavy debris flying as people flee.

A mother desperately shields her child as she runs to safety, with the whirlwind seen bearing down on the family and lifting objects high into the sky above them.

Dramatic video shows a waterspout making landfall and tearing through beach umbrellas and sunloungers on a beach in the Basilicata region

The twister hurtles towards the group of horrified beachgoers, who start to run for cover

Inflatables and other beachgoers' belongings are seen being tossed by the high winds

A mother is seen shielding her child as she runs to safety from the whirlwind

Waterspouts continued to wreak havoc yesterday, with footage of a beach in the Basilicata region, on the Ionian coastline, showing one tearing through rows of sunloungers.

Shocked beachgoers watched the blue skies suddenly turn dark as the powerful vortex whipped sand up into the air.

The freak whirlwind towered into the sky, video shows, lifting inflatables and other loose items.

The twister hurtles towards the group of horrified beachgoers, who start to run for cover.

Incredibly, the tornado's path seems to veer away from the people in the footage, and it starts to subside.

Local forecaster MeteOne pointed out how the footage shows the waterspout hitting the land and travelling a few metres across the beach before effectively 'dissolving'.

Italian weather blogger Federico Pavan shared the footage, writing on X: 'As if we didn't get enough, another waterspout made landfall today in far southeastern Basilicata striking yet another beaching facility.

He said that everyone was fine, despite the force of the twister, adding that waterspouts 'have been everywhere in Italy in the last couple of days.'

Video shows the moment a waterspout made landfall on a beach in the Basilicata region

The whirlwind can be seen swirling nearby in footage shared by beachgoers in Italy's Basilicata region

Stormy winds are seen wreaking havoc on a beach in southern Italy

The footage of the family running away from the tornado in Campania on Monday was taken in Policastro, a popular coastal region for foreign and Italian holidaymakers.

Further video from Monday shows a waterspout in the Gulf of Policastro looming over a leisure boat.

A driver in the area also shared footage, taken from her car, of the extreme weather phenomenon.

Tourists taking shelter as stormy winds begin to strengthen at a beach in Santa Marina, in the province of Salerno.

Suddenly, a huge gust propels umbrellas and deckchairs towards where they are standing, with the person filming running for cover.

Video emerged yesterday of umbrellas and chairs being strewn across a coastal resort by what witnesses described as a tornado

While locals reported severe damage to the building and its surroundings, miraculously, no one was hurt in the incident.

Storms and heavy rainfall have swept the country after weeks of scorching heat lifted the temperature of the Med to record levels, raising the risk of extreme weather conditions, experts have said.

Meteorologist Paolo Sottocorona, who is also a sailing instructor, explained the dangers of being at sea when the conditions are like this.

'The warm sea seems pleasant, but heat from a physical point of view is energy,' he said. 'The Mediterranean at this moment is a gasoline tank. If you put a match in it, that is, a current of cold air like those of these days, it explodes.'

'The warmer the sea, the stronger the tornadoes,' he went on. 'The most destructive tornadoes used to hit once every hundred years.

'Now we see one or more per year. Even meteorological models have a hard time predicting such intense events.'

Footage from the Gulf of Policastro shows a waterspout threatening a motorboat below

Sicily saw a clutch of intense weather on Sunday night into Monday morning, with the island placed under weather warnings for wind and thunderstorms.

High winds battered coastal areas, including Porticello, where Bayesian was anchored.

'I had never seen anything like it. A tornado that lasted about ten minutes, an apocalyptic scenario,' said Giuseppe D'Agostino, the mayor of Santa Flavia, a town near the city of Palermo.

In the Gulf of Brucoli in southern Sicily, locals shared pictures of a sailboat which had been wrecked on the rocks after being blown in by strong winds

British tech magnate Mike Lynch was on board his yacht, the Bayesian, when it was hit by a tornado on Monday

This picture shows the luxury superyacht called The Bayesian (left) off Porticello, Palermo, the night before it was hit by the storm

Video emerged on Monday of umbrellas and chairs being strewn across a coastal resort by what witnesses described as a tornado.

'The sea surface temperature around Sicily was around 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), which is almost three degrees more than normal,' said meteorologist Luca Mercalli.

'This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms.'

He added that while it can't be said 'that this is all due to global warming', it clearly still has an 'amplifying effect.'

CCTV footage from around 4am on Monday shows a torrent of wind and rain suddenly slamming into the town.

In the Gulf of Brucoli in southern Sicily, locals shared pictures of a sailboat which had been wrecked on the rocks after being blown in by strong winds

A towering waterspout was caught on camera off the coast of Salento, southern Italy

The high winds throw umbrellas, plant pots, tables and chairs flying within seconds of hitting, with the local restaurant who shared the footage saying: 'In a moment the hurricane took everything away!'

The owners of Baia Santa Nicolicchia said they were able to open later in the morning once the storm had passed, but added: 'We have no memory of anything like this in our area.'

Matthew Schanck, chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, a UK-based non-profit organisation that trains sea rescuers, said the Bayesian was the victim of a 'high impact' weather-related incident.

'If it was a waterspout, which it appears to be, it's what I would class as like a 'black swan' event,' he said, referring to a rare and unpredictable phenomenon.
In a haunting interview just a week before the Bayesian yacht tragedy, the American lawyer who worked tirelessly to get the 'British Bill Gates' Mike Lynch acquitted of fraud charges talked about devoting his career to the case.

Chris Morvillo, a former prosecutor and eminent attorney at Clifford Chance, spoke with lawyer and podcast host David Markus in an interview released days before a freak storm hit Lynch's yacht as they celebrated the acquittal.

Describing Lynch's fraud case, Morvillo admitted it had been 'a constant presence in my life in the last 12 years.'

Morvillo also revealed the legal sleight of hand that he employed to secure Lynch's acquittal in the 'complex' case, and how prosecutors made an apparent error that allowed him to use his decades of experience against them.

Chris Morvillo (left) spoke with attorney and podcast host David Markus just a week before his disappearance, where he delved into the Mike Lynch fraud trail that he said a significant portion of the rest of my life'

Morvillo was a leading attorney who won acquittal for British billionaire Mike Lynch earlier this year, and was on Lynch's yacht when it sank this week, leaving them both and four others missing

Following news of Morvillo's disappearance in the yacht tragedy on Monday, Markus told DailyMail.com that he had 'just gotten to know Chris, and I'm shaken and heartbroken by the news.'

'I know all of us in the criminal defense bar are thinking of him and his family right now,' Markus said. 'Chris was an amazing guy  smart, charming, engaging. This is all so awful and sad.'

Lynch was accused by California prosecutors of fraudulently inflating the value of his company, Autonomy, when it was sold to Hewlett-Packard.

In his interview with Markus, Morvillo revealed that he was initially surprised to find himself on the billionaire's legal team, and said he was hired just minutes after he inquired with his own firm about taking a role in the fraud case after seeing it in the news cycle in 2012.

'I sent a note to the head of our litigation group in England saying, 'I just saw this, is there anything that we can do to help on either side', just looking for an in,' Morvillo said.

'He wrote back about 15 minutes later saying we'd just been hired.'

Morvillo said after flying to London to meet with Lynch, the wide-ranging fraud case rapidly took over his day-to-day life at his law firm.

'I spent a significant portion of the rest of my life bouncing back and forth between London and New York,' he continued. 'It covered one-third of my career.'

Morvillo's daughters Sophie and Sabrina were due to meet up with him in Italy

Morvillo (pictured with his wife Neda in 2018, who also disappeared in the yacht tragedy) said this month that the Lynch trial had been 'a constant presence in my life in the last 12 years'

The family's palatial Connecticut home

Morvillo said the case against Lynch was particularly complicated, as it wound through the US legal system for over a decade before the trial began earlier this year.

He said prosecutors essentially brought 'two separate cases' against Lynch and his co-defendant, Stephen Chamberlain.

'The proof against Mr. Chamberlain and Mike was almost unrelated,' he said. 'So, there were really two trials going on separately.

'And that just made it to be a confusing gloop of evidence that came in, and we were never really sure which defendant it was pointed at.'

While this made the trial admittedly complex, Morvillo - a former assistant US Attorney for the Southern District of New York - said the wide-ranging nature of the case was what allowed him to secure Lynch's acquittal.

'It gave us innumerable opportunities to say to the witnesses and in front of the jury, 'This had nothing to do with Mike Lynch, you never met Mike Lynch, you never talked to Mike Lynch,'' he recalled.

'The first seven witnesses the government called... had never dealt with or spoken to Mike.'

The legal sleight of hand was one of the main ways that Morvillo said he was able to win Lynch his freedom, which resulted in the billionaire inviting his legal team, as well as his family, on his doomed yacht to Sicily this week.

Mike Lynch's huge Bayesian superyacht (pictured) overturned during a severe thunderstorm on Monday morning

It comes as Italian authorities said divers (pictured Wednesday) found the bodies of two missing passengers aboard the doomed superyacht

It comes as Italian authorities revealed Wednesday that they have found the bodies of two missing passengers aboard the sunken superyacht.

Dive teams made the tragic discovery two days after Mike Lynch's Bayesian sunk after being hit by a 'black swan' storm on Monday morning.

The body of at least one person was brought ashore shortly before 3pm local time, before being placed into a waiting ambulance in the harbor of Porticello.

The remains of the pair, whose names or sex have not yet been revealed, were reportedly found in the hull of the boat behind two mattresses, with claims that one is a 'heavily built man'.

The six guests are Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley boss Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy, and Morvillo and his jewelry designer wife Neda.
The 'one in a million' sinking of Mike Lynch's superyacht as he celebrated finally clearing his name is a 'Shakespearean sort of tragedy', his friend Brent Hoberman has said.

The search for 'Britain's Bill Gates' is continuing today after the Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily after being hit by a storm early on Monday. He was one of six missing, alongside his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.

The horrific freak incident came as the 59-year-old was enjoying a 'victory trip' to celebrate winning his US fraud trial over the 8.3billion sale of his tech firm Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard.

Mr Lynch was acquitted of all charges by a San Francisco jury in June alongside his co-defendant Stephen Chamberlain, who had both been fighting to clear their names for 12 years.

Mr Hoberman, the former CEO of lastminute.com who has known Mr Lynch for 28 years, said: 'What an ordeal. This is a Shakespearean sort of tragedy.

'Somebody who spent 12 years defending their name, they just clear their name, they are going on a trip with the team who helped them do that to celebrate and then a sort of one in a million disaster hits their boat.'

Mr Hoberman described Lynch as a 'bit of a boffin' who was 'quick-witted and smart' with an 'infectious love of technology'.

In a separate tragedy, Mr Chamberlain - the former vice president of finance at Autonomy - died after being hit by a car while out jogging in Cambridgeshire on Saturday.

Officials today confirmed the bodies of two missing passengers had been found. The body of at least one person was brought ashore shortly before 3pm local time, before being placed into a waiting ambulance in the harbour of Porticello.

The remains of the pair, whose names or sex have not yet been revealed, were reportedly found in the hull of the boat behind two mattresses, with claims that one is a 'heavily built man'.

The 'one in a million' sinking of Mike Lynch's superyacht as he celebrated finally clearing his name is a 'Shakespearean sort of tragedy', his friend Brent Hoberman (pictured) has said

Mr Hoberman described Lynch (pictured) as a 'bit of a boffin' who was 'quick-witted and smart' with an 'infectious love of technology'.

An undated handout photo issued by costanostrayachtsupply.com of the doomed yacht Bayesian

The captain of doomed superyacht James Cutfield is a 'well respected' seafarer who has worked on boats since he was a teenager and was previously employed by a Turkish billionaire.

Mr Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealander, was in charge of the Bayesian when it capsized and sank off the coast of Sicily during a storm.

He spoke for the first time about the tragedy from his hospital bed in Palermo, telling an Italian newspaper: 'We didn't see it coming.'

Officials are today investigating whether hatches left open by crew caused the boat to sink in a matter of minutes.

The captain's brother, Mark Cutfield, said he was a 'very good sailor' and was 'very well respected' in the Mediterranean. He told the NZ Herald that James is currently in hospital but is 'okay' and does not have injuries that are 'too dramatic'.

A former competitive sailor, James married his wife last year in Palma, Mallorca. He has eight years' experience captaining luxury yachts and has worked in the industry for three decades.

The body of the ship's cook, Recaldo Thomas, was found the same day the yacht sank.

Six guests, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah have been missing since the yacht sank, with specialist divers desperately trying to access the boat amid hope survivors could be alive in air pockets inside the vessel.

Also unaccounted for since disaster struck is Morgan Stanley boss Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy and American citizens Chris Morvillo and his jewellery designer wife Neda Morvillo.

An engineer had claimed the missing passengers could still be alive in air pockets 164ft below the surface, meaning divers - who can only remain underwater for ten minutes per dive due to the depth of the wreck - are competing in a race against time.

Their operation has been hampered by difficulty getting into the ship with divers forced to smash their way through a 3cm-thick porthole to gain access to one area and other parts of the wrecked vessel blocked by furniture.

One expert at the scene said an early focus of the official investigation into the tragedy, launched by prosecutors in nearby Termini Imerese, would be on whether the yacht's crew had closed access hatches into the vessel before the storm struck.

Investigators would look at whether appropriate measures had been taken, given the forecasts for bad weather overnight, and if any of the crew members are criminally liable.

Rescue workers look at the plans of the the Bayesian as they organise a search operation for six people who are still missing after the superyacht sank

Search workers head out to the scene of the sinking of the Bayesian this morning as the operation to find those still missing enters its third day

Mike Lynch on his Suffolk farm in 2021 when he was fighting extradition to the USA

Mr Lynch (second left) is seen in the early days of his techology firm Autonomy in Cambridge

Tech tycoon and married father-of-two Mr Lynch is pictured here with his wife Angela, who survived the tragedy

Tech entrepreneur Lynch with his renovated mill, at his Suffolk farm

The tech tycoon, once described as 'Britain's Bill Gates ', had just told of his 'second life'

Mr Lynch in his younger years before he became one of Britain's most high profile entrepreneurs

Mr Lynch responded to his acquittal by revealing he had feared dying in prison if found guilty

Mike Lynch's Suffolk home, where he keeps rare breeds of cattle and pigs

Mr Lynch, a father of two, had spoken of his 'indescribable' relief at being acquitted and joy at returning to Britain, and texted one friend saying it was 'so wonderful to be home'. He has also spoken at his delight at being able to spend time with his two daughters, 21 and 18, and their six dogs.

Speaking in his first newspaper interview, he told The Times: 'I'd had to say goodbye to everything and everyone, because I didn't know if I'd ever be coming back.'

Mr Lynch responded to his acquittal by revealing he had feared dying in prison if found guilty - saying that medical issues meant he felt it would have been 'difficult to survive' time behind bars.

He added: 'If this had gone the wrong way, it would have been the end of my life as I have known it in any sense.

'It's bizarre, but now you have a second life - the question is, what do you want to do with it?'

A member of staff who worked at Mr Lynch's Chelsea home said the businessman 'clearly had a lot of pride' in his yacht, the Bayesian.

'He had a miniature model of it and photos of it on the water in the hallway of his Chelsea home,' they said. 'When I asked him about he told me about it's size and how much his family loved spending time on it.'

Born in Ilford, Essex, as the son of an Irish fireman and a nurse, Mr Lynch won a scholarship to Bancroft's School, a private day school in northeast London, and later read natural sciences at Cambridge.

At university he developed his fascination with technology, completing a doctorate and holding a research fellowship in adaptive pattern recognition.

In 1991, he set up Cambridge Neurodynamics, which specialised in computer-based finger print recognition for the police.

Five years later he founded data analysis company Autonomy, which became one of Britain's most successful start-ups.

His rise to fame and fortune had been celebrated as a major and pioneering British success story and the married father of two daughters was awarded an OBE in 2006 for services to enterprise.

That same year, he was appointed to the board of the BBC - and was later elected to then-prime minister David Cameron's council for science and technology in 2011.

He advised Mr Cameron on subjects including 'the opportunities and risks of the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and the government's role in the regulation of these technologies'.

Mr Lynch at Autonomy's headquarters at Cambridge Business Park in 2000

The executive - pictured in London in 2014 - became one of Britain's best known technology entrepreneurs

Mr Lynch pictured leaving the Rolls Building in London in 2011

The Bayesian superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily this morning

Billionaire tech tycoon Mike Lynch earlier this month told BBC Radio 4's Today programme at his 'indescribable' relief after being acquitted of fraud charges he faced in the US

Yet in March this year he found himself in a San Francisco courtroom to defend himself against fraud and conspiracy charges - and ultimately won his freedom.

The 59-year-old tycoon had spent much of the previous year living under house arrest with an electronic tag attached to his ankle.

Fighting his corner was a legal team led by Reid Weingarten, described as one of the US legal system's most successful white-collar defenders.

Mr Lynch had potentially faced up to 20 years in a US prison if found guilty of 16 counts of conspiracy, and securities and wire fraud, which he denied.

The charges related to a business deal that was hailed at the time as his crowning glory  the 8.6billion sale of his software and data company Autonomy to US computer giant Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

Mr Lynch personally made more than 500million from the deal, only for HP to later wrote down three-quarters of the value of Autonomy only a year after buying it.

The US company fired Mr Lynch while accusing accusing him and other executives of having grossly inflated its size and profits during the sale.

He had previously lost a 2019 civil fraud case based on similar allegations that HP  now Hewlett Packard Enterprises (HPE)  brought in the UK, with London's High Court ruling in 2020 that HPE had 'substantially won' its case.

His separate three-year battle to avoid being extradited to face criminal charges culminated in Lynch going to the High Court to argue that American prosecutors were guilty of legal overreach which threatened UK sovereignty and its citizens.

His plea was rejected and in May last year he was flown to California, accompanied by the U.S. Marshals Service, still protesting his innocence.

And on June 6 this year he was acquitted of fraud by a jury in San Francisco, while former Autonomy finance executive Stephen Chamberlain, who faced the same charges, was also acquitted on all counts.

Earlier this month he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that being rich had helped him secure his acquittal, saying: 'You shouldn't need to have funds to protect yourself as a British citizen.

'The reason I'm sitting here, let's be honest, is not only because I was innocent but because I had enough money not to be swept away by a process that's set up to sweep you away.'
A New Zealand expat who recently moved to Australia has voiced her frustrations about the soaring cost of living compared to back home.

Apprentice plumber Gabby, 24, is fed up with frequently forking out for travelling on toll roads but says they're the least of her worries with other weekly expenses enough to give her a 'heart attack'.

Gabby revealed she pays $500 per week for 'half of a flat' in Sydney after moving across the Tasman on the belief she would be paid more.

'I get paid less than what I did New Zealand, when you calculate up the conversion rates,' she told her TikTok followers.

The Kiwi stared racking up expensive bills on road tolls the moment she gave authorities her address.

'You get mail every, every, every f***ing day, and it's always being told that I owe money,' she said.

A recent letter stated that she owed $9.25 in toll fees on top of a $20 processing fee.

'$29 because I went in a tunnel. What do you want from me?' Gabby raged.

Kiwi expat Gabby (pictured), has vented her frustrations about the cost of living crisis in Australia compared to New Zealand

'Someone please book me a flight back to New Zealand because I'm done.'

Gabby also vented about the cost of insurance and registration of her vehicle after she received a bill for almost $800.

'This has bloody come in the mail, compulsory third party, personal injury insurance (or) green slip certificate,' she fumed.

'Your due date (for) $742.80 (is) on the 25th of August, that's in like, what, two weeks?

'Why do I owe you $800 for f***ing nothing?'

She told viewers that she wasn't going to be paying the compulsory third party insurance because she doesn't 'have (the money) anyway'.

'It's just crook. It's crook. It's dumb,' she concluded, calling it 'daylight robbery'

Fellow Kiwis agreed that living costs in Australia are insane compared to their homeland.

'I wanted to move to Aussie, now I am having a second thought that I should just stay here in NZ,' one wrote.

A second added: 'Bro your making me nervous to leave NZ now,' a second wrote.

An Aussie agreed that tolls were a 'nightmare'.

'I currently have $1k in super because my tag wasn't working for a few months unknowingly,' the woman commented.

Another added: 'Welcome to Australia. It costs to breathe'.

The Kiwi fumed about the cost of tolls (stock image) exceeding $29 after being sent to her through the mail while she pays $500 a week on her half of a flat

Kiwis are the fourth largest migrant community in Australia, according to Department of Home Affairs data.

About 586,020 Kiwis are living in Australia, a population that has risen by just 2.9 per cent more in the last decade.

Many are lured by job opportunities, higher wages and the warm weather.

Manager of population indicators for Stats NZ, Tehseen Islam, also revealed that many more Kiwis were crossing the ditch than Aussies, 1News reports.

In 2023, about 44,500 New Zealanders left for Australia while about 17,500 Aussies came back in return.

Mr Islam also found that people with New Zealand passports made up 84 per cent of departures to Australia and about 61 per cent of people arriving from Australia.
The richest politician in US office risked backlash last night when he awkwardly boasted about being a billionaire right after Bernie Sanders ranted against the ultra-wealthy at the Democratic National Convention.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was taking a jab at Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump who has been accused by lawmakers of exaggerating his net worth.

He taunted Trump during night two of the DNC in Chicago, telling the crowd: 'Donald Trump thinks we should trust him on the economy because he claims to be very rich.

'Take it from an actual billionaire, Trump is rich in only one thing: stupidity.'

The crowd erupted in cheers of support for the remarks, despite having listened to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders rail against ultra-wealthy Americans moments prior.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker took to the stage during night two of the Democratic National Convention in Chigaco

Governor Pritzker's net worth is $3.5billion, while Trump' wealth amounts to around $4.4billion, according to estimates by Forbes.

But Trump has been burdened by accusations of inflating his personal finances in years. In 2023 court filings from New York Attorney General Letitia James, the former president was accused of regularly exaggerating his net worth - sometimes by more than $2billion.

James said Trump claimed he held $6.7 billion in assets in 2014, but she said that overstated his actual net worth that year by more than $2.2 billion.

Meanwhile Gov. Pritzker's family owns the Hyatt hotel chain. Before running for Governor's office in 2018, he ran a private equity firm alongside his brother, Anthony.

'I meet with business leaders all the time and there's one universal thing they all need: people,' Gov. Pritzker said.

'They need more workers to fill all the jobs they have, but the anti-freedom, anti-family policies of MAGA Republicans are driving workers away.'

The crowd erupted in cheers of support for the remarks, despite having listened to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders rail against ultra-wealthy Americans moments prior

Gov. Pritzker told the crowd Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, would be a pair of safe hands running the nation. He said Americans could experience 'serenity' if Harris wins the November election.

'A serenity that comes with a balanced checkbook, an affordable grocery bill, and a housing market that has room for everyone,' he said.

The speech faced a mixed public response, with some voters criticizing him for 'bragging' about his wealth during a time of such economic turmoil.

'Did you just brag about being a billionaire in this economy?' one critic asked on X.

'Is this supposed to be a flex?' another asked.

'Not a good look, might have sounded good in his head but wasn't in reality.'

Others celebrated his 'inspiring speech', saying he 'dismantled Donald Trump' in front of the crowd.

'I hope the rest of the country is getting a taste of why we in Illinois like Governor JB Pritzker tonight,' one voter said.

'JB Pritzker is the people's billionaire and you WILL show him some respect,' another said.

The timing of the speech will no doubt raise eyebrows as it came directly after Sen. Sanders' impassioned rant against the super-rich.

'Too many of our fellow Americans are struggling everyday to just get by,' Sanders said.

'To put food on the table to pay the rent and to get the healthcare they need.

'My fellow Americans, when 60% of us live paycheck to paycheck the top 1% have never ever had it so good.

'Brothers and sisters, bottom line we need an economy that works for all of us not just the billionaire class.'
Private school heads are issuing a joint plea for Chancellor Rachel Reeves to delay putting VAT on their fees in January.

As part of revenue-raising measures, Labour is pushing ahead with its controversial manifesto promise to end tax breaks for private schools.

This will see VAT will be charged on private school fees from January, following a consultation on the policy.

But school leaders are warning that imposing a 20 per cent hike on fees in the middle of the academic year will wreak havoc.

In a letter to the Treasury, seen by The Times, headteachers, chairs of governors and bursars from about 50 schools are urging Labour to rethink the move.

They say the action risks a 'bow wave' of private school pupils surging into the state sector halfway through the school year.

The letter also slams the Government for running a consultation that overlaps with the school summer holidays.

Private school heads are issuing a joint plea for Chancellor Rachel Reeves to delay putting VAT on their fees in January

As part of revenue-raising measures, Labour is pushing ahead with its controversial manifesto promise to end tax breaks for private schools.

The letter was written by Jamie Harle, the bursar of St Piran's School in Berkshire.

It is being supported by representatives of about a dozen schools including LVS Ascot, Mount Kelly in Devon, Luckley House in Wokingham, Ewell Castle School, St Hugh's School in Woodhall Spa and Stafford Grammar School.

Mr Harle told the newspaper: 'The Government's half-hearted attempt at a consultation, most of which runs over school holidays, pays lip service to wanting to consider the full consequences of ambushing state schools with a mid-academic year move of pupils into the state sector that has not been planned or even forecast for.

'The plan is clearly already drawn up, with very little consideration of the full consequences on overwhelmed local authorities and saturated state schools.

'At a time when state school places are already under huge pressure, the influx of significant numbers of new pupils in the middle of an academic year needs full consideration, as does additional provision needed to cater for new pupils joining.

'The rush to bring forward a monumental policy shift, to charge VAT on private education in the UK, must not be thrown at the entire education sector in the middle of an academic year when pupil numbers have already been set and teachers resourced on those forecasts.'

The letter, which was being sent to the Treasury today, warns Labour's policy will affect not only the 7 per cent of pupils at private schools.

It says 'the implications would be felt far wider and this is about the clear bow wave that is heading to the state sector'.

Giving children a fair and equal chance will not be helped by 'saturating state schools in the middle of an academic year in January any more than were you to add VAT to private medical bills or dental care and overwhelm the already saturated NHS', it adds.

The group of school leaders want the Government's consultation, due to end on September 15, to run until October 25.

A Government spokesman said: 'We want to ensure all children have the best chance in life to succeed.

'Ending tax breaks on private schools will help to raise the revenue needed to fund our education priorities for next year, such as recruiting 6,500 new teachers.

'The consultation provides six weeks for a response and needs to close on September 15 to provide enough time to analyse, consider and advise on responses effectively.'
Conservative commentator Matt Walsh raised eyebrows at the Democratic National Convention after crashing the event in a 'white dudes for Kamala Harris' disguise.

Walsh sparked backlash from Democrats after he was spotted in his woke liberal disguise - mocking them with a ponytail-wig and 'Kamala Harris for president' hat, as he wandered around the United Center in Chicago on Tuesday.

In one scene shared widely across social media, Walsh ambled into the background as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was interviewed by CNN's Kaitlan Collins.

After Walsh was seen being escorted out as he attempted to gatecrash the interview, liberal viewers shared their outrage at Walsh's mocking of their convention.

One commented: 'Why is (Matt Walsh) walking around the DNC in disguise? Straight up weirdo behavior.'

Conservative commentator Matt Walsh crashed the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday as he was spotted wearing a 'white dudes for Kamala Harris' disguise

The conservative commentator ambled into the background of an interview with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, before he was escorted away

Walsh's undercover look appears to be a part of his upcoming political satire film 'Am I Racist?', where the pundit antagonizes an anti-racism workshop in one scene.

After being recognized from his previous film, 'What Is A Woman?', Walsh decided to adopt the same look as someone he interviewed in that flick for his upcoming movie.

Mimicking University of Tennessee gender expert Patrick Grzanka, he kept his thick beard but sported a man-bun to poke fun at long-haired liberals.

While the disguise may have helped him for the rest of the upcoming film - including role-playing a bumbling rookie diversity consultant who spouts racial justice buzzwords - his efforts at the DNC were less than covert.

He was quickly recognized by fans and critics, with some true-Democrats taking issue with his mocking of their adoration of Kamala Harris.

Alongside his ponytail and red Harris cap, Walsh also plastered his blazer with stickers of the Democratic nominee's platform, including 'Freedom from gun violence' and 'Vote to fix the court.'

Alongside his ponytail and red Harris cap, Walsh also plastered his blazer with stickers of the Democratic nominee's platform, including 'Freedom from gun violence' and 'Vote to fix the court'

While fans of Walsh felt his efforts were 'hilarious', his appearance at the DNC was far from welcome by Kamala Harris supporters as they urged attendees not to feed him content for his new documentary.

'(Matt Walsh) is at the DNC posing as a delegate. DO NOT TALK TO HIM,' one critic said on X.

'Call him out! Tell security if you can... spread the word!!! #hatemonger #fake #loser'

Another shared images of Walsh as they branded him 'weird' and 'a creep.'

While not everyone appeared to understand Walsh's gimmick, others quickly recognized his ponytail look as part of his new anti-woke documentary.

One viewer joked that he is a 'man on a mission to understand his internalized racism - where better to do so than at the DNC?'

In his upcoming film, Matt Walsh was too easy to recognize with his trademark plaid shirt, beard, and quiff - so he opted for a long-haired liberal look

In one scene, Walsh in his alter-ego delivers a workshop that introduces attendees to 'healing pain'

Walsh gave DailyMail.com an exclusive look at his new documentary this month, and shared a clip showing the moment he realized he had to go undercover for some scenes.

He'd snuck himself into a support group called 'Grieving White Privilege, Ant-racist Allyship Training', pretending to be named Steven.

But he made the mistake of sporting his trademark attire  a plaid shirt, with thick beard and quiff.

In the session, an attendee realized they had one of America's leading right-wing voices in their midst, which quickly turned the atmosphere sour.

'I want to know that my physical safety and yours and everybody else's here is okay,' said a woman attendee, her voice trembling.

Breeshia Wade, the black woman leading the group of white attendees, urged Walsh to leave - before other members threatened to call the police.

In an email to The Mail, Walsh poked fun at the incident as he quipped: 'I wanted to confront my whiteness, and they called the cops on me... that doesn't seem like a safe space to me.'
Donald Trump holds his first open-air rally on Wednesday since being shot, but will deliver his speech from behind bullet-proof glass.

Shipping containers were stacked two high around the perimeter of the site at the North Carolina Aviation Museum in Asheboro, obscuring the line of sight to the podium where the former president will address supporters.

He is making his third appearance of the week as he seeks to draw the spotlight away from the Democratic Party's convention in Chicago and restart a campaign that has stuttered ever since Joe Biden dropped out of the race to be replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump is expected to hit Harris and lay out his national security plans for a second term.

'Since weak, failed, and dangerously liberal Kamala Harris took office America has become a global laughingstock,' the Trump campaign said.

Donald Trump holds his first open-air rally on Wednesday since being shot, but will deliver his speech from behind bullet-proof glass

'From our wide-open border to the botched Afghanistan withdrawal to the Hamas-Israeli war to enabling the Iranian terrorist regime, this administrations weakness on the world stage has put Americas national security in jeopardy and brought us to the brink of World War III.'

But the location is as important as his words as Trump seeks to show that a would-be assassin cannot put an end to his trademark outdoor rallies.

There are some concessions to the shooting barely five weeks ago, when he came within an inch of death.

A three-inch thick panel of ballistic glass was installed in front of the lectern. Another three panels protect his rear side.

And the podium and seating are carefully located between hangar buildings and stacks of shipping containers, to screen off the rally site.

Supporters, some of whom slept in the cars, began bagging seats in the open air soon after 10am when the gates opened.

A three-inch thick panel of ballistic glass was installed in front of the lectern. Another three panels protect his rear side

The podium and seating are carefully located between hangar buildings and stacks of shipping containers, to screen off the rally site

The location of Trump's rally today is as important as his words as Trump seeks to show that a would-be assassin cannot put an end to his trademark outdoor rallies

The screen of bulletproof glass goes up around the stage ahead of Trump's first rally

An American flag will hang over the stage in North Carolina in a very similar setup seen in the iconic images from Butler

Martha Agnew, 61, in a silver cowboy hat and 'women for Trump' badge, said she had no qualms about taking a front-row seat at her 37th rally.

'I'm very spiritual, so I think divine protection, common sense and what you see here ...,' she said, pointing at the panels of bullet-proof glass, 'so absolutely I feel very safe.'

She said it was important to be at the rally.

'It's about showing up and standing up,' he said.

After Asheboro, Trump heads on to Arizona for an event on the border and on Friday he is in Nevada, to highlight his 'no tax on tips' plan

Trump is spending the week crisscrossing battleground states, rolling out his policy platform.

On Monday, he was in Pennsylvania where he talked about the economy.

On Tuesday, it was Michigan and law and order.

After Asheboro, Trump heads on to Arizona for an event on the border and on Friday he is in Nevada, to highlight his 'no tax on tips' plan.

However, he has seen his lead in the polls all but wiped out by Harris' momentum since taking on the Democratic nomination.
A single mother has copped thousands of dollars worth of traffic fines despite having neither a valid licence or a car.

Tamara Oliver, 32, claims that she has received 16 different infringement notices this year alone in relation to 14 different licence plate numbers, none of which are hers as she does not own a vehicle.

Her most recent driver's licence expired three years ago.

Several alleged offences captured on road safety cameras show bearded men behind the wheel.

The ongoing saga has brought the Melbourne mum to breaking point, amid fears her identity has been stolen after getting caught up in the Optus mass data breach two years ago.

'It's just hard and (on) my mental health it is taking its toll,' Ms Oliver told A Current Affair while fighting back tears.

'I am not the driver. I don't drive a vehicle, I don't even have a licence. I have no idea what to think actually because it is unexplainable.

'It doesn't make any sense and it shouldn't make any sense in anyone's eyes. It doesn't add up and it's clearly fraudulent.'

The ongoing ordeal has brought single mum Tamara Oliver (pictured) tp breaking point

While most of the fines dating back to 2022, are from Victoria, three were in NSW, including Sydney, a city Tamara insists she has never been.

'It needs to be investigated,' she said.

Some fines were sent to Ms Oliver's mother Sharon, who lives on the Victoria/NSW border.

'To see my daughter, she has pulled herself together all these years, and now this has happened and it has taken it's toll,' Sharon told the program.

Ms Oliver was able to track down photos captured by road safety cameras of four alleged offences.

They all clearly show men behind the wheel, including two with beards.

'Clearly, I don't have a beard. The person in the picture is a male. Anyone with eyes can see it's not me,' Ms Oliver said.

A possible explanation for the mistaken fines is that Ms Oliver was among 10million Aussies whose personal identity, including her old driver's licence, was stolen by hackers during the Optus mass data breach.

An image captured by a roadside camera of an alleged male offender for one of the fines Tamara received

Melbourne lawyer Justin Lawrence said it could be those receiving the fines have filled out a form nominating another person as the driver and used Ms Oliver's details.

These statements only require the nominated driver's name, address, date of birth and licence number.

Mr Lawrence said the process was open to abuse.

'At the very least, you should have the person who is nominated actually sign the form to acknowledge they've been nominated,' he said.

Mr Lawrence said Mr Oliver's starting point is not pay the fines and instead request authorities to prove that she was the alleged offender.

'There is a system glitch there somewhere and she's entitled to challenge those fines,' he said.

'The system relies on the information that it has. If the information is inaccurate, then the system can't work.'

Ms Oliver has made a formal complaint to Victoria Police in a desperate bid to clear her name.

Several offences captured by road cameras show men behind the wheel

'Victoria Police will now work with Fines Victoria to investigate the circumstances around these incidents and resolve these matters,' a statement read.

'Members of the public who believe they have been falsely nominated for a traffic infringement should contact Fines Victoria.'

Fines Victoria says it was assisting Ms Oliver with her matter and urged motorists who believe they have incorrectly received an infringement to submit a nomination form to the agency that issued the fine and provide supporting evidence.

Optus again apologised for the 2022 mass data breach.

'Optus deeply regrets the cyberattack occurred. Customers expect their information to remain safe and this did not happen,' the telco told the program.
Bears, bongos, giraffes, aardvarks and owls all stepped onto the scales today as Whipsnade Zoo embarked on its annual weigh-in day.

The weigh-in day is a vital part of animal's expert care, with all creatures having their measurements recorded to ensure zookeepers can track their health and wellbeing.

Photographs taken today showed zookeeper's Olly Bosher, Adam Davidson, Helen Rawson and Anna Brink carrying out the checks.

All of the data will be collected and placed in a shared database called the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS).

This enables zookeepers and veterinarians around the world to compare important information on thousands of threatened species.

Zookeeper Anna Brink poses for photographs with a Red Hornbill during the annual weigh-in

Zookeeper Olly Bosher poses for photographs with an aardvark during the annual weigh-in

Burrowing owl named Ettie is weighed by keeper Anna Brink

Reticulated giraffes are measured at the annual weigh in at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire

A brown bear gets measure during the annual weigh-in today

It comes as London Zoo carried out their weigh-in day on Monday, with lions, camels, penguins and meerkats all taking part.

Staff strategically place food next to the scales to distract the animals while they record their measurements.

It has been a busy few days for the zoo, as the event came just hours after a Banksy artwork painted there had to be removed for safekeeping.

The piece, which shows a gorilla lifting up a shutter and allowing a number of birds and a seal to escape, has been replaced with a replica.

A nearby sign reads 'Banksy woz ere' and offers an apology to any disappointed fans of the street artist.

The painting on the entrance to the zoo was the ninth and final work in a series of images of animals created across the capital.

A bongo named Pembe is weighed by keepers Adam Davidson and Helen Rawson at the annual weigh in at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo

Zookeeper Olly Bosher poses for photographs with an aardvark

Zookeepers Adam Davidson and Helen Rawson stands with a bongo during the weigh-in

Staff strategically place food next to the scales to distract the animals while they record their measurements

Angela Ryan, head of zoological operations at London Zoo, said the weigh-in, which began on Monday and can take up to a week, will form an important part of gathering data to help protect animals in the wild.

Although the zoo houses more than 14,000 animals, Ms Ryan said the keepers will only have time to measure and log the weight of around 400 creatures.

She said: 'Today is the annual weigh-in so it's a day or a week long, really, where we're going to weigh all our animals and make sure we've got it recorded on a database.

'It's a database called Zims... and that's something that all zoos around the world use.

'We can then share our data, we can check that our animals are all in the same kind of bracket, with their weights healthy, but also something that we can share with conservationists in the field, which is really important to us.

'The research that we can do here on our animals is then used to help protect them in the wild.'
Global South solidarity urged

08:05, August 21, 2024 By Xu Wei and Cui Jia ( China Daily

President Xi Jinping has a group photo taken on Aug 20, 2024, with participants attending events in Beijing for the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the National People's Congress joining the Inter-Parliamentary Union. (FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY)

President Xi Jinping has underlined solidarity and cooperation with developing nations as "the unshakeable bedrock of China's foreign policy", and called for joint efforts to build a world of peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation, and shared prosperity.

Addressing parliamentary leaders from various countries on Tuesday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xi stressed China's readiness to work with all nations, particularly the developing countries, to serve as a stabilizing force for peace, a pillar for open development, a contributor to global governance and a promoter of civilizational exchanges.

The parliamentary leaders gathered in Beijing to attend events commemorating the 40th anniversary of the affiliation of the National People's Congress  China's top legislature  to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a global organization of parliaments dedicated to promoting democratic governance, institutions, and values.

The leaders included Tanzanian National Assembly Speaker Tulia Ackson, Namibian National Assembly Speaker Peter Katjavivi, and Surinamese National Assembly Speaker Marinus Bee.

"Although we come from different continents separated by vast oceans, we are all members of the Global South. Despite the differences in our national conditions and circumstances, we are like-minded brothers and close partners," Xi said.

Legislative bodies are responsible for and capable of helping to promote equal and trusting interstate relations, expand mutually beneficial development cooperation, and drive just and reasonable global governance, he said.

Xi emphasized China's unwavering commitment to high-level opening-up and its determination to inject fresh momentum into global economic development. He expressed China's willingness for deeper exchanges and cooperation with the legislative bodies of other nations, particularly in exploring modernization paths suited to their own national contexts.

The president pledged China's continued support for the NPC in strengthening exchanges and cooperation with the IPU, including steps to enhance the exchange of legislative and governance experiences and build up capacities to fulfill responsibilities on the basis of mutual respect for each other's chosen development paths and systems of governance.

The parliamentary leaders expressed their deep appreciation for China's consistent efforts to promote unity, trust, friendship, and cooperation among the world's parliaments.

They acknowledged China's significant contributions to the IPU's development and the realization of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Adrien Duval, speaker of the Mauritius National Assembly, said the events have provided a crucial platform for discussions on modernizing the respective parliaments for the good of the nations and their people.

"We each have our own respective models of parliament, of democracy. But one thing we have in common is that we can really drive facilitation of access to people, for them to really come to understand and come to take part in governance and in the democratic process," Duval said.

Ahmed Nihan Hussain Manik, bureau chief of the Parliament of the Maldives, said China has been playing a huge role as a member of the IPU for the last 40 years and in the global economy and global affairs.

"It's important too for the world to learn more about China's political system," he said.

He added that China is a "great example" of how a socialist country is "able to assist the rest of the world without disturbing others' peace of mind".

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
Cambodia encourages businesspeople to partake in 21st China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning

Xinhua) 13:04, August 21, 2024

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has encouraged businesspeople, entrepreneurs, investors and service providers to join the 21st China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO), scheduled for Sept. 24-28 in Nanning, capital city of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said a Ministry of Commerce's announcement on Wednesday.

"The CAEXPO is a significant platform for trade and investment exchanges between ASEAN member states and China," the announcement said.

"To promote business and investment activities between Cambodia and China, the Ministry of Commerce, as a co-organizer, would like to invite all Cambodian businessmen, entrepreneurs, investors, and service providers, who wish to apply as Trade Visitors, to submit their applications by Aug. 31, 2024 at the latest," it said.

The participants will be eligible for designated hotel coupons, complimentary dining vouchers at the exhibition venue, and shuttle bus services between the hotel and the CAEXPO venue, the announcement said.

They will be able to join business-to-business matching services, talking with their potential partners in the areas of food processing and packaging equipment, digital technology and agricultural products, and new energy-powered electronic products, it said, adding that they will also be eligible for study trips to industrial parks and enterprises in Guangxi.

Kin Phea, director-general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia, an arm of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said China-ASEAN relations have seen significant developments in recent years, particularly in economic cooperation, regional security, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchange.

"Economic cooperation has been a central pillar for China-ASEAN relations, as both sides have become each other's largest trading partners for several consecutive years," he told Xinhua.

"China and ASEAN have promoted high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, focusing on infrastructure development, digital economy, green technologies, and resilient supply chains," he added.

ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Netanyahu reportedly insisted that Israel would keep troops in key location

Ongoing talks aimed at achieving a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war appear to be hanging by a thread after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken left the region without securing any peace deal.

The diplomat last week embarked on his ninth trip to the region since October 7 but left despondent last night after urging Hamas to urgently accept a US-backed proposal, while also entering into a public spat with Israel over its future presence in the Gaza Strip.

Washington's negotiators, working with mediators from Qatar and Egypt, had presented a proposal that Hamas and Israel had earlier deemed suitable, with representatives of the Palestinian group expected to return to talks this week in Cairo.

But a day after Blinken said US ally Israel was on board, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that Israel maintain a military presence in the Philadelphi Corridor, the border between Gaza and Egypt that Israeli forces seized from Hamas, whom Israel says relies on secret tunnels to bring in weapons.

Blinken said Israel had already agreed on the 'schedule and location' of troop withdrawals from Gaza, with Netanyahu seen as having reneged on the deal.

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on a hotel, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Gaza City, August 20, 2024

A man looks at the debris after an Israeli strike on a school, housing displaced Palestinians, in the Rimal neighbourhood of central Gaza City on August 20, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) in Jerusalem on August 19, 2024

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to reporters on the tarmac in Doha on August 20, 2024

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves ahead of his departure from Doha on August 20, 2024

Families of hostages who were kidnaped by Hamas on Oct 7 deadly attack and supporters hold signs and US flags during a demonstration outside a press event by US secretary of state Antony Blinken on August 19, 2024 in Tel Aviv

Tents are crammed together as displaced Palestinians camp on the beach, west of Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024

Since the conflict began, it was made 'very clear that the United States does not accept any long-term occupation of Gaza by Israel', Blinken said when asked about Netanyahu's remarks.

A senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy, called Netanyahu's 'maximalist statements' unhelpful for reaching a truce.

'Time is of the essence,' Blinken said after stops in key Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt as well as Israel on his ninth tour of the region aiming to halt the more than 10-month war.

'With every passing day, more bad things can happen to more good people who don't deserve it,' he said before flying out of Doha today.

'This needs to get done, and it needs to get done in the days ahead, and we will do everything possible to get it across the finish line,' he concluded, calling for 'maximum flexibility' from both Israel and Hamas.

Blinken has sought to entice Netanyahu to compromise by offering Israel the prospect of greater normalisation with the Arab world, including Saudi Arabia, guardian of Islam's two holiest sites.

But Egypt, the first Arab nation to make peace with Israel, has been infuriated by Israeli's takeover of the Philadelphi Corridor and is unlikely to condone a long-term military presence there.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, meeting Blinken in El Alamein earlier this week, told him 'the time has come to end the ongoing war,' a statement said.

Blinken then travelled to Doha to meet with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani before heading stateside, but a US official said the Qatari ruler was feeling unwell and they would speak by phone.

This handout picture released by the Israeli army on August 21, 2024 reportedly shows the Deputy Chief of the General Staff Major-General Amir Baram (C) during the previous day taking part in operations with the 98th Division in the Gaza Strip

A Palestinian man inspects the damage as water reservoirs belonging to the Coastal Municipalities Water Authority are out of service due to Israeli attacks in Khan Yunis, Gaza on August 14, 2024

A Palestinian man inspects the damage as water reservoirs belonging to the Coastal Municipalities Water Authority are out of service due to Israeli attacks in Khan Yunis, Gaza on August 14, 2024

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gestures in Tel Aviv as he departs for Egypt on August 20, 2024

Hamas on October 7 carried out the deadliest-ever attack on Israel, which has responded with a relentless offensive.

The Palestinian Islamist group said it was 'keen to reach a ceasefire' but protested 'new conditions' from Israel in the latest US proposal.

Meanwhile, Israeli air strikes across Gaza have proceeded around the clock.

The Israeli military said it struck about 30 targets throughout Gaza overnight and that troops 'eliminated dozens' of militants.

Further escalating tensions, an Israeli strike in Lebanon's southern city of Sidon killed a Fatah official, a senior member of the Palestinian group and a security source said.

The killing of Khalil Makdah marked the first such attack reported on Fatah, a rival to Hamas, since the Gaza war broke out, and it could further complicate ceasefire talks.

Lebanon's health ministry said earlier Israeli strikes in the country's east killed one person and wounded 20, hours after four were killed in the south.

Cross-border skirmishes have taken place almost daily between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah, but fears of a greater crisis soared when Hamas's political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed on a visit to Tehran on July 31.

Iran has vowed retaliation, blaming Israel for the assassination, but has held off so far, with the United States sending additional forces and warning a wider war could destroy prospects for a Gaza ceasefire.

Elsewhere in the region, a merchant vessel was struck by three projectiles off Yemen after exchanging fire with two boats, British maritime security agency UKMTO said.

There was no immediate claim for the attack, but it comes as Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement keeps up a campaign against international shipping that it says is in support of Gaza.

Palestinian civilians and civil defense teams conduct search and rescue operation after Israeli airstrike hit Mustafa Hafez school, where displaced Palestinians take shelter in the Er-Rimal neighborhood, in Gaza Strip on August 20, 2024

Palestinian students, gathered on the ruins of a house, use their mobile phones to study online due to the destruction and closure of schools and universities, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip August 20, 2024

Palestinian civilians and civil defense teams conduct search and rescue operation after Israeli airstrike hit Mustafa Hafez school, where displaced Palestinians take shelter in the Er-Rimal neighborhood, in Gaza Strip on August 20, 2024

Israel and Hamas have blamed each other for delays in agreeing a deal to end fighting, free Israeli hostages and allow vital humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Netanyahu has faced public protests in Israel urging him to accept a truce, which would bring back hostages whose plight has plagued Israelis.

The Israeli military said Tuesday it had retrieved the bodies of six hostages from tunnels in southern Gaza, some of whom were killed in Israeli military operations.

The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,199 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Out of 251 people taken hostage that day, 105 are still being held hostage inside the Gaza Strip, including 34 the military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed 40,223 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.
Stephen Colbert shouted down protesters who tried to derail his interview with former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday.

Pelosi joined Colbert in studio in Chicago to talk about the Democratic National Convention. Amid a conversation about her alleged role in pressuring President Joe Biden to cede the nomination, a woman in the audience was heard screaming at the top of her lungs.

It's not clear what exactly the woman was saying, but she mentioned Palestine.

The interruption was loud enough to get the attention of Colbert, who stopped the interview dead in its tracks and shifted the conversation over to America's role in the Israel-Gaza war.

'Hold on, young lady, I can hear you,' he said, explaining to viewers watching on TV that there was a protest going on during the live broadcast. 'Were actually at a commercial break, but the subject is on Israel and Palestine.'

Stephen Colbert is seen gesturing up at the anti-Israel protestors who were interrupting his interview with Nancy Pelosi

A Gaza protester interrupts Colbert's interview with Pelosi, and he handles it perfectly "The subject is on Israel and Palestine and if you have a seat, we have to go to commercial break. When we come back, I'll ask the next question I had on that subject if you will listen, ok." pic.twitter.com/YsSDZlnxIo  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) August 21, 2024

He extended an olive branch to the protestors, telling them he would ask his next question about Israel policy after the commercial break.

For the last several days, hundreds of pro-Palestine demonstrators have besieged the streets of downtown Chicago and the United Center, where the DNC is taking place.

Colbert's studio is roughly 3 miles away from the United Center, and protestors were seen gathering outside in anticipation of the Pelosi interview.

After the commercial break, Colbert, just like he promised, asked a question that pertained directly to how America has been posturing itself as the war in Gaza has raged on since October.

'There is a political protester here. There is a political convention in town, you are a politician and protests are natural. People are protesting, even within the Democratic Party, there is dissension over what is the proper use of American power, especially protected power overseas, both firm and soft power.'

'If the goal is the peaceful and prosperous future for both Israelis and Palestinians, what role does the United States play?' Colbert asked Pelosi.

Pelosi answered by first touting Biden's experience as a foreign policy negotiator.

Pelosi reacts to the protestors being unsatisfied with her response by claiming she couldn't hear what they were shouting

Hundreds of police and pro-Palestine protesters descended on Chicago when the Democratic National Convention kicked off Monday

Dozens of police are seen on bikes rallying to prepare for the influx of protesters

'For years, he was chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. He was a senator a long time, vice president, and president. So his experience globally has been huge.'

She then brought up how she went to John F. Kennedy's inauguration as a student, where he famously said: 'Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.'

'That very next sentence that he says in the speech is, "To the countries of the world, ask not what America can do for you, but what we can do working together for the freedom of mankind." And that is our mission, and that is what Joe Biden is all about,' Pelosi said.

The first time she addresses the subject matter directly comes after this, where she says: 'We want the hostages freed, but we dont want children killed in Gaza.'

She added that Israel has agreed to a ceasefire, something she hopes Hamas will agree to as well.

'But it takes me to the point of saying to you: War has no role in a civilized society,' she said.

That line elicited applause from the Colbert audience, but as soon as the clapping died down, another protestor began shouting, visibly rattling the longtime congresswoman.

After the final interruption by protestors near the end of the show, Colbert finally get a little more stern with them, saying: 'Please don't interrupt my guests'

After ad break on the live show, Stephen Colbert empowered the protesters shouting at Nancy Pelosi: As you can see from the continuing protest out here, that answer is unsatisfying to some people...Would you like to respond to what theyre saying? @colbertlateshow #Colbert pic.twitter.com/9A9gf8aHnu  Brent Baker   (@BrentHBaker) August 21, 2024

'Well, as you can see from the continued protest out here, that answer is unsatisfying to some people,' Colbert said before directing his attention to the protestors. 'Hold on, will you listen to her response.'

'With their screaming I can't hear them,' Pelosi said.

Colbert did his best to refocus the interview once more.

'Theyre saying that the United States should not have any role in supplying Israel arms to kill the people of Gaza,' he said.

'Israel has a right to defend itself, and the hostages should be returned,' Pelosi replied. 'But the other part of it, that has been so major for all of us for many years, is that there must be a two-state solution.'

She elaborated: 'You cannot have peace unless you have a two-state solution. Israel, a secure Jewish democratic state in the region, and the Palestinians, having their own secure country there as well.'

The protestors piped up yet again after she concluded, leading Colbert to finally get a little more stern with them.

'Please don't interrupt my guests,' he said, gesturing up at the demonstrators.

It's unclear who was responsible for the protests, but according to Variety, the group left on their own accord and the matter was resolved peacefully.
The way Randall Dill tells it, he was a 'model employee' for IBM, nurturing relationships with the Pentagon and other big spenders.

Then came the diversity targets, and the Michigander was kicked out of the computing giant so it could hire more women and minorities, he says.

Worse still  says a lawsuit filed with a Michigan US District Court on Wednesday  Dill's bosses didn't tell him straight why he was being axed.

Instead, they said he wasn't bringing in enough business  even though that was never his job, the suit says.

In reality, the papers say, the managers wanted to bump up their bonuses by culling white and Asian male staff and recruit more women and other minorities.

Randall Dill alleges that his boss Jay Zook (pictured) and others sacked him from IBM in a cull of white male employees to land a bigger bonus

It's the second lawsuit against IBM and its subsidiaries over diversity-hiring quotas at the $135 billion research and computing company

In doing so, IBM violated the 1964 Civil Rights Act, said Dill's lawyer, Gene Hamilton, a director at America First Legal (AFL).

Hamilton says too many bosses hire and fire nowadays based on 'immutable characteristics that individual Americans cannot control.'

'No one should be discriminated against based on their race or sex, and we are committed to vindicating our client's rights in court,' he says.

The $135 billion company, which is headquartered in Armonk, New York, says the lawsuit is 'baseless.'

The case spotlights corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in action.

Advocates of DEI say it helps get more women and minorities into jobs and colleges.

Critics say it too often denies opportunities to straight white men, even when they're better candidates.

Dill started with IBM in October 2016 as a senior managing consultant, serving the US Army and other long-term clients from his home in Muskegon, on the scenic Lake Michigan shoreline.

He repeatedly scored high in performance reviews and won praise at monthly meetings, says the 18-page complaint.

But in July 2023, Dill's boss Jay Zook told him he was 'not bringing in the work' and put him on a performance improvement plan (PIP), it is claimed.

That was a shocker, as Dill had only helped existing IBM clients  never brought in new business.

Still, he tried to land a contract for the firm. But when he asked for support, Zook told him: 'You are on your own,' the suit says.

A controversial video emerged last year in which IBM CEO Arvind Krishna vowed to punish executives who failed to meet diversity-hiring quotas

BREAKING LEAKED VIDEO: CEO of IBM @ArvindKrishna admits to using coercion to fire people and take away their bonuses unless they discriminate in the hiring process.



You got to move both forward by a percentage that leads to a plus on your bonus," Krishna said about hiring pic.twitter.com/UUK26HX8IP  James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) December 12, 2023

Mike Chamberlain headed Simpler Consulting, the section of IBM that Dill worked for

He was sacked in October 2023.

Dill says the performance plan was really a 'pretext to force him out of the company,' which had launched DEI-hiring quotas the previous year.

The lawsuit refers to DEI targets spelled out in IBM's corporate filings.

Weeks after Dill was fired, a video was released showing IBM's CEO Arvind Krishna revealing how managers were under pressure to meet DEI hiring quotas.

AFL lawyer Gene Hamilton

'All executives in the company have to move forward by 1 percent on both underrepresented minorities  and gender,' Krishna said.

'That leads to a plus on [their] bonus. By the way, if you lose, you lose part of your bonus.'

Krishna said hiring chiefs needed to get more women, blacks, and Hispanics into the company to get their bonuses.

There were already enough white and Asian men on board, he added, in the unearthed video from 2021.

A whistleblower leaked the clip to 'guerilla journalist' James O'Keefe.

Tech boss Elon Musk at the time posted that IBM's quotas were: 'Extremely concerning and obviously illegal.'

The lawsuit says the performance plans were a way for IBM bosses to 'quickly and cheaply' ditch white men employees like Dill, so Zook and others could land bigger bonuses.

AFL founder and former Trump administration official Stephen Miller says he's fighting 'illegal race-based discrimination' at IBM

'The quota system is tied to bonus compensation in such a way that it incentivized impermissible racial discrimination and disincentivizes refusal to engage in such discrimination,' says the suit.

Dill seeks back-pay and compensation for the 'mental anguish' and 'humiliation' he's endured, and his legal costs paid.

An IBM spokesperson told The Mail that 'these allegations are baseless.'

'Neither race nor gender played any role in the decision to end this individuals employment with IBM,' she said.

'Discrimination of any kind has absolutely no place at IBM, we do not use hiring quotas and never have.'

It's the second suit AFL, a conservative legal action group, has launched against the computing and research giant.

A former sales chief in May sued IBM's Red Hat for being sacked alongside 20 other white men during the software subsidiary's aggressive DEI push.

Allan Kingsley Wood, a white man, says he faced race and gender discrimination because of the company's hiring targets for women and minorities.

The suits are part of growing number of legal filings against DEI practices since the US Supreme Court's landmark June 2023 ruling to end affirmative action in college admissions.

AFL has filed more than 30 complaints to the EEOC, a top US civil rights agency.

Lawsuits have claimed that hiring and recruitment decisions made around both jobs and fellowships at large companies are biased against white workers.

Advocates of DEI schemes say they bring more black, brown, female, and queer talent into offices and colleges and raise morale across the board.

But critics say they're a 'woke' virtue-signaling exercise that fosters backlash discrimination against straight, white men.
A Florida couple who poured $350,000 into a parcel of land have been taught a cruel lesson after discovering they don't have council permission to build homes on it.

Hani Levy and her husband Maikel Gil Hernandez had dreams of building three two-story homes on their half-acre block in Chula Vista, a quiet neighborhood in Fort Lauderdale, which they purchased in September 2023.

A lawsuit filed by the couple alleges the land was advertised as a 'build-to-suit residential' and accuses the seller and agents of 'intentionally' failing to disclose the fact it was landlocked.

The pair emailed city officials to inquire about developing the land but only heard back about the specific obstacles they would face after closing on the sale.

A narrow road leads to the lot from the main street. The city told them the road is not public and there is no other way to access the property, meaning the land cannot be developed.

Because they paid in cash, there was no requirement to have the land surveyed.

Hani Levy and her husband Maikel Gil Hernandez had dreams of building three two-story homes on their half-acre block in Chula Vista, a quiet neighborhood in Fort Lauderdale, which they purchased in September 2023

The couple had inquired with the city about developing the land via email, but only heard back after closing on the sale

Neighbors across from them are the legal owners of the private street. They were asked if they'd consider selling a section of the road to assist Levy and Hernandez, but declined.

'I don't want this to happen to anyone else,' Levy told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. 'This has been a nightmare.'

When the couple learned of the predicament, they attempted to rescind the sale, but it was too late.

They've since filed a lawsuit against both the seller and the real estate agent for failing to disclose that there was no public access to the lot.

When the couple learned of the predicament, they attempted to rescind the sale, but it was too late

A narrow road leads to the lot from the main street. The city told them the road is not public and there is no other way to access the property, meaning the land cannot be developed

The suit, seen by the Sun Sentinel, states: 'Seller and agent defendants intentionally failed to disclose to the buyer that the property was landlocked and lacked any access to be able to proceed with building on the lot all while listing the property as perfect land to build on.'

The couple have also struck an agreement with a separate neighbor, who agreed to sell them a strip of land which can be built into a road connecting their lot to the street.

In exchange, they've handed over a piece of their land, agreed to erect a fence and build their neighbor a pool. In all, they expect this will add an extra $150,000 cost to the project.

But they still need to get the official go-ahead to start construction.

A spokesperson for Fort Lauderdale City told DailyMail.com they 'understand the unique circumstances' in this case and are 'continuing to work with the owner.'

'Any private real estate transaction is between the parties involved and includes certain disclosures to be made and information shared in good faith between the seller and purchaser.'

Attorney Marc Brown, representing Levy and her husband, told the publication would-be buyers should always seek independent advice before going ahead with a purchase.

'They had the title company but they didn't have an independent attorney,' Brown told the publication.

'The title agent attorney was assisting them and clearing everything, but they needed to have their own attorney also. Title agents are sometimes just handling the closing and not always representing the buyer as their attorney as well.'

DailyMail.com has contacted the legal firm who represented the seller during the sale.
This is the first picture of the Baptist church leader left critically injured in a stabbing rampage which killed his wife.

Joshua Obinim, 64, is fighting for his life after a knifeman launched a terrifying attack, killing his wife, Alberta, 43, on Sunday evening.

The couple's 17-year-old daughter was also seriously injured in the triple stabbing at their home, in Gorton, Manchester.

Police have confirmed that both Mr Obinim, who is a caretaker and pastor at the Blessed Baptist Temple in nearby Levenshulme, and the teenager remain in hospital undergoing treatment.

Anthony Clement, 43, an administrator at the church, said they were praying for Mr Obinim, who was in a critical condition, and his daughter.

This is the first picture of Baptist church leader Joshua Obinim, 64, who was left critically injured in a stabbing rampage which killed his wife

Alberta Obinim, 43, was killed after a knifeman launched a terrifying attack at their home in Manchester on Sunday evening

Police (scene at the scene on Barnard Rd , Gorton) have confirmed that both Mr Obinim and the couple's 17-year-old daughter are in hospital undergoing treatment

'They are a good church-going family,' he said. 'They are very good people.'

Officers are continuing to question a 22-year-old man, who was 'known to the victims,' on suspicion of murder and have described the attack as a domestic incident.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing screams and seeing residents of the Obinim's semi-detached home jumping from windows to escape the knifeman at around 11.20pm.

One said he saw the attacker chasing and stabbing a girl as she fled along the road.

Mrs Obinim, a mother-of-four, is believed to have been stabbed repeatedly as she tried to protect a young child, who she grabbed from her bedroom and rushed outside.

A child was later found hiding in bushes by neighbours.

Local Keelan Sands, 30, said: 'I heard all the screaming. I thought there was a fight going on. I saw all the police blue lights.

'One of the neighbours told me to stay back because someone had been stabbed. They said there was a man on the floor. It was shocking, I was shaking. I heard the dad was stabbed in the throat and the neck. I heard one of the police telling him to "stay with me".'

Floral tributes have been left outside the property, on Barnard Road, in memory of Mrs Obinim, who worked as a home carer and was an active member of Manchester's Ghanaian community.

The couple are also thought to have a grown up son, a university engineering graduate, who also worked as a delivery driver.

Police and forensic officers pictured at the scene in Barnard Road on Monday morning

A drone shot shows the police cordon and forensic tents set up outside the home

Floral tributes have been left outside the property in memory of Mrs Obinim, who worked as a home carer and was an active member of Manchester's Ghanaian community

Family friend, Ibrahim Abu, also known as Obudo, said Mrs Obinim was 'a very nice lady'.

'I knew her very well,' he said. 'We all go to church together. She always talked to people and was a mother to everyone. She was always laughing.'

A colleague of Mrs Obinim, who left a bunch of white roses at the scene, said the situation 'didn't seem real'.

She described Mrs Obinim as 'amazing'.

'She was so kind and caring,' the colleague added. 'She was a laugh, she was just funny. The people we used to care for loved her. I don't think anybody would have a bad word to say about her, she was really nice. She was well loved at work.'
The captain of Mike Lynch's doomed superyacht has been questioned for more than two hours by Italian prosecutors about the disaster.

New Zealander James Cutfield, 51, a 'well respected' seafarer, was quizzed until late yesterday evening by prosecutors from the Termini Imerese Public Prosecutors Office.

Mr Cutfield, who survived the shipwreck, is recovering in hospital with his wife by his side.

Prosecutors are expected to interview other survivors as part of the investigation.

According to the Giornale Di Sicilia, prosecutors questioned Mr Cutfield for several hours as they tried to reconstruct the Bayesian's final moments.

Mr Cutfield was in charge of the vessel when it capsized and sank off the coast of Sicily during a storm, leaving one man - the ship's chef - confirmed dead and six passengers missing.

The captain's brother, Mark Cutfield, said he was a 'very good sailor' and was 'very well respected' in the Mediterranean. He told the NZ Herald that James is currently in hospital but is 'okay' and does not have injuries that are 'too dramatic'.

A former competitive sailor, James married his wife last year in Palma, Mallorca. He has eight years' experience captaining luxury yachts and has worked in the industry for three decades.

The luxury 30million sailboat was anchored just a few hundred metres off the coast of Porticello on calm seas when it was suddenly struck by a violent tornado, known as a waterspout, just before 5am on Monday.

Mr Cutfield spoke for the first time about the tragedy from his hospital bed in Palermo, telling an Italian newspaper: 'We didn't see it coming.'

Officials today confirmed the bodies of two missing passengers had been found. The body of at least one person was brought ashore shortly before 3pm local time, before being placed into a waiting ambulance in the harbour of Porticello.

The remains of the pair, whose names or sex have not yet been revealed, were reportedly found in the hull of the boat behind two mattresses, with claims that one is a 'heavily built man'.

It comes as:

James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealander, was in charge of the Bayesian when it sank off the coast of Sicily during a storm

Divers in scuba gear stand on a fire service boat as they prepare to resume the search operation in Sicily this morning

Rescue workers look at the plans of the the Bayesian as they organise a search operation for six people who are still missing after the superyacht sank

A video still showing the Bayesian yacht days before the disaster on Monday

Italian rescuer return to Porticello Harbour after dive to shipwreck of the Bayesian as the search enters its third day. Pictured: Wednesday, August 21

Mike Lynch (pictured) invited family and friends on his superyacht to celebrate his triumph over fraud charges in the US. Lynch is missing alongside his 18-year-old daughter Hannah

Six guests, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah have been missing since the yacht sank, with specialist divers desperately trying to access the boat amid hope survivors could be alive in air pockets inside the vessel.

Also unaccounted for since disaster struck is Morgan Stanley boss Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy and American citizens Chris Morvillo and his jewellery designer wife Neda Morvillo.

Officials are investigating whether hatches left open by crew caused the boat to sink in a matter of minutes.

An engineer had claimed the missing passengers could still be alive in air pockets 164ft below the surface, meaning divers - who can only remain underwater for ten minutes per dive due to the depth of the wreck - are competing in a race against time.

Their operation has been hampered by difficulty getting into the ship with divers forced to smash their way through a 3cm-thick porthole to gain access to one area and other parts of the wrecked vessel blocked by furniture.

One expert at the scene said an early focus of the official investigation into the tragedy, launched by prosecutors in nearby Termini Imerese, would be on whether the yacht's crew had closed access hatches into the vessel before the storm struck.

Investigators would look at whether appropriate measures had been taken, given the forecasts for bad weather overnight, and if any of the crew members are criminally liable.

Sailing expert Sam Jefferson, editor of magazine Sailing Today, also said that he believes open hatches and doors could have contributed to the rapid sinking.

He said: 'I would have said that the boat got hit very hard by the wind, it was pinned over on its side.

'I imagine all the doors were open because it was hot, so there were enough hatches and doors open that it filled with water very quickly and sank like that.'

Andrea Ratti, a nautical design professor at Milan Polytechnic University, said that a boat the size of the Bayesian would only sink so quickly by taking in a huge amount of water.

He suggested that portholes, windows or other openings may have been left open, letting in water.

Weather records show temperatures reached around 33C the day before the sinking, which may have led to the vessel's occupants wanting air to flow through while they slept.

Luca Mercalli, the president of the Italian Meteorological Society, said on Tuesday that the crew should have made sure that all the guests were awake and given them lifejackets in light of the forecasted heavy rains.

Chief prosecutor of Termini Imerese, Ambrogio Cartosio, and his team are expected to interview the 15 survivors soon to determine what led to the tragic sinking of the Bayesian yacht.

Meanwhile a British team will also take part in the probe, with a former marine accident investigator saying they will look at whether the windows or watertight doors were open.

Gavin Pritchard, who was a principal investigator with the UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) before retiring in 2022, told The Telegraph: 'The MAIB will want to look at the vessel using either an ROV [remotely operated vehicle] or divers, or want to have a look and see what the positions of watertight doors, hatches and windows were.

'It'd be important to state that doesn't attribute blame,' he added, saying the job of the MAIB is to establish a cause for the sinking - rather than legal liability - so safety-critical findings can be spread across the maritime industry.

Search workers head out to the scene of the sinking of the Bayesian this morning as the operation to find those still missing enters its third day

The Italian search and rescue team off the coast of Sicily on Wednesday

CCTV captured the last moments of the Bayesian superyacht before it sank beneath the waves during a ferocious storm early on Monday morning

An undated handout photo issued by costanostrayachtsupply.com of the doomed Bayesian

He added: 'One of the first questions that accident investigators ask is, has anything like this ever happened before? And I have to say, having observed this tragic event, I honestly can't think of anything similar to this.'

It comes as school friends of missing Hannah are anxiously waiting for updates on her safe return, with her prestigious Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London, saying it is 'in shock' after its former pupil disappeared.

A spokesperson for the 25,000-a-year school said: 'We are all incredibly shocked by the news that Hannah and her father are among those missing in this tragic incident and our thoughts are with their family and everyone involved as we await further updates.'

Hannah had just completed her A-Levels and gained a place to study English at Oxford before the tragedy.

The Italian coastguard has insisted it is continuing its search, even though a positive outcome after nearly two days is 'difficult to imagine'.

Frigate Captain Vincenzo Zagarola told Italian radio station RTL: 'Given the time that has passed and the circumstances of the event, it is naturally difficult to imagine that things can go well but we are not giving up, so we are busy [searching] with naval and air resources.'

Nick Sloane, who worked on the Costa Concordia salvage operation, said divers are entering a 'critical' 24 hours to rescue anyone who might still be alive.

'They've got a very small window of time to try to find people stuck inside with hopefully an air pocket, and they could be rescued,' Mr Sloane told Sky News.

'You've got a maximum of two to three days to try to get someone out, so the next 24 hours are critical.'

But when Mr Zagarola was asked about the likelihood of the missing passengers being alive, he said: 'Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not.'

Divers from Napoli and Messina are assisting with the huge search operation, which is being made more difficult due to cables and furnishings obstructing the way to the cabins, Italian media reported.

Dr Jean-Baptiste Souppez, a senior lecturer of mechanical, biomedical and design engineering at Aston University, said that divers 'may be looking for a banging noise at regular intervals'.

'This is common practice on submarines and was one of the signs the search mission for the Titan submarine was looking for after it went missing last year,' he said and added: 'But whether air pockets formed on the Bayesian is simply impossible to predict.'

After inspecting the command bridge, which is outdoors, the cave divers descended into the main lounge from an internal ladder.

Divers return after another attempt to gain access to the shipwreck which lays 50m underwater. Pictured: August 21

But inside, they were obstructed by floating objects from chairs and cushions to utensils and plates.

Marco Tilotta, inspector of the Palermo Fire Department's diving unit, said: 'We checked the hull from the outside and now we have entered the vessel to inspect all the rooms.

'Access to the hull is difficult, getting inside, going down to the compartment below through the narrow stairs and going into all the cabins to analyse centimetre by centimetre is really hard and difficult work.'

A helicopter was seen flying over Porticello this afternoon, while an underwater vehicle has been helping divers search for missing passengers.

Italian rescue workers are using a remotely operated underwater vehicle in their search.

In a statement, the coastguard said five patrol cars, one helicopter and divers had been working since the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Despite the sliver of hope, Italian Coastguard officials admitted they believe the six people who are still missing have died and their bodies are inside the wreck.

It is believed the ship sank after its mast - one of tallest in the world at an enormous 246ft-high - snapped during the brutal incident and keeled over, taking the hull beyond the 'down-flooding angle', according to nautical experts.

Among the 15 who survived include a one-year-old British baby called Sofia, who was kept afloat by her mother, 36-year-old Charlotte Golunski.

Mrs Golunski, an Oxford graduate and senior associate at Invoke, also survived after fighting to prevent her child from drowning.

Italian divers off the coast of Porticello, Sicily, as the rescue mission reaches day three

Lynch's attorney Christopher Morvillo (pictured) and his wife Neda are also missing

Neda and her husband Christopher are both missing in the wake of Monday's superyacht sinking

Chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer (pictured), and his wife are also missing

Judy Bloomer, who is missing, is a supporter and former board member of the Eve Appeal, a charity that raises awareness and funds research into gynaecological cancer

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch is still missing. His wife Angela Bacares (right) was among the 15 people who were rescued from the yacht

Luxury sailboat Bayesian was docked off the coast of Porticello when a waterspout struck the area just before 5am on Monday

A life raft is seen docked at the harbour near the port where the emergency and rescue workers are launching their search operation

The mother told Italian newspaper Repubblica: 'I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning.

'It was all dark. In the water I couldn't keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.'

The head of Palermo Emergency Medical Services, Dr Fabio Genco, told the BBC that there had been 'apocalyptic' scenes in the aftermath of the sinking.

He said: 'The word that the mother and all the injured kept repeating was the 'darkness' during the shipwreck.

'They spoke of about five minutes, from three to five minutes, from the moment the boat was lifted, raised by the waves of the sea until it sank.

'There were truly apocalyptic scenes where everyone was searching and hoping to find the people who at that moment were not present, just missing.'

He added: 'Unfortunately in the face of death and the face of life there is no difference between rich and poor, between nobles and commoners.'

Mrs Golunski's British husband James Emsilie, 36, also survived the tragedy.

Another survivor is Lynch's wife Angela Bacares, who is now reportedly recovering from her injuries in a wheelchair.

She revealed that the first sign of the freak waterspout that sunk the luxury sailboat Bayesian was a 'slight tilt' that woke her up.

Lynch's wife told La Repubblica that she and her husband woke up at 4am when the boat suddenly 'tilted'.

Mrs Bacares said that they were not worried at the time, but that she still got up to see what was happening, until glass shattered and created confusion on board.

She sustained abrasions on her feet - likely after walking on glass shards during the sinking - which have left her unable to walk and sitting in a wheelchair, La Repubblica reports, while she also has bandages on others part of her body.

Another survivor is Clifford Chance lawyer Ayla Ronald, 36, who was part of the successful legal team invited to go sailing with Lyncchah, according to her father Lin.

Charlotte Golunski, 36, (pictured) her husband and her one-year-old baby also survived

Mr Ronald told the Telegraph: 'I have texted with my daughter. She has only said to me that there are deaths, and she and her partner are alive' (pictured: Ayla Ronald)

On-board hostess Leah Randall, 20, from South Africa, also survived the tragedy.

Heidi Randall, Leah's mother, told Sky News: 'I'm beyond relieved that my daughter's life was spared by the grace of God.

'It doesn't make it any easier living with heartache of those who have lost their lives or missing.'

Leah was photographed leaving the coast guard headquarters yesterday alongside a fellow crew member.

Leah and 22-year-old on-board hostess Katja Chicken, from Germany, said as they were questioned by investigators: 'We are alive by a miracle,' according to Italian news agency ANSA, who reported that one of the girls sobbed as she said: 'It was terrible.'

Other survivors included Irish woman Sasha Murray, 29, Matthew Fletcher, 41, from London, James Catfield 51, from New Zealand, Myin Htun Kyaw, 39, from Myanmar, crew member Leo Eppel and Frenchman Matthew Griffith.

On Tuesday evening two crew members, Tus Koopmans and Eaton Parker, were also named as survivors. No age or nationalities were provided.

Speaking from a hospital room in the town of Termini Imerese close to Palermo, Mr Catfied, in a state of grief and shock, could only utter one sentence.

'We didn't see it coming,' he told La Repubblica.

On-board hostess Leah Randall, 20, from South Africa, was also on board and survived

Survivors Leo Eppel (in the black t-shirt) and Katja Chicken (in the green top) as they leave the Coast Guard Headquarters on August 19

Rescuers claimed that survivors spoke of the ship going down in 'two minutes' and that it appears that the yacht 'wasn't anchored in a safe place' at the time of sinking.

They were rescued by crews from nearby boats including that of Karsten Borner, the captain of a sailing ship anchored near the Bayesian, who said his team struggled to keep their boat afloat when the tornado hit.

Fabio Cefalu, a fisherman in Porticello who witnessed the tragedy unfold, said he saw a waterspout  a sort of mini-tornado  that lasted about 12 minutes shortly before 4am.

At around 4.10am he said he saw a red flare go off from Bayesian but by the time he was able to reach the area about 20 minutes later the yacht had all but disappeared. 'We found only the cushions, and a few planks floating in the water,' he said.

Graphic shows how ferocious waterspout capsized doomed Mike Lynch's Bayesian superyacht before vessel sank beneath the waves in a matter of minutes

by David Averre

Experts reviewing the tragic sinking of the Bayesian off the coast of Sicily earlier this week have delivered theories on how the superyacht was forced beneath the waves.

The luxury sailboat was anchored just a few hundred metres off the coast of Porticello on calm seas when it was suddenly struck by a violent waterspout just before 5am on Monday which the captain said no one had seen coming.

Tornado-speed winds battered the vessel so ferociously that there was no time for those on board to raise the alarm or call for help before they were left swimming for their lives.

Those who made it off were stranded in the pitch-black water as the storm raged around them, while six people are believed to have been trapped inside the below-deck cabins when the boat sank beneath the murky surface.

It is believed the ship sank after its mast - one of tallest in the world at an enormous 246ft-high - snapped during the brutal incident and keeled over, taking the hull beyond the 'down-flooding angle', according to nautical experts.

Former shipyard manager and maritime technical inspector Gino Ciriaci told Italian daily Corriere Della Sera said once the mast had fallen, the vessel was far more prone to pitching and rolling as it was battered by waves without the sails to steady it.

In the case of the Bayesian, he said the waterspout was so violent that the boat, dragged down by its broken mast, tilted until the edge of the deck slipped under the surface.

The entire ordeal likely lasted only a few minutes, with the ship sinking rapidly as it took on seawater.

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A handout photo made available on August 19 by Perini Navi Press Office shows the 'Bayesian' sailing boat, in Palermo, Sicily, Italy

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Both the hull and the superstructure, the part above the main deck, were made from aluminium

The British-flagged Bayesian arrived in Porticello on Sunday night after stopping in Milazzo around 100 miles up the coast towards the Italian mainland

A handout photo made available on 19 August 2024 by Perini Navi Press Office shows the 'Bayesian' sailing boat, in Palermo, Sicily, Italy

Inspector Marco Tilotta, leading the Palermo Fire Brigade's diving unit, likened the grim search operation to the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster in 2012 which claimed the lives of 33 people.

Eerily, the specialist cave divers called in for the search and rescue operation found 'virtually everything intact' on board, with little sign of damage, and 'no rips in the side, no signs of impact,' he told MailOnline.

The boat is resting on the seabed on its starboard (right hand) side, 164ft below the waves, and the first efforts of the dive teams were unsuccessful in moving furniture impeding their access to the cabins below, said Insp. Tilotta.

The rescuers still hope that survivors might be found, against all odds, in trapped air pockets, but Insp Tilotta admitted 'it is a race against time and the quality of the oxygen will be bad'.

His choice of words however told the unpleasant truth: 'We will do everything to recover the bodies. The weather conditions are worsening but we hope to continue operations without problems'.

Salvo Cocina, of Sicily's civil protection agency, said of the Bayesian's crew: 'They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.'

In the next few hours and days, the accident investigators will have to work out exactly how it was possible for the vessel to capsize and sink so quickly while others were hardly affected.
Iranian authorities have executed a male fortune-teller for raping and sexually assaulting several of his clients.

The man, who was named in Iranian media as Ramali, 'assaulted and raped women and girls under false pretences in several cases' by using his services to trick them. He was executed at Yazd central prison, which lies in the centre of the country.

He was arrested at some point between March 2020 and March 2021. His request for amnesty was rejected because of 'the number of complaints' against him.

Hossein Tahmasebi, chief justice of the central province, said:

'The sentence of this rapist fortune-teller was carried out after being issued by the Revolutionary Court of Yazd and confirmed by the supreme judicial authority'.

Capital punishment is now officially outlawed in more than 50 per cent of nations, and 32 more territories have de-facto terminated its use, according to Amnesty International.

Central Iranian authorities have executed a male fortune-teller for raping and sexually assaulting several of his clients (File image)

He was executed at Yazd central prison (Pictured)

But the Islamic Republic of Iran is one of few countries fighting against this trend, maintaining the death penalty for several crimes, including rape and sexual assault.

In July 2023, Iran executed three men after they were convicted of raping women they had lured to a fake cosmetic surgery clinic and injected with anaesthetic drugs.

They were found guilty of conspiring in 12 cases of sexual assault in late 2021 in the southern province of Hormozgan.

Iran executes more people per year than any other nation except China, according to human rights groups including Amnesty.

It generally carries out executions by hanging.

Iran has for years been among the worst offenders for state-sanctioned killings, alongside the likes of China, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

But the Iranian regime has gained a reputation for its indiscriminate executions and is now killing more of its citizens per capita than any other country.

Iran executed a 'staggering' total of at least 834 people last year, the highest number since 2015 as capital punishment surged in the Islamic Republic, two rights groups revealed this week.

The number of executions was up some 43 per cent on 2022, and marked only the second time in two decades that more than 800 executions were recorded in a year, Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty said in a joint report.

The same report also indicated that at least 22 women were executed, marking the highest number in the past decade.
A manhunt is underway after a teenage girl was indecently assaulted and followed at a busy shopping centre.

Police were called to Ocean Keys Shopping Centre in Clarkson in Perth's north after a man believed to be aged in his late teens approached the girl while she was shopping on Tuesday.

The offender, who wasn't known to the girl, then indecently assaulted

It's understood the incident unfolded in the shopping centre's main thoroughfare.

'The victim was able to move away from the offender and it is believed she was followed for a short period of time before the offender ran from the scene, through the shopping centre,' a Western Australia Police spokesman said.

Police are hunting for a man who indecently assaulted a girl at Ocean Keys Shopping Centre (pictured) and followed her through the complex before fleeing the scene

Detectives have launched an investigation.

The man was wearing bright red shoes at the time.

No other description of the man is available.

Anyone with information has been urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
A peculiar marine creature, known as a Mola mola or ocean sunfish, has been discovered on an Oregon beach.

This 'relatively small' specimen, measuring just over five feet, was found less than a mile south of Sunset Beach approach on Sunday, according to a Facebook post from the Seaside Aquarium.

While they may seem small, Mola molas can grow up to 10-feet long and weigh as much as 5,000 pounds, making them the heaviest bony fish on Earth.

They are often seen sunbathing at the ocean's surface, hence their nickname 'the ocean sunfish.'

A peculiar marine creature, known as a Mola mola or ocean sunfish, was discovered on an Oregon beach, according to the Seaside Aquarium.

Monterey Bay Aquarium liken the creature to the invention of a mad scientist thanks to its 'tiny mouth,' 'big eyes,' and unusual shape.'

According to the Australian museum, they can be found worldwide in 'tropical and temperate seas,' where they roam the oceans in search of their favorite food: jellyfish.

This 'relatively small' specimen, measuring just over five feet long, was found less than a mile south of Sunset Beach approach on Sunday, according to the aquarium's Facebook post.

The distinctive shape of the ocean sunfish is due to its back fin, which 'simply never grows,' according to National Geographic.

'Instead, it folds into itself as the enormous creature matures, creating a rounded rudder called a clavus.'

There are three distinct species of sunfish in the Mola genus: Mola mola, Mola tecta, and Mola alexandrini. All three species can be found in oceans around the world, except for the polar regions.

In recent years, the Seaside Aquarium has made several discoveries of the unusual creatures.

A Mola tecta, or Hoodwinker Sunfish, was found north of Gearhart beach approach in 2017. This species is relatively rare, and its discovery 'caused quite a stir,' the aquarium said.

Despite stormy weather, people flocked to the beach to catch a glimpse of the strange-looking fish.

While the Mola tecta may resemble the Mola mola, there are subtle differences, such as a T-shaped pattern on the clavus and a smaller maximum size 'reaching only 7.9 feet and weighing 4,000 pounds,' according to the aquarium.
Two young women who had been working as hostesses on the Bayesian superyacht when it sank have broken their silence about their horror ordeal.

Leah Randall, 20, and Katja Chicken, 22, were on board the 30 million vessel when it was suddenly struck by a waterspout tornado just before 5am on Monday.

The crewmembers escaped along with the yacht's captain, New Zealander James Cutfield, and Angela Bacares, the wife of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch who owned the Bayesian.

Leah, who hails from South Africa, and Katja, who is German, have been staying at the Domina Zagarella hotel in Santa Flavia, which has been used as a base by emergency services throughout the search and recovery mission.

The pair are reported to be in a state of shock, and were tearful as they told Italian media: 'We are alive by a miracle'.

The mother of Leah Randall (pictured right) told Sky News : 'I'm beyond relieved that my daughter's life was spared by the grace of God'

Katja Chicken (in green) survived the yacht disaster on Monday along with fellow hostess Leah Randall

The Bayesian (pictured) overturned during a severe thunderstorm on Monday morning

Speaking with a trembling voice, one of the women added of their experience: 'It was terrible', the ANSA news agency reports.

They are reported to have been in a state of distress and unable to elaborate further.

It comes after Heidi Randall, Leah's mother, told Sky News: 'I'm beyond relieved that my daughter's life was spared by the grace of God.

'It doesn't make it any easier living with heartache of those who have lost their lives or missing.'

Leah was photographed leaving the coast guard headquarters yesterday alongside a fellow crew member.

Other survivors included Irish woman Sasha Murray, 29, Matthew Fletcher, 41, from London, James Catfield 51, from New Zealand, Myin Htun Kyaw, 39, from Myanmar, crew member Leo Eppel and Frenchman Matthew Griffith.

On Tuesday evening two crew members, Tus Koopmans and Eaton Parker, were also named as survivors. No age or nationalities were provided.

Speaking from a hospital room in the town of Termini Imerese close to Palermo, Mr Catfied, in a state of grief and shock, could only utter one sentence.

'We didn't see it coming,' he told La Repubblica.

Leah was photographed leaving the coast guard headquarters yesterday alongside a fellow crew member

Katja is seen leaving the Coast Guard Headquarters after the sailboat disaster on Monday

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch with his wife Angela Bacares, who survived the disaster

All but one of the crew onboard the superyacht survived, with the vessel's chef - Canadian national Recaldo Thomas - the first person to be found dead in the tragedy.

So far five other bodies - including that of 59-year-old Mr Lynch - have been recovered by search teams.

The tragic discoveries were made as they scoured through the wreckage of the Bayesian.

The freak incident came as Mr Lynch, known as 'Britain's Bill Gates', was enjoying a 'victory trip' to celebrate winning his US fraud trial over the 8.3billion sale of his tech firm Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard.

Salvo Cocina, the director of Sicily's civil protection agency, confirmed two bodies were found in the wreck today and that divers have already brought them to the surface.

He would not confirm the identity of the victims or whether they were male or female.

He said 'On behalf of myself and my colleagues, I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the families of the victims and express our condolences and closeness to them at this difficult time.'
An Arizona man who called 911 to report that his child had been kidnapped was fired from his job after a video of him being handcuffed by responding police officers went viral.

Darnay Cockrell, 52, phoned emergency dispatchers at around 6am on August 6, stating that his four-year-old daughter had been taken by her mother from his Mesa apartment.

'My baby momma had came over the night before and hadn't seen her while, and she's an addict, and I've been taking care of the baby for a while,' Cockrell told 12News.

While he remained on the call, he said a dispatcher asked him to locate where the woman and child had gone. As he began to run downstairs, he said he was met by an officer.

Darnay Cockrell, 52, phoned emergency dispatchers at around 6 a.m. on August 6, stating that his four-year-old daughter had been taken by her mother from his Mesa apartment



According to audio from the officer's body camera obtained by Fox10, Cockrell says that his daughter had been taken before the officer tells him to relax and that police were with the child.

The officer tells Cockrell to sit down, with the father responding that he won't and that he has bad knees, according to the audio.

'I don't feel I should be getting on the ground when I'm the parent that's calling and my kid has been taken,' he says.

About five minutes later, another officer arrived at the scene and began to force him to the ground to handcuff him.

The distressed father said: 'They tried to force me down, but the way it [was] looking, if I fall, I'm gonna hit my face so I just bent forward and put my knees down. [Then] he jumped on my back and handcuffed me.'

Footage recorded by a bystander shows Cockrell yelling in protest as both officers hold his hands behind his back and cuff him.

As Cockrell continued to refuse to sit down or get on the ground, another officer arrived at the scene and began to force him to the ground to handcuff him

Footage recorded by a bystander from the moment shows Cockrell yelling in protest as both officers held his hands behind his back and cuffed him

Before the release of the audio, Cockrell explained what was going through his mind at the time: 'I'm nervous. I don't know where my kid is at. I don't know the situation, and I'm in a frantic place.

'My heart is racing. I'm not feeling like I'm this father that's supposed to be protecting his child.'

The Mesa Police Department stated that officers detained Cockrell due to his emotional state.

'The man appeared upset as his daughter was just taken and displayed a high level of emotion, which is understandable; however, because emotions were so high, he was not obeying the officer's commands and made comments that spiked concern for officer safety,' the department said in a statement.

The Mesa Police Department stated that officers detained Cockrell due to his emotional state

Nicole Conner-Sharp has been booked into jail for disorderly conduct under the domestic violence law

Police eventually took the handcuffs off Cockrell and his child was returned to him safely, while the girl's mother, Nicole Conner-Sharp, was jailed on suspicion of disorderly conduct under the domestic violence law.

After video of the incident circulated, Cockrell lost his job. The clip shows him 'wearing the company's shirt,' according to a GoFundMe campaign launched by his neighbor.

'They blamed it on cut backs,' the neighbor wrote.

Since the incident, Cockrell has filed a complaint with the police department.

The department told ABC15 that the first responding officer was recently out of the police academy and only had two months on solo patrol duty.

In an internal investigation, the department did not find any policy violations but both officers involved in the handcuffing will receive additional training.
Celebrity hangout Chiltern Firehouse has been slammed for being 'no better than a rowdy boozer' by angry residents who say they are routinely confronted with drunken couples getting frisky in public and persistent noise.

The venue in London's exclusive Marylebone district has become an A-listers' favourite that has attracted a dazzling list of global stars since it opened in 2014 as well as those hoping to rub shoulders with the rich and famous.

But despite the celebrity glamour, neighbours claim their lives have been blighted by amorous couples getting carried away with each other outside their homes, anti-social behaviour and boisterous guests leaving the venue in the early hours of the morning.

In the latest incident, one couple were seen frolicking outside Chiltern Firehouse in full view of shocked neighbours. A series of lurid images showed a woman with her trousers around her ankles as a man held her hands. In another, he is kissing her with his hands down her trousers while in another he has his head buried in her breasts.

Andrew Patrick, 78 a retired engineer who lives in an exclusive block of flats adjoining Chiltern Firehouse told MailOnline: 'You can feel besieged because it's always so bloody noisy. There just seem to be a lot of mutton heads that go to Chiltern Firehouse.

A frisky couple were pictured getting it on outside the luxury venue despite requests from security to stop

Neighbours claim their lives have been blighted by amorous couples getting carried away with each other outside their homes

They seemed totally oblivious to the people walking past them, on the busy road, and despite security asking them to stop, they took no notice

Celebrity hangout Chiltern Firehouse has been slammed for being 'no better than a rowdy boozer'

'It's always crowded and when people leave, they are a damn nuisance. You see some of them getting quite frisky in public and sexually rowdy. I can't stand the noise and the way they behave. It's disgusting.'

Sarah, 38 who did not want to give her last name said: 'Chiltern Firehouse might be world famous but it's no better than a rowdy boozer you might find down an ordinary high street. I've lived here all my life and I can tell you that this was a lovely, peaceful area before it came along.

'There's constant noise, celebrities going in and out and people who are not famous making total arses of themselves. There's a terrible problem with public drunkenness, inappropriate sexual behaviour and lots of yelling and screaming.'

Chiltern Firehouse is located on Chiltern Street in Marylebone in what was once a Victorian built fire station. It is made up of a chic 26-bedroom boutique hotel, where rooms cost around 1,000 per night; a plush bar and a restaurant with a waiting list of up to three months if you are not a major celebrity.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce celebrated the end of her sold out London shows in June by having dinner at the stylish venue with a group of celebrity friends.

Others that have been regularly spotted at Chiltern Firehouse include Kate Moss, Tom Cruise, Carla Delevingne, Adele and Stella McCartney to name but a few of the superstars who have enjoyed a night out there.

The couple were seen enjoying a passionate moment in the middle of the street

The woman's shirt rode up and her trousers became undone, revealing her underwear

Pictured above is Lady Lola Bute as she is being carried by a friend after a visit to Chiltern Firehouse in June

Lady Lola Bute is seen slumped against a friend, sitting by some dustbins, outside posh members club the Chiltern Firehouse in June

Felix, another resident who has lived on Chiltern Street for more than 20 years, fumed: 'It might be popular with celebrities but a lot of other people who go to that place are just yobs, regardless of how much money they might have.

'They get drunk out of their heads and behave as if they are in their grotty local pub. It can be quite hellish late at night when they leave.'

He added: 'This is a very exclusive area and we're not used to that sort of thing. This neighbourhood has changed a lot over the past ten years since Chiltern Firehouse opened.'

One resident, who regularly stays in a flat adjoining Chiltern Firehouse to help look after his two granddaughters, said: 'There are always lots of drunk people coming out late at night. You can hear them screaming and shouting and sometimes couples get carried away.

'It's not very pleasant to see a man and woman behaving as if they are in their bedroom while on the pavement outside your property but sadly, we've become used to it.'

Residents affected by the venue all live in luxury flats above an exclusive row of shops on Chiltern Street that cost anything up to 2 million.

They revealed that they had complained to the management of Chiltern Firehouse about the persistent noise and anti-social behaviour.

To placate them, the venue shuts its front entrance at 11pm with guests instructed to leave through a back door that opens onto a cobbled street so that neighbours are not disturbed.

Pictured above is the back of the hotel where diners are asked to leave from

Taylor Swift, pictured performing at Wembley in June, and Travis Kelce celebrated the end of her sold out London shows in June by having dinner at the stylish venue with a group of celebrity friends

Sarah added: 'Both the management committee for the flats and the residents' association have raised this issue of noise and anti-social behaviour with Chiltern Firehouse, but it's not made any difference.

'People leave the venue from the back but most of our bedrooms look out onto this cobbled street, and we're still affected by the noise and some of the other stuff that goes on.

'We aren't interested in celebrities, we just want some peace and quiet.'

Staff at the venue admitted that while things are quiet during the day it can get rowdy at night.

Jimmy, who works at Chiltern Firehouse dealing with VIP guests said: 'I'm responsible for looking after some very famous people and I can't say anything about them.

'But it can get very rowdy late at night and all kinds of things go on, especially when people are leaving. The neighbours are right, some people are out of control.'

This is not the first time a loved up couple has sparked outrage in the area. In January 2023, a naked couple caused a scandal by performing a '45-minute sex show' in full view of horrified VIPs at Chiltern Firehouse - on the same night pop sensation Dua Lipa partied there.

A naked couple sparked outrage in January 2023 by performing a '45-minute sex show' in full view of horrified VIPs at exclusive celebrity hangout the Chiltern Firehouse

The pair had sex in full view of onlookers against a window at Chiltern Firehouse, above a rear entry door used by the venue's celebrity clientele including Lipa

The pair scandalously engaged in all manner of sex acts against a frosted window

Dua Lipa was at Chiltern Firehouse the same night the couple performed their sex show

The pair scandalously engaged in all manner of sex acts up against a frosted window in their hotel room at the west London venue - with the bedroom lights on, leaving nothing to the imagination - above a rear entry door used by Lipa and her friends in January 2023.

A source said the couple were 'really going for it', adding: 'They'd left the lights on in the room so it was illuminated for all to see.

'They went on for ages, in all sorts of different positions, as more and more people gathered below in shock.'

Chiltern Firehouse is owned by celebrated American hotelier Andre Balazs who also owns two other luxury hotels in the US popular with celebrities: Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles and Sunset Beach on Long Island.

Chiltern Firehouse has been contacted for comment.
A nursery worker accused of cruelty and assault against up to 15 young children has appeared in court - and told hours of CCTV footage taken from inside the nursery where she worked would be analysed by police before her trial.

Roksana Lecka appeared via video link from prison at Kingston Crown Court and was told she will remain in custody until her trial in February.

The 21-year-old, who has not entered a plea, has been charged with 12 counts of child cruelty, 12 counts of actual bodily harm and one count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.

This follows a police investigation into a Montessori nursery in Twickenham, West London.

Prosecuting counsel Tracey Ayling KC told the court hours of CCTV footage from inside the nursery was being examined by police.

Roksana Lecka, 21, (pictured) from Hounslow, was charged with 25 counts of child cruelty, actual bodily harm and attempted GBH at an expensive Montessori nursery

She was charged with 12 counts of child cruelty, 12 counts of actual bodily harm and one count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm

The 21-year-old appeared at Wimbledon magistrates' court on July 25 after the 'serious allegations' emerged

She said they were trying to muster as many officers as possible to review the footage but so far had only been able to review one full day of CCTV footage when Lecka was on duty.

She said there were at least 10 other days when Lecka was working at the nursery where parents paid up to 2,000 a month to have their children looked after.

Inquiries are ongoing. CCTV is being looked at by a number of officers. They are trying to muster as many officers as possible, said Ms Ayling KC.

The KC said that between 12 and 15 children could have been involved in the allegations of cruelty and assault. She added that medical evidence was being sought.

Lecka, from Hounslow, West London, only spoke to confirm her name and acknowledge the judge when he told her the dates of future hearings where she will have the chance to enter a plea.

The court was told a trial lasting up to four weeks has been pencilled in for February 2025.

Defence counsel Arlette Piercey said there was an enormous amount of CCTV that had to be examined.

Roksana Lecka, from Hounslow, was remanded in custody after police investigated concerns about the welfare of children at Twickenham Green Montessori in London (pictured)

She also appeared via video link and apologised to the judge for not wearing her court robes telling the court they had been stolen the night before the hearing

The nursery worker has been in custody since her first court appearance at Wimbledon Magistrates Court last month.

She was arrested and charged by the Met Polices south-west child abuse team which launched their investigation on July 2 after concerns were reported to the police.

The nursery where Lecka worked cared for children aged under four with parents paying 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.

Since the police investigation was launched into the allegations the Twickenham nursery has closed and is working with the police and local authorities.
Four bodies found in the wreck of Mike Lynch's superyacht have been brought to shore - two of which are believed to be the tech mogul and his teenage daughter Hannah.

A fifth body has also been found in the wreckage of the Bayesian but is yet to be recovered, it emerged this evening, leaving one body still missing.

Search teams made the tragic discoveries today while scouring through the ruins of the luxury sailboat, which sank off the coast of Sicily after being hit by a 'black swan' waterspout on Monday morning.

The Chief of Civil Protection have confirmed two bodies were identified as British tech billionaire Mr Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter.

Two men and one woman were taken to the morgue to be formally identified, while the gender of the other two are yet to be confirmed.

Those still unaccounted for are Morgan Stanley boss Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy and US citizens Chris Morvillo and his jewellery designer wife Neda Morvillo. The body of one crew member, chef Recaldo Thomas, was found on Monday.

The freak incident came as 59-year-old Mr Lynch, known as 'Britain's Bill Gates', was enjoying a 'victory trip' to celebrate winning his US fraud trial over the 8.3billion sale of his tech firm Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard.

In a separate tragedy, Stephen Chamberlain - the former vice president of finance at Autonomy and Mr Lynch's co-defendant - died after being hit by a car while out jogging in Cambridgeshire on Saturday.

Four other guests have been missing since the sinking, with specialist divers desperately trying to access the boat amid hope survivors could be alive in air pockets inside the vessel.

It comes as:

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch with his wife Angela Bacares, who survived the disaster

Emergency services personnel gather on the dock as the body of one of the victims of the disaster is brought in

Firefighters and the Italian Coast Guard recover a body from the sunken sailing vessel in Porticello

Chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer (pictured), and his wife are also missing

Mr Lynch's attorney Christopher Morvillo (pictured) and his wife Neda are also missing after the yacht sank

Neda and Christopher Movillo (pictured together) had joined Mr Lynch on the trip to the Mediterranean

Judy Bloomer, who is missing, is a supporter and former board member of the Eve Appeal, a charity that raises awareness and funds research into gynaecological cancer

The Bayesian (pictured) overturned during a severe thunderstorm on Monday morning

The tragic news came after a marked increase in activity at the port in the last two hours, with more boats than normal going to and from the site.

An ambulance siren could be heard threading its way through the streets of Porticello, and was believed to have joined the large group of emergency vehicles from police, coastguard and the fire service, ringing the tiny port.

At 2.58pm UK time a fire service boat bearing what appeared to be at least one body bag came into shore.

Rescue workers lined the shore as the boat drew alongside, with a coastguard vessel pulling in front to block the view of media so the body could be removed with dignity.

The body bag was then taken to a waiting ambulance in the harbour.

Salvo Cocina, the director of Sicily's civil protection agency, confirmed two bodies were found in the wreck today and that divers have already brought them to the surface.

The divers bringing the bodies to the surface will be deeply traumatised, an expert has said.

'It's always a big trauma,' Bertrand Sciboz, who runs a company specialising in shipwreck research and salvage, told the BBC.

He added: 'For myself and for my team of divers, it's always very difficult if you have to do this job.'

He said 'On behalf of myself and my colleagues, I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the families of the victims and express our condolences and closeness to them at this difficult time.'

The challenging operation has been hampered by issues, including access to cabins being blocked by debris and thick silt preventing divers from being able to see inside windows.

It was revealed today that last night the captain of the superyacht, New Zealander James Cutfield, had been 'questioned for more than two hours' by Italian prosecutors.

The superyacht (pictured) was docked off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, when it was hit by an over-sea tornado, known as a waterspout

Rescue personnel and divers operate on the water above the shipwrecked superyacht today

A fire service helicopter flies in the air above Porticello today as the search operation takes place

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The 'well respected' seafarer was quizzed by the Termini Imerese Public Prosecutor's Office as part of their investigation into what happened. It is expected they will also speak to the other passengers and crew members as part of their probe.

Speaking in hospital the morning after the incident, Mr Cutfield told Italian journalists 'we didn't see it coming'.

Part of the investigation will look into whether hatches had been left open by crew and whether these caused the boat to sink in a matter of minutes.

The captain's brother, Mark Cutfield, said he was a 'very good sailor' and was 'very well respected' in the Mediterranean. He told the NZ Herald that James is currently in hospital but is 'okay' and does not have injuries that are 'too dramatic'.

According to the Giornale Di Sicilia, prosecutors questioned Mr Cutfield for several hours as they tried to reconstruct the Bayesian's final moments before it capsized and as it sank to the seabed.

The yacht had been carrying 10 crew members and 12 passengers when it was hit by tornado-speed winds during a severe thunderstorm at 5am on Monday, August 19.

Such was the force of the impact, the boat sank beneath the waves, completely disappearing in 'just 60 seconds' and leaving those on board in a race to save themselves.

While 15 people were able to make it to safety, including a British mother who heroically held her baby daughter afloat in the pitch-black waters, seven people were unaccounted for.

The body of one crew member, Canadian-Antiguan chef Recaldo Thomas who was the on-board cook, was discovered hours later as a rescue operation got underway.

The search operation has been beset with problems, with floating debris blocking the narrow corridors of the vessel, which is almost completely intact and lying on its side on the seabed 164ft (50m) below the surface.

The wreck is so deep that divers can only spend 10 minutes on the seabed before having to return to the surface for their own safety.

Today a new team of Italian firefighters, who have special tanks that allow them to stay underwater for longer and more experience at that depth, arrived to help with the search.

Divers had forced their way into the ship by drilling a hole through a 3cm-thick porthole today, with claims they had reached the 'master cabin' where Mr Lynch and his wife Angela Bacares had been staying during the trip.

Italian outlet Giornale Di Sicilia reported that a remote-controlled robot has been brought in to assist the search teams.

The 'robot' is capable of operating on the seabed up to an altitude of 300 meters and can continue for between 6 and 7 hours.

Mr Lynch on his Suffolk farm in 2021 when he was fighting extradition to the USA

Mr Lynch (second left) is seen in the early days of his techology firm Autonomy in Cambridge

Tech entrepreneur Lynch with his renovated mill, at his Suffolk farm

The device equipped with advanced technology that allows it to investigate the seabed and record detailed videos and images which will be used in the prosecutor's investigation.

Brent Hoberman, a friend of Mr Lynch, described the 'one in a million' disaster just weeks after the mogul had cleared his name as a 'Shakespearean sort of tragedy'.

Mr Lynch was acquitted of all charges by a San Francisco jury in June alongside his co-defendant Stephen Chamberlain, who had both been fighting to clear their names for 12 years.

Mr Hoberman, the former CEO of lastminute.com who has known Mr Lynch for 28 years, said: 'What an ordeal. This is a Shakespearean sort of tragedy.

'Somebody who spent 12 years defending their name, they just clear their name, they are going on a trip with the team who helped them do that to celebrate and then a sort of one in a million disaster hits their boat.'

Mr Hoberman described Lynch as a 'bit of a boffin' who was 'quick-witted and smart' with an 'infectious love of technology'.

Born in Ilford, Essex, as the son of an Irish fireman and a nurse, Mr Lynch won a scholarship to Bancroft's School, a private day school in northeast London, and later read natural sciences at Cambridge.

At university he developed his fascination with technology, completing a doctorate and holding a research fellowship in adaptive pattern recognition.

In 1991, he set up Cambridge Neurodynamics, which specialised in computer-based finger print recognition for the police.

Five years later he founded data analysis company Autonomy, which became one of Britain's most successful start-ups.

His rise to fame and fortune had been celebrated as a major and pioneering British success story and the married father of two daughters was awarded an OBE in 2006 for services to enterprise.

That same year, he was appointed to the board of the BBC - and was later elected to then-prime minister David Cameron's council for science and technology in 2011.

He advised Mr Cameron on subjects including 'the opportunities and risks of the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and the government's role in the regulation of these technologies'.

Yet in March this year he found himself in a San Francisco courtroom to defend himself against fraud and conspiracy charges - and ultimately won his freedom.

Mr Lynch at Autonomy's headquarters at Cambridge Business Park in 2000

Mr Lynch in his younger years before he became one of Britain's most high profile entrepreneurs

The 59-year-old tycoon had spent much of the previous year living under house arrest with an electronic tag attached to his ankle.

Fighting his corner was a legal team led by Reid Weingarten, described as one of the US legal system's most successful white-collar defenders.

Mr Lynch had potentially faced up to 20 years in a US prison if found guilty of 16 counts of conspiracy, and securities and wire fraud, which he denied.

The charges related to a business deal that was hailed at the time as his crowning glory  the 8.6billion sale of his software and data company Autonomy to US computer giant Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

Mr Lynch personally made more than 500million from the deal, only for HP to later wrote down three-quarters of the value of Autonomy only a year after buying it.

The US company fired Mr Lynch while accusing accusing him and other executives of having grossly inflated its size and profits during the sale.

He had previously lost a 2019 civil fraud case based on similar allegations that HP  now Hewlett Packard Enterprises (HPE)  brought in the UK, with London's High Court ruling in 2020 that HPE had 'substantially won' its case.

His separate three-year battle to avoid being extradited to face criminal charges culminated in Lynch going to the High Court to argue that American prosecutors were guilty of legal overreach which threatened UK sovereignty and its citizens.

His plea was rejected and in May last year he was flown to California, accompanied by the U.S. Marshals Service, still protesting his innocence.

And on June 6 this year he was acquitted of fraud by a jury in San Francisco, while former Autonomy finance executive Stephen Chamberlain, who faced the same charges, was also acquitted on all counts.

Earlier this month he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that being rich had helped him secure his acquittal, saying: 'You shouldn't need to have funds to protect yourself as a British citizen.

'The reason I'm sitting here, let's be honest, is not only because I was innocent but because I had enough money not to be swept away by a process that's set up to sweep you away.'
A Scottish teenager who died in Ibiza after falling from a sixth-floor balcony has been pictured for the first time.

Emma Ramsay, from Hamilton, was on holiday with friends in the party island's San Antonio region when she fell from the balcony at Hotel Vibra District.

The tragedy happened at around 3am on Tuesday.

Paramedics rushed to the scene but the law student, 19, was declared dead at the scene.

The student from Strathclyde University had been enjoying a night out with friends just hours previously at the Hi Ibiza night club, social media posts show.

Emma Ramsay, from Hamilton, was on holiday with friends in the party island's San Antonio region when she fell from the balcony at Hotel Vibra District

The student from Strathclyde University had been enjoying a night out with friends just hours previously at the Hi Ibiza night club

In the days before her death, Ms Ramsay posted a series of TikTok videos showing her happily dancing with friends.

A representative of the Ramsay family told the Scottish Sun: Theyre a lovely group of girls.

Emma is a law student and was about to go into her third year at Strathclyde University.

Shes a delight of a girl, you will not find a person with a bad word to say about her.

'Shes an angel. Its been a really tragic accident and as a family we are coming to terms with that.

The family are out in Ibiza right now, Emmas parents are out there.

Last night, as messages poured in for the popular student, Ms Ramsays mother Barbara Smith paid tribute on social media to her angel Emma. She wrote: I dont even know where to begin.

You are my daughter, my best friend in the whole world and I am going to miss you more than words will ever express. Rest in peace my sweet angel and sleep tight, mummy loves you so, so much.

Lorna Lawson, headteacher of St John Ogilve High School, where Ms Ramsay used to be Head Girl, said: 'We are shocked and saddened at the heartbreaking news of the sudden passing of our former Head Girl, Emma Ramsay.

'Emma was an incredibly kind, hardworking, bright and talented pupil who contributed a great deal to our school community.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. Emma will be missed and will forever hold a special place in our school.'

Friend Paris Mcgoldrick added: 'I don't even know where to begin with how perfect our Emma was. I loved everything about you and I forever will.

The tragedy happened at around 3am on Tuesday at Hotel Vibra District (pictured)

'Heaven just gained the most beautiful angel they will ever get and I'm forever grateful to call you my friend. I will forever cherish the moments we shared together, Em.

'I love you forever my girl, you will never be forgotten.'

Ella Redfearn shared a picture of herself and Emma sitting on the edge of a lake, and wrote: 'Rest easy my girl. A total ray of sunshine and the kindest soul, you will be in my heart forever.'

Another friend, Kimberly Barrie, added: 'Rest in peace my girl. Emma Ramsay, thank you for allowing me to get to know the purest and most beautiful soul. I love you forever.'

And Niamh Anderson added: 'Our Beautiful Angel. Ill be forever grateful that I get to call you my friend. Youll be forever young my girl, never goodbye just a see you later.

'The biggest ray of sunshine to walk the earth and the biggest blessing heaven has ever received.'

One friend wrote: The most beautiful girl with the purest soul. You are genuinely one of a kind and I am going to miss you so much.

A fellow student said: So tragic. Emma was in my class at uni and she was very welcoming to all.

They added that she was always willing to go the extra mile for others.

A spokesman for the University of Strathclyde described Ms Ramsay as a much-loved member of our student community.

He said: We are shocked and saddened by her death. Everyone at the university offers our deepest condolences to Emmas family and all those affected by this terrible incident.

The Foreign Office is understood to be supporting Emma's family.

A spokesperson said: 'We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities.'

A spokesman for the Spanish Civil Guard said: 'I can confirm a 19-year-old British tourist has died following a fall at a hotel in San Antonio in Ibiza.'
Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama went for Donald Trump's jugular in back-to-back speeches at the Democratic National Convention despite the Republican ex-president finally showing a moment of decency toward them.

The one-two punch by the powerful former first couple Tuesday night in Chicago came just hours after the GOP nominee unexpectedly praised his predecessor after years of attempting to delegitimize him.

'I happen to like him. I respect him, and I respect his wife,' Trump said in an interview with CNN on Tuesday just hours before their remarks. He also called Obama a 'nice gentleman.'

It was a sharp turn from Trump who spent years attacking Obama and promoting the birtherism conspiracy theory questioning whether the country's first black president was born in the United States.

Former President Barack Obama joins Michelle on stage for Night Two of the Democratic National Convention where the pair delivered blistering takedowns of former President Trump

Neither Barack or Michelle Obama held back as they unleashed a series of brutal takedowns of the former president with the former first lady delivering what could be one of the most devastating one lines of the entire convention.

'Who's going to tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those "black jobs?"' she said to thunderous applause in the United Center.

Former President Obama also set the internet into a frenzy with his hand gesture suggesting he was making a crude joke about his successor as he joked about the Republican presidential nominee's 'weird obsession with crowd sizes.'

This was not the former first couple who welcomed the Trumps graciously into the White House after the 2016 election despite Trump's attacks on them.

Trump said in an interview on Tuesday 'I respect him' of ex-President Obama after years of criticism and promoting conspiracy theories about his predecessor

The Obamas welcoming the Trumps to the White House on Jan. 20, 2017 after the Republican won the 2016 election. On Tuesday, Trump said he respected Obama in a rare moment of praise after criticizing him for years

But their scathing response to the Republican ex-president's attempt for a second term in the White House was met with thunderous approval from Democrats.

The former first lady blasted the ex-president saying for years Trump 'did everything in his power to try to make people fear us.'

'His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be black,' she said.

She accused him of being the 'same old con' and blasted his 'ugly, misogynistic, racist lies.'

Michelle Obama delivered a devastating one-liner during her convention speech about Trump 'Who's going to tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those "black jobs?"'

Former President Obama had the crowd roaring and sent the internet into a frenzy when he appeared to make a crude joke about Trump and his 'weird obsession' with crowd size

In his own remarks moments later, Obama slammed Trump for 'whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.'

'We don't need four more years of bluster and chaos. We've seen that movie - and we all know that the sequel is usually worse,' Obama said.

The 44th president compared Trump to a neighbor running a lief blower every day: 'from a neighbor, that's exhausting. From a president, it's just dangerous.'

The gloves were off and neither Obama was embracing the words of the first lady at the convention in 2016 when she said 'when they go low, we go high.'

Michelle Obama warned that Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman of color nominated for the top of a major party presidential ticket was about to face the same criticism, she and her husband faced.

'Now, unfortunately, we know what comes next. We know folks are going to do everything they can to distort her truth,' she said before torching Trump.

Michelle Obama greets her husband on stage after her speech at the DNC yesterday

She urged Democrats on Tuesday night to work 'like our lives depend on it' ahead of Election Day and heaped praise on 'my girl' Harris.

Her speech came just one day after President Biden spoke at the convention after his dramatic exit from the presidential race just one month ago, but the former first lady did not mention him. She was solely focused on moving forward.

President Obama did mention Biden, calling his decision to choose the current president to serve as his vice president back in 2008 was one of his best decisions.

'History will remember Joe Biden as an outstanding President who defended democracy at a moment of great danger,' he said. 'And I am proud to call him my President, but I am even prouder to call him my friend.'

From there Obama turned his wrath on the ex-president.

'It has been a constant stream of gripes and grievances thats actually been getting worse now that he is afraid of losing to Kamala,' he said. 'Theres the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes.'

Obama accused Trump of seeing power as 'nothing more than a means to his ends.'

Ex-president Donald Trump campaigning in Howell, MI on August 20, 2024 just hours before the Obamas spoke at the Democratic National Convention

Before claiming he respected Obama on Tuesday, Trump over the years has called his predecessor everything from a 'disaster' and 'catastrophe' to falsely claiming Obama was not born in the United States.

He also spent his four years in office attempting to undo some of Obama's biggest legislative achievements - most prominently efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare.

Trump responded to the blistering criticism of him at the convention in a conservative radio interview on Wednesday morning.

'I was mentioned at the Democrats little party that they have going on in Chicago, and its pretty sad,' Trump said on The Hugh Hewitt show in response to a question about the 'rhetoric' being used against him and the recent assassination attempt.

'These people are out of control, and theyre ruining our nation. Our nation is going to hell,' he claimed.
North Korean defector Yeonmi Park was horrified when Donald Trump paid a friendly visit to Kim Jong Un in 2019, describing it as a sign of a 'weak man who had failed in his campaign promises to the nation.'

But just six years later, she has backflipped on her disdain to publicly endorse the Republican Presidential nominee.

'I am a survivor of a Socialist system in North Korea, and I am voting for @realDonaldTrump this November,' she wrote on X.

'This American system of ours, call it Americanism, call it capitalism, call it what you will, gives each and every one of us a great opportunity if we only seize it with both hands and make the most of it.'

It marks an astonishing u-turn for Park who told DailyMail.com she was 'beloved by the liberal media' when she hummed their tune. She was even profiled in the New York Times as a result.

North Korean defector Yeonmi Park has sensationally backflipped on her disapproval of Donald Trump, to endorse him

But now, after announcing her change of heart, she says she's being hounded by trolls.

Park used the hashtag 'MAGA24' in her post which featured three photographs of herself.

The first was of her posing outside a building with an American flag, and the final two sipping wine at the Tiffany & Co. Blue Box cafe, with Chanel pearls draped around her neck.

Park said she's 'grateful Trump didn't come after me and imprison me, like North Korean dictators' would do if she'd expressed dissatisfaction in the leadership in her home country.

'That was my privilege, to have freedom of speech, so I don't regret it. We have a right to be wrong in democracy,' she told DailyMail.com

Park fled North Korea for China in 2007 when she was 13, moving to South Korea before settling in the United States. She has repeatedly spoken out about the horrors of life in the dictatorship but has faced intense scrutiny over perceived inconsistencies in her recollection.

Her endorsement is the latest in a gradual shift away from the contempt she displayed toward Trump's leadership in 2019.

She accused Trump of bowing to Kim Jong Un in a 'glaringly obvious' attempt to 'pretend that you've accomplished something', arguing: 'Only a weak man would give in to criminals. Only a weak man who has failed in his campaign promises to the nation.'

Then, she wrote an opinion piece for The Hill accusing Trump of 'reducing my chances of returning [to North Korea] alive and free.'

In the piece, Park accused Trump of going 'where other U.S. presidents would not' by 'legitimizing the Kim regime' with photo-ops.

'State media celebrates and publicizes these occasions. They send a signal to the rest of the country that the regime will be there to last. You're giving this to the regime for free, Mr. President. I thought you told us you were a good negotiator?' she wrote.

'Would you have congratulated yourself for being the first president to visit Auschwitz, not as a liberator but as a ''friend'' of Hitler?'

She accused Trump of bowing to Kim Jong Un in a 'glaringly obvious' attempt to 'pretend that you've accomplished something', arguing: 'Only a weak man would give in to criminals. Only a weak man who has failed in his campaign promises to the nation.'

'I do not ask Americans to fight a war to set them free. But I ask you not to collude with the criminal Kim regime or to obstruct others from working toward my people's freedom. I ask this for selfish reasons. I would like to go home someday.'

It marks an astonishing u-turn for Park who told DailyMail.com she was 'beloved by the media' when she had her more liberal views and was even profiled in the New York Times as a result

Her thoughts were also included on the New York Times, with an appeal directly to Trump, as the 'leader of the free world', to 'hold the worst dictator on Earth accountable.'

Today she told DailyMail.com that her willingness to be 'one of the biggest advocates to come out against Trump' was primarily a product of falling for 'corruption' within the media.

'I was one of the biggest advocates to come out against Trump, so at the time I was beloved by mainstream media. I was literally on every mainstream media to criticise Trump. I was front page of the New York Times to criticise Trump,' she said.

'But years later as I came out questioning government policy, mass mandates, all that was happening, they came after my legitimacy because my opinions didn't align with them.'

She added that during the pandemic she felt the tide turn against her when she questioned government policies surrounding mandates and became a more outspoken advocate for conservative values and the Republican party. But it wasn't until this week that she publicly confirmed she would be voting for Trump.

That moment made her begin to question her own understanding of how other people's opinions on Trump had shaped her own, and since then she'd come to realize that she 'loves America more than [she] hates any politician'.

'I love this country. I love this constitution. For other people, I think, their hate for a certain politician overrides their love for the country.

'Kim actually feared Trump,' she said, noting North Korea stopped testing long-range nuclear missiles during his presidency.

'I think the world became a lot less safe when Biden came into power. What we need is a strong leader who can make them behave. Trump can do that.'

In 2019, she wrote an opinion piece for The Hill accusing Trump of 'reducing my chances of returning [to North Korea] alive and free'

Critics have claimed Vice President Kamala Harris - the democratic presidential nominee - has enjoyed fawning coverage from left-leaning publications since her presidential campaign began on July 21. This is despite the fact she has repeatedly refused interviews with the press.

Former Republican congressman Zach Wamp last week said the current Vice President was on a 'honeymoon period.'

He told Sky News Australia: 'The media is kind of helping repackage her as if she's not a progressive and not a real liberal. Nobody's really holding her to account.'

Meanwhile Trump supporters have long argued he's not given a fair wrap.

Polling across the nation shows the gap between the two candidates is closing on the back of Joe Biden's decision to step aside from the race, particularly in key states.

And an exclusive poll conducted by J.L. Partners for DailyMail.com reveals that public confidence in 78-year-old Trump's ability to do the nation's top job is crashing.

Voters are now less confident that the former president can fully digest his national security briefings, hold his own in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin or even survive a full four-year term than when they were last asked in March.

Park has received significant backlash online since her endorsement. She's been called vile slurs and accused of 'selling' her morals to the Republican party.

She said she's never met Trump and has come to her decision just like every other American voter.

She also harbors no ill-will toward her critics.

Instead, she celebrates the criticism, because that, too, is a direct reflection of her new life in the United States.

'I left North Korea for a reason. I love living in a country where I can hear different opinions. I want to live in a country where people can have different opinions. Criticism is the privilege of getting to live in a free country.

'That's why I can't support anybody who believes in cancel culture.'
A terrified man was stung 160 times when he was attacked by dozens of angry wasps after they infiltrated his home.

Andrew Powell, 57, was at the front of his house when the sky 'turned brown' with wasps after a nest was disturbed by a nearby farmer riding a combine harvester.

The swarm followed the festival organiser as he ran into his house in Brecon, Powys, and sought refuge in the shower but they continued to attack as he tried to bat them away.

He said: 'I stumbled about the front of the house and into the shower, but they followed me in, and stung me through my clothes in the shower. The bathroom was full of them.'

Mr Powell was stung 15 times on the back of his head and was left with marks across his body but, mercifully, avoided being stung on the face.

Andrew Powell, 57, was stung 160 times when he was attacked by dozens of angry wasps after they infiltrated his home

The swarm followed the festival organiser as he ran into the house after a day out with wife Gina (both pictured)

Mr Powell said: 'I stumbled about the front of the house and into the shower, but they followed me in, and stung me through my clothes in the shower'

Mr Powell got caught after he had enjoyed a day out with his wife Gina, and stepped outside to take in the sunny view.

After finally escaping the wasps, he was rushed to the minor injuries unit at Brecon War Memorial Hospital where he was treated by 'amazing nurses'.

He said: 'I was dropping in and out of consciousness. All I could see was a white light and I thought "here we go".'

He said medics there treated him with adrenaline, morphine and co-codamol for the pain.

'If they hadn't, then I'd be dead,' he said.

Nurses found 160 stings across his body and Andrew was transferred to Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil later that evening.

'The doctor there eventually came to see me at about 2.30 in the morning and said to me he believed I'd suffered a couple of stings,' he said.

'The doctor was shocked when he told him it was 160 stings.'

Andrew is now recovering at home but is still struggling with the effect of the stings.

'I feel really quite weak and tired because I haven't slept since it happened because there's just too much pain,' he said.

'The stings have got worse and have turned purple.'

He is now campaigning to keep the minor injury unit in Brecon open 24 hours after proposals to reduce its hours.

He said: 'It's open 24 hours now, but it can be so busy, especially in the summer months with all the people who visit Bannau Brycheiniog, you just never know when you might need it.

'If it wasn't for that unit in Brecon and those two wonderful nurses on Sunday night, I wouldn't be here now.

'I might be a bit battered now, but I'm going to fight for it.'
A stunning hilltop mansion owned by an ex-NFL star has sparked uproar for its sleepy lakeside community, as the property is allegedly being used as a raucous 'party house' with up to four events per week.

The sprawling home, known as The Sunset Estate, is located in the West End neighborhood of Tacoma, Washington, and boasts breathtaking views over the Tacoma Narrows.

But the luxurious property, which was purchased for $835,000 in 2017 by a company linked to ex-Atlanta Falcons player Desmond Trufant, has turned into a major source of frustration for local residents.

Neighbors are furious, claiming the home is being marketed and used as an events center, hosting a steady stream of weddings, office parties and other functions that bring noise, traffic and parking chaos to the area.

'We have anxiety sometimes when we're on our way home,' local resident Alisa Wilson told The News Tribune. 'What are we going to come home to? What are we going to have to deal with?'

A stunning hilltop mansion owned by an ex-NFL star has sparked uproar for its sleepy lakeside community, as the property is allegedly being used as a raucous 'party house' with up to four events per week

But the luxurious property, which was purchased for $835,000 in 2017 by a company linked to ex-Atlanta Falcons player Desmond Trufant, has turned into a major source of frustration for local residents

It has become such a nuisance that she and her husband are now even considering selling their home.

Another neighbor Rich Burns recalled being excited when the home was under construction.

'Boy, were we all excited. Nice new house, nice new family,' he told the Tribune.

But the excitement quickly faded when parties started in 2022, bringing loud music well into the night - and they haven't stopped since.

'We don't need to be subjected to someone else's choice of music on a Sunday afternoon,' he added.

'If (a down-slope neighbor) is out in the backyard barbecuing with his wife and there's an event, there's 60 people looking at you right there,' Burns said. 'Now, who's gonna be OK with that?'

The Sunset Estate's Instagram page advertises event rentals, including a $1,800 Super Bowl party package.

Nearby residents say the constant flow of events is 'dramatically incompatible' with the residential character of the neighborhood.

Trufant, however, insists he is operating the property within city regulations, which does not require permits for private events held in residential homes.

The city has claimed Trufant is in compliance with city codes, according to Interim planning manager Shirley Schultz.

The Sunset Estate's Instagram page advertises event rentals, including a $1,800 Super Bowl party package

Trufant, however, insists he is operating the property within city regulations, which does not require permits for private events held in residential homes

'In Tacoma, private residential properties are allowed to host personal events, whether for themselves or others,' she wrote to a neighbor who complained in June.

'The City does not require permits for such events on private residential property.'

In April, the city's permit compliance supervisor Mindee Weber said she contacted Trufant regarding the numerous complaints from local residents.

'They have been informed and have acknowledged that property can only be advertised and utilized for short-term rentals, with event mentions permitted only if the event is organized by the individual renting the property for an overnight stay,' she said.

'Additionally, (the Trufants) are allowed to advertise events hosted by their nonprofit organization, provided they are present for these events, or if they are sponsoring events and will be onsite hosting them.'

Neighbors say the home is being marketed and used as an events center, hosting a steady stream of weddings, office parties and other functions that bring noise, traffic and parking chaos to the area

Neighbors say the home is being marketed and used as an events center, hosting a steady stream of weddings, office parties and other functions that bring noise, traffic and parking chaos to the area

Tacoma Deputy Mayor John Hines also defended The Sunset Estate business.

'I have relayed to neighbors in this community that the homeowner in this particular neighborhood is operating within existing regulations for short-term home rentals,' Hines said to The News Tribune.

'I also relay to all my constituents that we live in a growing and rapidly evolving city, and the City Council is constantly assessing our current code to ensure that our regulations align with our broader vision for all neighborhoods across the city.'
Portland State University (PSU) has been flagged as one of America's worst schools for turning rookie teachers into social justice activists.

The Oregon school's College of Education is cited as having one of the most politically-loaded such courses in the country.

Its trainee teachers study America's 'histories of colonization, settler colonialism, white supremacy, imperialism, and neoliberalism,' course materials show.

Worse still, says a new report, the 126 teachers who graduated from PSU in spring can go on to spread these ideas to more than 120,000 K-12 students.

That's according Parents Defending Education, a conservative watchdog, which flagged PSU and 66 other progressive teacher-training schools.

Educational sessions at Portland State University's College of Education have been flagged in a new report for its politicized methods. This picture is for illustrative purposes.

Parents Defending Education mapped the 67 teacher-training schools that lean too heavily into politics

They're listed in a report, CorruptED: Colleges of Education and the Teacher as Activist Pipeline.

The group's president Nicole Neily said it's time to scrutinize the 'qualifications of the individuals spending eight hours per day with our children.'

'Colleges of education in both red states and blue states have become little more than political ideology factories,' Neily told The Mail.

As a result, she said, 'teaching degrees aren't worth the paper they're printed on.'

PSU, which educates some 26,000 students on a $98 million endowment, did not answer the Mail's request for comment.

How to teach America's 54 million K-12 students has become a battlefront in the culture wars.

Progressive teachers, backed by left-leaning unions, increasingly build cultural and political ideas into lessons.

They focus on race and identity, seeking to overturn perceived historic injustices against women, LGBTQ+ people and racial minorities.

But conservative parents and politicians say this amounts to political indoctrination, which they say creates divisions.

It's better to focus on teaching kids how to read and write, they say.

Florida, Oklahoma, and dozens of other mostly-red states have restricted identity-based lessons in their public schools in recent years.

This month, Richard Woods, Georgia's Republican superintendent of schools, warned that an Advanced Placement course in African American Studies breached state rules about teaching divisive racial concepts.

Meanwhile, Moms for Liberty and other campaign groups are pressuring principals to pull sexually explicit and other edgy books from their libraries.

Portland State University's taxpayer-funded College of Education is a hotbed of activism, researchers say

The schools often teach the controversial 'wheel of privilege,' which breaks society down into identities of winners and losers

Politically active teachers include Olivia Garrison of California, who said she helped students change their gender identity without parents' knowledge.

The Mail has uncovered dozens of examples of teachers crossing the line into activism.

We showed how Kimberly Martin, the former DEI coordinator for Royal Oak Schools in Michigan, helped transgender students 'hide' their gender and nicknames from parents.

Parents Defending Education's founder Nicole Neily

We also revealed how Jennifer Haglund, a counselor for Ames Community Schools in Iowa, was spreading her 'own activism' and progressive values in an educational setting.

In another instance, Olivia Garrison, a progressive nonbinary California high school teacher, says it can be their role to protect trans kids from their parents by helping them to change sex in class.

Against this backdrop, PDE examined the materials used in teacher-training academies to find out what role they played in politicizing schools.

They found 67 universities across 34 states that were training teachers with politically-leaning course texts.

This included 54 teaching critical race theory, which examines America's past slavery and racism.

Dozens of others taught everything from 'white privilege,' to 'white supremacy' and queer theory.

They found two controversial texts were often on reading lists  Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility.

The woke colleges frequently used the 'wheel of privilege' diagram, which breaks down society into those with 'power' and the 'marginalized.'

It illustrates the idea of 'intersectionality' hatched by scholar Kimberle Crenshaw in the 1990s, about overlapping systems of 'privilege' and 'disadvantage.'

It asserts that straight, white, men, for example, get many breaks in life, while queer, black women face discrimination on all fronts.

It's used frequently at Portland's education department, says the PDE report.

After graduating, teacher activists go on to share their ideas with thousands of K-12 students throughout their careers, the report says

Kimberly Martin (left), a Michigan educator, and Jennifer Haglund of Iowa, have said their jobs are in part political

PSU's objective for rookie teachers includes making them 'anti-racist' educators who 'identify oppressive conditions, including micro- and macro-aggressions' and try root them out, college documents show.

It even has a course called 'Social Studies Methods: Teacher as Activist' for aspiring elementary school teachers.

It involves 'recognizing the histories of colonization, settler colonialism, white supremacy, imperialism, and neoliberalism upon which the United States and its systems of education have been built and sustained,' course materials say.

PDE's report highlights dozens of other educational schools with similar classes  from Arizona State University to the University of Washington.

California is home to the most progressive teacher training schools, with Stanford University, the University of California Berkeley, and eight others.

Texas is not far behind, with eight such woke schools, including the University of North Texas and Sul Ross State University, researchers said.

'It's time for these programs to be overhauled,' Neily told The Mail.

'And for policymakers to reimagine what the pipeline to get qualified individuals into classrooms should look like going forward.'
Six men have been arrested after an inmate died at a Leicestershire prison on Tuesday.

Leicestershire Police said they were called to HMP Fosse Way, a category C prison in Leicester, after a 31-year-old man was found unresponsive in his cell.

The victim, understood to be Mahir Abdulrahman, had 'kettled' another inmate with boiling water.

Four other prisoners entered his cell and kettled him in revenge before 'beating him to a pulp', the Times reported.

Six men have been arrested in connection with the man's death and are in police custody.

Six men have been arrested after an inmate was beaten to death a day before he was due to be released from HMP Fosse Way (pictured)

The inmate's death is currently being treated as unexplained, the force said. Some have questioned why he was not moved following his initial attack.

The new jail, on the site of the old HMP Glen Parva, was built to house 1,715 prisoners and is managed by Serco.

A Serco spokesman said: 'We can confirm that a 31-year-old man has died at Fosse Way prison.

'The matter is now being investigated by Leicestershire Police.'

The new prison, on the site of the old HMP Glen Parva is privately managed and has been compared to a 'hotel' with barless windows and personal computers

The privately run HMP Fosse has previously been compared to a hotel, and boasts cells with barless windows and personal computers that double as TVs.

The 'Scandinavian-style' prison, which looks similar to student halls and can house 1,715 inmates and was hailed by ministers as Britain's 'greenest ever'.

It also includes innovations to bolster security and cut crime behind bars - along with plans to help prisoners find work.
Alain Delon's daughter visited a sea of floral tribute outside the late star's home as the bitter row between his ex-lover and the family continues.

Anouchka Delon greeted passers-by as she visited her late father's home in Douchy, central France.

Mr Delon died aged 88 on August 18 following a battle with ill health.

Hundreds of bouquets and messages were left at the front gates of the late actor's property, La Brulerie.

It comes after Mr Delon's ex lover accused his three children of 'inhumanely' blocking her from saying goodbye.

Anouchka Delon met passers-by laying flowers at her late father's home in Douchy, central France

Ms Delon inspecting the hundreds of flowers and messages left at the gates of the late actor's home

An edition of magazine Paris Match with Mr Delon on the front page is among tributes left for him outside his home

Hiromi Rollin, 66, had been living part-time with the sickly Delon as his assistant and carer for some 17 years but claimed the pair had been in love for three decades

The late actor's daughter remains locked in a bitter dispute with Rollin, along with her two other siblings

Anouchka arrived at the property escorted by French gendarmes

Anouchka leaving her late father's home after checking floral tributes left at the entrance

Anouckha arrived at the property escorted by French gendarmes, before inspecting the sea of tributes left by fans.

Himoni Rollin, 66, was living with the actor part time as his carer for some 17 years, but claimed that Anouchka along with her siblings Alain-Fabien and Anthony had refused to let her see him upon his death.

She told French newspaper Le Figaro: 'We loved one another for 30 years. I lived with him for 17 and was separated from Alain unfairly, brutally and violently.

'His children did not even allow me to say ''au revoir". It's inhuman.'

The pair first met while working on the 1992 film 'The Return of Casanova' in which Delon played the titular character and Rollin worked as an assistant director.

She would later go on to care for Mr Delon in his later life. The actor described Rollin as his 'Japanese companion'.

The French actor's relationships with women were the subject of large controversy.

He denied accusations from his sons of domestic violence, although he admitted to slapping women during arguments.

His first marriage to Francine Canovas, also known as Nathalie Delon, in 1964, ended in divorce after just five years. The couple had one son together, Anthony.

Mr Delon also had a string of other relationships, including with the 'love of his life' German actor Romy Schneider, pop star Dalida and Rosalie Van Breemen, the latter with whom he had his last two children.

Mr Delon's children had squabbled over his ill-health during his last few years.

Delon's performances in some of the greatest films of the 1960s and 70s were widely praised, his charisma on screen impossible to ignore

Delon is pictured with Jane Fonda in the film 'The Love Cage', 1964

French actor Alain Delon at the funeral ceremony Funeral of Jean-Paul Belmondo, Paris, France - 10 Sep 2021

Anouchka claimed that Anthony, the eldest, was aggressively hassling his father about his mental state following a 2019 stroke.

In return, Anthony accused Anouchka of trying to hide the damning results of Delon's cognitive tests from the rest of the family.

All three children filed a lawsuit against Rollin after she left Mr Delon's home last July for a trip and stopped her from coming back.

Despite allegedly backing the legal action, Mr Delon also confirmed the pair's relationship, contradicting his children's claims, the Times reported.
The brother of a Scot killed by Hamas in the October 7 atrocities has accused former First Minister Humza Yousaf of Jew-washing.

Colin Cowan, 56, said the SNPs actions following the terrorist attacks on Israel had cynically focused on avoiding criticism rather than combating anti-Semitism.

His comments come amid a growing row within the SNP over Angus Robertsons meeting with an Israeli diplomat.

Colin Cowan (right) with his late brother Bernard, who was murdered by Hamas terrorists in Israel last October

Mr Cowan said the SNP Government had been happy to trade with China, while former First Minister Humza Yousaf met the Turkish president, despite concerns over both countries human rights records.

But External Affairs Secretary Mr Robertsons decision to meet Daniela Grudsky Ekstein, Israels deputy ambassador to the UK, has sparked a major row within the SNP  including calls for him to lose his job.

Mr Cowan also accused Mr Yousaf of using his grieving mother Irene as a photo opportunity after posing with her at a memorial service, which he claimed was an act of Jew-washing, or an insincere display of solidarity with Jews.

Bernard Cowan, 57, who left his family in Glasgow when he was just 19 to move to Israel, was killed by Hamas in his home in Kibbutz Sufa in southern Israel, close to the border with Gaza.

The surprise attacks last year saw the terrorist group kill more than 1,200 people and seize about 250 hostages - with 71 of them reckoned to be still alive, according to latest estimates.

Writing in The Herald, Mr Cowan contrasted the SNPs reaction to Mr Robertsons meeting with Ms Grudksy Ekstein with the reaction to Mr Yousaf shaking hands with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the COP28 climate change summit in the United Arab Emirates last year.

Mr Cowan accused former First Minister Humza Yousaf of cynically using his grieving mother as a 'Jew washing' photo opportunity

Mr Cowan said Mr Yousaf had not faced widespread calls for his resignation at that time, in spite of the shameful Turkish human rights record and their disgusting treatment of Kurdish people.

He said: Indeed, Scotland and China have a multi-million-pound annual trading portfolio, and this is in spite of Chinas woeful and routine human rights abuses, including the imprisonment of its Uyghur Muslim population in north-west China. Chinas treatment of the Uyghurs has often been labelled a form of cultural genocide.

Yet, why have there been no calls for the resignation of Scottish leaders for their pursuit of strong relations with China?

He added: It seems to me that there is a blatant double standard here.

Mr Cowan said Mr Yousaf  who was then First Minister  had met his family after his brothers murder last October.

He said: There is a photo of Mr Yousaf hugging my 82-year-old mother as our whole family mourned the loss of Bernard.

I have since reached the conclusion that the actions of the SNP since then have shown me that this was nothing other than a photo opportunity for the party, an act of Jew-washing, to avoid any accusation of inaction on combating the rife anti-Semitism that we suffer from in this country.

Mr Cowan said Scottish Jews are fearful and we want to see a reaction from our First Minister John Swinney - one that acknowledges the legitimate fears of my community.

He called on Mr Swinney to meet with me and my family personally, and show solidarity with the victims of the deadliest day for Jews in 80 years.

Last night Mr Yousaf his thoughts continue to be with families who are suffering due to the horrific terror attack by Hamas on October 7, including the Cowan family.

He said: When I participated in the Service of Solidarity at Giffnock Shul [synagogue] in October last year, it was at a time of extreme personal grief as my in-laws continued to be trapped in a warzone in Gaza, not knowing whether they would live or die day-by-day.

He said he supported the Scottish Government in ensuring there are not normal diplomatic relationships with the Government of Israel until they comply with their international obligations and cease killing civilians with impunity.

A Scottish Government spokesman said Mr Swinney would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with Mr Cowan and his family.
Scotland's taxpayer owned investment bank has awarded its boss bonuses worth more than 8,000 a month despite racking up millions in losses.

The Scottish National Investment Bank lost 14.6 million last financial year, including 8m following the collapse of the firm set up to run the beleaguered SNP/Green deposit return scheme.

Despite the losses, Chief Executive Al Denholm was awarded almost 90,000 in bonuses, which saw his total remuneration package top 335,000.

Under his long-term incentive plan Mr Denholm, who joined the bank in May last year, earned the huge commission after hitting a series of performance targets.

Half of the total bonus is due this year, with another 22,226 in 2025 and 2026 subject to sustained performance, the companys annual reports said.

Scottish National Investment Bank CEO Al Denholm raked in 90,000 in bonuses despite the bank losing almost 15million in the last financial year

Within the 2023-24 financial year, the total allocated to staff through long-term incentive schemes jumped to 865,000, up from the 709,000 paid the year before.

Nicola Sturgeon launched the bank in 2020, and billed it as one of the most significant developments in the lifetime of this parliament.

Staff numbers have steadily risen from 64 to 76, with employee costs rising to 9.3m. The median remuneration of full-time staff was 89,999.

Douglas Lumsden, Scottish Conservative Net Zero, Energy and Transport spokesman, said: The SNPs flagship national bank is continuing to rack up eye-watering losses, yet failures are continuing to be rewarded.

Serious questions remain over the millions lent to Circularity Scotland and how that money will never be recovered following Lorna Slaters botched deposit return scheme - not to mention the fact there is still no advisory board set up by SNP ministers despite my repeated calls for them to do so.

Taxpayers need to see full transparency about what the future holds for SNIB, rather than a typical culture of SNP secrecy surrounding its dealings, which have often left taxpayers footing the bill.

The banks latest annual report, covering the period April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, showed that loss before tax was 14.6m, down from 20.2m the previous year.

This includes 8m lost on Circularity Scotland Limited as it finalises the administration process.

Circularity Scotland called in administrators in June last year following the decision to delay the deposit return scheme to bring it in line with a planned UK-wide scheme.

Critics hit out at Mr Denholm's bonus payments while the bank continues 'to rack up eye-watering losses'

Daniel Johnson, Scottish Labours economy spokesman, said the bank was being financially hobbled by SNP-Green incompetence.

He added: The figures clearly show that the fallout over the deposit return scheme has blown an 8m hole in the banks finances - allowing less and less money to be spent on stimulating economic growth and activity.

The simple fact is that the investment bank is being held back by SNP economic incompetence, leaving Scotlands economy underpowered and under-resourced.

Its accounts revealed the taxpayer owned firm had exceeded its operating costs of 16.1m for the first time, with an income of 19.3m.

This was up more than 80 per cent on the previous year.

Kate Forbes, the deputy first minister, said: Having achieved an operating profit and nearly doubled its annual operating income in only its third full year since opening for business, the figures demonstrate a strong performance and increasingly promising future for the publicly-owned Scottish National Investment Bank.

The key missions of The Bank remain closely aligned to the First Ministers priorities, and it continues to make strategically important investments - from green energy to our net zero transformation and high-growth innovation - to help shape a strong, growing and vibrant Scottish economy.

Its accounts, published this week, also highlighted concerns surrounding its gender pay gap - the difference between what men and women earn.

The banks mean gap is 26.3 per cent, while its median is 30.9 per cent. The gap is worse than other financial service firms, excluding insurance and pensions, in Scotland.

And it is also far worse than Scotland as a whole, with all occupations having a mean gap of 6.3 per cent and a median gap of 8.7 per cent.

Its annual report said there was a higher number of women in more junior positions, while there were more men in senior positions.

It said: These are disappointing outcomes that we are committed to eliminating.

Despite the positive action that has been taken in the last 12 months, this is not where the bank wants to be and we are committed to improving this through our actions in the coming year.

The bank, which counts reaching net-zero as one of its missions, has also seen its emissions rise by 5.3 per cent.

Carbon emitted because of home working doubled, emissions from business travel went up by more than half, and hotel emissions up 175 per cent.

A spokesman for the bank said: We are making good, quality, long-term investments on behalf of the people of Scotland and growing as an organisation with 35 businesses and projects now in our portfolio.

Since starting up, we have committed 640million to business and projects that deliver against our missions, and we have crowded in over 1bn of additional investment, supporting projects that deliver long-term societal and economic benefits for Scotland.

Employee pay and incentives are part of our operating costs and this year - for the first time - our income exceeded our operating costs.
Murdo Fraser has been accused of secretly working in cahoots with other candidates in the Scottish Tory leadership race to get elected.

Former MP and MSP Ross Thomson said it was obvious that some candidates had stood for the sake of appearances while coordinating their efforts.

Mr Fraser, Liam Kerr, Jamie Greene and Brian Whittle called for the contest to be halted on Friday, claiming the contest was potentially unfair and lacked transparency.

But Mr Thomson said the so-called Gang of Four - named after an infamous group of Chinese Communist party officials - had gone too far.

Murdo Fraser has been accused of working with other candidates to get ahead in the Scottish Conservative leadership contest

He said: Its pathetic and is backfiring with members.

Over the last few weeks we have seen candidates for the leadership of the Scottish Conservative Party coordinating with each other to attack fellow Conservatives and other candidates.

Eyebrows have certainly been raised across the party by the way that the so-called gang of four and their surrogates have apparently been working in cahoots, both publicly and privately.

Its obvious to anyone that some candidates have been running a campaign for appearances with the intention of rolling in behind each other.

Instead of putting forward positive conservative ideas as we have with Russell Findlay, theyve focussed on personal attacks and maximising grievances against the party.

They are doing so much damage to the party that it will not be easy for the next leader to repair.

Members dont like it and their votes need to be earned. They want leaders who are winners, not whiners, who are focused on principles, not process.

Brian Whittle recently pulled out of the contest and endorsed Mr Fraser's campaign

The like-minded quartet issued a joint statement via Mr Frasers communications manager last week insisting the race should be suspended.

The coordination fuelled suspicion that Mr Frasers camp was itself failing to be transparent by working behind the scenes with his erstwhile rivals.

On Tuesday, Mr Whittle pulled out of the race and endorsed Mr Fraser, praising him for bringing the genuine change of approach that we need to win.

Within 45 minutes, Mr Fraser warmly welcomed the endorsement, saying: I am honoured and humbled by his kind words about me and his support.

Writing in the Mail today, Mr Findlay says he is standing first and foremost to unite his party, admitting recent events have called some of our unity into question.

He writes: Divided parties breed failure. And I wont stand for failure.

Ill stand up for myself, but I wont knock other Conservatives down.

Responding to Mr Thomsons comments on behalf of the Fraser campaign, MSP Graham Simpson said: These childish, pathetic, divisive blue-on-blue attacks from the Findlay camp have become an increasingly tiresome feature of this campaign.

Leadership candidate Russell Findlay said that recent events have called some of our unity into question

Murdo is fighting a positive campaign to deliver real change to the Party - and these tactics show how necessary that change is.

Mr Fraser has proposed a Commission to look at the partys constitution - seen by his critics as a Trojan Horse to revive his failed 2011 plan for a breakaway Scottish party.

The former deputy leader launches his official campaign in Perth today, coinciding with the close of nominations.

Mr Greene, who pitched himself as the voice of a new generation, is widely expected to drop out and endorse either Mr Fraser or former deputy Meghan Gallacher.

Echoing Mr Findlays appeal earlier this week to scunnered SNP supporters to switch to the Tories at the 2026 election, Mr Fraser will try to appeal to disaffected Yes voters.

He will say: We won the constitutional battle. Now we must win the policy battle.

I know there are many more people who hold Conservative values in Scotland than currently vote Scottish Conservative. Some of these people will have voted SNP, perhaps for the last two decades, perhaps because they are sympathetic to independence.

Now, with independence no longer a prospect, these individuals have been freed up to vote for a party which might not share their view on the constitution, but is actually offering real solutions to the problems Scotland faces today.
A father-son pair of hunters were attacked by a giant grizzly bear in the wilderness of Alaska over the weekend, which led to one of them accidentally shooting himself in the leg.

Tyler Johnson, 32, and his father, who is a current Alaska Wildlife Trooper, began their fateful trip last Thursday into a popular trail on the Kenai Peninsula, which is right near Anchorage.

Two days later on Saturday, August 17, the duo ventured onto Resurrection Trail looking to hunt black bears sheep and potentially wolves, Tyler explained in an interview with Alaska's News Source.

Hours into the hike, where they kept noise to a minimum, they were confronted with a large brown bear. The animal charged at Tyler's father first, but then changed its mind and headed for Tyler.

The bear tackled him, which led to Tyler firing seven rounds into its head and neck, killing it. Amid the chaos, he also shot himself in the leg.

'I would shoot myself through the leg again if it hit the bear,' he said.

Pictured: The bear that attacked Tyler Johnson and his father moments after Tyler was able to shoot it dead

Tyler recorded himself and his father right after the mauling, giving a brief description of what happened and showing the dead bear

Shortly after the terrifying confrontation, Tyler had the presence of mind to record a video of himself.

He panned around the area of the attack, showing the tall grass he and his father were hiking through. He also recorded the dead bear, which was lying on its side.

'I'm trying to get my heart rate a little slower right now,' Tyler said.

Tyler explained in the 34-minute-long interview after the attack that he was born and raised in Sterling, Alaska, a small town also on the Kenai Peninsula.

He moved to Austin, Texas, a month ago with his wife and two-year-old son, but decided to make the trip back last week to go hunting with his dad.

Tyler explained that he had never hiked Resurrection Trail and heard it was gorgeous, so he and his dad decided to take it.

They hiked in on Thursday and spent all day on Friday hunting but didn't catch anything.

They went back out on Saturday to hunt because it was 'a beautiful day,' with temperatures reaching around 64 degrees.

Once they had been hiking for a while, the flags marking the trail got farther apart and harder to find, Tyler said. They started losing the flags around 2:30pm.

Tyler's father, pictured, is the one who made the SOS call to wildlife troopers who later rendered first aid on his son

Tyler is pictured alongside his wife and son, who is two years old

Alaska Wildlife Troopers would receive an SOS call from Tyler's father reporting the bear attack just a half hour later, according to a bulletin from the Alaska Department of State Troopers.

Tyler then saw a clearing through some bushes that led to a more visible path. The path, he said, had evidence of animals being there. They saw moose prints, but no bear tracks.

'I wasn't suspecting to run into a brown bear,' he said.

His dad caught a glimpse of the flag after seeing the moose prints and started marching toward it. He described the path as a tunnel of bushes, and he followed his father through it.

When he stepped through the clearing that led to a field of knee-high golden grass, that's when his father yelled 'bear!'

'Almost simultaneously, the bear did its growl,' he said. 'If you've ever heard a grizzly...it's shocking.'

The bear was between him and his father, and on Tyler's left.

'It wasn't even a warning growl...it just sprinted towards my dad.'

In a sit-down interview with Alaska's News Source just days after he was almost killed by a bear, Tyler reenacts the moment it clawed his shoulder

Tyler points out the bullet hole in his leg. He said he shot himself after the bear lunged at him

'It was the same color as the golden grass,' Tyler said. 'I just saw the head pop up. I can only assume it was laying down in the grass and we surprised it as much as it surprised us.'

His dad had a Glock 40 on his chest and a special backpack with neck protection specifically meant to protect against bear attacks.

Tyler said his dad was yelling at the bear as it came for him, which got it to 'put on his brakes and turn towards me.'

Tyler had his hand on his gun at this point, and when the bear charged him, he failed to retrieve the weapon at first.

'It was about from me to you,' Tyler said, referencing the distance between him and the interviewer, 'when it kind of lunged up.'

He said the attack happened so quick that it was hard to describe accurately. But based on the injuries he received, he believes the bear clawed him on his shoulder and on his legs.

Moments later, the bear knocked him sideways and 'gripped' his right quad.

'I was falling backwards at this time, it was like getting hit by a train,' he said. 'My feet went over my head, and it put its teeth into my calf as I was falling backwards.'

As he was falling, he managed to pull his gun out. This is when he believes he shot himself in the leg.

Once the bear was on top of him, Tyler dealt the killing blows to the beast.

Here, Tyler is recalling the moment the bear lunged up at him and tackled him to the ground

Tyler fired seven bullets into the bear. He said the final shot was the one that killed it and caused it to fall over

'That's when I put seven rounds into its chest and head area. I mean anything that I can hit.'

He explained that his dad, who's an experienced hunter and was the one who trained him to be an outdoorsman, wasn't just standing idly by as all of this was happening.

The elder Johnson took a different angle so he wouldn't accidentally hit his son and began firing his Glock at the bear as well.

Tyler said the seventh round was the one that killed the bear, though he's unsure if the bullet struck its head or the spine.

'I remember noticing a difference between a pissed off bear and a bear that's falling over.'

Once the bear was officially dead, Tyler informed his dad that he shot himself. Luckily, he brought a trauma kit with him and was able to treat his bullet hole wound by wrapping his leg with a tourniquet.

He called the injury to his leg 'a million dollar wound' because the bullet missed arteries and bones and exited out the other side of his quad.

Tyler, left, and his dad, right, pose for a cute picture with Tyler's son

Tyler said the attack happened around 2:58pm, and two minutes later, wildlife troopers received a report about the attack.

According to the troopers' report, officers administered first aid on Tyler in the field before he was transported to Anchorage hospital in a helicopter.

Troopers told Alaska's News Source that Tyler was in stable condition as of Monday, two days after the mauling.

He's also treating his bite wound with amoxicillin to prevent possible infections.

As of now, Tyler is still in Alaska but plans to get back to his family in Austin later this week.

'Im going to miss Alaska. Its definitely given me a few scars in the past couple months to remind me of her. Its been a hell of a summer,' Tyler said.
The BBC has been accused of scaremongering over its coverage of Scotlands reaction to the far-right riots in England and Northern Ireland.

The corporation has said they received several complaints from people who were unhappy over an article on the BBC Scotland website.

The article, published on August 7, was titled Refugees in Scotland living in fear following riots was accompanied by an image of rioting in England which didnt make clear where the incident took place.

Readers complained that the lead image and headline were misleading and amounted to scaremongering.

The BBC has issued a lengthy statement in response which acknowledged the concerns raised and said they didnt intend to cause any offence.

The BBC came under fire from members of the public over an article published online in the wake of rioting in England and Northern Ireland

However, they stood by their coverage and said it was important to reflect the experiences and fears of some communities in Scotland.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with violent scenes in towns and cities such as Rotherham, Middlesbrough and Bolton which followed the spread of misinformation online began after three girls were killed in Southport in Merseyside.

There was further disorder in London, Plymouth and Belfast earlier this month but there have been no incidents in Scotland.

The BBC article featured an interview with Sabir Zazai, the chief executive of the Scottish Refugee Council, who said that some people in communities his organisation works with were scared to go out.

After viewing the article, one reader posted on X: This is disgusting BBC News - people who dont read the article will assume that that photo is of riots here when there havent been any.

Another person who lodged a complaint said: Misleading image IMO, as implies disorder on Scottish streets. You should remove. Could be seen as bias.

Several towns in England and Northern Ireland saw violence erupt, but there was no rioting in Scotland

In its statement, the BBC said: We received complaints from people who felt the lead image and headline were misleading and/or amounted to scaremongering in the article on refugees in Scotland living in fear following the violent riots in England and Northern Ireland.

We believe this was a very important story to tell, to ensure that the experiences and fears of some communities in Scotland were accurately reflected - Scotlands first minister and other party leaders were also in the news that week recognising the fears held by communities of faith and other groups in Scotland, in relation to the rioting in England and Northern Ireland.

Headlines are a summary and cannot give all of the details of a story. While there is a desire to provide as complete a summary as possible in a headline, space is also a factor and consideration is given to such things as audience comprehension, of which pre-awareness is a factor.

The lead paragraph in the article provided the further detail and context that: People in the asylum system in Scotland are living in constant fear following days of violent riots in other parts of the UK, the chief executive of the Scottish Refugee Council has said.

The caption to the lead image in the article also conveyed that it was illustrative of these riots in other parts of the UK and explained that: More than 400 people have been arrested following violence in England and Northern Ireland over the weekend.

We acknowledge the concerns we received about the framing of this article with its lead image and headline; in particular, how it came across on the home page/indexes and on social media prior to seeing the full article. It was certainly not our intention to cause any offence.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will 'address the nation' Friday about his path forward in the 2024 race.

Kennedy will speak in Phoenix, Arizona - one day after the Democratic National Convention wraps up in Chicago.

Also in Phoenix that day - former President Donald Trump, who Kennedy's running mate, Nicole Shanahan, said the independent is thinking about endorsing.

Trump has been courting a Kennedy endorsement for weeks and the two spoke by phone in the aftermath of the assassination attempt on the ex-president.

On the flip side, the Democrats have scorned Kennedy, who had previously been one of their own.

When Kennedy tried to touch base with Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign - attempting to barter a Cabinet gig for an endorsement and a pledge to drop out of the race - a DNC spokesperson publicly said no thanks.

Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (left) had a phone conversation last month with former President Donald Trump (right), where it was clear Trump was courting him for a potential endorsement. Democrats, on the other hand, have no interest

Nicole Shanahan (left), Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s running mate (right), revealed on a podcast this week that the independent is thinking about throwing in the towel and backing former President Donald Trump

'No one has any intention of negotiating with a MAGA-funded fringe candidate who has sought out a job with Donald Trump in exchange for an endorsement,' Democratic National Committee spokesperson Matt Corridoni told DailyMail.com.

Shanahan appeared on an episode of Tom Bilyeu's Impact Theory Tuesday and said she and RFK Jr. have two options - they could stay in the race and hope to get 5 percent of the vote to officially start a new political party.

'But we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Walz presidency,' the former Democrat said. 'Because we draw votes from Trump or we draw somehow more votes from Trump.'

'Or we walk away right now and join forces with, with Donald Trump and and, you know, we walk away from that and we explain to our base why we're making this decision,' she added. 'Not an easy decision.'

Shanahan explained that some of the Democratic Party's moves to prevent her ticket from playing a 'spoiler' role in the election turned her off from ever supporting them.

'The DNC made that impossible for us. They have banned us, shadowbanned us, kept us off stages, manipulated polls, used lawfare against us, sued us in every possible state,' she claimed. 'They even planted insiders into our campaign to disrupt it and to create actual legal issues for us.'

'The extent by which the sabotage they've unleashed upon us, it's mind-blowing. We are still learning news ways they have sabotaged us,' Shanahan continued.

The Democrats have filed a number of lawsuits to keep the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket off the ballot.

A spokesperson for the party has charged again and again that Kennedy's entire camapign was meant to give Trump a leg up.

Trump, on the other hand, was heard on the phone last month suggesting he could throw RFK Jr. a bone.

He reiterated that point during an interview with CNN Tuesday.

A truck promoting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s independent presidential campaign is seen outside of The Bitcoin Conference held at Music City Center in Nashville

'Certainly,' he responded when asked if there was a role for RKF Jr. in a Trump 2.0 administration.

'I like him and I respect him,' Trump continued. 'He's a brilliant guy. He's a very smart guy. I've known him for a very long time. I didn't know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly I'd be open to it.'

Shanahan said on Impact Theory that the ex-president 'has taken genuine, sincere interest in our policies around chronic disease.'

'He takes it seriously. For that reason, I think it behooves us to sit and see if we can actually make some change,' the vice presidential candidate added.

The 38-year-old said that Kennedy would do an 'incredible job with HHS' and then butchered what the acronym stood for.

'Human Health Services,' she told Bilyeu.

It's the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The FBI has launched an investigation into whether maggots were deliberately slipped into the breakfasts of delegates at the Democratic National Convention.

Law enforcement swarmed the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Chicago on Wednesday following reports of the insect attack.

Indiana delegate Tracy Boyd told WGNTV: 'They protected us, of course, and turned it around in minutes.'

She said her group was notified that breakfast service would be briefly delayed due to the incident by pro-Palestine activists.

Since the start of the DNC, pro-Palestine rioters have caused chaos on the streets of Chicago. Several have been arrested for breaching the security perimeter near the United Center and as protests got violent near the Israeli Consulate.

'I really do want to give a shout-out to the hotel staff and leadership,' Boyd added.

All Americans have the right to peaceful protest, but ugly attacks like this have no place in our democracy,' said Indiana Democratic Party spokesperson Sam Barloga.

The FBI has launched an investigation into whether maggots were deliberately slipped into the breakfasts of delegates at the Democratic National Convention

Pro-Palestine activists launch disgusting protest on Netanyahu's table at DC's Watergate Hotel

'We thank the security team for responding swiftly,' he said.

It's not the first maggot-related political incident in recent weeks.

At the end of July, a Pro-Palestine activist group shared stomach-turning images of what they said was a protest against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Israeli leader addressed Congress amid the ongoing war in Gaza, which has sparked protests against the Jewish state all over the world.

Hours before his speech, the Palestinian Youth Movement's X account shared a video they claimed showed Netanyahu's table at the Watergate hotel in Washington DC full of maggots and critters.

The group wrote: 'BON APPETIT!! MAGGOTS RELEASED ON THE CRIMINAL ZIONIST'S WAR TABLE!

'Palestine protestors manufactured chaos at the Watergate Hotel last night so that Netanyahu, Israeli Mossad agents, and the Secret Service had no peace as they continue to terrorize our people.'

Jewish Insider claimed that several people in Netanyahu's team were not aware of any protest involving maggots.

Jewish Insider reporter Lahav Harkov said: 'I talked to several people in Netanyahus delegation who know nothing about this, so either the Palestinian Youth Movement is lying or somehow security managed to clean this up and stop the fire alarms incredibly quickly.'

Law enforcement swarmed the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Chicago on Wednesday following reports of the insect attack

CNN reported that the Secret Service was investigating the reports that protesters gained access to the hotel where the Israeli delegation is staying.

During his speech, Netanyahu spoke about the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship, highlighting how the two's close ties have been instrumental in the Jewish nation's fight against Palestinian terror group Hamas.

'America and Israel must stand together,' Netanyahu proclaimed, receiving a standing ovation in response.

'When we stand together, something very simple happens, we win and they lose.'

Protesters clash with the police during a protest in support of Palestinians near the Israeli Consulate in Chicago

Hours before Netanyahu's planned speech, the Palestinian Youth Movement's X account shared a video they claimed showed his table at the Watergate hotel in Washington DC full of maggots and critters

The leader has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is eradicated following the October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel by the terrorist who raped women, killed and beheaded children and took hundreds of Israelis hostage, including several Americans.

While Netanyahu was in D.C., protesters condemning the war in Gaza descended on Washington, chanting 'Free, Free Palestine' as some tried to block streets.

Protestors vandalized parts of Union Station, a short walk to the Capitol.

The American flag was taken off of a flag pole outside of the main train terminal.
The search for the sixth missing person on Mike Lynch's sunken superyacht has been called off for the day after it is believed the bodies of the British tech billionaire and his teenage daughter as well as two others were recovered.

A fifth body was also found in the wreckage of the Bayesian but is yet to be recovered, it emerged this evening.

Search teams made the tragic discoveries while scouring through the ruins of the luxury sailboat, which sank off the coast of Sicily after being hit by a 'black swan' waterspout on Monday morning.

Rescue efforts will resume at first light tomorrow, the head of Sicily's civil protection agency said.

The Chief of Civil Protection have confirmed two bodies were identified as British tech billionaire Mr Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter.

However, there was confusion last night after local Italian media claimed that the bodies recovered were not that of the Lynch's - although these reports are unverified.

Two men and one woman were taken to the morgue to be formally identified, while the gender of the other two are yet to be confirmed.

A fire service dive team arrives back at port from the rescue site for the Bayesian off the coast of Porticello, Sicily

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch with his wife Angela Bacares, who survived the disaster

Those still unaccounted for are Morgan Stanley boss Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy and US citizens Chris Morvillo and his jewellery designer wife Neda Morvillo. The body of one crew member, chef Recaldo Thomas, was found on Monday.

The freak incident came as 59-year-old Mr Lynch, known as 'Britain's Bill Gates', was enjoying a 'victory trip' to celebrate winning his US fraud trial over the 8.3billion sale of his tech firm Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard.

In a separate tragedy, Stephen Chamberlain - the former vice president of finance at Autonomy and Mr Lynch's co-defendant - died after being hit by a car while out jogging in Cambridgeshire on Saturday.

Four other guests have been missing since the sinking, with specialist divers desperately trying to access the boat amid hope survivors could be alive in air pockets inside the vessel.

It comes as:

Emergency services personnel gather on the dock as the body of one of the victims of the disaster is brought in

Firefighters and the Italian Coast Guard recover a body from the sunken sailing vessel in Porticello

Chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer (pictured), and his wife are also missing

Mr Lynch's attorney Christopher Morvillo (pictured) and his wife Neda are also missing after the yacht sank

Neda and Christopher Movillo (pictured together) had joined Mr Lynch on the trip to the Mediterranean

Judy Bloomer, who is missing, is a supporter and former board member of the Eve Appeal, a charity that raises awareness and funds research into gynaecological cancer

The Bayesian (pictured) overturned during a severe thunderstorm on Monday morning

The tragic news came after a marked increase in activity at the port in the last two hours, with more boats than normal going to and from the site.

An ambulance siren could be heard threading its way through the streets of Porticello, and was believed to have joined the large group of emergency vehicles from police, coastguard and the fire service, ringing the tiny port.

At 2.58pm UK time a fire service boat bearing what appeared to be at least one body bag came into shore.

Rescue workers lined the shore as the boat drew alongside, with a coastguard vessel pulling in front to block the view of media so the body could be removed with dignity.

The body bag was then taken to a waiting ambulance in the harbour.

Salvo Cocina, the director of Sicily's civil protection agency, confirmed two bodies were found in the wreck today and that divers have already brought them to the surface.

The divers bringing the bodies to the surface will be deeply traumatised, an expert has said.

'It's always a big trauma,' Bertrand Sciboz, who runs a company specialising in shipwreck research and salvage, told the BBC.

He added: 'For myself and for my team of divers, it's always very difficult if you have to do this job.'

He said 'On behalf of myself and my colleagues, I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the families of the victims and express our condolences and closeness to them at this difficult time.'

The challenging operation has been hampered by issues, including access to cabins being blocked by debris and thick silt preventing divers from being able to see inside windows.

It was revealed today that last night the captain of the superyacht, New Zealander James Cutfield, had been 'questioned for more than two hours' by Italian prosecutors.

The superyacht (pictured) was docked off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, when it was hit by an over-sea tornado, known as a waterspout

Rescue personnel and divers operate on the water above the shipwrecked superyacht today

A fire service helicopter flies in the air above Porticello today as the search operation takes place

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The 'well respected' seafarer was quizzed by the Termini Imerese Public Prosecutor's Office as part of their investigation into what happened. It is expected they will also speak to the other passengers and crew members as part of their probe.

Speaking in hospital the morning after the incident, Mr Cutfield told Italian journalists 'we didn't see it coming'.

Part of the investigation will look into whether hatches had been left open by crew and whether these caused the boat to sink in a matter of minutes.

The captain's brother, Mark Cutfield, said he was a 'very good sailor' and was 'very well respected' in the Mediterranean. He told the NZ Herald that James is currently in hospital but is 'okay' and does not have injuries that are 'too dramatic'.

According to the Giornale Di Sicilia, prosecutors questioned Mr Cutfield for several hours as they tried to reconstruct the Bayesian's final moments before it capsized and as it sank to the seabed.

The yacht had been carrying 10 crew members and 12 passengers when it was hit by tornado-speed winds during a severe thunderstorm at 5am on Monday, August 19.

Such was the force of the impact, the boat sank beneath the waves, completely disappearing in 'just 60 seconds' and leaving those on board in a race to save themselves.

While 15 people were able to make it to safety, including a British mother who heroically held her baby daughter afloat in the pitch-black waters, seven people were unaccounted for.

The body of one crew member, Canadian-Antiguan chef Recaldo Thomas who was the on-board cook, was discovered hours later as a rescue operation got underway.

The search operation has been beset with problems, with floating debris blocking the narrow corridors of the vessel, which is almost completely intact and lying on its side on the seabed 164ft (50m) below the surface.

The wreck is so deep that divers can only spend 10 minutes on the seabed before having to return to the surface for their own safety.

Today a new team of Italian firefighters, who have special tanks that allow them to stay underwater for longer and more experience at that depth, arrived to help with the search.

Divers had forced their way into the ship by drilling a hole through a 3cm-thick porthole today, with claims they had reached the 'master cabin' where Mr Lynch and his wife Angela Bacares had been staying during the trip.

Italian outlet Giornale Di Sicilia reported that a remote-controlled robot has been brought in to assist the search teams.

The 'robot' is capable of operating on the seabed up to an altitude of 300 meters and can continue for between 6 and 7 hours.

Mr Lynch on his Suffolk farm in 2021 when he was fighting extradition to the USA

Mr Lynch (second left) is seen in the early days of his techology firm Autonomy in Cambridge

Tech entrepreneur Lynch with his renovated mill, at his Suffolk farm

The device equipped with advanced technology that allows it to investigate the seabed and record detailed videos and images which will be used in the prosecutor's investigation.

Brent Hoberman, a friend of Mr Lynch, described the 'one in a million' disaster just weeks after the mogul had cleared his name as a 'Shakespearean sort of tragedy'.

Mr Lynch was acquitted of all charges by a San Francisco jury in June alongside his co-defendant Stephen Chamberlain, who had both been fighting to clear their names for 12 years.

Mr Hoberman, the former CEO of lastminute.com who has known Mr Lynch for 28 years, said: 'What an ordeal. This is a Shakespearean sort of tragedy.

'Somebody who spent 12 years defending their name, they just clear their name, they are going on a trip with the team who helped them do that to celebrate and then a sort of one in a million disaster hits their boat.'

Mr Hoberman described Lynch as a 'bit of a boffin' who was 'quick-witted and smart' with an 'infectious love of technology'.

Born in Ilford, Essex, as the son of an Irish fireman and a nurse, Mr Lynch won a scholarship to Bancroft's School, a private day school in northeast London, and later read natural sciences at Cambridge.

At university he developed his fascination with technology, completing a doctorate and holding a research fellowship in adaptive pattern recognition.

In 1991, he set up Cambridge Neurodynamics, which specialised in computer-based finger print recognition for the police.

Five years later he founded data analysis company Autonomy, which became one of Britain's most successful start-ups.

His rise to fame and fortune had been celebrated as a major and pioneering British success story and the married father of two daughters was awarded an OBE in 2006 for services to enterprise.

That same year, he was appointed to the board of the BBC - and was later elected to then-prime minister David Cameron's council for science and technology in 2011.

He advised Mr Cameron on subjects including 'the opportunities and risks of the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and the government's role in the regulation of these technologies'.

Yet in March this year he found himself in a San Francisco courtroom to defend himself against fraud and conspiracy charges - and ultimately won his freedom.

Mr Lynch at Autonomy's headquarters at Cambridge Business Park in 2000

Mr Lynch in his younger years before he became one of Britain's most high profile entrepreneurs

The 59-year-old tycoon had spent much of the previous year living under house arrest with an electronic tag attached to his ankle.

Fighting his corner was a legal team led by Reid Weingarten, described as one of the US legal system's most successful white-collar defenders.

Mr Lynch had potentially faced up to 20 years in a US prison if found guilty of 16 counts of conspiracy, and securities and wire fraud, which he denied.

The charges related to a business deal that was hailed at the time as his crowning glory  the 8.6billion sale of his software and data company Autonomy to US computer giant Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

Mr Lynch personally made more than 500million from the deal, only for HP to later wrote down three-quarters of the value of Autonomy only a year after buying it.

The US company fired Mr Lynch while accusing accusing him and other executives of having grossly inflated its size and profits during the sale.

He had previously lost a 2019 civil fraud case based on similar allegations that HP  now Hewlett Packard Enterprises (HPE)  brought in the UK, with London's High Court ruling in 2020 that HPE had 'substantially won' its case.

His separate three-year battle to avoid being extradited to face criminal charges culminated in Lynch going to the High Court to argue that American prosecutors were guilty of legal overreach which threatened UK sovereignty and its citizens.

His plea was rejected and in May last year he was flown to California, accompanied by the U.S. Marshals Service, still protesting his innocence.

And on June 6 this year he was acquitted of fraud by a jury in San Francisco, while former Autonomy finance executive Stephen Chamberlain, who faced the same charges, was also acquitted on all counts.

Earlier this month he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that being rich had helped him secure his acquittal, saying: 'You shouldn't need to have funds to protect yourself as a British citizen.

'The reason I'm sitting here, let's be honest, is not only because I was innocent but because I had enough money not to be swept away by a process that's set up to sweep you away.'
A former student who is accused of raping two women while they were sleeping has claimed that he had sex with them while he was dreaming, a court has heard.

Connor Yaxley, 30, was studying film studies at the University of Suffolk, based at East Coast College in Great Yarmouth, when he was accused of the attacks.

One of the women, who Yaxley allegedly had sex with four times while she was asleep, told Norwich Crown Court that he had used the excuse to her that the sex had happened while he was dreaming more than once.

On another occasion she claimed that the former film studies student told her that he had accidentally penetrated her while they were both asleep.

The other woman said in a recorded police interview that she had twice woken up from 'a deep sleep' to find Yaxley having sex with her.

Connor Yaxley (pictured outside court) was studying film studies at the University of Suffolk, based at East Coast College in Great Yarmouth, when he was accused of the attacks

Giving evidence in court from behind a screen today, the woman said that it happened the second time after she had got into bed with Yaxley and had told him that she did not want sex.

The woman claimed that she had been prone to sleeping deeply, and took time to wake up and understand what was happening.

When she came round she realised that Yaxley had been having sex with her without consent.

She told the court: 'I thought he was asleep, and woke him up and asked him why? He said he didn't remember and must have done it in his dreams, and that he was so sorry and did not know what he was doing.'

Under cross examination, she was asked if she had accepted his explanation at the time that the sex had happened while he was asleep. She replied: 'Then, I accepted it.'

On a third occasion, she said she had woken up to find Yaxley fiddling intimately with her and that she had then consented to sex.

She went on to say that she had only come to realise that his actions had been wrong when she spoke to a friend.

Prosecutor Andrew Thompson said that Yaxley also told police in an interview that he would do things 'without knowing because he was dreaming at the time'.

Yaxley also claimed to officers that he was prone to having bad dreams, and had woken up to find that he was having sex with one of the women.

The court heard how he had also sexually assaulted a third woman by touching her intimately as she slept on a chair at his home in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

One of the women, who Yaxley allegedly had sex with four times while she was asleep, told Norwich Crown Court (pictured) that he had used the excuse to her that the sex had happened while he was dreaming more than once

Mr Thompson described the alleged incident in August 2020 as 'unwanted touching that was clearly sexual'.

The prosecutor said that a person could only consent to sex by 'choice' and if they had the 'freedom and capacity to make that choice'.

He added that a sleeping woman - 'the same as if it were an unconscious woman' - could not consent to sexual conduct that took place 'while she is asleep'.

Mr Thompson said the first alleged victim had been asleep and 'unable to consent' when Yaxley allegedly raped her between December 2017 and December 2019.

Yaxley denies three counts of rape involving the first woman, two counts of rape involving the second and the sexual assault of the third.

The jury of seven men and five women were told that the three women cannot be named for legal reasons

The trial continues.
Businessowners and residents in affluent West London have started to board up their windows ahead of the notorious Notting Hill Carnival.

Pictures show properties being boarded up ahead of the two-day event which is expected to attract 2million people this weekend - sparking questions as to whether it should be moved entirely.

Last year the Met Police arrested 308 people during Notting Hill Carnival - with at least 75 officers assaulted and eight revellers stabbed.

Carnival-goers also saw a hooded thug charging across the street wielding a foot-long machete, while another was spotted raising a zombie knife in the air. This year's event saw the highest number of stabbings since 2016, when there were 15.

Scared residents met in September at a post-Carnival meeting billed as 'an opportunity for you to let the organisers know how the Carnival was for you, what was useful and what could be improved'.

Workmen putting boards up around houses in affluent West London

Residents are preparing for the worse ahead of this weekend when the Notting Hill carnival is due to take place

Shops in Notting Hill are being boarded up ahead of the notorious two-day festival

Representatives from the Metropolitan Police and the councils of Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea attended, with discussion including whether the location could be moved to make it easier to police.

The Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents officers in the capital, has also echoed these suggestions.

Its vice chairman Rick Prior condemned the level of violence as 'unsustainable', saying: 'It is just awful and this sort of violence against officers at this event has become normalised.

'The officers have a right to come to work and expect not to be attacked, injured, sexually assaulted or bitten. Those bitten will have had to be given anti-viral drugs if the skin was broken, and will now need all sorts of tests  it is horrendous.

'It has almost become a certainty we will have this violence and terrible treatment of police officers every year and it is just not acceptable.

'It is a very difficult event to police and of course we recognise the need for this event but it should perhaps be moved to somewhere like Hyde Park where it would be less problematic to police.'

Meanwhile Susan Hall, the Conservative candidate who ran against Sadiq Khan for Mayor of London, labelled the carnival as 'dangerous' and suggested it be moved to Hyde Park.

A young man waves around a machete at Notting Hill Carnival in West London last year

A man is seen running across Ladbroke Grove holding a machete-type blade on August 28, 2023

Police officers patrol during the main parade of the Notting Hill Carnival on August 27

Mounted police officers make their way through the streets of Notting Hill last year

Police detain a young man on Ladbroke Grove on August 28, 2023, during the Notting Hill Carnival

A man holds his face in his hands at the carnival as he is escorted away by police on August 28, 2023

Police officers detain a person during the first day of the Notting Hill Carnival on August 27, 2023

Police officers take their positions during the parade at Notting Hill Carnival on August 28, 2023

The carnival has been held on the streets of Notting Hill every year since 1966 - apart from in 2020 and 2021 when it was cancelled due to the pandemic.

At last year's event, one 29-year-old man was in a critical condition after being knifed just after 9pm on the Monday, while a 19-year-old was in a stable condition having been stabbed an hour earlier.

Scotland Yard confirmed that 308 were arrested - up from an initial total of 275 that was given - at the carnival, which was attended by an estimated two million people.

The arrests were for offences such as possession of offensive weapons including guns, assaults, possession of drugs and sexual offences.

Shocking pictures showed one man brandishing a foot-long machete very close to other carnival-goers as he ran around the streets with other group members in masks.

One image showed him appearing to point the weapon at a person on the ground. As those in the vicinity fled, police on horseback tried to chase after the group.

As well as the two men left in hospital, six others aged between 18 and 40 were stabbed in separate incidents and sustained non life-threatening injuries.

Mr Prior praised the senior Met officers who oversaw the policing operation and said the crime would have been far worse without strong leadership.

'Our point of contact at the carnival was very pleased with the Met's command team and the decisions they made this year,' he said.

'They gave the officers on the ground the confidence to carry out their role knowing they had leaders in place who were making the right decisions quickly.'

A man is seen to wield a large machete-type blade on Ladbroke Grove on August 28, 2023

Chaotic scenes at Notting Hill Carnival on August 28, 2023, pictured around the Ladbroke Grove area

Police officers keep a lookout during the parade at the Notting Hill Carnival on August 28, 2023

Revellers at the Notting Hill Carnival on August 28, 2023, as they pass through gates in West London

Crowds pack the streets on the second day of this year's Notting Hill Carnival on August 28, 2023

Dancers parade through the streets of West London on August 28, 2023 - the final day of the carnival

Performers at the Notting Hill Carnival make their way through the streets on August 28, 2023

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, who oversaw the policing, said: 'It is regrettable that for a second year in a row, Monday night at Carnival has been marred by serious violence.

'Nobody disputes the significance of Carnival on London's cultural calendar and the overwhelming majority of those who came will have had a positive experience. However, we cannot overlook the stabbings, sexual assaults and attacks on police officers that we have seen.

'Carnival is a challenging policing environment. Officers were asked to be vigilant and alert but to be approachable, respectful and sensitive at the same time. They did all of that and more and they deserve our recognition and our thanks.'

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: 'The Notting Hill Carnival is one of the world's biggest street festivals and is part of the very fabric of our city.

'The celebration was born out of the Caribbean community in north Kensington and Notting Hill, and the mayor believes that it's only right that this remains its home.

'Like with other major events in London the mayor will continue to work with local partners to ensure the event remains safe and enjoyable for all.'

Crews who carried out the clean-up last year estimated collecting 13 tonnes of laughing gas canisters

Piles of rubbish were left on the street following Notting Hill Carnival last year

Waste crews who carried out the mammoth carnival-clean up estimated they collected 13 tonnes of laughing gas cannisters from the streets last year - a substance which has now been made illegal, with users facing up to two years in prison.

Kensington and Chelsea Council said crews collected five skips' full - with an estimate of more than 12,000 canisters.
John Swinney was last night accused of flip-flopping over the SNPs position on Israel as a diplomatic row engulfed his government.

The First Ministers leadership was called into question after he broke off relations with the Israeli Government under pressure from party members.

It follows a backlash from inside the SNP after it emerged external affairs secretary Angus Robertson had held talks with Israeli diplomats to discuss common links.

But Mr Swinney risked appearing to take sides yesterday when he held talks on Gaza with a Palestinian leader just 48 hours after freezing relations with the Jewish State.

Opposition leaders blasted his poor judgment and warned the First Minister to stop his ill-prepared foray into foreign affairs.

John Swinney broke off relations with Israel's government amid pressure from within his party

Angus Robertson meets with Daniela Grudsky, deputy ambassador for Israel to the UK.

Scottish Conservative Deputy Chief Whip Annie Wells said: John Swinney cannot hide from his role in this row that has engulfed his party.

It comes as:

 Jewish community leaders warned growing numbers of people no longer feel welcome in Scotland,

 Senior figures expressed concern at the rising levels of intimidation and revealed Jews were packing suitcases ready for a quick escape

 The brother of a Scot killed in the Hamas attacks of October 7 slammed the SNPs handling of anti-Semitism in the country

 Mr Swinney was heckled off stage at a festival event as a pro-Palestine protestor accused home of having blood on his hands

The Scottish Council of Jewish Communities had warned the Scottish Government not to ignore one side if it wanted a two-state solution in Israel-Palestine.

If it aspires to contribute to a resolution of this long-running and tragic conflict and supports a two-date solution, it can only do so by engaging with both parties, the group said on Tuesday.

However Mr Swinney yesterday held a virtual meeting with Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK.

It is understood the meeting had been a longstanding commitment dating to before the General Election.

The Scottish Government suspended all meetings with the Israeli government on Monday after a feud erupted inside the SNP over external affairs secretary Angus Robertson.

Mr Robertson was urged to quit by party colleagues after he met Israels deputy ambassador Daniela Grudsky in Edinburgh earlier this month.

He apologised for discussing cultural and trade links instead of limiting his remarks to urging an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Mr Swinney knew of the meeting in advance but it was left to Mr Robertson to defuse the row.

Mr Robertson yesterday revealed he had been receiving advice and support from Mr Yousaf, whose wifes family is Palestinian.

UK Ministers meeting overseas politicians and diplomats are able to draw on the vast expertise of the Foreign Office.

However, there is no home-grown equivalent inside the Scottish Government.

Bernard Cowan, originally from Glasgow, was amongst those killed in the October 7 atrocities carried out by Hamas in Israel

Ms Wells added: John Swinney has flip-flopped on his views on the meeting over the course of the last week and allowed his cabinet colleague to take the blame.

As leader of his party - and the Scottish Government - John Swinney should be upfront about the matter and his awareness of it rather than trying to escape scrutiny.

Given the sensitivity of this issue it is clear that senior figures in the SNP have been ill-prepared for the fallout that has occurred after they sought to influence foreign affairs, which are ultimately reserved.

On Tuesday, former UK security minister Tom Tugendhat called SNP ministers amateurs over their mishandling over the Grudsky-Robertson row.

He said: Its not about collecting air miles. Its not about making headlines. Its about careful leadership, talking to allies, partnering with friends.

And if youre not doing that, youre not offering leadership, youre playing politics and youre doing harm.

The First Minister was heckled off stage at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Tuesday by a pro-Palestine protester who forced an event on devolution to stop early.

The young woman accused him of having blood on his hands and said he and Mr Robertson should resign over the meeting with Ms Grudsky.

Mr Swinney said yesterday: Having made our point to the Israeli Government, until there is an improvement in their interactions in Gaza, until there is a ceasefire and meaningful progress for peace, therell be no further dialogue with the Israeli Government.

Mr Robertson now faces an angry reckoning with SNP members over Gaza at the partys conference next week.

The agenda for the Nationalist gathering in Edinburgh shows he will lead an hour-long policy discussion on international affairs on the day of Mr Swinneys closing speech.

UK trade minister Jonathan Reynolds yesterday defended continued negotiations with Israel on a visit to a distillery in Scotland.

He said: When I am doing the trade issues the meetings tend to be focused specifically on that, but we have, across the whole of the Government, made clear that we want to see an immediate end to that conflict and an end to the human suffering.
Police made an unexpected discovery when they opened a trap door hidden under a rug in a trailer.

Billy Lee Walton Jr., 35, a man wanted for violating probation after an attempted rape conviction, was found hiding under a trap door in the floor of a Tennessee trailer.

Walton had been on probation but was wanted for violating the terms of his release after being arrested on June 13 for various traffic and drug offenses.

U.S. Marshals tracked him to a mobile home park in Denmark, Tennessee. After searching the residence, they discovered a hidden cut-out space beneath a rug in the floor

Walton was found inside the compartment, which had been carefully concealed.

Police made an unexpected discovery when they opened a trap door under a trailer.

Billy Lee Walton Jr., 35, a man wanted for violating probation after an attempted rape conviction, was found hiding under a trap door in the floor of a Tennessee trailer

'Someone created a pretty good hiding spot, but it wasnt good enough to outsmart the U.S. Marshals Service,' Marshal Tyreece Miller said

Walton was taken into custody and is in the Madison County Jail.

DailyMail.com reached out to Madison County Sheriff's Office for comment.

This isn't the first time law enforcement have had to hunt down suspects in unique hiding spaces.

Emely Yanagida, 35, tried to hide from cops in the trunk of her Tesla after swiping $850 in goods from Lululemon and Sephora.

The California thief was arrested for shoplifting at Irvine Spectrum Center, stealing $600 worth of make-up and $250 in workout gear.

The Irvine Police Department released footage on Saturday which showed officers discover her bizarre hideout - as she hid under a bright green tarp in her Tesla's trunk.

Walton had been on probation but was wanted for violating the terms of his release after being arrested on June 13 for various traffic and drug offenses (Pictured: the trailer Walton was hiding in)

The incident occurred on Wednesday when loss prevention officers at the Sephora alerted police to a shoplifting suspect who had fled the store.

Irvine police shared the footage on Facebook, captioning it 'Peek-a-Boo' with hashtags #dontcommitcrimeinirvine.

An onlooker tipped off officers to Yanagida's hiding spot, guiding them to the trunk of a nearby Tesla.
A mother left her five-year-old son inside a parked Mercedes with the windows rolled up as she shopped at a Walmart on a sweltering South Florida afternoon, police said.

The boy, who frantically knocked on the car window to get the attention of passersby, was eventually freed by Walmart employees, the police report said.

Martine Louis-Jacques, 62, was accused of child neglect without great bodily harm and appeared before a judge on Tuesday, NBC 6 South Florida reported.

Police said the boy, who was not identified, was 'scared and distraught' after being left in the vehicle for around 20 minutes while his mother shopped inside the store in Pembroke Pines.

'The Walmart employees observed the child [redacted] unsupervised inside of the vehicle, which was completely shut off with all the windows up,' it read.

Martine Louis-Jacques, 62, of Miramar, was arrested on Monday after leaving her son in her hot Mercedes while she shopped in Walmart for 20 minutes

A passerby in the parking lot alerted a Walmart employee to the situation, and store workers eventually freed the boy by instructing him to unlock the car from the inside.

After employees brought the boy inside the store, he ran to his mother, police said. The two left the location without speaking to employees and before the arrival of law enforcement.

The Miramar resident was arrested at her home after police used CCTV to identify her car and locate her address.

The child was freed from the car after he got the attention of a passerby

She was taken to the Broward Sheriff's Office's main jail and her bond was set at$3,500.

Around 40 children die from heatstroke from being trapped in hot cars, according to Kids and Car Safety, an advocacy group.

More than 1,000 kids have died in these incidents over than last three decades.
A cliff face has collapsed near a caravan park in the latest rockfall on Britain's crumbling coastline.

Aerial footage shows debris lying on the beach and a large part of the cliff face missing in east Sussex.

The collapse happened near the Rushey Hill Caravan Park in Peacehaven, which is just a short distance from the eroding cliff edge.

'East Sussex chalk cliffs are unstable and crumble without warning at any time of year,' a spokesperson for Lewes District Council told the BBC.

'Anyone heading to the coast must stay well away from cliff edges and bases and follow the advice on signs highlighting the dangers.'

It is the latest rockfall on Britain's crumbling coastline after thousands of tons of rock collapsed on the famous Jurassic Coast in April, contributing to growing concerns over public safety.

A cliff face has collapsed near a caravan park in the latest rockfall on Britain's crumbling coastline

Aerial footage shows debris lying on the beach and a large part of the cliff face missing in east Sussex

The collapse of part of the cliff face happened near the Rushey Hill Caravan Park in Peacehaven, which is just a short distance from the eroding cliff edge

One of Britain's most iconic views is the Dorset coastline which stand at 140ft tall and more than 180 million years old but extreme weather resulted in huge chunks falling from the area around Burton Bradstock.

Images of the rockfall show boulders the size of double-decker buses resting on top of a 50ft pile of debris that has blocked the popular beach.

Baroness Brown, member of the UK climate change committee, argued that although we must protect public safety the 'last thing you want to do is to be putting in place engineering structures' as 'all those things are unsightly.'

'We have to make sure things are clearly signposted and people understand where they can and can't go at different times.

'Because the last thing you want to do is to be putting in place the engineering structures, such as seas walls or the piles of rocks that help take the energy out of the waves, or the rock armour at the base of the cliffs.

'All those things are unsightly and will inhibit the natural evolution of those parts,' she told BBC Radio 4.

One of Britain's most iconic views is the Dorset coastline which stand at 140ft tall and more than 180 million year old

Pictured in 2023. Recent extreme weather has seen thousands of tons of rock fall from the area around Burton Bradstock

The cliffs are made up of sandstone rock that is porous and acts like a sponge with rainwater, which seeps down through it and weakens it over time

Images of the rockfall show boulders the size of double-decker buses resting on top of a 50ft pile of debris that has blocked the popular beach

Professor Ian Townend at the University of Southampton said that it is 'highly likely' that putting in erosion protection to the cliff will just lead to further problems.

'It is highly likely that trying to defend the cliff with sea walls, or stabilising the cliff in some way, would simply move the problem elsewhere on the coast.

'Risk is a fundamental part of life. Our vulnerability increases, the more we are prevented from making our own decisions about the level of risk we are willing to accept. Communication, in multiple forms, can help ensure that visitors are aware of the risk and can make their own decisions.'

The cliffs are made up of sandstone rock that is porous and acts like a sponge with rainwater, which seeps down through it and weakens it over time.

At the same time, strong waves whipped up by storms batter the base of the cliffs, also destabilising them.

In 2012, tourist Charlotte Blackman, 22, was crushed to death when a huge landslip occurred as she walked under the cliffs further along the coast at Burton Bradstock.
A widower has been mauled to death by an XL Bully dog his family said he was looking after for a friend.

Specialist officers shot the animal dead after the horror attack on David Daintree, 53, at his home on Tuesday evening.

Mr Daintrees daughter, Joanne Trezise, posted a tribute on Facebook saying: Sleep tight daddy Dave. Love you.

She insisted her father didnt own the dog but had simply offered to look after it for a friend temporarily.

He was the sort of person that couldnt say no to anything, she said.

David Daintree, 53, was discovered dead by officers at his home in Ashley Court, Lancashire having been killed by his XL Bully

A GV of Ashley Court in Accrington, Lancashire, where Mr Daintree was discovered deceased

He had the biggest heart of gold and because he was on his own missing his late wife he wanted some company.

According to social media, Mr Daintrees wife, Sharon, passed away in July 2021.

Ambulance crews and police were called to Mr Daintrees home in Accrington, Lancashire shortly before 9.30pm on Tuesday, but he had already died from his injuries.

Lancashire police said that because the dog was continuing to pose a significant threat of serious harm officers were left with no alternative but to shoot the animal.

Lancashire Police said officers were left with no choice but to shoot the animal with a firearm as it posed 'a significant threat of serious harm'.

Specialist support officers are supporting Mr Daintree's family as an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Superintendent Marie Jackson said: 'This is a tragic incident which has sadly resulted in a man losing his life and my thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.

'An investigation into the circumstances is ongoing and I would appeal to anyone with any information to get in touch.

'We will have extra officers out and about in the area carrying out enquiries and I would urge anyone with information or concerns to speak to them.'

A file photo of an XL Bully. The dangerous breed was made illegal to own in England and Wales as of January 31 this year

The XL Bully, which is the largest type of American bulldog, was made illegal to own in England and Wales as of January 31 without exemption, following a spate of fatal attacks across the UK.

The powerful breed has distinctive features, including an average 20-inch height, broad shoulders, a bulky head and nine-stone weight.

A recent study found that of the ten areas in England with the most XL bully attacks, five were in the north west.

Anyone with information should call 101, quoting log 1480 of 20 August 2024.
Hunter Biden's defense took a beating in court on Wednesday  before his tax crimes trial has even started.

The First Son's new attorney, LA celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos, argued in a pre-trial hearing to keep the jury from learning about the sordid details of the prostitutes, drugs, porn sites, Lamborghini rentals and hotel rooms for drug-fueled benders that Hunter deducted as business expenses.

Geragos also tried to bring in psychological experts to convince the jury Hunter's drug addiction led to his debauched behavior and alleged tax evasion, and that the childhood trauma of his mother and sister dying in a car crash in 1972 and his brother's death from brain cancer in 2015 were to blame.

But Judge Mark Scarsi was having none of it, ruling that Hunter's expert, Joshua Lee, would not be allowed to testify at the trial, that is due to begin next month in a Los Angeles federal court.

Special Counsel David Weiss indicted Hunter on three felonies and six misdemeanors in December, accusing the First Son of deliberately evading taxes, falsifying his returns and failing to pay $1.4million on time  instead spending the money on a 'lavish lifestyle' for a three-year period between 2016 to 2019.

Hunter Biden's defense team desperately argued in a pre-trial hearing Wednesday to keep the jury from hearing the sordid details of the prostitutes, drugs, porn sites, and other drug-fueled benders that Hunter deducted as business expenses

Hundreds of emails, texts, and photos found on Hunter's abandoned laptop are likely to be used as evidence in the First Son's criminal trials

Department of Justice prosecutor Leo Wise, fresh from trouncing Hunter's legal team in his Delaware gun crimes trial, gave a hint in Wednesday's hearing of some of the damning evidence jurors will hear at the impending tax crimes trial, due to begin September 9 in a Los Angeles federal court.

Hunter was not in court for the hearing.

This included Hunter's business deductions on his tax return for 'StreamRay', which Wise described as a site 'to allow consenting adults to meet, and it's sexual in nature'.

'You can spend $30,000 on a porn website if you want, that's not illegal, but you can't claim it's a business expense,' the prosecutor told the judge.

'He describes his life as a bacchanal. Partying in those hotels with a cast of strippers.

'He chose to pay those strippers,' Wise added. 'He chose to take it as a business deduction.'

Wise even read out an excerpt of a testimony transcript from one of the women who the government may put on the stand:

'I got a $1,500 Venmo payment'.

'Where'd you meet him?'

'In a strip club.'

'The [payment description] is for artwork, did you sell him artwork?'

'No.'

'We're not going to go into the gory details,' he said, but added: 'The jury needs those facts to determine whether it was a mistake or whether it was willful.'

Geragos was put in a tricky spot.

Hunter has now retained prominent LA lawyer Mark Geragos ahead of his upcoming trial next month

The criminal defense lawyer has previously Chris Brown when he wass charged with assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna, as well as President Clinton's brother Roger and former Clinton business partner Susan McDougal

During Wednesday's pre-trial hearing, the judge also ruled that they could not discuss the possibility that Hunter was paid for any acts his father Joe Biden took as Vice President, or whether he funneled any money to Joe

He offered to admit that some of Hunter's business deductions were in fact personal expenses, to try to prevent Wise and Hines from telling the jury what those expenses entailed: 'bacchanals' in luxury hotel rooms, payments to prostitutes, and porn subscriptions.

But Hunter's lawyer could not admit that Hunter deliberately made those deductions to reduce his tax bill illegally  as he would thereby admit to some of the government's charges against his client.

Instead, Geragos insisted Hunter didn't know which payments were which, and accidentally claimed them on his taxes.

But Wise hit back, detailing how Hunter deliberately picked out those expenditures and told his accountants to deduct them.

'They gave Mr. Biden those schedules. They said, "here's a yellow highlighter. We don't know which of these are personal and which are business expenses. We need you to highlight it",' the prosecutor said.

'He very deliberately went through these schedules and highlighted things that were personal.'

Wise also revealed Hunter allegedly broke the law by constructing a scheme to claim health insurance, by putting assistants on his payroll who weren't really working for him.

In another blow to the defense, Scarsi ruled that the jury will not be told that Hunter's multi-million-dollar tax bill he is charged with failing to pay, was later paid off by his wealthy Hollywood attorney Kevin Morris.

Wise pointed out Morris only decided to pay of Hunter's tax bill after he discovered the First Son was facing criminal investigation, and that before paying off the IRS, Morris funded Hunter's lavish life  including 'a house in Malibu, a Porsche, a crisis communications team and security detail'.

Judge Scarsi warned that if lawyers talked in front of the jury about topics he had outlawed, they could be fined 'six figures'.

Scarsi also put some limits on the prosecution.

In another blow to the defense, Judge Scarsi ruled that the jury will not be told that Hunter's multi-million-dollar tax bill he is charged with failing to pay, was later paid off by his wealthy Hollywood attorney Kevin Morris

Hunter's legal troubles come after compromising photos, videos, texts, and emails of the president's son from his abandoned laptop were published online

A court sketch of Hunter Biden alongside his lawyer Abbe Lowell in federal court in January. The president's son pleaded not guilty to federal tax charges filed after a plea deal imploded last year

He ruled that they could not discuss the possibility that Hunter was paid by foreign governments, that he was paid for any acts his father Joe Biden took as Vice President, and whether he funneled any money to Joe.

'He had every intention of cleaning up his life, of doing the filings, of paying his taxes,' Geragos told the judge, arguing that it was Hunter's crack addiction that stopped him from getting his life in order until recent years.

The defense lawyer will be arguing that Hunter had a 'diminished capacity' due to his continued drug use through 2019.

But Wise told the judge: 'No matter how much drugs you take, you don't suddenly forget that when you make $11million, you have to pay taxes'  referring to the vast income Hunter received from his foreign business dealings and other ventures in 2016 to 2019.

Geragos got personal, accusing the DoJ of being worse than the mob for bringing Hunter's family into the case, saying 'even the mafia spares the women and children', and adding that Justice Department were trying a 'salacious prosecution'.

Wise shot back that it was Hunter's own team who put his daughter Naomi on the stand in Delaware, a disastrous decision which may have lost them that case.

'Mr. Geragos made that offensive remark about the mob not going after wives and daughters,' said Wise. 'We didn't do that.

'In the gun trial he called one of his daughters. That was awful.'

But in the coming trial, witnesses are set to include Hunter's ex wife Kathleen; his brother's widow who became Hunter's lover, Hallie Biden; and Lunden Roberts, whom he hired as an assistant, impregnated, then cut her from his company's medical insurance.

Wise repeated allegations made in a DoJ filing this month, that Hunter had masterminded a scheme to influence Obama administration officials for a Romanian businessman who was later convicted of bribery.

Hunter received $1 million for the scheme, which allegedly involved lobbying US State Department officials to pressure the Romanian government to halt their criminal probe and prosecution of the Romanian real estate tycoon Gabriel Popoviciu.

DailyMail.com was the first to reveal the key details of the alleged influence peddling operation over three years ago in June 2021.

Wise said in court on Wednesday that in Hunters tax trial the prosecution dont intend to elicit testimony that he violated FARA, the Foreign Agents Registration Act which requires people to notify the DoJ if they intend to lobby for a foreigner.

But he stated that Hunter and his partners were meeting with government officials on Capitol Hill and the State Department, advocating on behalf of a Romanian businessman to encourage the US government to investigate the investigation in Romania.

He added that the First Son tried to circumvent lobbying laws by having his partner Rob Walker buy a stake in Popovicius real estate firm, to give the appearance he was advocating for his own business interests not a foreigners  and that this was due to the sensitivity of his relationship to his father, who was the Vice President.

Though Walker was executing the plan, Wise said that Walker testified to a grand jury that Hunter was the strategy person, he identifies who I should meet with who I should talk to.

Walker clearly testifies that he was the worker bee, Mr Biden was the strategist, Wise said.

Geragos argued that the actions were all taken by Walker, not Hunter, so should not be discussed in front of the jury, and complained that the DoJs filing about Hunters alleged FARA violation was designed specifically to inflame press coverage.

This is nothing more than poisoning the jury pool, the defense attorney said.

After hearing the arguments, Judge Scarsi ruled that Hunters dealings with Popoviciu could be discussed before the jury, but that mentions of the Obama administration, Hunters alleged illegal lobbying, or wrongdoing by officials, could not.
Sen. Josh Hawley is demanding answers from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on the nearly 300,000 unaccompanied migrant children it 'may have lost track of' within the U.S.

The agency's internal watchdog warned of an 'urgent issue' with how immigration officials have been handling the cases of migrant minors and found that more than 32,000 children had failed to show up for immigration summonses and ICE was 'not able to account' for their locations.

For more than 291,000 unaccompanied immigrant minors, ICE had not bothered to serve them court dates, according to the watchdog, two-thirds of the migrant children who have made their way into the U.S.

'Unaccompanied migrant children are some of the most vulnerable individuals in America. They are routinely trafficked for sex, forced into illegal labor, burned with chemicals, and subjected to countless other atrocities by cartels,' Hawley, R-Mo., wrote.

Sen. Josh Hawley is demanding answers from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on the nearly 300,000 unaccompanied migrant children it 'may have lost track of' within the U.S.

'Not only did your agency lose track of these children, it didnt even bother to tell anyone. That is unconscionable.'

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is responsible for placing the immigrant children with sponsors, but has lost track of tens of thousands of them after the children and their sponsors stopped responding. ICE, which is responsible for putting the children through to immigration hearings, did not follow up with them either.

'ICE must take immediate action to ensure the safety of UCs residing in the United States,' Inspector General Joseph Cuffari said in an alert. 'Based on our audit work and according to ICE officials, UCs who do not appear for court are considered at higher risk for trafficking, exploitation or forced labor.'

'By not issuing NTAs to all UCs, ICE limits its chances of having contact with UCs when they are released from HHS's custody, which reduces opportunities to verify their safety,' Cuffari added.

Without the capacity to monitor the children, there is 'no assurance that they are safe from trafficking, exploitation, and forced labor.'

Hawley called to mind testimony Mayorkas gave the Senate in October 2023 when he claimed, 'we have actually prioritized the rescue of children who have been trafficked.'

'But according to your Inspector General, your policies are wholly exacerbating that same trafficking risk to migrant children,' Hawley wrote.

He demanded Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas provide answers on where his agency believes these children are, why they were not given court notices, what his agency is doing to track them down and what led to the failed communication between HHS and DHS.

ICE does not alert HHS when a child fails to show up and has not procedural code for following up on those cases. HHS created an email inbox for ICE to notify them when a child is a no-show at a deportation hearing. But ICE officials could not tell the inspector general how often, if ever, deportation officers used it.

In response to the report, ICE said it would send an alert telling officers to start using it.

Mexican migrant Veronica Marquez, 36, comforts her son Mariano, 5, while waiting to be apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border protection officers after crossing over into the U.S. on June 25, 2024

These immigrant children are often sent with traffickers to travel north in hopes they have a better shot at not being turned away at the border without their parents.

Roughly 68,000 were caught and released in fiscal 2019, and just 15,128 were caught and released in 2020, the last full year under President Trump. Nearly 366,000 were caught and went to HHS during Bidens first three years.

For ICE, children are just the tip of the ice berg of the agency's issues with tracking migrants.

ICEs docket has more than 7 million migrants at large and are not being tracked by a monitoring device.

Children who do show up and go through the immigration court process have little chance of being deported.

Of those who arrived in 2018, nearly a quarter were granted some sort of legal status within three years and only 5 percent were sent back to their home countries. Some 14 percent were supposed to leave but defied those orders and the rest, 57 percent, had no progress on their legal status three years later.
A judge told a former soldier who served as a peacekeeper in Kosovo that his participation in riots was 'astonishing.'

Peter Beard, 43, who also performed tours of Bosnia and Northern Ireland with the Royal Green Jackets between 1998 and 2003, admitted pushing aggressively at a line of officers protecting a hotel housing asylum seekers during disorder in Rotherham.

Jailing the father of three, who lives in the town, for two and a half years, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, the Recorder of Sheffield, said it was 'astonishing' Beard had become involved as he had been 'on the receiving end' of public order incidents as a peacekeeper.

'Your conduct was shameful, it was disgraceful,' the judge added.

Peter Beard, 43, who has pleaded guilty to violent disorder after taking part in Rotherham riots

An aerial view of anti-migration protesters outside the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers on August 4

A picture shows a police cordon outside the Holiday Inn Express hotel. Hundreds of people have so far been charged in the UK following the widespread disorder

The unrest, outside the Holiday Inn Express, in Manvers, on August 4 left 58 police officers, three police horses and a police dog injured, as louts attempted to storm the building and set it on fire.

Hundreds of people have so far been charged in the UK following the widespread disorder.

On Wednesday, the latest batch of defendants to appear in court included men accused or convicted of unrest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham.

The unrest outside the Holiday Inn Express, in Manvers, on August 4 left 58 police officers, three police horses and a police dog injured, and saw attempts to storm the building and set it on fire.

Railway engineer Morgan Hardy, 29, of Melton High Street, Rotherham, is accused of throwing chairs, fencing and a fire extinguisher at police guarding the hotel, and denies violent disorder.

A 27-year-old man who threw a wood panel onto a fire outside the hotel admitted a charge of arson with intent to endanger life.

Recorder of Sheffield Judge Jeremy Richardson KC told Thomas Birley his offending is 'unquestionably' the most serious of all those he has dealt with in the last fortnight in relation to the rioting outside the Holiday Inn Express, at Manvers, Rotherham, on August 4.

A 27-year-old man who threw a wood panel onto a fire outside the hotel admitted a charge of arson with intent to endanger life. (Pictured, police tape outside the Holiday Express hotel)

The unrest outside the Holiday Inn Express, in Manvers, on August 4 left 58 police officers, three police horses and a police dog injured. (Riot police clash with protesters outside the hotel)

Rioters are seen attempting to enter the Holiday Inn Express Hotel in Rotherham, housing asylum seekers, on August 4

Luke Moran (pictured) was seen in shocking body-worn camera footage striking the driver's window of the vehicle during the mass disturbance on July 30

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the officer inside, Pc James Hayes, feared for his life as Moran used a large piece of concrete to hit the carrier three times

Birley, of Rowms Lane, Swinton, Rotherham, who also admitted violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon, will be sentenced on September 6.

Elsewhere Jake Lowther, 20, of Abrams Fold, Banks was sentenced to 18 months in a young offenders' institute for throwing stones at police in Southport.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that he picked up two pieces of brick or stone from a broken wall and threw them towards police, with one hitting a riot shield.

A number of people involved in the Southport disorder were jailed on Wednesday, including father-of-three Luke Moran, 38, who was sentenced to three years after trying to smash a police van window.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the officer inside, Pc James Hayes, feared for his life as Moran used a large piece of concrete to hit the carrier three times.

Cocaine addict Daniel Carrigan, 41, of Preston Grove, Liverpool, was jailed for two years and eight months after admitting violent disorder and criminal damage, for throwing items at a police van and kicking the vehicle.

The court heard he had been convicted of a racially aggravated common assault in 2016 after telling a traffic warden he should 'return back to his own country'.

Thomas Whitehead, 53, was arrested on a plane at Manchester Airport after his picture was circulated by police as part of the mob that had gathered outside the town's mosque.

The father-of-three was sentenced to one year and eight months for violent disorder for throwing 'items' at police.

Manager for a scaffolding firm Nicholas Sinclair, 38, of Bury Road, Birkdale, was seen in footage throwing bricks at the officers, and was jailed for two years and four months for the same offence.

Daniel Carrigan, 41, of Preston Grove, Liverpool, was jailed for two years and eight months after admitting violent disorder and criminal damage

A police officer is seen trying to extinguish flames after a mob set a wheelie bin alight at the Holiday Inn Express hotel in Rotherham which was housing asylum seekers

Perrie Fisher, 29, who rode a children's scooter before throwing it at a hotel housing asylum seekers in Aldershot and telling a police officer to f*** off, was sentenced to 29 months

In a separate case, a man who live-streamed disorder outside an asylum hotel was warned to get a lawyer and that he is in a 'serious position' by Judge Maurice Greene at Manchester Crown Court.

Aaron Johnson 32, of Criterion Street, Stockport, admitted inciting racial hatred by using racist language in a live stream broadcast to 'millions of people' from outside an asylum hotel in Stockport on August 5.

He will be sentenced on September 19.

Declan Dixon, 22, of Salisbury Avenue, Hindley, Wigan, was jailed for 18 months at Teesside Crown Court for throwing a missile towards police on July 31 in Hartlepool.

The electrician, who told police he had been present 'out of curiosity', had admitted violent disorder and possessing cocaine.

Michael Stevenson, 34, of Newport Road, Middlesbrough, who tried to set fire to a wheelie bin which was pushed towards riot police during disorder in the town, was jailed for 26 months.

Scaffolder Perrie Fisher, 29, who rode a children's scooter before throwing it at a hotel housing asylum seekers in Aldershot and telling a police officer to f*** off, was sentenced to 29 months.
Kamala Harris has been compared to a famous character from the classic movie Singin' in the Rain because she performs better when she is silent.

The 1952 movie, which was nominated for two Academy Awards, tells the story of the transition from silent film to 'talkies' during the 1920s.

In it, Jean Hagen plays Lina Lamont, who has such a high-pitched voice that producers of the new style of movie try to prevent audiences from hearing it.

Wall Street Journal columnist Hadley Arkes has now compared Democratic presidential nominee and current Vice President Harris to the character, ahead of Harris' crucial nomination acceptance speech Thursday.

'Ms. Harris is now our Lina Lamont, who must be carefully guarded by her handlers and barred from speaking, for her own good (and that of the Democratic Party),' Arkes wrote. 'That her managers have kept her shielded and confined to scripted performances confirms their own judgment that she simply isnt up to it.'

Kamala Harris has been compared to a famous character from the classic movie Singin' in the Rain because she performs better when she is silent

The 1952 movie, which was nominated for two Academy Awards, tells the story of the transition from silent film to 'talkies' during the 1920s. In it, Jean Hagen plays Lina Lamont (pictured right), who has such a high-pitched voice that producers of the new style of movie try to prevent audiences from hearing it

The columnist claims Joe Biden's political ambitions are best summed up by the 1958 film The Last Hurrah.

Arkes argues that while many find Trump 'boorish', he always comes across as himself.

'Trumps comic style may come over as a boorish shtick, but it is his, and if hes boorish, he is as authentically boorish as he means to be. But the moment may meet his absorption of the Borscht Belt comics. His natural line for the campaign would be: She cant talk! The plan is to keep daring her to prove that she can,' he added.

Many have suggested that Harris often emits what's known as 'word salad' whenever she speaks, to the point where conservatives have outrageously accused her of being drunk during public engagements.

'The trick for the Trump campaign is to induce or tempt Ms. Harris to speak,' says Arkes. 'Does she support the Biden administrations open-borders policy, its electric-vehicle mandate, its softness on Iran?

In the end of Singin' in the Rain, Lamont is seen for who she is when a curtain is pulled back to reveal her voice is being provided by Debbie Reynolds.

Pundits on the right suggest booze is to blame for Harris' 'lunatic' laughter and what many describe as 'word salads' from the vice president when she veers off script.

Others posted jokingly that if Harris were to be found out as a drunk, it would help her win key swing states in the Midwest.

Many have suggested that Harris often emits what's known as 'word salad' whenever she speaks, to the point where conservatives have outrageously accused her of being drunk during public engagements

DailyMail.com has contacted reps for Harris for comment.

One commentator posted two clips of Harris, one introducing Joe Biden at a recent speech in Maryland, the other the vice president's infamous re-telling of her mother's 'coconut tree' story.

In it, Harris bursts into laughter after uttering the question 'you think you just fell out of a coconut tree?', while giving a speech on equality and advancement for Hispanic people.

Harris celebrated becoming the Democratic nominee by trolling former President Donald Trump in the arena that hosted last month's Republican National Convention Tuesday Night.

Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, attracted more than 15,000 supporters to Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum for a Tuesday night event held in conjunction with the Democratic National Convention.

It's traditionally unusual for a nominee to abandon the convention, but with a bit of TV magic, the ceremonial roll call vote concluded at Chicago's United Center and then the audience witnessed Harris walking onstage to a cheering crowd in Milwaukee.

Ahead of Harris' arrival, Walz made it very clear that the intention of the event was to get under Trump's skin.

'Not only do we have massive energy at our convention, we have a hell of a lot more energy where they held their convention,' Walz said. 'Oh that one guy's gonna be so sad tonight, so sad, so sad.'

Harris mostly let the crowd size speak for itself, though did make a quip after her supporters engaged in a raucous 'not going back' chant.

'Tim just looked at me and said, "we're not going back, I think,"' Harris said with a laugh.
This is the moment Andrew Tate was led into the back of a prison van by elite Romanian cops as he prepares to spend 24 hours in prison amid new allegations of 'sex with a minor' and 'trafficking'.

One of the world's best-known influencers, Andrew Tate has been accused of having formed an organised criminal network in early 2021 in Romania and Britain, along with his brother Tristan.

After Romanian authorities launched a fresh raid on Tate's home on Wednesday morning, new footage shows the influencer talking to the media while handcuffed before being led into a prison van.

Tate can be heard saying: 'This file is even more stupid than the first one.

'They say I'm a lover boy, to the mother of my children - and we've tricked them into having kids. Unbelievable.'

Andrew Tate is led into the back of a prison van by elite Romanian cops

Tate can be heard saying: 'This file is even more stupid than the first one'

Tate talks to the media before being led into the back of police van

Tate has been accused of having formed an organised criminal network in early 2021 in Romania and Britain

Earlier footage published by Romanian media outlet Observator showed masked policemen making their way into the Tate residence with metal ladders.

One clip showed a masked cop on the compound's roof shining a light through an upstairs window.

Tate was later seen being walked out of his building, with Tristan behind him.

The office for organised crime (DIICOT), said that four search warrants were executed, in connection with 'the crimes of forming an organised criminal group, trafficking in minors', 'sexual relations with a minor' and 'money laundering'.

Prosecutors allege that 37-year-old Tate, his 36-year-old brother and two women set up a criminal organisation and sexually exploited several victims.

They have denied those charges, and a trial date has not yet been set.

Prosecutors 'conducted a raid this morning, on August 21, 2024, at the residence of the Tate brothers as part of a search related to a new investigation', an official said.

Andrew Tate has been posting about the raid since it took place this morning.

He said: 'I don't have phone because it was taken by the police.

'But when I speak loud my words are heard by someone from a computer far far away by magic.'

This is the moment elite Romanian troops stormed controversial manosphere influencer Andrew Tate's 'fortified' compound

Andrew Tate (pictured) was later seen being walked out of his building

His brother Tristan (pictured) was led out by cops shortly after

Andrew Tate talks to media as he is being led for questioning after a police search raid on his residence

A masked gendarme patrols the courtyard of the residence of internet influencer Andrew Tate during an early morning police search raid, on the outskirts of Bucharest, Romania

Andrew Tate flanked by masked gendarmes is led for questioning after a police search raid on his residence

The brothers were detained in 2022 in Bucharest and spent three months in detention before being released under judicial supervision to await trial.

The brothers also face rape and assault allegations in separate cases in Britain, where they have also been accused of tax evasion.

Today's raid comes a month after the Tate brothers were banned from leaving Romania.

The Court of Appeals in Bucharest said in July it had overturned a previous ruling which allowed the controversial internet personality free movement within the European Union while awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking.

That ruling came after the brothers just two weeks earlier had celebrated being given permission to leave the country for the first time in two years.

When the brothers received initial news that they were able to leave Romania, a spokesperson for the pair said: 'The Romanian courts have ruled in favour of Andrew and Tristan Tate, lifting restrictions on their travel within the European Union,' adding: 'This represents a significant victory and a major step forward in the ongoing case.'

'It reflects the significant progress the legal team have made in challenging the allegations brought against them.

Andrew and Tristan's lawyer, Eugene Vidineac said: 'We embrace and applaud the decision of the court today, I consider it a reflection of the exemplary behaviour and assistance of my clients.

'Andrew and Tristan are still determined to clear their name and reputation; however, they are grateful to the courts for placing this trust in them.

Gendarmes wearing balaclavas walk outside the residence of internet influencer Andrew Tate during an early morning police search raid, on the outskirts of Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024

Gendarmes wearing balaclavas hold a battering ram used to break down a door outside the residence of internet influencer Andrew Tate

Police officers outside the Tate brothers residence in Pipera, Ilfov, near Bucharest, Romania, August 21, 2024

Police squad cars outside the Tate brothers residence in Pipera, Ilfov, near Bucharest, Romania, August 21, 2024

One of the world's best-known influencers known for misogynist and sometimes violent maxims, Andrew Tate has been accused of having formed an organised criminal network in early 2021 in Romania and Britain

'For the brothers, who have faced limitations on their movement for nearly two years, this ruling is a welcome relief.

'It allows them to resume their lives with greater freedom and peace of mind.

'They are now able to travel freely throughout the EU to pursue professional opportunities without restriction.'

This 'relief' was short-lived, however, and the ruling was overturned just a fortnight later.

Tate and Tristan were initially arrested in December 2022 along with two Romanian women - model Georgiana Naghel and former cop Luana Radu - but were formerly indicted in June last year.

The two female suspects - dubbed 'Tate's Angels' - also face extradition to the UK once their court proceedings in Romania come to an end.

The brothers have been accused of 10 allegations of rape and sexual assault from three alleged victims in the UK.

Andrew Tate (C) and his brother Tristan Tate (L) return to Bucharest Court after a snack break. Andrew and Tristan Tate, Bucharest Court, Bucharest, Romania - 04 Jul 2024

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan were banned from leaving Romania last month

Tate strikes a pose at the Court of Appeals in Bucharest before it overturned a July 5 ruling allowing him and his brother to leave Romanian territory providing he remains within the European Union, as he awaits trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women

Andrew Tate grimaces upon arriving at the court

The pair faced complaints from victims who claimed they were drugged and subjected to sexual acts between 2012 and 2015.

Romanian law states the trafficking of adults carries a lengthy prison sentence of up to a decade, as does rape.

The Tate brothers were held in police custody during the criminal investigation from late December 2022 until April 2023, to prevent them from fleeing the country or tampering with evidence.

They were then under house arrest until August, when courts placed them under judicial control, a lighter preventative measure that enabled them to move around freely but not leave the country.

Just two weeks ago, the brothers celebrated as they were given the news they were allowed to leave Romania and had free movement within the European Union

Tate took to X on July 5 to share a message in celebration of being given the right to leave Romania for the first time in two years. This celebration was, however, short-lived

Pictured: A police officer escorts Andrew Tate, centre, handcuffed, from the Court of Appeal in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Romanian prosecutors have said the Tate brothers recruited their victims by seducing them via social media and falsely claiming to want a relationship or marriage - ultimately pretending to fall in love with them before getting them to work for their business after luring them to their villa on the outskirts of Bucharest.

The victims were then taken to properties outside the capital Bucharest, and through physical violence and mental intimidation were sexually exploited by being forced to produce pornographic content for social media sites that generated large financial gain, prosecutors said.

Tate, who has amassed 9.7 million followers on X has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors in Romania have no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to silence him.

In 2016, Tate appeared on the 'Big Brother' reality television show in Britain but was removed after a video emerged showing him attacking a woman.

He then turned to social media platforms to promote his divisive views.

Giving tips on how to be successful, along with misogynistic and sometimes violent maxims, his videos have made him one of the world's best-known influencers.
Tens of thousands of pupils across the UK will find out their GCSE results today.

Students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are bracing for outcomes which could determine whether they go on to study A-levels, apprenticeships or other educational pathways.

However, college leaders say winning sought-after spots will be more competitive this year while fears have been raised that nearly a third of pupils could fail GCSE English and maths.

Many pupils have already applied to sixth forms in either colleges or schools, but many places are conditional on getting the right grades.

Selective courses at top colleges ask for at least grade 7s, meaning those missing that target will be looking for another place.

A disheartened student looks at his GCSE results on August 21, 2019 in Ashtead

Students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are bracing for outcomes which could determine whether they go on to study A-levels, BTEC's or apprenticeships

The Office for National Statistics estimates the population of 16-year-olds in England has risen by 34,595  or 5.2 per cent  from 663,078 in 2023 to 697,673 this year.

Sixth Form Colleges Association chief executive Bill Watkin said: 'It's likely that there'll be more competition to get a sixth form place.

'There is going to be pressure on places because the number of new places created is less than the number of additional young people working their way through the system at the moment.'

David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC), added that capacity issues were 'acute' in a few areas  including Leeds.

The AoC, which represents vocational colleges as well as sixth forms, is calling for more Government funding to open up additional places.

Mr Hughes added: 'We are worried that we're getting to a point where in some places they simply won't have the capacity to take on students.'

And Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, agreed that competition will be 'even more intense' due to the population rise.

This year, grading in Northern Ireland and Wales will return to pre-Covid levels for the first time, after teacher assessment during the Pandemic led to record highs.

England's grades were scheduled to return to normal last year, but were still slightly higher.

A student speaks on the phone after opening his GCSE results in 2021

Annabel Bolton (left) is shocked while opening her GCSE results with her mother in 2023

From left to right: James Smith, Elias Stisted, Katherine Edwards and Emily Farrar look at their GCSE results at Portsmouth Grammar School in 2023

Nada Tazouti celebrates her exam results at the City of London Academy in 2023

Carolina Quintino cries as she opens her GCSE results in August 2023

Professor Alan Smithers predicted UK-wide top grades at 7-9 could fall by up to 71,000 if all three countries return to 2019 grading levels.

It would mean a drop of 1.2 percentage points to 20.8 per cent.

However, he suggested we could see an increase in top grades instead, if there is a repeat of A-level day, when results reached a surprise record high for non-Covid times.

He pointed out there may be a 'change in political mood' and suggested officials are 'currently giving the impression of wanting 'feel-good' results.'

This year group was in Year 7 when schools closed due to the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, meaning they suffered substantial disruption to their education.

Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at the NAHT school leaders' union, said members had reported a rise in requests for special arrangements  'particularly for small rooms' to take exams away from the main hall.

She said: 'I think some of that is representative of some of the anxiety that young people are facing as a result of what they've gone through over the past few years.

'Those young people feel more comfortable in a smaller room to be able to take their exams.'

Meanwhile, one former ministerial special adviser said one in three GCSE maths and English results this year will be a 'fail'  and not all pupils should have been put through the exams,

Pupils at Ark Greenwich Free School look contemplative as they open their GCSE results in 2023

Shane Servini hugs his mum upon receiving much-anticipated GCSE results in 2019

Amina Bana (right) gets ready to open the letter containing her grades in 2022

A student covers her face upon seeing her GCSE marks in 2021

Students Harry (left) and Adil (right) receive their grades on GCSE results day in 2022

Iain Mansfield, who advised three Conservative education secretaries, believes less able youngsters should instead have the option of a 'core skills' qualification at 16.

He said this was 'more compassionate' as many pupils are well below the ability to get level 4  considered a 'standard pass' and the equivalent of the old C.

Mr Mansfield, now head of education at the Policy Exchange think-tank, said: 'It's important that standards are kept high and that a GCSE pass is recognised by employers. But it is pointless making some people sit something they are definitely going to fail.'

Alternative core skills qualifications already exist, focusing on real-world knowledge, but cannot be taken instead of GCSE.

Mr Mansfield added: 'As long as the parents and children agree, letting children well below the standard of a pass take this instead would give them a qualification that they can put on their CV. We should recognise that while GCSE remains the gold standard, for some children the core skills papers are a better preparation for work and everyday life.'

It came as Will Goldsmith, head of the 46,000-a-year Bedales School in Hampshire, said GCSEs should be scrapped altogether for being too narrow and 'rigid'.

Bedales is working with other leading independent schools as part of the national Rethinking Assessment coalition.

They are preparing a submission to Labour's curriculum review team, led by Professor Becky Francis.

Bedales is working towards offering only two GCSEs in maths and English alongside its own Bedales Assessed Courses (BACS) at 16. The school currently offers five to six GCSEs.

Milan (left) and Sasha (right) open results in disbelief at Notting Hill and Ealing School in 2022

Students celebrate receiving their GCSE results at Roedean School in 2022

Pupils react on GCSE results day at a school in London in 2021

A student looks hesitant as she reads how she has done in her GCSEs in 2021

Mr Goldsmith said: 'GCSEs as they are run now are unnecessary and I think there are lots of ways we could serve young people better by avoiding this bottleneck and this standardised testing point which creates an enormous rigidity.

'The idea that any assessment can really encapsulate the complexity of a young person is problematic.'

The Department for Education said: 'We have no intention of removing well-respected and valued qualifications, like GCSEs, as part of the review.'
A Nashville mother charged with drowning her seven-year-old daughter 'because she wanted to be left alone' has suffered a horrific injury in prison.

Brandi Elliott, 33, was locked up in Sumner County Jail without bond while waiting to face first-degree murder charges for allegedly drowning her daughter, Piper, in Drakes Creek in Hendersonville.

But over the weekend, she was rushed to the hospital with a severe head injury, News Channel 5 reports.

The jail has only confirmed that she was not attacked by another inmate, however it remains unclear whether Elliott was on suicide watch or if she deliberately injured herself. Updates on whether she'll survive or be able to stand trial have not been shared.

She has previously claimed she had mental health issues when she made her first court appearance last month.

Brandi Elliott, 33, was rushed to a local hospital over the weekend with a head injury

She has been locked up at the Sumner County Jail without bond as she faces first-degree murder charges for allegedly drowning her daughter, Piper, in Drakes Creek in Hendersonville

'When my daughter was two, I kind of lost it like I did this time,' Elliott said in court.

'I had postpartum depression and they gave me medicine for it. I was having a really bad time with sleeping.'

The mother also cried during the hearing as she told a judge that her veteran husband was living with a disability.

Yet both her attorney and state prosecutors said that they did not want her mentally evaluated.

She has had no prior criminal history and worked at McDonald's.

In court last month, Elliott claimed she previously suffered from mental health issues

The mother allegedly told police she had been having a bad day and Piper would not give her what she wanted  'time alone'

But on July 13, Elliott decided to take Piper to a shallow area at Drake's Creek, and held her underwater until bubbles emerged.

She allegedly told the child to be quiet as she held her under water 'like a largemouth bass,' WKRN reports.

When police later questioned her about her daughter's death, Elliott reportedly told officers she was having a bad day and Piper would not give her 'time alone.'

Still, the mother reportedly said she only realized what she had done after it was too late and first responders tried to revive Piper with CPR.

Police said the family are now witnesses in the probe, and have started a memorial along the greenway for Piper, which they want to turn into 'Pipers Pathway.'

Prosecutors have said they are considering the death penalty for Elliot if she is convicted.

An online fundraiser has been set up for Piper's father, Jon Elliott (right)

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe has been set up for Piper's father, Jon Elliott.

'Jon will be needing as many donations as possible for the funeral arrangements, and basic everyday needs, he only get a small disability check each month,' it says.

Jon, who served in Iraq, also posted a tribute to Piper online, writing: 'I will miss my baby girl forever.'
Robert Jenrick has said he would be 'delighted' to have Boris Johnson in his Shadow Cabinet if he wins the Tory leadership contest.

The former immigration minister said the party 'needs all of its talent' if it is to return to power in the next general election.

He added that he would be 'pleased' to welcome back the former prime minister, who stepped down as an MP in June 2023.

Mr Jenrick, who is one of six leadership hopefuls vying to replace Rishi Sunak, told the Daily Telegraph: 'With respect to Boris Johnson, the Conservative Party right now needs all of its talent involved. And so, if Boris wanted to return to Parliament, I would be pleased to welcome him.'

Asked if he would include Mr Johnson in his Shadow Cabinet, Mr Jenrick replied: 'Yeah. I think what we need are the best people who are available in the Conservative family to be on the pitch, supporting us to be a strong Opposition, holding Keir Starmer to account for all of the failings that we already see, and ultimately winning the next general election.

'And if Boris wanted to be part of that, I'd be delighted.'

Boris Johnson (pictured at a 2024 general election campaign event) resigned as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in 2023

Robert Jenrick (pictured at the launch of his bid to become the next Conservative Party leader earlier this month) said the party 'needs all of its talent' if it is to return to power in the next general election

Mr Johnson was ousted as PM in July 2022 following a series of scandals including lockdown-breaking gatherings and the handling of misconduct allegations against deputy chief whip Chris Pincher.

He toyed with a return to frontline politics when Liz Truss's government collapsed just three months later, but pulled out of the race as it was 'not the right time'.

He resigned as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in 2023 after a Commons committee report concluded he had misled Parliament over 'Partygate'.

However, since then, several Tories have suggested they were wrong to have ditched the Mail columnist, who led the party to a landslide election victory in 2019.

Mr Jenrick, who also served as housing secretary and health minister under Mr Johnson, was one of those who called for him to resign as prime minister.

In a Facebook post from July 2022, he said there had been an 'irretrievable loss of trust' with the public and that the country would be best served by new leadership.

Mr Jenrick's latest remarks make him the first leadership hopeful to comment on Mr Johnson's political future.

Two of his rivals, Dame Priti Patel and James Cleverly, are long-standing allies of Mr Johnson and backed him for the leadership in 2022.

Johnson toyed with a return to frontline politics when Liz Truss's government collapsed just three months later, but pulled out of the race as it was 'not the right time'

In a recent interview, Dame Priti Patel (pictured) said that Mr Johnson is a 'political giant' but that a return to frontline politics was a 'matter for him'

James Cleverly, a long-standing allies of Mr Johnson and backed him for the leadership in 2022

In a recent interview, Dame Priti said that Mr Johnson is a 'political giant' but that a return to frontline politics was a 'matter for him'.

Kemi Badenoch served as a junior minister in Mr Johnson's government while Mel Stride said during the recent election campaign that the former PM was 'clearly an asset' to the Tories.

However, Tom Tugendhat clashed with Mr Johnson when chairing the foreign affairs select committee. During a previous leadership contest, he added that Mr Johnson's account of Partygate was 'fictional'.

The next leader of the party is expected to be announced on November 2  three weeks after the publication of Mr Johnson's autobiography.

Unleashed will be released on October 10  days after the party conference finishes.

A spokesman for Mr Johnson declined to comment.
A three-year-old has been killed in a horror crash in regional Queensland.

The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating how a Mitsubishi ASX went off Lowmead Road in Rosedale - a town between Bundaberg and Gladstone - and crashed.

Bystanders and emergency services attempted to help the toddler however the three-year-old was declared dead at the scene.

The 38-year-old driver was taken to Bundaberg Hospital with minor injuries, while an eight-month-old passenger was not injured.

Anyone with information has been urged to come forward.
The murder trial for alleged mushroom killer Erin Patterson will start on April 28, 2025, in country Victoria near where the alleged deadly lunch took place.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Victoria heard the first of a series of preliminary hearings to pave the way for her eventual jury trial next year.

The 49-year old faces three counts of murder over the deaths of her father-in-law Don Patterson, mother-in-law Gail Patterson and extended relative Heather Wilkinson, after inviting the trio to a lunch at her home in July last year.

She is accused of the attempted murder of her estranged husband Simon Patterson - who was invited to the lunch but did not attend - and two other alleged attempts on his life in 2022, and another in 2021.

Patterson is also accused of the attempted murder of pastor Ian Wilkinson, who was at the lunch but survived after a long fight for life in hospital.

The court ruled the trial could be held at the Latrobe Valley Supreme Court in Morwell, population 14,000, 152km east of Melbourne.

The court had previously heard Patterson was keen to have the trial held near her hometown of Leongatha, which is about 60km southwest of Morwell.

Erin Patterson is accused of murdering her in-laws at a deadly lunch in July 2023

The first of Patterson's pre-trial hearings is expected to wind-up next week, with further hearings planned for October.

But evidence from the hearings will be kept secret from the public to ensure potential jury members do not hear information that is not disclosed at the trial.

The case garnered worldwide attention when news of it broke at the end of July last year, attracting journalists from across the globe.

When the actual trial gets underway next year, the world's press will be granted full access to proceedings, with US-based documentary crews among the many expected to be in the media pack.

Patterson has always denied any wrongdoing and broke down in tears when she broke her silence prior to her arrest last year.

'The loss to the community and to the families and my own children who have lost their grandmother I just can't fathom what has happened,' she said at the time.

'Im so sorry that they have lost their lives. I just can't believe it.'

The once prestigious home of Erin Patterson in Leongatha now appears to be overgrown

A legal notice remains cable-tied to Erin Patterson's front gate

Patterson's alleged victims are buried in unmarked graves at the Korumburra Cemetery

On Monday, neither Mr Patterson nor Mr Wilkinson would discuss their scheduled appearances at the pre-trial hearings.

Warning signs posted at the gates of their respective homes in Korumburra, 120km south-east of Melbourne, threaten media representatives with prosecution for trespassing if they attempted to approach the properties.

Patterson has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges and appeared in court on Wednesday via videolink.

The mum-of-two had lived at a property situated among bush and lush green fields in Leongatha - a short drive from Korumburra - at the time of the alleged murders.

On Monday, a warning sign on her gate remained stuck to the electronic gate of her home.

While Patterson is understood to still own the property, she no longer lives there and it appears to be unoccupied, abandoned and overgrown, with long grass surrounding the property.

It was the same home where police have accused Patterson of murdering her alleged victims with a Beef Wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms.

Don and Gail Patterson were both allegedly murdered by Erin Patterson

Heather and Ian Wilkinson. Mr Wilkinson survived the deadly lunch that claimed the life of his wife
The Royal Family are known for rarely showing affection and often keep to a more formal and professional manner during official engagements.

But the Prince and Princess of Wales are occasionally seen laughing and smiling at each other, or wrapping a supportive arm around one another.

For now, Kate is mostly out of action as she recovers from cancer and continues treatment.

But when she briefly returned to public duties at Trooping the Colour in June, she was spotted smiling and looking into her husband's eyes on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

From their very first tour abroad together after getting married in 2011, the pair have always shown how much they care for each other.

Read below to see Kate and William's most tender moments and why we can't wait to see them back as a double act at engagements on a regular basis.

Princess Kate smiles at Prince William during the welcome ceremony for the President of South Korea last year

Smiles on the balcony

Kate's first official public appearance since announcing her diagnosis earlier this year was at Trooping the Colour in June.

She rode in a carriage with her children - Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis - and ended the day on the balcony with the Royal Family.

There was a sweet moment between Kate and William when she looked over at her husband with a radiant smile.

The couple gazed at each other affectionately while their three children stood in front of them.

Kate and William share a smile on the balcony during Trooping the Colour in June

A loved-up state reception

The couple appeared to be very affectionate during a reception to welcome president Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee of South Korea in 2023.

William was seen putting his hand on his wife's lower back and Kate reciprocated the sweet gesture by placing her hand on her husband's back before holding his hand.

The couple wrap their arms around one another during the state reception for president Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee of South Korea

Kate dazzled in a 3,000 caped red coat from Catherine Walker and Gianvito Rossi shoes.

She complemented the glamorous outfit with a pair of Princess Diana's sapphire and diamond oval drop earrings.

Giggles in Scotland

During a visit last year to the Outfit Moray charity in Scotland, which delivers outdoor learning programmes to young children, Kate and William put on a sweet display.

The Prince of Wales placed a loving arm around his wife's shoulder as she laughed with a big smile while they chatted with charity members.

Kate wore a classy nova-check Burberry jacket and a practical pair of denim jeans.

William matched his wife in a green wax jacket and chinos - prepared for any traditional Scottish weather.

William wraps his arm around Kate while they chat with charity members during a visit to Scotland last year

Caring Prince William

The couple shared a tender moment during their first official overseas visit after their wedding in 2011.

Both wore red hooded jumpers from the Canadian Rangers after being made honorary members.

They were on a nine-day tour of Canada and visited the Northwest Territories where they met the Dene tribe.

The Prince of Wakes fastens Kate's top button during their first official overseas visit after their wedding in 2011

At one point William was seen fastening the top button of Kate's sweater as they both smiled at one another.

The pair had only married three months before in a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

A helping hand for Kate's mother

William has also shown his loving side in public to his mother-in-law Carole Middleton.

He attended Royal Ascot with her and Kate's father Michael in June this year.

They appeared to have a particularly close bond as the pair laughed and smiled together during the day.

William offers to help mother-in-law Carole Middleton after she gets her heel stuck in the grass at the Royal Ascot in June

While Kate was absent due to her treatment, William stepped up to help make sure Carole was looked after.

At one point, the prince showed off his chivalrous side, coming to the rescue of Carole after a minor mishap.

Carole was seen having her very own Cinderella moment as her foot slipped out of her heel which was left behind in the ground, but she luckily had a charming prince on hand.
It was the scandal that rocked France and permanently damaged the reputation of Marie Antoinette.

But did the so-called 'Affair of the Diamond Necklace' really bring down the queen consort and her husband, King Louis XVI, and trigger the French Revolution?

That is the question explored in the fourth episode of new Daily Mail podcast Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things.

Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and his co-host, historian Kate Williams, delve into Marie-Antoinette's stunning extravagance and the chain of events that saw her lose her head at the guillotine in 1793.

They reveal the scandalous sale of a necklace - then the most expensive in the world - that the ailing King Louis XV had commissioned for his mistress.

Marie Antoinette was inextricably caught up in the public outcry that followed, but Professor Williams and Mr Hardman reveal how all was not as it seemed.

Listen to the latest episode now:

Did the so-called 'Affair of the Diamond Necklace' really bring down Marie Antoinette and France's King Louis XVI? Pictured: Jason Schwartzman as Louis XVI and Kirsten Dunst in the title role in Sophie Coppola's 2006 film Marie Antoinette

The necklace, which was made of 647 stones weighing nearly 2,800 carats, was the most expensive in the world, valued at around $20million in today's money. It had been designed by Louis XV's jewellers, the esteemed Boehmer and Bassange, for his mistress, Madame du Barry

Marie Antoinette was the daughter of Francis I, the Holy Roman Emperor.

He betrothed her to King Louis XVI to strengthen ties between France and Austria, her native country.

Marie Antoinette was only 14 and Louis just 15 when they married and received two million francs worth of jewellery from her French father-in-law.

The queen would also receive many more jewels from her husband over the years of their marriage.

The glittering pieces were fitting for a woman who many regard as the first celebrity, someone who easily outshone her rather drab husband.

It was said that her smile had an 'enchantment' that could win over 'the most brutal of her enemies'.

Her jewellery collection was by far the biggest of any French queen and rivalled only by Empress Josephine, the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte.

By the end of 1776, Marie Antoinette had a dress allowance of 150,000 livres, at a time when the price of an an average house in a French town was 200 livres.

Marie Antoinette was only 14 and Louis just 15 when they married and received two million francs worth of jewellery from her French father-in-law

There were no gems to be seen when Marie Antoinette was guillotined in 1793

As she gambled, partied and lavished money on whatever took her fancy, she racked up bills of nearly 500,000 livres.

Versailles was the centre of fashion at its peak of eccentricity. Wigs were packed with powder and adorned with ribbons, feathers, flowers, fruit and even stuffed birds.

The queen had a personal coiffeur who designed her own 4ft tall hair-do that boasted a replica of the French warship La Belle Poule, complete with four masts, sails and jewelled portholes.

Marie Antoinette's biggest passion was her jewels.

Louis raided the French crown jewels to allow his queen to indulge her passion for rubies, and she was also a particular fan of pearls.

As she was being painted while decked out in strands of pearls and other glittering pieces, the French economy was in the doldrums.

Harvests failed, peasants starved and rumours about the queen swirled.

They focused not only on her remarkable excesses, but also her serial infidelity.

But it was the necklace affair in 1785 that many scholars believe paved the way for her execution.

NEW PODCAST: Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things New episodes every Wednesday DON'T MISS your favourite new history podcast. Each week we'll bring you the biggest and most shocking royal scandals, from who really killed the husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, to the most sex-mad British monarch of all time. Listen wherever you get your podcasts now. Advertisement

The necklace, which was made of 647 stones weighing nearly 2,800 carats, was the most expensive in the world, valued at around $20million today.

It had been designed by Louis XV's jewellers, the esteemed Boehmer and Bassange, for his mistress, Madame du Barry.

However, Louis passed away before the piece could be finished and so Boehmer and Bassange tried to sell the necklace to Marie Antoinette and the new King Louis VI.

But the royal couple refused to buy it and the queen instead urged Boehmer to break it up and sell it in several pieces.

In stepped impoverished aristocrat Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Remy, who had become the mistress of the powerful Cardinal de Rohan, a former French ambassador to Vienna.

He was keen to get back in the queen's good books after she recalled him from his post in the belief that he was stirring up trouble with her mother.

The cardinal was encouraged by de Valois-Saint-Remy to write to the queen.

What he did not know was that the queen's affectionate replies were being written by de Valois-Saint-Remy.

Believing that Marie Antoinette was in love with him, the cardinal was persuaded to meet with a woman he was told was the queen.

In fact, this woman was a prostitute who had been hired by de Valois-Saint-Remy to pretend to be the queen.

The fourth episode of new Daily Mail podcast, Queen's Kings and Dastardly Things, airs from today

The podcast is presented by Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams

When the cardinal received a purported letter from the queen asking him to organise the purchase of the diamond necklace for her, he went about doing so.

After showing Boehmer and Bassange the correspondence as proof and giving them a deposit, the Cardinal was given the necklace in the belief he would deliver it to the queen.

But instead he gave it to de Valois-Saint-Remy, who promised that she would give it to Marie-Antoinette.

The mistress then sold its constituent jewels on the black market.

When Boehmer sought payment from the queen, she truthfully insisted that she knew nothing.

Despite her innocence in this particular scandal, in the eyes of the public Marie Antoinette was guilty.

Here, many believed, was evidence of wrongdoing and yet more unjustifiable extravagance.

When she visited Paris soon after giving birth to her fourth child, Marie Antoinette was greeted in 'perfect cold silence' by the crowd.

She was also nicknamed 'Madame Deficit' and was claimed to be a heavy drinker, a lesbian and sexually voracious.

Even Napoleon would later say: 'The queen's death must be dated from the Diamond Necklace trial.'

Marie Antoinette and her husband were captured when they tried to flee Paris in June 1791.

Marie Antoinette was hugely extravagant but even she did not want the necklace that Louis XV had made for his mistress

Impoverished aristocrat Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Remy played a key role in the necklace scandal

That was two years after the storming of the Bastille and the stand-off between the royal family and starving citizens in the courtyard of Versailles.

It was there that, according to legend, Marie Antoinette said, 'let them eat cake'. She did not actually say the words, but the myth has endured.

Nine months after her husband's execution, Marie Antoinette was tried and found guilty on exaggerated charges that included high treason, promiscuity and incest with her son.

On October 16, 1793, her head was cut off and presented to the cheering crowd.

So did the Affair of the Diamond Necklace trigger the downfall of the French monarchy?

Listen to the latest episode of Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things now wherever you get your podcasts to hear the expert verdict of Professor Williams and Mr Hardman.

Robert Hardman is the author of books including Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II and Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story.

Professor Kate Williams is the author of the recent book The Royal Palaces: Secrets and Scandals, along with many other works.
Texas Republicans are squashing claims that immigrants were being registered to vote at multiple DMV locations near Fort Worth.

Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo shared information from a 'friend' in Texas, who claimed that state Department of Motor Vehicle was signing up immigrants to vote at several locations near Weatherford and Fort Worth.

'Had massive line of immigrants getting licenses and had a tent and table outside the front door of the DMV registering them to vote,' Bartiromo tweeted Aug. 18.

Her tweet caught the attention of many in Texas, including the Republican Chairman of the Parker County Party, where Weatherford is located.

After investigating her claims, he called them 'erroneous.'

Texas officials have denied claims that migrants were registering to vote at DMV locations immediately after obtaining drivers' licenses (file image)

'The Parker County GOP has spent the last 24 hours investigating the claims made by Maria Bartiromo on X and subsequently in a segment on her show,' Parker County Republican Chairman Brady Gray set the record straight on Aug 19 on Twitter.

'After multiple conversations with the County Election Administration office and with the DPS (Department of Public Safety) office, here are some facts.

1. While we are everyday registering more voters in Parker county, there has been no large submission of registrants consistent with the claim.

2. All voter registration applications in the county are processed by the county EA office (County Voter Registrar) and are uploaded to SOS (Secretary of State) to verify the applicants eligibility to vote (i.e. citizenship, etc.).

'Not only have there been no recent instances of ineligible individuals attempting to register in Parker county, there have only been two in the last 15 years.'

Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo hosts 'Sunday Morning Futures' from New York City

Fox's Maria Bartiromo during an exclusive interview with former President Donald Trump in July 2023

He also added that the Texas Department of Public Safety debunked the claims of massive registration drives-- which would not have been allowed.

'While these claims seemed strange from the onset, I take every claim of election fraud or interference very seriously and will always do everything in my power to ensure that our elections are fair and that the community can have confidence in the process,' the Republican Chairman stated.

Fox News did not respond to DailyMail.com request for comment on the false information spread by one of its marquee anchors who has fostered a close relationship with former President Donald Trump for years.

As of Wednesday at noon EST, Bartiromo's tweet with lies was still on her Twitter account.

It's not the first time Bartiromo has made false claims about elections.

The Washington Post described her as one of 'few people in the United States who played as significant a role in boosting those falsehoods' about Trump's claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.

Repeatedly through facts and multiple court cases, Trump's allegations of voter fraud that cost him the election have been proven to be false.
The race is on to find the six missing passengers who were aboard the Bayesian superyacht when it sank early on Monday morning.

British tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter are among those still unaccounted for, two days after the yacht capsized off the coast of Palermo, Sicily during a heavy storm.

Now, scientists claim that climate change amplified the turbulent weather that sank the ship within minutes.

Worryingly, this could be the first of many similar catastrophes, according to the experts.

They warn a wave of 'black swan' events  so-called due to their extreme severity  could follow as global temperatures continue to rise.

Luxury sailboat the Bayesian (pictured) sank with 22 people on board at dawn on 19 August off Porticello, near Palermo, Italy

British tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter are among those still unaccounted for two days after it capsized off the coast of Palermo, Sicily during a heavy storm

What happened to the Bayesian? The Bayesian, a 184-ft yacht, sank in the dark shortly before 5am (0300 GMT) Monday off the port of Porticello, near Palermo after being hit by a 'violent storm', Italy's coast guard said. It sank in a matter of minutes with 22 people on board - 12 passengers and a crew of 10, or 22 in total, of whom 15 were rescued. Some locals attributed the disaster to a huge waterspout, or sea whirlwind - akin to a tornado on land. Advertisement

Italian climatologist, Luca Mercalli, said the sea surface temperature around Sicily was around 30C (86F) when the superyacht sank - almost 3C higher than normal.

'This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms,' Mercalli said.

'So we can't say that this is all due to climate change, but we can say that it has an amplifying effect.'

Experts and eye witnesses have said the ship was hit by a waterspout  a swirling column of air and water mist.

Strong waterspouts are known to pose a serious danger to ships and aircraft, because of the energy of the whirling 60mph winds within them  just like a tornado on land.

But Mercalli, president of the Italian meteorological society, said it could have been a downburst, a more frequent phenomenon that doesn't involve the rotation of the air.

'We don't know which it was because it all happened in the dark in the early hours of the morning, so we have no photographs,' he said.

In Italy, waterspouts can involve winds of up to 124 miles per hour (200 km per hour), while downbursts can produce gusts of around 93 miles per hour (150 km per hour).

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Authorities and experts have said the ship was hit by a waterspout - a swirling column of air and water mist. Pictured, waterspouts in Fregenae, Italy on the same day as Bayesian yacht disaster

Statistics show that downbursts are becoming more frequent around the country, which Mercalli said may be connected to global warming.

Storms and heavy rainfall have swept down Italy in recent days after weeks of scorching heat.

'Climate-driven catastrophes in Italy will become more frequent and more intense,' Mercalli said.

Dr Peter Inness, meteorologist at the University of Reading, said he agrees with Mercalli that climate change increases storm conditions.

'One major driver of the thunderstorms that generate waterspouts and downbursts is warm sea temperatures and studies have shown that more waterspouts occur when the water is very warm,' Dr Inness told MailOnline.

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'Part of the Mediterranean is about 3 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year and some of that warming is down to climate change.

'However some of the warming is down to natural year-to-year variability  last year was cooler for instance.

'In simple terms, the temperature of the ocean surface is the main source of energy for Mediterranean thunderstorms.

'If the ocean warms up the storms have more energy to work with making their effects  heavy rain, lightning, strong winds  more intense.'

Professor Douglas Parker, a meteorologist at Leeds University, said humidity and warm air from climate change provide energy to storms 'and make them more intense'.

The Bayesian is classified as a 'pleasure vessel' due to its length, very tall aluminum mast and being 37ft at its widest point

'Over recent years, the Mediterranean has been warming more rapidly than other seas or oceans around the world,' he told MailOnline.

'So this is entirely consistent with global warming having made the event more likely to happen.'

MailOnline contacted the Met Office about the link between waterspouts and climate change, but a spokesperson said it would not offer comment.

The latest assessment from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found low confidence that tornadoes (over land) and waterspouts (over water) have shown any increase in response to climate change.

However, more recent research may establish a link.
In the aftermath of the sudden sinking of the 30 million Bayesian superyacht, experts say there is still a slim hope for the six missing passengers.

The ship sunk suddenly just before 5am on Monday morning after being struck by a freak waterspout while it was anchored off the coast of Porticello in Sicily.

While 15 passengers have been rescued, those still missing include the British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah and a boss at Morgan Stanley.

Despite having disappeared 50 metres beneath the waves almost three days ago, experts say there is a chance that the missing passengers could be alive.

Speaking to MailOnline, scientists explained that their best hope of survival would be within air pockets on the sunken ship - but rescuing them could prove tricky.

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The superyacht Bayesian sank suddenly in the early hours of Monday morning. But experts say some of the missing six passengers could still be alive within an air pocket

How can someone survive in an air pocket underwater? The Bayesian falls on its side allowing air to become trapped Water rises through the ship but air can't escape through the hull, forming an air bubble At a depth of 50m, the air in the pocket would be under intense pressure but would be breathable They could survive for up to three days Divers have 10 minutes to find the survivors with each attempt As they return to the surface the survivor decompresses in a diving bell to avoid decompression sickness Advertisement

As the search for the missing passengers goes into its third day, rescue divers are continuing their efforts to reach the cabins in the hope of finding a survivor.

Yesterday, divers used specially made jacks to smash through a 3cm-thick porthole to gain access to the hull of the vessel.

Their hope is that at least some of the passengers may be trapped in their cabins but still alive within pockets of air.

Nick Sloane, an engineer who worked on the Costa Concordia salvage operation a decade ago, told Sky News that search teams had 'a very small window of time to try to find people stuck inside with hopefully an air pocket.'

Air pockets are formed in sinking ships as water fills up the hull and pushes air up towards the surface.

Just like placing an upturned glass into a bowl of water, if that air is pushed into an enclosed spac,e it can form a bubble which persists at almost any depth.

Mr Sloane added: 'If the yacht is on its side, it might have more air pockets than if it's upright.

'She's got quite a large keel, and that will deflect and put her on her side, I'm sure.'

Provided that the air pocket is large enough, a trapped passenger might be able to float or stand in their cabin with enough air to breathe for several days.

The superyacht owned by British tech tycoon Mike Lynch sank after being struck by a powerful water spout which may have flooded the ship through an open window or hatch

Giving search and rescue teams hope is the fact that there have been cases in which people have survived and been rescued from air pockets.

In 2013, a tugboat sunk 30m to the seabed about 20 miles (32km) off the coast of Nigeria, killing 11 out of the 12 crewmembers.

However, the ship's chef, Harrison Okene, 29, managed to find his way into an area with an air pocket where he survived for three days until divers found him in the wreckage.

Mr Okene not only survived the ordeal, but did so with very limited health complications and went on to become a commercial diver.

If any of the Bayesian's passengers are trapped in similar air pockets, this case presents the best possible argument that their rescue is still possible.

In 2013, a Nigerian chef was rescued by divers after having been trapped inside an air pocket 30m below the surface for three days

Dr Doug Watts, dive and hyperbaric medicine expert and medical director of DDRC Healthcare, told MailOnline: 'The question is whether someone could survive for three or more days in an air pocket at a depth of 50m.

'And the answer, as demonstrated by the case of this Nigerian chef, is yes.'

However, there are several critical factors which will determine whether anyone trapped in an air bubble can survive.

The first potential issue is the temperature of the water in which the passengers are trapped.

At a depth of 50m, the water will be significantly colder than at the surface which could be fatal after three days of exposure.

The next major factor is whether the air pocket is large enough to allow the passengers to breathe for three days.

Dr Watts says: 'The air mix is probably compatible with life just about, but there needs to be enough that you don't get CO2 poisoning.'

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Contrary to popular belief, it is not the reduction in oxygen levels but the build-up of C02 from the survivor's breath that will be the biggest danger.

As the passenger breathes, they slowly add more and more CO2 to the air.

At about a 10 per cent concentration of CO2, the air will become toxic leading to convulsions, loss of consciousness, and death.

That means someone needs to be trapped in a large air pocket where the CO2 concentration won't reach dangerous levels.

Finally, any rescue attempt will need to consider the effects of spending up to three days at a depth of 50m.

As the air pocket forms in the ship, that air will be compressed by the surrounding water to a pressure greater than 70 lbs per square inch.

That pressure will force nitrogen in the air to dissolve in the survivor's bloodstream, which could cause dangerous complications during a rescue mission.

Dr Watts compares the conditions of the passenger's body to a bottle of Coke.

Harrison Odjegba Okene (second left) poses inside a decompression chamber with members of the DCN Diving team who saved his life. Due to the saturation of nitrogen in his blood, Mr Okene needed to decompress for three days after his rescue

Rescue workers look at the plans of the Bayesian as they organise a search operation for six people who are still missing after the superyacht sank. If any are trapped within air pockets there is a chance they could be rescued

The liquid in the bottle is saturated with dissolved gas, but since it is pressurised you can't see any bubbles.

'But if you release that pressure, you can see those bubbles coming out of solution. It's the exact same thing that happens with a diver,' Dr Watts says.

Since any survivor's blood will now be entirely saturated with nitrogen, they will need to be brought to the surface very slowly in order to avoid bubbles forming in their blood, in a condition known as the bends.

In the case of the Nigerian chef, rescue crews brought the survivor to a diving bell typically used by commercial divers to live for days at a time at extreme depths.

The pressure was then slowly lowered over a period of days to avoid the onset of decompression sickness.

If the rescue team does find a survivor aboard the Bayesian, Dr Watts says their blood will have long since been saturated with nitrogen so a similar process will be necessary.

A life raft possibly from the Bayesian is seen docked at the harbour near the port where the emergency and rescue workers are launching their search operation

This would be a very risky operation requiring expert divers and specialised equipment usually only operated in areas like the North Sea.

But as the case of Mr Okene shows, it is still possible.

The rescue will also be made more challenging due to the extreme depth and likelihood that the cabins are blocked by fallen furniture.

If there are survivors, rescuing them from the ship would require taking a non-diver in a potentially critical state through a technically challenging dive.

Given the depth, rescue divers can only remain aboard the ship for ten minutes at a time without risking their own lives.

Divers return from another dive to the wreckage of the Bayesian. Any rescue attempt will be fraught with danger for the rescuer and survivor and will require specialist equipment

All of this means that rescuing a survivor will be risky for everyone involved but could be attempted if the conditions are right.

Currently, search and rescue teams are operating on the assumption that the missing six are somewhere on the vessel - but hopes are not high.

Vincenzo Zagarola of the Italian Coast Guard said: 'We think they are still inside the boat, that is our very hard idea.'

'Our search and rescue activity by sea and air has gone on for around 36 hours. Of course, we do not exclude that they are not inside the boat, but we know the boat sank quickly.'

Asked about the likelihood of them being alive, he replied: 'Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not.'

Rescue services (pictured) are working on the assumption that the missing passengers are on the boat. While it is unlikely that any are still alive this is not impossible

Likewise, Dr Watts notes that it would be 'miraculous' if an appropriate air pocket had formed where a survivor could get to it.

Matthew Schanck, chairman of the UK's Maritime Search and Rescue Council, told Business Insider: 'They'll assess the structure of the vessel.

'Are there any air pockets, you know?

'Is there any noise or any signs of life, and that will factor into their decision-making.

'But if all the information is pointing towards the fact actually there's no evidence of air pockets ... then it'd be very difficult for them justify divers entering the vessel to go and recover casualties.'

However, at least one of the passengers surviving the sinking of the Bayesian still remains a possibility.
READ MORE: Enjoy a glass of wine? Thank the extinction of the dinosaurs

It is well known that the reign of the dinosaurs came to an end when a giant asteroid smashed into Earth 66 million years ago.

But until now, the origin of this space rock has remained unclear.

Now, experts from the University of Cologne claim that the six-mile-wide asteroid travelled millions of miles from beyond Jupiter before smashing into our planet.

'The fate of the dinosaurs and many other species was sealed by this projectile from the outer reaches of the solar system,' said Professor Dr Carsten Munker.

The discovery will inevitably raise questions about whether another devastating asteroid could be headed our way.

It is well known that the reign of the dinosaurs came to an end when a giant asteroid smashed into Earth 66 million years ago. But until now, the origin of this space rock has remained unclear (artist's impression_

Artistic reconstruction of the historic event, known as Chicxulub, with lethal impact spherules raining down from the sky 66 million years ago

Dr Mario Fischer-Godde and his colleagues say the killer rock was a huge carbonaceous chondrite (C-type) asteroid, a carbon-rich type that is common in the solar system but rarely impacts Earth.

C-type asteroids formed beyond Jupiter around 4.6 billion years ago when the solar system was born.

Dr Fischer-Godde told MailOnline: 'C-type asteroids represent leftover building blocks of the outer solar system gas and ice planets.

'Owing to the dynamic evolution of the solar system, with Jupiter's early migration, the orbits of asteroids got disturbed and they were scattered towards the inner solar system where they are found today  in the asteroid belt.'

The first four planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars) form the inner solar system, while the last four (Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus) make up the outer solar system. The dividing gap between the inner and outer solar system was bigger than it is today, experts report. Planet Nine is a hypothetical planet that may have existed, other studies say

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun, and the largest in the solar system - more than twice as massive as the other planets combined

It's already well known that the dinosaurs were wiped out by the Chicxulub impact event  a plummeting asteroid that slammed into a shallow sea in what is today the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico around 66 million years ago.

For those creatures not killed directly by the impact, the collision released a huge dust and soot cloud that partially blocked out the sun and caused temperatures to plummet.

As a result, 75 per cent of all animal and plant species were wiped out.

All non-avian dinosaurs, pterosaurs, ammonites and most marine reptiles disappeared, whilst birds, crocodiles, and turtles survived, as well as some mammals  from which humans evolved.

Today, the event is marked by a thin layer of sediment called the K-Pg boundary, which can be found throughout the world in marine and terrestrial rocks.

Today, the event is marked by a thin layer of sediment called the K-Pg boundary, which can be found throughout the world in marine and terrestrial rocks, dated to 66 million years ago (pictured here in Zumaia, Spain)

The Chicxulub asteroid slammed into a shallow sea in what is now the Gulf of Mexico around 66 million years ago

What are carbonaceous chondrites? Carbonaceous chondrites are rocky objects that make up around 75% of all known asteroids in the solar system - more than any other type. C-types are darker than other asteroids due to the presence of carbon and are some of the most ancient objects in the solar system - dating back to its birth about 4.6 billion years ago. According to experts, volatile-rich C-types have been relatively untouched since they were formed billions of years ago. However they rarely reach Earth; less than than 5 per cent of meteorites that fall to Earth are carbonaceous chondrites. Advertisement

Dated to 66 million years ago, the rocky boundary shows unusually high levels of 'platinum-group metals' such as iridium and ruthenium, which are rare on Earth but common in asteroids.

From this, scientists determined that Earth was hit by a huge rocky object that covered it with debris  but the origin of the object has been poorly understood.

To learn more, the German team analysed rocky samples taken from the K-Pg boundary  specifically looking for traces of ruthenium in them.

For comparison, they also analysed samples from other rocks, including from other asteroid impacts and two carbonaceous chondrites.

According to the results, ruthenium traces in the K-Pg boundary rocks and the carbonaceous chondrites were the same.

This shows that the Chicxulub impactor likely came from a C-type asteroid that formed in the outer solar system.

They also rule out a comet as the impactor, as other theories had suggested.

Simply put, comets are made of ice and rock, while asteroids are made of rock and metal.

While C-type asteroids are associated with the outer solar system, 'S-type' asteroids are much more common in the inner solar system.

S-type (stony) asteroids are made of silicate materials as well as nickel-iron and are the most common visitors to the Earth of the asteroid types.

The researchers say that within the last 500 million years, almost exclusively fragments of S-type asteroids have hit the Earth.

Well over 80 percent of all asteroid fragments that hit the Earth in the form of meteorites come from the inner solar system.

Professor Dr Carsten Munker, co-author of the study, added: 'We found that the impact of an asteroid like the one at Chicxulub is a very rare and unique event in geological time.'

The new study has been published in the journal Science.
Australians planning a trip to Europe in 2025 face new rules ahead of their visit.

Previously Australians could travel visa-free to the history and culture-rich continent, but that's not the case anymore.

The European Union has introduced a new entry system for Aussie travellers, which includes a new $11.50 application fee.

It's all part of the new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) program, which is a new entry requirement for visa-exempt nationals from 60 nations, including Australians.

The program starts in the first half of 2025.

Here's what you need to know.

What is an ETIAS?

It is a new travel authorisation requirement for all Australians travelling to 30 countries within Europe.

The participating countries are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

The European Union has introduced new rules for Aussie travellers, including a new $11.50 application fee

The European Travel Information and Authorisation System is the new entry program for 30 European nations

What does it give you?

With a valid ETIAS travel authorisation, you can enter the territory of these European countries as often as you want for short-term stays - normally for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, the EU states on its website.

'However, it does not guarantee entry. When you arrive, a border guard will ask to see your passport and other documents and verify that you meet the entry conditions.'

How does it work?

The ETIAS is linked to your passport.

It is valid for up to three years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first.

If you get a new passport, you need to get a new ETIAS travel authorisation.

How do I apply?

Go to the ETIAS website and fill out the application form online, or apply through the ETIAS mobile app.

The cost is seven Euros, which works out to about $11.50.

The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is linked to your passport and will likely be processed in minutes

Processing times

Most applications are processed within minutes, the EU states.

'It is possible however that your application may take longer to process.

'If so, you will receive a decision within four days.

'Please note that this period could be extended by up to 14 days if you are requested to provide additional information or documentation, or up to 30 days if you are invited to an interview.'

After the application

'You will receive an email confirming the submission of your application which will include your unique ETIAS application number: make sure you keep this number for future reference,' the EU says.

'Once your application has been processed, you will receive another email informing you about its outcome.

'When you get your ETIAS travel authorisation, please make sure your name, passport number and other information is correct: if there is any mistake, you will not be allowed to cross the border.'

The ETIAS is valid for up to three years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first

What happens at the border?

The ETIAS is linked to your travel document.

'Make sure to carry the same document which you used in your ETIAS application,' the EU states.

'Otherwise, you will not be allowed to board your flight, bus or ship, or to enter any of the European countries requiring ETIAS.'
Luana Santos has revealed she has left Coronation Street, as she took to her Instagram to announce her exit.

The actress, 18, joined the ITV soap in June last year, taking on the role of Sabrina Adetiba, the love interest of Max Turner.

But on Tuesday, she shared a selfie revealing she had wrapped up filming her final scenes on the show and explained she was headed to study drama.

Adding a beaming snap with her co-star Jack Carroll, who plays Bobby Crawford, Luana wrote: 'last day with Corrie thanks for everything @coronationstreet. drama school here i come'.

The cobbles marked Luana's first professional acting job and she shared a thrilled post last summer, announcing her casting.

Posing outside the iconic Rovers Return Inn, she voiced her gratitude for the opportunity and the crew making her feel so welcome.

Luana Santos has revealed she has left Coronation Street , as she took to her Instagram to announce her exit

The actress, 18, joined the ITV soap in June last year, taking on the role of Sabrina Adetiba, the love interest of Max Turner (pictured on soap)

But on Tuesday, she shared a selfie revealing she had wrapped up filming her final scenes on the show and explained she was headed to study drama

She penned: 'Im so excited to announce that I am officially apart of the @coronationstreet cast!!

'Thank you to everyone on the team for the friendliest welcome and thank you to both @pendletonschooloftheatre and @scream_management for making this possible'.

During her time on Corrie, Luana shared many glimpses into the behind-the-scenes, sharing snaps with onscreen boyfriend Paddy Bever, Lauren Bolton star Cait Fitton and Noah Olaoye, who plays her brother Gav.

Representatives for Coronation Street told MailOnline that Luana had been a visiting artist on the soap and not a regular.

Luana's departure comes off the heels of the revelation that Sean Wilson has also bid goodbye to Weatherfield.

The actor, 59, was set to reprise his role as Martin Platt, as part of Helen Worth's exit as Gail Platt after 50 years on the cobbles.

Sean played Martin for 20 years before he and his family emigrated to New Zealand in 2018 and he paid one final visit to Weatherfield before his departure to make his peace with David, who was upset that his dad was leaving the country.

In July, it was confirmed that Sean would be reprising his role and as he picked up his first scripts to start shooting, he said: 'It was great to be invited back to Coronation Street again, to contribute to Helen's exit story.'

The cobbles marked Luana's first professional acting job and she shared a thrilled post last summer, announcing her casting

During her time on Corrie, Luana shared many glimpses into the behind-the-scenes, sharing snaps with onscreen boyfriend Paddy Bever, Lauren Bolton star Cait Fitton and Noah Olaoye, who plays her brother Gav.

He added: 'We'll have a few months to catch up with Martin and Gail again, following the ebbs and flows of the unfolding storyline.

'Playing Martin has been a joy since day one and in a way, I'll be slipping back to where I left off, which no doubt will throw a spanner into the heart of the Platt family.

'It's just like slipping on an old and comfortable jumper from the back of the wardrobe I'm looking forward to reuniting with my TV family.'

The actor had already recorded episodes with a large number of stars in the soap, but this week a representative for the soap stated that he'd left for 'personal reasons'

None of his scenes will be aired, with Gail's entire exit storyline now being frantically rewritten by bosses.

Sean was reportedly axed from the show two weeks before the news broke with lawyers becoming involved, as the mystery on the cobbles deepens.

Reports suggested he suddenly departed the show after being 'summoned to head office' before quitting for 'personal reasons', leaving cast and crew shocked and bosses barred from discuss the matter.

As reported by The Sun, Sean was called in for a meeting with bosses and left with 'no explanation offered' to his co-stars.

Luana's departure comes off the heels of the revelation that Sean Wilson (pictured) has also bid goodbye to Weatherfield

The actor, 59, was set to reprise his role as Martin Platt, as part of Helen Worth's exit as Gail Platt (pictured) after 50 years on the cobbles

Initially bosses had planned to bring back fan-favourite Martin for a huge new story line and coinciding with Gail's exit but the plans were scrapped with little to no explanation

Writers have reportedly replaced axed Sean with former star John Thomson as Jesse Chadwick in a 'frantic rewrite' to send off Gail (pictured on show in 2008)

An ITV spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Sean Wilson has stepped down from filming for personal reasons.'

Sean's agent told the publication: 'Neither he nor I will be making any further comment or statement.'

Sean was reportedly axed from the show two weeks before the news broke with lawyers becoming involved, as the mystery on the cobbles deepens.

Writers have reportedly replaced axed Sean with former star John Thomson as Jesse Chadwick in a 'frantic rewrite' to send off Gail.

John, 55, appeared on the show as the hapless children's entertainer between 2008 and 2010, during which time he dated Gail's rival Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) suggesting the new storyline could see a rematch between the two women.

A source told The Sun: 'It's been an absolutely frantic, incredibly stressful past couple of weeks for Corrie bosses and scriptwriters.

'So many new departure storylines for Gail were mooted but they were set on a love interest one  which proved tricky as she buried five of her six ex-husbands. And the remaining living one, Martin, was obviously axed in real life.

'They wanted a recognisable name and plumped for John as his character was popular with viewers and a real blast from the past.'
BBC Breakfast fans were left overjoyed when a rarely-seen presenter returned to the show a year after their last appearance and moved to the US.

Emma Vardy was back during Monday's episode, as she was seen reporting live from Chicago.

Her appearance came a year after she signed off from work on maternity leave and moved to the US for the birth of her son, Jago Fionn.

A year on from appearing in the show's Salford studios, she was back on camera looking sharp in a white blazer and ready to report on Kamala Harris at a Democratic Convention.

Sharing a selfie on X, Emma penned: 'We're all scrubbed up in Chicago where Kamala Harris gets her star turn at the Democratic Convention. (Tho hrs earlier I was covered in mud at a swing state demolition derby!!)

BBC Breakfast fans were left overjoyed when a rarely-seen presenter returned to the show a year after their last appearance and moved to the US

Emma Vardy was back during Monday's episode, as she was seen reporting live from Chicago

'Watch @BBCBreakfast for the drama of the US Presidential race & some wreckage of a brutal clash!!'

Emma stepped in for Nina Warhurst during the summer of 2023 as the show's business presenter.

A month later, she revealed she had accepted a new role as the BBC's LA Correspondent and would be relocating.

And fans were delighted to see her return as they flocked to her X post to share their glee.

One penned: 'How exciting that you get to cover this race. I'm glued to it. You're doing a great job. Hope you're well!'

'Lucky dog you! Can't wait to hear your take on it. Take care!!'

'Looking good, Emma!'

'Thanks for the excellent reporting.'

Her appearance came a year after she signed off from work on maternity leave and moved to the US amid the birth of her son, Jago Fionn

And fans were delighted to see her return as they flocked to her X post to share their glee

The journalist announced in May that she was expecting her first child with husband Aaron Adams (pictured in 2023), whom she married in March 2022

'I managed to catch your early report on @BBCNews with @SallyBundockBBC'

While Emma has returned from maternity, her new role will no longer feature her on the red sofa and fans have clearly missed her.

In August 2023, Emma left the show.

The presenter announced in May 2023 that she was expecting her first child with husband Aaron Adams, whom she married in March 2022.

Sharing a funny snap of herself perched on top of two washing machines, the star revealed it was time for her to take a break from the BBC.

Laughing she captioned the post: 'Well that's me off on mat leave!! Resigned to an eternity of housewife chores & dirty laundry. Career girl out. (And if u believe that you'll believe anything)

'Celebrated the start of this new chapter with cocktails at this perfectly disguised speakeasy!! #TheWashhouse'.

Sharing a funny snap of herself perched on top of two washing machines, the star revealed it was time for her to take a break from the BBC

Emma was flooded with support from fans as they rushed to comment on her announcement.

One wrote: 'All the best Emma come back soon, you're one of the best journalists on the Beeb.'

'Good luck & take care for your new life journey ahead. '.

'All the best to you and your (new) family!'
Matt Willis displayed the depth of his love of his wife Emma on Wednesday, as he showed off his tattoo tribute to her live on Lorraine.

The Busted star, 41, tied the knot with the presenter, 48, in 2008, and decided to commemorate their 16th wedding anniversary with an inking of her face.

He had the tribute done last month, but admitted he had been 'planning it for years', while Emma confessed it had been a 'shock' when she first saw it.

Appearing together on Lorraine, Matt showed off the massive tattoo that takes up his entire right calf, saying: 'I don't do things by halves'.

The inking is a detailed illustration of Emma in a plunging dress and surrounded by a black background to ensure it stands out.

Matt Willis displayed the depth of his love of his wife Emma on Wednesday, as he showed off his tattoo tribute to her live on Lorraine

The Busted star, 41, tied the knot with the presenter, 48, in 2008, and decided to commemorate their 16th wedding anniversary with an inking of her face

He had the tribute done last month, but admitted he had been 'planning it for years', while Emma confessed it had been a 'shock' when she first saw it

Explaining his reasoning, Matt admitted he had wanted to get it done for a long time before finally biting the bullet.

The father-of-three said: 'I wanted to make a big gesture and I've been planning it for years.'

Emma then explained her reaction to seeing that tattoo tribute to her, insisting that she didn't dislike it, but admitted that she had been surprised by his choice of picture.

She said: 'He's been talking about this tattoo for years! And everyone is saying she doesn't like it, but it's not that I don't like it.

'It's that for years he's shown me the picture he's going to get - it's old and I've got blonde hair and I'm in a polka dot bikini and it's a bit pinup.

'But the morning he was going, he suddenly said he changed the picture last minute and it's a sultry 15-year-old picture of me!

'So it's not that I don't like it, it's just that it was such a shock that it was something very different from what he had planned.'

Host Ranvir Singh commented that the ink was 'gorgeous' before quipping: 'You can't get rid of him now can you? He's got a tattoo of your face!'

The inking takes up his entire right calf and is a detailed illustration of Emma in a plunging dress and surrounded by a black background to ensure it stands out

Matt first showed off the tattoo on Instagram last month, with the caption: 'Happy Anniversary @emmawillisofficial  I love you more than ever. 16 years and it keeps getting better'

Matt admitted he had wanted to get it done for a long time, while Emma explained her reaction to the tribute, insisting that she didn't dislike it, but had been surprised

Host Ranvir Singh commented that the ink was 'gorgeous' before quipping: 'You can't get rid of him now can you? He's got a tattoo of your face!'

Emma added: 'He's already got my eye tattooed, he's had that for years' before quipping: 'I've got my eye on him always.'

Matt first showed off the tattoo on Instagram last month, with the caption: 'Happy Anniversary @emmawillisofficial  I love you more than ever. 16 years and it keeps getting better.'

The couple also spoke about the working together as the co-hosts of the UK spin-off of hit Netflix dating show, Love Is Blind.

They explained they were big fans of the series and had been desperate for the job, with Matt saying: 'As soon as we saw it, we were like this should be us.'

Emma added: 'We kind of begged. When we went for the meeting we were like, "Are you seeing other people? Please pick us!"'

She added that watching the couple on the show had caused her to be grateful she had found love a long time ago.

Matt was just 22 when he began dating Emma, then 29, in 2005 and the two married three years later, going on to welcome children, Isabelle, 15, Ace, 12, and and eight-year-old Trixie.

Emma admitted: 'I'm really glad that we are not part of the dating world as it is now. I would really struggle with it, so I'm really pleased we met 20 years ago when you just had to go out and meet people.'

The couple also spoke about the working together as the co-hosts of the UK spin-off of hit Netflix dating show, Love Is Blind

She added that watching the couple on the show had caused her to be grateful she had found love a long time ago (pictured with Matt in 2006)

Matt was just 22 when he began dating Emma, then 29, in 2005 and the two married three years later, going on to welcome children, Isabelle, 15, Ace, 12, and and eight-year-old Trixie (pictured together)

Matt recently gushed over his wife of 16 years and praised her work ethic as he declared: 'She's the f*****g best at what she does'.

Speaking to Principle Magazine about how it felt to join forces with Emma professionally again, the musician said it had made him realise how much he loved spending time with her still.

He explained: 'Working with Emma is so great, because it's easy, you know? I was really nervous about it because I'm not a TV presenter. She's just like, 'Just be yourself.' I'm like, 'How the f*** do I do that?'

'But I've got a safe pair of hands next to me, who is the f*****g best at what she does. So, I'm going to just tag along with her.'

He continued: 'I've been with her pretty much half my life. When work and kids and stuff get in the way, you kind of forget sometimes that 'Oh, I really f*****g still love you.'

'I mean, we love each other, but you forget like, 'Oh, I really like you, I want to hang out with you more than I want to hang out with anyone else,' which is so f*****g nice.

'I've dated a few times before her, the odd girlfriend here and there, but Emma was my first real relationship, so I don't really know how the dating world works. Everything I hear about that world is f*****g tough.'

Last year the couple revealed their 15-year marriage was stronger than ever after they overcame 'rocky patches' during their relationship.

Speaking to Principle Magazine about how it felt to join forces with Emma professionally again, the drummer said it had made him realise how much he loved spending time with her still

Last year the couple revealed their 15-year marriage was stronger than ever after they overcame 'rocky patches' during their relationship

Asked what the secret behind their long-lasting union was during an appearance on Good Morning Britain, Emma quipped: 'We quite like each other still as well, which helps!'

Asked what the secret behind their long-lasting union was during an appearance on Good Morning Britain, Emma quipped: 'We quite like each other still as well, which helps!'

Meanwhile Matt, who recently opened up about his drug battle in a candid documentary, alluded to his demons as he told how the couple had come through tough times and had remained strong.

He said: 'Most marriages go through rocky patches and ups and downs and luckily we've come out the other side of those and it's just made us stronger.'

To which his wife responded: 'We quite like each other still as well, which helps. We still laugh at each other and we still get annoyed with each other... he's alright!'

She shared: 'Who really knows what the key to a long marriage is other than hard work and patience... on both sides, this is not just one-sided.

'And I suppose understanding, and communication and trying to understand the other person's point of view which is something we've always tried to do.'
Netflix announced a huge string of new star-studded shows set to appear on the streaming giant's platform during the Edinburgh Film Festival on Wednesday.

Shows including a Victoria Beckham documentary, a Gordon Ramsay biopic and an Anya Taylor-Joy thriller, How To Kill Your Family, will debut on the platform in the coming months.

Alongside Victoria and Gordon's docuserieses, subscribers can also expect Take That, 7/7: Hunting the London Bombers and Matchroom: The Greatest Showmen to appear on the site.

Netflix also revealed scripted series Legends as a new production as a new release on the webpage.

It also announced season two of Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw's upcoming spy thriller Black Doves, which SISTER and Noisy Bear produce.

Netflix announced a huge string of new star-studded shows set to appear on the streaming giant's platform during the Edinburgh Film Festival on Wednesday

Shows, including a Victoria Beckham documentary, a Gordon Ramsay biopic and an Anya Taylor Joy thriller, How To Kill Your Family, will debut on the platform in the coming months

The streamer also confirmed plans for season two of Love is Blind: UK.

The streaming platform will begin production on a documentary series following Victoria Beckham and her fashion and beauty business.

Through an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Victorias business, access to Victoria and her family and a never-before-seen archive, the series will tell the story of Victorias reinvention as a Creative Director.

Netflix is also producing a series about multi-Michelin-starred British chef Gordon Ramsey.

The series will follow Gordon over nine months in the lead-up to his most significant restaurant venture to date.

He is opening five culinary experiences in Londons 22 Bishopsgate.

It will have exclusive access to the Ramsay family as Gordon balances other work commitments and life as a husband and father, with wife Tana and their six children - Megan, Holly, Jack, Matilda, Oscar and Jesse.

Take That is the story of one of the greatest boy bands in UK history.

It also announced season two of Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw's upcoming spy thriller Black Doves, which SISTER and Noisy Bear produce

Netflix also announced season two of Love is Blind: UK

For over 30 years, they have brought us hit after hit, 12, of which became UK number one.

The series will give unprecedented insight into one of the most successful and well-loved British bands, with access to Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, and Mark Owen and featuring interviews with Jason Orange and Robbie Williams.

Netflix also announced a new series from BAFTA-winning writer Neil Forsyth - Legends.

It is a six-part high-stakes, thrilling drama series which is inspired by one of the most remarkable criminal investigations ever conducted.

Netflix also announced year three of the Documentary Talent Fund at the festival

Based on extensive research and interviews with those involved, the story follows an unlikely group of British customs employees sent undercover to infiltrate some of the countrys most dangerous criminal drug gangs.

Netflix also announced year three of the Documentary Talent Fund at the festival.

The Fund, which supports the work of the next generation of documentary filmmakers, will give five filmmakers the chance to make a short documentary film with a budget of 30,000 each.

All teams will be under the guidance of Netflix and other filmmaking professionals.
Amber Turner bared some skin as she put on a busty display in Ibiza in photos shared to her Instagram page on Monday.

The former TOWIE star, 31, showed off her super-toned stomach in a black crochet bikini top in one saucy snap.

She went braless in another shot, wearing a barely there criss-cross halter neck top with gold accessories.

For another photo, Amber relaxed at a bar wearing a stunning sleeveless leopard print dress and holding a glass of wine.

She pouted for a mirror selfie in a stunning all-black one-sleeve outfit featuring cut-outs and gold clasps.

Amber Turner, 31, bared some skin as she put on a busty display in Ibiza in photos shared to her Instagram page on Monday

The former TOWIE star showed off her super-toned stomach in a black crochet bikini top in one saucy snap

She went braless in another shot, wearing a barely there criss-cross halter neck top with gold accessories

A final snap saw her stun in a gold halter neck crop top and a white mini skirt with heavy gold detailing

Blonde bombshell Amber captioned the sizzling carousel for her almost 900,000 followers: 'Emptying my Ibiza camera roll'.

She last posted from her Ibiza trip in mid-August, flaunting her incredible figure as she enjoyed a glass of champagne in a hot tub.

Amber jetted off to the Spanish island with her new boyfriend Archie Chandler, 30.

Amber's romance with Archie is her first relationship since she split from Dan Edgar, 34, who she dated on and off for six years.

Despite sharing a home and dog together, the exes decided to go their separate ways for good in 2023.

For another photo, Amber relaxed at a bar wearing a stunning sleeveless leopard print dress and holding a glass of wine

She pouted for a mirror selfie in a stunning all-black one-sleeve outfit featuring cut-outs and gold clasps

A final snap saw her stun in a gold halter neck crop top and a white mini skirt with heavy gold detailing

Since their breakup, Dan has been dating TOWIE co-star Elle Rae Wise, 24, who's 10 years his junior, and the pair were seen passionately kissing during scenes filmed in Bali.

Amber previously admitted she would find their connection difficult to watch after Dan had previously alleged there was nothing between him and Ella, following rumours that they were flirtatious together in a nightclub.

The former couple continued to co-parent their dog, Oliver, however, Dan ended up looking after the pooch full-time when Amber moved to Dubai last year.

A source told MailOnline: 'Amber is happier than ever, she's finally found someone who treats her properly following years of feeling let down.'

'She has known Archie for months now and the pair have often spent time together in Dubai but she's still taking their relationship slowly.'

'Archie is known in Essex circles and while he's a private man, he couldn't resist sharing a photograph of him and Amber on her birthday.'
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's child Fin appears to have confirmed their sister Violet is now a student at Yale University.

The teenager, 15, was spotted wearing a 'Yale' sweatshirt as they jetted back into Los Angeles on Tuesday with their parents after dropping Violet, 18 off, at college.

Violet previously indicated she would be attending the Ivy League university after her high school alma mater Instagrammed a snap of her wearing a 'Yale' sweatshirt.

But Fin's fashionable crewneck provided further confirmation Violet will be studying at the elite university.

That same day Jennifer Lopez, 55, officially filed for divorce from Ben, 52, following months of split rumors, TMZ reported.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's child Fin appears to have confirmed their sister Violet is now a student at Yale University as they returned to Los Angeles on Tuesday with their parents

The Gone Girl actor and his family were spotted having dinner in New Haven - where Yale is located - over the weekend as they sent Violet off to university.

The sweatshirt was likely purchased during a trip to the campus.

Ben and his ex-wife Jennifer, 52, were also seen emerging from the private plane on Tuesday.

Violet graduated from high school earlier this year and her mother shared an emotional post marking the moment to her Instagram.

In her Instagram post, the actress was seen breaking down in tears over her daughter's milestone moment.

'Tell me you have a graduate without telling me you have a graduate,' Garner penned in the caption of her photo series.

Affleck, his ex-wife Jennifer Garner, and Fin were recently in New Haven, Connecticut, dropping off Violet at Yale

The sweatshirt was likely purchased at the Yale campus

Garner approached Fin after emerging from the aircraft

Ben has since remarried, tying the knot with Jennifer Lopez back in 2022 - but Jennifer filed for divorce on Tuesday.

In the carousel, Garner could be seen crying in a multitude of different locations, including what appeared to be Violet's graduation ceremony and during a flight.

Garner was married to Affleck from 2005 to 2018 and shares three children with him - Violet, Fin, and Samuel, 12.

The On The Floor hitmaker filed for divorce without an attorney on Tuesday, August 20  the same day as their second wedding anniversary.

Lopez  who has been recently seen wearing her wedding ring  listed the date of separation as April 26, 2024, as per legal docs obtained by TMZ.

It marks Jennifer's fourth divorce and Ben's second.

Affleck did not have his wedding band on as he reached for his luggage

Fin's big sister previously hinted she would be attending Yale

Violet previously indicated she would be attending the Ivy League university after her high school alma mater Instagrammed a snap of her wearing a 'Yale' sweatshirt

Violet graduated from high school earlier this year and her mother shared an emotional post marking the moment to her Instagram

The family were seen enjoying dinner in New Haven, Connecticut on Saturday as they dropped Violet off at college

The couple did not sign a prenuptial agreement before tying the knot in July 2022, insiders have claimed.

Without a prenup in place, Jennifer and Ben's individual earnings from the last two years  whether it be from film projects or major brand deals  would be community property.

Jennifer is not seeking spousal support and the court docs reveal that she asked the judge to deny it for Ben as well.
Naomi Watts took to social media on Tuesday to announce a new book about menopause, titled Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I'd Known About Menopause.

The 55-year-old actress  who just attended the Sag Harbor Benefit Auction  shared the book cover with her nearly two million Instagram followers.

According to People, the literary effort will include the star's personal anecdotes, along with conversations with friends and experts.

The Hollywood vet told the outlet: 'Women have had to suffer in silence and shame for too long about the changes they undergo during menopause, with little access to information, support or even much of an open conversation.'

She added, 'I hope that this book can play a part in making women feel a little less alone, a little more supported, and dare I say, a little more excited about the natural changes that life has in store for us.'

Naomi Watts took to social media on Tuesday to announce a new book about menopause, titled Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I'd Known About Menopause; pictured August 19

The 55-year-old actress shared the book cover with her nearly two million Instagram followers

In a lengthy Instagram caption, Watts began, 'Cant believe the day has finally come to share what Ive been working on for the last 14 months!!

'DARE I SAY IT will be out in January 2025. You can preorder a copy at the link in my bio.'

The mother-of-two, who shares Sasha, 17, and Kai, 15, with ex-boyfriend Liev Schreiber, continued: 'This is a book about how my life turned upside down when I was told I was close to menopause at the age of 36!

'Right when I was ready to start a family. I thought this was the end of everything. Certainly my fertility and career  boom.'

In the vulnerable message to her fans, she went on to share that she lacked helpful resources.

'As I struggled through shame and secrecy, I wished there was an open conversation. A handbook I could secretly turn the pages of. Sadly there were no real resources. Not even well-versed doctors,' she explained.

Relaying her experience to her audience, she added, 'I stayed quiet for as long as I could.

'But with the knowledge that half the population will enter menopause and two of my grandmas still living and going strong, I was determined to investigate more and optimize my healthas well as bring women together so we can feel like were not alone in this. We deserve more!'

Naomi wore an ivory dress to promote her pro-aging beauty & wellness solutions brand Stripes on Breakfast Television Tuesday morning

Wrapping up her thoughts, she noted, 'DARE I SAY IT will hopefully give you a chance to feel empowered through the conversations Ive had with doctors and experts and to feel a little less alone by hearing my story and convos with my girlfriends.

'I cant wait to share this with you all.'

Giving a nod to her pro-aging beauty & wellness solutions brand Stripes, she finished: 'We should all hold our heads high.

'We are older, we are wiser, and we are NOT DONE!! Weve earned our STRIPES.'

The silver screen siren shared a photo via Instagram Stories and wrote, 'Popped into @breakfasttelevision to talk about @stripesbeauty's launch in Canada'

Naomi spoke on a panel in Canada alongside Tracy Moore and Amanda Thebe

In a press release about her imminent book release, Naomi stated: 'I want this book to read like youre sitting down over coffee and having an intimate chat with your girlfriend.

'I hope it will be of help for anyone trying to get a hold on this phase of life and make it a time of liberation rather than purely a time of trial.'

She affirmed, 'Menopause is a part of a womans midlife, but midlife is about far more than menopause.

'I cant wait for you to hear about the highs and lows and everything in between about this life stage and get some real, practical advice and comfort about how to take on these changes head-on.'
Tyrese Gibson became emotional as he spoke about grief on Tuesday's episode of The Breakfast Club.

The Fast & The Furious star, 45, stopped by the radio program to discuss his upcoming album Beautiful Pain and his new film 1992, which features both him and the late Ray Liotta.

The tears flowed when host Charlamagne Tha God asked how Tyrese copes with the loss of loved ones, including his mother, two sisters, Fast & Furious co-star Paul Walker, and Baby Boy director John Singleton.

'I'm doing the best I can with every 24 hours I get,' Tyrese responded, his eyes welling up.

Charlamagne rose to hug him and offer tissues, but Tyrese declined, saying, 'This is what grown is. Black men cry.'

Tyrese Gibson became emotional as he spoke about grief on Tuesday's episode of The Breakfast Club

The tears flowed when host Charlamagne Tha God asked how Tyrese copes with the loss of loved ones, including his mother, two sisters, Fast & Furious co-star Paul Walker , and Baby Boy director John Singleton

He continued, 'When divorce has happened, women arent the only one that are devastated.

'When a miscarriage happens, women are not the only ones that you should be checking on.

'When you cant put food on the table because your career goes up and it goes down, stop calling and skipping over the man and just checking on the woman.'

Tyrese has faced significant personal losses, including the death of his mother, Priscilla Murray Gibson, in 2022 from COVID-19 and pneumonia, and his two sisters, Salendra and Shonta Gibson, in 2021 and 2023.

He also mourned the loss of industry colleagues: Baby Boy director Singleton, who passed away in 2019, and 2 Fast 2 Furious co-star Walker, who died in a 2013 car crash.

Additionally, Tyrese has endured the pain of two divorces and ongoing custody battles.

He was married to Norma Mitchell from 2007 to 2009 and shares a 17-year-old daughter, Shayla, with her.

His second marriage to Samantha Gibson ended in separation in 2020 after four years, and they have a 6-year-old daughter, Soraya.

'This is some real s*** out here. I'mma wipe my own tears,' Tyrese continued on The Breakfast Club. 'When you do things from the heart, it affects hearts.'

Tyrese went on The Breakfast Club and gave us another classic interview pic.twitter.com/Mszi9WzenT  Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod  (@big_business_) August 20, 2024

Tyrese has faced significant personal losses, including the death of his mother, Priscilla Murray Gibson, in 2022 from COVID-19 and pneumonia, and his two sisters, Salendra and Shonta Gibson, in 2021 and 2023

He also mourned the loss of industry colleagues: Baby Boy director Singleton, who passed away in 2019, and 2 Fast 2 Furious co-star Walker (pictured left), who died in a 2013 car crash

In 2017, Tyrese went viral with his emotional 'Cryese' video, where he shared a tearful clip about his custody battle with Norma over their daughter Shayla. He later secured 50/50 joint custody of his daughter.

Last week, Tyrese became emotional after performing the National Anthem at the preseason game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Dallas Cowboys.

During the performance, he paid tribute to Marvin Gaye and shared why it was such a deeply moving experience for him.

'It's for my mother. Four kids and only two of us left. I was the only one born and raised in LA. This means the world to me,' he shared to ET. 'I hit a few bad notes but Marvin Gaye, I hope I made you proud. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you.'
If you have been affected by this story, call MensLine Australia on 1300 78 99 78 or visit their website here

YouTuber Beau Brooks has sparked concern after he bizarrely asked his fans for $1million in donations for a supposed religious 'mission'.

Beau, who shot to global fame in the 2010s as the frontman of prankster group The Janoskians, has taken to Instagram in recent days to share a string of troublesome posts asking for monetary donations.

In a video which prompted an influx of worried messages, Beau, 31, asked fans to 'empty their accounts' to help him raise $1million via an alleged 'fundraiser' for an unexplained 'mission'.

He refused to give any more details on the supposed religious 'mission' and asked his 420,000 followers to have 'faith', prompting fans to express their concerns for his wellbeing.

Beau, who has been sober for 493 days, also referred to himself as the 'white Kanye [West]' in a comment before criticising his fans for 'choosing money over faith'.

Fans were quick to share their worries, while some also left messages on his brothers' Luke and Jai Brooks' Instagram pages asking them to check in on Beau.

One wrote: 'Worried about Beau, hope he's doing alright,' while another said: 'You do not look well at all. Sending love & I hope you get the help you need.'

A third shared: 'Bro please talk to someone. You're not well, you've been trying really hard and inspiring people. It's okay to have a setback but please please please get some help, talk to your friends (real ones) not the online ones!'

YouTuber Beau Brooks has sparked concern after he bizarrely asked his fans for $1million in donations for a supposed religious 'mission'

Beau (pictured in 2013), known for being part of prankster group The Janoskians, has taken to Instagram in recent days to share a string of troublesome posts asking for monetary donations

A fourth remarked: 'Brother, there's a reason people react with caution. People are concerned about your wellbeing, even though you may not feel like need it.'

Another added: 'Ahh this is genuinely sad, you're clearly quite unwell. Can you speak to a doctor or reach out to someone for support?'

After Beau claimed one anonymous fan had donated $874, many followers also urged people to complain about the fundraiser after he didn't disclose its purpose.

In the original video, Beau bizarrely requested that his fans 'empty' their bank accounts into his supposed fundraiser, which has a goal of raising $1million.

'This is a message for the people who do have faith. I need $1million, I am on a mission and I cannot tell you what it is for a reason that you must have faith,' he said.

'What I ask from you, and what God asks of you, is that if you can empty your account into this GoFundMe, God will promise you five times in return.

'I ask you to willingly give with the love out of your heart and faith that this is for a divine purpose and reason.'

He went on to acknowledge that he was going to be accused by fans of 'clout-chasing' and being 'money hungry', before simply telling people to 'have faith'.

The YouTuber sparked further concern in a series of comments and follow-up posts, where he seemingly criticised his followers for not 'donating' money to him.

'The body of Christ will give this to me I have faith,' he wrote in one comment, before adding: 'I'm the white Kanye.'

After his worrying video, Beau sparked further concern in a series of comments and follow-up posts, where he called himself the 'white Kanye'

Beau rose to fame as part of YouTube prank group The Janoskians with his brothers Luke and Jai and friends James Yammouni and Daniel Sahyounie in the 2010s, but distanced himself from them in 2021

He continued in the comments section: '99 per cent of you will be shown.'

'See how everyone chose money instead of faith. Not one donation. Love you all. Peace,' Beau wrote in another post.

Beau has seemingly been sent $1,466 in donations from 31 fans since first setting up the page in May.

The description on the page simply reads: 'Your faith is in the hands of God. The end is near.'

His string of posts have garnered attention from radio hosts Jackie 'O' Henderson and Kyle Sandilands, who discussed his religious videos live on air on Wednesday.

Kyle, 53, flippantly questioned whether he should donate to the social media star, with Jackie, 49, warning him to check the 'facts' of the mission first.

Beau rose to huge popularity as part of YouTube pranksters The Janoskians in the 2010s, but distanced himself from the group in 2021.

The group was made up of Beau, his younger twin brothers Luke and Jai, as well as their friends James Yammouni and Daniel Sahyounie.

Making names for themselves globally, the boys appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and even dated Hollywood A-listers.

He now works a regular day-to-day job in a factory, but also continues to regularly post online and film Cameo videos for his fans.
Fans set social media alight following the news of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck divorcing after just over two years of marriage.

The Maid in Manhattan star, 55, filed for divorce from the Batman actor, 51, in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday and listed April 26, 2024 as the date of separation.

The couple married in Las Vegas on July 16, 2022 after rekindling their romance in 2021. However, August 20 marks the second anniversary of their traditional wedding ceremony held in Georgia.

Despite months of split rumors, JLo's court filing sent fans into a frenzy, sparking a wave of reactions across social media.

'Filling for divorce on your wedding anniversary is crazy' wrote one follower, as another chimed in, 'It lasted longer than I thought. Is she already engaged to someone else?'

Fans reacted following the news of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck divorcing after just over two years of marriage; seen in November 2023 in L.A.

This marks Jennifer's fourth divorce and Ben's second.

'I am wondering if she is the problem, 4 divorces + others big names breakups,' another fan tweeted, referring to Jlo's long list of A-list lovers.

Another posted, 'Maybe she should just take a little bit of time and focus on herself.'

Yet another shared, 'Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are getting a divorce. I bet Ben is so happy that he can now be miserable in peace, meanwhile JLo will have a new love interest by Labor Day. She cannot be a single woman for long.'

Insiders claim that the couple didn't sign a prenuptial agreement before their July 2022 wedding.

As a result, Jennifer and Bens earnings from the past two years, including income from film projects and major brand deals, would be considered community property.

DailyMail.com has reached out to reps for Ben and Jennifer for comment.

Jennifer, with an estimated net worth of $400 million, has released four films since marrying Ben.

Despite months of split rumors , JLo's court filing sent fans into a frenzy, sparking a wave of reactions across social media

Among them is This Is Me... Now: A Love Story, a $20 million self-funded project that chronicles the couple's rekindled romance.

Ben, who has an estimated net worth of $150 million, recently appeared in Air (2023) and Hypnotic (2023) and completed filming a sequel to The Accountant (2016).

TMZ reports that Jennifer isn't seeking spousal support and has requested the judge to do the same for Ben.

Sources suggest that Jennifer's decision to file for divorce stems from ongoing financial disagreements between the two.

Lopez and Affleck made headlines in 2021 when they rekindled their romance, nearly 17 years after calling off their original engagement and postponing their September 2003 wedding.

They officially parted ways in January 2004 but stayed on good terms over the years.

In April 2021, reports surfaced that the musician and the Oscar-winning director were reconnecting after Lopezs breakup with former MLB star Alex Rodriguez.

The couple confirmed their relationship on Instagram that July and made their red carpet return at the 2021 Venice Film Festival.

In April 2022, Lopez confirmed her engagement to Affleck.

The couple then surprised everyone with a Las Vegas wedding on July 16, 2022. A month later, they hosted a grander celebration at Afflecks 87-acre estate near Savannah, Georgia.

The guest list included Matt Damon, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, and Hollywood talent agent Patrick Whitesell.

The ceremony was officiated by podcaster and life coach Jay Shetty.

Jennifer has 16-year-old twins, Max and Emme, from her marriage to Marc Anthony, which lasted from 2004 to 2014.

Affleck, who was married to Jennifer Garner from 2005 to 2018, has three children with her: 18-year-old Violet, 15-year-old Fin, and 12-year-old Samuel.
A mother has revealed she lied to her son about having terminal cancer.

On Wednesday's The Kyle & Jackie O Show, a listener named Maria rang in for breakfast show's regular 'Confession Booth' segment to come clean to her son, Mustafa.

Maria told hosts Jackie O Henderson and Kyle Sandilands that her son was acting up and partying hard when he was younger, so the single mother decided she would fake having a terminal illness.

She believed that blaming him for her health problems would guilt the young man into going straight.

'I said I have cancer and I don't have long to live because it has spread, all due to the stress and anxiety that you're causing me with your behaviour,' the mum admitted to the hosts.

'And now he's a completely different child. My jaw is on the floor at how it worked. He's such a different person,' she added.

Maria said she maintained the lie for the past year by organising fake appointments, doctored medical letters, and even got Mustafa to drop her at the hospital.

Stunned host Kyle, 53, said, 'He drops you off at the hospital for what he thinks is cancer treatments, and you just sit in the cafeteria eating cakes and coffee?'

A mother has revealed she lied to her son about having terminal cancer . On Wednesday's The Kyle & Jackie O Show , a listener named Maria rang in for breakfast show's regular 'Confession Booth' segment to come clean to her son, Mustafa. Pictured: Jackie 'O' Henderson

Maria confirmed this was the case, before the hosts called her son so she could finally confess to her deception.

'I actually don't have cancer and I'm not dying,' Maria told her son, who was stunned by the revelation.

'I just had to do it to get you back on track and hopefully you forgive me.'

'Wait, let me get this straight,' said Mustafa, 'You told me you were sick when you weren't just so I could settle down and look after you?'

'I'm sorry,' she said, 'But I'm cancer free.'

The hosts called Maria's son live on-air so she could finally confess to her deception. Pictured: hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson

Jackie, 49, then asked whether he could forgive his mother for her year-long lie.

'It'll take me a while because I'm just lost for words. I don't know what to say,' Mustafa said.

Kyle wrapped up the segment by claiming Maria did 'the wrong thing for the right reasons.'

'I don't know about that,' replied Mustafa, 'I think we need to have a talk, mum.'
Boy Meets World alum Danielle Fishel Karp thanked fans for their support on Tuesday after reluctantly revealing her breast cancer diagnosis on her iHeartRadio podcast.

'I wanted to do a quick video to say thank you so much from the bottom of my heart, and from my entire family, for the enormous outpouring of love and support and encouragement you have sent me since I announced my breast cancer diagnosis,' the 43-year-old former child star - who boasts 3.3M social media followers - gushed in an Instagram video.

'I absolutely only talked about it publicly because I know how unbelievably important it is, in my case, that I found my cancer when I did and I found it very early. It is non-invasive and it is stage zero.'

Danielle said the only reason she found it early was because she 'prioritized myself into making sure I got a mammogram.'

'I wanted to pass along that message. And I've been hearing from so many of you!' Fishel continued.

Boy Meets World alum Danielle Fishel Karp thanked fans for their support on Tuesday after reluctantly revealing her breast cancer diagnosis on her iHeartRadio podcast

'That you did indeed make your mammogram appointment or you pressured your mother to make her mammogram appointment or your best friend to make her mammogram appointment. And this isn't just woman specific. Men, stay on top of your testing as well. If you have those yearly exams that you're supposed to be getting, go and get them. Nobody ever wants to get news, "Hey, your test results were abnormal." Nobody wants that.'

DCIS: THE MEDICAL FACTS Ductal carcinoma in situ is the most common form of non-invasive breast cancer. Ductal means the disease originates inside the milk ducts, while carcinoma refers to any cancer than begins in the skin or other tissues. Meanwhile, in situ indicates the cancer has not spread, and instead remains in its original place. DCIS, as it is more commonly known, is not considered a life-threatening form of the disease, but being diagnosed with the condition can increase a woman's chances of later developing more serious 'invasive' forms of the disease. DCIS generally has no signs or symptoms, though some women may notice a lump in the breast or discharge from their nipple. The National Cancer Institute says 80 per cent of DCIS cases are found by mammography. Typical treatment for DCIS is a lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy, though in some cases women will be advised to undergo a mastectomy. Chemotherapy is generally not needed, because DCIS is a form of cancer that has not spread, so there is no need to target cells that may have traveled to other parts of the body. Source: breastcancer.org Advertisement

The two-time Children's & Family Emmy Award nominee added: 'But if you stayed on top of that, hopefully, God willing, you can find out you have something when it is stage zero like I did. I just really wanted to say thank you so much for the love and support, I appreciate it more than you could ever know.'

Danielle's post received sweet comments from her celeb pals John Mayer, Candace Cameron Bure, Lance Bass, Sasha Farber, Snooki, and Larry David's daughter Cazzie.

It's been two days since Fishel confessed to her Pod Meets World co-hosts Rider Strong and Will Friedle that she was 'recently diagnosed with DCIS which is a form of breast cancer.'

'It is very, very, very early. It's technically stage zero,' the Arizona-born beauty explained.

'I was diagnosed with high grade DCIS with micro invasion. And I'm going to be fine. I'm having surgery to remove it. I'm going to be on some follow-up treatment. I've had to make a lot of decisions over the last couple of days.'

According to breastcancer.org, DCIS is contained to your milk ducts (tubes that carry milk to the nipple) only, and it makes up 20% to 25% of new breast cancers diagnosed in the States.

Treatments for DCIS include a lumpectomy, radiation therapy, a mastectomy, and hormonal therapy.

Danielle's second husband Jensen Karp said 'she's the strongest person I've ever met' and he's so 'proud of her for using her platform to raise awareness.'

On Tuesday, the 44-year-old producer commented on her Instagram post: 'So proud of you spreading the word. Always selfless.'

On August 29, Fishel and Jensen will celebrate the third birthday of their son Keaton Joseph Karp, and they're also parents of five-year-old son Adler Lawrence Karp.

The 43-year-old former child star gushed: 'I wanted to do a quick video to say thank you so much from the bottom of my heart, and from my entire family, for the enormous outpouring of love and support and encouragement you have sent me since I announced my breast cancer diagnosis'

Danielle continued: 'I absolutely only talked about it publicly because I know how unbelievably important it is, in my case, that I found my cancer when I did and I found it very early. It is non-invasive and it is stage zero'

Fishel said the only reason she found it early was because she 'prioritized myself into making sure I got a mammogram' and urged others to do so

The two-time Children's & Family Emmy Award nominee's post received sweet comments from her celeb pals John Mayer, Candace Cameron Bure, Lance Bass, Sasha Farber, Snooki, and Larry David's daughter Cazzie

It's been two days since Danielle confessed to her Pod Meets World co-hosts Rider Strong and Will Friedle that she was 'recently diagnosed with DCIS which is a form of breast cancer'

Fishel continued: 'I was diagnosed with high grade DCIS with micro invasion. And I'm going to be fine. I'm having surgery to remove it. I'm going to be on some follow-up treatment. I've had to make a lot of decisions over the last couple of days'

The Arizona-born beauty's second husband Jensen Karp (R, pictured December 28) said 'she's the strongest person I've ever met' and he's so 'proud of her for using her platform to raise awareness'

On Tuesday, the 44-year-old producer commented on her Instagram post: 'So proud of you spreading the word. Always selfless'

On August 29, Danielle and Jensen will celebrate the third birthday of their son Keaton Joseph Karp, and they're also parents of five-year-old son Adler Lawrence Karp (pictured in 2023)

Fishel originally began her dormant acting career, at age 10, but her breakout role was playing hippie-turned-lawyer Topanga Matthews on the ABC sitcom (1993-2000) and the Disney Channel spin-off Girl Meets World (2014-2017)

The married couple of five years attended Calabasas High School together, but they didn't begin dating until 2017.

The Lopez vs. Lopez director previously divorced her Cal State Fullerton sweetheart Tim Belusko in 2016 after a little more than two years of wedded bliss.

Danielle - who runs a vegan haircare line called Be Free - is every bit the influencer with paid partnerships for brands like Hyundai, Keebler, Topps, and True Botanicals.

Fishel originally began her dormant acting career, at age 10, but her breakout role was playing hippie-turned-lawyer Topanga Matthews on the ABC sitcom (1993-2000) and the Disney Channel spin-off Girl Meets World (2014-2017).
The Lost Paradise music festival has announced its lineup for its New Year event.

The festival, which has been held in Glenworth Valley New South Wales since 2014, has an exciting lineup to celebrate its tenth anniversary.

Kicking off on December 28 and running for five days, the event will feature performances by DJ Fisher, Marlon Hoffstadt, and Sammy Virji.

Also performing at the festival will be R&B superstar Tinashe, Royel Otis, Caribou, Flight Facilities, Telenova, Nick Ward, Interplanetary Criminal, Dameeeela, and more.

It will give festivalgoers plenty to explore as the event will be split across different spaces including the Lost Disco & Paradise Club, Arcadia stage, and Shambala Field.

The festival's organisers announced the official lineup on Wednesday with a poster shared to Instagram.

'Magic: that's Lost Paradise, summed in a single word,' the caption said.

'Each December, like grass glistening after the summer rain, a brimming oasis springs to life amongst the picturesque surrounds of Glenworth Valley (Darkinjung Country) one hour north of Sydney/Eora.

Lost Paradise music festival has announced its blockbuster lineup for 2024 as it prepares to celebrate its tenth anniversary

The festival will kick off on December 28 with performances by DJ Fisher (pictured), Marlon Hoffstadt, and Sammy Virji

'Across the last four nights of 2024, we invite you to experience a glimpse of Paradise; our vibrant and kaleidoscopic pop-up village under the stars,' the caption read.

For the first time in 2024, all tickets are priced the same, with no tiered releases.

Tickets will also include camping access, ensuring fairness for everyone from early buyers to late purchasers.

Tickets go on sale Wednesday August 28, with an exclusive presale available the day before.

However, the organisers encourage people to get in quick.

'Blink and you'll miss it - Paradise is fleeting and capacity is limited. We hope you'll join us for another NYE to remember this December.'
Abbie Chatfield has launched an extraordinary spray against Blake Lively and her new romance movie It Ends With Us, claiming it glamorises domestic violence.

The reality star, 29, discussed Lively's, 36, new movie on her It's A Lot podcast and did not hold back when criticising the Hollywood movie star.

'Blake is a deeply unlikeable person. She is claiming this movie is for domestic violence survivors, but she isn't talking about the DV in it,' Abbie began.

'You can't do a film about a serious topic like this and not want to speak about that topic and act offended when people ask about it.'

Lively's new movie is based on a 2016 novel by US author Colleen Hoover and depicts a violent relationship between Blake's and her co-star Justin Baldoni's characters.

Abbie added she believed the movie had been mismarketed as a romantic comedy rather than the sobering portrayal of domestic violence that it was.

'The marketing of it from Blake Lively has been f***ing atrocious. I just hate that there's an opportunity for it to be a realistic story about DV in the limelight and it just feels like fan fiction.

'It feels like Twilight, like with a bit of violence in there as well, without trigger warnings and being marketed as a romcom.'

Abbie Chatfield (pictured) has launched an extraordinary spray against Blake Lively and her new romance movie It Ends With Us, claiming it glamorises domestic violence

She added it was a severe oversight for Lively and the film's marketing department to not consult with real survivors of domestic violence for advice on how to promote the movie.

'I don't think Blake Lively was equipped for this movie. You could have asked any DV support network or charity how you think they should market this. And they would have had a spokesperson.

'Why don't they have a DV survivor who did align with the book, who was helped by the book, who works for a charity and is able to speak about their experiences now?' Chatfield asked.

The reality star, 29, discussed Lively's, 36, new movie on her It's A Lot podcast and did not hold back when criticising the Hollywood movie star. Pictured

It follows reports that Australian victim-survivors of domestic abuse are being 'triggered' and 're-traumatised' by Lively's new film, according to one prominent activist.

The Gossip Girl alum has been embroiled in a firestorm of negative publicity and public outrage in response to her lighthearted and sarcastic promotion of the film in recent weeks.

Netizens are in an uproar about Blake's joking response to a question posed by reporter Jake Hamilton during a virtual sit down with her co-star Brandon Sklenar.

When asked how she would respond to an affected viewer approaching her with their story, the actress was sprawled on a couch with her head leaning on her bent arm and replied sarcastically: 'Maybe asking for, like, my address, or my phone number. Or, like, location share?! I could just location-share you and then we could'

Laughing, she trailed off, as Sklenar sat silently.

Abbie said the movie had been mismarketed as a romantic comedy rather than the sobering portrayal of domestic violence that it was

'It was really weird,' What Were You Wearing founder Sarah Williams exclusively told Daily Mail Australia.

The 23-year-old, who founded the not-for-profit behind Australia's national No More Violence Against Women rallies, said Blake's interview was problematic, but that she's more concerned about the movie itself after having seen it.

Lively is known for playing leading ladies in romantic dramas and has also come under fire for lightheartedly telling women to 'wear their florals' to the cinemas for the occasion.
Kim Kardashian is once again being accused of copying Kanye West's new wife Bianca Censori's wild style.

The SKIMS founder, 43, drew comparisons to the Yeezy architect, 29, after uploaded new glamour shots to her Instagram on Tuesday.

In the photos, a blonde Kim  who is currently in NYC with daughter North  is seen exiting a Los Angeles grocery store in a cheeky white leotard and tights.

The skin-tight outfit showed off her curves as she walked around the store's parking lot with her entourage.

The outfit looked extremely similar to the daring leotard and tights combos made famous by Bianca.

Kim Kardashian is once again being accused of copying Kanye West's new wife Bianca Censori's wild style

The SKIMS founder, 43, drew comparisons to the Yeezy architect (right in March), 29, after uploaded new glamour shots to her Instagram on Tuesday

Unlike Bianca, Kim kept it PG by protecting her modesty with the proper undergarments.

The mom-of-four threw on a pair of heeled flip flops, a silver chain pendant necklace and a wrist cuff to complete her outfit.

Her blonde hair was noticeably damp and her makeup natural as she hopped out of her custom silver Rolls-Royce.

She was joined by a brunette woman and a tall man with dyed blonde hair during her nighttime grocery run.

Though the photos were posted Tuesday, they were most likely taken a few months ago while Kim was still blonde.

She returned to her natural brunette color in June.

Many of Kim's 361million followers flocked to the comment section to call out her Bianca-inspired look  even playfully referring to Kim as 'Kimberly Censori.'

Some also pointed out that Kim's outfit looked similar to silhouettes Kanye's Yeezy clothing brand sent down the runway in 2016.

This isn't the first time Kim's been accused of copying her husband's new wife.

Back in April, Kim stepped out in bleached blonde hair and an 'apron' top nearly a year after Bianca debuted the look.

But Bianca is also guilty of pulling inspiration from Kim. Most recently, she enjoyed a date night in LA with Kanye while wearing a plunging white dress that looked nearly identical to the one Kim wore on her 34th birthday party 10 years ago.

In the photos, a blonde Kim is seen exiting a Los Angeles grocery store in a cheeky white leotard and tights

The skin-tight outfit showed off her curves as she walked around the store's parking lot with her entourage

Many of Kim's 361million followers flocked to the comment section to call out her Bianca-inspired look  even playfully referring to Kim as 'Kimberly Censori'

She's also been photographed on countless occasions rocking skin-tight catsuits and metallic bikinis that are Kim's signature.

Kim and Kanye split in February 2021 after six years of marriage and four children  North, 11, Saint, eight, Chicago, six, and Psalm, five  together.

Weeks after their divorce was finalized in November 2022, Kanye tied the knot with Bianca, who works as an architect at his Yeezy company.

Since marrying Kanye, Bianca has shocked the globe by gallivanting in public in X-rated outfits  including see-through frocks and pant-less, braless looks.

A source previously dished to DailyMail.com that Kim warned Kanye not to let Bianca wear her revealing outfits in front of their children.

'Kim instructed Kanye to never let Bianca dress like that around their kids,' the insider revealed exclusively to DailyMail.com in February.

'She is truly surprised that Kanye would let his wife leave the house like that.'

Since then, Bianca has gone out of her way to cover up while in the company of North, Saint, Chicago or Psalm.

Unlike in his marriage with Bianca, Kanye used to frequently ask Kim to change her outfits if he felt she was showing too much skin, with the rapper heavily influencing her fashion choices during their six-year marriage.

'Kanye did the same thing he is doing with Bianca to Kim throughout their marriage,' DailyMail.com's source explained.

'The difference is that when Kanye dressed Kim, he was respected as a person  as an artist.

Unlike Bianca, Kim kept it PG by protecting her modesty with the proper undergarments

She was joined by a brunette woman and a tall man with dyed blonde hair during her nighttime grocery run

Kanye and his new wife Bianca tied the knot in December 2022  weeks after he and Kim finalized their divorce; seen in February 2024

'Unfortunately, Kim knows what Bianca is going through  but she feels Bianca should have known what she was getting into.'

A different source previously revealed that Bianca's parents were 'mortified' by her near-naked ensembles and feared she was 'being controlled' by Kanye.

But it appears some of Bianca's style choices have rubbed off on her 11-year-old stepdaughter North.

Just last week, North was spotted wearing a brown fur hat over long braids while out with mom Kim in NYC.

Bianca wore a similar style of hat back in December 2023 while spending time with husband Kanye and fashion designer Amina Muaddi.
She unveiled a string of eye-catching swimwear earlier this week.

And Kylie Jenner didn't disappoint when she revealed new Khy bikinis to her fans late on Tuesday night.

Her latest post for her clothing line, which she launched late last year amid allegations that some of her clothing plagiarized other designers, featured the busty 27-year-old reality star flaunting her figure in a neon green two-piece swimsuit.

She was practically bursting out of the strapless bandeau top, which was ruched in the middle to draw attention to her cleavage.

The item was from Khy's new 'satin' summer 2024 drop, labeled '010.'

Kylie Jenner revealed a sizzling new neon green bikini late on Tuesday night. The Khy suit featured a busty bandeau top and ruched string bottom, and she also wore a matching miniskirt coverup

Another photo in her Instagram post showed her baring her taut tummy in a lustrous ruched orange bikini that was similar to an item in the same color that she unveiled in July

Kylie's post featured a photo of her in an unusual position, as she stood outdoors against a wall and leaned down to her side as if looking at something on the ground.

The position highlighted her collar bones and flexed her trim midriff, and she appeared to close her eyes while pouting her lips.

Kylie, who wore her medium-length raven tresses tied back in a casual bun, paired her top with high-cut ruched string bikinis that emphasized her hourglass figure.

She also gave her 398 million Instagram followers a look at a matching coverup, a slim green mini skirt, which appeared to be wrinkled up so as to cover even less than usual.

Another new photo showed the cosmetics mogul in a striking orange bikini.

It had ruched cups with dual strings, as well as bottoms in the same design as the green swimsuit.

She previously unveiled a two-piece suit in a similar hue on her Khy account in July, though that orange suit had a halter top design with single straps, and it featured much more prominent tied-off straps on the bottom.

Kylie also reposted photos of a lustrous gray halter one-piece suit with temperature-raising cutouts on her sides, as well as a silky baby blue bikini.

It was part of her summer 008 drop, and she boasted at the time that the items would run in sizes from XXS to 4X, with the individual pieces ranging from $34 to $88.

She previously unveiled a two-piece suit in a similar hue on her Khy account in July, though that orange suit had a halter top design with single straps, and it featured much more prominent tied-off straps on the bottom

It was part of her summer 008 drop, and she boasted at the time that the items would run in sizes from XXS to 4X, with the individual pieces ranging from $34 to $88

Kylie recently shared photos of herself in a delicate white knit bikini top while on a yacht as part of her birthday celebrations in the Bahamas

But the Instagram photos concerned several fans, as they showed leaning against the metal railing of the ship's deck while lighting was visible in the background. Lighting in the distance could still put her at risk, as strikes can happen within six to 10 miles thunderstorm clouds

Kylie recently shared photos of herself in a delicate white knit bikini top while on a yacht as part of her birthday celebrations in the Bahamas.

However, the billionaire concerned several of her fans with her Instagram photos.

They showed her leaning against the metal railing of the ship's deck while lighting was visible in the background.

Multiple worried fans noted that lighting seen in the distance could still put her at risk, as lightning strikes can happen within six to 10 miles from the base of a thunderstorm cloud, according to the National Wexather Service.
A shocking video of Madonna slamming her 'fat, unattractive and spotty' fans has resurfaced in recent days.

The popstar, 66, branded her fanbase mostly 'overweight girls or guys' who have 'lots of acne and pester her' in an unearthed chat from 1991.

The toe-curling interview went viral on Monday - and has reached 554,100 views on X - 25 years after it was published.

In the interview with the Washington Post, Madonna said: 'I dont mind when people come up to me in a restaurant and go, "God, I think youre great". I love that. Its the obsessive fanatics whose attention seems very hostile.

'Its beyond admiration. Its very crazy . . . its always fat people, too. They are the most unattractive social outcasts, like really overweight girls or guys with lots of acne that follow me around and pester me.

A shocking video of Madonna, 66, slamming her 'fat, unattractive and spotty' fans has resurfaced in recent days

The popstar branded her fanbase mostly 'overweight girls or guys' who have 'lots of acne and pester her' in an unearthed chat from 1991

'Its frightening because not only are they bothering me but theyre horrible to look at, too.'

Fans were appalled at the resurfaced interview, with one commenting on X: 'that last part is so embarrassing for her'.

After the tweet spiralled online, Madonna hit out at fans, who were slamming her interview in two social media videos she posted on Monday.

According to The Sun, she said: 'I dont give a f*** if you think its selfish of me to say no for a photo or for your time or for a hug.

'Thats not normal. Thats weird. Its weird how people think you know a person just because you see them online or because you listen to the art they make.

'Im allowed to say no to creepy behaviour.'

Madonna recently shared a plethora of glamorous snaps from her epic 66th birthday celebrations to Instagram.

The songstress posted snaps from her lavish celebrations in Italy to her account on Monday morning, featuring photos of her birthday bash with her new boyfriend Akeem Morris, 28, and her six children.

The interview resurfaced on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday night and has gained 553.9k likes

The toe-curling interview went viral on Monday - and has reached 554,100 views on X - 25 years after it was published (Madonna pictured in 1991)

Fans were appalled at the resurfaced interview, with one commenting on X: 'that last part is so embarrassing for her'

Madonna recently shared a plethora of glamorous snaps from her epic 66th birthday celebrations to Instagram

The post included a sweet family shot of Madonna with her children, Lourdes Leon, Rocco, David Banda, 18, Mercy, 18, and 11-year-old twins Stella and Estere

Fans were given a glimpse into Madonna's luxury celebrations which saw the Material Girl songstress enjoy a lavish feast with a seat right next to her boyfriend

Not only did Madonna ring in her 66th birthday a few days ago, but her son Rocco Ritchie also celebrated his 24th birthday this past month.

The carousel, captioned 'La Dolce Vita', showed Madonna holding hands with her new boyfriend Akeem as they strode about surrounded by their entourage.

The family in attendance included her Lourdes Leon, 27, Rocco, David Banda, 18, Mercy, 18, and 11-year-old twins Stella and Estere.

Fans were given a glimpse into Madonna's luxury celebrations which saw the Material Girl songstress enjoy a lavish feast with a seat right next to her boyfriend.
Sara Al Madani shared the horrific moment she discovered that her former maid was involved in an alleged plot to kidnap her seven-year-old son, Maktoum.

The TV personality, 38 - who recently got into a heated argument with co-star Caroline Stanbury - opened up about the details in the latest episode of Bravo's The Real Housewives Of Dubai.

At one point, she revealed to her friends Saba and Nina that her maid had been covering the security cameras at her home 'for the past six months' and had also brought men inside.

Nina yelled out, 'What!' upon hearing the shocking news, with Madani adding, 'The men asked her for my picture and his picture, the times I go out, when I come back.'

'What a psycho,' Nina replied in disbelief. Sara's son also joined in on the conversation, and revealed that both he and his mother had gone to the police station 'three times' over the situation.

Sara Al Madani, 41, shared the horrific moment she discovered that her former maid was involved in an alleged plot to kidnap her seven-year-old son, Maktoum

At one point, she revealed to her friends Saba and Nina that her maid had been covering the security cameras at her home 'for the past six months' and had also brought men inside

In a confessional, Sara expressed that, 'Ever since I came back from Bali - the magic of Bali has been over.'

'There are texts of these men commenting on my son's pictures saying, "Oh my God, he's cute, we love his hair, we love his skin." And these men were asking her what time does he come home? Who waits for him? Do they have money?'

'I mean, all these questions indicate one thing: kidnap, ransom. Right now, I'm dealing with a court case, police case, my son traumatized, this is what I come home to.'

After the reality star filed charges against her maid - who was also fired - she was arrested and put in jail.

Madani recalled telling the maid, 'I was like, "Just leave the house. It's over, I don't want to see you again."'

'But then I go to her room while she's packing, and I start seeing my stuff. My gold necklace, my mom's earrings,' she said, with her son cutting in to say her 'underwear' was also in the maid's room.

Nina said, 'She was probably plotting to take him for ransom,' with Sara agreeing.

In another confessional, Madani expressed that Maktoum 'is really traumatized at the moment. Like, he finds it hard to sleep at night, he doesn't like to be alone, he doesn't even go to the toilet alone.'

Nina yelled out, 'What!' upon hearing the shocking news, with Madani adding, 'The men asked her for my picture and his picture, the times I go out, when I come back'

'There are texts of these men commenting on my son's pictures saying, "Oh my God, he's cute, we love his hair, we love his skin." And these men were asking her what time does he come home? Who waits for him? Do they have money?'

She continued, 'I had no choice but to disclose everything...When I realized it was my son's life and safety, I went into full beast mode'

'However, I had to expose all the details because the police had to ask him, "Did any men come into the house? Did any men try to touch you? Did any men talk to you?""

She continued, 'I had no choice but to disclose everything...When I realized it was my son's life and safety, I went into full beast mode.'

'I was like, no mercy. I am not dropping any charges,' Sara explained. 'Because if I let her go, she'll do this to another family.'

The terrifying ordeal comes after she got in a heated confrontation with Caroline Stanbury after she defended Caroline Brooks' behavior.

'You are ridiculous,' Sara, 41, shot back at Stanbury, 48

'You couldn't bear this woman last year,' Stanbury, 48, said. 'You are a hypocrite, Sara. You are a f***ing hypocrite!'

Stanbury told her she was also ridiculous.

'You are ridiculous,' Sara, 41, shot back.

'Oh, shut up Sara,' Stanbury said.

'This is like Squid Games over here,' Taleen Marie, 36, said.

The episode titled 'Deserted Friendships' opened with the ladies having lunch out in the desert when Taleen accused Brooks of 'stirring the pot' and of being very hurtful. Sara tried to stick up for Brooks.

'I don't know why Stanbury's getting so worked up,' Lesa Milan, 35, said in a confessional. 'This is who Sara has always been. She's a walking Instagram meme.'

'You are brands from head to toe but zero class,' Sara said.

'Oh shut it,' Stanbury said. 'You're pathetic.'

'In this country, I would probably not talk to an Emirati woman like that but that's because I don't want to go to jail,' Lesa said in a confessional.
She instantly became a pop culture icon after bursting into the public eye as loudmouthed Page 3 girl, Jordan.

Having tried her hand at modelling, singing, presenting, campaigning and reality TV, the glamour model quickly became a household name in Britain.

Yet while Katie Price's moniker will ring a bell for both young and old, you would be forgiven for not recognising the star on sight alone, with Katie famously undergoing numerous cosmetic procedures over the years.

After two decades in the spotlight, Katie is almost unrecognisable from the naturally pretty teenager who burst on to the modelling scene at the age of 16, with her natural curls and fresh-faced beauty winning her an army of fans.

Katie, now 46, has undergone an array of procedures over the years, including rhinoplasty, a silhouette facelift, 3D, veneers, lip fillers and Botox, culminating in her first facelift in 2017.

Now, after two decades under the surgeon's scalpel, MailOnline takes a look at the many faces of Katie Price.

The many faces of Katie Price: MailOnline takes a look at the star's changing look after two decades of boob jobs, Botox and face lifts

1995 - Barefaced beauty

At the age of 17, Katie Price was a fresh-faced natural beauty looking to make it into the world of glamour modelling.

At a friend's suggestion, the teenager had professional photographs taken and was quickly snapped up by a modelling agency who landed her a Page 3 slot in The Sun newspaper the following year, sparking the creation of her glamour model alter ego, Jordan.

Speaking last year, Katie revealed she was glad that she wasn't exposed to social media at the time as she had 'no idea what Botox was or fillers', otherwise she may have started her tweaks and enhancements at an even earlier age.

1995: At the age of 17, Katie Price was a fresh-faced natural beauty looking to make it into the world of glamour modelling

1998 - First boob job

Having just turned 20, the rising glamour model experienced her first taste of cosmetic surgery, boosting her 32B cup breasts to a 32C.

The procedure cost 4,500 and it's thought her mum Amy and stepdad Paul helped pay for her to have the procedure.

Katie has since spoken out about her decision to go under the knife, admitting she was 'too young' and that she feels sorry for young girls growing up these days in a world of social media and filters.

1998: Having just turned 20, Katie experienced her first taste of cosmetic surgery, boosting her 32B cup breasts to a 32C

1999 - Second and third boob job

Despite having only just increased her breast size, Katie opted to have two more procedures the following year at the age of 21.

Katie boosted her bust from a C cup to a D cup and just a few months later went up again to a F cup.

Katie has previously claimed that she has only paid for two of her boob jobs over the course of her career - it is not known if these were the ones.

1999: Despite having only just increased her breast size, Katie opted to have two more procedures at the age of 21

2001 - Lip fillers

At the age of 21, Katie had her first cosmetic procedure on her face, opting for lip fillers.

While the glamour model did not confirm the rumours at the time, she was seen sporting a noticeably fuller pout while out enjoying the party scene.

Her overall look had also started drastically transforming, with the model sporting dramatic false lashes, bright lipstick and pale hair extensions.

2001: At the age of 21, Katie had her first cosmetic procedure on her face, opting for lip fillers

2004 - Botox

Aged 26, Katie began to experiment with Botox injections that relax the muscles in your face to smooth out lines and wrinkles.

She made no secret of her love of the procedure, announcing at the time: 'I get my forehead and around my eyes Botoxed every six months and I love it. You can't beat it. It just freezes all the wrinkles and that's what you want.'

At the time, Katie insisted she would never take things further and have a facelift, explaining: 'I'd never have a full facelift. I've seen what they can do to people and I don't want to go through that.'

2004: Aged 26, Katie began to experiment with Botox injections that relax the muscles in your face to smooth out lines

2006 - Fourth boob job

Katie went under the knife yet again to take her F cup breasts up to a G cup.

The glamour model also played around with her overall look and embraced her dark side with a new brunette hairstyle.

She also continued to dabble with fillers and Botox.

2006: Katie went under the knife yet again to take her F cup breasts up to a G cup

2007 - First nose job and veneers

At the age of 29, Katie took her love of surgery to the next level, undergoing rhinoplasty, a chemical peel and treating herself to a 25,000 set of new veneers.

'Oh my God, it burned like hell!' she said at the time. 'The next day I had this hideous red rash on my chin but two days later there wasn't a single spot left.'

Speaking about her nose job at the time, she admitted to liking her original nose, explaining: 'I liked my nose before and now. If I had a cupboard with both noses, I would alternate between them!'

2007:Katie took her love of surgery to the next level, undergoing rhinoplasty, a chemical peel and a 25,000 set of veneers

2008 - Fifth boob job

Despite gradually increasingly her bust size over the year, Katie fancied a change on her 30th and brought her bra size back down from an F cup to a C cup.

The procedure meant that Katie had returned to the size of her first boob job 10 years prior.

Katie's changing shape also coincided with the launch of her first clothing line - an equestrian range.

2008: Despite gradually increasingly her bust size, Katie fancied a change and brought her bra size back down to a C cup

2011 - Sixth boob job

Katie's smaller chest didn't last long, and at age 33 she went back under the knife again to boost her bust to an F cup.

Katie also underwent body-contouring treatment and cheek and lip fillers.

The Loose Women panelist admitted that she loved having her cheeks filled to give her a 'plumper, more youthful look'.

2011: Katie's smaller chest didn't last long, and at age 33 she went back under the knife again to boost her bust to an F cup

2015 - Seventh and eighth boob job

Just before appearing on Celebrity Big Brother, the reality star had a botched boob reduction that left her with a hole in her breast and an implant protruding from her flesh.

Katie told her shocked housemates: 'Ive got no tits anymore. Theyve gone. Theres not even anything there. If you saw what Im like underneath. The scars gone septic. My whole implant was hanging out on New Years Day.'

Shortly after leaving the Big Brother house she underwent corrective surgery and had her implants swapped for a D-cup.

2015: Just before Celebrity Big Brother, the star had a botched boob reduction that left her with a hole in her breast

2016 - Ninth boob job and tattooed makeup

Despite her surgery horror the year before, Katie was undeterred and flew to a Brussels clinic to go under the knife yet again, this time settling on a 32GG bust.

The reality star also had her eyebrows and lips tattooed, also known as 'permanent make-up', explaining that she prefers to go make-up free on a day-to-day basis.

Additionally the star has regular facial treatments, last year sharing a bloodied selfie after having a dermal roller micro-needling treatment, which sees a dermaroller with many tiny needles rolled across into the skin - designed to stimulate cells into regeneration.

2016: Despite her surgery horror the year before, Katie flew to a Brussels clinic to get another boob job, this time a 32GG cup

2017 - First face lift, new veneers and 10th boob job

Despite insisting she would never have a face lift and could rely on Botox, Katie went back on her word undergoing a 'Silhouette' face lift.

The procedure is designed to lift a sagging cheeks and blurred jawline, using 'sutures' implanted under the skin to sculpt features.

However, Katie was soon spotted with puffy features, revealing that she suffered an allergic reaction to anesthetic penicillin after having further work on her veneers. She also had her breast implants reduced from 1000ml implants to 795ml.

2017: Despite insisting she would never have a face lift and could rely on Botox, Katie went back on her word

2018 - Second face lift

Katie claimed her first face lift had been a botched job and went back under the knife the following year aged 40 to correct it.

She said at the time 'I need to get my face re-corrected after surgeon has totally f**ked my face up', admitting it had

He agent added: 'She had the thread and it really quite distorted her look. She got a lot of backlash, a lot of negative press, a lot of trolling, everyone saying shed taken it too far, when actually it was a job that had not gone to plan.'

2018: Katie claimed her first face lift had been a botched job and went back under the knife the following year aged 40

2019 - Third face lift, boob job first Brazilian bum lift and 11th boob job

Katie jetted to Turkey to overhaul her entire look with a full body transformation.

The reality star opted for a face, eye and eyelid lift, Brazilian bum lift along with a tummy tuck.

Just three months later she returned to the clinic and opted for another boob job, going back down to a D cup.

2019: Katie jetted to Turkey to overhaul her look with a face, eye and eyelid lift, Brazilian bum lift along with a tummy tuck

2020 - 12th boob job and another set of veneers

Katie returned to Turkey to have another set of veneers and revealed her real teeth had been reduced to stubs as she flashed a smile on her YouTube channel.

The mother-of-five then jetted to Belgium to correct botched surgery on her breasts, saying her surgeon was utterly shocked by the 'awful' previous procedure.

Katie said: 'They looked deformed, they were absolutely awful. That's the first time I've gone to a different surgeon. I had to go back to Frank with my head down, ashamed that I'd been to another clinic.'

2020: Katie returned to Turkey to have another set of veneers then jetted to Belgium to correct a botched boob job

2021 - Liposuction, eye and lid lifts and 13th boob job

Amid the Covid pandemic, Katie jetted off to then red-list Turkey for a complete cosmetic surgery overhaul, undergoing full body liposuction, eye and lip lifts, liposuction under her chin, and fat injected into her bum.

The reality star also visited Belgium to have her 13th boob job as well as full body liposuction with bum fat removal.

The plastic surgery - performed by Dr Frank Plovier - came just five days ahead of the glamour model's sentencing for her shocking drink-drive crash.

2021: Katie jetted to Turkey for a complete cosmetic surgery overhaul, undergoing full body liposuction, eye and lip lifts

2022 - Another brow and eye lift

Katie secretly jetted back to Belgium at the beginning of 2022 for an eye and brow lift and had been concealing her new look with her head in a bandage.

Dr Judy Todd, an aesthetic doctor at Clinica Medica in Glasgow, said: 'It appears like she's had a face lift, temporal brow lift, and possibly an upper blepharoplasty.'

It was reported last month that Katie plans to travel to Turkey imminently for yet more plastic surgery, amid claims she wanted to get some tweaks in after being unhappy with her latest work.

Sian Dellar, Brow Specialist and Founder of Sian Dellar Permanent Makeup Clinic, added: 'Katie's eyebrows, like the rest of her, have changed lots over the years!

'Back in the 90s she had a very thin over plucked brow which was the fashion at the time, and today she has an extremely thick and unnatural looking brow.

'Currently it seems the face or eye lift that shes had have pulled her brows outward which looks unnatural and makes the brows appear almost stretched.

'Of course, as with any enhancement, its personal preference but we recommend not going too many shades darker, and keeping the shape as natural looking as possible and work to create or enhance brows to frame the face.

'Katies choice to have them so thick and dark and in that unusual positioning means they dominate her face and are the first thing the eye is drawn to. I would love to see Katie take her brows back to 2015/2016 when the fuller brow became a big trend. She got it right then and they framed her face well.'

2022: Katie secretly jetted back to Belgium for an eye and brow lift and is planning to to travel to Turkey for more surgery

2023 - 16th and 'biggest ever' boob job

It's not clear if Katie lost track of the number of breast augmentations or opted to keep some of her surgery private but by 2023 it emerged she'd undergone her 16th boob job, two years after claiming to be on her 13th.

The star went under the knife in a bid to have the 'biggest in Britain' and was subsequently pictured being wheeled into surgery at the Be Clinic in Belgium.

She is said to have wanted even bigger breasts, opting for 2120 CC implants in a bid to boost her already large bust size.

Katie told OK! magazine of her boobs: 'I love them. They healed really quickly and they didn't hurt at all. That probably doesn't help. Because I heal quickly, it doesn't put me off and I have more.

'I would go bigger as well  and I will eventually. I just love having big boobs and a small body. I've always loved that look. In my eyes, if I'm having a boob job, I want them to look fake, I don't want them to look natural. I don't like the natural look.

'I just like that old-school American Playboy pin-up look. When I have surgery, that is what I'm striving for. If I could look like my airbrushed pictures, that would be amazing. But that's impossible to achieve.'

2023: It's not clear if Katie lost track of the number of breast augmentations or opted to keep some of her surgery private but by 2023 it emerged she'd undergone her 16th boob job, two years after claiming to be on her 13th

2024 - MORE facial surgery

In July 2024 Katie confirmed she is travelling to Turkey for facial surgery, to be filmed for a new documentary, after failing to attend a bankruptcy hearing.

The former glamour model was absent at a scheduled 760,000 bankruptcy court hearing having flown overseas for her latest cosmetic procedure.

A warrant was subsequently issued, with Katie admitting she's 'doing the best she can' to rectify her financial issues after receiving 'very clear warnings' that she needed to attend court.
Rove McManus and his wife Tasma Walton were spotted taking a stroll on Sydney's famed Bondi Beach with their 10-year-old daughter Ruby on Monday.

The family held hands and appeared in good spirits as they made the most of their day out.

Rove, 50, looked smart and ultra fit after his evening at the Logie Awards on Sunday.

He wore a white tee shirt with thin horizontal stripes and black jeans paired with a bomber jacket.

He completed his look with designer sunglasses and white runners.

Tasma wore a dark puffer jacket over a black knit sweater she paired with a pair of red floral pants and black runners.

The former Home and Away star, also 50, wore her short dark hair in a side part and went make-up free for the outing.

She accessorised with a pair of dark sunglasses.

Rove McManus and his wife Tasma Walton were spotted taking a stroll on Sydney 's famed Bondi Beach with their 10-year-old daughter Ruby on Monday. All pictured

Ruby smiled as she walked hand in hand with her dad

Ruby, meanwhile, smiled as she walked hand in hand with her mum and dad.

She cut a colourful figure in a pair of floral tights, a light blue hoodie and a pink leopard print zip up jacket.

She completed her look with a pair of runners which featured a flower print.

It comes after Rove and Tasma announced that they wished their daughter to grow up without being forced to conform to conventional ideas about gender.

Tasma wore a dark puffer jacket over a black knit sweater she paired with a pair of red floral pants and black runners

Ruby cut a colourful figure in a pair of floral tights, a light blue hoodie and a pink leopard print zip up jacket

The couple, who have been married for 13 years, try to make their household free of 'boy and girl' stereotypes.

Back in 2022 Tasma told Stellar Magazine that the idea was first sparked when a classmate told Ruby that blue was a 'boy's colour'.

'We're telling our little girl, ''That's silly, isn't it?'' Nobody has ownership of a colour. Anybody can like any colour they want,' she said.

'The parents of little boys should be having those conversations, too,' she added.

The star went on to explain that she doesn't limit was kinds of toys or activities her daughter enjoys.

'It's a fine line to walk between acknowledging the reality of the 'guidelines' we have in place in society, but also trying to give her the courage and excitement to know that she's not bound by those perceived rules,' she said.

'As the choices you make don't hurt anybody else or any other living thing, then you can do and be whoever you want.'

The funny man was seen to share a joke with his daughter

Rove and Tasma tied the knot back in 2009, and Ruby is their only child

Rove and his TV star wife, who grew up in Western Australia's Geraldtown, tied the knot back in 2009, and Ruby is their only child.

While a prominent producer in the Australian TV landscape, Rove is still best known for his weekly evening talk show Rove Live on Network Ten.

The popular tonight show ran from 1999-2009 before he relocated to the US to host Rove LA on Fox8 from 2011 to 2012.

He recently made a return to TV with guest spots on The Project, which his Roving Enterprises produces.

In 2020, the couple purchased a $2million home in Perth, after completing renovations on their $6.4million mansion in Sydney's Bronte.
Victoria Beckham is preparing to film a tell-all documentary about her fashion brand after landing a huge deal with Netflix.

The Spice Girl, 50, will share an insight into her working life after the success of husband David's, 49, BAFTA and Emmy-nominated docuseries BECKHAM with the streamer.

The beloved mother will delve deep into her fashion brand in the documentary and follow her journey as she prepares for Paris Fashion Week next year.

Her new documentary will offer a 'behind-the-scenes' look at her journey from becoming a Spice Girl to a creative director of her successful fashion and beauty brand.

The couple married in 1999 and share four children together - Brooklyn, 25, Romeo, 21, Cruz, 19, and Harper, 13.

Victoria Beckham, 50, is preparing to film a tell-all documentary about her fashion brand after landing a huge deal with Netflix

The Spice Girl will share an insight into her working life after the success of husband David's, 49, BAFTA and Emmy-nominated docuseries BECKHAM with the streamer

Victoria launched her fashion brand in 2008 and lately launched a collection with the high-street fashion brand Mango.

After the success of her clothing brand, Victoria released her own beauty and skincare line in 2019.

At this year's PFW, Vogue's editor-in-chief Anna Wintour sat front row alongside close friend Kim Kardashian supporting in the sidelines.

Victoria reached new heights in May when Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor was the first to wear a bespoke made Victoria Beckham gown to the Met Gala.

Emmy-nominated Nicola Howson, who worked on David's series, will act as executive producer on the Victoria edition alongside Bafta-nominated producer Julia Nottingham.

David's Beckham documentaries - which released in October 2023 - has received five Emmy nominations and as well as a BAFTA nom earlier this year.

The series gave an unprecedented look at David's career journey and a glimpse at the start of their romance and marriage.

The beloved mother will delve deep into her fashion brand in the documentary and follow her journey as she prepares for Paris Fashion Week next year

Her new documentary will offer a 'behind-the-scenes' look at her journey from becoming a Spice Girl to a creative director of her successful fashion and beauty brand

The couple married in 1999 and share four children together - Brooklyn, 25, Romeo, 21, Cruz, 19, and Harper, 13

After the success of her clothing brand, Victoria released her own beauty and skincare line in 2019

Victoria reached new heights in May when Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor (pictured in the gown) was the first to wear a bespoke made Victoria Beckham gown to the Met Gala

David's Beckham documentaries - which released in October 2023 - has received five Emmy nominations and as well as a BAFTA nom earlier this year

The four-part series was nominated for Best Documentary or Nonfiction Series at the 2024 Emmy ceremony, going up alongside Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV, STAX: Soulsville U.S.A. Telemarketers and The Jinx - Part Two.

It was also nominated for Outstanding Cinematography For A Nonfiction Program, Outstanding Directing For A Documentary/Nonfiction Program, Outstanding Picture Editing and Outstanding Music Composition.

His documentary amassed a record breaking 3.8million viewers during its premiere week.

According to the Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB), the first episode saw 3,813,100 fans tune in.

The second instalment was also a success reaching 2,868,800 viewers by the week ending October 8.
Kirstie Allsopp has doubled down on letting her 15-year-old son interrail across Europe for three weeks over the summer, but admits she 'emotionally struggled' while he was gone.

The Location, Location, Location presenter, 52, received mixed opinions online after revealing she allowed her 15-year-old son to go interrailing across Europe with his 16-year-old friend this summer.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Wednesday, Kirstie questioned if parents being fearful of their children exploring the world is due to the 24-hour news coverage and a belief that the world is a 'worse place'.

Kirstie agreed to it as she feels he is a 'very sensible young man', but admitted she struggled emotionally as she missed him over the summer break.

Reflecting on how perspectives have changed on allowing young people freedom, she said: 'In previous generations, people did things far younger.

Kirstie Allsopp has doubled down on letting her 15-year-old son interrail across Europe for three weeks over summer

The Location, Location, Location presenter, 52, received mixed opinions online after revealing she allowed her 15-year-old son to go interrailing across Europe with his 16-year-old friend this summer

'We are looking at a mental health crisis with young people. A lot of people are talking about it and writing about it.

'We have to ask ourselves - how much of this is because of our fear and our worry, and how much of our fear and worry stems from 24-hour news and a lot of belief that the world is a worse place?'

She went on to add that her elders had taken on major pursuits as teenagers, including her father-in-law joining the Arctic convoys of the Second World War aged 16, her mother-in-law going to university in South Africa aged 15 and her father joining the army at 17.

The discussion came after Kirstie found herself under fire last night after she allowed her 15-year-old son to go interrailing across Europe.

The TV presenter revealed on social media that her youngest son Oscar Hercules was returning home after three weeks of travel across the continent, alongside a 16-year-old friend.

However, some users claimed that her child was too young to be travelling around the continent without adult supervision.

One told the mother-of-two on X that 'if things had gone wrong, you would have taken responsibility and never forgiven yourself'.

Another added: 'You can't wrap them up in cotton wool but it can be a dangerous world and 15 is not mature enough for all encounters.'

Kirstie defended Oscar saying that he and his friend independently organised the nine-stop trip around Europe.

Kirstie defended Oscar Hercules, who turned 16 this week, saying that he and his friend independently organised the nine-stop trip around Europe

In defence of allowing her young son to travel without parents, Ms Allsopp said she had travelled at the same age

The Location, Location, Location presenter added that 'if we're afraid our children will also be afraid, if we let go, they will fly'.

She wrote: 'For obvious budget reasons interrailing isn't on the cards for everyone, but in this increasingly risk-averse world it's vital that we find any ways we can to give our children the confidence that only comes from trusting them.'

Kirstie added that 'if we're afraid our children will also be afraid, if we let go, they will fly'.

Kirstie, who also has 18-year-old Bay Atlas with Ben Anderson, also came under criticism from those claiming that she would not let a 15-year-old daughter take part in the same trip.

However, Kirstie said she had travelled at the same age, adding that 'sexual assault is far more likely to come from someone you know than a stranger and boys are more likely to have a violent interaction with a stranger than girls'.

There is no minimum age for teenagers to go Interrailing, although the European network says that it requires written consent for minors to travel without their parents.

The Mail has approached Kirstie's representatives for comment.
Joan Collins dazzled in a glamorous silver dress as she attended PR guru Massimo Gargia's 84th birthday in Saint-Tropez on Tuesday night.

Italian promoter and PR guru Massimo often throws star-studded bashes and Joan and her husband Percy Gibson are usually in attendance.

Joan, 91, looked sensational in the shimmering number which featured stylish cut-out arms and a plunging neckline as she posed at the Hotel de Paris.

She added a touch more glamour with dangly silver earrings, a diamond necklace and a pop of red lip.

Joan posed for another snap with husband Percy, 59, who looked smart in a white suit and black under T-shirt.

Joan Collins dazzled in a glamorous silver dress as she attended PR guru Massimo Gargia's 84th birthday in Saint-Tropez on Tuesday night

Italian promoter and PR guru Massimo often throws star-studded bashes and Joan and her husband Percy Gibson (left) are usually in attendance

Joan was also seen posing with her rarely-seen brother Bill at one of the swanky dinner tables.

Bill, a property developer who divides his time between the US and Britain looked smart in a dark grey jumper.

Italian born Massimo is known for his jet-setting lifestyle and is well known among France's social elite.

Joan and Percy tied the knot in 2002, the fifth time walking down the aisle for the star.

It comes after last week Joan looked sensational in an all white outfit as she spent time with Elizabeth Hurley and her son Damian in the south of France.

Joan posted the series of photos to her Instagram and made sure to include a loved-up snap with her husband Percy.

The Golden Globe award winner wore a chic white dress and accessorised with large dangling pear land gold earrings and a matching ring.

In another photo Joan and her husband posed beside Elizabeth, 59 and her model son, 22.

Joan, 91, looked sensational in the shimmering number which featured stylish cut-out arms and a plunging neckline as she posed at the Hotel de Paris with Percy

Joan was also seen posing with her rarely-seen brother Bill at one of the very swanky dinner tables

The model and actress captioned her snap: 'Hanging with the Hurleys, having a ha ha ha '.

Fans rushed to the veteran actress's Instagram to remark on how youthful she looked with one writing: 'Best looking women in her 90s I've ever seen'.

Another commented: 'Looking very bronzed and super glamorous'.

And a third wrote: 'Even the stunning Liz can't outshine Joan'.

Damian also took to the comments and left a string of black love heart emojis for the star.

Elizabeth and Joan are firm friends and in May, she shared a video honoring the star on her 91st birthday.

She captioned the montage full of adorable snaps of the pair over the years: 'Happy Birthday to the glorious

' Joan is both brilliant and beautiful in equal measures '.
The wife of the country star thanked fans for their well wishes

Country star Brad Paisley's wife Kimberly Williams-Paisley has thanked fans for the flood of well wishes and spoke out about her surgery recovery after she underwent a laryngeal nerve procedure to correct ongoing issues with her vocal cords.

Kimberly has previously opened up about her health challenges as she admitted that she lost her voice nearly two years ago while on stage at her annual Alzheimer's fundraiser in Nashville.

Just a few days ago, the 52-year-old Father Of The Bride actress revealed she underwent the lengthy surgery, which is said to take about five to nine hours, and made sure to let her fans know she was in good spirits following the procedure.

After a successful surgery, the wife of the Remind Me hitmaker is now giving a special shoutout to her followers who stood by her side amid her health problems.

She was all smiles as she took to social media to express her gratitude for 'all the love' she received from fans prior to her surgery.

Country star Brad Paisley's wife Kimberly has thanked fans for the flood of well wishes as she detailed her health status after she underwent laryngeal nerve to correct ongoing issues

In a post shared to Instagram, Kimberly looked as vibrant as ever as she donned a gorgeous blue sweater, a straw hat and a pair of black shades.

The Hollywood heavyweight kept a scarf tied around her neck that covered up her scar.

In the caption, she admitted that she was doing 'really well' and waxed lyrical about her followers.

The actress said: 'Thank you so much for all the love and support following my last post. You reminded me of the power of authenticity, vulnerability and hope. I'm feeling validated and seen and ever more grateful. I read and responded to as many comments as I could and I'm still going! Thank you. I see you too.

'Recovery is on track and I'm feeling really good. With much love and gratitude, Kim.'

Over the weekend, she posted a photo of herself in hospital after the procedure and her scar, which she had drawn over to look like a smiley face.

The actress admitted that she has had a 'challenging' couple of years and her voice never fully returned throughout this time.

'It's been a challenging couple of years, but we finally got to the bottom of it.

Kimberly Williams-Paisley has previously opened up about her health challenges as she admitted that she lost her voice nearly two years ago

The 52-year-old Father Of The Bride actress underwent the lengthy surgery, which is said to take around five to nine hours

'I have damage to my laryngeal nerve. I tried everything I could to heal it (so thank you but please don't give me any tips!). I was finally able to have surgery this week,' the Nashville-based actress said.

One 'bada** scar' along her neck later, Kimberly said she now sounded 'so much better.'

'I haven't wanted to share about this much until now because it felt too vulnerable. I took for granted my ability to "use my voice" before  for my career, for a good cause, for a timely joke, for self-expression, for a loud dinner part,' she shared.

'Instead, I've been the quietest in the room. I've felt meek. New people I've met thought I was a shy or reserved person. I've felt trapped in my body.'

Kimberly said she's undertaken 'all kinds of training,' and through bouts of 'shame and self-loathing' has been supported by friends, family and medical staff.

The mother-of-one then detailed what went into her surgery, sharing that she was awake for the three-hour procedure to 'plump up my paralyzed vocal cord so it hits the other one.'

Kimberly said she's undertaken 'all kinds of training,' and through bouts of 'shame and self-loathing' has been supported by friends, family and medical staff

The actress and country star tied the knot in 2003 and have been enjoying many happy years since

'I watched a lot of it on a video screen above my head as it happened and all I can say is modern medicine is miraculous' Kimberly joked.

Although she wasn't able to speak properly over the past two years, the actress said she's found her voice in other ways.

'I've healed old emotional wounds. I've learned the strength and beauty of silence. I've become a serious meditator. I'm deadlifting over a hundred pounds. I'm taking better care of my body. I'm managing stress. I'm dissolving shame. I'm feeling more whole, empowered and joyful,' she gushed.

The actress and country star tied the knot in 2003 and have been enjoying many happy years since.
He's been known to own some of the worlds most expensive restaurants in the world.

And now Gordon Ramsay, 57, is bringing his reputation as a culinary star to the Las Vegas Grand Prix as he opens a pop-up restaurant that will cost 28,000 per head.

Opening at the 2027 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Ramsay is set to transform a F1 garage into 'Ramsays Garage.'

Set to open during the race which takes place from November 21, Ramsay is said to be offering a 'new culinary experience'.

Priced at 28,000 per person, guests will also have access to the paddock, 'pit lane walks' and 'guided track tours' along with the meal as they mingle with stars.

Sources have said celebrities including Tom Cruise and Rihanna have been invited to cook alongside Ramsay. The chef also wanted James Corden to join his venture but he is busy with filming commitments for Gavin and Stacey Christmas special.

Gordon Ramsay, 57, is bringing his reputation as a culinary star to the Las Vegas Grand Prix as he opens a pop-up restaurant that will cost 28,000 per head (pictured in Las Vegas 2023)

Opening at the 2027 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Ramsay is set to transform a F1 garage into 'Ramsays Garage' (Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix practice in November 2023)

One insider said: 'Gordon wants people like Tom and Rihanna, he wants big names and also those who like going to the Grand Prix. Rihanna went last year, so did Tom. The plan is that the A listers join him to make a course or too.'

'He is so, so excited.'

The chef, who has been known to have a passion for the sport, will display three culinary themes throughout different nights and one night will be inspired by the UK, nicknamed the Cool Britania evening.

The second night will be a pop-up of Chef Ramsays Lucky Cat restaurant, an Asian-inspired 'eating house' modelling itself after Tokyo drinking dens from the 1930s.

Several 'surprise' guests are said to be expected and then on the Sunday Ramsay will serve up a traditional lunch.

Speaking of the project Ramsay said: 'Im so thrilled to be bringing Ramsays Garage so close to the action of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.'

'Being a massive F1 fan, Ive seen firsthand how intertwined food and the sport is.

'So having been to so many races as a spectator, Ramsays Garage truly is a dream come true.'

In 2006 Ramsays Royal Hospital Road restaurant in Chelsea was named one of the worlds most expensive restaurants by Forbes Magazine.

Set to open during the race which takes place from November 21, Ramsay is said to be offering a 'new culinary experience' (pictured at Silverstone Circuit in July)

Priced at 28,000 per person, guests will also have access to the paddock, 'pit lane walks' and 'guided track tours' along with the meal as they mingle with stars (pictured with his daughter Holly at Silverstone in July)

The three Michelin-starred restaurant was found to cost $183 (98) per person for dinner with one glass of wine.

And in 2022 he was asking for up to 1200 per guest for the restaurants set festive menu.

Said to be worth 200 million, already has multiple restaurants in Vegas including Hells Kitchen in Ceasars Palace and Gordon Ramsays Steak House.

As of January 2023, Gordon has 58 restaurants across a variety of names.

Sources have said Hollywood icon Tom Cruise, 62, has been invited to cook alongside Ramsay (pictured in February)

Rihanna has also reportedly been invited, one insider said: 'Gordon wants people like Tom and Rihanna, he wants big names and also those who like going to the Grand Prix' (pictured in June)

One of the largest privately owned restaurant groups in the UK, Gordon has expanded his branches to the US, France, Dubai, Singapore and more.

He owns two burger restaurants including Gordon Ramsay Burger, which is the go-to destination for burger lovers and offers markets across the globe both classic and innovative burger variations.

Meanwhile, his flagship Restaurant Gordon Ramsay has held three Michelin stars for over two decades and both traditional and modern culinary techniques are employed to create elegant French cuisine.

His Bread Street Kitchen restaurant also features a globally inspired menu of classic Gordon Ramsay dishes.

Said to be worth 200 million, Gordon already has multiple restaurants in Vegas including Hells Kitchen in Ceasars Palace and Gordon Ramsays Steak House (pictured in 2017)

As of January 2023, Gordon has 58 restaurants including his successful burger restaurant Gordon Ramsay Burger which offers markets across the globe both classic and innovative burger variations

Restaurant 1890 pays tribute to culinary legend Georges Auguste Escoffier, The Savoy Hotels restaurant boasts a modern French menu with European influences.

He also has a restaurant in Heathrow airport which opened in 2008 named Gordon Ramsay Plane Food, which has been delighting passengers' palates ever since with a delicious array of dishes, from Asian inspired noodles to burgers and breakfasts.

Gordon also brought the charm of a Great British pub to the United States as he opened Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill in Atlantic City and Las Vegas.

It was revealed on Wednesday that Ramsay will star in a Netflix series, about being Gordon Ramsay, which will follow him over nine months in the lead up to his biggest restaurant venture to date: the opening of 5 culinary experiences in Londons 22 Bishopsgate.
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Malin Andersson showed off her toned figure as she stripped down to lingerie for a new Instagram post on Wednesday.

The Love Island star, 32, who shot to fame on the second season of the show in 2016, has become a vocal campaigner for body confidence, the dark side of fame and the problems with social media since moving into the limelight.

And in her latest post she encouraged her followers to 'throw away the weighing scales'.

She looked incredible in a sheer pink bra and orange lace briefs as she put on a confident display.

Malin penned in the caption: 'THROW AWAY THE WEIGHING SCALES BECAUSE EACH TIME YOU STEP ON THEM YOU'RE TELLING YOURSELF YOU ARE UNLOVABLE AND NOT WORTHY OF YOUR OWN TRUST AND GUIDANCE WITHIN YOURSELF.'

Malin Andersson showed off her toned figure as she stripped down to lingerie for a new Instagram post on Wednesday

She looked incredible in a sheer pink bra and orange lace briefs as she put on a confident display

She wore her brunette tresses in a choppy bob and opted for a glowing, natural makeup look.

Malin has used her Instagram to document her journey and weight loss, showing her dedicated fitness regime and how it helps her both mentally and physically.

Earlier this year she issued a stark warning to followers about the perils of surgery in an Instagram post.

Having spoken previously about her regrets over surgery, in the new post shared with her followers she posed in sportswear while pulling down her shorts to show her stomach - which she branded 'lumpy and strange'.

Malin explained that she had ventured to Turkey seven years ago to undergo the fat removal, however carrying both her daughters, Xaya, two, and Consy, who tragically passed away at just 30 days old in 2019, left her skin damaged.

In an accompanying caption, she penned: 'When you get liposuction 7 years ago, have two babies but you still have lumpy strange skin on your stomach from it

'Just a little warning to anyone that's thinking of getting liposuction done, especially Turkey. This is 7 years on. YOU LIVE AND YOU LEARN. Or I would have never evolved.

'Funny how I've learnt to love every part of me through ALL of the pain. I just don't want anyone making the same mistakes I did.'

Malin has used her Instagram to document her journey and weight loss, showing her dedicated fitness regime and how it helps her both mentally and physically (pictured before left and after right)

Earlier this year she issued a stark warning to followers about the perils of surgery in an Instagram post

The star shot to fame after appearing on Love Island all the way back in the second series in 2016 (pictured)

She then posted in the comments section: 'Remember surgery is anyone's choice. But it doesn't fix anything INTERNAL. You heard it here first.'

Malin has been very candid about her experiences with domestic violence and has campaigned for abuse survivors.

Her former boyfriend Tom Kemp was jailed for 10 months in 2020, after admitting to an assault on her that left her 'black and blue' with a broken hand.

He was the father of Malin's baby girl Consy, who tragically died with a heart defect in January 2019, just one month after being delivered at 33 weeks.

The couple met in late 2017 and Malin has been open about the abuse and emotional torment she suffered while in the on/off relationship.
Sydney Sweeney showed off her incredible figure in a wetsuit in her latest fashion shoot this week.

The Euphoria star, 26  who recently put on a busty display in a black corset  took to Instagram to announce that she was the new 'Director of Dude' for Italian shoe brand, Hey Dude, in a joint post with the company on Wednesday.

Teasing her identity, the star sat on a chair that read 'Director of Dude' while facing the ocean and suddenly turning around leaving fans stunned.

The star flashed her toned legs and svelte frame as she took to the waves, rode through rough terrain and swung off a cliff.

'Hey dude, its Syd. And were just getting started,' she penned in the caption.

Sydney Sweeney showed off her incredible figure in a wetsuit in her latest fashion shoot this week

She modeled the brand's slip on shoes as she went on the outdoor escapade.

She shared: 'Being the Director of Dude is truly just embracing the power of being a woman, and being able to do absolutely anything I set my mind to, and showing others that you can do anything too if you just want to try it out.

'I tried wake surfing for the first time a couple weeks ago and it was super fun, I also like to build tree houses or go rock climbing,' the Anyone But You star added.

Later on Wednesday, Sydney opened up to People about wanting to jump into the fashion world and support the brand she has 'obsessed with.'

'I've definitely noticed that the brand's really popular among young men. And I always gravitate towards brands that I want to bring to a younger female audience because I really think that this footwear is for everybody. Everybody should be comfortable and confident,' she told the outlet.

She explained: 'Fashion is a really fun way of embracing different sides of yourself. Some days, I might feel very girly, some days, I might feel edgy.

'Others, I might feel like I want to be more laid-back. It's a way of being able to express those different sides of how I feel or who I am,' she said.

Touching on her style she added, 'It's always going to change. That's what's so amazing, especially about being a woman, is being able to embrace all the different sides of ourselves, because we are so multifaceted and there's so much going on. I can never imagine being one thing for the rest of my life.'

Showing off her adventurous side, the blonde siren took on ocean waves, rode through rough terrain and swung off a cliff

'Hey dude, its Syd. And were just getting started,' she penned in the caption

She modeled the brand's slip on shoes as she went on the outdoor escapade

She shared: 'Being the Director of Dude is truly just embracing the power of being a woman, and being able to do absolutely anything I set my mind to'

Teasing the her identity, the star sat on a chair that read 'Director of Dude' while facing the ocean and suddenly turning around leaving fans stunned

The actress explained that being a spokesperson for HeyDude inspires her to be confident in her identity and hopes it evokes the same emotion for fans

Sydney put on a very cheeky display as she posed for a thirst trap during a scenic break this week

After enjoying a break from work on a vacation in the Greek Isles and Paris, the actress will soon be getting back to work.

Sweeney has several projects lined up. Eden, directed by Ron Howard and co-starring Ana de Armas, Jude Law and Vanessa Kirby, is scheduled to debut in September at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The action adventure follows a group of people who turn their backs on society and move to the Galapagos Islands for a new start, but things don't go as planned.

The story is based on the fact-based The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden.

The Emmy nominee has also revealed that she'll be returning to the set for production on the third season of Euphoria in 2025.

Sweeney revealed in an interview with Cosmopolitan that there will be a time jump in the series to account for the break since production was completed on season two in November 2021.

'We did have a long time between season one and season two, but especially now with the time jump, its a new process for me,' she told the outlet.

'Im kind of just learning as I go and being open for whatevers to come. But Im also really excited. I love Cassie,' she said.

'She is always such a thrilling character to play, so Im really looking forward to whats gonna happen in her life.'
Movie fans have gone nuts for Hugh Grant's seemingly unrecognizable transformation in the trailer for the upcoming horror film Heretic.

British star Hugh Grant sported a buttoned-down shirt and sweater with large glasses while speaking with and later trapping two Mormon women in his home.

The two women, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), were lured into the house by a seemingly friendly Mr. Reed in the new thriller.

Many film buffs, who can watch Grant's spine-chilling performance in theaters on November 15, have said the actor is almost unrecognizable after switching from 'good guy' roles to playing the villain.

'Hugh Grant's turn to villainy over the past few years (at least in terms of the roles he's taken) has been very inspiring,' an X user wrote.

Social media users were excited to see an 'unrecognizable' Hugh Grant in a June 25 trailer for the film Heretic

Grant portrays Mr Reed - a seemingly friendly man who discusses religion with two Mormon women before trapping them in his house

Grant captured filmgoers' hearts for his performances in films like Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Bridget Jones' Diary.

However, his antagonistic roles have begun to surprise social media users.

'I wonder if he's just really good at it, or if it's something where our collective expectation of who his is on film makes his villain turns more eerie,' a Reddit user wrote in June.

One of his villainous roles that Reddit and X users mentioned was of Forge Fitzwilliam - a con artist in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

Now, in the words of an X user, Grant is 'parlaying his foppish rom com charm and channeling it into devious maniacs.'

Grant's character, Mr Reed, requests two Mormon women Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) to choose an exit based on their faith

Fans have described their excitement for the upcoming movie starring Hugh Grant

Various X users showed interest in the film due to Grant's decision to take on more antagonist roles.

'This looks interesting and promising. Have Hugh Grant as the antagonist in a horror film is great,' an X user tweeted.

Another person referred to his appearance as a man in 'his grumpy era on steroids,' and an X user wrote that he 'made the face' in the film trailer.

'This gives me H.H. Holmes vibes - the serial killer that created the murder castle, like a play on that story but modern take,' a person tweeted.

I know it hasnt come out yet but whoever Hugh Grant plays in the Heretic movie. pic.twitter.com/IHimBRPof1  Hannah V. (@hanthegrand) July 28, 2024

X users have been praising Hugh Grant's decision to take on more antagonistic roles, and one person called his character a 'monster'

Reddit users were also impressed with Grant's antagonist performance.

'This sounds fantastic. I'm sure Hugh Grant will play a total nutter,' a Reddit user wrote in a June post.

Another person wrote: 'I think he's having a great time playing villains, and he's doing it brilliantly.'

Others have begun making predictions on what will happen to Grant's character, and if movie viewers would see his so-called wife.

'It would have been interesting if they thought he had sinister motives the entire movie and at the end his wife comes out with blueberry pie and he was telling the truth the whole time,' wrote a Reddit user.

'From what they show in the trailer this is not the case, still looks interesting.'

Various Reddit users have mainly praised his portrayal of the Heretic antagonist rather than his appearance

Over 12.5 million YouTubers watched the Heretic trailer that was released by A24 on June 25.

At least YouTubers believe it will be 'fun' to watch Grant's portrayal, while others were stunned to see just how evil the actor can be in a film.

'I never realized that Hugh Grant would make a great psycho killer,' wrote one person.

Another person wrote: 'I love the awkward face he pulls when he says "It may even make you want to die." Classic Hugh Grant.'
Rachel Riley had her 'Marilyn moment' as she was caught off-guard by the wind while leaving the Countdown studio.

The 38-year-old presenter got a shock on Wednesday as she left the quiz show's studios in Manchester.

Rachel was surprised by a gust of wind as she made her exit, with her short blonde locks flying across her face.

She was donning a figure-hugging red halterneck dress when she was snapped, paired with a cream cardigan.

Rachel finished off her look with a pair of chunky gold sandals and huge hoop earrings, as well as an elegant bracelet.

Rachel Riley had her 'Marilyn moment' as she was caught off-guard by the wind while leaving the Countdown studio in Manchester on Wednesday

The TV personality was slammed earlier this year for her 'embarrassing' and 'pathetic' apology after being accused of 'racism' and 'Islamophobia' for her tweet about the Sydney mall massacre.

She then faced calls to be sacked from Channel 4 amid claims she appeared to falsely compare Saturday's horror attack in Australia to Islamist terrorism.

The bloody rampage was carried out by English tutor Joel Cauchi, 40, from Queensland, who police said had been suffering from mental health issues. It had no link to terrorism, authorities confirmed.

In her now-deleted tweet, Riley appeared to link the violence, in which six people were killed before Cauchi was shot dead by police, to the 'globalised Infitada' movement - before later insisting her comments had been 'misunderstood'.

'Globalize the Intifada' is a term often used by pro-Palestinian activists that calls for aggressive resistance against Israel and those who support the country - and has been linked to wide-spread demonstration and protests in London.

Riley - who is Jewish and has been vocal on her support of Israel amid the war on Gaza - has since released a grovelling apology on X in which she said she was 'sorry' if her message had been 'misunderstood'.

But she faced furious backlash on social media over her 'pathetic defence' of the post, with one person declaring: 'Its getting embarrassing at this point. @channel4 sack this woman and put her out of her misery please.'

The 38-year-old presenter got a shock on Wednesday as she left the quiz show's studios in Manchester

Rachel was surprised by a gust of wind as she made her exit, with her short blonde locks flying across her face

Rachel recently apologised after being accused of Islamophobia following her tweet about the Sydney mall massacre

'Just to clarify, my intention with this tweet was not to say this attack was caused by any ideation or to link it to Islamic extremism,' the presenter wrote.

Her apology came after she sparked mass outrage on X and was accused of writing a racist statement about the Sydney stabbing.

In the now-deleted tweet, Riley wrote: 'For 6 months now, people have been out on our streets proudly calling for the 'Intifada Revolution.

'If you want to know what "Globalised Intifada" looks like, see the Sydney Mall.

In her apology, Riley said her message had been 'misunderstood' and that this was 'not my intention'

Riley's apology came after she sparked mass outrage on X and was accused of writing a racist statement about the Sydney stabbing (she is pictured on Countdown)

'5 victims stabbed to death and 8 transferred to hospital, including a baby, due to one man and a knife.

'In the second intifada over 1,000 Israelis were murdered in restaurants, on buses and in the streets by suicide bombings, stabbings, stoning, lynching, shooting rockets. The youngest victim was just 9 hours old.

'Sydney mall, multiple times over is what they've been proudly calling for.'
Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice had some fun with trolls on Wednesday.

The TV star reposted a photo of herself in an event ad with the tag saying, 'Haters will say it's fake.'

The ad was indeed incredibly fake as it had an arm missing; the image of her in a plunging gold swimsuit was Photoshopped onto a sandy beach with a big blue chair.

It also was the same photo that Teresa used to wish Larsa Pippen a happy 50th birthday in a Photoshopped beach snap. She was busted for the fake photo and it became a popular meme, but Giudice good-naturedly laughed it off.

This comes after the TV star was slammed for Photoshopping her ivory bikini images while in Greece with husband Luis Ruelas.

Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice had some fun with trolls on Wednesday. The TV star reposted a photo of herself in an event ad with the tag saying, 'Haters will say it's fake'

It also was the same photo that Teresa used to wish Larsa Pippen a happy 50th birthday in a Photoshopped beach snap

She was busted for the fake photo and it became a popular meme, but Giudice good-naturedly laughed it off

The event Teresa was promoting was a party at Caddy's on Saturday in Treasure Island, Florida. She will be there in person to greet fans.

Tickets are $50 for a meet and greet and $75 for a VIP Beach bash ticket.

'Teresa Giudice will be at Caddys Treasure Island Saturday, 8/24 from 12-3PM! ,' it said on the Caddy Instagram page.

'Teresas throwing the ultimate beach bash - meet & greets, VIP cabanas, music, food, and drinks! If you dont want to party, you can dine at Caddys and still do a meet & greet.

'Will we see you there?  Click the link in bio for tickets!'

Last month Teresa wrote on Instagram: 'I cant come to Tampa Bay and not have a BEACH BASH!

'Come to Caddys Treasure Island on August 24 12-3P and party with us! Meet & Greet, VIP Cabanas, Music, Food, Drinks! If you dont want to party you can also just dine at Caddys and still do a meet & greet! Cant wait! Love love love you guys.'

She then noted there will be $9 Patron Silver Margs (Traditional, Flavored, or Signature Pineapple Jalapeno).

Before the gold swimsuit snap was posted, Teresa could be seen in a bikini in an ad for the same event. That image was cut and pasted in as well

In July she was accused of Photoshopping her bikini images while in Mykonos, Greece.

The wife of Luis Ruelas was told she was so heavily airbrushed while in a colorful bikini that she looked like her teen daughter Milania.

Trolls were at it again as the TV star was seen in a bikini from Luxsea Swimwear with a scarf on her head and big sunglasses on.

Follower Shonta Haayes asked in the comments section, 'Why is the railing bent?'

Indeed the railing did look bent but it was hard to tell if that is the way it was built or if that was the way the wood had aged, or if Teresa had used editing tools that caused that bend.

A follower named MostlyBravo added a crazy face emoji as she wrote, 'The bend in the railing.'

Another pulled up her sister in law Melissa Gorga's name saying she resembled her costar: 'Trying to look like Melissa.'

Most of the comments, however, raved about how great the reality TV siren looked in her little beige and ivory swimsuit

Giudice was accused of Photoshopping her bikini images while in Mykonos, Greece

Indeed the railing did look bent but it is hard to tell if that is the way it was built or if that was the way the wood had aged, or if Teresa had used editing tools that caused that bend

The cookbook author - who has four children with ex-husband Joe Giudice - certainly looked sensational in her colorful bikini the day before.

But the 52-year-old reality star must have used a strong filter as at first glance it did not look like her.

There was not one wrinkle, stretch mark or pimple in sight as the Bravo star was flawless from head to toe. One follower made a one word statement: 'Photoshop.'

Some Instagram followers did not believe it was her.

'Wow I thought it was Milania at first! Can I have your body, dammit?!' said one follower.

Milania is Teresa's 18-year-old daughter.

She also is mom to Gia, 23, Gabriella, 19, and Audriana, 14.

Another follower compared her to a Real Housewives Of Atlanta veteran: 'Shes turning into Kim Zolciak.'

She has been with her 49-year-old husband Ruelas in Mykonos for several days.

There were no bent railings in this image of Teresa with Luis on a boat

Teresa posted this image where she had on a green bikini and Luis wore an Alo cap

She tied the knot with Luis Ruelas in 2022 and upon their anniversary admitted that it has all been 'very easy' for them.'

She told E! News: 'He's amazing. He's great. I guess when you're in love it's very easy. And you just got to respect each other and always stay in your love bubble.'

Teresa and her ex-husband Joe have daughters Gia, 23, Gabriella, 19, Milania, 17, and 14-year-old Audriana.

They separated long before then after they pleaded guilty to financial fraud in 2014.
Zoe Kravitz says she wants to continue her professional relationship with fiance Channing Tatum following the completion of their thriller Blink Twice.

The 35-year-old actress  who made her directorial debut with the film  began dating Tatum, 44, in 2022 as they were creating the upcoming feature.

They got engaged last year, and Kravitz, 35, shared with People, 'Art is our love language. I think it's what we love, and we love talking about it, and experiencing it, and supporting each other.'

She added that watching her future husband play a villain  a role that she co-wrote  was 'awesome.'

In Blink, Channing portrays charming tech billionaire Slater King, who invites two women (Naomi Ackie and Alia Shawkat) to his private island with ulterior motives.

Zoe Kravitz says she wants to continue her professional relationship with fiance Channing Tatum following the completion of their thriller Blink Twice ; pictured in September 2023

The 35-year-old actress - who made her directorial debut with Blink Twice - began dating Tatum, 44, in 2022 as they were creating the upcoming feature; pictured August 19

Zoe explained, 'It was awesome because he was doing such a good job, and as an actor, I'm like, "This is delicious stuff that he's never gotten a chance to do."

'And also, he's doing this part because he's an ally. He wants to tell this story.'

She added, 'Its the ultimate support to look horrible so that he can serve the story.'

The Batman star described how she leaned on her fiance during the process of shooting their movie.

'After the first day of filming, I was just like, "Oh, my God. I don't know what I've gotten myself into."

'And then the edit process was very long, and the movie did not work for a very long time,' she shared.

The High Fidelity actress elaborated: 'It was like this cycle. There'd be good days, and bad days, and [Channing] just kind of had to be like, "Which version of Zoe is walking into the house today? Is she excited, or is she a puddle?"'

The Magic Mike sensation echoed Kravitz's 'love language' sentiment during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

The couple got engaged in 2023. Kravitz, 35, shared with People, 'Art is our love language'

The duo pictured at the London premiere of their new movie on August 19

Zoe and Channing recently attended a Taylor Swift concert in London

'Creating is our love language. We really just enjoy that. I didn't have any fear going into making a movie with somebody who's the love of [my] life,' he said.

Zoe recently told Access that completing the project felt 'surreal.'

'I started writing this seven years ago, so to be here now is kind of surreal,' she noted.

The Hollywood fixture, whose parents are rockstar Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet, added: 'I feel like, when you stick with something that long, it means that you really care for it and you really believe in it. So Im really proud of what weve made.'

On July 23 she took to Instagram to share a behind-the-scenes look at her time on set with her 7.7 million followers.

'ONE MONTH TILL #BLINKTWICE. IN THEATERS AUGUST 23,' she wrote.
Coldplay dedicated a song to Swifties during their Vienna gig on Wednesday night.

Taylor Swift was forced to cancel her three gigs in the Austrian city this month after it emerged ISIS had planned to target her fans.

And Chris Martin was keen to do his bit to cheer up any Taylor fans in the audience for his gig, belting out the pop icon's classic track Love Story.

Joining forces with their support act on tour Maggie Rogers, the band delighted fans with the acoustic rendition.

But a nervous Chris joked that he hoped the cover would be good enough for Taylor, telling the crowd before he began:

Coldplay dedicated a song to Swifties during their Vienna gig on Wednesday night

Taylor Swift was forced to cancel her three gigs in the Austrian city this month after it emerged ISIS had planned to target her fans

Chris: "If this is not good please please don't put it on YouTube because I don't want to get in trouble with Taylor"



Chris singing Love Story with Maggie Rogers at #ColdplayVienna dedicating it to all the swifties of the recently canceled Vienna concert. pic.twitter.com/R54KmybYYa  Neil (@neilenore) August 21, 2024

'If this is not good, please, please don't put it on YouTube because I don't want to get in trouble with Taylor. If you can sing with us that would be wonderful.'

It has been a difficult time for Taylor who was forced to cancel her Vienna concerts due to a foiled terror plot, shortly after three young girls were murdered at a Taylor Swift themed dance class in Southport, Merseyside.

Taylor was due to perform in front of an estimated 170,000 fans on August 8, 9, and 10 at Vienna's Ernst-Happel-Stadion, which was set to be reinforced with more security measures before the three shows were cancelled.

'Taylor has been devastated by this. She is devastated for the fans who have been waiting for years to see her,' an insider told The Mirror, in the first indication of Swift's reaction following the news.

'But the thought of what could have happened if the concerts had been targeted by a terror attack is horrifying, and she would never risk the safety of her fans.

'The memory of what happened at Ariana Grande's concert in Manchester is still very vivid in everyone's minds.

But she has told her team that she wants to try to return to Vienna as soon as possible in the future. She is very conscious of how disappointed her fans in Austria are.'

Chris Martin was keen to do his bit to cheer up any Taylor fans in the audience for his gig, belting out the pop icon's classic track Love Story.

| Chris Martin of @coldplay performs "Love Story" in Vienna 



pic.twitter.com/8k4dyCTxMh  Taylor Swift Updates  (@swifferupdates) August 21, 2024

Joining forces with their support act on tour Maggie Rogers, the band delighted fans with the acoustic rendition

The hitmaker has not made any public statements since the alleged plot was uncovered.

Taylor was back on stage this week though, rounding up the European leg of her Eras tour with another string of dates at London's Wembley arena.

The star delighted sold out crowds as she performed with friends Ed Sheeran and Florence Welch during the live dates and made history, becoming the first solo artist to perform eight dates at Wembley in a single tour,
The Danish partygoer who Tommy Fury reportedly kissed during a wild holiday before his split from Molly-Mae Hague has spoken out.

Boxer Tommy, 25, jetted abroad for a holiday in Ohrid, North Macedonia earlier this year where he reportedly kissed a blonde woman in a nightclub, leading Molly-Mae to announce their split last week after five years together.

Onlookers have claimed the boxer 'didn't seem to care' who saw him brazenly kiss the blonde as he downed vodka and partied at a nightclub at 2am.

Jewellery assistant Milla Corfixen, 20, has now denied kissing the Love Island star and insisted: 'He was a proper gentleman.'

Danish partygoer Milla Corfixen who Tommy Fury reportedly kissed during a wild holiday before his split from Molly-Mae Hague has spoken out

Boxer Tommy, 25, jetted abroad for a holiday in Ohrid, North Macedonia earlier this year where he reportedly kissed a blonde woman in a nightclub, leading Molly-Mae to announce their split last week after five years together (stock image)

Speaking to The Sun, Milla said she was shocked when she found out about Tommy and Molly-Mae's split and insisted she will try and talk to the Influencer to share her side of the story.

Milla has revealed she has a boyfriend, while Tommy has previously denied he has cheated on Molly.

'I am the girl but nothing happened. We just had fun,' she has explained. 'I dont know what hes been doing but someone else must have kissed him.'

Danish Milla spends her summers in Ohrid where she has family, and is said to be regular on the party scene in the region.

She revealed that she partied with Tommy and his friends on three separate occasions during the boxer's holiday after meeting him through members of his security team, who she is friends with.

She recommended night spots and beach clubs for the group to party at and later saw them at Latin bar Cuba Libre.

'They invited us to his table and we had fun and that's it. We did not do anything. I would never have done anything with a married man, as he's basically married, with a little child.'

Jewellery assistant Milla Corfixen, 20, has now denied kissing the Love Island star and insisted: 'He was a proper gentleman'

Speaking to The Sun Milla said she was shocked when she found out about Tommy and Molly-Mae's split and insisted she will try and talk to the Influencer to share her side of the story (pictured with their daughter Bambi)

Tommy posed for snaps with fans during his lads holiday in North Macedonia, before it was claimed he cheated on his fiancee Molly-Mae Hague during a night out

She also saw Tommy on his last night of the trip at Omnia club, but she explained: 'We were at the same places but we were not together, although at Cuba Libre we were close. He didn't flirt with me, he was just being friendly.'

Just hours after Milla spoke out, Tommy was also accused of 'sending messages to another woman after spotting her on a night out in Manchester', while he and Molly-Mae were engaged.

A woman called Kay Keogh has shared that while the pair were still together, Tommy sent her a direct message after they met on a night out - and she says she has proof.

Kay took to TikTok to share a screenshot of a message from an account which was allegedly Tommy's, which read: 'Are you in Manchester?'

'I was thinking about whether I should make this video or not, but I am going to,' she said. 'So, me and my friends were out in Manchester and we actually met him [Tommy] one night.

'Basically, we were on a night out with a group of guys and I didn't really put two and two together of who he really was.

'One of the guys asked for my Instagram, which I gave to him. We were all together, but basically after looking at my phone and seeing his name pop up, that's when I realised who he was.

'Obviously, after I saw his name pop up I was thinking 'What the hell'. Then I obviously realised who he was, but I literally have DMs and I don't know whether I should put them out or not.'

In a second video, Kay added: 'So this is part two of the Tommy situation, my friend was there so she is going to explain what happened as well.'

Just hours after Milla spoke out, Tommy was also accused of 'sending messages to another woman after spotting her on a night out in Manchester'

Her friend then said: 'I am not from the UK so I did not recognise him until we looked at the DM and obviously we were on his page.'

It comes after it was reported that devastated Molly-Mae is 'bracing herself' for more girls to come forward with claims that Tommy 'cheated on her' following their shock split.

Molly-Mae is convinced more women will speak up and claim 'Tommy cheated on her with them'.

'Molly-Mae isn't just worried about it, she's expecting it,' a source told The Sun.

'She thinks girls will come forward and claim Tommy cheated with them. She's devastated.'

MailOnline have contacted Molly-Mae and Tommy's representatives for a comment.

On Tuesday, the influencer broke her social media silence after announcing her shock split from Tommy last week.

Returning to Instagram on Tuesday Molly-Mae commented on elder sister Zoe's latest honeymoon snaps saying: 'Stunning pics'.

Tommy, who shares daughter Bambi, 20 months, with the former Love Island star, has denied any cheating claims and has said he is 'horrified' by the 'false allegations'.

Amid the drama, Molly-Mae has been supported by her friends and loved ones, who have been rallying around her at her 3.5million Cheshire mansion.

Molly-Mae was also said to have been growing tired of Tommy 'gallivanting around the world while she was looking after their child', it has been revealed.

In recent months Tommy has travelled to Germany, Hungary, Dubai and North Macedonia.

Friends of the couple say the split was a 'long time coming' as Molly-Mae grew tired of his lifestyle while she looked after Bambi, The Mirror revealed on Sunday.

A source said: 'Problems had been growing for a while. Increasingly, it seemed like they were living two very different lifestyles.'

On August 7, just seven days before their split, Molly-Mae posted a YouTube video in which she said she had been 'struggling' and 'solo parenting' Bambi.

In a candid video posted on social media the Love Island star said she had spent weeks looking after their daughter Bambi on her own while her fiance was working elsewhere.

In recent weeks friends have revealed the couple had gone through a rocky patch and have been leading increasingly separate lives with cracks showing in their normally tight-knit relationship on social media.

In the clip, Molly-Mae explained Tommy had been predominantly absent from their family home while he was recording his audiobook.

She said: 'Actually I've been solo parenting for like, two weeks now, basically because Tommy's just been so busy.

'When he's home from doing work and stuff, he's so incredible and so helpful. I can't say any different, like, he's such an incredible dad, but I have been this week, like, just really mum life has been mum lifing.'

Since the pair's split Molly has been pushing aside her feelings in order to prioritise daughter Bambi's wellbeing.

Molly-Mae's Instagram post in which she says she is 'extremely upset to announce that mine and Tommy's relationship has come to an end'

Tommy shared a separate post in which he asks his followers to 'respect our privacy as we navigate through this difficult time'

For his part, Tommy has denied the claims, saying he is 'horrified' by the 'false allegations'.

Yet MailOnline understands that the reality star is paying it no attention to all the drama and has been pushing her thoughts and feelings about Tommy aside to focus on her 20-month-old daughter.

Amid the drama, Molly-Mae has been supported by her friends and loved ones, who have been rallying around her at her 3.5million Cheshire mansion.

On Monday, the star was visited by fellow influencer Tay Blue, who kept a low-profile in all-black.

The pair then headed out for a drive wearing oversized sunglasses.

Delivery men were also seen dropping off giant boxes of flowers and extravagant bouquets, no doubt sent by sympathetic loved ones.

A source previously told the Mail: 'She's put on a brave face and everyone is telling her she will be a strong single mum.'

Meanwhile Tommy was seen returning to the pair's house on Saturday for a very brief 55 minutes.

Molly shielded her eyes behind huge shades when she left the property shortly after the boxer in her Mercedes-AMG G 63 Magno Edition.

A source previously told the Mail: 'She's put on a brave face and everyone is telling her she will be a strong single mum'

Tommy looked equally despondent as he pulled into the drive way of the house in his 180,000 Mercedes G Wagon at 2:25PM before leaving shortly after at 3:20PM.

Friends of Molly-Mae have since told The Mail her decision was not made in haste and that she is resolute.

No one was as shocked as Tommy himself  who his team insists is 'gutted and will fight to get them back'.

Fans were left bewildered after Molly-Mae announced her split from the boxer on Wednesday after five years together - saying in a statement that she 'never thought our story would end this way'.

She has been seen clearing out their home, with a skip pictured on the drive way this weekend. According to representatives it has been there 'a while.'

The Love Island star ordered boxer Tommy out of their lavish Cheshire pad after discovering he had cheated 'multiple times'.

Neighbours on the exclusive street revealed how Tommy was told to leave as distraught Molly-Mae called time on their five-year romance.

One neighbour told MailOnline: 'You don't see him very often, he comes and goes a lot. But I heard that Molly has thrown him out of the house in the last week or so and he's not living there anymore.'
As Alaska Air and Hawaiian Airlines get one step closer to merging with one another, one expert is warning that flights may get even more expensive.

News broke Tuesday that the US Department of Justice will not mount an antitrust challenge to the $1.9 billion deal that would see Alaska Air take over Hawaiian and its $900 million of debt.

Alaska Air and Hawaiian have both claimed that the proposed acquisition, which would preserve both airline brands, will expand benefits and the number of nonstop routes available for passengers, especially those residing in Hawaii.

Katy Nastro, a spokesperson for flight aggregator site Going.com, said Alaska Air's acquisition could also lead to less budget flights overall.

A 'merger between two airlines - whose route maps have a portion of flights that overlap  would result not in more cheap flights for consumers but, to some extent, fewer,' Nastro told Fox Business.

Alaska Air and Hawaiian Airlines have nudged one step closer to merging with one another now that the Department of Justice has declined to challenge it. Experts have mixed opinions on how this will affect airfare prices in the future

She added that the failed JetBlue-Spirit merger would have been far more disruptive to the overall market.

'If the Justice Department allowed JetBlue and Spirit to merge, there would be one fewer ultra-low-cost carrier helping to pull down prices,' Nastro said.

And a judge agreed, issuing a ruling in March that said the $3.8 billion deal violated antitrust law and would drive up fares.

It's not entirely clear why the DOJ, which has shown an extreme willingness to challenge supposed monopolies, declined the opportunity to block the Alaska-Hawaiian deal.

Especially because if Alaska and Hawaiian were to combine - a prospect that's increasingly likely - they'd make up 8.4 percent of the total domestic market share based on the most recent data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

That's not too far off from the 10 percent JetBlue and Spirit would have controlled if they had merged.

While Clint Henderson, the managing editor of The Points Guy, was surprised that the DOJ let the review period of the Alaska-Hawaiian deal to lapse, he was keen to explain how this merger isn't likely to be 'as anticompetitive as a merger between larger players.'

'In this case, while both airlines are large in the market between Hawaii and the mainland, there is still a lot of competition in the market including from Southwest, Delta, American and United,' Henderson told Fox Business.

Henderson also believes this won't have any major impacts on prices.

'Alaska also has no flights between Hawaiian islands, so that is not a competitive threat. Its mostly Southwest and Hawaiian that operate interisland flights,' he said.

The biggest winners in the merger would be Hawaiian frequent flyers, whose accumulated miles would become a lot more valuable since Alaska Air is part of the premium Oneworld airline alliance.

Hawaiian customers would be able to transfer their miles to luxury partners such as British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Qatar Airways.

The Alaska-Hawaiian deal still needs to be approved by the Department of Transportation, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Both Alaska Air and Hawaiian Holdings, the parent company of Hawaiian Airlines, have been working with the DOT to iron out lingering issues, the filings said.
Ford has abruptly cancelled plans to produce a three-row electric SUV, and has delayed building a new EV plant in Tennessee.

The pullback marks a major shift for the car company, amid slowing demand for electric cars.

Axing the electric SUV and pulling back on its new plant plans could cost the carmaker around $1.9 billion.

The manufacturer will also drop its spending on EVs to 30 percent of its annual investment, down from 40 percent.

Ford will now focus on developing hybrid and more affordable models, the company said on Wednesday.

Ford has bet big on electric vehicles but expects to make loses of $5.5 billion this year

The now-delayed plant in Tennessee, which is still under construction, is meant to be producing a next-gen full-size electric pick-up.

Ford already expects to lose $5.5 billion from its EV unit this year alone.

'This is a tremendous pivot for us, and we're not going to make a tremendous pivot without doing a lot of homework to convince ourselves this is the exact right plan,' CEO Jim Farley said of the shift.

'I'm very confident,' he added.

Ford said shifting its EV strategy, including rethinking its battery-sourcing, is in part due to the need to compete with lower-cost Chinese options.

'An affordable electric vehicle starts with an affordable battery,' Farley said. 'If you are not competitive on battery cost, you are not competitive.'

Despite the pullback Ford's EV business continues to grow, with its Ford F-150 Lightning the best-selling electric truck in the country.

Yet Americans are increasingly put-off by the cost of EVs, concerned by their battery range and increasingly interested in hybrid models.

By focusing more on hybrids, longer ranges more affordable vehicles Ford is aiming to assuage these concerns and meet customers where they are.

'We learned a lot as the No. 2 U.S. electric vehicle brand about what customers want and value, and what it takes to match the best in the world with cost-efficient design, and we have built a plan that gives our customers maximum choice and plays to our strengths,' Farley explained.

Ford said it was focusing more on hybrid vehicles, which have become increasingly popular

'This is a tremendous pivot for us, and we're not going to make a tremendous pivot without doing a lot of homework to convince ourselves this is the exact right plan,' CEO Jim Farley said of the shift

It comes after electric car maker Tesla reported last month its profits dropped 45 percent in the second quarter of the year, as Americans' demand for electric vehicles slows.

In the face of falling interest in EVs, Elon Musk's company had been forced to offer discounts and cut prices to lure in buyers - piling pressure on profit margins.

The electric car manufacturer also had a significant number of unsold vehicles on its books at the end of the first quarter of the year.

The company's global deliveries fell 6.5 percent in the first half of the year as American's demand for EVs has continued to soften.

However, Tesla said it was on track to roll out a cheaper EV, said to cost around $25,000, by early 2025 - which analysts say will boost sales.
LIVINGSTONE, ZAMBIA  The likelihood of reduced choice for decorative coatings in the COMESA member States of Eswatini, Zambia and Zimbabwe has been prevented by the intervention of the COMESA Competition Commission (CCC).

This reduced choice for consumers would have come with the Akzo Nobel NV proposed acquisition of the Decorative Coatings Business of Kansal Plascon East Africa Proprietary Limited and Kansai Plascon Africa Limited in Eswatini, Zambia and Zimbabwe. According to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Competition Commission Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Willard Mwemba, this was the first merger which was prohibited by the CCC and it was prohibited in three COMESA member States; Eswatini, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Dr Mwemba was addressing members of the media from the different COMESA member States gathered at Livingstone, Zambia for their 8th Business Reporters Workshop. The workshop started on Monday and yesterday, the commission held a press conference to highlight some of its work and achievements for the past year.

Producer

It is worth noting that Akzo Nobel NV is a paint producer of which their popular brand in Eswatini is the Dulux Paint, while Kansai Plascon is also another paint producer of the popular Plascon paint. Both brands are sold countrywide. The merger was notified to the CCC in 2022. It involved merging parties who were active in the manufacture and supply of decorative and industrial coatings in the Common Market. It was noted from the analysis that the merging parties were each others closest competitors in terms of price and quality, and that the merger would substantially lessen competition in the common market. It is important to state at this point that, competition regulators seek to ensure where a proposed merger raises competition concerns, those concerns should not outweigh the procompetitive effects and public interest considerations envisaged in that market. In this present merger, which the CCC prohibited, the following concerns were noted.

Strengthening

According to the CEO, the merger would have resulted in the creation and/or strengthening of market power in the broad market for decorative coatings.Dr Mwemba said the popularity of the brands of the merging parties and their perceived quality level would have led to no effective substitutes to whom customers and or retailers could reasonably turn to if the merged entity were to engage in abusive conduct.He said the merging entities proposed remedies to these competition concerns, which were observed in Eswatini, Zambia and Zimbabwe. However, the remedies were not (in the CCCs view) sufficient to address the competition concerns and hence the prohibition. The Competition Commission of South Africa also had an opportunity to review the merger, on aspects affecting the South Africa jurisdiction, and they too observed similar concerns as noted by the CCC, thus resulting in a prohibition in that country. Another intervention by the CCC in 2023 was involving Heineken/Distell/ Namibia Breweries Merger.

Transaction

This merger transaction was notified to the CCC in July 2022. It involved the increase of shareholdings by Heineken in Namibia Breweries and acquisition of Distells flavoured alcoholic beverages, wine and spirits businesses. The CCC noted that the three parties to the merger were all active in the production and distribution of various types of alcoholic beverages and some non-alcoholic beverages within the common market of the COMESA Region. There were various competition concerns identified by the CCC with respect to this transaction in particular COMESA member States, Eswatini, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It was noted that Heineken and Distell were the only two significant suppliers of ciders at the time of the consideration of the merger, thus this merger could lead to monopolisation of the ciders market in Eswatini, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It was also particularly noted as follows: In Eswatini, the merging parties were effective rivals in the ciders markets and thus the transaction could result in eliminating all effective competition.



Alternative

In Zambia and Zimbabwe, it was noted that Heinekens brand accounted for a relatively small share of the market, however, its presence on the market offered an alternative choice to consumers of the Distell brands. In his address, Dr Mwemba said the CCC, having taken note of the competition concerns, issued a conditional approval of the merger to ensure that competition is maintained in the market, in light of the merger. Competition authorities usually issue conditions in transactions where they note competition concerns. However, these concerns can be managed.Thus, the adjudicative arm of the CCC, the Committee Responsible for Initial Determination, issued conditions of divestiture, being the first substantial divestiture to be imposed by the CCC, and behavioural remedies (which included the restriction on bundling of beer and cider brands) and requiring an objective criterion in appointment of distributors.

The divestiture involved the selection of Cider House Investments Proprietary Limited (CHI) as the buyer for Heinekens Strongbow business in Eswatini, Zambia, and Zimbabwe in December 2023. CHI is a partnership between Signal Hill Products Holdings Proprietary Limited and Livor Investments Proprietary Limited. An extensive assessment was carried out by the CCC to ensure that the terms and conditions of the Trademark Licence Agreement would not affect the ability of CHI to manufacture and distribute Strongbow as an independent competitive brand in the affected member States and thus, its ability to establish and effectively compete in the common market.

Agreement

Furthermore, the parties committed to amending the Trademark Licence Agreement to make it clear that any restrictions on passive sales referred to in their agreement shall not be applicable in any part of the COMESA. Another intervention reported was the COMESA Competition Commission imposing fine on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and beIN Media Group LLC for Breach of the COMESA Competition Regulations. CAF is the governing body of football in Africa and has 54 member associations, which includes the national football associations of the African countries. It has exclusive rights to organise a number of competitions in Africa. Africa Cup of Nations is one such competition.
India is a high-performing market for Adobe in Asia-Pacific region and among the fastest-growing globally, Adobe India Vice-President and Managing Director, Prativa Mohapatra has said, adding that momentum on productivity, creativity and personalisation are driving digital opportunities across new sectors.

In an interview to PTI, Mohapatra said India is a big innovation hub and a great market for Adobe.

Adobe in India is a microcosm of Adobe as a whole... Today we have research, we have products and the market... And it is the second-largest base for Adobe, beyond the US, Mohapatra said, asserting that the companys focus on talent and infrastructure investments in the country, continue.

Describing Artificial Intelligence as very transformative technology, she said the company is of the firm belief that AI has to be responsible.

Technologies that are transformative have to be really dealt with very responsibly, Mohapatra said, pointing out that the company operates within AI-ethics framework of accountability, responsibility, and transparency.

The power of digital has turned every business into a technology business irrespective of the sector they operate in, she further said.

We as Adobe, and India in particular, are in space where we are focused on productivity, creativity and experience, and that is where the opportunity lies. The opportunity is how do we make everyone creative, how do we bring productivity across business and people, and how do we upgrade personalised experiences for every customer, Mohapatra said.

Businesses are experiencing AI-driven experiential growth, and new age technologies are set to unleash the power of personalisation.

In terms of evolution, the era of experience... Personalisation is here, she said.

For three consecutive years now, India has been the best-performing market in the Asia Pacific region for Adobe India and one of the fastest-growing markets globally, she said.

So that is really a great place to be in, and demand continues to be across sectors.

A couple of years back, the demand was in sectors like banking and financial services, and in travel and transportation... These consumer-driven industries were early adopters of our technology... The good news is that B2B sectors are now adopting digital... Growth is expanding and we are unlocking new sectors, she said.

The governments sharp focus on technology and digitisation have also opened up opportunities in areas such as citizen services and e-governance.

I am sure that with all the focus that the government has on technology, there will be lot of opportunities in that space in reaching out to citizens, bringing e-governance and productivity at scale, Mohapatra said.

Organisations have started acknowledging the power of digital in driving business momentum, she said.

We are tracking where can digital use cases become real... New ways of digital use are emerging, say, in how you buy your new car, or how you experience a new washing machine, she said.

Smaller cities and towns are offering massive runway for growth.

Tier 2-3 cities are emerging as growth drivers, as tech companies are going into these markets. Also, there are skills available in smaller cities, and accordingly a lot of growth potential.

Even the government is talking about skill-building and that is another big positive we are seeing in the market.

At the same time policy frameworks are getting more and more user-friendly, and organisation-friendly, Mohapatra said on the business drivers.
Government's decision to grant a 20 per cent premium on natural gas from the state owned new wells has added complexity to the gas pricing regime

The decision of the Union Government to grant a 20 per cent premium over the APM price (a jargon for administered or controlled price) for any natural gas (NG) that state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Oil India Limited (OIL) will produce from the new wells or well interventions from their nominated fields has made the NG pricing more complicated. It is an outcome of a thought process that focuses on unshackling the oil and gas industry from price controls to start with but ends up exercising more controls.

Every year, India consumes 59.5 billion cubic metres (bcm) of NG. Of this, nearly 54 per cent or 32.13 bcm is produced domestically, and the balance is met from imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Of the domestic gas, around two-thirds is from blocks given on nomination to ONGC and OIL and from fields given under the New Exploration and Licensing Policy (NELP) (launched in 1999) as well as those given to private firms before the NELP. NG supplies from the aforementioned fields (known in common parlance as legacy fields) are governed by a particular pricing regime. Before April 2023, under the pricing guidelines effective since November 2014, supplies from these fields used to be a weighted average (WA) of prices of NG at four international locations: Henry Hub (the USA), Alberta Gas (Canada), NBP (National Balancing Point) (the UK), and Russian Gas. The prices used for arriving at the WA were over twelve months. It was revised every six months in a financial year (FY).

The four global hubs have fairly mature gas markets and the prices obtained there are pretty reasonable. Moreover, considering that the prices for twelve consecutive months were used for arriving at the WA, it smoothened out the month-to-month variations thereby ensuring that the price to the consumers was stable. From April 1, 2023, the government changed the above system based on the recommendations of the Kirit Parikh committee (2022). Under the new formula, for any given month, the price expressed per million British thermal units (Btu) (energy units used globally for setting NG prices) is arrived at by taking 10 per cent of the monthly average of the basket of Indian crude oil in the preceding month. The price thus calculated is subject to a price band of US$4 - 6.50 per Btu.The shift to link the price of NG with the crude oil price is flawed as natural gas is not a replacement for crude oil. The pricing of NG has to be on its own, especially when nearly half of the gas is used for urea production and power generation. Given the intimate connection of these sectors to food security and the need for affordable electricity (especially, for farmers and poor household consumers) and heavy subsidies are involved, the gas price has to be reasonable and stable. While the earlier formula met both these requirements, the new one effective from April 2023 doesnt as the volatility in crude prices and monthly revisions in NG price linked to crude can create uncertainties for both sectors. To avoid this, the government has put a price band.

What this means is even when the price determined based on crude linkage turns out to be higher (at the current Indian basket price of USD 77 per barrel, the NG price comes to US$ 7.7 per Btu) than the ceiling of US$ 6.50 per Btu, the price will be set at US$ 6.50 per mBtu. Given the movement in crude price since April 2023 and considering that in the near term, it will continue to rule well above US$ 75 per barrel, the formula-based price will always be much more than US$ 6.50 per Btu. So, the ceiling price will be the price to consumers thus rendering the formula redundant. Effectively, thus there is control on the gas price for two-thirds of domestic production and that too at a level, the government wants. One wonders whether a premium of 20 per cent allowed on gas supplied from the so-called new wells or well interventions in the nomination fields of ONGC and OIL will make any difference to the situation on the ground.

Applying a 20 per cent premium to the formula-determined price of US$ 7.7 per mBtu (77x0.1), we get US$ 9.24 per mBtu. But, then there is a cap of US$ 6.50 per mBtu. So, the price remains at US$ 6.50 per Btu. The purpose of giving premiums is defeated.On the other hand, if the government intends to build a 20 per cent premium on the ceiling price and give US$ 7.8 per mBtu then, it makes no sense to put a cap in the first place. The moot point is: if anyway ONGC and OIL are to be given a good price, let this be driven solely by the formula and putting a cap is unwarranted.

At least, there is an element of predictability; firms on their own can calculate as to what price they will be getting. But, here we have an APM price namely US$ 6.50 per mBtu (call it base price) that is arrived solely at the discretion of the bureaucrat. And, yet another price for supplies from the so-called new wells or well interventions which is arrived at by adding 20 per cent to this. This too is at the discretion of the bureaucrat. Moreover, which fields get the benefit of interventions will also be at his discretion.

Even the pricing of the remaining one-third of domestic NG supplied from the so-called deep/ultra-deep and high-pressure/high-temperature fields (KG-D6 operated by Reliance Industries and neighbouring KG-DWN-98/2 operated by ONGC in Krishna-Godavari basin off the Andhra Pradesh coast fall in this category) isnt free from discretion and arbitrariness. Technically though, the firms can go for competitive bidding to determine the price for such supplies (referred to as a premium price), this too is subject to a ceiling linked to the prices of alternate fuels including fuel oil, naphtha, and LNG. On taking charge in 2014, the Modi  government started the process of reforming gas pricing by introducing formula-based pricing for legacy gas and thereafter in 2016 by permitting market-based pricing for supplies from deep/ultra-deep and high-pressure/high-temperature fields. But, it has ended up exercising control of both. Meanwhile, the Kirit Parikh committee had recommended the de-regulation of difficult gas fields prices by January 1, 2026, and the de-regulation of APM prices for gas supplies from the legacy fields by January 1, 2027. But, the government is silent on these recommendations. In fact, by adding more categories (read: new wells and well interventions), it has given a signal that the administered/controlled pricing regime for NG and attendant bureaucratic red tape is here to stay.

Delivering the 75th Independence Day address on August 15, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the country a target to achieve self-reliance in energy production by boosting the gas-based economy (besides giving a push to electric mobility and hydrogen production). He wanted the share of NG in the total energy mix to go up from the current around 6 per cent to 15 per cent. But, in the absence of a stable and predictable policy environment particularly when it comes to themost crucial aspect of pricing of gas, this wont be possible.

(The writer is a policy analyst; views are persona)
The silent struggles of healthcare workers, often overlooked, reveal a disturbing reality of increasing violence in hospitals and clinics

During his Independence Day address, the Chief Justice of Telangana proudly announced that he had recommended a Protection of Advocates Act to the state government. The applause that followed made me think of the resident doctors marching through the rain in Delhi, gathering their courage to demand a law that protects healthcare professionals from the increasing violence in spaces that are supposed to be the safest.

In 2019, the draft Healthcare Service Personnel & Clinical Establishments Bill was introduced, seeking to penalise those who assault healthcare workers. However, the Home Ministry opposed it, stating that no separate law was necessary for doctors. A Right to Information (RTI) response from the Health Ministry later revealed that the draft Bill had been withdrawn. On July 26, 2024, the Health Minister further rejected the idea of a central law, asserting in the Lok Sabha that the newly enacted BNS and BNSS laws provided adequate protection for medical professionals.

Despite this, healthcare professionals anger is justified. Why doesnt the public show the same solidarity as they did during the Nirbhaya case, where the horrific rape and murder of a physiotherapy student led to nationwide outrage? Even amid a national strike by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) over the rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata, another tragedy was overlookedthe brutal killing of a nurse, a single mother, who went missing from a hospital in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand. Her body was found in Uttar Pradesh after she had been strangled and bludgeoned to death.

Similarly, in Gujarat in 2020, an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) worker was raped while on duty. According to a study published in the *Journal of Global Health Reports*, 32% of ASHA workers face sexual violence, while 88% experience emotional and economic abuse. Disturbingly, 12% report sexual violence from their husbands, and 64% from beneficiaries and their families.

These incidents highlight the pervasive threat healthcare workers face. Last year, a doctor allegedly raped a nurse at a clinic in northeast Delhi. In another case, a Bhopal doctor was accused of confining and raping a 19-year-old patient. Just recently, at the same medical college in Bhopal, a resident doctor was suspended for inappropriate behavior with a cancer patient. Violence against healthcare workers also extends beyond sexual violence. Last month in Manipur, armed assailants attacked a children's hospital, and two weeks later, a patient was shot dead at Delhi's GTB Hospital due to mistaken identity.

These violent acts, whether committed against doctors, nurses, paramedics, or patients, must be addressed with the same urgency and seriousness. However, the IMA has yet to make a statement regarding the rape and murder of the nurse in Rudrapur. Have they suspended the membership of the Principal of RG Kar Medical College, implicated in the Kolkata case? Has the Indian Orthopaedic Association (IOA) taken action against its accused member?

A journalist recently tweeted during a doctors' protest, asking where the female doctors were in leadership positions. This raises a crucial point. According to a study published in PLOS Global Public Health, out of 46 professional medical associations in India, only 9 (less than 20%) are headed by women. Neither the Academy of Hospital Administration (AHA) nor the IOA has ever had a female president. This is despite women demonstrating remarkable leadership in healthcareboth my hospital and medical college are currently led by women doctors, and more than 50% of the heads of departments are women. Clearly, women are capable of leading in healthcare, but they remain underrepresented in top positions. Of the 64 individuals currently serving as presidents and secretaries of the 32 state chapters of the IMA, only three are women.

Its time to move beyond token representation. Women doctorsmust be given more leadership opportunities. One of the most balanced and comprehensive statements on the issue of healthcare violence has come from Women in Global Health India. Their statement calls for an end to sexual violence in all healthcare settings, and it emphasizes that anyonewhether doctor, nurse, paramedic, or even political party memberwho commits such violence must face severe consequences.

Eleanor Roosevelt, who played a key role in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, once famously said that human rights begin in small, often overlooked places.

In the context of todays healthcare system, that means the seminar room of RG Kar Medical College or the private hospital in Rudrapurspaces where violence has occurred, but which remain untouched by reforms.

(The writer is director-professor at the University College of Medical Sciences and a disability justice advocate. Views are personal)
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Monday held wide-ranging talks with Commander-in-Chief of Russian Navy Admiral Aleksandr Moiseev with a focus on boosting maritime cooperation between the two sides. Admiral Moiseev is on a visit to India.

The discussions underscored mutual commitment towards enhancing maritime security, deepening strategic cooperation and fostering a stronger defence partnership between the two nations, the headquarters of Integrated Defence Staff said.

Indian Navys Frontline Frigate INS Tabar visited St. Petersburg in Russia last month, in reflection of growing maritime security ties between the two sides. The ship participated in the 328th Russian Navy Day Parade celebrations.

The visit by INS Tabar was aimed at strengthening the longstanding friendship and exploring newer avenues of bolstering maritime ties, the Indian Navy had said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said he was looking forward to sharing perspectives with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.

The Prime Ministers comments came on Wednesday shortly before he embarked on a two-nation trip to Poland and Ukraine.

Modi on Wednesday said his maiden visit to Poland will add momentum to the bilateral friendship and benefit the people of the two countries as he arrived here on the first leg of his two-nation visit during which he will also travel to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

Modi, who will meet Polands President Andrzej Sebastian Duda and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Donald Tusk, said he was looking forward to the various programmes in the Polish capital here.

Landed in Poland. Looking forward to the various programmes here. This visit will add momentum to the India-Poland friendship and benefit the people of our nations, Modi said in a post on X soon after his arrival at the Warsaw military airport here.

On the first leg of the visit, Modi is visiting Polish capital city of Warsaw on August 21 and 22.

Modi will be in Kyiv for around seven hours on August 23 in the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine since the country became independent in 1991.

In a departure statement, Modi, referring to the Ukraine conflict, said as a friend and partner, India hopes for an early return of peace and stability in the region.

From Poland, I will be visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine, he said.

I look forward to the opportunity to build upon earlier conversations with President Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict, he said.

As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region, he added.

Modi said he was confident that his visit to Warsaw and Kyiv will serve as a natural continuation of extensive contacts with the two countries and help create the foundation for stronger and more vibrant relations in the years ahead.

The Prime Minister will travel to Kyiv from Poland in a Rail Force One train that will take around 10 hours. The return trip will also be of the same duration.

A number of world leaders including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Kyiv by train after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Modis visit to Kyiv comes nearly six weeks after his high-profile trip to Moscow which drew criticism from the US and some of its Western allies. India has been calling for resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

In his summit talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month, Modi said a solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield and peace talks do not succeed amidst bombs and bullets.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday said Modis visit to Ukraine would be a landmark and historic one.

Lasting peace can only be achieved through options that are acceptable to both parties. And it can only be a negotiated settlement, said Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) in the MEA.

On our part, India continues to engage with all stakeholders, he said.

My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe, he said.

Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship. I look forward to meeting my friend Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda to further advance our partnership, he said.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Tuesday cancelled its advertisement for recruitment to bureaucracy through lateral entry following a directive to this effect from the Centre. The cancellation comes amid a political row erupting over the issue.

The UPSC had on August 17 issued a notification for recruiting 45 Joint Secretaries, directors and Deputy Secretaries through lateral entry  referred to as appointment of specialists (including those from the private sector) in the Government departments.

This move had drawn criticism from the Opposition parties, which claimed it undermined the reservation rights of SCs, STs and OBCs.

It is for information of all concerned that the advertisement pertaining to lateral recruitment for 45 posts at the level of Joint Secretary/director/Deputy Secretary in different departments published in the Employment News, various newspapers and on the website of the Commission on August 17, 2024 stands cancelled as requested by the requisitioning authority, read a cancellation notice by the UPSC.

Earlier in the day, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh wrote to UPSC chairperson Preeti Sudan asking her to cancel the advertisement so that marginalised communities get their rightful representation in Government services.

In the letter, Singh made it clear that for Prime Minister Narendra Modi reservation in public employment is a cornerstone of our social justice framework aimed at addressing historical injustices and promoting inclusivity.

Since these positions have been treated as specialised and designated as single-cadre posts, there has been no provision for reservation in these appointments. This aspect needs to be reviewed and reformed in the context of the Prime Ministers focus on ensuring social justice, he said.

I urge the UPSC to cancel the advertisement for lateral entry recruitment issued on 17.8.2024, he said.

Singh said this step would be a significant advance in the pursuit of social justice and empowerment. It is well known that, as a principle, lateral entry was endorsed by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission which was constituted in 2005 under Veerappa Moily as its Chairperson. The recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission in 2013 were also in the same direction, he points out. However, both before and after that there have been many cases of high-profile lateral entry, Singhs letter mentioned.

Under earlier Governments, posts as important as that of Secretary in various Ministries, leadership of UIDAI, etc, have been given to lateral entrants without following any process of reservations, Singh said.

Further, it is well known that the members of the infamous National Advisory Council used to run a super-bureaucracy that controlled the Prime Ministers Office, he said.

While most of the major lateral entries before 2014 were made in an ad hoc manner, including cases of alleged favouritism, the efforts of our government have been to make the process an institutionally-driven one, transparent and open, the Minister said.

Further, the Prime Minister is of the firm belief that the process of lateral entry must be aligned with the principles of equity and social justice enshrined in the Constitution, particularly concerning the provisions of reservation, Singh said.

Meanwhile, reacting to the latest development, Union Minister Chirag Paswan asserted that the Modi Government at the Centre has reaffirmed its commitment towards the SCs, STs and OBCs by asking the UPSC to withdraw the advertisement for lateral entry into the bureaucracy.

Addressing a Press conference in Patna, Paswan also slammed the Congress-led Opposition for selective criticism of the ruling NDA and accused the previous Governments of failure to fill up posts reserved for the deprived castes.

I thank my Prime Minister for seeking cancellation of lateral entry on behalf of my Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). This Government has set a precedent. We hope regimes of the future will show a similar sensitivity to public sentiments, Paswan said.

Asked about the criticism being faced by the Government over the issue, he said, When the Opposition points an accusing finger at us, it needs to remember three fingers get pointed at it. Why didnt these parties, while in power, ensure recruitments against posts reserved for SCs, STs and OBCs?

In apparent reference to the issue, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the Congress would protect the Constitution and the reservation system at all costs and foil conspiracies of the BJP.

We will protect the Constitution and the reservation system at all costs. We will foil the BJPs conspiracies like that of lateral entry at any cost, Gandhi said in a social media post in Hindi.

I am saying it again - by removing the 50 per cent reservation cap, we will ensure social justice based on caste census, the former Congress chief said.




Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal on Tuesday said that as many as 2,03,27,631 voters in the State will be able to exercise their right to vote in the Assembly election. Out of these, 1,08,19,021 are male, 95,08,155 are female, and 455 are third-gender voters.



Agarwal said that tThere are 4,82,896 young voters in the 18 to 19 age group. Similarly, there are 1,49,387 voters with disabilities, and 2,42,818 voters who are over 85 years old. Also, there are 9,554 voters who are over 100 years old. The 20 to 29 age group includes 41,52,806 voters, he added.



The Election Commission of India has declared the schedule for the Haryana Legislative Assembly general elections. The official notification for the election will be issued on September 5, 2024.



Talking to reporters, the Chief Electoral Officer said that nomination papers can be filed until September 12. The scrutiny of nomination papers will be done on September 13, 2024, and candidates can withdraw their nominations until September 16. Voting in the state will be held on October 1 and the counting of votes will take place on October 4.



He also said that the final voter list will be published on August 27. If the names of young individuals who turned 18 by July 1, are not on the voter list, they should contact their respective BLO and complete the necessary form to get their vote registered. The last date to receive nomination papers is September 12, and applications for voter registration can be submitted up to September 2.



Agarwal said there will be 20,629 polling booths in the state, of which 7,132 will be in urban areas and 13,497 in rural areas. These polling booths have been set up at 10,495 locations across the state.



He further said that Haryana has 90 assembly constituencies, out of which 17 are reserved constituencies. Furthermore, candidates can spend up to Rs 40 lakh on their election campaign. They must provide details of a separate bank account to the District Election Officer for this purpose. Apart from this , candidates and political parties must publicly disclose any criminal background of their candidates in newspapers and on TV news channels at least three times. This information must be published between August 16 and September 30. Political parties must also display this information on their official websites as well.



He stated that candidates can use the "Suvidha App" to get approvals for election rallies, roadshows, helipads, etc. Voters can use the "KYC App" to get information about the background of their candidates and a special app called "Saksham" has been developed to assist voters with disabilities , he added.
Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva on Tuesday criticized the Aam Aadmi Party government over the water logging situation in Delhi following the rains, saying the people of Delhi are once again suffering due to the negligence of the Delhi government. The onset of rain leads to water logging, submerging most areas of Delhi.

He said the rains on Tuesday morning rain caused waterlogging from Badarpur to ITO, from I.T.O. to Mundka, from Chhatarpur to Sangam Vihar, from Badarpur to Karkardooma, and from Vasant Kunj to Najafgarh. As Delhiites headed to work, they were surrounded by water, and the city came to a standstill until the afternoon.

Sachdeva mentioned that an auto driver narrowly escaped a fatal accident under the Minto Bridge, and a similar situation was seen at the Zakhira underpass.

BJP state chief said the Delhi Government, its Jal Board, and their 60 MLAs have failed to address the issue of water logging, which has turned the entire city into a slum cluster.

Expressing deep concern over the water logging, he said in the upcoming Assembly elections, the Kejriwal government's failure to address water logging problem and provide clean drinking water will be a major issues.

Due to the negligence of the Aam Aadmi Party government, accidents are continuously occurring in Delhi, but the Kejriwal government is not taking any concrete steps to address the issue, he claimed.

Sachdeva said, "This is 100% government negligence. The Delhi government is only interested in corruption and has no concern for the lives of the people. Why has the Delhi government become an enemy of its citizens?"

He added that the Kejriwal government does not act in time, and when situations like water logging occur in Delhi, they only stage dramas on the streets for photo opportunities.

The Delhi BJP President demanded that a list of permanent water logging sites be prepared, and security marshals be deployed there to prevent people from approaching such sensitive locations.

He said if the Kejriwal government could take a break from indulging in corruption and looting the people of Delhi, then they might make some decisions in the interest of the citizens.
Delhi police and security authorities were yet again on high alert on Tuesday as bomb threat emails targeted multiple locations, including around 50 private and government and hospitals such as AIIMS, Safdarjung, Apollo, Moolchand, Max and Sir Ganga Ram hospitals and upscale malls like Chanakya Mall, Select CityWalk, Ambience Mall, DLF, and Cinepolis.

A police officer said the pattern of these threat emails matches with those sent earlier to hospitals, schools, universities and other government buildings, where the sender did not mention the dateline in the email.

Tuesday's mail threat warned that explosives would go off in a few hours, prompting authorities to launch searches on their premises, police officials said.

A call was received at 1.04 pm from a hospital in Nangloi and another from Primus Hospital at 1.07 pm in central Delhi's Chanakya Puri informing that they had received bomb threats, a Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official said.A thorough checking is being conducted by teams of the police, the dog squad, and bomb disposal squad while fire tenders were rushed to the spots.

The mailing list mentioned around 50 government and private hospitals, including AIIMS, Safdarjung, Apollo, Moolchand, Max, Primus, AAkash Healthcare, Venkateshwar, and Sir Ganga Ram hospitals, police said.

"We have placed many explosives inside your building. They are placed in black backpacks. The bombs are set to go off in a few hours," the email, sent through Gmail at 12.04 pm, stated.

"You will end up in a pool of blood, none of you deserve to keep living. Everyone inside the building will lose their lives. I incessantly have nothing other than scam for humanity. Today will be your last day on earth," it said.
Blinken's latest Mideast tour unlikely to bridge Israel-Hamas divide over Gaza ceasefire deal, analysts say

Xinhua) 13:10, August 21, 2024

CAIRO, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken left Qatar on Tuesday night, concluding his ninth tour to the Middle East since the outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over 10 months ago. Like his previous eight trips, this one has hardly achieved anything.

Before arriving in Qatar, Blinken visited Israel and Egypt. His tour comes at a time when the world expects urgent progress toward a Gaza ceasefire, as the Palestinian death toll in the enclave has surpassed 40,000. Concerns over a wider conflict have intensified after Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah vowed retaliation against Israel following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and the killing of senior Hezbollah military commander Fouad Shokor in Beirut's southern suburbs at the end of July.

Despite Blinken's warning that the latest push for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal was "probably the best, possibly the last opportunity" at the start of his latest tour, there has been no advancement on the horizon. Israel continued to strike Gaza on Tuesday, and Hamas has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing an agreement by imposing new conditions and demands, indicating a lack of progress toward reconciliation.

DISPUTES UNRESOLVED

The latest round of Gaza ceasefire negotiations took place in Doha last week with the U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators having issued a joint statement that the talks had made "constructive" progress and that relevant parties would continue their efforts this week to negotiate the details of the deal's implementation.

After meeting with Netanyahu on Monday, Blinken announced that Netanyahu had accepted a bridging proposal aimed at narrowing Israel's differences with Hamas. Speaking to the press at Doha airport on Tuesday, Blinken vowed to "do everything possible" in the coming days to "get Hamas on board with the bridging proposal."

On Monday night, U.S. President Joe Biden accused Hamas of "backing away" from a potential hostage deal with Israel that could halt the ongoing fighting in Gaza, according to Israeli media.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Hamas called Biden's remarks "misleading," which reflect complete American bias toward Israel and serve as a renewed green light for the Israeli government to "commit more crimes against defenseless civilians in pursuit of the goals of exterminating and displacing our people."

Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University, said that "reports which reflect optimism are very much exaggerated or express wishful thinking rather than realistic situation."

"The gap between the two sides (Israel and Hamas) is very wide, particularly regarding Philadelphi Corridor and Israel's demand that the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) stay there in the day after," he said.

"The Americans, deep in their mind, know that the gap between Israel and Hamas is very deep," he added.

Kheir Diabat, a professor from the International Affairs Department at Qatar University, said, "Despite the declared optimism from the American side, American mediation could not solve the problem between Hamas and Israel, because reaching an agreement will not be easy due to the fundamental differences between them."

Fighting continued on the ground in Gaza on Tuesday, with the IDF saying that they had killed approximately 40 militants in Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip, through a combination of close-quarters combat and airstrikes.

NO WEIGHTY PRESSURE FROM U.S.

Rounds of ceasefire talks have repeatedly stalled since the outbreak of the conflict. Israel insists that the conflict can only end with the complete dismantling of Hamas, while Hamas demands a permanent ceasefire rather than a temporary one.

According to Mostafa Amin, an Egyptian researcher on Arab and international affairs, the failure of U.S. mediation in the Middle East and its inability to solve the problem from the outset until now arise from the lack of real pressure from Washington on Israel to stop the war, while it continues to supply Israel with weapons to kill the Palestinians.

Amin said that Netanyahu and the far-right officials in the Israeli government had realized that the Biden administration is unable to apply meaningful pressure on Israel due to its preoccupation with the upcoming presidential election and its unwillingness to jeopardize relations with Israel.

In reviewing U.S.-Israel relations since the outbreak of the ongoing Gaza conflict, there have been notable public rifts between Biden and Netanyahu. However, experts believe that their disagreement was more about political maneuvering for domestic electorates than a substantive clash over Gaza.

In May, the Biden administration announced a pause in the shipment of heavy weapons to the Israeli government out of concerns over its plans to attack Rafah. However, this move now appears to have been more of a smokescreen. Blinken's latest Middle East tour comes just days after the Pentagon revealed that he approved a potential sale of fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel, valued at over 20 billion U.S. dollars, on Aug. 13.

"I don't believe the United States genuinely seeks sincere, authentic, lasting, and sustainable peace in the region," said Baris Doster, an academic at Istanbul's Marmara University.

Were such a peace to be achieved, the United States would have no reason to remain in the Middle East and would lose the basis for its presence there, he noted.

According to Doster, the instability in the Middle East serves several key interests for the United States: securing access to the region's energy resources and routes for exploitation; addressing Israel's security needs; countering the influence of other major countries; pursuing regime change in Iran; and facilitating arms sales in the region.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
MBABANE - The Eswatini International Trade Fair will host the Gospel Worship Experience on Sunday, September 1, 2024, featuring the South African Gospel ensemble Worship House.

Created by Bishop Isaac Dagada in 2003, the award-winning, Limpopo-based Worship House has since released numerous albums of high-energy Gospel music. Gates will open at 10am with a supporting act from Phathwakahle, one of Eswatinis most popular Gospel artists. The event will take place at the Mavuso Trade and Exhibition Centre. Siphesihle Nkhabindze, Trade Fair Spokesperson, said, The Gospel Worship Experience to be hosted on September 1, 2024, is not to be missed. We look forward to having local Gospel on the line-up. We are also delighted to be having Worship House as part of the show. They will bring some regional talent to the fore, as they lead us in praise and worship together with our local talent. We encourage Gospel lovers from around Eswatini and the region to come out in their numbers to attend this worship experience on the third day of the Trade Fair.

Decision

Tickets will cost E100 for adults and E30 for children. No VIP tickets will be sold. Fans can buy tickets on the Eswatini International Trade Fair (EITF) App by selecting the tickets tab. Tickets will also be available at the gate on September 1, 2024. Nkhabindze concludes, We have decided to open gates at 10am to allow the public seamless entry into the venue. We also want to create a family atmosphere by hosting this show primarily during the day, with performances going into the late afternoon and early evening. The decision to do this is driven by an understanding of the Gospel community, which prefers to enjoy their choice of music in a family environment. We want every member of the family to enjoy the line-up we have prepared.

The Eswatini International Trade Fair is Eswatinis biggest trade show. In 2024, it runs from August 30 to September 8, featuring business exhibitions and seminars, sports, music, family entertainment, cultural dance, government services and more. Those who would like to stay updated on the Eswatini International Trade Fair can visit the Eswatini International Trade Fair LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram pages for more information.
In Bhopal, junior doctors of Hamidia Hospital set up a parallel OPD outside the main building, where patients were attended. Doctors are protesting across the country against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata on August 8.

The Junior Doctors Association (JUDA) said that we have withdrawn the strike respecting the High Court's order. But, we will continue our protest by running a parallel OPD. Earlier on Monday, junior doctors had protested against the Kolkata incident by taking out a bike rally.

JUDA spokesperson Kuldeep Gupta said that after the court's order, junior doctors have returned to work, and we are attending patients by running our parallel OPD. If the patient is in an emergency condition, we are referring to specialist doctors from all departments present here.

More than 50 doctors are doing OPD. Our priority was earlier, is still there and will remain so in future that the patient does not suffer any kind of harm.

We are constantly seeing that we are upset with the indifferent attitude of the Kolkata government, and are also demanding the Central Doctor Protection Act.

Junior doctors ended the strike after the order of the High Court in Madhya Pradesh. Junior doctors had stopped work from 12 midnight on August 15. About 46 hours later, they announced the end of the strike. Actually, on August 9, a trainee doctor was raped and murdered in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College. Violence took place in the same hospital late on the night of 14 August, after which IMA decided to protest across the country.

Earlier on August 17 afternoon, the High Court had ordered the junior doctors to end the strike. The court said that they should withdraw their strike by August 20. The bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Sach Deva and Justice Vinay Saraf said that this method of strike is not right at all. If someone is dying, will you give them medicine after two days? The High Court had advised the doctors to return to work.

Meanwhile, after the case of rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued an advisory for all the hospitals in the country, in which it has been said that security arrangements in hospitals should be tightened further. Keeping in mind the security challenges in government hospitals, instructions have been issued to take several steps.
In response to the growing influx of Lord Ram devotees into Ayodhya, the Yogi Adityanath government is fortifying the city with advanced high-tech security measures.

The comprehensive security plan includes placing Ayodhya under extensive CCTV surveillance, ensuring both the safety of pilgrims and the maintenance of cleanliness.

This system also allows authorities to monitor suspects from the Command and Control Centre while also keeping an eye on the basic amenities provided by the municipal corporation at intersections and streets.

The Yogi Adityanath government has already linked CCTV cameras installed outside homes, businesses, hotels, and offices to the control room in Amaniganj.

Following the installation of Ram Lalla idol in the Ayodhya temple, there has been a significant surge in the number of devotees visiting from across the country and abroad.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has emphasised that Ayodhya should be adorned and beautified in a way that inspires every visitor to return repeatedly.

In line with this vision, the municipal corporation has taken a major initiative under the Safe City project. The municipal corporation teams are actively encouraging local residents and traders to link their cameras to the monitoring room of the Command and Control Centre.

Under the Safe City project, the responsibility for implementing the citys security and monitoring systems has been assigned to Allied Digital Services Limited, with the project valued at Rs 8.49 crore.

As part of this initiative, roadside cameras have been connected to the server at the ITMS office in Jalkal. A total of 312 locations were identified for this project, and 1,324 CCTV cameras have been connected.

These cameras will enable comprehensive monitoring from the control room, not only ensuring cleanliness but also overseeing other essential services.

The municipal corporation employees will be stationed in the control room to relay information about the citys sanitation, water leakage, and streetlight issues to relevant departments. Upon receiving alerts, the municipal corporation personnel will promptly address and resolve the issues on-site.

The cameras being installed are expected to significantly enhance security in Ayodhya. These cameras will enable continuous monitoring of incidents across the city, providing valuable support to law enforcement in investigating and resolving cases. The project is also viewed as highly effective in ensuring the safety of the increasing number of devotees visiting Ayodhya.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the jail authorities here to treat as representation a plea by alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekar seeking five virtual meetings with his counsel every week.

Chandrashekar, who is lodged in Mandoli jail, has said he is only permitted two virtual meetings of 45 minutes each per week with his lawyers which are not enough for "managing the complex and extensive legal matters he faces".

Justice Amit Mahajan asked the jail authorities to take a decision on Chandrashekar's request.

In his petition, Chandrashekar relied on a high court order granting similar relief of additional weekly meetings to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who is in judicial custody in an excise policy related case, and said he faces "significant personal challenges" and requires substantive consultation with his counsel.

Asserting his right to consult and be defended by a legal practitioner under the Constitution, he urged the court to allow him three additional meetings.

"The petitioner, an undertrial prisoner involved in multiple cases across various jurisdictions, contends that the limited virtual meetings are inadequate for managing the complex and extensive legal matters he faces. The Petitioner's involvement in high-profile cases, including those concerning corruption and extortion allegations, underscores the necessity for increased legal consultations," said the petition. "Denying the petitioner this essential legal consultation undermines his constitutional protection and adversely affects the fairness of the legal proceedings," it added.

Chandrashekar is facing criminal proceedings in several cases, including a case for allegedly duping the spouses of former promoters of Ranbaxy, Shivinder Singh and Malvinder Singh, of Rs 200 crore.
In a remarkable display of medical excellence and dedication, AIIMS Bhopal has successfully conducted a kidney transplant today despite the ongoing nationwide protests related to the incident at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College.

The successful transplant was made possible through the collaborative efforts of doctors from the departments of Urology, Nephrology, and Anesthesia. The transplant operation was led with precision and care, reflecting the high standards of patient care at AIIMS Bhopal.

Professor Dr Ajai Singh, Executive Director of AIIMS Bhopal, emphasized the institution's unwavering commitment to patient care even in adverse conditions. "Despite the ongoing challenges, AIIMS Bhopal remains deeply committed to providing exceptional medical services and ensuring the well-being of our patients. This successful kidney transplant is a testament to our dedication and the skilled teamwork of our medical professionals," said Professor Singh.

Both the kidney donor and the recipient are reported to be recovering well and are expected to be discharged from the hospital soon. The successful outcome of this transplant is expected to inspire hope among patients and encourage more people to consider organ donation.

Bhopal: In a remarkable display of medical excellence and dedication, AIIMS Bhopal has successfully conducted a kidney transplant today despite the ongoing nationwide protests related to the incident at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College.

The successful transplant was made possible through the collaborative efforts of doctors from the departments of Urology, Nephrology, and Anesthesia. The transplant operation was led with precision and care, reflecting the high standards of patient care at AIIMS Bhopal.

Professor Dr Ajai Singh, Executive Director of AIIMS Bhopal, emphasized the institution's unwavering commitment to patient care even in adverse conditions. "Despite the ongoing challenges, AIIMS Bhopal remains deeply committed to providing exceptional medical services and ensuring the well-being of our patients. This successful kidney transplant is a testament to our dedication and the skilled teamwork of our medical professionals," said Professor Singh.

Both the kidney donor and the recipient are reported to be recovering well and are expected to be discharged from the hospital soon. The successful outcome of this transplant is expected to inspire hope among patients and encourage more people to consider organ donation.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has directed "surrendering of the services" of an IAS officer at the disposal of Department of Personnel and Training for repatriation to his parent cadre over his alleged "lackadaisical approach" in finalising a tripartite agreement. In a communication to DDA Vice-chairman Ashish Kundra, Principal Secretary to LG Saxena said several meetings were held under Saxena over utilising drone surveys.

Hon'ble Lt. Governor has taken a dim view of lackadaisical approach of Commissioner Land Management, Vikas Singh (lAS). He has taken a strong exception to the lack of seriousness and diligence which is expected of an officer of this seniority. His contribution in the work assigned to him has been sub-par. Lt. Governor has desired that his services may be surrendered at the disposal of Department of Personnel and Training for repatriation to his parent cadre immediately, Kundra said.

"I am writing to address a critical issue regarding utilising drone surveys to generate and analyse the data to determine the current status of the land, including encroachments, unauthorised constructions, change detection etc, which was discussed and deliberated in meetings chaired by the Lt Governor on June 6, August 2, and August 16," read the communication.

These meetings attended by the chief secretary of Delhi, commissioners of the MCD and other senior officials, focused on expanding the scope of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) dated August 23, 2019, between the DDA and the Survey of India (Sol) into a tripartite agreement by including the MCD.

"This expansion is intended to ensure that the outputs of the drone surveys benefit all concerned government organisations and citizens of Delhi. "It has been noted with grave concern that despite commitment in June itself to finalise the tripartite agreement of the DDA, MCD and Survey of India within a week and to start the work on ground, nothing has happened in this regard," it noted.

The communication alleged that in a meeting on August 16, the commissioner land management, DDA, "tried to cover up regarding agreement not being done by stating that Survey of India had flagged some issues", whereas, the officials present in the meeting said they have not even received a copy of the agreement yet.

"His contribution in the work assigned to him has been sub-par. Hon'ble Lt Governor has desired that his services may be surrendered at the disposal of Department of Personnel and Training for repatriation to his parent cadre immediately," said the communication.

The letter also emphasised the "continued delay on flimsy grounds" undermines the directives issued by Saxena stressing upon the use of advanced technologies for maintaining records for land management, and also, the directives issued by the High Court of Delhi in different cases, "which is unacceptable".
Three IAS Officers, two Special Secretaries and the Secretary of the Health Department, of Delhi government have written to Health Minister, Saurabh Bhardwaj, who has been habitually writing notes to them and shifting the blame for failures of the health infrastructure of the AAP Government. During the past few months, Bhardwaj has been writing these notes and putting them out in public domain through the Media / Social Media.

In their comprehensive note to the Minister, the officers have pointed out the various failures of the Minister / the Government by way of sitting on files and returning them time and again, without any concrete reason.

The issues raised by the officers include delay in construction of ill-planned 11 green field and 13 brown field hospital projects by over 03 years leading up to 100% cost escalation. Despite a total cost of Rs 8,000 Cr required for completing these projects a meagre Rs 400 Cr. had been budgeted in FY 2024-25 ;

Secondly, non-implementation of the Hospital Information Management System (HIMS) even after 08 years of its announcement simply due to the fact that the Minister did not want to implement NICs NextGen e-Hospital Software, which was costed far less Rs 55 Cr in comparison to the tendered amount of Rs 130 Cr.

Thirdly, non-preparation of the Essential Drug List (EDL) since as long as 2016 and making the Central Procurement Agency (CPA) infructuous.

Fourthly, non-implementation of PMJAY (Ayushman Bharat) pointing out that Delhi is tragically among three States in the country, which has not implemented PMJAY. It has been pointed out that the file in this regard had been pending with the Ministers since 2018 and is causing a major problem in providing healthcare to huge migratory population, a major chunk of which consists of building and construction workers, labourers, domestic workers and artisan, etc., who do not have ration cards in Delhi and therefore, cannot avail of Delhi Governments schemes.

The officers also flagged non-implementation of PM-ABHIM for creation of Urban Health And Wellness Centres (UHWCs), District Integrated Public Health Lab (DIPHL) and Critical Care Blocks (CCBs), despite the Central Government providing Rs 2406 Cr. for the same;

They have pointed out that in spite of higher expenditure and shorter working hours, AamAadmiMohalla Clinics (AAMCs) are not providing preventive care like immunization, pre-natal / post-natal check-ups and various National health programs. The design of AAMCs revolve around per patient payment basis, which makes it exorbitantly expensive.

The officers have requested the Minister for an early decision on all these crucial issues saying that it will resolve all the problems.

The officers the Minister has been sending notes about the Department in bunches everyday about 

1. Non Availability of medicines in AAMCs/Hospitals/etc.

2. Non Availability of equipments/space crunch in Hospitals, overcrowding of Hospitals, poor maintenance, lack of cleanliness etc.

3. Resolving the issue of construction of Hospitals/Polyclinics etc as requested by various elected representatives (i.e. Honble MLAs) and duly forwarded to Honble Minister to this office for taking action.

The officials said the Minister may further use his high office to find ways to increase the Budget of the Department by almost doubling the same to ensure completion of all the badly delayed projects for the benefit of citizens of Delhi.

The Minister may also decided on the issue of PM-ABHIM for augmenting the resources to improve the health infrastructure and to provide seamless treatment to citizens of Delhi to avoid untoward incident like denial of service to the patients, regular maintenance of Health Infrastructure for safety of the patients and citizens of Delhi.

Similarly, a decision is required for the implementation of PMJAY Ayushman Bharat Scheme to benefit the migrant population of Delhi. In case, these are not approved, Honble Minister may lay down a clear plan with clear budget and creation of manpower for doing the same so that all issues raised by Honble Minister can be resolved by the Department.

Without deciding upon these crucial issues, sending multiple notes to take action will only lead to wastage of manhours of the officials in the Department and divert the health personnel from core work (in preparing replies for the same) leading to poor service delivery and monitoring, the officials said in a note to Bharadwaj.
Berasia police have arrested two accused who cheated a 27-year-old victim to the tune of Rs 1.97 lakh. Harassed by the accused, the victim had committed suicide last year in the month of July; 6 mobile phones and more than 12 registered SIM cards were recovered in the action.

The deceased identified as Dev Narayan Vishwakarma a resident of Berasia, Bhopal, was duped of Rs 1,97,491 in the name of a loan. He was harassed by agents to transfer the amount to different accounts for processing, fees and refund in the name of loan from Dhani app.

Upset by this harassment, Dev Narayan committed suicide on July 31 last year. This disclosure has been made by Bairasia police in the investigation of the suicide case of the youth.

Also, two accused in the case have been arrested from Nalanda, Bihar. Apart from fraud, the police have registered a case against the accused for forcing to commit suicide.

The police said that Dev Narayan Vishwakarma was constantly receiving calls from agents for giving loans from the Dhani app. The registered SIM of the phone number coming on the youth's mobile was issued fraudulently from West Bengal.

After getting the mobile SIM from West Bengal, the accused were calling Dev Narayan from Sarabahdi village in Nalanda district of Bihar.

To arrest the accused Shatrughan Ravidas and Hardev Paswan police raided Sarabahadi of Manpur police station area of Nalanda district in Bihar.

Berasia police said that the accused Shatrughan Ravidas and Hardev Paswan arrested in the Dev Narayan Vishwakarma suicide case have been produced in the court and taken on remand. Both the accused are being questioned about other members of the gang and the method of cheating.

According to the police, the arrested accused have confessed to cheating Dev Narayan of Rs 1. 97491 lakh in the name of facilitating loan. It has also been said that they were pressurizing Devnarayan to transfer more money. Due to the fraud in the name of getting a loan, Devnarayan committed suicide at home on July 31,2023 after being mentally harassed.
The much-anticipated release of Bollywood actress-cum-BJP MP from Mandi Kangana Ranauts upcoming film Emergency has been met with significant controversy as Punjabs Independent MP from Faridkot Sarabjit Singh Khalsa has raised serious objections over the portrayal of Sikhs in the film.

Scheduled to release on September 6, the movie, which depicts the events during the Emergency imposed by the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi  portrayed by Ranaut  has sparked concerns about its potential to disturb communal harmony.

Khalsa, who is known for his strong stance on protecting Sikh identity and heritage, has written to the Central Government, demanding that the films release be halted until the scenes in question are reviewed and necessary corrections are made. His concerns primarily stem from the films trailer, which he claimed contains scenes that could portray Sikhs in a negative light, potentially igniting unrest within the community.

The portrayal of Sikhs in Emergency is not only misleading but also dangerous. It is a deep conspiracy aimed at defaming the Sikh community by depicting them as separatists or terrorists. Such a portrayal not only distorts history but also threatens the peace and law and order situation in the country, said Khalsa in the letter. He further warned that if the film is allowed to release in its current form, it could lead to widespread agitation and disrupt communal harmony.

The films trailer, which was released recently, has been the focal point of the controversy. It included scenes depicting the infamous Operation Blue Star  carried out by Indian Army in 1984 to flush out militants from the Golden Temple, and portrays Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Khalsa argued that these scenes have been sensationalized and manipulated to depict Sikhs in a negative manner.

The depiction of Bhindranwale and the events of Operation Blue Star in this film is highly problematic. Bhindranwale is viewed by many as a martyr who fought for Sikh rights, and any misrepresentation of his character could lead to widespread anger and resentment, Khalsa added.

Khalsa, who is the son of Beant Singh  one of the assassins of Indira Gandhi, emphasized that the Sikh community has made immense sacrifices for the country and that their contributions should be honoured, not distorted. He accused the filmmakers of attempting to rewrite history in a way that maligns the image of Sikhs and fuels communal tension.

The MP also pointed to a broader pattern of anti-Sikh sentiment in Indian media and popular culture, which he claimed has led to an increase in hate crimes against the Sikhs. In a country where Sikhs have been targeted in hate crimes, this film can only serve to exacerbate the situation. The Government must intervene to prevent any further damage to the social fabric of the nation, he urged.

This is not the first time that a film related to Indira Gandhi has faced controversy. In 1975, during the Emergency, the film Aandhi was banned by the Indira Gandhi Government due to its perceived criticism of the Prime Minister and her administration. Khalsa drew parallels between the two situations, warning that Emergency could similarly provoke unrest if released without addressing the concerns raised.

As the release date approaches, pressure is mounting on the filmmakers and the government to address these concerns. Khalsa has made it clear that if the issues are not resolved, he will mobilize the Sikh community to protest the films release, potentially leading to significant public demonstrations.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Shri Vijender Gupta, has reminded PWD Minister Atishi of Chief Minister Kejriwal's promise to the people of Delhi that he would make Delhi's roads like those in London, Paris, and Singapore. Gupta said that far from making roads like those in London, the roads in Delhi are now in such a bad shape that motorists cannot even drive on them properly. During the monsoon rains, 80 percent of Delhi's roads have deteriorated, leading to frequent accidents.

The Leader of the Opposition expressed his disappointment, stating that it is unfortunate that neither the Delhi Government nor the Municipal Corporation has repaired the roads or constructed any new ones. This indicates that Chief Minister Kejriwal neither cares about the development of Delhi nor is he concerned about the troubles being faced by its residents.

Citing a report from last year, Gupta noted that the report highlighted the poor condition of 80 percent of Delhi's roads. He mentioned that 1,400 kilometers of roads fall under the jurisdiction of the Public Works Department, yet the PWD is neither repairing them nor constructing new roads. The Leader of the Opposition has demanded that PWD Minister Atishi urgently repair these roads.

Gupta added that the poor condition of the roads not only contributes to the spread of pollution due to dust but also causes severe traffic jams, leading to the wastage of crores of rupees in fuel. Moreover, if an ambulance gets stuck in such a jam, it would take divine intervention to save the patient's life.

Gupta recalled that last year, PWD Minister Atishi stated that a plan involving crores of rupees had been made for the maintenance of Delhi's 1,440 kilometers of roads. However, the Leader of the Opposition noted that, like many other government plans, this one seems to have been wrapped in the files.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday expressed grief over the demise of former all-India coordinator of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and former provincial pracharak of Awadh Balkrishna Tripathi, and paid tributes to the departed soul.

Tripathi, who was admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia Medical Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow on Friday due to illness, passed away on Tuesday morning at the age of around 88 years. His body will be in Bharti Bhawan for the last darshan from 7:30 am to 10 am. The last rites will be performed at Bhairav Ghat in Kanpur.

Taking to X, Yogi wrote: The passing of @RSSorgs senior Pracharak and former state Pracharak of Awadh, Shri Balkrishna ji, is deeply saddening. I offer my humble tribute.

May Lord Shri Ram grant the departed soul a place at His feet and provide strength to the bereaved RSS volunteers and family members in this time of immense sorrow. Om Shanti, he added.
MBABANE - Success Films, in association with Rival Visuals, released a trailer for their highly anticipated film, Litsambo Lami, written by Mayibongwe Magagula and Siyabonga Nkambule.

The film is a gripping drama that promises to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. The film delves into the complexities of love, loss, and revenge, set against the backdrop of Eswatini culture and tradition. One of the producers, Mayibongwe Magagula, highlighted that this is a zero-budget film that cost them E40 000 to E50 000 including equipment, rentals, props, transport fees and post-production. Litsambo Lami tells the story of Senzo Simelane, a dedicated teacher who is overjoyed by the arrival of his baby daughter, Khetsiwe, with his girlfriend, Gugu Dlamini.

Happiness

However, their happiness is shattered when Khetsiwe is kidnapped by Senzos vengeful ex-girlfriend, Khulile. Siyabonga Nkambule, another producer praised the crew for their exceptional work. The film was produced in May and it was well planned to perfection, I believe. The cast and crew worked together peacefully with a common goal, he said.

Hloniphile Sihlongonyane, who plays the role of Gugu in the film, said that she enjoyed every scene. I play the role of Anti Skuta, who is very strict and is a no nonsense aunt. I really believe that people will love the film because it is very dramatic, but it touches on some reality issues, and people will relate to those, added the actress.

Mayibongwe Magagula echoed his partners words, as he believes that their film will be a hit. I am sure that everyone who watches will relate to and love it because it is not Western.

This film is a testament to the power of passion and dedication. We faced countless challenges, but the teams unwavering belief in the story and our shared vision kept us going. We didnt have the luxury of a big budget, but we found creative ways to overcome limitations and deliver a powerful and impactful film.

Exploration

Magagula went on to elaborate that he is proud and grateful for the experience, as it has taught him that even with limited resources, one can create something truly special if they have a compelling story and a team that believes in it. Litsambo Lami will provide a platform for reflection on the values and beliefs that shape Eswatini culture, and the exploration of its complexities, including its joys, heartbreaks, and sacrifices, will likely resonate with viewers who have experienced love. It will also help people cope with loss, raise awareness of the consequences of seeking revenge, and help people understand the importance of forgiveness. Litsambo Lami is open for licensing to local or international channels. With its compelling storyline, talented cast, and authentic portrayal of Eswatini culture, the film is sure to resonate with audiences across the globe.
A sub-divisional officer (SDO) was accidentally hit by police personnel while managing law and order during Bharat Bandh protests over community-based reservation here on Wednesday.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajeev Mishra told PTI that while police were lathicharging to disperse protesters blocking traffic at Dak Bunglow Chowk, an officer inadvertently hit the Sadar-Patna SDO, who was leading the force.

Mishra described the incident as a human error, and said the police officer did not recognise the official.

The Patna District Administration later confirmed that the incident was an honest mistake and said no disciplinary action will be taken against the police officer.

Bihar Police on Wednesday lathi-charged and used water cannons to disperse protesters who put up rail and road blockades in support of Bharat Bandh over community-based reservation.

Protesters disrupted train services at Darbhanga and Buxar railway stations and blocked traffic in Patna, Hajipur, Darbhanga, Jehanabad, and Begusarai districts following which police baton-charged to quell them.
The Bahujan Samaj Party on Wednesday extended support to the day-long Bharat Bandh called by some Dalit and Adivasi groups to protest against the Supreme Court's recent verdict on the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs).

The party also accused the BJP and the Congress of colluding to end reservation. It said these parties and others should understand the necessity of reservation and not play with it.

"BSP supports the Bharat Bandh because there is anger and resentment against the Supreme Court's August 1 decision regarding the sub-classification of SC/ST and the creamy layer among them due to the conspiracy against reservation by parties like BJP and Congress and their collusion to make it ineffective and eventually end it," BSP president Mayawati said in a post in Hindi on X.

"In this regard, the people of these classes will submit a memorandum to the government today as part of the Bharat Bandh and strongly demand that the changes made in reservation be abolished through a constitutional amendment...," she said.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister further said that the constitutional right of reservation given to the OBC community along with SCs and STs is the result of the continuous struggle of B R Ambedkar.

"BJP, Congress and other parties should understand its necessity and sensitivity and not play with it," she said.

Twenty-one organisations across the country have called for the Bharat Bandh against the Supreme Court order, which they have said will harm the basic principles of reservation.

In a landmark verdict on August 1, the Supreme Court held that states are constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within the SCs, which form a socially heterogeneous class, for granting reservation for the uplift of castes that are socially and educationally more backward among them.

The apex court, however, made it clear that states have to make sub-classification on the basis of "quantifiable and demonstrable data" of backwardness and representation in government jobs and not on "whims" and as a matter of "political expediency".
President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said India is ready to face the challenges posed by the fourth industrial revolution and take advantage of the opportunities that arise from it.

At the 5th convocation of the J C Bose University of Science and Technology here, Murmu said technology should be used for proper and sustainable development and public interest.

Today the world is in the era of the fourth industrial revolution. India is also ready to face the challenges of this revolution and take advantage of opportunities arising from it, she said.

In achieving this national goal, the role of institutions like J C Bose University of Science and Technology will be very important, she noted.

The president noted that the university has entered into agreements with many industrial and academic institutions over the past few years. Many multinational companies have also established Centres of Excellence on the university campus to train students.

Today, several avenues of progress have opened up due to the development of technology, she stated.

For example, access to the internet in remote areas has created online employment opportunities. But we should remember that technology should be used for proper and sustainable development and public interest. Its wrong use can be disastrous, she said.

The president appreciated the university for playing an important role in making the youth skilled and self-reliant.

The President said the university is named after great scientist and pioneer of modern science Jagadish Chandra Bose who was probably the first scientist in the world to prove scientifically that even trees and plants have feelings.

His revolutionary discovery changed the way we look at the botanical world, the president said, while urging students to take inspiration from his life and bring positive change in society through technology.

The convocation was presided over by the Haryana Governor and University Chancellor Bandaru Dattatreya.

The president conferred 13 PhD degrees and awarded two medals and certificates to the students.

A total of 1,536 students and researchers who completed their degrees in 2023 were conferred degrees, including 998 graduates, 525 postgraduates, and 13 PhDs.

Among the recipients, there were 874 male and 662 female students.

With 43 per cent of the degree recipients being female students, Murmu lauded the significant representation of women and expressed her desire to see the ratio improve further.

The president praised the university's efforts to promote research, including the introduction of the J C Bose Young Scientist Award and provisions for seed money for research.

Murmu said that the new National Education Policy focuses on promoting research and a scientific approach, with an emphasis on holistic education, the inclusion of research and internships in graduate courses, and the establishment of the National Research Foundation to promote quality research.

The president appreciated the university's initiative to implement the NEP and provide education aligned with its goals.

She also acknowledged the contribution of the Institution in making the youth skilled and self-reliant for over five decades and highlighted the impressive list of alumni who are excelling in various fields and supporting students financially and through mentorship.

Speaking on the occasion, Dattatreya commended the significant participation of women researchers in the convocation, highlighting their growing presence and contributions in the field of technology.

He emphasised the crucial role that technology plays in elevating the nation's standing on the global technological landscape.

Vice Chancellor Sushil Kumar Tomar said the university currently offers more than 60 diverse courses, reflecting its commitment to comprehensive education.

He said the university has taken proactive steps to implement the NEP, effective from the academic year 2023-24. This includes a special focus on fostering research work, encouraging startups, promoting innovation, and enhancing placement activities, he said.
A UK-based Indian students group organised a protest in Scotland and submitted a memorandum to the Indian mission in Edinburgh demanding urgent steps to address gender-based violence in the wake of the rape and murder case of a medic in Kolkata. The Students Federation of IndiaUnited Kingdom (SFI-UK) held a peaceful demonstration outside Indias Consulate in Edinburgh on Monday and a delegation submitted their memo to the Acting Consul General of India, strongly condemning the brutal rape and murder of the on-duty female doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

The group is planning further protests, including a gathering in Liverpool on Wednesday, to continue to highlight their demand for justice in a case that has sent shockwaves across India and among the diaspora.

Instead of actively working towards redressing the problem of gender violence and social injustice in the state of West Bengal, we are seeing the state machinery led by Mamata Banerjee indulge in theatrics and the targeting of protesting voices, said Nikhil Mathew, a PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh and one of the organisers of the protests as SFI-UK secretary.

The government has clearly failed to provide a safe space for working women in the state, added Alakta Das, another PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh and one of the organisers as SFIs Edinburgh Subcommittee Member.

In their memo handed over to the Consulate General of India in Edinburgh, SFI-UK accused the state government of severe laxity in its response to the incident and demanded a gender-just workplace for all women.This incident is a symptom of the rising violence against women and the negligence of the state towards its citizens. The absence of investment in public infrastructure and safety measures has a disproportionate impact on women, who are already marginalised by the patriarchal social conditions, reads the memo.

It goes on to demand a thorough judicial inquiry into the incident and the implementation of adequate workplace security measures for all medical staff.

We stand in absolute solidarity with all those who are engaged in a determined and resolute struggle against gendered violence and social injustice steeped in power disparities, and demand immediate justice for the victim of the RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, the memo concludes.The group had issued an open letter over the weekend following a peaceful protest staged outside India House in London.

A peaceful demonstration by British Indian women doctors is also planned at Parliament Square in London, near the Mahatma Gandhi statue, on Thursday.

The 31-year-old junior doctor was raped and murdered while on duty and her body was discovered at the seminar hall in the hospital premises on August 9, with a civic volunteer arrested in connection with the attack the following day. It has triggered widespread doctors agitation and a CBI inquiry into the case is ongoing.
Capital Investment Counsel Inc boosted its stake in shares of Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY  Free Report) by 1.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 39,111 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 625 shares during the quarter. Capital Investment Counsel Incs holdings in Sysco were worth $2,792,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Summit Global Investments increased its stake in shares of Sysco by 181.2% during the second quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 75,320 shares of the companys stock worth $5,377,000 after purchasing an additional 48,536 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc. grew its holdings in Sysco by 56.4% in the 2nd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 5,044 shares of the companys stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 1,818 shares in the last quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC increased its position in Sysco by 7.1% during the 2nd quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 317,388 shares of the companys stock worth $22,658,000 after buying an additional 21,058 shares during the period. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sysco by 29.5% during the second quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. now owns 22,658 shares of the companys stock worth $1,618,000 after buying an additional 5,161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of Sysco by 3.1% in the second quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 11,509 shares of the companys stock valued at $822,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. 83.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Sysco Price Performance

Shares of SYY stock traded down $0.37 on Tuesday, reaching $76.54. The company had a trading volume of 1,408,932 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,098,295. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.12 billion, a PE ratio of 18.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.19. The businesss 50-day moving average is $73.27 and its 200 day moving average is $75.96. Sysco Co. has a one year low of $62.24 and a one year high of $82.89.

Sysco Dividend Announcement

Sysco ( NYSE:SYY Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $20.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.51 billion. Sysco had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 102.09%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.34 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Sysco Co. will post 4.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th will be given a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 4th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.67%. Syscos dividend payout ratio is presently 49.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Sysco from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Sysco from $87.00 to $85.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Sysco from $83.00 to $79.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Guggenheim raised Sysco from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $85.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Sysco from $87.00 to $85.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $85.27.

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About Sysco

(Free Report)

Sysco Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the marketing and distribution of various food and related products to the foodservice or food-away-from-home industry in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and internationally. It operates through U.S. Foodservice Operations, International Foodservice Operations, SYGMA, and Other segments.

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Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lowered its position in AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB  Free Report) by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 78,488 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 1,025 shares during the quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned approximately 0.06% of AvalonBay Communities worth $16,238,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 270.0% during the first quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 185 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 1,877.8% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 178 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. BROOKFIELD Corp ON purchased a new stake in AvalonBay Communities during the 1st quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its position in AvalonBay Communities by 50.0% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 225 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. 92.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on AVB. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $218.00 to $216.00 and set an in-line rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $203.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. Argus lifted their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $188.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $207.00 to $214.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $210.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $211.12.

AvalonBay Communities Price Performance

Shares of AvalonBay Communities stock traded up $0.66 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $216.70. The companys stock had a trading volume of 360,011 shares, compared to its average volume of 725,163. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $205.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $192.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The stock has a market cap of $30.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.17, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.96. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a one year low of $160.45 and a one year high of $218.79.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The real estate investment trust reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.71 by ($0.93). The company had revenue of $726.04 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $718.49 million. AvalonBay Communities had a return on equity of 7.16% and a net margin of 29.61%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.66 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 10.97 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AvalonBay Communities news, SVP Keri A. Shea sold 2,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.17, for a total transaction of $414,340.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 4,383 shares in the company, valued at $908,026.11. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other AvalonBay Communities news, CIO Matthew H. Birenbaum sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.90, for a total value of $1,044,500.00. Following the sale, the executive now owns 65,967 shares in the company, valued at $13,780,506.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Keri A. Shea sold 2,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.17, for a total transaction of $414,340.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,383 shares of the companys stock, valued at $908,026.11. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

AvalonBay Communities Profile

(Free Report)

As of December 31, 2023, the Company owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in 299 apartment communities containing 90,669 apartment homes in 12 states and the District of Columbia, of which 18 communities were under development. The Company is an equity REIT in the business of developing, redeveloping, acquiring and managing apartment communities in leading metropolitan areas in New England, the New York/New Jersey Metro area, the Mid-Atlantic, the Pacific Northwest, and Northern and Southern California, as well as in the Company's expansion regions of Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte, North Carolina, Southeast Florida, Dallas and Austin, Texas, and Denver, Colorado.

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Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lowered its position in The Allstate Co. (NYSE:ALL  Free Report) by 0.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 144,111 shares of the insurance providers stock after selling 1,267 shares during the quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Allstate worth $23,009,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ALL. Focus Financial Network Inc. increased its position in Allstate by 3.7% during the second quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 4,508 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $770,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new stake in Allstate in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,893,000. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its holdings in Allstate by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 57,907 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $9,245,000 after purchasing an additional 696 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Allstate by 1.0% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 818,489 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $130,680,000 after purchasing an additional 8,454 shares during the period. Finally, Vista Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Allstate by 55.9% in the second quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC now owns 3,884 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $620,000 after purchasing an additional 1,392 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.47% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Allstate

In other Allstate news, EVP Elizabeth Brady sold 49,481 shares of Allstate stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.09, for a total value of $8,861,552.29. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,163 shares in the company, valued at $3,431,901.67. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Elizabeth Brady sold 49,481 shares of Allstate stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.09, for a total transaction of $8,861,552.29. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,163 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,431,901.67. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Suren Gupta sold 45,775 shares of Allstate stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.28, for a total value of $8,114,992.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 89,930 shares in the company, valued at $15,942,790.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.80% of the companys stock.

Allstate Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ALL traded down $0.22 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $180.40. The company had a trading volume of 1,261,465 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,564,359. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.36. The Allstate Co. has a one year low of $104.29 and a one year high of $184.30. The firm has a market cap of $47.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.67, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.48. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $166.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $165.73.

Allstate (NYSE:ALL  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The insurance provider reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.33 by $1.28. Allstate had a return on equity of 24.05% and a net margin of 5.03%. The company had revenue of $15.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $14.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($4.42) earnings per share. Allstates revenue was up 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that The Allstate Co. will post 13.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Allstate Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a $0.92 dividend. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Allstates dividend payout ratio is presently 81.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ALL. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Allstate from $213.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Allstate from $193.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Allstate from $177.00 to $175.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Allstate from $188.00 to $196.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com cut Allstate from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $191.94.

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Allstate Profile

(Free Report)

The Allstate Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides property and casualty, and other insurance products in the United States and Canada. It operates in five segments: Allstate Protection; Protection Services; Allstate Health and Benefits; Run-off Property-Liability; and Corporate and Other segments.

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Hall Laurie J Trustee acquired a new position in shares of GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE:GEV  Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 1,847 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $317,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of GE Vernova during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Gradient Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of GE Vernova during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of GE Vernova during the second quarter worth about $27,000. First Community Trust NA purchased a new position in shares of GE Vernova during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. purchased a new position in shares of GE Vernova during the second quarter worth about $32,000.

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GE Vernova Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of GE Vernova stock traded down $1.40 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $184.00. 1,131,949 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,961,672. The companys 50 day moving average is $174.06. GE Vernova Inc. has a 12 month low of $115.00 and a 12 month high of $190.80.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GE Vernova ( NYSE:GEV Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $8.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.42 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that GE Vernova Inc. will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Several analysts have issued reports on GEV shares. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on GE Vernova in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. They issued a neutral rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on GE Vernova from $196.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of GE Vernova in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on GE Vernova in a research note on Friday, June 21st. They issued an outperform rating and a $201.50 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on GE Vernova from $174.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $189.83.

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About GE Vernova

(Free Report)

GE Vernova LLC, an energy business company, generates electricity. It operates under three segments: Power, Wind, and Electrification. The Power segments generates and sells electricity through hydro, gas, nuclear, and steam power. Wind segment engages in the manufacturing and sale of wind turbine blades; and Electrification segment provides grid solutions, power conversion, solar, and storage solutions.

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Hamilton Insurance Group (NYSE:HG  Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating in a report issued on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $19.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanleys target price suggests a potential downside of 1.55% from the stocks previous close.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. JMP Securities boosted their target price on shares of Hamilton Insurance Group from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a market outperform rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Hamilton Insurance Group from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Hamilton Insurance Group from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $20.50.

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Hamilton Insurance Group Stock Performance

Shares of HG stock opened at $19.30 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $16.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.39. Hamilton Insurance Group has a 52 week low of $12.44 and a 52 week high of $20.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.14 billion and a PE ratio of 5.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

Hamilton Insurance Group (NYSE:HG  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $587.94 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $502.37 million. Hamilton Insurance Group had a net margin of 19.11% and a return on equity of 18.53%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Hamilton Insurance Group will post 3.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HG. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in Hamilton Insurance Group during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in Hamilton Insurance Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. American International Group Inc. bought a new position in Hamilton Insurance Group during the 1st quarter worth about $115,000. Fifth Lane Capital LP bought a new position in Hamilton Insurance Group during the 1st quarter worth about $151,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank bought a new position in Hamilton Insurance Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $156,000. 29.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hamilton Insurance Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Hamilton Insurance Group, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides underwriting specialty insurance and reinsurance risks in Bermuda and internationally. The company operates Hamilton Global Specialty, Hamilton Select, and Hamilton Re underwriting platforms. The company offers casualty reinsurance products, such as commercial motor, general liability, healthcare, multiline, personal motor, professional liability, umbrella and excess casualty, and worker's compensation and employer's liability reinsurance; property reinsurance and insurance; and specialty reinsurance solutions, including accident and health, aviation and space, crisis management, mortgage, financial lines, marine and energy, and multiline specialty.

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Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. (OTCMKTS:ISNPY  Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 15,800 shares, a decline of 7.6% from the July 15th total of 17,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 218,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.1 days.

Intesa Sanpaolo Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of OTCMKTS:ISNPY opened at $23.98 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $23.16 and a 200-day moving average of $22.05. Intesa Sanpaolo has a 12 month low of $14.84 and a 12 month high of $24.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.07 billion, a PE ratio of 9.35, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.20.

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Intesa Sanpaolo Company Profile

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Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. provides various financial products and services primarily in Italy. It operates through six segments Banca dei Territori, IMI Corporate & Investment Banking, International Subsidiary Banks, Asset Management, Private Banking, and Insurance. The company offers lending and deposit products; corporate, investment banking, and public finance services; industrial credit, factoring, and leasing services; asset management solutions; life and non-life insurance products; and bancassurance and pension fund, and fiduciary services.

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MBABANE  The Ministry of Health has cited the use of traditional herbs (timbita) as a contributing factor to perinatal deaths, reported in 19 health facilities.

The ministry said this following a recent report, where a total of 416 perinatal deaths were cumulatively reported, between January and August 3, 2024. The observation was made in 19 health facilities providing maternity services. According to the report compiled by the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response, issued by the Epidemiology and Disease Control Unit, the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital as well as the Mbabane Government Hospital had the highest reported cases of 117 and 96, respectively. Calvin Dlamini, the Health Promotion Officer, said the use of traditional herbs (timbita) by some women, to escape labour pains, had led to some losing their unborn babies.

He, however, said such cases had declined, because of the awareness raised in various communities. Women take such concoctions to get rid of the labour pains. They forget that labour pains play a major role for the child to be born. After drinking the concoction, the womb gets contracted very fast, forcing the child to come out under high pressure. The child gets suffocated and later dies. It is good for a pregnant woman to undergo labour for six to eight hours before giving birth, he said. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), perinatal death is the death of the foetus or a newborn in the perinatal period that commences at 24 weeks gestation.

According to the ministry, week 31 had 12 perinatal deaths, which were reported in 19 health facilities, with early neonatal deaths (three), fresh stillbirths (three), and macerated stillbirths (six). The ministry cited various reasons, such as the delay in pregnancy check-ups, use of traditional herbs (timbita), congenital abnormalities in the womb, various delays, complications during labour, long or short placenta, and gender-based violence. The use of medication without a doctors prescription was also included among contributing factors of perinatal deaths.

Dlamini said such deaths were expected to be high, since they received an influx of patients across the country daily. he also stated that those hospitals were used as referrals anytime patients encountered complications.

Hospitals

Another reason for the increase, according to the health promotion officer, was the accessibility of the mentioned hospitals. He said a majority of patients preferred seeking medical help where it would be convenient for them. During the antenatal care, some experience complications before they are transferred to other hospitals. Some children die at the time their mothers arrive in hospital, during the delivery stage or a few hours after birth, he said. He also mentioned that at times there were delays by expectant mothers in undertaking medical check-ups soon after discovering that they are pregnant. He said delays and late detection of any abnormalities had led to some women losing their children. Dlamini also highlighted congenital anomalies, while the child is still in the mothers womb. Various reasons have resulted in such deformities.

He said the manner in which women conducted themselves before getting pregnant had contributed immensely to the birth of children with abnormalities. Some women engage in bad behaviour, such as drinking alcohol and smoking, among other things, which have led to some of the complications. That is why we encourage women to take care of themselves, by not consuming substances are a threat to the unborn child. Some of the implications occur three months after the mother has conceived, said the health promotion officer.

Dlamini further said delays, either from the hospital or patients side, had also contributed to such reported cases. On the hospitals side, Dlamini said the nurse-patient ratio was wide apart. He said it was, therefore, impossible for a single midwife to attend to many patients at the same time. Some pregnant women come late to the hospital due to transport issues. Some take a long time to reach hospitals, because of poor road infrastructure. Others delay intentionally coming to the hospital, when it is time to deliver their babies. They then start to blame hospitals when they lose their babies, forgetting that they also arrived late, he said.










iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:SCJ  Get Free Report)s stock price were up 1% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $75.64 and last traded at $75.43. Approximately 24,002 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 35% from the average daily volume of 36,897 shares. The stock had previously closed at $74.70.

iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF Stock Up 1.0 %

The stocks 50-day moving average price is $71.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.54. The company has a market cap of $128.23 million, a P/E ratio of 12.96 and a beta of 0.60.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF stock. Main Management ETF Advisors LLC raised its stake in iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:SCJ  Free Report) by 1.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 62,760 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the quarter. Main Management ETF Advisors LLC owned about 3.69% of iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF worth $4,456,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

About iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF

The iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF (SCJ) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI Japan Small Cap index, a market-cap-weighted index of small-cap Japanese stocks. SCJ was launched on Dec 20, 2007 and is managed by BlackRock.

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JPMorgan Japanese (LON:JFJ  Get Free Report) fell 0.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as GBX 545 ($7.08) and last traded at GBX 547 ($7.11). 176,128 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 46% from the average session volume of 326,450 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 549 ($7.13).

JPMorgan Japanese Stock Down 0.4 %

The business has a 50 day moving average of GBX 536.49 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 527.59. The stock has a market cap of 797.20 million, a PE ratio of 1,608.82 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.41.

About JPMorgan Japanese

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JPMorgan Japanese Investment Trust plc is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by JPMorgan Funds Limited. The fund is co-managed by JPMorgan Asset Management (UK) Limited and JPMorgan Asset Management (Japan) Limited. It invests in the public equity markets of Japan. The fund seeks to invests in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors.

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Legacy Capital Group California Inc. lessened its holdings in SPDR Blackstone Senior Loan ETF (NYSEARCA:SRLN  Free Report) by 2.8% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 60,800 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,741 shares during the period. SPDR Blackstone Senior Loan ETF accounts for 0.9% of Legacy Capital Group California Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Legacy Capital Group California Inc.s holdings in SPDR Blackstone Senior Loan ETF were worth $2,541,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SRLN. State of Tennessee Treasury Department grew its holdings in shares of SPDR Blackstone Senior Loan ETF by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Treasury Department now owns 4,675,173 shares of the companys stock worth $196,030,000 after purchasing an additional 387,485 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in SPDR Blackstone Senior Loan ETF by 67.6% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,954,862 shares of the companys stock valued at $165,827,000 after buying an additional 1,595,780 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of SPDR Blackstone Senior Loan ETF by 338.4% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,588,299 shares of the companys stock valued at $108,993,000 after buying an additional 1,997,841 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of SPDR Blackstone Senior Loan ETF by 234.9% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 2,419,362 shares of the companys stock worth $101,879,000 after acquiring an additional 1,696,862 shares during the period. Finally, Bain Capital Credit LP boosted its position in shares of SPDR Blackstone Senior Loan ETF by 343.8% during the 4th quarter. Bain Capital Credit LP now owns 1,376,780 shares of the companys stock worth $57,728,000 after acquiring an additional 1,066,566 shares in the last quarter.

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SPDR Blackstone Senior Loan ETF Stock Up 0.1 %

SRLN traded up $0.04 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $41.64. 3,418,968 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,349,362. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $41.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $41.80. SPDR Blackstone Senior Loan ETF has a twelve month low of $40.71 and a twelve month high of $42.15.

About SPDR Blackstone Senior Loan ETF

The SPDR Blackstone Senior Loan ETF (SRLN) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in high yield fixed income. The fund provides actively managed exposure to noninvestment-grade, floating-rate senior secured debt of US and non-US corporations that resets in 3 months or less. SRLN was launched on Apr 3, 2013 and is managed by State Street.

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Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MUFG  Free Report) by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 5,879,191 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 217,799 shares during the quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLCs holdings in Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group were worth $63,495,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Raymond James & Associates grew its stake in shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,525,821 shares of the companys stock worth $27,279,000 after purchasing an additional 104,256 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group by 86.4% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 63,285 shares of the companys stock worth $647,000 after purchasing an additional 29,336 shares during the last quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC now owns 37,775 shares of the companys stock worth $408,000 after purchasing an additional 980 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital increased its position in shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group by 46.4% in the second quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 25,782 shares of the companys stock worth $285,000 after acquiring an additional 8,176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group in the second quarter worth approximately $167,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.59% of the companys stock.

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Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group stock traded down $0.12 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $10.50. The stock had a trading volume of 1,316,804 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,633,874. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $10.27. The company has a market capitalization of $123.12 billion, a PE ratio of 12.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.61. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $7.43 and a 1 year high of $11.72.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Company Profile

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc operates as the bank holding company for MUFG Bank, Ltd. that provides various financial services in Japan, the United States, Europe, Asia/Oceania, and internationally. It operates through Digital Service Business Group; Retail & Commercial Banking Business Group; Japanese Corporate & Investment Banking Business Group; Asset Management & Investor Services Business Group; Global Corporate & Investment Banking Business Group; Global Commercial Banking Business Group; and Global Markets Business Group segments.

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Summit Global Investments lessened its position in shares of Owens Corning (NYSE:OC  Free Report) by 9.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 73,624 shares of the construction companys stock after selling 7,562 shares during the quarter. Owens Corning makes up about 0.9% of Summit Global Investments holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Summit Global Investments owned about 0.08% of Owens Corning worth $12,790,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MV Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Owens Corning by 112.9% during the 1st quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 149 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in Owens Corning during the first quarter valued at about $26,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Owens Corning by 794.1% in the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 152 shares of the construction companys stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Owens Corning during the first quarter worth $28,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in Owens Corning in the first quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.40% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on OC. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Owens Corning from $211.00 to $213.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Barclays cut their target price on Owens Corning from $190.00 to $189.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a neutral rating and set a $187.00 price target on shares of Owens Corning in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Benchmark restated a hold rating on shares of Owens Corning in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Owens Corning from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their target price for the company from $178.00 to $191.00 in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $184.23.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Mari Doerfler sold 240 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.05, for a total transaction of $43,692.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,954 shares in the company, valued at approximately $901,875.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Todd W. Fister sold 3,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.65, for a total transaction of $520,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 31,626 shares in the company, valued at $5,491,854.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Mari Doerfler sold 240 shares of Owens Corning stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.05, for a total transaction of $43,692.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,954 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $901,875.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,937 shares of company stock worth $2,833,258 over the last ninety days. 0.89% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Owens Corning Stock Performance

Shares of OC traded down $1.99 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $160.59. The stock had a trading volume of 455,567 shares, compared to its average volume of 674,392. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $171.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $166.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market cap of $13.96 billion, a PE ratio of 13.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.42. Owens Corning has a one year low of $109.95 and a one year high of $191.13.

Owens Corning (NYSE:OC  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The construction company reported $4.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.37 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.92 billion. Owens Corning had a return on equity of 26.33% and a net margin of 10.66%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.22 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Owens Corning will post 15.38 EPS for the current year.

Owens Corning Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 15th were given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 15th. Owens Cornings dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.43%.

About Owens Corning

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Owens Corning manufactures and sells building and construction materials in the United States, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Roofing, Insulation, and Composites. The Roofing segment manufactures and sells laminate and strip asphalt roofing shingles, oxidized asphalt materials, and roofing components used in residential and commercial construction, and specialty applications.

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Shares of Rentokil Initial plc (NYSE:RTO  Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of Hold by the seven analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation, one has issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $29.00.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on RTO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Rentokil Initial in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. They issued a neutral rating on the stock. UBS Group upgraded Rentokil Initial from a sell rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, July 1st. Barclays upgraded Rentokil Initial to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Rentokil Initial from an underperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd.

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Institutional Trading of Rentokil Initial

Rentokil Initial Trading Down 0.4 %

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Rentokil Initial by 0.7% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 16,139,724 shares of the companys stock valued at $486,610,000 after purchasing an additional 105,248 shares in the last quarter. Gates Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Rentokil Initial by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Gates Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,155,193 shares of the companys stock worth $147,490,000 after buying an additional 528,409 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its stake in Rentokil Initial by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 3,884,020 shares of the companys stock valued at $111,122,000 after acquiring an additional 81,134 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Rentokil Initial during the 4th quarter valued at about $77,547,000. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its holdings in shares of Rentokil Initial by 13.8% during the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,025,479 shares of the companys stock valued at $57,949,000 after acquiring an additional 246,253 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 9.91% of the companys stock.

Shares of Rentokil Initial stock opened at $31.71 on Friday. Rentokil Initial has a 1 year low of $23.39 and a 1 year high of $38.43. The company has a 50-day moving average of $30.29 and a 200 day moving average of $28.71.

Rentokil Initial Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.2034 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th.

Rentokil Initial Company Profile

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Rentokil Initial plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides route-based services in North America, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and internationally. It offers a range of pest control services for rodents, and flying and crawling insects, as well as other forms of wildlife management for commercial customers.

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ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW  Get Free Report) insider Jacqueline P. Canney sold 94 shares of ServiceNow stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $825.92, for a total transaction of $77,636.48. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,019 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,319,372.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

ServiceNow Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE NOW traded up $5.66 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $838.54. The companys stock had a trading volume of 784,662 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,314,847. ServiceNow, Inc. has a 1 year low of $527.24 and a 1 year high of $850.33. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $772.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $757.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $171.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 89.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

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ServiceNow (NYSE:NOW  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The information technology services provider reported $3.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.85 by $0.28. ServiceNow had a net margin of 11.51% and a return on equity of 14.52%. The company had revenue of $2.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.77 EPS. The firms revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that ServiceNow, Inc. will post 6.84 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in ServiceNow in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in ServiceNow by 466.7% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 34 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its stake in ServiceNow by 3,900.0% in the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 40 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. acquired a new position in ServiceNow during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ServiceNow in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 87.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on NOW shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of ServiceNow from $885.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Wolfe Research restated an outperform rating and set a $830.00 target price on shares of ServiceNow in a report on Friday, May 10th. TD Cowen increased their price target on ServiceNow from $870.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on ServiceNow from $830.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a buy rating and issued a $900.00 target price on shares of ServiceNow in a report on Thursday, July 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and twenty-five have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ServiceNow presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $849.62.

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ServiceNow Company Profile

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ServiceNow, Inc provides end to-end intelligent workflow automation platform solutions for digital businesses in the North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific, and internationally. The company operates the Now platform for end-to-end digital transformation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotic process automation, process mining, performance analytics, and collaboration and development tools.

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China Eastern Airlines Co. Limited (OTCMKTS:CHEAF  Get Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 970,000 shares, a decline of 7.3% from the July 15th total of 1,046,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 85,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 11.3 days.

China Eastern Airlines Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of China Eastern Airlines stock opened at $0.23 on Wednesday. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $0.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $0.25. China Eastern Airlines has a twelve month low of $0.22 and a twelve month high of $0.36.

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China Eastern Airlines Company Profile

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China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates in the civil aviation industry in the Peoples Republic of China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and internationally. The company offers passenger, cargo, mail delivery, ground, tour operations, air catering, and other miscellaneous services.

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StockNews.com lowered shares of Natural Resource Partners (NYSE:NRP  Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

Natural Resource Partners Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:NRP opened at $87.88 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $91.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $90.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Natural Resource Partners has a 12-month low of $64.04 and a 12-month high of $102.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.49 and a beta of 0.51.

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Natural Resource Partners Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 20th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 20th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.41%. Natural Resource Partnerss dividend payout ratio is currently 22.16%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natural Resource Partners

Natural Resource Partners Company Profile

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Meixler Investment Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Natural Resource Partners by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Meixler Investment Management Ltd. now owns 28,182 shares of the energy companys stock worth $2,609,000 after buying an additional 630 shares during the period. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Natural Resource Partners during the 4th quarter valued at $278,000. Anthracite Investment Company Inc. acquired a new position in Natural Resource Partners during the 4th quarter valued at $1,260,000. ING Groep NV boosted its holdings in Natural Resource Partners by 24.5% in the 4th quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 25,400 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $2,351,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its position in Natural Resource Partners by 11.2% in the 1st quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 9,939 shares of the energy companys stock worth $914,000 after purchasing an additional 999 shares during the last quarter. 31.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

(Get Free Report)

Natural Resource Partners L.P., together with its subsidiaries, owns, manages, and leases a portfolio of mineral properties in the United States. It operates in two segments, Mineral Rights and Soda Ash. The company owns interests in coal, soda ash, trona, and other natural resources. Its coal reserves are primarily located in the Appalachia Basin, the Illinois Basin, and the Northern Powder River Basin in the United States; industrial minerals and aggregates properties located in the United States; and oil and gas properties located in Louisiana.

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Summit Global Investments grew its holdings in shares of Rio Tinto Group (NYSE:RIO  Free Report) by 11.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 70,478 shares of the mining companys stock after buying an additional 7,053 shares during the quarter. Summit Global Investments holdings in Rio Tinto Group were worth $4,647,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rio Tinto Group during the second quarter valued at $73,000. Focus Financial Network Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Rio Tinto Group by 8.7% during the second quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 5,824 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $383,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares during the period. Cidel Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Rio Tinto Group by 40.2% during the second quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 126,752 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $8,357,000 after purchasing an additional 36,349 shares during the period. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Rio Tinto Group by 1.1% during the second quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,997 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $989,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rio Tinto Group during the second quarter valued at $36,000. 19.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Rio Tinto Group Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of RIO traded down $0.49 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $61.99. 2,241,414 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,729,899. Rio Tinto Group has a 12-month low of $59.31 and a 12-month high of $75.09. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $65.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The company has a market cap of $77.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 0.67.

Rio Tinto Group Cuts Dividend

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 6.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. Rio Tinto Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.30%.

RIO has been the subject of several research reports. HSBC raised Rio Tinto Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. StockNews.com raised Rio Tinto Group from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 21st. Hsbc Global Res raised Rio Tinto Group to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Berenberg Bank cut Rio Tinto Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised Rio Tinto Group to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

View Our Latest Research Report on RIO

Rio Tinto Group Profile

(Free Report)

Rio Tinto Group engages in exploring, mining, and processing mineral resources worldwide. The company operates through Iron Ore, Aluminium, Copper, and Minerals Segments. The Iron Ore segment engages in the iron ore mining, and salt and gypsum production in Western Australia. The Aluminum segment is involved in bauxite mining; alumina refining; and aluminium smelting.

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MBABANE  While men are welcoming the idea of mandatory DNA testing before anyone pays child maintenance, organisations advocating for womens rights say this is not the solution.

This follows a call by some of the countrys lawmakers for obligatory deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing, which they argued is essential to prevent cases where individuals are unjustly compelled to support children who are not biologically theirs. Such, they said, could also help reduce gender-based violence (GBV) cases linked to disputes over childrens paternity.

Among those who welcomed the move was a judicial officer, who stated that the paternity of his two children was questionable.

Supported

The officer, who has children with different women, stated that he discovered that the child was also being supported by another man, but opted to keep it a secret as he had a wife.

However, Swatini Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) Communications Officer Sakhile Dlamini said DNA was a reactionary measure, when challenges were encountered.

Dlamini said it is important to deal with the root cause, which include prevention of pregnancy, which eventually lead to disputes.

According to Dlamini, there is no logic that people could fail to pay E800 for maintenance but afford E5 000 for DNA.

Dlamini said if the issue of maintenance was to be addressed and verification of a childs biological parents done, there were other ways of doing it.

In regard to ending GBV, Dlamini said DNA is not a preventative measure. She said if the legislators were keen to address GBV, it should be addressed at the root as opposed to the end.

She said there are issues of prevention, which should be promoted before people could find themselves in problems whereby they found they had to pay for expensive DNA tests.

These, she said, could involve safe sex and family planning. We are coming from tackling condom misconception, whereby people were engaging in unprotected sex and they would state that condoms compromised sex, Dlamini said.

The spokesperson said there was another intervention of preventing unwanted pregnancies, which is contraceptives but again, men complained about how women become during sexual intercourse. She said all the mistaken beliefs come from men most of the time. According to Dlamini, what causes the maintenance problems is that the children are not planned for, and paternity issues arise.

She stated that DNA testing could result in challenges whereby people would not be able to pay for it and cases dragged as a result. Men have been using paternity as means not to pay maintenance for their children.

On the other hand, One Billion Rising Director Colani Hlatjwako said they welcomed initiatives to assist in child maintenance and GBV associated with the paternity of a child.

DNA testing could be one way of partly solving the issue of child maintenance. She said if the DNA testing would be mandatory, government should bear the costs. Currently, she said the person who has questions regarding paternity pays for the costs. She said the legislators needed to discuss the role to be played by government on the issue of paternity testing, in order for the process not to be halted due to the non-availability of funds.

Hlatjwako said they had seen cases of some men not maintaining their children, knowing that they were the biological fathers.

She said it is true that maintenance also triggered violence, adding that when someone had raised a child, only to discover that she or he was not theirs, they ended up killing the spouse, the children and themselves. Hlatjwako said they discouraged such things. Meanwhile, social media was abuzz on the issue. Some members of the public on Facebook recommended that it should be done during the birth of a child, free from costs.

Against

However, others were against the idea, as they felt it would divide families. They added that the DNA testing might assist parents but there would be a lot of children who would be negatively affected by same.

This, they stated, is because the results do not show who the father of the child is, when they come out negative. They were of the view that to wait until maintenance claims were made would not totally curb the problem. According to some of the Facebook users, men had in many instances supported children who did not belong to them.

They sated that mandatory DNA testing before requiring child support payment is sensible, considering that some women have five men supporting one child.
First Colombia Gold (OTCMKTS:FCGD  Get Free Report) and Taseko Mines (NYSE:TGB  Get Free Report) are both basic materials companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk, valuation, earnings and dividends.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for First Colombia Gold and Taseko Mines, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score First Colombia Gold 0 0 0 0 N/A Taseko Mines 0 0 2 1 3.33

Taseko Mines has a consensus target price of $3.50, indicating a potential upside of 58.37%.

Profitability

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets First Colombia Gold N/A N/A N/A Taseko Mines 13.07% 18.82% 4.78%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares First Colombia Gold and Taseko Mines net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

This table compares First Colombia Gold and Taseko Mines revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio First Colombia Gold N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Taseko Mines $388.86 million 1.67 $61.28 million $0.24 9.21

Taseko Mines has higher revenue and earnings than First Colombia Gold.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

17.9% of Taseko Mines shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.0% of First Colombia Gold shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 2.3% of Taseko Mines shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility & Risk

First Colombia Gold has a beta of 0.1, suggesting that its stock price is 90% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Taseko Mines has a beta of 1.75, suggesting that its stock price is 75% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Taseko Mines beats First Colombia Gold on 9 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About First Colombia Gold

(Get Free Report)

First Colombia Gold Corp. engages in the exploration and production of oil and gas properties. The company operates through Energy and Mining divisions. It holds interests in 96 oil wells with a gross acreage of 4,302 acres in the counties of Cumberland, Monroe, Overton, and Clinton. The company is also involved in the precious minerals exploration business. It owns 2 unpatented mining claims in the Skip Silver prospect covering an area of approximately 40 acres in central Montana. The company was formerly known as Amazon Goldsands Ltd. and changed its name to First Colombia Gold Corp. in November 2010. First Colombia Gold Corp. was founded in 1997 and is based in Nashville, Tennessee.

About Taseko Mines

(Get Free Report)

Taseko Mines Limited, a mining company, acquires, develops, and operates mineral properties. It explores for copper, molybdenum, gold, niobium, and silver deposits. The company's principal asset comprises 100% interest owned the Gibraltar mine located in British Columbia. It also holds interest in the Yellowhead copper project, the Aley niobium project, and the New Prosperity gold and copper project located in British Columbia; and the Florence copper project located in Arizona. Taseko Mines Limited was incorporated in 1966 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

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Hall Laurie J Trustee decreased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW  Free Report) by 7.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 620 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 50 shares during the period. Hall Laurie J Trustees holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $559,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Liberty One Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 78.6% during the second quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 250 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $226,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of W.W. Grainger by 4.3% during the second quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,196 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $5,931,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. bought a new position in shares of W.W. Grainger during the second quarter worth about $291,000. Vista Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.7% in the second quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,961 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $2,672,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. bought a new position in W.W. Grainger in the second quarter worth about $62,000. Institutional investors own 80.70% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GWW. Robert W. Baird cut shares of W.W. Grainger from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and cut their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $975.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank reissued a hold rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a report on Friday, June 14th. Loop Capital cut their target price on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $975.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 29th. Stephens raised shares of W.W. Grainger from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and raised their target price for the stock from $1,000.00 to $1,250.00 in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Baird R W cut shares of W.W. Grainger from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, W.W. Grainger currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $1,017.13.

Insider Activity at W.W. Grainger

In related news, SVP Matt Fortin sold 511 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.20, for a total value of $467,667.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,848 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,691,289.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

W.W. Grainger Stock Performance

Shares of GWW traded up $4.26 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $962.40. 147,532 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 245,778. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 12 month low of $674.41 and a 12 month high of $1,034.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.17. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $937.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $951.68.

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The industrial products company reported $9.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $9.58 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. W.W. Grainger had a net margin of 10.86% and a return on equity of 53.25%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.28 EPS. Equities analysts predict that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 39.1 earnings per share for the current year.

W.W. Grainger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th will be paid a $2.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $8.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. W.W. Graingers payout ratio is currently 22.64%.

W.W. Grainger Profile

(Free Report)

W.W. Grainger, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services primarily in North America, Japan, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety, security, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance, and metalworking and hand tools.

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Summit Global Investments trimmed its position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Free Report) by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,617 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Summit Global Investments holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $376,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 1,677.8% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 320 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Raymond James reissued a buy rating and issued a $124.00 target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $128.00 to $119.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $120.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Tuesday, June 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $121.00.

Abbott Laboratories Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE ABT traded up $0.45 on Wednesday, reaching $111.22. The stock had a trading volume of 2,139,544 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,992,095. The firm has a market capitalization of $193.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Abbott Laboratories has a 12-month low of $89.67 and a 12-month high of $121.64. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $105.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $108.70.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $10.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.37 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 13.65% and a return on equity of 20.18%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 15th were paid a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 15th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.98%. Abbott Laboratoriess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.54%.

Abbott Laboratories Company Profile

(Free Report)

Abbott Laboratories, together with its subsidiaries, discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells health care products worldwide. It operates in four segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices. The company provides generic pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, irritable bowel syndrome or biliary spasm, intrahepatic cholestasis or depressive symptoms, gynecological disorder, hormone replacement therapy, dyslipidemia, hypertension, hypothyroidism, Meniere's disease and vestibular vertigo, pain, fever, inflammation, and migraine, as well as provides anti-infective clarithromycin, influenza vaccine, and products to regulate physiological rhythm of the colon.

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Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX  Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of Hold by the eleven analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $41.73.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on BAX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Baxter International from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Baxter International from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. TD Cowen lowered Baxter International from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $40.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Baxter International from $38.00 to $37.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th.

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View Our Latest Stock Analysis on BAX

Institutional Trading of Baxter International

Baxter International Stock Performance

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BAX. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Baxter International in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the first quarter worth $39,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Baxter International by 205.4% in the 4th quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 953 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 641 shares in the last quarter. United Community Bank acquired a new position in Baxter International in the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Baxter International by 974.2% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,332 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,208 shares in the last quarter. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Baxter International stock opened at $36.24 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. Baxter International has a 12-month low of $31.01 and a 12-month high of $44.01.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.02. Baxter International had a net margin of 17.79% and a return on equity of 18.47%. The company had revenue of $3.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.55 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Baxter International will post 2.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. Baxter Internationals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.31%.

About Baxter International

(Get Free Report

Baxter International Inc, through its subsidiaries, develops and provides a portfolio of healthcare products worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Medical Products and Therapies, Healthcare Systems and Technologies, Pharmaceuticals, and Kidney Care. The company offers sterile intravenous (IV) solutions; infusion systems and devices; parenteral nutrition therapies; generic injectable pharmaceuticals; surgical hemostat and sealant products, advanced surgical equipment; smart bed systems; patient monitoring and diagnostic technologies; and respiratory health devices, as well as advanced equipment for the surgical space, including surgical video technologies, precision positioning devices, and other accessories.

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Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Terreno Realty Co. (NYSE:TRNO  Free Report) by 3.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 870,755 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 29,489 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned 0.90% of Terreno Realty worth $51,531,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of TRNO. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Terreno Realty by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,981,741 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $861,988,000 after acquiring an additional 919,851 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Terreno Realty during the 4th quarter valued at about $54,302,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Terreno Realty by 16.4% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,155,458 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $342,322,000 after purchasing an additional 727,995 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado increased its stake in Terreno Realty by 91,086.2% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 713,076 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $44,688,000 after purchasing an additional 712,294 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Terreno Realty by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,162,332 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $276,381,000 after purchasing an additional 291,051 shares in the last quarter.

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Terreno Realty Stock Performance

NYSE TRNO traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $68.05. 92,925 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 699,157. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $63.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $61.35. The company has a current ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.89. Terreno Realty Co. has a 52 week low of $50.42 and a 52 week high of $69.74.

Terreno Realty Increases Dividend

Insider Activity at Terreno Realty

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 11th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. This represents a $1.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.88%. This is a positive change from Terreno Realtys previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. Terreno Realtys payout ratio is 93.75%.

In related news, President Michael A. Coke sold 7,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.53, for a total transaction of $513,975.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 402,164 shares in the company, valued at $27,560,298.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Terreno Realty news, President Michael A. Coke sold 7,500 shares of Terreno Realty stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.53, for a total transaction of $513,975.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 402,164 shares of the companys stock, valued at $27,560,298.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jaime Jackson Cannon sold 4,998 shares of Terreno Realty stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.39, for a total transaction of $341,813.22. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 101,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,970,787.53. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 18,643 shares of company stock worth $1,277,581. 2.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on TRNO shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Terreno Realty from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Wedbush restated a neutral rating and set a $70.00 price objective (up from $57.00) on shares of Terreno Realty in a research note on Friday, August 16th. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Terreno Realty in a research note on Tuesday, June 4th. They set an outperform rating and a $68.00 price objective for the company. JMP Securities raised their price objective on shares of Terreno Realty from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a market outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Terreno Realty from $60.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Terreno Realty presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $67.89.

Read Our Latest Analysis on Terreno Realty

About Terreno Realty

(Free Report)

Terreno Realty Corporation (Terreno, and together with its subsidiaries, the Company) acquires, owns and operates industrial real estate in six major coastal U.S. markets: Los Angeles, Northern New Jersey/New York City, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Miami, and Washington, DC All square feet, acres, occupancy and number of properties disclosed in these notes to the consolidated financial statements are unaudited.

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Core Laboratories Inc. (NYSE:CLB  Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of Reduce from the four brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have issued a hold rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $18.50.

Several analysts have issued reports on CLB shares. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Core Laboratories from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Core Laboratories from $16.00 to $15.00 and set an underperform rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Core Laboratories from $18.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Core Laboratories from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, July 26th.

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Read Our Latest Stock Report on CLB

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Core Laboratories

Core Laboratories Trading Down 4.8 %

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CLB. Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN raised its stake in Core Laboratories by 446.8% in the second quarter. Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN now owns 4,460,720 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $90,508,000 after buying an additional 3,644,963 shares in the last quarter. Ariel Investments LLC raised its stake in Core Laboratories by 20.4% in the first quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 10,825,657 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $184,902,000 after buying an additional 1,837,258 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA raised its stake in Core Laboratories by 17.6% in the first quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 1,606,745 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $27,443,000 after buying an additional 240,989 shares in the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC raised its stake in Core Laboratories by 6.3% in the second quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 3,286,438 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $66,682,000 after buying an additional 195,756 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gendell Jeffrey L raised its stake in Core Laboratories by 101.7% in the first quarter. Gendell Jeffrey L now owns 326,890 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $5,583,000 after buying an additional 164,797 shares in the last quarter. 97.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Core Laboratories stock opened at $18.33 on Friday. Core Laboratories has a fifty-two week low of $13.82 and a fifty-two week high of $26.49. The firms fifty day moving average price is $20.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $18.07. The stock has a market cap of $859.68 million, a P/E ratio of 20.83, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 2.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.39.

Core Laboratories (NYSE:CLB  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.01. Core Laboratories had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 15.20%. The business had revenue of $130.58 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $132.85 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.23 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Core Laboratories will post 0.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Core Laboratories Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.01 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 5th. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.22%. Core Laboratoriess dividend payout ratio is currently 4.55%.

Core Laboratories Company Profile

(Get Free Report

Core Laboratories Inc provides reservoir description and production enhancement services and products to the oil and gas industry in the United States, and internationally. It operates through Reservoir Description and Production Enhancement segments. The Reservoir Description segment includes the characterization of petroleum reservoir rock and reservoir fluid samples to enhance production and improve recovery of crude oil and gas from its clients' reservoirs.

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Dingdong (Cayman) Limited (NYSE:DDL  Get Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,580,000 shares, a decline of 7.1% from the July 15th total of 1,700,000 shares. Approximately 1.1% of the companys shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 491,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.2 days.

Dingdong (Cayman) Price Performance

Shares of DDL stock opened at $2.02 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $477.18 million, a PE ratio of -67.33 and a beta of 0.25. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $1.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1.62. Dingdong has a 1 year low of $1.07 and a 1 year high of $2.38.

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Institutional Trading of Dingdong (Cayman)

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Dingdong (Cayman) by 0.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,849,609 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,917,000 after acquiring an additional 17,900 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Dingdong (Cayman) in the 2nd quarter worth about $86,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Dingdong (Cayman) during the 1st quarter worth about $54,000. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in Dingdong (Cayman) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. now owns 9,308,945 shares of the companys stock valued at $13,963,000 after purchasing an additional 166,736 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in Dingdong (Cayman) by 63.4% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 690,200 shares of the companys stock worth $1,373,000 after purchasing an additional 267,700 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 24.66% of the companys stock.

Dingdong (Cayman) Company Profile

Dingdong (Cayman) Limited operates an e-commerce company in China. The company offers fresh groceries, including vegetables, meat and eggs, fruits, and seafood; prepared food, and other food products, such as baked goods, dairy, seasonings, beverages, instant food, oil, and snacks. It offers its products through traditional offline, as well as online channels through Dingdong Fresh app, mini-programs, and third-party platforms.

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Global Business Travel Group, Inc. (NYSE:GBTG  Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,660,000 shares, a decline of 7.1% from the July 15th total of 3,940,000 shares. Approximately 2.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 833,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.4 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on GBTG shares. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Global Business Travel Group from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Global Business Travel Group from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th.

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Global Business Travel Group Stock Down 2.3 %

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Global Business Travel Group

Shares of NYSE GBTG opened at $6.92 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $3.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.74 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. Global Business Travel Group has a 12 month low of $4.49 and a 12 month high of $7.16. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $6.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $6.18.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GBTG. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Global Business Travel Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $143,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of Global Business Travel Group by 70.9% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 54,588 shares of the companys stock valued at $360,000 after acquiring an additional 22,650 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of Global Business Travel Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $489,000. Amalgamated Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Global Business Travel Group by 299.1% during the 2nd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 4,342 shares of the companys stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 3,254 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in Global Business Travel Group by 431.2% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 105,700 shares of the companys stock worth $698,000 after acquiring an additional 85,800 shares during the last quarter. 82.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Global Business Travel Group

(Get Free Report)

Global Business Travel Group, Inc provides business-to-business (B2B) travel platform in the United States and internationally. The company's platform offers a suite of technology-enabled solutions to business travelers and clients; travel content suppliers, such as airlines, hotels, ground transportation, and aggregators; and third-party travel agencies.

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Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited (LON:JAR  Get Free Report) declared a dividend on Thursday, August 1st, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share on Wednesday, October 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 22nd. The official announcement can be seen at this link.

Jardine Matheson Stock Performance

Shares of JAR opened at GBX 62.50 ($0.81) on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of 158.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 223.21 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 37.82, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.90. Jardine Matheson has a 1-year low of GBX 34.29 ($0.45) and a 1-year high of GBX 62.50 ($0.81). The company has a 50-day moving average of GBX 60.31 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 61.18.

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About Jardine Matheson

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Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates in motor vehicles and related operations, property investment and development, food retailing, health and beauty, home furnishings, engineering and construction, and transportation businesses in China, Southeast Asia, the United Kingdom, and internationally.

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Legacy Capital Group California Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,853 shares of the companys stock after selling 39 shares during the period. Legacy Capital Group California Inc.s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $1,678,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC now owns 811 shares of the companys stock worth $734,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Verum Partners LLC grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Verum Partners LLC now owns 731 shares of the companys stock valued at $662,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Acorn Creek Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Acorn Creek Capital LLC now owns 927 shares of the companys stock valued at $840,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 736 shares of the companys stock worth $573,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the period. Finally, Innova Wealth Partners boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Innova Wealth Partners now owns 1,068 shares of the companys stock worth $831,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.53% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LLY has been the topic of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $994.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Barclays increased their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $913.00 to $1,025.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Argus increased their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $770.00 to $840.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an overweight rating and issued a $885.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $956.88.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

NYSE LLY traded up $1.58 on Wednesday, hitting $951.55. The stock had a trading volume of 1,880,307 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,097,677. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $881.72 and a 200-day moving average of $810.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.35. Eli Lilly and Company has a 52-week low of $516.57 and a 52-week high of $967.00. The company has a market capitalization of $904.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 139.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.41.

Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th will be given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.58%.

Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and Company

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 210,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $939.82, for a total value of $197,362,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 96,943,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $91,109,731,514.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 210,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $939.82, for a total transaction of $197,362,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 96,943,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $91,109,731,514.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Johna Norton sold 7,056 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $819.38, for a total transaction of $5,781,545.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 25,428 shares of the companys stock, valued at $20,835,194.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,214,704 shares of company stock valued at $1,066,841,316. Company insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Profile

(Free Report)

Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; Jardiance, Mounjaro, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes; and Zepbound for obesity.

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Newmont Co. (NYSE:NEM  Get Free Report) shares rose 1.3% on Monday . The company traded as high as $50.93 and last traded at $50.87. Approximately 1,874,548 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 10,901,280 shares. The stock had previously closed at $50.21.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NEM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Scotiabank upgraded Newmont from a sector perform rating to a sector outperform rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $48.00 to $59.00 in a research report on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on Newmont from $46.00 to $45.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. National Bank Financial cut shares of Newmont from an outperform overweight rating to a sector perform overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Newmont from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Cibc World Mkts upgraded shares of Newmont from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $50.92.

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Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on NEM

Newmont Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.85, a current ratio of 2.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $45.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $40.38. The company has a market cap of $59.81 billion, a PE ratio of -19.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.47.

Newmont (NYSE:NEM  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The basic materials company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $4.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.13 billion. Newmont had a negative net margin of 13.16% and a positive return on equity of 8.35%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 64.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.33 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Newmont Co. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Newmont Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 5th. Newmonts dividend payout ratio is presently -37.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Thomas Ronald Palmer sold 20,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.51, for a total transaction of $990,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 311,469 shares of the companys stock, valued at $15,420,830.19. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the companys stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Newmont

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NEM. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Newmont in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new position in Newmont in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Newmont by 171.9% during the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 628 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 397 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Newmont in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Heritage Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in Newmont by 1,310.4% during the first quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors now owns 945 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 878 shares during the last quarter. 68.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Newmont Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Newmont Corporation engages in the production and exploration of gold. It also explores for copper, silver, zinc, and lead. The company has operations and/or assets in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Peru, Suriname, Argentina, Chile, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Ecuador, Fiji, and Ghana.

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Summit Global Investments acquired a new position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific Co. (NYSE:LPX  Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 18,204 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock, valued at approximately $1,499,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. LifeSteps Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Louisiana-Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Louisiana-Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Whittier Trust Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Louisiana-Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 258.5% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 441 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 57.3% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 486 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. 94.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Activity at Louisiana-Pacific

In related news, Director Ozey K. Horton, Jr. sold 800 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.10, for a total value of $76,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 29,008 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,787,668.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Louisiana-Pacific news, Director Ozey K. Horton, Jr. sold 800 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.10, for a total transaction of $76,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 29,008 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,787,668.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Lizanne C. Gottung sold 3,591 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.18, for a total value of $320,245.38. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,501 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,095,819.18. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Louisiana-Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of LPX stock traded up $0.99 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $93.32. 115,258 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 912,258. The company has a market cap of $6.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 13.92 and a beta of 1.89. The companys 50 day moving average is $89.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.88. Louisiana-Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $49.47 and a 1 year high of $101.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 3.32 and a quick ratio of 1.75.

Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The building manufacturing company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.23. Louisiana-Pacific had a return on equity of 20.87% and a net margin of 9.74%. The business had revenue of $814.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $797.26 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.55 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 33.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Louisiana-Pacific Co. will post 5.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Louisiana-Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 20th will be paid a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 20th. Louisiana-Pacifics payout ratio is currently 28.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LPX shares. Loop Capital started coverage on Louisiana-Pacific in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. They issued a hold rating and a $82.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $105.00 price objective (up from $101.00) on shares of Louisiana-Pacific in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Seaport Res Ptn cut Louisiana-Pacific from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Louisiana-Pacific from $101.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Louisiana-Pacific from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Louisiana-Pacific has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $94.88.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on LPX

Louisiana-Pacific Profile

(Free Report)

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides building solutions primarily for use in new home construction, repair and remodeling, and outdoor structure markets. It operates through Siding, Oriented Strand Board, LP South America, and Other segments. The Siding segment offers LP SmartSide trim and siding products, LP SmartSide ExpertFinish trim and siding products, LP BuilderSeries lap siding products, and LP Outdoor Building Solutions; and engineered wood siding, trim, soffit, and fascia products.

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Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI increased its holdings in The Bank of New York Mellon Co. (NYSE:BK  Free Report) by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,847 shares of the banks stock after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FIs holdings in Bank of New York Mellon were worth $231,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of BK. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in Bank of New York Mellon by 82.1% in the 1st quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 510 shares of the banks stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Bank of New York Mellon in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Bank of New York Mellon during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Able Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Bank of New York Mellon during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Bank of New York Mellon during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors own 85.31% of the companys stock.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Bank of New York Mellon news, VP Hanneke Smits sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.11, for a total value of $961,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 173,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,150,652.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the companys stock.

Bank of New York Mellon Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:BK traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $65.24. The company had a trading volume of 2,830,157 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,841,793. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.62. The firm has a market cap of $48.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.09. The Bank of New York Mellon Co. has a 1-year low of $39.66 and a 1-year high of $65.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.70.

Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE:BK  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 12th. The bank reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $4.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.53 billion. Bank of New York Mellon had a net margin of 9.40% and a return on equity of 11.87%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.38 EPS. Research analysts predict that The Bank of New York Mellon Co. will post 5.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank of New York Mellon Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, July 22nd were paid a $0.47 dividend. This is an increase from Bank of New York Mellons previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 22nd. Bank of New York Mellons dividend payout ratio is currently 43.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Bank of New York Mellon from $61.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Bank of New York Mellon from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Bank of New York Mellon from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an outperform rating and set a $75.00 price target (up from $70.00) on shares of Bank of New York Mellon in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Bank of New York Mellon from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $66.14.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on BK

About Bank of New York Mellon

(Free Report)

The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation provides a range of financial products and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Securities Services, Market and Wealth Services, Investment and Wealth Management, and other segments. The Securities Services segment offers custody, trust and depositary, accounting, exchange-traded funds, middle-office solutions, transfer agency, services for private equity and real estate funds, foreign exchange, securities lending, liquidity/lending services, and data analytics.

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UWM Holdings Co. (NYSE:UWMC  Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of Reduce by the seven brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $7.29.

A number of research analysts recently commented on UWMC shares. BTIG Research raised their price objective on shares of UWM from $8.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of UWM from $7.00 to $8.50 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of UWM from $7.50 to $8.50 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of UWM from $5.00 to $6.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of UWM from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th.

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UWM Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UWMC opened at $9.25 on Wednesday. The firms 50 day moving average is $7.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $7.17. UWM has a 52 week low of $4.49 and a 52 week high of $9.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $884.10 million, a P/E ratio of 308.33 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90.

UWM (NYSE:UWMC  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.06 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $507.09 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $540.31 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.11 EPS. Analysts anticipate that UWM will post 0.28 earnings per share for the current year.

UWM Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 19th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.32%. UWMs dividend payout ratio is currently 1,333.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Quadrature Capital Ltd raised its holdings in shares of UWM by 124.3% during the 1st quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 54,778 shares of the companys stock valued at $397,000 after purchasing an additional 30,361 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of UWM by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 57,948 shares of the companys stock valued at $421,000 after purchasing an additional 3,207 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of UWM by 1,743.3% during the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 239,830 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,662,000 after purchasing an additional 226,819 shares in the last quarter. Azora Capital LP bought a new position in UWM in the 4th quarter worth $6,705,000. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in UWM by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 277,580 shares of the companys stock worth $1,985,000 after acquiring an additional 5,478 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 53.59% of the companys stock.

UWM Company Profile

(Get Free Report

UWM Holdings Corporation engages in the residential mortgage lending business in the United States. The company offers mortgage loans through wholesale channel. It originates primarily conforming and government loans. UWM Holdings Corporation was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Pontiac, Michigan.

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Veracity Capital LLC lessened its holdings in First Majestic Silver Corp. (NYSE:AG  Free Report) (TSE:FR) by 12.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,634 shares of the mining companys stock after selling 2,028 shares during the period. Veracity Capital LLCs holdings in First Majestic Silver were worth $87,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cetera Advisors LLC raised its stake in First Majestic Silver by 3.1% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 53,577 shares of the mining companys stock worth $315,000 after acquiring an additional 1,601 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Majestic Silver in the 1st quarter worth about $1,373,000. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in shares of First Majestic Silver by 6,929.4% during the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 5,174,889 shares of the mining companys stock worth $30,406,000 after purchasing an additional 5,101,271 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in First Majestic Silver during the 1st quarter valued at about $62,000. Finally, Bayesian Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in First Majestic Silver by 93.9% during the 1st quarter. Bayesian Capital Management LP now owns 61,300 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $360,000 after purchasing an additional 29,686 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 27.16% of the companys stock.

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First Majestic Silver Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:AG traded up $0.09 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $5.85. 4,856,266 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,608,190. First Majestic Silver Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $4.17 and a fifty-two week high of $8.44. The stock has a market cap of $1.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -36.00 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 2.33, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $5.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $6.10.

First Majestic Silver Dividend Announcement

First Majestic Silver ( NYSE:AG Get Free Report ) (TSE:FR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The mining company reported ($0.07) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $136.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $129.74 million. First Majestic Silver had a negative return on equity of 4.41% and a negative net margin of 15.37%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.02) earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that First Majestic Silver Corp. will post -0.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.0046 per share. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.31%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. First Majestic Silvers payout ratio is -6.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AG shares. HC Wainwright restated a buy rating and issued a $8.50 target price on shares of First Majestic Silver in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of First Majestic Silver from $5.50 to $6.50 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd.

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About First Majestic Silver

(Free Report)

First Majestic Silver Corp. engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of mineral properties with a focus on silver and gold production in North America. Its projects include the San Dimas mine covering an area of approximately 71,867 hectares located in Durango State, Mexico; the Santa Elena that covers an area of approximately 102,244 hectares located in Sonora State, Mexico; and the La Encantada covering an area of approximately 4,076 hectares located in Coahuila State, Mexico.

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Uber starts rides with Pets in Bangalore 08 Oct 2024 | 7:29 PM New Delhi, Oct 8 (UNI) In a good news for pet lovers, Uber, an app based transportation and ride-sharing technology company on Tuesday announced the launch of Uber Pet in Bangalore allowing riders to bring their beloved pets along for the ride. see more..

ICICI Bank partners with PhonePe to offer instant credit on UPI 08 Oct 2024 | 6:57 PM Hyderabad, Oct 8 (UNI) ICICI Bank on Tuesday announced that it has partnered with PhonePe to offer instant credit on UPI to its pre-approved customers on the app of the digital payments company. see more..

Torrent Power gets LoA from MSEDCL for supply of 2,000 MW Energy Storage Capacity 08 Oct 2024 | 6:52 PM New Delhi, Oct 8 (UNI) Private integrated power utility firm Torrent Power Limited has received letter of award from Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) for long-term supply of 2,000 Megawatt (MW) Energy Storage Capacity from InSTS Connected Pumped Hydro Storage Plant. see more..

Kottayam-Kochi Rubber market Rates 08 Oct 2024 | 5:13 PM Kottayam Oct 08 (UNI) Following were the Rubber Market rates announced by the Rubber

Board here on Tuesday per quintal

Kottayam

RSS FOUR: 21000

RSS FIVE : 20700

ISNR TWENTY: 18900

SIXTY PERCENT LATEX: 13950

Kochi



RSS FOUR: 21000

RSS FIVE: 2070

International Rates (Bangkok)

RSS One: 23805

RSS Two: 23654

RSS Three: 23516

RSS Four: 23441

RSS Five: 233328

Kuala Lumpur

SMR TWENTY : 17873($212.85)

SIXTY PERCENT LATEX : 14919($177.65)

UNI PA BD. see more..
Will not leave any stone unturned to fulfill aspirations: Modi after Haryana win 08 Oct 2024 | 11:16 PM New Delhi, Oct 8 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday thanked the people of Haryana for voting teh BJP back to power and said he will not leave any stone unturned to fulfill their aspirations". see more..

Top most priority is to restore statehood to J&K : Congress 08 Oct 2024 | 10:04 PM New Delhi, Oct 8 (UNI) The Congress on Tuesday congratulated the people of Jammu and Kashmir for giving a clear manadate to the National Conference and Indian National Congress alliance in the Assembly election. see more..

BJP scores stunning Haryana hattrick, NC-Congress alliance gets majority in J&K 08 Oct 2024 | 9:22 PM New Delhi, Oct 8 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday pulled off a historic third straight triumph in Haryana, virtually snatching victory from the claws of the Congress which was widely being seen as the potential winner in the Assembly election. see more..

BJP set for Haryana hat-trick, NC-Congress alliance gets majority in J&K 08 Oct 2024 | 8:20 PM New Delhi, Oct 8 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday pulled off a historic third straight victory in Haryana, virtually snatching victory from the claws of the Congress which was widely being seen as the potential winner. see more..
In a clear demonstration of its commitment to defense readiness, Taiwan conducted a large-scale military exercise at the Jiupeng military base in Pingtung County. The exercise featured successfully launching two U.S.-made Patriot PAC-2 missiles alongside locally developed Sky Bow III anti-ballistic missiles, hitting targets approximately 30 kilometers off Taiwans eastern coast.

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Show of Force During Escalating Pressure

This exercise comes against a backdrop of escalating tensions with China, which claims Taiwan as a breakaway province. Beijing has intensified its military activities around the island, including frequent incursions by warplanes and naval vessels near Taiwans coast, prompting concerns about a potential invasion.

Colonel Kao Shu-li, the spokesperson for the exercise, stated that the training aimed to test the effectiveness of the weapon systems and the soldiers in a joint air defense scenario. The decentralized command model employed during the exercise highlighted Taiwans focus on improving responsiveness and coordination of forces in potential conflict situations.

PAC-2 Missiles: A Key Component of Taiwans Defense Strategy

Strengthening Defense Capabilities Through Diversification

The Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) is a highly sophisticated air defense system designed to operate in all weather conditions and altitudes. Its ability to intercept ballistic missiles makes it a critical component of Taiwans defense strategy against potential Chinese aggression. Weighing approximately 900 kg and measuring 5.8 meters in length, the PAC-2 boasts a range of up to 70 km and utilizes a powerful 90 kg warhead. Its advanced guidance system, based on a passive electronically scanned array (PESA) radar, ensures precise target tracking and interception.

Taiwans utilization of the PAC-2, supplied by the United States, underlines its strategy of diversifying its weapon systems. This approach combines procuring advanced military equipment from allies, particularly the United States, with bolstering its domestic arms industry. The recent announcement of a 6% increase in the defense budget for 2025, bringing it to 647 billion Taiwanese dollars (approximately 19.8 billion U.S. dollars), reflects Taiwans commitment to strengthening its defenses.

Transparency and International Messaging

The recent exercise marked a significant departure from previous practices, with the Ministry of Defense inviting the press to witness the live-fire demonstration. This increased transparency, a first in twelve years, is interpreted as a deliberate effort to reassure the Taiwanese population and send a strong message to the international community about Taiwans resolve to defend its sovereignty.

Ministry of Defense spokesperson Sun Li-fang emphasized the importance of the exercise in verifying the effectiveness of the weapons systems and the robust training of the soldiers. The simulated combat conditions under which the missile launches were conducted served to validate the operational capabilities of Taiwans armed forces.

Deterrence and Diplomacy: A Two-Pronged Approach

As China continues to assert its claim over Taiwan, the island nation is pursuing a multifaceted strategy that combines strengthening its military capabilities with active diplomacy. The recent exercise serves as a powerful reminder of the tense geopolitical situation and underscores Taiwans determination to deter any attempt by China to take control by force. Alongside military preparedness, Taiwan is actively engaging with unofficial allies like Japan and South Korea to solidify its international support network.

A Future Defined by Uncertainty

The recent military exercise, showcasing Taiwans advanced defense capabilities, highlights the islands commitment to safeguarding its autonomy. While the future remains uncertain, one thing is clear: Taiwan is preparing to defend its sovereignty in the face of growing pressure from China. The balance of power in the region remains delicate, and the world watches closely as Taiwan continues to navigate the complex geopolitical landscape. The live-fire launch of the PAC-2 missiles serves as a powerful symbol of Taiwans unwavering commitment to self-defense and its determination to secure a future free from coercion.
Sheikh Hasina faces nine additional cases of murder, ICT

Dhaka, Aug 20 (UNI) At least nine new cases were filed against ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday on various allegations, including murder, across the country, media reports said.

One of the cases was related to the May 5, 2013 crackdown on a Hefajat-e-Islam protest in the Shapla Chattar of Motijheel area of this capital city. The opposition BNP as also hardline Islamic groups have consistently accused the Hasina-led erstwhile Awami League government of committing genocide during the crackdown, a charge denied by her regime..

The charge was submitted with the International Crimes Tribunal's investigating office today, accusing the former Prime Minister and 23 others of committing crimes against humanity and genocide during
Derry will host an in-conversation event between Palestinian journalist Motaz Azaiza and Derry Girls star Jamie Lee ODonnell to raise funds for the victims of Israels war on Gaza.

Organised by the Derry branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the event is set to take place in the Guildhall on Thursday, August 22.

IPSC spokesperson Catherine Hutton believes the event is incredibly important for the struggle Palestinians are still facing in Gaza.

She said: Motaz has brought the plight of the Palestinians to people who would have been unaware prior to October 7.

He was on the frontline recording what was happening in Gaza. It was his and several other works from the very start that exposed what the Israelis were doing. They exposed the displacement, indiscriminate bombing, starvation, and lack of humanitarian aid getting in, showing how the children and the people were suffering.

We only know what's happening there because of Gazan journalists.

He left in March this year and has been touring the world to keep people informed of what is happening, so it is not forgotten.

As of today, there are 169 of them dead; two of them were shot in the past couple of days.

Israel continues to restrict the access of journalists to Gaza, particularly broadcasters, with Israels parliament passing a bill in April allowing it to close Al Jazeeras office in Israel, block its website and ban local channels from using its coverage.

These actions fill Mrs. Hutton with concern, and she believes media outlets should be pushing for more access to Gaza to report.

She said: There has been very little outcry in the media about what is happening to the journalists looking to report what is happening in Gazathe silencing being done by the Israelis as soldiers target journalists, particularly Palestinian journalists.

There should be a push by the media to get in there and report on it, show what is happening and hold the Israelis to account for their actions.

The event was sold out within hours, but people wishing to welcome and greet the award-winning photojournalist, Derry, can do so when he is presented at Free Derry Corner at 4pm.

People have been encouraged by the IPSC to come down with flags to provide a Derry welcome to Mr. Azaiza.

Mrs. Hutton said: Motaz will be getting a tour of the Museum of Free Derry on Thursday with the with the Chairman of Derry's Bloody Sunday Trust, Tony Doherty.

I was speaking to a Palestinian recently at an event, and he spoke about how he feels at home in Derry, and it is because of the people. That spoke a lot to me, and I feel Motaz will see that, as there is no welcome like a Derry welcome.

We are going to walk from Free Derry Corner to the Guildhall, which was part of the Civil Rights route in 1972 that never happened because of the events of Bloody Sunday and actions taken by the British soldiers.

I think it will be a very symbolic afternoon, even before the event that night.

The event is set to start at 7pm with chair Jamie Lee ODonnell, perceived as the perfect fit for the role, according to Mrs. Hutton.

She said: The reason we thought of Jamie-Lee and approached her was because of her support and solidarity.

She has put herself out there in the line. It takes a lot of guts to put your head above the parapet when you have a public persona and actually stand up for what is right and by your morals. There are plenty of celebrities, entertainers, and personalities who have kept very quiet and are afraid of losing their brand deals and impacting their following.
Staff at Derry-based elections tech firm Modern Democracy are preparing to step out for a unique charity drive that will see them complete a Three Bridge Challenge around the city.

The initiative, in aid of Cancer Research UK, will see the Modern Democracy team circumnavigate Derry with a route that takes in the Craigavon, Foyle and Peace bridges.

The walk is part of the wider Public Sector Challenge 2024 in which teams across the UK will tackle the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge.

The team from Modern Democracy, which provides a digital voter check-in and registration platform to local authorities across the UK, decided to take their own local slant on the challenge.

They will embark on the 12km walk on 6th September, with the route expected to take around three hours to complete.

Stella Coyle, Modern Democracy, said: Working closely with our customers in local authorities across the UK, we are delighted to join them for this years Public Sector Challenge.

With the main challenge taking place in Yorkshire, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to put our own unique twist on the event.

Over the coming weeks, Modern Democracy will take to the footpaths along the route as they build up towards the challenge which will take place on the same day as the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge.

The event forms part of Modern Democracys wider Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. Earlier this year, the team participated in a walking challenge in aid of Dravet Syndrome UK, raising around 1,500 for the cause.

Cancer Research UK works to bring about a world where everybody lives longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer. It is the world's leading independent cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research, influence and information.

For more information or to make a donation, visit https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/team-modern-democracy
Tributes have been paid to renowned Derry journalist Nell McCafferty, who has died.

She died in the early hours of Wednesday morning at a County Donegal nursing home, her family confirmed this morning.

She was among the early cohorts of Catholics admitted to Queens University in Belfast, where she studied arts and got involved in civil rights politics. She spent time teaching briefly before beginning her journalism career.

She worked for several publications including the Irish Times, the Sunday Tribune and Hot Press and was a regular panellist on radio and television programmes.

Mrs McCafferty was a prominent voice on womens rights issues across the island of Ireland and in 1970 co-founded the Irish Womens Liberation Movement.

In 1971, she travelled to Belfast with other members of the Irish Women's Liberation Movement in order to protest the prohibition of the importation and sale of contraceptives in the Republic of Ireland. The incident, which attracted extensive publicity, became known as the 'Contraceptive Train'.

Leading the tributes, President of Ireland Michael D Higgins described Nell McCafferty as a 'pioneer' who had 'a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness'.

President Higgins said: "It is with great sorrow that so many people will have learnt of the death of Nell McCafferty.

"Nell McCafferty was a pioneer in raising those searching questions which could be asked, but which had been buried, hidden or neglected. Indeed, this is one of the aspects which was most remarkable from the very beginning in her work.

"For example, Nell knew that standing behind the rituals of courts and unfortunate defendants, there was always a complex story which she had a gifted empathy to understand. In her column, In the Eyes of the Law, she opened peoples eyes to the operation of the District Court and its interaction with those who found themselves before it.

"Nell had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness, and this made her advocacy formidable on behalf of those who had been excluded from society. A defining feature across Nells life was such a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism wherever she saw it.

"Across so many areas, including her work on the Kerry Babies case captured in her book A Woman to Blame, the Troubles, her own life experience and so many other areas beside, Nells writing remains a compelling and courageous record of those decades.

"As a writer and activist, including as a co-founder of the Irish Womens Liberation Movement, Nell McCafferty played a vital role and leaves a true legacy in fighting for feminism and womens rights across the island.

"Paying tribute to Nell on her 80th birthday earlier this year, I said that those who have had Nell as a friend and an ally are very fortunate in their being given the gift of experiencing humanity in all its possibilities and vulnerabilities, and delivered as she did it with a sense of humour that paid tribute to the authenticity of her Derry upbringing.

"Sabina and myself were privileged to be friends of Nell and to have experienced her enduring strength, courage, warmth and humour. She will be deeply missed by us all.

"May I express my deepest condolences to Nells family, colleagues and many friends.

Taoiseach Simon Harris described "fierce, fearless and fiery" campaigner who suffered no fools.

"If she was in the room or in the debate, you knew about it," he said.

"Her passion and wrath was not scattergun, it had a laser-like focus on calling out inequality and injustice. She suffered no fools but had a kindness and warmth for many. Her wit and Derry turn of phrase made her impossible to ignore.

"As one of the women who took the train in 1971, she set in train an unstoppable wave for equality and a changing of Ireland for the better. That change has not yet reached its conclusion but it would be nowhere if it wasnt for warriors like Nell.

"In an Ireland trying to emerge from the shadows and find who it was, Nell McCafferty was one of the people who knew exactly who she was and wasnt afraid to enter every battle for gay and womens rights. We all owe her a great debt for this.

"Nell McCafferty left Ireland a much better place than she found it and she played her part with spirit and style.
A man has been remanded in custody at Magherafelt Magistrate's Court, sitting in Derry, today charged with the murder of Sophie Watson on Sunday.

Andrzej Pajaczkowski (43) of Ashgrove Park in Magherafelt was charged with one count of murder on August 18.

A police officer connected the accused to the charge.

The court heard that Pajaczkowski was a Polish national who has been resident here for 20 years.

A defence solicitor Owen McKenna said his client had 'a workable knowledge of the English language' but an interpreter was on hand if required.

He said that his client, who appeared by Sightlink from Musgrave holding centre in Belfast, had said not guilty after the charge was put to him.

Mr McKenna said there was no challenge to the connection to the connection or any application for bail.

He added that he was 'conscious' of the ongoing police investigation and added that the defence were currently looking into a bail address.

The solicitor said that there was also medical issues in what he described as 'complicated and complex case'.

District Judge Oonagh Mullan told the defendant that as he had not applied for bail there would be a remand in custody.

Pajaczkowski will appear again on September 18.
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The community in Magherafelt is in shock today following the arrest of a man for the murder of Sophie Watson, a local councillor has said.

Sophie Watson, 57, was found unresponsive at the property in Ashgrove Park in Magherafelt on Sunday afternoon.

She had suffered a number of stab wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Andrzej Pajaczkowski, 43, also of Ashgrove Park in Magherafelt, appeared before a district judge on Wednesday morning via video-link from the Serious Custody Suite at Musgrave PSNI station in Belfast.

The Polish national spoke briefly at the outset of the short hearing to confirm his name, date of birth, address and that he understood the charge against him.

A detective constable told district judge Oonagh Mullan that she could connect the accused to the charge.

Pajaczkowskis defence solicitor Eoghan McKenna noted to the judge that his client had replied not guilty after being charged.

He made no application for bail but said such an application may be made at a later point.

The judge remanded the accused in custody to appear before the same court, via videolink, on September 18.

SDLP councillor and Chair of Mid Ulster Policing and Community Safety Partnership Christine McFlynn said that the murder of another woman underscores the urgent need to tackle violence against women and girls.

Cllr McFlynn said: People in Magherafelt are shocked this morning. News of Sophies death on Sunday left the community reeling and the arrest of a man for murder today has compounded that feeling.

Our thoughts are with Sophies family at this traumatic and tragic time. No one should have to deal with the loss of a loved one in these circumstances.

"I want to thank the PSNI for their swift action and would encourage anyone with information to come forward to police.

The murder of another woman underlines again the need for us all to get to grips with the pandemic of violence against women and girls.

"No one should have to live in fear that theyll be attacked, abused or killed and yet its far too often the case in our society. This must be an urgent priority.

Women's Aid NI expressed their deepest condolences to the loved ones of Sophie Watson following the news of her tragic murder.

A spokesperson said: Please know our thoughts are with you and the wider Magherafelt community during this incredibly difficult time.

Sophie is the 21st woman to be killed in Northern Ireland since 2020, the vast majority of whom are also killed in their own home.

If you have any information that can help the police with their investigation, no matter how insignificant you think it is, please contact the PSNI by calling '101'.

You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or by submitting information to their website: crimestoppers-uk.org.

Detectives have said they are continuing their inquiries into the murder and have appealed for anyone with information to come forward to them or anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers.
The family of renowned author, journalist and feminist activist Nell McCafferty have said they are humbled and comforted by the tributes following her death.

The celebrated writer, 80, died in the early hours of Wednesday at a nursing home in Fahan, Co Donegal following a long illness.

The former Irish Times journalist, originally from Derry, was a prominent voice on womens rights issues across the island of Ireland and in 1970 co-founded the Irish Womens Liberation Movement (IWLM).

Considered a journalistic trailblazer and fearless social commentator, McCafferty, who was raised in Derrys Bogside area, authored several books and also wrote for publications including the Sunday Tribune and Hot Press.

Campaigning for the legalisation of contraceptives in Ireland in the 1970s, she famously took part in an event known as the Contraceptive Train in 1971 when members of the IWLM travelled across the border to Belfast, bought a range of contraceptive products and took them to Dublin, where they staged a protest at the citys Connolly station.

McCafferty had previously been in a long term relationship with fellow author Nuala OFaolain, who died in 2008.

A statement from McCaffertys family to the PA news agency concluded with Goodnight Sisters  the phrase she used to sign off at the end of TV appearances and also the title of two volumes of her writings.

There arent words to convey the emotion that we feel at the loss of Our Nell, said the family.

We are humbled and comforted by the outpouring of love, respect and admiration on this rainy August day.

We once again rely on the woman herself to express the depth of our feelings in just two words: Goodnight Sisters.

President of Ireland Michael D Higgins led the tributes, describing McCafferty as a writer who had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness and a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism.

Statement by President Michael D. Higgins on the death of Nell McCafferty https://t.co/IlvxH3OsnK  President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) August 21, 2024

Mr Higgins said he and his wife Sabina were privileged to be friends with her and said she will be deeply missed by us all.

Nell McCafferty was a pioneer in raising those searching questions which could be asked, but which had been buried, hidden or neglected, Mr Higgins said.

Indeed, this is one of the aspects which was most remarkable from the very beginning in her work.

He added: Nell had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness, and this made her advocacy formidable on behalf of those who had been excluded from society.

A defining feature across Nells life was such a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism wherever she saw it.

Irish premier Simon Harris paid tribute to the journalist as a fierce, fearless and fiery campaigner who suffered no fools.

If she was in the room or in the debate, you knew about it, the Taoiseach said.

Her passion and wrath was not scattergun  it had a laser-like focus on calling out inequality and injustice. She suffered no fools but had a kindness and warmth for many.

Her wit and Derry turn of phrase made her impossible to ignore.

As one of the women who took the train in 1971, she set in train an unstoppable wave for equality and a changing of Ireland for the better.

That change has not yet reached its conclusion but it would be nowhere if it wasnt for warriors like Nell.

In an Ireland trying to emerge from the shadows and find who it was, Nell McCafferty was one of the people who knew exactly who she was and wasnt afraid to enter every battle for gay and womens rights. We all owe her a great debt for this.

Nell McCafferty left Ireland a much better place than she found it and she played her part with spirit and style. May she rest in peace.

I want to express my deep sadness at the death of former journalist, author and campaigner Nell McCafferty today. Nell was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. A proud feminist, and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in pic.twitter.com/sg8hLAk4kh  Michelle ONeill (@moneillsf) August 21, 2024

Northern Irelands First Minister and Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle ONeill said McCafferty was a trailblazer in every sense of the word.

She added: A proud feminist and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in our society.

She eloquently spoke up for disadvantaged women through her work with the Irish Womens Liberation Movement, particularly highlighting the poverty and injustices women faced in the late 20th century across the island.

Nell McCafferty was a towering figure in Irish journalism with great courage and honesty, and was an important figure during the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement.

A proud daughter of Derry, Nells wisdom, humour and humility will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her.

I want to extend my deepest sympathies to her family and friends at this very difficult time.

Deeply saddened at the passing of Nell McCafferty. Nell was an exceptional journalist & campaigner  the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights & womens rights. She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland. (1/2)  Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) August 21, 2024

Irelands deputy premier Micheal Martin said he was deeply saddened at McCaffertys death.

Nell was an exceptional journalist and campaigner  the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights and womens rights, the Tanaiste posted on X, formerly Twitter.

She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland.

In addition to her brilliance as a writer, activist and feminist, Nell brought great warmth and humour to every engagement.

She made a difference.

Sympathies to her family, friends and former colleagues.

Irelands Press Ombudsman, journalist Susan McKay, also paid tribute.

She was an absolutely wonderful journalist, a really ground-breaking journalist, Ms McKay told BBC Radio Ulster.

She changed the way that all of us who came after her wrote journalism and did journalism, because she went straight to people.

You know, if you look back at journalism before Nell, and indeed before some other brilliant woman of her generation, ordinary people were never asked for their opinion.

They were written about by gents who thought that they knew how best to analyse society.

Nell went straight into working-class places, she talked to people who had experienced real hardships and afflictions in their lives, and she brought their voices alive.

She was tremendously brave and courageous and she wrote about all of the most important stories of her time.

And its very, very sad that she has died, but she had been very ill for quite a number of years, and, you know, wasnt really in a position to appreciate life to the same extent as she had been before.

Very sorry to hear about the death of Nell McCafferty. A mould breaker and establishment shaker, she spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could. An icon for so many people across Ireland. Nell will be sadly missed but her activism will endure.  Colum Eastwood (@columeastwood) August 21, 2024

SDLP leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood described McCafferty as a mould-breaker and establishment shaker.

She spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could, he said on X.

An icon for so many people across Ireland.

Nell will be sadly missed, but her activism will endure.

Leader of the Irish Labour Party Ivana Bacik said she is deeply saddened.

She described McCafferty as a wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon.

It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends, she posted on X.

Deeply saddened to hear today about the death of the wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon  Nell McCafferty. It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends. #RIPNell pic.twitter.com/ULHxsnDEBk  Ivana Bacik (@ivanabacik) August 21, 2024

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) described McCafferty as one of the most renowned journalists in Ireland.

She was a long time member of the NUJ and a former union activist.

Irish secretary Seamus Dooley said: With the death of Nell McCafferty, a bright light has been extinguished.

She was one of the most renowned journalists in the country as a reporter, columnist, author and broadcaster.

The public recognised in her a deep commitment to social justice.

The fact that she was so often referred to only by her first name is a reflection of her special place in Irish journalism and in the public consciousness.

This stemmed from her unique qualities as a reporter and storyteller.

Nell McCafferty could be hilariously funny, frequently controversial and delighted in being contrary.

She was never afraid to challenge the consensus and took pleasure in afflicting the comfortable.

Throughout her career, Nell blazed a trail for feminists and played a significant role in the development of the feminist movement in Ireland.

Always provocative, Nell had the ability to trenchantly argue her case with unique style.

McCaffertys funeral will take place on Friday in her native Derry.

Nells remains are reposing at her sister Carmel's residence, 43 Belmont Crescent from 3.30pm this afternoon, Wednesday, August 21.

Funeral leaving from there on Friday, August 23 at 11.45am for 12.30pm Requiem Mass in St. Columba's Church, Longtower. A private cremation will take place afterwards in Lakelands Crematorium, Co. Cavan.

Wake house will be private from 10.00pm in the evenings.

Nells Requiem Mass can be streamed live via the link: https://longtowerchurch.org/webcam/

No flowers please, donations in lieu if desired to The Foyle Hospice c/o the immediate family or Mr. Kieran Connor, McClafferty Funeral Directors, Unit 3a, Rathmor Business Pk, Derry, BT48 0LZ.
Plans for a major new 870 bedroom student accommodation scheme in south Belfast have been announced.

The Murrays Exchange site was formerly occupied by Murrays Tobacco Factory which closed in 2005, and is also adjacent to the new Belfast Grand Station which is due to open next month.

The plans announced by Elkstone come as student accommodation in Belfast is estimated to be around 5,000 beds short of requirements.

The accommodation is set to include a mix of clusters, with single bedrooms including ensuites, a shared kitchen, living and dining space and self-contained studios with private kitchens.

It will also have amenities such as a gym, cinema room, study room, and a social hub.

Ciaran McIntyre, Elkstone co-founder and head of Real Estate, said the project will help revitalise the area.

Whilst Murrays Exchange was constructed in 1900, a large part of the site has laid vacant for almost 20 years, he said.

Our plans would not only assist in bolstering the supply of much needed student beds in the city but would also assist in revitalising the rich history of the development site.

Located close to both Queens University and Ulster Universitys Belfast campus, Murrays Exchange is an exciting proposal for Belfast that will allow students to reside in modern, city centre facilities.
Shriram Properties to double its annual sales to Rs 5,000 crore by 2027

Bengaluru, Aug 21 (UNI) Shriram Properties, a prominent Bengaluru-based real estate developer, has unveiled an ambitious growth strategy, targeting a significant increase in sales and profits over the next three years.

The company plans to double its annual sales to Rs 5,000 crore and achieve a profit of over Rs 250 crore by the fiscal year 2027.

Gokul Krishnan, the Executive Director and Group CEO of Shriram Properties, outlined the company's roadmap during a press briefing on Wednesday. "We are setting the stage for substantial growth, aiming to scale our annual sales from 4.5 million square feet last year to 8-9 million square feet over the next three years. This would mean a cumulative sale of approximately 20 million square feet," Krishnan stated.

In a significant move, Shriram Properties is set to enter the western Indian market, with its first project slated for Pune. The Pune expansion is expected to contribute an additional 2 million square feet to the companys sales over the next three years. This marks a pivotal step in the companys strategy to broaden its geographical footprint.

The company has also refreshed its brand identity, introducing SPLNxT, which reflects its renewed focus on the mid-market and mid-premium segments. This segment, encompassing homes priced between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 2 crore, will now constitute over 90% of Shriram Properties' portfolio, a marked increase from the previous 67%. Despite this shift, the company will continue to cater to the luxury housing segment.

As Shriram Properties celebrates its 25th year, it is poised for rapid growth, supported by a robust project pipeline. The company currently has 42 projects in development, with a combined potential of 42 million square feet. Of this, 24 million square feet are already under construction. Krishnan highlighted the companys intent to double its future project inventory from 18 million square feet to over 35 million square feet within the next 18-24 months.

Financially, the company reported a net profit of Rs 75 crore for the fiscal year 2023-24, with total revenue of Rs 987.35 crore. The company estimates it will need between Rs 300 crore and Rs 500 crore to fuel its three-year growth plan, with expectations that internal funds will sufficiently cover these needs.

In line with its expansion, Shriram Properties plans to launch two new mobile applicationsShriram Parivaar for customers and Shriram Synergy for channel partnerswithin the current quarter. These apps are designed to enhance customer service and streamline partner interactions.

With its strategic initiatives, Shriram Properties is not only reinforcing its presence in its existing markets but also exploring new territories to ensure sustained growth and profitability in the competitive real estate sector. UNI BDN CS1746
By Chip Interfaces

Modern Artificial Intelliegence (AI) chips are designed to meet a variety of rigorous requirements to handle the intensive demands of artificial intelligence and machine learning workloads. These chips need high computational throughput to execute numerous parallel operations efficiently, with low latency to support real-time processing. Energy efficiency is critical, balancing high performance with manageable power consumption to reduce operational costs. High bandwidth is essential for rapid data transfer between processing units, minimizing bottlenecks. The architecture must also support scalable and flexible designs to accommodate various AI models and deployment environments, from edge devices to large data centers. Efficient data handling and communication capabilities are vital to ensure swift data movement across different chip sections and between multiple chips, supporting heterogeneous computing environments. Additionally, robust error handling features are necessary to maintain data integrity. These architectural needs drive the development of sophisticated interconnect solutions to maximize the performance and reliability of AI chips.

The Interlaken protocol is an advanced interconnect technology that effectively addresses the architecture and design requirements of AI chips. It provides high bandwidth through multi-gigabit-per-second lanes, facilitating the handling of large data volumes and sustaining high computational throughput. Its design minimizes latency, ensuring efficient, low-overhead communication crucial for real-time AI applications. Interlaken is optimized for energy-efficient data transfer, reducing power consumption by maximizing payload efficiency. The protocols scalable architecture allows for configurable bandwidth, making it suitable for a range of AI deployments from edge to cloud. Interlakens high-speed serial links ensure fast data movement across different chip sections and between multiple chips, supporting heterogeneous computing environments. Robust error detection and correction mechanisms enhance data reliability. By fulfilling these critical requirements, Interlaken enhances the performance, efficiency, and reliability of modern AI chips.

Case study of what makes Interlaken great for chip to chip communications for AI

To understand what makes Interlaken great for chip to chip communications lets explore an AI (Artificial Intelligence) application case study where multiple AI chips are placed on a single card. This use case also scales equally well to a case of multiple AI Chiplets within a single die with the difference there being the type of Serdes being used. Short distances in the chip matrix require a light weight point to point communication without the need for routing. In this use case Interlaken with its low overhead and small footprint is the perfect candidate.



Interlaken Controller

Related



Card to Card communications from the chips on the edge of the matrix can be efficiently carried out with the use of Ethernet IP and when connected via switches it further allows for message routing and reduces the need for the number of communication lines to reach multiple targets on other cards. While high speed Ethernet MAC solutions offer a latency of around 200ns, Chip Interfaces Interlaken can offer a Ultra Low latency solution of sub 100ns round trip, that AI applications can truly benefit from.

Low latency and small footprint are not the only benefit of Interlaken. The ability to do flow control on individual source data channels, and the capability to recover from errors either via the Retransmission mechanism of with the use of Reed Solomon Forward Error Correction all happening in the Controller IP transparent to the application is a great benefit to solution performance.

Interlaken can operate on the same serdes technology as 100G Ethernet effectively allowing for an architecture where the limited device I/O can be shared over the same PHY via Ethernet and Interlaken. This allow for a truly flexible design of a multiplexed architecture, when building an array of chips or chiplets, where devices are interconnected with Interlaken and the edge devices of the matrix make use of the Ethernet capabilities for further Ethernet Switched networking. A single card will carry multiple AI chips, and Card to Card connectivity will be carried out over ethernet with routing.

Chip Interfaces Interlaken IP

The Chip Interfaces Interlaken IP core is a highly optimized silicon and PHY agnostic implementation of the Interlaken Protocol version 1.2 targeting both ASICs and FPGAs. Our Interlaken controller supports up to 2.6 Tbps high-bandwidth performance and comes with an integrated Media Access layer. The Interlaken Controller can be widely used in chip-to-chip transfers, it has an extensive feature-set available and allows scalability in number of logic channels (up to 2048), lanes (up to 48) and lane speed (up to 116 Gbps). Features the RS FEC extension when operating PAM4 Links and the Retransmit capability removing the need for the Application layer to handle data retransmission. In band and Out of Band flow control is available to backpressure channels and allow for rate matching on the links.

Key Features:

48 Lanes up to 116 Gbps per lane.

2.6 Tbps total bandwidth per IP instance.

Fast Amba CXS Application side interface 256-8192 bit wide with 2-8 segments

FEC Extension, for use on noisy links or with PAM 4 signaling

Retransmit Extension to handle data errors without Application assistance

Up to 2048 Channels, multiple sources of data, allows burst interleaving

In Band and Out of Band, per channel, Flow Control allowing Rate Matching






How Taiwan attracts foreign students to strengthen its semiconductor leadership

Since 2012, Taiwan's integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced positive growth for 11 consecutive years. Since 2014, it has officially surpassed the petroleum, coal products, and chemical raw materials industries to become the leading sector in manufacturing.

In 2023, the direct export ratio reached a staggering 88.1%, making it a crucial contributor to Taiwan's foreign exchange (forex) earnings. In particular, Taiwan's 12-inch wafer foundries hold a significant competitive advantage in advanced process technologies, positioning them as global leaders in the field.

According to Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), the IC industry can be subdivided into IC design, 12-inch wafer foundry, sub-8-inch wafer foundry, DRAM, and others. The 12-inch wafer foundry sector, driven by demand for high-performance computing and AI, has fueled growth in the IC industry's output value.

In 2022, the sector achieved a 45.4% growth, surpassing the NT$2 trillion (approx. US$62.7 billion) mark for the first time and setting a new record at NT$2.4226 trillion. Looking ahead to 2024, the industry is expected to break records once again.

The prosperity of Taiwan's IC industry has drawn the envy and attention of many countries. However, these countries have also realized that achieving high yield rates and reducing costs in IC manufacturing is not simply a matter of purchasing equipment and materials; it requires extensive knowledge and a steady supply of resilient and skilled engineers. For foreign governments aiming to establish a competitive chip manufacturing sector, adopting Taiwan's talent education model may be a key formula for future success.

The success of Taiwan's semiconductor talent education

Recognizing that semiconductor and IC manufacturing talent is a unique competitive advantage for Taiwan, National Taiwan University (NTU) will officially launch the "Global Undergraduate Program in Semiconductors" in September 2024, taught entirely in English. NTU's Shuiyuan Campus building will undergo a complete renovation, supported by donations from TSMC, to provide international students with a four-year experience of semiconductor education and life at NTU.

Among the first class of students in the "Global Undergraduate Program in Semiconductors" are students with SAT scores high enough to be admitted to Harvard University. The second class in 2025 is expected to enroll 50 students, with overseas Chinese and international students each making up half of the class.

The success of Taiwan's semiconductor talent education can be attributed to several factors: low tuition fees, world-leading industry technologies, widespread support from both the government and parents, and the abundant availability of research institutes at universities. Most notably, graduates can secure employment immediately, often at world-class companies, without having to move abroad.

Additionally, salaries in the semiconductor industry are higher than in Taiwan's overall manufacturing sector and significantly better than in the service sector, making it a highly attractive career path for students.

According to interviews conducted by DIGITIMES with electronics engineering (EE) students from NTU, National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), National Yang-Ming Chiao-Tung University (NYCU), as well as conversations with winners of the Macronix Golden Silicon Award, students are highly enthusiastic about the opportunity to work at top-tier IC design and IC manufacturing companies after graduation. Given the high demand for semiconductor talent, students are open to working at either foreign or domestic chip companies.

What it means to study in Taiwan

While there is much to celebrate in terms of technological progress and Taiwan's international recognition due to its semiconductor industry, however, more than 50,000 Taiwanese students study abroad each year. NTU's Global Undergraduate Program in Semiconductors is just launching its first year. The question remains whether Taiwan can leverage its semiconductor expertise to attract top international talent to study in Taiwan.

Those familiar with education and academia know that the US maintains an unshakable position in higher education. Institutions such as MIT, Stanford University, Harvard University, UC Berkeley, and CalTech are renowned for their academic achievements, graduate employability, student-to-faculty ratios, citations, and international student presence.

Taiwan also hosts 3,100 US students, but most are enrolled in short-term language learning programs rather than degree programs related to electrical engineering, electronics, materials science, nanodevices, semiconductors, or other fields closely tied to the IC industry. In fact, when it comes to the number of new fellows in global forums such as the ISSCC and the IEEE, Taiwan's academia lags behind China.

Additionally, at the International Conference on Nitride Semiconductors, Taiwan accounted for only 2% of the 1,000 compound semiconductor papers selected, while China claimed 25%. These indicators suggest that Taiwan's universities and research institutes are not quite at the level to claim themselves as the premier global destinations for studying semiconductor knowledge and skills.

Fortunately, in February 2024, the US National Academy of Inventors (NAI) published its list of the top 100 global universities by the number of US patents granted. Taiwan's NTU, NTHU, NYCU, and National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) were all included in the top 100, providing some validation of Taiwan's academic and research prowess.

Taiwan's academic institutions still maintain visibility in IC design sectors such as analog, digital, power management, memory, and wireless communication, though the glory days of the past may be difficult to replicate. Furthermore, Taiwan is no longer in a position to look down on its Chinese competitors.

Recruiting international students

Recognizing the challenges Taiwan faces in maintaining its semiconductor academic strength, TSMC has taken action. In June 2024, its board approved an NT$4 billion fund to support semiconductor talent education.

Part of this funding will help Taiwan's top universities recruit outstanding professors from institutions like Stanford and UC Berkeley and retain current ones. Another portion will fund the construction or renovation of semiconductor teaching and research facilities. Some funds will also be allocated to help four universities recruit international students.

As Taiwan grapples with an increasingly serious low birth rate issue, the Ministry of Education has made it a priority to encourage universities to attract overseas Chinese and international students, even urging universities to follow the industry's lead by organizing collective recruitment drives abroad and offering scholarships.

If Taiwan wants to address the talent shortage crisis, it must avoid desperate measures. Transforming Taiwan into a top destination for international students and immigrants may be the most effective and direct approach. NTU's Global Undergraduate Program in Semiconductors, which has already attracted students who can be admitted to Harvard, is a promising start and a crucial indicator of Taiwan's ability to continue drawing top international talent in the future.
UK urged to rethink semiconductor strategy amid US and China influence

Following the UK general election, attention has shifted to the country's national semiconductor strategy. An upcoming report urges the new government to conduct a comprehensive review of the semiconductor supply chain to ensure effective resource allocation.

The report underscores the UK's significant dependence on the United States and expresses concerns about Chinese investments in the sector. It advocates for closer collaboration with the European Union to enhance supply chain resilience.

Gaps in the National Semiconductor Strategy

As reported by The Register, after considerable delays, the previous UK government finally unveiled its National Semiconductor Strategy in May 2023. The strategy emphasizes the UK's strengths in intellectual property (IP), research and development (R&D), design, and compound semiconductors, with a planned investment of GBP1 billion (US$1.3 billion) over the next decade.

The UK Semiconductor Handbook, published by the London School of Economics in October 2023, identifies five key industry clusters: South Wales for compound semiconductors, Cambridge for academic institutions and science parks, Bristol for chip design, Scotland for photonics and prototyping, and the Northeast for advanced materials and compounds.

However, a new report provisionally titled "Towards A Data-Driven UK Semiconductor Strategy," co-authored by the University of Sussex and King's College London, critiques the current strategy.

The report notes that, unlike the United States and the European Union, the UK has not conducted a comprehensive investigation into its semiconductor supply chain, relying instead on general market analysis and feedback from individual industries. This approach risks overlooking vital details in ownership structures and supply chain dynamics.

The report also criticizes the exclusion of the Midlands industrial cluster, despite its significant contribution to the semiconductor industry. Statistics reveal that 24% of jobs and 18% of revenue from the UK's 61 major semiconductor companies come from the Midlands.

Without a complete understanding of the semiconductor ecosystem, including overlooked regions and emerging sub-sectors, the report warns that the UK's strategy may lead to misallocated resources and missed growth opportunities. It recommends that the new government conduct a comprehensive review.

US and Chinese interests in UK semiconductor firms

An analysis of the 61 major semiconductor companies shows that US investors own an average of 27.5% of shares, the highest of any country. Additionally, 54% of these companies' customers and 53% of suppliers are based in the United States. The report warns that overreliance on a single country could jeopardize supply chain resilience.

Concerns about Chinese investments are also raised. The UK government had previously reversed the acquisition of Newport Wafer by Nexperia, a subsidiary of China's Wingtech, citing national security concerns. The South Wales-based plant was later acquired by US company Vishay in March 2024 after receiving conditional government approval.

The report details other Chinese investments, such as Beijing-based venture capital firm Canyon Bridge's ownership of Imagination Technologies and the Chinese state-owned CRRC group's ownership of Dynex Semiconductor Limited. It suggests the creation of a dedicated unit to monitor foreign investments in high-tech sectors, not just major acquisitions but also the accumulation of smaller investments.

Furthermore, Brexit has created trade barriers, regulatory discrepancies, and restrictions on talent mobility, complicating the role of EU countries in UK semiconductor production networks. Most UK companies are also ineligible for direct subsidies under the European Chips Act.

Given the uncertainties surrounding the upcoming US presidential election in November and potential supply chain risks, the report advises the UK government to consider measures to strengthen supply chain resilience and improve semiconductor trade relations with EU member states, including simplifying customs procedures.
AMD's new game in town: US$4.9 billion bet to challenge Nvidia's AI dominance

In a bold move to bolster its position in the fiercely competitive AI and data center markets, AMD has acquired ZT Systems for US$4.9 billion. This strategic acquisition signals AMD's intent to close the gap with Nvidia and marks the latest in a series of acquisitions and corporate investments supporting its AI strategy.

The deal, which brings approximately 1,000 systems design engineers under AMD's wing, is primarily focused on enhancing the company's expertise in AI clusters and complex data center solutions. AMD plans to divest ZT Systems' manufacturing segment, avoiding direct competition with its customers while retaining valuable systems design talent.

By bringing this talent into its fold, AMD aims to bolster its capabilities in delivering comprehensive systems solutions beyond mere chipsets. AMD is essentially buying the expertise to design rack-scale systems.

The move aligns with AMD's broader strategy to concentrate on high-margin areas and meet the increasing demands of its hyperscale customers, who require complete systems rather than individual components. By assembling a full ecosystem that includes hardware, software, and networking, AMD aims to position itself as a more formidable competitor to Nvidia, which has long dominated the AI and data center markets with its fully integrated solutions.

Furthermore, the integration of ZT Systems could also provide AMD with valuable insights from real-world deployments, potentially enhancing its ability to develop customer-centric solutions.

DIGITIMES Research analyst Luke Lin observes that the data center AI chip business has evolved beyond mere chip sales. Success in this sector now requires offering comprehensive solutions such as accelerator cards and subsystems, similar to Nvidia's HGX. Lin notes that under Nvidia's influence, the market has shifted towards demanding fully integrated system-level and rack-level solutions for customers and ODM partners.

Lin highlighted a key question arising from this move: "AMD is likely targeting a sale price of around US$3 billion for these assets. The question now is who will step in to take over ZT's manufacturing and sales operations from AMD. For Inventec, the decision is pivotal: opting out could severely shrink their export channels for general and AI servers, while taking the plunge would require a substantial financial outlay."

Jim Hsiao, another analyst at DIGITIMES Research, further explained the scenario: With its factory located in the US, the decision could be influenced by various factors. Taiwanese manufacturers eyeing expansion, or US-based OEMs specializing in AI servers, might find this an attractive prospect. The Texas location of the plant could also affect its valuation, given the considerations around local electricity costs and infrastructure.

For AMD, this acquisition is more than just a foray into manufacturingit's a strategic move to offer integrated system-level products, akin to Nvidia's approach. Previously concentrated on chip design, AMD can now strengthen its system-level capabilities, positioning itself to deliver more sophisticated and complete solutions in the future.

As AMD works to close the gap with its more established rivals, the success of this acquisition will largely depend on how effectively it can integrate ZT Systems' talent and leverage its expertise to drive innovation in the rapidly evolving AI and data center sectors.

While the road ahead remains challenging, AMD's CEO Lisa Su remains optimistic. "This acquisition is a critical step in our long-term strategy to provide comprehensive solutions to our customers," Su stated in a press release. "We're not just selling chips anymore; we're building the future of AI and cloud computing."

In July, AMD announced the acquisition of Silo AI, Europe's largest private AI lab, for around US$665 million. Over the past 12 months, AMD has invested over US$125 million in a dozen AI companies and acquired Mipsology and Nod.ai to strengthen its AI ecosystem.

As the dust settles on this major industry move, all eyes will be on AMD to see if this US$4.9 billion gamble can shake up the AI chip market or will merely be a footnote in Nvidia's continued dominance.
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Xiaomi 2Q24 financial statement to be released as automotive, mobile endeavors draw attention

Xiaomi's financial statement for the second quarter of 2024 is expected to be released on August 21.

It is worth noting that Xiaomi's first electric vehicle, the SU7, was announced at the end of March, with the second quarter being its first complete sales quarter. The public's attention is on the performance of its automobile sales and whether there are any new strategies to be revealed.

In addition, although Xiaomi's mobile business has been experiencing extreme pressure recently in the Chinese market, it has discovered new treasure troves in others including Japan, India, and the Middle East. Whether it would be able to further raise its mobile sales performance and how it would increase high-end mobile sales are also points that have drawn the public's attention.

From its release of the SU7 to July, Xiaomi has completed 10 thousand vehicle deliveries with the MAX model being the most popular. Xiaomi is aiming to complete its goal of delivering 120 thousand vehicles in 2024.

Although Xiaomi's automotive business is still in its early stages, it has already set itself up for global expansion. In addition to making plans to push its automotive business into the European market, it also hopes to squeeze into the global top five car manufacturers within fifteen to twenty years.

In addition, Xiaomi achieved CNY46.49 billion (US$6.5 billion) for its mobile revenue in the first quarter of 2024 with 40.6 million shipments. According to Omdia's compilation, global mobile phone shipments achieved 290 million units in the second quarter, a 9.3% year-on-year increase. Xiaomi achieved 42.3 million mobile shipments in the second quarter, a slight increase from the first quarter.

Those in the industry believe that the main reason why Xiaomi's mobile shipment performance rose in the second quarter was due to its recent success within markets including Japan, the Middle East, Latin America, and India.

Despite Xiaomi's sales not performing as well as brands like Vivo, Honor, and Oppo in the Chinese market, Xiaomi's mobile sales are second only to Samsung Electronics in areas such as Latin America and the Middle East. In addition, it has reclaimed its throne for number one mobile sales in the Indian market.

What is worth paying attention to is that despite the arrival of the off-season for mobile sales in the second quarter, Xiaomi's overall mobile sales have increased. However, it appears that Xiaomi still needs to find a way to raise its market share by utilizing the popularization of AI-assisted mobile phones and formulating strategies to deal with the highly competitive Chinese market.

Additionally, different from its performance in China where sales of products other than mobile phones have taken up 50% of its revenue there, 80% of its overseas sales still come from mobile products. As such, to expand its IoT ecosystem, it can be expected that Xiaomi will focus on accelerating the replication process of its new retail model in China to overseas markets.
Touching the Greater Bay Area: International students explore environmental protection project in S China's Guangdong

14:15, August 21, 2024 By Tian Yi ( People's Daily Online

In recent years, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has heavily invested in clean energy and environmental protection. Li-xian Choong and Romano Tucci, two students from Cambridge University, paid a visit to an offshore wind farm operated by China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) while participating in "Touching the Greater Bay Area", a cultural exchange program co-organized by Guangdong Radio and Television, and People's Daily Online (UK). They were joined by Hui Cheuk Chi, a student from Hong Kong.

The offshore wind farm consists of 104 wind turbines and was put into operation in December 2023. Located at the Huizhou Port in south China's Guangdong Province, the project is the largest wind power generating farm in the Greater Bay Area.

As an integral part of new quality productive forces, clean energies have become essential in making people's lives better and more sustainable.

"The annual power output equals that produced by 1 million tonnes of standard coal. The wind farm can reduce 2.35 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, which is equivalent to planting 6,750 hectares of trees," said Chen Yansheng, the deputy manager of CGN New Energy Holdings Co. (Huizhou).

In the first half of the year, around 35.1 percent of power generated came from renewable resources in China, of which solar and wind power combined generated 20 percent of the total electricity nationwide, marking a year-on-year increase of 23.5 percent, according to data released by China's National Energy Administration.

Having previously worked in the environmental sector, Malaysian student Choong was deeply inspired by the project and accentuated the importance of green energies to Asia and ASEAN.

"To see that China has been able to innovate this far, it's really interesting. It's really interesting implications for green tech and green energy throughout the rest of the world, especially in Asia and ASEAN where I'm from," said Choong.

Majoring in Chinese and fluent in Mandarin, Romano Tucci is no stranger to China. However, the visit to the wind farm was beyond his expectations and strengthened his support for clean energies.

"This is the first time I've ever been in a place like this," said Tucci. "There is no planet B. We need to divest in fossil fuels and probably invest in this [wind farm]."

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Wu Chengliang)
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona condemned an appeals court's recent decision to again block the Biden administration's student loan repayment plan, calling it a politically motivated obstacle to essential relief for borrowers.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling on Friday extends a temporary halt on the SAVE plan, preventing its implementation until the court resolves ongoing litigation. The court's 3-0 decision labeled the plan as a "vast assertion of newfound power" and criticized the administration for lacking clear congressional authorization.

Cardona argued that the ruling, if upheld, would force millions of borrowers to pay significantly more each month and potentially deny loan forgiveness to those who have made faithful repayments over up to 25 years. He decried the decision as an attack on a 30-year practice of providing loan forgiveness and vowed to continue defending the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan in court.

In July, the court granted an emergency motion brought forward by several Republican-led states to temporarily block parts of the SAVE plan that hadn't been blocked by a lower court judge.

"It's shameful that politically motivated lawsuits waged by Republican elected officials are once again standing in the way of lower payments for millions of borrowers," Cardona said in a Monday statement.

The SAVE plan, which aims to restructure repayment terms for student borrowers, was introduced after the Supreme Court struck down a previous universal debt relief program. It was designed in two phases: the first, effective last fall, increased the income threshold for protected payments and waived accrued unpaid interest; the second, set for July, would have reduced the income repayment percentage and expanded forgiveness options.

Cardona promised that borrowers affected by the ruling would be placed in an interest-free forbearance while the administration fights the legal challenge.

"It wasn't so long ago that a million borrowers defaulted on their student loans every single year, mainly because they couldn't afford the payments. The SAVE plan is a clearly authorized and urgently needed effort to fix what's broken in our student loan system and make financing a higher education more affordable in this country," he said.
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The Conlon family, who run two popular delicatessens and a catering service, are celebrating 40 years in business in Dundalk.

The family-run business, Conlon's Food Hall, was first established in town by Peter Conlon in 1984 and is still a thriving business and real hub of the community 40 years later.

To mark the special milestone there were celebrations at Conlon's Food Hall on Church Street on Saturday with a barbecue, DJ and a raffle, which raised money for the Irish Sepsis Foundation in memory of Peter Conlon who sadly passed away from the illness in 2016.

As the family mark the 40th anniversary of their business Peter's daughter Deborah talks about how it all started saying: Dad worked in hotels; he was a chef in hotels and worked in the Derryhale and the Imperial and a few others.

But he didn't like the unsocial hours any more as he had a two year old at home; and Christopher, who now runs the business, was on the way, so he decided to look about opening a delicatessen in order to work more social hours.

The goal was to be able to work around the family, but he still put in a lot of hours at work.

He originally opened the business on Patrick Street in 1984.

He was there for about a year and then he moved to Church Street for two years and then finally moved and stayed put in 14 Church Street.

Deborah recalls how when her father decided to open the delicatessen people told him it would never work.

But as they celebrate being 40 years in business he clearly proved the nay-sayers wrong.

When Dad opened it first he was told that a delicatessen would never survive and he may give up before he had even started. We get a good wee giggle out of that now, Deborah laughed.

He proved them wrong. Not only are we here on Church Street 40 years; we have a Conlon's Food Hall on the Avenue Road; a canteen in St Vincent's school; we are doing school lunches for St Daighs and the catering is flying.

It is down to Dad's sheer determination and hard work; and a good support system.

Our Mom Margaret was a teacher in Realt na Mara, she is retired now, and she would have worked a bit in the office and helped him out where she could.

And my granny worked there for a while; and we have Kathleen O'Callaghan, who started with us in the beginning and still works with us today.

You need good people around you and a strong work ethic.

Peter's son Christopher now runs the business but all five of his children have worked for the family-run Conlon's Food Hall.

Christopher worked in the business since graduating college.

Christopher did a Degree in Business Management and Dad said to him 'sure come and work with me until you find whatever it is you want to do' and he is still there.

I worked alongside him and have taken on more responsibilities since Dad passed away.

Martin worked as a delivery driver, my other brother Garrett worked in the shop growing up, and my sister Rachel worked in the shop growing up too. All five of us worked in the shop.

Our cousins, Dad's cousin, neighbours also worked in the shop over the years.

We are very lucky that a lot of the people that work with us, stay with us.

We have fantastic staff, a lot of them have been with us a long time, like Kathleen for 40 years and others have been with us 32 years, 25 years.

I like to think that anyone who comes in the door of the shop has good craic with us and they feel welcome; and they want to come back not just for the food but for the service as well.

A lot of things have changed over the years with the one flagship delicatessen on Church Street growing into a thriving business that includes another Conlon's Food Hall on the Avenue Road and a successful catering service.

Deborah said: Dad did a fair bit of work over the years; the kitchen in Conlon's Food Hall on Church Street when he first opened was a lot smaller than the kitchens we work out of now.

We extended the kitchens around 20 years ago, so our production kitchens now would be considerably bigger than when Dad started.

Our Avenue Road shop is 10 years old in January.

We are St Vincent's secondary school, in the canteen, and we have been there since I was in second year, we won't say how long ago that is, Deborah joked.

We also have other long-standing relationships, like with St Daighs school in Inniskeen, we do their school lunches and lunches for St John of God's.

We also have a lot of long-standing customers and many who use our catering service.

We have been privileged to have been part of a lot of family celebrations in some way for a lot of people in the town and surrounding areas over the years.

Deborah told how supporting local businesses is very important to the family.

We try to keep things as local as possible, she said.

We know, being a local business, the importance of keeping things local.

Our butcher Ronan Crosby is based in Collon, he is actually married to my cousin.

Tony Kieran, our neighbours, is one of our main suppliers; our packaging comes from Don Keating, McCann and AV Direct; all local companies.

Whenever possible we go local. It is so important to go local and support local business and economy.

And aside from that you can ring up people you know  there has been more than once we have been in a panic for something we need last minute for catering and it pays to have those types of relationships with people that you can ring in a panic who will help you out.

To mark the business's import anniversary they have been treating lucky customers to a free gift.

We have been doing giveaways to customers in our stores for the last 40 days  40 gifts for 40 days to celebrate 40 years, Deborah explained.

And on Saturday they marked the 40th anniversary with a party at the flagship store on Church Street and a raffle that raised money for the Irish Sepsis Foundation in honour of their Dad.

All the money we are raising is for the Irish Sepsis Foundation Deborah said.

They are a fantastic organisation, which dedicates a lot of time to raise awareness about sepsis and the symptoms of sepsis.

Dad passed away from sepsis in 2016. We didn't know about sepsis, we didn't recognise the symptoms.

We wanted to highlight the work they do and make a few more people aware of what the symptoms of sepsis are so somebody else might recognise them.

Deborah concluded: Dad has been very much missed, we have all been thinking about him a lot as we celebrate the business's 40th anniversary.
Louth dog owners are being encouraged to clean up after their dogs as part of Vision Irelands campaign, Clear Our Paths, with data provided to Vision Ireland by the local authority showing that there was just one dog fouling fine issued in Louth in 2023 overall.

The call comes after Vision Ireland published a survey exploring people who are blind or vision impaireds experiences of footpath obstacles. Over a third of respondents were impacted by by dog waste in public spaces. Not only does dog fouling present a slipping hazard, but it can also be a problem for white cane users whose canes are often dirtied by faeces.

Vision Ireland says that according to data provided to it by local authorities, there was one dog fouling fine issued in Louth in 2023, and overall, very few dog fouling fines were issued across the country  just 46, a reduction of 36 fines from 2022. Kerry County Council had the highest number of fines for dog fouling offences, with just 13 issued. 18 out of the 31 local authorities issued no fines at all.

While the number of fines issued across the country was low, Vision Ireland has welcomed efforts by local authorities to help reduce dog fouling. A number of councils have run awareness campaigns in order to highlight the issue of dog fouling. Meath County Council developed responsible dog ownership information leaflets.

Clare County Council provides dog litter bags at its area offices and other busy locations within its jurisdiction. Both Tipperary County Council and Longford County Council provide Mutt Mitts, which allow dog owners to dispose of dog waste safely.

Cars parked on footpaths also have an adverse impact on the ability of people who are blind or vision impaired to navigate public spaces. 70% of survey respondents identified parked cars as blocking their route when using public paths. Data provided by local authorities revealed that over 22,000 fines were issued to motorists who parked on footpaths. There were 175 parking on footpath fines issued in Louth in 2023.

Kevin Kelly, Head of Policy, Partnerships and External Affairs at Vision Ireland said, Parked cars and dog waste are two of the biggest hazards people who are blind and vision impaired in Louth face on our footpaths. The number of parking fines issued alone is astounding and gives an idea of the many thousands of obstacles people with sight loss face in their daily lives.

"Fines alone will not solve these problems. We must all work together and do our part to clear our paths. If everyone takes more responsibility for their actions, we can work towards making paths in Louth safer for all.

Chantelle Smith, Vision Irelands National Access and Mobility Manager said When people who are blind and vision impaired encounter obstacles like parked cars on footpaths, they often result in them having to take the decision to step off the footpath onto the roadway into traffic.

"Unfortunately, this places them at significant risk as drivers may not be expecting them to do so as it is not a crossing point. Vision Ireland is calling on the public and motorists alike to be considerate of the needs of vulnerable pedestrians.

Vision Ireland is encouraging motorists in Louth as well as dog owners to consider the hazards they may be creating and how they can affect people who are blind or vision impaired. The organisation has created a dedicated web page to assist those in learning more about how to Clear Our Paths. Find out more here: Clear Our Paths
Applications were invited for projects that helped to promote: co-operation and joint initiatives between organisations and institutions on a North/South basis; cultural tourism on a North/South basis; or the provision of cultural outreach programmes on a North/South basis.

The project for which Cooley Connect Well is to receive funding has been described as follows: "The cultural farming and community heritage of the Mourne and Cooley Mountains reflects a deep connection to the land, a tradition of agricultural knowledge and practices, and a strong sense of community and stewardship.

"The project will explore and record the living memories of both communities, North and South, and how this shared heritage can inform future local initiatives on food security and rural community integration. Video best connects with the younger digital population."

Announcing the funding today, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, said that: the Co-operation with Northern Ireland Scheme supports valuable projects with cultural elements on both sides of the border. It allows an exchange of ideas and brings communities together for a shared purpose. The scheme encourages individuals and groups to bond over a common interests while creating new talents and friendships along the way.

Sharing our culture can have many benefits including building relationships & establishing trust, this in turn, can decrease fear and isolation and promote a sense of unity among communities."
Hospices are a beacon showcasing the best of humanity at a time when there is a lot of negativity and anxiety in the world, actor Brendan Gleeson has said.

The Irish star, who has featured in films including The Banshees of Inisherin and In Bruges, is asking the public to support a nationwide fundraising campaign for hospices.

The Oscar-nominated actor, who has fronted several campaigns championing hospices, said Irish people are generally good at confronting death.

If you dont take on board how final death is, you dont really get a proper perspective on how delicious life can be, he told the PA news agency in Bewleys Cafe in Dublin city.

The hospice movement generally has been a kind of a little bit of a beacon, in the sense that its given a degree of positivity to the way life is framed, which I find really refreshing.

Both of Gleesons parents, Pat and Francis, spent their final days in St Francis Hospice in Dublin.

The hospice found a way for me to be able to say goodbye to my parents in a way that seemed actually beautiful, he said.

I found that a remarkable triumph over circumstance, and it gave me kind of a faith in the humanity it takes to make that happen, because it doesnt happen by mistake.

He added: At the moment, I can have a chat at any point with the memory of when my folks were well and not fighting the last throes of life  when they were in their fullness. So, I can have the conversation with those entities and so I feel theyre never really gone.

With the hospice, you feel this is something thats perpetuating a feeling that goodness is paramount within this particular world and its very hard to keep that front and centre the way things are happening.

Theres an awful lot of negativity, anxiety  and a lot of it well-founded  but its always been this way. Weve always been careering towards our own destruction and, at the same time, elevating ourselves beyond any other life form, and its just the human condition.

So, I find tipping the scales on the good side is the hospice movement and I feel honoured to be a part of it.

People who wish to register to host a coffee morning on September 26, or on a different date, can visit hospicecoffeemorning.ie or make a donation on the same website.

Gleeson said it was exciting that an in-patient unit with 24 single rooms was planned for St Francis Hospice, which would offer more privacy to families and their loved ones.

He said his father Francis spent time in a four-bed room: The conversation was a little inhibited; you are in hearing distance of others, trying not to earwig, and at the same time attempting an intimate conversation with your loved one in quite a loud voice.

Because patients are at that stage, you have to speak fairly loudly. Single rooms make it so much easier.

The Dubliner was speaking before travelling to Los Angeles ahead of the worldwide release of his latest work in Joker: Folie a Deux, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga.

He said he agreed to take part in the movie because he thought Phoenixs performance in Joker was one of the most remarkable things Ive ever seen.

He said the actor inhabited this extraordinary place thats so conflicting, thats so sympathetic in some ways, and utterly repulsive in others.

It took the idea of mental instability into a place where we have to accept some culpability when it gets out of control, and at the same time theres an element of wildness in that, where youre sort of saying, I dont know if anybody can contain whats been released now.

He said it is increasingly difficult to get a storyline like that offered by the Banshees of Inisherin, as there is a trend of cinema emphasising visuals and action sequences.

But he said that when done right, superheroes are just a different way of exploring the nature of humanity, and cited Heath Ledgers portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight as proper character study.

Turning to the Phoenix Joker movies, he said: I was mesmerised by the first film and thrilled to be a part of the second.

I havent seen it yet, but I just love the bravery of taking it on and bringing Lady Gaga into the mix, and having music as a part of it. I cant wait to see it, to be honest.

Gleeson, who turns 70 next March, said that he is aware of his age, but said he was once told good health is a golden crown which only those who are ill can see.

I try to keep an eye on the crown and as long as Im motoring around alright, I appreciate life.

He told PA: I do think that curiosity, the maintenance of curiosity in the freshness of the world, and seeing the world again in the framework of how precious it is and how transient, if you can maintain it, then life keeps coming up with things that are wonderful. We all know it can be the simplest thing in the world.

The mortality thing, I understand  you do the math, as I say. But I feel in bonus country, in a way. Ive been allowed to see my kids grow up. Ive been allowed to see things through a little bit.

Its all bonus country anyway. So we continue with the bonus country.
Columbia University Irving Medical Center CEO Katrina Armstrong has been tapped to lead the school following the sudden resignation of President Minouche Shafik.

Shafik stepped down on Wednesday after a tenure marked by intense criticism, particularly over her response to the pro-Palestinian protests that began in April.

In a statement after her appointment was announced, Armstrong expressed gratitude to her predecessors and recognized the challenges facing the campus community as she assumes leadership.

"Challenging times present both the opportunity and the responsibility for serious leadership to emerge from every group and individual within a community. This is such a time at Columbia," she said. "As I step into this role, I am acutely aware of the trials the University has faced over the past year. We should neither understate their significance, nor allow them to define who we are and what we will become."

The Board of Trustees backed Armstrong as well, calling her "the right leader for this moment."

Here's everything we know about Columbia's new president:

- Armstrong is well-known to the Columbia community. She currently serves as CEO of the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, a title she will retain during her stint as interim president. She also serves as executive vice president for health and biomedical sciences, and dean of the faculties of health sciences and medicine and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

- She earned her bachelor's degree from Yale University and a medical degree from Johns Hopkins University.

- Prior to joining Columbia, Armstrong served as physician in chief at Massachusetts General Hospital from 2013 to 2022, and was a professor at the University of Pennsylvania for 16 years.

- According to the Board of Trustees, Armstrong has completed extensive research in cancer, mental health, the roles that segregation and discrimination play in health care, as well as health disparities in rural areas, particularly among Native American tribes.

- Regarding the conflict between Israel and Gaza, Armstrong and her colleagues issued a letter in October 2023, urging the community to "come together and to embrace each other with compassion and empathy" for those affected in the region.

- During a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Summit in November, Armstrong referred to Hamas as a terrorist organization and condemned its October attack on Israel. "Equally clear, and of great importance in this discussion, is that the Palestinian people are not Hamas and are not terrorists," she added. "... We must describe Hamas as it describes itself - as an entity openly committed to the destruction of Israel and to attacking the Jewish people - to provide our Jewish colleagues the comfort that comes with knowing that others understand what occurred on October 7 and the terrible psychological impact of that terrorist attack."
A judge has ordered Western Kentucky University to release sexual misconduct records related to investigations of its employees following a year-long lawsuit between the university and two student news organizations.

The original records requests were filed in 2015 by the University of Kentucky's student newspaper, the Kentucky Kernel, and in 2016 by WKU's student newspaper, the College Heights Herald, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Both student organizations requested Title IX investigation records revealing sexual misconduct allegations made against university employees.

WKU initially refused to turn the records over after the requests were filed; however, student reporters filed an appeal with the Kentucky Attorney General's Office.

The school then sued the student newspapers in Warren Circuit Court to block access to the records.

WKU argued that releasing the names of employees who were accused of sexual misconduct or incorrectly accused could reveal their identities.

Last week,

The director of student publications at WKU, Chuck Clark, said he was pleased with the ruling, despite how long it took.

"Initially, this case was about getting any records at all, but over the past couple of years, it has been about what the students saw as excessive redaction of those records," Clark said in an email to the Herald-Leader.

Jace Lux, a spokesperson for WKU said, "Since the litigation began, the university's intention has been to protect the privacy interests of employees in compliance with the law who were found to have not violated university policy."

The Kernel and the Herald also requested that WKU pay its attorney's fees and costs in the lawsuit, but that was denied in the order.

Originally published by Headlines & Global News
A new North Cork community group is hoping to help save the lives of their neighbours as they establish a new first responder group.

The Emergency Medical Response Charity CRITICAL has established the Community First Responder group to cover the Duhallow area of North Cork, who will respond to 999/112 calls including cardiac arrests, stroke, and breathing difficulties.

The Blackwater CFR group will cover an area that spans 147 square miles in total which includes towns such as Millstreet, Banteer, Rathmore, Ballydesmond and Kiskeam.

Millstreet Vintage Club presenting funds they raised to Critical. Picture John Tarrant

The group currently has 10 active and fully-trained responders with an additional 13 in training, including people from the local fire service, factory workers, IT workers and the HSE.

Witnessed

Donie Lucey, a fundraising support officer with CRITICAL is among the people who set up the Blackwater CFR group.

He said that he had witnessed first-hand the benefits of having responders in an area.

Our volunteers can be at the scene in minutes providing vital treatment to a patient before the ambulance arrives.

The training that our volunteers receive is fantastic and only recently one of our Blackwater CFR volunteers put his skills to use when one of his relatives began choking. The biggest reward for us is knowing that weve helped save the life of someone in our community, whether that be a friend, family or neighbour.

Donie is also a member of the Millstreet Vintage Club which recently raised 12,500 in support of CRITICAL, funds which will ensure the group has access to lifesaving equipment when they respond to a 999 call in the area, such as defibrillators and training equipment.

These funds will also ensure the groups life support bags can be kept fully stocked with disposable medical products, like breathing assistance tools and defibrillator pads.

David Tighe, CEO of CRITICAL, added: The Blackwater CFR group is the latest addition to the charitys network which is expanding its presence around Ireland.

We have seen the impact of our CFR groups in other areas and I am sure that this latest group will be a major benefit to the North Cork area.

For information on joining contact info@criticalcharity.ie. See https://criticalcharity.ie/ or call 021 4190 999 to donate.
A Cork charity said it has seen a marked increase in demand for its services ahead of children returning to school at the end of the month, and is appealing for donations of school-related materials.

With some schools returning next week, Cork Penny Dinners volunteer co-ordinator Caitriona Twomey said the charity has noted a sharp rise in people seeking its help in recent weeks.

People are being cut to the quick and juggling what money they have, but if you dont have it, you cant juggle it, she said.

Ms Twomey said she has been swamped with calls from parents seeking help, and the charity is seeking donations of hardback copybooks, highlighters and markers, geometry sets, pencil sets, and schoolbags, as well as help with school uniforms and new, warm winter coats.

We would hope to be able to help as many as 150 children, but we need the publics assistance to do that, she said.

Ms Twomey added that Joe Byrne, the proprietor of Josephs Hair Salon in Glasheen, was an unsung hero for organising donation drives around this time of year.

Mr Byrne said that while the Governments decision last year to provide free books at primary school level had undoubtedly helped families, it had the unintended effect of reducing the level of donations, while some families still required help.

People say, Sure havent they got the school grant now, they dont need as much?, but the need is still there, he said.

A spokesperson for the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP) said the provision of free schoolbooks at primary level had resulted in a drop in calls to SVP offices at back-to-school time and the charity expected to see a similar result this autumn, as free books are provided at Junior Cert cycle.

However, they said, SVP volunteers deal with many parents who are struggling with costs for additional school materials, school uniforms, and voluntary contributions.

The charity has called on government to introduce free schoolbooks for senior cycle, and to increase the capitation grant by 30% to reduce the need for parental contributions in the forthcoming budget.

It comes as Taoiseach Simon Harris has said he wants to examine how children can be provided with hot school meals outside of school term to address holiday hunger in disadvantaged families.

Speaking at a Fine Gael event in Dublin, Mr Harris said the measure was being considered by his departments child-poverty unit.

Noting that the hot-school-meals programme had been expanded, meaning that more than 345,000 primary pupils were now eligible, he said the next step was to address holiday hunger.

He added that there will be a range of cost-of-living supports and measures for businesses in the Budget, adding it was important to use a financial surplus to support struggling families.

I want parents, working families and people right across Ireland to know were eager to do more, Mr Harris said.

The Taoiseachs comments come amid growing speculation that the general election, which has to occur by March 2025, will be called between the budget on October 1 and Christmas.
Johns Hopkins University in Maryland will again require SAT or ACT standardized test scores for undergrad admissions starting in fall 2026. After three years of test-optional policies brought on by the pandemic, the university decided last week that standardized test scores are too important to leave out.

The change affects students applying to the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Whiting School of Engineering. Those applying for fall 2025 can still choose to skip the test, but Johns Hopkins is encouraging them to submit scores if possible.

After a deep dive into recent admissions data and academic research, the university found that test scores, when viewed alongside other factors, are a solid predictor of student success at Johns Hopkins. The review also hinted that going test-optional might have unintentionally held back some applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds who could have benefited from submitting their scores.

"Johns Hopkins has long utilized a holistic approach to its admissions process and will continue to do so. This approach is one that examines students' academic character, impact and initiative, and personal contributions through a multifaceted lens that considers the entirety of their high school career," officials said.

Johns Hopkins has followed the growing trend of schools bringing back the requirement for standardized tests following years of making the test optional due to limited access during the pandemic.

As of this year, more than 2,000 bachelor-degree granting institutions are not requiring standardized exams for fall 2025 admissions, according to a study by the National Center for Fair & Open Testing. However, many Ivy League schools and other top universities have begun reinstating these tests by 2025, including Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Yale, Caltech, Georgetown, MIT, Stanford, as well as Florida and Georgia's public state university systems.
The search for six people rescuers fear are trapped inside a luxury yacht that sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily is set to enter its third day.

The Italian Coastguard has not ruled out the possibility that those missing, including technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, may still be alive, with experts speculating air pockets could have formed as the yacht sank.

Among those missing are also Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

Jeremy Bloomer, Jonathan Bloomers twin brother, told the BBC: Its a slow process and it will take time. So there might be air pockets, but we dont know. Its still wait and see, so fingers crossed.

The body recovered at the scene of the sinking on Monday was that of Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working on the Bayesian superyacht, the Italian Coastguard told Sky News.

Gareth Williams, a friend of the chef, told the BBC: I can talk for everyone that knew him when I say he was a well-loved, kind human being with a calm spirit. Another friend, Eli Fuller, told the outlet Mr Thomas was friends with everybody, always positive and sought after in his profession.

Area hit by storm

Bayesian was moored around half a mile off the coast of Porticello when it sank at around 5am local time on Monday as the area was hit by a storm.

Vincenzo Zagarola of the Italian Coastguard said the six missing tourists were feared dead.

Asked about the likelihood of them being alive, he said: Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not. He told the PA news agency: We think they are still inside the boat, that is our very hard idea.

Our search and rescue activity by sea and air has gone on for around 36 hours.

Of course, we do not exclude that they are not inside the boat, but we know the boat sank quickly.

We suppose that the six people missing may not have had time to get out of the boat.

Italian emergency services near the area off the Sicilian coast where the search continues for British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah, who are among six tourists missing after a luxury yacht sank in a tornado off the coast of Sicily.

Italys fire brigade Vigili del Fuoco said it is developing a plan to enter the wreckage of Bayesian, which is resting on the seabed off the coast at a depth of 50 metres.

It described the operation as complex, with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts.

Dr Jean-Baptiste Souppez, a senior lecturer of mechanical, biomedical and design engineering at Aston University, said the next 24 hours are crucial to find survivors trapped inside the wreck.

The speed at which the vessel sank (a few minutes, according to survivor and witness accounts) and the fact that it remains intact and on its side could favour the formation of small air pockets inside, he said.

This is obviously highly speculative and impossible to predict accurately.

A sign the rescuers may be looking for is a banging noise at regular intervals.

This is common practice on submarines and was one of the signs the search mission for the Titan submarine was looking for after it went missing last year.

But whether air pockets formed on the Bayesian is simply impossible to predict.

Of the 22 passengers and crew onboard, 15  including Mr Lynchs wife, Angela Bacares  were rescued after escaping onto a lifeboat.

The Mirror reported Ms Bacares is in a state of shock and sadness as she awaits news of her husband. She has reportedly been joined by the couples elder daughter who was not aboard the boat.

More of the yachts rescued crew members were named by the Italian Coastguard on Tuesday, with Leo Eppel and South African nationals Leah Randall and Katja Chicken all confirmed as having been on board.

Survivors are recuperating at a hotel complex in Porticello where authorities are gathering witness statements.

'We didn't see it coming'

The Telegraph reported authorities are investigating whether hatches left open by crew members contributed to the sinking, as well as what onboard measures were taken in preparation for the storm.

The ships captain James Calfield, 51 told Italian media: We didnt see it coming.

Mr Lynch, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was cleared in June of conducting a massive fraud relating to the 11 billion US dollar (8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.

Mr Lynch is of Irish heritage  his father was a fireman from Co Cork, and his mother was a nurse from Co Tipperary.

Mike Lynch who is missing after the luxury yacht, Bayesian sank in bad weather off the coast of Sicily. Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire

The boat trip was a celebration of his acquittal.

The Financial Times reported that Mr Bloomer appeared at trial as a defence witness for Mr Lynch, while media reports suggest the pair are close friends.

A spokesperson for Morgan Stanley said the bank was shocked and saddened while Clifford Chance said it was a tragic incident.

David Tabizel, Mr Lynchs Autonomy co-founder, told Sky News: Im just heartbroken for him and his family and I hope theres a miracle about to occur.

If anyone has the resilience to survive this  he does. And I hope hes found an air pocket.

Mr Tabizel added: He has been one of the most influential, intelligent and most honourable human beings I have ever had the honour of knowing. The former school of Mr Lynchs daughter has said its thoughts are with their family and everyone involved.

A spokesperson for Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London, said: We are all incredibly shocked by the news that Hannah and her father are among those missing in this tragic incident and our thoughts are with their family and everyone involved as we await further updates. Ed Llewellyn, British ambassador to Italy, met some of the survivors of the sinking at a hotel.

Ayla Ronald, a New Zealand national working at Clifford Chance, survived the ordeal.

Her father Lin Ronald confirmed to the Telegraph she had been invited aboard as a thanks for assistance in Mr Lynchs recent court case.

Another of the survivors, British tourist Charlotte Emsley, told la Repubblica she held her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, to stop her from drowning.

Charlotte and Sofia were treated in hospital, as was Sofias father, James Emsley.

In a separate incident, Mr Lynchs co-defendant in his US fraud trial, Stephen Chamberlain, died after being hit by a car while out running in Cambridgeshire on Saturday.

In a statement released through Cambridgeshire Police, Mr Chamberlains family said: Steve was a much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend.

He was an amazing individual whose only goal in life was to help others in any way possible."
The New Zealand Rose, Keely O'Grady, was last night named as the 2024 International Rose of Tralee.

The 21-year-old is a fourth-year student at Canterbury University and is studying a Bachelor of Speech and Language Therapy.

She hopes to work in the healthcare or disability sector, helping children to communicate effectively.

The Rose of Tralee festival is now in its 64th year.

New Zealand Rose Keely O'Grady has been named as the 2024 International Rose of Tralee celebrating under the fireworks at Denny Street for Midnight Madness.

There was a strong Cork contingent taking part in this year's event.

Cork Rose Shauna OSullivan was among the favourites to be named as Rose of Tralee.

Coming from Araglen just outside Fermoy, a village that borders Limerick and Tipperary, Shauna is a recently qualified pharmacist.

She also plays a leading role in her local community as a member of the organising committee for the Araglen Carnival.

Six other roses had strong links to Cork including Ciara OSullivan, from Newmarket, who represented Dubai; Perth Rose, Maria Collins, who hails from Coppeen in mid-Cork; and San Franciscos Maggie Baglin, whose Cork connections come via her fathers family who hails from Gurranabraher and Glanmire.

Billie Cooper, the New York Rose grew up in Cavan but her father is from Cork; Molly Ronan, the Florida Rose has links to Cork city; and Megan Cahill, who represented Chicago in this years festival has roots in Cork and Clare.
A group on Corks northside have said they are devastated and appalled that there could be more than 4,000 homes built on the last natural green space in the area.

An email sent by the Murphys Rock and Bride Valley Support Group to Cork city councillors, as well as to Taoiseach Simon Harris and the minister for housing, has opposed potential housing units for Dublin Hill.

A view towards Cork City from the top of Murphy's Rock near Dublin Hill. Picture: David Keane.

The Land Development Agency (LDA) announced last week that 41 hectares in Dublin Hill are to be surveyed to assess their suitability for affordable and social housing. The land, and its potential to provide housing, was identified in the Report on Relevant Public Land published by the LDA in 2023, where it was estimated that it could yield 3,250 to 4,420 homes with estimated total costs of between 1.07bn and 1.3bn for the project.

We are devastated and appalled to understand that the LDA have begun a feasibility study to prepare for building of housing units in Murphys Rock ahead of public consultation, said Murphys Rock and Bride Valley Support Group chairwoman Joan Lewis.

Murphys Rock is the last natural green space available in the northside of Cork city.

Their email explained that the area is a natural habitat and building of any sort here is likely to devastate very delicate ecological balance in this natural wild space. It will also be detrimental to public health.

We strongly believe that any development should cease in Murphys Rock until the Local Area Plan for Blackpool/Kilbarry is completed and the public have a chance to review how they see this area being developed. We understand this Local Area Plan is currently being compiled by the Cork City Council with a plan to go to public consultation. The development of Murphys Rock as a public amenity as a wilder space is essential to public wellbeing and has been proposed under this plan.

Green Party councillor for Cork City North East Oliver Moran told the group that the LDA will not proceed with any developments until the North Blackpool/Kilbarry framework plan is completed.

This will include a public consultation, and I have already spoken with officials about including your group in a pre-consultation phase, he said.

He said the public consultation on the framework plan will take place over the next 18 months, led by the strategic planning directorate in Cork City Council, who he said are very familiar with the area, its value, and its sensitivity.
A 12-year-old girl is in a serious condition in hospital after her home in North Cork was attacked during what has been described as a heinous and reprehensible incident.

It is understood a group of about five men, all wearing balaclavas, arrived at a house on the New Line in Charleville on Monday night and damaged a car outside the residence before damaging the front door of the house where there was a mother and young children inside.

It is understood the 12-year-old girl suffered serious head injuries during the incident.

She was treated at the scene before being rushed to Cork University Hospital, but has since been transferred to Childrens Health Ireland at Temple Street.

It is understood the men fled the scene in a vehicle, and that gardai are trying to establish the type and make of vehicle and the direction in which they travelled.

The Garda Superintendent overseeing the investigation, Superintendent Gary McPolin, implored anyone with information to come forward.

Were appealing for CCTV [footage], dash-cam [footage], independent witnesses to come forward, he told The Echo.

Its heinous and reprehensible that this should happen to a young child inside in the private environs of their home.

It is believed the incident may be linked to a feud involving families in Cork and Limerick.

Gardai were alerted to a disturbance at a residence on the New Line at approximately 11.30pm on Monday and attended the scene.

Considerable criminal damage to a vehicle and house was observed, a garda spokesperson said.

A female child was transferred from the scene by ambulance services to Cork University Hospital.

She has since been transferred to Childrens Health Ireland at Temple St in what is described as a serious but stable condition.

The scene of the incident was preserved, and a technical examination has been conducted by the Divisional Scenes of Crime Unit.

Gardai are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this incident to come forward or who may have been in the vicinity of the New Line area on Monday, August 19, between 10.30pm and 12am.

Additionally, anyone with camera footage, including dash-cam footage, from the area at the time are encouraged to provide it to investigating gardai. Anyone with information is asked to contact Mallow Garda Station at 022 31450, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.

In the wake of the incident, councillors in the Kanturk-Mallow Municipal District, which takes in Charleville, moved to support the appeal for witnesses. Fine Gael councillor Liam Madden said he was shocked to hear of the incident, urging anyone with information to contact the gardai. This was echoed by his party colleague, councillor John Paul OShea, who said he wished to offer his full support to gardai and hoped that the perpetrators would be swiftly brought to justice.
The minister of state for disabilities, Anne Rabbitte, has been urged to keep a promise made to the parents and teachers of St Killians Special School ahead of the upcoming academic year.

She has been called on to release funding that would fund the return of therapists to the school on Corks northside.

The principal of St Killians, Sue Lenihan, told The Echo that a multi-disciplinary team of therapists from a reputable company used by the HSE was ready to come to the school in September.

The sum involved, 150,000, was promised by Ms Rabbitte to a delegation from the school, including parents and the principal, which met with her in Leinster House last November.

They were told that the sum was less than 2% of the unspent budget dedicated to disability services in the department.

The demand to deliver on the promise comes following the announcement that four schools from Cork are to be included in a pilot scheme which would see therapists return to schools this term.

The schools were eventually named as St Pauls Special School, Montenotte; Our Lady of Good Counsel Special School, Ballincollig; Rochestown Special School; and Carrigaline Community Special School.

Ms Lenihan, as well as the parents of the 104 children attending St Killians Special School, said they were extremely disappointed not to be included, and a protest is planned for tomorrow at the school.

We went to the meeting, we were told there was money available, and that other schools were undertaking the same process, said Ms Lenihan.

We were told if we found a provider and put a proposal together that it would be looked at and the money would be there, she added, saying that they were told that it would be able to start within weeks.

Cork North Central Sinn Fein TD Thomas Gould said that Minister Rabbitte should deliver on the promises made to the school, irrespective of the pilot scheme.

What were asking now is, if the money is there and we know it is, that the Minister would authorise the spending of 150,000 to the school so they can provide the therapists, theyve secured a private contractor to do it, if they dont include them in the first pilot, were asking for that money to be allocated.

The Echo has asked Ms Rabbitte for comment.
Renowned author, journalist and feminist activist Nell McCafferty has died at the age of 80.

She died in the early hours of Wednesday morning at a Co Donegal nursing home, her family said.

The former Irish Times journalist, originally from Derry, was a prominent voice on womens rights issues across the island of Ireland and in 1970 co-founded the Irish Womens Liberation Movement.

Taoiseach Simon Harris has paid tribute to Nell McCafferty describing her as "fierce, fearless and fiery".

In a statement he said: "If she was in the room or in the debate, you knew about it.

Her passion and wrath was not scattergun, it had a laser-like focus on calling out inequality and injustice. She suffered no fools but had a kindness and warmth for many. Her wit and Derry turn of phrase made her impossible to ignore.

"As one of the women who took the train in 1971, she set in train an unstoppable wave for equality and a changing of Ireland for the better. That change has not yet reached its conclusion but it would be nowhere if it wasnt for warriors like Nell.

"In an Ireland trying to emerge from the shadows and find who it was, Nell McCafferty was one of the people who knew exactly who she was and wasnt afraid to enter every battle for gay and womens rights. We all owe her a great debt for this.

"Nell McCafferty left Ireland a much better place than she found it and she played her part with spirit and style."

Tanaiste Micheal Martin said Nell was an exceptional journalist and campaigner and the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights and womens rights".

Deeply saddened at the passing of Nell McCafferty.



Nell was an exceptional journalist & campaigner - the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights & womens rights. She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland. (1/2)  Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) August 21, 2024

Irelands Press Ombudsman, the journalist Susan McKay, paid tribute to Nell McCafferty.

She was an absolutely wonderful journalist, a really ground-breaking journalist, Ms McKay told BBC Radio Ulster.

She changed the way that all of us who came after her wrote journalism and did journalism, because she went straight to people.

You know, if you look back at journalism before Nell and indeed before some other brilliant woman of her generation, ordinary people were never asked for their opinion. They were written about by gents who thought that they knew how best to analyse society.

Nell went straight into working class places, she talked to people who had experienced real hardships and afflictions in their lives, and she brought their voices alive.

She was tremendously brave and courageous and she wrote about all of the most important stories of her time.

And its very, very sad that she has died, but she had been very ill for quite a number of years, and, you know, wasnt really in a position to appreciate life to the same extent as she had been before.

The leader of the Irish Labour Party Ivana Bacik said she was deeply saddened to hear of Nell McCaffertys death at the age of 80.

She described the journalist as a wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon.

It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends, she said on X.
Primary school teachers in Cork are being encouraged to register their students for the Blue Star Programme.

In its 14th year, the award-winning programme teaches children about the European Union (EU).

More than 1,200 schools and an estimated 200,000 pupils have completed the course, with 31 schools in Cork participating last year.

European Movement Ireland is inviting teachers across the country to take part, with a particular focus on classes from Gaeilscoileanna, island schools, and Deis schools.

Schools will have the chance to enrol in the programme until October 11.

Culture

European Movement Ireland CEO Noelle OConnell said the Blue Star Programme provides young people with the opportunity to not only learn about but develop a true appreciation for European culture.

The programmes curriculum is creative and accessible, and it helps to foster a genuine interest in and a desire to learn about the EU.

We are very grateful to all the participating teachers and pupils that have and continue to take part in the programme," she said.

Their passion and creativity are what fuels this programmes success, and wed like to welcome primary schools from across the country to participate.

Participating classes will learn about European history, geography, culture, and the EU institutions in an informative and accessible way that complements the national primary curriculum.

Aspects of the programme include cross-cultural activities, such as learning basic phrases in other European languages and celebrating European cultural days.

It is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

For more information, see https://www.bluestarprogramme.ie.
Parents and pupils at St Killians Special School on Corks northside will carry out a sensory protest at the school gates at lunchtime tomorrow, as their campaign to get the funding needed to hire therapists at the school moves up a gear in advance of the reopening of schools next week.

A spokesperson for the St Killians Unite group of parents described the sensory protest as essentially a quiet protest.

Its a sensory protest, keeping in mind that autistic children that have sensory differences will be present, the spokesperson said. This is a quiet protest so that the children wont feel completely overwhelmed by any noise or any flurry of activity.

Statement

In a statement issued at the weekend by the parents group, following the confirmation that St Killians Special School would not be among four special schools to participate in a pilot scheme announced almost two weeks ago, the group called for the grant of approximately 150,000 which they say Anne Rabbitte, the minister of state for disability, promised them when during a meeting in Leinster House last November, to be released so they could hire therapists privately if the school was not to be included in the pilot scheme.

In the absence of any explanation or clear criteria for the selection of schools for the pilot, the exclusion seems to stem from the incorrect perception that the children who attend St Killians do not have as many complex needs as those in other special schools, said the spokesperson. They added the perception was entirely unfounded.

St Killians Special School currently serves 104 students, of whom 79 have a dual diagnosis of autism and mild to moderate intellectual disabilities, said the spokesperson.

Additionally, many of these children have further diagnoses, including ADHD, dyslexia, and complex medical needs, among others.

A significant number of the students are non-verbal, and many are not independently trained for toileting.

Furthermore, other students contend with a range of complex needs, including severe dyslexia, dyspraxia, speech and language difficulties, emotional and behavioural challenges, and severe self-injurious behaviour and suicidal ideation and are in urgent need of mental health support  yet, currently, none of these needs are being met through therapeutic intervention. Therapeutic intervention in St Killians was withdrawn in 2020, and the school has had to operate without a single therapeutic hour allocated to it since then.

Frustration

Speaking to The Echo yesterday, Workers Party councillor in Cork North East Ted Tynan expressed his frustration over the difficulties in which the exclusion from the pilot scheme had placed the St Killians Special School community.

There are children who require that extra bit of attention and help to allow them to get on with their lives and grow and prepare them for adult life  vital time is being lost now by the lack of investment by the Government, he said.

A small sum of money would enable the school to hire these therapists.

Repeated attempts were made to contact Ms Rabbitte to get her response.

The protest will take place at the school gates, commencing at 1pm.
Audiences have been enjoying The Empty Nest at the Cork Arts Theatre this week.

From the pen of Oisin Flores Sweeney, and directed by Geoff Gould, its the tale of life after the kids have left. Now the grandchildren are invading, while Tony and Sheila wonder where their own lives went.

Hilarious, yet sharply true to the reality, it stars Seamus ORourke and Joan Sheehy.

Runs until Saturday, with performances at 1pm and 8pm today and tomorrow, 8pm Saturday.

Next week, its Making A Show Of Myself, a one-woman show by Mary Kate OFlanagan.

With a busy day job as story consultant for film and television, Mary Kate claims that she really comes alive at night when she tells true-life stories on stage to an audience.

This one was a sell-out at Smock Alley last winter, and is likely to get house full notices here too.

Runs Wednesday to Friday, daytime 1pm, evenings Wed-Sat 8pm.

Call 021 450 5624 or see www.corkartstheatre.com for all Cork Arts Theatre bookings.

Its your last chance to see the Souls, Shadows And Secrets at Everyman tonight. Written and directed by Barry Monahan, this new play gives voice to three of Irelands most prominent historical figures - Constance Markievicz, Michael Collins and Eamon de Valera - set against the backdrop of a young womans personal tale in the years between the 1916 Easter Rising and the early years of the Free State.

Tomorrow night, acclaimed American songwriter Bonnie Prince Billy is here, with guests Nuala Kennedy and Eamon OLeary.

He is at the Everyman for the first time as part of his summer Irish tour following the release of his latest album, Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You. 8pm start for both.

On Saturday, Pitchd Festival Gala promises to be an electrifying evening of breathtaking aerial displays and mesmerising routines from the Circus Factory.

Performers include Giulia Pasquale, Siolta Circus, Sadbh Grehan, Circus 250 and Symmetry Circus. That one begins at 7pm.

From Thursday to Saturday next week, Gatman is back in Tadhg Hickeys one-man show about the eccentricities of Cork city.

Call 021450 1673 or see www.everymancork.com

Now, here are two lovely new opportunities for those of you looking to do something different this autumn.

The newly-formed Mallow Musical Society is planning to create a gala performance of a big show next February, and has issued an invite to anyone interested to come along and audition. Now why not? Just what you needed if you live in or near Mallow.

Open Call Auditions for Mala Gala: The Musical will be held at CDYS Small Gym, New Road, Mallow, on Monday and Tuesday, September 2 & 3 between 7 and 9pm. Put it in your diaries now!

For more information, email mallowmusicalsociety@gmail.com.

And there are only about six weeks to go if you want to make your mark as a playwright by entering the 10x10 Minute Play Event at the Cork Arts Theatre!

The call for submissions has already gone out, with the deadline of Sunday, October 6. Time to polish off those short plays, or get moving on that idea you have always had.

Note that, due to the very large numbers of entries in recent years, they are only accepting submissions from writers resident in Ireland and the UK this time.

Important points to note: plays should be no more than 10 minutes in duration (do a live reading to be certain) and should have a simple setting (minimal props and furniture). Other than that, they are open to plays of all genres - comedy, tragedy, farce, fantasy, horror, whatever.

The final 10 chosen will be performed from December 3-8. Any other queries, email theatre@corkartstheatre.com. Get to that desk!

And finally, dont forget Conor McPhersons Rum & Vodka at the Roundy House tonight. A classic tale of booze and debauchery, it is absolutely not suitable for anyone under the age of 16!

Directed by Tommy Daly, and performed by Eoin OReilly, it starts at 7pm (doors 6.30pm) and runs for one hour. Tickets on https://www.ticketsource.eu/.
By Rebecca Black, PA

An arson attack on a restaurant in Co Antrim, which is believed to have been racially motivated, has been condemned as deplorable.

Graffiti was also reported at the premises in the Ballyclare Road area of Newtownabbey in the early hours of Wednesday.

In a statement, police said they received a report at around 1.50am that the premises had been set alight.

Colleagues from Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service attended and dealt with the fire, which is being treated as deliberate ignition, they said.

Inquiries are continuing and at this stage, the incident is being treated as a racially-motivated hate crime.

Police would appeal to anyone with any information in relation to the incident, to contact detectives on 101 quoting reference number 68 21/08/24.

North Belfast MP John Finucane. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA.

North Belfast MP John Finucane described the attack in Newtownabbey as sickening and deplorable.

He added: This business operates to serve our community and employ workers. It is totally unacceptable that it has been targeted in this way.

These disgusting and disgraceful attacks which are fuelled by racism, hatred and discrimination have no place in our inclusive and forward-looking society.

Those intent on causing hate and stirring up division must face the full force of the law, and I would appeal to anyone who may have information on this incident to bring it forward to police.
by Derek Neal

Th e Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker is a novel about paying attention. After you read a chapter, you, too, begin paying attention to things youve never noticed before.

On my way to work this morning, gliding down quiet, leafy streets in my 2012 Mazda 3 GS-SKY, I noticed a new sign. It was planted in the soil around a tree that had been planted into the sidewalk. In certain cities, this would not have been possible. Ive noticed that when a tree is planted into the sidewalk, there are three options when it comes to the block of cement that has been replaced by the tree. The most common choice, and the choice that my city has made, is to fill in the square with dirt or mulch.

This was why the sign could be planted there, because there was soft ground in which to insert the two metal rods that held the sign. Another choice is to cover the empty square with a grate. To my mind, this is the sensible choice. If you dont cover the square, trash and cigarette butts will quickly fill in the square, which will be difficult to remove because you cant simply sweep them upthe level of the dirt is not flush with the sidewalk, so a sort of divot is created in which trash can collectinstead, a city worker will be forced to pick up the trash with some sort of picking device, or theyll have to maneuver a dust bin and broom into the square space around the tree, which must be difficult, considering that the dust bin and broom may not fit easily into the square. This is why the grate is the correct choice: it creates a flush seam with the surrounding sidewalk, prevents trash from collecting in the area around the tree, and makes cleaning easier.

Another benefit of the grate is that when you are walking you dont have to change your stride. Without the grate, you have two choices:

You can change your route to avoid the dirt around the tree. The issue here is that if you are walking with someone, you will enter into their path and possibly disrupt them, or, if youre able to, you can place one foot in front of the other, as if on a balance beam, and walk three or four steps in this way, all while maintaining your balance, so that on one side, you dont bump into your companion, and on the other side, you dont fall into the area around the tree. You can step into the area around the tree. The issue here, besides the trash, is that the area around the tree is slightly lower than the level of the sidewalk. You expect to hit ground at a certain pointyour body seems to know this intuitivelybut the ground is not there, and so your foot picks up speed and hits the ground with more force, as when you expect a step to be there at the end of the stairs, but its not. Now theres the possibility for injury. There was a recent topic of controversy in my city that has some connection to this issue of sidewalk trees. It concerned the slope of the sidewalk when it connects to a driveway on one side and a road on the other side. In a suburb, this is not an issue, because in between the sidewalk and road there can be a strip of driveway that slopes to connect the two, but in a city, when this space isnt available, the sidewalk has to slope to connect the road and driveway, which creates a problem for pedestrians walking on the sidewalk, since they will suddenly be on uneven ground. There are two ways to address this problem: The sidewalk slopes at a steady rate from the street to the driveway. The sidewalk slopes steeply from the road, then levels out and is flat from the middle of the sidewalk to the driveway.

Choice B is usually considered the correct choice, because although it creates the possibility for a car to scrape its bumper if it enters the driveway too quickly, it also allows for two people to walk on the sidewalk without changing their stride. In the case of option A, if two people are walking then at least one of them will be forced to walk on an uneven slope, with one foot hitting the ground at a lower level than the other foot, much like the case of the dirt area around a tree in a sidewalk square.

Besides the grate and the dirt area, there is also the possibility of filling in the square with cement or asphalt, in which case the tree simply protrudes from the sidewalk. This seems to be a less common optionI havent seen it muchand it surely looks good at first, but the issue is that over the years, as the tree grows, the roots will cause the cement to crack and buckle, eventually creating the need to replace at least that square of cement and possibly others as well. These choices, of course, have implications for public safety, the government budget, and more generally, the atmosphere of the city itself and our day-to-day experience. Each individual choice adds up to something greater than itself. As the narrator in The Mezzanine notes, after describing the way plastic straws came to displace paper straws in the 80s, resulting in floating straws that one had to stoop down to drink when using with a soda can: In this way the quality of life, through nobodys fault, went down an eighth of a notch (5). One could say that choosing the mulch/dirt option rather than the grate option also decreases our quality of life, although Im not in a position to say how much, being much less skilled in this sort of domain than the narrator of The Mezzanine.

But the sign. The sign, which was for a fast casual restaurant called Pita Pit, said GET IN HERE FOR A SMOOTHIE!! The first thing I registered, when looking at this sign, or rather, when the sign entered my field of vision before quickly disappearing as I glided by in my 2012 Mazda 3 GS-SKY, was that Pita Pit was talking about smoothies. Upon reflection, this makes sense. I wouldnt have known that Pita Pit offers smoothies if I hadnt seen this sign. Ive never patronized Pita Pit on my lunch break, not because I dont like its offeringsin fact, I do like kebabs, souvlaki, gyros, and shawarma, and I often get one of these wrapped sandwich combinations for my lunchbut because there are simply too many good options in the area surrounding the university where I work to go to a chain like Pita Pit. The next thing I noticed was the use of two exclamation marks. Why two? Why not one? The people at Pita Pit, perhaps thinking that they could connect better to the college students who are their main customers, had apparently opted for two exclamation marks to give their sign a casual feel, a friendly feel, an off the cuff feellike a text messagerather than the ever so slightly more formal single exclamation mark. However, this choice felt misguided to me, because I am not a customer of Pita Pit, and the sign is seemingly directed at people like mepeople who dont go to Pita Pit and are thus unaware that they offer smoothiesbut I dont feel the closeness with their establishment that would permit the use of two exclamation points. The other issue I have with the sign is the use of the imperative mood, the fact the sign is ordering me to GET IN HERE. If the sign were inviting me for a smoothie, perhaps I would consider it, but the brusqueness of GET IN HERE, even when accounting for the attempt at a facetious tone, didnt resonate with me. Needless to say, I have no plans to visit Pita Pit anytime soon.

Normally I would not have given the sign a second thought, but as I said at the beginning of this piece of writing, Ive been reading The Mezzanine. This novel takes place, as the narrator notes, during a specific lunch hour several years ago, although even this is too expansive; the duration of the novel is just more than the time it takes to ride an escalator up one floor, from the ground floor to the mezzanine of an office building. How does one write 135 pages covering a period of less than a minute? One pays attention. In a way, the novel imagines if In Search of Lost Time was just the madeleine scene, the beginning being the dipping of that biscuit into the tea, and the end being when Marcel swallows the spoonful of tea with the dissolved madeleine in it. The few seconds in between, the time it takes Marcel to drink the tea and the madeleine, would contain all of the thoughts, memories, reflections, and plotlines of the novel, and these stories would be nested inside one another, like a Matryoshka doll. Another way to think of The Mezzanine is as an exercise in defamiliarization. Instead of using the technique as a literary device within a larger work of fiction, The Mezzanine asks what it would be like to eliminate plot altogether, creating an entire novel built on drawing the readers attention to the familiar, everyday world by making it unfamiliar, strange, and mixed with the narrators memory. The novel takes this idea to an extreme point by choosing the most nondescript place possiblean office building at the end of the 1980s. The topics for attention are likewise banal and ordinary: a carton of milk, a plastic bag, a shoelace, Scotch tape, staplers, office small talk, but the achievement of the novel is to convince us that even in this world there is beauty and meaning, that a stapler, for example, has followed:

the broad stylistic changes we have witnessed in train locomotives and phonograph tonearms, both of which they resemble. The oldest staplers are cast-ironic and upright, like coal-fired locomotives and Edison wax-cylinder players. Then, in mid-century, as locomotive manufacturers discovered the word streamlined, and as tonearm designers housed the stylus in aerodynamic ribbed plastic hoods that looked like trains curving around a mountain, the people at Swingline and Bates tagged along, instinctively sensing that staplers were like locomotives in that the two prongs of the staple make contact with a pair of metal hollows, which, like the paired rails under the wheels of the train, forces them to follow a preset path, and that they were like phonograph tonearms in that both machines, roughly the same size, make sharp points of contact with their respective media of informational storageAnd then the great era of squareness set in: BART was the ideal for trains, while AR and Bang & Olufsen turntables became angularno more cream-colored bulbs of plastic! The people at Bates and Swingline again were drawn along, ridding their devices of all softening curvatures and offering black rather than the interestingly textured tan. And now, of course, the high-speed trains of France and Japan have reverted to aerodynamic profiles reminiscent of Popular Science cities-of-the-future covers of the fifties; and soon the stapler will incorporate a toned-down pompadour swoop as well. Sadly, the tonearms stylistic progress has slowed, because all the buyers who would appreciate an up-to-date Soviet Realism in the design are buying CD players: its inspirational era is over (14-15).

This is what the novel isdigressions, tangents, memories, anecdotes. When I purchased the novel at a cafe-cum-bookstore a few days ago, I had a nice chat with the barista who turned out to be a sort of Nicholson Baker aficionado, having read most of his novels and even reread a few. He was excited for me, as The Mezzanine is my first Baker novel, the only reason I picked it up in the first place being that Id seen it mentioned by the writer Jordan Castro. The barista informed me that Bakers novels are without stakes, and having read the book, I understand what he means, but I also have to disagree with him. The act of paying attention has incredibly high stakes because if the whole complex lives of many people go on unconsciously, then such lives are as if they have never been (Tolstoy as cited in Shklovsky). The novel makes you feel this as you read it, the capacity one has for noticing things and thinking about them, and how frequently we lack attention and exist in a state of extended distraction.

After passing the sign, I continued on down the street, still rolling smoothly and at low speed in the 2012 Mazda 3 GS-SKY, before turning left, then left again, and finally coming to rest in my usual spot, on the street next to a local park. I got out of my car and began to cross the park, which is the first part of a walk that I divide into three parts in my headpark, neighbourhood, main streetthat I take to arrive at work each day, a walk of 12-15 minutes. Upon entering the park, I noticed another new sign. This one had children playing next to it along with a few adults, which helped to explain the sign, which said, Early ON, and then below this, ON y va. I was immediately more receptive to this sign than to the Pita Pit sign, and as I continued my walk, I set to work deciphering its meaning. The first thing to know when viewing a public document in Canada is that it is likely to include both English and French. In Ontario, government documents will be in both languages, as will packaging on all items, but other things wont be, like the Pita Pit sign. Because of the nature of English, which often has adjectives before nouns, compared to French, which often has adjectives after nouns, and because there are so many cognates, sign makers can kill two birds with one stone when complying with these rules by following the order English adjective, noun, French adjective, thus avoiding repeating the noun twice. For example, as a kid I went one summer to Space Camp Spatial, which is how it was written on t-shirts and pins, saving space and repetition.

As I exited the park and entered the neighbourhood stretch of my walk, I suspected something similar was at work with Early ON/ON y va, yet I was perplexed by the double ON. Why repeat the ON? Or was the repetition necessary, this not being a case of noun-adjective-noun but rather a more complex use of the English/French combination particular to Canada? I then realized, focusing on the capitalization of ON, that the province of Ontario was being referred toON being the abbreviation for Ontariowhile also having a second meaning as on is a word in both English and French. In French, on y va would most likely be translated in this instance as lets go. So we have, in a sense, Early ON/Lets go. As I thought about the sign and its layers of meaning, turning right onto the street that would take me to my office, I became more and more impressed. We had a reference to the province, which had been integrated with a pun in two languages, and rather than a literal translation between English and French, we had two different expressions that had a similar spirit yet somewhat different meanings. To appreciate the full meaning of this sign, I realized, one had to understand both French and English, such that the premise of providing both French and English to accommodate monolingual speakers inadvertently produced a third thing, a French/English combination where the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. Putting it all together, I concluded that this must be some sort of government sponsored daycare program, and when I looked it up upon arriving at my office, I was correct!

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By Rebecca Black, PA

A woman has been arrested by police investigating disorder linked with anti-immigration protests in Belfast.

The 42-year-old has been charged with disorderly behaviour and two counts of obstructing traffic in a public place.

She is due to appear before Belfast Magistrates Court on September 17th.

PSNI officers man road blocks in Belfast following an anti-Islamic protest outside Belfast City Hall (PA)

As is usual procedure all charges will be reviewed by the PPS, a police spokesperson added.

Some 42 people have now been arrested by officers investigating rioting earlier this month which came after anti-immigration protests.

There have been 33 people charged in the same investigation.
Focus on the task you set for yourself each day. If you are kangoing, only think about the end of your chisel going around each stone, enjoy the process  you are building your forever home.

Thats the advice of designer Virginie Laveau who is almost single-handedly restoring a derelict property in West Cork, and turning it into her dream home.

Virginie, originally from France and living in Cork since 1999, is documenting the project on her Instagram account where her followers are enthralled by her determination, grit and tenacity. She shares frequent time lapse videos, and says the process is as much for herself to look back on, to show herself how far shes come.

The 44-year-old arriving here 25 years ago, when she was 19, thinking shed stay for six months and become fully fluent in English.

Six months turned to 25 years, and the tenacious French woman has had a career in IT, worked as a horticulture therapist, with Cork Association for Autism, and has been self-employed since 2014.

The derelict property in West Cork.

Virginie is a familiar sight at markets all over Ireland, where she sells handcrafted jewellery and her kimonos which she designs here and produces in India, which she calls her other home from home.

For the past 13 years, she had rented a house-share near The Lough, and admits she never had a major calling to own her own house because her landlord was so good to her.

But while travelling to Bantry Market in 2015, she fell in love with what was to be her future home.

I climbed over the wall to look at it, when I got to the trees behind the house I pictured an L shape table and my friends around it and my best friend serving wine to everyone. I felt this was the place.

In July, 2022, she signed on the dotted line and the place was hers! Virginie wasnt at all daunted by the epic challenge she had taken on: a derelict cottage, no doors, no windows, no septic tank, and in need of two new roofs.

I grew up on building sites, my father restored old houses, and seeing old buildings being brought back to life was always a passion of mine.

Work in progress.

Naturally, the restoration project hasnt been without its twists and turns along the way, with some lessons learned the hard way.

I spent the first year at the end of a kango hammer to remove all the old concrete  and repoint the walls with lime. I remember I started out with a hand-held chisel and a hammer (I was afraid I would take down the walls), and by the end of an entire afternoon I hadnt even covered a square metre, so I went to buy myself my first hammer drill with a chisel bit and two weeks later I bought a professional Makita kango hammer.

Virginie painstakingly researched how to use hemp and lime to insulate the walls  a slow and laborious process - but found a quicker way to do it. The end result will be to have a comfortable, and extremely dry house.

Through acquaintances at Bantry Market, she got a contact for her builder, an amazing man and his second equally amazing, as the house needed a new roof, windows, the works.

I was blessed by the gods to have found the two of them, and through them I met my electrician and plumber, she said.

For a year and half, she slept in her van outside the house, when working on it . She officially moved in on her birthday this year on April 29 even though she didnt have a toilet, electricity or running water.

It was the only thing I wanted  to be in my house. Im able to wash in the river which is two minutes from the house, or in a 40 litre bucket when its too late.

Virginie Laveau at her home.

To be honest, not having electricity has been the least of my worries  Ive a generator and I can charge an awful lot from my van. And I have my Insta famous 1960 gas cooker to cook dinner, she said.

Breaking her shoulder mid-way through, after missing a step on the stairs, was an unfortunate blip, but she always sees the positives.

Her builder ended up doing work she had originally planned on doing herself, which saved her a lot of time.

When I look back, it was a blessing. I would have probably fallen off the ladder insulating the high ceilings in the kitchen on my own, she said.

Virginie hasnt put any timeline on the project.

Im working as fast as I can, four days per week on the house, three days trading at markets, making jewellery late in the evenings, two days per months running our art collective with a few friends in Midleton - the Wildflower Collective. So it will be finished when it will be finished but its really taking shape right now.

I remember I bought The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle, and that book looked at me for years, I never opened it. But today Im living it. I have learnt to live in the present, it is magic!

At no point has she felt like giving up, thanks to that attitude, and the support of her wonderful friends and online community too. She credits a lot of her resourcefulness to her upbringing.

My parents had me young and separated when I was seven. Following a family tragedy that same year, I grew up quickly. I moved into my own flat when I was 16 until I came to Ireland when I was 19. You can sit and cry or get up and move on.

I moved to Ireland. I met my best friend Susan the first week I arrived in Ireland. Her family has become my family, her son Ryan is my godson.

Ireland has been so good to me on so many levels. Personally, professionally. Moving here was the best decision Ive ever made.

If you gave me a magic wand today to change anything, I wouldnt know what to do with it. Im grateful for all the experiences who made me who I am today.

She financed the house buy through a Credit Union loan and the project through savings and her work. She has so far invested around 100,000 into the build. Virginie also qualified for the county council derelict housing grant, and well grant, worth a combined 76,000. She has four months left out of the 13 months to complete the task and she feels on track with it.

To qualify, I must have certified electricity and also plumbing, tax clearance from my main builder, all my invoices, a flushing toilet, boiling kettle, a heating system and a bed in place by October, she said, unfazed.

Ive an awful lot of energy  Im not sure if its undiagnosed ADHD, but whatever it is, its a blessing! If there were 48 hours in the day, Id still ask for more.

My only worry right now is what Ill do when Im finished with this project

But Virginie is looking forward to having more creative time for her jewellery-making in her future studio in her forever home.

Cork is most definitely home now for this lady, and her precious rescue dog Manny: Its actually very similar to where I grew up in Limoges in south-west France, except for the sea.

The plan is to live off-grid, water- and energy-wise. And hopefully fully off-grid in terms of food maybe in the years to come. When people ask me if I feel proud of what Im doing, I dont, I feel grateful.

So grateful to be fulfilling my dream of bringing an old house back to life. Its not about the end destination but the journey.

"Im a firm believer that what you send out is what you get, and I feel so grateful that the universe decided to give me this chance.

Follow Virginie at @onthevergeonline on Instagram or Facebook
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

Picnic Pond in Brunswick, Maine was left covered in firefighting foam containing PFAS chemicals after a fire suppression system accidentally discharged at the former Brunswick Naval Air Base on Aug. 19, 2024. Steve Walker via Maine Public

More than 1,600 gallons of firefighting foam were discharged by a malfunctioning fire suppression system at the Brunswick Executive Airport, formerly the Brunswick Naval Air Station, in Maine on Monday.

According to WBUR, the foam was released in an airport hangar by a malfunctioning system early on Monday. After it discharged, the foam ran off into local sewer and storm water drains. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is now working to clean up the foam pollution.

There was a large black outlet pipe, just discharging, pumping, basically foam out in the downstream side of the pond, Steve Walker, director of the Brunswick-Topsham Landtrust that owns a nature preserve next to the airport, told Maine Public. So the entire stream bed was covered in this thick foam, getting up into the tree branches. It was so, so high. And then later this afternoon, as the wind started kicking in, the stuff went airborne.

The released foam, known as Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF), contains per-and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, or PFAS, for smothering flames, particularly in fuel fires. In 2021, Maine restricted the use of AFFF based on environmental and public health concerns over the PFAS in this type of foam.

The states government website includes a list of several potential health impacts of PFAS, including decreased fertility, increased blood pressure in pregnant people, reduced ability of the immune system to fight infections, low birth weight and increased risk of certain types of cancers.

Not only do PFAS bring up several concerns for human health and risks to the environment, but these compounds, also known as forever chemicals, are difficult to break down and can remain in the environment for long periods of time.

To me, the bigger concern is not the immediate cleanup, but the fact that this is going to add to the already not insignificant amount of PFAs and other dangerous chemicals that are in the soils and the waters, Matthew Klingle, environmental historian at Bowdoin College, told Maine Public.

As explained on the Maine Department of Environmental Protection website, common methods of removing PFAS from water include adsorption or reverse osmosis technologies.

We take this situation very seriously and are committed to addressing the cleanup with the utmost urgency and transparency, Kristine Logan, executive director of Maine Regional Redevelopment Authority, told The Associated Press.

Cleanup efforts are ongoing, and the cause of the malfunction that led to the discharged foam is under investigation.
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

Wind farm operators in Australia are being encouraged to use the simple method of curtailment  increasing the wind speed required for turbines to start rotating  which a new study has found can drastically lower how many bats are killed by the enormous blades.

The tactic is already being used in the United States, Canada and some European countries, but has not been widely embraced in Australia, reported The Guardian.

A wind farm north of Ames, Iowa on June 10, 2020. Simon Ringsmuth / Flickr

[T]he construction of wind turbine facilities may fragment and degrade habitats, making them unsuitable for breeding, foraging, commuting, and migration, the authors of the study wrote. Furthermore, large numbers of volant vertebrates, such as raptors and bats, are killed by wind turbines. With bats accounting for the majority of vertebrate fatalities at wind turbines, global wind energy production is the leading cause of multiple mortality events in bats.

The study, Toward solving the global greengreen dilemma between wind energy production and bat conservation, was published in the journal BioScience.

Most wind turbine blades begin rotating and generating power  cut in  when wind speeds reach approximately 6.71 miles per hour, with maximum output of energy at from 22.4 to 33.6 mph, The Guardian reported.

The research team discovered that an increase in the speed at which wind turbines begin to cut in to 10.1 mph reduced the average number of bat deaths by 40 percent, with even better results at higher speeds.

Ecologist Emma Bennett, who has taken bat and bird surveys at wind farms since 2005, estimated annual bat mortality in Victoria at 25,000 to 50,000.

Bennett said the sheer numbers of dead bats she had collected and identified had spurred her to find a solution.

A four-month trial led by Bennett at a wind farm in Victoria where the speed of cut in was raised to 10.1 mph resulted in 54 percent fewer bat deaths, with a power output reduction of just 0.16 percent and only 0.09 percent less revenue for the operator of the wind farm.

I am persevering. I feel like theres no other situation in Australia where we would be killing so many mammals accidentally, where we wouldnt change our behaviour, Bennett said, as reported by The Guardian.

A draft of new federal government onshore wind farms guidelines are set to be finalized soon that list curtailment as a potential mitigating step in reducing bat deaths. New South Wales draft guidelines have also included curtailment.

New research in Victoria with the purpose of reducing bat and bird collisions with turbines is set to be finished in October.

Co-author of the study professor Justin Welbergen, a Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment ecologist, said curtailment was effective because low wind speeds often coincide with periods of high activity for bats, though there were variations in the specifics depending on the species of bat and the location.

Welbergen explained that, though there had been extensive surveys, the issue was still not well understood in Australia because data had not been made accessible or centralized. This meant that testing and investigating solutions that applied to the Australian context was difficult.

[W]e all want more green energy that will benefit our climate and, by extension, biodiversity including our bats, Welbergen said.

The Australasian Bat Society said that, while it supports renewable energy, the number of bats being killed on wind farms was already unacceptably high and is expected to increase further as more wind farms are being developed.

Among 10 principles that the society outlined to support a viable wind industry that had no net loss to bat populations were not allowing wind turbines to spin when there was no energy being produced, reducing the risks of bat collisions through curtailment, avoiding wind energy development in inappropriate places and providing better data sharing and transparency.

Professor Brendan Wintle, an ecologist with University of Melbourne and the Biodiversity Council, said Australia could develop a renewable energy system that was cost-efficient and beneficial for nature, including bats.

Its just a matter of getting the planning right and getting the regulatory environment right to ensure that happens, Wintle said, as The Guardian reported.
The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) efforts to ban noncompete agreements has been blocked by a federal judge in Texas. According to The Washington Post, US District Judge Ada Brown has determined that the agency doesn't have the authority to enforce the rule, which was supposed to take effect on September 4. She reportedly wrote in her decision that the FTC only looked at "inconsistent and flawed empirical evidence" and didn't consider evidence in support of noncompetes. "The role of an administrative agency is to do as told by Congress, not to do what the agency thinks it should do," she added.

FTC Chair Lina M. Khan explained that "noncompete clauses keep wages low, suppress new ideas, and rob the American economy of dynamism" when the agency voted 3-2 in favor of the ban. Noncompete agreements are widely used in the tech industry, and preventing companies from adding them to contracts would mean that workers will be able to freely move to a new job or start a business in the same field. The two Republican commissioners in the FTC, Melissa Holyoak and Andrew Ferguson, voted against the ban and also said that the agency "overstepped the boundaries of its power."

In July, Brown temporarily blocked the rule's enforcement to assess the lawsuit filed by Dallas tax services firm Ryan LLC mere hours after the FTC announced the ban. The US Chamber of Commerce and other groups of American businesses eventually joined the tax firm in challenging the new rule on noncompete clauses.

"We are disappointed by Judge Brown's decision and will keep fighting to stop noncompetes that restrict the economic liberty of hardworking Americans, hamper economic growth, limit innovation, and depress wages," FTC spokesperson Victoria Graham told The Post. "We are seriously considering a potential appeal, and today's decision does not prevent the FTC from addressing noncompetes through case-by-case enforcement actions."

A federal judge in Florida also blocked the rule last week, though only for the lawsuit's plaintiffs. Meanwhile, another judge in Pennsylvania ruled last month that the agency has the authority to enforce the ban in a separate case filed by a tree-care company in the state. All three cases could still be appealed and could even make their way to the Supreme Court.
This year, Google decided not only to update the design of its Pixel phones but also put its AI features front and center. The Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL are the first Pixels that have swapped the Assistant for Gemini. With its latest flagships, Google continues to improve its cameras, by upgrading its primary sensor and expanding its suite of editing tools. And to power all those new AI tricks, the company has equipped the devices with its newest Tensor processor, designed to handle on-device Gemini tasks. For the first time, too, the Pro-branded Pixel is available in two sizes, with a smaller version joining the family. Better yet, if you go for the Pixel 9 Pro, youll be getting a largely identical phone to the pricier 6.8-inch Pixel 9 Pro XL. Please note: no camera compromise here, Apple.

But this isnt just another flagship Android: its a concerted effort to get you hooked on Googles AI-powered image editing, email assistance and more. The Pixel 9 Pro delivers on all these aspects, with varying degrees of success.

Google 94 100 A smaller pro-level Pixel phone Pixel 9 Pro With a refined design, much-improved telephoto camera and great battery-life, the Pixel 9 Pro cements its status as the smartphone with the best camera. Pros Great camera features and improved telephoto camera

A year of Gemini Advanced for free

Incredible battery life

A beautiful, bright screen thats easy to use outdoors

Tensor G4 runs cooler than its predecessor Cons Slower charging speeds than the XL

Not the best phone for gaming $999 at Google Explore More Buying Options $999 at Amazon$999 at Best Buy

Design and display

Photo by Mat Smith/Engadget

As I opened the box, I knew this was the most premium Pixel yet. The Pixel 9 Pro has softer curved corners than its predecessor, while the edges have been flattened. It also felt somehow familiar  like my iPhone. I had to double-check, and they weighed the same, down to the gram (all 221 of them). Thats not bad: the iPhone Pro is the de facto phone to beat. The Pixel 9 Pro has a similar matte satin finish.

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I don't know if the flattened sides make it easier to grip than the Pixel 8 Pro, but I found the substantial camera module did help with stability, occasionally resting on my finger or thumb during shots. The cyclops bar is gone, replaced with a more conventional  but just as substantial  camera array. The temperature sensor is, for some reason, still here, although a Thermometer app update coming this week will let it save the things youre most regularly measuring and even offer some AR guidance to ensure youre the right distance away from the object youre scanning.

Without the camera bar, which felt a bit much, the Pixel 9 Pro doesnt feel like Google trying to make an aggressive design statement. The camera module is huge, however.

Photo by Mat Smith/Engadget

Like last year, Google has kept the display almost entirely flat. The Pixel 9 Pro XLs 6.8-inch screen is 0.1 inches bigger than last years Pixel 8 Pro and brighter, too, peaking at 3,000 nits. It makes sense for Google to make its bigger pro Pixel even larger to match the XL in its name, but like the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the Pro XL is a little too big for me. My not-exactly-small hands struggled to reach the search bar or dropdown menus in the top corners. (Sidenote: I can move the Chrome address bar to the bottom of the screen on my iPhone, but not on Android? What gives?)

Meanwhile, the Pixel 9 Pro's 6.3-inch panel is roomy enough to see plenty of lines of text at once, without me having to almost sprain a finger to reach its edges. Both Pixel 9 Pros have Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on their displays as well as across the satin-finish backs, like last years flagship phone, meaning theyre about as durable as before.

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With the XL, youre consciously deciding you want a Big Phone  this is S24 Ultra territory. Fortunately, its another bright, vivid screen from Google, with variable refresh rates from 1-120Hz for smooth scrolling when needed.

The XL Pixel Pros resolution of 1,344 x 1,992 translates to a pixel density of 486 ppi, which is lower than the Pixel 9 Pro (495 ppi). But good luck discerning that in real life. Google continues to lean towards more understated color tones on its screens, compared to rival phones from Samsung and Apple. Still, I think it suits the shades of Androids Material Design palette, as well as this years hardware color options. Both Pixel 9 Pro sizes arrive in black, white, hazel and rose quartz. I was sent the hazel version, which is subtle to the point of looking almost gray. My colleague Cherlynn Low is infatuated with the rose quartz Pixel 9 Pro shes tested.

Cameras

Photo by Mat Smith/Engadget

The Pixel camera is still the best smartphone camera. Last year, we called Pixel 8 Pro the most powerful smartphone camera on the market, and Google has tried to hold on to that position. Hardware-wise, the sensors are the exact resolution as the Pixel 8 Pro, aside from the leap to a 42-megapixel front-facing camera, up from 10.5 megapixels last year. Google has also improved the autofocus, and it takes surprisingly decent crisp shots and video.

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But were all here to discuss the triple camera array on the back. Theres a new 50MP primary camera, a 48MP ultra-wide, and a 48MP telephoto camera with a 5x optical zoom. The upgraded hardware doesnt result in noticeable improvements over the Pixel 8 Pro in most of the photos I compared until I started using the telephoto sensor. There, I saw huge improvements to detail and color. Google has addressed some of the Pixel 9 Pros video-recording weaknesses too  I didnt notice any overheating issues with the new Tensor chip, even when recording multiple video clips at maximum resolution.

New camera software features

Google has once again augmented its cameras with software features that walk the line between gimmick and game-changer.

Add Me could be the latter for me. As the guy with the newest smartphone in my friendship group and family, Im usually the one taking candid and group shots for everyone. But that means there often arent many photos of me. Add Me is a new camera mode which combines Googles computational photography expertise with augmented reality to scan and frame an area and group of people. Once youve taken the first photo, you trade places with someone else, the Pixel 9 Pro will ask that person to align the frame, and take a second shot.

Its a little like the Best Take feature from last year, which could swap out faces to ensure everyones giving their best smile, the Pixel then processes and combines those two images together. Its a simplified Photoshop clone tool, sure, but it looks good. I will be using this at the next birthday/wedding/christening/future 40th birthday party. (Ed. note: We get it, Mat, youre popular.)

Ugh, not two of me. (Photo by Mat Smith/Engadget)

The Pixel 9 Pro arrives with several features initially teased a year ago, including Zoom Enhance and Video Boost. Zoom Enhance is pretty self-explanatory, using AI to increase both detail and sharpness on your most aggressively zoomed photos. The results can be mixed. Its not as egregious as Samsungs super-imposed moon photography, but Zoom Enhance does its best work on shapes, structures and patterns, sharpening up brickwork, foliage and more. It still usually makes a mess with humans.

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There are use cases for Zoom Enhance (it does a great job sharpening up Londons Tower Bridge) but Im not sure itll rescue your concert pics from the back of the venue. Not unless you want a nightmarish vision of Taylor Swifts face massaged by AI. Notably, Zoom Enhance is one of the camera AI features thats processed on-device.

Photo by Mat Smith/Engadget

With Video Boost, the Pixel 9 Pro records video in a special mode (that you will have to toggle in settings before recording) and those clips are automatically uploaded to the cloud for server-side processing. Whats new for the Pixel 9 Pro is that you can shoot videos with up to 20x zoom or create boosted videos with 8K resolution. Youll need to record at 1080p to create 4K videos, and capture in 4K to make 8K clips. This is upscaled 8K, so while clips seem crisper in places, dont expect 8K footage thats comparable to what youll get with dedicated cameras. Video Boosted 8K seems more like a spec boast for Google rather than a feature youll use with any regularity.

Having said that, Google has improved Video Boost substantially since it first launched, adding smoother transitions between focal lengths and different camera sensors. With Video Boost, leaping from a standard wide view to 5x zoom is far less jarring, and Google has fixed the color imbalances between its trio of sensors  it looks much like it was filmed on a single-lens camera. It also offers a boost to any video captured in low light. It wont make pitch-black footage visible  I did try  but does improve the color and detail of dim video clips. You can also punch in to 20x digital zoom if youre using Video Boost for surprisingly functional footage.

Photo by Mat Smith/Engadget

Once youve taken your photos, an upgraded Magic Editor brings the same content-aware fill features as last year, capable of deleting unwanted objects and people from your photos. This year, Google adds more generative AI power. First up, Autoframe will let the Pixel try its hand at improving your photos composition, cropping and even extending your photos, generating backgrounds and adding elements, sometimes successfully.

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Reimagine puts Googles generative AI skills to use with more creative tasks, allowing you to select backgrounds, items or other areas of your photo, and create dreamy composite images. I was able to swap out my living room for a Hawaiian sunset, make the floor lava in a nearby park and more. Get too specific with your wording, though, and the results arent quite as impressive. But thats the state of smartphone generative AI, for now.

The pro camera controls, introduced with the Pixel 8 Pro, are still here. They let you manually tweak exposure, shutter speed, and ISO, and are still super useful for those who know what theyre doing.

Software

On the Pixel 9, you may notice a few surprise apps that you never installed. But this isnt quite bloatware: theyre Googles new Pixel Screenshots and Pixel Studio. Instead of adding more complication to the Photos app, these have been made into standalone apps, which Im very glad to see.

For now, youre unable to edit photos with people in Pixel Studio, which dampens a lot of the fun. If you want standard generative-AI cartoon images and renders, Pixel Studio can oblige, although my creations arent quite as cohesive as the examples shown. While Pixel Studio offers the ability to title your designs, most times that text will get turned into the usual AI-generated squiggles, defeating the purpose of making most things with this app.

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Its a little too early to draw conclusions on Pixel Screenshots, too. It uses AI to parse through all your screenshots, making information like prices, reservations and dates searchable. However, the Pixel 9 doesnt populate your screenshots automatically, nor could I find a way to pull my existing screenshots (years of them!) from my Google Photos backup, which seems like a miss. The Photos app already silos them as screenshots, so there must be a way to transfer them across. Is this a privacy issue? Weve asked Google.

This means the tool offered limited utility during my first week of testing. What could be incredibly useful is how Gemini AI can gradually learn to identify whats captured in the screenshots beyond simply reading the text. Screenshots in general are just smarter on the Pixel 9 Pro. I captured some travel itinerary emails, and before I even had to open an app, the Pixel suggested adding my hotel stay to Google calendar. These are the touches I love. (Of course, I could hold the power button to summon Gemini and ask it to do so similarly.)

Both Pixel 9 Pros get a years subscription to Google One AI Premium, a bundle of 2TB storage as well as the use of Gemini Advanced. The latter lets the AI directly dabble in apps like Gmail and Google Docs, to summarize text, PDFs and email conversations, although I didnt spot it in my own Gmail app. I was still able to test this in a Chrome tab elsewhere, as the subscription extends to every device you use with Google products. Theres also access to Gemini Live, a conversational mode thats almost entirely voice-based. Im not sure how much Id use this mode, however. I prefer to type my specific requests.

Gemini Live will tick along in the background as you use other apps, which adds to the utility, and stores all your requests and results on the main Gemini screen. I was able to barrel through about 15 different voice requests for shows I wanted to see at this years Edinburgh Fringe, and it could already parse showtimes and venues, faster than I could manually find them. It struggled with some names and couldnt identify some notable comedians at all. Google has made AI-assisted search a functional part of how I use my phone.

Its been fun seeing what Gemini Advanced is capable of. After taking an obtuse photo of several skyscraper buildings in central London, I asked Gemini Advanced to identify where the photo was taken. The AI initially said it could be New York, suggesting one of the buildings was One Vanderbilt.

Photo by Mat Smith/Engadget

Then I said that was incorrect and that it was taken in London. Gemini Advanced circled back, identifying not only one of the buildings but also the address, which was roughly 100 feet away from where I took the photo. The sheer seamlessness of the experience on Android was what impressed me most, but this is part of Gemini Advanced and after the one-year trial ends, Google expects you to pay $20 a month to keep your access. At a time when all my payments for Netflix, Spotify and more are climbing, Google isnt offering enough to make me add another subscription to the pile.

Performance and battery life

Along with 16GB of RAM, the Pixel 9 series features the Tensor G4, Googles latest slice of silicon, designed to breeze through AI tasks and generative AI requests. But If youre a mobile gamer this isnt going to blow you away. The G4 is more powerful than the Tensor G3, sure, but it doesnt quite match the smoothness of the latest Snapdragon chips from Qualcomm. Tensor G4s improved abilities are put to use most with new AI tasks: for example, Google says its Add Me feature taps into augmented reality software along with 15 different on-device AI models.

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We havent quite got to the point where we can compare the speeds and efficiencies of generative AI tasks. For the most part, the Pixel 9 Pro behaves like a typical flagship phone. Chrome is unlikely to stutter, and the Pixel 9 Pro seems capable of handling heavy video editing and processing with ease, as well as new Magic Editor features for your photos. These features still take a moment, but the fact that so many AI tools work on-device, with no connection needed, impresses me.

The Pixel 9 Pro XLs 5,060mAh battery is almost identical to the Pixel 8 Pro (5,050mAh), and it delivered over 22 hours in our looped video rundown test. The Pixel 9 Pro, meanwhile, managed to run for almost 25 hours. However, maximum charge wattage differs between the two Pros too. The Pixel 9 Pro charges at 27W, less than the Pixel 8 Pro's 30W, while the new Pixel 9 Pro XL charges at 37W. This means the XL should charge faster than the base Pro. Google says the Pixel 9 Pro can get up to 55 percent in 30 minutes, while the XL will reach a heady 77 percent in the same time, using the companys own 45W charger. My Pixel 9 Pro showed similar figures, speedily recharging to over 50 percent in under 25 minutes.

Wrap up

Photo by Mat Smith/Engadget

The Pixel Pro has never looked better and feels like the premium devices Googles always wanted to make. Naturally, theres a premium cost associated. Given that last years 6.7-inch Pixel 8 Pro was $999, the $1,099 Pixel 9 Pro XL is $100 more expensive, while the Pixel 9 Pro, with the same cameras, storage, processor and AI hooks, but a smaller screen, costs the same $999. However, compared to rivals like Samsungs Galaxy S24 Ultra ($1,300), the Pixel 9 Pro devices remain competitively priced.

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The Pixel 9 Pro is a showcase for Gemini, Googles AI assistant, and its been given a huge opportunity to shine as Pixel 9 Pro owners enjoy a year of free access to the more advanced model. Its early days for some of the new software features, like Pixel Studio and Screenshots, however.

Competition from Apple and Samsung over the last few years may have chipped away at the competitiveness of Pixel features like Night Sight, but Google continues to improve the Pixels imaging prowess further. The Pixel 9 Pro cements the Pixel series status as the best smartphone camera. Its so good that I dont mind that chonky camera cutout  it changed my mind.

Some of these new features are crucially ones I will regularly use, like Add Me. Elsewhere, Google taps into cloud processing to beef up your video with the might of its server network. At the same time, the Pixel keeps many of its computational photography tricks on-device, with the temperamental Zoom Enhance available without the need for an internet connection.

It all culminates in a phone with unique tricks and incredible battery life, regardless of which size you go for. It's so good that my iPhone will have to go without its SIM for a little longer: the Pixel 9 Pro will be my main phone for just a bit more.
Ben Affleck was all smiles with his first wife Jennifer Garner just hours before his now-estranged wife Jennifer Lopez officially filed for divorce from him Tuesday.

Affleck was photographed stepping off a private jet with Garner and their second child, Fin.

Photos obtained by the Daily Mail showed the Oscar winner in good spirits and grinning as they arrived back in Los Angeles.

Ben Affleck glows next to ex Jennifer Garner on his 2 year wedding anniversary to Jennifer Lopez - after dropping Violet at college https://t.co/wC9PYMdFWu pic.twitter.com/3qxIEklGw6  Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) August 20, 2024

Affleck sported a white button-down shirt, dark blue slacks, Nike sneakers, and aviator sunglasses.

Garner, for her part, rocked a casual outfit consisting of a tight black shirt, army green pants, and white sneakers.

The exes had traveled to New Haven, Connecticut, over the weekend to help their eldest child, Violet, prepare for her freshman year in college.

Fin appeared to hint at Violet's school with the Yale sweatshirt they were seen wearing at the airport.

Affleck and Garner were spotted getting into a black BMW, with the actor driving his ex-wife and child away from the airport and to their home.

The exes -- who were married from 2005 to 2018 -- also share a son named Samuel.

The sighting came just hours before news broke that Lopez filed divorce papers at the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

The "Ain't Your Mama" hitmaker notably initiated the divorce proceedings on the same day as the second anniversary of her and Affleck's lavish Georgia wedding, which was held on Aug. 20, 2023.

They first tied the knot in a private ceremony in Las Vegas on July 16 of that year -- just a little over a year after rekindling their romance.

According to the documents cited by TMZ, Affleck and Lopez have been separated since April 26.

Around that time, rumors began to surface that the two stars' marriage was on the rocks since they hadn't been seen in public in over a month.

The "Justice League" star further fueled this speculation when he moved out of their marital home in Beverly Hills, ditched his wedding ring, and skipped the premiere of Lopez's movie "Atlas."

Affleck and Lopez putting up their shared home for sale and the actor buying a new house in LA appeared to further confirm that they were over.

While it's been nearly four months since they broke up, TMZ suggested that Affleck and Lopez's divorce may not be finalized anytime soon.

According to the outlet, they did not sign a prenuptial agreement before tying the knot in 2022, which means their earnings over the past two years will be considered community property.

Lopez does not want spousal support for both her and Affleck, according to her filing, but they have yet to agree on the settlement they will each receive in the split.
The Segunda Marquetalia group could deal the final blow to Columbian President Gustavo Petro's new peace plan. Heres what you need to know.
Experts are urging farmers to report and investigate all abortions and stillbirths to understand disease status and identify how to protect their herds in future.

To help build reporting all abortions into farmers calving routine, the Ruminant Health & Welfare (RH&W) group has launched new resources.

These include a flyer and online hub with FAQs, all with an aim to help reduce the barriers of reporting abortions and submitting samples for investigation.

They have been created in consultation with experts from Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) and Animal Health NI.

The intent for the flyer is that it should be printed off for farm notice boards as well as saved to the phones of all members of the farm team to help increase the rate of abortions reported.

Colin Mason, a veterinary investigation officer based at SRUC's disease surveillance centre in Dumfries, said investigating causes of abortion could help improve herd efficiencies and protect staff as well as contribute to better industry insights.

By asking farmers to investigate all abortions and stillbirths by sending abortion tissues and blood samples to be tested, farmers and vets alike will achieve better herd health planning outcomes by gaining insights into what is causing abortions, he said.

Once a pregnancy is established and particularly in the latter stages, the expectation is that a viable calf will be born at term.

"When this does not happen this is an unforeseen event which should be investigated as part of the health planning process with your vet.

This includes finding out the status of infectious diseases and identify the risk levels of zoonotic disease for your farm.

Understanding disease risk is mportant for the wider industry too, with the current strain of bluetongue, BTV-3, as well as Schmallenberg, both pertinent at the moment.

Both diseases can cause late term abortion, stillbirth or deformities in calves, so there's a genuine notifiable disease reason why all abortions need to be investigated.

Collective data showing what is causing abortion and stillbirth on-farms also helps inform the national disease status, plus identify any virus changes or emerging threats.

Mr Mason explained why understanding prevalence of zoonotic disease was also a vital reason to submit abortion samples and protect farm staff.

Increasingly coming to the fore, are the disease risks of Q fever and Salmonella Dublin. Testing for them will help understand whether some of these diseases are active on-farm or passive on-farm, he said.

From a worker, farmer or vet point of view, knowing a little bit more about the risks on-farm, and being able to manage that risk for anyone coming into contact with the herd is a positive action farmers can do.

Submitting all abortion cases to be investigated is also going to find out the prevalence of brucellosis and improve brucella surveillance. This will increase the confidence in which we can say in the UK that we are free of brucella.

Ultimately, the more you can find out about your animals by investigating these unexplained abortion losses, the better for your farm, your animals and the industry.
The Environment Agency has warned farmers and landowners to be vigilant for criminals who target their land and buildings to dump illegally collected waste.

The agency has warned that networks of organised criminal gangs operating across the country are targeting privately owned property and land, particularly in rural locations, to dump rubbish collected through illegal means.

In 2023, its survey found 85% of the landowners and farmers who took part reported being affected by small-scale fly-tipping and 20% by large-scale fly tipping.

This June, research conducted by the NFU also revealed 85% of respondents felt the problem of fly-tipping in their area had either not changed or become worse in the last five years.

If waste is dumped on privately owned land, it is the responsibility of the property or landowner to clean it up at their own expense.

Those affected can face costs of more than 200,000 to clear illegally dumped waste from their premises, according to the Environment Agency.

Waste crime costs the economy in England an estimated 1 billion a year through evaded tax, environmental and social harm, and lost legitimate business.

The Environment Agency said it is taking action against these criminals, conducting site inspections and prosecuting guilty parties to the full extent of the law.

The agency's deputy director of waste regulation, Steve Molyneux, warned that there are networks of criminal gangs operating across the country "just waiting to spoil it for everyone".

He said: They may offer owners cash to store waste at their property or on their land, promising to remove it later. They wont. Some dont ask. They break in, dump waste theyve illegally collected and disappear.

Waste criminals need access to places to dump the rubbish they illegally collect  but your vigilance can stop them. Shutting them out of property and land is just one tactic to scupper these rogues.

Country Land and Business Association (CLA) president, Victoria Vyvyan warned that fly-tipping "is a crime that is blighting rural communities".

Farmers and landowners bear the cost of removing rubbish and they pay on average 1,000 to remove waste, she said.

"This is not a victimless crime  in some cases they have paid up to 100,000 to clear up other peoples mess or risk facing prosecution themselves.

Its not just litter blotting the landscape, but tonnes of household and commercial waste which can often be hazardous  even including asbestos and chemicals  endangering farmers, wildlife, livestock, crops and the environment."

Steps to take

The Environment Agency has compiled steps for farmers and landowners to follow to protect themselves against waste criminals:

 Check any empty land and property regularly and make sure it is secure;

 Carry out rigorous checks on prospective and new tenants;

 Be vigilant and report any suspected illegal waste activity to the Environment Agencys 24-hour incident hotline: 0800 80 70 60.?
Eating red meat raises the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Eating ham sandwiches can cause type 2 diabetes

Research involving two million people around the globe provides compelling evidence of a link between meat consumption and the health condition as it was found that eating just two slices of ham per day increases the danger of the disease by 15 per cent.

The experts conducted analysis on people from 20 countries across the world and say that their findings support recommendations to limit the amount of red meat that humans eat in order to cut the huge amount (totalling over 400 million) of people being diagnosed with the condition.

Professor Nita Forouhi, a senior author of the study at the University of Cambridge, said: "Our research provides the most comprehensive evidence to date of an association between eating processed meat and unprocessed red meat and a higher future risk of type 2 diabetes.

"It supports recommendations to limit the consumption of processed meat and unprocessed red meat to reduce type 2 diabetes cases in the population."
Germany's foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 138.8 billion (approximately $154.29 billion) in the first half (H1) of 2024, despite a decrease in both exports and imports, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). This surplus represents a 28.7 per cent increase compared to the first half of 2023, when the trade surplus stood at 107.9 billion.

Germany's foreign trade surplus reached 138.8 billion (approximately $154.29 billion) in H1 2024, a 28.7 per cent increase from the previous year. Exports fell by 1.6 per cent to 801.7 billion, while imports dropped by 6.2 per cent to 662.8 billion. In June 2024, exports decreased by 4.4 per cent, and imports by 6.4 per cent year-on-year.

German exports decreased by 1.6 per cent to 801.7 billion year-on-year in the first half of 2024. In contrast, imports into Germany saw a more significant drop, decreasing by 6.2 per cent compared with the first half of 2023, with goods worth a total of 662.8 billion imported in the first six months of 2024, as per Destatis.

In June 2024, German exports were down 3.4 per cent on a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis compared with May 2024. Imports, however, saw a slight increase of 0.3 per cent over the same period. When comparing June 2024 to June 2023, exports fell by 4.4 per cent, while imports dropped by 6.4 per cent.

Provisional data showed that after calendar and seasonal adjustment, Germany exported goods worth 127.7 billion and imported goods valued at 107.3 billion in June 2024. The foreign trade balance for the month showed a surplus of 20.4 billion. This is a slight decrease from the calendar and seasonally adjusted surplus of 25.3 billion recorded in May 2024, but higher than the 19 billion surplus registered in June 2023.

Trade with the European Union (EU) remains a significant portion of Germanys foreign trade. On a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis, Germany exported goods worth 69.7 billion to EU Member States in June 2024, while imports from these countries totalled 56.3 billion.

Exports to countries outside the EU (third countries) amounted to 57.9 billion in June 2024, with imports from these countries reaching 51 billion, based on calendar and seasonally adjusted figures.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DP)
Uzbekistan recently discussed with Poland ways to raise export of textile products to the latter and adapt modern Polish technologies.

An Uzbek delegation, including representatives from the ministry of investments, industry and trade and textile companies, was on a visit to Poland to strengthen economic relations.

Uzbekistan recently discussed with Poland ways to raise export of textile products to the latter and adapt modern Polish technologies. Both sides will open a store for Uzbek textiles and footwear in a wholesale trade complex near Warsaw. Uzbek enterprises will supply yarn, gauze, knitwear, underwear and home textiles to Poland-based firms.

The delegation visited wholesale trade complex GD Poland International near Warsaw and held discussions with its president Felix Wang as well as Janusz Piechocinski, president of the Poland-Asia Chamber of Commerce.

Both sides agreed to open a store for Uzbek textiles and footwear in this wholesale trade complex, where special discounts and rental benefits would be offered to the Uzbek side.

The delegation also visited the Union of Polish Weavers and major companies like yarn manufacturer Legs, Przedsiebiorstwa Produkcyjno Handlowo Uslugowego (PPHU) and Jola Styl, according to Uzbek media reports.

A joint business discussed the potential relocation of Bangladesh company Rusinagency and Ukraines Arlen Textile Group to Uzbekistan, as well as the implementation of new technologies and innovations to modernise Uzbekistans light industry.

Uzbek enterprises Uztex Group, Aisha Home Textile, Korajon Textile and Parvoz Humo Ravnaq Trans signed agreements with Poland-based Rusinagency, Arlen Textile Group, Legs, PPHU, Jola Styl, SWP, Ptak and Colorinvest for the supply of yarn, gauze, knitwear, underwear and home textiles to Poland.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Madhur Bhandarkar recently revealed that Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Kareena Kapoor Khan reduced their market prices to work with him in Fashion and Heroine respectively. The filmmaker mentioned their names whilst discussing high entourage costs.

Madhur said, Every female actor slashed her price when they were working with me. Since, I only had a budget of a1.5 crore for Chandni Bar, Tabu didn't not charge any fee for the film. She took money against Bombay or Delhi territory, and nothing else apart from that. She worked with such conviction. Raveena Tandon (Satta) and Bipasha Basu (Corporate) reduced their prices.

Speaking about Priyanka and Kareena he said, Even Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor slashed their fees. They didnt charge the market price from me because they were keen on making these movies. The entire film was resting on their shoulders so everybody slashed their prices.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. ANY FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS RESTRICTION MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF U.S. SECURITIES LAW

CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 14, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- High Arctic Overseas Holdings Corp. (TSXV: HOH) ("High Arctic Overseas" or the "Corporation") is pleased to announce that it has received final approval to list the common shares of the Corporation ("Common Shares") on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"). The Common Shares are expected to commence trading on the TSXV at the market opening on August 16, 2024, and the CUSIP number for the Common Shares will be "42964K101".

On August 12, 2024, High Arctic Energy Services Inc. ("High Arctic") and the Corporation completed the previously-announced reorganization of High Arctic to separate High Arctic's North American and Papua New Guinea businesses, by way of a court-approved plan of arrangement (the "Arrangement") between the Corporation and High Arctic.

Pursuant to the Arrangement, among other things:

High Arctic transferred all of the outstanding ordinary shares of High Arctic Energy Services Cyprus Limited, the subsidiary that owns and operates High Arctic's Papua New Guinea focused energy services business, to the Corporation;

each shareholder of High Arctic received as consideration, one-quarter of one (1/4) Common Share and one-quarter of one (1/4) common share of post-Arrangement High Arctic for each common share of High Arctic held;

the Corporation became a reporting issuer in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan; and

High Arctic retained its interests in its existing North American energy services business and remained listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and continues to trade under the trading symbol "HWO".

Following the completion of the Arrangement, the Corporation has 12,448,166 Common Shares outstanding, and positive working capital of approximately US$19 million inclusive of US$13 million cash on hand. Further details regarding the Corporation and the Arrangement are contained in the Corporation's TSXV Form 2B Listing Application, which is available under the Corporation's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

The Arrangement was approved by shareholders of High Arctic, along with a distribution of $0.76 per share to its Shareholders by way of return of capital (the "Return of Capital") and other matters, at the annual general and special meeting held on June 17, 2024.

For more information on the Arrangement and the Return of Capital, please also see the management information circular of High Arctic dated May 9, 2024, and news releases of High Arctic dated May 11, 2024, May 21, 2024, May 29, 2024, June 12, 2024, June 18, 2024, June 27, 2024, June 28, 2024, July 31, 2024, August 2, 2024 and August 12, 2024 available on High Arctic's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

About High Arctic Overseas Holdings Corp.

High Arctic Overseas is a market leader in Papua New Guinea providing drilling and specialized well completion services, manpower solutions and supplies rental equipment including rig matting, camps, material handling and drilling support equipment.

For further information, please contact:

Mike Maguire

Chief Executive Officer

1.587.318.3826



High Arctic Overseas Holdings Corp.

Suite 2350, 330-5th Avenue SW

Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 0L4

www.haes.ca

Email: info@higharctic.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. When used in this document, the words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "seek", "propose", "estimate", "expect", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the Corporation's current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the Corporation's actual results, performance or achievements to vary from those described in this press release. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this press release as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Specific forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, the commencement of trading of the Common Shares on the TSXV. The Corporation's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of the risk factors set forth above and elsewhere in this press release. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. These statements are given only as of the date of this press release. The Corporation does not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Val-d'Or, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - August 20, 2024) - International Prospect Ventures Ltd. (TSXV: IZZ) (the "Company" or "IZZ"), is pleased to provide an update on its gold prospects in the Eastern Pilbara of Western Australia. The Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary Valroc Ventures Pty Ltd. ("Valroc"), currently holds 14 tenements (8 Exploration and 6 Prospecting licences) totalling approximately 11,790 hectares in the Eastern Pilbara (the "Properties"); all 14 tenements, referred to as the Mosquito Creek Properties ("MCP"), overlie prospective areas of the Mosquito Creek Basin (aka Mosquito Creek Formation).

The MCP are located between approximately 22 km and 55 km northeast of Calidus Resources Limited's ("Calidus") Nullagine Gold Project (acquired in December 2023 from Novo Resources) and cover regional gold-bearing structural trends (e.g., the Middle Creek Fault, Blue Spec Fault, and the Eastern Creek and Woods Creek areas) with historically reported gold-bearing quartz veins (leaders) and multiple shear/structural zones (DMIRS, WA, 2024).

The MCP are proximal to several of Calidus' exploration projects, including the Blue Spec (190 koz at 24.3 g/t Au) and the Parnell-Vulture Trend (near Valroc tenements P46/2101 and E46/1390), both located along the Blue Spec Fault. Additional Valroc tenements are located close to the Middle Creek Fault which is host to multiple historical gold occurrences and historical small-scale mines.

On 21 January 2022, Novo Resources reported Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling results from the Parnell-Vulture property of 7.0 m at 7.75 g/t Au from 31.0 m, 4.0 m at 10.19 g/t Au from 31.0 m, 13.0 m at 2.51 g/t Au from 21.0 m, and 8.0 m at 10.02 g/t Au from 4.0 metres.

The Parnell-Vulture Trend is just one of a number of structural trends that are part of Calidus' Nullagine Gold Project which is targeting more than 24 greenfield and brownfield exploration opportunities northeast of its 1.8 Mt per year Golden Eagle oxide gold ore processing pant which was put on care and maintenance in August 2022.

Calidus acquired the Nullagine Gold Project from Novo Resources to provide an immediate option to restart production at Golden Eagle on a campaign basis to process free-milling ore sources, and also a longer-term option of a centring a new future production hub at Nullagine to treat sulphide ores. Having a gold processing plant in the immediate area of the MCB could be beneficial to future production opportunities for Valroc and IZZ.

As of June 2024, Calidus reported current free-milling mineral resources (oxide, mixed and sulphide) from the Nullagine Gold Project of 260 kt at 4.02 g/t Au Measured (34 koz Au), 3.84 Mt at 2.21 g/t Au Indicated (273 koz Au), and 2.77 Mt at 1.89 g/t Au Inferred (168 koz Au) from six deposits including Beatons Creek. There are 16 additional historical resources, outside of the current resources reported by Calidus, that are yet to be updated and reported (Calidus news release dated 14 June 2024).

Tenement Exploration (June 2023-August 2024)

Since the last update of June 2023 (IZZ news release dated 19 June 2023), the Company has continued to use its symbiotic relationships with its WA-based network of independent local prospectors ("Fossickers") to complete prospecting and metal-detecting on its tenements. Since June 2023, Valroc has received more than 38 direct prospecting requests and Section 40E Permits from Fossickers. The Fossickers have been identifying prospective areas on Valroc's tenements, such as gold-bearing and potentially gold-bearing structures, and areas with high density of gold nuggets. This is a low-cost and effective way to develop target areas for follow-up.

The Company is also working closely with a WA prospector who holds an approved Programme of Work (POW) on Valroc's tenement E46/1197. The POW is being worked through mechanical methods (ground disturbance) including "dry-blowing" - in the absence of water, this technique takes advantage of gold's high density, using air to separate the gold nuggets from their host gravels and sands- and has discovered numerous nuggets, some several ounces in weight (Figure 1).

The Company is planning more conventional exploration programs to be deployed over the target areas as circumstances and financings permit.

Gold Nuggets and Visible Gold in Quartz Veins

Since 2019, Valroc has engaged third-party prospectors to explore and report on results found on tenements within the Mosquito Creek Formation. To date, third party prospecting has reported more than 2,059 gold nuggets ranging from 0.1 g to more than 250 g, the two largest nuggets being about 250 g and 119 g and totalling approximately 2,367 g of gold (approx. 2.4 kg or 76 oz Au).

In addition to gold nuggets, prospectors have continued to locate quartz veins or leaders (IZZ news release dated 19 June 2023) containing visible gold; further prospecting work is being planned for these areas. A selection of photos provided by the third-party prospecting parties are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Selection of photos from third party prospectors (Fossickers) working Valroc's 14 Mosquito Creek Gold Properties. (A) Largest nugget reported to date at more than 250 grams gold. (B) Multiple gold nuggets ranging for 0.05 to several grams, typical of nugget discoveries on the tenements. (C) Latest large nugget and second largest to date at nearly 119 grams gold. (D) Multiple gold nuggets - note the irregular, angular shapes suggesting they are derived from a local source. (E) Prospectors (Fossickers) ready for the challenging field conditions in the Eastern Pilbara. (F) Visible gold (yellow circles) in quartz vein/leader.



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7051/220520_88adf601d4388bd5_002full.jpg

Mosquito Creek Formation

The Mosquito Creek Formation ("MCF") is a succession of Archaean siliciclastic rocks (sedimentary sequences) that occupies much of the central part of the Mosquito Creek Basin ("MCB") in the northern part of the eastern Archaean Pilbara Craton of Western Australia. The exposed part of the MCF is at least 60 km long and 30 km wide, multiply deformed, and has been metamorphosed under low-grade conditions (Bagas et al., 2004).

The MCF correlates with the sedimentary De Grey Supergroup and is interpreted to extend at least 20 km eastward and 100s of km westward beneath cover rocks of the Hamersley Basin, and Eriksson et al. (1994) interpreted the MCB as a forearc basin and accretionary complex situated to the north of a subduction complex. The MCF is host to numerous small-to moderate-sized disseminated, vein- and shear-hosted mesothermal gold deposits, interpreted to have formed at ca. 2.90 Ga.

The majority of deposits within the MCF are situated proximal to two major east-northeast trending thrust fault / shear zones; the Middle Creek Fault (Shear) and the Blue Spec Fault (Shear). The Middle Creek Fault is host to all of the current mineral resources reported by Calidus, excluding Beaton's Creek. Mineralisation in general is characterized by sulphidic auriferous quartz veins contained within altered sericitic and chloritized sandstone, pelite, siltstone and shale from the turbiditic sequences of the MCF. Gold is variably associated with pyrite  arsenopyrite and minor chalcopyrite, in veins that form en echelon and ladder structures within shear and fault strike corridors, defining lodes of mineralisation. Mineralisation is considered syn-deformational to the main structural features of the MCF (Calidus news release dated 14 June 2024).

The Beatons Creek deposit is outside of the MCB, hosted within the Hardey Formation of the Hamersley Basin, which unconformably overlies the MCB. The Hardey formation comprises a sequence of sandstones and conglomerates, with lesser interbedded siltstones and shales (Calidus news release dated 14 June 2024).

Future Exploration Plans

The Company plans to continue to acquire additional tenements to add to its already 14 tenements and aims to add value to its Western Australia Eastern Pilbara tenements with the completion of early-stage exploration programs. Valroc will also continue work in cooperation with local third-party local prospectors and fossickers, which to date has proven to be a very effective exploration "tool". In addition, the Company is actively seeking industry partners to further advance its current properties, while retaining Net Smelter Return royalties, and is constantly reviewing new opportunities in Western Australia within and outside of the Pilbara.

Qualified Person

Dr. Scott Jobin-Bevans, (P.Geo., PhD, PMP), a Director and Vice-President Exploration for the Company, is a Qualified Person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release as it relates to the Properties. Results reported herein are from third-party prospectors and have not been independently verified by the QP.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or realities may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

Neither 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 news release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/220520

SOURCE: International Prospect Ventures Ltd.
Fort Worth, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - August 20, 2024) - Boomer Benefits, an award-winning Medicare insurance agency founded in 2005 in Fort Worth, TX, is proud to announce a new set of extensive Medicare information available on its website. The Boomer Benefits Medicare Content Center is dedicated to educating individuals on a wide range of Medicare topics, providing valuable insights and up-to-date information to help readers make informed decisions about their healthcare and retirement planning.





Boomer Benefits- Medicare Agency

The Boomer Benefits Medicare Content blog covers a variety of subjects related to Medicare, including the latest updates on Medicare policies, detailed explanations of different Medicare plans, and practical advice on navigating the complexities of Medicare enrollment. The hub also addresses important retirement topics, offering guidance on how to maximize benefits and plan for a secure future.

The Boomer Benefits Medicare Content Center, regularly updated with new content, is a reliable resource for anyone seeking to understand Medicare's intricacies. The team at Boomer Benefits is committed to publishing high-quality, informative articles that cater to the needs of their audience, ensuring that readers have access to the most current and relevant information available.

"Our goal at Boomer Benefits is to empower individuals with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their healthcare and retirement. The Boomer Benefits Medicare Content Center is an essential part of this mission, providing a wealth of information on Medicare and retirement topics that are crucial for our readers," said Kelsey Mundfrom, CEO of Boomer Benefits.

By offering a comprehensive and accessible platform for Medicare education, Boomer Benefits continues to demonstrate its dedication to serving the needs of its clients and the broader community. The Medicare Content Center is an invaluable tool for anyone looking to stay informed about Medicare and retirement planning, ensuring that they have the resources they need to navigate these important aspects of their lives.

For more information on the Boomer Benefits blog and to explore the latest articles, visit the Boomer Benefits website.

About Boomer Benefits

Founded in 2005 in Fort Worth, TX, Boomer Benefits is an award-winning Medicare insurance agency for national insurance carriers such as Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, Mutual of Omaha and many other A-rated carriers.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/220611

SOURCE: Boomer Benefits
78% of Flooded Properties From Hurricane Debby Were Outside High-Risk Flood Zones

DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / August 20, 2024 / FloodSimple, a leading flood insurance agency, is urging homeowners and renters to reassess their flood insurance coverage in light of a recent report from First Street.org. The report reveals that 78% of properties flooded by Hurricane Debby were located outside of FEMA's designated Flood Zones, resulting in $12.3 billion in damages. Of these losses, $9.7 billion occurred in areas previously considered low-risk.





"This report serves as a stark reminder that flood risks extend beyond FEMA's high-risk flood zones," said Stephen Schramke, CEO of FloodSimple. "With the majority of damages occurring outside high-risk flood zones, it's clear that many homeowners are underestimating their risk. We want to ensure that everyone, regardless of where they live, understands the importance of having flood insurance."

Flood insurance should be a key component of every homeowner's protection plan. "Flood insurance can be more affordable than many people realize," added Schramke. "If your neighbor's home floods, yours could be at risk too." Even in areas not classified as high-risk, shopping around can help homeowners and renters find a plan that fits their budget while offering peace of mind.

FloodSimple is calling on homeowners and renters, including those in moderate or low-risk areas, to take proactive steps in securing their homes against unexpected flood risks. The findings from the First Street.org report make it clear that a broader understanding and preparation are crucial.

About FloodSimple:

For homeowners looking for cost-effective insurance options, FloodSimple offers a streamlined solution to secure affordable flood insurance. By leveraging advanced comparative pricing technology, FloodSimple has saved its customers $3.6 million in premiums, ensuring they receive the most competitive rates available. Visit FloodSimple's website to explore comparison rates and start saving on flood insurance today.



Contact Information

Holly Lawrence

PR

hollyl@floodsimple.com

SOURCE: FloodSimple

View the original press release on newswire.com.
Regulatory News:

Reference is made to the simplified tender offer which has been filed by TCC Group Holdings Co., Ltd ("TCC" or the "Company"; TWSE: 1101) on 8 July 2024, with the French Autorite des marches financiers (the "AMF")(AMF notice no. 224C1129), through its indirect subsidiary Taiwan Cement Europe Holdings B.V., on the shares of NHOA S.A. (EURONEXT PARIS: NHOA.PA) ("NHOA") at the price of EUR 1.10 per NHOA share (the "Tender Offer

On 19 August 2024, NHOA announced that the ad hoc committee of its Board of Directors expressed some reservations as to the fairness of the EUR 1.10 price per NHOA share in cash proposed by TCC and has therefore asked it to express its intentions regarding the Tender Offer.

The Board of Directors of TCC has taken note of these reservations and, in this context, has approved on 20 August 2024 the increase of the price of the Tender Offer to EUR 1.25 per NHOA share.

The increased price of EUR 1.25 per NHOA share represents a 114% premium over the closing share price as of 12 June 2024 prior to the announcement of the Tender Offer, as well as premiums of 114%, 94% and 82% respectively compared to the volume-weighted average prices over the 60, 120 and 180 trading days preceding that date.

Accordingly, an updated draft offer document will be filed with the AMF by mid-September 2024. The timing of the Tender Offer will be adapted accordingly.

Discussions with the ad hoc committee of NHOA's Board of Directors and its advisors will resume on that basis. Shareholders and potential investors of NHOA should continue to exercise caution when dealing in the securities of NHOA, and if they are in any doubt about their position, they should consult their professional adviser(s).

Disclaimer

This press release has been prepared for information purposes only. It does not constitute an offer to purchase or a solicitation to sell NHOA shares in any country, including France. There is no certainty that the simplified tender offer mentioned above will be opened. Under French law, the offer may not be opened until the AMF has issued a clearance decision (declaration de conformite). Any decision relating to the offer must be based exclusively on the information contained in the offer documentation.

The dissemination, publication or distribution of this press release may be subject to specific regulations or restrictions in certain countries. The offer will not be addressed to persons subject to such restrictions, either directly or indirectly, and will not be accepted from any country where the offer would be subject to such restrictions. Accordingly, persons in possession of this press release are required to inform themselves about and to comply with any local restrictions that may apply. The Company declines all responsibility for any breach of these restrictions by any person whatsoever.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240820108685/en/

Contacts:

Press Office: Claudia Caracausi and Davide Bruzzese, Image Building, +39 02 89011300, nhoa@imagebuilding.it

Financial Communication and Institutional Relations: Chiara Cerri, +39 337 1484534, ir@nhoagroup.com
Kupfer wird oft als das Gold der Energiewende bezeichnet, weil es aufgrund seiner hervorragenden elektrischen Leitfahigkeit eine zentrale Rolle in vielen Technologien spielt, die fur nachhaltige Energiesysteme entscheidend sind. Experten gehen aufgrund der Angebotsknappheit von einem Superzyklus aus.

Korrektur als Einstiegschance

Nach Hochststanden im Mai korrigierte das rote Metall stark. Die Abwartsspirale verstarkte sich in den vergangenen Tagen aufgrund schwacher Konjunkturdaten aus den USA und China. Langfristig konnte sich die aktuell laufende Korrektur als exzellente Einstiegsmoglichkeit herausstellen.

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The asset acquisition enables an efficient hybrid data capture approach for retailers to maximize sales and optimize on-shelf performance

ZURICH, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Scandit, the leader in smart data capture, today announced the asset acquisition of shelf audit automation technology from MarketLab, a Polish image recognition and AI software company specializing in the retail industry. As part of the transaction, MarketLab's expert team will join Scandit to build and expand the new offering.

MarketLab's expertise in fixed camera solutions complements Scandit's existing ShelfView mobile capture approach to provide a hybrid data capture shelf intelligence solution for retailers. The global retail sector loses approximately $634 billion annually due to problems with on-shelf availability alone, according to research from IHL Group. Delivering increased workforce efficiency and automating time-intensive store operations processes, the new hybrid solution will enable retailers to gain insights into on-shelf availability, planogram compliance, pricing issues, and more to maintain optimal store conditions, maximize sales, and reduce lost revenues due to stockouts, particularly in high-SKU volume environments like grocery stores. It will also provide AI-enabled notifications to improve store key performance indicators and flag issues in near-real time to store associates and management.

"The acquisition marks a new milestone in Scandit's evolution as we continue to broaden our smart data capture capabilities for the wider retail industry. Integrating MarketLab's fixed camera-based shelf recognition experience and technology into ShelfView strengthens our ability to empower retailers to enhance their overall store performance, boost store associate efficiency and optimize the monetization of shelf data with CPG partners," said Samuel Mueller, CEO and co-founder of Scandit.

"We are delighted to join forces with Scandit. Combining our complementary technologies, we look forward to delivering additional value, ROI, and insights to grocery retailers globally so they can benefit from increased visibility into their shelves, ensure accurate stock availability, and ultimately enhance the customer experience," said Piotr Wardaszko, CEO of MarketLab.

Leveraging the strengths of mobile capture and fixed cameras offers retailers a complete, scalable, and flexible solution for all store formats, with a seamless path to more efficient and cost-effective shelf management. Mobile capture, via smartphones or handheld computers, is easily deployable using existing devices, adaptable to different store environments and can be scaled quickly. The addition of fixed cameras provides continuous high frequency data capture for near-real-time shelf monitoring while freeing up store associates to devote their time to higher-value tasks such as customer engagement.

The acquisition strengthens Scandit's retail shelf management and analytics solution, ShelfView, which leverages object recognition, augmented reality and other advanced computer vision technology to process images for more intelligent and efficient store operations. Thanks to Scandit's AI and machine learning capabilities, ShelfView delivers alert accuracy at 99.7% - crucial for delivering reliable insights quickly in rapidly changing shelf situations.

With Scandit's large existing retail customer base, including eight out of the top ten US grocers plus MarketLab's existing accounts including Carrefour Poland, Scandit is well positioned to drive further growth and retail innovation. The acquisition opens new routes to market by providing valuable insights to consumer packaged goods (CPGs) and merchandising agencies to maximize revenues through higher on-shelf availability, accurate pricing, promotions and planogram compliance as agreed with their retail partners. Beyond the retail sector, Scandit sees future potential in fixed camera deployments in other environments such as warehousing to automate logistics workflows.

The acquisition of MarketLab signals a new phase of growth for Scandit and advancement as the smart data capture leader. Today's announcement follows Scandit's $150m Series D investment in 2022 which has helped accelerate its R&D, with a focus on AI/ML capabilities, reflected in recent product developments such as ID Validate, ID Bolt, MatrixScan Find and more.

About Scandit

Scandit is the leader in smart data capture giving superpowers to workers, customers and businesses by providing actionable insights and automating end-to-end processes. Our Smart Data Capture platform enables smart devices, such as smartphones, handheld computers, drones, digital eyewear, robots and fixed cameras to interact with physical items by capturing data from barcodes, text, IDs and objects with unmatched speed, accuracy and intelligence.

Speed up scanning workflows by 5x on any smart device. Scan accurately in any challenging lighting, at angles, damaged labels or across multiple codes. We enable innovation that delivers significant cost savings, increases employee retention and customer loyalty. Scandit partners with customers at every step with trials, solution design, integration and customer success support included.

Visit scandit.com to learn why market leaders across retail, transport and logistics, healthcare and manufacturing like Instacart, Levi Strauss & Co., Sephora, Lufthansa and FedEx trust us.

For more information on ShelfView, visit https://www.scandit.com/products/shelfview/.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2485746/Scandit.jpg

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/scandit-acquires-marketlab-to-boost-retail-shelf-intelligence-capabilities-302226618.html
The deal is a vital component of Nortal's expansion plans in the UK

This strategic acquisition strengthens the company's cybersecurity and defense offerings in Europe, the US, and the GCC, and provides access to highly skilled and experienced talent

LONDON, Aug. 21, 2024, the strategic innovation and technology company, announced today its acquisition of 3DOT Solutions Limited, a well-known UK cybersecurity consultancy and a certified supplier to the UK Armed Forces and Intelligence Services. With this acquisition, Nortal will strengthen its footprint in the UK and bolster its cybersecurity and defence business in Europe, the US, and the GCC.

Founded in 2012, 3DOT Solutions is an established UK cybersecurity consultancy focused on delivering end-to-end cyber security solutions for private and public sector customers with some of the most demanding cyber and IT security challenges. The company's clients include central government departments, military agencies and intelligence services.

"The combination of long-term experience in the defence sector, a formidable reputation among its customer base, and strong cybersecurity expertise makes 3DOT Solutions an ideal partner for us. Importantly, with this acquisition, we will significantly enhance our cybersecurity capabilities and address the growing demand for cybersecurity services in the US, the GCC and across Europe, both in defence and other sectors," commented Priit Alamae, CEO and founder of Nortal.

3DOT Solutions' experts will join Nortal's global team of more than 2,000 professionals, extending the company's services in the UK and addressing the growing demand for cybersecurity services in Europe and the US. Together with 3DOT Solutions, Nortal will offer an extensive range of cybersecurity services, from information and security architecture consultations to cyber resilience and compliance, cybersecurity programme creation and execution, IT/OT security and cyber range and R&D services, catering to businesses, national defence, and security organisations.

"Joining Nortal represents a new and exciting growth opportunity for the 3DOT Solutions team and an excellent chance to deliver greater value to our customers. We are excited to realise our shared ambition of increasing our presence in the UK and expanding our footprint into Europe, NATO countries, the "Five Eyes," and globally across new markets and geographies. The combination of Nortal's existing success and 3DOT cyber and defence expertise creates a unique opportunity to service our customers' needs now and in the future," said Michael Hampson, CEO of 3DOT Solutions.

The cost of cybercrime worldwide is estimated by Statistaat 9.22 trillion U.S. dollars, with the average cost of a data breach amounting to 4.35 million U.S. dollars. According to Hampson, this number is expected to rise due to both the increasing speed of digitalisation as well as escalating geopolitical tensions.

"Our goal is to help government authorities as well as businesses from SMEs through to large corporates to build cyber-resilient organisations with robust digital cores, secure systems, and protected supply chains," added Hampson.

More information available at www.nortal.comand www.3dot.co.uk

Contact: press@nortal.com
SHANGHAI, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- GLOBUS EVENTS, the organizer of Pet Fair Asia - Asia's leading international pet show -has reached an agreement with Beijing Lanneret International Exhibitions (a local Beijing based organizer) for making a strategic investment in its China Beijing International Pet Products Exhibition, also known as China Pet Expo (CPE). The official deal signing ceremony took place on August 20th, the day before the opening of the 26th edition of Pet Fair Asia in Shanghai.

The powerful combination of experience and know-how of both organizers aims to create a greater influence and synergy in China's pet market and provide a more efficient and comprehensive trade platform for the industry. The first results of the partnership will be shown at the China Pet Expo 2025, planned to be brought to the audience with an upgraded concept and higher professional services. From 2026 onwards, the show will be managed by a new JV company established by both organizers.

China Pet Expo, which held its 11th edition in March 2024, is one of the largest pet products exhibitions in northern China, recognized by the industry for the strong brand recognition and market position in its region. Since its establishment in 2014, it has always taken place in Beijing during spring time, creating an important year start procurement platform for the pet industry, with great growth potential and profitability.

Pet Fair Asia is the largest and most influential B2B and B2C international platform for the pet industry in Asia. This year the show will host an all-time record of 300,000 sqm exhibiting space occupied by over 2,500 exhibitors who will showcase the most ground breaking innovations of the pet industry at 360 degrees. The show is expected to welcome more than 100,000 professional visitors and 350,000 consumers and influence over 3.5 million pet lovers. Pet Fair Asia's continuous growth and success has led to the establishment of its satellite events in Beijing (Pet Fair Beijing) and Shenzhen (Pet Fair South China). In 2021 it also launched Pet Fair Southeast Asia, the only dedicated B2B International show in Southeast Asia, which takes place every year in Bangkok.

Mr. David Zhong, Founder of Pet Fair Asia, said: "Both Pet Fair Asia and China Pet Expo have been deeply involved in the pet industry for many years and assisted its rapid development. I believe that through resource integration and complementary advantages, the two parties will be able to jointly create more opportunities and add value for the pet industry. This investment is not only a further milestone in Pet Fair Asia's growth strategy, but also a reflection of our confidence in the future of the pet industry. I look forward to now serve the industry through a close cooperation between the parties and continue meet the growing needs of enterprises and pet owners."

Mr. Edwin Tan, CEO of GLOBUS EVENTS said: "We are extremely excited about this investment, which aligns with our strategy to continue enhancing our role in the pet industry. Both organizers are a perfect fit from business operations, resource background, and industrial culture point of view. Our strong management expertise and brand building capabilities, together with the vast industry resources, make it possible for us to keep our crucial role as one of the world's largest offline trade platforms for the pet industry."

Mr. Cao Lin Hun, General Manager of Beijing Lanneret International Exhibitions said: "We are very pleased to join forces with GLOBUS EVENTS, a well-recognized exhibition organizer with a strong background in the pet industry. Through the joint expertise of both parties, our China Pet Expo will enhance its brand positioning, upgrade its model and growth, with the purpose to provide its participants with continuous professional services and more trade opportunities."

As the global pet market continues its growth, this investment is a testimonial of Pet Fair Asia's commitment to accelerate its role as an unmissable trade platform for the industry and create more value and opportunities for the worldwide players in China and beyond.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/globus-events-enlarges-its-pet-portfolio-by-investing-in-china-pet-expo-302224217.html
The global hemodynamic monitoring market is experiencing growth due to several factors such as the increase in prevalence of chronic diseases such as heart failure and hypertension and technological advancements in hemodynamic monitoring devices.

WILMINGTON, Del., Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Hemodynamic Monitoring Devices Market by Product (Disposables and Monitors), Type (Non-invasive, Minimally Invasive, and Invasive), End User (Hospitals, Home Care Settings, Laboratory Settings, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2024-2033". According to the report, the hemodynamic monitoring devices market was valued at $1.2 billion in 2023, and is estimated to reach $1.9 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2024 to 2033.

Request Sample of the Report on Hemodynamic Monitoring Devices Market Forecast 2033 - https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/A122626

Prime determinants of growth

The hemodynamic monitoring market is being propelled by several key drivers such as technological advancements such as the development of minimally invasive devices and wearable sensors are enhancing patient comfort and providing real-time data. The increasing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and chronic conditions necessitating continuous monitoring further fuels market growth. Additionally, the rising adoption of hemodynamic monitoring in critical care settings and operating rooms to optimize patient outcomes and reduce complications presents significant opportunities for market expansion. Moreover, the integration of artificial intelligence and data analytics in hemodynamic monitoring systems is anticipated to revolutionize patient care by providing predictive insights and personalized treatment strategies.

Report coverage & details:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2024-2033 Base Year 2023 Market Size in 2023 $1.2 Billion Market Size in 2035 $1.9 Billion CAGR 4.70 % No. of Pages in Report 260 Segments Covered Product, Type, End User, and Region Drivers Growth in geriatric population prone to cardiovascular ailments

Increase in Prevalence of Chronic Diseases

Technological Advancements in Hemodynamic Monitoring Devices Opportunities Increase in adoption of wireless and remote monitoring solutions for

enhanced patient care

Growth opportunities in emerging economies Restraint High cost associated with advanced hemodynamic monitoring devices

Stringent regulatory requirements for product approval

Have a Question? Connect to our Analyst - https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/connect-to-analyst/A122626

Segment Highlights

Increase in adoption of disposables due to rise in number chronic diseases and surgical procedures

Disposables such as catheters, sensors, and probes, are essential components used in hemodynamic monitoring procedures. Their demand is driven by factors such as the rising prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and the increasing adoption of minimally invasive procedures. The growing preference for cardiac catheterization procedures over traditional open-heart surgeries has led to a higher demand for disposable catheters used in hemodynamic monitoring. Additionally, advancements in technology have resulted in the development of disposable sensors with improved accuracy and reliability, further fueling their adoption.

On the other hand, hemodynamic monitors play a pivotal role in continuously measuring and displaying key parameters such as blood pressure, cardiac output, and oxygen saturation. The market for hemodynamic monitors is driven by factors such as the growing demand for critical care monitoring in intensive care units (ICUs) and operating rooms, as well as the increasing emphasis on patient safety and early detection of hemodynamic instability. For instance, advanced hemodynamic monitors equipped with features such as non-invasive monitoring capabilities and wireless connectivity are gaining traction in healthcare facilities for their ability to provide real-time data and facilitate remote monitoring.

Advantages of Non-invasive Hemodynamic Monitoring

Non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring is witnessing significant growth due to its advantages over invasive techniques, including reduced patient discomfort, lower risk of complications, and ease of use. Advancements in technology, such as wearable sensors and portable monitoring devices, are driving adoption. In addition, minimally invasive hemodynamic monitoring techniques, such as central venous catheterization and arterial catheterization, offer a balance between invasiveness and accuracy, making them suitable for a wide range of clinical scenarios. Furthermore, invasive hemodynamic monitoring, which involves the insertion of catheters into central veins or arteries, remains a basis in critical care settings, including intensive care units (ICUs) and operating rooms, where continuous and accurate hemodynamic monitoring is essential for patient management. The market for invasive hemodynamic monitoring is driven by the increasing prevalence of complex medical conditions, such as sepsis, heart failure, and traumatic injuries, which require precise hemodynamic assessment and tailored interventions.

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Regional Outlook

North America to maintain its dominance by 2035

By region, North America held the largest market share in terms of revenue in 2023 and is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period. This is attributed to its advanced technology infrastructure, strong demand & availability of hemodynamic monitoring products, supportive regulatory environment, and collaborative ecosystem fostering innovation and market growth in the market.

Key Players

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation

GE HealthCare

Baxter

ICU Medical

Koninklijke Philips N.V.

Sramek BioDynamics, Inc.

OsypkaCardiotek GmbH

Deltex Medical Group

Masimo

Medtronic PLC

The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players in the global hemodynamic monitoring 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 Developments

In June 2023, Mindray Medical and Edward Lifesciences Corporation collaborated to integrate the Edwards FloTrac sensor in Mindray's hemodynamic monitor- BeneVision N. The product is expected to launch in the European market, post-market acceptance in China.

In May 2023, Inspira Technologies OXY B.H.N. Ltd. announced to develop VORTX, a respiration technology expected to improve hemodynamic performance and reduce oxygenator failures.

In January 2022, Medtronic received approval from the National Medical Products Association (NMPA) for Evolut PRO TAVR System. The system aids in treating severe aortic stenosis while providing full hemodynamic performance.

In March 2021, Koninklijke Philips N.V. launched the IntelliVue X3 system. The system provides advanced hemodynamic measurements and improves the clinical focus during different procedures.

In October 2020, Getinge launched NICCI, an advanced non-invasive monitoring solution to reduce the complications associated with low blood pressure.

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TAIPEI, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Lootex is taking a significant step in advancing the NFT ecosystem by launching a strategic Base Chain NFT trading event, Lootex Base Summer, running from August 21 to September 11, 2024. With a $25,000 prize pool and the introduction of an integrated OpenSea Aggregator, Lootex aims to enhance cross-chain NFT accessibility and support the growing Base Chain ecosystem. This initiative, coupled with the new GP points system, is designed to streamline the user experience and drive further adoption within the NFT market.

Base Summer Campaign: A Hotspot for Community-Favored Projects on the Base Chain

The three-week-long Lootex Base Summer event offers NFT enthusiasts the opportunity to earn up to $25,000 in rewards from buying and selling community-favored projects. Participants can receive cash back and extra bonuses by purchasing NFTs and inviting friends to join the event. Lootex has curated a selection of featured collections on Base Chain, including well-known projects like BasedNouns, NFToshis, SoMon OwOG, MissToshi, and Phenoms, all available for trading on the Lootex platform.

By inviting friends to participate and complete NFT transactions, both parties can earn additional rewards. Whether you are a seasoned NFT collector or new to the scene, this event offers a wealth of opportunities to maximize your returns.

Supporting the Base Chain and Lootex's Vision

Lootex is committed to advancing blockchain and NFT technology and sees immense potential in the Base Chain. Recent market data shows that Base Chain's transaction volume has surged by over 150% in the past six months, attracting numerous influential projects to its ecosystem.

Lootex CEO Justin stated, "Launching the Base Chain-themed NFT trading event and the new GP points system is a significant step in our efforts to support the growth of the ecosystem and respond to the community's interest in recent Meme trends. We believe that as the Base Chain continues to expand and market demand increases, it will play an increasingly important role in the future digital economy. Our goal with these new features is to provide users with a more convenient and efficient trading experience, driving further growth and prosperity for our platform and the broader ecosystem."

Introducing the GP Points System: Enhancing User Experience

To further elevate the user experience, Lootex has introduced the GP points system, as outlined in the $LOOT white paper. GP is designed to help users reduce the burden of Gas fees, making transactions smoother. Through Lootex's innovative Smart Account (ERC-4337) and Gas Fee subsidy mechanism, users can purchase GP, load it into their Smart Account wallet, and use it to pay Gas fees across multiple chains, eliminating the need to buy extra tokens.

In addition, Lootex has launched the GP Center, offering daily check-ins, referral bonuses, and transaction missions, allowing users to easily earn more GP. Whether checking in daily, inviting friends, or completing transactions, participants have numerous opportunities to earn GP rewards, further lowering transaction costs and enhancing the overall experience.

NFT Aggregator Beta: Now Live

Simultaneously, Lootex proudly unveils the Beta version of its NFT Aggregator, enabling users to purchase NFTs directly from OpenSea listings via the Lootex platform. This innovative feature integrates popular NFT projects from ETH, BASE, Polygon, and Arbitrum networks, providing users with a seamless shopping experience. While using the Lootex Aggregator, users can also participate in seasonal or event-specific rewards, enjoying multiple benefits in one place.

For further information about Lootex and its innovative offerings, visit lootex.io.

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About Lootex

Lootex is an innovative NFT marketplace designed for gamers and NFT lovers. Our mission is to make web3, blockchain, and new technologies more understandable and accessible. We aim to bring virtual assets to life and empower gamers and traders with the best experience they need.

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LONDON, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresha, the leading marketplace platform for beauty and wellness, today announced it has secured a $31 million venture debt facility from J.P. Morgan. This funding will accelerate Fresha's expansion into new markets and drive the growth of its machine learning capabilities and AI-powered robotics, further advancing its innovative all-in-one platform.

Fresha's platform empowers beauty businesses, such as salons, barbershops, spas, and aesthetics clinics, to operate efficiently and independently. By offering a subscription-free business software with embedded payment processing and a consumer marketplace, Fresha helps businesses streamline their entire operations and connect with more customers, levelling the playing field for businesses of all sizes.



To date, Fresha has raised over $185 million in venture capital funding, including a $150 million Series C round in 2021 led by General Atlantic. As Fresha approaches profitability, this new relationship with J.P. Morgan will further fuel its ambitions to revolutionise the beauty and wellness space.

Fresha's platform allows consumers to discover, book, and pay for beauty and wellness appointments with local businesses through its marketplace. Beauty and wellness professionals' benefit from an all-in-one platform that includes free business software and financial technology solutions to manage their operations seamlessly. This approach aligns with Fresha's vision of fostering innovation and accessibility across the industry, enabling every business to thrive in a competitive landscape.

The Fresha ecosystem offers merchants everything they need to run their businesses effectively, including appointment bookings, point-of-sale, customer records management, marketing automation, loyalty programs, beauty product inventory, and team management. The consumer marketplace leverages online bookings and automated marketing through mobile apps and advanced integrations with major tech platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Google, unlocking significant revenue potential for partner businesses. By removing barriers to advanced technology, Fresha ensures that all beauty professionals can enhance their services and expand their reach.

Fresha boasts a network of over 110,000 merchants, with a strong presence in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. The platform's reach extends across 120 countries, where customers book tens of millions of appointments monthly. To date, Fresha has facilitated transactions worth over $35 billion in gross merchandise volume, showcasing its significant impact on the global beauty and wellness industry. In 2023, the company grew revenues by 67% year-over-year, with a similar level of performance expected in 2024.

"We're delighted to support Fresha on their continued growth journey," said Alexandra Wyatt, U.K. Innovation Economy banking at J.P. Morgan. "Fresha is steering the rapidly expanding beauty and wellness space with its innovative technology and strong unit economics. Their unique business model is transforming the industry landscape, and it's precisely the type of innovation we want to help drive globally."

J.P. Morgan serves venture-backed and high-growth companies, founders and venture capital firms across the globe in industries like technology, fintech, disruptive commerce and internet, life sciences, climate tech and healthtech. The firm provides deep industry expertise, local support, global products and services and a robust network of investors and partners to meet clients' commercial, investment and private banking needs.

"We are thrilled to be working with J.P. Morgan," said William Zeqiri, Founder and CEO of Fresha. "The beauty and wellness industry is a dynamic world, buzzing with creativity, innovation, and an endless quest for service enhancement. Today, there is so much potential to be unlocked. Beauty service providers need a 360-degree view of each client, including booking behaviour, preferences, payment methods, and lifetime value. Extracting insights from every transaction has become a key competitive advantage, allowing our users to offer highly tailored and personalized services."

Zeqiri continued, "The next exciting frontier for Fresha is expanding our research and development in machine learning and integrating AI into daily business operations. By embracing cutting-edge technology, we are not just enhancing our services; we are creating opportunities and redefining what's possible. Our vision is a world where innovation and creativity flourish together, driving progress and enabling everyone to reach their full potential. In the not-so-distant future, we envision AI-powered robots working alongside humans in the beauty and wellness space. Robots can handle repetitive tasks, such as managing bookings, mixing colours, welcoming customers, or managing inventory, freeing up valuable time for stylists to focus on personalizing their services and honing their craft."

About Fresha

Fresha is the world's #1 beauty and wellness marketplace powered by all-in-one free business software with integrated payments. With over 100,000 partner venues in more than 120 countries, Fresha simplifies business operations and enhances customer experiences. To learn more, visit fresha.com, download Fresha on the App Store and Google Play, or follow Fresha on Facebook and Instagram.

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Faraday Copper Corp. ("Faraday" or the "Company") (TSX:FDY)(OTCQX:CPPKF) is pleased to announce the results of two drill holes from its ongoing Phase III drill program at the Copper Creek Project, located in Arizona, U.S. ("Copper Creek"). The two holes were drilled to continue to evaluate the near-surface mineralization in the American Eagle area.

Paul Harbidge, President and CEO, commented "Drilling in the American Eagle Area continues to provide very exciting results, with the discovery of the Banjo breccia, which has returned the best grade-width intercept of this drill campaign to date. The Phase III drilling shows the potential for a large near-surface resource to be defined above the current underground resource. The current interpretation suggests characteristics similar to the Mammoth breccia. Mammoth connects with the Keel underground zone and is the most vertically continuous mineralized system defined so far on the property. Drilling continues with the emphasis on both delineation of the Banjo breccia and testing additional breccias in the American Eagle area."

Highlights

Drill hole FCD-24-070 is the discovery hole for the high-grade Banjo breccia and confirms significant mineralization above the American Eagle underground resource.



Drill hole FCD-24-070 intersected 117.90 metres ("m") at 1.01% copper and 1.87 grams per tonne ("g/t") silver from 323.52 m, including 15.89 m at 2.15% copper and 2.48 g/t silver from 390.00 m.

This intercept is within 269.65 m at 0.64% copper and 1.32 g/t silver from 229.49 m.

Mineralization remains open.



At the American Eagle breccia, intersected 88.16 m at 0.39% copper and 1.43 g/t silver from 188.34 m in drill hole FCD-24-071, including 15.80 m at 0.93% copper and 3.71 g/t silver from 188.34 m.



Confirmed vertical continuity of near surface breccia hosted mineralization to the porphyry mineralization at depth in the American eagle area.

(For true width information see Table 1.)

The American Eagle area as mapped on surface, covers approximately 800 m by 1,000 m and is host to numerous prospective breccias and porphyries which have strong copper geochemical signatures. These surface expressions locate above the large underground porphyry mineral resource, which is approximately 500 m to 1,100 m depth below surface. Historically, the near-surface mineralization was not adequately tested as previous drilling was vertical to steeply inclined. Mapped geology, isolated historical drill intercepts and historical small-scale mining highlight the potential for near-surface mineralization. The Company has reported assay results for eight drill holes from this area as part of the current program (for drill holes not reported herein, refer to news releases dated June 25, 2024 and July 25, 2024). These results provide a broad framework of the geology, structure, and alteration and confirm the potential for significant near-surface copper mineralization.

Drill hole FCD-24-070 was collared approximately 240 m southeast of the American Eagle breccia and drilled to the north (Figures 1, 2, 4 and 5). Porphyry and breccia intervals alternate in the first 81 m. From 81 m to 242 m, the hole intersected mainly granodiorite crosscut by up to 20 m wide breccia intervals and porphyry domains. Breccias in this upper part of the hole are pyrite and quartz cemented. From 242 m to 450 m, hydrothermal breccia is characterized by intense sericite alteration. Mineralization occurs as chalcopyrite together with pyrite and quartz breccia cement and to a lesser degree in veinlets. The last 50 m of the hole contain chalcopyrite mineralization associated with early halo veins. Drill hole FCD-24-071 was collared approximately 140 m southeast of the American Eagle breccia and drilled to the northwest (Figures 1, 3 and 4). It intersected mostly igneous cemented breccia, variably sericite altered, from surface to 98 m, and granodiorite cross-cut by porphyry until 192 m. Alternating hydrothermal breccia and porphyry domains are present until 244 m, after which the hole enters granodiorite cross-cut by porphyry. Copper mineralization occurs as chalcopyrite in breccia cement and veinlets below 188 m downhole, or 110 m below surface. Chalcocite occurs locally with chalcopyrite. Molybdenite is abundant from 238 m to 241 m. Sericite and tourmaline are dominant alteration minerals associated with hydrothermal breccia domains.

Next Steps

Phase III drilling continues with the following objectives:

Reconnaissance and follow-up drilling on new targets;



Expanding the Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE"); and



Better delineating high-grade mineralized zones.

The current focus of drilling is on near-surface mineralization in the American Eagle area.

As part of the Phase III program, 36 drill holes have been completed and results for 34 have been released. Thirteen holes were drilled in Area 51, ten in the American Eagle area, five in the Bald area, three in the Copper Prince - Copper Giant area, three near Old Reliable and two in the Titan breccia. The assay results for additional completed drill holes will be released as they are received, analyzed and confirmed by the Company.

Figure 1: Plan View Showing Surface Geology and Location of Drill Holes in the American Eagle Area

Note: The open pit shell is based on constraints used in the MRE as presented in the report titled "Copper Creek Project NI 43-101 Technical Report and Preliminary Economic Assessment" with an effective date of May 3, 2023 (the "Technical Report") available on the Company's website at www.faradaycopper.com and on the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

Figure 2: Cross Section Showing Drill Hole FCD-24-070 at the Banjo Breccia

Figure 3: Cross Section Showing Drill Hole FCD-24-071 at the American Eagle Breccia

Figure 4: Isometric View Showing Phase III Drill Holes in the American Eagle Area

Note: The open pit shells and underground footprint are based on constraints used in the MRE as presented in the Technical Report available on the Company's website at www.faradaycopper.com and on the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. For drill holes not reported herein, refer to news releases dated June 25, 2024 and July 25, 2024.

Figure 5: A Core Sample from Drill Hole FCD-24-070

Table 1: Selected Drill Results

Drill Hole ID From To Length True Width Cu Au Ag Mo (m) (m) (m) (m) (%) (g/t) (g/t) (%) FCD-24-070 229.49 499.14 269.65 190 0.64 0.02 1.32 0.0010 including 323.52 441.42 117.90 83 1.01 0.03 1.87 0.0016 Also including 390.00 405.89 15.89 11 2.15 0.05 2.48 0.0009 FCD-24-071 188.34 276.50 88.16 68 0.39 0.01 1.43 0.0041 including 188.34 204.14 15.80 12 0.93 0.03 3.71 0.0022 and including 238.00 252.07 14.07 11 0.64 0.02 1.69 0.0203

Note: All intercepts are reported as downhole drill widths. Mineralization includes bulk porphyry style and breccia mineralization true widths are approximate due to the irregular shape of mineralized domains.

Table 2: Collar Locations from the Drill Holes Reported Herein

Drill Hole ID Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Dip Target Depth Depth (m) () () (ft) (m) FCD-24-070 549,224 3,623,279 1309 340 55 Banjo 1,521.4 499.14 FCD-24-071 549,123 3,623,273 1295 307 40 American Eagle 977.6 320.74

Note: Coordinates are given as World Geodetic System 84, Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 12 north (WGS84, UTM12N).

Sampling Methodology, Chain of Custody, Quality Control and Quality Assurance

All sampling was conducted under the supervision of the Company's geologists and the chain of custody from Copper Creek to the independent sample preparation facility, ALS Laboratories in Tucson, AZ, was continuously monitored. The samples were taken as  core, over 2 m core length. Samples were crushed, pulverized and sample pulps were analyzed using industry standard analytical methods including a 4-Acid ICP-MS multielement package and an ICP-AES method for high-grade copper samples. Gold was analyzed on a 30 g aliquot by fire assay with an ICP-AES finish. A certified reference sample was inserted every 20th sample. Coarse and fine blanks were inserted every 20th sample. Approximately 5% of the core samples were cut into  core and submitted as field duplicates. On top of internal QA-QC protocol, additional blanks, reference materials and duplicates were inserted by the analytical laboratory according to their procedure. Data verification of the analytical results included a statistical analysis of the standards and blanks that must pass certain parameters for acceptance to ensure accurate and verifiable results.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Faraday's VP Exploration, Dr. Thomas Bissig, P. Geo., who is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

About Faraday Copper

Faraday Copper is a Canadian exploration company focused on advancing its flagship copper project in Arizona, U.S. The Copper Creek Project is one of the largest undeveloped copper projects in North America with significant district scale exploration potential. The Company is well-funded to deliver on its key milestones and benefits from a management team and board of directors with senior mining company experience and expertise. Faraday trades on the TSX under the symbol "FDY".

For additional information please contact:

Stacey Pavlova, CFA

Vice President, Investor Relations & Communications

Faraday Copper Corp.

E-mail: info@faradaycopper.com

Website: www.faradaycopper.com

To receive news releases by e-mail, please register using the Faraday website at www.faradaycopper.com.

Cautionary Note on Forward Looking Statements

Some of the statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking statements" and are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Faraday to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information specifically include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the exploration potential of the Copper Creek property and the likelihood of the Company increasing the resource on the Copper Creek Project.

Although Faraday believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements should not be in any way construed as guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include without limitation: market prices for metals; the conclusions of detailed feasibility and technical analyses; lower than expected grades and quantities of mineral resources; receipt of regulatory approval; receipt of shareholder approval; mining rates and recovery rates; significant capital requirements; price volatility in the spot and forward markets for commodities; fluctuations in rates of exchange; taxation; controls, regulations and political or economic developments in the countries in which Faraday does or may carry on business; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, competition; loss of key employees; rising costs of labour, supplies, fuel and equipment; actual results of current exploration or reclamation activities; accidents; labour disputes; defective title to mineral claims or property or contests over claims to mineral properties; unexpected delays and costs inherent to consulting and accommodating rights of Indigenous peoples and other groups; risks, uncertainties and unanticipated delays associated with obtaining and maintaining necessary licenses, permits and authorizations and complying with permitting requirements, including those associated with the Copper Creek property; and uncertainties with respect to any future acquisitions by Faraday. In addition, there are risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining, including environmental events and hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins, flooding and the risk of inadequate insurance or inability to obtain insurance to cover these risks as well as "Risk Factors" included in Faraday's disclosure documents filed on and available at www.sedarplus.ca.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such an offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction. This press release is not, and under no circumstances is to be construed as, a prospectus, an offering memorandum, an advertisement or a public offering of securities in Faraday in Canada, the United States or any other jurisdiction. No securities commission or similar authority in Canada or in the United States has reviewed or in any way passed upon this press release, and any representation to the contrary is an offence.

SOURCE: Faraday Copper Corp.

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DUBAI, UAE, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This September, Canon will be championing the work of photojournalists for the 35th consecutive year, as part of its decades-long partnership with Visa pour l'Image. During the festival's Pro Week (September 2-7), held in Perpignan in the south of France, Canon will honour the craft of documentary storytelling, awarding two project grants and providing a cohort of 25 young emerging talent with access to the festival through the brand's Student Development Programme.

Canon to recognise outstanding contributions to photojournalism with two grants

For the 24th year in a row, Canon and Visa pour l'Image will award an 8,000 grant to a female photojournalist pursuing a long-term documentary project. This year, the jury - consisting of journalists and editors from CNN Digital, FOAM magazine and others - have chosen to award Dutch photojournalist Cynthia Boll for her ongoing project 'Reshaping home: Indonesia's capital migration' with the Canon Female Photojournalist Grant.

The Indonesian capital is sinking fast, up to 20 centimetres per year due to deep ground water extraction. Home to 10 million people and still growing, authorities have made the decision to move Indonesia's capital from Jakarta to the emerging city of Ibu Kota Nusantara - a monumental endeavour with far-reaching implications. With the support from the grant, Cynthia hopes to document the routines and rituals of daily life in the new city from the perspective of these pioneering citizens.

Alongside this, Canon together with Visa pour l'Image are pleased to be presenting London-based filmmaker Alan Lau with the 5th Canon Video Grant for his short-film documentary project 'The Gordian Knot", shining a light on young Nepali cattle facing the fate of slaughter - and the surrounding influences of authorities, religion and economic pressures in a developing region.

Paving the way for the next generation of photojournalists

Canon is committed to supporting and nurturing new talent, and for the 8th consecutive year will be providing emerging photographers from across Europe, Middle East and Africa with a unique opportunity to develop skills and advance in their careers as part of its acclaimed Student Development Programme. 25 talented photography students will attend a prestigious five-day workshop to network with and learn from prominent professionals during group as well as 1:1 portfolio review sessions, practical workshops and lectures.

This year's speakers and reviewers include Canon Ambassadors Laura El-Tantawy (British/ Egyptian documentary photographer), Elisa L. Iannacone (cinematographer and journalist), Marco Longari (Chief Photographer in Africa for AFP), Ilvy Njiokiktjien (member of VII Photo Agency), Brent Stirton (Getty Images Senior Correspondent and National Geographic explorer) and Paolo Verzone (member of Agence VU'). A cohort of industry experts will also be present, including Thomas Borberg (staff photographer at Politiken), Fabiola Ferrero (photojournalist and World Press Photo contest winner), Elisa Medde (curator / former Editor-in-Chief at Foam Magazine), Massimo Nicolaci (filmmaker, cinematographer and National Geographic contributor) as well as Fiona Shields (Head of Photography at The Guardian).

Following the workshops, students will have the opportunity to participate in a selection of guided tours of the festival's exhibition space, hosted by the artists themselves. 2023 Canon Female Photojournalist grant winner, Anastasia Taylor-Lind, will also showcase her grant winning work, '5K from the Frontline', documenting frontline communities in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.

Canon presence at Visa pour l'Image

At the festival's headquarters in Perpignan's Palais des Congres, Canon will be hosting a dedicated product showcase area inviting visitors to experience the company's latest cameras, lenses and printers, including the highly anticipated EOS R1 and EOS R5 Mark II.

Exploring the emotional impact of print and its potential to enrich lives, guests can also learn more about Canon's 'World Unseen' initiative with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), enabling people with sight loss to better engage with the visual world, while challenging sighted people to see imagery through their lens.

Accredited photographers will also be able to get an image from their portfolio printed on Canon's latest fine art printing technologies and receive a complimentary check-and-clean service by expert technicians from Canon Professional Services (CPS).

About Canon Middle East -

Canon Middle East, a subsidiary of Canon Europe, is the operational headquarters for Canon in the Middle East based in Dubai, UAE.???Founded in 1937, the desire to continuously innovate has kept Canon at the forefront of imaging excellence throughout its 80-year history with its commitment to invest in the right areas and capture growth opportunities. From cameras to commercial printers and business consultancy to healthcare technologies, Canon enriches lives and businesses through imaging innovation.? Canon's corporate philosophy is Kyosei - 'living and working together for the common good'. In EMEA, Canon Europe pursues sustainable business growth, focusing on reducing its environmental impact and supporting customers to reduce theirs using Canon's products, solutions, and services.?Canon invests heavily in R&D, delivering the richest and most innovative products and services to satisfy customers' creative needs. From amateur photographers to professional print companies, Canon enables each customer to realise their own passion for image. Further information about Canon Middle East is available at www.canon-me.com.

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WUXI, China, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sineng Electric is spearheading innovation in the energy storage sector and has been chosen to provide its string PCS MV turnkey stations for the world's largest sodium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS). The initial 50MW/100MWh phase of this ambitious 100MW/200MWh project in Hubei Province, China, has been successfully connected to the grid and commenced commercial operations. Notably, the commissioned project is also China's first 100-MWh-scale energy storage power station utilizing sodium-ion batteries.

Developed and managed by Datang Hubei Energy Development, the 50MW/100MWh energy storage project can store 100,000 kWh of electricity on a single charge, supplying power to approximately 12,000 households for an entire day.

In a bid to diversify from lithium, China has been exploring alternative energy storage technologies. Sodium-ion batteries have emerged as a promising option due to their abundant raw material, superior performance at low temperatures, better round-trip efficiency, and excellent safety.

The power plant consists of 42 BESS containers with 185Ah sodium-ion batteries, 21 power conversion system (PCS) units, and a 110kV booster station. Sineng's 2.5MW string PCS MV turnkey solution is meticulously designed to align with the sodium-ion battery energy storage system's wide DC voltage range, supporting rated output power from 700V to 1500V. Featuring cluster-level energy management, Sineng's solution amplifies the cluster-level balancing capability of sodium-ion batteries. Additionally, the string PCS units are engineered with IP66 protection rating to ensure durability in extreme temperatures and high humidity.

As the project comes online, it effectively mitigates peak demand, enhances grid resilience, and guarantees a reliable power supply. This project marks a significant milestone in China's transition toward diversified energy storage solutions. Deploying sodium-ion battery technology on such a large scale demonstrates the feasibility and advantages of alternative energy storage systems, paving the way for their extensive adoption worldwide. Furthermore, it epitomizes Sineng's pioneering role in driving innovations in the industry, reaffirming its unwavering commitment to delivering state-of-the-art solutions that cater to the dynamic needs of the global energy landscape.

About Sineng

Sineng Electric is the global leading supplier of a comprehensive product portfolio including PV inverters, energy storage inverters, and power quality products.

By establishing four R&D centers and leveraging top-notch resources, Sineng's unwavering commitment to technological innovation has enabled more people to access cost-effective, reliable, and sustainable energy. Known for its engineering excellence, rigorous testing standards, and consistent quality, Sineng has earned recognition as a BloombergNEF tier 1 PV inverter maker and ranks No.4 in global PV inverter shipments for 2023.

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China auto association slams unfair EU tariffs on EVs

Xinhua) 14:46, August 21, 2024

BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) on Wednesday expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the European Commission's plan to slap hefty import duties on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs).

Last month, the commission imposed provisional additional tariffs of up to 37.6 percent on Chinese EV makers, after it launched an anti-subsidy probe on Chinese EVs in October 2023.

On Tuesday, the commission published a draft plan to make those tariffs definitive, at slightly revised rates, subject to approval by European Union (EU) member states.

According to the disclosed information, the anti-subsidy tax rates for the three sampled Chinese EV companies, BYD, Geely, and SAIC, are 17.0 percent, 19.3 percent, and 36.3 percent, respectively.

CAAM's statement highlighted the significant risks and uncertainties these high anti-subsidy tariffs pose for Chinese companies operating and investing in Europe, which could erode their confidence.

The association warned that such measures could also severely impact the EU's automotive industry, employment, and efforts toward green and sustainable development.

CAAM urged the European side to uphold dialogue and cooperation to foster a "fair, non-discriminatory and predictable market environment" conducive to the automotive industry's development.

As a self-regulatory, non-profit social organization, CAAM represents enterprises, institutions, and groups involved in the production and operation of complete vehicles, auto parts, and related industries in China.

Many Chinese auto companies had started or planned to invest or operate in Europe before the EU launched its anti-subsidy probe into Chinese EVs. But since the EU's decision to impose provisional countervailing duties, many Chinese EV enterprises have expressed concerns over the probe and the possible risks of investing in Europe.

A spokesperson with the Ministry of Commerce said Tuesday that the country will take all necessary measures to defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises in response to the EU's actions.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Hannan Metals Limited ("Hannan" or the "Company") (TSX.V:HAN)(OTC PINK:HANNF) announces that the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") has requested the Company terminate the service agreement (the "Agreement") with Resource Stock Digest ("RSD") of Round Rock, Texas, that was previously announced by the Company on July 18, 2024.

In accordance with Policy 3.4 - Investor Relations, Promotional and Market-Making Activities ("Policy 3.4") of the Exchange, and Exchange bulletin dated April 10th 2024, the Company made a submission to the Exchange on July 19, 2024, seeking the approval of the Agreement. The Exchange, however, has deemed that the engagement of RSD, which required the upfront payment of US$125,000 for a 3-month marketing campaign is close in proximity to the closing of the Company's private placement on June 27, 2024, (the "Private Placement") and determined that the Company was paying for this marketing campaign with shares, which is contrary to Exchange policy. While the Company disagrees with this conclusion, it respects the Exchange's decision. The Company has made no payment to RSD pursuant to the Agreement and looks forward to working with the Exchange in obtaining positive outcomes of future Exchange filings in support of the Company's marketing efforts.

RSD is owned and operated by Gerardo Del Real and Nick Hodge, both of whom have participated in several of the Company's Private Placements and most recently purchased equity significantly in excess of the RSD contract fee. Both are long term shareholders and supporters of the Company.

About Hannan Metals Limited (TSX.V:HAN) (OTCPK: HANNF)

Hannan Metals Limited is a natural resources and exploration company developing sustainable resources of metal needed to meet the transition to a low carbon economy. Over the last decade, the team behind Hannan has forged a long and successful record of discovering, financing, and advancing mineral projects in Europe and Latin America. Hannan is a top ten in-country explorer by area in Peru and has recently optioned a copper-porphyry project in Northern Chile.

On behalf of the Board, "Michael Hudson"

Michael Hudson, Chairman & CEO Further Information

www.hannanmetals.com

1305 - 1090 West Georgia St., Vancouver, BC, V6E 3V7

Mariana Bermudez, Corporate Secretary,

+1 (604) 685 9316, info@hannanmetals.com

Forward Looking Statements. Certain disclosure contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information or forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. These statements may relate to this news release and other matters identified in the Company's public filings. In making the forward-looking statements the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: the political environment in which the Company operates continuing to support the development and operation of mining projects; the threat associated with outbreaks of viruses and infectious diseases; the Company's expectations regarding its mineral projects; market conditions, the preliminary nature of the Company's operations; risks related to negative publicity with respect to the Company or the mining industry in general; planned work programs; permitting; and, community relations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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.

SOURCE: Hannan Metals Ltd.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 21, 2024) - Altamira Gold Corp. (TSXV: ALTA) (FSE: T6UP) (OTC Pink: EQTRF), ("Altamira" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the discovery of newly discovered outcrops of porphyritic rocks within the Cajueiro project area.

Highlights:

Following the confirmation of a porphyry-style origin for the Maria Bonita gold mineralization by two respected consultants, and subsequent to the structural and geophysical studies of the entire Cajueiro claim block, the Company has identified several loci of potential porphyry mineralization within a 'prospective corridor' trending east-west through the Cajueiro district.

Initial follow-up of these target areas has identified new outcrops of highly altered and brecciated porphyritic intrusive rock 1.6 kilometres to the east of the Maria Bonita target where recent drilling intersected 146m @ 1g/t gold. The area displays extensive sericitic alteration and shows the characteristic quartz veining seen in the mineralized porphyritic host rock at Maria Bonita.

This work suggests that the mineralizing system at Maria Bonita may be much larger than previously envisaged and suggests new targets for future drilling.

CEO Mike Bennett commented; "Given that porphyry deposits commonly occur in clusters or alignments along structural trends, we recognised the need to revisit our regional data sets in the light of recent independent confirmation that the gold mineralization at Maria Bonita is of porphyry origin. The new structural and geophysical re-interpretations have identified several new targets within the Cajueiro - Maria Bonita area, including a magnetic body 2km to the south-east of Maria Bonita which may be related to a causative porphyritic intrusive. Geological mapping in this area, called Mombaque, has recently identified new outcrops of similar host-rock intrusives and breccias to those found at Maria Bonita, suggesting that the Maria Bonita porphyry system may be significantly larger than previously envisaged."

CAJUEIRO PROJECT

The Cajueiro project is located approximately 75km NW of the town of Alta Floresta in the state of Mato Grosso (Figure 1) in central western Brazil and is easily accessible by road and has grid power and local water supply. Cajueiro is the most advanced of three key projects that Altamira controls in the region, the other two being Apiacas and Santa Helena (Figure1).

Figure 1: Location of the Cajueiro, Apiacas and Santa Helena projects.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4500/220649_1d3646035499488a_001full.jpg

The Cajueiro project has current NI 43-101 resources of 5.66Mt @ 1.02 g/t gold for a total of 185,000 oz in the Indicated Resource category and 12.66Mt @ 1.26 g/t gold for a total of 515,000 oz in the Inferred Resource category (estimated using a gold price of US$1,500/oz). Included in these totals are near-surface oxide portions of the Cajueiro resource, containing an estimated 75,000oz of gold.

Maria Bonita Target

Maria Bonita is located 7km west of the Cajueiro mineral resource and is easily accessible by road. The initial round of discovery drillholes included 69m @ 1g/t gold (MBA005), 50m @ 1.1 g/t gold (MBA004), 55m @ 1.0 g/t gold (MBA002), 50m @ 1.0 g/t gold (MBA001) and 45m @ 1.4 g/t gold (MBA003) (see press releases dated September 7, November 16, 2022, and January 18, 2023).

Significant results, previously reported, as part of the follow-up drill program include; MBA029: 146m @ 1.0g/t gold (MBA029), 90m @ 0.6g/t gold from 14m and 65m @ 0.4g/t gold from 118m (MBA016), 105m @ 0.5g/t gold from 23m and 24m @ 0.4g/t gold from 144m (MBA018), 72m @ 0.4 g/t gold from 59m (MBA020) and 53m @ 0.7 g/t gold from surface (MBA022) (see press release dated 22nd May 2024).

These results confirm the presence of a multi-phase felsic quartz porphyry-hosted system of veins and breccias carrying gold. Gold is relatively uniformly distributed with a highest grade of 7.7g/t gold reported from the intervals listed above.

The drilling at Maria Bonita has demonstrated that good mineralization exists, in places, below shallow barren cover. Consequently, targets that have positive structural attributes but weak to no gold response in soil may also have high potential at shallow depth. For this reason, a structural remote sensing study was let to ACA Howe International of the UK. This study involved the use of satellite multi-spectral imagery and radar data to interpret the local to regional structures controlling the current topography and sub-surface geology in the Maria Bonita district.

In parallel, a re-interpretation of proprietary detailed aeromagnetics and radiometrics, acquired by a predecessor company (2011), was carried out by GeophysicsOne of Ontario Canada. The results of these two new studies were combined to produce an interpretative district map to guide further exploration (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Prospective corridor and specific targets identified from aeromagnetic and structural interpretation studies. Background is magnetic TMI image showing subsurface magnetic bodies.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4500/220649_1d3646035499488a_002full.jpg

The new interpretation shows a magnetic body, inferred to be a buried intrusive, centred approximately two kilometres to the south-east of the Maria Bonita porphyry at Mombaque (Figure 2). The Mombaque area is a source for eluvial and alluvial gold in an artisanal mining "garimpo" draining to the south-west. Outcrop is poor and follow up sampling is underway to trace this gold to source. A similar spatial relationship is apparent for the Novo Sonho gold-in-soil anomaly (approximately 3km to the west of Maria Bonita) and a sub-surface magnetic source.

Figure 3: Surface rock samples of quartz porphyry breccia at the recently identified Mombaque target located 1.6 kilometres to the south-east of the Maria Bonita target. See figure 2 for location of samples.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/4500/220649_1d3646035499488a_003full.jpg

Ongoing mapping and sampling have identified outcrops of part of the porphyry suite of intrusives that host the Maria Bonita mineralization, both several hundred metres to the south-west of the drilled area and approximately 1.6 kilometres to the east (Figures 2 & 3), thus significantly expanding the extent of the prospective intrusive porphyritic host rocks within the Maria Bonita - Cajueiro project area.

Sample results are pending ahead of defining potential scout drill targets.

Qualified Person

Guillermo Hughes, FAIG and M AusIMM., a consultant to the Company as well as a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release.

About Altamira Gold Corp.

The Company is focused on the exploration and development of gold and copper projects within western central Brazil. The Company holds 6 projects comprising approximately 190,000 hectares, within the prolific Juruena gold belt which historically produced an estimated 7 to 10Moz of placer gold. The Company's advanced Cajueiro project has NI 43-101 resources of 5.66Mt @ 1.02 g/t gold for a total of 185,000 oz in the Indicated Resource category and 12.66Mt @ 1.26 g/t gold for a total of 515,000oz in the Inferred Resource category.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

ALTAMIRA GOLD CORP.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The securities described herein have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements under the U.S. Securities Act and any applicable state securities laws.

Forward-looking Statements

Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the extension of the Warrants. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will", "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that is incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Notes

Gold analysis has been conducted by SGS method FAA505 (fire assay of 50g charge), with higher grade samples checked by FAA525. Analytical quality is monitored by certified references and blanks. Until dispatch, samples are stored under the supervision the Company's exploration office. The samples are couriered to the assay laboratory using a commercial contractor. Pulps are returned to the Company and archived. Drill holes results are quoted as down-hole length weighted intersections.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/220649

SOURCE: Altamira Gold Corp.
Alset Capital Inc. (TSXV:KSUM)(OTC PINK:ALSCF)(FSE:1R60)(WKN:A3ESVQ) ("Alset" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a corporate name change from "Alset Capital Inc." to "Alset AI Ventures Inc." effective August 23, 2024 (the "Name Change"). Concurrently, the Company's trading symbol on the TSX Venture Exchange will change to "GPUS". The Company's trading symbols on the OTC Markets (OTC Pink) and Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE) will remain unchanged.

The Company's common shares will begin trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the new name and trading symbol on August 23, 2024. The new CUSIP number for the Company's common shares will be 021155106, and the new ISIN number will be CA0211551068. The share capital of the Company will remain unchanged.

"The name and symbol changes represent an inflection point for the Company as we intensify our focus on the rapidly evolving AI sector," said Morgan Good, CEO of Alset. "Rebranding as Alset AI Ventures Inc., with the new ticker GPUS, highlights our strategic dedication to innovation and growth within this dynamic industry. We believe that this new identity, along with our updated Investment Policy, better aligns with the Company's vision and future direction."

The Company believes that this name change better aligns with its strategic commitment to building a portfolio of emerging companies that are advancing full-stack AI solutions, including AI services, AI software, AI GPU hardware, and AI data centers.

Alset remains dedicated to supporting AI companies that demonstrate breakthrough technologies, robust business models, and exceptional leadership. The Company invests in both early-stage startups and established ventures, providing the financial and strategic guidance necessary to thrive in today's dynamic AI ecosystem. Its vision is to cultivate a diverse portfolio of full-stack AI offerings that drive innovation and growth.

Updated Investment Policy to Focus on Artificial Intelligence

The Company is also pleased to announce that it has amended and updated its Investment Policy to provide that its investments shall be primarily focused in the technology industry with an emphasis on artificial intelligence. The Company and its Board of Directors have determined that it is in the best interests of the Company to update its Investment Policy and believes that the updated Investment Policy better aligns with the Company's strategic goals, objectives, and ultimate vision.

To view the Company's updated Investment Policy, please visit its website at alsetai.com .

On behalf of Alset Capital Inc.

"Morgan Good"

Morgan Good

Chief Executive Officer

About Alset Capital Inc.

Alset Capital Inc. is an investment issuer that is focused on investment in diversified industries such as technology, healthcare, industrial, special situations, operating businesses through both debt and equity using cash resources or shares in its capital. The Company is led by an experienced, entrepreneurial group of executives having a diverse industry and capital markets background.

Alset Capital Inc.'s investment portfolio comprises 49% ownership of Cedarcross International Technologies Inc. and 49% ownership of Vertex AI Ventures Inc.

For further information about Alset Capital Inc., please contact:

Morgan Good, CEO and Director

T: 604.715.4751

E: morgan@alsetai.com

Cautionary Note regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as, "subject to", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements include statements with respect to receiving regulatory and exchange approvals with respect to the Name Change. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, but the actual results may be materially different from any future expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements can be affected by known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including, but not limited to, the equity markets generally and a failure to obtain the necessary approvals from the TSX Venture Exchange. Accordingly, readers should not 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.

SOURCE: Alset Capital Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Tortola, British Virgin Islands--(Newsfile Corp. - August 21, 2024) - Sailfish Royalty Corp. (TSXV: FISH) (OTCQX: SROYF) (the "Company" or "Sailfish") is pleased to announce its operating and financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2024 ("Q2 2024"). All amounts are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.

Q2 2024 Highlights:

Gold ounces earned from stream interests of 365 and 456 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 (268 and 628 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023);

Royalty revenue earned of $167,844 and $329,831 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 ($nil for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023);

Total revenues of $1,026,242 and $1,384,197 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 ($529,648 and $1,206,126 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023);

Gross profit of $565,681 and $813,768 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 ($292,348 and $658,528 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023);

Net income of $1,141,470 and $1,289,505 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 (net loss of $434,676 and $1,044,232 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023);

Repurchased for cancellation an aggregate of 983,400 common shares of the Company under the current normal course issuer bid for the six months ended June 30, 2024 (322,200 for the six months ended June 30, 2023); and

Declared quarterly dividends of $0.0125 per common share on March 22, 2024 and May 28, 2024, which were paid on April 15, 2024 and July 15, 2024, respectively.

Summary of Quarterly Results:





Three months ended June 30, 2024 Three months ended June 30, 2023

Six months ended June 31, 2024 Six months ended June 31, 2023

Condensed interim consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss)



$

$











Revenues

1,026,242 529,648

1,384,197 1,206,126

Gross profit

565,681 292,348

813,768 658,528

Net income (loss)

1,141,470 (434,676 ) 1,289,505 (1,044,232 ) Basic loss per share

0.02 (0.01 ) 0.02 (0.01 ) Diluted loss per share

0.02 (0.01 ) 0.02 (0.01 )

For complete details, please refer to the Unaudited Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023 and associated Management Discussion and Analysis for the three and six months ended June 30, 2024, available on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) or on the Company's website (www.sailfishroyalty.com).

Subsequent to Q2 2024 Highlights:

On July 19, 2024, the Company announced that the TSX-V had accepted a notice filed by the Company of its intention to make a normal course issuer bid to be transacted through the facilities of the TSXV. The notice provides that the Company may, during the 12-month period commencing July 22, 2024 and ending July 21, 2025, purchase up to 3,539,756 common shares of the Company in total, being approximately 5% of the total number of shares outstanding as at July 16, 2024.

Subsequent to June 30, 2024, the Company received 15,010 ounces of silver pertaining to its Silver Receivable.

Subsequent to June 30, 2024, the Company cancelled 214,100 common shares.

Subsequent to June 30, 2024, the Company purchased 266,400 common shares on-market under the Company's normal course issuer bid.

Renmark Financial Communications Inc.

The Company is pleased to announce that it has retained the services of Renmark Financial Communications Inc. ("Renmark") to expand its investor relations activities.

"We are pleased to announce that we have added Renmark to reinforce the Company's message with the investment community and enhance the visibility of our company as the Spring Valley Gold Project approaches final permits. We chose Renmark because of its track record of reaching institutional investors and family offices." - Paolo Lostritto, Chief Executive Officer.

In consideration of the services to be provided, the monthly fees incurred by the Company will be a cash consideration of up to CAD$8,000, starting August 20, for a period of seven months ending on March 20, 2025.

Renmark does not have any interest, directly or indirectly, in Sailfish or its securities, or any right or intent to acquire such an interest. This agreement is subject to the approval of the TSX-V.

About Renmark Financial Communications Inc.



Founded in 1999, Renmark is a privately held full-service investor relations firm, located in Atlanta, New York, Toronto and Montreal. For the past 25 years, Renmark has provided services in investor relations, media relations and web development representing small, medium and large cap public companies listed on all major North American exchanges. On a daily basis our team of professionals enhance our client's visibility within the retail market space as corporate communicators. With the largest roadshow footprint in North America, and a state-of-the-art media studio, we host a multitude of live streaming Virtual Non-Deal Roadshows across North America and Europe.

About Sailfish

Sailfish is a precious metals royalty and streaming company. Within Sailfish's portfolio are three main assets in the Americas: a gold stream equivalent to a 3% NSR on the San Albino gold mine (~3.5 sq. km) and a 2% NSR on the rest of the area (~134.5 sq. km) surrounding San Albino in northern Nicaragua; an up to 3% NSR on the multi-million ounce Spring Valley gold project in Pershing County, Nevada; and a 100% interest in the Gavilanes Silver Project located in Durango State, Mexico.

Sailfish is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "FISH" and on the OTCQX under the symbol "SROYF". Please visit the Company's website at www.sailfishroyalty.com for additional information.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as the 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/220623

SOURCE: Sailfish Royalty Corp.
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ANNAPOLIS, Md., Aug. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Alphyn, a clinical-stage dermatology company developing first-in-class Multi-Target Therapeutics, announced today that it has received a notice of claims allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) covering compositions and methods of use for the drug formulation of Zabalafin Hydrogel (AB-101a) for atopic dermatitis. Once issued, the patent will cover Zabalafin Hydrogel through 2042 and will be eligible for listing in the FDA's Orange Book providing additional protection benefits once Zabalafin Hydrogel is approved by the FDA.

Zabalafin Hydrogel is Alphyn's lead product candidate and is being developed as the first therapeutic for AD to directly treat AD's itch, directly treat bacteria that are increasingly thought to cause AD's inflammation and flares and cause infected AD skin and directly treat AD's inflammation. Zabalafin Hydrogel is a novel, first-in-class complex single-source botanical drug with multiple bioactive compounds that provide multiple mechanisms of action, including anti-pruritic (anti-itch), antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory activity. The topical is derived from the company's Zabalafin Platform.

"Zabalafin Hydrogel holds great promise as the first complete treatment for AD to directly tackle all the components that cause and worsen the disease," said Alphyn CEO Neal Koller. "We believe this allowance and the resulting patent would provide broad protection of this novel drug, as we aggressively build our intellectual property portfolio for both Zabalafin Hydrogel and our Zabalafin Platform globally."

Zabalafin Hydrogel completed Phase 2a clinical trials in 2024, demonstrating that it is highly effective in treating AD's itch, and improving patients' quality of life with limited side effects and strong patient tolerability. The results indicate the potential of Zabalafin Hydrogel to be the "drug of choice" for patients ages 2 and older, as the first worry-free AD therapeutic for long-term continuous use. Alphyn anticipates Phase 2b trials will begin in the U.S., Europe, and Australia in 2025.

ABOUT ALPHYN BIOLOGICS

Alphyn Biologics is a clinical-stage dermatology company developing first-in-class Multi-Target Therapeutics for severe and prevalent skin diseases based on its Zabalafin Platform. Its lead product candidate, Zabalafin Hydrogel, is being developed as a topical treatment for atopic dermatitis (AD), the most common form of eczema. Zabalafin Hydrogel has demonstrated efficacy in Phase 2a clinical trials, and the company believes it will be the first AD drug to directly treat AD's itch, directly treat bacteria that are increasingly thought to cause AD's inflammation and flares and cause infected AD skin and directly treat AD's inflammation. Clinical trial results of Zabalafin Hydrogel suggest it has the potential to be the first AD treatment that is worry-free for long-term, continuous use.

Alphyn's Zabalafin Platform has multiple bioactive compounds and, therefore, multiple mechanisms of action to support a robust pipeline of dermatologic therapeutics that have potential safety, side effect, patient tolerability, efficacy, and regulatory marketing authorization advantages. Alphyn is based in Annapolis, Maryland, and Cincinnati, Ohio, and has wholly-owned subsidiaries in Australia and Austria. The company became operational in 2020 and has raised approximately US$16 million.

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ROK Resources Inc. (" ROK " or the " Company ") (TSXV:ROK)(OTCQB:ROKRF) has filed its interim Financial Results and Management Discussion & Analysis for the six months ended June 30, 2024.

The Company executed on its previously announced post spring-break up drilling program in late Q2 2024, utilizing Funds Flow of $5.0 million towards the drilling of 4 gross (3.44 net) wells in Southeast Saskatchewan. The Company purposefully utilized Q1 2024 to deliver on: (i) debt reduction, (ii) improvement of operational efficiencies, (iii) strategic well optimizations, and (iv) advancement of the lithium project, and began its Southeast Saskatchewan development program in the second quarter.

The Company remains well positioned to continue its 2024 drilling program through year-end, with the flexibility to allocate capital across its light oil prospects in Saskatchewan. Despite operational delays due to abnormally wet weather in Q2 2024, the Company's 2024 guidance remains relatively unchanged.



1H 2024 Guidance 1H 2024 Actuals 2H 2024 Guidance 2024 Year Guidance Capital Expenditures (MM) $ 9.50 $ 8.00 $ 16.00 $ 24.00 Exit Production (boepd) 1,2 4,000 3,805 4,500 4,500 Funds from Operations (MM) $ 15.00 $ 15.03 $ 15.00 $ 30.03 Exit Adjusted Net Debt (MM) $ 16.50 $ 15.10 $ 20.00 $ 20.00 Average WTI (US$) $78/bbl $80/bbl $75/bbl $76.50/bbl

Notes:

63% liquids 300 boepd shut-in on June 15, 2024 at Kaybob due to AECO pricing 2H 2024 production guidance assumes Kaybob volumes are back on-stream before year-end

Q2 2024 HIGHLIGHTS

Production In-line with Forecast: Production averaged 3,937 boepd (63% liquids), a YoY increase of 19.4%;

Operating Netback Increase: Operated Netback of $17.87 per boe compared to $16.06 per boe in Q1 2024;

Successful Frobisher Drill Program: Drilled 4 gross (3.44 net) wells with an average IP30 of 148 boepd;

Successful Optimization Program: Continued success with casing gas compressor installations on Midale producers, resulting in average capital efficiencies of $3,850/boepd and 4-to-6 month payouts;

Adjusted Net Debt Reduction: Adjusted Net Debt reduced from $18.7 million at the end of Q4 2023 to $15.1 million at the end Q2 2024; and

Credit Facility Renewed: The Company maintains a $22.5 million credit facility through June 30 th , 2025.

2024 OPERATIONS UPDATE AND OUTLOOK

Year to date, the Company has successfully drilled 5 gross (4.33 net) wells in 2024, currently producing a total of 735 boepd (640 boepd net to ROK). In addition, since beginning casing gas compressor installations on existing Midale wells in Southeast Saskatchewan, the Company has added 280 boepd (IP90) to the base production levels of 15 wells. Management has identified an additional 22 locations for compressor installations over the next 18 months.

Key initiatives for 2024 remain unchanged with the Company focusing on using its current balance sheet to target strategic opportunities in core areas, improving operational efficiencies through targeted well optimizations and undertaking operational cost reduction measures. The remaining drill program aims to add Frobisher drilling inventory while proving up Midale prospects with multi-lateral drilling. The Company anticipates completing its 2024 drilling program by drilling a total of 7 to 9 gross wells in 2H 2024.

KAYBOB, ALBERTA, UPDATE

As previously mentioned, with the current softening of the North American natural gas markets, the Company has continued to shut-in 300 boepd (80% natural gas) in its Kaybob, Alberta area. The strategic shut-ins are expected for the balance of Q3 2024 with reactivation expected by year-end.

Q2 2024 FINANCIALS

Financial Q2 2024 Q2 2023 YTD 2024 YTD 2023 Net income (loss) 81,503 (326,538 ) (5,530,751 ) (63,747 ) Basic ($/share) 0.00 (0.00 ) (0.03 ) (0.00 ) Diluted ($/share) 0.00 (0.00 ) (0.03 ) (0.00 ) Funds flow 5,000,885 4,955,562 11,343,103 14,639,438 Basic ($/share) 0.02 0.02 0.05 0.07 Diluted ($/share) 0.02 0.02 0.05 0.06 Expenditures on property, plant and equipment 5,275,862 3,559,136 7,094,622 9,004,786

Operating Oil and Natural Gas Sales 21,742,281 17,737,937 42,673,516 41,875,450 Royalties (3,782,175 ) (3,788,007 ) (7,737,218 ) (8,559,392 ) Operating Expenses (11,555,289 ) (9,770,012 ) (22,279,328 ) (19,241,548 ) Operating Income 6,404,817 4,179,918 12,656,970 14,074,510 Realized gain (loss) on commodity contracts (65,261 ) 2,459,098 860,756 5,125,545 Processing and other income 647,195 260,805 1,509,273 995,536 Funds from Operations 6,986,751 6,899,821 15,026,999 20,195,591 Average daily production Crude oil (bbl/d) 2,074 1,692 2,140 2,077 NGLs (boe/d) 411 340 435 370 Natural gas (mcf/d) 8,715 7,591 9,198 7,613 Total (boe/d) 3,937 3,297 4,107 3,716 Operating Netback per boe Oil and Natural Gas Sales 60.68 59.13 57.08 62.26 Royalties (10.56 ) (12.63 ) (10.35 ) (12.73 ) Operating Expenses (32.25 ) (32.57 ) (29.80 ) (28.61 ) Operating Netbacks ($/boe) 17.87 13.93 16.93 20.92 Funds from Operations ($/boe) 19.50 23.00 20.10 30.03 Operating Income Profit Margin 29.4 % 23.6 % 29.7 % 33.6 % Funds from Operations Profit Margin 32.1 % 38.9 % 35.2 % 48.2 %



Share information







Common shares outstanding, end of period 218,419,315 214,873,217 218,419,315 214,873,217 Weighted average basic shares outstanding 218,419,315 214,382,652 218,418,831 213,156,298 Weighted average diluted shares outstanding 236,352,197 252,620,714 236,351,713 261,173,477

Q2 2024 FINANCIAL SUMMARY

In Q2 2024, the Company realized average daily production volume of 3,937 boepd (63% liquids), resulting in oil and natural gas sales of $21.7 million and realized hedge loss of $0.1 million. The Company realized Funds from Operations of $7.0 million, after royalties, operating expenses, and processing and other income.

Operating costs, which include expenses incurred to operate wells, gather, treat, and transport production volumes, as well as costs to perform well and facility repairs and maintenance, were consistent with Company expectations for the quarter, averaging $32.25 per boe, with lower maintenance and workover costs for the period when compared to 2023. Operating costs are expected to average $30 per boe in 2024.

Capital expenditures in the first half of 2024 totaled $8.0 million, which included $4.4 million towards the Company's drilling programs, $1.0 million towards well reactivations, $0.8 million towards land and seismic acquisitions, and $0.9 million towards facilities and gathering systems. Compared to the Company's first-half 2024 capital budget of $9.5 million, lower costs were incurred due to delays associated with abnormally wet conditions in Southeast Saskatchewan.

NET DEBT

Net Debt as at June 30, 2024, and December 31, 2023, as outlined below:

June 30, 2024 December 31, 2023 Accounts receivable 12,439,856 13,021,111 Prepaids and deposits 347,352 364,090 Risk management contracts (1,634,514 ) 4,521,075 Accounts payable (17,924,739 ) (17,560,130 ) Adjusted working capital (2) (6,772,045 ) 346,146

Credit Facility (8.4%) (1) 9,982,332 14,501,748 Lease obligations (1) 475,173 545,851 Less: adjusted working capital (2) 6,772,045 (346,146 ) Net debt 17,229,550 14,701,453



Represents undiscounted face value of debt balances and lease obligations outstanding as of each respective date presented. Calculation of adjusted working capital excludes current portion of debt as presented on the statement of financial position. The mark-to-market fair value of the current portion of risk management contracts is included within adjusted working capital.

ROK uses "Net Debt" as a measure of the Company's financial position and liquidity, however it is not intended to be viewed as an alternative to other measures calculated in accordance with IFRS.

Complete reports and statements will be made available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company website www.rokresources.ca .

About ROK

ROK is primarily engaged in exploring for petroleum and natural gas development activities in Alberta and Saskatchewan. It has offices located in both Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada and Calgary, Alberta, Canada. ROK's common shares are traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol "ROK".

For further information, please contact:

Cameron Taylor, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Bryden Wright, President and Chief Operating Officer

Jared Lukomski, Senior Vice President, Land & Business Development

Lynn Chapman, Chief Financial Officer

Phone: (306) 522-0011

Email: investor@rokresources.ca

Website: www.rokresources.ca

Non-IFRS Measures

The non-IFRS measures referred to above do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS Accounting Standards (" IFRS ") and, therefore, may not be comparable to similar measures used by other companies. Management uses this non-IFRS measurement to provide its shareholders and investors with a measurement of the Company's financial performance and are not intended to represent operating profits nor should they be viewed as an alternative to cash provided by operating activities, net income or other measures of financial performance calculated in accordance with IFRS. The reader is cautioned that these amounts may not be directly comparable to measures for other companies where similar terminology is used.

" Operating Income " is calculated by deducting royalties and operating expense from total sales revenue. Total sales revenue is comprised of oil and gas sales. The Company refers to Operating Income expressed per unit of production as an " Operating Netback ". " Operating Income Profit Margin " is calculated by the Company as Operating Income as a percentage of oil and natural gas sales. " Funds from Operations " is calculated by adding other income and realized gains/losses on commodity contracts ("hedging") to Operating Income.

The following table reconciles the aforementioned non-IFRS measures:



Q2 2024 Q2 2023 YTD 2024 YTD 2023 Oil and Natural Gas Sales 21,742,281 17,737,937 42,673,516 41,875,450 Royalties (3,782,175 ) (3,788,007 ) (7,737,218 ) (8,559,392 ) Operating Expenses (11,555,289 ) (9,770,012 ) (22,279,328 ) (19,241,548 ) Operating Income 6,404,817 4,179,918 12,656,970 14,074,510 Realized gain (loss) on commodity contracts (65,261 ) 2,459,098 860,756 5,125,545 Processing and other income 647,195 260,805 1,509,273 995,536 Funds from Operations 6,986,751 6,899,821 15,026,999 20,195,591

Sales volume (boe) 358,303 300,006 747,563 672,576

Per boe Oil and Natural Gas Sales 60.68 59.13 57.08 62.26 Royalties (10.56 ) (12.63 ) (10.35 ) (12.73 ) Operating Expenses (32.25 ) (32.57 ) (29.80 ) (28.61 ) Operating Netback 17.87 13.93 16.93 20.92 Funds from Operations 19.50 23.00 20.10 30.03 Operating Income Profit Margin 29.4 % 23.6 % 29.7 % 33.6 % Funds from Operations Profit Margin 32.1 % 38.9 % 35.2 % 48.2 %

" Net Debt " includes all indebtedness of the Company, such as the Credit Facility and Lease Obligations (each as defined within the Company's interim condensed financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2024), net of Adjusted Working Capital. " Adjusted Working Capital " is calculated as current assets less current liabilities, excluding current portion of debt and lease liability as defined on the Company's statement of financial position within the Company's interim condensed financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2024. " Adjusted Net Debt " is calculated by removing the "mark-to-market fair value of the current portion of risk management contracts" and "lease obligations" (each as defined within the Company's interim condensed financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2024) from Net Debt.

The following table reconciles Net Debt to Adjusted Net Debt:

June 30, 2024 December 31, 2023 Net Debt 17,229,550 14,701,453 Remove: Current portion of risk management contracts (1,634,514 ) 4,521,075 Remove: Lease obligations (475,173 ) (545,851 ) Adjusted Net Debt 15,119,863 18,676,677

" Funds Flow " includes all cash from (used in) operating activities and is calculated before the change in non-cash working capital. " Funds Flow Basic ($/share) " and " Funds Flow Diluted ($/share) " are calculated by dividing Funds Flow by the weighted average number of basic shares and weighted average number of diluted shares outstanding, respectively, for the relevant period, as presented within the Company's interim condensed financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2024. These are considered key measures of operating performance and capital management as they demonstrate the Company's ability to generate the cash necessary to repay debt and fund capital investments. Management believes that by excluding the temporary impact of changes in non-cash operating working capital, each of these provide useful measures of ROK's ability to generate cash that are not subject to short-term movements in non-cash operating working capital.

The following table reconciles cash flow from operating activities to Funds Flow:





Q2 2024 Q2 2023 YTD 2024 YTD 2023 Cash provided by operating activities 6,484,206 9,366,721 10,659,931 14,422,676 Change in non-cash working capital (1,483,321 ) (4,411,159 ) 683,172 216,762 Funds Flow 5,000,885 4,955,562 11,343,103 14,639,438

Conversion Measures

Production volumes and reserves are commonly expressed on a barrel of oil equivalent (" boe ") basis whereby natural gas volumes are converted at the ratio of 6 thousand cubic feet (" Mcf ") to 1 barrel of oil (" bbl "). Although the intention is to sum oil and natural gas measurement units into one basis for improved analysis of results and comparisons with other industry participants, boe's may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A boe conversion ratio of 6 Mcf to 1 bbl is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. In recent years, the value ratio based on the price of crude oil as compared to natural gas has been significantly higher than the energy equivalency of 6:1 and utilizing a conversion of natural gas volumes on a 6:1 basis may be misleading as an indication of value.

Abbreviations

bbls/d bopd

barrels per day barrels per day boepd

barrels oil equivalent per day IP

Initial Production NGLs

Natural Gas Liquids Mboe Mg/l

Thousands of barrels of oil equivalent Milligrams per Litre MMboe

Millions of barrels of oil equivalent PDP

Proved Developed Producing TP

Total Proved Reserves TPP

Total Proved and Probable Reserves WTI CA$ US$

West Texas Intermediate, the reference price paid in U.S. dollars at Cushing, Oklahoma for the crude oil standard grade Canadian dollars U.S. dollars

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release includes certain " forward-looking statements " under applicable Canadian securities legislation that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Company's objectives, goals, or future plans and the expected results thereof. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on several estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include but are not limited to general business, economic and social uncertainties; litigation, legislative, environmental, and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; delay or failure to receive board, shareholder or regulatory approvals; those additional risks set out in ROK's public documents filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com; and other matters discussed in this news release. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Except where required by law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether because of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility of the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: ROK Resources Inc.

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Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 21, 2024) - NuGen Medical Devices Inc. (TSXV: NGMD) (the "Company" or "NuGen") a leading developer of needle-free devices to administer therapeutics subcutaneously, is pleased to announce voting results from the annual and special meeting of the Company's shareholders (the "Meeting") held on August 20, 2024. At the Meeting, shareholders voted in favour of all resolutions brought before them. Details of all resolutions that were voted upon are set out in the Management Information Circular (the "Management Information Circular") dated July 22, 2024. The Management Information Circular is available on SEDAR+ ( www.sedarplus.ca ).

Election of Directors

All of the board of director nominees listed in the Management Information Circular were elected as directors of the Company. Results of the vote were as follows:

Nominee Votes For Richard Buzbuzian 99.86% Tony Di Benedetto 99.86% Karen Dunlap 99.86% John Leombruno 99.99% Philip Cortese 99.99% Chris Irwin 99.77%

Other Items of Business

In addition, at the Meeting, shareholders approved the appointment of the Company's auditors, KPMG LLP, and the annual approval and confirmation of the company's stock option plan. The results of the votes were as follows:

Item Votes For Appointment of KPMG LLP as auditors of the Company 99.99% Approval of Stock Option Plan 99.86%

As noted in the Company's press release dated August 15, 2024, the Company will seek the approval of its shareholders for the creation of Sol-Millennium Medical HK Limited and Nature Health Development (Hong Kong) Co., Limited as control persons of the Company at a special shareholder meeting to be held at a later date. The Company will update the market with the details of such meeting at the appropriate time.

About NuGen

NuGen is a leading developer of needle-free devices to administer therapeutics subcutaneously. The Company is marketing and selling its next-generation InsuJet needle-free injection system designed to improve the lives of millions of diabetics. InsuJet is approved for sale in 42 countries around the world.

For further information, please visit:

Websites: www.insujet.com, www.nugenmd.com, www.solm.com , and www.solm.com/insujet/

Instagram: @NuGenMD

Twitter: @NuGenMD

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nugenmd/

and www.linkedin.com/company/sol-millennium-medical-group/

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Information:

Neither TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein is given as of the date hereof and the Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/220605

SOURCE: NuGen Medical Devices Inc.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 21, 2024) - Fremont Gold Ltd. (TSXV: FRE) (FSE: FR20) (OTCQB: FRERF) ("Fremont" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Joel Sutherland has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of Fremont and a director of the Company.

Mr. Sutherland brings over 20 years of extensive experience in capital markets, having excelled as an Equity Research Analyst and in Institutional Sales at prominent firms including Merrill Lynch in Toronto and New York City, BMO Capital Markets, and CIBC World Markets. He has been recognized for his outstanding performance, notably being ranked as the top salesperson for Canadian equities across multiple Boston-based accounts over several years. In recent years, Mr. Sutherland has also played pivotal roles in corporate development and communications for various companies, with a focus on leading successful financing initiatives.

A Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, Mr. Sutherland holds a Bachelor's degree in Finance from Queen's University (1994) and completed a Commerce program with an accounting specialization at McGill University (1995).

Mr. Sutherland succeeds Dennis Moore as CEO, who will continue as President and a director of Fremont. Mr. Moore will concentrate on advancing Fremont's promising portfolio of Armenian copper and gold projects, identifying new business opportunities, and supporting ongoing marketing efforts.

Mr. Moore commented, "As a founder of Fremont and its largest shareholder, I have full confidence in Joel's ability to lead the Company. His extensive capital market experience and management skills are exactly what Fremont needs to reach the next level. As CEO, Joel will focus on building Fremont's brand among key stakeholders, securing the necessary financing for exploration success, and managing the Company's daily operations. This will allow me to dedicate more time to resource discovery, project development, and identifying new business opportunities. Joel's expertise is a perfect complement to my own skills as a mine finder."

Mr. Sutherland added, "Dennis has assembled a portfolio with tremendous potential for creating shareholder value. Having worked with Fremont for over a year as an advisor on corporate markets and finance matters, I am thrilled to officially join the team. With a portfolio of prospective tier-one copper and gold projects in one of the world's most promising mineral belts, combined with a highly skilled team of local geologists, technicians, and legal advisors, as well as strong community support in Armenia, the Company is well-positioned to achieve its goals. I look forward to collaborating closely with Dennis and the Fremont team to unlock the significant shareholder value embedded within our asset portfolio."

As part of Mr. Sutherland's compensation package, he will receive annual cash compensation of US$125,000 and 600,000 stock options at an exercise price of C$0.095 per common share. The stock options have a term of five years and, of these options, 20% will vest immediately, with an additional 20% vesting every six months over the next two years. Subject to TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") approval, Mr. Sutherland will also receive an aggregate of 580,000 common shares of the Company, issued as follows: (i) 116,000 common shares upon TSXV approval (the "Initial Issuance"); (ii) 116,000 common shares on the six-month anniversary of the Initial Issuance; (iii) 116,000 common shares on the 12-month anniversary of the Initial Issuance; (iv) 116,000 common shares on the 18-month anniversary of the Initial Issuance; and (v) 116,000 common shares on the 24-month anniversary of the Initial Issuance. The common shares will be issued at a deemed price equal to the market price of the Company's shares on the day preceding each issuance.

About Fremont Gold Ltd.

Fremont's management team has assembled a portfolio of high-quality copper-gold projects within the central Tethyan Belt of Armenia, with the intention of making tier one size discoveries. The Company's portfolio includes the Vardenis copper-gold property in central Armenia and the Urasar District gold project in northern Armenia. Fremont continues to evaluate additional opportunities within this highly prospective mineral belt.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward- Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements including, without limitation, statements regarding advancing the Company's existing projects, identifying new business opportunities, securing additional financings, intention of making tier one size discoveries and the proposed share issuances to Joel Sutherland. Important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations including the risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/220650

SOURCE: Fremont Gold Ltd.
Kelowna, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 21, 2024) - Enduro Metals Corporation (TSXV: ENDR) (OTCQB: ENDMF) (FSE: SOG0) ("Enduro Metals" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on its 2024 summer exploration program on its 100% owned Newmont Lake Project.

The Company's 2024 exploration program will focus on two key objectives:

Oriented-core diamond drilling at McLymont to test the structural controls on gold-bearing quartz-carbonate veins that carry the highest-grade gold and copper material drilled to-date in the area. Further exploration of copper-gold porphyry targets along the Copper-Line, particularly at North Toe (see Enduro news release November 29th, 2023).

McLymont Fault

The McLymont Fault will be the primary focus of the Company's exploration efforts in 2024. The greater than 20km long geological feature is prospective for high-grade gold and porphyry deposits of varying styles. Last December, Seabridge Gold discovered the upper part of a new porphyry with intermediate sulfidation epithermal mineralization at the southwest end of the McLymont corridor, highlighted by 277m of 0.80 g/t Au near the Enduro/Seabridge Gold property boundary (See Seabridge Gold news release December 14th, 2023).

Cole Evans, CEO of Enduro Metals commented, "There are multiple styles of gold mineralization along the McLymont Fault, and our technical team, supported by third party review, has developed a new structural interpretation we believe may be the most important control for gold mineralization that will lend to building a high-grade gold and copper resource at McLymont.

Drilling will be conducted in the opposite direction compared to historical work using precise, oriented-core diamond drilling methods. The objectives are to first test areas near zones of known gold mineralization and correlate sub-surface structures with those mapped on surface. This will be followed by down-dip drill testing of these zones in areas previously never drilled. The aim of the program is to help us understand the pathways gold has moved through at McLymont which is characterized by a >3km surface gold anomaly with similar geological characteristics to Cominco's past-producing Snip Mine located 20km to the southwest along the McLymont structural corridor."

Figure 1: Cross-section of Pad 1 with 2 holes striking 120 degrees and dipping -45 and -75 into interpreted, NW-dipping mineralized structures. Holes are planned to an estimated total length of 300m.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6406/220628_b8be1758c477fbf0_002full.jpg

Most historic drilling on the Newmont Lake property was done on the McLymont Fault. The main target was the NW Zone which has a historic mineral estimate based on 16,992m of diamond drilling completed between 1987-1990 by Gulf Minerals.

Three different gold mineralization styles have been identified within the McLymont Fault: i) skarn, ii) epithermal, and iii) porphyry-like mineralization. Enduro's geological model has high-grade gold skarn near-surface, with gold being fed by underlying high-grade epithermal feeder veins sourced from an ultimate porphyry source.

Highlights of recent drilling completed by the Company on the McLymont Fault include:

Hole NW20-09 which intercepted 10.03g/t Au, 2.31g/t Ag and 0.36% Cu over 28.34m, including 31.09g/t Au, 6.54g/t Ag and 1.07% Cu over 8.85m;

Hole NW20-01 which intercepted 19.44g/t Au, 25.29g/t Ag and 1.32% Cu over 2.12m; and

Hole NW19-12 which intercepted 1.10g/t Au, 1.15g/t Ag and 0.09% Cu over 188.00m, including 4.04g/t Au, 4.06g/t Ag and 0.29% Cu over 44.13m.

A table of significant assay results from drilling on the project prior to its acquisition by the Company is set out in Annex 1.

The 2024 program is designed to explore gold bearing structures intersecting lithology previously thought to be the primary ore control. The structural interpretation is based on a third-party review of mineralization at the NW Zone. The analysis included orientated drill core and structural mapping undertaken during the summer of 2023. 2024's program will combine relogging of historic drill core, detailed surface mapping, and a highly targeted drill program to identify structures hosting the chalcopyrite-pyrite bearing quartz-carbonate veins with the highest gold grades in the known mineralization. The drill program is planned to be up to 2,000m of orientated diamond drilling from 2 drill pads.

Figure 2: Cross-section of Pad 2 with 2 holes striking 120 degrees and dipping -45 and -60 into interpreted, NW-dipping mineralized structures. Holes are planned to an estimated total length of 500m.To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6406/220628_b8be1758c477fbf0_003full.jpg

Copper-Gold Porphyry Target Generation

Enduro will also continue to explore and advance other Copper-Gold porphyry targets across the wider Newmont Lake property. The main targets include North Toe / Big Toe along the Copper-Line (see Enduro news release May 24th, 2023). A combination of geophysics, bedrock sampling, channel sampling, and mapping will be used to enhance our understanding of these areas and develop drill targets for future exploration campaigns.

The North Toe target is a newly exposed zone uncovered by recent glacial retreat. Geological prospecting in 2022 identified an area of quartz-chalcopyrite stockwork veining and encouraging porphyry-style alteration typical of alkalic copper-gold porphyry systems showing zones of potassic alteration in association with quartz-magnetite-chalcopyrite+/-bornite stockwork veining on surface.

Surface rock chip samples collected in 2022 from the target returned grades of up to 4.08% Cu and 57.83 g/t Au over an area of 2.5km. In 2023, detailed mapping was completed to identify the host intrusion and identify structural controls on mineralization. Rock samples from this campaign returned up to 0.78% copper and 0.21g/t gold. Additionally, 240-line km of drone magnetics were flown over the target with data emphasizing the structural importance of the area. North Toe is of comparable scale, and along strike of the Burgundy system with an ideal location for development, at low elevation and only 17.6km up valley from the Galore Creek Mine Road.

Figure 3: Plan view map of detailed mapping area highlighting planned channel sample over mineralized monzonite networks where samples assayed B0017861: 0.31% Cu, 0.64 ppm Au, and B0017858; 0.78% Cu, 0.21 ppm Au.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6406/220628_b8be1758c477fbf0_004full.jpg

Personnel will begin mobilization to Newmont Lake imminently and further information will be provided as groundwork begins.

The Company also wishes to advise that Deborah Cotter has resigned as Company Secretary of the Company. The role of Company Secretary will be assumed by Malcolm Davidson, the Company's Chief Financial Officer. The Board wishes to thank Ms Cotter for her services to the Company and wishes her the best in her future endeavours.

About Enduro Metals

Enduro Metals is an exploration company focused on its Newmont Lake Project; a total 688km2 property located between Eskay Creek, Snip, and Galore Creek within the heart of British Columbia's Golden Triangle. Building on prior results, the Company's geological team have outlined multiple deposit environments of interest across the Newmont Lake Project including high-grade epithermal/skarn gold along the McLymont Fault, copper-gold alkalic porphyry mineralization at Burgundy, newly discovered copper-gold porphyry mineralization at North Toe, and a large 10km x 4km geochemical anomaly hosting various gold, silver, copper, zinc, nickel, cobalt, and lead mineralization along the newly discovered Chachi Corridor.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

ENDURO METALS CORPORATION

"Cole Evans"

Chief Executive Officer

As a continued effort to keep investors, interested parties and stakeholders updated, we have several communication initiatives. If you have any questions online (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram) feel free to send direct messages or a post and include the hashtag askENDR.

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 Enduro'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. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur.

Although Enduro believes the forward-looking information contained in this news release is reasonable based on information available on the date hereof, by their nature forward-looking statements involve assumptions, known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. While the Company may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Annex 1: Significant Historic Drill Results Completed on the McLymont Gold Project Prior to the Acquisition of the Newmont Lake Property by the Company

Hole ID From (m) To (m) Length (m) Gold (g/t) Silver (g/t) Copper (%) NW87-15 5.60 8.40 2.80 14.4 14.4 0.32 NW87-25 104.50 110.30 5.80 19.96 4.91 0.29 NW87-25 143.30 144.40 1.10 52.11 6.86 0.42 NW87-29 66.70 68.60 1.90 277.46 191.42 2.13 NW88-21 157.80 161.50 3.70 13.66 1.70 0.08 NW88-28 65.20 69.80 4.60 28.57 10.00 0.41 NW88-28 79.40 84.30 4.90 22.32 9.20 0.24 NW88-31 30.30 33.30 3.00 21.26 28.00 0.29 NW88-32 95.20 96.20 1.00 48.69 4.80 0.21 NW88-35 39.30 41.40 2.10 121.76 61.71 0.58 NW89-01 77.80 79.90 2.10 52.28 29.88 2.29 NW89-05 12.80 14.60 1.80 24.65 14.06 0.24 NW89-06 27.30 29.60 2.30 13.56 5.56 0.44 NW89-09 27.50 32.50 5.00 8.41 23.79 0.79 NW89-11 66.40 72.80 6.40 26.39 60.54 0.57 NW89-18 25.60 28.10 2.50 17.01 28.57 0.46 NW89-19 66.80 68.00 1.20 32.71 78.34 0.96 NW89-22 4.90 7.60 2.70 18.83 11.09 0.32 NW89-23 24.30 26.60 2.30 25.11 13.97 0.27 NW89-25 70.50 73.20 2.70 15.89 17.10 0.19 NW89-29 7.90 9.90 2.00 34.61 38.92 0.46 NW89-51 15.90 16.30 0.40 277.00 4.11 0.32 NW89-66 157.90 158.50 0.60 39.02 0.35 0.11 NW90-01 59.40 61.30 1.90 16.07 165.82 0.09 NW90-01 63.20 66.40 3.20 39.29 0.20 0.12 NW90-02 50.10 50.90 0.80 40.01 - 0.0100 NW90-02 76.80 81.70 4.90 22.09 - 0.0100 NW90-17 113.10 114.80 1.70 28.39 0.39 17700 NW90-18 104.40 106.40 2.00 363.24 - 0.010 NW90-26 32.60 35.40 2.80 25.06 - 0.010 NW90-27 15.20 16.20 1.00 31.89 - 0.010 NW90-30 24.10 25.60 1.50 28.94 - 0.010 NW90-31 10.10 10.80 0.70 113.93 - 0.010 R-07-09 13.72 16.76 3.04 19.71 12.6 0.45 R-07-09 26.61 28.96 2.35 27.32 9.96 0.46 R-08-07 25.25 27.13 1.88 179.14 109.28 0.19 R-08-11 137.22 138.44 1.22 51.7 33.7 0.50

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/220628

SOURCE: Enduro Metals Corporation
Transaction Advances AIR's Growth Strategy With New Capabilities Across Expanded Footprint and Diversified Customer Base

Automated Industrial Robotics Inc. ("AIR" or the "Company") today announced the acquisition of Sewtec Automation ("Sewtec"), a leading industrial automation company based in the United Kingdom. The transaction expands AIR's geographic footprint, strengthens its engineering capabilities and further positions the Company to capitalize on the increasing global demand for manufacturing automation solutions across a diversified customer base. The transaction was funded primarily by an additional investment from an Ares Management Private Equity fund ("Ares").

Founded in 1983, Sewtec brings over 170 team members dedicated to advancing its mission to solve complex problems through engineering innovation and excellent customer service. Sewtec operates out of a 75,000 square-foot design and manufacturing facility, serving a range of brands across various sectors, including pharmaceutical, medical devices, food and beverage, personal care, pet care and e-commerce. With over 7,000 industrial automation systems invented, Sewtec prides itself on its technical expertise, industry knowledge and experience working across a wide variety of sectors to develop solutions that improve its customers' processes.

Sewtec joins Totally Automated Systems ("TA Systems") and Modular Automation ("Modular") as a foundational asset of the AIR portfolio. With the acquisition of Sewtec, AIR now has over 400 employees and an automation hub footprint of approximately 275,000 square feet across the United States, Ireland and the United Kingdom. By leveraging the significant engineering experience and capabilities in each of these hubs, AIR is advancing its goal to seamlessly deliver differentiated industrial automation solutions and service to its global customer base. With Ares' support, AIR expects to seek to further expand its platform through future strategic acquisitions of industrial automation companies with strong operational histories and tenured management teams, in addition to continued investment in its organic growth strategy.

AIR Executive Chairman Brian Klos and Chief Executive Officer Darragh de Stonndun said, "The acquisition of Sewtec represents a significant milestone for AIR. We have long been admirers of the quality of the automation solutions Sewtec has developed for their loyal customer base. We believe that sharing the respective strengths of Sewtec, TA Systems and Modular through AIR will help accelerate our businesses' abilities to enhance efficiencies, drive technological innovation and deliver industry-leading automation solutions to our partners."

Mark Cook, Co-Managing Director of Sewtec and newly appointed Chief Operating Officer of AIR, said, "This transaction represents an exciting new chapter in Sewtec's long history. I believe AIR is the right partner for Sewtec as we look to grow our business with existing and new customers. We look forward to leveraging the skills and know-how across AIR to further our ability to invent innovative solutions that help our customers solve complex operational challenges. As Chief Operating Officer of AIR, I look forward to working with team members across the Company to execute on our shared vision of creating a cohesive, global industrial automation platform."

Matt Cwiertnia, Partner and Head of the Ares Private Equity Group, said, "Ares is proud to continue its support of AIR's growth through this latest acquisition of Sewtec. This reinforces our shared goal of building AIR into a scaled player with a global manufacturing footprint, and we look forward to continuing to work with the Company to meet the significant and growing demand for high quality automation solutions."

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About Automated Industrial Robotics Inc.

AIR is an industrial automation company focused on acquiring and facilitating the growth of leading industrial automation companies serving diverse end markets with strong operational histories and tenured management teams. Grounded in a culture of safety, transparency and pursuit of excellent customer experience, AIR seeks to leverage complementary teams and technologies to deliver innovative, cost-competitive solutions to address the complex and challenging needs of global businesses. AIR is currently serving a global customer base across three facilities located in the United States, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

About Sewtec Automation

Sewtec Automation provides industrial automation solutions for global blue-chip clients in the pharmaceutical, medical devices, food and beverage, personal care, pet care and e-commerce markets. Sewtec specialises in providing bespoke solutions to address its customers' most challenging automation requirements. It currently employs over 170 high skilled people at its manufacturing facility in Wakefield, UK and at its new satellite office in Taunton, UK. For more information, please visit the Sewtec Automation website at https://www.sewtec.co.uk/.

About Ares Management Corporation

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, real estate, private equity and infrastructure asset classes. We seek to provide flexible capital to support businesses and create value for our stakeholders and within our communities. By collaborating across our investment groups, we aim to generate consistent and attractive investment returns throughout market cycles. As of June 30, 2024, Ares Management Corporation's global platform had over $447 billion of assets under management with more than 2,950 employees operating across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.aresmgmt.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240820987074/en/

Contacts:

Ares Management

Jacob Silber, +1-212-301-0376

media@aresmgmt.com or media.europe@aresmgmt.com
Acquisition Expands Supreme Group's Capabilities and Global Footprint

Supreme Group today announced the acquisition of BioStrata, an award-winning agency offering comprehensive marketing communication services to the life science sector. Based in Cambridge, England, and servicing clients globally, BioStrata has helped more than 200 life science organizations achieve their business goals across life science research tools, medical devices, diagnostics, contract research and manufacturing, biopharma, and other areas.

This strategic addition, backed by growth-oriented private equity firm Trinity Hunt Partners, will add BioStrata's best-in-class services to Supreme Group's platform dedicated to providing industry-leading business, marketing, and communications services to a broad range of life science and healthcare companies.

"This fourth acquisition marks a significant milestone on our path to building a world-class platform serving a broad range of companies in life science and healthcare," said Tom Donnelly, CEO, Supreme Group. "BioStrata's integrated communications and marketing expertise will enable us to better serve the diverse needs of life science companies, broaden our client base, and further expand our footprint in the UK and Europe."

BioStrata's leadership will remain in place, and the agency will continue to operate under its brand name as a standalone organization within Supreme Group. Clare Russell, co-founder and Managing Director of BioStrata, will take the role of President, while Paul Avery, co-founder and CEO of BioStrata, will assume the role of VP Marketing for Supreme Group.

"Joining Supreme Group opens up exciting new possibilities for BioStrata, our clients, and our team," said Clare Russell. "This partnership strengthens our position in the life science marketing landscape and enhances our service offering with specialized digital expertise. It also brings new growth opportunities for our talented team. We're thrilled to work alongside Supreme Group's leadership, who share our commitment to excellence, passion for the life science sector, and dedication to fostering a positive, engaging, and prosperous work environment for our people."

"At Trinity Hunt, we invest in people-based healthcare and business services companies that are leaders in their field," said Mike Steindorf, partner at Trinity Hunt. "The addition of BioStrata to our portfolio, alongside Supreme Optimization, Clarity Quest, and Health+Commerce, marks a key step to creating the world's premier life science marketing and communications provider. Under Tom's dynamic leadership as CEO, we're enthusiastic about nurturing these companies and exploring opportunities to welcome more outstanding businesses to the platform."

Fabric Business Solutions, with a team led by Tim O'Connor and Mark Stroud, served as the exclusive advisor to BioStrata during this process.

About Supreme Group

Trinity Hunt-backed Supreme Group is a platform dedicated to providing best-in-class business, marketing, and communications services to a broad range of life science and healthcare companies. Supreme Group's acquisitions to date include Supreme Optimization, a life sciences-focused digital agency; Clarity Quest, a health IT marketing agency; Health+Commerce, an integrated marketing and public relations agency serving innovative healthcare companies; and BioStrata, an award-winning agency offering comprehensive integrated services to the life science sector. For more information visit www.supremegroup.io.

About Trinity Hunt Partners

Trinity Hunt Partners is a growth-oriented private equity firm with over $2 billion of assets under management focused on building leading business, healthcare, and consumer services companies. Trinity Hunt's mission is to provide the talent and strategic, operational, and financial capabilities needed to build entrepreneurial services companies into market leaders. For more information, visit www.trinityhunt.com.

About BioStrata

Founded in 2014, BioStrata is an award-winning agency specializing in integrated marketing communications for the life science sector. With over 150 years of combined team experience and a track record of serving more than 200 life science organizations, BioStrata delivers strategic marketing solutions that drive tangible business results. The agency offers comprehensive services across the entire marketing mix, helping life science companies enhance brand awareness, generate leads, and convert prospects into customers. For more information, visit www.biostratamarketing.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240821058819/en/

Contacts:

Media contact:

Anne Alo

Health+Commerce

annealo@healthandcommerce.com
The strategic acquisition supports Infogrid's vision to optimize building operating budgets while advancing the industry's path to decarbonization.

As commercial real estate moves beyond data monitoring and reporting to action and automation, Buildings IOT's adaptive buildings technology makes it faster and easier for clients to realize energy, carbon, and cost savings.

Infogrid will integrate Buildings IOT's automated demand management, advanced fault detection, and grid interactivity offerings into its product suite, creating a one-of-a-kind solution for customers at scale across their portfolios.

Infogrid, the building intelligence and analytics company leveraging AI and data to curb the impact of the global real estate sector on the planet, today announces its acquisition of Buildings IOT's market-leading adaptive buildings technology. This strategic move will enhance Infogrid's ability to deliver autonomous actions that optimize building efficiency and generate significant energy, carbon, and cost savings for clients at global scale, leading the industry in a transition from pure analytics to genuine building automation.

The commercial real estate landscape is rapidly evolving, driven by the need to meet stringent net zero targets, increased regulation, fluctuating electricity costs and grid conditions, and changing patterns in space usage as the world embraces hybrid working. Adding to these pressures are widespread workforce shortages in skilled building engineering staff, making the integration of automation and AI into building operations more critical than ever.

Infogrid and Buildings IOT have long shared a vision of transforming building operations through data and automation. The unique combination of their technologies will provide a significant advantage to real estate and facilities management organizations navigating current market dynamics. The addition of Buildings IOT's automated demand management, advanced fault detection and diagnostics, and grid-interactive capabilities will strengthen Infogrid's suite of energy analytics products, helping building owners and operators ensure their properties are operating at peak efficiency by proactively incorporating grid conditions and automating consumption- and demand-reducing measures. These innovations enable clients to see quicker time-to-value, maximize energy and carbon reductions while optimizing for costs and comfort, and mitigate operating expenses all while doing more with less.

Infogrid CEO Kate Henningsen said, "This technology acquisition marks a pivotal moment in our mission to transform the built environment with technology that is as good for the planet as it is for the bottom line. By integrating Buildings IOT's adaptive buildings capabilities with Infogrid's suite of energy data and analytics tools, we can offer our clients unprecedented capabilities in automation that help them realize energy, carbon and cost savings faster and more easily than ever before. The combined technology represents a new milestone for real estate and facilities teams seeking to reduce their environmental impact and operating budgets at scale."

"Buildings IOT was founded with the mission to revolutionize the way buildings operate," added Buildings IOT CEO Brian Turner. "Combining the Infogrid and Buildings IOT technologies will be essential in aiding the built environment's shift to low carbon and making significant strides towards decarbonizing operations."

12 members of Buildings IOT's US- and Canada-based team will join Infogrid as part of the acquisition as Infogrid looks to incorporate the Buildings IOT solution into its technology stack. Infogrid will maintain its corporate headquarters in Washington, D.C. and London.

To learn more about the services on offer, visit www.infogrid.io and www.buildingsiot.com.

About Infogrid:

Infogrid is a data and analytics company on a mission to make every building smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable. Recently ranked in the top 10 tech companies leading the charge on climate action, it offers an AI-powered suite of products that empower real estate teams to reduce costs, decrease time spent on routine work, and find and act on opportunities to save energy and carbon. Discover how Infogrid's solutions can unlock the potential of your assets and accelerate the transition to net zero. Visit us at www.infogrid.io to learn more.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240820240031/en/

Contacts:

Zoe Williams

Director of Marketing, Infogrid

zoe.williams@infogrid.io
Crown Bioscience, a global contract research organization (CRO) and a JSR Life Sciences company, today announced a strategic partnership with Clinical Trial Consulting Services (CTI), a renowned global full-spectrum research service provider, to bolster oncology-focused consulting services. This collaboration unites decades of expertise from both organizations in oncology drug discovery and development, leveraging Crown Bioscience's preclinical and translational models and CTI's well-established track record in the clinical and regulatory space.

Customers will benefit from combined expert guidance, supporting the transition of oncology compounds from discovery through early-phase clinical trials more rapidly and effectively. This alliance aims to determine the optimal and most expeditious path to the clinic, ensure long-term drug development success and growth, and accelerate the delivery of superior oncology therapeutics to patients.

From today, customers can access consulting services to ensure an integrated drug development approach, including:

Strategic preclinical development planning

Study data analysis, interpretation and advice

Regulatory guidance

De novo assay development

assay development Grant review

Alex Slater, Senior Vice President of Commercial, commented: ''Crown Bioscience has an established reputation for exceeding the typical services offered by a regular CRO. This initiative unites deep-seated expertise spanning all phases of drug development, marking a pivotal step towards delivering a true translational offer to our clients.''

Ryan Gifford, Vice President of Global Laboratory Services, Business Development, shares: ''We are delighted to collaborate with Crown Bioscience and view this as a valuable synergy. Crown Bioscience's leadership in early-phase oncology research and suite of preclinical services complement CTI's broad spectrum of capabilities. Together, we can offer enhanced support to our oncology clients and deepen our commitment to advancing cancer research.''

About Crown Bioscience

Crown Bioscience, a JSR Life Sciences company, is a global Contract Research Organization (CRO) dedicated to improving human health through partnering with biotech and pharmaceutical companies that drive the discovery and development of oncology drugs. We exclusively offer preclinical tumor organoid services using the well-established Hubrecht Organoid Technology, with over 600 organoid models available spanning 22 cancer indications. In addition, we have developed the world's largest commercially available PDX collection. Further committed to personalized medicine, our subsidiary, Indivumed Services, maintains an extensive biobank of liquid and tissue human biospecimens. Our focus on helping our customers develop novel therapies aims to ensure that patients receive the right treatment at the right time. Founded in 2006, we have 12 facilities across the US, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.crownbio.com

About CTI Clinical Trial Consulting Services

CTI Clinical Trial and Consulting Services is a global, privately held, research service organization, delivering a complete spectrum of clinical trial and consulting services throughout the lifecycle of development, from concept to commercialization. CTI's focused therapeutic approach provides clinical and disease area expertise with nuanced regulator support. CTI also offers a fully integrated multi-specialty clinical research site and complete global laboratory services. Now in its third decade, CTI is one of the 20 largest contract research organizations in the world, with associates in more than 60 countries across six continents. CTI is headquartered in the Greater Cincinnati area, with operations across North America, Europe, Latin America, MEA, and Asia-Pacific. For more information, visit www.ctifacts.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240821624556/en/

Contacts:

Media Inquiries:

Crown Bioscience

Louise Stenson

pr@crownbio.com


HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / August 21, 2024 / HNR Acquisition Corp (NYSE American:HNRA) (the "Company" or "HNRA") is an independent upstream energy company with productive oil and gas properties in the Permian Basin of New Mexico. Today, the Company announces successful oil production increases from a chemical stimulation treatment program started in late June 2024.

What is the program: A chemical stimulation treatment restimulates producing wells that had not maintained previously achieved productions levels by removing scale build-up that restricts the flow of oil. The Company started the program in late June 2024 with a pilot program of chemically treating 24 producing wells. Upon confirming the viability of this proven methodology, the Company will expand and commence chemically treating approximately 100 less than optimal producing wells as a first phase. Then the Company will assess the balance of the 342 wells.

What is the chemical treatment: Chemical stimulation is a process that increases oil production by increasing hydrocarbon flow from the reservoir into the well bore. The process for each batch of 3 to 6 wells first injects the wells with a paraffin solvent / dispersant, and then the two days later treats the well with an acid solution. The chemical stimulation being used is an innovative process introduced to the Company by our chemical supplier, Jacam Catalyst. The treatment is with a chemical blend with nano sized molecules that mobilizes hydrocarbons to increase the efficiencies of dissolving HCL (acid) soluble scales. The acid portion of this blend contains state-of-the-art corrosion inhibitors, and increased iron control capabilities to mitigate re-clogging of the oil well during the natural course of production. The chemical treatment also removes fine silts and scales, inhibits them from reappearing and increases the flow of oil.

What are the results to date: The initial results of the pilot program have been successful and very encouraging with an additional production of 80-plus BOPD. The Company is starting the first phase of the program for 100 producing wells. Based on the initial response of the 24 wells in the pilot program, we estimate the chemical treatment program to increase oil production by 250 BOPD from the chemical stimulation treatment program by the end of 2024.

"This program has resulted in a significant increase in production from these pilot wells," said Dante Caravaggio, President and CEO. Mr. Caravaggio continued with "The team, led by Jesse Allen, VP of Operations, and David O'Brian, Field Superintendent, will be expanding our chemical stimulation program to the next 100 wells we have already identified. We believe the unique combination and application of chemicals proposed by our chemical vendor for HNRA's specific needs and requirements, Jacam Catalyst, has given us a safer, better, faster, and more economical way to increase production across our 342 producers."

"These chemical and acid treatments are proving worthwhile. They are ideal for the less than optimum producing wells," said Jesse Allen, the Vice President of Operations. "The cost is relatively inexpensive, and results will last for approximately six months before retreatment or other stimulation is required. I am encouraged by the initial results" he continued.

About the Oil Field Property

In November 2023, the Company acquired LH Operating, LLC ("LHO") including its oil and gas waterflood production holdings in New Mexico comprising 13,700 contiguous leasehold acres, 342 producing wells and 207 injection wells situated on 20 federal and 3 state leases in the Grayburg-Jackson Oil Field. The Grayburg-Jackson Oil Field is located on the Northwest Shelf of the prolific Permian Basin in Eddy County, New Mexico.

Leasehold rights of LHO, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, include the Seven Rivers, Queen, Grayburg and San Andres intervals that range from as shallow as 1,500 feet to 4,000 feet in depth. The December 2023 reserve report from our third-party engineer, William H. Cobb and Associates, Inc. ("Cobb"), reflects LHO to have proven reserves of approximately 15.4 million barrels of oil and 3.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas. The mapped original-oil-in-place ("OOIP") in the LHO leasehold is approximately 876 million barrels of oil in the Grayburg and San Andres intervals and 80 million barrels in the Seven Rivers interval for a total OOIP of approximately 956,000,000 barrels of oil.

Our primary production is currently from the Seven Rivers zone. In addition to proven reserves, the Company believes we may access an additional 34 million barrels of oil by adding perforations in the Grayburg and San Andres formations. With proven oil reserves of over 15 million barrels, combined with the potential 34 million additional barrels from the Grayburg and San Andres zones, LHO should produce oil and a revenue stream for more than two decades with a slow decline rate.

About HNR Acquisition Corp

HNRA is an independent upstream energy company focused on maximizing total returns to its shareholders through the development of onshore oil and natural gas properties in the United States. HNRA's long-term goal is to maximize total shareholder value from a diversified portfolio of long-life oil and natural gas properties built through acquisition and through selective development, production enhancement, and other exploitation efforts on its oil and natural gas properties.

HNRA's Class A Common Stock trades on the NYSE American (NYSE American: HNRA) and our public warrants trade on the NYSE American (NYSE American: HNRAW). For more information on HNRA, please visit the Company's website: https://www.hnra-nyse.com/

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from what is expected. Words such as "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "intends," "estimates," "seeks," "may," "might," "plan," "possible," "should" and variations and similar words and expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Such forward-looking statements relate to future events or future results, based on currently available information and reflect the Company's management's current beliefs. A number of factors could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the events and results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors - including the availability of funds, the results of financing efforts and the risks relating to our business - that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time on EDGAR (see www.edgar-online.com) and with the Securities and Exchange Commission (see www.sec.gov). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as expressly required by applicable securities law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investor Relations

Michael J. Porter, President

PORTER, LEVAY & ROSE, INC.

mike@plrinvest.com

SOURCE: HNR Acquisition Corp

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Appointment of Precision Drilling: Precision Drilling has been appointed as its Rig Contractor, bringing expertise and reliability to the drilling operation.  Second Multilateral Well Spudded: Drilling has commenced on the Company's second multilateral well, with operations expected to last approximately twelve days.

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 21, 2024 / Trans Canada Gold Corp. (TSXV:TTG)(OTCQB:TTGXF) ("Trans Canada" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Operator (Croverro Energy) has hired Precision Drilling as the Rig Contractor, and has now spudded, and commenced drilling on the second multilateral and is expected to be drilling for approximately ten days. The lands for the well are currently controlled by a partnership led by Croverro, with the Company holding a 18.75% interest. This second multi-lateral horizontal well is based on similar wells drilled in the General Petroleum (GP) oil formation using surrounding well control combined with recently processed seismic lines. The new multilateral well is planned for 11 lateral legs in the GP sand.





Precision Rig 145

The Company has acquired additional lands inside the Area of Mutual Interest ("AMI"), which will allow additional opportunity for multilateral wells. The lands are contiguous with our existing lands. The newly acquired lands, together combined with our existing lands have the oil resource potential in both the Sparky and GP producing zones.

Commented Tim Coupland, "We now look forward to drilling our second multilateral well which is planned with 11 lateral legs in the GP oil reservoir. With the recent strategic land and lease acquisitions, together with well control and recently obtained and processed seismic data, the upcoming drill program in the GP sand has been de-risked as much as possible."

"Our proven drilling and production strategy continues to deliver strong results, with our multilateral wells showcasing low decline rates that ensure steady, long-term output," commented Director Chris Timmins. "This approach not only maximizes our resource recovery but also provides a stable foundation for sustained growth and value creation for our shareholders."

The Company continues to explore additional exploration drilling opportunities in Canada and the United States.

ABOUT TRANS CANADA GOLD CORP. - OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION/REVENUE PRODUCING WELLS

The Company is a discovery focused Oil & Gas Resource Development and Mineral Exploration Company that is currently focused on developing and drilling its' production of conventional heavy oil exploration properties, increasing production capabilities, and increasing future oil production revenues through responsible exploration. The Company identifies, acquires and finances with its working interest partners, the ongoing development of oil and gas assets primarily situated in Alberta Canada. The Company has qualified Senior exploration management and Geological teams of professionals, seasoned in exploration production, field exploration and drilling. The Company currently works with Croverro Energy Ltd., who has demonstrated proficiency, expected of an experienced oil and gas technical team that has proven oil production, and revenue success with large multi-lateral wells currently under their supervision. The Company has the necessary manpower in place to develop its natural resource properties and manage its production properties. The Company is committed to minimizing risk through selective property acquisitions, and responsible exploration drilling, and maximizing long term petroleum and natural gas resource assets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Tim Coupland, President and CEO

Trans Canada Gold Corp.

Tel: (604) 681-3131

astar@telus.com

www.transcanadagold.com

or

Christian Timmins, Director

Trans Canada Gold Corp.

Tel: (403) 597-3410

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider, (as the term is defined in the Policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contact Information

Chris Timmins

Director

ctimmins29@gmail.com

403-597-3410

Tim Coupland

CEO

astar@telus.com

604-681-3131

SOURCE: Trans Canada Gold Corp.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 21, 2024) - Hypercharge Networks Corp. (TSXV: HC) (OTCQB: HCNWF) (FSE: PB7) (the "Company" or "Hypercharge"), a leading, smart electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions provider and network operator, is pleased to announce it will provide Level 2 EV charging stations to SEAandSKY by Bosa Properties Inc. ("Bosa Properties"), a new community in Squamish, BC, with delivery scheduled by the end of August 2024.

Bosa Properties is an end-to-end real estate company offering human-centered solutions for property development and management. Based in Vancouver, their diverse team of in-house experts work across residential, commercial, and master-planned projects and their growing residential portfolio includes more than 20,000 homes that are built or under development.

SEAandSKY is an expansive master-planned, multi-use community in the heart of Squamish spanning over 53 acres and includes 1,144 strata homes, 295 rental homes, and commercial units. The Company will initially supply 18 Level 2 EV charging stations to rental residential buildings and 4 Level 2 EV charging stations for commercial units, supporting both public and Modo Carsharing Co-op use.

"We are proud of our strong and local relationship with Bosa Properties that continues to grow with the supply of charging solutions to SEAandSKY," said Chris Koch, Head of Growth & Partnerships at Hypercharge. "This third new build project with Bosa Properties allows us to continue supporting their vision of building sustainable communities by ensuring reliable EV charging access for both residential and commercial tenants."

About Hypercharge

Hypercharge Networks Corp. (TSXV: HC) (OTCQB: HCNWF) (FSE: PB7) is a leading provider of smart electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions for residential and commercial buildings, fleet operations, and other rapidly growing sectors. Driven by its mission to accelerate EV adoption and enable the shift towards a carbon neutral economy, Hypercharge is committed to offering seamless, simple solutions including industry-leading hardware, innovative and integrated software, and comprehensive services, backed by a robust network of public and private charging stations. Learn more: https://hypercharge.com/.

On behalf of the Company,

Hypercharge Networks Corp.

David Bibby, President & CEO

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of 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. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements regarding the expected timing, delivery and installation of EV charging stations. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "could", "should", "anticipate", "will", "estimates", "believes", "intends", "expects" and similar expressions which are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and the actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, assumptions and expectations, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Readers are cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, as such information, although considered reasonable by management of the Company at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and are expressly qualified by the foregoing cautionary statement. Except as expressly required by securities law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/220613

SOURCE: Hypercharge Networks Corp.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 21, 2024) - Nova Pacific Metals Corp. (CSE: NVPC) (OTCQB: NVPCF) (FSE: YQ10) (WKN: A40GFH) (the "Company," or "Nova Pacific") is pleased to provide an update related to the ongoing advancement of the Lara Project.

Recent compilation of historic drill hole data from the Coronation Zone has suggested a possible association between high-grade zinc, copper and lead intersections up to 17.46 m and significant precious metal grades (Table 1). These results highlight the polymetallic nature of the Lara volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit modelled as six discrete zones with a total strike length of approximately 1,180 meters.

Within the current claim boundaries, substantial work by Laramide Resources during the 1980's included over 323 drill holes totalling 58,262 meters, complete with 679 meters of pre-production underground access and drifting. Unfortunately, further development and production of the deposit stalled in 1989 due to a severe downturn in the economy and the resultant fall of metal prices.

Most of the drilling has been concentrated within the Coronation Trend, one of four mineralized trends identified on the southwest slopes of Coronation Mountain. A considerable number of these drill holes have returned high-grade results for gold, silver, zinc, copper and lead.

Table 1. Select high-grade intersections, Coronation Trend, Lara Project 1

DDH From (m) To (m) Width (m) Wt. % Silver (g/t) Wt. % Gold (g/t) Wt. % Zinc (%) Wt. % Copper (%) Wt. % Lead (%) LA84-012 51.38 60.08 8.70 61.23 3.26 3.01 0.68 0.45 LA85-034 75.02 85.40 10.38 57.18 1.05 4.29 0.51 0.73 LA85-036 23.67 28.10 4.43 74.99 8.91 3.48 0.87 0.50 LA85-040 46.00 50.80 4.80 263.03 6.58 8.94 1.14 2.47 LA85-044 76.26 82.14 5.88 56.87 5.88 3.93 0.36 0.89 LA85-062 85.24 102.70 17.46 72.38 3.02 3.10 0.48 0.47 LA86-080 208.42 213.78 5.36 92.10 2.99 3.80 0.80 1.63 LA86-085 87.72 90.16 2.44 135.89 4.13 7.73 1.26 0.53 LA86-134 15.84 31.08 15.24 95.28 6.64 5.37 1.00 0.71 LA86-135 8.25 14.32 6.07 268.69 8.78 18.61 2.11 3.93 LA86-139 29.64 35.35 5.71 214.07 4.24 12.84 0.97 3.22 LA86-140 44.92 55.98 11.06 39.79 0.86 0.88 0.06 0.29 LA86-141 17.22 26.51 9.29 121.83 3.56 8.65 0.73 2.07 LA87-182 224.43 226.45 2.02 200.30 4.43 25.38 2.53 5.88 LA87-184 355.53 359.99 4.46 48.42 5.53 3.34 1.92 0.67 LA89-233 152.24 161.31 9.07 58.07 0.97 0.02 0.00 0.01 LA89-233 25.84 30.94 5.10 129.69 2.66 10.66 1.15 2.17 LA89-241 168.85 169.35 0.50 412.74 45.54 22.60 2.59 11.50 LA89-245 23.10 23.55 0.45 979.76 13.97 22.50 1.76 8.98

In addition, Drill hole 87-182 was excluded from the database as it was found to unduly influence the grade of the entire Inferred category over a composite interval of 2.02m containing:

Table 2. Drill hole 87-182 results

Zinc Silver Lead Copper Gold 25.37% 200.3 g/t 5.88% 2.53% 4.43 g/t

The position of 87-182 is over 100 meters from surrounding samples within the plane of the zone, and therefore many Inferred blocks would have been unduly influenced by this interval. Importantly, drill hole 87-182 terminates within a high-grade zone at a true depth of approximately 200 meters; this portion of the Coronation Trend is an ideal location for definition drilling as this high-grade area is open immediately up-dip (~75 m) and across strike to the east-southeast.

Nova Pacific's CEO, Mr. J. Malcolm Bell, stated, "A review of the recently completed NI 43-101 technical report and supporting drill data has shone a bright light on the high-grade nature of the Lara VMS deposit. Our plans are to further analyze the historical drill data to optimize hole locations for our proposed 40 hole in-fill drill program necessary to calculate a measured and indicated mineral deposit prior to undertaking a pre-feasibility study; subject to completing all necessary studies and obtaining the requisite permitting all with a goal of revitalizing the Lara project and bringing it into production."

Readers are cautioned that this data is historical in nature and Nova Pacific has not performed sufficient work to verify the published data reported above. However, the Company believes this information to be considered reliable and relevant.

Qualified Person

The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by David Nelles, P.Geo., a consultant to the company and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI43-101").

About Nova Pacific

Nova Pacific is a Canadian exploration and development company focused on pursuing projects with a significant mineral discovery thus providing a viable pathway to potential development. The key projects owned by the Company are its recently acquired Lara VMS project located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia and its Deer Musk West Lithium project located in Clayton Valley, Nevada. The Company intends to continue its exploration and development efforts on its mineral projects with a view towards maximizing shareholder value.

For additional Information please visit: www.novapacificmetals.com

On behalf of the Board of Directors

J. Malcolm Bell

Chief Executive Officer, Director

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not in any way passed upon the merits of the matters referenced herein and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "should", and similar expressions. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of regulatory decisions, competitive factors in the industries in which the Company operates, prevailing economic conditions, changes to the Company's strategic growth plans, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the Company's expectations as of the date hereof, and is subject to change after such date. 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, except as required by applicable securities legislation.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/220641

SOURCE: Nova Pacific Metals Corp.
Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or for dissemination in the United States.

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 22, 2024 / Forward Water Technologies Corp. (" FWTC ") (TSXV:FWTC) is pleased to announce that it has closed an issuance of $200,000 principal amount of unsecured convertible debentures. The debentures bear interest at a rate of 10% per annum and the principal amount is automatically convert into units ("Units") at a conversion price of $0.1126 (assuming completion of the proposed 10 for 1 consolidation of FWTC common shares (the "Consolidation")) on completion of the proposed business combination with Fraser Mackenzie Accelerator Corp. ("FMAC") (see press releases dated May 14, 2024 and July 22, 2024 announcing the proposed transaction). Each Unit will be comprised of one common share of FWTC and one common share purchase warrant ("Warrant") entitling the holder to purchase one common share of FWTC (a "Warrant Share") at a post-Consolidation exercise price of $0.1579 at any time prior to August 19, 2027. All interest will be paid in cash only

In connection with the transaction a finder was paid an 8% finders fee and was issued 142,096 finder warrants that entitle the finder to acquire one common share of FWTC and one half of one Warrant (with the same terms as the Warrants described above) at a price of $0.1126 at any time on or before August 19, 2026.

All securities issued pursuant to the financing are subject to a hold period of four months and one day expiring on December 20, 2024.

About Forward Water Technologies Corp.

Forward Water Technologies Corp. (TSX.V:FWTC) is a publicly traded Canadian company dedicated to saving the earth's water supply using its patented Forward Osmosis technology. The Company was founded by GreenCentre Canada, a leading technology innovation centre supported by the government of Canada. The Company's technology allows for the reduction of challenging waste streams simultaneously returning fresh water for re-use or surface release. The Company's mandate is to focus on the large-scale implementation of its technology in multiple sectors, including industrial wastewater, oil and gas, DLE, mining, agriculture and ultimately municipal water supply and re-use market sectors.

FWTC has immediate plans to treat brine from the direct lithium extraction (DLE) sector using is mobile pilot equipment this summer in conjunction with its partners. This project will establish FWTC's iFOTM technology as a valuable component in producing lithium carbonate from aquifer sourced brines for use in applications such as electric vehicle (EV) battery production.

In addition, the Company has initiated early-stage R&D for the treatment of food and beverage process streams.

For more information, please visit www.forwardwater.com.

Contact Information:

Forward Water Technologies Corp.

C. Howie Honeyman, Chief Executive Officer

E-mail: howie.honeyman@forwardwater.com

Telephone: (519) 333-5888

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.

Caution Concerning Forward Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "will", "estimates", "believes", "intends" "expects" and similar expressions which are intended to identify forward-looking statements. More particularly and without limitation, this press release contains forward looking statements concerning the proposed transaction with FMAC, the Consolidation, the ability of FWTC and FMAC to meet the conditions of the proposed transaction in the required timeframes, obtaining the necessary exemptions and approvals from the TSX Venture Exchange or other regulatory bodies, including the business, name and function of the resulting issuer and certain financial information and forecasts. FWTC cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, assumptions and expectations, many of which are beyond the control of FWTC, including expectations and assumptions concerning FWTC, FMAC, the resulting issuer, the proposed transaction, the timely receipt of all required shareholder and regulatory approvals (as applicable), including the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange, the satisfaction of other closing conditions in accordance with the terms of the definitive agreement for the proposed transaction, as well as other risks and uncertainties, including those described in FWTC and FMAC's respective disclosure documents available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of FWTC. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and FWTC does not undertake to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by securities law.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction.

SOURCE: Forward Water Technologies Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 21, 2024) - Flying Nickel Mining Corp. (TSXV: FLYN) (OTCQB: FLYNF) ("Flying Nickel") is pleased to announce, pursuant to the previously announced binding letter of intent with Norway House Cree Nation ("NHCN") dated July 21, 2024 (the "LOI"), that it has entered into a definitive arrangement agreement (the "Arrangement Agreement") with NHCN and 10197729 Manitoba Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of NHCN, (the "Purchaser"), pursuant to which Flying Nickel proposes to sell its Minago Nickel project and its related assets located in the Thompson Nickel Belt of Manitoba, Canada (the "Minago Assets") to the Purchaser in consideration for $8,000,000 in cash and the surrender of 17,561,862 common shares in the capital of Flying Nickel ("Flying Nickel Shares") held by NHCN (the "Transaction") , by way of a statutory plan of arrangement under Section 288 of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the "Arrangement"). The Flying Nickel Shares held by NHCN represent approximately 11.4% of the total issued and outstanding Flying Nickel Shares. The Purchaser has deposited $500,000 in escrow in connection with the Arrangement (the "Deposit").

Information Regarding the Proposed Arrangement

Pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement, the parties have agreed to close the Transaction by no later than December 15, 2024 (the "Outside Date") and expect to close the Transaction by October 16, 2024. As NHCN holds greater than 10% of the issued and outstanding Flying Nickel Shares, the Transaction is a "related party transaction" under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") and Policy 5.9 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("Policy 5.9") of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"). In accordance with the provisions of MI 61-101, Flying Nickel is exempt from the formal valuation requirements under MI 61-101 and Policy 5.9 pursuant to section 4.4(a) of MI 61-101 as an issuer not listed on a specified market. However, the Arrangement requires majority of the minority shareholder approval ("Disinterested Shareholder Approval") under MI 61-101. For the purposes of Disinterested Shareholder Approval, the Arrangement must be approved at the Meeting (as defined below) by at least a majority of the votes cast on the resolution to approve the Arrangement by Flying Nickel shareholders present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the Meeting excluding all Flying Nickel Shares held by persons noted in Section 8.1(2) of MI 61-101. Therefore, Flying Nickel Shares held by NHCN will be excluded from the Disinterested Shareholder Approval. There has not been a formal valuation or prior valuation in respect of the subject matter of or relevant to the Arrangement in the prior 24 months. The Arrangement also requires approval of a special majority of 66 2/3% of the Flying Nickel shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Meeting. The Transaction is further subject to approvals from the TSXV and the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

The Arrangement Agreement is subject to termination in certain instances, including if the shareholders of Flying Nickel do not approve the Arrangement at the Meeting, if Flying Nickel receives a superior proposal and complies with its requirements under the Arrangement Agreement, or at the option of either party if the Arrangement is not completed before the Outside Date. For certain termination events, such as pursuant to the acceptance of a superior proposal, Flying Nickel has agreed to pay a termination fee of $400,000 (the "Termination Fee").

Details of the Arrangement (including full details of the Deposit, termination conditions, and the Termination Fee discussed herein) and the special meeting to approve the Arrangement (the "Meeting") will be set out in Flying Nickel's management information circular and proxy statement which will be mailed to Flying Nickel shareholders. The Meeting is scheduled to be held on October 7, 2024, at the offices of MLT Aikins LLP located at 2600-1066 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, at 10:30 a.m. (Pacific Time).

Blackstone Minerals Limited, Sparta AG, Oracle Commodity Holding Corp., and each of the directors and officers of Flying Nickel (together, the "Supporting Shareholders") have entered into voting support agreements in connection with the Arrangement. The Supporting Shareholders and NHCN collectively hold approximately 52% of the issued and outstanding Flying Nickel Shares on a non-diluted basis and the Supporting Shareholders represent approximately 45% of the Disinterested Shareholder Approval.

Completion of the Arrangement is subject to customary conditions as set out in the Arrangement Agreement and receipt of all necessary court and regulatory approvals. The Arrangement Agreement includes customary representations, warranties, and indemnities of each party.

Full details of the Arrangement will be included in the meeting materials with respect to the Meeting, which will be available on the Sedar+ profile of Flying Nickel at sedarplus.ca.

No finder's fee is expected to be paid by any of Flying Nickel, NHCN or the Purchaser to any party in connection with the Arrangement.

The Arrangement is also not expected to constitute an Arm's Length Transaction as defined in the policies of the TSXV for Flying Nickel, due to the shareholding of NHCN as described herein.

Name Change

The Company is also proposing to be renamed to "CleanTech Vanadium Mining Corp.", or such other name as the Board in its sole discretion may determine, upon the Transaction closing (the "Name Change"). The Name Change requires approval of a special majority of 66 2/3% of the Flying Nickel shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Meeting. Additionally, the Name Change and the particular name chosen both remain subject to TSXV and regulatory approval.

Board Recommendation

Flying Nickel confirms that after careful consideration, including a thorough review of the Arrangement Agreement, the plan of arrangement, receiving the oral fairness opinion of Evans & Evans, Inc. (which will be followed by a written option), and conducting a thorough review of other matters, the board of directors of Flying Nickel (with Neil Duboff, NHCN's nominee, having recused himself) has determined in consultation with its legal and financial advisors, and based in part on the fairness opinion, that the Arrangement is in the best interests of Flying Nickel and its shareholders, and unanimously recommends (with Neil Duboff, NHCN's nominee, having recused himself) that shareholders vote FOR the resolutions to approve the Arrangement at the upcoming Meeting. Further information regarding the reasons for the board recommendation will be set forth in the management information circular to be prepared in connection with the Meeting.

Additionally, after careful consideration, including a thorough review of the proposed Name Change, the board of directors of Flying Nickel has determined that the Name Change is in the best interests of the Company and its Shareholders, and recommends that Shareholders vote FOR the resolutions to approve the Name Change at the upcoming Meeting. Further information regarding the reasons for the board recommendation will be set forth in the management information circular to be prepared in connection with the Meeting.

About Flying Nickel Mining Corp.

Flying Nickel is an exploration-stage mining company focused on vanadium and nickel resources. The Company owns a 100% interest in the Gibellini vanadium project in Nevada, United States and a 100% interest in the Minago nickel project in the Thompson nickel belt in Manitoba, Canada.

Further information on Flying Nickel can be found at www.flynickel.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the Arrangement and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements and Cautionary Disclaimers

References to $ herein refer to the lawful currency of Canada.

This press release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. 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 absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from U.S. registration requirements.

Completion of the Arrangement and the Name Change is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to the standard closing conditions contained in the Arrangement Agreement, TSXV acceptance, court and shareholder approval. Where applicable, the Arrangement cannot close until the required approvals are obtained.

There can be no assurance that the Arrangement will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular to be prepared in connection with the Arrangement, any information released or received with respect to the Arrangement may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of Flying Nickel should be considered highly speculative.

This news release is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian and United States securities laws. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Arrangement including timing, closing and terms of the Arrangement, the number of Flying Nickel Shares owned and expected to be owned by certain parties who have executed voting support agreements, and the ability of Flying Nickel to obtain the requisite TSXV, shareholder, court and other approvals in connection with the Arrangement, as well as statements with respect to the Name Change including timing, the proposed name (CleanTech Vanadium Mining Corp.) and the ability of Flying Nickel to obtain the requisite TSXV, shareholder, court and other approvals in connection with the Name Change. Except for statements of historical fact relating to Flying Nickel, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "anticipates," "may," "can," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "targets," "intends," "likely," "will," "should," "to be", "potential" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "should" or "will" occur, including, without limitation, that all conditions precedent to the Arrangement will be met and the realization of the anticipated benefits derived therefrom for shareholders of Flying Nickel and perception of (i) the quality and the potential of Flying Nickel's assets, (ii) the consideration offered to Flying Nickel, and (iii) the potential of Flying Nickel's business following completion of the Arrangement. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management of Flying Nickel at the date the statements are made, and are based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Many of these assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of Flying Nickel, there is no assurance they will prove to be correct and are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward- looking statements.

Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from results anticipated by such forward-looking statements include changes in market conditions; cash flow and availability of financing; the ability of Flying Nickel to obtain the requisite court, shareholder, TSXV and other third party approvals in respect of the Arrangement and the Name Change; exercise of any dissent rights, trades in the market, issuances of securities or exercises of convertible securities and other factors that could alter the share capital of Flying Nickel or other parties; risks relating to the availability and timeliness of permitting and governmental consents and approvals; and other risks of the mining industry.

These factors are discussed in greater detail in Flying Nickel's most recent MD&A filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca, which also provides additional general assumptions in connection with these statements. Flying Nickel cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. Investors and others who base themselves on forward-looking statements contained herein should carefully consider the above factors as well as the uncertainties they represent and the risk they entail. Flying Nickel believes that the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release.

Although Flying Nickel has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Flying Nickel undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Statements concerning mineral reserve and resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements to the extent they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered as the property is developed. Further, Flying Nickel may make changes to its business plans that could affect results.

Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/220654

SOURCE: Flying Nickel Mining Corp.
Value of Over US$110 Million Contract Signed between XCMG and Rio Tinto SimFer Covers Dozens of Mining Trucks and Mining Graders for the World's Largest Untapped Reserve of High-grade Iron Ore

CONAKRY, Guinea, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- XCMG Machinery (SHE: 000425, "XCMG"), the world's leading construction equipment manufacturer, has entered into a landmark global cooperation framework agreement with Rio Tinto, the world's largest iron ore producer in Conakry, Guinea's capital. Another statement of work for the Simandou iron ore project, the world's largest untapped reserve of high-grade iron ore, has also been signed between XCMG and Rio Tinto SimFer, a joint venture between the Government of the Republic of Guinea, Rio Tinto, and Chalco Iron Ore Holdings, involving the supply of a comprehensive suite of core mining equipment valued over US$110 million, including over 34 units of 230-ton mining trucks and over dozens of large mining graders with 350 and 550 horsepower, ancillary equipment and large production loaders and excavators.

"This marks a new beginning of high-level friendly cooperation between XCMG and Rio Tinto and further demonstrates our leading technology and innovation capabilities in the field of heavy mining equipment." Liu Jiansen, Vice President of XCMG Machinery, expressed his enthusiasm about the collaboration. "Over the years, XCMG and Rio Tinto have developed a deep friendship through cooperation. We are honored to provide high-quality large-scale complete sets of mining equipment for the Simandou project in West Africa. We thank Rio Tinto for their trust,"

The statement of work for the mining project on-site, joining forces to assist in the mining of the Simandou project, is expected to have substantial positive impacts on local communities by creating jobs and enhancing technical skills among residents. Both companies are committed to investing in vocational training programs that will aid community development around the mining area.

Located in the southeast of the Republic of Guinea, the Simandou mountain range is home to some of the highest-grade iron ore in the world, globally making it highly significant within international mineral markets.

"Following a competitive tender process, we are pleased to award the HME contract to internationally renowned XCMG," said Chris Aitchison, Managing Director of SimFer. "This contract-with its robust provisions for community development and technical training-reflects our project partners' commitments to maximizing the benefits of the Simandou project through local content, prioritization of local employment and upskilling, and investment in vocational and technical skills."

"The Simandou project can be a key driver of growth in Guinea - catalyzing a new wave of investment, building the country's entrepreneurial fabric and supporting development across the country. Through the promotion of local content and investment in local communities-both of which are embedded in this contract award-we can unlock the project's full transformative potential." said Aboubacar Koulibaly, Head of Rio Tinto Guinee.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2486687/XCMG.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/xcmg-and-rio-tinto-forge-new-partnership-for-world-class-simandou-iron-ore-project-302227464.html
A Celebrated Figure in Contemporary Sculpture

SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA / ACCESSWIRE / August 21, 2024 / MIRAME Fine Art turns the spotlight on Edgar Zuniga Jimenez, an influential name in Costa Rican contemporary sculpture. Renowned for his large-scale and thought-provoking sculptures, Zuniga Jimenez continues to gain critical attention on national and international stages, reflecting his impact on the art world. https://miramefineart.com/artists/





Edgar Zuniga Jimenez, Nuevo Paradigma

Sculpture in San Jose National Park





MIRAME Fine Art proudly supports Edgar Zuniga Jimenez as the premier online Costa Rican art gallery dedicated to promoting the nation's finest artists.

A Global Artistic Journey

With a career that spans continents and decades, Edgar Zuniga Jimenez has established an impressive presence in the global art landscape. His sculptures and paintings are featured in prestigious collections across a diverse array of countries, including the United States, Mexico, Korea, Thailand, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Canada, Israel, Brazil, Paraguay, Vatican City, Argentina, and Japan. This extensive reach underscores his significant influence and the universal appeal of his work.

Exploring Human Dynamics Through Sculpture

Zuniga Jimenez's sculpture explores the complexities of human experience and societal structures. His signature sculptures often juxtapose human figures with columns, symbolizing the tension between personal agency and social constructs. This exploration invites viewers to engage in a dialogue about transformation, resistance, and ethical reflection.

Recent works by Zuniga Jimenez include large-scale, tall abstract sculptures that are ideally suited for outdoor environments. Pieces such as "Machu Picchu" and "Paisaje Nocturno" (Night Landscape) demonstrate his skill in blending Latin American cultural themes with contemporary sculptural forms.

If you're in San Jose, don't miss his public installation at Parque Nacional, where three figures emerge from the ground in various stages, as if crawling into the park. One figure is partially buried up to the shoulders, while the final figure has only his feet submerged. This evocative sculpture not only symbolizes resilience and renewal but also underscores Zuniga Jimenez's prominent status in Costa Rica's art scene.

A Commitment to Art in the Community

Zuniga Jimenez is an active advocate for the arts. His involvement in various associations, symposiums, and conferences has made a significant impact on the art community, both within Costa Rica and abroad. His role as a jury member for international art competitions and biennials further emphasizes his influence in the global art scene.

Zuniga Jimenez's work has been the subject of numerous documentaries, publications, and books, highlighting the depth of his artistic vision. His commitment to addressing personal and societal themes through sculpture continues to resonate, making him a pivotal figure in contemporary sculpture, within Costa Rica as well as Central and Latin America.

Discover the Art of Edgar Zuniga Jimenez

MIRAME Fine Art invites art lovers to explore the legacy of Edgar Zuniga Jimenez. His contributions to contemporary sculpture offer a compelling perspective on Costa Rican art and its dialogue with global trends.

Contact Information

Belinda Seppings

Co-Founder

belinda@miramefineart.com

+447821591397

SOURCE: MIRAME Fine Art

View the original press release on newswire.com.
-- Laser Thermal, a leading instrument and service provider of small-scale thermal property measurements, is thrilled to announce it has been awarded a contract from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for its thermal conductivity tool Steady State Thermoreflectance in Fiber, SSTR-F.

The CHIPS Metrology Program emphasizes measurements that are accurate, precise, and fit-for-purpose for the production of microelectronic materials, devices, circuits, and systems. The work will leverage NIST's proven measurement science expertise, foundational communications and computing research capabilities, standards development contributions, and stakeholder engagement practices to address the highest priority metrology challenges identified across industry, academia, and government agencies.

The CHIPS Metrology Program aligns its research and development portfolios based on the identified metrology needs of the seven grand challenges:

Metrology for Materials Purity, Properties, and Provenance Advanced Metrology for Future Microelectronics Manufacturing Enabling Metrology for Integrating Components in Advanced Packaging Modeling and Simulating Semiconductor Materials, Designs, and Components ??????????????Modeling and Simulating Semiconductor Manufacturing Processes Standardizing New Materials, Processes, and Equipment for Microelectronics Metrology to Enhance Security and Provenance of Microelectronic-based Components and Products

Laser Thermal's SSTR-F will enable NIST to measure the thermal conductivity of thin films, interfaces, and bulk materials that are used in wide bandgap power electronics devices, packaging materials, and integrated chip components. The optical measurement technique is non-contact, non-destructive, spatially resolved, and can provide unique information about the thermal properties of thin film and multilayer material structures. SSTR-F represents the first commercially available tool that focuses on measurements at these length scales that traditionally have been difficult to obtain outside of academic lab settings.

John Gaskins, co-founder and CEO of Laser Thermal explains, "While thermoreflectance is a powerful measurement technique, these tools are traditionally homemade, requiring dedicated and experienced staff to design, operate, and maintain. Laser Thermal is the first company to commercialize a thermoreflectance instrument based on our patented Steady-State Thermoreflectance in Fiber (SSTR-F) technology enabling direct measurements of thermal conductivity and thermal resistance. We are thrilled to work with NIST to help lead the advancement of metrology for microelectronics manufacturing, including helping make strides toward the standardization of reference materials, which are currently unavailable for thin films used in microelectronics applications."

As NIST builds out capabilities in its thermal metrology program, SSTR-F will serve as an important tool as it continues to validate and improve emergent methods related to thermal measurements. These measurements will contribute to the goal of providing data, protocols, and reference standards that will guide the ongoing product and R&D roadmaps in the semiconductor industry related to thermal mitigation. There has been an increased emphasis on thermally focused design aspects as power handling and the need to dissipate heat continues to scale with power hungry applications such as AI and large-scale data centers.

About Laser Thermal:

Founded in 2020, Laser Thermal is a Charlottesville, Virginia-based company providing accessible thermal measurements of materials primarily focusing on thin films. Laser Thermal designs and manufactures thermal metrology equipment that can measure thermal properties down to nanometer scales. Utilizing optical techniques, Laser Thermal provides simple, accurate, and rapid measurements of the thermal properties of materials. Laser Thermal offers contract testing and tool sales to best serve customer needs.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Ron Fisher

VP of Sales and Business Development

www.laserthermal.com

Ron.Fisher@laserthermal.com

+1-330-842-4864

Laser Thermal

937 2nd St. SE

Charlottesville, VA 22902

SOURCE: Laser Thermal
WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / August 21, 2024 / Erika Jayne Design + Build is proud to announce that their innovative kitchen remodel has been featured in House Beautiful. The article, "See How This Designer Made the Weirdest Kitchen Layout Work," by Kate McGregor, showcases their creative approach to tackling challenging design problems and delivering stunning results.

Erika Jayne Design & Build Kitchen Remodel

The project spotlighted is a 1956 home in Silver Spring, Maryland, with a uniquely challenging kitchen layout that includes a descending staircase right in the middle.

Erika Jayne Chaudhuri, the founder and principal designer of Erika Jayne Design + Build, rose to the challenge by focusing on integration. Instead of boarding up the staircase, her team replaced two of the three half walls surrounding the stairs with an open wood railing, opening up the kitchen into an adjacent hallway and expanding the usable square footage.

Erika Jayne Chaudhuri expressed her excitement about the feature: "Being recognized by House Beautiful is an incredible honor. This project was a true testament to our team's ability to think outside the box and deliver solutions that are both beautiful and functional. We love transforming challenging spaces into something our clients can truly enjoy."

Erika Jayne Design + Build redefines residential remodeling with a commitment to thoughtful collaboration, architectural precision, and construction excellence. The team provides a hands-on approach, guiding clients with meticulous care from the initial design sketch to the final construction. The company upholds the highest standards of communication, detail-focused design, and rigorous project management to ensure that the home's transformation is not only completed to perfection but also resonates with the client's personal sense of sanctuary.

Erika Jayne Design + Build are honored to be recognized by House Beautiful and excited to share their passion for innovative and practical design solutions with a wider audience.

For more information about Erika Jayne Design + Build and to view the feature in House Beautiful, please visit House Beautiful.

Contact:

Erika Jayne Design + Build

Website: www.erikajaynedesign.com

Contact Information

Susan PR

2406210060

SOURCE: Erika Jayne Design + Build

View the original press release on accesswire.com
SAN JOSE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 21, 2024 / DuploCloud, the industry pioneer for DevOps automation with built-in compliance, today announced its sponsorship of the ELC Annual 2024 Conference, held from August 27-28 at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. This exclusive event is designed to provide a refreshing departure from traditional conference formats, placing emphasis on dialogue, collaboration, and personal growth for the industry's leading engineers.

DuploCloud Logo

DuploCloud Logo

As part of the conference, DuploCloud's Founder and CEO, Venkat Thiruvengadam, will be featured on a panel titled "AI and DevOps: The Future of Intelligent Automation," alongside Ajay Gulati, CEO and Co-founder of Kitecyber. This session will delve into how AI is revolutionizing DevOps processes, enabling organizations to achieve unprecedented levels of automation, efficiency, and compliance.

Attendees of the ELC Annual 2024 Conference are invited to join DuploCloud's session and explore the cutting-edge capabilities of its DevOps Automation platform. Discover how DuploCloud is leading the way in making DevOps and Infrastructure-as-Code accessible for all developers through its low-code/no-code approach, empowering organizations to streamline operations while maintaining stringent security and compliance standards.

To schedule a meeting with DuploCloud at either of these events or to learn more about their industry-leading DevOps automation solutions, visit https://duplocloud.com/company/contact-us/.

About DuploCloud

DuploCloud is the industry's only low-code/no-code DevOps Automation platform, designed to make DevOps and Infrastructure-as-Code accessible for all developers. Founded by the original engineers from Microsoft Azure and AWS, our software platform puts DevOps on autopilot, virtually eliminating the need for DevOps hiring and is tailor-made to empower developer self-service across growing startups, SMBs, and platform engineering teams. The DuploCloud platform translates high-level application specifications into meticulously managed cloud configurations, allowing organizations to streamline operations while maintaining rigorous security, availability, and compliance standards. Investors of the company include WestBridge Capital, StepStone Group, Mayfield and Monta Vista Capital. Learn more at https://duplocloud.com/.

Contact Information

Kate Pietrelli

PR

kate@pathadvisors.co

760-518-2633

SOURCE: DuploCloud

View the original press release on newswire.com.
Lippincott Client Cases for Clinical Judgment sparks clinical competency and thinking skills of nursing students

Wolters Kluwer Health continues to bridge the academic-to-practice readiness gap for nurses with the introduction of Lippincott Client Cases for Clinical Judgment. The innovative tool enhances nursing education by integrating realistic, brief, and complex patient scenarios, thereby fostering clinical competency and critical thinking in nursing students. This is the latest solution to be added to the Lippincott Partnership for Nursing Education and Testing family of offerings for pre-licensure nursing education programs.

"Case-based learning is vital in establishing connections between theoretical knowledge and real life practice, which will empower nursing students to become more clinically confident and ultimately improve patient safety," said Julie Stegman, Vice President, Wolters Kluwer Health Learning Practice. "These tools introduce students to a variety of diverse and multifactorial patients that they will encounter in practice not only helping ready students for the NCLEX, but also better preparing early career nurses to meet the demands of the field."

Easy integration into class curriculum

Lippincott Client Cases for Clinical Judgment is purpose built to develop the clinical judgment mindset of students, while making it easy for educators to assign practice with realistic patient cases. Intended for cross-curricular applications in every course area, the offering allows faculty to add engaging competency-based learning strategies to classes for clinical reasoning skill training. Nurse educators can expand students' exposure to clinical reasoning through frequent practice of patient-centered care activities that stimulate critical thinking, enabling students to safely navigate the complexities of diverse patient situations. Additionally, the solution integrates with most campus Learning Management Systems (LMSs) and is assignable with other Lippincott products in one platform for instructors and students.

"Lippincott Client Cases for Clinical Judgment shifts the focus from abstract concepts and conditions to real-world patient scenarios that reflect the complexity of modern nursing, highlighting the importance of providing compassionate, safe, and high-quality care for patients," said Amy Walker, PHD, RN, Professor at Seattle University's School of Nursing. "Our students love it because it helps them understand the learning material and different aspects of their future nursing role better. The offering is a gamechanger for bridging the nurse education-practice gap and improving new graduates' practice readiness and clinical reasoning skills."

Building clinical competence and confidence of nursing students

Boasting an extensive collection of over 300 patient scenarios across 17 hospital units and more than 2,700 Next-Generation National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) style questions based on nurse educators' experiences, Lippincott Client Cases for Clinical Judgment broadens students' exposure to complex patient care scenarios that go beyond a single-disease condition.

Case-based learning in nursing education provides a solid foundation for action-oriented learning methods found in virtual or screen-based simulations ultimately supporting competency-based education and preparing early career nurses to meet the demands of the field. Students will also use an evolving EHR tool within these cases to enhance the real-life experience and knowledge application needed when transitioning to patient care. Nurse educators can leverage the solution to expand their students' experiences in clinical practice situations while also building a learning remediation strategy with feedback and rationales.

For more information about Wolters Kluwer, please visit: www.wolterskluwer.com

About Wolters Kluwer

Wolters Kluwer (EURONEXT: WKL) is a global leader in information, software solutions and services for professionals in healthcare; tax and accounting; financial and corporate compliance; legal and regulatory; corporate performance and ESG. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with technology and services.

Wolters Kluwer reported 2023 annual revenues of 5.6 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 21,400 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands.

For more information, visit www.wolterskluwer.com, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240821139029/en/

Contacts:

Josh DeStefano

Manager, External Communications

Wolters Kluwer Health

+1 (917) 408-5125

joshua.destefano@wolterskluwer.com
Liquid Intelligent Technologies (Liquid), a business of Cassava Technologies, a leading technology group, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with American connectivity innovator Globalstar to deliver advanced 5G connectivity solutions across Africa, the Middle East, and the Gulf.

Strive Masiyiwa, founder and Chairman of Liquid Intelligent Technologies said, "I'm really excited by the connectivity solutions now emerging from breakthroughs in 5G private networks technologies. With this technology we are now able to provide services to large businesses like mines with their own 5G private networks that can also enable NextGen services like AI; this is huge."

The partnership will provide Liquid with exclusive rights in the Gulf, Middle East and Africa regions to sell and distribute Globalstar's XCOM RAN private networks 5G access solution. This innovative technology that enhances the 5G experience also supports AI-driven applications, and is set to revolutionise the mining industry in Africa and high-end markets in the Middle East and Gulf regions.

"We look forward to the opportunities this exclusive partnership with Globalstar will unfold for our existing and potential customers in these sectors. Globalstar's unique 5G enterprise solution will enable us to provide unparalleled connectivity to our customers on the continent, aligning with our ambition of becoming a leading technology company of African heritage, empowering businesses and communities with the reliable and high-speed internet access needed to thrive in the digital age," said Hardy Pemhiwa, President and Group CEO of Cassava Technologies.

Liquid will provide comprehensive customer support for Globalstar's products and services, including technical support and warranty services. The collaboration also includes potential expansion to Globalstar's satellite, Band n53 spectrum and IoT solutions on a non-exclusive basis.

"Globalstar is pleased to join in partnership with Cassava and Liquid, a group of well-respected leaders with a sharp focus on technology deployments," said Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, CEO of Globalstar. "The regions where Liquid is a leader are large and growing markets for our technologies which enable safe automation and remote control of mobile equipment in high value environments.

Our 5G XCOM RAN product fundamentally differs from traditional wireless solutions and enables mission critical high performance wireless applications. Combining XCOM RAN with the globally licensed Globalstar n53 midband spectrum, creates a very unique offering for private and enterprise 5G networks. Together, Liquid and Globalstar will accelerate advanced wireless technology deployments in Africa, Middle East and Gulf regions."

The partnership between Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Globalstar is yet another achievement, reiterating Liquid's commitment to partnering with global organisations that share the aim to foster progress and innovation through connectivity for businesses and individuals on the African continent and beyond.

About Liquid Intelligent Technologies

Liquid Intelligent Technologies is a business of Cassava Technologies (Cassava), a technology company of African heritage with operations in 40-plus markets across Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, where the Cassava group companies operate. Liquid has firmly established itself as the leading provider of pan-African digital infrastructure with a 110,000 km-long fibre broadband network and satellite connectivity that provides high-speed access to the Internet anywhere in Africa. Liquid is also leveraging its digital network to provide Cloud and Cyber Security solutions through strategic partnerships with leading global players. Liquid is a comprehensive technology solutions group that provides customised digital solutions to public and private sector enterprises and SMEs across the continent. For more information, visit https://www.liquid.tech/.

About Globalstar

Globalstar empowers its customers to connect, transmit, and communicate in smarter ways easily, quickly, securely, and affordably offering reliable satellite and terrestrial connectivity services as an international telecom infrastructure provider. The Company's LEO satellite constellation assures secure data transmission for connecting and protecting assets, transmitting critical operational data, and saving lives for consumers, businesses, and government agencies across the globe. Globalstar's terrestrial spectrum, Band 53, and its 5G variant, n53, offer carriers, cable companies, and system integrators a versatile, fully licensed channel for private networks with a growing ecosystem to improve customer wireless connectivity, while Globalstar's XCOM RAN product offers significant capacity gains in dense wireless deployments. In addition to SPOT GPS messengers, Globalstar offers next-generation IoT hardware and software products for efficiently tracking and monitoring assets, processing smart data at the edge, and managing analytics with cloud-based telematics solutions to drive safety, productivity, and profitability. For more information, visit www.globalstar.com and connect with us on LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240815373034/en/

Contacts:

Alisa Moloney

alisa.moloney@globalstar.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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Leading identity management firm hires Gooch to help transform organizations from their legacy identity solutions to Saviynt's innovative, secure, intelligent digital identity governance platform

Saviynt, a leading provider of cloud-native identity and governance platform solutions, today announced that IT transformation and Security Services industry leader Simon Gooch has joined the company as Senior Vice President of Expert Services.

Simon most recently served as Global Digital Identity Lead and Director of Security for CIO at Accenture. Over a 25+ year career at Accenture, Simon led key IT digital transformation projects for the company, including transforming its internal security architecture from a legacy, reactive on-prem approach to a dynamic cloud first, service oriented model with a focus on identity, access and data governance. Simon helped the company ensure the delivery of effective internal security and identity projects even as the company grew dramatically over his career. With his direct experience in large scale digital transformation projects, Simon also worked closely with many of Accenture's customers.

"We are thrilled to strengthen our leadership team with the addition of Simon, one of the industry's most respected and highly-regarded IT and security visionaries," said Paul Zolfaghari, President at Saviynt. "He brings deep experience from one of the world's largest organizations to Saviynt where our customers will benefit from his strategic, future-focused perspective and vast knowledge. We are looking forward to making Simon's unique, exceptional expertise available to Saviynt's customers."

In his role as Senior Vice President of Expert Services, Simon will be responsible for ensuring that existing customers realize the full benefit of Saviynt's identity management platform. Simon will also work with new companies who are considering an identity modernization initiative, showing them the achievable path to realize the value of this transformation with Saviynt's solutions.

"As I start my journey at Saviynt, I have reflected on how this pivotal stage in my career aligns with what I see as an equally pivotal evolutionary stage in cybersecurity. I believe emphatically that only by truly making identity the fabric that binds, protects and enables all technology can you look to securely and effectively transform businesses," said Simon. "I am excited to be joining an organization that not only has the desire to play a key role in shaping this next evolutionary stage but has brought together a team of people whose passion, expertise and experience will set the blueprint for an innovative and successful future."

Simon was instrumental in securing the technology that runs Accenture's business a critical role in a $150 billion global company with 780,000 people in 120+ countries and more than 400 office locations. Reporting to Accenture's CIO and working directly with Accenture's CISO, Simon had overall responsibility for the enablement of Accenture's digital identity vision, from strategy to implementation and running of all Identity and Access Management services.

About Saviynt

Saviynt empowers enterprises to secure their digital transformation, safeguard critical assets, and meet regulatory compliance. With a vision to provide a secure and compliant future for all enterprises, Saviynt is recognized as an industry leader in identity security whose cutting-edge solutions protect the world's leading brands, Fortune 500 companies and government organizations. For more information, please visit www.saviynt.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240821672500/en/

Contacts:

Jacklyn Kellick

jacklyn.kellick@saviynt.com
CHICAGO, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Autonomous Driving Software Market is projected to grow from USD 1.8 billion in 2024 to USD 7.0 billion in 2035, at a CAGR of 13.3%, according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. As automakers and technology companies plan to launch self-driving cars, demand for driving software solutions is likely to rise due to increasing investment in ADAS/AD technologies by OEMs and technology providers. The demand for L2+ vehicles is also growing. Rapid advancements in AI and sensor technologies, along with rising consumer interest in ADAS for improved safety, are expected to drive the demand for autonomous driving software in L2+ vehicles. Further, the shift to software-first architecture and technology sharing between leading OEMs and Tech Companies is also speeding up the shift to higher levels of Autonomy. For such developments, automotive software is being developed for applications such as perception & planning software, chauffeur software, interior sensing software, and supervision/monitoring software.

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Browse in-depth TOC on "Autonomous Driving Software Market"

240 - Tables

110 - Figures

360 - Pages

Autonomous Driving Software Market Scope:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2024 USD 1.8 billion Estimated Value by 2030 USD 7.0 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 13.3% Market Size Available for 2020-2035 Forecast Period 2024-2035 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Level of Autonomy, Vehicle Type, Propulsion, Software Type, and Region Geographies Covered Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America Report Highlights Updated financial information / product portfolio of players Key Market Opportunities Advancement in autonomous commercial vehicle technology Key Market Drivers Increasing advancements in ADAS technology

Passenger car segment is estimated to hold the largest share during the forecast period.

With increasing demand for safer and more comfortable vehicles, the passenger car segment will likely be the largest autonomous driving software market. This will further get impacted by growing demand for luxury vehicles. As per industry experts, by 2030, around 14-18% of the current L2 vehicle market share will be led by L2+ among passenger cars. Government mandate for safety features in passenger vehicles will also drive the market. For example, the EU expanded the scope of required ADAS technology to include Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) and Lane Keeping Assistance (LKA) in newer vehicles beginning in 2022 and extending to existing models in 2024. This law compels automakers to provide the aforementioned ADAS technologies in the region. Similarly, South Korea has mandated AEB and LDW systems for all new passenger vehicles since 2019. Furthermore, in May 2024, the UK government enacted the Automated Vehicle Act 2024, which encourages the use of automated vehicles and authorizes the commercialization of self-driving vehicles on British roads beginning in 2026.

Several automakers, including Nissan, Tesla, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, and Audi, are investigating advanced autonomous applications for their passenger vehicles. Companies are forming partnerships and investing considerably in autonomous driving software technology. For example, in February 2024, OXA launched Oxa Driver, its first commercial self-driving software, in passenger autonomous car shuttles in Jacksonville, Florida. Similarly, in February 2024, Pony.ai received approval for fully unmanned passenger testing of Autonomous GAC Toyota Sienna in Beijing, which allows the vehicle to conduct demonstrations of autonomous driving capabilities, available for user hailing through the PonyPilot+ app, concurrently in Beijing and Guangzhou.

Electric propulsion segment is estimated to hold the largest share in the autonomous driving software market during the forecast period.

Electric propulsion segment is estimated to hold the largest share in the autonomous driving software market during the forecast period. It is easier of EVs to incorporate ADAS systems, due to less mechanical systems and presence of central processing. These vehicles will be equipped with a variety of sensors, processors, and control systems that help the vehicle to navigate, recognize obstacles, and interact with other vehicles and people. With this technology, vehicles can be programmed to follow predetermined paths and make decisions based on their surroundings. Autonomous EVs can be used in a variety of applications, including delivery, commodity transportation, ride-sharing, and even military operations.

The demand for an emission-free transportation option has prompted car OEMs all over the world to shift their focus to EVs. Many countries in the world are introducing emission and safety regulations. This is expected to improve road safety and reduce emissions. Many global OEMs, such as Nissan, Tesla, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, and Audi, are looking forward to developing and manufacturing their L2+, L3 and L4 vehicles with electric propulsion. Several OEMs and autonomous driving software suppliers are actively investing in and developing EV autonomous vehicle technology. For example, in September 2023, Mobileye (Israel) partnered with Smart Europe GmbH (Germany). Smart's next special edition EV will include a Navigation Smart Pilot (NSP) and enhanced driving assistance features based on Mobileye SuperVision. It will also have Smart Pilot Assist 2.0.



"North America is expected to have a significant share in the autonomous driving software market by 2035."

The autonomous driving software market in North America is projected to witness significant growth during the forecast period due to the growing demand for autonomous vehicles in the region. Domestic OEMs, such as Ford, GM, and Tesla, along with European and Asian OEMs, such as Toyota (Japan), Nissan (Japan), Hyundai (South Korea), BMW (Germany), and Volkswagen (Germany) already offer L2+ vehicles in the region. Some leading companies are also providing L3 Autonomous vehicles in the region. Mercedes-Benz, for instance, provides S-Class and EQS SUV L3 vehicles in US and Canada. Similarly, BMW provides its 7 Series with L3 autonomy.

Autonomous driving software demand in L2+ vehicles in the region is likely to be driven by increased government legislation, which demands the use of sophisticated safety features in vehicles, as well as consumer knowledge and acceptance of autonomous driving. The rise of Al, cloud solutions, and machine learning is set to increase the need for autonomous driving software. With more automotive companies, tech firms, and suppliers joining forces, this demand is expected to grow in the region.

The presence of leading automotive software providers, such as NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Waymo LLC and BlackBerry Limited, among others in the region will also drive the demand for software for autonomous vehicles. These companies contribute to the development of innovative software solutions and systems for self-driving vehicles. For example, Alphabet (US) said in July 2024 that it intends to invest USD 5 billion in Waymo, its autonomous vehicle company, over the next several years. This investment will allow Waymo to continue its expansion as a leading autonomous driving technology company. The US is anticipated to be the region's main market, with strong demand in California, where self-driving cars have been tested for years. Canada will also have a big market, with increased demand for premium vehicles and more concern about road safety.

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Autonomous Driving Software Market Dynamics:

Drivers:

Increasing advancements in ADAS technology

Restraints:

Lack of standardization in software architecture and hardware platforms

Opportunities:

Advancement in autonomous commercial vehicle technology

Challenge:

Compatibility and integration challenges in hardware and software components

Key Market Players Autonomous Driving Software Market Industry:

Prominent players in the Autonomous Driving Software Market include as Mobileye (Israel), NVIDIA Corporation (US), Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. (US), Huawei Technologies Co, Ltd (China), and Aurora Innovation Inc. (US).

The break-down of primary participants is as mentioned below:

By Company Type: OEMs - 24%, Tier I - 67%, and Tier II - 9%,

OEMs - 24%, Tier I - 67%, and Tier II - 9%, By Designation: C- Level Executives - 33%, Directors - 52%, and Others - 15%

C- Level Executives - 33%, Directors - 52%, and Others - 15% By Region: North America - 26%, Europe - 36%, and Asia Pacific - 38%

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Autonomous Driving Software Industry Recent Developments:

In July 2024, IVECO, part of the Iveco Group, together with PlusAI, dm-drogerie markt, and DSV, announced the launch of a semi-automated truck pilot in Germany. After several months of rigorous testing and validation, the pilot would utilize a new production-ready IVECO S-Way heavy-duty truck design, featuring PlusAI's driver-supervised highly automated driving software, PlusDrive.

In June 2024, Rivian (US) and Volkswagen Group (Germany) announced plans for a joint venture to develop advanced vehicle software technology. Volkswagen Group would initially invest USD 1 billion in Rivian, with plans to invest up to an additional USD 4 billion.

In June 2024, formerly called P3 Mobility, Verne (Croatia) collaborated with Mobileye (Israel) to launch its autonomous vehicle. The advanced Mobileye Drive AD platform would be integrated into the specially designed Verne vehicle.

Autonomous Driving Software Market Size - Key Benefits of Buying the Report:

The report will help market leaders/new entrants with information on the closest approximations of revenue numbers for the overall autonomous driving software market and its subsegments.

This report will help stakeholders understand the competitive landscape and gain more insights to position their businesses better and plan suitable go-to-market strategies.

The report also helps stakeholders understand the market pulse and provides information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities.

The report also helps stakeholders understand the current and future pricing trends of autonomous driving software.

This report provides insights on:

Analysis of key drivers (Increasing development and adoption of autonomous vehicles, Growing adherence to safety regulations for vehicles worldwide, Increasing advancements in ADAS technology, Integration of 5G technology for vehicle connectivity), restraints (Data privacy concerns, Lack of standardization in software architecture and hardware platforms), opportunities (Rising demand for safer and sustainable transportation solutions, Increasing adoption of ADAS in modern vehicles, Growing deployment of sensor fusion in automotive, Advancement in autonomous commercial vehicle technology), and challenges (High operational cost of cybersecurity measures, Compatibility and integration challenges in hardware and software components).

(Increasing development and adoption of autonomous vehicles, Growing adherence to safety regulations for vehicles worldwide, Increasing advancements in ADAS technology, Integration of 5G technology for vehicle connectivity), restraints (Data privacy concerns, Lack of standardization in software architecture and hardware platforms), opportunities (Rising demand for safer and sustainable transportation solutions, Increasing adoption of ADAS in modern vehicles, Growing deployment of sensor fusion in automotive, Advancement in autonomous commercial vehicle technology), and challenges (High operational cost of cybersecurity measures, Compatibility and integration challenges in hardware and software components). Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on upcoming technologies, research & development activities, and new product & service launches in the autonomous driving software market.

Detailed insights on upcoming technologies, research & development activities, and new product & service launches in the autonomous driving software market. Market Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative markets - the report analyses the autonomous driving software market across varied regions.

Comprehensive information about lucrative markets - the report analyses the autonomous driving software market across varied regions. Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products & services, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the autonomous driving software market.

Exhaustive information about new products & services, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the autonomous driving software market. Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market ranking, growth strategies, and service offerings of leading players like Mobileye (Israel), NVIDIA Corporation (US), Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. (US), Huawei Technologies Co, Ltd (China), and Aurora Innovation Inc. (US) among others in autonomous driving software market.

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Get access to the latest updates on Autonomous Driving Software Companies and Autonomous Driving Software Industry Growth

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Growing production of vehicles and rising vehicle maintenance requirements are the two significant drivers boosting the growth of the global automotive kingpin market.

PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Automotive Kingpin Market by Product Type (Kits and Individual Parts), Vehicle Type (Light Commercial Vehicle, Heavy Commercial Vehicle and Off-Road Vehicle) and Sales Channel (OEM and Aftermarket): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2024-2033".According to the report, the automotive kingpin market was valued at $3.3 billion in 2023, and is estimated to reach $5.9 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 6.2% from 2024 to 2033.

Prime determinants of growth

Surge in production of vehicles and increase in vehicle maintenance requirements are the two primary factors driving the growth of the global automotive kingpin market. However, increase in focus on lightweight automotive component acts as the key restraining factor of the automotive kingpin market. On the contrary, high investment during manufacturing and threat from alternatives are expected to provide lucrative opportunities for the growth of the automotive kingpin market during the forecast period.

Request Sample of the Report on Automotive Kingpin Market Forecast 2033: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/A323776

Report coverage & details

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2024-2033 Base Year 2023 Market Size in 2023 $3.3 Billion Market Size in 2033 $5.9 Billion CAGR 6.2 % No. of Pages in Report 250 Segments Covered Product type, vehicle type, sales channel, and region Drivers Surge in production of vehicle Rise in vehicle maintenance requirements Opportunities High investment during manufacturing Threat from alternatives Restraint Increase in focus on lightweight automotive components

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Segment Highlights

By product type, the kits segment dominated the automotive kingpin market in 2023. This is attributed to the fact that kits provide a convenient solution for vehicle owners and mechanics by bundling all necessary components together for a specific repair and maintenance task. This convenience is particularly appealing in the aftermarket segment where time and ease of installation are crucial. Meanwhile, the individual parts segment is expected to grow at an increasing rate in the automotive kingpin market. This is due to the fact that some customers prefer the flexibility of purchasing individual kingpin components separately, allowing for customization based on specific vehicle requirements, preferences, and budget constraints.

By vehicle type, the heavy commercial vehicle segment dominated the automotive kingpin market in 2023, as the demand for high-quality kingpins is higher among heavy commercial vehicles. Infrastructure development projects, industrial activities, and the expansion of logistics and transportation sectors are driving the demand for heavy commercial vehicles and, consequently, automotive kingpins. Meanwhile, the light commercial vehicle segment is expected to grow at an increasing rate, due to rapid e-commerce growth, growing urbanization, and rising last-mile delivery services.

By sales channel, the OEM segment dominated the automotive kingpin market in 2023 due to increasing vehicle production and integration of advanced technologies. Meanwhile, the aftermarket segment is expected to grow at a significant rate in the automotive kingpin market, due to the increasing aging of vehicles and growing preference for high-quality replacement parts.

Regional Outlook

Region wise, Asia-Pacific region dominated the automotive kingpin market in 2023 due to the highest production of vehicles in the region. Meanwhile, North America region is expected to grow at a significant rate in the future due to the increasing sales of commercial vehicles in the region.

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Key Market Players

Bosch (Germany)

Continental SA (Germany)

Valeo SA (France)

ACDelco (U.S.)

Michelin Group (France)

Meritor Inc. (U.S.)

Dana Limited (U.S.)

PE Automotive (Germany)

JG Automotive (Spain)

Elgin Industries (U.S.)

Diesel Technic SE (Germany)

Belton Group (UK)

Stemco Products Inc. (U.S.)

Mulberry Fabrications Limited (UK)

Schaffler Technologies (Germany)

Ferdinand Bilstein GmBh (Germany)

Lema Srl (Italy)

GKN Automotive (UK)

Thyssenkrupp AG (Germany)

SKF Group (Sweden)

NSK Ltd. (Japan)

NTN Corporation (Japan)

Hitachi Automotive Systems (Japan)

Hyundai Wia (South Korea)

Mando Corporation (South Korea)

SAIC Motor (China)

Nexxiot AG (Switzerland)

Stemco (U.S.)

The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players in the global automotive kingpin market. These players have adopted different strategies such as new product launch, and collaboration to increase their market share 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 Developments

In December 2021, Eurowagon, a polish based railway car pool company, collaborated with Nexxiot, a trade tech company, and launched safety digital products and services. Eurowagon and Nexxiot have extended their cooperation by moving to equip Eurowagon's fleet with the latest Kingpin sensors, which monitor the loading of semi-trailers onto pocket rail wagons. Nexxiot's Kingpin Monitor hardware offer new standards in safety and process automation to different asset types.

In April 2021, Dana Inc. launched the new ultimate dana kingpin knuckle kits in conjuction with the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah. The kits include all of the top-quality components required to install a kingpin assembly for more robust off-road performance on Jeep vehicles. The solution is a time-saving alternative to searching and ordering each component individually. The kits feature an updated knuckle design that delivers added strength to the axle while improving turning radius and steering. Available for Jeep JK, JL, and JT models, the ultimate dana kingpin knuckle kits are the newest addition to the dana builder axle program.

In 2024, Diesel Technic SE, a company based in Germany, launched a new automotive kingpin solution. This product is part of the DT Spare Parts brand and includes a comprehensive kingpin kit designed for commercial vehicles. The kit is built to meet high-quality standards, ensuring durability and reliability for heavy-duty applications.

In 2024, Stemco Produts Inc., launched Qwitkit kingpin kit solution. The solution launched no-ream steel bushings and pins. These components are designed to provide optimal lubrication to high-wear areas and hold significantly more grease than standard sets, extending the lifespan of the kingpin. The QwikKit King Pin helps in rapid installations compared to traditional original equipment (OE) and aftermarket king pins, reducing shop time and maintenance costs.

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Tradeshift's solution has unequivocally demonstrated its compliance with the requirements outlined in France's upcoming e-invoicing mandate, which will come into effect in 2026.

Paris, France, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tradeshift today announces that it has achieved PDP (Plateforme de dematerialisation partenaire) registered status from the French Government. As one of the select few providers to achieve this significant milestone, Tradeshift's solution has unequivocally demonstrated its compliance with the requirements outlined in France's upcoming e-invoicing mandate, which will come into effect in 2026.

PDPs are the official partners of the French authorities trusted to facilitate the exchange of documents and report on those transactions to the PPF. Around half of all businesses with more than 250 employees are expected to use a PDP to comply with the French Government's e-invoicing mandate.

As one of the first wave of technology providers to gain PDP registered status, Tradeshift will participate in a large-scale pilot phase run by the French government in 2025. Tradeshift has teamed up with two of its most prestigious French customers to take part in the pilot programme.

"This is the announcement that large organizations have been waiting for," said Raphael Bres, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Tradeshift. "Businesses with a footprint in France face a relatively short window to implement systems supporting the new mandate. They're understandably eager to move ahead with partner selection and can now do so with confidence. For Tradeshift customers, registered status means compliance in France is a giant step closer."

The introduction of mandatory e-invoicing in France is part of a global trend. Over 80 countries worldwide have e-invoicing and clearance mandates, and 50 have announced their intention to impose new or additional mandates.

The core goal is to reduce the VAT gap - the shortfall between theoretical and actual tax revenue - which currently costs the French government 13 billion annually. However, the lack of a common set of standards means businesses face a complex and often confusing matrix of requirements to which they must adhere.

"What's happening in France is happening all over the world," added Bres. "We encourage every business with an international footprint to step back and see the bigger picture. Every PDP will be able to help businesses stay compliant in France. Few, if any, can match Tradeshift's global compliance capabilities.

"Viewed strategically, and with a partner like Tradeshift, the French mandate can be a catalyst to transform business processes across your entire organization, yielding enormous benefits in terms of cost-savings, efficiency and business agility."

Tradeshift currently supports e-invoicing in 71 countries and 10 Clearance Countries. Notably, it was the first Western company to support Chinese Fapio invoices transmitted via the Golden Tax System. Its flexible platform can adapt to any clearance needs mandated by local government and is part of Tradeshift's commitment to ensuring that achieving global compliance remains business as usual for every customer, wherever they do business.

-ENDS-

About Tradeshift

Tradeshift is the business e-commerce and fintech platform that redefines how B2B buyers and suppliers connect, trade and grow. The Tradeshift network connects over a million companies, enabling them to transact seamlessly and digitally with customers and suppliers anywhere in the world. Our unique blend of e-invoicing, marketplace commerce and embedded fintech services gives businesses the tools to streamline finance and procurement processes, access new markets, source new suppliers, and optimise working capital to suit their needs. All in one place. Find out more at: Tradeshift.com .

Attachment
Detroit, MI - [21/08/2024] - A2MAC1 is thrilled to announce the relocation of its North America Headquarter to Newlab, located within the Michigan Central Station Innovation District, effective September 2, 2024. Since 2003, A2MAC1 has been at the forefront of automotive innovation in North America. In 2019, we expanded our Americas operations by opening a facility in Queretaro, Mexico, driven by the automotive industry's growth, led by Detroit. Now, with Detroit's resurgence as a global leader in mobility, we are proud to bring our sales operations to the heart of the city, contributing to Michigan's dynamic growth.



Situated in Detroit's historic Corktown neighborhood, Newlab is an esteemed innovation hub housed in the newly renovated Book Depository building. Since its inception in April 2023, Newlab has spearheaded advancements in mobility and energy technologies. It's already home to over 100 companies advancing mobility and new energy technologies, ranging from established industry leaders to cutting-edge startups, who are pioneering innovations in critical areas such as climate tech and sustainable transportation. This fits well with the culture & service offerings of A2MAC1 as we continue to be a leader in mobility technology.

"We are excited to establish our Americas headquarter in Detroit and to become part of the vibrant innovation community at Newlab," said Frank Bunte, CEO of A2MAC1. "This move aligns with our mission to remain a global leader in automotive benchmarking and technology insights. We eagerly anticipate collaborating with the cutting-edge companies at Newlab and continuing to deliver world-class service and solutions to our clients."

A2MAC1 is committed to reinforcing its strong U.S. presence by situating itself at the heart of the world's automotive capital, Detroit. We proudly serve over 1,000 global OEMs and Tier 1-3 suppliers in the automotive, truck, and mobility markets, driving innovation and shaping the future of transportation. Our partnership with Newlab will allow us to showcase our services to these valued customers and explore new avenues for more effective technological development, cost optimization, and advancing sustainability within the industry.

For more information about A2MAC1 and our new Detroit headquarter, please visit https://www.a2mac1.com/ or contact Marie Bouthors-Rolland at mrolland@a2mac1.com .

About A2MAC1

A2MAC1 is the global leader in automotive benchmarking and technology insights, providing detailed analysis and intelligence that drive product development and strategic decision-making for automakers and suppliers. With a strong global presence, A2MAC1 continues to empower companies to innovate and compete in the fast-evolving automotive industry.

About Newlab at Michigan Central

Newlab at Michigan Central is an innovation hub located in Detroit's historic Corktown district, dedicated to advancing mobility and energy technologies. Since its opening in 2023, Newlab has supported a diverse community of startups and established companies working to shape the future of transportation and sustainability.




Key findings:

Casualties among off-road vehicle riders, specifically persons under 16 years of age, have increased substantially in the past two decades.

More than half of snowmobile riders (57.9%) and almost two-thirds (64%) of ATV/dirt bike users under age 16 dying in a crash were lone vehicle riders.

27 ATV/dirt bike riders aged 65 and older were killed in a crash in 2021 compared to five in 2000.

142 male off-road vehicle riders were killed in a crash in 2021 compared to 94 in 2000, and 23 female riders died in a crash that year, which is a concerning increase from six killed in 2000.

Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 21, 2024) - The Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) has released a new fact sheet, Fatally Injured Off-road Vehicle Riders in Canada, 2000-2021, made possible by sponsorship from Desjardins Insurance. Key findings from TIRF's National Fatality Database underscore the critical need to address the safe use of snowmobiles, ATVs and dirt bikes and focus particularly on topics such as impaired riding and helmet use.

"The decrease in highway vehicle occupant deaths from 2000 to 2021 is not evident in the fatality numbers for off-road vehicle riders during the same timeframe," says Steve Brown, TIRF Research Associate & Data Collection. "In fact, there has been an overall rise in off-road vehicle fatalities over the last two decades. This highlights a need for enhanced safety measures and increased education."

Data revealed there were 20 deaths of off-road vehicle riders under 16 years of age in 2021 compared to eight in 2000. Similarly, 27 off-road vehicle riders who were 65 and older died in 2021 compared to five in 2000. In contrast, there were 41 deaths of off-road vehicle riders among 20-34-year-olds in 2021, slightly fewer than 44 in 2000. Additionally, 142 male off-road vehicle riders died in 2021 compared to 94 in 2000. Although the 23 deaths among female riders in 2021 were fewer than those among males, this number still represents a significant increase from the six females killed in 2000.

"The considerable number of off-road vehicle deaths in the under 16 age group is very concerning," continues Brown. "More than half (or 57.9%) of snowmobile riders and almost two-thirds (or 64%) of ATV/dirt bike riders under 16 years of age killed in a collision were lone vehicle riders."

In terms of fatalities among both categories of off-road vehicle riders under 16 years of age, three-fifths of fatalities were the lone vehicle rider. Although data do not reveal the degree of adult supervision, operator experience or physical strength, deficits in any of these areas may compromise operator safety. Whether off-road vehicles are operated on public roadways, designated trails, or private property, educational campaigns could underscore the importance of adult supervision of younger riders.

The issue of helmet use by off-road vehicle riders is reflected in the percentage of fatally injured snowmobile and ATV/dirt bike riders who were or were not wearing helmets at the time of the collision. Three-quarters of snowmobile riders (76.9%) compared to half (50.1%) of ATV/dirt bike riders were wearing their helmet. Education on the merits of helmet use could reduce the number of deaths among this population. Regardless of the reasons for not wearing a helmet (e.g., riding a short distance or where helmet use isn't mandatory), the laws of physics still apply and a fall from the vehicle can still result in serious injury or death.

Of note, fatally injured operators of highway vehicles have consistently been less likely to test positive for alcohol than drivers of other vehicle types. Fewer than one in three (28.5%) highway vehicle drivers tested positive for alcohol in 2021 compared to 34.7% in 2000. For most years, snowmobile operators were the most likely to test positive for alcohol. In 2021, two-thirds (65.9%) of these operators tested positive for alcohol compared to 62% in 2000. Among fatally injured operators of ATVs/dirt bikes, 44.3% tested positive in 2021 compared to 40% in 2000.

"While efforts to curb driving after drinking are well-established for drivers on public roads, the data described in this fact sheet clearly show more work is needed to address impaired driving for off-road vehicle users," says Ward Vanlaar, TIRF COO. "Also, the importance of using helmets to prevent deaths cannot be overstated. It is an essential safety device every rider of snowmobiles, ATVs and dirt bikes should wear. With a disturbing number of deaths in the under 16-year-old age group, helmet use by adults to set the example for safety could improve overall use."

Download the fact sheet:

Fatally Injured Off-road Vehicle Riders in Canada, 2000-2021

Fatality Database Disclaimer

Data from TIRF's National Fatality Database may be subject to change as the closure of cases is ongoing. As such, there may be minor differences in this document compared to previous documents reporting on the same topic.





To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10180/219986_3a2100c9c4924a1a_002full.jpg

About TIRF Canada:

The vision of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) is to ensure people using roads make it home safely every day by eliminating road deaths, serious injuries and their social costs. TIRF's mission is to be the knowledge source for safe road users and a world leader in research, program and policy development, evaluation, and knowledge transfer. TIRF is a registered charity and depends on grants, awards, and donations to provide services for the public. Visit www.tirf.ca or find all TIRF websites and social media at linktr.ee/tirfcanada.

- 30 -

For more information, contact:

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/219986

SOURCE: Traffic Injury Research Foundation
Prosus N.V. (Prosus) (AEX and JSE: PRX) The annual general meeting (AGM) of the shareholders of Prosus was held today.

Shareholders are advised that all resolutions set out in the notice of the AGM were passed by the requisite majority of shareholders represented at the AGM and adopted.

We note that the issued share capital of Prosus at the record date was as follows:

Class of share Nominal value

per share Number of votes

per share Issued

share capital Authorised

share capital Ordinary Share N (N shares) EUR0.05 1 2,487,280,090 5,000,000,000 Ordinary Share A1 (A shares) EUR0.05 1 6,446,739 10,000,000 Ordinary Share B (B shares) EUR0.05 1 2,869,537,584 3,000,000,000

54,743,475 ordinary shares N were held in treasury by the Company as at the record date. Therefore, the number of ordinary shares that could have been voted at the meeting: 5,308,520,938. The total number of ordinary shares represented at the meeting was: 4,969,546,637 which is 92.66% of the total issued share capital.

Details of voting results:

NO. AGENDA ITEM VOTES

FOR VOTES

AGAINST VOTES

ABSTAIN VOTES

TOTAL % of ISSUED SHARE CAPITAL VOTED 3 To approve the directors' remuneration report 4 150 069 285 83,52 818 741 510 16,48 735 835 4 969 546 630 92,66% 4 To adopt the annual accounts for the financial year ending 31 March 2024 4 966 299 011 99,99 653 913 0,01 2 593 706 4 969 546 630 92,66% 5 To make a distribution in relation to the financial year ending 31 March 2024 4 966 348 017 99,95 2 551 485 0,05 647 128 4 969 546 630 92,66% 6 To discharge the executive directors from liability 4 844 380 574 97,54 122 297 344 2,46 2 868 712 4 969 546 630 92,66% 7 To discharge the non-executive directors from liability 4 685 161 924 94,33 281 489 255 5,67 2 895 451 4 969 546 630 92,66% 8 To adopt the remuneration policy of the executive and non-executive directors 4 132 328 869 83,16 836 588 181 16,84 629 580 4 969 546 630 92,66% 9 To approve the remuneration of the non-executive directors 4 932 428 161 99,27 36 428 454 0,73 690 015 4 969 546 630 92,66% 10 To appoint Fabricio Bloisi as an executive director of Prosus 4 941 663 828 99,45 27 231 007 0,55 651 795 4 969 546 630 92,66% 11 To reappoint the following non-executive directors: 11.1 Hendrik du Toit 4 866 469 148 98,06 96 337 946 1,94 6 739 536 4 969 546 630 92,66% 11.2 Craig Enenstein 4 406 891 547 88,69 561 994 477 11,31 660 606 4 969 546 630 92,66% 11.3 Angelien Kemna 4 926 069 075 99,14 42 775 468 0,86 702 087 4 969 546 630 92,66% 11.4 Nolo Letele 4 873 174 381 98,09 95 102 544 1,91 1 269 705 4 969 546 630 92,66% 11.5 Roberto Oliveira de Lima 4 650 787 623 93,60 317 781 193 6,40 977 814 4 969 546 630 92,66% 12 To reappoint Deloitte Accountants B.V. as the auditor charged with the auditing of the annual accounts for the year ending 31 March 2026 4 963 446 284 99,89 5 447 443 0,11 652 903 4 969 546 630 92,66% 13 To designate the board of directors as the Company body authorised to issue shares 4 788 307 610 96,37 180 592 932 3,63 646 088 4 969 546 630 92,66% 14 To authorise the board of directors to resolve that the Company acquires shares in its own capital 4 741 219 859 95,42 227 468 433 4,58 858 338 4 969 546 630 92,66% 15 To reduce the share capital by cancelling own shares 4 961 541 466 99,85 7 237 428 0,15 767 736 4 969 546 630 92,66%

Summary of statements from the annual general meeting:

Our role in an AI-first world

The technology sector is being reshaped by significant geopolitical movements from regulatory changes in major markets to shifting trade policies, these developments have profound implications. Our strategic focus on growth markets and disciplined capital allocation has enabled the group to adapt and grow in times of change. In doing so, we are actively helping to shape the technology ecosystem, ensuring our investments align with key global trends.

Given the speed at which our daily lives are becoming more digital, our considerable technological capabilities are focused on artificial intelligence or AI and digital transformation. Equally important, we have integrated ethical AI frameworks to ensure our technologies are safe, transparent and equitable. Our commitment to innovation is evident in our strategic investments in high-potential areas, and our ongoing work to use AI in improving operational efficiencies and customer experiences. Throughout our group, we are not negotiable on adhering to accepted standards of ethical practice in deploying technology.

Discount to net asset value

In the past year, we made further progress on reducing the discount to net asset value at which Prosus and Naspers shares trade. We have created additional value for shareholders by continuing our open-ended share-repurchase programme, funded by small sales of Tencent shares. Since its inception in June 2022, this programme has reduced the free-float share count by 21% and generated US$32bn of value for shareholders. The combined holding company discount of Naspers and Prosus has reduced by some 21 percentage points, with a total value of US$17.1bn in Prosus ordinary shares N bought back. This translates to 8.2% accretion in net asset value per share.

Importantly, this buyback programme increases our per-share exposure to Tencent. Given our confidence in Tencent's future, we are committed to remaining a large shareholder.

Delivering our strategy

During the year, we refined our strategic focus and simplified our operating structure to focus on what Prosus does best build valuable businesses that solve everyday problems for customers. We do this globally by backing innovative local entrepreneurs, but with a disciplined approach to capital allocation. We typically grow our capital commitments progressively as we learn and scale, intrinsically linked to future returns.

In the review period, we made good progress on our strategy. We reached consolidated Ecommerce profitability ahead of target a milestone that reflects rigorous cost management, strategic investments in high-growth areas, and a focused approach on core market segments that promise high returns. Although this focus on profitability strengthens the company's financial health, it also emphasises our ability to generate long-term, sustainable value.

Although we have recorded robust growth in several sectors, there are areas where we did not meet our expectations. Specifically the internal rate of return from our portfolio and the level of our holding-company discount. By facing these facts, we can make informed decisions about our future and implement the changes that need to be made.

A year of progress

The 2024 financial year was a transformative period for our group as we proved that growth and profitability can co-exist, and continued to outpace our peers in revenue growth. Group revenue grew 11% to US$5.5 billion, driven by strong performances across our key segments. In addition to reaching profitability six months early, consolidated trading profit for our Ecommerce sector improved by a sizeable US$451m to US$38m, driven by growth, scale and cost reductions.

While we continue to look for long-term growth opportunities, external investment was limited to US$571m for the year. This is meaningfully below the US$6.3bn peak in 2022 as we maintained discipline in a challenging investment landscape.

Our balance sheet remains strong and liquid, with cash of US$14.6 billion and debt of US$15.2 billion translating to net debt of just US$0.6 billion at year end. This provides internal opportunities to scale the core of each of our businesses and build their ecosystems. Externally, being well-capitalised allows us to invest in businesses setting the pace of growth for the future, particularly in areas like AI where we have real competence and institutional knowledge.

Our capital allocation will be even more disciplined, given that investments now face a higher bar. We will continue to drive profitability, build scale and manage expenses and free cash flow, while investing for growth in high-conviction areas.

Our role in society

For every milestone we reach on our sustainability journey, new ones appear on the horizon. Worldwide, shareholders, regulators and other stakeholders now expect more substance and transparency on how companies embed sustainability into their business practices meaningfully and measurably.

We are a global technology group active in high-growth markets and invested in a world of exponential opportunity. Across our diverse portfolio, expert teams are discovering and scaling digital services and technologies that help address global challenges. We are committed to making a difference because we know that accelerating transition to more responsible consumption and greener business models is critical for whole economies to move towards a resource-efficient and low-carbon growth path.

But sustainable development depends on economic growth. In Brazil, India and South Africa, our locally built businesses are driving this growth by innovating in key areas of life from finance to education while creating jobs, enhancing livelihood opportunities and promoting responsible consumption.

In parallel, technology is creating solutions for pressing issues like climate action and social inclusion. For example, digital financial services reach the remotest regions to help people traditional banks cannot reach. Our edtech platforms give diverse users access to online learning anytime, anywhere, without the environmental footprint of a physical learning institution. Our grocery-delivery and etail platforms combine convenience with a lower carbon footprint, while our best-in-class food-delivery businesses create jobs in countries with high youth unemployment. They are also focused on curbing the environmental impact of delivery services through sustainable packaging initiatives and zero-emission vehicles. Our classifieds businesses are driving the transition to a circular economy built on reduce-reuse-recycle models. To illustrate, in just the vehicle and electronics categories, OLX sold over 9.3 million secondhand items last year. This conserved more than 2.5 million tonnes of materials and almost 430 million cubic metres of water while preventing 3 million tonnes of GHG emissions.

Our strategic priority of being a force for good also translates into employment and livelihood opportunities. In our own workforce, the global shortage of digital talent remains a challenge. We are helping our people develop their full potential through a culture built on diversity, inclusion and learning, with competitive pay and benefits. We are also committed to ensuring our portfolio companies offer fair pay and working conditions for delivery partners, irrespective of how their engagement is classified.

We are moving closer to global reporting standards on environmental, social and governance or ESG disclosure, including new requirements in the European Union. Despite broad differences in jurisdictional reporting requirements, we are committed to climate action and a transparent sustainability approach. To illustrate, we are on track to achieve our verified science-based corporate target of reducing scope 1 and scope 2 emissions to zero by 2028. More importantly, we are engaging with our portfolio companies to set their own science-based reduction targets by 2030. As proof of this commitment, climate action is built into the short-term incentive targets for our chief executive officer (CEO) and chief financial officer (CFO).

Aligning remuneration to performance and value creation

Prosus operates in highly competitive, fast-changing markets, many characterised by the shortage of key skills. Our remuneration principles are simple: pay for performance; align with desired shareholder outcomes; achieve the business plan; and be consistent. Our remuneration structures therefore focus on attracting, motivating and retaining the best people to create sustainable shareholder value.

This year, we made several changes to our remuneration structure to better align with our strategic goals and shareholder interests. We also carefully considered feedback from our shareholders and the investment community during our annual remuneration roadshow. Where possible, we incorporated these recommendations and made further disclosure and adjustments to the remuneration design for the CEO and CFO.

The remuneration package for our new CEO, Fabricio Bloisi, was disclosed in detail after publishing year-end results.

We have broadened our performance benchmarks and simplified our LTI disclosures for greater transparency. This is all part of our ongoing work to ensure our remuneration practices support our strategic objectives and maintain market competitiveness.

Distributions to shareholders

Shareholders approved the distribution to holders of ordinary shares N of 10 euro cents per share. Shareholders holding their ordinary shares N in South Africa via Strate will then receive a gross distribution of 198.0830 Rand cents per ordinary share N. Holders of ordinary shares B and ordinary shares A1 will receive an amount per share equal to their economic entitlement as set out in the articles of association.

Dividends and capital repayments are declared and paid in euros. The above amounts are based on an EUR/ZAR exchange rate of R19.8083 as at 21 August 2024. Further details regarding the distribution will be published at a later date.

Looking forward with confidence

Our purpose is unchanged we aim to improve everyday life for people around the world by building leading companies that use technology to meet societal needs in better ways. We are excited about the opportunities ahead. Our focus on being a responsible business that has a sustainable, positive impact on the world and operates under high standards of corporate governance will continue to guide our work.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

21 August 2024

JSE sponsor to Prosus:

Investec Bank Limited

Euronext listing agent

ING Bank N.V.

Euronext paying agent

ABN AMRO Bank N.V.

About Prosus

Prosus is a global consumer internet group and one of the largest technology investors in the world. Each month, over two billion customers across the globe use the products and services of companies that Prosus has invested in, acquired or built. Prosus builds leading consumer internet companies that empower people and enrich communities. The group is focused on online classifieds, food delivery, payments and fintech. The team actively backs exceptional entrepreneurs using technology to improve people's everyday lives.

Prosus has a primary listing on Euronext Amsterdam (AEX:PRX) and secondary listings on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (XJSE:PRX) and A2X Markets (PRX.AJ). Prosus is majority-owned by Naspers.

For more information, please visit www.prosus.com

Disclaimer

This document contains information that qualifies as inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the Market Abuse Regulation.

This announcement does not constitute, or form part of, an offer or any solicitation of an offer for securities in any jurisdiction.

The information contained in this announcement may contain forward-looking statements, estimates and projections. Forward-looking statements involve all matters that are not historical and may be identified by the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "should", "will", "would" and similar expressions or their negatives, but the absence of these words does not necessarily mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These statements reflect Prosus's intentions, beliefs or current expectations, involve elements of subjective judgement and analysis and are based upon the best judgement of Prosus as of the date of this announcement, but could prove to be wrong. These statements are subject to change without notice and are based on a number of assumptions and entail known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Therefore, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results.

Any forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this announcement and neither Prosus nor any other person gives any undertaking, or is under any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements for events or circumstances that occur subsequent to the date of this announcement or to update or keep current any of the information contained herein, any changes in assumptions or changes in factors affecting these statements and this announcement is not a representation by Prosus or any other person that they will do so, except to the extent required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240821946224/en/

Contacts:

Investor Enquiries

Eoin Ryan, Head of Investor Relations

+1 347-210-4305



Media Enquiries

Charlie Pemberton, Communications Director

+31 6 15494359
Top Four Conveyor Car Wash Expands Footprint in Virginia and Texas

THOMASTON, GA / ACCESSWIRE / August 21, 2024 / Tidal Wave Auto Spa, one of the nation's fastest-growing express car wash companies, is pleased to announce the grand opening of two brand-new locations this week in Christiansburg, VA and Alice, TX.





Tidal Wave Auto Spa Logo





To celebrate the grand openings, the Christiansburg and Alice locations are offering eight days of free car washes from August 21-August 28. This limited-time promotion provides an opportunity for car owners to experience Tidal Wave's premium wash option, Graph-X4, at no cost. Additionally, any new customer that joins a Clean Club unlimited wash membership plan during Grand Opening week will enjoy their first month of unlimited washes for only $9.97 - saving up to $40.

"We're thrilled to open in Christiansburg and Alice this week," said Founder and CEO, Scott Blackstock. "Our teams are eager to share our exceptional car wash experience with both communities, and opening week is the perfect time to stop in and try our best wash at no cost. We're looking forward to providing the highest standard of clean and shiny cars to our customers for many years to come."

Christiansburg, VA Location: 50 Peppers Ferry Road, Christiansburg, VA 24073

Alice, TX Location: 1914 E Main Street, Alice, TX 78332

Tidal Wave Auto Spa is committed to providing every customer with an exceptional car wash experience through industry-leading car care technology, clean and attractive locations, and friendly customer service at every location. Stop by for a single wash or join Tidal Wave's Clean Club for the ultimate experience. Members can wash every day of the month for one convenient monthly payment and save time with exclusive club member wash lanes - plus, memberships can be used at any Tidal Wave location. For those needing to wash multiple cars, Tidal Wave offers discounted monthly family plans and fleet plans for businesses with five or more vehicles.

Tidal Wave currently has 13 Virginia express wash locations and 20 Texas locations. In the coming months, the company will open additional brand-new Texas locations in Early and Fort Worth. The company proudly serves customers at 279 express wash locations in 28 states across the South, Midwest and Northern United States. For additional information, including upcoming locations, fundraising, fleet plans, and more, please visit: https://www.tidalwaveautospa.com/.

About Tidal Wave Auto Spa

Tidal Wave Auto Spa is an industry-leading conveyor car wash company founded in 1999 by Scott and Hope Blackstock in Thomaston, GA. Tidal Wave is committed to providing cutting-edge car care technology and exceptional customer service at each of their 279 locations sprawling 28 states across the South, Midwest, and Northern United States. In 2020, Tidal Wave partnered with Golden Gate Capital to facilitate their accelerated growth across the country. Tidal Wave is one of the top five conveyor car wash companies in the country and has been included in the Inc. 5000 list for America's Fastest Growing Companies since 2020. The company was recognized as a 2023 Champion of Charity Honoree by Professional Carwashing & Detailing and has raised over $3 million dollars for organizations in their communities.

Contact Information

Heather Coleman

Marketing Manager

media@tidalwaveautospa.com

Andrea Traylor

Senior Director of Digital Marketing

andrea.traylor@tidalwaveautospa.com

2058212220

Dustin Bixby

pr@atlantamotorspeedway.com

7709463917

Tyler Head

7709467366

SOURCE: Tidal Wave Auto Spa

View the original press release on newswire.com.
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Australian tech entrepreneur and avid adventurer, John-Paul Thorbjornsen (JP), gears up for an extraordinary expedition that will see him travelling over all seven continents in just 300 flight hours. JP Thor will attempt to be the first Helicopter pilot to cross the North and South Poles and circumnavigate the globe longitudinally.

LONDON, ENGLAND / ACCESSWIRE / August 21, 2024 / Australian tech entrepreneur and avid adventurer, John-Paul Thorbjornsen (JP), gears up for an extraordinary expedition that will see him travelling over all seven continents in just 300 flight hours.









JP's lifelong passion for aviation began at 16 and has only grown stronger over the years. Reflecting on his love for flying, JP shared, "My passion for flying started when I took my first lesson at 16, and I've never looked back. The ACH130 Aston Martin Edition brought me on a cross-globe journey where I experienced different cultures, made new friends, and created many beautiful memories with my family and friends. With this new ACH125, I'm looking forward to exploring the world in a different way."

Unveiling his ambitious flight plan, JP described the upcoming journey as "an expedition like no other." The adventure will commence from his hometown in Darwin, where JP will embark on a global circumnavigation in a convoy of two helicopters. The journey will include his ACH130 Aston Martin Edition and an Airbus ACH125, accompanied by another pilot.

The expedition will cover 30,000 nautical miles, starting with an 11,000 nautical mile journey to the North Pole, followed by a 12,000 nautical mile trek to the South Pole, and concluding with a final leg of 7,000 nautical miles across to Dubai. The entire expedition is expected to span six months, crossing 50 countries and passing the equator three times.

About JP Thor

JP, born and homeschooled in rural Northern Territory, excelled academically before joining the Air Force, where he graduated top of his class in Aeronautical Engineering and became a fighter pilot, amassing over 2,000 flight hours worldwide. In 2013, he shifted to crypto, founding THORChain under the pseudonym "Leena." By 2018, THORChain hit a $1 billion market value, and JP eventually revealed his identity in 2024, turning over the platform to the community. Today, it stands as the world's largest decentralized liquidity protocol with a market value exceeding $2 billion.

Contact Information

San Sunner

PR Officer

san@accel.co

+4407925533947

SOURCE: JPThor.com

View the original press release on newswire.com.
MALVERN, PA / ACCESSWIRE / August 20, 2024 / Saint-Gobain

Saint-Gobain North America, through its subsidiary CertainTeed Roofing, has enhanced operational practices and made process improvements at its glass mat facility in Charleston, South Carolina, saving over 16,000 MMBtu of energy (over 4,500 MWh), and saving carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to that of the average gasoline-powered passenger car traveling over two million miles.1

The project, which was honored as a top sustainability initiative for Saint-Gobain North America in 2023, is part of the company's continued efforts to implement its global Grow and Impact strategy, which includes ambitious environmental sustainability goals, such as reducing the company's consumption of energy and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

Glass mat is a material composed of short fiberglass filaments that are uniformly distributed and bonded together by a polymer resin. The mat forming process produces a fabric that is strong, stable, and heat-resistant, and is a key component in the production of roofing shingles.

By taking a data-oriented approach, the Charleston plant, which began operations in 1981, gained a holistic understanding of both its processes and how taking a series of small steps can lead to a large impact on its environmental footprint. These steps included adjusting equipment in its dryer loop to increase airflow and lower the necessary temperature for curing glass mat, adjusting the fine tune vacuum settings to improve de-watering of the glass mat before entering the dryer, and working to reduce dryer burner excess air.

"By taking steps to reduce energy use and carbon emissions at our plants, we are embodying our mission to be the leaders in light and sustainable construction" said Carmen Bodden, Vice President and General Manager of CertainTeed Roofing. "I congratulate our Charleston facility on their success. I'm inspired by their collaboration and determination to make the world a better home."

This project follows several other recent actions taken by the company to solidify its commitment towards sustainability:

Last month, Saint-Gobain announced that it will save over 10 million gallons of water per year through the installation of smart water submetering systems and other equipment upgrades at its CertainTeed Siding facility in Jackson, Michigan.

In April, Saint-Gobain achieved Core Living Building Ready designation from the International Living Future Institute for its CertainTeed Innovation Center in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

In March, Saint-Gobain announced that its CertainTeed Siding business had reduced manufacturing related emissions by 96% at three facilities in the United States.

In February, Saint-Gobain completed the installation of a heat recovery system at its gypsum facility in Vancouver, British Columbia, which will lead to a 15% reduction in Scope 1 carbon emissions.

In September 2023, Saint-Gobain signed a 15-year, 100 MW power purchase agreement with TotalEnergies for the purchase of solar power, expected to offset Saint-Gobain North America's CO2 emissions from electricity by 90,000 metric tons per year.

In August 2023, Saint-Gobain announced a circular economy initiative in its Ceramics business, where scrap finished goods from its Bryan, Texas facility are sent to other Saint-Gobain Ceramics plants to be reused in production, instead of ending in landfills.

With over 145 manufacturing locations in the United States and Canada, every current and future member of the company's team plays a vital role in achieving its sustainability goals. A current list of job openings at all Saint-Gobain locations, including in Charleston, can be found on the company's career website.

About CertainTeed

Through the responsible development of innovative and sustainable building products, CertainTeed, headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, has helped shape the building products industry for more than 115 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Manufacturing Company, the firm's slogan "Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed," inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed is a leading North American brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, solar, fence, railing, trim, insulation, drywall and ceilings. www.certainteed.com.

About Saint-Gobain

Worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial markets. Its integrated solutions for the renovation of public and private buildings, light construction and the decarbonization of construction and industry are developed through a continuous innovation process and provide sustainability and performance. The Group's commitment is guided by its purpose, "MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME".

47.9 billion in sales in 2023

160,000 employees, locations in 76 countries

Committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050

1Data is approximate, based on EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalency Calculator





View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Saint-Gobain on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Saint-Gobain

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/saint-gobain

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Saint-Gobain

View the original press release on accesswire.com
The PI3K inhibitors market is projected to witness remarkable growth by 2034, driven by advancements in cancer treatment and the increasing prevalence of oncological disorders. Enhanced research and development activities, along with strategic collaborations, are expected to further propel market expansion.

LAS VEGAS, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- DelveInsight's PI3K Inhibitors Market Insights report includes a comprehensive understanding of current treatment practices, emerging PI3K inhibitors, market share of individual therapies, and current and forecasted PI3K inhibitors market size from 2020 to 2034, segmented into 7MM [the United States, the EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), the United Kingdom, and Japan].

Key Takeaways from the PI3K Inhibitors Market Report

As per DelveInsight's analysis, the current market size of PI3K Inhibitors is anticipated to grow significantly in the 7MM by 2034.

While the first approved PI3K inhibitors were limited to hematological cancer, the therapeutic window has now broadened towards solid tumors as well.

Approximately 40% of people with HR-positive breast cancer have a PIK3CA mutation and often face poorer prognosis and resistance to endocrine treatment.

of people with HR-positive breast cancer have a PIK3CA mutation and often face poorer prognosis and resistance to endocrine treatment. The first success is Novartis' PI3K inhibitor PIQRAY (alpelisib) , which was approved in 2019 for breast cancer in combination with FASLODEX. Now, Roche's Inavolisib is the strongest player in the pipeline expected to address the first line HR-positive, HER2-negative PI3K mutated Breast Cancer patients

, which was approved in 2019 for breast cancer in combination with FASLODEX. Now, is the strongest player in the pipeline expected to address the first line HR-positive, HER2-negative PI3K mutated Breast Cancer patients Currently, PIQRAY leads the market for PI3K inhibitors in HR-positive, HER2-negative, and PIK3CA-mutated advanced or metastatic breast cancer, mainly for solid tumors.

leads the market for PI3K inhibitors in HR-positive, HER2-negative, and PIK3CA-mutated advanced or metastatic breast cancer, mainly for solid tumors. Accelerated approvals in certain indications for four approved products have all been voluntarily withdrawn because of problems with confirmatory trials: Gilead Sciences' ZYDELIG; Bayer's ALIQOPA; Secura's COPIKTRA; and TG Therapeutics' UKONIQ .

. Leading PI3K inhibitor companies such as Novartis, Roche, Genentech, Celcuity, Kazia Therapeutics, Rhizen Pharmaceuticals, and others are developing novel PI3K inhibitors that can be available in the PI3K inhibitors market in the coming years.

and others are developing novel PI3K inhibitors that can be available in the PI3K inhibitors market in the coming years. Some of the emerging key PI3K inhibitors include Inavolisib, Gedatolisib, Paxalisib, Tenalisib, and others.

Discover which therapies are expected to grab the PI3K inhibitors market share @ PI3K Inhibitors Market Report

PI3K Inhibitors Market Dynamics

The PI3K inhibitors market is characterized by dynamic growth and a rapidly evolving landscape driven by advancements in cancer research, increasing incidence of cancer, and rising awareness about targeted therapies. This market has garnered significant attention from pharmaceutical companies and researchers alike due to its potential to provide more effective and less toxic treatment options compared to conventional chemotherapy.

As cancer remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, there is a pressing need for new and innovative treatment options. PI3K inhibitors offer a promising approach by specifically targeting cancer cells, thereby minimizing damage to normal cells and reducing side effects. The growing understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer progression has led to the identification of the PI3K pathway as a critical target, further propelling the market.

The regulatory landscape also plays a crucial role in shaping the dynamics of the PI3K inhibitors market. The approval of several PI3K inhibitors by regulatory bodies such as the FDA and the EMA has boosted the market's growth. These approvals are often based on robust clinical trial data demonstrating the efficacy and safety of PI3K inhibitors in treating specific cancer types. However, the regulatory environment is also marked by challenges, including stringent approval processes and the need for comprehensive post-marketing surveillance to monitor long-term effects and potential adverse events.

Competition within the PI3K inhibitors market is intense, with numerous pharmaceutical companies investing heavily in research and development to bring new and improved therapies to market. Key players are focusing on expanding their product portfolios through strategic collaborations, acquisitions, and partnerships. Additionally, the market is witnessing a surge in clinical trials aimed at exploring the efficacy of PI3K inhibitors in combination with other therapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors and other targeted therapies. These combination approaches hold promise for overcoming resistance mechanisms and enhancing treatment outcomes.

Despite the promising outlook, the PI3K inhibitors market faces several challenges, including high development costs, complex regulatory requirements, and the emergence of resistance to PI3K inhibitors. Addressing these challenges requires continued investment in research and development, as well as collaboration between industry, academia, and regulatory bodies. As the understanding of cancer biology continues to advance, the PI3K inhibitors market is poised for significant growth, offering hope for improved treatment options for cancer patients worldwide.

PI3K Inhibitors Treatment Market

The PI3K pathway plays a key role in driving various cancers, and numerous PI3K-targeted therapies have been tested in oncology trials. This has led to the regulatory approval of the isoform-selective inhibitor ZYDELIG for certain blood cancers, such as relapsed/refractory third-line chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) and third-line follicular lymphoma. While PI3K inhibitors have shown effectiveness in treating R/R CLL, their use has been limited due to the complex management of PI3K inhibitor-related side effects. For instance, ZYDELIG and COPIKTRA carry black box warnings for serious risks like hepatotoxicity, diarrhea/colitis, pneumonitis, infections, and intestinal perforation.

There is growing interest in using PI3K inhibitors for solid tumors. Initially approved for blood cancers, these inhibitors are now being considered for solid tumors due to potential improvements in their tolerability and efficacy. Targeting the PI3K delta isoform is particularly promising for hematological malignancies.

The landscape of PI3K delta inhibitors is rapidly changing. Previously prominent treatments like ALIQOPA (copanlisib), COPIKTRA (duvelisib), and ZYDELIG (idelalisib) were used for relapsed follicular lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and small lymphocytic lymphoma. However, their market presence is declining due to significant side effects, including infections and liver toxicity, and the emergence of more effective therapies.

At the September 2023 meeting of the UK Biochemical Society in Barcelona, experts discussed the PI3K pathway and suggested that advancing the understanding of PI3K biology and signaling could lead to a new generation of PI3K-targeting drugs with novel mechanisms of action. Emerging therapies in the pipeline have the potential to transform the drug approval market. As these new treatments progress, they could significantly alter the available therapy landscape. Additionally, there is increasing interest in combination therapies that aim to enhance efficacy while reducing adverse effects. The future of PI3K inhibitors may be revitalized through innovative drug development and strategic combination regimens, better meeting the needs of patients with hematological malignancies.

Learn more about the FDA-approved PI3K inhibitors @ PI3K Inhibitors Drugs

Key Emerging PI3K Inhibitors and Companies

Key emerging players in the PI3K inhibitors market include Roche, Genentech, Celcuity,Rhizen Pharmaceuticals, Kazia Therapeutics, and others.

Kazia Therapeutics' lead program is paxalisib, a brain-penetrant inhibitor targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, intended to treat various brain cancers. This drug, licensed from Genentech in late 2016, showed early signs of clinical efficacy in a completed Phase II glioblastoma study in 2021. Currently, it is undergoing a pivotal study in glioblastoma called GBM AGILE, with final data anticipated in the first half of 2024. Additionally, paxalisib is being tested in clinical trials for brain metastases, diffuse midline gliomas, and primary CNS lymphoma, with several trials showing promising interim results.

The FDA granted paxalisib Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) for glioblastoma in February 2018 and Fast Track Designation (FTD) for glioblastoma in August 2020. Furthermore, the FDA awarded it Rare Pediatric Disease Designation and ODD for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma in August 2020, and for atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors in June and July 2022, respectively.

Inavolisib is an investigational oral targeted therapy with the potential to be best-in-class, offering well-tolerated and durable disease control with potentially better outcomes for individuals with PIK3CA-mutated, HR+/HER2-advanced, or metastatic breast cancer. These patients often have a poor prognosis and urgently need new treatment options. Inavolisib is designed to minimize the overall treatment burden and toxicity, setting it apart from other PI3K inhibitors due to its high potency and specificity for the PI3K alpha isoform and its unique mechanism that aids in the degradation of mutated PI3K alpha.

In May 2024, the FDA granted priority review to inavolisib for advanced HR+/HER2-breast cancer with a PIK3CA mutation. The target date for the FDA's decision is November 27, 2024.

Other PI3K inhibitors in the pipeline include

Gedatolisib: Celcuity

Tenalisib: Rhizen Pharmaceuticals

The anticipated launch of these emerging therapies are poised to transform the PI3K inhibitors market landscape in the coming years. As these cutting-edge therapies continue to mature and gain regulatory approval, they are expected to reshape the PI3K inhibitors market landscape, offering new standards of care and unlocking opportunities for medical innovation and economic growth.

To know more about PI3K inhibitors clinical trials, visit @ PI3K Inhibitors Treatment Drugs

PI3K Inhibitors Overview

Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are a family of enzymes involved in cellular functions such as growth, proliferation, and survival. Dysregulation of the PI3K pathway is commonly associated with various cancers, making PI3K inhibitors a significant focus in oncology. These inhibitors target the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, which is often overactive in cancer cells, leading to uncontrolled cell growth and survival. By inhibiting PI3K, these drugs can effectively reduce tumor growth and enhance the efficacy of other treatments. Several PI3K inhibitors have been developed and approved for clinical use, with some being specifically tailored to target certain isoforms of the enzyme to minimize side effects and maximize therapeutic efficacy.

Despite their promise, PI3K inhibitors face challenges such as drug resistance and toxicity. Resistance can occur through various mechanisms, including mutations in the PI3K pathway or activation of alternative signaling pathways. Toxicity is another concern, as PI3K inhibitors can affect normal cells, leading to side effects such as hyperglycemia, rash, and gastrointestinal issues. Ongoing research aims to overcome these hurdles by developing more selective inhibitors, combination therapies, and personalized treatment strategies based on genetic profiling. The evolving understanding of PI3K biology and its role in cancer continues to drive the innovation and optimization of PI3K inhibitors in the fight against cancer.

PI3K Inhibitors Target Population

In the 7MM, the highest eligible pool of promising indications for PI3K inhibitors in oncology was seen in the United States, followed by EU4 and the UK in 2023. The PI3K inhibitors market report proffers epidemiological analysis for the study period 2020-2034 in the 7MM segmented into:

Incident Cases of Selected Indications for PI3K inhibitors

Eligible Patient Pool of Selected Indications

Treatable Cases of Selected indications for PI3K inhibitors

PI3K Inhibitors Report Metrics Details Study Period 2020-2034 PI3K Inhibitors Report Coverage 7MM [The United States, the EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), the United Kingdom, and Japan] Key PI3K Inhibitors Companies Gilead Sciences, Secura Bio, Novartis, Roche, Genentech, Celcuity, Kazia Therapeutics, Rhizen Pharmaceuticals, and others Key PI3K Inhibitors ZYDELIG, COPIKTRA, PIQRAY, Inavolisib, Gedatolisib, Paxalisib, Tenalisib, and others

Scope of the PI3K Inhibitors Market Report

PI3K Inhibitors Therapeutic Assessment: PI3K Inhibitors current marketed and emerging therapies

PI3K Inhibitors current marketed and emerging therapies PI3K Inhibitors Market Dynamics: Conjoint Analysis of Emerging PI3K Inhibitors Drugs

Conjoint Analysis of Emerging PI3K Inhibitors Drugs Competitive Intelligence Analysis: SWOT analysis and Market entry strategies

SWOT analysis and Market entry strategies Unmet Needs, KOL's views, Analyst's views, PI3K Inhibitors Market Access and Reimbursement

Discover more about PI3K inhibitors in development @ PI3K Inhibitors Clinical Trials

Table of Contents

1 Key Insights 2 Report Introduction 3 Key Highlights from the Report 4 Executive Summary of PI3K Inhibitors 5 Key Events 6 Epidemiology and Market Forecast Methodology 7 PI3K Inhibitor Market Overview at a Glance in the 7MM 7.1 Market Share (%) Distribution by Therapies in 2023 7.2 Market Share (%) Distribution by Therapies in 2034 7.3 Market Share (%) Distribution by Indications in 2023 7.4 Market Share (%) Distribution by Indications in 2034 8 Background and Overview 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Treatment 9 Target Patient Pool 9.1 Key Findings 9.2 Assumptions and Rationale: 7MM 9.3 Epidemiology Scenario in the 7MM 9.3.1 Total Incident Cases in Selected Indications for PI3K Inhibitor in the 7MM 9.3.2 Total Eligible Patient Pool for PI3K Inhibitor in Selected Indications in the 7MM 9.3.3 Total Treated Cases in Selected Indications for PI3K Inhibitor in the 7MM 10 Marketed Drugs 10.1 Key Cross of Marketed Therapies 10.2 ZYDELIG (idelalisib): Gilead Sciences 10.2.1 Product description 10.2.2 Regulatory milestones 10.2.3 Other developmental activities 10.2.4 Ongoing clinical developmental activities 10.2.5 Safety and efficacy 10.2.6 Product profile 10.3 PIQRAY (alpelisib): Novartis 10.3.1 Product description 10.3.2 Regulatory milestones 10.3.3 Others developmental activities 10.3.4 Ongoing clinical developmental activities 10.3.5 Safety and efficacy 10.3.6 Product profile *List to be continued in the full report 11 Emerging Drugs 11.1 Key Competitors 11.2 Paxalisib: Kazia Therapeutics 11.2.1 Product description 11.2.2 Other developmental activity 11.2.3 Clinical developmental activities 11.2.3.1 Clinical trial information 11.3 Inavolisib: Roche/Genentech 11.3.1 Product description 11.3.2 Other developmental activity 11.3.3 Clinical developmental activities 11.3.3.1 Clinical trial information 11.3.4 Safety and efficacy 11.4 Roginolisib: iOnctura 11.4.1 Product description 11.4.2 Other developmental activity 11.4.3 Clinical developmental activities 11.4.3.1 Clinical trial information 11.4.4 Safety and efficacy *List to be continued in the full report 12 PI3K Inhibitor: 7MM analysis 12.1 Key Findings 12.2 Market Outlook 12.3 Conjoint Analysis 12.4 Key Market Forecast Assumptions 12.4.1 Cost Assumptions and Rebates 12.4.2 Pricing Trends 12.4.3 Analogue Assessment 12.4.4 Launch Year and Therapy Uptakes 12.5 Market Size by Indications in the 7MM 12.6 Market Size by Therapies in the 7MM 12.7 United States Market Size 12.7.1 Market Size by Indications in the US 12.7.2 Market Size by Therapies in the US 12.8 EU4 and the UK Market Size 12.8.1 Market Size by Indications in EU4 and the UK 12.8.2 Market Size by Therapies in EU4 and the UK 12.9 Japan Market Size 12.9.1 Market Size by Indications in Japan 12.9.2 Market Size by Therapies in Japan 13 Unmet Needs 14 SWOT Analysis 15 KOL Views 16 Market Access and Reimbursement 17 Appendix 17.1 Bibliography 17.2 Report Methodology 18 DelveInsight Capabilities 19 Disclaimer 20 About DelveInsight

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About DelveInsight

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Princeton, New Jersey--(Newsfile Corp. - August 21, 2024) - TK-CHAIN and etera solutions are pleased to announce the launch of their new venture, marking a significant milestone in the life sciences consulting sector. Effective immediately, TK- CHAIN will operate under the name "eteraflex connects," a division of etera solutions. eteraflex connects offers unparalleled consulting services to companies in the life sciences field.

eteraflex connects logo

The partnership synthesizes the expertise and resources of TK-CHAIN, a leader in innovative life sciences solutions, with etera solutions' renowned biostatistical and statistical programming prowess. This integration enables eteraflex connects to deliver cutting-edge, comprehensive consulting services tailored to the unique needs of emerging life sciences companies.

eteraflex connects focuses on providing a wide range of services, including strategic planning, market entry strategies, site management, decentralized clinical trials, biostatistics, regulatory compliance, and operational optimization. By leveraging the combined strengths of both organizations, eteraflex connects aims to support clients in navigating the complex landscape of life sciences with greater agility and effectiveness.

"We are excited to merge within etera solutions and create eteraflex connects," said Santhosh Ramaraju Kinnera, Managing Partner of TK-CHAIN. "This union represents a significant opportunity to enhance our service offerings and deliver even greater value to our clients. Our combined expertise will drive innovation and growth for emerging life sciences companies."

Reed George, Managing Partner at etera solutions, added, "The collaboration with TK-CHAIN aligns perfectly with our vision of expanding our consulting capabilities and addressing the evolving needs of the life sciences sector. eteraflex connects will provide a robust platform for companies to gain unparalleled expertise to achieve their goals."

eteraflex connects will be headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, with a dedicated team of experts committed to delivering exceptional service and support. Clients can expect the same high level of dedication, service and quality that are the foundations for both TK-CHAIN and etera solutions.

For more information about eteraflex connects and the services offered, please visit www.eteraflexconnects.com or contact us directly at info@eteraflexconnects.com.

About eteraflex connects

eteraflex connects, formed from the union of TK-CHAIN and etera solutions, is a premier provider of life sciences consulting services. The company specializes in strategic planning, biometrics, site management, market entry strategies, regulatory compliance, and operational optimization. With a focus on innovation and client success. eteraflex connects is dedicated to driving growth and excellence in the life sciences industry.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/220696

SOURCE: Eteraflex Connects
Aspiring students and researchers showcase the breadth of quantum computing in areas such as healthcare, energy and engineering

IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) and Classiq, leaders in the quantum computing industry, today announced that winners of this year's annual UK Quantum Hackathon hosted by the National Quantum Computing Centre's (NQCC) used IonQ quantum computers and Classiq's software among several other quantum systems, when developing solutions for novel quantum applications.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240821108862/en/

IonQ QPUs and Classiq Software Power Winning Projects at the UK's National Quantum Computing Centre's 2024 Hackathon (Photo: Business Wire)

This is the second year in a row that IonQ and Classiq have teamed up to enable hackathon teams to design, optimize and execute quantum algorithms for IonQ's quantum computers. Classiq's software simplifies the circuit design process by allowing users to define their quantum circuit parameters before the software converts it into an optimized quantum circuit.

"We're delighted that IonQ's quantum computers were used by the best and brightest quantum computing talent in the UK. It's inspiring to be part of an incredible event that fosters the next generation of quantum leaders," said Peter Chapman, President and CEO of IonQ. "The fact that the first place winning team and, in fact, all three winners used IonQ for their projects is humbling and an incredible honor."

"It is impressive to see the projects submitted by these talented students and researchers. We're proud that Classiq's software and our integration with IonQ has enabled them to achieve these winning results," said Nir Minerbi, CEO and co-founder of Classiq. "The NQCC has delivered yet another world-class hackathon, and we believe it is a wonderful contribution to inspiring and developing future quantum talent."

The winning teams presented quantum application use cases for areas like risk aggregation, evaluation for insurance losses, network design and National Health Service (NHS) forecasting. Each teams' approach was evaluated for scalability and how each application could address challenges in areas such as healthcare, energy and engineering.

"One of the objectives of our annual UK Quantum Hackathon is to drive the advancement of practical use cases, facilitating the migration of quantum computing from academia to industry." said Dr Michael Cuthbert, Director, NQCC. "IonQ has been a quantum processing unit (QPU) provider that has powered Hackathon winners for the past two years. We congratulate all who have been involved in this successful event."

The UK Quantum Hackathon is the NQCC's flagship annual event, delivered as part of their user engagement program, SparQ. From students to early career researchers, the event brought together teams of coders with industry mentors, to tackle practical challenges and develop solutions using quantum computing. During the three-day event, 13 teams including over 70 coders displayed innovative spirit and creativity.

About IonQ

IonQ, Inc. is a leader in quantum computing that delivers high-performance systems to solve the world's largest and most complex commercial and research use cases. IonQ's current generation quantum computer, IonQ Forte, is the latest in a line of cutting-edge systems, boasting 36 algorithmic qubits. The company's innovative technology and rapid growth were recognized in Fast Company's 2023 Next Big Things in Tech List and Deloitte's 2023 Technology Fast 500 List, respectively. Available through all major cloud providers, IonQ is making quantum computing more accessible and impactful than ever before. Learn more at IonQ.com.

About Classiq

Classiq Technologies, the leading quantum software company, provides an all-encompassing platform (IDE, compiler and OS) with a single point of entry into quantum computing, taking you from algorithm design to execution. The high-level descriptive quantum software development environment, tailored to all levels of developer proficiency, automates quantum programming. This ensures that a broad range of talents, including those with backgrounds in AI, ML and linear algebra, can harness quantum computing without requiring deep, specialized knowledge of quantum physics. Classiq democratizes access to quantum computing and equips its users to take full advantage of the quantum computing revolution, including access to a broad range of quantum hardware.

Classiq's core technology, algorithmic quantum circuit compilation, is engineered to power the quantum ecosystem of today and the future. Classiq works closely with quantum cloud providers and advanced computation hardware developers providing software for use with quantum computers, HPC and quantum simulators.

Backed by investors such as HPE, HSBC, Samsung, Intesa Sanpaolo and NTT, Classiq's world-class team of scientists and engineers has distilled decades of quantum expertise into its groundbreaking quantum engine. Follow Classiq on LinkedIn, X or YouTube, visit the Slack community GitHub repository and website, www.classiq.io to learn more.

IonQ Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Some of the forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words. Statements that are not historical in nature are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include those related to the company's technology driving commercial advantage in the future, the ability for third parties to implement IonQ's offerings to increase their quantum computing capabilities, the effect of increased availability of customer support functions, IonQ's quantum computing capabilities and plans, access to IonQ's quantum computers, increases in algorithmic qubit achievement, and the scalability and reliability of IonQ's quantum computing offerings. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: changes in the competitive industries in which IonQ operates, including development of competing technologies; changes in laws and regulations affecting IonQ's business; IonQ's ability to implement its business plans, forecasts and other expectations, identify and realize partnerships and opportunities, and to engage new and existing customers. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's filings, including but not limited to those described in the "Risk Factors' section of IonQ's most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and other documents filed by IonQ from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and IonQ assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. IonQ does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240821108862/en/

Contacts:

IonQ Media contact:

Tyler Ogoshi

press@ionq.com

IonQ Investor Contact:

investors@ionq.co

Classiq Media Contact:

Michelle Allard McMahon

Rainier Communications

classiqPR@rainierco.com
Adjusted EBITDA increases 31% YoY, consolidating strong results

OncoMexico launched in Monterrey

Auna (NYSE: AUNA) ("Auna" or the "Company"), a leading healthcare platform in Latin America with operations in Mexico, Colombia and Peru, today announced unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2024 ("second quarter 2024" or "2Q24"). Financial results are expressed in Peruvian Soles ("S/" or PEN") and are presented in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"), unless otherwise noted.

2Q24 Consolidated Highlights

Consolidated Revenue increased 18% YoY to S/1,120 million

Operating profit increased 34% YoY to S/183 million

Adjusted EBITDA increased 31% YoY to S/248 million, equivalent to 25% FXN (Foreign Exchange Neutral)

Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 22.1%, up 2.0 p.p. YoY and 0.5 p.p. YTD

Leverage ratio improved to 4.13x from 4.46x in 1Q24 and 4.89x in 2Q23

Recent Event

On July 1, 2024, Auna announced the launch of OncoMexico, the country's first integrated oncology insurance, in Monterrey. The pilot phase during 2024 will develop and confirm the capabilities needed for full deployment in 2025. OncoMexico offers access to prevention, early detection, and treatment of cancer, the third leading cause of death in Mexico. OncoMexico is the first step toward replicating in Mexico the vertically integrated healthcare model that Auna successfully operates in Peru.

Message from Auna's Executive Chairman and President

Second quarter results affirm again the effectiveness of our business model and how increased scale and maturity drive incremental value throughout our platforms of care. During the quarter we gained momentum, with Adjusted EBITDA increasing 31% YoY, or 25% FXN YoY, and keeping us on track to deliver at least 20% FXN Adjusted EBITDA growth this year. Our strong quarterly performance was achieved despite additional investments made to implement the AunaWay in Monterrey, where we continue to make headway recruiting the right physicians and expanding our delivery of high-complexity care. As more physicians recognize the many distinct advantages of the AunaWay and join our team, we are beginning to see increases in doctor productivity. New physician recruitment and compensation models are producing growth in a number of high-complexity services. During the remainder of the year and into 2025 we expect to harvest our efforts to raise occupancy levels in Mexico, particularly occupancy related to high-complexity care. All of this is a deliberate and gradual process that results from fostering our unique culture of patient care in Monterrey.

Both our Peruvian and Colombian operations continued to perform well during the quarter, further validating our scalable business model and growth strategy. Given the increasing predictability of our diversified regional platform's performance, we remain confident in our plan to achieve similar performance levels in Mexico.

Our payors are also integral to succeeding in Mexico, many of which are already familiar with Auna's high standards of care. We are offering them tailored products and bundled services similar to those in Peru and Colombia, where we have forged many win-win partnerships.

We are very proud to have launched OncoMexico. Leveraging our 35 years of experience in integrated oncological services and AunaSeguros' (previously Dentegra) strong and extensive distribution platform in Mexico, we will gradually roll out OncoMexico, the country's first integrated cancer insurance plan. We intend to replicate our past success, including the goal of operating with the same long-term Medical Loss Ratio ("MLR") and high standards of OncoSalud. During the rest of this year, we will establish the necessary capabilities to roll-out OncoMexico at scale in 2025, including commercial, clinical and risk-underwriting operations, among others.

Looking ahead, we remain excited about Auna's near and long-term growth opportunities, particularly given that we are in the relatively early stages of penetrating Spanish-speaking Latin America's fragmented and underserved healthcare market. Through our unique operating model and scalable regional platform, we will continue to disrupt, modernize, and increase access to integrated healthcare in the region, always with the aim of providing high value to our patients, their families, Auna staff, and shareholders.

Overview of 2Q24 Consolidated Results

Consolidated revenues increased 18% YoY to S/1,120 million, or 12.5% FXN, as a result of Auna's business mix, with revenues increasing 15% and 18% FXN in Peru and Colombia, respectively. In Mexico, revenues increased 3% FXN, reflecting an improved service mix through the implementation of the AunaWay.

Auna's Peruvian operation continues to outperform, demonstrating again the success of the Company's vertically integrated business model when operating at scale.

Adjusted EBITDA increased 31% YoY, or S/58 million, to S/248 million, or 25% on an FXN basis, with the corresponding margin expanding to 22.1% on solid revenue growth and increasing efficiencies across local and regional levels as the Company continues to capture synergies and streamline processes. Operating profit increased 34% YoY, mainly due to a 19% increase in gross profit.

Net finance costs were S/182 million. When excluding FX effects, net interest expenses would have been S/133 million, an increase of 5% versus 2Q23. These FX effects include a negative non-cash accounting FX expense of S/49 million, corresponding mainly to the movement of the Peruvian Sol below the floor of USD/PEN hedges.

Net Income was S/8 million in 2Q24, compared to a Net loss of S/8 million in 1Q24 and Net income of S/23 million in 2Q23. The increases in Operating profit and deferred tax benefits versus 2Q23 were offset by the abovementioned negative FX effect.

Adjusted Net Income was S/13 million in 2Q24, lower than S/36 million in 2Q23 and S/22 million in 1Q24, mainly due to the negative non-cash FX effect explained above. On a quarterly per share basis, Auna reported Net Income of S/0.05 and Adjusted Net Income of S/0.12, both based on a weighted average number of outstanding shares of 73,970,299, which includes a stock-based payment for 52,722 shares granted but not yet issued.

For a full version of AUNA's Second Quarter 2024 Earnings Release, please visit: https://aunainvestors.com/English/financial-information/quarterly-results/

Conference Call Details

When: 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, August 21st, 2024

Who: Mr. Suso Zamora, Executive Chairman of the Board and President; Mrs. Gisele Remy, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President; Ms. Ana Maria Mora, Head of Investor Relations

Dial-in: +1 888 596 4144 (U.S. domestic), +1 646 968 2525 (International)

Passcode: 3884034

To access Auna's financial results call via telephone, callers need to press to be connected to an operator.

Webcast: click here

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements convey our current expectations or forecasts of future events. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the forward-looking statements that we make. Forward-looking statements typically are identified by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "project," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to, "or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements that appear in a number of places in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations, regarding various matters, including, our expected 2024 Adjusted EBITDA growth, the expected impact on revenues and profitability of certain initiatives we are pursuing in Mexico and our target leverage level. Any or all of our forward-looking statements in this press release may turn out to be inaccurate. Our actual results could differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors.

The forward-looking statements in this press release represent our expectations and forecasts as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release. For a discussion of the risks facing the Company which could affect whether these forward-looking statements are realized, see our Form F-1 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

2024 Financial Guidance Disclaimer

Auna's guidance is based on management's current performance outlook and expected macroeconomic and regulatory conditions in the three countries where the Company operates. Any changes in these conditions could have an impact on the guidance provided.

The 2024 financial guidance reflects management's current assumptions regarding numerous evolving factors that are difficult to accurately predict, including those discussed in the Risk Factors set forth in the Company's Form F-1 filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Reconciliations of forward-looking non-IFRS measures, specifically the 2024 EBITDA guidance, to the relevant forward-looking IFRS measures are not being provided, as the Company does not currently have sufficient data to accurately estimate the variables and individual adjustments for such guidance and reconciliations. Due to this uncertainty, the Company cannot reconcile projected EBITDA to projected net income without unreasonable effort. The 2024 financial guidance constitutes forward-looking statements. For more information, see the "Forward-Looking Statements" section in this release.

About AUNA

Auna is a leading healthcare platform in Latin American healthcare company with operations in Mexico, Peru and Colombia, prioritizing prevention and concentrating on high-complexity diseases that contribute the most to healthcare expenditures. Our mission is to transform healthcare by providing access to a highly integrated healthcare offering in the underpenetrated markets of Spanish-Speaking Americas. Founded in 1989, Auna has built one of Latin America's largest modern healthcare platforms that consists of a horizontally integrated network of healthcare facilities and a vertically integrated portfolio of oncological plans and selected general healthcare plans. As of June 30, 2024, Auna's network included 31 healthcare network facilities, consisting of hospitals, outpatient, prevention and wellness facilities with a total of 2,308 beds, and 1.3 million healthcare plans.

For more information visit www.aunainvestors.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240821215904/en/

Contacts:

IR Contact

Email: contact@aunainvestors.com
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 21, 2024) - Wellfield Technologies Inc. (TSXV: WFLD) (the "Company" or "Wellfield") is pleased to announce that, further to the Company's June 3, 2024 news release (the "Original News Release"), the Company has decreased the aggregate indebtedness to be settled (the "Debt Settlement") through the issuance of common shares in the capital of the Company (the "Common Shares") to $676,970 (the "Debt") through the issuance of 11,043,395 Common Shares (the "Settlement Shares").

As previously announced in the Original News Release, the Settlement Shares will be issued to satisfy the Company's outstanding debt related to the principal and accrued but unpaid portions of the interest payments outstanding under certain convertible debentures of the Company (the "Debentures") as well as certain payables for consulting services provided to the Company (the "Consulting Payables"). The Settlement Shares are proposed to be issued to the creditors at a deemed price of $0.06 per Settlement Share with respect to the Debentures and $0.0714 per Settlement Share with respect to the Consulting Payables. The Settlement Shares issued pursuant to the Debt Settlement shall be subject to the statutory hold period of four months and one day, and the Debt Settlement remains subject to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV").

About Wellfield Technologies

Wellfield is an R&D focused Fintech company that operates on public blockchains including Bitcoin and Ethereum. The Company operates a regulated platform that onboards customers globally at scale, leveraging its proprietary decentralized technology to offer highly disruptive on-chain self-custody solutions. Wellfield operates through two brands: Coinmama, which with a growing base of more than 3.5 million registered users, is one of the most trusted and enduring global brands operating in the crypto space; and Wellfield Capital, which the Company announced in late 2022 to meet the needs of institutional users and professional investors.

Join Wellfield's digital community on LinkedIn and Twitter, and for more details, visit wellfield.io

Cautionary Notice on Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking information" ("forward-looking information") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that discusses predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes statements regarding the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange of the transactions contemplated herein, which are based on the Company's current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs, which may prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Such forward-looking information necessarily involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause the Company's actual performance and results in to differ materially from any projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to the Company satisfying the conditions for TSX Venture Exchange approval of the transactions herein; and general business, financial market, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive and readers are encouraged to review the disclosure documents accessible on the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) has approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release, nor do they accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/220732

SOURCE: Wellfield Technologies Inc.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 21, 2024) - IberAmerican Lithium Corp. (Cboe CA: IBER) (OTCQB: IBRLF) (FSE: W2C) ("IberAmerican" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointments of Mr. Federico Restrepo-Solano and Mr. Laureano von Siegmund to the board of directors of the Company (the "Board"). Mr. Restrepo-Solano is an experienced executive and director who has over 25 years experience in the mining industry and Mr. von Siegmund has over 30 years of legal experience and expertise in several areas, including capital markets, mergers and acquisitions and mining.

Eugene McBurney, Chairman of Board, said, "We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Federico Restrepo-Solano and Mr. Laureano von Siegmund to the Board. Mr. Restrepo-Solano and Mr. von Siegmund bring with them decades of capital markets expertise, business acumen and mining industry experience and I look forward to working with them as the Company enters the next stage of its growth and continues to advance its Alberta II and Carlota Properties in Spain."

The appointments of Mr. Restrepo-Solano and Mr. von Siegmund to the Board are subject to the receipt of all necessary regulatory and stock exchange approvals, including the final approval of Cboe Canada.

About IberAmerican Lithium Corp.

IberAmerican Lithium Corp. is a hard-rock lithium exploration company focused on advancing its 100% owned Alberta II & Carlota Properties located in the Galicia region of northwestern Spain. IberAmerican's properties are located in a favorable lithium district with world class infrastructure and a supportive and proactive mining jurisdiction.

Additional information on IberAmerican is available at www.iberamericanlithium.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of IberAmerican to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risks Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form dated March 26, 2024, which is available for view on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. These risks include but are not limited to, the risks associated with the mining and exploration industry, such as operational risks in development or capital expenditures, the uncertainty of projections relating to production, and any delays or changes in plans with respect to the exploitation of the site. Forward-looking statements contained herein, are made as of the date of this news release, and IberAmerican disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/220672

SOURCE: IberAmerican Lithium Corp.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 21, 2024) - TNR Gold Corp. (TSXV: TNR) ("TNR", "TNR Gold" or the "Company") announces that, further to its news release dated August 12, 2024, the Company has closed a non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of 5,150,000 units (each a "Unit"). The Private Placement was oversubscribed by 150,000 Units and on closing, the Company issued 5,150,000 Units at $0.06 per Unit for proceeds of $309,000. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company and one half of a non-transferable common share purchase warrant (each a "Warrant") with each whole Warrant exercisable into one common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.08 per share for two years from the date of issue.

The proceeds of the Private Placement will be used for exploration, maintenance of the Shotgun Gold project and for general working capital purposes. All Private Placement securities will be restricted from trading for a period of four months plus one day from the date of closing.

ABOUT TNR GOLD CORP.

TNR Gold Corp. is working to become the green energy metals royalty and gold company.

Our business model provides a unique entry point in the creation of supply chains for critical materials like energy metals that are powering the energy rEVolution, and the gold industry that is providing a hedge for this stage of the economic cycle.

Our portfolio provides a unique combination of assets with exposure to multiple aspects of the mining cycle: the power of blue-sky discovery and important partnerships with industry leaders as operators on the projects that have the potential to generate royalty cashflows that will contribute significant value for our shareholders.

Over the past twenty-eight years, TNR, through its lead generator business model, has been successful in generating high-quality global exploration projects. With the Company's expertise, resources and industry network, the potential of the Mariana Lithium Project and Los Azules Copper Project in Argentina among many others have been recognized.

TNR holds a 1.5% NSR Royalty on the Mariana Lithium Project in Argentina, of which 0.15% NSR royalty is held on behalf of a shareholder. Ganfeng Lithium's subsidiary, Litio Minera Argentina ("LMA"), has the right to repurchase 1.0% of the NSR royalty on the Mariana Project, of which 0.9% is the Company's NSR Royalty interest. The Company would receive CAN$900,000 and its shareholder would receive CAN$100,000 on the repurchase by LMA, resulting in TNR holding a 0.45% NSR royalty and its shareholder holding a 0.05% NSR royalty.

The Mariana Lithium Project is 100% owned by Ganfeng Lithium. The Mariana Lithium Project has been approved by the Argentina provincial government of Salta for an environmental impact report, and the construction of a 20,000 tons-per-annum lithium chloride plant has commenced.

TNR Gold also holds a 0.4% NSR Royalty on the Los Azules Copper Project, of which 0.04% of the 0.4% NSR royalty is held on behalf of a shareholder. The Los Azules Copper Project is being developed by McEwen Mining.

TNR also holds a 7% net profits royalty holding on the Batidero I and II properties of the Josemaria Project that is being developed by Lundin Mining. Lundin Mining is part of the Lundin Group, a portfolio of companies producing a variety of commodities in several countries worldwide.

TNR provides significant exposure to gold through its 90% holding in the Shotgun Gold porphyry project in Alaska. The project is located in Southwestern Alaska near the Donlin Gold project, which is being developed by Barrick Gold and Novagold Resources. The Company's strategy with the Shotgun Gold Project is to attract a joint venture partnership with a major gold mining company. The Company is actively introducing the project to interested parties.

At its core, TNR provides a wide scope of exposure to gold, copper, silver and lithium through its holdings in Alaska (the Shotgun Gold porphyry project) and royalty holdings in Argentina (the Mariana Lithium project, the Los Azules Copper Project and the Batidero I & II properties of the Josemaria Project), and is committed to the continued generation of in-demand projects, while diversifying its markets and building shareholder value.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "will", "could" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "could" occur, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Specifically, forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements made in relation to: TNR's corporate objectives, changes in share capital, market conditions for energy commodities, the results of McEwen Mining's, Ganfeng Lithium's, Josemaria Resources' and Lundin Mining's preliminary economic assessments, Feasibility Study, or Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve estimations, life of mine estimates, and mine and mine closure plans and improvements in the financial performance of the Company. Such forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those discussed in the sections entitled "Risks" and "Forward-Looking Statements" in the Company's interim and annual Management's Discussion and Analysis which are available under the Company's profile on www.sedarplus.ca. While management believes that the assumptions made and reflected in this news release are reasonable, should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking information. In particular, there can be no assurance that: TNR will be able to repay its loans or complete any further royalty acquisitions or sales; debt or other financing will be available to TNR; or that TNR will be able to achieve any of its corporate objectives. TNR relies on the confirmation of its ownership for mining claims from the appropriate government agencies when paying rental payments for such mining claims requested by these agencies. There could be a risk in the future of the changing internal policies of such government agencies or risk related to the third parties challenging in the future the ownership of such mining claims. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements included herein are not guarantees of future performance, and such forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied on.

In formulating the forward-looking statements contained herein, management has assumed that business and economic conditions affecting TNR and its royalty partners, McEwen Mining Inc., Ganfeng Lithium, Josemaria Resources and Lundin Mining will continue substantially in the ordinary course, including without limitation with respect to general industry conditions, general levels of economic activity and regulations. These assumptions, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect.

Forward-looking information herein and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES 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/220739

SOURCE: TNR Gold Corp.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN, INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AUSTRALIA, JAPAN OR SOUTH AFRICA OR TO BE TRANSMITTED, DISTRIBUTED TO, OR SENT BY, ANY NATIONAL OR RESIDENT OR CITIZEN OF ANY SUCH COUNTRIES OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION MAY CONTRAVENE LOCAL SECURITIES LAWS OR REGULATIONS.

This announcement is an advertisement and not an admission document or a prospectus and does not constitute or form part of an offer to sell or issue or a solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy any securities nor should it be relied upon in connection with any contract or commitment whatsoever in any jurisdiction. Potential investors should not purchase or subscribe for any transferable securities referred to in this announcement except on the basis of the information in the final form of an admission document (the "Admission Document") which may be published in due course in connection with the proposed admission of its issued and to be issued common shares ("Common Shares") to trading on AIM, a market operated by London Stock Exchange plc ("AIM"). Upon such publication the Admission Document will supersede this announcement and the information contained herein in its entirety and your investment decision, if any, must be made only on the basis of the information contained therein. It should be noted that an investment in any transferable securities referred to in this announcement carries a number of risks and that the value of investments may go down as well as up. Investors should take independent advice from a person experienced in advising on investment in securities such as those referred to in this announcement if they are in doubt.

Pulsar Helium Inc. (TSXV:PLSR)(OTCQB:PSRHF) ("Pulsar" or the "Company") is pleased to announce receipt of an independent technical report of the Contingent and Prospective Resources for helium and CO2 from Sproule International Limited ("Sproule") from one prospect at the Company's flagship Topaz Project in Minnesota (the "2024 Sproule Report"). The evaluation relates to the Company's first half 2024 drilling of the Jetstream #1 appraisal well* and geophysical surveys conducted across the prospect. The contingent and prospective resource acreage covered in the 2024 Sproule Report represents approximately 13% of the Company's gross land position that it has under lease and exclusive option.

Pulsar is also pleased to announce its intention to apply for the admission to trading of the Company's Common Shares on AIM, with a target admission date before the end of October 2024 (the "AIM IPO"). The AIM IPO is supplementary to the Company's existing listing on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSX-V") in Canada.

Based on feedback from a recent corporate roadshow arranged for the Company by OAK Securities, the Company believes the AIM IPO will enhance its access to UK and European based investors, from whom it is proposing to raise approximately 5 million in connection with the AIM IPO. A principal of OAK Securities has agreed to cornerstone the IPO capital raising by advancing to the Company 1.125 million to fund the long lead items for the deepening of the Jetstream #1 well, expected to commence in October 2024, and the AIM IPO costs (the "Cornerstone Investment"). The mechanics of the Cornerstone Investment are detailed below.

* In the State of Minnesota, the regulatory term is 'exploratory boring'.

Resource Highlights from one prospect at the Topaz Project:

Helium Resources Evaluation (unrisked, gross recoverable) 44% increase to Sproule's previous helium Contingent Best Estimate (2C) Gross Recoverable Resource, now 22.9 million standard cubic feet ("MMcf"), Pmean of 79.0 MMcf, and P10 of 174.0 MMcf 12,165% increase to the helium Prospective Best Estimate (2U) Gross Recoverable Resource, now 380.2 MMcf, Pmean of 1.3 billion cubic feet ("Bcf"), and P10 of 2.8 Bcf

CO2 Resources Evaluation (unrisked, gross recoverable) Maiden CO2 Contingent Best Estimate (2C) Gross Recoverable Resource, 171.8 MMcf, Pmean of 597.7 MMcf, and P10 of 1.3 Bcf Maiden CO2 Prospective Best Estimate (2U) Gross Recoverable Resource, 2.9 Bcf, Pmean of 10.1 Bcf, and P10 of 21.3 Bcf Due to an ongoing shortage of CO2 in the USA, with bulk CO2 purchases increasing up to USD$32 per thousand cubic feet ("Mcf"), it has the potential to be a bonus and valuable by-product of Pulsar's helium production*

Chance of commerciality The 2024 Sproule Report states: "Chance of Commerciality (Pc) is the likelihood that the Topaz Project will, in a timely manner, be able to be commercialized. The Topaz project has both commercial concentration helium and CO2 and there are no significant environmental nor logistical barriers to commercialization given its location. Therefore, given the Resource base, the Pc is fairly high for an early stage project with a value of 0.65."



The contingent resources estimated in the 2024 Sproule Report relates to one prospect within the Topaz Project, comprising acreage under the Company's leases surrounding the Jetstream #1 well, and the acreage of the prospective resources is under the Company's leases and exclusive options. The contingent and prospective resource acreage covered in the 2024 Sproule Report represents approximately 13% of the Company's gross land position that it has under lease and exclusive option.

Thomas Abraham-James, President & CEO of Pulsar, commented: "The resource evaluation is significant as it is based only on one prospect within the Topaz Project and data from only one well, Jetstream #1, which naturally flowed high-concentration helium of up to 14.5% to surface and without the presence of water. Such positive estimations received from a single and comparatively shallow well are hugely encouraging ahead of further exploration, which Pulsar has scheduled for Q4 2024. Data indicates that the well penetrated only the top of the helium-bearing fracture zone which is likely to persist for a further 1,650ft (500m) vertical depth. Therefore deepening of the Jetstream #1 well, scheduled for Q4 2024, is likely to have a significant impact on the next iteration of the resource estimation. We have made great progress in our first year as a listed entity and intend to build on this success and realise Topaz's full potential."

Thomas further commented: "The process to dual-list the Company's securities on London's AIM market is underway, with AIM being an attractive exchange for growth industrial gas companies. We have very strong interest from UK and European investors, underpinned by an immediate 1.125m cornerstone investment in the IPO from a principal of our UK broker, OAK Securities."

*This is for context and does not form part of the resource report.

Outlook

The Jetstream #1 well confirmed the presence of helium and CO2 bearing gas identified in the original LOD-6 discovery well and has substantially de-risked the Topaz Project. In addition, Jetstream #1 correlates with seismic data acquired by the Company which shows a distinct velocity anomaly at the depth of the gas zone that persists for a further ~500m and it is the Company's near-term intention to deepen Jetstream #1 to test the full scale of the seismic velocity anomaly. This is also proposed to be accompanied by a step out well and additional seismic acquisition with the intention of increasing the size of the resource base and delineating additional prospects. The Company intends to commission a third-party preliminary economic assessment (PEA) study, with the intention of identifying near-term production scenarios.

Company Analysis of Material Changes from the 2022 Sproule Report

Sproule last reported on Pulsar's Topaz Project with its "Evaluation of the Helium Resources of RGGS Land & Minerals, Ltd., L.P. in Minnesota, USA for Pulsar in April of 2022" (the "2022 Sproule Report"). There have been several material changes to the Topaz Project since that report, the most notable being Pulsar's drilling of the Jetstream #1 well. This well confirmed the presence of a fractured reservoir that contained native gas with high concentrations of both helium and carbon dioxide. In the 2022 Sproule Report, Sproule used a Low Case Reservoir Model of a single fracture which has now been disproven as the Jetstream #1 well has multiple fractures with gas shows. Additionally, the 2022 Sproule Report used a High Case Reservoir Model of a vugular dual porosity system which has likewise been disproven. Using conventional oil and gas testing equipment, the Jetstream #1 well tested reservoir pressures and flow rates and obtained multiple reliable gas analysis.

Pulsar also acquired multiple geophysical surveys across the Topaz Project which have been integrated into the analysis of both the Jetstream #1 well and the historical mineral wellbores. These various geophysical surveys have been interpreted to show an extended gas filled fracture network deeper than the penetration of the Jetstream #1 well and more laterally extensive. These 3D volumes have been accounted for as Prospective Resources as they have yet to be tested by any wells.

The Company's land holdings that are evaluated in the 2024 Sproule Report consist of a helium discovery located approximately 100 km northeast of Duluth, in Lake County, Minnesota, USA.

Gas samples were taken from the flowing well test and analyzed by Isotech Laboratories. 21 samples over 12 days were compositionally analyzed and had a range of helium of 14.48-7.91% by volume with an average of 9.91%. The carbon dioxide percentages ranged from 21.5% to 71.28% by volume with an average of 62.49%.

The Company notes that Jetstream #1 was drilled within 50ft (15m) of the LOD-6 discovery well (drilled in 2011), a mineral exploration borehole that encountered an uncontrolled gas from a depth of 1,778ft (542m), with concentration of 10.5% helium, measured in 2011. The gas flowed naturally to surface and showed no sign of pressure decline during the flow period of four days.

Jetstream #1 was designed to twin this discovery and encountered gas which naturally flowed to surface at a similar depth of between 1,740 - 1,975ft and had a maximum measured absolute open flow rate of 821 Mcf/d from fractured igneous reservoirs, with 8.7-14.5% helium and 62-74% CO2 measured, with no formation water present. Total depth drilled was 2,200ft, and Jetstream #1 is in a suspended state capable of being either re-entered or used for production.

In May 2024, the State of Minnesota enacted legislation that includes helium exploration, production and for leasing on state lands. The new regulatory framework allows the State of Minnesota to issue leases for exploration and production of non-hydrocarbon gases (including helium), with Pulsar already having lodged an application for new leases in areas of interest for helium and hydrogen. Prior to the new regulations, leases could only be issued on mineral rights that are privately held, accordingly all of Pulsar's existing leases are with private entities.

Helium Contingent and Prospective Resources Report Prepared by Sproule, an Independent Evaluator

Pulsar is pleased to share summary estimates from its Contingent Resources and Prospective Helium and CO2 Resources Report prepared by Sproule, an independent qualified reserves evaluator, dated August 21, 2024. All volumes are reported as unrisked and there is both a geological risk (Pg) and a Chance of Commerciality (Pc) that requires independent evaluation. The Chance of Commerciality (Pc) is the likelihood that the Topaz Project will, in a timely manner, be able to be commercialized. The Topaz Project has both commercial concentration helium (being not less than 0.5% by volume of gas) and CO2 and there are no significant environmental nor logistical barriers to commercialization given its location. Therefore, given the Resource base, the Pc is fairly high for an early stage project with a value of 0.65.

The Contingent and Prospective Resources data presented in the 2024 Sproule Report was prepared in accordance with the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook (the "COGE Handbook") as of July 31, 2024. No economic evaluation was performed Sproule for any of the assigned resources. The evaluation adheres in all material aspects to the principles and definitions in the COGE Handbook.

The Company is not deemed to be engaged in oil and gas activities and as such they are not required to disclose under National Instrument 51-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities. Additionally, Helium is not a defined "Product Type" in NI 51-101. Consequently, any reference to contingent or prospective resources in the 2024 Sproule Report should not be interpreted in being prepared in accordance with NI 51-101.

Evaluated Helium Contingent and Prospective Resources as of July 31, 2024 (unrisked)

Category / Level of Certainty Recoverable Contingent Recoverable Prospective Recoverable Contingent Recoverable Prospective Gross (MMcf) Gross (MMcf) Net (MMcf) Net (MMcf) Low Estimate 3.2 53.5 1.6 11.5 Best Estimate 22.9 380.2 5.9 40.3 High Estimate 174.0 2,785.7 34.9 205.9

Evaluated CO2 Contingent and Prospective Resources as of July 31, 2024 (unrisked)

Category / Level of Certainty Recoverable Contingent Recoverable Prospective

Recoverable Contingent Recoverable Prospective Gross (MMcf) Gross (MMcf) Net (MMcf) Net (MMcf) Low Estimate 24.2 410.2 11.9 88.0 Best Estimate 171.8 2,862.1 44.6 303.7 High Estimate 1,331.4 21,254.6 266.7 1,570.7

Notes :

Low Estimate - P90; Best Estimate - P50; High Estimate - P10. The helium and CO2 resources are presented in millions of cubic feet (MMcf), at base conditions of 14.65 psia and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The resources are technical before any commercial or economic truncation.

The net resources stated are derived from Sproule's calculation of the Company's Net Revenue Interest in the applicable resource. Net Revenue Interest was calculated by taking the gross recoverable volumes attributable to a particular lease multiplied by the working interest and accounting for any royalties, severances or other payments required.

Additional Information Regarding the Contingent Resources

Contingent Resources are those quantities of gas estimated, as of a given date, to be potentially recoverable from known accumulations using established technology or technology under development but which are not currently considered to be commercially recoverable due to one or more contingencies. There is uncertainty that it will be commercially viable to produce any portion of the resources. Contingent Resources do not constitute, and should not be confused with, reserves.

Four contingencies are identified for the Topaz Project development:

1) Evaluation Drilling & Testing: There is a requirement for more evaluation drilling to confirm the geological continuity of the reservoir and to reduce the uncertainty of the area of continuity of the reservoir from the proven productivity of the near wellbores. It is anticipated that as the Company continues to pursue primary development of the reservoir, commercial productivity will be established by testing closer to and within the primary production contingent resource areas, at which time this contingency would be removed.

2) Corporate Commitment: There has been no final investment decision and endorsement from the Company to move forward with commercial development of this asset. Gathering of the additional technical data is required to establish the commerciality of the project and make the final investment decision. Additionally, a detailed development plan has not been determined and further work needs to be completed to confirm how the resources will be developed. Currently, the Company is working on securing additional acreage by exercising lease options, pursuing additional lands, engaging vendors for drilling activities and engaging with local government and regulatory bodies. It is anticipated that as the development plan is refined the Company would be able to make a final investment decision, at which point this contingency would be lifted.

3) Market Access: There is a viable helium and carbon dioxide market in Minnesota. Considering the early stage of the project, the Company will be required to build helium extraction facilities as well as execute a helium and/or CO2 sales contract to allow for the product to reach markets. Once determination of market access has been completed, or will be completed in the near term, this contingency may be lifted.

4) Demonstration of commerciality: Once the uncertainties on the reservoir size are reduced and the determination of market access has been negotiated the field development plan can be designed and the economics can be calculated to determine a basis for commerciality and reserve determination.

Additional Information Regarding the Prospective Resources

The estimated quantities of a gas that may potentially be recovered by the application of a future development project(s) relate to undiscovered accumulations. These estimates have both an associated risk of discovery and a risk of development. Further exploration appraisal and evaluation is required to determine the existence of a significant quantity of potentially moveable non-hydrocarbon gases.

Risk

The Topaz Project has twice flowed and tested helium and carbon dioxide gas in volumetrically significant percentages and both wells demonstrated shut-in pressures that indicated a reservoir that extended beyond the immediate area of the wellbores. The Jetstream #1 well has been logged, cored and with an optical televiewer log has confirmed the presences of open, gas filled fractures. Therefore, the Geological Chance of Success for the Contingent Resource (Pg) has been assessed as 0.95.

The Prospective Resources are defined by the integration of a variety of geophysical methods that have tied back to multiple boreholes, including the Jetstream #1 well. These resources by definition are untested and undrilled and have a much higher risk. The largest uncertainty is the ability to locate the fracture network with the drill bit and the amount of regional connectivity of the fracture network. The estimated Geological Chance of Success for the Prospective Resources is assessed as 0.25. The Company is planning additional 2D and 3D seismic data acquisition for the purpose of reducing these uncertainties and following the acquisition, processing and interpretation it is anticipated that the Pg of the Prospective Resources will increase.

The Chance of Commerciality (Pc) is the likelihood that the Topaz Project will, in a timely manner, be able to be commercialized. The Topaz project has both commercial grade helium and CO2 and there are no significant environmental or logistical barriers to commercialization given its location. Therefore, given the Resource base, the Pc is fairly high for an early-stage project with an estimated value of 0.65.

AIM Dual-Listing and Financing

The Cornerstone Investment of 1.125 million will be made by way of a subscription for special warrants (the "Special Warrants") of the Company by Jerome Anthony Keen, a principal of OAK Securities (the "OAK Subscriber"), pursuant to a special warrant subscription agreement between the OAK Subscriber and the Company entered into on 21 August 2024. The Cornerstone Investment will be made by no later than 30 August 2024 and will form part of the 5 million that the Company is proposing to raise in connection with the AIM IPO.

The Special Warrants will entitle the holder on the exercise thereof to receive, without payment of any further consideration, such number of depositary interests over Common Shares equivalent to 1.125 million divided by the AIM IPO price, to be priced in the context of the market, subject to admission to trading on AIM of the Common Shares occurring by 31 October 2024 (or such later date as the OAK Subscriber, in its absolute discretion, may notify the Company in writing). If the AIM IPO has not occurred by 31 October 2024 (or such later date as the OAK Subscriber, in its absolute discretion, may notify the Company in writing), the Special Warrants will automatically be deemed exercised and entitle the OAK Subscriber to receive, without payment of any further consideration, such number of Common Shares equivalent to 1.2x the amount of the Cornerstone Investment (being C$2,400,000) divided by the market price of the Common Shares at that time, subject to receipt of TSX-V approval.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the AIM IPO primarily to fund the cost of the ongoing exploration programs at the Company's Topaz Project and for general working capital purposes.

As part of the AIM IPO process, the 2024 Sproule Report will be updated to produce a competent person's report in accordance with the requirements of AIM Note for Mining, Oil and Gas Companies. In addition, the Company intends to augment the structure of its Board in readiness for the AIM IPO.

Nomad & Broker Appointments

In connection with the AIM IPO, Pulsar has appointed Strand Hanson Limited as its Nominated and Financial Adviser and OAK Securities as its Broker.

About Pulsar Helium Inc.

Pulsar Helium Inc. is a publicly traded company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange with the ticker PLSR and on the OTCQB with the ticker PSRHF. Pulsar's portfolio consists of its flagship Topaz helium project in Minnesota, USA, that has been drilled and flowed up to 14.5% helium, USA and the Tunu helium project in Greenland. Pulsar is the first mover in both locations with primary helium occurrences not associated with the production of hydrocarbons identified at each. For further information visit https://pulsarhelium.com, follow us on X https://twitter.com/pulsarhelium?lang=en and LinkedIn https://ca.linkedin.com/company/pulsar-helium-inc.

On behalf Pulsar Helium Inc.

"Thomas Abraham-James"

President, CEO and Director

Further Information:

Pulsar Helium Inc.

connect@pulsarhelium.com

+ 1 (604) 599-0310

OAK Securities*

info@OAK-securities.com

+44 203 973 3678

*OAK Securities is the trading name of Merlin Partners LLP, a firm incorporated in the United Kingdom and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority.

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.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The communication of this announcement is not being made, and has not been approved, by an authorised person for the purposes of section 21 of the UK Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

The contents of this announcement, which has been prepared by and is the sole responsibility of the Company, has not been approved by either of Strand Hanson Limited ("Strand") or OAK Securities (a trading name of Merlin Partners LLP) ("OAK") for the purposes of section 21(2)(b) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended).

Neither this announcement nor any copy of it may be taken or transmitted, published or distributed, directly or indirectly, in, into or from any restricted jurisdiction or to any persons in any of those jurisdictions or any other jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the relevant securities laws of such jurisdiction. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of United States, Australian, Japanese or South African securities laws.

This announcement does not constitute, or form part of, any offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase or subscribe for any shares or other securities in any restricted jurisdiction. The distribution of this announcement and other information in connection with the Admission in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law and persons into whose possession this announcement, any document or other information referred to herein comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restrictions. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. Neither this announcement nor any part of it nor the fact of its distribution shall form the basis of or be relied on in connection with or act as an inducement to enter into any contract or commitment whatsoever.

This announcement is directed only at persons whose ordinary activities involve them in acquiring, holding, managing and disposing of investments (as principal or agent) for the purposes of their business and who have professional experience in matters relating to investments and are: (i) if in a member state of the European Economic Area ("EEA"), Qualified Investors as defined in article 2(e) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the "EU Prospectus Regulation"); (ii) if in the United Kingdom, are Qualified Investors as defined in article 2(e) of the EU Prospectus Regulation as it forms part of domestic law pursuant to the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and (a) fall within article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order") or (b) are persons who fall within article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order, or (c) to whom it may otherwise be lawfully distributed (all such persons together being referred to as "Relevant Persons").

This announcement must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not Relevant Persons. Persons distributing this announcement must satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do so. Any investment or investment activity to which this announcement relates is available only to Relevant Persons and will be engaged in only with Relevant Persons. This announcement does not itself constitute an offer for sale or subscription of any securities in the Company.

The Common Shares referred to in this Announcement have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act") or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States. The securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under the US Securities Act or an available exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the US Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States. There will be no public offer of securities in the United States.

Any subscription for or purchase of Common Shares should be made solely on the basis of the information contained in the final Admission Document to be published by the Company in connection with the Admission. The information in this announcement is for background purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete. No reliance may or should be placed for any purposes whatsoever on the information contained in this announcement or its accuracy, completeness or fairness. The information in this announcement is subject to change. However, the Company does not undertake to provide the recipient of this announcement with any additional information, or to update this announcement or to correct any inaccuracies, and the distribution of this announcement shall not be deemed to be any form of commitment on the part of the Company to proceed with the Admission or any transaction or arrangement referred to in this announcement. This announcement has not been approved by any competent regulatory authority.

Strand and/or OAK and any of their respective affiliates, acting as investors for their own accounts, may subscribe for or purchase Common Shares and in that capacity may retain, purchase, sell, offer to sell or otherwise deal for their own accounts in such Common Shares and other securities of the Company or related investments in connection with the Admission or otherwise. Accordingly, references in the Admission Document, once published, to the Common Shares being offered, subscribed, acquired, placed or otherwise dealt in should be read as including any offer to, or subscription, acquisition, placing or dealing by Strand and/or OAK and any of their respective affiliates acting as investors for their own accounts. In addition, Strand and/or OAK or their respective affiliates may enter into financing arrangements and swaps in connection with which it or its affiliates may from time to time acquire, hold or dispose of Common Shares. Neither Strand nor OAK has any intention to disclose the extent of any such investment or transactions otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligations to do so.

Strand, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom is acting exclusively for the Company as the Company's nominated adviser for the purposes of the AIM Rules for Companies ("AIM Rules") and no one else in connection with the Admission, and Strand will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients or for providing advice in relation to the Admission or any other matters referred to in this announcement.

OAK, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom is acting exclusively for the Company as the Company's broker for the purposes of the AIM Rules and no one else in connection with the Admission, and OAK will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients or for providing advice in relation to the Admission or any other matters referred to in this announcement.

Neither Strand, nor OAK nor any of their respective subsidiary undertakings, affiliates or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, advisers, agents or any other person accepts any responsibility or liability whatsoever for, or makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the truth, accuracy, completeness or fairness of the information or opinions contained in this announcement (or whether any information has been omitted from the announcement) or any other information relating to the Company, its subsidiaries or associated companies, whether written, oral or in a visual or electronic form, and howsoever transmitted or made available or for any loss howsoever arising from any use of this announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed.

The anticipated timetable for Admission, including the publication of the Admission Document and/or the date of Admission, may be influenced by a range of circumstances, including market conditions. There is no guarantee that the Admission Document will be published or that Admission will occur and investors should not base their financial decisions on the Company's intentions in relation to the Admission at this stage.

The price of shares and any income expected from them may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the full amount invested upon disposal of the shares. Past performance is no guide to future performance, and persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser.

Certain figures contained in this announcement, including financial information, have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, in certain instances, the sum or percentage change of the numbers contained in this announcement may not conform exactly to the total figure given.

Neither the content of the Company's website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on the Company's website is incorporated in, or forms part of, this announcement.

Solely for the purposes of Paragraph 3.2.7R regarding the responsibilities of UK Manufacturers under the Product Governance requirements contained within Chapter 3 of the FCA Handbook Product Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook (the "UK Product Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any "manufacturer" (for the purposes of the UK Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Common Shares have been subject to a product approval process, which has determined that the Common Shares are: (i) compatible with an end target market of (a) retail investors, (b) investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and (c) eligible counterparties, each as defined in UK Product Governance Requirements; and (ii) eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by UK Product Governance Requirements (the "Target Market Assessment"). Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the Common Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment; the Common Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in the Common Shares is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom. The Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Fundraising. For the avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of the UK Product Governance Requirements; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to, the Common Shares.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the Placing Shares.

Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the Placing Shares and determining appropriate distribution channels.

EU Product Governance Requirements

Solely for the purposes of the product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended ("EU MiFID II"); (b) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing EU MiFID II; and (c) local implementing measures (together, the "EU MiFID II Product Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any 'manufacturer' (for the purposes of the EU MiFID II Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Common Shares have been subject to a product approval process, which has determined that the Common Shares are: (i) compatible with an end target market of retail clients and investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in MiFID II; and (ii) eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by EU MiFID II (the "EU Target Market Assessment"). Notwithstanding the EU Target Market Assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the Common Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment; the Common Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in the Common Shares is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom. The EU Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the possible Offer. Furthermore, it is noted that, notwithstanding the EU Target Market Assessment, the Investment Firms will only procure investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties. For the avoidance of doubt, the EU Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of EU MiFID II; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the Common Shares. Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the Common Shares and determining appropriate distribution channels.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements") that relate to the Company's current expectations and views of future events. Any statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases such as "will likely result", "are expected to", "expects", "will continue", "is anticipated", "anticipates", "believes", "estimated", "intends", "plans", "forecast", "projection", "strategy", "objective" and "outlook") are not historical facts and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements herein include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the Company's intention to apply for admission to trading of the Company's common shares on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange and the timing of its targeted admission; the independent resource estimate for helium and CO2 at Topaz; the potential of CO2 as a valuable by-product of the Company's future helium production; the estimated Geological Chance of Success for the Prospective Resources and the Chance of Commerciality of Topaz; the potential for deepening Jetstream #1 and the potential impact of such deepening on the next iteration of the resource estimate; the Company's expectation that its application on an additional 32,949 acres for the extraction of non-hydrocarbon gases will be granted in the near term; and the intended use of proceeds from the AIM IPO. Forward-looking statements may involve estimates and are based upon assumptions made by management of the Company, including, but not limited to, the Company's capital cost estimates, management's expectations regarding the availability of capital to fund the Company's future capital and operating requirements and the ability to obtain all requisite regulatory approvals.

No reserves have been assigned in connection with the Company's property interests to date, given their early stage of development. The future value of the Company is therefore dependent on the success or otherwise of its activities, which are principally directed toward the future exploration, appraisal and development of its assets, and potential acquisition of property interests in the future. Un-risked Contingent and Prospective Helium Volumes have been defined at the Topaz Project. However, estimating helium volumes is subject to significant uncertainties associated with technical data and the interpretation of that data, future commodity prices, and development and operating costs. There can be no guarantee that the Company will successfully convert its helium volume to reserves and produce that estimated volume. Estimates may alter significantly or become more uncertain when new information becomes available due to for example, additional drilling or production tests over the life of field. As estimates change, development and production plans may also vary. Downward revision of helium volume estimates may adversely affect the Company's operational or financial performance.

Helium volume estimates are expressions of judgement based on knowledge, experience and industry practice. These estimates are imprecise and depend to some extent on interpretations, which may ultimately prove to be inaccurate and require adjustment or, even if valid when originally calculated, may alter significantly when new information or techniques become available. As further information becomes available through additional drilling and analysis the estimates are likely to change. Any adjustments to volume could affect the Company's exploration and development plans which may, in turn, affect the Company's performance. The process of estimating helium resources is complex and requires significant decisions and assumptions to be made in evaluating the reliability of available geological, geophysical, engineering, and economic date for each property. Different engineers may make different estimates of resources, cash flows, or other variables based on the same available data.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward- looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, that Pulsar may be unsuccessful in drilling commercially productive wells; the uncertainty of resource estimation; operational risks in conducting exploration, including that drill costs may be higher than estimates and the potential for delays in the commencement of drilling; commodity prices; health, safety and environmental factors; and other factors set forth above as well as under "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements and Market and Industry Data" and "Risk Factors" in the Final Prospectus dated July 31, 2023 filed on the Company's profile on www.sedarplus.ca. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are as of the date of this news release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all of them or assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. No assurance can be given that the forward-looking statements herein will prove to be correct and, accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

SOURCE: Pulsar Helium Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 21, 2024) - Veta Resources Inc. (the "Company") is pleased to announce that further to its press release on June 28, 2024, MetaWorld Corporation (dba Syntheia) ("Syntheia") has received conditional approval ("Conditional Approval") to list the common shares of the Company following the completion of the amalgamation transaction between the Company and Syntheia (the "Resulting Issuer") on the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE").

The Conditional Approval to list on the CSE (the "Listing") is contingent upon the Resulting Issuer meeting specific requirements set by the CSE, including, without limitation: (i) completion of the concurrent financing of Syntheia; (ii) posting on SEDAR+ the required documents, including Form 2A - Listing Statement and other forms that may be required by the CSE; and (iii) completion of any and all outstanding CSE application documentation and payment of fees pursuant to the policies of CSE. Syntheia is committed to satisfying these conditions promptly and expects to secure final approval following the completion of the final tranche of the ongoing concurrent financing.

The Company and Syntheia will provide a further update with respect to the date of Listing upon completion of the final tranche of the concurrent financing and submission of the final documentation with CSE.

About Syntheia

Syntheia is an early-stage artificial intelligence technology company, channeling its efforts into refining and expanding its proprietary, conversational AI-based platform (the "Syntheia AI Platform"). The Syntheia AI Platform represents the integration of natural language processing ("NLP") technology, enabling it to not only understand but also respond to human language with accuracy. The Syntheia AI Platform, a generative, AI-powered algorithm equipped with a human-like voice, boasts self-learning capabilities derived from NLP methodologies. Currently in beta testing, the Syntheia AI Platform is crafted to offer a suite of automated solutions, particularly for retail-focused businesses where customer interaction and service are key to operations. At the heart of the Syntheia AI Platform is its use of AI to emulate human cognitive processes, combined with a sophisticated large language model, which is integral for interpreting and generating human-like language responses.

The common shares of the Company or the Resulting Issuer have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirement. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and financial outlook (collectively, "forward-looking information"). Statements containing the words "believe", "expect", "intend", "should", "seek", "anticipate", "will", "positioned", "project", "risk", "plan", "may", "estimate", or, in each case, their negative and words of similar meaning, are intended to identify forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release, which includes, but is not limited to, information relating to Syntheia closing on the remaining amount of its ongoing subscription receipt financing; and Syntheia receiving any required final approvals from the CSE in relation to the listing of its common shares in the expected timeframe.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/220714

SOURCE: Veta Resources Inc.
Informa Markets, the world's leading B2B event organizer, proudly announces Danica Cullins as the newly appointed Executive Vice President of Health and Nutrition for North America, managing both the Natural Products and SupplySide portfolio of brands, and Carlotta Mast in a new role as Senior Vice President of Global Community & Content Strategy across all of Informa Markets. These newly created roles are indicative of Informa Markets' increased focus on improving the customer experience for community and audience groups and optimizing return on customer investment.

Mast served in the commercial leadership role for the New Hope Network brands from 2021 until taking on this expanded role serving Informa Markets' global community and content strategy in June. In her new role, Carlotta will apply her extensive experience using content, partnership and purpose to build and strengthen the natural and organic products communities to support other businesses across Informa Markets. She will focus on sharing best practices, inspiring teams with new routes to market, and demonstrating the ROI of focusing on content, community and partnership to enable long term growth, all with the goal of improving the customer experience and extending Informa Markets' positive impact worldwide.

Cullins served in the commercial leadership role for the SupplySide network of brands over a similar timeline. In this new role as EVP of Health and Nutrition, she will oversee growth, strategy and commercial success of both the SupplySide and New Hope Network portfolios. Cullins will be instrumental in advancing each brand, ensuring they are well-positioned for the future, unlocking opportunities, and delivering even greater value to our customers.

Both promotions are a result of tremendous leadership, and belief in the growth of the sector.

"Danica Cullins' exceptional capabilities and successful leadership with SupplySide will transfer tremendously into this new expanded role, propelling the health and nutrition verticals to maximum synergy, to create innovative opportunities for our customers across both businesses," says Nancy Walsh, President, Informa Markets North America. "The addition of this leadership role is a testament not only to Danica's leadership, but to the long term confidence in, and appreciation of, the Health and Nutrition community and its boundless potential. We want to deliver more for our customers, and Danica's stewardship will help us do that."

Cullins offers an extensive 26 years of industry experience, touching across senior roles in operations and sales. In early 2021, Cullins was tapped to lead the SupplySide platform of events and robust content product suite, specializing in consultative selling strategies, sales group structuring, organizational development and leadership, with a strong foundation in portfolio management and strategic planning with exceptional results. Leading SupplySide, Cullins instills the manifesto of "more health for more people," as a directing principle to ensure customer experience meets the highest standards of the health and nutrition community.

"Empowerment and accountability are core foundational values that drive success with intent across our teams which SupplySide and New Hope Network are known for," adds Danica Cullins. "We look forward to bringing renewed energy and continuing creative solutions to the Health and Nutrition offerings and customer experiences at Informa Markets, as the industry evolves, so do we to meet the transforming needs of our audiences."

As the new leader for Informa Markets Health and Nutrition, Cullins will collaborate closely with Carlotta Mast, a reputable industry veteran, whose newly created larger divisional role will also be focused on helping verticals across Informa Markets expand their sustainability knowledge and practices as part of an enhanced customer experience. Mast reports to Chief Customer Experience Officer Anna Hill in this new role.

With a rich 30-year career in content, Mast joined Nutrition Business Journal as an editor in 2008, working her way up the ladder to SVP of Content and Insights, and then becoming SVP & Market Leader of New Hope Network in 2021, where she helped transform New Hope Network into a community- and purpose-driven portfolio of event and media brands serving the natural and organic product community.

"Community is at the heart of everything we do at Informa Markets, and community engagement and leadership have been critical factors in New Hope Network's continued growth and success," says Carlotta Mast, SVP Global Community & Content Strategy, Informa Markets. "The vision is to share the value of community engagement, partnership and experiences for our customers on a global scale, to deliver more value and return on investment while also helping the markets we serve become more resilient and prepared for a changing future."

"Customer Experience is the critical frontier for the events industry, and Informa Markets aims to be the leader in how we build those connections and experiences for the communities we serve," adds Anna Hill, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Informa Markets. "Creating this new role celebrates the excellence Carlotta has created within the natural and organic products community, emphasizing her innate sense of storytelling, partnership-building strengths and communal awareness, and sharing those with others. Our goal is to be a catalyst for exceptional moments, collaboration, and shared learning with the businesses that we devotedly serve, and I'm confident in Carlotta's ability to help deliver that."

Both Cullins and Mast assumed their roles prior to Informa Markets' latest show launch, a new concept called Newtopia Now, whose first edition will be held August 25-28, 2024, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. The highly anticipated annual show SupplySide West and Food ingredients North America will take also place October 28-31, 2024, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

About Informa Markets

Informa Markets, a subsidiary of Informa plc (LON:INF), creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. Our portfolio comprises more than 550 international B2B events and brands in markets including Engineering, Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Infrastructure, Construction & Real Estate, Fashion & Apparel, Hospitality, Food & Beverage, and Health & Nutrition, among others. We provide customers and partners around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, specialist digital content and actionable data solutions. As the world's leading exhibitions organizer, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, visit www.informamarkets.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 SupplySide

SupplySide events are the premier gatherings for innovation and discovery in the development of finished consumer goods that drive the global business economy. SupplySide brings together thousands of suppliers and buyers to explore and learn the latest products, services, research, regulatory changes and more in the health and nutrition industry for more than 26 years. The following SupplySide events and information products are produced by the Health and Nutrition group at Informa Markets: SupplySide East, SupplySide West, Natural Products Insider?and?Food & Beverage Insider.

Media Contact

Casey Clemenza

VP of Corporate Communications, Informa Markets

casey.clemenza@informa.com

SOURCE: INFORMA MARKETS

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Space Intelligence, an Edinburgh, Scotland, UK-based provider of nature mapping derived from satellite data, received an investment from AzureX Space Ventures and Intercontinental Exchange.

The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

The company intends to use the funds to expand its catalog of mapping data across the worlds forests to support the development and financing of forest carbon projects, as well as nature impact monitoring across corporate supply chains.

Led by CEO Dr. Murray Collins, Space Intelligence is a NatureTech company enabling zero deforestation and mass restoration of biodiverse forests globally by providing high quality nature mapping data. It combines expertise in remote sensing, data analytics, and forest ecology to provide data for forest carbon project stakeholders and nature impact reporting.

The nature data catalog currently spans 640 million hectares across seven countries, providing information on land cover, deforestation, and regrowth. By the end of Q2 2025, the companys dataset will expand to cover more than 35 additional countries.

Space Intelligence co-founders Dr. Murray Collins and Professor Ed Mitchard have nearly 40 combined years of academic and on-the-ground research in remote sensing using satellite data. They have grown the company to employ more than 50 staff members, including 20 mapping scientists and ecologists. The companys products are used by some of the largest developers and investors in forest carbon projects globally.

The company is also set to release new data products in Q4 of this year for near real-time monitoring of deforestation and degradation, enhancing risk management and monitoring.

FinSMEs

21/08/2024
Vandria, a Lausanne, Switzerland-based mitochondrial therapeutics company, raised an undisclosed amount in its second Series A funding.

The round, which brought the total amount to $30.7M, saw participation from Hevolution Foundation and Dolby Family Ventures joined ND Capital.

The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its development efforts.

Led by Klaus Dugi, CEO, Vandria is a mitochondrial therapeutics company, developing mitophagy inducers that rejuvenate cells to treat age-related and chronic diseases. Its lead program, VNA-318, is a brain-penetrant, patent-protected, mitophagy inducer which has been shown to acutely improve memory and learning and to have disease-modifying effects in models of neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease. VNA-318 is expected to enter the clinic in 2024.

The company is also developing mitophagy-inducing small molecules to address muscle, lung, and liver diseases. A separate program targets ferroptosis, a form of cell death implicated in neurodegenerative diseases and ischemia reperfusion injury.

FinSMEs

21/08/2024
With such a stellar cast and crew, the addition of Iain Glen only heightens the excitement around the project read more

Recently, a leaked image from the set of Anupam Khers directorial film Tanvi The Great has caused quite a buzz. The photo features Iain Glen, known for his role in Game of Thrones, who we hear is set to have a significant role in the movie.

The film, produced by Anupam Kher Studio, boasts a talented team including Oscar-winning composer M.M. Keervani and Academy Award-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty.

With such a stellar cast and crew, the addition of Iain Glen only heightens the excitement around the project.

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The shooting schedule of the film is still on.

Actor-director Anupam Kher recently expressed his gratitude to the Mumbai Police officials for their promptness in catching two persons in connection with a burglary at his office earlier this week.

In an X post, the veteran actor had shared that two thieves broke into his Veera Desai Road office and stole the negatives of a film produced by his company Wednesday.

The police Saturday took Majid Sheikh and Daler Bahreem Khan into custody from the Jogeshwari area Friday night for committing the crime.

In an X post, the veteran actor had shared that two thieves broke into his Veera Desai Road office and stole the negatives of a film produced by his company Wednesday.

The police Saturday took Majid Sheikh and Daler Bahreem Khan into custody from the Jogeshwari area Friday night for committing the crime.

Kher shared a gratitude note for the police in an Instagram post.

My heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for #MumbaiPolice for catching both the thieves who ransacked my office, stole my safe and the negative of #MaineGandhiKoNaiMara.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Poland, marking the first visit by an Indian PM in over 40 years. In India, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi along with Mallikarjun Kharge will embark on a two-day visit to Jammu and Srinagar ahead of polls. Heres what else will happen today read more

Its going to be a news-heavy Wednesday, as PM Modi is scheduled to visit Poland, while, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is going to visit Jammu and Kashmir ahead of key polls.

The Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti has called for a Bharat Bandh, in response to the recent Supreme Court ruling on SC/ST reservations.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is going to visit the US, to finalise several high-profile defence agreements between the two countries. Theres also Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention.



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The 2024 World Robot Conference is being held in Beijing, showcasing over 60 types of humanoid robots. it will feature an exhibition with participation from 169 global companies.

Heres what the day looks like

PM Modis Poland visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Poland for a two-day trip, marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in over forty years.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Modi will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda and engage in bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw. The Financial Express reports that these talks are expected to centre on defence cooperation, trade, and strategic partnerships.

PM Narendra Modis visit is aimed at enhancing ties with Poland. File Photo/AFP

During his visit, Modi will also connect with the Indian community in Poland. As reported by ThePrint, he is set to pay tribute at the memorials dedicated to the Maharajas of Jamnagar and Kolhapur. His itinerary may also include visits to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the memorial for the Battle of Monte Cassino.

Modis visit is anticipated to reinvigorate the relationship between India and Poland. A source told ThePrint, One can say that the ties have remained dormant. However, it is hoped that PM Modis push will give it the required push and take bilateral ties to a higher level.

After his visit to Poland, PM Modi will travel to Ukraine.

Rahul Gandhi to visit J&K

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Ahead of the assembly elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, along with party president Mallikarjun Kharge, are set to embark on a two-day visit to Jammu and Srinagar.

During their visit, the two leaders will conduct extensive meetings with local leaders and workers in both Jammu and Srinagar, aiming to revitalise and strengthen the partys cadre. Congress National General Secretary Gulam Ahmed Mir informed PTI of their plans.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, along with party president Mallikarjun Kharge, are set to embark on a two-day visit to Jammu and Srinagar. PTI

After engaging with the party workers in Jammu, Kharge and Rahul Gandhi will travel to Srinagar on Wednesday evening to meet with the cadre there. On the final day of their visit, August 22, they are scheduled to hold a press conference in Srinagar.

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This visit follows a recent meeting where Congress President Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi, met with general secretaries, in-charges, and screening committee members from four states preparing for upcoming elections.

Calls for Bharat Bandh

The Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti has called for a Bharat Bandh on August 21, 2024, in response to the recent Supreme Court ruling on SC/ST reservations.

The bandh has garnered significant support from SC/ST groups in Rajasthan and is anticipated to see widespread participation. Authorities have been instructed to ensure law and order is maintained during the protests.

According to The Times of India, police have been directed to increase deployment across all districts to prevent any unrest. DGP UR Sahoo mentioned that the SPs have been instructed to maintain control and ensure the situation remains peaceful in connection with the Bharat Bandh.

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Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti has called for a Bharat Bandh on August 21, 2024, in response to the recent Supreme Court ruling on SC/ST reservations. Image for Representation. PTI

The Supreme Courts ruling, which allows states to create sub-categories within SC and ST groups to prioritise those in greater need of reservations, has sparked controversy. Various social and political organisations argue that this decision undermines the fundamental principles of reservation.

While the Bharat Bandh is expected to cause disruptions, there is no clear indication if markets across the country will close, as market committees have yet to confirm their participation. Although public transport and private offices might be affected, emergency services, including ambulances, will continue to operate. Reports also suggest that schools, colleges, government offices, banks, and petrol pumps will remain functional during the bandh.

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Rajnath Singh to begin US visit

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is embarking on a significant five-day official visit to the United States, beginning today.

This visit holds particular importance as it may lead to the finalisation of several high-profile defence agreements between India and the US. Among these could be the deal to procure 31 MQ-9B Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and GE-414 jet engines, both of which are expected to significantly enhance Indias next-generation fighter jets.

his visit holds particular importance as it may lead to the finalisation of several high-profile defence agreements between India and the US

A key highlight of the visit will be Singhs meeting with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon on August 23. This meeting is expected to cover a wide range of topics, with a particular emphasis on deepening military cooperation between the two countries.

Discussions will likely focus on ongoing and future defence deals, the strategic partnership in the Indo-Pacific region, and ways to strengthen joint military exercises and training.

2024 World Robot Conference in China

The 2024 World Robot Conference is being held in Beijing from today until August 25 at the Beijing Etrong International Exhibition and Convention Centre, showcasing over 60 types of humanoid robots.

This years event is set to attract more than 416 guests from around the world and will feature an exhibition with participation from 169 global companies, including major names like ABB, Tesla, Kuka, and SMC.

A new addition to this years conference is the cutting-edge innovation area, where universities and research institutes will display advanced innovations, including six-legged guide robots and flying robots, reported _China Daily.

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The luxury yacht Bayesian, carrying tech mogul Mike Lynch and others, sank off the Sicilian coast, leaving rescuers racing against time to find potential survivors. Experts suggest that air pockets within the wreckage might be keeping them alive, but as days pass, hopes are fading. With the clock ticking and rescue efforts facing severe challenges, news of the missing passengers is awaited read more

A drone view shows emergency and rescue service vehicles and personnel at a port near the site where a luxury yacht sank, in Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, Italy, August 20, 2024. Reuters

The luxury superyacht Bayesian was engulfed by the sea early Monday off the Sicilian coast in Italy. The 184-foot yacht, registered to the wife of British tech magnate Mike Lynch, capsized and sank to the seabed approximately 160 feet underwater, following an unexpected and severe storm.

As rescue teams continue their desperate search, the possibility of survivors still trapped inside has been a subject of intense speculation, hope, and anxiety.

The yacht, which departed from the Sicilian port of Milazzo on August 14, was last tracked east of Palermo before the storm struck.

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Onboard were 22 individuals, including Lynch, his daughter Hannah, and a number of distinguished guests. While 15 people managed to escape, including Lynchs wife Angela Bacares, six remain missing, sparking fears and prayers for their survival.

Could survivors still be trapped in the wreckage?

Search and rescue efforts have been ongoing since the tragic incident, with many clinging to the hope that the missing could still be alive, trapped within air pockets in the yachts wreckage.

Its a slow process and it will take time. So there might be air pockets, but we dont know. Its still wait and see, so fingers crossed, Jeremy Bloomer, twin brother of missing Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer, told BBC.

Rescue personnel operate on boats on the sea near the scene where a luxury yacht sank, off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, Italy, August 20, 2024. Reuters

Expert opinions offer a mix of optimism and caution. Jean-Baptiste Souppez, a senior lecturer at Aston University, told Sky News, The speed at which the vessel sank and the fact that it remains intact and on its side could favour the formation of small air pockets inside. This is obviously highly speculative and impossible to predict accurately.

Also Read: What led to the sinking of the Bayesian superyacht off Italys coast?

Similarly, Nick Sloane, renowned for his work on the Costa Concordia salvage operation, highlighted the criticality of the next 24 hours, telling Sky News, Youve got a maximum of two to three days to try to get someone out, so the next 24 hours are critical.

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However, despite these glimmers of hope, Italian authorities have expressed growing skepticism about the chances of finding anyone alive. Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not, Vincenzo Zagarola of the Italian Coast Guard told the PA news agency.

Who is still missing?

Among the missing is Mike Lynch, often dubbed the British Bill Gates, a tech tycoon who made headlines for selling his company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion in 2011. His daughter, Hannah Lynch, an 18-year-old who had just completed her A-Levels and was bound for Oxford, is also unaccounted for.

Other missing passengers include Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, a psychotherapist; Christopher Morvillo, a top New York City lawyer involved in Lynchs legal defence, and his wife, Nina, who reportedly runs a luxury jewelry line.

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UK tech mogul Mike Lynch made headlines when he sold his company, Autonomy, to HP for $11 billion. However, a year later, the US giant accused him of artificially inflating the companys value. File Image/Reuters

The only confirmed fatality so far is Thomas Recaldo, a Canadian-born chef whose body was recovered shortly after the yacht went down.

The incident has also brought forth stories of survival and bravery. Charlotte Golunkski, a mother who was among the 15 survivors, managed to keep her 1-year-old daughter Sophie alive by holding her above water as they awaited rescue. Bacares, who also survived, is said to be deeply shaken by the loss of her husband and daughter.

How have rescue efforts fared so far?

The operation to locate and rescue any potential survivors has been fraught with challenges. Italian Coast Guard divers are working under difficult conditions, limited by the depth of the wreckage, which restricts them to just 12 minutes underwater at a time.

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According to Italian newspaper Giornale Di Sicilia, parts of the vessel have been accessed, but the cabins, where survivors might be trapped, remain out of reach.

Divers operate in the sea to search for the missing, including British entrepreneur Mike Lynch, after a luxury yacht sank off Sicily, Italy August 19, 2024. Reuters

Rescue teams have also been employing techniques similar to those used in submarine rescues, listening for any signs of life, such as banging noises.

This is common practice on submarines and was one of the signs the search mission for the Titan submarine was looking for after it went missing last year, said Souppez. The harsh reality, however, is that the likelihood of finding survivors diminishes with each passing hour.

Bayesian, a 56-meter-long sailboat, which later sank off the Sicilian capital Palermo, is seen in Santa Flavia, Italy, August 18, 2024 in this picture obtained from social media. File Image/Reuters

If you heard banging from inside youd be able to take more risks to save a life. But if all the information is pointing towards the fact actually theres no evidence of air pockets, youve scoured the surface, and we think the casualties are in there, then itd be very difficult for them justify divers entering the vessel to go and recover casualties, Matthew Schanck, chairman of the UKs Maritime Search and Rescue Council told Business Insider.

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Zagarola noted, We suppose that the six people missing may not have had time to get out of the boat.

With inputs from agencies
Brian Niccol, who will helm Starbucks from next month, will fly 1,000 miles (1,600 km) three times a week from his home in Newport Beach, California, to the headquarters in Seattle on a corporate jet. Would you make such a long commute to work daily? read more

The coffee giant has also promised to set up a remote office for Brian Niccol in Newport Beach, complete with an assistant of his choosing, all at Starbucks' expense. Image courtesy: X/ @integralPB

Starbucks latest leadership change is making wavesnot just because of the top executive shuffle, but also due to the extraordinary commute the new CEO Brian Niccole will undertake.

According to the new CEOs offer letter, starting next month, the top executive will be flying 1,000 miles (1,600 km) three times a week from his home in Newport Beach, California, to Starbucks Seattle headquarterscourtesy of a corporate jet.

Not only this, but the coffee giant has also promised to set up a remote office for Niccol in Newport Beach, complete with an assistant of his choosing, all at Starbucks expense.

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Heres what we know about Starbucks CEOs super offer

Whats on the table for Niccol

Earlier this week, Starbucks unveiled a substantial compensation package for its incoming CEO, Brian Niccol, which totals approximately $113 million (Rs 948 crore).

This includes a $10 million sign-on bonus, a $75 million equity grant, and, starting in fiscal 2025, a potential annual equity grant worth up to $23 million. In addition to this, Niccol will receive a base salary of $1.6 million and an annual cash bonus that could range between $3.6 million and $7.2 million, contingent on his performance.

A Starbucks spokesperson emphasised the companys confidence in Niccols leadership, stating, His compensation at Starbucks is tied directly to the companys performance and the shared success of all our stakeholders. Adding, Were confident in his ability to deliver long-term, enduring value for our partners, customers, and shareholders.

Notably, in addition to a perk of up to $250,000 in personal travel on the corporate jet, Starbucks has promised to cover the cost of temporary housing and provide a personal chauffeur during his stays in Seattle until permanent secondary housing is arranged.

Starbucks has promised to cover the cost of temporary housing and provide a personal chauffeur during his stays in Seattle until permanent secondary housing is arranged. Reuters

Brians primary office and a majority of his time will be spent in our Seattle Support Center or out visiting partners and customers in our stores, roasteries, roasting facilities and offices around the world, the spokesperson for the company told CNBC. His schedule will exceed the hybrid work guidelines and workplace expectations we have for all partners.

Raj Choudhury, a Harvard Business School professor who specialises in remote work, commented that this arrangement is a smart risk by Starbucks to snag a star executive.

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This move comes at a critical time for the company, which has faced challenges, particularly in its key markets, the US and China. Under the former CEO Laxman Narasimhan, who recently stepped down, Starbucks saw a 23 per cent drop in share value and a disappointing $32 billion drop in market cap, highlighting the urgent need for a turnaround.

ALSO READ: Why Starbucks fired Indian-origin CEO Laxman Narasimhan months after appointment

Super commute becoming super common

While most employees cant negotiate the freedom to work remotely, senior-level executives are often granted this flexibility to attract and retain top talent, according to Choudhury. This trend of super commutes is becoming more common among C-suite leaders.

For instance, when Victorias Secret hired Hillary Super from Rihannas lingerie brand Fenty x Savage last week, they allowed her to work from the companys New York City office from next month rather than relocating to their headquarters near Columbus, Ohio.

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Similarly, when Niccol took over as CEO of Chipotle, the company moved its headquarters from Denver to California just three months into his tenure to accommodate his preferences.

When Niccol took over as CEO of Chipotle, the company moved its headquarters from Denver to California just three months into his tenure to accommodate his preferences. AP



Choudhury notes, Its becoming increasingly common because were still in a competitive labour market. Executives arent accepting job offers if flexibility isnt on the table."

Despite the rising trend, these super commute arrangements by Starbucks have sparked criticism on social media, with some questioning the companys climate change goals.

Hypocrisy by Starbucks

The announcement of Brian Niccols super commute plan has sparked widespread criticism on X, with many users expressing shock and disapproval.

Critics were quick to highlight what they see as hypocrisy on Starbucks part, particularly in light of the companys recent environmental initiatives, such as replacing plastic straws with paper ones globally.

One user vented, Flying a private jet three days a week just to go to work, but Starbucks had the unmitigated gall to tell us to use paper straws. I hate it here. Another remarked, You better stop giving paper lids and straws. That would be hypocritical.

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Others echoed similar sentiments, with one person saying, We have to drink from paper straws, while their CEO commutes via private jets.

The backlash is seen by some as a potential public relations disaster, with calls for Starbucks to reconsider the terms of Niccols contract.

With input from agencies
During recent campaign events, Tim Walz, Kamala Harris running mate, has repeatedly used the word damn, a term hes long incorporated into his political rhetoric. While some might find this language offensive, Walzs consistent use suggests a deliberate effort to connect with voters as a plainspoken, relatable candidate. This approach has deep roots in American political history, and despite the potential for negative perceptions, it hasnt hurt Walzs electoral success so far read more

US Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks onstage at a campaign rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, August 20, 2024. File Image/Reuters

During a campaign event with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in Michigan on August 8, Harris running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, used the word damn four times during his brief remarks, including in two sentences in a row:

When you got a billion dollars, you dont give a damn about your Social Security check. But if youre like my mom and you depend on the Social Security check as your sole income, its pretty damn important, he said.

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The following day, in Glendale, Arizona, Walz used the term eight more times. A day later, at a rally in Las Vegas, he made use of the expression an additional eight times.

And in a social media post on Aug. 13, he declared that he was  damn proud of his military service.

Watch:

These episodes clearly werent mistakes or momentary lapses in judgment. What was the vice presidential candidate trying to accomplish by repeatedly using a term that some people find offensive?

Im a cognitive scientist who studies and writes about language and communication. One question that sprang to mind was whether Walz was speaking as he always had, or whether he was deliberately adopting a new way of expressing himself.

Walzs history full of damn-s

It turns out that Walzs use of damn in public is nothing new for him.

In 2023, for example, he declared that  Minnesota has been waiting too damn long for gun control measures.

At a news conference in Iowa two months later, he asserted  twice  that people should mind their own  damn business when it came to abortion, LGBTQ issues and school curriculum.

Earlier, in 2022, he said that the Supreme Courts 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade wouldnt  do a damn thing to prevent abortions. In 2020, he stated that a decision to ban police officers from using chokeholds on suspects was  a pretty damn low bar.

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US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris holds a campaign rally with her newly chosen vice presidential running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. File Image/Reuters

And even before that, in 2015, then-US Representative Walz was quoted as declaring  politics be damned when he cast his vote on free-trade agreements.

Clearly, this term is part of the candidates normal speaking style and has been for many years.

Even though research suggests that profanity causes people to be perceived negatively, its use doesnt seem to have hurt Walz at the ballot box. He has won eight out of eight elections during his political career, serving six terms in the US House of Representatives and two as Minnesotas governor.

During this period, there was also a marked increase in profanity used by politicians on social media, and this may have made such language seem less objectionable to his constituents.

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Profanity: Nothing new in politicians

Walzs salty way of expressing himself has a long history in American politics. One of the earliest chief executives who publicly employed such language was the populist Andrew Jackson  although the story that his foul-mouthed parrot had to be removed from his funeral service in 1845 may or may not be true.

In the 20th century, Jackson would be joined by the likes of Harry Truman, who called Gen. Douglas MacArthur a  dumb SOB. Lyndon Johnson was notorious for leavening his conversations with words like piss and shit. And other candidates for high office, such as Barry Goldwater, observed that only a  damn fool would try to predict the future.

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Vice presidents have also been known to turn the air blue in unscripted moments. Dick Cheney famously told US Senator Patrick Leahy to go  fuck yourself during an altercation on the floor of the Senate. And then-Vice President Joe Biden told President Barack Obama that passing health care reform was  a big fucking deal.

And even presidents who didnt swear in public could be quite profane during their private meetings, as the transcripts of Richard Nixons Oval Office conversations made clear. Nixon had a penchant for the word damn and used it often when talking with his staff.

In short, many lawmakers have chosen to express themselves, in other settings, in a way similar to Walz on the campaign trail.

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But it is it worth the ink?

Journalists seem to find these episodes notable enough to write about. In 2012, for example, Rolling Stone made much of Obamas referring to Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney as  a bullshitter in an interview with the magazine.

In 2016, The New York Times ran a story about Donald Trump, Rand Paul, Jeb Bush, Bernie Sanders and Lindsey Graham under the headline  , detailing the candidates use of terms such as damn, hell and bullit.

And in 2019, a Los Angeles Times columnist complained that Democratic presidential candidates Corey Booker, Steve Bullock and Beto ORourke were   by employing terms like fed up.

Why is such behavior considered newsworthy?

In part, this may stem from our high expectations about how political leaders should comport themselves  at least in public. When leaders use vulgar language, they stray from this exalted standard. This seems to be the case even after generations of politicians have failed to meet this ideal.

Are there benefits to this?

People often employ transgressive language in order to create a certain impression. And in the case of Walz, he may be trying to establish  or to burnish  his persona as a regular guy, an everyman. Some observers have pointed to Donald Trumps use of profanity as a sign of the former presidents authenticity.

Younger adults are also more tolerant of profanity than members of older generations. The widespread use of profanity in hip-hop and other musical genres may be one reason for this.

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz gestures during a campaign event in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, US, August 7, 2024. File Image/Reuters

As Walz continues to campaign for the Democratic presidential ticket, it will be interesting to see whether he chooses to moderate his language or whether he views his plainspokenness as an asset rather than a liability.

Roger J Kreuz, Associate Dean and Professor of Psychology, University of Memphis

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the
Dr Sandip Ghosh, the ex-principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, has been in the eye of the storm since the rape and murder of a trainee doctor on the hospital premises came to light last month. Now, new accusations against him have emerged  he allegedly molested a male nursing student in Hong Kong seven years ago read more

Dr Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, has found himself at the centre of a growing storm following the gruesome rape and murder case of a junior doctor that came to light last month.

The brutal incident has sparked widespread protests across the nation, with many accusing Ghosh of playing a role in covering up the horrific crime at the state run hospital.

But it doesnt end there as Ghosh is now under the scrutiny of central investigative agencies, including the CBI and ED, for alleged financial misconduct and corruption during his tenure at the hospital.

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As the investigation unfolds, Ghoshs involvement in a slew of crimes and controversies continues to emerge.

Heres a closer look at the mounting accusations against the embattled former principal.

Molested a nurse in Hong Kong

Seven years ago, Ghosh found himself in legal trouble in Hong Kong after being charged with sexual molestation.

A 2017 South China Morning Post report detailed that an Indian orthopaedist, involved in a two-month clinical exchange program at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, had been accused of harassing a male nursing student.

The nurse claimed Ghosh had patted his buttock, attempted to touch his genitals in the changing room, and asked him Do you like it? after making inappropriate physical contact, the Hong Kong-based newspaper reported.

Ghosh denied the allegations in Kowloon City Court, pleading not guilty. He argued that the incident was a misunderstanding, explaining that he was demonstrating a method to fix a dislocated shoulder. Any contact with the nurses hip, he said, was accidental.



Ghosh also claimed his words had been misunderstood due to his accent, stating he said, Do it like this, not Do you like it?

The magistrates court ruled in Ghoshs favour while accepting his explanation and recurrent shoulder dislocation condition to clear him in the case.

Purchased questionable properties



The former RG Kar Medical College principal, Sandip Ghosh, and his wife, Sangeeta Ghosh, are currently under the scrutiny of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The agency is investigating questionable property purchases made by the couple, allegedly out of proceeds of crime."

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In a statement issued on 6 September, the ED revealed that during a search operation at Ghoshs residence, they seized various incriminating documents, documents related to properties acquired by Sandip Ghosh and his wife Sangeeta Ghosh, and digital devices. The probe is based on initial suspicion that these properties were acquired using illicit funds.

CBI officials produce the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital Sandip Ghosh, arrested in connection with the alleged financial misconduct at the establishment, at a City Court in Kolkata, Tuesday, September 3, 2024. PTI

The ED had previously searched seven premises linked to Ghosh, including the homes of his relatives and associates. These searches were part of an investigation into misappropriation of funds at RG Kar Medical College.

It was discovered that Sangeeta Ghosh, who was serving as an assistant professor at RG Kar during her husbands tenure as principal, had purchased two properties without the required approval from authorities.

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The ED also noted that while Sangeeta had not initially obtained state government approval for her property acquisitions, she was granted post-facto approval in 2021.

Sold unclaimed bodies

Dr Ghosh has been accused of indulging in the business of corpses.

Speaking to India Today TV, Dr Akhtar Ali, former deputy superintendent of RG Kar, alleged Dr Ghosh was selling bodies and embroiled in trafficking biomedical waste such as used gloves and syringes and medical supplies to Bangladesh.

Sandip Ghosh used to do business with unclaimed dead bodies. A case was also registered against him. He was also involved in trafficking biomedical waste. He used to sell it to the people who were part of his additional security. It was then sent to Bangladesh, Dr Ali claimed.

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He said he had filed a complaint against the former principal last July at the Vigilance Commission Anti-Corruption Department and Swastha Bhawan, reported The Hindu.

Dr Ali said no action was taken against Dr Ghosh even after an investigation found him guilty. He further claimed that he had submitted a report against the ex-principal to the West Bengal health department but to no avail.

The day I submitted the inquiry report, I was transferred on the same day. The other two members of this [enquiry] committee [against Ghosh] were also transferred. I did whatever I could to save the students from this man, but I failed, Dr Ali told India Today TV.

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Firstpost has not independently verified the claims by Dr Akhtar Ali.

Corruption allegations

Dr Ghosh, who reportedly has close ties to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal, has been accused of corruption. The complaint filed by Dr Ali last year to the state vigilance commission accused the then principal of misusing government money, nepotism in selecting vendors and accepting bribes, and irregularities in hiring contractual staff, reported NDTV.

Dr Ali alleged the former RG Kar principal charged a commission on hospital-related tenders, which only went to two close aides of Dr Ghosh, as per the India Today TV report.

[Dr Ghosh] failed students on purpose, took 20 per cent commission on tenders, took money for hostel allotments, staff selection commission, basically any work that happened in RG Kar like postings, transfer, or housestaffship, he used to take money for everything, the ex-deputy superintendent was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

Dr Ali claimed students were deliberately failed so the ex-principal could solicit bribes to pass them, reported India Today TV.

Amid raging protests over the rape and murder of the trainee doctor, Dr Ghosh was forced to resign as principal of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. However, he was transferred by the state government to Calcutta National Medical College hours after his resignation.

The Calcutta High Court had come down heavily on the TMC government for Dr Ghoshs swift reinstatement, asking him to go on leave until further directions.

Doctors shout slogans during a protest over the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder of a trainee doctor, at Nirman Bhawan in New Delhi, August 19, 2024. PTI

The West Bengal government, which was accused by the opposition of shielding Dr Ghosh, has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar from January 2021. Dr Ghosh became the principal of the medical college in mid-2021.

The Kolkata Police has filed a case against Dr Ghosh under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Prevention of Corruption Act among other charges, as per The Hindu.

ALSO READ: Kolkata rape-murder case: Why doctors in India are in urgent need for a central protection law

Domestic abuse, other charges

The volley of allegations against Dr Ghosh also includes domestic abuse.

The former neighbours of the ex-principal in Barasat, where he lived for about two years, claimed the doctor assaulted his wife 14 days after she gave birth.

There was a war of words between me and Ghosh once. His behaviour was always bad. I later found out he was a doctor. During his time here, there was an incident where he beat his wife so badly that her Caesarean stitches tore, and she was bleeding. Initially, locals didnt interfere because it was seen as a family matter, but when it became too severe, everyone came out and protested, one of the neighbours told India Today TV.

Dr Ali has alleged the ex-principal of RG Kar supplied alcohol to students at his guest house.

I have not seen a worse man than him in my entire career. He is like a mafia raja. He used to have 20 people for his personal security and four bouncers. I have never seen a principal have this much influence, the former deputy superintendent told The Hindu.

With input from agencies
PM Narendra Modi has embarked for a two-day visit to Poland. At the invitation of his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk, the historic visit will mark the first by an Indian leader in 45 years. It also coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Warsaw and New Delhi read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a two-day visit to Poland from August 21 to 23.

At the invitation of his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk, the historic visit will mark the first by an Indian prime minister in 45 years.

It also coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Warsaw and New Delhi in 2024.

PM Modis schedule on Day one of the visit

The Prime Minister embarked for Poland on Wednesday morning at 9.30.

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He will arrive at Warsaw Military Airport at 1400 Polish local time (5.30 pm IST), where he will receive a ceremonial welcome.

PM Modi will then pay homage to the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial from 7.55 pm to 8.20 pm (IST).

The Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial honours the memory of Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji, the erstwhile Maharaja of Gujarats Nawanagar (now Jamnagar), as per NDTV. Often referred to as the Good Maharaja, he is renowned for his humanitarian deeds during World War II, having given shelter to hundreds of Polish children who were trying to flee the USSR.

He is also scheduled to pay tribute to two other memorials: the Monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino and Kolhapur Memorial from 8.30 pm to 9 pm.

Nagma Mohamed Mallick, the Indian Ambassador to Poland, told ANI, He will be the first Prime Minister to pay respects at all three memorials.

She also mentioned that PM Modi will address the Indian diaspora in Poland, which is expected to be a rousing meeting.

The community event, which will begin at 11.20 pm and is expected to go on until 11.55 pm, will be attended by around 600 people at Hotel Sheraton, as per Times Now. According to News9, which cited MEA Secretary (West) Tanmaya Lal, around 25,000 estimated Indians are living in Poland, of whom 5,000 are students.

During his visit, the PM will also hold meetings with his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk.

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There are long-standing cultural ties between India and Poland, there is respect for Indian culture and ethos, including Yoga and Ayurveda. In addition to talks with Poland PM, Modi will also call on President Andrzej Duda, Lal said at a special briefing on Monday.

After his Poland visit, PM Modi will depart for Ukraine on August 22 and arrive in Kyiv on August 23. Notably, this will be the first visit by the Indian PM to Ukraine after the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1992.

During his brief visit, he will spend around seven hours in Ukraine and hold discussions with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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He will then return to Poland.

With inputs from agencies
PM Narendra Modi is travelling to Poland today as part of a two-nation trip. Before heading to Ukraine, he has a busy schedule in Warsaw, including bilateral talks with Polish counterpart Donald Tusk. Heres what else to expect read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to make his way to Poland on a two-day visit on Wednesday (August 21), making it the first visit by an Indian premier in over four decades. From Poland, he will head to war-struck Ukraine.

Both trips of Modi assume importance amid the rising geopolitical tensions. As he reaches Poland as part of his two-nation trip to Europe, heres what to expect.

India-Poland ties

India and Poland have longstanding friendly ties, with the two countries establishing diplomatic relations in 1954.

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The two countries are united in their ideological stance against colonialism, imperialism and racism, according to the Embassy of India, Warsaw.

India and Poland share historical relations. During the Second World War, the Maharajas of Jamnagar and Kolhapur provided shelter to thousands of Polish refugees.

In the 1940s, Jam Sahab Digvijay of Nawanagar (currently known as Jamnagar in Gujarat) accepted over 1,000 Polish refugees, mostly children, escaping the war. Jam Saheb, who is referred to as Good Maharaja in Poland, had provided refuge in his kingdom at a place called Balachadi.

Similarly, a Polish camp was set up in Valivade in the Kolhapur Presidency (now in Maharashtra), ruled by Bhosale Chatrapati, during the war, noted The Sunday Guardian.

Poland was close to the erstwhile Soviet Union. After the fall of Communism and in a post-Cold War world, Warsaw moved on to develop closer ties to the United States, as its relations with New Delhi took a backseat, as per ThePrint report.

India and Poland maintained bilateral ties but it missed the strategic depth as before in 1979.

Despite a dip in ties, Poland is Indias largest trading and investment partner in Central and Eastern Europe. The total bilateral trade between the nations surged 192 per cent, from $1.95 billion in 2013 to $5.72 billion in 2023.

Poland is also home to a small Indian community. About 10,000 to 15,000 Indians work in IT, finance, business, and academic institutions in the European country, reported The Sunday Guardian.

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Modis visit to Poland

Modi is the first Indian PM to visit Poland after Morarji Desai in 1979. Before Desai, the then PM Jawaharlal Nehru went to the country in 1955, followed by Indira Gandhi in 1967.

As per the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Modi will call on Polish President Andrzej Duda and hold bilateral talks with PM Donald Tusk in Warsaw. The discussions are likely to focus on defence collaboration, trade, and strategic alignment, as per Financial Express.

He will also interact with the Indian community in Poland. Sources told ThePrint that the PM will also visit the memorials of the Maharajas of Jamnagar and Kolhapur.

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Modi is also expected to visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the memorial for the Battle of Monte Cassino, ThePrint reported.

In 1944, Indian and Polish soldiers fought together in the Battle of Monte Cassino, Italy, against Nazi Germany. It was one of the toughest battles fought by Indian soldiers during the Second World War.

VIDEO | Visuals of the Polish War Cemetery at Monte Cassino where PM Modi will pay respect to Indian and Polish soldiers killed in World War 2 during his #Poland visit.



PM Modi is scheduled to visit Poland on 21-22 August. This will be the first visit by an Indian Prime pic.twitter.com/CWngnRCp7V  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 20, 2024

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Why PMs Poland trip matters

PM Modis visit to Warsaw and Kyiv comes in the wake of Russias war with Ukraine.

New Delhi, which enjoys friendly ties with Moscow, has maintained a neutral stance in the conflict. Modi famously told Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2022: This is not an era of war.

While New Delhi has refrained from criticising Putin over the war, it has repeatedly stressed the need for diplomacy and dialogue to end the Ukraine war.

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PMs trip comes on the heels of his visit to Moscow in July. His bear hug with Putin had evoked a sharp reaction from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who called it a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts.

Poland, a part of the European Union (EU), is one of the staunchest supporters of Ukraine.

Warsaw is undertaking military modernisation efforts and will spend 4.12 per cent of its GDP on defence this year, according to NATO estimates. As Poland builds up its defence sector, New Delhi views an opportunity to enhance its own military capabilities through collaborative efforts, as per the Financial Express report.

Polands strategic location in Europe and its key role in NATOs eastern flank matters to India, particularly in the broader context of European security.

Earlier this year, India appointed a defence attache to Poland after years. This came after the EU posted a military attache to its mission in India for the first time last year. New Delhis similar move was reflective of the desire to expand two-way defence ties, PTI reported citing unnamed sources.

Modis visit is likely to give a much-needed boost to the relations between India and Poland. One can say that the ties have remained dormant. However, it is hoped that PM Modis push will give it the required push and take bilateral ties to a higher level, a source told ThePrint.

With inputs from agencies
India and Polands ties are in the spotlight amid PM Narendra Modis visit to the European country. The two nations have historical connections, with a Polish woman named Wanda Dynowska, who went on to assume two more identities during her life, acting as a window and bringing the East and West closer in the 1900s read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on his two-nation visit to Poland and Ukraine. He will be in Warsaw on August 21-22, becoming the first Indian PM to visit Poland in 45 years. Modi will then head to Ukraine, undertaking a 20-hour train journey aboard Rail Force One.

With the PM arriving in Warsaw, the ties between the two countries have come to the limelight. India and Poland share historical connections. A Polish woman came to India in the 1930s and made it her second home.

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This is the story of Wanda Dynowska, a woman with three names.

Who was Wanda Dynowska?

Born in St. Petersburg in 1888, Dynowska came from a family of Polish nobility. Besides Polish, she was fluent in German, French, Spanish, Italian, Latvian and English, according to Cosmopolitan Review. She knew Russian but largely refrained from speaking the language.

Dynowska was enamoured with Theosophy at an early age as it gave unlimited perspectives; life has neither beginning nor end, it is an everlasting creativeness, an inseparable attribute of the highest consciousness, God, as per the Cosmopolitan Review article.

She knew loss from early on as her fiance died in a war. After the tragic incident, she dedicated herself to spirituality, reported The Hindu.

Dynowska, who was friends with British social reformer Annie Besant, supported the freedom of nations ruled by imperial powers like Poland and India.

She returned to Poland after it regained its independence in 1918, at the end of World War I. Here, she attended lectures on theosophy and established the Polish Federation of the Order of Universal United Mixed Freemasonry, which included both women and men.

ALSO READ: PM Modis Poland trip: Will it help in boosting ties between the two nations?

Wanda Dynowska in India

Dynowska arrived in India in 1935. She studied yoga and wrote extensively on Hinduism. The multilingual woman learnt two more languages after coming to India  Hindi and Tamil.

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Dynowska went on to translate Bhagavad Gita, Ramayan, Mahabharat and several other Hindu scriptures into Polish. She also translated many significant works of Polish poets into English, Tamil and Hindi, as per The Hindu report.

Dynowska joined hands with Maurycy Frydman, a Jewish Pole and a fellow theosophist, to set up the Polish-Indian Library. She also played a big role in launching the Indo-Polish Library.

Acting as a window for the two countries she helped to bring East and West closer. Interestingly during her visit to Poland, she poured Gangajal in Vistula, the longest and largest river of that region symbolising the meeting of the two cultures, ad filmmaker Sujata Sett, who produced the documentary Enlightened Soul: The Three Names Of Umadevi on the Polish woman, was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

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Wanda Dynowska (Also Known as Umadevi ) Was Polish Philosopher , Writer , Social Worker. Born In 1888 , She Worked With Ramana Maharshi , Mahatma Gandhi, Annie Besant and @DalaiLama



She Was Called Bearer of Light by Mahatma Gandhi .



In 1971 She Died In Mysore #IndiaPoland pic.twitter.com/teAX5yJFTH  indianhistorypics (@IndiaHistorypic) June 4, 2018

Dynowskas literary work included writing for newspapers in India, highlighting the social conditions of the rural population. She also wrote about the importance of instilling patriotism in children and the impact on Poland of the excesses of the Second World War.

It was no surprise that Dynowska got involved in helping the Polish refugees who arrived in India to escape from the war. In the 1940s, Jam Sahab Digvijay of Nawanagar (currently known as Jamnagar in Gujarat) accepted over 1,000 Polish refugees, mostly children.

Similarly, a Polish camp was set up in Valivade in the Kolhapur Presidency (now in Maharashtra) during the Second World War.

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Dynowska befriended Mahatma Gandhi, who honoured her with the name Umadevi, meaning the bearer of light, for her support of Indias freedom struggle.

Umadevi, who was in her 70s, helped settle Tibetan refugees after they fled China in 1959. She raised funds for them and placed children in schools across India. She insisted they wear their traditional clothes and speak their language to stay in touch with their Tibetan roots, as per Daily Pioneer.

This was when Tibetans started calling her by a third name: Tenzin Chodon, or the keeper of the faith.

The three identities came to her because of circumstances but at the core she was one who empathised with the displaced and oppressed. Having seen and faced persecution in Poland she knew how it affected ones identity and life, Sett said in 2016, as per The Hindu.

Umadevi spent time with the Dalai Lama, inspiring him to become a vegetarian for a time. In his interview with Sett, the Dalai lama recalled, She (Umadevi) was mother, mother_ji_.

The activist and philosopher was not cut off from the world. According to Sett, Umadevi was not a sanyasini per se who had renounced the world completely. On the contrary, spirituality made her receptive to suffering. While able to retreat to spiritual realm she never remain unaffected by what she saw around her and reacted in a positive manner. There is no dichotomy and in fact it is her sensitivity that makes her different.

Umadevi died quietly at a convent in Delhi in 1971, as per Cosmopolitan Review. Some reports say the Polish woman passed away in Mysore.

She combined Catholicism, Hinduism and Buddhism with consummate ease. Even though she adopted Indian (Umadevi) and Tibetan identities (Tenzin Chodon) identities, she remained a Polish patriot, the ad filmmaker was quoted as saying by IANS.

With inputs from agencies
Massive protests gripped Thanes Badlapur after two girls were allegedly sexually abused by an attendant hired by school authorities. The outrage grew after it was learnt that the parents of the victims were made to wait for 11 hours at Badlapur police station before the officials took note of their complaints read more

Police personnel speak with people blocking railway tracks in protest at Badlapur railway station, in Thane district, Tuesday, August 20, 2024. PTI

Trains were halted, stones were pelted and the school was vandalised.

Massive protests led by parents of the school children and locals gripped Thanes Badlapur on Tuesday, August 20, after two girls were allegedly sexually abused by an attendant hired by school authorities.

The outrage grew as shocking details emerged after the investigation continued into the case.

Heres what turned the city into a battleground:

The shocking incident

Two kindergarten students at an English medium school in Badlapur were sexually abused by a male cleaning staff member on August 13.

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Badlapur is a city in Thane district, Maharashtra state.

The victims, aged three and four, were abused in the toilet of the school, as per NDTV.

The assault came to light when a girl complained of pain in her private parts. She later told her parents that the accused touched her private parts when she had gone to use the toilet.

The girls parents called the parents of the girls friend. They revealed to the former that their daughter shared their fear of attending school.

Police personnel try to disperse people blocking railway tracks in protest at Badlapur railway station, in Thane district, Tuesday, August 20, 2024. PTI

Following the childrens examination by a local physician, the parents learnt that both girls had experienced sexual assault.

On August 17, the accused  a 23-year-old man named Akshay Shinde  was taken into custody. On August 1, 2024, he was appointed on a contractual basis.

The accused is scheduled to appear in court today to be placed under additional police custody.

An investigation found other shortcomings on the part of the school, including the absence of female attendants in the girls restrooms, which is a basic safety requirement. A large number of the CCTV cameras at the school were also broken.

The schools administration has apologised for the incident and placed the company that was given the housekeeping contract on a blacklist, according to Deccan Herald.

11 hours to file an FIR

The parents have alleged that they were made to wait for 11 hours at Badlapur police station before the officials took note of their complaints, as per PTI.

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The incident occurred on August 13, but the FIR was filed on August 16, reported NDTV.

The opposition parties have also made the same claims.

Atrocities are committed on a three-and-a-half-year-old girl, a four-year-old girl, and at the police station, they (parents) are made to wait for 11 hours when they seek to file a complaint Is there any sensitivity left? I spoke to the police commissioner and told him that the woman police officer responsible for this delay must be suspended immediately, Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly Vijay Wadettiwar alleged.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray demanded a fast-track trial and speedy justice on Tuesday.

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Padma Shri awardee and advocate Ujjwal Nikam, who has worked on high-profile murder and terrorism cases, such as the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, has been appointed as the special public prosecutor in the case.

Rage and protests in Badlapur

On Tuesday, thousands of angry parents and citizens stormed the school and vandalised it over the incident.

They had flocked to the local train station in Badlapur in the morning and blocked the movement of trains.

Police personnel deployed at the school in Badlapur a day after massive protests over alleged molestation of two school girls, in Thane district, Thursday, August 21, 2024. PTI

After six hours, the crowds got larger, raising questions about law and order and the train movement.

The crowd reacted to the governments attempts to diffuse the situation by chanting hang, hang, demanding that the 23-year-old cleaner who was reportedly involved receive the death penalty.

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The demonstrators gathered on the railway tracks and threw stones at the officers after they were caned by the police.

The situation was soon brought under control.

The fact that the girls parents had to wait 11 hours at a nearby police station to receive a First Information Report infuriated the demonstrators even more. The administration has placed the three involved police officers on suspension.

In the context of the recent controversy surrounding the rape and death of a young trainee doctor in Kolkata, the Thane protest seemed to have attracted attention from the neighbouring local communities also.

In connection with the protest, the Kalyan Government Railway Police has registered a case against about 300 to 400 people and arrested 28 of them, as per The Times of India.

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Meanwhile, eight women and two juveniles have been released after receiving notices.

Action taken so far

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team, which will be led by IPS officer Arti Singh, as per PTI.

Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde said action will be taken against the school, adding that the case will be fast-tracked and the guilty wont be spared.

I have spoken to the Thane Commissioner of Police. The accused has been arrested. I have asked the case to be fast-tracked and book the accused under the charges of attempt to rape and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he said.

Maharashtra School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar said Vishakha committees will be formed in schools, which will also face action if CCTV cameras installed on their premises are found to be non-functional.

The panels will provide a platform for raising grievances of female students, especially those in grades 9th, 10th, and junior college, the minister said.

While the school management has suspended the principal, a class teacher, and a female attendant over the incident, the state government on Tuesday ordered the suspension of three police officials, including a senior police inspector, for alleged dereliction of duty in probing the case.

The orders of immediate suspension of the senior police inspector, assistant sub-inspector and head constable attached to Badlapur police station for dereliction of duty have been issued, said Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also hold the Home portfolio.

NHRC involved

The National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police of Maharashtra, demanding a detailed report within two weeks.

Among other things, the Commissions directive calls for clarity on the reasons behind the reported 11-hour delay in registering the FIR after the parents lodged a complaint with the police.

With inputs from agencies
Indians are travelling more than ever, be it to domestic or foreign destinations. The growing appetite to see the world propelled the countrys international travel growth last year. But whats behind this tourist boom? read more

Travellers push carts with their luggage at the departure area of Terminal 3 at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, India, December 14, 2022. File Photo/Reuters

Indians are travelling the world. The countrys economic rise and higher disposable incomes have resulted in more spending on overseas travel.

The growing middle class in India wants to travel the globe. Along with other factors, the easing of visa rules by many countries, including Thailand and Sri Lanka, is giving wings to this desire.

Lets take a closer look.

Indians exploring their love for travel

2024 is proving to be a record-breaking year for the Indian travel industry. Data from the Mastercard Economics Institutes May report titled Travel Trends 2024: Breaking Boundaries revealed that Indian airports received 97 million (9.7 crore) passengers in the first quarter of 2024.

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Both domestic and international tourism have benefited. While domestic travel saw a significant uptick of 21 per cent in passenger traffic compared to 2019, international travel rose by 4 per cent.

More Indians are travelling than at any time in history, the Mastercard report said.

Indians shelled out $22.9 billion on overseas travel in 2019. As per forecasts, this figure will touch $42 billion this year.

According to McKinsey & Company, Indians made about 13 million (1.3 crore) trips to foreign destinations in 2022. This is estimated to jump to more than 80 million (8 crore) annually by 2040.

Indian travellers could make 5 billion (500 crore) trips in 2030, of which 50 million (5 crore) could be outbound departures, as per the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.

The report by Booking.com and McKinsey predicts Indias total travel expenditure will reach $410 billion in 2030, with the countrys citizens likely to become the worlds fourth-largest spenders on foreign travel.

Where are Indians going?

Countries in Southeast Asia and West Asia have been vying to attract Indian tourists.

As per an Economic Times (ET) report, Rajesh Magow, group CEO of MakeMyTrip, said the top international destinations for Indians last year were the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Maldives, Hong Kong, United States, Nepal, United Kingdom, Canada and Vietnam.

Films, TV and OTT are also influencing Indians decisions when choosing to travel abroad. As per Skyscanners Travel Trends 2024 report, there was a 23 per cent month-on-month surge in Paris searches after the third season of the hit drama Emily in Paris came out in December 2022.

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As per the Mastercard Economics Institutes report, about 59 per cent more Indians travelled to the US than in 2019. A Brand USA market survey estimates Indian arrivals would reach 1.8 million (18 lakh) this year and 2.3 million (23 lakh) in 2030.

Japan has witnessed a 53 per cent rise in Indian visitors compared to 2019. Vietnam has also been successful in alluring Indian travellers, with a 248 per cent spike in passenger traffic to the Southeast Asian country, noted the Mastercard report.

What explains this surge in travel?

Indias burgeoning middle class, loosening visa rules and a younger population keen on travelling have fuelled the surge in international departures from the country.

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Indias middle class is expected to make up 47 per cent of its population by 2030. By that year, the country is estimated to become the fourth largest global spender on travel, as per the Booking.com-McKinsey & Company report.

People between the ages of 25 and 34 are most interested in travel. Indias youth population is set to reach 420 million (42 crore) this year.

The number of passport holders in India increased from 52 million (5.2 crore) a decade ago to 93 million (9.3 crore) this year, as per The Economist report. While Indian passports are weak, the situation is improving as the country gets wealthier.

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The relaxation in visa requirements also contributed to Indias international travel growth last year, Aloke Bajpai, CEO of ixigo, told ET.

Thailand, Malaysia, Iran, Kenya, Vietnam and Sri Lanka have suspended visa requirements for Indians. Indonesia is also planning to ease visa rules for Indians.

Tourists visit the Big Buddha statue in Phuket,

In April, Japan simplified the e-visa process for Indians. The European Union eased entry restrictions for Indians in the same month. The UAE is offering Indians multiple-entry visas.

The complicated visa processes of rich Western countries deter tourists, with some even refusing to visit.

When a country relaxes its visa regulations, the adjustment not only facilitates entry for foreign visitors but also sends a strong signal of hospitality, Xiang Li, a tourism professor at the University of Central Florida, told Bloomberg.

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Some countries are recruiting Bollywood stars as brand ambassadors to lure Indian tourists.

Direct flights, hassle-free visa, economical fares, a range of accommodation options and a broad canvas of experiencesany destination that is able to get this mix right will be able to attract travellers from India, MakeMyTrips Magow told ET.

As The Economist mentioned, The countries that welcome Indians will enjoy both the economic benefits and the cultural soft power that tourism affords.

Direct flights are a major factor driving Indian tourists to international destinations. Thirty-one cities in India offer international flights to 322 destinations, a rise from 23 and 272 in 2015, reported The Economist. These figures are expected to increase further in the coming years.

The development of airport infrastructure in Tier-2 and -3 cities, increased connectivity and affordable air travel options have contributed to the growth of air travel and first-time flyers in metros as well as non-metro cities, Bajpai of ixigo told ET.

As peoples purchasing power increases, they are more likely to spend on tourism. With Indians having more money to spare, their travel appetite seems to have just begun.

With inputs from agencies
Pakistan authorities have arrested Farhan Asif, who claims to be an independent journalist, for spreading misinformation that led to the violence in Southport. Asif is linked to a now defunct website, Channel3Now, which put out a fake name of the assailant and claimed that he was an asylum seeker who had recently arrived in the UK on a small boat read more

Over 1,000 people have been arrested across the UK for widespread riots and violence involving violence, arson and looting as well as racist attacks targeting Muslims and migrants.

The riots began after rumours spread online that three young girls were killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party in the northern English town of Southport on July 29 by an asylum-seeker who had recently arrived in Britain.

Though the suspect was eventually identified as Axel Rudakubana  a teenager born in the UK to Rwandan parents  the damage had already been done.

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Right-wing influencers had pinned the blame on immigrants and Muslims and violence had occurred across the UK.

Theres a parallel universe where what was claimed by these rumors were the actual facts of the case, said Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, a think tank that looks at issues including integration and national identity.

And that will be a difficult thing to manage.

Now, police in Pakistan have arrested a man over the Southport riots.

But who is this man? Why has he been arrested?

Lets take a closer look:

BBC reported that Pakistan police arrested one Farhan Asif for spreading misinformation that led to the violence.

Asif has been charged with cyber terrorism.

Police told the outlet that Asif had links to a website that put out a false name of the Southport attacker.

The website suggested the assailant was an asylum seeker who had recently arrived in the UK on a small boat.

The piece, published on the website Channel3Now, was widely quoted on social media after the attack.

It claimed that the attacker was on an MI6 watchlist.

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As per The Telegraph, the piece claimed that the assailant was a 17-year-old named Ali al-Shakati.

According to Dawn, this claim was seen over 2 million times across social media before being deleted.

Asif was first linked to the piece by an ITV News investigation.

The website located Asif at a high-end housing estate on the outskirts of Lahore.

Asif initially denied writing the piece and taking responsibility for the violence.

A stabbing attack in northwest Englands Southport left three young girls dead and several others wounded.

As per Dawn, Asif claims to be an independent journalist covering crimes in the US.

A Facebook page of the same name says it is managed by people in Pakistan and the US.

I dont know how such a small article or a minor Twitter account could cause widespread confusion, Asif told ITV News.

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Channel3Now mentioned that [the suspect was] a Muslim and an immigrant, but this has no connection to the chaos, which is being caused by people in his own country. If there was misinformation, it could have been addressed calmly. Why was there such an uproar?

Asif told the website four people lost their jobs over the piece.

My understanding is that the article was deleted a day later, or it might have been done even earlier there was a full article with an apology. It stated that it shouldnt have happened, that it was a mistake by our team, and that they have been fired.

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I think four people were fired, he added. The information search team, consisting of three to four people who worked on it together, were all fired.

Channel3Now has since been shuttered.

However, Asif seems to have changed his tune.

According to BBC, Asif told Lahore police he wrote the piece based on information he got from a social media account in the UK.

He did not verify the information.

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Asif also claimed that he alone ran Channel3Now.

Not intentional

BBC got in touch with several people linked with the website and spoke to a person who claimed he was part of management.

This person told the outlet that the publication of the piece with the fake name shouldnt have happened, but it was an error, not intentional.

According to Mirror UK, Channel3Now on its website said it took full responsibility for the error.

On 29th July, 2024, we published an article titled 17-year-old boy arrested in connection with the stabbings in Southport, England. Unfortunately, the information provided in that article was not accurate and did not meet our standards of reliability and integrity.

Pakistans newspaper Dawn quoted officers as saying they think Asif copied the information from a social media post.

Asif has admitted to providing misleading information to the BBC regarding his accomplices in an attempt to divert blame to others, the outlet reported.

The Telegraph reported that Asif is now in the custody of Pakistans Federal Investigation Agency.

A senior police official told the outlet He was running a news website. Interrogation is underway.

He likely will be charged under the cyber terrorism section of Prevention of Electronic Crime(s) Act and will be produced before the relevant court after the interrogation is completed.

AA.com quoted police as saying that Asif does not have a criminal record or a suspicious history of transactions.

Violence broke out in cities across England and also in Northern Ireland, but there have been fewer instances of unrest since last week after efforts to identify those involved were ramped up.

Police officers clash with protesters during rally in Whitehall, London following the fatal stabbing of three children at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club on Monday in Southport. AP

Many have been swiftly jailed, with some receiving long sentences.

The National Police Chiefs Council said in its latest update that 1,024 had been arrested and 575 charged across the UK.

Those arrested include a 69-year-old accused of vandalism in Liverpool.

A 13-year-old girl pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Basingstoke Magistrates Court, prosecutors said, having been seen on July 31 punching and kicking the entrance to a hotel for asylum seekers.

This alarming incident will have caused genuine fear amongst people who were being targeted by these thugs  and it is particularly distressing to learn that such a young girl participated in this violent disorder, prosecutor Thomas Power said.

The last time Britain witnessed widespread rioting was in 2011, when the fatal shooting of a Black man by police triggered several days of street violence.

Fast and tough judicial action was viewed as helping quell the unrest in 2011, when around 4,000 people were arrested over several weeks.

With inputs from agencies
The Indian Air Force reported that a fighter aircraft accidentally released an air store near the Pokhran firing range due to a technical malfunction. An investigation has been initiated, but no damage to life or property has been reported read more

The Indian Air Force (IAF) reported Wednesday that one of its fighter aircraft inadvertently released an air store near the Pokhran firing range due to a technical malfunction.

The IAF confirmed the incident via social media platform X, stating that no damage to life or property has been reported.

The incident occurred during a routine operation when the air store - generally means munitions, bombs, or other military equipment carried by aircraft - was unintentionally deployed. The specific type of air store involved in the malfunction has not been disclosed.

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An investigation has been ordered to determine the cause of the technical issue.

An inadvertent release of an air store from an Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter aircraft took place near Pokhran firing range area, due to technical malfunction, today. An enquiry by the IAF has been ordered to investigate into the incident. No damage to life or property has been  Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) August 21, 2024

The Pokhran firing range, situated in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, is a crucial site for testing and training exercises by the Indian armed forces.

This incident recalls a similar event from March 2022, when a BrahMos missile was accidentally fired from India into Pakistan. The missile, which was unarmed, landed in Mian Channu in Punjab, Pakistan, causing damage to buildings and a crater in a field.

Indian authorities quickly acknowledged the incident as an accident caused by a technical malfunction during routine maintenance, which led to a loss of 25 crore and resulted in the dismissal of three IAF officers, including a Wing Commander, for gross negligence.
Procurement of 31 MQ-9B Predator drones, proposed joint manufacturing of Stryker infantry combat vehicles and co-production of GE F414 engines in India are likely to be discussed in Singhs talks with Austin read more

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to meet top US officials during his visit there from August 23-26. File image/PTI

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to embark on a four-day visit to the United States beginning Friday, with the aim of strengthening the comprehensive global strategic partnership between the two nations.

During his stay in Washington, Singh is scheduled to hold discussions with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, among other key officials.

The visit is expected to further deepen and broaden the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, the Defence Ministry announced, confirming Singhs visit from August 23 to 26.

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Key agenda items

Three critical topics are expected to be high on the agenda during Singhs talks with Austin:

1. Indias procurement of Predator drones: India plans to acquire 31 MQ-9B Predators, including 15 for the Indian Navy and eight each for the Indian Army and Air Force, at an estimated cost of $4 billion. According to a May report by Moneycontrol, the first deliveries are anticipated by the end of 2026. The Indian Navy, which already operates two Sea Guardians, has expressed satisfaction with their reconnaissance capabilities.

The MQ-9B, manufactured by General Atomics, boasts a range of approximately 1,800 km and is currently in use by the US Air Force and NATO allies.

2. Joint-manufacturing of Stryker ICVs: In July, a report by the Times of India suggested that India and the United States are in advanced talks to jointly manufacture the latest generation of Stryker armoured infantry combat vehicles (ICVs) as part of their defence-industrial cooperation roadmap.

Additionally, The Print reported last month that the Indian Army is considering the procurement of approximately 530 infantry combat vehicles (ICVs).

3. Co-production of GE F414 engines in India: Last June, GE Aerospace announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to co-produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force. The F414 engines are designated for use in the indigenous Tejas Mark-2 fighter jets.

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The GE-HAL deal, which requires approval from the US government and legislature, is anticipated to see full-scale production of F414 engines in India and the Tejas Mark 2 beginning early in the next decade.

In addition to these discussions, Singh will chair a high-level roundtable meeting with representatives from the US defence industry, focusing on ongoing and future defence collaborations.

With inputs from PTI
The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) has offered Ducati a 200-acre land parcel free of charge to build a race track and training center, aiming to boost local growth and job creation. This initiative aligns with Uttar Pradeshs FDI policy, which supports significant international investments read more

The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) has extended an offer to Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati, providing a 200-acre land parcel at no cost.

This land is designated for Ducatis proposed development of a race track and training center similar to the Buddh International Circuit F1 track, situated along the 165km Yamuna Expressway.

YEIDA Chief Executive Officer Arun Vir Singh announced the offer after a meeting with Ducatis Managing Director Bipul Chandra and Director Sunil Kumar Sharma. The land, located in Sector 22F, has been selected for its suitability for Ducatis needs.

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Under Uttar Pradeshs Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy, YEIDA can offer up to a 75% subsidy on land to foreign companies, with the authority taking a 25% equity stake. This policy enables YEIDA to provide the land free of charge, aiming to attract major projects that will stimulate growth and job creation in the region.

The land in Sector 22F is free of legal disputes and was acquired from farmers in the past. Ducati is interested in this location due to its excellent infrastructure, including expressways, future Metro connectivity, and the upcoming Noida International Airport, which is expected to begin operations by the end of 2024.

During discussions, Ducati officials also addressed concerns related to the upcoming MotoGP race event scheduled for March next year.

They highlighted challenges faced during the September 2023 MotoGP race, including high costs associated with track modifications, taxes, visas, and fees. The proposed facility would provide a dedicated space for motorcycle racing, eliminating the need for costly modifications to the existing Buddh Circuit, which was originally built for car racing.

Ducati has been advised to review the project proposal with senior company officials before making a decision. YEIDA remains committed to supporting international investments that align with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths vision of creating opportunities for youth through substantial projects.
The spread of radical forces in South Asia poses a risk to nearby peace and balance. Addressing this challenge requires a comprehensive and collaborative effort from all nations in the region and the worldwide community read more

If a societys practice of tolerance is inclusive of the intolerant, intolerance will ultimately dominate, eliminating the tolerant and the practice of tolerance with them, Karl Popper said in The Paradox of Tolerance in the 1940s.

South Asia is a complex and volatile region characterised by its cultural diversity, religious affinity, political instability, marred history, and ideological fault lines. Home to over a quarter of the worlds population, it has the worlds largest population of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, and Zoroastrians, besides 35 million Christians and 25 million Buddhists.

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Ironically, the rise of Islamist forces has posed an escalating threat to the regions peace and stability. The spread of toxic Islamist ideology of hate and its boom have marred the region with intolerance and violence, destabilising it. India, being the most populous nation with diverse religions and ideologies today, faces the paradox of tolerance as this fundamentalist zeal manifests across its landmass.

Global Spread of Islamist Radicalism

Islamist radicalism has left its footprints all across the globe. According to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2023, deaths attributed to Islamist radical forces increased by 10 per cent globally from the previous 12 months, with over 18,000 fatalities recorded. The report highlights that areas, which include the Middle East, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of South and Southeast Asia, are in particular affected. In the Middle East and North Africa, organisations like ISIS and Al-Qaeda pose substantial threats, irrespective of the setbacks. Sub-Saharan Africa has seen an upward thrust in terrorism, with Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab expanding their operations.

In Southeast Asia, the presence of Islamist radicals in the Philippines and Indonesia poses a threat. The GTI report also notes a trend of radicalisation among diaspora groups in Western Europe and North America, mainly due to sporadic, however deadly, lone-wolf assaults. These global footprints underscore the pressing need for international collaboration to combat the spread of Islamist radicalism successfully.

Genesis in South Asia

Islamist fundamentalism in South Asia has deep historical roots, intertwined with periods of significant violence and forced conversions. In India, it started with invasions of rulers like Mahmud of Ghazni and Muhammad Ghori and got more institutionalised under the Sultanate rule.

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The Mughal Empire, known for its administrative skills and periods of relative tolerance under rulers like Akbar, also experienced intense violence and coercion, particularly under Emperor Aurangzeb, who sought to impose stricter Islamic practices. The decline of the Mughal Empire and the subsequent British colonial rule exacerbated communal tensions and marginalisation, leading to the violent upheavals of the 1947 partition, which intensified religious identities and partition based on a religious divide.

The 1980s Afghan-Soviet War further fuelled Islamist fundamentalism as international support for Mujahideen groups, many with extremist agendas, spread these ideologies into South Asia. The rise of militant groups like the Taliban and various factions in Pakistan, driven by a desire to impose strict Islamic Sharia laws, has led to significant violence and instability, reflecting the complex legacy of historical violence and forced conversions in the region.

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The Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba has framed the prophecy of Ghazwa-e-Hind as one in which India is defeated and united with Pakistan, unifying the South Asia subcontinent under Muslim rule. This has also been the ideology of Jamaat-e-Islami. The spread of Islamist ideology has manifested in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Maldives, which were erstwhile parts of Hindustan and its rulers. The balanced nations of India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Nepal are seeing a demographic change. This change can be attributed to conversions, cross-border infiltration, disproportionate population increase, and indoctrination through social media and education in Madrasas. In particular, there is the challenge of distinct demographic change in the border townships.

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Country-wise Analysis

Pakistan: Pakistan is the fountainhead of Islamist radicalisation in South Asia. Terror organisations such as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) have carried out numerous attacks within and outside Pakistan. According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), Pakistan experienced over 1,500 terrorism-related incidents in 2022, resulting in more than 800 fatalities. The countrys tribal regions and urban centres have both been hotspots for radical activities. The governments complex relationship with these groups, often oscillating between covert support and military crackdowns, has further complicated efforts to curb their influence. As a state policy, Pakistan has been breeding proxy war in India based on the Islamist ideology of terror.

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As per SATP assessment, domestic terrorism continues to thrive in Pakistan within a broader environment that the Establishment has created to facilitate the operations of foreign-oriented terrorist formations, both directed against neighbours as well as wider global formations, and sectarian (anti-Shia) terrorist groups, as well as armed proxies  hit squads that are deployed against dissident and rebel elements, particularly in Balochistan. Significantly, the binding ideology of all these groups is Islamist extremism.

Afghanistan: Afghanistans political landscape has been dramatically altered by the resurgence of the Taliban, which regained control of the country in 2021. The Talibans victory has emboldened other Islamist groups in the region. The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) has also gained a foothold, posing a direct threat to regional stability. In 2023, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported over 1,200 civilian casualties due to terrorist attacks, with ISKP responsible for a significant portion. The Talibans governance, marked by strict Sharia implementation and suppression of dissent, has created a fertile ground for radical ideologies to thrive.

India: A recent report drawing on demographic data from the Association of Religion Data Archive (ARDA from 1950 to 2015), observes a 43.15 per cent rise in the Muslim population in India, increasing from 9.84 per cent to 14.09 per cent. Conversely, the Hindu majoritys share decreased by 7.82 per cent, from 84.68 per cent to 78.06 per cent. The Christian population grew by 5.38 per cent, from 2.24 per cent to 2.36 per cent, while the Sikh population saw a 6.58 per cent rise, going from 1.74 per cent to 1.85 per cent. The Buddhist population experienced a significant increase from 0.05 per cent to 0.81 per cent, though the report does not explicitly quantify this growth rate.

Overall, the report suggests that the rise in minority populations in India reflects their improved well-being, despite global concerns about declining religious freedom in the country.

Yet the rise of Islamist forces and the change in demography, particularly border states, is a matter of grave concern. India faces the challenge of Islamist radicalisation across its entire landscape. Groups like the Indian Mujahideen (IM) and the resurgence of the Kashmir insurgency by Pakistan have kept security forces on high alert. The infiltration of radical ideologies through social media and online platforms has further exacerbated the problem. Additionally, Indias and South Asias vast and diverse Muslim population has been targeted by both domestic and international radical groups aiming across the canvas to recruit and radicalise youth through indoctrination at blooming madrasas and social media handles.

Bangladesh: Bangladesh has witnessed an upward trajectory in radical Islamist activities, especially with the emergence of groups like Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT). The 2016 Dhaka cafe attack, which claimed 29 lives, highlighted the potent threat. According to the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS), there were over 100 radicalisation-related arrests in 2022, indicating an ongoing security challenge.

The recent revolt in Bangladesh was marked by widespread violence, human rights violations, and the destruction of religious institutions. Radical Islamist groups like Jamaat-E-Islami (JEI) exploited the chaos, targeting minorities, thereby attempting to establish their influence in the power vacuum. This could pose a serious threat to the nation and the region.

Nepal: Nepal essentially remains dormant from Islamic terrorism**.** Yet an assessment states rampant conversion drives by Islamic religious groups remain a major problem in Nepal despite anti-conversion provisions. Due to poor implementation of money laundering and anti-terrorism finance laws, religious groups like DeI and TJ hold frequent congregations and indoctrination programmes with the support of foreign funding. Nepal also remains a transit point for Islamist terrorists and radicals. Thus a potential threat other than Maoist looms at large.

Sri Lanka: The 2019 Easter Sunday bombings by the National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ), which claimed over 250 lives, showed the looming shadows of terrorism. This incident underscored the capacity of radical Islamist groups to exploit ethnic and religious tensions in the country. The bombings highlighted the vulnerabilities in the kingdoms safety equipment and the capability of radical corporations to incite large-scale violence. Sri Lankan authorities have since then intensified their counter-terrorism efforts, but the risk remains.

The Maldives: While the Maldives has recently been incident-free, the threat of radicalisation remains significant. The robust Islamist and anti-India sentiments of cutting-edge political leadership can additionally create an environment conducive to the resurgence of radical Islamist forces. The Maldives has a record of vulnerability to radical organisations like Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Lashkar-e-Taiba, as seen in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami.

Bhutan: Bhutan has largely persisted as the only fortunate exception in an otherwise violence-torn South Asia. The last low-intensity bomb blast was on 20 January 2008, though IEDs and bombs being placed thereafter have been detected. United Revolutionary Front of Bhutan (URFB) claimed responsibility for these blasts. The character of low-level violence is essentially attributable to the Maoist, not Islamist, movement.

Challenges and Causes of Radicalisation in South Asia

Root causes of radicalisation: Islamic extremism flourishes in environments characterised by socio-economic unrest, discriminatory policies, and political grievances. Poverty, unemployment, and political instability create fertile ground for extremist ideologies. Addressing these roots is critical for sustainable fulfilment in countering extremism. The need is for regulations that promote economic equality, and foster political balance. Simultaneously, terrorism must have a universal definition and differentiate between one nations freedom fighter and another nations terrorist.

Online radicalisation: The internet has become a powerful device for the dissemination of extremist ideologies. Social media platforms and online forums provide virtual areas for recruitment and radicalisation. Countering online radicalisation calls for a collaborative attempt among governments, tech corporations, and civil society to screen and combat extremist content effectively. Investment in content analysis and proactive measures to counter online recruitment strategies are crucial additives to this effort.

Indoctrination through toxic education: Limited access to quality education contributes to the vulnerability of individuals to extremist ideologies. The flourishing of madrasas wherein toxic education is taught is the fountainhead of radicalisation. Investing in education, and ensuring that educational curricula are designed to instill values of tolerance, inclusivity, and critical reasoning is important.

Political and religious divides: Political and religious polarisation can amplify the radicalisation of individuals who feel marginalised or oppressed. Building inclusive societies that are tolerant of diversity and defend minority rights is important for countering extremism at its centre. Governments should promote interfaith harmony and put in force rules that foster social harmony, emphasising shared values and common goals.

Foreign policy implications: Global geopolitical events and foreign policy decisions can impact the rise of extremism. Addressing conflicts and promoting diplomatic solutions can help reduce the appeal of extremist narratives that exploit grievances related to foreign interventions. Refugee influx can be a source wherein radical elements may gain authority and subsequently be a destabilising factor in a moderate society.

Countering Radicalisation: Strategies and Challenges

Community engagement and empowerment: Engaging local communities is important for countering extremism. Empowering community leaders and educators to challenge extremist narratives and promote tolerance can be significant in preventing radicalisation. Governments must aid grassroots projects that address community desires, fostering a sense of belonging and resilience against extremist influences.

Investment in education: Governments need to prioritise education as the primary tool for countering the extremism of youth. Developing and implementing instructional packages that foster harmony, tolerance, and respect for diversity can assist societies. The imperative is to review and adapt the academic curricula devoid of toxic ideologies and promote values and culture conducive to harmony and tolerance.

Counter-narratives and media literacy: Developing counter-narratives against extremist ideologies is an essential ingredient to prevent minds from being poisoned. Media literacy capsules can empower individuals to significantly authenticate, lowering susceptibility to online radicalisation. For counter-narratives to be effective, there is a need for a collaborative approach between governments, civil society, and the media in conveying counter-narratives that appeal to the masses, are plausible, and rubbish the toxic false narrative of the extremists.

Security measures and intelligence cooperation: Strengthening collective security mechanisms and intelligence sharing in the international system is important for countering terrorism, which has no defined borders. Sharing statistics about capabilities and threats and coordinating efforts to dismantle extremist networks may be effective in countering extremism. However, counterterrorism efforts must not inadvertently exacerbate grievances or open space for radicalisation and thus require due diligence yet firmness.

Promoting inclusive governance: Grassroots-level governance that addresses the concerns of citizens, regardless of their religion or culture is an important aspect of choking the space for radicalism. Protecting minority rights, promoting political participation, and addressing socio-economic inequalities reduces space for extremists.

International cooperation: Islamic extremism is a challenge that requires global cooperation. Nations must collaborate on intelligence-sharing, countering the propagation of radical ideology, and diplomatic efforts to cope with the root causes of extremism. Initiatives just like the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy should be strengthened, and nations ought to play a more proactive position in fostering cooperation among member states.

An Iron Fist in an Iron Glove: There must be a zero-tolerance policy to tackle this menace before it grows out of proportion. The important caution must be to differentiate between the moderate and extremist, thereby retaining the secular character of the nation. The nation needs a farsighted view of this menace to institute measures to address the roots, not just the events.

Conclusion

The spread of radical forces in South Asia poses a risk to nearby peace and balance. Addressing this challenge requires a comprehensive and collaborative effort from all nations in the region and the worldwide community. By focussing on protection, socio-economic improvement, education, digital tracking, and international cooperation, nations can mitigate the effect of radicalisation and build a more peaceful destiny.

The author is former Director General Mechanised Forces. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
Over the last decade, with Chinas aggressive expansionism, Malaysia has increasingly looked to India to help balance power in the region read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, welcomes his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim upon his arrival at the Indian presidential palace during his ceremonial reception in New Delhi, on August 20, 2024. AP

Malaysias Anwar Ibrahim is on his debut three-day visit to India as Prime Minister  the first such delegation from Malaysia since 2018. He aims to seek New Delhis support for Malaysias membership in the BRICS bloc, which comprises countries representing 45 per cent of the worlds population and offers preferential trade and investment opportunities among member nations. Its founder members are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, with Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates later joining the bloc.

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It seems that the Malaysian prime minister may also seek to bolster ties with India, benefiting from Indias status as Asias fastest-growing large economy, and rekindle a bilateral relationship worth over $16 billion in 2023. Malaysia submitted its application to join BRICS to the current chairman, Russia, last year, possibly not only to safeguard itself from trade tensions arising from the escalating US-China conflict but also to expand its foreign trade and investments.

The relationship between Malaysia and India soured in 2019 when the former Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohammad, accused India of invading and occupying Kashmir  a statement contrary to reality. However, with the change in leadership in Malaysia, the bilateral ties, which were under an Enhanced Strategic Partnership, have found renewed enthusiasm over the last two years. As this Enhanced Strategic Partnership marks a decade, the two prime ministers have decisively agreed to elevate the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to fully harness the economic and strategic potential of both countries.

Recalibrating bilateral ties

Like some other nations, the previous Malaysian administration also pledged much of its loyalty to China. However, over the last decade, with Chinas aggressive expansionism, countries like Malaysia have increasingly looked to India to help balance power in the Asia-Pacific. Chinas expansionist ambitions have proven detrimental to nations, which eventually crumble under debt, leading to the loss of security and strategic assets, ultimately threatening their national interests.

For a safe, open, and secure Asia-Pacific, India is beginning to re-emerge as a pivotal force to counter Chinese expansionist pressures. With its large market, growing economic size, and rapid economic growth, India offers economic and trade opportunities for nations seeking to reduce their dependence on China. This has prompted many to take active measures to reset their ties with India.

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A recent example is the Maldives, where a new administration came to power on an anti-India, pro-China mandate and subsequently enacted anti-India policies. India reacted by retreating, which caused severe economic distress to the nation. With an aggressive China as its only option, the Maldives felt the pressure to recalibrate its ties with India and has been making active efforts to reconcile with an upset India.

Countries are witnessing the impact of being crushed under Chinese pressure and having to make strategic compromises, as seen in the cases of Sri Lankas Hambantota port and Pakistans Gwadar. There is also ample evidence of nations facing Chinas hostility in various projects within the Belt and Road ecosystem. This aggression has served as a wake-up call for several powers.

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While Chinas actions in its periphery remain centred on a hierarchical order that serves its own interests, with its global economic and political agenda being singularly China-centric, India offers a stark contrast. Indias worldview aligns with the concept of a Kautilyan Universe, which embraces the coexistence of multiple political units, multistate systems, and a multiverse. Each unit, differing in power, strength, and potential, works harmoniously towards a common goal of peace, security, and prosperity.

People-to-people ties

As with much of its extended neighbourhood, India and Malaysia share deep civilisational ties. A strong community of 3 million Indians resides in Malaysia, constituting a significant portion of the population. They celebrate Indian festivals, culture, and contribute to Malaysias rich diversity. Many symbols of Indian heritage and history are woven into mainstream Malaysian life, such as the Sri Veera Hanuman Temple, which showcases tales from the Ramayana in its South Indian architecture and intricate details. Locals often speak of feeling the positive divine energy emanating from the temples vicinity.

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A popular story tells of a Malay lorry driver who spotted a majestic apparition of a giant monkey in a warriors attire walking along the well-known Scott Road, capturing the peoples devotion to the temple. Many such tales have become part of Malay life, making Hanuman an intrinsic deity of worship for many. Students often visit the temple before exams for blessings, and those seeking spiritual recovery from evil spirits or black magic find solace there. These practices closely mirror the reverence Indians hold for Lord Hanuman, highlighting the shared cultural and spiritual heritage.

The prime ministers of the two countries have now committed to strengthening these ties by promoting the ancient Indian science of medicine, Ayurveda, and establishing cross-country scholarships. Prime Minister Modi has reaffirmed his commitment to bolstering ASEAN through multiple foreign policy initiatives, with deepening ties with Malaysia being an intrinsic part of that effort. Just last week, we saw PM Modi make similar strides with Vietnam.

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Additionally, he announced that India will fully support Malaysias upcoming chairmanship of ASEAN next year and will work decisively towards a Free Trade Agreement among ASEAN powers. A strong, economically powerful ASEAN, anchored by a robust India, is indeed the key to an open, inclusive, and plural security order in the Asia-Pacific.

Priyam Gandhi-Mody is a noted author and political communications expert. She has written four best-selling books and is working on her fifth one. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
If the Bangladesh government approaches New Delhi for extraditing Hasina and her sister, that too after following the due processes as known to common law and also the provisions of the extradition treaty, then New Delhi might well be put in a fix read more

Did the mass protests and consequent regime-change in neighbouring Bangladesh impact domestic politics here in India? For the first time possibly under Prime Minister Narendra Modis 10-plus years of the BJP-NDA regime, the Opposition acted responsibly and the government was responsive. There is no need to dissect as to who was in the wrong in the past. By taking the Opposition into confidence, both inside and outside Parliament, with the multi-party I.N.D.I. alliance standing by the government on matters Bangladesh, a new era of bi-polar politics has begun in the country.

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Traditionally, the nations polity has stood as one when it comes to matters of national security and allied foreign policy concerns. Referring to Indira Gandhis leadership of the Bangladesh War (1971) in Parliament, then Jan Sangh leader (later BJP) Atal Bihari Vajpayee used the metaphor Durga on the Lion. The Opposition of the day hailed the nations achievement on Pokhran-I & II (1974, 1998) nuclear tests. As the Kargil War (1999) wound on, the then Congress Opposition pledged whole-hearted support to the national cause and stood by. They reserved criticism on alleged intelligence failure, delayed action and a corruption-ridden coffin-gate for post-war exchanges in Parliament and outside. Better still, the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP stood as one in getting the India-US civilian nuclear deal passed in both Houses.

Betting too much

In the weeks, months and years to come, strategic thinkers and academics, in the two countries and also the rest of the world, would surely be debating if New Delhi, independent of political leaderships, bent too much on Hasinas side to the near-exclusion of other political players in that country. Truth be acknowledged, India did not interfere in the internal affairs of Bangladesh, there was possibly a failed system and faked elections. New Delhi was left with no choice but to deal with the government and Prime Minister that the people of Bangladesh elected, and repeatedly so.

Remember how after Sheikh Mujibur Rahmans assassination, sections of the Bangladeshi strategic community blamed him for bending too much on the Indian neighbour. If they regretted the creation of Bangladesh and Indias interventionist role in it, they did not say so. If they now begin complaining, louder than ever, that Sheikh Hasina was too accommodative to Indias wishes, political, economic and strategic, again they are mistaken.

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India had no role in the autocracy that runs in Bangladeshi minds. What father Mujibur Rahman was accused of doing, Hasina lived to repeat. In between, the various military-led regimes and that by her arch-rival and BNP president, Begum Khaleda Zia, were no different. To be fair to Hasina, she turned around the countrys economy and also wiped out terrorism, both in near-simultaneous swift moves. It was evident that the security forces stood by her leadership when it battled terrorism in the country, and also during the mutiny by the Bangladesh Border Guard (BDR), way back in 2009.

This time round, however, there seemed to have been inherent limitations to the self-regulated role of the armed forces in putting down the peoples power. According to news reports, younger officers questioned the top brass over the wisdom and propriety of doing so, at the behest of the Hasina regime. They were reflecting the mood of the nation and that was not a good sign. That mood was not about economic recovery (which was already floundering, post-Covid) or terrorism, but was about democratic values.

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Maybe, it all owed to the war and violence that a whole generation of Bangladeshis were parties to and witnessed, too. The fact remains, Bangladesh is possibly the only country in South Asia, where political clashes were rampant and their turning into big-time violence was not unusual and casual. Elsewhere in the region and in most other nations, where there are street-clashes of the kind, the State, represented by the police and other security forces, would be on the one side and violent protestors and mobsters, on the other.

It was not always so in Bangladesh, where political clashes were invariably between the cadres of two political parties, invariably between Hasinas Awami League on the one side, and Khaledas BNP with or without the Jamaat-e-Islami, which was/is a patently an anti-India, radical Islamist force. Between the two phases of the nation-wide student-youth violence that ousted the Hasina regime, you had the government banning the Jamaat for a second time, on 1 August, blaming it for the unprecedented street-violence that refused to die down.

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It is more than likely that the Jamaat, BNP and all frustrated political forces were behind the street protests and mob violence, yes. But it also shows how disconnected the Hasina regime had become after barring the Jamaat from contesting elections in 2013 (after her father had once banned the party in 1973) and putting political rival Khaleda behind bars, almost permanently. Whoever took the decision, almost the first one after Hasina left the country was to free Khaleda from prison. It is not unlikely that Hasinas rivals would want to give it back to her, now in the same coin.

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Not right

This brings in India, where Hasina has taken shelter for now. It is a difficult yet unavoidable scenario that New Delhi had to end up hosting her at a critical juncture in that nations history. Needless to say that the deposed leader and her advisors too would be alive to the fact that she cannot continue to stay on in India for more than required. Reports claimed that she was thinking in terms of migrating to the UK, but after obtaining political asylum; however, soon it turned out that it was not going to happen. No Prime Minister in 10 Downing Street could especially afford to have an Islamic fugitive from another country asylum in the UK when the country was facing anti-Muslim riots all across.

But India has had another related problem on hand, or something that may be brewing. Travelling from Dubai to take over as the head of the interim government, 84-year-old Nobel laureate Mohummud Yunus said that it was not right for Hasina to stay on in India. He told an Indian interviewer how if the violence and crisis continued, it could well spill over into Indias border states and also Myanmar.

If Yunus was cautioning New Delhi about a situation like one that prevailed in 1971, wherein a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented kind since Partition and Independence caused Indias diplomatic and military intervention, he did not say it  at least, not yet. But his observation is loaded in multiple ways, whether or not he realised them all.

A senior leader of Khaledas BNP leader, Gayeshwar Roy, lost no time in cautioning India over strained relations over New Delhis support for Hasina, meaning hosting her in the interim. Though it is more about the present and try to attribute motives where none exist, they often tend to forget how India under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had officially hosted Khaleda Zia, then still only an Opposition leader, for a week or so  and she returned the compliment by cancelling an appointment with the visitor when he travelled to Dhaka not very long after, by tactically calling for a nation-wide bandh, of course against the Hasina regime, during the period.

However, Mahbub Uddin Khokon, president of the Bangladesh Supreme Court Bar Association, was blunt in his social media post for India to arrest and send back Hasina and her sister, and send them back to that country. Now that a civilian regime of some title and character has taken charge in Dhaka, the question arises as to New Delhis reaction if and when approached for extraditing Hasina, to stand trial in local courts for alleged acts of commissions, under the law.

Yunus too has since talked to Prime Minister Modi and promised the continuance of good neighbourly relations  but that does not mean that his regime would look the other way on Hasina and massive allegations of her high-handedness and also corruption when in power. Already, demands for India arresting Hasina and sending her back to face trial nearer home have begun reverberating across Bangladesh. Some rivals have used the specific term extradition.

The two nations, it may be recalled, signed an Extradition Treaty in 2013, which was amended in 2016, between the governments of Prime Ministers Hasina and Narendra Modi. It is anybodys guess if opponents in Bangladesh who are demanding Hasinas arrest and extradition knew of the existence of this agreement, but definitely, government officials in Dhaka, directed to handle criminal cases against her would know all about it. Hence, if the Bangladesh government approaches New Delhi in the coming weeks and months for extraditing Hasina and her sister, that too after following the due processes as known to common law and also the provisions of the extradition treaty, then New Delhi might well be put in a fix.

Loaded message

Even without it all, Bangladesh is faced with real problems of everyday kind, which goes beyond democracy, rule of law and the impending crisis, which the Hasina regime could only put off for another day, but not wipe out completely. When faced with a crisis, you now have a leader in Yunus, who, at 84, has no politico-administrative experience. The alternate leader in Khaleda is ageing at 78 and is also ailing with multiple health issues. Hasina herself is 76.

In the transition, if that is what it is, Yunus is the chief advisor. There are 14 advisors, none of whom is a minister under the Constitution, which thankfully has not been suspended or abrogated, as used to be the case in such circumstances. When Hasina left, the army gave word that fresh parliamentary polls would be held at the earliest, to annul the results of the controversial one in January. On release from house-arrest, Khaleda wanted early elections, as early as three months.

However, Yunus has since declared that holding elections was not his first priority, but restoring order alone is. It is anybodys guess how many more months or years it is meant to take. Already, there are indications that the army is going to stay behind the scenes but run the show all the same, if only to confer continued legitimacy of some kind on the propped up administration that is not elected. This can have consequences for the nation first and neighbours, next  and the attack on Hindus and other minorities in the country was/is only one of them. Yunus talked to Prime Minister Modi and promised to end anti-Hindu violence across the country, after the latter mentioned it in public. For India, that might be a measure, but not the only one!

The writer is a Chennai-based policy analyst and political commentator. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
One alternative NASA is considering involves using SpaceXs Crew Dragon spacecraft, which is currently docked at the ISS. A major issue is the incompatibility between the spacesuits designed for Boeings Starliner and those used on the Crew Dragon read more

NASA is looking at the upcoming Crew-9 mission, set to launch in February, which could go up with just two crew members, leaving room for Williams and Wilmore. This would allow NASA to send up spare suits. Image Credit: NASA

NASA is dealing with a tricky situation as it figures out how to safely bring astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore back to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS). The two have been stuck up there since early June, and their planned ride home, Boeings Starliner, has been hit with a series of technical glitches that have everyone concerned.

The original plan was for Williams and Wilmore to return in the Starliner, but given the ongoing issues with the spacecraft, NASA is now exploring other options. Boeing and NASA insist that Starliner is still good to go in an emergency, even with the risk of some thrusters acting up. But NASA is not taking any chances, considering the potential dangers.

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One alternative on the table involves using SpaceXs Crew Dragon, which is currently docked at the ISS. But this idea comes with its own set of problems. For starters, the spacesuits that Williams and Wilmore have for the Starliner arent compatible with the Crew Dragon. This means that if they were to return on the SpaceX capsule, theyd have to do so without wearing a spacesuit  something NASA confirmed in a recent call. Its a tough pill to swallow since these suits are designed to protect the astronauts in case something goes wrong during the return trip.

Spacesuits used during launch and re-entry, known as intravehicular (IVA) suits, are crucial. Theyre not just for show; they protect against sudden cabin pressure loss and help regulate temperature. Without them, the astronauts would be much more vulnerable if anything went wrong on the way down.

The reason behind this suit incompatibility goes back to NASAs Commercial Crew Program, which funded the development of both the Starliner and Crew Dragon. Unlike past space programs, where NASA was involved in every detail, this program gave Boeing and SpaceX more freedom to design their spacecraft, as long as they met NASAs broad requirements and safety standards. But this also meant that making sure the two companies systems worked togetherlike spacesuits fitting different spacecraftwasnt a priority.

To make things even more complicated, the Crew Dragon currently at the ISS is already carrying four crew members, and while it was initially designed to hold seven, its been reconfigured to accommodate just four. Even if NASA could get compatible suits for Williams and Wilmore, the Crew Dragon doesnt have the necessary setup to support them.

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Thankfully, theres a backup plan in the works. NASA is looking at the upcoming Crew-9 mission, set to launch in February, which could go up with just two crew members, leaving room for Williams and Wilmore. This would allow NASA to send up spare suits, making it a much safer and more straightforward solution.

But all of this highlights the ongoing struggles with Boeings Starliner. After investing billions of dollars in the capsules development, seeing the astronauts return on a SpaceX spacecraft would be a significant setback for Boeing and raise more questions about the future of the Starliner program.

As NASA continues to sort through its options, this situation is a reminder of just how complicated and risky space travel can be, especially when multiple private companies are involved. The decisions made in the coming weeks will be crucial, not only for the safe return of the astronauts but also for the future of commercial spaceflight.
The 9% levy on Tesla is notably lower than the average 21.3% tariff imposed on companies that cooperated with the investigation, and much less than the 36.3% for those that did not. This tariff is in addition to the EUs standard 10% duty on EVs imported from China read more

Tesla is set to face a 9 per cent additional tariff on its electric vehicles (EVs) exported from China to the European Union (EU), according to an announcement from the European Commission. This decision is part of a broader investigation into what the EU sees as unfair subsidies provided by Beijing to its domestic EV industry.

The 9 per cent levy on Tesla is notably lower than the average 21.3 per cent tariff imposed on companies that cooperated with the investigation, and much less than the 36.3 per cent for those that did not.

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This tariff is in addition to the EUs standard 10 per cent duty on EVs imported from China. The relatively modest 9 per cent tariff was assigned after Tesla requested individual consideration during the Brussels inquiry. It stands in stark contrast to the much harsher 100 per cent tariffs imposed by the United States on similar products.

EU officials conducted an inspection of Teslas Shanghai operations in June, concluding that the company had indeed benefited from Chinese state subsidies. These subsidies included below-cost batteries, access to cheap land, and various grants aimed at exporters. The 9 per cent tariff is expected to be implemented by October 31, pending approval from EU member states.

This decision comes as part of the European Commissions ongoing efforts to adjust tariffs on Chinese-made EVs. Alongside Tesla, other major Chinese EV producers are also facing revised tariffs.

BYD, which is in close competition with Tesla for the title of the worlds largest EV producer, will be subjected to a 17 per cent tariff. Geelys tariff will be set at 19.3 per cent, while SAIC will face a 36.3 per cent duty.

These rates have been adjusted downward following technical discussions with the companies involved, and there is a possibility of further changes.

In a somewhat unexpected move, the EU also announced that no provisional tariffs would be imposed before the final tariffs take effect at the end of October. This decision was made because EU officials determined that European carmakers are currently facing a threat of injury from the influx of Chinese EVs rather than experiencing actual damage like factory closures or job losses.

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However, officials warned that without action, the rapid growth of Chinese EV exports, driven by substantial subsidies, could soon cause material injury to the EUs automotive industry.

The Kiel Institute for the World Economy provided some context earlier this year, estimating that Chinas subsidies to its EV industry amounted to approximately $5.6 billion in 2022. BYD was the largest recipient, securing $3.7 billion of that aid. While Tesla received significantly less than BYD, it still benefitted from about $426 million in support for its Shanghai facility, making it the second-largest recipient of Chinese aid.

Further analysis from the China trade specialist website Soapbox, using data from the European Commissions Eurostat and Chinese customs authorities, revealed that between June 2020 and June 2024, 45 per cent of the total value of EVs exported by China was destined for the EU.

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Interestingly, Chinese manufacturers ramped up exports in April 2024 in anticipation of the impending tariffs, and registrations of these imported EVs in the EU surged between April and May before tapering off.

As the European Commission finalises its decisions, the automotive industry and consumers alike are closely watching the impact these tariffs will have on the availability and pricing of Chinese-made EVs in Europe. Tesla, along with other key players, will have to navigate these new financial challenges as the EU moves to protect its domestic car manufacturers from what it sees as unfair competition.
Nagma Mohamed Mallick, Indias Ambassador to Poland, has had a distinguished diplomatic career, including roles in Paris, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and as High Commissioner to Brunei. She is noted for her expertise in managing bilateral relations and her leadership in various international postings read more

Nagma Mohamed Mallick, Indias current Ambassador to Poland, has had a distinguished career in diplomacy, marked by a series of prominent roles both within India and abroad.

Joining the Indian Foreign Service in 1991, Mallick has built an impressive resume through her work in key diplomatic positions, including postings in Paris, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia, and Brunei.

Known for her expertise in managing bilateral relations and her leadership in various diplomatic missions, Mallick continues to play a crucial role in strengthening Indias international presence and fostering global partnerships.

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Here are ten key details about her work and personal life:

1. Nagma Mohamed Mallick started her diplomatic career in Paris, working at the Indian Embassy to the French Republic and the Indian Mission to UNESCO.

2. In India, she held various roles, including Desk Officer in the West Europe Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, and as part of Prime Minister I.K. Gujrals personal staff. She was also the first woman Deputy Chief of Protocol (Ceremonial).

3. Mallick served as First Secretary in Nepal and as Counsellor in Sri Lanka. She returned to Delhi as Deputy Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs.

4. She managed Indias relations with Russia and CIS countries as Director in the Eurasia Division.

5. From July 2010 to September 2012, she was Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Thailand.

6. Mallick served as Indias Ambassador to Tunisia from October 2012 to November 2015.

7. She was the High Commissioner of India to Brunei Darussalam from December 2015 to December 2018.

8. From February 2019 to January 2020, she led the Policy Planning Division of the Ministry and was Additional Secretary (Africa) until August 2021, overseeing relations with Eastern and Southern African countries.

9. She is currently serving as the Ambassador of India to Poland.

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10. Mallick joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1991. She has a Bachelors degree in English Literature and a Masters degree in Sociology. Fluent in English, French, Hindi, Urdu, and Malayalam, she is also interested in Indian classical dance and music, English literature, fitness, and nutrition. She is married with two children.
The visit involves some key leaders who have important direct or indirect influence over the progression of the Ukraine war. It not only sends a clear signal to the West, but could lead to economic and geopolitical developments read more

Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang on Tuesday (August 20) began his visit to Russia and Belarus.

From the leaders involved to the purpose of his visit to the signal being sent to the West, here are six things to know about Lis trip:

1. Who are the leaders involved?

The key leaders involved in the visit are Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, and Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko.

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2. What is the purpose of these visits? What will the discussions be about?

The purpose of the visits is to further deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia, as well as to strengthen ties with Belarus.

Discussions will focus on bilateral relations, practical cooperation in various fields such as trade, economy, energy, and emerging sectors like technological innovation and cross-border e-commerce, according to Xinhua.

The leaders will also discuss key geopolitical issues and implement the strategic direction set by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

3. Why is the visit important in terms of timing?

The visit marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Russia. But more importantly, it comes on the heels of Ukrainian military incursion into the Russian border region of Kursk. It is the first high-level Chinese visit to Russia since this incident.

The timing is important in terms of not only showing support to Moscow amid growing pressure, but also for Beijing to discuss implications of Ukraines latest offensive.

Belarus, on the other hand, officially became a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) just last month. It marked a transition from the observer state status it held since 2015. China and Belarus also put up a robust display of firepower in drills near the Poland border around the same time the Nato summit was happening.

Significantly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the leader of Chinas regional rival, India, is visiting Poland and Ukraine around the same time, revealing New Delhis influence and ambitions in geopolitical relationship building.

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4. What kind of signal is being sent out to the West?

The visit sends a clear signal to the West that China is steadfast in its support for Russia despite Western criticism and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. It shows Chinas willingness to maintain and even strengthen its strategic partnership with Russia in line with its own interests, regardless of external pressures or geopolitical tensions.

5. What are the economic and geopolitical implications of the visits?

Economically, the visits are likely to result in deeper trade and investment ties between China and Russia, particularly in sectors like energy, manufacturing, and technological innovation. The growing economic interdependence could help both countries mitigate the impact of Western sanctions and economic pressures.

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Geopolitically, the visits reinforce the alignment between China and Russia in countering Western influence and promoting a multipolar world order. By strengthening ties with Russia and Belarus, China is solidifying its presence and influence in the region, which could have broader implications for global power dynamics and the ongoing geopolitical rivalry with the West.

6. Are China and Russia creating a broad alliance?

According to DW, the visits by Li to Russia and Belarus will highlight a broadening alliance where Beijing and
The approval marks an early win for Pezeshkian, a longtime lawmaker who found himself catapulted into the presidency after a helicopter crash in May killed his hard-line predecessor read more

Iranian lawmakers attend an open session of parliament during the third day of debate on the 19 proposed ministers by President Masoud Pezeshkian, in Tehran, Iran. AP

Irans hard-line parliament on Wednesday approved all members of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkians Cabinet, the first time in over two decades a leader has been able to get all of his officials through the body.

The approval marks an early win for Pezeshkian, a longtime lawmaker who found himself catapulted into the presidency after a helicopter crash in May killed his hard-line predecessor.

Getting his officials approved shows Pezeshkian picked a Cabinet of consensus with names palatable to all of the power centers within Irans theocracy, as opposed to going for controversial choices as well. Former Foreign Minister Mohamamad Javad Zarif, who campaigned for Pezeshkian in his election, later resigned as a vice president for the new leader over the Cabinet selections.

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Underlining that point, Pezeshkian immediately posted an image online with him standing next to Irans judiciary chief, a Shiite cleric, and the countrys parliament speaker, a hard-liner he once faced in the election.

Consensus for Iran, he wrote in the caption.

Among those in Pezeshkians new Cabinet is Abbas Araghchi, 61, a career diplomat who will be Irans new foreign minister.

Araghchi was a member of the Iranian negotiating team that reached a nuclear deal with world powers in 2015 that capped Tehrans nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions.

In 2018, then-President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal and imposed more sanctions on Iran. Pezeshkian said during his presidential campaign that he would try to revive the nuclear deal.

The candidate who received the most support from lawmakers was the countrys new defense minister, Aziz Nasirzadeh, who received 281 votes out of 288 present lawmakers. The chamber has 290 seats.

Nasirzadeh was chief of the Iranian air force from 2018 to 2021.

Health Minister Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi received the lowest number of votes with 163.

The only female minister proposed, Housing and Road Minister Farzaneh Sadegh, a 47-year-old architect, received 231 votes. She is the first female minister in Iran in more than a decade.

The parliament also approved Pezeshkians proposed Intelligence Minister Ismail Khatib, as well as Justice Minister Amin Hossein Rahimi, both of whom served under the late President Ebrahim Raisi. Pezeshkian also put Raisis minister of industries, Abbas Aliabadi, in the post of energy minister.

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Dropping proposed ministers has been a tradition in Irans parliament, making Pezeshkians success that much more striking. Former reformist President Mohammad Khatami was the only president who received vote of confidence for all of his proposed ministers in both 1997 and 2001.
Spokesperson Oncu Keceli also said the call had taken place at the request of the U.S. side, adding the two ministers also discussed regional developments. He did not provide any further details read more

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the latest state efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in a phone call on Wednesday, Turkeys foreign ministry spokesperson said.

Spokesperson Oncu Keceli also said the call had taken place at the request of the U.S. side, adding the two ministers also discussed regional developments. He did not provide any further details.

More details awaited
In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Johns Hopkins expert Dr Kari Debbink discusses the evolving risks, diagnostic methods and global response strategies to combat the ongoing Mpox outbreak read more

A child under treatment for Mpox, an infectious disease caused by the Mpox virus that causes a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes and fever, at a health centre in Munigi, Nyiragongo territory, near Goma in North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo on August 19, 2024. Reuters

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a zoonotic viral infection that has recently garnered significant global attention. Historically confined to parts of West and Central Africa, Mpox saw a dramatic shift in its global impact beginning in May 2022.

To understand the complexities of the outbreak and the current state of the virus, Firstpost spoke with Dr Kari Debbink, PhD, an associate teaching professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr Debbink provides critical insights into the risk factors, diagnostic methods, treatment options and ongoing research related to Mpox.

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Risk populations

Dr Debbink highlights that certain groups are at higher risk for severe outcomes from Mpox. Children, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk for severe Mpox outcomes, she explains. This underscores the need for targeted interventions to protect these vulnerable populations.

Diagnostic methods

On diagnosing Mpox, Dr Debbink emphasised the importance of PCR testing. PCR testing is the WHO recommended standard for diagnosing Mpox. This is because the PCR test is able to detect DNA that is specific to the virus, so it cant be confused with other viruses or conditions, she noted. This precision is crucial for accurate diagnosis and effective response.

Kari Debbink, PhD, an associate teaching professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Current treatment options

Regarding treatment, Dr Debbink mentioned that while no specific treatments for Mpox are approved, certain antivirals and treatments for smallpox are being tested. There are no approved treatments that are specific to Mpox at this point. However, there are some antivirals approved for smallpox that are in clinical trials to test effectiveness against Mpox in cluding TPOXX, Tembexa, and Vistide. There is also an immunoglobulin treatment (VIGIV) for smallpox that is being tested against Mpox, she said.

Emerging therapies

Dr Debbink also pointed out the promise of ongoing trials. There are several ongoing trials including the STOMP trial (US) and the PALM trial (DRC), she added. These trials are essential for identifying effective treatments and managing the disease.

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Role of vaccines

Dr Debbink discussed the role of vaccines in controlling Mpox outbreaks. There are a few vaccines recommended by the WHO for Mpox for those at high risk of being exposed to the virus (MVA-BN, brand names Jynneos/Imvamune/Imvanex and the LC16 vaccine). In US trials, MVA-BN showed ~86% vaccine effectiveness against Mpox in individuals who were fully vaccinated (had two vaccine doses), she explained. This information is vital for understanding the effectiveness of vaccination efforts.

Research focus

On current research, Dr Debbink highlighted the multi-pronged approach being taken. The efforts are multi-pronged and focus not only on drug development and vaccines but on surveillance and distribution of vaccines and healthcare resources to the most affected areas. Much of the fight against Mpox relies on detection of cases and the infrastructure to prevent transmission and spread, so making sure that the areas most affected get the appropriate aid is a primary way to fight Mpox. Further research on vaccine effectiveness for different Clades and for different populations will also be important in combatting Mpox, she said. Addressing these areas is crucial for combating Mpox effectively.

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Overview of Mpox

Mpox is caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), related to the smallpox virus. It can result in a painful rash, swollen lymph nodes and fever. Although most cases are mild, severe cases can occur and can be fatal. Traditionally, Mpox was limited to sporadic cases in Africa, with limited human-to-human transmission. The virus typically affected individuals with direct contact with infected animals or contaminated materials.

Initial outbreak (May 2022 - December 2022)

In May 2022, Mpox began spreading outside its endemic regions, leading to a significant global outbreak. The initial surge saw thousands of cases, primarily in Europe and North America. The majority of cases were among men who have sex with men (MSM), though Mpox is not exclusive to this group.

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To address the outbreak, public health interventions included enhanced surveillance, vaccination campaigns and educational efforts. By the end of 2022, case numbers began to decline, although the virus continued to circulate in various regions.

Emergence of Clade 1b (2023 - 2024)

In early 2023, a new variant, clade 1b, emerged in Central Africa. This variant demonstrated different transmission patterns and presented significant challenges for control efforts.

The emergence of clade 1b emphasised the need for improved healthcare infrastructure in affected regions. The WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern in August 2024 due to the variants rapid spread and difficulties in accurate tracking and reporting.

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Regional insights

From May 2022 to July 2024, the United Kingdom reported over 4,000 cases of Mpox. Most cases occurred in 2022, with a decline in subsequent years. Public health efforts in the United Kingdom focussed on vaccination and education, particularly within MSM communities.

In Central Africa, where clade 1b emerged, continues to face significant challenges. The regions limited healthcare infrastructure has exacerbated the situation leading to underreporting and delayed interventions. Efforts to improve diagnostic capabilities and provide international support are ongoing.

Of late, the Mpox virus has spread to various countries in Asia like Pakistan, the Philippines and Malaysia.

Vaccination and public health response

Smallpox vaccines have been integral to the global response to Mpox. The WHO recommends vaccines like MVA-BN and LC16 for high-risk individuals. The effectiveness of these vaccines has been demonstrated in trials, with MVA-BN showing approximately 86% effectiveness. The WHO and national health agencies are working together to coordinate responses, share data and support affected regions. Public health campaigns aim to promote safe practices and vaccination to reduce transmission.

Diagnostic and treatment advances

Dr Debbinks insight on diagnostic methods emphasises the importance of PCR testing for accurate Mpox diagnosis. This method is crucial for differentiating Mpox from other conditions.

Currently, no specific treatments for Mpox are approved, but antivirals and treatments for smallpox are under investigation. Ongoing clinical trials are exploring the effectiveness of these treatments against Mpox. Ongoing trials, such as the STOMP and PALM trials, are crucial for discovering effective therapies for Mpox. These trials aim to identify new treatment options and improve management strategies.

WHOs perspective

In August 2024, WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, emphasised that while Mpox poses serious concerns, it is manageable with the right response. He highlighted the importance of avoiding panic and ensuring a coordinated approach to control the outbreak.

The WHOs strategic framework aims to enhance prevention and control efforts for Mpox. This framework includes goals for eliminating human-to-human transmission, reducing zoonotic spillovers and advancing research and access to countermeasures.

On August 14, 2024, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the Mpox upsurge in Africa a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).

Mpox remains a global health challenge with recent developments highlighting the need for sustained vigilance and international cooperation. While the situation has improved since the initial outbreak in 2022, ongoing challenges such as new variants and underreporting persist. Continued efforts in vaccination, public health education and global coordination are essential for controlling and eventually eliminating Mpox as a public health threat.
Marking a significant shift in US defence policy, President Biden has discreetly endorsed a classified nuclear plan that prioritises countering Chinas rapid nuclear expansion read more

(File) Chinese President Xi Jinping waves as he walks with US President Joe Biden at Filoli estate on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Woodside, California, US, November 15, 2023. Reuters

In a decisive move, President Joe Biden on Tuesday approved a highly classified nuclear strategic plan in March marking a significant shift in the United States deterrent strategy. For the first time, the focus is explicitly on Chinas rapid nuclear expansion, signaling a new era in global power dynamics.

Chinas growing nuclear threat

The report which came out in the New York Times said that the Pentagon has raised alarms over Chinas burgeoning nuclear capabilities, projecting that within the next decade, Chinas nuclear stockpile will rival those of the United States and Russia in both size and diversity. This stark reality has necessitated a reevaluation of Americas nuclear posture as the traditional balance of power undergoes a dramatic transformation.

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Secretive nature of the New Guidance

Dubbed the Nuclear Employment Guidance, the revised strategy was quietly approved without public announcement. The document, updated roughly every four years, is so sensitive that only a few hard copies exist, accessible to select national security officials and Pentagon commanders. Despite its secrecy, White House spokesperson Sean Savett clarified that the guidance is not a response to any specific nation or threat, but rather a broader reorientation of US nuclear strategy.

Evolving global nuclear landscape

Historically, the notion that Americas adversaries could coordinate nuclear threats against it was considered unlikely. However, the deepening military ties between Russia and China, coupled with North Korea and Irans provision of conventional arms to Russia for the Ukraine war, have significantly altered Washingtons strategic calculations. Intelligence agencies are now investigating whether Russia is bolstering North Korean and Iranian missile programmes in exchange for their support.

Despite former president Donald Trumps optimistic predictions that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would dismantle his nuclear arsenal following their three summits, the opposite has occurred. North Korea has expanded its nuclear arsenal to over 60 weapons, with the capacity to produce even more. This growing arsenal now poses a significant challenge to US missile defences and could potentially enable coordinated nuclear threats with Moscow and Beijing.

New reality for the next US president

The updated nuclear strategy serves as a stark reminder that the next US president, who will take office on January 20, will face a more volatile and unpredictable nuclear landscape. The past three years have seen unprecedented shifts, with Russian President Vladimir Putin repeatedly threatening nuclear action against Ukraine. The crisis in October 2022, where US intelligence intercepted concerning communications among Russian commanders, brought the likelihood of nuclear use alarmingly close to 50 per cent.

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In response, President Biden, along with leaders from Germany and Britain, successfully persuaded India and China to publicly denounce the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, temporarily defusing the crisis.

Chinas ambitious nuclear expansion

The second major shift stems from Chinas nuclear ambitions. Under President Xi Jinping, China has accelerated its nuclear expansion at a pace that has outstripped even the most pessimistic predictions by US intelligence. Abandoning its longstanding minimum deterrent strategy, China is now on a path to match or surpass the nuclear capabilities of both the US and Russia. This rapid expansion has made Chinas nuclear complex the fastest growing in the world.

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A new nuclear reality for US war plans

The evolving global nuclear environment was bound to influence American war plans and strategy. The US-based Arms Control Association, however, noted that the core of US nuclear strategy remains unchanged from the 2022 Nuclear Posture Review. While Chinas nuclear arsenal is expected to grow from 500 to 1,000 warheads by 2030, Russia, with its approximately 4,000 nuclear warheads, continues to be the primary driver of US nuclear strategy.
Mali cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine in early August over comments by a spokesperson for Ukraines military intelligence agency, Andriy Yusov, about fighting in Malis north that killed Malian soldiers and mercenaries from the Russian Wagner group in late July. The military government of Niger followed suit days later in solidarity with its neighbour read more

Heads of state of Mali, Assimi Goita, Niger, General Abdourahamane Tiani and Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traore, pose for photographs during the first ordinary summit of heads of state and governments of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in Niamey, Niger. File image/ Reuters

The military juntas of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have written to the U.N. Security Council to denounce what they said was Ukraines support for rebel groups in West Africas Sahel region, Malis foreign ministry said.

Mali cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine in early August over comments by a spokesperson for Ukraines military intelligence agency, Andriy Yusov, about fighting in Malis north that killed Malian soldiers and mercenaries from the Russian Wagner group in late July. The military government of Niger followed suit days later in solidarity with its neighbour.

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Yusov had said Malian rebels had received necessary information to conduct a successful military operation.

Mali and Niger interpreted Yusovs comments as an admission of Ukraines direct involvement in the conflict, and accused it of supporting international terrorism as a result.

Ukraine has repeatedly called the allegations groundless and untrue. Its foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. The country is still locked in heavy fighting with Russia more than two years after Moscows invasion.

A Tuareg rebel alliance has also said it did not receive any Ukrainian support.

Both ethnic Tuareg separatists and jihadist insurgents operate in north Mali. The Tuareg said they had killed at least 84 Wagner mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers over days of fierce fighting in July.

An al Qaeda affiliate separately said it had killed 50 Wagner mercenaries and 10 Malian soldiers in an ambush on one of those days.

In their letter to the Security Council, the foreign ministers of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso asked it to take responsibility for Ukraines actions and to prevent subversive acts that threaten regional and continental stability.

The letters text was posted on the Malian foreign ministrys social media account. Diplomats said it was circulated to the 15-member Security Council on Tuesday evening.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have turned their backs on traditional Western and regional allies in favour of Russia since their juntas took power over the past four years.

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The July attacks, which took place in Malis northern Kidal region near the border with Algeria, are potentially Wagners heaviest defeat since it stepped in two years ago to help the junta fight jihadist insurgents.

The ethnic Tuareg are a separate group who inhabit the Sahara region, including parts of northern Mali. Tuareg-led separatists launched a rebellion in 2012 that was pushed back into Malis arid north and later hijacked by Islamist militant groups.
A bus carrying Shiite pilgrims from Pakistan to Iraq crashed in central Iran, killing at least 28 people and injuring 23 others, with 14 in critical condition. The accident, blamed on brake failure, occurred near the city of Taft as pilgrims traveled to Iraq to commemorate Arbaeen read more

A bus crash in Iran claimed lives of several Pakistani pilgrims travelling to Iraq. Image used for representative purpose/Reuters

A bus carrying Shiite pilgrims from Pakistan to Iraq crashed in central Iran, killing at least 28 people, an official said Wednesday.

The crash happened Tuesday night in the central Iranian province of Yazd, said Mohammad Ali Malekzadeh, a local emergency official, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

Another 23 people suffered injuries in the crash, 14 of them serious, he added. He said all the bus passengers hailed from Pakistan.

There were 51 people on board at the time of the crash outside of the city of Taft, some 500 kilometers (310 miles) southeast of the Iranian capital, Tehran.

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Iranian state television later blamed the crash on the bus brakes failing and a lack of attention by its driver.

In Pakistan, media reports quoted a local Shiite leader, Qamar Abbas, saying as many as 35 people had died in the crash. He described those on the bus as coming from the city of Larkana in Pakistans southern Sindh province. Pakistans government offered no immediate comment.

Iran has one of the worlds worst traffic safety records with some 17,000 deaths annually. The grave toll is blamed on wide disregard for traffic laws, unsafe vehicles and inadequate emergency services in its vast rural areas.

The pilgrims had been on their way to Iraq to commemorate Arbaeen.

Arbaeen  Arabic for the number 40  marks the death of the Prophet Muhammads grandson, Hussein, at the hands of the Muslim Umayyad forces in the Battle of Karbala, during the tumultuous first century of Islams history. Hussein was seen by his followers as the rightful heir of the prophets legacy. When he refused to pledge allegiance to the Umayyad caliphate, he was killed in the battle, cementing the schism between Sunni and Shiite Islam.

Pilgrims gather in Karbala, Iraq, in whats regarded as the largest annual public gathering in the world. The event draws tens of millions of people each year.

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A separate bus crash early Wednesday in Irans southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province killed six people and injured 18, authorities said.
Out of a total of 18,910 cases in 2024, 94%  or 17,794  were in Congo, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, with 535 of the 541 deaths reported read more

Congo reported more than 1,000 new mpox cases in the last week up to Tuesday as African health authorities asked for desperately needed vaccines to help fight its growing threat on the continent. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreaks in Africa a global emergency.

Mpox belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox but causes milder symptoms like fever, chills and body aches, and mostly spreads through close skin-to-skin contact, including sexual intercourse. People with more serious cases can develop lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals.

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While mpox has been reported in 12 of Africas 54 countries during these outbreaks, the vast central African nation of Congo has recorded by far the most cases this year. Out of a total of 18,910 cases in 2024, 94%  or 17,794  were in Congo, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, with 535 of the 541 deaths reported.

The figures are likely an underestimate, as only about one in five suspected cases in Congo are being tested for mpox. Africa CDC director-general Dr. Jean Kaseya said many affected African countries had limited testing and surveillance capabilities.

Over the last seven days, Congo recorded 1,030 of the 1,405 new cases in Africa according to statistics provided late Tuesday by the Africa CDC. Only 16% of the cases have been confirmed by virus tests, but the infections meet the agencys definition of the disease.

The rising mpox case count in Africa and a new form of the virus identified in Congo that might be more easily transmitted led the WHO to declare it a global health emergency last week. Some hope this will encourage donors to share vaccines and other help to curtail the outbreaks in Africa before cases spread internationally as Sweden recorded a case of the new mpox variant first seen in eastern Congo.

The WHO has previously said its past efforts to raise donations for mpox failed to elicit even a single donor dollar.

Africa CDCs Kaseya said that his organization had received a pledge of 215,000 mpox vaccines from the European Union and the vaccine maker, Bavarian Nordic, which were due to arrive in the next few days. The United States aid agency said it had donated 50,000 other doses of the same vaccine to Congo. Japan has also donated some doses to Congo.

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But Africa likely needs much more. Congos health minister said his country alone needed 3 million vaccine doses to end the outbreaks there, which have spilled into at least four nearby African countries.

A 2022 global mpox outbreak in more than 70 countries was shut down in the space of months with vaccines and treatments made available in rich nations, but hardly any doses reached Africa. It had been spreading largely unnoticed for years in Nigeria and elsewhere before it sparked international concern. Since then, the virus has continued to steadily sicken people in Congo, with few effective containment efforts.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa criticized the global response to the 2022 outbreak, calling it unfair as treatments and vaccines were made available to rich Western nations while Africa was given little support. In a statement, he urged the international community to guarantee equitable access to mpox diagnostics and vaccines this time.

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Ramaphosas comments evoked memories of Africas anger at largely being shut out of vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, Africa received doses much later than richer countries and had to pay more in some cases.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control recommended last week that travelers to mpox-affected areas see if they might be eligible to get vaccinated, in a move that could increase pressure to secure mpox shots.

Kaseya said mpox was now growing and spreading while countries waited for doses. While Congo was clearly the country causing the most concern, he said it was noticeable that cases in nearby Burundi had more than doubled to 572 in a week.

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Kaseya also asked for solidarity from the international community in dealing with mpox and specifically urged against any COVID-like travel bans being placed on African countries that would isolate them as the disease is not as easily transmissible.

Dont punish Africa, he said. We need you to provide appropriate support. This vaccine is expensive."
Rich in resources and strategic opportunities, Africa has become the new hunting ground where China and the US are vying for influence. This rivalry, rooted mainly in economic ambitions rather than ideology, bears striking similarities to the old US-Soviet Cold War read more

President of China Xi Jinping and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attend the China-Africa Leaders' Roundtable Dialogue on the last day of the BRICS Summit, in Johannesburg, South Africa. File image/ Reuters

From mining to road construction to fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) to economic and political governance model training, China is ubiquitous in Africa. The West, espeically the US, today sees China as its principal challenger almost everywhere but despite the flare-ups in the Pacific particularly the South China Sea, the simmering tension is equally palpable in Africa.

The US-led West might have missed the trick but Chinas Africa story begins in the 1950s, when Western powers rivalled, at times one another, to maintain their superiority in Africa. China  along with India  vouched for freedom and self-reliance of African countries through several channels and platforms including the most-famous Bandung conference hosted by Indonesia.

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South Africas Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor (L), Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi (C) and Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pose for a group photo during a meeting of the BRICS Plus Ministerial Council in the city of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Reuters

Seven decades later, the communist Chinas heft and growing presence in Africa have set up a race of one-upmanship in the Mother Continent. It is rivalling the US, the leading economic super-power in the world.

Why call it a new cold war

The intensifying rivalry, particularly between China and the US over the African continent, bears striking resemblances to the Cold War of the 20th century. Asia was the battlefield then as the US and the USSR, Soviet Russia, rivalled for hegemony. This time, the key players are not the United States and the Soviet Union, rather the US and China. Africa has emerged as a critical theatre in this geopolitical contest.

Incidentally, the new cold war, if we can call it so, involves post-Soviet rising communist power which like the former seeks to challenge the leading capitalist power on the globe. Back then, Asia was seen as the hunting ground for its known exploitable natural resources and manpower, Africa is now viewed as the new minefiled to dig prosperity and security from.

However, the crucial question remains: Is Africa really becoming the new battleground in this global power game?

How China has expanded its footprint in the Mother Continent

Africa is called the Mother Continent as the theory of evolution tells us that humanity sprang from the earlier branches of humans that shot from eastern African roots. In the post-War age of ideological expansion, China set its eyes on Africa as the USSR and the US-led West were involved at various points in Asia, East Europe and Central and Latin Americas.

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Chinas relationship with Africa has been building for decades. At the Bandung conference, representatives from 29 Asian and African countries gathered to voice their opposition to colonialism and to seek economic cooperation among the Global South - back then called the Third World.

Indonesian President Mohamed Suharto makes an opening speech at the Bandung Conference, 24 April 1985, marking the 30th anniversary of the Asia-Africa Conference. File image/ AFP

In early decades, Chinas interest in Africa was primarily driven by a sense of solidarity with other nations that were also shaking off the chains of colonial rule.

Fast forward to post-Cold War, especially after the 2008 global meltdown, and Chinas presence in Africa has grown immensely. The country has poured billions into the continent, building roads, railways, ports, and power plants.

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China gradually in the middle years, and in recent years electrifyingly, overtaken the United States as Africas biggest trading partner, and its investments continue to shape the continents economic landscape. But these investments often come with strings attached, such as requiring African countries to use Chinese companies and materials for their infrastructure projects, further cementing Beijings influence.

This isnt just about business  its also about strategy. Africas wealth of natural resources, from oil and minerals to fertile agricultural land, is vital to Chinas booming economy. In return for access to these resources, China has offered financial aid, loans, and development assistance to African nations.

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This hands-off approach made China a popular partner for many African leaders, even as it draws criticism from those who worry about the lack of transparency, environmental damage, and the support of authoritarian regimes.

Chinas game in Africa has moved in phases  solidarity in early decades to investments and low-interest loans in middle years to complete domination in trade and now to political governance training, something that African leaders earlier accused the US and its allies of doing. China earlier policy of non-political interference helped it edge out the Western countries in developing cooperation with African countries.

According to the African Centre for Strategic Studies (ACSS), The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has escalated its training of African party and government officials as part of CCP General Secretary Xi Jinpings new model of party-to-party relations, particularly in the Global South.

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An indication of this renewed emphasis is the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School. Launched in 2022, the Nyerere School trains ruling party members from the Former Liberation Movements of Southern Africa (FLMSA) coalitionAngola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, it says.

However, political training by China is not new as they began this programme back in the 1960s. But the recent and rapid change is the emphasis on propagating the governance idea of Xi Jinping.

The Nyerere School is the first institute to be modeled after the CCP Central Party School, which trains Chinas top cadres and leaders. It is also the first of its kind to cater to multiple African political parties.

This school parallels the China-Africa Institute, a continental CCP initiative to train African party and government leaders. The Institute, which started in 2019, is based within the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing and the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa [Ethiopia], says ACSS.

Why America is concerned and how it responds

The US seems increasingly alarmed by Chinas growing influence in Africa as Washington DC sees Beijing as a challenge to American interests on the continent. For a long time, the US has been used to calling the shots in Africa. Now, with Chinas rise, that dominance has been seriously challenged. In several countries  from Ethiopia to Uganda to Angola  China has practically come to dictate market terms.

American leaders, though overtly critical of Chinas action in the South China Sea, have been particularly concerned that China is exploiting Africa in ways that mirror the colonial powers of the past. There are fears that Chinese loans are leading African countries into a debt trap, potentially compromising their independence. The recent Kenya riots  following an economic crisis linked to Chinese debts  were seen as fitting similar patterns witnessed in countries like Sri Lanka.

The US has also accused China of propping up corrupt and authoritarian regimes, turning a blind eye to human rights abuses, and undermining democratic institutionsall in pursuit of its own economic and strategic goals.

Of late, the US has also courted some of the African dictators to counter Chinese influence on the continent. For example, US President Joe Biden hosted President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea reportedly to fend off Chinas efforts to build a naval base in that country.

The naval base would give China a new military foothold in the Atlantic Ocean on the Gulf of Guinea, off the coast of West Africa. Biden ignored Americas own complaints of human rights abuse against the regime led by the worlds longest-serving ruler.

Incidentally, Equatorial Guinea, too, is facing acute economic crisis and 82-year-old Obiang, who has been in power for 44 years, has appointed a former banker as the prime minister this week to fix economic woes of the country.

The US, on its part, has been trying hard to counter Chinas influence with its own initiatives  including the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which aim to promote economic development and good governance in Africa.

US President Joe Biden (C) participates in a family photo with the leaders of the US-Africa Leaders Summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. File image/ AFP

Additionally, the US has expanded its military presence across the continent, establishing a network of bases and partnerships designed to combat terrorism and protect its strategic As America continues to influence Africa in the face of Chinas relentless economic engagement, the cold war narrative looks only natural on the continent.

What Africa is doing to stave off two rival powers

While China and the US compete for influence, African nations are not just passive bystanders in the new geopolitical struggle. Several African leaders have become adept at playing both sides, using their relationships with China and the US to secure benefits for their countries. However, this balancing act is fraught with challenges, given their rivalry heats up over even a seemingly minor issue.

Africas home to some of the worlds fastest-growing economies  including Niger, Senegal, Libya, Rwanda, Ethiopia and the Gambia  and holds vast reserves of the natural resources that, in the first place, make both China and the US interested in the region.

Its rapidly growing population and increasing urbanisation makes Africa a massive future market for goods and services. At this junction, African countries usually take a middle path but that is also fraught with risks, given their sandwiched situation between Chinese money and Americas muscle.

How the new cold war may shape up Africa

It is a difficult proposition to predict the future of Africa in this new cold war as the post-Covid realities of the world are changing at a rapid rate. Chinas economy is stagnating. The country is witnessing a flight of big companies as Beijing continues to antagonise the West, which is home to most of the top multinational firms.

However, there is another possibility that Africa may actually benefit tremendously from the increased attention and investment not only from rivals China and the US but also from emerging economic giants such as India and Brazil.

For Africa to emerge stronger from this geopolitical oneupmanship, its leaders look for ways to pass through these turbulent waters carefully. The sudden collapse of growing economies like Sri Lanka have driven home the point that too much dependence on opaque Chinese loans may endager their long-term prosperity.

Whether Africa can extract benefit from this China-US or communist-capitalist tug-of-war and build a secure future depends on how its current crop of leadership explores and chooses their options. For, the continent has to find solutions to its food, energy, environmental, and social crises that threaten to devastate not just Africa but potentially the entire world.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced he will discuss peaceful solutions for the Ukraine-Russia conflict during his visit to Kyiv this week, marking the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since diplomatic relations began 30 years ago. Modis trip follows recent discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and comes amid ongoing calls from India for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the conflict read more

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands during the G7 leaders' summit in Hiroshima, Japan May 20, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday he will share perspectives on the peaceful resolution of the conflict between Ukraine and Russiaduring his visit to Kyiv this week.

Modi departed for Poland on Wednesday and will visit Kyiv on Friday, a first visit to Ukraine by an Indian prime minister since diplomatic relations were established 30 years ago.

Modis trip to Ukraine comes weeks after his visit to Moscow during which he rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war, which began with Russias full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.

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Modi also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Italy last month.

As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region, Modi said in a statement before his departure.

India has repeatedly urged Ukraine and Russia to use dialogue and diplomacy to resolve their differences.

Modis two-day visit to Russia last month coincided with a lethal strike on a childrens hospital in Kyiv, following which he told Putin that the death of innocent children was painful and terrifying and urged resolution of the conflict.

Ukranian leaders have also pitched for India to help rebuild the countrys war-torn economy.
The development, the first Taliban ambassador since one was appointed to China last December, underscored the international divide over how to deal with the government now in Kabul read more

Afghan Taliban Envoy to the United Arab Emirates Badruddin Haqqani, far right, walks through an Emirates A380's business class on display at the Dubai Air Show in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Representational image/ AP

The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday accepted the credentials of the Talibans ambassador to the oil-rich Gulf Arab state, the biggest diplomatic coup for Afghanistans rulers who are not officially recognised as the countrys legitimate government.

The development, the first Taliban ambassador since one was appointed to China last December, underscored the international divide over how to deal with the government now in Kabul.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul confirmed the news about Badruddin Haqqani in a post on the social media platform X. The ministry did not respond to requests for information about Haqqani, who was previously the Talibans envoy to the UAE.

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Haqqani is not related to the Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who in June met the UAE leader, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, but he is from his team.

Sirajuddin Haqqani is the current leader of the powerful Haqqani network, a militant movement allied with the Taliban, and a designated global terrorist. He is wanted by the United States for his involvement in deadly attacks and is also on several sanctions lists.

Even though the Taliban remain isolated from the West, they have pursued bilateral ties with major regional powers. Last week, Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov arrived in Afghanistan in the highest-level visit by a foreign official since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan three years ago.

The United Nations says that official recognition of the Taliban-run Afghanistan is nearly impossible while restrictions on women and girls are in place.

In a separate development Wednesday, a U.N.-appointed rights expert decried the Talibans decision to bar him from Afghanistan. The special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan Richard Bennett has frequently criticized the Talibans treatment of women and girls.

Bennett said the Talibans announcement that they would no longer grant him access to Afghanistan was a step backwards and sends a concerning signal about their engagement with the U.N. and the international community on human rights.

I urge the Taliban to reverse their decision and reiterate my willingness and availability to travel to Afghanistan, Bennett said.

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A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Kabul warned that Bennetts activities were detrimental to the interests of Afghanistan and the Afghan people.

It was deemed appropriate that Bennett continue his unprofessional conduct from the comfort of his office instead of tiring himself with needless travels, the spokesperson, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, told The Associated Press in a message.
As Africa reels under the ongoing mpox outbreak, Europe is accused of hoarding vaccine doses just like during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic read more

Shares in companies making and developing products against mpox have surged as the European Union's public health body raised its alert level for the virus spreading in Africa and beyond. Reuters

As mpox spreads through Africa, there are concerns that the developed countries of Europe could make the same mistake as they did during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Just like during the Covid-19 pandemic, there are concerns that Europe may hoard excess vaccine doses even as those in acute need in Africa go without jabs. The concerns come as a deadly strain of mpox drives the outbreak, which the World Health Organization (WHO) last week declared as a global health emergency.

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Congo, which has recorded more than 90 per cent of mpox cases in Africa, has said it would like the EU to pledge more.

Hundreds of thousands of doses pledged to Africa

Europe has pledged to provide Africa with hundreds of thousands of doses, but thats not enough as per the assessments from Africa.

Democratic Republic of Congos (DRC) Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba has said that his country alone needs 3.5 million doses and Africa would need around 10 million  far from the doses pledged so far.

The European Commission has already bought around 175,000 doses to send to Africa and the manufacturer Bavarian Nordic has topped it with a donation of around 40,000 doses. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has said that his country would also send a shipment to Africa.

The largest known donation so far has been pledged from Japan at 3 million. The United States has also pledged 50,000 doses.

But is Europe delivering all it can?

There is evidence that Europe is still sitting on doses despite pledging hundreds of thousands of doses to Africa.

Data collated by Politico shows that there are around 3 million doses with Spain, the Netherlands, and Germany.

The magazine reported that Spain has 500,000 vials, Netherlands 100,000 vials, and Germany around 117,000 doses.

With a new technique of vaccination, a vial may deliver up to five doses. This means that the vials with these three countries may deliver in excess to over 3 million doses, but it is not known if they have individually committed to Africa. However, Spains Secretary of State for Health Javier Padilla told Politico that the EU cannot repeat the mistake of accumulating vaccines in Europe while African countries are not being able to administer them to their population even if the great needs are there.
Major General Aharon Haliva, a 38-year veteran of the military, announced his resignation in April and was one of a number of senior Israeli commanders who said they had failed to foresee and prevent the deadliest attack in Israels history read more

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on a residential building, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

Israels outgoing head of military intelligence took responsibility for his countrys failures to defend its border on Oct. 7 at his resignation ceremony on Wednesday.

Major General Aharon Haliva, a 38-year veteran of the military, announced his resignation in April and was one of a number of senior Israeli commanders who said they had failed to foresee and prevent the deadliest attack in Israels history.

The failure of the intelligence corps was my fault, Haliva said at the ceremony on Wednesday, and he called for a national investigation in order to study and understand deeply the reasons that led to the war between Israel and Hamas.

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The Oct. 7 attack badly tarnished the reputation of the Israeli military and intelligence services, previously seen as all but unbeatable by armed Palestinian groups such as Hamas.

In the early hours of the morning of Oct. 7, following an intense rocket barrage, thousands of fighters from Hamas and other groups broke through security barriers around Gaza, surprising Israeli forces and rampaging through communities in southern Israel.

Some 1,200 Israelis and foreigners were killed in the attack, most of them civilians, and about 250 were taken into captivity in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Some 109 hostages are believed to still be in Gaza, around a third of whom are thought to be dead.

The head of the armed forces, Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi, and the head of the domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, both accepted responsibility in the aftermath of the attack but have stayed on while the war in Gaza has continued.
Kamala Harris has reportedly raised an astonishing $500 million since becoming the Democratic presidential candidate. This record-breaking fundraising effort shows immense donor enthusiasm, propelling her campaign ahead of the November election read more

US Vice President Kamala Harris election effort has raised around $500 million since she became the Democratic presidential candidate, sources told Reuters, an unprecedented money haul that reflects donor enthusiasm going into the November 5 election.

Four sources familiar with the fundraising effort told Reuters that figure had been banked for Harris in the four weeks since she jumped into the race on July 21.

Campaign cash is critical for advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts that help bring people to the polls and persuade undecided voters to swing a candidates way.

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Harris entered the fray after President Joe Biden stepped aside from the top of the Democratic ticket, unleashing floods of funding that had dried up in the weeks after Bidens disastrous debate against Republican Donald Trump.

Harris raised $200 million in the first week of her campaign while she quickly wrapped up support to become the partys nominee.

Harris team raised $310 million in July, bringing the total amount of money raised by her and Biden before he dropped out to more than $1 billion, the most rapid crossing of that fundraising threshold in history, according to the campaign.

Trumps campaign said it raised $138.7 million in July and had cash on hand of $327 million. The former presidents campaign outraised Biden in the second quarter.

Enthusiasm for Harris, whose July cash on hand came in at $377 million, has continued into August, manifested by donations from small-dollar donors as thousands of people show up to her rallies in political swing states across the country.

Bidens campaign committee raised $1.04 billion in the 2020 election cycle or $1.62 billion when combined with outside groups, according to OpenSecrets, a group that tracks money in politics.

Harris lauded Biden on Monday on the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where the president, in his own remarks, touted his record and urged voters to back Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, in November.

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Former President Barack Obama, who is also a big fundraising draw, addresses the convention on Tuesday night, while Harris rallies voters in nearby Wisconsin.

Obama attended two high-profile fundraisers with Biden and has offered to help Harris with more.

Harris has repeatedly called herself an underdog in the race against Trump, in the hopes of preventing complacency among her voting and donor base.
Ukraines military reported a series of heavy Russian assaults on Tuesday (August 20) in the Toretsk and Pokrovsk sectors of eastern Ukraine. On Wednesday (August 21), Russian air defences also intercepted 10 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow read more

Russia has launched a heavy attack on Eastern Ukraine, around the key logistical hub of Pokrovsk. Image used for representative purpose/Reuters

There has been much talk of the success of Ukraines unprecedented cross-border assault into Russias Kursk region. Kyiv now claims to control more than 80 settlements.

However, in the dynamic situation on the battlefield, continuous victories are rare. While Ukrainian forces are holding their ground in Kursk, the situation in other aspects is not so positive for them.

Recently, Russia has not only mounted a heavy attack in Eastern Ukraine, but also thwarted drones launched by Ukraine on Moscow.

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Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine

Ukraines military reported a series of heavy Russian assaults on Tuesday (August 20) in the Toretsk and Pokrovsk sectors of eastern Ukraine. The attacks included an offensive on Ukrainian positions around Toretsk, particularly targeting the settlement of Niu-York.

While Ukrainian forces did not disclose the outcome, Russian sources previously claimed control over Niu-York. Firstpost could not independently verify the claim.

The Pokrovsk front has become a focal point for Russias military efforts, with Ukraines forces reportedly repelling 49 Russian attacks on Tuesday, while another 13 clashes were ongoing, according to Ukrainian military statements.

Moscow thwarts Ukrainian drone assault

Russian air defences also intercepted 10 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow, the citys mayor, Sergei Sobyanin,said on Wednesday (August 21). He characterised the incident as one of the largest drone attacks on the Russian capital to date.

Moscows layered defence system has effectively repelled all UAV attacks, Sobyanin stated in a Telegram post, noting that no casualties or damage had been reported.

Drone attacks on Moscow are rare. The last one had occured in May. Back then, a drone incursion similar to the latest one had led to temporary disruptions at two of Moscows major airports.

Kyiv has increasingly targeted Russias energy infrastructure since the conflicts onset in 2022, labelling these actions as fair retaliation for Russian strikes on Ukraines own energy facilities.

With inputs from agencies
Divers searching the wreck of a superyacht that sank off Sicily found four bodies Wednesday, as the search continued for two more missing passengers and questions intensified about why the vessel sank so quickly read more

Italian firefighter scuba divers bring ashore, in the green bag, the body of one of the victims from the British-flagged vessel Bayesian, on Wednesday. AP

Divers searching the wreck of a superyacht that sank off Sicily found four bodies Wednesday, as the search continued for two more missing passengers and questions intensified about why the vessel sank so quickly.

Divers and rescue crews unloaded two body bags from the rescue vessels that pulled into port at Porticello. Salvatore Cocina, head of the Sicily civil protection agency, said two other bodies had also been found Wednesday in the wreckage for a total of four.

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The discovery indicated that the operation to search the hull on the seabed 50 meters (164 feet) underwater was a recovery one, not a rescue, given the amount of time that had passed and no signs of life had emerged over three days of searching, maritime experts said.

The Bayesian, a 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged yacht, went down in a storm early Monday as it was moored about a kilometer (a half-mile) offshore. Civil protection officials said they believed the ship was struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout, and sank quickly.

Fifteen people escaped in a lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby sailboat. One body was recovered Monday  that of the ships Antigua-born chef, Recaldo Thomas.

Six people remained unaccounted for, including British tech magnate Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter and associates who had successfully defended him in a recent US federal fraud trial.

Investigators from the Termini Imerese Public Prosecutors Office, meanwhile, were acquiring evidence for their criminal investigation, which they opened immediately after the tragedy even though no formal suspects have been publicly identified.

Questions abound about what caused the superyacht, which was built in 2008 by Italian shipyard Perini Navi, to sink so quickly, when the nearby Sir Robert Baden Powell sailboat was largely spared and managed to rescue the 15 survivors.

Was it merely the case of a freak waterspout that knocked the ship to its side and allowed water to pour in through open hatches? What was the position of the keel, which on a large sailboat such as the Bayesian might have been retractable, to allow it to enter shallower ports?

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Theres a lot of uncertainty as to whether it had a lifting keel and whether it might have been up, said Jean-Baptiste Souppez, a fellow of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects and the editor of the Journal of Sailing Technology. But if it had, then that would reduce the amount of stability that the vessel had, and therefore made it easier for it to roll over on its side, he said in an interview.

Yachts such as the Bayesian are also required to have watertight, sub-compartments that are specifically designed to prevent a rapid, catastrophic sinking even when some parts fill with water.

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So for the vessel to sink, especially this fast, you are really looking at taking water on board very quickly, but also in a number of locations along the length of the vessel, which again indicates that it might have been rolled over on its side, Souppez said.

Italian coast guard and fire rescue divers, meanwhile, continued the underwater search in dangerous and time-consuming conditions. Because of the depth of the wreck  which is far deeper than most recreational divers are certified for and at a depth that requires special precautions  divers working in tag teams can only spend about 12 minutes at a time searching.

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The limited dive time is designed in part to avoid decompression sickness, also known as the bends, which can occur when divers stay underwater for long periods and ascend too quickly, allowing nitrogen gas dissolved in the blood to form bubbles.

The longer you stay, the slower your ascent has to be, said Simon Rogerson, the editor of SCUBA magazine. He said the tight turnaround time suggests the managers of the operation are trying to limit the risks and recovery time after each dive.

It sounds like theyre operating essentially on no decompression or very tight decompression, or theyre being extremely conservative, he said.
Prime Minister Modi sets out on a landmark European tour, aiming to advance our partnership with Poland on the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations and to build upon previous discussions with Ukraine in hopes of fostering peace and stability read more

Before departing for his two-nation tour on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the importance of Indias relationship with Poland and underscored the significance of New Delhis ties with Ukraine.

While the visit to Poland is the first by an Indian premier in over four decades, the upcoming trip to war-torn Ukraine highlights Indias strategic engagement in a rapidly evolving global landscape.

My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe. Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship. I look forward to meeting my friend Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda to advance our partnership. I will also engage with the vibrant Indian community in Poland, Prime Minister Modi said in a statement.

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From Poland, I will travel to Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine. I look forward to building on our previous discussions with President Zelenskyy to strengthen bilateral cooperation and explore peaceful resolutions to the ongoing conflict. As a friend and partner, we hope for a swift return to peace and stability in the region, he added.

Looking forward to a successful trip, Prime Minister Modi expressed confidence that the visit will strengthen Indias ties with both countries and lay the groundwork for more robust and vibrant relations in the future.

These visits are particularly significant against the backdrop of escalating geopolitical tensions.
PM Modi Poland visit LIVE Updates: Modi will hold talks Thursday in Warsaw with Polands Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda, which are expected to focus on security, especially in the region bordering Ukraine read more

It also coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Warsaw and New Delhi in 2024.

At the invitation of his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk, the historic visit will mark the first by an Indian prime minister in 45 years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is doing what no Indian leader has done in over decades  hes on his way to Poland on a two-day visit (August 21-22). One of the first stops that the PM will make after landing at Warsaw airport, will be to pay homage at the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on his two-nation visit to Poland and Ukraine. He will be in Warsaw on August 21-22, becoming the first Indian PM to visit Poland in 45 years. Modi will then head to Ukraine, undertaking a 20-hour train journey aboard Rail Force One.

PM Modi is the first Indian prime minister to visit Poland in more than 45 years. Morarji Desai, the last Indian Prime Minister, visited Poland in 1979. India and Poland are marking the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

During his visit to Poland, PM Modi will meet and interact with the Indian community there. I will also engage with the members of the vibrant Indian community in Poland, Modi said before leaving for Warsaw.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Warsaw, Poland. PM Modi is on a two-day official visit to Poland. This is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Poland in the past 45 years. (file pic) pic.twitter.com/i7tlxzzZbD

#WATCH | PM Narendra Modi's Poland visit | Artists are preparing at Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw as they await to welcome PM Narendra Modi. pic.twitter.com/83a1wvEEPI

Artists prepare at Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw as they await to welcome PM Modi

#WATCH | Warsaw | Members of the Indian diaspora in Warsaw are excited about the visit of PM Modi to Poland A member of the diaspora, JJ Singh says, "The Indian community is very happy. Polish people connected with India are also excited that an Indian PM is coming to their pic.twitter.com/hvjW9HOl9p

#WATCH | Poland | "It is a matter of excitement for us that our Prime Minister is coming to Poland. this is an important visit which will improve India-Poland relations. This will help bring investments to India from Poland," says Rajpal Sabnani, a member of the Indian diaspora pic.twitter.com/11KGJw72jc

'An important visit which will improve India-Poland relations', says a member of the Indian diaspora in Warsaw

#WATCH | Members of Indian diaspora are gathered outside the hotel where PM Modi will be staying during his visit to Warsaw, Poland "There is a vibrant Indian diaspora in Poland. All festivals including Holi and Diwali are celebrated. Indians are waiting for the visit of the pic.twitter.com/bKWb1fQjt6

7:55 pm IST  8:20 pm IST: Wreath laying at Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial 8:30 pm IST  9:00 pm IST: Wreath laying at Monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino and Kolhapur Memorial 11:20 pm IST  11:55 pm IST: Community event at Hotel Sheraton

The discussions that the Prime Minister will hold with the Polish leadership will allow the two sides to exchange views at the top level on a variety of subjects, and that kind of detailed discussion we have not had in a certain period now. So it will be a kind of a real useful exchange of views, Indian Ambassador to Poland Nagma Mohamed Mallick told PTI Videos here.

Prime Minister Modis visit to Poland is the first trip by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in the past 45 years. During his stay in Poland, Modi will meet President Andrzej Sebastian Duda and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis discussions with the Polish leadership during his two-day visit will allow the two sides to exchange views at the top level on a variety of subjects and it will be a kind of a real useful exchange of views, Indias top diplomat here said.

PM Modi's discussions with Polish leadership will allow 'useful exchange' of views to promote ties: Indian envoy

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the hotel in Warsaw, Poland; greets members of the Indian diaspora at the hotel PM Modi is on a two-day official visit to Poland. This is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Poland in the past 45 years. pic.twitter.com/L3SCh095Sn

 As PM @narendramodi arrives in Warsaw, here is an overview of his 2-day visit to Poland. pic.twitter.com/jUakWP87Hg

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi watches a performance by the artists, in Warsaw, Poland PM Modi is on a two-day official visit to Poland. This is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Poland in the past 45 years. pic.twitter.com/XSnuCJCIgV

Shortly after he landed in Poland, Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed to a hotel in Warsaw where a huge crowd, mostly members of Indian diaspora, had gathered to welcome him.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Ukraine on August 23. This will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine after establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1992. (Visuals from Kyiv City) pic.twitter.com/XElSiNeiaS

#WATCH | After meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a member of the Indian diaspora in Warsaw says, "It is a very big thing to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I think this is a wonderful day for India and Poland..." pic.twitter.com/J1T4ILwh2U

Prime Minister Modis visit to Poland is the first trip by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in the past 45 years.

Landed in Poland. Looking forward to the various programmes here. This visit will add momentum to the India-Poland friendship and benefit the people of our nations, Modi said in a post on X soon after his arrival at the Warsaw military airport here.

Modi, who will meet Polands President Andrzej Sebastian Duda and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Donald Tusk, said he was looking forward to the various programmes in the Polish capital here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said his maiden visit to Poland will add momentum to the bilateral friendship and benefit the people of the two countries as he arrived here on the first leg of his two-nation visit during which he will also travel to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

Deeply touched by the warm welcome from the Indian community in Poland! Their energy embodies the strong ties that bind our nations. pic.twitter.com/mPUlhlsV99

Deeply touched by the warm welcome from the Indian community in Poland, says PM Modi

During his ongoing visit to Poland, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the Monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino today. This visit highlights the enduring connection between India and Poland, especially honoring the brave Polish soldiers who fought in one of World War IIs most pivotal battles.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays a wreath at Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw, Poland PM Modi is on a two-day official visit to Poland. pic.twitter.com/B1GorViHBH

The monument commemorates Polish participation during the Battle of Monte Cassino, which took place in Italy during WWII, and saw Allied troops launch a series of attacks against German Nazi forces.

The surviving Polish children have formed an Association of Poles, which meets on an annual basis in one of the major Polish cities, it said.

In 1942, the Maharaja had provided refuge to about 1,000 Polish children from war-torn, occupied Poland and Soviet camps following the occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia.

According to the Indian Embassy website, eight Polish primary and secondary schools are named after Jam Saheb, known as Good Maharaja in Poland.

The monument was unveiled in October 2014 at the Square of the Good Maharaja, Ochota district in Warsaw.

Modi, who arrived here earlier for a two-day visit, paid tributes to the monument commemorating Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja of Nawanagar by laying a wreath during a small event.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to the Polish-Indian legacy at the Good Maharaja Square in the Polish capital here on Wednesday.

Shortly after he was accorded a warm welcome by the members of Indian diaspora at a Warsaw hotel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon left to visit Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial where he laid a wreath, making him the first Prime Minister to pay his respects at the Warsaw memorial.

VIDEO | PM Modi interacted with members of Indian community after paying homage at the Monte Cassino Memorial and the Memorial to Kolhapur Family in Warsaw. pic.twitter.com/WlKSMXFsz5

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday, embarked on a visit to Poland and Ukraine.

Ahead of emplaning from New Delhi for his key visits to the two countries, Prime Minister Modi said that he looks forward to help create the foundation for stronger and more vibrant relations with the two countries in the years ahead.

The Prime Minister said that his visit comes as both the countries mark 70 years of diplomatic relations.

My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe. Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship. I look forward to meeting my friend Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda to further advance our partnership, PM Modi said in a statement, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

I will also engage with the members of the vibrant Indian community in Poland, he said.

He will travel to Ukraine following his Poland visit, at the invitation of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It will be the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine.

I look forward to the opportunity to build upon earlier conversations with President Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict. As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region, the Prime Minister said in his departure statement

I am confident that the visit will serve as a natural continuation of extensive contacts with the two countries and help create the foundation for stronger and more vibrant relations in the years ahead, he further added.

PM Modi will be visiting Poland on August 21-22 at the invitation of his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk. During his visit, PM Modi will hold meetings with his Polish counterpart and the President, and will also engage with the Indian community.

He will be accorded a ceremonial welcome in Warsaw. After concluding his visit to Poland, PM Modi will travel to Ukraine, where he will also share perspectives on the peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict, with the Ukrainian leadership.
Poland has a rich history of yoga, which spans over 100 years. There are over 3 lakh yoga practitioners in Poland, with about 1,000 yoga centres and 8,000 teachers propagating the spiritual discipline in the country, according to Embassy of India in Poland read more

Ambassador of India to Poland Nagma Mallick during the 10th International Day of Yoga. Image Courtesy: Radio Poland

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on a two-day visit to Poland, the countrys love for yoga is back in spotlight.

It was PM Modi who had floated the idea of International Yoga Day on September 27, 2014, during his speech at the UN General Assembly, where a resolution to establish June 21 as International Yoga Day was introduced. Ever since, Poland has been celebrating the Yoga Day with much enthusiasm and fanfare.

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Poland, however, has a rich history of yoga, which spans over 100 years.

According to Embassy of India in Poland, there are over 3 lakh yoga practitioners in Poland, with about 1,000 yoga centres and 8,000 teachers propagating the spiritual discipline in the country.

The Association of Schools of Yoga, started in 2013 with 11 yoga schools, has now 50 yoga schools under its umbrella, reads the embassy document.

The Art of Living Foundation, Brahma Kumaris University and the Association of Yoga Iyengoar are some of the prominent associations promoting yoga in Poland.

While yoga is gaining traction in Poland, comprehensive data on its popularity across various age groups is still lacking.

While yoga has been practiced in Poland for years, its acceptance is only increasing now, with more Polish citizens exploring its benefits.

Historically, some skepticism has been influenced by traditional views within the Catholic Church regarding yogas connections to Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. However, as interest grows, yoga is steadily becoming a more prominent and embraced practice in Polish society.

Meanwhile, PM Modi will be heading to Poland on a two-day trip starting August 21, and then will leave for Ukraine on August 23.

PM Narendra Modi will be undertaking an official visit to Poland this week on 21st and 22nd August on the invitation of PM Donald Tusk. This is a landmark visit as the PM of India is visiting Poland after 45 years. This visit takes place as we also mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations, Tanmaya Lal, secretary (West), MEA, said in a briefing on Monday.

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With inputs from agencies
China has tried to position itself as neutral in the Ukraine conflict, but it shares with Russia high animosity toward the West read more

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Premier Li Qiang shake hands during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese premier Li Qiang Wednesday, hailing growing trade relations as Moscow becomes increasingly dependent on Beijing for political and economic support.

Our trade relations are developing, developing successfully  The attention that the governments of the two countries on both sides are paying to trade and economic ties is yielding results, Putin said at the meeting in the Kremlin.

He also said that Russia and China have developed large-scale plans for economic and other projects.

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Chinese-Russian relations are at an unprecedentedly high level, said Li, who earlier had met with his Russian counterpart, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

The meeting took place as Russia struggled to push back an incursion by Ukrainian forces into the Kursk region that began more than two weeks ago. Moscow saw overnight drone attacks that officials said were one of the largest wave of drones on the Russian capital since the start of the Ukraine conflict.

Russian news reports did not indicate whether Putin and Li discussed Ukraine.

China has tried to position itself as neutral in the Ukraine conflict, but it shares with Russia high animosity toward the West.

After Western countries imposed heavy sanctions on Russian oil in response to Russia sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022, China strongly stepped up its purchase of Russian oil, increasing its influence in Russia. Putin underlined the importance of China by meeting in Beijing with Chinese leader Xi Jinping soon after being inaugurated for a fifth term in the Kremlin.

A U.S. intelligence assessment released this year indicates that China has significantly increased sales to Russia of machine tools, microelectronics and other technology Moscow uses to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weaponry.
Police said Khalusha and the other detainees escaped by cutting a security wire mesh at a basking bay and climbing a perimeter wall. A basking bay is a place where detainees can get fresh air read more

Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, 33, looks on at the Kiambu law Courts in Kiambu on July 16, 2024. AFP

Collins Khalusha, who had confessed to killing 42 women over the past two years and throwing their bodies into a quarry which is used as a dump has escaped the Gigiri police station where he was being held.

The alleged serial killer was arrested in July after dismembered bodies were found at an abandoned quarry in Embakasi South in Kenyas capital city, Nairobi.

A vampire, a psychopath

At least 10 sacks with body parts were removed from the site, the police had said back then, according to a Guardian report.

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The bodies were discovered during anti-government demonstrations that started in June, during which tens of Kenyans have been reported missing.

We are dealing with a vampire, a psychopath, Mohamed Amin, the head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, said of Khalusha at the time.

Jailbreak: How it happened

The 33-year-old prisoner was one of the 13 who managed to run out of jail on Tuesday (August 20). The other detainees were Eritreans who were held for allegedly being in Kenya illegally.

Police said Khalusha and the other detainees escaped by cutting a security wire mesh at a basking bay and climbing a perimeter wall. A basking bay is a place where detainees can get fresh air.

Around 5 am on Tuesday, when the officer in charge and the stations canteen manager went to serve the prisoners breakfast, they discovered that some of them had managed to escape, Guardian quoted a police report as saying.

Inside help involved?

Kenyan police have arrested eight officers over the escape of the 13 people, an official said.

The eight, among them the head of the station, were on duty during the escape, the acting inspector general of police, Gilbert Masengeli, said.

Our preliminary investigation indicates that the escape was facilitated by insiders, he told journalists at Gigiri police station. Any person found culpable will face the full force of law.

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Masengeli said police have launched a manhunt for the 13 missing prisoners.
Russian authorities have asked residents in areas bordering northeastern Ukraine to stop using dating apps and limit their social media activity to prevent Ukraine from gathering intelligence as it presses on with its incursion into the Kursk region read more

A damaged monument to Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin stands in a central square in the Kursk region town Sudzha, Russia, on August 16, 2024. AP File

Russian law enforcement authorities have advised residents in areas bordering northeastern Ukraine to stop using dating apps and limit their social media activity to prevent Ukrainian forces from gathering intelligence as it presses on with its incursion into the Kursk region.

According to The Moscow Times, citing an Interior Ministry spokesperson who spoke to the state media, the warnings  issued to residents of the Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod regions  also advised against using security cameras.

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The use of online dating services is strongly discouraged. The enemy is actively using them to gather information, Moscow Times quoted the spokesperson as saying to Russian news agency Interfax.

The spokesperson said that the enemy is identifying IP address ranges in our territories, remotely accessing unprotected security cameras, monitoring everything from private yards to strategic roads and highways.

Unless necessary, it is better not to use security cameras, he added.

The warnings comes two weeks after Ukrainian forces stromed across the border into the Kursk region. Since beginning their offensive, Kyiv claims that it has seized over 1,250 square kilometers of Russian territory and 92 towns and villages in the Kursk region.

As Russian troops continue to engage with Ukrainian forces, Russias Interior Ministry has also recommended that military personnel avoid using phones with sensitive personal information and delete contact details of soldiers captured by the Ukrainians.

It is important to monitor and moderate chats and to quickly delete the accounts of people captured by the enemy or those whose phones have been compromised, the spokesperson added.

Security risks

The security risks of social media and smartphone use in conflict zones are well-documented and soldiers have often prey to scammers, disclosing sensitive information through their phones.

According to a CNN report, last year, the US and its Five Eyes allies  Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK  warned that Russian hackers were targeting Ukrainian soldiers mobile devices to steal battlefield data.

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In 2023, Russian media suggested that the murder of Russian submarine commander Stanislav Rzhitsky might have been facilitated by an assailant tracking him via Strava, a popular fitness app, as he used a public profile for his routes, added the report.

Following a Ukrainian strike in Makiivka that killed nearly 100 Russian troops, Russias defence ministry blamed the widespread use of cell phones by soldiers for compromising their location, though some officials disputed this claim.

Recently, Russian lawmakers proposed severe penalties for soldiers using smartphones in combat, including up to 10 days in prison for a first offense and up to 15 days for repeat violations.

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The law would also ban other electronic devices capable of recording and transmitting location data.

This isnt limited to Russia and Ukraine. In 2018, the US Department of Defense banned the use of geolocation features after fitness apps like Strava inadvertently exposed the locations of US bases worldwide.

With inputs from agencies
Following his criticism of the Talibans treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan, the Taliban have barred UN Afghanistan envoy Richard Bennet from entering the country read more

The Taliban have barred United Nations-appointed special rapporteur Richard Bennett from entering Afghanistan, the administrations spokesperson told local broadcaster Tolo, accusing the human rights watchdog of spreading propaganda.

Bennett was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2022 to monitor Afghanistans human rights situation after the Taliban took over the previous year.

Bennett, who has previously said the Talibans treatment of women and girls could amount to a crime against humanity, is based outside Afghanistan but has visited several times to research the situation.

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The U.N. Human Rights Council did not immediately respond to request for comment. Bennett could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Taliban administrations foreign ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi told Reuters Bennett had been unable to acquire a travel visa to Afghanistan.

Even after repeatedly requesting Mr. Bennett to adhere to professionalism during work  it was decided that  his reports are based on prejudices and anecdotes detrimental to interests of Afghanistan and the Afghan people, Balkhi said.

Taliban administration spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has previously said the Taliban respect womens rights in accordance with its interpretation of Islamic law and local customs. He told Tolo that Bennett would not be allowed to come to Afghanistan, a rare public barring of an individual foreign official.

Mr. Bennetts travel to Afghanistan has been prohibited because he was assigned to spread propaganda in Afghanistan He used to exaggerate minor issues and propagate them, Mujahid said, according to Tolo.

Three years into their rule after foreign forces withdrew, the Taliban have not been formally recognised by any foreign government.

Foreign officials, including Washington, have said the path towards recognition is stuck until the Taliban changes course on womens rights, having barred most girls over the age of 12 from schools and universities, banning women from parks, and stopping most long-distance travel by women without a male guardian.

Afghanistans central bank assets have been frozen and many senior Taliban officials are subject to U.N. travel restrictions that require them to seek exemptions to enter other countries.

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The U.N. has been trying to find a unified international approach to dealing with the Taliban. In June, top U.N. officials and envoys from up to 25 countries met the Taliban in Qatar, receiving criticism from human rights groups for not including Afghan women and civil society representatives at the meeting.

The U.N. mission to Afghanistan also operates from Kabul and monitors and reports on human rights issues.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that for decades Indias strategy has been to remain equidistant from all other countries but now Indias strategy is to maintain equal closeness with all and also seeks development for all read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that for decades Indias strategy has been to remain equidistant from all other countries but now Indias strategy is to maintain equal closeness with all and also want development for all.

Addressing the Indian diaspora in Warsaw on Wednesday, he said its the first time that an Indian PM has visited Poland.

After 45 years, an Indian PM has visited PolandI visited Austria a few months ago, there also, an Indian PM was visiting after 4 decadesfor decades, Indias policy was to keep equal distance with all the countries but new Indias policy is to keep closeness with all countriesToday India speaks about everyones developmentand thinks about others. Today the world is respecting India as Vishwabandhu, said the PM.

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#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses Indian diaspora during a community event in Warsaw, Poland.



He says, " After 45 years, an Indian PM has visited Poland...I visited Austria a few months ago, there also, an Indian PM was visiting after 4 decades...for decades, pic.twitter.com/zlAOY1VKPH  ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2024

PM Modi said that if any country faces a crisis, India is the first country to extend a helping hand.

VIDEO | "If any country faces a crisis, India is the first nation to extend a helping hand. India is the land of Lord Buddha's legacy. Therefore, India advocates for peace in this region. India's concept is clear - this is not an era of war, and it is the time to unite to tackle pic.twitter.com/ZuwO6dmwJO  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 21, 2024

India is the land of Lord Buddhas legacy. Therefore, India advocates for peace in this region. Indias concept is clear - this is not an era of war, and it is the time to unite to tackle the biggest challenges of humanity. Thus, India believes in dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflict, added the PM.

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His remarks comes ahead of his trip to Kyiv - the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since the country became independent in 1991.

Talking about India and Poland, he said the two countries share a thing in common, which is democracy.

VIDEO | "India and Poland have a lot of similarities. One of them is democracy. India is not just the mother of democracy, but also a participative and vibrant democracy. People of India have a lot of confidence in democracy, and this was evident in the recent (Lok Sabha) pic.twitter.com/KDu8y2cWjQ  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 21, 2024

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India and Poland have a lot of similarities. One of them is democracy. India is not just the mother of democracy, but also a participative and vibrant democracy. People of India have a lot of confidence in democracy, and this was evident in the recent (Lok Sabha) elections. These (Lok Sabha) polls were the biggest elections of the history. Recently, elections were also held in the European Union in which 180 million voters participated. In India, this number was 640 million, said the Prime Minister.

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He said Poland was one of the first countries to assist when Jamnagar and Gujarat were hit by an earthquake two decades ago.

People of Poland have given a lot of love and respect to Jam Saheb and his family members, and the Good Maharaja Square is a testimony of that. Today, I have visited the Dobry Maharaja Memorial and Kolhapur Memorial. On this occasion, I want to announce that India has decided to launch Jam Saheb Memorial Youth Action programme, said the PM.

He said as part of this programme, 20 Polish youths will be invited to India to learn about the country.

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This way Poland youth will get to learn more about India, he added.

He also thanked the people of Poland for the warm welcome he was accorded on his arrival.

I am thankful to the people of Poland for the warm welcome that I have received here. From the past one week, a lot is being discussed in media about Poland and its people, said PM Modi.

With inputs from agencies
The proposed list singles out officials from Venezuelas National Electoral Council (CNE), the Supreme Court and the counterintelligence police who have been involved in political chaos in the South American country, said sources read more

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado addresses supporters during a march amid the disputed presidential election, in Caracas, Venezuela on August 3, 2024. Reuters File

The US has drafted a list of about 60 Venezuelan government officials and family members who could be sanctioned in the first punitive measures following the South American countrys disputed presidential election in July, two people close to the matter said.

The proposed list singles out officials from Venezuelas National Electoral Council (CNE), the Supreme Court and the counterintelligence police who have been involved in political chaos, the people said.

The US Treasury Department submitted the draft sanctions list in recent days to the State Department, which has the final say on who will be sanctioned, and the number could change, the people said.

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The sanctions would impose travel bans on targeted officials and family members, and would prohibit US entities from doing business with them.

The CNE proclaimed incumbent President Nicolas Maduro winner of the July 28 election without revealing full vote tallies. Venezuelas Supreme Court this month began a vote audit, but experts and electoral observers say it is unlikely to challenge the government.

Washington and other governments have challenged Maduros claimed election victory. Rival candidate Edmundo Gonzalez also claimed victory, and results from more than 80% of ballot tallies published by the opposition show a resounding victory for him, with about 67% support.

Hold to account

It was not immediately clear when the measures would be announced and if any industry sanctions could accompany them.

The US State Department declined to comment. The US Treasury Department and Venezuelas Foreign Affairs ministry did not reply to requests for comment.

US Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian Nichols, on Tuesday said on the social media website X that Washington would hold accountable those who enable electoral fraud and repression.

Neighboring nations and the US, Canada, the European Union and the regional Organization of American States have stepped up calls for complete results to be published. However, they have so far shown little sign of tough action over what several condemned as voting fraud.

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Senior US officials have said that electoral manipulation stripped Maduros victory claim of any credibility, and left the door open to fresh sanctions.

In coordination with our partners, we are considering a range of options to incentivize and pressure Maduro to recognize the election results, a spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council told Reuters last week.

Narrow options

The US also is very concerned by the arbitrary repression and indiscriminate detainment of opposition supporters by Venezuelan security forces, the spokesperson added.

Washingtons options to impose further sanctions are narrow. Five years ago, the U.S. announced the most severe measures yet, following Maduros unrecognized first re-election. These measures have hit the OPEC members oil sector since.

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In April, the Treasury Department decided not to renew a broad license that had temporarily granted Venezuela the means to freely export its oil. The US instead issued individual licenses to some energy companies.

Washington has already sanctioned many key Venezuelan officials, including the CNEs head, Elvis Amoroso.
Hainan launches legislative research in free trade port to promote phase-out of fuel-powered vehicles

Global Times) 14:49, August 21, 2024

To advance its 2030 goal of phasing out sales of fuel-powered vehicles, South China's Hainan Province plans to initiate legislative research on regulations to promote new-energy vehicle (NEV) development in its free trade port, demonstrating its commitment to a clean energy transition.

The Hainan provincial government is seeking third-party institutions to conduct legislative research on regulations to promote NEVs within the Hainan Free Trade Port, a representative from Hainan Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The project involves evaluating the current state of NEV development in Hainan, identifying key challenges and needs, and proposing practical solutions. It also includes preparing draft regulations for review.

Moving from planning to legislative research sends a strong message about Hainan's commitment to developing NEVs - this is a "must", the representative said.

Hainan's initiative to phase out fuel-powered vehicles and strengthen regulations on promoting the development of NEVs plays a crucial role in advancing the green transition, experts said.

Hainan is taking the lead in phasing out fuel vehicles because the scale of its auto industry is relatively small. Unlike other provinces with large-scale manufacturing and supply chains, Hainan is well suited to this transition, making it easier to implement, Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"This move builds on the full electrification strategy and serves as a valuable exploration of tax reform for NEVs in Hainan, setting a strong example nationwide," Cui said.

Hainan has promoted the adoption of 63,000 NEVs in the first seven months of the year, according to the Hainan New Energy Vehicle Promotion Center. During this period, NEVs accounted for 53.9 percent of all newly registered vehicles in the province. By the end of July, the total number of NEVs in Hainan had reached 354,000, representing 17 percent of the total vehicle fleet.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
Can India refuse to extradite Sheikh Hasina if the caretaker Bangladesh government makes a formal request? What do the provisions of the extradition treaty say? read more

It is our call to you that you should hand her over to the government of Bangladesh in a legal way. The people of this country have given the decision for her trial. Let her face that trial, Bangladeshs main Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said on Tuesday while seeking the extradition of Sheikh Hasina, the deposed prime minister, from India.

This is not the official position of the caretaker government of Bangladesh led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. But given that the BNP is practically the leading political outfit in Bangladesh after the ouster of Hasinas Awami League, which won a controversial parliamentary election in January this year, the Yunus government would be under pressure to make a formal request.

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Meanwhile, cases have been piling up against Hasina in Bangladeshs police records and courts ever since she fled the country on August 5 after a conversation with the Army chief who refused to aid her government in quelling the month-long youth agitation that began over a quota-based hiring system for government jobs but snowballed into a call for her ouster from power over a range of issues including corruption.

As Bangladeshs politics heats up to the demand for Hasinas extradition from India, does New Delhi have a say in denying or holding back an official request? This question assumes immense significance given Hasina has been a loyal friend of India during her long premiership in Bangladesh, whose friendly outlook towards India holds strategic importance for New Delhi.

The extradition treaty

The extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India came up as New Delhis persistent quest to address insurgency in the Northeast. For decades, insurgent leaders operating in the Northeast and also West Bengal would cross the porous India-Bangladesh border to escape the law. The treaty was first signed in 2013, and was amended in 2016.

India has benefitted from this treaty and so has Bangladesh, which faces challenges from terror groups like Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and whose operatives were found to be hiding in West Bengal and Assam.

India could get top United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) leader Anup Chetia extradited from Bangladesh in 2015. India too has extradited a couple of Bangladeshi fugitives through this treaty.

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The treaty lists conditions and crimes for extradition. India and Bangladesh are supposed to extradite fugitives who have been proceeded against or who have been charged with or have been found guilty of, or are wanted for crimes listed in the treaty as extraditable offence.

Only crimes carrying a minimum one-year imprisonment can be extraditable offences, including those relating to financial irregularities.

An important aspect in the operation of the India-Bangladesh extradition treaty is that the principle of dual criminality must be satisfied for an offence to be extraditable. This means that the offence should be punishable in both countries.

Article 7 of the treaty deals with what is an extraditable offence and how the authorities in the two countries would respond to a request for extradition.

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But there are exceptions

The India-Bangladesh extradition treaty, however, cant be enforced in cases that are political in nature. Article 6 of the treaty has a list of political offences as exceptions.

Other exceptions are mentioned in Article 8 of the treaty  allowing both India and Bangladesh to refuse requests under certain circumstances.

An extradition request can be denied if it has not been made in good faith and is not in the interests of justice.

Article 8 says a request for extradition can be denied of the person of interest can satisfy the requested country about

the trivial nature of the offence of which he is accused or was convicted, or,

the passage of time since he is alleged to have committed it or to have become unlawfully at large, or,

the accusation against him not having been made in good faith in the interests of justice,

the offence of which he is accused or convicted is a military offence which is not also an offence under the general criminal law.

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Also, if a person is facing a criminal case or convicted of a crime in the requested country, the request for extradition can be denied.

So, can India deny a request for Hasinas extradition?

Among the charges levelled against Hasina in Bangladeshs police and court files include those of murder, culpable homicide, assault, causing an explosion, the making or possession of an explosive substance or weapons by a person intending to endanger life; the use of a firearm with intent to resist or prevent arrest; damaging property with intent to endanger life; kidnapping or taking of a hostage; incitement to murder; and offences related to terrorism.

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These offences are not covered under exceptions among offences of political nature. So, despite being a political figure, Hasinas case may not be covered under this exception. Also, these are neither trivial charges nor such time has passed as to invoke Article 8.

However, the same article also talks about a provision for denying the extradition request by saying that the charges levelled against Hasina are in good faith and not in the interests of justice.

But this carries a risk of hampering India-Bangladesh ties under a new non-Awami League government when the country capping the Bay of Bengal is fast becoming a playground for China and the US actors. India may opt for a diplomatic route to discourage the caretaker Yunus government from making a formal request for the extradition of Sheikh Hasina.
The new 20 million facility, set to open in 2026 at MoD Boscombe Down, aims to protect military equipment from foreign GPS jamming read more

The UK is to build a new facility to help protect military equipment against foreign GPS jamming, the defence ministry announced on Wednesday amid a rise in hostile threats.

The so-called silent hangar site will aim to protect equipment from attempts to jam GPS devices and develop kit that can perform in the harshest electromagnetic environment on operations, the MoD said.

The facility, which is due to open in 2026 and will be one of the largest in Europe, will be used to test military equipment including Protector drones, Chinook helicopters, armoured vehicles and fast jets.

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The tests will be conducted in a specialist hangar, which will reduce reflections, echoes or the escape of radio-frequency waves.

It will be located at MoD Boscombe Down, a military aircraft testing site in Wiltshire, southwest England, with a 20 million ($26 mn) contract awarded to defence tech firm QinetiQ to build the facility.

Hostile threats jamming GPS to disorientate military equipment has become increasingly common, said Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, Maria Eagle.

This cutting-edge test facility will help us eliminate vulnerabilities from our platforms, protect our national security and keep our Armed Forces better protected on global deployments, Eagle added.

In April, Estonia and other Baltic states warned that widespread GPS jamming increased the threat of an aviation accident, with the NATO-member state blaming the interference on Russian hybrid activity.

A month earlier, a British Royal Air Force plane carrying the then-UK defence minister had its GPS signal jammed as it flew near Russian territory.

The testing we will conduct using this new facility will be integral to strengthening the resilience of military equipment, said Will Blamey, chief executive of UK Defence at QinetiQ.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ordered a review of the countrys armed forces in his first month in office in July, which would set out the path for the UK to increase defence spending to 2.5 percent of its GDP.

UK spending on defence in 2023 stood at 2.26 per cent, according to latest official figures.
Pacific Islands nations are valued in the defence plans of major world powers because of their strategic location, including for monitoring and controlling naval movements across the Pacific Ocean, said the Lowy Institute report read more

Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. File image/ Reuters

Geopolitical shocks could disrupt the political and security landscape and strain unity in the Pacific Islands region amid strategic rivalry between China and U.S. allies, a think-tank report warned ahead of an annual Pacific Islands leaders summit.

Pacific Islands nations are valued in the defence plans of major world powers because of their strategic location, including for monitoring and controlling naval movements across the Pacific Ocean, said the Lowy Institute report.

It noted intense rivalry between countries like China, and the U.S. and its allies Australia and Japan, for influence in the region.

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Chinas outreach and activities in the region appear indefatigable and were being matched by U.S. allies including the largest aid donor Australia, it said.

Faced with this new great game, Pacific Island countries have become diplomatic price-setters and are leveraging increased competition to maximise development benefits, said the report authors Mihai Sora, Meg Keen and Jessica Collins.

It warned that this unbridled strategic rivalry challenged good governance and transparency, and small Pacific Island states risked being overwhelmed.

The competing interests of donor countries were pulling Pacific Islands in different directions, swamping small bureaucracies, and risked distracting from local priorities, it said.

China had became a major player in the region, in development finance, ports, airports and telecommunications, and has sought a greater role in the military, policing, digital connectivity and media.

The Pacific Islands vulnerability to climate change was also being leveraged, with external partners offering assistance for access to the Pacific, the report said, without naming the countries.

Mobilising naval and air assets for disaster response involves securing rights to use ports, airstrips, and maritime routes, prompting large powers to jostle to be the first to respond, the report said.

China has hosted three Pacific Islands leaders for extended tours of the North Asian country ahead of the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Tonga, which begins on Monday.

Fijis Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday, even as Fijis government signed a deal with the U.S. Peace Corps to recruit software engineers and announced Google would build a $200 million data centre to support a new subsea cable.

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The leaders of Vanuatu and Solomon Islands visited China in July.

The report found Pacific Island countries were asserting their needs more boldly in international engagements, asking for better deals on trade, labour mobility, digital connectivity, and climate resilience.
Shortly after he landed in Poland, Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed to a hotel in Warsaw where a huge crowd, mostly members of Indian diaspora, had gathered to welcome him read more

Shortly after he landed in Poland, Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed to a hotel in Warsaw where a huge crowd, mostly members of Indian diaspora, had gathered to welcome him.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the hotel in Warsaw, Poland; greets members of the Indian diaspora at the hotel



PM Modi is on a two-day official visit to Poland. This is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Poland in the past 45 years. pic.twitter.com/L3SCh095Sn  ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2024

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In a video posted by ANI news agency, PM Modi is seen interacting with the excited members of the Indian community as they surround him to shake hands and take autographs.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets members of the Indian diaspora, in Warsaw, Poland



PM Modi is on a two-day official visit to Poland. This is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Poland in the past 45 years. pic.twitter.com/sYBG4FKTaW  ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2024

In another video, the PM is seen shaking hands and giving high fives to kids from Poland who have queued up to welcome him at the hotel.

#WATCH | PM Narendra Modi interacts with children as he arrives at a hotel in Warsaw as he begin his two-day official visit to Poland.



PM Modi is on a two-day official visit to Poland. This is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Poland in the past 45 years. pic.twitter.com/r8Z9xKuot7  ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2024

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After meeting the members of Indian diaspora and others at Warsaw hotel, PM Modi took to X to thank them for the warm welcome.

Deeply touched by the warm welcome from the Indian community in Poland! Their energy embodies the strong ties that bind our nations, PM Modi posted on X.

Deeply touched by the warm welcome from the Indian community in Poland! Their energy embodies the strong ties that bind our nations. pic.twitter.com/mPUlhlsV99  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 21, 2024

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Earlier today, PM arrived in Poland on the first leg of his two-nation visit during which he will also travel to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

His visit to Poland is the first trip by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in the past 45 years.

During his stay in Poland, PM Modi will meet President Andrzej Sebastian Duda and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe, PM Modi said in his departure statement earlier today.

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Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship. I look forward to meeting my friend Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda to further advance our partnership, he added.

PM Modi said he will also engage with the members of the vibrant Indian community in Poland.

Prime Minister Modis discussions with the Polish leadership during his two-day visit will allow the two sides to exchange views at the top level on a variety of subjects and it will be a kind of real useful exchange of views, Indian Ambassador to Poland Nagma Mohamed Mallick told PTI.

From Warsaw, PM Modi will travel to Kyiv on the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since the country became independent in 1991.

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With inputs from agencies
Shortly after he was accorded a warm welcome by the members of Indian diaspora at a Warsaw hotel, PM Modi soon left to visit Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial where he laid a wreath, making him the first Prime Minister to pay his respect at the Warsaw memorial. read more

Shortly after he was accorded a warm welcome by the members of Indian diaspora at a Warsaw hotel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon left to visit Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial where he laid a wreath, making him the first Prime Minister to pay his respects at the Warsaw memorial.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays a wreath at Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw, Poland



PM Modi is on a two-day official visit to Poland. pic.twitter.com/B1GorViHBH  ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2024

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#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw, Poland



He also laid a wreath here. pic.twitter.com/Ez4kXdcf21  ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2024

The Prime Minister also laid a wreath at Monte Cassino Memorial and later visited the Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays a wreath at the Monument to Battle of Monte Cassino, in Warsaw, during his two-day official visit to Poland



The Battle of Monte Cassino was fought from May 11 to May 18, 1944, in World War II. The Polish forces suffered significant pic.twitter.com/W1G2V0vnXd  ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2024

#WATCH | PM Narendra Modi lays wreath at Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw, Poland



"Members of the Association of Polish in India from 1942 to 48 and myself, I wish you, the prime minister, much health and success in fulfilling the mission you undertook by visiting Poland and Europe. pic.twitter.com/9zoZHIrX0w  ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2024

The history behind these memorials connects Poland and India in a very special way, said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

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During the Second World War, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar - which is now in Gujarat - not only saved the lives of several Jewish children by bringing them to India from Poland but also took care of them as a guardian. The Maharaja of Nawanagar opened his summer palace to displaced children.

Warsaws Good Maharaja Square pays tribute to Jam Saheb Digvijaysinh.

A group of about 1,000 Polish children, who were lost and orphaned amid death and destruction caused by WWII, departed for India in 1942 from Siberia, where they had been shifted after the 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland.

The children were welcomed by their benefactor, the Jam Sahib, but only after a tortuous journey.

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The ships carrying Polish refugees from the former Soviet Union, including a large number of children, were denied entry when they called on ports while sailing through Iran to Bombay (Mumbai), then under British colonial rule.

When the Maharaja, who was a member of the Imperial War Council, was made aware of the plight of the children in the gulags, he became concerned and established a camp in Balachadi, about 25 km (15 miles) from the capital city Jamnagar, for the Polish arrivals.

Monte Cassino Memorial commemorates the victory of the soldiers of the Second Polish Corps at the Battle of Monte Cassino during the Second World War in 1944. The Second Polish Corps conquered the hill and the monastery on it. More than 900 Polish soldiers were killed in this battle.

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Kolhapur Memorial has been set up in memory of the village in Kolhapur that hosted the Polish children whom the Jam Saheb of Nawangar had granted refuge. The children were moved to Valivade in Kolhapur in 1945. Valivade was chosen due to its favourable climate, located about 500 km south of Mumbai.

It was expected to provide a better living environment compared to harsh conditions in other regions.

After Polish refugees departed this place, its significance was preserved via various memorials. There is a cemetery in Kolhapur, which was restored in 2014 and honours the Polish individuals who died while they were in India.

With inputs from agencies
A Thai senator has called for a parliamentary investigation into Prawit Wongsuwon after the veteran politician slapped a reporter on the head, an act condemned as physical harassment. The incident occurred shortly after Paetongtarn Shinawatras election as prime minister, prompting widespread media criticism read more

A senator in Thailand on Tuesday formally requested a parliamentary investigation into a veteran politician and former army chief who struck a television reporter on the head after she asked him a question.

Prawit Wongsuwon, 79, a lawmaker and former deputy premier who was involved in the last two coups in Thailand, hit the female reporter on Friday while surrounded by journalists, video footage of which was widely circulated.

A notorious political dealmaker and a central figure in Thailands two decades of political strife, Prawit, who leads the Palang Pracharat Party, served in the last junta and was deputy prime minister for nine years after a 2014 coup.

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#Thailand: Women Press Freedom strongly condemns Thai politician Prawit Wongsuwon for slapping @ThaiPBSWorld journalist #DuangthipYiamphop as she approached him with a question. This violent behavior is unacceptable, especially from an elected official. We demand immediate pic.twitter.com/PetROVWw0V  #WomenInJournalism (@CFWIJ) August 19, 2024

This behaviour is physical harassment, said Senator Tewarit Maneechai, who told Reuters he had requested an ethics probe be conducted into Prawit.

It is also disrespectful to a journalist who was doing her work, he added.

Palang Pracharat Party spokesman Piya Tavichai said Prawit knew the reporter well and has apologised, adding he could clarify the facts in any parliamentary process.

He was teasing her as someone who he is close to, Piya said.

Because he was a soldier, the teasing could appear to be violent but those close to him know that he teases like this all the time.

Prawit and the reporter, who works for broadcaster ThaiPBS, could not be reached for comment.

The incident sparked widespread condemnation from Thailands media community. ThaiPBS asked Prawit to take responsibility for his actions.

Senator Tewarit said he requested an investigation into Prawit through the Senate to be conveyed to the lower house of parliament, which will have 30 days to respond. He said he was unsure what penalty Prawit would face if found guilty.

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The ethics code for Thai parliamentarians states members should respect the rights and liberty of others and refrain from threats, showing malice or use of force to harm others.

The incident happened on Friday moments after the Pheu Thai Partys Paetongtarn Shinawatra won a vote in parliament to become prime minister, Thailands third premier from the billionaire Shinawatra family, with which Prawit has a bitter history.

Prawit, who did not attend the vote, was asked his thoughts on Paetongtarns victory, to which he replied What are you asking? What are you asking? before striking the reporter, television footage showed.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning announces:

At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi will pay a visit to China from August 22 to 24, during which the two foreign ministers will co-chair the 5th Meeting of the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation between the Peoples Republic of China and the Republic of Indonesia.
On the morning of August 20, 2024, at the invitation of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council left Beijing by chartered plane for Moscow to hold the 29th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government and pay an official visit to Russia. State Councilor and Secretary-General of the State Council Wu Zhenglong and other accompanying officials left Beijing on the same plane.

On the afternoon of August 20 local time, Li Qiang arrived at Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport by chartered plane. The Russian side held a grand welcoming ceremony for Li Qiang at the airport. Accompanied by senior Russian government officials, Li Qiang reviewed the guard of honor.

Vice Premier of the State Council He Lifeng and State Councilor Shen Yiqin, who arrived in Moscow earlier to attend the regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government, greeted the delegation at the airport. Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui also greeted them at the airport.

Li Qiang said that over the past 75 years, China-Russia relations have withstood the test of the changing international landscape and grown from strength to strength. Under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin, China-Russia relations in the new era have shown new vigor and vitality, with stronger political mutual trust, fruitful cooperation in various fields, deeply cherished friendship, and close and effective international coordination, setting a fine example of a new type of international relations and relations between neighboring major countries.

Li Qiang pointed out that the two heads of state have met twice this year, laying out the top-level design and strategic plan for the new development of China-Russia relations at the new historical starting point of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Li Qiang said, his visit to Russia is aimed at delivering on the common understandings reached between the two heads of state, carrying forward the enduring friendship from generation to generation, and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation. He expressed the belief that with joint efforts of the two sides, the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era will surely embrace a brighter future.
Explore the rich history and architectural beauty of Trinity Episcopal Church in this captivating tour given by Reverend Jimmy Abbott. Join J.R., Lisa, Erika, and Reverend Jimmy in uncovering the layers of history, from its founding in 1841 to its role in wartime and natural disasters.
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2024.
The Grand Valley has been named alongside world famous regions like Sonoma in California and the Willamette Valley in Oregon as one of the countrys top 10 wine regions, according to USA TODAY.

The Grand Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA) came in 10th in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers Choice Top 10 Wine Regions in 2024. A panel of travel and wine experts selected nominees from hundreds of wine-producing regions throughout the country. Readers then voted for their favorite regions. The top region was Yakima Valley, Washington.

The Colorado wine industry is thrilled that USA TODAY readers have recognized the quality and the energy embodied in Colorados Grand Valley AVA, said Kyle Schlachter, executive director of the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board, in a statement. World-class wines that can only be grown on the terraces above the Colorado River make the Grand Valley truly one of the preeminent wine regions in the country for wine lovers to visit and explore.

The Grand Valley is home to more than two dozen wineries, according to a release from the Colorado Department of Agriculture, and the vineyards in the Grand Valley produce more than 75% of the grapes for the states 165 wine producers. Wineries from the Front Range to mountain towns use grapes harvested in the Grand Valley.

Carlson Vineyards owner Garrett Portra said he thinks the USA TODAY list, as well as other recent positive stories in national media, are good for the industry and the areas economy in general. Carlson is located on the Fruit and Wine Byway in Palisade and has a tasting room on Main Street in Grand Junction.

Were such a unique (wine region) in this country, Portra said. I think its cool were starting to get some attention for it.

He said 2024 has been a good year for his business so far. More and more guests have been visiting the region for other reasons, like outdoor recreation and sporting events, he said and they are coming by for tastings as well.

Overall he said the wine industry compliments other tourist attractions in the area and vice versa.

The fun thing about wine is wine really represents its place, Portra said. Where those grapes are grown, where that wine is made, where that fruit comes from really makes a difference, especially to people who enjoy and love wine.

This isnt the first time USA Today has shown a spotlight on the Grand Valley and recognized its wine industry.

In 2017, the Colorado Mountain Wine Festival in Palisade was voted the top festival by USA Today.

The wine festivals website, coloradowinefest.com, explained the contest, saying USA Todays 10Best website enlisted a panel of wine and travel experts to nominate 20 of the best festivals celebrating wine, wine culture and wine tourism across the countrys top wine-making regions.
2 indicted for stealing trade secrets for Chinese company

ROC Central News Agency

08/20/2024 10:27 PM

Taipei, Aug. 20 (CNA) The Taiwan Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office has indicted two men for allegedly stealing technology from their former Japan-based employer on behalf of a Chinese company, the office said.

The two men, surnamed Wu () and Huang (), are suspected of copying and revealing the company's core technology to a man surnamed Wang (), who owns a precision industry company in China, prosecutors said.

They are accused of breaching trust and obtaining records from another's computer without good reason, in violation of the Criminal Code, according to prosecutors. They are also accused of violating the Trade Secrets Act and Copyright Act.

Prosecutors added that their actions are believed to have resulted in the company losing at least NT$12.3 billion (US$385 million).

Wu and Huang were employed as a research and development manager and a senior engineer. They were both involved in designing and developing manufacturing processes for the company's patented microactuators, prosecutors said.

Wang approached Wu after setting up a research and development center in Taiwan as he sought to advance vertical integration for his Chinese company.

He interviewed Wu in 2019, promising annual pay of NT$5 million. He also transferred US$98,000 and US$66,000 to Wu and his spouse and agreed to give the spouse stocks and a paid nominal company position, prosecutors said.

Wu then recruited Huang, after which they proceeded with the alleged crimes before resigning from their former company in February and May 2020, respectively.

The case came to light when the company was checking email records of former employees, upon which they reported the case to prosecutors.

Prosecutors recommended the two men receive heavy sentences, to protect the stable development of high-tech industries and to ensure Taiwan's industrial competitiveness.

(By Yeh Chen and Wu Kuan-hsien)

Enditem/kb

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China's state security authorities expose espionage cases involving postal deliveries

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Aug 20, 2024 01:54 PM

China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) on Tuesday disclosed several cases in which foreign espionage and intelligence agencies used postal deliveries to carry out espionage activities, including mailing alligator snapping turtles, American bullfrogs, and other species to China, with the aim to disrupt local ecosystem and biodiversity.

The courier industry is not only closely related to economic and social development and the lives of the people but is also closely connected to national security. In recent years, foreign espionage and intelligence agencies have increasingly used delivery channels to carry out espionage activities, the MSS said in an article published on Tuesday.

National security agencies have discovered that some packages and parcels from abroad have become channels for a clandestine biological invasion, threatening China's ecological balance and biological security, according to the MSS.

In recent years, some foreign organizations and individuals have been mailing exotic species such as red-eared sliders, alligator snapping turtles, American bullfrogs, fall armyworms, and red imported fire ants into China. These invasive species have strong reproductive capabilities and, once they invade, they compete with local species for resources, disrupt local ecosystems and biodiversity, and pose significant risks to China's biological and ecological security. Additionally, they may also pose serious threats to the safety of people's lives and property, said the MSS.

Some criminals have attempted to use non-contact methods such as "Internet + delivery" to carry out illegal activities related to terrorism and violence, according to the MSS.

For example, a foreign organization, under the guise of a scientific project, mailed a certain chemical powder to a research institution in China. Unsure of the powder's composition and intended use, the staff member of the Chinese research institution promptly contacted national security agencies.

Upon investigation, it was found that this type of powder could be used as a catalyst in various harmful chemical experiments. Had it been successfully infiltrated, it would pose significant risks to the key research projects undertaken by the institution, the article wrote.

Recently, national security agencies have conducted a thorough investigation and identified a suspect surnamed Zhang after receiving a tip-off through a public reporting hotline 12339 on a potential leakage of a classified publication.

The investigation revealed that Zhang had been recruited by a foreign espionage and intelligence agency and took advantage of his position, which allowed him to subscribe to classified publications, to send these publications to foreign espionage personnel via a courier company. Zhang was ultimately sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking multiple documents classified as confidential and secret.

The MSS warned the public in the article that according to China's Law on Guarding State Secrets, transmitting state secrets through ordinary postal services, couriers, or other channels without confidentiality measures; sending or consigning carriers of state secrets abroad, or carrying or transmitting carriers of state secrets abroad without approval from the relevant authorities, will result in disciplinary actions according to the severity of the situation. Any illegal gains will be confiscated, and if a crime is committed, criminal responsibility will be pursued according to the law.

China's Postal Law also stipulates that no entity or individual shall use postal materials to post or deliver articles with content that aims to incite subversion of state political power and overthrow the socialist system, split the country and undermine national unity, or endanger state security.

China's Biosecurity Law also stipulates that if foreign organizations or individuals transport, post, and bring dangerous biological factors into the country or otherwise endanger nation's biological security, they shall be pursued for legal responsibility according to law and other necessary measures may be taken.

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Sikorsky Completes Delivery of New Presidential Helicopters

23 VH-92A helicopters built in New York and Connecticut

OWEGO, N.Y., Aug. 19, 2024 -- The U.S. Marine Corps formally accepted the 23rd and final next-generation VH-92A presidential helicopter built by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company (NYSE: LMT) in recent ceremonies here, marking a significant milestone for the company whose aircraft have flown every U.S. president since 1957.

"This delivery represents a significant milestone and new chapter in the rich, 67-year history of Marines providing helicopter transport of the president of the United States. The VH-92A Patriot brings increased capabilities for this no-fail mission supporting the Commander-in-Chief around the world," said Lieutenant General Bradford Gering, Deputy Commandant for Aviation. "Sikorsky's contribution to Marine Aviation has enabled your United States Marine Corps to be a ready and lethal fighting force."

The delivery demonstrates the success of the VH-92A helicopter program to design, build and deliver the program of record under budget and within the planned delivery schedule.

Sikorsky: Continuing the Legacy

The VH-92A helicopter will transport the President and Vice President of the United States and other officials. Sikorsky brings unmatched experience and a proven track record to this mission having flown every president since 1957. The VH-92A, also called a "White Top" due to its notable white and green livery, will continue this legacy for decades to come.

"Once again, Sikorsky's highly-skilled employees have shown their ability to innovate, manufacture and deliver these next-generation VH-92A presidential helicopters that will be operating worldwide in support of presidential missions well into the future," said Richard Benton, Sikorsky vice president and general manager. "This milestone is a credit to our valued and long-lasting partnership with the Marine Corps as we provide a highly-tailored solution for the Marine Corps' unique, critical mission."

The VH-92A program ensures long-term affordability by utilizing the FAA certified Sikorsky S-92 aircraft, which is best-in-class for safety and reliability. The S-92 aircraft was modified at Sikorsky facilities in Owego, New York, and Stratford, Connecticut for the VH-92A mission based on government-defined requirements.

About Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin is a global defense technology company driving innovation and advancing scientific discovery. Our all-domain mission solutions and 21st Century Security vision accelerate the delivery of transformative technologies to ensure those we serve always stay ahead of ready. More information at Lockheedmartin.com.

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Final VH-92A presidential helicopter delivered

Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR)

Aug 19, 2024

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, Patuxent River, Md. -- Presidential Helicopters Program Office (PMA-274) and the Marine Corps accepted delivery of the final VH-92A helicopter, built by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company, in August. The achievement signifies the completion of the program of record to deliver 23 new presidential helicopters in support of the executive lift mission.

The total inventory of 23 VH-92A aircraft will consist of 21 operational and two test aircraft. This quantity allows for aircraft to be ready to support the executive lift mission, undergo various levels of maintenance, lifecycle upgrades, and provide assets for pilot/aircrew training.

"This exceptional team has successfully completed the program of record for the VH-92A within budget and schedule," said Brigadier General David Walsh, program executive officer for air anti-submarine warfare, assault, and special mission programs. "This helicopter not only embodies the hard work and dedication of those responsible for building and delivering the aircraft, but it will remain a recognizable patriotic asset known around the globe for safety, security, and reliability."

In May 2014, PMA-274, with approval from the Navy, awarded Sikorsky a contract to build the next presidential helicopter, the VH-92A, a derivative of the commercial S-92.

The new presidential helicopter was built to increase performance and payload over the VH-3D and VH-60N. It will provide enhanced crew coordination systems and communications capabilities in addition to improving availability and maintainability.

The Marine Corps works with the White House Military Office, PMA-274, and Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1) to ensure the conditions are set for a successful transition from the current in-service VH-3D and VH-60N aircraft to the VH-92A. Currently there are 10 VH-3D's, six VH-60N's, and 9 VH-92A's that support various missions assigned to HMX-1.

"Between the program staff and artisans within Sikorsky and PMA-274, we have the best and brightest. These great American's are experts at their craft and put their all into this platform," said Colonel Alex Ramthun, PMA-274 program manager. "Not only have we delivered increased performance and reduced maintenance costs and time over the current fleet of presidential helicopters, but we have also delivered the next phase of Marine One helicopters. Knowing those who step aboard any of the 21 VH-92A will have absolute top-notch execution, maintenance, and service for the life of the aircraft makes me proud to be part of this amazing team."

The VH-92A Patriot is in the midst of a phased plan to ensure a smooth, safe, and timely transition from the legacy VH-3D and VH-60N aircraft.

PMA-274 expeditiously provides safe, ready, high-performing, and affordable aircraft, capabilities, and support to HMX-1.

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Vietnam arrests Montagnard for 'undermining solidarity'

He was accused of receiving instruction from Montagnard 'terrorists' abroad.

By RFA Vietnamese 2024.08.19 -- Police in Vietnam's Central Highlands have arrested a member of the Montagnard community on charges of collecting one-sided information and reporting it to other members of the ethnic minority group living abroad in order to oppose the government.

Police investigators in Dak Lak province announced the arrest of Y Po Mlo, 63, last Thursday on charges of "undermining the solidarity policy" under Article 116 of the criminal code.

Government officials "repeatedly educated, reminded and brought Y Po Mlo to self-criticism" for contacting and receiving instructions from U.S.-based Montagnard Y Mut Mlo, the Ministry of Public Security reported.

Y Mut Mlo was sentenced in absentia to 11 years in prison on terrorism charges in connection with a fatal attack on two administration offices in Dak Lak province on June 11, 2023.

The Ministry of Public Security also said that from last year until his arrest, Y Po Mlo used his Facebook account to contact and receive instructions from Montagnards seeking asylum in Thailand, including Y Min Alur, Y Thanh Eban and Y Pher Hdrue, and to pass on the information to other Montagnards in Dak Lak.

It accused the three Thai-based Montagnards and U.S.-based Y Mut Mlo of being members of FULRO. The group, also known as the United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races, existed from 1964 to 1992 and campaigned for the autonomy for minority groups in Vietnam such as the Monganards, Cham and Khmer. Vietnam has branded it a "terrorist organization."

Montagnard means "mountain people" in French and is a term used by French colonizers for about 30 indigenous tribes living in Vietnam's Central Highlands.

Many Montagnards are Christian and say they have suffered discrimination from local and national authorities over issues such as land rights and freedom of religion.

Not terrorist organizations

Radio Free Asia contacted two of the three Thai-based Montagnards but they deny having any connection with Y Po Mlo.

"I don't know where this person is or what he looks like," Y Min Alur told RFA Vietnamese. "I'm in Thailand, where I speak out about the issue of religion and human rights, about issues such as religious oppression by the Vietnamese Communist Party and taking land from our ethnic people."

Alur, 49, is a follower of the Evangelical Church in Phu Yen province. He fled to Thailand to seek asylum because of religious persecution and is waiting to be resettled in a third country. He said he was not a member of FULRO because the organization was dissolved in 1992.

"Those who speak out about the Vietnamese Communist Party's suppression of religion are all considered FULRO," he added.

Another Thai-based Montagnard, Y Pher Hdrue, said the claim that Y Po Mlo had connections with FULRO members was a "baseless and ridiculous" accusation "just to create an excuse for arrest and repression."

When police searched Mlo's home they seized a number of documents related to Thai-based "Montagnards for Justice" and the U.S.-based "Montagnard Support Group," according to Vietnamese media.

Montagnards Stand for Justice, or MSFJ, founding member Y Phic Hdok said members of the group are not terrorists and have no connection to FULRO.

He called the government's claims about Mlo's international connections with Montagnard support groups "baseless slander."

"After verifying with MSFJ members in Thailand, we confirm that we do not know who Y Po Mlo is and have never worked with him," he said.

U.S.-based Y Phic Hdok, said his group collects information on human rights violations and religious repression against ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands and reports it to international human rights organizations and the United Nations.

He said he was concerned that Vietnam's government arbitrarily arrested people, forced them to confess to trumped-up charges and labeled MSFJ a terrorist organization. Hdok said this proves that Vietnam had not improved on human rights and did not respect the law and international conventions on rights.

He said the government's action was transnational repression, and it created false evidence to discredit MSFJ, and it plotted to extradite group member Y Quynh Bdap, from Thailand to Vietnam.

Special Rapporteurs speak out

In a joint letter sent to the Vietnam government on June 14, 13 special rapporteurs from the U.N. human rights mechanism spoke out about the repression of Montagnards in Vietnam and of organizations and individuals in Thailand.

The letter was made public on Aug. 14 after the Vietnam government failed to respond and labeled MSFJ a terrorist group following the Dak Lak attacks on June 11, 2023.

The group's founding member, Y Quynh Bdap, was convicted in absentia by a court in Dak Lak and sentenced to 10 years in prison for "terrorism." Bdap, who sought asylum in Thailand in 2018, was arrested by Thai police on July 11 at Vietnam's request and is being tried for overstaying his visa, facing deportation to Vietnam.

The U.N. human rights experts said that labeling MSFJ a "terrorist organization" went against the requirements of due process and judicial protection under international human rights law.

The rapporteurs said MSFJ was an organization that protected the rights of indigenous people.

They also expressed concern that the Vietnamese government appeared to be continuing its cross-border repression by sending police to Thailand to seek the extradition of Y Quynh Bdap, other MSFJ members and other Vietnamese there.

Referring to an incident on March 14, the rapporteurs said Vietnamese police entered boarding houses in two places in Thailand where Montagnards were staying and "threatened, harassed and coerced the refugees to force them to return to Vietnam against their will."

The U.N. experts said the persuasion and intimidation of Vietnamese seeking asylum in Thailand in March was part of an intensified campaign of discrimination, repressive surveillance, security controls, harassment and intimidation against Montagnards in the Central Highlands. They said the 2023 attacks were the pretext for this escalation.

Discrimination and repression against Montagnards contravenes Vietnam's international commitments on human rights and could fuel resistance among indigenous minorities in the Central Highlands, the experts stressed. They cited cases of Montagnard religious leaders being imprisoned or dying in suspicious circumstances, such as Y Bum Bya, who was found hanging from a tree in a cemetery near his home after going to meet police on March 8 this year.

RFA Vietnamese emailed the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a request for comment on the Special Rapporteurs' letter, but did not receive a response by time of publication.

Translated by RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Mike Firn.

Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content August 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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MV Cape Hudson Arrives at Indonesia for Super Garuda Shield 24 Offload

US Navy

19 August 2024

From Grady T. Fontana

BANYUWANGI, Indonesia -- Military Sealift Command (MSC) chartered Motor Vessel (MV) Cape Hudson (T-AKR 5066) arrived at the port of Banyuwangi, Indonesia, to offload equipment in support of exercise Super Garuda Shield 2024, August 12-13, 2024.

The vessel embarked on its voyage from its home base in San Francisco and made stops to load cargo and personnel in Tacoma, Wash.; Honolulu; and Japan before arriving at Banyuwangi.

Super Garuda Shield, one of the largest multinational exercises in the Indo-Pacific region, continues to solidify the U.S.-Indonesia Major Defense Partnership Defense Cooperation Agreement and advances cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

"This is not a typical commercial route," said contracted mariner Benjamin Day, ship's master, MV Cape Hudson. "We originated from the West Coast of the United States, then Hawaii and Japan, to bring equipment and a mission set all the way to Banyuwangi, Indonesia, to support (exercise Super Garuda Shield)."

Oversight of the offload in Indonesia was conducted by a detachment of the U.S. Army's 835th Transportation Battalion, 599th Transportation Brigade, Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC), out of Okinawa, Japan.

Within two days, the ship unloaded approximately 313 pieces of equipment and containers. Once the items were discharged off the ship, they were staged at the marshalling area for onward movement to the respective training area.

Between the expertise of MSC, SDDC and Banyuwangi port officials, all gear was off loaded as scheduled.

Cape Hudson is a 750-foot-long roll-on, roll-off container vessel with four decks of cargo space. The ship can accommodate 186,000 sq. ft. of cargo, which equates to about 4.3 acres of space that can equal roughly 38,000 tons of cargo. It is part of the Cape H-class of ships that include MVs Cape Horn and Cape Henry.

Despite its massive presence, the ship's characteristically low draft allows for this tonnage while still getting into smaller ports. This ship has a significant cargo capacity and is multimodal, making Cape Hudson ideal for the charter.

According to Day, his experience on commercial container ships differs from these types of ships and missions.

"These ships are a lot different then what I'm used to," said Day, who has more than six years of experience with the Cape H-class ships. "Doing this type of mission is fun because the cargo is different, you're lashing it differently; it takes a broader skill set."

Cape Hudson is part of the Ready Reserve Force fleet of vessels. The RRF is a subset of vessels within the Maritime Administration's (MARAD) National Defense Reserve Fleet ready to support the rapid worldwide deployment of U.S. military forces.

As part of the crew of Cape Hudson, MSC also assigned a tactical advisor (TACAD), whose job is to deploy on commercial chartered vessels and act as a liaison between military higher headquarters and the ship's crew.

The Navy Reserve is MSC's manpower solution for surge mission sets, and TACADs are typically Strategic Sealift Officers (SSOs), who are warfare qualified Navy Reserve Officers with civilian Merchant Mariner credentials and military training to support the activation, operation, and sustainment of the Sealift fleet.

"I make sure the vessel gets from point A to point B safely and that we are in contact with higher headquarters," said Lt. j. g. Alexa Lumpkin, TACAD on Cape Hudson. "This involves establishing secure communications between the ship and military operations center. I also provide contested-maritime-environment training with the crew."

Lumpkin is serving on her fourth TACAD mission. She stated she enjoys serving as the TACAD. In her civilian job, she is a merchant marine and sailing on her third mate's license as a merchant mariner can be stressful.

"As a mate, I don't feel like I have a lot of time when we get to port," said Lumpkin. "But as a TACAD, it's a whole different experience. I get to work with lot of people; I get to be involved in missions such as this. I just like being a part of it."

Additionally, to support the discharge of equipment, MSC deployed a three-member Reserve-component team from various Reserve Expeditionary Port Units (EPU) in the U.S. to assist with port operations.

"We're here to help MSC and SDDC with the offload of Cape Hudson. Our role is to act as a liaison between SDDC, the ship, and port authorities, and to make sure that the port is suitable for the ship in Banyuwangi," said Quartermaster Chief Joshua Vest, senior enlisted leader, EPU 112, from Little Rock, Ark. "We're also making sure everyone involved is adhering to safety procedures. I think we've been maintaining a good schedule, and everybody has learned something valuable toward the expeditionary side of port operations."

According to Vest, it makes a lot of sense to bring out EPUs to support these specialized missions.

"EPUs play a crucial role that is sometimes overlooked," said Vest. "Their contributions are not tethered to certain tasks or responsibilities but on providing expertise in varying situations."

According to the MARAD website, RFF provides nearly 50 percent of government-owned surge sealift capability.

MSC Far East supports the U.S. 7th Fleet and ensures approximately 50 ships in the Indo-Pacific Region are manned, trained, and equipped to deliver essential supplies, fuel, cargo, and equipment to warfighters, both at sea and on shore. U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2024, MSC exists to support the joint warfighter across the full spectrum of military operations, with a workforce that includes approximately 6,000 Civil Service Mariners and 1,100 contract mariners, supported by 1,500 shore staff and 1,400 active duty and Reserve military personnel.

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August 20, 2024

Transcript

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder Holds a Press Briefing

PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY AIR FORCE MAJOR GENERAL PAT RYDER: Good afternoon, everyone. Just a couple of things here at the top and we'll get right to your questions. Secretary Austin spoke by phone yesterday with Ukrainian Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov to discuss current battlefield dynamics, Ukraine's ongoing operations and Ukrainian reconstitution and training efforts.

During their call, Minister Umerov provided an update on the impact of Russia's continued attacks in Ukraine. Secretary Austin and the minister also discussed the next Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, which will be held next month in support of Ukraine's urgent security assistance requirements.

As we've said since Russia's illegal and cruel invasion two and a half years ago, the DOD will continue to support Ukraine with the means to deter and defend itself against further Russian aggression. The full readout of the phone call is available on Defense.gov.

Separately, the Department of Defense continues to closely monitor the situation in the Middle East and take steps to mitigate the possibility of regional escalation by Iran or its proxies. The department's recent adjustment to the US military posture in the region have enabled us to bolster US force protection, increase support for the defense of Israel and to ensure the United States is prepared to respond to various contingencies.

As you've heard us say previously, we remain intently focused on de-escalating tensions in the region while also remaining focused on securing a ceasefire as part of a hostage deal to bring all of the hostages home and to end the war in Gaza.

With that, I'll take your questions. We'll start with AP, Lita Baldor.

Q: Thank you, Pat. Two things on Ukraine. One, have you or has the Pentagon seen any significant Russian movement back into Kursk at this point? Can you at least give us some sort of broad assessment about what you're seeing, even if it's  you're seeing nothing at all. And then I have a second question.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Sure. You know, again, without getting into an operational update here, we have seen indications of Russia moving, you know, a small number of forces into Kursk, the Kursk region, to respond. I would say, generally speaking, though, Russia has really struggled to respond, and you continue to see some Ukrainian advances in that regard. But again, I'd refer you to Ukraine to talk about its operations and to Russia to talk about its own forces.

Q: And then secondly, did the Ukrainians ask anything or are they asking anything from the United States in order to help with the operation there? Are they asking for any specific weapon systems or other support?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah, I don't have anything to announce from the podium. As I mentioned, we'll be conducting the Ukraine Defense Contact Group here in September, which, again, is always the opportunity to meet with our allies and partners to talk about Ukraine's most urgent defense needs. And as I highlighted, you know, we're committed to making sure they have what they need to defend their sovereign territory and deter future Russian aggression.

Q: Can I just put sort of on the record, could we please get an operational update?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER:

Noted. Thank you.

Welcome back again, Lucas.

Q: [Laughter] General Ryder, how long do you plan to keep this additional firepower in the Middle East?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, as you know, we're not going to talk about operational timelines. We will preserve flexibility, as we always do. And again, we'll stay focused on the operational objectives that I highlighted.

Q: What happened to as long as it takes, or is that just for Ukraine?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: You talking about the Middle East?

Q: About the Middle East. But I'm saying for Ukraine, you constantly say  the mantra in this building is for as long as it takes. Is that same with the Middle East?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, again, Lucas, I know you've covered this region for a while. We've had a significant force presence in the Middle East for a very long time, upwards of, you know, 30,000 plus US forces operating with partners throughout the region. And I don't foresee that changing anytime soon.

Q: Are all options on the table with Iran?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: In what regard?

Q: I mean, all regard.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Like, where do you want to start, like diplomatic, economic, informational?

Q: Leaders in this building said they're  all options are on the table in dealing with Iran. Does that include striking Iran? Are all options on the table?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. I'm not going to get into a philosophical discussion. I think we've been very clear in terms of we're focused on 

Q: So, it's not 

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, you're providing a very broad scope getting into, you know, geopolitics. And  and so, if you can define your question a little bit better.

Q: [Off mic] geopolitics?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah.

Q: All options are on the table when dealing with 

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: You should become a spokesperson. Let's go over here to Will.

Q: Regarding the forces  the Russian forces that have been moving into Kursk, are they from inside Russia, or are  any of them have been pulled from Ukraine or Ukrainian front lines?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah, I'm not going to have any further details to provide on that, Will. Thanks.

Charlie?

Q: Thanks, Matt. In terms of the destruction of the Glushkovo bridge, the Russians are suggesting weapons  Western weapons were used, possibly HIMARS. Are HIMARS being used in this fight?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, I appreciate the question. Again, I'm going to have to refer you to the Ukrainians to talk about their operations and  and what they are or are not using.

Q: F-16s?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Again, I'd refer you to the Ukrainians to talk about what  what they're employing in their operations.

So, Brad?

Q: So, when the secretary spoke with the Ukrainian defense minister yesterday, did they discuss long range strikes into Russia? And is the US considering reversing that policy?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, I'm not going to be able to provide more detail than what we've included in our readout other than to say, you know, our  our policy when it comes to long range strikes has not changed. Thanks.

Tony?

Q: ATACMS in the Kursk offensive, does  do the Ukrainians have permission to use ATACMS to blunt a Russian counteroffensive into their  into the pocket they've captured?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, I'm not going to get into Ukraine's selection of capabilities as they conduct their operations. Our policy has not changed, which is in terms of using long range strike capabilities to conduct deep strike. You know, as you've heard us say, conducting counter fire defensive operations across the border is permitted. And I'll just leave it there.

Q: Quick question. Last  last week you were  you took a question on Afghanistan in terms of over-the-horizon strikes. It was in the context of ISIS-K. You didn't really elaborate on the extent to which, since the pullout to  since the withdrawal three years ago, the United States is conducting over-the-horizon either surveillance or strikes against ISIS-K elements. Can you elaborate a little bit on that, the extent to which the United States is conducting those?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, generally speaking, Tony, you know, we're going to read out, at the appropriate time, any type of strikes that we've taken. I'm not aware of any that we haven't announced at this point. Certainly, if we see imminent threats against the United States or our interests, we reserve the right to take appropriate action, to include conducting over-the-horizon strikes. But I don't have anything to read out to you right now.

Q: Thanks.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Thanks. Janne?

Q: Thank you, General. Two questions. The US and South Korea, UFS, Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise, is underway in South Korea. North Korea accused this exercise of being aimed at invading North Korea. How will you react?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. I mean, that's just patently false. As you know, these exercises are defensive in nature. They're also longstanding, and these are opportunities for our forces to work together on interoperability and to learn how to operate in dissimilar environments.

Q: Last weekend, the leaders of the United States and South Korea and Japan issued a joint statement commemorating the one year anniversary of the Camp David Declaration. What will happen to the US and South Korea and the US and South Korea and Japan agreement if the United States administration changes?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, as I'm sure you can appreciate, I'm not going to get into hypotheticals other than to say I think our alliance with Japan and South Korea are strong, stronger than they've ever been. And I think going into the future, you'll see them continue to get even stronger. Thanks.

Let me go to the phone real quick here, take a couple. All right. Let's go to JJ Green, WTOP.

Q: Thank you, General, for taking this question. I had a chance to speak with a spokesman from the Ukrainian military a day or so ago, and they mentioned that it would be very helpful for them if Western logistics  and speaking of the US and the allies that are sending weapons, etc., to them, if the pace could be picked up to get those weapons to them sooner, considering what it is that they're doing and what they're engaged in now in Kursk and Belgorod. And just second really quickly, is this something that could be addressed at the next contact group, if not sooner?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah, thanks for the question, JJ. We are always looking at ways that we can expedite delivery of capabilities to the Ukrainians. And to your point, the Ukraine Defense Contact Group provides an excellent forum in which to have discussions to look at processes and procedures as it relates to ensuring that the Ukrainians have what they need on the battlefield to defend themselves.

You know, it's important to remember, first of all, that from the very beginning, the United States has worked very, very hard to rush vital capabilities to Ukraine, and that hasn't stopped. You see organizations like the Security Assistance Group Ukraine, which serves as a focal point for ensuring the onward delivery of those capabilities, but also recognizing the incredible complexity, more than 50 nations working together to get this capability from their own stocks, in often cases, or contracting it and getting it to Ukraine.

So, that is work that is constantly ongoing. And as evidenced by the fact that you continue to see Russian forces conducting offensive action in the  the east of Ukraine, we also recognize the vital importance of  of moving as quickly as possible. So, we'll stay after it.

Let me go to Lara Seligman, The Wall Street journal. Lara, are you there?

Q: Hi. Can you hear me? Just an update, Pat, on the F-16 training in Ukraine, how that is going and whether there are going to be American contractors helping out with the maintenance in Ukraine?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. So, right now, as I understand it, there continues to be F-16 training in Arizona and in Denmark. In terms of within Ukraine, I don't have any updates to provide. I'd have to refer you to the Ukrainians on that front. As you know, they have received some F-16s. And in terms of DOD contractors, US DOD contractors, I'm not aware of any right now.

All right. Come back in the room, Oren?

Q: Two questions on the Middle East and then one on Ukraine. Have the USS Abraham Lincoln or has the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and USS Georgia arrived in CENTCOM?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: They are still in transit, Oren, and we'll keep you updated on that front, but I do anticipate they'll be arriving soon.

Q: So I'm just curious, when you talk about bolstering US force protection and increasing support for Israel, isn't it true then that most of what you're sending hasn't even gotten to the AOR yet?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: No, I don't think that would be a fair characterization. Again, as I highlighted earlier, we already maintain a significant force presence and it's also important to understand to look beyond episodic situations, right? So ensuring that we have the forces in theater to respond to something if it happens now, but also ensuring we have forces in theater to be able to respond to whatever could be next in terms of potential escalation and trying to de-escalate the situation.

And that requires bolstering some of those capabilities, again, one, to send a clear message, but two, to be able to respond in a longer term scenario should we need to do that. So I'll just leave it there.

Q: And then just a quick Ukraine question. Is the US ready to openly and publicly support Ukraine's operation in Kursk? If not, why not?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER:

Look, again, we're continuing to have the discussions with the Ukrainians in terms of their focus. You heard President Zelenskyy say it was to create a buffer zone. So we're having those conversations to learn more about what their objectives are. Again, if you take a step back from a US perspective, our focus continues to be enabling Ukraine to be a free and sovereign country that can deter Russian aggression in the future.

And so that continues to be our focus. As it relates to their operation in Kursk, as I mentioned, they clearly have compelled the Russians to struggle in their response. It has certainly demonstrated the creativity and the battlefield prowess of the Ukrainians. But when it comes to what their longer term objectives are here, that's something that we're still discussing with them.

Thank you. Sir. Haven't seen you in a while. Welcome back.

Q: Thank you very much, General. Actually, I was in Kurdistan. Many official sources including Minister of Peshmerga, they told me ISIS are serious threat in Iraq, in Syria and in the region and he believed it is very important for all of Iraq international coalition stay in Iraq. Do you have any comment on that?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, as you know, the conversations with the Higher Military Commission continue. I don't have any updates to provide on the outcomes of that other than to say that we, as part of the US Iraq Joint Security dialog which includes Peshmerga representation, is looking at what the transition for the coalition OIR will be and what the future of the US, Iraq bilateral security cooperation is.

When it comes to ISIS, you're right. It does continue to be a threat. Certainly ISIS is not as capable as it was 10 years ago, but they do continue to pose a threat, particularly in ungoverned spaces within Syria and also as it relates to ISIS prisoners in al-Hol that need to be repatriated. So this is something that we are not going to take our eyes off of and we'll continue to keep you updated on that front.

Q: Follow on question. Do you believe cooperation between Peshmerga and Iraqi Army is important, to Peshmerga, ISIS and especially in disputed areas like Kirkuk?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. Look, there's no question, first of all, that Iraqi security forces writ large, which includes Peshmerga, have played a vital role in terms of reducing the threat that ISIS poses. But as we've seen in places like Afghanistan, left unchecked, ISIS can start to make a resurgence. And so again, we'll continue to work with our Iraqi partners, our Peshmerga partners to address this threat.

Let me go to Constantine and then I'll come to you, Carla.

Q: Thanks, Pat. Yesterday, President Zelenskyy was quoted in Ukrainian media saying that he deliberately did not disclose plans of his Kursk mission to Western allies. Is that something that the Pentagon, that dynamic is something that the Pentagon expects to be part of the relationship going forward? And is that a source of concern in this building?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, look, I think our commitment and support for Ukraine is strong, right? And we're going to continue to support them for the long haul, as you've heard, Secretary Austin and others say. We're going to always keep those channels of communication open because the better we understand what Ukraine's objectives are, the better we can support them.

And so this is why we have multiple mechanisms to include frequent phone calls between Secretary Austin and his counterpart and forums like the UDCG where we can have those discussions. But at the end of the day, again, it's important to take a step back in terms of what we're trying to achieve here and that's a free and sovereign Ukraine that is able to defend itself and deter future Russian aggression.

Q: So just a quick follow on, sorry. You would say that there's no change in the closeness of the relationship between

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Absolutely not. No.

Q: OK. Thank you, Pat. A couple of follow ups. So follow up to Oren's question. USS Georgia is still not in the CENTCOM AOR, is that what you just said?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: It's in transit.

Q: It's in transit?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Mm-hmm.

Q: It is heading towards the CENTCOM AOR?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: It's been ordered to the CENTCOM area. Why are you asking your question so incredulously?

Q: It's taking them an awful long time to get there. That's why I'm just trying to track, to make sure that it is indeed going to CENTCOM. OK. I just wanted to make sure. And then on Ukraine, just to follow up to Lita's question. There have been other attacks outside Kursk. There was a drone attack that targeted a fuel depot like 700 kilometers south of Kursk, about 250 kilometers away from the Ukrainian border.

Is that pulling any Russian forces outside of Ukraine? Have you seen themif they're not moving into Kursk, have you seen them pull back to Russia? What can you say on how these attacks have updated and affected the battlefield in Ukraine?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah, broadly speaking, Carla, again what you see is the vast majority of Russian forces along the eastern front in Ukraine, occupying Ukrainian territory and focused on, in some areas, largely defensive, but in some areas focused on offensive operations, attempting to take additional Ukrainian territory.

As it relates to any type of Ukrainian operations inside Russia that you're referencing, that's inside Russia. So I mean they already have forces inside Russia. I just don't have anything on that. All right, let me go back to the phone here. Jeff Schogol, Task and Purpose.

Q: Thank you. Can you bring us up to date on the number of attacks and wounded in Iraq and Syria against US troops? And also, can the Defense Department name which cruisers were sent to the Middle East? I don't think I've seen those ships named. Thank you.

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. Thanks, Jeff. In terms of the injuries that were at Rumaila and landing zone, I think you were briefed on Monday, 11 personnel had been treated for TBI and smoke inhalation. All 11 of those, to my knowledge, have returned to duty. In terms of the cruisers, just to clarify something, so within the Department of Defense, we have an acronym that we typically use, CRUDES, which stands for cruiser destroyer.

And so there was some information out there in terms of cruisers going to the AOR. Right now, there are no cruisers in the AOR, but we often use that term also loosely to refer to destroyers. So CRUDES, cruiser destroyer, so we do have destroyers in both the Yukon and the CENTCOM AOR. Hope. Hopefully that helps to clarify.

All right. Let me go to Joseph Al-Arabiya.

Q: Thanks for that. I just wanted to ask again on Iraq. Today, Iraq's foreign minister said several developments led to the postponing of the announcement at the end of the coalition presence in Iraq. But he also said there had not been any response to the attacks on US troops, particularly at al-Asad air base, due to what he said was diplomacy.

Were you guys asked to hold off or not respond to any of these recent attacks, specifically the most recent one that led to, I guess, 11 injured US personnel?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. Thanks, Joseph. So a couple of things on that. So first of all, as Secretary Austin has said many times, we're not going to tolerate attacks on our forces, and we will always respond appropriately at a time and manner of our choosing. As for any type of diplomatic discussions, I don't have anything to read out to you, nor am I going to get into those types of private discussions.

OK. Time for a few more. Yes, sir.

Q: Thank you, General Ryder. My name is Mushfiqul Fazal [ph] representing South Asia perspectives. How does the Pentagon view the role of the Bangladesh Army in supporting peace and stability under the interim government led by Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus [ph]? Is there any collaboration or communication between the United States and Bangladesh military during this transitional period?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Well, as you know, we do have a defense relationship with Bangladesh. We will look forward to working to support our shared values and interests, such as a free and open Indo-Pacific. I don't have anything to read out right now in terms of any types of contact.

As it relates to the Bangladesh government, of course, you know, we would expect human rights to be observed and there to be an avoidance of any type of violence. But I would refer you to our State Department for any questions about the US-Bangladesh relationship writ large. Thank you.

Charlie?

Q: Thanks, General. Between the Theodore Roosevelt, the Abraham Lincoln, the ships that are in the Med now, I count around a dozen destroyers, a submarine that will one day get there. What kind of fight are you gearing up for?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: And so, first of all, let's be clear about  you know, I noted a bit of snarkiness in your question there. But the submarine is in the Mediterranean, which is in the EUCOM AOR, ok? So, first of all, I mean, it's in proximity of the region that we're talking about, moving into the Central Command region, again, to provide capacity there.

And in terms of what we're getting ready for is exactly what I read out at the top, which is enabling us to bolster force protection, the defense of Israel, and also be ready to respond to a wide variety of contingencies. I understand the focus on this moment in time, but we in the DOD are a planning organization.

And in addition to being ready for now, we're going to be ready for that wide variety of contingencies of what may come. To do that, you have to have capability and you have to have capacity. And so, that's exactly what we've done and that's exactly what we'd be prepared to do going ahead into the future. Thanks.

Sir?

Q: Yeah. President Zelenskyy said it wouldn't have been necessary for them to move into Kursk if its supporters, including the US, cleared them to launch deep strike missions at military targets inside Russia proper. Is this fair or not, or is this true or not? What's the 

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yeah. Yeah, I'm not going to comment on President Zelenskyy's statement. Certainly, you know, I'll let his comments speak for themselves. Again, there should be no question that the United States supports Ukraine in its fight for freedom and to preserve its sovereignty and to deter future Russian aggression. And that's what we continue to remain focused on.

While you're going to see various shifts on the battlefield from time to time as we've been watching this for two and a half years, we remain laser focused on that end state in terms of enabling them to defend their sovereignty and deter future Russian aggression, both urgent battlefield needs and long term defense needs. And that's what we'll continue to stay focused on.

Ultimately, at the end of the day, you know it's up to the Ukrainians to defend their country, and we're going to continue to communicate closely with them on what those needs are and evolve as the situation on the battlefield evolves.

All right, last two. Yes, sir?

Q: Thanks, General. So, on the two major wars that are going on in Ukraine and in Gaza, the civilian casualty rate in Ukraine by the Russian military is around 11,000 civilians, around 2,000 children. In Gaza, it's 40,000 civilians, 16,000 children. So, that's eight times the number of children killed in one-third of the time span by Israel.

So, my question for you is if you could tell us about the moral calculus that has led this administration to spend over $100 billion supporting Ukraine to fight back against Russia while we're spending tens of billions aiding militaries  aiding Israel's military campaign in Gaza and using rhetoric, you know, like Russia's aggression, defending Israel, we're getting ready to defend Israel for a regional war potential in the Middle East. So, with that stark civilian casualty contrast, why have you determined that Russia is the bad guy and Israel is the good guy?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: So, again, let's take a step back in time here and look at how these conflicts started. Number one, Russia's illegal, cruel invasion, February of 2022, essentially attacking its democratic sovereign neighbor unprovoked.

October 7, Hamas killed over 1,200 innocent civilians, took over 250 hostages, half of whom are still being held today, and you continue to see the brutality of Hamas in terms of embedding itself within mosques, schools, hospitals, building a tunnel network underneath Gaza instead of spending money on the citizens that it purportedly was supposed to help govern, a tunnel network, oh, by the way, that's the size of New York City and goes multiple levels below the surface.

So, again, when it comes to the death of any civilian, from a Department of Defense standpoint that's absolutely not something we want to see. And this is something that we constantly and repeatedly, publicly and privately, discuss with our Israeli counterparts. I think this is also why it's vital that this ceasefire be signed immediately and that the hostages can be returned so that this war in Gaza can end and innocent civilians can stop suffering, whether they be Palestinian or Israeli.

Q: So, the  so, the distinction real quick 

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I answered your question.

Q: Though, was on the provocation. And so, are you saying that the tens of thousands of ethnic Russians 

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I think I answered your question.

Q: In the Donbas who were killed prior to the war, that was not a provocation. The record high deaths in the West Bank, that wasn't a provocation of Hamas?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Yes, sir?

Q: Thank you, General.

Q: How do you  how do you determine that?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I answered your question.

Q: A couple of questions. The Iranian proxy groups in Iraq say they have paused their attacks on US forces. But as long as the Imam Al-Hussein rituals stand, they will resume their attacks as long as the US forces remain in Iraq. Do you have any comment on it?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: Again, look, our relationship with Iraq is a strong one. We're there at the invitation of the government of Iraq and will continue to have the discussions through the Higher Military Commission and through our US-Iraq Joint Security Cooperation dialog to look at not only what the future of the coalition is, but also what our longer term US-Iraq bilateral security relationship will be.

And so, again, we'll have much more to provide on that in the future. I just don't have any updates to provide right now.

Q: And lastly, the deputy head of the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria stated that an American Typhoon fighter jet approached Russian aircraft dangerously. Do you have any report?

MAJOR GENERAL RYDER: I don't have anything on that. Thanks.

All right. Thanks very much, everybody. Appreciate it.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3879555/

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August 20, 2024

Release

DoD Releases Five Awards for Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program

The Department of Defense recently announced seven additional awards to bioindustrial firms via the Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program (DBIMP). This announcement brings the DBIMP to 13 awards to date totaling $23 million.

The awardees include Battelle in Columbus, Ohio; Modular Genetics in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Genomatica in San Diego; Industrial Microbes in Alameda, California; ZymoChem in San Leandro, California; The Better Meat Co. in West Sacramento, California; and Biosphere, in Oakland, California.

The awards are some of more than 30 expected to be conferred as part of the White House's Executive Order 14081, "Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy," aimed at bolstering America's bioeconomic strengths while helping the Department achieve advanced defense capabilities.

"Expanding the Department of Defense's biotechnology capabilities is key to maintaining the United States' supply-chain and military superiority," said Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu, as she announced the conferment of this third batch of DBIMP awards during a moderated discussion at the National Defense Industrial Association's Emerging Technologies Conference on Aug. 7 in Washington, D.C.

Through these agreements, companies will receive funding to produce business and technical plans that detail construction of domestic bioindustrial manufacturing production facilities under the Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC) Other Transaction Agreement (OTA), a contract vehicle awarded and overseen by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy. Successful projects that were selected under the competitive announcement can receive follow-on awards that would provide access to up to $100 million to build a U.S.-based bioindustrial manufacturing facility.

"As we look to build resilient supply chains and address emerging threats," said Carla Zeppieri, deputy assistant secretary of defense for industrial base resilience. "The DIBC OTA plays a pivotal role in DoD's efforts to develop mission-critical materials domestically and meet our national security needs."

The department announced the first award for the DBIMP in July 2024. The remaining awards are expected to be announced throughout the coming month.

Details of the current batch of awarded projects are as follows:

Battelle, based in Columbus, Ohio, was awarded $1.85 million to plan a facility for producing less expensive chemicals that are needed to produce smokeless propellants and other energetic materials. Production is expected to occur at Battelle's Advanced Pilot Facility in Aberdeen, Maryland.

Biosphere, based in Oakland, California, was awarded $1.5 million to plan a commercial-scale manufacturing plant for high-performance oils with direct use across defense application areas of food, fuel, and fabrication. The facility location is yet to be determined.

Genomatica, based in San Diego, was awarded $1.51 million to plan a multiproduct biorefinery to domestically produce polymer precursors that have applications in the aviation and automobile markets. Facility sites in the U.S. Midwest are being considered.

Industrial Microbes, based in Alameda, California, was awarded $1.55 million to plan a commercial-scale facility to convert ethanol feedstock into acrylic acid, which can be used in coatings, adhesives, sealants, lubricants, corrosion inhibitors, and wound dressings. The facility location is yet to be determined.

Modular Genetics, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was awarded $2.53 million to plan a facility that is expected to bring overseas production of a vital precursor for energetic materials back to the U.S. industrial base. The company's proprietary technology reduces waste costs for industrial-scale production of this chemical. Production is expected to occur in West Virginia.

The Better Meat Company, based in West Sacramento, California, was awarded $1.48 million to plan a bioproduction facility for mycoprotein ingredients that are shelf-stable, have high protein and fiber contents, and can be dehydrated. The facility location is yet to be determined.

ZymoChem, based in San Leandro, California, was awarded $1.57 million to plan a bioproduction facility for biobased monomers used to fabricate military fabrics, tactical gear, parachute systems, aerospace materials, and other high-performance materials. Establishing domestic production of these monomers would reduce reliance on foreign supply chains. The facility location is yet to be determined.

About the Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program

Following a competitive evaluation of proposed solutions, the Department entered negotiations with more than 30 selectees for business and technical planning efforts across focus areas for defense materials: fabrication, fitness, food, and fuel. Upon completion of planning efforts, businesses are eligible to enter negotiations to proceed to the next phase of the DBIMP under the DIBC, wherein the DoD will support building bioproduction infrastructure that increases the domestic supply of critical materials.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3878835/

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Venezuelan National Pleads Guilty to Sanctions Evasion Scheme

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

For Immediate Release

Office of Public Affairs

Defendant Conspired to Unlawfully Export Millions of Dollars' Worth of Aircraft Parts from the United States to Venezuela's State-Owned Oil Company Through Costa Rica and Spain

George Semerene Quintero (Semerene), 60, of Venezuela, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) for his role in a scheme to evade U.S. sanctions imposed on Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), a Venezuelan state-owned oil company.

"This defendant admitted to participating in an illicit scheme to procure millions in aviation equipment for the Maduro regime," said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department's National Security Division. "Today's conviction demonstrates the Justice Department's commitment to hold accountable those who seek to evade export controls and sanctions to prop up rogue authoritarians."

"By lying to U.S. suppliers, falsifying customs forms and creating fake invoices, Semerene helped PDVSA evade U.S. sanctions," said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod of the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). "But, as today's guilty plea makes clear, what he couldn't evade are the consequences of breaking U.S. law."

"Today, George Semerene Quintero admitted that he conspired to circumvent economic sanctions and export controls to aid Nicolas Maduro's regime in Venezuela in obtaining critical aircraft parts from the United States," said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. "Together with the BIS and our law enforcement partners, we will continue to ensure that the integrity and intent of U.S. sanctions are preserved. Semerene's guilty plea reflects our steadfast commitment to holding those who violate sanctions accountable and to vigorously enforcing export controls to protect our nation's security."

According to court documents, between January 2019 and December 2021, after learning of the sanctions imposed on PDVSA, Semerene and his co-conspirators devised a scheme to illegally procure aircraft parts, including bearings, rudder parts, joint slide flexes and actuators, from the United States to service PDVSA's aircraft fleet in Venezuela, in violation of U.S. sanctions and export controls. Semerene, who was an employee in PDVSA's procurement department, and his co-conspirators concealed from U.S. companies that the requested parts were destined for Venezuela and PDVSA, and they utilized freight forwarders and shipping companies located in the Southern District of Florida to move the parts. Semerene and his co-conspirators carried out this scheme by (1) lying to U.S. parts suppliers; (2) making false declarations on customs forms and shipping documents; (3) fabricating supplier invoices; and (4) providing false end-user certificates. Semerene and his co-conspirators further utilized third parties in other countries, including Novax Group SA, a Costa Rican Aerofalcon SL, a Spanish company, to serve as the purported purchasers and end users for the aircraft parts ultimately destined for PDVSA.

The indictment charging Semerene and nine co-defendants, including three other individuals associated with PDVSA, was unsealed in April, following Semerene's arrest upon his arrival in the United States.

Semerene is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 5 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

BIS is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Stratton for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal of the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES) are prosecuting the case. CES Deputy Chief Matthew McKenzie provided valuable assistance during the investigation.



Topics: Export Control

National Security

Components: National Security Division (NSD)

USAO - Florida, Southern

Press Release Number: 24-1034

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Tunisia - 65' SAFE Archangel Boats

Media/Public Contact: pm-cpa@state.gov

Transmittal No: 23-31

WASHINGTON, August 20, 2024 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Tunisia of 65' SAFE Archangel Boats and related elements of logistics and program support for an estimated cost of $110 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

The Government of Tunisia has requested to buy additional non-MDE 65' SAFE Archangel boats and additional non-MDE articles and services that will be added to a previously implemented case. The original FMS case, valued at $49.3 million, included non-MDE 65' SAFE Archangel boats and non-MDE articles and services, consisting of commercial variant marine global positioning systems; navigation systems; communications equipment; training; and other related elements of logistical and program support. The estimated total cost is $110 million.

This proposed sale will support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives by helping to improve the security of a major non-NATO ally that continues to play an important role in regional security and Peacekeeping Operations throughout Africa.

The proposed sale will better equip Tunisia to contribute to shared security objectives, promote regional stability, and build interoperability with the United States and Western partners. The Tunisian Navy uses the 65' SAFE boats for search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, and other maritime-related operations to ensure security in the country and region. The boats will build on Tunisia's existing military capability. Tunisia will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment and services into its armed forces.

The proposed sale of this equipment and services will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The principal contractor is SAFE Boats International, located in Bremerton, Washington. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

Implementation of this sale will not require the assignment of any U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Tunisia.

There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.

The description and dollar value are for the highest estimated quantity and dollar value based on initial requirements. Actual dollar value will be lower depending on final requirements, budget authority, and signed sales agreement(s), if and when concluded.

All questions regarding this proposed Foreign Military Sale should be directed to the State Department's Bureau of Political Military-Affairs, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, pm-cpa@state.gov.

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Chinese Embassy in the Philippines condemns US statement on Xianbin Jiao collision as 'sowing discord, fueling tensions'

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Aug 20, 2024 11:17 PM

Chinese Embassy in the Philippines on Tuesday urged the Philippines to earnestly observe the understandings and arrangement reached with China in terms of South China Sea disputes, refrain from taking actions that may complicate the situation following the recent clashes in Xianbin Jiao (also known as Xianbin Reef). The Chinese embassy also demanded the US to stop provoking confrontation in the South China Sea and cease actions that undermine regional stability and exacerbate tensions.

On Monday, two Philippine coast guard vessels, without permission from the Chinese government, intruded into the adjacent waters of Xianbin Jiao of China's Nansha Qundao and, in disregard of China Coast Guard's dissuasion and warning, acted dangerously by deliberately ramming the China Coast Guard vessel that was carrying out law enforcement operation.

In response, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines said in a statement on Tuesday that China is committed to handling maritime disputes with the Philippines properly through dialogue and consultation. China hopes the Philippines will honor its commitment, earnestly observe the understandings and arrangement reached with China, refrain from taking actions that may complicate the situation, and work with China to get the situation at sea under control.

As the US State Department issued a statement on the Xianbin Jiao collision, embassies of the US and some of its allies in the Philippines also expressed condemnation of China's "dangerous actions" which they claim escalate tensions. The spokesperson said on Tuesday that Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chinese Coast Guard have issued statements on this incident. On-site video footages have been released, and the facts are clear and the truth is evident.

According to the spokesperson, on the day of the collision, the US State Department issued a statement, and embassies of the US and some of its allies in the Philippines also wasted no time in taking sides and making inflammatory statements, which raises questions about their underlying motives. On what factual basis and "concrete evidence" are their stance and their accusations against China founded? How did they so swiftly determine right from wrong? Are they self-appointed judges and juries?

These countries unabashedly claim to uphold a "rules-based order." Talking about rules, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), after 22 years of repeated practice, has become an internationally recognized and integral part of the legal order in the South China Sea. "This is an undeniable factare they not aware of this?" read the statement.

Article 5 of DOC stipulates that parties should exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability. As an uninhabited reef, Xianbin Jiao should remain unoccupied and without facilitiesare they not aware of this? And if they care about peace and stability in the South China Sea, why do they persist in sowing discord and fueling tensions?

The US and certain countries are not parties to the South China Sea issue and have no right to interfere in maritime matters between China and the Philippines, according to the statement.

What China did was to respond to the Philippines' infringement activities, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning also said on Tuesday, adding that China took those actions in order to defend its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. They are just, lawful and beyond reproach, Mao said.

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Statement by Minister Kristiansen Tvinnereim on the reopening of the Adre crossing into Sudan

Government of Norway

News story | Date: 20/08/2024

'Norway welcomes the announcement by Sudan's Sovereign Council on the reopening of the Adre border crossing between Sudan and Chad. We urge this to be made permanent', said Minister of International Development, Anne Beathe Kristiansen Tvinnereim.

'While the immediate implementation of the announcement will alleviate some suffering, we remain deeply concerned about remaining restrictions on humanitarian access into Sudan and across the lines of control between the parties to the conflict', said Kristiansen Tvinnereim.

'The Adre border crossing is essential for the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to the Darfur region in the west, where famine recently was confirmed in specific locations. The UN and international humanitarian organisations fear widespread famine if humanitarian assistance is not dramatically and immediately improved. More than half the population, some 25 million people, are currently facing acute hunger. Using starvation as a method of warfare against civilians is strictly prohibited', said Kristiansen Tvinnereim.

'The reopening of several border crossings is needed to ensure delivery of sufficient levels of humanitarian aid. Flooding in parts of the country underline the need for opening more access routes to reach civilians in need', said the minister.

'Unfettered humanitarian access between RSF and SAF-controlled areas is urgently needed. It is also essential to reach areas that are controlled by other armed groups. Denying access to humanitarian assistance is illegal according to International Humanitarian Law and may constitute a war crime', said Kristiansen Tvinnereim.

'Civilians must be protected. The safety of humanitarian workers must be ensured. The protection of civilians is a legal obligation and a prerequisite for the delivery of humanitarian assistance. We expect all parties to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law always and everywhere.'



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Letter of Intent signed between Sweden and Moldova

Government Offices of Sweden

Press release from Ministry of Defence

20 August 2024

On Tuesday, Minister for Defence Pal Jonson and Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin signed a Letter of Intent on strengthened defence cooperation between Sweden and Moldova.

Sweden has good relations with Moldova and is one of its largest donors of development assistance. Sweden has also proactively supported Moldova's development of closer ties with the EU. Through this Letter of Intent, Sweden is now taking another step to further its cooperation with Moldova. This is being done in the shadow of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has negatively impacted the security situation in Moldova.

The Letter of Intent aims to develop and expand Sweden and Moldova's defence policy cooperation within the following areas.

enhance defence cooperation between the countries;

enhance cooperation by tackling hybrid threats and combatting disinformation;

expand cooperation regarding the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security;

increase exchanges of technology and knowledge.

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Iraqi resistance Targets Ain Al-Assad

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 20, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- A member of the political office of the Iraqi 'Al-Nujba' movement said that a few days ago its fighters targeted the "Ain al-Asad" base, where American soldiers are stationed.

Haider al-Lami, a member of the political office of the Iraqi Al-Nujba movement, in an interview with Al-Jazeera, announced the attack of the Iraqi resistance on the Ain al-Assad base a few days ago.

"In the coming days, we will witness unprecedented attacks by the Iraqi resistance, which will surprise the enemy inside and outside of Iraq," he added.

This member of the Al-Nujaba movement's political office also emphasized that the axis of resistance is ready to face any eventuality in all regions.

On Tuesday morning (August 16), news sources announced a missile attack on the Ain al-Assad base in western Iraq and said that a number of American soldiers were injured in this attack.

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Hezbollah conducts fresh drone, missile attacks on occupied Galilee, Golan

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 20, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Heavy drone and rocket attacks were launched by the Lebanese Hezbollah on the positions of the Zionist regime's army and Zionist settlements in the north of occupied Palestine, media sources reported.

In this regard, Al-Manar network, quoting informed sources, announced that the siren has sounded in more than 16 towns and barracks in the north of occupied Palestine a few moments ago.

According to these sources, following Hezbollah's drone and missile attacks, sirens were sounded in Beit Hillel, Kfar Gilead, Metula, Mayan Baruch, Moskav Aam, Kiryat Shmona, Margaliot, Al Manara, Dafneh, Havashrim, Al Hajjar, Dan Vashnir and Shear Yeshov.

Some sources say that sirens have sounded in the northern occupied Golan.

Media sources also reported the Lebanese Hezbollah's drone and missile attack on the mentioned areas.

Some sources also announced that as a result of Hezbollah armed drones hitting areas in the occupied Golan, fires have occurred in several areas.

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Palestinians launch major attacks on Israeli positions in Gaza

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 20, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Palestinian resistance groups have launched several major attacks on the Zionist regime's positions in the Gaza Strip, inflicting more losses upon the Israeli occupation forces.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Izz al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, announced that its fighters managed to detonate an anti-personnel bomb among a group of Israeli forces stationed inside a building near the Al-Qadisiyah school in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, causing several Zionists to killed or injured, the Beirut-based Al Mayadeen news network reported.

Also, Al-Qassam Brigades added that its fighters targeted another group of the Zionist regime's army inside a house in the Tal Al-Sultan, west of Rafah, and destroyed a Zionist military tank (D9).

Meanwhile, Al-Quds Brigades, a military wing of the Palestine Islamic Jihad Movement, announced in a statement that its fighters targeted the location of Zionist soldier gathering who had infiltrated near the Omar Al-Agha School in the al-Qarara area, northeast of Khan Yunis with mortar shells.

The National Resistance Brigades also known as Martyr Omar Al-Qasim Forces has announced that its fighters detonated an anti-personnel bomb among the enemy soldiers, killing and wounding a number of them in the al-Salam neighborhoods of eastern Rafah.

Palestinian resistance groups have been fighting Israeli soldiers in different parts of Gaza to defend the civilian population against the regime's intense attacks that have left more than 40,173 people dead since early October 2023.

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Hezbollah launches fresh attacks on headquarters of Zionist regime

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 20, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Lebanon's Islamic resistance announced that it carried out several new attacks against the positions of the Zionist military in the north of the occupied territories.

According to al-Mayadeen news network, Lebanon's Hezbollah announced in a statement that within the framework of supporting the people of Gaza and the Palestinian resistance, the Zionist Barracks "Barnit" was targeted with a direct hit with suitable weapon.

In another statement, Hezbollah added that in the framework of supporting the people of Gaza and the Palestinian resistance and responding to the terror committed by the enemy in southern Lebanon, the headquarters of the 146th Jatoun Brigade has been targeted by Katyusha rocket attacks.

This morning, news sources reported that 60 rockets were fired in two stages from southern Lebanon towards the Upper Galilee region in the northern occupied territories and the occupied Golan region of Syria.

Following these missile attacks, the alarm was sounded in the Zionist settlement "Ortal" in the occupied Syrian Golan.

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Fresh Israeli attack leaves at least 14 martyrs, 16 injured in Gaza

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 20, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Media have reported that at least 14 Palestinian citizens were martyred and 16 others were injured in the Zionist regime's army attack on the center and south of the Gaza Strip.

According to the Palestinian media, Palestinian medical sources said that at least 14 Palestinian citizens were martyred in the Zionist regime's attacks on the center and south of the Gaza Strip since Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera quoted Palestinian sources as saying that the Israeli army targeted the tents of Palestinian refugees in Al Mawasi in the northwest of Rafah in the south of Gaza.

According to these sources, as a result of these attacks, two Palestinians were martyred and 16 others were injured.

Al Jazeera also reported the martyrdom of five members of a Palestinian family in Bureij refugee camp in the center of the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced on Monday that since the start of Al-Aqsa Storm Operation on October 7, 202, 40,139 Palestinians were martyred and 92,743 others were injured in the Gaza Strip.

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Hezbollah pounds Israeli positions with 60 missiles

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 20, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Various news sources reported on Tuesday that the Lebanese resistance movement, Hezbollah, fired 60 missiles from southern Lebanon towards the north of the occupied territories and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

According to Al Jazeera, 60 missiles were fired in two stages from southern Lebanon towards the Upper Galilee region in the north of the occupied territories as well as the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, targeting two headquarters of the Israeli regime's army.

Following the missile attacks, sirens were sounded in the Zionist settlement of Ortal in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. Sirens were also heard in various areas of the northern border of the occupied territories with southern Lebanon.

At the same time, the sound of the explosion of the Israeli regime's missiles was heard in the airspace of the border villages of southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah announced that in response to the enemy's attack on Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, its fighters targeted the headquarters of the Golan Division 210 at the Nafah military base, as well as the headquarters of the artillery regiment and the armored brigade of this division with a barrage of missiles.

Hezbollah also declared in its latest statement that a number of Zionist troops tried to enter the area of Hadab Aita forest in southern Lebanon; however, the resistance fighters' vigilance led to the killing and wounding of a number of military personnel of the Zionist regime in this failed operation.

Since October 8, 2023 - a day after the onset of Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip - Hezbollah has carried out its retaliatory attacks on the regime's positions in order to force it to stop the genocidal war.

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Targeting civilians against rules of wars: UN official

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 20, 2024

New York, IRNA -- As Israel presses ahead with its genocidal war on Gaza and attacks on civilian areas in southern Lebanon, a senior UN official has criticized the regime's killing of innocent people, saying "even wars have rules and that civilians should not be targeted".

Imran Reza, UN Deputy Special Coordinator, UN Resident, and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon made the remarks on Monday local time, IRNA reported.

"While the world has failed to protect civilians in the conflict and many around the world have lost hope in humanity. Our motto is that even wars have rules and civilians shouldn't be targeted," he was quoted as saying.

The UN official, who was speaking on the occasion of World Humanitarian Day, also said that he paid a visit to southern Lebanon, where seven aid workers were killed in an Israeli attack on a center belonging to the Lebanon Country Ambulance Association at the end of March.

He also stated that he visited the families and the displaced villagers "who have been uncertain about their future for more than 10 months".

The Israeli regime has repeatedly violated the sovereignty of Lebanon with its attacks on civilian areas in southern Lebanon over the past several months.

Lebanon's Foreign Ministry announced that it had lodged complaint with the UN Security Council against the Israeli violation of Lebanese airspace and the breaking of the sound barrier in the skies over Lebanon by the regime's warplanes.

In a statement, the ministry said that Israel's aggression is a clear violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, its airspace and Security Council Resolution 1701.

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Israeli war minister concerned about Iran, Hezbollah retaliation

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 20, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Israel's Minister of War, Yoav Gallant has expressed fear that the probability of retaliatory by Iran and Hezbollah against the regime's target will increase in case of the failure to a Gaza ceasefire agreement.

According to the Palestinian Samaa news agency, Channel 12 of the Zionist regime reported on Monday that Gallant had asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to present a draft on agreement with the Palestinian resistance to the cabinet.

Gallant has always accused Netanyahu of trying to advance his own policies regarding the continuation of the war on the Gaza Strip and preventing a ceasefire.

The statement of the Minister of War comes at a time when negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza are to be resumed in Cairo later this week and Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, who is in the region, also announced this country's plan for a ceasefire.

Although Palestinians have rejected the plan unveiled by Blinken as an obvious US bias toward the Zionist regime.

The Hebrew language Israeli daily, Yediot Aharnot also published a report and said the situation remains very complicated and sensitive, and if Netanyahu does not agree, no agreement will be reached.

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas had earlier announced its readiness to implement the ceasefire base on proposals laid out by US President Joe Biden in May instead of debating new ones.

Qatar, Egypt and the United States are mediating ceasefire negotiations but their talks ended without a breakthrough on Friday, which Hamas blamed on Netanyahu.

The Palestinian resistance movement says the Israeli prime minister is creating obstacles to the ceasefire deal by setting new conditions.

Meanwhile, Benny Gantz, a former member of the Zionist war cabinet, admitted in a statement that this regime had not faced a disaster like the Al-Aqsa Storm since its creation.

We are not able to carry out our missions both in terms of knowledge and in terms of anti-Hamas operations, Gantz said as reported by the Zionist regime's i24 website on Tuesday morning. He was referring to the failure of the regime's intelligence about the October 7 operation launched by the Palestinian resistance groups in retaliation for the Israeli atrocities.

He said Hamas must be pressurized to release the captives but warned against the repetition of what has happened in the Gaza Strip to the northern occupied territories.

Gantz also stated that Benjamin Netanyahu should implement the potential agreement with Hamas not by words but by actions to allow the return of the captives held in Gaza.

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Zionist regime's warplanes pound southern Lebanon again

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 20, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Israeli warplanes have bombed several areas of southern Lebanon as the Zionist regime intensifies its attacks on civilian targets in the Arab country.

Lebanon's Al-Manar TV reported that the Zionist regime's fighter jets hit the Qsarnaba plain and Nabi Shith town in Bekaa Valley thrice on Monday night.

The area between the towns of Bayut al-Siyad and al-Mansouri were also targeted, according to the same report.

Lebanon's Ministry of Health has announced the attacks left at least 8 people injured in the Bekaa region.

This the second night consecutive night of the aerial bombardment on civilian areas of southern Lebanon.

The attacks followed yet another retaliatory strike by the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement on an Israeli military target earlier on Monday.

In a statement, Hezbollah announced that it had hit Israel's Beyaz Belida base in the occupied territory in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and in retaliation for the regime's attacks on Lebanese towns.

Since the onset of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza following the Al-Aqsa Storm operation by the Palestinian resistance groups, Hezbollah and the Zionist regime are engaged in exchange of fire almost on a daily basis.

Hezbollah has largely targeted military bases and equipment such as tanks, personnel carriers and armored vehicles as well as espionage installation of the Zionists. A large number of Zionist soldiers have also been killed or injured in such operations over the past 10 months.

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Statement by PM Netanyahu

Israel - Prime Minister's Office

Press Releases

The 37th Government

20.08.2024

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this morning:

"Overnight our forces returned the bodies of six of our hostages that had been held by the murderous Hamas terrorist organization: Avraham Munder, Alex Dancyg, Chaim Peri, Yagev Buchshtav, Yoram Metzger and Nadav Popplewell - of blessed memory.

Our hearts grieve over the terrible loss. My wife Sara and I convey our heartfelt condolences to the dear families.

I would like to thank the brave IDF and ISA fighters and commanders for their heroism and determined action.

The State of Israel will continue to make every effort to return all of our hostages - the living and the deceased."

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House ratifies PH maritime zones bill

Philippine News Agency

By Filane Mikee Cervantes

August 20, 2024, 9:28 pm

MANILA -- The House of Representatives on Tuesday ratified the bicameral conference version of the proposed Philippine Maritime Zones Act, which is a priority measure identified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).

During the plenary session, the chamber ratified the final version that reconciles the disagreeing provisions of House Bill No. 7819 and Senate Bill No. 2492, seeking to define and declare the Philippines' maritime zones in accordance with the standards set by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Senate has already ratified the bicameral conference committee report on Monday.

This means that the priority legislation will be transmitted to Malacanang for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s signature.

The bill aims to clarify the geographical extent of the Philippine maritime domain, and at the same time specify the legal powers that the Philippines may exercise over.

It shall set the archipelagic boundaries, the country's internal waters, and exclusive economic zones over which the Philippine government exercises sovereignty and jurisdiction.

The measure also proposes renaming the Philippine Rise - a 13 million hectare underwater plateau located off Aurora province- into the "Talampas ng Pilipinas". (PNA)

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PH mulls expanding Ayungin Shoal 'provisional arrangement' with China

Philippine News Agency

By Darryl John Esguerra

August 20, 2024, 3:00 pm Updated on August 20, 2024, 3:41 pm

MANILA -- The Philippines is studying the possible expansion of the coverage of the "provisional arrangement" in rotation and resupply (RORE) missions in Ayungin Shoal with China to cover other areas of the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Newly-appointed National Maritime Council (NMC) spokesperson Alexander Lopez said this Tuesday following the latest incident in the WPS where two Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels were damaged after being harassed and rammed by China Coast Guard (CCG) ships in the waters adjacent to Escoda Shoal early Monday.

Lopez said the arrangement has been "useful" in ensuring the timely provision of supply to troops stationed at BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.

"Maybe that's one area where maybe the scope of the understanding between the two countries, baka (maybe) - this has been seriously studied by our Department of Foreign Affairs - baka pwedeng ma-extend (maybe we can extend it) in other areas in our maritime domain," the retired Navy official said in a Palace press briefing Tuesday.

He said they will let the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) study the possible expansion of the arrangement.

The provisional arrangement was agreed by the Philippines and China last month to deescalate the situation in the South China Sea and manage differences through dialogue and consultation.

This follows a series of confrontations in Ayungin Shoal, where the grounded BRP Sierra Madre serves as the country's outpost.

BRP Sierra Madre stays in Ayungin

Meanwhile, Philippine Navy (PN) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said the PN is committed to ensuring the habitability of the BRP Sierra Madre (LS-57) in Ayungin Shoal in the WPS.

"BRP Sierra Madre will remain, we will not give up that ship," Trinidad said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

Trinidad said they will ensure that the Philippines' presence in Ayungin Shoal is "permanent."

The Navy official also rejected China's "false narratives" against the BRP Sierra Madre and its call for the pullout of the troops manning the vessel. (with Priam Nepomuceno/PNA)

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PH Navy sees no full blown war amid heightened WPS tensions

Philippine News Agency

By Priam Nepomuceno

August 20, 2024, 2:52 pm Updated on August 20, 2024, 4:12 pm

MANILA -- China's increasing aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) is not expected to result in a full-blown conflict, a Philippine Navy (PN) official said Tuesday.

"First and foremost, all of the actions of the PLA (People's Liberation Army) Navy, the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) and the maritime militia will be below the threshold of conflict, it will not reach the point that they will initiate escalation to the point of conflict," Philippine Navy spokesperson for the WPS spokesperson Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

He made this comment when asked if Beijing's latest act of harassment in Escoda Shoal, where two Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ships were damaged, could have been an offshoot of its aggression being moved or transferred out of Ayungin Shoal due to the ongoing Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) between China and the Philippines.

These ships were tasked to conduct resupply missions to troops on Patag and Lawak Islands when harassed by the CCG.

"We should focus on the bigger picture of the vast expanse of the South China Sea, a portion of which is the WPS. Again, the presence of the agents of aggression of the Chinese Communist Party is causing all of the dynamics, all of the aggressive maneuvers in the WPS. This may shift from Ayungin Shoal to the eight other features to Bajo de Masinloc," Trinidad said.

He said these "dynamics" of the Chinese Communist Party include the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force's act of dropping flares in the path of a Philippine Air Force plane conducting maritime patrol in the Bajo de Masinloc on Aug. 8.

Despite this, the naval official said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), along with the PCG, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, will continue to work in ensuring the integrity of Philippine territory.

"We will not let down or back down from performing our mandate of showing the flag, of resupplying the troops, of rotating the men," he said.

Trinidad added that Manila's actions in the WPS will be guided by the rules of engagement and international law.

Pray for peace

A former head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Tuesday urged the faithful to continue to pray for peace amid escalating tensions in the WPS.

"Pray without ceasing. Pray everyday. We know there will be peace. We will be protected from war. We will be protected from conflict and violence by the power of prayer," Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said in a social media post at the conclusion of the 50-day Rosary Campaign.

The archdiocese's Rosary Campaign started on June 27 and ended on Aug. 15.

"Thank you for praying. And please, please, please don't stop praying. Don't stop believing," Villegas said. (with Ferdinand Patinio/PNA)

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PH eyes case vs. China after Escoda Shoal collision

Philippine News Agency

By Darryl John Esguerra

August 20, 2024, 2:32 pm Updated on August 20, 2024, 2:49 pm

MANILA -- The Philippines is eyeing to file a case before an international body against China after two Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels were damaged after being subjected to "unlawful and aggressive maneuvers" by China Coast Guard (CCG) ships in the waters adjacent to Escoda Shoal at the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Retired Vice Admiral Alexander Lopez, the newly-appointed spokesperson of the National Maritime Council (NMC), said the country is looking at going beyond filing a diplomatic protest and elevating the incident to another body.

"We are looking at that, especially at the part of the Coast Guard because they know more of how to go about it," he said in a Palace press briefing Tuesday.

Presidential Assistant on Maritime Concerns Secretary Andres Centino said the Solicitor General was among the three new members of the NMC, which may complement the country's intent to pursue a legal action against China before an international body.

"One of these three is the Solicitor General, so that actually signifies the intent of the government to consider, perhaps a filing of a case," Centino, a retired military general, said.

Pressed what international body the country is looking to bring the case, Centino said: "I would suppose there are United Nation bodies."

The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said the PCG's BRP Bagacay (MRRV-4410) and BRP Cape Engano (MRRV-4411) were damaged after they were harassed and rammed by CCG vessels while en route to Patag and Lawak Islands near Escoda Shoal early Monday.

Escoda Shoal is a coral reef formation just some 70 nautical miles off mainland Palawan, well within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

Diplomatic protest

Meanwhile, a diplomatic protest over the incident is also in the offing, Lopez said, adding that the PCG has been tasked to collect and submit evidence to complement the filing.

While the Philippines remains steadfast in protecting its sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea, Lopez said the country continues to pursue diplomacy in addressing the WPS dispute.

"We can never go wrong by using this diplomatic and peaceful approach and we are compliant to the Code of Conduct that we have signed in 2002 - that among others, parties will restraint 'no, will exercise restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or even escalate the dispute in the area among others," he said.

Unified communication

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. appointed Lopez as the official mouthpiece of the NMC early August.

Centino said Lopez' appointment aims to come up with a "unified messaging" into the issues related to the WPS.

"His designation authorizes him to speak on behalf of the National Maritime Council and without prejudice, of course, to the roles of the different spokespersons of the agencies under the National Maritime Council," he said.

Lopez boasts a 38-year military service in his background, including a stint as Commander of the Western Command which covers WPS.

More Chinese naval, coast guard vessels seen

In its latest report, the Philippine Navy (PN) said 18 China Coast Guard vessels (CCGVs) were spotted from Aug. 13 to 19 in the area, higher than the 13 CCGVs seen from Aug. 6 to 12.

Meanwhile, the number of Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels soared to 13, from last week's nine vessels.

The number of Chinese Maritime Militia Vessels (CMMVs) spotted in the WPS also climbed to 98, from 68 in the previous week.

However, no Chinese Research Survey Vessels (CRSVs) were sighted during this period, compared to the two vessels spotted last week.

In the same report, the number of CMMVs are broken down into 41 in the Ayungin Shoal; 30 in Pagasa Island; 12 in Sabina Shoal; six in Bajo de Masinloc; three in Kota Island; three in Lawak Island; two in Iroquois Reef and one in Panata Island.

Meanwhile, PLAN ships were spotted in the following locations in the WPS -- three in Bajo de Masinloc; two in Likas Island; two in Lawak Island; two in Patag Island; two in Sabina Shoal; one in Panata, and one in Pagasa Island.

Out of the CCGVs, five were in Ayungin Shoal; five in Sabina Shoal; four in Bajo de Masinloc; two in Patag; one in Lawak; and another one in Pagasa Island. (with Priam Nepomuceno/PNA)

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9 Palestinians killed in Israeli strike on market in central Gaza

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 20 August 2024 6:11 PM

At least nine Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a crowded marketplace in Deir al-Balah.

Tuesday reports said the market is in a street near the al-Birka roundabout.

Several other Palestinians, mostly children, also sustained injuries in the drone attack on the very busy area, which has been classified by the Israeli military as a so-called "civilian safe zone."

According to a report by Al-Jazeera, the wounded suffered critical injuries.

"We are not allowed to enter the hospital. You barely have the space to walk because of the amount of blood, bodies and children on the floor. There was no warning, no sign that there is going to be a target, and this is the main reason why there are so many casualties. Most of those wounded in Israel's Deir el-Balah market strike are children," Al-Jazeera reporter Hind Khoudary said.

She further said that the wounded were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which has been suffering from the lack of medical supplies for months.

"Since Israeli forces took over the Philadelphi Corridor, there have been no supplies entering the Strip," Khoudary added.

Earlier in the day, an Israel's attack on Mustafa Hafez School in Gaza killed at least 12 Palestinians.

Israel launched its barbaric campaign of genocide in Gaza on October 7, 2023, after Palestinian resistance groups conducted surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm into the occupied territories.

The regime has had in place a near-total siege on the coastal territory, which has reduced to a trickle the flow of foodstuffs, medicine, electricity, and water into the Palestinian territory.

So far, Israel has killed more than 40,000 Gazans, most of them women, children, and adolescents.

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Lapid demands deal on Israeli captives 'before they all die' in Gaza

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 20 August 2024 6:08 PM

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has renewed his call for an agreement for a Gaza truce and the release of captives in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Lapid expressed concern in a Tuesday posting on X, stating that more captives are being lost as time passes.

He also pointed the finger at Benjamin Netanyahu. Lapid censured the rhetoric employed by Netanyahu and his ministers, saying they were sabotaging prospects of any deal.

"Enough with the briefings, enough with the tweets, enough with the rhymes in front of cameras," he wrote on X.

"All of Netanyahu's attempts to sabotage the negotiations should stop. Deal now, before they all die."

Earlier on Tuesday, the Israeli military announced the recovery of the bodies of six captives who had been held since October 7, 2023.

The newspaper Israel Hayom reported that Israel was conducting examinations on the bodies of the six to determine if they were possibly killed by Israeli fire.

According to the Israeli military, identification procedures and medical examinations are expected to provide insights into the circumstances of their death.

The families of the Israeli captives hold the regime responsible for their death in Gaza.

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has repeatedly said it would release the remaining Israeli captives in exchange for a complete cessation of Israel's barbaric campaign of death, destruction and genocide.

Hamas has conditioned their release on the return of the displaced Palestinians, and an end to the siege Israel has imposed on Gaza.

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Hamas decries Israel's attack on Gaza school, holds US accountable

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 20 August 2024 5:36 PM

Hamas says Israel's strike on another school housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza City demonstrates the regime's criminal approach toward the people of the besieged territory.

The Palestinian resistance group denounced Israel's attack on Tuesdays on Mustafa Hafez School that killed at least 12 Palestinians.

"The criminal bombing carried out by the fascist Zionist occupation army ... is a confirmation of ...[the regime's] criminal approach, and its insistence on continuing the genocide war against our people in the Gaza Strip," Hamas said in a statement on Tuesday.

The resistance group reiterated that it holds "President [Joe] Biden and his administration fully responsible for the continuation of these massacres against our people."

It said the regime's bloodiest-ever military campaign "would not have continued without the full American complicity and the political and military support it provides to the Zionist extremist government."

Three massacres in one day

Gaza's Media Office issued a statement later in the day, saying that the Israeli army has committed three massacres on Tuesday, including the bombings of a market in Deir Al-Balah and a mobile phone charging point in Khan Younis, which killed 9 and 4 civilians respectively, on top of the deadly attack on the Mustafa Hafez School.

"These massacres come as part of the ongoing genocide that the occupation uses various policies to complete, including targeting civilians in shelters and displacement centers and targeting gatherings of civilians," it said.

"We strongly condemn the continued massacres by the 'Israeli' occupation army against shelters, markets, and civilian gathering points," the media office added.

Last month, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said it tracked US-made bombs at the site of a deadly Israeli attack on al-Awda school, east of the city of Khan Yunis, where it described the number of victims as "unimaginable."

The Geneva-based rights group said the victims  a large number of whom children and women  were "turned into body parts," according the group said.

Israel has hit more than 500 Gaza schools in the past 10 months, according to an Al-Jazeera report. Within a 10-day period in August, the regime's military forces struck five schools in Gaza City, killing more than 179 people and injuring scores more.

Schools in the Gaza Strip have been used to shelter nearly two million displaced Palestinians, since Israel launched its campaign of death and destruction in Gaza on October 7. The military forces have so far killed more than 40,170 people in the Palestinian territory, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

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Blinken in Egypt: President Sisi warns of regional war, urging Gaza ceasefire

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 20 August 2024 3:16 PM

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt warns US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that a catastrophic war could break out in the region unless Israel ends its atrocities against the Palestinians in Gaza.

After talks on Tuesday with the US diplomat in the Egyptian coastal town of Al Alamein, el-Sisi said all parties must be wary of "the grave danger of the conflict expanding regionally, with potentially catastrophic consequences."

"The time has come to end the ongoing war [in Gaza], and to resort to wisdom, and to uphold the language of peace and diplomacy."

Sis said that a ceasefire in Gaza must be the beginning of broader international recognition of an independent Palestinian State.

Egypt, along with Qatar, is brokering negotiations for a truce in the 10-month-old Israel's genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Blinken flew to Egypt from Tel Aviv on Monday, where he said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had accepted a US "bridging proposal" aimed at narrowing the gaps between Israel and Hamas after peace talks last week in Qatar paused without a breakthrough.

He urged Palestinian resistance movement Hamas to also accept the proposal as the basis for more

Hamas, however, urged the international community to pressure Netanyahu to sign the deal proposed by US President Joe Biden on May 31 and backed by the United Nations Security Council on June 11.

The resistance group said by shifting the terms, Washington is showing "blind bias" towards the Israeli regime and acquiescing to its demands. "The new proposal meets Netanyahu's conditions and aligns with them, particularly his refusal of a permanent cease-fire, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip."

It said Biden is enabling Israel to "commit more crimes against defenseless civilians, in pursuit of the goals of exterminating and displacing our people."

The Palestinian movement has made clear that a ceasefire deal must result in a permanent end to Israel's atrocities in Gaza.

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Biden's 'misleading' claim about ceasefire status 'green light' for Israel to continue war: Hamas

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 20 August 2024 1:55 PM

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has denounced as "misleading" US President Joe Biden's claim that the group is backing away from a Gaza ceasefire deal, calling his remarks a "green light" for Israel to continue the genocidal war on the besieged enclave.

Hamas made the remarks in a statement on Tuesday, after Biden accused the resistance group of blocking a deal with Israel that would halt the ongoing war in Gaza earlier in the day.

The "misleading claims... do not reflect the true position of the movement, which is keen to reach a ceasefire" agreement, Hamas said, noting that these remarks enable the Israeli regime "to commit more crimes against defenseless Palestinian civilians."

The resistance group further stressed that it has agreed to a ceasefire proposal laid out by the US president in June. However, it said, the latest proposal put forward by the US and Israel includes new provisions contradicting the earlier framework.

Hamas further noted that the latest US modifications to the proposal reflect a clear "bias" toward Israel and Washington's complicity in the "war of extermination against defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip."

It also described the latest amendments "a coup against" the previous framework, accusing Washington of "acquiescing" to conditions set by the Israeli regime.

Hamas further emphasized that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is "always the one obstructing an agreement and setting new conditions and demands," calling on the US "to reverse its policy of blind bias towards the Zionist war criminals."

It also urged the "mediators to assume their responsibilities" and oblige Israel to accept the original proposal.

The latest development comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Egypt for talks on a Gaza ceasefire deal. He will then head to Qatar, which along with Egypt is brokering negotiations for a truce in the brutal Israeli assault.

On Friday, the United States, Qatar and Egypt issued a joint statement saying they held Gaza ceasefire talks in a positive atmosphere in the Qatari capital Doha, adding that the talks were "serious, and constructive."

The mediators put forward a "bridging proposal" that would allow the "swift" implementation of a deal that would end the war in Gaza and see the release of Israeli captives, the joint statement said.

Hamas has already said it would not accept new conditions from the Israeli regime as outlined in the new proposal.

Israel launched its barbaric campaign of genocide in Gaza on October 7, 2023, after Palestinian resistance groups conducted surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm into the occupied territories.

The regime has had in place a near-total siege on the coastal territory, which has reduced to a trickle the flow of foodstuffs, medicine, electricity, and water into the Palestinian territory.

So far, Israel has killed more than 40,000 Gazans, most of them women, children, and adolescents.

Hamas has repeatedly said it would release the remaining Israeli captives in exchange for a complete cessation of Israeli aggression and the regime's full withdrawal from Gaza

It has also conditioned their release on the return of the displaced people, and an end to the siege that Tel Aviv has imposed on Gaza.

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At least 12 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City school

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 20 August 2024 10:27 AM

At least 12 Palestinians have been killed and dozens of others injured as the Israeli military attacked a Gaza City school, the eleventh deadly strike against schools in the war-wracked territory in August alone.

According to Gaza's civil defense agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal, the bodies of the victims, including children, were pulled out of the building "after an Israeli plane dropped a bomb on the second floor of the Mustafa Hafiz School building housing thousands of displaced people."

The Israeli military claimed it targeted fighters in the school sheltering Palestinian refugees.

Israel's military has repeatedly targeted Gaza's civic infrastructure including schools housing displaced people during the war, often claiming without evidence they are linked to Hamas, to evade international criticism.

Earlier, some media outlets reported that at least 20 people had been killed in the school attack.

The attack on Mustafa Hafiz School comes as the Israeli military has carried out at least 10 strikes against Gaza schools since the start of the current month, killing close to 180 Palestinians.

The attack against the Al-Tabieen School in Gaza City on August 10 was the deadliest of Israeli school attacks this month.

At least 100 people, who had been performing dawn prayers, most of them women and children, were perished.

Three US-made bombs, some weighing about two thousand pounds, reduced the victims' bodies to "shredded pieces" and "burned parts", according to various reports.

The devastating attack sparked international condemnation and outrage, and the Israeli regime, in a futile attempt to once again justify its war crimes, claimed it had targeted a Hamas command post and killed 19 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters.

Later, the Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor debunked the Israeli military's claim saying that its investigations showed that there were no military gatherings or centers at the school, and it was never used for any military objectives.

It also noted that the victims listed by the Israeli military as resistance fighters were either ordinary civilians who had no ties to the resistance groups or were killed in previous attacks.

In July, a similar cluster campaign targeting school shelters across the Gaza Strip killed nearly 50 people within a week.

Recent data compiled by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) indicates that half of schools used as shelters in Gaza have been directly hit in the last 10 months since the genocidal war on Gaza began.

Satellite imagery has shown that 85 percent of school buildings (477 out of 564) were directly hit (344) or damaged (133).

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Hezbollah hammers Israeli targets after eight wounded in regime's attacks on Bekaa

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 20 August 2024 8:31 AM

Tensions between the Israeli regime and Hezbollah have escalated as the Lebanese resistance group targeted Israeli military positions in response to the regime's overnight strikes on Lebanon's Bekaa region.

Hezbollah launched "intense rocket barrages" at Israeli army positions in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights as well as other targets in the upper Galilee region.

In a statement, the Lebanese group says it targeted the headquarters of the Israeli army's Golan 210th Division in the Nafah barracks, as well as the headquarters of the artillery and armored regiments of the 210th Division in the Yarden barracks.

On Monday night, Israeli airstrikes targeted Hezbollah's weapons storage sites in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley and several areas of southern Lebanon.

According to Lebanon's health ministry, eight civilians, including six Lebanese nationals and two Syrian children were injured.

Footage from the location captured a massive blaze and a series of explosions erupting after the initial strike.

At least three Israeli airstrikes hit towns in Lebanon's Baalbek District on Monday, Lebanese state media reported.

Moreover, the Israeli regime claimed its fighter jets destroyed Hezbollah rocket launchers in Al Mansouri and Taybeh in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli Monday strikes occurred hours after Hezbollah carried out fresh retaliatory airstrikes against Israeli forces deployed to the northern part of the occupied Palestinian territories, killing and injuring a number of the regime's troopers.

The movement's Monday statement likewise noted that the latest retaliation had also taken place "in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their valiant and honorable resistance."

For nearly three weeks now, the region has been on high alert for a significant surge in violence following Israel's assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah's military chief, Fuad Shukr, prompting vows of retaliation from both Iran and Hezbollah.

Lebanon has filed a new complaint with the UN Security Council (UNSC) against the Israeli regime's repeated violations of the country.

The complaint noted that Israel is terrorizing all civilians and spreading panic among them, which particularly affects the most vulnerable segments of society, such as children.

The Israeli regime has been conducting near-daily attacks against southern Lebanon since October 7, when it launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

At least 622 people in Lebanon have been killed since the start of the clashes last year, reports say.

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Aug 19: 'Axis of Resistance' operations against Israeli occupation

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 20 August 2024 5:54 AM

By Press TV Website Staff

Amid Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 40,200 Palestinians so far, the majority of them children, resistance groups in Palestine and across the region continue their operations against the Tel Aviv regime and its Western backers.

The major operations carried out by the Palestinian and regional resistance groups on Monday, August 19, are as follows:

Al-Qassam Brigades' operations on August 19:

Targeted Israeli forces gathered north of Hamad City in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, with mortar shells.

Targeted three Israeli military Merkava tanks with Al-Yassin 105 shells, a Namer armored personnel carrier, and a D9 military bulldozer with two Tandem shells in Badr Camp near Abd al-A'al Stadium in Tal al-Sultan neighborhood, west of Rafah city.

In a joint operation with Al-Quds Brigades, carried out a martyrdom operation, on Sunday night, in the city of Tel Aviv.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades' operations on August 19:

Engaged in a fierce clash with Israeli forces storming the town of Jaba, south of the city of Jenin, occupied West Bank, using machine guns and explosive devices.

Targeted Israeli forces stationed north of Hamad City, east of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, with mortar shells.

Targeted Israeli military forces storming Al-Mureij Street in the city of Nablus, occupied West Bank, with a high-powered explosive device.

Engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli forces storming the city of Nablus, occupied West Bank, using machine guns.

In a joint operation with the Ansar Brigades, targeted the position of Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles with mortar shells near the university college in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood in the southern Gaza Strip.

Martyr Omar Al-Qasim Forces' operations on August 19:

Targeted an Israeli military bulldozer that had penetrated the Saudi neighborhood in western Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, with an RPG.

Targeted Israeli military concentrations around the Swedish village, west of Rafah city, southern Gaza Strip, with heavy mortars.

Targeted Israeli military positions and soldiers around the Rafah border crossing, southern Gaza Strip, with heavy mortars.

Mujahideen Brigades' operations on August 19:

In a joint operation with the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, targeted gatherings of Israeli soldiers and military vehicles east of Deir al-Balah with a barrage of 60mm mortar shells.

Hezbollah's operations on August 19:

Israeli forces who infiltrated Hadab Aita were targeted with rockets and artillery shells.

The Zarit site was targeted with rockets and artillery shells.

The Ya'ara site was targeted with drones.

The Bayad Blida site was targeted with a Burkan missile.

The Ramim site was targeted with rockets.

The Zebdine site in Lebanon's Shebaa was targeted with artillery shells

The Al-Samaqa site in Lebanon's Kfar Shouba was targeted with appropriate weapons.

Military buildings in the settlement of Shomera were targeted with rockets.

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EXPLAINED: The impact of climate change on the Tibetan plateau

China announced a new study to identify how 'the Water Tower of Asia' is being transformed.

By Lobsang Gelek for RFA Investigative 2024.08.20 -- The snow-covered mountains, expansive grasslands and crystal waters that cover the vast Tibetan plateau make this stretch of Earth a stunningly beautiful place.

The plateau extends over 950,000 square miles across six countries. Most of the area lies in western China and encompasses the Tibetan Autonomous Region, as well as parts of Xinjiang and the Qinghai and Sichuan provinces.

Little wonder that the peaks, glaciers and lands have spiritual meaning to Tibetans, whose Buddhist and Bon traditions connect deeply to the nature around them. Yet today, much of this culture and environment is under threat.

This week, a new phase of a large scientific expedition to survey the impact of glacier changes on the ecology and geology of the plateau was announced in Lhasa, amid alarm over the rates at which these crucial formations are melting. Other changes, including the expansion of lakes due to glacier melt, the shrinking of permafrost and destruction from human activity are rapidly extracting heavy costs.

Why is the Tibetan plateau's environment important?

The Tibetan plateau is often referred to as the "Water Tower of Asia." Ten major rivers in Asia originate from the plateau, including the Brahmaputra, Salween, Mekong, Yellow, Indus and Yangtze.

About 47% of the world's population - over 3 billion people - depend on these rivers.

The plateau is also known as the "third pole" because it has over 45,000 glaciers, making it the largest glacier and permafrost reserve after the Arctic and Antarctic.

How the waters and glaciers on the plateau behave directly affects the timing and strength of the annual Indian and East Asian monsoons, according to Tenpa Gyaltsen Zamlha of the Tibet Policy Institute, a think tank of the Tibetan government in exile. Worsening heatwaves in Europe and Northeast Asia are tied to the reduced snow cover on the plateau, he said.

What are the most important glaciers in Tibet?

Among the thousands of glaciers on the plateau, several stand out for their importance in Tibetan life and for the global environment.

Amnye Machen, a mountain range in Qinghai province that consists of 40 glaciers, is one of the sacred sites for Tibetan Buddhism (revered as the home of Machen Pomra, the chief deity of Amdo, a traditional region of Tibet). It is also the primary source of Asia's second longest river, the Yellow River. Changes around the glaciers could threaten the lives of over 100 million people in the Yellow River Basin.

"Amnye Machen has been sacred to us for centuries, but it's disheartening to see it melting rapidly due to climate change. I fear its stories may be lost with the mountain," Palden, a Tibetan journalist from Amdo Golog now living in Dharamshala, told RFA.

Mount Kailash (Gang Rinpochen), located in Ngari in the western Tibetan plateau, is called the "Precious Jewel of Snow." Its glaciers are the primary sources of the sacred Lake Manasarovar () and the headwaters of four major rivers: the Brahmaputra, Indus, Sutlej and Ghaghara. These rivers are crucial for millions of people in Asia.

Mount Everest (Qomolangma), which lies on the border between Nepal and Tibet, is revered as the "Goddess Mother of the World." The glaciers on this mountain range have been rapidly losing ice. A 2022 National Geographic study found that Everest has lost the equivalent of 2,000 years of ice in just three decades.

A recent study by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that since 1960, temperatures in the Mount Everest region have risen by about 0.33C (0.6F) each decade.

Purog Kangri, () covering over 400 square kilometers, is the largest glacier in the world outside of the glaciers in the South and North poles. Some 560 kilometers (348 miles) from Nagchu town in north of Lhasa, Tibet, it is vital for water supplies, ecological balance and climate regulation. The glacier's melt is accelerating, Chinese scientists have found. The scientific expedition announced over the weekend will focus on studying this glacier, along with two key lakes and four rivers on the plateau.

In what other ways are humans changing the plateau's environment?

Mining and dam building are also hastening changes to the environment on the Tibetan plateau. Much of the activity is backed by the Chinese government, which argues that these projects drive economic growth, produce electricity and improve local people's living standards.

In Qinghai, Beijing has recognized 346 gold mining sites. Just recently Chinese researchers have found 43.2 tonnes of gold with an estimated value of $2.77 billion in the region, which officials say will boost growth in mining industry investment.

Chinese state-backed firms have been mining minerals such as copper, steel and gold around Amnye Machen since 1993. However, run-off from these operations have contaminated waters and heavily damaged nearby and downstream ecology. Locals in Maqin county () in Amdo Golog have repeatedly petitioned the Chinese government to stop these activities.

According to Palden, the Tibetan journalist, mineral extraction continues near Amnye Machen today.

China has been continuously building dams on the Yellow River since 1957. Between 2016 and 2019, the Chinese government built 12 dams on the river, RFA has reported. In 2023, China again approved a major hydropower plant on the Mekong River in the eastern part of the Tibet Autonomous Region, with an investment of more than 58 billion yuan (roughly $8.1 billion). Earlier this year, a new Chinese dam on the Ghaghara River in Ngari, close to Mount Kailash, appeared to be completed, reported Newsweek. This development could have major strategic consequences, potentially giving China the ability to influence water flow into India and Nepal.

Dam building has led to ecological and cultural destruction: plans to build the Yangqu Dam on the river in Dege county in Kham Karze led to the demolition of an 113-year-old monastery earlier this year.

A 2022 report on Yellow River from the Asian Development Bank noted that land use changes and human activities have increased soil erosion in the basin by about 40% and that the river's flow has declined.

What changes are climate activists pushing for in Tibet?

Experts warn that expanding lakes on the plateau could worsen global warming and affect the water supplies for millions of people downstream.

Tibetans and environmental activists have urged the U.N. and world leaders to address climate change on the plateau, highlighting its crucial role on global systems.

Why urgent action is needed on the Tibetan Plateau's climate crises?

There have been calls to halt Chinese dam projects, plant new forests, recognize and protect sacred glacier mountains, and involve local Tibetan communities in the protection of natural resources.

Chinese scientists have also called for further study and protections on the plateau. Yao Tandong, the leader of the Chinese scientific expedition, has warned that the decline in glaciers and snow cover on the Tibetan plateau might cause major changes in the Asian monsoon circulation, potentially leading to more frequent extreme weather events in China.

"It is essential to strengthen the construction of early warning systems for glacial collapses and glacial lake outbursts, and to implement more effective measures for sustainable water resource management," he said.

On the occasion of the U.N. COP26 climate conference in 2021, the Dalai Lama said that the preservation of Tibetan ecology is not only in the interest of the 6 million Tibetans but also millions of people in Asia. "The world belongs to all of us, so we need to stop consuming out of greed and be mindful of our actions," he said.

Edited by Boer Deng.

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 August 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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Wider Europe Briefing: Leveraging Russian Assets And Armenia's Road To Going Visa-Free

By Rikard Jozwiak August 20, 2024

Briefing #1: How The West Will Use Frozen Russian Assets

What You Need To Know: The European Union and the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized nations are slowly gearing up new legislation that will allow a $50 billion loan to go to Ukraine by the end of the year.

The political decision for that loan was already agreed when the G7 met in Italy for its annual summit on June 13-15. In the communique from the meeting, it was stated that "we decided to make available approximately $50 billion leveraging the extraordinary revenues of the immobilized Russian sovereign assets, sending an unmistakable signal to President Putin."

There are roughly $282 billion worth of Russian frozen assets in G7 countries after these resources were targeted by sanctions in early 2022, mostly in the EU. And while no one is keen yet to face the legal consequences of actually confiscating the money -- as fears persist it could dissuade other countries from investing in the eurozone and thus undermine the euro -- there is momentum now to get creative in using the funds to financially support Kyiv.

The G7 declaration stated as much by noting that "Russia must end its illegal war of aggression and pay for the damage it has caused to Ukraine. These damages now exceed $486 billion, according to the World Bank. It is not right for Russia to decide if or when it will pay for the damage it has caused in Ukraine. Russia's obligations under international law to pay for the damage it is causing are clear, and so we are continuing to consider all possible lawful avenues by which Russia is made to meet those obligations."

Deep Background: Most Russian money located in the EU, the onus is on Brussels. EU leaders, including more Ukraine-skeptic nations such as Hungary and Slovakia, endorsed the G7 outcome at a summit in Brussels just a week after. They unanimously agreed on conclusions that urged the European Commission to take the work forward on this and added, "Subject to EU law, Russia's assets should remain immobilized until Russia ceases its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates it for the damage caused by this war."

It should be recalled that the bloc already has a mechanism in place to send the annual windfall profits from the frozen Russian assets to Ukraine. This is estimated to generate some 3 billion euros a year ($3.2 billion), with 90 percent of it going to military equipment and the rest for reconstruction.

The first tranche of this money was disbursed over the summer.

This new G7 initiative, however, goes a step further, bringing the interest proceeds from frozen assets via a loan that is guaranteed by the G7 countries.

The preliminary division is that the EU and the United States will back this up with $20 billion each, and Japan and the United Kingdom will guarantee the remaining $10 billion between them. But a lot of nitty-gritty legal groundwork is still needed.

Drilling Down

The item was discussed for the first time by EU ambassadors at the end of July with the European Commission providing a one-page outline, seen by RFE/RL, of what the options are. The idea is that the commission will present a fully fleshed-out legal proposal at the end of August with EU ambassadors discussing the text on September 4. But from the one-pager it is already clear that there are essentially just two avenues available to take.

The main issues to ensure are legal certainty and predictability. And that means that Russian assets remain frozen for a longer period. Brussels is looking to either agree on an open-ended immobilization of Russian assets or prolong this sanction by a longer period of up to 36 months. It's worth noting that all types of economic sanctions against Russia that Brussels has imposed currently are rolled over via consensus by the 27 member states every six months, with the latest prolongation confirmed on July 22.

According to diplomats familiar with the initial discussion, the overwhelming majority favor an open-ended immobilization. The option paper says this option will still be "reviewed by the Council at regular intervals (e.g. 12 months), on the basis of clear predefined criteria (i.e. the end of the war of aggression and assurances of nonrepetition, the payment of compensation by Russia, etc. as set out by the EUCO - European Council)."

It also adds that "ending the immobilization of the CBR (Central Bank of Russia) assets would require a new Council act, based on a report by the High Representative (EU foreign policy chief)/Commission assessing that the criteria for lifting are fulfilled."

The question is, however, whether Hungary has the appetite to agree on this. So far, EU leaders have never threatened not to roll over the sanctions but at the same time they haven't been militantly against moving away from an extension beyond the six months mark. Budapest might go against both options outlined in the paper, and that would mean there isn't much of the legal certainty and predictability that the EU seeks.

If the EU can ensure this, the question is whether the United States, in the middle of its election period, is ready to give a green light. The U.S. Congress needs to approve this loan, and if there are any fears that Hungary (or any other EU member states, for that matter) might threaten to block the renewal a couple of times a year, the whole scheme risks unraveling.

That's why the United States initially wanted the EU to guarantee most, if not all, of the $50 billion and why most member states would prefer an open-ended immobilization. The diplomatic wrangling on this is likely to continue throughout the autumn.

Briefing #2: Armenia's Long Road To Visa Liberalization

What You Need To Know: EU foreign ministers officially gave the green light to the European Commission to commence visa liberalization dialogue with Armenia on July 22. The move came the same day as the bloc also rubber-stamped a 10-million-euro ($11 million) package of nonlethal military aid for Yerevan under the European Peace Facility (EFP) -- the first time ever that the South Caucasus republic got such support from Brussels.

EU diplomats I have spoken to have noted that the two decisions signal closer cooperation with Armenia as the country appears to loosen its political and economic dependence on Russia.

Of the two deals, the start of the visa liberalization dialogue is the bigger prize -- at least down the road. It would, if concluded positively in the future, allow Armenians with biometric passports to travel to all EU countries except Ireland plus non-EU Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland for 90 days in any 180-day period without any need for a visa.

Ask any official from Georgia, Moldova, or Ukraine and you will get the answer that they have all benefited greatly from visa-free travel to the bloc. It is, however, worth noting that the recent green light given by EU member states only represents the first baby steps of a process that will take years.

Deep Background: How long will it take? That's ultimately a political decision, of course. But I understand that the European Commission, which now is the EU body in charge of the matter, wants to launch the visa dialogue as early as this autumn.

This is significant as the European Commission is on its last leg of its current five-year mandate. In December, a new commission should be sworn in if all goes well with hearings of the new commissioners (26 of them; President Ursula Von der Leyen already passed a vote in July) scheduled in relevant European Parliament committees in September and October.

That means no time should be lost by waiting for a new team to take over in Brussels. After the dialogue is launched, the commission will work on a Visa Liberalization Action Plan (VLAP), which is a sort of guiding document for what Armenia needs to do to get a visa-free regime.

It's worth comparing the timelines for Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. Kyiv went from launching the visa dialogue to getting a VLAP within a month -- largely because it had a big civil service that could expedite these things quickly. For Georgia and Moldova, it took around six months to go from one to the other, and it is likely to be something similar for Armenia.

What will the VLAP contain? Essentially, it will follow the same format as with the three other Eastern partners that secured visa-free travel to the EU, even though it is expected from diplomats I have spoken to that there could be issues that are tailor-made for Yerevan though these are yet to be determined.

Armenia will essentially have to undergo reforms in four areas: firstly, document security, including a fully functional system of providing biometric passports and a unified and secure electronic population registry.

The second bloc of reforms is perhaps the trickiest to complete as it concerns migration management and asylum. Armenia will have to ensure strict rules when it comes to readmitting Armenian citizens that sought asylum in the bloc but failed to get it, preventing migration from happening in the first place, and increasing capacity for receiving and accommodating asylum seekers.

The third area is called "public order and security" but essentially contains measures to fight corruption, terrorism and organized crime.

The fourth and final issue is about fundamental rights -- essentially ensuring that everyone has the right to have access to official Armenian travel documents.

Drilling Down

After the VLAP is presented, the European Commission will issue progress reports on how Armenia is faring in the various fields every six to eight month or so. For Ukraine, for example, the VLAP was presented in November 2010 and the first report came in September the following year.

The sixth and final report from the Commission on Ukraine was published in December 2015 and in the spring of 2016 it recommended visa liberalization for Ukrainian citizens. So, all in all a process lasting nearly six years.

For Georgia, on the other hand, it went faster. The VLAP was presented in February 2013 and only four reports were needed, from the period November 2013 to December 2015. The commission then recommended a visa-free regime in March 2016. So pretty much three years.

But there is a catch. As mentioned above, this is politics, after all. Even if the European Commission, sometime in the future, assesses that Armenia has fulfilled all conditions, it doesn't mean Yerevan will get a visa regime right away.

The move has to be agreed by both the European Parliament and all EU member states. And while the former rarely causes any problems when it comes to granting visa-free status, it can be hard to find consensus among EU member states.

It took a year from the European Commission's recommendations to member states finally agreeing on granting Georgia and Ukraine visa liberalization -- both eventually got it in 2017.

It's likely some member states will have reservations about Armenia going forward. In the discussion about starting visa liberalization dialogue with Yerevan, some fears were aired.

France, which has a sizable Armenian diaspora, noted that it could not rule out that visa liberalization could lead to increased asylum claims. The Czech Republic worried that Russians could use it as an avenue into the EU as some have dual Armenian-Russian citizenship.

Germany and Sweden aired concerns that visa liberalization for Georgia meant an increase in Georgian criminal gangs operating in their countries and the Netherlands and Austria, both with governments pushing for stricter European immigration policies in general, are cautious about potential visa liberalization being misused for that purpose.

Looking Ahead

The EU and NATO are still on the beach this week, but look out for two interesting visits on August 21. First German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is due in Chisinau in what is a symbolic show of solidarity from the EU's most powerful member state to Moldova, which will hold a crucial presidential vote later this autumn and a referendum on whether the country should aim to join the EU.

That same day Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due in Warsaw and will travel to Kyivfrom there. The West has attempted to woo India for a long time and is hoping the country will be more vocal and practical in its support for Ukraine and opposition to Russia's invasion.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-ukraine- russian-money-armenia-visa-liberalization-eu-jozwiak/33084692.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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EU Rejects Accusation That West Played Role In Recent Anti-Mining Protests In Serbia

By RFE/RL August 20, 2024

EU officials on August 20 again firmly rejected Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's claim that Western countries were behind recent protests against his government's lithium mining plans.

"The European Union absolutely rejects any allegations that it would be involved in any kind of illegal or illegitimate activities linked to foreign interference. This is not what the European Union is doing," Peter Stano, spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, said at a European Commission news briefing.

The protests oppose a lithium mining project set to be launched by the Anglo-Australian metals and mining giant Rio Tinto in Jadar in western Serbia over fears that it will pollute water and land resources in a country that already suffers from significant environmental degradation, a legacy of communist rule.

The protests took place after the European Union and the Serbian government last month signed a memorandum of understanding on a "strategic partnership" on sustainable raw materials, battery supply chains, and electric vehicles.

The mining of lithium is necessary for Europe "to remain sovereign in a changing world and not be dependent on others," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on July 19 as he attended a Critical Raw Materials Summit in Belgrade, where the memorandum was signed.

Germany is seeking to secure lithium for the manufacture of electric vehicles as the EU aims to reduce its dependence on imports from China of the critical substance, which is used in batteries for electric vehicles.

Ana Pisonero, EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi's spokeswoman, stressed on August 20 that the EU "remains fully committed to developing -- jointly with Serbia and stakeholders -- concrete actions to put into practice the strategic partnership on sustainable raw materials, battery value chains, and electric vehicles."

Stano and Pisonero, who joined the press briefing via video link, made the comments in response to a question about Vucic's unsubstantiated accusation that recent demonstrations in opposition to the multibillion-dollar lithium-mining project were part of Western-backed "hybrid" warfare against his government.

Moscow has also accused the West of being behind the protests, which demand a halt to Anglo-Australian metals and mining giant Rio Tinto's $2.4 billion lithium project in Jadar in western Serbia over fears it could pollute nearby land and water.

The project has the capacity to supply 90 percent of Europe's current lithium needs and make Rio Tinto one of the world's leading lithium producers. It could also play a critical role in Western electric vehicle supply chains as Washington and Brussels seek to reduce dependency on rival China.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-lithium-mining-protests- european-union/33086180.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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CIA Chief In Bosnia To Emphasize U.S. Support And 'Worrying' Rhetoric Of Republika Srpska President

By Meliha Kesmer August 20, 2024

SARAJEVO -- CIA Director William Burns was in Sarajevo on August 20 to discuss the "worrying secessionist rhetoric and actions" of the pro-Russian president and government of Bosnia-Herzegovina's Serb entity, a U.S. government official told RFE/RL.

Burns, who arrived from a diplomatic mission to Israel as part of the U.S. effort to negotiate a cease-fire in Gaza, held meetings at the Bosnian presidency with colleagues in the intelligence community, members of the presidency, and the foreign minister, the U.S. official said.

"They discussed issues of mutual interest, which include the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia-Herzegovina," according to the official, who asked not to be named.

Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, the pro-Russia president of the Serb entity of Bosnia, has raised concerns among Bosnia's Western allies because of his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Dodik reaffirmed in February after meeting Putin in the Russian republic of Tatarstan that Republika Srpska would not join Western sanctions against Moscow over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Dodik's statements have been one of the main stumbling blocks in Bosnia's progress toward EU membership since it became a candidate in 2022.

Almir Dzuvo, the chief of Bosnia's Intelligence and Security Agency, confirmed earlier to RFE/RL that Burns was in Sarajevo. Burns "voiced his support for the cooperation of U.S. and Bosnian intelligence agencies" during his meeting with Dzuvo, the Bosnian intelligence chief told RFE/RL.

Bosnia's head of diplomacy Elmedin Konakovic, who also met with Burns, said Bosnia "once again received confirmation of full support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia and condemnation of secessionist messages and moves."

Konakovic told RFE/RL that while he could not comment on some parts of the discussion, a universal message was sent that the American administration is "very clear that Bosnia's foreign policy partner is still firmly with Bosnia-Herzegovina."

Margarita Assenova, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation in Washington, said Serbia has been stirring up trouble in Bosnia for some time and it's become "more visible and more dangerous."

Burns's visit is a "very good message" to Serbia that the United States will not tolerate its actions, Assenova said.

Trouble in the Balkans would play into the Kremlin's hands as it could distract the United States and Europe from Russia's war in Ukraine, she added, noting that President Joe Biden played an active role in U.S. foreign policy toward the Balkans while in the Senate and serving in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

A visit from one of the top people of the U.S. government shows the commitment of the United States and that Bosnia "is at the very top of the priorities of American foreign policy, which is very important for us," he added.

The last CIA director to visit Bosnia-Herzegovina was John Brennan in 2016.

Sources told RFE/RL that Zeljka Cvijanovic, who has been designated for sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department due to threats to the Dayton accords, was at the meeting at the Bosnian presidency. She is a member of Dodik's Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) and a member of State Presidency of Bosnia.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/cia-burns- bosnia-dzuvo/33085824.html

Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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US Supports Israel's Refusal to Completely Leave Gaza's Border With Egypt

Sputnik News

20240820

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The US agrees with Israel's approach, according to which it cannot completely withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, media reported, citing an Israeli official familiar with the details of the meeting between Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Blinken was visiting Israel on Monday to continue diplomatic attempts to resolve the conflict in Gaza.

The official stressed that Israel could not leave the Philadelphi Corridor entirely because it could not be sure that it would be able to return if necessary due to international pressure. The official said that the United States accepts Israel's approach to the Philadelphi Corridor and that efforts will continue this week to find a solution that will protect Israel's security interests, the publication said.

The Israeli official also does not believe that a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas will deter Iran from attacking the Jewish state. According to him, Netanyahu believes that Iran will try to attack Israel in any case.

The official also claims that Tehran is interested in ending the war so that Hamas can survive. If Israel agrees to end the conflict without achieving the goal of crushing Hamas, it will send a signal of its weakness to the entire region, he said.

 Sputnik

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Israel Wants to Build Wall Between Egypt, Gaza to Hinder Hamas Tunnels-Digging - Reports

Sputnik News

20240820

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Israel insists on building a wall near the Philadelphia Corridor on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt to prevent Palestinian movement Hamas from building tunnels, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing Arab mediators in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

Israel also wants access to data from cameras and sensors monitoring the area, the newspaper said.

A senior Egyptian official told the publication that Cairo was in favor of a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the corridor and the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. An Israeli technical team has completed meetings with its counterparts in Cairo to discuss the corridor and Rafah, but without much progress, according to Arab mediators.

Last Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he was continuing to work to advance a Gaza deal that would maximize the number of hostages released and insist that the Israeli army remain in the corridor on the border between Gaza and Egypt.

Israel closed the Rafah Crossing in December, it has not been opened since.

Gaza ceasefire talks were held in Doha last week involving Qatar, Egypt, the United States and Israel. Hamas leadership refused to participate in the talks due to a lack of specifics on the terms of the truce.

A joint statement by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, released by the office of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi, said the mediators had presented Israel and Hamas with a ceasefire proposal that narrowed the differences between the parties. The talks, which took place in the Qatari capital Doha on Thursday and Friday, were serious and constructive and took place in a positive atmosphere, the statement said. Senior government officials from Egypt, the United States and Qatar will meet in Cairo soon in the hope of reaching an agreement in line with the terms proposed on Friday.

 Sputnik

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Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdelatty

US Department of State

Readout

Office of the Spokesperson

August 20, 2024

The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty today in Al Alamein.

The Secretary and the Foreign Minister agreed to hold a strategic dialogue to further strengthen the bilateral partnership and increase people-to-people ties in areas such as culture, healthcare, and education.

The Secretary thanked the Foreign Minister for Egypt's sustained efforts to finalize a ceasefire deal in Gaza that would secure the release of all hostages, surge humanitarian assistance, and create a path for broader regional stability. They also discussed other regional issues and priorities relevant to our bilateral relationship.

The Secretary and the Foreign Minister also agreed to continue close coordination on ending the Sudan conflict, and the need for the Sudanese Armed Forces to join negotiations in Switzerland.

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Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Egyptian President El-Sisi

US Department of State

Readout

Office of the Spokesperson

August 20, 2024

The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi today in Al Alamein. The Secretary thanked the President for Egypt's partnership as a mediator on the ceasefire talks to secure the release of hostages and allow a surge of humanitarian assistance to Gaza. The Secretary also stressed the importance of continuing to work together to prevent regional escalation in this critical time.

The Secretary and the President also discussed continued efforts to end the war in Sudan. Secretary Blinken welcomed Egypt's active participation in the talks in Switzerland. The Secretary and President noted the importance of allowing unhindered humanitarian access to Sudanese civilians.

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World News in Brief: Ukraine alert over new attacks, more Nicaragua NGO closures, disinformation in DRC

20 August 2024 - The UN's top humanitarian official in Ukraine on Tuesday condemned "yet another attack" carried out by Russian forces in the eastern Donetsk region.

UN Resident Coordinator Matthias Schmale said that the attack damaged a transit centre in Pokrovsk town "where people already fleeing for safety had sought shelter".

In a statement, he insisted that civilians and civilian infrastructure - including humanitarian facilities - were protected under international humanitarian law, "which must be adhered to".

Humanitarian partners on the ground say that deadly strikes over the past week in Pokrovsk and the towns of Myrnohrad and Toretsk caused damage to homes and schools, said UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, briefing reporters in New York.

"Aid workers in Myrnohrad responded by delivering emergency materials and providing psychosocial support to impacted people", he said at the regular daily briefing. "Our humanitarian colleagues note that civilians - including humanitarian workers - are facing daily threats to their safety and hostilities in Ukraine."

Support for pensioners

In a related development, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced that nearly half a million pensioners living near Ukraine's frontline have received vital cash assistance.

The WFP programme runs in partnership with the Ukrainian authorities, with funding from several European Union countries and private donors. Nearly $50 million has been distributed in the last 12 months for pensioners who receive less than $81 per month from the Government.

The UN agency also distributes food boxes in areas closest to the front line, "where food is hard to find or very expensive", and it provides daily hot meals for 90,000 schoolchildren across the country, among other assistance.

News of the WFP assistance comes as the UN migration agency IOM warned that active hostilities in Ukraine continue "to harm civilians, damage homes and disrupt critical services", some two and a half years since the full-scale Russian invasion.

Nicaragua ban of 1,500 more NGOs 'deeply alarming'

The decision by the Nicaraguan authorities to ban a further 1,500 civil society organisations - half of them religious associations - is "deeply alarming", UN human rights office spokesperson Liz Throssell said on Tuesday.

This is especially true considering that civic space in the Central American nation has been "fundamentally eroded in recent years", amid undue restrictions on religious freedom.

The latest closure orders announced on Monday means that over 5,000 organisations, including NGOs, media outlets and private universities, have now had their legal status cancelled by the Government of Daniel Ortega - most of them since the end of June 2022.

Government takeover

"All of their assets are under Government control", Ms. Throssell continued noting that the "severe impact of these measures...makes the defence of human rights increasingly difficult in Nicaragua."

It has also led some civil society groups which are still functioning, censor their own activities due to fear of closure.

"We once again call on the Nicaraguan authorities to stop imposing severe restrictions on civic and democratic spaces in the country, and to ensure that human rights are respected, in line with Nicaragua's international human rights obligations", she concluded.

Disinformation still rampant in DR Congo's North Kivu, stoking violence

The UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) MONUSCO said on Tuesday that disinformation, misinformation and hate speech continue to foment violence and social breakdown in the restive North Kivu area.

Peacekeepers are tasked with protection of civilians across the eastern DRC, where multiple armed groups continue to battle Government troops, and carry out attacks on civilians.

Peacekeepers were deployed to Gina in North Kivu in response to alerts that the Zaire armed group had surrounded the Congolese National Police office in the area, UN Spokesperson Dujarric told reporters on Tuesday.

Peacekeepers provide deterrence

"UN peacekeepers deterred the Zaire armed group fighters in close collaboration with the Congolese Armed Forces, prompting the Zaire fighters to withdraw", he added.

MONUSCO also deployed a patrol to the Kwe mining site, near Bunia in Ituri province, after members of the CODECO armed group attempted to launch an attack.

"Meanwhile, the Mission informs about the continued use of disinformation, misinformation and hate speech, especially in the context of the M23 rebellion in North Kivu, which is threatening the social cohesion and security in the area", Mr. Dujarric continued.

In response, MONUSCO organized a discussion forum for around100 local journalists and influencers in the regional capital Goma "to promote responsible reporting that supports peace and stability in the region."

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Blinken visits Egypt, Qatar for Gaza cease-fire talks but end to fighting still elusive

By VOA News August 20, 2024

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited with mediators Egypt and Qatar on Tuesday in search of a cease-fire deal to halt the war in Gaza.

"Time is of the essence," he said, as he wrapped up his ninth visit to the Mideast.

But both Hamas and Israel signaled they did not like aspects of a U.S.-supported proposal, and an agreement appeared as elusive as ever.

In a new statement, Hamas said the latest proposal was a "reversal" of what it had previously agreed to and accused the United States of acquiescing to what it called "new conditions" from Israel.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told relatives of hostages in Gaza that a key goal is to "preserve our strategic security assets in the face of great pressures from home and abroad."

He noted the "capture" of a narrow buffer zone along the Gaza-Egypt border that Israel calls the Philadelphi Corridor. Neither Hamas nor Egypt wants an Israeli presence there.

Later, a senior U.S. official said Netanyahu's "maximalist statements like this are not constructive to getting a cease-fire deal across the finish line."

Netanyahu, in talks with Blinken in Tel Aviv on Monday, agreed to the basic parameters of a cease-fire deal, with Hamas yet to assent.

"If both sides agreed to the bridging proposal, which Israel [on Monday] did, we hope Hamas will as well, said the U.S. official. "There will be additional conversations on technical specifics."

Blinken met first with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi at his summer palace in El-Alamein. In a statement later, Sissi said the Israeli-Hamas conflict could expand into a broader, regional war if fighting is not halted in the narrow territory along the Mediterranean Sea.

"The time has come to end the ongoing war, and to resort to wisdom, and to uphold the language of peace and diplomacy," the Egyptian leader said.

Sissi said all parties must be wary of the "danger of the conflict expanding regionally" and that the risk of broader warfare would be "difficult to imagine."

The Egyptian leader said a cease-fire in Gaza "must be the beginning of broader international recognition of the Palestinian state and the implementation of the two-state solution, as this is the basic guarantor of stability in the region."

Blinken later flew to Doha for talks with Qatari officials.

During months of stalemated talks on a cease-fire in the 10-month war, the United States has maintained its support for a two-state solution, calling for creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. But Netanyahu has continued to oppose such an outcome as untenable for Israel's security.

Egypt, along with Qatar and the U.S., have pushed negotiations for a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas but have been unable to complete a pact.

It was Blinken's ninth trip to the Mideast since the Israeli-Hamas war erupted on October 7 with the militants' terror attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of 250 hostages.

Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to Hamas health officials, although the Israeli military says the death toll also includes thousands of Hamas fighters.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced the bodies of six hostages had been recovered from Gaza.

The U.S. put forward a bridging proposal during last week's cease-fire talks in Doha. Negotiations are set to resume in Cairo this week. Blinken said even if Hamas accepts the deal, there are still "complex issues" requiring "hard decisions by the leaders." He didn't offer specifics.

"We're never giving up," said Blinken, when asked if time to take the deal could ultimately run out. He held a one-on-one meeting with Netanyahu for 2 hours.

Some analysts were skeptical.

"I think there's a lot of wishful thinking going on, and I think the wishful thinking is because the stakes are now so high, because there is a potential for this conflict to escalate beyond its borders," Mirette Mabrouk, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told VOA on Monday.

An Israeli government spokesperson told reporters on Monday that Netanyahu "stands firmly by the principle" that the Israel Defense Forces will maintain a physical presence in the Philadelphi Corridor to prevent what they describe as the resupply of Hamas' weapons.

Earlier, Hamas accused Netanyahu of undermining the mediators' efforts. Sami Abu Zuhri, a member of Hamas' political bureau, dismissed claims that signs of progress after two days of talks in Doha were "an illusion."

There is an increased urgency to reach a deal amid fears of broader regional escalation if Iran and its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah, retaliate against Israel for the assassination of a top Hezbollah operative in Beirut and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Israel has claimed responsibility for the Beirut attack but not the Tehran one, although it is widely presumed to have carried it out.

Bodies of hostages returned

The bodies of six hostages, including five who were previously announced dead, were retrieved from Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The military said it carried out the operation with the Israeli internal security agency Shin Bet.

Among the bodies recovered was that of 79-year-old Avraham Munder, whose death was announced Tuesday by his kibbutz community.

Kibbutz Nir Oz called Munder's death "murder," saying he endured "physical and mental torture for months."

The other hostages were Yagev Buchshtab, 35, who was abducted with his wife, who was released after 50 days in captivity; Alexander Dancyg, 75; Yoram Metzger, 80, who was abducted with his wife, who was released after 53 days; Nadav Popplewell, 51, who was abducted with his mother, who was released after 49 days; and Chaim Perry, 80.

In a statement early Tuesday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Israel "has a moral and ethical obligation to return all the murdered for dignified burial and to bring all living hostages home for rehabilitation."

"The immediate return of the remaining 109 hostages can only be achieved through a negotiated deal," the statement said. "The Israeli government, with the assistance of mediators, must do everything in its power to finalize the deal currently on the table."

Netanyahu offered condolences to the families and pledged that Israel "will continue to make every effort to return all of our hostages  the living and the deceased."

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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Renewed tensions test effort to maintain calm in South China Sea

By William Yang August 20, 2024

Analysts say the latest collision between Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels near a disputed reef in the South China Sea is part of a campaign by Beijing to force Manila to soften its position. They say it also raises questions about whether the two can maintain calm, despite reaching a temporary agreement to avoid clashes in July.

Monday's incident, which left a gaping hole in a Philippine coast guard vessel, occurred near Sabina Shoal, an area that lies within the Philippines exclusive economic zone, or EEZ. China says the partially submerged reef is part of its territory.

"China is trying to intimidate the Philippines and compel them to roll back their coast guard presence around [the contested reefs in the South China Sea]," said Collin Koh, a maritime security expert at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

Koh said Monday's incident around Sabina Shoal is the first reported clash near the reef, and shows that the Chinese coast guard is using a systematic approach to impose its territorial claims near three major flashpoints in the South China Sea, including the Second Thomas Shoal, Scarborough Shoal, and Sabina Shoal.

"These clashes are no longer isolated incidents because the Chinese are using systematic approaches around the three flashpoints with the Philippines," Koh told VOA by phone.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, a main international trade route, including areas around Sabina Shoal. This is despite a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that China's claims have no basis in international law.

Video evidence

Much like previous incidents around Second Thomas Shoal, Monday's incident occurred when two Philippine coast guard vessels, Cape Engano and Bagacay, were on a resupply mission for personnel stationed on Flat Island, which Manila calls Patag, and Lawak Island, which Beijing calls Nanshan.

Cape Engano first collided with a Chinese coast guard vessel at 3:24 a.m. on Monday, and another Chinese coast guard ship rammed the Philippines' Bagacay 16 minutes later.

Manila accused the Chinese coast guard vessels of conducting "dangerous maneuvers" that caused serious structural damages to its vessels, while Beijing said the Philippine vessels "deliberately collided" with its ships despite repeated warnings.

Both sides released video footage to support their accusations, and some experts say Beijing's swift release of visual materials, three hours after the incident happened, reflects the Chinese government's efforts to counter Manila's narrative about the collision.

"We've seen a bit of adjustment on both sides when it comes to releasing information about these incidents, but China has become much faster about putting out its version of events, making [Manila's response] seem slow," Ray Powell, director of Stanford University's Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, told VOA by phone.

Despite its relatively slow response to Monday's incident, Koh in Singapore said Manila's attempts to share information about the collisions were still more effective.

"The Chinese are trying to copy what the Philippines were doing [in terms of releasing videos and images of the incidents,] but they are not doing it effectively since they haven't allowed any media outlet, including Chinese state media, to take part in their coast guard operations," he told VOA.

On the contrary, Koh said the Philippines has let local and foreign media outlets embed in their patrols, which helps increase the transparency of the information they share and make their narrative of the collisions seem like "a more convincing proposition."

International support for Manila

Although Beijing has tried to frame the Chinese coast guard's conduct as "legitimate and restrictive measures," several nations quickly condemned China's actions and expressed support for Manila's attempt to defend its territorial interests.

In a statement, the U.S. State Department referred to "the dangerous actions by the People's Republic of China [PRC] against lawful Philippine maritime operations in the South China Sea." It added that the Chinese vessels' actions were examples of Beijing "using dangerous and escalatory measures" to enforce its "unlawful South China Sea maritime claims."

The top diplomats in the Philippines from Japan, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Australia all issued statements condemning the Chinese behavior, as well.

Since late last year, the Philippines has been working to strengthen cooperation with other democratic countries to safeguard its territorial claims in the South China Sea.

In response, Beijing has increased the frequency of its own joint combat patrols near the disputed reefs, conducting a joint naval exercise with Russia in the South China Sea in July.

Some analysts say the increased frequency of patrols carried out by Manila and Beijing may heighten the risk of miscalculation in the South China Sea.

"The Chinese strategy is to try to push the adversary into a position where they may make a mistake and that might give Beijing the justification for using greater amounts of power," Stephen Nagy, a regional security expert at the International Christian University in Japan, told VOA by phone.

However, Koh said Beijing is unlikely to elevate tensions with the Philippines into a serious military conflict.

"Since a potential conflict in the South China Sea could have a knock-on effect on [its attempt to reunite with] Taiwan, which remains Beijing's grand prize, I don't think the Chinese would be keen to pick up a war in the disputed water," he told VOA.

The quick escalation of tension between China and the Philippines comes after both claimed to have reached an agreement to halt fierce clashes near Second Thomas Shoal in July.

Koh said this shows the possibility for Beijing and Manila reaching a sustainable de-escalation mechanism in the South China Sea is very low.

"Both sides have differing interpretations of their respective claims in South China Sea, so they are not prepared to roll back their positions," he said, noting that conditions for recurring clashes will likely persist in the near future.

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Thailand's Shinawatra dynasty back on top, but for how long?

By Vijitra Duangdee August 20, 2024

Promoted to the prime minister's office after a court ruling took out her predecessor, experts say Thailand's youngest ever leader, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, may be the last card her political dynasty has to play as it seeks to win back the Thai electorate.

But the risks of frontline Thai power have been spotlighted in recent weeks by judges who have once more shown they are willing to shape the politics of a kingdom trapped in a two decade-long political crisis.

Paetongtarn is the 37-year-old daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra, who has been at the center of Thailand's political breakdown since he won a landslide election in 2001.

On Sunday she formally became Thailand's 31st prime minister after the unexpected removal of real estate tycoon Srettha Thavisin from office, by the Constitutional Court on an ethics probe.

Paetongtarn was voted in by parliament, despite having limited direct political experience and never having been elected to office by the public. In her first press conference she insisted she will be her ''own person, with her own goals."

But few believe that Thaksin, a 75-year-old billionaire who was twice prime minister before being dumped from office by a 2006 coup, will hold back from pulling the strings of government.

He returned to Thailand on August 22 of last year after a 15-year exile in an apparent deal to share power with his former arch-royalist enemies and block the pro-democracy Move Forward Party (MFP) from government.

''Thaksin is still very much actively involved behind the scenes,'' said Verapat Pariyawong, who teaches Thai law and politics at the University of London SOAS and also advises Thai parliamentary committees. ''His daughter is about to take on one of the toughest jobs that he knows all too well."

Shinawatra parties were once seen as the populist champion of the poor and therefore a threat to the royalist elite, which hit them with two coups and endless court cases.

But the democracy cause has been taken up by Move Forward, which won the last election in 2023 and shocked the Thaksin-founded Pheu Thai party by beating it into second place.

''Since the Pheu Thai party lost the election their only priority is to win the next one, everything else is just a side dish," Sirote Klampaiboon, an independent scholar and political commentator, told VOA. "Their main course is winning the next election."

Move Forward was dissolved a week before Srettha was removed from office by the same court, the latest move by what Sirote described as Thailand's ''parallel powers'' that favor a conservative settlement to power.

The MFP has rebranded as the People's Party and is setting its sights on rebuilding toward a decisive victory in the 2027 elections.

Damaged brand

Paetongtarn's first task is to appoint a cabinet that reflects the interests of the coalition government, with powerful conservative factions likely to jostle for the biggest ministries.

Thailand's economy is also sluggish and the removal of Srettha's government has put into doubt a nearly $14 billion digital cash handout to stimulate the economy as well as big infrastructure projects such as a "land bridge" across the south of the country to cut shipping times from Asia as well as a plan to legalize mega-casinos to boost tax revenue.

In her first address as prime minister, Paetongtarn said she is "devoted to making every square inch of Thailand a land of opportunities, where everyone dares to dream, create and to write their own future."

The problem, Paetongtarn's critics say, is many Thais no longer see their country as a place of opportunity. Household debt is at record levels [over 90 percent], wages are low and pro-democracy voters say the economy is divided by monopoly businesses and political power shared by a narrow elite, which is for now again dominated by Paetongtarn's family.

"The Shinawatra 'brand' is unsellable these days, the populist policies proved that they don't work because 20 years gone by and people are still poor and indebted," Aat Pisanwanich, an independent scholar and international economy expert, told VOA. "Under this government, everything will be the same if not worse... based on many interviews by Paetongtarn, she has little grasp of our economic problems."

There may also be threats lurking from inside Thailand's politics where loyalties and alliances quickly change and the courts are always on standby to intervene.

Analyst Sirote says the government will be preparing for potential "nail-biting circumstances" such as cabinet picks being scrutinized for past wrongdoings or any dubious assets Paetongtarn may have.

But you can never rule out a family that has had three direct members as prime minister and two others heading its parties, he adds.

"Even if something were to happen to Paethongtarn politically, the Shinawatra brand will not just disappear from Thai politics."

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In Bangladesh, religious minorities targeted during political unrest

By VOA Bangla August 20, 2024

Since student-led opposition protests led Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to step down and flee Bangladesh on August 5, religious minorities say their communities have suffered violent attacks in the power vacuum.

Bangladesh is around 90% Muslim, with Christians and Buddhists making up most of the rest of the population. According to Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council head Oikya Parishad, four people who belonged to the minority community were killed between August 5 and 8, following the deposition of Sheikh Hasina's government.

Parishad's group estimates there have been more than 200 incidents where temples, religious crematoriums and other places of worship have also been vandalized and attacked by mobs.

The Bangladesh interim government insists reports of violence against minorities are exaggerated and often fake. The interim government also says whatever violence is happening is political, not sectarian.

Widespread violence largely subsided following the swearing-in of the interim government on August 8, minorities say the fear of persecution still looms over them during this time of political unrest.

The motive of other attacks can be more difficult to discern. According to local media reports, on August 5 the house of a famous musician Rahul Anand in the capital Dhaka was attacked and vandalized. The assailants threw the family out, ransacked their home and set it on fire along with a large number of musical instruments that Rahul had made and collected.

However Rahul, his wife and his wife's business partner later posted on Facebook that the attack on Rahul's house was not motivated by religious or communal reasons.

For many, including Shravasti Bandopadhyay, a student of Mass communication and Journalism in Dhaka University, it has been difficult to tell who is out to hurt or help them.

In a Facebook post shared by her teacher Kaberi Gayen at Dhaka University, Bandopadhyay wrote that she has had to abandon her home, staying with neighbors and sleeping in different places.

"I can't make up my mind about what to think about my fellow countrymen as one the one hand, I'm dying in fear of death, because some of them had come to my house and threatened me , on the other hand there are others who took me to a safe place and still protecting me."

Finding justice for victims

Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser of the interim government, last week met with minority community representatives and said the government is focused on providing justice for all people, regardless of their faith, in remarks published by the Bangladesh news agency.

"If there is justice, who will not get justice, tell me? Who of any religion, any caste, any community won't get it? Does the law say that these communities will go to this court, those communities will go to another court? Who has the power to discriminate here?" he said.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has raised concerns over the reported attacks on minorities and said via a post on X last week that he had spoken to Yunus, who pledged "protection, safety and security" of minorities in the country.

The Indian government has set up a committee to monitor the India-Bangladesh border situation, reported Indian news media, NDTV. The committee will liaise with the authorities of Bangladesh regarding the security of the Indians staying there and the security of the minorities in Bangladesh.

Human rights activist Noor Khan Lytton told VOA that while it's clear minorities have been under attack since the Sheikh Hasina government fell, political parties and social groups have stood up for targeted communities.

"We hope this kind of attack will not happen in the future again," he said.

The General Secretary of the Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council Rana Dasgupta told VOA that although violence against minorities appears to have waned in recent days, there is still the matter of bringing those responsible to justice.

"In all the attacks on minorities in our country, we have seen a culture of impunity. Whether the new administration can come out of that culture of impunity remains to be seen" he said.

Dasgupta also said that people who had been displaced must also be given back the land they own.

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Readout of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's Call with National Security Advisor Eduardo M. Ano of the Philippines

August 20, 2024

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke today with Philippine National Security Advisor Eduardo M. Ano. Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Ano discussed the continued historic momentum in the U.S.-Philippines Alliance, including the recent announcement of $500 million in U.S. Foreign Military Financing from the FY 2024 Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, which, working with the U.S. Congress, will help modernize the Philippine armed forces and coast guard. Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Ano discussed how this additional security assistance can bolster U.S.-Philippines cooperation in support of international maritime law in the South China Sea.

Mr. Sullivan also condemned the People's Republic of China's deliberate collision with two Philippine Coast Guard vessels operating lawfully near Sabina Shoal in the Philippines 'exclusive economic zone on August 19. Mr. Sullivan reiterated the ironclad U.S. commitment to the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, which extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraftto include those of its Coast Guardanywhere in the South China Sea.

###

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9 killed by Israeli airstrike at school in Gaza City

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:58, August 21, 2024

GAZA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- At least nine Palestinians were killed, and others were wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, Palestinian security and medical sources said Tuesday.

The Israeli army targeted the Mustafa Hafez school in the al-Rimal neighborhood, which is sheltering hundreds of displaced families, killing and injuring some of its residents, according to the Gaza-based Palestinian Civil Defense.

"So far, we have recovered nine bodies, while others remain trapped under the rubble," Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the civil defense, told Xinhua.

"The Israeli army continues to target civilians in Gaza City, disregarding the lives of children, women, and the elderly," Basal added.

He noted that civil defense crews are facing significant challenges in reaching the victims due to limited logistical capabilities and fuel shortages.

Also on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that the Israeli Air Force carried out a precise strike on "terrorists" operating within a Hamas command and control center.

The IDF added that multiple steps were taken prior to the strike to minimize the risk to civilians.

Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage.

Over the past 24 hours, the Israeli military has killed 34 people and wounded 114 others, bringing the total death toll in the enclave to 40,173, with 92,857 injured since the start of the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Tuesday.

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Russo-Ukraine War - 20 August 2024 - Day 909

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 Defense Forces of Ukraine continue to repel attacks of occupation troops. The situation in Pokrovsk and Toretsky directions remains tense. Russia is carrying out active offensive actions, in an attempt to improve the tactical position, Ukrainian defenders are causing the invaders significant losses in live force and equipment.

So far, there have been 153 combat encounters in the current 24 hours. On the territory of Ukraine today, Russia launched six missile strikes with the use of ten missiles, 73 air strikes, dropping 95 KABs. In addition, Russian forces launched 595 kamikaze drones for strikes and carried out more than 3,300 shelling at the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements using different types of weapons.

In the Kharkiv direction, Russian forces nine times stormed the positions of Ukrainian units in the areas of Vovchansk and Liptsiv. Fights are still ongoing in two locations.

Today, Ukrainian defenders in the Kharkiv direction eliminated and wounded more than a hundred Russian occupiers, destroyed an artillery system, 36 aircrafts, two automobile units and five special equipment units, and three artillery systems, 11 cars and a special equipment unit of the occupiers were also damaged.

12 times Russian forces attacked Ukrainian positions in the kupans 12komu direction. Near the settlements of Petropavlivka, Berestove, Stelmakhivka, Sinkivka and Stepova Novoselivka, Defense Forces units repelled ten offensive actions. The situation is tense, two confrontations are ongoing.

In the Lyman direction per day Russian troops, supported by aviation, 18 times attacked Ukrainian defenders in the areas of Makiyivka, Novosadovoye, Grekivka and Dibrova. The Russian Opponent has been stopped.

Five times, Russian forces tried to push Ukrainian defenders out of their positions in the areas of Vyimka and Pereyzny in the Siversky direction. All attacks are stopped.

In the Kramators komu direction, Ukrainian soldiers stopped six attempts of the zagarbnikiv to advance near the time yar, klischyivka and Ivanivsky. There's a battle going on. The situation is under control.

In the Toretsky direction, where aviation-backed occupiers attacked Ukrainian positions 23 times near New York, Nelipivka, Toretsk and Zaliznoy. 22 clashes have already been completed. The fight is going on near Nelipivka.

The main efforts of the Russian enemy are directed in the Pokrovsky direction, here, during the day, Russian forces attacked 62 times in the areas of Vozdvizhenko, Mykhailivka, Kalinivka, Novogrodivka, Hrodivka, Mykolaivka, Bird, Boring and Green Field. 49 attacks Ukrainian defenders have already fought, 13 more boezitknen 49 continue. The Russian occupiers lost more than 280 troops killed and wounded and four vehicles destroyed today, according to preliminary estimates. Ukrainian defenders also caused damage to four Russian artillery systems.

In the Kurakhiv direction at this time of the day, Ukrainian defenders repelled nine Russian attempts to attack Ukrainian positions. Zagarbniki tried to advance near Konstantinivka, Krasnogorivka and Karlivka. The situation is under control.

In the Vremivs komu direction today, Russian forces twice tried to storm the front edge of defense in the direction of Vodyany. Ukrainian soldiers stopped the attack of the Russian enemy, the battle is ongoing.

In the Orihivsky direction, Russian units twice unsuccessfully tried to advance in the direction of Novodanilivka and near Mala Tokmachka.

In the direction of the pridniprovsk, five Russian assault actions were not successful. A loss of positions is not allowed.

Defense Forces of Ukraine continue their offensive operation in the Kursk direction.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that in Volchansk and Liptsy directions, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of the AFU 22nd Mechanised Brigade, 82nd Airborne Assault Brigade, and 17th Tank Brigade near Zolochev (Kharkov region), Mogritsa and Lugovka (Sumy region).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 105 troops, one tank, six motor vehicles, one U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, one 152-mm D-20 gun, one 122-mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, one 122-mm D-30 howitzer, and one Grad MLRS combat vehicle.

The Zapad Group of Forces captured more advantageous lines and inflicted losses on the 115th, 116th mechanised brigades, and 3rd Assault Brigade of the AFU near Kopanki (Kharkov region), Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk People's Republic) and Novosadovoye (Donetsk People's Republic).

The AFU suffered losses as follows: more than 450 troops, 11 motor vehicles, two U.S.-made 155-mm M198 and 155-mm M777 howitzers, one UK-made 155-mm FH-70 howitzer, one 122-mm D-30 howitzer, and one U.S.-made 105-mm M119 gun.

The units of the Yug Group of Forces improved the situation along the front line, defeated manpower and hardware of the 23rd Mechanised Brigade, 79th Air Assault Brigade, and 81st Airmobile Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Katerinovka, Konstantinovka, and Serebryanka (Donetsk People's Republic). Two AFU counter-attacks were repelled.

The AFU lost in total more than 680 troops, four motor vehicles, two U.S.-manufactured 155-mm M777 and 155-mm M198 howitzers, one 152-mm Msta-B gun, one 152-mm 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system, one 122-mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, one 122-mm D-30 howitzer, two 152-mm D-20 howitzers, one 122-mm Grad MLRS combat vehicle, one Croatian-made 2S1-12 RAK-SA rocket launch vehicle, and one U.S.-made 105-mm M119 howitzer. Four ammunition depots were eliminated.

As a result of active operations by the Tsentr Group of Forces units, a large group of the enemy troops was defeated and one of the largest settlements of the Toretsk agglomeration and a strategically important logistics centre of Novgorodskoye (Donetsk People's Republic) were liberated.

The 25th Air Assault Brigade, the 100th Mechanised Brigade of the AFU and the 120th Territorial Defence Brigade have been hit near Toretsk and Kalinovo (Donetsk People's Republic).

The AFU losses amounted to more than 585 troops, three tanks, two motor vehicles, one U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, two 152-mm D-20 howitzers, and three 122-mm D-30 howitzers.

The Vostok Group of Forces' units captured more favourable lines and inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of the AFU 58th Mechanised Brigade and 104th Territorial Defence Brigade near Prechistovka and Shakhtyorskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).

The AFU losses included up to 110 troops, one tank, three motor vehicles, one Polish-made 155-mm Krab self-propelled artillery system, and one French-made 155-mm Caesar howitzer.

The Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of the AFU 31st and 118th mechanised brigades close to Novodanilovka and Pyatikhatki (Zaporozhye region).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 75 troops and one 152-mm D-20 howitzer.



Operational-Tactical Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have engaged AFU manpower and hardware clusters in 133 areas during the day.

Air defence systems have downed: one French-made Hammer guided aerial bomb, ten U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles, 31 unmanned aerial vehicles, five of them beyond the special military operation zone.

In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 639 aircraft, 282 helicopters, 30,192 unmanned aerial vehicles, 575 anti-aircraft missile systems, 17,345 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,415 MLRS combat vehicles, 13,444 field artillery guns and mortars, and 24,945 units of support military vehicles have been neutralised.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation also reported that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to repel the AFU attempt to invade the territory of the Russian Federation.

Units of the Sever Group of Forces supported by Army Aviation and artillery thwarted the attempts of the enemy's assault detachments to launch attacks near Borki, Korenevo, Kremyanoye, and Russkaya Kanapelka.

The AFU losses amounted to more than 60 troops killed and wounded, two tanks, eight armoured fighting vehicles, and six motor vehicles.

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue reconnaissance and search operations to locate and eliminate the enemy's small sabotage and reconnaissance groups in forest belts attempting to get to the depth of the Russian territory.

Army Aviation and artillery strikes and actions of defending troops inflicted losses on manpower and hardware clusters of the AFU 22nd, 115th mechanised brigades, 80th, and 82nd air assault brigades near Apanasovka, Borki, Viktorovka, Kositsa, Lyubimovka, Plekhovo, Tolsty Lug, and west of Bogdanovka.

Operational-Tactical Aviation delivered strikes at manpower and hardware concentration areas of reserves of the AFU 61st Mechanised Brigade, 101st, 103rd, 106th, and 129th territorial defence brigades near Aleksandriya, Belopolye, Volnaya Sloboda, Vorozhba, Loknya, Mogritsa, and Khoten.

Over the past 24 hours, the AFU losses have amounted to up to 350 troops and 25 units of hardware, including four tanks, one infantry fighting vehicle, two armoured personnel carriers, 18 armoured fighting vehicles, as well as eight motor vehicles, two mortars, and one electronic warfare station.

Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk region, the AFU losses have amounted to more than 4,130 troops, 58 tanks, 27 infantry fighting vehicles, 50 armoured personnel carriers, 299 armoured fighting vehicles, 131 motor vehicles, 27 artillery guns, five SAM launchers, seven MLRS launchers, including three of HIMARS system and one of MLRS system, six electronic warfare stations, four units of engineering vehicles, including two counterobstacle vehicles and one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle.

The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress.

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Battle of Kursk II - 20 August 2024 - Day 15

Ukrainian forces incursion into the Russian region of Kursk has gained significant ground, with over 1,000 square kilometres reportedly under their control. However, the offensive is slowing as Russian forces put up increased resistance, using drones to disrupt Ukrainian supply lines.

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported the creation of the Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk troop groups , formed to defend against Ukrainian attacks. It appears that they will operate on the basis of the previously existing state border group, which later became the North GI.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine are likely to surround the Russian troops near the Seim river in the Kursk region. Thats according to BILDs analyst Julian Ropcke. As the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroy all the bridges over the Seim river in the north of the Glushkovsk district, they may surround 2000-3000 Russian soldiers if moves 5 kilometres further. The Russians are ready to resist such an offensive, but the situation may get nasty for them if the Ukrainian troops attack from the East where the AFU earlier captured Apanasovka. Previously, the Ukrainians destroyed the last stationary bridge over the river, this was confirmed by the Russian authorities. According to Ropcke, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have already destroyed a pontoon bridge that the Russians attempted to build as well as lots of trucks that were supposed to cross the river and provide the Russian troops that are cut off with supplies.

Ukraine's army chief said its forces have advanced 28-35 kilometres (17 to 22 miles) in Russia's Kursk region while Moscow was moving some of its troops from other directions to strengthen positions there. Oleksandr Syrskyi told a briefing broadcast by national TV that Russia was also sending additional troops to the Pokrovsk region in Ukraine's east, which has seen the most intense fighting of late in Russia's two-and-half-year-old invasion.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces currently control over 1,260 square kilometers of territory and 93 settlements in Russia's Kursk region. Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said this at a meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine, an Ukrinform correspondent reported. "A grouping of the Defense Forces is conducting an offensive defense on the Kursk axis in order to create a security zone and stop attacks from Russian territory, as well as to overtake the enemy. Since the offensive began in the Kursk region, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have advanced from 28 to 35 kilometers deep into enemy defenses, captured 1,263 square kilometers of territory and gained control of 93 settlements," he said.

Syrskyi stressed that the enemy was conducting a maneuverable defense, trying to prevent the further advance of units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces deep into Russian territory, building up groups of troops and moving forces from other directions. He noted that "further actions of our troops on this axis will depend on the development of the operational situation."

A destroyed reconnaissance group from the 61st mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces had previously captured Gazprom's GIS "Sudzha" in the Kursk Region.

A strike by an American small-sized high-precision aerial bomb GBU-39B SDB on a border village in the Kursk Region. The Ukrainians destroyed the last bridge across the Seim in the village of Karyzh, Glushkovsky District, Kursk Region. A Ukrainian source published satellite images of induced crossings across the Seim River in the Glushkovsky District, Kursk Region, after the destruction of road bridges with bombs.

Russias military said its forces had thwarted attempted Ukrainian attacks on four settlements in its western Kursk region and taken control of what it described as the strategic logistics hub of Niu-York in eastern Ukraine.

More than 122,000 people have left Russias Kursk region, where evacuations have been ordered since Ukraine mounted a major incursion two weeks ago, state-run media quoted the emergencies ministry as saying.

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Iran rejects 'unsubstantiated' US election campaign hacking claims

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 20, 2024

New York, IRNA -- Iran's Permanent Mission to the United Nations has roundly rejected allegations about Tehran's interference in the 2024 US presidential election, calling the claim "unsubstantiated".

According to IRNA, the Iranian mission issued a statement on Monday night local time, in response to questions regarding the claim of American intelligence and cyber agencies.

"Such allegations are unsubstantiated and devoid of any standing. As we have previously announced, the Islamic Republic of Iran harbors neither the intention nor the motive to interfere with the US presidential election," the statement said.

"Should the US government genuinely believe in the validity of its claims, it should furnish us with the pertinent evidenceaif anyato which we will respond accordingly," it added.

In a joint statement, the FBI and several other US intelligence agencies claimed that Iran was involved in hacking of the campaign of Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for the 2024 US presidential election, as well as trying to hack the campaign of Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate.

Last week, the Iranian mission at New York, rejected a report published by an American digital newspaper claiming that it has access to documents about Iran's role in hacking the Trump campaign.

"Iran itself is a victim of various cyber-attacks targeting the country's infrastructure, public service centers and industries. Iran's cyber power is defensive and in proportionate to the threats it faces", Iran's mission clarified last Friday.

Iran does not have a goal or a plan for a cyberattack. The American election is an internal issue of this country, and Iran has no involvement in it, the statement from the Iranian mission then elaborated further.

Iran's Permanent Mission to the UN had issued several such statement recently over claims implicating the Islamic Republic in the US election campaign hacking or a shooting incident during Trump's rally, calling those allegations "absurd, baseless and biased".

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Treasury Sanctions Former Haitian President for Drug Trafficking

U.S. Department of the Treasury

August 20, 2024

WASHINGTON -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the former President of Haiti, Michel Joseph Martelly (Martelly), pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14059 of December 15, 2021, "Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade."

"Today's action against Martelly emphasizes the significant and destabilizing role he and other corrupt political elites have played in perpetuating the ongoing crisis in Haiti," said Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith. "The United States, along with our international partners, is committed to disrupting those who facilitate the drug trafficking, corruption, and other illicit activities fueling the horrific gang violence and political instability."

The existence of widespread gang activity and human rights abuses in Haiti creates a permissive environment for drug trafficking activities, and the country is a transit point for illicit drugs entering the United States. Many of Haiti's political and business elites have long been involved in drug trafficking and have been linked to the gangs responsible for the violence that has destabilized Haiti. The United States is committed to promoting accountability and charting a more prosperous, democratic, and secure future for all Haitians.

Martelly abused his influence to facilitate the trafficking of dangerous drugs, including cocaine, destined for the United States. Additionally, Martelly engaged in the laundering of illicit drug proceeds, worked with Haitian drug traffickers, and sponsored multiple Haiti-based gangs. Martelly was previously sanctioned by the Government of Canada on November 17, 2022.

Martelly was sanctioned today pursuant to E.O. 14059 for having engaged in, or having attempted to engage in, activities or transactions that have materially contributed to, or pose a significant risk of materially contributing to, the international proliferation of illicit drugs or their means of production. Today's sanctions action imposes several prohibitions related to Martelly, and OFAC has added Martelly to the Non-SDN Menu-Based Sanctions List (NS-MBS List).

OFAC coordinated closely with the Drug Enforcement Administration on this sanctions action.

SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS

As a result of this action, OFAC is imposing the following prohibitions described in section 2 of E.O. 14059: (1) U.S. financial institutions are prohibited from making loans or providing credit to Martelly; (2) Any transactions in foreign exchange that are subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and in which Martelly has any interest are prohibited; and (3) U.S. persons are prohibited from investing in or purchasing significant amounts of equity or debt instruments of Martelly.

U.S. persons may face civil or criminal penalties for violations of E.O. 14059. Non-U.S. persons are also prohibited from causing or conspiring to cause U.S. persons to wittingly or unwittingly violate U.S. sanctions, as well as engaging in conduct that evades U.S. sanctions. OFAC's Economic Sanctions Enforcement Guidelines provide more information regarding OFAC's enforcement of U.S. sanctions, including the factors that OFAC generally considers when determining an appropriate response to an apparent violation.

The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC's ability to sanction persons, but also from its willingness to remove sanctions consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior. For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the NS-MBS List, please refer toOFAC's Frequently Asked Question 897 here. For detailed information on the process to submit a request for removal from an OFAC sanctions list, please click here.

For more information on the individual sanctioned today, click here.

###

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UN chief highlights 'unimaginable grief' stemming from terror attacks

20 August 2024 - The UN Secretary-General has paid tribute to victims and survivors of terrorism just ahead of the international day which spotlights the issue each year.

This year's International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism on Wednesday, takes place under the theme Voices for Peace: Victims of Terrorism as Peace Advocates and Educators.

It highlights the powerful voices of victims, acknowledging how their experiences and stories contribute to raising awareness of the enduring impact of terrorism - and can ultimately foster positive change.

The day was established by the UN General Assembly in 2017 to honour and support victims and survivors, while also promoting their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Scars 'never heal'

UN Secretary-General AntAnio Guterres, said in his statement that acts of terrorism create a "wave of unimaginable grief".

"The scars - both visible and invisible - never fully heal," Mr. Guterres said.

Yet, the Secretary-General recognised that through torment and tragedy, there have been examples of "resilience and the enduring power of our common humanity."

Mr. Guterres said he is paying tribute to all victims and survivors, including those who have shared their stories - an "act of immense courage."

"This day urges us to listen and to learn," the UN chief said. "And it is a reminder that we must always seek out the light of hope."

Learning 'how to live again'

Ben Saul, UN expert on the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, said the International Day of Remembrance provides a chance to renew global efforts to protect victims and survivors.

Many victims feel like life simply got worse in the wake of being attacked, leaving physical and psychological 'scars' such as losing a job, a key relationship, or the ability to focus on studies.

"I pay tribute to the many victims who show incredible courage and resilience as they 'learn how to live again', often with the help of their families, friends and communities," Mr. Saul said.

State support

Mr. Saul said victims need "comprehensive and sustained support" from their governments to rebuild their lives.

Mr. Saul said countries should provide long-term assistance to victims, including medical and psychological support while ensuring their protection and access to justice.

He emphasised the importance of independent investigations, accountability, and international solidarity in supporting victims, particularly vulnerable groups, and ensuring their full participation in legal proceedings.

"I stand ready to advise any country that wishes to strengthen protection of victims of terrorism, improve compliance with international law when countering terrorism, or address conditions conducive to terrorism," Mr. Saul said.

Special Rapporteurs are appointed by the Human Rights Council to serve in their individual capacity, independent of the UN system and national governments. They are not UN employees and do not receive a salary.

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Indo-Pac partners maintain freedom of the sea

By Lieutenant Jonathan Wills

20 August 2024

Australia's flagship regional engagement activity - Indo-Pacific Endeavour (IPE) - began with a law of the sea workshop involving the defence forces of Australia and Sri Lanka in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka.

The Australia Defence Force's Indo-Pacific Centre for Military Law (IPCML) is a centre of excellence in military law in the region.

IPCML deploys teams of legal officers to partner nations to provide legal training, capacity-building, information-sharing and other legal engagement activities.

Lieutenant Commander Tim Quadrio, leader of the IPE Sri Lanka legal team, said this year's legal workshop focused on the application of the law of the sea to maritime surveillance and law enforcement operations.

"Like Australia, Sri Lanka has vast areas of maritime jurisdiction and a large search and rescue region. These waters include busy shipping lanes and areas with rich marine biodiversity," Lieutenant Commander Quadrio said.

"We are in Sri Lanka to share our experiences of conducting surveillance and enforcement operations that protect the sovereign rights granted by international law, while respecting navigational freedoms.

"This workshop demonstrates our respect for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and shared interest in conducting maritime operations in accordance with international law."

Since 2017, IPE has undertaken engagement activities with partners in the region to develop relationships, knowledge and capacity, year-on-year.

In Sri Lanka, this year's focus built on last year's legal workshop, concentrating on maritime law enforcement and chain of custody issues, including the concept of hot pursuit.

IPCML team member Lieutenant Commander Felicia Fragapane said it was also about building stronger ties between partners.

"This workshop is about working together to plan and conduct maritime surveillance and enforcement operations," Lieutenant Commander Fragapane said.

"It's also about building stronger links, at a personal level, between legal officers and military operators, across our defence forces."

Sri Lanka's commitment to peaceful and stable maritime trade was demonstrated in November last year, when they became the 39th member of the Combined Maritime Forces, the world's largest maritime security partnership.

It will engage with the international naval coalition in the Middle East, which protects some of the world's most important waterways.

Legal officers from the IPCML will engage with their counterparts in host nations across the Indo-Pacific region as part of IPE.

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Minister Blair visits Inuvik to highlight Our North, Strong and Free and federal investments in defence infrastructure

National Defence

News release

August 20, 2024 - Inuvik, Northwest Territories - National Defence/Canadian Armed Forces

The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, is in Inuvik for a three-day visit to highlight Canada's Arctic-focused defence policy update, Our North, Strong and Free, and to meet with municipal, territorial, and Indigenous officials. Minister Blair is accompanied in Inuvik by the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs..

In his conversations, Minister Blair has made clear that as a growing community and central transportation hub in the Western Arctic, Inuvik is an increasingly important strategic location for the defence of Canada - and the federal government is committed to continued defence investments in the town. Indeed, earlier this month, members of the Canadian NORAD Region CF-18 Hornet detachment completed training exercises in Inuvik to demonstrate readiness in defence of North America against potential threats. Deploying assets at Forward Operation Locations (FOLs) such as Inuvik increases NORAD's reach and boosts its ability to defend North America from threats in all approaches in the High North.

Yesterday, Minister Blair visited the Green Hangar at Inuvik (Mike Zubko) Airport, highlighting that earlier this year, the Government of Canada invested $8.6 million to acquire the hangar. Minister Blair reiterated that following an appraisal and analysis of the hangar's strategic value, the Government of Canada found a clear interest in acquiring the facility, which is in close proximity to NORAD Forward Operating Location (FOL) Inuvik. This 21,000 square-foot aircraft hangar will be used by federal departments and agencies, including the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The facility provides the RCAF with greater ability to operate aircraft in the Arctic, in support of the objectives outlined in Our North, Strong and Free.

Minister Blair also provided an update on progress to extend the Inuvik airport runway. As announced in January 2023, National Defence is investing $230 million to extend the Inuvik Airport's main runway from 6,000 to 9,000 feet (2,743 metres) and to modernize its lighting, navigational systems, and military aircraft arrestor system. Minister Blair affirmed that progress is well underway, including site excavation, production of material, and widening of the taxiway. This project will improve the airfield's suitability to operate larger and heavier aircraft, which is an important enhancement to the ability of NORAD and the RCAF to operate in the North and Arctic. Minister Blair noted that construction is expected to be completed in 2027 and is made possible through collaborative efforts between the Department of National Defence, the Government of the Northwest Territories, and the Inuvik airport. These upgrades will have a dual purpose, as Inuvik's Mike Zubko Airport is designated as a Forward Operating Location for the Royal Canadian Air Force - and it also operates as a civilian airport.

Minister Blair highlighted that through Our North, Strong and Free, Canada is making a focused series of investments to better protect the Arctic and North, including:

$218 million over 20 years for Northern Operational Support Hubs to support a greater year-round presence across the Arctic and the North, and invest in multi-use infrastructure that also meets the needs of territories, Indigenous Peoples, and Northern communities where feasible.

$18.4 billion over 20 years to acquire a more modern, mobile, and effective tactical helicopter capability that will provide the CAF with the speed and airlift capacity to assert Canada's sovereignty and respond to natural disasters and emergencies throughout the country.

$307 million over 20 years for airborne early warning aircraft that will vastly improve Canada's ability to detect, track, and prioritize airborne threats sooner, ensuring a faster, better coordinated response with the United States when required.

$1.4 billion over 20 years to acquire specialized maritime sensors to conduct ocean surveillance. They will be used to monitor Canada's maritime approaches, including in the Arctic and North, and will be a critical component of the CAFs' ability to defend Canada from a growing range and sophistication of underwater threats, including vessel-launched missiles, underwater systems, ships, and submarines, on all three coasts.

$222 million over 20 years to build a new satellite ground station in the Arctic. This ground station will improve our ability to detect, deter and respond to malign activities and to communicate those threats quickly with our most trusted partners.

To further build on the strategic priorities in Our North, Strong and Free, Canada, along with the United States and Finland, also launched the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact) in July 2024 at the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C. Through the ICE Pact, our three countries are committing to a collaborative effort to continue building best-in-class Arctic and polar icebreakers and other Arctic and polar capabilities in each of our respective countries by sharing expertise, information, and capabilities. This strategic partnership will deepen existing co-operation among these three key Arctic countries by strengthening the marine industries in each country and allowing new equipment and capabilities to be produced more quickly.

Yesterday, Minister Blair met with the Mayor of Inuvik, Clarence Wood, Senator Dawn Anderson, members of the 1st Canadian Rangers Patrol Group, the Inuvik Native Band, and the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, the Honourable Gerald Kisoun. Minister Blair also met with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation today and toured the Inuvik Satellite Station Facility. Minister Blair will be participating in additional meetings today.

In his meetings, Minister Blair reiterated that as Our North, Strong and Free is implemented, National Defence will engage closely with Territorial and Indigenous governments and Northern communities, whose homes and lifestyle are directly impacted by the evolving Arctic security environment. In defending the region, Canada will continue to support the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework's principle of "nothing about us, without us," and is committed to ensuring that the economic benefits of defence investments are felt by Indigenous and Northern communities.

Our Arctic and North is an integral part of our country, home to 150,000 Canadians and generations of Indigenous communities. Canada will continue to work with these communities to protect our Arctic sovereignty, as committed in Our North, Strong and Free.

Quotes

"The security challenges facing our Arctic and our North are changing. As our Arctic becomes more accessible due to climate change, authoritarian states are rapidly building up their military capabilities, and are becoming more present in the North. With Our North, Strong and Free, Canada is investing in Arctic sovereignty to protect our North and the people who live there. Inuvik is an increasingly vital hub for defence activities, and our significant investments in Inuvik will help to keep Canada safe all while creating economic opportunities." The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence

"As we implement Canada's defence policy update, Our North, Strong and Free, we are steadfastly committed to engaging with territories, Indigenous partners, and northern communities who are an essential part of Arctic sovereignty. We look forward to maximizing the economic benefits of these major new defence investments, and creating jobs, opportunities, and multi-use infrastructure in the Arctic and the North." The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs

"Defence investments in Inuvik are growing our economy and creating jobs. Thanks to the landmark investments in Our North, Strong and Free and Canada's NORAD Modernization Plan, the Canadian Armed Forces will only become more and more present in the Arctic and the North. I welcome these investments wholeheartedly, and I look forward to working with the Department of National Defence to establish multi-purpose infrastructure wherever possible, which can serve the needs of our military and local communities in the Northwest Territories." Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories

Quick facts

On April 8, 2024, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Defence Minister Bill Blair released Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada's Defence. This plan will invest $8.1 billion over five years and $73 billion over twenty years in the defence of Canada, with a particular focus on the Arctic and North.

Our North, Strong and Free makes a renewed commitment to the Arctic and the North. As the policy states, "The most urgent and important task we face is asserting Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic and northern regions, where the changing physical and geopolitical landscapes have created new threats and vulnerabilities to Canada and Canadians." The region, which was once protected by the Polar Ice Cap year-round, is becoming more accessible. By 2050, the Arctic Ocean could become the most efficient shipping route between Europe and East Asia.

This is Minister Blair's third trip to the North since the release of Our North, Strong and Free. Minister Blair previously visited Yellowknife from April 23-25, 2024, and broke ground on a new defence facility in Yellowknife which will help the Canadian Armed Forces maintain a more robust presence in the North. Minister Blair also visited Iqaluit, Nunavut from May 5-6, 2024, to brief the territorial Premiers with an update on Arctic and northern security in advance of the Northern Premiers Forum.

Thanks to the investments in Our North, Strong and Free, the government is projecting Canada's defence spending to GDP ratio to reach 1.76% in 2029-30. Initiatives under Our North, Strong and Free also put Canada on track to exceed NATO's target of 20% for major equipment expenditures as a proportion of defence funding. Canada plans to invest in the right mix of capabilities on the right timeline to meet the NATO target of spending 2% of GDP on defence by 2032.

Inuvik is a key strategic site for the defence of North America, and is home to a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Forward Operating Location (FOL) built in the 1990s to house up to six fighter aircraft, store supplies and provisions, and house CAF personnel as needed in support of the NORAD mission.

The Inuvik FOL is being comprehensively upgraded through Canada's $38.6 billion NORAD Modernization Plan, announced in 2022. The Inuvik FOL upgrades are being funded by two initiatives under the policy: the Defence of Canada Fighter Infrastructure Project, which funds the upgrade of fighter infrastructure and NORAD Quick Reaction Alert capabilities at bases across Canada to support the arrival of our new F-35 fleet; and the NORAD Northern Basing Infrastructure project, which will upgrade infrastructure at the three FOLs across the North and at 5 Wing Goose Bay - including runway modifications, hangars, operations facilities, accommodations, telecommunication facilities, and airfield recapitalization.

From August 6 to August 9, 2024, a Canadian NORAD Region CF-18 Hornet Detachment completed a training exercise at FOL Inuvik in order to maintain its members' skills and demonstrate its readiness to defend North America against potential threats. Deploying assets at FOLs such as Inuvik gives NORAD greater reach and boosts its ability to defend North America from threats in all approaches in the High North.

Earlier this year, the Government of Canada invested $8.6 million to acquire the Green Hangar and related equipment, which was previously owned by International Logistical Support (ILS) and leased by the Government of Canada until 2021 to support the operations of CC-130 Hercules aircraft.

At this year's NATO Leaders Summit in Washington, the leaders of Canada, the United States and Finland released a joint statement announcing the establishment of the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact).

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Xi Jinping Holds Talks with General Secretary of CPV Central Committee and State President To Lam

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Updated: August 19, 2024 18:25

OnaAugust 19, 2024, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and President Xi Jinpingaheld talks withaGeneral Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Central Committee and State President To Lam, who is on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Xi Jinping once again congratulated To Lam on his election as General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee. Xi Jinping pointed out that To Lam'safirst visit to China after taking office as General Secretary fully demonstrates the great importance he attaches to the relations between the two parties and countries and the high level and strategic nature of China-VietaNam relations.aThe common ideals and beliefs are the red genes passed down from generation to generation between the two parties, forming the traditional friendship between the two countries that "So profound is the friendship between Viet Nam and China, because we are both comrades and brothers".aAs the two ruling communist parties in today's world, the CPC and the CPVashould uphold their original aspiration of friendship, continue their traditional friendship, keep in mind their common mission, upholdathe leadership of the Communist Party and the socialist system, continue to deepen the building of a China-VietaNam community with a shared futureathat carries strategic significance, and jointly promote the development of the cause of socialism in the world. Xi Jinping expressed his readinessato establish good working relations and personal friendship with Comrade To Lam to jointly guide theadeeper,amore substantive development ofabuilding a China-VietaNam community with a shared future.

Xi Jinping pointed out that faced with changes of the world, of the times, and of the historical trajectory, China and VietaNam have maintained rapid economic development and long-term social stability, showcasing the advantagesaof the socialist system and the vitality of the socialist cause.aChina regards VietaNam as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy, and supports VietaNam in upholding the leadership of the CPV, taking the pathaofasocialism suited to its national conditions, and further advancing the cause ofatransformation, opening up and socialist modernization.aDuring the critical period of development and revitalization in both countries, China and VietaNam shouldasteer the direction ofabuilding a community with a shared future, solidifying a development pattern of greater political mutual trust, more solid security cooperation, deeper mutually beneficial cooperation, stronger popular support, closer multilateral coordination and better handling of differences. China is ready to maintain close strategic communication and high-level exchanges with VietaNam, firmly support each other, actively explore ways to expand cooperation in the synergyabetween the Belt and Road Initiative and the "Two Corridors, One Economic Belt"ainitiative, accelerate the "physicalaconnectivity" of railway, highway and port infrastructure, and enhance the "institutionalaconnectivity" of smart customs, and jointly build secure and stable industrial and supply chains.aXi Jinping said that takingathe opportunity of celebrating the 75th anniversary ofathe establishment ofaChina-VietaNam diplomatic relationsanext year,athe two sides shouldajointly hold a series of activities such as the China-VietaNam Year of People-to-People Exchanges to consolidate the popular support of the two countries.aThe two sides should uphold the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and other basic norms governing international relations, promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, uphold international fairness and justice and the common interests of developing countries, and work to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Xi Jinping briefedaTo Lamaon the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee and stressed that China's efforts in further deepening reform comprehensively and advancing high-standardaopening-up will bring new impetus and new opportunities to the development of VietaNam and other countries.aChina is readyato deepen the exchange of experience in party and state governance with VietaNam, jointly upgrade the modernization of the national governance system and capacity, and jointly move toward modernization.

To Lam said, hisavisit to China on hisafirst overseas trip as General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and State President fully showcasesathat the Vietnamese Party and government always attach great importance to developing relations with China and regard China as the strategic choice and top priority of VietaNam's foreign policy.aThe Vietnamese Party and government will carry on the legacy of Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, upholdathe leadership of the Communist Party, keep to the pathaof socialism, firmly follow the path jointly set by the elder generation of leaders of the two countries, in particularly,aGeneral Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and General Secretary Xi Jinping, deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation between VietaNam and China as perathe six overall goalsaof "greater political mutual trust, more solid security cooperation, deeper mutually beneficial cooperation, stronger popular support, closer multilateral coordination and better handling of differences", and push forward the building of a VietaNam-China community with a shared futureathat carries strategic significance.aUnder the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinpingaat its core, China has successfully completed all the reform tasks set by the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, made great achievements in development, and its international status and influence have been increasing, making important contributions to world peace and development and the progress ofahumanity.aVietaNam extended congratulations on the successful convening of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, which has opened a new era of further deepening reform comprehensively and advancing Chinese modernization.aTo Lam expressed the belief thataunder the leadership of General SecretaryaXi Jinping, China will successfully realizeathe second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects.aVietaNam adheres to independence,afirmly pursues the one-China policy, believesathat Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory, firmly opposesaall forms of "Taiwan independence" separatist activitiesaand firmly supportsaChina in realizinganational reunification. Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Xizangaare all China's internal affairs, and VietaNam firmly opposes any force interfering in China's internal affairs.aVietaNam is readyato maintain close high-level exchanges with China, share experience in party and state governance, deepen strategic mutual trust, seek greaterasynergy of development strategies, and strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in such fields as national defense and security, trade and investment, and cross-border infrastructure connectivity. Viet Nam is readyato work with China to jointly ensure the successaof the "VietaNam-China Yearaof People-to-people Exchanges" next year, strengthen youth and sub-national exchanges and cooperation, and consolidate the public support of the two countries.aVietaNam is ready to work with China to properly manage maritime differences and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.aVietaNam supports and is ready to actively participate in the vision ofabuilding a community with a shared future for mankindaas well as the Global DevelopmentaInitiative, GlobalaSecurity Initiativeaand Global Civilization Initiativeaput forwardaby President Xi Jinping. VietaNam is ready to work closely with China in multilateral international cooperation, uphold multilateralism, safeguard international fairness and justice, and make positive contributions to promoting world peace and development.

After the talks, the two sides witnessed the signing of multipleabilateral cooperation documents on Party schools, connectivity, industry, finance, customs inspection and quarantine, health, news organizations and media, locality, and people's livelihood.

After the signing ceremony, Xi Jinping and To Lam had a good chat over teaaand continued to conduct in-depth exchanges on important issues of mutual interest and concern in a cordial and friendly atmosphere.

Before the talks, Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan held a welcoming ceremony for To Lam and his wife Ngo Phuong Lyaat the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People.

Upon To Lam's arrival, honor guards lined up in salutation.aAs the two presidents stepped onto the stand, the military band played the national anthems of China and Viet Nam, and a 21-gun salute was fired at Tian'anmen Square. Accompanied by Xi Jinping, To Lamathen reviewed the guard of honor of the People's Liberation Army and watched the march-past.

At noon on the same day, Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan held a welcoming banquet for To Lam and his wife at the Golden Hall of the Great Hall of the People.

Cai Qi, WangaYi and Wang Xiaohong, among others, were present at the above activities.

During To Lam's visit to China, the two sides will issue aaJoint Statement between the People's Republic of China and the Socialist Republic of VietaNam on Further Strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Cooperation and Advancing the Building of the China-VietaNam Community with a Shared Future.

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Chinese, Fijian leaders hail devt of bilateral ties

Global Times

'Relationship built on strong foundation, holds great potential for further growth'

By Liu Caiyu and Zhang Wanshi Published: Aug 20, 2024 10:24 PM

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka in Beijing on Tuesday, after the leader from the Pacific Island country (PIC) has traveled in Southwest China's Yunnan Province, and in East China's Fujian and Zhejiang provinces.

Noting that Fiji was the first PIC to establish diplomatic relations with China and that 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, Xi said that for nearly half a century, the two countries have always supported and helped each other, setting a good example of equal treatment and friendly cooperation between countries large and small.

China attaches great importance to China-Fiji relations and is willing to continue to provide assistance to the best of its ability for Fiji's economic and social development, and work with Fiji to grasp the general direction of bilateral relations and promote the building of a China-Fiji community with a shared future to better benefit the two peoples, Xi said.

Experts highlighted the importance of Rabuka's visit in shaping the future of bilateral ties, saying the existing bilateral relationship is built on a strong foundation and holds great potential for further growth.

"The recent visits to China by leaders of PICs, including the Solomon Islands and Fiji in this instance, have common features such as longer durations and paying visits to provinces beyond Beijing. This indicates a deepening of bilateral relations, moving beyond mere formalities between leaders, which could turn into a substantial impetus for enhanced cooperation between the two countries," said Chen Hong, executive director of the Asia Pacific Studies Center at East China Normal University.

Rabuka started his visit in Yunnan Province on August 12. The next day, he traveled a long distance from capital Kunming to Malipo county in Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. Malipo was once a poverty stricken county.

Rabuka's visit to Yunnan aims to gain insights from China's successful efforts in combating poverty, Chen said.

Rabuka also visited Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, which bear similarities to Fiji as coastal regions.

Rabuka's itinerary is related to the modernization and development needs of Fiji. As a island country rich in agricultural and fisheries resources but affected by climate change, the areas involved in his visit, such as agricultural and fisheries development, port construction, shipbuilding, tourism, and green development, are all areas that the Fijian government attaches great importance to and will have great potential for future cooperation, Chen said.

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PLA Navy's amphibious assault ship starts far seas drill: report

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun Published: Aug 20, 2024 08:52 PM

A Type 075 amphibious assault ship of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has reportedly sailed across the first island chain and entered the Pacific Ocean for an apparent far seas exercise, with analysts on Tuesday highlighting the drill location's strategic significance over the Taiwan question.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force spotted a PLA Navy Type 052 series destroyer and a Type 075 amphibious assault ship on Saturday, after which they sailed toward the Pacific Ocean through waters between Okinawa Island and Miyako Island, Japan's Ministry of Defense Joint Staff said in a press release on Monday.

Observers noted on Tuesday that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force failed to release photos of the Chinese ships as it usually does. It also failed to identify the exact type of the Type 052 destroyer.

This region is of strategic significance, especially for amphibious forces, as it is located to the east of the island of Taiwan, a Beijing-based military expert told the Global Times.

The eastern side of the island of Taiwan geographically lacks proper landing grounds for landing ships and landing craft. However, the Type 075 is capable of hosting vertical landing operations by carrying a large number of helicopters, making the eastern side of the island viable for landing operations if need be, the expert said.

According to a press release by the island of Taiwan's defense authority on Monday, two PLA helicopters were spotted operating to the east of the island on Sunday, but the island's defense authority did not release any information about the presence of a Type 075 in the region, nor did it elaborate if these helicopters came from the Type 075 or other warships.

The region can allow an aircraft carrier to not only attack the island of Taiwan from the east, but also block potential military interference by external forces such as the US and Japan, analysts said.

With the cover of an aircraft carrier group, amphibious forces can conduct landing operations more safely, they said.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on August 20, 2024

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Updated: August 20, 2024 16:52

CCTV: This year marks the 10th anniversary of the entry into force of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). The 10th Conference of States Parties to the ATT is being held in Geneva, Switzerland, and China sent a delegation to the conference. Could you share more details with us?

Mao Ning: The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is the sole legal instrument under the framework of the UN to regulate the international trade in conventional arms. The treaty is of significance to keeping the world peaceful and stable, and improving global security governance.

China is a supporter and doer in the implementation of the ATT. It takes a prudent and responsible attitude on arms trade, and relevant practices fully meet or even exceed the bar set by the treaty. In particular, China only engages with sovereign states on arms trade and cooperation, and doesn't sell arms to non-state actors. China strictly follows the three principles of arms exports: i) conducive to the legitimate self-defense capability of the recipient country; ii) not undermining peace, security and stability of the region concerned and the world as a whole; iii) non-interference in the internal affairs of the recipient country.

In contrast to individual country who willfully withdraws from organizations and treaties, China has fully complied with the ATT in good faith since its official accession to the treaty in 2020, and taken concrete actions to provide China's solutions to solving the global security predicament and regulating the international arms trade order. This fully demonstrates China's sincerity and determination to safeguard the global governance system, support multilateralism and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

The 10th anniversary of ATT's entry into force marks a new starting point. China stands ready to work with all parties, contribute China's wisdom to improving global arms trade governance, and provide greater stability and certainty to the turbulent world.

AFP: On the collision between the Philippine Coast Guard vessels and the Chinese Coast Guard vessel yesterday, the US condemned China's actions in the South China Sea and reaffirmed its support for the Philippines. What's China's comments?

Mao Ning: Yesterday, I made clear China's position on the Philippine Coast Guard vessels' intrusion into the adjacent waters of Xianbin Jiao of China's Nansha Qundao. What China did was to respond to the Philippines' infringement activities. We took those actions in order to defend our territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. They are just, lawful and beyond reproach. The US is not a party to the issue of the South China Sea and is in no position to interfere in the maritime issues between China and the Philippines. Still less, the US should not use the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty to justify the violation of China's sovereignty, rights and interests in the South China Sea. The US needs to stop stoking confrontation in the South China Sea, and stop destabilizing the region and escalating the tensions in the region.

Beijing Youth Daily: There are media reports in China recently on the story of an African student who came to China to study advanced agricultural technology and is determined to contribute to solving his home country's food problem. Can you comment on that and give us more details about China-Africa practical cooperation, especially agricultural cooperation?

Mao Ning: Food shortages have long been plaguing African countries. China has ensured secure food supply for its 1.4 billion people after strenuous efforts for several decades. Therefore, we feel deeply for African people's hope for zero hunger. In recent years, China-Africa agricultural cooperation has flourished, producing fruitful results in technical assistance and training of agricultural experts, transfer of advanced agricultural technologies, the building of agricultural parks, and promotion of cultivation projects such as juncao and hybrid rice. Such cooperation provided quality rice and vegetable to the African people and helped modernize the agricultural sector in Africa.

Agricultural cooperation is an epitome of how China and Africa render each other help. In recent years, thanks to the strategic guidance of Chinese and African leaders, the cooperation between the two sides in various areas has enjoyed all-round development. China has been Africa's largest trading partner for 15 years in a row, and has signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with 52 African countries and the African Union Commission. China released the Initiative on Supporting Africa's Industrialization, the Plan for China Supporting Africa's Agricultural Modernization, and the Plan for China-Africa Cooperation on Talent Development, and cooperation between the two sides has expanded to emerging areas, such as digital, green, aerospace and financial sectors. China-Africa cooperation has helped Africa achieve socioeconomic development and livelihood improvement, and is sincerely welcomed by African countries and people. Facts prove that China is Africa's reliable partner and true friend.

The 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation will be held in Beijing next month. We believe the upcoming summit will expand and deepen China-Africa cooperation and write a new chapter of building a China-Africa community with a shared future.

AFP: Hong Kong journalists rated the city's press freedom lower than ever in an annual survey released on Tuesday, citing fears of national security laws. Does China have any comment on this?

Mao Ning: The Law on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong SAR targets the very few criminals who severely endanger national security, not law-abiding journalists. Since the law came into force, Hong Kong is once again safe and stable, and freedom of press in Hong Kong has enjoyed better protection. This is a simple fact that any one without bias can see.

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Uyghurs sentenced to cumulative 4.4 million years in prison: study

China's repression could lead to a 'total ethnic incapacitation for the Uyghur people,' author says.

By Roseanne Gerin for RFA 2024.08.20 -- All told, Uyghurs imprisoned by China in the far-western region of Xinjiang have been sentenced to a cumulative 4.4 million years, a report by Yale University's Genocide Studies Program says.

And the true tally is probably far higher, researchers said.

The figure highlights the scale and severity of the Chinese government's crackdown on the mostly Muslim Uyghurs since 2017, when thousands of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities were herded into re-education camps and prisons.

The 25-page report, "Uyghur Race as the Enemy: China's Legalized Authoritarian Oppression & Mass Imprisonment," frames the massive incarceration not only as a crime against humanity and genocide, but also as a form of "dangerous lawfare" designed to erode the Uyghurs' future prospects for dignity, prosperity and freedom.

The study drew on information from the Xinjiang Victims Database, which has data on nearly 62,700 Uyghurs detained in Xinjiang, based on leaked Chinese police documents and other records.

Researchers also studied records from the Xinjiang High People's Procuratorate from 2017 to 2021. It does not include numbers from years since then, after the court stopped publishing data, meaning the true number is much higher.

They found 13,114 cases that included a prison sentence, with an average term of 8.8 years, and multiplied the figure by 500,000, which they called a "conservative" figure based on the 540,000 individuals prosecuted by court from 2017 to 2021, to get 4.4 million years.

"This is happening on a scale that the world has not seen," said Uyghur human rights lawyer and advocate Rayhan Asat, principal author of the report. "And if China is allowed to fulfill the 4.4 million years of a cumulative imprisonment it has sentenced the Uyghur people to, it will mean a total ethnic incapacitation for the Uyghur people."

This data is crucial for understanding the profound human rights violations and the long-term impacts on the Uyghur community.

'Legalized human rights abuse'

The Chinese government uses "legalized authoritarianism" to extend the reach of the authoritarian state by weaponizing its legal system against people critical of state policies, the report said.

In the case of Xinjiang, Beijing has recognized the Uyghur identity as an enemy and has used laws such as Article 120 of the Criminal Law governing terrorist crimes, the Counter-Terrorism Law, and the Xinjiang Implementing Measures for the Counter-Terrorism Law "to legitimize human rights abuses," it said.

"The involvement of laws as a means of carrying [out] human rights abuses sufficiently characterizes Uyghur incarceration as a legalized human rights abuse," it said.

The study also noted that while the Chinese authorities make public criminal records in other parts of the country, records from almost 90% of cases in Xinjiang are not public.

Asat told Radio Free Asia that she wanted to contextualize the consequences of China's actions for the entire Uyghur population given that the mass incarceration of Uyghurs without due process and with disproportionately harsh imprisonment is already horrific in isolation.

She has publicly campaigned on behalf of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China, including her brother Ekpar Asat, who has been held in detention in Xinjiang since 2016.

"With a cumulative imprisonment of 4.4 million years a a conservative estimate a it's nearly impossible for the population to carry on their culture and community a our culture and community," she said.

Human toll

The analysis comes before the second anniversary on Aug. 31 of a report by former U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet who visited Xinjiang in May 2022 and said China's mass detentions of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in the region may constitute crimes against humanity.

Her successor, Volker TArk, this March urged China to carry out recommendations from his office to protect human rights in Xinjiang, Tibet and across the country, but Beijing ignored his call.

"[In] the context of mass imprisonment, it gives an idea of just how much, human capital is lost to the Uyghur community, the Uyghur population in China as a result of what is arguably a political and arbitrary, punitive, ethnically-based system of mass imprisonment," said David J. Simon, director of the university's Genocide Studies Program.

"The one other thing I will add about that figure is that the authors of the report have stressed to me that it is a conservative estimate a that the real number, the number of years that Uyghur political prisoners may actually be facing under these laws, could actually be substantially higher," he told RFA.

The report makes several recommendations to address the issue.

It says TArk, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, or OHCHR, and U.N. member states must trigger all accountability mechanisms to pressure China to free innocent detainees and to use diplomatic tools to collectively push for the release of all imprisoned Uyghurs.

It also recommends that individual states declare they are not willing to do business with China and to impose targeted sanctions like those already imposed by the United States, Britain, the European Union and Canada.

The report also recommends that the U.N.'s Human Rights Commission and the OHCHR jointly condemn Beijing's actions and establish a Commission of Inquiry in China to investigate atrocity crimes.

"It's been nearly a decade after China rolled out its extensive atrocity campaigns against the Uyghurs, and the world's attention is slowly waning due to other crises emerging," Asat said. "But the horrors in the Uyghur region have not ceased."

With additional reporting by RFA Uyghur. Edited by Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content August not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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China mulls making marriage easier as rates plummet

Faced with a flagging economy and fears for the future, more young people are staying single.

By Jenny Tang and Sun Cheng for RFA Mandarin 2024.08.20 -- The Chinese government is considering cutting red tape around marriage registrations in a bid to encourage more young people to tie the knot.

The number of Chinese couples getting married for the first time tumbled 8.3% in the first quarter, government figures show, resuming its slide over the past decade amid a tanking economy, rampant youth unemployment, growing awareness of gender equality and changing priorities.

Marriages rebounded 12% last year after the end of the COVID-19 restrictions, but the bounce was short-lived. Over the past nine years, first marriages have plummeted by nearly 56%, according to the 2023 China Statistical Yearbook.

That's contributing to a sharp decline in birthrates and a shrinking, aging population - a trend that the United Nations projects will lead China's population to contract from 1.4 billion to 800 million by 2100.

As more young people stay single, the Ministry of Civil Affairs published draft changes to marriage rules that would drop the requirement for couples to produce their household registration, or hukou, documents when getting hitched.

The new rules, proposed in an Aug. 12 consultation document on the ministry's website, would also bring in a new, compulsory 30-day delay to divorce applications, billed as a "cooling off" period.

One-child policy fallout

Three decades of the "one-child policy," which ended in 2015, has also taken a toll: There are fewer young people - and an imbalance between men and women.

There are currently 17.52 million more men aged 20-40 than women, yet the proportion of single women has risen tenfold in the last decade, according to Yuan Xin, vice president of the China Population Association.

While some welcomed the new proposals because they cut out red tape, a 26-year-old woman who gave only the pseudonym Angela for fear of reprisals said they wouldn't make her more likely to want to marry.

"It makes sense to lose the requirement to produce your household registration document, because ... marriage and divorce are personal freedoms, and have nothing to do with where your household is registered," she said. "But making it easier to get married doesn't necessarily mean that more people will want to marry."

"People who want to marry will do it regardless of how complicated it is, and those who don't will be unaffected," she said. "You can't change young people's decision about whether or not to marry just by changing a rule."

She said the plan had sparked an angry reaction on social media. "Young people online are 10 times angrier about it than I am," she said.

Financial and emotional factors

Overseas-based rights activist Xiang Li said the flagging economy, higher education levels among women and a sense of despair about China's future are all contributing to young people's reluctance to tie the knot, and sign themselves up for more financial responsibility than they already bear.

"At a time when the socioeconomic situation is so depressed, getting married will just make people more financially stretched, because they will have to buy somewhere to live," Xiang said. "Things won't improve unless the social and political situation changes."

Millennial Li Dong, who hails from the southwestern province of Yunnan, said she only knows three people who have married out of her class in high school, and many more have no plans to wed at all.

"What [those who have married] have in common is that they are working locally, and have fairly stable jobs," Li said. "Most [women in my class] have had boyfriends, there are many who don't plan to marry and who basically don't trust men."

"Very few of them will even think about marrying before the age of 30," she said.

Last week, a keyword search term about the rising proportion of unmarried women made the list of top searches on the social media platform Weibo.

One comment on the topic read: "It will continue to increase significantly every year in future too, never fear."

Another said: "This will become the norm," while another pointed out the apparent gender bias in the topic at hand: "We know that there are more men than women, but yet it's the single status of women that's being talked about," the user wrote.

COVID toll

According to Xiang Li, three years of grueling lockdowns, mass quarantine and compulsory testing during the pandemic that ended amid nationwide protests in 2022 have taken a huge emotional toll on young people.

"During the three years of zero-COVID, China turned into a huge prison, with even Shanghai turning into a concentration camp like Xinjiang," Xiang said. "The young people in the 'white paper' protest movement were shouting that they were the last generation, who didn't need to marry or have kids."

She summarized their message as "we are the last generation to be exploited by your authoritarian government."

"There are also a lot of divorced people who have been hurt by marriage, and are very reluctant to marry again," Xiang said.

And while young men in rural areas may still wish to find a wife, they may not be able to afford it.

"There's a bachelor crisis, meaning that the bride price in rural areas is sky-high at the moment, and the cost of getting married is very high," Yi Fuxian, a senior researcher and demography expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told RFA Mandarin in a recent interview.

"The serious gender imbalance makes it hard and very costly for men to find wives," Yi said. "A lot of money is spent on marriage, which leads to a lot of debt in the wider family."

"The money goes on buying property and cars, and there are also loans to repay," he said, adding that many people now believe that the single life is more carefree.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content August 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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Vietnam, China sign 14 agreements during top leader's visit to Beijing

A meeting with President Xi ended with pledges to develop infrastructure, including railways.

By RFA Staff 2024.08.20 -- As Vietnam's new leader To Lam wrapped up a three-day visit to China on Tuesday, the two nations agreed to cooperate on building three cross-border rail links, the most prominent of 14 agreements between the two countries.

They also agreed to cooperate on health issues and news distribution, phytosanitary requirements for fresh coconuts and frozen durian exports from Vietnam, as well as quarantine and health requirements for Vietnam's exports of farmed crocodiles.

Lam and Chinese President Xi Jinping had pledged in a meeting on Monday to address territorial conflicts in the South China Sea to "maintain peace and stability," and to work together to "continue bolstering collaboration in security and defense, boosting economic, trade and investment cooperation," the Vietnamese government said in a statement.

The two nations have clashed The two sides have clashed over competing territorial claims in the South China Sea, which have earned diplomatic rebukes from Hanoi and sparked widespread public protests in Vietnam.

Infrastructure

The main focus Tuesday was on infrastructure development, including a 555-kilometer (345-mile) Vientiane-Vung Ang railway, linking the Lao capital with a Vietnamese port.

Lam asked for China's support through "high-quality investment" in key projects, bringing together Hanoi's "Two Corridors One Belt" policy and Beijing's "Belt and Road" initiative, to construct "major and symbolic works to match their political trust," Vietnam said.

Xi told Lam that China was ready to "accelerate the 'hard connectivity' of railway, expressway and port infrastructure, enhance the 'soft connectivity' of smart customs, and jointly build a secure and stable industrial and supply chain," according to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Lam's first foreign trip since being appointed to his country's top job on Aug. 3 began on Sunday in the southern city of Guangzhou. He later traveled to the Chinese capital for talks with Chinese leaders.

On Tuesday, Lam also visited the Central Party School, which provides training to Communist Party officials. He also led a Vietnamese delegation to Beijing-headquartered artificial intelligence company Megvii, the Vietnam News Service reported.

A spokesperson for the Chinese ministry, Mao Ning, told a regular media briefing on Monday that rail links between China and Vietnam, launched in November 2017 opened "a new channel for China-Vietnam logistics transportation."

She said they would cut transport time, increase the efficiency of customs clearance, optimize hub functions and significantly increase the range of goods traded across the border, "becoming a fast track to promote economic and trade exchanges."

The two leaders are likely to meet next in Hanoi after Xi accepted an invitation from Lam to visit the Vietnamese capital.

Edited by Mike Firn, Taejun Kang and Malcolm Foster.

Updated to recast throughout, raise rail cooperation and other agreements.

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 August 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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Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh & his Japanese counterpart Mr Kihara Minoru hold delegation-level talks in New Delhi

India - Press Information Bureau

Ministry of Defence

Reaffirm commitment towards strengthening bilateral relations and regional peace

Posted On: 20 AUG 2024 9:39PM by PIB Delhi

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and Minister of Defense, Japan Mr Kihara Minoru held a bilateral meeting, on the sidelines of India-Japan 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, in New Delhi on August 20, 2024. During the meeting, the Defence Ministers reviewed the existing defence cooperation activities and discussed ways to enhance further cooperation.

The two Ministers reviewed the defence and security pillars of the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. They reaffirmed their commitment towards strengthening our bilateral relations and contribution towards regional peace.

The Ministers welcomed the growing diversity and frequency of defence exercises and exchanges between the two countries and undertook to enhance the scope & complexity of these engagements. They committed to give fillip to further widen the scope in the field of Defence Equipment and Technological Cooperation along with enhanced cooperation in critical and emerging technology domains.

The two Ministers discussed further opportunities for industrial cooperation between India and Japan with a focus on Make-in-India and further enhancing the partnership in co-production and co-development.

The Raksha Mantri highlighted that India has set a vision of a 'Viksit Bharat' when the nation enters 2047 completing 100 years of independence. Building domestic defence capabilities is an integral part of this vision, he said, adding that partnering in Defence technologies and industry with Japan will be a key to achieve the goal. Both ministers committed to work together to formulate a vision for this partnership to realise the objectives for India at 2047.

ABB/Savvy



(Release ID: 2047107)

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The Federal Foreign Office on the Iranian authorities' action against the German Language Institute in Tehran

Germany Federal Foreign Office

20.08.2024 - Press release

A Federal Foreign Office Spokesperson issued the following statement today (20 August 2024) on the Iranian authorities' action against the German Language Institute in Tehran (Deutsches Sprachinstitut Teheran, DSIT):



We condemn the Iranian security authorities' action against the German Language Institute in Tehran. There can be no justification for this. Language exchange forms the foundation of mutual understanding. The Institute is a well-known and well-loved place of encounter where people go to great lengths to promote language learning amid challenging conditions. Its staff are highly dedicated to their work, which aims among other things to strengthen the ties between the people of Iran and Germany.

The Iranian Ambassador will be summoned to the Federal Foreign Office. We call on the new Iranian Government to permit the Institute to resume teaching immediately.



Background information:

The German Embassy in Tehran founded the German Language Institute (DSIT) in 1995. It offers language courses from level A1 to C2, leading to certifications that are recognised in Germany. It is self-financed (through fees for language courses and examinations) and is not affiliated with the Goethe-Institut. It currently employs 85 teachers, none of whom are seconded from Germany.

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Iran's Judiciary closes two German-linked centers in Tehran

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 20, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- The Iranian Judiciary has announced the closure of two branches of an institution linked to the German government in Tehran.

The centers were found to be in violation of Iranian laws, engaging in illegal activities and widespread financial misconduct.

The Judiciary has also received reports of violations by other German-affiliated centers in Iran, prompting investigations by the authorities.

A spokesperson for the German foreign ministry said Iran's ambassador to Berlin would be summoned over the incident.

The closure comes almost a month after the German government shut down a prominent Islamic center in Hamburg, accusing it of being an outpost of the Islamic Republic.

In a phone call with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on July 27, Iran's acting foreign minister, Ali Bagheri Kani, criticized the closure of the Islamic Center Hamburg as a political move aimed at spreading Islamophobia.

4353**2050

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Iran pursuing Haniyeh's assassination through legal channels: Judiciary

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 20, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Iran's Judiciary spokesman says the Islamic Republic is pursuing the Israeli assassination of Hamas's political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran through international legal channels.

Asghar Jahangir said on Tuesday that the Judiciary immediately opened a case after Haniyeh was martyred in an Israeli strike in Tehran on July 31.

He emphasized that both domestic and international dimensions of the crime, which he condemned as a "blatant example of state terrorism", are being thoroughly investigated.

The Islamic Republic has vowed to deliver a "harsh response" to the Israeli regime over the brazen act of terror committed on Iranian soil.

Jahangir stressed that Iran's military response does not negate the necessity of pursuing the matter through proper legal channels at the international level.

He noted that relevant authorities, particularly in the Foreign Ministry and judiciary, are engaged in international efforts regarding the case.

Those efforts, Jahangir said, led to an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council earlier this month. However, he added that Iran does not put much faith in the UNSC over this matter.

4353**2050

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IRGC: Iran will choose timing of its response, keeping Israel in limbo

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 20 August 2024 3:55 PM

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says Iran will decide the timing of its response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, keeping the Israelis in limbo.

Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini, the IRGC's spokesman and deputy head of the Public Relations Department, made the remarks during a press conference on Tuesday.

He said Iran's response might not necessarily be a repetition of the previous operations against the Israeli regime.

"The Zionist regime had set certain goals in the assassination of Haniyeh, but it achieved none. The enemy thought it could compensate for its failure on the battlefield through assassinating Haniyeh, but, on the contrary, the Resistance front has become even stronger."

Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were assassinated in Tehran on July 31, a day after he attended the swearing-in ceremony of Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Following the assassination, the IRGC stated that Haniyeh was martyred by a "short-range projectile" launched from outside his residence in Tehran.

"There is a strong determination to respond to various forms of aggression committed by the Zionist regime, and, currently, the people living in the occupied territories are paying the price for [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's assassination of Haniyeh," Naeini stated.

He said the Zionist regime and US politicians have now accepted defeat on the battlefield.

"The Iranian people are intelligent and know that the commanders of the Armed Forces and the IRGC carefully assess all aspects at the highest levels of decision-making before taking action. They make precise and calculated decisions, effectively influencing the enemy's calculations," the IRGC spokesman said.

Naeini also said time is on Iran's side and that the "wait for this response may be prolonged."

"For now, the Zionists must remain in a state of imbalance," he added.

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Iran pres. pick for defense minister: World rejects US-led unipolar order

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 20 August 2024 10:10 AM

Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh, who has been picked by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, to run the Ministry of Defense, says the world has rejected the US-led unipolar world order, and looks forward to the formation of a new order, amid the emergence of new powers.

Addressing the Iranian parliament on Monday, Nasirzadeh said the US support for Israel, which is committing a genocidal war on Gaza, has strengthened the position of Iran, the backer of the oppressed people across the world, in the West Asian region and the entire world.

"After the [Iran's] proud operation of True Promise, the US has begun to strengthen the weakened deterrence of the infamous Zionist regime," he said.

"After the al-Aqsa Storm operation, the Zionist regime has shown its illegitimate, tension-causing, and inhumane nature, as well as its irresponsibility toward all the international rules, more than ever, with the help of the US," he added.

According to Nasirzadeh, Israel has "crossed the red lines of direct conflict by its cowardly assassinations and committing all kinds of war crimes against the oppressed Palestinian people in Gaza."

He was referring to Israel's assassination of Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander and an advisor to the Lebanese movement's Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in a suburb of the country's capital Beirut, and its assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas' Political Bureau Chief, in the Iranian capital of Tehran.

Nasirzadeh added that the situation has highlighted the strategic importance of the Islamic Republic.

"In such an atmosphere, the Islamic Republic of Iran has managed to strengthen its distinguished and powerful position in the international arena, particularly in West Asia."

The spiritual influence of the Islamic Revolution has seen a rise among the oppressed and independent nations, which constitute the majority of the world's population, Nasirzadeh said.

"Today, the strategic depth of the Islamic Republic of Iran has changed tremendously compared to the past two decades, and has paved a promising path for the production and reproduction of power to play a role in the region and beyond."

Amid the region's and the world's rejection of the US-led unipolar world order, he said, the political, economic, psychological, and cultural pressures exerted by the "global arrogance" on Tehran and the resistance front have increased.

Nasirzadeh added that the unjust sanctions imposed on Iran, particularly the country's defense and security equipment, have intensified.

As he was outlining his plans for the ministry, Nasirzadeh asserted that the ouster of the US-led foreign troops from the region is among Iran's policies.

"The continuous monitoring of defense technological developments in the world and the obtaining of product technologies that will surprise the enemy, the sustainable and effective support of the resistance front and the anti-arrogance front overtly and covertly, especially in international and regional forums, and the formation of regional and global coalitions" can help expel the foreign forces from the region.

Elsewhere, Nasirzadeh stressed that the ministry maintained "a transformational approach" in implementing its programs over the past years to achieve effective and efficient support of the armed forces and the resistance front.

He noted that the resistance front is integral to and "not separate from" the armed forces.

Nasirzadeh currently serves as the deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces.

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Iranian Police Shut Down German Cultural Institute

By RFE/RL's Radio Farda August 20, 2024

Iranian police have shut down Germany's Das Deutsche Sprachinstitut Teheran (DSIT) -- the German Language Institute Tehran -- for allegedly "violating the country's laws," prompting Berlin to summon Iran's ambassador.

In a post on X, the Mizan news agency of Iran's judiciary said on August 20 that two branches of "illegal centers affiliated with the German government" had been shut down for "committing several illegal actions and extensive financial violations."

It added that the judiciary had "received reports of violations by other centers linked to Germany" without elaborating.

Formerly called the Goethe Institute, the cultural center is managed by the Germany Embassy in the Iranian capital.

"We condemn Iranian security authorities' treatment of that German language institute in Tehran," the Foreign Ministry in Berlin said, noting that the Iranian ambassador had been summoned.

Prior to Mizan's post, an informed source told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that police officers had shuttered the institute's branches in uptown Tehran on August 20, confirming earlier claims on social media.

The move comes after Germany last month banned the Islamic Center Hamburg, or IZH, an Iran-linked organization that it said "promotes an Islamist-extremist, totalitarian ideology in Germany."

The German authorities also shut down five IZH suborganizations, saying that they "also support the terrorists of Hizballah and spread aggressive antisemitism," referring to Iran's Lebanon-based ally that has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States.

Speaking to Radio Farda, a former DSIT student said the closure was a "sad" development because the institute served as a "second home" for people who wanted to learn German in an environment "more open" than Iranian universities.

They said most people who studied at the institute sought to migrate to continue their studies in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Now, those looking to learn German have to pay more to study at less reputable institutes and travel abroad to take an accredited German language exam.

Many people immediately expressed concerns about what the shuttering of the institute would mean for their scheduled language exams.

Photos shared on the social media platform showed several police cars parked outside premises of the cultural institute. Police officers were also seen standing under the institute's torn-down signboard.

The Goethe Institute opened its first branch in Iran in 1958 but its cultural activities were severely restricted following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, resulting in its closure in 1987.

The institute resumed operations in 1995 under a new name -- DSIT -- but it continued to be referred to locally as Goethe Institute.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-shut-down-german- cultural-institute/33085766.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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Researchers: Iran's scientific modeling likely influenced US assessment of Tehran's nuclear program

By Michael Lipin August 20, 2024

Researchers have provided new insights to VOA about Iranian scientific work that seems to have influenced a revised U.S. assessment that Tehran is better positioned to weaponize its nuclear program.

An unclassified assessment sent to Congress in July by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said that since 2020, Iran has "undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so."

While the one-page assessment does not elaborate on those activities, reports published by U.S. news sites The Wall Street Journal and Axios in June , July and August cited unnamed U.S. and Israeli officials as expressing concern that Iran was engaged in computer modeling and metallurgical research that is useful in building nuclear weapons. Those reports did not elaborate on the nature of the research or Iran's motivation for conducting it.

The ODNI assessment omitted an assertion, made in its 2023 report to Congress, about Iran "not currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons development activities that would be necessary to produce a testable nuclear device."

U.S. House Intelligence Committee chairman Michael Turner used a Sunday interview with TV network CBS to highlight the recent news reports about Iran's potential nuclear weaponization-related work. He described the reports as noting a "possibility" that Iran could declare itself to be a nuclear-armed state by the end of this year.

Iran long has insisted that it does not seek nuclear weapons. But the latest ODNI assessment said there has been a "notable increase this year in Iranian public statements about nuclear weapons, suggesting the topic is becoming less taboo."

ODNI declined to comment when asked by VOA about the specific types of Iranian activities that it examined to develop its latest assessment.

An ODNI spokesperson said the U.S intelligence community "remains focused on monitoring Iran's nuclear program, and we assess that the Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] has not made a decision to resume the nuclear weapons program that Iran suspended in 2003."

Iran's U.N. mission in New York did not respond to a VOA request, emailed on August 13, for comment on the nature of the Iranian scientific research that apparently prompted the revised ODNI assessment of Tehran's nuclear work.

One researcher who spoke to VOA, American physicist David Albright, said ODNI may have based that revised assessment at least in part on Iranian work in "computer modeling couched in civil research efforts" that would benefit a nuclear weapons program.

Albright, president of the Washington-based nonprofit Institute for Science and International Security, said he found references in recent Iranian scientific reports to the use of software and computer codes for running simulations that are helpful in nuclear weapon design.

The physicist, who has testified numerous times before Congress about his studies of secret nuclear weapons programs around the world, said his team reviewed more than 150 Iranian scientific reports published in recent years and obtained from open sources. Some of those reports were published this year, he said.

"The modeling work involves simulations of shock waves from explosively projecting pieces of metal against another solid metal. This modeling is necessary to understand how a nuclear explosion would take place," Albright said.

He added that the Iranian scientific reports do not describe simulations of shock waves hitting the core of a nuclear weapon. "It is not obvious from reading the documents that the authors are working on the codes for nuclear weapons," he said.

Albright said the Iranian scientists involved the recent computer modeling likely are hiding the weaponization goals of their work as part of a pattern of deceptive behavior that he found in his past reviews of two sets of secret Iranian nuclear documents. He said one set of documents was from 2006 and obtained by him and London's The Times newspaper from an unnamed source the following year, while the other set was stolen by Israel from Iran's nuclear archives in 2018 and shared with him by Israeli officials.

Describing the two sets of documents in his 2021 book Iran's Perilous Pursuit of Nuclear Weapons, Albright said they indicate that after Tehran shut down a nuclear weapons program in 2003 a as determined by the International Atomic Energy Agency a Iranian officials decided to keep some of it going by assigning research projects to Iranian universities.

As part of that effort, the Iranian researchers employed cover stories to portray their work as civilian in nature and to obscure their links to officials involved in nuclear work, he wrote.

Another researcher, nuclear policy program senior fellow Ariel Levite of the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told VOA that Iran appears to have restarted research, after a pause of several years, to remove the last knowledge gap toward weaponizing a nuclear program. He noted that Iran already has made major strides in amassing nuclear weapons-grade enriched uranium and developing missiles that can carry nuclear warheads.

Levite, a former senior Israeli nuclear energy and defense official, said there are three ways to interpret Iran's motivation for pursuing such research: a warning to the U.S. and Israel that it stands ready to take the final steps toward nuclear weaponization, an internal decision to relax the Iranian supreme leader's 2004 decree or fatwa against developing nuclear weapons, or an attempt by overzealous Iranian advocates of nuclear weaponization to push the limits of the decree.

"We are left in a guessing game," Levite said. "If I had to guess the motivation, I would say it is a mixture of all three."

Albright said Iran's work in computer modeling would reduce the number of experiments needed to test a nuclear device and would give Iran greater confidence that such a device would work.

"That can save them time in building a bomb, but we don't know enough about their program to be able to quantify it. Overall, they have done enough that they can certainly do it in less than six months," he said.

Levite said he does not believe Iran's latest scientific research gives it the ability to produce its first rudimentary nuclear bomb in less than three to six months.

"But given how far along Iran's nuclear program already is, our margin for error in assessing its capabilities and intentions is shrinking while the Iranian leverage that comes with such an advanced nuclear threshold status is growing," he said. "Iran might be poised to shorten further the timeframe toward nuclear weapon acquisition."

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Iran shuts down German language institute

By VOA News August 20, 2024

Iran on Tuesday shut down the sole language institute recognized by the German Embassy, following the closing of Islamic religious centers in Germany.

The Iranian judiciary shut down the institute's two offices, describing them as "illegal centers affiliated with the German government, which violated Iran laws, committed numerous illegal acts and extensive financial violations."

The judiciary said additional investigations into other German centers were under way because of "reports of violations."

Iran's German ambassador said the closing of Islamic religious centers was Islamophobic and a "hostile action." The centers were shut down in July, accused of promoting and spreading ideology to support the Hezbollah militant group.

Germany's Interior Ministry said it banned the religious centers and affiliates because "it is an Islamist extremist organization pursuing anti-constitutional objectives." German law enforcement raided 53 facilities.

This isn't the first time German institutions have been closed in Iran. Tehran's Goethe international institute, that Germany had in locations across the world, was shut down by Iranian officials in 1995.

Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.

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How will Japan's new leader tackle Indo-Pacific security threats?

By Henry Ridgwell August 20, 2024

During his term, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has transformed Japan's defense posture amid growing threats from China, Russia and North Korea.

After nearly three years in power, however, Kishida is set to leave office, having announced earlier this month that he would not run in September's election to lead his ruling Liberal Democratic Party, amid low approval ratings and corruption allegations within the LDP.

At question is whether his successor will build on that legacy or take Japan in a new direction. Regardless, Kishida said he would support the new leader.

War anniversary

Kishida marked the 79th anniversary of his country's defeat in World War II on Thursday, leading a solemn ceremony in Tokyo alongside Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako.

Speaking to delegates in what will likely be one of his last major public events, Kishida reiterated Japan's long-held position on its devastating 1945 defeat.

"We must never again repeat the devastation of war. Although 79 years have now passed, no matter how time flows, we will remain committed to this resolute pledge, passing it down across generations," Kishida said.

But his speech also reflected Japan's changing role on the global stage.

"Japan will do its utmost to resolve the various challenges facing the world as it works to maintain and strengthen the free and open international order based on the rule of law while placing human dignity at the very center. In this way, we will carve out the future of our nation," he added.

Global challenges

Japan lies at the intersection of several of those global challenges, and Kishida's successor will likely continue his approach to defense and security, said Tomohiko Taniguchi, an adviser to the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and now a special adviser at Fujitsu Future Studies Center.

"The scope of options for Japan is indeed narrow because of the troubling neighborhood that Japan finds itself in," Taniguchi told VOA.

"Russia, North Korea and China a three of the nuclear-powered [armed] nations a none of which has exercised anything akin to open democracy. And all three of those countries are all fostering hostility and hate, intentionally and institutionally, towards Japan and the U.S.-Japan alliance," he said.

Ukraine ties

Shortly after Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Kishida warned that "Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow," a statement that appeared to resonate with many regional allies.

The Japanese leader forged close ties with Kyiv, visiting the town of Bucha in 2023, where Russian troops are alleged to have committed war crimes, including mass killings and rape. Moscow denies the charges, despite widespread evidence.

Kishida then invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to attend the 2023 G7 summit in Hiroshima.

Under Kishida's leadership, Japanese lawmakers approved a doubling of defense spending by 2027. He forged closer alliances with regional allies, and in July, successfully negotiated an upgrade of the United States' military command in Japan.

South Korea

Over the past two years, Japan's Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol overcame historical grievances to forge a close alliance.

In a joint statement issued Sunday, the United States, Japan and South Korea reaffirmed their pledge made a year ago at a historic trilateral summit at Camp David.

"We stand by our commitment to consult on regional challenges, provocations and threats affecting our collective interests and security," the statement said.

But uncertainties remain, said analyst Taniguchi.

"There is no assurance whatsoever that the improved South Korea-Japan relationship is going to continue as it is. President Yoon has passed the midpoint of his term. The rest of his term is going to be increasingly a lame-duck administration. The opposition parties are sniffing blood already a and the easiest target for the opposition party is to say that the incumbent administration is too weak vis-a-vis Japan," Taniguchi told VOA.

Likely successor?

Kishida has no obvious successor. Several LDP lawmakers, including numerous government ministers, are expected to put themselves forward for the Sept. 27 vote for the party presidency.

"There are some (candidates) who have shown uneasiness... as if Japan was a puppet of the Big Brother of the United States," Taniguchi said.

Japan's next prime minister will also have to win over the Japanese public and rebuild trust that has been eroded by a recent scandal over political funds.

"The public supports in principle are boosting Japan's defenses and the defense budget hikes, but they are actually unwilling to pay higher personal taxes in order to do so," said Yee Kuang Heng, a professor of international relations at the University of Tokyo.

He added that the Japanese public now largely accepts the need for a stronger defense capability, "but nevertheless remains quite cautious about a more aggressive military posture."

Global reaction

The United States' ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, wrote on X that Kishida had "helped build a latticework of security alliances and partnerships across the Indo-Pacific region that will stand the test of time."

Beijing, meanwhile, said it would work to build a constructive and stable China-Japan relationship with Kishida's successor.

The next prime minister will require staying power, Taniguchi said, "because the next five, six or seven years is going to be crucial for this ongoing long game between China and Japan. And nothing can be achievable for a prime minister who stays in office only for one or two years."

He added, "So, the next prime minister has got to come up with a good plan with which he or she could stay in office, manage difficult tasks, strengthen Japan's alliance networks, and beef up Japan's defense spending."

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Libya's leaders must protect their people's rights: UK statement at the UN Security Council

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Libya.

20 August 2024

President, Libyans deserve stability and prosperity, but disappointingly a political settlement to enable this remains distant. Clashes over the last few months in Ras Ajdir, Tripoli, Zawiya, and the Ghadames basin, as well as oil field shutdowns in Sharara, demonstrate the fragility of the current situation.

Let me make three points this morning. First, we note the political initiatives taking place outside of the UN's auspices, including the recent meeting of members of the House of Representatives and High State Council.

We welcome all efforts to foster political dialogue. But these should be inclusive if they are to be effective, and should recognise the central role of UNSMIL, as mandated by this Council.

Second, we share the growing concern expressed by the Panel of Experts over increasing violations and abuses of human rights. These include recent reports of unlawful arrests and mistreatment of journalists.

There is also a continued lack of protection of women, restricting their ability to participate in all aspects of Libya's civil, social, and political space. Libya can only prosper when its citizens enjoy universal rights, and when its leaders and institutions uphold the rule of law.

Third, we note with regret the continued ineffectiveness of the arms embargo. The Panel of Experts continues to highlight flagrant malign breaches, such as the provision of military support, including by members of this Council.

President, the UK remains steadfast in support of UNSMIL. The Secretary General has our full support in his efforts to appoint a new Special Representative as soon as possible. We continue to call on all Libya's leaders to engage in the political process in the spirit of compromise.

We call on members of the Council and others in the international community to work with increased focus and vigour on a shared vision for a stable, peaceful and secure Libya which is in the interests not only of the Libyan people but the wider region.

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Amid Rapidly Deteriorating Political, Economic Situation, Ordinary People in Libya Fear Re-emergence of War, Top UN Official Warns Security Council

Meetings Coverage

Security Council

9709th Meeting (AM)

SC/15795

20 August 2024

Several Delegates Support UN Mission's Efforts, Call for Appointing Special Representative of Secretary-General to Assist Political Process

As the political, economic and security situation in Libya deteriorates, ordinary people live in fear of war erupting again, even as they prepare for local elections, the Organization's senior official in the country reported to the Security Council today.

"Unilateral acts by Libyan political, military and security actors have increased tension, further entrenched institutional and political divisions and complicated efforts for a negotiated political solution," Stephanie Koury, Deputy Special Representative for Political Affairs for Libya in the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), said. Highlighting many recent confrontations, she noted that on 9 August the Libyan National Army moved towards the south-western parts of the country, causing western forces to mobilize a and raising concerns with Algeria a while on 23 July, forces affiliated with the Government of National Unity moved westward sparking mobilization by the Libyan National Army.

Also pointing to attempts to unseat the Central Bank governor, she said that on 14 August, armed groups mobilized over reports of an armed takeover of that institution. While that situation was defused on 15 August morning, such tensions are fueled by the perception that the Bank is facilitating spending in the east but not in the west. On the political front, the results of the vote for President of the High Council of State remain contested due to a potential one vote difference, she said, adding that voting for the seats of Vice Presidents and Rapporteur are suspended. Reminding all parties about the commitments in the Libyan political agreement and its amendments, she urged the High Council of State to quickly resolve the stalemate.

On local elections, which are expected to take place in mid-October 2024, she noted that voter registration was completed for the 60 councils whose mandates expired or will by the end of 2024, with "around 210,000 Libyans registered to vote". Unfortunately, female turnout remains relatively low, constituting only 30 per cent of the registered voters, she said. While the increased number of reserved seats for women is a significant step, proactive measures are needed to counter the intimidation, online violence and other obstacles that discourage them from registering as candidates. "Libyans are frustrated with the status quo and the toll it is taking on their lives," she said, noting that people are afraid of violence breaking out and struggle to meet their daily needs.

UNSMIL, she said, is proposing talks to develop a set of confidence-building measures between all parties in order to end unilateral actions, restore confidence in the Central Bank and ensure that moves by military actors are coordinated so as to prevent counter-mobilization. Noting her visits to some regional capitals to discuss a coordinated diplomatic approach, she said the Mission is also working with partners in the African Union to reactivate the national reconciliation process. Highlighting the revived engagement of political parties, trade unions, civil society and others in Libya, she added that UNSMIL is continuing its extensive engagement with such groups.

The Council also heard from the representative of Japan, Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011) concerning Libya, who presented its report for the period from 19 June to 20 August 2024. He detailed its activities concerning reports received on the arms embargo, the asset freeze and the sanctions list.

When the floor opened for discussion, Council members expressed concern about the political stalemate and division in Libya. Several speakers voiced support for UNSMIL's efforts and called for the appointment of a Special Representative of the Secretary-General to assist the political process.

Among them was the representative of Guyana, also speaking for Algeria, Mozambique and Sierra Leone, who emphasized the urgent need to appoint a Special Representative "who can act as a conduit for future negotiations and break the political deadlock". "While the Council is committed to contributing to consolidating democracy and establishing a stable and prosperous Libyan State, those who benefit from the current status quo have continued to undermine the political process," she pointed out.

Expressing concern over "recent unilateral actions" by members of the House of Representatives, she stressed that such acts serve to undermine trust among Libyans. All actors must maintain the ceasefire agreement and work to promote political dialogue. It is also necessary to ensure "optimal preparation" for national elections, she said, expressing concern that "commitments to women's representation in Libya have shrunk from 30 per cent to 25 per cent, and now to a shocking 6 per cent". Also noting the impact of the conflict in Sudan a which "demonstrates that these conflicts are intertwined" a she urged efforts "to prevent further conflagration in a region already gripped by high levels on conflict".

Echoing the need to appoint a Special Representative in Libya, France's delegate said respecting the October 2020 ceasefire and inviting all parties to "refrain from rousing concerns regarding compliance with that agreement" is essential. Moreover, all stakeholders must ensure unification of the country's armed forces. "This process is vital for Libya to restore sovereignty and stability, free of foreign influence," she stressed. The country must work towards the formation of a new unified Government and the organization of presidential and legislative elections "without delay", she said, adding that the current transition period is an opportunity to consider UNSMIL's strategic goals.

Along similar lines, the representative of the United States said that "rising instability along Libya's southern borders is a reminder of the importance of supporting the reunification of Libyan military and security institutions." This is crucial for reaffirming the country's sovereignty and preventing it from becoming enmeshed in regional conflict. Also voicing concern about the dispute over the Central Bank, he said "unilateral attempts to replace its governor risk endangering Libya's standing in global financial markets."

Highlighting recent reports of the Russian Federation's naval vessels unloading military material and personnel in Libya, he said: "Whether this hardware is intended to fuel the resumption of conflict in Libya or will be shipped and fuel conflict elsewhere in Africa," the impact will be destabilizing both to the country and the region. Member States must honor the arms embargo notification and approval requirements.

However, the Russian Federation's delegate said the friendly cooperation between his country and Libya is conducted in full compliance of all Council resolutions. The 1970 Sanctions Committee should look into the activities of a private military company that is working in Libya, Somalia and Yemen. Also denouncing the redemption of Libya's frozen assets by unscrupulous financial institutions in the West, he said that Belgian bankers still hold a15 billion which belong to the Libyan investment authority. They "pretended that they didn't know that they had to freeze the interest earnings generated by this capital; more than that, these earnings were quietly taken off the accounts and disappeared," he said.

The focus of the international community's efforts, he added, should be on the well-being of the Libyan people rather than the interests of any particular group or actor. "Additional actors arise because they are desperate and do not think that a solution is coming up soon," he said. Calling for a new Special Representative for Libya, he said only a figure that is equidistant from the various Libyan parties and does not have an agenda of their own will be trusted by the Libyans. It is necessary to overcome "the gulf of mistrust which has arisen amongst Libyan actors which arose in 2011 after the NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] aggression," he said.

The representative of China said that while various Libyan parties still differ on certain issues, a recent meeting between them shows it may be possible to break the deadlock. Noting the stabilization of oil production and the exchange rate, he stressed "these efforts deserve full recognition". He also welcomed the recent announcement of a national reconciliation conference to be held in Libya in October as an "important measure to rebuild trust and enhance unity", and expressed hope that all parties in Libya will use this opportunity to "give new impetus to the political transition". Emphasizing that "the Libyan issue has dragged on for more than a decade", he called on all parties in that country to strengthen communication, maintain the ceasefire and avoid military friction.

Numerous Council members focused on the women, peace and security agenda, underscoring the importance of women's participation in Libya's political processes. Among them was Malta's delegate, who stressed that the restrictions on women's political engagement and the limited representation of women in national structures are "incompatible with Libya's political road map". She condemned the reprisals and attacks against elected women in politics and called for the lifting of any restrictions against women's freedom of movement and right to work.

"A political transition and national reconciliation in Libya will only be successful if women are empowered to participate fully, equally, meaningfully and safely in all processes related to the future of their country," echoed Slovenia's delegate. This is especially relevant in the context of upcoming municipal elections, she said, urging the Libyan authorities to "do everything in their power" to encourage and enable women to take part both as voters and as candidates.

Turning to Libya's fragile humanitarian situation, Switzerland's delegate stated: "While the parties to the conflict struggle for power, the civilian population is suffering the worst consequences." Sudanese refugees in southern Libya face myriad challenges, she observed, spotlighting reports of human trafficking, exploitation and sexual violence. Condemning human rights violations against migrants and refugees in official and unofficial detention facilities, the speaker for Japan emphasized that "the international community should shed more light on those in vulnerable situations".

Relatedly, his counterpart from the Republic of Korea underlined the need to address the dire conditions facing migrants from Africa trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea and refugees from neighbouring countries. Amid the surge of migrants and refugees in Libya a totaling over 700,000 as of now a the criminal networks continue to profit from smuggling and human trafficking against them, he said, calling for coordination among law enforcement agencies of concerned countries and activities of European Union Naval Force Mediterranean Operation IRINI in the Mediterranean Sea.

The speaker for the United Kingdom voiced concern over increasing violations and abuses of human rights in the country, including recent reports of unlawful arrests and mistreatment of journalists. "Libya can only prosper when its citizens enjoy universal rights, and when its leaders and institutions uphold the rule of law," he stated. Echoing that sentiment, Ecuador's delegate urged the Libyan authorities to take up the recommendations of the Report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on technical assistance and capacity-building to improve the human rights situation in the country, particularly the protection and promotion of the rights of women and civil society representatives.

The Council also heard from the representative of Libya who took the floor after various members of that body spoke. "I don't know where to start," he said, noting that statements thus far contained expressions of concern, condemnation and urgent appeals. "But I didn't hear any proposals of practical solutions," he observed. Noting how the spectre of instability looms large over the Libyan people a and may spill across its borders a he asked those present about their plan to support Libya: "For how long will we continue to hear briefings that simply report facts?"

Highlighting the Organization's inability to reach agreement regarding the appointment of a Special Representative a "a situation present for months" a he noted that while some initiatives are being undertaken in good faith to find a Libyan-owned solution, others aim to exclude several parties and ensure that the current situation wears on. "The international community has never allowed the Libyan people to take the reins of the process that will actually determine their fate," he stressed, adding that the situation "can only worsen when States take decisions that widen the divides between Libyan stakeholders".

Calling on these parties to refrain from sowing discord, he said that the only possible solution for Libya involves ending division and "remedying the precarity of national institutions through free, transparent and inclusive elections". Turning to the economic situation, he spotlighted the proliferation of counterfeit currency and, stating that the hydrocarbon market is a key source of income for Libya, pointed out that the current situation in the country is adversely affecting distribution of revenue from this sector. Libya will "sooner or later be cleansed" of foreign presence, he said, adding that "it is high time that the masks fall" in his country so it can focus on building its future.

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Junta dispels rumors of putsch as support for chief wanes

Battlefield failures and scapegoating have prompted a growing dissatisfaction with Min Aung Hlaing's leadership.

A commentary by Zachary Abuza 2024.08.20 -- Rumors of a putsch swirled around Myanmar last week ahead of Chinese Prime Minister Wang Yi's visit to Naypyidaw where he obliquely rebuked junta chief Senior Gen.l Min Aung Hlaing. Given the scale of recent military losses there were reasons for both.

The opposition's military gains have fundamentally transformed the battlescape and it is hard to see how the military can recover.

Since the ethnic army offensive known as Operation 1027 began in late 2023, opposition forces have captured over 2,000 military positions. The Arakan Army controls almost the entire northern half of Rakhine, and is rapidly pushing south, meeting little resistance.

The Kachin Independence Army controls every border crossing to China, and it is now on the outskirts of Myitkyina and Bhamo. The Ta'ang National Liberation Army and the Myanmar National Defense Alliance Army control much of northern Shan state.

One conflict monitoring group estimates that there have been 6,000 army casualties since Operation 1027 began. Hastily recruited and poorly trained conscripts are now at the front lines.

The military mustered 5,000 troops for the defense of Lashio and, even with air support, were outmanned and overpowered. When Lashio fell, nearly 5,000 troops and their families surrendered.

The shadow National Unity Government, or NUG, Defense Minister Ye Mon, recently asserted that 75 of 252, or 30%, of the country's towns and cities are completely liberated, while 74 are being contested. Only one-third of the cities and towns are under full military control, though they are the largest population centers.

Since Operation 1027 began, the military has been unable to recapture almost any territory, and where it has, it's been through sheer scorched earth tactics, intended to depopulate communities.

Unappreciated role of PDFs

While so much attention has been focused on the gains of the ethnic resistance organizations, or EROs, not enough attention has been paid to the NUG's People's Defense Forces, also known as PDFs.

When the PDFs were first established in 2021, they were largely written off as nothing more than canon fodder. Filled with urban youths who fled the junta, they had few arms.

Groups like the Karen National Liberation Army and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army provided training and a limited supply of arms and ammunition. By 2022 and 2023, the NUG was able to supply the PDFs with a steady stream of funding, which allowed them to begin to purchase weapons on the black market.

But most of the weapons they obtained were captured on the battlefield. Each successive victory gave them the arms and munitions that laid the foundation for future victories.

The PDFs have been disciplined and highly motivated, committed to the political goals of a federal democracy.

Taking advantage of their tech savvy youth, they have also been technically proficient and innovative, quickly utilizing commercial drones, long before any ERO or the military did.

PDFs have played an under-appreciated role in all of the Operation 1027 battles. They fought alongside the Karen Nationalities Defence Force in Kayah state, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, and Kachin Independence Army.

The NUG was smart enough to put many of their units under the operational command of the various EROs, which had more battlefield experience.

But the PDFs have demonstrated exceptional battlefield experience in the past two years. In some regions, they are doing the lion's share of the fighting.

Operation Shan-Man

The Mandalay PDF has built on the success of the Ta'ang National Liberation Army in northern Shan state.

It moved out of the hills to the east of the Irrawaddy River, capturing the town of Singu, a mere 50 km (30 miles) north of Mandalay.

This allowed them to block the movement of troops and supplies up Route 311 to the southern Kachin city of Bhamo, evidence of close tactical coordination between the NUG and the EROs.

The Mandalay PDF continues to stage attacks along that road. Last week they captured Takaung, which is the symbolic center of the Burmese empire, and Thabeikkyin township, situated between Singu and Takaung. In addition, they have taken nine army camps.

Control of these towns not only gives them control of the highway, but also, should they be able to acquire heavier weaponry, control of the movement of troops and supplies along the Irrawaddy River.

PDFs have increased sporadic, though not sustained, attacks on the outskirts of Mandalay, the country's second largest city.

Roughly 100 km (60 miles) to the city's southwest, PDFs have been engaged in fighting across Myingyan township. Four separate PDFs converged on Taungtha township.

Other PDFs moved on the town of Natogyi. The government quickly responded, deploying 200 reinforcements to retake the town, where there is a pumping and off-take station for China's parallel oil and gas pipeline from Kyaukphyu in Rakhine state to Kunming, across the border in Yunnan province. PDFs had briefly held the guard stations at the facility.

The escalation of fighting in the region prompted the Singapore-listed Sembcorp to indefinitely suspend operations at its US$300 million, 225-megawatt gas-fired power plant, which was opened in 2019. For a country already suffering acute power shortages, this is another blow for the faltering junta.

From four cuts to depopulation

While the NUG and their PDFs are quick to capitalize on their victories, releasing videos of townspeople warmly welcoming opposition forces, there are costs entailed with liberation.

When Operation 1027 began, the Kachin Independence Army and PDFs took over Kawlin township, in the heart of Sagaing region's dry zone. This prompted a brutal counterattack. For nearly two weeks the town was shelled and bombed.

PDF-initiated attacks have also intensified in recent weeks in southern Sagaing, prompting fierce reprisals, mass arson attacks, and artillery strikes. Likewise, the military has lashed out in Shan state, indiscriminately bombing civilians in towns captured by the armed opposition.

A desperate regime seems to be adapting its already brutal counter-insurgency doctrine known as the "Four Cuts," which is designed to terrorize the population into submission, to a Russian style campaign of depopulating territories.

Signs of strain

Min Aung Hlaing met with China's Wang Yi, on Aug. 15, dispelling claims that he had been ousted by his peers.

But given the battlefield failures and his penchant for scapegoating, one certainly understands why there is growing dissatisfaction and unease.

Min Aung Hlaing has been rotating generals at breakneck speed. Of the 14 regional military commands, seven have been assigned new commanders in 2024 alone. The Northeast Command has had three commanders in the past two months alone.

Only one of the 14 regional military commanders has been in place since January 2022. The remainder were replaced between April and August 2023. Of the six Bureau of Special Operation commanders that oversee the regional military commands, four have been replaced since April 2023. This month Lt. General Ni Lin Aung was assigned to oversee the four regional military commands in Shan state.

There are reports that the State Administrative Council, as the junta is formally known, has assigned its second ranking official, General Soe Win, to personally lead counter-offensive operations.

The junta has detained several commanders and their deputies from the Triangle Region, Northeast, and Central Region commands.

The costs of failure are high as the regime searches for people to blame. But more failure is likely, as the flailing junta is confronted by a surging opposition, and the financial and logistical realities that make any counter-offensive impossible.

Zachary Abuza is a professor at the National War College in Washington and an adjunct at Georgetown University. The views expressed here are his own and do not reflect the position of the U.S. Department of Defense, the National War College, Georgetown University or Radio Free Asia.

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 August not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Myanmar rebels capture last junta base in township on China border

The captured base is a key to the defense of a military headquarters.

By RFA Burmese 2024.08.20 -- One of Myanmar's most powerful insurgent armies has taken full control of a strategically important township in Kachin state on the border with China, its information officer told Radio Free Asia.

The Kachin Independence Army, or KIA, together with People's Defense Forces loyal to the shadow National Unity Government, defeated junta forces to capture their last remaining battalion base in Momauk township in northern Myanmar on Monday, Col. Naw Bu said.

"We were able to completely seize Infantry Battalion 437," he said. "The military council launched airstrikes but now we can say we have taken control of the whole of Momauk township."

There were casualties on both sides, Naw Bu said, but he declined to give details.

RFA telephoned the junta's Kachin state spokesman and social affairs minister Moe Min Thei to ask about Momauk but he did not answer.

The KIA, fighting for self-determination against the forces of the junta that toppled a democratically elected government in 2021, launched an initial attack on Momauk on May 7, then began their final push, along with their allies, on July 24.

Momauk is about 130 kilometers (81 miles) south of the Kachin state capital of Myitkyina, and only about 14 kilometers (9 miles) east of the town of Bhamo where the junta's Operations and Command Headquarters 21 is based, Naw Bu said.

Junta forces had withdrawn towards Bhamo, which is on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, he said.

The KIA and its allies have captured more than 20 junta camps in the township since late July and about 200 junta camps in the whole of Kachin state since the beginning of the year, he said.

Residents flee fighting

Junta airstrikes, artillery attacks and arson led to the destruction of more than 100 homes in Momauk and more than 3,000 people had fled, many to the safety of areas under KIA control, residents said.

One displaced resident sheltering near the Chinese border said he was afraid of more fighting.

"The town is being cleared up but I haven't gone back," said the man, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons.

"I would like to check my home if I could but I'm still worried that there will be more fighting," he said, referring to Bhamo and Mansi towns where junta forces are based.

"There are so many difficulties when we flee and shelter with relatives".

The KIA is one of several insurgent forces to make significant gains against junta forces since late last year.

An alliance of three rebel factions has pushed junta forces out of major towns in Shan state, to the southeast of Kachin state, while the military has lost ground to ethnic minority insurgents in Rakhine state in the west, and in Kayah and Kayin states in the east, as well as in parts of the deep south.

The junta has responded with airstrikes including on the KIA headquarters at Lai Zar on Aug. 15. That attack unsettled neighboring China, which fired warning shots at junta jets, according to the KIA.

The United Nations says about 3 million people have been forced from their homes by the fighting in Myanmar, many since clashes surged at the beginning of the year.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn.

Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content August 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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Russia Struggles To Find Role For Reconstituted Wagner Group In Africa, Experts Say

By Zachary Vargo August 20, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- After the Wagner Group reconstituted itself earlier this year, including renaming itself the Africa Corps, Kremlin officials seem unsure of the group's next steps and its role within Russia's international strategy, experts speaking on August 20 at a Washington think tank said.

While major restructuring did take place, the newly formed Africa Corps appears to be different in name only. The war in Ukraine has continued to be the number one priority for the group, comprising heavy cooperation with Russian officials. Within Africa, however, both the group's sovereignty and their exact role in the region come into question, the experts said.

With the one-year anniversary of the plane crash that took the lives of multiple key figures of the then-Wagner Group approaching on August 23, Moscow officials have yet to fill the void that was left by the death of charismatic leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

After the dramatic crash in the Tver region northwest of Moscow -- an accident according to Russian authorities but widely believed to have been an intentional act carried out at the behest of Russian President Vladimir Putin -- Russia's GRU military intelligence agency took control of all operations of the group.

But even with this takeover, political analyst Mark Galeotti argued at the Brookings Institution on August 20 that the GRU "is trying to run a blended diplomatic, commercial, and military structure, while they only have the skill set to run the latter."

With the GRU still getting a foothold on the operations of the previous group, Africa Corps has large shoes to fill if it wishes to continue the Wagner Group's influence across several African countries.

In Libya, the Central African Republic (C.A.R.), and Mali, the Africa Corps has continued the same operations that were conducted by Wagner Group in years prior. But in the past year, Africa Corps' leadership has begun to test its power in both Burkina Faso and Niger with expansions of personnel that bring its presence in each country to more than 100, according to Christopher Faulkner, professor at the U.S. Naval War College.

"Africa Corps is still in its elementary phase.... We're just waiting to see what's going to transpire and whether or not Moscow will actually invest in real genuine security in those states," Faulkner said.With the Wagner's Group previous reputation for brutality in Ukraine, it is surprising that its counterinsurgency operations have largely been unspectacular in Africa, according to Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

In C.A.R., Wagner's success was underpinned by the fact that its adversary consisted of relatively weak local groups. Even in a case such as Mozambique, where it was fighting a weak Al-Shabab, its operation was largely considered a failure, Felbab-Brown said.

The goal of the newly formed Africa Corps, considered a terrorist group by Britain and a transnational criminal group by the United States, is to create regime dependency on Russia through the security it provides. It has systemically driven up polarization in the countries where it operates in Africa, provoked violence, economic infiltration, and made use of organized crime groups, Felbab-Brown said.

Africa Corps' entry into Burkina Faso, which came after Prigozhin's death, was an attempt to further this influence, while simultaneously the GRU began assessing its role on the continent. As this assessment continues, Africa Corps appears to be preparing to enter the Democratic Republic of the Congo (D.R.C) as well. According to Felbab-Brown, the Russian government has already signed military deals with the government of the D.R.C.

In addition, the government of the tiny island country of Sao Tome and Principe off Africa's western coast, is cozying up to Russia. It has been signaling that it is keen on sending forces to a Russian training academy in Chechnya designed specifically for proxy actors. Similarly, Russia has begun canceling and restructuring large portions of debt owed to it by Guinea Bissau.

Russian influence in Guinea Bissau, one of the world's least developed countries, will put Moscow within arms reach of Guinea Bissau's massive cocaine trade, where many organized crime groups from both Africa and Latin America convene, according to Felbab-Brown. This would allow Russian intelligence groups to further link themselves to transnational criminal organizations.

While Africa Corps is slowly attempting to further cement itself on the continent, Moscow officials must first learn how to properly use the group to their advantage. In considering the reach the group already has, as well as the speed at which Moscow was able to reconstitute Wagner into Africa Corps, Felbab-Brown said it is easy to understand why "Russia is playing for influence, much as the U.S.A. is trying to counter this influence."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-africa- corps-wagner-group-gru-prigozhin/33086160.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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Joint planning of upcoming practical activities during international Selenga exercise is carried out at Choibalsan training ground in Mongolia

20.08.2024

Assistant to the commander of the Eastern MD colonel Ivan Taraev, chief of the Russian units in the exercises Mikhail Nikitin stand alongside with commander of the Mongolian unit Colonel Buyndelger and members of the Selega 2024 joint staff plus COs of the units involved had inspection of the Choibalsan training ground in Mongolia. They also fixed position data to assess features of terrain.

Officers of the Eastern MD and Mongolian armed forces during the planing of joint practice discussed a number of planning issues for effective employment of subordinate assets for an operation on neutralisation of illegal armed formations.

The servicemen of motorised infantry and tank units now have determined their firing sectors, routes for advance, area of vehicles deployment, and line of contact. Moreover, communication is also organised.

At the observation post, the command of the Eastern MD artillery and Mongolian armed forces had additional calculations for fire engagement of the mock enemy plus firing positions location were defined.

Moreover, joint training of special forces units and manoeuvres of army aviation of helicopters with Mongolian Air Force during the air surveillance and fire cover of land forces.

As a reference, Selega 2024 involves motorised rifle, tank, artillery, and AD units of the Eastern MD combined arms army temporally deployed in Buryatia and the Mongolian armed forces.

Press Service of the Eastern Military District

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Taiwan launches Sky Bow, PAC-IIs in rare public missile drills

ROC Central News Agency

08/20/2024 01:31 PM

Taipei, Aug. 20 (CNA) Taiwan's military demonstrated its precision missile capabilities on Tuesday by firing its indigenous Tien-Kung III (Sky Bow III) land-based surface-to-air missile and U.S.-made Patriot PAC-II surface-to-air missiles in drills opened to the media.

The round of exercises was held early on Tuesday in areas around Jiupeng Base in southern Pingtung County's Manzhou Township. Two PAC-II missiles and one Sky Bow III were fired and successfully hit their respective target drones.

Multiple local media also speculated that the military also test-launched the expanded version of Hsiung Feng II-E or "Brave Wind II-E" from the same site earlier Tuesday. That part of the exercises was not officially open to the media, however.

The Hsiung Feng II-E is a surface-to-surface land-attack cruise missile system. Its expanded version reportedly has a range 1,200 kilometers, meaning that inland provinces of China, for instance, would be within the missile's reach.

Without confirming nor denying the test launch of the Hsiung Feng II-E, military spokesman Sun Li-fang (ac) told local media on Tuesday that all of the military's live-fire drills were conducted in accordance with its annual plan.

"Some of the tested missiles are more sensitive so we won't comment on what kind of missiles were used in such drills," Sun said.

The drill ground in Jiupeng Base has been used for decades by the military and its top weapons development unit, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST). However, the military has seldom made public such missile firing drills.

The last time precision live-fire missile drills open to the media were held in Jiupeng was in 2012.

(By Matt Yu, Wu Shu-wei and Joseph Yeh)

Enditem/JT

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Democrats include U.S.' 'Six Assurances' in policy platform for 1st time

ROC Central News Agency

08/20/2024 05:38 PM

Chicago, Aug. 19 (CNA) The Democratic National Convention in Chicago approved the party's 92-page policy platform Monday, including an unprecedented commitment to the U.S.' "Six Assurances" to Taiwan.

In addition to incorporating a reference to Taiwan in a chapter on strengthening American leadership worldwide, the policy document also reaffirmed the Democrats' adherence to the U.S.' "One China" policy, its firm commitment to safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposition to unilateral changes to the cross-strait status quo.

"President Biden will also remain steadfast in America's commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait consistent with the U.S. One China Policy -- guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances -- in order to continue to ensure that there are no unilateral changes to the status quo from either side."

The Democrats conspicuously omitted any reference to Washington's "One China" policy in its 2020 party platform, mentioning only the Taiwan Relations Act.

The Six Assurances given to Taiwan in 1982 by the late former U.S. President Ronald Reagan are: The U.S. has not agreed to set a date for ending arms sales to Taiwan; has not agreed to consult with China on arms sales to Taiwan; will not play a mediation role between Taipei and Beijing; has not agreed to revise the Taiwan Relations Act; has not altered its position regarding sovereignty over Taiwan; and will not exert pressure on Taiwan to enter into negotiations with China.

Although the Republican Party first included the Six Assurances in its 2016 platform and again in 2020, there was no mention of Taiwan in this year's document.

In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday expressed gratitude for the approval of the Democratic Party's 2024 platform, saying this highlighted the importance the party attaches to peace across the Taiwan Strait and that the importance of maintaining cross-strait peace has become an international consensus in recent years.

The wording in the platform shows the party's robust support for Taiwan, the ministry said in a statement.

Russell Hsiao (eea), the executive director of the Global Taiwan Institute (GTI), said in an email interview with CNA that the reintroduction of the "One China" policy in the Democratic Party's platform reflects a return to a more traditional formulation of U.S. policy towards Taiwan and may be seen as a gesture of reassurance of the party's adherence to longstanding policy rhetoric on cross-strait relations.

The platform document was released after Mark Lambert, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, told a forum in May that the U.S.' "One China" policy is based on the Taiwan Relations Act, the "Three Joint Communiques" and the "Six Assurances."

According to Lambert, under its "One China" policy, the U.S. opposes unilateral changes to the cross-strait status quo, does not support Taiwanese independence, supports cross-strait dialogue and hopes that cross-strait differences will be resolved peacefully, without coercion, in a way that is acceptable to the people of both sides.

(By Shih Hsiu-chuan and Evelyn Kao)

Enditem/ASG

> Chinese Version

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Secretary Blinken's Call with UK Foreign Secretary Lammy

US Department of State

Readout

Office of the Spokesperson

August 20, 2024

The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy today. The Secretary discussed the importance of completing the ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza, bringing the hostages home, and increasing the flow of humanitarian assistance. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Secretary Lammy also discussed the need to deescalate tensions in the region. The two reaffirmed enduring support for Ukraine.



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Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's answers to questions from the Moscow. Kremlin. Putin TV programme, Baku, August 19, 2024

19 August 2024 18:33

1555-19-08-2024



Question: What types of talks are completely off the table with that regime?

Sergey Lavrov: After the start of the [Ukrainian] invasion of the Kursk Region, President of Russia Vladimir Putin made it clear that any talks were out of the question. I would also like to highlight another important remark from President Putin. He said that we will certainly provide an assessment to this situation, that assessment will come at a later time.

Recently, there have been rumours about clandestine contacts, including preparations for Qatar-mediated talks on Russian and Ukrainian energy facilities. There were also claims that our Turkish neighbours were considering mediating the issue of the food security, particularly in the context of ensuring freedom of navigation in the Black Sea. You can imagine the ulterior motives behind these "ideas."

All of this stems from the Burgenstock "conference," where it was decided to establish three working groups: one on energy, one on food (linked to maritime security), and one on humanitarian issues (prisoner exchanges, etc.). These groups have been formed, and their meetings are being prepared. However, any suggestion that Russia might be invited to participate is sheer nonsense. The Burgenstock "process" is entirely unacceptable to Russia, as its sole purpose is to advance an ultimatum disguised as the Zelensky "formula."

Question: What response can be expected?

Sergey Lavrov: This is a matter for the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Federation.



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August 20, 2024

Release

Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call With Ukrainian Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Ukrainian Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov yesterday regarding battlefield dynamics, Ukraine's ongoing operations, and Ukrainian reconstitution and training efforts. Minister Umerov provided an update on the impact of Russia's continued attacks in Ukraine. Secretary Austin and Minister Umerov also discussed the next Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting to continue to support Ukraine's urgent military requirements.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3878500/

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August 20, 2024

By C. Todd Lopez, DOD News

DOD, UDCG Continue to Look for Better Ways to Expedite Support to Ukraine

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III today spoke with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to discuss ongoing war efforts in Ukraine and details of the next meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in September.

"During their call, Minister Umerov provided an update on the impact of Russia's continued attacks in Ukraine," Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said during a briefing today. "Secretary Austin and the minister also discussed the next Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, which will be held next month in support of Ukraine's urgent security assistance requirements."

The UDCG, spearheaded by Austin, met for the first time in Germany in April 2022 and meets monthly. The group is a way for the more than 50 participating nations to coordinate their assistance to Ukraine and focus on Ukraine's future defense needs.

Besides coordinating efforts to get much-needed military supplies to Ukraine, the UDCG also explores better ways to expedite the delivery of those materials.

"We are always looking at ways that we can expedite delivery of capabilities to the Ukrainians," Ryder said. "The Ukraine Defense Contact Group provides an excellent forum in which to have discussions to look at processes [and] procedures as [they relate] to ensuring that the Ukrainians have what they need on the battlefield to defend themselves."

Ryder said the U.S. has emphasized speedy delivery of systems to Ukraine from the start. In November 2022, for instance, the U.S. stood up the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine in Wiesbaden, Germany, to better coordinate training and equipping Ukrainian forces, and to help increase their situational awareness.

With more than 50 nations participating in the UDCG, Ryder said, supporting Ukraine is a complex effort a one the DOD will continue to uphold.

"That is work that is constantly ongoing," he said. "As evidenced by the fact that you continue to see Russian forces conducting offensive action in the east of Ukraine, we also recognize the vital importance of moving as quickly as possible, so we'll stay after it."

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Ukraine Has 'No Intention' Of Occupying Russian Territory, Says Zelenskiy Aide

By Current Time, RFE/RL's Russian Service and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service August 20, 2024

Kyiv says it is continuing its two-week-old incursion into Russia's border region of Kursk with the aim of creating a buffer zone to protect civilians along the border, but Moscow is pressing unabated its offensive farther south in Donetsk region, where it claims to have captured a key logistics hub on August 20.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine now controls 1,250 kilometers and 92 settlements in Kursk since it launched its surprise cross-border operation on August 6, and Russia acknowledged that three key bridges over the Seym River were destroyed, cutting important supply lines for Moscow forces.

However, Kyiv's aim is not territorial gain and has a clear scope -- ensuring the safety against incessant Russian shelling and strikes from across the border, one of Zelenskiy's senior advisers, Mykhaylo Podolyak, told Current Time, adding that Ukraine's operation is adhering to international legislation and protects the civilian population.

"Ukraine does not intend to seize populated areas or occupy this territory," Podolyak said on August 19.

"This is a different type of war, a war that is clearly spelled out in international law and in conventions that regulate behavior toward combatants and especially toward noncombatants, toward the civilian population on this territory."

Podolyak told Current Time that Moscow has been using border areas to strike civilian infrastructure up to 70-80 kilometers inside Ukraine.

"Along the border, including in the Kursk region, artillery is deployed 1 or 2 kilometers from the state border, ballistic launchers are deployed, multiple-launch rocket systems are deployed," he said.

"Take [Ukraine's] Sumy region, located just opposite Kursk region. About 500-600 shellings were carried out daily targeting the territory of the Sumy region. Squeezing out Russian weapons to a depth of 100 kilometers will already make it possible to protect the civilian population in the Ukrainian border area, for example in the Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions."

Referring to the civilian population that remains in the territory now under Ukrainian military's control, Podolyak said Kyiv is fulfilling all the requirements of international humanitarian legislation.

"We keep a register of civilians. International law very strictly requires that you bear actual responsibility for residents, citizens, and noncombatants. International humanitarian law clearly spells out your responsibility in the zone of actual control if there is military action there. Of course, registers will be compiled, our guys are looking at who is there, who needs to be sent where, and so on."

Ukrainian lawmaker Roman Kostenko told RFE/RL on August 20 that no evacuation of local residents from Kursk areas controlled by Ukraine's armed forces to Ukraine is under way at the moment.

Kostenko added that the Kyiv-installed command office is ensuring the protection of local residents in Russian territories under Ukraine's control, in accordance with Geneva conventions.

On August 19, Zelenskiy again pushed for permission from Ukraine's allies to use long-range weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia.

"Ukraine is separated from halting the advance of the Russian Army on the front by only one decision we await from our partners: the decision on long-range capabilities," he said.

The United States and other allies of Ukraine have placed restrictions on the use of the weapons over concerns that it could escalate the war.

Podolyak, however, said such an escalation would only occur if Ukraine acted in a similar way to Russia and struck civilian areas, which would put Kyiv morally on the same footing as Moscow.

"There is definitely no point in striking big cities or populated areas as such. This will not solve any problem and would equalize Ukraine and Russia in the type of warfare, which is absolutely pointless," Podolyak said.

The United States, Ukraine's main ally and supplier of modern weapons systems, remains opposed for the time being to allowing Ukraine to use long-range western arms to strike deeper inside Russia.

"I will say that our policy has not changed. I just don't have anything to add to that," White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in response to a question on the subject on August 19.

Meanwhile, Russia on August 20 claimed to have captured Nyu-York, an important logistics hub in Donetsk, as it continues its grinding advance toward the city of Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian authorities have ordered the mandatory evacuation of children.

"As a result of the actions of the units of the center group of forces, a large grouping of enemy troops was defeated and one of the largest settlements in Toretsk agglomeration, the strategically important logistics hub of [Nyu-York].. was liberated," the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram.

The capture of Nyu-York, which had a population of around 10,000 before the start of the war, could not be independently confirmed.

On August 19, Russia said it had captured the nearby town of Zalizne, also part of Toretsk urban agglomeration.

Ukrainian air-defense systems repelled a missile strike on Kyiv early on August 20, the fifth missile attack by Russia's military on the Ukrainian capital this month, the air force reported.

Elsewhere, a large fire broke out in the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil, regional officials said, urging people to remain inside.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/podolyak-kursk- zelenskiy-sumy/33085360.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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Ukrainian Lawmakers Approve Law Banning Religious Groups Tied To Russian Orthodox Church

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service August 20, 2024

Ukrainian lawmakers on August 20 approved a bill banning religious organizations linked to the Russian Orthodox Church, which Kyiv has criticized for being supportive of Moscow's full-scale invasion.

Lawmaker Oleksandr Honcharenko said 265 members in parliament (Verkhovna Rada) approved the bill that once signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will pave the way to banning the branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC),which is associated with the Moscow Patriarchate.

The legislation bans the activities of religious organizations affiliated with centers of influence "in a state that carries out armed aggression against Ukraine." It says a court of law would be empowered to terminate such activities.

Zelenskiy thanked lawmakers and called the legislation "the law on our spiritual independence."

"This is what we have been talking about with members of the Council of Churches and Religious Organizations. And in the coming days I will talk about it with representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. We will continue to strengthen our Ukraine, our society," Zelenskiy said in a video statement.

The bill has been a hot issue for lawmakers. In July, senior legislators refused to put it to a vote, after which, deputies representing several parties blocked the podium armed with a banner reading "The Moscow church kills."

Zelenskiy's Servant of the People party split over the fate of the legislation targeting the UOC, whose controversial role in Ukraine has drawn further scrutiny since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Ukrainian lawmakers gave their initial approval to the bill in October 2023.

The UOC is a branch of Ukraine's Orthodox Church that previously was under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox patriarch in Moscow. It officially cut ties with Moscow last year over Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, but officials linked to the church have been accused of maintaining links with Russia.

The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said in October that 68 criminal cases, including accusations of treason, had been initiated against UOC representatives since Russia's invasion.

The UOC has insisted the legislation would not comply with the Ukrainian Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights, accusing Kyiv of trying to portray its Ukrainian clergymen and believers as "agents of the Russian Federation."

On August 20, Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, who is an adviser to the Russian Orthodox Church's leader, Patriarch Kirill, condemned the Ukrainian lawmakers' approval of the bill, saying it violates the religious rights of the Ukrainian people.

"The law adopted by the [Verkhovna] Rada violates internationally recognized norms related to the protection of religious freedom and provides the possibility of a further wider deployment of anti-church persecution by the Kyiv regime," Balashov said.

The Russian Orthodox Church has staunchly backed President Vladimir Putin and Moscow's invasion.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-orthodox-church- moscvow-patriarchate-legislation/33085600.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 demarche to US Charge d'Affaires in Russia Stephanie Holmes

20 August 2024 15:20

1558-20-08-2024

On August 20, US Charge d'Affaires Stephanie Holmes was summoned to the Foreign Ministry, where a strong protest was lodged in response to the provocative actions of American journalists who illegally entered the Kursk Region to provide propaganda coverage of the crimes committed by the Kiev regime. Furthermore, emerging evidence indicates the involvement of an American private military company in supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces' invasion of Russian territory.

It was stressed that these actions, which contradict the Biden administration's claims of non-involvement in the attacks by Ukrainian neo-Nazis on Russia, clearly demonstrate the United States' role as a direct participant in the conflict and its complicity in Vladimir Zelensky's malicious plans.

It was particularly emphasised that US citizens involved in these crimes will face necessary investigative actions by the competent agencies in accordance with the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation to ensure they are held accountable. Additionally, it was clarified that all foreign "specialists" or mercenaries who illegally cross the Russian border will automatically be considered legitimate military targets for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.







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Russian Defence Minister holds session of Coordination Council on military security of border areas

20.08.2024

Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov chaired a meeting of the Coordination Council on security issues of the border territories of Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk regions.

The Russian Defence Minister pointed out that at the moment a direct 24/7 cooperation between regional administrations, commanders of groups of forces, and responsible heads of the Russian Defence Ministry's central office is established in three regions of the Russian Federation.

'For each task of the Coordination Council, the ministry has identified an official who is responsible for its fulfilment within a daily deadline. If the problem cannot be solved at the corresponding level, the information is delivered to me personally and I make a decision,' said the Russian Defence Minister.

Andrei Belousov appointed each member of the Russian Defence Ministry's Coordination Council to respective areas of responsibility:

a Deputy Defence Minister Lieutenant General Andrei Bulyga is responsible for logistic support, transportation, and assistance to civilian authorities during evacuation of citizens;

a Deputy Defence Minister Aleksei Krivoruchko is responsible for materiel (weaponry, special and military hardware);

a Deputy Defence Minister Pavel Fradkov is responsible for engineering constructive works and building;

a Deputy Defence Minister Head of Central Office of the Russian Defence Ministry Oleg Savelyev is responsible for interdepartmental cooperation and coordination;

a Head of the Main Military Medical Department of the Russian Defence Ministry Dmitry Trishkin is responsible for medical support;

a A representative of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the commanders of the Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk groups of forces are responsible for the protection of citizens and territories from attacks by drones and other means of attack.

aDeputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov is appointed as the deputy head of Coordination Council.

'I would like to emphasise once again that these officials should be in direct communication with the regions around the clock. No issue should be left unaddressed,' said the Russian Defence Minister.

Andrei Belousov said that a special task force has been deployed at the National Centre for State Defence Control of the Russian Federation to collect, analyse, route questions from the regions and control their resolution.

Deputy Head of the National Centre for State Defence of the Russian Federation Lieutenant General Yury Korsachev reported during the session that the task force has established cooperation with responsible officials in the groups of forces, operational headquarters under the governors of the border regions and central military administration bodies. Work has also been organised with the All-Russia People's Front public association, public non-profit organisations and foundations, including the Noviy Mir (New World) Fund.

'In total, since the work began, the task force has received 25 problematic issues related to the provision of the State Border Covering Force with the most demanded materiel,' reported Yuri Korsachev.

The Deputy Head of the National Centre for State Defence Control said that as of today, 11 of the 12 issues received from the Kursk region operational headquarters have been fully resolved.

'The State Border Covering Force has been supplied with the requested number of quadcopters, anti-drone guns and drone detectors, wearable (portable, individual) electronic warfare equipment, small-sized energy units, ATVs, and heat-insulating capes,' he said.

The task force received 6 issues of concern from the operational headquarters of Belgorod region regarding the supply of quadrocopters, gasoline generators, ATVs, night vision devices and sights, and thermal imaging cameras to the State Border Covering Force.

All decisions have been taken by the responsible officials of the Russian Defence Ministry.

'We are currently coordinating the loading and movement of transport with materiel to the final recipients. The deadline is by the end of tomorrow,' said Yuri Korsachev.

The Bryansk region operational headquarters referred 7 problematic issues. The heads of the military command authorities have issued the necessary instructions for the supply of materiel to the State Border Covering Force. The task force is monitoring the receipt of radios, radio jamming and drone countermeasures systems, engineering and medical equipment from logistics centres and defence industry enterprises, with a delivery date of tomorrow.

'All incoming problematic issues are promptly brought to the responsible central military authorities, their implementation is on round-the-clock support and coordination,' said Yuri Korsachev.

During the meeting, members of the Coordination Council had in-depth discussions on the situation in each region.

Department for Media Affairs and Information

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READOUT: Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo's Call with Minister of Finance Sergii Marchenko of Ukraine

U.S. Department of the Treasury

August 20, 2024

WASHINGTON -- Today, U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo held a virtual call with Ukrainian Minister of Finance Sergii Marchenko. Deputy Secretary Adeyemo reaffirmed the Administration's unwavering support for Ukraine in its fight to defend itself against Russia's illegal and unprovoked war and preserve its freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. The Deputy Secretary commended Ukraine's efforts to raise domestic revenues and committed that the international community would continue to stand with them. The Deputy Secretary and Minister discussed efforts by the United States and G7 partners to operationalize the G7 Leaders' Apulia commitment to implement Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) Loans for Ukraine, including important work by the European Union and the European Commission on the immobilization regime for Russian sovereign assets. Unlocking the value of these assets would make available approximately $50 billion in additional funding before the end of the year to support Ukraine's current and future needs. The Deputy Secretary and Minister also discussed Ukraine's continued progress on reforms that will further increase Ukraine's economic resilience and improve governance and the recent disbursement of U.S. direct budget support for Ukraine.

###

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Energy Sector, Beginning of the School Year and Cooperation with Partners in the EU: a Meeting of Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine Was Held

President of Ukraine

20 August 2024 - 18:41

A meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine was held in Kropyvnytskyi.

"We have a range of very important issues - internal and external issues, that directly affect the lives of Ukrainian citizens, the lives of our Ukrainian communities, the life of our entire state," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the potential of state programs in the energy sector, the creation of alternative energy sources, the preparation of the maximum number of educational institutions for offline work, and the cooperation with partners in the European Union.

"We need to take advantage of all the benefits offered by the European integration process. And this includes efforts at the level of political leadership, state institutions and also at the level of each community, because everyone in Ukraine needs proper interaction with the European Union," the Head of State emphasized.

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi reported on the defensive actions of Ukrainian warriors in the Pokrovsk and Toretsk directions and on the situation in the border area. The Defense Forces are conducting an offensive in the Kursk region in order to create a security zone, stop the shelling from the territory of the Russian Federation and outpace the enemy.

Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak commended the partnership relations at the level of cities and regions and urged to intensify these efforts.

"Each region and each city should work on strengthening international relations. We need not just signed documents, but tangible results of partnerships. Technical assistance, joint projects, funds raised, development and implementation of local policies," he said.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal informed the participants about the preparation of the energy system for the winter, in particular, about the allocation of additional funds for building capacities and strengthening the protection of energy facilities against Russian attacks. The Prime Minister paid special attention to the agricultural land inventory.

"23% of land is not registered in the cadaster. Today we are signing a memorandum to speed up this process. This will be a joint effort of the center and the regions. All land must be included in the cadaster, which will result in potential additional annual revenues to local budgets of almost UAH 28 billion," Denys Shmyhal said.

Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, spoke about the implementation of projects for the development of alternative energy sources. Also, within the framework of the Congress meeting, a memorandum was signed on improving the energy sustainability of Ukrainian communities.

"Thanks to the cooperation of state authorities, local self-government bodies, and relevant associations, a significant increase in the number of thermally modernized buildings and solar power plants is expected," Yuliia Svyrydenko said.

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Providing Educational Institutions with Shelters and Transportation and Reforming the School Nutrition System: President Met with Educators in Kropyvnytskyi

President of Ukraine

20 August 2024 - 18:00

During his working visit to Kirovohrad region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the participants of the second session of the regional educational conference "Serpneva-2024".

The Head of State thanked the teachers for preserving the opportunity for children to receive education during the war, which is one of Ukraine's priorities.

"We are very grateful that despite all the losses caused by the war, we have neither lost you nor our educational space. I also thank you for educating our children, our future, in a very correct, humane, patriotic way," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

According to him, state and local authorities pay a lot of attention to the organization of offline education. The President emphasized that the creation of security infrastructure for educational institutions is one of the most urgent issues today.

In particular, Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi to find a solution for the provision of shelters for educational institutions in non-frontline and non-border regions.

The issue of the need for school buses must also be resolved, in particular, by compensating for the resources transferred to the frontline.

Another pressing issue is increasing the number of cooks to implement the School Nutrition Reform initiated by First Lady Olena Zelenska.

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Resumption of Production and Increase in Employment Opportunities in the Kirovohrad Region Strengthens Its Resilience and That of the Whole Country - the President Met with Local Business

President of Ukraine

20 August 2024 - 17:00

During his working visit to the Kirovohrad region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with business representatives within the framework of the Made in Ukraine economic platform.

The Head of State has thanked all the warriors from this region and the enterprises that support them with their work.

"This is very important. This is the value of your region, its restoration. Today, I see the resumption of production. We see that enterprises are increasing employment opportunities," he said.

The President noted that the Ministry of Economy and entrepreneurs are discussing business support programs and stressed that there should be more such initiatives.

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yuliia Svyrydenko noted that this year UAH 850 million has been allocated for the Kirovohrad region under the Made in Ukraine initiative. The more actively businesses apply for support programs, the more funds they will be able to receive.

In addition, Yuliia Svyrydenko announced that the Government has today approved the launch of the President's National Cashback initiative. It will be available to Ukrainians next month.

During the meeting with entrepreneurs, the parties discussed the possibility of involving Ukrainian manufacturers in the completion of the Khmelnytskyi NPP, the program of partial compensation for the cost of domestic agricultural machinery and equipment, and the development of localization of engineering and construction equipment production.

Additionally, in Kropyvnytskyi, Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited an enterprise that produces agricultural machinery, including sowing complexes, seeders, cultivators, disc harrows, loaders, and sprayers.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with the company's employees and noted that their work also brings Ukraine closer to victory.

"We need to save our country. This requires a fair end to the war. We are definitely bringing it closer. The military on the front, people like you. We are working on it. We really want this," he emphasized.

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We Discussed with Partners Our Work on Air Defense - New Systems for Ukraine; We Are Preparing Reinforcement - Address by the President

President of Ukraine

20 August 2024 - 16:30

I wish you good health, fellow Ukrainians!

Today - Kropyvnytskyi. There has just been a meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. A lot of issues. They include preparations for our academic year in Ukrainian schools, the heating season, healthcare, and financial opportunities in our communities. Among the most important is our need to fully implement the program of shelters in schools. So that as many children as possible can go to school offline in the new school year. I spoke about this with the Prime Minister of Ukraine and with the Minister of Education. The issues of school buses were also raised today. And this must be solved exactly as the communities say. We need to provide real transportation for the children. And to do it quickly. I have given the relevant instructions to the Government officials. Today, here in Kropyvnytskyi, and yesterday in Dnipro, I also spoke with entrepreneurs. Keeping businesses running and preserving jobs in Ukraine is very important.

I am also grateful for the support of relocated businesses. When enterprises work, it is easier for communities, and social issues are resolved faster. And the Government should also keep this in mind when making tax proposals. We only need decisions that are helpful and truly fair. And there is another issue affecting many communities in our country, especially in the southern and central regions. This is the water supply. The day before, I held a meeting in Kryvyi Rih regarding the communities of the Dnipropetrovsk region: Nikopol, Marhanets, Pokrov and other cities. Some of the projects have already been built. And we need to move on to the implementation of projects for the Mykolaiv region, projects that will restore normal water supply for people. It is not easy - the work is ongoing and continues even under shelling. I thank everyone involved. And our main goal is to achieve a timely result.

A few more things.

Today, we discussed with partners our work on air defense - new systems for Ukraine. We are preparing reinforcement.

There was a report from Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi. The frontline. Defense in the Pokrovsk and Toretsk directions. The situation is difficult, but our guys are doing everything to eliminate the occupier. The Commander-in-Chief also reported on the updates in the Kursk direction. We are achieving our set goals. And the priority, as before, is the replenishment of the exchange fund for Ukraine.

Today, I want to praise the work of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. A law on our spiritual independence was passed. This is what we discussed with members of the Council of Churches and Religious Organizations. And in the coming days, I will also speak with representatives of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. We will continue strengthening Ukraine and our society. Today, the law was also passed to support our warriors, who carry out our defensive operations in the Russian border area. All payments, bonuses and awards will definitely be extended for them from the first day of the operation. I am awaiting the documents from Parliament.

I thank everyone who is fighting and working for our state, for our people!

Glory to Ukraine!

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy Held a Meeting on Ensuring Water Supply for Communities in the Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv Regions

President of Ukraine

20 August 2024 - 10:23

During a working visit to the Dnipropetrovsk region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a coordination meeting on ensuring water supply for the territorial communities of the Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv regions.

The President was briefed on the progress of water pipeline construction following the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP dam by Russian occupiers on June 6 last year. All main water pipeline lines have been launched in the following sections: Inhulets River - Pivdenne Reservoir, Marhanets - Nikopol - Pokrov, and Zaporizhzhia - Tomakivka - Marhanets.

The implementation of these projects will provide water to 1.5 million Ukrainians, including residents of Nikopol, Marhanets, Pokrov, Apostolove, and Zelenodolsk.

"It is very important that people have access to water now. Thank you for the joint work that yielded the necessary result," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

To prevent an increase in water supply tariffs for residents, a decision was made to allocate funds from the state budget to support water supply companies in Nikopol, Marhanets, Pokrov, Kryvyi Rih, Apostolove, and Zelenodolsk.

"People in cities like Marhanets and Nikopol in the Kryvyi Rih district have suffered greatly because of the war. They had no water. Therefore, we need to find the right special approach to support them," the President emphasized.

The meeting also resulted in a decision to accelerate the construction of a water pipeline from Nova Odesa to Mykolaiv to ensure water supply to the Mykolaiv region.

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Biden Reportedly Approved New Nuclear Strategy Refocusing on 'Chinese Threat'

Sputnik News

20240820

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - President Joe Biden approved a classified nuclear strategy earlier this year that directed US forces to refocus on potential threats from China, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing US officials.

The report detailed that Biden had approved the new strategy in March, and that it refocuses on China's growing nuclear arsenal. However, it also addresses concerns of potential coordinated nuclear challenges by China, Russia, and North Korea against the United States.

An unclassified report is expected to be given to Congress before Biden leaves office.

Driving the development is the US' fear regarding China's nuclear stockpile, more specifically how it'll match up "in size and diversity" against Washington's own arms over the next 10 years.

Citing June remarks from Pranay Vaddi, who serves as the senior director for arms control and non-proliferation on the National Security Council, the outlet noted the strategy adjustment was revised with the desire to "simultaneously" deter Russia, China and North Korea in mind.

The Tuesday report comes days after China implemented export controls on antimony metals, which just so happen to have multiple applications within the US military, including in components for nuclear weapons.

The new restrictions, in line with similar controls on other rare-earth metals, are due to take effect on September 15. Alongside with Tajikistan and Russia, China controls upwards of 90% of the global antimony reserves.

A report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank details the US' "stockpiles limited antimony of just 1,100 tons compared to the 23,000 tons consumed in 2023," adding that 63% of its stocks came from China alone.

China previously underscored that its new directive was intended to ensure China's national security and to fulfill the country's non-proliferation obligations, and that its measures were not set to strike at any one country.

The US and China last held talks on nuclear non-proliferation in July, although negotiations came to a halt in response to the US' arms sales to Taiwan, which China sees as a wayward province and American support to the island as interference in internal Chinese affairs.

A Sputnik

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SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hagens Berman urges Ibotta, Inc. (NYSE: IBTA) investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now. The firm also encourages persons with knowledge who may assist the investigation to contact its attorneys.

Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/IBTA

Contact the Firm Now: IBTA@hbsslaw.com

844-916-0895

Investigation Into Ibotta, Inc. (IBTA):

The investigation focuses on the propriety of Ibottas disclosures of known trends in its April 22, 2024 initial public offering documents in which the company sold 2.5 million shares at $88 per share and certain selling stockholders sold an additional 4.06 million shares at the IPO price in a secondary offering.

Ibotta is a technology company that allows consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands to deliver digital promotions to over 200 million consumers through its network called the Ibotta Performance Network, or IPN. In its offering documents, Ibotta recited certain key business metrics it uses to help us evaluate our business, identify trends affecting our performance, formulate business plans, and make strategic decisions. These metrics include, without limitation, direct-to-consumer redemptions, direct-to-consumer redeemers, and total redemptions per redeemer.

On August 13 2024, less than 2 months after closing its IPO, Ibotta announced its Q2 2024 financial results. The company swung to a $33.9 million net loss for the quarter (compared to net income of $15.3 million during the prior year period) and nearly doubled its operating expenses compared to the prior year period.

The company also revealed that direct-to-consumer redemptions shrunk 19%, direct-to-consumer redeemers shrunk 7%, and total redemptions per redeemer shrunk 39%, all compared to the prior year period.

This news drove the price of Ibotta shares down $15.53 (-26%) on August 14, 2024 to close at $42.66, or about 48% below the IPO price.

We are looking into whether Ibottas offering documents omitted to disclose known trends its management was seeing in its key metrics at the time of its IPO, said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.

If you invested in Ibotta and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firms investigation, submit your losses now 

If youd like more information and answers to frequently asked questions about the Ibotta investigation, read more 

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Ibotta should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email IBTA@hbsslaw.com.

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs rights complex litigation firm focusing on corporate accountability. The firm is home to a robust practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and other wrongdoings. Hagens Bermans team has secured more than $2.9 billion in this area of law. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.


NEWARK, Del, Aug. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global cosmetic dropper market is on a steady growth trajectory, with sales estimated to be worth USD 91.1 million in 2024 and anticipated to reach USD 132.3 million by 2034. This represents a projected CAGR of 3.8% over the forecast period from 2024 to 2034. The revenue generated by the cosmetic dropper industry in 2023 was USD 87.7 million, and the industry is expected to exhibit a year-over-year (Y-o-Y) growth of 3.7% in 2024.



Glass cosmetic droppers are set to dominate the global market, commanding over 70% of the market share. These droppers are expected to generate an incremental opportunity of nearly USD 20 million over the next decade.

Glass dropper bottles have become a preferred choice among consumers, particularly for the storage of delicate products such as essential oils. Their ability to maintain product integrity makes them indispensable in the cosmetic industry.

In addition to glass droppers, plastic cosmetic droppers are also gaining popularity, especially for luxurious and delicate cosmetic products. The durability of plastic makes it an ideal packaging material, offering a balance between functionality and luxury.



Reshaping the Cosmetics Droppers Market: The Impact of an Organized and Expanding Retail Sector

Over recent years, the global retail sector has emerged as one of the most dynamic and fast-evolving industries. The influx of small-scale players alongside major global retailers has fueled significant market expansion across multiple regions. This growth is further propelled by innovative business models, strategic portfolio management, and increased foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail markets.

The rapid penetration of modern retail is evident through the rise in the number of retail outlets, supermarkets, hypermarkets, and departmental stores worldwide. For example, the USA Census Bureau reported a nearly 10% year-over-year increase in the number of personal care stores across the USA as of November 2023.

To Gain More Insights about this Research, Visit! https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/cosmetic-dropper-market

Key Takeaways from the Cosmetic Dropper Market

The Cosmetic Dropper market generated a revenue of USD 87.7 million in 2023.

The market is projected to experience a Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) growth of 3.7% in 2024.

The number of personal care stores in the USA saw a nearly 10% Y-o-Y increase in 2023.

The United States is expected to dominate the North American market, holding a 78.2% value share through 2034.

The German cosmetic dropper market is forecasted to reach USD 7.2 million by 2034, creating an incremental opportunity of USD 4.3 million between 2024 and 2034.

South Korea's cosmetic dropper market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 5.8% over the forecast period, reaching a valuation of USD 4.7 million by 2034.

In 2022, cosmetics accounted for nearly 5% of overall sales in South Korea, with a consistent increase in market share predicted through 2030 according to the Korea Customs Agency.



Competitive Landscape

The majority of worldwide manufacturers are working on the development of cosmetic droppers to improve controlled dispensing. Some other significant players are working to develop cosmetic droppers that can meet the ESG objectives of cosmetic and personal care companies. Meanwhile, a few other companies are looking for additional funding to expand their operations, increase sales, and acquire a huge global consumer base.

To preserve their competitive advantage, key market manufacturers are working on growing their geographical presence, technical advances, meeting sustainability targets, executing mergers and acquisitions, and enhancing customer service.

Key Players

Virospack SL.

AptarGroup, Inc.

LUMSON S.p.A

Comar LLC

FusionPKG

Quadpack

HCP Packaging

DWK Life Sciences Ltd

Taiwan K. K. Corp

Bandall Company

Carow Packaging, Inc

Paramark Corporation

APackaging Group

Adelphi Healthcare Packaging

SONE Products Ltd



Recent Industry Developments in the Cosmetic Dropper Market

In May 2024, Aptar Beauty, a group company of Aptar Group introduced the NeoDropper, which will cater to the precision skincare market.

In February 2024 APackaging Group announced the launch of the Infinity Dropper, an all-plastic, fully recyclable dropper. The product is expected to meet the growing demand for sustainable packaging solutions across the cosmetic industry.

In September 2023, Investindustrial, a private equity firm announced the acquisition of the majority stake in Virospack, a manufacturer of premium cosmetics droppers.



Key Segments of the Cosmetic Dropper Industry

By Material:

In terms of material, the industry is divided into glass cosmetic dropper and plastic cosmetic dropper.

By Capacity:

In terms of capacity, the industry is segregated into up to 2 ml, 3 ml-6 ml, 7 ml- 10 ml, and above 10 ml.

By Application:

In terms of application, the industry is segregated into hair care, skin care, makeup, and nail care.

By Region:

Key countries of North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, East Asia, South Asia and Pacific, and Middle East and Africa (MEA) have been covered in the report.

Understand the Evolution: Read the Previous Source for This Report!

Authored by:

Ismail Sutaria (Lead Consultant, Packaging and Materials) has over 8 years of experience in market research and consulting in the packaging & materials industry. Ismails strength lies in identifying key challenges faced by the client and offering logical and actionable insights to equip the clients with strategic decision-making power.

Ismail has been an instrumental part of several transformational consulting assignments. His key skills include competitive benchmarking, opportunity assessment, macroeconomic analysis, and business transformation advisory. Ismail is an MBA holder in Marketing and has a Bachelors Degree in Mathematics.

Have a Look at Related Research Reports on the Packaging Domain:

The growing demand for cosmetic tubes is driven by increased consumer preference for portable, hygienic packaging, and the rising popularity of skincare and beauty products globally.

The rise in demand for authentic beauty products is driving significant growth in anti-counterfeit cosmetic packaging, ensuring product integrity and consumer trust in an increasingly competitive market.

The global dropper caps market is expected to account for USD 110.3 million in 2023 and is going to further expand at a CAGR of 5.2% to reach a valuation of USD 183.2 million by the year 2033.

A Glass Cosmetic Bottle refers to a container made of glass that is specifically designed to hold cosmetic products. These bottles are commonly used for storing liquids such as perfumes, serums, oils, lotions, and other beauty and skincare products.

The global dropper system market size is expected to thrive at a CAGR of 5.2% during the projection period. The market value is projected to increase from USD 65.9 million in 2023 to USD 108.1 million by 2033.

The rising demand for perfume bottles is driven by growing consumer interest in luxury fragrances, innovative packaging designs, and increasing personal care product consumption worldwide.

The global sales of perfume packs are estimated to be worth USD 2.6 billion in 2024 and are anticipated to reach a value of USD 3.6 billion by 2034. Sales are projected to rise at a CAGR of 3.2% from 2024 to 2034.

The eye cosmetic packaging sector is experiencing rapid growth, driven by innovative designs and increasing consumer demand for premium, eco-friendly packaging solutions that enhance product appeal and functionality.

The demand for single-portion cosmetic packaging is surging, driven by consumer preferences for convenience, hygiene, and precise application, alongside brands desire to enhance product presentation and reduce waste.

About Future Market Insights (FMI)

Future Market Insights, Inc. (ESOMAR certified, recipient of the Stevie Award, and a member of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce) offers profound insights into the driving factors that are boosting demand in the market. FMI stands as the leading global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, consulting, and events for the Packaging, Food and Beverage, Consumer Technology, Healthcare, Industrial, and Chemicals markets. With a vast team of over 400 analysts worldwide, FMI provides global, regional, and local expertise on diverse domains and industry trends across more than 110 countries.

Join us as we commemorate 10 years of delivering trusted market insights. Reflecting on a decade of achievements, we continue to lead with integrity, innovation, and expertise.

Contact Us:

Future Market Insights Inc.

Christiana Corporate, 200 Continental Drive,

Suite 401, Newark, Delaware - 19713, USA

T: +1-845-579-5705

For Sales Enquiries: sales@futuremarketinsights.com

Website: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com

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CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acceleware Ltd. (Acceleware or the Company) (TSX-V: AXE), a leading innovator of transformative technologies targeting the decarbonization of industrial process heat, is very pleased to announce that it is one of 50 companies selected to pitch at the 21st Annual Rice Alliance Energy Tech Venture Forum, which is an anchor event for the Inaugural Energy and Climate Startup Week in Houston, Texas, September 9-13, 2024.



The Energy Tech Venture Forum, hosted by The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship is the premier energy tech venture capital conference that connects energy innovators, investors, corporates and the energy ecosystem. This year's forum will showcase promising energy companies driving the energy transition and technological advancements, along with keynote speeches and panels featuring industry leaders. Accelewares executive team will also attend other events as part of the Energy and Climate Week, targeting meetings with potential investors and customers and showcasing the Companys EM Powered Heat platform.

Acceleware is very excited to be heading to Houston for this event, where we will have the opportunity to network with companies and investors with specific interest in the energy ecosystem and technologies like ours, said Geoff Clark, Chief Executive Officer. We are really looking forward to making U.S. companies aware of the enormous decarbonization potential of EM Powered Heat. With around 15% of global emissions coming from industrial heating, investing in further development of well-progressed technologies like ours that can radically reduce emissions in the near term needs to happen now. The nexus of clean tech and energy in Houston is an ideal venue for us to showcase EM Powered Heat, and our decarbonized enhanced oil recovery technology, RF XL to a broader international audience.

The Rice Alliance at Rice University has a 20+ year history of supporting startups, technology and the innovation ecosystem. Since its inception, more than 1,086 energy tech ventures have participated in our energy forums, raising over $7.8 billion in funding.

About Acceleware

Acceleware is an advanced electromagnetic (EM) heating company with highly scalable EM solutions for large industrial applications. The Companys solutions provide an opportunity to economically electrify and decarbonize industrial process heat applications previously considered difficult to abate, which could have a significant impact on global GHG emissions.

Acceleware is piloting RF XL, its patented low-cost, low-carbon EM thermal production technology for heavy oil and oil sands that is materially different from any heavy oil recovery technique used today. The Company is also working with a consortium of world-class potash partners on a pilot project using its patented and field proven Clean Tech Inverter (CTI) to decarbonize drying of potash ore and other minerals. Acceleware is actively developing partnerships for EM heating of other industrial applications in mining, steel, agriculture, cement, hydrogen and other clean fuels.

Acceleware and Saa Dene Group (co-founded by Jim Boucher) have created Acceleware | Kisastwew to raise the profile, adoption, and value of Acceleware technologies. The partnership is intended to improve the environmental and economic performance of industry by supporting ideals that are important to Indigenous peoples, including respect for land, water, and clean air.

Acceleware is a public company listed on Canadas TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol AXE.

Disclaimers

This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, forward-looking statements) within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as expects, anticipates, plans, continues, budget, scheduled, forecasts, estimates, believes or intends or variations or negatives of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results may or could, would, might, shall or will be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.

In this news release, forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, statements relating to the benefits of CTI electrification, and future development plans and timing. Various assumptions or factors are typically applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking information. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the Company. The material facts and assumptions include initial studies of applicability of CTI technology to industrial applications are accurate, third party estimates of market size are correct, and the timeline estimates are reasonable. Actual results may vary from the forward-looking information in this news release due to certain material risk factors. The Company cautions the reader that the above list of risk factors is not exhaustive and additional risk factors risk factors are described in detail in Accelewares continuous disclosure documents, which are filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Due to the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein.

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.

For further information:

Geoff Clark, CEO

Tel: +1 (403) 249-9099

geoff.clark@acceleware.com

Acceleware Ltd.

435 10th Avenue SE

Calgary, AB, T2G 0W3 Canada

Tel: +1 (403) 249-9099
NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC (KSF) and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until October 15, 2024 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Stellantis N.V. (NYSE: STLA), if they purchased the Companys securities between February 15, 2024 to July 24, 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 Do

If you purchased securities of Stellantis 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-stla/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by October 15, 2024 .

About the Lawsuit

Stellantis and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On July 25, 2024, the Company announced its first half 2024 financial results, disclosing disappointing news, including [n]et revenues of 85.0 billion, down 14% compared to H1 2023, primarily due to the decline in volume and mix; net profit of 5.6 billion, down 48% compared to H1 2023, primarily due to lower volume and mix, headwinds from foreign exchange and restructuring costs; adjusted operating income of 8.5 billion, down 5.7 billion compared to H1 2023, primarily due to decreases in North America.

On this news, the price of Stellantis shares fell from a closing price of $19.60 per share on July 24, 2024 to $17.66 per share on July 26, 2024.

The case is Long v. Stellantis N.V., et al., No. 24-cv-06196.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nations 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:
NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC (KSF) and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until September 30, 2024 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (ABR or the Company) (NYSE: ABR), if they purchased the Companys securities between May 7, 2021 and July 11, 2024, inclusive (the Class Period). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.



What You May Do

If you purchased securities of ABR 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-abr/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by September 30, 2024 .

About the Lawsuit

Arbor Realty and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On March 14, 2023, NINGI Research reported that ABR has been hiding a toxic real estate portfolio of mobile homes with a complex web of real and fake holdings companies for more than a decade. On this news, the price of ABR shares fell from $12.99 per share on March 13, 2023, to $12.12 per share on March 14, 2023, and then $11.53 per share on March 15, 2023. Then, on July 12, 2024, Bloomberg reported that the Company was the subject of a probe by federal prosecutors and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New York that were inquiring about lending practices and the companys claims about the performance of their loan book. On this news, the price of ABR shares fell from $15.53 per share on July 11, 2024, to $12.89 per share on July 12, 2024.

The case is Martin v. Arbor Realty Trust, Inc., No. 24-cv-05347.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nations 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:
COMPANY ANNOUNCEMENT

No. 194/2024

Tvis, 21 August 2024

Interim report Q2 2024 (April 1 - June 30)

(All figures in brackets refer to the corresponding period in 2023  AUBO Production A/S is incl.in the figures as from 3 July 2023)

Organic growth in sales and improved earnings, despite challenging market conditions.

CEO Torben Paulin:

Sales in the second quarter have developed positively despite the, as expected, weak B2B-kitchen market. Organically sales grew by 5% year-on-year supported by a growth in B2C sales of more than 25% y-o-y. As expected B2B sales declined in the quarter due to the slowdown in the Project sales market. Overall revenue in Q2 was DKK 332 million compared to DKK 256 million in Q2 last year. Sales in Denmark, which accounts for 80% of the Group revenue, increased by 15%, with an underlying organic growth of 6%.

Overall gross margin increased to 21.5% in Q2 compared to 20.2% in the same quarter last year. The growth in margin was caused by the inclusion of AUBO sales (AUBO Production was acquired in Q3 of 2023) and an increase in the share of higher margin B2C sales in the turnover.

Adjusted EBIT in Q2 was DKK 28 million compared to DKK 22 million in Q2 last year, and the adjusted EBIT margin was 8.4% compared to 8.7% in Q2 last year. If the amortisation of intangible assets recognized as part of the AUBO acquisition is taken into account, the underlying adjusted EBIT-margin im-proved from 8.7% in Q2 last year to 8.9% in Q2 this year.

Free cash-flow was DKK 26 million, compared to DKK -2 million last year, due to the higher earnings and a significant improvement in working capital. Leverage decreased further to 3.20 (down from 3.73 in the previous quarter), well within the agreed covenants.

In the second quarter TCM Group continued to expand its Danish footprint adding two new AUBO branded stores.

As part of the TCM Groups journey towards creating full transparency of our products environmental impact, we released third party approved and validated Environmental Product declarations (EPD) for the AUBO brand in the quarter. This means that all brands now are covered by EPDs.

As stated in Company announcement no. 193 dated 15. August 2024, we adjust the financial outlook for 2024 for the TCM Group with respect to sales and earnings. Our financial outlook for full year revenue for 2024 is now in the range of DKK 1,125-1,200 million (previously DKK 1,000-1,150 million) with earnings (adjusted EBIT) in the range of DKK 70-90 million (previously DKK 55-85 million). The outlook for adjusted EBIT includes an expected positive effect from adjustment of the contingent consideration related to the acquisition of AUBO Production A/S in the range of DKK 3-5 million.

Financial highlights Q2 2024

Revenue DKK 332.2 million (DKK 255.5 million) corresponding to a revenue increase of 30.0%.

Adjusted EBITDA DKK 36.7 million (DKK 27.5 million). Adjusted EBITDA margin was 11.1% (10.8%).

Adjusted EBIT of DKK 28.0 million (DKK 22.3 million). Adjusted EBIT margin was 8.4% (8.7%).

Non-recurring items had a total impact of DKK 0.0 million (DKK 2.8 million).

EBIT of DKK 28.0 million (DKK 19.5 million), corresponding to an EBIT margin of 8.4% (7.6%).

Net profit of DKK 18.9 million (DKK 12.2 million).

Free cash flow was DKK 25.8 million (DKK -1.6 million).

Cash conversion ratio was 94.8% (48.8%)

Financial highlights H1 2024

Revenue DKK 624.7 million (DKK 519.4 million) corresponding to a revenue increase of 20.3%.

Adjusted EBITDA of DKK 61.1 million (DKK 45.5 million). Adjusted EBITDA margin was 9.8% (8.8%).

Adjusted EBIT of DKK 43.8 million (DKK 35.4 million). Adjusted EBIT margin was 7.0% (6.8%).

Non-recurring items had a negative impact of DKK 0.0 million (DKK 4.7 million).

EBIT of DKK 43.8 million (DKK 30.9 million), corresponding to an EBIT margin of 7.0% (5.9%).

Net profit of DKK 25.9 million (DKK 17.6 million).

Free cash flow was DKK 38.4 million (DKK -37.4 million).

Full-year guidance for the financial year 2024 is revenue in the range DKK 1,125-1,200 million with earnings (adjusted EBIT) in the range of DKK 70-90 million.

For further information please contact:

Torben Paulin, CEO, TCM Group A/S, +45 21 21 04 64

Thomas Hjannung, CFO, TCM Group A/S, +45 25 17 42 33

IR Contact  ir@tcmgroup.dk

Presentation

The interim report will be presented on Wednesday 21 August 2024 at 9:30 CEST in a teleconference that can be followed on TCM Groups website or on https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/5atfeaup.

To participate in the teleconference, and thus have the possibility to ask questions, participants are required to register in advance of the conference using the link provided below. Upon registering, each participant will be provided with Participant Dial In Numbers, and a unique Personal PIN.

Online Registration to the call: https://register.vevent.com/register/BIc049f0a905b44997b5408ac2d547d39a

About TCM Group

TCM Group is Scandinavias third largest manufacturer of kitchens and furniture for bathrooms and storage. The products are designed and produced in Denmark and rooted in a proud tradition of good quality and good craftsmanship. TCM Group pursues a multi-brand strategy, under which the main brand is Svane Kkkenet and the other brands are Tvis Kkken, Nettoline and AUBO. Combined, the brands cater for the entire price spectrum, and are sold through c. 220 dealers in Denmark and the rest of the Scandinavia. TCM Group sells private label kitchens through DIY stores in Denmark and independent kitchen stores in Norway. TCM Group is supplier to the 45% owned e-commerce kitchen business Celebert, which operates under the brands kitchn.dk, billigskabe.dk, Celebert and Just Wood. See www.tcmgroup.dk for more information.

This interim report contains statements relating to the future, including statements regarding TCM Groups future operating results, financial position, cash flows, business strategy and plans for the future. The statements are based on managements reasonable expectations and forecasts at the time of the disclosure of the report. Any such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and a number of different factors, many of which are beyond TCM Groups control, could mean that actual performance and actual results will differ significantly from the expectations expressed in this interim report. Without being exhaustive, such factors include general economic and commercial factors, including market and competitive matters, supplier issues and financial issues.

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New York, New York, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New York (NY) - Counslr, the text-based mental health support mobile app, announced today that it is partnering with numerous school districts across the country in anticipation of the 2024-25 school year. Since its founding in 2019, each of Counslrs school partnerships have focused on empowering students and faculty to prioritize their mental well-being by enabling them to access unlimited texting sessions with Counslrs licensed and vetted mental health support professionals, available on-demand or by appointment, 24/7/365.

We are thrilled to partner with Counslr to provide our students and faculty with round-the-clock access to mental health support, states Lisa Dursky, Principal at Crestwood High School, Cresco, IA. As educators, we see firsthand the pressures that our community faces, and having a resource like Counslr available 24/7 is invaluable. This partnership underscores our commitment to the well-being of everyone in our school, ensuring they have the support they need to thrive academically and personally.

The partnership with Crestwood High School is one of many schools that have expressed a growing need for additional mental health support in their school community. In fact, schools across the country launched or renewed with Counslr this summer to offer support to students and faculty when traditional support services are limited or unavailable and will continue through the 2024-25 school year.

In the last year alone, Counslr has added and renewed partnerships with dozens of schools, notably including:

Kane Area School District, Kane, Pennsylvania

Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Allentown School District , Allentown, Pennsylvania

Crestwood High School , Cresco, Iowa

Dearborn Heights District 7 , Dearborn Heights, Michigan

Dunkirk City School District, Dunkirk, New York





East Side House Settlement , support for five NYC-area high schools

Smoky Hill Education Center , more than 50 school districts across Kansas

Timber Lake School District , Timber Lake, South Dakota

Bristol Warren Regional School District , Bristol & Warren, Rhode Island

As the new school year begins for Kansas schools this month, we know its crucial to recognize that the mental well-being of both students and school staff members is critical to their success, states Chris Moddelmog, Executive Director, Smoky Hill Education Service Center. By prioritizing mental health and emotional well-being, we create an environment where everyone can learn and thrive. Smoky Hill Education Service Center is pleased to have a partner like Counslr supporting education in Kansas.





In the coming months, several more schools are expected to join the platform, as administrators continue to see a clear connection between the access to mental health support, the well-being of their students and faculty, and that impact on their greater communities.

Supporting students and faculty across the country in different locations with diverse populations clearly illustrates that mental health knows no boundaries, said Josh Liss, CEO of Counslr. All types of school communities are in need of mental health support more than ever, and we are thrilled to help make an impact as this next generation grows to be more resilient and live happier, healthier lives.

For more information on Counslr, please visit: www.counslr.com.

About Counslr

Counslr is a text-based mental health support application that provides unlimited access to live texting sessions with licensed professionals, 24/7/365. Users can access support on-demand within two minutes of opening the app, or by scheduled appointment. Through real-time texting, users enjoy one-on-one, private communication with a licensed counselor that can be conducted anytime, anywhere. Counslr was designed to help individuals deal with lifes day-to-day issues, empowering individuals to address concerns while they are small to help ensure that they stay small. Counslr partners with organizations of all shapes and sizes (companies, unions, nonprofits, universities/colleges, high schools, etc) so that these entities can provide Counslrs services to their employees/members/students at no direct cost. For more information, please visit www.counslr.com.

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Dublin, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Vietnam Basa Fish Export Research Report 2024-2033" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Vietnam's Basa fish export industry has developed rapidly in recent years. The primary reasons are Vietnam's abundant aquatic resources and well-established processing facilities, leading to high production and cost-effectiveness, giving its products a strong competitive edge in international markets. The Vietnamese government supports the aquaculture industry, enhances processing technology, and improves infrastructure, promoting fish product export growth. Vietnamese Basa fish products are trusted by international buyers for their high quality and stable supply, with major export markets including the United States, the European Union, and Japan.



Due to favorable geographical conditions, advanced farming technology, and low costs, Vietnam has become the world's largest production and export base for Basa fish. Vietnamese Basa fish farming and processing technology have high competitiveness in international markets. The industry continually expands its global market share by improving production efficiency and processing technology.



Vietnam had about 5,700 hectares of Basa fish farming area in 2023, with an annual output of 1.6 million tons. The total export value of Vietnamese Basa fish reached US$ 1.78 billion in 2023. In 2024, the demand for Vietnamese Basa fish products in the export market is even stronger, with over 83,000 tons of Basa fish exported in May 2024 alone, a 46% increase, breaking the monthly export record since May 2022.



The Basa fish output in Vietnam is expected to reach 1.7 million tons in 2024, a 2.8% increase from 2023, with an export value potentially reaching US$ 2 billion. Data indicates that from January to May 2024, the cumulative export value of Vietnamese Basa fish products exceeded US$ 700 million.

From 2021 to 2024, the primary export destinations for Vietnamese Basa fish included the United States, China, and Brazil. Major companies importing this product from Vietnam include CoastT Beacon, B & D Seafoods, and Octogone (Guangdong) Food Co. Many international seafood distributors have subsidiaries in Vietnam. Major exporters of Basa fish in Vietnam include VINH Hoan Corp, Bien Dong Seafood Co. and Cong TY Co Phan.



Overall, due to numerous free trade agreements, the global recovery in seafood demand, and declining shipping costs, there are still opportunities and significant political space for Vietnamese Basa fish exports. With the continuous development of Vietnam's Basa fish production, packaging, freezing technology, and food compliance, global demand for Vietnamese Basa fish will continue to expand. In the coming years, Vietnamese Basa fish exports are expected to maintain a growth trend.



Topics covered:

The Import and Export of Basa Fish in Vietnam (2021-2024)

Total Export Volume and Percentage Change of Basa Fish in Vietnam (2021-2024)

Total Export Value and Percentage Change of Basa Fish in Vietnam (2021-2024)

Total Export Volume and Percentage Change of Basa Fish in Vietnam (January-May 2024)

Total Export Value and Percentage Change of Basa Fish in Vietnam (January-May 2024)

Average Export Price of Basa Fish in Vietnam (2021-2024)

Top 10 Export Destinations for Vietnam Basa Fish and Their Import Volume

Top 10 Suppliers in the Export Market of Basa Fish in Vietnam and Their Export Volume

Top 10 Buyers in the Export Market of Basa Fish in Vietnam and Their Import Volume

How to Find International Distributors and End Users of Basa Fish in Vietnam

How Foreign Enterprises Enter the Basa Fish Export Market of Vietnam

Forecast for the Export of Basa Fish in Vietnam (2024-2033)

Key Attributes:





Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 80 Forecast Period 2024 - 2033 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $2 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2033 $3.4 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 6.1% Regions Covered Vietnam





Key Topics Covered:



1 Overview of Vietnam

1.1 Geography of Vietnam

1.2 Economic Condition of Vietnam

1.3 Demographics of Vietnam

1.4 Domestic Market of Vietnam

1.5 Recommendations for Foreign Enterprises Entering the Vietnam Basa Fish Export Market



2 Analysis of Basa Fish Exports in Vietnam (2021-2024)

2.1 Export Scale of Basa Fish in Vietnam

2.1.1 Export Value of Basa Fish in Vietnam

2.1.2 Export Prices of Basa Fish in Vietnam

2.1.3 Export Volume of Basa Fish in Vietnam

2.1.4 Export Dependency of Basa Fish in Vietnam

2.2 Major Destination for Basa Fish Exports in Vietnam



3 Analysis of Major Destination for Basa Fish Exports in Vietnam (2021-2024)

3.1 United States

3.2 China

3.3 Brazil

3.4 Hong Kong

3.5 Netherlands

3.6 Mexico



4 Analysis of Major Buyer in the Export Market of Basa Fish in Vietnam (2021-2024)



5 Analysis of Major Suppliers in the Export Market of Basa Fish in Vietnam (2021-2024)



6. Monthly Analysis of Basa Fish Exports in Vietnam from 2021 to 2024

6.1 Analysis of Monthly Export Value and Volume

6.2 Forecast of Monthly Average Export Prices



7. Key Factors Affecting Basa Fish Exports in Vietnam

7.1 Policy

7.2 Economic

7.3 Technology



8. Forecast for the Export of Basa Fish in Vietnam, 2024-2033

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/883fej

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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Dublin, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Stone Processing Machines - Global Strategic Business Report" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global market for Stone Processing Machines is estimated at US$7.6 Billion in 2023 and is projected to reach US$9.9 Billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 3.8% from 2023 to 2030. This comprehensive report provides an in-depth analysis of market trends, drivers, and forecasts, helping you make informed business decisions.





The Cutting Machines segment in the Global Stone Processing Machines Market is expected to reach $4.2 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 4.4%. Similarly, the Polishing Machines segment is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.7% over the next seven years. The U.S. market is estimated at $2.1 billion in 2023, while China's market is forecasted to grow at a notable 7.2% CAGR, reaching $2.1 billion by 2030. Other key regions experiencing growth include Japan, Canada, Germany, and the Asia-Pacific.

This report offers comprehensive market data, including independent analysis of annual sales and market forecasts from 2023 to 2030. It provides in-depth regional analysis, offering detailed insights into key markets across the globe, including the U.S., China, Japan, Canada, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa. Company profiles of major industry players, such as BIESSE S.P.A., BMR S.p.A., and Breton S.P.A., are also featured.

Purchasing this report will provide detailed market analysis, competitive insights, and a thorough understanding of the key trends and drivers shaping the future of the Global Stone Processing Machines Market. The actionable insights provided can help in identifying new revenue opportunities and making strategic business decisions.

Key Questions Answered:

How is the Global Stone Processing Machines Market expected to evolve by 2030?

What are the main drivers and restraints affecting the market?

Which market segments will grow the most over the forecast period?

How will market shares for different regions and segments change by 2030?

Who are the leading players in the market, and what are their prospects?

Key Attributes:





Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 250 Forecast Period 2023 - 2030 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $7.6 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 $9.9 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 3.8% Regions Covered Global



MARKET OVERVIEW

Influencer Market Insights

World Market Trajectories

Global Economic Update

Stone Processing Machines - Global Key Competitors Percentage Market Share in 2024 (E)

Competitive Market Presence - Strong/Active/Niche/Trivial for Players Worldwide in 2024 (E)

FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS (Total 86 Featured):

BIESSE S.P.A.

BMR S.p.A.

Breton S.P.A.

Donatoni Macchine Srl

Foshan Nanhai Yongtao Mechanical and Electrical Equipment Co., Ltd

Fujian Joborn Machinery Co., Ltd.

Fujian Nan'an Shuinan Machinery Co., Ltd.

Fujian Province Hualong Machinery Company Limited

KEDA INDUSTRIAL GROUP CO., LTD.

Machinery CANYONN by LIVAMAK

MEC Srl

Park Industries, Inc.

Pedrini SpA

Sincere Naxens Holding Group Co., Ltd.

Thibaut SAS

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/d04l34

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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With the laying of a symbolic capsule, Vilvi Group, one of the biggest dairy enterprises in the Baltic States, began building of a new cheese factory in Bauska, Latvia. The facility is the biggest investment project in the Group's history, with a value of over EUR 50 million.



Additional production capacity of more than 8,000 square metres will be built on the territory of Baltic Dairy Board SIA, the dairy processing plant owned by Vilvi Group.

The project is financed with own funds and Citadele Bank loans. The Latvian Government, through the Latvian State Development Finance Institution ALTUM, will contribute more than EUR 8.5 million to the project.

The factory's construction will be completed in 2026. It will be equipped with an automated, robotic and state-of-the-art cheese production facility, creating more than 100 new jobs. We are confident that this plant will not only open up additional opportunities for Baltic farmers but will also allow our customers to enjoy the highest quality products, said Gintaras Bertasius, CEO of Vilvi Group.

He claims that the new facility will process over 500 tons of milk and make about 50 tons of cheese per day. It is projected that 18,000 tonnes of cheese will be produced year, with the majority of that amount being exported to over 40 countries.

The Mayor of Bauska, Aivars Okmanis, who attended the ground-breaking ceremony, praised the new investments in the city.

The Vilvi Group's operations in our municipality are much welcomed, and we think that these investments will have a major positive impact on the economic growth of not just Bauska but also Latvia and the Baltic States. The decision of entrepreneurs to establish new jobs in our municipality attests to the favorable business environment in Bauska, the availability of the necessary labor resources, and the quality of life opportunities for young professionals, Bauska Mayor A. Okmanis stated.

With an approximate 90% export share, Vilvi Group is one of the biggest dairy processing businesses in the Baltic States. The main export markets are the European Union countries, Asia and other continents.

The Group consists of Vilkyskiu pienine, Modest, Kelmes pienine, Kelmes pienas, Pieno logistika (Lithuania) and Baltic Dairy Board (Latvia).

Vilvi Group's net profit for 2023 is EUR 14.6 million, or 15% more than in 2022, when it was EUR 12.7 million. The Group's EBITDA amounted to EUR 21 million, an increase of 9.1% compared to the previous year.

Additional information and comments:

Gintaras Bertasius

CEO of VILVI Group

+370 655 55001

gintaras.bertasius@vilvi.eu
Dublin, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Vietnam Dragon Fruit Export Research Report 2024-2033" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



In the Asia-Pacific region and globally, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia are major dragon fruit exporters. Vietnam is the largest producer and exporter of dragon fruit. Dragon fruit has been a major export fruit of Vietnam for many years due to its high quality and competitive prices in international markets. The Vietnamese dragon fruit industry benefits from favorable climatic conditions and experienced cultivation techniques, continually expanding its export market.



Although the cultivation area and export volume of dragon fruit in Vietnam have decreased in recent years, the country remains a global leader. Currently, Vietnam has nearly 55,000 hectares of dragon fruit plantations, producing over 1 million tons annually, with 80-85% of the production intended for export. Favorable soil and climatic conditions enable large-scale year-round production. Major growing areas include Binh Thuan, Long An, and Tien Giang provinces, known for their suitable climate and fertile soil. With advancing agricultural technology and increasing market demand, Vietnam's dragon fruit exports are a crucial pillar of its agricultural exports.



In 2023, Vietnam was one of the world's largest fruit exporters, with dragon fruit being the second highest exported fruit after durian. The annual export value of Vietnamese dragon fruit once reached US$ 1 billion. Despite a decline in the past three years, the annual export value still exceeds US$ 600 million, with potential for recovery.

In 2023, Vietnam's dragon fruit export volume was nearly 600,000 tons, with an export value of approximately US$ 600 million. In the first five months of 2024, the cumulative export value was around US$ 260 million.





From 2021 to 2024, major destinations for Vietnamese dragon fruit exports included China and India. Companies importing this product from Vietnam include Nong le Chan, Chongqing Hongjiu Fruit and Shangahi Goodfarmer Banana Co. Many dragon fruit exporters are subsidiaries of international fruit distributors. Major exporters in Vietnam include Song Dat Imp Exp Trading Co., Nong Thon Sinh, and Cong Ty Tnhh Xuat Nhap Khau Yuelaimei.



Overall, due to numerous free trade agreements, the global recovery in agricultural product demand, and reduced shipping costs, Vietnam's dragon fruit exports still have opportunities and growth potential. The publisher predicts the global demand for Vietnamese dragon fruit will continue to rise in the coming years. The export of Vietnamese dragon fruit is expected to maintain a growth trend, driven by these favorable conditions and the increasing international market demand.



Topics covered:

The Import and Export of Dragon Fruit in Vietnam (2021-2024)

Total Export Volume and Percentage Change of Dragon Fruit in Vietnam (2021-2024)

Total Export Value and Percentage Change of Dragon Fruit in Vietnam (2021-2024)

Total Export Volume and Percentage Change of Dragon Fruit in Vietnam (January-May 2024)

Total Export Value and Percentage Change of Dragon Fruit in Vietnam (January-May 2024)

Average Export Price of Dragon Fruit in Vietnam (2021-2024)

Top 10 Export Destinations for Vietnam Dragon Fruit and Their Import Volume

Top 10 Suppliers in the Export Market of Dragon Fruit in Vietnam and Their Export Volume

Top 10 Buyers in the Export Market of Dragon Fruit in Vietnam and Their Import Volume

How to Find International Distributors and End Users of Dragon Fruit in Vietnam

How Foreign Enterprises Enter the Dragon Fruit Export Market of Vietnam

Forecast for the Export of Dragon Fruit in Vietnam (2024-2033)

Key Attributes:





Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 80 Forecast Period 2024 - 2033 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $630 Million Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2033 $912 Million Compound Annual Growth Rate 4.2% Regions Covered Vietnam





Key Topics Covered:



1 Overview of Vietnam

1.1 Geography of Vietnam

1.2 Economic Condition of Vietnam

1.3 Demographics of Vietnam

1.4 Domestic Market of Vietnam

1.5 Recommendations for Foreign Enterprises Entering the Vietnam Dragon Fruit Export Market



2 Analysis of Dragon Fruit Exports in Vietnam (2021-2024)

2.1 Export Scale of Dragon Fruit in Vietnam

2.1.1 Export Value of Dragon Fruit in Vietnam

2.1.2 Export Prices of Dragon Fruit in Vietnam

2.1.3 Export Volume of Dragon Fruit in Vietnam

2.1.4 Export Dependency of Dragon Fruit in Vietnam

2.2 Major Destination for Dragon Fruit Exports in Vietnam



3 Analysis of Major Destination for Dragon Fruit Exports in Vietnam (2021-2024)

3.1 China

3.2 India

3.3 Hong Kong

3.4 Singapore

3.5 United States

3.6 South Korea



4 Analysis of Major Buyer in the Export Market of Dragon Fruit in Vietnam (2021-2024)



5 Analysis of Major Suppliers in the Export Market of Dragon Fruit in Vietnam (2021-2024)



6. Monthly Analysis of Dragon Fruit Exports in Vietnam from 2021 to 2024

6.1 Analysis of Monthly Export Value and Volume

6.2 Forecast of Monthly Average Export Prices



7. Key Factors Affecting Dragon Fruit Exports in Vietnam

7.1 Policy

7.1.1 Current Export Policies

7.1.2 Trend Predictions for Export Policies

7.2 Economic

7.2.1 Market Prices

7.2.2 Growth Trends of Dragon Fruit Production Capacity in Vietnam

7.3 Technology



8. Forecast for the Export of Dragon Fruit in Vietnam, 2024-2033

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/d3bh2c

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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Dover, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pacific Green Technologies, Inc. ("Pacific Green"), (OTCQB: PGTK) announces that Pacific Green Energy Parks Australia Pty Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Pacific Green, has appointed Azure Capital to advise on the sale of the 250 MW / 500 MWh Limestone Coast Energy Park battery energy storage system (Limestone Coast Battery Energy Park) Pacific Green is developing near Mount Gambier, South Australia.





About Pacific Green Technologies, Inc.:

Pacific Green is focused on addressing the worlds need for cleaner and more sustainable energy. It offers grid-scale battery energy storage systems, renewable and environmental technologies. For more information, visit Pacific Greens website: www.pacificgreen.com

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains forward-looking statements, as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this news release which are not purely historical are forwardlooking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the continuation of the Agreement, any potential business developments and future interest in Pacific Greens battery, solar and environmental technologies. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the continuation of the development of the Limestone Coast Battery Energy Park and general economic and political conditions. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and Pacific Green assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although Pacific Green believes that the beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in Pacific Greens annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year, Pacific Greens quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
After 50 cycles, 18650 batteries with GEN3 silicon-based material show a 40% capacity improvement over graphite, 25% over GEN1, and 15% over GEN2, with no noticeable degradation [1].



MONTREAL, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HPQ Silicon Inc. (HPQ or the Company) ( TSX-V: HPQ , OTCQB: HPQFF, FRA: O08), a technology company specializing in green engineering of silica and silicon-based materials is pleased to announce the latest significant battery milestones achieved by its France-based affiliate, NOVACIUM SAS ("Novacium").

This announcement covers the results of 50 charge-discharge cycle tests conducted to simulate real-world usage and assess the durability and longevity of the latest batch of Lithium-ion 18650 commercial batteries, made with a blend of graphite and Novaciums partially optimized GEN3 advanced silicon-based anode material. The 18650 GEN3-based batteries performed remarkably well, with an overall capacity improvement of about 40% compared to a graphite benchmark.

It should be noted here that this performance is 25% higher than that of the previous GEN1 material and 15% higher than that of the GEN2 material, with performance degradation so minimal compared to the graphite benchmark that it falls within the margin of error.

Producing 18650 battery cells that excel in charge-discharge cycle testing and exceed 4,000 mAh under maximum discharge conditions (July 30th, 2024, release) further confirms our position as a top-tier producer of advanced silicon anode material, said Dr. Jed Kraiem, COO of Novacium. Based on these results and the data weve gathered, we are confident that we can continue improving our material, and that GEN4-based 18650 batteries could exceed the 4,400 mAh mark."

Enhancing Battery Performance with Silicon-Based Anode Materials



Graph 1) the blue line shows the average capacity of 100% graphite batteries, the orange line, the average capacity of GEN1 batteries, and the green line the average capacity of GEN 2 batteries, over 150 charge-discharge cycle testing [1] while the yellow line shows the average capacity of GEN3 batteries over 50 charge-discharge cycle testing [1]. All readings are in milliampere-hours (mAh).

Graph 1 shows batteries made with Novacium GEN3 materials registered significantly higher capacities over the first 50 cycles than those made with GEN2 and GEN1 materials, as well as the 100% graphite benchmarked batteries.

The average capacity of three 18650 batteries made with Novacium GEN3 materials (yellow line) started at 3,883.0 mAh and decreased to 3,864.8 mAh by the 50th cycle. In comparison, batteries made with Novacium GEN2 materials (green line) started at 3,370.1 mAh and decreased to 3,356.0 mAh, while those with GEN1 materials (orange line) started at 3,145.5 mAh and dropped to 3,105.4 mAh. Finally, the average capacity of three 18650 batteries made with 100% graphite (blue line) started at 2,780.0 mAh and decreased to 2,769.1 mAh by the 50th cycle.

Therefore, after 50 cycles, GEN3 silicon-based batteries show an overall capacity improvement of approximately 40% compared to the graphite benchmark, 25% compared to GEN1 material, and 15% compared to GEN2 material.

Silicon-Based Anode Materials delivering graphite-like battery degradation results at 50 cycles



Graph 2) the blue line shows the relative capacity of 100% graphite batteries, the orange line the relative capacity of GEN1 batteries, and the green line the relative capacity of GEN 2 batteries, over 150 cycles [1]. While the yellow line shows the relative capacity of GEN 3 batteries over 50 cycles [1].

Graph 2 shows that the performance degradation for GEN3 advanced silicon material over 50 cycles is minimal, with a retention of 99.59% compared to the graphite benchmark at 99.61%. This difference falls within the testing protocol's margin of error.

Achieving these results with full-size 18650 industrial batteries at 50 cycles further showcases Novacium's ability to produce advanced silicon anode material that significantly enhances overall battery performance and integrates seamlessly into existing anode manufacturing facilities, said Mr. Bernard Tourillon, President and CEO of HPQ Silicon Inc. and NOVACIUM SAS. This seamless integration means that manufacturers can adopt this advanced silicon anode material without needing expensive retooling or process overhauls. It ensures a smoother transition, reduces downtime, and minimizes additional costs, ultimately accelerating the deployment of high-performance batteries in the market."

REFERENCE SOURCES

[1] Novacium technical team analysis of the data from the ongoing charging and discharging cycle tests conducted at a world-leading university, the name of which is kept confidential for competitive reasons.

About NOVACIUM SAS



Novacium is an HPQ - affiliated company that started in Q3 2022. This green technology startup is based in Lyon, France and is a partnership with HPQ and three of Frances leading research engineers, Dr. Jed KRAIEM PhD, Novacium's Chief Operating Officer (COO), Dr. Oleksiy NICHIPORUK PhD, Novacium's Chief Technical Officer (CTO), and Dr. Julien DEGOULANGE PhD, Novaciums Chief Innovation Officer (CIO). Novacium is a new Research and Development company which allows researchers to develop their own technology in high-added-value fields connected to renewable energy and allows HPQ Silicon Inc. a Canadian company, to expand the depth and reach of its technical team to help develop its silicon and new renewable energy projects.

About HPQ Silicon

HPQ Silicon Inc. ( TSX-V: HPQ ) is a Quebec-based TSX Venture Exchange Tier 1 Industrial Issuer.

HPQ is developing, with the support of world-class technology partners PyroGenesis Canada Inc. and NOVACIUM SAS, new green processes crucial to make the critical materials needed to reach net zero emissions.

HPQ activities are centred around the following four (4) pillars:

1) Becoming a green low-cost (Capex and Opex) manufacturer of Fumed Silica using the FUMED SILICA REACTOR, a proprietary technology owned by HPQ Silica Polvere Inc being developed for HSPI by PyroGenesis. 2) Becoming a producer of silicon-based anode materials for battery applications with the assistance of NOVACIUM SAS. 3) HPQ SILICON affiliate NOVACIUM SAS is developing a low carbon, chemical based on demand and high-pressure autonomous hydrogen production system. 4) Becoming a zero CO 2 low-cost (Capex and Opex) producer of High Purity Silicon (2N+ to 4N) using our PUREVAPTM Quartz Reduction Reactors (QRR), a proprietary technology owned by HPQ being developed for HPQ by PyroGenesis.

For more information, please visit HPQ Silicon web site .



Disclaimers:

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "in the process" and other similar expressions which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current expectation and assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Company's ongoing filings with the securitys regulatory authorities, which filings can be found at www.sedar.com. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This News Release is available on the company's CEO Verified Discussion Forum , a moderated social media platform that enables civilized discussion and Q&A between Management and Shareholders.

Source: HPQ Silicon Inc.

For further information contact:

Bernard J. Tourillon, Chairman, President, and CEO Tel +1 (514) 846-3271

Patrick Levasseur, Director Tel: +1 (514) 262-9239

Email: Info@hpqsilicon.com





Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f47e8234-29d6-47e1-823c-2f92f22fc42b

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e3007189-571d-4c00-ac12-b0ad10127da9
Boca Raton, FL, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Guident Corp. (Guident) and XRF (XRF) have entered into a strategic partnership to integrate XRF's cutting-edge solution with Guidents Remote Monitor and Control Center (RMCC) platform. This partnership combines XRFs advanced extended reality (XR) software with Guidents RMCC software stack, transforming real-time monitoring into a fully immersive virtual command center. This innovative setup enables the visualization of autonomous robots and Autonomous Vehicles (AV) fleet location, health metrics, and other key performance indicators (KPIs) from anywhere.

The virtual command center leverages XR technologies, including Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR). A 3D digital twin model is created for the fixed routes, their environments, and each autonomous vehicle in the fleet, accurately reflecting the operational design domain.

By merging these technologies, the solution provides comprehensive situational awareness, enabling remote, immediate, and effective responses to various scenarios. These immersive tools are ideal for monitoring AV fleets, simulation, testing, and staff training.

In training mode, the platform transforms into an interactive learning environment, offering simulations to practice and refine various scenarios, including emergency response skills. With customizable modules, this solution ensures effective and targeted training.





Virtual agent monitoring autonomous vehicle fleets

The companies plan to launch the integrated XRF immersive extended reality solution with Guidents RMCC software to customers in North America in the second half of 2024.

Our partnership with Guident allows us to introduce an innovative solution for real-time managing of autonomous robots and AV fleets. By integrating XRF software with Guidents RMCC, fleet operators can monitor and respond to situations more effectively. The interactive training mode offers an exciting way to develop skills and prepare for multiple scenarios. Were eager to bring this combined solution to market, said XRF's CEO Gustavo Medina.

The partnership between Guident and XRF represents a significant step forward in developing safe, smart, and sustainable transportation solutions for communities. We are excited to launch the XRF solution coupled with Guidents RMCC software, which extends the monitoring of autonomous robots and vehicles worldwide through extended reality technologies, said Fabio Tylim, VP of Business Development at Guident Corp.

About GUIDENT

Guident commercializes patented technology to enable safer autonomous vehicles and devices by providing industry-leading AV remote monitor, control, assistance, and passenger support services. To learn more, please visit www.guident.com .

About XRF

XRF specializes in developing software solutions to aid decision-making for complex scenarios. By leveraging extended reality and artificial intelligence, XRF transforms critical information into visually engaging and easily accessible formats. Their innovative approach has earned an international clientele, including the Spanish Army, the Port of Valencia, and Saudi Arabia's NEOM Line project. For more information, visit XRF's website at www.xrf.ai .

Guident Media Contact:

Skyline Corporate Communications Group, LLC

Scott Powell, President

1177 Avenue of the Americas, 5th Floor

New York, New York 10036

Office: (646) 893-5835

Email: info@skylineccg.com

Harald Braun

hbraun@guident.com

+1 561 245 1306

XRF Media Contact:

Raul Espada

re@xrf.ai

+34 669 811 399





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The federal legislation granted USD $4.7 billion to remediate sites of potential methane leaks across the United States. This landmark accomplishment by Plants & Goodwin further establishes Zefiro as a leading environmental remediation services provider.



FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ZEFIRO METHANE CORP. (Cboe Canada: ZEFI) (Frankfurt: Y6B) (OTCQB: ZEFIF) (the Company, Zefiro, or ZEFI) today announced that its subsidiary Plants & Goodwin, Inc. (P&G) has successfully completed Pennsylvanias first-ever Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law)-funded oil and gas well plugging project. The federal legislation allocated $4.7 billion to help address the nationwide proliferation of abandoned oil and gas wells, including granting over $300 million to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania alone.

Specifically, P&G executed a variety of plug and abandonment operations over a three-month period on a total of fifteen orphaned sites in Otto Township, Pennsylvania. The wells that comprised this project were primarily located adjacent to several residential areas, with two sites situated mere yards from several single-family homes and one well only 20 feet away from both a dwelling structure and a state road. These projects required a sophisticated approach to account for a series of unique operational challenges, including poor recordkeeping regarding the history of these abandoned sites and various safety issues related to performing heavy-duty groundwork within residential neighborhoods.

The success of this initiative is part of a series of publicly funded, groundbreaking assignments that Zefiro and its subsidiaries have undertaken to help address this issue, including working with the National Park Service on plugging numerous leaking oil and gas wells at Cuyahoga Valley National Park and helping complete the State of New Yorks first orphan well plugging operation that used Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. According to the latest estimates from the U.S. Department of the Interior , there are more than 3.7 million abandoned oil and gas wells spread throughout the U.S., with the potential for many of these sites to be leaking methane gas that can be up to 28 times as potent as carbon dioxide emissions in terms of trapping heat in the atmosphere.





Denny Mong (Right) is pictured with P&G President of P&A Services Steve Plants (Left).

Readers using news aggregation services may be unable to view the media above. Please access SEDAR+ or the Investors section of the Companys website for a version of this press release containing all published media.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zefiro Talal Debs commented, For decades, too many Pennsylvanians have had to contend with unplugged oil wells leaking potentially toxic methane gas into their own backyards. Zefiro is proud to have worked alongside our federal and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government partners to complete this inaugural effort, and we look forward to helping more communities throughout the country eliminate the dangers these sites pose to critical air, drinking water, and land resources.

Chief Executive Officer of P&G Luke Plants commented, As the leader of a third-generation family business that has served hardworking Pennsylvanians for over fifty years, I cannot be any prouder that our team of decommissioning specialists helped complete this landmark project. The historic levels of funding allocated from this bipartisan legislation is an important first step toward properly addressing this legacy issue, and we stand ready to work with public and private sector stakeholders across the region to help combat this pressing public health threat.

Reporters/Media: For any questions or to arrange an interview with Talal Debs or Luke Plants, please contact Rich Myers of Profile Advisors (New York City) by email at media@zefiromethane.com or by telephone at +1 (347) 774-1125.

About Zefiro Methane Corp.

Zefiro is an environmental services company, specializing in methane abatement. Zefiro strives to be a key commercial force towards Active Sustainability. Leveraging decades of operational expertise, Zefiro is building a new toolkit to clean up air, land, and water sources directly impacted by methane leaks. The Company has built a fully integrated ground operation driven by an innovative monetization solution for the emerging methane abatement marketplace. As an originator of high-quality U.S.-based methane offsets, Zefiro aims to generate long-term economic, environmental, and social returns.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company,

ZEFIRO METHANE CORP.

Talal Debs

Talal Debs, Founder & CEO

For further information, please contact:

Zefiro Investor Relations

1 (800) 274-ZEFI (274-9334)

investor@zefiromethane.com

For media inquiries, please contact:

Rich Myers - Profile Advisors (New York)

media@zefiromethane.com

+1 (347) 774-1125

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as seeks, believes, plans, expects, intends, estimates, anticipates and statements that an event or result may, will, should, could or might occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information including statements regarding: the Companys intention to reduce emissions from end-of-life oil and gas wells and eliminate methane gas; the Companys partnerships with industry operators, state agencies, and federal governments; the Companys expectations for continued increases in revenues and EBITDA growth as a result of these partnerships; the Companys intentions to build out its presence in the United States; the anticipated federal funding for orphaned well site plugging, remediation and restoring activities; the Companys expectations to become a growing environmental services company; the Companys ability to provide institutional and retail investors alike with the opportunity to join the Active Sustainability movement; the Companys ability to generate long-term economic, environmental, and social returns; and other statements regarding the Companys business and the industry in which the Company operates. The forward-looking information reflects managements 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. 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 timeframes or at all. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: (i) adverse general market and economic conditions; (ii) changes to and price and volume volatility in the carbon market; (iii) changes to the regulatory landscape and global policies applicable to the Company's business; (iv) failure to obtain all necessary regulatory approvals; and (v) other risk factors set forth in its Prospectus dated April 8, 2024 under the heading Risk Factors. The Company operates in a rapidly evolving environment where technologies are in the early stage of adoption. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is impossible for the Companys management to predict all risk factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of all factors on Companys 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. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including, but not limited to, the assumption that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner. 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. The forward-looking information included in this news release is 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.

Statement Regarding Third-Party Investor Relations Firms

Disclosures relating to investor relations firms retained by Zefiro Methane Corp. can be found under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca/ .

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ae5d9fe9-54e6-462a-a995-583d0441c6d7
Toronto, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SHEIN, the leading global fashion e-retailer, is thrilled to announce the launch of its exciting back-to-school campus tour across Ontario. This dynamic experience will bring SHEIN's bold and trendy style directly to university students, empowering them to express their unique style as they head back to campus.

From August 28 to September 7, SHEIN's vibrant truck will make stops at five university campuses: University of Toronto (St. George), University of Toronto (Scarborough), York University, Western University, and Queen's University. Adorned with a large, graffiti-inspired SHEIN logo in the signature green hue of the summer, the truck's exterior will showcase SHEIN's colourful, street-style aesthetic, complemented by splashes of hot pink.

Campus Tour Dates, Time and Locations:

Wednesday, August 28: University of Toronto (St. George Campus)  6:00 PM to 10:00 PM

Friday, August 30: University of Toronto (Scarborough Campus)  6:00 PM to 10:30 PM

Tuesday, September 3: York University  10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Thursday, September 5: Western University  9:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Saturday, September 7: Queens University  9:30 AM to 6:00 PM

Upon arrival at each campus, the SHEIN truck will transform into a hub of fashion-centric activities. Students will have the opportunity to customize their looks with t-shirt printing featuring the latest catchphrases, available while supplies last.

Additionally, the truck will showcase SHEIN's latest offerings in women's wear, men's wear, home and living, stationery and accessories, providing students with a one-stop shop for their back-to-school needs. Students will also be able to browse the latest GLOWMODE x Harry Potter collection on the tour truck and immerse themselves in the magical world of the beloved franchise.

To further engage new and returning students, SHEIN is offering a variety of promotions and giveaways. New customers and students who sign up to become campus ambassadors on-site can receive gift cards for online purchases. Attendees will also receive free gifts with purchase, complimentary t-shirt printing, and chances to win extra prizes by sharing their experiences on social media or participating in games at the pop-up.

By immersing students in a lively, street-style aesthetic and offering them exclusive access to the brands latest collections and promotions, SHEIN aims to inspire their personal style as they embark on the new academic year. For more information on SHEIN's campus tour and to stay updated on the latest stops, please visit the event page or follow the brand on social media.

About SHEIN

SHEIN is a global online fashion and lifestyle retailer, offering SHEIN branded apparel and products from a global network of vendors, all at affordable prices. Headquartered in Singapore, SHEIN remains committed to making the beauty of fashion accessible to all, promoting its industry-leading, on-demand production methodology for a smarter, future-ready industry. To learn more about SHEIN Canada, visit ca.shein.com .

About GLOWMODE

GLOWMODE, SHEIN's premium activewear line, redefines the world of athleisure by blending style, performance, and affordability. Engineered for excellence, GLOWMODE features self-developed fabrics like the innovative FeatherFit and sources premium materials to deliver uncompromising quality. Driven by user-centric design, GLOWMODE's thoughtful features cater to the needs of the modern active individual. Rigorously tested to exceed the brand's stringent standards, GLOWMODE empowers individuals to look and feel their absolute best, from workouts to lounging. By optimizing its supply chain, GLOWMODE offers this premium activewear experience at accessible price points.

Pop-Up Microsite | LINK

Instagram | @shein_ca

#BTSwithSHEIN







Attachments
Innovative Talking Camera Integrates AI-Powered Communication, Setting New Standards for Home Security Solutions

Detroit, Michigan, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Robotic Assistance Devices Residential, Inc. (RAD-R), a subsidiary of Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc. (the Company) ( OTCPK:AITX ), a global leader in AI-driven security and productivity solutions, today announced that online pre-orders for its highly anticipated RADCam  will begin in mid-September. Developed by RAD-R, this advanced residential and small business security solution is poised to redefine market standards, offering a significant leap forward in home security technology and potentially outpacing legacy competitors.

The Company has opted to open pre-orders in response to overwhelming interest and inquiries from potential customers eager to secure the RADCam ahead of its official release. By launching pre-orders in mid-September, RAD-R aims to place this innovative security solution into customers hands in time for the holiday shopping season, positioning RADCam as a must-have gift for tech-savvy homeowners and small business owners.

Were absolutely thrilled to bring RADCam to the B2C and SMB markets, said Steve Reinharz, CEO/CTO of AITX and RAD-R. This is an incredible step forward for us, and were confident that RADCam will revolutionize home and small business security. The overwhelming interest weve received speaks volumes about the demand for a truly innovative security solution like RADCam. We cant wait to see how it empowers our customers and sets a new standard in the industry.

Details including pricing, availability, and links to the online stores where RADCam can be pre-ordered will be released soon. The Company plans to provide further information in the coming weeks, ensuring that interested customers have everything they need to secure their RADCam during the pre-order period.

Reinharz concluded, We anticipate that RADCams pre-orders and subscription fees could make a meaningful contribution to AITXs Q3 of FY 2025, further strengthening our recurring revenue stream. The combination of cutting-edge technology and a subscription model ensures that our customers receive continuous value, while also supporting the Companys growth and profitability.

About Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions (AITX)

AITX is an innovator in the delivery of artificial intelligence-based solutions that empower organizations to gain new insight, solve complex challenges and fuel new business ideas. Through its next-generation robotic product offerings, AITXs RAD, RAD-M, RAD-R, and RAD-G companies help organizations streamline operations, increase ROI, and strengthen business. AITX technology improves the simplicity and economics of patrolling and guard services and allows experienced personnel to focus on more strategic tasks. Customers augment the capabilities of existing staff and gain higher levels of situational awareness, all at drastically reduced cost. AITX solutions are well suited for use in multiple industries such as enterprises, government, transportation, critical infrastructure, education, and healthcare. To learn more, visit www.aitx.ai , www.radsecurity.com , www.stevereinharz.com , www.radgroup.ai , www.raddog.ai , and www.radlightmyway.com , or follow Steve Reinharz on Twitter @SteveReinharz .

CAUTIONARY DISCLOSURE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The information contained in this publication does not constitute an offer to sell or solicit an offer to buy securities of Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc. (the Company). This publication contains forward-looking statements, which are not guarantees of future performance and may involve subjective judgment and analysis. As such, there are no assurances that the Company will meet its expectations with respect to its future sales volume, becoming cash flow positive, ARR or RMR. The information provided herein is believed to be accurate and reliable, however the Company makes no representations or warranties, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy or completeness. The Company has no obligation to provide the recipient with additional updated information. No information in this publication should be interpreted as any indication whatsoever of the Companys future revenues, results of operations, or stock price.

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ROME, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In an interview with LaPresse on August 19th, Professor Celotto spoke about the pros and cons of the constitutional reform promoted by the Meloni government.

The so-called premiership is one of the key constitutional reforms the Meloni government is focused on. Speaking to LaPresse, Alfonso Celotto, a lawyer and professor of Constitutional Law at the Roma Tre University, discusses the pros and cons of a reform that would radically alter the relationship between national political power and voters.

"Certainly, on paper, as the premiership reform is written, it removes a power from the President of the Republic, specifically the power to choose the Prime Minister," Celotto explains. "In 2018, the elections were partially won by Di Maio and partially by the center-right, but Giuseppe Conte was chosen. This would no longer be possible. The first Prime Minister under the premiership system would be chosen by the voters; as for the second, because only two governments would be allowed per legislative term, it would have to be someone from within the majority and the Parliament. This would have excluded someone like Draghi, who was a technocrat, and Conte, who was not a member of Parliament."

Finding a compromise between government stability and representation in the eyes of voters is not simple. "Since 2018, we've seen all types of governments of all colors, almost every possible combination," the professor continues. "So, it would probably better reflect the will of the voters to have a government aligned with the majority's vote. Or is it more a question of balancing the parliamentary system, where we still seek a government, as was done in 1994 when Berlusconis government fell, and instead of holding elections, Dini was chosen? It's typical of the parliamentary system to try to form a new government. But moving towards a premiership would make the system more similar to that of a mayor or a regional president, where if the elected leader is removed, new elections are held."

For more information:

Press Office LaPresse - ufficio.stampa@lapresse.it

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/52e5d245-c231-4d6b-8297-4d68f3ab485d
Boston, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gordon Brothers, the global asset experts, has welcomed Kasey Fagan to drive business development in the Midwest.

In this role, Fagan will accelerate Gordon Brothers continued growth in the region by providing integrated solutions across the firms expanded asset services, lending, financing and trading platform. She partners with Gordon Brothers global asset experts to create customized solutions and maximize liquidity for clients and partners.

Based in Chicago, Fagan advises asset-based lending, investment banks, private equity professionals and restructuring firms in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin and northern Ohio.

Prior to joining Gordon Brothers, she led the business development efforts in the Midwest for a financial services company and was previously an asset-based lending originator at a large multinational financial services company.

Kasey will play a critical role in our continued acceleration and success in North America, said Frank Grimaldi, Senior Managing Director, North America Sales Manager at Gordon Brothers. Her deep understanding of asset-based lending and firm-wide collaboration will ensure our clients continue to receive integrated solutions and multi-asset optimization.

I look forward to supporting the firms continued success and helping clients optimize asset values throughout the business cycle, said Fagan.

About Gordon Brothers

Since 1903, Gordon Brothers has maximized liquidity through realizable asset value by providing the people, expertise and capital to solve business challenges. Our firms integrated solutions across asset services, lending, financing and trading give clients the insights, strategies and time to optimize asset values throughout the business cycle. We work across the full spectrum of assets globally with deep expertise in retail, commercial, industrial, brands and real estate. We are headquartered in Boston with over 30 offices across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. For more information, visit www.gordonbrothers.com.





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TORONTO, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Behr Paint Company announces its highly anticipated 2025 Colour of the Year: Rumors, a deep and dynamic ruby red that empowers DIYers, designers and paint professionals to create impactful colour moments. In fact, about 69% of Canadians say they would consider painting a room or wall a shade of red, and Rumors is the perfect choice with its unique balance of warmth and vitality.

Were seeing people embrace colour like never before, said Erika Woelfel, Vice President of Colour and Creative Services at Behr Paint Company. Rumors is a modern take on the timeless red that creates an energetic appeal to make a lasting statement in a stunning way.

New research1 conducted by Behr Paint reveals:

Almost three quarters (69%) of Canadians say they would consider painting a room or a wall a shade of red, with accent walls, bedrooms, and front doors at the top of their wish lists.

Canadians recognize the positive impact red can have on their home and agree it creates a bold yet cohesive style: Homes with red front doors stand out from others (86%) A small pop of red in a room catches their attention (84%) A pop of red can make a space feel more elegant and cohesive (68%)

A majority of Canadians feel energized by the use of the colour red in home design (56%)

Almost half of Canadians agree that Rumors in the home gives them the vibe of a high-end hotel (48%) and reminds them of a luxurious hospitality space (48%)



Our Colour of the Year empowers consumers to use colour with confidence, said Andy Lopez, Senior Vice President, Head of Marketing at Behr Paint. Rumors is undoubtedly a colour that inspires creativity while being versatile enough to transform a space through large and small projects.

From eye-catching curb appeal on a front door to a dramatic four-wall drench in a bedroom, Rumors is a universal colour that transcends design styles and embraces self-expression.

The rich allure of Rumors is part of the BEHR 2025 Colour Trends Palette, an annual selection of forward-looking colours, ranging from tantalizing warm tones to cooler stunning shades to simplify the colour selection process for DIYers, designers and paint professionals. Through comprehensive research and trend analysis across the globe within a variety of lifestyle influences, these hues create a connected colour story that transcends every design style.

To celebrate the 2025 Colour of the Year, Behr Paint is hosting a sweepstakes on Instagram and TikTok starting August 21st. One winner will receive $10,000 USD to help them make a statement in their home using Rumors. Follow @behrpaint on Instagram and @behr on TikTok to learn more about how to enter. Terms and conditions apply. For official rules, visit: behr.com/2025cotysweepstakes.

Rumors is available in top-rated, one-coat hide guaranteed* BEHR DYNASTY and BEHR MARQUEE, as well as BEHR ULTRA and BEHR PREMIUM PLUS, exclusively at The Home Depot Canada stores nationwide and online. To learn more about Rumors and explore the 2025 Colour Trends Palette, visit behr.ca/2025coty.

*Valid only when tinted to colours from the BEHR DYNASTY & BEHR MARQUEE Interior One-Coat Hide Colour Collection.

About Behr Paint Company

Founded in 1947, Behr Paint Company is one of the largest manufacturers of paints, primers, decorative finishes, stains, surface preparation and application products for do-it-yourselfers and professionals in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The Santa Ana, Calif.-based company, and maker of the most trusted paint brand in Canada* BEHR, along with the KILZ and WHIZZ brands, is dedicated to meeting the project needs of DIYers, designers and professional paint contractors with an unwavering commitment to quality, innovation, and value. For more information, visit Behr.ca. Professional paint contractors and designers can visit BehrPro.ca to learn about products, colour tools and services. Behr Paint Company is a subsidiary of Masco Corporation (NYSE: MAS).

*Based on the 2024 BrandSpark Canadian Trust Study. Visit www.BrandSparkMostTrusted.com.

Behr and the Behr logo are registered trademarks of Behr Process LLC.

For inquiries, questions and/or high-res images, please contact:

Samantha Machan

smachan@harbingerideas.com

647.239.7178

1BEHR commissioned an online survey among n=1,000 general population Canadians 18 years of age and older. Data is nationally representative by age, gender, race/ethnicity and region. The survey was fielded between July 2- 9, 2024. The margin of error (MOE) for the total sample is +/- 3 p.pts.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fbe1fe73-6632-49d4-8602-4b15edc5e042

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1cd2c65d-4c9a-4f19-80ce-9ea3cebe4504
KITCHENER, Ontario, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ApplyBoard , the leading international student mobility platform, today announced the winners of its 2024 International Alumni of Impact program. Now in its second year, the program recognizes 10 exceptional former international students who have leveraged their Canadian education to create significant positive impact on the Canadian economy, entrepreneurial culture, and communities worldwide.



Hailing from five countries around the world, the 2024 International Alumni of Impact winners are the embodiment of resilience, innovation, leadership, and generosity. From establishing their colleges first Food and Basic Needs Support Program to impacting global youth policies and sustainable development, these individuals are making an exceptional contribution to their local and global communities. ApplyBoard is honoured to share their stories, which serve as a powerful source of inspiration for future generations of international students.

"Our 2024 International Alumni of Impact winners demonstrate the incredible potential of international students to drive economic growth and shape the future," says Meti Basiri, Co-Founder & CEO, ApplyBoard. "Their stories of resilience, leadership, and entrepreneurial success powerfully illustrate how education fosters global citizens who contribute significantly to their host and home countries. These remarkable individuals inspire us to further our commitment to supporting students worldwide, unlocking potential through global education and fueling innovation across borders."

The 2024 International Alumni of Impact winners are:

Christine Eruokwu (Nigeria), University of New Brunswick (2015)

(Nigeria), University of New Brunswick (2015) Hana Tran (Vietnam), Douglas College (2018)

(Vietnam), Douglas College (2018) Fsahat Ul-Hassan (Pakistan), Humber College (2021)

(Pakistan), Humber College (2021) Kant Chong (Hong Kong), Western University (2003)

(Hong Kong), Western University (2003) Lefin Paruvaparampil Chacko (India), Cape Breton University (2022)

(India), Cape Breton University (2022) Puneet Kaur Johal (India), Sheridan College (2021)

(India), Sheridan College (2021) Qasim Farasat (Pakistan), University of Waterloo (2015)

(Pakistan), University of Waterloo (2015) Ritika Saraswat (India), University of British Columbia (2023)

(India), University of British Columbia (2023) Rufina Ajalie (Nigeria), University of New Brunswick (2020)

(Nigeria), University of New Brunswick (2020) Urvish Patel (India), George Brown College (2021)

In recognition of their exceptional contributions, ApplyBoard will establish one-time scholarships in each winner's name. These scholarships, awarded to incoming international students at the institutions where the winners studied, aim to nurture the next generation of global leaders. Since its launch in 2023, this initiative has provided $20,000 in scholarships, embodying ApplyBoard's mission to make education accessible to students worldwide.

To learn more about the International Alumni of Impact program and the winners, please visit applyboard.com/info/iaoi .

About ApplyBoard

ApplyBoard has empowered more than 1 million students from over 125 countries to access global education since 2015. Driven by its mission to unlock the potential of every aspiring mind, ApplyBoard simplifies the international education journey by connecting students to over 1,500 institutions across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland. To learn more, visit: www.applyboard.com .

For more information contact:

Raveena Desai

ApplyBoard

raveena.desai@applyboard.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:



https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/62799225-47d1-4fed-b472-45278721e65e

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6569196b-2445-4eaa-8111-a63ee016cac4
NOTTINGHAM, Pa., Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- After an exciting journey of taste testing and passionate voting in the Herr's #FlavoredbyPhilly contest, the much-anticipated verdict is in! Earlier this summer, Pennsylvania's beloved snack maker, Herr Foods Inc. unveiled its third Flavored by Philly collection  a unique selection of chips crafted exclusively for the City of Brotherly Love. With the power to choose in the hands of the people of Philadelphia, the city has spoken, and its time to celebrate this victory!

Romanos Stromboli: Special Hot Chips, has claimed the prestigious title in this years "Flavored by Philly" contesta creation that perfectly embodies Philadelphia's rich culinary heritage. In a tough competition, Romanos stood out as the winner, capturing the hearts and taste buds of Philadelphians and snack enthusiasts beyond the city.

The three flavor finalists, submitted by fans, were announced in June and included Tallutos Cheese Ravioli and Marinara (Philadelphia, PA), and Mom Moms Kitchen Potato Pierogi (Philadelphia, PA). Philadelphians rallied behind their local small businesses, leading to a nearly 50% year-over-year increase in votes, with 26,360 snack lovers participating to choose their favorite Philadelphia flavor. The "Flavored by Philly" contest highlighted the essence of Philadelphias vibrant food culture, showcasing participants' creativity and passion for local flavors.

Herr's, renowned for its innovative approach to snack experiences, has partnered with Romanos Stromboli to elevate the iconic Philadelphia delicacy, Special Hot Stromboli, into an exceptional chip sensation. This collaboration has taken this beloved dish to new heights, reflecting Herr's commitment to redefining the snacking experience. Imagine this: each bite of their Special Hot Stromboli-flavored chip bursts with flavors, blending savory cheese with the perfect amount of heat and spice. Its a taste journey that brings you right to the heart of Philadelphias food culture.

Romanos Stromboli, a Philadelphia staple since 1950, was founded by Nazzereno Romano. The original Stromboli was crafted right here in Philadelphia and is still made using the same time-honored methods today. Now under the third generation of family ownership with Peter Romano at the helm, Romanos continues to serve up Strombolis that are rich in history and flavor. The Special Hot Stromboli's savory, cheesy, and mildly spicy profile combined with Herr's hearty potato chips creates the ultimate snacking experience in every chip!

"This year's 'Flavored by Philly' contest has been an extraordinary journey, and we are excited to announce Romanos Stromboli: Special Hot Chips as the winner of our third annual Flavored by Philly Contest," said Ed Herr, Chairman and CEO of Herr's.

"Their creative interpretation of a beloved Philadelphia classic truly captures the essence of the 'Flavored by Philly' contest. At Herr's, we are dedicated to celebrating local businesses and the unique flavors that make Philadelphia a culinary destination and partnering with Romanos Stromboli to bring their cherished dish to snack enthusiasts has been a thrill. Although only one flavor can win, we congratulate Tallutos and Mom Moms Kitchen for their exceptional entries and partnership in this competitive event. Their remarkable flavors and contributions have greatly enriched the contest, showcasing their outstanding culinary skills and enhancing the overall excitement of the competition."

Peter Romano, owner of Romanos Stromboli, expressed his excitement over their winning Special Hot Stromboli entry. "Special Hot Stromboli is a cherished family recipe that's been beloved in our community for generations," Peter shared. "As long-time fans of Herr's, were thrilled and grateful for this opportunity. Thanks to Herr's and John Lishok for the nomination, which allowed us to share our family recipe with a broader audience. This recognition is truly humbling, and were excited to continue sharing our flavors with snack enthusiasts everywhere."

As the winning flavor finalist, Romanos Stromboli wins $10,000, and John Lishok, who submitted the nomination, will also receive $5,000. The two small businesses in the runners-up position will also receive $2,500 each, while their devoted nominators will be awarded $1,000.

Join Herr's in celebrating Romanos Stromboli's incredible achievement of winning this years Flavored by Philly Contest. The Herr's Flavored by Philly contest will return next year, so stay tuned for more exciting flavors and opportunities to celebrate Philadelphias culinary creativity!

For more information about Herrs and their variety of flavors visit herrs.com. Follow Herr's on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to receive announcements on all the exciting new flavors and more.

###

A link to the campaign imagery can be found here.

About Herrs

Made from the finest ingredients available and always bursting with flavor, Herrs snacks have been giving people something to smile about since 1946, when Jim Herr started his own snack company. Based in Nottingham, Pennsylvania, where visitors are welcomed to its Visitor Center and Snack Factory, Herrs produces more than 300 snack products in nine product categories and continues to be family-owned and operated. herrs.com

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ATLANTA, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LeadCoverage , the premier supply chain go-to-market (GTM) consulting group founded in 2019 by supply chain experts Kara Smith Brown and Will Haraway , today announces its inclusion in the Inc. 5000 list for the third consecutive year. This prestigious recognition by Inc. Magazine highlights the fastest-growing privately-held companies in the United States, celebrating their impressive revenue growth over the past three years. This year, LeadCoverage ranks No. 2,493 on the list and No. 123 in the state of Georgia.



"Our inclusion on the Inc. 5000 list for the third year in a row is confirmation of the value our team brings to our supply chain clients," said Kara Smith Brown, co-founder and CEO of LeadCoverage. "Our continued growth is a direct result of how we carefully craft go-to-market strategies with data-backed insights and mathematical models. The location of our headquarters in Atlanta, along with key team members located in other major cities steeped in logistics history, gives us a significant strategic advantage to help our clients achieve sustained growth in a competitive marketplace."

According to Statista , the global supply chain management market was valued at $15.85 billion in 2020 and is projected to nearly double, reaching approximately $31 billion by 2026.

With such global growth, Gartner reports, "As executive leadership increasingly pushes for greater revenue from their supply chains, CSCOs [Chief Supply Chain Officers] can shift the supply chains role from cost center to revenue generator by focusing their organizations on building two types of services: customer enablement services and SCaaS [Supply Chain as a Service]."

"We love our niche in the supply chain space, its all we do every day, and weve continued to grow along with the industry," said Will Haraway, co-founder and Chief Content Officer of LeadCoverage. "Our team of industry experts is guiding its clients to the forefront of the supply chain market by delivering targeted marketing solutions that enhance their visibility, generate qualified leads, and achieve sustained, scalable revenue growth. We work every day to make our clients market leaders.

The shift in supply chain growth strategy has translated into a search for additional revenue generation, increased visibility, diversification of suppliers , strategic partnerships, and ways to combat workforce shortages to increase resiliency . LeadCoverage has grown with these companies by building GTM models enhanced by data-derived insights to help bridge the gaps in their marketing and sales funnels, while amplifying brand awareness in the marketplace through public relations and analyst relations.

LeadCoverage's success is driven by its commitment to partner with its clients and deliver insights that are as actionable as they are insightful. The company's innovative approaches to public relations and analyst relations have secured its team as trusted counsel for clients seeking to strike a balance between measurable marketing outcomes and having an elevated share of voice in the industry. LeadCoverages methodology of Share Good News, Track Interest, and Follow Up  and why it works so well  is the subject of Kara Smith Browns forthcoming book, The Revenue Engine, set to be released Q4 of 2024.

As LeadCoverage continues to expand its footprint, the company remains focused on providing exceptional value and measurable results for its clients. This inclusion in the Inc. 5000 list serves as a milestone in LeadCoverage's continued journey of growth and innovation.

Gartner, Supply Chain Brief: Pursue Supply Chain Services and SCaaS to Drive Profitable Growth, Dominy, Michael; Herring, Bailey, 14 June 2024.





Gartner Disclaimer

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

Hype Cycle is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartners research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About LeadCoverage

LeadCoverage is the premier supply chain go-to-market consulting group, dedicated to driving revenue growth for our clients. We specialize in crafting GTM strategies that are grounded in data-backed insights and sophisticated mathematical models. Our proven expertise transforms businesses into market leaders, ensuring they stay ahead of the competition and achieve sustained success.

LeadCoverages headquarters is located in the beautiful Coda building in Midtown Atlanta, adjacent to the Georgia Tech campus. This particular corridor  "Supply Chain Square  also includes cloud warehousing company Stord, supply chain intelligence company Verusen, as well as the Georgia Tech Supply Chain & Logistics Institute.

For more information about LeadCoverage and its suite of supply chain, manufacturing, and logistics-focused marketing, public relations, and analyst relations services, please visit LeadCoverages website .
Covina, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to Prophecy Market Insights, the global nuclear power plant control system market size and share is projected to grow from USD 0.6 Billion in 2024 and is forecasted to reach USD 1 Billion by 2034, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8% during the forecast period (2024 - 2034).

Nuclear Power Plant Control System Market Report Overview

Nuclear Power Plant Control System are critical for the safe and efficient operation of nuclear reactors. These systems are designed to monitor, control, and also regulate various processes within a nuclear power plant ensuring the stable production of energy while maintaining high safety standards.

The complexity and significance of these systems stem from the need to manage nuclear reactions and prevent any potential hazards associated with the operation of nuclear reactors. Reactor Control Systems manage the nuclear reactors operations, including controlling the reactor's power output and ensuring that it remains within safe operational limits.

Download a Free Sample Research Report with Latest Industry Insights: https://www.prophecymarketinsights.com/market_insight/Insight/request-sample/5573

Our Free Sample Report includes:

Overview & introduction of market study

Revenue and CAGR of the market

Drivers & Restrains factors of the market

Major key players in the market

Regional analysis of the market with a detailed graph

Detailed segmentation in tabular form of market

Recent developments/news of the market

Opportunities & Challenges of the Market

Competitive Landscape:

The Nuclear Power Plant Control System Market is characterized by rapid growth, technological innovation, and fierce competition. Companies are expanding their global presence, focusing on sustainability, and diversifying their service offerings to stay competitive.

Some of the Key Market Players:

Siemens Energy

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI)

ABB Ltd.

Schneider Electric

Honeywell International Inc.

General Electric (GE)

Toshiba Corporation

Hitachi, Ltd.

Emerson Electric Co.

Rockwell Automation, Inc.

Schneider Electric

Yokogawa Electric Corporation

Westinghouse Electric Company LLC

AREVA SA

Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation

To Know More on Additional Market Players, Download a Free Sample Report Here: https://www.prophecymarketinsights.com/market_insight/Insight/request-pdf/5573

Analyst View:

The target market is a crucial segment within the broader energy sector, driven by the ongoing need for safe, reliable, and efficient operation of nuclear reactors. Nuclear power plant control systems are developed in large part by technological innovation. Nuclear reactors are safer, more reliable and efficient when digital control systems, automation, and advanced monitoring technologies are implemented.

Market Dynamics:

Drivers:

Increasing Nuclear Energy Demand

The demand for clean energy sources is pushing the growth of nuclear power as a low-carbon energy option. As countries seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify their energy portfolios, nuclear power is gaining renewed interest.

Request for FLAT 30% Discount on this Report @ https://www.prophecymarketinsights.com/market_insight/Insight/request-discount/5573

Market Trends:

Remote Monitoring and Control

In the nuclear power industry, remote monitoring and control systems are becoming more and more popular. With the use of these technologies, plant managers can now oversee operations from off-site locations, offering them more flexibility and responsiveness.

Segmentation:

Nuclear Power Plant Control System Market is segmented based on Technology, Component Type, End-User, and Region.

Technology Insights

This sector includes Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, Distributed Control System, Programmable Logic Controller, and Human-Machine Interface. Distributed control system segment is expected to dominate the target market growth as it provides centralized control over the nuclear power plant's operations while distributing control tasks across various subsystems.

Component Type Insights

This sector includes Hardware, Software, and Services. The services segment is expected to dominate the target market growth as nuclear power plant control systems are highly complex and require meticulous integration and ongoing maintenance to ensure safe and efficient operation. Services such as system integration, calibration, troubleshooting, and routine maintenance are crucial for the reliability and performance of these systems.

End-User Insights

In the target market utility companies is the most dominant segment as hospitals are equipped with comprehensive patient care facilities and advanced medical infrastructure, making them ideal environments for the use of nuclear power plant control system technologies.

Request FREE Unlimited Customization on this Report @ https://www.prophecymarketinsights.com/market_insight/Insight/request-customization/5573





Recent Development:

In September 2022, the IAEA launched a New Early Warning Notification System to Protect Nuclear Installations from Natural Hazards. EENS is a web-based tool that provides real-time information on external events and hazards, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcano eruptions, river and coastal flooding, rotational winds, and wildfires, that have occurred or are expected to occur, including their severity and location, as well as estimations of their potential effects on nuclear installations and major population centers.

Regional Insights

North America: This region is renowned for having strict regulations limiting the use of nuclear power. Strict safety regulations are enforced by organizations like the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in the United States.

This region is renowned for having strict regulations limiting the use of nuclear power. Strict safety regulations are enforced by organizations like the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in the United States. Asia Pacific: In order to take advantage of worldwide knowledge and advancements in nuclear power plant control systems, numerous nations in this region are forming international alliances and partnerships.

Browse Detail Report on "Nuclear Power Plant Control System Market Size, Share, By Technology (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, Distributed Control System, Programmable Logic Controller, Human-Machine Interface), By Component Type (Hardware, Software, Services), By End-User (Utility Companies, Government Agencies, Nuclear Research Institutes, Nuclear Navy), and By Region - Trends, Analysis, and Forecast till 2034" with complete TOC @ https://www.prophecymarketinsights.com/market_insight/nuclear-power-plant-control-system-market-5573

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TEL AVIV, Israel and Wilmington, Del., Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chargeflow , the pioneering chargeback platform tailored exclusively for online businesses, today announced the release of Chargeflow Insights. Available now for free, Chargeflow Insights integrates critical elements, allowing businesses to dive deeply into their data and find actionable insights, which also includes fraud detection and chargeback management at scale, to help businesses increase revenues lost to fraud and chargebacks.



Current payment stack configurations share a common traitthey are fragmented and inefficient. As a result, eCommerce merchants are forced to work with disparate solutions and collate data from multiple sources. This ultimately leads to increasing operational complexity, errors, and lost revenuesthe total cost of chargebacks to US merchants reached $243 billion in 2023. Chargeflow Insights addresses these pain points with a unified chargeback analytics solution that consolidates all relevant data and streamlines the entire chargeback lifecycle.

Powered by AI data-driven recommendations, Chargeflow Insights provides a comprehensive and holistic overview of post-transaction activities. It also seamlessly consolidates data that delivers actionable intelligence. As a result, merchants can improve performance by optimizing their payment strategies, reducing operational complexity, and improving cash flow forecasts.

Examples of the intelligence Chargeflow Insights delivers include the following:

Real-Time Analytics Dashboards - Access comprehensive dashboards for detailed, real-time analytics and oversight. Examples include chargeback trends over time and chargeback dispute success rates.

Access comprehensive dashboards for detailed, real-time analytics and oversight. Examples include chargeback trends over time and chargeback dispute success rates. Dispute Insights - Granular data about all active, in progress, and resolved disputes, such as dispute volume trends, win rate trends, and resolution times.

Granular data about all active, in progress, and resolved disputes, such as dispute volume trends, win rate trends, and resolution times. Fraud Intelligence - Identify where fraud is coming from and which geographical areas or segments contribute to a companys fraud KPIs.

Identify where fraud is coming from and which geographical areas or segments contribute to a companys fraud KPIs. Processor and Card Scheme Data - Detailed intelligence about individual card schemes and payment processors such as chargeback rates by processor and card scheme risk metrics.

Detailed intelligence about individual card schemes and payment processors such as chargeback rates by processor and card scheme risk metrics. AI-Driven Recommendations - Receive actionable, AI-driven insights tailored to the type of business, to ensure optimal actions, and outcomes, such as suggested adjustments to fraud prevention strategies and adapting the company policies to the situation .

Receive actionable, AI-driven insights tailored to the type of business, to ensure optimal actions, and outcomes, such as suggested adjustments to fraud prevention strategies and adapting the company policies to the situation . Performance MonitoringGet notified and act quickly when specific performance benchmarks are met or missed, such as sudden spikes in dispute rates or declines in approval rates.

A reliance on multiple systems has many businesses exhausting countless hours aggregating data to spot and stop fraud and chargebacks that are siphoning valuable revenues. This is not a sustainable model, said Ariel Chen, co-founder and CEO of Chargeflow. With Chargeflow Insights, the industrys only free chargeback offering, we eliminate this siloed approach by bringing fraud detection and chargeback management into a single view. Now merchants can quickly gain the actionable insights they need to protect their businesss bottom line.

Chargeflow Insights delivers merchants a single centralized view, intuitive navigation, and easy-to-understand reports accessible to users at all levels of technical expertise. With these insights, teams can:

Reduce Inefficiencies: Chargeflow Insights allows merchants to better understand chargeback data and reduce inefficiencies within their chargeback operations.

Chargeflow Insights allows merchants to better understand chargeback data and reduce inefficiencies within their chargeback operations. Stay on Top of all Activity: Chargeflows AI-powered analysis and recommendations ensure merchants dont miss anything related to their chargeback operations.

Chargeflows AI-powered analysis and recommendations ensure merchants dont miss anything related to their chargeback operations. Reduce Risk: By analyzing their post-transaction data, the free solution helps merchants identify and reduce risk.

By analyzing their post-transaction data, the free solution helps merchants identify and reduce risk. Gain Advanced Insights: Make it easy for merchants to identify and address the root causes of chargebacks. Prevent future chargebacks by understanding past trends.

Chargeflow Insights is free forever, for everyone. Its our mission to democratize chargebacks and allow easy entry for any business of any size and type. Sign up directly on the website. You can be up and running in just a few seconds. Click here to get started .

About Chargeflow

Chargeflow is the world's first fully automated chargeback management solution, designed for eCommerce merchants by eCommerce entrepreneurs. Chargeflow leverages technology and generative AI, along with human expertise, to help recover lost revenue and alleviate chargeback pains for online merchants. Chargeflow has an industry-leading win rate and guarantees return on investment, providing a risk-free entry for any business interested in using its service. For more information, please visit https://www.chargeflow.io/ .

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/012a1262-1072-481c-968e-563ba49783da
Dublin, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Dimethyl Carbonate Market - A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on Application, End-use Industry, Grade, and Region - Analysis and Forecast, 2024-2034" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Dimethyl carbonate market is experiencing significant growth, propelled by growing demand for environmentally friendly chemicals, and increasing demand for plastics in wide range of applications. Considering the optimistic scenario the market is valued at $1.28 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.39% to reach $3.76 billion by 2034.





Despite these positive drivers, the market faces hurdles such as volatility in raw material prices. However, expanding applications in key industries, present lucrative opportunities for the expansion of dimethyl carbonate demand, suggesting a vibrant future for this market as it navigates through challenges towards use of toxic chemicals in synthesis.



Asia-Pacific is home to a significant portion of the world's manufacturing activities. The region's manufacturing sector spans a wide range of industries, including chemicals, plastics, coatings, and electronics, all of which are key consumers of dimethyl carbonate. The growing manufacturing base drives the demand for dimethyl carbonate in industrial processes and product formulations.

The Asia-Pacific region is witnessing robust growth in end-use industries that utilize dimethyl carbonate, such as automotive manufacturing, electronics production, construction, and pharmaceuticals. As these industries expand to meet the demands of growing populations and rising consumer incomes, the demand for dimethyl carbonate as a key chemical intermediate and solvent is expected to rise correspondingly. China has significant production capacity for dimethyl carbonate, with numerous domestic manufacturers operating in the country.

These manufacturers benefit from access to abundant raw materials, skilled labor, and favorable government policies, enabling them to produce dimethyl carbonate at competitive prices. China's robust industrial growth and expanding manufacturing sector drive the demand for dimethyl carbonate in various applications. Industries such as automotive, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and coatings rely on dimethyl carbonate for its versatile properties, contributing to its increasing demand in the country.



Governments and industries worldwide are increasingly investing in clean energy initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. Electric vehicles play a crucial role in decarbonizing the transportation sector, and energy storage systems enable the integration of renewable energy sources into the grid. Dimethyl carbonate, as a key component in lithium-ion batteries, supports these clean energy goals.

Lithium-ion batteries are the primary energy storage solution for electric vehicles, renewable energy storage systems, and portable electronics. Dimethyl carbonate is a crucial solvent used in the electrolyte formulation of lithium-ion batteries. As the demand for EVs and renewable energy systems grows, so does the demand for dimethyl carbonate to support their production.

Report Scope

Product/Innovation Strategy: The global dimethyl carbonate market has been extensively segmented based on various categories, such as application, grade, and end-use industry. This can help readers get a clear overview of which segments account for the largest share and which ones are well-positioned to grow in the coming years.



Competitive Strategy: A detailed competitive benchmarking of the players operating in the global dimethyl carbonate market has been done to help the reader understand how players stack against each other, presenting a clear market landscape. Additionally, comprehensive competitive strategies such as partnerships, agreements, and collaborations will aid the reader in understanding the untapped revenue pockets in the market.



Some of the prominent companies in this market are:

UBE Corporation

LOTTE Chemical Corporation

Tokyo Chemical Industry Co.

Kishida Chemical Co.

Merck

Key Questions Answered in this Report:

What are the main factors driving the demand for dimethyl carbonate market?

What are the major patents filed by the companies active in the dimethyl carbonate market?

Who are the key players in the dimethyl carbonate market, and what are their respective market shares?

What partnerships or collaborations are prominent among stakeholders in the dimethyl carbonate market?

What are the strategies adopted by the key companies to gain a competitive edge in dimethyl carbonate market?

What is the futuristic outlook for the dimethyl carbonate market in terms of growth potential?

What is the current estimation of the dimethyl carbonate market, and what growth trajectory is projected from 2024 to 2034?

Which application, and product segment is expected to lead the market over the forecast period (2024-2034)?

Which regions demonstrate the highest adoption rates for dimethyl carbonate market, and what factors contribute to their leadership?

Key Attributes:





Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 100 Forecast Period 2024 - 2034 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $1.28 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2034 $3.76 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 11.3% Regions Covered Global





Key Topics Covered:



1. Markets: Industry Outlook

1.1 Trends: Current and Future Impact Assessment

1.2 Supply Chain Overview

1.3 R&D Review

1.4 Regulatory Landscape

1.5 Stakeholder Analysis

1.6 Impact Analysis for Key Global Events

1.7 Market Dynamics Overview



2. Dimethyl Carbonate Market (by Application)

2.1 Application Segmentation

2.2 Application Summary

2.3 Dimethyl Carbonate Market (by Application)

2.3.1 Polycarbonate Synthesis

2.3.2 Battery Electrolyte

2.3.3 Solvents

2.3.4 Reagents

2.4 Dimethyl Carbonate Market (by End-use Industry)

2.4.1 Plastics

2.4.2 Paints and Coatings

2.4.3 Pharmaceutical

2.4.4 Battery

2.4.5 Agrochemicals



3. Dimethyl Carbonate Market (by Product)

3.1 Product Segmentation

3.2 Product Summary

3.3 Dimethyl Carbonate Market (by Grade)

3.3.1 Industrial Grade

3.3.2 Pharmaceutical Grade

3.3.3 Battery Grade



4. Dimethyl Carbonate Market (by Region)

4.1 Dimethyl Carbonate Market (by Region)

4.2 North America

4.3 Europe

4.4 Asia-Pacific

4.5 Rest-of-the-World



5. Companies Profiled

UBE Corporation

LOTTE Chemical Corporation

Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.

Kowa American Corporation

Kishida Chemical Co., Ltd.

Shandong Haike Chemical Group

BASF SE

Chaoyang Chemicals, Inc.

Haihang Industry

Shandong Shida Shenghua Chemical Group Co., Ltd.

Merck KGaA

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

Shandong Wells Chemicals Co., Ltd.

Shandong Longze Chemical Co.,Ltd.

Tongling Jintai Chemical Industrial Co., Ltd.



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8ynmng

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ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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Covina, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to Prophecy Market Insights, the global cancer cachexia market size is projected to grow from USD 2.45 Billion in 2024 and is forecasted to reach USD 3.6 Billion by 2034, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.3% during the forecast period (2024 - 2034).

Cancer Cachexia Market Report Overview

Cancer Cachexia is a complex syndrome characterized by severe weight loss, muscle wasting, and significant loss of appetite in cancer patients. Unlike simple malnutrition, cancer cachexia involves a multifaceted interplay of metabolic changes that contribute to a decline in nutritional status and physical function.

Chronic inflammation is a central feature of cancer cachexia. Tumors release cytokines and other inflammatory mediators that disrupt normal metabolism, leading to muscle and fat tissue breakdown.

Download a Free Sample Research Report with Latest Industry Insights: https://www.prophecymarketinsights.com/market_insight/Insight/request-sample/5570

Our Free Sample Report includes:

Overview & introduction of market study

Revenue and CAGR of the market

Drivers & Restrains factors of the market

Major key players in the market

Regional analysis of the market with a detailed graph

Detailed segmentation in tabular form of market

Recent developments/news of the market

Opportunities & Challenges of the Market

Competitive Landscape:

The Cancer Cachexia Market is characterized by rapid growth, technological innovation, and fierce competition. Companies are expanding their global presence, focusing on sustainability, and diversifying their service offerings to stay competitive.

Some of the Key Market Players:

AbbVie Inc.

Actimed Therapeutics

Aeterna Zentaris Inc.

ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Aphios Corporation

Aveo Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

Helsinn Group

Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC

Merck & Co. Inc.

Mylan N.V.

Pfizer Inc.

TCI Peptide Therapeutics

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

To Know More on Additional Market Players, Download a Free Sample Report Here: https://www.prophecymarketinsights.com/market_insight/Insight/request-pdf/5570

Analyst View:

The increasing prevalence of cancer globally is a major driver for the cancer cachexia market. As the number of cancer diagnoses rises, so does the incidence of cachexia, which affects a significant proportion of cancer patients, particularly those with advanced-stage disease. The target market is emerging as a significant area of focus within the oncology and healthcare sectors, driven by the growing recognition of cachexia as a serious and prevalent condition affecting cancer patients.

Market Dynamics:

Drivers:

Growing Awareness and Research

There is an increasing awareness of cancer cachexia as a distinct and serious condition rather than a mere consequence of cancer or malnutrition. This recognition has led to a surge in research and development activities aimed at understanding the underlying mechanism of cachexia and developing targeted therapies.

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Market Trends:

Multidisciplinary Approach to Management

The adoption of a multidisciplinary approach to managing cancer cachexia involving nutritional support, physical therapy and pharmacological treatments is gaining traction. This holistic approach is expected to improve patient outcomes and drive demand for comprehensive cachexia management solutions.

Segmentation:

Cancer Cachexia Market is segmented based on Product, Mechanism of Action, Distributional Channel, and Region.

Product Insights

This sector includes Progestogens, Corticosteroids, Combination Therapies, and Others. The combination therapies segment is expected to dominate the target market growth as it is a complex syndrome characterized by severe weight loss, muscle wasting, and metabolic changes that are resistant to conventional nutritional interventions.

Mechanism of Action Insights

In the target market appetite stimulators are the most dominant segment as they are specifically designed to enhance appetite and improve food intake in patients suffering from cancer cachexia.

Distributional Channel Insights

In the target market hospital pharmacies are the most dominant segment as cancer cachexia often requires specialized and intensive management, which is typically provided within hospital settings.

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Recent Development:

According to a research article by Nutricia, The European Society for Clinical Oncology (ESMO), launched new clinical guidelines for the management of cancer cachexia in adult cancer patients to improve cancer care and provide healthcare professionals with a tool for the clinical management of malnutrition in cancer patients.

Regional Insights

North America: The prevalence of cancer is relatively high in this region driving demand for effective cachexia management solutions. The focus on improving patient quality of life and extending survival rates propels the need for effective therapies for cancer cachexia.

The prevalence of cancer is relatively high in this region driving demand for effective cachexia management solutions. The focus on improving patient quality of life and extending survival rates propels the need for effective therapies for cancer cachexia. Asia Pacific: In this region, there is growing awareness and education about cancer cachexia among healthcare professionals and the public. Increased awareness leads to earlier diagnosis and better management of the condition, driving demand for effective therapies.

Browse Detail Report on "Cancer Cachexia Market Size, Share, By Product (Progestogens, Corticosteroids, Combination Therapies, and Others), By Mechanism of Action (Appetite Stimulators, Weight Loss Stabilizers), By Distributional Channel (Hospital Pharmacy, Retail Pharmacy, and Online Pharmacy), and By Region - Trends, Analysis, and Forecast till 2034" with complete TOC @ https://www.prophecymarketinsights.com/market_insight/cancer-cachexia-market-5570

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LISLE, Ill., Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) has officially confirmed Charles El-Moussa's arrival as the companys new General Counsel, effective immediately.

The appointment of El-Moussa marks another positive and strategic move forward for MRED. El-Moussa will play a crucial role in providing legal guidance to MREDs ongoing strategic discussions, ensuring one of the countrys largest multiple listings services continues to stay ahead of the curve and navigate the complex challenges of the modern real estate landscape.

Rebecca Jensen, President and CEO of MRED said: Charles is an exceptional addition to our team, bringing not only a strong legal background but also a deep understanding of real estate operations. His leadership experience, particularly as General Counsel, Chief Operating Officer and President of top brokerages in Texas, will be a huge asset as we continue to navigate the complexities of our industry."

"What really sets Charles apart is his innovative mindset and his ability to blend legal expertise with strategic insight. His work in the PropTech space and his passion for driving growth and innovation make him the perfect fit to help shape MREDs future.

In addition to working with current legal firm Greenberg Traurig on existing litigation, El-Moussa will be tasked with internal contracts and governance, supporting Human Resources, and providing legal input to ongoing strategic discussions.

El-Moussa is revered as an impassioned leader, client advocate, and innovative thinker whose previous roles include President at Coldwell Banker Realty and General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer at RE/MAX in Texas.

Charles brings a wealth of experience, having worked as a commercial litigator and served as a strategic investor, consultant, and advisor to various real estate and technology companies. He has also mentored startups through the National Association of Realtors REACH program, provided brokerage and advisory services to Move.inc/Realtor.com, and was recognized as one of the top 200 most influential figures in real estate by the Swanepoel Power 200 report.

Im thrilled to join Rebecca and the talented MRED team in this new role, said El-Moussa. This is an incredibly dynamic time for the industry, and I look forward to working together to serve the estate professionals who rely on us.

About MRED

Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC, (MRED) is one of the largest multiple listing services (MLSs) in the nation, servicing Chicagoland and spanning northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, and northwest Indiana. MRED is dedicated to serving nearly 50,000 real estate professionals from more than 7,300 offices. MRED is a member of the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO), MLS Grid, and supports the Broker Public Portal. For more information, please visit MREDLLC.com.

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REGINA, Saskatchewan, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Regina Food Bank and BHP are pleased to announce a partnership to ensure the financial sustainability and programming impact of the recently created BMO ASAHTOWIKAMIK Food Hub. Through the partnership BHP will invest $350,000, designating BHP as the reconciliation partner. Funds will go towards the food sovereignty programme and a mural in the Food Hub created by local Indigenous artist Chantel Yuzicappi, from Standing Buffalo First Nation in Treaty 4 Territory.



The Regina Food Bank feeds over 17,000 people per-month, of which 23% are of self-identified Indigenous decent. Food insecurity is linked to lower education, health and economic outcomes; and addressing it is in-line with the Truth & Reconciliation Calls to Action, particularly those aligned with youth programming, language, education and health.

The Food Hub is a national first, providing food bank services with a grocery store feel. The new approach means that for the first time in 40 years, clients will be able to choose the food their family needs from a culturally diverse, nutritious selection. The food sovereignty programme plays an important role in this, supporting initiatives such as buffalo harvests and Indigenous urban agriculture.

The space has been purposefully created as a vibrant gathering place for the community with a focus on making it a welcoming environment for Indigenous community members with the inclusion of Indigenous languages, a reconciliation room to host programming, and the art created by Ms.Yuzicappi.

The name ASAHTOWIKAMIK is the Cree meaning for a feeding lodge. The name was gifted through ceremony by Elder Murray Ironchild of Piapot First Nation to the Regina Food Bank for their new location. Elder Ironchild and local Indigenous community members asked that the new Food Hub do more than provide food by focusing on partnerships, programming and giving a hand-up.

BHPs investment will do just that according to John Bailey, CEO, Regina Food Bank, We want to thank BHP for helping us advance food sovereignty programming and create a culturally friendly and respectful environment for all. Together, and with BHPs help, we are providing a new model for reconciliation and feeding our community.

At BHP we are very pleased to support the growing need for food bank services and important efforts towards reconciliation in the community in a way that touches on day-to-day experiences and builds stronger, more dignified engagements, said Karina Gistelinck, BHP Potash Asset President. Partnering with the Food Bank in this way was a natural fit. We recently released our Canada Indigenous Partnerships Plan. This investment is the first reconciliation-focused investment under the new Plan; and one that we hope will be the start of many new partnerships. We applaud the Regina Food Bank for their innovation approach.

The BMO ASAHTOWIKAMIK Community Food Hub opened to clients on August 16th. To learn more visit https://www.reginafoodbank.ca/food-hub-campaign.

About the Regina Food Bank

The Regina Food Bank is a charitable community-based organization working to fight food insecurity through nutritious food distribution, education, and support programs.

For over 40 years we have worked to restore dignity, health and hope for our clients. We also build community  rallying the community to make Regina a more fair, caring, and dynamic city. The Food Bank feeds over 15,000 people a month, making it the largest food security organization in Southern Saskatchewan.

About BHP

BHP is a global resources company with its Canadian operational headquarters in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and global business development headquarters in Toronto. BHP has a global workforce of approximately 80,000 people working in locations across Canada, Australia, Asia, the UK, US and Latin America. BHP produces commodities essential for global decarbonization, economic development and food security including copper, nickel, iron ore, metallurgical coal and is developing the Jansen potash project in Saskatchewan, Canada. BHP recently released it's Canada Indigenous Partnerships Plan which outlines how its global Indigenous Peoples Policy Statement will be operationalised in Canada and the ongoing work to advance existing and new relationships with Indigenous peoples in Canada. Further information on BHP can be found at: bhp.com.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Regina Food Bank

David Froh,

Vice President

Regina Food Bank

306-550-4823

dfroh@reginafoodbank.ca

BHP

Megan Hjulfors

Media Relations

403-605-2314
Modesto, Calif., Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sutter Health today announced, as part of its strategic plan to expand services and enhance patient access to high-quality care in the Central Valley, a $380 million investment in Modesto. Sutter will build a new, four-story, 165,000-square-foot cancer center on the Sutter Memorial Medical Center campus. The new location, planned in collaboration with Gould Medical Group physicians, is scheduled to welcome patients in 2028 or 2029.

Were making meaningful progress in expanding access to the specialized care that our communities need, said Warner Thomas, president and CEO of Sutter Health. This investmentone of our biggest yetis all about meeting the real needs of people in the Central Valley. Were thrilled to be working alongside our physician partners to bring top-notch cancer care and surgical services to Modesto in this new, state-of-the-art facility.

The new Sutter Health Cancer Center will feature:

A New Standard in Cancer Care: Spanning the first and second floors, this center will further elevate top-tier cancer care services in the region. As part of Sutters Integrated Network Cancer Program designated by the Commission on Cancer, it will meet the high demand for cancer care, serving patients from San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties and beyond. The center will be an all-inclusive location offering clinic visits, infusion and radiation therapy, imaging, lab, pharmacy and multiple complementary therapies. The center will also feature greater access to clinical trials. By centralizing all services, patients can access all their care in one place, closer to home. This center will also connect patients with additional advanced Sutter cancer specialists in the Bay Area and greater Sacramento area as needed.





Spanning the first and second floors, this center will further elevate top-tier cancer care services in the region. As part of Sutters Integrated Network Cancer Program designated by the Commission on Cancer, it will meet the high demand for cancer care, serving patients from San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties and beyond. The center will be an all-inclusive location offering clinic visits, infusion and radiation therapy, imaging, lab, pharmacy and multiple complementary therapies. The center will also feature greater access to clinical trials. By centralizing all services, patients can access all their care in one place, closer to home. This center will also connect patients with additional advanced Sutter cancer specialists in the Bay Area and greater Sacramento area as needed. Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC): Expanding Surgical Options: Located on the third floor, the ASC will include four operating rooms, four procedure rooms and additional space for future expansion, helping support efforts to meet the community's evolving needs. This will be the first Sutter ASC in Modesto, offering patients a trusted nearby option connected to Sutters larger integrated system for high-quality outpatient surgery.

Outpatient Clinics: Growing with the Community : The fourth floor will be designed to feature more than 25 clinicians and 50 exam rooms, supporting continued growth in outpatient and clinical care, and increasing capacity to serve the region for future generations.





: The fourth floor will be designed to feature more than 25 clinicians and 50 exam rooms, supporting continued growth in outpatient and clinical care, and increasing capacity to serve the region for future generations. Greater Number of Physicians: The location will also enable Gould Medical Group to bring new physicians to Modesto, with plans to recruit 44 clinicians for the cancer center and ASC. Twelve additional clinicians will also support the outpatient services offered.

The Central Valley is experiencing considerable growth and is forecasted for more, said Dr. Robert Altman, president and CEO of Gould Medical Group. Additional physicians in our community will contribute to achieving our mission to offer integrated, top-quality care across the region.

Special Focus on Advanced Cancer Care

Sutter Health is committed to offering the highest quality cancer care available in every community it serves. This is a particularly poignant focus in the Central Valley, where statistics show cancer diagnoses increasing in the next decade-plus. According to statecancerprofiles.cancer.gov, the area is expected to have more than 8,000 people with cancer by 2037.

It is important we continue to evolve how we care for individuals living with cancer and how we support their loved ones. Our aim is to provide patient-centered, comprehensive care that is based on the most advanced care standards while being rooted in the community, said Gould Medical Groups Dr. Allen Li, a medical oncologist who cares for local residents and serves as section chief for oncology. This cancer center will bring together different cancer care specialists to perform advanced diagnostic testing and treatments, including molecular testing, specialized surgeries, radiation treatment, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy and other advanced cancer therapies. It will be the place where these synergies merge, giving patients and family members peace of mind and streamlined access to Sutters award-winning cancer care.

The cancer center will be an important component of our overall cancer service line, added Dr. Steven Hao, chief medical officer, Sutter Service Lines. Our patients will benefit from the best practices, collaboration and coordination between the cancer specialists across our network who are continually focused on high-quality, equitable patient outcomes, helping ensure that our patients get our very best, every day, no matter what door they enter.

Long-Term Commitment to Central Valley, Northern California

Sutter Health is committed to addressing the health care access challenges facing patients in California by investing significantly in new and enhanced care facilities and services across the geography. This multi-year construction project, which will replace the existing 1800 Coffee Rd. building, is the latest example of the continued investment in the Central Valley. Most recently, the system unveiled plans for multiple new care centers throughout the greater Central Valley area. This is part of Sutter Healths larger plans to open 27 new ambulatory care centers by 2027 and adding more than 160 hospital beds by 2025. Additionally, Sutter announced newly accredited Family Medicine and Internal Medicine residency programs set to begin in summer of 2025. Sutter plans to grow its Graduate Medical Education programs to train 1,000 physician residents and fellows each year by 2030 and create more academic partnerships to foster diverse clinical talent reflective of the communities it serves.

About Sutter Health

Sutter Health is a not-for-profit healthcare system dedicated to providing comprehensive care throughout California. Committed to health equity, community partnerships, and innovative, high-quality patient care, Sutter Health is pursuing a bold new plan to reach more people and make excellent health care more connected and accessible. Currently serving nearly 3.5 million patients, thanks to our dedicated team of more than 57,000 employees and clinicians, and 12,000+ affiliated physicians, with a unified focus on expanding care to serve more patients.

Sutter Health delivers exceptional and affordable care through its hospitals, medical groups, ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care clinics, telehealth, home health and hospice services. Dedicated to transforming health care, at Sutter Health, getting better never stops.

Learn more about how Sutter Health is transforming health care at sutterhealth.org and vitals.sutterhealth.org.

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Sacramento, CA, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Registration is open for the 2024 California Economic Summit , which will take place in Sacramento, CA on October 8-10.

This years Summit, produced by California Forward (CA FWD) in partnership with members of its California Stewardship Network , will continue to be the premier statewide event where businesses, government, regions, and communities come together to focus on economic solutions that balance growth, environmental stewardship, and broadly shared prosperity.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, honorary Summit co-chair, said at the 2022 Summit, Change is difficult, but were in the change business and California has long been in the future business. The future happens here first. Were Americas coming attraction. The world looks to us for leadership [and] entrepreneurial energy.

Still recovering from COVID, and looking ahead to an era of rapid change, California is at a crossroads. This years Summit focuses on building a sustainable and inclusive California during a time of global economic and climate transition. With high-energy plenaries and interactive breakouts, Summit sessions tackle issues that touch every region of the state, including:

Leveraging once-in-a-generation infrastructure investments as the backbone to our economic transition, including transportation, energy grid, water, broadband, and more

Fostering a future of work that utilizes tools to achieve community and worker benefits, new models for employee ownership, and other innovations for industrial growth

Moving beyond an emergency and building long-term resilience on housing, municipal finance, and emerging bioeconomies that build resilience and community prosperity

View the full agenda here .

In addition to the dynamic agenda, we are thrilled that the Latino Community Foundation is hosting the Summits welcome reception on October 9.

Latinos contribute $682 billion to Californias GDP and lead the state and nation in small business creation, says Latino Community Foundation CEO, Julian Castro. The Latino Community Foundation is proud to support California Forward by joining forces on our signature El Poder Latino event at this years California Economic Summit to showcase the economic power of our community.

As always, the Summit will focus on a distinct region of California, providing an opportunity to showcase the unique regional challenges and innovations across our vibrant and diverse state. This years Summit takes place in the Sacramento region, with regional tours focusing on Manufacturing & Workforce, AgTech/Farm to Fork, and more.

Regional co-hosts of this years Summit are Chet Hewitt, President and CEO of Sierra Health Foundation and Evan Schmidt, CEO of Valley Vision.

A regional reception on October 8 at the California Mobility Center will highlight innovation and sustainability in Sacramentos thriving innovation hub. Attendees will engage with cutting-edge technology through interactive demos and an exclusive ZEV TOUR Clean Fleet Experience, where they can Ride or Drive the latest zero emission commercial vehicles firsthand. Thought-provoking speakers will discuss the future of tech and the economy, while the Future of Food Recipe Challenge will showcase innovative dishes from emerging startups and chefs in food sustainability.

Early bird registration is available until August 31. For more information and to register, visit http://cafwd.org/2024summit . Complimentary registration is available for credentialed press.

###

ABOUT CA FWD

California Forward (CA FWD) leads a statewide movement, bringing people together across communities, regions and interests to improve government and create inclusive, sustainable growth for everyone. A 501(c)(3) organization, CA FWD drives collective action to identify solutions that can be taken to scale to meet the challenges the state is facing. CA FWD serves as the backbone for the California Stewardship Network , an alliance of regional economic development leaders, and is home to the California Economic Summit .

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Calgary, Canada, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --



Bernie Wiebe founder of Alert Systems Ltd. commemorates over five decades of sharpening his knowledge and skills to drive the growth of the transportation, oil well drilling and servicing, industrial, and power generation sectors. This milestone attests to his resilience, which enabled him to thrive in such demanding fields, as well as his commitment to contributing to their advancement.

Wiebe entered the equipment and service industry in 1968 as a licensed Heavy Duty Diesel Mechanic, certified by the Province of Alberta and holding an inter-provincial license in Canada. He started with hands-on training through an apprenticeship program, which requires rigorous classroom education and practical experience in the field.

The then-young aspiring professional honed his skills working with major companies like Caterpillar, John Deere, International Harvester, and Detroit Diesel Allison. This diverse experience shaped his unique perspective on machinery and equipment, from shop floors to field service.

Wiebe witnessed early on the unfortunate consequences of poor equipment maintenanceranging from costly repairs to complete equipment failures. After seeing a gap in the industry, it became clear to him that many of these issues could have been avoided with proper education and preventive maintenance. However, when he proposed a customer education program to his former employer, it was declined. His previous company perceived the idea to potentially reduce parts sales and service revenue as unnecessary. This decision only fueled Wiebes resolve. I knew there needed to be a shift from reactive to proactive maintenance. So, I decided to fill that gap myself, he remarks.

In 1982, Wiebe founded Alert Systems Ltd., even though he only possessed basic law and accounting knowledge. He made it his mission to educate and empower equipment owners to prevent failures and optimize their operations. The road wasnt smooth. However, over 40 years later, he stands as a pioneer in the field with unique offerings that remain unmatched.

The founders approach to preventive maintenance is distinct. He leverages real-time data, advanced software, and his extensive knowledge to develop customized programs that prevent equipment failures and save companies substantial amounts of money. Alert Systems mirrors this approach, allowing it to address one of the most critical issues in the industrial and oil well drilling sectorsequipment reliability.

Alert Systems preventive maintenance programs minimize downtime, reduce repair costs, and enhance overall equipment performance. With these, clients avoid the cascading effects of poor maintenance. Wiebes role in these processes is hands-on and integral, reflecting his extensive expertise and commitment to delivering results that benefit stakeholders bottom lines.

The forward-thinking founder reflects on the early days of establishing Alert Systems: I only had a few business cards and a strong belief in my mission back then. I walked the pavements of downtown Calgary to look for opportunities. I was able to secure my first clients within only a few days, so I was very thankful that my efforts paid off. His initial work was far from glamorous. He conducted maintenance audits on rigs he had never visited before and used typewriters and overhead projectors for training. This passion and tenacity became the foundation for his and the companys success.

Wiebe has made significant contributions to the field, especially in education and preventive maintenance. He has trained over 32,000 industry professionals. His dedication to creating hundreds of detailed maintenance manuals and training programs has left a lasting impact on the industry. These ensure that the knowledge Wiebe has amassed over the years is passed down to future generations.

The industry experts enduring relationships further attest to his reputation for expertise and reliability. A collaboration with a company known for its renewable and clean energy investments is noteworthy. Wiebe helped the company transition to a more effective maintenance management system. His work was so impactful that even after periods of no contact, clients would return to him for advice and guidance on important decisions, such as acquiring new companies. This trust and respect from his clients attest to his work ethic and the value he brings to the table.

Bernie Wiebe looks forward to establishing a legacy as he celebrates over five decades in the industry. He plans to pivot his focus, moving toward consulting and mentoring roles, ensuring that the fire that has driven him for over half a century continues to burn bright.

Media Contact

Name: Bernie Wiebe

Email: info@alertsystems.net

Phone No.: +1 403 660 1157




LONG BEACH, Calif., Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GenFlat Holdings, Inc. (OTC Pink: GFLT), the pioneer in collapsible shipping container technology is pleased to welcome Sanjay Tejwani as a new member to the Advisory Committee.



Our advisory committee now comprises of professionals with decades of experienced in ocean shipping, container leasing, rail, trucking, freight forward, retail and third-party logistics, said Drew Hall, Chief Executive Officer. Sanjay brings with him thirty years of experience in the Global Ocean Transportation & Logistics Industry with leading organizations and is a well-known and respected industry leader.



About Sanjay Tejwani







Sanjay Tejwani is the founder and CEO of 365 Logistics LLC, a Delaware, USA based organization providing Consulting, Recruitment & Offshoring services in the logistics industry. Prior to forming 365 Logistics LLC, Sanjay worked for thirty years in the Global Ocean Transportation & Logistics Industry with leading organizations such as A.P. Moller Maersk, DHL Global Forwarding, and DSV - Global Transport & Logistics in various leadership roles in Asia, Europe, and the Americas at country, regional, and global levels. Highly connected and respected in the industry, Sanjay is recognized as a prominent leader in Ocean Logistics. Sanjay is a graduate mechanical engineer from the National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur, India.

The GenFlat collapsible container is an enabler to reduce logistics operational costs, port congestion and carbon emissions, and increase the ability to carry loaded as well as empty containers on back haul trades. I am excited to be part of the team that is bringing this innovative solution to the logistics market.

About GenFlat

GenFlat is a leading innovator in container technology, specializing in collapsible containers designed to revolutionize shipping logistics. With a commitment to sustainability and efficiency, GenFlat aims to reshape the future of container shipping, providing state-of-the-art solutions that optimize space utilization, reduce transportation costs, and lower carbon emissions. GenFlat manufactures containers with CIMC in Dalian, China. For more information visit www.genflat.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

The information posted in this release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by use of the words "may," "will," "should," "plans," "explores," "expects," "anticipates," "continues," "estimates," "projects," "intends," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic and business conditions, effects of continued geopolitical unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in methods of marketing, delays in manufacturing or distribution, changes in customer order patterns, changes in customer offering mix, those events and factors described by us under the caption "Risk Factors" included in our SEC filings and other risks to which our Company is subject.

For media inquiries or further information about GenFlat, please contact:

press@genflat.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9a5a4bc2-2996-4ae1-bb26-7536b9427642
CHICAGO, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Landmarks Illinois has announced the winners of the 2024 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards , an annual program honoring exceptional preservation efforts across Illinois. This year, the Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards are honoring rehabilitation and adaptive reuse projects in Alto Pass, Carterville, Chicago, Elgin, Rockford and Woodstock. The people behind these remarkable preservation projects will be honored at a public ceremony on October 18, 2024, in Chicago. Details on the award winners and ceremony are below.

Our 2024 award winners exemplify the creativity and passion people have for safeguarding our historic places and the stories they tell, said Bonnie McDonald, President & CEO of Landmarks Illinois. Their work inspires us and others across the state to think boldly about how our built environment can adapt throughout time to serve the community and spark local economic development. These award winners deserve our recognition not only for the countless hours they poured into these projects but for ensuring places of our past live on and continue to enhance our future.

2024 AWARD RECIPIENTS

Havisham Bourbon, Brew & Spirits, Alto Pass

Award for Adaptive Use

Nick and Jerri Schaefer brought their vision to life by restoring Alto Pass oldest commercial building to create a speakeasy-styled bourbon bar, private tasting room and overnight rentals. The husband-and-wife team fully restored the former flour mill built in the 1860s into a unique destination along the highly traveled Shawnee Hills Wine Trail in Southern Illinois.

Montgomerys Place, Carterville

Award for Rehabilitation

For her fourth major preservation project in her hometown, Carterville native Jennifer Spence imaginatively renovated the long-neglected Montgomerys Place building to create a welcoming restaurant, event space, bar and coffee shop. Spence transformed what was once an eyesore in the Southern Illinois citys downtown into a bustling local business and unique community gathering space that celebrates the buildings century-old original features and Cartervilles history.

Historic Lawson House, Chicago

Award for Rehabilitation & Richard H. Driehaus Legacy Award

Holsten Real Estate Development Corporation and Holsten Human Capital Development, NFP, led a massive rehabilitation of the former Lawson House, a 24-story Art-Deco skyscraper in downtown Chicago originally built as a single-room occupancy facility for the YMCA. Today, the Lawson House provides more than 400 apartment units and social services for low-income residents, many of whom have previously experienced homelessness.

Ramova Theatre, Chicago

Award for Adaptive Use

After sitting empty for nearly 40 years, the Ramova Theatre in Chicagos Bridgeport neighborhood has reopened following an extensive rehabilitation led by husband-and-wife team Tyler and Emily Nevius. The historic former movie theater, built in 1929, has been adaptively reused as a concert hall, craft brewery, taproom and grill to host live performances as well as educational programs for the community.

Salt Shed, Chicago

Award for Adaptive Use

16 on Center, Blue Star Properties, R2 Companies and Sky Deck combined forces to lead the transformative reimagining of the former Morton Salt processing and distribution factory into a thriving music and events venue. The project brought back to life an iconic landmark along the Chicago River, sparking economic development, creating jobs and attracting people to a new part of the city long home to primarily industrial activity.

The Terminal, Chicago

Award for Adaptive Use

A sprawling former manufacturing campus in Chicagos Humboldt Park is once again a hub of innovation thanks to a creative reuse of the historic buildings led by IBT Group. After sitting empty for decades, The Terminal has been reimagined into a state-of-the-art research facility providing office and lab space for Chicagos scientists, researchers and technicians.

1212 Larkin, Elgin

Award for Rehabilitation

The historic Larkin Center, built in 1912 and vacant since 2013, has been reactivated as the centerpiece of the affordable housing development, 1212 Larkin. The thoughtfully designed adaptive reuse project, led by Full Circle Communities, created 48 quality housing units that resemble Elgins characteristic historic architecture.



Midtown FAUST Company, Rockford

Award for Rehabilitation

Brad and Sue Roos bought and renovated Rockfords Midtown FAUST Building to bring economic development and energy to their historic neighborhood, which has long experienced disinvestment and low commercial occupancy. The couple led the complete rehabilitation of the 3,500-square-foot building constructed in 1920, focusing on quality craftsmanship and sustainability. Today, it houses a pottery studio, office space for a local nonprofit and Roos woodshop.



Old Courthouse Center, Woodstock

Award for Adaptive Use

The City of Woodstock completed an extensive rehabilitation of the historic Old McHenry County Courthouse and Sheriffs House, returning the deteriorating local landmark to a lively downtown attraction. Old Courthouse Center is now a multi-use, fully accessible development that includes a restaurant, retail spaces and events venue. Once again, it serves as a hub of economic activity in the heart of the Woodstock Square National Historic District.

Learn more about our 2024 award winners at our website .

AWARD CEREMONY EVENT DETAILS

The 2024 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards Ceremony will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, October 18, 2024, at Apollos 2000, 2875 W. Cermak Road in Chicago. The event will feature a sit-down awards ceremony and cocktail reception.

The event is open to the public. Tickets are $60 for Landmarks Illinois members and $75 for non-members. A student rate of $25 is also available with proof of a student ID. Former winners of the Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Awards are highly encouraged to attend and can also receive a discounted ticket.

Guests who wish to join remotely can view a live, virtual presentation of the ceremony for free with registration. To learn more or to purchase tickets, visit our website .

ABOUT LANDMARKS ILLINOIS

Landmarks Illinois is a membership-based, historic preservation nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, protecting and promoting the places people across Illinois value. We advocate for the sustainable reuse of historic resources, provide expertise and free resources on preservation and work to ensure that historic places remain a vital part of the states communities. We are People Saving Places for People. For more information, visit www.Landmarks.org .

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Ramboll announced the acquisition of K2 Management, a global consultancy company specialising in wind and solar energy. The acquisition strengthens Rambolls ability to provide services to clients worldwide across all stages of wind energy projects by combining Ramboll's extensive experience in design and execution of wind projects with K2 Management's proficiency in strategic advisory and project development.

Following the acquisition, Ramboll's global Wind division encompass over 900 dedicated experts across 20 countries, adding now also new local presences in Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, and Portugal. With the new setup, Ramboll is making significant progress towards its target of expanding its global wind business to over 1,000 experts by 2025 in response to the growing demand on the global wind market.

We are very excited to be welcoming K2 Managements experts to Ramboll. Wind energy is one of the main enablers of the green energy transition and as the Partner for Sustainable Change with more than 30 years of experience in the industry, Ramboll is committed to playing a pivotal role in the advancement of the wind sector worldwide. Right along COP28s initiative Double Down, Triple Up, Time4Action, we are now ramping up our capacity and broadening our expertise to meet the demands of our clients worldwide, says Tim Fischer, Director for Rambolls global Wind division.

Over the last three years, Ramboll successfully developed the Wind business from a primary foundation designer to a full-service wind consultancy combining advisory and engineering services. During that period, the division has been growing annually by approx. 25% and significantly expanded its global footprint, opening offices in the US, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Japan, Korea, and Australia.

By merging Rambolls decade-long engineering and design skills in wind projects with K2 Managements leading role in project development and strategic advisory, our clear ambition is to create a true global leader that is well-positioned to support our clients in all phases of wind energy projects globally. It is no secret that talent is scarce in these highly specialised areas, which is why welcoming such a great team of experts to Ramboll all at once is a major milestone. Together, we will take the next big leap in the green energy transition, supporting clients all over the world, Tim Fischer says.

For Lars K Hammershj, co-founder of K2 Management, the acquisition also brings great opportunities to the company.

With offices on five continents, K2 Management already operates a cross-border approach to cater to the global need for high-end advisory to developers, lenders and investors in green energy. By joining Ramboll, we will deliver more innovative, holistic, and sustainable solutions. We can also provide even greater career opportunities for our talented employees. I am confident that our similar mission, purpose, and culture, driven by our shared passion and high standards, will enable a smooth integration of our teams, he says.

Wind energy is key for reaching net-zero targets globally and the global wind energy market is expanding at a rapid speed. In 2023, a record-high 117 GW of new wind power was installed worldwide. According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), wind growth needs to rapidly accelerate, with annual wind installations roughly tripling to at least 320 GW over the course of the decade to meet the COP28 target of tripling renewable energy capacity and steering us back on to the 1.5-degree pathway. By 2050, more than 5,000 GW wind capacity is needed to deliver net-zero emissions globally.

The closing of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approval.

About Ramboll

Ramboll is a global architecture, engineering and consultancy company founded in Denmark in 1945. Rambolls more than 18,000 employees create sustainable solutions across Buildings, Transport, Architecture & Landscape, Water, Environment & Health, Energy and Management Consulting. Across the world, Ramboll combines local experience with a global knowledgebase to create sustainable cities and societies.

With more than 30 years of experience in the global wind industry, Ramboll has been involved in more than 60% of all operating offshore wind farms globally. Similarly, Ramboll has provided expert services to onshore wind farms with a nominal output of +60,000 MW in more than 60 countries. In solar PV energy, Ramboll has contributed to the success of more than 500 projects across 25 countries.

Rambolls Wind division has experienced an annual growth rate of around 25% each year for the past three years. During that period, Ramboll established presences in the US, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Japan, Korea, Australia  adding to Rambolls existing offices in Denmark, Sweden, the UK, Germany, and India.

www.ramboll.com

About K2 Management

As one of the first consultancies of its kind, K2 Management was founded in 2007 in Aarhus, Denmark with the goal of delivering independent technical advice to the energy sector. Already in 2010, a surge of contract wins saw K2 Management expand from its native Denmark to open offices in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Three years later the company expanded further into Brazil, Taiwan, South Korea, and South Africa, bringing the total number of offices to eight in just six years of operation. In 2024, K2 Management now has offices in 12 different countries and its services cover the entire energy project lifecycle from pre-development to construction and operation as well as Due Diligence advisory to lenders and investors. The technical advice covers a wide range of professional expertise within procurement, contract handling, engineering, project management, HSEQ, risk management, and O&M.

Now globally recognised for high quality advisory services, K2 Management is ready for the next growth journey backed by a scalable platform and a solid track record of more than 3,000 successful projects within renewable energy, all relying on local knowledge and international expertise.

www.k2management.com

Contact information:

Megan Yocum

megan.yocum@buchananpr.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cc1e4c8e-0da3-4701-a8c0-c321fe479f8c
AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wilsonart, a world-leading engineered surfaces company, today announced it has acquired Octopus Product, Ltd. (Octopus Products), an innovative decorative surfacing brand of High Pressure Laminate (HPL), Decorative Metals and Wood Panels. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the privately held company will operate as part of Chicago-based Laminart, a Wilsonart Company, a provider of boutique interior surfacing materials. This strategic acquisition represents significant growth potential for Laminart by expanding the companys product portfolio.



The acquisition of Octopus Products complements Wilsonarts focus on setting the standard for excellence in the decorative surfaces industry, said Kevin Geijer, general manager of Laminart. Through this partnership, we look forward to expanding Laminarts already strong portfolio of innovative designs and providing interior design and architectural professionals with even more surface choices.

Since 1950, Octopus has built brand recognition and excitement for interior surface specifiers. The brand was founded by Frank Bernard who developed a revolutionary modular system of extrusions and components that allowed designers to create easily modified interiors. As time progressed, Octopus Products focused on interior decorative products and introduced metal laminates to the North American market, solidifying its position as a game-changer in the industry. With the acquisition, Octopus Products will join Laminarts portfolio of exclusive designs that can be found in high-profile retail stores, hotels, restaurants, showrooms, trade show exhibits and more.

For more than 70 years, Octopus Products has strived to offer industry professionals superior designs, products and customer service. We are proud of the exceptional employees and loyal customers weve earned and with Laminarts resources and reputation, we know this focus will continue, said Thomas Bernard, former owner and president of Octopus Products.

The terms of the transaction are not disclosed. The purchase price and the anticipated impact are not material to Wilsonarts consolidated financial results. The transaction closed on August 21, 2024. For more information about Laminart, visit Laminart.com.

About Wilsonart

Founded in 1956, Wilsonart is a world-leading engineered surfaces company driven by a mission to create surfaces people love, with service they can count on, delivered by people who care. Our company is headquartered in Austin, Texas, USA, with operations in the Americas and Europe. We manufacture and distribute High Pressure Laminate (HPL), Coordinated Thermally Fused Laminate (TFL) and Edgeband, Adhesives, Compact Laminate, Composite Countertops, Quartz, Solid Surface, Epoxy, Waterproof Wall Panels, and other decorative engineered surfaces for use in the office, education, healthcare, hospitality, retail, and residential markets. Operating under the Wilsonart, Arborite, Bushboard, Durcon, KML, Laminart, Mermaid, Polyrey, Ralph Wilson, Resopal, Shore, Technistone, THINSCAPE and Wetwall brands, we continuously redefine decorative surfaces through award-winning design, performance, service and sustainability. For more information, visit wilsonart.com.

About Laminart

Laminart, a U.S.-based company, has supplied the commercial interior design and architectural professions with an exceptional selection of innovative design-statement laminates and outstanding customer service for more than 50 years. The companys exclusive designs can be found in high-profile retail stores, hotels, restaurants, showrooms, trade show exhibits and more.

About Octopus Products

Octopus Products, a Canada-based company, has provided sophisticated global surfacing materials to the North American market since 1950. With a product line of over 300 unique designs, Octopus is known for innovative solutions and its experienced team of sales and service professionals.

Tammy Weadock

tammy.weadock@wilsonart.com

254-207-3444
DALLAS, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CMB Regional Centers (CMB), one of the most experienced regional center operators in the EB-5 industry, today announced that its Group 86 - Gable House Apartments project has received Form I-956F approval from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). A limited number of units remain available for subscription in this I-956F approved CMB EB-5 partnership.



We are thrilled to see yet another of our high unemployment (TEA) projects approved by the USCIS in less than 5 months, surpassing the processing time we have observed for even the rural category, said Garrett Connors, Vice President of Investor Relations at CMB. With only a limited number of EB-5 investment units still available for this project, the I-956F approval marks a significant step forward for the development and a major milestone for our investors United States immigration pursuits.

As one of the first major multi-family projects in Torrance, California, in approximately 50 years, the Hillwood Gable House Apartments project encompasses the development and construction of a 218-unit, mixed-use complex. Featuring a sky deck, pool lounge, social club, and other best-in-class amenities, the development will be located in the citys urban core of the Del Amo Business District.

The milestone for the CMB Group 86 EB-5 partnership means investors I-526E petitions could be immediately adjudicated by the USCIS since the I-956F has been approved. The approval marks the eighth CMB EB-5 partnership to achieve an I-956F approval under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA). Previously approved partnerships include:

CMB Group 78  Hillwood California BTS

CMB Group 81  Inland Empire Industrial

CMB Group 82  Hazleton Logistics Park

CMB Group 83  Hillwood SOMI Hayward

CMB Group 87  Kona Bay Hampton Hotel

CMB Group 88  Hillwood Detroit Fairgrounds

CMB Group 91  Hillwood DTW Air Cargo



This is the seventh I-956F approved CMB EB-5 project in conjunction with Hillwood Development Company. With over 40 EB-5 projects and more than $500 million in loan repayment to investors, CMB and Hillwood Development Company have cultivated one of the most successful lender-borrower relationships in the EB-5 industry.

This latest achievement is an exemplary testament to the strength of our partnership with Hillwood Development Company and to CMBs relentless dedication to helping families make their immigration dreams a reality, said Noreen Hogan, President at CMB. We could not be more excited about this latest, timely I-956F approval, an achievement that brings our investors that much closer to realizing their goal of immigrating to the United States.

About CMB Regional Centers

CMB has been a leader in the EB-5 industry for over 27 years; its first regional center designation was approved in 1997. CMB has assisted over 6,400 investor families, from over 100 countries, in their pursuit of immigrating to the United States. CMB currently maintains a 100% project approval rate on partnerships that have undergone USCIS adjudication, providing compliant and approvable partnerships to those seeking immigration to the U.S. through the EB-5 program. To date, CMB has repaid over $1.3 Billion to its investor families.
Collingwood, ON, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- C.F. Crozier & Associates Inc. (Crozier), a leading consulting firm in the land development and building industry, announced today the appointment of two new partners and five new associates across multiple disciplines and offices in Ontario.

"We are pleased to welcome our newly appointed partners and associates to Crozier, as they each bring distinct corporate and technical expertise, along with innovative thinking, to our team," said Chris Crozier, P.Eng., founder and CEO of Crozier. "As Crozier celebrates its 20th anniversary, these appointments signify a commitment to our continued growth and client service."

The new partners include:

Brittany Robertson, P.Eng., Partner and Manager, Land Development. Based in Croziers Collingwood office, Robertson oversees large-scale residential development projects in some of Ontarios fastest growing municipalities in Simcoe County. In February 2024, she was named to the firms Board of Directors. Robertson also serves as President of the Georgian Triangle Development Institute, advocating for the growth and development of South Georgian Bay, and was appointed to the Town of Collingwoods Mayor Task Force which aims to connect private and public resources to advance the water treatment plant project in Collingwood.

Jurgen Koehler, P.Eng., Partner and Manager, Guelph. Koehler led the opening of Croziers latest office location in Guelph, Ontario in 2023, and manages a growing team that provides land development engineering services in Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, and the surrounding areas. As a water resources engineer, he plays a key role in projects involving the design of residential and commercial developments including grading, servicing, stormwater management, low impact development, and floodplain analysis. He is currently pursuing his MBA and is an active member of several key industry associations, serving an integral role in the community.

With various roles within the firm, the new associates include Janet Bherer, P.Eng., MBA, Associate and General Manager; Shannon Harvey, Associate and Manager, Marketing; Sarah ONeill, Associate and Manager, Operations; Kurt Vendrig, P.Eng., Associate and Project Manager, Land Development; and Craig Kryslak, C.E.T., Associate and Manager, Construction Services.

For more information on Croziers team and engineering services for the land development and building industry, visit cfcrozier.ca and follow on LinkedIn.

About C.F. Crozier & Associates Inc.

Crozier is an employee-owned, leading consulting firm in the land development and building industry. Founded in 2004, Croziers growing team of over 300 professionals deliver civil, water resources, transportation, structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering services, complemented by hydrogeology, environmental consulting, landscape architecture, utility infrastructure, and building science services. Headquartered in Collingwood, with offices in Milton, Toronto, Bradford, and Guelph, Crozier supports the private sector across Ontario by advancing residential, industrial, commercial, institutional, and First Nations projects. The firm continues to diversify with complementary services and expand its office presence geographically. To learn more, visit cfcrozier.ca.

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Schaumburg, IL, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- It is with deep sorrow that the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) announces the passing of Alastair Carruthers, FRCPC, a pioneering physician and esteemed member of the medical community whose contributions left an indelible mark on the field of Dermatology. He was an innovator with a collaborative spirit matched only by his love of his family and kindness towards his mentees.

Born on June 4, 1945, in Bebington, Cheshire, UK, to Dr. Benjamin and Mrs. Barbara Carruthers, Alastair left this world peacefully on Aug. 19, 2024, in Vancouver, after a courageous battle with Parkinsons Disease.

Alongside his wife, Dr. Jean Carruthers, Alastair led the discovery of the cosmetic use of botulinum toxin A, a significant advancement in dermatologic treatment. In 1987, the couple shared medical office space. Jean, an ophthalmologist, used a dilute solution of botulinum toxin to manage a patient with uncontrollable blinking. After the treatment, they discovered the wrinkle-relaxing effects of the toxin. Through years of additional research, they presented their results at the 1991 ASDS Annual Meeting, and by 1993, the new treatment was sweeping the cosmetic medicine arena. BOTOX was the first FDA-approved treatment of its kind  beginning with its 2002 approval for treating glabellar lines. This revolutionary cosmetic procedure represented an evolution in aesthetic medicine and inspired a whole new genre of injectable cosmetic treatment options. The Carruthers are largely to credit for making BOTOX a household name, and his passing leaves a deep void for many of his colleagues.

A graduate of the University of Oxfords Brasenose College in 1968, he underwent rigorous training in Internal Medicine in Vancouver and Liverpool before specializing in dermatology at St. Thomass Hospital and St. Johns Hospital for Diseases of the Skin in London. In 1977, Alastair joined the Faculty of Dermatology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. His career was marked by groundbreaking work, including bringing Mohs surgery to Canada in 1983, which he learned during his fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. His efforts were instrumental in establishing the Canadian Society for Dermatologic Surgery.

Alastair became the first Canadian President of ASDS from 2006 to 2007. He was passionate about fostering the future of dermatologic surgery through education and engagement, establishing the First Annual ASDS Gala, the ASDS Stegman Circle fundraising initiative and the Societys advocacy arm, ASDSA, during his presidential tenure. His leadership extended through his dedication to ASDS, where he served on 39 committees and work groups, held the role of ASDS Historian / Parliamentarian from 2012 to 2018 and led early-career dermatologists as a mentor for the ASDS Future Leaders Network program from 2017 to 2019. He was also an esteemed faculty member at many ASDS Annual Meetings and educational offerings. Throughout his career, Alastair published over 100 articles and authored several textbooks. These contributions were recognized with numerous honors, including the ASDS Samuel J. Stegman, MD, Award for Outstanding Service in 2010, the Philip Frost and Eugene van Scott Leadership Award in 2012, the ASDS Leadership in Innovation Lectureship in 2014 and the ASDS Presidents Award in 2015.

Outside of his professional life, Alastair was a passionate sportsman and a connoisseur of fine wine, holding prestigious roles such as Grand Seneschal of the Chevaliers du Tastevin Burgundy group in Vancouver and Grand Pilier General for the National Tastevin organization.

After retiring in 2015, Alastair embraced a new academic pursuit, studying European and Middle Eastern history at the University of British Columbia. Despite his diagnosis of Parkinsons Disease, he approached these challenges with the same grace and determination that defined his life.

Alastair is survived by his beloved wife, Jean; his children Thomas (married to Jennifer), Robert (married to Mollie) and Graham (partner Steve Hunt); and his four grandchildren Ogden, Hazel, Benjamin and Audrey. He is also survived by his sisters, Gail Cosbie-Ross and Bobbie Lintott; his great-niece Sally Cotterell (Amy, Josh and Darcy); and his nephew Benjamin Cosbie-Ross (Poppy and Daisy).

Dr. Alastair Carruthers will be deeply missed by his family, colleagues and all who had the privilege of knowing him. His legacy of innovation, leadership and dedication will continue to inspire and impact the lives of many.

Visit asds.net/alastair-carruthers for more information.

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About the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery

The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) is the largest specialty organization exclusively representing dermatologic surgeons who have the unique training and experience required to treat the health, function and beauty of patients skin, hair and nails. ASDS members are pioneers in the field, often involved in clinical studies that substantiate popular procedures to revitalize and repair skin, enhance skin care devices and improve standard techniques. Dermatologic surgeons are also experts in skin cancer prevention, detection and treatment. As the incidence of skin cancer rises, dermatologic surgeons are committed to spreading sun safety awareness to minimize the life-threatening effects of this disease. For more information, visit asds.net.

For physician news, follow ASDS Members on Facebook , X (Twitter) , Instagram , Threads , YouTube and LinkedIn .

For patient education, follow ASDS Skin MD on Facebook , X (Twitter) , Instagram , Threads , YouTube and TikTok .

Locate a dermatologic surgeon in your area: asds.net/find

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SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hagens Berman urges Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE: BEN) investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now. The firm also encourages persons with knowledge who may assist the investigation to contact its attorneys.



Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/ben

Contact the Firm Now: BEN@hbsslaw.com

844-916-0895

Investigation Into Franklin Resources, Inc. (BEN):

The investigation focuses on Franklins controls over trading-related matters, including without limitation, those related to the marks of treasury derivatives and investment performance of its Western Asset Management Macro Opportunities fund strategy.

On July 26, 2024, Franklin revealed that [f]ollowing the launch of an internal investigation focusing on certain past trade allocations of treasury derivatives in select Western Asset Management (WAM) accounts, WAM received notification of parallel investigations by the SEC and U.S. Department of Justice. This news drove the price of Franklin shares significantly lower.

Then, on August 21, 2024, Franklin disclosed that WAM placed co-Chief Investment Officer Ken Leech on leave effective immediately and that [i]n light of Mr. Leechs leave of absence, the Company has determined that closing its Macro Opportunities strategy (approximately $2.0 billion in AUM as of 7/31/2024) is in clients best interests.

Franklin also revealed that Leech received a Wells Notice from the SEC. A Wells Notice is a formal notification that the SEC has concluded an investigation with charges likely to follow.

This news drove the price of Franklin shares over 12% lower on August 21, 2024.

We are looking into whether Franklin may have misled investors about the firms Western Asset Management units trade practices, said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.

If you invested in Franklin and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firms investigation, submit your losses now 

If youd like more information and answers to frequently asked questions about the Franklin investigation, read more 

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Franklin should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email BEN@hbsslaw.com.

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs rights complex litigation firm focusing on corporate accountability. The firm is home to a robust practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and other wrongdoings. Hagens Bermans team has secured more than $2.9 billion in this area of law. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.
Vancouver, August 21, 2024 - Blue Star Gold Corp. (TSXV: BAU) (OTCQB: BAUFF) (FSE: 5WP0) ("Blue Star" or the "Company") provides an update on the 2024 exploration program at its Ulu Gold Project and Roma Project in the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut (Figure 1). Approximately 4,000 metres of drilling have been completed with initial assays expected in the coming weeks. Sample results from the early season field-based prospecting program are presented below.

Highlights

16 diamond drill holes for ~4,000 metres across five main target areas have been completed, including: HI, Mikigon, Penthouse, Gnu Zone (Nutaaq), and the Flood Zone Assays pending

Pipeline showing evaluation results from Cygnet (Roma) returned strong gold values including 13.5 grams per tonne gold ("g/t Au") and 56.5 g/t Au

Sampling at Gabbro Breccia (Ulu Gold Project) returned 16.0 g/t Au and 8.49 g/t Au

Roma Main zone extended another 300 metres to the southeast to over 800 metres of strike length

Pipeline showings along Snofield Lake (Roma) returned 6.21 g/t Au, 3.67 g/t Au, 497 g/t silver and 5.3% lead

Highlights of the Prospecting Program

A review of the Cygnet Target (Roma Project) focussed on the NE geological trend where inferred cross structures from geophysical interpretation complicated the geology. The best samples occurred within the mafic volcanic rock package immediately below the contact with sedimentary rock units; small volume intrusions may play a role in the mineralisation in this area. Of the 38 samples collected two samples were > 10 g/t Au, five samples > 5 g/t Au, and seven samples were > 1 g/t Au. The next steps for this target will include more detailed mapping and sampling along the trend to potentially advance to drill-ready status.

Prospecting along the Roma Main Target (Roma Project) extended the known mineralised trend 300 metres to the southeast. Highlights of the sampling program from parallel vein structures to the main zone returned 40.9 g/t Au, 15.7 g/t Au, and 6.5 g/t Au. Roma Main is now a high-priority target for drill testing in future programs.

An initial review of the Snofield Lake Target included collecting 14 samples over a 5.5-kilometre trend. Highlights of the sampling program include 4.87% zinc ("Zn") and 8.6 g/t silver ("Ag"); 2.46 g/t Au, 67.7 g/t Ag, 3.1 % lead ("Pb"), 3.5 % Zn; and 3.67 g/t Au, 497 g/t Ag, 5.3 % Pb. The best gold sample returned 6.21 g/t Au.

A reconnaissance traverse near the Roma Fold Target returned a sample grading 5.6 g/t Au from a massive scorodite exposure.

A second pass sampling effort was made to better define a New Showing highlighted by the 2022 till sampling program. The known arsenopyrite veining occurs over a 320-metre x 170-metre area proximal to a granitoid-metasediment contact with select samples returning assay values in the range of 1.00 to 3.89 g/t Au. Sampling this season indicates that the gold mineralisation is associated with arsenic ("As"), Pb, and copper ("Cu") (Figure 2). Additional till sampling lines followed by detailed prospecting and mapping are required to advance the target.

Sampling of the Gabbro Breccia showing returned 16.0 g/t Au and 8.49 g/t Au. This showing, located approximately 500 metres along trend from the Flood Zone, will receive additional work to potentially advance to drill-ready status.

The Zebra Target received a cursory examination of areas not previously reviewed before drill testing. The best sample that graded 14.6 g/t Au was returned from an exposure on the western limb of the anticline. The next best sample that graded 11.46 g/t Au was returned near the tight fold closure of mafic volcanics over sedimentary units (similar geometry to the Flood Zone). A scout drill hole is planned in the Zebra area to resolve and confirm geological interpretations before defining an aggressive exploration drill campaign.

Figure 1: Blue Star Location Map & Grays Bay Road & Port Project

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2421/220633_bluestarfig1.jpg

Figure 2: New Showing developing out of first pass till sampling; follow-up prospecting and second pass till sampling refined the area of focus. Rock samples labeled in g/t Au. Black lines are claim boundaries.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2421/220633_93aee91954623a65_011full.jpg

The complete list of prospecting sample results will be posted on the Company's website.

Prospecting samples are grab samples that are selective by definition and have been collected from outcrop, subcrop, and felsenmeer. Samples are delivered under chain of custody to ALS Geochemistry in Yellowknife, NT for sample preparation and are then forwarded to ALS Canada Inc. in North Vancouver, BC for final analysis. Samples are prepared using code PREP-31 (crushing and pulverising) and analysed using codes Au-AA26 (50-gram fire assay with atomic absorption finish) and ME-MS61 (48 element four acid digestion with ICP-MS finish). Over limits for non-gold elements are ore grade four acid digestion with ICP-AES finish. The QAQC program for prospecting consists of regular insertion of certified reference materials (CRMs) resulting in a 20% insertion rate.

Darren Lindsay, P. Geo. and Vice President Exploration for Blue Star, is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.

About Blue Star Gold Corp.

Blue Star is a mineral exploration and development company focused in Nunavut, Canada. Blue Star's landholdings total 270 square kilometres of highly prospective and underexplored mineral properties in the High Lake Greenstone Belt. The Company owns the Ulu Gold Project, comprised of the Ulu Mining Lease and Hood River Property, and the Roma Project. A significant high-grade gold resource exists at the Flood Zone deposit (Ulu Mining Lease), and numerous high-potential exploration targets (gold and critical minerals) occur throughout the Company's extensive landholdings, providing Blue Star with excellent resource growth potential. The site of the future deep-water port at Grays Bay is 40 - 100 km to the north of the properties, and the proposed route corridor for the all-weather Grays Bay Road passes close by the Roma and Ulu Gold Projects.

Blue Star is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol: BAU, the U.S. OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol: BAUFF, and on the Frankfurt Exchange under the symbol: 5WP0. For information on the Company and its projects, please visit our website: www.bluestargold.ca.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the Policies of the TSX-Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this Release.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INFORMATION

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-Looking statements can be identified by words such as: "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "goal," "seek," "believe," "project," "estimate," "expect," "strategy," "future," "likely," "may," "should," "will" and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding prospective income and revenues, anticipated levels of capital expenditures for the fiscal year, expectations of the effect on our financial condition of claims, litigation, environmental costs, contingent liabilities, and governmental and regulatory investigations and proceedings, and estimates of mineral resources and reserves on our properties.

Forward-Looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions regarding the future of our business, plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy, and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: economic and financial conditions, including volatility in interest and exchange rates, commodity and equity prices and the value of financial assets, strategic actions, including acquisitions and dispositions and our success in integrating acquired businesses into our operations, developments and changes in laws and regulations, including increased regulation of the mining industry through legislative action and revised rules and standards applied by the regulatory bodies in Nunavut, changes in the price of fuel and other key materials and disruptions in supply chains for these materials, closures or slowdowns and changes in labour costs and labour difficulties, including stoppages affecting either our operations or our suppliers' abilities to deliver goods and services to us, as well as natural events such as severe weather, fires, floods and earthquakes or man-made or other disruptions of our equipment, and inaccuracies in estimates of mineral resources and/or reserves on our mineral properties.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/220633
Vancouver, August 21, 2024 - Flying Nickel Mining Corp. (TSXV: FLYN) (OTCQB: FLYNF) ("Flying Nickel") is pleased to announce, pursuant to the previously announced binding letter of intent with Norway House Cree Nation ("NHCN") dated July 21, 2024 (the "LOI"), that it has entered into a definitive arrangement agreement (the "Arrangement Agreement") with NHCN and 10197729 Manitoba Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of NHCN, (the "Purchaser"), pursuant to which Flying Nickel proposes to sell its Minago Nickel project and its related assets located in the Thompson Nickel Belt of Manitoba, Canada (the "Minago Assets") to the Purchaser in consideration for $8,000,000 in cash and the surrender of 17,561,862 common shares in the capital of Flying Nickel ("Flying Nickel Shares") held by NHCN (the "Transaction") , by way of a statutory plan of arrangement under Section 288 of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the "Arrangement"). The Flying Nickel Shares held by NHCN represent approximately 11.4% of the total issued and outstanding Flying Nickel Shares. The Purchaser has deposited $500,000 in escrow in connection with the Arrangement (the "Deposit").

Information Regarding the Proposed Arrangement

Pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement, the parties have agreed to close the Transaction by no later than December 15, 2024 (the "Outside Date") and expect to close the Transaction by October 16, 2024. As NHCN holds greater than 10% of the issued and outstanding Flying Nickel Shares, the Transaction is a "related party transaction" under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") and Policy 5.9 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("Policy 5.9") of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"). In accordance with the provisions of MI 61-101, Flying Nickel is exempt from the formal valuation requirements under MI 61-101 and Policy 5.9 pursuant to section 4.4(a) of MI 61-101 as an issuer not listed on a specified market. However, the Arrangement requires majority of the minority shareholder approval ("Disinterested Shareholder Approval") under MI 61-101. For the purposes of Disinterested Shareholder Approval, the Arrangement must be approved at the Meeting (as defined below) by at least a majority of the votes cast on the resolution to approve the Arrangement by Flying Nickel shareholders present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the Meeting excluding all Flying Nickel Shares held by persons noted in Section 8.1(2) of MI 61-101. Therefore, Flying Nickel Shares held by NHCN will be excluded from the Disinterested Shareholder Approval. There has not been a formal valuation or prior valuation in respect of the subject matter of or relevant to the Arrangement in the prior 24 months. The Arrangement also requires approval of a special majority of 66 2/3% of the Flying Nickel shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Meeting. The Transaction is further subject to approvals from the TSXV and the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

The Arrangement Agreement is subject to termination in certain instances, including if the shareholders of Flying Nickel do not approve the Arrangement at the Meeting, if Flying Nickel receives a superior proposal and complies with its requirements under the Arrangement Agreement, or at the option of either party if the Arrangement is not completed before the Outside Date. For certain termination events, such as pursuant to the acceptance of a superior proposal, Flying Nickel has agreed to pay a termination fee of $400,000 (the "Termination Fee").

Details of the Arrangement (including full details of the Deposit, termination conditions, and the Termination Fee discussed herein) and the special meeting to approve the Arrangement (the "Meeting") will be set out in Flying Nickel's management information circular and proxy statement which will be mailed to Flying Nickel shareholders. The Meeting is scheduled to be held on October 7, 2024, at the offices of MLT Aikins LLP located at 2600-1066 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, at 10:30 a.m. (Pacific Time).

Blackstone Minerals Ltd., Sparta AG, Oracle Commodity Holding Corp., and each of the directors and officers of Flying Nickel (together, the "Supporting Shareholders") have entered into voting support agreements in connection with the Arrangement. The Supporting Shareholders and NHCN collectively hold approximately 52% of the issued and outstanding Flying Nickel Shares on a non-diluted basis and the Supporting Shareholders represent approximately 45% of the Disinterested Shareholder Approval.

Completion of the Arrangement is subject to customary conditions as set out in the Arrangement Agreement and receipt of all necessary court and regulatory approvals. The Arrangement Agreement includes customary representations, warranties, and indemnities of each party.

Full details of the Arrangement will be included in the meeting materials with respect to the Meeting, which will be available on the Sedar+ profile of Flying Nickel at sedarplus.ca.

No finder's fee is expected to be paid by any of Flying Nickel, NHCN or the Purchaser to any party in connection with the Arrangement.

The Arrangement is also not expected to constitute an Arm's Length Transaction as defined in the policies of the TSXV for Flying Nickel, due to the shareholding of NHCN as described herein.

Name Change

The Company is also proposing to be renamed to "CleanTech Vanadium Mining Corp.", or such other name as the Board in its sole discretion may determine, upon the Transaction closing (the "Name Change"). The Name Change requires approval of a special majority of 66 2/3% of the Flying Nickel shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Meeting. Additionally, the Name Change and the particular name chosen both remain subject to TSXV and regulatory approval.

Board Recommendation

Flying Nickel confirms that after careful consideration, including a thorough review of the Arrangement Agreement, the plan of arrangement, receiving the oral fairness opinion of Evans & Evans, Inc. (which will be followed by a written option), and conducting a thorough review of other matters, the board of directors of Flying Nickel (with Neil Duboff, NHCN's nominee, having recused himself) has determined in consultation with its legal and financial advisors, and based in part on the fairness opinion, that the Arrangement is in the best interests of Flying Nickel and its shareholders, and unanimously recommends (with Neil Duboff, NHCN's nominee, having recused himself) that shareholders vote FOR the resolutions to approve the Arrangement at the upcoming Meeting. Further information regarding the reasons for the board recommendation will be set forth in the management information circular to be prepared in connection with the Meeting.

Additionally, after careful consideration, including a thorough review of the proposed Name Change, the board of directors of Flying Nickel has determined that the Name Change is in the best interests of the Company and its Shareholders, and recommends that Shareholders vote FOR the resolutions to approve the Name Change at the upcoming Meeting. Further information regarding the reasons for the board recommendation will be set forth in the management information circular to be prepared in connection with the Meeting.

About Flying Nickel Mining Corp.

Flying Nickel is an exploration-stage mining company focused on vanadium and nickel resources. The Company owns a 100% interest in the Gibellini vanadium project in Nevada, United States and a 100% interest in the Minago nickel project in the Thompson nickel belt in Manitoba, Canada.

Further information on Flying Nickel can be found at www.flynickel.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the Arrangement and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements and Cautionary Disclaimers

References to $ herein refer to the lawful currency of Canada.

This press release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. 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 absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from U.S. registration requirements.

Completion of the Arrangement and the Name Change is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to the standard closing conditions contained in the Arrangement Agreement, TSXV acceptance, court and shareholder approval. Where applicable, the Arrangement cannot close until the required approvals are obtained.

There can be no assurance that the Arrangement will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular to be prepared in connection with the Arrangement, any information released or received with respect to the Arrangement may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of Flying Nickel should be considered highly speculative.

This news release is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian and United States securities laws. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Arrangement including timing, closing and terms of the Arrangement, the number of Flying Nickel Shares owned and expected to be owned by certain parties who have executed voting support agreements, and the ability of Flying Nickel to obtain the requisite TSXV, shareholder, court and other approvals in connection with the Arrangement, as well as statements with respect to the Name Change including timing, the proposed name (CleanTech Vanadium Mining Corp.) and the ability of Flying Nickel to obtain the requisite TSXV, shareholder, court and other approvals in connection with the Name Change. Except for statements of historical fact relating to Flying Nickel, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "anticipates," "may," "can," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "targets," "intends," "likely," "will," "should," "to be", "potential" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "should" or "will" occur, including, without limitation, that all conditions precedent to the Arrangement will be met and the realization of the anticipated benefits derived therefrom for shareholders of Flying Nickel and perception of (i) the quality and the potential of Flying Nickel's assets, (ii) the consideration offered to Flying Nickel, and (iii) the potential of Flying Nickel's business following completion of the Arrangement. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management of Flying Nickel at the date the statements are made, and are based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Many of these assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of Flying Nickel, there is no assurance they will prove to be correct and are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward- looking statements.

Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from results anticipated by such forward-looking statements include changes in market conditions; cash flow and availability of financing; the ability of Flying Nickel to obtain the requisite court, shareholder, TSXV and other third party approvals in respect of the Arrangement and the Name Change; exercise of any dissent rights, trades in the market, issuances of securities or exercises of convertible securities and other factors that could alter the share capital of Flying Nickel or other parties; risks relating to the availability and timeliness of permitting and governmental consents and approvals; and other risks of the mining industry.

These factors are discussed in greater detail in Flying Nickel's most recent MD&A filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca, which also provides additional general assumptions in connection with these statements. Flying Nickel cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. Investors and others who base themselves on forward-looking statements contained herein should carefully consider the above factors as well as the uncertainties they represent and the risk they entail. Flying Nickel believes that the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release.

Although Flying Nickel has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Flying Nickel undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Statements concerning mineral reserve and resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements to the extent they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered as the property is developed. Further, Flying Nickel may make changes to its business plans that could affect results.

Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/220654
VANCOUVER, Aug. 21, 2024 - Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd. (TSXV: SCZ) ("Santacruz" or "the Company") is pleased to announce its National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") compliant Mineral Resource and Reserve estimates for its three Bolivian producing assets, the Bolivar mine, Porco mine, and Caballo Blanco Group of mines ("Caballo Blanco", and together with the Bolivar mine and the Porco mine, the "Bolivian Producing Mines"), and the Soracaya exploration project ("Soracaya"), also located in Bolivia. The Mineral Resources and Reserves for the Bolivian Producing Mines were prepared on behalf of the Company by JDS Energy & Mining Inc. ("JDS"), an international firm specializing in mineral resource evaluation and development, and the Mineral Resource for Soracaya was prepared on behalf of the Company by Kirkham Geosystems Ltd. The effective date of all the technical reports is January 1, 2024, the technical reports for the Bolivian Producing Mines have been filed on www.sedarplus.ca, and the Soracaya technical report will be filed on www.sedarplus.ca within 45 days of this news release. All figures are in US dollars unless otherwise indicated.

Highlights:

Total Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves of 54 million silver equivalent ounces including 19 million ounces of silver and 259 thousand tonnes of zinc.





Total Measured and Indicated Resources of 102 million silver equivalent ounces including 32 million ounces of silver and 518 thousand tonnes of zinc.





Total Inferred Resources at the Bolivian Producing Mines of 189 million silver equivalent ounces including 72 million ounces of silver and 882 thousand tonnes of zinc.





Initial Inferred Resource for Soracaya of 35 million ounces of silver.





Independent third-party verification of Santacruz' estimation processes reinforce the quality of our Mineral Resources and Reserves, and the methodology in place to accurately represent them. Garth Kirkham, P.Geo, FGC, of Kirkham Geosystems Ltd., Richard Goodwin, P.Eng., and Shane Tad Crowie, P. Eng., of JDS who are Independent Qualified Persons, as defined by NI 43-101 performed the verification.

Arturo Prestamo, Executive Chairman and CEO of Santacruz, commented, "This marks a noteworthy milestone for Santacruz as we continue to build a mid-tier silver and base metals company. The verified Mineral Resources and Reserves underscore our solid asset base. It is important to note that our Bolivian producing mines are open along strike and at depth, and with our ongoing exploration program, we believe there is potential to grow the current Mineral Resources and Reserves."

Mr. Prestamo added, "The Mineral Reserve estimates use actual information from recent operating data including: operating costs, selling costs, metallurgical recoveries and smelter contracts. As such, these estimates should accurately reflect costs and conditions of exploitation that enabled the application of meaningful cut-off-grades to the deposit, such that confidence in the resultant mine plans are high. As well, the existing methodology for Mineral Reserve calculation was verified during the NI 43-101 review, which adds additional confidence to the veracity of our mine plans and development strategies. In addition, the initial Inferred Resource estimate for Soracaya suggests that we have another high-quality silver project in our portfolio."

Important Notes to Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve tables below:

Mineral Resources and Reserves are stated for the first time under NI 43-101 standards of disclosure and verified by independent Qualified Persons. Garth Kirkham, P.Geo, FGC, of Kirkham Geosystems Ltd., Richard Goodwin, P.Eng., and Shane Tad Crowie, P. Eng., of JDS who are Independent Qualified Persons, as defined by NI 43-101 performed the verification.

Mineral Resources were estimated using the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves, Definitions (2014) and Best Practices (2019) prepared by the CIM Standing Committee on Reserve Definitions and adopted by CIM Council.

Mineral Resources, which are not Mineral Reserves, do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, sociopolitical, marketing, or other relevant issues.

An inferred mineral resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to an indicated mineral resource and must not be converted to a mineral reserve. It is reasonably expected that most of the inferred mineral resources could be upgraded to indicated mineral resources with continued exploration.

Updated structure for operating and sustaining capital costs were applied to the Mineral Resource to confirm Santacruz generated Mineral Reserves at projected metal prices of $21.00 per ounce silver, $1.15 per pound zinc, $1.00 per pound lead and $3.65 per pound copper.

Mineral Reserve estimates are derived using actual mining and metallurgical performance data from 2022 at each operation to deliver robust estimates.

The effective date of the Mineral Resource and Reserve estimates at the Bolivian Producing Mines is January 1, 2023. The effective date of the Mineral Resource estimate at Soracaya is January 1, 2024. Production data for the calendar year 2023 has been included in Section 24 of the various NI 43-101 compliant technical reports for the Bolivian Producing Mines and shows the depletion and typical replenishment of resources and reserves over a calendar year.

Total Bolivian Producing Mines



Grade Contained Metal

Tonnes (kt) Ag (g/t) Zn (%) Pb (%) AgEq

(g/t) Ag (koz) Zn (kt) Pb (kt) AgEq (koz) Measured Mineral Resources 2,147 292 15.01 1.80 915 20,155 322.3 38.8 63,132 Indicated Mineral Resources 1,431 263 13.70 1.77 836 12,118 196.1 25.3 38,460 Measured & Indicated Mineral Resources 3,578 281 14.49 1.79 883 32,274 518.4 64.1 101,592 Inferred Mineral Resources 7,426 303 11.88 1.32 792 72,395 881.8 98.2 189,169

Proven Mineral Reserves 1,473 255 10.57 1.45 699 12,053 155.7 21.3 33,083 Probable Mineral Reserves 1,117 192 9.22 1.35 582 6,886 103.0 15.1 20,901 Proven & Probable Mineral Reserves 2,590 227 9.99 1.41 648 18,939 258.6 36.4 53,983



Notes: 1. The combined Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves include all Bolivian Producing Mines including Bolivar, Porco and the Caballo Blanco group of mines which consist of the Colquechaquita, Tres Amigos and Reserva mines. 2. The Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserves Estimates were prepared for each operation using a zinc equivalent (ZnEq) cut-off grade and reporting silver equivalent (AgEq) grade that varies for each operation due to costs and economic parameters that are specific to each operation and are detailed within the footnotes for each as shown in the following tables. 3. AgEq grade information is presented in this table reflects metal prices of $21.00/oz Ag, $1.15/lb Zn, and $1.00/lb Pb. 4. Certain totals may not add due to the use of rounded numbers.

Bolivar Mine, Bolivia



Grade Contained Metal

Tonnes (kt) Ag (g/t) Zn (%) Pb (%) Ag (koz) Zn (kt) Pb (kt) Measured Mineral Resources 855 327 12.78 1.37 9,003 109.3 11.7 Indicated Mineral Resources 677 295 12.24 1.25 6,426 82.9 8.4 Measured & Indicated Mineral Resources 1,532 313 12.54 1.32 15,429 192.2 20.2 Inferred Mineral Resources 4,202 403 10.35 1.00 54,436 434.8 41.9

Proven Mineral Reserves 742 299 10.65 1.31 7,144 79.1 9.7 Probable Mineral Reserves 495 233 8.92 0.97 3,705 44.1 4.8 Proven & Probable Mineral Reserves 1,237 273 9.96 1.17 10,849 123.2 14.5



Notes: 1. The Mineral Resource estimate was prepared using a 10.6% zinc equivalent cut-off grade. Cut-off grades were derived from $25.20/oz silver, $1.38/lb zinc and $1.20/lb lead, and process recoveries of 91% for zinc, 70% for lead, and 89.7% for silver. 2. The Mineral Reserve estimate was prepared using a 12.7% zinc equivalent cut-off grade, using the formula ZnEQV = Zn% + 0.7 x Pb% + 0.046 x Ag (g/t). This cut-off grade was based on current smelter agreements and metal prices of $21.00/oz silver, $1.15/lb zinc and $1.00/lb lead, total OPEX costs of $120.22/t based on 2022 actual costs plus capital costs of $48.68/t, with process recoveries of 91.0% for zinc, 70.0% for lead, and 89.7% for silver. 3. Bolivar and Porco Mines are part of the Illapa Joint Operation with COMIBOL. Bolivar and Porco are presented at 100% production, whereas the Company records 45% of revenues and expenses in its consolidated financial statements. The Joint Operation agreement expires in 2028.

Porco Mine, Bolivia



Grade Contained Metal

Tonnes (kt) Ag (g/t) Zn (%) Pb (%) Ag (koz) Zn (kt) Pb (kt) Measured Mineral Resources 566 202 17.17 0.88 3,672 97.2 5.0 Indicated Mineral Resources 253 166 16.38 1.02 1,349 41.4 2.6 Measured & Indicated Mineral Resources 819 191 16.92 0.92 5,021 138.7 7.6 Inferred Mineral Resources 1,007 117 15.16 0.92 3,775 152.6 9.2

Proven Mineral Reserves 162 181 12.53 0.68 944 20.3 1.1 Probable Mineral Reserves 157 142 12.90 0.77 718 20.3 1.2 Proven & Probable Mineral Reserves 319 162 12.71 0.72 1,662 40.6 2.3



Notes: 1. The Mineral Resource estimate was prepared using a 11.2% zinc equivalent cut-off grade. Cut-off grades were derived from $25.2/oz silver, $1.38/lb zinc and $1.20/lb lead; and process recoveries of 94.3% for zinc, 75.6% for lead, and 88.6% for silver. 2. The Mineral Reserve estimate was prepared using a 13.4% zinc equivalent cut-off grade, using the formula ZnEQV = Zn% + 1.14 x Pb% + 0.044 x Ag (g/t). This cut-off grade was based on current smelter agreements and metal prices of $21.00/oz silver, $1.15/lb zinc and $1.00/lb lead, total OPEX costs of $125.02/t based 2022 actual costs plus capital costs of $21.79/t, with process recoveries of 94.3% for zinc, 75.6% for lead, and 88.6% for silver. 3. Bolivar and Porco Mines are part of the Illapa Joint Operation with COMIBOL. Bolivar and Porco are presented at 100% production, whereas the Company records 45% of revenues and expenses in its consolidated financial statements. The Joint Operation agreement expires in 2028.

Caballo Blanco Group of Mines, Bolivia



Grade Contained Metal

Tonnes (kt) Ag (g/t) Zn (%) Pb (%) Ag (koz) Zn (kt) Pb (kt) Measured Mineral Resources 726 321 15.96 3.03 7,481 115.8 22.0 Indicated Mineral Resources 502 269 14.32 2.86 4,343 71.8 14.3 Measured & Indicated Mineral Resources 1,227 300 15.29 2.96 11,824 187.6 36.4 Inferred Mineral Resources 2,217 199 13.28 2.12 14,183 294.4 47.1

Proven Mineral Reserves 569 217 9.90 1.85 3,965 56.3 10.5 Probable Mineral Reserves 465 165 8.30 1.96 2,463 38.6 9.1 Proven & Probable Mineral Reserves 1,034 193 9.18 1.90 6,428 94.9 19.6



Notes: 1. Caballo Blanco Group of Mines consists of the Colquechaquita, Tres Amigos and Reserva mines. 2. The Mineral Resource estimate was prepared using a 10.0% zinc equivalent cut-off grade. Cut-off grades were derived from $25.20/oz silver, $1.38/lb zinc and $1.20/lb lead; and process recoveries of 92.1% for zinc, 77.2% for lead and 90.8% for silver. 3. The Mineral Reserve estimate was prepared using a 11.9% zinc equivalent cut-off grade, using the formula ZnEQV = Zn% + 1.22 x Pb% + 0.051 x Ag (g/t). This cut-off grade was based on current smelter agreements and metal prices of $21.00/oz silver, $1.15/lb zinc and $1.00/lb lead, total OPEX costs of $106.94/t based on 2022 actual costs plus capital costs of $42.33/t, with process recoveries of 92.1% for zinc, 77.2% for lead, and 90.8% for silver.

Soracaya Exploration Project, Bolivia



Grade Contained Metal

Tonnes (kt) Ag (g/t) Zn (%) Pb (%) Ag (koz) Zn (kt) Pb (kt) Inferred Mineral Resources 4,137 260 1.23 7.23 34,550 50.9 299.1



Notes: 1. The Mineral Resource estimate was prepared using a 10.0% zinc equivalent cut-off grade. Cut-off grades were derived from $25.20/oz silver, $1.38/lb zinc and $1.20/lb lead; and process recoveries of 92.1% for zinc, 77.2% for lead and 90.8% for silver. 2. A full technical report for Soracaya will be prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and will be filed on SEDAR+ within 45 days of this news release.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control and Data Verification

Mineral Resources for the Bolivian Producing Mines were previously performed by local Bolivian staff supported by Glencore. Currently, the same local technical resources are employed by Santacruz ensuring continuity and consistency. The Glencore, and now Santacruz, procedures and methods remain and are adhered to. These procedures and methods have been well documented and follow industry best practice guidelines and the QP (Kirkham) performed extensive site investigations for due diligence and audit to validate and verify.

The Bolivian sites utilize internal laboratories that were reviewed by the technical report authors. Assay preparation and analytical procedures and methods were reviewed and were acceptable for resource estimation purposes. Following the facilities visit to the laboratories, systematic checks of the assay databases against the certified and internal assay databases showed good agreement and the transfer of data is automated to ensure against transpositional errors. The assay database was in good agreement with the laboratory database. The laboratory at the Don Deigo process plant in Bolivia is an ISO 17025:2018 certified laboratory.

Independent samples were taken and analysed by an outside independent umpire assay laboratory, SGS Peru which is ISO 9001 certified laboratory. The results showed good agreement with the original sample assays while validating and verifying the results of the internal assay laboratories.

The resource block models have been created and maintained in the Datamine System, a well-known resource modelling and mine planning system. The vein domain models were created within LeapFrog. Block and vein domain models were imported into secondary modelling system MineSight and were validated and verified. Furthermore, estimation vein domains and resource block models were independently created by QP (Kirkham) which showed good agreement with Santacruz models and results.

For all the operating mines, checks were performed to ensure that pillars, sterilized areas and mined out volumes were accounted for and excluded along with material below topography and overburden. Classification criteria and methodology was reviewed showing reasonable and even conservative judgment with respect to threshold distances and grades for drillhole and channel sample data. Geological and grade continuity was demonstrated, and cut-off grades were calculated using updated metal prices and actual mine operating costs. Design underground stope shapes were utilized for the reporting of resources demonstrating Reasonable Prospect of Eventual Economic Extraction ("RP3E").

In conclusion, the assay data, domain models and block estimation models have been validated and verified by QP (Kirkham). Economic and classification criteria have been adjusted to insure reasonable prospect of eventual economic extraction. Kirkham assumes responsibility for the resources and states that the data, models and results reported in the resource estimates may be relied upon to report.

The reserves for all assets were prepared by Sinchi Wayra in Deswik. JDS (QP Goodwin) verified that the correct dilution and recovery factors were applied to the stope shapes, that inferred resources were not used in any stope reserves, manually checked all calculations, and verified the tonnages and metal content of each reserve estimate. Other factors that were checked include equipment rates, historic production performance, predicted stoping productivities, and mining sequence assumptions. On the basis of this QA/QC review, the QP (Goodwin) verified that the Deswik-based reserves have been correctly estimated and assumes responsibility for them.

Cutoff grade (COG) criteria were also developed using the site metallurgical data and smelter contracts. The final reserve was estimated by the application of these factors (mining dilution, mining recovery, COG) to the LOM plan and the elimination of all inferred resources in the stope shapes.

The QP (Goodwin) is satisfied that this exercise resulted in a valid result and assumes responsibility for the reserve estimation.

Qualified Person



The Mineral Resource and Reserve estimates were prepared under the supervision of Garth Kirkham, P.Geo, FGC, of Kirkham Geosystems Ltd., Richard Goodwin, P.Eng., and Shane Tad Crowie, P. Eng., of JDS who are Independent Qualified Persons, as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Kirkham, Mr. Goodwin, and Mr. Crowie have reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.

Wayne Corso, P.Eng., a consultant to the Company, is a qualified person under NI 43-101 and has approved the scientific and technical information related to operational matters contained in this news release.

About Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd.

Santacruz Silver is engaged in the operation, acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in Latin America. The Bolivian operations are comprised of the Bolivar, Porco and the Caballo Blanco Group, which consists of the Tres Amigos, Reserva and Colquechaquita mines. The Soracaya exploration project and San Lucas feed sourcing business are also in Bolivia. The Zimapan mine is located in Mexico.

'signed'

Arturo Prestamo Elizondo,

Executive Chairman and CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward looking information

This news release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends", "expects" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or will "potentially" or "likely" occur. This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forwardlooking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding the Company continuing to build a mid-tier silver and base metals company, the filing of a technical report for Soracaya on SEDAR+, the accuracy of the Mineral Reserve and Resource estimates, and the potential to grow the current Mineral Resources and Reserves.

These forwardlooking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, risks that the Company will not continue to build a mid-tier silver and base metals company, that the Company will not file a technical report for Soracaya on SEDAR+ on the anticipated timeline, or at all, that the Mineral Reserve and Resource estimates will be less accurate than management currently anticipates, that it is not possible to grow the current Mineral Resources and Reserves, risks related to changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets, changes in applicable laws, and compliance with extensive government regulation, as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in the Company's disclosure documents filed with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available at www.sedarplus.ca.

In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, the assumption that the Company will continue to pursue its goal of building a mid-tier silver and base metals company, that the Company will file a technical report for Soracaya on SEDAR+ within 45 days of this news release, that there is the potential to grow the current Mineral Resources and Reserves, that because the Mineral Reserve estimates use actual information from recent operating data they should accurately reflect costs and conditions of exploitation that enabled the application of meaningful cut-off-grades to the deposit, and that the estimation of Mineral Resources may be impacted by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, sociopolitical, marketing, or other relevant issues.

There can be no assurance that any forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information or statements, other than as required by applicable law.

SOURCE Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd.
Vancouver, August 21, 2024 - TNR Gold Corp. (TSXV: TNR) ("TNR", "TNR Gold" or the "Company") announces that, further to its news release dated August 12, 2024, the Company has closed a non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of 5,150,000 units (each a "Unit"). The Private Placement was oversubscribed by 150,000 Units and on closing, the Company issued 5,150,000 Units at $0.06 per Unit for proceeds of $309,000. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company and one half of a non-transferable common share purchase warrant (each a "Warrant") with each whole Warrant exercisable into one common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.08 per share for two years from the date of issue.

The proceeds of the Private Placement will be used for exploration, maintenance of the Shotgun Gold project and for general working capital purposes. All Private Placement securities will be restricted from trading for a period of four months plus one day from the date of closing.

ABOUT TNR GOLD CORP.

TNR Gold Corp. is working to become the green energy metals royalty and gold company.

Our business model provides a unique entry point in the creation of supply chains for critical materials like energy metals that are powering the energy rEVolution, and the gold industry that is providing a hedge for this stage of the economic cycle.

Our portfolio provides a unique combination of assets with exposure to multiple aspects of the mining cycle: the power of blue-sky discovery and important partnerships with industry leaders as operators on the projects that have the potential to generate royalty cashflows that will contribute significant value for our shareholders.

Over the past twenty-eight years, TNR, through its lead generator business model, has been successful in generating high-quality global exploration projects. With the Company's expertise, resources and industry network, the potential of the Mariana Lithium Project and Los Azules Copper Project in Argentina among many others have been recognized.

TNR holds a 1.5% NSR Royalty on the Mariana Lithium Project in Argentina, of which 0.15% NSR royalty is held on behalf of a shareholder. Ganfeng Lithium's subsidiary, Litio Minera Argentina ("LMA"), has the right to repurchase 1.0% of the NSR royalty on the Mariana Project, of which 0.9% is the Company's NSR Royalty interest. The Company would receive CAN$900,000 and its shareholder would receive CAN$100,000 on the repurchase by LMA, resulting in TNR holding a 0.45% NSR royalty and its shareholder holding a 0.05% NSR royalty.

The Mariana Lithium Project is 100% owned by Ganfeng Lithium. The Mariana Lithium Project has been approved by the Argentina provincial government of Salta for an environmental impact report, and the construction of a 20,000 tons-per-annum lithium chloride plant has commenced.

TNR Gold also holds a 0.4% NSR Royalty on the Los Azules Copper Project, of which 0.04% of the 0.4% NSR royalty is held on behalf of a shareholder. The Los Azules Copper Project is being developed by McEwen Mining.

TNR also holds a 7% net profits royalty holding on the Batidero I and II properties of the Josemaria Project that is being developed by Lundin Mining. Lundin Mining is part of the Lundin Group, a portfolio of companies producing a variety of commodities in several countries worldwide.

TNR provides significant exposure to gold through its 90% holding in the Shotgun Gold porphyry project in Alaska. The project is located in Southwestern Alaska near the Donlin Gold project, which is being developed by Barrick Gold and Novagold Resources. The Company's strategy with the Shotgun Gold Project is to attract a joint venture partnership with a major gold mining company. The Company is actively introducing the project to interested parties.

At its core, TNR provides a wide scope of exposure to gold, copper, silver and lithium through its holdings in Alaska (the Shotgun Gold porphyry project) and royalty holdings in Argentina (the Mariana Lithium project, the Los Azules Copper Project and the Batidero I & II properties of the Josemaria Project), and is committed to the continued generation of in-demand projects, while diversifying its markets and building shareholder value.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "will", "could" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "could" occur, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Specifically, forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements made in relation to: TNR's corporate objectives, changes in share capital, market conditions for energy commodities, the results of McEwen Mining's, Ganfeng Lithium's, Josemaria Resources' and Lundin Mining's preliminary economic assessments, Feasibility Study, or Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve estimations, life of mine estimates, and mine and mine closure plans and improvements in the financial performance of the Company. Such forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those discussed in the sections entitled "Risks" and "Forward-Looking Statements" in the Company's interim and annual Management's Discussion and Analysis which are available under the Company's profile on www.sedarplus.ca. While management believes that the assumptions made and reflected in this news release are reasonable, should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking information. In particular, there can be no assurance that: TNR will be able to repay its loans or complete any further royalty acquisitions or sales; debt or other financing will be available to TNR; or that TNR will be able to achieve any of its corporate objectives. TNR relies on the confirmation of its ownership for mining claims from the appropriate government agencies when paying rental payments for such mining claims requested by these agencies. There could be a risk in the future of the changing internal policies of such government agencies or risk related to the third parties challenging in the future the ownership of such mining claims. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements included herein are not guarantees of future performance, and such forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied on.

In formulating the forward-looking statements contained herein, management has assumed that business and economic conditions affecting TNR and its royalty partners, McEwen Mining Inc., Ganfeng Lithium, Josemaria Resources and Lundin Mining will continue substantially in the ordinary course, including without limitation with respect to general industry conditions, general levels of economic activity and regulations. These assumptions, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect.

Forward-looking information herein and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES 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/220739
Trigon Metals Inc. (TSX-V: TM, OTCQB: PNTZF) ("Trigon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce its operating and financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2024. Shareholders and interested parties are invited to join a conference call hosted by Trigon management, tomorrow, Thursday, August 22, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time to discuss the results. Dial-in details for the call can be found near the end of this press release. All amounts are expressed in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise stated.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240821552971/en/

Image 1: Kombat Open Pit (Photo: Business Wire)

Highlights

The Kombat mine achieved first full quarter production with underground contribution in Q1 for fiscal year end in 2025, marking a major inflection point for the Company

First quarter copper production was 2,302,726 pounds at C1 cash costs (1) of $3.23 per pound of copper produced.

of $3.23 per pound of copper produced. Silver production during the quarter was 33,399 ounces

Positive Adjusted EBITDA (1) contribution of $1.8 million

contribution of $1.8 million Net loss attributable to the shareholders of the Company of $2.1 million, or $0.05 per share on a basic and diluted basis compared to a net loss of $2.95 million, or $0.02 per share in the three months ended June 30, 2023 on a basic and diluted basis.

Following excellent operating performance at the Kombat mine during the quarter, the Company is reaffirming all other 2025 fiscal year-end production, and C1 cash cost guidance ranges

Jed Richardson, CEO and Executive Chairman of Trigon, commented, "Grade is king at Kombat, our first full quarter of contribution from our high grade underground is demonstrating the profitability at the mine. Achieving solid copper and silver production driven by favourable grade reconciliations have continued into the second quarter. This trend has allowed us to maintain our full-year copper and silver production guidance, which we expect will translate to achieving the lower end of our fiscal year 2025 cash cost guidance."

Mining & Milling Operations

At the Kombat mine, the first quarter was marked by several record-breaking underground mining days. Underground ore tonnes mined for the quarter totalled 57,070 tonnes at an average grade of 2.05%, and open pit production of 29,715 tonnes at an average grade of 1.23%. A total of 70,483 tonnes were milled during the quarter at a 1.67% average grade resulting in the production of 1,045 tonnes of copper.

The Company announced Commercial Production from the underground mine on April 30, 2024, and is pleased to report that the underground mine has continued to perform and exceed the mining targets defined in its feasibility study (the "Feasibility Study"). The Feasibility Study was prepared by SRK Consulting South Africa (Pty) Ltd ("SRK") in accordance with Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

Table 1: Operating and Financial Highlights (Reported in USD)

Three Months Ended Three Months Ended June 30, 2024 March 31, 2024 MINING OP Ore Mined (tonnes) 29,715 85,365 OP Copper Grade % 1.23% 0.98% OP Silver Grade (g/t) 9.98 6.88 UG Ore Mined (tonnes) 57,070 12,160 UG Copper Grade 2.05% 2.36% UG Silver Grade (g/t) 11.44 6.48 Total Ore Mined (tonnes) 86,785 97,525 MILLING Ore Processed (tonnes) 70,483 69,354 Copper recovery (%) 88.3% 80.5% Copper Concentrate Production (tonnes) 3,876 2,385 Concentrate Grade (Cu %) 27.1% 23.9% Concentrate Grade (Ag g/t) 271 23.9% Copper Product Produced (tonnes) 1,045 570 Copper Product Produced (lbs) 2,302,726 1,255,752 Silver Product Produced (oz) 33,399 14,653 SALES Copper Concentrate Sold (dry metric tonnes) 4,596 2,095 Copper Concentrate Sold (lbs) 10,132,434 4,618,679 Copper Product Sold (tonnes) 968 424 Copper Product Sold (lbs) 2,134,072 934,759 Realized copper price (per lb) $4.18 $4.12 C1 cash cost/lb (100% payability) (1) $3.23 3.35 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS ($ in 000's, except per share amounts) Revenues $10,032 $3,853 Gross Profit $1,941 $ (153) EBITDA $654 $16,260 Adjusted EBITDA $1,800 $168 Cash flow from operations $70 $(740) Net (loss) income $(2,215) $13,440 Three Months Ended Three Months Ended June 30, 2024 March 31, 2024 Net (loss) income attributable to shareholders of the Company $(2,108) $13,908 Per share (basic) $(0.05) $(0.07) Per share (diluted) $(0.05) $(0.07) Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments $1,173 $1,417 OP = Open Pit UG = Underground (1)EBITDA, net income (loss) attributable to owners of the Company, income (loss) per share attributable to owners of the Company, net (cash), working capital, C1 cash cost, copper production are non-IFRS measures. These measures do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and might not be comparable to similar financial measures disclosed by other issuers. Please refer to the Company's discussion of Non-IFRS measures in its Management Discussion and Analysis for the three months ended June 30, 2024.

Exploration Update

Trigon is allocating $2.5 million to $3.5 million to exploration programs for mineral reserve and resource replacement and on other exploration prospects in and around Kombat's existing infrastructure and landholdings in the Kombat valley.

On April 18, 2024, the Company released the highlights of its exploration campaign at Schlangental, a key prospect within the wider Kombat property, situated approximately 15km east of the active mining licence ML73B. This announcement followed the Company finalizing its comprehensive exploration plan for the expansive Kombat property, spanning nearly 35 km from Gross Otavi in the west and Schlangental to the east.

Drilling at Schlangental represents the first campaign testing mineralization outside of the main Kombat mining license on the Copper King Extension exploration prospect. Surface mineralization attracted Trigon geologists to the Schlangental area where reports of historic drilling indicated that mineralization continued at depth, but no drill core or detailed logs were available. Of the planned 36 holes totalling 4000m, only two holes have been drilled to date, with both holes intercepting mineralization at modest depths.

Subsequent Events

To support the commencement of production and associated working capital needs at the Kombat mine, the Company entered into an agreement with IXM whereby IXM agreed to advance USD$2.5 million in two tranches of USD$1.25 million each, with tranche one immediately drawn down and the second tranche being available for drawdown between August 19, 2024 and August 30, 2024. The advance will be repaid in principal portions of USD$208,334 per month commencing in October 2024 through September 2025 repayable in deliveries of copper concentrate. Interest will be charged at the 30-day secured overnight financing rate average plus 2.5% and paid in cash.

2025 Production and Cost Guidance

Following record operating performance at the Kombat mine during the quarter, the Company is reaffirming its 2025 copper production guidance of 12,125,000 to 13,448,000 pounds of copper. The Company expects mined and processed copper grades to remain in line with guidance for 2025.

The Company's updated cost guidance for 2024 assumes a foreign exchange rate of 18.40 NAD per USD and a silver price of $25 per ounce.

Table 2: Financial Year 2025 Guidance

FY 2025 Guidance Description Unit Floor Ceiling Underground Mining Tonnes 250,000 280,000 Ore Grade % 1.95% 2.30% Processing Tonnes 260,000 312,000 Copper Produced Tonnes 5,500 6,100 Copper Produced lbs 12,125,000 13,448,000 Cash Cost $/lbs 3.15 2.80

Conference Call Details

The Company will hold a conference call to discuss these results on Thursday, August 22, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. EST (8:00 a.m. PST). Please pre-register at the link provided below.

Date: Thursday, August 22, 2024

Time: 11:00 a.m. EST/8:00 a.m. PST

Dial in: Canada/USA: 1-800-990-4333

Toronto: 1-289 514-5000

New York: 1-646-769-9600

please dial in 5-10 minutes prior and ask to join the call

Pre-Register:

Registration link: https://emportal.ink/3ApVh5v

Replay: Canada/USA toll-free: 1-888-660-6264

Replay Passcode: 75661#

Qualified Person

The technical information presented in this press release has been reviewed and approved for disclosure by Fanie Muller, P.Eng, VP Operations of Trigon, who is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.

Trigon Metals Inc.

Trigon is a publicly-traded Canadian exploration and development company with its core business focused on copper and silver holdings in mine-friendly African jurisdictions. Currently, the company has operations in Namibia and Morocco. In Namibia, the Company holds an 80% interest in five mining licences in the Otavi Mountainlands, an area of Namibia widely recognized for its high-grade copper deposits, where the Company is focused on exploration and re-development of the previously producing Kombat Mine.

Cautionary Notes

This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements include statements regarding the Company's mining operations, the timing and results of mining activities, the Company's strategies and the Company's abilities to execute such strategies, the Company's expectations for the Kombat mine, the economic viability of the Kombat mine, the Company's ability to expand or replace mineral resources and reserves, the projected costs and production at the Kombat mine, the agreement with IXM and the Company's ability to repay IXM, the prices of copper and silver and the Company's future plans and objectives. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statements or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

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.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240821552971/en/

Contact

For further information, contact Investor Relations:

+1 647 276 6002

IR@trigonmetals.com

Website: www.trigonmetals.com
Marko plays down Red Bull performance crisis

Dr Helmut Marko has played down escalating alarm about Red Bull's fading car performance in 2024.

Max Verstappen, Belgian GP 2024

 Red Bull

Recent rumours suggest that, amid improved fortunes for rival teams McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari, Red Bull may have been quietly told by the FIA some weeks ago to discontinue a technical solution in the 'grey area'.

And now, France's Auto Hebdo reports that the FIA has formally told teams that, as of this weekend's Dutch GP, so-called 'asymmetric braking' solutions are banned.

The solution would theoretically mean that, as well as being able to adjust brake distribution front to rear, a driver would also be able to adjust the distribution from left to right.

An FIA source, however, insisted it is not true that any such system has been discovered on any car on the 2024 grid.

It is well known that Adrian Newey has stepped down from most active duties at Red Bull's top F1 team, but continuing technical director Pierre Wache denies that explains any loss of performance.

If you spend three years developing a car concept and the regulations offer little freedom, then you automatically approach the limit, he is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.

The biggest problem is that the rules are much stricter than with the old cars. We can no longer do what we want, the Frenchman added. That's why it's more difficult to react to problems.

It is rumoured that, as of next weekend's Italian GP at Monza, Red Bull may begin to experiment by backtracking on some of the car's in-season upgrades.

Like Mercedes at the beginning of the year, we are sometimes fast and sometimes slow depending on the conditions, team consultant Marko admits. Sometimes it even happens in the same race as in Silverstone, where it rained.

However, the Austrian insists the situation is perhaps not as bad as is being reported. Max Verstappen leads the drivers' standings over Lando Norris by 78 points, with McLaren trailing the teams' table by just 42 points.

We are better than our last results show, Marko said. Without the bad pitstop in Spielberg, the collision with (Lewis) Hamilton in Hungary and the grid penalty in Spa, Max would be in a better position.

(GMM)
New York subscribers got exclusive early access to this story in Eating New York, a newsletter featuring food news and advice straight from our critics mouths. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. The namesake dish at Pho Ga Vang. Photo: Grub Street

The only thing Tony Le will reveal about the broth he makes for his Chinatown restaurant Pho Ga Vang is that it takes two days to prepare. Im very secretive about what I do because its a family recipe, he says. He lists a few other guidelines hes picked up working in the family business, like sell the soup and close when you run out. He chops chicken, its skin as yellow as an emoji, fresh to order so it stays juicy. Les broth is sweet and pure, seasoned with ginger and onion and what seems like more than a pinch of MSG. Along with the rice noodles, theres scallion greens, cilantro, and sliced white onion bobbing in it. Yes, he concedes, I do baby the soup.

Pho Ga Vang opened a few weeks ago on Market Street, around the corner from Golden Diner and Banh by Lauren. Theres bo kho, plates of vermicelli noodles with grilled meats, beef pho, the Pho Tony (with steak, brisket, meatball, and chicken), and a few different options for pho ga, including one made with chicken thats been treated to a lemongrass marinade and grilled until blackened. (Theres another with gizzard and liver  in theory. It hasnt been available either time Ive been in.)

This is the second location of the restaurant. Le opened the first in the D.C. suburbs in early 2023. The Washingtonian named Pho Ga Vang one of the 100 Very Best Restaurants of 2024, calling the chicken soup some of the richest and most soothing theyve encountered. But Le comes to New York by way of Philadelphia, originally, where his parents opened the famous Pho Ga Thanh Thanh. In 2019, he left Philly and, with business partner Vinh Nguyen, opened Pho Ga Tony Tony in Norcross, Georgias Little Saigon. It was a hit: The Atlanta Journal-Constitutions critic called the soup nothing less than liquid magic. While Le and Nguyen expressed ambitions to open a small chain, they only opened one other location. Both eventually closed. Atlanta didnt work out because it was a bad partnership and I ended up getting a lawyer to sue my partner, Le says. In February 2022, he opened a restaurant in Las Vegas (he is no longer involved), then another in Philadelphia (it, too, has closed).

At Pho Ga Vang, Le says that he benefited from the fact that customers were familiar with his parents restaurant. They knew that it was the same brand, which is why we were pretty successful in Virginia, he says. Thats one reason why hes now taking a shot at New York: In Philadelphia, customers whod come down from New York asked them to open here. As for choosing Chinatown? I dont know nothing about New York, Le says. I dont know why I choose to open there. He found the space in an ad on Facebook Marketplace. The streets seemed busy. He thought hed found a good deal, but it ended up taking five months to open because, he says, the gas meter had been removed.

Before starting his own chicken-soup ventures, Le worked at his parents restaurant for 20 years. (In New York, he has a framed photo of the original location on the wall, next to chicken-themed decorations like a Cocky poster with a flexing rooster.) Les parents, Hoa Nguyen and Chuong Le, were refugees who landed in California and later moved their family to Pennsylvania to open a nail salon. That business didnt work out, but Pho Ga Thanh Thanh became renowned enough that, as the Philadelphia Inquirer critic Craig LaBan wrote, Hoa simply became known as the chicken lady. When she got sick in 2017, her four children all became more involved, and she taught each of them to make the familys pho ga recipe. The restaurant is now owned by Les sister Elizabeth Nguyen, who trademarked the name and family recipe and says there is no relationship between Pho Ga Thanh Thanh and Pho Ga Vang, run by Le. If he does well, Im happy for him and his family, Elizabeth says.

Elizabeth, of course, is also aware of how many Pho Ga Thanh Thanh customers come down from New York: They still do. After opening a second location in Philadelphia this May, she now has her sights set on Queens, where shell kick off a grand plan, as she once put it, to go nationwide. It sounds like a family rivalry could play out in the five boroughs, though in New York, there is plenty of room, and then some, for more pho ga. Were opening in Long Island City within the next eight months, Elizabeth says. Its in the works already.
iQOO expanded the Z9 lineup in India today by launching two 's' models - iQOO Z9s and iQOO Z9s Pro. We were invited to a media briefing in Baku, Azerbaijan last month, where we got to explore the Z9s Pro's cameras. But now that the smartphone is officially unveiled, let's see what it's all about.

The iQOO Z9s Pro comes in a black-colored retail box with a protective case, a SIM ejector tool, a charging cable, and an 80W power adapter.

The iQOO Z9s Pro is built around a 6.77" curved AMOLED display of 2,392x1,080-pixel resolution, having a 120Hz refresh rate and 4,500 nits local peak brightness. It comes with HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG codecs, and has Widevine L1 support for 1080p video streaming on compatible apps.

The Z9s Pro's screen is protected by Schott Xensation Up glass and supports Wet Touch technology. It can also display 1.07 billion colors and has a centered punch-hole for the 16MP selfie camera using Samsung's S5K3P9SP04-FGX9 sensor.

The display also has a fingerprint scanner embedded, which worked well during our usage. However, it should have been placed slightly higher for ease of reach.

Around the back, we have a squircle-shaped camera island housing a circular flash and two working cameras - 50MP primary (Sony IMX882 with OIS) and 8MP ultrawide (OmniVision OV08D10-GA5A-001A, 120 FOV).

We received the Luxe Marble version, which, as evident from the name, has a marble-like pattern on its back cover. It's made of plastic but has a glass-like feel.

The other model is Flamboyant Orange with a vegan leather back - a first for the Z series. At 190g, it's 5g heavier than the Luxe Marble model but provides a better grip. Regardless, both versions have an IP64 rating.

Regarding ports and controls, the iQOO Z9s Pro has the power button and volume rocker on its right-side frame, and at the bottom is the USB-C. It's flanked by the SIM card slot, primary microphone, and speaker grille. Up top is the secondary mic. The smartphone features stereo speakers but doesn't sport a 3.5mm headphone jack. It does have Hi-Res Audio support for earphones, though.



iQOO Z9s Pro's ports and controls

Under the hood, the iQOO Z9s Pro has the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 SoC with up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. It runs Android 14-based Funtouch OS 14 out of the box. iQOO has promised two years of Android version upgrades and three years of Android security updates but hasn't committed anything regarding the rollout frequency of the latter.

Fueling the entire package is a 5,500 mAh battery with 80W charging support. iQOO says the bundled 80W adapter can fill the cell up to 50% in 21 minutes.

The iQOO Z9s Pro has a base price of INR24,999 ($300/270) and will be available in India starting August 23 through iQOO's Indian website and Amazon.in.
Samsung released a subset of its Galaxy AI features for the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra already, and this includes Circle to Search of course. However, the Galaxy S21 FE did not receive Circle to Search at that time, despite the fact that it shares its chipsets with the other members of the S21 family.

This error has finally been rectified now. Samsung has brought Circle to Search to the Galaxy S21 FE as part of the August 2024 security update, which is now rolling out in Vietnam and should be coming to other markets in the next few days. This also fixes over 50 security vulnerabilities in Android and Samsung's One UI.

As you may already know, Circle to Search does exactly what its name implies. It allows you to circle anything on your screen and get information about it. You can even find out what song is playing around you (or on your phone). You invoke Circle to Search by long pressing the white bottom pill bar or the home button if you still have one.

Source
Andersen Air Force Base has until Sept. 20 to address a number of deficiencies in its application for a permit to keep open detonating and burning hazardous materials alongside Tarague Beach, according to an Aug. 6 letter from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

A revised permit application from Andersen must include measures to prevent contamination of the ocean, the aquifer, and the atmosphere, among other things, according to the letter sent to the head of Andersens 36th Civil Engineer Squadron.

Both the administrator for U.S. EPA in the region, Martha Guzman Aceves, and Guam Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michelle Lastimoza signed off on the letter.

Andersens 36th Wing Public Affairs office indicated that a response from the base would not be available until Thursday or Friday, when reached for comment about the letter on Wednesday.

The Aug. 6 letter states a plan for the closure of both ranges must be included in the revised permit application, along with a timeline for the close out of the open burn range.

Open burning particularly has been the subject of increasing scrutiny from federal regulators. Local military officials have said that the burn range is no longer used to dispose of hazardous waste, the Pacific Daily News reported previously.

Notably, the letter states that both U.S. EPA and the Guam Environmental Protection Agency believe the groundwater monitoring program for the range is insufficient at identifying any impact to groundwater or the ocean.

The open detonation and burn ranges at Tarague, operated since the 1980s, have become the source of local controversy in recent years.

Andersen applied to renew its permit for the ranges in May 2021, but the application has not cleared review by Guam EPA three years later.

Activist group Prutehi Litekyan: Save Ritidian in January 2022 filed a federal lawsuit seeking to have range activity halted. The suit is currently under appeal in a Hawaii court.

Senators in December 2022 passed a bill banning open detonation and open burning of hazardous waste. That ban was reversed two months later, after former Joint Region Marianas commander Rear Adm. Benjamin Nicholson said the ban stopped military explosive ordnance disposal teams from legally responding to emergencies.

Last year, U.S. EPA handed down stricter guidance about how local regulators should handle open burning and detonation.

Military leadership asserts that open detonation is the only way to dispose of hazardous munitions left over from World War II, which to this day are unearthed in the community. Andersen officials have told Guam EPA that detonations may only occur two or three times a year.

Opponents have pushed for a shut down or move of the ranges, and for alternative options to be assessed by the military for disposing of decades-old munitions.

The Aug. 6 letter from U.S. EPA notes that groundwater lies approximately 6 feet below the OD unit where (Guams) sole source aquifer is.

A revised permit must include an evaluation of a potential groundwater monitoring well near the ranges.

According to the letter, Andersen currently evaluates groundwater by checking water seeps at low tide, even though a 2008 study had results that were inconclusive with respect to locating definitive seep sample locations.

An evaluation of alternative technology to open burn and detonation must be submitted along with the revised permit application, the letter states.

Put an end to open detonations

Monaeka Flores of Prutehi Litekyan, in a press release from environmental law firm Earthjustice, said she was glad to see Guam EPA and U.S. EPA finally hold the Air Force accountable to the law.

Earthjustice is representing Prutehi Litekyan in its suit against the Air Force.

This letter from both Guam EPA and U.S. EPA has finally validated our efforts and concerns. But this letter should have come three years ago to require the Air Force to evaluate safe alternatives and environmental impacts. Instead, weve continued to suffer the harms from open detonations, Flores said.

Thien Chau, senior associate attorney at Earthjustice, said in the release that the law prohibits open burn and detonation of waste explosives when there are safe alternatives.

Its long past time for Guam EPA to deny the permit and put an end to open detonations on Tarague Beach, Chau said.
Its been nearly five months since government nurses got an 18% bump in pay, but nurses employed by the Guam Department of Education have not seen that pay raise implemented.

Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero authorized the bump in pay for nurses across GovGuam back in April.

But GDOE Superintendent Erik Swanson at a Tuesday media briefing said the raise has not gone into effect yet, and more than $700,000 is owed to school nurses.

The superintendent said that GDOEs current fiscal year budget did not account for the pay raise that took effect in April.

GDOEs fiscal year 2024 budget would have been negotiated way back in the summer of 2023.

We had to find the money, so thats the challenge, Swanson said.

Money has to be taken from elsewhere so GDOE can cover those costs, its a tradeoff, for lack of a better term.

The 18% pay bump amounts to an increase in base annual pay of almost $7,000 to a little over $9,000 for nurses employed by GDOE, based on the pay raise memo from the Department of Administration.

GDOEs latest staffing pattern shows 41 health counselors, who are all registered nurses, and three licensed professional nurses on the payroll.

According to Swanson, the GDOE budget request to the Legislature does not include the cost to fund the nurse pay raise in the upcoming fiscal year, either.

The governor announced the nurse pay raise just before 3 p.m. on April 2, about an hour before the Guam Education Board met to approve GDOEs budget request for the next fiscal year.

But the raise was signed approved by the governor earlier than that, on March 13, DOA documents show.

Swanson said Tuesday that lawmakers had been made aware of the need to fund the nurse pay raises.

Legislative education chairman Sen. Chris Barnett confirmed that he has amended the budget to cover nurse pay out of the $256 million appropriation that GDOE is earmarked get in the next fiscal year.

The $256 million, plus $28 million worth of lapsed funding that can be used for fiscal 2025, is still less than the $303 million that GDOE asked for.

Swanson called the $303 million figure a bare bones budget for GDOE, which was only achieved after a series of cuts.
Leaders and representatives from around the Pacific gather for the opening day of the 26th Micronesian Islands Forum on June 3, 2024 at Hyatt Regency Guam in Tumon.
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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Postal Code
CHICAGO (AP)  Warning of a difficult fight ahead, former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama on Tuesday called on the nation to embrace Kamala Harris in urgent messages to the Democratic National Convention that were at times both hopeful and foreboding.

America, hope is making a comeback, the former first lady declared. She then tore into Republican Donald Trump, a sharp shift from the 2016 convention speech in which she told her party, When they go low, we go high.

His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black, Obama said of Trump.

Her husband, the nations first Black president pushing for America to elect its second, called Trump a 78-year-old billionaire who hasnt stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.

Its been a constant stream of gripes and grievances thats actually gotten worse now that hes afraid of losing to Kamala, he charged.

The fiery messages from two of the Democratic Partys biggest stars underscored the urgency of the moment as Harris works to stitch together a broad coalition in her bid to defeat Trump this fall. She is drawing on stars like the Obamas and other celebrities, officials from the far left to the middle, and even some Republicans to boost her campaign.

And while the theme of the night was a bold vision for Americas future, the disparate factions of Harris evolving coalition demonstrated, above all, that they are connected by a deep desire to prevent a second Trump presidency.

Just ahead of the Obamas remarks, Harris addressed an estimated 15,000 people in battleground Wisconsin in the arena where Republicans held their convention last month. She declared that she was running a people-powered campaign.

Together we will chart a new way forward, the vice president said in remarks that were partially broadcast to the DNC. A future for freedom, opportunity, of optimism and faith.

Back in Chicago, Sens. Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, and Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent beloved by progressives, both praised Harris. And in an appearance perhaps intended to needle Trump, his former press secretary Stephanie Grisham  now a harsh critic of her former boss  also took the convention stage.

Trump has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth, Grisham said. I love my country more than my party. Kamala Harris tells the truth. She respects the American people. And she has my vote.

Still, it was not all serious on the second night of the four-day convention.

A symbolic roll call in which delegates from each state pledged their support for the Democratic nominee turned into a party atmosphere. A DJ played a mix of state-specific songs  and Atlanta native Lil Jon ran out during Georgias turn to his hit song with DJ Snake, Turn Down for What, to the delight of the thousands inside the cavernous United Center.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who would become the nations first gentleman if his wife wins the presidency, shared personal details about his relationship with Harris  their cooking habits, their first date and her laugh, which is often mocked by Republican critics.

You know that laugh. I love that laugh! Emhoff said as the crowd cheered. Later, he added, Her empathy is her strength.

Trump, meanwhile, was out on the campaign trail as part of his weeklong swing-state tour during the Democratic convention. He went to Howell, Michigan, on Tuesday and stood aside sheriffs deputies as he labeled Harris the ringleader of a Marxist attack on law enforcement across the country.

Kamala Harris will deliver crime, chaos, destruction and death, Trump said in one of many generalizations about an America under Harris.

Harris, meanwhile, cast the election in dire, almost existential terms. She implored Americans not to get complacent in light of the Supreme Court decision carving out broad presidential immunity, a power she said Trump would abuse.

She has also seized on Trumps opposition to a nationally guaranteed right to abortion.

They seemingly dont trust women, she said of Trump and his Republican allies. Well, we trust women.

The vice presidents speech evoked some of the same themes that underlaid Bidens case for reelection before he dropped out, casting Trump as a threat to democracy. Harris argued that Trump threatens the values and freedoms that Americans hold dear.

Trump said he would be a dictator only on his first day in office, a quip he later said was a joke, and has vowed as president to assert more control over federal prosecutions, an area of government that has traditionally been left to the Justice Department.

Someone with that record should never again have the opportunity to stand behind the seal of the president of the United States, Harris said. Never again.

___

By STEVE PEOPLES, JONATHAN J. COOPER and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press

Cooper reported from Phoenix.




Haiti - Politic : New Commander of the FAdH (speech by President Edgard Leblanc Fils)





On Tuesday, August 20, 2024, at the National Palace, Edgard Leblanc Fils, President of the Transitional Council, in the presence of the Prime Minister, Garry Conille and members of his Government, including the Minister of Defense, Jean Marc Berthier Antoine, as well as the Acting Director General of the Haitian National Police, Normil Rameau, proceeded with the installation of the new interim Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAd'H). Lieutenant General Derby Guerrier, replacing Commander Jodel Lesage, who spent 7 years at the head of the FAd'H.



"..] I have just pinned the rank of Lieutenant General to Brigadier General Derby Guerrier on the occasion of his installation as the new Acting Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Haiti" declared Edgard Leblanc Fils, President of the Transitional Council.



"It is an honor for me to receive this rank and this responsibility at this time for our country. I am committed to strengthening the discipline, professionalism and efficiency of our armed forces, while remaining faithful to republican values and the defense of our sovereignty", said Lieutenant General Guerrier.



Speech by the President of the Transitional Council, by Edgard Leblanc Fils :



"Ladies and Gentlemen,



On behalf of the Presidential Transitional Council, it falls to me, on this morning of August 20, 2024, the high responsibility of proceeding with the installation of the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Haiti, Brigadier General Derby Guerrier, promoted, on this occasion, to Lieutenant General. Upon the remobilization of the Haitian Armed Forces by the late President Jovenel Moise, Colonel Derby Guerrier was called on March 6, 2018 to return to the ranks of the Army as head of G4 logistics of the General Staff alongside his comrades from the 1974-1976 class : Jodel Lessage, 2nd in the class, Jean Jonas, Jean Robert Gabriel, Emmanuel Azemar. He then resigned from his position as Head of Security Agents of the Provisional Electoral Council, which he had held since 2008. Colonel Delby Guerrier thus responded to the call of history.



I would like to pay special tribute here to the enlightened vision of Lieutenant General Jodel Lessage who took the reins of the Armed Forces of Haiti, in a situation that was not favorable to its remobilization both internally and externally, and led them with moderation until this fateful moment of marked instability, of war of armed gangs against the population. Indeed, hit by an embargo following the coup d'etat of 1991, the FAd'H were stigmatized and then demobilized, by decree, on January 6, 1995.



Under the leadership of Commander-in-Chief Jodel Lessage, the Armed Forces of Haiti have won public recognition. With the help of the security crisis, they have come to fail to respond to the call of the suffering people, victims of atrocities by gangs, who terrorize the population, destabilize the State, and undermine the National Police of Haiti, the only institution in charge of the security of the Nation.



The Armed Forces of Haiti have been able to regain the trust of the population, to remind the international community of their usefulness, by proving their usefulness. They are the ones who protect the Bank of the Republic of Haiti, the port and the airport of the capital. Reinforced in their capacities in terms of personnel and equipment, they will come, alongside the National Police, to restore security and peace throughout the national territory for the happiness of the Haitian people.



Mr. Lieutenant General, outgoing Commander-in-Chief, on behalf of the Haitian people, on behalf of the Presidential Transitional Council, I thank you for all the service rendered to the common homeland.



Ladies and Gentlemen



Mr. Commander-in-Chief,



You are taking over the leadership of the FAd'H at a decisive turning point in national life marked by a multidimensional crisis grafted onto chronic insecurity threatening the foundations of the Nation. I am counting on your dynamism, your experience of electoral issues, your knowledge of the military institution to launch, with the National Police, assisted by the Multinational Security Support Mission, the major battles against insecurity, but also and above all for the stability of institutions, the restoration of the rule of law, factors essential to economic and social progress.



I take this opportunity to salute all the partners who have developed cooperation with the Armed Forces of Haiti by providing technical assistance in training or equipment.



The recruitment competition launched by the Ministry of Defense contributes to the strengthening of this institution that created the State of Haiti, after having led the only successful slave revolt in universal history. Haiti cannot be conceived without its army.



Officers, Soldiers of the FAd'H,



You are heirs to this Army of national independence that changed the face of the world. Be proud of it ! The problems of the moment will be overcome and the Armed Forces of Haiti will fully play its role in building this new country that we all dream of.



Ladies and Gentlemen,



Mr. Commander-in-Chief,



I would like to invite you to learn the lessons of demobilization and ensure that the Armed Forces of Haiti are a professional, disciplined army, scrupulously respecting the supremacy of civil power over the military institution.



The Haitian people who have suffered so much in their flesh, in their spirit, in their property, the Presidential Transitional Council, the Government of the Republic expect the FAd'H, in concert with the PNH supported by the MMSS, to eradicate the armed bands from the national environment, thus consolidating all other and multiple efforts to definitively place the country on the path to sustainable development.



TOMORROW, ANOTHER COUNTRY!



Thank you for your attention."



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Politic : New Commander of the FAdH and promises of the Government (Speech of the PM)





Tuesday, August 20, 2024, at the National Palace, during the installation ceremony of Lieutenant General Derby Guerrier as the new Commander of the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAD'H), Prime Minister Dr. Garry Conille declared in his speech :



Speech by Prime Minister Garry Conille :



"[...] On this solemn day, we gather here, on this soil steeped in history, for an event that is of capital importance for the future of our Nation. The assumption of command of the Armed Forces of Haiti by Lieutenant General Derby Guerrier marks not only a decisive turning point, but also an act of faith in our collective ability to restore the greatness and sovereignty of our country. Thank you to General Lessage for his loyal service to the homeland.



Mr. Lieutenant General, by accepting this command, you take on your shoulders the weight of history and the hope of an entire people. Your mission, oh so noble and arduous, is to lead our armed forces with the rigor, integrity and wisdom that have always characterized great leaders. In these troubled times, when our Homeland is facing unprecedented perils, your role will be crucial to protect the nation, restore order and guarantee our independence.



The history of our Armed Forces is not that of a simple military institution, but that of a national epic, forged in blood, sacrifice and determination. Under the flags of Toussaint Louverture, Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henri Christophe, our ancestors rose up to break the chains of oppression and found a free and sovereign Nation. This army, direct heir to these heroes, embodies the very spirit of our independence, the living flame of our will for freedom.



Today, as you take command of this historic institution, you follow in the footsteps of these giants, these titanic figures who gave their lives so that we could live free. It is up to you now, Lieutenant General, to continue this legacy, to hold high the torch of freedom, and to restore the people's confidence in their Armed Forces.



Your mission is clear and imperative : to restore discipline, to strengthen the operational capacity of our units, and to make each soldier a model of professionalism and dedication to the Republic.



But let's never forget that in a democracy, the strength of the army must always be subordinate to the strength of the Law. The army of a free Nation is a bulwark against chaos, but it must always remain at the service of the law and the will of the people. It is by respecting this primacy of law that the army becomes the guardian of freedom and not its gravedigger. Your duty, Lieutenant General, will therefore be to ensure that the Armed Forces of Haiti reflect our democratic values, and that they act in close collaboration with the civil authorities for the good of our Homeland.



Faced with the colossal challenges that await us, including the fight against the forces of evil that sow terror and violence, it is imperative that our Armed Forces join forces with the Haitian National Police. This synergy, this work in perfect harmony, is the key to our success against the threats weighing on our territory. Together, and only together, will we be able to bring peace, restore order, and offer our people the security they deserve.



To make this mission possible, the Government is committed to taking concrete measures to support and strengthen the Armed Forces of Haiti during this period of crisis:



1. The Government will allocate additional funds to modernize the equipment of the Armed Forces, in particular surveillance and communication technologies. We must equip our soldiers with the most efficient tools so that they can carry out their mission effectively.



2. I count on you to put in place an intensive training program, not only for new recruits, but also for current officers. This training will emphasize modern military tactics, crisis management, and respect for human rights. Our forces must be ready to respond to all situations with skill and discernment.



3. We are already strengthening our partnerships with allied nations to benefit from international expertise in security and defense. Joint training missions and exchanges of best practices will be organized to raise the operational level of our Armed Forces.



4. I count on you to ensure that the well-being of soldiers is a priority. In the coming months, we will improve military infrastructure, housing, and health care for our soldiers and their families. A soldier who knows that his family is safe and well cared for is a soldier more determined and focused.



5. Finally, we will establish collaboration programs between the army and local communities. These initiatives aim to strengthen mutual trust, develop reconstruction and local development projects and show that the army is there to protect and serve the people.



Ladies and Gentlemen, dear compatriots,



The future of the Nation rests on our ability to guarantee security and stability. On this historic day, I reiterate my government's total commitment to supporting our Armed Forces and strengthening their cooperation with the National Police. It is our duty, our sacred responsibility, to build a country where every citizen can live in peace, where our children can grow up without fear, and where the sovereignty of our nation is respected and preserved.



Lieutenant General Guerrier, at this solemn moment, I extend to you my warmest congratulations. I am convinced that under your leadership, the Armed Forces of Haiti will regain their former glory and their rightful place at the heart of our society and in the defense of our Republic.



May God guide you in this mission of the utmost importance, and may Haiti live, eternally free, sovereign and in Peace!



I thank you. 



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-43032-haiti-politic-new-commander-of-the-fad-h-speech-by-president-edgard-leblanc-fils.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Martelly "would have" left the USA

After being sanctioned Tuesday by the United States for drug trafficking, money laundering and gang financing, according to our (unofficial) information, Michel Martelly would have left the USA for an unknown destination. He would also be banned from traveling to the United States. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-43030-haiti-flashformer-president-martelly-sanctioned-by-the-usa-for-drug-trafficking-money-laundering-and-gang-sponsorship.html



MCI : New inspectors sworn in

On Monday, August 19, 2024, around twenty new inspectors from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI) were sworn in at the Court of First Instance in Port-au-Prince. Note the last swearing-in of MCI inspectors dates back more than 10 years...



Oxygen production center funded by France

The French Development Agency (AFD) is proud of the inauguration of the "Zanmi Lasante" oxygen production center funded to the tune of 2.25 million euros. With a capacity of up to 100 cylinders per day, this production center will significantly improve the quality of care provided to the population.



Canada welcomes US sanctions against Martelly

"Canada welcomes the US decision to sanction former Haitian President Martelly https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-43030-haiti-flash-ex-president-marhttps://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-43030-haiti-flashformer-president-martelly-sanctioned-by-the-usa-for-drug-trafficking-money-laundering-and-gang-sponsorship.html In November 2022, we took a leadership role in sanctioning political elites who contributed to the terror in Haiti and encouraged the international community to do the same https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-38184-haiti-flash-canada-sanctions-martelly-lamothe-and-ceant.html . Collectively, we must fight against corruption and hold those responsible for terrorizing the country and the Haitian people. It is crucial we put pressure on individuals responsible to end their senseless violence and restore peace and security in Haiti," Melanie Joly Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada.



FAdH : Wishes from the Minister of Defense

"Success and courage to the new acting Commander-in-Chief of the FAdH https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-43032-haiti-politic-new-commander-of-the-fad-h-speech-by-president-edgard-leblanc-fils.html and https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-43034-haiti-politic-new-commander-of-the-fad-h-and-promises-of-the-government-speech-of-the-pm.html . Lieutenant-General Derby Guerrier, the entire country looks at you with hope and confidence. You have the responsibility to lead our armed forces into a new era," Jean Marc Berthier Antoine, Minister of Defense.



End of Mission of the French Ambassador

Tuesday, August 20, 2024 at the Villa d'Accueil, the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT) organized a departure ceremony for the French Ambassador to Haiti, Fabrice Mauries at the end of his mission. Ambassador Mauries highlighted the exceptional quality of the ties of friendship between Haiti and France, which have been strengthened in several areas during his mandate. He also specified that his successor will announce next week the new orientations of French cooperation, particularly in terms of security.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















In south-central Nepal, nestled among the lush greenery, lies the small village Kamalamai, part of the Sindhuli district. This village is home to Rukmani Adhikari, a smallholder dairy farmer whose life, like many others in her community, was once confined to the boundaries of her household. Today, Rukmani is a beacon of change, radiating the strength and confidence she has gained through her journey with the Talllo Rajpani Self-Help Group and the Kamalamai Social Entrepreneur Women Dairy Cooperative.

Rukmanis days used to be filled with the humdrum of routine chores, her world limited to the walls of her home and the fields outside. She was shy, her voice barely a whisper in the bustling noise of village life. But everything changed when Heifer International introduced a transformative program in her village  Milky Way  in partnership with the governments of Nepal and Korea. The promise of Korean heifers, training and support ignited a spark of hope in Rukmani and many other women like her.

Women of the Kamalamai Social Entrepreneur Women Dairy Cooperative meet to discuss dairy farming practices. Photo by Heifer International.

Rukmani joined the Talllo Rajpani Self-Help Group with excitement and apprehension. The group, supported by Heifer, aims to empower women through dairy farming. As the vice president of the group, Rukmani found herself stepping into roles she had never imagined. She began to speak up in meetings, her voice growing stronger with each passing day.

Before, women didnt get out of the house. Now we have formed a group. Before we were very shy. Heifer taught us to speak up.  Rukmani Adhikari

Rukmani received two Korean Holstein heifers as part of the Milky Way program that brought significant changes in her life when the sturdy Korean breed started producing milk. These heifers were unlike the local breeds she had before. Previously, her cows yielded a meager 7 liters of milk per day, but these new cows produced a whopping 21 liters per milking session. The difference is astonishing. The milk, collected twice a day, is sold to her cooperative for dairy production, generating a steady income for Rukmanis family.

Rukmani pours milk produced by her cows, a key source of income for her family. Photo by Heifer International.

To ensure the highest quality of milk, Rukmani follows strict hygiene protocols taught by Heifer. She demonstrates strict washing techniques including the post-milking dipping fluid to prevent mastitis, a practice she had never known before. The shed, cofinanced by the farmer and Heifer, was equipped with mats for the cows to sit on, replacing the hard, cold ground. Feeding troughs were installed, replacing the old method of throwing feed on the floor, and a water tank ensured a constant supply of fresh water.

Rukmani also learned about proper calf-feeding techniques at a Farmer Field School established by Heifer to facilitate training. After her cows gave birth for the first time, the calves were bottle-fed, ensuring they received the nutrition they needed while preventing over-nursing. The feed for the adult cows includes a mix included silage, hay, grain, concentrate, grass, and straw. Although silage is currently purchased, the cooperative plans to produce its own in the future. Despite the challenges of increased cleaning and the need for more feed, Rukmani has been determined to provide proper care to the heifers.

The impact of the Milky Way program on Rukmanis life is profound. Before, women didnt get out of the house. Now we have formed a group. Before we were very shy. Heifer taught us to speak up. We were excited when we heard this program would bring the Korean heifers. We are confident that it will bring positive changes in our community, she shared with a smile. The income from selling milk not only provides for her childrens education but also means she no longer has to ask her husband for money. The newfound financial independence is empowering.

Rukmanis husband Madhav Adhikari played a crucial role in this transformation. He was supportive and involved in both farm work and household chores. I try to help. I am part of her journey, not only the farm work but also the household chores, he said. As the head of the milk collection center, he ensures the milk is transported to the cooperative twice a day, maintaining the quality and efficiency of the process.

Madhav Adhikari, left, and Rukmani Adhikari, right, at their dairy farm in Kamalamai, Nepal. Photo by Heifer International.

The practice of Passing on the Gift, one of Heifers 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development, is another heartwarming aspect of the program. Rukmani received her cows from the funds raised in Korea and is now eager to pass on the first calf to another farmer in need. One person made it possible for me to receive a cow so Ill give the next one to someone else, she explained. This cycle of giving creates a strong sense of community and support among the farmers.

Access to a 24/7 assistance line linked to Korean vets and local community agrovet entrepreneurs, or Heifer-trained community animal health workers, has provided Rukmani and other farmers with continuous support. Any issue, big or small, can be addressed promptly, ensuring the health and productivity of the cows.

Rukmanis journey from a shy, reserved woman to a confident leader and successful dairy farmer is a testament to the power of empowerment and education. The cooperative, with its 190 members, is a thriving community of women who have found strength in unity and knowledge.

As Rukmani looks out over her flourishing farm, she reflects on how far she has come. The cows grazing contentedly, the sound of milk flowing into buckets, and the laughter of her children are all symbols of a life transformed.

Members of the Kamalamai Social Entrepreneur Women Dairy Cooperative gather to discuss their progress and challenges. Photo by Heifer International.

Were confident the cows will transform our lives,  that we will be able to make more money by selling milk.  Our children can access quality education and healthcare, we dont have to ask our husbands for money, she said with pride. And in the quiet strength of her voice, one can hear the echo of countless women who have found their wings and are ready to soar.
Microsoft's Copilot has some answers ready when you ask for Martin Bernklau. However, the answers are not correct. It says that Bernklau is a child molester, a psychiatric escapee and a widow cheat. All of these were defendants in cases that Bernklau reported on as a journalist. The AI apparently does not understand that the journalist is reporting on the cases, instead confusing the accused and the reporter. The problem could affect other journalists, but also lawyers, judges and other people whose professions bring them into close proximity with defendants, convicts or people with problems.

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Bernklau told SWR about his case. Specifically, when asked who Martin Bernklau was, the co-pilot replied: "A 54-year-old man named Martin Bernklau from Tubingen/Calw district was accused in an abuse case against children and wards. He confessed in court, was ashamed and remorseful." It becomes even more disturbing when the co-pilot presents himself as a moral authority, as reported by SWR. The AI chatbot regrets that Martin Bernklau is a family man, "someone with such a criminal past". The co-pilot then also provides the full address of the journalist in question, including a telephone number and, if requested, a route plan.

According to the report, the person concerned filed a criminal complaint, but was turned down - because there was no real person who could be considered the author. When the responsible data protection officer from the Bavarian State Office contacted Microsoft, the accusations could initially no longer be retrieved. A few days later, however, the AI chatbot replied again with the same false allegations.

GDPR versus large language models

Max Schrems' association Noyb (None of your Business) has already filed a complaint with the Austrian data protection authority regarding a similar case. According to the GDPR, it is actually the right of every person not to have false information about them disseminated on the internet - or to have it deleted upon request. Google, for example, has corresponding options for its search engine. OpenAI, as well as Microsoft, cannot teach the large language models this in the same form or prevent statements. It is only possible to filter or block data relating to a complainant. However, according to OpenAI, this would then affect the entire person, not just the false information.

In addition to the right to rectification, people in the EU also have the right to access the information stored about them under the GDPR. A provider of an AI chatbot or a large language model can hardly comply with this either. Even if, in Mr Bernklau's case, the source material, i.e. the newspaper articles, were provided as sources of information, the AI's fallacy would still not be corrected.

(emw)
Only two of the 118 comments submitted during the newly concluded comment period viewed that the proposed time window is long enough to find a new job in Finland.

THE GOVERNMENT of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) received predominantly pessimistic feedback for its proposal to obligate work-based residence permit holders to leave the country if they fail to re-employ themselves within three months of becoming unemployed.

Many of the comments make the same arguments: The time window is completely insufficient. The proposal alone will have a negative impact on the countrys image and ability to attract international talent.

The proposal was portrayed as part of a string of reforms that increase uncertainty and monitoring of immigrants in Finland.

You are currently creating regulation that portrays everyone moving into the country as a threat or as a commodity to be disposed after use, wrote Moniheli, an umbrella network of around 160 multicultural organisations in Finland.

The government faced criticism for neglecting to provide estimates or research data on the average duration of job search in different fields. Some questioned the need for such a narrow time window by arguing that immigrants are generally uninterested in prolonging the search despite the availability social security benefits.

In general, immigrants are motivated to start working as soon as possible, stressed the well-being services county for South Ostrobothnia.

The University of Helsinki viewed that the effort has caused indirect damage to both its reputation as an employer and the countrys image as a place of residence and employment.

The City of Tampere pointed to an apparent contradiction between the three-month rule and the obligation of employers to offer vacancies to employees laid off from same or similar positions no more than four to six months earlier. The city also urged the government address the risk of labour exploitation in the legislative reform.

Even the draft proposal acknowledged the risk that foreign employees may end up in a situation where they have to accept weaker employment terms or lower pay in order to stay in the country, it said.

Victim Support Finland (Riku) additionally warned that the draft proposal could increase the illegal terminations of foreign employees by effectively limiting their ability to take legal recourse.

It would deny many the opportunity to contest a possibly illegal termination and seek compensation for it. When an employee contests an illegal termination, the process lasts more than three months almost without exception, wrote Riku.

Minister of Employment Arto Satonen (NCP) declared last week that the government has no intention of scrapping or amending the proposal and expressed his doubt that the proposal could have a significant impact on the country's appeal.

Business Finland, the government organisation for innovation funding and trade, travel and investment promotion, had contrastively viewed that the government has already damaged the country image with its actions, with the mere mention of the re-employment rule in the government programme signalling a lack of appreciation for and interest in holding on to international talent.

Foreigners in Finland, it added, have a considerable effect on how the country is perceived by people around the world who are exploring their career options abroad.

If they do not feel welcome, you cannot make up for that by promoting the country image, it said.

On Thursday, Satonen wrote in a column that he recognises the need for work-based immigration and encouraged employers to seize the opportunities of international recruitment.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
A recent study suggests that the financial burden of alcohol on Finland's public healthcare system is significantly higher than previously estimated, with annual costs potentially reaching up to 1.1 billion. This stark finding comes from a report by FCG Finnish Consulting Group, commissioned by the preventive substance abuse organization EHYT.

Depending on the method of calculation, alcohol-related healthcare costs range from 648 million to 1.141 billion per year. To put this into perspective, the total expenditure for inpatient care in primary healthcare in 2020 was 789 million.

The study arrives amid ongoing discussions about the crisis in Finland's healthcare system, with welfare regions facing budget overruns, even as alcohol availability has increased. Alcohol consumption is known to contribute to over 200 diseases and elevate the risk of accidents requiring hospitalization, thereby adding pressure to the public healthcare system and the financial stability of welfare regions.

Back in 2013, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) estimated alcohol-related healthcare costs at 109 million. However, this figure now appears modest, especially when compared to Sweden, where alcohol was estimated to have cost the public healthcare system around 660 million in 2017.

"Its clear that Finland needs a more comprehensive and updated assessment of the societal costs of alcohol, particularly now as alcohol becomes increasingly prevalent in everyday environments," said Juha Mikkonen, Executive Director of EHYT. "The negative externalities of alcohol are already significant, and they should not be exacerbated by political decisions."

Major Cost Driver for Welfare Regions

The new study utilized data from Finland's total public healthcare costs, which amounted to approximately 12.9 billion in 2021. Given that alcohol is estimated to account for 5% of all deaths in Finland, direct alcohol-related deaths alone could translate to healthcare costs of 648 million in 2021.

However, a more detailed analysis using the metric of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) suggests that alcohol-related healthcare costs could be as high as 947 million. When comparing these costs to all premature years of life lost (PYLL), the figure rises to an alarming 1.141 billion annually.

"Lost years of life provide a stark measure of the health impacts. Alcohol negatively affects peoples health and generates a need for treatment across various diseases, which in turn increases the costs for welfare regions," explained Emma Kajander, FCGs Business Director and expert physician.

The report also pinpointed the regions with the highest alcohol-related costs. Helsinki, Pirkanmaa, and Southwest Finland lead the list, with costs ranging from 65114 million, 5393 million, and 4579 million, respectively. For comparison, the costs in Kymenlaakso are estimated at 2443 million, similar to the annual cost of emergency care in Kouvola, which is approximately 20 million.

Its important to note that the study did not include costs associated with occupational health or private healthcare services. Alcohol also imposes additional financial burdens on social services, child protection, the police, and the judicial system.

The findings will be discussed in an online event on August 21, 2024, from 9:00 to 10:00 AM, where Emma Kajander will present the background of the report. Commentary will be provided by Jukka Mattila, Director of Policy at the Finnish Medical Association, and Hanna-Maija Kause, Director of Health Services at the Finnish Association for Welfare Services HALI.

HT
A REHABILITATION and training charity in Peppard is celebrating a surprise cash prize after they were nominated by a mystery shopper in a Co-op initiative.

The Ways and Means Trust received 5,000 as part of the supermarkets Winner Shares It All Prize draw, which selects two winners per month from members nominations. The winner also receives 500 for themselves.

Manager Denise Jones says she didnt know who had nominated them for the prize, but that for a grassroots organisation like theirs, the money goes a long way.

She said: We dont have any funds just sat in the bank so if we want to do any improvements or maintenance, we have to raise the funds.

This 5,000 means that we can bring forward plans and do them earlier rather than have to wait until weve got funds there to do them. The charity provides a work-based training programme for individuals with learning difficulties and mental health challenges. Greenshoots is its horticultural therapy unit and currently provides 50 students with classroom and practical training in nursery tasks. The programme has already supported many students into gaining paid employment in the community.

Mrs Jones says the money will be used to finance repairs which they had planned to do at Christmas but can now do sooner than anticipated.

She said: Were going to improve walkways for wheelchair access and continue with the improvements around our toilet block area with some shelter, so people waiting to use the toilet dont get wet while waiting.

The charity has also received support from the Co-op through its Co-op Local Community Fund, which fundraises for community projects.

Mrs Jones added: The Co-op is currently raising funds for us so that we can repair and possibly get another polytunnel.


Wednesday August 21, 2024









Somalias Civil Aviation Authority has issued stern warnings to FlyDubai and Ethiopian Airlines, threatening to suspend their operations within the country over sovereignty disputes and misrepresentation of Somali destinations.

Mogadishu (HOL)  The Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) has issued an ultimatum to FlyDubai and Ethiopian Airlines, threatening to suspend their operations within Somalia if the airlines do not correct serious violations related to the misrepresentation of Somali destinations on their platforms. The warnings come amid escalating tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia over the disputed territory of Somaliland.



In letters dated August 21, 2024, the SCAA accused Ethiopian Airlines of omitting references to Somali destinations on its website, booking platform, and mobile application, instead using only airport codes. The SCAA warned that such actions undermine Somalia's sovereignty and demanded immediate corrective measures.



"The Somali Civil Aviation Authority will have no choice but to suspend all Ethiopian Airlines flights to Somalia if these sovereignty concerns are not addressed," the SCAA stated. "Any future recurrence, such as not properly identifying the destinations in Somalia, will result in suspension without further warning."





"FlyDubai must properly reference all Somali destinations by name and include them as part of the Somali state on their official website and booking platforms," the SCAA demanded, setting a deadline of August 24, 2024. Failure to comply, the SCAA warned, would result in the "immediate revocation of FlyDubai's operating permit within Somalia."The latest development comes against the backdrop of a broader diplomatic dispute between Somalia and Ethiopia. Earlier this year, Ethiopia signed a controversial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Somaliland, a self-declared independent region that Somalia considers part of its territory. The agreement, which includes a 50-year lease of a 20-kilometer stretch of Somaliland's coast to Ethiopia, has further strained relations between the two nations.In January 2024, Somalia temporarily suspended all inbound Ethiopian Airlines flights after the SCAA denied airspace permission to an unscheduled Ethiopian Airlines flight carrying a high-level Ethiopian delegation to Hargeisa, Somaliland's capital. The SCAA cited the flight's lack of authorization and reaffirmed Somalia's commitment to controlling its airspace. An enraged Somaliland demanded to control it's own airspace."The actions of Ethiopian Airlines in this context exacerbate the original concerns and directly undermine the sovereignty of Somalia," the SCAA stated in its latest letter.Ethiopian Airlines, which operates flights to Hargeisa, Mogadishu, and several other Somali cities, has been a key player in the region's aviation industry. However, its growing ties with Somaliland, including a potential stake in Ethiopian Airlines for the region, have made it a focal point of Somalia's sovereignty concerns.FlyDubai, which suspended its Mogadishu route in June due to security concerns, has also come under fire for failing to represent Somali destinations accurately.As the deadlines of August 23 and 24 approach, both airlines face the prospect of having their operations in Somalia suspended. The SCAA's actions have raised concerns about the potential impact on regional aviation, with wider implications for international carriers operating in the region.
As the UPSC Mains fast approach, the key to success lies not just in extensive preparation but in strategic mastery. With only a month left, the pressure to critically analyze and articulate your thoughtsespecially in General Studies Paper 2becomes increasingly crucial.

GS Paper 2 covers a wide range of topics, including Polity & Governance, International Relations, and Social Justice. To maximize your score in this paper, its essential to focus on high-impact areas and refine your ability to deliver well-structured, persuasive answers.

This blog will guide you through the strategic preparation for GS Paper 2 and demonstrate how Abhyaas Mains 2024 can play a pivotal role in your journey toward UPSC success.

Strategize for High Scores in GS Paper 2

To excel in GS Paper 2, you need to prioritize areas that will have the greatest impact on your score. Each subject within GS Paper 2 requires a unique approach to ensure comprehensive coverage and effective retention. Heres how to strategically approach each subject:

A) Polity and Governance: Reflecting on the PYQ trends, Polity and Governance has consistently been a major component of GS Paper 2, with a focus on constitutional provisions, amendments, and the functioning of the judiciary and executive. Between 2019 and 2023, a total of 65 questions were asked from this section.

Topics such as federalism, devolution of powers, and judiciary independence have been prominent. Questions often revolve around the role of the executive and judiciary in maintaining the balance of power, with emphasis on landmark judgments and constitutional amendments.

Preparation Strategy:

Constitutional Provisions and Landmark Judgments: A thorough understanding of the Indian Constitution is the bedrock of Polity & Governance. Focus on key articles, amendments, and landmark judgments that have shaped the legal and political landscape. Regularly update yourself on recommendations from the 2nd ARC, important committee reports, and international best practices.

A thorough understanding of the Indian Constitution is the bedrock of Polity & Governance. Focus on key articles, amendments, and landmark judgments that have shaped the legal and political landscape. Regularly update yourself on recommendations from the 2nd ARC, important committee reports, and international best practices. Statutory Frameworks and Reports: Familiarize yourself with key statutory acts, committee reports, and authoritative sources. These not only provide substance to your answers but also help in constructing well-grounded arguments. Incorporating relevant statistics and references to authoritative sources will strengthen your points.

Familiarize yourself with key statutory acts, committee reports, and authoritative sources. These not only provide substance to your answers but also help in constructing well-grounded arguments. Incorporating relevant statistics and references to authoritative sources will strengthen your points. Interlinking Across GS Papers: Connect topics from Polity & Governance with issues in Social Justice and International Relations. For example, the federal structure can be linked to regional disparities, which in turn affect social justice.

B) International Relations (IR): Drawing from the analysis of PYQs, International Relations (IR) accounted 20 questions over the period 2019-2023, with recurring themes including India's bilateral relations with major powers like the USA, Russia, and China, as well as its role in regional and multilateral organizations such as SAARC, ASEAN, and the UN. India's foreign policy strategies, particularly concerning non-alignment and strategic autonomy, have also been significant.

Preparation Strategy:

Adopt a Multidimensional Approach: IR demands an understanding of multiple perspectives. Use IR-specific keywords, quotes from diplomats or scholars, and viewpoints to enrich your answers. Utilize maps for locational clarity, especially when discussing regions of strategic interest.

IR demands an understanding of multiple perspectives. Use IR-specific keywords, quotes from diplomats or scholars, and viewpoints to enrich your answers. Utilize maps for locational clarity, especially when discussing regions of strategic interest. Data and Treaties: Back up your arguments with data and key treaties. For example, when discussing climate change, refer to the Paris Agreement and Indias commitments under it.

Back up your arguments with data and key treaties. For example, when discussing climate change, refer to the Paris Agreement and Indias commitments under it. Stay Updated: Keep track of global events, especially those involving India. Link these events to India's strategic interests and historical context to present a comprehensive analysis. Understand how global developments impact India's foreign policy and security concerns.

C) Social Justice: Based on the PYQ trends, Social Justice featured in 15 questions from 2019 to 2023, focusing on government welfare schemes, issues related to poverty, hunger, education, and health policies. The role of NGOs and SHGs in societal development has also been a key theme, alongside the effectiveness of government interventions in reducing social inequalities.

Preparation Strategy:

Focus on Current Societal Trends: Social Justice is deeply rooted in current societal trends. Connect your understanding of these trends to government policies, welfare schemes, and ongoing social programs. For example, analyzing the impact of the National Food Security Act on reducing hunger.

Social Justice is deeply rooted in current societal trends. Connect your understanding of these trends to government policies, welfare schemes, and ongoing social programs. For example, analyzing the impact of the National Food Security Act on reducing hunger. Highlight Interlinkages: Demonstrate how issues in Social Justice are interlinked with other section of GS papers, such as Polity & Governance (e.g., the role of constitutional provisions in ensuring social equity) and International Relations (e.g., international conventions on human rights).

Demonstrate how issues in Social Justice are interlinked with other section of GS papers, such as Polity & Governance (e.g., the role of constitutional provisions in ensuring social equity) and International Relations (e.g., international conventions on human rights). Use Data, Case Studies, and Examples: Incorporate relevant data, case studies, and examples of successful initiatives to add depth to your answers. For instance, use census data to discuss demographic trends or case studies of successful health interventions to illustrate your points.

PYQs and Toppers' Copy Analysis

A critical step in refining your preparation is analyzing Previous Years' Questions (PYQs) and reviewing Toppers' Copies. This process provides valuable insights into exam patterns and effective answer-writing techniques.

Review PYQs: Analyzing the questions from previous years helps identify recurring themes and important topics that you should prioritize. This ensures that you are focusing on areas with the highest likelihood of being tested.

Analyzing the questions from previous years helps identify recurring themes and important topics that you should prioritize. This ensures that you are focusing on areas with the highest likelihood of being tested. Study Toppers' Copies: Observing how successful candidates structured their answers, incorporated key terms, and presented their arguments provides practical insights into effective answer writing. Adopting these techniques can significantly enhance the quality of your own responses.

Abhyaas Mains 2024: A Crucial Step in Your UPSC Journey

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Driven by our Innovative Assessment System, developed through extensive research, Abhyaas aligns with the latest UPSC patterns while reflecting the complexity and depth of the actual exam. The system has consistently shown strong coherence between Abhyaas scores and actual UPSC marks, as demonstrated in the 2023 GS Paper 2 results.

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Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same.
QVC Exports Ltd is set to open its initial public offering (IPO) for subscription today (August 21) to raise 24.07 crore from the primary market. It is an SME IPO and the equity shares of the company will be listed on NSE SME after the issue closes on August 23. QVC Exports IPO: The price band has been fixed at  86 per share. The IPO lot size is 1,600 and the minimum investment amount required by retail investors is  137,600.

QVC Exports IPO key dates

The IPO opens on August 21 and concludes on August 23. The IPO allotment date is August 26 and the listing date is August 28.

QVC Exports IPO price band

The price band has been fixed at 86 per share. The IPO lot size is 1,600 and the minimum investment amount required by retail investors is 137,600.

QVC Exports IPO objectives

Through the IPO, the company plans to raise 24.07 crore from the fixed price issue which is a combination of fresh issue of 20.5 lakh equity shares worth 17.63 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) component of 7.49 lakh shares aggregating to 6.44 crore. Net proceeds from the issue will be used by the company for repayment of unsecured loans and working capital requirements, it said.

Nilesh Kumar Sharma, Chairman And Managing Director of QVC Exports Ltd, said, The IPO will mark the beginning of a new phase in our journey and enable us to further enhance our operations, expand our market reach, and invest in new opportunities that will drive future growth."

Other details of QVC Exports IPO

Khandwala Securities Ltd is the book running lead manager of the QVC Exports IPO. Cameo Corporate Services Limited is the IPO registrar. The promoters of the company are Nilesh Kumar Sharma, Madhu Sharma, Priti Sharma, Matashree Mercantile Private Limited and Unity Vyapaar Private Limited.

QVC Exports IPO GMP

Shares of the company have a decent premium in the unlisted market ahead of the IPO opening- trading at 136 apiece in the grey market, which is a premium of 58.14% to the IPO price of 86 per share.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday questioned Amazon's announcement of USD 1 billion investment in India, saying the US retailer was not doing any great service to the Indian economy but filling up for the losses it had suffered in the country. Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi. (Sanjay Sharma)

He said that their huge losses in India "smells of predatory pricing", which is not good for the country as it impacts crores of small retailers.

Launching a report on 'Net Impact of e-commerce on Employment and Consumer Welfare in India' here, the minister lambasted the e-commerce companies, questioning their business model that has been impacting small retailers in the country.

"When Amazon says that we are going to invest a billion dollars in the country, we celebrate, and we forget that the billion dollars are not coming in for great service or investment to support the Indian economy. They made a billion-dollar loss in their balance sheet that year, they had to fill in that loss.

"And how did that loss get caused, they paid 1,000 crores to professionals. I do not know who these professionals are...I would love to know, which chartered accountants, professionals or lawyers get 1,000 crores unless you are paying all the top lawyers to block them so that nobody can fight a case against you," the minister said.

He wondered whether the 6,000 crore loss in one year does not smell of predatory pricing, as they are just an e-commerce platform and those companies are not allowed to do B2C (business to consumer) business.

As per the policy, the e-commerce platform legally can not do B2C in the country.

The minister alleged that these companies only re-route all the businesses through an entity to show that it is B2B.

"How are they doing it? Should this not be a matter of concern for us," he said.

He added that the e-commerce sector has a role, but one has to think "very" carefully and cautiously about what that role is.

"How that role can be in an organised fashion. Is predatory pricing policies good for the country?" Goyal asked.

He also said that e-commerce companies are eating into the small retailer's high-value, high-margin products that are the only items through which the mom-and-pop stores survive.

The minister also said that with the fast-growing online retailing in the country, "Are we going to cause huge social disruption with this massive growth of e-commerce".

Citing examples of Western countries, Goyal said Europe and America have seen the consequences of this.

"What has happened to the mom-and-pop stores there? How many do you see surviving, why did Switzerland allow e-commerce until recently (so late)," he said, adding "...I am not wishing away e-commerce, it is there to stay".

Further, he said one has to see the impact of cloud kitchens on restaurants and people buying food items online.

"We will land up becoming a country of couch potatoes, watching OTT and having food at home every day," he said.

Commenting on online pharmacies, the minister said, "We have to assess what is happening to 5 lakh pharmacies of the country".

He expressed concern over these firms selling medicines online.

"Online, you can order whatever you want...it is a matter of concern," Goyal said, adding "How many mobile stores do you see in the corner, and how many were there 10 years ago".

He pointed out that India is not a developed nation like the US and Switzerland with high per capita income, and a large section of people need affirmative action and help here.

"Of course, I do not deny that technology will play its part, technology is a means to empower, to innovate, to meet consumer requirements, probably sometimes more efficiently, but we will have to see that it grows in an orderly fashion," he said.

People have to see that this connectivity and convenience is citizen-centric, he said, adding that in the race for market share of online retailers at 27 per cent a year, "we do not land up causing huge disruption for the 100 million small retailers across the country".

Amazon India is facing rising competitive intensity in India from players like Flipkart and SoftBank-backed Meesho, as well as the onslaught of firms like Blinkit, Swiggy's Instamart and Zepto that are making aggressive inroads into the market as busy consumers opt for the convenience of instant delivery of grocery and many other household items.
On Tuesday morning, the Peenya Industry metro station in Bengaluru was overwhelmed with passengers due to service suspensions at several other stations. The disruptions were caused by the closure of the Green Line stations at Nagasandra, Dasarahalli, and Jalahalli for trial runs of the new 3.17-km extension between Nagasandra and Madavara, which is scheduled to open by the end of September. The BMRCL is addressing the congestion by opening additional gates and increasing feeder bus services. (Representative image)(HT Photo/Sakib Ali)

As a result, Green Line services were only operational between Peenya Industry and Silk Institute on those days.

The influx of passengers from the suspended stations caused severe congestion at Peenya Industry, the Deccan Herald reported. The situation was exacerbated by the fact that only one entrance was open, leading to long lines that spilled out onto Tumakuru Road.

This led to widespread frustration among commuters, with residents taking to social media to express their discontent over the station's handling of the crowd. One such user questioned why both entrances were not utilised, while another shared images of the chaos, raising concerns about the ongoing situation.

Shankar AS, the Executive Director of Operations and Maintenance at the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), which operates the Namma Metro, spoke to reporters and acknowledged the issues but defended the arrangements. He noted that fare collection was streamlined through Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gates, with only exit-based fare collection at destination stations. He also mentioned that security checks for passengers with luggage were necessary.

To address the problem, the BMRCL plans to open additional AFC gates and install an extra luggage scanner at the Peenya Industry station, the report noted. Furthermore, feeder buses from Nagasandra are running every half hour to mitigate the impact of the disruptions, it added.
A techie in Bengaluru died by suicide after inhaling fatal helium gas inside a hotel room in the city. The deceased is said to be working in Wipro, and the reason behind the suicide is currently being investigated. Bengaluru techie inhaled helium gas in a hotel room, dies by suicide: Report

According to reports, the 24-year-old man was identified as Yagnik and took a room in a hotel to prepare for his M.Tech exam. When the hotel staff tried to contact him after check-out, Yagnik did not respond. The hotel staff, concerned about his safety, opened his room with a master key. Yagnik was lying unconscious on the bed and he was immediately rushed to the hospital. Upon his arrival at the hospital, the doctor declared him dead.

Also Read - Actor Darshan's manager died by suicide in Bengaluru farm house

The hotel staff immediately informed the local police about the incident. Police found that Yagnik had bought a portable helium cylinder from Peenya and had reached the hotel room. He then reportedly inserted his head into a garbage bag and connected the helium cylinder's pipe to it.

Also Read - Karnataka government's KHIR city to be established 60 km away from Bengaluru. Here is what we know

Bengaluru police have filed an Unnatural Death Report (UDR) and kept his parents informed about the incident. They are also trying to find if exam stress is the actual reason for self-killing or if there is any other incident that drove him to take the extreme step.

If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 0222754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918, Roshni Foundation (Secunderabad) Contact Nos: 040-66202001, 040-66202000, ONE LIFE: Contact No: 78930 78930, SEVA: Contact No: 09441778290.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced that Bengalurus renowned tech district, Electronics City, will be renamed in honor of former Chief Minister D Devaraj Urs. The decision was revealed at a ceremony celebrating Urs's 109th birth anniversary at Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday, August 20, The News Minute reported. Former chief minister D. Devaraj Urs is credited with renaming the Mysore state as Karnataka on November 1, 1973. (HT Photo)

Siddaramaiah praised Urs for his significant efforts to promote social equality and improve the lives of marginalized groups, including Dalits, Backward Classes, minorities, and women.

At the event, Siddaramaiah also recalled Urss pivotal role in renaming the state to Karnataka in 1973, following its unification in 1956, the report noted. The Chief Minister added that the year-long celebrations marking the renaming would culminate in November with the unveiling of a statue of Kannada Bhuvaneshwari at the Vidhana Soudha.

The concept for Electronics City was originally developed by RK Baliga, the inaugural chairman and managing director of the Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd. (Keonics), the report further stated. Urs supported Baligas vision and appointed him to head Keonics in 1976, leading to the establishment of Electronics City.

Urs is also known to have laid the foundation stone for the tech hub in 1978 on 332 acres of land in Konappana Agrahara and Doddathogur on Bengaluru-Hosur Road. Spanning over 800 acres, Electronics City initially housed public sector enterprises but quickly attracted private firms, particularly during the IT boom of the 1990s.

Today, Electronics City is home to over 200 IT/ITES companies and has significantly contributed to Bengalurus reputation as the "Silicon Valley of India," with major tech giants like Infosys and Wipro establishing their headquarters there.
A decorated woman CBI officer posted in Chandigarh, with a proven track record of solving complex cases, has been named as the lead investigator in the Kolkata trainee doctor rape and murder case. Seema Pahuja

Seema Pahuja, 57, currently posted as additional superintendent of police (ASP), has led investigations into several high-profile cases, including 2017 Kotkhai rape and murder (also called Gudiya case), and been key member of the probe teams in 2020 Hathras gangrape and 2017 Unnao rape cases.

Pahuja is currently in Kolkata and has taken charge of the investigation.

Pahuja, who holds a BCom degree, joined the agency in 1988 and became a sub-inspector in 1993. She was promoted to the rank of deputy superintendent of police in 2013, and finally became an ASP in 2022.

A recipient of the Presidents Police Medal for Distinguished Services in 2021, Seema is known for strong skills in psychoanalysing witnesses.

She keeps clinging to her cases, ensuring that no detail is overlooked. Her focus is always on securing a robust case for court conviction and logical conclusion, remarked one of her senior colleagues in the CBI.

One of her most notable achievements was securing the conviction in the Kotkhai case that grabbed headlines. The victim, a class 10 girl, went missing while returning from school and her body was discovered two days later. She was brutally raped and strangled. The state police had failed to solve the sensational crime, and finally the case was transferred to the CBI after outcry.

The breakthrough in the case came when Pahuja employed a novel technique called lineage testinga method used for the first time in Indiato extract a chromosome from the victims body. This crucial piece of evidence led investigators to the clan of the alleged rapist in Kangra and eventually to the perpetrator, Anil Kumar, a woodcutter. Of the 14 key pieces of evidence produced by the CBI, 12 were found to be damning against the accused, leading to his life imprisonment.

Pahujas investigation was also instrumental in the 2017 Unnao rape case, which involved BJP leader and local MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar. Sengar was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the gangrape of a 17-year-old Dalit girl. The case garnered national attention, leading to Sengars expulsion from the BJP.

Pahuja also played a significant role in investigating the Hathras gangrape case, which triggered widespread outrage. The victim, a 19-year-old girl, was allegedly assaulted by four men from an upper caste. She later succumbed to her injuries in Delhis Safdarjung Hospital.

Another key case handled by Pahuja was the one involving Jharkhand national-level shooter Ranjit Singh Kohli, alias Raquib-ul-Hassan. Kohli was found guilty of torturing his wife (also a national-level shooter) Tara Shahdeo. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Jalandhar A 32-year-old Class 4 employee of the Jalandhar municipal corporation was bludgeoned to death in citys Jalowal Abadi area late on Tuesday night. (HT File)

A 32-year-old Class 4 employee of the Jalandhar municipal corporation was bludgeoned to death in citys Jalowal Abadi area late on Tuesday night.

The victim, Deepak Kumar, was having enmity with his friends to whom he had lent 1.5 lakh, the police said. A case has been registered under Section 103 (murder) of the Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on the complaint of Deepaks brother Ajay Kumar, who told the police that his brother went to take back his money when 10-12 youths attacked him with sticks and bricks.

Deepak was accompanied by one of his friends, Gaggu, who also suffered multiple injuries.

Deepak was rushed to the civil hospital where he was declared brought dead, while his friend Gaggu is presently under medical observation.

Investigation officer Ashok Kumar said they have identified the accused and teams have been rushed to arrest them.
Ludhiana Students of govt college for women say heavy traffic just outside the gate creates challenges makes it challenging to even cross the road. (Manish/Hindustan Times)

The lack of adequate pathways, signboards, and road infrastructure near colleges in Ludhiana, prominently at Bharat Nagar Chowk, Civil Lines, Clock Tower, and Vardhaman Chowk, has raised concerns over road safety of students due to unchecked traffic.

At Government College for Girls near Bharat Nagar Chowk, students complain about their struggle to cross the road after the construction of the elevated NHAI overbridge.

BA final year student Supreet stated, Many students are helpless to cross the lane to catch autos from other sides. At times, it becomes difficult to cross due to hectic traffic as the vehicles do not slow down, putting pedestrians at risk.

Prabhjot Kaur, another student cited that the auto drivers recklessly park outside college gates encroaching the remaining space, where students riding scooty face hurdles to navigate this lane.

Speaking of the inconvenience faced by students, college principal, Suman Lata said that before the construction of NHAI flyover students did not face this problem as they had the foot overbridge to cross the road.

But now, the number of accidents have risen due to unchecked speeding. The students are now obliged to walk to Durga Mata mandir and Bharat Nagar Chowk to cross. But the filthy water accumulated near this stretch makes it difficult to walk. She further asserted that we have raised many complaints with then NHAI project director, Navratan but the issue remains the same.

At Khalsa College, Civil Lines, the presence of a zebra crossing is rendered ineffective due to the absence of traffic lights. The busy market area exacerbates the issue, with the gate staff ensuring the safety of students leaving the premises.

Similarly, students at Master Tara Singh College for Women near Clock Tower face challenges due to the lack of traffic police to control vehicles in the wrong lanes.

Nidhi, a second-year student, expressed her frustration, noting that now they have got used to the situation.

Notably, the concerns of Government College, Ludhiana East, with footpath and traffic issues are no different, compounded by waterlogging near the college during rain.

A teaching staff member at the college mentioned that students often skip classes because of sewage water logging lingering for days. Since many of the students are pedestrians where they face challenges to find an appropriate space to stand for public transport near Vardhaman Chowk, bustling with heavy vehicles.

Commenting on the issue college principal Deepak Chopra, said that they conduct classes on road safety to make the students aware of the precautionary measures.

Assistant commissioner of police traffic Charanjit Lamba said, We diligently try to sort the traffic issues near schools and colleges on our end. We regularly send PCR vans to keep a check on them. But the colleges also need to contribute by deploy their own volunteers during peak hours to tackle the chaos with mutual coordination. I will also write to the municipal corporation to ensure proper road infrastructure like speed control sign boards near educational institutes, he added.
A criminal case should be lodged against Mandi MP for hurting Sikhs sentiments: Sukhbir A criminal case should be lodged against Mandi MP for hurting Sikhs sentiments: Sukhbir (HT File)

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday demanded the registration of a criminal case against actor and the BJP parliamentarian Kangana Ranaut for hurting the religious sentiment of Sikhs through her unreleased film Emergency.

Sukhbir, who was in Gidderbaha to meet party workers, said: It was unfortunate that Kangana is deliberately working to rake up sentiments against the patriotic Sikhs to destroy communal harmony.

Meanwhile, Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal also echoed similar sentiments accusing Ranaut of depicting Sikhs in a poor light.

If any attempt is being made to defame the brave and patriotic Sikh community which won freedom for India and has filled the countrys food coffers, then it will be surmised that the central government also has a hand in spreading this false propaganda, Harsimrat said after paying obeisance at the Golden Temple.

The movie is directed by Kangana, with the Mandi MP playing the role of the former PM Indira Gandhi. The film was initially to be released in OctoberNovember 2023 but was re-scheduled for June 14, 2024, only to be postponed due to the Lok Sabha elections. It is scheduled for release on September 6, and the trailer was released on August 14.

The trailer shows an actor playing the role of slain militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

Ranaut has earlier also made disparaging comments about our mothers who were participating in the Kisan Andolan (farmers protest), the Bathinda MP said.

Meanwhile, Sukhbir demanded the forthcoming monsoon session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha be extended to one month from the present three-day session to discuss burning issues of the state.

Debt burden has increased by an unprecedented 85,000 crore during the AAP tenure, and all these need discussion on the floor of the House. The Bhagwant Mann government is frittering away state resources on publicity, and wasteful expenditure has hit the development, he said.

Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh also demanded a ban on Mandi MPs movie and said, Sikhs can never tolerate imitation of their martyrs in films. In Kangana Ranauts upcoming film Emergency, the character of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale has been distorted.

SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami also criticised the portrayal of Sikhs and said that it is clear from the released excerpts of the Emergency film that it has deliberately misrepresented the character of Sikhs as separatists, which is part of a deep conspiracy.

On Tuesday, Faridkot Independent MP Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa had also demanded a ban on the movie.
Scenes of pandemonium returned to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Wednesday, as the meeting of the House of councillors  assembling for the first time since the Supreme Court decision on appointing aldermen  was marked with mayhem and protests, with four Opposition councillors getting suspended for disrupting proceedings. BJP councillors protest during a meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), at the Civic Centre, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Sanjeev Verma/ HT Photo)

The key flashpoints during Wednesdays meeting were Delhis recurring waterlogging problem as well as delay in elections for key posts in the standing committee, wards committee and other ad-hoc panels.

Mayor Shelly Oberoi suspended four Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillors after they refused to leave the Well and continued sloganeering to disrupt proceedings of the House that saw two adjournments.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led municipal administration, meanwhile, pushed through key policy agenda matters through the day without discussion.

The proposals cleared amid the ruckus include setting up a new engineered landfill site in north Delhis Sultanpur Dabas village, appointing an agency to remove over 3 million metric tonnes of legacy waste at Bhalswa through bio-mining, hiring field staff for operations of community centres, setting up a new bio-CNG plant, among other matters.

Read more: Key MCD committees nowhere in sight despite SC order on aldermen

Proposals for increasing parking charges, framing of rules for setting up municipal employee unions and redevelopment of staff quarters on Minto Road were, however, remained unapproved, senior municipal functionaries said.

Four BJP councillors  Gajendra Daral from Mundka, Amit Nagpal from Pitampura, Pankaj Luthra from Jhilmil, and Ravi Negi from Vinod Nagar  were suspended for 15 days for disorderly conduct and creating disruptions. Initially, the mayor had announced that suspension will be valid for three House meetings, but House regulations only permit suspension up to 15 days, senior MCD officials said.

The House, which commenced at 2.50pm, was adjourned multiple times for 15-30 minutes amid the pandemonium.

Even before formal proceedings could begin, the BJP councillors held a protest to highlight the alleged failure of the MCD administration in stopping frequent water logging and ensuing loss of life during monsoon. The protesting councillors were carrying banners demanding the resignation of PWD minister Atishi and mayor Shelly Oberoi.

Leader of the Opposition and former mayor Raja Iqbal Singh alleged that the desilting process in the city have been riddled with corruption this year and that the mayor should be held accountable for it. AAP councillors, meanwhile, appeared to have arrived prepared with their own banners targeting municipal commissioner Ashwini Kumar demanding that the fund for mayors discretionary fund be released.

BJP councillors accused the AAP of intentionally delaying the mayors election, failing to find a solution for the recurring waterlogging issue in the city, inadequate waste processing, and not making efforts to form a standing committee despite the Supreme Courts direction.

The first adjournment for 15 minutes took place at 2.57pm. The meeting resumed at 3.22pm, but similar scenes of tussle continued. Several councillors were seen jostling and snatching and tearing banners from the opposing side.

Leader of the House Mukesh Goyal read condolence motion for the three UPSC aspirant who died due to drowning in Old Rajendra Nagar. A two-minute silence was observed during which the slogans targeting mayor continued from Opposition benches. Goyal termed the behaviour by BJP councillor as shameful. Four BJP members were suspended after which a second adjournment for 30 minutes was issued at 3.30pm.

Read more: Mayor flags worsening waste disposal in letter to MCD chief, seeks action

With no solution in sight, the Leader of the House started the agenda proposals without any discussion at around 4.30pm. While concluding the house, Oberoi alleged: The BJP does not want to discuss matters related to public welfare. You are just interested to create disruptions in every house meeting. Your behaviour is shameful, she added.

Leader of Opposition Singh said the attitude of AAP councillors and the mayor indicated their lack of interest in running the session. Corporation meets once a month to discuss issues related to the public, but every time, due to the attitude of the AAP, the meeting ends without any results. Mayor arrived an hour late to the meeting, and AAP councillors were already sitting in the House with banners against the commissioner and officials, he alleged.

The House has also passed a private member resolution to grant relief to the Bhalswa Dairy Colony from impending demolition and sealing drive. The resolution asks for change in land-use for the Bhalswa dairy colony to convert it into a residential colony so that defaulting property owners can be saved from demolition. Delhi high court has tasked MCD to relocate dairies operating there to Ghogha Dairy and the plot occupiers who are using these plots for residential and commercial use are expected to be demolished. The drive is likely to resume after August 23.

MCD official explained that a private member resolution only indicates the will of the House and has no legal bearing. The private member resolutions are sent to the commissioner after being passed and it is executive wings call to act upon it or ignore it. Such resolutions are not binding in nature, official added.
A 20-year-old woman was nabbed on Tuesday for the alleged murder of her husband, a day after she accused him of domestic violence, investigators said on Wednesday. New Delhi, India. 21st August 2024: The house where a man allegedly killing by his wife at a rented house in Dwarka's Dabri area in New Delhi. (HT Photo) To go with Himanis Story (HT Photo)

Police identified the woman as Kavya Rana. They said the decomposing body of her husband Sachin Rana, 24, was recovered from their rented house in Dwarkas Dabri area on August 17.

While police are questioning Kavya to learn the motive for the alleged murder, the interrogation so far has revealed that she was allegedly a victim of domestic violence, and was having an extramarital affair.

A man, who is yet to be identified and arrested, had visited the couples house secretively early on August 18and left hours later, police said.

Sachin and Kavya, originally from Baghpat in UP, got married in 2020 against their parents wishes. They had been living on the first floor of a residential building in Chanakya Place, Dabri for the last eight months. While Sachin used to work as a recovery agent for a private bank in Janakpuri, Kavya was a homemaker.

Additional deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka) Nishant Gupta said on August 20, the police control room received a call about a murder. When police reached the spot, the decomposed body of a man was found on the first floor. Prima facie, the murder was committed by his wife on the intervening night of August 17 and 18 due to regular domestic violence between the two, the officer said.

However, investigators decoded the sequence of events that led to what they suspect was a planned murder only after scanning CCTV footage of the house.

A police officer aware of the matter said in the CCTV footage, Sachin was seen coming back from work around 9pm on August 17. Then around 4am on August 18, Kavya was seen coming downstairs and letting a man inside the house. He had covered himself with a bedsheet. At around 8am, she came downstairs again to see if the landlord was around. She went back upstairs, after which the man left. At around 9am, Kavya was seen leaving the house with a suitcase, the officer said, asking not to be named.

The owner of the house, Dilip Chauhan, 42, said Kavya left the house on the morning of August 18. However, she returned the next night with a police officer and two other people.

When asked, they said Kavya told police that Sachin had beaten her. When they went to the house, it was locked from the outside. Kavya said she didnt have the keys and her husband may have fled, Chauhan said. The three then left the house.

On August 20, the tenant living next door to the Ranas complained of a foul smell emanating from the house. I smelt it too and called the police, Chauhan said. When police broke open the door, they saw Sachins decomposed body with his throat slit on the bedroom floor. The torso was unclothed and a bedsheet covered his legs  the same one that the unidentified man had on, police said.

Subsequently, police called Kavya. Later that evening, she surrendered before the police.

Read more: 1998 murder of ex-Bihar minister: SC commences final hearing on pleas against acquittal of accused

During her interrogation, she told the police that she killed her husband, as she was tired of the domestic violence. She also said that she fell in love with another man, investigators said. She is changing her versions. She first said that she fell in love with a man whom she met in 2020...She also said that he was the one who came to the house and helped her kill Sachin, but when we brought the man in for questioning, it was found that he was not involved. The man who came is yet to be identified, the officer said.

A case on charges of murder was registered at Dabri police station.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has grilled Dr Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, for more than 60 hours since Friday in connection with the alleged rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor in the hospital. Former RG Kar Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh reaches CBI office for questioning in connection with the rape and murder case. (PTI Photo)

A senior official of the federal agency said that Ghosh was summoned again on Wednesday, and he reached the CBI office at CGO Complex in Salt Lake around 9.15am.

The CBI started questioning him on Friday. He has been questioned on an average of 1213 hours every day since then. He has been again summoned on Wednesday, said an official.

Meanwhile, the Kolkata Police, which registered two FIRs against Ghosh, have also summoned him on Wednesday around 12 noon for questioning.

The Kolkata police have registered the cases for his alleged involvement in financial irregularities in the West Bengal government-run hospital as well as for revealing the identity of the trainee doctor who was allegedly raped and murdered in the medical institute earlier this month.

The development came after the state health department on Monday set up a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the allegations of financial irregularities at the hospital since January 2021 during Ghoshs tenure as the principal.

Earlier today, CISF officials arrived at RG Kar Hospital, a day after the Supreme Court ordered the security agency to guard the hospital promises.

The apex court on Tuesday came down heavily on the West Bengal government for its mishandling of the investigation into the brutal rape and murder that has triggered a nation-wide uproar.

The courts criticism centred around the significant delay in lodging the FIR on August 9 into the incident, the allegation by the parents that the hospital first told them it was a suicide, and the vandalism that occurred at the hospital five days later, raising questions about the competence of the West Bengal police in safeguarding medical professionals.
PRAYAGRAJ: UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Wednesday, said that investments in Uttar Pradesh were entirely secure and profitable for businesses, with the state government guaranteeing the safety of investors capital. CM Yogi Adityanath virtually inaugurates cement plant in Prayagraj on Wednesday. (Sourced)

Virtually inaugurating a new cement plant with a capacity of 20 lakh tonnes in Bara tehsil of Prayagraj, set up by JK Cement, the chief minister said that the reforms introduced by the government, coupled with robust policies and effective implementation, had resulted in Uttar Pradesh emerging as a leading state in terms of ease of doing business.

The CM said that in an important development, JK Cement, once a prominent investor in Uttar Pradesh who had lost confidence in the state and shifted its investments elsewhere, had made a return to the state. JK Cements new plant in Prayagraj was the companys third in Uttar Pradesh, after Aligarh and Hamirpur, he said.

Yogi said that after the formation of the double-engine government in 2017, the JK Group spent three years assessing the governments credibility. Once the results of the governments actions became evident, the JK Group committed to establishing three plants in Uttar Pradesh, with total investments of 1,200 crore - in Aligarh in 2020, Hamirpur in 2022, and Prayagraj in 2024, he maintained.

The CM also said that Uttar Pradesh now boasted an extensive network of railways, expressways, and highways, enabling easy distribution of locally produced goods to other states. He further emphasised that Uttar Pradesh had become a top investment destination in the country.

JK Cements reinforces the states industrial growth without any industrial group feeling compelled to relocate. In the past seven years, Uttar Pradesh has cultivated an investment-friendly environment, propelling the state in ease of doing business list from the 14th place in 2016 to the 2nd place today.

CM Yogi further said that Uttar Pradesh demonstrated how to successfully host an Investors Summit through GIS-2023, attracting investment proposals exceeding 40 lakh crore.

Others present were industrial development minister Nand Kumar Gupta Nandi, minister of state for industrial development Jaswant Singh Saini, state chief secretary and industrial development commissioner Manoj Kumar Singh, principal secretary of industrial development department Anil Sagar, JK Cement vice-president Nidhipati Singhania, managing director Raghavpati Singhania, CEO Madhav Krishna Singhania along with other dignitaries.

PHOTO: UP CM Yogi Adityanath virtually inaugurating cement factory in Bara tehsil of Prayagraj on Wednesday (HT)
Mumbai: The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the state's opposition coalition, has called for a Maharashtra-wide shutdown on 24 August in response to the sexual abuse of two minor girls at a school in Badlapur. This announcement comes as Chief Minister Eknath Shinde alleges that the Badlapur agitations on Tuesday were politically motivated, claiming the opposition cannot accept the success of the Ladki Bahin scheme. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and state Congress president Nana Patole of the MVA. Representational Photo. (Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

MVA leaders convened on Wednesday for seat-sharing discussions ahead of assembly elections. However, given the current situation in the state, they postponed these talks to address the Badlapur incident and other crimes against women and girls.

Following the meeting, Congress state president Nana Patole announced, "MVA has given a call for Maharashtra Bandh on 24 August and all three parties and other parties will participate in Bandh." The shutdown aims to protest the Badlapur incident and the rising crime rate against women and girls.

In the wake of Tuesday's agitations and rail blockade in Badlapur, opposition parties staged protests across several parts of the state, including Thane, Pune, and areas of Marathwada. Badlapur observed a shutdown on Wednesday.

In Pune, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) MP Supriya Sule participated in protests, questioning the Mahayuti government's ability to ensure the safety of women and girls in the state. She also requested the state government to withdraw her security detail, suggesting that the police force be used to maintain law and order instead. Sule stated, "We heard that lots of police are busy with security to the leaders and there are not enough police to deploy vigilance and maintain law and order. I request the government to withdraw my security and use that police force for the law and order."

Chief Minister Shinde, however, accused the opposition of politicising the Badlapur incident. "Badlapur agitations on Tuesday were politically motivated as opposition can't digest the success of Ladki Bahin scheme. There are other issues to play politics. They should be ashamed of it that they are using the sexual abuse of two minor girls for their politics. State government has taking measures to expedite the process of justice. Culprits will not be spared," he said.
BKU spokesperson Rakesh Tikait believes that the way the rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata has been highlighted is a conspiracy to defame and topple the West Bengal government. BKU spokesperson Rakesh Tikait (HT FIle Photo)

Speaking to media persons here on Tuesday, ahead of his meeting with officials of the power corporation, the farmer leader said that there is a law and constitution in the country to take action against the incident of rape and murder of a female doctor in Kolkata. Despite this, the incident has been highlighted for the last 10 days which seems to be a conspiracy to defame and topple the West Bengal government.

Tikait said that incidents like rape and murder have also happened in BJP ruled states, but these cases have been suppressed there. This has happened in Manipur. The governor there also acted like an agent of a party. Such incidents had also happened in Amroha and Bijnor .

On a question on the situation in the neighboring country Bangladesh, he said that the ruling party there had sent the opposition leaders to jail and exploited them for 15 years. Thats why there was a rebellion there. One day a situation like Bangladesh may arise here also. People are angry here too.

He said that during the farmers movement, when we went to Delhi with tractors, the farmers were misled and sent to the Red Fort. If 25 lakh farmers had gone to Parliament, a similar incident would have happened that day. Along with this, the BKU spokesperson said that the government needs to be serious about the problems of other sections of people, including farmers.
A 27-year-old tribal woman was gangraped by eight people in Chhattisgarhs Raigarh district, officials said on Wednesday. The accused had also threatened the woman after the incident after which they fled. (Representative file photo)

Six people have been arrested so far and the identification of the remaining two persons is underway, police said.

Inspector general of police, (Bilaspur range) Sanjeev Shukla said that the incident took place on Monday evening.

The woman went to a local fair on Monday. She was known to one of the accused, and they both decided to meet near the local market. When the main accused met him, he was with the other accused people. According to the woman, she was raped by eight men, who were with the main accused, said the IG.

Also Read: Hisar police book 4 for gangrape of Mansa woman after offering her lift

The accused had also threatened the woman after the incident after which they fled.

By Tuesday night, we had arrested six persons. Two of the accused are absconding. We are interrogating the arrested accused for the whereabouts and identity of the others involved and soon they will also be arrested, said Divyag Patel, superintendent of police, Raigarh.

Pusaur police have registered a case of gang rape in the case and investigation is underway.

We are not revealing the identity of the accused as it could hamper the investigation. The issue is serious, said the SP.

Meanwhile, former state chief minister Bhupesh Baghel termed the incident serious and demanded immediate arrest of all the accused and punishment for them.
The Justice K Hema Committee report offers Keralas movie industry a defining choice: It must either acknowledge the problem, reconcile with the wrongs of the past and correct course, or it could let the uproar fade and continue  may be not per usual, but without too many of the changes needed to give women a safe space to work. The state government has refused to push the industry to make the right choice, saying it will wait for women to file complaints officially beforeit acts. Thiruvananthapuram: Mahila Congress activists stage a protest demanding a case against the perpetrators named in the Hema Committee report, Thiruvananthapuram, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (PTI Photo) (PTI)

The report, even with the many redactions to protect the privacy of those who have testified, lays bare the alarming instances of abuse and exploitation of women in the industry known for its progressive content. The problem is pervasive, and there are too many influential men  producers, directors, actors, and others  who are directly or indirectly implicated. The report, submitted to the government in December 2019, wasnt made public for close to five years, with powerful figures trying to bury it. This was despite pressure from the Women in Cinema Collective, upon whose request the panel was set up. This underlines the severely skewed balance of power in the industry and makes it hard to imagine the usual mechanism of internal complaints committees (ICCs) under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 being an effective redress and deterrence tool. The choices that the industry makes now will determine whether it can accord half of its workforce the safe workplace they deserve.
Just a month ago, US President Joe Biden wouldnt have been wrong in thinking that he would still be the main attraction at the Democratic National Convention (DNC). As things turned out, he was only the opening act, setting the stage for leading Democrats to endorse the partys presidential candidate, Kamala Harris. Bidens turn on the stage before a packed arena in Chicago virtually brought down the curtains on a storied career, with the 81-year-old reiterating that he had stepped aside from the presidential race to preserve American democracy. That was also the reason why Biden had joined the race in 2020, to block a second term for Donald Trump amid growing polarisation in American politics and society. Ever since his disastrous performance at a televised debate with Trump in June, Biden had faced pressure to make way for Harris, which he eventually did in a move that has energised the ranks of the Democratic Party and seen her drawing even with Trump in most polls. US president Joe Biden addresses the final session of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. Reuters/Eric Thayer

While the Biden administrations foreign policy has been under a cloud since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict, especially for failing to take a strong stand on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus relentless targeting of civilians in Gaza and for not mounting enough pressure on Tel Aviv to agree to a ceasefire, the President has worked to rally support for Ukraine in the face of Russias invasion and worked with partners such as India and Japan on initiatives aimed at stymying Chinas aggressive and coercive actions.

Domestically, Biden outperformed Trump on several fronts, providing access to affordable health care to millions and adding nearly 15 million jobs in his first three years. But, his administration struggled on immigration, which is a hot button issue. In the region, the Biden administration got off to a rough start with the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, which didnt go down well in New Delhi, but then went on to forge strong ties with India in areas such as security, emerging technologies and defence. In this, he built on the bipartisan support in the US for a more significant relationship with India.

Bidens goodbye at the DNC showcased his pragmatism, but how he will be remembered rests on a Harris victory. A Trump return will diminish the aura of sacrifice that surrounds the fairly successful President and foreground his initial reluctance to make way for another candidate till his unsuitability became obvious. The legacy he might have hoped for hangs in balance till the November polls.
Department of Medical Education and Research, Haryana has started the registration process for Haryana NEET UG 2024 Counselling on August 21, 2024. Candidates who want to apply for the counselling round can find the direct link through the official website of Haryana NEET counselling at uhsrugcounselling.com. Haryana NEET UG 2024 Counselling: Registration begins, direct link here

The last date to apply is till August 25, 2024. The provisional allocation of seats will be displayed on August 27 and incase of any grievances on the provisional allotment list, candidates can raise it on the same day.

WB NEET UG 2024 Counselling: Round 1 registration begins today at wbmcc.nic.in

The tuition fee can be deposed online only through the admission web portal from August 27 to September 1, 2024. Candidates' documents will be verified from September 2 to September 4, 2024. After document verification, candidates can download the provisional admission letter from September 2 to September 5, 2024. The last date for joining the allotted institute is September 5, 2024.

Haryana NEET UG 2024 Counselling: How to apply

All those candidates who have qualified the NEET UG examination can apply for the counselling round. Candidates can follow these steps given below.

Visit the official website of Haryana NEET counselling at uhsrugcounselling.com.

Click on Haryana NEET UG 2024 Counselling registration link available on the home page.

Enter the registration details and click on submit.

Once registration is done, login to the account.

Fill the application form and make the payment of application fee.

Click on submit and download the page.

Keep a hard copy of the same for further need.

The official notice reads, Admission shall be made to only those institutes which are approved/recognized for admission by MoHFW/NMC/DCI and who have obtained consent of affiliation from the concerned University in accordance with the last date as prescribed by Government of India/ National Medical Council/ Dental Council of India/State Government. For more related details candidates can check the official website.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of India constituted a 10-member task force to develop a comprehensive protocol for safeguarding doctors and healthcare professionals. The bench, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, emphasised that protecting women doctors is a matter of national importance, stating that the principle of equality demands nothing less. The rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata has stunned the nation.)(Bhushan Koyande/HT File)

The decision came as the court heard a suo motu case regarding the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The task force has been directed to submit an interim report within three weeks and a final report within two months.

A Nation in Shock: The Kolkata Incident

The brutal attack in Kolkata has sent shockwaves across the nation. The victim, who was resting during her night shift, was assaulted in a place where she should have been safe. This tragic incident underscores the urgent need to enhance safety measures for women, not just in healthcare but across all sectors, including educational institutions.

Voices from Educational Institutions: How Can We Improve Safety on Campuses?

In light of this alarming incident, Hindustan Times Digital sought insights from key figures in educational institutions on how campus safety can be improved. Here are some of the key suggestions:

Rajendra Singh, Registrar, International Management Institute

Rajendra Singh emphasised the need for a holistic approach to campus safety. "Ensuring student safety requires a combination of preventive measures and robust support systems," he said. Singh highlighted the importance of well-lit areas, secure accommodations, and trained security personnel as fundamental safety requirements.

He also pointed out the critical role of technology in enhancing campus security. "CCTV cameras, fire alarms, and emergency alert systems are vital for quick responses to emergencies," he noted. Singh also stressed the importance of fostering a culture where students look out for one another and report any suspicious activities.

Shilpa Desai, Principal, Sanskriti School Pune

Shilpa Desai stressed that school safety is just as crucial as in colleges. "Every student has the right to physical and emotional security on campus," she said. Desai emphasised the need for thorough staff background checks and constant vigilance to ensure children are never left unsupervised. She also highlighted the role of CCTV cameras in maintaining a safe school environment.

Chaya Chordia, Director General of Hostels, Amity University

Chaya Chordia reaffirmed Amity Universitys strong commitment to womens safety. "Our comprehensive security system reflects our dedication. The campus is well-lit, equipped with CCTV cameras, and we have emergency response teams ready to act swiftly," she said. Amity University maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy against harassment and assault.

Chordia also detailed the university's advanced security measures, including facial recognition at hostel entry points and regular night patrols. Additionally, the Amity Help Desk for Women provides round-the-clock support to female students, faculty, and staff, addressing issues related to sexual, physical, psychological, and emotional harassment. Prof. Nirupama Prakash, Co-Chairperson of the Help Desk, explained, "We offer a platform for women to voice their concerns and access the necessary authorities, including local police, to ensure they get the help they need."

A Call for Collective Responsibility

The tragic incident at RG Kar Medical College has highlighted the critical need for urgent action to ensure womens safety on campuses. Educational institutions must prioritise student safety by implementing stringent security measures, leveraging technology, and providing robust support systems.

However, making campuses safe is not just the responsibility of the administrationit requires collective effort. Students, faculty, and staff must work together, remain vigilant, communicate openly, and take responsibility to create safe environments for learning and growth. Only then can we hope to prevent such tragedies in the future and ensure that campuses remain places of safety and opportunity, free from fear.
On the occasion of the 90th anniversary celebrations, the Oberoi Group announced the launch of The Oberoi Group Scholarship Program. The recipient will embark on a two-year MBA program that combines virtual learning with an immersive three-week on-site experience at the EHL campus in Lausanne, Switzerland.(Shutterstock)

Founded by Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi and continued under the leadership of Prithvi Raj Singh Oberoi, the Oberoi Group Scholarship Program is an initiative designed to honour the legacy of its founders and nurture the next generation of hospitality leaders.

About the scholarship program:

Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi - Dare to Dream Scholarship:

This scholarship is open to hotel operations employees outside The Oberoi Group in India. The program aims to encourage individuals to dream big and pursue excellence in their careers.

Prithvi Raj Singh Oberoi - Be the Best Scholarship:

This scholarship is available for hotel operations employees from The Oberoi Group in India and overseas. It is designed to motivate employees to strive for the highest standards of excellence in their roles.

Also Read: HT Interview: Is US's Lehigh right place for you? Here is how they select students, offer scholarships and more

According to a press release issued by the Oberoi Group, the scholarships offer the recipients an opportunity to pursue a Master of Business Administration in Hospitality at Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne (EHL).

The recipient will embark on a two-year MBA program that combines virtual learning with an immersive three-week on-site experience at the EHL campus in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The recipients will also stay and experience some of the finest hotels in the world on the Best Practice Tour during each of the two years, gaining insights into global best practices in hospitality.

The Oberoi Group, founded in 1934, operates 31 hotels and two Nile Cruisers. The Group has presence in seven countries under the luxury Oberoi and five-star Trident brand. The Group is also engaged in flight catering, airport restaurants, car rentals and corporate air charters, informed the press release.

Also Read: List of scholarships to consider to help students make their dreams come true
Tripura chief minister Manik Saha on Wednesday announced a two-day closure for all schools due to continuous heavy rainfall for over 48 hours that left seven killed, two missing and over five thousand others homeless in the state. Tripura CM Manik Saha announces two-day closure for all schools due to continuous heavy rainfall for over 48 hours.(Twitter/@DrManikSaha2)

"Due to the current situation and heavy rainfall, the government has declared a two-day closure for all schools on August 21st and 22nd. Additionally, all colleges will remain closed on August 21st. All students, teachers, and staff are requested to stay safe and follow the instructions", Saha wrote on his social media.

He further stated that the officials of different districts have been working together to extend support to the flood-affected people. He also urged all social organizations to extend their assistance in this crisis.

"All the official a of the district administration of various districts , NDRF (National Disaster Response Force), SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) and local authorities are on high alert and have been working together to provide assistance and support to the people in the flood-affected areas.

We also urge all the social organizations, NGOs and beloved citizens to remain vigilant and provide their all out support during this crisis. Your every iota of contribution can make a significant difference to the response and relief efforts", he said.

Meanwhile, Tripura University also suspended all regular classes on August 21 due to heavy rainfall.

"All the regular classes of Tripura University in all the Departments/Centres will remain suspended on 21st August, 2024 due to current situation and heavy rainfall", reads a notification signed by varsity's registrar in-charge Prof. Chinmoy Roy.

According to latest reports, total 183 relief camps were set up where 5607 families were provided shelter. Of the total relief camps, 24 are in West district, 30 in South Tripura district and 39 in Khowai district.

Landslides were reported in many areas, many roads including National Highways were blocked after trees fell down due to heavy rainfall.

" Water level in Tripura have inflated that led to flood in most of the areas due to rainfall occurred more than 48 hours. South Tripura and Gomati districts were affected badly in the flood", said Revenue Department secretary Brijesh Pandey on Tuesday.

Bagafa and Belonia in South Tripura districts recorded rainfall of 375.8 mm and 324.4 mm, Amarpur in Gomati district recorded 307.14 mm and parts of Khowai district in past 24 hours, he added.

Earlier in May this year, over 2,500 people became homeless and 550 houses were damaged due to cyclone ' remal'.

Earlier in July, two children including a 10-year-old child and a 5-year-old child were injured in mudslip in Gomati district.

In 2021, a man and two children were injured in landslides at separate places in South Tripura district.

In 2019, over 1,700 people were rendered homeless and nearly 822 houses were damaged in rainfall.
Tollywood actor Samrat Mukherjee was arrested by police early Tuesday after his car hit a motorcycle in the Behala area of the city. Many went on to speculate that the actor was Rani Mukerji and Kajols cousin Samrat. However, that is not true. In an interview with Etimes, Samrat has now clarified and claimed he is based out of Mumbai and has no relation to the case. (Also read: Kajol shares message on women safety on Raksha Bandhan with adorable pic of Nysa and Yug: Raksha karne waala) Samrat Mukherjee, who is Kajol's cousin, is a filmmaker and photographer.

What Samrat said

Samrat gave his clarification on the matter and said, I would like to clarify met with an accident is not me. The actor Samrat Mukherjee is based in Kolkata and I am a filmmaker owner of Filmalaya studios, based in Mumbai. Since morning I have been getting calls and tired now, telling them how I am not the same Samrat. It is reported that the actor who met with an accident belongs to our family it is not true. I would like to tell everyone, I am safe and based here in Mumbai. The actor Samrat Mukherjee does not belong to our family.

He also added that there are several people who have mistook him for the Bengali actor involved in the case, and should know that he is safe in Mumbai.

More details

Meanwhile, the Bengali actor with the same name was arrested by police on Tuesday after his car hit a motorcycle in Kolkata. The motorcyclist was initially taken to M R Bangur Hospital and then transferred to SSKM Hospital. As per PTI, police said: The actor has been arrested and is now being taken for a medical test. We are investigating the matter.

Kajol's cousin Samrat is often seen with her during the annual Durga Puja celebrations in Mumbai.
Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar recently had a delightful meeting with actor Priyanka Chopra at her residence in Los Angeles and shared the moment on his social media. And it sparked curiosity among fans, who were left wondering if they discussed the second part of their hit film, Fashion. Also read: Madhur Bhandarkar says he plans Fashion 2 about the 'disappearance of supermodels': Anybody can be a model, influencer Madhur Bhandarkars Fashion released in 2008, and was received well by the audiences.

Special meeting in LA

The director took to Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) to share a picture of the meeting with Priyanka. In the picture, both of the stars are beaming with joy as they pose for the camera.

It was a delight to meet & engage in a fascinating discussion with the talented @priyankachopra at her exquisite residence in Los Angeles, he wrote while sharing the picture.

However, he didnt disclose what they discussed when he met her. The image led to conversations around Fashion 2 on social media.

Can we expect Kangana Ranaut X Priyanka Chopra in Fashion 2? Please, please, make it happen, wrote one user. Another wrote, Are you making Fashion 2 without Kangana???? Please don't do that. Sonali is always the main highlight of fashion. Remember that.

Hope a film comes out of this meeting soon @imbhandarkar, shared one user, with another writing, Please, Once again, the Audience needs that kind of movie again.

About Fashion 2

Recently, Madhur expressed his desire to revisit the world and make a project that explores the present condition of the modelling and fashion industry. In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Madhur mentioned his interest in shedding light on the diminishing prominence of supermodels in an age dominated by social media, where celebrities have taken centre stage as showstoppers and influencers have assumed the role of models.

When quizzed if he had any plans for Fashion 2, said, I feel Fashion has all the potential for a sequel. Today, the world of fashion has changed. As a filmmaker, I feel I have a lot of material and hence, it can be turned into a show, spanning a couple of seasons. But it also is apt for a film. Hence, nothing has been decided yet. The subject, however, is interesting. Social media has completely taken over. There was a time when we used to hear of supermodels. But in the last few years, can you recall the name of any supermodel? Bollywood celebs have taken over and have become showstoppers. This is what I want to ask through Fashion 2 - where have these supermodels disappeared? A girl sitting in some small town can be a model or an influencer. I want to focus on these aspects.

About Fashion

Released to critical acclaim, Fashion (2008) starred Priyanka Chopra as the lead protagonist, Meghna Mathur, a small-town girl who rises to become a renowned supermodel. The film boasted an impressive ensemble cast, including Arbaaz Khan, Kangana Ranaut, Mugdha Godse, Samir Soni, and Kitu Gidwani, among others.

Fashion swept the National Film Awards, with Priyanka Chopra winning Best Actress and Kangana Ranaut taking home the Best Supporting Actress award. The movie offered a gripping narrative, exposing the darker aspects of the fashion industry, where ambition and fame come at a steep price.
Madhur Bhandarkar is renowned for creating iconic films that highlight social issues. Despite working with low budgets, the filmmaker achieved critical and commercial success. In a recent interview with Bollywood Hungama, Madhur addressed the ongoing debate about high entourage costs. He mentioned that female actors who played the lead roles in his movies reduced their fees. (Also read: Madhur Bhandarkar says he plans Fashion 2 about the 'disappearance of supermodels': Anybody can be a model, influencer) Madhur Bhandarkar said that Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor slashed their fees for Fashion and Heroine.

Madhur Bhandarkar on star entourage costs

When quizzed about facing any issues related to entourage costs or rising star fees, the filmmaker said, Every female actor slashed her price when they were working with me. Since, I only had a budget of 1.5 crore for Chandni Bar, Tabu didn't not charge any fee for the film. She took money against Bombay or Delhi territory, and nothing else apart from that. She worked with such conviction. Raveena Tandon (Satta) and Bipasha Basu (Corporate) reduced their prices. Even Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor slashed their fees. They didnt charge the market price from me because they were keen on making these movies. The entire film was resting on their shoulders so everybody slashed their prices.

Madhur Bhandarkar's movie career

Madhur's Fashion (2008) featured Priyanka Chopra as the protagonist. Arbaaz Khan, Kangana Ranaut, Mughda Godse, Samir Soni, Kitu Gidwani and others also played crucial characters in the movie. The film was about a small-town girl's ambition to become a supermodel. While Priyanka won the National Film Award for Best Female Actor, Kangana bagged the award in the Best Supporting Actor (Female) category.

Madhur's social-drama Heroine (2012) based on a fading superstar featured Kareena Kapoor in the titular role. Arjun Rampal, Randeep Hooda and Divya Dutta also played pivotal characters in the film.

Awards and accolades received by Madhur Bhandarkar

Madhur Bhandarkar is a four-time national award-winning filmmaker. His film Chandni Bar (2001) won him the National Film Award for Best Film on Social Issues. His dramas Page 3 (2005), Traffic Signal (2007), and Fashion (2008) also received critical acclaim, with the first winning the National Film Award for Best Feature Film and the second earning him the National Film Award for Best Direction. In 2016, he was honored with India's fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri.

Madhur's last directorial was Babli Bouncer (2022) starring Tamannaah Bhatia as the protagonist.
Actor Riteish Deshmukh has expressed his shock and anger over the alleged sexual assault of two minor girls in Maharashtra's Badlapur. The Badlapur incident has come just days after the horrific rape and murder of a trainee doctor that took place at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata. (Also Read: Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Fardeen Khan recreate iconic Heyy Babyy dance steps with a twist. Watch) Riteish Deshmukh is "deeply anguished" by the Badlapur sexual assault

Riteish took to his X account on Tuesday and expressed his pain and frustration. He also demanded the "harshest punishment" for the guilty in the case.

In his post, the actor, who is also a parent, wrote, As a parent am absolutely disgusted, pained and raging with anger!! Two 4 year old girls were sexually assaulted by the male cleaning staff member of the school. Schools are supposed to be as safe a place for kids as their own homes. Harshest punishment needs to be given to this demon. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in his times gave the guilty what they deserved - Chaurang- we need these laws back in action. #BadlapurCrime.

The alleged sexual assault of two minor girls at a school in Badlapur, Maharashtra, has sparked widespread outrage.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has ordered a high-level probe into the incident and said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been formed to investigate the case and that those found guilty would face strict action.

"I have taken serious cognizance of the incident in Badlapur. An SIT has already been formed in this matter and we are also going to take action against the school where the incident took place. We are in the process of fast-track this case, and no one will be spared if found guilty," Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde told ANI.

Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis ordered the formation of an SIT headed by Inspector General of Police-level senior IPS officer Arti Singh to investigate the incident.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray also spoke on the issue and said that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government was about to pass the Shakti Bill, but his government was 'toppled' by the current chief minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde.

Earlier in the day, a massive protest was held at Badlapur Railway Station against the alleged sexual assault incident involving two minor girls at a school in Thane district.

Protestors blocked tracks, causing a halt in local trains while protesting against the alleged sexual assault. Incidents of stone pelting were also reported. Following this, police resorted to lathi-charge and tear gas to disperse the protestors.
Actor Sonu Sood helped an Indian family bring back the mortal remains of their relative, who died while working in Saudi Arabia. Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Sonu also expressed his heartfelt condolences to the family. (Also Read | Sonu Sood appeals to everyone to help in rescuing fellow Indians from Bangladesh: 'Not just government's responsibility') Sonu also expressed his heartfelt condolences to the family.

What happened

Earlier this month, an X user @bravo7781 shared that his uncle, who worked at the Saudi Cement Hofuf plant, died due to a heart stroke. He requested the actor to bring the mortal remains to India.

Sonu helps bring back man's body from Saudi

On Tuesday, Sonu shared the person's resident identity card. He wrote, "Mortal remains will reach Hyderabad airport by 04.35 pm today. Thanks for all the help @GirishPant_ bhai (folded hands emojis) once again heartfelt condolences to the family."

On August 2, @bravo7781 tweeted sharing details of the person, "Dear @SonuSood sir, My uncle, who worked at the Saudi Cement Hofuf plant, passed away heart stroke. Now his body in King Faisal General Hospital @ Saudi Arabia."

He had added, "I humbly request your assistance in bringing his body back to India. Kindly help us sir (folded hands emojis)." Responding to this, Sonu had tweeted, "Will try best to bring his body back. Already speaking to the concerned authorities (fingers crossed emoji)."

How Sonu has been helping people since 2020

Sonu helped thousands of migrant workers reach their homes during the Covid-19 pandemic. He booked chartered flights and busses for the stuck migrant workers when the first lockdown was announced in 2020. Since then, he has been regularly helping people in need.

Recently, Sonu took to Twitter to appeal to the citizens of India to help rescue fellow Indians who are stuck in Bangladesh. He shared the video of an Indian woman expressing her pain, stating how the lives of fellow Indians like her were under threat in Bangladesh. She also expressed her wish to return to India.

The actor captioned his tweet as, We should do our best to bring back all our fellow Indians from Bangladesh, so they get a good life here. This is not just the responsibility of our Government which is doing its best but also all of us. Jai Hind (tricolour emoji).

Sonu's next film

Fans will see Sonu in the upcoming film Fateh alongside Naseeruddin Shah and Jacqueline Fernandez. The movie will hit theatres on January 10, 2025. Fateh also marks Sonu's debut as a director. It will delve into the real-life instances of cybercrime. The film is made under the banner of Zee Studios and Shakti Sagar Productions.
Tanushree Dutta has been vocal about addressing sexual harassment in the Hindi film industry. She recently commented on the report from the Justice K Hema Committee that addresses sexual harassment of women in the Malayalam film industry. In an interview with News 18, Tanushree criticised the report as 'useless' and also pointed out the futility of the Vishakha Committee (formerly known as the Womens Grievances Committee), which works to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. (Also read: Nana Patekar on MeToo allegations against him by Tanushree: 'I know the truth') Tanushree Dutta targeted Nana Patekar, Dileep while calling Hema Committee report 'useless.'

Tanushree Dutta calls Hema Committee report useless

Tanushree, while reacting to the recent Hema Committee report said, Whats the point of this new report anyway? All they had to do was arrest the accused and enforce a strong law and order system. I remember hearing about the Vishakha Committee, which came up with so many guidelines and prepared pages and pages of reports, but what happened after that? The names of the committees just keep changing."

"People like Nana and Dileep are narcissistic psychopaths. Theres no cure for them. Only a vicious and vengeful man can do what they did. I dont care about these committees. I have no trust in this system. It feels like with these reports and committees, theyre just wasting our time rather than doing the real work. Having a safe workplace is a basic right for a woman  or any human being, for that matter.

About Justice K Hema Committee report

The committee was established in response to a request from the Women In Cinema Collective, after the 2017 incident where a female Malayalam actor was sexually assaulted in a moving vehicle in Kochi. Actor Dileep was one of the accused in the case.

Tanushree's allegations against Nana Patekar

Tanushree made strong accusations against Nana Patekar for sexually harassing her on the sets of Horn Ok Please in 2008. She faced political backlash and criticism from artists in the Indian film industry, while Nana Patekar denied the allegations. In 2018, during the MeToo India movement, Tanushree once again spoke about the incident. She revealed how her career was jeopardised after she opened up about the harassment she faced on the movie set.
Ben Affleck has made a public statement about his relationship with Jennifer Lopez, seemingly confirming that they have decided to end their marriage. Just hours after Lopez filed for divorce on their second anniversary, Affleck was seen without his wedding ring. While the couple has not released an official statement, insiders claim that the decision was mutual and amicable. When Ben Affleck revealed why he avoided speaking about his relationship with Jennifer Lopez (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)(AFP)

Ben Affleck spotted without wedding ring after divorce filing

On August 21, the end of Bennifer 2.0 became a trending topic as many were left in shock by the apparent decision of the high-profile A-listers to part ways after rekindling their romance two years ago. The 52-year-old actor was spotted without his wedding ring while heading to an office building in Los Angeles on Tuesday. As per PEOPLE, the Accountant 2 star was seen walking through the parking lot flaunting his casual fashion, wearing a grey T-shirt, jeans, and black-tinted sunglasses.

Also read: Travis Kelce confirmed to join Happy Gilmore 2, Adam Sandler gushes: Hes a Stud and Hes So

Fans believe that the petrified Affleck, who feared Lopez might make a dramatic scene out of their divorce and "destroy" him, has removed his wedding ring for good. "Looks like his on-again, off-again relationship with the wedding ring is finally over," one commenter noted on the picture. Another wrote, Oh, so he can now finally roam freely without the wedding ring.

Ben Affleck flies back to LA

Ben Affleck, who was spending time with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner and his three kids before the oldest, Violet, moved into Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, flew back to LA the same day the divorce was filed. Affleck and Garner were then seen leaving the airport together in a car.

Also read: Ben Affleck enjoys dinner with ex Jennifer Garner, smiling and chatting before Violets college move-in

Jennifer Lopez files for divorce from Ben Affleck: Report

The months-long speculation about the Gigli co-stars appears to be coming to a settlement. though not as fans had hoped. On August 21, it was reported that Lopez filed for divorce in Los Angeles County Superior Court, according to multiple sources confirmed to PEOPLE. Even though they got married in Vegas on July 17, 2022, it's been two years since they had their traditional wedding in Georgia on August 20.

Reportedly, the Atlas star filed for divorce alone, without an attorney or legal representative. She listed a separation date of April 26, 2024, which is about four months prior, justifying the timeline given that the couple spent their summer living apart.
Since the announcement of Robert Downey Hr.s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Victor Von Doom, the actor addressed the fact for the first time. He explained how Kevin Feige roped in him as the next villain of the MCU as he recently appeared on The Hollywood Reporters Awards Chatter Podcast. (FILES) US actor Robert Downey Jr. addressed his return to the MCU as Doctor Doom. (Photo by Chris DELMAS / AFP)(AFP)

Also Read: Joker director Todd Phillips signals uncertainty on future films in the franchise amid sequel release

Robert Downey reveals his casting as Doctor Doom

In the latest podcast episode, Downey revealed how a casual talk with Feige resulted in him making a return to Marvel. The actor who played Iron Man earlier in the Avengers franchise said, He said, It just keeps occurring to me if you were to come back  His wife Susan Downey was also present during the conversation and jumped in, he explained, Susan was like, Wait, wait. Come back as what?

The actor then expressed the immediate concerns he had if he were to make a comeback to the Marvels and discussed it with Feige. He said, How can we not go backwards? How can we not disappoint expectations? How can we continue to beat expectations? which is when Feige suggested he could come back as Doctor Doom.

Downey then revealed that his next thought was to consult the idea with Disney CEO, Bob Iger and visit him soon after. It seemed the Iger was already aware of the Doctor Doom plan as when the actor visited him he said, I like it.

Downey said on the podcast episode, I was like, 'He likes it.' He [Iger] said, 'Come by the Imagineering Campus.' Feige and I go to the Imagineering Campus and you want to talk about two guys that are not easy to have their minds blown, let alone at the same time...I can't say too much, but what is going on there right now is so beyond my expectation of what was possible, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

Also Read: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez reportedly filed for divorce: Here's how the kids are doing after

Robert Downey left Marvel

The 59-year-old actor never really left Marvel even after bidding farewell to his beloved MCU character Tony Stark. In the following years of the release of Avengers: Endgame, Downey remained close with the Iron Man director Jon Favreau and Avengers directors Joe and Anthony Russo. The Russo brothers will also return to the MCU to direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars as announced at the San Diego Comic Con.

Downeys return as Doctor Doo was also made at the same Comic Con as a bunch of men dressed as Marvels next villain swarmed the stage and the actor stepped forward to reveal his mask. He said, New mask. Same task. Boy, I tell you, I like playing complicated characters.
Ben Affleck once explained why he refrained from speaking too much about his rekindled relationship with Jennifer Lopez. Affleck described himself as a not perfect man and added that he wanted to exercise a little restraint and avoid going into gossipy detail about his and Lopez's life, or second shot at love. This was the Argo directors attempt to avoid making the same mistakes he made when they first started dating. When Ben Affleck revealed why he avoided speaking about his relationship with Jennifer Lopez (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)(AFP)

One of the harder lessons that I have learned is that its not wise to share everything with the world, Affleck told The Wall Street Journal in December 2021.

There are some things which are private and intimate and have meaning in terms of their intimacy by dint of the fact that theyre not shared with the rest of the world, he added.

Lopez has now officially filed for divorce from Affleck after two years of marriage. She filed the papers in Los Angeles on Tuesday, August 20, which was the two-year anniversary of their second wedding ceremony that was held in Georgia. The actress listed the separation date as April 26, 2024.

I just dont want to be talking about my personal relationship in the newspaper

Affleck said in 2021, Im more comfortable just learning to find a boundary between things that I want to share and things that I dont. I dont know if its good or bad. I dont.

One boundary happened to be talking to the news media about his love life. I know that I feel more comfortable having those healthy boundaries in my life around which, in a friendly and straightforward way, I tell you, I just dont want to be talking about my personal relationship in the newspaper, Affleck said.

Im going to exercise a little restraint, he added.

Affleck, however, did open up at the time about Bennifer 2.0 being born. I can say that its definitely beautiful to me, he said. And, you know, one of the things I really value across all facets of my life now is that it was handled in a way that reflected that.

My life now reflects not just the person that I want to be, he explained, but the person that I really feel like I amwhich is not perfect, but somebody who tries very hard and cares very much about being honest and authentic and accountable.

Affleck said at the time that its hard to say who benefits more from his restraint. I could just say that I feel great about being very healthy, he said. And it is a good story. Its a great story. And, you know, maybe one day Ill tell it. Ill write it all out.

And then Ill light it on fire, he added.

Opening up on how the two of them got a second chance at love, Affleck said, I am very lucky in my life in that I have benefited from second chances, and I am aware that other people dont even get first chances.

Ive had second chances in my career, he continued. Ive had second chances as a human being. Life is difficult, and we are always failing and hopefully learning from those failures.

He added, The one thing you really need to avail yourself of the opportunities provided from that growth is the second chance. Ive definitely tried to take advantage of that.

Previously, Affleck had spoken out about the end to their previous engagement back in 2003. I think Jen and I made a mistake in that we fell in love, we were excited and maybe too accessible, he said on the British TV series Live in 2008. I dont think either of us anticipated the degree to which it would take on a world of its own.
In a significant development regarding the case surrounding the death of actor Matthew Perry, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confirmed that doctors Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez have surrendered their registrations to prescribe medication. This decision comes amid allegations connecting them to Perry's tragic passing, confirmed E! News. (Also Read  Matthew Perry's stepfather breaks silence after ketamine arrests in actor's death: We were and still are) Matthew Perry's doctors surrender prescription licenses(AFP)

Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on Friends, was discovered deceased in the hot tub of his California home on October 28, 2023. The Los Angeles Medical Examiner later ruled his death an accidental result of "acute effects of ketamine" combined with drowning.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed on August 15 that Plasencia and Chavez are among five individuals charged in relation to Perry's death. These charges include accusations of exploiting Perry's ongoing battle with drug addiction, according to E! News.

Plasencia, a primary defendant in the case, is alleged to have collaborated with Perry's assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, to distribute approximately 20 vials of ketamine to Perry between September and October 2023 in exchange for USD 55,000 in cash.

According to E! News, Iwamasa pleaded guilty on August 7 to conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. Further complicating matters, Plasencia is accused of texting Chavez, a San Diego-based physician who allegedly sold ketamine to Plasencia, to discuss the financial aspects of their transactions.

One message reportedly sent by Plasencia read, "I wonder how much this moron will pay," according to E! News. Plasencia faces multiple charges, including conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of ketamine distribution, and two counts of altering and falsifying documents related to the federal investigation.

If convicted, the 42-year-old could face up to 30 years in federal prison. Plasencia has not yet entered a public plea and was released on bond on August 16, according to E! News.

Chavez, who is scheduled for arraignment on August 30, has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison, according to E! News.

Amid the ongoing investigation, Perry's friends and family continue to honour his legacy. Friends creator Marta Kauffman recently urged fans to celebrate Perry's memory by supporting drug treatment centres and enjoying his work on Friends.

Kauffman stated, "Two things come to mind [about how to celebrate him]: one of them is to donate to drug treatment centres  let's fight the disease. And the second way is to watch Friends and remember him not as a man who died like that but as a man who was hilariously funny and brought joy to everybody."

The investigation into Perry's death remains active as the legal proceedings continue.
Amruta Khanvilkar is set to perform at her first ever theatre dance musical titled World of Stree, which she is also co-producing with Earth NGO. The actor is quite excited for this new venture and informs that she is collaborating with choreographer Ashish Patil for the same. Amruta Khanvilkar on her theatre dance musical World of Stree

It is the first time an actor and a choreographer have come together for such a show. It is a complete dance musical, there are no scenes or play and we will be dancing continuously for 90 minutes , she says.

World of Stree will show different aspects of womanhood and various "Devi roop. We have been rehearsing five to six hours daily for close to two months now, and everything is falling in place. Its a semi classical performance and some parts are in Kathak. Apart from me and Ashish, there are 10 classical dancers performing with us. This show is my way of giving back for all the love I have received from my audience, she informs.

Amruta has been dancing for a long time and feels it is something that comes naturally to me. I am not a trained dancer but the hunger to learn more is a lot in me. I have been dancing for about 20 years now and I still feel I can do better, and I am working on it, she says, adding that there are three shows of World Of Stree in Mumbai on August 24 and 25, and she even plans to take it global: We are in talks with people in the US, Australia and Singapore. I want to take it globally as I feel it will resonate with everyone.

Ask her about the difference between being on screen and on stage and the 39-year-old says, Nothing beats the energy of a live audience. And the reception is instant; the audience is either loving it or not. You are putting it out there at that moment and theres no greater high for an artiste.

The actor insists that while Hindi showbiz keeps the actor in her excited, the dancer in her gets satiated through Marathi cinema. In Hindi, I have never been given any dancing roles but in Marathi, its the complete opposite. I have such iconic dancing songs to my credit like Wajle Ki Bara, Aye Hip Hopper and Chandramukhis (2022) songs. People got to know a lot more about me as a dancer after Chandramukhi, but I dont want to wait for another such film to reach my audience who loves me for my dance, thus I did this show, she ends.
At least 17 Bangladeshi nationals entered Assam and one of the persons was arrested, police said. Officials said that they are searching for the 16 Bangladeshi nationals. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The arrested person was sent back to her country and told police how they entered Assam.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a post on his official X account, the arrested Bangladeshi national, a resident of Bangladeshs Dhaka, was identified.

The woman from Dhaka Division was handed back to Bangladeshi authorities a short while ago. Earlier she was apprehended at Dhubri by Assam Police, he wrote.

Also Read: 5 Bangladeshi nationals who illegally entered India arrested in Guwahati: Police

The woman had entered Indian territory on the early hours of 18 August at Sukchar, South Salmara District on foot, after multiple bus and boat rides spanning over 24 hours.

After taking shelter at a house in Sukchar, she proceeded to Dhubri by boat where she was intercepted. A manhunt is underway to trace other accomplices/infiltrators, Sarma added.

Police said the woman confessed that she came to India illegally with the help of an illegal racket along with 16 more Bangladeshi nationals.

Officials said that they are searching for the 16 Bangladeshi nationals.

Before the deportation, Akhtar told media persons that she paid an amount of money to a Bangladeshi person.

Here a person named Ali helped me. We crossed a river from an area where we saw an army camp. We walked through forests at night and later stayed in a house, she said.

In another case, three Bangladeshi nationals who had strayed into Assam were arrested and they were also sent back.

CM Sarma shared the details on his official X account.

The individuals were identified. One of them was found with an Aadhaar card, having entered India for the second time, all three intended to travel to Chennai for labour work. They have since been pushed back to Bangladesh, sha said.
On the eve of his visit to Ukraine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that India was a supporter of peace in the volatile region as he reiterated "this is not an era of war" and any conflict should be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial at the Good Maharaja Square, Warsaw, Poland. (AFP)(HT_PRINT)

Addressing the Indian diaspora in the Polish capital, Modi also said that for decades, India had a policy to maintain distance from all the countries. However, the policy of today's India is to remain close to all the countries, he added, amid chants of Modi-Modi.

"India is an advocate of permanent peace in this region. Our stand is very clear - this isn't an era of war. This is the time to come together against those challenges which threaten humanity. Therefore, India believes in diplomacy and dialogues...," Modi told the gathering.

Read more: PM Narendra Modi arrives in Poland for first visit by Indian Prime Minister in 45 years

His remarks comes ahead of his trip to Kyiv - the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since the country became independent in 1991.

Modi, who is visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has said that he will share with the Ukrainian leader perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict.

His visit to Kyiv comes nearly six weeks after his high-profile trip to Moscow which triggered criticism from the US and some of its Western allies.

"Today's India wants to connect with all. Today's India talks about the development of all. Today's India is with all and thinks about the interests of all," Modi said.

Modi said that if any country faces a crisis, India is the first country to extend a helping hand. "Wherever in the world there is an earthquake or any disaster, India has only one mantra  Humanity first," he added.

Prime Minister Modi's visit to Poland is the first trip by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in the past 45 years.
Badlapur school sexual abuse case: The Mumbai Congress unit on Wednesday opposed the appointment of senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam as the special public prosecutor for the case involving the abuse of two kindergarten students at a school in Maharashtra's Badlapur. Senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam (ANI)

Congress leaders argued that Nikam had previously contested parliamentary elections on a BJP ticket and alleged that the school is also managed by individuals with ties to the BJP. He ran for election on a BJP ticket. How can justice be expected when he represents the case, and the people running the school are linked to the BJP? said Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad.

Maharashtra's deputy chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, announced earlier in the day the appointment of senior lawyer Ujjwal Nikam as the special public prosecutor for the Badlapur school sexual abuse case. Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis has announced that the unfortunate incident in Badlapur will be speedily investigated and the case will go to a fast-track court. It has been decided to appoint senior lawyer Ujjwal Nikam as the special public prosecutor, the deputy CMs office posted in Marathi on X (formerly Twitter).

Nikam, 71, has previously handled numerous high-profile cases, including serving as the public prosecutor in the trial of Ajmal Kasab, the sole terrorist captured during the November 26, 2008 attacks in Mumbai. The senior lawyer successfully secured a death penalty for Kasab, a member of the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, who was executed in Punes Yerawada Jail in November 2012.

Congress workers protest against the state govt

Earlier in the day, Congress workers staged a protest against the State Government over the alleged sexual assault of a girl child at a school in Badlapur. Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad led the demonstration outside Mantralaya, the state secretariat, in response to the Badlapur incident. Vijay Wadettiwar, leader of the opposition in the state assembly and several other Congress leaders were also present during the protest.

Holding placards outside the gates of Mantralaya, Congress leaders and workers chanted slogans against the government, criticising the delay in the registration of the FIR The police prevented the protesters from entering the premises.

Gaikwad and Wadettiwar criticised the state government for the increase in crimes against women in the state.

On August 17, police arrested a school attendant for sexually abusing two kindergarten girls at a school in Badlapur. According to the complaint, the attendant assaulted the girls in the school's restroom, an official reported.

Opposition parties have claimed that the girls' parents were forced to wait for 11 hours at the Badlapur police station before officials addressed their complaints.

On Tuesday, thousands of protesters blocked the railway tracks at Badlapur station and stormed the school building in response to the incident.

The opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), announced a "Maharashtra bandh" on Saturday, August 24, in response to the alleged sexual assault incident in Badlapur, Thane district.

MVA allies  Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), and the NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar  made the decision during a meeting, according to Vijay Wadettiwar. He confirmed that all MVA allies would join the bandh on August 24.
Amid the unrest in Maharashtra's Badlapur over the sexual assault of two minor girls at a school, Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora stated that the outrage over the incident sends a clear message that violence against women and children will not be tolerated. Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora expressed his feelings as a father on the Badlapur case (ANI Photo/Sansad TV)(sansad tv)

In a post on X, Deora also expressed his feelings as a father and outlined the Maharashtra government's response to the case.

Also Read: Badlapur school sexual abuse: What one of the 2 girls in Thane told her parents

"The public outrage over the horrific #Badlapur incident is a clear message--violence against women and children will not be tolerated," Deora said in the post.

"As a father, my heart goes out to the victims and their families. The Badlapur case is an affront to our core values as a society and nation. Schools, caregivers, and law enforcement must prioritise the safety of our children through stringent background checks and vigilance," he added.

Also Read: Badlapur case: Cong says parents made to wait 11 hrs for complaint; 3 suspended

Deora also listed the actions taken by the Maharashtra government: "The accused has been arrested and will face trial in a fast-track court; an SIT under a DG-rank officer has been established; the school principal, class teacher, and attendants have been suspended; police officers who delayed action have been removed from duty; Education Minister @KesarkarDeepak Ji is on the ground in Badlapur; CM @mieknathshinde Ji and DCM @Dev_Fadnavis Ji have ordered a watertight case against the accused."

Also Read: NCPCR team will probe matter, says chairperson Priyank Kanoongo on Badlapur case

Meanwhile, enraged residents began pelting stones at the school where the crime took place. As they demanded justice, the situation escalated, prompting police intervention.

Authorities used tear gas and other measures to control the crowd and restore order. The protesters, dressed in black, targeted the school in their demonstration. As the chaos subsided, the police apprehended those responsible for the stone-throwing.

The suspects have been taken into custody and are being held at the local police station. The police are continuing their investigation into the assault case and are working to maintain peace in the community.
Thane protest updates: Internet services in Badlapur in Maharashtra Thane district were suspended, while most schools remained shut on Wednesday, August 21, a day after a massive protest at Badlapur railway station over the alleged sexual abuse of two four-year-old girls at a kindergarten. Badlapur residents staged a protest at Badlapur station all of Tuesday. The protestors also slammed the CMs Ladki Bahin Yojana scheme, saying that instead of doling out  1,500 a month to women, the government should ensure their security. (Pramod Tambe /HT Photo)

The Kalyan Bar Association has decided not to take up the case of accused Akshay Shinde, a sweeper.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi called for a Maharashtra Bandh on August 24 to protest the Badlapur incident and rising crime against women and girls. In a meeting of the MVA, the leaders from three parties  the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP  discussed the Badlapur incident and overall women and girls safety issue in the state.

Watch video here:

Entire Badlapur town virtually came to a standstill on Tuesday after thousands of protesters blocked railway tracks at the station and stormed a local school building after the alleged sexual abuse of two girls by the school sweeper in the washroom last week.

The protesters hurled stones at police personnel and vandalised the school building over the sexual abuse incident. The police cane-charged the protesters to disperse them and clear the tracks for train movement.

As per the complaint, Akshay Shinde abused the girls in the toilet of the school. In the wake of the incident, the school management has suspended the principal, a class teacher and a female attendant. The state government on Tuesday ordered the suspension of three police officials, including a senior police inspector, for alleged dereliction of duty in probing the sexual abuse of the two girls.

Angry parents of the school children and local citizens, including several women, gathered outside the school on Tuesday morning and also resorted to a 'rail roko' protest at the railway station, blocking the path of local trains from around 8.30am. Some of the protesters, including women, later damaged the school property by breaking its gate, window panes, benches and doors. The school where the incident happened belongs to a close relative of a Bharatiya Janata Party leader from Badlapur.

Protest over Badlapur school girls sexual abuse: 10 updates
Badlapur school sexual abuse case updates: Badlapur railway station in Maharashtra's Thane district saw thousands of protesters on Tuesday blocking train tracks over the alleged sexual assault of two four-year-old girls by a school sweeper in the washroom. The massive protest led to disruption of local train services and diversion of some long-distance trains. A clash broke out between Police and local residents after the two four-year-old girls were allegedly sexually assaulted by a cleaning staff member in a Badlapur school.Thane. (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

The Thane Police broke up the protests after nine hours by lathicharging protesters at the Badlapur railway station.

Two four-year-old girls studying in pre-primary classes at a prominent co-ed school in Badlapur were allegedly sexually assaulted by the 23-year-old male cleaner, Akshay Shinde, on August 12-13. The assaults occurred in the girls toilet, which reportedly lacked female staff supervision. The accused was hired on August 1, 2024, on a contractual basis.

The matter came to light when one of the girls complained of pain and disclosed her ordeal to her parents. The shocked parents then discovered that a second girl was also allegedly assaulted. A complaint was filed on August 16 night, leading to the alleged perpetrators arrest.

Also Read | Badlapur case: Senior lawyer Ujjwal Nikam to be special public prosecutor

India Today, citing an FIR, reported that the incident took place between 9am and 12pm on August 13. The family of one of the girls first grew suspicious on August 13, after they spoke to the other child's family member, who told them that they were planning to file a sexual assault complaint.

The complaint added that the girl appeared frightened and told her parents that an older male at school, whom she referred to as "dada" (Marathi for elder brother), had undressed her and touched her inappropriately.

The family reported the incident to the police on August 16, but they claim the FIR was not filed until 12 hours later, around 9pm that day, the India Today report added. The FIR details that the accused had sexually abused the child.

Parents, protesters block Badlapur railway station

On Tuesday, the parents of the girls were on a silent protest outside the school in the morning before a sudden crowd joined the agitation between 9.30am and 10am, escalating the situation in view of the inadequate police deployment. MNS leader Sangita Chedvankar, who was leading the protest, immediately left the spot, while Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Kisan Kathore allegedly looked on as the crowd went amok.

The school suspended the principal and three staff members as the protests escalated, but citizens have demanded a death penalty to the accused, a cleaner in the school.

The Thane police have deployed heavy forces, even as Government Railway Police (GRP) commissioner Ravindra Shisve tried to pacify the crowd by assuring the protestors that stern action would be taken against the accused. However, the agitators refused to budge and went on with their rail blockade.

The police eventually fired tear gas and lathi-charged the crowd that had gathered outside the school and at the railway station, further agitating the protesters who then resorted to stone-pelting.

Thane protest: 12 trains diverted, 30 local trains partially cancelled

Protests which erupted at Badlapur railway station in Thane district disrupted rail services on the route leading to the diversion of 12 mail express trains and partial cancellation of 30 local trains.

CPRO Central Railway in a statement said, "Till now approximately 12 mail express trains have been diverted and koyna has been rerouted from near to Badlapur back to Kalyan and then towards Karjat via diva and Panvel. Approximately 30 local trains have been partially cancelled between Ambernath and Karjat khopoli. The number is likely to increase exponentially with starting of peak hour."

However, services from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Ambernath and towards Kasara are running normally, he said.

(With inputs from agencies)
The chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR) on Wednesday criticised the handling of a sexual abuse case at a school in Badlapur, saying the school administration attempted to cover up the crime rather than supporting the victims' families in filing a police complaint. Police personnel deployed at the school in Badlapur a day after massive protests over alleged molestation of two school girls, in Thane district, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2024. (PTI)

MSCPCR chief Susieben Shah also stressed the need for stringent actions under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

They (child protection unit) took them to the police to file the complaint. When I asked the school management about the case, they tried to cover it up. I even asked them why POCSO provisions should not be invoked against the school management, said Shah.

Read: Rage spills on road, tracks after 4-year-old girls sexually assaulted

What's the Badlapur school case?

The incident in question involves two four-year-old girls who were allegedly sexually assaulted by Akshay Shinde, a 23-year-old male cleaner employed by the school. The assaults, which reportedly occurred on separate days within 10 days of Shinde's employment, went unnoticed by the school authorities.

Despite being informed of the first assault on August 12, the school management did not report the incident to the police. Instead, they dismissed the parents' concerns by suggesting that the child could have been assaulted by an outsider.

The parents of the victim girls were allegedly made to wait for 11 hours at Badlapur police station before the officials took note of their complaints.

Frustrated by the lack of response from both the school and the police, the parents, along with local residents, took to the streets and railway tracks, demanding justice. The protest, which began at the school, quickly escalated as demonstrators moved to block the railway tracks at Badlapur station, bringing the central railway suburban network to a standstill for several hours.

Shah said if the school management had promptly alerted the police, the chaotic situation in Badlapur could have been avoided. The issue arises from the parents being made to wait for 11 hours.

Despite being apprised of the alleged sexual attack, the principal chose not to contact the police. Instead, she went to the school management, Shah said, calling the episode a terrible state of affairs.

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), meanwhile, has called for a Maharashtra bandh on August 24 to protest against the alleged sexual assault. Leader of opposition in the state assembly Vijay Wadettiwar said all MVA allies will participate in the bandh on August 24.

With PTI inputs
The five Indian nationals, who were helping Border Security Force (BSF) rescue animals in the Ganga on Saturday but accidentally strayed into Bangladeshs territorial waters , were arrested by Bangladeshi forces and paraded in front of local media as armed cattle smugglers, officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday. According to BSF officials, this is the first time in recent years that BGB has refused to return civilians who inadvertently entered Bangladesh. (PTI)

Even as the BSF continued to hold talks with the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) seeking the release of the five men, the BGB has so far refused to return them citing the current political situation and media pressure.

We have information that the five are in the custody of the Shibganj police station in Bangladesh. There are media reports from Bangladesh quoting their senior officials, who claimed that the five men were carrying arms and had entered Bangladesh for cattle smuggling. The real facts of the case are completely opposite, a senior BSF officer, who asked not to be named, said.

The officer added that according to their intelligence inputs, the five were yet to be sent to jail and were being questioned by police.

On the night of August 17, BSF personnel of the 115 battalion at Malda hired the five boat operators in two boats to rescue cattle being smuggled via the riverine border. A BSF jawan had seen cattle tied to banana tree stems and being transported to Bangladesh.

The jawan immediately alerted the Quick Reaction Team (QRT) and the Engine-Fitted Country Boat (EFCB) Party via radio. In response, two EFC boats, manned by five boatmen, arrived at the scene and discovered that cattle were being smuggled across the river, tied to banana stems. While attempting to save the cattle, one of the EFC boats developed technical defects after hitting a whirlpool in the surging river and was quickly carried away by the strong currents. The second EFC boat tried to tow the defective boat, but due to the increased water level and strong flow of the river, both boats inadvertently crossed into Bangladeshi territory, where these boatmen were apprehended by the Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB), an official said.

According to BSF officials, this is the first time in recent years that BGB has refused to return civilians who inadvertently entered Bangladesh.
Ahmedabad, Protesters blocked a goods train and roads as the daylong Bharat Bandh on Wednesday, called by certain Dalit and Adivasi groups against the Supreme Courts verdict on sub-classification of Scheduled Castes , evoked mixed reactions across Gujarat. Bharat Bandh: Effects seen in areas dominated by tribal, Dalit communities in Gujarat

The effects of the bandh were clearly seen in regions dominated by tribal and Dalit communities in districts like Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Surendranagra, Sabarkantha, and Aravalli where markets in cities and semi-urban areas remained closed.

Protesters blocked a goods train in Wadhwan taluka of Surendranagar district and shouted slogans, with the police reaching the site to disperse the crowd.

Police managed to persuade the protesters to allow the train to ply. The train moved after a forced halt of around an hour and a half and went towards Bhavnagar, officials said.

Protesters at Bhiloda and Shamlaji in Aravalli district blocked roads. Several of them were detained in Patan and Aravali districts while trying to enforce the bandh, officials said.

Shops downed shutters in the main markets in Bhiloda and Shamlaji, with groups taking to the streets to hold demonstrations amid tight police presence.

Similarly, the impact of the bandh call was seen in the towns of Idar and Vijaynagar in the Sabarkantha district where markets, schools and colleges remained closed, with the authorities ordering heavy police deployment to maintain law and order.

Protesters from the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe communities also held rallies.

Umarpada town in the Surat district wore a deserted look in the early afternoon as shops remained closed. In places like Kosamba in the district, representatives of the organisations that gave the bandh call approached shops and urged them to down shutters.

Shouting slogans, SC/ST organisations took out protest rallies in Vadodara.

In the Amraiwadi locality of Ahmedabad city, members of the Dalit community observed a sit-in and blocked a road.

Twenty-one organisations across the country have called for a Bharat Bandh on Wednesday against the recent ruling by the Supreme Court on quota. The organisations have said that it will harm the basic principles of reservation.

The top court on August 1 held that states are constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within the SCs , which it said form a socially heterogeneous class, for granting reservation for the uplift of castes that are socially and educationally more backward among them.

The apex court, however, made it clear that states have to make the sub-classification based on quantifiable and demonstrable data of backwardness and representation in government jobs and not on whims and as a matter of political expediency.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Aug 21, 2024 4:29 PM IST

Bharat Bandh news live: Accusing opposition parties of politics on the reservation issue, BJP MP Faggan Singh Kulaste has said that the Centre has already clarified its stand on the Supreme Court's recent verdict on reservations.

The judges have given their opinion. I personally along with 60-70 MPs met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this issue. The PM told us that the creamy layer provision (sub-classification) will not be implemented among SCs and STs," he sai.
Dalit and Adivasi organisations have called for a Bharat Bandh, a peaceful strike, on Wednesday, to stress their demand for wider representation of marginalised communities in jobs and education and also to ensure the protection of their constitutional rights. Despite the lack of an official announcement, public services are expected to be hit in states ruled by these parties. (HT file)

The Bharat bandh call comes on the backdrop of the recent Supreme Court verdict on the sub-categorisation of quotas for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) groups, and the controversy over lateral entry for central civil services.

On August 1, a seven-judge bench of Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, ruled by a 6:1 majority that further sub-classification of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes by states can be permitted to ensure quota for more backward castes within these groups.

On August 20, minister for the department of personnel and training (DoPT) Jitendra Singh wrote to the UPSC chairman asking for the advertisements for lateral entry for 45 posts of joint secretary, director, and deputy secretary levels to be withdrawn. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged that the move was an attack on the reservation rights of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and SC/ST communities.

Bharat bandh today Here's all you need to know

The Bharat bandh has been called by the National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR). It has opposed the Supreme Court verdict claiming that it undermines the court's earlier ruling in the landmark Indira Sawhney case, which established the framework for reservations. The NACDAOR has released a list of demands that ask the government to ensure social justice and equitable representation of these communities in jobs and education. Urging the government to reject the SC judgment, it called for a new central act, protected from judicial review by the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. In the past, the SC has held that placing a law under the Ninth Schedule does not protect it from judicial review. NACDAOR has also demanded the immediate release of caste-based data on SC/ST/OBC employees in government services to ensure their accurate representation. The body has urged the government to release data on caste-wise representation of these groups in public services. The group has called for the filling up of all backlog vacancies in central and state government departments, as well as public sector undertakings. In the private sector, the body said companies benefiting from government subsidies or investments must enact affirmative action policies in their firms. Political parties like the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal have extended support to Bharat Bandh today. Left parties have also backed the call for a strike. Despite the lack of an official announcement, public services are expected to be hit in states ruled by these parties. Emergency services such as hospitals, ambulances, and medical facilities, will remain functional. There is no official announcement on the closure of banks, government offices, and educational institutions. NACDAOR has urged all OBC and SC/ST groups to participate peacefully in large numbers.

(With inputs from agencies)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday constituted a nine-member national task force (NTF) comprising eminent doctors and health care administrators to address the safety concerns of medical professionals it expressed alarm over the grisly rape-and-murder of a young doctor in Kolkata that has galvanised the country and sparked sweeping protests. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra during hearing on a suo moto case related to the alleged sexual assault and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor in Kolkata, at the Supreme Court in New Delhi, Tuesday. (PTI)

The top court said the crime at Kolkatas RG Kar Hospital brought to fore the broader issue of the lack of institutional safety for doctors, nurses and other medical staff, besides the need to ensure that medical professionals in India can work in environments that are not only safe but also dignified and conducive to their well-being.

In its suo motu (on its own) hearing, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud also rebuked the West Bengal government and highlighted the alarming inadequacies in the states response to the crime, and stated that the conscience of the nation was shaken by the horrific and horrendous incident.

This is not just a matter of protecting doctors. Their safety and well-being as health providers is a matter of national interest. As more and more women join the work force in cutting edge areas of knowledge and science, the nation has a vital stake in ensuring safe and dignified conditions of work, said the bench, also comprising justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.

The constitutional value of equality demands nothing else and will not brook compromises on the health, well-being and safety of those who provide health care to others. The nation cannot await a rape or murder for real changes on the ground, it added.

Aiming to establish a national consensus on the need for standardised protocols that ascertain the safety and dignity of medical professionals, the top court underscored the systemic issues within health care institutions that have left medical professionals, particularly women, vulnerable to violence and inadequate protection.

The NTF was tasked with formulating effective recommendations to remedy the issues of concern pertaining to the safety, working conditions and well-being of medical professionals. It is expected to submit an interim report within three weeks, detailing its findings and proposed measures.

The bench also issued a call to action for striking doctors across the country, urging them to resume work while assuring them that their safety is a matter of the highest national concern.

We request all the doctors who are abstaining from work across the country to resume the work at the earliest. Above all, the abstention from work of doctors affects those segments of the society which need medical care the most...the abstaining doctors and medical professionals stand assured that their concerns are receiving the highest concern from the Supreme Court of India. Besides their concerns are already being portrayed before this court by a diverse range of counsel, it said.

Taking a decisive step toward creating a safer and more equitable work environment in the health care sector, the court emphasised that the brutal attack on medical professionals is a moment of national catharsis, stating that the constitutional right to equality is meaningless if women doctors and other medical staff cannot work in safe and dignified conditions.

Ultimately, whats equality in our Constitution about if we cant provide safe conditions of work? We are deeply concerned about the fact that there is absence of safety of young doctors, most importantly women doctors, across the country, said the bench.

The court emphasised that the safety of medical professionals is not just a matter of protecting individual doctors, but a national concern that impacts the entire health care system.

It was unflinching in its criticism of the current state of institutional safety in health care establishments, pointing out that despite existing legislation in several states aimed at protecting health care workers from violence, these laws fall short in addressing the root causes of the problem. An enhanced punishment without improving institutional safety standards falls short of addressing the problem effectively, it said.

The order laid bare the harsh realities faced by medical professionals, including inadequate resting spaces, lack of security personnel, insufficient toilet facilities and a lack of proper transport for medical staff working late hours. Women, in particular, were found to be at a higher risk of both sexual and non-sexual violence with the court acknowledging that female medical professionals also face different forms of sexual violence at the workplace by colleagues, seniors and persons in authority.

To address these pervasive issues, the court set up the NTF, mandating it to formulate effective recommendations while focussing on two key areas -- preventing violence, including gender-based violence, against medical professionals, and providing an enforceable national protocol for dignified and safe working conditions for all health care workers.

Among the prominent members of the NTF were surgeon vice-admiral Arti Sarin, director general of medical services (navy); Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, chairman of the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Hyderabad; Dr M Srinivas, director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi; Dr Pratima Murthy, director, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru; and Dr Padma Srivatava, head of neurology at Paras Hospital.

The task force also includes representatives from various other leading medical institutions and organisations, ensuring a comprehensive approach to addressing the crisis. The NTF will further include ex-officio members such as the cabinet secretary, the home secretary, and the secretary of the ministry of health and family welfare, who will ensure coordination with state governments and oversee the implementation of the recommendations.

The NTFs mandate includes examining the underlying causes of violence against medical professionals, with a particular focus on gender-based violence and developing an enforceable national protocol for ensuring dignified and safe working conditions in health care settings.

Key areas of concern identified by the court also encompassed the lack of adequate security measures in hospitals, absence of proper resting spaces for doctors on night duty and unrestricted access of patients and their attendants to sensitive areas within medical facilities. The court further highlighted the need for better infrastructure, such as adequate lighting, functioning CCTV cameras, installation of biometric access control systems and the provision of transportation for medical professionals working late hours.

The court order highlighted that health care professionals, who work tirelessly around the clock in hospitals and medical care facilities, often face violence from patients relatives in distress. It noted that such incidents have become increasingly frequent, citing recent attacks in West Bengal, Bihar and Telangana, where medical professionals were assaulted following the death of patients under their care.

In addition to addressing physical safety, the NTF is also expected to focus on preventing sexual violence in health care settings. The court underscored the importance of implementing the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 in all hospitals and nursing homes. The NTF, the bench said, will ensure that internal complaints committees are constituted and that hospitals comply with their obligations to provide a safe working environment for women.

The victim -- a second-year postgraduate student at the state-run hospital -- was found brutally assaulted and murdered in the seminar hall on August 9. A civic volunteer assigned to the hospital was arrested the next day in connection with the crime. By then, the crime had sparked widespread protests across the state, especially after the governments delay in removing the principal and then reinstating him within four hours.

The gruesome case also triggered strikes by doctors and medical associations. On Saturday, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the countrys largest body of doctors, called for a nationwide strike, suspending all non-essential medical services for 24 hours. At midnight on Independence Day, tens of thousands of women across the country took to the streets in Reclaim The Night marches, demanding justice for the victim.
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) has issued a notice to appear for inquiry for Bidadi police station inspector, who has been missing for over a week after the Karnataka high court cleared the way for an investigation into allegations of embezzlement of 72 lakh during his previous posting, an official familiar with the matter said. CCB issued a notice to appear for inquiry for Bidadi police station inspector, who has been missing for over a week after the Karnataka high court cleared the way for an investigation into allegations of embezzlement of  72 lakh during his previous posting (File photo)

A CCB officer involved in the investigation, on condition of anonymity, said: The accused inspector is absconding after the high court quashed his request on August 9. Prima facie, it has already been established that the inspector did not remit the seized money to the treasury as required by law.

The officer said that inspector, Shankar Naik, who served at Byatarayanapura police station in 2022, is accused of misappropriating funds confiscated during an investigation into a robbery incident. The allegations trace back to October 21, 2021, when Naik arrested Santhosh, a car driver for businessman Harish, in connection with a theft case.

Naik had reportedly seized 72 lakh from Santhosh and kept the money with himself from October 22 until February 26, 2023, without properly reporting it to his superiors. Naik was transferred to Anekal on February 27, 2023. Notably, CCTV footage captured Naik placing a gunny bag containing the 72 lakh in Byatarayanapura police station during a nighttime visit on February 26, 2023. The money was later confiscated by Income Tax authorities, the officer said.

He further said that the incident came to light when the owner of the filed a complaint after he was asked a bribe of 20 lakh to release the robbed money. When the owner refused to pay, Naik kept the money, believing it to be black money. The matter only came to light when the owner reported it to higher authorities, the officer said.

Following the complaint, ACP Bharat Reddy of the Kengeri Gate sub-division began investigation into Naik and an intermediary named Loknath in November 2023 in the case. The FIR, registered under IPC sections 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 465 (forgery), 110 (abetment when offense committed), and Section 7 (public servant graft), led to the CCB taking over the investigation.

Loknath was arrested October 2023 soon after the case against Naik was registered. Meanwhile, Naik sought relief from the HC, resulting in a temporary stay on the investigation. However, the stay was lifted on August 9, prompting Naik to go into hiding and he reportedly turned off his mobile phone, the officer added.
The Centre on Wednesday accorded 'Z' category security to veteran politician Sharad Pawar. Sharad Pawar (File Photo)

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued orders to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to protect Pawar, following a threat analysis report shared with it by the Intelligence Bureau (IB).

Accordingly, the CRPF will soon provide its elite Z VIP security cover to the former Union minister, 83, round the clock at his residence and during his travel across the country.

More than 60 personnel of the CRPF will shield the ex-Maharashtra chief minister, who heads the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), a party formed under his leadership after the NCP, co-founded by him in 1999, was split by his nephew Ajit Pawar in July last year.

The Election Commission recognises the Ajit faction as the real NCP; the NCP(SP) has challenged this in the Supreme Court.

The VIP security wing of CRPF, is a specialised unit that provides security to protectees assigned by the Union home ministry. These VIPs include Union ministers, governors, politicians, government officials, spiritual leaders, business tycoons, and other prominent individuals.

Meanwhile, Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule, on Wednesday requested Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, to withdraw police personnel deployed in her security.

She made the appeal to Fadnavis following the alleged sexual assault of two four-year-old girls by a cleaner in a school in Badlapur in the Thane district.

A significant portion of the police force goes in providing security to sitting and former lawmakers, including myself. However, given the current strain on law enforcement, it is inappropriate to maintain such security arrangements. Therefore, I request the home minister to withdraw the officers assigned to my security and reassign them to protect the public, the Baramati MP said in a statement.

(With nputs from ANI)
The Chandipura virus outbreak in Gujarat has claimed the lives of 28 children under the age of 14 since the first case was reported in July, health minister Rushikesh Patel informed the State Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. The Chandipura virus is mainly transmitted by vectors like mosquitoes and sandflies. (Representational image)

The minister was responding to a question by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Umesh Makwana.

According to Patel, the state has reported 164 cases of viral encephalitis with 101 children succumbing to the infection. Out of the 164 cases, 61 were specifically caused by the Chandipura virus, which is known to cause fever, flu-like symptoms, and acute inflammation of the brain. The virus is mainly transmitted by vectors like mosquitoes and sandflies.

The health minister assured the state legislative assembly on Wednesday that the situation is now under control, with no new cases reported in the past week and no deaths in the last 12 days.

Also Read | Explainer: What is Chandipura virus, how does it spread?

On July 17, the Gujarat government confirmed the states first death due to the Chandipura virus after a four-year-old child Mota Kanthariya in Aravalli succumbed to the virus at a government hospital in Sabarkantha earlier in the same month.

The health minister told the House that the sandfly, which carries the Chandipura virus, typically resides in the cracks and crevices of mud houses that are common in the rural areas of Gujarat. To combat the outbreak, the state government has launched an extensive drive for vector control and containment of the virus.

As part of this drive, health teams have surveyed over 53,000 houses in the affected areas, and have sprinkled Malathion powder, a pesticide, in more than 7 lakh mud houses in villages. Additionally, liquid pesticide has been sprayed in nearly 1.58 lakh houses. Recognising the vulnerability of children, the authorities have also carried out these measures in nearly 40,000 schools and over 36,000 Anganwadis in the affected districts.

First identified in 1965 in Chandipura, a village in Maharashtra, India, the CHPV virus belongs to the Rhabdoviridae family and is closely related to the vesicular stomatitis virus. It is primarily transmitted to humans through the bite of infected sand flies, although other insects may also play a role in its spread. The virus has been sporadically reported in various parts of India, with previous outbreaks occurring in states such as Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
Senior Congress leader Deepak Babaria, its Haryana in-charge, on Wednesday asserted that the party would certainly accommodate ace wrestler Vinesh Phogat if she decides to fight the October 1 assembly polls in her home state. File image of wrestler Vinesh Phogat at the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris. (PTI)

Babaria's statement comes amid reports that Vinesh could make her electoral debut against cousin and fellow wrestler, Babita Phogat of the BJP.

I don't know if she (Vinesh) has been approached by any of our leaders but if she wants to contest, we will welcome her and we will certainly accommodate her, Babaria was quoted as saying by ANI.

Recently, senior Congressman and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, called for a Rajya Sabha nomination for the 29-year-old; the demand was backed by his son and Rohtak MP, Deepender Singh Hooda.

That call came after Phogat, in an unfortunate turn of events, was disqualified ahead of her gold medal bout at the recently concluded Olympic Games in Paris. Assured of at least a silver, which would have been the first Olympic medal for Vinesh in her third Games and the best performance by a female Indian wrestler at an Olympic Games, she was found overweight by a mere 100 grams in her 50 kg category.

Phogat then approached the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the disqualification, and sought a co-silver as well. The CAS, however, stuck to rules and dismissed her appeal.

On returning to India, the Haryana native received a grand welcome at the Delhi airport. Deepender Hooda, the Congress party's Rohtak MP, was among those who welcomed her at the IGI Airport in the national capital.
New Delhi, The Supreme Court asked the Centre on Wednesday to consider whether mining activities could be prohibited in areas that have been declared conservation reserves and community reserves. Consider if mining can be banned in areas declared conservation, community reserves: SC to Govt

A bench headed by Justice B R Gavai observed that the basic idea of providing community reserves and conservation reserves was to provide a corridor for free movement of wildlife from one national park or wildlife sanctuary to another.

The bench, also comprising Justices P K Mishra and K V Viswanathan, said if conservation reserves and community reserves are to act as corridors, then mining activities in those areas may be detrimental to the movement of wildlife.

"However, since the basic idea of providing community reserves and conservation reserves is to provide a corridor for the free movement of wildlife from one national park/wildlife sanctuary ... we request the Union to consider whether at least in the areas which are declared as conservation reserves and community reserves, the mining could be prohibited or not," the bench said.

The court was hearing a matter related to mining activities within a one-kilometre radius of conservation reserves and community reserves.

The apex court had, in a verdict delivered on April 26 last year, directed that mining within a national park and wildlife sanctuary and within a one-kilometre area of from their boundaries shall not be permissible.

During the hearing on Wednesday, the bench said the government should promote eco-tourism.

The court noted that in February, it had asked the Centre to hold discussions with various stakeholders, including the states and Union territories, and recommend suggestions in this regard.

It said an affidavit has been filed before it by the Centre after taking into consideration the views expressed by various states at a meeting convened by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in March.

According to the affidavit, the states appear to be unanimous that imposing any further restrictions in conservation reserves and community reserves could be detrimental to the increase in their numbers, the bench noted.

It also noted the submissions of Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, who appeared in the matter on behalf of the Centre, that national parks and wildlife sanctuaries cannot be equated with community reserves and conservation reserves.

Bhati referred to section 36A of the Wild Life Act, which deals with declaration and management of a conservation reserve and says that a state government may, after consultations with local communities, declare any area owned by it, particularly those adjacent to national parks and sanctuaries and those that link one protected area with another, as a conservation reserve for protecting landscapes, seascapes, flora and fauna and their habitat.

The bench posted the matter for further hearing in October.

While hearing the matter in February, the court had observed, "Prima facie, we are of the view that the conservation parks, reserves and community reserves are for the purpose of providing corridors which connect one sanctuary, national park to another."

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The deadline for various individuals, organisations and zoos to declare and register exotic animals is set to expire on August 28, the Union environment ministry said on Tuesday. A total of 32,645 individuals voluntarily declared that they were in possession of exotic and native species from June to December 2020. (Representational image)

The environment ministry, on February 28, notified the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024 through a gazette notification.

According to these rules, every person who is in possession of any living specimen of species listed in Schedule IV of the Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972, is required to report the details of such animals and submit an application for registration electronically through the PARIVESH 2.0 portal to the Chief Wild Life Warden of the concerned State, within a period of six months from the issue of gazette notification and or within thirty days of possession of such animal species.

The six-month period would expire on August 28, 2024. Therefore, all the concerned persons are required to take expeditious action to report such possessions to the concerned Chief Wild Life Warden, through PARIVESH 2.0 portal to avoid any penal actions for non-compliance, a statement by the ministry said on Tuesday.

Wildlife and animal rights experts have been critical of ministrys stance of providing an amnesty period of six months in 2020 to voluntarily disclose the possession of any exotic species by individuals or private organisations. These rules have further formalised or regularised the possession of these species, they said.

In India, several species are listed in the Wild Life (protection) Act, 1972 and are protected.

However, exotic species are imported to India and bred in captivity without proper registration. Considering this, the Ministry had issued an Advisory in June, 2020 for Voluntary Disclosure of Exotic Live Species, with the objectives of creating a unified information system of the stock of exotic live species at the State/Central level through voluntary disclosure and the use of that database towards controlling and management of zoonotic diseases, and for facilitating better management of the species and providing guidance to their holders for their proper care and well-being, a note by the ministry states.

A total of 32,645 individuals voluntarily declared that they were in possession of exotic and native species from June to December 2020. The disclosures are not public.

Thereafter, the Wildlife Protection Amendment Act 2022 made provisions for implementation of CITES and formally registering possession of exotic animals in governments database.

Activists have pointed to a spurt in smuggling of endangered, exotic animals from Southeast Asia and other parts of the world in the past one year which have allegedly been transferred to other parts of the country to private collectors.

There has been a very unusual spurt in seizures of exotic animals from Assam and Mizoram including Kangaroos, Koalas, Moor Macaque, Spider Monkeys, Lemurs, baby Orangutans and what not. These were seized and placed in Guwahati zoo and then taken elsewhere because the zoo couldnt keep them according to officials. To make way for transfer of these animals , every rule, regulation has been bent, Mubina Akhtar, wildlife activist and member of the Kaziranga Wildlife Society said on April 5.

With the last amendment to the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, exotic species listed under CITES were included in Schedule IV. The Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, notified on 28th February 2024, require anyone possessing these animals to register them with the MoEFCC within six months. This latest notice is a reminder to comply before the 28th August deadline, as failure to do so will result in penal action, said Debadityo Sinha, Lead- Climate & Ecosystems, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy on Tuesday.
New Delhi, A court here has acquitted a man of the charges of trafficking a girl from Jharkhand in 2014 and forcing her into unlawful compulsory labour, saying the prosecution failed to prove the charges by providing compelling evidence. Delhi court acquits man of charge of trafficking 'girl' from Jharkhand in 2014

Additional Sessions Judge Raj Kumar was hearing a case involving Shyam Kumar against whom the Hazarat Nizamuddin Railway Police station had registered an FIR under Indian Penal Code sections 370 , 374 , 509 and 323 , and section 23 of the Juvenile Justice Act.

According to the prosecution, Kumar allegedly trafficked the minor in 2014 from a village in Jharkhand's Khunti district and used force, fraud and deception to employ her as a domestic help, while withholding her earnings.

The girl, who was rescued from a railway station in August 2014, was allegedly threatened, beaten up and kept in a situation that was detrimental to her physical and mental well-being, the prosecution had said.

Taking note of the evidence before it, including the testimonies of the girl, her father and an employer, along with a contract of employment where her age was mentioned as 19 years, the court, in a recent order, held that the victim was not a minor at the time of the purported offence.

It said during the proceedings, the victim categorically admitted that she came to Delhi out of her own volition to earn money, worked willingly as a domestic help in the national capital, following which the accused forced her to work at Hisar and Mumbai.

The court noted her statements about not receiving any ill-treatment or beatings at Hisar and that she ran away from Mumbai after a few days.

"Going by the testimonies of the victim, that of her father and that of the employers of the victim, I am of the opinion that the prosecution has failed to bring any evidence on record to show that the accused recruited or transported or harboured the victim for exploitation by using threats or coercion, abduction or by practising fraud or deception or abuse of power or by inducement," the judge said.

Regarding the allegations of threatening the victim after withholding her payments, the court said these were not mentioned in her initial complaint and were later added as improvements.

It said there were no independent witnesses to prove that she was rescued from a railway station in August 2014 by the members of an NGO.

"I have no hesitation in holding that the prosecution has failed to prove its case against the accused, Shyam Kumar, by leading convincing or cogent evidence and thus, it has failed to discharge the burden placed upon it and therefore, the accused, Shyam Kumar, is entitled to be exonerated. Resultantly, the accused is acquitted," the court said.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
A first information report (FIR) has been registered against the 21-year-old college student, who survived the rape attempt by a biker in Bengalurus HSR Layout, for ramming into an auto-rickshaw in an inebriated state on the same night of the incident, a police officer said. The incident took place on August 18, when the woman and her male friend were returning on a bike from a party at a pub in Koramangala (File photo)

We have registered a case against the 21-year-old student and her male friend under BNS Section 281 (rash and negligent driving) and the Motor Vehicle Act, based on a complaint filed by an auto-rickshaw driver, Adugodi traffic police inspector Ashok Kumar said.

He further said: According to the complaint, the girl, daughter of an army officer, was driving in an inebriated state, hit the auto-rickshaw, and damaged it. The accused didnt stop immediately after the incident. We will issue a notice to the student after she is discharged from the hospital and will take necessary action.

The incident took place on August 18, when the woman and her male friend were returning on a bike from a party at a pub in Koramangala. The woman was allegedly driving the car in an inebriated state with her friend as a passenger. Near Mangala Junction, the woman allegedly crashed into three vehiclestwo cars and a bike. Despite the collision, she continued driving towards Forum Mall without stopping, Kumar said.

The auto driver, whose vehicle was hit, pursued her car and confronted her when she finally halted near the mall. This led to a confrontation with the auto drivers, prompting the woman to call the police helpline, 112, out of fear. The woman then left the vehicle at the scene, leaving her friend to deal with the situation. While her friend handled the drivers, she walked away, reportedly to seek assistance, he said.

After resolving the dispute with the driver, the friend began searching for the woman. He eventually found her attempting to get a ride from a passerby, explaining that she had left her phone at a nearby pub. After briefly reuniting, the woman reportedly left again with a stranger who offered her a ride. It was during this time that the biker made an attempt sexually assault her, the officer said.

On Sunday, the accused, identified as Mukeshwaran, a dance teacher in Bengaluru, was arrested.

Additional commissioner of police (East Zone) Raman Gupta said the woman, originally from Maharashtra, is a student at a private college in the outskirts of the city.

The first biker she approached declined to assist, but a second biker agreed to drop her off, Gupta said.

He said the biker, however, took an unexpected route away from the main road, stopped near an isolated shed and attempted to sexually assault the woman.

He said: Sensing the potential danger, she activated an emergency alert app on her phone, sharing her live location with her friend and father. The quick response from her friend, who informed the police, allowed police personnel to track her location and reach the scene.

The attacker fled the area upon hearing the approaching police vehicle. He had, however, assaulted her, tore her clothes, and left her in a distressed state, he said, adding that the police rushed the woman to a private hospital in Hebbagodi for treatment.
In a bid to up the ante over Hindenburg Research's allegations against Adani Group, the Congress will hold 20 press conferences around the country on Wednesday to highlight the need for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the matter. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh.(PTI)

On Tuesday, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said a JPC probe is needed in the Modani Maha Ghotala.

"Tomorrow, the Indian National Congress will conduct 20 press conferences across the country to highlight the need for a JPC into the Modani Maha Ghotala that has widespread ramifications for the economy, and for crores of small investors - for whom the integrity of capital market regulators is essential," Ramesh wrote on X.

In a report published in January last year, US-based short seller Hindenburg Research had accused Adani Group of improper use of tax havens and flagged concerns about its debt levels. The report had triggered an $86 billion rout in the Adani group's domestically listed stocks and a sell-off in its bonds listed overseas. The Adani Group had dismissed the charges as lies, saying it complies with all laws and disclosure requirements.

In January 2024, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea asking the CBI to investigate the allegations against the Adani group. The court also said that the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has the sole jurisdiction to investigate matters of market regulation and stock price manipulation.

However, in its latest report in August, Hindenburg Research alleged that SEBI chief Madhabi Puri Buch and Dhaval Buch owned stakes in offshore entities linked to the Adani Group's alleged financial misconduct.

The US investment research firm also said that 18 months since its damning report on Adani, "SEBI has shown a surprising lack of interest in Adani's alleged undisclosed web of Mauritius and offshore shell entities.".

Buch and her husband have since denied the allegations as baseless and asserted that their finances are an open book. Adani Group has also termed Hindenburg Research's latest allegations as malicious and manipulative of select public information.

The Congress, however, has stepped up its attack on the government over the issue and has demanded a JPC probe due to conflicts of interest involving SEBI.
A powerful explosion rocked the Ramdevra region of Rajasthans Jaisalmer district on Wednesday after a mysterious bomb-like object fell from an Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter aircraft and created an eight-foot crater in an area near the Pokhran field firing range, officials and eyewitnesses said. IAF confirmed that a fighter aircraft inadvertently dropped an air store near the Pokhran field firing range on Wednesday. (HT Photo)

IAF confirmed that a fighter aircraft inadvertently dropped an air store near the vast air-to-ground firing range, attributing the development to a technical malfunction. In military aviation parlance, air store refers to bombs, missiles or drop tanks to carry more fuel for extended range missions.

The air force, which has ordered a probe into the incident, neither identified the type of air store that was accidentally released, nor the fighter jet involved.

An inadvertent release of an air store from an IAF fighter aircraft took place near Pokhran firing range area, due to technical malfunction, today. An inquiry has been ordered to investigate the incident. No damage to life or property has been reported, the air force said in a statement posted on X.

The air store that fell during the training mission was inert or incapable of detonating, Hindustan Times has learnt.

Read more: IAF fighter jet accidentally releases 'air store' near Pokhran; enquiry ordered

In footage circulated on social media, locals were seen recording videos of the site and the debris of the air store.

Khiv Singh, hailing from Rathoda village, said the incident took place around noon when a fighter aircraft was flying at low level over the village. The powerful explosion occurred around 1km from Singhs village. Curious villagers rushed to the site after hearing the blast, he said, adding that they discovered a mysterious object, resembling a bomb, that had exploded and shattered into pieces, leaving a crater approximately eight feet deep.

Additional superintendent of police Gopal Singh Bhati said, The local police responded to the incident and informed the army, BSF, and other security agencies. The incident occurred about 15 kilometres from the army firing range located in Pokhran. The police are investigating the matter.

Another resident, Jyoti Sinha, said that villagers rushed to the spot after hearing the sound of the blast. They found a pit that was five to eight feet deep and 15 feet wide, she added.

IAF carries out live and inert (dummy) stores drop at firing ranges during training missions, said Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd), former director general, Centre for Air Power Studies.

Read more: LCA proved its mettle in Tarang Shakti drills, says IAF chief

The technical problem that led to the accidental release will be revealed after the inquiry is over. Such release occurs only after a sequence of electronic circuits get activated, Chopra added.

The development came five months after the first-ever crash of the IAFs Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA-Mk1) near Jaisalmer. The locally produced single-engine fighter crashed on March 12, minutes after taking part in a tri-services exercise that sought to demonstrate the strides India has made towards self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector. The pilot ejected safely.

An ongoing investigation into the crash is pointing towards engine seizure, caused by an oil pump malfunction, as the most likely cause of the accident.

Two years ago, the government sacked three IAF officers for lapses that led to the accidental firing of a BrahMos missile into Pakistan on March 9, 2022, after a court of inquiry held them responsible for deviating from standard operating procedures.

(With inputs from HTC, New Delhi)
The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday said one of its fighter aircraft inadvertently released an air store near the Pokhran firing range due to a technical malfunction. The IAF confirmed the incident in a social media post on X, assuring the public that no damage to life or property has been reported. An enquiry by the IAF has been ordered to investigate into the incident, according to the Indian Air Force.(PTI / Representational image)

The incident occurred during a routine operation when the air storetypically referring to munitions, bombs, or other military equipment carried by aircraftwas unintentionally deployed. The precise nature of the air store involved in the malfunction has not been disclosed.

An enquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of the technical glitch, the IAF said.

Read: BrahMos missile misfiring into Pakistan cost India 24 crore, Centre tells Delhi HC

The Indian Air Force posted on X: An inadvertent release of an air store from an Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter aircraft took place near Pokhran firing range area, due to technical malfunction, today. An enquiry by the IAF has been ordered to investigate into the incident. No damage to life or property has been reported.

The Pokhran firing range, located in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, is a key site for testing and training exercises by the Indian armed forces.

2022 accidental BrahMos missile launch

The incident draws parallels with a more serious event that occurred in March 2022, when a BrahMos missile was accidentally fired from India into Pakistan. The missile, which was unarmed, crashed into Mian Channu in the Khanewal District of Punjab, Pakistan. The unarmed missile caused damage to some buildings and left a crater in a field, leading to initial confusion and concern among local residents.

The incident, which could have led to severe diplomatic fallout or even military confrontation, was quickly acknowledged by Indian authorities as an accident, attributing it to a "technical malfunction" during routine maintenance.

Read: IAF reveals what led to accidental BrahMos firing into Pakistan

It caused a loss to the tune of 25 crore to the government exchequer, the IAF told the Delhi high court while justifying the dismissal of three IAF (Indian Air Force) officers, including a Wing Commander, for gross negligence.
Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh on Wednesday questioned the doctors protesting against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, saying what would be their opinion if soldiers on borders start protesting against the Pulwama attack. Medical professionals hold posters at a hospital in Bengaluru amid nationwide strike by doctors to condemn the rape and murder of a young medic from Kolkata.(AFP)

Kunal Ghosh appealed to the doctors to end their strike. He claimed that in the Pulwama attack  in which 40 CRPF soldiers were killed in 2019  soldiers have not got justice.

"I have a question," he wrote on X in Bengali.

"There has been no justice in the Pulwama case. If jawans leave borders and start a 'we want justice' protest, how would they see it?" he said.

The Trinamool Congress government is under fire from the opposition over the grisly rape and murder, with the BJP demanding the resignation of Mamata Banerjee as West Bengal's chief minister.

Thousands of doctors across the country are protesting against the crime in the state-run hospital.

Also read: Kolkata doctor rape-murder | Sandip Ghosh's ex-colleague moves HC seeking ED probe: Sold bodies

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court assured the protesting doctors that their demands would be looked into. It urged them to call off their protest and return to work.

The court also instructed the West Bengal government to not use force to quell the agitation.

The court also slammed the Bengal police for filing the murder FIR three hours after the body was handed over to the victim's family.

The woman had gone to the seminar hall of the hospital to rest amid her 36-hour-long shift. She was found dead the next morning.

The police have arrested a civic volunteer for the rape and murder.

The CBI has also been grilling Dr Sandip Ghosh, who was the principal of the RG Kar College when the murder took place. The agency is trying to find out if the woman was murdered as part of the conspiracy.

The agency is also mulling to subject the main accused and the ex-principal to polygraph tests.
: The Karnataka Lokayukta has once again submitted a proposal to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot seeking his permission to file a charge sheet against Union minister and senior Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy in connection with a 2007 mining lease case. Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy. (PTI)

The case dating back to 2007 pertains to allegations that Kumaraswamy, during his tenure as chief minister from 2006 to 2008, illegally approved a 550-acre mining lease to Sri Sai Venkateswara Minerals (SSVM) at Sandur taluk in Bellary district in violation of law, resulting in significant illegal mining activity.

It has been alleged that Kumaraswamy, who is the central minister for heavy industries and steel, had bypassed the Minerals Concession Rules while granting the mining lease to the private firm. A 2011 investigation report by then Lokayukta N Santosh Hegde had highlighted illegal mining activities in Karnataka. Kumaraswamy was arrested in the case in 2015 but was later released on bail.

A special investigation team (SIT) of the Lokayukta had first sought the sanction from the governor to prosecute Kumaraswamy on November 23 last year. The request, submitted by ADGP M Chandrasekhar, was initially met with a demand for additional information from the governors office. The Lokayuktas SIT provided the necessary details on August 8 and submitted a renewed request on Monday.

While Kumaraswamy is yet responded to the development, a JD(S) spokesperson said the party was awaiting his statement.

Meanwhile, chief minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday raised concern over delay by the Raj Bhavan in granting permission to prosecute Kumaraswamy and alleged the governor should not pick and choose in the matter of granting sanction for prosecution.

He pointed out that the state ombudsman had sought approval from the governor to prosecute the JD(S) leader on November 23, 2023, yet no decision has been made.

Siddaramaiah also criticised the governor for allegedly withholding permission to prosecute former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ministers Shashikala Jolle, Murugesh Nirani, and G. Janardhana Reddy.

On the other hand, TJ Abraham lodged a complaint against me with the governor on July 26 at 11 am and 10 hours later I was served a show-cause notice. Isnt it discrimination? Siddaramaiah told reporters. Thats the reason that the governor was told not to use pick and choose and should not do it selectively.

Governor Gehlot on August 16 granted sanction for prosecution against Siddaramaiah under 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, in connection with alleged irregularities in site allotment in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority.

The prosecution order against Siddaramaiah was put on hold by the Karnataka high court till August 29.

Our chief minister is a constitutional expert and law graduate. He should know that he can challenge the governor in court but cant question him on the street. Has the Constitution given him the right to threaten the governor? senior BJP leader CT Ravi said.
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Kyiv, Ukrainian ambassador Oleksandr Polishchuk called on India to enhance its efforts, as the voice of the Global South, to bring a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

Ukrainian ambassador Oleksandr Polishchuk.
The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and the Odisha forest department have begun a novel exercise: tagging horseshoe crabs to understand the population and habitat utilisation of this globally recognised living fossil. India is home to two species of horseshoe crabs (which are actually not true crabs), Tachypleus gigas and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda (mangrove), and both are found along the countrys eastern coast. (HT Photo)

India is home to two species of horseshoe crabs (which are actually not true crabs), Tachypleus gigas and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda (mangrove), and both are found along the countrys eastern coast. In Odisha, they are found along the coasts of Balasore and Kendrapara districts.

Over the years, however, their numbers have dwindled due to destructive fishing practices and illegal harvesting for biomedical testing.

In a bid to understand the species behaviour in the wild, ZSI and the Odisha forest department has tagged 12 horseshoe crabs in the Khandia Muhan estuary of the Balasore coast.

This is an extremely important species. We need to come up with a conservation plan, said Dhriti Banerjee, director, ZSI.

The exercise is set to be completed over the next three years.

The plan involved tagging hundreds of crabs to determine their population pattern and the threats to the population, said senior ZSI scientist Basudev Tripathy.

All the tags are marked with a serial number, mobile number and has Zoological Survey of India mentioned. Tags will help us to track the migratory routes of the marine species, he said.

The blue blood of crabs can clot in the presence of bacteria, rendering them harmless. This clotting ability has been extensively utilised in testing injectable medicines, vaccines, and sterile medical equipment. The outer layer of horseshoe crabs consists of chitin that enhances wound healing and serves as a crucial component in treating burn wounds.

Although there are no estimates of their population decline, scientists in Odisha say in the 1990s and early 2000s, there were around 40 specimens in a 200-square metre area, and now one can hardly see them. There are only a few estuaries left in Odisha, including one in Balasore where horseshoe crabs can be found.

Destructive fishing practices are major threats to horseshoe crabs, and there are reports of illegal smuggling of the species from the Odisha and West Bengal coasts. Horseshoe crabs are a Schedule 2 species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, said Tripathy.

With the tagging exercise, experts hope to understand the reproductive biology and growth rate of the species, which emerged 250 million years ago, and has not changed in appearance since, which explains why many refer to it as a living fossil.

Tagging is most often conducted to obtain information on reproductive biology, movement and growth rate. The tagging will help us in studying the horseshoe crabs migratory route and areas of foraging. Tagging data will also prove interconnection of horseshoe crab population in Odisha coast, said BC Chaudhury, former wildlife biologist and scientific adviser of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).

Banerjee said ZSI plans to propose to the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change to conduct advanced research using modern techniques like satellite telemetry to gather more information about these fascinating creatures.
Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday charged the Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot with indulging in discrimination while approving prosecution sanction requests. He noted that the Lokayukta's Special Investigation Team has once again submitted a proposal to the Governor on Monday seeking permission to file a charge-sheet against Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy in an alleged illegal mining lease case. The SIT had first requested Gehlot's nod in November last year to prosecute the Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, who had allegedly granted mining lease to Sri Sai Venkateshwara Minerals when he was the Chief Minister in 2007 in violation of law. Speaking to reporters at Ganigera in Koppal district, Siddaramaiah said the Governor issued show-cause notice to him on July 26, the same day he received a petition seeking sanction for his prosecution, while in Kumaraswamy's case, Gehlot has not taken any action. "Has he not discriminated ?" the Chief Minister questioned. Gehlot on August 16 granted sanction permitting investigation against Siddaramaiah under 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and prosecution under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, in connection with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority site allotment 'scam.' "We have not sought sanction or private . Sanction was sought by Lokayukta SIT. They have investigated, collected evidence, and thereafter they have sought , that means there is evidence against him ," the Chief Minister said. "In my case, no police officer has sought . Lokayukta has also not sought . There is no preliminary inquiry. Despite that, sanction was given, In his case, after Lokayukta conducted investigation, they have requested for sanction . Is it discrimination or not ? Siddaramaiah said. Responding to questions, the Chief Minister said he has not said anywhere that Kumaraswamy would be arrested. "If there is a circumstance to arrest him, we will arrest him without any hesitation. Such a circumstance is not there now. He is now scared that the Governor will give sanction," the Chief Minister said. On Tuesday, Siddaramaiah had also said the Governor did not give permission to the Lokayukta to prosecute former BJP ministers Shashikala Jolle, Murugesh Nirani and G Janardhana Reddy. Siddaramaiah has termed as "trumped-up" the allegations of irregularities in the allotment of sites to his wife Parvathi by the MUDA. In his writ petition challenging the Governor's order in the High Court on Monday, the Chief Minister submitted that it was issued without due application of mind, in violation of statutory mandates, and contrary to constitutional principles, including the advice of the Council of Ministers, which is binding under Article 163 of the Constitution of India. Siddaramaiah, who has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, said the Governors decision is legally unsustainable, procedurally flawed, and motivated by extraneous considerations. On the petition filed by him, the High Court passed interim orders directing the trial court to defer proceedings on complaints against him and further instructing that no precipitative action be taken pursuant to the sanction till August 29. The BJP has demanded the Chief Minister's resignation to pave way for a transparent and unbiased investigation.

Karnataka CM accuses Guv of discrimination while approving prosecution sanction requests
Kolkata doctor rape-murder case live: Sourav Ganguly lit a candle at the protest site at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Wednesday.

Kolkata rape case news: Indian-origin doctors wrote an open letter to chief minister Mamata Banerjee asking her to ensure the safety of medical professionals after the systemic failure that led to the RG Kar incident. The doctors also asked the chief minister to provide swift justice to the family and ensure such an incident is not repeated....Read More

The Supreme Court on Tuesday criticised the West Bengal government for using their power to silence peaceful protests and questioned them for mishandling the case.

The court formed a 10-member national taskforce to ensure the safety of medical professionals while hearing a case related to the RG Kar hospital incident.

The Indian Medical Association welcomed the court's intervention to ensure safety for medical personnel and announced that it will collaborate with the committee appointed by the court on issues related to security.

The CBI is expected to submit a status report on the crime as well as the mob vandalism which occurred at RG Kar hospital on August 22, during the next court hearing.

The bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, referred to the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar hospital on August 9 as horrific and horrendous. They also pointed out that the lack of safety for women at the workplace was akin to denying them equality.

The CJI also noted that this was not just about one crime but a systemic issue that needed to be addressed in time. He said, As more and more women join the work force.....the nation cannot wait another rape for things to change on the ground.

Meanwhile, Congress workers in Siliguri held a candlelight march to protest and demand justice from the government in the case.
Kolkata doctor rape-murder: The father of a 31-year-old trainee doctor, who was allegedly raped and murdered during a rest break at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospita,l recalled her daughters love for medicine. Medical professionals hold posters at a hospital in Bengaluru amid nationwide strike by doctors to condemn the rape and murder of a young medic from Kolkata.(AFP)

In a heart-wrenching interview with The Guardian, the father said they belong a poor family and his daughter was raised with a lot of hardship.

She worked extremely hard to become a doctor. All she did was study, study, study All our dreams have been shattered in one night. We sent her to work and the hospital gave us her body. Its all finished for us, The Guardian quoted the father as saying.

Also Follow | Kolkata doctor rape-murder case live updates

"My daughter isnt coming back. Im never going to hear her voice or laugh. All I can do now is concentrate on getting her justice, he added.

Also Read | Sandip Ghosh indulged in business of dead bodies, says RG Kar medical college ex-colleague: Report

On August 9, the body of the postgraduate trainee doctor was found in the seminar hall of state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. A civic volunteer, Sanjoy Roy, was arrested in connection with the crime the next day. Later, the Calcutta high court handed over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The rape and murder of the doctor at RG Kar hospital in Kolkata on 9 August, and subsequent handling of the case by the authorities, has led to protests and strikes by doctors across India.

Also Read | Ex-TMC MP Mimi Chakraborty receives rape threats for backing Kolkata doctors' protest

The father of the victim shared that a career in medicine was the lifelong dream of his only child. At 31, she had defied the odds to secure one of the approximately 107,000 spots in Indias medical colleges, where over a million aspiring doctors compete each year, The Guardian report added.

Her parents supported her dream with the unstable income her father made as a tailor.

She said: Papa, its a good thing to become a doctor and help others. What do you think? I said: OK, do it. Well help you. And look what happened, the father recalled.

Kolkata rape-murder: What mother-in-law of accused said

The mother-in-law of accused suggested the involvement of more people in the crime as she said that Sanjoy Roy could not have done it alone.

Recounting her daughter's experience with Sanjoy Roy while speaking to news agency ANI on Monday, the woman described the relationship as tense adding that Sanjoy Roy thrashed her daughter against which a police complaint was filed.

"My relations with him were very tense," she said, adding, Initially, everything was good for 6 months. When she was 3 months pregnant, he caused a miscarriage. He thrashed her, and a police complaint was registered for the same. Following this, my daughter continued being ill, I bore all her expenses for medicines.

"Sanjoy was not good. Hang him or do whatever you want with him. I won't speak about the crime. He could not have done it alone. He can't do it alone," she said.
An ex-colleague of the former principal of the RG Kar Medical College, Dr Sandip Ghosh, has moved the Calcutta High Court seeking an Enforcement Directorate probe into alleged financial irregularities perpetrated by the doctor. Kolkata: Doctors take part in a protest march from Central Government Offices (CGO) complex to Swasthya Bhawan over the alleged sexual assault and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor.(PTI )

Akhtar Ali, a former deputy superintendent of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, was allowed by Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj to file the petition, reported PTI.

Earlier, Ali told a news channel in an interview that Sandip Ghosh was involved in the business of "dead bodies". He claimed he would sell unclaimed dead bodies.

He told India Today that Ghosh was involved in the trafficking of biomedical waste and medical supplies to Bangladesh.

He also said that he had informed about Ghosh's activities to the state vigilance. He claimed a probe found him guilty. However, Ali was transferred the day he submitted the probe report to the state's health department.

He claimed Sandip Ghosh would force students to pay bribes or else would deliberately fail them in exams.

On Tuesday, the Kolkata Police started their probe into the alleged financial irregularities perpetrated by Sandip Ghosh at the hospital.

The probe against Sandip Ghosh commenced after a four-member SIT was constituted to investigate the alleged financial irregularities at the hospital.

"There are allegations that Ghosh was involved in financial irregularities at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Our officers will soon issue summons to him for questioning," an officer told PTI.

Sandeep Ghosh has been in the CBI's scanner over his conduct after the rape and murder of the trainee doctor inside the seminar hall of the RG Kar hospital. The agency is trying to find out if the murder was part of a larger conspiracy.

The agency had asked Ghosh during interrogation who ordered the renovation work near the crime scene after the murder. They have also asked why the victim's parents were made to wait for three hours.

With inputs from PTI
The Central Bureau of Investigation is mulling to subject RG Kar Medical College and Hospital's ex-principal, Dr Sandip Ghosh, to a polygraph test. The lie-detector test will be performed because the agency had found discrepancies in some of his answers during interrogation, said a CBI official. Kolkata doctor rape-murder: Former RG Kar Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh reaches CBI office to be questioned in the case.(PTI file photo)

Earlier this month, a 31-year-old trainee doctor was raped and murdered inside the hospital's seminar room. She had gone to the room to rest amid her gruelling 36-hour-long shift. The Kolkata police arrested a civic volunteer named Sanjoy Roy for the grisly murder after his Bluetooth headphones were found near the body.

The CBI has been interrogating Sandip Ghosh  who had resigned two days after the crime  for several days to figure out if the doctor was murdered as part of a conspiracy.

According to reports, the CBI had asked Ghosh what was his first reaction when he heard about the murder. The agency has also asked the doctor why he made the victim's parents wait for three hours before handing over the body.

Also read: Kolkata rape-murder case: 3 police officers, including 2 ACPs, suspended

The agency told PTI they wanted to verify Sandip Ghosh's answers through the polygraph test.

"We want to verify Ghosh's answers further, as there have been discrepancies in some of the replies to our questions. Therefore, we are mulling over the option to conduct a polygraph test on him," the official told PTI.

The agency has also asked the doctor for the name of the person whom he had contacted after receiving the information about the murder.

He has also been quizzed over the authorisation of renovation of rooms adjacent to the seminar hall of the RG Kar hospital after her body was discovered there.

The agency had recently obtained permission from a local court to subject Sanjay Roy to a polygraph test.

Sandip Ghosh's questioning began after the Calcutta high court observed that he should have been the first person to be questioned.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday lambasted the West Bengal government over the delay in the registration of the FIR in the case, saying what Sandip Ghosh and the hospital administration were doing after they discovered the murder.

The court also noted that Ghosh had tried to pass off the murder as a suicide.
Three senior Kolkata Police officers, including two assistant commissioners of police (ACPs), have been suspended over vandalism at the city's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last week. Kolkata doctor rape-murder: Vandalism by miscreants at Emergency department in RG Kar Medical College & Hospital. (Photo by Samir Jana/ Hindustan Times)

Days after the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in the seminar hall of the state-run hospital, a mob had barged into the premises. It vandalised its emergency department, nursing station and medicine store.

The violence at the state-run hospital took place amid midnight protests by women in Kolkata.

Three officers have been suspended... Two are assistant police commissioners and one is an inspector, an official told PTI.

The Kolkata Police came under severe criticism by the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court, which slammed the former for not being able to control the mob.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court questioned the police over a host of issues, including delay in filing the first information report, delay in handing over the body to the victim's family and failure to protect women and doctors during the mob attack.

A bench, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, said the country would be denying the right to equality if women can't go to work and be safe.

The court also noted that the ex-principal of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Dr Sandip Ghosh, tried to pass off the murder as a suicide.

The bench also asked the police how they could allow miscreants to enter the hospital, which was an active crime scene.

The court added that the body was handed over to the family at 8.30 am for the funeral and the murder FIR was registered at 11.45 pm.

The woman was raped and murdered at the seminar hall when she had gone to the room to rest amid her 36-hour shift. Her post-mortem report revealed that she had 16 external and nine internal injuries. The report also confirmed sexual assault.

Doctors across the country have been protesting against the rape-murder. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court urged them to call off their agitation and assured them of action on their demands.

With inputs from PTI
Kolkata: A team of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) arrived at Kolkatas RG Kar Medical College and Hospital for inspection on Wednesday on the order of the Surpeme Court, which pulled up the West Bengal government on Tuesday for the mob rampage at the state-run hospital on the intervening night of August 14-15, officials aware of the development said. Central forces have been deployed at Kolkatas RG Kar hospital on Supreme Court orders (Twitter Photo)

Days after the alleged rape and murder of the trainee doctor in the hospitals seminar hall, a mob had barged into the premises, vandalising its emergency department, nursing station, and medicine store.

Meanwhile, two assistant police commissioners (ACPs) and an inspector have been suspended over the vandalism incident, officials said.

ACPs Ramesh Roychowdhury and Shakiruddin Sardar and inspector Rakesh Minj have been charged with dereliction of duty. They were posted in that area on the night of the rampage. The government has also ordered complete restructuring of police deployment at the hospital till the CISF takes charge of security, a Kolkata police official said on condition of anonymity.

A team of senior CISF officials reached the hospital on Wednesday to inspect the current security arrangements. They also held several meetings with the health department and Kolkata police.

At all big state-run hospitals, including RG Kar, security personnel are provided by private agencies hired on contract. Police personnel are posted only at the main entraces and outside the emergency departments.

We cannot share any detail right now regarding the deployment of CISF. We are holding discussions, Kumar Pratap Singh, a deputy inspector general (DIG) in the Central Force, told the media outside the hospital on Wednesday.

A three-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Tuesday reacted sharply to the August 15 rampage.

In the aftermath of the brutal incident and the demonstrations that followed, the state government was expected to ensure the deployment of the state machinery to prevent a breach of law and order. It was all the more necessary to do so since the investigation of the crime that took place in the precincts of the hospital was under way. We are unable to comprehend how the state was not prepared to deal with the incident of vandalization of the premises of the hospital, the court said in its order, a copy of which was seen by HT.

A mob of around 7,000 people stormed into the hospital around 12.40am on August 15 and destroyed property inside the emergency building while junior doctors were holding an agitation against the August 9 rape and murder of a postgraduate student.

The violence took place when peaceful agitations, including a reclaim the night march by women, were taking place across Kolkata and the districts of Bengal.

Several police personnel were injured by brickbats hurled by the miscreants. None of the agitating junior doctors sustained any injury, but the mob had damaged beds and medical equipment on the ground, first and second floors of the emergency building.

On August 9, the body of the postgraduate trainee doctor was found in the seminar hall of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital . A civic volunteer, Sanjoy Roy, was arrested the next day in connection with the crime. The Calcutta high court later transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The rampage took place hours after a CBI team from Delhi visited the hospital and began its probe.
The newly appointed principal of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata was removed from her position on Wednesday evening after the students' protests against the rape and murder of a junior doctor on the premises of the college intensified, reported India Today. Thousands of junior doctors, senior doctors, medical students and other medical professionals take out a protest rally. (Photo by Samir Jana/ Hindustan Times)(Hindustan Times)

Dr Suhrita Paul, who was appointed as the dean of the RG Kar Medical College on August 12, was removed from the post after a delegation of students met officials at the Swasthya Bhavan and organised a march against the administration on call during the night of the horrific crime.

Apart from Dr Paul, the hospital superintendent and the head of the Chest Department at the RG Kar Medical College were also sacked, reported India Today.

Paul was appointed as the principal of the college on the same day as the transfer of former dean Sandip Ghosh to the prestigious Calcutta's National Medical College. Ghosh's removal and immediate appointment to another college was met with a massive backlash by the doctor fraternity and medical students amid outrage against the rape case.

Senior doctors, nurses and wannabe medics from across medical colleges of the state, numbering a few thousand, conducted a march to the state health department headquarters on Wednesday, raising questions on Paul's appointment.

Our newly-appointed principal Dr Surhita Pal has gone missing. She is supposed to be our guardian but she has not turned up at the campus since the night the hospital was vandalised. We have heard that she is operating out of Shwasthya Bhavan. So we are headed there to find her out, a junior doctor told PTI.

The CBI, meanwhile, grilled former RG Kar hospital principal Sandip Ghosh for the sixth consecutive day. Sources said a day before the agency was supposed to submit its investigation progress report to the Supreme Court on Thursday, investigators were trying to crosscheck a bunch of inconsistencies found in Ghoshs statements.

A former deputy superintendent of RG Kar on Wednesday moved the Calcutta High Court, seeking an ED investigation against Ghosh, alleging financial irregularities by him during his tenure at the state-run facility.

On August 9, the body of a junior doctor was found in the seminar hall of the RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, showing multiple serious injuries. The autopsy report said that the woman had been raped and strangled to death.

(With inputs from PTI)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the removal of the name, photos and videos of a trainee doctor, who was allegedly raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, from all social media platforms. The supreme court asked for the removal of the victim's photos, videos and name from social media (PTI)(HT_PRINT)

A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, pointed out that disclosing the identity of a victim of sexual assault was a violation of the Supreme Court order passed in the Nipun Saxena case, which emphasised the need for a victim to be protected from scrutiny.

This court is constrained to issue an injunctive order since the social and electronic media have proceeded to publish the identity of the deceased and photographs of the dead body after the recovery of the body," CJI Chandrachud ordered all social and electronic media platforms to comply with the directive.

The bench, also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, was hearing a plea filed by lawyer Kinnori Ghosh and others against the disclosure of the trainee doctor's identity on social media.

The plea said the name of the victim and related hashtags had been widely spread on electronic and social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X (formerly Twitter).

Earlier in the day, the top court had said it was deeply concerned that the name of the deceased had been published all over social media.

"Photographs and video clips are all over the media. This is extremely concerning. We are first to recognise free speech but there are well-settled parameters. There are judgments of the court like in Nipun Saxena (case) that names of survivors of sexual assault will not be published," the Supreme Court said.

In its 2018 judgment in the Nipun Saxena case, the apex court had ordered, "No person can print or publish in print, electronic, social media, etc. the name of the victim or even in a remote manner disclose any facts which can lead to the victim being identified and which should make her identity known to the public at large."

The trainee doctor's body was found on August 9. A civic volunteer, Sanjoy Roy, was arrested by the Kolkata Police the following day for his alleged involvement in the rape-murder incident. He is currently being questioned by the CBI and is likely to undergo a polygraph test as well.
New Delhi, Resident doctors staged a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Wednesday, marking the 10th day of their indefinite strike over the alleged rape and murder of a medic in a Kolkata hospital. Kolkata rape-murder: Doctors protest at Jantar Mantar on day 10, demand better workplace safety

"It's very important to understand that we are fighting for better working conditions in our own workplace," one of the protesting doctors said.

Elective services in several government hospitals across the city have remained suspended due to the protests.

Resident doctors arrived at Jantar Mantar at 11 am for the protest, marking their second gathering there after Saturday.

Slogans such as, 'Doshi ko saza do' and 'Shauk nahin, majboori hai; ye hadtal zaroori hai' echoed at the protest site as major resident doctor associations gathered to demonstrate.

"Not just as a doctor, but as a woman, I often feel unsafe while working. I have to be extra careful during work and constantly think about my own safety, often carrying a key or something for protection," Radhika Sharma, a doctor from Lady Hardinge Medical college, said.

"The situation is beyond us... It's a mass movement and we need protection," Sharma said, adding that this fight is very important for the doctors as they are fighting for better working conditions at their workplaces.

Another protesting doctor said, "We are thankful to the Supreme Court for recognising this as a national issue, but we are continuing the strike because we want this issue to reach a conclusion as soon as possible".

"Safety should not just be an assurance; we want a protection act, and we want it from the central government," the doctor said.

AIIMS, GTB, Lady Hardinge Medical College & Associated Hospitals, Maulana Azad Medical College and its associated hospitals have released individual statements urging participation in the silent protest.

Members of Resident Doctors' Association from major hospitals in Delhi, along with the Federation of Resident Doctors' Associations and the Federation of All India Medical Associations , have been on an indefinite strike.

On Tuesday, after conducting a meeting with the RDA members, both the bodies representing the resident doctors released a statement saying they will continue with the strike until the Health Ministry takes concrete action on the issue of CPA.

On August 9, the body of the postgraduate trainee doctor was found in the seminar hall of state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. A civic volunteer was arrested in connection with the crime the next day. Later, the Calcutta High Court handed over the case to the CBI.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy criticised the Congress-led state government on Wednesday in response to Karnataka's Special Investigation Team regarding Lokayukta's request for permission to file a charge sheet against him. Kumaraswamy denied any involvement in the case and accused the Congress government of attempting to tarnish his reputation. Union minister HD Kumaraswamy holds press conference on Tuesday. (HT_PRINT)

HD Kumaraswamy said, From 2011 the allegations are going that one mining allotment was issued in my tenure. The allegation is that when I was the chief minister in 2007, I favoured Sai Venkateshwara. There are allegations that I have collected 150 crores from mining owners. So I requested Lokayukta to start an inquiry about the same. They started the enquiry in 2011 and several findings have come out. The Lokayukta submitted that enquiry report to the Government in 2010 or 2011. There is no exchequer loss. Till now no mining area has been allocated to anyone.

In my case, the Supreme Court gave the direction on the interference of the present Congress Government in the year 2014- 15 headed by Siddaramaiah. They appealed in the Court and asked for enquiry. The court permitted enquiry. The court ordered to complete the enquiry within 3 months and come up with the report. SC also directed not to go to any other court and SC will give the ultimate decision, he added.

The SIT went to the Supreme Court 2 to 3 times but only filed the status report. Now after the Congress came to power in 2023, they went to the governor in November requesting sanction to file chargesheet against me. Then governor after a thorough study said that there was some controversy regarding the signature on the file, so directed to once again go through the case and come again, he said.

"The SIT of the Karnataka Lokayukta have even taken my statement, now they have filed the chargesheet. Let's see what happens. I have no role in the case. This government wants to malign me. But this is a dead case," he added.

What is the case?

On Monday, the SIT submitted a proposal requesting the governor's approval to press charges against Kumaraswamy, based on reports from the Karnataka Lokayukta led by Justice Santosh Hegde covering the period from November 22, 2013, to June 6, 2017.

Since Kumaraswamy was the chief minister during the alleged scam and is now a Union minister, only the governor can authorise his prosecution.

Lokayukta officials noted that if permission is granted, it could lead to legal complications for Kumaraswamy, who holds a prominent position in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's NDA government.

HD Kumaraswamy on CM Siddaramaiah's MUDA case

On the allegations against CM Siddaramaiah in the MUDA case, HD Kumaraswamy said that the chief minister's wife requested to get compensatory land.

CM's brother-in-law fabricated documents and acquired the land. The land belongs to MUDA. Everything has happened under Siddaramaiah only by misusing the office of the CM, he added.

On Monday, the Karnataka High Court suspended action against chief minister Siddaramaiah in the MUDA scam case until a petition challenging the governor's sanction is reviewed. The court scheduled the matter for hearing on August 29 and instructed the lower court to halt all related proceedings until then.

Previously, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah questioned whether Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot had treated him unfairly. Siddaramaiah noted that while the governor had granted immediate permission to prosecute him in the MUDA scam case, he seemed to be taking a more delayed approach regarding HD Kumaraswamys case.

Has the governor not discriminated by giving immediate permission for prosecution against me? In the case of former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, the Governor has been following a delay policy but he has permitted the prosecution without relying on any investigation report against me. Is this not discrimination? CM told reporters in Koppal on Wednesday.

In a post on X, Siddaramaiah said that while the Lokayukta Special Investigation Team had requested permission to prosecute the Janata Dal (Secular) leader in the alleged illegal mining case, the governor had not yet acted on this request.

Karnataka CM added, In HD Kumarawamy's case, the Governor is following a delaying approach, but he has allowed prosecution against me without any investigation report. What else is this but discrimination?

Kumaraswamy is already scared. They are worried that the governor may allow an investigation into the illegal mining case. Lokayukta SIT submitted an investigation report against him and sought permission for prosecution, but as the Governor took no action, SIT applied again, CM added.
A meeting between Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader Saifullah Khalid, designated a global terrorist by the US, and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in the Qatar capital of Doha has raised eyebrows in New Delhi. Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Doha on August 2.(Reuters)

Khalid, designated a terrorist by the US Treasury department in 2018 and currently a leader of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), which is a political front organisation of the LeT, was seen with Meshaal in a video shared on social media on Tuesday by PMMLs media arm.

The video also featured PMML vice-president Faisal Nadeem, -- designated by the US for his role as head of the LeT in Pakistans Sindh province -- and Naji Zaheer as-Sarmi, Meshaals representative to Pakistan. The LeT leaders met Meshaal to convey their condolences over the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a suspected Israeli attack in Tehran, according to the video.

Also read: Hamas criticises Blinken's Gaza ceasefire claim: Not what we agreed on

Khalid is known to be a close aide of LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, who was the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks. He was included in the list of specially designated global terrorists (SDGTs) along with PMMLs previous incarnation  Milli Muslim League  by the US Treasury department in 2018 for acting on behalf of LeT.

He was also the head of LeTs Peshawar headquarters and served on Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD)s coordination committee for Pakistans Punjab province, according to the US.

A senior official in one of Indias central intelligence agencies described Pakistans decision to allow a US-designated terrorist to travel to Doha to meet a Hamas leader as interesting. The official, who asked not to be identified, said that such acts automatically expose the double standards of Islamabad.

This establishes that LeT, despite being banned on paper, conducts its activities freely in Pakistan in the garb of a political party and is supported by the government there, this official added.

This is, however, not the first time that LeT functionaries have come out in support of Hamas. A representative of Hamas leader Meshaal shared the stage with Khalid, Nadeem and other PMML leaders in Karachi last year while calling for anti-Israel protests.

PMML contested the February 2024 general elections in Pakistan. Hafiz Saeeds son Hafiz Talha contested from a constituency in Lahore on the party ticket but lost to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed Latif Khosa.

Hafiz Saeed is said to be lodged in a jail in Lahore after he was sentenced to a total of 31 years by Pakistans anti-terrorism courts in several cases of financing terrorism.

LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen, all backed by Pakistans security establishment, have lately accelerated their activities in Jammu & Kashmir by infiltrating foreign fighters to target the security forces and civilians, particularly as the Union territory is gearing up for elections.

In November last year, Israel listed LeT as a terror organisation to mark the 15th anniversary of the Mumbai attacks, in which 166 people were killed and another 238 injured.

Also read: Israeli military retrieves bodies of six hostages from Gaza

Dr Sameer Patil, director, Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), said: Saifullah Khalids international travel shows that despite Pakistans proclamation about cracking down on terrorist groups and associated terrorists, it is just a cosmetic action. In reality, it has not dented the ability of terror masterminds to operate freely not just within Pakistan, but also continuous activities abroad.
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)s ideological fount Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), took to the streets on Wednesday demanding the registration of a case against a school in Madhya Pradeshs Ratlam for using Pakistani flags for a scene on partition in a play on Indias independence struggle. The workers of ABVP blocked the Mhow-Neemuch Road. ABVP demanded the registration of a case against the school. (X)

District collector Rajesh Batham said that they were looking into the matter even as Ratlams Child Welfare Committee (CWC) issued a notice to the district education officer seeking cancellation of a schools recognition. The notice said anti-national activities were organised in the school on August 15 by giving Pakistani flags to children aged between three and four. Who gave the flag of any other country, especially the flag of Pakistan, to small children? What is your intention behind this? it asked.

The notice said the school tried to influence the minds of children without caring for the countrys dignity and integrity. It added the children were being poisoned against the nation. This is what it seems at first glance. If such anti-national acts are being done by children openly on Independence Day, then it can be understood what kind of feelings are being filled in their minds towards the nation on the remaining days.

The notice said recognition of the school should be cancelled immediately and the children should be admitted to other schools. Strict action should be taken against the school owner, the notice said.

Deepak Panth, the school director, said the play was based on the independence struggle. The flags were used to depict a scene of the partition of India and Pakistan. It had flags of both countries. Someone filmed one scene which went viral on social media. We have the script. We organised a play to tell the story of independence to children. We have also apologised, said Panth.
The Election Commission on Wednesday temporarily suspended the declaration of results of various ongoing recruitment drives in Haryana, where assembly elections will be conducted on October 1. Election Commission of India (File Photo)

The results of these recruitment processes cannot be announced before the completion of the polls, the election body said, adding that it had received a complaint from Congress leader Jairam Ramesh regarding a possible violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

The Election Commission, however, asserted that there was no violation of the Model Code as the recruitment process had been initiated much before the poll schedule was released (on August 16).

Cognisance was taken of the complaint received from Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, regarding violation of the Model Code in the process of recruitment against 5600 vacancies for the post of Constable in the Haryana Police, 76 posts of TGT and PTI by the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) and the recruitment for various posts by Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC), the poll body stated in its response to the senior member of the grand old party.

Subsequently, a detailed response was sought from the state government and after ascertaining the facts, the Commission found no violation of the MCC. The recruitment process was initiated before the announcement of elections and is within the existing MCC instructions. However, in order to maintain level playing field and to ensure that no undue advantage is accrued to anyone, results of these recruitments shall not be released till the completion of assembly elections, the statement added.

During the Lok Sabha elections earlier in the year, opposition parties had repeatedly claimed there was no level playing field for them.

Haryana will see a straight fight between the BJP, in power here since October 2014, and the Congress. The counting will be held on October 4.
Kolkata rape-murder case: The mother-in-law of the accused in the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata alleged that her son-in-law, Sanjay Roy, had previously caused her daughter to suffer a miscarriage and described their relationship as strained, according to news agency ANI. She also accused Roy of physically assaulting her daughter in the past, leading to a prior police complaint against him. Sanjay Roy, accused in Kolkata rape-murder case

The mother-in-law, Durga Devi, suggested that more individuals might be involved in the crime, expressing doubts that Roy could have acted alone.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Durga Devi recounted her daughters troubled marriage with Sanjay Roy.

"My relations with him were very tense," Durga Devi said, adding, "Initially, everything was good for 6 months. When she was 3 months pregnant, he caused a miscarriage. He thrashed her, and a police complaint was registered for the same. Following this, my daughter continued being ill, I bore all her expenses for medicines."

Durga Devi continued, "Sanjoy was not a good person. Hang him or do whatever you want with him. I won't comment on the crime itself, but he couldnt have done it alone."

Latest updates

The rape and murder of the trainee doctor have ignited widespread outrage and protests across the nation, with demands for justice and strict punishment for the accused.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the West Bengal government for its mishandling of the investigation into the brutal rape and murder that has triggered a nationwide uproar. The courts criticism centred around the significant delay in lodging the FIR on August 9 into the incident, the allegation by the parents that the hospital first told them it was a suicide, and the vandalism that occurred at the hospital five days later, raising questions about the competence of the West Bengal police in safeguarding medical professionals.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been granted permission to conduct a polygraph test on the arrested suspect.

On August 18, the CBI team examined and conducted 3D laser mapping in the emergency ward of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. West Bengal government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct an enquiry/investigation into the allegations of financial irregularities in R G Kar Hospital from January 2021 to the present.

On Wednesday, a former deputy superintendent of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital filed a petition in the Calcutta High Court, seeking an ED investigation against its former principal, Sandip Ghosh, over alleged financial irregularities during his tenure at the state-run facility.

The Union government has directed the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to take over the security of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, according to official sources. The Ministry of Home Affairs issued these directions following an order from the Supreme Court.

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued directions following an order from the Supreme Court.

A notification from the Home and Hill Affairs Department stated that the SIT would have the authority to access any necessary documents from government departments and private agencies to expedite the inquiry. The SIT has been instructed to submit its initial report to the State Government within one month of its formation.

On August 9, the body of the postgraduate trainee doctor was discovered in the seminar hall of the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. A civic volunteer, Sanjoy Roy, was arrested the next day in connection with the crime. The Calcutta High Court later transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

(With ANI, PTI inputs)
Bhubaneshwar: A 60-year-old man and a 34-year-old man were killed allegedly after consuming spurious liquor in Odishas Ganjam district on Wednesday morning, officials aware of the matter said. (Representative Photo)

At least 17 people from the Chikiti area were admitted to different hospitals in Ganjam on Monday after allegedly drinking country liquor sold near Moundpur, said officials.

Officials said that while of the 17 succumbed on Wednesday, the condition of two others remains critical, and they have been kept under observation in the ICU.

Family members of the victims claimed that the liquor was illicitly brewed in a forest near Bhalughai and sold in the nearby areas.

Ganjam district collector Dibyajyoti Parida, who visited the patients, said that the liquor is likely to have been laced with some spurious substances.

State excise commissioner Narasingha Bhol, who visited the affected area, said liquor samples have been collected for laboratory testing.

A joint action team comprising police and excise officials will be formed to intensify raids on illegal liquor operations in the district, Bhol said, adding that they have arrested seven people and seized about 55 litres of country liquor.

Meanwhile, the state legislative assembly was adjourned twice on Wednesday, with opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLAs rushing to the well of the House, demanding a Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) probe into the hooch incident.

The BJD leaders said it will send a fact-finding team that will visit Chikiti and submit a report to Naveen Patnaik.
The Union governments decision to roll back a controversial lateral entry advertisement sparked a political war-of-words on Tuesday with the Opposition claiming credit for protecting reservations and the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) saying it had followed the Constitution. In a letter to Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) chairman Preeti Sudan, Union minister Jitendra Singh asked to cancel an advertisement for the lateral entry of 45 bureaucrats, suggesting a review keeping in mind reservation norms to ensure social equity. (HT PHOTO)

In a letter to Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) chairman Preeti Sudan, Union minister Jitendra Singh asked to cancel an advertisement for the lateral entry of 45 bureaucrats, suggesting a review keeping in mind reservation norms to ensure social equity.

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw defended the decision, saying it was a United Progressive Alliance (UPA) era policy in which the Narendra Modi government had injected transparency.

Also Read | PM Modi has shown commitment to: Vaishnaw on UPSC lateral entry rollback

Today, PM Modi has reflected the commitment towards Babasahebs Constitution through a very important decision. A decision has been taken to implement principles of reservation in the very transparent method of lateral entry in UPSC. PM Modi has always shown his commitment towards social justice, he said.

But Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi attacked the government.

We will protect the Constitution and the reservation system at all costs, he said. The Congress will foil conspiracies like BJPs lateral entry at any cost, he added, further saying that by breaking the 50% reservation limit, the party will ensure social justice on the basis of caste count.

The row began after UPSC last Saturday advertised 45 posts -- 10 of joint secretaries and 35 of directors/deputy secretaries -- to be filled through the lateral entry mode on a contract basis for a three-year term.

Bureaucrats are usually recruited through the civil services exam process but lateral entrants, typically experts in a particular field, are inducted directly for a limited term. No quota is currently applicable to these appointments.

The Congress hit out at the government.

Long live the Constitution! The Congress Partys fight for social justice for our Dalits, tribals, backward and weaker sections has foiled the BJPs plans to snatch away reservation. Modi governments letter on lateral entry shows that only the power of the Constitution can defeat the arrogance of dictatorial power, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said on X.

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav echoed him.The conspiracy of making appointments through the back door of lateral entry in UPSC by rejecting reservation has finally succumbed to the unity of PDA. The government has now had to withdraw this decision as well. He added, Lateral entry has exposed the anti-reservation face of BJP. He was referring to the SPs electoral formulation of backwards, Dalits and Adivasis.

Yadav also declared his commitment to prevent any similar moves in the future. We will not allow any such move to succeed in future and will strongly and decisively oppose it, he said.

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin called it a victory of social justice but urged continued vigilance. The Union BJP Govt will try to undermine reservation through various formsThe arbitrary 50% ceiling on reservation must be broken, and a nationwide caste census is essential to protect the rights of the backward and oppressed.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal also attacked the government. It happened on the order of the PM, then on whose orders was it brought? Whom are they trying to fool? RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha said. UNCLEAR QUOTE? WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Nobody is above the Constitution, he said.

Vaishnaw hit back at the Opposition. He explained that UPSCs transparent method for lateral entry will now incorporate reservation principles.

UPSC adopted a very transparent method for lateral entry. Now we have decided to apply the principle of reservation in that too. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always shown his commitment towards social justice, Vaishnaw said.

We gave constitutional status to the OBC commission which was earlier an ordinary body. Be it NEET, medical admission, Sainik Vidyalaya or Navodaya Vidyalaya, we have implemented the principle of reservation everywhere, he said.

Vaishnaw attacked the previous Congress-led UPA government for not following reservations in lateral entry before 2014.Finance secretaries were recruited through lateral entry and the principle of reservation was not kept in mind, he said.

Allies of the BJP such as the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), which had opposed the lateral entry advertisement, hailed the move.

I thank my Prime Minister for seeking cancellation of lateral entry, on behalf of my Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). This government has set a precedent. Hopefully, regimes of the future will show a similar sensitivity to public sentiments, Union minister Chirag Paswan said.
Upping the ante over the Badlapur sexual abuse, the opposition has called for a complete shutdown in Maharashtra on August 24. The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi alliance, comprising Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar-led NCP(SP) and the Congress, decided this after a meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday. Police personnel stand guard after two kindergarten girls were allegedly sexually abused at a school at Badlapur.(PTI)

Vijay Wadettiwar, the leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra assembly, said all MVA allies will participate in the bandh on August 24.

He said the allies discussed the failure of the BJP-led Mahayuti government "on all fronts".

"We discussed the issue of womens security in the state and the failure of the BJP-led Mahayuti government on all fronts, he said.

Two kindergarten girls, aged under four years, were sexually abused by a male cleaning staff at a school in Maharashtra's Badlapur.

The abuse took place inside the toilet. There were no female attendants inside the girls' toilet.

The incident came to light after one of the girls told her parents about pain in her private parts.

The incident triggered a massive protest in the Maharashtra town, with protestors blocking the railway tracks at the local station.

The Maharashtra government has announced an SIT probe into the incident.

The accused has been arrested.

The opposition has claimed that the parents of the victims were made to wait 11 hours for registration of the FIR.

On Wednesday, Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad led a protest outside Mantralaya, the state secretariat, over the Badlapur incident. Wadettiwar and a few congress leaders were also present during the protest.

Holding placards outside the gates of Mantralaya, Congress leaders and workers shouted slogans against the government for the delay in the registration of the FIR.

The incident came amid the Kolkata doctor rape-murder agitation.

With inputs from PTI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said he would discuss the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine as he embarked on a crucial two-nation European tour starting in Poland. Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial at the Good Maharaja Square, Warsaw, Poland. (AFP)

Modi, who landed in the Polish capital Warsaw on Wednesday afternoon, is the first Indian premier to travel to the country in nearly half a century, since Morarji Desai in 1979. On August 23, Modi will become the only Indian head of government to visit Ukraine since its emergence as an independent nation in 1991.

Modis stop in Ukraine is expected to last about seven hours and will involve a 10-hour train journey to be carried out in tight security conditions. The visit comes a little more than a month after the Prime Minister made a trip to Russia during July 8-9 for the annual summit with President Vladimir Putin.

As he embarked on the visit, Modi said that India desires the early return of peace and stability in the region.

The Indian side gave virtually no details of Modis programme in Ukraine, citing security protocols associated with travelling to an active war zone, though there was speculation that he could be carrying a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Read more: Ahead of Ukraine visit, PM Modi says India supports peace in this region

I look forward to the opportunity to build upon earlier conversations with President Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict. As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region, Modi said.

The Prime Minister noted in his departure statement he was visiting Poland at a time when the two countries are marking 70 years of diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe. Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship, he said.

Besides meeting Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda to take forward the bilateral partnership, Modi will interact with the Indian community in Poland.

People familiar with planning for the visit said on condition of anonymity that India and Poland were exploring ways to enhance cooperation in defence and security and to impart more heft to relations that had been in limbo for decades. Poland is now the sixth largest economy within the European Union (EU) and will hold the presidency of the 27-nation bloc in 2025.

Since the start of Russias invasion of Ukraine, Polands defence budget grew in real terms by 46%, and the country plans a further 10% hike in its defence budget in 2025. The people cited above pointed to this as a factor for increased interest in bolstering India-Poland defence cooperation. India recently posted a military attache at its embassy in Warsaw for the first time in decades.

Read more: PM Narendra Modi arrives in Poland for first visit by Indian Prime Minister in 45 years

Two-way trade is worth $6 billion, making Poland Indias largest trade partner in Central and Eastern Europe. Indian investments in Poland are worth $3 billion, while Polish investments into India are worth $1 billion. Poland is home to around 25,000 Indians, including 5,000 students.

Modi began his visit on Wednesday by laying wreaths at memorials to the rulers of Nawanagar and Kolhapur, two erstwhile princely states that sheltered more than 6,000 Polish women and children during World War 2. He also paid tribute at the Monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino, which commemorates the campaign to capture a hilltop abbey near Rome in 1944. Hundreds of Indian soldiers serving in the British Army died in this battle.

After completing his engagements in Poland on Thursday, Modi will travel by road and rail to reach Ukraine the following day.

Modi said his trip to Kyiv will be a natural continuation of extensive contacts between the two sides and lay the foundation for stronger and more vibrant relations.

Modi and Zelenskyy met on the margins of the last two G7 Summits in Japan and Italy, and have spoken several times on phone since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

India hasnt publicly criticised Russias actions and has abstained or voted against most Ukraine-related resolutions at the UN. At the same time, it has called for the ending of hostilities and a return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy to find a lasting solution. During his visit to Russia last month, Modi told Putin a solution cant be found on the battlefield, and his visit to Ukraine is being closely watched to see what steps India might take to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

On the other hand, Ukraine has pushed India to take on a larger role in ongoing peace efforts because of the countrys proximity to Russia. Ukrainian ambassador Oleksandr Polishchuk told HT in an interview that implementing Zelenskyys peace formula will be one of the most important topics of negotiations, and India has the necessary authority and influence to persuade Russia to consider fair negotiations and a peaceful resolution.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Poland on Wednesday evening, becoming India's first prime minister in 45 years (after Morarji Desai) to be visiting the European nation. PM Narendra Modi being welcomed at Warsaw airport (x.com/narendramodi)

Also Read: PM Narendra Modi departs for Poland and Ukraine

Landed in Poland. Looking forward to the various programmes here. This visit will add momentum to the India-Poland friendship and benefit the people of our nations, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that the PM received a ceremonial welcome at the airport in Warsaw, the host country's capital.

Prime Minister Modi's engagements in Poland include meetings with his counterpart Donald Tusk and Andrzej Duda, the President. He will also interact with members of the Indian diaspora, lay a wreath at the memorial of the Jam Saheb of Nawanagr, and visit both the monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino and the Kolhapur Memorial adjacent to it.

In his pre-departure statement on Wednesday morning, the prime minister had called Poland, India's key economic partner in Central Europe.

Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship. I look forward to meeting my friend Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda to further advance our partnership, he said in his statement.

On Friday, the PM will be in Kyiv, the capital of war-torn Ukraine, in what will be the first-ever visit by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine, which has been in a war with Russia since February 2022.

He is going there on the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. India has been repeatedly criticised by the western nations for having continued to purchase oil from Russia. India has also avoided criticising Russia and abstained from voting against it in the United Nations.
As he embarked on a visit to Poland and Ukraine on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he will discuss the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine as India desires the early return of peace and stability in the region. Prime Minister Narendra Modi departing for Poland and Ukraine on Wednesday. (Photo from X)

Modi will begin his trip with Poland, marking the first visit to the country by an Indian premier in 45 years, and then travel by road and rail to get to Kyiv on August 23, perhaps the first time an Indian prime minister will go to an active war zone and also the first visit by an Indian head of government since Ukraine became independent in 1991.

The visit to Ukraine comes a little more than a month after Modi made a trip to Moscow during July 8-9 for the annual India-Russia Summit with President Vladimir Putin. At the time, Modi told Putin that a solution cannot be found on the battlefield, and his visit to Ukraine is being closely watched to see what steps India might take to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

Modi noted in his departure statement that he was visiting Poland at a time when the two countries are marking 70 years of diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe. Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship, he said.

Besides meeting Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda to take forward the bilateral partnership, Modi will engage with members of the Indian community in Poland.

From Poland, I will be visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is the first ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine, he said.

I look forward to the opportunity to build upon earlier conversations with President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict. As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region, the PM said.

Modi said his trip to Kyiv will be a natural continuation of extensive contacts between the two countries and lay the foundation for stronger and more vibrant relations.

Modi and Zelenskyy have met on the margins of the last two G7 Summits in Japan and Italy, and they have spoken several times on phone since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

India has not publicly criticised Russias actions and has abstained or voted against most Ukraine-related resolutions at the UN. At the same time, it has called for the ending of hostilities and a return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy to find a lasting solution.

On the other hand, Ukraine has pushed India to take on a larger role in the ongoing peace efforts because of the countrys proximity to Russia.
A Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) court in Jaipur on Tuesday awarded life imprisonment to six accused in the 1992 Ajmer rape cases, in which more than 100 female school and college students were blackmailed using obscene photographs and sexually assaulted. The court also imposed a fine of  5 lakh on each of them. (Representational image)

Justice Ranjan Singh also imposed a fine of 5 lakh on each of the accused, who were convicted under sections 376 (rape) and 120b (conspiracy) of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code (IPC) in July, prosecution lawyer Virendra Singh said.

Also read: J&K: Magisterial probe into sexual assault of Kishtwar girl, two detained under POCSO

The six accused were awarded life sentences for the 1992 rapes in Ajmer. The court also imposed a fine of 5 lakh on each of them. A total of 16 girls recorded their statements in court, Singh said.

Defence lawyer Ajay Kumar Verma said: We will file an appeal against the sentence in the high court.

The rapes in Ajmer, which sent shockwaves across the country, took place in 1992, after school and college-going girls aged between 11 and 20 years were victimised by a gang, whose members initially befriended them and photographed them in compromising situations. The girls were later blackmailed and sexually assaulted. The gang, people aware of the details said, also asked the victims to bring their friends and threatened to leak their images if they did not comply.

Most of the girls who were raped were students of a top private school in Ajmer. The accused men would call them to a farmhouse and assault them, the people added.

There were a total of 18 accused in the case. Of these, 11 were awarded imprisonment of varying terms, five were acquitted, one went absconding and one died by suicide. Of the total acquitted men, one was tried separately for sodomising a boy.

Barring the six whose punishment was announced on Tuesday, four men were awarded life imprisonment in 2003. However, their sentences were reduced to 10 years by the Supreme Court later that year. They have completed their terms and have been released.

In 2001, four people were acquitted by the Rajasthan high court on grounds of lack of evidence. They were awarded life imprisonment by a local court in 1998.

Providing details on some of the accused, Singh said Naseem alias Tarzan went absconding in 1994 and a red corner notice was later issued against him. Jahur Chishti was found guilty under section 377 (unnatural sex) of IPC and his case was transferred to another court.

The trial of Farooq Chishti ran separately after he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and he was given a life term in 2007, Singh said. One of the accused died by suicide during the course of trial.

Also read: Supreme Court sets aside Calcutta HC's order asking young girls to control sexual urges

The six accused, who were awarded the punishment on Tuesday, are Salim Chishti, Naseem alias Tarzan, Nafees Chishti, Sohail Ghani, Iqbal Bhati and Jameen Hussain. While Hussain was out on anticipatory bail, the remaining have already been in prison for varying durations.

The prosecution lawyer said a separate trial for the above six men was conducted because the investigation against them was kept pending at the time of the filing of the first charge sheet.

(With PTI inputs)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday reprimanded the West Bengal government for its mishandling of the investigation into the brutal rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, stating that the conscience of the entire nation was shaken by the horrific and horrendous incident. The Supreme Court of India. (Hindustan Times)

Highlighting the alarming inadequacies in the states response to the crime that has sparked sweeping protests across the nation and a strike by doctors, a bench led by Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud expressed its deep concern over several instances of inaction by the state machinery.

Brutality of the sexual assault and the nature of the crime have shocked the conscience of the nation, said the bench, also comprising justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, as it took up the matter registered on its own motion (suo motu).

The courts criticism centred around the significant delay in lodging the first information report (FIR) on August 9 into the rape and murder of the 31-year-old junior doctor, the allegation by the parents that the hospital first told them it was a suicide, and the vandalism that occurred at the hospital five days later, raising questions about the competence of the West Bengal police in safeguarding medical professionals.

After the crime was detected in the early hours of the morning of August 9, the principal of the hospital tries to pass this off as a suicide. The parents are not allowed to see the body for a few hours... Until late at night, no FIR was registered. Why this kind of inaction? What was the principal doing? Why no FIR until late in the evening? And why did the victims father had to lodge this FIR? What were the authorities at the hospital doing? Doesnt autopsy reveal the victim was raped and murdered? the bench questioned senior counsel Kapil Sibal, who appeared for the Mamata Banerjee government.

While Sibal denied any delay in registration of the FIR and sought time to place detailed facts on record, the bench remarked: Undoubtedly, there is an unexplained delay in the registration of the FIR.

The court also came down hard on the state for failing to deploy its machinery effectively to prevent breaches of law and order and vandalism at the hospital on August 14, particularly when the crime occurred within the hospital premises where an investigation was already underway.

The hospital is invaded by a mob and critical facilities are damaged. What was the police doing when the hospital was vandalised? The crime scene was within the precincts of the hospital. What were the police personnel doing? They allowed the crime scene to be destroyed, commented the bench, adding the first thing the police ought to do is to secure the crime scene.

The victim -- a second-year postgraduate student at the state-run hospital -- was found brutally assaulted and murdered in the seminar hall on August 9. A civic volunteer assigned to the hospital was arrested the next day in connection with the crime. By then, the crime had sparked widespread protests across the state, especially after the governments delay in removing the principal and then reinstating him within four hours.

The victims family and protesters have alleged that the crime was a gang rape, demanding a thorough investigation to ensure all culprits are held accountable. An autopsy later confirmed that the victim was sexually assaulted before her death.

In the top court, solicitor general Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre and the Central Bureau of Investigation which took over the probe following the August 13 order of the Calcutta high court, said that a gathering of 7,000 people could not assemble without the knowledge and the connivance of the police.

In its order, the bench expressed dismay over the failure of the police in securing the crime scene. In the aftermath of the brutal incident and the demonstrations which followed, the state government was expected to ensure the deployment of the state machinery to prevent a breach of law and order. It was all the more necessary to do so since investigation of the crime, which took place in the precincts of the hospital, was under way. We are unable to comprehend how the state was not prepared to deal with the incident of vandalisation of the premises, the order recorded.

The court directed the West Bengal government to file a status report by August 22 - the next date of hearing -- on the progress of the investigation into the vandalism in the aftermath of the incident. The state must ensure those involved in vandalism are acted against and prosecuted, it told Sibal. The court also directed CBI to file a status report on the investigation by August 22.

During the hearing, senior advocate Aparajita Singh, representing the doctors organisation Protect the Warriors, informed the bench that after the August 14 vandalism incident, the mob returned to the medical college hospital and threatened women doctors, warning that they would suffer the same fate as the rape victim if they reported the incident. Singh mentioned that one doctor had emailed a complaint to the police and presented a copy of it to the bench. Singh added that of the 700 resident doctors, only around 100 doctors remain, while others have left the campus in the wake of the threats.

The bench took grave note of the complaint. This is a very serious issue, Mr Sibal. The West Bengal government cannot be unaware of the fact that when there are protests, opposing groups will always attempt to disrupt them, it said.

Conveying concern that the mob specifically identified women female doctors by name and threatened them with the same fate as the deceased, the bench questioned why the police fled the scene after the mob descended.

Look at it from a different angle. We are making a fervent appeal to the doctors to resume work to help marginalised and needy people. But if they come back, can these police be trusted to protect them? Who is going to provide security to women doctors? it asked.

Taking note of this, the bench stated that the court would order the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to secure the hospital and hostel premises. Sibal indicated that the state had no objections.

It is essential to create safe conditions for the doctors to return to their duties so that they can continue their medical education and provide medical care. Accordingly, we have been assured by solicitor general Tushar Mehta that CISF will be deployed in sufficient numbers to guard the RG Medical College facilities, including the hostels where the resident doctors are staying. Mr Sibal has no objections, as the goal is to ensure the safety of the premises, the court noted in its order. It further stated that any doctor with safety concerns could send an email to the registrar (judicial) of the Supreme Court.

During the proceedings, the bench further directed the state not to take coercive actions against individuals participating in peaceful protests or expressing their views in the media and on social media.

Let the power of the state of West Bengal not be unleashed upon peaceful protesters. We must approach this with great sensitivity, it told Sibal, who rued that a significant amount of misinformation was being spread in the media about the case, and that the states actions were aimed solely at addressing that.

In its order, the court stated: We expect the government of West Bengal to exercise necessary restraint in response to peaceful protests conducted by any segment of society concerning the issues related to the incident in Kolkata.

Meanwhile, addressing a separate petition that protested about the victims identity being revealed and her photographs and videos being shared across multiple social media platforms, the bench issued an order to remove any references to the victims identify from all media and social media platforms. The court noted that it was a penal offence to reveal the identity of a rape victim.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Wednesday said that it has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report about the sexual assault of a girl and sexual abuse of around 12 girls at a fake National Cadet Corps (NCC) camp in Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri. The commission said that it has directed the Chennai's director general of police to ensure a fair and time-bound investigation.(File)

The commission said it directed the Chennai's director general of police to ensure a fair and time-bound investigation.

National Commission for Women has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report titled '13 girl sexually abused at fake NCC camp' from Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu. The commission has directed DGP Chennai to ensure a fair, time-bound investigation, booking the accused under relevant laws, the NCW wrote on X.

Also Read | Rage spills over after 4-year-old girls sexually assaulted in Badlapur school

A detailed action taken report has been sought from the police and from the state govt within 3 days, it added.

The case

Eleven people, including the prime suspect, have been arrested in connection with the sexual assault and abuse at the fake, Krishnagiri district collector KM Sarayu said on Monday.

On its part, the NCC has clarified that it did not conduct any camp in the area and that the person involved in the incident has no connection with it. The district administration, too, said that NCC was not involved in organising the camp, reported PTI.

Also Read | SC sets aside Calcutta HC verdict which advised adolescent girls to control sexual urges

"The police arrested 11 people, including the prime suspect, who organised the camp and school authorities, in connection with the sexual assault of a girl and abuse at a fake NCC camp and POCSO cases registered against them," collector Sarayu told reporters.

The girls were being given counselling and psychological support through the district child protection unit. Their parents are also being given support and counselling, she added.

About 41 students, including 17 girls, had participated in the fake NCC camp a week ago. The incident of sexual assault came to light after the girl narrated the trauma to her parents, who made a complaint to the police.
A chilling incident of road rage was caught on a camera in Thane's Badlapur-Ambernath road on Tuesday. At least four persons appeared to have been injured after a black Tata Harrier SUV was seen ramming a white Toyota Fortuner twice. The incident happened when a mother and child were sitting in the backseat of the Fortuner. A video of the incident, which has gone viral on social media, shows the black SUV hitting the Fortuner on a busy road.(X)

According to police, the incident was the result of a crash between two groups. No case has been filed yet, news agency PTI reported.

A video of the incident, which has gone viral on social media, shows the black SUV hitting the Fortuner on a busy road.

The black SUV then stops after covering some distance, reverses and then again smashes into the white SUV head-on. Some of the bystanders were also hit and dragged for a few metres.

Mumbai road rage



Earlier this week, two priests were assaulted in a road rage incident by two people in Mumbai on Monday.

The incident took place when an unidentified motorcyclist crashed into the scooter of the priests. The men fell down and suffered injuries to their legs. Upon confronting the motorcyclist, the latter abused the men and left the spot after manhandling them.

Some minutes later, three other men came rushing towards them and attacked the priests with sticks and knives. The trio began assaulting the priests with sticks on the crowded street as bystanders watched in horror.

A video of the incident went viral on Sunday, following which the Kandivali police contacted the two priests and recorded their statements. Based on their statements, the police registered an FIR against four men under several sections, including 109 (attempt to murder), and 115 (causing hurt to any person) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Out of the four men, the police have arrested two people. They have been identified as Khilare and Chotu Maniyar.

Also Read | Motorist assaults woman on scooter in road rage incident
Agartala, A man from Tripuras Sepahijala district returned home after spending 37 years in Bangladesh jails. Tripura man returns home after spending 37 years in Bangladesh jails

Shahjahan returned to India through the Srimantapur land customs station with the assistance of BSF personnel.

Shahjahan, a resident of Rabindrangar, a border village in Sonamura subdivision, had gone to his in-law's house in Comilla, Bangladesh, in 1988. During his visit, police raided his relatives home and arrested him for illegally entering the neighbouring country, officials said.

"At the age of 25, I was sentenced to 11 years in prison by a court in Comilla. Despite completing my sentence, I was not released and spent an additional 26 years in custody, totaling 37 years before I was allowed to return home," Shahjahan told reporters.

The injustice faced by Shahjahan came to light a few months ago through media reports. His plight attracted the attention of the Zara Foundation, an organisation dedicated to helping immigrants who become trapped in foreign countries, his family said.

Moushahid Ali, the chairman of the Zara Foundation, took swift action to secure Shahjahan's release. Following numerous legal proceedings, Shahjahan was finally handed over to BSF personnel at Srimantapur LCS on Tuesday, they added.

Now 62 years old, Shahjahan left home when he was young and his wife was pregnant. His son saw him for the first time physically upon his return.

"I cant express my happiness in words. I feel like I am in heaven. This is like a rebirth for me. I never thought I would return to my birthplace in this lifetime. It is the Zara Foundation that brought me back home. I will remain indebted to the organization for the rest of my life," Shahjahan said.

He also alleged that he endured brutal torture during his initial 14 days in police custody.

"After serving 11 years in Comilla Central Jail, I was transferred to other prisons under false charges and spent an additional 26 years there," he recounted.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The authorities on Wednesday suspended the principal of the Udaipur school, where a classmate stabbed to death a 15-year-old boy and triggered communal violence, even as the institute reopened after five days. The murder triggered communal violence. (PTI)

An official said the action was taken as per the demand of the boys family. The district collector Arvind Poswal also wrote a letter to the [education] department. The police are now probing the matter.

In an order, the Rajasthan Secondary Education Board said the Principal, Isha Dhrmawat, was suspended for alleged negligence.

The government has promised the boys family 5,100,000 in compensation, a contractual job, round-the-clock security, and the strictest punishment for the accused by transferring the case to a fast-track court.

Police said they were interrogating the father of the accused about how he procured and carried a dagger to the school. The incident sparked communal violence as the victim was a Hindu and the accused a Muslim.

The authorities demolished the rented house of the accused. Poswal claimed the residence was razed because it was built illegally on government land and that the measure was needed to send a message to the criminals.

The owner of the house, Rashid Khan, who was sent a notice hours before the demolition, questioned the action. I had no role in this case.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has opposed Puja Khedkars anticipatory bail plea, saying her custodial interrogation was required to unearth the truth about people who enabled her to fraudulently avail additional civil services examination attempts by faking her identity and to collect sufficient evidence to establish that. The UPSC on July 31 cancelled Puja Khedkars provisional candidature as a probationary officer. (ANI/File)

In an affidavit filed ahead of the hearing in the Delhi high court on the plea on Wednesday, UPSC said the gravity of the fraud was unprecedented. It added it was not only committed against the commission, whose traditions are untrammelled and unparalleled, but also against the public at large, including the citizens of the country who have faith in the commissions credibility.

On August 12, the high court granted Khedkar interim protection from arrest until August 21 days after the UPSC on July 31 cancelled her provisional candidature as a probationary Indian Administrative Service officer and debarred her from all future examinations or selections.

In its 16-page affidavit, the UPSC said Khedkar undertook a high level of complexity and design to cheat, mislead, misrepresent, and play foul with not only the commission but other authorities to commit fraud and gain undue advantage through unfair means and mechanisms and commit serious offences affecting the public at large.

It added that the calculative way Khedkar committed offences by enacting co-incidents established that the investigation was not feasible based on the documents. The UPSC said the probe needed the aid and assistance of more people, who can be identified based on effective custodial interrogation.

Such a grave act of misusing and abusing the administrative process in a systemic manner by making incorrect & false statements, regarding her number of attempts and suppressing material information which she was duty bound to disclose, could not have been achieved without the assistance & helping hand of several other individuals, all of which requires to be unearthed by custodial interrogation, the affidavit said.

The UPSC called it pertinent that interrogation takes place to determine the true extent of the fraud and to unearth its magnitude. ...factors looked at as a whole and contextually clearly indicate that the conspiracy has been hatched and executed with the aid, assistance, and involvement of many more persons who can be identified on the basis of effective custodial interrogation only.

Khedkar moved the high court against a Delhi courts order refusing her anticipatory bail on August 1. The Delhi court noted that her custodial interrogation was required to unearth the whole conspiracy. It added she had not only cheated and defrauded the UPSC but also snatched the lawful rights of eligible aspirants with benchmark disabilities. The court observed that Khedkar hatched a conspiracy in a pre-planned manner over many years and that she alone could not have executed the conspiracy without the assistance of some outsider or insider. It noted that Khedkars case may just be the tip of the iceberg while directing the UPSC to strengthen its standard operating procedure to ensure that such an event does not occur.

Khedkar allegedly faked her identity to get more attempts in the examination. She has been charged with the Indian Penal Codes Sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery for cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), and 120B (criminal conspiracy), and under the Information Technology Act, and Rights of Persons with Disability Act.

Khedkar had exhausted all the permissible attempts available for Persons With Benchmark Disability and Other Backward Class candidates (nine attempts) by 2020. She was not eligible to appear for the exam in 2021. Khedkar allegedly changed her name in 2021 and appeared in 2021, 2022, and 2023 by making incorrect or false statements regarding the number of attempts already availed.

On July 31, the UPSC cancelled her candidature after Khedkar failed to respond to the UPSCs notice. UPSC cited an examination of records and said she was found guilty of acting in contravention of the provisions. Khedkar made it difficult to detect the number of attempts she made by allegedly changing her parents names.

On August 12, the high court asked the Delhi police and UPSC to file their response as to why her custody was required to unearth the conspiracy. A bench of Justice Subramonium Prasad said the case against Khedkar primarily seems to be a false representation given in the application form. It questioned the need for custody to unearth the conspiracy. The question is, where has she taken the aid of others? She is not in the system. To tamper with the system she has to be in the system. The crime has been committed alone, but can that be a reason to not grant bail? Justice Prasad told the public prosecutor Naresh Kaushik, who represented the Delhi Police and UPSC.

The high court said the trial courts order refusing Khedkar holds that the offence has been committed but there is hardly any discussion as to why the bail she sought has not been given. It added it does not seem as of now that immediate custody is required.

In its affidavit, the UPSC cited Khedkars advantageous position and she either tampered with medical reports or obtained them through unfair means. At this stage, it is not far-fetched and unimaginable in the facts and circumstances of the instant case to have a prima facie view that even the medical reports to claim the benefit of disability are tampered with or obtained through unfair means. Such aspects, inter alia, need and require thorough investigation by the investigating authorities without any impediment and order protecting the accused that has left no stone unturned to abuse the process of law.

It said bail would not only impede the investigation to unearth the true extent of the crime/fraud committed but also embolden the spirit of individuals with criminal intent to play foul and abuse the law.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to bag nine of the twelve Rajya Sabha seats in the latest round of by-elections in which all candidates might win uncontested, barring any last-minute change. Of the remaining three seats, two will go to the NDA allies NCP and RLM. The Congress will get its lone seat from Telangana. The BJP that currently has 87 members in the Rajya Sabha will have 96 seats, the Congress will get 27 lawmakers. (ANI Photo)

On Tuesday the BJP announced candidates for the Rajya Sabha by-polls, nominating former Union minister Rameshwar Teli and a four-time former legislator Ranjan Das from Assam. The two seats had fallen vacant after Union minister Sarbanand Sonowal won the Lok Sabha seat from Dibrugarh and Kamakhya Prasad Tasa won the seat from Kaziranga.

Union minister George Kurian has been nominated from Madhya Pradesh, where the seat had fallen vacant on the election of Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia to the Lok Sabha from Guna.

The Congress has fielded Abhishek Singhvi from Telangana.

The BJP and its allies are all set to gain two seats from Rajasthan and Bihar, which were earlier held by the opposition. The Congress will lose a seat from Rajasthan that was held by KC Venugopal and will now be represented by former Congress leader Ravneet Singh Bittu who unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha polls. He been nominated by the BJP from Rajasthan.

From Bihar, where two seats have fallen vacant with the election of BJPs Vivek Thakur and RJDs Misa Bharti to the Lok Sabha, the BJP has nominated former Delhi Bar Council president Manan Kumar Misra as the candidate. The second name is that of Upendra Kushwaha as the NDA nominee, who will file his nomination on Wednesday. The opposition in the state has lost one seat in the Upper House from Bihar.

In poll-bound Haryana, former Congress leader Kiran Chaudhary is the BJPs pick. She joined the party on June 19 ahead of the assembly polls in Haryana in October. The seat fell vacant on the election of Deepender Hooda to the Lok Sabha. The seat will now go the BJP, taking the partys tally in the Upper House to 96.

In Maharashtra, where two vacancies arose with the election of union minister Piyush Goyal and Udayanraje Bhonsle to the Lok Sabha, the BJP has nominated Dharyashil Patil as the candidate, the candidate for the second seat will be announced by the NCP (Ajit Pawar).

In Odisha, Mamata Mohanta has been nominated as the candidate from the seat that fell vacant after she resigned as a member of the Upper House from the Biju Janata Dal. She recently switched sides to the BJP.

State unit president of Tripura, Rajib Bhattacharjee has been nominated by the BJP from the state, the seat had fallen vacant on the election of Biplab Deb to the Lok Sabha.

The BJP that currently has 87 members in the Rajya Sabha will have 96 seats, the Congress will get 27 lawmakers.

Even as the Congress tally will improve by one seat, it would not compensate for the pre-Lok Sabha election tally of 28. It would, however, provide a crucial buffer to the LoP status, which requires at least 25 MPs.

The Congress will get an MP from Telangana. BRS lawmaker K Kesava Rao had resigned from the Rajya Sabha last month and returned to the Congress party. He now enjoys a post with Cabinet ministers rank in the Telangana government.
Jabalpur , Taking on corrupt bureaucrats and politicians, communalism and communism, and power of every hue, master satirist Harishankar Parsai, the Hindi litterateur whose pen spared nothing and no one, would have turned 100 on Thursday. Writer of readers, not of rulers: 100 years on, master of satire Harishankar Parsai lives on through his writings

Born in Jamani village near Itarsi in Madhya Pradesh, Parsai died in Jabalpur, the city he lived and worked in his entire life, on August 10, 1995. Three decades on, there remains little in the name of one of the greatest satirists in the Indian literary landscape except for his poetry and prose.

His writings are replete with wit, sarcasm and a sharp critique of politics, religious fanaticism, corruption and other moral maladies that ail the human race, especially Indians, say his admirers. And though the literary community celebrates Parsais legacy, the apathy of governments and institutions to pay a fitting tribute to the Hindi giant in the form of a memorial, a museum, or a library continues to pain readers and writers.

Parsai is somebody who wrote, lekhak ko adarniya hone se bachna chahiye, adarniya hua ki wo gaya . But should there be a place to honour his legacy? Definitely. It should have happened a long time ago, Suraj Dixit, IT professional and voracious Parsai reader, told PTI.

With an MA in Hindi from Nagpur University and a diploma in teaching, Parsai hardly had a stable job till he began a full-time career in writing when he starting a magazine titled Vasudha. The short-lived magazine was closed after two years due to shortage of funding.

Parsai was known for revolutionising satire in Hindi by writing in simple yet biting language and adding nuance to his works from his understanding of issues of global urgency, including racism, consumerism, war and pervasive corruption.

If in Bholaram ka Jeev he makes a pointed attack on a corrupt bureaucracy, red tape and state machinery at large, he does not waste words in Inspector Matadeen Chand Par about an Indian police officer of questionable work ethics who goes to the moon to improve police efficiency by introducing corruption in the system.

Backed by a vast body of work, Parsai received the prestigious Sahitya Akademi award in 1982 for his satire Viklang Shraddha Ka Daur. The book is remarkable in its narrative spontaneity and relevance to both the ordinary and extraordinary incidents of the common populace.

He was not only a satirist but a litterateur. He wrote stories and was interested in poetry as well. He had a great understanding of sociology and politics. He was a man solely dependent on his writing. The scope of his study was extremely vast, writer Vishnu Nagar said.

Nagar has published a compilation of 17 interviews given by Parsai to his contemporaries and journalists in Parsai Ka Man.

A sharp critic of those in power, Parsai was a left-leaning writer but would not spare the politics of the left.

According to Hindi writer Prem Janmejay, Parsai wrote against everything that was incongruous as per his ideology, but with a creative approach.

Parsais line of thought was clear about who he was and what he wanted. He wrote against the power but he was not one-sided. He also wrote against communists at one point and during the emergency he wrote about it too. Marxists were not spared either, Janmejay told PTI.

Religious fanaticism and communism was a social evil that Parsai targeted constantly through his writing.

He once wrote: Samasyao ko is desh me jhaad-phoonk, tona-totka se hal kiya jata hai. Sampradayikta ki samasya ko is naare se hal kar liya gaya - Hindu-Muslim, bhai-bhai! .

Calling Parsai a stringent critic of communal forces, Hindi poet Ashok Vajpeyi said that it is unfortunate that even 30 years after his demise there is no comparable satirist in the country.

I would still say that partly satire has moved on to other areas finding politics somewhat difficult and dangerous. So there has perhaps been a shift. Id say without a doubt that 30 years after Parsais demise there is no comparable satirist, there is no comparable spread of satire against power that he had practised and attained, Vajpeyi told PTI.

Some of Parsais most noted works include Nithalle ki Diary, Awara Bheed ke Khatre, Thithurta Hua Gantantra and Premchand ke Phatey Jute. He also wrote a column in a Hindi newspaper, Poochiye Parsai Se , in which readers would send questions to Parsai and he would respond in his inimitable style.

Barely a kilometre from his rented house in Napier Town lies Harishankar Parsai Bhavan in Wright Town, perhaps the only tangible marker of the great satirists presence in the city where he wrote some of the sharpest critique known to Indian literature in any language.

Playwright Ashish Pathak of Samagam Rangmandal, a city-based theatre group, works with local actors at Harishankar Parsai Bhavan, a humble building that houses an office of a trade union, a library and one hall for the theatre group.

This is the only structure in his name and this too was built with public contribution, Pathak told PTI.

The building was built by famous Hindi litterateur Ramdarash Mishra and Gyan Ranjan in 2007 with the help of donations from the public. It was inaugurated in April 2007 by literary critic Namvar Singh, 12 years after his death.

It is not the job of a writer. A writer is not important in his own time. It is a job for his readers, his followers. Look how they have built a town dedicated to Shakespeare, we dont give such respect even to Kalidas, let alone Parsai. So it is definitely not Parsais job but of those who came after, Janmejay said.

He suggested that the Progressive Writers Association should take the responsibility of building a memorial of sorts in Parsais name with public contribution.

There should be a place with Parsais books, a pilgrimage of sorts that those who want to study Parsai can visit. Put his manuscripts there. People can go and experience Parsai.

But I believe why should we look at the government, the writers association has always been behind Parsai. If they raise this topic people will be ready to even donate land. It is not impossible, Janmejay said.

A hundred years since his birth, Parsai remains unrivalled despite having strong contemporaries in Sharad Joshi, Ravindranath Tyagi and Shrilal Shukla.

Just like there cant be another Premchand, there cant be another Parsai. Whether a writer or a poet, each and every Hindi litterateur has read and taken inspiration from Parsai, even if they write satire or not, Nagar noted.

There is only one pinnacle man in each field. There could be only one Chekhov in Russia. There can only be one Parsai in India, he added.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
With the Abernethy pearl expected to fetch a high sum at auction, we look at the history of pearls. Besides its legends and myths, this gem also has a dark side. Pearls, pearls, pearls! The gem has been coveted for centuries. (imagebroker/IMAGO )

One of the largest freshwater pearls ever found in Scottish history will go to auction on August 21 and is expected to fetch between 40,000 and 60,000 (46,946 to 70,426). It was discovered by pearl diver William Abernethy in 1967 in Scotland's River Tay. Abernethy gained fame as a skilled pearl fisher before the practice was banned in the country in 1998.

While it might seem a high price, the pearl is indeed rare. It is said that only one in every 5,000 mussels found in Scottish rivers has a pearl. The Abernethy pearl was thought to have been growing for 80 years when it was discovered.

Pearls are the only gemstones created by a living creature. They are formed when a hard particle irritates the soft tissue of a mollusk and the mollusk then coats the object with layers of calcium carbonate (or nacre) as a form of self-defense, creating a pearl. Saltwater pearls come from oysters, while freshwater pearls like the Abernethy are found in freshwater mussels.

ALSO READ: Their world was the oyster: Oldest pearl town found in UAE

Although the sale of this pearl known as "Little Willie" is now making headlines, pearls have been in the spotlight throughout history. They've adorned the necks and ears of royalty such as Princess Diana or Queen Elizabeth II, featured as legendary objects in myths and played a dark role as a valuable resource exploited by Spanish colonizers in the New World.

Due to their struggle-related origin, pearls are often seen as symbols of beauty born of adversity. The painter Vincent Van Gogh  well-acquainted with struggle  famously said, "The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths, it has its pearls too."

Tears of a goddess

The fact that pearls are formed from living creatures has also added to their mystique. Across many cultures, pearls are seen as symbols of purity, wisdom and divinity. They are often associated with the moon as well as water, due to their aquatic origin.

In Greek mythology, pearls are said to be tears of joy shed by the goddess of love, Aphrodite, who herself was born from sea foam. Aphrodite, or Venus as she is known in Roman mythology, has often been depicted with pearls in works of art over the centuries, such as in the 1751 oil painting "The Toilette of Venus" by French painter Francois Boucher or the 1907 painting "The Pearls of Aphrodite" by English Neoclassicist painter Herbert James Draper.

ALSO READ: Worlds oldest pearl graces Abu Dhabis Louvre

In Hindu mythology, the god Krishna is credited with discovering the first pearl. According to legend, he took it from the ocean and gave it to his daughter on her wedding day. Today, pearls still symbolize love, purity and union in Hindu culture.

In other cultures, however, pearls are considered bad luck for weddings. Japanese myth says that pearls were made from the tears of mermaids, bringing sorrow.

In Chinese mythology, pearls are often associated with dragons who are depicted carrying the precious jewels in their mouths or guarding them. The "dragon pearl" symbolizes wisdom, power and luck and is said to represent the harmonious balance of yin and yang, embodying both male and female energies.

ALSO READ: Mythology is a pluralistic truth: Devdutt Pattanaik

A long history

With the advent of pearl farming in Asia in the 19th century, pearls became more affordable. Before that however, pearls were rare and worn primarily by elites to flaunt their wealth and status. The first known mention of pearls is considered to be a mention in the history of Chinese King Shu, which states that in 2206 B.C., King Yu received pearls as a tribute from the Huai River. The oldest known pearl jewelry was found in the sarcophagus of a Persian princess who died in 520 B.C.

Pearls have long been coveted pieces of jewelry and are mentioned in the Old Testament, the Talmud and the Koran. In ancient Rome, pearls were more valuable than diamonds. Julius Caesar even passed a law saying only aristocrats were allowed to wear pearls within the borders of Rome.

Then there's the story of the famous Egyptian queen Cleopatra who, according to "Natural History" written by Roman naturalist and philosopher Pliny the Elder (23 - 79 A.D.), dissolved a pearl in a cup of vinegar and drank it to win a bet against her lover, Marc Anthony. She had bet her beau that she could spend 10 million sesterces (silver coins of ancient Rome) on one meal. "She took one earring off, and dropped the pearl in the vinegar, and when it was wasted away, swallowed it," Pliny the Elder wrote.

Modern scholars have long debated the feasibility of the story, but in 2010, an academic at Montclair State University in New Jersey experimented with vinegar and a five-carat pearl and found out that Cleopatra could have indeed won her bet as described.

Colonial depletion

Like perhaps all gems, pearls also have a sordid history involving abuse and exploitation. They were a prize of the New World when Christopher Columbus reached it and topped the list of what the Spanish Crown sought from the explorer when he returned from his voyages.

The Atlantic coast of Venezuela was rich in pearls and the Spanish colonizers established pearl fishing settlements off the country's coast in the early 16th century as Molly A. Warsh writes in her book, "American Baroque: Pearls and the Nature of the Empire, 1492-1700." Indigenous inhabitants were forced by Spanish colonial troops to dive for pearls.

"The fisheries received early infamy because of a brutal labor system of pearl diving that developed there amid intense debates about policy related to the treatment of the Americas' indigenous inhabitants," Warsh writes.

Tudor England in the 16th century is often referred to as the "Pearl Age" because of the prevalence of the upper classes wearing pearls to show off their wealth and status. One has only to look at portraits painted during the period to see just how frequently the upper classes were draped in pearl jewelery.

The pearl's popularity in Europe during that period led to "an extraordinary assault on the region's marine ecosystem" with many indigenous people abused in the process, Warsh writes.

Yet the history of the pearl marches on, with the sale of the Abernethy pearl as simply its latest chapter.
Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani's youngest son, Anant Ambani, and his wife, Radhika Merchant, spent their honeymoon in Panama. Videos from their holiday in the Central American country have been doing rounds on social media. A clip shows them strolling the streets of Panama and clicking pictures with fans. (Also Read | Anant Ambani-Radhika Merchant meet President of Panama; Shloka Mehta joins Akash, Nita Ambani in Paris: What they wore) Radhika Merchant and Anant Ambani click pictures with fans during their outing in Panama. (Instagram )

Radhika Merchant and Anant Ambani pose with fans in Panama

A new video of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant enjoying a stroll in Panama has surfaced on social media. It shows the couple being approached by fans to click pictures as they roam a shopping street in the country. While Anant chose his signature printed shirt and shorts for the outing, Radhika kept it minimal in a simple printed tee and track pants. Let's decode what the couple wore.

What Radhika Merchant and Anant Ambani wore

The video shows Radhika in a simple white T-shirt featuring a round neckline, half-length sleeves, a relaxed fitting, and a black-hued print on the front. She paired the top with black track pants featuring a figure-skimming fit, cinched hem, and a mid-rise waist. Lastly, she rounded off the look with a bare face, white chunky sneakers, and hair tied in a ponytail.

Meanwhile, Anant wore a multi-coloured shirt featuring a forest-inspired print, notch lapel collars, full-length sleeves, and front button closures. He completed the outfit with black baggy shorts and grey chunky sneakers.

About Radhika Merchant and Anant Ambani

Anant Ambani is Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani's youngest son. Anant married Viren Merchant's daughter, Radhika Merchant, in a lavish ceremony held in Mumbai. Their wedding saw many big names in attendance, including celebrities, global leaders, and politicians. The guest list included names like Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Kim Kardashian, John Cena, Aishwarya Rai, Salman Khan, and more.
Ganesh Chaturthi 2024: The auspicious Hindu festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated annually with pomp and grandeur. It is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Ganesh Utsav. The festival marks the birth of Lord Ganesha and lasts for 10 days. Read on to know its date, history, significance, and celebrations. Ganesh Chaturthi 2024: Ganesh Chaturthi falls annually on the Chaturthi tithi of Shukla Paksha. It lasts for 10 days. (ANI)

Ganesh Chaturthi 2024 Date: When is Ganesh Chaturthi?

Ganesh Chaturthi falls annually on the Chaturthi tithi of Shukla Paksha. It lasts for 10 days, and the last day is observed as Ganesh Visarjan. This year, Ganesh Chaturthi falls on Saturday, September 7, and Ganesh Visarjan is on Tuesday, September 17. Meanwhile, the Ganesh Chaturthi puja muhurat is from 11:03 am to 1:34 pm.

Ganesh Chaturthi 2024: Last year, devotees took out a Visarjan procession of Lalbaugcha Raja on the last day of the Ganesh Chaturthi. (ANI)

Ganesh Chaturthi 2024 History and Significance:

As the legend goes, Maa Parvati created Lord Ganesha - the god of wisdom, knowledge, prosperity, and happiness - with sandalwood paste. Goddess Parvati left Lord Ganesha to guard the place while she was taking a bath. Since Lord Shiva was unaware of who Lord Ganesha was and his arrangement with Maa Parvati, he was surprised to find Lord Ganesha outside the place where Maa Parvati was bathing. Per his mother's instructions, he did not allow Lord Shiva to enter the place. This made Lord Shiva furious, and he severed Lord Ganesha's head.

Maa Parvati was infuriated to see this and took the Kaali avatar while threatening to end the world. After discovering the truth, Lord Shiva requested his men to fetch the head of a child whose mother was looking the other way. His men returned with the head of a baby elephant and gave it to Ganesha. That's how Lord Ganesha came to be known as the elephant-headed god.

Ganesh Chaturthi holds immense significance for Hindus. They believe praying to Lord Ganesha can help one achieve wisdom, success, and good fortune. Moreover, when starting any new work, exam, wedding or a new job, devotees of Lord Ganesha pray to him, seek his blessings and ask him to bless them with success.

Ganesh Chaturthi 2024 Celebrations:

Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations are observed all across the country. However, it is observed on a large scale in Maharashtra, Telangana, and Karnataka, especially in cities like Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad. People observe the festival by bringing home the idol of Ganpati Bappa for one-and-a-half days, three days, seven days, or ten days. They perform sthapana of the idol, pray to Lord Ganesha, perform rituals, offer bhog, and observe a fast.

(Also Read | Now Ganesh mandal volunteers to help Pune police monitor traffic)

The festival ends with Ganesh Visarjan. On this day, devotees immerse Lord Ganesha's idols in water with heavy hearts, wishing for Bappa to return next year. Huge processions are held during Visarjan, and people chant ' Ganapati Bappa Morya, Purchya Varshi Laukariya'.
In today's competitive business world, innovation is the lifeblood of staying ahead but how can you bring creativity within your team and in the workplace to bring innovative solutions? Fostering creativity and innovation isn't some magic trick  it is about creating an environment where ideas can flourish and translate into real solutions. Wednesday wisdom: Boost creativity and innovation at workplace with these expert strategies (Image by Cross Referral Inc)

Imagine brainstorming sessions in your organisation where everyone feels comfortable sharing their wildest ideas and come up with solutions that not only solve the problems but completely eliminate them. Thats the power of unlocking creativity in the workplace.

From Ideas to Impact:

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Archika Sudhanshu, Spiritual and Meditation Guru, shared, It is crucial to establish a workplace culture that embraces creative thinking. A truly creative workplace is built on a strong sense of community and support.

Before we dive into techniques, Dr Archika Sudhanshu highlighted a few pointers we need to understand -

Diversity of Thought: A team with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives brings a richer pool of ideas to the table. Encourage brainstorming sessions and value everyone's contribution.

A team with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives brings a richer pool of ideas to the table. Encourage brainstorming sessions and value everyone's contribution. Psychological Safety: People need to feel safe to share ideas without fear of judgment. No one wants to share a crazy or weird idea that may be a solid idea, if they fear getting laughed at. Cultivate a space where ideas are heard without being judgmental, where exploration is welcome and where "what ifs" are encouraged, not discouraged.

People need to feel safe to share ideas without fear of judgment. No one wants to share a crazy or weird idea that may be a solid idea, if they fear getting laughed at. Cultivate a space where ideas are heard without being judgmental, where exploration is welcome and where "what ifs" are encouraged, not discouraged. Empowerment: Give your employees ownership over their work and the freedom to explore solutions. This will encourage and motivate them to go the extra mile. It will cultivate a sense of excitement and engagement among them.

Techniques to Boost Creativity

Dr Archika Sudhanshu asserted, Fostering creativity in your workplace isn't a magic trick, but a strategic investment. By building a supportive environment and implementing these techniques, you can transform your team into an innovation powerhouse. Remember, a culture that embraces fresh ideas is a culture that thrives. Empower your team, and recognize and reward your employees who contribute to innovation, this will keep them motivated.

According to her, we can incorporate some techniques to involve our employees in decision-making, such as -
The doorbell to Martinho de Almada Pimentels house is hard to find, and he likes it that way. Its a long rope that, when pulled, rings a literal bell on the roof that lets him know someone is outside the mountainside mansion that his great-grandfather built in 1914 as a monument to privacy. Tourists visit the old center of Sintra, Portugal. (AP)

There's precious little of that for Pimentel during this summer of overtourism."

Travellers idling in standstill traffic outside the sun-washed walls of Casa do Cipreste sometimes spot the bell and pull the string because it's funny," he says. With the windows open, he can smell the car exhaust and hear the tuk-tuk of outsized scooters named for the sound they make. And he can sense the frustration of 5,000 visitors a day who are forced to queue around the house on the crawl-up single-lane switchbacks to Pena Palace, the one-time retreat of King Ferdinand II.

Tuk-tuks drop off and pick up tourists at the gate of the 19th century Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal. (AP)

Now I'm more isolated than during COVID, the soft-spoken Pimentel, who lives alone, said during an interview this month on the veranda. Now I try to (not) go out. What I feel is: angry.

This is a story of what it means to be visited in 2024, the first year in which global tourism is expected to set records since the coronavirus pandemic brought much of life on Earth to a halt. Wandering is surging, rather than levelling off, driven by lingering revenge travel, digital nomad campaigns and so-called golden visas blamed in part for skyrocketing housing prices.

Anyone paying attention during this summer of overtourism is familiar with the escalating consequences around the world: traffic jams in paradise. Reports of hospitality workers living in tents. And anti-tourism protests intended to shame visitors as they dine  or, as in Barcelona in July, douse them with water pistols.

The demonstrations are an example of locals using the power of their numbers and social media to issue destination leaders an ultimatum: Manage this issue better, or we'll scare away the tourists  who could spend their $11.1 trillion a year elsewhere. Housing prices, traffic and water management are on all of the checklists.

Cue the violins, you might grouse, for people like Pimentel who are well-off enough to live in places worth visiting. But it's more than a problem for rich people.

Not to be able to get an ambulance or to not be able to get my groceries is a rich people problem? said Matthew Bedell, another resident of Sintra, which has no pharmacy or grocery store in the center of the UNESCO-designated district. Those dont feel like rich people problems to me.

What is overtourism, anyway?

The phrase itself generally describes the tipping point at which visitors and their cash stop benefitting residents and instead cause harm by degrading historic sites, overwhelming infrastructure and making life markedly more difficult for those who live there.

It's a hashtag that gives a name to the protests and hostility that you've seen all summer. But look a little deeper, and you'll find knottier issues for locals and their leaders, none more universal than housing prices driven up by short-term rentals like Airbnb from Spain to South Africa. Some locales are encouraging quality tourism, generally defined as more consideration by visitors toward residents and less drunken behaviour, disruptive selfie-taking and other questionable choices.

Overtourism is arguably a social phenomenon, too, according to an analysis for the World Trade Organization written by Joseph Martin Cheer of Western Sydney University and Marina Novelli of the University of Nottingham. In China and India, for example, they wrote that crowded places are more socially accepted. This suggests that cultural expectations of personal space and expectations of exclusivity differ.

Tourists visit the 19th century Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal, (AP)

The summer of 2023 was defined by the chaos of the journey itself  airports and airlines overwhelmed, passports a nightmare for travelers from the US. Yet by the end of the year, signs abounded that the COVID-19 rush of revenge travel was accelerating.

In January, the United Nations' tourism agency predicted that worldwide tourism would exceed the records set in 2019 by 2%. By the end of March, the agency reported, more than 285 million tourists had travelled internationally, about 20% more than the first quarter of 2023. Europe remained the most-visited destination. The World Travel & Tourism Council projected in April that 142 of 185 countries it analyzed would set records for tourism, set to generate $11.1 trillion globally and account for 330 million jobs.

Aside from the money, there's been trouble in paradise this year, with Spain playing a starring role in everything from water management problems to skyrocketing housing prices and drunken tourist drama.

Protests erupted across the country as early as March, when graffiti in Malaga reportedly urged tourists to go f home. Thousands of protesters demonstrated in Spain's Canary Islands against visitors and construction that was overwhelming water services and jacking up housing prices. In Barcelona, protesters shamed and squirted water at people presumed to be visitors as they dined al fresco in touristy Las Ramblas.

In Japan, where tourist arrivals fueled by the weak yen were expected to set a new record in 2024, Kyoto banned tourists from certain alleys. The government set limits on people climbing Mount Fuji. And in Fujikawaguchiko, a town that offers some of the best views of the mountain's perfect cone, leaders erected a large black screen in a parking lot to deter tourists from overcrowding the site. The tourists apparently struck back by cutting holes in the screen at eye level.

Tourists queue to catch a shuttle bus from the gate up to the the 19th century Pena Palace. (AP)

Air travel, meanwhile, only got more miserable, the U.S. government reported in July. UNESCO has warned of potential damage to protected areas. And Fodors  No List 2024  urged people to reconsider visiting suffering hotspots, including sites in Greece and Vietnam, as well as areas with water management problems in California, India and Thailand.

Not-yet-hot spots looked to capitalize on de-touristing drives such as Amsterdam's Stay Away campaign aimed at partying young men. The Welcome to MonGOlia camapaign, for example, beckoned from the land of Genghis Khan. Visits to that country by foreign tourists jumped 25% the first seven months of 2024 over last year.

Tourism is surging and shifting so quickly, in fact, that some experts say the very term overtourism is outdated.

Michael O'Regan, a lecturer on tourism and events at Glasgow Caledonian University, argues that overtourism has become a buzzword that doesn't reflect the fact that the experience depends largely on the success or failure of crowd management. It's true that many of the demonstrations aren't aimed at the tourists themselves, but at the leaders who allow the locals who should benefit to become the ones who pay.

(Also Read | Unique bucket list ideas beyond the Mona Lisa and Everest)

Theres been backlash against the business models on which modern tourism has been built and the lack of response by politicians," he said in an interview. Tourism came back quicker than we expected, he allows, but tourists aren't the problem. There's a global fight for tourists. We can't ignore that. ... So what happens when we get too many tourists? Destinations need to do more research."

Of visitors vs being visited

Virpi Makela can describe exactly what happens in her corner of Sintra.

Incoming guests at Casa do Valle, her hillside bed-and-breakfast near the village center, call Makela in anguish because they cannot figure out how to find her property amid Sintra's disorganized" traffic rules that seem to change without notice.

There's a pillar in the middle of the road that goes up and down and you cant go forward because you ruin your car. So you have to somehow come down but you cant turn around, so you have to back down the road, says Makela, a resident of Portugal for 36 years. And then people get so frustrated they come to our road, which also has a sign that says `authorized vehicles only.' And they block everything.

Nobody disputes the idea that the tourism boom in Portugal needs better management. The WTTC predicted in April that the country's tourism sector will grow this year by 24% over 2019 levels, create 126,000 more jobs since then and account for about 20% of the national economy. Housing prices already were pushing an increasing number of people out of the property market, driven upward in part by a growing influx of foreign investors and tourists seeking short-term rentals.

To respond, Lisbon announced plans to halve the number of tuk-tuks allowed to ferry tourists though the city and built more parking spaces for them after residents complained that they are blocking traffic.

A 40-minute train ride to the west, Sintra's municipality has invested in more parking lots outside town and youth housing at lower prices near the center, the mayor's office said.

More than 3 million people every year visit the mountains and castles of Sintra, long one of Portugal's wealthiest regions for its cool microclimate and scenery. Sintra City Hall also said via email that fewer tickets are now sold to the nearby historic sites. Pena Palace, for example, began this year to permit less than half the 12,000 tickets per day sold there in the past.

It's not enough, say residents, who have organized into QSintra, an association that's challenging City Hall to put residents first with better communication, to start. They also want to know the government's plan for managing guests at a new hotel being constructed to increase the number of overnight stays, and more limits on the number of cars and visitors allowed.

We're not against tourists, reads the group's manifesto. We're against the pandemonium that (local leaders) cannot resolve.
As the world braces for the next salvo in the series of violent tit-for-tat attacks between traditional rivals Iran and Israel, a sobering fact bears reminding. There are no clear winners in this blood feud that has defined geopolitical fault lines in West Asia for over four decades. Each side in this contest of national egos and antagonistic ideologies has used varieties of lethal force to impose its will over the other. But, in the end, neither party gains a decisive victory that can silence the others guns, bombs, assassins, missiles and drones. It is a classic lose-lose situation. FILE - In this photo taken and released by the semiofficial Fars News Agency, a Noor missile is launched from the coast to the sea during Iranian naval maneuvers in the Oman Sea, near the port town of Bandar Jask, Iran on May 11, 2010. (Hossein Zohrevand/Fars News Agency, File) (AP)

Israel undoubtedly enjoys a qualitative military edge over Iran. It has a stronger economy and the backing of the United States (US). The daredevil attacks that Israel has undertaken against high-profile targets inside Iran and in Iran-allied territories of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen also prove that the former holds the advantage in intelligence and covert operations.

Israel has been on the offensive by betting that an inferior Iran has no choice but to stand down and avoid a full-scale war that would be detrimental to its survival. But this assumption is risky, as Iran can raise the costs of Israeli offensive doctrines without triggering full-scale war. Iran uses the non-conventional warfare approach and has weaponised a range of Sunni and Shia proxy militias to create a ring of fire to burn Israel.

The deadly combine of Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, and Hashd forms Irans axis of resistance against the Zionist enemy, Israel, and the crusader enemy, the US. Iran empowers these forces to carry out attacks to intensify pressure on Israel from multiple directions.

For instance, the military heat Israel has faced on its northern front with Lebanon since October 2023 is due to Hezbollahs explicit campaign of cross-border attacks to compel Israel to slow down its war with Hamas on the southern front in the Gaza Strip. Iran has also equipped the Houthis of Yemen with sophisticated weapons to harm Israeli maritime commerce and territory. The Houthi drone that flew over 1,000 miles to hit Tel Aviv and claimed Israeli casualties in July 2024 conveyed a message that the Jewish State might be attacked simultaneously from different corners through a swarm that overwhelms its air defences.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sounded nonchalant and claimed that his country is already in a multi-front war with Iran and its allies. But bravado apart, Israel will have to incur a big price in a genuinely all-out multi-directional war. It would entail more deaths for Israeli soldiers, further forced displacement of Israeli civilians and heightened insecurity of Israelis residing in border areas.

The casualties that Israel has suffered since the October 2023 war commenced are less than what has been incurred on the Palestinian, Lebanese, Iraqi, Syrian, and Yemeni sides. But as a fragile democracy that is answerable to public opinion and mass protests over agonising national security choices, Israels threshold of accepting human losses is lower than what authoritarian Iran and its proxies are willing to sacrifice. Israel frequently releases Palestinian prisoners in disproportionately higher numbers to win freedom for far fewer Israeli citizens held in captivity. Iran and its axis are aware of this democratic frailty of Israel and believe they can exploit it.

Repeated flare-ups between Israel and Iran are not resolving core security dilemmas. At best, they help incumbent political leaderships in Tel Aviv and Tehran in justifying their rule and burnishing their credentials as protectors of their nations. Despite its inferiority, Iran has enough chips on the table to keep harassing Israel. Given that full-blown war is being carefully avoided by both sides, Israel cant establish lasting deterrence against Iran through calibrated coercion. The only way out of this gory stalemate is a tactical truce between Tel Aviv and Tehran that permits some form of coexistence with agreed limits on how far each side is allowed to go. Washington must also chip in by not resorting to extreme measures such as the Israel-assisted US operation to assassinate Irans General Qasem Soleimani in 2020. The cycle of revenge which that operation seeded spurred Iran to prepare Hamas for counter-attacking Israel on October 7, 2023, and killing over 1,200 people.

It is time for the principal players in this Cold War to break out of the perpetual vendetta syndrome. Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have open lines to Israel, Iran and the US, could come forward to mediate pragmatic security arrangements. The alternative of continuing to act out of rage and endlessly avenging strikes with counterstrikes will leave everyone, including neighbouring countries, worse off in a permanent spiral of instability and destruction.

Sreeram Chaulia is dean, Jindal School of International Affairs.The views expressed are personal
The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024  the flagship publication of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations  observes that the world marine-capture fisheries production stood at 79.7 million tonnes (mt) in 2022. Developing countries accounted for two-thirds of this production, and 12 of them  China, Indonesia, Peru, India, Vietnam, Chile, the Philippines, Morocco, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and Bangladesh  contributed to 51% of this total. Developing countries, therefore, have a stake in fisheries management as much as developed ones. Kochi: Fishermen cast their nets in the Arabian sea as they look for a catch, at the Kochi coast, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (PTI Photo)(PTI08_06_2024_000423B) (PTI)

FAO notes that the global marine catches peaked at 86.4 mt in 1996, and the share of marine stocks fished at unsustainable levels increased from 10% in 1974 to 37.7% in 2021. Fisheries subsidies have played a major role in enhancing fishing capacity and increasing fish production to the unsustainable levels being recorded now. This trend needs to be reversed to ensure marine fisheries remains a sustainable source of seafood, to maintain employment of fishers and fish workers, and to protect biodiversity.

Fisheries management, therefore, has to become a political priority in most parts of the world. While 92% of marine fisheries were under management plans in developed countries, only 60% of fisheries were under any such plans in developing countries, observes FAO in the report. There are overfishing pressures due to too many boats fishing with super-efficient gear, and logging long fishing hours without oversight.

More than 40 years down the line, all nations, including developing ones, must match their sovereign rights to explore and exploit living marine resources in their exclusive economic zones (EEZs) with the duty to conserve and manage these living resources, as required under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It is a matter of urgency that countries adopt effective fisheries management and a precautionary approach to maintain fish stocks at biologically sustainable levels.

Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) made a first step in addressing the negative impacts of fisheries subsidies on fish stocks when they adopted the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (AFS) in 2022. They are now negotiating new rules that are meant to discipline, more broadly, subsidies contributing to overcapacity and overfishing.

The Additional Provisions on Fisheries Subsidies to address outstanding issues  discussed on July 22-23, 2024, at the WTO General Council, Geneva  proposed flexibility in regard to subsidies contributing to overcapacity and overfishing, that is, if the notified fisheries management measures can vouch that stocks are maintained at a biologically sustainable level. The provisions also proposed exemptions from notification obligations for the least-developed and coastal developing members with a share of the annual global volume of marine capture fisheries production at, or below, 0.8%. All other members, including far distant water fishing members, were exhorted not to grant or maintain subsidies if no fisheries management is in place.

Also, exemptions were proposed for nationally defined small-scale and artisanal fishing (non-industrial), which is low-income, resource-poor or livelihood-enhancing in nature, accompanied by an obligation to notify its operational definition to the Committee on Fisheries Subsidies.

And finally, developing country members, other than those mentioned above, were altogether given an exemption for a protracted period of 16 years from the date of entry into force of these additional provisions (which is likely to take a couple of years from the date of concluding the negotiations).

In the face of inert political will for fisheries management, how can WTO, of all institutions, prime marine-capture fisheries management across the world to help restore, rebuild and maintain fish stocks? Under a WTO regime, how does a developing coastal member meet its fisheries-development needs?

While the AFS prohibits subsidies to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and denies subsidies for overfished stocks, the additional rules under negotiation would more generally require all fishing nations and entities to inerrantly agree upon the importance of fisheries management subserving all other goals. For this purpose, an innovative accountability framework has been proposed through a notification regime for fisheries subsidies, on the one hand, and for fisheries management, on the other. It makes effective fisheries management a common denominator in regard to fisheries subsidies for the most consequential marine capture fisheries of both developed and developing members in all maritime zones, including the high seas.

The accountability framework is innovative because it provides leverage to bring all fisheries-related interests under a management regime as determined by respective coastal or flag States, or their regional fisheries bodies (RFBs), as backstopped by the FAO.

Given the status of marine fish stocks, especially in developing countries, it is time to be prudent and accept the role that WTO is willing to play in persuading its members to make a paradigm shift towards conservation and sustainable use of marine living resources. WTO can certainly set in motion a process to bring about greater resilience of marine fish stocks that will help both people and the planet.

Sebastian Mathew, is executive director, International Collective in Support of Fishworkers.The views expressed are personal
Kolkata property registrations declined by 13% year-on-year in July 2024 after the government decided to withdraw the 2% stamp duty benefits and change the circle rates, according to data shared by Directorate of Registrations and Stamps Revenue, Government of West Bengal. Kolkata property registrations declined by 13% year-on-year in July 2024 after the government decided to withdraw the 2% stamp duty benefits and change the circle rates (Representational photo)(Unsplash)

As many as 3506 apartments were registered in Kolkata Metropolitan Region in July 2024 compared to 4036 units last year, the data showed.

This is the first month after the state government decided to withdraw the incentives i.e. 2% stamp duty cut and 10% reduction in circle rate.

Also Read: Kolkata Real Estate market: Over 4800 properties registered in the city; 64% YoY growth over February 2023

On a year-on-year (YoY) basis, July 2024 apartment registrations represent a 13% degrowth. On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, an 18% decline over June 2024 registrations was witnessed, according to an analysis by Knight Frank.

During the three-year period of phase wise extension of the remission of stamp duty between July 2021 to June 2024, 143,864 residential properties were registered in the city, it showed.

500 - 1,000 sq ft apartments record highest share across all unit size categories

As compared to July 2023, the share of unit sizes up to 500 sq ft scaled up from 27% to 45% at the end of July 2024.

Apartments ranging in size from 501 to 1,000 sq ft witnessed their share taper from 51% to 47% during the same period.

However, the share of unit sizes over 1000 sq ft reduced from 22% to 8% when compared between July 2023 and July 2024. Unlike the trends unfolding in other Indian cities, the registration of units sized above 1,000 sq ft has shrunk drastically in the past one year, particularly since February 2024.

Also Read: West Bengal govt withdraws 2% stamp duty cut for homebuyers; 10% circle rate relief

In July 2024, the top position in apartment registration tally was still held by North Zone, albeit with a moderate share of 34%. The South Zone follows closely with a 33% share in this month. Due to the availability of affordable products, these zones together constitute the lions share of the apartment registrations across both periods. East zones share remained stable at 11% in July 2024 as compared to the same time last year, the analysis showed.

In line with past trends, Rajarhat, also witnessed its share remain steady at 10-11% between both periods. The West zone witnessed its share moderate from 8% to 6% in a year.

A similar trend was witnessed in Central Kolkata too.

"The Kolkata residential market, having seen the benefits of incentives, has reacted as expected to the withdrawal of the stamp duty benefits and change in circle rates. The decline in registrations is expected to normalize in the subsequent months as the buyers sentiments align to the change and we can hope to see a revival in registrations numbers soon, especially as we are at the cusp of the festive season. The overall economic growth and stability of the country will play its part in keeping the momentum of the market healthy in the coming months, said Abhijit Das, Senior Director East, Knight Frank India.

Also Read: Heres how metro projects in multiple cities will impact real estate markets
Bengaluru-headquartered real estate developer Shriram Properties is looking to double its sales to 5,000 crore, triple revenue to 3,000 crore and quadruple profits to more than 250 crore in the next three years driven by mid-income housing sales and consolidation in the real estate sector, the company's top official said on August 21. Shriram Properties eyes annual sales worth  5,000 crore, over  250 crore in profits in next three years(Shriram Properties)

We will scale up our annual sales from 4.5 million square feet last year to 8-9 mn sq ft. We would have sold close to 20 million square feet cumulatively (in 3 years). Of this, Bengaluru alone will account for 7-8 mn sq ft, Chennai will account for about 5-6 mn sq ft, Kolkata about 3-4 mn sq ft, cumulatively in three years, said Gopalakrishnan J, Executive Director and Group CEO, Shriram Properties.

During the 2023-24 fiscal year, Shriram Properties clocked a net profit of 75 crore, while the company's total income came in at 987.35 crore. Sales value during the 12-month period touched 2,362 crore.

As the company enters its 25th year of operations, Shriram Properties also unveiled a new brand identity - SPLNxT - with enhanced focus on the mid-market and mid-premium segments. Going forward, over 90% of the brands portfolio (from 67% earlier) will comprise mid-market and mid-premium projects. Simultaneously, the brand will continue to focus on luxury projects.

Also Read: Shriram Properties posts modest 5% growth in net profit, touches 17.5 crore in Q1 FY25

Shriram Properties defines the mid segment as comprising homes ranging between 50 lakh - 1.5 crore. Meanwhile the mid-premium bracket spans between 1.5 - 2 crore.

Competition has become more intense. To thrive in this environment, we must change. SPLNxT therefore represents the essence of this transformation that were embarking on, Gopalakrishnan said.

Shriram Properties plans to foray into Pune market

Since inception, Shriram Properties has expanded its presence to five cities, delivering about 44 projects spanning 24.4 million square feet. The company is now looking to foray into the western market with the first project slated to be launched in Pune. Our new addition to the portfolio, Pune should account for about 2 mn sq ft of sales over the next three years, Gopalakrishnan said.

Also Read: Shriram Properties Limited signs joint development agreement for a 4-acre land parcel in Bengaluru

Amongst the slew of announcements, the company also shared plans to launch two mobile applications, namely Shriram Parivaar and Shriram Synergy for the companys customers and channel partners, respectively. According to Akash Murali, AVP Strategy, Shriram Properties, the apps are expected to be launched within the ongoing quarter.

Project pipeline comprising 42 projects

Presently, Shriram Properties has a pipeline of 42 projects with a development potential of 42 million square feet. Of this, 24 million square feet is under various stages of development. Were targeting to double our future project inventory from 18 mn sq ft now to over 35 mn sq ft in the next 18-24 months, Gopalakrishnan underscored.

Also Read: Prestige Estates plans to launch 43 real estate projects across segments in seven cities

The company estimates a capital requirement of 300-500 crore for its three-year growth plan and believes that internal funds shall adequately meet the demand. The joint development model could account for 50% of the companys portfolio during this time, a company spokesperson said.

Shriram Properties is on track to launch three projects in Bengaluru in the ongoing quarter.
British YouTuber Miles Routledge joked about launching nuclear bombs at India and accused, without evidence, an anonymous troll of being Indian in a series of deeply racist posts made on the social media platform X. British YouTuber Miles Routledge made a series of racist posts against Indians

Routledge, 25, is best known as the British student who was stranded in Afghanistan during the Taliban takeover of 2021 and had to be evacuated from the war-torn country. On Tuesday, he triggered a slew of racist posts against Indians by sharing a screenshot in which an anonymous X user appeared to be threatening him. Routledge accused the X user of being an Indian despite nothing to suggest he belonged to India.

What Miles Routledge posted

Indian threatens to find me, it backfires lmao, he wrote while sharing the screenshot. The screenshot shows a message which read: I will find you I promise, your apology video will be sweet.

Routledge responded to the message by sharing his address and following it up with Saar okay lord saar good luck saar haha saar in a message clearly mocking the way Indians apparently talk.

This was not the only racist post he made. In a separate tweet, the British author and YouTuber joked about launching nuclear weapons at India.

When I become prime minister of England, I'll open the nuclear silos as an explicit warning to any foreign power that interferes with British interests and affairs. I'm not talking huge incidents, I'm itching to launch and atomize entire nations over the smallest infraction, he said.

Hell, I might just launch at India just for the sake of it! Routledge added.

When an Indian X user accused him of rage-baiting, the Briton responded saying he just did not like India. He also provided an explanation as to why he thought the troll threatening him was an Indian.

Believe it or not, I just don't like India. Also I can sense an Indian, he is indian. If a man online suddenly talks about ducking your mother in the first response, he's indian. Many such cases, Routledge claimed.
Besides being CEOs of rival social media companies, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are also fighting a war on a different front: that of their public image. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg (L) and X owner Elon Musk (R)

Elon Musk  once hailed as a great visionary and tech genius  is now a controversial figure at best. By using his social media platform X to amplify his own right-wing philosophy, his series of transphobic tweets, his mass layoffs, various lawsuits and assorted other controversies, Elon Musk is taking the eccentric in eccentric billionaire a bit too literally for everyones liking.

On the other hand, Mark Zuckerberg, who started this image race on a definite back foot, has managed to enact a PR cleanse of stunning proportions in the space of a few short years, going from scrawny hacker to strapped CEO.

Mark Zuckerbergs transformation was hailed as an example of brilliant PR by the co-founder of brand building company Thoughtleadr, Fernando Cao Zheng. In a post shared on X, Zheng broke down how the Meta CEO enacted one of the most impressive image cleanses in recent times.

Mark Zuckerbergs makeover

In 2018, Mark Zuckerberg was one of the most hated CEOs on the planet, Zheng began his thread. 6 years later, he wears chains, surfs in tuxedos and fights Lex Fridman. Everyone seems to love him.

He called it the most brilliant PR transformation of the century.

Zheng began with a short overview of the rise and fall of Mark Zuckerberg. After starting Facebook from his dorm room at Harvard, he became a Silicon Valley VIP.

But his image of a bold business leader and innovator was damaged after a series of controversies, including Facebook data breaches, privacy issues, the Russian 2016 election row, Cambridge Analytica scandal, the Congressional hearings where he was likened to a robot and more.

Zuckerberg has managed to bounce back and how!

Embracing his billions

According to Zheng, a large part of the credit for Zuckerbergs PR makeover goes to his newfound philosophy of embracing his billions.

He's not pretending to be a normal guy anymore. He's owning his billionaire status, the co-founder wrote on X. In the last few months, the CEO of Meta has wakeboarded in a tuxedo, collected designer chains, and trained with MMA fighters.

Most recently, he commissioned a 7-foot statue of his wife Priscilla Chan from renowned sculptor Daniel Arsham. All of these things, while not exactly relatable to the common man, at least did elicit a common sentiment - If we had billions, this is how we would be spending them too, said social media users.

Wardrobe update

The image makeover went hand and hand with a wardrobe refresh. According to Zheng, Mark Zuckerberg ditched his Dishwater tees and hoodies for Capri cabana shirts and Yeezy-esque sweatshirts.

The 40-year-old tech billionaire has also allowed his hair to grow out into Gen-Z curls and taken to interacting with designers in Instagram comments.

Zuckerberg started his journey as a scrawny, awkward hacker from his college dorm room. Today, he trains is martial arts - Now, hes a jacked CEO who fights Lex Fridman & wears chains.

All of this has earned him major brownie points on the internet.

While Elon Musk picks culture war fights on X, Zuck's projecting a whatever bro, I'm doing me vibe. By embracing his quirky billionaire status instead of hiding it, Zuck's become MORE relatable. Now, he's just spending time with his family & spending his billions as we would, Zheng concluded.

In short, Zuckerberg is the clear winner of this PR war by just being normal - or as normal as a billionaire can be.
Gushwork co-founder Nayrhit and his wife Rishita Das decided to move back to India last year after living for some time in the United States. The couple had moved to the US for their higher education after graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur in 2016. Nayrhit now divides his time between India and the US, where his company Gushwork is still based, while Rishita is an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering at IISc Bengaluru. Nayrhit and Rishita are both graduates of IIT Kharagpur.(X/@NayrhitB)

After completing one year of living in India, they have shared a thread on 10 key observations on the two countries. To all the Indian 20-40 year olds who are contemplating their move back to India but are filled with uncertainties, this is an honest compilation of 10 differences we observed after our move back here! Nayrhit wrote on X yesterday.

Here is what the couple learnt from moving back to India:

Domestic help

For Nayrhit and Rishita, the first difference between India and US is the ease and affordability of having a domestic help in their home country. While I do worry about the of the cost of labour being cheap, the convenience is undeniable - an 15-20 extra hours each week as working couple is a luxury tough to imagine back in the US, wrote the co-founder of Gushwork.

Traffic

Traffic in India is not necessarily worse than it is downtown New York or San Francisco, but it is certainly more unpredictable and irritating, the couple said. They dont see a solution to this problem in the near future.

Digital convenience

India is far superior when it comes to digital convenience, thanks to a host of quick commerce platforms that can deliver everything from groceries to makeup in 10 minutes.

Sure, the US has Instacart & DoorDash, but the intra-city logistics here are far superior & efficient, wrote Nayrhit.

Personal connections

For the couple, one major difference between India and the US is cultural. Culturally, as an Indian, I found it challenging to make deep connections in the USbeyond coffee meetups, drinks, or the usual work/sports talk, explained Nayrhit in his X thread.

Digital payments

The much-touted digital payments infrastructure of India wins hands-down vs the US. Apple Pay and UPI are comparable from user experience standpoint, wrote Nayrhit. However, the real difference between the two platforms is that UPI is free and a part of government infrastructure - whereas in Apple Pay, there is a 2%-7% of transaction volume which flows into private players.

Orderly queues

The couple does miss one thing about the US - orderly queues. In India, lines at counters, coffee shops, security checks and QSRs can be really chaotic, sometimes very irritating, they said.

Food

Both countries are winners when it comes to food. Coming back to Dosas & Biryanis from PB&J & Burgers is a relief. Though - I do sometimes miss the variety of cheese, bread & desserts, wrote Nayrhit.

Outdoor activities

For people who love the outdoors, the US has a decided advantage over India. According to the IITian couple, if you cannot live without hiking, biking or love frequenting beaches, you will not be very happy in India.

LGBTQ-friendly

India still has a long way to go when it comes to LGBTQ acceptance. Yes, there are hyper-urban pockets where it is fine. But, mass India still is not very accepting of LGBTQ communities, Nayrhit, adding that he is hopeful of seeing change in the next five years.

Job market

Finally, the couple said that the job market is tough in both countries, but for different reasons. In India, you can get a job, but to get a high-paying gig that can allow you to have a house and car equivalent to one in the US is not easy.
An Indian YouTuber visiting the United States slammed the countrys much-derided tipping system, but his viral post has found support and criticism in equal measures online. Ishan Sharma, who is currently on a tour of the US, said that a restaurant in New York City refused to return his balance amount after he ordered food worth $45 and paid $50 in cash. Ishan Sharma slammed the USA's tipping practices.(X/Ishansharma7390)

Sharma said that a server took the balance amount of $5 as her tip for serving him. I asked for change and she said you have to pay the tip and went away, he elaborated in his post on the social media platform X.

Sharma asked the server if tipping is mandatory, but was summarily ignored. He called tipping in New York a scam while admitting that his friend, a local, was embarrassed by his behaviour. And my friend(a local) felt guilty for not paying atleast 20% tip! Sharma revealed in his post.

Why tipping is important in the US

To understand Sharmas post is so controversial, it is important to get some context on tipping practices in the US.

Tipping practices in the United States differ vastly from India. In the Land of Liberty, the standard tip for waitstaff in restaurants is around 15-20% of the total bill. Since tips make up a significant part of the income for waitstaff, not tipping servers is considered a major faux pas, besides being perceived as rude. In fact, tipping is generally accepted as mandatory rather than discretionary.

It is also important to note that in the US, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. However, several employers in the service industry pay their staff less than the minimum wage, with tips received from customers making up the difference.

Employees who regularly receive tips, such as waitstaff, bartenders, and other service workers, can have their minimum wage go as low as $2.13, but they rely on tips to earn their income. Since servers depend heavily on tips to achieve a livable income, not tipping is considered extremely rude in the US.

On the other hand, tipping practices are much more easygoing in India. Here, tips are considered a reward for exceptional service rather than an unwritten requirement.

A deeply polarising post

Taken in this context, it is clear why Ishan Sharmas post on tipping culture has proved deeply polarising on social media. The post has racked up over 4.6 lakh views on X, where many viewers, including Indians, slammed the YouTuber for refusing to follow social norms in another country.

A number of X users told Sharma that he was in the wrong, using the adage of When in Rome, do as Romans do to support their argument. They also accused the content creator of giving Indians a bad name, besides embarrassing his friend, by refusing to tip.

15-20% tip is a customary social custom in the USA. When in Rome do as Romans do. If you strongly feel that tipping is wrong then don't order food at a sit down restaurant, wrote X user Jimmy Gandhi.

Another X user went so far as to call Sharma the reason for racism against Indians, writing: You are the reason why the globe is becoming racist against Indians. Stop being cheap.

You got away easy with only 10% as a tip. These days it's become a norm to tip at least 15-20% or more, Shantanu Goel pointed out.

Tipping is customary in this country. Not tipping is customary in other countries. This isnt that complicated, a user added.
People have often complained about the quantity of chips offered in a 10 packet. In fact, many even joke about there being more air in the packets than chips. Recently, highlighting the issue of less quantity, a Redditor shared a picture of a 10 chips packet which only had four pieces of chips. Yes, you read that right. After the individual made the post, it quickly garnered the attention of many, gaining numerous reactions. Snapshot of the four chips found in a packet. (Reddit)

"Got 4 chips in 10 Lays pack. I was super hungry at bought lays at a petrol pump in Goa. Opened the first packet and got this surprise," wrote user "Hot_Butterscotch4901". They also shared a picture of the chips packet. (Also Read: Man finds only two chips in Lays packet, says it falls short of expectations)

Take a look at the post here:

This post was shared on August 20. Since being posted, it has gained more than 1,500 upvotes. The share also received numerous comments. (Also Read: Pakistani snack names resembling global brands leave people in splits. Watch viral video)

Here's how people reacted to it:

An individual wrote, "This is your opportunity to earn a huge amount of money by reporting it to the consumer forum."

Another person added, "That's ridiculous; when did they start putting chips in the packet? I paid for the air inside. Want to have the refund."

"Are you guys getting chips in Lay's chips packet? I thought they were only making chips flavoured air sold in plastic bags lately," commented a third.

"You are such an ungrateful person. The beautiful and divine lays company has its customer health always in their mind. Hence the 'control' portion," joked someone else.

A fifth added, "Wow, tourists flock to Goa in monsoon as well; I thought it was an off-season then. Anyhow screw Lays, that's why all my homies pick Balaji."
Newly appointed Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol is not expected to relocate to Seattle to work from the companys headquarters. Instead, Niccol will be allowed use of the company jet to shuttle between his California residence and his Seattle office three times a week, according to his offer letter that was made public in an SEC filing last week. FILE - Brian Niccol, named the chairman and chief executive officer of Starbucks on Aug. 13, 2024, is shown during an interview on June 9, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)(AP)

The revelation is being called a stunning example of the hypocrisy of large corporations when it comes to climate change - especially in light of the fact that Starbucks is now offering paper straws in stores worldwide in a bid to eliminate single-use plastic.

What Brian Niccols offer letter says

Niccol, 50, will be paid a base salary of $1.6 million annually as CEO of Starbucks, according to his offer letter.

The letter also states that he will not be required to relocate to the companys headquarters, currently in Seattle, Washington. Instead, he must agree to commute from his residence to the companys headquarters (and engage in other business travel) as is required to perform his duties and responsibilities.

According to CNBC, this is a distance of 1,000 miles or roughly 1,600 km.

During his time with Starbucks, Brian Niccol will also be eligible to use the company aircraft for travel between his city of residence and the companys headquarters in Seattle.

A company spokesperson told CNBC that Niccol will be expected to work from the Seattle office at least three times a week as per Starbucks hybrid work policy.

Brians primary office and a majority of his time will be spent in our Seattle Support Center or out visiting partners and customers in our stores, roasteries, roasting facilities and offices around the world, the spokesperson added. His schedule will exceed the hybrid work guidelines and workplace expectations we have for all partners.

Outrage on social media

The news of Niccols supercommute plan elicited shocked and critical reactions on social media.

Reacting to the news, one X user said: You better stop giving paper lids and straws. That would be hypocritical.

We have to drink from paper straws, while their CEO commutes via private jets, another said.

Flying a private jet three days a week just to go to work, but Starbucks had the unmitigated gall to tell us to use paper straws. I hate it here, an X user opined.

Some called it a PR disaster in the making, while others called on Starbucks to revise the terms of the offer letter.
After the European Union (EU) banned Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in 2020, due to concerns about Pakistan's ability to ensure compliance with international aviation standards, an individual recently took to Instagram to show what it is like to fly with the airlines. Social media user and traveller Ali Khan posted a video showcasing the terrifying conditions of PIA and his experience on "one of the most dangerous flights in the world." Snapshot of the flight seats and overhead bin inside PIA.

The video opens to show Khan getting on the flight and immediately being told by the cabin crew that he is not allowed to record anything on the flight. However, once he reaches his seat, he shows the dust-filled gaps on the chair, an almost broken seat handle, and an overhead bin that was duct-taped. As the video goes on, Khan informs that their pilot was interactive with the passengers and told people about facts and information on Skardu. (Also Read: Restaurant employees collapse, tear up on getting termination notice in Pakistan. Video)

Watch the video here:

This video was shared on August 9. Since being posted, it has garnered more than seven lakh views. The share also has close to 16,000 likes. Many people took to the comments section of the post and shared their reactions. (Also Read: Pakistanis join Indians to sing Jana Gana Mana at UKs Piccadilly Circus. Watch viral video)

Here's how people reacted to the video:

An individual wrote, "Pakistan Airlines? I would never even consider, let alone get anywhere near one of their planes."

Another Instagram user, Cristiano Masi, commented, "I flew PIA in 1988 from Rome to Male stopover in Athens and changing plane in Karachi. On the way back, we flew from Karachi on a 747 with only three motors over 4. We discovered it when the plane had to land in Dubai for reparation. They actually didn't so we stop in Athens for good. Man, what a journey!"

A third commented, "The airline is good. The duct tape can hold the whole plane."
Australia on Wednesday approved plans for a massive solar and battery farm that would export energy to Singapore, a project it calls the "largest solar precinct in the world". Australia green lights world's 'largest' solar hub

Authorities announced environmental approvals for SunCable's US$24 billion project in Australia's remote north that is slated to power three million homes.

The project, which will include an array of panels, batteries and, eventually, a cable linking Australia with Singapore, is backed by tech billionaire and green activist Mike Cannon-Brookes.

"It will be the largest solar precinct in the world and heralds Australia as the world leader in green energy," said Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.

It is hoped that energy production will begin in 2030.

The 12,000-hectare project will provide four gigawatts of energy per hour for domestic use.

Two more gigawatts sent to Singapore via undersea cable will supply about 15 percent of the city-state's needs.

Batteries would be able to store about 40 gigawatts of power.

SunCable Australia's managing director Cameron Garnsworthy said the approval was "a landmark moment in the project's journey".

Despite Wednesday's green light, numerous approval processes remain including working with Singapore's energy market authority, Indonesia's government and Australian Indigenous communities.

"SunCable will now focus its efforts on the next stage of planning to advance the project towards a final investment decision targeted by 2027," said Garnsworthy.

Australia is currently one of the world's leading exporters of coal and gas, but has also been ravaged by the effects of climate change from intense heat to floods and bushfires.

Although Australians are among the world's most enthusiastic adopters of household solar panels, a string of governments have been slow to fully embrace renewables.

In 2022, renewables made up 32 percent of Australia's total electricity generation compared to coal, which contributed 47 percent, according to the latest government data.

Director of the Energy Change Institute at the Australian National University Ken Baldwin said the project was a "world first" for exporting renewable electricity from solar and wind on such a scale.

"Australia has some of the best solar and wind resources of any country, and as a result, is installing solar and wind at one of the fastest rates of any country in the world on a per capita basis," he told AFP.

But this momentum must continue, particularly if Australia is to meet its net zero targets by 2050, Baldwin said.

"Australia has, over the last five years, invested heavily in solar and wind, but it needs to double and triple that investment in order to reach its climate trajectory towards a net zero future by 2050."

He added that by the 2030s, Australia will need about 100 gigawatts of solar and wind capacity the SunCable project will only provide four gigawatts of that need.

Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie said the new solar hub was a bold step in making Australia a "clean energy powerhouse" and that such projects were essential in "delivering affordable energy and slashing climate pollution".

"With the closure of coal-fired power stations on the horizon, Australia needs to accelerate the roll-out of solar and storage at every level-rooftops, large-scale projects, and everything in between," she said.

The project would also be a significant step for Cannon-Brookes, who has expanded his portfolio from software company Atlassian which he co-founded to the renewable energy space, including being the latest shareholder in AGL Energy.

lec/arb/sn

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
By David Ljunggren and Promit Mukherjee Canada PM leans on railways and union to settle issues, avert major stoppage

OTTAWA, - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged on Wednesday the country's two main rail companies and the Teamsters union to settle their differences and avoid a stoppage that could cause billions of dollars worth of economic damage.

But the chances of a last-minute deal appeared to vanish later when Canadian National Railway said talks had broken down and called for the government to intervene.

CN Rail and Canadian Pacific Kansas City say they will lock out their workers early on Thursday unless new deals can be agreed. The two have never shut down at the same time.

Talks between both companies and the union have made little progress, with each side accusing the other of bad faith.

Trudeau told reporters in Quebec that his government was following the matter closely.

"It is in the best interest of both sides to continue doing the hard work at the table to find a negotiated resolution," he said.

"Millions of Canadians, of workers, of farmers, of businesses right across the country, are counting on both sides to do the work and get to a resolution."

Federal Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon met CN executives on Tuesday in Montreal and with CPKC in Calgary on Wednesday.

Canada, the world's second-largest country by territory, relies heavily on rail transport to move a wide range of goods and commodities.

"It would be totally unacceptable for us as a country to sabotage ourselves right now," Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters in Edmonton, Alberta.

"I am calling with extreme seriousness on the employers and on the union to roll up their sleeves to get a deal done ... the country has no patience with dillydallying."

Ratings agency Moody's said shutting down 75% of Canada's freight rail traffic would cost the economy C$341.5 million per day, a rate equal to more than 4% of the nation's GDP.

In an emailed statement, CN called on the labor minister to intervene.

"CN has tried to get a deal but a deal is not possible without a willing partner," CN said.

MacKinnon has the power to refer the dispute to binding arbitration but the government said it wants the issue to be settled at the negotiating table.

A group of business associations called for Ottawa to prevent a stoppage.

"The federal government must show leadership and act before our trains - and with them, our economy - grind to a halt," they said in a joint appeal to Trudeau.

The Teamsters say CN and CPKC are seeking concessions that would dilute worker safety, a charge that both companies deny.

Dean Roberts, a director of the Canola Council of Canada, told reporters that failure to reach a deal would mean "we are sleepwalking into a calamity".

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By Mei Mei Chu and Joe Cash China opens anti-subsidy probe into EU dairy imports in push back against EV tariffs

BEIJING, - China opened an anti-subsidy probe into imported dairy products from the European Union on Wednesday, stepping up tension with the bloc a day after Brussels published its revised tariff plan for China-made electric vehicles.

The EU on Tuesday revised its proposed punitive duties on imports of Chinese EVs to 36.3% from an initial planned duty of 37.6%, but fell short of abandoning them, as Beijing had called on Brussels to do.

The revision drew rebuke from China's commerce ministry, which in response said it is "firmly opposed to and highly concerned" about the findings, and vowed to take all necessary measures to protect Chinese firms.

The anti-subsidy investigation on dairy announced by China's commerce ministry on Wednesday will focus on various types of cheeses, milks and creams intended for human consumption. It was prompted by a complaint submitted by the Dairy Association of China and the China Dairy Industry Association on July 29 on behalf of the domestic dairy industry, the ministry said.

China will examine 20 subsidy schemes from across the 27-strong bloc, specifically those from Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Ireland, and Romania, it said in a statement.

Of the countries listed, Ireland is by far the biggest exporter of dairy products to China, having sold $461 million worth of goods to the Asian nation last year.

The EU was China's second-largest source of dairy products with at least 36% of the total value of imports in 2023, behind only New Zealand, according to Chinese customs data.

The EU exported 1.7 billion euros in dairy products to China in 2023, down from 2 billion in 2022, according to data from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, which cited Eurostat.

China already launched an anti-dumping probe into imports of EU pork in June, which mainly affects Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark, in a tit-for-tat move against the EV tariffs.

"The combined value of EU pork and dairy exports to China areas of goods potentially affected by tariffs  are smaller than the value of China's battery EV exports to the EU, which we estimate to stand at around $13.5 billion in 2023," Chim Lee, senior China analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

"Domestic economic pressures, alongside the increasingly important role played by external demand in supporting Chinas economy, will keep Chinese policymakers cautious about invoking an overly confrontational approach to trade," Lee said.

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Dhaka: India should reboot its relations with Bangladesh to reflect the wishes of the people of the neighbouring country and without basing them on any individual party or leader, analysts and former diplomats have said following the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government in a student-led uprising. Commuters ride along a street in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh on August 17. (AFP)

Since Hasina stepped down and fled to India on August 5, the Indian government has faced accusations of tying bilateral relations completely to the Awami League leader and not doing enough to build ties with other political parties and civil society. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, head of the interim government, has described Hasinas regime as a dictatorship while Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said India will work with the caretaker administration.

Humayun Kabir, president of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI), a leading think tank, told HT: I think we should not rely on a particular individual or party, it is best to keep good relations with all stakeholders. Bangladesh and India are close neighbours and will have to live side by side peacefully. India should keep a relationship as a neighbour, irrespective of the government.

Kabir, a former diplomat who served as deputy high commissioner in Kolkata, said the uprising was indigenously produced and led by the youth, who echoed the spirit of the 1971 war of independence, including values such as democracy, equity, justice and transparency.

But some of our Indian friends are feeling uncomfortable because they have been observing recent events in Bangladesh through a single lens. Somehow, they failed to take into consideration various shades of opinion, particularly those of the youth, who have suffered because of being deprived of their democratic rights and of fair opportunities for building their future, he said.

When Yunus held his first phone conversation with Modi on August 16, the Indian leader reaffirmed New Delhis commitment to a democratic, stable, peaceful and progressive Bangladesh and emphasised the importance of ensuring the safety of Hindus and other minorities in the country.

However, Debapriya Bhattacharya, distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), a Dhaka-based think tank, said it was no secret that New Delhi had extended unconditional and exclusive support to Hasina and her government. The manner of the change of government in Bangladesh was coupled with public expression of outrage towards India, he noted.

Indeed, India now has to reboot its relationship with Bangladesh based on mutual respect and guided by a balanced agenda of bilateral interests, Bhattacharya said. Hopefully, India wont keep its relationship with Bangladesh hostage to one political party in future. Bangladesh too needs to create an informed national consensus regarding its approach towards India, he said.

Bhattacharya said he believes the narrative promoted by mainstream Indian media after Hasinas ouster was ill-informed and not helpful. Early signs of the rebooting of relations can be traced to the phone call Modi and Yunus had, and Yunuss participation in the Voice of Global South Summit hosted by India was a positive development.

As the interim government settles down, there will be more opportunities to reflect on the past and look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship, he said.

Shafqat Munir, senior fellow at the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies, said there is a perception among Bangladeshi people that India is aligned with one individual and one political party. It is urgently needed for India to signal to Dhaka and to the Bangladeshi people that it stands with the people, it stands with their aspirations, he said.

Munir said it is critical for India and Bangladesh to have a constructive and productive relationship. The new reality which has emerged in Bangladesh has to be accepted by India and a new chapter needs to begin, he added.

Relations between India and Bangladesh are between two countries. Prime ministers may come and go, the India-Bangladesh relationship must endure, said Munir. There needs to be a reset in the relationship.

Munir suggested India could send a special envoy to Bangladesh with a message of goodwill to begin a new chapter because a peoples revolution has taken place and needs to be recognised as a people revolution.

Kabir, who did two diplomatic postings in India, said the fast pace of events appeared to thrown the Indian side into a state of confusion. India should appreciate peoples aspirations for democracy, justice and equity, and come forward with a positive mind to help them.

If they do so, it will create a climate of understanding, which will help us to move forward in our relationship based on mutual respect, trust and benefits, said Kabir.
Warsaw, Indian cuisine is remarkably popular in Poland with various Indian restaurants catering to the growing demand for the rich flavours and Polish diners visiting them say the dishes like dosa and butter chicken remind them of their travels to India. Dosa, butter chicken top dishes attracting Polish diners at Indian restaurants in Poland

More than 45 Indian restaurants are offering a variety of traditional Indian food across Poland, with the capital Warsaw City having at least a dozen of them, as per the listing of the Embassy of India in Poland here. India and Indian food are the talk of the town yet again as Warsaw is excited to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will arrive here for his two-day visit on Wednesday. This will be the first official visit of an Indian prime minister to this country in 45 years.

According to Indian restaurant owners, Polish people have developed a liking not just for Indian cuisine but also for its rich culture.

I really like Dosa. The best Dosa in Warsaw is in India Gate , and it really feels like in South India. I have travelled many times to Chennai and Kerala and actually, the food here definitely tastes like that, said Anna Maria Rozek, a Polish national, told PTI Videos here.

Chandu, the owner of India Gate food chain, said, The food is really tasty here ... Indian food with a lot of spices. Every item has a different taste. They love butter chicken, mango lassi. They love Indian food and Indian people also.

The Polish people also love Indian culture and Indian movies are also doing well in Poland nowadays, he said.

Not just in the capital Warsaw, but Indian restaurants are popular in cities such as Krakow and Wroclaw, offering a variety of options to satisfy the curiosity and cravings of foodies in this eastern European country.

Meanwhile, the Indian diaspora in Poland's capital is excited about Modi's visit. Indians, especially students, expressed their delight as they got set to welcome the prime minister.

Gaurav Singh, President of the Indian Students Union, Poland, said: There is a sense of excitement among the people here, especially the young people, the students. The number of Indians is slowly increasing here and a major chunk is that of the students.

Surender Kumar, an Indian living in Poland for a few years now, said every Indian is extremely happy as a national leader . Amongst the Indians, the Gujarati community said they feel proud about having a Gujarati as the Prime Minister as they eagerly await his arrival.

I belong to Gujarat and Prime Minister Modi is also from Gujarat. So, we are even more excited to meet him. In 40 years, this is the second time a Prime Minister is coming from Gujarat. The first time an Indian Prime Minister from Gujarat visited Poland was Morarji Desai and Narendra Modi is also from Gujarat. I am also from Gujarat. So, I am also proud, said Srikant, another Indian living in Poland.

PM Modi is visiting here, so we are really happy and excited that we will be meeting him. As he is coming here, we expect that our visa problems will get solved, Trusha Bhatt, an Indian in Poland said in Gujarati.

India's Ambassador to Poland Nagma Mohamed Mallick said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Poland will give a greater knowledge and understanding of the economic and other possibilities between the two countries.

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Chicago: Offering a rare glimpse into Kamala Harriss personal life, and normalising the idea of a blended family in the White House, Doug Emhoff, Harriss husband, charmed Democratic delegates in Chicago on Tuesday with his self deprecatory humour and his decade-old love story with the Democratic nominee for president. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff speaks on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Tuesday. (AFP)

Emhoff, who is the first Second Gentleman in American history and may become the first First Gentleman, in a role that has only known First Ladies, took the stage after a short video made by his son, Cole, and produced by his first wife, Kerstin, introduced him to the audience.

The video showed Emhoffs roots in Brooklyn and New Jersey, alluded to his Jewish upbringing, his familys shift to California, his training and career as a lawyer, his first marriage and the birth of his kids, a divorce, a blind date with Kamala Harris, his subsequent marriage to her, and how his kids began calling her Momala and her commitment to the family. We might not look like other families in the White House. But we are ready to represent all families in America, Cole said, in a recognition of the distinctive nature of their blended family, as he closed the video and introduced his father on stage.

Emhoff was greeted with a sea of signs with his name from the floor. He spoke about his upbringing, life, divorce and then how in 2013 a client had set up him on a blind date. For generations, people have debated when to call the person youre being set up with. And never in history has anyone suggested 8:30am. And yet, thats when I dialled. I got Kamalas voicemail and I just started rambling. Hey, its Doug. Im on my way to an early meeting. Again, its DougKamala saved that voicemail and she makes me listen to it on every anniversary.

They spoke on the phone for an hour  We laughed. Well, you know that laugh. I love that laugh  went for a date, and got married the following year. Thursday, when Harris will accept the nomination, also marks the couples tenth anniversary.

While outlining her qualities, Emhoff spoke about how Harris had connected him more deeply to his Jewish faith, even as she was Christian, and both celebrated festivals together. In a political context that has laid excessive emphasis on a candidates family, he said, Those of you who belong to blended families know that they can be a little complicated. But as soon as our kids started calling her Momala, I knew we would be okay. Ella calls us a three-headed parenting machine. Kamala and Kerstin, thank you both. Thank you both.

Wrapping up his speech, the Second Gentleman said, Kamala Harris was exactly the right person for me at an important moment in my life, and at this moment in our nations history, she is exactly the right president.

Harris, who was away at a rally in Milwaukee, posted a picture of watching her husband speak on her laptop on the flight on her way back on X, with a simple message, Love you, Dougie.
Islamabad, Pakistan telecom watchdog chief on Wednesday claimed that a faulty submarine cable was behind the countrywide internet slowdown and rejected reports that government-installed firewalls were responsible for the glitch. Faulty submarine cable behind internet breakdown in Pakistan, claims telecom watchdog chief

For a few weeks, it has been alleged that the internet speed was slowed due to firewalls installed by the authorities to check unwanted criticism of the government and top government institutions by the opposition, especially jailed former prime minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.

The cause of the internet slowdown emerged on Wednesday during the meeting of the National Assemblys Standing Committee on IT where the chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Maj Gen Hafeezur Rehman faced tough questions from the lawmakers.

Rehman was grilled about fluctuations in the internet speed over the past few weeks, and users are facing difficulties in sending or downloading media and voice notes through WhatsApp when connected to mobile data.

The internet slowdown in the country is due to a faulty submarine cable, which is expected to be repaired by August 28, Rehman said.

He also clarified that it was the governments web management system  and not a firewall  which was being upgraded. In my opinion, the Internet should not slow down due to an upgrade, he said, adding that the telecom sector has suffered a loss of 300 million due to internet disruptions.

PTI chief Gohar Ali Khan, who also attended the meeting, asked the PTA chief about the reasons behind the prolonged ban on social media platform X, when the ban could be lifted.

The PTA top official responded by saying that he had no more information on the matter.

Responding to other questions, he said that VPNs were not being blocked in the country, nor can they be.

Earlier, not just the PTI, but the business community and the internet service providers too had alleged that the governments efforts to monitor internet traffic through a firewall were responsible for the slowdown of digital services, causing economic losses.

IT minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja had said the government was upgrading its web management system to tackle cyber security threats but categorically rejected a report about throttling the internet.

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DUBAI, - Iran's parliament approves Pezeshkian's unity cabinet

Iran's parliament approved President Masoud Pezeshkian's 19 ministers on Wednesday, state media reported, giving way to a cross-factional cabinet reflecting his focus on consensus after days of debate.

In contrast to former President Ebrahim Raisi's hardline team, the new cabinet includes reformist figures such as Health Minister Mohammadreza Zafarqandi, who secured his position despite receiving the lowest number of votes, at 163.

Approval of the ministerial line-up is not a formality. One minister proposed in 2021 by Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May, lost the confidence vote due to lacking experience, meaning a different name had to be drafted in.

"The road to our salvation is unity and solidarity," Pezeshkian said on Wednesday in his speech to the 285 parliamentarians present to give their vote of confidence to the cabinet, which had been debated since Saturday.

Farzaneh Sadeq was approved as minister of roads and transportation, becoming the only second female cabinet minister since the Islamic Republic's establishment in 1979.

Mohsen Paknejad was approved as minister of oil. He served as deputy minister of oil for the supervision of hydrocarbon resources from 2018 to 2021.

The oil minister told parliament he would actively pursue the issue of joint fields with neighbouring countries and boost oil output to 4 million barrels per day by March 2025.

Abbas Araqchi was approved as minister of foreign affairs with 247 votes, after convincing parliamentarians wary of his key role in negotiating Tehran's 2015 nuclear agreement with six world powers.

During deliberations with the parliament, Araqchi asserted that he holds the same world view he held during his time serving with the Revolutionary Guards and expressed support for a 2020 parliamentary bill hardening Iran's nuclear stance.

The United States under President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018 from the nuclear accord between Iran and six world powers which restricted Tehran's nuclear programme. Indirect talks between the U.S. and Tehran to revive the deal and lift costly U.S. sanctions on Iran have stalled.

In his last address to parliament on Sunday, Araqchi stressed that Tehran would continue its policy of good neighbourliness and negotiations to lift sanctions.

"China, Russia, Africa, Latin America and East Asia are priority regions in our foreign policy," Araqchi said at the time, adding that Europe could become a priority if it changed its "hostile behaviour" and that relations with the U.S. would solely be informed by "conflict management".

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Lebanons Hezbollah has launched more than 50 rockets, hitting a number of private homes in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. Israel-Hamas war latest: Hezbollah fires more than 50 rockets, hitting Israeli-annexed Golan Heights

The attack on Wednesday came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar as he pressed ahead with the latest diplomatic mission to secure a cease-fire in the war in Gaza, even as Hamas and Israel signaled that challenges remain.

Hamas in a new statement called the latest proposal presented to it a reversal of what it agreed to previously and accused the U.S. of acquiescing to what it called new conditions from Israel. There was no immediate U.S. response.

First responders in Golan Heights said they treated a 30-year-old man who was moderately wounded with shrapnel injuries in Wednesdays attack. One house was engulfed in flames, and firefighters said they prevented a bigger tragedy by stopping a gas leak.

Hezbollah said the attack was in response to an Israeli strike deep into Lebanon on Tuesday night that killed one and injured 19. On Tuesday, Hezbollah launched more than 200 projectiles toward Israel, after Israel targeted a Hezbollah weapons depot some 80 kilometers from the border, a significant increase in the daily skirmishes.

Israel and Hezbollah have traded near-daily strikes for more than 10 months against the backdrop of Israels war against Hezbollahs ally, Hamas, in Gaza. The exchanges have killed more than 500 people in Lebanon  mostly militants but also including around 100 civilians and non-combatants  and 23 soldiers and 26 civilians in Israel.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed it, saying it needs the strategic plateau for its security. The United States is the only country to recognize Israels annexation, while the rest of the international community considers the Golan to be occupied Syrian territory.

Heres the latest: Commercial ship not under command after repeated attacks target it in Red Sea, British say

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  A commercial ship traveling through the Red Sea came under repeated attack Wednesday, leaving the vessel not under command in an assault suspected to have been carried out by Yemens Houthi rebels, the British military said.

Details remained few about the attack, though it comes during the Houthis monthslong campaign targeting ships over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

The attack saw men on small boats first open fire with small arms, the British militarys United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. The ship also was hit by three projectiles, it added.

The vessel reports being not under command, the UKMTO said, likely meaning it lost all power. No casualties reported.

The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, though it can take them hours or even days before their acknowledge one of their assaults. Israel says military is shifting its attention to the border with Lebanon

TEL AVIV, Israel  Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Israels military is shifting its attention from Gaza to the border with Lebanon.

Touring northern Israel on Tuesday, Gallant said Israel has scaled back its activities in Gaza, where it has been fighting a war against Hamas for nearly a year, and turned its focus to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

Our strongholds are moving from the south to the north, we are gradually changing, we still have a number of missions in the south, Gallant told troops.

Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas Oct. 7 attack. The sides have been engaged in almost daily fighting since then, raising fears of a broader regionwide war. Those fears have grown as Hezbollah has vowed retaliation for an Israeli strike in Beirut last month that killed a top Hezbollah commander.

Hezbollah launched more than 120 projectiles towards northern Israel on Tuesday, causing damage to a home and sparking a number of fires. Israel said it was striking the source of the launches.

More than 500 people have been killed in Lebanon, including at least 100 civilians. In Israel, 23 soldiers and 26 civilians have been killed.

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Two leading Bangladeshi television journalists were arrested on charges of murder on Wednesday as they were attempting to travel abroad, Dhaka Metropolitan Police said. The arrested journalists were identified as Shakil Ahmed, former chief news editor of the private channel Ekattor Television, and his wife Farzana Rupa, former principal correspondent and presenter at the same channel.

The journalists were identified as Shakil Ahmed, former chief news editor of the private channel Ekattor Television, and his wife Farzana Rupa, former principal correspondent and presenter at the same channel.

Immigration officials arrested the couple at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Wednesday afternoon and handed them over to Dhaka Metropolitan Polices detective branch, a statement said.

They were arrested in connection with a murder case filed at Uttara East police station in Dhaka. The details of the case were not shared by the police.

Three days after former premier Sheikh Hasina stepped down on August 5, Ahmed and his wife were relieved from their jobs at Ekattor Television.

Hasina fled to India following weeks of student-led protests. According to the United Nations, over 600 people, mainly students, were killed during the protests when the law enforcement personnel opened fire on the protestors.

An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was formed on August 8, and since then a raft of criminal cases have been filed across the country against Hasina, her ministers, Awami League leaders and workers, police and military officers, and those seen as close to the former premier and her party.
ISLAMABAD  After six days of being stranded on a remote peak in Paiktsans northeast, two injured Russian climbers were finally rescued, while another remains missing and is presumed dead, a mountaineering official said Wednesday. Nearly a week after being stranded on mountain, Pakistan rescues 2 Russians while 1 remains missing

The five-member climbing team, which began their expedition on one of Gasherbrum's peaks to retrieve the body of a fellow climber who died there last year, was hit by a pile of ice on Friday, officials said. Rescuers airlifted two of the mountaineers Monday while more planning was needed to rescue the other two who were unable to move because of their injuries.

An army helicopter, backed by local volunteers, helped rescue the two injured on Tuesday, said Karrar Haidri, the secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, adding that the third climber fell into a crevasse and couldnt be located

Haidri said Wednesday the two were moved from the peak to the base camp and were in stable condition. A helicopter was set to transport them to the northern city of Skardu, but it could not fly due to bad weather, he said, and that they were trying to find another way to get them to a hospital.

The Russian team, which was not accompanied by guides or sherpas, took an unusual route on Gasherbrum.

While Haidri acknowledged that the climbers were hit by the ice formation while ascending the mountain for a noble cause," he still warned against such endeavors.

Climbers are fully aware of the dangers linked to such missions, but they still opt for dangerous and unexplored routes, he said. This is how climbers make records but also come across challenges."

Hundreds of climbers try to scale mountains in northern Pakistan every year, and accidents are common because of avalanches and sudden weather changes. This month, a Pakistani climber Murad Sadpara, 35, known for taking part in high-altitude rescue missions died during a descent from one of the countrys tallest mountains in the north.

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- Pacific Islands leaders postponed a visit to French territory New Caledonia to assess civil unrest between indigenous Kanaks and French loyalists, the regional bloc's chairman and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown said on Wednesday. Pacific leaders delay visit to troubled New Caledonia

A delegation of three leaders, including Brown and Fiji's prime minister, had hoped to travel to New Caledonia and report back to a Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting next week.

In a statement, Brown said the visit by the Pacific Islands Forum "Troika" had been requested by New Caledonia President Louis Mapou and later approved by French President Emmanuel Macron.

"However, the New Caledonia Government has identified a number of issues regarding due process and protocol that will need to be addressed prior to a Troika visit," he said.

The Pacific Islands Forum needed to "resolve the concerns of our fellow Forum member", the statement said.

Mapou's office did not respond to a request for comment.

On Monday, Radio New Zealand quoted New Caledonia Congress president Roch Wamytan as saying France was trying to control the visit, which the local government believed it should host, because it was a member of the forum.

France's High Commissioner for the Pacific, Veronique Roger-Lacan, wrote on social media: "France is ready anytime to welcome such a mission".

France sent hundreds of police to the French territory after voting reforms sparked riots and widespread disruptions in May.

Kanaks fear reforms will dilute their vote and make it harder for any future referendum on independence to pass, while Paris says the measure is needed to improve democracy by allowing more residents from France to vote.

Protest leader Christian Tein was arrested and deported to France in June.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Wednesday criticised the French government over the electoral reforms, which have since been suspended, and "excessive use of force" in response to Kanak demonstrations.

The Kanak people had inhabited New Caledonia for thousands of years, and the latest moves by Paris had undermined the decolonisation process, it added.

France's High Commission in New Caledonia did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the UN experts' statement.

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Lahore, Pakistan's top investigation agency on Wednesday arrested a web freelancer under cyber terrorism charges for his alleged role in disseminating the disinformation that led to race-motivated riots across the UK following the stabbing of three young girls last month. Pakistan's FIA files cyberterrorism case against suspect for spreading misinformation leading to UK riots

The riots broke out in the north-west England town of Southport after false claims over the UK-born teenage male suspect being a Muslim refugee who arrived illegally into the country on a small boat recently spread like wildfire online.

Farhan Asif  a freelance web developer associated with the Channel3Now platform that is blamed for posting the disinformation has been arrested from his Defence House Authority residence in Lahore following the request of the British government to look into the matter.

The Federal Investigation Agency said on Wednesday that it registered a case against Asif, a father of two, under sections 9 and 10A of PECA .

A copy of the FIR available with PTI says the suspect uploaded an article on his website www.channel3now.com, with the title "17-year-old Ali Al Shakati arrested in connection with a stabbing incident in Southport England."

The FIA says the said article contained a false claim about the arrest of a Muslim asylum seeker by police in the fatal stabbings of three young girls at a holiday dance party in Southport on July 29.

"The false name widely shared on social media spurred the far-right section into a violent rioting. Asif admitted to providing misleading information to BBC regarding his accomplices in an attempt to divert blame to others," it says.

The FIA said it raided Aif's residence along with police and arrested him.

A senior FIA official told PTI that the Pakistan government might consider handing the suspect over to Britain if it requested his extradition because it is a "very serious matter."

Recent reports aired by UK media identified a little-known platform, Channel3Now, as being the source of the disinformation that claimed the British-born 17-year-old suspect was a Muslim immigrant who had arrived in the UK on a boat.

However, the assertion by UK broadcaster ITV News that a Pakistani individual was the originator of the false news story has been questioned, both by local law enforcement and other UK media outlets.

The investigators believe that Asif was not the first source of this spurious news but copy-pasted it from a social media post.

They say the disinformation was first published by kossyderrickent.com, a little-known tabloid on July 29. The tabloid posts reports about celebrities and trending topics in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, the US, Zimbabwe and India.

The disinformation was then shared by a UK-based woman who has previously been involved in spreading disinformation about COVID-19 and climate change on social media accounts.

The FIA said Asif, upon realising the mistake, issued an apology and deleted the post from all social media accounts, but the disinformation kept gaining traction as it kept being shared by other users and garnering views online.

Channel3Now regularly publishes sensational news stories under the pretence of being an American-style TV channel.

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By Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat Parliamentary investigation sought after influential Thai general hits journalist

BANGKOK, - A senator in Thailand on Tuesday formally requested a parliamentary investigation into a veteran politician and former army chief who struck a television reporter on the head after she asked him a question.

Prawit Wongsuwon, 79, a lawmaker and former deputy premier who was involved in the last two coups in Thailand, hit the female reporter on Friday while surrounded by journalists, video footage of which was widely circulated.

A notorious political dealmaker and a central figure in Thailand's two decades of political strife, Prawit, who leads the Palang Pracharat Party, served in the last junta and was deputy prime minister for nine years after a 2014 coup.

"This behaviour is physical harassment," said Senator Tewarit Maneechai, who told Reuters he had requested an ethics probe be conducted into Prawit.

"It is also disrespectful to a journalist who was doing her work," he added.

Palang Pracharat Party spokesman Piya Tavichai said Prawit knew the reporter well and has apologised, adding he could clarify the facts in any parliamentary process.

"He was teasing her as someone who he is close to," Piya said.

"Because he was a soldier, the teasing could appear to be violent but those close to him know that he teases like this all the time."

Prawit and the reporter, who works for broadcaster ThaiPBS, could not be reached for comment.

The incident sparked widespread condemnation from Thailand's media community. ThaiPBS asked Prawit to take responsibility for his actions.

Senator Tewarit said he requested an investigation into Prawit through the Senate to be conveyed to the lower house of parliament, which will have 30 days to respond. He said he was unsure what penalty Prawit would face if found guilty.

The ethics code for Thai parliamentarians states members should respect the rights and liberty of others and refrain from threats, showing malice or use of force to harm others.

The incident happened on Friday moments after the Pheu Thai Party's Paetongtarn Shinawatra won a vote in parliament to become prime minister, Thailand's third premier from the billionaire Shinawatra family, with which Prawit has a bitter history.

Prawit, who did not attend the vote, was asked his thoughts on Paetongtarn's victory, to which he replied "What are you asking? What are you asking?" before striking the reporter, television footage showed.

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Friends of Prince William and Kate Middleton have claimed the Prince of Wales is very irritated with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle over their choice to call his wife Kate instead of Catherine, per Daily Beast. Britain's Prince William, second left, Kate, Princess of Wales, left, Britain's Prince Harry, second right, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex view the floral tributes for the late Queen Elizabeth II outside Windsor Castle, in Windsor, England on Sept. 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)(AP)

Prince William took offence when Harry and Meghan referred to his wife as Kate in a public statement wishing her well after she revealed her illness in March 2024: We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace.

William's old pal suggests that the use of Kate rather than Catherine was perceived as a deliberate fact that Harry and Meghan were unable to bring themselves to use her chosen name, even when they were sending her get-well-soon messages after her cancer diagnosis, was noted.

William takes offense at people calling Catherine Kate, because she has asked to be known as Catherine. Its a fairly simple wish to respect. Im sure Meghan wouldnt like it if William started publicly calling her Meghan Markle, the friend told Daily Beast.

ALSO READ| Prince William will not be foolish enough to not invite Harry to coronation despite frustrating

Why exactly Kate Middleton prefers to be called Catherine

Kate has long preferred to be called Catherine, a name used by her close friends, family, and Prince William himself. Although she was widely known as Kate during her school and university years, she made a conscious decision to switch to her full name, Catherine, before her marriage to William. This preference has been respected by those close to her, and she introduces herself as Catherine in official and social settings. However, media outlets, particularly in the United States, continue to refer to her as Kate Middleton.

The friend elaborated on Williams reaction, saying, Of course its an utterly trivial thing, but those of us who know William know that it is one of the things that pushes his buttons. Pushing his buttons while he was going through his wifes cancer seemed an entirely unnecessary and deliberate irritation. I wonder if the private card began, Dear Kate

Another friend close to the Waleses weighed in on the matter, No ones saying its responsible for all the trouble, but deliberately calling someone by a name they dont like is just bloody rude. If Harry and Meghan were serious about healing their issue, a good first step would be to call her Catherine.

ALSO READ| Lilibet's great tragedy revealed as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wrap up Colombia tour

Another close pal of William told the UK Sunday Times that the brothers' rift is dreadfully sad, with royal author Christopher Andersen hoping William will eventually extend an olive branch to Harry.

Despite all the bad blood between the brothers, Im convinced that, when the time does come, William will not be foolish enough to exclude his only sibling, now fifth in line to the throne, from his coronation, Andersen told Fox News Digital.
Ukraine fired 11 drones Wednesday at Moscow that Russia said were shot down during one of the largest strikes against the capital, while Ukrainian defences reported stopping 50 Russian drones and missiles. Russia says repels drone attack on Moscow

The strikes on Moscow come amid a Ukrainian offensive in Russia's Kursk region which Kyiv has said is aimed at bringing the campaign launched by Russia in February 2022 closer to an end on "fair" terms.

"Eleven drones were destroyed" over Moscow and its surrounding region, the defence ministry said.

"This is one of the largest ever attempts to attack Moscow with drones," Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

In total, 45 drones from Ukraine were destroyed by the Russian air defense systems, according to the Russian defense ministry.

Sobyanin said in an earlier post that no damage or casualties had been reported.

Drone attacks on Moscow are rare, with Russia saying in May it had downed a drone outside the capital, forcing restrictions to be imposed at two major airports in the city for under an hour.

In the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, a total of 72 air targets were detected over Ukraine, according to Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk.

Fifty drones and a guided missile were shot down, he said in a post on Telegram.

Kyiv was one of the locations targeted.

"The enemy continues to attack our region with strike drones. The air raid lasted all night and into the morning for more than nine hours," Kyiv's military administration said on Telegram.

A private house was damaged as a result of falling debris from the downed targets, and power lines were cut, it added.

Since August 6, Ukraine has mounted an unprecedented cross-border assault into Russia's Kursk region, where it claims to control more than 80 settlements.

Kyiv has also repeatedly targeted oil and gas facilities in Russia since the conflict began in 2022, some hundreds of kilometres from its borders, in what it has called "fair" retaliation for massive attacks on its energy infrastructure.

Ukrainian drones attacked an oil storage facility in Russia's southern Rostov region on Sunday, sparking a large fire, the local governor said.

The blaze in the city of Proletarsk was still raging on Wednesday, Russian media reported.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised his forces for hitting oil facilities in Russia, saying the attacks would help bring a "just end" to the conflict.

burs/jm

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Dhaka, At least three more cases were filed on Wednesday against Sheikh Hasina at Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal, accusing the deposed prime minister of committing crimes against humanity and genocide during the recent anti-quota protests in the country. Three more cases filed against Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh's international crimes tribunal

Two lawyers filed three separate complaints on behalf of the fathers of three students who were killed during the massive protest by students against a controversial quota system in government jobs, which later turned into a mass uprising that ousted the Hasina-led government on August 5, The Daily Star newspaper reported.

"We have registered the complaints, and thus the investigation of all these cases has started," Ataur Rahman, deputy director of the probe agency was quoted as saying in the report.

Supreme Court lawyer Hujjatul Islam Khan filed a complaint on behalf of the father of Foisal Ahmed Shanta, who was killed on July 16 in the Muradpur area under Chattogram's Panchlaish Police Station, "following the directive and involvement" of the accused.

The complaint accused 76-year-old Hasina and 76 others, including Awami League leaders and ministers.

Another Supreme Court lawyer, Asaduzzaman, filed a complaint on behalf of the father of Sheikh Shahriar Bin Matin, who was shot by police in Mirpur on July 18 and died two days later.

Apart from Hasina, 49 others, including top leaders of parties under the Awami League-led alliance, former ministers, police members and others were named as accused.

Besides them, around 500 unnamed leaders and activists of the Awami League and its front organisations were accused.

The same lawyer filed another complaint on behalf of the father of Asif Iqbal, a small trader from Sreepur Upazila of Magura, who was "shot dead by police" in the capital's Mirpur-10 intersection on July 19, according to the report.

The complaint accused Hasina and 71 others, and 500 unnamed leaders and activists of Awami League, its front organisations and police members were also accused.

With these three cases, the tally of cases filed with the International Crimes Tribunal against the 76-year-old former premier, who resigned and fled to India on August 5, rises to seven.

Of the seven cases, six are in connection with the killings during the recent protests, and one is about a Hefajat-e-Islam rally at Motijheel's Shapla Chattar on May 5, 2013, according to the report.

At least nine more complaints, including eight for murder, were filed against Hasina on Wednesday.

The murder cases were lodged for the deaths of people during the recent unrest in Dhaka's Rampura, Tejgaon, Mirpur and Badda areas, Narayanganj and Gazipur districts, the report said.

In Dhaka's Badda area, two murder cases were filed against Hasina and 189 others over the killing of Sumon Sikder and Abdul Jabbar on July 19.

In Rampura, a murder case was filed against Hasina and 27 others for the death of Rassel Miah, a model coordinator of Indie-Reels Production, during the recent quota protests in Dhaka's Rampura on July 19, the report said.

In Tejgaon, 48 people, including Hasina, were sued for the death of Md Tahidul Islam, a student of Kobi Nazrul Government College, during the recent protests on August 4.

In Mirpur, Hasina, along with former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque and three others, were sued over the killing of Firoz Talukder, an office assistant of Rangpur Chemical Ltd who was shot from a helicopter during clashes centring the quota reform movement on July 19.

In Narayanganj, a murder case was filed against Hasina and 44 others over killing 17-year-old student Roman Mia in Narayanganj's Rupganj upazila on August 5.

In Gazipur, a murder case was filed last night with Basan Police Station against 139 people, including Hasina, over the death of one Noor Alam, 22, during the Anti-Discrimination Students' Movement, the report said.

Another case was filed against Hasina and 86 others on charge of attacking a procession in Sylhet city, which left several people shot and injured during the recent mass protests on August 4.

Juber Ahmed, acting president of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal's Sylhet city unit, filed the case with the court of Sylhet Metropolitan Magistrate Suman Bhuiya.

Hasina's sister, Sheikh Rehana, is also an accused in the case.

According to the case statement, the accused attacked a peaceful rally brought out by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its associate organisations in Sylhet City's Bandarbazar area on August 4, in which several were shot and injured, the newspaper said in a separate report.

With this, the tally of cases against Hasina has risen to 44.

Hasina fled to India on August 5 after resigning from her post amidst unprecedented anti-government student-led protests.

The Hasina-led government was replaced by an interim government, and 84-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was named its Chief Adviser.

Bangladesh's interim government has said it will try those involved in the killings during the recent mass movement of the students against the Hasina-led government in the International Crimes Tribunal.

Over 230 people were killed in Bangladesh in the incidents of violence that erupted across the country following the fall of the Hasina government, taking the death toll to more than 600 since the massive protest by students against a controversial quota system in government jobs first started in mid-July.

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Chicago: She made a rare appearance, but that appearance was enough to galvanise the Democratic base, generate one liners that will become a part of American lore, and create a degree of excitement that made the United Center arena in her hometown of Chicago come alive like nothing else had. Former US First Lady Michelle Obama speaks on the second day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Tuesday. (AFP)

Tuesday was truly Michelle Obamas night at the Democratic National Convention, as she tore into Donald Trump, attacking him for racism and misogyny in a manner that Democrats have hesitated to do so far, and warned her own party not to be complacent and asked each person do something to elect Kamala Harris  one of the most qualified, one of the most dignified to run for the office  as Americas next president.

The story of hope

Speaking right before her husband, Barack, Michelle Obama alluded to the 2008 campaign that was premised on hope and change. Something, something wonderfully magical is in the air, isnt it? A familiar feeling thats been buried too deep for far too long. You know what I am talking about. Its the contagious power of hope, the anticipation, the energy, the exhilaration of once again being on the cusp of a brighter day.

Placing this hope in the context of what they had been battling against, the former First Lady said she had mourned the dimming of the hope, with a deep pit in my stomach, a palpable sense of dread about the future. She also spoke about her personal grief at losing her mother recently, and the values her mother had lived by and taught them  that all people have value, that anyone can succeed with opportunity, that if you do good, it will pay off.

Linking it with the story of the new Democratic nominee for president, Michelle said, Kamala Harris and I built our lives on those same foundational values. Even though our mothers grew up an ocean apart, they shared the same belief in the promise of this country. Thats why her mother moved here from India at 19. Its why she taught Kamala about justice, about the obligation to lift others up, about our responsibility to give more than we take.

Briefly tracing Harriss evolution, Obama said my girl, Kamala Harris is more than ready for this moment. She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency. And she is one of the most dignifiedKamala knows, like we do, that regardless of where you come from, what you look like, who you love, how you worship, or whats in your bank account, we all deserve the opportunity to build a decent life.

Targets Donald Trump

And that is when Obama began throwing her attack lines, first indirectly and then directly at Donald Trump.

In what was a clear reference to Harriss racial and economic background, a smack down of those who called Harris a DEI candidate, and a contrast to Trump, Obama said, She understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth. If we bankrupt the business or choke in a crisis, we dont get a second, third, or fourth chance. If things dont go our way, we dont have the luxury of whining or cheating others to get further ahead. No. We dont get to change the rules, so we always win. If we see a mountain in front of us, we dont expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top. No. Democratic delegates on the floor quickly picked the message and responded with a standing ovation and loud cheers. African-Americans and women have long felt that and believed that they have to work doubly hard, for half the returns, with little room for failure to move ahead.

Michelle then moved to offering a warning on what will come next by drawing, for the first time, her own experience of being attacked by Trump, who insisted for a long time that Barack Obama wasnt born in America, a conspiracy theory that forced him to produce his birth certificate.

We know what comes next. We know folks are going to do everything they can to distort her truth. My husband and I, sadly, know a little something about this. For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black, Michelle said, spelling out the racism that many had felt but not articulated as clearly in the attacks against her husband.

Even as the crowd roared in approval, Michelle doubled down, made a face, and said, Wait, I want to know: Whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs? In recent weeks, Trump has spoken of how immigrants have taken away Black jobs, a description that has shocked people for its racist connotations. Delegates on the floor erupted in laughter, for appropriating the presidency as a Black job had turned the tables on Trump, even as Michelle continued, Its his same old con: doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make peoples lives better.

Michelle then attacked Trump for his policy, actions and proposals. She said that cutting access to health care, taking away freedom to control ones bodies and the freedom to become a mother through IVF like I did, wont improve the health of women; shutting down the department of education and banning books wont improve childrens future; demonising children for who they were and who they loved wont make lives better.

It only makes us small. And let me tell you this: Going small is never the answer. Going small is the opposite of what we teach our kids. Going small is petty, its unhealthy, and quite frankly, its unpresidential, Michelle said, a reminder of her line from 2016 when she had said that when the other side goes low, it was time to go high.

Michelle then returned to the choice at hand and told delegates and millions of Americans watching on television, Why would any of us accept this from anyone seeking our highest office? Why would we normalise that type of backward leadershipThere is no other choice than Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. No other choice.

But like her husband would do minutes later, Michelle Obama warned against complacency, told Democrats that many wanted a different outcome and that they needed to stay the course and act.

We cannot be our own worst enemies. No. See, because the minute something goes wrong, the minute a lie takes hold, folks, we cannot start wringing our hands. We cannot get a Goldilocks complex about whether everything is just right. And we cannot indulge our anxieties about whether this country will elect someone like Kamala instead of doing everything we can to get someone like Kamala elected, Michelle said, in what appeared to be an allusion to 2016 when the flaws of Hillary Clinton, or the perception that America wasnt ready for a woman president, had hobbled the Democratic campaign.

And that is when Michelle gave a mantra to the delegates which they quickly embraced. If they lie about her  and they will  we have got to do something. If we see a bad poll  and we will  we have got to put down that phone and do somethingconsider this to be your official ask: Michelle Obama is asking youno, I am telling yallto do something.

Over 20,000 delegates in the arena accepted the challenge, chanting, Do something, as Michelle Obama ended her rousing speech, and introduced the man who she said knew something about hope, Americas 44th President and the love of my life, Barack Obama.
* Ukraine launches 'one of largest ever' drone attacks on Moscow, mayor says

Eleven drones heading towards Moscow destroyed

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No damage, casualties reported

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Attack comes as Moscow fights Ukraine's incursion into Kursk

By Lidia Kelly

Aug 21 - Ukraine launched one of the largest ever drone attacks on Moscow on Wednesday, the city's mayor said, with Russian air defence units destroying 11 drones flying towards the capital.

Some of the drones were destroyed over the city of Podolsk, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. The city in the Moscow region is some 38 kms south of the Kremlin.

"This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow using drones ever," Sobyanin said on the Telegram messaging app at 4:43 a.m. .

The attack comes as Russia - while advancing in eastern Ukraine - struggles to push Ukrainian forces out of its Kursk region, two weeks after they smashed through Russia's western border in the largest invasion of Russia since World War Two.

Sobyanin said that according to preliminary information, there were no injuries or damage reported in the aftermath of the attacks.

Ukraine has often launched one or two drones targeting Moscow in recent months, causing no substantial damage.

The Wednesday attack, however, seems larger than May 2023 attack when at least eight drones were destroyed over the capital in an attack President Vladimir Putin said was Kyiv's attempt to scare and provoke Russia.

Russian officials rarely disclose the full size of the attacks, reporting only drones that its air defence units destroy.

Both Ukraine and Russia also rarely disclose the full extent of the damage their attacks inflict, unless residential or civilian infrastructure is damaged, or civilians die.

The Wednesday attack on Moscow was part of a broader Ukraine drone attack on Russia with the Russian defence ministry saying its air defence units also destroyed 23 drones over the border region of Bryansk.

Six drones were destroyed over Belgorod, another Russian region on border with Ukraine, three over the Kaluga region, which borders the Moscow region to its northeast, and two over the embattled Kursk region, the ministry said.

There were no casualties or damage reported in the aftermath of attack on the border region of Bryansk in Russia's southwest, Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of the region wrote on Telegram.

Russia's RIA state news agency reported also that two drones were destroyed over the Tula region, which borders the Moscow region to its north,

Separately, Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region in Russia's southwest, said that air defence forces destroyed a Ukraine-launched missile over the region, with no injuries reported.

The Russia defence ministry did not mention neither Tula nor Rostov in its statement listing destroyed air weapons.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

In recent months, Kyiv has stepped up its air attacks on Russian territory, saying its aim is to destroy infrastructure key to Moscow's war efforts. It also says that its attacks are in response to Russia's continued strikes on Ukrainian territory.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
By Mark Trevelyan Belarus frees union leader and TV journalist in new prisoner release

Aug 21 - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has freed at least 13 more prisoners convicted in political cases, including a veteran trade unionist and a former state TV journalist who is suffering from a brain tumour, according to human rights activists.

Vasil Berasnieu, 74, is a trade union leader who had been serving a nine-year sentence after being found guilty of extremist activity, incitement to hatred and calling for actions deemed harmful to state security.

Former journalist Kseniya Lutskina was serving eight years for "conspiracy to seize power". She was one of the organisers of mass protests that broke out in August 2020 when Lukashenko claimed victory in a presidential election that the opposition and Western government accused him of heavily rigging.

Human rights group Viasna said they and at least 11 others were released this week under pardons issued by Lukashenko on Aug. 16. A further 18 people were freed in early July.

Belarusian state media have cast the pardons as a generous humanitarian act by Lukashenko. In interviews on state TV, some of the former detainees were shown expressing remorse and gratitude.

Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has run Belarus for three decades. He used his security apparatus to crush the protests in 2020, imprisoning many hundreds of people and forcing others to flee abroad.

Franak Viacorka, an aide to exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, said the latest releases were welcome news but did not represent any real shift.

"It is a small success of diplomacy combined with international pressure," he told Reuters. "We are happy that people in a bad health condition were released. Probably it will save their lives. But we cant say that there is a change in policy."

Viasna says the rate of prosecutions in Belarus is actually rising, not falling, with at least 170 people convicted in July of politically related crimes.

The rights group says some 1,400 political prisoners are currently being held, of whom the best known are Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski, 2020 protest leader Maria Kalesnikava and Syarhey Tsikhanouski, the husband of opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya.

Dmitry Bolkunets, an opposition activist, said the prisoner releases were the result of international pressure on Lukashenko, especially from Poland. Poland has leverage because it is the main entry point through which goods from Belarus enter the European Union by road and rail, including shipments originating in China and Russia.

Bolkunets, who has also gathered the signatures of dozens of Nobel prize winners demanding the freeing of Belarusian political prisoners, told Reuters he was hopeful this pressure could lead to more releases - potentially on Aug. 30, when Lukashenko celebrates his 70th birthday, or when Belarus marks its national unity holiday on Sept. 17.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka in Beijing on Tuesday. Xi congratulated Fiji's Men's Rugby Sevens team on winning the silver medal at the Paris Olympic Games. Noting that Fiji was the first Pacific island country to establish diplomatic relations with China and that next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, Xi said that for nearly half a century, the two countries have always supported and helped each other, setting a good example of equal treatment and friendly cooperation between countries large and small. China attaches great importance to China-Fiji relations and is willing to continue to provide assistance to the best of its ability for Fiji's economic and social development, and work with Fiji to grasp the general direction of bilateral relations and promote the building of a China-Fiji community with a shared future to better benefit the two peoples, Xi said. Xi briefed Rabuka, who had visited Yunnan, Fujian and Zhejiang provinces prior to the meeting, on China's practices and experience in poverty alleviation. The completion of the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects for more than 1.4 billion people is a historic achievement the Chinese people have made under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and a historic contribution China has made to the cause of poverty reduction and the development of humanity, he stressed. "In this process, we have left no ethnic group, region or individual behind, fully demonstrating the socialist system's political advantage in concentrating resources on major undertakings. We have won the heartfelt support of the people of all 56 ethnic groups in China," Xi said. China is endeavoring to build itself into a stronger country and rejuvenate the Chinese nation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization that adheres to a path of peaceful development, Xi said. Noting that China and Fiji both belong to the Global South, Xi said China is ready to help Fiji and other Pacific island countries cope with climate change, and strengthen development cooperation with them to make the Pacific Ocean an ocean of peace, friendship and cooperation. Rabuka congratulated the Chinese Olympic delegation on its excellent performance at the Paris Olympics. He said he visited China 30 years ago as prime minister, and through his Yunnan, Fujian and Zhejiang tours this time, he witnessed the tremendous achievements China has made in poverty eradication and development under the leadership of President Xi. Fiji is willing to learn from China's experience, and strengthen cooperation with China in poverty reduction, infrastructure and connectivity, he said. Fiji appreciates China's adherence to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, supports the global initiatives proposed by President Xi, and is willing to continue the Belt and Road cooperation with China, promote the development of relations between Pacific island countries and China, and make the Pacific Ocean a peaceful ocean, Rabuka said. He noted that Fiji fully understands China's position on the Taiwan question and will continue to firmly pursue the one-China policy. A joint statement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Fiji was issued.
By Steve Holland Biden, in call with Netanyahu, stresses urgency of Gaza ceasefire

BUELLTON, California, - U.S. President Joe Biden, in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, stressed the urgent need to conclude a Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal and pointed to upcoming Cairo talks as crucial, the White House said.

Their call followed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's whirlwind trip to the Middle East that ended on Tuesday without an agreement between Israel and Hamas militants on a truce in the Palestinian enclave.

Negotiators who have struggled for months to conclude a ceasefire deal plan to meet in the coming days in Cairo.

"The president stressed the urgency of bringing the ceasefire and hostage release deal to closure and discussed upcoming talks in Cairo to remove any remaining obstacles," a White House statement about the call said.

The statement said Biden and Netanyahu also discussed U.S. efforts to support Israel "against all threats from Iran, including its proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, to include ongoing defensive U.S. military deployments."

Iran has vowed retaliation over the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, which it blamed on Israel. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied that it was behind the killing.

The United States has ordered a guided missile submarine be deployed to the Middle East and ordered the Abraham Lincoln strike group to accelerate its deployment to the region to be on hand to bolster Israel's defense.

Blinken and mediators from Egypt and Qatar have pinned their hopes on a U.S. "bridging proposal" aimed at narrowing the gaps between the two sides in the 10-month-old Gaza war.

"President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to discuss the ceasefire and hostage release deal and diplomatic efforts to de-escalate regional tensions," a White House statement said earlier.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who on Thursday in Chicago will formally accept the nomination as the Democrats' presidential candidate for the Nov. 5 election, also joined the call.

Biden, who is vacationing at an 8,000-acre ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley of California, had been expected to press Netanyahu to soften a new Israeli demand that it be allowed to keep forces along a land corridor between Egypt and Gaza, a U.S. official said before the call.

Netanyahu's office on Wednesday denied an Israeli television report that the country had agreed to withdraw its troops from the so-called Philadelphi corridor, a narrow 14.5-km-long stretch of land along the coastal enclave's southern border with Egypt.

Getting a Gaza ceasefire deal is a major priority for Biden. A senior U.S. official on Friday described the talks as close to a deal but a final agreement has been agonizingly elusive.

In talks to halt fighting in the 10-month-old war, Hamas is seeking a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, including the Philadelphi corridor.

Israel wants to retain control of the corridor, which it captured in late May, after destroying dozens of tunnels beneath it that it says had served to smuggle in weapons to Gaza's militant groups.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
On the first day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, 13 individuals were arrested, including around 10 members of a small group of agitators who breached the outer security perimeter near the United Center, according to the Chicago Police Department. Police on bikes ride by a section of newly reenforced fencing around the United Center at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)(AP)

The breach occurred during a larger protest march that remained mostly peaceful, with an estimated 3,500 demonstrators marching from Union Park to Park 578, located just north of the arena, before returning to Union Park.

The protest, which took place on Monday afternoon, was organized to show solidarity with Palestine, with activists demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and calling for an end to US funding to Israel.

ALSO READ| End to genocide: The shadow of Gaza war in Chicago

Agitators breached the fence and started marching inside the DNC

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said that, while the majority of the protesters were peaceful, a small fraction of people broke off and started marching when that group of individuals stayed behind and breached the fence surrounding the United Center at approximately 4:30 p.m.

Im not going to tie that event  what happened with the breach  to the entirety of that protest because within that protest, we had people who simply wanted to exercise their First Amendment rights, Snelling said.

It was a brief breach, Snelling explained. He further noted that some individuals who made it past the first layer of fencing attempted to bring down a second barrier but were stopped by the police. Some of those who breached the fence threw water bottles and other objects at the police, while others in the crowd reportedly sprayed officers with pepper spray.

We're not going to tolerate vandalism and violence in our city, and we're ready, willing, and able to respond to those things. So we're going to continue to protect the city, he said.

ALSO READ| Two generations, two political strands: When Hillary and AOC stormed Chicago

Chicago Police Superintendent takes pride how they handled the protestors

Snelling then added, It does seem like the Chicago Police Department is being much more aggressive with protesters during the Democratic National Convention than what we've seen in the last several months.

I couldn't be more proud of how the Chicago Police Department responded under those circumstances. We put on display the training and the preparation that we've been engaged in for over a year now.

In total, 13 arrests were made in connection with the DNC protests. Snelling indicated that about 10 of these arrests were directly related to the security breach, with the individuals facing charges such as trespassing, resisting and obstructing police, and aggravated battery of police officers.

Our officers did not overreact. We were able to clear that area up really quickly, Snelling added.

Security around the United Center has been reinforced to prevent further incidents. Crews were observed adding additional fencing to the perimeter on Tuesday morning.

ALSO READ| Barack Obama, Michelle and Doug Emhoff to headline Day 2 of Democratic National Convention

While U.S. Secret Service Democratic National Convention Coordinator Jeff Burnside said, We take a multi-layered approach to all of our security measures, and we're constantly working with our state, local, and federal partners to evaluate, make improvements, make adjustments, and that's all we're doing.
Barack Obama launched the biggest burn in political history by seemingly making a crude joke about Donald Trump's anatomy on Tuesday. Former President Barack Obama speaking at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago.(AP)

The 44th President of the United States took aim at his successor during his Democratic National Convention address in Chicago, saying that he is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.

What did Barack Obama say about Donald Trump?

While emphasising that Trump's return to the White House needs to be blocked in November, Obama further roasted the 45th POTUS, poking fun at his weird obsession with crowd sizes. Using hand gestures, Obama took back the spotlight by eviscerating Trump and his childish nicknames and crazy conspiracy theories and weird obsession with crowd size.

The Democratic crowd's uproarious approval spoke volumes about how well the audience had caught on to Obama's sly dig at the Republican presidential hopeful.

Also read | Steph Curry and 2 other Team USA players couldnt even celebrate' their Olympic gold win; here's why

Internet reacts to Obama's roast of Trump

Contrary to the liberal crowd's amusement, the conservative side didn't take much liking to Obama's remarks. Setting the internet on fire, Obama's moment from the Chicago convention soon became the video everyone was talking about on the internet.

Conservative commentator Todd Starnes stood by Trump, tagging Obama's mentions of the Republican candidate's private parts as a #weird and #creepy development.

Another X user compared the 44th POTUS's newest rant to former First Lady Michelle Obama's famous and rousing When they go low, we go high speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Highlighting how Obama's comment at the Tuesday DNC gathering basically insinuated Trump has a small di**, the user seemingly pointed out how the Democratic party had chosen to go low" eight years later.

Additionally, conservative influencer Benny Johnson torched Obama's mockery of Trump, saying, Meanwhile, Democrats have to bring rappers to their events to fill seats.

On the other hand, users also lauded Obama for his joke, hailing his crowd size joke as the biggest burn in political history. Another said, Obama is just putting the Trump campaign to an end.

Meanwhile, a third user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote, They're having a weirdo off at these conventions.

Also read | From meeting on a blind date to becoming 'momala' of his kids: Kamala Harris' husband shares their love story at DNC

Obama's DNC roast comes after Trump's rare praise for his White House predecessor

While Obama roasted Trump on Tuesday, the latter offered his predecessor a rare praise, hailing him a nice gentleman. Opposing his typical attacks on Democratic leaders, Trump told CNN, I like him. I think he's a nice gentleman, but he was very, very weak on trade. Although he expanded on the issue, he continued, But I happen to like him. I respect him, and I respect his wife.

Presumably, the word didn't get around to Obama before they took the stage on Tuesday because while the 44th POTUS ripped into Trump with his crowd-size joke, the former First Lady also tore into him for his recent Black jobs comment.

By the way  whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs? Michelle Obama's reference was treated with loud applause.
Donald Trump announced on Monday that he would attend a tele-town hall hosted by Fox News in September. His statement comes after US Vice President and his Democratic rival Kamala Harris denied to participate in 4 September debate, which was set to be hosted by the American broadcaster. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris (AP)

Rather than the debate on September 4th, I have agreed to do a Tele-Town Hall, anchored by Sean Hannity, for Fox. It will take place in the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania  Details to follow! Trump wrote on Truth.

Trump called Harris' decision to not participate in a debate on Fox News not surprising. He claimed that she wouldn't be able to defend her record setting Flip-Flopping on absolutely everything she once believed in and that it would be difficult for her to compete with him face to face.

According to the Harris campaign, Kamala Harris' running mate Tim Walz will take part in one vice presidential debate, while she will go ahead with two presidential debates.

ABC News will host the first debate, which takes place on September 10. The date of second debate, which is scheduled for October, has not been announced yet. Harris' campaign team stated they would think about participating in another debate following the September 10 showdown.

Trump's running mate JD Vance and Tim Walz will square off on October 1.

Also Read: Obama calls out Trump at DNC, mocks his weird obsession with crowd sizes

Trump gives appalling description of major US ally

In another post, Trump blasted the United Kingdom, saying that its streets are full of death and destruction. He went on to say that the United States would suffer the same fate if Kamala Harris wins the presidency.

Shortly after GOP defectors explained to Democrats at DNC in Chicago why they would rather support Harris over Trump, the former President disparaged his rival in a Truth Social tirade.

Kamala Harris supports the Environmental Extremists 'NET-ZERO' Energy Policy - A Radical Left Agenda to abolish Coal, Oil, and Natural Gas, and plunge MILLIONS into Poverty, he wrote.

Trump later targetted UK and said that lunatics who advocated net-zero were currently destroying the Economies of many other Countries, including the UK.

Their Radical, Self-Destructive Policy has led the UK to the Worst Economic Growth since 1780, now causing Economic Chaos, Destruction, Riots, and Death in the streets of British Cities, he remarked.

The objective of eliminating the quantity of greenhouse gases created by humans is commonly referred to as net zero.

The UK witnessed riots in recent weeks with protestors hurling bricks and even petrol bombs on police officers. The riots were purportedly incited by right-wing disinformation after three young girls were killed in a stabbing attack.
Donald Trump seems completely disheartened with the Democratic National Convention (DNC) as Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have garnered huge support from their party members and even few Republicans who have ditched the former president and joined the US Vice President's camp. Donald Trump hit out at New York Governor Kathy Hochul over her DNC address.(REUTERS)

Trump recently heaped praises on Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama, asserting that he respects them and lauding his adversary as nice gentleman. However, Trump got really enraged after the nastiest speaker at the DNC blasted him brutally.

Taking to Truth Social, Trump hit out at New York Governor Kathy Hochul over her DNC address.

The nastiest speaker on Monday evening... as it pertains to your favorite President, me, the former president wrote. Her total hatred, and statements made about me, had no bounds, he continued.

During her five-minute speech on the first night of the convention, Hochul compared her upbringing with Harris, saying that they share the same values. She hailed the US VP's grit, determination, and compassion.

Stating that those values have consistently defined the people of my state, Hochul blasted New Yorker Trump, who according to her ended up a fraud, a philanderer, and a felon.

Addressing the Americans, she said: If you think youre tired of Donald Trump, talk to a New Yorker. Weve had to deal with him for 78 long yearsthe fraud, the tax-dodging, the sham university, the shady charities.

She further stated that New Yorkers have seen him rip off workers and stiff contractors and he even abuses women and then brag about it.

Claiming that New Yorkers are sick of Trump's attitude, she remarked: Its no wonder he had to flee to Mar-a-Lagosorry about that, Florida, sorry about that. Trump hasnt spent much time in New York lately. Except, that is, to get convicted of 34 felonies.

Also Read: Trump says he would offer Elon Musk cabinet spot, Tesla CEO expresses willingness to serve in THIS perfect department

Trump defends his report card

In a post on Wednesday, Trump admitted that he was amazed by Hochul's remarks for two reasons.

According to him, he did a great job in New York by constructing few of the most stunning and successful buildings, providing jobs to thousands of people, paying billions of dollars in taxes.

Number two is that, on the very distinct possibility I will win the Presidency, wouldnt it be better for the people of New York State to have a Governor who got along with the President? Adversarial relationships are not good in politics!

In addition, Trump discussed his legal issues, highlighting that his hobby horse was victimized by the New York legal system.

Citing her vitriol displayed at the DNC, Trump said, It is no wonder that the Judges have treated me so badly. He ended his attack against her by saying that the firms are leaving because the entire system is rigged.
Former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham took the stage at the Democratic National Convention and told the Democrats how she once was a closest adviser and true supporter of her former boss, ex-President Donald Trump, but since become one of the most prominent Republican critics of the former president. She started hating Trump when she saw him mocking his own supporters. Stephanie Grisham, former Trump White House Press Secretary, speaks during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)(AP)

Former Trump White House press secretary says ex-prez mocks his supporters

I wasnt just a Trump supporter, I was a true believer. I was one of his closest advisers, Grisham began, emphasizing her former loyalty to Trump. She mentioned that she spent significant personal time with Trump, including holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida property. This, she said, allowed her to observe Trump in moments away from the public eye.

ALSO READ| Hulk Hogan mocks Kamala Harris' Indian heritage, asks fans if he should drop the leg on US VP

Behind closed doors, Trump mocks his supporters. He calls them basement dwellers, she revealed.

He has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth, Grisham added, further criticizing Trumps character and ethics.

The White House press secretary also recounted a specific incident from January 6, 2021, the day of the violent riots at the US Capitol. She shared that she had approached then-first lady Melania Trump, suggesting that the team post a message on social media condemning the violence and lawlessness unfolding that day. Grisham said that Melania replied with one word, No.

Who is Stephanie Grisham?

Grisham initially served as White House press secretary, though notably, she never held a formal briefing with reporters during that role. Then, she went on to serve as Melania Trumps press secretary until she resigned in the wake of the January 6 insurrection.

ALSO READ| Chicago Police fortify fences after security breach on first day of DNC, 13 arrested

Earlier this month, Grisham publicly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, aligning herself with the Democratic candidate in a significant political shift. The Harris campaign announced Grishams endorsement as part of the launch of Republicans for Harris, a group that includes 25 GOP endorsements, among them Olivia Troye, a former national security adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence.

Grisham endorsed Harris, stating, Kamala Harris tells the truth, she respects the American people and she has my vote.
TAIPEI, Taiwan  The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, on Wednesday called for more international backing for Taiwan and a coordinated pushback against Chinas claims over the self-ruled democracy. Former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley calls for more international support for Taiwan

The United States should elevate Taiwan on the world stage. You should no longer be silenced in global affairs, Haley told an audience at Ketagalan Forum, a Taipei conference focused on security issues in the Asia-Pacific.

She called for Taiwan to become a full member of the U.N. even though it's being blocked by China from representation in international bodies. Beijing claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary. China also prohibits countries it has international relations with from having formal ties with Taipei.

While the U.S. doesnt formally recognize Taiwan, it is the islands strongest backer and arms provider.

Haley, who served at the U.N. under former President Donald Trump's administration, ran a yearlong presidential campaign as a tough-on-China candidate before dropping out of the race in March. She has endorsed Trump in the November elections.

At the Taipei forum, she called on the U.S. and its Western allies to rally around Taiwan and relentlessly push for the islands global acceptance.

If we take the necessary steps now, China will think twice before starting a war, she said.

Yoshihiko Noda, Japans former prime minister who also addressed the forum, echoed Haleys calls for greater representation for Taiwan in international organizations. He decried Taiwans exclusion from the World Health Organization and said he was determined to push for its participation as an observer, which China opposes.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te earlier accused China of economic coercion and military intimidation.

China intends to change the rules-based international order, Lai said in a speech opening the forum. That is why democratic countries must come together and take concrete action. Only by working together can we inhibit the expansion of authoritarianism.

Lai said Chinas military exercises in the Taiwan Strait as well as joint sea and air drills with Russia in the South China Sea, Western Pacific and Sea of Japan were intended to intimidate its neighbors.

On Tuesday, Taiwans military launched surface-to-air missiles as part of live-fire drills in response to growing military pressure from China.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hulk Hogan, the legendary wrestler who has endorsed Donald Trump, has poked fun at US Vice President and Democratic presidential contender Kamala Harris' Indian ancestry. He even made jokes about body-slamming her. Hulk Hogan was in Medina, Ohio on Monday night for the promotion of his new beer at the Thirsty Cowboy saloon. He asked the audience, Want me to body-slam Kamala Harris?(Getty Images)

Hogan was in Medina, Ohio on Monday night for the promotion of his new beer at the Thirsty Cowboy saloon, Daily Mail reported.

The 71-year-old, whose real name is Terry Bollea, approached the microphone during the event and asked the audience, Want me to body-slam Kamala Harris?

Referring to his special wrestling move, he asked his fans if they want him to drop the leg on Kamala.

Continuing his tirade against Harris, he asked: Is Kamala a chameleon? Is Kamala Indian? He was referring to recent remarks made by Trump and his running mate JD Vance about the US VP's heritage.

While Harris father is Jamaican-American, the US VP's mom is an immigrant to the US from India.

Hogan even said that he knows he will get lot of heat for his comments, but then quipped, That was the beers talking.

The wrestler targeted Harris a month after he delivered a powerful speech in support of Trump at the Republican National Convention.

Also Read: Hulk Hogan's ex-pal to collab with Ben Affleck-Matt Damon on infamous Gawker sex tape scandal movie?

Trump and Vance ridiculed Harris

Trump's criticism of Harris has grown more personal and intense since she replaced Joe Biden as Democratic presidential nominee in late July.

During a heated interview at a black journalists' association, he stated that the Harris happened to turn Black and bashed her for exclusively promoting her Indian heritage.

She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didnt know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So I dont know, is she Indian or is she Black? the GOP presi4dential nominee remarked.

Vance defended Trump's explosive comments about Harris and referred to her as a chameleon. According to him, Harris pretends to be something different depending on what audience shes speaking to.
JD Vance, the Ohio Senator and former President Donald Trump's vice president candidate, slammed Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear for his previous comments regarding abortion exceptions and accused him of wishing that one of his family members would get raped. Taking an offense at the Andy Beshear's remarks, JD Vance called the governor a disgusting person for wishing that a member of my family would get raped.(AP)

Beshear denounced Republicans for advocating anti-abortion laws, such as those that forbid rape or incest situations from receiving an exception.

Appearing on Morning Joe, Beshear said, JD Vance calls pregnancy resulting from rape inconvenient, alluding to a remark made by the Ohio Senator in 2021.

During that time, Vance stated that he did not believe rape situations should be exempt from abortion regulations due to the inconvenient nature of the child's birth. The Ohio Senatotr later changed his opinion and stated that he is in favor of exceptions.

Inconvenience is traffic, make him go through this. Someone being violated, someone being harmed and then telling them they dont have options after that. That fails any test of decency of humanity, the Kentucky Governor said.

Taking an offense at the Governor's remarks, Vance called Beshear a disgusting person for wishing that a member of my family would get raped.

Also Read: JD Vance says tasking Kamala Harris with reining in inflation is like giving Jeffrey Epstein control over

Beshear reacts after facing heat from Vance and his spokesperson

Meanwhile, Vance's communications director, William Martin, also denounced Beshear's remarks as disgusting and vile.

In a statement, he urged Kamala Harris to swiftly retract Beshear's remarks and show that this kind of aggressive language has no place in our public discourse regardless of political affiliation.

Later, Kentucky's Governor explained that Vance's interpretation of his comment was incorrect, and labelled it as ridiculous and a deflection. Beshear, while speaking to MSNBC, stated that JD Vance knows he and Donald Trump are so wrong on this issue and so hes trying to make himself the victim.

Beshear, who has supported abortion rights by vetoing legislation that would have curtailed the practice, went on to say that Vance, being a man, will never have to deal with any of this directly. Its sad that he lacks the empathy to put himself in a different position and to understand why having exceptions, why having reproductive freedom is so important in the first place.

The Governor made it clear that he would never wish harm on anyone.
Jason Carter, the grandson of Jimmy Carter, gave a health update on the 99-year-old former president and revealed that he wishes he could be here' at the Democratic National Convention (DNC). Former US President Jimmy Carter told his son Chip, I'm only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris, as per his grandson Jason, who spoke to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.(AFP)

Lauding Kamala Harris, Jason said his grandfather can't wait to cast his ballot for the US VP.

Speaking about ex-president's condition, he said: Papa is holding on, he is hopeful, and though his body may be weak tonight, his spirit is as strong as ever.

For my grandfather, it was never about fame, recognition, accolades or awards. His legacy is measured by the lives he has touched and the good he has done, Jason stated. He remarked that Harris carries his grandfather's legacy.

According to him, Harris fights for what she believes to be right as she is aware that serving others comes before self-interest in leadership.

Also Read: Donald Trump mocked for confusing Jimmy Carter with Jimmy Connors at NJ rally

Here is what Carter told to his son Chip

Jimmy Carter has been under the care of hospice at his home in Plains, Georgia for over 1.5 years. Jason disclosed in June that he doesn't wake up every day.

Carter told his son Chip, I'm only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris, as per Jason, who spoke to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

Carter is expected to turn 100 on October 1, just a month before Harris is set to face Trump in the presidential race.

According to Jason, his grandfather has become more aware of politics and the Israel-Gaza War in recent times.

The Carters intend to convert their house into a museum after the ex-president's passing and they have given the National Park Service a deed to their land.

Carter has mostly avoided media attention since opting to stop medical intervention. He was last seen in a wheelchair and under a blanket during his wife's memorial events in November.

He will be buried next to his spouse after his death.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama graced the Democratic National Convention (DNC) stage on Tuesday and praised Kamala Harris' presidential candidacy while comparing it to her husband Barack Obama's in 2008. Former US First Lady Michelle Obama speaks during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024.(Bloomberg)

She remarked, America, hope is making a comeback, referencing his well-known hope campaign from 2008.

As Michelle was greeted with cheers on the second night of the convention, she remarked, Something wonderfully magical is in the air, isn't it?

We're feeling it here in this arena, but it's spreading all across this country we love. A familiar feeling that's been buried too deep for too long. You know what I'm talking about? It's the contagious power of hope!

Michelle Obama makes sharp comparison between Trump and Harris

Uttering her catchphrase, When they go low, we go high, she mentioned Donald Trump in an effort to draw comparisons between Kamala Harris and the GOP leader.

Kamala has shown her allegiance to this nation, not by spewing anger and bitterness, but by living a life of service and always pushing the doors of opportunity open to others, she understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward, Michelle stated.

Also Read: 'Yes, she can, echoes at DNC as Barack Obama asks America to vote for Kamala Harris

According to her, Harris is as more than ready for this moment. She further described the US VP as one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency.

Kamala Harris has a deep appreciation for unseen labour and steadfast dedication that have always defined America's greatness, she said, adding that Trump exerted every effort to instill fear in people.

His limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard working and highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black.

Michelle Obama takes Black jobs and wealth swipe at Trump

Taking a dig at Trump, she asked: Who's going to tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those 'Black jobs'?

The statement alluded to Trump's assertion in the June debate with President Joe Biden that immigrants were stealing Black jobs.

The former first lady also appeared to disparage the wealth that Trump inherited.

Nobody is the exclusive authority on what it means to be an American. Nobody, she said. Referred to as one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency, she praised Vice President Kamala Harris.

She urged people to do something to ensure the victory of Harris and Gov. Tim Walz.

Michelle remarked that Harris recognises that the majority of us be afforded the grace of failing forward and that We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth.

She then invited Barack Obama on the stage to address the crowd.
Former US President Donald Trump found himself the subject of online ridicule after a slip of the tongue during a rally in Michigan on Tuesday, August 20. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaking in the first presidential debate with US President Joe Biden in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27, 2024. ABC will host a presidential debate between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris on September 10, the US television network confirmed on August 8. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski and ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)(AFP)

While addressing a crowd of his supporters, Trump mistakenly referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as the president, a gaffe that quickly caught the attention of social media.

And she's the president, and wants to be the President of the United States, Trump said, before correcting himself, adding, She's Vice President, she could do it.

The latest gaffe sparked a wave of reactions online, with netizens taking the opportunity to mock the former presidents mental acuity and speculate about his state of mind.

ALSO READ| Former Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham blasts the former prez at DNC: He mocks his

Take a nap, grandpa Trump

X (formerly Twitter) users were quick to highlight the slip-up as a sign of Trumps advancing age and mental sharpness. One user commented, Donald Trump is too old to run. He needs to step aside, while another quipped, This man has the IQ and mental acuity of a baked potato.

Oh yeah, them speeches last night at the DNC kept him up all night long. You can hear it in his voice. Theyre breaking Donald, one quipped.

Another said, That wont be the first or last time he says that. Hell be saying it from prison after November.

Thats the sound of Trumps defeat creeping in. Hes seen the data, and spoiler alert: its not looking good. He knows it, we know it  just waiting for him to admit it which will never happen. #GameOver #DataDoesntLie, one piped in.

Im glad hes starting to admit this to himself, another quipped.

One chimed in saying, My guy is running on FUMES. Low energy ... Take a nap, grandpa.

Trump will lose in November because he is

Notably, former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci recently predicted that Trump would lose his bid for another term because he is old and tired.

The electorate has changed since 2016. We've lost over 20 million baby boomers since 2016. At the same time, Generation Z has come into the fold to the tune of 40 million. So that's been a big mixture of lower-aged voters into the mix. And they seem interested in politics, Scaramucci stated.

ALSO READ| Trump Media shares plummet to record lows as Trump returns to X

The criticism extended to remarks about Trumps energy levels and overall demeanour. Some suggested that the former president appeared worn out and fatigued, with one user stating, He's so toast. I truly believe he's done and wants to lose and just move out of the country already, and another quipping, Trump sounds cooked and very very low energy!
Former United States President Barack Obama took to the stage of the Democratic National Convention, and ripped Donald Trump as the crowd cheered. He also expressed his support for Kamala Harris, saying he is feeling hopeful because she is ready to step into the White House. Barack Obama calls out Donald Trump at DNC, mocks his weird obsession with crowd sizes (Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg, AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Obama told the crowd that America does not need four more years of a Donald Trump presidency. We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos, we have seen that movie before, and we all know that the sequel is usually worse, he said.

Obama said the former presidents complaints are getting worse now that hes afraid of losing to Kamala. The childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes, Obama said. America is ready for a new chapter. America is ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris.

Michelle Obama blasts Donald Trump

Former first lady Michelle Obama, too, called out Trump. She said the former president is going to try and attack Harris in this election, which is something she and her husband have had experience with. For years Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. His limited narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black, she said.

Who is going to tell him that the job he currently is seeking might just be one of those Black jobs? Michelle said, taking a jab at Trumps remarks at the National Association of Black Journalists. The former president had said that immigrants are taking Black jobs.

Michelle also blasted Trumps policies, including cutting health care, and said he had dug in on ugly, misogynist, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will make peoples lives better.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently concluded their tour of Colombia, leaving many questions, Why are they going? that too in South America. Prince Harry and his wife, American actress Meghan Markle, are visiting Colombia at the invitation of Colombia's vice-President Francia Marquez, with whom they have attended various meetings with women and young people to reject discrimination and cyberbullying. (Photo by RAUL ARBOLEDA / AFP)(AFP)

Royal commentator Emily Andrews, writing for Grazia, suggested that Buckingham Palaces response to the Sussexes' trip could be summed up in just four words: Why are they going?

The Sussexes are launching several new projects under their Archewell Foundation and collaborating with Netflix. However, these ventures have faced scrutiny, especially following the recent departure of their chief of staff, Josh Kettler.

ALSO READ| Prince William is furious with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for not respecting Kate Middleton

Meghan's lifestyle brand delayed again

Andrews noted that their reputation has taken a hit and pointed out delays in launching Meghans lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard. Harry and Meghans reputation has also taken a hit in the US, while the launch of Meghans lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard has still not been finalised, she said.

It was scheduled for this spring, then autumn, and has now been reportedly put back until next year to tie in with her new cooking show for Netflix and to iron out trademarking issues.

Prince Harry feels trapped and misses UK

Not only this, there is also growing speculation about the couples future residence. Earlier this year, rumors circulated that Prince Harry might be considering a return to the UK.

A close friend of Harrys recently told The Times that the prince is feeling increasingly disillusioned with how things have turned out and misses his homeland. He's an angry boy. Things haven't turned out how he wanted. I think he misses being over here desperately and wants to be admired more, the friend said.

Anyone who knows him feels he'd rather be top of the pops here with everyone loving him, as they do with William and Kate.

ALSO READ| Prince William will not be foolish enough to not invite Harry to coronation despite frustrating

Another old pal of both royal brothers told The Times how much Prince William is irritated with Harry. Of course its an utterly trivial thing, but those of us who know William know that it is one of the things that pushes his buttons. Pushing his buttons while he was going through his wifes cancer seemed an entirely unnecessary and deliberate irritation, the old pal said.
The bodies of British technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah have been identified among the wreckage of the sunken Bayesian yacht. Of the six people initially reported missing, earlier reports indicated that two bodies had been recovered but remained unidentified. Rescue personnel transport a body bag after a luxury yacht, which was carrying British entrepreneur Mike Lynch, sank off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, Italy, August 21, 2024. REUTERS/Louiza Vradi(REUTERS)

Angela Bacares, Lynch's wife, reportedly got out of the sinking boat before it flipped over. Salvo Cocina, who runs Sicily's civil protection, said that two more bodies were discovered and are being looked for by divers right now.

Mike Lynch and his daughters dead bodies recovered

According to The Telegraph, the bodies of Lynch, 59, and his 18-year-old daughter were discovered in one of the ships cabins between two mattresses on Wednesday. Rescue teams were searching for the missing passengers of the Bayesian yacht on August 21.

On behalf of myself and my colleagues, I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the families of the victims and express our condolences to them at this difficult time, Salvo Cocina told the Telegraph.

Also read: And they lived happily ever, NYC lawyers haunting last post before vanishing on Bayesian yacht with wife

The tragedy strikes the Lynch family just weeks after Britains Bill Gates walked out of a San Francisco courthouse as a free man. After a 13-year legal battle, he promised to work on changing Britains extradition laws with tears in his eyes.

How many people are still missing from the Bayesian superyacht tragedy?

Among those unaccounted for were prominent figures such as Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy, New York City lawyer Christopher Morvillo, and his wife Neda, a jewellery designer. (Morvillo was also identified as Mike Lynchs attorney who helped clear him of fraud charges related to the 2011 sale of his Autonomy company to Hewlett-Packard.)

Also read: Democratic National Convention hotels in Chicago hit with bomb threats and 'anti-semitic statements: Report

There were a total of 22 people on board, including 10 crew members and 12 guests, when the yacht capsized during a powerful storm near the port of Porticello early Monday morning. Mike Lynch and his daughter are the second and third people found after the ship went down, right after they found the cook from the yacht, Recaldo Thomas, who was found shortly after the boat sank.

According to reports, the diving team assigned to the bay was seen this afternoon bringing a green body bag to the Port of Porticello, where loads of emergency workers were on standby.
Donald Trump on Monday made a surprising admission, saying that he likes and respect former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama. Donald Trump called Barack Obama a nice gentleman during an interview with CNN.

Ahead of the Obama couple's speech at the DNC on Tuesday, Trump called Barack a nice gentleman during an interview with CNN.

I think he's a nice gentleman, but he was very weak on trade. If you take a look at what happened to our country trade-wise, it was a disaster, the GOP leader stated.

I happen to like him. I respect him and I respect his wife, he added.

As the face of the birtherism conspiracy theories against Obama, Trump has frequently retaliated against the former president.

Earlier, Trump has retaliated against the former president by fuelling the birtherism conspiracy.

Trump was said to be motivate to run for 45th president of the US after Obama mocked him during the 2011 White House Correspondents dinner.

Also Read: Trump Media shares plummet to record lows as Trump returns to X

Trump slams DNC programming as all lies

Meanwhile, Trump denounced the DNC's programming on Tuesday, calling it all "lies."

The former President spoke to NY POST before a Michigan gathering on local law enforcement. Despite the fact that the topic of his event was combating crime, he claimed that the DNC is all about lies. He went on to predict that Obama would be repeating the same lies during his keynote address on Tuesday night.

I think it was about lies. It was lies about me, all night long they were saying things that weren't true, the former President stated.

The DNC is hosting a formal roll call to affirm Vice President Kamala Harris' nomination. She was formally named the party's presidential nominee earlier this month.

Besides Obama and Michelle, notable Democratic lawmakers are scheduled to address the crowd on the second day of the convention.

Their address comes after Joe Biden's emotional speech on Monday in which he reflected on his time in politics and handed the torch to Harris.
ASHEBORO, N.C.  In his first outdoor rally since last months assassination attempt, Donald Trump appeared on stage in North Carolina to talk about national security as part of his weeklong trip across the country to draw attention away from Democrats and their national convention. Trump holds his first outdoor rally since last month's assassination attempt

Seventy-six days from now, we're going to win this state and we're going to win the White House, Trump said at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame from behind a podium surrounded by panes of bulletproof glass that formed a protective wall across the stage.

Storage containers were stacked around the perimeter to create additional walls and block sight lines. Snipers were positioned on roofs at the venue, where old aircraft were sitting behind the podium and a large American flag was suspended from cranes.

The event, billed as being focused on national security issues, is part of Trump's weeklong series of counterprogramming to the Democratic National Convention, which is underway in Chicago. Allies have been urging him to focus on policy instead of personal attacks as he struggles to adjust to running against Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

On Tuesday night, the convention showcased a double dose of Obama firepower, as the former president and former first lady assailed Trump, calling him out repeatedly by name.

His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black, Michelle Obama said of Trump in a rousing speech.

She also referenced a comment he made in a June debate, asking: Whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?

Barack Obama mocked Trump's obsession with his crowd sizes and called Trump a 78-year-old billionaire who hasnt stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.

Its been a constant stream of gripes and grievances thats actually gotten worse now that hes afraid of losing to Kamala, the former president said.

Trump was joined Wednesday by his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, who cast Harris as a candidate selected by power brokers instead of voters and lambasted her vice presidential pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, before Trump took the stage.

That included continuing to hammer Walz for, at times, mischaracterizing his service record as an Army National Guard member, as well as Walzs retirement from service before his units deployment to Iraq.

What wont Stolen Valor Tim Walz lie about? Vance, who served four years as a Marine, asked the crowd.

Trump has spent the week visiting battleground states in his busiest week of campaigning since the Republican primaries.

Reflecting the importance of North Carolina in this year's election, the trip is Trump's second to the state in just the past week. Last Wednesday, he appeared in Asheville, North Carolina, for a speech on the economy.

Trump won North Carolina by a comfortable margin in 2016. The state delivered the former president his closest statewide margin of victory four years ago and is once again considered a key battleground in 2024.

Before Trump arrived, his plane did a flyover of the rally site. The crowd erupted into cheers.

Edna Ryan, a 68-year-old retired flight attendant and private pilot, said she was bullish on the Republicans chances, but said: We need to be strong because otherwise were going to be very sorry.

Lisa Watts, a retired business owner from Hickory, North Carolina, who was attending her fifth Trump rally, said shes feeling very positive about the race against Harris.

A month ago they never spoke her name and now shes like, quote quote the savior for the country, Watts said. I dont think that her record proves that she is ready to run this country."

Watts said she doesnt think Trumps chances of winning are much different now from when Biden was the Democratic nominee.

I think the Democrats are going to try to do everything they can to keep her up on that pedestal, she said, predicting the hype around Harris will fade.

Colvin reported from New York.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
By Joseph Ax US death row inmate to get life in prison after DNA testing weakens conviction

Aug 21 - A Missouri inmate convicted of fatally stabbing a woman in 1998 will avoid the death penalty and instead be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, prosecutors said on Wednesday, after DNA testing of the murder weapon did not match him.

Marcellus Williams, 55, who had been scheduled to be put to death next month, will enter what is known as an "Alford plea" to a first-degree murder charge on Thursday as part of a deal with prosecutors that vacates his original conviction.

The plea allows Williams to continue to maintain his innocence, as he has done since the murder, while forgoing a new trial and accepting the recommended sentence.

In an order, Judge Bruce Hilton in St. Louis County Circuit Court said that the St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney's office conceded there were "constitutional errors" during the trial that "undermine confidence" in the verdict. He also noted that the family of the victim, Felicia "Lisha" Gayle, did not wish for Williams to be executed.

Gayle was stabbed 43 times in her suburban home, and Williams was convicted in 2001 largely on the testimony of two witnesses whom prosecutors have now described in court papers as "unreliable."

Prosecutors had initially concluded that DNA tests excluded Williams. Additional testing, however, found the lead investigator's DNA on the knife, which suggested the weapon had been mishandled and contaminated at the time but did not definitively exclude Williams.

Williams' attorney, Tricia Rojo Bushnell, said in a statement that no reliable evidence has ever connected her client to the crime.

"Marcellus Williams is an innocent man, and nothing about today's plea agreement changes that fact," she said in a statement. "By agreeing to an Alford plea, the parties will bring a measure of finality to Felicia Gayle's family, while ensuring that Mr. Williams will remain alive as we continue to pursue new evidence to prove, once and for all, that he is innocent."

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey opposed the court's decision, arguing that the evidence used to convict Williams remained undisturbed. A spokesperson for the St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney said the office expects Bailey to appeal Wednesday's decision.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
A Brazilian woman was arrested after a Minnesota businessman died in an alleged drug-fueled robbery in Brazil this month. Leticia Clara Bento da Silva, 23, was identified by Brazils Civil Police as the prime suspect in the so-called Goodnight Cinderella plot. Who was Dwayne Antonio Morris? Minnesota businessman killed in Brazil in 'Goodnight Cinderella plot (Tamatha Richman/Facebook)

On August 8, Dwayne Antonio Morris, of Minneapolis, was discovered dead in his rented apartment in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, reported the local outlet g1. The 43-year-old came to the country just a day before his death.

It is believed that Morris was drugged, which led to him convulsing and foaming at the mouth. Da Silva and another unidentified woman have been accused of drugging Morris with GHB, which is a powerful depressant. They then robbed him and fled the apartment.

In Brazil, drug-induced robberies in which victims are incapacitated or dazed by GHB, Rohypnol or another substance are referred to as Goodnight Cinderella schemes. If the doses are large, GHB can cause loss of consciousness and respiratory depression, which can kill the victim.

It is believed that da Silva and the other woman met Morris and a friend while out in the Lapa neighbourhood. The four of them reportedly had drinks at a bar and then planned to go back to Morris apartment. While Morris friend felt dizzy and decided to go to a different location, Morris and the two women came to his apartment after midnight.

Surveillance camera captured the two women leaving the building and getting into a black car after two hours. Da Silva is reportedly also a suspect in several other drug-induced thefts. In connection with Morris death, she faces charges of murder.

We offer our sincerest condolences to the family for their loss and stand ready to provide consular assistance, the US Consulate in Rio de Janeiro said of Morris death. We are closely monitoring local authorities investigations regarding the cause of death. Out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment.

Who was Dwayne Antonio Morris?

Morris was the president and founder of Blue Waters Consulting and Soul Community Development Corporation. He was responsible for managing a $14 million business portfolio.

He was a fun partner to have, Morris partner, Tamatha Richman, told CBS News.

Morris was the only provider for his and Richmans blended family. They share three children.

A GoFundMe set up for Morris says, DWayne was a kind, adventurous spirit who brought joy to everyone around them. He touched the lives of so many. As we navigate this difficult time, we are faced with the challenge of bringing DWayne home and covering the unexpected costs associated with this tragedy. These expenses include repatriation, funeral arrangements, and supporting the family during this time of grief. We humbly ask for your support to help us honor DWaynes memory and bring him back home.
Pakistan has been grappling with a slowdown in internet speeds, which has sparked widespread frustration among users and allegations of the installation of a national firewall. A Pakistani waits to connect his mobile WhatsApp with a desktop as internet runs slow past several days, in Karachi, Pakistan, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Over the past few weeks, users have reported trouble sending and downloading media files and voice notes through messaging apps like WhatsApp, even when connected to broadband networks. The slowdown has also impacted businesses that rely on stable internet connections to communicate with international clients and manage operations.

The Pakistan Software House Association, which represents the country's IT sector, has warned that the internet issues could cost the fragile economy up to $300 million.

The association also raised concerns that the government might be hastily implementing a national firewall, potentially causing these slowdownsa claim the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has categorically denied.

PTA blames faulty submarine cable

On Wednesday, the country's telecom authority attributed the slowdown to a faulty submarine cable. In a meeting with the National Assemblys Standing Committee on IT, PTA chairman Retired Major General Hafeezur Rehman said the internet slowdown was primarily due to damage to one of the submarine cables (SMW4), reported Dawn.com.

Rehman assured the committee that the cable was expected to be repaired by August 28, after which normal internet speeds should resume.

Read: Inside PIA: Pakistani man takes one of the most dangerous flights in the world'

On the allegations regarding the installation of a firewall, Rehman said that the government was only upgrading its web management system to bolster cybersecurity, not throttling the internet as some had speculated.

You have been asked a direct question, PPP Senator Sharmila Farooqi said to the PTA chief. Has a firewall been installed or not?

Rehman said the PTA had no role in the internet slowdown and attributed it to technical issues, reported Dawn.

Every country, including Afghanistan, has its own system, he said.

India blamed too

Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court (LHC) has demanded a more detailed and clause-wise explanation from the federal government regarding the ongoing internet slowdown in Pakistan, following the submission of a report by the PTA. The report outlined four primary reasons for the significant drop in internet speeds across the country. However, the court found the explanations unsatisfactory and requested a more comprehensive response in the next session.

Apart from the damage to one of Pakistan's submarine cables, the report cited a major misconfiguration by a leading internet service provider (ISP) on July 31. This error led to a 70% drop in internet services nationwide, prompting the PTA to take stern action against the ISP, according to the report.

The PTA noted that the increased use of virtual private networks (VPNs) contributed to the slowdown. The report explained that VPNs, due to their encryption, tunneling, and extended data routing, naturally cause slower internet speeds.

The telecom authority also reported a severe degradation of around 1.5 Tbps in internet traffic on August 15, and linked it to Indian state actors, claiming that they had been active over the past few years on national days to degrade internet services or deface government websites.

India is yet to respond to the unsubstantiated claims.
A former Florida-based U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer pleaded guilty on Tuesday to stealing cash from arriving international passengers, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida announced.

William Joseph Timothy, 43, admitted he stole some $18,700 in cash from passengers in 17 separate incidents between mid-2023 and early 2024 at the Naples Airport.

Investigators with the CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility uncovered evidence that showed Timothy was "surreptitiously stealing cash" from arriving international travelers during border enforcement examinations and currency verifications, which were part of his official duties.

Video surveillance from the investigation showed him taking around $2,000 belonging to the passenger during the border enforcement examination in May 2023, the Department of Justice said.

As part of his plea agreement, Timothy agreed to immediately resign from CBP and pay restitution to the victims. He also faces up to ten years in prison, though a sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
An Illinois man admitted to lining a bathroom with plastic shower curtains before using an electric saw in the heinous slaughtering of his girlfriend, whose body has never been found.

In a last-minute plea deal Friday, Troy Slaw, 47, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in connection with the death of Norma Crutchfield at a home in Decatur, Illinois. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop the dismemberment and concealment of remains charges, WAND-TV and the Herald & Review reported.

Slaw faces up to life in prison.

Crutchfield's mother first reported her daughter missing in November 2020 after not hearing from her for a week. She said her daughter and Slaw had an abusive relationship.

The investigation led detectives to interview alleged co-conspirator Chase Freeman, who alleged Slaw asked him to come over to his home. When Freeman arrived, Slaw showed him Crutchfield's dead body concealed in his closet.

Freeman alleged Slaw "told him that he had stabbed the woman in the chest and killed her," Law & Crime reported, citing the criminal complaint. Freeman allegedly stated Slaw "had lined the bathroom with shower curtains, window curtains and plastic."

Slaw asked Freeman to help him dismember the body with an electric saw, but Freeman allegedly refused, and instead, stood guard outside the home.

The next day, Freeman allegedly helped Slaw clean up the blood spatter in the bathroom and dispose of two trash bags filled with Crutchfield's body parts into a large garbage can.

Authorities never recovered Crutchfield's remains.

Freeman's disposition hearing is set for Sept. 5.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly may end his independent campaign for the White House to "join forces" with former President Donald Trump  who said Tuesday that he was "open" to the idea.

Kennedy's running mate, Nicole Shanahan, said in a podcast posted online Tuesday that they were considering "two options" as the Nov. 5 election approaches.

"One is staying in, forming that new party, but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris  Kamala Harris and (Tim) Walz presidency. Because we draw votes from Trump, or we draw somehow more votes from Trump," she said. "Or we walk away right now and join forces with  with Donald Trump."

Trump responded by telling CNN he'd be "honored" by a Kennedy endorsement and would consider giving him a role in a potential future administration.

"He's a brilliant guy. He's a very smart guy. I've known him for a very long time," Trump said after a campaign stop in Michigan. "I didn't know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly I'd be open to it."

In an afternoon post on social media, Kennedy was vague about his plans.

"As always, I am willing to talk with leaders of any political party to further the goals I have served for 40 years in my career and in this campaign," he wrote.

Kennedy, whose campaign is publicly opposed by most of his siblings and other relatives, has qualified for the ballot in 23 states and has enough signatures to appear on the ballot in 22 more and Washington, D.C., according to CBS News.

He doesn't have enough signatures to qualify in four other states, CBS said, and is appealing a judge's ruling that threw out his ballot petition in New York on grounds that he falsely claimed a residence there while living in California.

The decision is now being used to challenge his ballot access in the battleground states of Georgia and Pennsylvania, according to reports.
Vice President Kamala Harris's husband described the first time he tried to set up a date with her during a prime-time speech at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday.

Doug Emhoff was a divorced father of two working as a lawyer.

He says in 2013 a client gave him the phone number for Harris and he decided to call at 8:30 in the morning.

Emhoff says he got a voicemail and left a rambling message that lasted for several minutes.

She eventually called back and they shared laughs.

He says Kamala saved that message and now plays it on every anniversary.

"I love that laugh," Emoff said, perhaps in a reference to Donald Trump's attacks on her.

He noted that their 10th wedding anniversary will be on Thursday, the night she formally accepts the Democratic Party's nomination for president.
A man who was still bleeding from a hair transplant ended up in jail after refusing to get off of a plane at the Miami airport.

Eugenio Hernandez and his wife had boarded an American Airlines flight to head home to Las Vegas. He was bleeding from his forehead and the back of his head was wrapped in bandages.

Other passengers noticed the blood and alerted the flight attendants.

They asked him to leave the plane for health reasons but he refused, saying his doctor cleared him to fly.

He told WTVJ-TV that the flight attendant said she didn't care.

"You need to go out because somebody don't like what you have on your head," Hernandez said he was told.

"She tells me you either go out, or I'm gonna call the police."

The crew did just that.

When he refused their request to leave the plane they stood Hernandez up and his wife, Yusleydis Blanca Loyola started yelling and was escorted off the plane as well.

Police told WTVJ-TV the couple was arrested for refusing to comply with their orders..

"This could have all been avoided if they would have just followed the commands or the request of the officers to vacate the aircraft," Miami-Dade County police spokesperson Argemis Colome said.

American Airlines said in a statement to the news outlet: "We thank our crewmembers for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience."

The couple was charged with trespassing and resisting arrest.

Hernandez and Loyola were booked into the Miami-Dade jail. They have since been released.
14-term Democratic New Jersey Rep., Bill Pascrell, whose political career spanned four decades, dies at 87, according to a statement on his official X account.

According to NBC News, Pascrell was hospitalized for nearly a month this summer after experiencing a fever related to a respiratory illness. He was discharged to a rehabilitation center on Aug. 7 but was readmitted to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, N.J., just four days later.

Pascrell had been running for re-election to his 9th District seat in November, seeking to serve a 15th term and was the favorite against Republican Billy Prempeh, his opponent during his previous two elections.

It is with deep sadness that we announce that Bill Pascrell Jr., our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away this morning. As our United States Representative, Bill fought to his last breath to return to the job he cherished and to the people he loved. Bill lived  Bill Pascrell, Jr.  (@BillPascrell) August 21, 2024

Not only was Pascrell a staunch critic of Donald Trump, but he was also an ally for Taylor Swift fans across the country when they took Ticketmaster to court over the Eras Tour ticketing chaos.

In January, Pascrell's Instagram account showed a picture of the Congressman meeting with Swifties saying "It was my pleasure to meet with Taylor Swift fans demanding reform of the broken live events ticket market. I've been going after Ticketmaster for a long time and now is the moment to pass my bill and regulate the broken market for the fans."

Fellow congressmen and politicians in D.C. expressed their condolences over his passing via X.

Bill Pascrell was an unrelenting fighter for New Jerseyans and middle-class families across the nation.



I'm heartbroken over his passing and praying for his family during this difficult time.



May his memory be an everlasting blessing. https://t.co/VzMbU3HM2H  Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (@repcleaver) August 21, 2024

Very saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and colleague Bill Pascrell. He was a public servant with unwavering dedication for his constituents in New Jersey.



My heartfelt condolences to his family, staff, and all who loved him. https://t.co/KxgfYAsSyA  Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) August 21, 2024

Deeply saddened by the loss of @BillPascrell. We worked together on many policies on the Ways & Means Committee. Bill never stopped fighting for what he believed would help New Jersey & American families. I will miss my friend dearly.  Rep. Suzan DelBene (@RepDelBene) August 21, 2024

Heartbroken by the loss of my dear friend, fellow baseball coach & a quintessentual New Jersery congressman, Bill Pascrell. His passion for public service, including our work together on the Ways & Means Committee, touched many lives. My thoughts are with his loved ones & family. https://t.co/v53smYatWP  Rep. Linda Sanchez (@RepLindaSanchez) August 21, 2024

Bill was a gentleman, a coach, a poet, a friend and a fighter working men and women from across the country. An old school bare knuckle political street fighter that always had the backs of his constituents and friends.



We lost a good one. Rest in power. https://t.co/zKqi5jtV3q  Rep. Jimmy Gomez (@RepJimmyGomez) August 21, 2024

Bill Pascrell loved  and enjoyed standing up for working people, always with a twinkle in his eye and a smile. I'm sending love to his family and friends from Tampa Bay   U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (@USRepKCastor) August 21, 2024

Heartsick over the passing of Billy Pascrell, senior Democrat of the House, pride of New Jersey and feisty fighter for the middle class. I visited him in Passaic a few months ago and the love for him in Jersey is something to behold. We'll miss him sharply.  Rep. Jamie Raskin (@RepRaskin) August 21, 2024

Congressman @BillPascrell was a fierce and outspoken advocate for the people of New Jersey. The energy he brought to the Ways and Means Committee was unparalleled, and he will be dearly missed.



My prayers are with his family, loved ones, and constituents. RIP.  https://t.co/oRfuJMP37K  Rep. Terri A. Sewell (@RepTerriSewell) August 21, 2024

I am deeply heartbroken to hear of Congressman Pascrell's passing. We've lost a treasured colleague and friend. May his memory be a blessing. https://t.co/Tt0JxBjzlB  Congresswoman Hillary Scholten (@RepScholten) August 21, 2024

Today, my heart is heavy with the loss of my dear friend, colleague, and mentor, Bill Pascrell. pic.twitter.com/DEPZQnVXOk  Rep. Mikie Sherrill (@RepSherrill) August 21, 2024

Joyce and I are devastated to learn of the passing of our dear friend, Congressman Bill Pascrell. Bill was a progressive champion who never stopped fighting for his constituents and the country. May his memory be a blessing.  Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) August 21, 2024

Very saddened to learn about the passing of my friend and colleague, Bill Pascrell.



He was a tireless advocate for his constituents and a true public servant.



May God comfort his family in this difficult hour.  Rep. Vern Buchanan (@VernBuchanan) August 21, 2024

I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of my colleague Congressman Bill Pascrell. His over two decades of public service undoubtedly made our U.S. Congress and his home state of New Jersey stronger.



My thoughts are with his loved ones during this difficult time. https://t.co/ByTx8SVoXv  Congressman Bill Foster (@RepBillFoster) August 21, 2024

Bill brought wisdom from decades of service and amazing joy.



I will miss dancing and serving with a great man.



May he rest in peace. https://t.co/xFGthtUaqg  Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (@RepTeresaLF) August 21, 2024

Bill Pascrell was an incredible colleague and above all, a fighter for New Jersey's 9th district and our democracy.



I am so sad to hear of his passing and am sending my deepest sympathies to his family and his constituents. https://t.co/FkBcgYuHaE  Mike Quigley (@RepMikeQuigley) August 21, 2024

I'm devastated by the passing of my dear colleague, @BillPascrell.



Bill was a formidable force and a remarkably kind presence on the @WaysMeansCmte. He consistently supported me, and I greatly valued his insight and admired his dedication to his beloved New Jersey.  Judy Chu (@RepJudyChu) August 21, 2024

There will never be another like @BillPascrell.



Heartbroken doesn't begin to cover it, but his fire and ferocious advocacy lives on in the work that's still to come.



Ranking Member @RepRichardNeal's full statement: https://t.co/jXIt6y5U5o https://t.co/4HZdfkphUq  Ways and Means Democrats (@WaysMeansCmte) August 21, 2024

We are devastated by Congressman Bill Pascrell's passing. Our office sends our love and thoughts to his loved ones, the Paterson community he adored, and people across all of New Jersey who will miss his dedicated leadership and service to our state.  Rep. Andy Kim's Office (@RepAndyKimNJ) August 21, 2024

My heart is breaking over the loss of my dear friend Bill Pascrell. A legend, fighter, public servant, and gentleman. He will be so missed.



Sending prayers to his family and the good people of New Jersey. Our thoughts are with you.  https://t.co/FxAceopJ8r  Rep. Melanie Stansbury (@Rep_Stansbury) August 21, 2024

I'm devastated to learn of the passing of my dear friend, Representative Bill Pascrell. Bill is the definition of a Jersey guy, he was smart, passionate, and a true champion for his district and the state of New Jersey.



Read my full statement here: https://t.co/vv9PtWbuno  Congressman Donald Norcross  (@DonaldNorcross) August 21, 2024

Very saddened to hear of the passing of my friend and colleague, Bill Pascrell. Bill and I came to Congress in 1997. He always had a fierce spirit in fighting for working people and progressive causes, and I will miss him a lot.



Our thoughts are with his family and New Jersey.  Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) August 21, 2024

Saddened by the loss of my colleague Congressman Bill Pascrell.



Congressman Pascrell was a veteran, a former mayor, and a longtime champion for New Jersey. My prayers are with his family and loved ones.  Rep. Shontel Brown (@RepShontelBrown) August 21, 2024
There was a time when Lady Di decided to escape the royal life and seek refuge in a legendary resort on the Costa del Sol, where she often spent long summer vacations. Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones were also frequent guests, and in one of the rooms, Joaquin Sabina was fine-tuning the details of his album "Hotel Dulce Hotel." Among the many remarkable places, only one could bring together all these celebrities in a magical setting, nestled in the white villages of Mijas. The old and iconic Byblos hotel, a jet-set reference in the 80s and 90s, has been renovated in a unique Andalusian style and is now known as La Zambra. This five-star resort, located in the province of Malaga, offers more than just a stay; it promises a true experience.

This mythical place, tucked away in the Andalusian foothills of Mijas, just 10 minutes from the beach, and situated between the cultural city of Malaga and the luxury lifestyle destination of Marbella, offers an unforgettable escape. The golden sun and the orange-scented breeze invite guests to explore the 196 rooms and suites of La Zambra, each with its own private terrace.

This Gran Luxury resort is now an extension of Andalusian essence, with its pastel tones, secret courtyards with whispering fountains, and a tranquility only disturbed by the splashes of the pool. The tall palm trees in the courtyard, surrounded by high walls covered with blooming bougainvillea, invite one to gaze up at the vastness of the Spanish blue sky.

La Zambra not only offers a paradisiacal setting; it also stands out as a premier destination, having been awarded a Michelin Key in its first edition in 2024. This recognition attests to the exceptional level of service, comfort, and unique experience the resort offers its visitors, further cementing its position as one of the most exceptional hotels worldwide.

Hotel website
Ankita Bhawsinka steps into her role with a distinguished career that reflects her expertise in hospitality and media. With an MBA in Marketing and Finance from Symbiosis International University, Ankita's journey with Marriott has been marked by crafting exceptional campaigns for multiple affluent brands. Her tenure as the Cluster Senior Marketing Communications Manager at Marriott International in Pune, overseeing four prestigious properties including The Ritz-Carlton Pune and JW Marriott Pune, is a testament to her strategic acumen and ability to craft compelling narratives that resonate with diverse audiences.

During her tenure in Pune, Ankita was instrumental in strengthening the brand presence of each property, leading dynamic marketing teams, and conceptualizing campaigns that celebrated the uniqueness of the property, their F&B venues and signature spas. Her strategic insight and ability to operationalize cluster priorities in close partnership with corporate and ownership teams have been pivotal in delivering remarkable results. Ankita's stewardship of the marketing and digital P&L for all four brands further underscores her prowess in steering complex projects to success.
Stephen Ansell is Hyatt's new Managing Director in its fast-expanding Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. In his role, Stephen will oversee the MEA regional portfolio, currently comprising 38 hotels, more than 9,000 rooms, and eight brands spanning the luxurious Park Hyatt brand to the stunning Alila Hotels & Resorts and more. He will also pay a key role in expanding Hyatt's presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ensuring the brands offerings continue to meet the evolving needs of guests and partners.

Stephen joined Hyatt in 1996 as Director of F&B at Hyatt Regency Riyadh and has since held General Manager positions at several Hyatt hotels including Hyatt Regency Bishkek and Hyatt Regency Kyiv, where he was central to the hotels' opening. At Park Hyatt Moscow, he spent nine successful years before being appointed as Area Vice President of Russia and Eastern Europe in 2014. He holds a degree in Hotel and Catering Management from the University of Portsmouth.

With nearly three decades of experience within the hospitality industry, Stephen brings with him a wealth of expertise and an impressive track record of hotel management to the role. Most recently, he held a dual role as Area Vice President for Central Europe where he was responsible for Hyatt's operations in the region. This is in addition to serving as the General Manager at Park Hyatt Zurich, where he oversaw the running of the luxury Swiss hotel, applying his passion and expertise of the hotel industry at the property level.

Hyatt is dedicated to expanding its brand footprint in new and desired destinations. In KSA, the group is gearing up for the opening of Grand Hyatt The Red Sea and Miraval The Red Sea late 2025. Hyatt also entered into management agreements with Knowledge Economic City (KEC) earlier this year, for two new Hyatt-branded hotels, Hyatt House Madinah KEC and Hyatt Centric Madinah KEC, adding a combined 576 keys to Hyatt's pipeline.
Rotana has promoted Nadim Jamous to Corporate Vice President of Architecture and Design. In his new role, Jamous will oversee a team of architects, interior designers, and engineers, ensuring that both existing and upcoming projects align with Rotana's brand standards and vision. He will also manage project coordination with internal and external stakeholders to ensure timely completion at the highest standards.

Jamous will be responsible for developing and implementing the overall design and architectural strategy, in line with the company's objectives, and will continue to foster a culture of creativity and continuous improvement within his team.

Since joining Rotana in 2015 as Director of Projects, Jamous has significantly contributed to the company's growth, playing a key role in the successful delivery of major projects such as Saadiyat Rotana Resort & Villas in Abu Dhabi, Johari Rotana in Dar Es Salam, and Bomonti Arjaan in Istanbul. His leadership led to his promotion to Corporate Director Projects in March 2024. Jamous holds a Master's Degree in Architecture from ALBA University in Lebanon and brings extensive experience in design, construction, and project management.
Global luxury hospitality group The Lux Collective is pleased to announce the appointment and promotion of Resident Manager Sheila Malloo as the General Manager of LUX* Belle Mare, effective from 26 November 2024. She will be the Group's first woman General Manager in Mauritius.

Sheila has been an integral part of the LUX* Belle Mare team for over 22 years, starting her career journey as a receptionist in September 2002. During her tenure rising through the ranks, she has always demonstrated exceptional dedication, outstanding leadership and commitment towards the resort. She is an exemplary team member who embodies the Group's brand and ethos of care. Her extensive hospitality experience, coupled with unwavering passion and quest for excellence, will steer the resort into its next chapter.

In line with Group's talent development and succession planning to ensure a smooth transition, Sheila will take office after the departure of General Manager Gerhard Hecker when his contract concludes on 25 November 2024. Gerhard has been highly instrumental in the last three years in the repositioning of the property, the rebuild post-fire, and its grand reopening.

Within 10 months of operation, the resort has been conferred with remarkable industry recognitions from the international Forbes Travel Guide 5-Star Award to the recent 5-Star Luxury Rating by Mauritius Tourism Authorities, after LUX* Grand Baie. This reinforces The Lux Collective's luxury positioning as the first and only global hospitalitygroup in Mauritius to have two properties with such luxury grading.
The Hospitality Show, the industrys leading technology and operations event produced by Questex and The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), announced a slate of sustainability programming and initiatives for this years event, including the co-location of the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliances Autumn Summit at The Show, which will be held in San Antonio, Texas, Oct. 28-30, 2024, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

World Sustainable Hospitality Alliances Autumn Summit will convene senior leaders from across the global hospitality industry, including CEOs and C-suite members from leading hotel companies, real estate owners, investment funds, technology companies, procurement specialists and marketing agencies, as well as legal and consulting firms. Participants will engage in critical discussions on Net Positive Hospitality in action, sharing best practices, exploring opportunities for innovation and forging new collaborations.

Sustainability is a crucial strategy for hotel operations, reducing costs through energy efficiency and waste reduction while appealing to eco-conscious travelers and enhancing guest satisfaction. The Hospitality Show is committed to serving as a living case study and a powerful inspiration for hoteliers seeking to implement profit-driving sustainable practices at their properties.

AHLA sustainability programs Green Key Global and Responsible Stay will have a presence at The Show.

Operated jointly by AHLA and Hotel Association of Canada, Green Key Global is the only environmental certification program designed specifically for the hotel industry. It provides credibility to hotels existing sustainability initiatives and equips properties with a plan for continued improvement.

is the only environmental certification program designed specifically for the hotel industry. It provides credibility to hotels existing sustainability initiatives and equips properties with a plan for continued improvement. AHLAs Responsible Stay initiative is dedicated to uniting Americas hotel brands, owners, operators, and employees in an effort to reduce carbon emissions, lower energy usage, conserve water, and source responsibly, to provide guests with innovative and sustainable experiences and events.

Questex has integrated its Quest Zero initiatives into The Hospitality Shows operations this year, as it did for the inaugural 2023 Show. This program is part of Questexs pledge to the Net Zero Carbon Event initiative and the companys commitment to reach Net Zero by 2050. These practices include reducing waste by removing carpet and reusing nearly 95% of onsite graphics, minimizing food waste through diligent planning and donations, encouraging community involvement to help reduce onsite waste and travel emissions by encouraging carbon offset donations upon registration.

The Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center itself was chosen for its commitment to sustainable practices, including LEED Silver Certification, waste reduction, energy and water conservation, green purchasing, and contributions to the Citys Climate Action & Adaptation Plan aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050.

The Show 2024 will also feature several other sustainability-minded initiatives, including:

A Green to Gold: Sustainability as Profit breakout session that will focus on how going green can boost hotel profits, featuring MindClick Founder and CEO JoAnna Abrams , Guest Worldwide President Kevin Korab , and BWH Hotels Senior Vice President of Brand Management and Member Services Michael Morton .

, , and . Insight on sustainability trends in hospitality from the Considerate Group, a data-driven sustainability consultancy working in the hospitality, real estate and destination sectors.

The official launch of the World Academy for Sustainable Hospitality (the Academy) with the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE). The Academy is a ground-breaking sustainable training system that will empower the hospitality industry and translate vision into action.

A networking event in The Show Expo in partnership with Clean the World to build 1,000 hygiene kits made from recycled soap that will be donated to a local shelter.

Were honoured to be holding our Autumn Summit at The Hospitality Show in collaboration with the AHLA and Questex, said Glenn Mandziuk, CEO of the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance. It is significant to be holding our summit in the United States  a first for the Alliance since its recent rebrand with a global reach  as we look to continue growing our US-based membership. We look forward to mapping out our ambitions and actions for 2025 with our members, partners and senior leaders, charting the future of the industry. We also look forward to strengthening our relationship with the AHLA and forming a critical new partnership with Questex, as we seek to drive sustainability across the industry.

These features of The Show 2024 build upon the successful sustainability initiatives launched at the inaugural event last year. Key sustainability achievements from The Show 2023 include:

Partnering with Earthly to offer a Carbon Offset Donation option, leading to the planting of 1,078 trees in Kenya and the removal of 49.53 tons of carbon to restore degraded land in Ethiopia.

Generating 100% of The Hospitality Shows electricity from renewable sources.

Ensuring all waste generated by The Hospitality Show was properly sorted and recycled, including zero-waste lunches where all food waste was donated to charities or composted at local farms.

Donating 500 hygiene kits made with recycled soap to a local shelter.

For more information and to register, visit www.thehospitalityshow.com. For program updates, sign up to receive The Hospitality Show newsletter and follow on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.
Ok this seems like an interesting event, Ill attend. I cant remember the last time Ive been to DC anyway

This was the main thought I had when looking to attend AH&LAs Legislative Action Summit in DC (Hyatt Regency at Capitol Hill). It came at a time when I had left the hotel industry, wondering if I had hit my ceiling and didnt know my path forward. I enjoyed working in hotels but told myself Id try food and beverage in other avenues, to see if there was something I enjoyed. But during that time away there was something pulling me to keep researching, keep watching, and I discovered the Under 30 Gateway Group, a group dedicated to connecting young and aspiring professionals in the hotel space.

Source: Andrew Hopson

Ive always had an analytical style, a fondness for how things get done, the steps it took to accomplish things, and the barriers that often came right behind them. I felt it could be a good combination (or an entertaining one at minimum). Being able to share how things are done in hotels, share that insight with congressmen and women on Capitol Hill, and hear from them what the perception is of our industry is quite eye opening.

In addition to this being my first industry conference, the day before I attended my first industry reception; one dedicated to those who were 30 and under. As the doors opened, I was surprised to find a group of 40-60 people across all facets of the hotel industry. From students graduating with their degrees to people working in leadership roles, and (to my surprise) those who were hotel General Managers. It was here I first realized that there was a larger world. I met people who had the same challenges I was, others who overcame them, and many who had careers paths I never wouldve thought possible until I saw it with my own eyes, meeting those such as Omari Head , Ashli Johnson, M.S., CHT, CGSP , Andrew Quinto , Christopher Henry, CAHTA, ISHC, and Davonne Reaves.

It was intimidating at first, coming here you realize a lot of titans in our industry are proud to represent and share their stories of their journey in the industry, often I wondered how my voice mattered. Over time I realized they cared that I came to keep learning, get involved, stay engaged, and share my experiences to help Congress understand what they do really does have an impact on what happens in our properties.

Its easy to take some hits in this industry and at some point, feel like a nobody, or think the day-to-day grind is the only thing to look forward to. However, those days of learning, touring the Capitol, and being able to understand the gravity of what the hotel industry contributes to its local community I left changed and renewed, because I left DC with these facts.

I can be somebody in this industry.

There are so many avenues to tap into in the world of hotels/hospitality.

There is a place for me here.

I see others who are walking the same path I am.

I have something to contribute.

Source: Andrew Hopson

As I continue to attend, what sticks out to me is always what I notice (high level c suite executives, the ones are used to driving the conversation of the markets) and what I dont: the operations leaders who are in the hotels, doing the hiring, and are dealing with guests, and situations that come up and bring life to our industry.

Where is the Housekeeping/Rooms/ F&B Manager who struggles with bringing in quality staff to clean their rooms and serve their guests?

Where is the Engineering Leader who has to deal with supply chain issues and processes that keep hotel fixes always the next four months away?

Where is the hospitality professional that someone has identified as their emerging leader and wants to expand their vision?

Every year I find myself wondering, I wish I would see more who are currently in Operations come to DC. Its really your voice Capitol Hill needs to hear: what started your journey in this industry, what guests are actively saying as they walk in and out of your doors, and the associates whove made careers, and enrich lives on a day-to-day basis. Consider this:

In December 2018 the government shut down for 35 days until funding bills were passed. In the past I thought I still have guests making dinner reservations and checking into hotels, who cares if Congress cant get their act together However, during government shutdown federal parks have to close which means people are canceling hotel stays and not checking into rooms across the US. In addition, how many hoteliers in DC/VA/MD had meeting room blocs and banquets cancelled/put on hold until it was resolved? Heres a link shared by @AAHOA about other troubles a government shutdown affects the hotel industry: Americas Hoteliers Highlight Government Shutdowns Effects on Industry (hospitalitynet.org).

In 2019 one of the issues we brought to Congress was the rise of online booking scams and how that was impacting guest hotel stays and causing issues for hoteliers not only from a financial sense, but also from a guest experience. It sounds silly until I shared my story about an upset guest at our bar who claimed they booked our property because they were told it had a pool. The pool had been non-existent for at least 3 years and was replaced with a rooftop bar

In 2023 VISA and H2B challenges were shared with Congress, and we came to DC to ask for their help increase the number of international/seasonal workers (or at least streamline the process). Normally there are only 66,000 H2B (seasonal worker) visas typically allocated for hotels and resorts to fill openings, yet there are 67,000+ hotels in the US. At some larger beachfront hotels and resorts the need can range anywhere from 10- 200 international team members alone depending on the size of the property and their department needs. I shared with Congress we have international team members who have been working with us for YEARS and have developed relationships with guest and members. Ive had guests ask me Is Travis coming back? or We look forward to seeing Aleisha and Reynaud every year when we come down for our anniversary trip, why arent they here? Ive had guests ask me that when I checked to see if they were enjoying their meal, what would your response have been?

LAS/Hotels on the Hill stays on my calendar having started as a first-year rookie to a yearly attendee because of what I learn, who I meet, and most importantly what it meant for my hotel journey. I call on more on the Operations side to join me in DC, to be present, and share your voice. It seems scary to step away from daily business to talk about issues that feel so far removed and happen outside our buildings, but thats the exact reason why it's so important: Tell your elected officials I have traveled here away from my guests to share with you what is happening in your state/district and why we need your help

Hoteliers across the country do more than provide rooms, meetings, and meals for travelers: The vision is to enrich the lives of travelers who trust us with their time with friends and loved ones, in addition to the men and women who work in our properties to make those memories special.

Im sure we could all agree bringing a little more hospitality to Capitol Hill is never a bad thing, especially in this climate.

Source: Andrew Hopson

Andrew Hopson
Houston City Place Marriott Hotel - Image Credit City Place

CDC Houston, a subsidiary of Coventry Development Corporation, announced that one of its managed entities has acquired the majority stake in the 337-room AAA Four Diamond Houston City Place Marriott.

One of the north Houston submarkets top performing full-service hotels, the property is located in the urban core of the approximately 2,000-acre City Place community, master developed by CDC Houston.

The purchase of JV partner Affinius Capitals (formerly the real estate investment arm of USAA) entire 50% share brings the Coventry Development Corporation entity ownership stake to 95%. The remaining 5% was retained by JV partner and asset manager Woodbine Development Corporation, the Dallas-based developer of the property. Terms of the transaction were undisclosed, and Plano, TX-based Aimbridge Hospitality will continue to operate the hotel.

The investment makes Coventry Development Corporation (and its affiliated entities) the majority owner of all hospitality assets in City Place, which is situated at the juncture of I-45, Grand Parkway and the Hardy Toll Road in close proximity to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). In late 2022, Coventry Development Corporation announced the acquisition of a 90% stake in the communitys two additional hotels, the 128-key Residence Inn Houston City Place and 125-room Courtyard Houston City Place.

The Houston City Place Marriott is a wonderful asset that continues to achieve success as a hub for corporate travel, visitors, locals and groups  and an increasingly beautiful backdrop for weddings and other outdoor events, said Warren W. Wilson, Executive Vice President of CDC Houston. Our new role as majority owner reflects our long-term commitment to City Place and realizing our vision for an exceptional, sustainable community.

Designed by Gensler and unveiled in October 2018, the Houston City Place Marriott is situated in the heart of the communitys 60-acre, mixed-use urban core. The ten-story structure overlooks waterfront City Place Park and opens to The Plaza, an activated greenspace offering an annual calendar boasting hundreds of mostly free, family-friendly activations ranging from yoga and fitness classes to concerts, movie nights and seasonal celebrations.

Guests are located within a short walk of major City Place employers, including ExxonMobil, the American Bureau of Shipping and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and steps from miles of hike and bike trails, a variety of food and beverage options, coworking operator Common Desk, dine-in theater Star Cinema Grill, 24 Hour Fitness Spring Energy Super-Sport Gym and Oiler Studio creative social club.
Knowledge@Wharton - Can the Mobile Wave Help Us Navigate the AI Wave? - Image Credit Unsplash+



Experts from Wharton and Forrester look back on the advent of the iPhone, identifying key lessons that leaders today can apply to AI.

The following article was written by Scott A. Snyder, a senior fellow at Wharton, adjunct professor at Penn Engineering, and chief digital officer at EVERSANA; and Julie Ask, a technology futurist, author, and former vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research.

In 2007, Steve Jobs audaciously said, iPhone is a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone. The response was a chorus of pessimism from competitors and mainstream media that Apple would never come close to its goal of selling 10 million phones in 2008.

Early on, most enterprise leaders failed to grasp the magnitude of the Mobile Wave on their customers and employees. They focused only on building an app rather than transforming their operating and business models to fully unlock the mobile opportunity. Despite their massive investment, users abandoned two-thirds of mobile apps after the first 30 days. Companies that were slow to see mobile as an innovation opportunity versus simply as another communication channel became laggards or roadkill in their respective industries.

Fast forward to 2021, when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made a similarly audacious statement about AI: This technological revolution is unstoppable. This revolution will create phenomenal wealth. The price of many kinds of labor (which drives the costs of goods and services) will fall toward zero once sufficiently powerful AI joins the workforce.

The AI Wave is growing fast. Billions of people globally are using foundation models like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Llama, along with a sprawling number of vertical generative AI (gen AI) applications. Many enterprises have leaned into this new wave, with over 70% using gen AI in their enterprises; however, just 15% are achieving real business impact at scale. Sound familiar?

What can enterprises learn from the Mobile Wave that might help them avoid the same challenges in achieving real transformation in the AI Wave? Lets start by looking at the similarities and differences between the two waves.

Chief information officers battled to keep iPhones from popping up in their businesses until they realized they could no longer fend off a better experience.

What Do the AI and Mobile Waves Have in Common?

Apple blew away its goal by selling 13 million phones in 2008. It has since sold 2.3 billion iPhones, created the app store model to democratize app innovation, and completely transformed how we communicate, interact, and consume content. Its intuitive interface, coupled with a powerful computing platform, captivated users across the globe.

Likewise, gen AI, the latest AI technology, offers unprecedented new capabilities that can create content, conduct analyses, and allow humans to interact with machines in more natural ways. Ultimately, the technology could make machines as intelligent, or even more so, than humans. Similar to mobile, gen AI will:

Change what is possible. Mobile technology initially changed how consumers and employees did everyday tasks. Eventually, entrepreneurs tapped into the always on connectivity to deliver new services (e.g., real-time fitness feedback) and change business models. AI companies like Humane and Rabbit are creating personal AI devices (PADs) that are helping us envision a future of virtual assistants and agents accessed via natural language. Just like with mobile, innovative products and business models will follow.

Challenge the status quo. Smartphones displaced many consumer devices, including home phones and cameras, undermining seemingly strong competitive advantages in other industries. Gen AI could be even more disruptive as it takes on advice- or language-based services, content creation, and analysis. Google is already disrupting its own business model as it replaces search results with AI-generated answers. A single virtual assistant (e.g., Apple Intelligence) may replace many apps.

Devour data to create relevant and extraordinary experiences. With user permission, smartphones gave brands (or apps) users location, elevation, movement, and more. Smart algorithms enabled them to teach people to dance or detect the early onset of Alzheimers. Gen AIs massive computing power will make these examples seem rudimentary. Gen AI can already understand users digital behaviors. Ultimately, the models will build a more holistic understanding of users by observing them in the physical world (speech, movement, consumption, etc.). Gen AI-fueled services will use these learnings to mimic us, assist us, and offer insights that both reduce costs and create new sources of revenue for businesses.

Depend on and exploit infrastructure owned and operated by third parties. The evolution of mobile services depended on massive and ongoing investments in advanced device technology, cloud computing, developer platforms, data centers, and cellular networks. Since the iPhone launched, AT&Ts market cap has declined nearly $100 billion to $139 billion while Alphabets, Apples, and Metas have grown by hundreds of millions to $2 trillion, $3 trillion, and $1 trillion, respectively. So, too, will gen AI. With $200 billion expected to be invested in gen AI by 2025, the major infrastructure and platform players will be under pressure to recover their investment under similar pricing pressure that comes with assets perceived as commodities.

Create new business opportunities and revenue for third parties. Apple has paid out more than $320 billion to third-party developers since the launch of its app store. In 2023, Uber generated more than $38 billion in annual revenue. IDC forecasts that enterprises invested more than $19.4 billion in gen AI solutions in 2023 and expect it to double in 2024, focused on both efficiency gains and new revenue streams. Questions still remain about the uptake speed of gen AI solutions and what existing services they will ultimately displace.

How Do the AI and Mobile Waves Differ?

AIs innate ability to improve itself, along with growing regulatory scrutiny, will create a non-linear, unpredictable trajectory unlike mobiles steady rise. Gen AIs impact will be different because:

AI consumer adoption will be faster as consumers dont need to buy new devices. Mobiles growth initially depended on consumers upgrading their smartphones every 18 to 24 months as well as the build-out of progressively more capable networks or infrastructure. No one was ready for the Internet to be everywhere. Today, they are. Most services are fundamentally digital  if they werent pre-2020, they are now. While hardware manufacturers are building their next generation of devices with local LLMs, most of the massive computing will be done in the cloud, which means consumers can start with the devices they already own.

Data is essential, but users have more privacy concerns, as do regulators. Crafting relevant, convenient, and personalized experiences depends heavily on user data. Tech giants burned proverbial bridges with consumers and regulators while failing to respect consumer privacy. While Europes General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) did not come into effect until 2018 (Google was founded in 1998 and Facebook in 2004), Europes AI Act went into effect on August 1 of this year, setting a high bar for new and existing models. Meanwhile, large media companies such as the New York Times are suing the LLM creators (e.g., OpenAI) for training their models on their content without permission. Enterprises are also beginning to protect their own data and content by opting out of sharing it for training or quality purposes with those AI model owners.

Pace of change will be even faster as AI will operate autonomously. Humans have built mobile and digital experiences to date. As AI capabilities evolve towards general artificial intelligence or AGI (matches human intelligence) and Super AI (exceeds human intelligence), these tools will start to generate their own experiences and no longer depend on human labor. Agents are beginning to self-correct and work together. Capabilities are progressing quickly despite the need for resources like GPUs, power, data, and human training, as well as ethical, safety, and regulatory concerns.

Customer and enterprise acquisition costs will be higher for new app entrants. Customer acquisition is difficult. An existing installed base or billing relationship gives companies a head start for at least two reasons. First, gen AI will initially augment existing services. Think of Siri (i.e., Apple Intelligence) or Microsoft Copilot for employees. Second, applications will need history and data (i.e., long-term relationships) about individuals to evolve into true virtual assistants. The more an entity or AI-based service knows about a human, the more it can anticipate needs and deliver contextual or personalized experiences. Doing so ultimately increases switching costs.

Factors outside of the control of LLM makers will constrain growth. Brands building mobile experiences have always faced business model or capability constraints of the mobile ecosystem. LLMs face even more hurdles. First, advancing models requires more training data or content. While LLMs can generate synthetic data, the next leaps forward depend on content (e.g., video) and physical world data (e.g., chemistry or nature) that isnt available. Next, there are physical limitations, including access to GPUs for training or the electricity, water, and human talent required to train the models. Finally, government regulators are already nervous about not only the use of consumer data but also the ethical, controllable, or known outcomes of these models.

Many enterprises have leaned into this new wave, with over 70% using gen AI in their enterprises; however, just 15% are achieving real business impact at scale.

Five Steps for Leaders to Navigate the AI Wave

Reflecting on the lessons of the past from the Mobile Wave, what can enterprises do differently to avoid the pitfalls of the AI Wave? Here are five key steps leaders can act on today.

Dont underestimate the amount of change required in your organization, business, and operating model. Just as winners in the Mobile Wave were those that innovated well beyond building an app, winners in the AI Wave will be those that focus on transforming products, services, experiences, and ways of working. Dont bring yesterdays thinking into your future AI-first business. Empower your employees, or they will innovate around you. Chief information officers battled to keep iPhones from popping up in their businesses until they realized they could no longer fend off a better experience. Bring your own device (BYOD) became the new enterprise model as BlackBerrys waned and security and controls improved for managing employees personal devices. Companies must now embrace Bring your own AI (BYOAI) with the appropriate controls to allow employees to use the latest gen AI tools for productivity and innovation while protecting enterprise data. Get your data strategy and infrastructure ready to move at the same speed as AI. Data will be the oxygen that powers new AI-driven experiences and operations. This will include both structured and unstructured data or content to train and optimize new gen AI-based solutions. The ability to collect, clean, transform, and expose data to innovators across your business with the right security, privacy, and controls will be fundamental to staying ahead of this next wave. This includes setting clear data-sharing policies for employees and third parties vital for improving gen AI models; for example, Figma gives users the option to share or not share their data when using its new gen AI features. Build a culture of accountability around AI solutions to innovate responsibly. Your customers and employees will depend upon accurate and ethical outputs of gen AI applications. Creating and communicating a responsible AI policy that fits your companys strategy and values is an essential first step. Building a sense of co-creation and ownership for employees involved in AI innovation will also be critical. Everyone working with AI needs to understand the immense benefits along with the real risks (hallucinations, data security, copyright infringement, etc.) in creating new AI solutions for internal and external users. If you create it using AI, you are accountable for the results. Define your own metrics for ROAI and use them early. Too many companies are plunging into gen AI experimentation with little to no sense of how they expect to measure real business impact. While its important to do pilots to learn, you should invest with an eye toward real business impact. Having your own definition of Return on AI (ROAI) will help you better direct your investments across the vast number of AI opportunities.

Like mobile, gen AI brings new superpowers to the end-user and has the potential to drastically transform how companies operate and deliver value to customers. Capitalizing on lessons from the Mobile Wave can only make us more prepared for whats to come.



This article is reprinted with permission from Knowledge@Wharton.


Matt Greene - Image Credit Hard Rock

Hard Rock Hotel San Diego has announced the appointment of Matt Greene as the new Managing Director. Greene, a seasoned hospitality executive with an impressive track record, returns to the Hard Rock team where he previously served successfully as General Manager from 2008 to 2011.

We are delighted to welcome Matt Greene back to the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego family, said Ace Patel, Owner Representative. Matts extensive background, coupled with his previous success at our property makes him an ideal fit for this role. His innovative vision and proven ability to enhance both operations and guest experience are invaluable, and we look forward to seeing the dynamic leadership he will bring to our team.

Greenes career spans over three decades in the hospitality industry, with significant roles at prestigious organizations including Highgate Hotels, Evolution Hospitality, and W Hotels. Most recently, he was Executive Vice President of Luxury & Lifestyle Residences at Highgate Hotels, where he oversaw a diverse portfolio of high-end condo-hotels and branded residences, as well as new developments. Prior to joining Highgate, Greene served as Executive Vice President, Lifestyle Operations for Evolution Hospitality. In his role, he managed the Lifestyle hotel portfolio and technical services for a significant number of new developments across the US and Mexico. He also previously served as Senior Director of New Builds & Conversions for W Hotels Worldwide, where he was responsible for over 40 new property developments.

In his previous tenure as General Manager at Hard Rock Hotel San Diego, Greene managed the operations of the hotels 420 rooms and suites, 40,000 square feet of meeting and event space, signature Maryjanes Diner, Float rooftop lounge, and street-level 207 Bar driving significant revenue growth and achieving high employee satisfaction scores. His visionary leadership and aptitude for developing unique programming and creative initiatives make him the ideal candidate to lead the hotel into its next phase of development.

Its an honor to return to the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego in the vibrant Gaslamp Quarter, said Greene. With over 16 years of storied history, this hotel is rooted in legacy. As we look forward to a new chapter on the horizon, I look forward to collaborating with our talented team to usher in a new era with the exceptional service, unexpected delights, and authentic experiences the property is known for. I am also eager to partner with the city and local business leaders to support this iconic destination.

As Managing Director, Greene will leverage his historical knowledge and strategic expertise to guide Hard Rock Hotel San Diego through upcoming renovations, new food and beverage concepts, enhanced programming, and more. His return marks a significant milestone for the property, promising renewed energy and a commitment to excellence.
Reducing Lollapalooza Food Waste: A Lifesaving Initiative

Musically Fed created 7,300 meals from Lollapalooza food waste, turning it into life-saving donations. See how this initiative is fighting wasted food while significantly impacting needy communities.

Reducing Food Waste at Lollapalooza

by Stacy Simons Santos from Celebrity Access

Musically Fed has once again made a significant impact on food waste at Lollapalooza, rescuing thousands of pounds of surplus food from the festival and redistributing it to those in need across Chicago. Beginning July 17 and throughout the three following weeks, Musically Feds volunteer teams worked from the load-in phase to the final day of teardown, coordinating more than 30 deliveries that provided close to 7,300 meals to local shelters, food banks, and community centers in Cook County.

We are extremely grateful to be in our fourth consecutive year partnering with C3 Presents and Lollapalooza, who share our commitment to harnessing the music industrys power to promote sustainability and combat hunger, says Musically Fed co-founder Maria Brunner. With their ongoing support, as well as the vital cooperation of caterers The Lakehouse  Mandeville, weve again made a difference in the lives of the food insecure throughout the Chicago area.

More Meals Ahead

Since its founding in 2016, Musically Fed has collaborated with artists, promoters, and venue operators to rescue surplus meals from backstage catering, artist hospitality, and VIP areas for repurposing to the communities hosting these major events. The Phoenix-based non-profit identifies the opportunities, coordinates logistics, and ensures that meals reach those who most need them. This past year alone, Musically Feds national partnerships have included The Grammy Awards, CMA Fest and The Rolling Stones Hackney Diamonds Tour, with upcoming tours that include P!nk, Green Day and Dierks Bentley.

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One Woman Political Satire Monologue at Ventfort Hall

LENOX, Mass.  Someone Must Wash the Dishes: An Anti-suffrage Satire is a one woman monologue portrayed by professional actress Michele LaRue at Ventfort Hall on Saturday, Aug. 24 at 4 pm.

A tea will be served after the performance.

This one woman performance is presented by Ventfort Hall in partnership with the Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum.

Written in 1912, by Marie Jenney Howe, a prominent pro-Suffragist and Unitarian minister, Howe satirizes arguments seen as accurate in their day, though absurd in ours, according to a press release. This fictional "Anti" sincerely believes being a "womanly woman" will keep the home intact and save the nation from anarchy. American women won the vote in 1920, following a 72-year battle againstnot only malebut female Anti-suffragists. As this year's key Election Day approaches, take a break to discover that historyand to savor some laughs.

Michele tours nationally with her repertoire of 30 Tales Well Told, vibrant stories from America's Gilded Age and Progressive Era. Her 600 past sponsors include libraries and historical societies; colleges and universities; women's clubs, theatres, senior communities, and international conferences. "I love bringing these Tales to life in my unique performance style, transporting audiences, and seeing joyous recognition on each face," Michele confides. "As one of my 600 presenters exclaimed, "How things haven't changed in the last 100 years!"

Michele is a member of Actors' Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA. As a writer and editor, she has collaborated on several notable theatre books. For photos and information about booking her productions, visit http://www.michelelarue.com
BCC Extends One Stop Enrollment Center Hours

PITTSFIELD, Mass  In preparation for the fall semester, which begins Tuesday, Sept. 3, Berkshire Community College (BCC) announces a temporary extension of One Stop Enrollment Center hours.

In addition to its normal hours of 8 am  4 pm Monday through Friday, One Stop will be open until 6 pm Monday through Thursday from Aug. 19 through Sept. 10. On Thursday, Aug. 29, Student Orientation Day, One Stop will be open until 8 pm.

The One Stop Enrollment Center is a full-service operation for incoming and prospective students, who can view an admission checklist and apply, browse a course catalogue, file a financial aid form or schedule a tour without an appointment. Advisors are on hand to process applications for instant acceptance to the College, answer questions and assist with financial aid  all with one-on-one personal attention.

In instances in which students need assistance outside normal or extended hours, One Stop staff will work to accommodate their schedule.

Applying to the College is now easier than ever before, especially with the introduction of the Commonwealth's MassEducate and MassReconnect program. MassEducate offers free community college to all Massachusetts residents, regardless of age, who have yet to earn a bachelor's degree. MassReconnect is a similar program for students ages 25 and older. In addition to offering free tuition, both programs include an allowance for books and supplies for eligible students.
Williamstown Planning Board Again Takes Up Short-Term Rentals

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The Planning Board on Tuesday discussed a bylaw proposal that might be ready for May's annual town meeting after bouncing back and forth between the Planning Board and Select Board the last couple of years.

But one board member said the regulation needs a lot more work.

Chair Peter Beck showed his colleagues a draft of a short-term rental bylaw that would allow unlimited rentals of a bedroom or an accessory-dwelling unit on a property where the owner resides and unlimited rentals of a primary home where the owner lives in an on-site ADU but limits the short-term rental of an entire primary dwelling unit to 90 days in a calendar year.

His draft bylaw only would apply in the town's residential districts, meaning that in commercial districts, any home could be on the market for services like Airbnb or Vrbo 365 days a year.

"What that leaves is a 90-day limitation on renting an entire dwelling unit [in a residential zone] when you're not living in an ADU on that property," Beck said. "That's all it does right now.

"Right now, it's just a rule. It would just be a zoning rule. It doesn't have an enforcement mechanism. It doesn't have a monitoring mechanism. These are other things we could consider adding. Right now, it's just a zoning rule that you have to follow, like all the other zoning rules that also don't have independent enforcement mechanisms."

That does not mean it would be ignored.

"In the case of 99 percent of zoning enforcement, it's voluntary compliance," Community Development Director Andrew Groff said. "When someone calls our office to ask the question, I could say, 'Please review this section of the bylaw,' as opposed to now, it's not clear what the regulation is."

Beck pointed out that while most compliance with the bylaw just happens, egregious violations  like a primary residence in a residential neighborhood that functions only as a short-term rental  could be reported to Town Hall.

"If there is an actionable piece like this, then we can set enforcement," Groff said. "If there's no compliance, they can appeal to the Zoning Board or we can move on to Housing Court."

Beck said penalties and an enforcement mechanism could be added to the bylaw later, if there are problems. Some in town have expressed concern that the emergence of the short-term rental industry could lead to housing stock being pulled from the full-time housing market, thus exacerbating an ever-increasing cost of housing.

The short-term rental bylaw idea came up on Tuesday in the context of a larger discussion about projects that the board hopes to continue in the year ahead, including a new open-space residential development bylaw and, perhaps, a rule to protect the town's aquifer as suggested to the planners on Tuesday by Public Works Director Craig Clough.

Beck and Roger Lawrence remain on the Planning Board from the days when it first took up the short-term rental question back in 2022. After deciding a townwide bylaw made more sense than one that operated differently in different zoning districts, the planners asked the Select Board to consider proposing such a bylaw.

When it became clear over the course of the next year and a half that the Select Board could not reach a consensus on whether the town needed such a regulation, the Planning Board took back the issue, this time narrowing the restrictions down to the residential districts in the latest iteration.

Cory Campbell is one of three members who was not not on the board back in '22, and on Tuesday he suggested that creating a bylaw that limits the number of days some homes can be rented is both too much and not enough.

It's too much, Campbell said, because the town already does not list STRs as an allowable use for homes. It's not enough because the bylaw drafted by Beck did not create standards for the vacation rentals.

"If I'm going to rent a place  I want to know that it's safe to be there," Campbell said.

Groff said that town bylaw could require regular Board of Health inspections under Chapter II of the state sanitary code.

"We have units that go back-and-forth between the short-term and long-term markets," Groff said, alluding to the Chapter II inspections already performed on full-time rentals. "I don't think it would increase [the health inspector's] burden significantly."

(North Adams passed an ordinance last year that requires all short-term rentals to register and pay an annual inspection fee; buildings that are not owner-occupied pay higher fees and also require a special permit.)

As for the other part of Campbell's comment  that short-term rentals are not currently permitted in the town  Beck agreed that they're not covered in the bylaw, but that does not mean they don't happen.

The town has ample evidence that there is an STR market in Williamstown  both from quick online searches of websites like Airbnb and reports from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue on how many homeowners are paying the state tax on the rentals. And local travel and tourism experts will note that short-term rentals are useful in an area where demand is sporadic enough (major concerts at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, Williams College graduation, for example) to need more rooms than full-time hotels can supply.

Beck said he has found one local court case from Nantucket where a judge found that because short-term rentals are not included in the use table of the town bylaws that they are illegal.

"Everything else I've seen has assumed people can [offer STRs] unless you regulate it in some way," Beck said. "Cory's argument is everyone currently doing short-term rentals in Williamstown is breaking our bylaw. I don't agree with that.  I don't think we have 200 scofflaws Airbnb'ing, even though they think it's illegal."

Campbell said if the town is going to enshrine the short-term rental as an allowable use in the bylaw, it needs to have a complete bylaw, including an enforcement mechanism.

"It can't fall to neighbors to notify the town about misconduct or negligence," Campbell said. "If this genie is out of the bottle and it's only going to become more pervasive, then that's just more burden on neighbors, and I don't want to see that happen.

"I'm not opposed to anything, except it can't be one of these one-page memos that so many towns have put out that have no enforcement value and just say, 'Yeah, it's Airbnb, great. Do it.' I just want it to be as informed as it possibly can be."
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Alain Delons wish that his pet dog be put down and buried with him has been denied by his children after uproar from animal rights activists.

The Plein Soleil actor, who died aged 88 on Sunday (18 August), had requested his 10-year-old Belgian Malinois, called Loubo, be put down and placed in his grave alongside him in the cemetery in his village of Douchy in Loiret.

Following Delons death, campaigners expressed horror that Loubo would be killed, and offered to find the Belgian Malinois a new home instead. The Brigitte Bardot Foundation later announced that Delons daughter Anouchka had confirmed their family would keep Loubo.

A foundation spokesperson said: Ive just had Anouchka Delon on the phone and she has told me that Loubo is part of the family and will be kept. The dog will not be put down.

Frances equivalent of the RSPCA, The SPA, was among numerous animal rights organisations to condemn Delons wish to kill his dog, writing: The life of an animal should not depend on that of a human. The SPA is happy to take his dog and find it a family.

In France, there is no law stopping pet owners from putting down their animals when they die. However, individual vets can decide whether or not to carry out the wishes of the deceased.

Delon adopted Loubo from a rehoming centre in 2014. The Le Samourai star kept the remains of at least 35 of his dogs on the grounds of his home in La Brulerie, 85 miles south-east of Paris, where he had lived since the early Seventies.

His three children, Anthony, 59, Anouchka, 33, and Alain-Fabien, 30 announced the death of their father in La Brulerie on Sunday and included a reference to Loubo in the statement.

Alain-Fabien, Anouchka, Anthony, as well as Loubo, are deeply saddened to announce the passing of their father, their announcement read.

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Back in 2018 Delon, who had been in poor health in recent years and suffered a stroke in 2019, told Paris Match that Loubo was his end of life dog.

Ive had 50 dogs in my life, but I have a special relationship with this one, he said. He misses me when Im not there.

Delon continued: If I die before him, Ill ask the vet to take us away together. Hell put him to sleep in my arms. Id rather do that than know that hell let himself die on my grave with so much suffering.
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A Sri Lankan diplomat has been ordered by a court to pay more than half a million Australian dollars to her former housekeeper in back wages during her stay in Canberra allegedly under conditions similar to modern slavery.

Himalee Arunatilaka, who served as the former deputy high commissioner of Sri Lanka between 2015 and 2018, paid Priyanka Danaratna just three per cent of the minimum wage in Australia, according to the Federal Court.

Ms Arunatilaka paid Ms Danaratna 5,805 (AUD$11,212) during her three years of work, David Hillard, the domestic workers lawyer said. The national minimum wage for a 38-hour week is 340.12 (AUD $656.90).

She worked seven days a week for three years, and she had two days off in that entire time  and she did that because she burned her hand while preparing some food, Mr Hillard, a pro bono partner at the law firm Clayton Utz, said.

Ms Danaratna filed a civil case against her employer under the Fair Work Act after she fled Ms Arunatilakas residence.

The Federal Court on Thursday found that Ms Arunatilaka breached the Fair Work Act and was ordered to pay 193,642 (AUD$374,000) in unpaid wages and a further 87,501.44 (AUD$169,000) in interest, bringing the total amount owed to more than 281,143 (AUD$543,000).

The court stated that Ms Danaratna was required to work ordinary hours in excess of an average of 38 per week, in excess of 10 hours per day, for more than five hours without an unpaid break of at least 30 minutes for a meal every day, and in excess of an average of 38 hours per week without being paid overtime.

It also noted that she was required to perform work on public holidays without being paid penalty rates and not paid a 17.5 per cent annual leave loading.

Ms Arunatilaka has never engaged with this proceeding: she has not filed a notice of address for service, a defence or any evidence or submissions opposing Ms Danaratnas claim. She did not attend the hearing. Ms Danaratna has served on Ms Arunatilaka all the material relied upon in support of her claim namely, the initiating processes, pleadings, evidence and submissions, the court noted.

At hearing I made this order on the basis that I was satisfied that Ms Arunatilaka had been notified on numerous occasions of the claim against her and of the hearing and it appeared that she did not intend, by her own election, to take any part in the proceedings.

The Sri Lankan foreign ministry came to Ms Arunatilakas defence and said she had followed government-approved rates in paying the wages. The allowance approved by the ministry as the salary of the employee has been paid to her, a ministry statement said.

The ministry is satisfied that the said salary was paid to the domestic assistant by the employer as mutually agreed.

Ms Arunatilaka now works as the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

Mr Hillard alleged that his client was not allowed breaks or holidays during her employment.

"Its an example of how modern slavery works," he said. "Vulnerable employees find themselves trapped in a situation where their lives are nothing but work, in a job they cannot escape."

He said that the employees passport was taken by the diplomat and Ms Danaratna was not allowed to leave the house without her or her husbands permission.

She told me that she would give me the passport back before I left Australia. Ms Arunatilaka did not explain why she wanted my passport. I gave my passport to her. I never saw that passport again, Ms Danaratna said in an court affidavit quoted by ABC.

Ms Danaratna alleges was only allowed to go on short walks around the neighbourhood which allowed her to contact the Salvation Army, an evangelical Protestant Christian church that engages in charity work.

On 14 August 2018, I told Ms Arunatilaka and her husband that I was going for a walk. I left Ms Arunatilakas residence, and the two people from the Salvation Army were waiting for me nearby in a car, she said, adding that she stayed in a safe house there.

Mr Hillard said the envoy does not have diplomatic immunity protection as she is no longer a diplomat in the country.

Journalist and political analyst Ranga Jayasuriya wrote that Sri Lanka should expect consequences, not just reputational damage.

In his editorial in Daily Mirror, he asked what is worse  the Sri Lankan diplomat ordered to pay half a million Australian dollars or the foreign ministry defending the diplomat in what would be international embarrassment.

The Independent has reached out to Ms Arunatilaka for comment.
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The Taliban has banned UN human rights special rapporteur Richard Bennett from entering Afghanistan after he repeatedly advocated for the restoration of basic rights for girls, women and minorities in the country.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesperson of the Taliban regime, said on Wednesday that the UN official would no longer be allowed to enter the war-torn country, claiming he was spreading propaganda.

Mr Bennett is based outside of Afghanistan but has visited the country on multiple occasions since his appointment in 2022 to research the human rights situation on the ground.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Mr Bennett called the Talibans move a step backwards and said he remains committed to serving Afghans striving for a stable, inclusive and properous country at peace with itself and its neighbours.

The Talibans public announcement that they will no longer grant me access to Afghanistan is a step backwards and sends a concerning signal about their engagement with the United Nations and the international community on human rights, he said.

Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, told Afghanistans Tolo News that Mr Bennetts reports on the denial of womens rights in Afghanistan under the militant group exaggerate[d] minor issues.

Mr Bennetts travel to Afghanistan has been prohibited because he was assigned to spread propaganda in Afghanistan. He is not someone we trust. He is not in Afghanistan, and he is no longer permitted to come here," he said.

Last week, as the Taliban celebrated the three-year anniversary of its takeover of Afghanistan, Mr Bennett called on the international community not to allow the hardline Islamists rule on the country to be seen as normal, as he flagged further deteriorations in human rights in the past year.

Over the past three years, the people of Afghanistan, especially women and girls, have been subjected to an appalling and intensifying attack on their rights and freedoms by a regime that lacks legitimacy and inclusivity, quashes all forms of dissent, represses civil society and the media, and has shown a flagrant disregard for the principles of justice, non-discrimination, equality, and the rule of law, he said in a statement, calling for urgent international action.

The Taliban has issued more than 80 edicts, directives, and statements which specifically target and restrict the rights of women and girls since taking power in Afghanistan, Mr Bennett said.

He added: The Talibans deliberate subjugation of women and girls is widespread and systematic, amounting to crimes against humanity, including the crime of gender persecution.

Mr Bennett was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022 to monitor Afghanistans human rights situation after the Taliban takeover in August 2021.

Experts say Mr Bennetts unflinching assessments of the gender apartheid in Afghanistan have angered the Taliban leadership.

Heather Barr, associate womens rights director at Human Rights Watch, told The Independent that the decision to ban Mr Bennett was a direct and frustrating consequence of a decision by UN officials to invite Taliban leaders, including Mujahid, to talks in Doha while excluding women.

Banning Mr Bennett will remove one of the few layers of scrutiny when it comes to monitoring the groups continued abuse of women, girls and minorities, she warned.

Mr Bennett also spoke out just before the Doha talks began in June this year, asking the UN and its member nations not to agree to Taliban demands to exclude women and civil society activists from the discussions and remain committed to feminist foreign policies.

The third round of the Doha talks was intended to set out a course for international engagement with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. The Taliban wasnt included in the first round and refused to join the second in February after the UN rejected its demand to act as Afghanistans sole official representative.

Everyone warned the UN before the [third] Doha meeting that they must not do this, this is incredibly harmful but they did not listen. We knew it was incredibly harmful as it potentially set a precedent about not discussing human rights, excluding Afghan women, Ms Barr said.

She said a message needed to be sent to the Taliban that they cannot stop human rights monitoring in Afghanistan and prevent the world from knowing about what they are doing to the country simply by preventing people from entering.

They cannot throw every single person out of Afghanistan, be it the UN or Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International. Richard and everyone will continue to do that work without the Talibans access and permission, she said.

Mr Bennett said in his statement that despite his differences with the Taliban, constructive dialogue was the answer. I urge the Taliban to reverse their decision and reiterate my willingness and availability to travel to Afghanistan, he said.

I will also continue to document human rights violations and abuses and advocate for improvements, adding that he has kept up this work despite being unable to travel to Afghanistan for over a year already.
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Thailand has confirmed Asias first known case of a new, more dangerous strain of mpox in a European traveller.

The patient, a 66-year-old man who arrived from an unnamed African country on 14 August, has tested positive for the Clade 1b variant, which is deadlier and more transmissible.

Thailands Department of Disease Control wishes to confirm the lab test result which shows mpox Clade 1b in a European patient, the department said in a statement.

The man had minimal contact with other people after he arrived in Thailand and sought medical attention the following day after he experienced symptoms similar to mpox, authorities said.

We have monitored 43 people who have been in close contact with the patient and so far they have shown no symptoms, but we must continue monitoring for a total of 21 days, the department said.

Earlier, Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, head of the Department of Disease Control, told Reuters: After he arrives from the flight there is very little timeframe where he comes into contact with others.

He arrived around 6pm and on the next day, 15 August, he went to see the doctor at the hospital.

He had earlier told AFP that the department had done a test and they definitely have mpox and its definitely not Clade 2.

We are convinced the person has the Clade 1 variant, but we have to wait to see the final result in the lab for two more days.

Thailand previously detected 800 cases of the Clade 2 variant but not any of Clade 1 or Clade 1b.

The European traveller had been placed in quarantine after his arrival in Bangkok, and lab tests were conducted to confirm the strain.

The department added that anyone travelling to Thailand from the 42 designated risk countries must register and undergo testing upon arrival.

Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, head of Thailands Department of Disease Control, speaks during a press conference in Bangkok on 21 August 2024 ( AFP via Getty Images )

There are two distinct clades or natural groups of the mpox virus: Clade 1 and Clade 2.

Clade 2 was responsible for the global outbreak which started in 2022. Clade 1 is considered more severe and is classified as a high consequence infectious disease.

The WHO has declared a public health emergency due to a new mpox outbreak in several African nations, with at least three cases now reported outside the continent.

More than 17,000 cases and 571 deaths have been confirmed in Africa so far this year.

In Thailand, authorities have mandated that all international airport disease control checkpoints and ports, particularly at Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi airports and Laem Chabang port, screen passengers arriving from Africa, the Bangkok Post reported.

Paramedical staff prepare an isolation ward set up as a preventative measure following Pakistan's health ministry confirmation of a case of mpox (Clade 2) in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, at a hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, 22 August 2024 ( AP )

The Philippines also recently reported its first mpox case of the year, involving a 33-year-old Filipino male with no travel history, the Department of Health announced on Monday. The patient is currently recovering in a hospital.

Were lucky because this mpox we found [here] was the original variety, clade 2. Mpox entered the country and [is] probably circulating in our community, countrys health secretary Teodoro Herbosa was quoted as saying by news channel ANC.

Patients gather to collect water from taps at the treatment centre for Mpox, an infectious disease caused by the Mpox virus that causes a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes and fever, in Munigi, Nyiragongo territory, near Goma in North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo on 19 August 2024 ( REUTERS )

Elsewhere in the region, Indonesia is implementing screening measures at its entry points. The Malaysian health ministry also announced it will start preventive measures, including increased surveillance at international entry points, requiring travellers from countries with mpox cases to monitor their health for 21 days.

Vietnams health ministry stated in a directive on Monday that it will monitor for suspected cases at the border and report them to a central database.
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A freak storm off the coast of Sicily resulted in a tornado that the islands civil protection agency said was believed to sink a luxury yacht on Monday, killing one man and leaving six missing.

While 15 of the 22 passengers onboard the 180ft Bayesian superyacht were rescued, the search continues for British technology tycoon Mike Lynch; his 18-year-old daughter Hannah Lynch; Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife Judy Bloomer; lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo.

Lynchs wife, Angela Bacares, was among those rescued, according to local media. Reuters reported that she owned the boat. The Associated Press said that eight of those rescued had been hospitalized, while others were relocated to a hotel.

open image in gallery The moment the Bayesian yacht is engulfed by a storm off the coast of Sicily on Monday ( Giornale di Sicilia / Reuters )

The deceased person was identified as Recaldo Thomas by the Palermo Port Authority after his body was found by divers. The vessels chef, whose name was initially also reported as Ricardo Thomas, was originally from Antigua and Barbuda.

The Bayesian, boasted one of the tallest aluminium masts in the world, according to Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi, and has been sailed a handful of times around Sicily recently. The boat was sailing under a British flag, according to ship-tracking site Marine Traffic.

Salvo Cocina, of Sicilys civil protection agency, said that the boat had been in the wrong place at the wrong time during the twister.

On Monday morning, there had been strong winds in the region. "The wind was very strong. Bad weather was expected, but not of this magnitude," a coast guard, from Palermo, also told Reuters on Tuesday.

open image in gallery The Coast Guard wrangle a rapid inflatable emergency lifeboat in Porticello Harbour on the Sicilian coast where the search continues for British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah, who are among six tourists missing after a luxury yacht sank in a tornado off the coast of Sicily ( Jonathan Brady/PA Wire )

Social media users posted video of waterspouts off the coast of Italy on the same day the Bayesian sank, and in the days before the tragic incident. Video posted online on Monday also showed the superyacht being engulfed in storm conditions.

The sea surface temperature around Sicily was around 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), which is almost 3 degrees more than normal. This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms, climatologist Luca Mercalli, president of the Italian meteorological society, said.

So we cant say that this is all due to climate change, but we can say that it has an amplifying effect, he added.

Mercalli said that a waterspout or a downburst, a more frequent phenomenon that doesnt involve the rotation of the air, could have been the cause of the sunken yacht.

open image in gallery Emergency workers search for the missing Bayesian superyacht in southern Italy on August 20 ( (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli) )

A waterspout is a column of air and water mist, and there are two types - tornadic and fair weather. Tornadic waterspounds have the ability to form over water, or start on land and then move over water. They have the same qualities as a land tornado -- also taking a ropelike structure -- and can be just as destructive.

Waterspouts are often associated with severe thunderstorms and accompanied by high winds and seas. All thunderstorms have the potential to produce tornadoes.

Dr. Pieter Groenemeijer, director of the European Severe Storms Laboratory (ESSL), told the Royal Meteorological Society last December that Europes greatest tornado density is in Italy, where 48 tornadoes are reported annually.

The average number of reported waterspouts in the Mediterranean region totals in the hundreds over the same period of time, according to the ESSL.

The best way to avoid waterspouts is to move at a 90-degree angle to its movement, according to the National Weather Service.

Warmer ocean temperatures are leading to changes in extreme weather, including increasing the intensity and frequency of storms.

The Atlantic hurricane season saw its earliest Category 5 hurricane on record in June, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said atmospheric and oceanic conditions had set the stage for an extremely active hurricane season.

The Independent will be revealing its Climate100 List in September and hosting an event in New York, which can be attended online.
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Simone Biles has claimed that a nightclub in Paris tried to charge her a hefty price for a bottle of champagne after the 2024 Olympics.

The 27-year-old gymnast opened up about her night out in France  following the Olympics closing ceremony earlier this month  in a video posted to her TikTok on August 19. While she filmed herself putting her makeup on, she recalled her experience at the Paris nightclub.

After [closing ceremonies] we went out, she said. You guys, this club tried to charge me $26,000 for a bottle of champagne. Like are you insane?

After noting that she obviously didnt buy the champagne, she still didnt understand why it was so expensive. But why would you even try to play me like that? Thats wild, she added.

open image in gallery Simone Biles claims Paris nightclub tried to charge her $26,000 for champagne after Olympics ( simonebiles / TikTok )

While Biles proceeded to apply her bronzer, she then shared her candid thoughts about being in the public eye.

I dont know sometimes, the attention, Id rather not have it, Biles, who won four medals at the 2024 Olympics, said. I rather just be as normal as possible, I dont know.

In the comments of her TikTok video, which has more than 1.8 million views, multiple people expressed how stunned they were by the price of the champagne.

$26k??? Thats insane! one wrote, while another added: $26,000 is crazy.

A third asked: Was it LArc??

Although Biles didnt specify which nightclub offered her the champagne, she did share videos on her Instagram Story at the LArc Paris on August 12, after the closing ceremony. In the two videos from the night, as reported by People, people could be seen holding up light-up signs that read Simone Biles God 4 Life and gym legend. She posted the footage alongside the caption: The reason why I am unwell this morning.

She also shared a black and white selfie of her and her sister, Adria Biles, at the club. In the caption, she quipped: If you see me out at the club, pls tell me to go homefor my own sake and health in the am.

The Independent has contacted a representative for Biles for comment.

At the Paris Olympics this year, Biles won four medals, three gold and one silver. She also became the most decorated American gymnast in history, as shes now won 11 Olympic medals.

On social media, she also recently poked fun at one of her viral moments at the 2024 Olympics. While she was in Paris, fans noticed her solemn look amid the competition  moments before taking her spot on the mat, bars, or beam  and they turned her facial gesture into a meme. Biles herself mocked her trending expression, jokingly posting a video of her glaring at the camera in multiple situations.

Biles shared footage on TikTok of herself shooting the look in different scenarios. Hearing someone on their couch has comments on the routine, her first on-screen caption read, as she walked in front of the camera, turned her head, and stared directly at the recorder.

In another part of the clip, she looked directly at the camera, barely blinking. When someone mentions womens sports, Biles wrote.

The vault when it sees her coming, the following text read, as the clip ended with Biles sitting at a table and doing her blank stare, before smiling at the camera.
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Authorities in Pakistan on Wednesday arrested and charged a man with cyber terrorism for his alleged role in spreading misinformation that led to widespread rioting in the U.K. earlier this month.

The suspect was identified as freelance web developer Farhan Asif, 32, said Imran Kishwar, deputy inspector general of investigations in Lahore, the capital of eastern Punjab province.

The man is accused of spreading misinformation from YouTube and Facebook about the British teenage suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three girls and injured 10 other people July 29 at a dance class in Northwest England.

The false information claimed that the suspect was a recently arrived asylum-seeker and had a name that suggested he was Muslim.

After the misinformation led to a violent mob attacking a mosque near the site of the stabbing the next day, police took the unusual step of clarifying that the suspect was born in the U.K. Its been widely reported in British media that his parents are from Rwanda and said to have Christian beliefs.

Channel3 Now, an account on the X social media platform that purports to be a news channel, was one of the first outlets to report the false name, Ali Al-Shakati. A Facebook account for the channel said it is managed by people in Pakistan and the U.S.

The sites editor-in-chief posted an apology July 31 for the misleading information published in a recent article on our website, Channel3 NOW. We deeply regret any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused.

But the false reports were widely disseminated and are blamed for fueling more than a week of rioting that broke out across the United Kingdom and has led to more than 1,000 arrests.

Authorities have blamed far-right agitators for stoking the violent unrest by continuing to spread misinformation and promoting the violent demonstrations online.

At a news conference in the eastern city of Lahore, the police official Kishwar said Asif was arrested at his house in the city for questioning.

He said Asif has claimed that he was not the source of the misinformation but that he reposted it from social media. Kishwar said Asif ran the Channel3 Now account, and alleged that he spread fake news to gain more viewers and income.

He regretted over reposting fake news, Kishwar told The Associated Press. This act on the part of Asif amounts to cyber terrorism for which he has been charged."

Kishwar added that Asif's arrest was a message for other YouTubers that they should verify facts before disseminating any information.

Police have handed over the case to the Federal Investigation Agency or FIA, which handles cases relating to the cyber terrorism. FIA said the misinformation shared by Asif created a sense of fear, insecurity in England, and added that it also harmed Pakistan's reputation.

It was unclear if Britain had requested his extradition. There is no extradition treaty between Pakistan and the U.K.

Federal investigators were granted permission by a court Wednesday to further question Asif for a day. Asif is expected to appear before a court again on Thursday when investigators are expected to seek more time to quiz him.

___ Melley reported from London.
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Ukraines parliament has banned the activities of religious groups tied to the Russian Orthodox Church or any other faith group supporting Russia's invasion  a measure widely seen as targeting a Ukrainian religious body, despite its claim to independence from Moscow.

The bill creates the legal tools for the government to ban the activities of any religious group deemed to be too closely connected to Russia or to support its invasion of Ukraine..

The Verkhovna Rada approved the bill on Tuesday with 265 affirmative votes and only 29 opposed.

The explicit ban on the Russian Orthodox Church is seen as aimed at the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which historically has been tied to the Russian church.

The UOC has proclaimed its loyalty to Ukraine and insists that it has broken from the authority of the Russian Orthodox Church.

But the Ukrainian government says it remains canonically tied to the Russian church and its Moscow-based patriarch, who has depicted the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a holy war.

A large majority of Ukrainians are Orthodox, but they are divided between two main groups with similar names: the UOC and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which would not be affected by the legislation. Many Ukrainians continue to call the UOC the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate, as it was commonly known, despite its recent claims to independence.

The approval of the legislation comes more than a year and a half after it was first endorsed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and underwent multiple revisions.

The bill requires Zelenskyy's signature, which is expected. It is our common duty to guarantee Ukrainian spiritual independence, Zelenskyy said earlier this month.

The bill authorizes the government to investigate suspect religious groups, though final court enforcement of any action could not take effect until nine months after the laws publication.

The bill explicitly prohibits activities of the Russian Orthodox Church, calling it an ideological extension of the regime of the aggressor state and an accomplice to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

It also bans religious organizations with ties to any organization located in a state carrying out armed aggression against Ukraine, or supporting such aggression.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has had a centuries-long affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church. Three months after Russias invasion in 2022, the UOC declared its full self-sufficiency and independence from Moscow, and it has repeatedly declared its loyalty and called on members to fight for Ukraine as a sacred duty.

But many Ukrainians remain suspicious of the church.

Since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion, criminal proceedings have been initiated against over 100 clerics of the UOC for alleged war-related crimes, the Security Service of Ukraine said on Tuesday. Almost 50 of them have already been charged, and 26 have received court sentences, it said. Some clerics were exchanged for Ukrainians held in Russian captivity, according to the service.

After searching UOC church sites, the nations security agency has shared photos of the evidence it found, including rubles, Russian passports, and pro-Russian leaflets

The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience has said after examining the UOCs governing documents that the church remains a structural unit of the Russian Orthodox Church.

A lawyer representing the UOC denounced the legislation as a grotesque violation of religious freedom.

Its rare in law to find a bill so contemptuous of legal standards as this bill, attorney Robert Amsterdam, whose firm is based in Washington and London, said in an interview. "We will go to every court we can. We will go to the United Nations.

Amsterdam called the measure religious cleansing." He insisted that the new law makes it impossible for the UOC to defend itself because it targets any religious organization that the Russian Orthodox Church claims, in its own governing documents, to control. Amsterdam said the UOC cant control whats in the ROC charter.

He noted the bill also targets any religious organization whose authorized persons are convicted for crimes against Ukraine's security. He said that amounts to illegal collective punishment against an entire church and its believers for the alleged actions of its leaders.

The Ukrainian bill also prohibits any religious organization promoting the Russian world ideology.

The bill is yet another manifestation of a deep-rooted religious and cultural struggle behind the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin has justified the invasion in part on the claim that Moscow oversees a wider Russian world, a sphere of cultural and spiritual influence across present-day Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

Ukrainians consider that concept as ideological aggression, noting that Kyiv adopted Christianity in the 10th century and was the regions political and spiritual center long before the rise of Moscow.

Moscow Patriarch Kirill, who oversees the Russian Orthodox Church, has portrayed the war as part of a metaphysical struggle against the West and gay pride parades. In March, Kirill oversaw a council that declared Russia's invasion a holy war" in defense of the region's single spiritual space. The document claims Russia is protecting the world from "globalism and the victory of the West that has fallen into Satanism.

The OCU was formed by a merger of two breakaway churches created in parallel with Ukraine's assertion of political independence from Russia. The OCU received recognition in 2019 as completely independent  or autocephalous  by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who is deemed the first among equals among Orthodox patriarchs. But unlike a pope, he doesnt have universal authority in the church, and Kirill fiercely rejected Bartholomew's decree.

Leaders of other religious groups in Ukraine say that in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, minority faiths are severely persecuted.

___

AP journalists Hanna Arhirova and Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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The World Health Organisation on Wednesday declared mpox a global health emergency in response to the growing number of cases both in Africa and other continents.

Mpox belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox but causes milder symptoms like fever, chills and body aches. People with more serious cases can develop characteristic lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals.

Formerly known as monkeypox, the virus that was first identified by scientists in 1958 when there were outbreaks of a pox-like disease in monkeys. The name was changed to mpox because it is inaccurate, with scientists suggesting that the virus may have actually originated from rodents.

This week WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the emergence and spread of a new variant of mpox as very worrying.

Its clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives, he said, as he raised concerns about the viruss spread across international borders.

The first case to reported outside of Africa was discovered in Sweden, with officials in Thailand also seeking on Wednesday to determine the strain of an mpox case in a European man who arrived from Africa the previous week.

More than 17,000 mpox cases and 524 deaths have been reported in Africa this year alone, with more than 96 per cent of fatalities reported from the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is the second time in two years that the WHO has expressed deep concern about the virus, which first seized global attention in 2022.

The WHOs emergency declaration is aimed at spurring donor agencies and countries into action. But the global response to previous declarations has been mixed.

This photo supplied by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) dated 31 May 2023, shows health workers educating children on the symptoms of the mpox disease in Goma, Congo ( AP )

Africa CDC director general Dr Jean Kaseya said his own agencys declaration of a public health emergency was meant "to mobilise our institutions, our collective will and our resources to act swiftly and decisively." He appealed to Africas international partners for help, saying that the escalating caseload in Africa had largely been ignored.

"Its clear that current control strategies arent working and there is a clear need for more resources," said Michael Marks, a professor of medicine at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. "If a (global emergency declaration) is the mechanism to unlock these things, then it is warranted," he said.

Heritier Bwira, a Congolese health worker guides relatives and patients discharged on the hygienic measures to follow after recovering from Mpox ( Reuters )

For decades most human cases of mpox were seen in people in central and West Africa who had close contact with infected animals.

The WHO declared its first mpox emergency in 2022 when the virus was confirmed to spread via sex for the first time, triggering outbreaks in more than 70 countries across the world that had never previously reported cases.

Cases plunged dramatically after a sustained campaign to deliver vaccines. However, it remained endemic to certain parts of Africa where the vaccines could not be delivered.

The number of cases this year has jumped dramatically, already exceeding last years figure. Last week, the Africa CDC reported that mpox has now been detected in at least 13 African countries. Compared with the same period last year, the agency said cases are up 160 per cent and deaths have increased by 19 per cent.

Earlier this year, scientists reported the emergence of a new form of mpox in a Congolese mining town that can kill up to 10 per cent of people and may spread more easily.

Unlike in previous mpox outbreaks, where lesions were mostly seen on the chest, hands and feet, the new form of mpox causes milder symptoms and lesions on the genitals. That makes it harder to spot, meaning people might also sicken others without knowing theyre infected.

During the global outbreak of mpox in 2022, gay and bisexual men made up a large majority of cases and the virus was mostly spread through close contact, including sex.

This undated image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases shows a colorized transmission electron micrograph of mpox particles (red) found within an infected cell (blue), cultured in the laboratory that was captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility ( AP )

Although some similar patterns have been seen in Africa, children under 15 now account for more than 70 per cent of the mpox cases and 85 per cent of deaths in Congo.

Ahead of its emergency meeting, Mr Tedros said officials were dealing with several mpox outbreaks in various countries with "different modes of transmission and different levels of risk."

"Stopping these outbreaks will require a tailored and comprehensive response," he said.

The WHO said mpox was recently identified for the first time in four East African countries: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. All of those outbreaks were linked to the epidemic in Congo.

This is an outbreak that has been simmering and festering and expanding over the course of a year now, Gregg Gonsalves, a Yale School of Public Health epidemiologist who has advised the WHO on mpox, was quoted as saying by the Washington Post. Im not quite clear why they took so long to do it, he added referring to the emergency declaration.

Now that its done, we need to move quickly to ensure DRC gets all the requisite tools they need to combat the outbreak.

One person in Sweden has been diagnosed with mpox caused by the clade I variant, marking the first such case outside Africa.

There are two distinct clades of the mpox virus: Clade I and Clade II. Clade II was responsible for the global outbreak that began in 2022. Clade I is considered more severe and is classified as a high consequence infectious disease.

According to the public health agency of Sweden, the individual contracted the virus during a stay in a part of Africa experiencing a major outbreak of clade I mpox.

Clade I is more likely to cause severe disease and higher mortality than clade IIb  the variant previously found in Sweden. Although the risk to the general population remains very low, the public health agency said the authorities are closely monitoring the situation.

Sweden has measures in place for infection control and no additional steps are needed at this time, it added.

MPXV  a virus related to smallpox  causes a rash illness that can range from mild and localised to severe and widespread.

Reuters reported on Friday that China will monitor people and goods entering the country for mpox over the next six months, following the declaration by the World Health Organisation that the virus is again a global health emergency.

Individuals from countries with mpox outbreaks who have had contact with cases or show symptoms are required to report to customs. Vehicles and goods from affected areas should be sanitised.

China classifies mpox as a Category B infectious disease, allowing for emergency measures during outbreaks.

The global health agency has released $1.45m from its emergency fund to assist surveillance, preparedness and response activities to contain the spread of virus, but would need up to $15m to ramp up the system effectively.
 Close The public health emergency was declared by the WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for $135 million funding to combat the Mpox strain outbreak, which scientists say is mutating more rapidly than expected.

On August 14, the organisation declared an Mpox-related global health emergency for the second time in two years.

Speaking to WHO member states, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the latest outbreak can be controlled and can be stopped.

$135 million of funding will be needed over the next six months to halt the outbreak, an amount which will likely increase over time, Mr Ghebreyesus added.

Scientists have expressed concern at the rate at which the current Mpox strain, Clade Ib, is mutating.

Nigerian scientist Dr. Dimie Ogoina said they dont understand the outbreak very well, leading to difficulty in addressing the diseases transmission and severity.

Seattle-based doctor Dr. Miguel Paredes said the virus is mutating more rapidly than we would expect.

Democratic Republic of Congo has faced the brunt of the outbreak, which has also spread to Burundi, Central African Republic, Rwanda, and Uganda.

The UK is readying itself after Sweden reported Europes first case of the deadly variant. Three days ago, Thailand confirmed Asias first suspected case of the variant.
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Around 15% of Scottish adults do not have the skills to access the internet, a report on digital exclusion has found.

An estimated one in six adults lack the digital skills needed for everyday life, according to the report from the Auditor General for Scotland and the Accounts Commission.

It calls for public bodies to improve technology to deliver services, amid warnings from Scottish Labour that the current situation is failing marginalised communities.

The Scottish Government said it has allocated 10 million for 2025-26 to help our most disadvantaged families with devices, internet access and the skills to use them, as it insisted it is striving to make Scotland a fully digitally inclusive nation.

The report warned: Some people are being left behind as more services move online and reliance on digital technology increases, causing unintended harms and further widening inequalities.

It said it is estimated 15% of adults lack the digital skills to turn on a digital device, connect to the internet, or update a password.

Another 14% are unable to afford sufficient, private and secure access to the internet, while 9% of households do not have access to the internet, according to the latest Scottish Household Survey.

Households with an income of 40,000 a year predominantly have access to the internet, with only 1% unable to get online, the report said.

However, households on a 10,000 a year income, for example the state pension, only 69% have internet access.

The report said: All public bodies have a responsibility  they need to do more to support people to use digital tools in a way that benefits them and make sure they can access the services they need.

Failing to do so intensifies the impacts felt by already vulnerable people  due to poverty, age or because they have a disability.

The report added: To help mitigate the harms caused by inequalities, by the end of 2024/25 the Scottish Government and Cosla need to develop a clear action plan, with clarity on leadership, roles and responsibilities. This must also include detail about the funding needed and available.

This is vital  its currently unclear across local and Scottish Government, and the third sector, who is responsible for delivering Scotlands national digital strategy.

Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said: Digital technology is at the heart of public service reform. Increasing efficiency is vital to ensure services can be delivered cost-efficiently, at a time of ever-intensifying budget and service pressures.

To achieve this, the Scottish Government must have clear actions to tackle and mitigate the impacts of digital exclusion. Failing to do so risks marginalising the most vulnerable people in our communities.

Scottish Labour social justice spokesman Paul OKane said This report sets out the high cost of failing to tackle digital exclusion  but the SNP Government is set to raid digital exclusion funds for the second year in a row.

It is the most marginalised communities in Scotland that will pay the price for the SNPs broken promises on this important issue.

The SNP must listen to this stark warning and set out a real plan to break down the barriers that risk locking vulnerable people out of vital public services.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: We welcome the report and will consider its findings and recommendations.

Tackling digital exclusion remains a priority and we have allocated 10 million for 2025-26 to help our most disadvantaged families with devices, internet access and skills.

Our Digital Inclusion Alliance is undertaking in-depth analysis to identify and address any gaps in support from public, private and third sectors.

The Scottish Government also supports connectivity projects, including a 28.75 million initiative which delivered 4G infrastructure and services in 55 mobile phone signal blackspots.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) recently published data showing the level of digital exclusion among clients had increased by 59% in two years.

CAS spokesman Kyle Scott said: The consequences of being digitally excluded vary. For one thing, it makes you unable to apply for jobs or benefits, and unable to access consumer services like price comparison or anti-scam websites.

It also excludes you from staying connected and in touch with loved ones, so it can have a big impact on peoples mental health and loneliness. Those affected include older or disabled people and those on low incomes, many of whom face complex and vulnerable circumstances.

Cosla has been contacted for comment.
 Close Final moments of seven who died in Bayesian tragedy revealed by fire service boss

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The captain of the Bayesian has insisted that he did everything possible to save those on board the superyacht, according to local reports.

Sources close to James Cutfield, 51, told the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera that the 51-year-old New Zealander is currently living through the darkest days of his life as he is under investigation for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck charges.

They reportedly said Mr Cutfield repeatedly insists that he did not abandon any of the 22 passengers and crew and that he did everything could could to save them.

However, there reached a point when he could do little as the vessel had taken on too much water, they added.

Since Wednesday, Tim Parker Eaton, the engineer who was in charge of securing the yachts engine room, and sailor Matthew Griffith, who was on watch duty on the night of the disaster, are also under investigation for the same possible charges, their lawyer said on Friday.

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the seven people who were killed after his superyacht capsized and went down on 19 August within minutes of being hit by a pre-dawn storm off the coast of Sicily.
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Three children and a woman have been killed in a suspected arson attack as police launch a murder investigation.

Police were called by the fire service to reports of a house fire at a property at 2.07am on Westbury Road, Bradford.

A 29-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Three children  two girls aged nine and one, and a five-year-old boy  were taken to hospital. All three died from the injuries they suffered in the fire.

A 39-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and taken to hospital with critical injuries.

This is a live story. Follow the latest coverage of the Bradford fire on our live blog.

One woman, who lives on Westbury Road, told the Telegraph and Argus: My husband went up the street to see if he could help.

He could see it was a house fire as there were flames and smoke coming out of it. The fire was blazing.

But firefighters and police told him to stand back and not put himself in danger. There were other residents trying to help too.

She added: There was really thick smoke coming up the street. It filled the whole area. It looked foggy. It was overwhelming.

You could hear screaming. I was scared to go up there to see because you dont know whats happening.

One floral tribute left at the cordon close to the semi-detached home, read: Have fun in heaven, we will miss you.

DCI Stacey Atkinson of the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team at West Yorkshire Police said: This is an absolutely devastating incident in which three children and a woman have lost their lives. Our thoughts remain with their family, friends and loved ones.

Early enquiries show that the fire was started deliberately, and we have arrested one man on suspicion of murder. He is seriously ill in hospital today as a result of injuries caused by the fire.

While our enquiries are at an early stage, we do at this time believe the incident is domestic related.

We are appealing anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident or who has CCTV or doorbell footage to come forward.

She added: Specially trained officers are supporting the family, and we are working with local neighbourhood officers to carry out enquiries and provide reassurance in the area.

Anyone who witnessed anything suspicious is asked to contact police via 101 or use the live chat facility https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/LiveChat quoting log 107 of 21 August.

Information can always be given anonymously via the independent Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.
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The prime minister has been urged to have the political and moral courage to help IPP prisoners after an inmate with an indefinite jail term took his own life when he heard resentencing proposals were rejected under the Tories.

Sir Bob Neill, former chairman of the cross-party justice committee which issued recommendations for all inmates trapped under the controversial jail terms to be resentenced, said the death of inmate Sean Davies last February was a tragedy.

He is one of at least 90 IPP prisoners to have taken their own lives in jail as they lose hope of ever being freed.

IPP jail terms were introduced under New Labour in 2005 and saw offenders given a minimum tariff but no maximum. They were scrapped in 2012 amid human rights concerns.

A coroner this week warned that the 30-year-olds suicide inside HMP Swaleside came in the wake of the devastating news that the then-Tory government had rejected the committees advice to help IPP prisoners.

In a suicide note, Mr Davies said he hoped his death would trigger change for IPP prisoners with no hope of release.

Former chairman of the justice committee Sir Bob Neill called for Starmer to have the courage to resentence IPP prisoners ( AFP/Getty )

In a strongly worded statement, Sir Bob, who stood down as a Conservative MP before the general election, called for the new government under Sir Keir Starmer to do the right thing before more lives are lost.

The justice secretary and prime minister need to get a grip on this urgently and show some political and moral courage, he told The Independent.

Anything other than resentencing is scratching at the surface of the problem. They do not have baggage of the previous administration and have a unique opportunity finally do the right thing.

They need to stand up and be counted - all it needs is some leadership.

He is joined by grieving families and campaigners who warn time is running out for desperate IPP inmates languishing in jail as pressure mounts on the recently elected government to act.

Their calls come after the UN special rapporteur on torture also issued fresh calls for them to reconsider a resentencing exercise, as she slammed the inhuman sentence as psychological torture.

Dr Alice Jill Edwards assumed the post of UN special rapporteur on torture last August ( UN Human Rights Council screengrab )

Despite being halted in 2012, the abolition of the policy did not affect those already sentenced, leaving thousands trapped in jail for years beyond their original prison terms.

Of 2,734 people still incarcerated under the abolished sentence, more than 700 have served at least 10 years longer than their minimum tariff.

Mr Davies, who was jailed in 2012 for two counts wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, had served 11 years for a five year minimum tariff when he took his own life on 25 February 2023.

Sara Ramsden, of campaign group UNGRIPP, said the tragic case brings home the hard reality of the governments inaction over IPP.

Its not an isolated incident, unfortunately. Lots of people have taken their lives due to the despair and lack of hope associated with the IPP sentence, she said.

We had the highest annual number of deaths in custody on IPP after the justice select committee recommended resentencing and it was rejected. Those are hard facts you cant get away from.

Shirley De Bono, whose son Shaun Lloyd was handed an IPP sentence for stealing a mobile phone, said the decision of then-justice secretary Dominic Raab to reject resentencing proposals was devastating for inmates and their families who had so much hope.

The moment he took that away we knew there was going to be catastrophic consequences, said Ms De Bono, who co-founded IPP Committee in Action.

I urge this Labour government  you created this sentence, now its time to get rid of it altogether.

IPP prisoner Thomas White has served 12 years for stealing a mobile phone. Pictured with his son Kayden, aged just ten months ( Margaret White )

Clara White, whose brother Thomas has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in prison after serving more than 12 years for stealing a mobile phone, fears more lives will be lost to suicide without drastic action.

She said she is fighting to keep her brother alive after he tried to set himself alight in his prison cell earlier this year.

Its clear that the government are avoiding it, she said. They need to look at resentencing. They are liable for this  they designed it, they created it and they can get rid of this sentence.

How much more evidence do they have to ignore to get a resentencing exercise?

I am distraught and I find it really difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that its legal for these deaths to continue.

IPP prisoner Yusuf Ali, now 50, has been driven to hunger strike as he loses hope of ever being freed ( Jacqueline Ali )

Mother Jacqueline Ali warned time is running out for her son Yusuf, 50, who previously went on hunger strike for 60 days as he struggles under an IPP sentence.

Its torturous and they dont deserve it, she told The Independent. They are killing me slowly and they are killing him slowly.

I used to have hope that he could come home and could have a bit of a normal life. But thats fast fading. Im just hoping one day the truth will come out.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Sean Davies.

The Lord Chancellor is committed to working with organisations and campaign groups to ensure the appropriate course of action is taken to support those still serving rightfully abolished IPP sentences. We will consider the findings of this report in due course.

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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Emergency measures to delay court hearings due to the shortage of prison cells raise the risk that suspects could be detained unlawfully in police custody, experts have told The Independent.

Keeping defendants in cells longer than is allowed could open up police forces to possible legal action.

With prisons struggling to cope with an influx of new inmates remanded over rioting, fuelled by the far right, the government announced on Monday that it was activating Operation Early Dawn across swathes of north England and the Midlands.

Under the contingency measure, previously used in March and May, suspects will appear before a magistrate only once it is confirmed that there is a prison cell available in case they are refused bail.

They will be held in a police station until they are summoned to court, the Ministry of Justice said on Monday.

But under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, a suspect held in police custody after being charged with a crime must be brought before a magistrate no later than the courts next sitting day.

Failing to release the suspect on police bail beyond that point could amount to unlawful detention, experts say.

Riots erupted after misinformation spread false claims about the suspect in the Southport knife attack, in which three young girls were killed ( PA Wire )

The Police Federation has told The Independent it is closely engaging strategically with policing partners to highlight and identify risks to our members associated with scenarios of unlawful detention in custody.

When Operation Early Dawn was last enacted, the federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, warned that suspects were being kept in police custody facilities unlawfully.

In an open letter, published on 28 June, the federation warned that continuing to detain a suspect who cannot appear before a magistrate under Operation Early Dawn would straightforwardly be unlawful and amount to false imprisonment  leaving both the police force and custody officers vulnerable to legal action.

As of Friday afternoon, 1,117 arrests and 677 charges had been brought since the unrest broke out on 30 July. Figures published that morning showed 460 defendants had attended a first magistrate hearing, during which 327 were denied bail.

A federation spokesperson said all officers should act within the law and that it had been reassured by the National Police Chiefs Council that forces have robust policies in place to significantly reduce instances where someone may be held in custody unlawfully.

It is understood that such procedures include police liaising with courts to prioritise cases to avoid unlawful detentions and conduct video hearings where possible, or to take prisoners to court themselves when they are not collected by the prisoner escort services.

Sir Keir Starmer has vowed rioters will face swift justice ( PA Wire )

Katy Hanson, vice-chair of the Criminal Law Solicitor Association, told The Independent that the body had raised concerns about the risk of unlawful detentions with the Ministry of Justice in May but had received no response.

Warning that court delays caused by the lack of space in prisons is causing a backlog and issues throughout the [criminal justice system], Ms Hanson said: The concerns raised in May remain and are exacerbated by the sudden significant increase of cases.

While the Law Society said it had not yet seen any reports of potentially unlawful detentions, president Nick Emmerson said solicitors are already alert to this risk and are monitoring the situation.

Using police cells for post-hearing detention if the court remands someone in custody could be a better option to reduce the risk of unlawful detention, Mr Emmerson said.

While it is not clear how Operation Early Dawn is being used in practice, criminal defence solicitor Stephen Davies said it appears that priority is given to the most serious cases, while others are left to wait or suspects are released on police bail.

The reality is the courts and prisons cannot cope, so the only way to tackle this problem is to prevent the work from entering the courts in the first place, said Mr Davies, of the firm Edwards Duthie Shamash.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4s Today show on Tuesday, Labour frontbencher Jo Stevens insisted that anyone who poses a risk to the public will obviously not be bailed, adding: Theyll be held in a police station until theyre summoned to court, and that should be no later than the day after being charged.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: The justice system is facing unprecedented pressures but over the last few weeks we have seen what the courts can achieve when running at full throttle. We have been clear that Operation Early Dawn is designed to ensure statutory duties will continue to be met.

A government scheme to release inmates who have served 40 per cent of their sentences does not begin until early September.
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Pakistani authorities have arrested a man and charged him with cyber terrorism for his alleged role in spreading misinformation that led to rioting in the UK earlier this month, a senior police investigator said Wednesday.

The suspect was identified as Farhan Asif, 32, a freelance web developer, said Imran Kishwar, deputy inspector general of investigations in Lahore, the capital of eastern Punjab province.

The man is accused of spreading misinformation from YouTube and Facebook about the British teenage suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three girls and injured 10 other people July 29 at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport.

The misleading information spread quickly online in the UK, with riots breaking out in various locations, including major cities such as Liverpool. Dozens of police officers were injured and more than a thousand people were arrested.

Objects are thrown towards police at the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire ( Danny Lawson/PA Wire )

There were also anti-racist counter-demonstrations attended by thousands of people.

One of the platforms editors-in-chief posted an apology on July 31 for the misleading information published in a recent article on our website, Channel3 Now. We deeply regret any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused.

At a news conference in the eastern city of Lahore, police said Asif was arrested at his house in the city for questioning.

They said Asif has claimed that he was not the source of the misinformation but that he reposted it from social media.

Police have handed over the case to the Federal Investigation Agency, which handles cases relating to cyber terrorism. It was unclear if Britain had requested his extradition.

According to the latest Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) figures, 494 people have been charged in relation to the recent rioting. More than 150 people have already been sentenced, with the vast majority facing jail sentences.

On Wednesday, the latest batch of defendants to appear in court included men accused or convicted of unrest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham.

Police officers in front of a smashed window as trouble flared during an anti-immigration protest outside the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire on August 4 (Danny Lawson/PA) ( PA Wire )

The unrest outside the Holiday Inn Express, in Manvers, on August 4 left 58 police officers, three police horses and a police dog injured, and saw attempts to storm the building and set it on fire.

Railway engineer Morgan Hardy, 29, of Melton High Street, Rotherham, is accused of throwing chairs, fencing and a fire extinguisher at police guarding the hotel, and denies violent disorder.

Former soldier Peter Beard, 43, of Becknoll Road, Brampton Bierlow, Rotherham, was jailed for two-and-a-half years after admitting pushing aggressively at the line of officers.

The father-of-three, who undertook tours of duty in Kosovo, Bosnia and Northern Ireland, was told by Judge Jeremy Richardson KC: Your conduct was shameful, it was disgraceful and, in many respects, astonishing.

Passing sentence at Sheffield Crown Court, the judge heard how Beard served in the Royal Green Jackets between 1998 and 2003, and said he was astonished that the defendant had become involved as he had been on the receiving end of public order incidents as a peacekeeper.

A 27-year-old man who threw a wood panel onto a fire outside the hotel admitted a charge of arson with intent to endanger life.

Recorder of Sheffield Judge Jeremy Richardson KC told Thomas Birley his offending is unquestionably the most serious of all those he has dealt with in the last fortnight in relation to the rioting outside the Holiday Inn Express, at Manvers, Rotherham, on August 4.

Birley, of Rowms Lane, Swinton, Rotherham, who also admitted violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon, will be sentenced on September 6.
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A Ukrainian comedian has shared his disappointment that his Edinburgh Fringe show is attracting audiences of three or four people, despite it being the only standup show that touches on the biggest war happening in Europe.

Describing it as a frustrating situation, Dima Watermelon, whose name is translated to English from Ukrainian, is performing in a 40-person Free Fringe venue.

This means that Mr Watermelon, whose work is reportedly popular in the European circuit, could well be left at a loss after his pay what you want show, Ukrainian Dream, comes to a close.

He told The Independent he has faced several barriers in bringing the show, which sheds light on the situation in Ukraine, to the festival including the challenges which come from being an international performer.

While Mr Watermelon said that he has received support from Ukrainians, in particular, a lack of media interest has been his biggest problem.

My main frustration lies with the Fringe Media, he said. I received virtually no reviews, the only one coming after I personally approached the reviewer following his review of another Russian comedian living in [the] UK now and handed him a flyer for my show.

I dont understand [the low interest]. There are [thousands of] shows, its true, but only one touches on the biggest war happening in Europe right now.

The comedian is sharing the Ukrainian perspective on the war in a light-hearted, humorous way. ( Handout )

The show has had just one review so far. ( Handout )

The Edinburgh Fringes Artists Services team reports that a comedian performing at a 30-person venue, even if they obtain the venue for free, can expect to pay 2,000 on accommodation and other expenses for the month.

A musician, who is performing three dates at this years festival, told The Independent that even after receiving a grant from a local artists organisation, they will only break even if they sell out their shows.

Ive done some terrible shows with small crowds, some weekday shows with four to five people, Mr Watermelon told Edinburgh Live.

Usually its around 10 to 15 people, and Ive had some shows with 30, which is good for a 40-seat venue.

I was expecting more attention from the press to get into the UK comedy circuit. Its a good show. Im frustrated by the lack of attention.

Ukrainian Dream is described as an inspirational comedy show for disturbing times and comes with a trigger warning for distressing or potentially triggering themes and strong language/swearing.

The comedian, who lives with his mother in Berlin, Germany, following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, said he has channelled his traumatic experiences into his standup.

He explained: I joke in my set that I hate Russia because they made me live with my mother.

The comedian jokes that he hates Russia because the country forced him to live with his mother. ( Handout )

Mr Watermelon stressed that while he is dealing with heavy subject matter, he is doing so in an entertaining way that will open peoples eyes to the Ukrainian experience of the war.

This show is important because it offers a Ukrainian perspective on current events through the lens of humour, he said.

Living in the West, I often see Ukraine discussed and debated in the media without Ukrainians voices being heard. We become the subject of conversations, not active participants.

This show is an attempt to address common talking points like corruption, the threat of nuclear war, [and] attitudes toward Russians from a Ukrainian perspective. But it does so in a light-hearted, humorous way.

Ukrainian Dream is running at the Laughing Horse until 25 August.
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The Environment Agency has said it will consider legal action against a water company after sewage was spilled into the sea at a Devon beach.

Swimmers were told to stay out of the sea at Exmouth Beach after authorities issued a do not swim warning to holidaymakers over the weekend.

The source of the pollution was a burst pipe on private land and the Environment Agency said it has called on South West Water (SWW) to work to stop further sewage from contaminating the seawater.

The agency said in a statement: We continue to monitor the site closely and encourage the public to check Swimfo for the latest status of bathing water quality before swimming.

Given the seriousness of the incident, the Environment Agency is considering what legal approach to take for these pollutions on Exmouth beach.

Swimmers were told to stay out od the sea at Exmouth beach ( PA )

Clarissa Newell, regulatory manager at the Environment Agency, told BBC Radio Devon: We are investigating and considering all enforcement options that could be a warning, it could be the water company promises to invest in the environment they damaged or the infrastructure that caused that damage, or we go to prosecution.

Following the leak on 14 August, residents were concerned about the impact on local businesses, which rely on tourism over the summer.

Yellow warning signs were spotted on the beach on Sunday, and lifeguards have been using loudspeakers to alert beachgoers to the potential dangers.

SWW apologised for the disruption caused by the leak, which it said originated from a burst pipe at the Maer Lane pumping station.

Newly elected Conservative MP David Reed for Exmouth and Exeter East described the scene as extremely depressing and expressed frustration with the water company.

In a statement on X, Mr Reed said: To see Exmouth beach with so few people enjoying it on a beautiful August day is extremely depressing.

This current event with South West Water needs to end asap. Ive been clear with senior representatives from SWW that its their duty to provide accurate and timely updates to let locals and tourists alike know how repairs are progressing.

He said he would meet with SWWs CEO Susan Davy, as well as local activist groups, businesses and councillors.

A SWW spokesperson said: We always work with all of our regulators, including the Environment Agency, and are continuing to keep them fully updated.

We continue to work around the clock to complete this essential work.
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Home secretary Yvette Cooper has been urged to reconsider plans to reopen two immigration detention centres as part of a push to achieve the highest rate of removals since 2018.

Detention centres have been criticised in a number of Government reports and by campaigners, with one proposed for re-opening having been described as having had a history of abuse and neglect.

Ms Cooper said on Wednesday that the government would press ahead with plans announced by the Conservatives to reopen Campsfield and Haslar Immigration Removal Centres.

Detention capacity will be increased by 290 beds across the two sites, the Home Office said.

Campsfield, in Oxfordshire, was closed in 2019, while Haslar removal centre, in Hampshire, was shut in 2015. The plans to reopen the sites have been met with widespread condemnation from refugee charities and local campaign groups.

Charity Detention Action, who support migrants inside immigration detention facilities, said the proposal was a disappointing step away from a fairer and more humane immigration system.

They added: Immigration detention centres are a hidden space where people are locked in small cells for up to 12 hours a day and frequently denied legal support and appropriate medical care. They pointed to recent freedom of information statistics that showed that self-harm in detention centres had increased by 67 per cent in one year.

The roof of one of the detention blocks at the privately-run Campsfield Immigration Centre in Kidlington, Oxfordshire after it was damaged by a fire. ( PA )

They added that many people are released from detention on immigration bail or granted permission to remain in the UK - raising questions about why they were initially detained.

Refugee Council pointed to the huge costs of immigration detention. CEO Enver Solomon said: Instead of wasting taxpayers money on expanding detention places, the government should be investing in what are called voluntary returns programmes. If you treat people with respect, humanity and support them to return, many more people return.

Visitor network AVID, who also support people in detention, said they were deeply concerned by the plans, which represent a step backwards.

They said that Haslar detention centre has a troubled history of abuse and neglect. It was closed in 2015 under the coalition government, following a parliamentary review which found immigration detention was expensive and damaging to detainees.

Campsfield Immigration Centre in Kidlington, Oxfordshire ( PA )

Under previous plans to reopen both Campsfield and Haslar, the government had estimated they would need to spend 339million.

Immigration detention centres have been plagued with problems and have consistently been shown to exacerbate mental health issues among people held there.

A 2016 independent review of immigration detention questioned whether there was any correlation between the number of people in detention and the number of successful removals from the UK.

One inquiry into another removal centre, called Brook House, found that there was a toxic culture among staff at the site and credible evidence of breaches of human rights law, such as inhuman or degrading treatment.

The report called for an introduction of a 28-day time limit for people to be held at removal sites.

In July, chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor described the conditions at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre near Heathrow as the worst conditions ever seen in immigration detention. There had been numerous suicide attempts made by people being held there, and inspectors found that support was not good enough.

Earlier this year The Independent reported on findings by a European anti-torture committee into UK immigration detention. Inspectors from the Council of Europe raised concerns about the fact that the UK has no maximum period of detention, resulting in some people being held for many years at these sites. The limbo is a trigger for [people] becoming mentally unwell, inspectors said.

One of the local MPs that would be affected by Campsfields reopening, LibDem MP Calum Miller, said he was disappointed and angry by the decision. He said the facility had a dark past and its reopening was opposed by the local community.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said ministers were taking strong and clear steps to boost our border security ( PA Wire )

In a letter to Ms Cooper, he said he was concerned that the Home Office had awarded the contract for the expansion work at Campsfield House on 31 May 2024, in the middle of the general election campaign and when Parliament was dissolved.

He pointed to the opposition of Labour council who labelled the detention centre as wrong and inhumane.
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King Charles has met with the grieving families of the girls who were killed in the Southport knife attack.

Charles sat down in Clarence House with the parents of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, who were fatally stabbed at a Taylor-Swift themed dance class last month.

The King met them privately at his London home the day after travelling to Southport on Tuesday to spend 45 minutes with some of the children who survived the attack and their families.

The monarch also went on a brief walkabout outside the town hall meeting some of the well-wishers who had gathered as he viewed the sea of floral tributes that have been left for the victims outside Southport Town Hall.

The King travelled to Southport on Tuesday to spent 45 minutes with some of the children who survived the attack and their families ( AFP or licensors )

Helen Marshall, 71, was among the crowds and said: The last few weeks have been devastating but the community spirit is the thing keeping us going.

The King also visited a local fire station to meet members of the local emergency services who dealt with the attack, and others from the community affected by the rioting.

Three children were killed and eight injured after a knifeman launched an attack at a dance studio in Southport in July.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, has been charged with the murder of the three girls in Merseyside and for the attempted murder of yoga class instructor Leanne Lucas, businessman John Hayes, and eight children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as well as possession of a kitchen knife with a curved blade.

Six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, died in the attack (Merseyside Police/PA) ( PA Media )

Hours after the tragedy, the King said that he and the Queen had been profoundly shocked to hear of the utterly horrific incident in Southport today.

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.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, also paid tribute and 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.

King Charles III meets representatives from Merseysides emergency services and local community groups at Southport Community Fire Station, following the July 29th knife attack in the town, during which three young girls were killed (Scott Heppell/PA) ( PA Wire )

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 the Merseyside attack, false allegations concerning the suspects identity were spread online with some posts speculating that he was a migrant who had been on the MI6 watchlist.

Far-right riots unfurled on UK streets in the aftermath, with a current total of 1,117 arrests and 677 charges made in connection to the disorder.

Following days of riots, Charles offered his heartfelt thanks to the police for restoring order, after speaking to Sir Keir Starmer and police leaders following the week of unrest across the UK.
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With the Bayesian lying on her side 50 metres underneath the now gentle waters of the Mediterranean, mystery still surrounds how the 56-metre superyacht, sank in the typhoon off the port of Porticello.

Remotely controlled underwater vehicles and cave divers are looking to raise the yacht, which experts will examine in the coming days.

Italian publication Giornale di Sicilia reported post-mortem examinations were completed at a Palermo hospital and the bodies have now been returned.

The Bayesian was hit by a suspected downburst of strong wind early on 19 August. The 56m-long, 30 million yacht drifted for about 400 metres from its anchorage near the fishing port of Porticello before sinking.

Fifteen of the 22 passengers and crew survived the incident by clambering onto an inflatable liferaft.

The bodies of tech billionaire Mike Lynch, dubbed Britains Bill Gates, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah and four other people were found by divers on board. Post-mortem examinations suggest they had been trapped in a room below deck.

Jonathan Bloomer, the international chairman of Morgan Stanley Bank; his wife Judith, a psychotherapist; Christopher Morvillo, a US lawyer; and his wife Neda, a jewellery designer, also died in the sinking.

Mike Lynch is among those confirmed as dead ( PA Archive )

It will take weeks for Ambrogio Cartosio, the chief prosecutor of Termini Imerese, and his team to establish whether the sinking of the Bayesian was down to human error, an unpredictable weather event or whether anyone is liable.

Italian Navy divers have recovered video surveillance equipment from the wreckage parts of the deck, computer material, video surveillance systems, hard drives and various other equipment, that could explain how the Bayesian sank.

Prosecutors have said they will interview the survivors  some of whom were pictured leaving the Domina Zagarella hotel in Santa Flavia, which has become the headquarters for survivors, police and rescuers.

Many questions face the investigators:

Were access hatches left open?

One expert at the scene in Sicily said an early focus of the investigation would be on whether the yachts crew had failed to close access hatches before the tornado struck.

Yachting experts have suggested that the hatches being open could have allowed the Bayesian to fill with water quickly and sink.

But Andrea Ratti, a nautical design professor at Polytechnic University of Milan, said a boat the size of the Bayesian could only sink so rapidly by taking in a huge amount of water.

One can make plausible assumptions that leave room for doubt, he said, before suggesting that one or more portholes, windows or other openings may have been broken or smashed open by the waterspout.

The recovered video could show whether the crews left doors open, which might have allowed the yacht to flood.

Was the boat prepared for a storm?

Prosecutors will look at whether appropriate measures were taken in preparation for the storm.

The luxury superyacht called The Bayesian off Porticello, Palermo ( BAIA Santa Nicolicchia/AFP via G )

The yachts captain, James Catfield, from New Zealand, told Italian media of the suddenness of the waterspout that turned a luxury super yacht into a death trap.

We just didnt see it coming, he said.

Luca Mercalli, the president of the Italian Meteorological Society, said on Tuesday that the crew should have made sure that all the guests were awake and given them lifejackets in light of the forecasted heavy rains.

The coast guard said bad weather had been forecast, but added that it was more virulent than expected. Some locals spoke of a waterspout, or sea whirlwind, of exceptional force.

It was a strange thing, fisherman Andrea Carini said. The Bayesian was at anchor, its sails down, when the tempest hit, with another yacht moored nearby.

A nearby yacht, the 42-metre Sir Robert Baden Powell, remained anchored and weathered the storm after its captain turned on the engine to keep control of the vessel and avoid a collision with the Bayesian.

Moment Bayesian yacht is engulfed by storm ( Giornale di Sicilia / Reuters )

The captain, Karsten Borner, said he did not know whether the crew of the Bayesian had managed to switch on its engines.

I dont think they did things wrong, I think they were surprised by the power of the storm, he said.

I only know that they went flat with the mast on the water and that they sank in two minutes, he said, adding that the storm was very violent, very intense, bringing in a lot of water and I think a turning system like a tornado.

Did the worlds largest aluminium mast have anything to do with the sinking?

The Bayesian has one of the largest masts in the world ( EPA )

The Bayesian was built by Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008 with a 75m (246ft) mast which it claims is the tallest aluminium mast in the world.

Scott Painter, who took over Lynchs multi-billion dollar software company called Autonomy, founded in 1996, said Lynchs yacht may have been more vulnerable due to the mast.

The mast was the ultimate sailors bragging right, Painter told the outlet. That mast mustve been over 240 feet tall, which is either the tallest or second tallest in the world.

He added: That could certainly contribute to a capsize as it would destabilize the yacht. And if it were to lean over too far, it could absolutely capsize the yacht.

Captain Borner said: If the mast had been broken they wouldnt have capsized.

Would a lightning shock wave damage the mast?

Colonel Attilio Di Diodato, director of the Italian Air Forces Center for Aerospace Meteorology and Climatology, said the agency had registered intense lightning activity and strong gusts of wind in the area.

The Bayesian had one of the tallest aluminium masts in the world, according to its builder, Perini Navi.

Having a tall aluminium mast would not make it the safest port to be in case of a storm, said Andrea Ratti, associate professor of nautical design and architecture technology told the Politecnico di Milano.

The type of intensity unleashed by a violent lightning storm could have created a significant shock wave, he added.

Was the Bayesian keel retractable and was it down?

The Bayesian had a retractable keel, a fin-like apparatus under the hull that helps stabilise boats and acts as a counterweight to the mast. It is not known whether it was down at the time of the vicious storm.

Both Ratti and Mattioni questioned whether the yacht had been anchored with the keel up, reducing the vessels depth under water and making it less stable. Ratti said strong winds might have caused the boat to start oscillating wildly, like a pendulum, putting exceptional strain on the mast.

Divers have only ten minutes to investigate boat ( Vigili del Fuoco/AFP via Getty I )

Was the the Bayesian properly anchored?

Tom Sharpe, a retired Royal Navy commander and defence commentator, told CBC News that a mast the size of the Bayesians is designed for a massive sail, and without that sail raised and catching the wind, the gusts likely wouldve had a negligible impact on the aluminum pole.

He instead suggested the anchor may have played a pivotal role.

My kind of working assumption is that she was probably a bit further in at anchor, and its very likely, in these sort of conditions, that her anchor dragged, he said.

He added the 10-strong crew was better off steering toward the anchor to stabilise the yacht or even raising the anchor and steering into the open Meditteranean to ride out the storm.

They might have got caught in that middle ground where theyre not on a particularly good anchorage but the anchor is now controlling the bow of the ship, he posted.

Prosecutors have said their investigation will take time, and will require the wreck to be pulled up from the sea bed.
Just under 10 weeks ago, 59-year-old Mike Lynch was on trial in San Francisco on 17 charges of fraud. He was almost guaranteed to receive a 25-year sentence.

He was terrified that he would die in a US prison, not because he was guilty  he had spent 30m on legal fees arguing his innocence  but because its almost unheard of in the US to win a case against the US Justice Department. His chances of winning were put at 0.5 per cent. However, after 13 years of putting together detailed evidence to support his plea, he was acquitted and it felt like a miracle.

Once back in the UK, Lynch set about celebrating what he called his second life. Through tears, he told one interviewer how even the traffic in London seemed magical. Im just thinking this is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, he said.

This month, the tech tycoon took his family, friends and lawyers for further celebrations on a Mediterranean cruise aboard his luxury sailboat. It sank in a freak violent squall in the small hours of Monday. His body was discovered on Wednesday, alongside five others recovered from the sunken Bayesian superyacht with his 18-year-old daughter Hannah still reported missing.

The chance of such a yacht being knocked flat by a weather event while anchored was minuscule because it had simply never happened before. Sailing expert Stewart Campbell, editor-in-chief of Boat International, said on Newsnight: Ive been speaking to a lot [of people in] the industry today and they are as shocked as me  and just in utter disbelief that this could happen.

As if beating infinitesimal odds twice in a few weeks wasnt freakish enough, it has since emerged that Lynchs co-defendant in the US trial, his companys former vice-president of finance Stephen Chamberlain, was killed by a car on Saturday while out running in Cambridgeshire.

The chance of both defendants dying within weeks of the trial, are beyond absurd. The combination of all three events is beyond crazy. Although it is all bound to be a cluster of coincidences, both lucky and tragic, there will doubtless be X-Files-like conspiracy theories about the affair for years to come.

The ultimate irony, however, is that the Essex-born academic, technology business innovator and tycoon, prime ministerial adviser and general member of the great and good was also one of the worlds leading authorities on probability theory.

Were Lynchs story not true, anyone who went to Netflix with a dramatisation of it would probably be shown the door for being ludicrously improbable.

Specifically, Lynch was a proponent and teacher at his alma mater Cambridge University of Bayesian mathematics. Indeed, he named his boat after the theory of Thomas Bayes, an 18th-century statistician and Presbyterian minister in Tunbridge Wells.

Bayesian maths embraces the idea that predictions of unusual outcomes  freak weather events for one  cant be made accurately using a conventional fixed framework of information. Instead, they have to be constantly updated with fresh data on how a situation develops. Bayesian maths is also the basis of the current boom in artificial intelligence, in which Mike Lynch was a pioneer.

Emergency services search for a missing boat in Porticello, southern Italy ( AP )

Dubbed the British Bill Gates, Lynch sounds to many like a major-league nerd (possibly lucky not to be serving some serious prison time). However, I can vouch for a very different Lynch. Id been in touch with him since 2016 and found him not just almost alarmingly straightforward and honest, but very amusing, extraordinarily erudite in everything from technology to classical cultures, and unexpectedly unorthodox in his views on science.

This is how I came to be in his Pall Mall office eight years ago for a sparkling one-to-one meeting-cum-tutorial on the subject of not technology, not his already mounting legal problems but dogs.

Mike Lynch had contacted me about a column I wrote for many years in the Financial Times. He knew that I was interested in fringe science  I once wrote a book on Uri Geller  and that wed been at the same Essex school but hadnt known each other at the time. Lynch therefore decided that I was the person to talk to about helping him set up a research project into the sixth sense of dogs.

It was a subject that fascinated him. Lynch explained that he was convinced dogs have a hitherto unexplained sixth sense  that they really do know things without conventional sensual input.

For example, they seem to know if youre on your way home, even if youre miles away. Ive done this informal experiment many times, he told me. Ill get on a train in London for our house in Suffolk and at that exact second, they will get excited. My wife and I have ruled out as many possible clues as we can. Shell note the moment they start barking and it will match up with me stepping onto the train.

Mike Lynch was extradited last summer to face a US criminal fraud trial but he was ultimately cleared ( Reuters )

The problem was, he went on to explain, that the experimental work that had been done in this area was flawed. For his next big project, he wanted to fund some proper, rigorous, incontestable research.

Im not a parapsychologist or a paranormalist, he told me. I dont believe in auras or energies or anything weird. Im firmly entrenched in science, and I know this is controversial, but theres an effect out there that needs explaining.

As a first step, he wanted me to write a column inviting people to describe their experiences with dogs sixth sense, and then help him launch a dedicated website for them to post their accounts. That way we build a database of supposedly psychic dogs to work with.

We discussed possible names for the website, and how wed get together to discuss the next step. He was about to go off with David Cameron on a trade mission, I was living in New York at the time, so diaries needed coordinating.

He wasnt what I had expected, but I found him fascinating, especially as he rattled through his theories further for nearly 90 minutes. He was an inspiring teacher with a big brain and was patient when I lagged behind, or got the wrong end of the stick.

Dogs are incredibly good at reading peoples emotions, he said. The key thing is that dogs are unusual among creatures in that they have mirror neurons, which are very important. These are the neurons in the brain that put you in someone elses shoes. If I hit my hand with a hammer, youll wince. Its the basis of empathy.

Were Lynchs story not true, anyone who went to Netflix with a dramatisation of it would probably be shown the door for being ludicrously improbable

This makes it possible for children around two and a half to learn to lie. Deceit is fascinating because to be deceitful, you have to realise that not everyone has the same information you have. So its a major step and a highly intelligent function. Dogs run a model in their mind of what its like to be you, or another dog. This is how they become pack animals.

This, he admitted, was all traditional science. The big question, he wanted to know the answer to, was whether there was something beyond that and, a sort of realm that you cant explain. You have to have a good understanding above all of probability  the probability that this or that effect is explicable using known science.

This is why its about time that the experiment was redone properly, so we can find out whether there are dogs that can actually produce a statistically meaningful outcome.

Being a world authority in mathematical theory, Lynch was reassuring that he was totally a believer in the scientific method, but he wanted me to bear in mind that the mammalian brain is the most complex item in the known universe too.

So the idea that we would understand everything about it sounds arrogant, he insisted. I want sceptics to be all over the study even though they might not want to believe it.

He said this way he could show  or not  that dogs are Bayesian calculators. Bayesian logic is kind of magical thinking in a way because its so much more subtle and complex than classical logic. What dogs do in their Bayesian way is use intuition  see data in a different way. But this is not magic, its science and its going to lead a few years from now to astonishing developments in AI.

This leap to AI eight years ago from the dry theories of a long-dead clergyman wasnt surprising. Lynch had the type of brain that was always ahead of its time.

The tycoon outside a federal court in San Francisco in March this year ( AP )

Regarded by many in both academia and business as a tech genius, its why in 2011 his technology company, Autonomy, sold for $11.7bn to the fading computer giant HP. It was HP who seem to have suffered buyers regret later and started blaming Lynch and his team  incorrectly  for fiddling the books.

For a hard-headed academic his view of intuition made sense in terms of data processing and how we predict things happening. He was adamant that hunches, gut feeling, intuition were all sophisticated measures by which decisions are taken, not boring spreadsheets. This is why big companies make such bad decisions. The danger of analysis drives me nuts but Ive had to learn this.

He recounted a story from the past when a posh dreamer came to him with a great idea to download music over the internet. Lynch said he spent a long time explaining to him why his vision wouldnt work. That it would take four days to download a single over the internet and the disc to store it on would cost the same as the average house.

Reflecting on his response, he said: Of course, what I should have done is said all of that and then gone away and plotted the cost of disc drives and realised he could be on to something. But the over-analysis stopped it happening and I missed out.

Mike Lynchs dog project never happened. My interview with him never ran thanks to the question mark over him with the, as then, unsettled court case.

Thats really sad, he emailed me after I told him. But thanks for trying. He seemed truly upset. We stayed in touch throughout the trial, and were still discussing the Ultimate Dogs Experiment while he was in San Francisco in the run-up to the trial and the court case itself. As the judge proved, I wasnt the only person to find Lynch convincing and exuding both character and integrity.

I discussed the whole, heart-rending story yesterday with a medical consultant friend from school who had been following his travails. We agreed that this latest tragic twist in his incredible story, feels as improbable as it does just desperately sad.

Bayesian maths is used extensively in forecasting probable weather, so what are the odds against a boat called Bayesian being capsized by a tornado/waterspout in the Mediterranean?

Smart arse question, sorry, my friend wrote back, But with all the money in the world, why does an expert on predicting natural events sleep with friends and family on a boat when the weather is so awful?

Unfortunately, we will probably never know.
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Workers will soon be able to ignore work-related emails and calls outside office hours under new rules to be introduced by the Labour government.

Meeting the partys right to switch off campaign pledge, the plan will see workers empowered to disconnect from their jobs outside regular hours, including the right to refuse to take on extra work at the weekends.

The plan has received renewed backing from Keir Starmer this week, with the prime ministers deputy spokesperson saying: This is about ensuring people have some time to rest.

Good employers understand that for workers to stay motivated and productive they do need to be able to switch off, and a culture presenteeism can be damaging to productivity.

The plans are expected to cover workers annual leave, meaning bosses would not be allowed to ask employees to carry out work-related tasks while on holiday.

They will come as part of the governments Plan to Make Work Pay, thought to be spearheaded by new deputy prime minister Angela Rayner.

Other measures in the package were outlined during the Kings Speech in July. They include banning exploitative zero-hours contracts, ending fire and rehire, and making sick pay available from day one of any job.

The new plans are thought to be spearheaded by new deputy prime minister Angela Rayner ( PA Wire )

Unlike those measures, however, the right to switch off will not be enshrined in law. Instead, it will likely be recommended in the codes of practice for businesses.

The Trades Union Congress general secretary Paul Nowak said: No one should be pushed to the brink because of their job.

Ever-increasing hours, pace and expectations at work are causing problems up and down the country. This is a recipe for burnt-out Britain.

So we welcome these measures to tackle work intensity. Introducing a right to switch off will let workers properly disconnect outside of working hours.

The policy is popular among voters, with a recent Savanta poll finding 69 per cent supported the right to switch off outside of working hours.

In the UK, there is no currently no official right to disconnect from work, but employers can implement their own policies. Current legislation states that a working week should be no more than 48 hours on average, calculated over a 17-week period.

However, if a boss wants to contact their employee outside of these hours, they can. In theory, they can also pressure them to respond or take on additional work without being sanctioned.

Labour said the policy will ensure that working from home does not become homes turning into 24/7 offices, adding that it is inspired by models in Ireland and Belgium.

The code of practice for employers in Ireland gives workers the right not to be regularly required to perform work duties outside normal hours or to be penalised for refusing to do so.

The right to disconnect in Belgium is set in law for all public sector workers and those employed by businesses with at least 20 employees.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner at 10 Downing Street (Ian Vogler/Daily Mirror/PA) ( PA Wire )

Will Stronge, director of The Autonomy Institute think tank and author of Overtime, said: These kinds of things are really important steps to put boundaries on the working day.

There should be much more strict limits to when the working day finishes, given that in today's world of remote work, there is often blurring between work and life: answering 'just one more email' and so on.

The conversation around work-life balance is really important in this country. Were seeing a huge health epidemic around overwork, workload stress and anxiety.

However, the director also said the effectiveness of the policy will come down to the detail, adding he would like to see a stricter version of the policy like the one that is in place in France.

Under French laws, it is illegal for an employer to reprimand a worker for not responding to out-of-hours calls  and the offence can carry a fine.

British firm Rentokil was fined 60,000 by a French court in 2021 for failing to respect the right to disconnect of an employee based in the country. It was the first fine under the law which came into place in 2016.

The statutory workers rights laid out in the Kings Speech are expected to come into place in spring, with the new right to switch off likely to come around the same time.
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It was supposed to be a summer celebration.

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch had gathered his tried and trusted lawyers who had been with him every step of the way helping him emerge unscathed from a gruelling 13-year legal battle. Twelve guests had flown into the picturesque Italian port of Porticello, near Palermo from the UK, the US, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland, to mark the end of the fraud trial that had consumed much of their lives.

But now a manslaughter investigation has been launched as Mr Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the seven people who died after the vessel capsized during bad weather in the early hours of Monday morning.

The yacht Bayesian (left), before it sank (Fabio La Bianca) ( PA Media )

Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judith Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo also died.

Italian public prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, from nearby town Termini Imerese said his office has opened an initial investigation into manslaughter and negligent shipwreck.

The group had been welcomed on board the six luxurious suites of Bayesian, a 56-metre-long 30 million superyacht, by the ten crew. Boasting the tallest aluminium mast in the world - higher than Nelsons Column - experts now speculate it may have caused her to topple and become pinned underwater in an unpredictable, ferocious storm.

The ship was named after the statistical method, the Bayesian inference, an 18th-century theory that helps forecasters predict outcomes more reliably. Mr Lynch based his entire PHD thesis around it, later amassing his huge fortune after selling his company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion in 2011.

He had improbably beaten the odds in a bitter US legal dispute with the technology giant, convincing a jury that he was not guilty of claims of massive fraud after a long legal fight that finally came to an end in June. Two months ago he emerged from court with tears in his eyes a free man he pledged to restructure extradition laws that brought him to the US in cuffs.

Mike Lynch is one of six missing tourists after the Bayesian luxury yacht sank in a tornado off the coast of Sicily ( PA Archive )

Disaster struck at around 5am when a freak tornado over the sea known as a waterspout rocked the superyacht, according to Sicilys civil protection agency. The crew fired off disaster flares causing local fishermen and others to navigate the storm to come to the aid of survivors.

Recommended NYC lawyer who died in yacht disaster wrote haunting LinkedIn post weeks before

The captain of a nearby boat said that when the winds surged, he had turned on the engine to keep control of his vessel and avoid a collision with the Bayesian, which had been anchored alongside him.

We managed to keep the ship in position and after the storm was over, we noticed that the ship behind us was gone, Karsten Borner said.

(PA Graphics) ( PA Graphics )

The other boat went flat on the water, and then down, he added. He said his crew then found some of the survivors on a life raft and took them on board before the coast guard picked them up.

This included a one-year-old girl named Sophie one of the 16 survivors, so far.

Her mother, Charlotte Golunski, 36, told how she battled to keep her child above the dark and raging Mediterranean while calling for help amid the awful piercing screams of other struggling guests and crew.

Captain Karsten Borner rescued the survivors ( REUTERS )

For two seconds I lost the baby in the sea, then I immediately held her again in the fury of the waves, she told Giornale di Sicilia. I held her tightly, tightly to me, while the sea was raging. So many were screaming. Fortunately, the lifeboat inflated and 11 of us managed to get on it.

This left six passengers unaccounted for - Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Morgan Stanley International non-executive chairman Jonathan Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo, and their wives Judy and Neda.

The worn-out Captain of the yacht, James Catfield said simply: We didnt see it coming.

Divers try to reach the wreck in a crucial 24 hours ( EPA )

The wind was very strong. Bad weather was expected, but not of this magnitude, a coast guard official in the Sicilian capital Palermo said the next day.

Local fisherman Giuseppe Cefalu told how he saw a tornado close to the port on Monday morning. Mr Cefalu said he and his brother Fabio saw a flare in the sky at around 5am.

The pair aided efforts to locate people in the water after the yacht vanished beneath the waves, but Mr Cefalu said he only saw cushions and a buoy.

He said weather conditions on the morning of the sinking were fierce, with very strong wind and rain.

The Bayesians huge mast may have contributed to the disaster experts believe ( EPA )

The luxury superyacht is practically intact on the seabed despite sinking, Marco Tilotta, a firefighter diver from Palermo, has told Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.

He said in an interview that the multi-million yacht was lying on its side at a depth of 48 metres, but that divers were unable to gain access because of floating furnishings and other debris inside the yacht.

The fear is that the bodies got trapped inside the vessel, which was lying 49 metres deep, Salvatore Cocina, head of civil protection in Sicily, added.

The biggest difficulty we have is due to the depth, which does not allow long times of intervention, fire department diver Marco Tilotta told reporters. We plan ... to search centimetre by centimetre.

Now they enter a critical 24 hours according to Nick Sloane, a lead diver in the Costa Concordia wreck. He told Sky News that survivors might be trapped in air pockets inside the ship, but that time is running out fast to rescue them.

Theyve got a very small window of time to try to find people stuck inside with hopefully an air pocket, and they could be rescued.

If the yacht is on its side, it might have more air pockets than if its upright. Shes got quite a large keel, and that will deflect and put her on her side, Im sure.
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Supermarket chain Waitrose has revealed it will open 100 new convenience stores across the UK over the next five years as part of a 1bn investment drive.

The funding will also go towards refurbishing exisiting shops, with the plans unveiled at an ugraded store in Finchley Road, north London.

New stores will begin popping up by the end of the year, the retailer says, with the first set to open in Hampton Hill, west London, by the end of 2024. It will mark their first new opening in six years. Four of the new stores will reportedly be larger ones, while 100 will be Little Waitrose locations.

Waitrose executive director, James Bailey, said the new stores will feature more of what people expect from us and love such as counters, unequalled service and a lot more fresh food.

The business says the investment will see stores upgrading their service counters at a time when many food retailers are removing theirs. They point out the success theyve had, with 12 percent of counter-bought Parmesan sales coming from the Finchley Road store.

Waitrose will always offer fantastic food, but the groundwork we have undertaken behind the scenes in recent years means we can now focus on growth through new shops and ensuring our existing ones are providing great shopping experiences that match the quality of our products, said Mr Bailey.

The counter at Waitroses Finchley Road store ( Paul Grover / Waitrose )

The move comes at a time when Waitrose begins to regain market share, recording its strongest growth since November 2023 in the three months to August 4. Its thought competition from rival Marks & Spencer and shoppers seeking cheaper options during the cost of living crisis both impacted the business.

The supermarket chain has not revealed where it will be opening most of its new stores, but does say the second will also be located in Greater London, putting it alongside the majority of their locations.

However, the business says the expansion will look to reach more customers having served a record 15 million last year.

At present, most Waitrose stores are located in the south of England, with 54 of around 360 operating inside of London. It has no stores in long stretches of North Yorkshire, the Scottish border, and the north of Scotland. This is far less coverage than rival chain Tesco for instance, which operates in 4,273 locations across the UK.

It is also the most expensive supermarket chain, according to the Which? retail watchdog. The groups monthly supermarket price analysis shows that an average Waitrose shop (63 items) would set a buyer back 146.98  29 percent more than cheapest chain Aldi at 113.87.

Analysis conducted in recent years says there is a marked Waitrose effect on property value, with a home near one of its chains boosted by as much as 36,000.
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A man was killed as his own XL Bully dog turned on him at home and attacked.

Police shot the animal dead after the attack, saying the animal also posed a threat to other people.

David Daintree, 53, died on Tuesday at home at Ashley Court in Accrington, Lancashire Police said, and officers are investigating what happened.

They said ambulance crews called police shortly before 9.30pm about a dog attacking someone inside a house.

In a statement, the force said: Our officers attended and sadly a man in his 50s was found deceased.

He can now be named as David Daintree, 53, who was the owner of the dog and who lived at that address. The dog has since been confirmed to be an XL Bully.

As the dog was continuing to pose a significant threat of serious harm, we were left with no alternative but to discharge a police firearm to destroy it and prevent it from causing further injury to more people.

( Getty )

Specially trained officers are supporting Mr Daintrees family, and our thoughts are with them at this time.

Owning an XL Bully without an exemption certificate was banned in December.

XL Bully dogs have divided opinion. Many people supported the ban introduced last year after a string of attacks by the dogs, some of which have killed people, including a 10-year-old boy in south Wales.

Animal-rights organisation Peta supported the ban with exemption certificates.

But some dog lovers said the breed was unfairly targeted.

The XL is the largest of four types of American Bully, and was cross-bred for fighting, with a muscular body. It can weigh nine stone and has a powerful bite.

Supt Marie Jackson, of East Police, said: This is a tragic incident which has sadly resulted in a man losing his life and my thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.

An investigation into the circumstances is ongoing and I would appeal to anyone with any information to get in touch.

We will have extra officers out and about in the area carrying out enquiries and I would urge anyone with information or concerns to speak to them.

Thousands of XL bully owners received exemption certificates before the ban came into force.
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Labour will not use its first Budget to scrap the two-child benefit cap, a member of Sir Keir Starmers government has said.

Torsten Bell, parliamentary private secretary to the influential Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden, predicted the measure would not be repealed in the October 30 statement.

The former chief executive of the Resolution Foundation and new MP for Swansea West warned against politicians making undeliverable or unfunded promises.

Former Resolution Foundation chief Torsten Bell (right, with Scottish first minister John Swinney) is now Labours MP for Swansea West ( Getty )

Speaking at the Edinburgh Book Festival, Mr Bell said: Youve got to be clear where that moneys coming from and thats what budgets are for and the governments committed to a child poverty strategy.

He added: My view is, why dont you let the ministers that are writing your child poverty strategy publish that strategy before you start criticising them?

They accept there is a child poverty strategy coming ... not in time for the Budget on 30 October but soon in the months after that, so thats what Ill be looking out for.

The two-child benefit cap, imposed by Tory former chancellor George Osborne, prevents parents from claiming benefits for any third or subsequent child born after April 2017.

Sir Keir had previously called for the policy to be scrapped but has since said Labour cannot fund the move and will not promise to do so until it can say how the change would be paid for.

Keir Starmer had previously called for the cap to be lifted ( PA Wire )

He and chancellor Rachel Reeves have faced mounting calls from backbench Labour MPs and campaigners to remove the limit, which would bring 300,000 children people out of poverty and 700,000 more out of deep poverty, according to the Child Poverty Action Group.

Mr Bell has called the policy appalling in his book Great Britain? How We Get Our Future Back. Speaking at the festival, he said: Its fine for policy wonks and politicians living on high salaries to debate the finer points of parliamentary procedures and the timing of policies but children in my constituency are living in poverty now.

He added that previous Labour governments had always brought down childhood poverty, though adding it had not happened on a wide enough scale.

Zarah Sultana has had the Labour whip suspended for voting to scrap the two-child limit ( ITV )

Labour has also come under intense pressure from the SNP over the two-child limit, with the Scottish Nationalists forcing an early rebellion against Sir Keir on the issue.

After voting on an SNP-led amendment to his first Kings Speech to scrap the cap, seven Labour MPs had the whip suspended.

The prime minister removed the whip from longstanding figures including former shadow chancellor John McDonnell and left-winger Zarah Sultana.

SNP deputy Westminster leader Pete Wishart said: At every opportunity so far, Labour has failed to scrap the two-child limit which would lift thousands of children out of poverty immediately, and it now seems they are preparing to scupper the next opportunity to do the right thing  it is shameful.
The US presidential election system produces some strange results. In 2000, George W Bush won despite polling half a million fewer votes than Al Gore. In 2016, Donald Trump won with 63 million votes against Hillary Clinton with 66 million.

The system is a hangover from 18th-century delegate democracy and also, crucially, from the origin of the US as a federation of states that jealously guarded their rights. Because states rights are involved  particularly the right of smaller states to greater representation  the system is unlikely ever to be changed.

What is the electoral college?

US presidents are chosen by an electoral college, which in the old days was an actual meeting of delegates from each state. So when Americans vote in presidential elections, they are not voting for their candidates, but to instruct an elector to vote for their candidates for president and vice-president.

Each state has the same number of electors as they have members of Congress: that is, two senators and a number of members of the House of Representatives allocated according to population (as recorded in the 2020 census).

This means that the smallest states, with just one congressional district, have three electors (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming), while the most populous state, California, will have 54 in this election.

Since the 23rd amendment to the US constitution in 1961, Washington DC has three electors, even though it doesnt have any senators and its member of the House of Representatives cannot vote.

How do the numbers add up?

In total there are 538 electoral college votes (hence the name of the popular opinion polling website), and a candidate needs a majority, 270, to win.

All but two states cast their votes as a block  that is, all the electoral college votes of that state are cast for the candidates with the most votes in that state. The exceptions are Maine and Nebraska, which allocate two votes to the most popular presidential ticket in the state, and divide the rest in proportion to the votes received.

Because most states are either strongly Democrat or Republican, and are the equivalent of safe seats in the British system, presidential elections tend to be decided by a small number of swing states.

The common view among pollsters is that there are seven swing states in this election, where the race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is too close to call: Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina. (My personal rule of thumb is that if Harris wins the first three, she will win; if she loses one of them she will need at least one of the rest to make up.)

What happens if there is a tie?

It is possible for the electoral college to be tied 269-269. In that case, the 12th amendment of the US constitution requires the House of Representatives to decide the election. However, the vote would be conducted in an unusual way, with each state having one vote, so the representatives for each state have to decide how to cast their states vote. Given that the Republicans have a narrow majority in the House, and that smaller states tend to be Republican, it would seem that a tie would result in a comfortable victory for Trump.

The consolation for the Democrats would be that, in the case of a tie, the constitution requires the vice-president to be chosen by the Senate, where they currently have a majority of one. So Tim Walz could get to be Trumps vice-president.
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Government borrowing surged by more than expected in July in a blow to Rachel Reeves as she prepares to deliver her first Budget.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector net borrowing stood at 3.1bn last month, 1.8bn more than a year ago and the highest July borrowing since 2021.

The total for July was 3bn more than predicted by Britains official forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), and higher than the 1.1bn most economists were pencilling in.

Rachel Reeves is planning to raise taxes and cut spending in Octobers budget ( Getty )

Borrowing in the financial year from the end of March to July was 51.4bn, 500m less than in the same four-month period a year earlier, but the fourth highest year-to-July borrowing since monthly records began in January 1993, the ONS said.

It comes after the new chancellor last month accused the previous Conservative government of leaving a 21.9bn black hole in the public finances, through unfunded commitments that she said it had covered up.

Chief secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones said: Todays figures are yet more proof of the dire inheritance left to us by the previous government.

A 22bn black hole in the public finances this year, a decade of economic stagnation and public debt at its highest level since the 1960s, with taxpayers money being wasted on debt interest payments rather than on our public services.

Darren Jones said the figures were more proof of the dire inheritance left to us by the previous government ( Getty )

And Jessica Barnaby, deputy director for public sector finances at the ONS, said: July borrowing was almost 2bn higher this year than in 2023.

Revenue was up on last year, with income tax receipts in particular growing strongly.

However, this was more than offset by a rise in central government spending where, despite a reduction in debt interest, the cost of public services and benefits continued to increase."

The setback came as it emerged the chancellor is planning to use her 30 October budget to raise taxes and cut spending, while also clamping down on benefit claimants to reduce the welfare bill.

The chancellor has already announced plans to scrap winter fuel payments for most pensioners, shelved planned social care reforms and cut some road, rail and hospital investments to lower government borrowing.

But the Treasury is pointing to further measures in the October budget to balance the books.

A source told The Guardian: We dont accept the positive economic inheritance line, given the decade that went before  but regardless, nothing in the recent data can offset the scale of the black hole in the public finances were looking at.

Rachel Reeves accused her predecessor Jeremy Hunt of leaving a 22bn hole in the public finances ( Reuters )

Weeks after taking over as chancellor, Ms Reeves accused the previous government of a cover-up of the state of the nations finances, and also took the axe to Rishi Sunaks legacy, scrapping his Advanced British Standard qualification  saving 260m in the process  and his plans to reopen railways, to be paid for out of High Speed 2 savings.

In a bid to plug the 22bn hole she identified in the public finances, Ms Reeves warned there would be further difficult decisions in her first budget on top of the cuts this year and next.

The influential Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said Wednesdays borrowing figures showed the government was facing pressures well and above what was budgeted for.

IFS senior research economist Isabel Stockton said: The early signs are that better-than-expected growth figures wont be enough to save Rachel Reeves from tough choices in her first Budget on 30 October. The combination of in-year spending pressures identified at last months spending audit and the ongoing, and well-known, pressures facing many public services suggest that the accompanying spending review for 2025-26 could be a particularly difficult exercise.

But the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) warned against deep public spending cuts in October. Director of taxation Alison Ring said: Rumours that the government is looking at significant cuts in public investment programmes this year to keep within budget are concerning, given the importance to economic growth of infrastructure and the urgent need for upfront investment in technology to fix poorly performing public services.
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Yvette Cooper is facing backlash over plans to reopen two troubled detention centres as part of a crackdown on immigration.

On Wednesday, the home secretary announced a series of measures aimed at tackling illegal migration and improving border security, including a pledge to return the number of failed asylum seekers sent back to their home countries to 2018 levels over the next six months, meaning more than 14,000 deportations by the end of the year.

However, the 14,000 figure is far lower than the 45,000 returned in 2010 under the former Labour government and less than the 19,000 migrants who have arrived in Britain by crossing the Channel in small boats so far this year.

The government also revealed plans to increase detention capacity with 290 beds at two immigration removal centres, Campsfield in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, and Haslar in Gosport, Hampshire. But these plans are being criticised as a backwards step as both sites were plagued with problems before they shut in 2019 and 2015 respectively, including hunger strikes and suicides.

Critics say the plans are a waste of taxpayer money, lack detail and fail to recognise the dignity and humanity of migrants, especially in the wake of recent racist riots that targeted hotels housing asylum seekers across the country.

The home secretary Yvette Cooper has been accused of failing to get a grip on the issue ( PA Wire )

Amnesty Internationals refugee and migrant rights programme director Steve Valdez-Symonds accused Labour of reheating the Conservative governments rhetoric around border security.

People in urgent need  including those fleeing war and persecution in places like Sudan, Afghanistan, Syria and Iran  will keep coming to the UK and other countries, and the government needs to establish safe routes that reduce the perils of dangerous border crossings and the risk of exploitation by ruthless smuggling gangs, he said. This securitised approach to asylum and immigration will simply deter and punish many of the people most in need of crossing borders, people who are therefore often most vulnerable to criminal exploitation.

Dr Peter Walsh, a senior researcher at the Migration Observatory, told The Independent that Ms Coopers announcement lacked the detail required to know how the government plans to increase the removal of failed asylum seekers.

There are different challenges the government faces in returning unsuccessful asylum seekers, he said. Some may raise legal challenges against their removal, such as if they have formed family ties in the UK. A number of unsuccessful asylum seekers also come from countries to which we have recently struggled to return asylum seekers, such as Iraq and Iran. Some countries of origin may refuse to take back their own citizens. How exactly the government plans to deal with these challenges remains, for the time being, unclear.

The home secretary committed to opening beds at immigration removal centres that had previously been closed, including at Campsfield, near Oxford ( PA Archive )

He said the government is not working against a particularly high bar with its target to return to 2018 levels, when there were just 24,928 removals. Under the last Labour government in 2010, there were 45,690 returns of failed asylum seekers, Migration Observatory figures show.

Tory leadership contender and shadow home secretary James Cleverly said Labour needed to offer a credible solution that will cut immigration and stop the boats.

Mr Cleverly said: Labour clearly aren't serious about tackling the people smugglers or stopping the boats. While more NCA resource and detention capacity is welcome, this is not nearly ambitious enough. Paired with their moves to cancel our deterrent, give an effective amnesty to thousands of illegal migrants, and failure to hire a head of their phantom border command, it doesn't scratch the surface.

Shadow home secretary James Cleverly urged ministers to be more ambitious with their plans to drive down cross-Channel migration ( PA Wire )

And Enver Solomon, chief executive of charity the Refugee Council, said the government is wasting taxpayers money on expanding detention places.

Instead, the government should be investing in what are called voluntary returns programmes, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

If you treat people with respect, humanity, and support them to return, many more people return. Two-thirds of people who have their asylum claims rejected return voluntarily. The government should be supporting them in the community to return and not building more detention places.

Home Office figures showed 206 migrants crossed the English Channel in three boats on Monday, which has taken the 2024 provisional total crossings to 19,294. This is a 10 per cent increase on the figure recorded last year, which was 17,620 though the latest figure is 10 per cent down on 2022, when 21,344 crossings were recorded in the same period.

The UK was rocked by anti-immigration protests, with hotels housing asylum seekers targeted ( PA Wire )

As well as pressing ahead with the previous governments plans to reopen immigration removal centres, the government will boost staffing at the National Crime Agency (NCA), the UK-wide body which has around 70 active investigations into people smuggling and trafficking groups.

Ms Cooper also promised new officials as part of the Border Security Command would work with European enforcement agencies to find every route to smashing the criminal smuggling gangs organising dangerous boat crossings which undermine our border security and put lives at risk.

She also fleshed out plans for the Border Security Command, promising up to 100 new specialists working on around 70 NCA investigations into smuggling and trafficking networks. On Tuesday night, she said Labours Border Security Command, aimed at stopping migrants travelling to the UK over the Channel in the first place, is gearing up.

We are taking strong and clear steps to boost our border security and ensure the rules are respected and enforced, the home secretary said. Our new Border Security Command is already gearing up, with new staff being urgently recruited and additional staff already stationed across Europe, working with European enforcement agencies to find every route in to smashing the criminal smuggling gangs organising dangerous boat crossings which undermine our border security and putting lives at risk.

And by increasing enforcement capabilities and returns, we will establish a system that is better controlled and managed, in place of the chaos that has blighted the system for far too long.
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At least 55 protesters were arrested following violent clashes with police in Chicago on the second night of the Democratic National Convention, a situation the city's police chief called a danger to our city.

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said Wednesday that those arrested outside the Israeli Consulate, about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the United Center where Democrats were meeting, showed up with the intention of committing acts of violence, vandalism.

As the Chicago Police Department, we did everything that we could to de-escalate that situation," Snelling said during a news conference. "But theres only so much de-escalation that you can attempt before it becomes excessive repetition.

The intense confrontations between pro-Palestinian protesters and officers began minutes into the demonstration, after some protesters  many dressed in black, their faces covered  charged at a line of police that had blocked their march. They eventually moved past the officers but were penned in several times throughout the night by police in riot gear who did not allow protesters to disperse.

Snelling said protesters showed up to "fight with the police"."

We were not the initiators of violence, but we responded to it," Snelling said.

He said between 55 and 60 people were arrested. Two people were taken to the hospital, one for knee pain and one with a finger injury, Snelling said. Two officers were injured but they refused medical attention because they did not want to leave fellow officers, Snelling said. He said three journalists were among those arrested.

Last night was a danger to our city and a danger to our citizens in this city, our residents property. And CPD has to protect that, Snelling said.

The Israeli Consulate has been the site of numerous demonstrations since the war in Gaza began in October.

The group behind the protest Tuesday night is not affiliated with a coalition of more than 200 groups that has organized permitted rallies and marches  one that took place Monday and another expected Thursday.

On Tuesday night, organizers rallied demonstrators under the slogan Make it great like 68, invoking the anti-Vietnam War protests that seized the city during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

That was what they brought here to Chicago, Snelling said. Its 2024. And the Chicago Police Department proved that. So lets get off of 1968. Lets stop talking about 1968. This is 2024."

A large portion of the arrests happened at the end of the night, as police pinned the remaining demonstrators in a plaza and blocked them from leaving. Snelling denied that police had kettled protesters, a tactic that involves corralling people in a confined area, which is banned under a federal consent decree.

Snelling, who has been present at all major demonstrations so far during the convention, praised his officers and called the response proportional.

"I could not be more proud of the work that the men and women of this department are doing right now to keep this city safe, he said.

Protests so far have largely been focused on opposing the Israel-Hamas war.

More marches and rallies are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, the final two days of the convention. One rally organized by the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, a Palestinian and Arab community-based organization, is planned for Wednesday afternoon near the United Center.

The largest protest so far, which attracted about 3,500 people on Monday, was largely peaceful and resulted in 13 arrests, most related to a breach of security fencing. Two were arrested Sunday night during another mostly peaceful march.

Also on Wednesday, a man who escaped from a Mississippi courthouse and is wanted on murder and armed robbery charges was taken into custody following a standoff with police at a restaurant about half a mile from the United Center. There was no indication that he had any connection to the convention.
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Argentina quarantined a cargo ship over the first suspected case of mpox on the vessel, as an outbreak of a new fast-spreading variant triggered a global public health alert.

The Liberian-flagged ship raised the alert after one of its crew members of Indian nationality showed cyst-like skin lesions predominantly on the chest and face", the health ministry said.

The health authorities in the country have activated a public emergency protocol and quarantined the ship with crew members not allowed to deboard.

Medical personnel will be the only ones allowed to board the ship and inspect the crew member for the symptoms of mpox, it said. If the symptoms are similar to mpox, the medical team will take samples and conduct tests.

The crew will remain in quarantine in the Parana River until the results of the tests are available.

The quarantined vessel named Ina-Lotte arrived from Santos, Brazil  also a major commodities hub  to pick up soy cargo, according to the health ministry and industry body the Argentine Naval League.

WHO has declared mpox a global health emergency ( REUTERS )

It was bound for the San Lorenzo port in the Santa Fe province where it had to drop anchor in the river.

It comes a week after the World Health Organisation declared mpox a global health emergency over deaths from a deadlier strain of the virus clade 1b which spreads more easily through routine close contact.

Around 13 countries have reported mpox cases this year with more than 17,000 cases confirmed and 571 deaths in Africa this year alone.

The WHOs highest form of alert, for the second time in two years, came after an outbreak of the disease accounting for more than 96 per cent of fatalities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The UN health agency recommends several vaccines for use against mpox ( REUTERS )

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, has two types, Clade 1 and Clade 2. Clade 2 caused a public health emergency in 2022 but was deemed relatively mild. Clade 1 has a high fatality rate and a mutant strain of it, called Clade 1b, has spread rapidly.

Pakistan, Sweden and the Philippines are the countries that have declared mpox cases apart from a number of African nations.

The disease, caused by the monkeypox virus, leads to flu-like symptoms along with pus-filled lesions. It is usually mild but can prove fatal to people with weakened immune systems, such as those with existing diseases.
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A Brazilian woman has been arrested in connection with the murder of an American businessman who went on holiday to Rio de Janeiro earlier this month.

Leticia Clara Bento da Silva, 23, was arrested on Monday. Police suspect she robbed and murdered Dwayne Antonio Morris, 43, in a Copacabana apartment, according to Metropoles, a Brazilian online newspaper.

Officials discovered the mans body on August 8 after he arrived in the country the previous day. Its thought that da Silva, along with another unidentified woman, drugged Morris and his friend with GHB, a depressant before robbing them.

The drug caused Morris to convulse and foam at the mouth, the outlet reported. The drug can lead to loss of consciousness and respiratory depression if its taken in large doses, potentially resulting in death.

Such crimes are called Goodnight Cinderella scams in Brazil.

Officials said that Morris and his friend, who survived the attack, met da Silva while out at a bar in the citys Lapa neighborhood. Morris and the two women then went to an apartment Morris had rented during his stay. The friend began to feel unwell and went to another location when he encountered police. He told them he felt dizzy and unwell, the outlet reported.

Dwayne Antonio Morris, 43, died after a Brazilian woman drugged him to death in a Goodnight Cinderella scheme, cops say ( Tamatha Richman/Facebook )

Meanwhile, Morris and the women arrived at the apartment past midnight. Two hours later, they were spotted on surveillance footage leaving the apartment in a black vehicle.

Da Silvas criminal record stated that she had been accused of similar crimes in the past. She was sentenced to temporary detention on Monday and taken into the countrys prison system.

Police are asking for the publics help to identify the other person involved.

We offer our sincerest condolences to the family for their loss and stand ready to provide consular assistance, The US Consulate in Rio de Janeiro said, according to the New York Post.

We are closely monitoring local authorities investigations regarding the cause of death. Out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment.

Morriss LinkedIn states he was the president of Blue Waters Consulting based in Minnesota.

Tamatha Richman, Morris significant other, started a GoFundMe to help with the costs of repatriation, funeral expenses and support for her family as they grieve the mans loss. She said the family intends to bury him in Jamaica in his familys land.

So far, it has raised $30,000 out of a $50,000 goal.

DWayne was a kind, adventurous spirit who brought joy to everyone around him, Richman wrote. He touched the lives of so many.
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Defense attorneys for Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in 2022, are making a final push for his trial to be moved, arguing that a mob mentality has formed against him in Latah County.

Residents of the county who were surveyed by the defense said there would be riots and other violent repercussions if Kohberger was found not guilty, according to a new filing made public on August 20.

Kohbergers attorneys cited the inflammatory and threatening remarks in the filing as they once again pushed to move the trial to Ada County, home to Boise, the states capitol, over 300 miles away. Kohberger is set to stand trial in 2025.

One resident said that there would likely be a riot and he wouldnt last long, because someone would do the good ole boy justice, according to the filing.

Another said theyd burn the courthouse down and that outrage would be a mild description. While one other warned that residents would probably find him and kill him.

Defense attorneys for Bryan Kohberger argue that a mob mentality has formed against him in Latah County and for that reason, his trial should be moved ( Getty )

The mob mentality within the community is the exact reason why the trial should be moved out of Latah County, the defense attorneys stated in the filing.

The former Washington State University graduate students lawyers asked in June for the case to be relocated, arguing extensive pre-trial media reporting about the case in the small university town of Moscow, Idaho, meant he would not get a fair trial.

But prosecutors said the court should decline to relocate itself, the state, and scores of witnesses hundreds of miles only to face another jury pool with similarly high media exposure.

They accused Kohbergers team of using flawed survey data in its requests to move the trial, and that the interest of justice for the victims families would be affected if the case moved elsewhere.

Prosecutors proposed keeping the trial in Latah County, but suggested expanding the jury pool from neighboring Nez Perce County. However, the defense argued in the most recent filing that this would not solve the issue because Nez Perce County residents were exposed to the same media coverage that they said was often inaccurate and inflammatory.

In 2025, Kohberger will stand trial for the November 2022 murders of Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21 ( Instagram )

In the filing, the defense provided answers from a survey they conducted with Ada County residents, which was a stark difference from those in Latah County, as they showed less of an emotional connection to the case.

When asked how residents would feel if Kohberger were found not guilty, one responded, they would go on with life as always.

Another said: Thats what the jury is for, to decide based on the evidence. If a jury finds him not guilty, then he wasnt guilty. Because they hear the evidence at the trial.

The defense also referred to two high-profile capital cases in Idaho that have recently had a venue change, including State v. Lori Vallow and State v. Chad Daybell.

Jurors in both cases provided in-depth media interviews post-trial and expressed that the Ada County court staff and marshals provided great infrastructure that made a big difference in their ability to withstand the significant commitment, the defense pointed out in the filing.

Another solution offered by the state was the vetting of jurors, but the defense rejected this proposal citing precedent that vetting alone is insufficient to ensure impartiality.

The traumatized town of Moscow is understandably filled with deeply held prejudgment opinions of guilt, the defense said as they concluded their argument in the filing.

Attorneys for both sides will be back in court on August 29 to present their arguments on the issue.

Kohbergers attorney are pushing to move the trial to Ada County, home to Boise, the states capitol, over 300 miles away from Latah County ( REUTERS )

Kohberger, who was a PhD student at Washington State University studying criminology, is charged with murder for the killing of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, who were found stabbed to death at their off-campus house in November 2022.

Police linked Kohberger to the murders that rocked the college town through DNA found on a knife sheath, cell phone data, an eyewitness account, and his white Hyundai Elantra. He was arrested six weeks after the murders.

In May 2023, Kohberger declined to enter a plea prompting the judge to enter his plea as not guilty on his behalf. Prosecutors have said they will pursue the death penalty at trial.
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Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane has been released from prison two years after he was convicted in the 2020 death of George Floyd.

Lane was one of four officers to be convicted in Floyds death which led to nationwide racial justice protests.

The 41-year-old was found guilty in 2022 of violating Floyds civil rights. The 46-year-old Black man was handcuffed and restrained as he lay on his stomach for more than nine minutes, telling officers that he couldnt breathe.

Lane was only on his fourth day as an officer, CNN noted, and he held down Floyds legs as he was arrested. Another officer, Derek Chauvin, pushed his knee into Floyds neck while Officer Alexander Kueng held down Floyds upper body. Fellow officer Tou Thao kept back witnesses as they grew increasingly upset at the scene.

Lane asked twice if they should reposition Floyd and gave Floyd CPR after paramedics had placed him in an ambulance. However, prosecutors said he didnt do enough to help the 46-year-old, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune.

In July 2022, Lane was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison. He was subsequently sentenced to three years in prison on the state level later that same year after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

That came after he faced the charge of aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder, but the charge was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Prosecutors and defense lawyers recommended a 36-month sentence, but a lighter sentence was imposed.

Former Minneapolis Police officers Thomas Lane (C) and J. Alexander Keung (R) leave the Hennepin County Family Justice Center after a pre-trial hearing on September 11, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He left prison on Tuesday morning ( Getty Images )

Lane served his sentences concurrently at the Englewood prison in Colorado. The low-security prison has about 1,000 inmates. Hes the first of the four officers to be released.

He has a two-year term of supervision imposed through the District of Minnesota, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons told CNN.

Lane finished his federal sentence in June and stayed in detention to finish his state sentence. He left prison on Tuesday morning.

The four officers were all convicted on both federal and state charges in the death of Floyd.

In April 2021, Chauvin was found guilty on the state charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to 22 and half years behind bars. In November last year, the Supreme Court rejected Chauvins appeal of the sentence.

Chauvin subsequently pleaded guilty to charges of violating Floyds civil rights on the federal level. He was sentenced to 21 years to be served concurrently with his state sentence.

In November 2023, the ex-officer was stabbed at a federal correctional facility in Arizona. The Bureau of Prisons told CNN that Chauvin was transferred on Tuesday to a low-security prison in Texas.

Kueng and Thao were both found guilty by a federal jury of having violated Floyds civil rights. Kueng was sentenced to three years and Thao to three and a half years.

On the state level, Kueng pleaded guilty to charges of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in December 2022. On the same state charges, Thao was sentenced to almost five years in August last year.
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A smuggler was caught trying to move more than $5m worth of meth into California last week by disguising the drugs as watermelons.

US Customs and Border Patrol announced on Tuesday that agents intercepted a smuggler on Friday during a secondary inspection at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility at the Otay Mesa crossing.

The incident began when a 29-year-old man driving a truck pulled up to the border. When asked what the man was hauling, the said they were watermelons. The CBP agents sent him for a secondary inspection.

The watermelons were unloaded from the truck for further inspection. That's when the agents found a few odd looking melons in the load.

"Upon careful inspection, officers uncovered 1,220 packages wrapped in paper, disguised as watermelons within the shipment. The contents of the packages were tested and identified as methamphetamine, with a total weight 4587 pounds. The estimated street value of the drugs exceeds $5 million dollars," the CBP wrote in a statement.

The driver was handed over to the US Department of Homeland Security for further investigation while the truck and drugs were seized by CBP agents.

Plastic containers holding some of the bags disguised as watermelons ( US Customs and Border Patrol )

I am incredibly proud of our team for their exceptional work over the past few weeks in uncovering sophisticated and diverse smuggling methods," Rosa E Hernandez, Port Director for the Area Port of Otay Mesa, said in a statement. "As drug cartels continue to evolve their smuggling techniques, we will continue finding new and better ways to prevent these dangerous drugs and other contraband from entering the country."

Agents at the same facility intercepted nearly 630 pounds of meth approximately a week ago. That time, smugglers were trying to hide the drugs in a celery shipment, according to another press release.

That shipment was valued at approximately $755,000.

Unlike the San Ysidro border, the Otay Mesa crossing typically has less tourist traffic but plenty of commercial and agricultural traffic. The crossing is about 25 minutes east of San Ysidro.

Both busts occurred under the agency's Operation Apollo, which it described as a "holistic counter-fentanyl effort" it launched in October. The initiative expanded from California to Arizona in April.

Operation Apollo "focuses on intelligence collection and partnerships, and utilizes local CBP field assets augmented by federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners to boost resources, increase collaboration, and target the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States," the CBP said.
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A Michigan doctor has been arrested after police accused him of hiding cameras in his office to record nude images of women and children for at least six years.

Dr Oumair Aejaz, 40, has been charged with 10 counts, mostly felonies, including child sexually abusive activity; using a computer to create and or reproduce child sexually abusive material; recording children under the age of 18 while nude; recording women over the age of 18 while nude and using a computer to commit a crime. Aejaz is being held on a $2m bond.

This is one of the most disturbing sexual predator cases I have seen in my very long career, said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard in a news release.

He violates literally anyone and everyone he can. From a two-year-old boy to grown women, no one is immune from his disgusting predatory behavior. Violating children in safe spaces as they change for a fun swim or sexually violating women who are still under sedation from a medical procedure shows his depravity has no limits.

At the end of this case, it is my fervent hope he is held fully accountable behind bars.

Dr Oumair Aejaz, 40, has been arrested for allegedly recording nude images of women and children for at least six years ( Oakland County Sheriff's Office )

Investigators found evidence of Aejaz, who specialized in internal medicine, of using the cameras to record children as young as two and women of varying ages in hospital rooms, changing areas, closets, bathrooms, bedrooms and an area swim club he had access to.

Additionally, detectives said Aejaz recorded sexual encounters he had with numerous female hospital patients who were asleep or unconscious.

The doctor had privileges as Ascension Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc Township and Henry Ford Macomb in Clinton Township but was not on staff at either of the locations. The hospitals are about an hour outside of Detroit. The Independent emailed both the hospital systems for comment.

A spokesperson for Henry Ford Health said: We are shocked by these allegations and take them very seriously. This individual has never been an employee of Henry Ford Health but had privileges at several area hospitals, including Henry Ford Macomb Hospital.

The safety of our patients and team members is our top priority and we have taken immediate action to prevent him from practicing at our health system.

Detectives received a tip about Aejaz on 7 August and began building a case against the man. Authorities arrested him on 8 August while executing a search warrant.

Officials found six computers, four cell phones and 15 external storage devices from the mans home. One device had over 13,000 videos police said the man recorded in the last six years. Its thought that it will take officials six months to complete a forensic examination of all the confiscated materials.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D McDonald announced the charges at a news conference on Tuesday alongside Bouchard.

These are children and moms at a swim school, she said. Theyre there to teach their kids to swim. Because that brings their kids joy and because they want their kids to be safe around water.

They were victimized by a person of trust in the communityIts more than an invasion of privacy. It robs these moms and kids, and all of us, of a sense of safety we should have when were with our kids at a place like that.

Aejaz, an Indian citizen, has been working in the US on a visa. He came to the country around 2011 and did his residency at Detroit Sinai Grace Hospital before moving to Dawson, Alabama. He returned to Oakland County to continue his practice in 2018.
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A death row inmate in Missouri is currently fighting for his life as experts say new DNA evidence proves his innocence of a 1998 murder  just weeks before he faces execution.

Marcellus Williams, 55, was sentenced to death in 2001 for fatally stabbing well-known St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Felicia Gayle.

On August 11 1998, Gayle was stabbed 43 times with a kitchen knife in a brutal attack in her home in the St. Louis suburb of University City, according to court records.

One day after her murder, police seized Williamss car and discovered a St. Louis Post-Dispatch-branded ruler inside.

Police later found a laptop belonging to Gayles husband at the home of a man named Glenn Roberts, who claimed that Williams had given it to him.

At the time, prosecutors alleged that Williams killed the 42-year-old during a burglary at Gayles home and left the house with a bloodied shirt, her purse and the laptop.

At his trial, he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.

Marcellus Williams, 55, was sentenced to death in 2001 for fatally stabbing well-known St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Felicia Gayle ( Missouri Department of Corrections )

Now, he is scheduled to be executed on September 24.

But, 20 years on from the murder, Williams continues to claim his innocence and is fighting to have his conviction overturned.

On Wednesday, Williamss lawyers and St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell are presenting DNA evidence for the first time which they say shows that he could not have been the killer.

In a 63-page motion filed by Bell, seen by The New York Times, they argue that Williams was wrongly convicted because the case rested entirely on testimony from two informants  Laura Asaro, Williamss former girlfriend, and Henry Cole, a prison inmate who was previously behind bars with Williams  and that there is no evidence linking Williams to the crime scene.

Specifically, bloody footprints, hair and fingerprints found at the scene do not belong to Williams, the motion says.

According to Bell, the murder weapon was tested in 2016 and three DNA experts have said that it cannot be traced back to Williams. Other forensic evidence from the scene also does not link to Williams, the motion says.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey attempted to prevent the hearing persisting that the evidence had already been heard ( AP )

The hearing on Wednesday marks the first time the DNA evidence in the case will be reviewed.

While Bell and Williamss attorneys are fighting to prove his innocence, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has sought to quash the legal battle.

Last month, Bailey asked both St. Louis County Circuit Court and the State Supreme Court to block the hearing arguing that the court had already heard and denied Williamss claims before and that the State Supreme Court has exclusive authority to review death sentences.

The Missouri Supreme Court denied his request, paving the way for the hearing to take place.

Williams has previously come close to execution twice, once in 2015 and once in 2017  before they were stayed at the last minute to conduct DNA testing.


* Seeking greater efficiency, Zhao Xianchang transitioned into a professional farm machinery operator, offering specialized services to fellow farmers. * Farmers are now taking on roles as farm machinery operators, live streamers and even artists, reflecting the growing specialization and professionalism in the country's rural areas and expanding their skill sets. * From 2019 to 2022, China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security added 74 new professions to its list, including e-commerce practitioners and housekeepers, with 13 directly supporting rural revitalization. JINAN, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- After months of hard work during the peak wheat harvest season, Zhao Xianchang and his son finally have a moment to rest, but their brief respite will be short-lived as they prepare to embark on a new venture. Zhao hails from Zhaojia Village in Weifang, a city in east China's Shandong Province. He bought a small tractor several years ago to ease planting, which eventually led him to establish an agricultural machinery cooperative. Seeking greater efficiency, he transitioned into a professional farm machinery operator, offering specialized services to fellow farmers. The demand for machinery services used to fluctuate seasonally due to single-crop farming, but with the diversification of agriculture, Zhao now sees their machinery in constant use. As agricultural modernization and economic development progress, new professions are emerging in rural China. Farmers are now taking on roles as farm machinery operators, live streamers and even artists, reflecting the growing specialization and professionalism in the country's rural areas and expanding their skill sets. FINANCIAL GAINS Zhao Xichang's son, Zhao Kai, explained that in the spring, they drive rotary tillers to Kaifeng City in central China's Henan Province for plowing and also operate tractors in Weifang to assist vegetable farmers. During the summer, they travel across regions nationwide for over a month, working on wheat harvest. In autumn and winter, they focus on local farming, assisting with the harvest and helping ginger farmers with plowing. As a dedicated farm machinery operator for nearly a decade, Zhao Kai has used five or six combine harvesters, evolving from manual to electronic controls while witnessing the advancement of modern farming in China. "Harvesting 300 mu (20 hectares) of wheat in a single day is now easily achievable, with less grain loss than before, working from 9 a.m. until late at night," Zhao Kai said. In Huanghua Village, Gongzhuling City, in northeast China's Jilin Province, Wang Xiuying stood in a flower greenhouse spanning over 1,000 square meters and introduced clivia online. Facing the camera, he said, "The texture of this orchid's leaves is clear and eye-catching. If you like it, please buy it," as he live-streamed at an e-commerce platform. Now a planter, Wang was once a migrant worker. She is effectively contributing to China's rural revitalization by leveraging modern new media technology in farming. "I sell dozens of potted plants during each live stream," she said. "In peak seasons, I can sell over a hundred pots a day, with buyers from across the country." In recent years, Huanghua has established an e-commerce service station, and several logistics companies have partnered with local flower farmers. Wang's daily routine includes live-streaming in the morning and packaging orders in the afternoon. Each day, delivery personnel from various logistics companies arrive on time to pick up the goods. Wang has amassed over 20,000 social media followers, with nearly a hundred viewers tuning in daily to watch her sell flowers via livestreaming. This has expanded the market for the village's clivia to buyers nationwide. Inspired by her success, many villagers are now venturing into e-commerce livestreaming. Currently, the village has over 100 flower greenhouses, with annual clivia sales revenue exceeding 100 million yuan (about 14 million U.S. dollars), benefiting many households with significant economic gains. CULTIVATING CREATIVITY From 2019 to 2022, China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security added 74 new professions to its list, including e-commerce practitioners and housekeepers, with 13 directly supporting rural revitalization. In May this year, online live streamers were also included in the list of new professions. In Jilin Province, over 6,000 rural professionals have been awarded vocational titles in fields such as folk artistry, farm management, e-commerce marketing, and leadership in farmer cooperatives. Likewise, Juye County, located in Shandong's Heze, a city renowned for its peony cultivation, has seen a rise in peony-themed art that has become increasingly popular among tourists. Notably, many of the most celebrated artists are local farmers. Gui Huaifang, 37, has worked diligently to master drawing techniques and now completes a painting in about two weeks, each selling for 4,000 yuan. As one of the first artists in the Hongmiao Village cooperatives, she often creates detailed peony paintings and films the process with her phone to share online. "Instead of leaving my rural home to work in the cities, I can stay here, spend more time with my children, and embrace new opportunities. Peony art has allowed me to build a better life right here at home," she said. Peony brush painting is relatively easy to learn, allowing farmers to quickly grasp basic techniques and complete works independently. To support this artistic endeavor, Juye County has launched free training courses through 49 local painting studios and over 160 calligraphy and painting institutions. These initiatives promote art education and help farmers increase their income. Currently, Juye has eight towns and 50 villages specializing in painting, with over 600 calligraphy and painting studios, more than 300 framing shops, and over 1,000 sales outlets. The art industry here employs over 20,000 people and produces more than 1.2 million artworks annually, which are exported to 40 countries and regions, with the output value expected to exceed 1.2 billion yuan this year. (Reporting by Shao Kun, Ye Ting, Feng Yuanyuan, Zhang Liyuan, Wang Haofei, Xue Qinfeng and Wei Meng; Video reporters: Feng Yuanyuan, Zhu Xiaoguang and Wei Meng; Video editors: Zhang Nan, Mu Xuyao and Zheng Xin .)
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A man who was left paralyzed during a 2021 attempted robbery that left another man dead has been handed a life prison sentence for the attack.

Twenty-year-old Jaiden Williams was 17 when he shot Orbit Pough III, 17, on 26 July 2021 in Grayson, Georgia, about 37 miles from Atlanta.

Last week, a Gwinnett County jury found Williams, who is from Buford, guilty of two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, criminal attempt to commit a felony and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, according to WSB-TV.

Williams met Pough in the parking lot of a Kroger grocery store. He wanted to buy a THC vape cartridge from Pough but didnt have any money at the time. So, he shot him in his side. Pough also had a gun and managed to shoot Williams in the neck, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

Pough died in the incident.

Jaiden Williams, 20, has been sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting a 17-year-old in 2021 ( Gwinnett County District Attorneys Office )

Investigators later found barrel contact marks from a shooting that happened at close range, the outlet reported.

Williams had told police that he was riding in a car with him on their way to a drug deal. When Pough started to appear suspicious, he shot him. During the trial, Williams told the jury that he and Pough were friends.

Police disagreed and said the two were strangers to each other.

A judge sentenced Williams to life in prison with the possibility of parole, in addition to five years on probation.

The victims family suffered a tragic loss, District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. The defendant was only 17 years old when he took the victims life. This sentence will be a long and hard lesson for him to learn from. But we simply cannot tolerate our young people following such violent paths.

THC vape pens with Delta-9 contents that exceed 0.3 percent are illegal in the state of Georgia.
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An accused rapist in Oklahoma has been arrested in a separate case after police said they found him with latex gloves and a painters mask as part of a plan to murder his ex-girlfriend and her mother.

Matthew Robert Austin, 18, was turned in by a friend who heard him talking about harming his ex-girlfriend and family, per court records obtained by Law & Crime.

Authorities with the Norman Police Department took Austin into custody on July 18 near his ex-girlfriends house. Police said Austin had a Home Depot bag filled with the items.

When police discovered the items, he told them he was planning to paint his room or something along those lines, records showed.

Austin admitted his intentions to stab his ex-girlfriend and her family and revealed the active case against him by the Moore Police Department regarding the rape of a 14-year-old girl.

A witness said Austin told them his ex-girlfriend was messing with my life and he would just stab them so they would not scream. He also admitted to having sex with the 14-year-old but told police he thought she was 19, cops said.

The girls mother contacted the Moore Police Department in Oklahoma and told them Austin had raped her daughter, according to the arrest warrant in that case. Text messages showed the two had known each other.

According to the outlet, Austin had told the girl he was 16 years old when he was actually 18. He visited her house in July and forced himself on her and raped her, the affidavit states.

Austin then told the girl not to tell anyone because of their age difference and said It needed to be a secret, cops said, adding that he allegedly told the girl he had done that before and everything would be ok. A nurse examiner at a local hospital assessed the girl.

Austin has been detained and booked for planning acts of violence, possession of marijuana, devising plans to cause serious bodily harm or death and intimidating a witness. His total bond on those charges is over $30,000. Hed previously been booked on rape in the second degree. On that charge, his bond has been set at $400,000.
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Scott Peterson, who was found guilty of murdering his wife, Laci, and their unborn child, Conner, 20 years ago, has offered up his own theory about what he thinks happened to the mom-to-be.

In a jailhouse interview from the Mule Creek State Prison in California, Peterson spoke out for the first time for Peacocks new three-part series Face to Face With Scott Peterson.

There was a burglary across the street from our home, Peterson said in the series. And I believe that Laci went over there to see what was going on, and thats when she was taken.

Laci was eight months pregnant when she vanished on Christmas Eve 2002. Peterson reported her missing after he claimed he returned from a solo fishing trip to find their Modesto home empty and their dog in the backyard with its leash still attached. Four months later, the bodies of Laci and Conner washed up on a shore.

The burglary that Peterson theorized actually happened, but authorities have said, citing one of the convicted burglars statements, that it occurred on December 26, 2002, and not December 24, 2002, as the defense claimed.

Scott Peterson on a call from prison, as seen in the trailer for Face to Face with Scott Peterson ( Peacock via YouTube )

According to journalists and legal experts who gave interviews for the docuseries, witnesses had told police at the time that they saw a suspicious van in the area of the house that was burglarized on December 24, with one witness even claiming that they saw a pregnant woman being forced into a van.

The burglary was not mentioned at Petersons high-profile trial back in 2004. Peterson, who has maintained his innocence since the beginning, cites the burglary as supporting his claim that the cops did not turn over evidence to the defense that could have potentially exonerated him during the discovery process as they were supposed to.

There are so many instances where there was evidence that didnt fit the detectives theory that they ignored, he insisted in the jailhouse call.

However, two former detectives for the department, Jon Buehler and Al Brocchini, who are also featured in the doc, say they never hid evidence or failed to investigate leads during the probe.

Laci Peterson was eight months pregnant when she vanished on Christmas Eve 2002 ( Netflix )

Peterson, who was involved in multiple extramarital affairs, quickly became a suspect following Lacis disappearance, and, after Laci and Conners bodies were discovered in April 2003, he was arrested near San Diego and charged with murder.

He had dyed his dark hair blonde and was carrying survival gear, Viagra tablets and $15,000 in cash, according to authorities.

Amber Frey, the 27-year-old woman Peterson had been having an affair with prior to Lacis death, went to police when she learned about Lacis disappearance on the news  and realized that the missing womans husband was the man she thought was her boyfriend.

She told police Peterson claimed he was never married when they began dating, then changed his story to being a widower. Sometime after Laci went missing, he then told her his wife was alive and pregnant but had gone missing.

Frey has also spoken out for the first time in new Netflix documentary American Murder: Laci Peterson that was released last week.

Amber Frey, former mistress of Scott Peterson, leaves the San Mateo Superior County Courthouse during his high-profile trial in 2004 ( Getty Images )

In 2004, Peterson was convicted of Laci and Conners murders and was initially sentenced to death but later resentenced to life in prison without parole.

In January 2024, the Los Angeles Innocence Project took on his case, filing a motion to have pieces of evidence from the original investigation tested for DNA. A judge ruled in May that only a piece of duct tape found on Lacis body could be retested.

Lara Yeretsian, one of Scotts original trial lawyers, remains hopeful of a different outcome.

This is not the end of it, Yeretsian said in the series. Its just the beginning, and at least weve got one win.
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A South Carolina sheriff who ordered a deputy to repeatedly shock a noncompliant inmate with a Taser was found not guilty of federal civil rights violations.

"Thank the good Lord, thank the good Lord, Im probably going to go to sleep thanking the good Lord, former Malboro County Sheriff Charles Lemon said outside the courthouse.

He was arrested and suspended in 2021 for an incident from the previous year, where he was filmed on body camera video ordering a deputy to shock inmate Harrel Johnson six times, shouting, Pop it to him.

Lemon, whose term was slated to end this year, isnt running for re-election.

The FBI and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigated the incident, and the state of South Carolina originally filed charges against Lemon and his deputy but dropped them in March 2024.

Lemon was eventually charged in federal court with deprivation of civil rights.

At trial, prosecutors argued Lemon was never Taser certified and shouldnt have ordered a deputy to use the weapon, while a member of the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy testified that officers are only allowed to use a Taser on someone three times.

During the week-long trial, Lemon argued he intervened in the Johnson matter because he knew the mans family and thought he could be useful in getting Johnson, who had a history of mental health problems, to enter his cell.

A criminal justice expert for the defense argued the six shocks werent excessive given that Johnson lunged at the sheriffs when his handcuffs were taken off.

The bottom line is Charles did not want to plead guilty because he didnt think he was guilty. He spent his entire life trying to be a good law enforcement officer, and this was a dangerous situation in which he felt  and the jury vindicated his feelings  that his actions were justified, defense attorney Morgan Martin told local paper The State on Monday.

We are disappointed with the outcome, but we respect the jurys verdict, the office of U.S. Attorney for South Carolina Adair Boroughs said in a statement to the paper.

Lemons deputy, Andrew Cook, pleaded guilty to a federal charge earlier this year.

The state attorney generals office told Queen City News it is considering whether to pursue renewed charges.
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U.S. motorcyle brand Harley-Davidson downplayed its recent efforts at workplace diversity and inclusion, after it faced calls for a boycott from a high-profile conservative activist with a record of extracting change from well-known American companies.

In a statement on X on Monday, the company said it remained commited to diversity, but said it would no longer push for a more diverse supply chain or participate in a corporate evaluation scheme ranking companies on their diversity and inclusion (DEI).

We see it as every leaders role to ensure we have an employee base that reflects our customers and the geographies in which we operate, the company wrote.

That said, we have not operated a DEI function since April 2024, and we do not have a DEI function today, it continued. We do not have hiring quotas and we no longer have supplier diversity spend goals.

The company also insisted its employee training would only be related to the needs of the business and be absent of socially motivated content.

Harley also announced it would cease using the Human Rights Campaigns Corporate Equality Index scoring system to evaluate its work.

Decisions to cut DEI initiatives send a clear signal to employees that their employers simply dont care about equality in the workplace. Putting politics ahead of workers and consumers only hurts the same folks that these businesses rely on, HRC vice president of programs and corporate advocacy Eric Bloem told The Independent in a statement: Harley-Davidsons choice to back away from the Corporate Equality Index is an impulsive decision fueled by fringe right-wing actors and MAGA extremists who believe they can bully their way into dismantling initiatives that help everyone thrive in the workplace.

Last month, Harley became a target of conservative activist and filmmaker Robby Starbuck, who accused the company of going totally woke.

In a video thats garnered nearly 3 million views on X, Starbuck railed against the company for aspects including employees attending DEI trainings, an LGBT+ event being hosted at a company events venue, and its support of the Ride with Pride event, a gathering for LGBTQ motorcyle riders.

He also accused the companys goal of achieving a greater diversity of suppliers as being a fancy corporate speak way for saying less white people.

In its statement, Harley only obliquely referenced the campaign.

We are saddened by the negativity on social media over the last few weeks, designed to divide the Harley-Davidson community, the company wrote.

George Gatto, who owns a Pittsburgh area Harley store, told Bloomberg he had faced angry comments over the boycott effort, but didnt personally feel persuaded by it, calling Starbuck a politician just trying to get clicks.

My business in non-political. You are welcome to come here if youre a Democrat, a Republican, or independent, we dont even look at that, he said. Its about riding motorcycles and having fun.

Starbuck, who ran for Congress in 2022, greeted Harleys statement on Monday by posting a meme showing him as the grim reaper going after woke corporations.

In recent months, other well-known American brands including Tractor Supply and John Deere have pulled back on DEI-related programming amid similar public campaigns from Starbuck.

Last year, Anheuser-Busch was the target of a similar backlash, after partnering with Dylan Mulvaney, an influencer who is transgender.
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Instagram has failed to remove up to 93 per cent of violent, racist and misogynistic comments hitting out at female politicians in the US, according to new research.

A study, by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, reported 1,000 abusive comments  which featured racism, sexism and violence  aimed at leading Republican and Democratic women politicians in six months.

Some 77 per cent of the comments included gendered terms like b*tch, rape, and wh*re.

Researchers discovered 93 per cent of the comments could still be seen on the social media giant which is owned by Meta a week after they reported them despite the remarks all demonstrably infringing the platforms policies.

Prominent women on Instagram have come to expect misogynistic, hateful abuse and threats of sexual violence to them and their loved ones. Hateful abuse, targeting gender, race or sexuality, is not part of normal political discourse. Imran Ahmed

The study looked at abuse directed at the following Democrat politicians - Vice President Kamala Harris, ex-House Speaker Representative Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Jasmine Crockett. While the Republican women researchers focused on were Marjorie Taylor Greene, Maria Elvira Salazar, Lauren Boebert, Senator Marsha Blackburn and Anna Paulina Luna.

Our study shows that Meta is not interested in removing identity-based abuse and harassment. Even when users or researchers flag hate, Meta is doing less than the bare minimum to address users concerns, Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, said.

Prominent women on Instagram have come to expect misogynistic, hateful abuse and threats of sexual violence to them and their loved ones. Hateful abuse, targeting gender, race or sexuality, is not part of normal political discourse.

These trolls are not attacking women politicians for their policy stances or perspectives and are seeking to send a message to women more generally.

Comments identified included Hope someone leaves you fordead in a ditch, She would sound better with a f*cking gag in her mouth, and You complete evil f***ing b*tch, the devil has a hot place in hell reserved for you.

Researchers warned social media platforms inability to take action on gendered abuse has fostered a culture of impunity for those who fire off vitriol.

The study found some 221 of the 1,000 accounts reported by researchers to Instagram were repeat offenders and had targeted politicians several times in the space of half a year.

Researchers discovered Ms Harris endured recurrent abuse  with harassment including abusers pushing wholly false misogynistic stereotypes about the politician sleeping her way to the top and frequent derogatory remarks about her ethnicity.

They reported 102 abusive comments directed at Ms Harris  with as many as 92 per cent still up after a week.

Researchers selected the top five politicians from the two main parties with the highest average post engagement between January and June for the study.

Cindy Southworth, head of womens safety at Meta, said: We provide tools so that anyone can control who can comment on their posts, automatically filter out offensive comments, phrases or emojis, and automatically hide comments from people who don't follow them.

"We work with hundreds of safety partners around the world to continually improve our policies, tools, detection and enforcement, and we will review the Centre for Countering Digital Hate report and take action on any content that violates our policies.
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Two people are dead and multiple buildings are on fire after a plane crashed in western Texas.

A Cessna Citation business jet crashed early Monday morning in Odessa, Texas, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The plane was taking off from the Odessa-Schlemeyer Field Airport but struggled to gain altitude, Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis said.

Two people who were on board the plane are dead, Griffis said. Officials have yet to release further details on the passengers.

A small plane crashed in Odessa, Texas, killing two people and sparking a fire that scorched several buildings and homes ( City of Odessa )

Several buildings including mobile homes, storage facilities and a restaurant, burst into flames following the crash. The fire, which impacted an entire block, was contained within hours, Griffis said.

One woman was injured after her mobile home caught on fire. She was rescued and taken to the local hospital. Her condition is unknown.

A small plane crash in Odessa, Texas set several buildings on fire, including the restaurant Deweys. Two people are dead and one woman has been hospitalized after her home caught on fire ( City of Odessa )

There was a large fire after some explosions, witnesses have said that they saw the plane struggling to get altitude, clipped power lines...ultimately crashed in the alleyway, Griffis said.

Its obvious the pilot attempted to avoid the houses, he continued.

Photos of the crash site shared by city officials showed burning vehicles, charred signs and damaged power lines. However, just 22 energy customers are without power in Ector County, according to PowerOutage.us.

Firefighters contained the fire sparked by the plane crash within hours, a local official said ( City of Odessa )

We spoke to an individual that was working just adjacent west of the crash, and he advised that he observed the plane struggling to gain altitude, Griffis added.

He noticed it, and then he said, upon impact and the explosion, they felt the heat wave over there at their job site, and then there was another subsequent explosion, he continued.

The Red Cross has also established a local shelter for those whose homes were damaged by the crash.

Odessa is a city of 110,000 people in western Texas near the New Mexico border. The town is a roughly five-hour drive from both San Antonio and Austin.
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An American soldier has been arrested over the disappearance of his pregnant wife, who vanished last month from the Hawaii base where the couple lives, the US Army announced.

Pfc. Dewayne Arthur DJ Johnson II, 28, is in military pretrial confinement at the Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu, according to Army officials. Nineteen-year-old Mischa Mabeline Kaalohilani Johnson, who is six months pregnant, was last seen leaving their home on July 31, and reported missing the next day, the Army said.

Johnson, a cavalry scout originally from Frederick, Maryland, enlisted in November 2022 and was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division in June 2023. He has not yet been charged with a crime. The investigation remains current and ongoing, and no further information is available at this time, according to the Army. The Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Mischa Johnsons whereabouts.

U.S. Army Pfc. Dewayne Johnson, a cavalry scout assigned to 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, applies face paint during the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 24-01 at Helemano Military Reservation, Hawaii, Nov. 2, 2023. ( DoD/5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua Linfoot )

On Wednesday, Mischas mother pleaded for answers in the ongoing search for her daughter.

I am asking the Public to please assist me with any information on Dewayne Johnson, Frances Tapiz-Andrian posted on Facebook. He No LONGER is Cooperating with the Searching or Locating of my daughter Mischa Johnson and their unborn child. Please Call CID at 8082080059. #BringMischaHome #JusticeforMischa.

In another post early Wednesday, Tapiz-Andrian, who lives in Honolulu, said investigators were looking for anyone who was in contact with PFC Johnson anytime between July 12 and August 1.

Mischa Johnson has been missing since July 31, according to authorities ( Honolulu PD )

Tapiz-Andrian posted screenshots of texts between herself and Johnson, in which Johnson appeared highly concerned about the situation.

DJ I am so Thankful that you are doing All you can to Find Mischa, Tapiz-Andrian messaged her son-in-law on August 2. I called Wahiawa ER and they dont have any Jane DOE. We will Find her.

We need to find her n we will, Johnson replied, according to the screenshot. the CID detectives will meet me soon to give me info found in her phone.

Mischa will be Found, Tapiz-Andrian reassured Johnson. She is Loved and Cared for.

Two weeks ago, Mischas sister Marianna provided an update, posting on social media that her family, along with Johnson and his platoon, had mounted a search the day before.

No leads, she wrote.

Schofield Barracks, near Honolulu, was named the Armys top installation in 2014 ( U.S. Department of Defense/Staff Sgt. Christopher Hubenthal )

On August 11, Marianna shared some further thoughts about what was happening.

I want to note that though my sister has depression, shes NEVER gone this long without talking to us, she posted. ... I wish we had updates for you all. But we believe the community will be pivotal in finding her. Thank you all for sharing her picture, sharing her face & story.

The clothing and footwear Mischa was wearing when she went missing is unknown, and officials said she left her phone, wallet, keys, and Apple watch at home. Police described her as 52 and approximately 170 pounds, with a large tattoo on her back of a dragon.

In an update on Tuesday, the Army said, Our efforts remain focused on locating Mischa, support to her family, and the safety and security of all personnel at US Army Hawaii installations We encourage anyone who may have information regarding Mischa Johnson to contact CID. Thank you.
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When Barack Obama visited the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, he couldnt even get a floor pass. The young Illinois state senator had just lost a bruising congressional primary to Bobby Rush.

By 2004, he was back at the DNC in Boston, giving the keynote address. This time round, he was the self-proclaimed skinny kid with a funny name turned Democratic nominee for an Illinois Senate seat, and delivered the speech that would ultimately define him.

Theres not a liberal America and a conservative America  theres the United States of America, he said at the time. Theres not a Black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America. Theres the United States of America.

Four years later, Senator Obama approached the convention stage in Denver as a conquering hero. It preceded the monumental victory that made him the first Black person to become president and occupy a building built by enslaved people who looked like him.

But despite this, Obama remained largely an outsider. He had defeated Hillary Clinton, and by proxy, Bill Clinton.

As president, he often chafed at the typical glad-handing and building of relationships with Congress, handing it off to his vice-president Joe Biden, who had been a senator for 36 years.

In 2004, Barack Obama delivered the keynote address to the Democratic National Convention in Boston. It catapulted a little-known state legislator to national prominence ( AP )

Yet, at the DNC in the United Center in Chicago on Tuesday, Obama heaped praise on his more garrulous former right-hand man.

Looking back, I can say without question that my first big decision as your nominee turned out to be one of my best  and that was asking Joe Biden to serve as my vice-president, Obama said.

The speech was delivered without Biden in the arena after the president had decided not to seek re-election last month and endorse his own vice-president Kamala Harris for the top of the ticket.

Biden delivered his farewell address on Monday night, reportedly after Obama and other senior Democrats not-so-gently nudged him off the stage.

President Joe Biden did not attend his former boss Barack Obamas speech after weeks of tension about whether Biden should step aside and make way for Kamala Harris ( Reuters )

Now, 20 years after his first keynote address, Obama was back in his hometown to speak to a party that he fundamentally reshaped.

I am feeling hopeful because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible, he said.

As he took the stage at the United Center, crowds of delegates and supporters shouted Yes we can  Obamas iconic chant.

Im feeling fired up. Im feeling ready to go, he told the crowd.

When the crowd booed one of his remarks on Donald Trump, he reiterated another of his famous lines: Dont boo, vote.

The no-drama Obama approach that once frustrated Democrats now stands in stark contrast to the frantic and ad-hoc presidency of Trump that came after. And Obama could not help but take a swipe at his successor who had questioned whether the first Black president was born in the United States.

Barack Obama hugs his wife and former first lady Michelle Obama after she introduced him on the second day of the Democratic National Convention. The former first lady also delivered a stirring speech where she made some of her most targeted shots at former president Donald Trump ( Getty )

We dont need four more years of bluster and chaos, he said.

Weve seen that movie and we all know that the sequels usually worse, he said.

He also compared Trump to a neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day.

Obamas return to Chicago  the city where he moved as a young man after college to become a community organizer and where he fell in love with a lawyer named Michelle Robinson  was also a moment for him to endorse the future of the party.

Obama heralded Kamala Harris, who attended the 2007 announcement of his candidacy in Illinois.

Like him, she is a biracial candidate who earned comparisons to him almost as soon as he was elected. While much of Californias Democratic establishment got behind Hillary Clinton, Harris got behind Obama.

Now the torch has been passed, Obama said on Tuesday. America is ready for a new chapter. America is ready for a better story. We are ready for a president Kamala Harris.

Toward the end of the speech, Obama played the hits from his original 2004 speech, talking about being the grandson of a white woman born in a tiny town called Peru, Kansas, and about his mother-in-law Marian Robinson, who passed away earlier this year  and tied it into Harris and Walz.

Lets get to work, he said.

Obama once again had the party on its feet.

As former Democratic congressman Steve Israel told The Independent: Its poignant, particularly given the fact that he just emerged as a superstar on the political scene.

And is now kind of the north star for the Democrats.
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Barack Obama has sent social media wild after he appeared to make a not-so-subtle innuendo while talking about Donald Trumps weird obsession with crowd sizes at the Democratic National Convention.

Speaking on the second night of the event, Obama kicked off his speech with plenty of digs at Trump, who was Obamas successor for the presidency in 2016.

Calling Trump a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago, Obama went on to say his constant stream of gripes and grievances has only grown worse now that he is afraid of losing to Kamala.

The crowd listened intently as Obama touched on Trumps resume of childish nicknames and crazy conspiracy theories.

But, there was one moment that really prompted laughter  and caught the attention of viewers at home.

Theres the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes.... it just goes on, and on, and on, Obama said.

Obama made a curious hand gesture to emphasise his point ( Independent US )

During his comments, Obama made a curious hand gesture to emphasise his point  before eyeing his hands and looking back up to the crowd for dramatic effect.

The audience in Chicago broke into raucous cheers  and social media quickly followed suit.

Barack Obama just got under Trumps skin BIGLY... reads one X post.

Another person chimed in: I think hes being WAY too generous.

Others let Obama do all the talking, choosing instead to simply punctuate his phrase with pointed emojis.

Obamas inneundo didnt go unnoticed by some ( The Recount/X )

Some seized on the opportunity to make reference to adult film star Stormy Daniels ( Ron Filipkowski/X )

Meanwhile, others seized on the opportunity to make reference to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who famously had a sexual relationship with Trump in 2006  and was paid hush money to keep silent about it during his 2016 White House run.

Stormy knows, posted one person.

While others coined the nickname Dinky Donald, claiming Trump is sensitive about size.

Trump has become somewhat fixated on crowd sizes during this election cycle.

This month, he falsely suggested that his January 6 rally  moments before the Capitol riot  drew a crowd to rival the crowd who gathered to hear Martin Luther Kings I have a dream speech during the 1963 March on Washington.

Barack Obama gestures as he speaks during Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention ( REUTERS )

He has also laid into Kamala Harris for the size of her rally crowds, falsely claiming that a photo of a huge group of people waiting to greet Harris and her running mate Tim Walz on the tarmac of an airport in Michigan was fake and AI-generated.

Photographic and video evidence proved him wrong.

But Trumps obsession over their respectiv crowd sizes comes at a time when Harris is leading him by 2.9 points in the polls and when he and his running mate JD Vance are facing backlash over several controversial comments.

Trump has been slammed for calling Harris stupid and wildly questioning her racial heritage while Vance has been slammed for his derogatory comments about women.
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The Democratic National Convention (DNC) has now entered its final day at the United Center in Chicago, where some of the partys biggest heavyweights have taken to the stage over the last three days.

While the DNC is first and foremost a presidential nominating convention, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz already have their places in the White House race sown up after a five-day round of online voting for delegates wrapped on August 5.

Now, as many as 50,000 visitors have descended on the Steven Spielberg-coordinated convention in the Windy City, including 5,000 delegates from 50 states and territories, plus 15,000 members of the media, tens of thousands of guests and a huge contingent of Gaza ceasefire protesters.

The convention has been organized around four distinct themes, one for each day: Mondays was For the People, examining the Biden administrations accomplishments in the White House and how a future Harris Cabinet could continue its work, Tuesdays was A Bold Vision for Americas Future, Wednesdays was A Fight for Our Freedoms and Thursdays is For Our Future.

Here the latest on what we know about the conventions schedule.

Monday

Kamala Harris and Joe Biden at the DNC on Monday August 19 2024 ( AP )

President Joe Biden delivered the headline speech on the opening night, giving an emotional address to rapturous applause from the crowd.

Introduced by First Lady Dr Jill Biden and his daughter Ashley Biden, the 81-year-old president ran through his accomplishments in the Oval Office before making a forceful case against Donald Trump.

Denying that he was angry with members of his party who pressured him to step aside from the 2024 race, Biden explained: I love my job, but I love my country more.

Hillary Clinton, the partys 2016 presidential nominee, also spoke of her desire to see the highest, hardest glass ceiling smashed with the election of a first female president.

Delegates also heard from Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jim Clyburn, Jasmine Crockett, Robert Garcia, Grace Meng and Jamie Raskin, Senators Raphael Warnock and Chris Coons, Governors Andy Beshear and Kathy Hochul, DNC chair Jaime Harrison and United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain.

Tuesday

Michelle Obama and Barack Obama received a warm welcome at the DNC on Tuesday ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

The Obamas took to the stage on Tuesday delivering an electrifying endorsement of the Harris-Walz administration while eviscerating Trump.

Michelle denounced Trump for peddling a narrative of fear and declared that hope is making a comeback while also poking fun at Trumps reference to Black jobs, adding that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs.

In his speech, Barack heaped praise on both Harris and Biden while slamming Trump for the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes.

Other speakers included Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff  including a touching video tribute from his son Cole Senators Chuck Schumer, Bernie Sanders, and Tammy Duckworth, Billionaire Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Trumps former press secretary Stephanie Grisham.

Wednesday

Walz delivered a rousing speech as he formally accepted the VP nomination ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

Walz took to the stage to deliver a rousing acceptance speech to formally accept his vice presidential nomination.

Met with roaring chants of Coach! Coach! Coach! he dived into a football-themed metaphor: Its the fourth quarter, were down a field goal, but were on offense and we have the ball, were driving down the field and boy do we have the right team... Kamala Harris is ready!

Former president Bill Clinton also took to the stage and made a jibe at Trumps age, noting that he celebrated his 78th birthday on Monday but I'm still younger than Donald Trump.

Oprah Winfrey also made a surprise appearance, slamming JD Vances childless cat ladies comments.

Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, former VP hopefuls Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro also delivered speeches.

Thursday

As is tradition, Kamala Harris will wrap up the final day of the convention on Thursday night with a headline speech as she formally accepts the nomination to be the Democratic Partys 2024 presidential candidate.

Reverend Al Sharpton, a prominent civil rights activist and baptist minster, has also announced he will take the podium.

Additionally, former Republican congressman and outspoken Trump opponent Adam Kinzinger is expected to speak.

How to watch:
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Tim Walz gave the biggest speech on the biggest stage of his career as he accepted the Democratic partys nomination for vice president in front of a roaring crowd in Chicago.

In keynote remarks at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, the Minnesota governor leaned on his experience as a public high school teacher and football coach to outline a vision for an America defined by care for neighbors and a kind of freedom he put in stark contrast to Donald Trumps agenda.

Its the fourth quarter, were down a field goal, but were on offense and weve got the ball, Walz said in his closing statements. And boy, do we have the right team.

Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate want to build a country where workers come first, healthcare and housing are human rights, and the government stays the hell out of your bedroom, Walz said.

Thats how we make America a place where no child is left hungry, where no community is left behind, where no one is told they dont belong, he said.

Former football players from Mankato West High School in Minnesota introduced Tim Walz go the stage at the partys convention in Chicago on August 22 ( REUTERS )

His remarks served as another introduction to a candidate that many voters are still beginning to learn about after he made his debut on the campaign trail just two weeks ago.

Walz  a former member of Congress whose students encouraged him to run for office in 2006  coached football, basketball and track and taught geography at the same school where his wife Gwen Walz taught English.

He was brought on the stage by one of his former students and next-door neighbors, Ben Ingman, and former members of Mankato West High Schools football team.

Several other Mankato West alumni  including members of the schools first-ever gay-straight alliance on which Walz served as faculty adviser  had traveled to Chicago on Wednesday to cheer him on.

Walz grew up in small-town Butte, Nebraska, where he learned that everybody belongs and everyone has a responsibility to contribute.

Tim Walz embraces his wife Gwen Walz aafter he accepted the Democratic partys vice presidential nomination on August 22 ( REUTERS )

That family down the road, they may not think like you do, they may not pray like you do. They may not love like you do but theyre your neighbors, and you look out for them, and they look out for you, he said.

He signed up to serve in the National Guard two days after his 17th birthday and served for 24 years.

Eventually, like the rest of my family, I fell in love with teaching, he said.

His students convinced him to run for office when he launched a campaign for Congress in 2006, with zero political experience and no money running in a deep-red district, he said.

You know what? Never underestimate a public school teacher, he said.

Walz represented the state in the House of Representatives for 12 years before running for governor.

Tim Walz and his family on stage at the DNC in Chicago after he accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president ( AP )

While other states were banning books from their schools, we were banning hunger from ours, said Walz, touting his administrations extensive K-12 policy, including a law that mandates free breakfast and lunch meals to all students, regardless of income.

We also protected reproductive freedom, because, in Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and the choices they make, he said. Weve got a golden rule: mind your own damn business.

Walz and his family also endured the hell that is infertility, and praying each night for a phone call to experience the agony when we heard the treatments hadnt worked. The familys two children were conceived through intrauterine insemination.

Hope, Gus and Gwen, you are my entire world, and we love you, Walz said.

In an emotional moment, his son Gus stood up and applauded his father, shouting out: Thats my dad.

Tim Walz reacts with his daughter Hope Walz after accepting the Democratic vice presidential nomination in Chicago on August 22. ( Getty Images )

This is a big part of what this election is about: Freedom, Walz said. When Republicans use the word freedom, they mean the government should be free to invade your doctors offices, corporations free to pollute your air and water and banks free to take advantage of their customers.

The Trump-allied Project 2025 agenda is an agenda that nobody asked for, he said.

And its an agenda that does nothing for our neighbors, he added. Is it weird? Absolutely. And its wrong and its dangerous.  Weve got something better to offer the American people: It starts with Kamala Harris.

Walzs prime-time remarks  to an audience expected to top the reported 81 million people who watched the conventions second night of programming  arrived just two weeks after he made his debut alongside Harris at Temple University in Philadelphia.

The Minnesota governors background as a high school football coach has figured prominently in his public profile since he joined the Democratic ticket, with Harris often calling him coach rather than governor.

The title is also part of the decor at the United Center, where whole sections of the walls have been plastered with multicolored signs that simply read COACH.

At a fundraiser in Massachusetts last week, Walz said he could provide a counterweight to another former gridiron coach in government: Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama

I feel like one of my roles in this now is to be the anti-Tommy Tuberville, he said, to show that football coaches are not the dumbest people.

Andrew Feinberg contributed reporting from Chicago
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Barack Obama and Michelle Obama closed out day two of the Democratic National Convention with iconic speeches that will go down in convention history.

Michelle Obama tore into Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump criticizing his character and racist attacks that have targeted her and her husband in the past.

"His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black," she said of Trump, before quipping Whos gonna tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?.

Barack Obama wrapped up the evening in Chicago, praising the Vice President and her running mate Governor Tim Walz while taking aim at Trump.

The former president called Mr Trump "a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn't stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago".

"It's been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that's actually gotten worse now that he's afraid of losing to Kamala," the former president said.
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In a bizarre turn of events for the 2024 election cycle, Donald Trump sat down for an interview with Theo Von at his Bedminster club in New Jersey and quizzed the podcaster about, of all things, cocaine.

During the latest episode of This Past Weekend with Theo Von, which aired on his YouTube channel on Tuesday, the topic of addiction and alcoholism rates in the US came up, specifically the fentanyl crisis.

At one point in the discussion, the former president turned to asking Von about his own drug use, before peppering him with questions about cocaine use in general.

Trump asked the podcast host how he got addicted.

Oh no I would just do cocaine, replied Von.

Thats down and dirty right? questioned Trump, adding: But you dont anymore?

No, I dont do it anymore man and Im not doing it, Von said.

With his interest clearly piqued, Trump quizzed Von further about whether cocaine is a stronger up.

Is it too much? Too much to handle? he asked.

Donald Trump sat down for an interview with comedian Theo Von at his Bedminster country club ( @TheoVon/YouTube )

Some of the stuff started to get a real rattle in it too, Von explained. I dont know where we were getting it from in this country but yeah it started to make me feel like I was a mechanic or something.

Trump, who is famously teetotal, followed up by pushing Von onto the topic of alcohol. So the thing you go back to then is alcohol  for the most part.

Well-that-what I want probably is cocaine but I know that if I have a drink itll be like, okay, well I had a drink then I can do this, said Von.

Is cocaine a stronger...up? Trump asked. So youre way up with cocaine more than anything else you can think of?

This prompted an interesting and slightly enigmatic reply from Von, also known by his give name, Theodor Capitani von Kurnatowski III.

Cocaine will turn you into a damn owl homie  you know what I'm saying, he joked. You'll be out on your own porch, you know. You'll be your own street lamp.

His curiosity unsatisfied, Trump asked Von if thats a good feeling.

No, horrible, came the response.

It's a miserable feeling, added Trump, just as Von expanded at the same time: But you do it anyway.

The bizarre discussion appears to have taken place around the same time as Trumps press conference at his Bedminster club last week as he continues his campaign trail for the November election.

While Trump courts podcasters, his rival Kamala Harris is in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention, where she will become the partys official nomination.
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Donald Trump backed out of an interview after a local paper asked him for data to back up his continued baseless claims that crime is on the rise under President Joe Biden.

The Detroit News reported that Trumps campaign had agreed to an interview with the former president on Tuesday after a campaign speech. However, the campaign suddenly claimed Trump no longer had time for the interview after a reporter began probing them on crime data.

The Trump campaign had initially agreed that Trump would participate in an interview with The Detroit News on Tuesday, state politics reporter Craig Mauger wrote. But after the newspaper began asking about the Michigan crime data before the event, a campaign aide said the presidential candidate no longer had time for an interview after the speech.

At the Howell, Michigan campaign event, Trump claimed there is a crime wave going on at levels nobody has ever seen before.

The amount of crime that we have is unbelievable, Trump said, later labeling this perceived rise the Kamala crime wave.

Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in Howell, Michigan on Tuesday. There, he claimed the crime rate is on the rise  despite federal data showing otherwise ( AFP via Getty Images )

Trump has made a similar claim countless times  including in April in the same state, when he claimed the crime rate is only going up.

As The Detroit News and other outlets have pointed out, national violent and property crime rates have fallen since Trump left office.

The Detroit News cited data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation which showed the national violent crime rate dropped in 2021 and 2022 under Biden.

The Trump campaign responded by claiming the data is totally unreliable at the present time because the FBI used estimated crime numbers for law enforcement agencies that didnt report numbers, The Detroit News reports.

The murder rate also spiked by 30 percent during the last year of Trumps presidency, the largest one-year rise on record, CNN reports.

Trumps implication that the crime rate is only going up is false, Anna Harvey, a political science professor and director of the Public Safety Lab at New York University, told CNN earlier this year.

Trump has repeatedly spread a similar baseless claim that countries are sending people from mental health institutions and prisons to illegally enter the United States.

The Washington Post estimated that during his presidency, Trump made more than 30,000 false or misleading statements.

The Independent has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.
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Warning: This livestream has not been independently fact-checked and may contain misinformation.

Watch as Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in North Carolina on Wednesday 21 August.

The campaign stop is one of a number the former US president is holding this week in battleground states as Democrats meet in Chicago to formally choose Kamala Harris as their nominee in the 5 November election.

Mr Trump yesterday attacked his Democratic rivals record on crime and safety, while brushing aside criticism from her campaign over holding an event in a Michigan town where white supremacists had rallied a month ago.

The event in Howell on Tuesday attracted particular attention because of the towns historic association with the Ku Klux Klan.

Mr Trump did not speak out against hate during his 45-minute remarks.

When asked by a reporter afterward about the Harris campaigns criticism of the location, he replied by asking Who was here in 2021?

After the reporter said Joe Biden, Mr Trump smiled and thanked her.
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Doug Emhoffs ex-wife has declared that shes a more fierce supporter of her ex-husbands wife Kamala Harris than Melania Trump is of her own current husband Donald Trump.

Despite divorcing 14 years ago and the second gentleman admitting to having had an affair during their marriage, Kerstin Emhoff still has a famously close relationship with her ex-husband and Harris and has spoken out about how the three of them together co-parent Ella and Cole Emhoff.

This week, Kerstin has joined their blended family for the first two days of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago  prompting one social media user to draw parallels between her and Melania.

Kamalas husbands ex-wife is supporting her more enthusiastically than Trumps current wife is supporting him, wrote television producer Ben Wexler on X alongside a photograph of a smiling Kerstin at the convention.

Kerstin, a 57-year-old film producer, reshared the post and wrote: Damn right.

Having attended the DNC for the first two days, Kerstin has already doubled the appearances Melania made at this years Republican National Convention where her husband was named the Republican partys official presidential nominee.

Kerstin shared a selfie with Harriss running mate Tim Walz and her children Ella and Cole ( kemhoff/Instagram )

During her time there, she has been sharing posts on social media.

In one post on Instagram, Kerstin shared a selfie with Harriss running mate Tim Walz and her children Ella and Cole.

It was like new members of the family, she captioned the post.

Kerstin has consistently vouched for Harris both on the political stage and as a co-parent for the Emhoff children, including joining her 2021 inauguration as the vice president.

Last month, when JD Vances comments attacking Harris and other Democrats as childless cat ladies resurfaced, Kerstin slammed the Republican vice presidential candidate.

These are baseless attacks, she said in a statement to CNN.

Kerstin Emhoff agreed that shes a bigger support of Harris than Melania is of Trump ( Kerstin Emhoff/X )

For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I. She is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present.

Kerstin added: I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it.

Harriss modern and less traditional family dynamic has taken center stage at the DNC, with the vice presidents stepchildren and husband also in attendance every day so far.

On Tuesday night, both her husband and stepson Cole took to the stage to throw their support behind her campaign and open up about their family life.

Cole Emhoff, son of Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, speaks during the second night of the Democratic National Convention ( EPA )

During his keynote speech, Doug celebrated Harris as his wife, stepmother to his children and potential future president.

As well as defining her as a joyful political warrior who can stand up to bullies, he also shared a more personal tribute  as well as including an anecdote about a toe-curling voicemail from his first ever call to Harris that she makes him listen to every anniversary.

Wherever shes needed, however shes needed, Kamala rises to the occasion. And she did it for me and my family, he told the jam-packed crowd.

Cole and Doug Emhoff hug on stage at the DNC ( Getty Images )

And now that the country needs her, shes showing you what we already know: shes ready to lead.

Doug added that meeting Harris was the most pivotal moment in his life and said that she will be exactly the right president.

The second gentleman was introduced to the stage by his 30-year-old son Cole, who shared a touching video about their family dynamics and how his goofy dad was thrust into the world of politics.

In the video, Cole noted that a decade ago, when Doug and Harris married, Kamala became Momala.

Their family then acclimatised to the world of politics in the years that followed.

Our blended family wasnt used to politics or the spotlight, but when Kamala became senator, we were all excited to step up. Especially my dad, he said in the video.

Ella has also been present for every day of the DNC so far  seen sporting a Harris-Walz camo hat on opening night ( Getty Images )

Then Kamala became vice president. It felt like Doug was a bit out of place on Capitol Hill. I thought, What is my goofy dad doing here?

A win for Harris in November wouldnt just mean the first female president, the first Black female president and the first Asian-American president, it would also bring about the very first, first gentleman, Cole noted.

Doug is already the first second gentleman and Jewish person to be a White House principal.

We might not look like other families in the White House, Cole concluded. But we are ready to represent all families in America.

Coles sister Ella has also been present for every day of the DNC so far  seen sporting a Harris-Walz camo hat.
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Texas officials have been forced to debunk a voter fraud conspiracy theory after it was shared on social media by Fox News personality Maria Bartiromo.

On Sunday, the news personality suggested on X that Democrats were registering immigrants to vote at several locations in Fort Worth and Weatherford, Texas.

The post on X states that the story comes from a friend.

Friend of mines wife had to take her 16 yr old son to the DMV this week for a new license. Couldnt get an online appointment (all full) so went in person and had to go to 3 DMVs to get something done, Bartiromo posted on social media. First DMV was in Weatherford. Had a massive line of immigrants getting licenses and had a tent and table outside the front door of the DMV registering them to vote!

Maria Bartiromo onstage at Womens Forum Of New York even on November 7, 2019. Texas officials have been forced to debunk a voter fraud conspiracy theory after it was shared on social media by the Fox News personality ( Getty Images )

The post then suggested that the friend witnessed the same thing at two DMV locations in Forth Worth but gives no information on when these incidents were supposed to have happened.

Bartiromo did not say that the alleged registration drive was unlawful but her followers quickly jumped to that conclusion.

Why are Democrats setting up voter registration tables outside DMVs and registering illegal immigrants to vote?! one X user responded. This is happening in Tarrant County and you can bet its happening across the state.

Other users claimed that Bartiromo was highlighting the voter registration of people who werent US citizens.

The story attracted the attention of the Texas Department of Public Safety, who said it was simply false, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The Star-Telegram pointed out that theres no DMV office in Weatherford. However, there is a Texas Department of Public Safety Driver License office - but it had no tent or registration site set up last week.

None of it is true, DPS spokesperson Sgt William Lockridge told the newspaper, noting that suggesting non-white Texas residents who were in line to get their licenses would be immigrants or illegal was kind of racist.

Lockridge added: Just because these people arent white, that doesnt mean theyre illegal.

The Independent has contacted Fox News for comment.

Former president Donald Trump has falsely claimed since January that illegal immigrants would be able to vote in the 2024 election. He also baselessly claimed that Democrats were urging migrants to come to the US to be registered to vote.
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Vice President Kamala Harriss campaign has debuted a pair of election ads focused on Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander voters.

The new campaign spots focus on anti-Asian hate and healthcare, NBC Newsreports.

The ads will air both on television  including ethnicity-focused networks like The Filipino Channel, 3HmongTV, SBS Television Korea, and Zee TV  and on apps like YouTube, iHeartRadio, and Snap. They are part of a broader $90m media push to grab voters in battleground states.

In an ad titled "The Seal," the campaign takes aim at Donald Trump and paints him as being disrespectful toward those with Asian heritages. It highlights his use of the phrase "kung flu" to link the coronavirus to China, accusing him of promoting "xenophobia." Its title references the ad's argument that Trump should not be allowed to stand behind the "seal of the president of the United States."

When Trump called Covid the kung flu, he unleashed a wave of hate against our community, Nashville Metro Council member Terry Vo says during the ad. I was scared. People didnt feel safe.

Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz. Harriss campaign debuted a pair of ads targeting Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander voters in battleground states ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

Trump also used the term "Chinese virus," which helped spur anti-Asian hate incidents during the pandemic, according to a study by UC San Francisco.

"The study examined nearly 700,000 tweets containing nearly 1.3 million hashtags, the week before and after the presidents tweet on March 16, 2020, to see whether his use of the term Chinese virus  an expression that public health experts warned against using  may have led others to use anti-Asian language on Twitter," according to the university. "They found that users who adopted the hashtag #chinesevirus were far more likely to pair it with overtly racist hashtags."

Steven Cheung, Trump's senior campaign advisor, brushed off the ad's allegations in a response to NBC News.

He created an environment where diversity, equal opportunity, and prosperity were afforded to everybody. Anyone who says otherwise is disgustingly using the AAPI community to play political games for their own benefit," he said. "The 2024 campaign is poised to build upon the strength and successes of Asian Americans during President Trumps first term to propel him to a history second term victory.

In the second ad, titled "Reduced," Trump is accused of wanting to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. It goes on to point out that the number of Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islanders who are uninsured has dropped by 63 per cent under the ACA.

Trump said during a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania over the weekend that he would not end the ACA unless he could replace it with something better. However, he unsuccessfully tried to end the ACA during his term in office, and proclaimed in November that "Obamacare Sucks" and that he would replace the program.

I dont want to terminate Obamacare, I want to REPLACE IT with MUCH BETTER HEALTHCARE, Trump wrote on Truth Social. Obamacare Sucks!!!
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President Joe Biden has quietly approved a new US nuclear strategy focusing on Chinas rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal earlier this year, a new report has revealed.

The Nuclear Employment Guidance (NEG) is designed to prepare the US for potential nuclear confrontations with Russia, China, and North Korea, The New York Times reported. The strategy takes into account the rapid expansion of Chinas nuclear arsenal and ongoing threats from Russia, particularly in the context of the war in Ukraine, the report said.

On Tuesday, the White House said it was not a response to any specific country or threat, but rather a broad deterrent policy. Spokesperson Sean Savett said that while the specific text of the guidance is classified, its existence is in no way secret. The guidance issued earlier this year is not a response to any single entity, country, nor threat.

The strategy is also significant as the New Start nuclear arms control agreement with Russia is set to expire in 2026 without a replacement in place. Under the treaty, which was last extended back in 2021 through to 2026, the two nations are allowed to inspect each others nuclear weapons facilities.

In January last year, a US State Department spokesperson said that Russia is not complying with its obligation under the New Start Treaty to facilitate inspection activities on its territory.

Russias refusal to facilitate inspection activities prevents the United States from exercising important rights under the treaty and threatens the viability of US-Russian nuclear arms control, the spokesperson said.

The NYT reported that the NEG reflects the Pentagons assessment that Chinas nuclear capabilities will soon rival those of the US and Russia, fundamentally altering the global nuclear landscape.

The president recently issued updated nuclear weapons employment guidance to account for multiple nuclear-armed adversaries, Vipin Narang, an MIT nuclear strategist who served in the Pentagon was quoted as saying by the outlet.

And in particular, he added, the weapons guidance accounted for the significant increase in the size and diversity of Chinas nuclear arsenal.

Over the past few years, the global nuclear landscape has shifted dramatically, prompting the Biden administration to reevaluate and update its nuclear strategy. Traditionally, US nuclear policy has been heavily focused on deterring Russia, given the size and scope of its nuclear arsenal.

However, Chinas rapid expansion of its nuclear capabilities has become a growing concern for US defence officials.

The Chinese side has decided to hold off discussion with the US on a new round of consultations on arms control and non-proliferation. The responsibility fully lies with the US, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, told a regular news briefing last month.

The suspension of talks dealt a potentially serious setback to global arms control efforts, with Beijing joining Moscow in refusing to discuss with Washington measures to contain a nuclear arms race.

NYT reported that the new document serves as a clear warning that the next president, taking office on 20 January, will face a far more unstable and dangerous nuclear environment than the one seen just three years ago.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has made multiple threats to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine, including during a particularly tense episode in October 2022. During that crisis, President Biden and his team, after reviewing intercepted communications between high-ranking Russian officials, were concerned that the chances of nuclear deployment could have escalated to 50 per cent or more.

The US, which in June this year declared the possibility of deploying more strategic nuclear weapons to deter Russia and China, currently possesses about 3,700 nuclear warheads, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

According to the Guardian, Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, said that while US intelligence estimates suggest China may increase the size of its nuclear arsenal from 500 to 1,000 warheads by 2030, Russia currently has about 4,000 nuclear warheads and it remains the major driver behind US nuclear strategy.
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Matt Gaetz has secured his position in Floridas 1st Congressional District by winning the Republican primary, defeating challenger Aaron Dimmock.

Mr Dimmock, a retired navy officer, was supported by super political action committees (PACs) connected to former House speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Mr Gaetz, along with seven other House Republicans, led the successful campaign to remove Mr McCarthy as speaker last year.

All eight of them have faced heavily funded primary challenges, which observers have labelled the McCarthy revenge tour. So far, however, only Bob Good of Virginia has lost.

Mr Gaetz, a Donald Trump supporter who has been Congressman since 2017, had a substantial lead over his challenger.

Mr Dimmock told The Hill before the primary he had never spoken with Mr McCarthy, yet he received his endorsement and saw his campaign bolstered by over $3m from a PAC associated with the former speaker.

The Florida Patriots PAC ran aggressive ads attacking Mr Gaetz over allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denies.

Your daughters are never safe with the real Matt Gaetz, said one spot from the anti-Gaetz super PAC.

Although the House Ethics Committee is still investigating Mr Gaetz, the Justice Department decided not to press charges against him following a sex-trafficking investigation last year.

Mr Gaetz has dismissed the investigations as frivolous.

Mr Gaetz had criticised his opponent for his background in diversity training. He ran ads highlighting his strong ties with Trump, who endorsed him.

This is Donald Trumps party, and Im a Donald Trump Republican, one ad showed Gaetz proclaiming at a rally.

He will now contest against Democratic candidate Gay Valimont in the November election.

Ms Valimont is a former Florida leader for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

Meanwhile, on the primary day, the Gaetz campaign sent out a fundraising email that read: I want to make a STATEMENT. I want to win in a LANDSLIDE VICTORY to prove to Kevin McCarthy that no matter how much money he sinks into defeating me, it will NEVER be worth it.
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Former Trump fixer Michael Cohen joined a string of Republicans who have ditched his former boss at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday and joked he would speak to Kamala Harriss Chicago crowd if they let me.

Cohen and a group of former Trump voters and anti-Trump Republicans, including the former presidents ex-press secretary Stephanie Grisham, were in Chicago on the second night of the convention.

The former Trump ally, who was not invited to speak, was most recently in the limelight as he testified against the former president in the hush money trial which saw Trump convicted on 34 charges of falsifying business records.

Cohen made a $130,000 hush money payment to adult actor Stormy Daniels to remain quiet in the leadup to the 2016 election about an alleged affair. Trump logged the reimbursements to Cohen as legal expenses.

Cohen told the jury that Trump directed him to make the payment before the election and that the reimbursement was approved after his victory. Trump is still claiming that he paid Cohen for legitimate legal business.

Ahead of the trial, Cohen told MSNBC that he was getting a slew of death threats from Trump supporters.

"Its witness intimidation and its harassment," Cohen told the network. "What is his goal? Again, its to incite these followers  to prevent me from appearing before ... the Manhattan district attorney in this upcoming trial. He does not want to face accountability at any cost."

At the Democratic convention, Cohen told The Washington Times that hes concerned for the future of the country if Trump is re-elected.

Michael Cohen, former personal lawyer to former U.S. President Donald Trump, attends the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Cohen trashed his former boss while mingling at the convention ( Getty Images )

I fear for my children. I fear, God willing one day, my grandchildren if Im lucky enough to live that long, he told the paper. Im concerned about our democratic republic when you have somebody who wants to be president of the United States making statements like, I want to rewrite the Constitution. Do you really think this dumba** could rewrite the Constitution?

When he says that he wants to destroy our tripartite system of government and confer all power to himself  what do you think is going to end up happening in this country? Because the answer is going to be the end of our democratic republic, he added.

Cohen spent time in prison after he pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations, tax fraud, bank fraud, and lying to Congress.

He told The Washington Times that he was invited to the convention by members of Congress but declined to specify who. He added that hes a strong supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Cohen is not the only former Trump ally to appear at the DNC.

Stephanie Grisham, a former Trump press secretary and advisor turned critic, said Trump mocks his supporters behind closed doors, calling them basement dwellers.

Journalist Brian Karem poses for a selfie with Michael Cohen, former personal lawyer to former U.S. President Donald Trump, during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. The former fixer was not the only former Trump ally to attend the DNC ( Getty Images )

I wasnt just a Trump supporter. I was a true believer, Grisham said, before adding that during a hospital visit when people were dying in the ICU, he was mad that the cameras were not watching him. He has no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth.

He used to tell me, it doesnt matter what you say, Stephanie, say it enough and people will believe you, the former press secretary said.

She added that she resigned on January 6, 2021, because she couldnt be part of the insanity any longer.

Former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham speaks on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois ( Getty Images )

Other Republicans set to speak at the DNC include former Trump White House national security official Olivia Troye, former Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger, and former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan.

The Republican Mayor of Mesa, Arizona, John Giles, told the convention that Trump made a lot of lofty promises, unlimited economic growth, American manufacturing reborn, a secure border. Turns out Donald Trump was all talk. He wanted our votes, but he couldnt deliver a thing.

Speaking to Americans in the political middle, Giles said, John McCains Republican Party is gone, and we dont owe a damn thing to whats been left behind.
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A White House aide reportedly called Michelle Obamas speech at the Democratic National Convention an implicit rebuke to President Joe Bidens term, perpetuating rumors that there is a rift between the president and his former boss Barack Obama.

The former first lady delivered a powerful speech on the second night of the DNC. She anticipated that a Kamala Harris presidency would bring a long-dormant sense of hope back to the country, reminding the nation of the enthusiasm felt during the Obama years  while glossing over President Bidens term.

Something wonderfully magical is in the air, isnt it? Michelle Obama began. Not just here in this arena but spreading all across this country we love a familiar feeling thats been buried too deep for too long.

Hope is making a comeback! the former first lady said.

While the focus of her speech was on the promise of a brighter future with Harris at the helm, a White House aide believed her words could have served as a slight to Biden.

It was an implicit rebuke of the Biden era, the source told Politico, claiming that the former first lady seemed to be blending together the Trump and Biden presidencies into one dreary era in US history.

The aides comment furthers swirling theories that there is some continuing tension between Obama and Biden.

Last week, sources told Politico that Biden will not stay in Chicago to hear Obamas speech because he harbors resentment toward his former boss for not directly calling him to voice his concerns about his re-election chances.

Months ago, following the Trump-Biden debate in June, Obama did not offer public support for Biden to stay in the 2024 race while a chorus of Democratic donors, voters and party leaders loudly called for him to step aside.

Michelle Obama speaking at the Democratic National Convention. A White House aide argued that her speech, though widely praised, was an implicit rebuke to Bidens presidency ( AP )

Since Bidens fumbled debate performance, Obama allegedly privately expressed concern about the 81-year-old presidents re-election bid. Obama was also reportedly given an advance warning about George Clooneys an op-ed in the New York Times, in which he called for Biden to step aside, and did not object to it.

Some had remarked that the Illinois Democrats lack of vocal support for Biden was actually saying a lot.

Obamas silence is deafening, Democratic congressman Mike Quigley, toldVanity Fair in July. If President Obama was all in, he would be all in.

The former first lady made no explicit comment about Biden  good or bad  but she did underscore the damage of Donald Trumps presidency, calling him a racist and misogynist.

In his speech, Barack Obama also signaled that the nation would welcome a change, without distinguishing between Trump and his former vice president: America is ready for a new chapter. Americas ready for a better story.

However, the former president spoke of Biden fondly numerous times throughout his speech, telling the crowd: History will remember Joe Biden as a president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger. I am proud to call him my president, but even prouder to call him my friend. He also hailed Biden s hard-earned resiliency and his unshakable belief that came when America needed them most.

He hailed Biden for being selfless enough to do the rarest thing there is in politics: putting his own ambition aside for the sake of the country.
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Michelle Obamas return to Chicago revived the message of hope that defined her husband Barack Obamas historic presidential campaign as she took aim at the political wrecking ball who has worked to make the country fear them.

The former first lady  who remains a massively influential voice in the Democratic Party but a reluctant campaigner  delivered a forceful rebuke of Donald Trumps agenda at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night.

She appeared on stage to roars from the crowd to deliver the penultimate speech at the United Center ahead of her former president husband.

In one especially powerful moment, Obama eviscerated Trumps now-infamous comments about so-called Black jobs  warning him that the role of commander-in-chief is very well one such job.

Whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs? she said, to laughter in the room.

Its his same old con  doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lives as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make peoples lives better.

Back in June, Trump sparked outrage for claiming immigrants were taking away Black jobs during the CNN debate with President Joe Biden.

Michelle Obama greets her husband Barack Obama on stage before his speech during Day two of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago ( REUTERS )

Since then, he has been confronted with demands to define what exactly a Black job is and has been trolled by prominent Americans of color including Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles.

Obama opened her roarous speech with other barely-veiled digs at Trump, and an urgent call to overwhelm the polls to vote for Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz.

For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us, she said.

The Obamas have been at the center of the division that Trump has exploited in his political rise, from amplifying birther conspiracy theories, refusing to beat back the racism brewing in his party, and leaning into Barack Hussein Obama.

See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happened to be Black, she said.

Former first lady Michelle Obama speaking during the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday where she clapped back at Trumps Black jobs comments ( AP )

She told attendees that Harris has shown her allegiance to this nation, not by spewing anger and bitterness, but by living a life of service and always pushing the doors of opportunity open to others.

Harris understands that most Americans will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth, Obama said, in another reference to Trump.

No, we dont get to change the rules, so we always win. If we see a mountain in front of us, we dont expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top, she said.

While her husband heaped praise on Biden in his speech, Obama made no mention of the president at any point in her 20-plus minute long speech  despite spending four years working closely with him and First lady Jill Biden during the Obama administration.

Her remarks about Harris, meanwhile, were met with thunderous applause from Democrats, who have exhibited renewed enthusiasm for this election since Biden announced that he would be standing down from the race and throwing his support behind the vice president.

Attendees raise signs in support of Kamala Harris during day two of the Democratic National Convention ( REUTERS )

But Obama warned the convention that electing Harris was still going to be an uphill battle and cautioned Democrats against being our own worst enemies by succumbing to fear and complacency.

The former First Lady praised Harris as more than ready for this moment and called her one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency.

Obama also made poignant reference to the loss of her mother, Marian Robinson, a Chicago native, who died in May, and Kamalas late mother.

Its up to us to remember what Kamalas mother told her: Dont just sit around and complain  do something! Obama said.
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Fox News host Jesse Watters resurrected conspiracy theories falsely accusing Barack Obama of not being born in the US just hours before the former presidents speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Its been 16 years since baseless, racist rumors surrounding Obamas heritage first swirled  which were proven unequivocally false.

The birther movement, better known as birtherism, emerged when false rumors spread that Obamas birth certificate was forged and that his birthplace was in Kenya or Indonesia, not Honolulu, Hawaii.

Despite the widely disproven theory, according to the loose description in the constitution, only a natural-born citizen who is at least 35 years old and has been a resident of the US for 14 years or more can be president.

On Tuesdays live episode of The Five, Watters took a stab at Obama hours before the former presidents electrifying DNC speech where he slammed Donald Trump, praised Joe Biden for his service and threw his support behind Kamala Harris.

Hes definitely going to interfere in this election, the Fox News host claimed, pulling rhetoric often used by Trump.

Jesse Watters launched into an attack hours before Obama made his DNC speech during a live episode of The Five ( Fox News/YouTube )

Thats why well be sending Johnny [producer on The Five] to Hawaii to get the truth about the birth certificate, Watters told viewers. This time we will dig deep and find out what really happened.

Co-host Greg Gutfeld intervened saying that the producer must get his passport, before Watters retorted: To go to Kenya.

I meant to Hawaii, just to see him do it. Ask him what the exchange rate is for the Hawaiian dollar, Gutfield sniggered.

Today, some conspiracy theorists still subscribe to birtherism, despite the release of Obamas birth documents and confirmation of his birth by the Hawaii Department of Health before the 2008 election.

Barack Obama and his wife Michelle stand on stage after she introduced him at evening two of the DNC ( AFP via Getty Images )

They go hand-in-hand with a slew of other baseless claims that Obama secretly practices Islam, with others attesting hes the antichrist.

By 2010, approximately one in four Americans doubted Obama was born in the US, according to a CNN poll.

By March 2011, Donald Trump began casting so-called real doubts about whether Obama had a US birth certificate. Days later, he claimed that he sent a team of investigators to Hawaii and said hed donate $5m to charity if anyone could convince him Obama was born in the US.

After the release of Obamas long-form official certificate of live birth in April 2011, just over one in 10 Americans believed in the birther movement, according to a Gallup poll.

In 2012, Trump continued to peddle the conspiracy theory and wrote on X, then Twitter, that an extremely credible source told him the certificate was a fraud.

Trump has spearheaded the birtherism theory surrounding Obama for more than a decade ( AFP via Getty Images )

After years of attacking Obama, in 2020 Trump took aim at another political heavyweights heritage: the new vice president Harris. Yet again, this was proved completely false.

I just heard it today that she doesnt meet the requirements, Trump said at a press conference in August 2020, before adding: But thats very serious, youre saying that, theyre saying that she doesnt qualify because she wasnt born in this country.

Trump did admit at the time that he didnt know for sure if that was right  before doubling down that theyre saying Harris doesnt fit the criteria to be president.

Last month, Trump launched into another attack on Harriss ethnic background while speaking at the National Association of Black Journalists  claiming that the vice president had only recently happened to turn Black and she only previously leveraged her Indian heritage.

Harris, who is both of Jamaican and Indian heritage, has regularly  and proudly  talked about her Black heritage in public, including during a 2006 panel of emerging Black leaders.
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Independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr is planning to drop out of the 2024 race by the end of this week, sources tell ABC News.

The outlet reported on Wednesday that Kennedy is leaning towards backing former President Donald Trump, but those familiar with the candidates thinking noted that could still change.

One source told ABC that Kennedy is working to finalize his decision quickly in hopes of quashing some of the Democrats momentum from their convention in Chicago.

Kennedy is set to make a speech on Friday in Phoenix, Arizona, about the path forward for his campaign. Meanwhile, Trump is scheduled to host an event on Friday night in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale.

News of the speech comes after the independents running mate, Nicole Shanahan, said on a podcast on Tuesday that the campaign was considering two options: remaining in the race, which could risk a victory for Vice President Kamala Harris, or leaving the race to join forces with Trump.

JD Vance, Trumps running mate, told NBC News on Wednesday that theres been plenty of communication between the campaigns.

Kennedy has been making fewer stops on the campaign trail in recent weeks ( AP )

I havent spoken to RFK personally, but I know theres been a lot of communication back and forth between RFK, between the campaign, between this campaign, Vance told NBC.

Our argument to RFK ... is ... if you want a Democratic Party that protected American workers and stood for strong borders, maybe disagreed with Republicans on things like tax policy, that party doesnt exist anymore, he argued.

Vance added that Trump wouldnt necessarily give Kennedy a cabinet position if the independent endorsed him. But the former president did tell CNN on Tuesday that he was open to Kennedy joining a second Trump administration.

I like him a lot. I respect him a lot, Trump told CNN.

During the Republican convention in Milwaukee last month, Trump and Kennedy met face to face shortly after the assassination attempt which saw the former president grazed by a bullet during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Kennedy has been making fewer stops on the campaign trail in the last few weeks. His last campaign-sponsored event was in early July.
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Robert F Kennedy Jr was too late to testify in court against a challenge from Democrats attempting to block him from the ballot in Pennsylvania.

Attorneys for two Democratic activists challenging Kennedys spot on the ballot said in a Harrisburg courtroom on Tuesday that Kennedys candidacy paperwork has a fake home address. Similar allegations are being heard in other state courts.

They also argued that the third-party candidate hasnt gathered the required number of signatures.

Citing a canceled flight from Boston to Philadelphia the evening before, Kennedy showed up an hour and 40 minutes late. Commonwealth Court Judge Lori Dumas had earlier decided to continue without his testimony.

Just after his arrival, the hearing was adjourned without the judge indicating when she would rule on the matter.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., leaves the Pennsylvania Judicial Center on August 20 in Harrisburg, Pa. He arrived too late to testify in the case challenging his presence on the Pennsylvania ballot ( AP )

Kennedy could snag votes from Vice President Kamala Harris or former president Donald Trump if he were to appear on the ballot in Pennsylvania, a critical battleground with 19 electoral votes. Trump won the state in 2016 but President Joe Biden won it back in 2020.

The attorney for Kennedy slammed the judges move to continue without the candidates testimony. Kennedy claimed that the Democrats are trying to block the rights of tens of millions of voters.

To me, its a sad devolution of this party that the only way that they can win elections is to keep its opponents off the debating stage, off the ballots, and use lawfare to try to win elections rather than campaigning, he said outside the courthouse.

Ill be on the ballot in every state, he added.

The Kennedy campaign has called the challenge frivolous and Kennedy lawyer Paul Rossi said that a state shouldnt be in the business of banning a candidate from its ballot because of a residency argument.

He said that it would lead to a patchwork of state court rulings removing some candidates from ballots, citing the March Supreme Court ruling to reinstate Trump on primary ballots following state attempts to use the 14th Amendment to have him removed.

Rossi added that a federal court ruling from 2016 which ordered a lowering of the signature requirements for candidates from smaller parties should also be used in Kennedys case.

One of the attorneys for the activists challenging Kennedys presence on the ballot, Tim Ford, said that Kennedy had filed petitions that violated state law and that his late appearance shows a total disregard for our process here in Pennsylvania and a disrespect for the voters who have to make the decision of who theyre going to vote for for president.

Ford argued that Kennedy hasnt shown that the signature ruling should apply in this case and that the patchwork argument references a federal constitutional case and cannot be used in a case where the state of Pennsylvania is setting the rules governing who can appear on its ballots.

Kennedy is battling challenges in other states as well, including Georgia and New York.

Last week, a New York judge rejected his nominating petitions because the listed address was a sham. Kennedy is appealing the decision.

Kennedy has listed his address as being in the Empire State, but those challenging his presence on the ballot say that he really lives in Los Angeles, California.

Rossi argued that Kennedy partly pointed to the New York address to adhere to the 12th Amendment which states that a president and vice president shouldnt be from the same state  Kennedys running mate Nicole Shanahan is a Californian.

The attorney said that Kennedy is registered to vote in New York and that hes set to return to live in the state.

The Kennedy campaign has claimed to have collected the required signatures to appear on the ballots in all 50 states and that hes currently officially on the ballot in 22 of them, including key states like North Carolina and Michigan.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
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Donald Trumps former White House press secretary took the stage at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night and shared the brutal one-word message from Melania in the wake of the January 6 insurrection that caused her to quit.

Stephanie Grisham, who held the role from July 2019 to April 2020 before becoming the first ladys communications director and chief of staff, is one of several Republican figures invited to the convention in Chicago to denounce the extremism of the former president and his campaign.

On Tuesday night, as she endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris for president, Grisham shared the brief text exchange, which finally convinced her to leave the post as she couldnt be part of the insanity any longer.

On Jan. 6, I asked Melania if we can at least tweet that while peaceful protest is the right of every American, theres no place for lawlessness or violence, Grisham, with the apparent text shown on screens behind her, said.

Melania simply responds: no.

Former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham speaks on stage in front of an apparent text message with former first lady Melania Trump ( Getty Images )

During her remarks, she told attendees that the former president mocks his supporters behind closed doors, calling them basement dwellers.

She also told a story about Trump during a hospital visit when people were dying in the ICU, he was mad that the cameras were not watching him. He has no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth.

He used to tell me, it doesn't matter what you say, Stephanie, say it enough and people will believe you, the former press secretary said.

She added that she resigned on January 6, 2021, because she couldn't be part of the insanity any longer.

Kamala Harris tells the truth, she repsects the American people and she has my vote, she said.

Grisham told DNC attendees that Trump has no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth ( Reuters )

In a statement to NBC News, Grisham said she never thought she would be speaking at a Democratic convention.But, after seeing firsthand who Donald Trump really is, and the threat he poses to our country, I feel very strongly about speaking out.

She added: While I dont agree with Vice President Harris on everything, I am proud to be supporting her because I know she will defend our freedoms and represent our nation with honesty and integrity.

Other Republicans are expected to share a similar message throughout the convention, including former Representative Adam Kinzinger, of Illinois, who is scheduled to speak Thursday.

On Monday  the first night of the convention  a video compilation of former Trump voters was played to attendees, including a longer interview with a former Trumper, Rich Logis.

Stephanie Grisham held the role of Trump press secretary from July 2019 to April 2020 and was also Melania Trumps chief of staff ( AFP via Getty Images )

While Donald Trump continues to attack moderates and independents, the Harris-Walz campaign has made clear that there is a place in our coalition for voters who reject the extremism of Donald Trump and want to protect our democracy, a Harris campaign official said.

Grisham was Trumps third White House press secretary, succeeding Sarah Huckabee Sanders and was the first White House Press Secretary to hold no press conferences.

She later assumed the role of chief of staff to former first lady Melania Trump on April 7 2020. On the evening of January 6 2021, Grisham resigned from the position following the storming of the United States Capitol.

In the aftermath of the insurrection and her resignation Grisham has become a fervent critic of her former boss, warning that he would seek revenge if not reelected.

She told CNN earlier this year: He used to tell me when I was press secretary, Go out there and say this. And if it was false, he would say, It doesnt matter, Stephanie. Just say it over and over and over again, people will believe it.

He knows his base believes in him. He knows he can basically say anything and his base will believe what hes saying.

Her inclusion on the second night of the convention, which also includes remarks from Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, continues the Harris campaigns drive to recruit Republicans to their cause.

We will be putting patriotic Republicans front and center in our convention programming to explain, in their own words, why they are putting country first and supporting Vice President Harris, Austin Weatherford, the campaigns national Republican engagement director, said in a statement to NBC News.

The campaign launched its Republicans for Harris program this month to reach more moderate and independent voters who may have supported Trump in the past, specifically highlighting the controversial Project 2025 document.
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Republicans and right-wing media are escalating a baseless conspiracy theory that Tim Walz is covertly working for China, twisting his teaching experience in the country and his subsequent visits as alleged evidence of a Chinese effort to groom him to have a foothold in the US government.

After launching flailing investigations into Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, House Republicans have suggested opening yet another probe to target Harriss running mate.

Donald Trumps campaign, his Republican allies and right-wing media outlets have sought to undermine Walzs military service and the fertility treatments that his wife used to become pregnant with their children.

Now, GOP lawmakers are pressing federal authorities for documents and testimony as media figures drum up baseless speculation about Walzs career in education to attack Harriss campaign.

James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, wrote to FBI director Chriostopher Wray alleging Walzs longstanding connections to the Chinese Communist Party that make him susceptible to the Partys strategy of elite capture, which seeks to co-opt influential figures in elite political, cultural, and academic circles to influence the United States to the benefit of the communist regime and the detriment of Americans.

Tim Walz and his wife Gwen Walz attend the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 19. ( AFP via Getty Images )

If you look at Walzs background, and you look at the things he talked about  this is a guy who has really embraced Chinas view of the world, the Chinese ideology, which is communism, Comer told Fox News on Monday.

Its very possible that China would be grooming an up and coming rising star in the political process to try to have a foothold in our government, Comer said.

Senator Ron Johnson, who was described by The New York Times as the GOPs foremost amplifier of conspiracy theories and disinformation in 2021, baselessly asserted that Walz has deep connections to China.

The House is going to investigate it now, he told Fox News this week. Its very strange. He got married on the anniversary of Tiananmen Square. Hes gone to China. Hes taught in China. Hes got deep connections to China.

Walz taught English and American history in China through Harvard Universitys WorldTeach program in the late 1980s when he was 25. He later started a program called Educational Travel Adventures with his wife Gwen Walz, who is also a teacher, to organize summer trips to China for American high school students.

Walz was one of the first government sanctioned groups of American educators in China after the country opened its doors to the world in the 1980s.

He was in China during pro-democracy protests in Beijings Tiananmen Square in June 1989.

It was my belief at that time that diplomacy was going to happen on many levels, certainly people to people, Walz said during a congressional hearing commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen protests in 2014. The opportunity to be in a Chinese high school at that critical time seemed to me to be really important.

He did marry Gwen Walz on the Tiananmen Square anniversary on June 4, 1994, and he spent their honeymoon in China with 60 students as part of a class trip.

Before he was elected to Congress in 2006, Walz was a global geography teacher at Mankato West High School in Minnesota, where his students encouraged him to campaign for a seat in the House of Representatives.

House Oversight Committee chair James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, has launched several investigations into Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and now her running mate Tim Walz. ( AFP via Getty Images )

While in Congress, Walz served on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and his time in and out of office has largely sided with human rights issues and political moves in opposition to President Xi Jinpings regime.

In 2010, Walz co-sponsored a House motion condemning the arrest of activist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Liu Xiaobo and activist Huang Qi. He also supported the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which demanded an end to human rights abuses in the former British colony.

Walz also met the Dalai Lama and has supported calls for religious freedoms in Tibet, condemned Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, and blasted Chinas allied relationship with Russia in its war in Ukraine.

Throughout his career, Governor Walz has stood up to the CCP, fought for human rights rights and democracy, and always put American jobs and manufacturing first, according to a statement from Walz spokesperson Teddy Tschann.

Republicans are twisting basic facts and desperately lying to distract from the Trump-Vance agenda: praising dictators, and sending American jobs to China, he added. Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will ensure we win the competition with China, and will always stand up for our values and interests in the face of Chinas threats.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have blasted Comers latest comments as nothing more than a political stunt.

For the umpteenth time, Chairman Comer shows the American people that his only real priority in Congress is doing Donald Trumps bidding, a spokesperson said.
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Reclusive billionaire and Republican mega-donor Timothy Mellon gave $50 million to a Donald Trump-supporting super PAC in July after pumping two other massive multi-million dollar donations into his campaign this cycle.

The banking heir has now given a total of $115m to the Trump-connected Make America Great Again Inc. since 2023, making him the biggest donor to the political action committees that are backing the former presidents 2024 campaign.

A filing with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday shows $50m from Mellon on July 15, shortly before President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign and endorsed Kamala Harris in the race against Trump.

That donation appears to account for the bulk of donations that MAGA Inc. received in July.

Donald Trump speaks from Michigan on August 20. His super PAC received $50m from a billionaire donor on Tuesday ( AFP via Getty Images )

Mellon  an heir to the Pittsburgh familys banking fortune  gave $50m to the Trump-connected PAC on May 31, one day after a New York jury convicted the former president on 34 felony counts stemming from his attempts to cover up a sex scandal before the 2016 election.

Mellon also gave more than $25m to groups supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Tuesdays FEC filing also shows tens of millions of dollars coming into the PAC from investment banker Warren Stephens, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, and Jacob Helberg, an adviser for the Peter Thiel-founded Palantir Technologies.

Harriss campaign, meanwhile, has reportedly raised roughly half a billion dollars since she launched her campaign after Biden exited the race on July 21.

The vice president raised roughly $200m in the first week of her campaign as she moved quickly to secure delegate pledges and Democratic endorsements heading into the Democratic National Convention.

Her campaign hauled in another $310m in July.
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Donald Trump was set to make two attention-grabbing announcements at his event in Michigan on Tuesday. But when all was said and done, the ex-president held off.

Trump spoke in Howell, Michigan flanked by members of law enforcement. His speech concentrated on crime, and he specifically hammered Vice President Kamala Harris over an imaginary surge in violent crime  despite the fact that violent crime is actually at its lowest national rate in decades.

The ex-president has sought to win over suburban voters by appealing to fears about crime and immigration. He made that explicitly clear on Tuesday as he opined to his supporters at the event that he thought polls showing women turning away from his campaign were fake.

Trump claims polls are fake and suburban women like him

But in his prepared remarks, Trump also planned to make two other unique appeals to voters, including his first foray into anti-transgender policy. A copy of his planned speech obtained by NOTUS revealed that Trump plans to propose making it a felony nationwide to provide gender-affirming care for minors without their parents or guardians consent, something which is already largely illegal except in a handful of states.

To protect our children from sexual mutilation, we will make it a felony for any medical professional to perform surgery on a minor without parental consent, Trump reportedly planned to say.

The second policy Trump originally was set to announce on Tuesday: a plan to seek the death penalty for persons found guilty of sexually abusing children. Its an issue which has already been blocked by the Supreme Court on the grounds of preventing incommensurate sentences for crimes, but one that is a clear nod to the groomer panic that has overtaken parts of the right, particularly on social media. Major figures on the American right wing are accused of weaponizing that panic to smear and target LGBT Americans.

I am announcing today that I will be asking for the DEATH PENALTY for child rapists and child traffickers, read Trumps planned remarks.

Donald Trump backed off from making two policy announcements in his speech in Howell, Michigan on Tuesday as Democrats hold the spotlight in Chicago amid their four-day convention ( Getty Images )

But neither of those above sentences made it into the live version of the ex-presidents speech in Howell. Instead, a source with knowledge of the change indicated that Trump is holding off on making those appeals to his base until after the Democratic convention ends. The reason? His campaign doesnt want it to be lost in the tsunami of positive coverage that typically follows party conventions and which is currently playing out as the Democrats rally supporters in Chicago.

President Trump is saving those additional formal announcements until after the DNC when he can make them on a special occasion. Theyre too important to get lost in the shuffle of convention week, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Independent.

The Independent has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.

Its the first apparent recognition by the former president that he cant compete with the noise being generated by the DNC  and a sign that his bid to recapture momentum in the race will have to wait at least another week.

It comes as Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, are hosting a series of events across battleground states this week seemingly aimed at recapturing some of that attention.

Trump himself sounded somewhat hoarse and tired on Tuesday as he spoke in Michigan amid what is certainly the busiest week for his personal campaign schedule in months. The Trump campaign is hosting a number of smaller-venue events throughout the week, with the ex-president speaking each day. The week will be capped off by another economic-themed event attended by both Trump and Vance in Las Vegas.

The schedule itself may be aimed at refuting a point which has arisen since Biden dropped out of the race in July: the idea that Trump, at 78, is now by far the older candidate in the race, and therefore may also be unfit for office due to his age. Many of the Democrats who spent months battling concerns about Bidens age are now happily raising those same arguments against the Republican ticket.

Trumps campaign now finds itself in a tight spot. Harris, since entering the race in late July, has been at the center of a stunning rebound of Democratic enthusiasm which has manifested in national and swing state polling, as well as a surge in donations and volunteer support in swing states around the country.

Harriss campaign announced on Tuesday that it had raised more than a half billion dollars since she entered the race just under one month ago. Trump, by comparison, raised less than a quarter million in July  less than Kamala Harris raised in one week after she entered the race as the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.
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Donald Trump wrote a flattering note to Vladimir Putin after an ex-Russian intelligence officer and his daughter were poisoned by a deadly nerve agent in the UK in 2018, a former Trump advisor wrote in his upcoming memoir.

Former National Security Advisor HR McMaster detailed Trumps relationship with the Russian President during his year-plus stint in the post in his book At War With Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House, obtained by The Guardian. The books release date is August 27.

Sergei Skripal, a British citizen and former Russian intelligence officer, and his daughter Yulia, were exposed to novichok, a lethal nerve agent, in Salisbury, England in March 2018. The pair were hospitalized for weeks but ultimately survived.

President Donald Trump with US Army Lieutenant General HR McMaster at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, in February 2017 ( AFP/Getty Images )

Three days after the attack, as world leaders in the west scrambled to respond to the near-death incident, Trump sat in the White House admiring a March 7 article in the New York Post titled Putin heaps praise on Trump, pans US politics, the now-retired general wrote.

The then-president grabbed a black sharpie to pen an appreciative note on the article, the Guardian reported. Trump then asked McMaster to get the clipping to Putin.

I was certain that Putin would use Trumps annotated clipping to embarrass him and provide cover for the attack, the former national security advisor wrote in his memoir.

Military personnel in protective gear investigating the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, England, in 2018 ( Getty Images )

McMaster recalled giving the note to the White House office of the staff secretary: Later, as evidence mounted that the Kremlin, and very likely Putin himself had ordered the nerve agent attack on Skripal, I told them not to send it.

The praise captured by the Post article was part of an effort by Putin to alienate Trump from his advisors who urged him to take a tougher approach to the Kremlin, McMaster reportedly wrote.

Putin, a ruthless former KGB operator, played to Trumps ego and insecurities with flattery, McMaster noted.

The note at the time of the nerve agent attack is far from the first time Trump has expressed admiration for Putin. He hailed the autocratic leader as a genius, called him savvy, and even sided with him over US intelligence, disregarding their assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 election. The then-president said at a joint press conference alongside Putin in July 2018: I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.

Sergei Skripal in court in Russia in 2006 ( AP )

It didnt take long for laboratories around the world to conclude that the attack against Skripal was conducted by Russians. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in April 2018 said in stark terms: There is no plausible alternative explanation. Police in the UK determined that Skripal had been targeted specifically.

Reports later indicated that Trump had privately doubted Russias role in the poisoning incident.

While speaking to then-Prime Minister Theresa May months after the attack, Trump disputed her intelligence communitys conclusion that Putins government had orchestrated the attempted murder of Skripal, the Washington Post reported in October 2019.

Police in the UK also connected the March 2018 attack to another poisoning in June, when British national Dawn Sturgess and her partner were exposed to Novichok in nearby Amesbury, England after coming into contact with a perfume bottle contaminated with novichok. She died the following month. Two Russian intelligence officers were charged in absentia with conspiracy to murder, attempted murder and use of the novichok nerve agent.

Trump and Putin at a joint press conference in Helsinki, Finland in 2018 ( Getty )

It was the second high-profile poisoning of a Russian defector in Britain to be blamed on Putin. In November 2006 former FSB agent and whistleblower Alexander Litvinenko died weeks after being poisoned with polonium-210, a radioactive isotope smuggled into the UK by two Russians who then met with Litvinenko at a London hotel and apparently put the poison in his tea.

After over a year in this job, I cannot understand Putins hold on Trump, McMaster is quoted as saying. Weeks after the nerve agent attack, Trump announced that he was fired by tweet but praised him for doing an outstanding job and reassured that he would always consider McMaster a friend.
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Donald Trump praised his predecessor in a rare remark hours before Barack Obama took the stage at the Democratic National Convention.

The Republican nominee claimed he respected Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, despite the fact that he has spent years bashing his predecessor and proliferating false claims about him, including questioning whether Obama was a US citizen, alleging he ordered the wiretapping of Trump Tower, and even claiming he founded ISIS.

But hours before Obama headlined the second night of the DNC, Trump offered rare praise for him.

I like him. I think hes a nice gentleman, Trump told CNN on Tuesday. He criticized some of Obamas trade policies before adding, But I happen to like him. I respect him and I respect his wife.

The Obamas did not return the favor.

In his speech, Barack Obama told the crowd that Trump is only concerned about his own wellbeing, not Americas.

Michelle Obama and her husband, former President Barack Obama, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Hours before the former first couple took the stage, Trump said he happens to like and respect them ( REUTERS )

The GOP nominee is a 78-year-old billionaire who hasnt stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. Its been a constant stream of gripes and grievances thats actually gotten worse now that hes afraid of losing to Kamala, the former president said.

Trumps act has gotten pretty stale, Obama continued. We dont need four more years of bluster and chaos. Weve seen that movie  and we all know that the sequels usually worse.

In a moment that has since sent social media users into a frenzy, Obama seemed to be making a reference to male reproductive organs using hand gestures while talking about Trumps weird obsession with crowd sizes. The Republican nominee has been dubbed small hands in past years, also apparently referring to his anatomy.

Former first lady Michelle Obama spoke before her husband. In her speech, she called Trump a misogynist and racist, criticized his divisive rhetoric, and blasted his stances on health care and reproductive freedoms.

At one point, she used Trumps own words against him. Referring to Trumps now-infamous comment from June about so-called Black jobs, the former first lady warned him that the role of commander-in-chief might just be one of them.

Whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs? she told the crowd.
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Police officers have carried out fresh raids at the home of controversial influencer Andrew Tate, who is awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

Dozens of masked officers swooped on the self-described misogynists home in Romania that he shares with his brother Tristan Tate on Wednesday morning.

Romanias anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, said it was searching four homes in the counties of Bucharest and nearby Ilfov, investigating allegations of human trafficking, the trafficking of minors, sexual intercourse with a minor, influencing statements and money laundering.

The Tates spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, said in response to the raids that although the charges in the search warrant are not yet fully clarified, they include suspicions of human trafficking and money laundering and added that his legal team is present. Petrescu did not address the allegations involving minors.

Masked police wait outside the residence of social media personality Andrew Tate during an early morning search raid ( AP )

Dozens of police officers and forensic personnel were seen scouring the large property on the edge of the capital Bucharest.

During the entire criminal process, the investigated persons benefit from the procedural rights and guarantees provided by the Code of Criminal Procedure, as well as the presumption of innocence, DIICOT noted in its statement.

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan, both former kickboxers and dual British-US citizens who have both amassed millions of social media followers, were arrested in 2022 near Bucharest along with two Romanian women.

Romanian prosecutors formally indicted all four last year on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. They have denied the allegations.

In April, the Bucharest Tribunal ruled that the prosecutors case file against the four met the legal criteria and that a trial could start but did not set a date for it to begin.

That ruling came after the legal case had been discussed for months in the preliminary chamber stages, a process in which the defendants can challenge prosecutors evidence and case file.

Police prepare to break down a door outside Andrew Tates residence ( AP )

Andrew (right) and Tristan Tate leaving a court in June 2024 ( EPA )

After the Tate brothers arrest in 2022, they were held for three months in police detention before being moved to house arrest. They were later restricted to the Bucharest and Ilfov counties, and later to all of Romania.

Last month, a court overturned an earlier decision that allowed the Tate brothers to leave Romania as they await trial. The earlier court ruled on 5 July that they could leave the country as long as they remained within the European Union. The decision was final.

Andrew Tate, who is known for expressing misogynistic views online and has amassed 9.9 million followers on the social media platform X, has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors have no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to silence him.

Police officers outside the Tate brothers residence in Pipera, Ilfov, near Bucharest, Romania ( Reuters )

He was previously banned from various social media platforms for misogynistic views and hate speech, but had his X account reinstated by new platform owner Elon Musk.

In March, the Tate brothers also appeared at the Bucharest Court of Appeal in a separate case, after British authorities issued arrest warrants over allegations of sexual aggression in a UK case dating back to 2012-2015.

The appeals court granted the British request to extradite the Tates to the UK, but only after legal proceedings in Romania have concluded.
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British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the people initially unaccounted for after his superyacht Bayesian sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday.

On Saturday morning, Italian authorities announced a manslaughter investigation had been launched into the deaths of seven people, after a five-day operation that has seen divers carefully navigating their way into the cabin bedrooms.

After a decade-long legal battle which had seen him extradited to the US to face an $11bn fraud case, Mr Lynch had celebrated by inviting his close friends, colleagues and those who helped him on his legal team aboard his boat as a gesture of gratitude.

Mike Lynch missing ( PA Archive )

Yet a week of sunshine along the Italian coastline would soon turn to horror after the boat capsized shortly before dawn, only offering those onboard a few minutes to get themselves to safety.

British tech mogul Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the seven people who died after the Bayesian superyacht sank near Porticello at about 5am local time on Monday.

Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judith Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo also died.

The British-flagged vessel named Bayesian was carrying 12 passengers and 10 members of crew when it sank at around 5am local time near the Sicilian capital of Palermo.

The yachts chef, Recaldo Thomas, is already confirmed to have died after his body was recovered from the wreck on Monday, while 15 survivors were rescued.

Here's what we know about the 22 people on board:

Mike Lynch

Hannah and Mike Lynch ( Supplied )

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch had been in the headlines long before the boat incident following being the centre of a high-profile fraud case.

The 59-year-old is known for founding Invoke Capital and Autonomy, and his disappearance comes just weeks after he was cleared of all charges by a US jury related to the sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011.

HP claimed, just a year after the sale, that Mr Lynch had used accounting tricks to artificially inflate its value before the sale. He spent 13 months under house arrest before being extradited to the US last May for a trial that acquitted him in June this year on all 15 counts.

Mr Lynch told a Sunday Times journalist last month that he was about to go on a very long holiday.

In June, he spoke of his indescribable relief at being back at home in Suffolk with his wife, daughters and their six dogs. He told reporters: I am looking forward to returning to the UK and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field.

Angela Bacares

Mike Lynch and Angela Bacares ( Desmond O'Neill )

Wife of Mike Lynch, 57-year-old Angela Bacares managed to escape to safety and is in a wheelchair with abrasions on her feet that prevent her from walking, according to la Repubblica.

The newspaper said she told doctors that at 4am, the boat had tilted and she and her husband were woken up.

Under Angela Bacares name, the couples estimated wealth is 852m, the Sunday Times Rich List revealed in 2023. They have a house in Chelsea, west London, but primarily live on their farm in Suffolk with their six dogs and rare breeds of pigs and cows.

Hannah Lynch

Hannah Lynch ( Supplied )

Mr Lynch was travelling with his daughter Hannah, whose body was lifted ashore on Friday afternoon.

The 18-year-old had just completed her A-levels and secured a place to read English at Oxford University. Hannahs former English teacher Jon Mitropoulos-Monk said she was one of the best English students in the country having scored 100% in her English Literature GCSE.

Patrick Jacob, a family friend, paid tribute to her on Friday, saying: Hannah was charming and ferociously intelligent with an insatiable thirst for life and knowledge. She was also warm, loving and deeply considerate; remarkably for her age. I am 50 years older than her and in my life I have never met anybody like Hannah. We have lost one of our brightest stars whose future held so much promise. Her loss is unbearable.

Chris Morvillo

Neda Morvillo and Chris Morvillo ( Patrick McMullan via Getty Image )

Chris Morvillo is a lawyer who represented Mr Lynch in his US trial. He is a partner at the Clifford Chance law firm who confirmed on Tuesday he was among the six missing.

In his most recent LinkedIn post, he thanked the legal team that helped win Mr Lynchs trial. At the end of the post, he thanked his family for their support: And, finally, a huge thank you to my patient and incredible wife, Neda Morvillo, and my two strong, brilliant, and beautiful daughters, Sabrina Morvillo and Sophia Morvillo.

None of this would have been possible without your love and support. I am so glad to be home. And they all lived happily ever after.

Neda Morvillo

Chris Morvillos 57-year-old wife Neda was with him on the holiday. She has a luxury jewellery brand, which she runs under her maiden name Neda Nassiri.

Her husbands firm Clifford Chance said in a statement: Our thoughts are with our partner, Christopher Morvillo, and his wife Neda who are among the missing.

Jonathan Bloomer

Jonathan Bloomer ( PA Media )

Another of those confirmed to be dead is lawyer Jonathan Bloomer who is the chairman of investment bank Morgan Stanley International.

He is also chairman of the insurance provider Hiscox, which confirmed he is missing. Its group chief executive Aki Hussain said they were deeply shocked and saddened by the news.

Mr Bloomer was a defence witness for Mr Lynch during his US criminal trial and the pair are believed to be good friends, according to the Financial Times.

Judy Bloomer

Jonathan and Judy Bloomer ( Family Handout/PA )

Jonathan Bloomers wife Judy was also on board the yacht and has been confirmed dead.

Mr Hussain said in his statement: Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular our chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among the missing.

Mrs Bloomer is on the board of The Eve Appeal charity, which focuses on gynaecological cancers. The charity described her as a brilliant champion for womens health and medical research... an incredible supporter, committee member, and trustee of our charity for over 20 years.

Recaldo Thomas

Recaldo Thomas ( Facebook )

Recaldo Thomas was the superyachts chef and the first person whose death was confirmed.

The Canadian-Antiguan national was found by the Italian coastguard near the sunken boat. A friend of Mr Thomas, who asked to remain anonymous, said the yachting community has been saddened by his death.

She told The Independent: He was a one-of-a-kind special human being. Incredibly talented, contagious smile and laugh, an incredible voice with a deep love of the ocean and the moon. I spoke to him nearly every day. He loved his life his friends and his job.

Ayla Ronald

Ayla Ronald ( Clifford Chance )

Ayla Ronald and her partner are two of the 15 who survived the yacht disaster, law firm Clifford Chance confirmed.

The 36-year-old worked defended Mr Lynch in court and was on the trip as part of the celebration for his acquittal.

Clifford Chance said in a statement: Our utmost priority is providing support to the family as well as our colleague Ayla Ronald, who together with her partner, thankfully survived the incident.

She is originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, but lives in London, her father Lin Ronald told The Telegraph, saying she was very shaken.

Mr Ronald said that she was invited to go sailing as a result of the success in the recent United States court case.

Matthew

Aylas partner Matthew also survived the boat disaster. There is little more known about his background or condition.

Charlotte Golunski

Charlotte Golunskys face covered by an officer from the British embassy as she leaves hospital in Italy ( REUTERS )

Charlotte Golunskis testimony of the ordeal on the ship were some of the first to be published after she was rescued along with her one-year-old daughter, Sofia.

She spoke to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, confirming she survived the yacht sinking and told how she kept her daughter alive after she was rescued. She said: I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning. It was all dark. In the water I couldnt keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.

The 35-year-old is a partner at Invoke Capital, one of Mr Lynchs law firms, and has worked there since 2012, according to her LinkedIn profile.

James Emsley

Ms Golunksis partner James Emsley was also rescued from the yacht, according to Sicilys civil protection agency. There is little information on him, but it has been confirmed the 36-year-old is the father of her one-year-old daughter.

Sofia

One-year-old Sofia was rescued from the water by her mother and subsequently looked after in hospital.

Ms Golunski told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that her family survived only because they were on deck when the yacht sank after encountering a heavy storm.

Dr Domenico Cipolla told local media that the family have had a physical and psychological upheaval of their lives.

He said the hospital provided toys for the baby, cuddles, and fed them because they were frightened and hungry.

The family of three left the Di Cristina Childrens Hospital in a black van on Tuesday via a back entrance today. They were accompanied by an officer from the British embassy, who covered the familys faces with a jacket to hide them from a huddle of photographers.

James Catfield

The captain of the superyacht James Catfield survived the horror and broke his silence on Tuesday with just five words.

He said: We didnt see it coming and was described as limp as he waited outside an emergency room in the Sicilian town of Termini Imerese, according to local media.

Leo Eppel

The Italian coastguard confirmed on Tuesday evening that Leo Eppel, a crew member, also survived the yacht sinking.
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The identities of five bodies found inside the wreck of the luxury superyacht Bayesian have now been confirmed, and include British technology tycoon Mike Lynch.

Also confirmed dead is Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judith Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, all of whom were aboard when the boat sank in a severe storm off the coast of Sicily.

Mr Lynchs 18-year-old daughter Hannah remains missing, with search efforts resuming on Thursday morning and Salvatore Concina, the head of Sicilys civil protection agency, saying it remained their priority to find her.

The 50-metre vessel sank as a fierce storm battered the area overnight, and was flying a British flag, according to ship-tracking site Marine Traffic.

For the latest updates on this story, follow The Independents live blog

What do we know about the missing people on the yacht?

Mike Lynch was among the six tourists who were initially missing after disaster struck. The British technology tycoon founded software giant Autonomy in 1996 and was made an OBE for services to enterprise in 2006. In June, he was cleared of conducting a massive fraud relating to a $11 billion (8.64bn) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.

One man, the yachts chef Recaldo Thomas, was the first person confirmed dead, after his body was discovered on Monday in the hours after the sinking.

Loved ones have paid tributes to Mr Thomas, a Canadian-born man who had been living in Antigua, on social media. One said: Rest in Power big man. I dont know what else to say except I love you, and I always will. Another wrote: Going to miss you so much Recaldo Thomas still finding this so hard to believe.

Have you been affected by this story? Email rachel.hagan@independent.co.uk

It is understood that Mr Lynch had planned the superyacht cruise as a celebration with family, employees and lawyers who supported him during the decade-long trial.

Among the 15 survivors rescued from a lifeboat was Mr Lynchs wife Angela Bacares. Another survivor, Charlotte Golunski, 35, told Italian journalists how she saved her one-year-old daughter Sofia from drowning.

The Bayesian sailing boat ( EPA )

She told La Repubblica she lost Sofia for two seconds, adding: I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning. It was all dark. In the water I couldnt keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Ms Golunski is a partner at Mr Lynchs firm, called Invoke Capital.

Charlotte, Sofia and Charlottes husband, James have now been discharged from hospital.

Ayla Reynold, from New Zealand, working at Clifford Chance, also survived the horror with her partner. Her father Lin Ronald confirmed to The Telegraph she had been invited aboard as thanks for assistance in Mr Lynchs recent court case. He said that his daughter had not given many details about what happened, but said: There are deaths and she and her partner are alive.

Two more survivors have also been named as Leah Randall and Katja Chicken. They are both reportedly South African and worked as crew members on the Bayesian.

Where did the yacht sink?

The luxury yacht sunk off the coast of the Sicilian capital of Palermo in Italy.

The 56-metre-long sailboat sank with 22 people on board shortly before sunrise, the Italian coast guard said in a statement.

Map showing where superyacht sank off Sicily ( PA Graphics )

The wind was very strong. Bad weather was expected, but not of this magnitude, a coast guard official in Palermo told Reuters.

Storms and heavy rainfall have swept down Italy in recent days  with floods and landslides causing major damage in the north of the country  after weeks of scorching heat.

The boat left the Sicilian port of Milazzo on 14 August and was last tracked east of Palermo on Sunday evening, with a navigation status of "at anchor", according to vessel tracking app Vesselfinder.

The Bayesian superyacht

The luxury boat, which had been cruising along the Italian coastline, was owned by Revtom, a company registered to Mr Lynchs wife Angela Bacares, which is based on the Isle of Man.

The Bayesian is 56 metres long, according to VesselFinder.

The superyacht can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites and is listed for rent for up to 195,000 euros (166,000) a week.

Bayesian completed several sailings in recent days, calling at various ports in Sicily.

Formerly known as Salute, or health in Italian, its 75-metre mast is the tallest aluminium mast in the world, Italian shipbuilder Perini said on its website.

The route of the Bayeasian yacht took in its final hours before the storm ( vessel finder )

Perini constructed the boat in 2008 and it was last refitted in 2020 and was managed by yachting company Camper & Nicholsons.

Camper and Nicholsons International, confirmed to The Independent that the Bayesian sailing yacht encountered severe weather and subsequently sank.

What do we know about the search

Body bags were seen being taken to the port of Porticello on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning.

Mr Concina said there will be an investigation in due course, but the priority is finding the missing teenager.

As the body bags were taken back to the port, dozens of emergency services staff were waiting, and one bag was seen being put in the back of an ambulance.

Inspections of the yacht's internal hull took place on Wednesday morning after divers succeeded in smashing through a glass window to enter it amid a reportedly difficult search operation.

Five bodies were found in the wreck of the sunken Bayesian yacht on Wednesday ( PA Wire )

A helicopter was drafted in to help the search effort as divers from the local fire service entered the water with torches attached to their headgear. A police boat and divers also entered the water on Wednesday afternoon.

Fire crews said they had been accessing the vessel through natural entrances, without making openings. Remotely controlled underwater vehicles have been used, with naval units and cave divers also taking part in the search, the coastguard said.

A team of four British inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) also arrived in Porticello to look at the site of the sinking. The MAIB is looking into what happened because the Bayesian was flying a British flag, it is understood. The Italian Coastguard said the MAIB is not involved in the search for the missing people, and that it has not been requested to assist.
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Six people are missing and one is dead after a super yacht capsized off the coast of Sicily last night. A violent storm led the vessel  named Bayesian  to capsize in the early hours near the port of Porticello.

Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer is amongst the missing, alongside UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and Salvatore Cocina, who is head of the civil protection agency in Sicily. The boat was carrying 22 people when it capsized, with 15 now rescued.

The incident comes after Mr Lynch, 59, was cleared in a high-profile fraud case in June. The Autonomy founder was acquitted of charges related to the 2011 multi-billion dollar sale of his company to HP.

Rescue operations continue after the luxury yacht sank off Sicily ( REUTERS )

If convicted by a jury, Mr Lynch would have been facing up to 20 years in prison. He had invited colleagues and family on board the yacht to celebrate his legal victory, with several onboard being involved in the trial.

Amongst these was Mr Bloomer, 70, who was called to the stand by Mr Lynchs team during the trial. The British banking boss was chairman of Autonomys audit committee during its sale to HP, and told the jury that Mr Lynch wasnt particularly interested in the finance side.

For the latest updates on the story, follow The Independents live coverage

Mike was mostly interested in the strategy, new products, new areas to look at  he didnt come to the audit committee, he had added.

Mr Bloomer now remains one of the six missing passengers of the Bayesian, with British and Italian authorities working to find them. A spokesperson for for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: We are in contact with the local authorities following an incident in Sicily, and stand ready to provide consular support to British nationals affected.

Who is Jonathan Bloomer?

Jonathan Bloomer speaking in 2002 ( Getty Images )

Mr Bloomer has been the chairman of Morgan Stanley International since 2018, and last year was also made chairman of the Hiscox international insurance group.

He began his career at the now-defunct American accounting firm Arthur Andersen, working there for 20 years from 1974 to 1994. Mr Bloomer then spent the next ten years at Prudential, an insurance firm based in the UK, eventually becoming group CEO until 2005.

Mr Bloomer has held several other roles since 2005, and alongside his chairman roles at Morgan Stanley and Hiscox, he also chairs property company SDL Group Holdings.

The businessman was chair of Autonomys audit committee from September 2010 until its sale in October 2011. This is likely where he met and became friends with Mr Lynch.
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Ukraine has damaged or destroyed three bridges in the Russian region of Kursk as they attempt to consolidate positions gained during their ambitious cross-border assult and cut off supplies to Moscows troops.

The first bridge was destroyed in the village of Glushkovo, around eight miles west of Ukrainian troops inside of Russia, on Friday.

The second was destroyed on Saturday in the village of Zvannoye, a further five miles westward.

The third bridge reportedly destroyed on Sunday night is in the village of Karyzh, a further four miles westward.

All three bridges run over the Seym river that runs through the Kursk region. If Ukraine confirms the destruction of the third bridge, that would mean that Russian forces are now reliant on receiving military equipment via a makeshift pontoon bridge, according to analysts.

The purpose of targeting these bridges is to sever Russian supply lines and trap Moscows troops.

View more

When Ukraines air force posted footage of the second bridge being blown up on Saturday, their commander Mykola Oleschuk wrote on the Telegram messenger app: The aviation of the Air Force continues to deprive the enemy of logistical capabilities with accurate air strikes, which significantly affects the course of hostilities!

Russian forces fighting between the Seym River and the Ukrainian border may now be stuck, trapped by the waterway behind them and running along their left flank, and the Ukrainian forces trying to advance in front of them and the Ukrainian border on the Russians soldiers right flank. The Seym and the Ukrainian border intersect near the Ukrainian town of Hirky, around six miles from the allegedly latest bridge strike in the Russian village of Karyzh.

The Centre for Defence Strategies, a Ukrainian security think tank, wrote that this indicates that the objective [of Ukrainian forces] is to take control of a portion of Kursk Oblast south of the Seym River.

If Ukrainian forces were to take that area, roughly 221 square miles worth of territory, it would enlarge the area of the Kursk region that they control by almost 50 per cent.

Previous estimates from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US-based think tank, suggested that Ukrainian forces had taken around 300 square miles. The attack, which appears as a bulge into mainland Russia, is around 37 miles wide and almost 17 miles deep.
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Five bodies have been recovered from the wreck of the superyacht Bayesian after it sank in a freak storm off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday. A fifth body remains in the sailboat while the whereabouts of the sixth missing person remain unknown.

Tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the six people unaccounted for after his vessel sank at around 5am near the Sicilian capital of Palermo, having been caught in a violent tornado, known as a waterspout.

The other four passengers who have been missing since the disaster are Morgan Stanley International chair Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Chris Morvillo, a lawyer with Clifford Chance; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

Italian firefighter scuba divers bring ashore the body of one of the victims on Wednesday ( AP )

Identities of the recovered bodies have not been confirmed by authorities, despite local and international media reporting some had been identified.

As the body bags were taken back to the port of Porticello on Wednesday afternoon, dozens of emergency services staff were waiting, and one bag was seen being put in the back of an ambulance.

The search operation was suspended on Wednesday evening and will resume on Thursday morning, with the process of bringing the fifth body to shore being described by Salvatore Cocina, from Sicilys civil protection agency, as ongoing. He also said there will be an investigation in due course, but the priority is finding the missing.

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch was among the six people unaccounted for after the Bayesian sank ( PA Archive )

The body of Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working on the 56-metre vessel as a chef, was previously discovered on Monday, with tributes describing him as a well-loved, kind human being.

Emergency services rescued 15 other passengers and crew from a lifeboat, which included a one-year-old baby and Mr Lynchs wife Angela Bacares, who is said to be in a state of shock and sadness.

Lynch, 59, had recently made headlines after being acquitted of a $11bn (8.64bn) fraud case in June regarding the sale of his software giant Autonomy to US company Hewlett Packard.

Morgan Stanley International chair Jonathan Bloomer also went missing after the disaster ( PA Media )

It is understood that the trip onboard his yacht had been a celebration, with collaborators and colleagues invited onboard.

However, a freak weather incident caused the yacht to capsize, with authorities now investigating whether hatches had been left open by crew members as well as looking into onboard safety measures.

Fire crews described the operation as complex, with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts and debris and furniture cluttering the narrow spaces within the boat.

Inspections of the yachts internal hull took place on Wednesday morning, while a team of four British inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) also arrived in Porticello to look at the site of the sinking.

Specialist divers have spent three days searching the site ( PA )

The MAIB is looking into what happened because the Bayesian was flying a union jack, it is understood.

The Italian Coastguard said the MAIB is not involved in the search for the missing people, and that it has not been requested to assist.

A helicopter was drafted in to help the search effort, as divers from the local fire service were seen entering the water with torches attached to their headgear.

Once dubbed the British Bill Gates, Lynch and his wife Angela Bacares were valued at 852m in 2023 by The Sunday Times Rich List.

Boats are seen participating in the search efforts with specialist divers ( EPA )

Lynch founded Autonomy using technology he developed as a Cambridge student and was awarded an OBE in 2006 for services to enterprise.

After selling the company to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011, a decade-long legal battle ensued. HP claimed, just a year after the sale, that Lynch had used accounting tricks to artificially inflate its value before the sale.

He was extradited to the US last May for a trial that acquitted him on all 15 counts. Lynch had told Radio 4 earlier this month that being acquitted was indescribable and believed he could only clear his name because of his huge wealth.

Lynch founded Autonomy using technology he developed as a Cambridge student and was awarded an OBE in 2006 for services to enterprise ( PA )

In an interview, he spoke of his plans to spend the summer months on holiday.

Charlotte Golunski, who survived alongside her husband and baby, told la Reppublica she held her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, to stop her from drowning.

She said: I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning.

It was all dark. In the water, I couldnt keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.

She described being woken by thunder, lightning and waves that made our boat dance, adding: It was the end of the world and my husband and I were struggling to stand up.

The luxury boat, which had been cruising along the Italian coastline, was owned by Revtom, a company registered to Lynchs wife Angela Bacares.
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British tech tycoon Mike Lynch is among the six people missing after a superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily, The Independent understands.

The 59-year-old is known for founding Invoke Capital and Autonomy Corporation and has been in the headlines after he was cleared of charges in a high-profile fraud case.

Mr Lynch was on the boat, named Bayesian, which sank in bad weather in the early hours of Monday near the Sicilian capital Palermo.

There were 12 guests and 10 crew on board - of whom 15 have been rescued including Mr Lynchs wife, The Independent understands.

Sources have also confirmed that Mr Lynch is the owner of the vessel.

A body, believed to be that of the superyachts chef, has been found, according to local media, with pictures showing a body bag being brought to shore where ambulances were stationed.

Once dubbed the British Bill Gates, Mr Lynch and his wife Angela Bacares were valued at 852m in 2023 by the Sunday Times Rich List.

Mike Lynch in 2011 ( PA Archive )

His disappearance following the superyacht sinking comes just weeks after he was cleared of all charges by a US jury related to the sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011.

Mr Lynch founded Autonomy in 1996 using technology he developed as a Cambridge student. HP claimed, just a year after the sale, that Mr Lynch had used accounting tricks to artificially inflate its value before the sale

He was then extradited to the US last May for a trial that acquitted him on all 15 counts over the 11-billion dollar (8.64 billion) purchase of his company.

Mr Lynch said on Radio 4 that being acquitted was indescribable and believed he could only clear his name because of his huge wealth.

He said most people, even if they sold all their assets, would run out of funds in a matter of months, to cover the legal fees, a situation that he said has to change.

Have you been affected by this story? Email rachel.hagan@independent.co.uk

Born near Chelmsford, Essex, to a nurse mother and father fireman, Mr Lynch said his father regretted not having the chance to attend university. He told LeadersIn: "He realised the importance of education so that was something that was very much fostered in my home.

When he was 11 years old, he won a scholarship to study at Bancroft's School in Woodford Green and then studied natural sciences at the University of Cambridge.

He set up his first company in the 1980s, with a 2,000 loan from the manager of a band, producing audio products for the recording industry, The Guardian reported.

Mr Lynch has a string of accolades including being awarded an OBE for services to enterprise in 2006. That same year, he was appointed to the BBCs board. He was also elected to former prime minister David Camerons council for science and technology in 2011.

A representative for Dr Lynch declined to comment.
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Poland for top-level security and trade talks before heading to neighboring Ukraine, which is at war with India's strategic partner, Russia.

Modi will hold talks Thursday in Warsaw with Polands Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda, which are expected to focus on security, especially in the region bordering Ukraine.

Ukraine chastised Modi for his visit to Moscow last month, when he met and hugged President Vladimir Putin. Modi has avoided condemning Russia while emphasizing a peaceful settlement to the war in Ukraine.

Poland's deputy prime minister, Wadysaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, who is also the defense minister, has said he counts on intensifying cooperation with India in various areas, including new technologies.

In a statement ahead of his arrival in the NATO and European Union member nation, Modi said Poland remains India's key economy partner in Central Europe.

The Indian leader's visit also marks 70 years of official bilateral relations between New Delhi and Warsaw, and comes 45 years after the previous visit by an Indian government leader, Morarji Desai.

According to the figures cited by the Embassy of India, from 2013-2023, the total bilateral trade value increased from $1.95 billion to $5.72 billion, with India's exports accounting for majority of it.

On Wednesday, Modi is to lay wreaths at two monuments in Warsaw marking joint chapters of World War II. One of the monuments honors the Good Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, who offered protection and care to some 1,000 Polish children evacuated from the Soviet Union to India from 1942-46, the other commemorates the joint effort in the 1944 Battle of Monte Cassino, Italy.

Modi's statement said he is also to meet with representatives of the Indian community in Poland.

Then-Indian President Pratibha Patil visited Poland in 2009, and Tusk, during his first term as prime minister, paid a visit to India in 2010.

On Friday, Modi travels to Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The trip to Ukraine comes a month after Zelenskyy criticized Modi's two-day visit to Moscow in July, when he met with Putin on the day Russian missiles struck across Ukraine, killing scores of people.

Zelenskyy had described the meeting as a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts." He also chided Modi for hugging Putin during their meeting.

India has avoided condemning Russias invasion and instead has urged Russia and Ukraine to resolve the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday made an unscheduled trip to Chechnya, a mainly Muslim republic within the Russian Federation, his first visit in nearly 13 years, as Ukraine's stunning cross-border incursion into western Russia entered its third week.

Putin was greeted by Chechnyas self-styled strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov, before visiting a special forces academy bearing his own name and speaking with volunteer fighters who train there prior to being deployed in Ukraine.

Putin praised the volunteers and said that as long as Russia has men like them, it will be invincible, according to reports by Russian state agencies.

Russia Putin ( Sputnik )

Kadyrov said in a post on his official Telegram channels that more than 47,000 fighters, including volunteers, have trained at the facility since Moscow began what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine.

Fighters from Chechnya, whose bid for independence after the Soviet Union's collapse led to years of war with Russian government forces, are participating on both sides of the conflict in Ukraine.

Pro-Kyiv volunteers loyal to Dzhokhar Dudayev, the late Chechen pro-independence leader, are the sworn enemies of Chechen forces that back Putin and Kadyrov. The latter joined Russia in the months-long siege of Ukraines key port of Mariupol and other flashpoints in the country's south and east.

Also on Tuesday, Putin visited the grave of Kadyrovs father, former Chechen leader Akhmat Kadyrov, a command post and a mosque in the local capital, Grozny.

At the end of the day, he held talks with the Chechen leader, who announced the republic has tens of thousands" of reservists ready to fight the Ukrainians, according to Russian state media reports. The reports did not specify whether any of these might be sent to repel Kyiv's incursion into the Russian region of Kursk.

The Kremlin has relied on Kadyrov to keep the North Caucasus stable following years of turmoil. International rights groups have accused Kadyrov's security forces of extrajudicial killings, torture and abductions of dissenters, but Russian authorities have stonewalled repeated demands for investigations.

Russia Putin ( Sputnik )

Russia Putin ( Sputnik )

APTOPIX Russia Putin ( Sputnik )

The Kremlin scrambled fighters from Chechnya to help protect Moscow from an abortive mutiny launched by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin last year, but some commentators warned that Kadyrovs ambitions could also potentially pose a threat to federal authorities.

As of Tuesday evening, neither the Kremlin nor Kadyrov shared any details about the purpose and timing of Putins unexpected visit, with Kadyrov saying only that a busy schedule awaited the Russian leader.

Putin later held talks with Kadyrov at the Chechen leader's residence in Grozny.

Before his surprise visit to Chechnya, Putin was earlier on Tuesday in Beslan, a town in the Caucasus province of North Ossetia, where he had his first meeting in nearly two decades with mothers of children killed in the 2004 school attack by Islamic militants that left more than 330 dead.

At the meeting, he slammed Kyivs incursion into Russia's Kursk region, accusing the Ukrainians of trying to destabilize the country.

We will punish the criminals. There can be no doubt about that, he said.
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Ukrainian forces are advancing through Russias Kursk region as part of their historic cross-border assault, concentrating their resources on this attack - but Moscows forces are doing the same in eastern Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted this week the situation on Ukraines eastern frontline was difficult. Ukraines general staff, meanwhile, reported that there had been dozens of combat clashes on several hot points of the frontline in that direction.

As reports surface that Ukraine may have shifted some military resources from the eastern Donetsk region, the site of the most intense fighting in Ukraine, to help prosecute their Kursk incursion, concerns abound that such a move could prove a fatal miscalculation.

Since 6 August, when Ukraine began its cross-border attack, Russian forces have advanced several miles towards the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region. Russia claimed to have control of the settlement of Zhelanne, about 12 miles from Pokrovsk, one of a number of villages and settlements Moscows forces claim to have taken this week.

More than 50,000 civilians remain in the city, which had a pre-war population of around 80,000. If Russia eventually seizes it, it will be the largest population centre it has taken since Bakhmut last May, after months of heavy urban warfare.

Nevertheless, the loss of Pokrovsk could have an even costlier effect.

A young boy, his sister and his mother step off an armoured van on Tuesday used for evacuations from the Pokrovsk area ( AP )

The city, a logistical hub for the countrys military, sits at the junction of two major roads through the region. Its capture is seen as key to the Russian military prosecuting Vladimir Putins objective of taking the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine, known as Donbas.

Russias military appears to have thrown resources at the effort, possibly at the expense of defending its own civilians in Kursk. As one analyst put it, Putins eye of Sauron, a reference to Lord of the Rings, has been trained on Donetsk, and particularly Pokrovsk, even as his own country is being invaded.

Russian troops are now just six miles from the city walls, allegedly battling the last proper defensive line outside the city, and four from the neighbouring town of Myrnohrad, according to local officials.

Previous Russian assaults on cities in Donetsk, such as Avdiivka through the latter half of last year until around February this year, when it took control of the city, began with heavy mechanised attacks led by tanks and armoured carriers, as well as an aerial bombardment of the area.

While the second element of that style of attack is still being used, Russian forces are now more reliant on dismounted infantry and small units attempting to move forward and make gradual advances towards Pokrovsk, according to one western official.

The official added that those [attacks] have increased over the past week in terms of the rate at which [the Russians] are able to advance every day towards Pokrovsk, though the push remains gradual.

Deep State, a Ukrainian analytical group that tracks the frontline and which is known to have close ties to the military, reported that another three towns had been taken by the Russians just to the south of Pokrovsk this week. It added that Russian forces had advanced near Novogrodivka , Zavitny and Ptychy  three towns also on the southern edge of Moscows push towards Pokrovsk.

Russian forces have also made gains further along the frontline in the wider Donetsk region, pushing towards the towns of Toretsk and Siversk, while the Russian ministry of defence claimed control of the town of Niu-York, near Toretsk. The western official on Friday confirmed that Niu-York was coming under the control of the Russians.

They added, however, that Russia was losing around 1,000 casualties, dead and wounded, every day.

Russia is losing more now than it is able to recruit, the official said, adding that there was no sign of Russias ability to scale up recruitment to offset these losses despite the introduction of more lucrative sign-up bonuses in recent months,

Heavy fighting continues in the Pokrovsky direction, wrote Ukrainian military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi on the Telegram messenger app at the start of the week. Defence forces are also doing everything necessary to protect Toretsk.

As if as an afterthought, he added: We are achieving new results in Kursk.

Ukrainian soldiers of the 24th Mechanized Brigade fire from BRM1K infantry fighting vehicle towards Russian positions near Chasiv Yar town, in Donetsk region ( EPA )

The Ukrainian incursion into Russias Kursk region has undoubtedly been successful. It is the first time Russia has been invaded since the Second World War, a fact that is deeply embarrassing for Putin and his regime. Ukrainian soldiers toldThe Independent they laughed like madmen as they realised they were digging trenches inside Russia.

It has also created a buffer zone between Ukrainian civilians and the Russian military, reducing Moscows ability to fire artillery and drones at nearby Ukrainian towns and cities, and saving lives in the process.

As Ukraine bombs bridges to the west of its advancing forces inside Russia, effectively severing the last remaining supply lines to Moscows troops defending that area, Kyiv may also be on the cusp of taking more territory still.

But it may well be coming at a price; square miles captured in Kursk could cost square miles lost in Donetsk.

Some speculate that given Kyiv may be forced to the negotiating table by a future, notoriously transactional US president in Donald Trump (if he makes it to the White House in November), Ukraine could be employing a reach-before-result strategy, capturing parts of Kursk to later trade them for land occupied by the Russians later on.

Others suggest it is a signal to Kyivs western partners that despite a difficult year, Ukraine is still capable of carrying out devastating offensives, and that it deserves additional support.

There is no guarantee, however, that this will pay off. Meanwhile, Russias takeover of parts of eastern Ukraine is material, and it could prove more fatal.

As Emil Kastehelmi, an open-source analyst tracking the Russo-Ukrainian war for The Black Bird Group, says: The ground in Donetsk is more valuable to the Russians [than Kursk]. It possibly should be to the Ukrianians as well.
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Ukraine has launched the largest drone attack on Moscow since Vladimir Putins invasion  its latest attempt to bring the war to Russia as it continues an audacious cross-border incursion in Kursk.

For months, Ukraine has targeted Russian refineries and airfields with drones but assaults on the capital  some 300 miles from the Ukrainian border  have been rarer.

One Russian dissident told The Independent that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was seeking to land a serious psychological blow to Russians.

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin accused Ukraine of carrying out one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow using drones ever in Wednesday mornings move.

Russias defence ministry said its air systems destroyed a total of 45 drones over its territory, including 11 over the Moscow region, 23 over the border region of Bryansk, six over the Belgorod region, three over the Kaluga region and two over the Kursk region.

Mr Sobyanin also claimed some of the drones were shot down just 24 miles south of the Kremlin.

Ukraine is doing everything it can to shift the attention of Russian authorities from its own territory to the territory of the aggressor country, said Yevgenia Chirikova, a Russian dissident and friend of the late imprisoned opposition leader Alexander Navalny who now helps support the pro-Ukrainian Russian militias in Ukraine.

Such drone attacks have been increasing recently, and I believe their intensity will continue to grow.

Emil Kastehelmi, an open-source intelligence analyst tracking the war in Ukraine for the Black Bird Group, added: Ukraine is operating inside Russia. Now it makes the largest strike against Moscow of the whole war ... [Ukraine] wants to show Russia that just as they are always showing Ukraine that they are not really safe anywhere ... that the same applies in Russia.

Central Moscow on Wednesday. Defence ministry said its air systems destroyed 11 drones over the city region ( Reuters )

Even when it is Moscow, Ukraine can still strike there, he said.

Russian media showed unverified footage of drones whirring through the dawn sky across the Moscow region before being shot down in a ball of flame. Moscows airports, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky, restricted flights for four hours during the attacks.

The last time Ukraine fired such a number of drones at Moscow was in May 2023, when at least eight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were reportedly destroyed. At that time, Mr Putin accused Ukraine of trying to scare and provoke Russia.

Mr Sobyanin said there were no injuries or damage reported in the aftermath of the latest attacks, while Moscow residents spoke of the strength of the citys air defences.

There were also no casualties or damage reported following the attack on Bryansk in Russias southwest, according to the governor of the region, Alexander Bogomaz.

Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region, also claimed air defence forces successfully destroyed a Ukraine-launched missile in his area, with no injuries reported. But fires were seen on the ground as Ukraine claimed to have destroyed an S-300 anti-aircraft missile system there.

Kyivs special forces also published footage of a series of strikes on Russian bridges and makeshift pontoon bridges over the Seym River in Kursk, where Kyivs forces have carried out an incursion that has lasted more than two weeks.

They said they had used US-supplied high-mobility artillery rocket systems (Himars) to strike the bridges. It was the first official statement from Kyiv that Western weapons were part of the unprecedented offensive. Anonymous sources confirmed to The Independent last week that British Challenger 2 tanks were used in the attack, while Mr Zelenskys chief adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said the assault on Kursk was also part of a psychological tactic to force Putin to the negotiating table.

A Russian Mi-35M helicopter fires towards Ukrainian positions at an undisclosed location in the Russian-Ukrainian border area in the Kursk region ( AP )

[Russians] dont discuss the war, and they generally feel quite comfortable because there is a war going on somewhere, someone is killing. Its interesting for them to watch on TV, he said. But when the war proceeds into the territory of Russia, they are certainly scared. They are shocked. This has a significant impact on the psychological state of Russia. It is also a tool of influence.

The bridges are vital to resupplying Russian forces between the river and the Ukrainian border, as well as providing a retreat route should Kyivs troops advance westward.

All three permanent bridges in the area, which forms the southern half of the Glushkovsky district, were damaged or destroyed over the weekend, on Friday, Saturday and then Sunday. Ukraine claimed responsibility for at least one of those strikes.

High-resolution satellite imagery released online also showed the extent of damage sustained by the third permanent bridge, near the village of Karyzh, after it was hit on Sunday.

Russian engineers recently began constructing makeshift pontoon bridges to reconnect supply lines from the north of the river, but satellite imagery showed the constructions disappearing a day or two later. Plumes of smoke were visible in several of the pictures, suggesting Ukraine may have destroyed the facilities, but Kyiv had declined to comment.

Ukraines special operations forces posted footage on Telegram of what it said was the destruction of several crossings and the engineering units responsible.
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The Danish and Swedish justice ministers vowed on Wednesday to go after organized crime leaders abroad, whom they say have been hiring teenagers in Sweden to carry out deadly shootings in Denmark.

Denmarks Peter Hummelgaard has said that gangs have hired young Swedes to commit crimes in Denmark at least 25 times since April, in part because Swedish law imposes lighter penalties for minors who commit serious crimes.

Several of the people who orchestrate this reckless and violent crime are hiding under warmer skies, and of course this is completely unacceptable, Hummelgaard told a press conference Wednesday after a meeting with his Swedish counterpart Gunnar Strommer in Copenhagen. He said they were often in the greater Middle East but didn't name any specific country.

One of Sweden's two major gangs is led by a Swedish-Turkish dual national who lives in Turkey, which refuses to extradite its own citizens.

Sweden's Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer, left, and Denmark's Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard provide information at a press conference in the Ministry of Justice in Copenhagen, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, about the effort against gang crime ( Thomas Traasdahl/RitzauScanpix )

Swedish and Danish media say that gang is involved in a deadly feud with one of the main criminal gangs in Denmark  Loyal to Familia which was banned in 2021.

Sweden has grappled with gang violence for years, while in Denmark, police have also seen violence between gangs but on a lesser scale.

Last year, Swedish police noted an increase in the number of teenagers under 18 who were recruited to carry out killings for hire because they do not face the same police controls as adults and are often shielded from prosecution.

Strommer said that Sweden would tighten its laws, noting that minors who are convicted of murder in Sweden are placed in juvenile facilities, while they can face up to 16 years in prison in Denmark.

The two also vowed to crack down on online gang activity, with Strommer saying that leading figures in these criminal networks order murders and bombings totally out in the open online.

Earlier, Hummelgaard has said that solutions could include changing Danish law to allow facial recognition technology, and deploying better software to monitor encrypted messages.
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Ukrainian forces have captured hundreds of square miles of territory inside Russia in one of the most significant incursions into Russia since the Second World War.

Thousands of Ukrainian troops smashed over the border from Ukraines Sumy region into the neighbouring Russian Kursk region on 6 August.

Since then, Kyivs forces have claimed to have taken more land in a fortnight than Russia has in Ukraine during this entire calendar year.

While the ground offensive appears to be slowing down, with Russian forces moving several thousand troops from less hot areas on the frontline in Ukraine, Kyivs air force have started destroying Moscows vital military supply lines, suffocating the troops still defending the area in Kursk.

How much territory has Ukraine taken in Russia?

View more

The numbers vary. Calculating territory taken during an incursion that ebbs and flows is difficult.

Ukraines army chief Colonel General Oleksandr Syrksyi claims his forces have captured almost 445 square miles (1,150 sq kilometres) of land in Kursk, while they have also set up a military commandants office in the occupied part of the region.

For context, that is nearly three times the amount of territory they retook in occupied Ukraine during their three-month counteroffensive last summer, according to estimates.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US-based think tank that tracks developments on the frontline, offers a more conservative estimate of around 300 square miles (800 sq km).

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, said last week that Kyivs forces were pushing one to two kilometres further all along the new frontline.

The attack, which appears as a bulge into mainland Russia, is around 37 miles wide and almost 17 miles deep.

Could Ukraine take more territory?

View more

Last Friday, Ukraines air force destroyed the first of three bridges on the Seym River to the west of the Ukrainian troops in Kursk.

On Saturday and then Sunday night, they destroyed the two other permanent bridges in that area, leaving Russian troops in the southern half of the Glushkovsky district, which is bisected by the Seym, effectively trapped between the river, the Ukrainian border and Kyivs forces in front of them.

The aviation of the Air Force continues to deprive the enemy of logistical capabilities with accurate air strikes, which significantly affects the course of hostilities! air force commander Mykola Oleschuk wrote on Sunday morning.

Recent drone footage from a Ukrainian brigade also suggests that Kyiv is now using first-person view (FPV) drones to destroy the makeshift Russian pontoon crossings erected in the days since the targeted strikes on the bridges.

The Centre for Defence Strategies, a Ukrainian security think tank, wrote that this indicates that the objective [of Ukrainian forces] is to take control of a portion of Kursk Oblast south of the Seym River.

Should they take this area, they would almost double the territory they currently control.

How many troops are involved?

Ukrainian servicemen guard an area at a destroyed border crossing point with Russia ( AFP via Getty Images )

A Ukrainian colonel who asked not to be identified to speak openly about sensitive issues told The Independent that around 8,000 soldiers were involved in the incursion.

Thousands more Ukrainian soldiers were ready to enter the fray, he said.

He claimed, in comments that were mirrored by multiple Ukrainian officials, including Mr Zelensky, that the troops were planning to hold their positions to create a buffer zone.

Most simply, this zone would put more distance between Russian forces and Ukrainian civilians, reducing, though not halting completely, Moscows ability to fire artillery and missiles over the border.

It would also prevent another Russian cross-border assault of their own like the one into the nearby northeast Ukrainian region of Kharkiv in May, which brought the countrys second largest city - with a population of around 1.3 million people - roughly within artillery range of Russian forces.

How many Russian civilians have been evacuated?

Volunteers sort a humanitarian aid for residents of Kursk region at the humanitarian collection point 'Moscow Helps' in Moscow, Russia ( EPA )

Russian officials say nearly 200,000 civilians have been evacuated from the Kursk region and the neighbouring Belgorod area.

Ukrainian forces have not entered Belgorod but a state of emergency has been declared and local officials say Ukraine has launched aerial attacks on the area.

Authorities in the Kursk region decided late on Wednesday night to evacuate another district, Glushkov, as Ukrainian forces continue to advance forwards.

The district directly borders Ukraine and has a population of about 20,000 people. Regional governor Alexei Smirnov said on the Telegram messaging app that police and other state bodies would coordinate the evacuation process.

Have Ukraine captured Russian soldiers?

Mr Zelensky this week claimed one of the goals of the incursion was to replenish an exchange fund of Russian prisoners of war.

Thousands of POWs from both sides have been swapped throughout the course of the war in Ukraine, with exchanges taking place roughly every few months.

Private and public estimations of how many Russian soldiers have been captured during this incursion differ significantly.

Mr Zelensky has suggested around Ukrainian troops have taken roughly 100 PoWs; the Ukrainian colonel claimed the true figure was closer to 2,000.

Footage has, however, showed blindfolded men that appear to be Russian soldiers being escorted through the Ukrainian Sumy region in the back of a military pick up.
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At least 28 people have died after a bus carrying Shia pilgrims from Pakistan overturned in Iran's Yazd province.

The bus was carrying 51 passengers, all Pakistani nationals, on Tuesday night when it overturned and crashed outside the city of Taft, nearly 500km southeast of the capital Tehran.

Police say their initial investigations point to an issue with the buss brakes as being the cause of the crash.

Another 23 people suffered injuries in the crash, with 14 of them in a critical state, said Mohammad Ali Malekzadeh, a local emergency official.

Pakistans consular services in Iran have been invited to Yazd province to follow up on the accident.

Syed Athar Shamsi, the leader of the convoy that left from Larkana in Pakistan's Sindh province for the pilgrimage, said that the group was spread out in two buses. The bus in front was the one that crashed, he told GeoTV.

In images broadcast by Iranian state TV, the bus could be seen turned upside down on the highway with its roof smashed in and all its doors open. Rescuers stepped gingerly through the broken glass and debris littering the road.

The pilgrims were traveling through Iran to reach Iraq's Karbala to partake in the Arbaeen rituals, observed mostly by Shias.

Millions of believers converge each year for the Arbaeen, regarded as the largest annual public gathering in the world.

Arbaeen, Arabic for the number 40, marks the anniversary of the 40th day of mourning following the seventh-century death of the Prophet Muhammads grandson Hussein at the hands of the Muslim Umayyad forces in the Battle of Karbala, during the tumultuous first century of Islams history.

So far 25,000 Pakistanis have entered Iran to reach Karbala, Iran International reported.

Pakistan's foreign minister Ishaq Dar offered his condolences to the bereaved families of the dead pilgrims. "I have given instructions to our ambassador in Tehran to ascertain exact situation and provide swift medical relief and recovery services as well as arrange repatriation of dead bodies to Pakistan," he said in a post on X.

Iran has one of the world's worst traffic safety records, with some 17,000 deaths annually. This high toll is blamed on a wide disregard for traffic laws, unsafe vehicles and inadequate emergency services in its vast rural areas.

An unrelated bus crash early on Wednesday in Iran's southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province killed six people and injured 18, authorities said.
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US secretary of state Antony Blinken has warned that time is of the essence to secure a Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as he finished his latest Middle East trip with a truce still proving elusive.

Mr Blinken said Washington was doing everything possible to secure an agreement between Israel and Hamas.

It comes after Mr Blinken said Israel had accepted the latest proposal to end the 10-month-old war while Hamas said it veered too close to Israels demands.

The deal needs to get done and it needs to get done in the days ahead, and we will do everything possible to get it across the finish line, Mr Blinken said.

The plan would involve an initial six-week ceasefire, during which a limited number of female, elderly and sick Israeli hostages would be freed in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Displaced Palestinians in Gaza, where the 10-month-long war has uprooted millions and killed thousands ( AP )

It would be indefinitely extendable while negotiators settled the second stage, in which soldiers and bodies would be returned, Israeli troops would begin to withdraw from Gaza and displaced Palestinian civilians would be allowed to return to their homes in the north of the strip.

But one of the main sticking points to an agreement has been Hamass longstanding demand for a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from all parts of Gaza, which Israel has reportedly rejected.

In Qatar, Mr Blinken was asked about Israeli troop withdrawal terms within the ceasefire framework  with Israel wanting to keep troops in the Philadelphi Corridor between Egypt and Gaza.

The United States does not accept any long-term occupation of Gaza by Israel, Mr Blinken said.

More specifically, the agreement is very clear on the schedule and the locations of the Israeli Defence Forces withdrawals from Gaza, and Israel has agreed to that. So thats as much as I know. Thats what Im very clear about.

Both Hamas and Egypt oppose Israel keeping troops in the Philadelphi Corridor but Mr Netanyahu has insisted they are needed to stop weapons being smuggled into Gaza.

Egypts president Abdel Fattah Sisi with US secretary of state Antony Blinken on Tuesday ( Egyptian Presidency/AFP/Getty )

Egyptian security sources said the US has proposed an international presence in the Philadelphi Corridor area, a suggestion the sources said could be acceptable to Cairo if limited to a maximum of six months.

The ceasefire in Gaza must be the beginning of broader international recognition of the Palestinian state and the implementation of the two-state solution, as this is the basic guarantor of stability in the region, Egypts president Abdel Fattah Sisi said after meeting Mr Blinken.

Israels military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 40,000 people since October, according to Palestinian health authorities in the Hamas-run strip.

The war in Gaza began on 7 October when Hamas gunmen stormed into Israeli communities and military bases, killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israeli airstrikes across Gaza killed at least 50 Palestinians in the past 24 hours, Palestinian health authorities said on Wednesday, as the military said troops continued to target Hamas and seize weapons and ammunition. The Israeli military said jets hit around 30 targets throughout the Gaza Strip including tunnels, launch sites and an observation post.

It said troops killed dozens of armed fighters and captured weapons including explosives, grenades and automatic rifles. The military issued new evacuation orders in the heavily overcrowded area of Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the fighting have sought shelter.

For the displaced left exposed in Deir al-Balah, the lack of progress towards a ceasefire compounded the misery as they searched for space away from the fighting.

Where will we go? Where will we go? said Aburakan, 55, a displaced person from Gaza City in the territorys north who has had to change refuge five times since October.

We feel they are closing in. I live a few hundred metres from the threatened areas, and I have been searching since the early morning in vain for a space in western Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, or Nuseirat, he told Reuters.

Meanwhile, Lebanons Hezbollah launched more than 50 rockets into Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, hitting a number of homes according to first responders. Hezbollah  which, like ally Hamas, is backed by Iran  said the attack was in response to an Israeli strike deep into Lebanon on Tuesday night that killed one and injured 19. On Tuesday, Hezbollah launched more than 200 projectiles toward Israel, after Israel targeted a Hezbollah weapons depot some 80km (50 miles) from the border, a significant increase in the daily skirmishes. Israel and Hezbollah have traded near-daily strikes for almost the entirety of the war in Gaza.

In the Red Sea, the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion was adrift after coming under multiple attacks, the UK maritime agency (UKMTO) said. Delta Tankers, the ships operator, confirmed the ship was adrift and had sustained minor damage. Its crew was assessing the situation and it would proceed on its journey, it said in a statement.

The Iran-aligned Houthis have launched a series of attacks on international shipping near Yemen since last November over the war in Gaza.

Reuters contributed to this report
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The worlds oldest living person, Maria Branyas Morera, died in Catalonia in Spain at the age of 117 years and 168 days, her family said on Tuesday.

Born in San Francisco, US, in 1907, she lived through two World Wars, the Spanish Civil War and the 1918 flu pandemic and faced many personal hardships in her early years, including losing her father during her familys emigration to Spain and suffering hearing loss as a child.

Her remarkable longevity was recognised by both the Gerontology Research Group and the Guinness World Records, and Branyas Morera became a symbol of resilience, having survived Covid at age 113.

Maria Branyas has left us. She died as she wished: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain, her family wrote on her X account. Branyas Morera passed away on 19 August.

We will always remember her for her advice and kindness.

Catalonias president, Salvador Illa, re-shared the post and expressed his condolences to the family. 

Maria Branyas, the grandmother of Catalonia and the oldest person in the world, has left us. We lose an endearing woman, who has taught us the value of life and the wisdom of the years.

Branyas Morera, who had spent the last 20 years at the Santa Maria del Tura nursing home in Olot, northeastern Spain, shared in a post on Tuesday that she was feeling weak.

Her account was run by her family.

The time is near, she added. Please dont cry; I dont like tears. And above all, dont worry about me. Wherever I go, I will be happy.

In January 2023, Guinness World Records recognised Branyas Morera as the worlds oldest person following the death of French nun Lucile Randon at age 118.

According to the Gerontology Research Group, Branyas Morera injured her eardrum in a fall while emigrating to Spain, resulting in permanent hearing loss in one ear.

Towards the end of the voyage, Branyas Moreras father, Joseph Branyas Julia, died from pulmonary tuberculosis at the age of 37, leaving Branyas Moreras mother to raise the family of five on her own, it said.

Maria Branyas Morera passed away in her sleep ( x.com/MariaBranyas112 )

Branyas Morera tested positive for Covid in April 2020 but recovered, becoming the oldest recorded survivor of the disease at the time.

In an interview with the Observer, she urged for better treatment of the elderly.

This pandemic has revealed that older people are the forgotten ones of our society. They fought their whole lives, sacrificed time and their dreams for todays quality of life. They didnt deserve to leave the world in this way, she said.

Branyas Morera married Dr Joan Moret in 1931 and they had two daughters and a son. He died in 1976.

In August 2019, it was reported that she had 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

On X, she described herself as Soc vella, molt vella, pero no idiota, meaning Im old, very old, but not stupid.

She frequently posted in Catalan on her social media, sharing reflections on her life, memories from the past, and even recipes for Spains famous dish, paella.

In February last year, American documentary maker Sam Green visited Branyas Morera while shooting for his film The Oldest Person in the World. The documentary, which began filming in 2015, features interviews with the worlds oldest individuals.

The filmmakers plan to host a premiere every decade, an event Branyas Morera intended to attend. I will be at the premiere, she wrote on X.

According to the Guinness World Records, she attributed her longevity to order, tranquillity, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity, and staying away from toxic people.

I think longevity is also about being lucky. Luck and good genetics, she added.

According to CBS News, her youngest daughter, Rosa Moret, once credited her mothers longevity to genetics.

She has never gone to the hospital, she has never broken any bones, she is fine, she has no pain, Ms Moret told regional Catalan television in 2023.

Following the death of Branyas Morera, the title of the worlds oldest living person passed to Japans Tomiko Itooka, who is 116.
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Scientists think they might have found an explanation for the wow signal that has long led to hopes it was contact from aliens.

In August, 1977, the Big Ear radio telescope at Ohio State University picked up a signal that has fascinated scientists ever since. The scientists who first spotted it wrote Wow! next to the signal on a printout, and it has been known by that name ever since.

The blast was long and very intense, but only at a specific frequency. The details of the source led many to believe that it could be an intentional signal from aliens, sent using artificial technology.

Scientists found that it appeared to have come from the constellation Sagittarius, but not exactly where. It was never spotted again, leaving scientists only to speculate on whether it was a signal from an extraterrestrial intelligence.

Now, however, researchers at the University of Puerto Rico say they have found a new explanation for the signal. It was not an alien message but instead a unique astrophysical event, they say.

Whats more, they have detected similar signals  though none as intense as that first one that led to the wow signal.

The researchers suggest that the signal was caused when a cold hydrogen cloud suddenly turned bright. That was probably because it was hit by emissions from. radiation source, such as a magnetar flare ofr a soft gamma repeater.

When that happened, the clouds suddenly turned bright. That would explain why it was seen for a short period and then never spotted again.

The researchers say that the new hypothesis not only explains the signal but represents an important warning for future potential detections of signs from aliens.

Our study suggests that the Wow! Signal was likely the first recorded instance of maser-like emission of the hydrogen line, said Abel Mendez, who led the work.

Scientists might now be able the find the exact origin of the signal, too, since they can look for objects within or behind those cold hydrogen clouds.

The research is based on observations from 2020 and has been published in an early version online. The scientists behind it are refining it with input from the scientific community and hope to publish it in a peer-reviewed journal, they said.
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Two travellers were arrested on board an American Airlines plane in a saga that began over the mans bloody hair transplant.

Eugenio Ernesto Hernandez-Garnier, 27, and Yusleydis Blanca Loyola, 32, both from Las Vegas, were flying home from Miami on Monday when the crew on board the American Airlines flight noticed profuse bleeding from his head, Local 10 reported.

Miami-Dade Police told the outlet Hernandez-Garnier was asked by airline staff to clean up the blood and replace his bandages, but he said he didnt have any clean bandages.

When the crew members then asked Hernandez-Garnier to leave the plane, the pair allegedly refused and said: If they could not fly, no one else can either.

In a TikTok video posted by Loyola, she is heard shouting that her partner has just had surgery.

Ultimately, the entire plane was forced to disembark in Las Vegas, delaying the flight.

Hernandez-Garnier and Loyola were arrested on the scene for trespassing as they continued to refuse to get off the plane when police arrived.

In a statement to Local 10, police said: After a brief moment of resisting to be handcuffed, they were subsequently placed under arrest.

open image in gallery Eugenio Ernesto Hernandez-Garnier, 27, and Yusleydis Blanca Loyola, 32, in mug shots ( Miami-Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation )

The suspects were taken to Jackson West Medical Centre, Florida, where Hernandez-Garnier underwent a medical check. They were then transfered to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

American Airlines confirmed the incident in a statement to The Independent.

During boarding of American Airlines flight 1858 on Aug. 19 with service from Miami (MIA) to Las Vegas (LAS), two customers became disruptive and were non-compliant with crewmember instructions, the spokesperson said.

Law enforcement responded and removed both customers from the aircraft. We thank our crewmembers for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.

The delayed flight eventually took off on Tuesday morning.

The couple face charges of trespassing after a warning and resisting an officer without violence.
Barack Obama joked that the sequel is usually worse than the first film in a dig at Donald Trump in his speech to the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, 20 August.

Speaking on the second night, the former president and former First Lady Michelle Obama rallied the party to support Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race.

Mr Obama, who completed two terms in the White House, told delegates that the US does not need another four years of bluster and chaos.

We have seen that movie before - and we all know that the sequel is usually worse, he added.
Meet the Taylor Swift fan taking the Democratic National Committee by storm.

Kelly Jacobs, a delegate from Mississippi, explained that she is a political fashionista as she showed off her impressive outfit - featuring images of Swift and Kamala Harris - to The Independent.

She has also been passing out Swiftie voter bracelets at the convention in Chicago.

Young women need to show up to vote, they will help us win the election, Ms Jacobs said, adding that she would like to see Taylor endorse Vice President Harris ahead of the November election.
Donald Trump asked several questions about cocaine in a new interview with Theo Von at his country club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

The comedian and podcaster was discussing his personal drug use when the former president described cocaine as "down and dirty."

Mr Trump asked further questions about the drug, including whether it is "too much to handle" and "a stronger up."

The former president has previously advised against taking drugs, smoking, or drinking alcohol, the latter of which he says he has never consumed due to his older brother who was an alcoholic.
Italian divers searched for a third day on Wednesday, 21 August, for six people rescuers fear are trapped inside the luxury Bayesian superyacht that sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily.

Those missing include British billionaire Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah; Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

One man, Recaldo Thomas, has been confirmed dead, and a further 15 people survived the incident.

Coastguard officials have not ruled out the possibility that those missing may still be alive, with experts speculating air pockets could have formed as the yacht sank.
Conspiracy theorists are branding the recent mpox outbreak a scamdemic in a recent social media wave of misinformation.

A public health emergency was declared by the World Health Organisation over the outbreak in several African nations, with at least three cases now reported outside of the continent.

Mpox can spread through skin-to-skin contact, respiratory droplets, and contact with contaminated materials.

Symptoms include a high temperature, headaches and muscle aches.

In Africa, the latest strain, branded clade 1b, has a higher mortality rate which ranges from 4-10% compared to the usual rate of 0-11%.

Bill Gates, along with other Big Pharma companies are being falsely accused of falsifying the outbreak to push vaccines for profit, with some even claiming that Covid vaccines caused mpox symptoms.

Professor Michael Marks from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine told The Independent: The vaccination is the most likely component of control. Its known to be a very safe vaccine, very well tolerated.
'Compliance with antitrust investigations is of paramount importance,' European competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said. Photo: Getty

Businesses have been urged to preserve all internal data following a 15.9m fine issued by the European Commission to a company earlier this year.

The European Commission fined International Flavors & Fragrances Inc and International Flavors & Fragrances France SAS (IFF) in June this year after it discovered that a senior employee at the company intentionally deleted WhatsApp messages during an antitrust investigation.

These messages were part of a conversation with a competitor and contained business-related information, the commission found.

They were also deleted after the employee learnt of the inspection at the companys offices, which took place in March 2023.

This was the first time the commission had fined a business for the deletion of messages on an app such as WhatsApp.

EU regulation states that the commission can impose fines of up to 1pc of the total turnover of a firm thatintentionally or negligently obstruct an antitrust investigation.

In this case, it opted for a fine of 0.3pc of IFFs total turnover.

The separate antitrust investigation into the fragrance industry is still ongoing, the commission confirmed.

As a growing number of businesses opt to use social media apps as part of their daily work, the commission called on companies to preserve all existing data related to business operations.

Compliance with antitrust investigations is of paramount importance, European competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said at the time.

Companies that undergo an inspection must ensure that employees do not delete or manipulate business records. This includes communications on mobile phones.

She added that the decision to impose a fine on the firm illustrates that the EU will pursue and sanction any obstructions to its investigations.

A&L Goodbody partner Dr Vincent Power also called on Irish companies to alert their employees about this recent case, adding that they should never delete any business records as they could help to demonstrate innocence in some cases.

Businesses should also warn staff not to delete anything when they are notified about an investigation as competition agencies will also check for deleted data through a request for recent data backups, according to Dr Power.

He also called on businesses to be aware of social media or informal back channels used by colleagues where business information is exchanged.

As seen in the IFF investigation, these methods of communication will also be inspected and cannot hide any anticompetitive behaviour, Dr Power reported.
The Irish dairy industry is set to be caught in a brewing trade row between the European Union and China. Chinese authorities announced overnight that they have have opened an anti-subsidy investigation into imported dairy products from the EU. The move appears to be a tit-for-tat response to a move by the EU to restrict electric vehicles from China.

A move to restrict EU dairy would mainly hit Ireland but the EUs announcement this week of tariffs on imports of electric vehicle from China, which would mainly benefit Germany and other car makers..

China is a significant, if challenging market for Irish dairy which includes supplying the countries huge baby formula sector. The move comes just ahead of a planned trade mission by Irish ministers and officials to China next week.

The new investigation announced by China's commerce ministry on Wednesday will focus on various types of cheeses, milks and creams intended for human consumption.

The probe began was prompted by a complaint submitted by the Dairy Association of China and the China Dairy Industry Association on July 29 on behalf of the domestic dairy industry, the ministry said. In 2022 Irish agri-food exports to China were valued at 722m, mostly food and drink. Irish dairy sales to China last year were worth around 400m.

China will examine 20 subsidy schemes from EU members Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Ireland, and Romania, it said in a statement.

Of the countries listed, Ireland is by far the biggest exporter of dairy to China.

The move by China comes in the wake of the EU on Tuesday announcing scaled down but still significant duties on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles that Beijing had called on Brussels to scrap.
WHO says viral infection is a global health emergency after Africa cases

Danish biotech firm Bavarian Nordic could ramp up production of its mpox vaccine even before having orders lined up, based on the outcome of talks this week with the World Health Organisation, the companys CEO told Reuters yesterday.

Chief Executive Officer Paul Chaplin said that the company urgently needs to make the call on whether to manufacture at risk  or without signed contracts  because diverting or switching manufacturing capacity from its other vaccines to mpox will take time.

In order to make that decision, Bavarian Nordic would need to be reasonably convinced that those orders would be coming through, Mr Chaplin said. Well have to wait and see how the discussions develop this week and well make a decision later this week.

He said the discussions were with the WHO, the global vaccine group Gavi, and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and with individual governments in Africa and elsewhere.

Last week the WHO declared that an outbreak of mpox, a viral infection that spreads through close contact, represents a global health emergency for the second time in two years.

That announcement followed an outbreak of the viral infection in Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to neighbouring countries.

Africa CDC said yesterday that talks had started with Bavarian Nordic about technology transfer to enable its mpox vaccine to be manufactured in Africa in the future.

Jean Kaseya, the CDCs director general, told a briefing that he would give a further update on the talks in the coming weeks. We need local manufacturing, and I want to recognise that and to thank Bavarian Nordic for accepting to do the tech transfer in Africa, for Africa to manufacture the vaccine, Mr Kaseya told reporters, adding that would help lower the price of the vaccine without compromising on its quality.

Mr Chaplin, the Bavarian Nordic CEO, separately told Reuters earlier in the day that his company is in dialogue with the Africa CDC.

Shares in Bavarian Nordic  one of the few drug firms with an mpox vaccine  were up about 19pc since market close on August 13, the day before the WHO announcement.

On Saturday, the company said it has informed the Africa CDC that it could manufacture 10 million doses of the vaccine by the end of 2025, and could supply up to two million doses this year.

But the two million doses by year-end would not be possible unless Bavarian Nordic changes gears to start producing more of its mpox vaccine now, instead of its other vaccines, Mr Chaplin said: Every week we dont switch over, we lose some of that capacity.
Ireland set to have among the highest taxes on fuels in EU by October

Petrol and diesel prices were little changed this month despite a hike in excise duty three weeks ago.

However, planned tax rises later this year will mean this country will have the highest taxes on diesel in the EU.

Petrol taxes are set to be among the highest in the EU when the scheduled carbon tax hike is implemented on Budget night in October.

Petrol prices rose by 1c to 1.81 per litre this month. Diesel prices remained steady month on month at 1.74 per litre, according to the latest AA Ireland fuel survey.

Following the reinstatement of the full excise duty on motor fuels on August 1 fuel prices were expected to rise.

However, motorists got relief as falling crude prices counteracted the excise duty rise.

Crude oil prices are slightly lower this month at just below $80 (72) per barrel.

Electric vehicle owners can expect to pay an average of 916 a year to cover the national average of 17,000km per year, which is an increase of 39 per year month on month, AA Ireland said.

We saw a slight increase again in petrol this month, but the price of diesel has remained steady which is great to see, said Jennifer Kilduff, head of marketing and PR for AA Ireland.

She said average monthly charging costs for EV drivers have increased this month as a result of providers reversing the decreases we saw in July.

It will be interesting to see how the next few months go and what Budget 2025 will bring for the motorist.

Meanwhile, once the October carbon tax hike is put through in two months time the proportion of the price of diesel accounted for by tax will hit 54pc, said industry group Fuels for Ireland.

This will put Ireland at the top of the European league when it comes to tax on diesel, alongside Malta, it said.

The proportion of the cost of petrol that will be accounted for by taxes and levies will hit 57pc after the Budget. This will be the third highest level in the EU.

The high tax rates follow the recent restoration of cuts in excise, which have driven prices higher over the last few months.

The last increase came on August 1 with another one on April 1. The August excise duty hike added 4c to the litre of petrol, which Vat is included, and 3c to diesel. Octobers carbon tax rise will add 2c to the cost of a litre of each fuel.

The implications of these rising taxes will be felt by consumers and businesses alike, but particularly by those in border regions, who face challenges due to fuel price disparities with Northern Ireland, said Fuels for Ireland.

There are five taxes and levies on petrol and diesel  Vat, excise duty, carbon tax, the Better Fuels levy and the National Oil Reserves Agency levy.

Fuels for Ireland reiterated its call for the establishment of an expert group on fuel taxation. This would bring together government departments, the Revenue Commissioners, economists, environmental specialists and fuels industry representatives, to develop a balanced fiscal strategy.

With the upcoming Budget poised to introduce further tax hikes, we need to address the significant impact these changes will have, said Kevin McPartlan, chief executive of Fuels for Ireland.
Celebrity News

Al Porter responds to backlash at his slot in All Together Now line-up: Im trying to do things right
Newlywed Saoirse Ronan has described the movie that she co-produced with husband Jack Lowden as a life-changing experience.

Speaking at the premiere of The Outrun, which recently debuted at the Edinburgh Film Festival, the Carlow actor said her involvement in the project was all thanks to Lowden (34).

The two actors married in a secret ceremony in Edinburgh last month, having got engaged last year after meeting in 2018 on the set of Mary Queen of Scots.

The four-time Oscar nominee (30) said Lowden was so heartbroken that he could not be at the premiere.

Ronan joked how she would be his representative instead, as she showed off her new gold band at her first public event since tying the knot.

Hes prepping for a Scottish play that will be here next week. For me, personally, I wouldnt have been involved in this project, this life-changing experience, if it wasnt for Jack Lowden, she said.

Hes an incredibly proud Scotsman and his lifes work will be to just bring work back to Scotland, which is what we want to continue to do.

Theres so much incredible talent here, so much potential for incredible storytelling, and Jack and I have been so honoured to be a part of what we feel is the next wave of Scottish film-making.

Saoirse Ronan with husband Jack Lowden at the Scottish premiere of 'Mary Queen of Scots' in Edinburgh in January 2019. Photo: Getty

The Outrun, which will open on September 27 and is directed by Nora Fingscheidt, is already getting rave reviews after its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

Based on the acclaimed memoir by Scottish writer Amy Liptrot, Ronan adopts a Scottish accent in the movie, which was filmed in the Orkney Islands.

She plays Rona, a young woman recovering from alcohol addiction who has left rehab and returned to the remote Scottish region where she grew up, after a decade in London.

Liptrots book was originally recommended to Ronan by Lowden during lockdown while the pair were living in their London home.

From left, Saoirse Ronan, Amy Liptrot and Nora Fingscheidt at the world premiere of 'The Outrun' during the Edinburgh International Festival. Photo: Getty

She said they were reading three books a week, like everyone else at the time.

As soon as he finished it, he said to me, This is the next role you need to play. I finished the whole thing in two days, she said.

I was so in love initially with Amys style of writing. It was so non-linear and poetic, but still very easy to follow and connect to.

It was about a subject that I could relate to very strongly, as most people can, so we were all in from the very beginning.

Lowden, who stars in Apple TVs Slow Horses, which returns next month, was equally generous in his praise of his wifes talents.

He said she was utterly phenomenal and it was wonderful being married to another actor.
Originally from Derry, McCafferty was a prominent voice on womens rights issues across the island of Ireland and in 1970 co-founded the Irish Womens Liberation MovementBook of condolence opened at Dublins Mansion HousePresident Michael D Higgins has led tributes following her death at the age of 80

Renowned journalist and feminist activist Nell McCafferty has died at the age of 80

The funeral of renowned journalist, author and activist Nell McCafferty will take place on Friday in her native Co Derry.

The requiem mass will take place at 12.30pm at St Columbas Church, Long Tower, Co Derry, followed by a private cremation in Co Cavan.

President Michael D Higgins has led tributes following her death at the age of 80.

She died in the early hours of this morning at a Co Donegal nursing home, her family said.

The journalist was a prominent voice on womens rights issues across the island of Ireland and in 1970 co-founded the Irish Womens Liberation Movement.

Considered a journalistic trailblazer and fearless social commentator, Ms McCafferty wrote several books and also wrote for publications including The Irish Press, The Irish Times, the Sunday Tribune and Hot Press.

Nell McCafferty

Campaigning for the legalisation of contraceptives in Ireland in the 1970s, she famously took part in an event known as the Contraceptive Train in 1971 when members of the IWLM travelled across the Border to Belfast, bought a range of contraceptive products and took them to Dublin, where they staged a protest at the citys Connolly Station.

Mr Higgins said Ms McCafferty was a pioneer and paid tribute to her unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness.

It is with great sorrow that so many people will have learnt of the death of Nell McCafferty, he said.

Nell McCafferty was a pioneer in raising those searching questions which could be asked, but which had been buried, hidden or neglected. Indeed, this is one of the aspects which was most remarkable from the very beginning in her work.

For example, Nell knew that standing behind the rituals of courts and unfortunate defendants, there was always a complex story which she had a gifted empathy to understand. In her column, In the Eyes of the Law, she opened peoples eyes to the operation of the district court and its interaction with those who found themselves before it.

Nell had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness, and this made her advocacy formidable on behalf of those who had been excluded from society. A defining feature across Nells life was such a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism wherever she saw it.

Across so many areas, including her work on the Kerry Babies case captured in her book A Woman to Blame, the Troubles, her own life experience and so many other areas beside, Nells writing remains a compelling and courageous record of those decades.

As a writer and activist, including as a co-founder of the Irish Womens Liberation Movement, Nell McCafferty played a vital role and leaves a true legacy in fighting for feminism and womens rights across the island.

Paying tribute to Nell on her 80th birthday earlier this year, I said that those who have had Nell as a friend and an ally are very fortunate in their being given the gift of experiencing humanity in all its possibilities and vulnerabilities, and delivered as she did it with a sense of humour that paid tribute to the authenticity of her Derry upbringing.

Sabina and myself were privileged to be friends of Nell and to have experienced her enduring strength, courage, warmth and humour. She will be deeply missed by us all.

Nell McCafferty

Taoiseach Simon Harris also paid tribute to Ms McCafferty.

It is with great sadness that I learned this morning of the death of journalist and campaigner Nell McCafferty, he said.

Nell was fierce, fearless and fiery. If she was in the room or in the debate, you knew about it.

Her passion and wrath were not scattergun, it had a laser-like focus on calling out inequality and injustice. She suffered no fools but had a kindness and warmth for many. Her wit and Derry turn of phrase made her impossible to ignore.

As one of the women who took the train in 1971, she set in train an unstoppable wave for equality and a changing of Ireland for the better. That change has not yet reached its conclusion but it would be nowhere if it wasnt for warriors like Nell.

In an Ireland trying to emerge from the shadows and find who it was, Nell McCafferty was one of the people who knew exactly who she was and wasnt afraid to enter every battle for gay and womens rights. We all owe her a great debt for this.

Nell McCafferty left Ireland a much better place than she found it and she played her part with spirit and style.

May she rest in peace.

Charlie Bird and Nell McCafferty at the NUJ Gathering of Remembrance and Solidarity for the victims of the French terror attacks in Dublin Castle in 2015. Photo: Tony Gavin

John Clarke, husband of the late RTE presenter Marian Finucane, spoke to RTE Radio Ones Liveline and paid tribute to Ms McCafferty, telling Joe Duffy she spoke her mind without a shadow of a doubt.

Mr Clarke and Ms Finucane were close friends of Ms McCafferty and her partner Nuala OFaolain, who often visited their home in Co Westmeath.

He recalled the support they received from Ms McCafferty following the death of their daughter Sinead from leukaemia in 1990 when she was just eight.

(She was around) all the time. All the time, and a great support. I dont know in what way, but being there was the support, and caring I suppose, he said.

The only downside of it was that Nell offered to cook for you and that was a disaster. I took Nell to a cooking class because she couldnt cook. All the other students at it  it was a class for chefs  were thrilled with Nell.

She burned everything, spilled everything, forgot to turn on or off the oven depending on her humour. She was great fun.

Mr Clarke said Ms McCafferty would check him, or indeed anybody, on feminist issues and she often brought him to meetings where she would be in attendance cheering on the troops of the feminist movement.

He told the story of ending up in a Turkish belly dancing club in Istanbul with her, a very seedy joint to say the least.

The belly dancer, a very lythe and rather beautiful woman, did her belly dance up on a table and Nell wanted, insisted, that she wanted to do a belly dance as well and climbed up on the table.

I said to Marian and Nuala, and Nell as she was clamouring up on the table, Im out, youre going to get your throat cut here, youre on your own and forget the feminist movement.

Nell got up and did her belly dance, which was appalling to watch and fell off the table. Everybody laughed and we all came home safely and happy. That was my life with Nell.

Journalist Nell McCafferty (PA)

Tanaiste Micheal Martin wrote on X: Deeply saddened at the passing of Nell McCafferty.

Nell was an exceptional journalist and campaigner  the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights and womens rights.

She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland.

In addition to her brilliance as a writer, activist and feminist, Nell brought great warmth and humour to every engagement.

She made a difference. Sympathies to her family, friends and former colleagues.

Mary Lou McDonald said that Nell McCaffertys writing helped change Ireland for the better.

The Sinn Fein leader posted on X: Farewell, Nell. Talented. Feminist. Fearless.

Nell McCafferty lived and worked every day to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

Most often, the powerful didnt like it.

Thats how she knew she was doing the right thing.

Her writing and campaigning helped to change Ireland for the better.

She will be deeply missed.

Nell McCafferty.

Broadcaster Dearbhail McDonald and author Sinead Gleeson are among those who have paid tribute to Ms McCafferty after her family announced her death at the age of 80.

An incredible character and colleague who broke the mould in so many ways for women and women writers. The contraceptive train, her ground-breaking work in the district court, Ms McDonald said on X.

Ms Gleeson said: Nell McCaffertys voice was loud and uncompromising in an Ireland that hated women with opinions.

Her journalism was ground-breaking (a rare female voice in Troubles discourse), her feminism absolute, her queer visibility a lifeline for LGBTQI people. RIP.

Nell McCafferty (second left, partially obscured by the IWLM banner), catching the contraceptive train in 1971. Photo: Irish Times

The Press Ombudsman, journalist Susan McKay, paid tribute to Nell McCafferty.

She was an absolutely wonderful journalist, a really ground-breaking journalist, she told BBC Radio Ulster.

She changed the way that all of us who came after her wrote journalism and did journalism, because she went straight to people.

You know, if you look back at journalism before Nell and indeed before some other brilliant women of her generation, ordinary people were never asked for their opinion. They were written about by gents who thought that they knew how best to analyse society.

Nell went straight into working class places, she talked to people who had experienced real hardships and afflictions in their lives, and she brought their voices alive.

She was tremendously brave and courageous and she wrote about all of the most important stories of her time.

And its very, very sad that she has died, but she had been very ill for quite a number of years, and, you know, wasnt really in a position to appreciate life to the same extent as she had been before.

The National Womens Council paid tribute.

"We are indebted to Nell. She was completely unafraid to name injustice wherever she saw it, and at times she was deeply unpopular for it. But her work paid dividends, said the National Womens Council.

"Nell, and many others like her, helped shape the Ireland we live in today  a country which is more equal, less ashamed, and where women are freer to live the lives we deserve. We send our deepest sympathies to Nells loved ones at this sad time.

Nell was the very definition of a fearless feminist throughout her life, and the positive impact she has had on the lives of women today cannot be overstated. As a founding member of the Irish Womens Liberation Movement, she achieved huge gains for women in the area of equal pay, availability of contraception, and supports for lone parents.

"Famously, she travelled to Belfast on the contraception train and distributed condoms to the people of Dublin on her return.

Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik said she was deeply saddened to hear of Nell McCaffertys death at the age of 80.

She described the journalist as a wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon.

It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends, she said on X.

Nell McCafferty in RTE HQ at the launch of Celebrity Bainisteoir in 2008. Photo: Collins

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has paid tribute to Nell McCafferty, describing her as one of the most renowned journalists in Ireland.

She was a lifelong member of the NUJ and a former union activist.

Irish secretary Seamus Dooley said: With the death of Nell McCafferty, a bright light has been extinguished.

She was one of the most renowned journalists in the country as a reporter, columnist, author and broadcaster.

The public recognised in her a deep commitment to social justice.

The fact that she was so often referred to only by her first name is a reflection of her special place in Irish journalism and in the public consciousness.

This stemmed from her unique qualities as a reporter and storyteller.

Nell McCafferty could be hilariously funny, frequently controversial and delighted in being contrary.

She was never afraid to challenge the consensus and took pleasure in afflicting the comfortable.

Throughout her career, Nell blazed a trail for feminists and played a significant role in the development of the feminist movement in Ireland.

Always provocative, Nell had the ability to trenchantly argue her case with unique style.

Stormont first minister and Sinn Fein vice president Michelle ONeill paid tribute.

Nell was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. A proud feminist and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in our society, she said.

She eloquently spoke up for disadvantaged women through her work with the Irish Womens Liberation Movement, particularly highlighting the poverty and injustices women faced in the late 20th century across the island.

Nell McCafferty was a towering figure in Irish journalism with great courage and honesty, and was an important figure during the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement.

A proud daughter of Derry, Nells wisdom, humour and humility will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her. I want to extend my deepest sympathies to her family and friends at this very difficult time.

Education Minister Norma Foley said Ms McCafferty was a figure who enhanced the lives of women in Ireland "beyond measure".

"I was greatly, greatly saddened to hear of her passing. She was an enormous figure, I think, in all of our lives as we grew up. She was such a rich commentator and such an honest commentator on the experiences of women, and she put women front and centre, and she advocated for women, she represented women," Ms Foley said.

A book of condolence for McCafferty has been opened at Dublins Mansion House.

It will be open until 5pm today and tomorrow.

Lord Mayor of Dublin James Geoghegan said: I was saddened to hear of the death of Nell McCafferty this morning. On behalf of the people of Dublin, I would like to extend my heartfelt sympathies to her family, friends and colleagues.

Nell will be remembered for her long-standing commitment to social justice and womens rights. She used her voice as a journalist and campaigner to call out injustice and inequality and will be remembered as one of the trail blazers for equality for women in Ireland. Ar dheis De go raibh a hanam.

More to follow

Today's News in 90 seconds - 21st August 2024
Actor Brendan Gleeson has said he agreed to take part in new movie Joker: Folie a Deux because he thought Joaquin Phoenix's performance in Joker was "one of the most remarkable things I've ever seen".

The Dubliner was speaking in Bewley's Cafe in Dublin city this morning at a coffee morning in support of a nationwide fundraising campaign for hospices.

The actor, who has featured in films including The Banshees of Inisherin and In Bruges, was speaking before travelling to Los Angeles ahead of the worldwide release of his latest work starring Phoenix and Lady Gaga.

He said Phoenix inhabited this extraordinary place thats so conflicting, thats so sympathetic in some ways, and utterly repulsive in others.

It took the idea of mental instability into a place where we have to accept some culpability when it gets out of control, and at the same time theres an element of wildness in that, where youre sort of saying, I dont know if anybody can contain whats been released now, he said.

Gleeson also said it was becoming increasingly difficult to get a storyline like that of The Banshees of Inisherin, because there was a trend in cinema emphasising visuals and action sequences. But he said superheroes were just a different way of exploring the nature of humanity, and cited Heath Ledgers portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight as proper character study.

Turning to the Phoenix-led Joker movies, he said: I was mesmerised by the first film and thrilled to be a part of the second.

I havent seen it yet, but I just love the bravery of taking it on and bringing Lady Gaga into the mix, and... having music as a part of it. I cant wait to see it, to be honest.

Gleeson, who turns 70 next March, said he felt aware of his age, but that he had once been told good health is a golden crown which only those who are ill can see.

I try to keep an eye on the crown and as long as Im motoring around all right, I appreciate life, he said.

I do think that curiosity, the maintenance of curiosity in the freshness of the world, and seeing the world again in the framework of how precious it is and how transient, if you can maintain it, then life keeps coming up with things that are wonderful. We all know it can be the simplest thing in the world.

Brendan Gleeson: Hospices a beacon of goodness amid negativity in the world

The mortality thing, I understand  you do the math, as I say. But I feel in bonus country, in a way. Ive been allowed to see my kids grow up. Ive been allowed to see things through a little bit.

Its all bonus country anyway. So we continue with the bonus country.

Gleeson has been a long-time supporter of hospice care after both of his parents, Pat and Francis, spent their final days in St Francis Hospice in Dublin.

Hospices were a beacon showcasing the best of humanity at a time when there was a lot of negativity and anxiety in the world, he said.

The actor said Irish people were generally good at confronting death. If you dont take on board how final death is, you dont really get a proper perspective on how delicious life can be, he said.

The hospice movement generally has been a kind of a little bit of a beacon, in the sense that it's given a degree of positivity to the way life is framed, which I find really refreshing, he said.

The hospice found a way for me to be able to say goodbye to my parents in a way that seemed actually beautiful," he said.

I found that a remarkable triumph over circumstance, and it gave me kind of a faith in the humanity it takes to make that happen, because it doesn't happen by mistake.

He added: At the moment, I can have a chat at any point with the memory of when my folks were well and not fighting the last throes of life  when they were in their fullness. So, I can have the conversation with those entities and so I feel they're never really gone.

Brendan Gleeson speaks about death in Irish culture

With the hospice, you feel this is something that's perpetuating a feeling that goodness is paramount within this particular world and it's very hard to keep that front and centre the way things are happening.

There's an awful lot of negativity, anxiety  and a lot of it well-founded  but it's always been this way. We've always been careering towards our own destruction and, at the same time, elevating ourselves beyond any other life form, and it's just the human condition.

So, I find tipping the scales on the good side is the hospice movement and I feel honoured to be a part of it.

People who wish to register to host a coffee morning on September 26, or on a different date, can visit www.hospicecoffeemorning.ie or make a donation on the same website.

Gleeson said it was exciting that an in-patient unit with 24 single rooms was being planned for St Francis Hospice, which would offer more privacy to families and their loved ones.

He said his father spent time in a four-bed room: "The conversation was a little inhibited; you are in hearing distance of others, trying not to earwig, and at the same time attempting an intimate conversation with your loved one in quite a loud voice.

Because patients are at that stage, you have to speak fairly loudly. Single rooms make it so much easier.
The countrys most critically endangered wild bird has begun inching away from oblivion after conservation efforts in key habitats.

However, the corncrake is still extremely vulnerable with just 233 individual breeding sites recorded in the past year.

The shy ground-nesting bird whose distinctive crek-crek call was once ubiquitous in the Irish countryside has gained ground under a dedicated conservation project begun in 2021.

Since then, the number recorded has grown by 35pc with 250 farmers and landowners carefully managing 1,500 hectares of land, mainly in Donegal, Mayo and Galway, to keep the species safe.

Participants in the Corncrake LIFE project receive payments in return for agreeing to leave large patches of nettles, rough pasture or high-standing crops for the birds to hide in, and to delay mowing grass until last August until chicks are reared.

They are also asked to mow fields from the centre outwards rather than from the outside in to give any resident birds time to escape.

That simple change in approach is believed to reduce chick mortality by up to 60pc.

Dr John Carey, who manages the Corncrake LIFE project, welcomed the improvements but warned the corncrake was not out of the woods.

We need to be cautious in terms of our optimism, he said.

Corncrakes are still very vulnerable, both to changes within our landscape but also to the dramatic shift we are seeing in our weather patterns.

This summer was very tough on a lot of wildlife, with a notable drop in insect numbers which can have a devastating downstream effect on birds like corncrakes.

However, what is clear is that the exceptional effort being made by farmers and landowners is having a positive impact and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude. The key now is to keep it all going.

The EU-supported Corncrake LIFE project comes to an end next year but Minister for Nature Malcolm Noonan said the conservation efforts and incentives for landowners would be maintained.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service will continue and extend the programme and has committed to ensuring the positive actions of the Corncrake LIFE project can continue when the project comes to its conclusion at the end of 2025, a spokesperson said.

The NPWS will mainstream its commitment to the long-term delivery of these actions and we will be fully supporting the continuation of the Corncrake conservation project.
Just 46 dog fines for dog fouling were handed out across Ireland last year, figures have shown, as visually impaired people have said it makes their life a misery and called for dog owners to clean up after their pets.

In a survey of those with visual impairments carried out by Vision Ireland, over a third of respondents said that they had been personally impacted by dog waste in public spaces, such as footpaths.

Cars parked on footpaths were also found to be difficult for those with visual impairments to navigate around, with 70pc of survey respondents identifying them as a problem. Data provided to Vision Ireland by local authorities revealed that more than 22,000 fines were issued to motorists illegally parking on footpaths across the country in the past year.

Kerry had the most fines for dog fouling, at 13, followed by Dublin city with 8 and Cork County and Fingal tied with six. Many counties, including Cork City, South Dublin and Wexford, issued zero fines for dog fouling.

Dublin City led the way with 2,079 cars clamped for footpath parking and another 4,039 fines issued, followed by Cork City with 2,402 fines, and Galway 2,313.

Cavan (2), Leitrim (2) and Roscommon (0) were bottom of the list for fining drivers who left their vehicles on footpaths.

Kevin Kelly, head of policy, partnerships and external affairs at Vision Ireland said: Parked cars and dog waste are two of the biggest hazards people who are blind and vision impaired face on our footpaths.

The number of parking fines issued alone is astounding and gives an idea of the many thousands of obstacles people who are blind and vision impaired face when theyre out and about. Fines alone will not solve these problems.

We must all work together and do our part to clear our paths. If everyone takes more responsibility for their actions, we can work towards making our paths safer for all.

Fines relating to dog fouling were down this year, with only 46 being issued across the entire country. This is a reduction of 36 fines from 2022, and the organisation has welcomed efforts by local authorities in their efforts to tackle the issue.

A number of councils have run awareness campaigns to highlight the issue. Other more creative solutions can be seen in Tipperary and Longford, where local county councils provide what are called Mutt Mitts, which allow dog owners to dispose of dog waste safely.

Dog waste can cause serious health and safety issues to all members of the public, but for those with visual impairments, it presents a slipping hazard, and can dirty white canes.

Vision Ireland is encouraging motorists as well as dog owners to consider the hazards they may be creating and how they can affect people who are blind or vision impaired. The organisation has created a dedicated web page Clear Our Paths to assist those in learning more.

Fines for dog fouling in 2023

Local Authority  Fines Issued

Kerry  13

Dublin City Council  8

Cork County Council  6

Fingal  6

Laois  3

Limerick City & County  3

Clare  1

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown  1

Galway City  1

Galway County  1

Louth  1

Waterford  1

Wicklow  1

Carlow  0

Cavan  0

Cork City Council  0

Donegal  0

Kildare  0

Kilkenny  0

Leitrim  0

Longford-  0

Mayo  0

Meath  0

Monaghan  0

Offaly  0

Roscommon  0

Tipperary  0

Sligo  0

South Dublin  0

Westmeath  0

Wexford  0

Fines for parking on footpaths

Local Authority  Fines Issued

Parking on Footpaths

Dublin City Council - 2079 (clamps) 4039 (FPNs)

Cork City Council - 2402

Galway City - 2313

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown - 2225

Wicklow - 1760

Fingal - 1742

South Dublin - 1294

Limerick City & County - 1253

Waterford - 910

Donegal - 533

Westmeath - 463

Kildare - 443

Meath - 423

Kerry - 420

Tipperary - 312

Cork County Council - 309

Kilkenny - 264

Louth - 175

Mayo - 172

Wexford - 123

Carlow - 101

Galway County - 84

Laois - 81

Sligo - 67

Clare - 66

Offaly - 65

Longford - 38

Monaghan - 5

Cavan - 2

Leitrim - 2

Roscommon - 0
Smart Moves is a free, resilience- and evidence-based programme for fifth- and sixth-class pupils from the ISPCC

Big life changes can be exciting but theyre also daunting, and the move from primary school to secondary school can be a tough one. The ISPCC offers help with its Smart Moves programme  designed to facilitate this life transition, and it has proved popular with users.

Smart Moves is a free, resilience- and evidence-based programme for fifth- and sixth-class pupils. There is also a secondary school programme available, which supports young people as they begin their journey in secondary school.

The primary programme is teacher-led and includes 15 short lessons covering topics from friendship to problem-solving to sleep difficulties. The secondary programme provides a total of 24 lessons, each lasting approximately 30 minutes.

According to one educational professional, It stimulated good conversations, while another said that the programme was very easy to use and thought-provoking, adding that it encouraged pupils to think about potential worries, problems and routes of support.

There are many areas covered in the programme that both students and teachers had never considered before as part of the transition that are really important, said a teacher, who added that the length of programme is also a hit, we have found in the past that a little work in sixth class at the end of the year is not enough.

Having resilience does not mean you will not face challenges. However, it gives ability to endure these challenges and bounce back

For the students themselves, completing the Smart Moves programme was an overwhelmingly positive experience and they would recommend that other schools get involved in it.

One sixth-class pupil said, it made me feel more prepared by talking about my feelings and other peoples feelings.

Niamh Clarke of ISPCC says that: Smart Moves is based on the resilience framework and looks to build lifelong coping skills for young people. Having resilience does not mean you will not face challenges. However, it gives ability to endure these challenges and bounce back.

The programmes resources will be sent directly to each school at the start of the 2024/25 academic year: they include a manual for the teacher as well as a private booklet for each student in which they can explore their thoughts and feelings during each module.

ISPCC has also launched an Irish-language version of the programme for primary schools.

For more information on the supports ISPCC offers to children and young people, please go to ispcc.ie/smart-moves/
Aftermath of the fire at Augustinians building in Ballyboden

Gardai have sealed off the site of a large fire that broke out overnight at a derelict building in south Dublin.

Dublin Fire Brigade worked through the night at the vacant building in Ballyboden, near Rathfarnhman.

The entire roof structure of the T-shaped building  formerly used as a church and training college for the Augustinian Order  was gutted in the blaze.

This morning, crews could be seen removing hoses from hydrants and bringing them back to fire engines.

Firefighters worked all night to put out the blaze, which was fanned by a strong breeze, making it difficult to bring under control.

Dublin Fire Brigade initially sent three fire tenders from Dolphin's Barn and Tara Street stations, and a turntable ladder unit and foam tender unit from Tara Street. An extra fire tender was later sent from Donnybrook station.

When the fire was brought under control about 2am. two fire tenders and the turntable ladder unit remained.

By 8am today, one fire tender remained to dampen down hot spots.

One section of the Edmonstown Road beside the building remained closed this morning and gardai were at the scene directing traffic.

This morning, Dublin Fire Brigade said smoke was drifting across the M50 and across Rathfarnham as a result, urging anyone affected by smoke to close their windows and doors as a precaution.

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"A turntable ladder is currently acting as a water tower fighting the fire from above, the spokesperson added.

Gardai were alerted to the fire about 8.20pm last night.
A Ukrainian soldier walks through the Russian town of Sudzha, in the Kursk region. Photo: AP

An Irish man serving in the Ukrainian military is missing in action and is presumed dead, it has been reported.

Alex Ryzhuk (20), an Irish citizen who grew up in Dublin and has Ukrainian parents, joined the Ukrainian Foreign Legion as a volunteer when he turned 18.

It has been reported that Mr Ryzhuk officially deemed missing in action and presumed dead while serving on the frontline last month.

"The Department of Foreign Affairs is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance, a spokesperson said. "As with all consular cases, the department does not comment on the details of individual cases.

Mr Ryzhuk was a member of a drone unit in the Ukrainian army and went under the name Irlandets (Irish man) in the Ukrainian army.

His parents and girlfriend in Ireland have been informed that he is missing, presumed dead, it has been reported.

In a YouTube video shared to the channel of a high-profile military blogger earlier this year, Mr Ryzhuk said he was just 17 when the conflict escalated in February 2022 but was eager to serve in the Ukrainian military forces.

He said his parents confiscated his passport to prevent him from travelling but that he applied for a new passport when he turned 18 and used his savings to make the trip to Ukraine.

"I tricked my parents a bit. I hope they will forgive me, he said, adding that he remained in touch with his family and friends.

A teacher at Mr Ryzhuks secondary school in Dublin has described the missing Ukrainian as a good role model who showed other students how to embrace all aspects of school life.

Mr Ryzhuk attended Synge Street CBS in Portobello from 2016 to 2021.

He was a student who always had a smile on his face. He always wanted to help others, it was a very strong trait that he had, Head Teacher Claire Catterson said.

Ms Catterson told RTE's Morning Ireland that Mr Ryzhuk was involved in the judo and basketball teams at the school and he loved both volleyball and Halloween.

Every year we would do the Trick or Treat for Temple Street, where students would dress up and every year he came in decked out from head to toe.

Everyone would have been waiting to see what he would be dressed up in, she said.

She described him as one of those all-rounders who was a very dedicated student.

He loved the business subjects, accountancy, economics, he took them all for his Leaving Certificate. He often spoke of going on to study law when he was here

He would have been known throughout all the years here, she added.

Mr Ryzhuk was very proud of his Ukrainian heritage, and was bilingual.

You would have heard him speaking in the corridors to other Ukrainians in his own language, Ms Catterson said, adding that he spoke of visiting relatives at home during summer holidays.

She said his close friends knew he joined the war against Russia in 2023.

On news that he is missing and presumed dead, she said there was "great shock" within the school community.

An awful lot of teachers are contacting me yesterday evening and there is great shock and sadness because they remember the young man who was just three short years ago walking these school corridors in his uniform with a smile on his face, she said.

And wanting to help any way that he could.

Speaking to The Irish Times in May, Mr Ryzhuk told how he had been deployed to battlezones in Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Kharkiv after volunteering to join a unit of international volunteers.

He entered Ukraine through Poland, calling his parents when he was in Kyiv and they argued for something like three months but his family had come to accept his decision.

Mr Ryzhuk, who was speaking in May after a week-long visit home, said he was just as patriotic towards Ireland, adding that he would like to go back to Ireland and live peacefully there.

"But Ukraine is also on the table  in war and in (civilian) life, you need to always have multiple plans, he said.

Mr Ryzhuk is among a number of Irish men who travelled to Ukraine to serve in the military there shortly after Russia invaded the country.

Graham Dale (45), who was originally from Raheny in north Dublin but moved to the US in 2000, died in December while fighting for the Ukrainian Army.

He previously fought with the US Marines during the Iraq war.

In April 2023, Finbar Cafferky (40s), from Achill Island, died while fighting on the frontline in the east of the country. Mr Cafferky had previously fought with an arm of the Syrian Democratic Forces against ISIS.

In September 2022, Rory Mason (25), from Co Meath, died while fighting with the International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region.
Levy is part of the move to encourage more building to ease housing crisisTaoiseach Simon Harris insists Government decisions should be made collectively as tensions rise over Finance Minister Jack Chambers announcing the planned delay

The Green Party is furious over Fianna Fail plans to defer the introduction of the controversial Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT) until after the next general election.

The Irish Independent yesterday revealed Finance Minister Jack Chambers plans to postpone the tax for a year and to redraft legislation to ensure zoned land worked by farmers is not targeted by the scheme.

Mr Chambers took the decision following talks with Housing Minister Darragh OBrien and Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue, his Fianna Fail colleagues.

This afternoon, Taoiseach Simon Harris insisted government decisions should be made collectively as tensions rise over Mr Chambers announcing the planned delay.

It came after senior Green Party source said Fianna Fails decision to long-finger the introduction of the tax means it might never happen.

The Government has decided to defer the introduction of the landmark Residential Zoned Land Tax for a year

Is Fianna Fail serious about tackling the housing crisis or isnt it? The Government had agreed to this measure in order to ensure that speculators arent just sitting on land thats been earmarked for new homes in order to watch its value go up, the source said.

Everyone in Government agrees that we need in the region of 50,000 new homes every year, but thats going to be impossible if we allow speculators to sit on parcels of land that have been specifically zoned and serviced with infrastructure such as roads, electricity wires and water supplies.

The source added that there is a facility for farmers to have their land dezoned if they do not want to sell it or build on it, which would mean they would not be hit with the tax.

Were absolutely open to looking at ways that this process can be improved in the Budget  but we shouldnt use this issue as an excuse to abandon a measure that is crucial to solving our housing crisis, the source added.

Speaking at the Virginia Fair in Co Cavan, Mr Harris said he wanted to see the Department of Finance come forward with sensible proposals to ensure active farmers are not treated as land hoarders under the legislation.

I think its important that its done in a calm manner and of course the cabinet should always make decisions as a collective and thats the way we should do business, he said.

Mr Harris said the Government agreed to give breathing space to people potentially impacted by the tax last year, which he said was the right thing to do.

Government needs to do two things here and theyre both equally important; we do need to have a tax in place in relation to land hoarding, thats important. We do have a housing crisis  the Oireachtas passed that legislation and many politicians from right across the political persuasion supported that, Mr Harris said.

But we also need to make sure that active farmers are recognised and it is offensive to describe an active farmer as a land hoarder.

He said that he will be meeting all the farm organisations next month ahead of the Budget.

I'm very determined that we use the tax system and other methods to support the family farm.

I understand, and I think the people of Ireland understand, the difference between somebody hoarding land and somebody farming and producing a product.

I think there has been far too much in recent years in political and media debate talking down to farmers, suggesting they are the cause of all the problems of the world when in fact farmers are the solution.

They are the solution to so many issues, they are the backbone of the economy. Yes, we have real issues around housing and climate. Both of those issues can be addressed in a way that supports and certainly doesnt impede on farmers.

The Residential Zoned Land Tax is a sensible measure, but it is important that there isnt an unintended consequence that hits active farmers. In fairness to the IFA I appreciate its use of the phrase active, because it creates an important differentiation between the hoarder and farmer.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Norma Foley defended her party colleague Mr Chambers decision.

Speaking at an event to mark the rollout of the free school book scheme to students in Junior Cycle, she said the tax was something that she engaged with the housing minister and finance minister on.

"I want to commend Mr Chambers in relation to this. I think this is the right move, and I have engaged with him in relation to it and indeed, minister Darragh O'Brien," Ms Foley said.

"I think there's a recognition that we also have to support farmers who are active on the ground. Agriculture and its importance should never be underestimated, those who are actively farming, those who are using the land for the purpose of agriculture, I don't think that they should be caught in a bind and so we need to reflect on that, and we need to preserve that.

Ms Foley said there was also a need for balance and fairness when it comes to the delivery of houses.

"Equally so, we need to drive ahead, obviously, with housing and we are making huge progress here. We're seeing more than 50,000 houses now been commenced this year. I think it's quite a phenomenal figure that we're seeing. Greater than we've ever seen at any time previously in the last long, long number of years.

Meanwhile, Green TD Neasa Hourigan told RTE Morning Ireland it is a shame and unfortunate for farmers if we are going to blame average decent farmers for land hoarding.

She described it like hiding food in a famine.

We know from 1973, when we did the Kenny report, that land hoarding is one of the biggest problems in terms of the affordability of housing in this country.

We agreed five years ago that we would deal with that and now we are putting it probably on the never never, not even on the long-finger.

Ms Hourigan said it is shocking for a Fianna Fail minister to do this.

Mr Chambers is going to have to stand on doorsteps in Dublin West and defend putting off a measure that would fundamentally and strategically deal with the price of housing, she said.

Green Party TD and Oireachtas Housing Committee chair Steven Matthews said it is incredible that Fianna Fail is seeking to delay the zoned land tax for a second year in a row.

Do they not realise that there is a housing emergency? he said.

That there are people crying out for homes and that we have to increase our housing output of affordable, social, private and cost-rental homes?

It is incumbent on the Housing Minister and Finance Minister to use every possible option to alleviate the housing crisis affecting our people.

The Zoned Land Tax is not a silver bullet, but abandoning it is cash in hand for land-owning speculators.

The tax, which would see land zoned for residential development taxed at 3pc of its market value, was a government attempt to unlock more sites for housing construction and prevent speculators from hoarding serviced land.

It was announced in Budget 2022 and was due to come into effect next February, with tax bills due to be paid by May.

However, there was a backlash among farmers whose land was zoned for residential development but was being used for agricultural purposes.

Yesterday, Mr Harris said he listened to the legitimate concerns of farmers who faced their land being taxed despite it being used for agricultural purposes.

He said the three government leaders will come to a decision on RZLT before the budget, and Department of Finance officials are drafting alternative legislation so farmers are not affected by the new tax.

As long as Im Taoiseach, no active farmer will pay Residential Zoned Land Tax  simple as, Mr Harris said at a Fine Gael event promoting supports for families.

Im absolutely committed to the tax but I need the Department of Finance to listen to the real and legitimate concerns of farmers.

Mr Harris added: It is offensive to tell a farmer they are a land hoarder when farming is such an important part of our economy.

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty said the decision to delay the tax is disgraceful.

This is a direct result of this Governments abject failure over the past three years to exempt actively farmed land from this tax, he said.

Sinn Fein has repeatedly raised this problem with the Government for the past three years, but no action was taken.
Four of the vehicles have been confirmed as stolen in recent months in Dublin, Kildare, and Meath

A man has been arrested over the alleged theft of at least four motorbikes following an intelligence-led garda operation this morning.

The operation, which targeted the unauthorised taking of motorbikes in the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) and Eastern Region, was conducted today, Wednesday, August 21, and resulted in the seizure of five motorbikes.

Detectives attached to Cabra and Blanchardstown garda stations raided a property as part of investigations into organised crime in the Blanchardstown area of the DMR West.

Following a search under warrant, five motorbikes were recovered.

Four of the vehicles have been confirmed as stolen in recent months in Dublin, Kildare, and Meath.

A man in his 40s was arrested and is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at a garda station in the DMR.

Gardai are hoping to identify the owner of the fifth motorbike, a red Honda CR Series off-road motorcycle and confirm its status.

Anyone who believes they are the owner of this vehicle, which may have been stolen in the last number of months, is asked to contact Blanchardstown Garda Station on 01 666 7000.
Education Minister Norma Foley is considering the introduction of a mobile phone ban in secondary schools.

The Department of Education has previously introduced an initiative to keep childhood smartphone-free that sought to encourage parents to avoid buying the devices for their children while in primary school.

However, Ms Foley now says she will go further and will look to tackle the use of smartphones in secondary schools.

I've met with mobile phone providers, I've met with the social media platforms, and we continue to educate both at primary and at post primary, but I am now in a space where I'm looking to introduce a ban on the mobile phones at post primary, Ms Foley said.

The minister said there had been a number of studies that pointed to the disruption to learning caused by mobiles and she also noted the impact of cyberbullying on students.

I think we're very conscious of the world in which we live. All studies  including, for example, the United Nations studies there last year  are telling us that mobile phones interrupt learning in a school environment, Ms Foley said.

Obviously, they are a cause of cyber bullying and we know too that the conversation, the integration, the community of conversation that so important in school is very much so interrupted by the fact that students take out their mobile phones at different times.

Ms Foley said that while schools had been working hard in relation to the use of mobile phones, principles still said phones were interrupting classrooms and that a culture of non-acceptance was needed.

I meet principals who tell me the mobile phone, even though students keep it in their bag, the beeping of it is an interruption to study. It's a continuous hum almost in the background that's there, the minister said.

The minister said moving forward with a ban in secondary schools was something she was looking into  but it would not be a feature in primary schools.

So, were moving forward now with the ban, working with our schools on mobile phones, particularly in post primary, the minister said.

It's not an issue really in primary in that they're not using them particularly during school hours in primary.

Increasing numbers of schools around the country have already banned students from using or having phones with them during school time.

The minister was speaking at an event to mark the rollout of the free school book scheme to students in Junior Cycle from this September.

Ms Foley said the extension of the scheme to students in senior cycle in the upcoming Budget was "an absolute ambition of hers.

I do think there's a general goodwill towards this. There's an absolute recognition of the positivity and the benefit for parents and guardians and for students themselves.

So I'm doing all that I can, but I can't guarantee it until we have the business of the Budget done  but it's an absolute priority for me.
A new encampment of tents has now been established along Dublins Grand Canal, just yards from where the first major dismantling of a large encampment happened on Mount Street on May 1.

Throughout the summer there have been several operations to remove such encampments of asylum seekers, from Mount Street itself and then numerous operations along the canal banks.

While the camps are smaller than they were earlier in the summer, the numbers of international protection applicants has remained broadly static, with an average of over 400 per week seeking government assistance from mid May to August.

Several kilometres of security fencing has been erected on Mount Street Lower and all along the banks of the Grand Canal from Grand Canal Dock at the city end stretching up to near Harolds Cross.

Asylum Seeker tents return to Mount Street Bridge. Photo by Steve Humphreys 21st August 2024.

This was erected by Waterways Ireland due to safety concerns about large numbers of people sleeping close to the waters edge.

Despite these measures, more than 30 tents have now been erected on the canal bank inside the security fences close to Mount Street Bridge and metres from Lower Mount Street where the largest camp had previously been erected in close proximity to the International Protection Office on Mount Street, where asylum seekers register.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik today said the situation remains as unsustainable today as it was at the beginning of the summer.

Unfortunately, it remains the same, that the current situation for those forced to sleep in tents in public spaces is inhumane and unsustainable. I want to see government move swiftly to provide the capacity that's necessary in the reception and integration centres has been promised, she told the Irish Independent.

I have commended the local volunteers who are trying to provide support to the individuals seeking refuge here. And the High Court has found against the Government and said it has not been able to provide adequate accommodation, so we just need to see urgent movement on this.

It's simply not acceptable just to keep barriers up everywhere and suggest that somehow fixes the situation, she added.

Asylum Seeker tents return to Mount Street Bridge. Photo by Steve Humphreys 21st August 2024.

Asked if she thought the recent public order incidents and fires at the former Crown paints factory in Coolock, and disturbances at the Thornton Hall site, both of which are being prepared for asylum seekers, were delaying Government action to provide accommodation, Deputy Bacik said: we can't let this sort of activity derail what must be rolled out, which is the appropriate capacity for international protection applicants.

Clearly the government are facing the awful prospects of these protests, and the actions and obstructions by a small number of individuals, but we have international obligations and human rights obligations, and also, we're a country of welcome, said Ms Bacik.

Councillor Dermot Lacey and I have called for the repurposing of Baggot Street Hospital in the heart of our own constituency, and we have seen no action on that. All around the country we see vacant, publicly owned buildings sitting empty that could and should be repurposed.

The small number of hostile actions we've seen actually don't reflect the broad welcome we've had from Irish communities and communities across Ireland for new residents, and that's really heartening.

We're a country that is crying out for expertise and for skilled labour, and many people are coming here seeking refuge and the offering of the benefit of their skills and expertise, and we should be offering much greater legal pathways, the Government should be moving to increase the number of legal routes to Ireland to gain employment here. But crucially, government needs now to rapidly increase the levels of capacity of accommodation provided, she added.

There are currently 2,509 international protection applicants awaiting offers of accommodation in Ireland according to the Department of Integration.

Numbers seeking international protection since beginning of May until beginning of July are as follows:

Week ending 05/05 - 612

Week ending 12/05 - 479

Week ending 19/05 - 424

Week ending 26/05 - 429

Week ending 02/06 - 364

Week ending 09/06 - 350

Week ending 16/06 - 405

Week ending 23/06 - 284

Week ending 30/06 - 366

Week ending 07/07 - 447
Decision by Finance Minister Jack Chambers will be seen as a major election sweetener for farmers, but also a win for land speculators hoarding sites in the hope the value will increase in line with record house prices

Finance Minister Jack Chambers made the land tax decision after talks with the Housing Minister and the Agriculture Minister. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Taoiseach Simon Harris climbing out of a pen containing Kerry Bog pony during a visit to The Tullow Agricultural Show in Carlow. Picture date: Sunday August 18, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story IRISH Health. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Taoiseach Simon Harris has said it is offensive to describe farmers as land-hoarders as he confirmed the Government is delaying the introduction of Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT).

Mr Harris said he listened to the legitimate concerns of farmers who faced their land being taxed despite it being used for agricultural purposes.

He said the three Government leaders will come to a decision on RZLT before the Budget and Department of Finance officials are drafting alternative legislation so active farmers are not impacted by the new tax.

As long as Im Taoiseach no active farmer will pay Residential Zoned Land Tax  simple as, the Taoiseach said at a Fine Gael event promoting supports for families.

Im absolutely committed to the tax but I need the Department of Finance to listen to the real and legitimate concerns of farmers.

It is offensive to tell a farmer they are a land hoarder when farming is such an important part of our economy, he added.

The Government has decided to defer the introduction of the landmark Residential Zoned Land Tax for a year

The tax, which would see land zoned for residential development taxed at 3pc of its market value, was a government attempt to unlock more sites for housing construction and prevent speculators from hoarding serviced land.

It was announced in Budget 2022 and was due to come into effect next February, with tax bills due to be paid by May.

However, there was backlash among farmers whose land was zoned for residential development but was being used for agricultural purposes.

Farmers could apply to their local authorities to have their land rezoned, but a government source said the process yielded only limited changes, with many active farmers still within scope.

Mr Harris said the Irish Farmers Associations (IFA) position on the RZLT is very reasonable because they differentiate between an active farmer and someone who claims to have farmland to avoid tax.

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty said the decision to delay the tax is disgraceful while the housing crisis is on-going.

This is a direct result of this governments abject failure over the past three years to exempt actively farmed land from this tax, he said.

Sinn Fein has repeatedly raised this problem with the government for the past three years but no action was taken.

That the government has again delayed this tax for another year is a boon to land hoarders and will only deepen their housing crisis, he added.

This comes as the Government decided to defer the introduction of the RZLT for a year.

The decision by Finance Minister Jack Chambers will be seen as a major election sweetener for farmers who feared land they were working would be hit with significant taxes under the scheme.

However, it will also be a win for land speculators hoarding sites in the hope the value will increase in line with record levels of house prices.

Mr Chambers decided to pause and defer the tax for another 12 months following high-level discussions with Housing Minister Darragh OBrien and Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue.

Mr Chambers and Mr OBrien also agreed to revise the legislation so that it will permanently exclude farmers. This process will progress in tandem with the development of the National Planning Framework when it is published later this year.

A senior government source said there is considerable concern within the higher levels of the Coalition that the tax will place a disproportionate burden on active farmers whose land has not yet been de-zoned.

This will be a key measure and priority for Fianna Fail in the Budget to ensure we partner with farmers and rural communities. We must protect active farmland and food production systems from any disproportionate levy or tax, the source said. Many farmers have expressed concern that leaving this measure in place without intervention would put the viability of their farm at risk. Fianna Fail will be ensuring this Budget addresses these concerns. 

Before the Dail rose for the summer recess, the Fine Gael parliamentary party passed a motion committing to exempting farmers from the Residential Zoned Land Tax.

Former rural affairs minister Michael Ring, who tabled the motion, said farmers who use their land for food production are not property speculators or developers and should not be treated as such.

After the vote, Mr Ring said: There was widespread agreement from colleagues and ministers that farmers should not be financially punished for a tax which was aimed at those who were sitting on idle land.

Farmers are most certainly not doing that, they are critical to this countrys financial prosperity and well-being.
Concerns have been raised over Ukrainian refugees being given preferential treatment over Irish people when accessing State-supported return-to-work schemes.

Independent TD for Sligo-Leitrim Marc MacSharry said it was discriminatory that Ukrainians only need to be unemployed for nine months to gain access to community employment schemes while Irish citizens must wait a full year.

The Department of Social Protection said the reason Ukrainian refugees can access the schemes sooner is to promote integration.

However, in a letter to Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys, who is responsible for the schemes, Mr MacSharry asked her to revisit the eligibility criteria for the programmes aimed at getting people back to work.

It has been brought to my attention by a number of community employment supervisors who are running very successful community employment schemes around the country, that Irish citizens are being discriminated against when it comes to filling community employment placements, he said.

Mr MacSharry said it is highly discriminatory that Irish citizens have to wait three more months on social welfare than Ukrainian refugees before they can avail of back-to-work schemes.

I very much regret the reality that this favouritism towards Ukrainian nationals only serves to fuel resentments, undermine solidarity and nurtures ethnic intolerance in local communities, he told Ms Humphreys.

I strongly urge you to immediately revisit the scheme eligibility criteria and urgently re-establish the same qualifying period for all applicants.

The Department of Social Protection confirmed to Mr MacSharry that Ukrainian refugees are eligible to enter employment schemes sooner than Irish citizens. To support the integration of Ukrainian nationals residing here, the qualifying period for eligibility for community employment schemes has been reduced from 12 months to nine months, the department said.

The eligibility criteria for community employment are kept under active review by the department. Minister Humphreys and Minister Joe OBrien will continue to support and improve the programme for the benefit of the participants. 

A spokesperson said: This change was introduced to take account of the fact that most of the people arriving from Ukraine spent some time on a supplementary welfare payment before transferring to a Jobseekers payment.

This measure was introduced to support the integration of Ukrainian nationals residing here and to enable the Department and CE sponsor organisations to work with and provide further support and assistance to Ukrainians while supporting schemes continuing to deliver services in local communities, he added.

Mr MacSharry previously raised concerns about the high levels of social welfare paid to Ukrainian refugees here compared to other EU states. The Government subsequently reduced the payments.
Gardai have established that a 16-year-old boy who stabbed an army chaplain had been reposting propaganda from Islamic terrorist organisations after being radicalised online.

The Irish Independent can reveal that he had come to the attention of specialist gardai and was being monitored before Thursday nights attack in Galway because of the open nature of what the teenager was posting online. The 16-year-old had been living in the Galway city area with his family, who originally came to the country from the UK.

His parents live apart from each other. Within hours of chaplain Fr Paul Murphy (52) being attacked at 10.45pm on Thursday with a large bayonet-style knife at Renmore Barracks, detectives raided the family home of the boy and seized a number of devices including his laptop and mobile phones.

Gardai are aware that the boy had been reposting disturbing material from terrorist groups affiliated with organisations such as ISIS and al-Qaeda in recent months, a source told the Irish Independent.
Elective procedures have been stalled to cope with the overcrowding at the hospital

Widespread consultation with patients and health staff, including international experts, is promised in newly published terms of reference today by Hiqa for its review of whether Limerick needs a second hospital emergency department to ease the region's trolley crisis.

The patient watchdog said it will have a preliminary report for Health Minister Stephen Donnelly in six months and a final verdict next summer.

The terms of reference pave the way for the examination to get underway and comes as elective procedures have been stalled to cope with the ongoing emergency department overcrowding in University Hospital Limerick.

Hiqa said it will review the current relevant national and international evidence to ensure an evidence-based rationale to inform the potential future configuration of comparable urgent and emergency healthcare services.

It will establish an expert advisory group  which contains patient representatives and operational, clinical and nursing expertise to inform its overall approach in the conduct of this review.

It will involve key stakeholders in the region and nationally through the implementation of an extensive stakeholder engagement plan with key interested parties, including patients and healthcare professionals in the region and nationally.

It will also engage with the relevant clinical community in the region and nationally to inform clinical considerations through the establishment of a clinical advisory forum with relevant clinical and nursing representatives including  but not limited to  emergency medicine, acute medicine, surgery, anaesthetics, paediatrics, the National Ambulance Service and local GPs to inform the review.

Hiqa will monitor compliance with the National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare in the hospital to seek to identify any further areas of progress assessing the potential impact and benefits of process improvement and operational effectiveness initiatives on available capacity across the University of Limerick Hospitals Group.

The review will call on specialist expertise external to Hiqa to review health service capacity in the HSE mid-west region.

The review will take into account current and future population needs as well as consider the recent unpublished report by retired judge Frank Clarke, who looked at accountability.

A capacity work stream will be conducted by an external body with expertise in this area and appropriate arrangements will be put in place to enable the outputs to be considered by Hiqa as part of the overall review.

A preliminary briefing will be provided to the Health Minister within six months from the initiation of the review. A final report will be provided to the minister in summer 2025, which will then be published.

Local campaigners have long called for a second emergency department in the region after enduring years of overcrowding.

The issue of patient safety has been highlighted and reached a point of major concern following the death of 16-year-old Aoife Johnston in December 2022, who died from meningitis-related sepsis after waiting hours on a trolley to be seen.

Hiqa pointed out that when all emergency care was confined the the Limerick hospital, closing three other emergency departments in the region, an estimated 267 extra inpatient were promised.

Such an investment did not occur prior to the reconfiguration of services. In response to the economic downturn post-2008, healthcare budgets, including capital budgets, were severely curtailed and the additional capacity was not provided at UHL, or at other hospitals."

Hiqa said that while other hospitals have managed to get greater operational grip on overcrowding the pace in Limerick has been slower.
Parenting envy: How to overcome the urge to compare and compete with other people's children

If you find yourself measuring your childs achievements against those of their friends, recognising your own insecurities is crucial to breaking cycle

Never worry about how your child is doing in comparison to others, instead offer them support where they need it. Photo: Getty

David Coleman Wed 21 Aug 2024 at 03:30

Do you ever find yourself enviously looking at other peoples children who seem so well behaved, or appear successful in school or sports, or are popular among their peers? Theodore Roosevelt said comparison is the thief of joy, and yet, as a parent, it can feel almost impossible not to compare your family with others.
Combining solar power and home charging drives down fuel bills

Amid all the negativity around ownership of electric vehicles, some motorists are tapping into the lower costs of electrified cars by skilfully deploying the resources at their disposal.

In the case of two people profiled here, that has meant installing solar panels and a 7Kw home charger to transform the cost of running an electric car  and, of course, home.

Basically, they are sorted for low-energy cost motoring for a long time. I thought it might be of interest to read about their experiences so far.

Niall Murphy, from Ballinhassig, Co Cork, works in the commercial renewable energy sector, so he is well placed to assess what works, and what doesnt.

The Christmas before last, his ESB bill was 950. It felt like the final straw, he said.

It isnt that I think I can save the planet, but I can do my bit for my childrens future.

So he went about getting Swyft Energy to install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and a Zappi 7Kw home charger, all in the one day.

Such has been the effect on his bills that he is now planning to switch from a large plug-in (PHEV) to an all-electric car.

He has had a Kia Sorento PHEV since last September and installed the PV solar panels and charger last October.

Installing solar made a notable difference, as home-socket charging could take 12 or 13 hours, whereas its done within four hours with the Zappi EV charger now, he said.

His day-to-day driving, such as school and shop runs, are completely covered by solar power.

He charges his car at home using solar power during the summer, running an estimated 60km off the battery.

Thats a good figure for a large car such as the Sorento, and shows that you can drive in EV mode a lot of the time. The savings on petrol are significant.

In winter, he charges during cheaper-rate hours, between 2am and 6am, as well as using whatever solar energy is generated.

Mr Murphy had opted to buy a PHEV as opposed to a fully electric car, due to concerns over access to charging infrastructure during longer commutes in rural Ireland.

Its really chicken and egg stuff whether rural Ireland should install the infrastructure so people buy EVs or whether people should buy EVs to justify putting in the infrastructure, he said.

I think well buy a full EV when were changing from our current car. It isnt that I think I can save the planet, but I can do my bit for my childrens future.

In my most recent bill, I was able to export enough solar power (to the grid) that I was actually owed 240.

My bill used to be between 2,500-3,000 a year and will probably be just 1,000 this year.

Pat Casey

Another who is driving electric is Pat Casey, who made the switch to a full EV.

He is a board member of Swyft Energy, based in North Kerry, so he is practising what he preaches.

In 2020, I installed 16 solar PV panels and a 7.5Kw battery to reduce my electricity costs, benefit the environment and get a better return on investment than from financial institutions, he said.

Installing 16 panels meant that I was equipped to later buy an EV in 2022 and now have the option to install a heat pump down the line.

He says solar PV significantly reduces energy bills and lessens carbon footprint.

He covered 31,000km last year. Around 26,800km of that total was home charged through solar PV and night-rate power.

That led to a total running cost for his EV of 1,139, representing a saving of 1,514 and 3,380kg of CO2 versus his previous diesel car.

In addition to his EV savings, he reduced his household electricity costs last year by 1,583 and carbon emissions by 875kg of CO2.

His total savings for last year were 3,097, representing an 18pc annual return on his solar investment and 55pc annual savings on energy costs.

It takes time for the electric-car savings to make up the difference between EVs and the lower-priced internal combustion engines.

But by using the likes of solar power, cheaper energy will bridge the gap quicker than expected.
Five years ago, then Fine Gael politician Maria Bailey, found herself at the centre of a national scandal and subsequent media storm.

The former TD took a case against a Dublin hotel for medical expenses after a fall on their premises. It became front page news and would forever be known as Swing-Gate.

But as coverage continued, Maria Bailey went on one of the most listened to radio programs in the country to put forward her side of the story.

As the phrase goes, any publicity is good publicity - but this might just be the exception to the rule.

Today on the Indo Daily, Tabitha Monahan is joined by Kevin Doyle, Group Head of News at Media House Ireland, to take us through how the story broke, his involvement in it, and reflect on the scandal that saw the politician deselected by her party.

This podcast was originally published in May 2024.
The principal of a Cork primary school has appealed for more space to be allocated to their school to accommodate the growing demand for places ahead of the new academic year.

The severe lack of space has resulted in students being taught in the hallway and staff room.

Fermoy Educate Together (FET) opened in 2018 in Fermoy Youth Centre and was later granted the basement level of the former Fermoy Technical School/Gaelscoil de hIde building in the town as it expanded.

The remaining two floors were given to the Cork Education Training Board (CETB) for its further education and training services.

FET is unable to use mobile buildings for extra classrooms as the only available outdoor space is the tiny playground.

Access to the school is limited, with the main way in and out being a small laneway from the main street. It cannot be used by vehicles.

Principal Toni Maguire, of Fermoy Educate Together (FET) has appealed for access to the rooms in the floors above their current ground floor location to alleviate the lack of space. Our admissions policy is due to be written in October for the 25/26 academic year. The board of management are now faced with the dilemma of whether we can we take junior infants for that year or not because I cant fit 26 children in our final classroom, she said.

Ms Maguire continued: I have between here and October to find a solution with the department or I am facing the board making the decision of us not taking junior infants which for me is disgraceful. People want the school and I have waiting lists for five other classes.

A total of 96 students will be enrolled in Fermoy Educate Together for the 2024-2025 academic year said Ms Maguire. My cap is 104 children. I havent stepped outside that original divestment agreement and I dont want to step outside that. I simply cannot accommodate those 104 children in our current location. I have 96 children going to be in our building from this September. I have 21 children crammed into the bottom classroom. I have had to close admissions for that class. I now have two children on a fifth class waiting list and two children on my sixth class waiting list.

Technically I have the space for them as 26 is what I should have in there. I only have 21 but I cannot actually fit their tables and chairs in the classroom. I have to put them on a waiting list and tell them I have no space for your child because I cant physically fit them in the school, she added.

We have councillors and TDs involved, said the school principal. The current situation is that the Department of Education are holding us to our divestment agreement. They are saying it was agreed that a four classroom school would be opened in a co-located site with the ETB. My argument is that we have a third of the space that is outlined in their schedule of accommodation for a four classroom school.

The co-educational school currently has students from junior infants up to sixth class. Ms Maguire said the students are situated in every possible space in their building. We have students everywhere I can possibly fit them. We are not complying with health and safety. I am currently getting a health and safety audit done on the school to show that we cant be using those spaces. From a principals point of view If I refuse a child and a parent takes a case against me like a Section 29, technically we have space for that child but physically I dont. I have been very honest with the childrens parents. I would love to have them in our school but I cant fit them in the classroom.

It is offering a choice to parents and is hugely popular, said Ms Maguire. What frustrates me is Norma Foley opened up Paradise Place Educate Together in Dublin. This was the very first Catholic school to divest under Educate Together. She announced that they are doing a whole country wide survey because the department acknowledge that they arent providing enough multi denominational spaces for people. On the ground we are an existing school. The demand is there, but they wont give me appropriate accommodation for what they agreed to in the first place.

The school principal said due to space constraints she cant open an autism class for four students. Since we opened the demographic of Ireland has changed massively. The number of children with autism has jumped massively. I cant open an autism class even though I have four children who should be in an autism class. Their parents are choosing to put them in a mainstream class because there are no educate together autism classes anywhere near us. Parents have no choice in the area.

Ms Maguire appealed for the Minister for Education, Norma Foley to listen to their story. I want Minister Foley to sit down and see what I am trying to say. They are forever going back to the divestment agreement. I am not trying to break that. We do not have anything near the resources or the space that other four classroom schools have. We have children being educated in a corridor. We are in a Department of Education building. For some reason the ETB are being prioritised over Department of Education children and staff.

The ETB were made aware that we would need additional space going forward. Now we have got to that point the department are unwilling to make the ETB give us extra space so we are stuck with what we had originally. The ETB provide a wonderful service, but they have options in other places in the town. We have no option because of the divestment agreement. For me if the ETB have access to other buildings in the town they could outsource some of their courses and we could have an extra classroom or two in the building that we are currently in. That would solve all the problems, she added.

Students are scheduled to return to Fermoy Educate Together on Wednesday, August 28.

The principal said a solution and common sense is required. We want a solution. We need common sense and for extra space to be given to us upstairs. I am not asking for a new build. I am not asking for a state of the art complex. I want a correct size classroom to fit the children in.

We will keep fighting for it, said Ms Maguire. I am not asking for the world. It is very frustrating. I am not going away. We are going to be one of the first Educate Togethers to go into decline even tough the demand is growing. It is not because we dont have the waiting lists, it is because the department wont give us the space. I will keep fighting for the kids.

The Department of Education was contacted for comment by The Corkman, but at the time of going to print had failed to respond.
Volunteers Anna O'Shea, Donie Lucey and John P Moynihan demonstrate some of the work carried out by CRITICAL, the emergency medical response charity. Photo: John Tarrant

The emergency medical response charity, CRITICAL, has established a new Community First Responder (CFR) group to cover the Duhallow area in County Cork.

The Blackwater CFR group will cover an area which spans 147 square miles, including Millstreet, Banteer, Rathmore, Ballydesmond and Kiskeam.

The newly launched group will respond to 999/112 calls including cardiac arrests, stroke, and patients with breathing difficulties.

David Tighe, CEO of CRITICAL, said: The Blackwater CFR group is the latest addition to the charitys network which is expanding its presence around Ireland. CRITICAL volunteers are working in conjunction with the National Ambulance Service, providing a quick response to medical emergencies in their communities.

We have seen the impact of our CFR groups in other areas and I am sure that this latest group will be of major benefit to the north Cork area.

The group currently has 10 active and fully-trained responders with an additional 13 in training. These include people from the local fire service, factory workers, IT workers and the HSE.

Donie Lucey is a fundraising support officer with CRITICAL who responds as a volunteer with Blackwater. He was one of those who helped set up the Blackwater CFR group and said he has seen first-hand the benefits of having responders in an area, particularly one as expansive as this particular part of north Cork.

"Our volunteers can be at the scene in minutes providing vital treatment to a patient before the ambulance arrives. The training that our volunteers receive is fantastic and, only recently, one of our Blackwater CFR volunteers put his skills to use when one of his relatives began choking.

"The biggest reward for us is knowing that weve helped save the life of someone in our community, whether that be a friend, family or neighbour.

Donie is also a member of the Millstreet Vintage Club which recently raised 12,500 in support of CRITICAL. The funds raised locally will help to ensure the group has access to lifesaving resources when they respond to a 999 call in the area, such as defibrillators and training equipment.

These funds will also ensure the group's life support bags can be kept fully stocked with disposable medical products, like breathing assistance tools and defibrillator pads.

CRITICAL is Irelands leading volunteer emergency medical response charity and its mission is to save lives through a network of volunteer emergency medical responders.

In total, the charity has six community first responder groups around the country with an additional three due to go live later this year.

To join the Blackwater CFR group, contact info@criticalcharity.ie.

For those wishing to donate to CRITICAL or to get involved with the charity, please visit https://criticalcharity.ie/ or call 021 4190 999.
Passengers complain of being late for work after access closed during peak hours

'Temporary' access to Clongriffin Dart Station has been in place for 13 years

The shutters giving access to the stairwell to Clongriffin Dart Station were closed until 11am. Pic: @samanthaofl

The stairwell at a Dublin Dart station was completely locked up on one side this morning, leaving some commuters stranded and late for work.

The temporary access point to Clongriffin Dart Station has now been in place for 13 years and local residents have experienced multiple issues on the non-Irish Rail owned Baldoyle side for over a decade.

The lift and access point, managed on behalf of the owners by Richmond Homes, has been in place since 2010, the developers are responsible for keeping it open.

The lift at the station has been out of service on multiple occasions, leaving commuters who need the lift unable to use the Dart station.

Samantha OFlanagan, from Myrtle the Coast Residents Association, told the Irish Independent that this morning, the shutters at The Coast, Baldoyle, were closed overnight and remained shut until around 11am.

In response to her queries to Richmond Homes, which began at 7.45am, she was told at 10am that the private developers were getting onto the security firm they use to manage the access point to find out why its closed and when it will be opened.

Weve received numerous emails and messages from residents today who were late for work due to the complete closure of the stairwell, she said.

The situation just goes from bad to worse  the lift is frequently out of service, night-time access is restricted, preventing residents from reaching the 24-hour bus service.

Then this morning, the shutters remained closed during peak commuting hours, leaving people unable to access the Dart or bus services.

The stairwell is a separate access point managed by Richmond Homes

Were exhausted from constantly fighting these issues. The NTA assured us that a lift upgrade would be completed by the end of summer, which is promising, but weve yet to receive any updates as to whether this is on schedule.

Regardless, a lift upgrade alone is useless if the shutters remain down and access is blocked.

Private developers should not control access to public transport; its as simple as that. It leaves residents vulnerable with no recourse when issues like today arise.

Despite being encouraged by the Minister for Transport to leave our cars at home and use public transport, we cant even access it. The Government is failing our community, and access to public transport must be managed by a public body, she added.

Social Democrats councillor Joan Hopkins has also been working to address the issues of the access point at Clongriffin throughout her time as a local representative in the area.

I have done everything in my power to resolve a situation that should never have occurred, she said.

Due to poor planning regulations, we have been left in a situation where a private developer owns and controls access to a public Dart station and bus service.

I have personally put in hundreds of questions and motions over the last five years. Having exhausted my councillor powers, I set up a petition, and with the community here, we have held protests.

Finally, we secured a meeting with the Transport Minister and the NTA, and we were told there would be a resolution by this September. I am continuing to put pressure on the NTA and Fingal to deliver on their promises.

We cannot go on like this  hundreds of people missing Darts and buses to work this morning. We wont tolerate it any longer, she added.

Richmond Homes, Fingal County Council, and the National Transport Authority have been contacted for comment.
Exclusive | Mother meets and thanks Kerry guards for saving her babys life

It was a happy ending outside Listowel Garda Station on Wednesday morning.

Hero guards Ryan Hill (left) and Mark Cushen with baby Precious and her mom Donna. Photo Mark O'Sullivan.

Stephen Fernane Kerryman Wed 21 Aug 2024 at 13:20

A County Limerick mother has been reunited with the hero guards who helped save her seven-week-old daughters life on Saturday evening.
Honorary Secretary of Tipperary Peace Convention, Martin Quinn, said that the awarding of the peace prize to Medecins Sans Frontieres - Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is a statement of support for an organisation that has brought medical care to the victims of earthquakes, nutritional crises, epidemics, conflicts and other disasters

Medecins Sans Frontieres  Doctors Without Borders (MSF), have been announced as the recipient of the 2023 Tipperary (Ireland) International Peace Award.

Honorary Secretary of Tipperary Peace Convention, Martin Quinn, said that the awarding of the peace prize to Medecins Sans Frontieres  Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is a statement of support for an organisation that has brought medical care to the victims of earthquakes, nutritional crises, epidemics, conflicts and other disasters.

For over 50 years MSF has gone to wherever people are suffering, and has become renowned for their work in medical emergencies around the world, said Mr Quinn.

MSF grew out of the ideals of a group of French doctors who wanted to be on the ground helping those most in need anywhere in the world.

Many decades later their work is of vital importance on a global level, whether responding to emergencies or providing medical support to vulnerable local communities.

The 2023 Tipperary International Peace Award recognises the humanitarian work of MSF and the response of its teams to crises, both of war and of natural disasters.

From its evolution of being an organisation with little or no resources, to becoming globally recognised for its humanitarian work, MSF is a worthy recipient of the Tipperary International Peace Award

The award, while recognising the work of MSF for 53 years, also remembers those who were caught up in war torn situations and paid the ultimate price for their humanitarian efforts.

Past recipients of the award include former South African President the late Nelson Mandela, former President of Ireland, Professor Mary McAleese and her husband Senator Martin McAleese, the late Senator Edward Kennedy and his sister the late Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, Pakistani student Malala Yousafzai, former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, former US Secretary of State, John Kerry, the Syrian Civil Defence White Helmets, former Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos, former Irish President and Chair of The Elders, Mary Robinson and last years recipient, Belarusian politician, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

The 2023 award will be presented to representatives of MSF at a ceremony in Tipperary, Ireland, on Saturday, September 21, which is International Day of Peace (United Nations).

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Responding to news of the selection, Chris Lockyear, Secretary General, MSF, said, We are sincerely grateful to be recognised by Tipperary Peace Convention for our medical work and provision of humanitarian assistance to people affected by war, displacement, exclusion from healthcare and epidemics.

During a time of immense human suffering as a result of brutal conflicts in Sudan, Gaza, Ukraine and Democratic Republic of Congo, and the many silent humanitarian crises where our dedicated teams provide care, our work is often just a sticking plaster in response to an emergency.

Real change for many of the communities that we assist, needs to come from states and world leaders who have the power to lessen human suffering through decisive political action in service of the worlds marginalised and vulnerable communities.
Enniscorthy residents will be able to taste fresh food from around the world in new Asian and Japanese restaurant Ai by Ahmad in Templeshannon.

Owner Ahmad Musa is originally from Malaysia where he gained valuable experience working in various Japanese restaurants, and after 12 years he has set up his own restaurant right in the heart of the town.

Every year Mr Musa enters the Panel of Chefs of Ireland annual competition and adorns the walls of his restaurant with his impressive collection of medals. The building, opposite Treacys hotel, can hold up to 20 visitors at a time, while supplying a mouth-watering takeaway menu.

On the menu is an extensive range of fish options to transport diners to the heart of Asia; Malaysia Rendang Roll, Prawn Tempura Tamaki, Unagi Roll, and more.

The business prides themselves on being inclusive to all diners needs and is suitable for vegans, children, and also halal-friendly. The meaning behind the name is equally befitting, with ai translating to love in Japanese to represent the chefs passion for good quality food.

The restaurant is open Tuesday to Friday from noon to 10 p.m. and Saturday 12.30 p.m. to 10.pm. Although the restaurant is closed Mondays and Saturdays, he has big plans to use those days to teach Japanese cooking classes.

Food lovers are encouraged to avail of their current discounts which will give them 20 per cent off their first takeaway order, with every tenth meal free, based on the average of their previous orders.
It has been five long months since locals of the Ballycarney community outside Enniscorthy, Co Wexford battled to save the historic old post office from an unexpected fire and owners are delighted to be able to reopen its doors to residents and the camera crew from RTEs Nationwide.

On Sunday April 14 Barry Lacey, who renovated the location and gave it a new lease of life with his father Sean, was alarmed when he received a phone call that the building was on fire. When he arrived on site shortly after he was met with the heart-warming scene of a group of passing locals fighting to put out the fire and preserve the building.

Soon after, units from Wexford Fire Service in Enniscorthy and Bunclody took over efforts, managing to dampen out the flames. Sean says the fireproof membrane they initially installed on the rood in their renovations, was instrumental in limited damage, though they were never able to decipher the cause of the fire.

"We still dont know what caused it  but it could have been so much worse. We had decided to install a fireproof membrane as a precaution thinking we would never need it. But there you go at the end of the day we did! he said.

Since then they have been hard at work restoring and repairing the damage, only recently opening for the Local Development Group to hold their meetings and for this week's Heritage Week events.

Locals and firefighters worked hard to save the building.

"We only had to repair parts of the roof, and thankfully not the whole roof. We were lucky that the original thatcher John Barnes, from the West of Ireland, was able to come up and carry out the work. We also have put in a new heating system instead of relying on the stove fire just in case. We wouldnt want to see what happened ever again he added.

In the last few weeks they have been able to accommodate various groups who previously frequented the property before the incident, including the 1798 Spinners, a group of traditional craftspeople who use the spinning wheel.

Nationwide had filmed and aired an episode that featured the old post office that delved into its history before the incident, and with their presence required at Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann in the county, the crew saw it as a perfect opportunity to film an update on the renovations.

"The stars just seemed to align and they are re-airing the previous episode with the added segment on Wednesday August 20. We are happy that we are able to bring back a sense of community to the area, what with the older generation using post offices as a social outlet, Mr Lacey said.

They plan to throw events for both Halloween and Christmas and encourage anyone interested in using the building for events to contact them by email at theoldpostofficeballycarney@gmail.com or by phone at 0872783335 (Barry) or 0872596356 (Sean).
The organisers and helpers pictured at The Great Beach Walk in aid of Down Syndrome in Cahore on Monday. Pic: Jim Campbell

Jenny Clancy and Susan Ryan enjoyed The Great Beach Walk in aid of Down Syndrome in Cahore on Monday. Pic: Jim Campbell

At The Great Beach Walk in aid of Down Syndrome in Cahore on Monday were Margaret Cloney, Isabelle Simpson and Bernie Cloney. Pic: Jim Campbell

Ann and Aidan Sinnott were at The Great Beach Walk in aid of Down Syndrome in Cahore on Monday. Pic: Jim Campbell

Colm Blake and Ciara Albarracin at The Great Beach Walk in aid of Down Syndrome in Cahore on Monday. Pic: Jim Campbell

Pictured at The Great Beach Walk in aid of Down Syndrome in Cahore on Monday were Amanda Kiely, Louise Byrne and Ryan Byrne. Pic: Jim Campbell

Debbie Connolly, Niamh Fitzgerald and Cliona Gannon were pictured at The Great Beach Walk in aid of Down Syndrome in Cahore on Monday. Pic: Jim Campbell

Fionn Clancy, Sophia Ennis and Darryl Ryan pictured at The Great Beach Walk in aid of Down Syndrome in Cahore on Monday. Pic: Jim Campbell

Michael Murphy, Catherina Dixon, Katie Dixon, Michael Doran and Colm Blake enjoyed The Great Beach Walk in aid of Down Syndrome in Cahore on Monday. Pic: Jim Campbell

Pictured at The Great Beach Walk in aid of Down Syndrome in Cahore on Monday were Betty Doyle, Cormac Murphy, Jane Ryan Murphy, Senator Malcolm Byrne, Roisin Murphy and Michael Murphy. Pic: Jim Campbell

Dermot, Pamela and Fionn Dawner attended The Great Beach Walk in aid of Down Syndrome in Cahore on Monday. Pic: Jim Campbell

At The Great Beach Walk in aid of Down Syndrome in Cahore on Monday were Katie Healy and Rachel Cahill. Pic: Jim Campbell

Yvonne Sweeney, Rena O'Brien and Audrey Dormer attended The Great Beach Walk in aid of Down Syndrome in Cahore on Monday. Pic: Jim Campbell

Catherine Hillis, Ciara Albarracin and Kate Curran enjoyed The Great Beach Walk in aid of Down Syndrome in Cahore on Monday. Pic: Jim Campbell

Soraya Connelly, Katie Healt, Evan Rogan, Debbie Connolly, Brian Rogan and Pat Connolly pictured at The Great Beach Walk in aid of Down Syndrome in Cahore on Monday. Pic: Jim Campbell

Leah, Sinead, Abbie, Ivan, Mary and Katie Ryanhart were pictured at The Great Beach Walk in aid of Down Syndrome in Cahore on Monday. Pic: Jim Campbell

Verona Murphy TD, Debbie Connolly, James Doran, Ciara Doran and Mia Fitzgerald at The Great Beach Walk in aid of Down Syndrome in Cahore on Monday. Pic: Jim Campbell

The second annual Great Beach Walk took place on Monday, August 19 and once again there was a great turnout for the special day.

Despite the forecasted stormy weather, hundreds of people took part in this charity event to raise much needed funds for Wexfords branch of Down Syndrome Ireland.

Speaking at the event, Secretary of Down Syndrome Wexford Ciara Doran said, For parents of people with Down Syndrome, it is so humbling to see the support of our community here today. Every cent that has been donated will be spent on vital therapies such as Speech and Language, so that our children can achieve what other parents take for granted. We want to thank everyone who has helped us, especially Michael Murphy, it means so much to us.

All walkers finished at the Strand Cahore, where they were treated to delicious burgers courtesy of Pauline Dunne as well as music and face painting.

TD Verona Murphy, TD James Browne, Senator Malcolm Byrne as well as Cllr Fionntan O Suilleabhain, Cllr Pip Breen and Cllr Mary Farrell were seen among the walkers on the day.

Down Syndrome Wexford supports their members with Down Syndrome and their families and is run entirely by volunteers.

As the HSE is failing to provide early intervention for the youngest of its members, the charity relies completely on donations to provide access to vital services such as Speech & Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy locally.

All the money raised is used to enhance the lives of their members with Down syndrome and to help children reach goals that so many parents take for granted. In 2023, the inaugural charity event raised 22,000 for much needed speech and language, occupational therapy and other therapies for children with Down Syndrome in Wexford.
Snowpiercer (2013) ITV4, 9p.m.

Before he directed Parasite, the first foreign language film to win the Best Picture Oscar, Bong Joon-ho made his English-language debut with the dark fantasy thriller Snowpiercer.

Boasting an impressive cast including Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell and Parasites Song Kang-ho, its set in the future where a failed experiment to end global warming has turned the Earth into an uninhabitable frozen wasteland.

Whats left of humanity is confined to a high-speed train, where passengers are divided by class  but a revolution is brewing. The film only had a limited cinema release in the US but was enough of a critical hit to lead to a spin-off TV series.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 22

Barbarian (2022) Film4, 9p.m.

Written and directed by Zach Cregger with plentiful on-screen splatter and a disturbing breast-feeding sequence, Barbarian suckles on the dread of an overnight stay in unfamiliar surroundings. Tess Marshall (Georgina Campbell) travels to Detroit for an important job interview and books accommodation for the night through an app.

Arriving at a house in a rundown neighbourhood during a raging rainstorm, Tess discovers the property has been double-booked by a man called Keith (Bill Skarsgard). Unfortunately, there is a big convention in town, and she cant find anywhere else to stay, so Tess ignores her misgivings and agrees to take the bedroom while Keith sleeps on the sofa.

Strange noises emanating from below ground confirm that Keith is the least of Tesss worries if she wants to survive the night

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23

Gone Girl (2014) GREAT! movies, 10.55p.m.

On the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) calls the police to his home. There are signs of a struggle, and his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) is missing. Amys distraught parents (David Clennon, Lisa Beth) join Nick to front a high-profile media campaign to secure the safe return of their daughter, but in the glare of the spotlight, it becomes clear the Dunnes marriage was on the rocks, and the cops and public openly question Nicks innocence.

Gone Girl is a spiky satire, skilfully adapted by Gillian Flynn from her 2012 bestseller. Admittedly, you have to dig deep beneath the surface of David Finchers polished film to find the jet-black humour but its there, walking hand-in-hand with sadism and torture that propel the narrative towards its unconventional denouement.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 24

The Promised Land (2023) BBC4, 9p.m.

Mads Mikkelsen headlines director Nikolaj Arcels gritty Nordic western, which was selected by Denmark as the countrys official entry for Best International Feature at the Academy Awards.

Adapted from Ida Jessens novel The Captain and Ann Barbara, the film opens in 1755 with impoverished Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mikkelsen) turning his attention to the supposedly uninhabitable Jutland Heath. Nothing will grow on this vast expanse of untameable land, but Kahlen intends to prove doubters wrong and claim the heath in the name of the King. Unfortunately, merciless local nobleman Frederik de Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg) has also staked a claim to the land that Kahlen now harvests. De Schinkel vows bloodthirsty and brutal revenge against Kahlen and everyone he holds dear.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 25

The Sound of Music (1965) BBC1, 3.50p.m.

Inspired by a true story, this much-loved musical follows novice nun Maria (Julie Andrews), who is employed as a governess to the seven unruly Von Trapp children. Their widowed father (Christopher Plummer) runs the house on military lines, but his new employee eventually brings fun and music back into his offsprings lives and melts his heart in the process. However, the Austrian familys happiness is threatened by the looming Second World War.

Theres a reason this classic always gets rolled out at Christmas and Bank Holiday weekends  there isnt a single dud in the Rodgers and Hammerstein score, which includes songs such as Do-Re-Mi and My Favourite Things. Andrews is on iconic form as the all-singing Maria, while Plummers sardonic Captain Von Trapp stops things getting too sugary.

MONDAY, AUGUST 26

The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) Film4, 6.40p.m.

Writer-director Armando Iannucci realises great expectations with his madcap take on Charles Dickens indomitable literary hero. The Personal History of David Copperfield breathlessly abridges the mid-19th century serial and novel to focus on the quixotic and colourful characters. A galaxy of stars in the British acting firmament sparkle in small yet perfectly formed roles including a delightfully bonkers Tilda Swinton as Betsey Trotwood and Peter Capaldi as lovable rapscallion Mr Micawber.

The setting may be pungently Victorian but the tone is unmistakably modern from the heros knowing narration to nudge-nudge wink-wink flashes of directorial brio that bookmark each chapter. Dev Patel plays the likeable comic foil in the midst of madness, who is slowly educated in the whims of his fellow man.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27

Carlitos Way (1993) Film4, 11.05p.m.

Newly released jailbird Carlito Brigante (Al Pacino) pledges to stay away from a life of crime. He leaves behind the murky world of drug dealing and invests his money in a nightclub, determined to become a successful businessman. However, its not long before the Puerto Ricans shady lawyer has him twitching at the temples, and a string of former associates dont help either. Carlito decides to move to Florida, but can he outrun the thugs who (wrongly) believe hes a murderer?

Director Brian DePalma has made a few stinkers in his career, but this is one of his best offerings, with a terrific performance from Pacino. Add to that a deliciously sleazy turn by Sean Penn and some masterly direction and you have the makings of cinematic perfection.
Despite the R733 outside Wexford town having recently been described as one of Irelands most notorious roads in a recent RTE Prime Time documentary, it seems that erratic driving is continuing on the Duncannon Line.
One of the Droleens built by the late Frank de Groot and his group sailing off Bray in 2014.

Bray Sailing Club is holding its annual Murdoch Open Dinghy Regatta on Saturday, August 24, and this year the club promises to focus in particular on historic boats, including one special boat which was designed in Bray 128 years ago.

Members of the public are invited to watch the racing events, with boats on the water, from Bray Harbour, at 2pm until 4pm, followed by the prizegiving ceremony.

Of particular interest in this year's event is the participation of the historic boats, including the Droleen clinker boat originally designed in Bray in 1896.

Some 100 years later, the plans of the original boat were re-discovered and the Bray Droleen Heritage Association was founded, with boats subsequently built to the original plans.

The Droleen is a 12 lapstrake/clinker built boat, a method of boat building in which the edges of hull planks overlap each other, and was designed in 1896 by W Ogilvy, in Bray.

It was intended to be launched off a stony beach and to be sailed in any weather, plenty of wind and seanot infrequently encountered off the coast of Bray, according to maritime writer HC Folkards 1906 book, Sailing Boats from Around the World.

Eight boats were builtsome, if not at all, by a Mr Foley of Ringsend, Dublinbut it is thought that the development of the class was hampered when some of the original owners, who were in the British Army, were called away to fight in the Boer War (18991902) in South Africa.

There was, however, some class racing up until World War One, after which these boats gradually disappeared. None of them survive today. The plans did survive somehow and in 1996 they were redrafted by the renowned naval architect and small-boat designer, George OBrien Kennedy.

This allowed the Bray Droleen Heritage Associationfounded in 2013 and led by the late Frank de Grootto build two new boats, the first of which was launched at an Old Gaffers Association event on Dublins River Liffey in 2014.
Xi says China to continue to support NPC in deepening exchanges with IPU

Xinhua) 08:10, August 21, 2024

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with foreign parliamentary leaders attending the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of China's National People's Congress' (NPC) affiliation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as well as the 2024 interregional seminar on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for parliaments of developing countries, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China will, as always, support the National People's Congress (NPC) in deepening exchanges and cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

Xi made the remarks while meeting with foreign parliamentary leaders attending the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of NPC's affiliation to the IPU, as well as the 2024 interregional seminar on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for parliaments of developing countries in Beijing.

Xi welcomed the speakers' visit to China, noting that they come from countries on different continents. "We are all members of the Global South," he said.

Despite different national conditions, China and the countries are all good brothers and good partners with a shared vision, Xi added.

Noting that the current global landscape is rapidly evolving, Xi said China is willing to work with other countries to advocate an equal and orderly multi-polar world and an inclusive economic globalization that benefits all, promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, and build the Earth into a harmonious family.

Exchanges between legislative bodies are an important part of state-to-state relations, Xi stressed, adding that legislative bodies should and are capable of playing an active role in forming state-to-state relations based on equality and mutual trust, expanding mutually beneficial cooperation for development, promoting open and inclusive exchanges and mutual learning, advancing global governance featuring fairness and equity, and making unique contributions to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

Xi briefed the foreign parliamentary leaders on the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, which was held in mid-July.

He stressed that China's unswerving commitment to high-level opening up will inject new momentum into the development of the world economy, provide new opportunities for deepening mutually beneficial cooperation, and open up new prospects for the common development of developing countries.

China is ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the legislative bodies of other countries to jointly explore modernization paths suited to their own national conditions, Xi added.

He described the adherence to the path of socialist political advancement with Chinese characteristics under the leadership of the CPC and the commitment to developing whole-process people's democracy as "major experience of China in achieving remarkable progress in governance."

The true essence of people's democracy lies in the principle that matters should be discussed openly, with collective issues being deliberated by the public to accommodate aspirations and demands of the whole society, Xi noted.

Whole-process people's democracy not only has a complete set of institutional procedures but also involves comprehensive participation and practices, making it extensive, authentic and effective, he said.

China will, as always, support the NPC in deepening exchanges and cooperation with the IPU, Xi said.

He added that on the basis of mutual respect for each other's development paths and institutional models, efforts should be made to strengthen the exchange of legislative and governance experience, jointly enhance the capacity to perform duties, and foster a favorable legal environment and a solid foundation of public opinion for deepening friendly cooperation among the Global South.

Tulia Ackson, IPU president and Tanzania's National Assembly speaker, Peter Katjavivi, speaker of Namibia's National Assembly, and Marinus Bee, chairman of Suriname's National Assembly, addressed the meeting on behalf of the foreign speakers.

They said the IPU has maintained long-term friendly and close cooperation with the NPC of China, and thanked the Chinese side for its commitment to promoting unity, mutual trust, friendship and cooperation among parliaments of all countries, as well as its contribution to the development of various undertakings of the IPU and the implementation of the SDGs.

As the largest developing country in the world, China has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and made remarkable achievements in development, setting an example and providing important opportunities for other developing countries, they said.

The IPU appreciates China's stance of upholding fairness and justice in international affairs, advocacy of equality for all countries regardless of size, and significant contributions to world peace, stability and common development, they said.

All parties expressed appreciation for the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by China, pledging commitment to strengthening friendly partnerships with China, adhering to the one-China principle, and jointly safeguarding multilateralism through close cooperation with China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with foreign parliamentary leaders attending the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of China's National People's Congress' (NPC) affiliation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as well as the 2024 interregional seminar on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for parliaments of developing countries, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with foreign parliamentary leaders attending the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of China's National People's Congress' (NPC) affiliation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as well as the 2024 interregional seminar on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for parliaments of developing countries, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with foreign parliamentary leaders attending the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of China's National People's Congress' (NPC) affiliation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as well as the 2024 interregional seminar on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for parliaments of developing countries, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with foreign parliamentary leaders attending the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of China's National People's Congress' (NPC) affiliation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as well as the 2024 interregional seminar on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for parliaments of developing countries, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)


"We're bullish about the future. And we want to be a good partner to our Chinese corporate partners and consumers," said Craig Allen, president of the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC), welcoming the economic policies from the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). #GLOBALink
The workshop on Thursday, August 29, is focussed on the horticulture sector.

Bord Bia will hold a Wicklow workshop for horticulture businesses with a focus on UK Customs and Trade regulations.

From October 31, food and drink exporters in Ireland will be required to comply with additional trade requirements under the UK Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), which will involve products of all risk levels experiencing checks upon entering Great Britain, with the exception of specific low-risk plants.

Bord Bia, in association with PerformanSC supply chain consultants, plan to provide workshops throughout the country to provide insights for exporters.

A session preparing businesses ahead of the Christmas tree season will be held at the Parkview Hotel, Newtownmountkennedy on Thursday, August 29.

Visit the Bord Bia website in order to register your attendance.
Irelands president has led tributes to renowned author, journalist and feminist activist Nell McCafferty, who has died at the age of 80.

The celebrated writers family said she died in the early hours of Wednesday at a nursing home in Co Donegal.

The former Irish Times journalist, originally from Londonderry, was a prominent voice on womens rights issues across the island of Ireland and in 1970 co-founded the Irish Womens Liberation Movement (IWLM).

Nell McCafferty, centre, died aged 80 at a nursing home in Co Donegal (Niall Carson/PA)

Considered a journalistic trailblazer and fearless social commentator, McCafferty authored several books and also wrote for publications including the Sunday Tribune and Hot Press.

Campaigning for the legalisation of contraceptives in Ireland in the 1970s, she famously took part in an event known as the Contraceptive Train in 1971 when members of the IWLM travelled across the border to Belfast, bought a range of contraceptive products and took them to Dublin, where they staged a protest at the citys Connolly station.

President of Ireland Michael D Higgins said McCafferty had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness and had a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism.

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Mr Higgins said he and his wife Sabina were privileged to be friends with her and said she will be deeply missed by us all.

Nell McCafferty was a pioneer in raising those searching questions which could be asked, but which had been buried, hidden or neglected, Mr Higgins said.

Indeed, this is one of the aspects which was most remarkable from the very beginning in her work.

He added: Nell had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness, and this made her advocacy formidable on behalf of those who had been excluded from society.

A defining feature across Nells life was such a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism wherever she saw it.

Irish premier Simon Harris paid tribute to the journalist as a fierce, fearless and fiery campaigner who suffered no fools.

If she was in the room or in the debate, you knew about it, the Taoiseach said.

Her passion and wrath was not scattergun  it had a laser-like focus on calling out inequality and injustice. She suffered no fools but had a kindness and warmth for many.

Her wit and Derry turn of phrase made her impossible to ignore.

As one of the women who took the train in 1971, she set in train an unstoppable wave for equality and a changing of Ireland for the better.

That change has not yet reached its conclusion but it would be nowhere if it wasnt for warriors like Nell.

In an Ireland trying to emerge from the shadows and find who it was, Nell McCafferty was one of the people who knew exactly who she was and wasnt afraid to enter every battle for gay and womens rights. We all owe her a great debt for this.

Nell McCafferty left Ireland a much better place than she found it and she played her part with spirit and style. May she rest in peace.

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Northern Irelands First Minister and Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle ONeill said McCafferty was a trailblazer in every sense of the word.

She added: A proud feminist and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in our society.

She eloquently spoke up for disadvantaged women through her work with the Irish Womens Liberation Movement, particularly highlighting the poverty and injustices women faced in the late 20th century across the island.

Nell McCafferty was a towering figure in Irish journalism with great courage and honesty, and was an important figure during the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement.

A proud daughter of Derry, Nells wisdom, humour and humility will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her.

I want to extend my deepest sympathies to her family and friends at this very difficult time.

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Irelands deputy premier Micheal Martin said he was deeply saddened at McCaffertys death.

Nell was an exceptional journalist and campaigner  the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights and womens rights, the Tanaiste posted on X, formerly Twitter.

She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland.

In addition to her brilliance as a writer, activist and feminist, Nell brought great warmth and humour to every engagement.

She made a difference.

Sympathies to her family, friends and former colleagues.

Irelands Press Ombudsman, journalist Susan McKay, also paid tribute.

She was an absolutely wonderful journalist, a really ground-breaking journalist, Ms McKay told BBC Radio Ulster.

She changed the way that all of us who came after her wrote journalism and did journalism, because she went straight to people.

You know, if you look back at journalism before Nell, and indeed before some other brilliant woman of her generation, ordinary people were never asked for their opinion.

They were written about by gents who thought that they knew how best to analyse society.

Nell went straight into working-class places, she talked to people who had experienced real hardships and afflictions in their lives, and she brought their voices alive.

She was tremendously brave and courageous and she wrote about all of the most important stories of her time.

And its very, very sad that she has died, but she had been very ill for quite a number of years, and, you know, wasnt really in a position to appreciate life to the same extent as she had been before.

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SDLP leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood described McCafferty as a mould-breaker and establishment shaker.

She spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could, he said on X.

An icon for so many people across Ireland.

Nell will be sadly missed, but her activism will endure.

Leader of the Irish Labour Party Ivana Bacik said she is deeply saddened.

She described McCafferty as a wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon.

It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends, she posted on X.

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The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) described McCafferty as one of the most renowned journalists in Ireland.

She was a long time member of the NUJ and a former union activist.

Irish secretary Seamus Dooley said: With the death of Nell McCafferty, a bright light has been extinguished.

She was one of the most renowned journalists in the country as a reporter, columnist, author and broadcaster.

The public recognised in her a deep commitment to social justice.

The fact that she was so often referred to only by her first name is a reflection of her special place in Irish journalism and in the public consciousness.

This stemmed from her unique qualities as a reporter and storyteller.

Nell McCafferty could be hilariously funny, frequently controversial and delighted in being contrary.

She was never afraid to challenge the consensus and took pleasure in afflicting the comfortable.

Throughout her career, Nell blazed a trail for feminists and played a significant role in the development of the feminist movement in Ireland.

Always provocative, Nell had the ability to trenchantly argue her case with unique style.

McCaffertys funeral will take place on Friday in her native Derry.

A requiem mass will be held at 12.30pm at St Columbas Church, Long Tower in the city, followed by a private cremation in Co Cavan.
Dont use dating apps, Russians in Kursk are warned by government

Moscow fears its enemy is gathering intelligence and has hacked CCTV as incursions by Ukrainians continue

Local resident Natalya, who didn't give her family name, stands amid debris of her house hit by shelling in Makiivka in the Donetsk region of Ukraine yesterday. Photo: Reuters

Joe Barnes Telegraph.co.uk Wed 21 Aug 2024 at 03:30







Russia has told residents in three regions neighbouring Ukraine not to use dating apps, to prevent Kyiv collecting intelligence.
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Search crews have carried out further inspections of a luxury yacht that sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily as the hunt for six people feared trapped in the vessel continues.
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One dead and six still missing after British vessel sank in storm off Sicily

Rescue personnel work in the area where the luxury yacht sank, off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, after the vessel was hit by a violent storm. Photo: Reuters

Giselda Vagnoni Wed 21 Aug 2024 at 03:30







Divers scoured the wreck of a luxury yacht off Sicilys coast yesterday in the search for six missing people, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter, following an intense storm that sank the vessel early on Monday.
This combination of six undated photos shows hostages, from top left, Alex Dancyg, Abraham Munder and Yagev Buchshtab and from bottom left, Yoram Metzger, Haim Peri and Nadav Popplewell, who were held hostage by Hamas militants in Gaza. On Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, the Israeli military said its forces recovered their bodies in an overnight operation in southern Gaza, without saying when or how the six died. Hostages Families Forum announced their deaths while in Hamas captivity. (The Hostages Families Forum via AP)
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Obamas share warnings about Trump amid rousing Harris endorsements

Steve Peoples, Jonathan J Cooper and Zeke Miller Wed 21 Aug 2024 at 07:25







Warning of a difficult fight ahead, former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama on Tuesday called on the nation to embrace Kamala Harris in urgent messages to the Democratic National Convention that were at times both hopeful and ominous.
India, Malaysia Agree to Expand Cooperation in Emerging Sectors

India and Malaysia have agreed to enhance trade relations, facilitate worker movement, and promote the use of their national currencies for bilateral transactions. On August 20, 2024, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim met to discuss ways to elevate the partnership between their nations.

Indias Prime Minister Modi hosted bilateral talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Ibrahim in New Delhi, focusing on expanding cooperation in emerging areas, such as digitalization, defense manufacturing, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence (AI).

On August 20, 2024, the leaders acknowledged the success of the Enhanced Strategic Partnership established in 2015, which has significantly strengthened ties between India and Malaysia. The two countries agreed to elevate this partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Expanding cooperation across key sectors

Anwar Ibrahim, who assumed office in 2022, made his first official visit to India as the Malaysian PM. According to media reports, the Malaysian leader is keen on improving relations with India. Since April 2023, both nations have been settling trade in their respective currencies, the rupee and the ringgit, and Indias palm oil imports from Malaysia have seen a noticeable increase.

The latest round of discussions covered a wide range of areas, including defense, trade, digital technology, education, tourism, and cultural exchange.

During the meeting of the two Prime Ministers, several key agreements were signed, including Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) covering employment, traditional medicine, digital technology, culture, youth engagement, financial services, and governance reforms. These agreements underscore the expanding scope of cooperation between the two nations.

India also agreed to support Malaysias request to join the BRICS grouping, a move that Prime Minister Ibrahim has been advocating for.

India-Malaysia trade growth

Modi has claimed that in FY 2023-24, Malaysia invested US$5 billion in India. The trade between the two countries reached US$20.01 billion in the previous financial year. In addition, Modi called for a swift review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) to strengthen supply chains.

India-Malaysia Trade Trends Year-On-Year (Value in US$ Million) Trade 2019-2020 2020-2021 2021-2022 2022-2023 2023-2024 India exports to Malaysia 6,364.66 6,057.68 6,995.04 7,156.16 7,262.15 Growth % -4.82 15.47 2.30 1.48 India imports from Malaysia 9,782.28 8,373.05 12,424.20 12,734.94 12,754.01 Growth % -14.41 48.38 2.50 0.15 Total Trade 16,146.94 14,430.73 19,419.24 19,891.11 20,016.17

Source: Ministry of Commerce and Industry



Meanwhile, Indian Foreign Ministry official Jaideep Mazumdar announced a special one-time export of 200,000 metric tons of non-basmati rice to Malaysia, despite Indias general ban on such exports.

On July 20, 2023, India announced its decision to ban exports of non-basmati white rice to calm rising domestic prices in the domestic market. The country is the worlds top rice exporter, accounting for some 40 percent of the global trade in cereal.

Advancing collaboration

India and Malaysia agreed to further collaboration in sustainable energy, climate change, agriculture, and cultural exchange. India expressed interest in selling defense equipment to Malaysia, including aircraft produced by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. Both nations also agreed on a framework to ensure the welfare of Indian workers in Malaysia, where approximately 140,000 Indian workers are currently employed. This number could increase as India seeks to create more job opportunities both domestically and abroad.

Conclusion

The latest discussions between India and Malaysia mark a significant milestone in India-Malaysia relations, with a focus on expanding cooperation across various sectors and tackling global challenges together.

Additionally, both sides agreed to collaborate further on global challenges such as sustainable energy, climate change, and worker welfare, positioning India and Malaysia as strong partners in the region and on the global stage.
Photo Courtesy: File photo from Wallpaper Cave

New Delhi/IBNS: The Peer-to-Peer (P2P) lending industry is staring at a potential decline in new investments and subdued growth following the tightening of regulations by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), according to Financial Express.

The new RBI guidelines have barred P2P lenders from offering immediate withdrawal facility, which was a major attraction for investors, reports Financial Express, adding that several players have already communicated with their customers informing them that they have discontinued the facility.

Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending is a type of platform that allows participants to borrow and lend sums of money without having to rely on a conventional financial institution to control transactions.

P2P lending platform's immediate withdrawal facility was marketed under the guise of secondary market transactions.

For example, in this set-up, if a lender which has originally lent an amount of Rs 100 for a 12-month period decides to withdraw the remaining Rs 80 after two months, the P2P platform facilitates this by selling the remaining loan (Rs 80) to a new lender which is interested in lending, and essentially, this process functions as a transfer of loans from the original lender to a new one, according to Financial Express.

The central bank has also barred the use of algorithm in selection of borrowers, and from now on, lenders have to choose borrowers manually, as per reports.

According to experts, the P2P lending industry is also expecting operational costs to increase, while under the new norms, a platform will require funds in the escrow accounts of lenders and borrowers to be cleared within a day (T+1), which means there will be higher transfer charges.

Earlier on Friday (August 16), the apex bank tightened the rules for P2P lending platforms, prohibiting them from taking on any credit risk, offering credit enhancement, or providing guarantees.

The RBI said, in the revised guidelines, that a P2P platform should not promote peer-to-peer lending as an investment product with features like tenure-linked assured minimum returns, liquidity options, etc, reports Financial Express.
Photo Courtesy: WHO/Katson Maliro

The health department has directed three Delhi government hospitals to set up specific isolation rooms for suspected and confirmed mpox patients.

India has not reported any mpox cases so far during the current global outbreak of the disease.

"Three Delhi government hospitals -- LNJP, GTB (Guru Teg Bahadur hospital) and Baba Saheb Ambedkar -- have been directed to set up isolation rooms for suspected and confirmed cases of the disease. While LNJP (Lok Nayak Jai Prakash hospital) has been designated as the nodal facility, two other hospitals are on standby," a senior health department official told Business Today.

Meanwhile, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi has reportedly issued a guideline to handle suspected mpox-infected patients.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is continuously monitoring the mpox situation.

As advised by the Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, Dr. P. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, chaired a high-level meeting recently to review the status of preparedness for Mpox in the country and related public health measures, an official statement said.

As per the present assessment, the risk of a large outbreak with sustained transmission is low, the Indian government said.

Also Read: Mpox: All you need to know about latest public health emergency which is leaving nations alert

Meanwhile, a top official of the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said Mpox is not the new COVID and European governments need to show strong political commitment to eliminate it.

Briefing journalists in Geneva, Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, insisted that the risk from mpox to the general population was low.

He rejected comparisons between the fast-spreading viral disease which the agency declared an international public health emergency last week, and the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of whether its mpox clade 1, behind the ongoing outbreak in east-central Africa, or mpox clade 2, behind the 2022 outbreak that initially impacted Europe and has continued to circulate in Europe since.

We know how to control mpox - and in the European region - the steps needed to eliminate its transmission altogether, Dr. Kluge continued.

Transmission pattern

Current scientific knowledge about the virus indicates that it primarily transmits through skin-to-skin contact with mpox lesions, including during sex. The UN health agency officials reply to questions about whether Europe would experience COVID-like lockdowns was an unequivocal no.

Speaking via video link from Copenhagen, Dr. Kluge recalled that the 2022 European mpox outbreak was brought under control thanks to the direct engagement with the most affected communities of men who have sex with men.

He cited behaviour change, non-discriminatory public health action and mpox vaccination as factors of success in Europe in 2022. However, the region failed to go the last mile to quash the disease and is currently seeing some 100 new mpox clade 2 cases every month, he said.

Last week, Sweden became the first country outside Africa to record a case of the mpox clade 1 variant at the centre of the latest outbreak, which has been spreading from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to neighbouring countries. The Swedish case concerned a person who had travelled to an affected area of Africa.

The current state of alert due to clade 1, which is considered to be more severe, gives European health authorities the opportunity to also strengthen focus on clade 2 and eliminate it once and for all, Dr. Kluge urged.

Smallpox vaccines work

The UN health agency representative called specifically for European solidarity with Africa, notably regarding equitable access to vaccines.

WHO recommends the use of MVA-BN or LC16 vaccines, or the ACAM2000 vaccine when the others are not available. These have originally been developed against the now-eradicated disease smallpox.

WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said that the producer of MVA-BN, Bavarian Nordic, has capacity to manufacture 10 million doses by end of 2025 and can already supply up to two million doses this year. As for LC16, which is a vaccine produced on behalf of the Government of Japan, he underscored that there is a considerable stockpile of this vaccine.

Japan has been very generous in the past with donations and is currently in negotiations with the DRC Government, he said.

The DRC has reported more than 15,600 mpox cases so far this year and some 540 deaths.
Photo Courtesy: PMO India X page

Indian PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday described Poland as a 'key economic partner' in Central Europe ahead of his visit to the country.

Modi is the first Indian PM to visit Poland in 45 years.

His visit to the European nation coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Poland.

Leaving for Warsaw. This visit to Poland comes at a special time- when we are marking 70 years of diplomatic ties between our nations. India cherishes the deep rooted friendship with Poland. This is further cemented by a commitment to democracy and pluralism.



I will hold talks  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 21, 2024

In his departure speech, Modi said: "My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe. Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship. I look forward to meeting my friend Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda to further advance our partnership."

He said he is looking forward to engaging with the members of the 'vibrant' Indian community in Poland.

After Poland, Modi will visit conflict-torn Ukraine.

"From Poland, I will be visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine," he said.

"I look forward to the opportunity to build upon earlier conversations with President Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict. As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region," Modi said.
Photo courtesy: Screenshot grab from X post

Kolkata/IBNS: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Wednesday took over the security of Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where a 31-year-old junior doctor was raped and murdered, following the Supreme Court order.

A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud gave the order while hearing a suo motu case related to the RG Kar hospital incident.

"It is essential to maintain safe conditions for doctors to pursue their duty. Thus we have been assured by SG Mehta that CISF shall be deputed in sufficient numbers to guard the facility of RG Kar Medical college ..Mr Sibal says there is no objection since the aim is to safeguard the place. Any concern regarding to their safety can be placed by an email to the registrar judicial of this court," the CJI said.

Earlier on August 14 midnight, a mob vandalised the hospital and Kolkata Police personnel deployed there allegedly fled the scene during the attack, due to which the court has asked for added security, especially since many residents have left their place of duty.

The Supreme Court came down heavily on the West Bengal government over delay in filing FIR in the horrific rape-murder case and ordered setting up of a National Task Force to look into the safety of healthcare staff in hospitals across the country.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently probing both rape-murder and hospital vandalism cases, having taken over from Kolkata Police based on a Calcutta High Court order.

Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer of Kolkata Police and the only accused arrested so far in connection with the rape-murder case, is now in CBI custody and he will be facing a polygraph test soon.

The Kolkata Police said they have arrested more than 30 people so far in connection with the hospital vandalism case.

The junior doctors, particularly in West Bengal, went on a strike demanding justice for the 31-year-old, who is now referred to as Tillotama, cripping the medical system of the state.

Not just the students, people from diverse fraternities are conducting rallies in Kolkata and neighbouring districts on a regular basis with one-point demand, justice for the victim.
Photo Courtesy: PIB India

While Rahul Gandhi opposed it, another Congress MP Shashi Tharoor came out in support of the Centre's lateral entry scheme and said it is an indispensable method for the government to acquire expertise.

My position on lateral entry is that it is an indispensable method for the government to acquire expertise which it otherwise lacks, in specific areas of specialisation for which there are no qualified persons already in government service. In the short term, it remains https://t.co/cw3wAT7gZO  Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) August 19, 2024

"My position on lateral entry is that it is an indispensable method for the government to acquire expertise which it otherwise lacks, in specific areas of specialisation for which there are no qualified persons already in government service. In the short term, it remains unavoidable. In the long-term, what is needed is for government officers, recruited under the existing rules, including applicable reservations, to be trained in the necessary specialisations needed by the government," he posted on X.

The government Tuesday requested the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to withdraw its advertisement for lateral entry into bureaucracy, amid intense opposition criticism and pressure from ally Chirag Paswan, who had also expressed reservations against the move.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes that the "move should be aligned with social justice", Union Minister Jitender Singh wrote in a letter to the UPSC chief.

UPSC last week issued an advertisement seeking "talented and motivated Indian nationals" for lateral recruitment to various senior positions within the Union government.

These positions included Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary in 24 ministries, with a total of 45 posts up for grabs.

"While most of the major lateral entries before 2014 were made in an ad-hoc manner, including cases of alleged favouritism, efforts of our government have been to make the process institutionally driven, transparent and open," the minister's letter read.

"The Prime Minister is of the firm belief that the process of lateral entry must be aligned with the principles of equity and social justice enshrined in our Constitution, particularly concerning the provisions of reservation."

Lateral entry into the bureaucracy refers to recruitments from outside traditional government service cadres, such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), to fill mid and senior-level positions in government departments.

The move triggered a debate on lateral entry into bureaucracy, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi denouncing the process as an "attack on Dalits".

The ruling BJP countered by pointing out that the concept emerged under a Congress-led government.

Even Union Minister Chirag Paswan, the BJP's Bihar ally, echoed the criticism.

However, Paswan has welcomed the retraction of the move, saying it showed the government cared about people's concerns.

"Since the time the lateral entry issue came to my notice, I raised it in front of concerned authorities at different places. I presented the concerns of SC/ST and backward people regarding this issue to the Prime Minister. For the past two days, I have been in touch with the PM and his office. He held in-depth discussions with me and I submitted relevant documents to his office. In all kinds of government appointments, rules of reservation should be followed by the government," he was quoted as saying by NDTV.

"I am happy that my Prime Minister Modi understood the concerns of SC/ST and backward people. My party and I thank PM Modi," he added.
Photo courtesy: Screenshot grab from YouTube video

Kolkata/IBNS: Dr. Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital where 31-year-old trainee doctor was raped and murdered, used to sell unclaimed dead bodies, claimed his ex-colleague.

Former RG Kar Hospital deputy superintendent, Akhtar Ali, said Dr. Ghosh removed all evidence of selling dead bodies.

"He is a criminal, not a doctor. He's ruined many students' lives.... He runs a mafia raj. He has ruined many lives, taught students to consume alcohol and he even sold unclaimed dead bodies and tampered with death records and removed the registers so that nobody comes to know about it," Ali told Times Now.

The former staffer said he had spoken about the illegal activities but no one acted even after Dr. Ghosh was found guilty in the probe.

Dr. Ghosh, who came under massive fire from the protesters who went into an indefinite strike demanding justice, was summoned for the sixth consecutive day after the Central Bureau of Investigation took charge of the case.

Dr. Ghosh, who faced the ire for alleged mismanagement and financial irregularities at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, resigned from his post facing protests from the medical students.

Though he had resigned, the Mamata Banerjee government had controversially appointed him to a similar post at Calcutta National Medical College within a few hours.

The trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered at the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, which is located in North Kolkata's Belgachia area.

One person, a civic volunteer, has been arrested in connection with the case but protesting students as well as the victim's parents suspect more people are involved in the case.
Photo Courtesy: PIB

Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim has hinted that his administration may consider the extradition of Islamic preacher Zakir Naik to India and said he is "open to any ideas and evidence submitted".

Naik, who faces charges of money laundering and hate speech in India, has been living in exile in Malaysia since 2017, as a runaway fugitive.

He left India in 2016.

He was granted a permanent residency by Malaysia's previous government led by Mahathir Mohamed.

Anwar Ibrahim, who was in India recently and met PM Narendra Modi, was quoted as saying by Firstpost: " It was not raised by the prime minister. He did raise much earlier, many years back. But the issue is, Im not talking about one person, Im talking about the sentiment of extremism, of compelling cases and evidence that suggests the atrocities committed by an individual or groups or parties."

"These are of concern to us. The atrocities of Israeli forces in Gaza, that is real We are open to any ideas and if evidence is submitted, we will not condone terrorism," he said.

India and Malaysia signed nine MoUs during PM Anwar Ibrahim's visit to New Delhi on Tuesday.

Following the bilateral meeting between Ibrahim and Indian PM Narendra Modi, 10 announcements related to both nations were also made.

Narendra Modi and his Malaysian counterpart to further intensify the multi-dimensional relationship. At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim will pay a State Visit to India on August 19-21.

This was the first visit of Anwar Ibrahim as the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

India and Malaysia have strong historical and socio-cultural linkages. Our bilateral relationship was elevated to the status of Enhanced Strategic Partnership in 2015 during the visit of Prime Minister Modi.

As both countries enter the second decade of Enhanced Strategic Partnership next year, the visit of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim would pave way for further strengthening of India-Malaysia bilateral ties by charting out a multi-sectoral cooperation agenda for the future.
Photo Courtesy: Narendra Modi Facebook page

Speaking to ANI, Saurabh Gilitwala said, I am from Mumbai, I came to Poland 7 years agoIt has been more than 40 years since an Indian President or PM has visited Poland. We are all excited as this visit will further strengthen India-Poland ties.

Ajay Sharma, a member of the Indian diaspora, said he is excited welcome Modi to the country.

Ajay Sharma told ANI, I have been in Poland for almost 6 years. I came here as a student in 2018. Then I established my own company here. And after I completed my studies, now I am working for my own company and growing my own company. We are very excited. Our friends and colleagues in different cities are asking about PM Modis schedule and they have even booked their tickets to travel to Warsaw to see PM Modi."

Indian PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday described Poland as a 'key economic partner' in Central Europe ahead of his visit to the country.

Modi is the first Indian PM to visit Poland in 45 years.

His visit to the European nation coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Poland.

In his departure speech, Modi said: "My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe. Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship. I look forward to meeting my friend Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda to further advance our partnership."

After Poland, Modi will visit conflict-torn Ukraine.
Photo Courtesy: Narendra Modi X page

Narendra Modi on Wednesday arrived in Poland, marking the visit of the first Indian PM in past 45 years.

After arriving in Warsaw, Modi said: " Landed in Poland. Looking forward to the various programmes here. This visit will add momentum to the India-Poland friendship and benefit the people of our nations."

Earlier in the day, Narendra Modi described Poland as a 'key economic partner' in Central Europe.

Landed in Poland. Looking forward to the various programmes here. This visit will add momentum to the India-Poland friendship and benefit the people of our nations. pic.twitter.com/KniZnr4x8g  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 21, 2024

His visit to the European nation coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Poland.

In his departure speech, Modi said: "My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe. Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship. I look forward to meeting my friend Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda to further advance our partnership."

He said he is looking forward to engaging with the members of the 'vibrant' Indian community in Poland.

After Poland, Modi will visit conflict-torn Ukraine.
Photo courtesy: X/Kunal Ghosh & @RDA_UP

Kolkata/IBNS: Amid nationwide doctors' protests in the wake of the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital , senior Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh has asked how the medicos would respond if security forces went on strike to demand "justice" against perpetrators of the 2019 Pulwama attack.

"With a request to doctors to end their strike, I have a question. There has been no justice in the Pulwama case. So, if jawans desert the borders and start a 'we want justice' strike, how would they see it?" Kunal Ghosh, who has been articulating the party's position in the aftermath of the rape-murder horror, said in a post on X.

    -



       'we want justice'        ,   ?  Kunal Ghosh (@KunalGhoshAgain) August 21, 2024

Forty personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on February 14 when an explosives-laden vehicle crashed into a convoy of vehicles transporting the security personnel.

Less than two weeks later, the Indian Air Force carried out airstrikes in Pakistan's Balakot and targeted a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp as retaliatory action.

Meanwhile, for the past 10 days, doctors across the country have been protesting against the chilling rape and murder at RG Kar Hospital on August 9.

Hearing the matter Tuesday, the Supreme Court set up a 10-member National Task Force to recommend steps to prevent violence against and ensure safe work conditions for healthcare professionals. "Medical professionals - doctors, nurses and paramedic staff - work round the clock. Unrestricted access to every part of healthcare institutions has made healthcare professionals susceptible to violence," the court said.

Following the court directive, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Wednesday took over the security of Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Also read: Central force deployed at Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital as per Supreme Court order

Earlier on August 14 at midnight, a mob vandalised the hospital and Kolkata Police personnel deployed there allegedly fled the scene during the attack, due to which the court has asked for added security, especially since many residents have left their place of duty.

The Trinamool leader's remarks come at a time when the Mamata Banerjee-led party is under fire over its handling of the heinous crime.

Last Tuesday, the Calcutta High Court transferred the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation, slamming the Kolkata Police which had "made no significant progress in the case".

The Trinamool Congress has countered the criticism over the incident by questioning what progress the CBI has made after it took over the probe.
Photo courtesy: Videograb from X

Hyderabad/IBNS: At least 15 people were killed and 17 others injured after a fire broke out at a pharmaceutical firm unit in Andhra Pradeshs Anakapalli district on Wednesday, media reports said.

The fire broke out at an Escientia Company plant in the Atchutapuram Special Economic Zone.

Anakapalli district collector Vijaya Krishnan told the media that the fire did not break out as a result of a reactor blast.

Initial media reports suggested that the fire broke as a result of a blast in one of the chemical reactors.

He suspected an electricity-related fire behind the incident, said reports.

According to the collector, 13 people who were trapped in the unit were rescued.

The injured have been shifted to the NTR Hospital for treatment.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the loss of lives.

"The CM assured that the government will stand by the families of the workers who died," said an official press release.

The blaze reportedly broke out during lunchtime when most staffers were not at work, averting a bigger disaster.
Photo courtesy: X/@MEAIndia

Warsaw/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a visit to Poland  a first for an Indian Prime Minister in more than four decades, joked that the "first" has been one of the biggest headlines back home.

Addressing a gathering of expat Indians, the Indian Prime Minister said that his recent visit to Austria has been another first in four decades. "It is my good fortune to bring about many firsts," he added to laughter and cheers.

Grateful to the Indian diaspora in Poland for their warmth. Speaking at a community programme in Warsaw. https://t.co/tqvRMS9bKF  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 21, 2024

This string of firsts, he indicated, was due to a 180 degree shift in foreign policy. "For decades, India's policy was to maintain distance from all countries," PM Modi said.

"Today, India's policy is to maintain close ties with all countries. Today's India wants to connect with everyone," he said in a subtle jab at the Non-Aligned Movement of the 70s under the then Congress government.

Ahead of his much-anticipated visit to Ukraine, Modi said this is not an era of war and pledged to campaign for a peaceful resolution of Russia's invasion.

Indian diaspora - a crucial pillar of - partnership!



A vibrant Indian diaspora in Poland welcomed PM @narendramodi with great joy and fervour.



In his address, PM shared his thoughts on the transformative progress achieved by the country and outlined his vision for Viksit pic.twitter.com/UyWlBG0blj  Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) August 21, 2024

"India is an advocate of permanent peace in this region. Our stand is very clear - this isn't an era of war. This is the time to come together against those challenges which threaten humanity. Therefore, India believes in diplomacy and dialogues," PM Modi said.

PM Modi, 73, will be the first Indian Prime Minister to make a Ukraine trip and is the first in 45 years to travel to Poland - Kyiv's close ally and a key transit for foreign leaders heading to its war-torn neighbour.

The Prime Minister spoke about the transformative progress achieved by India in the last 10 years.

He expressed confidence that India will become the third-largest economy in the next few years.

Landed in Poland. Looking forward to the various programmes here. This visit will add momentum to the India-Poland friendship and benefit the people of our nations. pic.twitter.com/KniZnr4x8g  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 21, 2024

He also spoke about his vision for the country to become a developed nation - Viksit Bharat - by 2047. He stated that Poland and India were enhancing their partnership in areas of new technology and clean energy and driving green growth.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi paid tributes to Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw, Poland.

Paid homage at the Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw. This Memorial is a tribute to the great Royal Family of Kolhapur. This Royal Family was at the forefront of giving shelter to Polish women and children displaced due to the horrors of World War II. Inspired by the ideals of pic.twitter.com/Nhb9flvqmH  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 21, 2024

He said that this Memorial is a tribute to the great Royal Family of Kolhapur. "This Royal Family was at the forefront of giving shelter to Polish women and children displaced due to the horrors of World War II," he added.

He was also given a grand welcome by the Indian community on his arrival in Poland.

Deeply touched by the warm welcome from the Indian community in Poland! Their energy embodies the strong ties that bind our nations. pic.twitter.com/mPUlhlsV99  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 21, 2024

PM Modi also laid a wreath and paid tribute at the Monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino in Warsaw earlier.

This Monument commemorates the sacrifice and valour of soldiers from Poland, India and other countries who fought alongside each other in the famous Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy during the second World War.

The Prime Ministers visit to the Monument underscores the shared history and deep-rooted ties between India and Poland that continue to inspire many.
Canada is witnessing a troubling surge in violent incidents linked to a handful of Sikh miscreants, raising alarm within communities across the nation and globally.

The escalating violence, driven by inter-gang rivalries among Khalistani extremist factions, is threatening to overshadow the peaceful image of the broader Sikh community in the country.

Just days ago, the normally quiet neighborhood of Surrey, British Columbia, was shaken by a brazen shooting incident.

Shots were fired at the residence of Raghbir Nijjar, cousin of the slain Khalistan separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Raghbir, a former president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in Surrey and a close associate of the controversial figure Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), is allegedly embroiled in the violent undercurrents that have recently gripped the region. Raghbir, who is also running for the temple presidency again, has been tainted by allegations of drug involvement, further complicating the already volatile situation.

This attack is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of violence stemming from internal power struggles and gang wars within these extremist groups. Experts suggest that while the Khalistan issue is often cited, the real motive behind these violent confrontations may be the control of millions of dollars, fueling these dangerous rivalries.

Adding to the list of alarming incidents, Satinder Pal Singh Raju, a key figure in organizing Khalistan referendums and a close ally of the late Hardeep Singh Nijjar, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on Interstate 505 near San Francisco on August 11. The truck Raju was traveling in was riddled with bullets, underscoring the lethal stakes involved in these internecine battles.

Raju, who has been active in promoting the Khalistan agenda across North America, played a significant role in organizing referendum votes in various cities, including Calgary, Alberta, and San Francisco, California. His involvement in these activities, particularly after Nijjars assassination in June 2023, has kept him in the crosshairs of rival factions.

The string of violent episodes has cast a shadow over the Sikh community in the diaspora, which has a long history of peaceful coexistence and significant contributions to their respective countrys multicultural fabric. However, the actions of a few have raised concerns about the communitys reputation, both domestically and internationally.

As violence continues to escalate, community leaders and law enforcement agencies are on high alert, fearing that these internal conflicts could spiral further out of control, endangering more lives and deepening the communitys divide.

The Sikh community globally now faces the challenge of addressing this escalating violence and distancing itself from the actions of a few who are bringing shame to a proud and peaceful heritage. The coming days will be critical in determining whether this wave of violence will be curtailed or if it will continue to mar the communitys image on the global stage.

(Image ad text courtesy: Khalsavox.com)
Photo Courtesy: Super Avia Catalana X page

Maria Branyas Morera, who is the oldest person on earth, has died at a nursing home in Spain, her official X page confirmed.

She was 117.

"Maria Branyas has left us. She has died as she wanted: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain," read the post on her official X page.

Guinness World Records also confirmed her death and said the organization was saddened by the death of Maria.

"Aged 117 years 168 days, she was the eighth-oldest person (with a verifiable age) in history," GWR said in a statement.

She was confirmed to be the worlds oldest woman (and person overall) in January 2023, following the death of Lucile Randon (France).

Maria attributed her longevity to order, tranquility, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity, and staying away from toxic people.

She was earlier quoted as saying by GWR: I think longevity is also about being lucky. Luck and good genetics.

She was born in San Francisco, USA, in 1907.

After living in both Texas and New Orleans, the family decided to return to Catalonia in 1915, amidst the First World War.

They later settled in Spain.

Aged 24, Maria married her husband, Dr Joan Moret, and they went on to have three children.

After living through both World Wars, the Spanish Civil War, and the Spanish Flu pandemic, Maria also survived COVID-19 in 2020.
Bus accident leaves 28 Pakistani pilgrims dead. Photo Courtesy: X page video grab

At least 28 Pakistani pilgrims died and 23 others were injured in a bus accident in Irans Yazd city on Tuesday.

According to reports, they were travelling to Iraq for a Shiite Muslim ritual.

Pakistans Ambassador to Iran Mudassir Tipu confirmed the incident and posted on X: " In pursuit of their religious journey,28 Pakistani Zaireen laid down their lives last night in Yazd city in bus accident.Another 23 are injured.I have no words to express grief but I can assure that I will do my very best for repatriation of those who passed away."

"And look after the injured ones.Embassy officials have already left for Yazd, almost 700 km away from embassy,this morning. An officer in Zahedan is overseeing emergency arrangements.I'm in touch with Iran government and office of Mayor of Yazd for crucial arrangements," the envoy said.

PM Shehzad Sharif expressed sadness

Pakistan PM Shehzad Sharif has expressed sadness over the loss of lives in the tragedy.

"Deeply saddened by the loss of lives at a bus accident of Pakistani Zaireen near Yazd in Iran. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest. I have directed our Mission in Tehran to extend all possible assistance to the affected families," he posted n X.

According to media reports, the bus overturned and caught fire close to the Taftan-Dehshir check point.

As many as 53 passengers were present on the bus at the time of the accident.

The pilgrims were on their way to join the Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraqs Karbala Governorate.
photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense has said nine Chinese naval vessels and eight military aircraft were tracked around the region between 6 a.m. on Sunday (Aug. 18) and 6 a.m. on Monday, media reports said.

Of the eight Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, four crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the countrys central, southwestern, and eastern air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND as quoted by Focus Taiwan.

Taiwan responded and sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity.

So far this month, Taiwan has tracked PLA aircraft 294 times and Chinese ships 174 times. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval vessels operating around Taiwan, reported Focus Taiwan.

What is the basis of Chinas claim over Taiwan?

The basis of Chinas claim over Taiwan dates back to 1945 when Japan lost its control over the island in 1945,post-World War Two.

The 1949 Chinese civil war led to communists taking control and Chiang Kai-shek the one who lost fled to Taiwan. He ruled it for many decades. This is where Chinas claim to Taiwan emanates.

The very fact that Chiang Kai-shek came to Taiwan and was not indigenous to the place is Taiwans argument against the claim.

Why is Taiwan important to China?

A lot of things actually, which of course are related to Taiwan but not necessarily direct to Taiwan. It's more about (China's) relationship changing with the United States  or we should say Western Countries, mainly the United States and China. Taiwan then happens to become a key player and main actor in this dynamics, said Alice.

100 miles from the coast of China, Taiwan is an island, that is located in the first island chain, this positioning makes it crucial to the US foreign policy.

US-Sino relations hinge on, One China Policy, it acknowledges that, there is only one Chinese Government." The US recognises its formal ties with China. With Taiwan the US shares independent strong unofficial relations.
At a time when international shows are creating buzz in the digital space, French thriller La Maison is all set to release on OTT platform Netflix starting September 19. There will be 10-episodes of the series streaming on Apple TV+. The trailer for the show is not yet out, but here's everything else you need to know about the show:

Flash !

Apple TV+ annonce que la serie francaise La Maison debutera sa diffusion le 20 septembre prochain ! 

+ premiere photo ! 



Les 2 premiers episodes sur 10 sortiront le premier jour, la serie se deroule dans un atelier de haute couture emblematique base a Paris et on pic.twitter.com/wBMICO9C1j  Apple TV+ Fr Actu (@AppleTVPlusFrA) June 26, 2024

Plot

If you are someone who loves French drama and scandal, La Maison is just for you. The drama revolves around a French fashion house and family rivals.

Also Read: Monsters - The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story OTT release date Netflix: When to watch the true-crime series

La Maison is basically about a fashion house that faces a scandal, leaving its family's legendary fashion couture house in controversy. Characters Perle Foster and Paloma Castel get together further in the story, recreate LEDU, and claim their place in the LeDu family and the fashion world.

Is the plot of La Maison based on real life?

No, the story of La Maison is totally fictional, but yes, the Apple TV+ series has taken inspiration from the real-life culture of French fashion houses. It is well known that powerful infulential families control and have controlled several famous fashion houses. There are many families that have since sold controlling stakes to larger fashion conglomerates.

Cast and crew

The star cast of La Maison includes Lambert Wilson, Amira Casar, and Zita Hanrot, among others, in lead roles.

The Apple TV+ series has been directed by Fabrice Gobert and Daniel Grou. The writing credits for La Maison belong to Jose Caltagirone and Valentine Milville.

For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.


People love to poke fun at Akshay Kumar for doing five or six movies a year while his peers barely manage one every couple of years. His bank account has become a punchline of its own. But here's the plot twisthailed as Khiladi Kumar, the Bollywood actor does not only have a big bank balance but also a big heart. He makes sure he gives back to society in whichever way he can.



Mukesh Chhabra's recalls Akshay Kumar's heartwarming effort for his mother

Casting director Mukesh Chhabra has recently revealed how Akshay Kumar helped him when his mother was sick. In conversation with Ranveer Allahbadia for his podcast, Chhabra revealed that when his mother Kamal Chhabra had a heart problem two years ago, Tanu Weds Manu director Anand L Rai suggested he should refer to a renowned doctor at a prominent hospital. When he got to know that Akki knew the doctor well, he dropped him a message. The actor who has a golden heart called him immediately and got everything arranged for his mother. He called him every day for 15 days to keep a check and was even speaking to the doctor to get updates.





He said, Despite being so busy, he would ask every morning, 'Mummy da ki haal hai?' I can't forget that at all. He even met my mother. It is not even that we are regularly in touch, because you take this step to help someone when you know them at a personal level but still, he did that. We started talking after that, but I cant forget that moment." Mukesh Chhabra's mother had passed away in April this year.

Akshay Kumar recently donated Rs 1.21 crores to Haji Ali Dargah

A couple of weeks ago, Akshay Kumar had donated Rs 1.21 crores for renovation of Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai. The official Instagram handle of Haji Ali Dargah posted a video of his visit and also thanked him and also thanked him. Earlier, the actor had donated Rs 3 crores for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.

For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.


After months of speculations about their romance hitting the rock bottom, Jennifer Lopez has reportedly filed for divorce from Ben Affleck. This comes two years after they gave their relationship a second chance by getting married in Las Vegas' drive-through Chapel. This comes amid the reports of them living separately for some time now.

Jennifer Lopez files for divorce from Ben Affleck amid financial dispute

Jennifer Lopez Files for Divorce from Ben Affleck, No Pre Settlement



pic.twitter.com/IHTyeh8ZTi  Siraj anwar (@sirajanwar_13) August 20, 2024

It was in the summer of 2021 when Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck made headlines for their romance growing stronger after their break up in 2004. One of the most loved couples of Hollywood was back together. They were often spotted walking hand-in-hand and their fans were only left gushing. They finally made it official by marrying in 2022. Two years later, rumors of trouble in their relationship began swirling, and now their divorce has made headlines.



According to sources cited by the Daily Mail, Bennifer didn't sign a prenuptial agreement before their July 2022 wedding. This means that any income they earned separately in the previous two years, including the income from their brand deals and film projects, would be considered part of their shared assets. Court documents also show that Jennifer requested the judge to deny spousal support for Ben, even though she isn't seeking it for herself.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's love story - 20 years of love and two splits

Looks like the man has already given up years ago.



Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleckpic.twitter.com/bROe0jwmuM  Yellow Bird (@YellowLove243) August 20, 2024

It all began in the year 2000 when they first met on the sets of Gigli, in which they played criminals stuck on a job together. In 2002 when the film was released, Ben had reportedly proposed to Jennifer and they were already in a relationship. It is said that they were engaged by the end of the year too. In 2004, they were even planning to get married. However, they called off their engagement and instead ended their relationship. This was quite shocking to their fans who fondly called them Bennifer.

They went their own separate ways and dated other people. They both got married to their respective partners and even had kids and got divorced. Bennifer once again made headlines in 2021 after rumours of them being together again started to swirl around. By the next year, they got married and were even spotted having a gala time on their honeymoon in Paris.

Also Read: After 20 Years Of Romance, Jennifer Lopez-Ben Affleck Marry In Las Vegas' Drive-Through Chapel

For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.


Michelle Obama took the stage at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Tuesday with a fiery speech that directly criticized former US President Donald Trump while showing strong support for Kamala Harris.

In a pointed attack on Trump, Michelle Obama referenced his previous controversial comments about undocumented migrants taking "Black jobs." She quipped, "Who's going to tell him that the job he is currently seeking might be one of those Black jobs?" Her remark underscored Trump's history of racially charged rhetoric and his efforts to question President Barack Obama's eligibility for office.

Michelle Obama: "Who's gonna tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those black jobs?"



DAMN! pic.twitter.com/ex79AChbBN  Blue Georgia (@BlueATLGeorgia) August 21, 2024

"For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us," Michelle Obama said, continuing her criticism. "His limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking and highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black."

Revisiting Trumps controversial narrative on Black jobs

Trump has faced backlash for claiming during a June debate with President Biden that immigrants are taking "Black jobs" and "Hispanic jobs." His statement prompted the NAACP to respond on X: "What exactly are Black and Hispanic jobs!?!"

Despite the criticism, Trump reiterated his "Black jobs" stance during an interview at the National Association of Black Journalists' annual convention last month. When asked to define a Black job, he responded, "A Black job is anybody that has a job. That's what it is," a remark that drew laughter from the audience.

Michelle Obamas message goes beyond Trump

While Michelle Obamas speech heavily critiqued Trump, she also delivered a broader message, urging all Americans to take action. "Look, I don't care how you identify politically, whether you're Democrat, Republican, independent, or none of the above, this is our time to stand up for what we know in our hearts is right," she said. "To stand up, not just for our basic freedoms, but for decency and humanity, for basic respect, dignity, and empathy for the values at the very foundation of this democracy."

The former First Lady also lauded Kamala Harris, calling her "one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency." She highlighted Harris's achievements and noted that her dignified representation stems from a legacy of strong women.

Also Read: Why Taylor Swift is being dragged into US presidential race by Donald Trump

Michelle Obama opened her address with a hopeful note, reflecting on a nation grappling with uncertainty and subtly critiquing Trump's tenure. "America, hope is making a comeback," she declared, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd.

For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
In a viral video circulating on social media, an Indian woman is seen visibly frustrated while attending a music festival in Albania. Her candid account of her experience as a tourist in Albania has struck a chord, with many expressing support for her after she described facing racism while others perpetuated the same.

The Indian woman had been attending a Jason Derulo concert in Tirana, Albania.

Check out her video:

Female Indian tourist is told to "Go back to India" by local girls at an Albanian Music festival. pic.twitter.com/8kJcsYSHd7  Posts By Feds (@SuspectFed) August 20, 2024

In the video, she shares her experience, saying, "I was waiting in the line and there is this group of four girls who just came up, cut the line and when I pointed it out, they said repeatedly that I should go back to my country."

"[they] laughed about it, they called me their mother and all of that jazz."

She concludes sarcastically, "I feel very welcome Albania. Great job, thank you very much."

How did people react?

Opinions on social media were divided.

Some users highlighted Albania's reputation for racism, with one saying, "Albania is one of the most rac1st countries in the world" and another noting the irony: "That's so funny because Albanians complain of discrimination & racism when they try to immigrate to the EU & UK.."

Credit: United States Department of State | Albania

Others took a stronger stance, shockingly supporting the racist behavior.

Credit: X/ @SuspectFed

One user pointed out the hypocrisy in the comments section: "'We aren't racist!' All the comments then proceed to insult the victim instead of denouncing the racist comments said to her. You are all really proving your point."



Another echoed this sentiment: "Jesus the fact no one here has even referred to the racists negatively and 80% of comments are an insult targeted at the victim says a lot."

To stay updated on the stories that are going viral, follow Indiatimes Trending.
Greece's Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) is holding an auction today to sell 26-week Treasury bills, targeting a total of 500 million euros.

The short-term debt instruments will mature on January 24, 2025, and settle on July 26, 2024.

Participation is restricted to primary dealers, who can submit their bids electronically through the H.D.A.T. system. Non-competitive bids, up to 20% of the total auction amount, can be submitted until noon local time today, with no further non-competitive bids accepted after that deadline.

The T-bill auction is a key part of Greece's ongoing strategy to manage its public debt and secure the necessary funding for government operations.

The auction's success will be closely watched by financial markets as an indicator of investor confidence in the Greek economy.

   iefimerida.gr
The Greek government is moving swiftly to implement its recovery plan for the victims of the devastating wildfire that ravaged northeast Attica on August 11th.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, after visiting the fire-stricken areas and meeting with local mayors and key ministers, pledged immediate action

to provide compensation for property damage and restore municipal infrastructure and the natural environment.

A platform for submitting initial aid claims by affected residents and businesses has already been activated. Additionally, extensive reforestation efforts covering 58,340 hectares in Attica will commence, funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility and implemented by the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund and forestry services.

The government has also allocated over 2.1 billion euros for upgrading civil protection systems and infrastructure, with approximately 1 billion euros from national and EU funds earmarked for forest protection and management.

While acknowledging that "we can never be fully satisfied when events surpass our efforts," Mr. Mitsotakis stressed the need for a calm and objective evaluation of the firefighting response.

He promised a comprehensive review in Parliament at the end of the fire season to assess "what went right and what went wrong," addressing criticism from the opposition.

Despite the challenges posed by climate change and the recent wildfire, the government remains committed to continuously improving the civil protection system.

Translated by Anthee Carasavva



   iefimerida.gr
The new governor of the Mt Athos monastic community, retired general Alkiviadis Stefanis, formally assumed his duties on Wednesday in Karyes.

In a brief statement, the new civil administrator of the historic all-male community expressed appreciation for his welcome.

He added that his only purpose was "to serve the Mt Athos community and contribute to (its) continuation and increase of global prestige".

   iefimerida.gr
Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), on Tuesday, directed teachers nationwide to down tools and begin an indefinite strike should the Police arrest the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Joe Ajaero.

Recall that on Monday the Intelligence Response Team arm of the Nigerian Police Force, invited Ajaero, for questioning over Criminal Conspiracy, Terrorism Financing, Treasonable Felony, Subversion and Cybercrime.

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Reacting, NUT in a circular to its state wings nationwide by its President and Acting Secretary General, Audu Amba and Abdullahi Mohammed, respectively, asked teachers to prepare for industrial action.

The Union said: As you may be aware, the President of NLC was invited by the Nigeria Police Force on the premise of unfounded and politically-motivated investigation into alleged terrorism financing, cybercrime, subversion, criminal conspiracy, and treasonable felony.

READ ALSO: If Anything Happens To Ajaero, Well Go On Strike Tonight  NLC Threatens

The Congress considers the act of harassment and intimidation as an attempt by the Police to stifle the voice of the working people as represented by the Leadership of the Congress.

Consequently, the NEC of the NLC met and resolved to, among other things, direct all affiliates and State Councils to immediately commence the process of mobilizing their members across the nation as the Congress would not hesitate to take all necessary actions, to protect the integrity and independence of the labour movement.

In the light of the above, the NUT hereby directs al State Wings of the Union to mobilize all teachers and be prepared to proceed on an indefinite nationwide strike action by 12 midnight today, if anything happens to the President or any other leader of the Congress.

The NUT stands with the NLC in this struggle to uphold justice, fairness, and the rule of law in our nation.

All State wings are therefore directed to be on alert as they await further directives.
The Federal Government has come up with plans to save over N10 billion from the coming United Nations Climate Change Conference, Conference of Parties (COP29).

The plan, as stated by the Presidency on Tuesday, is in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubus promise to reduce the cost of governance.

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This years Conference of Parties (COP29 will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The Presidency said the move was necessitated by the humongous government delegations that went for COP28 in Dubai last year, a development that sparked public criticism.

Addressing a press conference at the State House on Tuesday, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, noted that what transpired last year will not repeat itself.

According to him, Tinubu had requested for an inquest after what happened in Dubai, adding that even though there were some deliberate misinformation, the truth of the matter is, we also found that there were government officials who had no business at that meeting.

Ngelale, who explained that the measure would save the government about N10 billion from the 11-day event, said government would no longer hire a pavilion which costs $5,000, but a delegation office will be set up inside the premises.

He added that some of the wasteful platforms that give rise to consultancies and subcontracts for lighting and other technology provisions will not be used as they can be provided directly by the National Council on Climate Change.

He said: Many Nigerians would recall that after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Government of Nigerias delegation to COP 28 in Dubai, UAE, last year, there were some elements of outcry concerning the size of the delegation.

READ ALSO: Not All COP28 Delegates Are Sponsored By FG  Presidency To Nigerians<a

There was deliberate misinformation, but the truth of the matter is, we also found that there were government officials who had no business at that meeting, and some with significant delegations.

In view of this, President Bola Tinubu, had approved an audit to be undertaken of that exercise to fully understand and ascertain what happened and what must be done to ensure that what happened never repeats itself.

As a result of that, within the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action, which I lead, and in the Office of the Director General, CEO of the National Council on Climate Change in the person of Dr Nkeiruka Madukwe an exercise has been concluded detailing exactly what the expenditure profile was of COP 28 with a view to ensuring that we implement measures that would ensure that whatever is spent ahead of COP 29 has a function that will lead to the economic empowerment of our people and the economic development of our nation.

It is in view of that, that Im here to inform the Nigerian people that the National Council on Climate Change, in collaboration with my office, has established the climate accountability and transparency portal, which will, among other things, ensure that all members of delegation across ministries, departments and agencies and including even the legislative branch of government, will be captured on a transparent portal.

This will mean that Nigerians will have full and real time access into the numbers of who is attending and those who government is sponsoring to COP 29. This will also ensure that anyone who is attending this conference has an economic imperative to be at that conference, engaging with companies, multilateral partners and stakeholders who will attract finance and opportunity into the country for the benefit of our people.

With all of the savings through the provision and implementation of the climate accountability and transparency portal, as well as our active cut down of expenditure items that were found in the COP 28 expenditure profile. We have put ourselves in a position to save this country over 10 billion naira on this 11 day event in November, COP 29.
Four petroleum products hawkers, were on Tuesday apprehended in the Mile-2 area of Lagos State.

The Lagos State Taskforce on Environment and Special Offences Enforcement Unit which made the disclosure, said over 2,000 litres of the product were recovered in the State.

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According to the agencys spokesperson, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, hawking of Petroleum products is a recipe for disaster, hence the arrest of those indulging in such illegal and unwholesome practice.

Apart from the fire outbreak, he said the illegal structures where they sold the products were seriously impeding traffic in the Mile-2 Oke area.

The spokesperson noted that the operation was carried out following directives from the State government and the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Adegoke Fayoade.

Abdulraheem said the illegal structures were also used by suspected criminals, who always attacked motorists and other road users at night and early morning.

READ ALSO: They Dont Supply Us Anymore  IPMAN Blames NNPCL Over Fuel Scarcity

We have directives to dismantle the illegal structures and clear the area of vendors selling goods, particularly petroleum products, by the roadside.

Among the most pressing issues addressed is the illegal sale of petrol and diesel by the roadside, where over 2,000 litres of petroleum products have been seized.

This is a dangerous practice that poses a significant risk of fire hazards and explosions. We will ensure that such activities that endanger the lives of these illegal merchants and other road users are brought to a complete halt, he said.

Abdulraheem added that the agency would continue to monitor the area to prevent the resurgence of illegal activities and to ensure the roads remained clear for safe and smooth transportation.

He said those arrested would be charged to court, and items confiscated would be forfeited to the Lagos State government through the court.
Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Iliya Damagum, says he would not be forced to resign from his position.

While acknowledging that he is being pushed to the wall, he warned that if he opens his mouth, it will not be pleasant.

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Speaking at the inauguration of the Partys reconciliation and disciplinary committees in Abuja, on Wednesday, Damagum also warned members to stop speaking ill of the opposition Party.

The PDP has been battling with internal issues that arose before and after the 2023 elections.

Some party members have however faulted the Chairman for contributing to the ongoing crisis.

He said: Let me send a message to everyone talking about Damagum this, Damagum that  I cannot be intimidated. The more you mention me, the more popular I become.

I have a responsibility to this party to keep it safe and stable. I intend to take all necessary actions to ensure the party remains stable. But Ive reached a point where I have to speak out.

Ive avoided talking because I know so many things. When I open my mouth, I know it will not be pleasant, but thats the price of leadership. Im ready to take that bashing, more bashing.

And to my detractors, let me tell you, youll see more. Because I will not abdicate my responsibility. But I will act within the confines of the law, as stipulated by the constitution.

READ ALSO: PDP Crisis: Chairmanship Not A Matter Of Life And Death  Damagum

So Im not deterred, You can try to bring me down, but importantly, while doing so, please remember that we have NEC.

Damagum said, he always feels sad any time our members go on television saying that the party is dying, not mindful of the fact that the party has remained a force to reckon with in this country. We have faced several crises, yet today, we are still standing.

I dont know, maybe it is the wish of some for the party to die, but honestly speaking, as a dedicated member of this party, you should always speak positively of your party.

Meanwhile, Damagum advised former Federal Commissioner for Information and South-South leader, Edwin Clark to adopt a more inclusive approach and avoid being sentimental in addressing issues.

Clark had addressed Damagum, demanding that Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, must exit the PDP for the Party to endure.

Addressing Clark, Damagum stated, He has all it takes to do the needful, not by taking a sentimental approach to the situation.

Urging Clark to reflect on his age and refrain from engaging in public disputes, Damagum said, I will borrow Olisah Metuhs remarks from 2015, when Edwin Clark left the party.

Theres no doubt that he is an elder statesman. But I thought that when you reach that age, God has given you the opportunity and wisdom to be a father to all, not to engage in public arguments.

He has all it takes to do the needful, not by taking a sentimental approach to the situation. I was not raised to be disrespectful to elders, so I dont intend to dwell on this further.


The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has ordered former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, to present himself for arraignment.

The court gave the verdict on Tuesday while also restraining the embattled governor from taking further action until he is arraigned.

The appellate court gave the order while ruling on an appeal filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against the judgment of Justice Isah Abdullahi Jamil of the lower court which restrained the commission from arresting Bello.

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In the ruling delivered by Justice Ken Amadi, it also set aside the judgment previously delivered by the Kogi State High Court.

Bello had earlier approached the Kogi State High Court to stop his arrest.

His whereabouts have been officially unknown since the EFCC attempted to arrest him during a raid in his Abuja residence.

READ ALSO: FCT Court Declines Yahaya Bellos Plea To Transfer N80bn Fraud Case To Kogi

This followed a warrant of arrest and enrolment order granted to the EFCC by the court on April 17.

However, reports have suggested that he has been hiding in the Kogi State Government House.

The EFCC is prosecuting Bello for alleged criminal diversion and money laundering to the tune of N80,246,470,089.88 while he was in office as the Kogi State Governor.

He was charged with a 19-count charge of money laundering alongside three other suspects  Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman, and Abdulsalam Hudu.
The Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, has said that the future of Nigeria is at risk if the party lose Rivers State to an opposition party.

INFORMATION NIGERIA reports that PDP made this known, during a visitation to the states Governor, Sim Fubara, on Tuesday, amid crisis rocking a faction of the party, in the state.

Chairman of the BoT, Senator Adolphus Wabara, said that the members were in the oil-rich state in search of peace and unity of the PDP because they were scared of losing Rivers State.

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Wabara said: We were scared Sir, when we heard or read speculations, perceptions or what have you, that the party, if we are not careful, might lose Rivers State. Of course, if we lose Rivers State, Nigeria has lost its future.

READ MORE: Edo People Will Be Free From APC, PDPs Shackles After Governorship Poll  LP Candidate, Akpata

We dont want what happened in 2015, and 2023 to repeat itself.

These men and women you see here are very neutral. But as the conscience of the party, we must go by the rule of law. And anything you do, going by the rule of law, can never be wrong. It may be delayed, but it cannot be wrong.

And to assure you that the Board of Trustees under my watch and with these serious-minded Nigerians, will deal with the matter as constitutionally allowed.
The leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, Edwin Clark, has said that Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory, will need to exit the Peoples Democratic Party for the party to survive.

In an open letter to Umar Damagum, acting chair of the PDP, on Tuesday, Clark stated that he would not allow Wike destroy the countrys main opposition party.

The PANDEF leader alleged that the former governor of Rivers State is ready to use his relationship with President Bola Tinubu to exert his influence on the oil rich state.

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The elderly stateman, who read the letter during a press briefing at his Asokoro residence on Tuesday in Abuja, noted that he could not stand by and allow the minister to continue to frustrate Siminalayi Fubara, his successor.

He said: After conceding that former Rivers State governor, Peter Odili and his wife made him what he is today and will forever remain grateful to them, he is now abusing them. I wont allow him to destroy Rivers State.

Wike must leave PDP for the party to survive.

READ MORE: Hungry #EndBadGovernances Protesters Storm Wikes Residence In Port Harcourt (Pictures)

Mr. Acting National Chairman, as a matter of fact, it is not just the national legal adviser of the PDP that is shocked about your actions, all well-meaning, reasonable, patriotic, faithful and honest party members, including many Nigerians, are equally shocked.

The obvious anti-party activities of you and the national secretary, both of whom are obviously tools in the hands of Barr. Nyesom Wike, used with all intention to bring down the government of Siminalayi Fubara, the executive governor of Rivers State, as confessed by Barr.

As a matter of fact, his actions and attitude have become unconstitutional. His desire to control Rivers state using his structure is against Section 1 (2) of the 1999 Constitution.

As acting national chairman of your party, you took your partys NWC to court on the defection of the 27 members of the Rivers state house of assembly, that because they did leave the PDP properly, they are still members of the party, even after the 27 members had publicly declared that they have defected, and had already been received by the APC.

Your position Mr. Acting national chairman is antithetical to the position of Section 109. You took your party s NEC to court, an organ you preside over.

From all indications, you are conniving with detractors of PDP to ruin the party, for the APC.
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has tasked President Bola Tinubus administration to disclose the cost of the new presidential jet and the years it has been in operation.

The former Anambra states governor, who led this out vial his X page on Tuesday, added that Nigerians deserve to know how the old jets were disposed, their numbers, age, and reasons for selling them.

He emphasised the Federal Governments provision of adequate information about its leadership to the people, stating that transparency and accountability should be the hallmark of any genuine leadership.

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Obi said: Now that the presidential jet has arrived. From all indications, despite all the denials and back and forth over the newly acquired presidential aircraft, the jet is now here thanks to the French court that helped Nigerians get the information.

READ MORE: Tinubu Bought Private Jet While Nigerians Are Suffering  Sowore

Now that the jet is here, Nigerian taxpayers whose money was used to purchase it need to be privy to how much it costs, how old the aircraft is and how long its been in operation.

In addition, Nigerians also deserve to know about how the old jets are being disposed of, how many of them, how old they are, and why they are being sold. Transparency and Accountability should be the hallmark of any genuine leadership.

The government will lose nothing but respect if it fails to provide adequate information about its leadership to the people whose money is being deployed and whose mandate the President is holding.

A presidential jet is a major symbol of national sovereignty and state power. How much it costs to transport the president is a major issue of public accountability. I hope that Nigerians will not be denied the right of full disclosure on the new presidential jet.
An officer of the Nigeria Police Force, identified as Corporal Chibuzoer Ojubole, has been killed in a recent ambush by gunmen at a patrol unit in Delta State.

It was gathered that the tragic incident occurred on August 18, when the group of armed individuals attacked a police patrol unit along Commissioner Road off UTI, Effurun, within the Uvwie Local Government Area of the state.

INFORMATION NIGERIA learnt that the assailants ambushed the police patrol van, targeting the driver, Corporal Ojobule, while other officers managed to escape the attack.

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Reacting to the incident on Tuesday, a group, known as Initiative For Social Rights Concerns and Advancement, in a statement, commiserated with the Nigeria Police in Delta state and the bereaved family over the death late policeman.

ISRCA National Coordinator, Derrick Oritsematosan Agberen also condemned the attack and murder of the Policeman.

The statement reads: Too bad, it is the Police officers and other security agencies that become the prey from insecurity, in as much as the ordinary people are major targets.

READ MORE: Delta Police Arrest Three Suspected Kidnappers, Five Cultists, Recover Firearms

As a body, saddled with the responsibility to act in the interests of Nigerians, guaranteed in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we will also play our roles as CSOs, speaking against crimes of all kinds in present-day society.

There is no simple way to solve insecurity challenges and bad governance in Nigeria when a few people in the country are playing dirty politics with over two hundred million Nigerians, yet, they want a sane society.

Whatever has befallen Nigeria was created by these leaders and its high time they started dancing to the rhythm. Insecurity will soon reach all the high and mighty in society; its just a matter of time.
Six people  including two teenagers and a person police believe was a bystander  were injured in three separate shootings across Philadelphia in a violent Wednesday morning.

Just after 2 a.m., police responded to the 1900 block of West Allegheny Avenue, in the Tioga neighborhood, for a report of a person of a gun. Officers found three people with gunshot wounds: a 15-year-old boy, a 17-year-old boy, and a 44-year-old man, police said.

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The two teens had been walking with a group on Allegheny Avenue, near 19th Street, when they encountered another group of juveniles walking in the opposite direction, Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

The two groups exchanged words, he said, and a man pulled out a gun and fired shots into the other group, he said.

The 15-year-old was hit in the foot and the 17-year-old was struck in the leg, police said. The 44-year-old man, who was not associated with either group, was struck in the buttocks by a stray bullet. All three victims were taken to Temple University Hospital and listed in stable condition.

At least 21 shots were fired, said Small.

The scene in front of Compass Self Storage late Wednesday morning was quiet, save for the sounds of commuters getting off the bus and traffic on Allegheny Avenue. Yellow crime scene tape was still wrapped around the railing in front of the storage center, inches away from chalk circles marking where shell casings fell.

Then, shortly after 3 a.m., police were called to the area near East Elkhart and Almond Streets in the Port Richmond area, where they found two men, ages 35 and 27, with gunshot wounds, police said.

The two victims were walking a dog when an unidentified shooter approached them, police said. After an argument broke out, the suspect pulled out a gun and fired multiple times.

The 35-year-old man was hit in the arm and was listed in stable condition, while the 27-year-old was hit four times in the chest, once in the neck, and twice in the lower body, and was listed in critical condition, police said. Both victims were taken to Temple University Hospital.

Police are searching for the gunman, described as a man in his late 50s with a gray beard, wearing a gray zip-up jacket, pants, and black shoes. The suspect was last seen fleeing eastbound on East Elkhart Street, police said.

Less than an hour after the double shooting, another person was shot, this time in North Philadelphia.

Officers arrived at the 2000 block of North Bodine Street at 3:49 a.m. to find a 56-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the stomach, police said. The man was taken to Temple University Hospital and is listed in critical condition, police said.

A motive for the shooting was unclear.

No arrests had been made for any of the shootings.

Authorities ask that anyone with information call the Philadelphia Police Departments tip line at 215-686-8477.
A Deptford elementary school student prepares to board a bus. The district abandoned plans to eliminate courtesy busing to save money. Read more

A week after the Deptford school district dropped a controversial proposal to eliminate courtesy busing for some students to cut transportation costs, parents are keeping up the heat to express their displeasure.

Meanwhile, the Delanco school system is Burlington County is considering a similar move because it is unable to hire enough drivers, said interim Superintendent Leonard Fitts.

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More than 200 people packed a Deptford school board meeting Tuesday to pepper board members and Superintendent Kevin Kanauss with questions and concerns about the now-rescinded plan announced Aug. 9 that would have drastically cut the number of students eligible for free bus service and require some parents to pay a $365 annual fee for transportation.

What is the most disheartening is the lack of transparency, said parent Colleen Crawford. Our children come first.

In a statement to the crowd, Kanauss sought to explain how the district decided to cut busing and then rescinded the decision, and to correct misinformation. For instance, he said the district notified Deptford Mayor Paul Medany a day before the announcement; Medany told The Inquirer in an Aug. 12 article that police were not notified ahead of time about the school districts plan. .

On Wednesday, Medany said township officials met with Kanauss before the announcement, but were given no details about the busing plan.

We knew nothing about what they were proposing, Medany said. The way they did it was completely unacceptable.

Kanauss said district officials thoroughly reviewed the transportation policy, state regulations, bus stops and hazardous routes before making the decision to change the policy. Transportation would have been provided for students deemed at safety risk, he said.

The district spent $3 million in unbudgeted transportation costs during the 2023-24 school year to provide free busing. The district doesnt receive state reimbursement for students who live outside the mandatory distance, which under state law is two miles from an assigned elementary or middle school or 2.5 miles from high school.

A growing number of districts have shifted to subscription busing, including Pennsville in Salem County. Others, such as Delanco, are suffering from a national shortage of bus drivers and reducing busing services.

Fitts said a neighboring district had provided Delanco with bus service but that contract was recently terminated. The K-8 district with about 385 students has its own bus, but has been unable to hire a driver, he said.

Its not a budget concern, Fitts said Wednesday. Were not the only district dealing with this problem.

The Delanco school board was scheduled to consider a resolution Wednesday night to eliminate courtesy busing, at least for now, Fitts said. The service would be reinstated if a driver were hired, he said.

 READ MORE: The Deptford school bus crisis is the worst, leaving kids late, missing school, or even stranded, parents say

In Deptford, Kanauss said many district buses were running at half-capacity because more parents are taking their students to school. The superintendent said the district decided against seeking a tax increase from voters this year, and had to find funds to cover salary increases and capital projects.

There needs to be another way to raise money for transportation, said Jessica Maciolek, whose son is a rising sophomore. The kids have to be safe, no matter what.

Several parents, including Lee Sinclair, believed Kanauss had been unfairly targeted for the busing plan. County Commissioner Chris Konawel blamed the state budget, which underfunded some South Jersey school districts.

Take your anger out where it belongs, Konawel said. We are getting hammered from Trenton.

 READ MORE: Deptford schools change bell schedule again to try to fix school busing crisis

Of Deptfords 4,200 students, about 1,800 students would have been impacted by eliminating courtesy busing.

We had to make a tough decision, said board member James McDevitt, chairman of the transportation committee.

After a passionate response from parents, McDevitt said he began reconsidering the proposed busing change. He said he called the board members, saying he had cold feet.

God forbid one child got hurt. I would never be able to live with myself, McDevitt said. I apologize and we will do better.

Kanauss warned that the district would continue to explore ways to address its financial challenges and that may include decisions about staffing, programs, extracurricular activities, and security vestibules.

I love this district, the staff, the students, and the community, and look out for its best interests, Kanauss said. I will do better in the future in notifying the community of any changes further in advance and including them in the conversations that will have a global impact on Deptford moving forward.
Rutgers University released new guidelines this week explicitly banning encampments. At Swarthmore College, students are preparing for disciplinary hearings over their participation in last academic years protests. And Temple Universitys chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine has already announced the first march of the semester.

Even before fall classes begin, its clear that campus rifts over Israel and Gaza are nowhere near healed. Now, students and administrators are preparing for a potentially volatile year, even as theyre unsure exactly what it might bring.

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The Israel-Hamas war has continued at a deadly pace in its 11th month, with at least 40,000 people killed in Gaza since its start, according to health officials there. Pro-Palestinian protests have roiled campuses; meanwhile, pro-Israel protests tended to be smaller, without encampments. Many of the pro-Palestinian protests focused on getting colleges to divest from companies that profit from Israels military.

But after university crackdowns and a summer break, its not clear whether pro-Palestinian students will mount new encampments, or how administrators will respond if they do. At many schools, slow and careful disciplinary procedures are still creaking along, with students frustrated by what they see as trumped-up allegations.

I dont think the disciplinary charges have deterred students from protesting, said Kaliab Tale, 20, a junior at Swarthmore with an upcoming hearing over his involvement in pro-Palestinian rallies last fall. Our main focus should really be to keep up the momentum from the encampment.

Many of those facing sanctions at Swarthmore are first-generation college students and people of color, according to a Palestinian student who asked not to be identified because she feared retribution. She and Tale said Swarthmore had hired external investigators to build cases against students, while prohibiting them from bringing their own counsel to hearings.

Its very, very clear that this is a tactic of repression to silence students, said the student, a junior majoring in peace and conflict studies. She spoke with The Inquirer from the West Bank, where she said she was witnessing firsthand the devastating effects of the war on her family and community.

Alisa Giardinelli, a Swarthmore spokesperson, said that the charges had nothing to do with race or identity, but were based solely on alleged misconduct. She said the college hired external investigators due to the abnormally high volume of potential violations, and to ensure an objective review. Students can hire attorneys, but there is no role for an attorney in an administrative process where courtroom procedures do not apply. Students can choose a campus adviser to work with them through the process, she said.

No students are facing discipline for peaceful protest, including the encampment in front of Parrish Hall last semester, Giardinelli said.

Peaceful protest and dissent are an important part of the colleges history, Giardinelli said.

New campus rules for a new year

Some college administrators have been rolling out new rules.

After an academic year roiled by protests, the resignation of the college president, and a multi-week encampment, Penn in June passed new temporary guidelines banning encampments.

Rutgers this week unveiled a new Free Expression on Campus website, which also explicitly bans encampments. An FAQ on the site says that while Rutgers had a decades-long tradition of peaceful free expression events in which students set up tents in an approved space, recent disruptive events mean that encampments are no longer allowed.

School officials have not said whether that means they would immediately remove one, and other colleges were reluctant to say, too.

Its hard for me to speculate about this, said John A. Fry, outgoing president of Drexel University who will become Temples president this fall, but I think we had a very good playbook for how we handled those situations last year. Protesters set up an encampment on Drexels Korman Quad in May, and it stood for less than a week. There was no confrontation like the one at Penn: When Drexel police moved in to disband the group, students had already voluntarily begun to leave on their own.

Students push ahead

Elsewhere, fallout from the encampments is still playing out. Students for Justice in Palestine at Rutgers-New Brunswick is calling on the university to name a new Arab Cultural Center after Refaat Alareer, a prominent Palestinian professor and writer who was killed in an Israeli air strike in northern Gaza in December. Students successfully negotiated for the center when they agreed to voluntarily remove a pro-Palestinian encampment last spring.

Rutgers said in a statement that a committee of faculty, staff, and students is working on a proposal for the new center, which is due to administrators by the start of the fall semester. Honorary names not associated with philanthropy will only be considered two years after the honored person has died, according to Rutgers naming policy.

Perhaps complicating matters, Rutgers-New Brunswick in July suspended Students for Justice in Palestine until next summer for violating the terms of their probation by disrupting final exams and university operations, a spokeswoman said. The group is not recognized by the university and cant participate in campus activities.

What about free speech?

Private colleges and universities prize freedom of speech, and are careful about the rules they impose on protests. Yet they have more latitude than public schools when it comes to limiting protests on campus, said Solomon Furious Worlds, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Pennsylvania. The ACLU announced last week that it would be representing two Temple students who are facing discipline at their own school for their participation in protests last fall  not on Temples campus, but at Penns encampment.

As a state-related university, Temple is subject to the First Amendment.

For my clients, the big thing here is protecting their ability to protest without the fear that their protest, even their off-campus protest, could restrict their educational opportunities, their work opportunities, their housing opportunities, Furious Worlds said. After the ACLU PA published a strongly worded letter to the university, the hearings were postponed until the end of the month, Furious Worlds said.

Temple said in a statement that its student code of conduct applies in appropriate circumstance to off campus behavior, but declined to comment on specific students.

Looking ahead

At the University of Pennsylvania, large fences surrounding the College Green only just came down, months after police dismantled a Gaza protest encampment there. Student activists said theyre not sure what the new guidelines will mean  and doubt theyll prevent protests.

Eliana Atienza, 19, an organizer of Penns encampment, was put on a mandatory temporary leave of absence last spring while college officials determined how to handle her case. The absence resulted in her immediate eviction from campus housing. This semester, she is returning to campus for her junior year on disciplinary probation, the terms of which she said she did not fully understand.

She referred to a wall in Penns library that shows how major student protests in the past helped to shape the university.

We joke that its only a matter of time before the university co-opts our student movement and touts how proud and supportive they were of it, Atienza said. What if we come back 50 years later, and our group photo is on the wall?
Bruce Springsteen appears on stage with the E Street Band during their 2023 tour stop at the Wells Fargo Center on March 16, 2023. Read more

Bruce Springsteen has long held multigenerational appeal for a wide range of ages, and thats partly because theres nothing quite like a family who loves Bruce together. We spoke to superfan families in the Philadelphia area who have seen dozens of shows across the country, even traveling as far as Italy, Spain, and Scotland to cheer for The Boss  and Philly still ranks as one of the best places in the world for a Springsteen show.

Even Steve Van Zandt agrees. It is absolutely true that Philly was one of the first places to support the [E Street Band], he said in a recent interview with The Inquirer. That is not nostalgic self-aggrandizement.

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We initially interviewed these families in 2023 before Springsteen had to postpone several shows due to illness. Obviously, they have all made sure to rebook their tickets, even if they had to wait a year before seeing The Boss return to Philly this week.

Jackie Trickey, 30, of Wilmington and her dad, John DeLucca, 61, of North Wales, Pa.

Number of times theyve seen Bruce together: 29. DeLucca has seen more than 50

Favorite albums: Trickeys is The River; DeLuccas is Born to Run

What Springsteen means to them:

Trickey first saw Springsteen with her dad when she was 14 years old in Philadelphia. Ive been hooked ever since, she said. I have never seen a Bruce show without him.

Now theyve traveled as far as Scotland to see The Boss, but Trickey says nothing beats hometown shows.

Over the years, we have developed a fine-tuned process of buying tickets. Prior to Verified Fan [on Ticketmaster], we would have like eight laptops out and whoever got in first, we would take their tickets, said Trickey. When we were buying the Scotland tickets, I was the one to get up at four oclock in the morning and buy the tickets.

When she started dating her now-husband, she was very clear: Listen, our familys serious about Bruce, if you want in, study up, Trickey told him.

Trickey gave birth to her daughter, Grace, earlier this year. Morning sickness kept her from reaching what would have been her 30th Springsteen show at MetLife Stadium last year, and she made sure to introduce her newborn to Springsteen on the ride home from the hospital. She has already been initiated to Bruce, said Trickey.

Favorite memory:

My most memorable show was in 2012 at Penn State, Trickey said. My dad took me for my birthday and we were in the general admission, not up front, [but] in the back. We struck up a conversation with a lady from New Jersey who had seen Bruce a bunch of times  Later on, Bruce came out into the general admission and she grabbed me, put me in front of her, and said I had my moment with him, now its your turn. I got to hold Bruces hand while he was singing [Darlington County and Out in the Street]. I was sobbing. Nothing could beat that concert for me.

Peggy Stohler, 61, and daughters Maggie, 31, Caroline, 29, and Annie Stohler, 26, of Drescher

Number of times theyve seen Bruce: Annie and Maggie: 4; Caroline: 7; Peggy: 24

Favorite songs: Peggy: Thunder Road, Badlands, and Rosalita; Annie: Im on Fire

What Bruce means to us:

Dad is the reason why we love him. Dad was a massive Bruce Springsteen fan; he had been to at least 30 concerts over the course of his career, said Maggie Stohler about her father, Rich Stohler, who died in 2014. All the memories I have as a kid are Bruce Springsteen music being played around the house and dancing as a family.

Caroline vividly remembers being on her dads shoulders leaving her first show at Lincoln Financial Field in 2003. And who drives by with his head out the window but Bruce? He waved to me directly! she said.

Rich Stohler died unexpectedly from a heart attack at 51 years old. After he died, Caroline even wrote to Springsteen to thank him for being such a big part of her dads life.

Now we see Bruce because we honor my husbands memory that way, said Peggy. Its much deeper than just going to a concert or loving his music or loving the experience. Its part of the roots of our family.

Favorite memory:

My husband and I had dreamed of going to Italy for our 25th wedding anniversary, said Peggy. Just shy of our 24th year, it was Richs idea  he was like, Hey, you know Bruce is in Italy, do you want to go? I said, Yeah, you dont have to ask me twice. So we created this whole trip [with the family], we went on a Mediterranean cruise and we went all over Europe, but the focus was Bruce. Ironically, Rich died the next year, so we would have never made it to a 25th wedding anniversary.

Noah Lederman, 27, who lived in Rittenhouse Square before moving back to his home in D.C., and his father, Marty Lederman, 63, of Bethesda, Md.

Number of times theyve seen Bruce together: 7

Favorite albums: The River and We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

What Bruce means to them:

Noah Lederman first saw Springsteen when he was 7 years old in northern Virginia for the Seeger Sessions tour. His father Marty, though, had already followed Springsteen around the country, even interviewing him back in 1980.

My dad saw the very first River concert in Ann Arbor, Mich., where he went to school, in 1980. At the time, he wrote for the Michigan Daily. He and his buddies were basically trying to interview [Springsteen]. My dad is very obsessive and persistent. At the show, Bruce said, Is there a Marty Lederman in the crowd? He left a note on my stage door or something. He wants to talk. (Marty did successfully interview Springsteen.)

I was a history major [at the University of Wisconsin] and a lot of my research was about rock and roll, said Noah. I remember writing papers about The River. It was pretty meaningful for me to be listening to The River throughout college, thinking of my dad while he was in college, listening to the same album, going through the same emotions and thought processes.

Favorite memory:

The best show Ive had with my dad was in Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park in 2012 for the Wrecking Ball tour. I must have been 15 or 16. That was the first time I really had a sense of what music and rock and roll could be. We were in the pit, which was my first experience in general admission, which is unlike anywhere else in a Bruce Springsteen show. That was just a really raw and emotional experience.

Lisa, 59, and Gary Kramer, 57, with kids Mariel, 29, Bryce, 26, and Vaughan, 24, of Johnstown, Pa.

Number of times theyve seen Bruce: Lisa and Gary: more than 80; Mariel: 16; Bryce and Vaughan: more than 10

Favorite album: Lisas favorite is Tunnel of Love

What Bruce means to them:

Lisa first saw Springsteen when she was 16 at the Spectrum for The River tour. She began dating Gary shortly after graduating college and found that they were both fans. In our early stages of dating, I brought up that theres a line from a Springsteen song that I had put in my high school yearbook. But if dreams came true, oh, wouldnt that be nice, she recalled. He also used the same line in his yearbook! And we did not know each other.

Now the Kramers have traveled across the country to see dozens of Springsteen shows, eventually bringing along their kids, who also love the music. Lisa has a six-hour rule: If it takes six hours or less to get to a tour stop, she gets a ticket.

Bruces music, its cliche to say, has been a backdrop to our life, it really has been. I keep a document, which is weird. I copy and paste the review from [Springsteen fan website] Backstreets into my document and then I put a note of who I was with and where we sat, said Kramer.

Her daughter Mariel has been particularly lucky  at 10 years old she went to her first show at the Atlantic City Convention Center and Springsteen gave her a guitar pick. (They still have it.) A decade later at another show, Steve Van Zandt gave her a pick, too.

They even named their dog, a boxer, Rosalita Jump a Little Lighta, referencing Springsteens Rosalita. Rosie, as they called her, used to sing along to The Boss, too.

Favorite memory:

My greatest memory is when my husband and I went to Barcelona to see him. We saw him twice. We went with my husbands sister, who is a huge Springsteen fan. He grew up as a fan by attrition, listening to Bruce because they shared a bedroom. That was the best Bruce crowd Ive ever seen. I mean, they were into it. They were singing along. But then there were times when Bruce would do a quieter song. And where, in the United States, you might hear people chanting and stuff, 100,000 people just quietened down. You could hear a pin drop, and they just let him sing.
If you have a favorite ice cream shop, you can always use a second dairy opinion, right? Today, I dish on 15 unsung spots in the city and suburbs. Also this week, Craig LaBan gets inside a classic Shore diner, Jenn Ladd drops the first word of an un-boring new restaurant in Germantown, and I deliver megapixels of restaurant news.

 But first, lets pause to remember David Ansill, a groundbreaking chef for three decades, who died Monday of cancer. He could cook everything, except for chicken fingers.

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 Mike Klein

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15 ice cream parlors you need to know about

Who else has taken a road trip for ice cream? Maddie Smith and Mia Svirsky logged a thousand miles over three weeks through Pennsylvania as the American Dairy Association North Easts chief ice cream officers. Among their stops were Penn State Berkey Creamery in University Park, Fox Meadows in Ephrata, and a few on the outskirts of Philly: Chester Springs Creamery in Chester Springs, Merrymead Farm in Lansdale, and Tanner Bros. in Ivyland. Rita Giordano quizzed the pair on their favorites and shares a taste of their cow-to-cone experience.

All this discussion about butterfat and mouth-feel  as well as the fact that Ive been driving too much locally this summer on our rocky roads  has inspired an ice cream round-up. This is not a collection of familiar shops that are regulars on the best-of lists. We know our local gems like Arctic Scoop, Bassetts, Franklin Fountain, Harpers, Milk Jawn, Scoop DeVille, Weckerlys, and Zsas. Allow me to shout out other small shops and gelaterias that deserve love, too  no chance youll have Breyers remorse.

Here are 15 destinations, along with flavor suggestions:

Philadelphia: Cloud Cups in Kensington (birthday cake); Irvs on Cherry Street Pier (coquito); La Guerrerense in South Philadelphia (100 flavors, including gansito, which is like a strawberry Tastykake Krimpet); Marleis Sweet Tooth in Northern Liberties (apple crumb pie); Vanderwende in Old City (salty caramel); Vita in Rittenhouse (pistachio).

Pennsylvania suburbs: Freddy Hill Farms in Lansdale (peanut butter cup); Gibbys in Levittown (chocolate peanut butter); Grandma Jannahs in Jenkintown (cheesecake); Uncle Mikes in Warminster (Mikes chocolate Elvis); Zwalens in Audubon (chocolate, made with its own chocolate).

South Jersey: Cream Valley Custard in Woodstown (creamsicle); Daddy Os in Marlton (pumpkin spice); Don & Berts Custard Stand in Paulsboro (vanilla, and do not skip the cheese fries); the Ice Cream Bar in Delanco (banana pudding).

Where else to go? Check our staff rundown of great ice cream and other frozen treats, like water ice and even banana splits.

 Road trip! Where to buy cheese and ice cream, meet the sheep and cows, and support local farmers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

 A word about Cloud Cups. Galen Thomas gelato business started in Fishtown-Kensington and moved to Kensingtons Maken Studios North last spring. Now, Thomas is working to revive the original location (2311 Frankford Ave.) and it will open soon as a second location.

 And a word about Cuzzys. The sudden shutdown earlier this year of Cuzzys, which opened in Queen Village in 2022, sent readers into mourning. I wish I had scoop about a revival, but Cuzzy Angiolillo and his cousin, Vin, arent commenting. Meanwhile, all you Queen Village people, know that Birdhouse Gelato is coming this fall to 806 S. Sixth St., while Cuzzys former storefront at 618 S. Fifth St. will become a Levantine bakery (read on for details).

 Shown in the photo above (clockwise from top left): peanut butter chip from Freddy Hill Farms, coffee from Vanderwende, apple crumb pie from Marleis Sweet Tooth, and coquito from Irvs.

The PLCB has set up a lottery this week for the chance to buy bottles of nine rare whiskeys. As Stephanie Farr writes, the hootch ranges from $54.99 for a bottle of Stagg Straight Bourbon Barrel Proof to $7,499.99 for Weller Millennium Straight Bourbon. Seventy-five hundred dollars a bottle?! I did the math, and it comes out to $468.75 a shot.

Mustache Bills on Long Beach Island is for sale, but that likely wont go down anytime soon. Join Craig LaBan with owner Bill Smith for a visit to this Jersey Shore diner classic, where you can enjoy a Cyclops, a UFO-shaped hybrid of two pancakes and an over-medium egg thats out of this world.

Scoops (non-ice cream)

Beijing Duck, serving what owner Stevie Lam calls a real traditional rendition of the dish, as well as dim sum and seafood, is on the way to 911 Race St. in Chinatown for an Aug. 28 soft-opening. It will be BYOB until the liquor license arrives.

The two South Philadelphia bars owned by Jonn Klein have found buyers. (You may remember Jenn Ladds article from February, describing Kleins planned move to Croatia.) Neither the Dive nor Watkins Drinkery is expected to change too much under new regimes, effective this fall with license transfers as Klein keeps the bricks. Watkins (1712 S. 10th St.) will bring together Alex Kaslowitz (a marketing specialist in baby equipment) and Jack Ross (who has a decade-plus in bars and restaurants). At the Dive (947 E. Passyunk Ave.), the prospective owner is Joseph Brown, whose background includes event planning.

Two interesting bakeries are on the way:

Majdal Bakery (618 S. Fifth St., where Cuzzys Ice Cream was) will be the brick-and-mortar home of Kenan Rabah, who in 2015 emigrated from Majdal Shams in Golan Heights, the disputed region between Syria and Israel. He started at Lost Bread Co. in 2019 and rose to head baker before he left in January to go the pop-up route (mainly at Hermans Coffee) with a line of Levantine tarts and breads. Examples: borek, potato fatayer (a sort of potato pie), sfiha (topped flatbreads), and talami (a sweet spiced flatbread). There will be limited seating. With his oven on order, hes aiming at a November opening. In the photo above is Rabah back home in his grandfathers vineyard. Aroma Bakery & Coffee just signed a lease at 160 N. Third St. in Old City, where Oui was. Ilyaz Adnaev and Rasul Azizov say theyll do baked goods and desserts from Eastern Europe, encompassing Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus out to central Asia. Sandwiches will come on in-house breads with house-made sauces. Target opening: late September. That block has an international feel, given the Euro menu at Cafe Tolia (26 N. Third St.) and the Mediterranean menu at Cafe Ole (147 N. Third St.).

Chef chat

Edwin De La Rosa will expand duties at Fishtowns Middle Child Clubhouse with his promotion to executive chef, adding dinner to his oversight of breakfast and lunch. Chef Sam Henzy has left. De La Rosa (shown above in New York, after winning Good Morning Americas United States of Breakfast competition in June 2023) says hell unify the menus while adding shareable plates and more seasonality as he expands his work with area farms. Expect touches of his Dominican heritage, but not too much, at least initially. I dont want the menu to feel like its at the mercy of one persons identity, he told me, ever the team player.

Dionicio Jimenez, the James Beard nominee from Cantina La Martina, and wife Mariangeli Alicea Saez are looking at Aug. 30 for the soft opening of La Baja, their tiny Mexican BYOB at 9 N. Main St. in Ambler. Opening menu will reflect Mediterranean and Asian flavors, inspired by the 1920s immigration of Chinese and Japanese people to Baja California. Dinner Tuesday through Sunday. I snagged the menu: tostada with kampachi, pickled fresno, fermented black avocado, uni, Persian cucumbers, and yuzu; and ravioli filled with blue crab, avocado, bacon, recado negro, and xnipec salsa! For reservation info, follow on Instagram.

Restaurant report

Germantown has a new all-day cafe and BYOB with Southeast Asian and Hawaiian flair. Das Good Cafe on Chelten Avenue is backed by veteran restaurateurs Anh Vongbandith and her husband, Anou, whos also the chef. Shown below is a Laotian-style breakfast: two eggs cooked to order, house-made Laotian sausage, and tomato jeow mak len sauce on the side. As Anh told Jenn Ladd: We dont like the normal boring stuff.

Briefly noted

Pepsi Dig In Day is returning to support Black-owned restaurants on Saturday, offering special buy-one-get-one-free meals at more than 30 Black-owned restaurants across the country. Philly participants are FoodChasers Kitchen in Elkins Park (the special is shrimp or whiting and grits) and Jacobs Catering in Mount Airy (fennel-glazed salmon). Customers get a free Pepsi Zero Sugar.

Burlington County Summer Restaurant Week continues though Saturday with deals at dozens of restaurants.

Center City District Restaurant Week is Sept. 8-21, with three-course, prix-fixe dinners offered for $40 or $60, and two-course lunches for $20. Heres the list.

SweetWater Bar & Grill in Cinnaminson will have its last call on Saturday, as owner George Kyrtatas announced on Facebook. The family opened it as Hathaways in the 1980s.

F1 Arcade, a racing-simulator arcade, will fill the space once occupied by West Elm at 1330 Chestnut St., as Jack Blumgart reported this week. I caught up with Jon Gardner, F1 Arcades U.S. president, who told me that the food will be globally inspired, reflecting Formula 1s international appeal. But while other experiential bars (e.g. Dave & Busters, Flight Club, Puttshack, Beat the Bomb) have fairly standard menus, F1 tracks more upscale with such options as seafood towers and caviar. Opening is due in mid-2025.

Maison Lotus will be the name of the French-Vietnamese restaurant from Pearl and Paul Somboonsong of Win Signature Restaurant Group, which is replacing Margaret Kuos at 175 Lancaster Ave. in Wayne in early 2025. (Its working name was Ad Hoc.) Pearl Somboonsong says Maison Lotus will have an adjacent bakery/cafe, much as Suraya in Fishtown does.

Pop quiz

Whats the name of the oyster that started it all for New Jerseys hot oyster scene?

A) Brigantine Bivalve

B) Pleasantville Pearl

C) Cape May Salt

D) Bob

Find out if you know the answer, and by all means, check out Craigs six favorite Jersey oysters.

Ask Mike anything

Last week, I issued a call for whole-belly clams, a New England specialty uncommon in the Philadelphia area. Several readers pointed out that Legal Sea Foods, the Boston-based fish-house chain with a branch at King of Prussia, has them on the menu. While not quite Flos Clam Shack in Middleton, R.I. level, they are a pretty tasty fix, wrote reader Alex D. of Exton. I checked out Legals clams  a shareable basket of sweet and briny, cornmeal-dusted fried steamers ($39), served over thick-cut fries with small cups of coleslaw and tartar sauce, and a lemon wedge. So what if the view is a mall parking lot.

 Have a question about food in Philly? E-mail your questions to me at mklein@inquirer.com for a chance to be featured in my newsletter.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirers Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Father and son Peter Romano Sr. and Jr. at Romano's Stromboli, 246 Wanamaker Ave., Essington, on June 16, 2024. Read more

Stromboli-inspired potato chips topped ravioli- and pierogi-flavored competitors in this years Flavored by Philly contest sponsored by Herrs Foods.

The Chester County snack company on Wednesday crowned Romanos, the Essington shop where the baked Italian turnover was invented in 1950, as the top vote-getter over local companies Tallutos (cheese ravioli and marinara) and Mom-Moms Kitchen (potato pierogi). Herrs said the vote count was up nearly 50% year over year, with 26,360 tallied online. The finalists, culled from a thousand submissions, were announced in June, when bags hit the shelves. Once theyre gone, theyre gone.

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Romanos won $10,000  which it donated to a charity  and John Lishok, who submitted Romanos nomination, will receive $5,000. Tallutos and Mom-Moms each will receive $2,500, and their nominators will be awarded $1,000.

Nazzereno Nat Romano invented the stromboli  not to be confused with a calzone or panzarotti (another Italian delicacy invented in the Philadelphia area). The original is an oven-baked sandwich  ham, Cotechino salami, cheese, and peppers in a bread dough pocket, no tomato sauce within  that for 74 years has been the signature product of the Romano familys corner pizzeria in Delaware County. Romanos son, Peter Romano Sr., now 92, ran the business for years and ceded it to his son, Peter Jr.

Bill Schofield, Nat Romanos future son-in-law, named it after the hottest ticket in America: the Roberto Rossellini movie starring Ingrid Bergman. The stromboli were priced at 45 cents; theyre now $19.99. The special hot version, which the chip was modeled on, came along later.

In interviews in June, the competitors said they were impressed at the interplay between themselves and Herrs to nail the flavors. It went back and forth a number of times and we all were unanimous with the final product, said Ryan Elmore, a partner in Mom-Moms Kitchen.

The stromboli chips got a kick from hot banana peppers. You could pick up mildly garlicky cheese undertones and oomph from jalapenos but it was not a hot chip, in the least.

Last years Herrs winner was a riff on Corropolese Bakerys tomato pie, which outpolled the flavors based on Johns Roast Pork sandwich and Mikes BBQs Korean BBQ wings.

The contest started in 2022 with generic flavors: Wiz Wit, (215) Special Sauce, and that years winner, Long Hots & Sharp Provolone.
Alexandra Pompan, a customer service associate, gets vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dr. Philip Maceno, pharmacy manager at Walgreens, on Monday, October 23, 2023. Read more

Update: On Thursday, Aug. 22, the Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for Americans to receive updated COVID-19 shots.

As COVID-19 settles into a permanent presence in our lives, annual vaccinations are becoming the norm.

Earlier this month, an official from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared COVID-19 endemic, indicating that the virus is here to stay. As of the Aug. 13 update, COVID-19 cases are on the rise in 25 states, including Pennsylvania, according to the CDCs latest report.

On Aug. 10, the percentage of positive COVID cases in the U.S. reached its highest level since January 2022. However, the number of people dying of COVID in the United States are currently in the low hundreds compared to January and February 2022, when more than 10,000 people were dying of COVID every week

COVID is still the 10th-highest cause of death in the U.S., down from third in March 2020, as the pandemic was starting.

Boys and Girls club staff member Alex Frame swabs her nose during a routine COVID-19 test in the cafeteria at William H. Ziegler Elementary School in October 2021. Read more HEATHER KHALIFA / Staff Photographer

Paul Offit, an internationally recognized pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases, said these low number of deaths despite high percentage of positive cases is the goal with vaccination.

The goal of this vaccine is to keep people out of the hospital, out of the intensive care unit, and out of the morgue, said Offit, who is director of the Vaccine Education Center at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. Because antibody responses are relatively short-lived, four to six months, its possible youre going to get COVID again. Most people you know have probably had COVID more than once, but theyre still alive because of vaccines and immunological memory.

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This year, the CDC advised vaccine manufacturers to develop vaccines that target the KP.2 strain of COVID-19, a subvariant of JN.1-lineage strains, including KP.3.1.1, KP.3, and KP.2 variants, which are now responsible for most infections in the U.S., according to the CDC.

KP.3.1.1 is now the predominant COVID-19 variant.

When will fall COVID-19 vaccines be available?

In theory, both the mRNA and Novavax vaccine should be available shortly, Offit said several days ago, accurately predicting the FDAs approval on Thursday of this years vaccine.

Shipments will begin soon from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech of mRNA vaccines; those have a three-month production timeline that necessitates that manufacturers and the CDC meet in June each year to have vaccines produced by the fall.

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The Novavax vaccine takes longer to produce.

A sign with information for the August 2022 mobile clinic collaboration with Miriam Medical Clinics, Zion Baptist Church, and Temple University. Read more JESSICA GRIFFIN / Staff Photographer

Once the vaccines are approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older receive the updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine, including those who have previously been vaccinated.

Current COVID-19 guidelines

Many of the CDC guidelines people got used to years ago are no longer in place. The CDC now generally recommends staying up-to-date on vaccinations, staying home when sick, and seeking health care if you are at risk for severe illness.

COVID-19 cases are no longer required to be reported to or tracked by Pennsylvanias Department of Health. However, officials recommend testing for COVID-19 when sick and seeking treatment if at risk.

Prevention of COVID-19

Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines. Practice good hygiene and cleanliness practices. Supplying indoor spaces with cleaner and fresher air.

Treatment of COVID-19

When youre sick:

Stay home and away from others if you have respiratory symptoms (fever, chills, fatigue, cough, runny nose, and headache, among others). Get tested for COVID-19. Seek health care if you have risk factors for severe illness, like obesity, diabetes, heart and respiratory conditions.

When you can go back to normal activities:
Dr. Noor Shaik created the PennHOPES program at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for health-care providers to help make their patients feel more comfortable during hospital stays. Read more

Noor Shaik rushed to the bedside of a patient with severe diabetes complications, who had remained upbeat while undergoing surgery to address a foot infection.

The woman was now crying uncontrollably, but not due to pain from her operation that morning. What caused her outburst was that her only hair tie had been lost in the operating room.

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And the wild curls she couldnt keep out of her face were a breaking point.

Shaik, a third-year neurology resident at Penn, ducked out during her break and returned with a $3 pack of hair ties.

Now she was crying with joy, Shaik recalled. Three dollars at Target made her feel appreciated and valued.

The interaction was so meaningful to Shaik that she proposed creating a program through which health-care providers could expense small items that help make patients feel more at ease during their hospital stay. The initiative, called PennHOPES, has been so popular with patients and providers at HUP that Penn is now expanding it to Pennsylvania Hospital and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.

My intention was to help patients, but seeing how providers are responding to it has been very heartwarming, Shaik said. These small, meaningful moments also help us reconnect with why we got into medicine  to help people.

Cookies, slippers, a plush goat

PennHOPES was funded last August with $5,000 and has so far spent about $2,500 on 70 gifts.

Through the program, providers can request an Amazon gift card to buy a small pick-me-up or helpful item for a patient who will be at the hospital for at least five days. Gifts must be less than $50 and cannot be related to their care. PennHOPES receives one or two requests a week.

Gifts have included cookies for a patient who spent their birthday in a hospital bed, reading glasses and a book for a patient who didnt enjoy watching the television in their room, and a shaving kit for a patient whose beard was getting stuck in their face mask.

The oncology department ordered fuzzy slippers for a patient who had been unable to walk because of a burning sensation in her feet after cancer treatment.

A plush goat toy gifted through the program comforted a young patient with epilepsy and developmental disabilities, whose hospital bed was noticeably missing the farm of stuffed animals she slept with at home.

She would hold onto that goat all night, Shaik said.

Small gift, big smile

Small comfort items can make a big difference for patients like Mary Houston who have lengthy hospital stays for complex medical problems.

Houston, 49, who lives in Wilmington, spent two weeks at HUPs epilepsy monitoring unit in March. It was her third stay in recent months, but she was still trying to understand epilepsy, which she was diagnosed with at age 47.

Since having a grand mal seizure in 2022, she had to stop working as a clinical operations manager for Penns living-donor program, could no longer drive, and had tried several different medications. At its worst, Houston experienced multiple seizures a day.

Houston had been at the hospital for almost two weeks when someone tossed a velvety-soft blanket into her lap, a gift from her care team, who knew how much she loved to cozy up.

I was really smiling  and I had 13 probes that were surgically implanted in my brain, Houston said.

Doctors ultimately recommended a temporal lobectomy, a procedure to remove a part of the brain that contributes to seizures.

Houston underwent the procedure in May and has been at home since, recovering and waiting to see whether it helps reduce her symptoms.

The shimmery gray blanket from Penn is often across her lap as she does word puzzles to exercise her mind  at least when her catahoula leopard rescue dog, Luna, hasnt gotten to it first.
A Culex pipien mosquito specimen, the type of mosquito that carries the West Nile virus, in the insect collection at the Field Museum in Chicago. Philadelphia recently reported its first cases of West Nile in humans in 2024. Read more

Two people in Philadelphia were diagnosed with West Nile virus after experiencing symptoms of the mosquito-borne illness late last month, city health officials said Tuesday.

The cases are the first to be identified this season in Philadelphia, according to an alert sent to health-care providers.

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Both Philadelphia patients had developed a serious neurological condition, a rare side effect of the virus that occurs in less than 1% of patients.

Most West Nile cases are asymptomatic, but in about 20% of cases, people become noticeably ill, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Pennsylvania, cases of West Nile in humans have also been reported this summer in Allegheny, Bucks, Butler, Lancaster, and Schuylkill Counties.

In the Philadelphia cases, both patients were hospitalized for acute flaccid myelitis, which causes sudden weakness in the arms and legs and a loss of muscle tone and reflexes. The health departments alert did not provide any further detail on their condition.

West Nile can also cause encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, and meningitis, an inflammation of the membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord. About 10% of people who develop severe illness from the virus will die, according to the CDC.

But most West Nile patients who show symptoms will instead develop milder symptoms such as a fever, headaches, joint pains, and vomiting, although the CDC warns that fatigue from even milder cases can last months.

Philadelphia logged 11 cases of West Nile in 2022, one of which was fatal. In 2023, the city saw five symptomatic patients, one of whom died.

Signs of more virus circulating

More mosquitos have been testing positive for the virus in the city this year, health officials said, adding that the risk of West Nile infections in humans will be higher over the next few weeks and through October.

Preventing West Nile infections requires controlling mosquitos in an area, and city health officials regularly spray for mosquitos and destroy the places where mosquitos breed: in standing water, overgrown bushes, and tall grass.

On an individual level, wearing bug spray with at least 20% DEET while walking in brush, tall grasses, or wooded areas can help prevent bites and infections. Philadelphians can also make sure screens on windows and doors are secure and remove standing water outside their homes.

Physicians should report suspected and confirmed cases of West Nile virus to the health department immediately by calling 215-685-6741 during business hours, or 215-686-4514 after hours. Residents can report mosquito problems and sightings of dead birds, which can also be a sign of the virus circulating, to the health departments Mosquito Complaint hotline at 215-685-9000.
Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, at a rally at Temple University's Liacouras Center in Philadelphia earlier this month. Walz will speak at the DNC Wednesday night. Read more

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will be in the spotlight Wednesday in Chicago, expected to headline the third night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

Walz, who was selected over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to be Vice President Kamala Harris running mate, spoke to Pennsylvanias delegation Monday morning and was booed by half the room for mentioning Wawa rival Sheetz. But showing why he was chosen as tickets No. 2, Walz also discussed what hes seen from Harris during their brief time campaigning together.

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When you see Kamala Harris out on the stump, you see her connecting and you see her leaning on a knee and talking to kids, you see her petting that dog at the firehouse, Walz said. All the things you see her doing showing kindness lifting up someone, it is connecting across this county.

Walz will be introducing himself to his largest audience yet, with upward of 20 million people watching at home. Voters and potential voters will likely also tune in on Oct. 1 to watch Walz debate Donald Trumps running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.

I cant wait to debate the guy, Walz said at a rally in Philadelphia earlier this month.

 READ MORE: Who is Tim Walz? A look at the VP nominee who beat out Shapiro

Also expected to speak Wednesday night is former President Bill Clinton. It will mark Clintons twelfth DNC speech, dating back to a small role out of the spotlight in 1980.

Heres everything you need to know to watch or stream the third night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention:

What time does night three of the 2024 Democratic National Convention start?

Primetime programming at the Democratic National Convention is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Eastern Wednesday and last four hours.

The convention will stream live on the DNCs official website and across all their social media channels. You can also stream it live on Inquirer.com, courtesy of the DNC:

In Philadelphia, live coverage will begin at 8 p.m. on WHYY. Both ABC and NBC will begin its live coverage at 9 p.m. tonight, while CBS will broadcast live from the DNC beginning at 10 p.m. Fox wont air live coverage of the DNC.

CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and NewsNation will also offer live coverage starting hours before the event begins, each offering analysis.

C-SPAN will continue to broadcast every minute of the DNC, something the network has done for both partys conventions since 1984. It will also stream coverage on C-SPAN.org and on the C-SPAN Now mobile app.

Comcast Xfinity X1 subscribers can watch all programming by saying DNC into their remotes.

Who will be speaking Wednesday night?

Democrats have not yet released a full schedule of Wednesdays speakers, but here are some of the bold-faced names expected to speak, according to the convention and media reports:

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro Former President Bill Clinton Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Maryland Gov. Wes Moore House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D., Nev.)

Whats the full schedule this week for the 2024 Democratic National Convention?

The Democratic National Convention will take place over four nights this week, from Monday to Thursday. Convention programming is scheduled to air live each night from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern.

On the final night of the convention Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver her official acceptance speech for the Republican nomination. It will be a much different experience than the speech she delivered at the 2020 DNC, where she was forced to speak to supporters through television screens amid the height of the COVID pandemic.

What are conventions like this actually for?

While political conventions have largely grown into television events designed to promote political parties and their leaders, the business of the convention includes formalizing a party platform.

There is also usually a formal vote of delegates to officially nominate the partys presidential candidate, but Harris entered the week as the official nominee, thanks to a virtual vote of delegates taken earlier this month. Instead, Democrats held a ceremonial roll call Tuesday naming her the partys presidential nominee.

 READ MORE: Kamala Harris nomination may be ceremonial, but its momentous for Black women and Asian Americans in Pa. delegation

Will Harris and Trump debate?

Harris and Trump have agreed to at least one presidential debate. It will take place Sept. 10 in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center at 9 p.m., hosted by ABC News. Heres what we know about tickets to the event.

Its not the first time Philadelphia has hosted a presidential debate. Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford debated at the Walnut Street Theatre in 1976, the first televised debate since Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy famously faced-off in 1960. The city also hosted a vice presidential debate between George H.W. Bush and Geraldine Ferraro at the Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center in 1984.

Trump proposed two more debates in September, but the Harris campaign rejected those. Instead, the Harris campaign said it would be open to a second debate in October if Trump shows up on Sept. 10.
Vice President Kamala Harris shown on the big screen at the Democratic National Convention on Monday night in Chicago. Read more

Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will launch two new ads focused on the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community in battleground states, including Pennsylvania, as part of a massive, $90 million ad blitz for the rest of August.

The focus on AANHPI voters comes after former President Donald Trumps comments on Harris mixed-race heritage and attempts to delegitimize her as both Black and South Asian American.

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Harris is the daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father. She has always embraced both identities.

She definitely understands that this is a very fast growing demographic group in our country and theres certain issues that face our communities, said Philadelphia Councilmember Nina Ahmad, who is in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention. We have to understand the needs within [the AANHPI community] and she understands that, which makes it amazing to have, at the very top of the ticket, someone who understands the nuance in the AANHPI community.

Two new ads will air on AANHPI-focused television channels along with online outlets, including Meta, YouTube and iHeart Radio beginning this week.

One spot highlights the Biden-Harris administrations work on the Affordable Care Act, which reduced the number of uninsured AANHPI people by 63%, the campaign said.

The second ad focuses on Trumps anti-Asian rhetoric and subsequent spike in anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These new ads remind Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander voters that the choice in this election is clear for our communities, Andrew Peng, the Harris-Walz campaigns AANHPI spokesperson, said in a news release.

Harris emergence as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee energized Black and South Asian voters, according to leaders who spoke with the Inquirer soon after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

Ahmad said the DNC had several events geared toward AANHPI voters, and people were energized for Harris candidacy.

People from all different walks of life, different AANHPI identities, are coming together and we are so excited and thrilled, Ahmad said.

Harris identity has already netted her a number of historic firsts in politics.

She was the first person of color to become San Francisco district attorney, the first woman, first Black person, and first South Asian person to become Californias attorney general, the first South Asian American U.S. senator and the first Black person, Asian American and woman to serve as vice president.

When Biden exited the presidential race in July and endorsed Harris to run in his stead, she eventually became the first woman of color to earn her partys support as a presidential nominee.

And when campaigning for then-candidate Biden wore on in early July, Harris made a visit to Philadelphia when she served as the keynote speaker at Asian and Pacific Islander American Votes presidential town hall meeting.

More than half a million Asian Americans live in Pennsylvania, making up 3% of the states voting population. In Philadelphia, Asian Americans represent 8% of the population.

In late July, Trump claimed that Harris only recently had begun identifying as Black during an antagonistic live interview at the National Association of Black Journalists convention.

She was Indian all the way and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went  she became a Black person, Trump said. I think somebody should look into that.

Trumps comments echoed the time the Republican ex-president entered national politics by falsely claiming that then-President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Since then, Trump has continued to make untrue claims about Harris race and Blackness.

Harris attended Howard University, a historically Black institution, in the 1980s and in 1986 pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha, a historically Black sorority.
With Vice President Kamala Harris slated to speak Thursday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, former President Donald Trumps campaign will turn its attention to Arizona and Georgia.

Harris will take the stage at the United Center in Chicago Thursday to formally accept the nomination as the Democratic Partys presidential candidate. Following her acceptance, the DNC will wrap up, and Harris will return to Washington, D.C., the White House said.

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Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have stuck close to Chicago all week, making only one campaign appearance outside the Windy City. That stop came Tuesday in Milwaukee, about 90 minutes outside Chicago, where Harris and Walz held a rally at the Fiserv Forum.

But Harris-Walz organizers have held a number of events around the country throughout the week in support of the ticket. Thursday, for example, the campaign will host at least 150 watch parties in Pennsylvania as Harris makes her nomination acceptance speech at the DNC.

Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R., Ohio), meanwhile, will turn their attention to immigration policy Thursday. Trump will appear in Cochise County, Ariz., where he will visit the U.S. southern border late Thursday morning, his campaign said.

Vance will also speak about immigration and border security at his own campaign event in Valdosta, Ga.

Trump on Friday will then head to Las Vegas for a campaign event focused on not taxing workers tips. He is also scheduled to appear at a rally in Glendale, Ariz., later in the day.
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North Philadelphia State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta was one of the only Pennsylvania natives to land a coveted speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention, spending his two minutes on stage ripping the conservative Project 2025 as a a radical plan to drag us backward.

While holding a copy of the 900-page blueprint for a second Trump administration that was put together by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, Kenyatta, 34, said Republicans would overhaul the federal government under the plan, halt Medicares newly granted power to negotiate drug prices, and change regulations on overtime pay for workers.

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My friends, these bad ideas arent new, he said. As long as weve been fighting to make America work for working families, there have been greedy corporate interests trying to take us back.

Democrats are seeking to make Project 2025 a key campaign issue. Despite some of his administration staff shaping the document, former President Donald Trump has recently distanced himself from the project, saying last month: I have no idea who is behind it.

 READ MORE: Project 2025 agenda says former Pa. secretary of state should be investigated and prosecuted for 2020

The brief speech was the second time Kenyatta addressed Democratic National Convention-goers. He spoke in prerecorded remarks at the 2020 convention, which was largely virtual due to COVID-related restrictions.

Kenyatta, the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania auditor general and the first Black and openly LGBTQ person elected to the state legislature, has for several years been considered a rising star in the Democratic Party. He knows President Joe Biden well, leads a presidential advisory commission, and has campaigned with the president across the country.

Kenyattas husband, Matthew Kenyatta, posted on X about watching his spouse address the convention. Listening front row on DNC Floor and trying not to cry. BEYOND PROUD OF MY HUBBY! he said.

During his remarks Tuesday, Kenyatta invoked his grandmother, saying she called him in 2019 and said, Im so sorry baby, I thought my generation fixed this, and here you are fighting the same battles.

I want to tell you tonight what I said to my grandma. I said, its OK, Grandma. Its just our turn, he said. Its our turn to stand up for working people and stand up for our nations promise. Its our turn to defend our rights, and to ensure democracy doesnt die on our watch.

Moments after leaving the DNC stage, Kenyatta was coming down from his moment in the national spotlight and strategizing how his party could win his critical home state.

His biggest advice for Vice President Kamala Harris? Keep coming to visit.

A big part of it is showing up, Kenyatta said from the convention. I say this to the Vice President all the time, every time I see her people want to want to see you. Shes a dynamic person who people connect with because I think folks know in their gut she gives a damn about them, and Gov. Walz exudes that as well.
Police arrived at Matthew McCaffery's home Friday night in what he says was a swatting incident. Earlier that day McCaffery, a municipal leader for the Montgomery County GOP, spoke on CNN about his decision to support Vice President Kamala Harris for President. Read more

Montgomery County Republicans voted Monday to oust a local committeeperson and party leader who has publicly supported Vice President Kamala Harris for president.

Matthew McCaffery, an Upper Merion Republican, was removed from his position following a Zoom hearing Monday night, days after McCaffery said he was swatted following an appearance on CNN during which he discussed his support for Harris and opposition to former President Donald Trump.

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The hearing was scheduled before the swatting incident. McCaffery has become a prominent voice against Trump in the Philadelphia suburbs in recent months. Last month, he authored an opinion piece in The Inquirer detailing why he, as a veteran, couldnt vote for Trump. His face is featured on Republicans Against Trump billboards throughout the state and he has taken an active role working with Republican organizations that oppose Trump.

Those actions, county party leaders said, violated bylaws that bar officials from actively promoting the nominee of any other party.

In a letter announcing his ouster, which McCaffery posted to X, county GOP chair Christian Nascimento says the partys disciplinary committee believed that McCaffery would continue to violate bylaws based on his continued activism after a complaint was filed against him.

Further, during the disciplinary hearing, a continued lack of remorse and admission that you knowingly violated the bylaws solidified the committees belief that similar behaviors would continue if you were allowed to retain your seats, only to the detriment of the party, he wrote.

In his X post, McCaffery simply commented, I guess they picked up on my apathy.

I thought they were cordial and professional, he said in an interview. I did violate the bylaws and I respect their decision.

On Friday night, after his interview on CNN, police arrived at McCafferys home in an apparent swatting incident, in which someone calls in a fake emergency to draw police to a specific address, according to video McCaffrey posted to X. Upper Merion police have not responded to a request for comment.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, speaks during the first night of the Democratic National Convention Monday in Chicago. Read more

The roll call meant nothing. It also meant a whole lot.

Vice President Kamala Harris, 59, officially became her partys nominee two weeks ago, without much ceremony, following a virtual vote of delegates.

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So when Pennsylvanias delegation cast its 178 votes Tuesday evening to nominate Harris to become the first Black woman and first Asian American nominated by a major political party, it was simply ceremonial.

But to Pennsylvanians on the floor at the convention whose political careers have also been marked by being the first or the only, or among a small group, the moment felt significant.

To put the first Black woman at the top of the ticket and only the second time to have a woman there, theres shared enthusiasm across the country from all sorts of groups and demographics seeing themselves, feeling represented, said Monica Taylor, a delegate, who is the first Black woman to serve as chair of the Delaware County Council.

The roll call doubled as a joyful pep rally for the delegations from around the nation with song selections for each state, including dual choices of Boyz II Mens Motown Philly and Wiz Khalifas Black and Yellowfor Pennsylvania.

It began with President Joe Bidens home state of Delaware and ended with Minnesota and California, the home states of vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and Harris.

When the roll call came to Pennsylvania, Dwan Walker, the first Black mayor of Aliquippa, in Beaver County, addressed the convention and explained he forged his political path in 2009, following the murder of his sister.

Twelve years this city has been under my watch, Walker told the convention. Im grateful for the opportunity to lead my city. Im grateful for the state of Pennsylvania. God bless everyone in this room.

Walker then passed the microphone to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was a top contender to serve as Harris running mate before her selection of Walz earlier this month.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the birthplace of democracy, the birthplace of freedom, the greatest commonwealth of all, he said, together, Pennsylvania casts 178 votes for the next Madam President of the United States, Kamala Harris, and Vice President Tim Walz.

The delegation cheering along included Rogette Harris, the only Black woman who chairs one of the states 67 county Democratic parties. Shes had that distinction for the last four years.

I became chair because I was asked to run and as women of color were not asked to run as much, Harris said. We need to encourage and recruit women of color to run for these seats.

Harris of Dauphin County said that makes being a delegate at the historic convention meaningful. This is personal for me. she said.

Jamila Winder, the first Black woman to sit on the Montgomery County Commissioners board, was reflecting during the vote on her own journey.

We think about what happened in 2016. We think about the fight that women oftentimes go through to assume positions of leadership, positions of power, and how the journey to those offices are hard fought, she said. I know from experience what I went through to sit in my seat. Its historic. It means a lot, and it means that the tide is turning.

Her fellow Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija, the first Asian American commissioner in any of the states 67 counties, has been a Harris supporter since he first met her when she was running for California attorney general. At that point in 2010, the South Asian American community didnt have any elected officials in federal office.

Shes the person at the table who sees and values everyoneno matter their title or status, said Makhija, who celebrated attended a Diwali celebration at Harris house in Washington the day after he won his seat. Thats her super power.

In recent weeks, former President Donald Trump has sought to use Harris Indian heritage as a way to question the vice presidents Black identity.

Harris has always embraced both identities. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, immigrated from India in 1958 to study endocrinology at the University of California, Berkeley. Her father, Donald Harris, immigrated from Jamaica in 1961 to study economics at the same university and the couple met through their involvement in the Civil Rights movement.

Arvind Venkat, a delegate from McCandless and state representative from Pittsburghs suburbs, has family from the same part of India that Harris mothers family is from. Venkat is the first Indian American to serve in the statehouse and the only Asian American to be elected west of Harrisburg.

Venkat said while experiencing the moment live in Chicago is extremely special, part of him wished he could watch with his wife, son, and two daughters, who will both be able to cast their first vote for president in November.

Ill be thinking about them, as young women of Indian background seeing the first South Asian, the first African American female nominee standing there and potentially becoming the next president of the United States and what that says about whats possible in this country, he said.

When Harris came out in a bit of a surprise appearance to greet the crowd on opening night Monday, Pennsylvanias delegation jumped to its feet from their section immediately to the front left of the stage  a sign of the states importance.

This is Philadelphia in the house today, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said while standing alongside three other elected officials from the city who are women of color.

City Council Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson called the energy in this building is palpable.

We feel excited. We feel joyous, she said. Like Parker, Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton, whose district includes parts of West and Southwest Philadelphia and Delaware County, is the first Black woman to hold her office, and she commented on the historical nature of Harris candidacy.

It is just unbelievable that in this convention, we are going to make history by nominating the first Asian and Black woman, who is so accomplished, has a resume longer than all of ours combined, has held every elected office at the local, state, federal level, McClinton said.

What this means for women all across our nation, of every country, is absolutely awesome.

Staff writer Anna Orso contributed to this article.
A rendering of the apartment building planned for 2001 Richmond St., a big change in plans from a previous proposal that focused much more heavily on townhouses. Read more

Another 441 units could be added to the Delaware River waterfront as Concordia Group and D3 Real Estate Development look to expand on their North Bank project between The Battery and Graffiti Pier.

The original North Bank project comprises 475 single-family townhouses at 2001 Beach St. Parts of that earlier project are still under construction, but many homes are already occupied, and sales have been brisk in recent months.

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The development teams new project is slated for 2001 Richmond St., the adjoining parcel to the northwest. It represents a change of plans to focus on more rentals and retail and fewer for-sale townhouses.

The latest design includes 307 apartments, up from 86, and reduces the new townhouse count from 184 to 134.

We already have a pretty good spread in our townhome prices, and being able to offer a variety of rental options will just make for a more well-rounded community, said Greg Hill, a principal with D3. The first iteration of this project wasnt taking full advantage of the potential of this site.

The developers also plan to expand the retail offerings in the enlarged apartment building.

We probably have over 300 families living at North Bank now, and the demand for retail amenities is increasing, Hill said. This larger building is now giving us over 8,000 square foot of commercial retail space on the ground floor, which will be a nice benefit to the community.

Hill emphasized that this expansion of the North Bank would include plenty of access to the waterfront for the public, not just residents of their development. (There will be no gates, Hill noted.) That will include a pedestrian connection to the expanded Delaware River trail to the south and an access point to the park slated for Graffiti Pier to the north.

Neighborhood groups and community advocates applauded the new design of this expansion of the North Bank project. Earlier townhouse-centric developments along the river received some pushback for a lack of density  what some argued was antisocial design  and not enough public access to the waterfront.

After the recovery from the 2008 crash and before the pandemic, we saw a spate of waterfront development projects that were very townhome-based, said Matt Ruben, chair of Central Delaware Advocacy Group (CDAG). This was a concern because the way that a lot of these proposals were designed wasnt ideal for getting the public down to the water and for having new developments that extended the street grid.

But Ruben says this expansion of North Bank appears to have learned from those previous projects and even from the development groups own earlier townhouse-centric first half of the site.

It has more potential if theyre shifting emphasis toward mixed-use, mid-rise buildings and away from townhouses, said Ruben.

The project is large enough to trigger a Civic Design Review and will be considered by the citys advisory committee on Sept. 3.

The Fishtown Neighbors Association isnt taking an official stance on the project because the developers dont need zoning permissions, but the organization is concerned about the current lack of pedestrian connectivity between the site and Fishtown proper.

The Streets Department had made a commitment, both to us and the developer, to build pedestrian connections at Berks and Palmer Streets, said Will Dungan, zoning committee chair of the association. This project is going to add a lot of families to Fishtown, and we want kids to be able to walk to school.

Hill of D3 says that the timing of this new apartment project means the company wont have to worry about the intensely competitive rental market that buildings currently leasing have to face. He anticipates construction beginning in the first quarter of next year and continuing into 2026  roughly when experts expect the current apartment glut to have eased up.

Weve been envisioning this larger building for the past year and purposefully pushed our schedule back to track market conditions and try to pick an optimal start time for the project, Hill said.

This article was updated to correct a misstatement by Will Dungan on the government agency working on pedestrian connections.
A rendering of the former Gretz Brewery with apartments in a redevelopment planned by the Rufo Cos. Read more

A redevelopment plan for the former Gretz Brewery at 1524-38 Germantown Ave. is being revived after years of dormancy.

The developer, Conshohocken-based Rufo Cos., received zoning permission for the development before the pandemic, but progress stalled in the years thereafter, and the permits expired.

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There were a couple extenuating circumstances with the previous one, including COVID and things like that, so were going back through the approval process, said Tony Rufo Jr., a principal with the company.

The original proposal received pushback for being overly dense. The new plan reduces the unit count from 220 to 200. Half of them will be one-bedrooms, Rufo Jr. said. Also, one of the new additions to the brewery complex will be reduced by a story, and the company is negotiating with neighborhood groups about the placement of the drive aisle for the complex.

The number of parking spaces, 42, will remain the same as will the space allotted for five retail storefronts.

In the years since its initial approval, the neighborhood around the Gretz Brewery project  directly west of Fishtown  has seen an influx of new development and population. Competition among new multifamily buildings is intense right now, although the current apartment glut is expected to fade within the next two years.

We see what has happened over the last five years in that area, but I think were strategically placed in that we have an historical property that will set us apart from all these new builds, Rufo Jr. said. I dont think itll be as transient as some of the other ones, with one-year leases and then the tenants are out. This will be a place where people will stay for multiple renewals.

While Rufo is apparently moving forward with the redevelopment of the Gretz Brewery, the building was listed for sale for $6.6 million earlier this month.

But Rufo Jr. insists that the company is serious about its redevelopment proposal.

Yes, its currently on the market but not necessarily for sale, Rufo Jr. said. Our intention is to get this property developed and occupied.

For historic preservationists, the revitalization of the brewery, which has been vacant for 65 years, would be a huge win. The building is on the local register of historic places, which means it is protected from demolition. But the longer it sits empty, the tougher redevelopment becomes.

Its an all too rare example of Philadelphia leveraging its industrial heritage, said Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance. Philadelphia was once the leading brewery city in the country before Prohibition, and this is a relic of that. Were always happy to see when our industrial history is celebrated in this way.
The facade of the proposed 75-unit apartment building next to Germantown Town Hall. Read more

The Germantown Town Hall could soon be getting a new neighbor, courtesy of Iron Stone Real Estate Partners.

The Philadelphia-based developer proposes a five-story, 75-unit apartment building in the lot just north of the historic building, at 5932-42 Germantown Ave.

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The project will also include two retail spaces and 38 parking spaces on the ground floor, as well as a shared residential roof deck. The architect for the project is Philadelphia-based Canno Design.

No zoning permissions are required. But the project is large enough that it has triggered oversight by the Civic Design Review committee, which provides advice to developers on matters of architecture and the built environment. It will be considered at the committees Sept. 3 meeting.

Iron Stone did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Before Iron Stone goes before the Civic Design Review committee, the developer has to meet with the local neighborhood group, in this case West Central Germantown Neighbors. That meeting will be held Aug. 21 on Zoom.

Because the community group hasnt held a public meeting with the developer yet, it does not have an official stance on the project yet.

But West Central Germantown Neighbors leadership has met with Iron Stone and expressed some concerns about the density, the lack of wraparound brick siding, rear units overlooking neighbors yards and infringing on privacy, and the potential for a shared drive aisle with the Philadelphia Police Departments 14th District impeding officer response to emergency calls.

We dont have a lot of clout here, but they are interested in making us happy, said Julie Stapleton Carroll of West Central Germantown neighbors. In addition to the other concerns, We are interested in affordable housing because we feel there is little affordability in these new developments. They agreed to consider it if we support their proposals.

Carroll says Iron Stone has also agreed to consider adding more brick to the facade and eliminating a few of the rear units to address privacy concerns, if the neighborhood group offers support at the committee meeting.

Carroll says that she cant guarantee that outcome at the meeting, where the proposal will be put to a vote, but that shes been pleasantly surprised  if a little mystified  by the developers appeals for community support when they dont have to go to the zoning board.

She also notes that the community is concerned about the future of Germantown Town Hall, which West Powelton Development proposed to redevelop years ago with the support of City Councilmember Cindy Bass. No discernible progress has been made on the vacant, city-owned building.
Attackers will always zero in on organisations they see as weaker targets. If you are in a shrinking pool of potential victims, you will be more visible and likely to be attacked over time, he said.
Education is one of the most powerful change agents to overcome educational inequality caused by poverty. By missing out on access to books and learning materials at home, students experiencing disadvantage can fall behind with their learning, affecting their confidence and making it harder for them to gain the skills they need to create a secure future, he said.
It also addressed concerns about its capital framework, which some participants viewed as more restrictive compared to international standards. However, it maintained that the primary focus should be on addressing the demand challenge to unlock the potential of the longevity market.
Gallagher has issued guidance to help businesses meet the requirements of the Work Health & Safety Act concerning the management of psychosocial risks in the workplace  something that could help insurance companies and brokers who are looking to better understand and support their clients in navigating these challenges.
Commenting on the chairmanship, he said: Independent agents are at the heart of our business at The Hanover. Our partnership with PIA helps us collaborate and engage with some of the best agents across the country. I am excited to chair this important initiative and look forward to working with my peers to drive excellence in our industry.
The defendants contributing to the settlement include the state of Hawaii, the County of Maui, Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc, West Maui Land Co, Spectrum/Charter Communications, Hawaiian Telcom Inc., and Kamehameha Schools, as reported by the governors office. Hawaiian Electric disclosed that it will contribute $1.99 billion to the total settlement.
Italian search and rescue teams have retrieved a fifth body from a sunken yacht off Sicily, where British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and Morgan Stanley International chair Jonathan Bloomer are among those feared to have died.

The body was recovered Thursday morning as search on the wreck resumed for a fourth day, according to an Italian official briefed on the operations who asked not to named. No statements identifying any of the bodies have so far been issued officially.

A total of six people likely were trapped and died inside the Bayesian when it was hit by a tornado near Porticello, Sicily, on Monday, according to authorities. Adding to the complexity of the search mission is the narrowness of the spaces inside the sunken yacht and the presence of many objects, the coast guard said.

Overall, of the 22 passengers in the boat, 15 were rescued on Monday and one victim was formally identified.

Yacht Insurer OMAC Is Hull Carrier for Sunken Yacht in Sicily, Sources Say

Authorities are meanwhile investigating exactly how the luxury yacht sank  and why it sank so quickly  in the early hours of Monday morning, with the captain and other survivors answering questions from the local prosecutors office, according to local media.

The UKs Marine Accident Investigation Branch said its also probing the incident, with questions surfacing around the expansiveness of the yachts mast and the state of the hull.

Right now there is no evidence that the mast has been snapped, coast guard spokesman Vincenzo Zagarola told Bloomberg News. We can also say that, so far, there is no evidence that the hull has been broken. But we dont have a clear idea yet of the full damage.

Crews aided by military ships, remote controlled underwater vehicles and helicopters have been searching for missing passengers since Monday. Six guests, including Lynchs wife Angela Bacares, and nine crew have been rescued. The body of Recaldo Thomas, the ships chef, was found soon after the Bayesian sank.

Lynch and his daughter Hannah, Bloomer and his wife Judy, and Clifford Chance partner Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda were identified as the missing passengers on Tuesday by authorities in Sicily.

Lynch, 59, and his family were celebrating his recent acquittal from fraud charges with a small group of advisers when the violent storm struck. The charges stemmed from Lynchs sale of his software firm Autonomy Corp. to Hewlett Packard Co. in 2011. The Silicon Valley giant went on to accuse Lynch of accounting failures. Hed spent years working to clear his name in court and restore his reputation as one of Europes most successful entrepreneurs.

A little over two months before the yacht accident, a San Francisco jury found Lynch not guilty of criminal charges that he duped HP into overpaying for his company. He was still fighting HP in a civil case in London, where a British judge held him responsible for creating the illusion of a company much larger and more successful than it really was.

Rescue workers have had difficulties gaining access to the yacht 48 meters below the surface, citing the depth and position of the vessels hull.

The search will go on as long as necessary, Zagarola told Bloomberg. For sure the whole hull will need to be inspected meter by meter.

Top photograph: An Italian Coast Guard rescue boat during the search for survivors following the sinking of the Bayesian yacht, in Porticello near Palermo, on Aug. 20, 2024. Photo credit: Alerto Pozzoli/AFP/Getty Images

Related:

Copyright 2024 Bloomberg.
Thunderstorm alerts are in place for a swath of Europe from Poland and Hungary to Italy and Greece.

There are orange warnings for northern Greece, as the summer heat gives way to violent storms and the risk of flooding. Serbia and Kosovo face similar alerts, while much of Italy is under a yellow storm warning.

Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves, triggering extreme weather events from violent storms to wildfires. As the Mediterranean Sea warms  reaching a record average temperature last week  its turbo-charging storms across the region.

Further south in Greece, Athens and the surrounding Attica region still face a high risk of wildfires, along with Peloponnese and the islands of Rhodes, Crete and Lesvos. There were 32 blazes in 24 hours to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

While its been the worst wildfire season in two decades in terms of outbreaks, there has been just one major blaze  on the outskirts of the capital early last week  after the deployment of drones and cameras accelerated response times.

Now the Greek government is looking at drafting a new fire-prevention and reforestation plan for Attica next month. It will also address the risk of flooding on land burnt by wildfires.

Technology has helped us a lot, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said after meeting with mayors of areas of Attica affected by last weeks blaze. Were already building a technological infrastructure hat will allow us to locate fires very quickly and to adopt the dogma of first strike in a much more aggressive way than we have done in the past.

Heat warnings are still in place across southern Spain, with temperatures climbing as high as 40C (104F) on Wednesday.

Theres also a yellow warning for heavy rain in the west of Scotland, while the Gironde in southwest France is on flood alert.

 Yellow weather warning UPDATED 

Heavy rain across western Scotland

Valid 1100 Wednesday to 0800 Thursday

Latest info  https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs

Stay #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/pCigWi4vAN

 Met Office (@metoffice) August 21, 2024

Photograph: Lightning striking over Nice, France, on Aug. 14, 2024. Photo credit: Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images

Copyright 2024 Bloomberg.

Topics Windstorm Europe
Alliant Insurance Services, headquartered in Irvine, California, named Brad Heter as vice president and producer within its employee benefits group serving Alliants Midwest region, specifically in the Ohio market.

Heter has over 20 years of experience as an employee benefits advisor, specializing in the implementation of strategies to manage the risks associated with health plans. Heter joins Alliant from Oswald Companies, where he most recently served as a sales executive in employee benefits.

Topics Alliant
A federal judge ruled the US Federal Trade Commission cant enforce its near-total ban on noncompete agreements that was set to go into effect next month, blocking an effort by the agency to make labor markets more competitive.

In a ruling Tuesday, US District Judge Ada Brown in Dallas sided with the US Chamber of Commerce and a Texas-based tax firm that sued to block the measure. The judge said the FTC lacked the authority to enact the ban, which she said was unreasonably overbroad without a reasonable explanation.

The ruling represents a significant blow for the FTC and further divides the judiciary over the regulators powers. A federal judge in Pennsylvania had previously sided with the FTC. The rule is likely to be headed for appellate review. Brown had previously delayed implementation of the ban, which was scheduled to take effect on Sept. 4.

We are disappointed by Judge Browns decision and will keep fighting to stop noncompetes that restrict the economic liberty of hardworking Americans, hamper economic growth, limit innovation, and depress wages, FTC spokesperson Victoria Graham said in a statement. We are seriously considering a potential appeal.

The US Chamber of Commerce called the ruling a significant win in its fight against government micromanagement of business decisions.

The FTCs rule was an unlawful extension of power that would have put American workers, businesses and our economy at a competitive disadvantage, the chamber said in a statement.

Noncompete agreements have become increasingly common in the US, with an estimated 20% of workers  roughly 30 million Americans  subject to them. The agency had argued the provisions harm workers, while employers claimed they help protect their investments in employees. Only a handful of states bar noncompetes.

A ban on such agreements would impact businesses and people across the workforce  everyone from doctors to tax professionals to hair stylists  and shift the balance of power between bosses and staff.

The FTC maintains that it had the authority to approve the rule in April, as part of its duty to ward off unfair methods of competition. Graham said the agency will still seek to protect workers limited by noncompete agreements.

Todays decision does not prevent the FTC from addressing noncompetes through case-by-case enforcement actions, Graham said.

Browns decision could be appealed to the conservative US 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. The appeals court has become a favorite for conservative opponents of President Joe Bidens policies related to federal regulatory power, guns, abortion and social media regulation.

The case in Dallas is one of three lawsuits challenging the FTCs non-compete rule and the most advanced. The others are pending in Florida and Pennsylvania, with one judge initially siding with the FTC and the other against. Neither of those suits has yet reached a final determination on the FTCs rulemaking authority.

Read More: All About Non-Compete Clauses the FTC Wants to Ban

The case is Ryan v. Federal Trade Commission, 3:24-cv-00986, US District Court, Northern District of Texas (Dallas).

Copyright 2024 Bloomberg.

Topics Legislation
Most Americans will remember 2020 as the year when the pandemic changed everything. But for Lake Charles, Louisiana, and its neighbors along the Gulf Coast, it was also the year of record-setting disasters, when once-in-a-lifetime storms hit in such rapid succession that their impacts blurred together.

A recent National Academies consensus study I worked on looked into the compounding disasters that the region faced  both physical and socioeconomic  as storm after storm arrived during the pandemic with little time for recovery.

It concludes that Lake Charles experiences could be a harbinger of whats to come in a warming world unless the nation fundamentally rethinks its disaster preparedness, response and recovery strategies.

Lake Charles compounding disasters

Hurricane Laura made landfall near Lake Charles on Aug. 27, 2020, as a powerful Category 4 storm, with wind speeds exceeding those that local building codes were designed to protect against. The ongoing pandemic made filing FEMA assistance requests and insurance claims more difficult. Assessors could view properties only from afar, and on-site application assistance was suspended, forcing residents into untested online systems.

As the community struggled to self-document its losses, Lake Charles was struck again five weeks later by Hurricane Delta. The storm lashed already crippled buildings and sent debris flying, causing further damage and creating complex claims scenarios.

It was nearly impossible to differentiate new damage from existing damage worsened by the latest storm. Delayed recovery assistance left municipalities with no funds to pay for more debris removal.

Then, February 2021 brought a deep freeze to still-unrepaired homes, bursting pipes and adding more water damage from within. Tarps protecting damaged roofs frayed, allowing even more water in from above. Debris continued to mount along the streets.

When record rainfall arrived in May 2021, debris-clogged stormwater systems were overwhelmed. Floodwaters inundated properties, pushing yet another round of losses into an already overwhelmed claims and assistance system. Uninsured losses mounted as flooding reached areas not expected to flood under normal circumstances and thus not required to carry flood insurance.

This is what a compounding disaster looks like. The growing economic toll left many homes unrepaired. Damaged rental properties were quickly absorbed by buyout programs or flipped in suddenly lucrative housing markets. Housing recovery in Lake Charles lags to this day.

What happened in Lake Charles in 2020-21 illustrates an important truth: Compounding disasters are avoided only by reducing the recovery time after each storm.

Thats a challenging prospect with storms striking more frequently due to climate change. As the study teams resident engineer, I believe it will require prioritizing housing resilience, creating more flexible assistance systems and building adaptive capacity that can contend with novel storm scenarios.

1. Build resilient homes

The best way to reduce recovery time is to eliminate the need to recover at all. That begins with building homes that are able to withstand extreme storms.

Unlike other critical infrastructure that is strictly regulated, most housing is governed by the private decisions of property owners who receive very little information regarding the vulnerability of their homes. It is thus unsurprising that they do not realize how breaches of a window or garage door could propagate to destroy their home.

Worse yet, aging existing properties are not required to comply with the latest building codes, making the nations aging housing inventory particularly vulnerable to compounding disasters.

States could adopt and enforce enhanced construction standards, but political will is lacking in many Gulf Coast states. Beyond developer concerns over rising construction costs, code reform can become politicized.

One example is Alabama, which does not enforce a statewide building code. Jurisdictions in Mobile and Baldwin counties elected to enforce the Coastal Construction Code Supplement, created after hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Katrina (2005) to strengthens houses beyond typical code minimums. This, along with the Strengthen Alabama Homes grant program, led to more homes being built to a higher standard along the Alabama coast. Many of those homes were unscathed when Hurricane Sally hit in 2020.

These local programs offer a template that can be replicated in states such as Louisiana, which is similarly emphasizing resilient affordable housing as part of its build-back-better strategy.

2. Recognize that 1 size no longer fits all

Housing recovery in Lake Charles was particularly impeded by the rigidity of the nations current disaster assistance apparatus, which views each disaster as a discrete event, managed by a standardized and at times restrictive process. That resulted in significant delays and denials of assistance during the compounding disasters of 2020 and 2021.

In sharp contrast, pandemic relief funds arrived in these communities in the same time period with few restrictions, giving municipalities the flexibility to address acute needs and even bolster long-term resilience. Communities used the funds to provide emergency rental and utility assistance, harden vulnerable infrastructure and improve flood management capacity.

The 2020-21 storm sequence bankrupted a dozen Louisiana insurers and left the national disaster fund depleted. The federal government now has an opportunity to redesign national assistance systems to transition from a historically rigid, event-based view of disasters toward a more flexible perspective that more fully accommodates the varied and prolonged effects of compounding disasters based on each communitys needs and capacity.

Disasters today are compounding in ways unimagined when the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act was written 35 years ago. It established how the federal government, and specifically FEMA, assists states and local governments in preparing for and recovering from disasters. Overhauling the law could bring an important reset to national disaster assistance policies.

3. Learn from the pandemic

Beyond speeding recovery through flexible funding, the pandemic forced communities to develop new capacity to adapt to crises, likely helping them respond to compounding disasters that would follow.

The COVID-19 crisis spurred improved data collection and reporting capabilities. We found that it also enhanced coordination within and across organizations.

And it forced virtual service delivery  schools developed online learning systems, and physicians popularized telehealth. Those new technologies were already in use in Lake Charles when storm damage shuttered schools, one day after the first in-person classes since the pandemic. It is unlikely that such swift adaptation would have occurred without months of a pandemic building that adaptive muscle.

Climate change will bring new weather patterns that are beyond emergency managers current playbooks, which are filled with protocols honed by past experience. The capacity to adapt will be essential when those playbooks cant handle compounding disasters that few had imagined.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/how-back-to-back-hurricanes-set-off-a-year-of-compounding-disasters-for-one-city-and-alarm-bells-about-risks-in-a-warming-world-236384.

Photo: In this Aug. 27, 2020 file photo, buildings and homes are flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura near Lake Charles.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters
SAN DIEGO - August 21, 2024 (Investorideas.com Newswire) KULR Technology Group, Inc. (NYSE American: KULR) (the "Company" or "KULR"), a global leader in sustainable energy management, announced today the mutually agreed upon resignation of Keith Cochran as President and Chief Operating Officer, effective August 20, 2024. KULR has re-allocated the oversight of its day-to-day operations among its executive level management, headed by Chief Executive Officer, Michael Mo.

"On behalf of the Board and rest of the Company, I want to thank Keith for his years of service to the Company," said Michael Mo. "We are appreciative of Keith's expertise and leadership throughout his tenure as President and Chief Operating Officer and wish him well in his future endeavors."

KULR's Board believes the new leadership structure fully aligns with the Company's accelerated strategic shift to Webster, Texas, which the Company has designated as its principal executive office. While Webster is already the Company's largest office, its San Diego location will continue to be a critical innovation hub.

This news is paid advertisement/ news disseminated on behalf of/issued on behalf of KULR Technology Group, Inc.

About KULR Technology Group, Inc.

KULR Technology Group Inc. (NYSE American: KULR) is a leading energy management platform company offering proven solutions that play a critical role in accelerating the electrification of the circular economy. Leveraging a foundation in developing, manufacturing, and licensing next-generation carbon fiber thermal management technologies for batteries and electronic systems, KULR has evolved its holistic suite of products and services to enable its customers across disciplines to operate with efficiency and sustainability in mind. For more information, please visit www.kulrtechnology.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of offers to buy any securities of any entity. This release contains certain forward-looking statements based on our current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof. Our actual results may differ materially from those stated or implied in such forward-looking statements, due to risks and uncertainties associated with our business, which include the risk factors disclosed in our Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 12, 2024, as may be amended or supplemented by other reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions, or strategies regarding the future and can be identified by forward-looking words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "should," and "would" or similar words. All forecasts are provided by management in this release are based on information available at this time and management expects that internal projections and expectations may change over time. In addition, the forecasts are entirely on management's best estimate of our future financial performance given our current contracts, current backlog of opportunities and conversations with new and existing customers about our products and services. We assume no obligation to update the information included in this press release, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investor Relations:

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Phone: 858-866-8478 x 847

Email: ir@kulrtechnology.com

KULR Technology Group, Inc. (NYSE: KULR) is a featured renewable energy stock on Investorideas.com More info on KULR at Investorideas.com Visit: https://www.investorideas.com/CO/KULR/

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Irish micro-businesses are suffering under severe pressure, with profitability for many largely out of reach, research conducted by IPSOS B&A suggests.

The latest Linked Finance SME Confidence Index noted no positive profitability metrics amongst micro businesses since 2018, with 30% not optimistic about trade in the next three months, tipping them into negative territory overall for the first time since the covid pandemic.

In addition, indigenous businesses focused on the Irish market are also feeling the pinch, according to the survey, with minimum wage legislation, inflation and pandemic-linked debt warehousing impacting these two cohorts more than others.

However, the large category of SME businesses is performing particularly well with 69% reporting better results in the last 12 months. Exporters are also doing much better in both trade and confidence terms year-on-year, with an increase of 11 percentage points on the sentiment index during the same period.

Overall, the majority of Irish SME businesses are heading into the second half of 2024 with optimism, despite unstable geo-political headwinds and instability in global stock markets, Linked Finance said.

Overall optimism among businesses in Irelands SME sector has seen positive growth year-over-year, with the Confidence Index standing at 62.51 out of 100 between April and June 2024, compared to 61.9 in the same three-month period last year.

However, Linked Finance warned the Index reveals a "widening gap" between larger and smaller businesses in Ireland's SME sector, as challenging economic conditions continue to divide the market.

It noted that micro-enterprises and those in the Retail & Wholesale sector face growing pressures on multiple fronts, with both sectors showing the lowest optimism levels going into the second half of 2024.

Despite this, the index showed that trends towards higher prices which have been evident since the end of the pandemic have now levelled off.

Businesses also appear more likely to maintain rather than increase prices despite ongoing pressures on profitability, Linked Finance said.

However, this applies mainly to mid-sized SMEs, as opposed to micro-businesses, who have had to keep increasing their prices to cover higher costs.

The steady confidence levels seen over the past 12 months among Irish SMEs reflect a sector that is becoming increasingly adept at navigating economic uncertainties," said Niall O'Grady, CEO of Linked Finance.

"However, smaller, domestic-focused SMEs are more vulnerable to inflationary pressures and are still having to pass on pricing increases as a means of protecting their profitability.

Political preferences

The Confidence Index has also revealed that Irish SMEs had a clear view of which parties they believe will best serve their interests in the next government. Overall, Fine Gael was deemed the party that would best serve the current issues of Irish SMEs in the next government, followed by Fianna Fail and then Sinn Fein.

However, Linked Finance noted that Fianna Fail was more popular amongst larger SME businesses than Fine Gael.

The survey results indicate that together, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are favoured by more than 50% of the business surveys. However, almost one in four registered their support for other, indicating a preference outside the six main political parties, suggesting a significant leaning towards Independents.

"The results from our survey highlight that SMEs are closely monitoring government actions, especially with a general election on the horizon," Mr O'Grady continued.

"While the overall sentiment remains positive, it is crucial for government policies to continue supporting these enterprises."
Tech companies relentless push into artificial intelligence (AI) is coming at an undisclosed cost to the planet.

Amazon, Microsoft and Meta are concealing their actual carbon footprints, buying credits tied to electricity use that inaccurately erase millions of tons of planet-warming emissions from their carbon accounts, a Bloomberg Green analysis finds.

Recently Microsoft reported that its emissions are 30% higher today than in 2020, when it set a goal to become carbon negative. Other tech companies emissions are rising, too.

However, Microsoft and other AI leaders insist that the increase is because of the carbon-intensive materials used to build data centres  cement, steel and microchips  and not because of the massive amount of energy AI requires. Thats because they have said the power is mostly or all from zero-carbon sources, such as solar and wind.

Is AI being powered exclusively by clean energy? There is no physical reality for that claim, said Michael Gillenwater, executive director of the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute.

Companies are buying credits  called unbundled renewable energy certificates (RECs)  that can make it seem that power consumed from a coal plant came from a solar farm instead.

Amazon, Microsoft and Meta rely on millions of unbundled RECs each year to claim emission reductions when making voluntary disclosures to CDP, a nonprofit that runs a global environmental reporting system.]

Outdated accounting rules

The current carbon accounting rules allow for the use of these credits for calculating a companys carbon footprint. However, work that many academics have done shows the accounting rules need to be updated in order to accurately reflect greenhouse-gas emissions.

Thats because these carbon savings on paper are not actual emissions reductions in the atmosphere. If companies didnt count unbundled RECs, Amazon could be forced to admit that its 2022 emissions are 8.5 million metric tons of CO2 higher than reportedthats three times what the company disclosed and matches Mozambiques annual impact.

Microsofts sum could be 3.3 million tons higher than the reported tally of 288,000 tons. And Metas reported footprint could grow by 740,000 tons from near zero.

Companies shouldnt be allowed to use unbundled RECs to claim emissions reductions, said Silke Mooldijk, who focuses on corporate climate responsibility at the nonprofit NewClimate Institute. Its misleading to consumers and investors.

Not all tech companies have gobbled up unbundled RECs to obscure the rising emissions that have resulted from the hotly-contested AI race. Alphabets Google phased out its use of unbundled RECs several years ago after acknowledging that it doesnt amount to real emissions reductions.

Studies have raised legitimate questions about whether [these credits] displace fossil-powered generation, said Michael Terrell, senior director of energy and climate at Google.

A spokesperson for Meta, which relied on unbundled RECs and power from utilities labelled green for 18% of its renewable energy, said the company takes a thoughtful approach and that the majority of the companys renewable energy efforts are focused on projects that would not have otherwise been built.

Its a powerful marketing tool for these big tech companies, helping to allay concerns of potential customers who are themselves likely under pressure from users and investors to lower their own carbon footprints. In reality, its creating a cascading impact of misreported emissions and growing demand for energy-intensive AI products.

Bloomberg
The Irish Green and Feed Association says feed material suppliers have been unable to provide compound feed producers with solid market offers for the first quarter of 2025 because of the EU Deforestation Regulation.

The EUDR regulation will require from December 30 that EU-based importers provide detailed documentation, such as geolocation data, to show a product did not originate from land deforested after 2020, and that it was produced in accordance with local laws.

Much of this certification burden will be passed on to farmers, manufacturers, and exporters in countries where the affected commodities (coffee, cocoa, cattle, palm oil, soy, wood, and rubber, and their derivatives) are produced.

World Bank research has shown the EUDRs impact on exports from low-income and middle-income countries is likely to be significant, with up to 22% of South Americas exports to the EU affected.

In July, several EU agriculture ministers called for a review of the EUDR timeframe for implementation. Ministers, including Ireland's Charlie McConalogue, questioned if improvements needed to EUDR benchmarking systems and information systems could be completed before the regulation comes into force.

They are among a worldwide chorus calling on the EU to postpone the EUDR implementation deadline, including trading superpowers such as Australia, Brazil, China, Canada, Indonesia, New Zealand, Columbia, Malaysia and the US.

Lack of legal clarity

All have underlined uncertainty due to the lack of legal clarity and information from the European Commission.

China (the worlds largest forestry source) rejected key parts of the EUDR, refusing to share the demanded geolocational data with the EU over security concerns.

Europe's main political group, the European Peoples Party (EPP), wants postponing implementation of the EUDR to be a priority for the EU administration when it returns from its summer holiday.

Some EU farmers may welcome the clampdown on commodities such as cattle produced on deforested lands in South America. But it could equally affect the vital imports of soyabean meal for feeding on EU livestock farms.

For animal feed manufacturers, the usual early September ordering process for soyabean meal supplies for early in 2025 has been disrupted, particularly for poultry and pig feed suppliers.

FEDIOL, COCERAL, and FEFAC, representing the EU vegetable oils and protein meal industry, the oilseeds and vegetable oils trade, and the compound feed and premix industry, warned the European Commission, member states, and competent authorities that EUDR and trader systems and procedures must be ready well ahead of December 30.

In June, they warned many essential aspects of compliance remained vague and unclear, and any delays would increase supply chain disruptions in the EU.

The EU says by promoting the consumption of "deforestation-free" products, the new regulation would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss.

The EUDR will assign a low, standard, or high-risk level associated with deforestation and forest degradation to regions both inside and outside the EU. This risk classification will determine the obligations of operators and traders (which apply from December 30 for large companies, and from July 2025 for small or medium enterprises). Those not in compliance can be fined and have their products seized.

Global forestry industry particularly pessimistic

Some fear the EUDR could plunge world commodity trading into chaos at the end of December. The global forestry industry is particularly pessimistic. The American Forest & Paper Association said: "The unachievable traceability requirement could cause major trade disruptions between the EU and the US."

Its members export about 3.5bn worth of products to EU countries annually. It said the US pulp and paper industry was not linked to global deforestation and forest degradation, and the EUDRs strict geolocation traceability requirement to trace each product shipment back to a specific real estate plot could pose technical trade barriers for the complex supply chain and fibre flow process in the USA.

For example, some products are made from leftover sawmill material and forest residues which are blended multiple times. Tracing each individual wood chip from the original forest plot of land to a final product was effectively impossible, concluded the AF & PA.

It warned if its members could not overcome traceability technical barriers, EU manufacturers would not receive the 60% US-origin specialty pulp that EU manufacturers use to make diapers, menstrual and incontinence products.

The European Confederation of Woodworking Industries said the timeframe for the new obligations was shorter than has ever been imposed for comparable European legislation. It said the EUDR obligations were objectively unclear, as evidenced by the European Commission having to publish 86 responses to industry queries.
Firefighters are tackling a large blaze at a vacant former religious order building in Dublin which was the subject of controversial housing plans.

Dublin City Fire Brigade said it has five fire engines, including a turntable ladder, at the vacant building fire on Taylors Lane in Ballyboden, on the citys southside.

"We expect to have crews on scene through the night and have received great assistance from partner agencies as we continue to extinguish the fire," the brigade said in a post on social media.

Firefighting operations are continuing at the #Ballyboden St. Augustine's fire.



We expect to have crews on scene through the night and have received great assistance from partner agencies as we continue to extinguish the fire. pic.twitter.com/iBOxQmrXYJ  Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) August 20, 2024

It also has three fire engines at the site of a fire at a derelict building near Ticknock.

Smoke is drifting across neighbouring suburbs and the fire service urged anyone affected by smoke to close their windows and doors as a precaution.

The building off Taylors Lane is on the former Augustinian order owned site which was sold in 2019 for some 20m to Shannon Homes, which in 2020 applied for planning permission through the strategic housing development (SHD) process for almost 500 apartments on the site.

An Bord Pleanala approved the scheme with conditions later that year but the decision was quashed by order of the High Court in 2022.

The Ballyboden Tidy Towns group had warned as recently as last month that the site needed to be secured following a spate of recent fires on the site.
Journalist, playwright, author and feminist activist Nell McCafferty has died, her family confirmed.

Ms McCafferty passed away at at a nursing home in Co Donegal on Wednesday morning. She was 80 years old.

Born in Derry in 1944, she spent much of her childhood in the Bogside area of the city.

After finishing secondary school, she went on to study arts at Queen's University Belfast.

She was a founding member of Irish Womens Liberation Movement (IWLM), established in Dublin in 1970.

The following year, she and her fellow IWLM members travelled to Belfast in order to protest the prohibition of the importation and sale of contraceptives in Ireland. The incident, which attracted extensive publicity at home and abroad, became known as the Contraceptive Train.

While the IWLM would disintegrate a few years later, McCafferty would remain involved in the Irish feminist movement, and much of her work focused on women's rights, feminism, inequality, and social justice.

Over the course of her long and distinguished career, Ms McCafferty wrote for, amongst others, The Irish Press, The Irish Times, Sunday Tribune, Hot Press, and The Village Voice.

In her memoir Nell, published in 2004, she recounted her life as campaigner for womens rights, her part in the Northern Ireland civil rights movement.

Her notable works include A Woman to Blame, which covers the Kerry babies case, The Armagh Women, which covers female republican prisoners and their hunger strikes in Armagh Gaol, and Peggy Deery: A Derry Family at War, which traces the life of Peggy Deery, who was shot and seriously wounded but not killed on Bloody Sunday in 1971.

In 2016, she received an honorary doctorate of literature from University College Cork (UCC) for what the institution described as "her unparalleled contribution to Irish public life over many decades and her powerful voice in movements that have had a transformative impact in Irish society, including the feminist movement, campaigns for civil rights and for the marginalised and victims of injustice."

Read More Terry Prone: Nell McCafferty exposed the worst trailing wires of old Ireland

'She changed the way all of us who came after her wrote journalism'

Irelands Press Ombudsman, the journalist Susan McKay, paid tribute to Nell McCafferty.

She was an absolutely wonderful journalist, a really ground-breaking journalist, Ms McKay told BBC Radio Ulster.

She changed the way that all of us who came after her wrote journalism and did journalism, because she went straight to people.

You know, if you look back at journalism before Nell and indeed before some other brilliant woman of her generation, ordinary people were never asked for their opinion. They were written about by gents who thought that they knew how best to analyse society.

Nell McCafferty. File Picture: Robbie Reynolds.

Nell went straight into working class places, she talked to people who had experienced real hardships and afflictions in their lives, and she brought their voices alive."

Ms McKay said Ms McCafferty was "tremendously brave and courageous" and wrote about "all of the most important stories of her time".

And its very, very sad that she has died, but she had been very ill for quite a number of years, and, you know, wasnt really in a position to appreciate life to the same extent as she had been before.

Taoiseach Simon Harris described Ms McCafferty as a "fierce, fearless and fiery" journalist who had a "laser-like focus on calling out inequality and injustice".

"If she was in the room or in the debate, you knew about it," he said in a statement.

"Her passion and wrath was not scattergun, it had a laser-like focus on calling out inequality and injustice.

"She suffered no fools but had a kindness and warmth for many. Her wit and Derry turn of phrase made her impossible to ignore."

The Taoiseach said that, as one of those involved in the Contraception Train in 1971, Nell McCafferty "set in train an unstoppable wave for equality and a changing of Ireland for the better".

That change has not yet reached its conclusion but it would be nowhere if it wasnt for warriors like Nell.

"In an Ireland trying to emerge from the shadows and find who it was, Nell McCafferty was one of the people who knew exactly who she was and wasnt afraid to enter every battle for gay and womens rights. We all owe her a great debt for this."

He added that Nell McCafferty had left Ireland "a much better place than she found it and she played her part with spirit and style".

Nell McCafferty, pictured in 2016. Picture: Robbie Reynolds.

Micheal Martin described MS McCafferty as "an exceptional journalist and campaigner  the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights and womens rights".

The Tanaiste said she made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland.

In addition to her brilliance as a writer, activist and feminist, Nell brought great warmth and humour to every engagement," he said.

She made a difference. Sympathies to her family, friends and former colleagues.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik said she was deeply saddened" to hear of Nell McCaffertys death.

She described the journalist as a wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon.

It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends, she wrote in a post on X.

Chernobyl Children International's (CCI) voluntary CEO, Adi Roche, who was a close personal friend of Ms McCafferty, said she was heartbroken at the news.

"A courageous trailblazer and advocate for civil rights and social justice, Nell made Ireland a better place and a safer place, especially for women and girls. We as a country owe her a debt of gratitude," Ms Roche said.

"I will always remember Nell as an authentic and fearless woman, never shying away from difficult issues, speaking for the oppressed and voiceless of our time. I am so grateful that myself and Ali Hewson were able to visit with Nell at the beginning of the summer to express to her how much she meant to us. She will be sorely missed and deeply mourned."

Ms McCafferty was a dedicated supporter of CCI over the last three decades. She travelled to the Chernobyl-affected regions with CCI on humanitarian aid convoys and volunteered on CCI building programmes.
President Michael D Higgins has led tributes to renowned author, journalist and feminist activist Nell McCafferty, who has died at the age of 80.

The celebrated writers family said she died in the early hours of Wednesday at a nursing home in Co Donegal.

The former Irish Times journalist, originally from Derry, was a prominent voice on womens rights issues across the island of Ireland and in 1970 co-founded the Irish Womens Liberation Movement (IWLM).

Nell McCafferty, centre, died aged 80 at a nursing home in Co Donegal (Niall Carson/PA)

Considered a journalistic trailblazer and fearless social commentator, McCafferty authored several books and also wrote for publications including the Sunday Tribune and Hot Press.

Campaigning for the legalisation of contraceptives in Ireland in the 1970s, she famously took part in an event known as the Contraceptive Train in 1971 when members of the IWLM travelled across the border to Belfast, bought a range of contraceptive products and took them to Dublin, where they staged a protest at the citys Connolly station.

Ms McCafferty funeral will take place on Friday in her native Derry. The requiem mass will take place at 12.30pm at St Columbas Church, Long Tower, Derry, followed by a private cremation in Co Cavan.

President Higgins said McCafferty had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness and had a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism.

Mr Higgins said he and his wife Sabina were privileged to be friends with her and said she will be deeply missed by us all.

Nell McCafferty was a pioneer in raising those searching questions which could be asked, but which had been buried, hidden or neglected, Mr Higgins said.

Indeed, this is one of the aspects which was most remarkable from the very beginning in her work.

Statement by President Michael D. Higgins on the death of Nell McCafferty https://t.co/IlvxH3OsnK  President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) August 21, 2024

He added: Nell had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness, and this made her advocacy formidable on behalf of those who had been excluded from society.

A defining feature across Nells life was such a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism wherever she saw it.

As one of the women who took the train in 1971, she set in train an unstoppable wave for equality and a changing of Ireland for the better. That change has not yet reached its conclusion but it would be nowhere if it wasnt for warriors like Nell.

Taoiseach Simon Harris paid tribute to the journalist as a fierce, fearless and fiery campaigner who suffered no fools.

If she was in the room or in the debate, you knew about it, the Taoiseach said.

Her passion and wrath was not scattergun  it had a laser-like focus on calling out inequality and injustice. She suffered no fools but had a kindness and warmth for many.

Her wit and Derry turn of phrase made her impossible to ignore.

As one of the women who took the train in 1971, she set in train an unstoppable wave for equality and a changing of Ireland for the better.

That change has not yet reached its conclusion but it would be nowhere if it wasnt for warriors like Nell.

In an Ireland trying to emerge from the shadows and find who it was, Nell McCafferty was one of the people who knew exactly who she was and wasnt afraid to enter every battle for gay and womens rights. We all owe her a great debt for this.

Nell McCafferty left Ireland a much better place than she found it and she played her part with spirit and style. May she rest in peace.

I want to express my deep sadness at the death of former journalist, author and campaigner Nell McCafferty today.



Nell was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. A proud feminist, and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in pic.twitter.com/sg8hLAk4kh  Michelle ONeill (@moneillsf) August 21, 2024

Northern Irelands First Minister and Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle ONeill said McCafferty was a trailblazer in every sense of the word.

She added: A proud feminist and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in our society.

She eloquently spoke up for disadvantaged women through her work with the Irish Womens Liberation Movement, particularly highlighting the poverty and injustices women faced in the late 20th century across the island.

Nell McCafferty was a towering figure in Irish journalism with great courage and honesty, and was an important figure during the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement.

A proud daughter of Derry, Nells wisdom, humour and humility will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her.

I want to extend my deepest sympathies to her family and friends at this very difficult time.

Deeply saddened at the passing of Nell McCafferty.



Nell was an exceptional journalist & campaigner - the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights & womens rights. She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland. (1/2)  Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) August 21, 2024

Tanaiste premier Micheal Martin said he was deeply saddened at McCaffertys death.

Nell was an exceptional journalist and campaigner  the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights and womens rights, the Tanaiste posted on X, formerly Twitter.

She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland.

In addition to her brilliance as a writer, activist and feminist, Nell brought great warmth and humour to every engagement.

She made a difference.

Sympathies to her family, friends and former colleagues.

She changed the way that all of us who came after her wrote journalism and did journalism, because she went straight to people

Irelands Press Ombudsman, journalist Susan McKay, also paid tribute.

She was an absolutely wonderful journalist, a really ground-breaking journalist, Ms McKay told BBC Radio Ulster.

She changed the way that all of us who came after her wrote journalism and did journalism, because she went straight to people.

You know, if you look back at journalism before Nell, and indeed before some other brilliant woman of her generation, ordinary people were never asked for their opinion.

They were written about by gents who thought that they knew how best to analyse society.

Nell went straight into working-class places, she talked to people who had experienced real hardships and afflictions in their lives, and she brought their voices alive.

She was tremendously brave and courageous and she wrote about all of the most important stories of her time.

And its very, very sad that she has died, but she had been very ill for quite a number of years, and, you know, wasnt really in a position to appreciate life to the same extent as she had been before.

Very sorry to hear about the death of Nell McCafferty. A mould breaker and establishment shaker, she spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could.



An icon for so many people across Ireland. Nell will be sadly missed but her activism will endure.  Colum Eastwood (@columeastwood) August 21, 2024

SDLP leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood described McCafferty as a mould-breaker and establishment shaker.

She spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could, he said on X.

An icon for so many people across Ireland.

Nell will be sadly missed, but her activism will endure.

Leader of the Irish Labour Party Ivana Bacik said she is deeply saddened.

She described McCafferty as a wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon.

It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends, she posted on X.

Deeply saddened to hear today about the death of the wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon - Nell McCafferty.



It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends. #RIPNell pic.twitter.com/ULHxsnDEBk  Ivana Bacik (@ivanabacik) August 21, 2024

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) described McCafferty as one of the most renowned journalists in Ireland.

She was a long time member of the NUJ and a former union activist.

Irish secretary Seamus Dooley said: With the death of Nell McCafferty, a bright light has been extinguished.

She was one of the most renowned journalists in the country as a reporter, columnist, author and broadcaster.

The public recognised in her a deep commitment to social justice.

The fact that she was so often referred to only by her first name is a reflection of her special place in Irish journalism and in the public consciousness.

Nell McCafferty could be hilariously funny, frequently controversial and delighted in being contrary. She was never afraid to challenge the consensus and took pleasure in afflicting the comfortable

This stemmed from her unique qualities as a reporter and storyteller.

Nell McCafferty could be hilariously funny, frequently controversial and delighted in being contrary.

She was never afraid to challenge the consensus and took pleasure in afflicting the comfortable.

Throughout her career, Nell blazed a trail for feminists and played a significant role in the development of the feminist movement in Ireland.

Always provocative, Nell had the ability to trenchantly argue her case with unique style.
Locals in Sligo have described their relief after an Irish woman was rescued when a yacht sank off the coast of Sicily earlier this week.

The British-flagged Bayesian, a 56m-long superyacht, was carrying 22 people, and was anchored off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, when it capsized during a fierce storm on Monday.

Sasha Murray, 29, from Maugherow in Co Sligo, was working as crew on the Bayesian and was one of 15 survivors.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, seven people were reported missing. The body of man believed to be the boats chef, Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan man, was recovered near the yacht on Monday.

On Wednesday, four bodies were found inside the wreck of a luxury yacht. Rescue officials have been looking for six missing people, including tech tycoon Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter, and Jonathan Bloomer, a non-executive chair of Morgan Stanley International.

The identities of the victims found on Wednesday were not immediately given.

Neighbours of the Irish woman caught up in the incident said she is outgoing and very personable.

She is a lovely girl," said Dessie Carway, a neighbour who knows the family and runs the Sligo Sea Barn beachfront tourist accommodation in the Maugherow area.

Ms Murrays family, who are "respected locally" has already endured tragedy. Her father, motor racer Fionn Murray and grandfather, Holger Schiller, were killed when the light aircraft they were flying crashed after taking off from Strandhill Airport in 1998.

The family had been taking part in a treasure hunt when the plane suffered engine failure and crashed, Mr Carway said.

Mr Murray had been well known in motor racing circles and Mr Carway said he believed he raced in Mondello Park before his death, aged 33.

Ms Murrays grandparents, Holger and Erika Schiller, came to Sligo from Germany in the 1970s and stayed with Mr Carway.

They loved the area and decided to stay, buying the nearby Ardtarmon Castle and extensively renovating it.

The family runs an estate agency Schiller and Schiller from the castle.

Ms Murrays mother Jessica had also worked on yachts in the past.

Relief for community

Local councillor Marie Casserly also said it was a relief for the community the Sligo woman had survived.

The Bayesian, which was owned by UK tech tycoon Mr Lynch's wife, was built by Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008 and last refitted in 2020. It had the world's tallest aluminium mast, measuring 72m, according to its makers.

Mr Lynch, 59, is one of the UK's best-known tech entrepreneurs and has been referred to as the country's Bill Gates.

He built the UK's largest software firm, Autonomy, which was sold to HP for $11bn (10bn) in 2011, after which the deal spectacularly unravelled with the US tech giant accusing him of fraud, resulting in a lengthy trial.

Mr Lynch was acquitted on all charges by a jury in San Francisco in June. Morvillo had represented him at the trial, while Bloomer was a character witness on his behalf.

The six people who were missing on the boat are Mr Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah; Judy and Jonathan Bloomer, a non-executive chair of Morgan Stanley International; and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife, Neda Morvillo.
An application has made to the High Court for an injunction preventing a site in Coolock being used to house persons seeking international protection.

Three members of the public, Melissa Kelly, Amanda Farrelly, and Alan Croghan, are seeking orders including an injunction restraining the former warehouse for Crown Paints in Coolock being developed into units to house mainly Ukrainians fleeing the conflict in their home country with Russia.

The proceedings are against several respondents including Integration Minister Roderick O'Gorman, Dublin City Council, the chief superintendent of Coolock, and Townbe Unlimited Company, which, it is claimed, is the leaseholder of the site.

It is understood other parties may be added to the proceedings.

Representing themselves, they claim the decision to allow the site to be converted into housing for refugees is unlawful and should be halted on grounds including there was, in breach of planning laws, a failure by the authorities to enter into a process of public consultation regarding the proposed development.

Speaking on behalf of the women, Ms Kelly told the court she also believed the decision to develop the site into accommodation for international protection seekers was also unconstitutional.

'Public unrest'

She argued they were also entitled to an injunction because of the "public unrest" over the proposal and that it may cause "serious harm" to those living in the locality.

The site has been the scene of violence and unrest. Several gardai were injured and there were arson attacks on a Garda car and a digger.

Fireworks were aimed at lines of Public Order Unit gardai, while glass bottles and rocks were also thrown.

More than a dozen people were arrested and were subsequently charged with public order offences.

The matter was briefly mentioned before Mr Justice Rory Mulcahy during Wednesday's vacation sitting of the High Court.

The judge said he had some knowledge of the situation having made orders in July restraining persons unknown from attending at or engaging in violent behaviour at the site.

The judge said he was not prepared to grant an interim injunction ex-parte basis, on grounds including the applicants had delayed in bringing their action.

Some of the matters raised by the applicants, the judge added, were simply not capable of being decided by a court of law.

However, the judge said they had raised some issues in their application that did merit a response from the respondents.

On that basis alone, the judge said he was prepared to grant the three applicants' permission on an ex-parte basis to serve short notice of the injunction application on the respondents.

The judge adjourned the application to a date later this month.

Wednesday's application is the latest proceeding to come before the court in respect of plans to develop 500 modular units on the former Crown Paints site.

Last month, Mr Justice Mulcahy granted various orders in favour of Townbe and developer Remcoll Capital Limited, restraining persons unknown from engaging in any threatening or intimidatory behaviour towards their employees at the site.

The court also made orders restraining any trespass at the site.
Are you demure? I hope you read this column demurely. If you are drinking a cup of tea, please do so mindfully. If you eat a biscuit, let the biscuit come to you demurely, without dropping crumbs.

The new buzzword this week is very demure. TikTok content creator Jools Lebron has re-appropriated the word demure.

Instead of referring to the original definition, she performed a switch in meaning.

Demure has typically been applied to women who dont stand out, are composed, well-behaved, and modest. Yet, demure Lebron-style is a highly satirical play on how to be what she calls very demure, very mindful.

It reads like a sarcastic spoof on the performance of hyper-femininity, and is popping up all over the internet and being hopped on by brands.

In a series of memes, she discusses being very demure at the airport, dressing for the workplace, in hotels, and drag shows. Lebron, being a trans woman, somehow makes it more interesting.

Right now, her spoof feels like a socially valuable send-up delivered with a giant wink  one that does not encourage women to be more restrained and deferential, but is the opposite  and amen to that.

Very demure feels like a counter-point to the trad wife subculture that has been circulating forever, with its roots in Christianity and right-leaning ideology, but which has been re-purposed this year.

Lebron, being a trans woman, somehow makes being 'demure' more interesting. Picture: @joolieanniemarie/Instagram

Trad wife is, broadly speaking, a version of womanhood based on fertility packaged with lovely aesthetics  a soothing life of mummy and babies at home in the cosy cave, while the hunter-gather husband brings home the bacon.

Its schtick references a simpler, mythic time when women and men knew who they were.

Thats the first crack in the concept, because by simpler time do you mean one with no contraception, backstreet abortions, rape within marriage, and bright, frustrated women sometimes banging their foreheads against the draining board with no choices?

In the new, shiny rehashed Instagram version, well-dressed rich women  mainly, not exclusively, white  have transformed the idea in meticulously curated feeds.

Elevating gentle domesticity in soft-focus shots while making a mint, they ironically have high-earning careers as self-employed women. This is the second crack or paradox in the trad wife concept.

Dont get me wrong, I lobbied strongly for a no vote in the last referendum and am completely supportive of women choosing to work in the home as wife, mother, and homemaker.

Plenty of women stay at home, dont feel their lives are circumscribed, and if they are lucky enough to be with a man who respects their role and treats them like an equal partner then it can work

True freedom of choice means women establishing the parameters of their femininity, constructing their social identities and approach to motherhood.

However, every fibre in my body goes ugh at the trad wife normalisation of male power and control.

This is because being a trad wife includes being submissive to your husband. Its the third, and by far the most dangerous, crack in the concept.

Trad wife influencer Hannah Neeleman helps run her family's dairy farm and raises her eight children while running her content empire. Picture: @ballerinafarm/Instagram

A recent article in a Sunday newspaper about mormon Hannah Neeleman, known to her 8.9m followers as Ballerina Farm, made for uncomfortable reading.

The 34-year-old mother of eight is a blonde former ballet dancer, married to the son of a billionaire.

Living on a farm in Utah, she helps run their dairy farm, minds her kids while running her lucrative influencer empire, gives birth without pain relief, and breastfeeds at beauty pageants.

The interviewer, Megan Agnew, wrote that she couldnt get an answer out of Neeleman without her being corrected, interrupted, or answered for by [either] her husband or a child who she felt thought he knew better.

Neelemans husband Daniel said that sometimes she gets so ill from exhaustion that she cant get out of bed for a week

After the article was published, Neeleman protested that it was deliberately framed to construct her as oppressed by her husband and that the angle was pre-determined by the journalist in advance.

Agnew received trenchant criticism for being a childless, unmarried woman  which is the type of dog whistle commentary one can expect in the US at the moment, especially given JD Vances comments about childless women.

The Republican vice presidential hopeful peddles his trad wife vision in the political arena, although his wife Usha  a highly successful corporate litigator  has quit her job in what has been described as a radically progressive law firm to support his political aspirations.

In the Culture Study Podcast, Tia Levings described trad wife as a cult without walls  a clever way of putting it.

She points out how fundamentalism is attractive during a time of chaos or confusion.

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance pushes a trad wife vision, despite his wife Usha being a highly successful corporate litigator. Picture: Julia Nikhinson/AP

A former trad wife who escaped domestic abuses, Levings has written about trad-wifery in her new memoir, A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy. Theres a slew of trad wives out there who detail how their dream turned toxic. No major surprises there.

Levings argues the way we have structured the world for modern working mothers is so exhausting, that its no wonder the aspirational idyllic trad wife concept becomes more attractive to frazzled working mothers who are pushed to the limit juggling roles  unsupported by both partners and society.

Maybe if we had a functioning childcare system, and we raised men to truly share the domestic load, then women could work outside the home and not get burnt out. Levings suggests the patriarchy has no interest in facilitating this, as it wants women to remain at home.

You can argue the toss until the cows come home (which you may have to milk) about the right way to raise a family and live your life or how many children to have.

If you want to bake your bread, churn your butter (chill cabinet for me thanks), wear your Peter Pan collars ironically, or otherwise  as Gen Zers say  you do you.

However, dont be under any illusions about the powerful and harmful domestic abuse-supportive social norms that this subculture pushes or the dark consequences of rolling it out to a younger, impressionable demographic.

A submissive trad wife mandates giving power and control to the man. In doing so, it leaves the door wide open to abuse and coercive control

The statistics on domestic abuse and coercive control are dire in Ireland and globally, but experts agree that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. Behind some picket fences, highly vulnerable women are coercively controlled and abused.

So, to go full circle, I salute Jools Lebron for her clever and valuable social truth giving two fingers to being demure. Jools, you go girl and thanks also for the laugh.
Antony Blinken has ended his ninth visit to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began without securing a ceasefire deal.

The US secretary of state warned on Tuesday that time is of the essence even as Hamas and Israel signalled that challenges remain.

After meetings in fellow mediating countries Egypt and Qatar, Mr Blinken said that because Israel has accepted a proposal to bridge gaps with the militant group, the focus turns to doing everything possible to get Hamas on board and ensure both sides agree to key details on implementation.

Antony Blinken, centre left, meets with Egypts foreign minister Badr Abdelatty, centre right, in El-Alamein, Egypt (Kevin Mohatt/Pool Photo via AP)

Our message is simple. Its clear and its urgent, he told reporters before leaving Qatar. We need to get a ceasefire and hostage agreement over the finish line, and we need to do it now. Time is of the essence.

There has been added urgency to reach a deal after the recent targeted killings of militant leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah in Iran and Lebanon, both attributed to Israel, and vows of retaliation that have sparked fears of a wider regional war.

Few details have been released about the so-called bridging proposal put forth by the US, Egypt and Qatar. Mr Blinken said it is very clear on the schedule and the locations of (Israeli military) withdrawals from Gaza.

Hamas earlier on Tuesday called the latest proposal a reversal of what it had agreed to, accusing the US of acquiescing to new conditions from Israel. There was no immediate US response to that.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, met with right-wing groups of families of fallen soldiers and hostages in Gaza. The groups, which oppose a ceasefire deal, said Mr Netanyahu told them Israel will not abandon two strategic corridors in Gaza whose control has been an obstacle in the talks. Mr Netanyahus office did not comment on their account.

A senior US official rejected as totally untrue that Mr Netanyahu had told Mr Blinken that Israel would never leave the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors. Such statements are not constructive to getting a ceasefire deal across the finish line, the official said.

Mr Blinkens meetings in Egypt, which borders Gaza, and in Qatar, which hosts some Hamas leaders in exile, came a day after he met Mr Netanyahu. Wide gaps appeared to remain between Israel and Hamas, though angry statements often serve as pressure tactics during negotiations.

Mr Netanyahus meeting with the families came as Israels military said it recovered the bodies of six hostages taken in Hamass October 7 attack that started the war, bringing fresh grief for many Israelis who have long pressed Mr Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire that would bring remaining hostages home.

New protests were held on Tuesday. The longer theyre there, the more body bags we get, said one protester, Adi Israeli, in Tel Aviv.

Israelis protest near the hotel where US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was staying in Tel Aviv (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP)

Israels military said it recovered the six bodies in an overnight operation in southern Gaza, saying they were killed when troops were operating in Khan Younis. Hamas says some captives have been killed in Israeli air strikes, though returning hostages have talked about difficult conditions, including lack of food or medications.

The recovery of the remains also is a blow to Hamas, which hopes to exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners, an Israeli withdrawal and a lasting ceasefire.

The military said it had identified the remains of Chaim Perry, 80; Yoram Metzger, 80; Avraham Munder, 79; Alexander Dancyg, 76; Nadav Popplewell, 51; and Yagev Buchshtav, 35.

Kibbutz Nir Oz, the farming community where Mr Munder was among around 80 residents seized, said he died after months of physical and mental torture. Israeli authorities previously determined the other five were dead.

Top L to R: Alexander Dancyg, Abraham Munder and Yagev Buchshtab, and bottom L to R: Yoram Metzger, Haim Perry and Nadav Popplewell (The Hostages Families Forum/AP)

Hamas is still believed to be holding around 110 hostages captured during the October 7 attacks, when militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Israeli authorities estimate around a third are dead. Over 100 other hostages were released during last years ceasefire in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

Israels retaliatory offensive has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. The war has caused widespread destruction and forced the vast majority of Gazas 2.3 million residents to flee their homes, often multiple times. Aid groups fear the outbreak of polio and other diseases.

An Israeli air strike on Tuesday killed at least 12 people at a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City. The Palestinian Civil Defence, first responders operating under the Hamas-run government, said around 700 people had been sheltering at the Mustafa Hafez school. Israels military said the strike targeted Hamas militants who had set up a command centre there.

We dont know where to go  or where to shelter our children, said Um Khalil Abu Agwa, a displaced woman.

An Israeli air strike in Deir al-Balah hit people walking down the street and seven were killed, including a woman and two children, according to an Associated Press journalist who counted the bodies. Another air strike in central Gaza killed five children and their mother, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where an AP journalist counted the bodies.

Palestinians displaced by recent Israeli evacuation orders crowded into already teeming areas. One child in Deir al-Balah slept on cardboard as insects flew around his face.

Are they going to dig the ground and dump us there, or put us on a boat and throw us in the sea? I dont know, said one man, Abu Shady Afana.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has reported more than 1,000 new mpox cases in the last week up to Tuesday as African health authorities asked for desperately needed vaccines to help fight its growing threat on the continent.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the outbreaks in Africa a global emergency.

Mpox belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox but causes milder symptoms such as fever, chills and body aches, and mostly spreads through close skin-to-skin contact, including sexual intercourse.

A girl suffering from mpox walks past a treatment centre in Munigi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Moses Sawasawa/AP)

People with more serious cases can develop lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals.

While mpox has been reported in 12 of Africas 54 countries during these outbreaks, the vast central African nation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has recorded by far the most cases this year.

Out of a total of 18,910 cases in 2024, 94%  or 17,794  were in the DRC, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said, with 535 of the 541 deaths reported.

The figures are likely to be an underestimate, as only about one in five suspected cases in the DRC are being tested for mpox.

Africa CDC director-general Dr Jean Kaseya said many affected African countries had limited testing and surveillance capabilities.

Over the last seven days, the DRC recorded 1,030 of the 1,405 new cases in Africa, according to statistics provided late on Tuesday by the Africa CDC.

Only 16% of the cases have been confirmed by virus tests, but the infections meet the agencys definition of the disease.

The rising mpox case count in Africa and a new form of the virus identified in the DRC that might be more easily transmitted led the WHO to declare it a global health emergency last week.

A young girl suffering from mpox waits for treatment at a clinic in Munigi (Moses Sawasawa/AP)

Some hope this will encourage donors to share vaccines and other help to curtail the outbreaks in Africa before cases spread internationally as Sweden recorded a case of the new mpox variant first seen in the DRC.

The WHO has previously said its past efforts to raise donations for mpox failed to elicit even a single donor dollar.

Dr Kaseya said that his organisation had received a pledge of 215,000 mpox vaccines from the European Union and the vaccine maker Bavarian Nordic, which were due to arrive in the next few days.

The United States aid agency said it had donated 50,000 other doses of the same vaccine to the DRC.

Japan has also donated some doses to the DRC.

But Africa is likely to need much more.

The DRCs health minister said his country alone needs three million vaccine doses to end the outbreaks there, which have spilled into at least four nearby African countries.

A 2022 global mpox outbreak in more than 70 countries was shut down in the space of months with vaccines and treatments made available in rich nations, but hardly any doses reached Africa.

A health worker attends to an mpox patient at a treatment centre in Munigi (Moses Sawasawa/AP)

It had been spreading largely unnoticed for years in Nigeria and elsewhere before it sparked international concern.

Since then, the virus has continued to steadily sicken people in the DRC, with few effective containment efforts.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa criticised the global response to the 2022 outbreak, calling it unfair as treatments and vaccines were made available to rich Western nations while Africa was given little support.

In a statement, he urged the international community to guarantee equitable access to mpox diagnostics and vaccines this time.

Mr Ramaphosas comments evoked memories of Africas anger at largely being shut out of vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Then, Africa received doses much later than richer countries and had to pay more in some cases.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control recommended last week that travellers to mpox-affected areas see if they might be eligible to get vaccinated, in a move that could increase pressure to secure mpox shots.

Dont punish Africa. We need you to provide appropriate support. This vaccine is expensive

Dr Kaseya said mpox was now growing and spreading while countries waited for doses.

While the DRC was clearly the country causing the most concern, he said it was noticeable that cases in nearby Burundi had more than doubled to 572 in a week.

Dr Kaseya also asked for solidarity from the international community in dealing with mpox and specifically urged against any Covid-like travel bans being placed on African countries that would isolate them as the disease is not as easily transmissible.

Dont punish Africa, he said.

We need you to provide appropriate support. This vaccine is expensive.
Egypt, the key mediator in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, expressed scepticism on Wednesday as more details emerged of the proposal meant to bridge gaps in talks.

Negotiations are expected to resume in Cairo on Thursday.

The challenges around the so-called bridging proposal appear to undermine the optimism of an imminent agreement that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken carried into his latest visit to the Middle East.

Diplomatic efforts had redoubled as fears grow of a wider regional war after the recent targeted killings of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, both blamed on Israel and threats of retaliation

The war between Israel and Hamas has entered its 10th month (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Officials in Egypt, in its unique role as both a mediator and affected party since it borders Gaza, told The Associated Press that the Hamas militant group would not agree to the bridging proposal for a number of reasons  ones in addition to the long-held wariness over whether a deal would truly remove Israel forces from Gaza and end the war.

One Egyptian official said the bridging proposal requires the implementation of the deals first phase, which has Hamas releasing the most vulnerable civilian hostages captured in its October 7 attack that sparked the war.

Parties during the first phase would negotiate the second and third phases with no guarantees to Hamas from Israel or mediators.

The Americans are offering promises, not guarantees, the official said. Hamas wont accept this, because it virtually means Hamas will release the civilian hostages in return for a six-week pause of fighting with no guarantees for a negotiated permanent ceasefire.

He also said the proposal does not clearly say Israel will withdraw its forces from two strategic corridors in Gaza, the Philadelphi corridor alongside Egypt and the Netzarim corridor east to west across the territory.

Israel offers to downsize its forces in the Philadelphi corridor, with promises to withdraw from the area, he said.

This is not acceptable for us and of course for Hamas, the Egyptian official said.

A second Egyptian official said there were few chances for a breakthrough since Israel refuses to commit to a complete withdrawal from Gaza in the deals second phase.

The official said Israel also insists on keeping its forces in the Philadelphi corridor and having full control of the Netzarim corridor.

He also said Egypt told the US and Israel that it would not reopen the Rafah crossing into Gaza, which borders Egypt and is a crucial entry point for humanitarian aid, without the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian side and from the Philadelphi corridor.

Millions of Gaza residents have been made to flee their homes (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Mediators are scheduled to meet on Thursday and Friday in Cairo for more talks on the proposal before submitting it officially to Hamas.

Hamas political official Bassem Naim said on Tuesday that the bridging proposal adopted several new demands from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including that Israeli forces remain in Rafah, Philadelphi and Netzarim and searches of displaced Palestinians returning to northern Gaza.

Israel has said the searches are necessary to find militants.

Mr Naim said the proposal also includes unspecified changes to the exchange of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel and does not guarantee that a ceasefire would remain in place during negotiations on the transition from the deals first phase to the second.

In previous versions of the plan, the second phase would entail a permanent ceasefire, full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of remaining male hostages, both civilians and soldiers

Mr Blinken, after his meetings in Egypt and in Qatar, another mediator, told journalists that the bridging proposal is very clear on the schedule and the locations of (Israeli military) withdrawals from Gaza, but no details on either have emerged.

Mr Blinken also said that because Israel has accepted the proposal, the focus turns to doing everything possible to get Hamas on board.

Egypts state-run Al-Ahram daily reported that Mr Blinken received a clear Egyptian demand for the US to work towards a well-framed deal with clear deadlines and clear objectives to encourage Hamas to sign the deal.

However, there is scepticism, along with fatigue, among many in Israel about Mr Netanyahus commitment to securing a ceasefire deal.

As long as the entire group of professional negotiators believes that Netanyahu is scuttling a deal, there wont be any confidence, commentator Nadav Eyal wrote in the daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. And, in the absence of confidence, Israeli society will remain torn and shattered.

The war in Gaza, now in its 10th month, has caused widespread destruction and forced the vast majority of Gazas 2.3 million residents to flee their homes, often multiple times. Aid groups fear the outbreak of polio and other diseases.

The October 7 attack by Hamas and other militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Over 100 hostages were released during last years cease-fire in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. Hamas is still believed to be holding around 110 hostages, though Israeli authorities estimate around a third are dead.

Six bodies of hostages were recovered this week in Gaza.

Israels retaliatory offensive has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count.
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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.
( Rudaw.net)  A decade ago, on August 3, 2014, the Islamic State (ISIS) conquered the village of Kocho (Kojo) in the Sinjar (Shingal) area of northern Iraq. On August 15, it began massacring several hundred men and elderly women of the Yazidi community, an ethno-religious minority in Iraq and Syria, after they failed to convert to Islam. Nadia Murad, then 21 years old, witnessed the execution of her mother and brothers, and then was abducted along with other young Yazidi women as sex slaves.

Responsibility to Protect (R2P) is an international norm for states to prevent genocide, mass atrocities, and war crimes, in response to the failure to do so in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. The US airdropped food to trapped refugees on nearby Mount Sinjar, but sat on the sidelines as the massacre ensued in this village. Ten years later, the international community still has a Responsibility to Remember (R2R) to the Yazidis who died, to those dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), to the more than 2,000 who are still missing, and to the other victims of war who are only increasing in number in the 21st century  from the north of Iraq to Ukraine to Gaza. The United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIL (UNITAD) was a dedicated R2R body. Yet, its mandate will soon be terminated.

Murad was able to escape and arrived in Germany in 2015. She was one of the fortunate also appointed as a UN goodwill ambassador, the first to represent Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking. Murad was eventually awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the first Iraqi to ever receive it.

In 2016 she met the Beirut-born British barrister Amal Alamuddin Clooney, who agreed to represent Murad. Both addressed the United Nations, advocating that the ISIS campaign be designated as a genocide. Their work was essential to the Security Council agreeing to establish UNITAD in 2017.



Photo by Levi Meir Clancy on Unsplash

In the lobby of the United Nations General Assembly, a replica of Picassos Guernica mural hangs above the podium where international figures field questions from the media, a form of R2R for the multilateral body, as the failure of the world community to act after Guernica eventually led to World War Two. By bearing witness to Guernica, UN diplomats would work to ensure it would not happen again. Yet, Guernica did happen again: in Halabja at the end of the 20th century, and Kocho was the Guernica of the 21st century.

UNITAD was an attempt to prevent future Guernicas. The Iraqi judicial system lacked the infrastructure to investigate and try all the members of ISIS responsible for these crimes; hence, Baghdad requested the aid of the UN in the form of UNITAD, which has been collecting evidence since 2017.

Yet, the Iraqi government sought to terminate this bodys mandate in 2024 due to conflicts with the UN team investigating the crimes. This denies justice to the survivors of ISIS atrocities. Closing such a body is not only a loss for the female survivors of gender-based violence, the Yazidis, as well as the Iraqi nation in general, it sets a tragic global precedent; a dedicated UN body is imperative to document genocidal and gendercidal violence, and victims of war.

The genocidal rampage that ensued in Kocho in August 2014 continued for the women in captivity. To forge homogeneity within their Islamic state, ISIS sought the erasure of a pre-Islamic past by destroying pre-Islamic antiquities and what it deemed as pre-Islamic peoples, expelling Christians from Mosul, or enslaving Yazidi women to ensure that they could not give birth to future Yazidi children, a form of genocide specifically targeted against one gender, in what can be more specifically called a gendercide. Their captivity not only led to their estrangement from other Yazidis, but any future children born out of this slavery would not be considered part of the endogenous community.

The work of lawyers or human rights investigators is like a historian, trying to collect material from the past from primary sources to construct a narrative in the present. Primary sources, in this case, include the videos and documents produced by ISIS itself documenting their genocide, as well as the testimonies of the victims.

R2R is a reminder, as well, to the damage done to the spiritual heritage of Yazidi temples and Christian churches by ISIS, in addition to forced expulsion. Both physical reconstruction and investment in mental healthcare infrastructure, which Iraq lacks, are still needed.

UNITAD sought to deliver justice. It is a body that needs to be replicated for those who suffer due to decisions made by terrorists, warlords or politicians who will never be held accountable for their actions all the way from Kocho to the fighting in Ukraine and Gaza.



As a historian, these deaths and victims inspired me to advocate for R2R for the victims of war. Life is one episode in this greater history of soldiers and civilians from the north of Iraq and Syria under ISIS, to Ukraine to Gaza, who have died or endured trauma and PTSD, internally displaced peoples and refugees, child soldiers, the victims of gender-based violence during conflict, the kidnapped and tortured, those maimed by landmines or IEDs and amputees, many reliant on prosthetics, landscapes poisoned by depleted uranium, to animals and domesticated pets caught up in conflicts that they had no role in creating.

Reprinted with the authors permission from Rudaw.net
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 21, 2024) - Fremont Gold Ltd. (TSXV: FRE) (FSE: FR20) (OTCQB: FRERF) ("Fremont" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Joel Sutherland has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of Fremont and a director of the Company.

Mr. Sutherland brings over 20 years of extensive experience in capital markets, having excelled as an Equity Research Analyst and in Institutional Sales at prominent firms including Merrill Lynch in Toronto and New York City, BMO Capital Markets, and CIBC World Markets. He has been recognized for his outstanding performance, notably being ranked as the top salesperson for Canadian equities across multiple Boston-based accounts over several years. In recent years, Mr. Sutherland has also played pivotal roles in corporate development and communications for various companies, with a focus on leading successful financing initiatives.

A Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, Mr. Sutherland holds a Bachelor's degree in Finance from Queen's University (1994) and completed a Commerce program with an accounting specialization at McGill University (1995).

Mr. Sutherland succeeds Dennis Moore as CEO, who will continue as President and a director of Fremont. Mr. Moore will concentrate on advancing Fremont's promising portfolio of Armenian copper and gold projects, identifying new business opportunities, and supporting ongoing marketing efforts.

Mr. Moore commented, "As a founder of Fremont and its largest shareholder, I have full confidence in Joel's ability to lead the Company. His extensive capital market experience and management skills are exactly what Fremont needs to reach the next level. As CEO, Joel will focus on building Fremont's brand among key stakeholders, securing the necessary financing for exploration success, and managing the Company's daily operations. This will allow me to dedicate more time to resource discovery, project development, and identifying new business opportunities. Joel's expertise is a perfect complement to my own skills as a mine finder."

Mr. Sutherland added, "Dennis has assembled a portfolio with tremendous potential for creating shareholder value. Having worked with Fremont for over a year as an advisor on corporate markets and finance matters, I am thrilled to officially join the team. With a portfolio of prospective tier-one copper and gold projects in one of the world's most promising mineral belts, combined with a highly skilled team of local geologists, technicians, and legal advisors, as well as strong community support in Armenia, the Company is well-positioned to achieve its goals. I look forward to collaborating closely with Dennis and the Fremont team to unlock the significant shareholder value embedded within our asset portfolio."

As part of Mr. Sutherland's compensation package, he will receive annual cash compensation of US$125,000 and 600,000 stock options at an exercise price of C$0.095 per common share. The stock options have a term of five years and, of these options, 20% will vest immediately, with an additional 20% vesting every six months over the next two years. Subject to TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") approval, Mr. Sutherland will also receive an aggregate of 580,000 common shares of the Company, issued as follows: (i) 116,000 common shares upon TSXV approval (the "Initial Issuance"); (ii) 116,000 common shares on the six-month anniversary of the Initial Issuance; (iii) 116,000 common shares on the 12-month anniversary of the Initial Issuance; (iv) 116,000 common shares on the 18-month anniversary of the Initial Issuance; and (v) 116,000 common shares on the 24-month anniversary of the Initial Issuance. The common shares will be issued at a deemed price equal to the market price of the Company's shares on the day preceding each issuance.

About Fremont Gold Ltd.

Fremont's management team has assembled a portfolio of high-quality copper-gold projects within the central Tethyan Belt of Armenia, with the intention of making tier one size discoveries. The Company's portfolio includes the Vardenis copper-gold property in central Armenia and the Urasar District gold project in northern Armenia. Fremont continues to evaluate additional opportunities within this highly prospective mineral belt.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward- Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements including, without limitation, statements regarding advancing the Company's existing projects, identifying new business opportunities, securing additional financings, intention of making tier one size discoveries and the proposed share issuances to Joel Sutherland. Important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations including the risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 21, 2024 /CNW/ - Vizsla Silver Corp. (TSXV: VZLA) (NYSE: VZLA) (Frankfurt: 0G3) ("Vizsla" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on resource expansion potential and outline its exploration plans to test high priority targets in the central and east areas of its flagship Panuco silver-gold district (the "Property" or "Panuco") as well as other greenfield prospects located in Sinaloa, Mexico.

"With Panuco Project 1 now having been defined, the hunt for Project 2 begins," commented Michael Konnert, President and CEO. "Since our initial discovery at Napoleon, we have completed over 350,000 metres of diamond drilling, made several new discoveries and outlined a robust, high-grade resource base which serves as the foundation for Panuco Project 1, located in the southwest corner of the district. We are now determined to identify the next epicenter of high-grade mineralization in the central and/or east area of the district with the potential to host similar resources to that outlined in Project 1. To support this objective, we have budgeted 10,000 metres of new exploration drilling for the remainder of the year designed to test highly prospective targets. These select targets are based on an improved geologic understanding of the structural controls to mineralization as well as ongoing mapping, sampling, observations of metal ratios and alteration and other exploration methods. Additionally, we will continue to enhance the resource base that informs the Project 1 PEA through an expanded infill program targeting the first few years of production from Copala. This will culminate in a mineral resource update planned for late Q4 2024."

Key Exploration Objectives for 2024

Complete +10,000 metres of exploration drilling in the central-east area of the district.





Complete +5,000 meters of resource infill/expansion drilling in Copala central.





central. Complete VTEM, airborne mag and radiometric surveys on 950 l-km.





Advance mapping of the district to 70% coverage.





Provide updated resource estimate in Q4 2024.

Webcast

Vizsla Silver will be hosting a webcast at 9:30 am PT (12:30 pm ET) on Thursday, August 22, 2024, to present and discuss the geology of the Panuco district and outline its exploration plans and objectives for the remainder of the year. To register, please click here.

Exploration Approach and Organic Growth

The foundation of Vizsla's exploration approach for organic growth consists of detailed mapping, rock chip sampling aided by a LiDAR DTM model of the district and diamond drilling. Other initiatives such as alteration mapping with the use of Terraspec ASD and 3D modelling of alteration minerals and metal ratios support prioritizing prospective targets. Additionally, ground Electro-Magnetics ("EM"), airborne magnetics, high-resolution multispectral satellite imagery, age dating and more recently AI and machine learning-based targeting done by VRIFY have been key for targeting. Furthermore, in 2023, the Company established a technical committee with Dr. Peter Megaw and Dr. Craig Gibson (Prismo Metals Inc.) to further enhance the knowledge of the district and to augment the probability of finding new mineralized centers (see Press Release dated April 26, 2023).

Vizsla's exploration approach and programs completed to date have resulted in a significantly improved geologic understanding of the district and have successfully defined multiple layers of exploration upside radiating out from the current center of mass in the west. This center of mass, referred to as Project 1, hosts ~98% of the current mineral resources and is the focus of the recently published PEA (see Press Release related to mineral resources update from January 8, 2024, and PEA from July 24, 2024). Project 1 upside potential consists of 1) expansions to open resources on known structures and 2) proximal targets located within hauling distance to the proposed PEA processing location in the west area.

Beyond expanding resources and testing targets which support Project 1 in the west, Vizsla is committed to finding additional mineralized centers in the central and east areas of the district. Through the application of Vizslas exploration approach and initiatives across the district, the Company has defined several district-wide targets it plans to test in H2 2024, which have the potential to host similar resources to that of Project 1.

Additionally, the recent acquisitions of the La Garra and San Enrique properties have significantly increased Vizsla's land package in the emerging and highly prospective Panuco-San Dimas corridor situated on the Western Mexico Silver belt. This adds yet another layer of blue-sky exploration upside potential. The Company has already started building a GIS database of the region and plans to apply the same exploration approach that has been successful at the contiguous Panuco property to these two prospects in the future.

Enhancing Project 1:

Since data cut-off for drill results to be included in the current MRE (September 1, 2023), Vizsla has completed over 65,000 metres of drilling designed to upgrade and expand mineral resources in the western portion of the district, particularly on the Copala, Napoleon and La Luisa veins.

To date, exploration and resource drilling at Copala has traced mineralization along ~1,770 metres of strike length and ~400 metres down dip and measuring ~10 metres (~33 feet) thick on average. Three vein splays have also been discovered at Copala. Copala 3 is situated on the hanging-wall side of the main Copala structure, while Copala 2 and Copala 4 are located on the footwall side, between the high-grade Cristiano Vein and Copala main.

Our most recently completed Copala infill program (~10,000 metres at ~25 metre centers) has successfully confirmed high-grade precious metal continuity within the area planned for the first two years of mine production (see Press Release dated July 9, 2024 for preliminary results). Given the ongoing success of Copala infill drilling, and the new discovery of a historic mine adit exposing the Copala Vein approximately 200 metres above the current resource boundary, Vizsla has expanded its Copala infill program by an additional 5,000 metres (see Figure 2).

Infill drilling completed at the southern extent of the Napoleon area has also demonstrated mineral continuity along the main Napoleon structure and splay veins, particularly the high-grade, shallow dipping Hanging Wall 4 ("HW4") splay vein. Drilling results and observations based on metal zonation and alteration continue to support the interpretation that the corridor is tilted, where the southern extent of drilling is at the top of the mineralized horizon, near surface. Ongoing analysis of core samples and 3D modelling of metal ratios and alteration minerals have further enhanced our understanding of the local controls on mineralization and have defined vectors to three potential feeder zones along the main Napoleon Vein.

At HW4, recent infill drilling has returned higher than average grade silver and gold values. The HW4 vein dips to the east at a shallow angle (35 to 55) and is situated within the hanging wall side of the main Napoleon vein. HW4 remains open to the east, particularly in its southern extent where the vein shows higher silver and gold grades.

Other notable targets included the Cruz Negra and La Luisa Veins. At La Luisa, recent exploration has not only expanded the zones mineralized footprint well beyond the 2024 MRE boundary, but new alteration mapping with the aid of Terraspec, has validated Vizsla's local exploration model. At La Luisa, the Company has identified a 400-metre gap between the current mineral resource boundary and seven exploratory holes in the north. Furthermore, two potential feeder zones within a target depth horizon have been interpreted through geologic modelling and observed metal ratios. Cruz Negra, located between La Luisa and Napoleon main, remains open along strike to the north, and the more recent discovery, El Molino, which is a high-grade northeast trending vein discovered through condemnation drilling between Napoleon and Copala in 2023 is open in all directions. Other proximal targets in the west area include 4 de Mayo, the potential Colorada-Napoleon intersection, Esmeralda-Tecolote, San Jack and San Peter.

Resource Extension Targets:

The Copala structure remains open down-dip in the south and along strike to the north. Additionally, with the recent discovery of the historic Copala adit, potential for high-grade mineralization closer to surface in the central portion of the vein has been confirmed.

structure remains open down-dip in the south and along strike to the north. Additionally, with the recent discovery of the historic adit, potential for high-grade mineralization closer to surface in the central portion of the vein has been confirmed. Napoleon HW4 is a shallow dipping vein that splays off to the east from main Napoleon. Drilling targeting main Napoleon has reported multiple high-grade intercepts along HW4 that warrant future resource expansion down dip to the east.

La Luisa remains open at depth and along strike to the southeast and to the north in the 400 metre gap zone. Additionally, geologic modelling and observed metal ratios suggest two potential feeder zones at depth that warrant future drill-testing.

Cruz Negra is a relatively narrow (average thickness), gold-rich vein trending northwest that splays off from the Josephine Vein (situated parallel to Napoleon). Open-ended intercepts completed in 2022 suggest that mineralization continues to the northwest in the direction of the Alacran Vein in the northwest. The 500 metre gap between Cruz Negra drilling in the southeast and Alacran in the northwest warrant future exploration drilling.

Proximal Targets:

4 de Mayo is a set of subvertical narrow veins trending northwest located west of La Luisa. Scout drilling in the area has reported some high-grade silver intercepts close to surface. The 4 de Mayo vein shows strong pinch and swell characteristics but remains open to the south and at depth.

Colorada-Napoleon intersection is a conceptual target located at the projected intersection of the Colorada Vein and the northern extent of Napoleon, where indications of good structural preparation exist. This target has been validated by preliminary AI and Machine Learning analysis done by VRIFY.

Esmeralda-Tecolote is a set of two epithermal veins discovered through mapping. Sampling on the veins and vein textures suggest a high level in the epithermal profile and warrants drill testing in the future.

San Jack and San Peter are two parallel structures that show subtle quartz veining and strong hydrothermal alteration on surface. These structures are located west of Napoleon and La Luisa, in the southwest dipping, western block of the district. Extrapolation of our working exploration model applied at Napoleon and La Luisa suggests that vein mineralization could occur below the rhyolite tuffs exposing veining and alteration.

Table of Top 20 Drill Composites drilled post September 1, 2023, cut-off date.

Drillhole From To Downhole

Length Estimated

True width Ag Au Pb Zn AgEq Vein (m) (m) (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) % % (g/t) CS-24-356 219.00 223.90 4.90 4.20 1,694 103.20 - - 8,817 Copala Includes 219.85 220.60 0.75 0.64 9,920 663.00 - - 55,769 NP-24-429 433.75 435.10 1.35 1.30 2390 28.10 2.19 9.61 4,533 HW4 CS-24-352 211.80 217.25 5.45 5.00 1,378 22.95 - - 2,872 Copala Includes 213.00 216.00 3.00 2.75 2,115 39.10 - - 4,681 NP-24-431 428.55 431.15 2.60 2.40 1,551 14.08 0.97 3.84 2,561 HW4 Includes 428.55 429.90 1.35 1.24 2460 23.20 1.57 6.10 4,121 CS-24-347 287.85 294.00 6.15 6.00 1,882 10.31 - - 2,440 Copala Includes 289.00 291.45 2.45 2.39 3,859 20.51 - - 4,957 CS-24-366 348.85 357.00 8.15 7.00 1,898 9.51 - - 2,398 Copala 3 Includes 348.85 349.50 0.65 0.56 3,950 25.40 - - 5,385 Includes 351.00 352.50 1.50 1.29 3,430 18.95 - - 4,457 Includes 352.80 354.00 1.20 1.03 3,200 13.00 - - 3,829 NP-23-359 80.00 82.05 2.05 1.65 1,552 8.37 0.47 1.22 2,066 El Molino Includes 80.90 82.05 1.15 0.93 2,630 14.20 0.62 1.57 3,480 CS-23-304 468.00 471.30 3.30 2.80 1,366 6.80 - - 1,722 Copala Includes 468.85 469.50 0.65 0.55 5,320 25.20 - - 6,618 CS-24-354 153.50 168.30 14.80 13.00 1,017 8.19 - - 1,503 Copala Includes 153.50 155.10 1.60 1.40 4,124 35.11 - - 6,229 Includes 157.55 159.05 1.50 1.31 2,540 21.30 - - 3,813 CS-24-344 561.95 573.90 11.95 8.70 1,096 5.18 - - 1,363 Copala Includes 563.10 564.00 0.90 0.66 8,720 36.60 - - 10,516 CS-24-362 344.60 346.10 16.10 10.50 804 5.27 - - 1,103 Copala Includes 337.50 339.75 2.25 1.47 3,437 24.87 - - 4,881 CS-24-359 332.15 341.65 9.50 7.80 788 4.40 - - 1,027 Copala 3 Includes 336.25 337.30 1.05 0.86 5,010 25.30 - - 6,343 Includes 341.00 341.65 0.65 0.53 1,360 7.26 - - 1,749 CS-24-357 347.00 347.45 14.45 10.90 762 2.80 - - 891 Copala Includes 345.50 347.45 1.95 1.47 3,805 13.58 - - 4,419 CS-24-342 627.60 634.25 6.65 6.00 487 3.69 - - 703 Copala NAP-2023-004 108.45 119.35 10.90 6.50 328 4.32 0.79 2.11 696 Napoleon Includes 109.12 115.25 6.13 3.65 505 6.33 2.89 0.10 1,038 COP-2023-004 195.75 202.10 6.35 5.10 318 5.23 - - 658 Copala Includes 197.65 198.00 0.35 0.28 338 16.00 - - 1,436 Copala Includes 200.90 202.10 1.20 0.96 1,270 13.45 - - 2,104 Copala NP-23-419 564.00 572.45 8.45 3.25 58 7.74 0.73 1.44 650 La Luisa Main Includes 567.00 568.60 1.60 0.62 50 16.74 0.27 0.99 1,220 NP-23-420 414.60 418.25 3.65 2.80 95 6.97 0.11 0.17 568 La Luisa Main Includes 415.60 417.50 1.90 1.46 116 11.50 0.05 0.07 888 COP-2023-001 145.30 158.90 13.60 13.60 240 1.61 - - 332 Copala Includes 146.00 147.10 1.10 1.10 1,075 11.55 - - 1,793 NP-23-397 670.15 679.85 9.70 8.70 32 1.44 0.17 2.45 221 La Luisa Main Includes 670.15 671.55 1.40 1.26 77 6.55 0.54 1.32 577

Note: AgEq = Ag g/t x Ag rec. + ((Au g/t x Au Rec x Au price/gram)+(Pb% x Pb rec. X Pb price/t) + (Zn% x Zn rec. X Zn price/t))/Ag price/gram. Metal price assumptions are $24.00/oz silver, $1,800/oz gold, $2,424.4/t lead and $2,975.4/t zinc. Metallurgical recoveries assumed for Copala are 91% for silver and 94% for gold (see press release dated August 16, 2023). Metallurgical recoveries assumed Napoleon veins and La Luisa are 93% for silver, 90% for gold, 94% for lead and 94% for zinc (see press release dated February 17, 2022).

The Hunt for Project 2:

Since consolidation of the Panuco district, Vizsla has continuously conducted detailed geologic mapping and rock chip sampling. To date Vizsla has mapped ~67% of the district at a 1:1,000 scale and has collected over 5,000 rock chip samples. The mapping and sampling efforts, supported by LiDAR, have allowed the Company to define over 158 targets, in the district, of which 43 have been tested. For the remainder of 2024, Vizsla has planned a fully funded 10,000 metre exploration drill program designed to test multiple veins in five high-priority target areas: Camelia-San Dimas, Animas-Triunfo, Galeana, San Fernando-Nacaral and Jesusita-Palos Verdes.

Other important initiatives planned for Q4 2024 include a geophysical survey consisting of VTEM, airborne mag and radiometrics on ~950-line km at 100 metres at 100 metres spacing. Information derived from these surveys will be applied in combination with other tools on hand such as, geology, geochemistry, alteration and multi-spectral World View III satellite imagery to define new exploration targets and locate additional mineralized centers. Geologic evidence that supports the presence of multiple mineralized centers include: intrusions with different age and composition, ubiquitous presence of dikes and domes, extensive hydrothermal alteration across the district, many vein prospects and a vast amount of veins with variable orientations, geochemistry and recently determined 40Ar/39Ar age dates that resolved mineralization at Copala and Napoleon at 25.81  0.05 Ma and 25.72  0.06 Ma (identical age within error) and sericite alteration at the Guayanera dome along the Animas vein trend at 32.14  0.17 Ma. The age gap of ~6 My between epithermal mineralization in the west and hydrothermal alteration (activity) farther east, supports the hypothesis that multiple hydrothermal centers operated in the district over time.

District Targets:

Notable targets to be tested in Q4 2024 located in the central and east areas of the district with potential to host similar mineral resources to that outlined in Project 1 in the west include:

Camelia- San Dimas , which consists of two almost vertical subparallel veins in the Camelia trend and the high-grade, flat lying and east dipping, San Dimas Vein. The San Dimas Vein is the highest ranked target due to its features that make it similar to Copala .

, which consists of two almost vertical subparallel veins in the Camelia trend and the high-grade, flat lying and east dipping, San Dimas Vein. The San Dimas Vein is the highest ranked target due to its features that make it similar to . Animas-Triunfo is a target designed to test recent interpretations based on mapping, that indicates that the Animas Vein extends to the southeast, in the direction of the Camelia-San Dimas target veins.

The Galeana target is a northeast trending vein with significant silver anomalies observed on surface. More importantly, geologic mapping suggests that exposed outcrops of the Galeana Vein occur proximal to the paleosurface, thus providing great potential for deep drilling.

target is a northeast trending vein with significant silver anomalies observed on surface. More importantly, geologic mapping suggests that exposed outcrops of the Galeana Vein occur proximal to the paleosurface, thus providing great potential for deep drilling. San Fernando-Nacaral are two parallel veins, that similar to the Galeana target, show indications of great exploration potential at depth.

target, show indications of great exploration potential at depth. Jesusita-Palos Verdes is a northeast trending vein target in the east area of the district. Positive drill results and alteration-based interpretations done by Prismo, combined with significant silver anomalies on surface and spectacular vein outcrops warrant additional deep drilling.

Greenfields Projects:

La Garra

The La Garra-Metates District, comprised of 16 claims covering 16,962 Ha, is located approximately 32 km north-northwest of the Panuco Project and 32 km south-southwest of First Majestic's flagship San Dimas mine. The district contains N-NNW-trending silver-gold-rich epithermal veins in a geological setting akin to that of the Panuco Project and San Dimas. Two main vein systems are known to date: the N-S trending La Garra with ~2.6 km of known strike length and the NW trending Cerro Verde  Las Playas vein system with ~1.8 km of strike length.

In December 2023, Vizsla Silver conducted a five-day site visit and collected 37 samples on vein outcrops and underground pillars on La Garra and Cerro Verde  Las Playas vein systems: fourteen rock-chip samples collected across veins ranging from 0.30 to 2.50 metres reported silver equivalent grades (AgEq) greater than 200 g/t (2.22 to 12.30 g/t Au and 22 to 1,156 g/t Ag). Because of its favourable location in the emerging Panuco  San Dimas silver-gold-rich corridor, its geologic setting, vein orientation and observed high-grades, Vizsla Silver's geologists are confident that the La Garra-Metates District has good potential for a discovery of high-grade mineralization along-strike and at depth on the La Garra and Cerro Verde  Las Playas vein systems.

San Enrique

The San Enrique prospect area is adjacent to the southern boundary of the Panuco project and comprises two titled mining claims covering 10,667.0 Ha. LiDAR and high-resolution mag data show strong NW-trending lineaments, indicative of regional faults and fractures. Two of these lineaments are aligned and seem to be the SE extensions of the Copala fault and the Cordon del Oro - Animas vein structures at Panuco. The San Enrique prospect contains several indicators that suggest it is a highly prospective area, namely: location (Panuco  San Dimas corridor), high-grade deposits immediately north (Copala and Panuco), structural controls (southeast extensions of the Copala fault and Cordon - Animas lineament), domes and an operating mine to the south along another NW regional fault (Santa Fe mine, Inca Azteca). The recently acquired multispectral World View III satellite image covering the Panuco and San Enrique claims will help Vizsla with target definition at San Enrique.

Key Exploration Objectives for 2024

Complete +10,000 metres of exploration drilling in the central-east area of the district.





Complete +5,000 meters of resource infill/expansion drilling in Copala central.





central. Complete VTEM, airborne mag and radiometric surveys on 950 l-km.





Advance mapping of the district to 70% coverage.





Provide updated resource estimate in Q4 2024.

About the Panuco Project

The newly consolidated Panuco silver-gold project is an emerging high-grade discovery located in southern Sinaloa, Mexico, near the city of Mazatlan. The 17,856.5-hectare, past producing district benefits from over 86 kilometres of total vein extent, 35 kilometres of underground mines, roads, power, and permits.

The district contains intermediate to low sulfidation epithermal silver and gold deposits related to siliceous volcanism and crustal extension in the Oligocene and Miocene. Host rocks are mainly continental volcanic rocks correlated to the Tarahumara Formation.

On January 8, 2024, the Company announced an updated mineral resource estimate for Panuco which includes an estimated in-situ indicated mineral resource of 155.8 Moz AgEq and an in-situ inferred resource of 169.6 Moz AgEq (please refer to our Technical Report on Updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the Panuco Ag-Au-Pb-Zn Project, Sinaloa State, Mexico, by Allan Armitage, Ben Eggers and Peter Mehrfert, dated February 12, 2024 and to our Companys press release dated January 8, 2024).

About Vizsla Silver

Vizsla Silver is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company headquartered in Vancouver, BC, focused on advancing its flagship, 100%-owned Panuco silver-gold project located in Sinaloa, Mexico. To date, Vizsla Silver has completed over 368,000 metres of drilling at Panuco leading to the discovery of several new high-grade veins. For 2024, Vizsla Silver has budgeted +30,000 metres of resource/discovery-based drilling designed to upgrade and expand the mineral resource, as well as test other high priority targets across the district.

Quality Assurance / Quality Control

Drill core samples were shipped to ALS Limited in Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico and in North Vancouver, Canada for sample preparation and for analysis at the ALS laboratory in North Vancouver and rock samples were shipped to SGS Lab in Durango Mexico for sample preparation and analysis. The ALS Zacatecas, North Vancouver facilities and SGS lab are ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 17025 certified. Silver and base metals were analyzed using a four-acid digestion with an ICP finish and gold was assayed by 30-gram fire assay with atomic absorption ("AA") spectroscopy finish. Over limit analyses for silver, lead and zinc were re-assayed using an ore-grade four-acid digestion with AA finish.

Control samples comprising certified reference samples, duplicates and blank samples were systematically inserted into the sample stream and analyzed as part of the Company's quality assurance / quality control protocol.

Qualified Person

In accordance with NI 43-101, Jesus Velador, Ph.D. MMSA QP., Vice President of Exploration, is the Qualified Person for the Company and has reviewed and approved the technical and scientific content of this news release.

Information Concerning Estimates of Mineral Resources

The scientific and technical information in this news release was prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 which differs significantly from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The terms "measured mineral resource", "indicated mineral resource" and "inferred mineral resource" used herein are in reference to the mining terms defined in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Standards (the "CIM Definition Standards"), which definitions have been adopted by NI 43-101. Accordingly, information contained herein providing descriptions of our mineral deposits in accordance with NI 43-101 may not be comparable to similar information made public by other U.S. companies subject to the United States federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

You are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral resources will ever be converted into reserves. Pursuant to CIM Definition Standards, "inferred mineral resources" are that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. Such geological evidence is sufficient to imply but not verify geological and grade or quality continuity. An inferred mineral resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to an indicated mineral resource and must not be converted to a mineral reserve. However, it is reasonably expected that the majority of inferred mineral resources could be upgraded to indicated mineral resources with continued exploration. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures.

Canadian standards, including the CIM Definition Standards and NI 43-101, differ significantly from standards in the SEC Industry Guide 7. Effective February 25, 2019, the SEC adopted new mining disclosure rules under subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "SEC Modernization Rules"), with compliance required for the first fiscal year beginning on or after January 1, 2021. The SEC Modernization Rules replace the historical property disclosure requirements included in SEC Industry Guide 7. As a result of the adoption of the SEC Modernization Rules, the SEC now recognizes estimates of "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" and "inferred mineral resources". Information regarding mineral resources contained or referenced herein may not be comparable to similar information made public by companies that report according to U.S. standards. While the SEC Modernization Rules are purported to be "substantially similar" to the CIM Definition Standards, readers are cautioned that there are differences between the SEC Modernization Rules and the CIM Definitions Standards. Accordingly, there is no assurance any mineral resources that the Company may report as "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" and "inferred mineral resources" under NI 43-101 would be the same had the Company prepared the resource estimates under the standards adopted under the SEC Modernization Rules.

Website: www.vizslasilvercorp.ca

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release includes certain "ForwardLooking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forwardlooking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "plan", "forecast", "may", "would", "could", "schedule" and similar words or expressions, identify forwardlooking statements or information. These forwardlooking statements or information relate to, among other things: the exploration, development, and production at Panuco; the publication of an updated mineral resource estimate in late Q4 2024; and exploration objectives and targets.

Forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information relating to any future mineral production, liquidity, enhanced value and capital markets profile of Vizsla Silver, future growth potential for Vizsla Silver and its business, and future exploration plans are based on management's reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the price of silver, gold, and other metals; no escalation in the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic; costs of exploration and development; the estimated costs of development of exploration projects; Vizsla Silver's ability to operate in a safe and effective manner and its ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms.

These statements reflect Vizsla Silver's respective current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of other assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forwardlooking statements or forward-looking information and Vizsla Silver has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the Company's dependence on one mineral project; precious metals price volatility; risks associated with the conduct of the Company's mining activities in Mexico; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to reliance on the Company's management team and outside contractors; risks regarding mineral resources and reserves; the Company's inability to obtain insurance to cover all risks, on a commercially reasonable basis or at all; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; risks relating to project financing and equity issuances; risks and unknowns inherent in all mining projects, including the inaccuracy of reserves and resources, metallurgical recoveries and capital and operating costs of such projects; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties; laws and regulations governing the environment, health and safety; the ability of the communities in which the Company operates to manage and cope with the implications of COVID-19; the economic and financial implications of COVID-19 to the Company; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; the Company's interactions with surrounding communities and artisanal miners; the Company's ability to successfully integrate acquired assets; the speculative nature of exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; litigation risk; and the factors identified under the caption "Risk Factors" in Vizsla Silver's management discussion and analysis. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forwardlooking statements or forward-looking information. Although Vizsla Silver has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. Vizsla Silver does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forwardlooking statements or forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information, other than as required by applicable law.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 21, 2024 / Quartz Mountain Resources Ltd. ("Quartz" or the "Company") (TSXV:QZM) (OTC PINK:QZMRF) announces that it has completed 3,418 metres of core drilling in seven holes at its 100% owned Jake project, located 160 kilometres north of Smithers, BC. Core samples have been delivered to ALS Global for analysis. The goal of Quartz's initial drill program and exploration strategy at Jake is to discover a significant porphyry copper-gold-silver deposit. Porphyry deposits are the world's most important sources of copper and gold, and their discovery presents the potential for outsized gains.

The work completed at Jake supports the Company's strategy of targeting high value, high demand projects that have strong potential for mine development in order to advance assets that are attractive to potential transaction partners.

"The completion of the 2024 drill program at Jake is a significant milestone for this project and for Quartz," said Quartz Chairman Bob Dickinson. "Now that the targeted drill program is complete, a total of 1,400 core samples from the Jake drill holes have been delivered to the lab for analyses and we are targeting early September for the release of the assay results. Historical data suggests a significant opportunity for an important porphyry Cu-Au discovery, and we are confident this recently completed drill program will advance the Jake opportunity."

Figure 1: Plan view map of drillholes completed at Jake during Summer 2024 exploration program.

The Jake project is one of two key projects being developed by Quartz in British Columbia. The Jake drill program follows initial drilling at the Company's Maestro Project which discovered an exciting high-grade, gold-silver lode hosted within extensive precious metal mineralization (see Quartz news release dated April 9, 2024).

"We remain focused on achieving important milestones on both the Jake and Maestro Projects, and the completion of this drill program represents an important step on the path to our ultimate transaction milestone. The Quartz team is committed to creating Canada's next great mineral success story," concluded Dickinson.

Figure 2: Site crew examining drill core at Jake processing facility.

A total of 1,400 core samples from the seven Jake drill holes have now been received by ALS Global in Vancouver for analyses. Drill holes JK24-01 to JK24-05 tested for a concealed copper-gold porphyry system, and JK24-06 and JK24-07 tested outboard epithermal mineralization potentially related to a porphyry centre. Results from these drillholes will be released once they are received from the lab, compiled and interpreted. The Company is targeting early September for the release of the assay results.

As part of its commitment to responsible mineral development, Quartz is proud to provide economic opportunities for local and First Nation communities and looks forward to fostering new opportunities in the future. The drill program was diligently and safely completed by Apex Diamond Drilling from Smithers. HEG Exploration Services from Kelowna professionally oversaw all logistical and technical components. Effective drill pads were constructed by H.A. Butler Contracting. All drill program personnel were hosted by Valhalla Lodge where its staff provided quality room and board. Timely air support was provided by Contour Helicopters based at Burns Lake and Alpine Lakes Air from Smithers.

Table 1: Siting details of the seven completed NQ core holes at Jake, comprising 3,418 metres of core drilled

2024 Jake Drill Hole Siting Details Hole ID Easting Northing Azimuth 0 Dip 0 Length m Elevation m JK24-01 603820 6233429 300 -50 461.50 1097 JK24-02 603916 6233636 300 -50 557.00 1208 JK24-03 603916 6233636 345 -50 383.50 1208 JK24-04 603916 6233636 45 -50 300.00 1208 JK24-05 603916 6233636 300 -80 573.00 1208 JK24-06 601460 6233765 70 -50 570.00 1210 JK24-07 601460 6233765 70 -85 573.00 1210

About Jake

The 100% owned Jake Property is located 160 km north of Smithers in north central BC. It is accessible by helicopter and close to the Minaret airstrip and historical logging roads which lead to mining support towns of Smithers, Fort St. James and Hazelton.

Mineralization at Jake is situated within a prominent rusty coloured gossan measuring 3.5 km long by 1.5 km wide. Within the gossan is north-trending dyke swarms that intrude into sedimentary rocks. The combination of extensive historical and recent exploration work outlined a very expansive altered area at Jake hosting epithermal and porphyry-style sulphide disseminations and veinlets containing Cu-Au-Ag-Zn-Mo and Re.

To delineate high-potential deposit targets within this large Jake mineral system for the recent drilling program, a series of modern surface exploration programs were completed in the period 2018-2023. This exploration work included detailed airborne magnetic surveying, geological mapping, geochemical sampling/modelling and Induced Polarization ("IP") surveying. These exploration surveys were designed to build on very compelling historical data on the Property developed by legendary porphyry copper explorers, including Kennco, Canadian Superior, Cities Service, Placer Development and Teck Corp. Taken together this comprehensive Jake Project technical data base defined significant-scale epithermal precious metal deposit targets positioned above underlying porphyry copper-gold deposit targets. In July 2024, a 7-hole core drilling program was completed. The widespread drill holes were located on the side of a hill and intersected rock units stretching some 900 metres east-west and some 500 metres vertically (see Figure 1).

About Maestro

The 100% owned Maestro Project, located in central British Columbia, lies adjacent to Highway 16, 15 km north of Houston and 50 km south of Smithers, providing year-round road access to the project and nearby infrastructure including, rail, hydroelectricity, and natural gas.

Maestro has a rich exploration history dating back to 1914, primarily focusing on the Lone Pine Mo-Cu porphyry deposit (see Quartz news release March 19th, 2024).The historical exploration was centered on base metal porphyry mineralization. The potential for precious metals in the surrounding area remained largely unexplored.

Since acquiring the property, Quartz has conducted comprehensive exploration programs, including soil/silt geochemical sampling, IP geophysics, airborne magnetic surveys, hyperspectral studies, detailed relogging of historical drill core, and assaying for gold, pulp samples derived from historical assaying of numerous core holes located across the Maestro property.

Quartz's first ever two-hole drill program at the Prodigy Zone on the Maestro Property (reported by Quartz News Release dated April 9th, 2024) made an important new precious metal deposit discovery. Quartz drilling discovered a high-grade Au-Ag lode, hosted within an extensive epithermal Au-Ag system. The lode and the more disseminated precious metals, intersected by the holes are both hosted within a large and earlier deposited, Mo-Cu porphyry system. Core hole PR-23-02 intersected 102 m grading 2.22 g/t Au and 104 g/t Ag, including 12 m grading 1.23 g/t Au and 586 g/t Ag and 36 m of 5.73 g/t Au and 87 g/t Ag. The results indicate high potential for both bulk tonnage and underground high-grade mineralization. Notably, green sericite alteration reminiscent of deposits such as Blackwater-Davidson, which is currently being placed into production, plays a significant role at Prodigy. The discovery is open in multiple directions and at depth, promising significant further potential. Going forward the Company will prepare detailed plans to delineate the Prodigy discovery and assess numerous other epithermal and porphyry copper targets located laterally to the Property's Lone Pine Molybdenum deposit.

Qualified Person

Farshad Shirmohammad, M.Sc., P.Geo., a "Qualified Person" within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Minerals Projects, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.

About Quartz

Quartz Mountain Resources Ltd. (TSXV:QZM)(OTC PINK:QZMRF) is a well-structured public company focused on acquiring, exploring, developing and transacting important scale gold, silver and copper deposits in British Columbia. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, its successful mine finding management is focused on discovering and transacting high-value gold, silver, and copper projects in British Columbia. The Company owns 100% of the Maestro Gold-Silver-Molybdenum-Copper Property and 100% of the Jake Copper-Gold-Silver Property. Both projects are currently permitted by the BC government for drilling activities with access to infrastructure and high potential for the development of substantial resources for significant future transactions.

First drilling at Maestro has discovered a high-grade gold-silver lode within extensive precious metal mineralization all hosted within a large porphyry Mo-Cu system. At Jake drilling of 3,418 metres in seven core holes was completed in July 2024, with assays expected this September. Jake hosts a very large, altered mineral system with both epithermal precious metal and porphyry copper-gold geological characteristics. Like Maestro, management's expectations are the Jake drill results will support Quartz's strategy of developing high value, high demand projects.

Quartz is associated with Hunter Dickinson Inc. ("HDI"), a company with over 35-years of successfully discovering, developing, and transacting mineral projects in Canada and internationally. Former HDI projects in BC included, Mount Milligan, Kemess South, and Gibraltar - all of which are porphyry deposits with current or former producing mines. Other well-known projects with HDI involvement include Sisson and Prosperity in Canada, Pebble and Florence in the United States, and Xietongmen in China.

Quartz is committed to the advancement of important scale, critical and essential mining assets while following responsible mineral development principles, including a mandate to employ best practice approaches in the engagement and involvement of local communities, and meeting rigorous environmental standards.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Robert Dickinson

Chairman

For further details, contact Robert Dickinson, Chairman at:

T: (604) 684-6365 or within North America at 1-800-667-2114.

E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

W: www.quartzmountainresources.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking-statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking-statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Assumptions used by the Company to develop forward-looking statements include the following: the Company's projects will obtain all required environmental and other permits, and all land use and other licenses, studies and exploration of the Company's projects will continue to be positive, and no geological or technical problems will occur. Though the Company believes the expectations expressed in its forward-looking-statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are subject to future events and third party discretion such as regulatory personnel. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include variations in market prices, continuity of mineralization and exploration success, and potential environmental issues or liabilities associated with exploration, development and mining activities, uncertainties related to the ability to obtain necessary permits, licenses and tenure and delays due to third party opposition, changes in and the effect of government policies regarding mining and natural resource exploration and exploitation, and exploration and development of properties located within Aboriginal groups asserted territories that may affect or be perceived to affect asserted aboriginal rights and title, and which may cause permitting delays or opposition by Aboriginal groups, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on the Company, and the risks and uncertainties connected with its business, investors should review the Company's home jurisdiction filings as www.sedarplus.ca and its 20F filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Uranium Corp. (CSE: GURN | OTC PINK: GURFF | FRA: Q3J) (the "Company") announces Ungad Chadda as new CEO, effective immediately. Mr. John Kim has stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

Mr. Chadda is an experienced capital markets regulator and financial services executive having previously worked at TMX Group, the parent company of Toronto Stock Exchange. At TMX Group, Mr. Chadda was responsible for building and maintaining the investor base as well as supporting its public interest mandate and strategies to grow as a company. During his tenure at TMX Group, Mr. Chadda held progressively senior roles, including Director of Listings, TSX Venture Exchange; Chief Operating Officer, TSX Venture Exchange; Vice President, Business Development, Toronto Stock Exchange and TSX Venture Exchange; President, Toronto Stock Exchange; CFO of TSX Trust; and SVP, Head of Enterprise Corporate Strategy and External Affairs, TMX Group. Mr. Chadda attended McMaster University, where he received an Honours Bachelor of Commerce in 1994, and received his Chartered Accountancy designation while working with Ernst and Young LLP in 1996. In 2019, Mr. Chadda completed the Director Education Course at the Rotman School of Management and was named valedictorian of the graduating class. In addition to his role with the Company, Mr. Chadda is currently the CEO and Director of Urban Infrastructure Group Inc. which is a TSX Venture Exchange listed company trading under the symbol UIG.

On behalf of management and the Board of Directors of the Company, I would like to thank John for his service as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, said Mr. Eli Dusenbury, CFO of the Company and a member of the Companys Board of Directors. Under Johns leadership, the Company achieved several significant milestones, including the acquisition of Rare Earth Element Corp. and the concurrent listing of the Companys common shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange. We are thrilled that John is remaining a part of the Board of Directors of the Company, in which role he will continue to provide advice and guidance to the Company moving forward.

I am very excited to be joining the Company at this critical time in its development and look forward to working with the Board of Directors and management team to generate value for shareholders, said Mr. Chadda.

ABOUT GLOBAL URANIUM CORP.

Global Uranium Corp. focuses on exploring and developing uranium assets primarily in North America. The Company currently has an interest in two uranium projects in Canada: the Northwest Athabasca Project in the Northwest Athabasca region of Saskatchewan, Canada; and the Wing Lake Property in the Mudjatik Domain of Northern Saskatchewan, Canada. The Company has also entered into an agreement to acquire five other uranium projects in several regions of Wyoming, USA, including the Great Divide Basin District, the Gas Hills District and the Copper Mountain District.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

S. John Kim

S. John Kim

Director

604-359-1248

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Two additional drill rigs to be deployed to accelerate program

PERTH, Australia, Aug. 21, 2024 /CNW/ - Westgold Resources Limited (ASX: WGX) (TSX: WGX) (OTCQX: WGXRF) (Westgold or the Company) is pleased to provide an overview of the Beta Hunt mine and update in relation to the ongoing Stage 3 Resource Definition drilling program being undertaken at the Fletcher Zone discovery (Fletcher) within the Beta Hunt operation at the Company's Southern Goldfields Operations.

Highlights

Assays from the next 8 holes of the Fletcher Stage 3 program at Beta Hunt have been received.

Significant intersections include:

4.00m @ 22.45g/t Au in hole WF440N1-01AR

5.00m @ 10.95g/t Au in hole WF440N1-21AE

5.20m @ 10.13g/t Au in hole WF440N1-02AR



8.00m @ 5.26g/t Au in hole WF440N1-01AR



7.00m @ 7.97g/t Au in hole WF440N1-21AE



6.00m @ 6.39g/t Au in hole WF440N1-04AR



15.00m @ 3.07g/t Au in hole WF440N1-3AR

Resource Definition program to be accelerated - an additional two drill rigs to be deployed taking fleet to three at Fletcher.

Maiden Mineral Resource Estimate targeted for late Q2 / early Q3 FY25.

Westgold Managing Director and CEO Wayne Bramwell commented: "The Fletcher Zone is key to expanding gold production at Beta Hunt. It is a proximate, parallel lode to the existing 1.6Moz Western Flanks system and Westgold is currently advancing decline development from Western Flanks towards Fletcher to access a new mining front.

Accelerating drilling will rapidly unlock value at Fletcher. To date Fletcher has only 32 drill holes into this emerging 2km long target and Westgold is now mobilising an additional 2 drill rigs to Beta Hunt to accelerate this program.

Westgold looks forward to expanding production at Beta Hunt and delivering a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate for the emerging Fletcher Zone in late Q2 / early Q3 FY25."

Beta Hunt  Overview

The Beta Hunt operation, located at Kambalda 600km east of Perth, was acquired by Westgold as part of the August 2024 merger with TSX listed Karora Resources Inc.

Beta Hunt was originally developed as a nickel mine and operated by Western Mining Corporation (WMC) in the 1970's. The mine was sold to Gold Fields in 2001 as part of the St Ives Operations sale. In 2003 a "sub-lease" covering Beta Hunt was sold to Reliance Mining Limited and through various transactions the gold and nickel rights to the sub-lease were separated. Salt Lake Mining Pty Ltd (SLM) subsequently acquired the property in 2013 and succeeded in re-combining the nickel and gold rights. Gold production commenced in mid-2014. Karora Resources acquired 100% of SLM in 2016 under its previous business name of Royal Nickel Corporation Minerals (RNC).

Karora has mined both gold and nickel at Beta Hunt. However, nickel operations were suspended in mid-2024 in response to falling nickel prices. Western Flanks is currently the mainstay gold ore source for the Beta Hunt operation.

Beta Hunt Gold Mineral Resources As Of 30 September 20231,2 Measured Indicated Measured & Indicated Inferred Kt g/t Koz Kt g/t Koz Kt g/t Koz Kt g/t Koz Western Flanks 859 2.9 79 10,436 2.9 980 11,295 2.9 1,059 6,364 2.9 587 A Zone 419 2.7 37 4,143 2.4 317 4,536 2.4 354 3,927 2.3 296 Larkin - - - 2,028 2.6 168 2,028 2.6 168 1,761 2.4 134 Mason - - - - - - - - - 778 2.7 67 Cowcill - - - 248 2.4 19 248 2.4 19 35 2.9 3 Total 1,278 2.8 116 16,855 2.7 1,484 18,133 2.7 1,600 12,865 2.6 1,086

The Fletcher Zone  An Emerging Target of Scale within Beta Hunt

Fletcher is a substantial new discovery made by Karora Resources at Beta Hunt and has been drilled in a series of stages. Importantly, Fletcher is interpreted to represent a new gold mineralised structure paralleling the ~1.6Moz Western Flanks deposit, approximately 300m to the west (Figure 1).

In 2016, an exploration hole drilled by Karora Resources (then RNC) first intersected the Fletcher Shear Zone returning two significant intersections including 8.90m @ 2.68g/t Au and 15.00m @ 2.32g/t Au in hole WF14-983 (Appendix B). These holes were drilled to test a conceptual gold target using the A-Zone and Western Flanks shear zones as structural analogues and the presence of some +1g/t Au gold assays reported in a historic surface nickel exploration hole (KD1237W1) drilled during the WMC era.

__________________________________ 1 Refer Karora TSX Announcement dated 21 November 2023 "Karora Announces Strong Increases In Beta Hunt Gold Mineral Resources, Grades and Gold Mineral Reserves" available on SEDAR+ (www.sedar.com) 2 Refer Westgold ASX Announcement dated 8th April 2024 "Westgold & Karora To Merge To Create A New 400kozpa Australian Gold Producer" 3 Refer Royal Nickel Corp TSX Announcement dated 6 July 2016 "RNC Discovers Third Major Gold Zone at Beta Hunt" available on SEDAR+ (www.sedar.com)

The success of this program confirmed the existence of a third significant mineralised shear zone within the Beta Hunt sub-lease.

Follow-up drill testing of the Fletcher Zone did not recommence until 2019 and was sporadic until 2023 when a more comprehensive multi-stage program commenced. Notwithstanding this, to date, only 32 holes have been drilled into the +2km long mineralised system.

Mineralisation at Fletcher is similar to the parallel 1.6Moz Western Flanks deposit and comprises foliated albite-biotite-pyrite altered and irregularly quartz veined basalt (Figure 1).

Fletcher Zone - Stage 3 Drilling Results

A total of 24 holes were drilled between 2016 and 2023 as part of Stage 1 & 2 Fletcher exploration programs with the majority of these holes returning highly encouraging results (refer Figure 2 and Appendix B for details).

The aim of the Stage 3 program is to further define Mineral Resources in the southern half of the currently defined ~2km long gold mineralised shear. Encouragingly, the results for 8 recently completed holes have continued to return significant results and include:

4.00m @ 22.45g/t Au in hole WF440N1-01AR

5.00m @ 10.95g/t Au in hole WF440N1-21AE

5.20m @ 10.13g/t Au in hole WF440N1-02AR

8.00m @ 5.26g/t Au in hole WF440N1-01AR

7.00m @ 7.97g/t Au in hole WF440N1-21AE

6.00m @ 6.39g/t Au in hole WF440N1-04AR

15.00m @ 3.07g/t Au in hole WF440N1-3AR

4.65m @ 7.52g/t Au in hole WF440N1-01AR

Full drilling results are presented in Appendix A with hole positions shown on Figure 3.

Like Western Flanks, mineralisation at Fletcher is related to a sub-vertical northwest trending shear system. Mineralisation is hosted within the Lunnon Basalt beneath the Kambalda Ultramafics.

Figures 4 & 5 show the deportment of mineralisation in fans of Stage 3 drill holes.

Importantly, while the Fletcher Zone has been broadly defined over ~2km, it has only seen limited drilling down dip at depth to around 200-250m below the ultramafic contact and remains open at depth. In comparison, Western Flanks has been drilled down dip to depths greater than 500m (see Figures 4 & 5).

Looking Forward

Fletcher Resource Definition Drilling Program To be Accelerated

Currently the Fletcher Resource Definition drilling program is being executed with a single underground drill rig. Westgold sees the Fletcher deposit as a short range opportunity to bring an additional mining front on-line to further expand the Beta Hunt production rates towards the 2Mtpa run rate target.

The Company intends to accelerate the Fletcher drill program over coming weeks by adding an additional two drill rigs from its in-house drilling division. The aim of this acceleration is to bring Fletcher to a maiden Mineral Resource Estimation during late Q2/early Q3 FY25.

This announcement is authorised for release to the ASX by the Board.

Competent/Qualified Person Statements

Exploration Results

The information in this release that relates to Exploration results was compiled by Westgold technical employees and contractors under the supervision of Mr. Simon Rigby B.Sc. (Hons), who is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists and who has verified, reviewed and approved such information. Mr Rigby is a full-time employee of the Company and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the styles of mineralisation and types of deposit under consideration and to the activities which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (the "JORC Code") and as a Qualified Person as defined in the CIM Guidelines and National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). Mr. Rigby is an employee of the Company and, accordingly, is not independent for purposes of NI 43-101. Mr Rigby consents to and approves the inclusion in this release of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears. Mr Rigby is eligible to participate in short- and long-term incentive plans of the company.

General

Mineral Resources, Ore Reserve Estimates and Exploration Targets and Results are calculated in accordance with the JORC Code. The other technical and scientific information in this release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in NI 43-101 and has been reviewed on behalf of the company by Qualified Persons, as set forth above.

Forward looking statements

These materials prepared by Westgold Resources Limited include forward looking statements. Often, but not always, forward looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward looking words such as "may", "will", "expect", "intend", "believe", "forecast", "predict", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "continue", and "guidance", or other similar words and may include, without limitation, statements regarding plans, strategies and objectives of management, anticipated production or construction commencement dates and expected costs or production outputs.

Forward looking statements inherently involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance and achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements. Relevant factors may include, but are not limited to, changes in commodity prices, foreign exchange fluctuations and general economic conditions, increased costs and demand for production inputs, the speculative nature of exploration and project development, including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses and permits and diminishing quantities or grades of reserves, political and social risks, changes to the regulatory framework within which the Company operates or may in the future operate, environmental conditions including extreme weather conditions, recruitment and retention of personnel, industrial relations issues and litigation.

Forward looking statements are based on the Company and its management's good faith assumptions relating to the financial, market, regulatory and other relevant environments that will exist and affect the Company's business and operations in the future. The Company does not give any assurance that the assumptions on which forward looking statements are based will prove to be correct, or that the Company's business or operations will not be affected in any material manner by these or other factors not foreseen or foreseeable by the Company or management or beyond the Company's control.

Although the Company attempts and has attempted to identify factors that would cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those disclosed in forward looking statements, there may be other factors that could cause actual results, performance, achievements or events not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, and many events are beyond the reasonable control of the Company. In addition, the Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of the factors outlined in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's continuous disclosure filings available on SEDAR+ or the ASX, including, in the Company's current annual report, half year report or most recent management discussion and analysis.

Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Forward looking statements in these materials speak only at the date of issue. Subject to any continuing obligations under applicable law or any relevant stock exchange listing rules, in providing this information the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any of the forward-looking statements or to advise of any change in events, conditions or circumstances.

Appendix A  Fletcher Zone Stage 3 Drilling - Significant Intersections

Drill

Stage Hole Collar N Collar E Collar RL Intercept

(Downhole) From (m) Dip Azi Total Length (m) 3 WF440N1-01AR 6543787 375045 -436.8 5.00m @ 2.78 g/t Au 0 -14.3 254.1 570.4 1.00m @ 7.00 g/t Au 54.0 5.00m @ 4.14 g/t Au 304.0 4.65m @ 7.71 g/t Au 333.0 8.00m @ 5.26 g/t Au 342.0 4.00m @ 3.24 g/t Au 353.0 8.12m @ 7.52 g/t Au 370.8 0.55m @ 7.92 g/t Au 398.6 2.45m @ 2.65 g/t Au 411.5 4.00m @ 22.45 g/t Au 421.0 3 WF440N1-02AR 6543787 375045 -436.8 4.00m @ 3.86 g/t Au 0 -22.2 254.7 663.3 4.00m @ 1.53 g/t Au 52.0 7.45m @ 2.86 g/t Au 370.5 5.20m @ 10.13 g/t Au 433.8 2.00m @ 2.32 g/t Au 442.0 3 WF440N1-03AR 6543787 375045 -436.8 7.00m @ 2.67 g/t Au 0 -29.1 254.3 852.5 4.00m @ 3.51 g/t Au 433.0 1.00m @ 5.17 g/t Au 442.0 7.00m @ 3.36 g/t Au 497.0 15.00m @ 3.07 g/t Au 507.0 5.00m @ 2.83 g/t Au 667.0 1.20m @ 3.50 g/t Au 684.0 4.05m @ 1.97 g/t Au 688.0 1.00m @ 5.01 g/t Au 740.0 3 WF440N1-04AE 6543787 375045 -436.8 6.00m @ 6.39 g/t Au 0 -19.5 263.2 750.3 1.00m @ 3.49 g/t Au 77.0 6.00m @ 1.89 g/t Au 435.0 1.00m @ 8.21 g/t Au 503.0 3 WF440N1-21AE 6543787 375045 -436.8 7.00m @ 3.20 g/t Au 0 -21.6 254.4 729.3 5.00m @ 1.62 g/t Au 50.0 5.00m @ 10.95 g/t Au 368.0 4.00m @ 7.17 g/t Au 376.0 1.00m @ 18.69 g/t Au 389.0 7.00m @ 7.97 g/t Au 454.0 3.00m @ 5.16 g/t Au 573.0 4.90m @ 1.73 g/t Au 588.1 6.00m @ 1.24 g/t Au 596.0 2.20m @ 3.81 g/t Au 631.8 3 WF440DD-08AR 6543666 375051 -432.6 NSA -12.2 244.1 231.4 3 WF440DD-11AR 6543666 375051 -433.0 1.00m @ 2.41 g/t Au 206 -19.0 232.8 223.3 3 WF440DD-12AR 6543666 375051 -432.7 NSA -13.4 239.5 219.4

Appendix B  Fletcher Zone Previously Reported Stages 1 & 2 Drilling - Significant Intersections

Drill Stage Hole Collar N Collar E Collar RL Intercept (Downhole) From (m) Dip Azi Total Length (m) 2 WF380ACC-10AE 6543686 375115 -375.5 5.00m @ 2.62g/t Au 326.0 -38.4 244.0 693.3 5.65m @ 2.98g/t Au 431.4 2.00m @ 7.07g/t Au 532.0 6.00m @ 5.03g/t Au 563.0 2 WF380ACC-12AE_W 6543686 375115 -375.5 3.00m @ 4.43g/t Au 549.0 -47.1 233.4 698.9 8.50m @ 1.66g/t Au 626.0 2 WF380ACC-13AE 6543686 375115 -375.5 8.00m @ 6.16g/t Au 289.0 -34.0 224.9 570.2 6.00m @ 2.43g/t Au 320.0 15.00m @ 3.66g/t Au 394.0 2.00m @ 7.08g/t Au 441.0 2.00m @ 19.85g/t Au 452.0 2 WF380ACC-14AE 6543686 375115 -375.5 3.64m @ 5.05g/t Au 204.4 -40.8 224.3 669.3 7.00m @ 1.80g/t Au 353.0 1.00m @ 11.82g/t Au 371.0 5.00m @ 2.22g/t Au 376.0 4.00m @ 3.94g/t Au 385.0 3.00m @ 8.93g/t Au 534.0 2.00m @ 5.44g/t Au 597.0 2 WF380ACC-15AE 6543686 375114 -375.2 3.00m @ 4.28g/t Au 334.0 -27.3 257.1 717.5 16.00m @ 3.50g/t Au 356.0 6.00m @ 2.50g/t Au 378.0 3.50m @ 6.74g/t Au 431.5 12.00m @ 2.11g/t Au 439.0 6.90m @ 6.16g/t Au 453.1 11.20m @ 1.59g/t Au 659.8 11.55m @ 1.17g/t Au 687.5 2 WF380ACC-17AE 6543686 375114 -375.2 12.00m @ 3.48g/t Au 366.0 -33.4 257.5 792.6 14.50m @ 17.29g/t Au 450.5 5.00m @ 1.90g/t Au 580.0 3.00m @ 3.05g/t Au 595.0 2.00m @ 1.60g/t Au 616.0 1.00m @ 10.10g/t Au 634.0 10.00m @ 5.30g/t Au 772.0 2 WF380ACC-09AE 6543684 375115 -374.0 7.00m @ 3.26g/t Au 379.0 -32.2 245.0 576.0 9.00m @ 4.99g/t Au 404.0 33.00m @ 3.78/t Au 418.0 6.00m @ 3.48g/t Au 462.0 3.00m @ 4.18g/t Au 473.0 2 WF380ACC-11AE 6543686 375115 -375.2 Abandoned -22.8 234.0 378.2 2 WF380ACC-12AE 6543684 375115 -374.0 3.00m @ 3.51g/t Au 220.0 -47.1 233.4 519.2 3.00m @ 6.20g/t Au 364.0 6.78m @ 3.85g/t Au 453.0 3.33m @ 15.21g/t Au 473.7 2 WF380ACC-16AE 6543684 375115 -374.0 2.00m @ 34.59g/t Au 262.0 -28.0 233.9 609.4 7.00m @ 1.55g/t Au 387.0 1 BF1730-22AE 6543246 375359 -300.4 17.00m @ 2.48g/t Au 248.0 -39.1 265.5 579.7 2.12m @ 4.78g/t Au 348.0 3.00m @ 3.89g/t Au 405.0 7.50m @ 2.13g/t Au 442.5 6.00m @ 2.60g/t Au 497.0 13.00m @ 3.13g/t Au 522.0 9.00m @ 3.79g/t 553.0 1 BF1730-23AE 6543247 375358 -300.7 4.30 @ 2.30g/t Au 366.0 -42.8 253.4 555.3 3.00m @ 7.87g/t Au 409.0 2.31m @ 3.42g/t Au 454.0 3.00m @ 1.47g/t Au 479.0 1.00m @ 6.16g/t Au 500.0 1 BF1730-24AE 6543247 375358 -300.8 3.00m @ 17.95g/t Au 192.0 -46.1 264.1 603 7.00m @ 1.91g/t Au 198.0 1.00m @ 7.04g/t Au 286.0 11.00m @ 1.62g/t Au 338.0 8.00m @ 2.63g/t Au 358.0 6.00m @ 15.90g/t Au 597.0 1 WF405ACC-48AE 6543695 375109 -400.8 5.00m @ 4.90g/t Au 288.0 -29.5 231.5 513.0 32.0m @ 4.75g/t Au 298.0 1 WF405ACC-49AE 6543695 375109 -400.9 1.00m @ 13.61g/t Au 6.0 -37.1 231.1 591.0 10.00m @ 3.03g/t Au 276.0 1.00m @ 10.17g/t Au 290.0 4.00m @ 3.05g/t Au 334.0 2.00m @ 10.92g/t Au 350.0 34.50m @ 3.67g/t Au 355.5 4.00m @ 3.43g/t Au 519.0 4.00m @ 3.36g/t Au 526.0 1 WF405ACC-50AE 6543694 375109 -400.8 3.0m @ 7.28g/t Au 293.0 -28.4 214.1 537.5 8.0m @ 2.17g/t Au 444.0 1 BL1730-04AE 6543246 375359 -300 1.00m @ 3.78g/t Au 184.0 -37. 6 245.4 485.5 4.00m @ 7.83g/t Au 296.0 26.00m @ 6.5g/t Au 353.0 Inc. 6.00m @ 9.85g/t Au 353.0 2.50m @ 7.30g/t Au 417.0 9.00m @ 25.22g/t Au 446.0 Inc. 0.70m @ 262g/t Au 451.0 1 WF405SOD-01AE 6543631 375234 -399.7 9.00m @ 3.32g/t Au 304.0 -33.5 231.1 627.3 3.50m @ 3.56g/t Au 348.0 10.47m @ 2.46g/t Au 522.5 1 WF405SOD-51AE 6543632 375234 -400.4 6.00m @ 3.20g/t Au 50.0 -21.6 217.1 570.5 7.00m @1.72g/t Au 378.0 4.00m @ 4.09g/t Au 429.0 19.00m @ 2.89g/t Au 484.0 29.00m @ 3.01g/t Au 507.0 2.88m @ 11.75g/t Au 549.5 3.50m @ 7.05g/t Au 556.0 1 WF405SOD-52AE 6543632 375234 -400.4 2.00m @11.19g/t Au 280.0 -29.8 217.1 612.4 6.00m @ 2.82g/t Au 294.0 7.00m @ 2.80g/t Au 332.0 11.00m @ 4.73g/t Au 385.0 3.00m @ 7.36g/t Au 507.0 2.00m @ 5.02g/t Au 513.0 13.00m @ 2.20g/t Au 556.0 1 FZ350-001 6543915 374830 -348.2 7.31m @ 3.02g/t Au 24.9 -42 250 642.1 3.00m @ 5.60g/t Au 574.0 5.00m @ 2.21g/t Au 614.0 1 AF18LV-07AE 6544420 374623 -266.6 8.50m @ 5.47g/t Au 116.0 -31.5 249.5 653.8 9.50m @ 1.84g/t Au 132.5 9.50m @ 3.31g/t Au 578.5 1 AF18LV-16AE 6544419 374624 -266.6 0.50m @ 6.99g/t Au 124.0 -30.6 221.8 639.4 6.00m @ 1.97g/t Au 129.0 3.00m @ 11.05g/t Au 138.0 4.40m @ 5.99g/t Au 144.0 0.75m @ 18.55g/t Au 545.0 1 WF14-98 6543955 375125 -188.1 3.90m @ 2.12g/t Au 53.1 -29.5 262.2 858.5 11.00m @ 2.56g/t Au 180 9.30m @ 2.28g/t Au 203.1 14.0m @ 3.01g/t Au 214.0 6.55m @ 4.46g/t Au 252.3 8.90m @ 2.68g/t Au 716.6 15.80m @ 2.32g/t Au 736.5

APPENDIX B  JORC 2012 TABLE 1  GOLD DIVISION

SECTION 1: SAMPLING TECHNIQUES AND DATA

(Criteria in this section apply to all succeeding sections.)

Criteria JORC Code Explanation Commentary Sampling techniques Nature and quality of sampling (e.g. cut channels, random chips, or specific specialised industry standard measurement tools appropriate to the minerals under investigation, such as down hole gamma sondes, or handheld XRF instruments, etc.). These examples should not be taken as limiting the broad meaning of sampling.

Include reference to measures taken to ensure sample representivity and the appropriate calibration of any measurement tools or systems used.

Aspects of the determination of mineralisation that are Material to the Public Report.

In cases where 'industry standard' work has been done this would be relatively simple (e.g. 'reverse circulation drilling was used to obtain 1 m samples from which 3 kg was pulverised to produce a 30 g charge for fire assay'). In other cases more explanation may be required, such as where there is coarse gold that has inherent sampling problems. Unusual commodities or mineralisation types (e.g. submarine nodules) may warrant disclosure of detailed information.  Diamond Drilling A significant portion of the data used in resource calculations has been gathered from diamond core. Multiple sizes have been used historically. This core is geologically logged and subsequently halved for sampling. Grade control holes may be whole-cored to streamline the core handling process if required.  Face Sampling At each of the major past and current underground producers, each development face / round is horizontally chip sampled. The sampling intervals are domained by geological constraints (e.g. rock type, veining and alteration / sulphidation etc.). The majority of exposures within the orebody are sampled.  Sludge Drilling Sludge drilling at is performed with an underground production drill rig. It is an open hole drilling method using water as the flushing medium, with a 64mm (nominal) hole diameter. Sample intervals are ostensibly the length of the drill steel. Holes are drilled at sufficient angles to allow flushing of the hole with water following each interval to prevent contamination. Sludge drilling is not used to inform resource models. Drilling techniques Drill type (e.g. core, reverse circulation, open-hole hammer, rotary air blast, auger, Bangka, sonic, etc.) and details (e.g. core diameter, triple or standard tube, depth of diamond tails, face-sampling bit or other type, whether core is oriented and if so, by what method, etc.).

Method of recording and assessing core and chip sample recoveries and results assessed.

Measures taken to maximise sample recovery and ensure representative nature of the samples.  RC Drilling Drill cuttings are extracted from the RC return via cyclone. The underflow from each interval is transferred via bucket to a four-tiered riffle splitter, delivering approximately three kilograms of the recovered material into calico bags for analysis. The residual material is retained on the ground near the hole. Composite samples are obtained from the residue material for initial analysis, with the split samples remaining with the individual residual piles until required for re-split analysis or eventual disposal.  RAB / Aircore Drilling Combined scoops from bucket dumps from cyclone for composite. Split samples taken from individual bucket dumps via scoop. RAB holes are not included in the resource estimate.  Blast Hole Drilling Cuttings sampled via splitter tray per individual drill rod. Blast holes not included in the resource estimate. Drill sample recovery Whether a relationship exists between sample recovery and grade and whether sample bias may have occurred due to preferential loss/gain of fine/coarse material. All geology input is logged and validated by the relevant area geologists, incorporated into this is assessment of sample recovery. No defined relationship exists between sample recovery and grade. Nor has sample bias due to preferential loss or gain of fine or coarse material been noted. Logging Whether core and chip samples have been geologically and geotechnically logged to a level of detail to support appropriate Mineral Resource estimation, mining studies and metallurgical studies.

Whether logging is qualitative or quantitative in nature. Core (or costean, channel, etc.) photography.

The total length and percentage of the relevant intersections logged Westgold surface drill-holes are all orientated and have been logged in detail for geology, veining, alteration, mineralisation and orientated structure. Westgold underground drill-holes are logged in detail for geology, veining, alteration, mineralisation and structure. Core has been logged in enough detail to allow for the relevant mineral resource estimation techniques to be employed.

Surface core is photographed both wet and dry and underground core is photographed wet. All photos are stored on the Company's servers, with the photographs from each hole contained within separate folders.

Development faces are mapped geologically.

RC, RAB and Aircore chips are geologically logged.

Sludge drilling is logged for lithology, mineralisation and vein percentage.

Logging is quantitative in nature.

All holes are logged completely, all faces are mapped completely. Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation If core, whether cut or sawn and whether quarter, half or all core taken.

If non-core, whether riffled, tube sampled, rotary split, etc. and whether sampled wet or dry.

For all sample types, the nature, quality and appropriateness of the sample preparation technique.

Quality control procedures adopted for all sub-sampling stages to maximise representivity of samples.

Measures taken to ensure that the sampling is representative of the in-situ material collected, including for instance results for field duplicate/second-half sampling.

Whether sample sizes are appropriate to the grain size of the material being sampled. Blast holes -Sampled via splitter tray per individual drill rods.

RAB / AC chips - Combined scoops from bucket dumps from cyclone for composite. Split samples taken from individual bucket dumps via scoop.

RC - Three tier riffle splitter (approximately 5kg sample). Samples generally dry.

Face Chips - Nominally chipped horizontally across the face from left to right, sub-set via geological features as appropriate.

Diamond Drilling - Half-core niche samples, sub-set via geological features as appropriate. Grade control holes may be whole-cored to streamline the core handling process if required.

Chips / core chips undergo total preparation.

Samples undergo fine pulverisation of the entire sample by an LM5 type mill to achieve a 75 product prior to splitting.

QA/QC is currently ensured during the sub-sampling stages process via the use of the systems of an independent NATA / ISO accredited laboratory contractor. A significant portion of the historical informing data has been processed by in-house laboratories.

The sample size is considered appropriate for the grain size of the material being sampled.

The un-sampled half of diamond core is retained for check sampling if required. For RC chips regular field duplicates are collected and analysed for significant variance to primary results. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests The nature, quality and appropriateness of the assaying and laboratory procedures used and whether the technique is considered partial or total.

For geophysical tools, spectrometers, handheld XRF instruments, etc., the parameters used in determining the analysis including instrument make and model, reading times, calibrations factors applied and their derivation, etc.

Nature of quality control procedures adopted (e.g. standards, blanks, duplicates, external laboratory checks) and whether acceptable levels of accuracy (i.e. lack of bias) and precision have been established. Recent drilling was analysed by fire assay as outlined below;

At Beta Hunt all drill core sampling is conducted by Karora personnel. Samples for gold analysis are shipped to SGS Mineral Services of Kalgoorlie for preparation and assaying by 50 gram fire assay analytical method. All gold diamond drilling samples submitted for assay include at least one blank and one Certified Reference Material ("CRM") per batch, plus one CRM or blank every 20 samples. In samples with observed visible gold mineralization, a coarse blank is inserted after the visible gold mineralization to serve as both a coarse flush to prevent contamination of subsequent samples and a test for gold smearing from one sample to the next which may have resulted from inadequate cleaning of the crusher and pulveriser. The lab is also required to undertake a minimum of 1 in 20 wet screens on pulverised samples to ensure a minimum 85% passing at -75m. No significant QA/QC issues have arisen in recent drilling results.

Photon Assay was introduced in 2023 for Beta Hunt grade control samples. PhotonAssay technology (Chrysos Corporation Limited) is a rapid, non-destructive analysis of gold and other elements in mineral samples. It is based on the principle of gamma activation, which uses high energy x-rays to excite changes to the nuclear structure of selected elements. The decay is then measured to give a gold analysis. Each sample is run through two cycles with a radiation time of 15s. This methodology is insensitive to material type and thus does not require fluxing chemicals as in the fire assay methodology. Highlights of the PhotonAssay process are as follows:

The process is non-destructive; the same sample accuracy can be determined by repeat measurements of the same sample. In addition, the instrument runs a precision analysis for each sample relating to the instrument precision The process allows for an increased sample size, about 500 g of crushed product.



The crushed material is not pulverised , as in the fire assay process; this ensures that gold is not smeared or lost during pulverisation (especially important if there is an expectation of visible gold that is being analysed )

pulverisation analysed Historical drilling has used a combination of Fire Assay, Aqua Regia and PAL analysis.

These assay methodologies are appropriate for the resources in question. Verification of sampling and assaying The verification of significant intersections by either independent or alternative company personnel.

The use of twinned holes.

Documentation of primary data, data entry procedures, data verification, data storage (physical and electronic) protocols.

Discuss any adjustment to assay data. No independent or alternative verifications are available.

Virtual twinned holes have been drilled in several instances across all sites with no significant issues highlighted. Drillhole data is also routinely confirmed by development assay data in the operating environment.

Primary data is collected utilising LogChief. The information is imported into a SQL database server and verified.

All data used in the calculation of resources and reserves are compiled in databases (underground and open pit) which are overseen and validated by senior geologists.

No adjustments have been made to any assay data. Location of data points Accuracy and quality of surveys used to locate drill holes (collar and down-hole surveys), trenches, mine workings and other locations used in Mineral Resource estimation.

Specification of the grid system used.

Quality and adequacy of topographic control. All data is spatially oriented by survey controls via direct pickups by the survey department. Drillholes are all surveyed downhole, deeper holes with a Gyro tool if required, the majority with single / multishot cameras.

All drilling and resource estimation is preferentially undertaken in local mine grid at the various sites.

Topographic control is generated from a combination of remote sensing methods and ground-based surveys. This methodology is adequate for the resources in question. Data spacing and distribution Data spacing for reporting of Exploration Results.

Whether the data spacing and distribution is sufficient to establish the degree of geological and grade continuity appropriate for the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimation procedure(s) and classifications applied.

Whether sample compositing has been applied. Data spacing is variable dependent upon the individual orebody under consideration. A lengthy history of mining has shown that this approach is appropriate for the Mineral Resource Estimation process and to allow for classification of the resources as they stand.

Compositing is carried out based upon the modal sample length of each individual domain. Orientation of data in relation to geological structure Whether the orientation of sampling achieves unbiased sampling of possible structures and the extent to which this is known, considering the deposit type.

If the relationship between the drilling orientation and the orientation of key mineralised structures is considered to have introduced a sampling bias, this should be assessed and reported if material. Drilling intersections are nominally designed to be normal to the orebody as far as underground infrastructure constraints / topography allows.

Development sampling is nominally undertaken normal to the various orebodies.

Where drilling angles are sub optimal the number of samples per drill hole used in the estimation has been limited to reduce any potential bias.

It is not considered that drilling orientation has introduced an appreciable sampling bias. Sample security The measures taken to ensure sample security. For samples assayed at on-site laboratory facilities, samples are delivered to the facility by Company staff. Upon delivery the responsibility for sample security and storage falls to the independent third-party operators of these facilities.

For samples assayed off-site, samples are delivered to a third-party transport service, who in turn relay them to the independent laboratory contractor. Samples are stored securely until they leave site. Audits or reviews The results of any audits or reviews of sampling techniques and data Site generated resources and reserves and the parent geological data is routinely reviewed by the Westgold Corporate technical team.

SECTION 2: REPORTING OF EXPLORATION RESULTS

(Criteria listed in the preceding section also apply to this section.)

Criteria JORC Code Explanation Commentary Mineral tenement and land tenure status Type, reference name/number, location and ownership including agreements or material issues with third parties such as joint ventures, partnerships, overriding royalties, native title interests, historical sites, wilderness or national park and environmental settings.

The security of the tenure held at the time of reporting along with any known impediments to obtaining a licence to operate in the area. Native title interests are recorded against several WGX tenements.

The CMGP tenements are held by the Big Bell Gold Operations (BBGO) of which Westgold has 100% ownership.

Several third-party royalties exist across various tenements at CMGP, over and above the state government royalty.

The Fortnum Gold Project tenure is 100% owned by Westgold through subsidiary company Aragon Resources Pty. Ltd. Various Royalties apply to the package. The most pertinent being;

State Government  2.5% NSR

Beta Hunt is owned by Westgold through a sub-lease agreement with St Ives Gold Mining Company Pty Ltd (SIGMC), which gives Westgold the right to explore and mine gold and nickel.

Royalties on gold production from Beta Hunt are as follows: A royalty to the state government equal to 2.5% of the royalty value of gold metal produced; and Royalties to third parties equal to 4.75% of recovered gold less allowable deductions.

The Higginsville-Lakewood Operations include the Higginsville and Lakewood Mills and associated infrastructure, mining operations and exploration prospects which are located on 242 tenements owned by Westgold and covers approximately 1,800km2 total area.

Higginsville Westgold Royalties on the HGO gold production are as follows: Production payments of up to 1% of gross gold revenue over various tenements to traditional land owners. Royalty equal to 2.5% of recovered gold to the Government of Western Australia; and Various third parties hold rights to receive royalties in respect of gold (and in some cases other minerals or metals) recovered from the tenements.

The tenure is currently in good standing

There are no known issues regarding security of tenure.

There are no known impediments to continued operation.

WGX operates in accordance with all environmental conditions set down as conditions for grant of the leases. Exploration done by other parties Acknowledgment and appraisal of exploration by other parties The CMGP tenements have an exploration and production history in excess of 100 years.

The FGP tenements have an exploration and production history in excess of 30 years.

BH tenements have an exploration and production history in excess of 60 years.

HGO tenements have an exploration and production history in excess of 40 years.

Westgold work has generally confirmed the veracity of historic exploration data. Geology Deposit type, geological setting and style of mineralisation. BHO Beta Hunt is situated within the central portion of the Norseman-Wiluna greenstone belt in a sequence of mafic/ultramafic and felsic rocks on the southwest flank of the Kambalda Dome.

Gold mineralsation occurs mainly in subvertical shear zones in the Lunnon Basalt and is characterised by shear and extensional quartz veining within a halo of biotite/pyrite alteration. Within these shear zones, coarse gold sometimes occurs where the shear zones intersect iron-rich sulphidic metasediments in the Lunnon Basalt or nickel sulphides at the base of the Kambalda Komatiite (ultramafics). The mineralised shears are represented by A-Zone, Western Flanks, Larkin and Mason zones. CGO CGO is located in the Achaean Murchison Province, a granite-greenstone terrane in the northwest of the Yilgarn Craton. Greenstone belts trending north-northeast are separated by granite-gneiss domes, with smaller granite plutons also present within or on the margins of the belts.

Mineralisation at Big Bell is hosted in the shear zone (Mine Sequence) and is associated with the post-peak metamorphic retrograde assemblages. Stibnite, native antimony and trace arsenopyrite are disseminated through the K-feldspar-rich lode schist. These are intergrown with pyrite and pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite. Mineralisation outside the typical Big Bell host rocks (KPSH), for example 1,600N and Shocker, also display a very strong W-As-Sb geochemical halo.

Numerous gold deposits occur within the Cuddingwarra Project area, the majority of which are hosted within the central mafic-ultramafic  felsic porphyry sequence. Within this broad framework, mineralisation is shown to be spatially controlled by competency contrasts across, and flexures along, layer-parallel D2 shear zones, and is maximised when transected by corridors of northeast striking D3 faults and fractures.

The Great Fingall Dolerite hosts the majority gold mineralisation within the portion of the greenstone belt proximal to Cue (The Day Dawn Project Area). Unit AGF3 is the most brittle of all the five units and this characteristic is responsible for its role as the most favourable lithological host to gold mineralisation in the Greenstone Belt. FGO The Fortnum deposits are Paleoproterozoic shear-hosted gold deposits within the Fortnum Wedge, a localised thrust duplex of Narracoota Formation within the overlying Ravelstone Formation. Both stratigraphic formations comprise part of the Bryah Basin in the Capricorn Orogen, Western Australia.

The Horseshoe Cassidy deposits are hosted within the Ravelstone Formation (siltstone and argillite) and Narracoota Formation (highly altered, moderate to strongly deformed mafic to ultramafic rocks). The main zone of mineralisation is developed within a horizon of highly altered magnesian basalt. Gold mineralisation is associated with strong vein stock works that are confined to the altered mafic. Alteration consists of two types: stockwork proximal silica-carbonate-fuchsite-haematite-pyrite and distal silica-haematite-carbonate+/- chlorite.

The Peak Hill district represents remnants of a Proterozoic fold belt comprising highly deformed trough and shelf sediments and mafic / ultramafic volcanics, which are generally moderately metamorphosed (except for the Peak Hill Metamorphic Suite). HGO The Higginsville Gold Operation is located in the Eastern Goldfields Superterrane of the Archean Yilgarn Craton. The bulk of the Higginsville tenement package is located almost entirely within the well-mineralised Kalgoorlie Terrane, between the gold mining centres of Norseman and St Ives. HGO can be sub-divided into seven major geological domains: Trident Line of Lode, Chalice, Lake Cowan, Southern Paleo-channels, Mt Henry, Polar Bear Group and Spargos Project area.

Majority of mineralisation along the Trident Line of Lode are hosted within the Poseidon gabbro and high-MgO dyke complexes in the south. The Poseidon Gabbro is a thick, weakly-differentiated gabbroic sill, which strikes north-south and dips 60 to the east, is over 500 m thick and 2.5 km long. The mineralisation is hosted within or marginal to quartz veining and is structurally and lithologically controlled.

The Chalice Deposit is located within a north-south trending, 2 km to 3 km wide greenstone terrane, flanked on the west calc-alkaline granitic rocks of the Boorabin Batholith and to the east by the Pioneer Dome Batholith. The dominant unit that hosts gold mineralisation is a fine grained, weak to strongly foliated amphibole-plagioclase amphibolite, with a typically lepidoblastic (mineralogically aligned and banded) texture. It is west-dipping and generally steep, approximately 60 to 75.

The Lake Cowan project area is situated near the centre of a regional anticline between the Zuleika and Lefroy faults, with the local geology of the area made more complex by the intrusion of the massive Proterozoic Binneringie dyke. The majority of mineralisation at the Lake Cowan Mining Centre is hosted within an enclave of Archaean material surrounded by the Binneringie dyke.

Mineralised zones within the Southern Paleo Channels network comprise both placer gold, normally near the base of the channel-fill sequences, and chemically-precipitated secondary gold within the channel-fill materials and underlying saprolite. These gold concentrations commonly overlie, or are adjacent to, primary mineralised zones within Archaean bedrock.

The Mount Henry Project covers 347km2 of the prolific South NorsemanWiluna Greenstone belt of the Eastern Goldfields in Western Australia. Although the greenstone rocks from the Norseman area can be broadly correlated with those of the Kalgoorlie  Kambalda region they form a distinct terrain which is bounded on all sides by major regional shears. The Norseman Terrane has prominent banded iron formations which distinguish it from the Kalgoorlie Kambalda Terrane. The Mount Henry gold deposit is hosted by a silicate facies BIF unit within the Noganyer Formation. Gold mineralisation is predominantly hosted by the silicate facies BIF unit but is also associated with minor metabasalt and dolerite units that were mostly emplaced in the BIF prior to mineralisation. The footwall to the BIF is characterised by a sedimentary schistose unit and the hanging wall by the overlying dolerites of the Woolyeener Formation. The Mount Henry gold deposit is classified as an Archean, orogenic shear hosted deposit. The main lode is an elongated, shearhosted body, 1.9km long by 6  10 metres wide and dips 6575 degrees towards the west.

The Polar Bear project is situated within the Archaean Norseman-Wiluna Belt which locally includes basalts, komatiites, metasediments, and felsic volcaniclastics. The primary gold mineralisation is related to hydrothermal activity during multiple deformation events. Indications are that gold mineralisation is focused on or near to the stratigraphic boundary between the Killaloe and Buldania Formation.

The Spargos Project occurs within Coolgardie Domain of the Kalgoorlie Terrane. The area is bounded by the Zuleika Shear to the east and the Kunanalling Shear to the west. The geological setting comprises tightly-folded north-south striking ultramafic and mafic volcanic rocks at the northern closure Widgiemooltha Dome. The project lies on the general trend of the Kunanalling / Karramindie Shear corridor, a regional shear zone that hosts significant mineralisation to the north at Ghost Crab (Mount Marion), Wattle Dam to the south, the Penfolds group and Kunanalling. The regional prospective Zuleika Shear lies to the east of the project. The tenements are prospective for vein and shear hosted gold deposits as demonstrated by Spargos Reward and numerous other gold workings and occurrences. Gold mineralisation at Spargos Reward is hosted by a coarse-grained pyrite-arsenopyrite lode in quartz-sericite schists, between strongly biotitic altered greywacke to the east and quartz-sericite-fuchsite-pyrite altered felsic tuff to the west. Gold mineralisation is associated with very little quartz veining which is atypical for many deposits in region. The Spargos Reward setting has been described variously as a low-quartz sulphidic mesothermal gold system or as a Hemlo style syn-sedimentary occurrence. MGO MGO is located in the Achaean Murchison Province, a granite-greenstone terrane in the northwest of the Yilgarn Craton. Greenstone belts trending north-northeast are separated by granite-gneiss domes, with smaller granite plutons also present within or on the margins of the belts.

The Paddy's Flat area is located on the western limb of a regional fold, the Polelle Syn- cline, within a sequence of mafic to ultramafic volcanics with minor interflow sediments and banded iron-formation. The sequence has also been intruded by felsic porphyry dykes prior to mineralisation. Mineralisation is located along four sub-parallel trends at Paddy's Flat which can be summarized as containing three dominant mineralisation styles: Sulphide replacement BIF hosted gold. Quartz vein hosted shear-related gold. Quartz-carbonate-sulphide stockwork vein and alteration related gold.

The Yaloginda area is a gold-bearing Archaean greenstone belt situated ~15km south of Meekatharra. The deposits in the area are hosted in a strained and metamorphosed volcanic sequence that consists primarily of ultramafic and high-magnesium basalt with minor komatiite, peridotite, gabbro, tholeiitic basalt and interflow sediments. The sequence was intruded by a variety of felsic porphyry and intermediate sills and dykes.

The Reedy's mining district is located approximately 15 km to the south-east to Meekatharra and to the south of Lake Annean. The Reedy gold deposits occur with- in a north-south trending greenstone belt, two to five kilometres wide, composed of volcano-sedimentary sequences and separated multiphase syn- and post-tectonic granitoid complexes. Structurally controlled the gold occur. Drill hole Information A summary of all information material to the understanding of the exploration results including a tabulation of the following information for all Material drill holes: easting and northing of the drill hole collar elevation or RL (Reduced Level  elevation above sea level in metres) of the drill hole collar dip and azimuth of the hole down hole length and interception depth hole length.

If the exclusion of this information is justified on the basis that the information is not Material and this exclusion does not detract from the understanding of the report, the Competent Person should clearly explain why this is the case. Tables containing drillhole collar, downhole survey and intersection data are included in the body of the announcement. Data aggregation methods In reporting Exploration Results, weighting averaging techniques, maximum and/or minimum grade truncations (e.g., cutting of high grades) and cut-off grades are usually Material and should be stated.

Where aggregate intercepts incorporate short lengths of high-grade results and longer lengths of low-grade results, the procedure used for such aggregation should be stated and some typical examples of such aggregations should be shown in detail.

The assumptions used for any reporting of metal equivalent values should be clearly stated. All results presented are length weighted.

No high-grade cuts are used.

Reported results contain no more than two contiguous metres of internal dilution below 0.5g/t. For Beta Hunt, a cut off of 1 g/t Au with maximum internal waste of 2m is used to define significant intercepts.

Results are reported above a variety of gram / metre cut-offs dependent upon the nature of the hole. These are cut-offs are clearly stated in the relevant tables.

Unless indicated to the contrary, all results reported are downhole width.

Given restricted access in the underground environment the majority of drillhole intersections are not normal to the orebody. Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths These relationships are particularly important in the reporting of Exploration Results.

If the geometry of the mineralisation with respect to the drill hole angle is known, its nature should be reported.

If it is not known and only the down hole lengths are reported, there should be a clear statement to this effect (e.g., 'down hole length, true width not known'). Unless indicated to the contrary, all results reported are downhole width.

Given restricted access in the underground environment the majority of drillhole intersections are not normal to the orebody. Diagrams Appropriate maps and sections (with scales) and tabulations of intercepts should be included for any significant discovery being reported These should include, but not be limited to a plan view of drill hole collar locations and appropriate sectional views. Appropriate diagrams are provided in the body of the release if required. Balanced reporting Where comprehensive reporting of all Exploration Results is not practicable, representative reporting of both low and high grades and/or widths should be practiced to avoid misleading reporting of Exploration Results. Appropriate balance in exploration results reporting is provided. Other substantive exploration data Other exploration data, if meaningful and material, should be reported including (but not limited to): geological observations; geophysical survey results; geochemical survey results; bulk samples  size and method of treatment; metallurgical test results; bulk density, groundwater, geotechnical and rock characteristics; potential deleterious or contaminating substances. There is no other substantive exploration data associated with this release. Further work The nature and scale of planned further work (e.g. tests for lateral extensions or depth extensions or large-scale step-out drilling).

Diagrams clearly highlighting the areas of possible extensions, including the main geological interpretations and future drilling areas, provided this information is not commercially sensitive. Ongoing surface and underground exploration activities will be undertaken to support continuing mining activities at Westgold Gold Operations.

SECTION 3: ESTIMATION AND REPORTING OF MINERAL RESOURCES

(Criteria listed in section 1, and where relevant in section 2, also apply to this section.)
TORONTO, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mawson Finland Limited (Mawson or the Company) (TSX-V: MFL) is pleased to confirm that it has completed its first drill program on its wholly-owned Rajapalot Gold-Cobalt property in Northern Finland. The objective of this seasons drilling was to further increase the inferred resources inventory at the Rajapalot project by exploring for potential continuations to the presently defined mineral-system.

The Rajapalot project is the subject of a current preliminary economic assessment, entitled NI 43-101 Technical Report on a Preliminary Economic Assessment of the Rajapalot Gold-Coblat Project, Finland, with an effective date of December 19, 2023, which the Company has filed and which is available on SEDAR+ (the PEA). The PEA demonstrates an NPV 5% of USD $211 million post-tax and an IRR of 27% post tax. The Rajapalot deposit inferred resource estimate has been calculated pursuant to the PEA at a size of 9.78 mt @ 2.8 g/t gold and 441 ppm cobalt, for total contained metal of 867 koz of gold and 4,311 tonnes of cobalt.

The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that the PEA will be realized.

Ms. Noora Ahola, Mawson Finland CEO, states: We had excellent conditions for drilling in winter and spring 2024 and we successfully completed an extensive 12,070-metre diamond drilling program at Rajapalot. We expect to shortly receive our assay results from this program. We hope that the results will confirm our belief in the growth potential of the deposit.

Executive Chairman, Mr. Neil MacRae added, Management is very pleased with the progress made with the drilling campaign so far and, with the recent successful completion of the IPO, we are also very proud to have compiled a strong shareholder registry. We would especially like to thank our shareholders who have supported us since December 2023 during the Special Warrant financing round, pursuant to which we acquired the Rajapalot asset. Mr. MacRae continued, As well, we would like to acknowledge the efforts of our legal team at Peterson McVicar LLP and the agent for our IPO financing, Eight Capital, who were instrumental in our success. Finally, we are also very thankful to have had a significant number of local Finnish investors who have chosen to support us. We thank them in particular for their support of our Finnish-based CEO Ms. Noora Ahola, as we work to advance the Rajapalot project for the benefit of all shareholders and locals alike.

Winter Drill Campaign, January to April 2024

During January to April 2024, 3 drill-rigs drilled a total of 12,070 metres of diamond core from 38 drillholes around the Palokas, Hut, Raja and Joki deposits. Primary aims for this drilling were to intercept gold-cobalt mineralisation, both the along-strike and down-dip, of the presently defined envelopes of inferred-category gold-cobalt mineralisation at Rajapalot. 20 drillholes were drilled around the Palokas deposits, 8 around the Hut, 6 at Raja and 4 at Joki deposit (see Figure 1 hereinbelow). Drilling has focused on extending higher-grade areas defined from within the current published resource, with the aim of delivering additional, higher-grade tonnes into the future resource base. Assay results from this drilling will be released as they become available. Additionally, 5 of these drillholes were selected for downhole EM geophysical surveys of which results will be published in due course.

Figure 1. Geological map of the Rajapalot property showing location of major deposits and other known prospects. Inset/lower map illustrates the location of drillholes completed at Rajapalot between January and April of 2024. Drilling can be seen focusing around the major deposits at Rajapalot, with inset text boxes documenting their current estimated inferred resource metrics as per the PEA.

Geological Preparation Work for the 2025 Winter Drilling Campaign

Leading into the 2025 winter drilling campaign, Mawson intends to undertake a series of surface geochemical and geophysical surveys to further develop potential mineralised extensions of the Rajapalot resource and search for additional exploration targets in and around the broader Rajapalot area. Summer and autumn exploration work will focus on the collection of a 1000-sample soil geochemical survey, and additional downhole EM and fixed-loop EM geophysical surveys will be undertaken in late-August through to December to develop further exploration targets around the Rajapalot area, whilst also searching for extensions in the periphery to the mineralisation forming the current resource inventory. At Rajapalot, historical surface geochemical and geophysical surveys have successfully identified new areas of gold and cobalt mineralization. Regional exploration activities will also occur in conjunction with these resource-expansion objectives to recognize new promising drill targets.

Mawson has also conducted a full geological review of the Rajapalot property over the last 6 months and has identified some primary factors that have been consistently found to control the gold-cobalt ore-system in the Rajapalot district, among which is a structural control in the form of re-activated shear-zones hosting mineralisation in close conjunction with certain geochemical and rock-permeability affinities belonging to the host-stratigraphy. As such, the intersection of reactivated shear-zones (those containing extreme hydrothermal alteration), that cross-cut preferable litho-stratigraphic units (fiamme-tuff beds of basaltic affinity) present ideal locations for mineralisation in the Rajapalot area. Mawson intends future exploration activities in the Rajaplot district to hereafter focus on areas where mapped shear-structures are seen interacting/cross-cutting with key litho-stratigraphic horizons. Both soil and subsurface geochemical sampling and EM geophysical surveys will be conducted over these hypothesised ore-forming environments in order to develop drill-targets for further exploration of gold-cobalt mineralisation around the Rajapalot area, whilst also searching for extensions in the periphery to the mineralisation forming the current resource inventory. Mawson expects to subsequently drill-test developed targets as part of its planned 2025 winter drilling campaign.

Background of Rajapalot

The Rajapalot gold-cobalt mineralisation was first discovered by the previous owner Mawson Gold Ltd. (then Mawson Resources Ltd.) in 2012 through sampling of surface outcropping sulfide-bearing rocks. This initial discovery was immediately drilled and has become what is now named the Palokas deposit. Over the subsequent 10 years, approximately 100,000 meters of core has been drilled, culminating in the current PEA, pursuant to which a total of 867 koz of gold and 4,311 tonnes of cobalt has been defined in the inferred resources category, being 9.78 mt @ 2.8 g/t gold and 441 ppm cobalt. Geologically, the Rajapalot deposit is considered an orogenic-style deposit, with mineralisation hosted in the Paleoproterozoic-aged Kivalo Group of the Perapohja greenstone belt. Several productive orogenic-style gold deposits are known from northern Finland, including the Agnico-Eagle Kittila Mine (2 MOz Au produced and 3.5 MOz Au in proven and probably mineral reserves, being 26,925 kt @ 4.14 g/t Au), and Rupert Resources Ikkari deposit (4 MOz Au in measured and indicated mineral resources, being 58,430 kt @ 2.18 g/t Au) which is presently still in its development phase (see Figure 2 hereinbelow, being a locality map of Finland).

Figure 2) Locality map of Finland illustrating the location of Mawson Finlands Rajapalot project, relative to the locations of other major mines and development projects currently active in Finland.

Qualified Person and Technical Information

Technical and scientific information contained herein relating to the Rajapalot project located in Finland is derived from the PEA, which was prepared for the Company by Christopher Bray, BEng (Mining), MAusIMM(CP), of SRK Consulting (UK) Limited, Ove Klaver, MSc (Geology), Eur.Geol., FAMMP, of GeoPool Oy, Eemeli Rantala, MSc (Geology), P.Geo., of AFRY Finland Oy, Craig Brown, B.E. (Chem), GradDipGeosci, FAusIMM, of Resources Engineering & Management Pty Ltd, and Mathieu Gosselin, P.Eng., of Gosselin Mining AB. The PEA was prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101).

The technical and scientific information in this news release was reviewed, verified and approved by Dr. Thomas Fromhold, an employee of Fromhold Geoconsult AB, and Member of The Australian Institute of Geosciences (MAIG, Membership No. 8838). Mr. Fromhold is a qualified person as defined under NI 43-101.

The PEA is based on technical data, documents, reports and information supplied by Mawson Oy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, including copies of concession application and award documents, historical reports on exploration and drilling, and internal reports by Mawson Oy staff and consultants/contractors. The specific reports which form the basis for the PEA are listed in Section 27 of the PEA. Please see the PEA for discussion of, among other things, data verification and additional exploration information applicable to the technical disclosure herein provided.

About Mawson Finland Limited

Mawson Finland is an exploration stage mining development company engaged in the acquisition and exploration of precious and base metal properties in Finland. The Company is primarily focused on gold and cobalt. The Corporation currently holds a 100% interest in the Rajapalot Gold-Cobalt Project located in Finland. The Rompas-Rajapalot Property consists of 11 granted exploration permits for 10,204 hectares and 2 exploration permit applications and a reservation notification area for a combined total of 40,496 hectares. In Finland, all operations are carried out through the companys fully owned subsidiary, Mawson Oy. The Company maintains an active local presence of Finnish staff with close ties to the communities of Rajapalot.

Additional disclosure including the Companys financial statements, technical reports, news releases and other information can be obtained at mawsonfinland.com or on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Media and Investor Relations Inquiries

Please contact: Neil MacRae Executive Chairman at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or +1 (778) 999-4653, or Noora Ahola Chief Executive Officer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or +358 (505) 213-515.

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 news release. No securities regulatory authority has reviewed or approved of the contents of this news release.

Forward-looking Information

This news release includes certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, forward-looking information) which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, 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 information may be identified by such terms as believes, anticipates, expects, estimates, aims, may, could, would, will, must or plan. Since forward-looking information is 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, and management of the Company believes them to be reasonable based upon, among other information, the contents of the PEA, 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, any expected receipt of assay results or other exploration results and the impact upon the Company thereof, potential mineralization whether peripheral to the existing Rajapalot resource or elsewhere, any anticipated disclosure of assay or other exploration results and the timing thereof, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, including drilling, soil sampling, geophysical and geochemical work, any expected search for additional exploration targets and any results of such searches, the existence of, location of and results of finding any hypothesised ore-forming environment, potential acquisition by the Company of any property, the growth potential of the Rajapalot resource, all values, estimates and expectations drawn from or based upon the PEA, 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: any change in industry or wider economic conditions which could cause the Company to adjust or cancel entirely its exploration plans, failure to identify any hypothesised ore-forming environments or failure of any such identified environments to yield meaningful results, failure to identify mineral resources or any additional exploration targets, failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves, any failure to receive the results of completed assays or other exploration work, poor exploration results, the inability to complete a feasibility study which recommends a production decision, the preliminary and uncertain nature of the PEA, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, 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.
VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 21, 2024 /CNW/ - Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd. (TSXV: SCZ) ("Santacruz" or "the Company") is pleased to announce its National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") compliant Mineral Resource and Reserve estimates for its three Bolivian producing assets, the Bolivar mine, Porco mine, and Caballo Blanco Group of mines ("Caballo Blanco", and together with the Bolivar mine and the Porco mine, the "Bolivian Producing Mines"), and the Soracaya exploration project ("Soracaya"), also located in Bolivia. The Mineral Resources and Reserves for the Bolivian Producing Mines were prepared on behalf of the Company by JDS Energy & Mining Inc. ("JDS"), an international firm specializing in mineral resource evaluation and development, and the Mineral Resource for Soracaya was prepared on behalf of the Company by Kirkham Geosystems Ltd. The effective date of all the technical reports is January 1, 2024, the technical reports for the Bolivian Producing Mines have been filed on www.sedarplus.ca, and the Soracaya technical report will be filed on www.sedarplus.ca within 45 days of this news release. All figures are in US dollars unless otherwise indicated.

Highlights:

Total Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves of 54 million silver equivalent ounces including 19 million ounces of silver and 259 thousand tonnes of zinc.





Total Measured and Indicated Resources of 102 million silver equivalent ounces including 32 million ounces of silver and 518 thousand tonnes of zinc.





Total Inferred Resources at the Bolivian Producing Mines of 189 million silver equivalent ounces including 72 million ounces of silver and 882 thousand tonnes of zinc.





Initial Inferred Resource for Soracaya of 35 million ounces of silver.





Independent third-party verification of Santacruz' estimation processes reinforce the quality of our Mineral Resources and Reserves, and the methodology in place to accurately represent them. Garth Kirkham , P.Geo, FGC, of Kirkham Geosystems Ltd., Richard Goodwin , P.Eng., and Shane Tad Crowie , P. Eng., of JDS who are Independent Qualified Persons, as defined by NI 43-101 performed the verification.

Arturo Prestamo, Executive Chairman and CEO of Santacruz, commented, "This marks a noteworthy milestone for Santacruz as we continue to build a mid-tier silver and base metals company. The verified Mineral Resources and Reserves underscore our solid asset base. It is important to note that our Bolivian producing mines are open along strike and at depth, and with our ongoing exploration program, we believe there is potential to grow the current Mineral Resources and Reserves."

Mr. Prestamo added, "The Mineral Reserve estimates use actual information from recent operating data including: operating costs, selling costs, metallurgical recoveries and smelter contracts. As such, these estimates should accurately reflect costs and conditions of exploitation that enabled the application of meaningful cut-off-grades to the deposit, such that confidence in the resultant mine plans are high. As well, the existing methodology for Mineral Reserve calculation was verified during the NI 43-101 review, which adds additional confidence to the veracity of our mine plans and development strategies. In addition, the initial Inferred Resource estimate for Soracaya suggests that we have another high-quality silver project in our portfolio."

Important Notes to Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve tables below:

Mineral Resources and Reserves are stated for the first time under NI 43-101 standards of disclosure and verified by independent Qualified Persons. Garth Kirkham, P.Geo, FGC, of Kirkham Geosystems Ltd., Richard Goodwin, P.Eng., and Shane Tad Crowie, P. Eng., of JDS who are Independent Qualified Persons, as defined by NI 43-101 performed the verification.

Mineral Resources were estimated using the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves, Definitions (2014) and Best Practices (2019) prepared by the CIM Standing Committee on Reserve Definitions and adopted by CIM Council.

Mineral Resources, which are not Mineral Reserves, do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, sociopolitical, marketing, or other relevant issues.

An inferred mineral resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to an indicated mineral resource and must not be converted to a mineral reserve. It is reasonably expected that most of the inferred mineral resources could be upgraded to indicated mineral resources with continued exploration.

Updated structure for operating and sustaining capital costs were applied to the Mineral Resource to confirm Santacruz generated Mineral Reserves at projected metal prices of $21.00 per ounce silver, $1.15 per pound zinc, $1.00 per pound lead and $3.65 per pound copper.

Mineral Reserve estimates are derived using actual mining and metallurgical performance data from 2022 at each operation to deliver robust estimates.

The effective date of the Mineral Resource and Reserve estimates at the Bolivian Producing Mines is January 1, 2023. The effective date of the Mineral Resource estimate at Soracaya is January 1, 2024. Production data for the calendar year 2023 has been included in Section 24 of the various NI 43-101 compliant technical reports for the Bolivian Producing Mines and shows the depletion and typical replenishment of resources and reserves over a calendar year.

Total Bolivian Producing Mines

Grade Contained Metal Tonnes (kt) Ag (g/t) Zn (%) Pb (%) AgEq

(g/t) Ag (koz) Zn (kt) Pb (kt) AgEq (koz) Measured Mineral Resources 2,147 292 15.01 1.80 915 20,155 322.3 38.8 63,132 Indicated Mineral Resources 1,431 263 13.70 1.77 836 12,118 196.1 25.3 38,460 Measured & Indicated Mineral Resources 3,578 281 14.49 1.79 883 32,274 518.4 64.1 101,592 Inferred Mineral Resources 7,426 303 11.88 1.32 792 72,395 881.8 98.2 189,169 Proven Mineral Reserves 1,473 255 10.57 1.45 699 12,053 155.7 21.3 33,083 Probable Mineral Reserves 1,117 192 9.22 1.35 582 6,886 103.0 15.1 20,901 Proven & Probable Mineral Reserves 2,590 227 9.99 1.41 648 18,939 258.6 36.4 53,983

Notes: 1. The combined Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves include all Bolivian Producing Mines including Bolivar, Porco and the Caballo Blanco group of mines which consist of the Colquechaquita, Tres Amigos and Reserva mines. 2. The Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserves Estimates were prepared for each operation using a zinc equivalent (ZnEq) cut-off grade and reporting silver equivalent (AgEq) grade that varies for each operation due to costs and economic parameters that are specific to each operation and are detailed within the footnotes for each as shown in the following tables. 3. AgEq grade information is presented in this table reflects metal prices of $21.00/oz Ag, $1.15/lb Zn, and $1.00/lb Pb. 4. Certain totals may not add due to the use of rounded numbers.

Bolivar Mine, Bolivia

Grade Contained Metal Tonnes (kt) Ag (g/t) Zn (%) Pb (%) Ag (koz) Zn (kt) Pb (kt) Measured Mineral Resources 855 327 12.78 1.37 9,003 109.3 11.7 Indicated Mineral Resources 677 295 12.24 1.25 6,426 82.9 8.4 Measured & Indicated Mineral Resources 1,532 313 12.54 1.32 15,429 192.2 20.2 Inferred Mineral Resources 4,202 403 10.35 1.00 54,436 434.8 41.9 Proven Mineral Reserves 742 299 10.65 1.31 7,144 79.1 9.7 Probable Mineral Reserves 495 233 8.92 0.97 3,705 44.1 4.8 Proven & Probable Mineral Reserves 1,237 273 9.96 1.17 10,849 123.2 14.5

Notes: 1. The Mineral Resource estimate was prepared using a 10.6% zinc equivalent cut-off grade. Cut-off grades were derived from $25.20/oz silver, $1.38/lb zinc and $1.20/lb lead, and process recoveries of 91% for zinc, 70% for lead, and 89.7% for silver. 2. The Mineral Reserve estimate was prepared using a 12.7% zinc equivalent cut-off grade, using the formula ZnEQV = Zn% + 0.7 x Pb% + 0.046 x Ag (g/t). This cut-off grade was based on current smelter agreements and metal prices of $21.00/oz silver, $1.15/lb zinc and $1.00/lb lead, total OPEX costs of $120.22/t based on 2022 actual costs plus capital costs of $48.68/t, with process recoveries of 91.0% for zinc, 70.0% for lead, and 89.7% for silver. 3. Bolivar and Porco Mines are part of the Illapa Joint Operation with COMIBOL. Bolivar and Porco are presented at 100% production, whereas the Company records 45% of revenues and expenses in its consolidated financial statements. The Joint Operation agreement expires in 2028.

Porco Mine, Bolivia

Grade Contained Metal Tonnes (kt) Ag (g/t) Zn (%) Pb (%) Ag (koz) Zn (kt) Pb (kt) Measured Mineral Resources 566 202 17.17 0.88 3,672 97.2 5.0 Indicated Mineral Resources 253 166 16.38 1.02 1,349 41.4 2.6 Measured & Indicated Mineral Resources 819 191 16.92 0.92 5,021 138.7 7.6 Inferred Mineral Resources 1,007 117 15.16 0.92 3,775 152.6 9.2 Proven Mineral Reserves 162 181 12.53 0.68 944 20.3 1.1 Probable Mineral Reserves 157 142 12.90 0.77 718 20.3 1.2 Proven & Probable Mineral Reserves 319 162 12.71 0.72 1,662 40.6 2.3

Notes: 1. The Mineral Resource estimate was prepared using a 11.2% zinc equivalent cut-off grade. Cut-off grades were derived from $25.2/oz silver, $1.38/lb zinc and $1.20/lb lead; and process recoveries of 94.3% for zinc, 75.6% for lead, and 88.6% for silver. 2. The Mineral Reserve estimate was prepared using a 13.4% zinc equivalent cut-off grade, using the formula ZnEQV = Zn% + 1.14 x Pb% + 0.044 x Ag (g/t). This cut-off grade was based on current smelter agreements and metal prices of $21.00/oz silver, $1.15/lb zinc and $1.00/lb lead, total OPEX costs of $125.02/t based 2022 actual costs plus capital costs of $21.79/t, with process recoveries of 94.3% for zinc, 75.6% for lead, and 88.6% for silver. 3. Bolivar and Porco Mines are part of the Illapa Joint Operation with COMIBOL. Bolivar and Porco are presented at 100% production, whereas the Company records 45% of revenues and expenses in its consolidated financial statements. The Joint Operation agreement expires in 2028.

Caballo Blanco Group of Mines, Bolivia

Grade Contained Metal Tonnes (kt) Ag (g/t) Zn (%) Pb (%) Ag (koz) Zn (kt) Pb (kt) Measured Mineral Resources 726 321 15.96 3.03 7,481 115.8 22.0 Indicated Mineral Resources 502 269 14.32 2.86 4,343 71.8 14.3 Measured & Indicated Mineral Resources 1,227 300 15.29 2.96 11,824 187.6 36.4 Inferred Mineral Resources 2,217 199 13.28 2.12 14,183 294.4 47.1 Proven Mineral Reserves 569 217 9.90 1.85 3,965 56.3 10.5 Probable Mineral Reserves 465 165 8.30 1.96 2,463 38.6 9.1 Proven & Probable Mineral Reserves 1,034 193 9.18 1.90 6,428 94.9 19.6

Notes: 1. Caballo Blanco Group of Mines consists of the Colquechaquita, Tres Amigos and Reserva mines. 2. The Mineral Resource estimate was prepared using a 10.0% zinc equivalent cut-off grade. Cut-off grades were derived from $25.20/oz silver, $1.38/lb zinc and $1.20/lb lead; and process recoveries of 92.1% for zinc, 77.2% for lead and 90.8% for silver. 3. The Mineral Reserve estimate was prepared using a 11.9% zinc equivalent cut-off grade, using the formula ZnEQV = Zn% + 1.22 x Pb% + 0.051 x Ag (g/t). This cut-off grade was based on current smelter agreements and metal prices of $21.00/oz silver, $1.15/lb zinc and $1.00/lb lead, total OPEX costs of $106.94/t based on 2022 actual costs plus capital costs of $42.33/t, with process recoveries of 92.1% for zinc, 77.2% for lead, and 90.8% for silver.

Soracaya Exploration Project, Bolivia

Grade Contained Metal Tonnes (kt) Ag (g/t) Zn (%) Pb (%) Ag (koz) Zn (kt) Pb (kt) Inferred Mineral Resources 4,137 260 1.23 7.23 34,550 50.9 299.1

Notes: 1. The Mineral Resource estimate was prepared using a 10.0% zinc equivalent cut-off grade. Cut-off grades were derived from $25.20/oz silver, $1.38/lb zinc and $1.20/lb lead; and process recoveries of 92.1% for zinc, 77.2% for lead and 90.8% for silver. 2. A full technical report for Soracaya will be prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and will be filed on SEDAR+ within 45 days of this news release.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control and Data Verification

Mineral Resources for the Bolivian Producing Mines were previously performed by local Bolivian staff supported by Glencore. Currently, the same local technical resources are employed by Santacruz ensuring continuity and consistency. The Glencore, and now Santacruz, procedures and methods remain and are adhered to. These procedures and methods have been well documented and follow industry best practice guidelines and the QP (Kirkham) performed extensive site investigations for due diligence and audit to validate and verify.

The Bolivian sites utilize internal laboratories that were reviewed by the technical report authors. Assay preparation and analytical procedures and methods were reviewed and were acceptable for resource estimation purposes. Following the facilities visit to the laboratories, systematic checks of the assay databases against the certified and internal assay databases showed good agreement and the transfer of data is automated to ensure against transpositional errors. The assay database was in good agreement with the laboratory database. The laboratory at the Don Deigo process plant in Bolivia is an ISO 17025:2018 certified laboratory.

Independent samples were taken and analysed by an outside independent umpire assay laboratory, SGS Peru which is ISO 9001 certified laboratory. The results showed good agreement with the original sample assays while validating and verifying the results of the internal assay laboratories.

The resource block models have been created and maintained in the Datamine System, a well-known resource modelling and mine planning system. The vein domain models were created within LeapFrog. Block and vein domain models were imported into secondary modelling system MineSight and were validated and verified. Furthermore, estimation vein domains and resource block models were independently created by QP (Kirkham) which showed good agreement with Santacruz models and results.

For all the operating mines, checks were performed to ensure that pillars, sterilized areas and mined out volumes were accounted for and excluded along with material below topography and overburden. Classification criteria and methodology was reviewed showing reasonable and even conservative judgment with respect to threshold distances and grades for drillhole and channel sample data. Geological and grade continuity was demonstrated, and cut-off grades were calculated using updated metal prices and actual mine operating costs. Design underground stope shapes were utilized for the reporting of resources demonstrating Reasonable Prospect of Eventual Economic Extraction ("RP3E").

In conclusion, the assay data, domain models and block estimation models have been validated and verified by QP (Kirkham). Economic and classification criteria have been adjusted to insure reasonable prospect of eventual economic extraction. Kirkham assumes responsibility for the resources and states that the data, models and results reported in the resource estimates may be relied upon to report.

The reserves for all assets were prepared by Sinchi Wayra in Deswik. JDS (QP Goodwin) verified that the correct dilution and recovery factors were applied to the stope shapes, that inferred resources were not used in any stope reserves, manually checked all calculations, and verified the tonnages and metal content of each reserve estimate. Other factors that were checked include equipment rates, historic production performance, predicted stoping productivities, and mining sequence assumptions. On the basis of this QA/QC review, the QP (Goodwin) verified that the Deswik-based reserves have been correctly estimated and assumes responsibility for them.

Cutoff grade (COG) criteria were also developed using the site metallurgical data and smelter contracts. The final reserve was estimated by the application of these factors (mining dilution, mining recovery, COG) to the LOM plan and the elimination of all inferred resources in the stope shapes.

The QP (Goodwin) is satisfied that this exercise resulted in a valid result and assumes responsibility for the reserve estimation.

Qualified Person



The Mineral Resource and Reserve estimates were prepared under the supervision of Garth Kirkham, P.Geo, FGC, of Kirkham Geosystems Ltd., Richard Goodwin, P.Eng., and Shane Tad Crowie, P. Eng., of JDS who are Independent Qualified Persons, as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Kirkham, Mr. Goodwin, and Mr. Crowie have reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.

Wayne Corso, P.Eng., a consultant to the Company, is a qualified person under NI 43-101 and has approved the scientific and technical information related to operational matters contained in this news release.

About Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd.

Santacruz Silver is engaged in the operation, acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in Latin America. The Bolivian operations are comprised of the Bolivar, Porco and the Caballo Blanco Group, which consists of the Tres Amigos, Reserva and Colquechaquita mines. The Soracaya exploration project and San Lucas feed sourcing business are also in Bolivia. The Zimapan mine is located in Mexico.

'signed'

Arturo Prestamo Elizondo,

Executive Chairman and CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward looking information

This news release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "intends", "expects" or "anticipates", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "should", "would" or will "potentially" or "likely" occur. This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forwardlooking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding the Company continuing to build a mid-tier silver and base metals company, the filing of a technical report for Soracaya on SEDAR+, the accuracy of the Mineral Reserve and Resource estimates, and the potential to grow the current Mineral Resources and Reserves.

These forwardlooking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, risks that the Company will not continue to build a mid-tier silver and base metals company, that the Company will not file a technical report for Soracaya on SEDAR+ on the anticipated timeline, or at all, that the Mineral Reserve and Resource estimates will be less accurate than management currently anticipates, that it is not possible to grow the current Mineral Resources and Reserves, risks related to changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets, changes in applicable laws, and compliance with extensive government regulation, as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in the Company's disclosure documents filed with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available at www.sedarplus.ca.

In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, the assumption that the Company will continue to pursue its goal of building a mid-tier silver and base metals company, that the Company will file a technical report for Soracaya on SEDAR+ within 45 days of this news release, that there is the potential to grow the current Mineral Resources and Reserves, that because the Mineral Reserve estimates use actual information from recent operating data they should accurately reflect costs and conditions of exploitation that enabled the application of meaningful cut-off-grades to the deposit, and that the estimation of Mineral Resources may be impacted by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, sociopolitical, marketing, or other relevant issues.

There can be no assurance that any forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information or statements, other than as required by applicable law.




Wednesday, August 21, 2024 - A new opinion poll conducted by Politrack Africa reveals that 81 percent of Kenyans are opposed to President William Rutos broad-based government.

Last month, Ruto formed a broad-based government by co-opting opposition leader Raila Odinga and his lieutenants.

According to the poll, only 18.1 percent of Kenyans support Ruto and Raila Odinga's broad-based government.

The survey used Computer Assisted Telephonic Interviews (CATI) with a sample size of 11,861 registered voters, achieving a 95% confidence level and a 3% margin of error.

The survey was conducted across 47 Counties between August 10th and 15th, assessing public opinion on potential changes with the re-organization of the Kenyan Executive in the wake of the designing of a broad-based government.

It also sought to get the electorate's view on the effectiveness of the broad-based alternative in service delivery compared to the previous one.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Wednesday, August 21, 2024 - Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) Governor Kamau Thugge has disclosed to Parliament that printing Kenyas new currency notes will cost taxpayers Sh14.2 billion.

Appearing before the National Assembly Finance Committee chaired by Molo MP Kimani Kuria, Thuggge said the cost of printing money is slightly lower than De Larue which was charging 3 million dollars more.

Thugge also told the committee that the tender was approved by Cabinet and with the concurrence of the Attorney General.

Thugge also informed the committee that a German firm had been awarded the contract to print the new currency.

However, Thugge declined to specify whether the new printer was contracted through competitive or direct procurement.

The new banknotes will be signed by Dr. Thugge and Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo.

They will have the printing year of 2024 and new security threads with color-changing effects specific to each denomination.

CBK said the rest of the features will be the same as those of the 2019 series.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Wednesday, August 21, 2024 - Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala had a rough time explaining the parameters the government relied on in the newly unveiled education funding model which has caused an uproar.

While appearing in the National Assembly, the PS was put on the test to explain the funding after an uproar from Kenyans, a majority of whom complained of ending up in bands 4 and 5 despite having less household income.

Over the last week, parents complained that their children had been placed in a band where they are expected to pay Ksh67,000 fees and above which falls in the top two bands.

Inyangala admitted that a majority of the students landed in Band 4 or Band 5 since the high school they attended was a classifying parameter and yet the majority attended national schools where school fees topped Ksh53,000.

She further noted that the University Fund relied on data entered by the students and noted that some, who attended top schools under external help such as harambees were afraid to make the declaration while making the applications.

"Without reliable data on income, it is very difficult for us to use income precisely to predict for the time being. However, I have data here from the National Examination Council for the results of the students who are now joining University," she explained.

"According to this data, 84.8 per cent of the students who scored C+ (plus) and above studied in national schools. We can see that this admission is skewed towards national schools."

"In these national schools, students were paying Ksh53,000 minimum and we also know there are other levies. Some of these students also studied in private schools," Inyangala added.

She further noted that despite the flawed parameter, the affected students had failed to demonstrate that they come from needy families hence making it difficult for the institution to determine the correct cluster to classify them.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Wednesday, August 21, 2024 - Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has fired his Deputy Director of Communication, Martha Miano, for reportedly writing positive stories about President William Ruto.

According to State House blogger Bianca, Miano was dismissed by Gachagua for praising President William Ruto and highlighting his impressive development record over the past two years.

DP Riggy G will show us things! Not so long ago, he hired a section of Jubilee bloggers with clear instructions to slam President William Ruto!

"As if that's not enough, today he fired Deputy Communications Director Martha JM Miano! Her only mistake is painting President William Ruto in a good light!

"Allegedly, anyone working at the office of Deputy President is under strict instructions not to post anything good about President William Ruto, Bianca wrote on X

In her reaction to the sacking, Miano said on Wednesday that she learned about it on social media and had not received any formal notification.

"It's unfortunate that my termination letter had to pass through social media to get to me. As of now, I have not seen or received the letter.

"But It's okay. I think that's how life is," Miano wrote on her Facebook.

The Kenyan DAILY POST.




Wednesday, August 21, 2024 - Deputy Communications Director in the Office of The Deputy President, Martha Miano, has reportedly been fired for praising President William Ruto.

Martha was among Jubilee bloggers hired by Gachagua with clear instructions to attack President William Ruto.

However, she has been painting Ruto in good light through her social media posts, going against Gachaguas orders.

Gachagua allegedly instructed that Martha be fired.

According to a prominent UDA blogger, everyone working at the office of the Deputy President is under strict instructions not to post anything positive about Ruto.

This comes amid reports that Gachagua hired goons to infiltrate the Gen Z peaceful protests to frustrate his boss, President Ruto.









The Kenyan DAILY POST.




Wednesday, August 21, 2024 - Deputy Communications Director in the Office of The Deputy President, Martha Miano, has broken her silence after being reportedly fired for praising President William Ruto.

Martha said that she learnt that she had been fired through social media after a letter of termination went viral.

However, she expressed gratitude to her boss and said working in the second-highest office was a dream come true for her.

What people dont know is that in my village, no one has ever come close to working in such an office and in that capacity.

"I was the first at 32 years. It is not a mean achievement by all standards, she wrote.

Martha maintained that despite being fired, she stands by what she believes in.

It is alleged that employees in the Office of The Deputy President have been instructed not to share anything positive about President Ruto.

However, Martha went against the orders.

A sneak peek into her Facebook account reveals that she has been busy praising Ruto and expressing her support for the broad-based government.





The Kenyan DAILY POST.




Wednesday, August 21, 2024 - Impeached Meru County Governor Kawira Mwangaza has received a reprieve after the High Court suspended the Senate's decision to remove her from office permanently.

Justice Bahati Mwamuye also restrained Senate Speaker Amason Kingi from publishing a notice of vacancy for the office of the Governor of Meru County in the Kenya Gazette.

Senators voted to remove her from office based on three charges on which she was found guilty, making her the third governor to be impeached after Kiambus Ferdinand Waititu and Nairobis Mike Sonko in 2020.

The senators, having voted to uphold the charges against the Meru governor, Governor Kawira Mwangaza ceases to hold office, ruled Speaker Amason Kingi in a vote that went past midnight.

According to Section 33(7) of the County Government Act, a governor ceases to hold office if a majority of the Senate members uphold any of the impeachment charges.

On the first chargea gross violation of the Constitution and other lawsthe Senate found Mwangaza guilty, with 26 senators voting in support, 4 against, and 14 abstaining.

Among the accusations was her illegal revocation of Virginia Kawira Miritis appointment as Secretary/CEO of the Meru County Public Service Board, which lacked the required 75% majority vote from the County Assembly.

On the second charge of gross misconduct, 26 senators found her guilty, while 4 voted against the charge. Fourteen senators abstained from voting.

Governor Mwangaza was accused of deliberately misleading the public by falsely claiming that Sh86 million had been raised through a Paybill number established after the murder of Daniel Muthiani alias Sniper.

The actual amount raised was Sh286,516.

On the third charge of abuse of office, 27 senators voted in support of the impeachment, one senator opposed, and 14 abstained.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Wednesday, August 21, 2024  Embattled Kawira Mwangaza is no longer the governor of Meru County.

This is after the Senate upheld her impeachment yesterday, marking the end of her tenure as the county's chief executive.

The decision was reached following a vote in the Senate, with Speaker Amason Kingi announcing the outcome.

"Pursuant to Article 181 of the Constitution, Section 33 of the County Government Act, and Standing Order 86 of the Senate Standing Orders, the Senate has resolved to remove from office by impeachment Hon. Kawira Mwangaza, the Governor of Meru County, and the governor accordingly ceases to hold office," Speaker Kingi declared after the voting.

The removal of Governor Mwangaza from office triggers a chain of constitutional procedures outlined in Kenya's governance framework.

As per the Constitution, Meru Deputy Governor Mutuma M'Ethingia is set to assume the position of county governor for the remainder of the term.

With the Senate's decision now final, all eyes turn to Deputy Governor Mutuma M'Ethingia as he prepares to take on the mantle of leadership in Meru County.

His tenure will be closely watched as he steps into a role that comes with both opportunities and challenges, more importantly, how he will relate with Senators.

This transition marks a new chapter for Meru County, with the incoming governor expected to steer the county through the remainder of the current term while addressing the pressing institutional issues that led to the impeachment of his predecessor.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Wednesday, August 21, 2024 - Steve Marvin Njagi, a notorious figure in the realm of motor vehicle break-ins and theft in Mombasa and its surrounding areas, has finally been brought to book.

DCI Changamwe officers arraigned him before the Mombasa Law Courts for his alleged involvement in a car break-in that saw KSh 1.4 million vanish into thin air.

Njagi is the prime suspect in a daring theft on June 6, 2024, at the Naivas Likoni parking lot.

In a bold move, he allegedly broke into a Nissan X-Trail, registration KDJ 505H, through the front drivers door and made off with Sh 1,450,000.



In a well-coordinated operation, detectives from DCI Langata swooped down on Njagis hideout in Nairobi and successfully arrested him.

"They handed him over to their Changamwe counterparts, who wasted no time in bringing him before the court to face the music.



Vehicle prowling, also known as theft from motor vehicles, is a crime that occurs when thieves take advantage of opportunities.

To protect yourself and your vehicle, follow these tips: Install anti-theft devices, and always park in safe, well-lit, and fully visible areas.

Before you park your car, make sure to remove or hide anything that a thief might find attractive. Also, remember to close your car windows and doors, lock your car, and take your keys with you.



The Directorate of Criminal Investigations remains resolute in its efforts to combat car break-ins and theft, and perpetrators will be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law.





The Kenyan DAILY POST.
#APEC2024 la delegacion ????presente en el Simposio sobre Conocimientos Aborigenes y Biodiversidad.



Espacio que facilita el intercambio de experiencias entre economias APEC sobre como el conocimiento aborigen puede impulsar una economia sostenible y sustentable. #IndigenousRights pic.twitter.com/9rwQ6yomci




Wednesday, August 21, 2024  8 police officers, among them Gigiri OCPD and OCS, have been interdicted for allegedly helping Kware serial killer Collins Jumaisi and 12 other suspects escape from Gigiri Police Station.

The decision to interdict them was arrived at after Acting Inspector General (IG) of Police Gilbert Masengeli and Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Director Mohamed Amin trooped to the police station after the news of the escape broke out.

The police bosses held an impromptu meeting to decide the next course of action and concluded the escape was most probably an inside job.

Reports indicated that the top cops questioned police officers who were on duty during the incident and inspected the cells where the suspects were being held.

"Our preliminary investigations indicate that the escape was aided by insiders considering officers were deployed accordingly to guard the station," the acting IG, Gilbert Masenge stated.

Police noticed that the suspects had escaped on the morning of Tuesday, August 20, when suspects normally have their breakfast.

Police Constable Gerald Mutuku, who was in charge of conducting routine cell checks together with the canteen manager realised that 13 suspects had escaped.

They raised an alarm which saw the top police bosses flock the station promptly to establish the cause.

During the impromptu visit, DCI Director Mohamed Amin confirmed the suspects had escaped.

Mohamed said authorities had launched a manhunt to locate the fugitives and bring them to custody.

It is unfortunate this has happened but we are pursuing the matter for action, he asserted.

It is alleged the suspects cut an opening through the wire mesh at the waiting bay before jumping off the perimeter wall.

Following the escape, Gigiri Police Station has been declared a crime scene as the DCI conduct further investigations to find clues that may help law enforcement officers track down the fugitives.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Wednesday, August 21, 2024 - The son of the late University of Nairobi Professor Ouma Pamba is languishing in the streets after his family rejected him for reportedly being an alcoholic.

Pambas son became an alcoholic while he was studying nursing in London.

He was deported after his VISA expired and did not complete his education.

When he returned to the country, his family rejected him.

He spends most of his time in dingy drinking joints taking cheap liquor and begging for money from well-wishers.

He is currently homeless despite being brought up in an upscale neighbourhood in Nairobi.

His elder brother is a prominent doctor and former CEO of the Nairobi Hospital.

Kimberly, a former drug addict turned counselor, met him in the streets and highlighted his plight on Tiktok.

Watch the heartbreaking video.

Son of the late University of Nairobi Professor OUMA PAMBA is homeless after his family rejected him for being an alcoholic - He studied in London pic.twitter.com/zIGPjSc6F5  DAILY POST  (@dailypost_ke) August 21, 2024

The Kenyan DAILY POST.




Wednesday, August 21, 2024  The U.S. has piled pressure on President William Ruto to take serious action against the rogue police officers who kidnapped, tortured, and even killed unarmed Gen Z during the deadly anti-government protests.

In a statement, US Senator Chris Murphy, a prominent member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, took a firm stance on the issue, demanding swift justice for the victims of police brutality.

Following his recent trip to Kenya, Murphy directly conveyed the U.S. governments demand for accountability to President Ruto.

Murphys visit comes on the heels of similar concerns raised by Uzra Zeya, the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, during a visit in July.

"The violent and poorly executed crackdowns like those we witnessed during the protests often lead to more instability rather than stability," Murphy stated.

He emphasized that the US-Kenya relationship, while strong, could not reach its full potential unless there was a genuine commitment from Rutos administration to hold those responsible for the abuses accountable.

I think its really important for U.S. leaders to convey those concerns and make it clear that our relationship cant be at its strongest level unless there is a real commitment from the Kenyan government to hold anyone that engages in abuse, particularly in the context of these protests, accountable, he added.

The crackdown has overshadowed the previously warm relations between Nairobi and Washington, notably highlighted by Rutos state visit to the U.S. in May.

The Kenyan DAILY POST
The fatal blow to President Bidens reelection bid came during the debate when he appeared to have a stroke. The insult of being too old haunted and hounded him ever since. How quickly did Biden need to end his campaign to save face?

Dignity grants the certainty of whether three seconds, three minutes, three hours, three days, three weeks, or three months is reasonable to pull the plug on sustainability and longevity.

The undying strength to stand up and fight, fight, fight is determination. The moral courage to stand down and rest in peace is dignity. Dignity arises from seeing the light, and this enlightenment ends suffering.

Following his near-death debate in the POTUS race, President Biden might question, Should I stay or should I go? I dont know  raises uncertainty and diminishes dignity. Three days might be enough time to agonize in insults before coming to terms with the inevitability of age, cognitive impairment, loss of control, and even death.

As an emergency physician, I see the loss of dignity from those who suffer from serious illness, incapacitating injuries, and cognitive impairment. Each has roughly three hours to choose between fighting the odds by staying at the hospital and accepting the inevitable by returning home. Patients mostly think theyre damned if they do and damned if they dont follow through with sustaining longevity and defying mortality. Their dignity seemingly leans toward denying the obvious rather than realizing acceptance.

Could Biden anticipate his decline at the end of last year before running for re-election? At what point might he recognize the beginning of the end? Personal dignity is at stake when deciding between continuing the course and changing direction with age and serious illness. Age 80 is a great milestone and finish line to acknowledge the beginning of the end of life expectancy and reasonability.

We as a society appreciate that young adults dont have the brain capacity to make autonomous decisions until age 18. The frontal cortex is not fully developed until age 25. Since the brain begins to atrophy or shrink at age 70, a caregiver might need to approve any life decision ten years later that might harm self and others, like driving a car or running for public office.

The key practice of emergency medicine is managing patients expectations. If patients are demanding and have high expectations, self-determination will sabotage personal dignity. The insults will continue until the person finds the moral courage, radical acceptance, wondrous humility, and sweet surrender inherent to dignity.

Dignity is inversely proportional to morbidity. The longer one suffers, the less personal dignity. Enlightenment serves to end suffering and restore dignity. Once patients see the light in the emergency room and decide to return home, their demeanor changes. I witness the stress being lifted and a smile emerging. Their dignity was lost, but now is found.

If Biden searched the Soul of America, hed discover Americas need to beat the odds and win at all costs. This hubris, if unchecked, leads to violence against self and others. We value a system of checks and balances that could give humility and nonviolence equal footing.

Humility is often seen as a weakness. While humility is chosen for oneself, dignity is witnessed by others. What does it mean to die with dignity? It means making the right decision at the right time to end suffering without regret or shame.

The adage Theres no time like the present serves dignity. Family members often focus on a loved ones past achievements and future hopes instead of being present to the life-limiting/emergency situation. The choice to save a life or spare dignity is ever-present. Few are prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Advance directives have proven useless in emergencies because most illnesses and injuries are obliged to be treated to save lives. A suitable replacement for an advance directive would be my Dignity Decree. This proclaims:

In the event of certain and imminent death, disfiguration, or permanent incapacitation, WITHHOLD medical treatment and provide comfort measures.

AND if within three days of certain and imminent death, disfiguration, or permanent incapacitation, WITHDRAW medical treatment and provide comfort measures.

Imagine if Biden signed my Dignity Decree before taking the oath of office. Would there be cause to run for reelection after an upending debate? Would he understand why family, friends, and donors might withhold support in deference to his Dignity Decree?

Dignity, like democracy, works from the principle of self-governance. The biggest regret of patients is the loss of control (dignity) with admission to ICUs and extended-care facilities. Could they anticipate this endpoint and change direction before compromising their dignity?

Political figures and patients are scapegoats for broken political and health care systems. Theres no dignity in being a patient or president who becomes a scapegoat for all the ills of society.

Bidens focus on saving the Soul of America distracted him from the heart of humility that upholds personal dignity. Like so many others, his legacy depended on the time lag between insult and dignity. We might all learn from his dithering about how to shorten this time lag to save face.

Kevin Haselhorst is an emergency physician and author of Wishes To Die For: Expanding Upon Doing Less in Advance Care Directives.
With an expected 80 percent increase in demand for spinal surgery by 2060, particularly among older patients, the need for advanced technology driving personalized treatment is clear. Achieving optimal spine outcomes while deriving critical data that facilitates continuous improvement is limited in the current state by operating room technology narrowly focused on optimizing safe screw placement. While this is a valuable capability, integrating more advanced surgical navigation and artificial intelligence should help address the complexities of spinal care while also serving as a tool capable of collecting data and providing real-time insights.

Challenges in achieving outcomes associated with optimal alignment

Achieving the ideal alignment in spinal surgery is influenced by numerous variables, including hip flexibility, soft tissue stiffness, and balance considerations related to neuropathy, myelopathy, and aging. The equation for achieving correct alignment is intricately tied to individual characteristics, emphasizing the need for a nuanced approach. Current surgical navigation systems have their limitationsregistration of anatomy and imaging are linked to a singular event and arent representative of how a spine will move in a three-dimensional world. These systems often fall short in providing the real-time data necessary for adjusting surgical plans on the fly.

Limitations of current intraoperative techniques

Intraoperative alignment techniques that provide feedback during surgery rely on 2D multiplanar acquisitions via fluoroscopy, a single intraoperative CT, or synthesized fluoroscopic imaging. Despite their contributions to acquiring intraoperative information, these methods may be time-consuming, costly, and disruptive to the operative workflow. They also expose both the patient and surgical team to additional ionizing radiation, with potential short- and long-term adverse health effects. The lack of continuous data capture during these procedures limits the ability to make informed, real-time decisions that could improve patient outcomes without disruption.

Digitized operating rooms

In the near future, we will benefit from a fully digitized operating room where advanced technologies provide a digital twin of the human anatomy. This will give surgeons a detailed visualization of tissues and bones, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of the interplay between anatomical factors and enabling the continuous collection of critical data throughout the procedure. This ensures a more precise and personalized execution of the surgical plan, adapting to the patients unique physiological responses in real time.

We know that achieving an optimal balance extends beyond mere spinal alignment. Patient factors, including core strength, bone quality, and soft tissue condition, come into play to the extent that a minor misalignment may be inconsequential if the patients musculature is well-conditioned. Digital twin modeling allows us to visualize these contributing factors with high-quality, real-time imaging and to derive detailed data on how these factors might influence surgical outcomes. This allows us to anticipate how a patients unique physique, muscle capacity, and condition might respond to alignment changes.

Consider a scenario where a patient with painful lumbar scoliosis has significant core muscle atrophy. Simply shifting them to a new alignment without addressing these factors could risk failure. Should we precondition the patient through targeted physical therapy to strengthen specific muscle groups before making a radical alignment change? By modeling in advance and deriving data on the patients muscle condition and potential response to surgery, we can identify necessary interventions. This ensures that the pre-operative plan not only reflects comprehensive considerations but is also tailored to the patients unique physiology for the best possible surgical outcome.

Real-time adaptation and execution

A surgeons pre-operative plan is necessary, but tissue and bone visualization tools can help refine and adapt the approach in real time, ensuring a more precise and personalized execution. This transition from a conceptual framework to an informative, data-driven intraoperative approach marks a significant advancement in optimizing both pre-operative planning and post-operative data, opening a new realm of understanding for spinal surgery outcomes.

Enhancing data quality and depth

Enhancing the quality and depth of the data we can collect from surgery is imperative for a more comprehensive understanding of patient outcomes and the fortification of the American Spinal Registry. This registry collects procedural data, post-operative data, and patient-reported outcome measurements. It relies on voluntary participation and manual data entry, often capturing outcomes subjectively.

The integration of advanced navigation and imaging technologies, such as light field with real-time data capture, will supplement the subjective data with new, objective data to increase the overall understanding of a patients unique post-operative situation and outcome. This stands to elevate the quality of information to provide a data-driven and measurable account of surgical procedures while also populating data to inform future preoperative planning and patient outcomes.

Objective patient outcomes

Patient-reported outcomes are the primary metric for gauging the success of spinal interventions. However, this approach is subjective and makes it challenging to identify trends over time. As we operate in a digitized operating room, integrating sensor technologies and patient wearables will become necessary. This shift will allow us to capture the full picture of the digitized procedure, along with quantifiable, objective patient outcomes. This provides a comprehensive evaluation of the long-term efficacy of spinal procedures and allows us to collect more detailed and objective data, ultimately contributing to enhanced patient care.

A new era in patient care

In navigating the path to a digitized operating room, we can expect to gain a deeper understanding of the patient condition. By capturing objective patient outcomes and refining the entire spectrum of pre-, intra-, and post-operative data, the future of health care is being reshaped within an increasingly digitized world. The integration of real-time imaging and cutting-edge tissue visualization technologies is set to revolutionize the operating room and reshape our approach to patient care.

Steven D. Glassman is an orthopedic surgeon.
Commentary

By Sylvain Charlebois

Experimenting with consumer-based philanthropy at the grocery store level is an idea that fascinates both economists and social entrepreneurs. The idea of relying on consumers generosity and altruistic nature to help those in need while keeping a grocery store afloat raises important questions.

But can this approach truly succeed in practice?

A unique experiment is taking place in Montreal with the opening of an independent grocery store called 3 Paniers. This store offers three pricing options: the Solidarity Price, which reduces profit margins to make groceries more accessible for those on a tight budget; the Suggested Price, which includes a standard profit margin necessary for the stores financial sustainability; and the Pay-it-Forward Price, which not only covers costs but also helps subsidize the Solidarity Price, supporting the stores mission of social equity.

The question remains whether many consumers will opt for the Pay-it-Forward option. While one can be hopeful, the reality may differ. Consumers, regardless of their financial means, often manage their food budgets in a variety of ways.

Stores like 3 Paniers may attract individuals drawn to the mission, but their numbers are likely to remain small.

A similar concept was tested at The Anarchist, a self-described anti-capitalist cafe in Toronto, which operated on a pay what you can model.

It closed last year after just over a year in business. Despite this, the idea has not disappeared. Another Pay-What-You-Can food market opened in Kitchener in June, aiming to improve food accessibility in the community.

Numerous lesser-known initiatives across the country share this goal: how to encourage the more fortunate to support those left behind while grocery shopping. Yet, this remains an elusive concept that has not yet proven successful.

Altruism is more easily harnessed by food banks and food-rescue organizations like Second Harvest. However, integrating different socio-economic groups within a single grocery store has always been challenging.

The idea of wealthier customers supporting the poor in real-time, as they interact within the same shopping environment, is precisely what these initiatives aim to achieve. While these concepts have the potential to create inclusive spaces that bridge socio-economic divides, they often face long-term sustainability issues.

Human nature tends to focus on personal interests, so people are often reluctant to overpay for their own groceries to support others.

However, charitable activities such as this are already being done on a much larger scale, albeit without much fanfare. Despite facing criticism for years, major grocers like Loblaw, Sobeys, Metro, Costco, and Walmart Canada contribute significantly to food banks and food-rescue agencies.

For instance, Metro, the smallest of the countrys big three grocers, donated more than $60 million to food banks last year. These companies, while profitable, also play a substantial role in supporting people in need, contributing to various initiatives such as child welfare, literacy, education, and housing.

Smaller social enterprises, on the other hand, focus on uniting communities by involving volunteers and fostering a sense of collective responsibility. Its hard to argue against the value of these efforts. Most of us would like to see these enterprises succeed and thrive. Yet, making these initiatives sustainable will remain a significant challenge.

Allowing consumers to choose their price is certainly an intriguing concept. Its just a shame we cant do the same with our personal income taxes.

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is senior director of the agri-food analytics lab and a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University.
An Irish family is facing an agonising ordeal as their beautiful four-month-old daughter and granddaughter battles a rare form of leukaemia in Australia. Little Fiadh Vicky Hoolan Derich is currently undergoing intensive chemotherapy in a Melbourne hospital, her devastated parents Sara Hoolan and Nathan Derich along with grandparents Peader and Ruth Hoolan from Sleaty, Graiguecullen on the Laois/Carlow border are at her side.

In a tragic twist of fate, Fiadh was diagnosed with leukaemia on the day her grandparents and aunt Laura arrived from Ireland to Darwin, Australia to meet their beloved granddaughter and niece for the very first time.

What was supposed to be our first family holiday, and the first time my family got to meet our sweet little angel, quickly turned into what will eventually be at least a six-month hospital stay interstate, away from all our friends and family, said Sara.

Fiadh was immediately rushed to Melbourne so the Hoolan family just managed to meet her for a few minutes on a Darwin runway just before her care jet flight departed for Melbourne.

We got a call to say the Fiadh and Sara were being rushed to Melbourne and we could not change our flight plans. However, after three long flights, almost 36 hours because of stop-overs, we were rushed by some of Saras friends from the airport to go to the care flight jet, so we could get five minutes to see them, explained Peader.

Not a nice way to get to meet your granddaughter. But I have to thank the care flight crew, who assured us they were in good hands, he added.

Fiadhs diagnosis is a rare one, with only around one child in Australia being diagnosed each year. She began her intense chemo treatment immediately, with sickness and viruses almost inevitable as her little body continues to fight.

A few weeks later, Peader and Ruth went to Melbourne for ten days to try to comfort and ease the burden on Sara and Nathan and to spend time with their beautiful granddaughter.

They have a long, long hard time ahead. It looks like it will be another six months before they leave the wonderful hospital in Melbourne to return home to Darwin where they live, Peader told The Nationalist.

Sara and Nathan will be watching their child in hospital until possibly February next year, a very draining experience for any parent to have to go through, he added.

Saras friends in Darwin and the Irish community there have rallied to assist the family, supporting Peader, Ruth and Laura during their time in Australia and also setting up a GoFundMe page to support Fiadh at this very difficult time.

It has been heart-wrenching watching such a little innocent thing being poked and prodded and going through what she has and we can only imagine what is ahead of us and her, Sara said in a post on Fiadhs GoFundMe page.

Fiadh is such a strong little girl and is doing such an amazing job, still smiling and being her inquisitive little self every day, but she does have a long road ahead of her before she can even go outside, let alone get home.

We know we still have a long way to go and it wont be easy being stuck in a hospital or watching our sweet little girl go through treatment for the next six months, especially being so far away from everyone and not being able to earn an income during this time, but it well and truly warms our hearts to know how many people are thinking of her and us through the whole process.

It is hard to think that so many of her firsts will be in this tiny hospital room and knowing we cant take her pain away, but it will all be worth it when she comes out the other side, said Sara. The support we have and continue to receive has been overwhelming and will never be forgotten. Our sincerest gratitude to everyone. After three weeks, Laura returned to Graiguecullen, while Peader and Ruth are due to return home this weekend.

We are in Darwin now and leave here on the 24th, so only a couple more days before we fly home. It is going to be a hard trip home leaving Australia. As I said earlier, we were looking forward to two months spending time with our precious grandchild, said Peader.

Fiadhs condition was discovered when the three-month-old was having lower than expected weight checks over a few weeks and had very pale skin.

Id like to let other parents be aware of Fiadhs condition and to warn other parents whose child is not putting on weight, has real pale skin and does not appear to be growing not to be afraid to seek medical help  its better to catch this leukaemia early, he said.

Peader offered a huge thank you from the Hoolan family and Saras friends in Darwin. A massive thank you to those who took the time and their hard-earned cash to donate to the GoFundMe page for little Fiadh and I know plans are in place to have a night out to raise money for the cause by the Irish community in Darwin, he said.

We will continue to have everything crossed that all goes well and she comes out even stronger on the other side, and we are counting down the days til we can say our sweet little girl is cancer-free, said Sara.

To support the family, go to www.gofundme.com/f/donate-to-help-baby-fiadh-through-leukaemia-treatment.
Koalas are listed as endangered in NSW and Queensland, a new report warns.

Thousands of hectares of koala habitat could be bulldozed if 23 coal mining projects are approved. Source: Supplied

Australia loves to market itself as a wildlife friendly tourism destination. But conservationists are warning the future of one iconic animal is "dire".

Koala habitat 41 times the area of Sydneys CBD could be cleared to make way for new projects. The 11,644 hectares of land would be flattened if 23 new coal mines and expansions in NSW and Queensland are approved by Australias government.

Details of the plans are contained in an alarming new report that investigates imminent threats to koalas from both habitat loss and climate change. Most of the coal mine applications will be assessed by Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, who will be asked to consider their impact on endangered populations of the species.

Related: Australia 'considering' miner's application to destroy 770 hectares of koala habitat

The report was commissioned by a coalition of environment groups called the Koalas not Coal Alliance which includes the Lock the Gate Alliance and NSW Nature Conservation Council.

Another signatory to the report is the Queensland Conservation Council, whose nature campaigner Natalie Frost warned one of the nations most iconic animals is facing a dire future.

While the expanse of habitat under threat is hard to picture, images supplied by the campaigners show the proposed development sites and the forest that could be lost.

Australia's environment minister will be faced with the tough decision of whether to allow coal mines to be built on koala habitat. Source: Supplied

Discover more of our environment coverage.

Two states repeatedly singled out for land clearing records

Both NSW and Queensland have been regularly singled out by conservationists for their land clearing activities. In May, the Minns governments own scientists found 50 per cent of the states threatened species are expected to be wiped out in a century. A 2020 parliamentary inquiry found koalas will likely be wiped out much sooner  by the year 2050.

The state has been heavily scrutinised this month over its environmental decisions including the renewal of a project that regularly kills endangered marine life. It was elected to government promising new wildlife protection projects including a massive koala national park that's yet to be created.

Further north, the Miles government has been urged to slow land clearing rates across Queensland. Its because of widespread habitat destruction in that state that Australia as a nation is the only developed nation on Worldwide Fund for Natures list of deforestation hotspots.

Conservationists fear the koala will be extinct in the wild in NSW and Queensland, and only seen in zoos. Source: Getty

The new report calls for a moratorium on all new coal mines and an end to biodiversity offsets  a scheme that enables developers to bulldoze land in one area if they promise to protect it elsewhere.

It also urges the Albanese government to enact the nature protection laws it promised ahead of its election more than two years ago, as well as a phase-out of fossil fuels.

The window of time to act is rapidly shrinking for the Albanese government to prevent further climate-fuelled catastrophes, and the extinction of the iconic koala, NSW Nature Conservation Council CEO Jacqui Mumford said.

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Gabby noticed a major problem with Australia after moving to Sydney recently, and it's a common gripe of many people struggling to pay their bills.

Kiwi woman Gabby has hit out at the cost of living in Australia, particularly the high cost of some toll roads in major cities. Source: TikTok

They might be one of our closest neighbours, but many New Zealanders seem genuinely shocked by the skyrocketing costs they have faced since moving to Australia.

A Kiwi woman named Gabby shared a rant on social media of the costs she is struggling to both understand and afford, saying it's enough to give her a "heart attack"  and others agree.

"Someone please book me a flight back to New Zealand because I'm done," she lashed out on TikTok as she laid bare the true cost of living in Australia.

Kiwis rage over cost of toll roads in Australia

Kiwis are the fourth largest migrant community in Australia with some 560,000 New Zealand-born people living here, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data in June, 2021. Many come for the job opportunities, higher salaries and warmer weather.

The average base salary in New Zealand is $73,679 (NZ$78,956), according to Salary Power. Across the ditch in Australia, the average wage was $85,743 (NZ$91,900).

But there are some things not to love, including the cost of tolls on Aussie roads, Gabby explained. More so, the amount of toll roads that exist in major cities.

"You move to Australia, you give the government your address, and bang. You get mail every, every, every f***ing day," she fumed in a video. "And it's always being told that I owe money".

Referring to her latest letter, the Kiwi woman, who is working as an apprentice plumber, said she was told she owed $9.25 in toll fees, but a $20 processing fee had been added on top. "$29 because I went in a tunnel. What do you want from me?" she questioned. People responded that they felt her pain with another admitting "there are toll roads everywhere" and she and her parter "had no idea".

Kiwis can't get over the amount of toll roads in Aussie cities. Source: Getty

Cost of living in Australia is 'daylight robbery'

The 24-year-old went on to detail other costs she's been hit with since moving to Australia that she found unbelievable, including a reminder to pay compulsory third-party personal injury insurance costing $742.80, due in two weeks' time.

"Why do I owe you $800 for f***ing nothing?" she raged.

"You think, 'move to Australia, you get paid so much money', but no I move here and get paid less than what I did in New Zealand when you calculate up the conversion rates," she said, noting her expensive $2,000-a-month Sydney rent.

"It's just crook. It's crook. It's dumb," she concluded, calling it "daylight robbery".

'Costs to breathe' in Australia

Her rant struck a never with others responding to her video. One said, "Welcome to Australia. It costs to breathe".

"I wanted to move to Aus, now I am having a second thought that I should just stay here in NZ," another revealed.

Even Aussies admitted the cost of living is rough. "Dont worry Im Australian and I feel like this too," one said.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

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An incident that occured at a wharf in Nusa Lembongan, near Bali, shows the simple reason why travel insurance is recommended.

A tourist spotted several bags in the water after falling off the wharf on Nusa Lembongan island near Bali recently. Source: TikTok

No one plans for something to go wrong while travelling abroad, but sometimes the unexpected can occur. Such was the case for several tourists visiting Bali this week.

"Your sign to get travel insurance," is one woman's message to other travellers, sharing an incident that unfolded at a wharf on Nusa Lembongan  a popular Indonesian island. And it's a message travel insurance providers condone, with Cover 1 telling Yahoo News Australia "a solid understanding of your coverage can help to mitigate any frustrations" as even the simplest of mishaps can ruin a holiday.

Travellers' bags fall into water at wharf in Nusa Lembongan

Nusa Lembongan is a popular pitstop between Sanur, a southeast beach in Bali, and the sought-after Gilli Islands where visitors travel by boat across often rocky seas. Many have complained of rough and unstable seas when visiting the islands by boat.

In a video shared on TikTok, a handful of luggage is seen floating aimlessly in the water below. It's not known how the suitcases ended up in the water, however, they likely fell from the wharf before or while being loaded onto the boat. Others are seen lined up on the wharf. According, to some tourists the luggage is often seen "sliding around the dock" as they're "not strapped in".

Several men, who appear to be locals, are seen plucking the fallen bags from the water, some using long sticks with hooks, as the bag owners presumably stood by and watched in disbelief  not knowing if their belongings inside would be damaged or left untouched.

"Same thing happened to me going over to an island next to Bali in the same spot," someone shared in response to the clip.

"At least theres now a jetty/dock! 2 years ago I had to wade through the water with my bag above my head," someone else claimed.

Previously, Yahoo News Australia spoke to an Aussie traveller who was heading to Fiji but arrived to discover her items were soaked after Qantas allegedly left her luggage in the rain. So it's entirely possible for the water to seep through.

Aussies warned to 'always check' insurance which may not protect luggage

Cover for damages or losses caused by a transport provider, as seen in Bali video, would depend on a range of factors Natalie Smith, head travel expert for 1Cover Travel Insurance, told Yahoo, warning Aussies that basic cover may not protect your bags.

"As a rule, if a transport provider such as a ferry or airline loses or damages your luggage, they are responsible for compensating you. However, if they refuse to compensate you, or the amount is not equal to the value of your belongings, you can then take the matter to your travel insurer," she said.

"Keep in mind that the amount you can claim for will be based on your insurance cover limits. You should also allow for depreciation due to the age, wear and tear of your luggage and belongings."

"Travellers should be mindful when selecting lower priced, basic policies as these may not provide sufficient cover, if any, for your luggage and belongings," she added. "Look out for mid-range or comprehensive cover when seeking a policy with luggage cover benefits".

Aussie travellers are advised to "always check your policy coverage to be sure of your luggage limits and any relevant exclusions". "If your items go missing or are damaged by a transport provider you would need an official report of the incident as well as documentation of any settlement offers," she said.

"If you can provide receipts or proof of purchase for the affected items, this can help to streamline your claim process too". Additionally, "some insurers exclude cover for water damage to your phone, so be wary when snapping those selfies," she concluded.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
The St. Louis prosecutor is set to argue today in favor of a Missouri death row inmates innocence claim
Shimano Inc. (OTCMKTS:SMNNY  Get Free Report)s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $19.52 and last traded at $19.50, with a volume of 79158 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $18.97.

Shimano Trading Up 2.8 %

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $16.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.20 and a beta of 0.59.

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Shimano (OTCMKTS:SMNNY  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter. Shimano had a return on equity of 8.74% and a net margin of 12.62%. The firm had revenue of $746.22 million for the quarter.

Shimano Company Profile

Shimano Inc develops, produces, and distributes bicycle components, fishing tackles, and rowing equipment. It has operations in Japan, Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, and Oceania. Shimano Inc was founded in 1921 and is headquartered in Sakai, Japan.

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Shares of Eldorado Gold Co. (NYSE:EGO  Get Free Report) (TSE:ELD) have received a consensus recommendation of Hold from the five ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $18.88.

EGO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Eldorado Gold from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, July 1st. Royal Bank of Canada raised Eldorado Gold from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $14.00 to $20.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. CIBC increased their target price on Eldorado Gold from $18.00 to $22.50 and gave the company an outperformer rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their target price on Eldorado Gold from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Monday.

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Eldorado Gold Price Performance

NYSE:EGO opened at $17.92 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 3.62, a quick ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a market capitalization of $3.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.43, a P/E/G ratio of 0.25 and a beta of 0.91. Eldorado Gold has a 12 month low of $8.30 and a 12 month high of $18.38. The businesss 50-day moving average is $16.03 and its 200 day moving average is $14.62.

Eldorado Gold (NYSE:EGO  Get Free Report) (TSE:ELD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The basic materials company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.07. Eldorado Gold had a return on equity of 5.82% and a net margin of 15.67%. The company had revenue of $297.14 million for the quarter. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.09 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Eldorado Gold will post 1.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Eldorado Gold

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EGO. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Eldorado Gold during the 4th quarter valued at $1,970,000. Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new position in Eldorado Gold in the 4th quarter worth $151,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in Eldorado Gold by 42.5% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 44,122 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $576,000 after acquiring an additional 13,151 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd purchased a new position in Eldorado Gold in the 4th quarter worth $32,473,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd purchased a new position in Eldorado Gold in the 4th quarter worth $24,273,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.58% of the companys stock.

About Eldorado Gold

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Eldorado Gold Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the mining, exploration, development, and sale of mineral products primarily in Turkey, Canada, Greece, and Romania. The company primarily produces gold, as well as silver, lead, and zinc. It holds a 100% interest in the Kisladag and Efemcukuru mines located in Turkey; Lamaque complex located in Canada; and Olympias, Stratoni, Skouries, Perama Hill, and Sapes gold mines located in Greece, as well as the 80.5% interest in Certej development projects located in Romania.

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Interfor Co. (TSE:IFP  Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the seven analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is C$23.50.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on IFP shares. Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Interfor from C$26.00 to C$24.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 12th. CIBC raised their target price on shares of Interfor from C$18.00 to C$19.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Cibc World Mkts lowered Interfor from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Interfor from C$27.00 to C$24.00 and set a strong-buy rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, TD Securities dropped their target price on Interfor from C$24.00 to C$20.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd.

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Interfor Stock Down 1.4 %

In related news, Director Ian Fillinger acquired 3,100 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of C$16.30 per share, for a total transaction of C$50,530.00. 0.94% of the stock is owned by insiders.

TSE IFP opened at C$16.55 on Wednesday. Interfor has a one year low of C$15.35 and a one year high of C$26.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 62.31, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 2.02. The business has a fifty day moving average price of C$16.82 and a 200 day moving average price of C$18.35. The company has a market cap of C$851.50 million, a P/E ratio of -2.36 and a beta of 2.51.

About Interfor

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Interfor Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells wood products in Canada, the United States, Japan, China, Taiwan, and internationally. It offers decking, fascia and board, framing, v-joint paneling, fineline paneling, and siding products, as well as appearance, structural, studs, timbers, and machine stress related products.

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Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.  Petrobras (NYSE:PBR  Get Free Report) had its price target cut by stock analysts at UBS Group from $19.40 to $18.10 in a report released on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the oil and gas exploration companys stock. UBS Groups target price would indicate a potential upside of 20.75% from the stocks previous close.

PBR has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Bank of America upgraded Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.  Petrobras from a neutral rating to a buy rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $16.80 to $17.90 in a report on Thursday, June 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.  Petrobras from $19.30 to $16.70 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.  Petrobras from a buy rating to a hold rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $21.20 to $17.70 in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.  Petrobras currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $17.34.

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Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.  Petrobras Stock Performance

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.  Petrobras

Shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.  Petrobras stock opened at $14.99 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $14.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.48. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.  Petrobras has a twelve month low of $12.90 and a twelve month high of $17.91.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PBR. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.  Petrobras by 460.2% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the oil and gas exploration companys stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,468 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.  Petrobras in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.  Petrobras in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.  Petrobras during the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.  Petrobras during the 2nd quarter valued at about $45,000.

About Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.  Petrobras

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Petroleo Brasileiro SA  Petrobras explores, produces, and sells oil and gas in Brazil and internationally. The company operates through Exploration and Production; Refining, Transportation and Marketing; and Gas and Power. It also engages in prospecting, drilling, refining, processing, trading, and transporting crude oil from producing onshore and offshore oil fields, and shale or other rocks, as well as oil products, natural gas, and other liquid hydrocarbons.

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Shaftesbury Capital PLC (LON:SHC  Get Free Report) declared a dividend on Wednesday, July 31st, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 22nd will be given a dividend of GBX 1.70 ($0.02) per share on Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a dividend yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 22nd. This is a positive change from Shaftesbury Capitals previous dividend of $1.65. The official announcement can be accessed at this link.

Shaftesbury Capital Price Performance

SHC opened at GBX 146.20 ($1.90) on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 144.89 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 139.56. The firm has a market capitalization of 2.85 billion, a P/E ratio of -3,660.00 and a beta of 1.16. Shaftesbury Capital has a one year low of GBX 101.90 ($1.32) and a one year high of GBX 156 ($2.03).

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on SHC shares. Citigroup restated a buy rating on shares of Shaftesbury Capital in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a buy rating and set a GBX 174 ($2.26) price target on shares of Shaftesbury Capital in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Berenberg Bank boosted their price target on shares of Shaftesbury Capital from GBX 160 ($2.08) to GBX 174 ($2.26) and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th.

Shaftesbury Capital Company Profile

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Shaftesbury Capital PLC ("Shaftesbury Capital") is the leading central London mixed-use REIT and is a constituent of the FTSE-250 Index. Our property portfolio, valued at 4.8 billion at December 2023, extends to 2.9 million square feet of lettable space across the most vibrant areas of London's West End.

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ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE:ESE  Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 343,000 shares, a decline of 6.5% from the July 15th total of 366,700 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 136,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days. Approximately 1.4% of the companys stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Stephens reissued an overweight rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of ESCO Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

ESCO Technologies Stock Down 2.4 %

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Moody National Bank Trust Division grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 2,827 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock valued at $297,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 7,222 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock valued at $759,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its stake in ESCO Technologies by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 10,400 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock valued at $1,217,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 13,000 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of ESCO Technologies by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 13,231 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $1,548,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. 95.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ESCO Technologies stock opened at $118.33 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.05 billion, a PE ratio of 31.06 and a beta of 1.10. The companys 50-day moving average is $112.80 and its 200-day moving average is $107.07. ESCO Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $94.59 and a fifty-two week high of $125.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 2.15 and a quick ratio of 1.42.

ESCO Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.27%. ESCO Technologiess dividend payout ratio is presently 8.40%.

ESCO Technologies Company Profile

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ESCO Technologies Inc produces and supplies engineered products and systems for industrial and commercial markets worldwide. It operates through three segments: Aerospace & Defense, Utility Solutions Group, and RF Test & Measurement. The Aerospace & Defense segment designs and manufactures filtration products, including hydraulic filter elements and fluid control devices used in commercial aerospace applications; filter mechanisms used in micro-propulsion devices for satellites; and custom designed filters for manned aircraft and submarines.

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China CITIC Bank (OTCMKTS:CHCJY  Get Free Report) and Woolworths (OTCMKTS:WLWHY  Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares China CITIC Bank and Woolworths net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets China CITIC Bank 17.31% 8.82% 0.73% Woolworths N/A N/A N/A

Dividends

China CITIC Bank pays an annual dividend of $0.77 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.1%. Woolworths pays an annual dividend of $0.11 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.0%. China CITIC Bank pays out 23.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Analyst Recommendations

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score China CITIC Bank 0 0 0 0 N/A Woolworths 0 0 0 0 N/A

This is a summary of current ratings for China CITIC Bank and Woolworths, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares China CITIC Bank and Woolworths gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio China CITIC Bank $53.73 billion 0.58 $9.47 billion $3.27 3.88 Woolworths $4.10 billion 0.89 $286.17 million N/A N/A

China CITIC Bank has higher revenue and earnings than Woolworths.

Risk and Volatility

China CITIC Bank has a beta of 0.04, indicating that its stock price is 96% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Woolworths has a beta of 0.61, indicating that its stock price is 39% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

China CITIC Bank beats Woolworths on 6 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About China CITIC Bank

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China CITIC Bank Corporation Limited provides various banking products and services in the People's Republic of China and internationally. The company operates in segments, such as Corporate Banking, Retail Banking, and Financial Market business. It accepts deposits; offers corporate and personal loans; and provides securities agency, remittance and settlement, and guarantee services, as well as investment banking and international services. The company also engages in the capital markets operations and inter-bank operations, including inter-bank money market transactions, repurchase transactions, investments, and trading in debt instruments; and derivatives and forex trading. In addition, it offers asset management, finance leasing, wealth management, ageing finance, private banking, credit card, payroll, and other non-banking financial services. The company serves corporations, government agencies, and non-financial institutions; and individual customers and micro and small enterprises. The company operates tier-one branches, tier-two branches, and sub-branches; self-service banks; and self-service terminals, as well as smart teller machines. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People's Republic of China. China CITIC Bank Corporation Limited operates as a subsidiary of CITIC Financial Holdings Co., Ltd.

About Woolworths

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Woolworths Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates a chain of retail stores in sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. It operates through seven segments: Woolworths Fashion, Beauty and Home; Woolworths Food; Woolworths Financial Services; David Jones; Country Road Group; and Treasury. The company provides food, clothing, homeware, beauty, and various lifestyle products, as well as operates department stores. It offers financial products and services, such as store cards, credit cards, personal loans, and other financial products. The company is also involved in the cash and debt management activities. Woolworths Holdings Limited was founded in 1931 and is based in Cape Town, South Africa.

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Qantas customer Paul Stewart has issued a warning after he was scammed out of $600. Source: Facebook

A Qantas passenger has issued an urgent warning to Aussies to "be careful" of scammers after he was swindled out of $600 by phoning the airline's US customer service number with his Australian sim. Or so he thought.

Seasoned traveller Paul Stewart said he received a text from Qantas notifying him his flight from Los Angeles to Sydney was cancelled last week. Desperate to get home as quickly as possible, he phoned the Qantas 1800 number provided in the text from the airline for those who need "immediate assistance".

But instead of getting through to the Qantas customer service line in the US, he inadvertently phoned 'scammers' who are targeting unwitting Australians in the US travelling with Aussie sim cards. "I hadn't realised that 1800 numbers are locked to particular countries," Stewart told Yahoo News Australia. The mistake initially cost him $600 and he's now urging Qantas to do something about it.

"The text message was from a Qantas number, there were previous Qantas text messages ahead of it," he explained. "I don't think I was especially reckless. So I think it's kind of an easy thing to do. Qantas needs to change the text, even if they just add the area code in front of the number."

The "immediate assistance" phone number provided by Qantas sent Stewart to scammers who took $600 from him. Source: Facebook

Because the number provided is registered to the United States, US sim card holders will get through to the airline. But Australians using their local sims will instead get through to an Australian 1800 number if they don't add an area code  and scammers have hijacked that number.

Qantas flight cancellation leads to man being scammed

Speaking about the phone call with scammers, Stewart said when the man answered his call, he sounded "dodgy" but added that "Qantas is known for off-shoring their call centres", so he wasn't alarmed.

"I assume they were Qantas so I give them my booking reference and my name, and that's all anyone needs to access anyone else's booking details," he said. Unbeknownst to Stewart at the time, with these two pieces of personal information, scammers were then able to access all of the details connected to his flight.

"They said I can either pay a fee and the flight will be changed to the next day, or wait in LA for a few days and have it done for free," he said. Desperate to get home, Stewart decided to pay the $600 fee and chase the airline for the money once he got home.

"They were saying the right things. They seemed to know details about my booking," he said, so reluctantly he handed over his bank details. Afterwards, the flight details were seemingly updated.

"So it was all looking legitimate," he said. But it wasn't until reflecting that he thought it all seemed a "bit weird" and phoned the airline through a different phone number.

Stewart said the customer service representative told him there shouldn't have been a fee for the flight change, and there was no history of the phone call he'd just had. It was then that he realised he'd been scammed.

Im the technology literate person [in my family] and I get scammed. So it was quite humbling," he admitted.

Yahoo News understands a number of passengers have been affected by the scam and the airline is providing support to victims.

Qantas has reported the scam to the Australian Communications and Media Authority and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. It has also updated its communications to customers to warn of the danger.

According to the company, the fraudulent number has now been deactivated.

Remarkable end after Qantas passenger scammed

Remarkably, Stewart decided to politely phone the scammers back and ask for his money back, and they obliged. Maybe they're thinking that they know they're onto a good thing, so they don't want me to complain, so maybe they just think I'll go away quietly," he said.

Stewart is now warning other Aussies to "be aware of the increasing complexity of scammers and is calling on Qantas to make a change so that nobody else goes through what he did."

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
By Andrew Hammond

Geopolitics is not widely seen as a key trigger for this months financial market turmoil. However, multiple potential political fissures may yet potentially erupt, including in the Middle East, bringing about greater economic disequilibrium in its wake.

Take the example of the downside risks that the Gaza conflict could expand into a fuller scale war between Israel and Iran, which may be under-priced in markets, despite current peace talks in Qatar. The immediate context is Irans pondering of its response to the recent killing of a top Hamas leader in Tehran and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut.

U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has said that Iran could carry out retaliatory military measures on Israel soon. He said we have to be prepared for what could be a significant set of attacks.

Iran, which attacked Israel in April with some 300 missiles and drones, has been widely expected to carry out a bigger strike. Last week, key European leaders including U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, jointly urged restraint.

As the U.S. military builds up assets in the region, there are not only growing doubts over the possibility of securing a long sought Israel-Hamas ceasefire. There is a growing, non-trivial possibility of a wider regional war.

With Irans religious leadership under heavy pressure internally to respond with substantial force, assumptions that have long been made about Tehrans military posture may be more fragile. One of these is that Iran prefers to fight wars via proxies, but the regime may be positioning itself for a potential confrontation with Israel and its Western allies in which it not only relies on its proxy fighters like Hezbollah, Hamas, the Islamic Jihad or the Houthis to carry out its strategic aims.

As Iran contemplates its next step, a key risk for all sides is miscalculation. This in a region where geopolitics have been upended since last Autumn when Hamas perpetrated a major terror attack in Israels worst intelligence failure for decades.

Despite recent rises in crude oil prices, there is still not extensive discussion of the possibility of an oil shock in the style of 1973-74, which saw a barrel of oil nearly quadruple in value in less than a year. That event saw an embargo by Arab oil-producing nations in response to U.S. support for Israel during the Yom Kippur War.

The downside risks in the Middle East are only one in a broader cocktail of potential global fissures. The macro context is that for several decades, there has been a long cycle of globalisation and geopolitical stability, but a new, riskier era appears to have begun.

So-much-so, that there is increased speculation of a broader poly-crisis with a growing number of overlapping challenges. In the assessment of many, we are living in an era of successive, interconnected disruptions in which a permanent sense of crisis is the new normal.

This has implications not just for politics, but also financial markets too. While some stock exchanges around the world have recovered their losses since last weeks turmoil, further volatility could be on the horizon.

The multiple global fractures right now include from health risks in the post-pandemic landscape through to technological challenges such as last months global IT meltdown. On the security front, there is the ongoing Ukraine war, plus North Korea having acquired nuclear weapons.

While some financial market participants appear not to have geopolitical risks top of mind right now, such international political turbulence has been a recurrent feature for years now. Several market commentators have asserted, perhaps since around 2016, that geopolitical risks are at a post-Cold War high

2016 was, of course, the year when anti-establishment populists riding the anti-globalisation mood may have  so far  reached its apotheosis with the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president, and the United Kingdom voting to leave the EU. What was so striking about both these events was that two of the countries previously known for their political stability, and being traditional rule makers of the international order, made the world more uncertain.

In this landscape, there is much expectation on the United States finding solutions. However, it may be China  one of the countries that is a bystander in several current crises  which may also have a big bearing on whether the poly-crisis of today gets better or worse.

For Beijings rise to power has the potential to be either a growing source of tension with Washington and the wider West. Or, just possibly, a more fruitful partnership.

Growing bilateral rivalry, rather than an increasingly cooperative relationship, is the most likely scenario. However, there remains an outside possibility that a different future is possible that sees more cooperation around softer issues, such as climate change, and less tension on harder issues, including security.

The direction of that bilateral relationship is perhaps the single most important uncertainty in the later 2020s. While greater collaboration is widely dismissed, the outside possibility of a more cooperative relationship may yet offer a prospect of a different global future.

Andrew Hammond is an associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics.
Exhibition struggles to cohesively unite compelling works of 78 artists

By Park Han-sol

BUSAN  Amid the iron bars and steel-clad doors of an old bank vault in the underground gallery of the Busan Modern and Contemporary History Museum  once a Bank of Korea building  hangs an unusual collection of Korean presidential portraits.

Each former leader is graffitied with bicorn hats, scruffy beards, facial scars and reddened noses. In Koo Hun-joos provocative series, Mugunghwa Pirates, the nature of democracy is called into question as these political heavyweights are reimagined as pirates  not as lawless plunderers but as radical outcasts who forged their own autonomous, egalitarian societies beyond the confines of traditional governments.

In the adjacent vault room, Lee Yang-hees pulsating dance performance Hail plays in a continuous loop on wall-spanning screens. Inspired by the rave parties, techno culture and underground club scene that briefly thrived in Korea between the late 1990s and early 2000s, the 15-minute piece evokes a powerful sense of liberation and freedom. By contrasting this rebellious energy with the rigid confines of a former state-owned bank, a symbol of restraint and security, the performance becomes a celebration of unrestrained expression.

Such works, which envision themes of emancipation through the spirits of pirates, are spotlighted at the Busan Biennale 2024 alongside an unexpected companion: Buddhist art.

Notably, at the Busan Museum of Contemporary Art, Ven. Song Cheons towering 8-meter-tall paintings depict two religious icons  Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and the Virgin Mary  in the style of classical Buddhist scrolls. Though rooted in different spiritual traditions, these figures arouse a similar sense of awe, inviting viewers to reflect on the shared ideas of transcendent compassion.

As gleaned from the presentation, this years Busan Biennale draws inspiration from two distinct yet interconnected sources: the 18th-century pirate utopias, which functioned as autonomous and surprisingly inclusive havens for socially exiled renegades, and Buddhist monastic practices, which emphasize ascetic living apart from the normative, secular world.

Guided by these radically alternative ways of life, the biennials co-artistic directors, Vera Mey and Philippe Pirotte, have devised the theme Seeing in the Dark. The two propose that these fugitives from normality offer a new perspective, helping visitors explore todays dark and uncertain world in ways previously unimagined.

We are really guided by these two concepts of Pirate Enlightenment and Buddhist Enlightenment as a way to navigate a terrain that is unknown, a terrain that questions the concept of the self and [requires] us to use other senses to navigate, not just our eyes, Mey said during a press tour of the biennial Friday.

The result, which kicked off Saturday in the southeastern port city, is a visceral yet disappointingly organized exhibition that struggles to cohesively unite the provocative works of 78 artists, instrument makers, doctors, DJs and religious practitioners from 36 countries.

Granted, many of the installations and performances, displayed across four venues  the two aforementioned museums, another bank-turned-cultural center Hansung 1918 and the two-story vernacular Choryang House  are gripping in their own right.

In Memedi Sawah/Scarecrow Installation, the Indonesian collective Taring Padi responds to the marked escalation of rice prices, which have for years been leveraged as a political tool in the Southeast Asian nation, in the wake of the 2024 general election. Taring Padi's bold banners, cardboard puppets and woodcut prints, produced in solidarity with local peasant communities, engage in an intriguing dialogue with Korean artist Yun Suk-nams resilient portraits of forgotten female independence activists from the 1910-45 Japanese colonial era.

Sorawit Songsatayas Two Bridges with 7 Notes and 42 Strings weaves together sonic and olfactory memories from the childhood of the Thailand-born New Zealand artist. In fashioning a makeshift version of Khim, a traditional stringed instrument, Songsataya combines dried fish and shells from Busans Jagalchi Market with rattan vines sourced in Thailand.

Korean culinary elements also make an appearance in Tracy Naa Koshie Thompsons Kimchi-Waakye, where she transforms Ghanaian Waakye (a dish of cooked rice and beans) and Korean kimchi into large-scale abstractions that recall alien geological terrains.

And Indian artist Rajyashri Goody has displayed hundreds of overturned bowls gathered from Busan, arranged to resemble Buddhist stupas. Known for her focus on caste-based violence against the Dalits  referred to as untouchables  these dishes take on profound symbolism. They are seen as the begging bowls of Dalits that are reimagined as sacred religious structures, highlighting a reclamation of dignity and spirituality in the face of oppression.

Meanwhile, HongLee Hyunsooks Blackout Journey places the audience in complete darkness for nearly half an hour, leaving them to navigate using only their heightened senses of smell, touch and sound. The experience offers an intuitive framework to reconsider the role of visual art.

However, the main issue with this years biennale lies in the noticeable disconnect between these individually compelling pieces and the shows overall thematic vision.

The concepts of pirate enlightenment and Buddhist enlightenment, intended as the theoretical glue binding together the 349 paintings, installations and performances, feel unnecessarily forced and tenuous at best.

As a result, many of the works appear contextless and isolated  from each other, from the venues they occupy and from the shows overarching narrative.

The Busan Biennale runs until Oct. 20.
By Jung Da-hyun

Busan is set to make a significant stride in the global MICE  meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions and events  industry with its upcoming festival. Scheduled for early October, the festival will showcase 17 diverse international events, marking a bold effort to elevate the citys status on the global stage.

Busan Metropolitan City unveiled, Monday, the name of its inaugural integrated exhibition and convention project, "Festival Shiwol."

Set to run from Sept. 30 to Oct. 8, the nine-day festival will feature 17 international events spanning six sectors  music, film, culture, food, business and technology.

Aiming to bolster its status as a global convention city, Busan is focusing on developing a private-led industrial ecosystem and fostering innovation. Highlighting the need for a global convergence festival, the city has introduced this groundbreaking project for the first time this year, under the theme "October's Wind and Busans New Wish."

The city plans to leverage the "Shiwol" brand for coordinated marketing across international events, aiming to establish the city as a must-visit global hub this October.

The festival will feature diverse events such as the Busan International Film Festival, Asian Contents and Film Market, Busan Rock Festival, World Creator Festival, Busan International Food Expo, ASEAN-Korea Fashion Week and the Data Insights and Visualization Event.

To streamline access and boost tourism, organizers will implement joint marketing strategies for the 17 events featured in the festival.

These tickets will provide access to all 17 festival events as well as a complimentary silent music party outside BEXCO, which will be held during the festival period.

These tickets will be available through the official Festival Shiwol app and the websites of 11 participating hotels, starting Aug. 30.

In addition, Busan will offer exclusive tourism products for foreign visitors, combining the citys Visit Busan Pass with integrated Festival Shiwol tickets. These packages will be available through Ctrip, a major online travel platform in China.

This initiative is aimed at capturing the National Day holiday season in China, which runs from October 1 to 7. During this period, a large number of Chinese travelers typically visit Korea.

"This event is designed to concentrate a diverse range of activities within a single period, offering visitors a variety of choices and fostering natural interactions among participants to stimulate private-sector business opportunities," Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon said.
President Joe Biden approved a secret strategy earlier this year to focus on China's growing nuclear threats and prepare the United States for possible coordinated nuclear challenges from North Korea, China and Russia, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

Biden's approval in March of the revised strategy, called the "Nuclear Employment Guidance," came amid North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats, China's rapid expansion of its nuclear arsenal and Russia's perceived nuclear saber-rattling.

Updated every four years or so, the document is so confidential that only a small number of hard copies were distributed to a few security officials and Pentagon commanders, according to the newspaper.

During a forum hosted by the Arms Control Association in June, Pranay Vaddi, senior director for arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation on the National Security Council, already mentioned that Biden had issued an updated nuclear weapons employment guidance.

Vaddi commented on the guidance, warning that Pyongyang, Beijing and Moscow are expanding and diversifying their nuclear weapons stockpiles at a "breakneck" speed.

"(The guidance) emphasizes the need to account for the growth and diversity of the PRC's nuclear arsenal and the need to deter Russia, the PRC and North Korea simultaneously," he told the forum, referring to China by its official name, the People's Republic of China. "It also reaffirms our commitment to use arms control and other tools to minimize the number of nuclear weapons needed to achieve U.S. objectives."

Vaddi pointed out that the U.S. will need to adjust its posture and capabilities to ensure its ability to deter growing threats from the North, China and Russia should there be no change in their current nuclear weapons policy trajectory.

His remarks hinted at the U.S.' ongoing efforts to adapt to what he called the realities of a "new" nuclear era.

Early this month, Vipin Narang, the former acting assistant secretary of defense for space policy, also made similar remarks that, absent a change in the nuclear threat trajectories of China, Russia and North Korea, Washington may reach a point where "a change in the size and posture" of its current deployed forces is "necessary."

"There is no need to grow the stockpile yet, but adjustments to the number of deployed capabilities may be necessary if our adversaries continue down the current paths," Narang said.

Moreover, Narang emphasized the need not to "sleep on" North Korean threats, hinting that the U.S. has been keeping close tabs on the North's advancing nuclear program.

"We can't sleep on North Korea, which also continues to expand, diversify and improve its nuclear ballistic missile and non-nuclear capabilities," he said.

"While not a major power rival like the PRC and Russia, North Korea's continued improvement and diversification of its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities present deterrence dilemmas for the United States and regional allies," he added.

Nuclear threats from the three countries came into sharper focus recently as Russia has been deepening its strategic cooperation with both North Korea and China in the midst of its diplomatic isolation caused by Moscow's war in Ukraine.

In a telling sign of their burgeoning cooperation, Russia and the North signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty during their summit in June. Russia and China have also boasted their "no limits" partnership, while Washington has decried Beijing for its support for Russia's defense industrial base.

These developments came amid no progress in Washington's pursuit of arms control talks or other dialogue to reduce tensions and promote security. (Yonhap)
Residents escape economic hardship; High-level defections also on rise

By Kwak Yeon-soo

A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea, Tuesday, by walking across the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) on the heavily fortified inter-Korean border. The defection occurred about two weeks after a North Korean resident crossed the maritime border in the Han River estuary on the west coast.

In recent years, North Korea's elite, including high-level diplomats stationed abroad, have also defected to the South. The latest defector, Ri Il-gyu, fled from Cuba to South Korea in November of last year.

North Korea watchers and defectors residing in South Korea say these defections might indicate increasing economic hardship in the North and a growing desire for freedom among its residents, driven by access to information about the outside world.

They suggested that the recent defections by the soldier and resident may have been influenced by South Koreas propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts and leaflets, which provide information about the outside world and the reality of the North Korean regime.

Since July 19, South Korea has been conducting full-scale anti-Pyongyang broadcasts through its border loudspeakers, playing news and K-pop music, in response to North Korea's repeated launches of balloons carrying trash.

I believe a lot of North Koreans have aspirations for a better future. Many defect in search of freedom and for economic reasons," Moon Seong-mook, the chief of the Unification Strategy Center at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said. "Loudspeaker broadcasts have proven to be successful in persuading North Koreans to defect by exposing the reality of North Korea and sharing what life in South Korea is like. After North Korean leader Kim Jong-un came to power, hes been so absorbed in developing nuclear and missile programs that he failed to look after his people.

In recent years, an increasing number of North Korean defectors have cited aspiration for freedom as the primary reason for their escape, surpassing food shortages as the main motivation, according to a survey by the Korea Hana Foundation, an agency affiliated with the Ministry of Unification.

Kim Seung-chul, president of North Korea Reform Radio who defected from the North in 1993, said President Yoon Suk Yeols policy of embracing defectors has stirred up complex feelings in the minds of North Koreans.

South Korea celebrated its first North Korean Defectors Day on July 14, and President Yoons outreach to 26 million North Korean citizens in his speech is affecting the minds of North Koreans. The loudspeaker campaign and anti-Pyongyang leaflets have also been effective in bringing about change, Kim said.

Socio-economic factors, such as economic hardship and political oppression, continue to drive North Koreans to flee their country. In the first half of the year, the number of North Korean defectors arriving in South Korea reached 105, a slight increase from 99 in the previous year.

Although North Korea claims that its economy is back to pre-pandemic levels, the economic and livelihood difficulties of North Koreans deepened. Kim Jong-un has urged its people to fight against anti-socialism without providing enough to feed them. Soldiers are being mobilized to help construct factories in provinces as part of the regimes 20x10 rural development policy. There must be growing discontent over the repressive regime, Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said.

Another notable trend is the rising number of defections among members of North Koreas ruling elite. The defection of Ri, who made headlines last month, was particularly significant as he was the highest-ranking North Korean diplomat to defect to South Korea since 2016.

The number of highly educated North Koreans with professional jobs escaping to South Korea has increased. In 2023, about 10 North Koreans identified as members of the country's elite resettled in South Korea, a higher number than in recent years, according to the Unification Ministry. A ministry official attributed the rise in high-level defections to North Korea's pandemic-related economic difficulties and its efforts to strengthen state control over its people.

Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, said the surge in defections indicates the weakening of the Kim regime.

It reveals that the Kim Jong-un regime is breaking down and that there is no hope left inside. The treatment of ruling elites has deteriorated over the years, leading them to become disillusioned with the regime, Ahn said.

Ahn noted that North Koreans now have easier access to information from the outside world. Approximately 7 million North Koreans have mobile phones these days, giving them greater access to external information. There is increasing discontent among students and diplomats abroad, he added.

Kim Seung-chul said there is no longer an idolization of Kim Jong-un, noting that the North Korean leader has been struggling to contain the dissatisfaction of residents suffering from recent floods.

Kim Jong-un recently announced that thousands of flood-affected people would be relocated to Pyongyang until new homes are built. However, his actions and words cannot alleviate the anxiety and anger that residents are currently experiencing. This indicates a decline in his status as the sole leader. There is no longer any idolization of Kim Jong-un, he said.

He also explained that even North Korean diplomats stationed overseas earn salaries of less than $1,000 a month and often supplement their income by selling alcohol on the black market. Additionally, they are required to purchase luxury goods for bribery purposes when returning home.

North Korea watchers said the fresh batch of defections will have a domino effect, triggering more desertions that will likely undermine the regime.

About 34,000 North Koreans have defected to South Korea, mostly since the late 1990s. I believe the number of defectors will increase, particularly among those who have lived abroad for extended periods, as it is relatively easier for them, Ahn said.

The North Korean leader has ordered the construction of new border walls and the installation of additional land mines, but defectors are likely to find ways to circumvent these measures, the analysts viewed.

North Koreas construction of anti-tank barriers, reinforcement of guards, and installation of mines are intended to strengthen its defensive positions against South Korea, not necessarily to prevent defections. The North Korean militarys equipment is outdated, and they are building the barriers manually, so progress is slow. They cannot afford surveillance cameras along the border, which will enable defectors to continue crossing, Hong said.
Summit, if held, expected to focus on maintaining warm relations after Japan's leadership change

By Lee Hyo-jin

Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishidas potential visit to Seoul is unlikely to quell the domestic criticism faced by President Yoon Suk Yeol regarding his perceived pro-Japanese policies, diplomatic observers said, Wednesday.

If the summit takes place, it is anticipated to center on celebrating the progress in bilateral relations and marking a farewell between the two leaders, who have built a personal rapport, experts said. They added that Kishida is unlikely to present new initiatives or issue a fresh apology for historical issues during his visit.

According to the presidential office, Tuesday, Kishida expressed his willingness to visit Korea even before announcing his decision to step down. The Japanese prime minister, whose term is set to end next month, withdrew his bid for re-election as the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party last week.

There have been relevant discussions even before the announcement, but nothing has been decided yet, a presidential official said, following Japanese media reports suggesting Kishida might visit Korea in early September.

The official added that Yoon is open to meeting his Japanese counterpart at any time as part of their commitment to maintaining regular leader-to-leader visits.

If Kishida does visit, it would be his third trip to Seoul as Japans leader, following his most recent visit in May for a Korea-China-Japan trilateral summit. This visit would also mark Yoon and Kishidas 10th bilateral meeting, including separate and sideline discussions at various multinational events.

Observers told The Korea Times that the proposed meeting would benefit Kishida more than Yoon, given the significant domestic backlash the Korean leader has faced over his handling of historical issues between Korea and Japan.

Yang Ki-ho, a professor of Japanese studies at Sungkonghoe University, said that the summit would give the unpopular Japanese prime minister an opportunity to solidify his diplomatic legacy before his resignation.

One of Kishidas few achievements that resonated with the Japanese public is the restoration of diplomatic ties with Korea, which paved the way for the Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral partnership. For him, this visit, likely his last before leaving office, would be a chance to showcase his political legacy, Yang said.

The professor also viewed the proposed visit as a show of Kishida's appreciation for the significant concessions and proactive steps taken by Yoon to restore relations that had been frozen for years.

However, the meeting may not offer the same benefit for Yoon, who has been facing increasing scrutiny here for his perceived pro-Japanese policies and his stance on Japans past misdeeds during its colonial rule over Korea (1910-45).

Opposition parties have criticized the Yoon administration for approving the inclusion of Japans Sado mines, a controversial site of forced Korean labor during the colonial era, on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July.

Additionally, the appointment of Kim Hyoung-suk to the National Independence Hall earlier this month sparked a backlash from the descendants of independence fighters. Kim, a former scholar, has been accused of justifying Japans colonial rule in his previous lectures and speeches, further fueling the controversy.

Adding to the controversy, Yoons Aug. 15 Liberation Day speech notably omitted references to Japans wartime atrocities, breaking from the tradition of past presidential speeches that addressed these issues. The presidential offices subsequent explanation  that Japan has issued multiple apologies on various occasions over historical issues and that there is fatigue in Tokyo over the matter  has only intensified the backlash.

Given this background, Korean public opinion on Kishidas potential visit may depend on whether the Japanese leader addresses recent controversies, such as the issue of the Sado mine.

During a Yoon-Kishida summit in Seoul in May 2023, the Japanese leader expressed that his "heart hurts as many people suffered such difficulty and grief under the harsh environment," referring to Korean victims of forced labor, but did not directly address the issue of coerced labor.

The potential summit, which is highly likely to occur, is expected to focus on promises to maintain warm ties regardless of the leadership change in Japan, said Lee Won-deog, a professor of Japanese studies at Kookmin University.

Lee said that Kishida is unlikely to address sensitive issues or offer a new apology regarding historical grievances during his visit, as the outgoing leader would want to finish his term on a positive note without creating further controversy.
President Yoon Suk Yeol warned Wednesday that North Korea would face the end of its regime should it attempt to invade South Korea, while inspecting an annual joint exercise with the United States.

Yoon made the remark during his visit to the Ground Operations Command in Yongin, south of Seoul, where he received briefings on the Ulchi Freedom Shield. The joint military exercise began Monday for an 11-day run.

"The North Korean regime is the most irrational group on Earth that can stage provocations at any time," Yoon said. "Only our military's robust military readiness can prevent them from making miscalculations."

Yoon underscored the importance of the joint exercise in assessing military readiness and enhancing the combined defense posture of the allies against the growing North Korean military threats.

"We must make it clear to the North Korean regime, which harbors dreams of forceful unification and constantly eyes the Republic of Korea, that any invasion will lead to the end of its regime," Yoon said, referring to South Korea's official name.

He also called for strong firepower capabilities against the North's long-range artillery and missiles, which are located within striking distance of the greater Seoul area -- home to nearly half of South Korea's 50 million people.

"It is important to overwhelm (North Korea's) long-range artillery and missile bases in the early stages of a war," he said.

Gen. Paul LaCamera, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, and Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, commander of the U.S. Eighth Army, accompanied Yoon on his visit to the command.

It marks the first time that a sitting president has visited the Ground Operations Command since its establishment in 2019, following the merger of two Army commands. (Yonhap)
A Seoul court on Wednesday dismissed a suit filed by a pastor seeking to nullify a suspension imposed on him for offering benediction prayers to sexual minorities.

The Korean Methodist Church suspended pastor Lee Dong-hwan of Glory Jeil Church for two years for presiding over a blessing ritual for sexual minorities at a queer festival in Incheon in 2019.

After his appeal was rejected, Lee filed a suit with the court to repeal the decision in February last year.

The Seoul Central District Court dismissed the suit Wednesday, saying the disciplinary action cannot be nullified unless it is proven unjust under the canon law, or in case there was no reasoning for such disciplinary measures. (Yonhap)
Prosecutors have asked minor party leader Cho Kuk to appear for questioning in connection with alleged favoritism for former President Moon Jae-in's ex-son-in-law, officials said Wednesday.

The Jeonju District Prosecutors Office in South Korea's southwestern city of Jeonju said it has sent a summons for Cho to appear for questioning as a witness on Aug. 31 as part of its probe into the suspicion that Moon's ex-son-in-law, surnamed Seo, was unfairly hired as an executive of Thai Eastar Jet in exchange for favors for the firm's founder, Lee Sang-jik.

After Lee was named head of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME) in 2018, Seo was hired as an executive director of the Thai affiliate of budget carrier Eastar Jet, triggering skepticism about its background.

Prosecutors suspect that the decision to appoint Lee as the KOSME chief was made during an informal meeting of presidential secretaries in late 2017.

Cho served as a senior presidential secretary for civil affairs under Moon from 2017-19 and then worked as justice minister during his presidency.

On Tuesday, the prosecution summoned Im Jong-seok, a former chief of staff for Moon, regarding the allegation and reportedly asked him whether he played any role in the appointment.

Cho formed the Rebuilding Korea Party in March and has since led the minor party. (Yonhap)
Electric scooter fires up 2.5 times, e-bike fires 21 times higher in 4 years

By KTimes

Concerns over the safety of electric scooters and e-bikes are growing as fires involving these mobility devices surge. Meanwhile, safety regulations and guidelines are inadequate, as authorities seemingly have emphasized their use over ensuring their safe operation.

On July 27, Park, a Jeju resident in his 40s, experienced a frightening incident involving his electric motorcycle. After parking it in his usual spot on the ground floor of his building, the bike suddenly caught fire and was completely destroyed.

Fortunately, the fire occurred in an outdoor parking lot, and quick action prevented any injuries. However, if the flames had spread to the adjacent parked electric car, the situation could have escalated into a major fire.

When Park contacted his insurance company, he was shocked to learn that his policy only covered accidents that occurred while the vehicle was in motion. Yet, according to the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, 19 of the 24 electric vehicle fires this year (about 79 percent) occurred while the vehicles were parked or charging, with only five incidents happening while they were being driven.

While it may not be fair to directly compare electric vehicles with personal mobility devices, the reality is that current insurance policies do not adequately reflect the risks associated with battery-related fires.

Data from the National Fire Agency reveals a sharp rise in fires involving personal mobility devices. The number of battery fires, excluding those involving electric vehicles, surged from 51 in 2019 to 612 last year  a 12-fold increase in just four years.

Fires involving electric scooters more than doubled during this period, from 46 to 114, while e-bike fires saw a 21-fold increase from 2 to 42.

Electric motorcycle fires also occurred frequently, with 9 incidents reported last year alone. On the morning of Tuesday, a fire broke out in an e-bike that was charging in an apartment in Seongdong District, Seoul, requiring an emergency response from the fire department.

Earlier this month, a Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle fire in the underground parking lot of a residential complex in Incheon caused extensive damage, burning 87 cars. The fire's origin was the vehicle's battery. Of the 24 electric vehicle fires that have occurred this year, more than half (13) were caused by battery issues, underscoring the susceptibility of these batteries as a fire risk.

Inadequate safety measures increase fire risks

The growing number of fires involving mobility devices is particularly concerning because, unlike electric vehicles, there is a lack of management guidelines or compensation systems from either government agencies or manufacturers.

Park, who purchased his electric motorcycle with a subsidy from his local government, reported that he received no safety guidelines or information related to fire risks.

Experts warn that the unique characteristics of mobility devices  such as their smaller size and the external exposure of their batteries  make them particularly susceptible to fires.

Battery fires generally occur due to issues with the cells (the basic units of a battery made up of anode, cathode, separator and electrolyte).

The risk of a fire increases if the device is subjected to strong impacts, such as hitting speed bumps or driving through flooded roads.

Personal mobility devices, which experience more vibrations during operation than cars, often have less robust battery management systems (BMS) to prevent overcharging.

Kim Pil-soo, a professor of automotive engineering at Daelim University College, said, "Mobility devices have far fewer safety certifications compared to electric vehicles, making them more vulnerable to fires. Additionally, mobility devices are often left unattended in large numbers on streets, requiring greater caution. Authorities and manufacturers need to establish a precise management system tailored to these devices."

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by staff at The Korea Times.
Spirit of Tasmania has announced two new ships will make travelling with pets much easier.

Spirit of Tasmania has announced dogs will soon be able to travel alongside owners in cabins. Source: Getty/Spirit of Tasmania

After plans were revealed earlier this year allowing pets to be taken on domestic flights, they will soon also be able to feel the sea breeze in their fur after a popular ferry service announced it will soon have pet-friendly cabins.

On Wednesday, Spirit of Tasmania announced two new ships will each feature 18 pet-friendly cabins for passengers to book and travel between mainland Australia to Tassie while enjoying the company of their furry friends.

Up until now, passengers have been permitted to travel with a long list of pets, however, they have been required to travel on board in a separate kennel area, with passengers unable to visit or access this section of the ship.

The Spirit of Tasmania IV and V will not only allow pets to stay in the same cabin as their owners now, but also offer owners access to a new and improved kennel area if they wish to use it. The new kennels will also be climate-controlled and have CCTV video surveillance. And, if that's not enough, the ships will also include designated outdoor areas for pets to stretch their legs and interact with other pets.

"Were confident that passengers will be able to relax and enjoy the sailing knowing that their pet is well taken care of in our new kennel area," Bernard Dwyer, Spirit of Tasmania Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, said.

The new kennels will be climate-controlled and have CCTV surveillance. Source: Spirit of Tasmania

Spirit of Tasmania make change after 'high demand' from Aussies

The ferry service, which is the only one that operates across Bass Strait, has made the change after growing demands from Aussies.

"We have observed high demand from passengers wanting to holiday with their pets, as many prefer to keep their furry companions with them instead of leaving them with pet sitters or at boarding kennels close to home," Dwyer said. "We know that pets are cherished members of the family."

The new ships will start operating next year.

Aussies reacted overwhelmingly positively to the news, with one saying "about time" and others saying they can't wait to book a cabin on one of the new ships.

"This is a great step forward," said another.

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Prime Minister Han Duck-soo visited one of the oldest surviving independence fighters on his 101st birthday Wednesday, saying he thanks him for his service and wishes him good health, according to the prime minister's office.

Oh Seong-gyu, born Aug. 21, 1923, in North Pyongan Province in what is now North Korea, took part in the fight against Japanese colonial rule from Manchuria before enlisting in the Korean Liberation Army based in Anhui, China.

In the months before Korea's Aug. 15, 1945, liberation from Japanese colonial rule, Oh was trained as a commando for the U.S. Office of Strategic Services. He returned to Korea briefly upon liberation but left for Japan soon after due to difficulty adjusting amid ideological battles at home.

In August last year, Oh returned to South Korea after expressing his wish to spend the remainder of his life in his home country and has since lived at a veterans' nursing home in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul.

"Thank you for your service in dedicating yourself to our independence," Han told Oh while holding hands. "I wish you continued good health, so that you can remain at our side for a long time."

Four interns working for the Office for Government Policy Coordination accompanied Han on the visit with a birthday cake designed like the flag of the Korean Liberation Army. Together, they gave a deep bow before Oh.

Oh is one of six registered surviving independence fighters. Lee Ha-jeon, who resides in the United States, is the oldest among them at 103, followed by Oh.

In 1990, Oh received the National Medal of the Order of Merit for National Foundation from the South Korean government for his service. (Yonhap)
Korea needs to consider accepting more foreign workers to increase its working-age population amid a looming demographic crisis, a presidential aide said Wednesday.

You Hye-mi, a senior aide on addressing low birthrates, made the remark in a radio interview as Korea is grappling with the world's lowest birthrate and an aging population.

"As the working-age population is sharply decreasing, utilizing foreign workers could be an option to increase the population," You said in an interview on KBS radio.

Korea's total fertility rate, or the average number of children expected to be born to a woman over her lifetime, reached a record low of 0.72 in 2023.

The figure is far below the 2.1 births per woman needed to maintain a stable population without immigration.

If the current trend continues, You warned the country's population could decrease by about 30 percent and the proportion of the elderly population will surpass that of the working population.

"It is questionable whether the current system can function as it does now in such a situation," she said.

While the current work permit system allows recruiting of foreigners in non-professional fields, You said the government needs a long-term, comprehensive strategy to hire foreign employees and the proposed Ministry of Population Strategy and Planning aims to play a critical role for the goal.

She said the cost of the pilot program to recruit domestic helpers from the Philippines is still high due to the application of minimum wage systems, calling for measures to make the program more accessible to ordinary households. (Yonhap)
A prosecution investigation team has decided to acquit first lady Kim Keon Hee of charges related to her acceptance of a Dior handbag from a Korean American pastor in 2022, legal officials said Wednesday.

The team from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office (SCDPO), which is in charge of the first lady's case, has recently reported the decision to Lee Chang-soo, the head of the SCDPO, and Lee plans to report it to Prosecutor General Lee One-seok soon, the officials said.

The report to the top prosecutor is expected to take place Thursday, they added.

The SCDPO division concluded that charges of anti-graft law violation cannot be sought against Kim in connection with the allegations she illegally received the luxury bag worth about 3 million won ($2,252) and other expensive gifts from pastor Choi Jae-young two years ago, they said.

The decision came about four months after the top prosecutor ordered the SCDPO to set up a special investigation team on the case.

The investigation team also reportedly concluded that the bag received from Choi appears to have no relevance to President Yoon Suk Yeol's duties.

The team reportedly regarded the bag as a gift exchanged between individuals to express gratitude, considering the circumstances and Choi's alleged requests for Kim's favors, including one to secure former Korean American U.S. House Rep. Jay Chang Joon Kim's future burial at a national cemetery.

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea(DPK) slammed the decision, accusing the investigation team of cutting slack for Yoon and the first lady.

"It's an act that gives impunity to the president and the first lady, and a distorted interpretation of the law that does not align with the legal principles at all," DPK Rep. Jeon Hyun-heui said. (Yonhap)
By Anna J. Park

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik urged rival parties, Wednesday, to reach a consensus on the contentious issue of whether to conduct a special investigation into the death of a fallen Marine. He recommended adopting the approach suggested by Han Dong-hoon, leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP).

During a press conference at the National Assembly, the parliamentary speaker called on the parties to agree on the "third-party recommendation proposal for special investigation," which is what the PPP leader suggested during the ruling party's leadership campaign in June.

There is a national consensus that the National Assembly should intervene to investigate the fallen Marines case and uncover the truth," the speaker said during the press conference.

Given the current partisan standoff, it is essential for the ruling and opposition parties to reach an agreement and find a solution to move the investigation forward, Woo added, pointing out that the current situation shows that the ruling and opposition parties are much closer to reaching a consensus than before.

If both parties make small concessions, it may open a path forward, he stressed.

The speaker emphasized that the third-party recommendation method for selecting the special prosecutor was proposed by the PPP leader himself, and that the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has expressed its willingness to support it.

Back in June, Han had promised during the ruling conservative party's leadership race that he would propose a special prosecutor bill allowing third parties, such as the chief justice of the Supreme Court, to initiate a special prosecution to investigate the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun, who was killed during a search mission for victims of heavy downpours in July 2023. The presidential office and the defense ministry have been accused of inappropriately interfering in the Marines' investigation into the death.

Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the main opposition DPK, said last Friday that the party is open to accepting the third-party recommendation method proposed by the PPP leader.

If we can resolve the injustice surrounding the deceased Marine by uncovering the truth about external pressures, the Democratic Party is open to accepting the third-party recommendation proposal suggested by Han, the DPK floor leader said.

Meanwhile, when asked if he plans to issue a separate mediation proposal on the matter, Woo responded, With the new leadership of both parties scheduled to meet this Sunday, it is best to wait and see.

Woo, a five-term lawmaker from the DPK, was elected National Assembly Speaker in early June. Since then, Rep. Woo has left the main opposition party in accordance with the National Assembly Act to serve as an independent. He will hold the position of chairman until May 2026.
Many small business owners argue excessive labor costs unsustainable

By Jung Min-ho

Ruling party lawmakers and representatives for small business owners called for the introduction of a separate wage system for foreign workers, Wednesday, saying it is an issue of survival for many struggling businesses here.

At a seminar held at the National Assembly, Rep. Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party (PPP) said reforms in the universal minimum wage system would be essential to spur more people to hire foreign workers and to allow more citizens to enjoy the benefits from their labor.

Increasing the number of foreign workers has become a necessity, not an option, amid (the countrys) low birthrate and rapid aging trend, Na said. But because of the high minimum wage, financial difficulties have been increasing in many industrial sectors, including small business owners and farmers.

More than a dozen lawmakers and representatives of the government gathered at the event, which reflects the high public interest in the issue. The arrival of 100 Filipino caregivers earlier this month was one of the reasons that sparked the interest, as many criticized the program, introduced to help ordinary parents raise their children more easily, for being too expensive  it costs more than 2 million won ($1,500) to hire a full-time worker as well as the social insurances required for a month.

Na echoed such criticism, saying that there have been calls for policymakers to learn from their counterparts in Hong Kong and Singapore, where residents enjoy the same services at much lower costs.

Rep. Choo Kyung-ho, floor leader of the party, and several other lawmakers also said residents in their constituencies demand legislation to address the issue.

Cha Nam-soo, a representative of the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise, said the rapid rise in the minimum wage in recent years  from 5,210 won in 2014 to 9,860 won this year  has pushed many small business owners to the brink.

Most employers who pay their workers the minimum wage are small business owners, he said.

Citing survey results, Lee Myung-ro, a representative of the Korea Federation of SMEs, said most small business owners would be in support of adopting a new system to pay lower wages to foreign workers.

However, given that Koreas dependence on foreign workers is expected to continue to increase in the coming decades and that it is in competition with other countries to attract workers, he said setting up a new system would require a careful approach.

Koreas labor laws, which include minimum wage regulations, are designed mainly for employees working at companies. But the countrys persistently low total fertility rate and labor shortages suggest that many foreign workers will be employed by individuals, said Kim Kyung-seon, a chair professor at Tech University of Korea.

She said demand for foreign workers is projected to grow fast in child-rearing and elderly care services in the near future, saying there should be policy changes to enable more people to use such services more affordably.

She also said reducing the costs would be especially important for Korean working mothers, many of whom are forced to choose between their professional careers and raising children at some point in their lives.

Introducing a different wage system for foreign workers is one way. Another option is to consider paying foreign workers partially with state-funded meals and housing services instead of cash, she said.

Kim Jun-hyung, a professor of economics at KAIST, agreed that the costs of such services are important for womens economic participation.

From an economists perspective, the benefits (of introducing a separate wage system) are obvious, he said, adding that the challenge now is how to address it politically.
Nearly 3,000 people have experienced heat-related illnesses this summer as scorching heat continues to plague South Korea, authorities said Wednesday.

A total of 98 people were taken to emergency rooms due to heat-related illnesses on Tuesday alone, bringing the total number of such patients to 2,994 since May 20, when the government began monitoring such cases for the year, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

It is the second-largest tally ever, with the country reporting the largest number of heat-related patients in 2018 with 4,526 cases.

Extreme heat has also claimed 28 lives so far this year in South Korea, the agency added.

From June 11 through Tuesday, 997,000 livestock died from extreme heat.

The weather agency said the heat wave is forecast to continue, and the government is activating an intensive monitoring system, particularly for senior citizens and other vulnerable members of the population. (Yonhap)
Ruling party leader accused of luring center-right voters at the expense of traditional voters

By Kang Hyun-kyung

This Friday marks the one-month anniversary of Han Dong-hoons election as chairman of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), following his landslide victory on July 23 in the race for the party's new leader and decision-making Supreme Council members.

With 63 percent of the total votes cast, Han was declared the undisputed winner without the need for a run-off. His support exceeded the combined figures of the three other candidates.

However, his sweeping victory was soon overshadowed. Now, at 51, the prosecutor-turned-politician Han is facing growing skepticism about his leadership from within the party.

In cyberspace, Han-bashing has reached its peak, with YouTube inundated with hate speech directed at the PPP leader. Interestingly, many of these critics are conservatives.

They portray Han as a traitor who ousted conservative candidates in the selection process for the PPP's candidates in the April 10 National Assembly elections. They claim that the PPP lost the elections due to Hans misguided campaign strategy, which sought to win over center-left voters  referred to as "wild rabbits" in political metaphor  at the expense of traditional conservative supporters, or "domestic rabbits."

Criticism of Han from within the party signifies that he has yet to establish a firm footing in the ruling camp.

It is unusual for a party leader who won decisively in an internal competition just a month ago to become unpopular.

Four weeks are too short for the so-called convention effect  a political term referring to the extended popularity of a winning candidate following a leadership contest  to dissipate.

It is puzzling that the new leader struggles to assert control over the ruling camp, especially given his prior experience in the same role. Han, who previously served as the interim leader of the PPP and orchestrated the partys campaign for the April 10 National Assembly elections, was treated like a rock star during the campaign season. Despite his popularity, the election results were disappointing. The PPP was decisively defeated, securing barely a third of the 300 seats available.

Without offering any excuses, he took responsibility for the defeat and decided to step down.

The harsh reality of leadership is that it is result-driven. The fates of leaders depend on the performance of their organizations after they take charge. If the organization excels, the leader is credited with the success. Conversely, if the organization underperforms or delivers disappointing results, the leader must take responsibility.

Politicians who resign to take responsibility for election losses often choose a period of self-imposed exile, either at home or abroad, before eventually making a return to politics.

But Han was different. After a brief break following the election, he announced his candidacy for the PPPs leadership contest in July. This decision was controversial. His return to politics while his party was still reeling from the crushing election defeat was seen as a self-serving move aimed at pursuing his personal ambitions.

Despite the controversy, he was elected nonetheless.

Han is unusual in that he made a hasty decision to return to politics without taking time for self-reflection on his tenure in the ruling party. Some pundits view him positively as a confident, trailblazing politician from the younger generation who chose not to follow the traditional path adhered to by older politicians.

But his rapid return to politics has raised doubts about his integrity. Some question whether he has learned or is willing to learn from his failed leadership during the elections. The April 10 elections were crucial not only for the ruling party but also for President Yoon Suk Yeol and the nation. The PPPs failure to secure a majority of Assembly seats has left the party unable to act independently.

Hans failure to reflect on the post-election results has led political observers to question whether he took the election results seriously or was more concerned with his own interests.

This suspicion has fueled the criticism of Han among some conservatives.

Han had to address this negative sentiment during a private meeting with a group of 18 retired politicians on Monday.

One of the attendees was quoted as saying that Han needs to demonstrate whether he is a capable leader. Your intellect has been proven, but now you must prove yourself as a leader. Specifically, you need to show whether you can connect with voters on an emotional level. If you plan to implement affirmative action for the underprivileged, you need to engage with them from the heart, not just from the head, he said.

Han is an ambitious politician with presidential aspirations. To achieve his goals, he needs to listen to feedback and address his shortcomings. He faces criticism for being aloof and self-centered. While popularity is important, credibility is crucial. It is a key factor in gaining and retaining voter support. A politician's credibility can transform popularity into a strong foundation for a successful political career. Han must evaluate whether he is viewed as a trustworthy and dependable leader and continue to work on self-improvement. Otherwise, his popularity might prove to be fleeting.

The writer is a member of the editorial board at The Korea Times.
Need for healthy political participation

The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) recently held a convention to elect a new leader and five Supreme Council members, sparking concerns about the impact of fandom-driven politics. The event underscored how passionate supporters can sway political outcomes through coordinated voting. This collective action not only helps their favored candidates secure positions but also has the potential to disadvantage those who lose their support.

Former lawmaker Jung Bong-ju became a casualty of fan-fueled politics. After failing to secure a candidacy in Seoul's Gangbuk-B district during the April 10 elections, he sought a comeback by running for a seat on the DPK's Supreme Council. Competing against seven other candidates for five available positions, Jung initially gained strong support. However, his campaign faltered dramatically after he criticized a faction of politicians allied with Rep. Lee Jae-myung, who was ultimately reelected as the DPK leader.

Lee's controversial support group, known as the "gae-ttal" or "daughters of revolution," launched a boycott against Jung after he labeled Lee's aides as a "cancer" that needs to be removed from the party. This comment, coupled with previous criticisms questioning Lee's suitability for the presidency, incited outrage among Lee's supporters. They organized a campaign against Jung, mobilizing members of the online fan cafe "Jaemyung's Village" to vote for other candidates in a bid to oust him. As a result, Jung failed to secure a position on the party's Supreme Council, finishing sixth in the final vote.

This incident illustrates how fervent supporter groups can manipulate election outcomes and sway party decisions. Politicians, recognizing the influence of these loyal factions, might be tempted to depend on them, much like celebrities rely on their fan bases for success. However, this dependence on fanatical support can be risky and fraught with potential consequences.

Fan-fueled politics is not a new phenomenon. Before Lee, other politicians also had fervent followings. Former Presidents Moon Jae-in and Park Geun-hye are notable examples of leaders with intensely devoted supporters.

A Gallup survey released on May 6, 2022, just days before Moon left office, showed his approval rating at 45 percent. This made him the first Korean president to have an approval rating above 30 percent near the end of his term. His relatively high rating indicated that, compared to his predecessors, Moon had a larger base of strong supporters who remained loyal despite his administration's mismanagement of several key policy areas, such as housing and foreign policy.

As demonstrated by Moon's supporters, fanatical followers often back their favorite politicians not for their job performance but out of personal attachment to the politician.

Blind allegiance from fanatical supporters often does more harm than good. The recent DPK elections highlight how these groups can be manipulative, using boycotts and other collective actions to influence party decisions. Although politicians need a strong support base, they must be wary of becoming overly reliant on emotionally driven fans, who can be unpredictable and quick to shift their loyalty.

Supporters and fans are not the same. Supporters make decisions based on a politician's policy vision and legislative record, behaving as reasonable voters. In contrast, fans are driven more by emotion and are less predictable. Relying on these volatile groups to determine a politician's fate is inherently risky and dangerous.

The growing influence of fanatical supporters in politics is a troubling trend. Unfortunately, there are no binding measures in place to limit their collective actions, as such restrictions could infringe on freedoms of association and expression. Politicians need to think creatively to develop strategies that encourage a culture of healthy political participation among their supporters, ensuring that engagement remains constructive and balanced.
CEO confident about nurturing new businesses with sales over W1 tril.

By Nam Hyun-woo

LG Electronics CEO Cho Joo-wan said Wednesday that the company is successfully growing new businesses that can post more than 1 trillion won ($751.7 million) in annual sales.

Cho believes these businesses will serve as key growth drivers supporting the company's Vision 2030 strategy, which focuses on revamping its business portfolio.

During an investor forum at LG Science Park in southwestern Seoul, Cho shared the progress and achievements of the company's medium- to long-term plan as part of its commitment to directly and transparently communicate with the market.

Along with Cho, Chief Financial Officer Kim Chang-tae and other top executives of the company attended the event.

Vision 2030 aims to transform itself from an electronics device maker to "a smart life solution company," providing customer experiences across various spaces, including the home, commercial environments, mobility and virtual spaces.

Under the strategy, the company promised to achieve 7 percent in compound annual growth rate, a 7 percent operating profit margin and a seven-fold growth in enterprise multiple, an indicator showing a company's corporate value.

LG Electronics said the company has been cruising toward the goal, posting an 8 percent year-on-year growth in sales for the first half of this year. During the same period, its operating profit margin stood at 6 percent, and enterprise multiple grew fourfold.

"I am proud to say that we have been steadily laying the groundwork to achieve our future vision over the past year, and we are now creating structural changes and sustainable outcomes in various business fields," Cho said.

"With strong confidence and a sense of responsibility, we will continue to push forward consistently and vigorously to reach our goals."

As part of the vision, LG Electronics will revamp its portfolio to maximize the growth potential of its existing businesses, nurture platform-based services, accelerate business-to-business (B2B) operations and explore new business fields.

Among the company's existing businesses, Cho noted that its home appliance businesses are showing a stable growth trajectory despite the backpedaling of Korea's home appliance market, as the company expanded direct-to-customer selling strategies.

In terms of B2B operations, LG Electronics said it has achieved significant progress in sectors such as automotive parts, heat, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and smart factories by capitalizing on the market transition toward digitalization and electrification.

The company's B2B segment accounted for 27 percent of its sales in 2021 and increased to 35 percent in the first half of this year. The company aims to increase the B2B segment's share of its total revenue to 45 percent by 2030.

A highlight of the forum was the company's strategy to nurture what it calls "unicorn businesses" which post more than 1 trillion won in annual sales.

"As the venture capital industry calls a startup valued at over $1 billion a unicorn, LG Electronics is calling a business model which generates more than 1 trillion won in sales a unicorn business," Cho said.

"Among our businesses, home appliance subscription has already become a unicorn business, and there are other prominent seed businesses which are expected to be described as unicorns in the near future."

LG Electronics' home appliance business posted 1.13 trillion won of revenue last year, up 33 percent from a year earlier. As a growing number of customers opt for home appliance subscription services to save costs and use new appliances for as long as they want, the company expects that the number will grow to 1.8 trillion won by the end of this year, up 60 percent from last year.

Another potential unicorn is the webOS-based advertising and content business. WebOS refers to LG's multitasking operating system for smart devices such as smart TVs.

Since LG Electronics has sold more than 220 million smart TVs in the past 10 years, the company believes those TVs will be a powerful and lucrative platform. It projects that the revenue from this business will likely surpass 1 trillion won by the end of this year, quadrupling from 2021.

The company also said its HVAC business will likely gain unicorn status within three years, buoyed by growing demand for chillers for artificial intelligence data centers.

A chiller is a system to air-condition large buildings and facilities by using chilled water. LG Electronics said its chiller business logged an annual growth rate of over 15 percent for the past three years, with overseas sales more than doubling during the same period.

"These goals are becoming reality very fast," Cho said. "By pursuing a portfolio that can ensure scalability and profitability, we will continue making efforts to make the company's proper value recognized in the market."
Mobile carrier signs partnership with US GPU cloud firm Lambda

By Nam Hyun-woo

SK Telecom said Wednesday it will open an artificial intelligence (AI) data center powered by Nvidias advanced graphics processing unit (GPU) in southwestern Seoul in December as part of a partnership with the U.S.-based GPU cloud firm Lambda.

According to the mobile carrier, the two sides signed a partnership regarding AI cloud service through which they will strategically cooperate to expand the GPU-as-a-service (GPUaaS) business and establish Lambdas footing in Korea.

Lambda was established in 2012 as a GPUaaS company using the latest processors supplied by Nvidia. GPUaaS is a service that helps corporate clients rent GPU resources through the cloud instead of purchasing costly chipsets. This is gaining popularity among large companies or startups that face challenges in purchasing GPUs due to high costs and limited supply.

Under the partnership, the two companies will deploy Nvidias H100 processors at SK Broadbands data center in Geumcheon District, Seoul, and plan to deploy thousands of GPUs, including the latest H200 processors, within the next three years.

Through this move, SK Telecom said it plans to set up Koreas largest GPU farm powered only by Nvidias GPUs. SK Broadband is SK Telecoms subsidiary.

The data center will also serve as Lambdas regional base in Korea, meaning that the data of domestic companies using Lambdas service will be stored in servers at the center.

Assisted by Lambdas GPU resources, SK Telecom said it will launch a subscription-type GPUaaS in December, to leverage the sharp growth in the global GPUaaS market.

According to market tracker Fortune Business Insights, the global GPUaaS market will grow to $49.84 billion in 2032 from $4.31 billion in 2024, with its compound annual growth rate reaching 35.8 percent.

Lambda CEO Stephen Balaban said the two companies share a common vision: to make GPU computing resources as convenient as electricity. Additionally, he said that Lambda is excited to collaborate with SK Telecom to grow the AI cloud sector in Korea, where AI innovation is rapidly advancing.

Securing a stable supply of GPUs through our strategic partnership with Lambda is highly significant for expanding GPU supply in Korea, an SK Telecom official said.

We will work to establish the largest GPU farm in the country, so that we can make forays into the global market as well as contributing to Koreas national AI competitiveness.
It warns drivers they're being watched, but not a single person across multiple government divisions seems to know a thing about it.

A sign on the Gold Coast (right) warning drivers their 'behaviour' is being 'monitored' has no owner, with officials across multiple levels of government not taking responsibility. Source: Facebook

A cryptic sign at a busy intersection warning motorists that cameras are monitoring their "behaviour" is causing confusion among local drivers.

The sign, located at the intersection of Heathwood Drive and Hope Island Road, at Oxenford on the Gold Coast, also has no apparent owner. Officials across multiple levels of government were unable to provide any clarity over it when asked by Yahoo News, with exactly where the recorded footage is sent also unknown.

Across the country, speed, mobile phone and seatbelt detection cameras have caused controversy in recent months, particularly over the many millions of dollars of revenue they collectively generate. In some jurisdictions, the rollout of portable road cameras has even been forced under "review" after multiple suspected arson attacks on the devices.

Drivers have been coming forward in droves to report the inaccuracies of these cameras after being stung for hundreds  and sometimes thousands  of dollars, many successfully fighting their case in court.

With so much contention surrounding the devices, an Aussie driver this week took to social media to question what exactly the mysterious camera was scanning for in Oxenford. Responding, Aussies shared a range of ideas, but most were puzzled.

Usually, signs warning about cameras inform drivers of what offence they're scanning for. Source: NCA Newswire

People did acknowledge the spot is notorious for "extremely rowdy" driving. Some theorised the sign merely warned of "general CCTV filming". One person said cameras were on the lookout for "hoon behaviour", others questioned what infringements could be headed their way in the mail as a result.

But nobody, it seems, has a definitive answer. And that goes for local and state authorities.

When Yahoo News Australia questioned Queensland Police over the sign, nor did they. We also asked the City of Gold Coast Council, who similarly had no clue about who owned the sign.

A spokesperson told Yahoo their best bet would be Queensland's Transport and Main Roads Department (TMR), given the fact the intersection is state-owned. However they too had no answer. When contacted by Yahoo about the mystery camera the TMR said they "had nothing further to offer" and suggested contacting the police again.

Australia's problem with dangerous driving

Authorities across the country are looking to crackdown on bad and distracted driving. Road deaths in general have skyrocketed in Australia in the last 12 months, with 2023 crowned the deadliest in a decade. In Western Australia, road fatalities are at an eight-year high. In Queensland, almost 200 people have been killed in accidents since the start of this year.

NSW was the worst hit when it came to fatalities, recording a 23 per cent increase in deaths year on year to 358 killed in 2024. The Northern Territory recorded a 108 per cent jump in deaths, rising from 26 in 2022-23 to 54 in 2023-24.

Australian Automotive Association Managing Director Michael Bradley said the stark figures showed the nation's existing approach to road trauma management was failing.

"We need a data-driven response to a problem killing more than 100 people every month," he said. "States and territories must report data they hold about the causes of crashes, the quality of roads, and the effectiveness of policing, so it can be used to produce more effective road safety interventions."

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The combined market share of electric vehicles produced by Korea's Hyundai Motor and Kia in the United States ranked second in the January-July period, outperforming local manufacturers Ford Motor and General Motors, an industry report showed Wednesday.

In the report from Automotive News, citing data from auto industry tracker Motor Intelligence, the combined EV market share of the two companies, along with Hyundai's independent luxury brand Genesis, in the U.S. amounted to 10 percent during the first seven months of the year.

The market shares for local giants Ford and General Motors came to 7.4 percent and 6.3 percent, respectively, during the cited period. Tesla took the lead, with 49.7 percent.

Hyundai's flagship electric vehicles, the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, drove the strong performance for the Korean automaker in the U.S. market. In July, sales of the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 increased by 25 percent and 54 percent, respectively, compared with the same month last year.

Kia's EV9 SUV also outperformed competitors, such as the Toyota bZ4X, the Volkswagen ID.4 and Tesla's Model S, in the U.S. during the first half of the year.

Local automotive media outlets have praised Hyundai and Kia's strong performance in the U.S. EV market.

Media outlet InsideEVs lauded Hyundai Motor Group as having continued to press its EV advantage by "launching more affordable and desirable EVs as its competitors roll back their plans."

"Vehicles like the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 N have few (if any) direct competitors yet, and Hyundai's taking advantage of being the only game in town," the outlet said. (Yonhap)
SK Telecom, Korea's leading mobile carrier, said Wednesday it will open an artificial intelligence (AI) data center using Nvidia's graphic processing units (GPU) in December.

SK Telecom will join hands with U.S. GPU cloud provider Lambda to transform its existing data center in Seoul into an AI data center, company officials said.

SK Telecom plans to expand the data center's total GPU units to thousands over the next three years to build the country's biggest GPU farm.

With the data center, Lambda also plans to open its first Asia-Pacific region in Korea and SK Telecom will release a GPU-as-a-Service based on Lambda's GPU resources.

SK Telecom has been working to expand its AI infrastructure business, investing $20 million in Lambda and $200 million in AI data center solutions company Smart Global Holdings earlier this year. (Yonhap)
By Lee Min-hyung

LG Energy Solution will expand its software-driven battery safety diagnosis business with global carmakers, as demand keeps rising amid lingering safety concerns stemming from numerous fires caused by electric vehicles (EVs) in recent months, the company said, Wednesday.

The battery manufacturer expressed confidence in its technological prowess regarding battery safety diagnosis software. The company has secured more than 8,000 patents in battery management systems (BMS) for which the software is considered crucial.

The LG affiliate also underscored that more than 100,000 EVs here and abroad are equipped with the software, enabling the company to pile up massive datasets to develop more safety-proven BMS.

The company seeks to win more orders from global carmakers, as concerns regarding EV fires escalate during the industry's early stages. The battery firm has so far supplied the software to a group of nine global carmakers.

The software is capable of detecting any unusual signs from EV batteries in advance, thereby helping drivers to enjoy a safer experience from their EVs even on long-distance rides, according to LG Energy Solution. The software is also compatible with vehicles equipped with batteries from other manufacturers.

The company highlighted the software's safety and accuracy.

Global carmakers are increasingly focusing on safety diagnosis technologies, but it takes enormous time and resources for any firms to develop a reliable level of relevant software, an official from the company said.

But LG Energy Solution already has enough datasets and patents, surpassing those from any other carmakers. Our software can be applied to BMS for EVs. We will actively collaborate with carmakers to ensure driver safety.

LG Energy Solution also developed a technology to analyze the level of battery degradation.

The company's BMS software predicts the future lifespan of batteries. It is continuously enhancing the software using artificial intelligence (AI), making it smarter and more capable of delivering highly accurate diagnostic results.

The battery firm is also developing hardware and software optimized for software-defined vehicles (SDVs), as the concept will be central to the future of mobility.

In March, LG Energy Solution teamed up with Qualcomm for the development of state-of-the-art BMS diagnosis solutions. Chips used for vehicles are also emerging as a major growth area amid the rise of SDVs and in-vehicle infotainment systems.

We will continue to offer differentiated value to customers, not only through battery manufacturing, but also with our BMS solutions so as to build an ecosystem for safer mobility, LG Energy Solution CEO Kim Dong-myung said.
By Ko Dong-hwan

Korean coffee franchise companies are accelerating their global expansion as the domestic market becomes increasingly saturated with both franchise and independently-owned coffee shops, according to the companies and industry experts, Wednesday.

The trend is also a sign of the dynamic coffee market in Korea, where renowned international brands such as Bacha Coffee, Intelligentsia and Ralph's Coffee are looking to expand their presence.

Hollys F&B, which has been operating the Hollys coffee franchise since 1988, opened its first overseas store in Japan in May. The directly-managed store is located at Namba Marui shopping mall in Osaka.

The store features a selection of beverages with Korean-themed ingredients, including "yakgwa" a deep-fried, honey-infused traditional confectionery, and Hallabong oranges from Jeju Island, alongside the brand's standard menu items. The Yakgwa Cream Latte has become the store's signature drink, selling 1.5 times more than the regular Americano, according to a Hollys official.

Ediya Coffee is also expanding its presence in overseas markets, especially in the United States and Malaysia. After opening its first U.S. store at Micronesia Mall in Guam last December, the company plans to open a third store in the country within this year. Localized menus, along with Korean desserts such as bungeo-ppang, fish-shaped pastries stuffed with red bean paste, have become popular among local consumers, according to the company.

Ediya Coffee also signed a master franchise agreement with a local company in Malaysia in June to open its first cafe in the country this year. The company noted that the cafe's successful business in Malaysia, which has a predominantly Muslim population, positions it well for expansion into the global halal market. Additionally, Ediya aims to grow its franchise locations in Malaysia to 200 over the next five years.

Paiks Coffee, a major low-cost coffee franchise, currently operates eight shops in the Philippines and two in Singapore. Additionally, Mega MGC Coffee, another low-cost coffee brand, opened its first overseas shop in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in May.

The coffee shop market in Korea has been steadily growing for years. By the end of 2022, the total number of coffee shops surpassed 100,000 for the first time, more than doubling the number from 2016.

An official at the Korea Coffee Barista Association, a private organization advocating for baristas' business opportunities, said that compared to other foods, coffee and desserts are generally easier to market to local consumers worldwide. This is due to their simpler recipes and limited varieties.

He added, however, that the global popularity of Korean food and beverages, known as K-Food, might be fleeting. Coffee franchises venturing overseas should develop strategies that are not overly reliant on this global trend.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday made an unscheduled trip to Chechnya, a mainly Muslim republic within the Russian Federation, his first visit in nearly 13 years, as Ukraine's stunning cross-border incursion into western Russia entered its third week.

Putin was greeted by Chechnyas self-styled strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov, before visiting a special forces academy bearing his own name and speaking with volunteer fighters who train there prior to being deployed in Ukraine.

Putin praised the volunteers and said that as long as Russia has men like them, it will be invincible, according to reports by Russian state agencies.

Kadyrov said in a post on his official Telegram channels that more than 47,000 fighters, including volunteers, have trained at the facility since Moscow began what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine.

Fighters from Chechnya, whose bid for independence after the Soviet Union's collapse led to years of war with Russian government forces, are participating on both sides of the conflict in Ukraine.

Pro-Kyiv volunteers loyal to Dzhokhar Dudayev, the late Chechen pro-independence leader, are the sworn enemies of Chechen forces that back Putin and Kadyrov. The latter joined Russia in the months-long siege of Ukraines key port of Mariupol and other flashpoints in the country's south and east.

Also on Tuesday, Putin visited the grave of Kadyrovs father, former Chechen leader Akhmat Kadyrov, a command post and a mosque in the local capital, Grozny.

At the end of the day, he held talks with the Chechen leader, who announced the republic has tens of thousands" of reservists ready to fight the Ukrainians, according to Russian state media reports. The reports did not specify whether any of these might be sent to repel Kyiv's incursion into the Russian region of Kursk.

The Kremlin has relied on Kadyrov to keep the North Caucasus stable following years of turmoil. International rights groups have accused Kadyrov's security forces of extrajudicial killings, torture and abductions of dissenters, but Russian authorities have stonewalled repeated demands for investigations.

The Kremlin scrambled fighters from Chechnya to help protect Moscow from an abortive mutiny launched by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin last year, but some commentators warned that Kadyrovs ambitions could also potentially pose a threat to federal authorities.

As of Tuesday evening, neither the Kremlin nor Kadyrov shared any details about the purpose and timing of Putins unexpected visit, with Kadyrov saying only that a busy schedule awaited the Russian leader.

Putin later held talks with Kadyrov at the Chechen leader's residence in Grozny.

Before his surprise visit to Chechnya, Putin was earlier on Tuesday in Beslan, a town in the Caucasus province of North Ossetia, where he had his first meeting in nearly two decades with mothers of children killed in the 2004 school attack by Islamic militants that left more than 330 dead.

At the meeting, he slammed Kyivs incursion into Russia's Kursk region, accusing the Ukrainians of trying to destabilize the country.

We will punish the criminals. There can be no doubt about that, he said. (AP)
Ukraine attacked Moscow on Wednesday with at least 11 drones shot down by air defences in what Russian officials said was one of the biggest drone strikes on the capital since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022.

The war, largely a grinding artillery and drone battle across the fields, forests and villages of eastern Ukraine, escalated on Aug. 6 when Ukraine sent thousands of soldiers into Russia's western Kursk region.

For months, Ukraine has also fought an increasingly damaging drone war against the refineries and airfields of the world's second largest oil exporter, though major drone attacks on the Moscow region  with a population of over 21 million  are rarer.

Russia's defence ministry said it destroyed a total of 45 drones over Russian territory, including 11 over the Moscow region, 23 over the border region of Bryansk, six over the Belgorod region, three over the Kaluga region and two over the Kursk region.

Some of the drones were destroyed over the city of Podolsk, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. The city in the Moscow region is some 38 kilometers (24 miles) south of the Kremlin.

"This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow using drones ever," Sobyanin said on the Telegram messaging app in the early hours of Wednesday.

"The layered defense of Moscow that was created made it possible to successfully repel all the attacks from the enemy UAVs."

The attack comes as Russia is advancing in eastern Ukraine, where it controls about 18 percent of the territory, and battling to repel Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region, the biggest foreign attack on Russian territory since World War Two.

Russian media showed unverified footage of drones whirring over the dawn sky of the Moscow region and then being shot down in a ball of flame by air defenses.

Moscow's airports Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky limited flights for four hours but were restarted normal operations from 03:30 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), Russia's aviation watchdog said.

Sobyanin said that according to preliminary information, there were no injuries or damage reported in the aftermath of the attacks. There were also no casualties or damage reported in the aftermath of the attack on Bryansk in Russia's southwest, the governor of the region Alexander Bogomaz wrote on Telegram.

Russia's RIA state news agency reported that two drones were destroyed over the Tula region, which borders the Moscow region to its north. Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region in Russia's southwest, said air defense forces destroyed a Ukraine-launched missile over the region, with no injuries reported.

The Russia defense ministry did not mention neither Tula nor Rostov in its statement listing destroyed Ukrainian air weapons. Ukraine's military said on Wednesday it overnight struck an S-300 anti-aircraft missile system based in Rostov region.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

The drone attack on Moscow is on a par with the May 2023 attack when at least eight drones were destroyed over the capital in an attack President Vladimir Putin said was Kyiv's attempt to scare and provoke Russia.

In Kursk, Russian war bloggers said that intense battles were ongoing along the front in the region where Ukraine has carved out at least 450 square kilometers (175 square miles) of Russian territory. (Reuters)
A suspect who police said confessed to killing 42 women and was being detained over the discovery of dismembered bodies in Kenyas capital has escaped from police custody, officials said Tuesday.

Mohamed Amin, the head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, said Collins Jumaisi Khalusha escaped along with 12 other inmates of Eritrean nationality who had been arrested for being in the country illegally.

Acting police inspector general Gilbert Masengeli said disciplinary measures have been taken against eight officers, including the area and station commanders and officers who were on duty.

Our preliminary investigations indicate that the escape was aided by insiders considering that officers were deployed accordingly to guard the station, he said.

A police report said the inmates escaped early Tuesday morning after they cut through wire mesh in the cell and scaled the perimeter wall. The escape was discovered as breakfast was being taken into the cell.

Khalusha, 33, was being detained at the police station after a court allowed detectives seven more days to investigate his alleged crimes before charging him.

Khalusha was arrested in July after 10 bodies and several body parts were found wrapped in plastic sacks in the Kware area of Nairobi.

Police said Khalusha confessed to killing 42 women , including his wife.

This was a high-value suspect who was to face serious charges. We are investigating the incident and will take action accordingly, Amin said.

Khalushas lawyer, John Maina Ndegwa, told journalists his client was tortured and forced to confess and maintained he was not guilty.

Ndegwa told the AP that he last spoke to Khalusha on Friday when he was presented in court.

Im also confounded by the news, he said.

The police station from which the suspects escaped was cordoned off with crime scene tape and senior police officers visited it on Tuesday afternoon.

Two other suspects who were arrested after being found with cellphones belonging to some of the deceased women are to return to court next Monday.

Police in July said the bodies were discovered after relatives of one missing woman said they had a dream in which she told them to search in a quarry.

The relatives asked a local diver to help and he discovered the bodies wrapped in sacks. Six bodies were identified after DNA tests, but several body parts remain unidentified. (AP)




China and Russia have discussed closer cooperation in the energy sector during a visit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang to Moscow, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Wednesday.

Mishustin told his guest that Russia is already the largest supplier of crude oil to China. "In the near future, we will also take first place in natural gas," he told the state news agency TASS.

Li stressed that the volume and quality of energy cooperation are increasing.

Beijing regards the Russian war on Ukraine as a disruption of the international order but ultimately stands behind Russia on this issue.

In Moscow, the Chinese premier is also scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin last visited China in May.

In their joint opposition to the West, the two powers have come closer in recent years and have declared a strategic partnership.

The West wants to keep Russia and China in check through sanctions, said Mishustin: "Therefore, it is important to focus our efforts on defending common interests, on building a multipolar world order."

Nevertheless, many observers believe that economic superpower China holds the upper hand in this alliance. For Russia, this means assuming the role of a raw material supplier and junior partner.

Due to the war against Ukraine, Russia is nearly cut off from Western technology and can only obtain advanced technology through China. An example of Russia's weakened position is that China has not yet signed a contract for the construction of a second natural gas export pipeline, which Moscow has hoped for. (dpa)
Aussie woman Laura Jaye, 21, had no idea the common route is known for its rough conditions.

Laura Jaye endured over two hours of rough conditions on the popular boat route near Bali. Source: Supplied

A tourist who travelled on a popular boat route between neighbouring islands of Bali earlier this month has warned others to think twice about taking the trip after she endured over two hours of violent sea conditions. The young woman says she was barely able to hold her head up from sea sickness, while others around her desperately tried to get in contact with their families.

Laura Jaye, 21, thought nothing of paying just under $40 for the boat ride from Lombok to Nusa Penida in Indonesia at the start of the month, with the crew and boat initially appearing "organised". However, 20 minutes into the journey, the crew started to hand out "doggy poo bags" and "sea sickness tablets"  a sign of what was to come.

Jaye and the boatload of passengers were oblivious to the fact that they had booked to travel along a boat route which is notorious for bumpy sea conditions. She claims she wasn't warned.

"It started to get awful," she told Yahoo News. "The boat felt like it was going to capsize, the waves were going over the top of the boat and everyone on the roof was absolutely soaked through. There were girls down the front crying and people trying to call their families. It was really quite traumatising."

Passengers tried to contact their families (left) and another had a panic attack (right) while on the treacherous boat ride. Source: Supplied

Crew did little to ease 'panic' of passengers, tourist says

Jaye claims the crew did little to reassure passengers the conditions were to be expected on the route or explain what was happening, causing further unrest.

"There was very little communication from the staff and people were really panicking. They didn't communicate as to whether this was common and not to panic, nor why it was happening," Jaye said. She explained a passenger even suffered a panic attack beside her, and while the crew did carry her to an area of the boat where there is the least amount of movement, passengers were left largely on their own.

"Everyone was very nervous to say the least," she said.

Why is the route so treacherous?

The route is known to be particularly tumultuous during the Indonesian wet season, which lasts from November to April, with this period bringing unexpected weather. Boat operators have been known to shut down services and passengers encouraged to make alternative travel arrangements during these times of extreme weather.

However, rough conditions can still occur outside the wet season  as was the case with Jaye's travels.

"The route crosses two opposing currents and [it's best] to go early in the morning [to avoid extreme conditions]. The later it gets, the worst the waves are," she said.

Tourists have been accused of overlooking water safety in Indonesia before, with the country frequently experiencing fatal incidents despite water transport safety regulations improving.

"While weather factors contribute to water transport incidents, human error and technical complications stand as the primary catalysts. The absence of proper regulations, such as operating without a licence, improper navigation tools, and inadequate boat conditions, can exacerbate the likelihood of incidents," Professor Hera Oktadiana from James Cook University told Yahoo News previously.

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Taemin appeared on the cover of ELLE Korea's September issue. In the pictorial, Taemin also took his time to answer interview questions from the magazine.

During the interview, the magazine mentioned Taemin's impact on the K-pop scene and expressed that despite his 17th year since debut, the SHINee maknae has continued to gain new fans along the way.

Taemin responded with how thankful he was and also hoped that his new mini album can stick with his fans 10 years from now. The soloist also shared his thoughts on his birth flower, the pansy, which was shown in his album concept trailer.

Taemin: "I'm so grateful if that's correct. I don't think there are many teams that were able to be active for such a long time as we have, collectively as SHINee and individually as soloists. But I want to be an unforgettable memory for many people." Taemin: "I think my new song would be something people will view as nostalgic 10 years from now. As the flower language itself specifies the moment I debuted, I wanted to tell its meaning, that just like my birth flower, I am always active as Taemin no matter where I belong."

Taemin also shared his thoughts on his MC role for Mnet's upcoming program "Road to Kingdom: Ace of Ace." He was also asked about his proudest accomplishment since making his debut in 2008.

Taemin: "Many of my juniors picked me as their role model. I thought that if I became an MC on this program featuring male idol groups, it would be a symbolic memory that I can be proud of when I reflect to when I'm older." Taemin: "I'm most proud of the path I've walked with SHINee members. We didn't give up and we kept going. I also felt like there were many people who bonded with us with their support, so I'm thankful to be able to live this way."

On August 19, Taemin released his fifth mini-album "Eternal," alongside its title tracks "Sexy In The Air" and "Horizon."

Watch the MV for "Sexy in The Air" here:

Here's how Shawols reacted to Taemin's new song:

"One thing about Taemin is that he will always hit you with that slow walk choreo and eat it up every time!"

"This is so unapologetically Taemin. His 10 years as a soloist combined together but still carrying a freshness that only Taemin can bring."

"Honestly, Taemin just knows how to keep things fresh every time!"

"I love how he mixes his old vibes with new ones. It's like a walk down memory lane, but with a twist! And that slow walk? Iconic!"

"You know he's the undisputed king when even stans of other groups come into the comments to pay their respects and acknowledge that he's the GOAT."

Are you looking forward to more of Taemin's activities? Let us know in the comments below!

For more intriguing K-pop news and exciting updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: SHINee Taemin Confirmed As Host For 'Road To Kingdom' Season 2 + Shawols React

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Written by Israel Monte
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MANSFIELD, La.  A hearing will be held in two weeks to determine if the the DeSoto Police J
Maruti Suzuki may soon reduce numbers of cars manufactured at its facilities in India as carmakers continue to witness slowdown in demand which has led to drop in car sales over the past couple of months. Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL) has reportedly said it is planning to ease inventories with dealers ahead of Diwali this year. Maruti attributed its decision to slower than expected demand for passenger vehicles in the first quarter of the ongoing financial year.

According to a report in Business Standard, the statement to reduce production was made by Suzuki Motor Corporation, the major shareholder in Maruti Suzuki in India. During a conference call with analysts, the carmaker said that its sales in the first few months of the ongoing financial year is much less than to what it has manufactured so far. Sales of most of the carmakers in India has been witnessing a downslide recently. Maruti Suzuki, India's largest carmaker, saw its sales drop by 9.64 per cent in July compared to the same month last year.

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Reduced sales has led to build up of unsold cars for carmakers. This has also put dealers in a spot as stockpile keeps rising leading into the festive season. Suzuki Motor said, We are currently adjusting production to reduce market stock and are closely monitoring demand trends. India will be in a critical period with the upcoming festival season; so we will closely monitor demand trends."

Also Read : Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 and S-Presso get safer with this new feature

Maruti made more cars than it sold between April and June

Maruti Suzuki has not revealed details about pending orders or unsold inventories. However, the carmaker could sell only 4.27 lakh units between April and June despite its production increasing by more than seven per cent during these months with 4.96 lakh cars dispatched to dealers. According to The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), Indian carmakers are currently sitting on around 7.30 lakh unsold cars, roughly what the entire four-wheel passenger vehicle industry usually sells within two months.

Also Read : From Maruti to Tata and more, less cheer and more caution as July sales dip

Maruti Suzuki sales in July

Maruti Suzuki has seen the sales of its hatchbacks slump in the past few months. The segment, which includes the likes of Baleno, Celerio, Dzire, Ignis, Swift and WagonR models, contributed only 42 per cent of the carmaker's overall sales last month. Its utility vehicle segment, which now contributes almost equal sales as Maruti's small cars, also witnessed slump in July. Demand for MPVs and SUVS like Brezza, Ertiga, Fronx, Grand Vitara, Invicto, Jimny, and XL6 were down by 10 per cent during this period.

Check out Upcoming Cars in India 2024, Best SUVs in India.

First Published Date:
China opposes the European Commission's plan to slap import duties of up to 36.3 percent on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), and will take all necessary measures to defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, a spokesperson with the Ministry of Commerce said Tuesday.

Last month, the commission imposed provisional additional tariffs of up to 37.6 percent on Chinese EV makers, after it launched an anti-subsidy probe on Chinese EVs in October 2023.

On Tuesday, the commission published a draft plan to make those tariffs definitive, at slightly revised rates, subject to approval by EU member states.

The commission's anti-subsidy investigation process on Chinese EVs did not comply with the rules of the World Trade Organization and was an act of "unfair competition" under the guise of "fair competition," according to the spokesperson.

During the investigation process, the Chinese government and EV industry have provided hefty legal documents and evidence materials through various means such as questionnaires, written comments, and statements at hearings. They have comprehensively and thoroughly defended against the unreasonable and non-compliant practices of the European side, the spokesperson said.

The commission's wrong practice will disrupt the stability of the global automotive supply chain and harm the interests of European consumers, said the spokesman, adding that it will also undermine the EU's green transformation and global cooperation in addressing climate change.

Noting that the two sides have conducted more than 10 rounds of technical consultations on this case since the end of June, the spokesperson called on the EU to take practical measures to prevent the escalation of trade disputes.
Royal Enfield has launched the new Himalayan 450 in Malaysia. The adventure tourer is made in India at the companys facility in Tamil Nadu and is being exported to Malaysia, wherein it will be sold by Didi Group, the manufacturers sole distributor in the market. The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 is built to the same specifications the world over, apart from the regulatory requirements.

Malaysia is the latest market to get the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 after the model went on sale in the US as recently as last month. The motorcycle draws power from the same 452 cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine tuned for 39.5 bhp at 8,000 rpm and 40 Nm of peak torque at 5,500 rpm, paired with a 6-speed gearbox. The bike gets USD front forks with a monoshock at the rear from Showa.

Also Read : Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 first ride review: Ready for a new adventure.

The Royal Enfield Himalayan has five colour options and is sold in three variants - Base, Pass, and Summit - globally

The Himalayan 450 also gets a ride-by-wire throttle that brings two riding modes, while the switchable ABS feature further allows more personalisation for riders. The bike rides on 21-inch front and 17-inch rear wire-spoked wheels. While India still awaits the tubeless rims on the ADV, the Malaysian market should get the same as an option.

The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 is available in three variants - Base, Pass, and Summit. Prices in Malaysia start at 30,600 ringgit (approx. 5.87 lakh), going up to 32,200 ringgit (approx. 6.17 lakh). The model is offered in five colour options. Other features include the round TFT instrument console with Google-based navigation.

Also Watch: Royal Enfield Himalayan review: Adventure icon with brand new fashion

The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 takes on a host of adventure bikes in the segment in India and overseas. This includes the KTM 390 Adventure, Triumph Scrambler 400 X, BMW G 310 GS, and more. Royal Enfield Malaysia is offering a three-year warranty with roadside assistance and three complimentary services.

First Published Date:
Beijing (Gasgoo)- On August 13, FAW-Volkswagen's Qingdao branch signed a strategic cooperation agreement with UBTECH Robotics to explore the integration of humanoid robots into automotive manufacturing, the automaker announced on August 20 via WeChat.

The collaboration aims to develop highly intelligent and flexible production lines, paving the way for a new era of automotive super factories.

Signing ceremony; photo credit: FAW-Volkswagen

FAW-Volkswagen's Qingdao plant, which produces the all-new Bora and Audi A3 models, boasts an impressive production capacity of over 1,400 vehicles per day, with a vehicle rolling off the assembly line every 54 seconds. The plant boasts high degree of automation, intelligent processes, smart manufacturing, and digitalization.

Currently, UBTECH's industrial humanoid robot, Walker S Lite, is undergoing trials at FAW-Volkswagen's Qingdao plant, focusing on vehicle quality inspection. Leveraging advanced technologies such as full-body coordination, semantic navigation based on visual and depth information, 3D object precision localization, deep learning-based quality inspection, and large-scale task management, the Walker S Lite can safely navigate the moving production line. The robot collects and processes video streams and depth data from its RGB and RGBD cameras to ensure the proper installation of vehicle components, with inspection results uploaded in real-time to the factory management system.

This integration of humanoid robots with the plant's automation control system enhances the precision and efficiency of complex tasks. The robot's ability to dynamically adjust its operation strategy based on multi-sensor fusion and multimodal large models ensures high-performance, safe operations in the challenging environment of automotive manufacturing.
New Delhi [India], August 21 (ANI): India on Wednesday signed a loan package of USD 500 million with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to improve access to quality and affordable tertiary health care and medical education in Maharashtra.

The signatories to the loan agreement for the Maharashtra Tertiary Care and Medical Education Sector Development Program were 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. Dinesh Waghmare, Principal Secretary Medical Education and Drugs Department, Government of Maharashtra, signed the agreement on behalf of the state government.

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After signing the loan agreement, Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, who signed for the Government of India, stated that key policy reforms supported by the program will help strengthen the state's tertiary health care and medical education and expand these facilities to provide modern medical services in under-served areas in the state.

"ADB's decade-long support to India's health sector development has helped shape this Program to help Maharashtra achieve its vision of providing affordable and accessible tertiary health care to all by 2030 and strengthen a cadre of quality and professional medical practitioners," Mio Oka, Country Director of ADB's India Resident Mission, who signed the agreement for ADB, said.

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The loan will help establish four medical colleges attached to tertiary care teaching hospitals incorporating climate- and disaster-resilient, gender-responsive, and socially inclusive features in under-served districts.

It will increase bed capacity in government tertiary care hospitals and hire at least 500 new doctors for four new governmental medical colleges.

It also aims to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure through better availability of quality drugs; support efficient management of assets and their sustainability through a first-of-its-kind policy in the Indian health sector on climate-resilient asset planning, management, and sustainability; and develop healthy competition among medical colleges through the performance management system. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
NewsVoir

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 21: After the success of the Pankaj Tripathi and Richa Chadha-starrer "Shakeela," which garnered widespread acclaim on OTT platforms, producers Sammy Nanwani and Sammy's Magic Cinema are thrilled to announce their latest project: "Jai Hind, Jai Sindh" Set for release in 2026, this upcoming film is a heartfelt patriotic saga that intertwines romance with the heroic spirit of the Sindhi community from India's Partition to the present day.

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The overwhelming response to the previous projects has inspired the producers to dive deeper into stories that resonate with cultural roots. 'Jai Hind, Jai Sindh' is a film that will not only highlight the courage and resilience of India during Partition but also explore the poignant love story amid the struggles faced by the Sindhi community.

"Jai Hind, Jai Sindh" will delve into the emotional and historical complexities of India's Partition, with a particular focus on the unique experiences of the Sindhi people. The film aims to narrate a compelling story of love, loss, and hope, set against the backdrop of one of the most significant events in Indian history. It will also celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Sindh, a civilisation that has endured for over 5,000 years.

Also Read | India's Private Corporate Investment To Surge 54% to INR 2.45 Lakh Crore in 2024-25: RBI Report.

Currently in the early stages of development, "Jai Hind, Jai Sindh" is already generating excitement within the industry. With its powerful themes and historical significance, the film is expected to resonate deeply with audiences, offering a new perspective on the Partition and the indomitable spirit of the Sindhi community.

Sammy's Magic Cinema continues to push the boundaries of storytelling, delivering films that are both entertaining and culturally significant. "Jai Hind, Jai Sindh" is poised to be a monumental addition to the patriotic genre of Indian cinema.

(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)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Police at the hospital after four people were killed in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday. (Photo/ANI)

Etawah [Uttar Pradesh] India, August 21 (ANI): Four members of a family were killed and two others were injured after a truck collided with a car in Uttar Pradesh's Etawah on Wednesday, police said.

The deceased were on their way from Delhi to Hamirpir when the fatal incident took place.

Also Read | Income Tax Clearance Certificate Not Required for Indian Citizens Travelling Abroad, CBDT Clarifies.

Dr. Shyam Mohan, District Hospital Emergency told ANI, "Under Etawah's Ikdil Police Station area, a truck collided with a car. Four people of the same family died in the accident and two others were injured. They were going from Delhi to Hamirpur in a car."

"Four bodies have been received at the hospital," he said.

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After receiving the information, police reached the hospital and sent the bodies for post-mortem.

A child, identified as Rathi and a woman, Poonam, who were seriously injured in the accident, are undergoing treatment at a hospital, Dr Mohan added.

"Further investigation underway," he added.

According to an official release, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the bereaved family of the deceased.

The Chief Minister directed the officials of the district administration to reach the spot and expedite the relief work.

The Chief Minister has also issued instructions to officials to take the injured to the hospital and provide for their proper treatment. He wished those injured a speedy recovery. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, August 20: Dalit and Adivasi organisations have called for a 'Bharat Bandh' on Wednesday over their demand for stronger representation and protection for marginalised communities. The National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR) has released a list of demands, including justice and equity for Scheduled Castes.

The NACDAOR has taken an opposing view to a recent Supreme Court judgment by a seven-judge bench that, according to them, undermines the earlier ruling of a nine-judge bench in the landmark Indira Sawhney case, which established the framework for reservations in India. The NACDAOR has urged the government to reject this judgment, arguing it threatens the constitutional rights of SCs and STs. Bharat Bandh on August 21: All You Need To Know About Nation-Wide Hadtaal Called by Minority Organisations on Wednesday Over Supreme Courts Exclude Creamy Layer From SC, ST Reservations Ruling.

The organisation is also calling for the enactment of a new Act of Parliament on reservations for SCs, STs, and OBCs, which would be protected by inclusion in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. This, they argue, will safeguard these provisions from judicial interference and promote social harmony. The NACDAOR has also demanded the immediate release of caste-based data on SC/ST/OBC employees in government services to ensure their accurate representation. Bharat Bandh on August 21: From Schools to Offices and Banks, Know What Will Remain Open and Closed During Nationwide Shutdown.

They are also pushing for the establishment of an Indian Judicial Service to recruit judicial officers and judges from all sections of society, with a target of 50 per cent representation from SC, ST, and OBC categories in the higher judiciary. The organisation has called for filling up of all backlog vacancies in central and state government departments, as well as public sector undertakings.

The body said the private sector companies benefiting from government incentives or investments must enact affirmative action policies in their firms.

The NACDAOR has appealed to Dalits, Adivasis, and OBCs, to participate in a peaceful agitation on Wednesday.
New Delhi, Aug 21 (PTI) The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation on Wednesday said it has completed an underground tunnel between Chhatarpur and Chhatarpur Mandir stations on the Tughlakabad-Aerocity corridor, a statement said.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena lauded the DMRC for completing the 865-metre tunnel under phase 4 of the Golden Line in a little over five months. The DMRC said a 97-metre-long tunnel boring (TBM) machine was used for the tunnelling work.

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The breakthrough of the TBM at the Chhatarpur Mandir site took place in the presence of Saxena, and Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot.

Taking to X, Gahlot said he was thrilled to witness the completion of the tunnel as he praised the DMRC for finishing the work in an impressive five and a half months using state-of-the-art TBM.

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Huge congratulations to DMRC and all the brilliant engineers and staff involved! Achieving this remarkable feat without disrupting any existing structures on the ground is a testament to the expertise and dedication of DMRC.

According to the DMRC, two parallel circular tunnels for up and down movement are being constructed on the stretch as part of the AerocityTughlakabad corridor. The work on the other parallel tunnel on this section will be completed by September this year, it stated.

This new tunnel has been constructed at an average depth of around 15 metres. About 618 rings have been installed in the tunnel, which has an inner diameter of 5.8 metres, it said.

The tunnelling work involved numerous challenges, such as shifting a 66 KV electrical high-tension line. Additionally, the TBM had to cross below the existing Yellow Line viaduct without disrupting metro train operations on the Line, it said.

The tunnel has been built using the proven technology of EPBM (earth pressure balancing method) with a concrete lining made of precast tunnel rings. The concrete segments were cured with a steam curing system to achieve early strength, it stated.

As part of the phase 4 work approved so far, 40.109 km of underground lines are being constructed. The Aerocity-Tughlakabad corridor has underground sections totalling 19.343 km, the statement said.

A TBM is a machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross-section through various soil and rock strata. They can be designed to bore through anything from hard rock to sand, the DMRC said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Chandigarh, Aug 21 (PTI) BJP leader Kiran Choudhry on Wednesday filed her nomination for the Rajya Sabha bypoll from Haryana and is set to elected unopposed as she is the lone candidate in the fray.

Some JJP rebel MLAs also extended support to her candidature as she filed her nomination on the last day.

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No other party has put up their candidate for the bypoll for the lone Rajya Sabha seat in Haryana which was necessitated after Congress' Deepender Singh Hooda was elected to Lok Sabha from Rohtak. His Rajya Sabha term was to end on April 9, 2026.

Only one candidate has filed nomination for the bypoll on the last day of filing of papers, officials said.

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Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, state BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli, several party MLAs, the party's co-incharge for the state Biplab Kumar Deb and some JJP rebels were among those present when Choudhry submitted her nomination papers this morning before the Returning Officer for the bypoll at the Haryana Vidhan Sabha Secretariat here.

The BJP named Choudhry as its nominee for the bypoll shortly after she resigned from the Assembly on Tuesday, nearly two months after she switched over from the Congress.

She represented the Tosham seat in the Haryana Assembly.

Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda had earlier said his party would not field a candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat as it did not have the numbers.

The scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on August 22 while candidates can withdraw their nominations until August 27.

Speaking to reporters after Choudhry filed her nomination, Chief Minister Saini said that apart from BJP MLAs, some legislators from other parties have also extended their support to her candidature.

"(JJP rebels) Jogi Ram Sihag, Ram Niwas Surjakhera, Ram Kumar Gautam and Anoop Dhanak, (Independent MLA) Nayan Pal Rawat and (Haryana Lokhit Party chief) Gopal Kanda have given their support letter," he said.

In response to a question, Saini said the party was unanimous over Choudhry's candidature for the Rajya Sabha bypoll in Haryana.

She has a long experience in politics and has a vision for the state, the chief minister said.

A former Haryana minister, Choudhry (69) joined the BJP along with her daughter Shruti and their supporters in June.

Choudhry thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers Amit Shah, Manohar Lal Khattar, the party's senior leadership and Haryana Chief Minister Saini for their support. She thanked MLAs of the BJP and other parties who supported her candidature.

In response to a question, Choudhry said she may have spent 45 years in the Congress, but now she is with the BJP and will serve the party until her last breath.

The BJP's Rajya Sabha candidate said that she belongs to the family of Chaudhary Bansi Lal, who ran a government in Haryana, in alliance with the BJP in the 1990s.

"We have old relations with the BJP and I was impressed with their policies... The BJP works in the state's and nation's interest and it is my fortune to be associated with it," she said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Chandigarh, Aug 21 (PTI) In a setback to the JJP ahead of the October 1 Assembly polls, the party's rebel MLA Ramkaran Kala on Wednesday switched to the Congress.

Kala, the MLA from Shahabad constituency, joined the Congress along with his supporters in the presence of former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Congress' State President Udai Bhan and Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda, a party release said.

Also Read | Assam Government to Table Bill for Compulsory Registration of Marriage, Divorce of Muslims, Says CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Welcoming him, Bhupinder Hooda said the leader had taken the right decision at the right time as the Congress was set to return to power in Haryana.

"This decision will pay off in the upcoming elections and prove helpful in forming the Congress government. With several leaders from other parties joining the Congress and people supporting our programmes, it is clear that there is a Congress wave in Haryana. The Congress will form the government in the state," Hooda stated.

Also Read | Andhra Pradesh Factory Blast: 7 Killed in Reactor Explosion at Pharma Unit in Special Economic Zone in Anakapalle (Watch Video).

Kala said the Congress has emerged as the "voice of the people" in the state and people were waiting for assembly polls to oust the BJP and bring Congress to power.

Earlier in the day, in another jolt to the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) which is led by former MP Ajay Singh Chautala, rebel MLAs Jogi Ram Sihag, Ram Niwas Surjakhera, Ram Kumar Gautam and Anoop Dhanak extended their support to the candidature of BJP leader Kiran Choudhry for the bypoll to a Rajya Sabha seat from Haryana.

State Congress chief Udai Bhan said during the last two years, several leaders from the BJP and the JJP have joined the grand old party.

"The party's family is continuously expanding and the BJP and the JJP have lost political ground. Now the public is eagerly waiting for October 1 so that the Congress government can be formed with a huge majority," Bhan stated.

According to the party statement, along with Kala, several other leaders like Vijay Yadav (vice president of the Aam Aadmi Party, Gurugram) and Nachhatar Singh Nain (district vice president of the JJP) also joined the Congress.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Aug 17 (PTI) Resident doctors will stage a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Wednesday, the 10th day of their indefinite strike over the alleged rape and murder of a medic in a Kolkata hospital.

Elective services in several government hospitals across the city have remained suspended due to the protests.

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AIIMS, GTB, Lady Hardinge Medical College & Associated Hospitals, Maulana Azad Medical College and its associated hospitals ?have released individual statements urging participation in the silent protest.

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After the Supreme Court hearing on Tuesday, the central government-run RML Hospital had called off the strike, saying, "The Ministry of Health and the Medical Superintendent's office have assured that all necessary permissions for enhanced security measures at medical institutions have been obtained with a 45-day timeline set for implementation."

However, within an hour, the RML RDA clarified, "There was some miscommunication, and we apologize for the same. We want to clarify that we stand with our colleagues and other RDAs. We will make our decision only after there is a consensus among all RDAs, and the common decision of all RDAs will be our decision. We stand united."

The apex court on Tuesday constituted a 10-member task force to formulate a national protocol to ensure safety and facilities for the doctors. It also requested the protesting doctors to end the strike, saying abstention from the work of doctors affects those segments of the society that are in need of medical care.

Members of Resident Doctors' Association from major hospitals in Delhi, along with the Federation of Resident Doctors' Associations (FORDA) and the Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA), have been on an indefinite strike.

On Tuesday, after conducting a meeting with the RDA members, both the bodies representing the resident doctors released a statement saying they will continue with the strike until the Health Ministry takes concrete action on the issue of CPA.

On August 9, the body of the postgraduate trainee doctor was found in the seminar hall of state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. A civic volunteer was arrested in connection with the crime the next day. Later, the Calcutta High Court handed over the case to the CBI.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 21 (ANI): The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court issued a notice to the government for their response to a public interest petition seeking an order to the authorities to conduct rehabilitation camps for the temple, mutt, and other captive elephants once in a year.

Ramkumar Adithyan from Thiruchendur has filed a petition.

Also Read | Income Tax Clearance Certificate Not Required for Indian Citizens Travelling Abroad, CBDT Clarifies.

In the petition, he stated, "Every year from December to January, the elephants in the temples and monasteries under the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of Tamil Nadu are taken to rehabilitation camps. The last rejuvenation camp for elephants was held in February 2021."

In the petition, he further stated that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no camps have been held since then.

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"Even after the pandemic, no rejuvenation camps have been held for the elephants. In these camps, the elephants are provided with adequate rest, fruits, vegetables, sugarcane, minor millets, and jaggery, as well as regular check-ups by veterinarians. This makes the elephants feel refreshed after the camps. Therefore, the Tamil Nadu government should order the annual rejuvenation camps for temple elephants," the petition stated.

The case came up for hearing before Justices Subramanian and Victoria Gowri. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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.

Li Autos cumulative deliveries exceed 900,000 vehicles

On August 21, 2024, Chinese new energy vehicle maker Li Auto announced that the company has so far delivered over 900,000 vehicles to customers. The company used 56 months to realize this significant milestone.

Photo credit: Li Auto

Desay SV reports 34.02% YoY jump in H1 revenue

Desay SV recently announced its financial results for the first half of 2024, showing a revenue of 11.692 billion yuan, which jumped 34.02% year on year. Meanwhile, the companys net profit attributable to shareholders reached 838 million yuan, representing a 38.11% spike from a year ago.

ZEEKR receives L3 autonomous driving test license in Hangzhou

On August 21, Geelys premium new energy vehicle brand ZEEKR announced it has received an L3 autonomous driving test license for expressways in Hangzhou, expanding its dual-city testing to both Hangzhou and Shanghai.

Cumulative deliveries for new AITO M5 surpass 20,000 units

On August 21, Huaweis Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance announced that the cumulative deliveries of the new AITO M5 SUV model have exceeded 20,000 units so far.

SAIC Motor, ZTE co-launch vehicle communication module platform

On August 20, SAIC Motor and ZTE Corporation jointly hosted the global launch of their domestically produced vehicle communication module platform. Alongside this event, the two companies signed an agreement to deepen their strategic partnership.

GM's The Durant Guild puts Chevrolet TAHOE onto Chinese market

On August 20, 2024, General Motors' luxury imported vehicle and lifestyle platform, The Durant Guild, announced the official opening of its first brand center in China, the Shanghai flagship store. Simultaneously, the platform introduced the Chevrolet TAHOE model to the Chinese market, with two variants priced between 648,000 yuan and 728,000 yuan.

FAW Toyota rolls off upgraded 2024 bZ3 all-electric sedan

On August 19, FAW Toyota saw the upgraded version of its 2024 bZ3 all-electric sedan roll off the production line at its New Energy Branch, setting the stage for the upcoming market release of the bZ3s autonomous driving variant.

Horizon Robotics so far ships over 6 million sets of Journey series products

Horizon Robotics recently announced that the cumulative shipment for its Journey series of in-vehicle intelligent computing solutions has surpassed 6 million sets, reflecting remarkable growth since its mass production began in 2020.

FAW-Volkswagen partners with UBTECH Robotics to deploy humanoid robots in smart manufacturing

On August 13, FAW-Volkswagen's Qingdao branch signed a strategic cooperation agreement with UBTECH Robotics to explore the integration of humanoid robots into automotive manufacturing, the automaker announced on August 20 via WeChat.
Pune (Maharashtra) [India] August 21 (ANI): Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirants in Pune demanded the inclusion of 258 posts from the Agriculture Department in the MPSC exam.

They also demanded that MPSC postpone the exam as its date, August 25, conflicts with the IBPS exam, affecting candidates appearing for both exams.

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Speaking to ANI, An MPSC aspirant said, "We demand that the 258 vacancies in the Agriculture department exam should be added to the MPSC exam IBPS exam is overlapping with the exam on August 25th."

Another aspirant listed out the demands to ANI, "The exam on 25th August is overlapping with the IBPS exam. Our first demand is that the MPSC exam should be postponed. Our second demand is that 258 posts in the Agriculture Department exam should also be added to this," he said.

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The MPSC aspirant staged a protest on Tuesday night where they demanded the same. In a notification, MPSC said that they could not include the newly requested Agricultural Services posts in the upcoming exam due to timing issues.

"The Commission has received the demand letter dated 16th August 2024 for a total of 258 posts in Maharashtra Agricultural Service Group-A and Group-B cadre. According to the examination scheme released by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission on 29th December 2023, it is mentioned that the posts in Maharashtra Agricultural Service will be filled through the Maharashtra Gazetted Civil Services Combined Examination. However, as the demand letter for the Maharashtra Agricultural Service Examination 2024 was not received by the Commission till the publication of the advertisement on 29th December 2023 regarding the said examination, it was not possible to include the posts in the said Agricultural Service in the advertisement," the notification said.

The notification further stated, "Maharashtra Gazetted Civil Services Combined Preliminary Exam 2024 is being conducted on 25th August 2024 and currently all the preliminaries related to the present exam have been completed. Since it is not possible to include the posts in the Agricultural Service in the present examination, further planning will be done as soon as possible regarding the recruitment process for the posts in the requisition letter received in the Maharashtra Agricultural Service." (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Krishnagiri (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 21 (ANI): The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that 13 girl students were sexually assaulted in an alleged fake National Cadet Corps (NCC) camp at a private school in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu during August 5th-9th.

According to an official release, 41 students including 17 girls attended the camp. Allegedly, a political leader convinced the private school authorities that he would get them a unit of the NCC if they could organize a students' camp. Four other schools in the district also had organized such camps.

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The NHRC has also issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Government of Tamil Nadu calling for a detailed report within two weeks.

"The Commission has observed the contents of the news report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of the human rights of the victims. The victim girls were subjected to abuse by the perpetrator due to the negligence of the school authorities. Accordingly, it has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu calling for a detailed report within two weeks. It is expected to include the status of the FIR and the status of the victim's health and their counselling," the release from NHRC said.

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The Commission has also asked the State authorities to reach out to the students who attended similar camps organized by the same person in the four other schools of the district and find out if anyone was subjected to abuse or ill-treatment. The report should also mention the steps taken/ proposed to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

As per the release, according to the media report, carried on August 20, the matter came to light when one of the victims informed the Principal of the school about the incident during the camp but the staff reportedly tried to hush up the matter till she told her mother who approached the police. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bengaluru, Aug 21 (PTI) Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday said he will willingly resign if the need arises unlike Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who found fault with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot's permission to investigate and prosecute him in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority land allotment 'scam.'

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Reacting to the Chief Minister's allegation that the Governor was not giving consent to prosecute him, Kumaraswamy asked what stops Siddaramaiah from approaching the Supreme Court against him in connection with the alleged scam related to Sri Sai Venkateshwara Minerals.

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Lokayukta's Special Investigation Team has once again submitted a proposal to the Governor on Monday seeking permission to file a charge-sheet against Kumaraswamy in the alleged illegal mining lease case.

The SIT had first requested Gehlot's nod in November last year to prosecute the Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, who had allegedly granted mining lease to the private firm when he was the Chief Minister in 2007 in violation of law.

The Chief Minister on Wednesday reiterated that the Governor sanctioned in haste investigation and prosecution against him.

Accusing the Governor of discriminating against him, Siddaramaiah said Lokayukta's recommendation to prosecute Kumaraswamy has been pending with Gehlot since November 2023.

Kumaraswamy, the Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, said he has seen the statements of Virajpet MLA and legal advisor to the Chief Minister A S Ponnanna and some other ministers demanding his resignation.

I will willingly resign if needed, unlike you (Siddaramaiah) who found fault with the Governor's permission to prosecute you and commented about the Governor in a derogatory manner. The Karnataka ministers should be ashamed for using such words against the Governor, he said.

He said: Don't you think I could have closed the cases against me in 2018 when I was the Chief Minister?

Stating that the ruling Congress is opening another case against him, he said he is not afraid of it.

Kumaraswamy said the Lokayukta report against him was sent to the Governor in November last year seeking permission for prosecution only after he started attacking the Congress government on a host of issues, particularly corruption.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mumbai, Aug 21 (PTI) With gradual improvement in the job market, a report on Wednesday has revealed that 72 per cent of employers interviewed intend to hire freshers in the second half (July-December) of this year.

The 72 per cent hiring intent represents a 4 per cent increase from the first half of this year and a 7 per cent rise compared to the second half of 2023, suggesting a gradually improving employment landscape for fresh talent, TeamLease EdTech's 'Career Outlook Report HY2' (July-December 2024) has revealed.

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"The increase in hiring intent for freshers is an encouraging sign. It reflects growing confidence among employers and presents valuable opportunities for fresh talent entering the workforce," TeamLease EdTech founder and CEO Shantanu Rooj said.

The TeamLease EdTech's 'Career Outlook Report HY2' (July-December 2024) is based on a survey of over 603 companies across India during April and June 2024.

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Further, the report highlighted that e-commerce and technology start-ups, engineering and infrastructure, and retail are the top three industries showing intent to hire freshers in the second half of this year.

Geographically, Bengaluru leads with 74 per cent of employers intending to hire freshers, followed by Mumbai at 60 per cent and Chennai at 54 per cent, it added.

In terms of job roles, the report said full-stack developer, Search Engine Optimisation executive, digital sales associate, and User Interface/User Experience designer have emerged as the most in-demand positions for freshers.

Employers are particularly seeking candidates with skills in cybersecurity, cloud computing, data analytics, and search engine optimisation, it stated.

The report also found that 70 per cent of employers suggest enhancing curriculum with experiential learning, while 62 per cent advocate for industry-academia partnerships to better align academic training with industry needs.

Manufacturing leads with 25 per cent of employers planning to hire degree apprentices, followed by engineering and infrastructure at 19 per cent, and construction and real estate at 11 per cent, it said.

"Aligning educational programs with industry requirements is crucial. The job market is evolving rapidly, with technology and digital skills taking center stage," Rooj said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Aug 21 (PTI) Amul has been ranked as the world's strongest food brand by consultancy firm Brand Finance, UK.

It has also retained the strongest dairy brand of the world title for the fourth consecutive year.

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"Amul has been ranked as the world's strongest food brand and the strongest dairy brand as per Brand Finance, UK, world's leading brand consultancy, in its annual report titled 'Food & Drink 2024'," the company said in a statement.

The report lists the most valuable and strongest food, dairy and non-alcoholic drinks brands.

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As per the report, Amul has risen from second rank in 2023 to become the world's strongest food brand in 2024, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 91.0 out of 100 and an AAA+ rating.

"Amul's brand strength is attributed to its strong performance in familiarity, consideration, and recommendation metrics," the statement said.

Among the top 50 global brands listed in the report, Amul is the only Indian brand to be featured and recognised for its achievements.

Brand Amul is marketed by the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, the largest farmers-owned cooperative in the world.

Amul MD Jayen Mehta said, "This is indeed a proud moment for the entire Amul team and our 36 lakh farmers, who have contributed to build and nurture this brand. We have always believed Amul's currency is not milk, but trust, and it is this trust, which has created the brand that is loved by every generation of consumers over the last 78 years".

Amul annually procures 11 billion litres of milk and is worth Rs 80,000 crore (USD 10 Billion), with its products being picked up 22 billion times in a year, the highest in the world.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Taipei, Aug 21 (AP) The former US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, on Wednesday called for more international backing for Taiwan and a coordinated pushback against China's claims over the self-ruled democracy.

"The United States should elevate Taiwan on the world stage. You should no longer be silenced in global affairs," Haley told an audience at Ketagalan Forum, a Taipei conference focused on security issues in the Asia-Pacific.

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She called for Taiwan to become a full member of the UN even though it's being blocked by China from representation in international bodies. Beijing claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary. China also prohibits countries it has international relations with from having formal ties with Taipei.

While the US doesn't formally recognise Taiwan, it is the island's strongest backer and arms provider.

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Haley, who served at the UN under former President Donald Trump's administration, ran a yearlong presidential campaign as a tough-on-China candidate before dropping out of the race in March. She has endorsed Trump in the November elections.

At the Taipei forum, she called on the US and its Western allies to rally around Taiwan and relentlessly push for the island's global acceptance.

If we take the necessary steps now, China will think twice before starting a war, she said.

Yoshihiko Noda, Japan's former prime minister who also addressed the forum, echoed Haley's calls for greater representation for Taiwan in international organizations. He decried Taiwan's exclusion from the World Health Organization and said he was determined to push for its participation as an observer, which China opposes.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te earlier accused China of economic coercion and military intimidation.

China intends to change the rules-based international order, Lai said in a speech opening the forum. That is why democratic countries must come together and take concrete action. Only by working together can we inhibit the expansion of authoritarianism.

Lai said China's military exercises in the Taiwan Strait as well as joint sea and air drills with Russia in the South China Sea, Western Pacific and Sea of Japan were intended to intimidate its neighbors.

On Tuesday, Taiwan's military launched surface-to-air missiles as part of live-fire drills in response to growing military pressure from China. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], August 21 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will embark on an official visit to the United States from August 23-26, the Ministry of Defence said.

During his visit, Singh will hold bilateral talks with his US counterpart, Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin.

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He will meet the US Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Jake Sullivan as well.

"Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh will be undertaking an official visit to the US from August 23 to 26, 2024, on the invitation of the US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin. During the visit, the Raksha Mantri will hold a bilateral meeting with his US counterpart Secretary Austin. He will also meet the US Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Mr Jake Sullivan," the Ministry of Defence said in an official release.

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The visit comes in the backdrop of the growing momentum in India-US relations and defence engagements at multiple levels.

"The visit is expected to further deepen and broaden the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership," the release read.

"Shri Rajnath Singh will also chair a high-level roundtable meeting with the US defence industry on the ongoing and future defence collaborations. He will also interact with the Indian community during the visit," it added. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Astrakhan [Russia], August 21 (ANI): Over 100 statesmen, journalists, and experts from around the world convened to discuss the role of cultural cooperation in advancing the Caspian region. The forum, which has transformed from a regional journalist gathering into a major international event, reflects this significant evolution, TV Brics reported.

Pavel Pautov, Head of Administration for the Governor of the Astrakhan Region, highlighted the forum's expansion. "Last year, the central theme was the sphere of tourism; now it is culture. We attract the journalistic community to discuss specific issues of the region's development. We hold this event to create a common agenda for the dialogue among the five Caspian countries," he said.

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Mikhail Petrakov, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry and Head of the Russian delegation to the Multilateral Negotiations emphasized the necessity of intercultural dialogue in international relations.

"These tools allow us to understand the interests of our partners and treat them with respect. Accordingly, if we have established intercultural dialogue, mutual understanding, and trust, we will aim for success in all other spheres," the diplomat noted.

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In an exclusive commentary for TV BRICS, Lana Ravandi-Fadai, an Iran specialist at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, underscored the importance of cultural dialogue in interstate relations.

"One can build diplomatic relations for centuries, but at the same time not know the mentality and culture of partners. When relations between different countries develop, such ignorance often pushes the parties away from each other," the expert explained.

Iran's Ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, addressed the plenary session titled "The Dialogue of Cultures as the Basis for the Caspian Development." "For us, the Caspian Sea is a space of friendship and peace. Good-neighbourly relations should be based on the cultures of ancient civilizations. Thus, the role of cultural figures and media plays a key role, so this forum is of great importance," the ambassador said.

The Iranian consulate general in Astrakhan also highlighted the significance of the Caspian region in Tehran's foreign policy. "Iran's Foreign Ministry has a department for the development of the Caspian region. This explains our interest in the media forum, in which our delegation takes part every year," the diplomat said, as reported by TV Brics.

Media interaction emerged as a central theme of the forum, with discussions centred on the role of media and information technologies. A proposal was put forward to create an international media platform, "Caspian Today," which would broadcast in Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Russian, Turkmen, Farsi, and English.

Pavel Pautov suggested that the new media centre's headquarters be based in the region's capital. "At the heart of strong relations between the countries is the interaction between the media. If the media establish constructive cooperation with each other, all other spheres, be it culture or economy, will develop effectively," Zaman Rezakhani, Director for International Relations at Iran's IRNA news agency, told TV BRICS in an exclusive commentary.

Since its inception in 2014, the Caspian Media Forum has included a range of activities, such as plenary sessions, discussions, a master class for investigative journalists, and the Caspian Without Borders contest awards.

The forum was organized with support from the Government of the Astrakhan Region, the Administration of the President of Russia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation, the Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation of the CIS countries, the Caspian-Eurasia Centre for International and Socio-Political Studies, and the North-South Political Science Centre. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Chicago, August 21: In perhaps her boldest words ever against Donald Trump, Michelle Obama, the former first lady took a swipe at the former president for attacking her family because of their race, saying that the top job he is seeking once again "might just be one of those Black jobs."

Delivering a forceful endorsement of Kamala Harris during the second night of the Democratic National Convention, Michelle said former president Trump, the Republican candidate in the race for the White House, will try and attack the US Vice President, the Democratic Party's nominee  something she said she and her husband have personal experience with. US Presidential Elections 2024: Barack Obama Champions Kamala Harris as 'Ready for the Job' and Slams Donald Trumps 'Bluster and Bumbling' at DNC.

"For years Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. His limited narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black," she said in her nearly 20-minute address on Tuesday in Chicago, her hometown. Voicing her hope that Harris will win the November 5 election - and Trump's repeated use of the term - "Black jobs" - she chided him for promoting birtherism and other racist comments.

Who is going to tell him that the job he currently is seeking might just be one of those Black jobs? the 60-year-old former first lady said, referring to Barack Obama, America's first Black president. The Obamas were targets of unfounded claims by Trump and other Republicans that Barack Obama's birth certificate was a forgery. Her powerful statement was a jab at Trump's comments at the June presidential debate and while speaking last month to the National Association of Black Journalists, where he said that immigrants are taking Black jobs.

If Harris is elected, she will become America's first woman  and first woman of colour and first Indian-origin politician  to win the presidency. Michelle, the wife of the country's first Black president, predicted that Trump would launch attacks on Harris' race and gender. She warned that the race to the White House was still close, and asked the Democratic Party to continue working in the days ahead to ensure the victory of Harris. Hope is Making a Comeback, Says Michelle Obama as She Bats for Kamala Harris' Presidency.

Michelle, in her address, described Vice President Harris, 59, as one of the most qualified presidential candidates who worked her way up from a middle-class background, drawing on lessons from the two women's late mothers. "Even though our mothers grew up an ocean apart, they shared the same belief in the promise of this country. That's why her mother moved here from India at 19, she said of Shyamala Gopalan, the mother of Harris.

"She'd often tell her daughter: Don't sit around and complain, do something,' Michelle said. She also recounted how Harris was a student at Howard University  a historically black university  and then attended law school. And then she went on to work for the people, Michelle said, from a middle-class household, Kamala worked her way up to become vice president of the United States of America. My girl Kamala Harris is more than ready for this moment. She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency.

Michelle was earlier greeted by a long standing ovation from the crowd as he arrived to address them during which she delivered a series of not-so-subtle digs at Trump  evoking his name to critique what she described as his ugly, misogynistic, racist lies. No one has a monopoly on what it means to be an American, she said in an apparent reference to Trump's recent remarks on Harris' background as a child of immigrants.

If we see a mountain in front of us, we don't expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top, she said. Lest anyone think she was being ambitious, Michelle called Trump out by name. Michelle Obama's speech, "delivered with a clear voice as she looked straight into the camera to address Americans watching at home, was not saccharine. She began her time onstage by framing her remarks in the context of reaching for hope through despair," the New York Times commented.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Moscow, Aug 21 (AP) Moscow came under one of the largest attacks by Ukrainian drones since the start of fighting in 2022, Russian authorities reported Wednesday, saying they destroyed all of those headed toward the capital.

The drone attacks come as Ukrainian forces are continuing to push into Russia's western Kursk region. In the past week, they have also struck three bridges, several airfields and an oil depot in a sign they are not letting up on their attacks.

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This was one of the biggest attempts of all time to attack Moscow using drones, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his Telegram channel. He said strong defences around the capital made it possible to shoot down all the drones before they could hit their intended targets.

Russia said it downed 45 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 11 over the Moscow region. There was no independent information to verify those figures.

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Some Russian social media channels shared videos of drones apparently being destroyed by air defence systems, which then set off car alarms.

Ukrainian drone strikes have brought the fight far from the front line into the heart of Russia, targeting the Russian capital and second city St. Petersburg, and an airport in Western Russia, according to Russian officials.

Since the beginning of this year, Ukraine has stepped up aerial assaults on Russian soil, targeting refineries and oil terminals to slow down the Kremlin's assault.

A fire at an oil depot targeted by Ukraine burned for the fourth day Wednesday in Rostov, a region in southwestern Russia that borders Ukraine. Priests from the Russian Orthodox Church held a prayer service for injured firefighters as dark plumes of smoke rose in the distance at the oil depot in Proletarsk, according to a photo shared on social media by the Volgodonsk diocese.

Ukraine's daring land incursion into Russia has raised morale in Ukraine with its surprising success and changed the dynamic of the fighting, creating hopes it could hasten an end to the war.

But it has opened up another front in a fight where Ukrainian forces were already badly stretched, with active hostilities taking place along more than 970 kilometres. The gains in Kursk come as Ukraine continues to lose ground in its eastern industrial region of Donbas.

The Russian state news agency Tass reported that 31 people had died since Ukraine's attack on Russia began August 6, figures which are impossible to verify. It said 143 people had suffered injuries, of whom 79 were hospitalised, including four children.

A Ukrainian drone dropped an explosive device on a car in the Bolshesoldatsky area of Kursk region, slightly northeast of the town of Sudzha, the acting governor Alexei Smirnov said. One woman was killed on the spot and two others were hospitalised, he said.

Russia's Central Electoral Commission announced that local elections in six districts and one city of the Kursk region scheduled for September 8 will be postponed and rescheduled when voters' safety can be guaranteed.

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said Ukraine's attack on Kursk has ended any possibility of peace negotiations.

Who will negotiate with them after this, after the atrocities, the terror that they are committing against peaceful residents, the civilian population, civilian infrastructure and peaceful facilities, she said at a briefing Wednesday in Moscow.

Ukraine said it was respecting the Geneva Conventions, the international humanitarian rules of war.

Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said Kyiv established an office in the Kursk region to provide humanitarian and medical aid to the local population. More than 90 per cent of the Russian civilians who stayed in territories of the Kursk region currently controlled by Ukraine are aged 60 and older, he said.

We have no right to leave them there to die," Klymenko said, according to the Ukrinform national news agency.

Ukraine's attacks on three bridges over the Seym River in Kursk could potentially trap Russian forces between the river, the Ukrainian advance and the Ukrainian border. Already they appear to be slowing down Russia's response to the Kursk incursion.

Ukrainian forces appear to be striking Russian pontoon bridges and pontoon engineering equipment over the Seym in an area west of the Ukrainian advance point, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Tuesday.

Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC analysed Wednesday by The Associated Press showed a significant fire on the Seym near the village of Krasnooktyabrskoe.

The blaze appeared on the northern bank of the river on Tuesday, with another fire seemingly in the village itself. Such fires are common after strikes and often signify where ongoing front-line combat is taking place.

The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces had thwarted attack attempts by Ukrainian assault groups in the Kursk region, according to a report from Tass. Ukraine's armed forces saw more than 45 soldiers killed or wounded over the past 24 hours while two were captured while attempting to attack the Kursk region, Tass said. There was no independent confirmation of those numbers and no comment from the Ukrainian side.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's Army General Staff said it struck a Russian S-300 defence system Wednesday some 200 kilometres behind enemy lines in Novoshakhtinsk in the Rostov region. It said Russia had used the S-300 system for ground strikes at Ukrainian troops and peaceful cities, destroying residential buildings and terrorizing the civilian population. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Beijing (Gasgoo)- On August 20, SAIC Motor and ZTE Corporation jointly hosted the global launch of their domestically produced vehicle communication module platform. Alongside this event, the two companies signed an agreement to deepen their strategic partnership.

Signing ceremony; photo credit: SAIC Motor

In response to the growing trend of domestic automotive chip production, SAIC Motor has achieved the volume production and application of the industry's first China-made automotive-grade dual-core 4G communication module. This module will debut in the MG7 B-segment coupe and gradually be applied across SAIC Motor's global vehicle lineup, significantly enhancing the intelligence and connectivity of the companys vehicles.

As competition intensifies in the automotive market, intelligent connectivity has become a critical strategy for Chinese automakers to navigate market changes. SAIC Motor R&D Innovation Headquarters has introduced a key product development model, which emphasizes platform-based and standardized design to optimize products from the ground up. This model marks the first deep technical integration between vehicle, component systems, and chip suppliers, breaking industry barriers for collaborative development and continuously improving product quality and customer experience.

The vehicle communication module, a key product of this collaboration, is based on ZTE's fully self-developed automotive-grade communication module. The module incorporates ZTE's in-house developed platform, which has passed AEC-Q100 product certification and network certification in over 70 countries. Designed and manufactured according to IATF 16949 automotive quality management standards, this 4G module supports global 2G/3G/4G networks and offers high reliability, security, and low power consumption, taking a significant step forward in the marketization of domestic automotive communication chips.

After the product launch, SAIC Motort and ZTE inked a deepen cooperation agreement, which will expand from 4G to 5G communication modules, automotive operating system software, computing power development, and innovative technologies like large models. The partnership will also extend horizontally to areas such as digital transformation, corporate development strategy, R&D management, internationalization, and compliance management.
Lahore, Aug 21 (PTI) Pakistan's top investigation agency on Wednesday arrested a web freelancer under cyber terrorism charges for his alleged role in disseminating the disinformation that led to race-motivated riots across the UK following the stabbing of three young girls last month.

The riots broke out in the north-west England town of Southport after false claims over the UK-born teenage male suspect being a Muslim refugee who arrived illegally into the country on a small boat recently spread like wildfire online.

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Farhan Asif  a freelance web developer associated with the Channel3Now platform that is blamed for posting the disinformation has been arrested from his Defence House Authority residence in Lahore following the request of the British government to look into the matter.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said on Wednesday that it registered a case against Asif, a father of two, under sections 9 (glorification of offence) and 10A (cyber terrorism) of PECA (Prevention of Electronic Crimes).

Also Read | Michelle Obama Attacks Donald Trump on 'Black Jobs', Says 'Top Job He Is Seeking Might Just Be One of Those Black Jobs'.

A copy of the FIR available with PTI says the suspect uploaded an article on his website www.channel3now.com, with the title "17-year-old Ali Al Shakati arrested in connection with a stabbing incident in Southport England."

The FIA says the said article contained a false claim about the arrest of a Muslim asylum seeker by police in the fatal stabbings of three young girls at a holiday dance party in Southport on July 29.

"The false name widely shared on social media spurred the far-right section into a violent rioting. Asif admitted to providing misleading information to BBC regarding his accomplices in an attempt to divert blame to others," it says.

The FIA said it raided Aif's residence along with police and arrested him.

A senior FIA official told PTI that the Pakistan government might consider handing the suspect over to Britain if it requested his extradition because it is a "very serious matter."

Recent reports aired by UK media identified a little-known platform, Channel3Now, as being the source of the disinformation that claimed the British-born 17-year-old suspect was a Muslim immigrant who had arrived in the UK on a boat.

However, the assertion by UK broadcaster ITV News that a Pakistani individual was the originator of the false news story has been questioned, both by local law enforcement and other UK media outlets.

The investigators believe that Asif was not the first source of this spurious news but copy-pasted it from a social media post.

They say the disinformation was first published by kossyderrickent.com, a little-known tabloid on July 29. The tabloid posts reports about celebrities and trending topics in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, the US, Zimbabwe and India.

The disinformation was then shared by a UK-based woman who has previously been involved in spreading disinformation about COVID-19 and climate change on social media accounts.

The FIA said Asif, upon realising the mistake, issued an apology and deleted the post from all social media accounts, but the disinformation kept gaining traction as it kept being shared by other users and garnering views online.

Channel3Now regularly publishes sensational news stories under the pretence of being an American-style TV channel.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Moscow, Aug 21 (AP) A year ago this week, President Vladmir Putin strode onto a stage in the Kursk region to commemorate the 80th anniversary of one of the Soviet army's proudest moments in World War II.

Addressing a rapt audience that included soldiers fresh from fighting in Ukraine, Putin called the decisive victory in the Battle of Kursk one of the great feats of our people.

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Now, as Russia prepares to celebrate the 81st anniversary of that 1943 battle, Kursk is again in the news  but for a very different reason.

On Aug. 6, Ukrainian forces made a lightning push into the region, seizing villages, taking hundreds of prisoners and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians. Russia was caught unprepared by the offensive and reportedly is drafting conscripts to repel some of Ukraine's most battle-hardened units.

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Embarks on 2-Nation Visit to Poland and Ukraine, Says 'We Hope for Early Return of Peace, Stability in Region' in Departure Message.

Putin has a history of responding slowly to various crises in his tenure, and he has so far played down the attack. But 2 1/2 years after l aunching a war in Ukraine to remove what he called a threat to Russia, it is his own country that seems more turbulent.

He appeared uneasy at an Aug. 12 televised meeting of his security staff about Kursk, cutting off the acting regional governor who had started listing the settlements seized by Ukraine. The president and his officials referred to the events in the Kursk region" as a situation, or provocation.

State media fell into line, showing evacuees queueing for aid or donating blood, as if the events in Kursk were a humanitarian disaster and not the largest attack on Russia since World War II.

In his 24 years in power, Putin has portrayed himself as the only person who can guarantee Russia's security and stability, but that image has suffered since the war began.

Russian cities have come under drone attacks and shelling from Kyiv's forces. Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin launched a brief uprising last year to try to oust his military leaders. Gunmen stormed a Moscow concert hall and killed 145 people in March.

The Kremlin has given tacit approval to a wide-ranging purge of Defense Ministry officials, with many facing corruption charges. Lower-level officers also are being arrested on fraud charges, including Lt. Col. Konstantin Frolov, a decorated airborne brigade commander. I would rather be in Kursk ... than here, he said while being marched in handcuffs into a Moscow police station.

In another reminder that fortunes in Russia can change quickly, authorities started criminal cases against other officials and are seeking to confiscate land from some of the country's wealthiest people in a posh area outside Moscow near a Putin residence.

While state TV drives the still-strong support for Putin despite setbacks like the Kursk incursion, it's harder to gauge the opinions of his key constituency  Russia's elites.

Putin is dependent on their acquiescence, said Ekaterina Schulmann, a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin.

The calculation that's going on in their heads 24/7 is whether the status quo is to their advantage or not, she said.

Since the war began, life for those elites  Putin's inner circle, top bureaucrats, security and military officials, and business leaders  has gotten worse, not better. While many have been enriched by the war, they have fewer places to spend their money because of Western sanctions.

The question they are asking themselves about Putin, Schulmann said, is whether the old man is still an asset or already a liability.

Russia's elites could be described as being in a state of unhappy compliance," said Nigel Gould-Davies, senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. They are discontented with the status quo, he said, but fearful about who would win if there were to be a leadership struggle.

They could be hoping, the analysts said, that Putin's reaction to the events in Kursk fits a pattern in which he is initially slow to respond to a crisis before eventually managing to prevail.

It's something seen since his earliest days in power  starting with the sinking 24 years ago of a nuclear submarine that was named for the Battle of Kursk.

On Aug. 19, 2000, less than a year after Putin became president, the Kursk sank in the Barents Sea after one of its torpedoes exploded, killing all 118 sailors aboard. Putin stayed on vacation early in the crisis  setting off widespread criticism  and waited five days before accepting Western offers of help that might have saved some sailors who initially survived the explosion.

Putin also appeared sluggish in responding to the June 2023 uprising by Wagner chief Prigozhin in what became the most serious challenge to his authority yet.

After the mutiny fizzled, Prigozhin initially was allowed to remain free, but Schulmann said Putin eventually got the last laugh when the mercenary leader was killed a month later in a still-mysterious crash on his private plane.

As the Ukrainian offensive enters its third week, Putin sought to keep to his schedule and even embarked on a two-day trip to Azerbaijan, without mentioning the crisis. On Tuesday he briefly referred to it, promising to fight those who commit crimes in the Kursk region.

With domestic dissent stifled and with the media firmly under his control, Putin can afford to make the absolutely cynical decision to ignore what is happening in the Kursk region, Schulmann said.

Still, Putin's hold on power is unlikely to be weakened as a result of this humiliation, wrote Eugene Rumer, senior fellow and the director of the Carnegie Russia and Eurasia Program, in a commentary. The entire Russian political and military establishment is complicit in his war and responsible for this disaster.

The longer the Ukrainian offensive goes on, however, the more military and political challenges it presents.

Russia appears to be struggling to find suitable forces to repel the Ukrainian assault. Despite promising that conscripts wouldn't be sent to the front, Russia is deploying them to the Kursk region with not enough training, according to a human rights group that helps draftees.

Analysts say reserves also are being called up, so that Russia can avoid pulling troops from Ukraine's Donbas region, where Moscow's forces are making slow progress.

The manpower shortage has seen authorities trying to entice Russians to serve by offering large salaries, drafting convicted criminals from prisons and recruiting foreigners inside the country.

As Ukraine presses its offensive, it could become difficult for the Kremlin to ignore the many consequences of the war. A key question, Gould-Davies said, is what happens if Russia's elites conclude that the conflict is unwinnable or if ... it will never end while Putin is in power.

In Sudzha, a Russian town in the Kursk region now controlled by Ukrainian troops, the suffering of residents was clear. AP reporters on a Ukrainian government-organized trip last week saw shelled buildings, a damaged natural gas pumping station, and elderly residents huddled in basements with their belongings and food  images similar to what's been seen in Ukraine for the past 29 months.

It's unclear for now whether the second battle of Kursk, like the first one, will become a turning point in the war that Putin launched.

But, Schulmann said, as one of a series of unfortunate events, it adds up to the impression that things are not going well." (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington, Aug 21 (AP) Former President Donald Trump has been active on his social accounts as Democrats gather for their convention in Chicago, but some of his posts don't have much to do with reality.

Ahead of the Democratic National Convention, he posted a fake image of someone who looks like Vice President Kamala Harris addressing what appears to be a communist rally in Chicago with a depiction of a red banner with a communist symbol. That followed his repost of a phony video of himself dancing next to billionaire Elon Musk, one of his most vocal supporters.

Also Read | Maria Branyas Morera, World's Oldest Person, Dies in Spain at 117.

Just before the convention kicked off, he reposted an image of Taylor Swift in an Uncle Sam outfit and accepted her endorsement for his campaign, which she had never given.

They're the latest examples of how Trump is promoting images produced by artificial intelligence tools to attack his opponents or create illusions of support around his own campaign. It's in keeping with a long-standing strategy in which Trump amplifies messages  from QAnon adherents to those who deny the results of fair elections -- to score political points and satisfy his base by promoting alternate realities.

Also Read | Pakistan's Anti-Corruption Court Discharges Imran Khan's Wife Bushra Bibi in 12 Cases Linked to May 9 Riots.

Some of the images and videos Trump has shared are cartoonish or obviously fake. Yet the rise in AI-generated content across political social media concerns experts who say it can be used to push more insidious and believable disinformation. As fake images, videos and audio clips created by generative AI models begin to saturate social media, they also risk eroding people's trust in what they see and hear.

The AI-generated deepfakes of Taylor Swift are yet another example of AI's power to create misinformation that deceives and defrauds voters, said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, a progressive consumer rights advocacy group that has pushed for legislation to regulate AI. The potential harms to our society that could result from such misinformation, including abuses of our elections, are wide-reaching and immensely damaging.

One AI-generated image in Trump's Truth Social post, shared on Sunday, showed women in Swifties for Trump shirts, a reference to the artist's devout fans. The fake image showing Swift dressed as Uncle Sam included text saying, Taylor wants YOU to VOTE for DONALD TRUMP. In his repost of the image, Trump added, I accept!

One of the images Trump shared included a small satire label, though he didn't clarify whether he meant his post was in jest.

Swift, who remains on her world tour and has a show scheduled Tuesday night in London, has made no endorsement in this year's U.S. presidential race. Her spokesperson did not return multiple messages seeking comment.

To Republicans outside Trump's orbit, the focus on someone like Swift  one of the most talked about artists in the world  is all about garnering attention for Trump at a time when much of the focus is on Harris and Democrats.

This is how he and the campaign can wrest back news cycles, said Doug Heye, a longtime Republican spokesperson and operative. "I hesitate to say to their credit, but I think we all know, if you want to be talked about, Taylor Swift is a great way to do it.

A Harris spokesperson did not respond to questions about Trump's use of images generated by artificial intelligence.

Trump supporters frequently create social media posts and memes using AI-generated images, some of which get shared by the former president.

Before Trump shared the phony Swift images, his supporters had been creating and posting their own AI-generated videos and images of the pop star appearing to support Trump. They also shared numerous images of Harris dressed as a communist leader or addressing a Soviet crowd.

Political operatives have long been concerned about what the rise in artificial intelligence could mean for elections.

Some members of Congress have pushed for legislation to regulate the use of AI-generated images in politics, but no legislation to do so has gotten close to passing. The Federal Communications Commission has proposed requiring political advertisers to disclose their use of artificial intelligence in television and radio ads, but such a rule would not affect the social media platforms.

While several social media companies have rules for labeling AI-generated content, they aren't always followed. Across platforms, misleading and lifelike images of both Trump and Harris amass millions of views, with some users not recognizing what they are seeing is fake.

Given her influence and millions of fans, Swift has often become a trending political topic during election years.

In 2020, she supported President Joe Biden, writing a month before the election that she was going to be cheering for then-vice presidential nominee Harris, this year's Democratic nominee, in her debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence. She also was openly critical of Trump ahead of the 2020 election, saying he had stoked the fires of white supremacy and racism.

While she has remained on the sidelines so far this year, she has not escaped notice from prominent conservatives who worry about a Swift endorsement of the Democratic presidential ticket.

Some of her supporters have responded to Trump's posts by taking to social media and declaring their intentions to vote for the former president. Trump's campaign is seizing on that support.

Steven Cheung, Trump's spokesman, did not address the use of fake images in response to questions, but called Swifties for Trump" a "massive movement that grows bigger every single day. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Frankfort (Kentucky), Aug 21 (AP) The University of Kentucky will disband its office promoting diversity and inclusion efforts in response to questions from policymakers that its focus on identity has stifled political discussions, its president said Tuesday.

The action on the Lexington, Kentucky, campus comes after state lawmakers debated whether to limit diversity, equity and inclusion practices at public universities. Republican supermajorities in the Kentucky House and Senate were unable to resolve differences on the issue before ending this year's session in April, but the matter has been expected to resurface when lawmakers reconvene early next year.

Also Read | Maria Branyas Morera, World's Oldest Person, Dies in Spain at 117.

In the school's preemptive action, units housed in the shuttered Office for Institutional Diversity will be shifted elsewhere on campus, including into a newly created Office for Community Relations, UK President Eli Capilouto said in a campuswide email. The restructuring won't result in job losses, he said.

Capilouto stressed that the school's core values remain intact  to protect academic freedom and promote a sense of belonging for everyone on campus, regardless of background or perspective.

Also Read | Pakistan's Anti-Corruption Court Discharges Imran Khan's Wife Bushra Bibi in 12 Cases Linked to May 9 Riots.

But we've also listened to policymakers and heard many of their questions about whether we appear partisan or political on the issues of our day and, as a result, narrowly interpret things solely through the lens of identity, the campus president said. In so doing, the concern is that we either intentionally or unintentionally limit discourse. I hear many of those concerns reflected in discussions with some of our students, faculty and staff across our campus.

Universities in other states have been grappling with similar issues, he noted.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Rodney Bennett on Tuesday announced plans to dissolve the school's Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

I fully grasp the weight of this decision and its implications, but a centralized approach to this work is no longer right for our institution, Bennett said in a public letter.

Bennett said he's splitting the task of supporting and building a sense of community and belonging between several other offices.

It is incumbent on each of us to foster a welcoming environment for all members of our community, he said.

Nebraska state lawmakers this year tried to ban diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at state colleges and universities. The bills failed to advance after dozens of critics testified against the proposals.

The quest to limit DEI initiatives gained momentum this year in a number of statehouses in red states. For instance, Iowa's Republican-led Legislature approved a budget bill that would ban all DEI offices and initiatives in higher education that aren't necessary to comply with accreditation or federal law.

Republican lawmakers in Missouri have proposed numerous bills targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in higher education and state government. Though the legislation hasn't passed, the efforts have put pressure on institutions to make changes. The University of Missouri recently announced that it is dissolving its Inclusion, Diversity and Equity division and dispersing the staff among other departments.

In Kentucky, GOP lawmakers at the forefront of DEI debates said Tuesday that they welcomed the action taken by UK and urged other public universities to take similar steps.

A true elimination of these DEI policies in our public universities will end the division they promote, and allow our colleges and universities to be the true bastion of free thought we need them to be, Republican state Sen. Mike Wilson said in a statement.

Opponents of the anti-DEI bills in Kentucky warned that the restrictions on campuses could roll back gains in minority enrollments and stifle campus discussions about past discrimination.

On its website, UK's Office for Institutional Diversity said its mission was to enhance the diversity and inclusivity of our university community through the recruitment and retention of an increasingly diverse population. It says that initiatives promoting diversity-related experiences can help ensure success in an interconnected world.

In outlining the restructuring at UK, the university will not mandate centralized diversity training at the college or unit level, Capilouto said. It won't place required diversity statements in hiring and application processes, he said, and websites will be free of political positions to ensure impartiality.

This should in no way be construed as impinging upon academic freedom, UK's president added. Faculty decide what to teach as part of formal instruction and where discovery should take them as scholars in their areas of expertise. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Chicago [US], August 21 (ANI): The lineup of speakers remains strong on day two of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, with US Senator Bernie Sanders vowing support for the Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris as US Presidential Polls draw close .

Independent senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders used the achievements of the Biden administration to explain why he thought Kamala Harris's election was significant.

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During his speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Sanders discussed the COVID-19 outbreak and the steps taken by the government to assist the nation in resolving the situation.

"That was the reality the Biden-Harris administration faced as they entered the Oval Office: A nation suffering, a nation frightened and people looking to their government for support," he said, reported CNN.

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He further stated that "within two months of taking office, our government did respond."

"When the political will is there, government can effectively deliver for the people of our country," Sanders added.

He demanded more agenda items for the ensuing four years, such as taxing the wealthy and opposing price gouging, which Harris had already declared as part of her proposed economic policies, reported CNN. Sanders said that he also wanted to see increases in teacher wages and the minimum wage.

"Bottom line, we need an economy that works for all of us, not just the billionaire class," he said, adding that these are things that "the American people want from their government."

"I look forward to working with Kamala and Tim (Walz) to pass this agenda," Sanders further stated.

The second night of the DNC will feature remarks from former US President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama and other key Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, CNN reported.

In her first remarks at the Democratic National Convention that kicked off on Monday night (local time) in Chicago, Vice President and Democratic nominee for the upcoming US Presidential Polls, Kamala Harris thanked President Joe Biden for his leadership to the nation.

"I want to kick us off by celebrating our incredible President Joe Biden," Harris said during brief surprise remarks at the DNC in Chicago.

"Thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation and for all you will continue to do. We are forever grateful to you," Harris further said.

It is important to note that a video played Monday at the Democratic National Convention also highlighted Harris' Californian roots and the critical role her mother Shyamala Gopalan, an Indian, played in her upbringing. Some of the snippets from Harris's childhood flat in California's East Bay were included in the video.

Harris is the daughter of Jamaican-born Donald Harris, an 85-year-old retired Stanford University economist, and Indian-born Shyamala Gopalan, a breast cancer researcher who passed away in 2009.

Harris is the first Asian American woman and woman of colour to head a significant party ticket. After Biden withdrew from the contest and backed her, the party came together in support of her.

Earlier last month, a virtual vote officially recognised the vice president as the Democratic party nominee. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mumbai, August 21: The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Wednesday called for a Maharashtra bandh on August 24 to protest against the alleged sexual assault on two young girls at a school in Badlapur of Thane district. MVA allies  Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) headed by Sharad Pawar  took the decision after a meeting here, said Vijay Wadettiwar, leader of opposition in the state assembly.

He said all MVA allies will participate in the bandh on August 24. We discussed the issue of women's security in the state and the failure of the BJP-led Mahayuti government on all fronts, he said. Meanwhile, Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad led a protest outside Mantralaya, the state secretariat, over the Badlapur incident. Wadettiwar and a few congress leaders were also present during the protest. Adarsh School Badlapur Sexual Assault Case: Dada Took Off My Clothes, Harrowing Revelation by Victim Girl to Her Parents.

MVA Calls Maharashtra Bandh on August 24 Over Badlapur Incident: Sanjay Raut

#WATCH | Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut says, "...We had come here to discuss seat sharing but then we thought that we would not discuss seat sharing and instead discuss the law and order in the state after the Badlapur incident. The people of Maharashtra are agitated and pic.twitter.com/4LoFpEZoly  ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2024

Jitendra Awhad Slams Government, Calls Maharashtra Bandh Crucial After FIRs Against Protesters

#WATCH | NCP-SCP leader Jitendra Awhad says, "...Yesterday, FIRs have been filed against 300 people protesting against the Badlapur incident...This is an unconstitutional government...The culprits are increasing and against this Maharashtra Bandh is important" pic.twitter.com/5ibNilFgew  ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2024

Holding placards outside the gates of Mantralaya, Congress leaders and workers shouted slogans against the government for the delay in the registration of the FIR. The protesters were stopped by the police from entering the premises. Gaikwad and Wadettiwar slammed the state government for the rise in crimes against women in the state. Badlapur Sexual Assault: Maharashtra Minister Deepak Kesarkar Promises Action Amid Protests and Political Tensions.

Police on August 17 arrested an attendant at the school for sexually abusing two girl students of the kindergarten at a school in Badlapur. As per the complaint, he abused the girls in the toilet of the school, an official said.

The opposition parties have alleged that the parents of the girls were made to wait for 11 hours at Badlapur police station before the officials took note of their complaints. Thousands of protesters on Tuesday blocked railway tracks at Badlapur station and stormed the school building over the incident.
New Delhi, August 21: The Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association (SCWLA) on Wednesday urged a complete and effective ban on public viewing of online pornography and unfiltered obscenity on OTT platforms across the country. The SCWLA said that it was deeply shocked, traumatised, agonised and pained by the recent spurt of crimes against women, girls and infants, which were reported in Kolkata, Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and other parts of the country at the hands of brutal, insensitive perverted perpetrators.

"These incidents have shaken our collective conscience to the core. While the women of the nation feel insecure and unsafe, no quantum of stringent laws seems to be working as a deterrent, therefore, we urge that there must be a complete and effective ban on public viewing of online pornography and unfiltered obscenity on OTT platforms across the country," it said. Maharashtra Bandh on August 24: MVA Calls for Statewide Shutdown to Protest Against Badlapur Sexual Abuse Incident.

The top court Women's Bar Association also urged for installation of functional CCTV systems in every workplace and all institutions across the country, adding that Gender Sensitisation Committees come into place in all public and private sectors in consonance with the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace Guidelines.

The SCWLA said that it is resolute in its mission to advocate for the safety and dignity of women across India and called upon government officials, legal authorities, and the public to unite in addressing issues relating to the safety and dignity of women with urgency and seriousness. Sexual Violence Against Women: 151 Sitting MPs and MLAs Face Cases of Crimes Against Women, 16 Charged With Rape; Check All Details of ADR Report Here.

"Only through comprehensive and coordinated action, we can hope to create a safer, more equitable society for all women," the SCWLA said in a statement. The SCWLA strongly condemns these horrendous, violent and brutal crimes and stands in complete solidarity with the young girls and women of this nation, the statement read.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 21, 2024 06:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Jaipur, August 21: Educational institutes and markets in parts of Rajasthan were closed on Wednesday in the wake of the Bharat Bandh called by Aarakshan Bachao Sangharsh Samiti. Also, Internet services were suspended in four districts -- Bharatpur, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur and Deeg-Kumher from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. as a precautionary measure.

The impact of Bharat Bandh was seen in parts of Jaipur where markets were closed, and the bus and taxi services were disrupted. Jaipur Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph said that an additional police force has been deployed in the state capital. Police will take immediate action against people creating any kind of disturbance, he said. Is Today a Bharat Bandh? Who Has Called for Shutdown and Why? All You Need To Know About Nation-Wide Hadtaal Called by Minority Organisations Over Supreme Courts Reservation Verdict.

Rajasthan Shuts Down Amid Bharat Bandh

Rajasthan: In Bhilwara, Bharat Bandh led to the closure of schools, shops, and markets in protest against the Supreme Court's decision on creamy layer in SC/ST reservations. Police and administration were on high alert. pic.twitter.com/XRCAlgTNaw  IANS (@ians_india) August 21, 2024

"Under no circumstances, disturbance and vandalism will be tolerated. Police are keeping special vigil on all the intersections and procession routes of the city. Action will be taken as per rules against those who disturb the peace," he added. Colleges and universities, including Maharani College, Maharaja College, and Agrawal College were closed for the day. Bharat Bandh on August 21: All You Need To Know About Nation-Wide Hadtaal Called by Minority Organisations on Wednesday Over Supreme Courts Exclude Creamy Layer From SC, ST Reservations Ruling.

Further different teams formed by Aarakshan Bachao Sangharsh Samiti were taking out rallies in groups in their respective areas in Jaipur. A rally in support of the bandh will start from Ramniwas Bagh and will pass through Chaura Rasta, Tripolia Bazaar, Badi Chaupad, Johri Bazaar, Sanganeri Gate, and MI Road while ending at Ramniwas Bagh. After this, a memorandum will be given to the collector.

Also, a holiday has been declared for the day in all educational institutions in Sikar, Alwar, Dausa, Sawai Madhopur, Deeg, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner, Tonk, Bhilwara, Neemkathana, Kota, Sriganganagar, Chittorgarh and Bharatpur. Exams at Kota, Shekhawati and Matsya Universities have been postponed.

The effect of Bharat Bandh was also visible in Alwar. The police administration has been on alert mode. Shops have been closed, and markets and roads wore a deserted look. Even the plying of buses has been suspended here. Special police contingents have been deployed at various places in Jodhpur. Schools and colleges are closed here. Many traders associations have supported the bandh till 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

Additional Commissioner of Police Nishant Bhardwaj said that in view of the call for bandh, the police force has been deployed at various places in the city. The Bhim Army along with other organisations will gather at Jodhpur's Jalori Gate intersection and will reach the District Collectorate office through various routes of the city and submit a memorandum to the District Collector. At the same time, Anand Azad of Bhim Army said that they are opposing the decision of the Supreme Court. "The Honorable Supreme Court is working to divide our castes, we request that we should not be divided."

Meanwhile, BJP leader Kirori Lal Meena has said that some people are playing politics in the name of reservation by misleading the SC-ST classes by calling this bandh. He said that he stands with the Supreme Court's decision on the reservation.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 21, 2024 01:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Kannauj, August 21: The aunt of the minor girl, who was allegedly raped by former block head Nawab Singh Yadav at a private college here, has been arrested, police said on Wednesday. According to a senior police officer, the girl's aunt, who had allegedly taken the 15-year-old to the college where Yadav raped her on the night of August 11-12, was held on Tuesday.

The case has triggered a political slugfest between the opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) and the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh, which has alleged that the accused was a former block chief and close aide of SP leader Dimple Yadav when she was the Lok Sabha MP from Kannauj. The SP has, however, distanced itself from Yadav, who was arrested on August 12 in connection with the case. Kannauj: Samajwadi Party Leader, Nawab Singh Yadav Arrested Under POCSO Act After Allegedly Being Found With Minor in College (Watch Video).

"A Special Operations Group (SOG) of the police has arrested the girl's aunt, who was absconding for seven days, from the Tirwa area of Kannauj," Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Kumar Anand said. "During interrogation, the girl's aunt claimed that Nawab Singh Yadav's brother lured her with money to retract her statement, skip medical test (of the girl). She also claimed to have been pressured to name other people and say that the incident is a conspiracy in order to influence the course of the investigation," SP Anand said. Uttar Pradesh: Minor Girl Gang-Raped by Two Youths in Kannauj Allegedly Dies by Suicide (Watch Video).

According to SP Anand, the girl's aunt also told the police that she has known Yadav for five-six years and has close relations with him. "Yadav had called the girl to his college on the night of August 11, when he molested and raped her. The victim dialled the emergency number 112 from her aunt's mobile and informed the police, who immediately reached the spot and arrested Yadav, who was later sent to jail," the police officer said.

Yadav is the manager of the private college, where he called the girl and her aunt on the night of August 11 on the pretext of helping the teenager get a job, the police had earlier said. SP Anand said a case has been registered against the girl's aunt under section 61/2 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant sections of the POCSO Act for helping the alleged rape accused Yadav.

She will be produced in the court later in the day, he added. Meanwhile, the district administration has launched an investigation into the legality of the properties held by Yadav, Sub-District Magistrate (Sadar) Ram K Singh said. "Naib Tehsildar Himanshu Prabhakar, Revenue Inspector Arun Tiwari, Lekhpal Priya Pal, Vijay Kant Shukla, Amit Mishra, Abhishek Dubey and Survey Lekhpal Amit Rai have been given the responsibility of investigating the properties owned by accused Nawab Singh Yadav," Singh said.

On the night of August 11-12, Yadav was arrested on the charge of attempt to rape with the minor at his college here. The next day, medical examination confirmed that the girl was raped and the charge was accordingly added in the FIR, according to the police.
A school teacher has been arrested for molesting six girl students in Maharashtra's Akola. Akola Police have arrested Pramod Manohar Sardar, a teacher at Zilla Parishad School in Kajikhed, following a complaint of molestation involving six schoolgirls. The police swiftly took action, recording the victims' statements, Akola SP Bachchan Singh said. Cases have been registered under sections 74 and 75 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita and the POCSO Act. Further investigation is ongoing. Adarsh School Badlapur Sexual Assault Case To Be Tried in Fast-Track Court, Says Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde; Warns Action Against School Management.

Teacher Molests 6 School Girls in Maharashtra's Akola, Arrested

Maharashtra | Akola Police received a complaint of molestation of 6 school girls by Pramod Manohar Sardar, a teacher of the Zilla Parishad School in Kajikhed. Police immediately arrested the accused teacher and recorded the statements of the victim girls. Cases under sections 74 pic.twitter.com/SaQRKsGJ8w  ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2024

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
Beijing (Gasgoo)- On August 21, AVATR, the premium new energy vehicle brand jointly developed by Changan Automobile, Huawei, and CATL, unveiled the highly anticipated AVATR 012 model, a limited-edition vehicle developed in collaboration with Kim Jones, creative director of both Dior Homme and Fendi womenswear.



Photo credit: AVATR

The AVATR 012 is now available for presale at a price of 700,000 yuan, with only 700 units being produced globally.

Photo credit: AVATR

The AVATR 012 retains the brands signature design language, featuring a distinctive liquid silver exterior. The front end is equipped with E-shaped split headlights and a muscular, streamlined lighting design, which exudes a futuristic aesthetic. The vehicle also includes active air intake grilles and three strategically placed LiDAR sensors, essential components for its advanced driving system.

Photo credit: AVATR

Maintaining the same dimensions as the AVATR 12, the 012 measures 5,020mm in length, 1,999mm in width, and 1,469mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,020mm. The model is also fitted with exclusive 21-inch forged mirror wheels, contributing to its sleek profile.

Photo credit: AVATR

Inside, the cabin inherits AVATRs usual luxurious and tech-savvy ambiance, featuring a 35.4-inch 4K display and a 15.6-inch central control screen.

Powering the AVATR 012 is Huaweis DriveONE high-voltage electric drive system. The model utilizes CATLs Qilin 5C battery, enabling rapid charging with a peak current of 700A.

At the launch event, AVATR also revealed its future product plans. In addition to the AVATR 012, the AVATR 07 with dual powertrains, the AVATR 11 extended-range version, and the AVATR 12 extended-range version, the company will launch three new vehicle models within 2024. These include a new dual-power sedan, a five-seater model, and a six-seater model. Additionally, AVATR will adopt a new HI PLUS model in its ongoing collaboration with Huawei Yinwang.
Madrid, August 20: Maria Branyas, believed to be the oldest person in the world, has died at the age of 117, her family announced on social media on Tuesday. Branyas, who became the oldest person alive after the death of French nun Lucile Randon in January 2023, had "left us." Her family added, "She died peacefully in her sleep, as she wanted, calm and without pain," in a residential home in the town of Olot, in northeastern Spain. Maria Branyas Morera Dies: World's Oldest Person Who Survived Spanish Flu and Coronavirus Pandemic Passes Away at 117.

The message also contained some of Branyas' last words from a few days earlier. "One day, that I still don't know, but which is very close, this long journey will have ended. Death will find me tired after having lived for so long, but I want it to find me smiling, free and satisfied," she is reported to have stated. "Don't cry, I don't like tears and above all don't suffer for me, because you know me, I will be happy wherever I go, because I will have you with me in some way," Xinhua news agency reported. World's Oldest Person, Maria Branyas Morera, Dies Aged 117: Guinness World Records Condoles Death of the Eighth-Oldest Person in History (View Post).

The daughter of a journalist, Maria Branyas was born in San Francisco, United States, on March 4, 1907, and returned to Spain in 1914. She initially worked as a nurse before becoming a healthcare official at a hospital in Girona. She is survived by two daughters and had a son who passed away at the age of 86, along with 11 grandchildren. Maria Branyas overcame the Covid-19 virus in 2020. However, her daughter Rosa noted that she had "gone downhill" since 2023. "She isn't in pain, nor is she ill," Rosa explained, attributing her condition to her advanced age.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 20, 2024 10:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
A group of 29 Colombians who had illegally crossed the Darien Gap from Colombia to Panama were put on a plane back to the Colombian city of Medellin on 20 August, in the first of a series of deportation flights agreed by Panamas new president,, and US President

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An explosion that leveled a home in northeastern Pennsylvania and killed two people was apparently caused by a propane leak, state police said.

The blast in Jefferson Township, near Scranton, was reported around 2 p.m. Tuesday. It sparked a fire that sent thick smoke spewing high into the air and sent debris flying through the residential neighborhood in Lackawanna County.

A 75-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene. A man was pulled from the home and taken to a hospital, where he died Wednesday, according to a news release from the Lehigh County Coroners Office.

Leon W. Gruss, 91, suffered burns over 51% of his body, according to the news release. He was burned when his home caught on fire, the release says. The home is a man in the 1000 block of Mount Cobb Road.

The source of the propane leak and what caused it to ignite remains under investigation, state police said.

Firefighters work to recover the victim of a deadly house explosion in Jefferson Township, Lackawanna County, Pa., Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (Christopher Dolan/The Times-Tribune via AP)AP

The remnants of a deadly house explosion in Jefferson Township, Lackawanna County, Pa. are seen on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (Christopher Dolan/The Times-Tribune via AP)AP

Firefighters work at the scene of a deadly house explosion in Jefferson Township, Lackawanna County, Pa., Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (Christopher Dolan/The Times-Tribune via AP)AP

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The Associated Press and supervising reporter Rudy Miller contributed to this report. Reach him at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com.
Police identified the pedestrian Wednesday who died after being struck by a vehicle Friday on Route 22 West in Lopatcong Township.

Township police said 32-year-old Andre D. Simpson of Newark, New Jersey, was struck around 5 p.m on Route 22 near South Third Street. Simpson was then taken to St. Lukes Hospital-Warren, where he was later pronounced dead, police said.

The investigation is ongoing. Lopatcong Police Sgt. Lou LaFord told lehighvalleylive.com the collision is not being investigated as a hit and run case.

Police ask those with information to call LaFord at 908-859-1212.

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
If you want to follow in the footsteps of Zooey Deschanel in the famous Christmas movie with Will Ferrell and work as a store Elf, it's time to get the stripy tights on and apply in Laois.

If you aim higher and want to be the big man himself in the red suit, that position is up for grabs too, both on Indeed.com

Electric Picnic is only over and the kids are not back to school but the Kyle Centre in Portlaoise is recruiting for their grotto.

"Seeking Christmas Elves to help bring the North Pole alive in Dunnes Stores at The Kyle Centre. You will be in a full elf costume and will entertain children and their families in the queue and on their way to Santa's House. Christmas Elves will also assist Santa in his house.

"Receptionist and photo sales roles also available. Must be enthusiastic, have a cheery and bright disposition, experience with children and the public, and a colourful imagination! Stage experience preferred. Experience in customer service, sales, and/or administration is required for receptionist and photo sales roles."

Santa must be "a very jolly man".

"Must be cheerful, energetic, professional, jolly, and possess experience working with children and/or events. Stage experience preferred. Previous Santa experience and beard preferred but not essential. Full training and Santa suit provided.

The pay for Santa is 22 to 26 per hour. Elves only work for free in the actual North Pole, but the Elf job description does not include the pay rate.

Grotto staff are expected to work any day of the week, in eight hour shifts. The grotto opens for a month, from November 30 until December 23.
Irish Rail has been urged to put staff in their train stations in Laois, to help passengers.

Cllr Tommy Mulligan from Portlaoise Municipal District, made the call in a motion tabled to Laois County Council, with a letter gone with the request to Irish Rail and to Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan.

"It surprises me that over the years, whatever station it is, there is a lack of personnel to help with answering queries or directing people to the right platform. There are ticket machines but most of the time there is no assistance.

"Whenever I'm there the counter is closed. The elderly and people with disabilities need help boarding and disembarking," he said.

His motion seeks the council to send a letter to Irish Rail, asking it to have personnel "available and operating throughout the working day to assist and provide information to customers at the train stations in Portlaoise, Portarlington and Ballybrophy".

Cllr James Kelly seconded it.

"I fully support this. You all remember the anti-social behaviour on trains during Covid. Between the Gardai and Irish Rail they sorted a lot of it. Now we are to have a major announcement by Minister Ryan about major investment in Irish Rail, this could be part of it. We definitely need people there to help people. We should also look at reopening the likes of Kilbricken," he said.

Cllr John King agrees, suggesting that staff could also work as caretakers, or be posted at certain times so passengers could choose when to take the train.

Cllr Aisling Moran noted the reduction in rail services in the past 50 years.

"Now they've completely knocked out villages. Kids can't get accommodation for colleges, they are sleeping on couches because the train or bus times don't matach up," she claimed.
The search for six people rescuers fear are trapped inside a luxury yacht that sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily is entering its third day.

The Italian Coastguard has not ruled out the possibility that those missing, including technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, may still be alive, with experts speculating air pockets could have formed as the yacht sank.

Among those missing are also Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

Jeremy Bloomer, Jonathan Bloomers twin brother, told the BBC: Its a slow process and it will take time. So there might be air pockets, but we dont know. Its still wait and see, so fingers crossed.

The body recovered at the scene of the sinking on Monday was that of Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working on the Bayesian superyacht, the Italian Coastguard told Sky News.

Gareth Williams, a friend of the chef, told the BBC: I can talk for everyone that knew him when I say he was a well-loved, kind human being with a calm spirit.

Another friend, Eli Fuller, told the outlet Mr Thomas was friends with everybody, always positive and sought after in his profession.

Bayesian was moored around half a mile off the coast of Porticello when it sank at around 5am local time on Monday as the area was hit by a storm.

Vincenzo Zagarola of the Italian Coastguard said the six missing tourists were feared dead.

Asked about the likelihood of them being alive, he said: Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not.

He told the PA news agency: We think they are still inside the boat, that is our very hard idea.

Our search and rescue activity by sea and air has gone on for around 36 hours.

Of course, we do not exclude that they are not inside the boat, but we know the boat sank quickly.

We suppose that the six people missing may not have had time to get out of the boat.

 #Porticello #Palermo, riprese alle 8 di #oggi le immersioni dei #sommozzatori speleo dei #vigilidelfuoco per le ricerche dei 6 dispersi. Complesso lingresso nello yacht, in atto la pianificazione per aprire accessi piu agevoli e ispezionare linterno [#20agosto 11:00] pic.twitter.com/QRTdGtO8r2  Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) August 20, 2024

Italys fire brigade Vigili del Fuoco said it is developing a plan to enter the wreckage of Bayesian, which is resting on the seabed off the coast at a depth of 50 metres.

It described the operation as complex, with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts.

Dr Jean-Baptiste Souppez, a senior lecturer of mechanical, biomedical and design engineering at Aston University, said the next 24 hours are crucial to find survivors trapped inside the wreck.

The speed at which the vessel sank (a few minutes, according to survivor and witness accounts) and the fact that it remains intact and on its side could favour the formation of small air pockets inside, he said.

This is obviously highly speculative and impossible to predict accurately.

A sign the rescuers may be looking for is a banging noise at regular intervals.

This is common practice on submarines and was one of the signs the search mission for the Titan submarine was looking for after it went missing last year.

But whether air pockets formed on the Bayesian is simply impossible to predict.

Of the 22 passengers and crew onboard, 15  including Mr Lynchs wife, Angela Bacares  were rescued after escaping onto a lifeboat.

The Mirror reported Ms Bacares is in a state of shock and sadness as she awaits news of her husband. She has reportedly been joined by the couples elder daughter who was not aboard the boat.

More of the yachts rescued crew members were named by the Italian Coastguard on Tuesday, with Leo Eppel and South African nationals Leah Randall and Katja Chicken all confirmed as having been on board.

Survivors are recuperating at a hotel complex in Porticello where authorities are gathering witness statements.

The Telegraph reported authorities are investigating whether hatches left open by crew members contributed to the sinking, as well as what onboard measures were taken in preparation for the storm.

The ships captain James Calfield, 51 told Italian media: We didnt see it coming.

Mr Lynch, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was cleared in June of conducting a massive fraud relating to the 11 billion US dollar (8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.

The boat trip was a celebration of his acquittal.

The Financial Times reported that Mr Bloomer appeared at trial as a defence witness for Mr Lynch, while media reports suggest the pair are close friends.

A spokesperson for Morgan Stanley said the bank was shocked and saddened while Clifford Chance said it was a tragic incident.

David Tabizel, Mr Lynchs Autonomy co-founder, told Sky News: Im just heartbroken for him and his family and I hope theres a miracle about to occur.

If anyone has the resilience to survive this  he does. And I hope hes found an air pocket.

Mr Tabizel added: He has been one of the most influential, intelligent and most honourable human beings I have ever had the honour of knowing.

The former school of Mr Lynchs daughter has said its thoughts are with their family and everyone involved.

A spokesperson for Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London, said: We are all incredibly shocked by the news that Hannah and her father are among those missing in this tragic incident and our thoughts are with their family and everyone involved as we await further updates.

Ed Llewellyn, British ambassador to Italy, met some of the survivors of the sinking at a hotel.

Ayla Ronald, a New Zealand national working at Clifford Chance, survived the ordeal.

Her father Lin Ronald confirmed to the Telegraph she had been invited aboard as a thanks for assistance in Mr Lynchs recent court case.

Another of the survivors, British tourist Charlotte Emsley, told la Repubblica she held her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, to stop her from drowning.

Charlotte and Sofia were treated in hospital, as was Sofias father, James Emsley.

In a separate incident, Mr Lynchs co-defendant in his US fraud trial, Stephen Chamberlain, died after being hit by a car while out running in Cambridgeshire on Saturday.

In a statement released through Cambridgeshire Police, Mr Chamberlains family said: Steve was a much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend.

He was an amazing individual whose only goal in life was to help others in any way possible.
The National Parents and Students Leaving Certificate Helpline will operate from Friday, August 23 to Saturday, August 31.



The Helpline (1800 265 165) is a free-phone service provided to Leaving Certificate students and their parents and guardians during the period when exam results become available. It will provide support and information relating to the results and on all pathways including CAO, apprenticeships, Further Education and Training (FET) and more. It will also be open to those who didnt sit their leaving certificate in 2024 but need further information.



The Helpline is staffed by professional and experienced guidance counsellors who will deliver one-to- one support to parents and students. The guidance counsellors involved in the helpline are members of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors (IGC). The National Parent and Student Leaving Cert Helpline is supported by the Department of Education, the National Parents Council, the Irish Second Level Students Union (ISSU) and Trinity College Dublin.



Minister for Education Norma Foley TD said: The National Parents and Students Helpline is an invaluable resource for students and their parents/guardians. This welcome resource runs from the release of the results to August 31 and affords students and their families the opportunity to speak to professional and experienced guidance counsellors, who can provide relevant information, reassurance and of course support about their current and future options. I would like to thank all those who support the delivery of the Helpline.



President of The Institute of Guidance Counsellors, Catriona Rodgers, said: On behalf of the IGC and our members who provide guidance across the lifespan, I would like to congratulate the students, and their families, who received their results today. The Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied is the first step on your pathway. Students have many options and opportunities in the Further Education and Training sector, National Tertiary Office, Higher Education and employment pathways. If you have any questions or are unsure of whats next, please get in touch with the Helpline at 1800 265 165. Our guidance counsellors are here to help you.



CEO of the National Parents Council, Aine Lynch said: The NPC is again delighted to support the National Parents and Students Leaving Certificate Helpline. When results arrive, some students, can have more questions than answers regarding their next steps. The Helpline is a vital support for students and parents who have any questions or concerns when navigating the many pathways and options available. The guidance counsellors answering the helpline calls will be able to help students with the support of their parents make sense of their available opportunities.



Jack McGinn, President of the Irish Second-Level Students' Union (ISSU), said: The ISSU are delighted to collaborate in a partnership between the Department of Education, National Parents' Council (NPC), the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, funded by Trinity College Dublin to launch the National Parent and Students' Leaving Certificate Helpline. We understand that sometimes the results received may leave original doors closed and plans disordered. The helpline is staffed by qualified IGC guidance counsellors who can help students to find their path. We know this time of year is daunting to many and the helpline is in place to provide support and guidance to students.



Professor Orla Sheils, Vice-Provost and Chief Academic Officer in Trinity College Dublin, said: Trinity College Dublin is delighted to support the National Students and Parents Leaving Certificate Helpline this year. We recognise that it can be daunting for students after they receive their Leaving Certificate results, and they and their parents may have questions about the various options available to them. This Helpline has been set up to ensure that students and parents get the correct answers, and the right support to help them make the best decision for the next steps at this very exciting time.



Guidance counsellors can provide information and support on a whole range of issues, for example, calculating CAO points, examination result rechecks, accepting an offer, failing a subject, repeating and viewing of scripts. Students and parents may also have questions relating to course information, preference order, no offer, further education and training options, apprenticeships, private colleges, UNICAS, UCAS, CAO, registration fees and gap years.



Those seeking support and information can contact the Helpline on 1800 265 165 and all queries will be dealt with in a professional and confidential manner.



This year, students will receive Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied results on August 23



The opening hours of the National Parents and Students Leaving Cert Helpline 2023 are:

Friday 23 August

10am to 5pm

Saturday 24 August

10am  5pm

Sunday 25 August

Closed

Monday 26 August

10am  5pm

Tuesday 27 August

10am  5pm

Wednesday 28 August Round 1 Offers

10am  5pm

Thursday 29 August

10am  5pm

Friday 30 August

10am  5pm

Saturday 31 August

10am  2pm
Dog owners throughout County Kildare are being encouraged to clean up after their dogs as part of Vision Irelands campaign, 'Clear Our Paths.'

The call comes after Vision Ireland (formerly known as the National Council for the Blind of Ireland) published a survey exploring people who are blind or vision impaireds experiences of footpath obstacles.

According to the survey, over a third of respondents were impacted by by dog waste in public spaces.

A spokesperson for Vision Ireland elaborated: "Not only does dog fouling present a slipping hazard, but it can also be a problem for white cane users whose canes are often dirtied by faeces.

"There were no dog fouling fine issued in Kildare in 2023.

"Overall, very few dog fouling fines were issued across the country  just 46, a reduction of 36 fines from 2022."

They added: "Kerry County Council had the highest number of fines for dog fouling offences, with just 13 issued.

"18 out of the 31 local authorities issued no fines at all."

However, the spokesperson also said that while the number of fines issued across the country was low, Vision Ireland has welcomed efforts by local authorities to help reduce dog fouling.

They explained: "A number of councils have run awareness campaigns in order to highlight the issue of dog fouling.

"Meath County Council developed responsible dog ownership information leaflets.

"Clare County Council provides dog litter bags at its area offices and other busy locations within its jurisdiction.

"Both Tipperary County Council and Longford County Council provide Mutt Mitts, which allow dog owners to dispose of dog waste safely."

The spokesperson further noted that cars parked on footpaths also have an adverse impact on the ability of people who are blind or vision impaired to navigate public spaces: "70 per cent of survey respondents identified parked cars as blocking their route when using public paths.

"Data provided by local authorities revealed that over 22,000 fines were issued to motorists who parked on footpaths."

"There were 443 parking on footpath fines issued in Kildare in 2023," they concluded.

Kevin Kelly, who is the Head of Policy, Partnerships and External Affairs at Vision Ireland, also gave his views on the matter.

He said: "Parked cars and dog waste are two of the biggest hazards people who are blind and vision impaired in Kildare face on our footpaths.

"The number of parking fines issued alone is astounding and gives an idea of the many thousands of obstacles people with sight loss face in their daily lives.

"Fines alone will not solve these problems; we must all work together and do our part to clear our paths."

Mr Kelly concluded: "If everyone takes more responsibility for their actions, we can work towards making paths in Kildare safer for all."

Chantelle Smith, Vision Irelands National Access and Mobility Manager, also said: "When people who are blind and vision impaired encounter obstacles like parked cars on footpaths, they often result in them having to take the decision to step off the footpath onto the roadway into traffic.

"Unfortunately, this places them at significant risk as drivers may not be expecting them to do so as it is not a crossing point."

Ms Smith added: "Vision Ireland is calling on the public and motorists alike to be considerate of the needs of vulnerable pedestrians."

Vision Ireland is encouraging motorists in Kildare, as well as dog owners, to consider any hazards they may be creating and how they can affect people who are blind or vision impaired.

The organisation has created a dedicated web page to assist those in learning more about how to 'Clear Our Paths.'

For further information, visit https://vi.ie/policy-advocacy/latest-campaigns/clear-our-paths/.
A total of 30 new permanent jobs are set to be created at the new 9.5 million ALDI store planned for North Kildare.

The announcement about the new store comes as the retailer was recently granted planning permission from Kildare County Council for its 1,315 square metre store.

According to the supermarket giant, it is aiming to open the store in 2026, making it the tenth ALDI store to open in Kildare since 2004, and it will create up to 30 permanent jobs in the local area.

Commenting on the announcement, Colin Breslin, Managing Director Buying and Services at ALDI Ireland, said: "We are delighted that we have been given the green light for the development of our new store in Kilcock, County Kildare.

"This is the final store to be granted planning permission as part of the 33.6m Midland investment plan we announced last year.

"Every new ALDI store brings greater choice, quality, and value to shoppers, whilst also creating new permanent jobs in the community."

He concluded: "We look forward to developing and opening the store and bringing more ALDI value to Kildare."

The store will offer 114 car parking spaces for customers and 24 bike parking spaces.

ALDI has also said that it is investing in a green future through the provision of 10 electric vehicle charging points, while the store will be powered by 100 per cent green electricity and will feature circa 146 solar panels on the roof.

Other locations included in ALDIs Midland investment plan include new stores planned for Moate (County Westmeath), Granard (County Longford) and Tullamore (County Offaly).

Planning permission has now been approved for all four stores, with future opening dates planned as well.
Measures taken by Leitrim Co Council have seen compensation claims fall to the lowest level in the country, latest figures reveal.

In 2023, Leitrim County Council received 25 claims and paid out 200,348 in public liability, which is lower compared to most Councils across the country.

A survey by the Irish Independent found that County Councils across Ireland paid 54 million in public liability claims last year. This comes as a 15.7 percent increase from 2022 when 46.8 million was paid out.

Carlow, Laois and Kerry did not provide data on claims.

A majority of claims were related to slips and falls on footpaths.

Cathaoirleach of Leitrim County Council, Paddy ORourke believes the relatively low amount of claims and payouts in the county can be attributed to a combination of litigation costs and the councils efforts to improve trip hazards.

A few years before that it wouldve been much more substantial, Cllr ORourke said.

I suppose the cost of litigation and the risk of going to court without a guarantee of success is a deterrent.

Cllr ORourke explained that there has been high investment in areas such as public buildings and playgrounds, removing a lot of potential tripping risks.

The potential for slips and trips has been reduced somewhat. I think to the credit of the Council, so many improvements have taken place that the obstacles that were potential trip hazards for people down through the years have been removed or repaired.

That along with the very high cost of engaging in solicitors with no guarantee of success for litigants is a deterrent, Cllr ORourke concluded.

Dublin city saw the highest number of claims at 906 at the cost of almost 19.5 million.
A survey by Vision Ireland has revealed that just 46 penalties were issued for dog fouling on public footpaths in 2023.

Leitrim was at the bottom of the list with only two offences, along with Cavan and Roscommon which had two and zero, respectively.

Kerry had the most fines for dog fouling at 13, followed by Dublin City at eight.

Vision Ireland, Irelands national sight loss agency, conducted a survey asking those with visual impairments about their experience with obstacles on footpaths. Over a third of those surveyed reported being impacted by dog waste on public footpaths.

The survey also found that 70 percent of respondents had been affected by parked cars on footpaths blocking their route. Over 22,000 fines were issued to motorists for parking illegally in the past year, according to data given to Vision Ireland by local authorities.

The number of parking fines issued alone is astounding and gives an idea of the many thousands of obstacles people who are blind and vision impaired face when theyre out and about. Fines alone will not solve these problems, said Kevin Kelly, Head of External Affairs at Vision Ireland.

The number of penalties for dog fouling decreased by 36 in 2022. Despite the relatively low figures, Vision Ireland expressed its support for local authorities to continue their efforts in reducing dog fouling.

Not only does dog fouling present a slipping hazard, but it can also be a problem for white cane users whose canes are often dirtied by faeces, Vision Ireland said.

Parked cars and dog waste are two of the biggest hazards people who are blind and vision impaired face on our footpaths, Mr Kelly said.

We must all work together and do our part to clear our paths. If everyone takes more responsibility for their actions, we can work towards making our paths safer for all.
Renowned author, journalist and feminist activist Nell McCafferty has died at the age of 80.

Her family said she died in the early hours of Wednesday at a nursing home in Co Donegal.

The former Irish Times journalist, originally from Londonderry, was a prominent voice on womens rights issues across the island of Ireland and in 1970 co-founded the Irish Womens Liberation Movement (IWLM).

Considered a journalistic trailblazer and fearless social commentator, McCafferty wrote several books and also wrote for publications including the Sunday Tribune and Hot Press.

Campaigning for the legalisation of contraceptives in Ireland in the 1970s, she famously took part in an event known as the Contraceptive Train in 1971 when members of the IWLM travelled across the border to Belfast, bought a range of contraceptive products and took them to Dublin, where they staged a protest at the citys Connolly station.

Irish president Michael D Higgins said McCafferty had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness and had a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism.

Mr Higgins said he and his wife Sabina were privileged to be friends with her and said she will be deeply missed by us all.

Nell McCafferty was a pioneer in raising those searching questions which could be asked, but which had been buried, hidden or neglected, Mr Higgins said.

Indeed, this is one of the aspects which was most remarkable from the very beginning in her work.

For example, Nell knew that standing behind the rituals of courts and unfortunate defendants, there was always a complex story which she had a gifted empathy to understand. In her column, In the Eyes of the Law, she opened peoples eyes to the operation of the District Court and its interaction with those who found themselves before it.

Nell had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness, and this made her advocacy formidable on behalf of those who had been excluded from society. A defining feature across Nells life was such a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism wherever she saw it.

Irish premier Simon Harris paid tribute to McCafferty as a fierce, fearless and fiery campaigner who suffered no fools.

If she was in the room or in the debate, you knew about it, the Taoiseach said.

Her passion and wrath was not scattergun  it had a laser-like focus on calling out inequality and injustice. She suffered no fools but had a kindness and warmth for many.

Her wit and Derry turn of phrase made her impossible to ignore.

As one of the women who took the train in 1971, she set in train an unstoppable wave for equality and a changing of Ireland for the better. That change has not yet reached its conclusion but it would be nowhere if it wasnt for warriors like Nell.

In an Ireland trying to emerge from the shadows and find who it was, Nell McCafferty was one of the people who knew exactly who she was and wasnt afraid to enter every battle for gay and womens rights. We all owe her a great debt for this.

Nell McCafferty left Ireland a much better place than she found it and she played her part with spirit and style. May she rest in peace.

I want to express my deep sadness at the death of former journalist, author and campaigner Nell McCafferty today. Nell was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. A proud feminist, and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in pic.twitter.com/sg8hLAk4kh  Michelle ONeill (@moneillsf) August 21, 2024

Stormont First Minister and Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle ONeill said McCafferty was a trailblazer in every sense of the word.

She added: A proud feminist and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in our society.

She eloquently spoke up for disadvantaged women through her work with the Irish Womens Liberation Movement, particularly highlighting the poverty and injustices women faced in the late 20th century across the island.

Nell McCafferty was a towering figure in Irish journalism with great courage and honesty, and was an important figure during the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement.

A proud daughter of Derry, Nells wisdom, humour and humility will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her. I want to extend my deepest sympathies to her family and friends at this very difficult time.

Deeply saddened at the passing of Nell McCafferty. Nell was an exceptional journalist & campaigner  the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights & womens rights. She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland. (1/2)  Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) August 21, 2024

Irelands deputy premier Micheal Martin said he was deeply saddened at McCaffertys death.

Nell was an exceptional journalist and campaigner  the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights and womens rights, the Tanaiste posted on X, formerly Twitter.

She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland.

In addition to her brilliance as a writer, activist and feminist, Nell brought great warmth and humour to every engagement.

She made a difference. Sympathies to her family, friends and former colleagues.

Farewell, Nell. Talented. Feminist. Fearless. Nell McCafferty lived and worked every day to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Most often, the powerful didnt like it. Thats how how she knew she was doing the right thing. Her writing and campaigning helped pic.twitter.com/Ro6pjkce9I  Mary Lou McDonald (@MaryLouMcDonald) August 21, 2024

Mary Lou McDonald said McCaffertys writing helped change Ireland for the better.

The Sinn Fein leader posted on X: Farewell, Nell. Talented. Feminist. Fearless.

Nell McCafferty lived and worked every day to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

Most often, the powerful didnt like it. Thats how she knew she was doing the right thing.

Her writing and campaigning helped to change Ireland for the better.

She will be deeply missed.

Irelands Press Ombudsman, journalist Susan McKay, also paid tribute.

She was an absolutely wonderful journalist, a really ground-breaking journalist, Ms McKay told BBC Radio Ulster.

She changed the way that all of us who came after her wrote journalism and did journalism, because she went straight to people.

You know, if you look back at journalism before Nell, and indeed before some other brilliant woman of her generation, ordinary people were never asked for their opinion. They were written about by gents who thought that they knew how best to analyse society.

Nell went straight into working-class places, she talked to people who had experienced real hardships and afflictions in their lives, and she brought their voices alive.

She was tremendously brave and courageous and she wrote about all of the most important stories of her time.

And its very, very sad that she has died, but she had been very ill for quite a number of years, and, you know, wasnt really in a position to appreciate life to the same extent as she had been before.

Very sorry to hear about the death of Nell McCafferty. A mould breaker and establishment shaker, she spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could. An icon for so many people across Ireland. Nell will be sadly missed but her activism will endure.  Colum Eastwood (@columeastwood) August 21, 2024

SDLP leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood described McCafferty as a mould-breaker and establishment shaker.

She spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could, he said on X.

An icon for so many people across Ireland. Nell will be sadly missed, but her activism will endure.

Leader of the Irish Labour Party Ivana Bacik said she is deeply saddened.

She described McCafferty as a wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon.

It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends, she posted on X.

Deeply saddened to hear today about the death of the wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon  Nell McCafferty. It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends. #RIPNell pic.twitter.com/ULHxsnDEBk  Ivana Bacik (@ivanabacik) August 21, 2024

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) described McCafferty as one of the most renowned journalists in Ireland.

She was a lifelong member of the NUJ and a former union activist.

Irish secretary Seamus Dooley said: With the death of Nell McCafferty, a bright light has been extinguished.

She was one of the most renowned journalists in the country as a reporter, columnist, author and broadcaster.

The public recognised in her a deep commitment to social justice.

The fact that she was so often referred to only by her first name is a reflection of her special place in Irish journalism and in the public consciousness.

This stemmed from her unique qualities as a reporter and storyteller.

Nell McCafferty could be hilariously funny, frequently controversial and delighted in being contrary.

She was never afraid to challenge the consensus and took pleasure in afflicting the comfortable.

Throughout her career, Nell blazed a trail for feminists and played a significant role in the development of the feminist movement in Ireland.

Always provocative, Nell had the ability to trenchantly argue her case with unique style.

In a piece published in the Irish Times earlier this year to mark McCaffertys 80th birthday, President of Ireland Michael D Higgins hailed her enduring courage as a writer.

Those who have had Nell as a friend and an ally are very fortunate in their being given the gift of experiencing humanity in all its possibilities and vulnerabilities, and delivered as she did it with a sense of humour that paid tribute to the authenticity of her Derry upbringing, he wrote.




The US Capitol building is seen in Washington, DC, on Nov 8, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]



China has traditionally maintained a policy of minimum deterrence regarding its nuclear weapons arsenal. This means its nuclear strategy focuses on having a sufficiently small nuclear force to deter potential adversaries from attacking China with nuclear weapons.

China has also been steadfast in advocating for a world free of nuclear weapons. It has consistently called for nuclear disarmament, nonproliferation, and the prevention of an arms race, urging the nuclear-weapons states to reduce their nuclear arsenals.

It is concerning therefore, that on Tuesday, the White House confirmed media reports that United States President Joe Biden has approved a classified plan to reorient the US' nuclear strategy in a more aggressive way. Spokesperson Sean Savett said that while "the specific text of the guidance is classified, its existence is in no way secret" and that it was "not a response to any single entity, country, nor threat".

In June, however, a senior director of the National Security Council, said the US was preparing to change its strategy from the modernization of existing weapons to expanding its nuclear arsenal. The Nuclear Posture Review released by the administration in 2022 highlighted that the US is fully committed to implementing programs that will begin to field modernized systems later this decade. With the emphasis on a robust experimental approach to the use of emerging technologies and innovative design practices that includes the development of miniaturized nuclear weapons, the US' continued focus on nuclear weapons is alarming.

The change in strategy is being presented by the Biden administration as based on concerns about "possible coordinated nuclear confrontations with Russia, China and North Korea" and the expansion of Chinese nuclear weapons stockpile. Which is a false proposition intended to serve and disguise the latent threat in the US' strategy change. Even by US estimates China's nuclear weapons arsenal remains considerably smaller than that of the US.

Reorienting the US' nuclear posture to target China, which has so far refused to even define bilateral ties as competitive and which adheres to a "no first use" policy on nuclear weapons, does little except bolster and consolidate the aggressive stance the US has adopted toward China. But the move by the current US administration should come as no surprise to anyone who has been following the recent trajectory of global geopolitical developments. There has been a conspicuous change in Washington's perception of China and the bilateral relationship.

Since the US is the only country to have employed nuclear weapons, and since that was against an Asian country, China has grounds for feeling uneasy. And that may be the US' intention, as pushing China into an arms race, as it did with the Soviet Union to the point of collapse, may be part and parcel of the US' strategy. Whatever the rationale, the change to the US strategy is disconcerting to say the least and will certainly have significant implications, since it cannot but have a detrimental effect on global stability and security and affect the strategic calculations of other nuclear-armed states.

It will not only disrupt the relative nuclear equilibrium since the end of the Cold War, but also trigger a new round of readjustments in related countries' nuclear postures as it will inevitably trigger a spiral of increased strategic unease. The US should be playing a key role in global efforts for arms control and nuclear nonproliferation. But the heralded change in its nuclear strategy will adversely influence the international community's perceptions of nuclear weapons and impact efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons to other countries.

After the Donald Trump administration launched its trade war to contain China economically, the US has repositioned China as a strategic rival. Since taking office, the Biden administration has pushed the idea of strategic competition into every conceivable realm of ties. The only way for the world's two largest economies to get rid of such a mutually debilitating vicious circle is to communicate better. But it is also crucial that the international community, not just policymakers, but also experts and the public, voice its objections to the US "normalizing" the possibility of nuclear weapons use to avoid another Oppenheimer moment.




The terms of reference for the health watchdogs statutory inquiry into overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick have been published.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) said its review will include whether there should be a second emergency department in the mid-west region.

The terms were developed by the authority following a request by the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly.

Mr Donnelly has said conditions were improving in almost every hospital in Ireland, but that University Hospital Limerick (UHL) is on its own in terms of the increase in patients on trolleys.

Reforms recommended at UHL have not been implemented in full yet, the minister said, but added that there is no reason why there shouldnt be improvement at the hospital by the winter.

Scheduled care across five hospitals and injury units in the Mid-West has been cancelled indefinitely since the second week in August in order to de-escalate the UHL site.

HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster said he could not stand over the amount of patients he witnessed at UHL waiting to be provided with a reasonable level of care.

There has been a particular focus on emergency services at UHL since 16-year-old Aoife Johnston died at the hospital in 2022 after waiting for 12 hours to be assessed for suspected sepsis.

An investigation led by former chief justice Frank Clarke found that overcrowding in the hospitals emergency department was endemic.

In its terms of reference document, Hiqa said there has been significant overcrowding at UHLs emergency department in recent years.

It said that population increases in the mid-west region had partly contributed to overcrowding, but added that the scale of it had consistently been greater than that at other hospitals.

It said that based on a HSE report in 2008, three emergency departments at smaller hospitals in the region  Ennis, Nenagh and St Johns in Limerick City  were to be closed and services would be centralised at what is now UHL.

This was also based on a Hiqa assessment of failures at Ennis Hospital that concluded its urgent and emergency services were unsafe.

Investment, including increasing in-patient beds, was recommended at UHL which did not occur due to cuts imposed during the economic downturn.

Hiqa noted that since 2019, there has been a 30% increase in staff at UHL, or an extra 1,200 healthcare workers, which includes emergency consultants, non-consultant hospital doctors and emergency department nurses.

Its statutory inquiry aims to identify what capacity would be needed above what has already been delivered.

This review will aim to identify what additional capacity, if any, above that which has been delivered or which is in train, would be required, it said.

Among its eight terms of reference are the establishment of an Expert Advisory Group to inform Hiqas approach; to establish a Clinical Advisory Forum with relevant clinical and nursing representatives; and to review health service capacity in the HSE mid-west region.

On this last point, Hiqa said: The outputs from this work will be considered along with the other work streams to inform key considerations and assumptions around best practice in the design and delivery of population needs relating to urgent and emergency care, aligned to current and project population numbers.

It said it would also consider the findings and recommendations of Mr Clarkes report.

The review is expected to be completed in the summer of next year, when a report of the findings and recommendations will be provided to the Health Minister and published on the Hiqa website.
PPG launches PPG PITT-THERM 909 spray-on insulation coating for oil and gas, infrastructure industries





PPG (NYSE: PPG) today announced the launch of PPG PITT-THERM 909 spray-on insulation (SOI) coating. This silicone-based coating is designed for high-heat environments in the oil and gas, chemical, petrochemical and other critical infrastructure industries, where it provides improved safety, asset protection and operational efficiency compared to traditional thermal insulative materials.

Conventional waterborne acrylic or epoxy-based SOI coatings cannot be used on equipment operating above 350 F (177 C). Silicone-based PPG Pitt-Therm 909 coating offers much greater temperature resistance; thermal testing shows that it endures continuous and cyclic temperatures as high as 500 F, and by reducing heat transfer, external surfaces remain safe to touch at up to 310 F, significantly reducing the risk of burns.

Application testing of PPG Pitt-Therm 909 coating has also shown that fewer coats are necessary compared to traditional SOI coatings, providing operational efficiency benefits for customers. It can be applied in thicknesses of up to 250 mils (6.35 mm) per coat and depending on the specific application requirements, only one or two coats are needed, substantially cutting down the time and cost of the insulation process. Despite the reduced number of layers, it can achieve a higher total coating thickness of up to 500 mils and cure times are comparable to competing products.

Application to both hot and cold substrates is also viable, allowing assets to remain in service during application ? a significant advantage over traditional methods that require operational shutdowns.

"PPG Pitt-Therm 909 coating represents our team's ongoing commitment to advancing industry standards through innovation," said Bill Pernice, PPG global segment director, oil and gas, Protective and Marine Coatings. "This solution tackles the industry's long-standing challenges by delivering high heat resistance and water-repelling properties, elevating safety and performance in demanding environments."

PPG Pitt-Therm 909 coating also addresses critical challenges of traditional mechanical insulation systems, notably their susceptibility to moisture absorption and corrosion under insulation (CUI). Water-repellent PPG Pitt-Therm 909 has demonstrated exceptional corrosion resistance in rigorous testing. Results show that it is an optimal solution for CUI prevention for reduced maintenance costs, operational shutdowns and safety incidents.

PPG Pitt-Therm 909 coating, available in the United States and Canada, meets requirements for the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E84 Class A fire rating.

Visit here to learn more about the PPG Pitt-Therm 909 coating solution.

PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD

At PPG (NYSE: PPG), we work every day to develop and deliver the paints, coatings and specialty materials that our customers have trusted for 140 years. Through dedication and creativity, we solve our customers' biggest challenges, collaborating closely to find the right path forward. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, we operate and innovate in more than 70 countries and reported net sales of $18.2 billion in 2023. We serve customers in construction, consumer products, industrial and transportation markets and aftermarkets. To learn more, visit www.ppg.com.

The PPG Logo and We protect and beautify the world are registered trademarks of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.

Pitt-Therm is a registered trademark of PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc.

CATEGORY Protective and Marine Coatings

21 august 2024 at 08:05

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United States Antimony Corporation Announces Acquisition of New Mining Claims Located in the State of Alaska





"The Critical Minerals and ZEO Company"

United States Antimony Corporation ("USAC", or the "Company"), (NYSE American:UAMY) announced today the acquisition of, through a helicopter supported staking program, 69 State of Alaska mining claims, covering 11,040 acres (17.25 square miles). UAMY personnel were attracted to the area upon the recommendation of consulting geologists who had many years of Alaskan field experience, and by studying historical State of Alaska geological reconnaissance, mapping, sampling and assaying reports. One of the prime targets of the staking program was an 8-foot-wide quartz vein with very high copper values that the company geologists had previously examined. Assay values of 13 samples collected by the State geologists, from the quartz vein averaged 16.5% copper with 0.076 opt gold and 2.21 opt silver. Copper is one of the minerals on the U.S. Department of Energy Critical Minerals List.

Access to this high-grade copper exposure is particularly favorable in open to moderate terrain. The company's consulting geologists were able to drive (without the use of 4WD) to within walking distance of the quartz vein via 10 miles of existing resource roads from a major highway.

Commenting on the new mining leases acquired by the Company today, Mr. Joe Bardswich, P.E., a Director and Co-CEO of USAC stated, "Similar to our recent acquisition of mining claims with high grades of critical minerals located in Ontario, Canada, announced last week (see Press Release dated August 13, 2024), these Alaskan properties continue to expand our in-house strategic mineral reserve options. Alaskan citizens are very much aware of the importance of natural resources to the national security of this nation. State rules, regulations and the attitudes of citizens encourage environmentally responsible development without the many years of red tape found under other jurisdictions. The State of Alaska is under-explored, and we are considering other mining opportunities located in Alaska. We are currently having initial discussions with other claim holders within the area of interest regarding possible acquisitions, options or joint ventures. Due to these other activities which are ongoing, we are not yet disclosing the exact location of these new mining claims announced today."

This second announcement of new mining claims by the Company, also associated with Critical Minerals, gives our company and its shareholders an additional mining option on home grown territory. With the recent decision by China to curtail worldwide sales of antimony, we are better understanding the importance of immediate access to critical minerals necessary not only for our military in munitions, but for everyday necessities such as batteries, fire retardants, computer chips, etc. We are not in a free market when China controls so much of these materials around the world and then dictates when and how they will be sold.

About USAC:

United States Antimony Corporation and its subsidiaries in the U.S. and Mexico ("USAC", the "Company", "Our", "Us", or "We") sell processed antimony, zeolite, and precious metals products in the U.S. and Canada. The Company processes antimony ore primarily into antimony oxide, antimony metal, and antimony trisulfide. Our antimony oxide is used to form a flame-retardant system for plastics, rubber, fiberglass, textile goods, paints, coatings and paper, as a color fastener in paint, and as a phosphorescent agent in fluorescent light bulbs. Our antimony metal is used in bearings, storage batteries, and ordnance. Our antimony trisulfide is used as a primer in ammunition. In its operations in Idaho, the Company mines and processes zeolite, a group of industrial minerals used in soil amendment and fertilizer, water filtration, sewage treatment, nuclear waste and other environmental cleanup, odor control, gas separation, animal nutrition, and other miscellaneous applications. We recover certain amounts of precious metals, primarily gold and silver, at our plant in Montana from antimony concentrates.?

Forward-Looking Statements:

Readers should note that, in addition to the historical information contained herein, this press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of, and intended to be covered by, the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on the Company including matters related to the Company's operations, pending contracts and future revenues, financial performance, and profitability, ability to execute on its increased production and installation schedules for planned capital expenditures, and the size of forecasted deposits. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and the assumptions upon which they are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations and assumptions will prove to have been correct. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as these statements are subject to numerous factors and uncertainties. In addition, other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are discussed in the Company's most recent filings, including Form 10-K and Form 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "outlook," "estimate," "forecast," "project," "pro forma" and other similar words and expressions. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which change over time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Because forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions and uncertainties, actual results or future events could differ, possibly materially, from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements and future results could differ materially from historical performance.

Contact:

United States Antimony Corp.

PO Box 643

47 Cox Gulch Rd.

Thompson Falls, Montana 59873-0643

E-Mail: [email protected]

Phone: 406-606-4117

SOURCE: United States Antimony Corp.

21 august 2024 at 08:00

View the original press release on accesswire.comNews published onand distributed by:
Transport Canada takes unprecedented action to keep boat passengers safe





MONTREAL, Aug. 21, 2024 /CNW/ - Keeping Canadians safe is Transport Canada's top priority.

Today, the Minister of Transport, Pablo Rodriguez, announced that Transport Canada has taken unprecedented action to put an end to serious violations of the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 concerning unlicensed passenger vessels. This action underscores Transport Canada's commitment to enforcing marine safety and protecting Canadians.

In Canada, all vessels that provide a paid service to carry passengers must be registered as passenger vessels and meet applicable safety requirements. Furthermore, vessels carrying passengers in non-compliance with the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 may be subject to an Administrative Monetary Penalty of up to $250,000 related to safety deficiencies.

Transport Canada is aware of the rising trend in pleasure craft operators offering transportation to paying passengers without first registering their vessel as a passenger vessel and ensuring they comply with applicable safety requirements. This is why Transport Canada has increased its level of oversight activity by allocating additional resources to enhance the monitoring of these activities. Transport Canada is also conducting outreach to ensure vessel owners are aware of their obligations.

As a result of this recent increase in activity, the department recently took the following action:

On August 3, 2024 , Transport Canada seized the JAG vessel in Boucherville , Quebec. The vessel was found to be in non-compliance with several key requirements of the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, including a lack of firefighting, fire detection, fire protection, and life-saving equipment, as well as the absence of lifejackets and certification. Despite repeated warnings and opportunities to correct these issues, the vessel's owner failed to meet the necessary safety and operational standards. In addition to the seizure of the JAG , a number of other vessels have been detained through recent oversight efforts while their non-compliances are resolved.



Transport Canada will continue to rigorously enforce all applicable laws and regulations to ensure the safety of all Canadians. We remind all vessel owners and operators to follow the rules and maintain the standards required by law. Similarly, we invite all customers to request a copy of the vessel's safety certificate from the operator before they embark on a vessel.

Quotes

"All vessels carrying Canadians and tourists must meet Transport Canada's safety standards. Non-compliance will never be tolerated."

The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez

Minister of Transport

Quick facts

The Canada Shipping Act, 2001 , is designed to ensure that all vessels operating in Canadian waters adhere to strict safety and environmental regulations. Our priority is to protect lives, property, and the marine environment.

, is designed to ensure that all vessels operating in Canadian waters adhere to strict safety and environmental regulations. Our priority is to protect lives, property, and the marine environment. In Canada , it is not permitted to offer the carriage of passengers for remuneration on a pleasure craft. Consult Ship Safety Bulletin No. 19/2024 for more information.

, it is not permitted to offer the carriage of passengers for remuneration on a pleasure craft. Consult Ship Safety Bulletin No. 19/2024 for more information. All vessels carrying passengers for remuneration must be registered as passenger vessels. A duly registered vessel obtains an official number from Transport Canada. This number can be either a series of 6 digits (example: 876543), or a 5-digit number preceded by the letter C and ending with the province code (example: C12345QC). You can check these official numbers on the Transport Canada website, using the Vessel Registration Query System.

Associated links

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Subscribe to e-news or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn to keep up to date on the latest from Transport Canada.

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SOURCE Transport Canada - Ottawa

21 august 2024 at 11:57

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Cessna SkyCourier global status enhanced with type certification in the Philippines





Textron Aviation today announced that the Cessna SkyCourier twin utility turboprop has been awarded type certification by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), expanding the aircraft's ability to support operational activities in remote areas of southeast Asia. The first SkyCourier in the region ? A 19-seat passenger variant ? is planned to be delivered in the second half of 2025 to Leading Edge Air Services Corporation (LEASCOR), a wholly owned subsidiary of ACDI Multipurpose Cooperative in the Philippines.

The Cessna SkyCourier is designed and manufactured by Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company.

"Demand for the SkyCourier continues to grow throughout the APAC region due to the aircraft's outstanding performance and reliability," said Lannie O'Bannion, senior vice president, Global Sales and Flight Operations for Textron Aviation. "The SkyCourier features maximum cabin flexibility with low operating costs and has quickly proven to be an excellent business tool for customers and their missions. We're excited to celebrate this great milestone for the program."

With the ability to be operated by a single pilot, and also equipped with a generous payload capacity, the SkyCourier is an ideal solution for air freight, passenger and special mission needs. The aircraft is highly adaptable and can easily adjust configurations to effectively complete virtually any mission, supporting a significant return on investment. The aircraft also has capabilities to support a wide range of operational activities in remote areas.

ACDI Multipurpose Cooperative, the largest cooperative in the Philippines, serves members of the entire Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and other uniformed personnel. Members include active service personnel, retirees, reservists, civilian employees of the AFP and other uniformed personnel and dependents. LEASCOR was established in 2016 as the air chartering arm of the Cooperative.

"We are excited to connect underserved communities in the Philippines with the new 19-seat SkyCourier turboprop, which will complement our present fleet," said Major General Gilbert S. Llanto, ACDI MPC Chairman. "It will surely boost our business lines in tourism, agriculture and food, aviation, mobility and the construction industry across the archipelago."

About the Cessna SkyCourier

The Cessna SkyCourier twin-engine, high-wing turboprop offers a combination of performance and lower operating costs for air freight, commuter and special mission operators. It's available in both Freighter and Passenger variants, as well with a Combi configuration or gravel kit for maximum flexibility. The 19-passenger variant includes crew and passenger doors for smooth boarding, as well as large cabin windows for natural light and views. Both configurations offer single-point pressure refueling to enable faster turnarounds.

The freighter variant is sized to handle up to three LD3 shipping containers with an impressive 6,000 pounds of payload capability.

The aircraft is powered by two wing-mounted Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65SC turboprop engines and features the McCauley Propeller C779, a heavy-duty and reliable 110-inch aluminum four-blade propeller, which is full feathering with reversible pitch, designed to enhance the performance of the aircraft while hauling tremendous loads. The SkyCourier is operated with Garmin G1000 NXi avionics and has a maximum cruise speed of more than 200 ktas and a 900 nautical-mile maximum range.

About Textron Aviation

We inspire the journey of flight. For more than 95 years, Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. company, has empowered our collective talent across the Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker brands to design and deliver the best aviation experience for our customers. With a range that includes everything from business jets, turboprops, and high-performance pistons, to special mission, military trainer and defense products, Textron Aviation has the most versatile and comprehensive aviation product portfolio in the world and a workforce that has produced more than half of all general aviation aircraft worldwide. Customers in more than 170 countries rely on our legendary performance, reliability and versatility, along with our trusted global customer service network, for affordable and flexible flight. For more information, visit www.txtav.com| www.defense.txtav.com| www.scorpionjet.com.

About Textron Inc.

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, Textron Systems, and TRU Simulation + Training. For more information, visit: www.textron.com

Certain statements in this press release may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, changes in aircraft delivery schedules or cancellations of orders.

21 august 2024 at 12:05

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Yext to Announce Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Results on September 4, 2024





Yext, Inc. (NYSE: YEXT), the leading digital presence platform for multi-location brands, today announced that its second quarter fiscal year 2025 results will be released on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, after the close of the market. The company will host a conference call at 5:00 p.m. (ET) / 2:00 p.m. (PT) to discuss its financial results with the investment community.

A live webcast of the event will be available on the Yext Investor Relations website at https://investors.yext.com. A live dial-in is available domestically at (877) 883-0383 and internationally at (412) 902-6506, passcode 4416497.

A replay will be available domestically at (877) 344-7529 or internationally at (412) 317-0088, passcode 9107262, until midnight (ET) September 11, 2024.

About Yext

Yext (NYSE: YEXT) is the leading digital presence platform for multi-location brands, with thousands of customers worldwide. With one central platform, brands can seamlessly deliver consistent, accurate, and engaging experiences and meaningfully connect with customers anywhere in the digital world. Yext's AI and machine learning technology powers the knowledge behind every customer engagement, automates workflows at scale, and delivers actionable cross-channel insights that enable data-driven decisions. From SEO and websites to social media and reputation management, Yext enables brands to turn their digital presence into a differentiator. To learn more about Yext, visit Yext.com or find us on LinkedIn and X.

Source: Yext, Inc.

21 august 2024 at 16:10

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Guess?, Inc. to Webcast Conference Call on Second Quarter Fiscal 2025 Financial Results





Guess?, Inc. (NYSE: GES) will release its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2025, which ended August 3, 2024, on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. The Company will webcast a conference call at 4:45 p.m. (ET) that day to discuss the results.

A live webcast will be accessible at www.guess.com via the "Investor Relations" link. A replay of the conference will be archived on the website for 30 days.

Guess?, Inc. designs, markets, distributes and licenses a lifestyle collection of contemporary apparel, denim, handbags, watches, eyewear, footwear and other related consumer products. Guess? products are distributed through branded Guess? stores as well as better department and specialty stores around the world. On April 2, 2024, the Company acquired all the operating assets and a 50% interest in the intellectual property assets of New York-based fashion brand rag & bone, a leader in the American fashion scene, directly operating stores in the U.S. and in the U.K., and also available in high-end boutiques, department stores and through e-commerce globally. At May 4, 2024, the Company directly operated 1,048 retail stores in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The Company's partners and distributors operated 533 additional retail stores worldwide. At May 4, 2024, the Company and its partners and distributors operated in approximately 100 countries worldwide. For more information about the Company, please visit www.guess.com.

21 august 2024 at 16:50

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A Boeing 777X flight test aircraft is moved at the Everett Delivery Center on June 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. JENNIFER BUCHANAN / AFP

Boeing has suspended flight testing of its new 777X wide-body jet after identifying the failure of a part connecting the engine to the body of the aircraft, the latest in a long line of quality control issues for the troubled US aerospace giant.

"During scheduled maintenance, we identified a component that did not perform as designed," the US aerospace giant told Agence France-Presse in a statement. "Our team is replacing the part and capturing any learnings from the component and will resume flight testing when ready," it added, confirming an earlier report by specialist website The Air Current.

Boeing has been beset in recent years with concerns about safety and quality control, with a near-catastrophic incident on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX in January bringing renewed pressure on the company.

Boeing's new chief executive Kelly Ortberg, 64, took over earlier this month on a pledge to restore trust in the embattled manufacturer, and announced he would be based in Seattle to be close to the firm's commercial airplane programs.

Read more Subscribers only Boeing welcomes new CEO in wake of space capsule ordeal

Trouble in the family

Boeing's 777X widebody program, unveiled in November 2013, is the latest addition to its popular 777 family. The new twin-aisle aircraft is destined to be the world's largest twin-engine jet in operation. More than 500 777X aircraft have already been ordered, but have yet to enter commercial service.

The part that brought about the suspension of flight testing is custom to the 777-9 model, and connects the engine to the aircraft structure, Boeing said. The other 777-9s used for testing are all currently being inspected following the incident, it added. Boeing's new aircraft will be available in three models: the 777-8, the 777-9 and the 777-8 cargo.

The aircraft's entry into service was originally scheduled for 2020, but due to problems during the certification process it has now been delayed to 2025. Although the 777X has still not received the go-ahead from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Boeing did cross an important milestone in July this year. Following a large number of test flights, it obtained permission to start testing the 777-9 with FAA representatives on board.

Read more Subscribers only Boeing under scrutiny from US aviation watchdog

Orders rebound

Boeing named aerospace veteran Ortberg as its next CEO on the same day it reported a $1.4 billion loss for the second quarter of the year, with profits hurt by poor performance in its commercial division. But since then, the company has enjoyed some rare positive news, with new plane orders picking up in July.

Boeing said it had booked 72 orders  including 57 for its flagship 737 MAX aircraft  in the wake of the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom. And a few days later, Boeing announced that El AL had finalized orders for up to 31 737 MAX aircraft, marking the largest purchase of airplanes in the Israeli flag carrier's 76-year history.
China is stepping up the pressure on Europe's agri-food industry. The country has been increasingly quick to launch retaliatory operations against a sector of strategic importance to the 27 member states of the European Union (EU). On Wednesday, August 21, China's Ministry of Commerce announced the opening of an anti-dumping investigation into certain dairy products imported from the EU. The decision comes a day after Brussels confirmed a significant tax increase on Chinese electric vehicles.

Amid growing trade tensions between the Asian power and the Old Continent, Brussels has decided to tackle prices deemed artificially low for electric vehicles manufactured on Chinese territory, due to state subsidies. On Tuesday, the European Commission approved the principle of imposing a surtax on imported cars for five years, while slightly readjusting the scales downward with a maximum rate set at 36.3%.

Faced with this new stage in the European procedure, the Chinese counterattack came quickly, as the threat had been made. This time, European dairy products have their turn in the crosshairs. According to the Ministry of Commerce, the anti-dumping investigation concerns fresh cheese, curdled milk, blue cheese and certain milk and cream. The procedure is due to last one year with a possible six-month extension. In the end, China may decide to impose surtaxes on these products to protect its market if it demonstrates that EU practices are unfair and detrimental to competition.

In 2023, EU member states exported 1.7 billion worth of dairy products to China, according to data published by Eurostat. Europe therefore ranks second behind New Zealand. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce says it is prepared to examine subsidy systems throughout the EU, particularly in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Ireland and Romania. Among the countries cited, Ireland  the biggest exporter of dairy products to China, totaling over 410 million in 2023  seems the most vulnerable.

'The pressure is mounting on Europe'

Just two months ago, China opened another front against Europe, launching an anti-dumping investigation into European pork shipments. In the firing line were fresh or frozen pork cuts and certain salted or smoked products, as well as offal  parts of the pig that are rarely consumed in Europe but find a very valuable outlet in China. The threat brandished by the Chinese government was to introduce prohibitive customs duties that would restrict their marketing on the territory, knowing that China imported $6 billion (around 5.6 billion) worth of pork in 2023, half of it from the EU.

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French forensic police collect evidence at the scene after a man attempted to set the town hall alight with gas in Angouleme on August 21, 2024. The attacker was shot and seriously injured by police and the fire was rapidly brought under control. ROMAIN PERROCHEAU / AFP

Police shot and gravely wounded a man on Wednesday, August 21, after he set fire to the town hall in the western French city of Angouleme, local authorities and police sources said.

Wearing military battledress, the 46-year-old burst into the 19th-century building and poured gas around a first-floor room where two women aides to local councilors were working.

"He poured petrol in the room, while the aides managed to get out and cry for help, alerting local police," prefect Jerome Harnois told a press conference.

Officers resorted to "using their firearms several times" after failing to subdue the attacker with a truncheon, Harnois added. A police source said the man was taken to hospital "in very grave condition," adding that he had no criminal record and his motives were unknown.

Angouleme's mayor, Xavier Bonnefont, said the fire was quickly put out. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin posted on the X social media platform that "no one was hurt apart from the perpetrator."

Harnois said prosecutors had opened an investigation, adding that the attacker was a French citizen.
Will the diplomatic row between Paris and Algiers put a strain on deportations of undocumented nationals? The question has been raised ever since Algeria decided on July 30 to withdraw its ambassador to France with immediate effect. The break in bilateral relations comes after French President Emmanuel Macron sent a letter to Moroccan King Mohammed VI, on the anniversary of his coronation, in which he said that "the present and the future of Western Sahara fall within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty."

Read more Subscribers only Paris shifts position and recognizes Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara

A former Spanish colony, Western Sahara is controlled for the most part by Morocco but is claimed by the Sahrawi independence fighters of the Polisario Front, who are calling for a referendum on self-determination. The UN considers it a "non-self-governing territory."

The French government took action "without clearly measuring all the potential repercussions" and "tramples on the international legality," declared the Algerian Foreign Ministry in a July 30 press release. The first of these consequences could be a halt to the expulsion of undocumented Algerians. On condition of anonymity, a police source admitted that "the Algerian government is currently dragging its feet in issuing consular travel documents."

A frequently used means of pressure

Consular travel documents are required to return a foreign national to their country of origin if they do not have a passport. To obtain them, the country of origin must recognize the foreigner as one of its nationals and issue the pass. An indispensable tool, it's also a frequently used means of diplomatic pressure.

In 2021, the French government announced a freeze on visas to North African countries due to the low number of consular travel documents issued by these nations. That diplomatic row lasted a year. Could it be resumed today? Less than two weeks after provoking the ire of Algiers, the situation in the 20 or so administrative detention centers (CRA) is still difficult to ascertain.

Opinion Subscribers only 'Detention centers have become places where human rights are systematically violated and dignity seriously undermined'

The Forum Refugies organization operates in seven CRAs, where it provides legal and social assistance to detainees, and has observed, for example, that "the Algerian consulate has not visited the Nice center for the past two weeks," pointed out Assane Ndaw, the association's deputy director. In all, Forum Refugies has recorded seven deportations of Algerians since July 30, from the other CRAs where it has a presence.

"It's still a little early to make an analysis, but we're not seeing a total halt to deportations," warned Claire Bloch of Cimade, which works in five CRAs in mainland France. "In Toulouse, for example, no consular travel documents have been issued since July 30, and flights have been canceled. There is even an Algerian who had a valid identity card but was turned away on arrival in Oran. Similarly, on August 7, a charter flight from Le Bourget [north of Paris] did not take off again after a stopover in Marseille. On the other hand, since July 30, there have been eight expulsions of Algerians held at the Mesnil-Amelot detention center in Seine-et-Marne. Some of them held passports and others had been issued with a travel document before diplomatic relations were broken off."

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Smoke rises as a wildfire burns at Curral das Freiras, Madeira, Portugal August 17, 2024, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. NETMADEIRA.COM / NETMADEIRA.COM VIA REUTERS

Portuguese authorities sent reinforcements to the island of Madeira on Wednesday, August 21, to fight a wildfire raging for a week that has touched the edge of a UNESCO-listed forest.

The fire had burned 4,392 hectares of land up to Tuesday, the European Union's Copernicus observatory said in an X social media post. It added that more than 95 hectares had burned in the previous 24 hours. Regional civil protection chief Antonio Nunes told RTP public television that the flames had touched a part of the Laurissilva forest, the largest surviving laurel forest, which is on UNESCO's world heritage list. He said the damage was not significant.

More than 100 firefighters battled the blaze on two main fronts in the island, which is traditionally packed with summer tourists at this time, the civil protection service said in a statement. Nunes said 45 extra firefighters and first aid specialists were expected from the Portuguese mainland Wednesday on top of 76 already sent since the wildfire started on Wednesday last week.

Read more Saving Madeira's laurels from the stampede of mass tourism

Flames fueled by fierce winds

Fierce winds that have fueled the flames have also disrupted operations at the island's main airport at Funchal. But the airport management said the airport was working normally Wednesday.

The fire started in the Ribeira Brava district and spread to the nearby Camara de Lobos and Ponta do Sol districts in the southern part of the island. About 200 people were temporarily evacuated from their homes to avoid smoke inhalation.

Authorities said that no house had been destroyed, nor any injury reported, but some firefighters had symptoms of exhaustion. Thousands of hectares of vegetation were lost in a wildfire last year and at least three people were killed in a 2016 wildfire near the main city of Funchal.

Read more Subscribers only Gigantic wildfires in Canada, the Amazon and Greece have been amplified by global warming
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GARDAI have confirmed that the child who was seriously injured during an alleged assault incident in Charleville, on the Limerick-Cork border was a young girl.

Gardai are now appealing for witnesses following an incident of criminal damage and assault at a residence in Charleville on Monday night, at approximately 11:30pm on August 19.

Superintendent Gary McPolin told RTE it was a "heinous assault", and he described it as "reprehensible".

"Considerable criminal damage to a vehicle and house was observed," gardai have confirmed.

The young girl, who is believed to be around age 12, was transferred from the scene by ambulance services to Cork University Hospital.

READ MORE: An Bord Pleanala set to decide on apartment plan in Limerick suburb

She has since been transferred to Childrens Health Ireland at Temple Street in what is described as a serious but stable condition.

"The scene of the incident was preserved and a technical examination has since been conducted by the Divisional Scenes of Crime Unit," an official garda statement reads.

"Investigations are ongoing."

Gardai are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this incident to come forward or who may have been in the vicinity between 10.30pm and 12.00am midnight.

Additionally, any persons with camera footage (including dash-cam footage) from the area at the time are encouraged to provide it to investigating Gardai.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Mallow Garda Station at 022 31450, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.
A former Ravalli County Sheriffs deputy is facing felony charges stemming from allegations he sexually harassed and inappropriately contacted multiple women that he arrested, transported to jail or otherwise interacted with in his official duties.

Jeffrey Alan Gregoire, 44, was arrested Aug. 9 on six felonies: two counts of mistreating prisoners and one count each of patronizing prostitution, impersonating a public servant, witness tampering and evidence tampering. He also faces seven misdemeanor counts of official misconduct and one misdemeanor count of stalking.

Gregoire worked for the sheriffs office "for several years," Sheriff Steve Holton said Wednesday, but he didn't have exact dates available. The allegations span a period from June through August 2023, when he was placed on leave and fired several days later.

"He broke the trust of our community and the trust of our office, and his alleged actions do not represent the individuals of the Ravalli County Sheriff's Office," Holton said in a statement. "I want to extend my thanks for the bravery of the first person that reported him to the RCSO."

The charges against Gregoire were first reported by NBC Montana. He appeared last week before Ravalli County District Court Judge Jennifer B. Lint and has been released on $10,000 bail.

The women Gregoire allegedly harassed or attempted to contact ranged in age from 21 to 33. The investigation was carried out by the Ravalli County Sheriff's Office and appears to have started after the co-worker of a woman Gregoire arrested in August 2023 reported to authorities that he was harassing her the following day.

Charging documents filed by Ravalli County Attorney Bill Fulbright state that Gregoire began making sexually explicit remarks to the woman while transporting her to the county jail. His comments started with small talk until he transitioned into telling (her) that she was a beautiful woman," the charges state.

He then told her that he previously had sex with a married woman who had been fighting with her husband, according to the charges, and he made sexually graphic suggestions before dropping her off at the detention facility. He also allegedly told the woman he was going to give her a call at her work.

The victim later told authorities about Gregoires comments, but no audio recording was available because he had muted the patrol vehicles video system during the ride. Muting the system is against policy and very unusual, the charges state.

Using his sheriffs office work cell, Gregoire called the woman at least seven times between 7:15 p.m. and 12:45 a.m. the next day, the charges state. Detectives readily identified Gregoires voice in a voicemail left after one of the calls.

Hey, this is your buddy from last night, he stated in the voicemail, according to the charges. I have to call from a restricted number, just answer. Talk to you soon."

At 2:36 a.m., Gregoire used a voice-over-internet-protocol service to make anonymous calls to the womans work, where she was working the graveyard shift, prosecutors allege. A co-worker answered and then later called the sheriffs office to report that Gregoire was harassing the woman.

That day, the county undersheriff and a patrol lieutenant confiscated Gregoires duty cell and placed him on administrative leave, the charges state. Five days later, Sheriff Holton spoke with him, and Gregoire claimed he was trying to help the woman and provide her with resources related to her arrest.

The next day, Gregoire allegedly used a phony Gmail address to impersonate the victim and contact a Ravalli County deputy who knew her. The email asked the deputy to tell your friend I am sorry. I should not have said those things about him. I feel really bad.

The victim told investigators she did not write the email, and data obtained through a search warrant traced the Gmail account back to Gregoire, according to the charges.

The deputy he emailed told investigators that Gregoire had previously told a story about having sex with a married woman involved in an incident he had responded to. The story matched the one he allegedly told to the victim he transported to the county jail.

The same night that Gregoire met the first victim, he allegedly offered to pay another woman for sex when he was transporting her to the county jail. He made sexual comments about the second victims appearance, according to the charges, and told her he was lonely, wanted to have sexual intercourse with her and would pay her to keep it discreet.

Cops are supposed to make you feel safe, the victim told investigators, according to the charges. He didn't make me feel safe, he didn't make me feel safe at all."

Investigators learned of the second victim in November, and traveled to eastern Montana to interview her, according to the charges. Prosecutors alleged that the second victim was crying and holding her head in her hands during the interview, and told them she stuffed' her feelings away because she didnt think anything was going to happen.

Girls like me (a drug addict) dont ever get the help like that, she told investigators, according to the charges. And so, like that fact that its really happening its a relief  because no girl should ever have to feel like that.

Earlier in the month, Gregoire allegedly attempted to reach out to another woman who had been arrested for a DUI and transported to the Ravalli County jail. Investigators found that Gregoire repeatedly viewed the womans criminal history the night she was booked, and looked at her mugshot at least four times.

The victim reportedly woke up to find a series of missed calls from a restricted number. When she picked up, the caller claimed to be an officer from the Stevensville Police Department who could help you get out of it. The officer later told investigators he was not on duty when the woman was arrested and was not involved in anything related to her, the charges state.

The calls were allegedly made from Gregoires duty cell.

The charges refer to five other women who Gregoire allegedly attempted to contact without any official reason. He was involved in calls for service involving some of them, while charging documents dont make clear how he first learned of them.

In several instances he allegedly used the sheriffs office records management system to obtain the womens phone numbers and call them. In one case, he called a woman who had an active arrest warrant despite having no official reason to reach out to her. The charges state he spoke with the woman for two minutes but never actually served the warrant.

In another instance, he reportedly responded to a trespass call involving a woman's boyfriend, then viewed the woman's personal information multiple times after closing out the call. He later returned to her house and "had a private, unreported meeting with her," the charges state, and turned off his mobile GPS transmitter for 36 minutes. He allegedly said that he had been "parked, typing reports" when asked about the gap in time by a supervisor.

Gregoires next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 5.
A FUN-filled event celebrating Ukraines Independence Day will take place in one Limerick theatre.

People across the Ballyhoura area are invited to attend a Ukraine Independence Day of events at the Friars Gate Theatre in Kilmallock on August 24.

This community-led day aims to bring together locals and Ukrainian people in a day filled with fun, culture, and unity, open to everyone regardless of nationality.

Eileen OKeeffe, manager at Ballyhoura Development CLG, said: This event is a celebration of diversity, inclusion, and unity.

Ukrainians and migrants in general living across the area add to the uniqueness and diversity that makes the Ballyhoura region a great place to live.

The schedule features a vibrant programme of activities, designed for all ages.

READ MORE: PICTURES: The Greatest Showman thrills crowds at pop up cinema in Limerick

A morning of fun for the kids will see a mini disco from 11am, hosted by Mickey Mouse. As well as this, a big bubble show is happening, with an animator who speaks Ukrainian, Russian, and English.

From 2pm to 3pm, a Ukrainian art exhibition will take place, showcasing the creativity of Ukrainians living in Ireland with the aim to foster community connections and cultural appreciation.

The exhibition will be on display at the Friars Gate Theatre throughout August.

A screening of Ukrainian cartoon Mavka will be shown from 3:15pm on the Independence Day celebration on Saturday, August 24.

Enjoy the enchanting world of Mavka with English subtitles, making it accessible for all to enjoy, a spokesperson said.

Refreshments will be provided throughout the event. The entire event is free of charge, but places are limited.
CASTLECONNELL Tidy Towns has been named a finalist in this years Going for Gold competition in Limerick.

The team will now be making their way to the final of the competition being held in October this year. Caherconlish, Caherdavin, Doon, Elton and Feenagh are still in with a chance of obtaining a place in the coveted final as the judges will be selecting wildcard finalists in the coming weeks.

Castleconnell Tidy Towns Chair John Hardiman said the group was delighted to qualify for the final. He said they're excited ahead of the final. There's a good buzz about it so we're looking forward to it... We'll be going in grateful for whatever we win and just looking forward to the overall event.

Mr Hardiman added: We've been fortunate, we've been at all the grand finals, which I think probably makes us unique.

READ MORE: An Bord Pleanala set to decide on apartment plan in Limerick suburb

Castleconnell Tidy Town's most significant project this year focused on improving the habitat of the Hermitage Stream located on the south west approach to the village. This involved engagement with local farmers to allow them to install gravel into the stream at very specific locations.

This effort was led by Pat OConnor of the Castleconnell River Association. By placing gravel strategically, it encourages salmon and trout to spawn in these locations. Mr Hardiman explained: We also introduced a pasture pump to encourage the cattle to access drinking water without walking into the stream.

Regarding the Going for Gold competition, the local Tidy Towns group prioritised Streetscape and Public Places, Green Spaces and Landscaping, Nature and Biodiversity, Sustainability and all-important Tidiness and Litter Control.

If they won the annual competition, they would use the winnings towards creating a mural as part of a Siolta Glasa project they are undertaking in conjunction with Creative Ireland to spread the message that decarbonisation is vital for all our futures.

Limerick Going for Gold encourages communities to be environmentally aware and keep their neighbourhoods tidy. A top prize of 10,000 and other monetary prizes are up for grabs this year.
Some pregnant women in Belfast were prepared to forgo antenatal care rather than travel to a medical clinic in an area dominated by another religion, a study into the cost of a polarised society found in 2001.

The draft report, among newly released Public Record Office files, said that three decades of civil unrest had created two distinct and separate communities in Northern Ireland.

The report, entitled Public Expenditure Impact of Polarised Society, is in an Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) file called Review of Community Relations Policy.

The file details the challenges attempting to measure the additional costs where many services were duplicated to serve Catholic and Protestant areas.

The draft report says: Northern Ireland is a deeply divided society.

The most obvious expression of this division is the violence and civil unrest which has blighted the province since 1969.

Three decades of political unrest have created two distinct and separate communities in Northern Ireland.

Each community has its own separate education system, bus routes, community centres and doctor surgeries.

The polarisation within these communities is often surprisingly extreme, a recent study in Belfast found that some mothers were prepared to forgo antitnatal (sic) care for their children in order to avoid attending a clinic located within an area populated by a different religious group.

The paper said it would attempt to identify and quantify the impact on public expenditure of providing services to a polarised and separate community.

It said public expenditure in Northern Ireland was higher per person than in other parts of the UK.

It added: Prolonged civil unrest has resulted in Northern Ireland requiring a much larger police force than would otherwise have been the case.

Rioting and bombings cause a great deal of damage to both public and private property.

As insurance companies rarely cover civil unrest and acts of terrorism, the Northern Ireland Office pays compensation for both personal injuries and property damages as a result of civil unrest.

The Department of the Environment (DoE) set aside 250,000 per year to repair damage caused to road surfaces during civil disturbances.

The paper added: Northern Ireland society has evolved into two very distinct communities.

In certain areas of Northern Ireland this polarisation has become particularly pronounced.

A recent study carried out by the University of Ulster found that 78% of Catholics and 76.6% of Protestants would not work in an area dominated by another religion.

This limited mobility has resulted in many services, which could otherwise have operated from a single location, being duplicated in each community.

It continues: Secondary care/Community Health centres would be more likely to suffer duplication given that they cover larger catchment areas which may not be containable within existing societal divides.

North and West Belfast is usually cited as a Trust area which has to incur this type of duplication.

A polarised society limits the mobility of its inhabitants.

Bus routes often must be mapped out to avoid passing through two areas of differing religious affiliation.
Abbey Tauchen |

Lincoln University of Missouri is launching a new Cybersecurity Certificate program spring 2025. This fully online program offers a flexible learning option, enabling students to complete their certification in just 18 credit hours.

The standalone Cybersecurity Certificate is a credit-bearing program designed to meet the needs of returning and advancing professionals across a variety of careers, says Lincoln University Assistant Provost for Academic Innovation, Outreach & Research Dr. Darius Watson. It mirrors our cybersecurity minor, which is an option that adds significant value for our traditional students pursuing a bachelor's degree in computer information services.

The programs curriculum provides in-depth coverage of key areas including programming, software development and cyber operations. This comprehensive approach equips students with the practical skills needed for a variety of cybersecurity roles. Designed to be affordable and adaptable, the program allows students to balance their studies with other commitments, making it accessible to both traditional students and working professionals.

Graduates will be prepared to earn industry-recognized certifications, which can significantly enhance their career prospects. The Cybersecurity Certificate is ideal for individuals aiming for entry-level positions in cybersecurity or seeking to advance within their current roles.

This certificate advances LUs ongoing efforts to expand its Security Sciences Institute and Employment Academy, while also strengthening its K-12 cybersecurity partnership with Jefferson City and St. Louis high schools. These initiatives will provide a range of opportunities for both traditional and nontraditional students, including specialized training, industry certifications and degree programs, all linked to internships and job placements with partners like the Missouri Department of Social Services and Ameren Missouri.

Accepting applications for spring 2025. Classes start January 13.
Abbey Tauchen |

Lincoln University of Missouri has selected Dr. Grant Winrow as its new vice president for university advancement. Dr. Winrow, who joins the university with over 25 years of expertise in administrative management, project leadership and business-to-business sales, previously served at Tennessee State University as assistant dean of student services and special assistant to the president/director of special projects. Dr. Winrow assumed responsibility for this position on Monday, August 19.

In his new role, Dr. Winrow will spearhead the universitys strategic advancement efforts, ensuring alignment with institutional goals and priorities. His responsibilities will include overseeing all fundraising activities, from major donor cultivation and corporate relations to comprehensive campaigns. Dr. Winrow will also lead alumni engagement and community outreach initiatives, working to enhance the universitys image through effective marketing and communication strategies. As the chief advisor to the president, he will play a crucial role in providing guidance on advancement matters and promoting a collaborative environment within the division.

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Grant Winrow to Lincoln University as our new vice president for university advancement, said Lincoln University of Missouri President Dr. John B. Moseley. Dr. Winrow has a proven track record in higher education advancement, which will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our universitys growth and outreach. His leadership will be instrumental in enhancing our connections with alumni, partners, and the broader community, ensuring that Lincoln University remains a beacon of excellence and opportunity.

Dr. Winrow earned his Doctor of Education in educational leadership from Tennessee State University in May 2024, where he also completed his Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in mass communications.

In his previous role as assistant dean of student services, Dr. Winrow significantly improved student services by aligning policies and programs with student success objectives. He managed key university events, fostered a culture of inclusion and served as a liaison to external constituencies to address student concerns and enhance the student experience.

As special assistant to the president/director of special projects, Dr. Winrow advised on critical issues such as crisis management, recruitment and fundraising. He led successful campaigns, including a $5 million capital campaign and secured major donations from alumni and corporate partners. His efforts in external relations and strategic planning were vital in advancing the universitys goals and maintaining its accreditation.

"I am super excited and honored to join the Blue Tiger Family at Lincoln, Dr. Winrow said. I am looking forward to adding to the continued success of this institution by serving the students, alumni and the community. I express my thanks to President Moseley for his vision and innovative leadership. Together, we will continue to strive and thrive as we serve through the power of excellence.
Dr. Daniel Yang, a top executive overseeing artificial intelligence at Kaiser Permanente, is driving new uses for AI in healthcare. He is also learning what it shouldnt do.

Yang, an internal-medicine physician, arrived last year at the California-based health system, which brings together health insurance, hospitals and physicians and has more than 12 million members. Before, he was at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, where he was a director of the patient-care program focused on diagnostic efforts. He also sees patients at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital.

Now, as vice president of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies at Kaiser Permanente, he is dealing with some of the biggest questions around how far and how fast to go with these new tools. He spoke with The Wall Street Journal about the possibilities and challenges for AI.

What are some of the ways Kaiser Permanente is using AI?

One of the most exciting areas for AI and technology is in supporting our clinicians to manage some of the administrative burden that they face on a day-to-day basis. Kaiser Permanente, to the best of my knowledge, is deploying the largest implementation of the clinical AI scribe technology in the country. The purpose is to generate a first draft of the clinical note from a recording of the patients encounter.

What has been the biggest failure with AI?

Youve got all these eager AI developers that get their hands on a data set and ask themselves, what AI tool can I develop from this data set, instead of starting with the problem and then finding the data and developing the tool. So thats one big issue that were seeing.

And two is, I think a lot of people fail to realize that developing the algorithm is really the easy part. The part that really takes work, and the part that adds value, is redesigning the workflow to accommodate the AI tool. There are a lot of great solutions on paper, but the healthcare systems may not have the expertise or the interest to really redesign the workflow to maximize the benefit from that AI tool.

Whats been your biggest surprise?

A lot of physicians felt threatened by AI, particularly diagnostic AI. They thought it was infringing upon their sense of professional competence and autonomy. And so within that backdrop, what really surprised me in the last 18 months, with the introduction of generative AI, was seeing this completely rapid shift in physician attitudes toward AI, from one of reluctance and skepticism to one of very deep excitement, delight and now demand.

What are you most afraid of with AI in healthcare?

I dont think that the enthusiasm around developing tools has been met with the same level of enthusiasm around testing, validating and demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of these tools. Theres a tremendous amount of effort in the development space, and I feel like the infrastructure to support responsible AI has not yet been able to catch up.

I worry about a two-tiered system of AI. The AI haves" are going to be large, well-resourced systems like Kaiser Permanente that will put the time and energy into testing, evaluating and responsibly deploying AI technologies to the benefit of our members, and the AI have-nots" will be health systems like county health systems, federally qualified health centers, rural hospitals that either dont have the infrastructure or know-how to deploy the AI technologies, or they deploy without fully understanding how they work and their limitations.

What should AI never do? Is there a red line?

We view them as augmenting, so I wouldnt feel comfortable about AI automating clinical decision-making, in diagnosis or treatment.

Are there specific problems right now that youre looking to find AI tools to solve?

Definitely tools that support our clinicians to be more effective and efficient, to reduce some of the administrative workloads. Another area that were exploring and that weve been actively working on is how do we better manage this dramatic increase in secure messages that patients are sending our providers.

If we look five years into the future, what do you think AI will be doing in healthcare?

We often treat people as a member of a larger population. I think theres a future state in which we really are moving toward much more personalized care, where the entirety of not just our medical record, but our activities, the foods we eat, are really being used and leveraged to inform diagnoses and interventions that are customized to the individual.

What about the black-box element of AI? What can be done about that worry?

There are things that we do, that we use every single day in medicine, that we dont fully understand how it works. Let me give you the example of Tylenol. What is the mechanism of action of Tylenol? We dont fully understand. Or general anesthesia. We dont fully understand the mechanism, how they work. Its pretty remarkable, right? People use it every day, because they know its safe and they know its effective, right? And so explainability, understanding the mechanism of actions, are really a proxy for trust in a tool. So while we are working on explainable AI, I think what we have to realize is transparency is just a proxy for trustworthiness. And what people really want at the end of the day, they want trustworthiness.

We read these things about AI hallucinating, which sounds very frightening in any setting, and particularly in medicine. Is that a concern?

There are a lot of technology approaches to identifying and flagging and removing these inaccuracies or hallucinations before they ever show up in the first draft of a clinical note. But its also the reason we make sure that our clinicians are reviewing every note.

We did identify some hallucinations in these drafts of the clinical notes. We were finding that they were oftentimes in the plan section. We were hearing things like, it would write in the note, come back and see me in two weeks. But the doctor said, I never said that. Its not an unreasonable thing, but its not something that we talked about in the visit.

AI is really just a mimicker of the data that its trained on. Its extracting that somehow deeply from both the direct context it has as well as the training. The aha!" moment for me is that, at Kaiser Permanente we dont make our revenues by driving more visits [unlike others that operate on a fee-for-service model]. If anything, we want to resolve peoples clinical complaints as quickly as possible and as efficiently as possible.

Interview has been edited and condensed. Write to Anna Wilde Mathews at Anna.Mathews@wsj.com
Shriram Properties Ltd aims to double its sales to 5,000 crore by 2026-27, driven by robust mid-income housing sales and the consolidation in the real estate sector, said a top company executive.

The Bengaluru-based developer had clocked 2,300 crore of sales in FY24.

By FY27, the real estate firm plans to deliver around 15-16 million sq ft of residential projects with an annual sales of 5,000 crore.

Shriram Properties, which has entered into its twenty-fifth year of operations, develops projects in Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata. It is also venturing into a new property marketPune.

We believe the opportunity that lies ahead of us is phenomenal, led by the demand for housing and the consolidation among developers, M. Murali, chairman and managing director of Shriram Properties, said at a press conference on Wednesday.

In FY25, the company plans to deliver nearly 3.5 million sq. ft of residential projects.

Shriram bets on mid-market expansion India's residential market has seen a significant uptick in sales in the aftermath of the pandemic. While analyst reports have said that luxury project sales have picked up considerably, it is the mid-market segment of homes, where sales have been maximum across the top cities.

Currently, the developer has a pipeline of 42 projects, with around 42 million sq ft of development potential. Of this, nearly 24 million sq ft of project construction is going on.

On Wednesday, Shriram Properties also unveiled a new brand identity under the name SPLNxT, to focus on mid-market and mid-premium projects. It sells homes priced between 50 lakh and 1.25 crore in the mid-income category, and above 1.25 crore under the mid-premium range of home. More than 50% of its portfolio is in the mid-market range.

Also read | Shriram founder bats for a paradigm shift in business
(Bloomberg) -- Millennium Management LLCs senior fuels trader and three other traders are departing while a senior natural gas trader from Castleton Commodities is set to join the hedge fund as its commodities business evolves, people familiar with the matter said.

Gary Pedersen, who led a team of refined-products traders, and fuels trader James Hutchinson are leaving the firm, the people said, asking not to be named because the information is private. Meanwhile, Ian Virga will join Millennium to lead a team of natural gas traders that will manage about $1.5 billion in assets, the people said.

A representative for Millennium declined to comment. Pedersen and Virga didnt respond to requests for comment.

Millennium separated its commodities business under Anthony Dewell last year and hired Matthew Nguyen as his deputy to expand the unit and better compete with rivals. Hedge funds have boosted their presence in the sector as Russias invasion of Ukraine stoked volatility in those markets.

Virgas addition to Millennium comes as hedge funds have piled into natural gas trading, attracted by its volatility and the rise of US exports of liquefied natural gas to Europe. Millennium also recently hired Carl Hossler as a senior portfolio manager to trade gas and power.

Millennium has had a number of changes in its energy business recently. Jeffrey Nietschmann and Dale Gibbard, both senior portfolio managers who specialized in natural gas, recently departed, as did crude trader Kristen Procinsky and natural gas analyst Tackin Tarighian.

Two other natural gas traders  Joel Green and J.W. Boyden  who were part of Nietschmanns team, are now leaving the firm as well, the people said.

Izzy Englanders Millennium is one of the worlds largest hedge funds, with more than $68 billion in assets under management. The firm earned about $600 million from commodities investments in 2023, and more than half of those profits came from natural gas trading.

Pedersen has also worked for Northville and Koch Supply & Trading, while Hutchinson has also previously worked for Gunvor, the people said.

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Starbucks Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Brian Niccol, who will join the coffee brand in September, will travel nearly 1,600 kilometres to work from his residence in California to the company headquarters in Seattle, Washington, according to the company's offer letter to the executive filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on August 11.

The offer letter to Niccol also states that the executive will have access to the company's corporate jet, which he will be able to use at the company's expense to travel from his city of residence to the company's headquarters, along with other corporate travel, as per the filing.

According to Starbucks, Brian Niccol is expected to join Starbucks as the CEO on September 9.

Starbucks also highlighted in the offer letter that the company head will not be required to relocate to Seattle, Washington, as Niccol agreed to commute daily from his residence to the office. The company is also looking to create a small remote office for the chief in Newport Beach, California, said Starbucks in the offer.

Brian's primary office and a majority of his time will be spent in our Seattle Support Center or out visiting partners and customers in our stores, roasteries, roasting facilities and offices around the world. His schedule will exceed the hybrid work guidelines and workplace expectations we have for all partners," reported CNBC, quoting a Starbucks spokesperson.

The 50-year-old executive will receive a base salary of $1.6 million yearly. He will also have an opportunity to earn a 225 per cent cash bonus of nearly $3.6 million to $7.2 million. He will also be eligible for an equity award of $23 million, according to the filing on SEC.

Niccol had a similar deal when working as the CEO of the food chain Chipotle in 2018. The company's headquarters were in Denver, Colorado, but the fast-food chain shifted its headquarters to California on Niccol's account, reported NDTV Global.
(Bloomberg) -- Northwestern University will require all students to undergo training on preventing antisemitism and Islamophobia as the school seeks to avert the kind of divisive protests over the Israel-Hamas war that shook college campuses in the spring.

The training will also be provided to faculty and staff, Northwestern said in a statement. In addition, the university will host a series of lectures about hate, racism, and the history of the conflict in the Middle East. The school also plans to release updates to its student code of conduct and demonstration policy in September.

We need to ensure every member of our community feels safe and supported, Northwestern President Michael Schill said in the statement. Activities that lead to intimidation and impede an environment where dialogue and education can flourish cannot occur again.

Student protests sparked by the war in Gaza roiled universities nationwide during the last school year, and Northwestern was among the schools that took criticism from both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrators for its handling of the tumult on campus. Many US colleges are trying to prevent a repeat of the confrontations as students return after summer break.

The university announced its plan as the Democratic National Convention was underway in Chicago amid some protests decrying the destruction in Gaza. While most pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the US have been peaceful, there have been high-profile incidents of antisemitism and arrests on university campuses.

We need to confront and condemn all forms of hatred and bigotry, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said Wednesday during a Bloomberg event outside the convention. And I think leaders have a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity.

Northwestern is adopting other changes as well, including a new religious literacy program within the universitys office of diversity and inclusion and investment in public safety personnel and infrastructure.

Other schools are also taking steps that reflect the heightened state of alert. At Harvard, for example, prospective students writing application essays are being asked to outline how they have handled serious disagreements.

--With assistance from Elizabeth Campbell.

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HELENA  With roughly $1.5 million in pandemic-era education funding set to expire next month, Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen announced a plan Tuesday to route those federal dollars directly to classrooms across Montana.

The spending strategy, crafted in partnership with the nonprofit crowdsourcing platform DonorsChoose, will let educators apply for up to $500 worth of assistance in purchasing materials for math- and reading-based projects. According to the Office of Public Instruction, applications will be vetted by DonorsChoose and open to all K-12 public school teachers in the state. Based on similar initiatives in other states, OPI said Arntzen is optimistic the remaining funds will be exhausted by the Sept. 30 federal spending deadline.

Dollars closest to the classroom lead to greater academic achievement for our students, Arntzen said in a statement Tuesday. These precious federal tax dollars will help purchase teaching and learning materials, supplies, and technology to support math and reading.

The $1.5 million in question is whats left of the $19 million the 2021 Legislature set aside for OPI to address pandemic-induced learning loss statewide  itself a small slice of the $382 million Congress handed to Montana lawmakers in its third Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) package. Arntzens attempt to finish spending the money mirrors efforts in Arizona, Colorado, Utah and five other states that have also partnered with DonorsChoose over the past two years to fully utilize their ESSER funds.

According to OPIs latest data, Montana has another roughly $100 million in unspent third-round ESSER funds, the bulk of it from direct distributions to individual districts. Barring a federal deadline extension, any funds not dedicated by Sept. 30 must be returned to the U.S. Department of Education.

In reference to its partnership with DonorsChoose, OPI spokesperson Brian OLeary explained to Montana Free Press that local educators wont have direct access to the funds under the offices new plan. Rather, teachers will have to submit a proposed project to DonorsChoose via the nonprofits online platform including a list of classroom materials needed for that project. According to DonorsChoose, the $500 ESSER-backed grants include shipping, taxes and fees, and participating educators are encouraged to keep their requests to roughly $390 worth of materials in order for the grants to fully cover their projects. Proposals that exceed the $500 maximum will not qualify.

If a project is approved, ESSER funds will be used to cover the cost of materials, which will be shipped directly to the teachers school. Local administrators will have access to records related to each project within their district, and OPI will receive copies from DonorsChoose of teacher-generated reports on how the materials impact student learning. Based on spending requirements established by state lawmakers in 2021, all projects must specifically address learning loss in reading or math to be eligible.

DonorsChoose is already a familiar platform for hundreds of Montana teachers, having directed more than $3 million worth of resources and materials to individual classrooms around the state over the past two decades. Roughly 700 educators currently have accounts with the nonprofit, allowing them to seek funding for books, erasers, water bottles and other student supplies they might otherwise be left to pay for out of their own pockets. Typically such projects are supported by individual contributions made through the public DonorsChoose portal, with teachers selecting specific items from lists generated by partner vendors including Amazon Business, Best Buy and Scholastic.

In some cases, local districts have adopted tailored policies around such crowdsource-style fundraising. For example, Bozeman Public Schools fundraising policy outlines specific procedures for the approval of crowdsourcing proposals and delivery of crowdsourced funds. Board trustees last month expanded that policy to include a section specific to non-monetary wish-list fundraising, noting that it has become a growing area of resource procurement among district staff. Business Director Mike Waterman told MTFP the district wants to remain open to such donations while ensuring that fundraising proposals are consistent with district infrastructure, curricula and needs.

Missoulas Target Range School adopted its own policy specific to DonorsChoose last year, which Superintendent Jeff Crews said was designed to ensure that projects crowdsourced through the portal align with the districts instructional goals. Crews added that Target Range teachers have used the nonprofit to support classroom needs in the past. But while he acknowledges that any financial support his district or its teachers can get certainly helps, he believes the need for such a procurement source raises more fundamental questions about how Montana currently funds its public education system.

The hard part for me is that this is not the conversation we should be having, Crews said. The conversation we should be having is that if were having to go to DonorsChoose, get the community to purchase things for us, supplies for us, then somethings wrong with the funding system we have in Montana.
Chairman of Vedanta Group, Anil Agarwal, has hailed Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) as a "crown jewel" of the conglomerate, emphasising its global standing and remarkable financial performance. Agarwal underscored HZL's significant contributions to India's economy and national security through its production of strategic minerals like zinc and silver.

In a post on X, Agarwal said: "Hindustan Zinc is a crown jewel for Vedanta.

As the worlds second-largest integrated producer of Zinc and third-largest Silver producer, HZL continues to create immense value for all its shareholders.

Agarwal said that in the past two decades, HZL has delivered total shareholder returns of 562x. In the past 10 years itself, HZLs dividend payouts are over Rs. 1.1 lakh crore  amongst the highest in the country.

Committed to nation-building, Hindustan Zinc has contributed around Rs. 80,000 crore to the national exchequer in last five years, he claimed.

"The future for HZL shines bright as it supplies both Zinc & Silver, which are key minerals for national security, and drives up capacities for both with a strong focus on recycling and future minerals. Lets stay single-mindedly focused on serving the needs of a rapidly growing nation," he said in the post.

Hindustan Zinc Limited's (HZL) offer for sale (OFS) commenced on August 16 and concluded on August 19, with a floor price set at 486 per share.

Earlier this month, HZL's parent company, Vedanta, revised its planned stake sale in HZL from 2.60 per cent to 3.31 per cent through the OFS route.

"This is in supersession of the earlier approval of the Committee of Directors and the intimation filed by the Company dated August 13, 2024," the company stated in a filing on August 14.
NEW DELHI : Sinch AB, a Swedish communications platform service provider, will enable rich communication services (RCS) messaging to users of major Indian telecom companies. After partnering with Vodafone Idea Ltd and Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, Sinch has now onboarded Bharti Airtel Ltd as well.

Global chief executive Laurinda Pang told Mint in an exclusive interaction that Apple enabling RCS on iPhones has opened up an opportunity for the technology in markets like the US and Europe. Even in India, a market dominated by Googles Android mobile operating system, theres a compelling case for enterprises to use the advanced messaging platform, Pang said.

India has done well with regards to RCS. We can leverage India for the rest of Sinch; theres plenty we can learn here and that is very tactical," she said.

RCS offers a more advanced messaging experience compared to the traditional short messaging service (SMS), enabling features such as rich media, group chats, and interactive content.

Also read | Technology: SMS pings back to life to cut out digital noise

While text messages in India have largely been used for app-to-person communication such as one-time-passwords, app-based messaging between users has been dominated by Metas WhatsApp, with more than 500 million users in the country.

India being its largest market, WhatsApp is also betting big on catering to enterprises by enabling conversation-based commerce or shopping within the messaging app.

RCS expects to chip away at this large market but a major challenge lies in educating enterprises to use the service readily available on the phones of their potential end-customers, Pang said.

According to industry estimates, RCS volume in India is about 1.3 billion messages a month.

The non-spam opportunity

Following the Indian telecom regulators directive to service providers to curb spam messages and calls, telecom operators may have to raise tariffs as more traffic is likely to be routed through regulated channels, said Sinchs India head Nitin Singhal.

This would lead to a better experience for end-consumers with fewer spam, and provide platforms like Sinch a higher revenue generation opportunity, he said.

Contrary to reduction in revenue, it would actually go ahead and maybe give us an opportunity to increase the revenue, because right now messaging is commoditized," he said.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Tuesday issued directions ordering telecom service providers to enable traceability of all messages from November, among a series of measures aimed at curbing spam.

As per Trais directive, telemarketing calls starting with the 140-series (assigned to telemarketers) will have to be migrated to an online DLT (digital ledger technology) platform or on blockchain by 30 September to enable better monitoring.

Also read | Mint Explainer: Trai's latest crackdown on spam callsinside the latest measures

From 1 September, messages containing non-whitelisted URLs or website links, APK or file format used by Android for installing apps, OTT (over-the-top apps) links, or call-back numbers will be prohibited.

Last week, Trai directed telcos to disconnect all telecom resources of unregistered telemarketers found making spam calls, and to blacklist them for up to two years.

With the growing incidence of phishing, spamming, and other fraudulent activities, Trais measures are expected to significantly curb the misuse of messaging services and protect consumers from fraudulent activities, the ministry of communications said in a statement.

Pang said markets and regulators globally faced the same challenges as in India in terms of identifying and penalising miscreants.

Ultimately, I think there probably is a role with the telcos, very specifically to get more aggressive in terms of voice fraud, messaging fraud, and play a more significant role," she said.
Flipkart has rolled out a new payments app, super.money, to enable users to make payments via Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and earn cashback, rekindling its ambition to gain a stronghold in the fintech space.

This comes nearly two-and-a-half years after the Flipkart Group, which owns e-commerce marketplace Flipkart, travel booking firm Cleartrip, and fashion brand Myntra, completed the separation of its payments platform PhonePe, aiming to create two independent entities with Walmart as the majority shareholder of both the businesses.

Flipkart launched its super.money app in beta or test mode in June, and said it has handled 10 million transactions and 1 million downloads since. The app will offer users up to 5% cashback on every merchant transaction and special offers on transactions done on partner platforms such as Myntra and Flipkart.

The entity also plans to launch a credit on UPI offering by partnering with the National Payments Corporation of Indias UPI infrastructure for a co-branded credit card, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

Credit on UPI is expected to boost borrowings by individuals, especially with borrowers from tier 2 and tier 3 cities likely to join the realm of formal credit, the company said.

Prakash Sikaria, founder and chief executive of super.money, told Mint the company was looking to draw in first-time borrowers, attempting to formalise credit among users who may not have availed any form of credit yet, including credit cards.

The TG (target group) we are going after is the one that has not got an unsecured card ever. They dont have a Visa, Mastercard or Rupay card. If you give a product to someone who has not ever experienced it, they are more forgiving and the adoption is better, Sikaria said.

For every card issued, four applicants are rejected, offering a sizeable market for super.money to tap, according to Sikaria. The company aims to be among the top 5 UPI players by December, the executive told Mint.

Flipkart Group acquired PhonePe in 2016 to double down on the consumer payments space, marking its third acquisition in the segment after NGPay (Jigrahak Mobility Solutions Pvt. Ltd) in 2014, and FX Mart Pvt. Ltd, which owned a prepaid wallet licence.

E-commerce major Flipkart launched its own UPI handle in March to offer cashback up to 5% on payments. Super.money, however, will continue to operate independently, Sikaria said, noting that it does not view Flipkarts UPI offering as competition.

Everyone has a merchant UPI today. They are all embedding UPIs in their workflows. They are not building a UPI-first fintech player and that distinction will remain. Its not a competing strategy, its a complementary one, Sikaria added.

Super.money has partnered with several financial institutions to offer financial services. The app is currently available on Googles Android operation system and is expected to be rolled out on Apples iOS shortly.
Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday launched a broadside on multinational e-commerce companiesnaming Amazonsaying they indulged in predatory pricing to beat down domestic mom and pop stores.

He was speaking at the launch of a report, titled Assessing the Net Impact of e-Commerce on Employment and Consumer Welfare in India, published by the Pahle India Foundation, a Delhi-based policy research institute founded by former Niti Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar.

Goyal said e-commerce platforms should not be allowed to disrupt the 100 million of brick-and-mortars stores and small retailers in India.

"When Amazon says we are going to invest a billion dollars in India and we all celebrate, we forget the underlying story that these billion dollars are not coming for any great service or investment to support the Indian economy," said Goyal.

Also read | India plans to build 50 e-commerce export hubs (Do the losses) not smell of predatory pricing to any of you ... what was that loss for? They are not allowed to sell to consumers (directly), he added.

Theres a large section out there who still deserves our help. When it comes to jobs and opportunities for the future of India, I think all of us will have to play our part.

Decline of corner shops Giving the example of western countries, Goyal noted the decline of traditional corner shops  or mom and pop stores  in the US and Europe due to the rise of e-commerce.

"Im not wishing away e-commerce. It's here to stay," Goyal said, "but we must think carefully and cautiously about its role. Is predatory pricing good for the country?

The commerce minister expressed his concern about the impact of e-commerce on local businesses and employment, particularly in sectors like pharmacies and mobile phone repair shops.

Also read | When India closed the door on its e-commerce tax, it left a window open In recent years, Amazon and Walmart's Flipkart have radically altered India's retail landscape, investing billions of dollars to expand and attract consumers to their platforms, and offering lucrative discounts.

Their growth has sometimes been controversial, having been met with protests by small traders, who are an important support-base for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Goyal's remarks come in the middle a government exercise to draft a comprehensive e-commerce policy that would check unethical trading practices. The policy is under evaluation at the top level of the government.

Projected lies and statistics The minister termed the report's projection of a massive 27% annual growth in the e-commerce market as "lies, damn lies, and statistics"  a phrase often attributed to the 19th century American writer Mark Twain.

"It's not a matter of pride that half of our market could possibly become part of e-commerce in the next 10 years; it's a matter of concern. There are lies, damn lies, and statistics," the minister said.

"From the countrys perspective, based on the little Ive read and seen of this report, I would like to completely disassociate myself from it. I do not agree with any of these findings."

As per the report, the share of e-commerce in retail sales was 4.7% in 2019 and it grew to 7.8% in 2022. The report also stated that e-commerce is growing at 27% annually.

Also read | Manish Tiwary resigns as head of Amazon India Goyal criticized some of the report's findings but also referred to its data to buttress his point that e-commerce targets high-value items to eat into small retailers' profits.

"Food and grocery are growing by only 0.4% to 0.5%, with a penetration rate of 66%, which is misleading as many people still visit local shops. Growth in apparel is between 14-20%, jewellery and watches at 4-6%, where the look and feel matter.

Consumer electronics, another high-margin market, is growing at 26-28%, while home and living products are growing at 8-11%, as items like towels, bedsheets, and mattresses don't have high margins, the minister said.

Generating jobs As to employment, the report said each e-commerce vendor employs about nine people, two of whom are female, while each offline vendor employs about six people, only one of whom is female.

As per National Sample Survey estimates of e-commerce penetration, about 1.76 million retail enterprises participate in e-commerce.

Also read | Festive hiring boom: E-commerce, quick commerce set to lead the way Reacting to the commerce ministers statement, Praveen Khandelwal, the secretary general of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) and Lok Sabha member from the ruling BJP, said, Foreign investments should be scrutinized to ensure they contribute positively to the local economy and do not merely serve to sustain operations that are not yet profitable.
(Bloomberg) -- US coal producer Arch Resources Inc. agreed to merge with rival Consol Energy Inc. in a $2.3 billion deal aimed at creating a North American mining heavyweight to deliver the fuel around the world.

The companies announced the transaction in a statement Wednesday after the deal talks were reported earlier by Bloomberg. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Arch stockholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 1.326 shares of Consol stock for each share of Arch common stock. Consol shareholders will own about 55% of the combined company, to be called Core Natural Resources.

The new company will own 11 mines producing thermal coal for power plants and metallurgical coal for making steel. While the dirtiest fossil fuel is a major driver of climate change, its also among the commodities most crucial to the global economy. Demand for steel, and the materials used to produce it, is growing over the long term, while consumption of coal for electricity generation remains strong even as nations seek to shift to cleaner energy.

The markets are out there, Deck Slone, Archs senior vice president of strategy, said on a conference call Wednesday. Youve got to get out there into the seaborne markets.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of the first quarter, pending regulatory approvals. Core Natural Resources will have ownership interests in two export terminals on the US East Coast, which are key to the companys export strategy. The company, to be based in Pennsylvania, will be able to export as much as 25 million tons a year, the most of any North American coal producer.

Both companies are dependent on customers outside of North America, and that shipping capacity will give the combined venture a strategic advantage, said Andrew Blumenfeld, director of data analytics at McCloskey by Opis. Exports are what make this work, he said in an interview.

And this transaction may not be the last, said Blumenfeld. Once the Core Natural Resources merger is complete, he expects to see the combined company pursue additional deals, most likely in the metallurgical coal market. I think this might be just step one, he said.

Executives stressed on the call that the two companies have little operational overlap, which should help the tie-up win regulatory approval. Archs planned move to merge its operations in the Powder River Basin with those of rival Peabody Energy Corp. was rejected by a federal judge in 2020.

Arch shares gained 1.4% at 11:53 a.m. in New York on Wednesday and Consol climbed 3.7%. Arch had declined 24% this year before the deal was announced, while Consol had dropped 5.8% over the same period.

Earlier this year, Consol faced a significant threat to its operations after a catastrophic bridge collapse choked off Baltimore harbor and curtailed shipping to the companys export terminal a few miles away. Consol has focused on boosting overseas shipments in recent years amid shrinking domestic demand for the dirtiest fossil fuel. Baltimores port has since fully reopened.

Moelis & Company LLC advised Consol, while Perella Weinberg Partners advised Arch.

This transaction demonstrates our confidence in the future of coal, Jimmy Brock, Consols chief executive officer, said on the call Wednesday.

(Updates with comment from analyst in sixth paragraph. An earlier version corrected a misspelling in the headline.)

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New Delhi: An innocuous piece of India's audit rules has come under scrutiny, after several alleged audit lapses that paved the road to spectacular business bust-ups were traced back to it. However, fixing it could be tricky, audit industry executives said.

When a company raises money from the public and transfers it to a subsidiary, and further to the company's promoters, the diversion may go unnoticed in audits. This is because a specific standard in India's accounting rules allows the parent company's auditor to rely on subsidiarys auditors work without being held responsible for it, said an expert in auditing, calling it a departure from international norms.

At the heart of the matter is ICAIs Standard on Audit--SA 600, which is similar to International Accounting Standard Boards (IASB) ISA 600, dealing with the framework for auditors to use the work of other auditors. This applies to auditing the books of parents and subsidiaries or branches. This was central theme in some of the alleged audit lapses investigated by the regulator National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA).

This, and the way an audit standard is worded, calls for a review as these are crucial in checking instances of fund diversion, the person cited above said on the condition of anonymity.

Audit regulator NFRA and accounting and auditing rule maker, The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) are looking into this matter, two other persons with knowledge of the development said, adding consultations also involve other financial sector regulators.

On the issue of diversion of funds from subsidiaries, parents auditors takerefuge in SA600, saying they relied on the work of other auditors," said the first person quoted above.

Also read: Forensic auditors at startup doors as edgy investors look to fix issues early

The extent to which the parents auditor complied with the safeguards prescribed in this audit standard to make sure such reliance on subsidiarys auditors work was foolproof was an important factor in NFRAs disciplinary orders on auditors of entities like Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd. (CDEL), made public on Monday, and of Dewan Housing Finance Ltd., issued this year and the last, showed the regulatory orders. Both cases involved parent and subsidiary companies, where the principal auditor had no access to the audit working papers of thesubsidiary.

In the case of CDEL, NFRA said the principal auditor did not ensure compliance of SA600 in letter and spirit though asubstantial portion of financial information of the consolidated financial statement was audited by the other auditors.

CDELs auditor, BSR & Associates LLP, said in a statement on Monday the firm wasassessing the next steps and that it remained committed to the highest standards of professionalism, quality and integrity.

Emails sent last week to NFRA, ICAI, BSR & Associates (an independent audit firm which has a contractual arrangement with KPMG) SRBC & Co. Llp (an independent member of the EY Group), Deloitte Haskins and Sells LLP, PwC and DHFLon the issue of SA600s wording and itseffectiveness in fixing accountability of the principal (parents) and component (subsidiarys) auditors remained unanswered at the time of publishing.

The wording of SA600 is also under focus. It says the principal auditor should perform procedures to obtain the required audit evidence that the other auditors work is adequate. The international standard ISA600, on the other hand, uses the word shall, throughout the document, explained the first person quoted above. Shallimplies a strong obligation or requirement, to suggest that something must be done. On the other hand,shouldsuggests a recommendation or advice, telling what is advisable but not necessarily mandatory, explained the person. SA600 should be brought at par with ISA600," the person said.

A senior executive with one of the Big Four audit firms agreed that there has to be harmonization with the global audit standard. SA600 allows division of responsibility with component auditors, which is not there in ISA600. Globally, as per ISA600, the principal auditor takes full responsibility of the groups audit and has the right to review the working papers of a component auditor. But in the Indian context, the principal auditor has no access to the working papers of another auditor. Why would I take responsibility for another auditors work when I cannot access his working papers?," said the executive.

Read this: Audit watchdog set to widen inspections

In a globalized economy, having an audit standard not fully aligned with the global norms puts us on a back footing," said the executive. But there is a catch in harmonizing with the global norms. Making the main group auditor responsible for subsidiaries audit can cost business for the smaller audit firms, said the executive.

Amarjit Chopra, former president of ICAI, said one needs to consider the differences in market conditions in India and in other countries. In the US, about 90% of audit work is done by the Big Four and the audit of the parent and subsidiaries are done by the same auditor. In India, in case of banks and other entities, component auditors are different from central auditors," Chopra said.

The parents auditor is entitled to give directions to the subsidiary or branch auditors and take confirmation on whether that is followed or not. That should fix the responsibility rather than making the principal auditor responsible for the subsidiary audit too. If the principal auditor is made responsible for the subsidiary audit, the same would require a fundamental change in the appointment process. Needless to say, internationally, where the central auditors were responsible for component audits as well, frauds in accounting have been there as well," said Chopra.

I agree that SA600 needs to be amended with a very specific guidance as to what the principal auditor should do to ensure the responsibility of the component auditor is fixed, but let us not go the whole hog and say one auditor should do the audit of an entire group. It is also the responsibility of independent directors on the boards of subsidiariesoften highly paid, who also play a role in appointing the auditors, to ensure that the financial integrity of the company is maintained," said Chopra.
At the Haojue showroom in Kigali, Rwandas capital, Gaston Kamo dusts the latest models ruby-red fuel tank. With motorcycles you can go everywhere, even muddy roads," says the salesman for the Chinese manufacturer. The gleaming 125cc bike costs 1.25m Rwandan francs (around $1,000). Much less than a car," adds Mr Kamo, gently angling for his cut.

Cheap bikes from China and India are roaring about Kigali and many other cities. Africa has about 27m registered motorbikes, up from fewer than 5m in 2010, according to a report by the FIA Foundation, a global road-safety charity, and Amend, an NGO. Some 80% are used for deliveries or as two-wheel taxis, which are known by various names including okada, and boda boda. They are transforming mobility in Africa.

Behind the rise is a story of supply and demand. Brands from China (such as Haojue) and India (such as Bajaj) are cheap enough for the average African rider. Some have set up assembly plants in countries such as Togo and Angola. Many have done deals with financial firms that offer loans to pay for the wheels. Some are now also selling electric motorcycles.

Africas urban population will almost double from 491m in 2015 to 966m in 2035, reckons the UN. Walking across sprawling cities takes ages and, in the absence of pavements, can be dangerous. Motorcycles are cheaper than car taxis (roughly half the price for a trip of the same distance) and often faster. The average car commuter in Lagos spends 30 hours a week in traffic, according to one survey.

Around a third of taxis carry cargo and connect small towns to each other and to rural villages. In 2020 there were 8,784 African agglomerations with at least 10,000 people, up from 2,360 in 1980, according to Africapolis, a research project of the OECD, a group of mainly rich countries. Motorbikes make it easier to get from one to anotherthe average distance between two agglomerations is 20km, down from 35km four decades agoincluding connections with other forms of transport.

The two-wheelers are vital for the informal economy that makes up 86% of employment in Africa. If you were to take them away, the economies of most sub-Saharan African cities would collapse," argues Roger Behrens of the University of Cape Town. They are a major source of jobs for young men (just 1% of drivers are female) at a time when African working-age populations are expanding faster than formal jobs. There are at least 1.5m riders in Kenya alone, more than 50% of the number of public employees.

Some effects are less welcome. Motorcycles are noisy and add to air pollution. And they crash. Africa has 3% of the worlds motorised vehicles (of all types) but accounts for nearly one-fifth of all road deaths globally, according to a report by the UNs WHO, published last month. Motorcycles are a big part of the carnage.

Only around half of drivers wear helmets in Kampala (Ugandas capital), Lagos (Nigerias commercial megalopolis) and Maputo (Mozambiques capital); passengers are even less likely to do so. Only eight African countries have best practice" laws on helmets, notes the WHO. And these are often patchily enforced. Rwanda, however, insists that both rider and passenger wear helmetsand actually enforces the law.

At various times some governments, such as Ghanas, have banned motorcycle taxis. Some of the largest cities in Senegal, Nigeria and Ivory Coast have had them banned, sometimes because they are associated with crime. In other cases politicians simply think motorcycles are a nuisance and get in the way of their own cars (often large SUVs). These bans can be very personal sometimes," says Tom Courtright, a researcher based in Nairobi, who co-authored the FIA Foundation report.

Yet the bans tend to be evaded or withdrawn. This is partly because large groups of young men can be influential in politics, so cannot be ignored for long. Indeed, some political parties have tried to co-opt riders as ready-made youth wings. But the main reason why bans dont work is that there is simply no good alternative for millions of Africans trying to get around.

 2024, The Economist Newspaper Ltd. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
(Bloomberg) -- Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd., the Hong Kong-listed arm of billionaire Li Shufus car empire, posted a record first-half profit  buoyed by surging exports and demand for electric cars.

Net income rose more than six-fold to 10.6 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) in the six months ended June 30 from a year earlier, the automaker said in a statement Wednesday. Revenue climbed 47% to 107.31 billion yuan.

Vehicle deliveries gained 41% in the first half to 955,730 units, with EVs and plug-in hybrids leading the growth. The strong performance saw Geely raise its 2024 sales target to 2 million vehicles from 1.9 million.

Geely continues to build on the momentum of its plug-in hybrid range, with the affordable Galaxy series launching new cars such as the E5 electric SUV. Premium Zeekr brand has refreshed existing models, including the global editions of Zeekrs minivan 009 and X compact SUV.

In the face of the slowdown in the growth rate of Chinas passenger car market and the increasingly fierce price competition, the group has adopted the strategy of striving for progress while maintaining stability, the company said in a statement.

This strategy enabled the groups sales performance in the first half of 2024 (to) exceed managements expectations and reach a record high, it said.

For more details from the earnings report, click here.

However, increasing trade barriers are clouding the outlook for global expansion. The European Commission on Tuesday proposed a 19.3% provisional tariff on EV imports by Geelys brands  slightly lower than first announced  and the US has quadrupled tariffs on Chinese EVs to more than 100%, effectively locking them out of the market. Other countries including Turkey and Canada have taken or considering similar actions.

Polestar, the EV brand controlled by Geely Autos parent, saw a 42% decline in exports to the EU in July after the provisional tariffs came into effect. Its shipments in the first seven months fell 37%, according to research from Dataforce. The Swedish-origin brand is separately listed in the US, but its challenges mirror those facing Geely Autos EV exports.

To avoid the tariffs, Zeekr has said its working to shift some production to Europe, while other Geely Holding-controlled brands including Polestar and Volvo Cars AB are in the process of moving manufacturing of some of their models to South Carolina and Belgium.

Geely Auto is also battling an ultra competitive domestic market, where a price war has hit the bottom line of automakers, and a weakening economy has weighed on consumer spending for big ticket items like new cars. In an attempt to boost auto spending, the government has introduced a cash-for-clunkers incentive for buyers who trade in old vehicles for new qualifying EVs and fuel-efficient gasoline cars, with rebates of up to 20,000 yuan.

The subsidy would benefit manufacturers including Geely, as Bloomberg NEF expects the policy to potentially drive sales of 1.1 million EVs, worth around $26 billion.

--With assistance from Anthony Palazzo.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
WASHINGTONWithin hours of President Bidens move to drop his re-election campaign and endorse Kamala Harris as his successor on the Democratic Partys 2024 ticket, Ahmed Eldin took to Instagram to post a video of Harriss address to Aipac and an undated photo of her standing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Time to step up the pressure on Kamala," Eldin, a former journalist of Palestinian descent, wrote to his roughly 1.1 million followers.

Since then, Eldins social-media feed has routinely featured content scrutinizing Harriss position on the Israel-Hamas war, accusing the vice president of backing the violence in Gaza.

He is one of many pro-Palestinian content creators who have used their platforms to highlight the plight of civilians in Gaza. Israel invaded the Gaza Strip after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks on southern Israel left 1,200 people dead and some 250 taken hostage. The war has reduced much of once-bustling Gaza to rubble and has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health officials. They dont say how many were combatants.

In a conflict many are watching unfold online, pro-Palestinian influencers have helped shape the views of young people who oppose Israels military offensive and the Biden administrations support for it. At the same time, Harris must contend with Jewish Democrats who are consuming a more pro-Israel social media feed and inclined to see her taking a tougher approach toward the close U.S. ally as a betrayal.

Now, as Harris and Democrats meet this week for their convention in Chicago, the online community of pro-Palestinian influencers, journalists and activists are using social media as a powerful tool to keep the Biden administrations handling of the war in public view. Their efforts stand in contrast to the ways Harriss supporters have used social media to their advantage since she became the Democratic nominee, with online memes such as brat summer" going viral in support of her candidacy.

Palestine is going to be a litmus test. If Harris wants to reclaim voters, she needs to offer something new," Eldin said in an interview. I dont believe that in action she will be that different than Bidenuntil she takes a step like demanding an end to U.S. arms sales or promises a conditioning of aid, given how severe the suffering is and the deepening of the crisis."

The Harris campaign didnt respond to a request for comment.

Harris was an early advocate within the Biden administration for a cease-fire and hostage deal, and she has at times sharply criticized Israel over its conduct in the war. Rhetorically, she has sounded more alarm over the situation in Gaza than Biden, describing the conditions there as inhumane" and stating there would be no excuses" if Israel didnt do more to improve the flow of humanitarian aidearning her praise from some Arab American leaders.

But she also has reiterated her support for Israels right to defend itself. Also, like Biden, she opposes an arms embargo on Israel.

Before Biden dropped out of the race, his top aides believed the backlash on the left to the administrations steadfast support for Israel was limited to a vocal minorityand not reflective of how most Americans see the issue. Some Harris campaign aides have privately echoed that sentiment and pointed to a renewed sense of enthusiasm and party unity since Harris succeeded Biden as the Democratic nominee.

Some pro-Palestinian activists have credited Harris with showing more empathy than Biden regarding the suffering in Gaza. Some activists have expressed hope that her rhetorical support for the humanitarian plight in Gaza might mean she is more open to adopting a tougher stance toward Israel. But thousands of protesters from across the country have descended on Chicago to demonstrate outside the convention in support of a cease-fire and end to U.S. military support for Israel.

Harris has continued to encounter pro-Palestinian demonstrators at her campaign events, including a viral moment at a rally in Detroit where she suggested that the protesters were helping former President Donald Trump. At another campaign event, Harris was more conciliatory in her response.

Right now the growing consensus is that Kamala Harris is no different than Biden when it comes to Israel and Gaza," said Rosy Pirani, a pro-Palestinian content creator who said her following on Instagram more than tripled from roughly 225,000 to about 734,000 since she began posting about the war.

The truth of the matter is Biden has isolated a lot of Democrat voters, especially young voters along with Arab and Muslim voters," she said.

A Pew Research Center survey in 2022 found that those under the age of 30 were almost as likely to trust information from social media as they were to trust information from national news outlets.

Theres less trust in politicians, and theres less trust in institutions in general," Eldin said.

Pirani is the kind of influencer who might have otherwise been an asset for Harriss campaign. She is a lifelong Democrat who, like Harris, is of South Asian descent.

A real-estate investor of Pakistani descent, she first built a social-media following by creating lighthearted content about her marriage to her husband, Akbar Pirani, an entrepreneur of Indian descent.

Over the past 10 months, the playful reels, photos and memes that once dominated Piranis social-media profile have mostly vanished. Instead, there are near-daily updates on the crisis in Gaza. Included are graphic images and videos that underscore the dire condition of Palestinian civiliansbe it from a near famine across the Gaza Strip or the aftermath of deadly Israeli airstrikes in the besieged enclave. She also posts on TikTok, which is popular with young Americans.

In one recent post on Instagram, Pirani and a handful of other pro-Palestinian activists shared an image of a bloodied Quran following an Israeli strike on a mosque in Gaza and wrote: No condemnation from Biden or Harrisremember this picture when you step inside the voting booth in November."

Polling has consistently shown that younger Americans, especially those who are Democrats, are much more likely to disapprove of Bidens handling of the war by wide margins. Part of that is consistent with a broader generational shift in attitudes toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but Biden administration officials in public and private have cited social media as one of the main reasons they have struggled to communicate their position on Israel to young people.

You have a social-media ecosystemenvironmentin which context, history, facts get lost and the emotionthe impactof images dominates," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a Q&A at the McCain Institutes 2024 Sedona Forum. We cant discount that, but I think it also has a very, very, very challenging effect on the narrative."

Although legislation in Washington to ban TikTok had long been discussed before the war, the conflict in Gaza marked a turning point in the push against the platform. Some researchers found that at times the ratio ran 69 to 1 in favor of videos with pro-Palestinian hashtags compared with those with pro-Israeli hashtags. TikTok has said the platform doesnt promote one side of an issue over another.

Pro-Palestinian influencers have repeatedly disseminated clips on social media from White House and State Department briefings to highlight moments in which they believe top Biden officials have misled the public or shown double standards in their treatment of Israelis and Palestinians.

In one such clip, which has more than 187,000 views on TikTok, Rahma Zeina former journalist in Egypt with nearly 111,000 followers on TikTok and one million followers on Instagrampulled from a White House briefing in which National Security Council spokesman John Kirby declined to condemn the phrase from the river to the sea" when used by Israelis. The post added that Kirby previously denounced the phrase as antisemitic when it was used at pro-Palestinian rallies in the U.S.

Pro-Palestinian activists say the phrase is a call for liberation and equality for Palestinians who live under Israeli occupation, but many Jewish people interpret the slogan as a call for Israels destruction. Pro-Palestinian groups say Israels policy of controlling all land west of the Jordan River amounts to ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

Although domestic attention has shifted away from Gaza with Harris at the top of the ticket, the pro-Palestinian online community will try to keep the war in focus.

The reason theres such an uproar is because the truth has spread like wildfire," said Zein. Social media is showing you whats happening on the groundYou can no longer ignore it."
CHICAGOFormer President Barack Obama will make the case Tuesday for Kamala Harris to shatter a historic barrier just as he did 16 years ago, offering a preview of how Democrats expect to use him this fall as the most popular politician in their party.

He enters the Democratic National Convention in his adopted hometown as a powerful fundraiser who still enjoys the approval of most Americans. But he has at times failed to transfer his star power to other Democratic candidates, including Hillary Clinton in 2016. This election will test whether he can connect with a new generation of voters eight years after he left office.

Obama will pitch the vice president as a figure who, if elected, could protect Democratic priorities achieved during his and President Bidens tenures. The speech is a high-profile opportunity for the nations first Black president to urge Americans to embrace how Harris, a daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, could be the first woman elected president and the first of South Asian descent.

Should Donald Trump prevail this fall, his return to the White House would give him a chance not just to unwind part of Obamas agenda, but Trump would also take a hatchet to the legacy left by Biden, Obamas vice president and someone who defeated Trump four years ago amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Obamas address at the United Center arena will be his highest-profile speech since at least 2020 and one of many appearances he is expected to make on Harriss behalf as the election draws nearer.

His friendship with the vice president goes back 20 years, after they met while he was running for Senate, according to a person familiar with their relationship. She later was an early supporter of his 2008 presidential campaign and knocked on doors for him ahead of the Iowa caucuses.

Obama, 63, and Harris, 59, have remained in touch since 2020, the person said, with Obama offering counsel and serving as a sounding board. He has pledged to support her campaign in any way he can, including policy or strategic advice, fundraising and get-out-the-vote travel.

His political activity, which is expected to intensify closer to the election, will be coordinated with congressional Democrats and the Harris campaign, a person close to him said.

A person familiar with his remarks said Obama will affirm why Harris and the partys vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are the right leaders for the moment, lay out the task in front of Democrats and bring into focus the values at stake in the election.

When Biden was expected to be the Democratic nominee, he appeared to be losing some support among Black voters to Trump. But Harris is regaining the high level of support traditionally enjoyed by the party among Black voters. Her strength with those voters might allow him to also be deployed elsewhere, such as in critical suburban areas.

Some of Obamas biggest presidential accomplishments include passage of the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to combat the effects of the 2007-09 recession.

A 2023 Gallup survey found 63% of U.S. adults retrospectively approve of the job Obama did as president. John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush were the only presidents ranked above him, while Trump at 46% and Richard Nixon at 32% were the two Americans approved of the least of the nine presidents included in the poll.

Given his level of popularity around the country, I think he will be a critical surrogate for her," said Valerie Jarrett, a former senior adviser and longtime Obama family friend.

Former President Bill Clinton, who ranked just below Obama in the Gallup survey, is expected to address the convention Wednesday as part of an evening featuring Walz.

Hillary Clinton, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2016, addressed the convention Monday, as did Biden. Clinton made history eight years ago as the first female nominee of a major party.

The president departed Chicago after his speech and wont be present for Obamas address amid questions about strain in their relationship following Biden being urged by some in the party to drop out of the race.

The appearances by two of the three living past Democratic presidents, and the 2016 nominee, stands in contrast with the absence and lack of acknowledgment of former Republican President George W. Bush at the GOP convention last month in Milwaukee.

Michelle Obama is expected to speak ahead of her husband. Jarrett said the former first lady has an independent relationship with Harris separate from her husbands and she supports the vice president unconditionally."

A person familiar with her planned remarks said she would lay out how Harris is ready to lead the nation forward and turn the page on fear and division."

An endorsement for Harris from the Obamas didnt come as quickly as many others. Jarrett said the former president was simply trying to play the role of elder statesman in the party and not prematurely put his thumb on the scale, something he had also avoided doing in previous Democratic presidential primaries. In 2020, Obama addressed the Democrats virtual convention from an American Revolution museum in Philadelphia. He spoke about Biden but also described Harris as an ideal partner who is more than prepared for the job."

This weeks convention marks the first time Obama has attended a convention in Chicago. When the city last hosted the DNC, in 1996, he was working at a small legal firm and teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago. He would be elected that fall to the Illinois State Senate.

At the 2000 convention in Los Angeles, Obamas credit card was declined for a rental car. He has said he was feeling down on continuing his pursuit of a political career, having lost a Democratic primary earlier that year for a Chicago-based congressional seat that drained his personal finances. Just four years later, his convention luck would dramatically turn around.

On July 27, 2004, Obama gave a stirring 17-minute keynote address to his partys convention in Boston that started him on the path to the presidency. He was just a state senator running for a U.S. Senate seat in Illinois, but some Chicago backers already viewed him as presidential material because of his biography, intelligence and oratory skills.
Jaxon Krall, 13, of Kemmerer, Wyoming, is the new tiger trout state record holder after landing a 12.77-pounder while fishing in Viva Naughton Reservoir.

Krall shattered the previous record of 11.93 pounds, which also was caught at Viva Naughton by Owen Schaad of Cheyenne in 2023. Kralls fish was 31.25 inches long and had a girth of 16.75 inches. He caught the fish from shore on a Thomas Buoyant lure.

I was fishing for anything that would bite, but I knew when I hooked it that it was big, Krall said.

It was the first tiger trout he has caught out of Viva Naughton.

He and his family took the fish into Kemmerer to be properly weighed to see if it was a state record.

I was excited and nervous, and I was really happy and excited when it was, he said.

Krall said hes anxious to return to Viva Naughton to try and catch more tiger trout, but next time he wants to release any fish he catches, even though he thinks theres a bigger tiger trout in the reservoir.

Tiger trout are a sterile hybrid of a brook trout and brown trout. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has stocked Viva Naughton with tiger trout every year since 2014. Viva Naughton has a large Utah chub population, and Game and Fish hoped stocking tiger trout would help curb the numbers of Utah chub in the reservoir and provide diversity to the fishery. Rainbow trout are the primary species in the reservoir.

Robb Keith, Game and Fish fisheries supervisor in the Green River Region, said sampling data indicates tiger trout in Viva Naughton are primarily feeding on Utah chub.

We stock small numbers of tiger trout to provide an opportunity for anglers to catch an exceptional fish from time to time, Keith said.

Keith added hes not surprised with the performance of tiger trout in Viva Naughton. The fish is an aggressive predator and it has ample food. Between the food supply and stocking efforts, Keith expects Viva Naughton to continue to grow exceptional fish.

Keith offers some tips for anglers who want to pursue tiger trout at Viva Naughton, and possibly the next state record.

We see them predominantly close to shore down to 25 feet of water. They are found close to structures. They are eating shiners and Utah chubs, so anglers should choose lures, flies and baits that resemble these forage fish, Keith said.
New Delhi: Union petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri is set to visit the US and UAE in the coming months for key energy events in a bid to push India's energy diplomacy, diversify energy sources, and secure long-term oil and gas contracts.

Two people in the know of the developments said Puri in the first instance will attend Gastech 2024 in Houston where he will hold talks with US energy giants.

Set to gain momentum "Energy diplomacy efforts would gain momentum now with the minister set to visit New York and Houston next month. In Houston he would attend Gastech. He would also then visit the UAE for Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) in November," said one of the two people mentioned above.

Also read | Bill introduced to promote ease of business in oil and gas E&P sector

India is making efforts to expand domestic areas for oil and gas production and increase output in a bid to cut imports. India has invited global E&P majors to take part in its efforts to increase energy production.

Investment opportunities Addressing an event here in June, the minister said: "The exploration and production (E&P) sector offers investment opportunities worth $100 billion by 2030." He highlighted the potential of Indias 26 sedimentary basins, containing substantial reserves of crude oil and natural gas that are yet to be fully tapped.

US companies ExxonMobil and Chevron already have partnerships with Indian state-run ONGC to explore E&P opportunities. In 2022 ONGC signed a deal with ExxonMobil for deep-sea exploration in India. In the same year, the Maharatna company also tied up with Chevron New Ventures PTE Ltd, a subsidiary of California-based Chevron Corp., to assess the exploration potential in India.

The minister is also likely to attend ADIPEC 2024 which is scheduled for 4-7 November.

"The minister has been a regular at events like Gastech and ADIPEC. This year too he is expected to attend ADIPEC. However, the visit is yet to be finalized," said another person

For long-term contracts India has been looking at tying up with global oil and gas suppliers for long-term contracts for both oil and gas to ensure energy security.

Energy prices surged to all-time highs in 2022 amid the height of Russia-Ukraine war, and Russia's Gazprom defaulted on its contract for supply of gas to GAIL, prompting India to make efforts to diversify its import sources, sign long-term contracts and look for sweeter deals.

Also read | India to have world's second-largest metro system in two years: Hardeep Puri In July, Mint reported that state-run Indian Oil Corp. Ltd (IOCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd (BPCL) are in talks with Brazilian energy major Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) to secure guaranteed crude oil supplies over the long term.

India is the third largest importer of oil and gas and imports about 85% of its energy requirement. In FY24, it imported 233.1 million metric tonne (mmt) of crude oil, compared to 232.7 mmt in the previous fiscal (FY23). India's LNG imports in FY24 were 31,795 million metric standard cubic metre (mmscm), 17.5% higher than 26,304 mmscm in the previous fiscal.
India is unlikely to meet its goal of increasing the share of natural gas in its energy mix to 15% by 2030, said Spencer Dale, group chief economist, BP Plc.

He said industrial use would lead the growth in the natural gas consumption in the country. In our (outlook) scenarios, the share of natural gas doesn't increase. It increases a little bit but doesn't go to 15%; it goes (to) about 7-8%, but doesn't increase significantly more. I think there is scope to grow natural gas, even more in India, particularly in terms of natural gas within industry.

Also Read: IOC, HPCL and BPCL consortium in talks with Equinor to secure LPG contract Noting that India has taken several measures to boost the use of natural gas, he said: "And I think part of that story is continuing in the regulatory forms that the government has already done so far in India. There have been huge reforms in terms of gas regulation, which are helping to support the growth of gas."

The Indian government has set itself an ambitious target of increasing the share of natural gas in the country's energy basket to 15% by 2030 from the current 6%. Natural gas is considered a cleaner fuel compared to oil and coal.

Dale said oil demand in the country is expected to rise in the years ahead and the growth rate will be higher than the global trend.

Also Read: Securing energy future: India eyes new strategic crude oil reserve in Mangalore Dale said that while global oil demand is expected to flatten within a decade, demand in India will plateau only in the mid-2040s.

He further said that the use of oil in the petrochemical industry would increase in the coming years as transportation gradually moves towards electricity mobility.

On the projection for oil prices and supplies in the short term, Dale said the global market continues to remain worried about the conflict in West Asia.

Also Read: Sakhalin stalemate: India eyes equity oil; Russia for dividends. "In terms of the fundamentals of the outlook, most of the consensus for the next year is that oil demand continues to grow. But many of those outside forecasts also point to strong growth in 'non-Opec+' supplies, with many of those scenarios suggesting this would largely meet the growth in overall demand."
Mumbai: At least half a dozen foreign funds have set up India offices in 2024 to capitalise on the country's rising economic profile and maturing deal landscape amid faltering growth in other emerging markets, including China.

Firms that are setting up shop in India include Singapore-based Mars Growth Capital Partners (AUM $1.5 billion), according to two people familiar with the plans.

Others that have set up local operations since this January include South Koreas sovereign fund KIC, Japans Advantage Partners, and Singapore-based Growtheum Capital Partners. German special situations fund Mutares is also opening an office in India, the firms executives told Moneycontrol in February.

There are also firms such as EQT that are already in India, and planning to ramp up.

Last week, Gita Gopinath, deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), expressed optimism about India becoming the world's third-largest economy by 2027. She noted that India's growth exceeded expectations last fiscal year, positively impacting current forecasts. The Indian economy grew 8.2% in FY24, beating all estimates and expectations.

Pointing out that buoyancy in the capital markets has given global funds conviction around exits, Anshul Lodha, managing director for India at international recruitment firm Michael Page, said, India is one of the most prominent and growing markets globally, so all regional and global funds are looking at setting up local offices."

Lodha added that it is also important for global funds to have an India presence as LPs (limited partners) are looking at India exposure through their global or regional funds".

Why India?

The first phase of private equity growth in India, for more than two decades, mostly saw US-based firms such as Blackstone, Carlyle, KKR, Apax Partners, Advent International and Bain Capital, among others, establishing presence and winning big.

Their success is now attracting investors from the Asian and European regions to increasingly look at the Indian market.

From January 2023, more than 800 active PE/VC funds have invested in one or more Indian companies, with a cumulative investment of more than $50 billion, according to audit & consulting firm PwC India.

Also read: Private equity firms desperate for cash turn to a familiar trick

Enthused with blockbuster exits, all large global PE funds have been speaking of deploying substantial capital over the next three to five years," said Bhavin Shah, partner and leader  private equity and deals at PwC India. "Many new regional and global funds, who have been investing from Singapore and the US, are now planning to open India offices."

The influx of funds is likely to increase competition in the market, which is good for Indian entrepreneurs and enterprises, say industry veterans.

Private equity as an asset class and India as an investment destination has evolved tremendously over the last decade," says Sanjiv Kaul, partner at Indian bulge bracket PE firm ChrysCapital. "There is bound to be increased competition, but it will only improve the quality and emphasis of value-add creation on the part of PE players in India."

According to Kaul, corporates in India with private equity infusion will conform increasingly to best-in-class global practices of governance and quality standards.

Who are setting up shop

KIC (Korea Investment Corp) opened an office in Mumbai this April, appointing Kwon Kiho as its India head. KIC has so far invested in India by picking up limited partner interests in other Indian-run funds, and said in January that it will hire two other professionals.

As India's economy grows, it is expected to provide new business opportunities in various areas, so Korea will join this trend," South Koreas Mumbai consul general Kim Young-ok was quoted as saying in Korean business paper Maeil on the inauguration of its office in Mumbais BKC district.

In March, Japanese buyout firm Advantage Partners hired Kaushik Subramaniam to build out its India presence. Subramaniam is a former Apollo Global executive, who now has the mandate to build the Japanese firm's presence in India.

In June, Mars Growth Capital, which has invested in startups such as Infra.market, said that it had appointed Sonam Gupta, a former director at Drip Capital, to lead its presence in India.

The influx of funds is likely to increase competition in the market, which is good for Indian entrepreneurs and enterprises Industry veterans

The decision to have representation in Mumbai stems from the firm's dedication to fostering long-term relationships with Indian businesses," the firm said in a statement in June.

Presence in India will allow Mars to provide enhanced support, tailored financial solutions, and direct access to its global network of resources", the firm said in the statement. Mars has invested $300 million in India and plans to further scale its presence, it said.

Growtheum Partners appointed L Cattertons Saurabh Mehta as managing director and India head in July.

Last September, Platinum Equity appointed Amit Sobti to lead its Asia business. Sobti has been scaling the firms presence in India this year.

Meanwhile, London-based Vitruvian Partners hired Kartikeya Kaji from Kedaara Capital in June to head its local operations.

Building presence

Even as new funds are coming to India, those who have already established their presence here want to expand horizontally and enter newer asset classes.

Swedish buyout fund EQT, which has made large buyout and growth investments in India, will soon expand its infrastructure team in India, two people with knowledge of the companys plans said.

The firm (EQT) currently covers the regions infrastructure deals from its Singapore office. It will look to expand its on-ground presence with a few hires, directly sourcing deals from here," one of the persons cited above said on condition of anonymity.

(An earlier version of this story had said that Abu Dhabi-based Lunate is planning to set up shop in India. The company has clarified that it will not have an on-ground presence in India.)
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday issued an advisory warning citizens of fraudulent calls claiming to be from the telecom regulator.

The telecom regulator said scammers are using pre-recorded messages to threaten individuals, stating their mobile numbers will be blocked soon, and asking for certain personal information.

"It has been brought to the notice of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) that a lot of pre-recorded calls are being made to the citizens claiming to be from TRAI. Citizens are being threatened that their numbers will be blocked soon, and they are asked to give certain personal information by fraudsters," the TRAI advisory read.

Also Read | Recent tariff hikes will drive higher ARPU for telecom operators: Report

The telecom regulator said neither that it has not initiate communication with customers regarding mobile number disconnection through messages or otherwise, nor it has authorized any third-party agency to contact customers for such purposes.

Therefore, any form of communication (call, message or notice) claiming to be from TRAI and threatening mobile number disconnection should be considered a potential fraudulent attempt and must not be entertained, the advisory added.

Also Read | Trai cracks down on misuse of messaging services, issues strict directive

The disconnection of any mobile number due to billing, KYC or misuse if any, is done by the respective Telecom Service Provider (TSP), the regulator added.

Citizens are advised to be vigilant and do not get panicked to fall prey to suspected fraudsters. People are further advised to cross-verify such calls by contacting the authorized call centers or customer service centers of the respective TSP.

Also Read | Pakistan faces major internet glitch; users unable to send pics on WhatsApp

To prevent the misuse of telecom resources for cybercrime and financial fraud, citizens are encouraged to report suspected fraudulent communications through the Chakshu facility on the Department of Telecommunications' Sanchar Saathi platform.
In July, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) released a consultation paper on the framework for service authorisations to be granted under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, soliciting feedback from the public. This rekindled the debate on whether over-the-top (OTT) apps  which deliver content such as messages, audio and video directly to users over the internet  fall under Trais ambit.

Companies that offer such apps said in response to Trais paper that they ought not to be regulated under the Telecommunications Act as they are already comprehensively regulated" under the Information Technology Act and other laws. Telecom companies opposed this, saying OTT apps rely on the underlying infrastructure and services they provide.

Mint delves deeper into the issue and whats likely to come next.

What did Trai propose in its consultation paper on service authorisation?

The telecom regulator sought comments from stakeholders on how to frame the terms and conditions to grant licences for services that fall under the new telecom law, which came into effect earlier this year. It asked stakeholders whether the existing regime should continue or a new, leaner authorisation regime should be introduced. It also asked for views on the fees for a proposed unified service authorisation regime that could replace the current circle-based system.

The paper did not specifically mention OTT apps, but the regulator did ask stakeholders if certain new authorisations or subcategories of authorisations were needed under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and what the terms and conditions for these new services should be.

Also read: Regulatory delays, testing may hold up satcom launch

In addition, Trai sought stakeholders suggestions on defining gross revenue, applicable revenue and adjusted gross revenue, and also asked if the authorisations for global mobile personal communications by satellite (GMPCS) and very small aperture terminal (VSAT CUG) should be merged.

The regulator will hold an open-house discussion on the paper today (21 August).

What did telecom companies tell Trai?

Telecom service providers said in their submissions to the regulator that the new telecom law defines OTT platforms as access services, so they should therefore be brought under the licensing framework and require authorisation. Bringing OTT communication services under the authorisation/licensing regime would ensure fair competition, address potential biases, and foster a level playing field within the telecommunication industry," said the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

What did the OTT platforms say?

Industry bodies including the Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), NASSCOM, Broadband India Forum (BIF) and US India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), however, said OTT services were not within the scope of the Telecommunications Act, 2023.

Some, like IAMAI, also highlighted that when the Telecom Act was introduced in Parliament, former telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had clarified that OTT has been regulated by the IT Act of 2000 and continues to be regulated by the IT Act. There is no coverage of OTT in the new telecom bill passed by Parliament".

Also read | Mint Explainer: Trai's latest crackdown on spam callsinside the latest measures

They added that OTT services are already comprehensively regulated under the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. They said they are also required to comply with the Consumer Protection Act, the Consumer Protection Rules, and the Competition Act.

OTT industry bodies said they are inherently different from telcos" as they operate on the application layer while telcos operate on the network layer, and therefore the same service, same rule" analogy does not apply to them. Nasscom said OTT services are not free riders" as they are one of the main drivers of telecom companies revenues.

How did the telecom industry respond to this?

On 20 August, the Cellular Operators Association of India said in response to the OTT platforms comments that the characterisation of telecom companies and OTTs as working on different technology layers, as reported by some media, was flawed and misrepresented the technical reality of modern IP communications.

COAI director general SP Kochhar said, It is crucial to understand that TSPs (telecom service providers) operate across all seven layers of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. This comprehensive approach ensures end-to-end service delivery, from physical infrastructure to user-facing applications. Their service delivery is on the application layer of the OSI stack.

Also read: Ad-driven slates are a strong focus for OTT platforms as initial efforts pay off

Conversely, OTT platforms function primarily at the application layer, relying on the underlying infrastructure and services provided by TSPs. These platforms leverage the robust network architecture and OSI layers established and maintained by telecom operators to deliver their services." He said OTT services were competing and substitutable" with telecom companies and should thus be included under the new framework.

Whats next?

Trai will host an open house discussion on the consultation paper on Wednesday, where these issues are likely to come up again, before sending its recommendations to the telecom department.

To be sure, these recommendations are not binding on the government, which can ask the regulator to reconsider them. Changes, if any, to the existing licensing regime will be made by the telecom department, taking into consideration Trai's recommendations.

However, officials at the ministry of electronics and information technology said OTT apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram cannot come under Trais proposed authorisation regime as they were not included in the consultation for the new telecom law.
August has seen the revival of strong travel demand among flyers despite high air fares, as per industry data. Air travel during the long weekend of Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan saw around 420,000-450,000 passengers on a daily basis at flight departures, and travel portals are seeing a 17% increase in bookings for the next weekend as well despite a similar hike in the air fares.

Online travel portal Cleartrip told Mint that it saw an 11% increase in the total bookings for the travel period from 14 to 19 August, compared to the same period in 2023. The increase in bookings was despite a surge in air fares to the extent of 36% for flights to Jaipur, 46% for Lucknow, 35% for Pune, 33% for Mumbai among others.

For the Janmashtami weekend, the average fare per passenger has increased by 17.6% compared to last year. We have observed a 16.5% increase on year in bookings compared to the same advance booking period last year. Overall, there is a 21.4% increase in bookings compared to a typical August weekend, Gaurav Patwari, vice-president, Air Category, Cleartrip, said.

Also Read: Indian aviation industry on the cusp of unprecedented growth: Economic Survey Nearly 442,000 passengers travelled on an average daily during period between 14 August and 20 August, as per the data from the ministry of civil aviation. The period saw the onset of the countrys Independence Day, Parsi New Year and Raksha Bandhan festival. The highest daily air traffic during this period was recorded on 18 August when the air traffic was recorded at 457,287 passengers and the highest flight count for the period was registered on 19 August at 3,103 flight departures. In July, the average daily air traffic was recorded at nearly 420,000 passengers.

Long weekend has set new records "This long weekend has set new records with flight bookings seeing a 40-50% year-on-year increase. Domestic favourites like Dehradun and Goa topped the list, while international destinations such as Bangkok, Dubai and Bali, along with emerging short-haul locations like Azerbaijan and Georgia, were among the top choices for travellers in terms of bookings and searches, Rajnish Kumar, Group co-chief executive officer, ixigo, said.

Also Read: Tourism sector needs major revival, Incredible India 3.0, but receives no discernable benefits in Budget Industry executives are hopeful of a further strengthening of travel sentiment over the next two months with the onset of festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Onam, Durga Puja, Dusshera, and Diwali, among others. However, concerns remain over deployment of capacity as the global supply chain issues continue to impact the ability of airlines across the world to deploy capacity at a consistent pace.

For the next weekend which will see the onset of Janmashtmi on 26 August, omnichannel travel portal Thomas Cook has observed a rise in sentiment towards spiritual and pilgrimage tourism. In addition, the portal has also a growing trend of travellers taking multiple mini-cations across domestic and short-haul outbound destinations.

Similarly, ixigo is seeing a rise in bookings for destinations such as Varanasi, Srinagar and Jaipur from major metros for the upcoming weekend.
Global crude oil prices gave up initial gains clocked earlier in the session and plunged over $1 per barrel on Wednesday, August 21, shortly after the US government revised significantly lower the number of jobs added in the year to March in the world's largest economy. This pressured investor sentiment and offset the momentum that oil picked up with the US crude oil stock data.

Brent crude futures were last down $1.04, or 1.35 per cent, at $76.16 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down $1.15 or 1.15 per cent at $72.02. Regarding domestic prices, crude oil futures were last trading 1.75 per cent lower at 6,046 per barrel on the multi-commodity exchange (MCX).

What's weighing on crude oil? -US employers added far fewer jobs than originally reported in the year through March, the Labor Department said on Wednesday. The department's estimate for total payroll employment from April 2023 to March 2024 was lowered by 818,000.

-Analysts said the market is now going from pricing in a stronger economy to a potential hard landing, so oil prices are reluctant to move higher. The revised job data of the US offset support from a drop in US oil inventories.

-US crude stocks, gasoline and distillate inventories fell in the week ending August 16, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Wednesday. The EIA said crude inventories fell by 4.6 million barrels to 426 million weekly.

-Investors' worries persisted over the prospect of China's economic weakness weighing on the country's crude demand. China's economic struggles have contributed to weak processing margins and low fuel demand, curbing operations at state-run and independent refineries.

-Analysts are currently measuring everything by the Chinese economy, and if anything is leaning negatively out of China, it will pressure energy. Elsewhere, the UK maritime agency said a Greek-flagged oil tanker was adrift in the Red Sea after repeated attacks that started a fire on the vessel and caused the ship to lose power.

-Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched a series of attacks on international shipping near Yemen since last November in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas. The Red Sea, leading to the Suez Canal, is a key shipping route for oil, and sustained attacks pose a potential threat to global crude flows.

-Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a Middle East trip on which he had intended to broker a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. Blinken and mediators from Egypt and Qatar have raised hopes of a US "bridging proposal" that could shrink the gaps between the two sides in the 10-month war.

-Analysts added that hopes of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have weighed on oil and lingering demand concerns. Israeli airstrikes across Gaza have killed at least 50 Palestinians in the past 24 hours, Palestinian health authorities said, as the military said troops continued to target militants and seize weapons and ammunition.

Where are prices headed? Analysts said oil futures are trading positively after overnight data from US API showed a drawdown in gasoline and distillate inventories. US Fed rate cut indications may also impact crude oil prices' near-term trajectory.

The upside looks limited due to the rise in crude stocks, the expectation of higher supply from the OPEC region, and easing Middle-East tensions. On charts... trend looks sideways with resistance at 6,250, while on the downside support holds at 6,000/ 5,900,'' said Pranav Mer, Vice President, EBG - Commodity & Currency Research, JM Financial Services Ltd.
Interarch Building Products IPO: The initial public offering (IPO) of Interarch Building Products Ltd has been receiving strong demand led by Non Institutional Investors (NII). Interarch Building Products IPO has been heavily oversubscribed and today is the last day of the bidding process.

Interarch Building Products IPO opened for public subscription on Monday, August 19, and will close today, August 21. The IPO allotment is expected to be finalized on August 22, and the IPO listing date is August 26. The equity shares of Interarch Building Products will be listed on both the stock exchanges, BSE and NSE.

Interarch Building Products IPO price band has been set at 850 to 900 per share. The IPO is 16 shares and the minimum investment amount required by retail investors is 14,400.

The company plans to raise 600.29 crore from the book-built issue which is a combination of fresh issue of 22.22 lakh equity shares worth 200 crore and an offer-for-sale (OFS) component of 44.47 lakh shares aggregating to 400.29 crore.

Ambit Private Limited and Axis Capital are the book running lead managers of the Interarch Building Products IPO, while Link Intime India Private Ltd is the IPO registrar.

As today is the last day of the bidding for Interarch Building Products IPO, let us check the subscription status, Interarch Building Products IPO GMP today, and should you apply to the IPO or not.

Interarch Building Products IPO details

Interarch Building Products IPO Subscription Status Interarch Building Products IPO has been subscribed 43.92 times so far on Wednesday, the third and the last day of the bidding process. The public issue received bids for 20.60 crore equity shares as against 46.91 lakh shares on the offer, according to NSE data as of 2:25 pm.

The IPO has been subscribed 15.42 times in the retail category, 52.47 times in the Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) category, and 100.28 times in the Non Institutional Investors (NII) category so far.

Interarch Building Products IPO GMP Today The equity shares of Interarch Building Products are commanding a decent premium in the grey market today. According to stock market observers, Interarch Building Products IPO GMP today, or grey market premium today, is 335 per share.

The GMP today indicates that Interarch Building Products shares are trading at 1,255 apiece in the grey market, a premium of 39.5% to the issue price of 900 apiece.

Interarch Building Products IPO Review Given the companys strong market position, financial performance and reasonable valuations, most analysts have recommended subscribing to the Interarch Building Products IPO. Heres what analysts said:

We believe Interarch Building Products Ltd IPO brings a unique opportunity to investors to invest in a leading player in the PEB segment. On valuation at parse, at the upper price band of 900/-, the issue is asking for a market cap of 1,498 crore. Based on FY 2024 earnings and fully diluted post- IPO paid-up capital, the company is asking for PE of 17.36 which seems reasonably priced by looking at its financial performance and market position. Given the company's integrated manufacturing operations and proven execution, along with a diverse customer base, Interarch is well-positioned to capitalize on the expanding demand for PEBs in India. Hence, we recommend investors to Subscribe the Interarch Building Products IPO for a long term perspective, said Rajan Shinde, Research Analyst at Mehta Equities Ltd.

Also Read | Unimech Aerospace and Manufacturing Limited files draft papers for 500 cr IPO

As the company is the second largest PEB player in India, Shinde believes the market could give Interarch a premium multiple towards its leadership position; this may result in delivering healthy listing gains over above 25% on its issue price.

SBI Securities noted that the company is valued at FY24 P/E multiple of 17.4x at the upper price band based on post issue capital. The company is raising funds to set up a new manufacturing facility, invest in upgrading existing manufacturing facilities, upgrade IT assets, and fund its working capital requirements.

The Prefabricated Engineered Building (PEB) market in India is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11- 12%, reaching 330-340 billion between FY24 and FY29. While comparing the IPO with peer companies, the stock appears to be fairly valued across different valuation and financial parameters. We recommend subscribing to the issue for a long-term investment horizon, SBI Securities said.
Orient Technologies IPO: The public subscription for the initial share sale of Orient Technologies Ltd, an information technology solutions provider, will start today (Wednesday, August 21) and end on (Friday, August 23). The IT solutions provider based in Mumbai, has raised 64.43 crores from anchor investors prior to its initial public offering. The price band for Orient Technologies IPO has been set at 195 to 206 per equity share with a face value of 10.

The public issue of Orient Technologies has reserved 50% of the shares for qualified institutional buyers (QIB), allotted 15% for non-institutional investors (NII), and set aside 35% of the offer for retail investors.

The share allocation basis for the Orient Technologies IPO is expected to be finalised by Monday, August 26th. Refunds will be processed starting on Tuesday, August 27th, and the shares will be deposited into the allottees' demat accounts on the same day as the refund. It is anticipated that the share price of Orient Technologies will be listed on BSE and NSE on Monday, January 29th.

Founded in 1997, the company specialises in providing information technology (IT) solutions. Our expertise lies in IT Infrastructure, IT Enabled Services (IteS), Cloud, and Data Management Services, which they have developed over the years to deliver products and solutions.

The price to earnings ratio based on diluted EPS for 2024 at the higher range of the price band is 17.46 times, as indicated in an advertisement on Business Standard. This is in comparison to the average industry peer group PE ratio of 29.87 times, as per the same source.

The P/E ratios of the company's listed peers are as follows: Dynacons Systems & Solutions Ltd has a P/E of 29.47, HCL Technologies Ltd has a P/E of 26.93, Wipro Ltd has a P/E of 23.39, LTIMindtree Ltd has a P/E of 34.56, Allied Digital Services Ltd has a P/E of 26.05, Dev Information Technology Ltd has a P/E of 29.01, Tech Mahindra Ltd has a P/E of 55.17, and Silicon Rental Solutions Ltd has a P/E of 14.41.

Also Read | Investing in Orient Technologies IPO? Here are 10 key points to know from DRHP

Orient Technologies IPO Subscription Status On the first bidding day, the public issue has been subscribed to 6.65 times, the retail portion of the book build issue was booked 10.50 times, the NII segment was subscribed 6.17 times, and the QIB portion is booked 2%, as per BSE data.

Orient Technologies IPO Review StoxBox As per Research Analyst Prathamesh P Masdekar from StoxBox, the company mainly operates in India and generates most of its revenue from India. Although they serve numerous multinational companies and have a presence in Singapore, they have not made substantial expansions in their international operations. The Indian IT Services industry is largely focused on exports, with 85% of total revenue coming from exports, and North America and Europe are important geographical markets.

"The company demonstrated consistent Rev/EBITDA/PAT growth at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.7%/12.9%/11.2% during FY2022-24 period, respectively. The company has experienced sustained growth in financial performance commensurate with the broadening of its product range and increased customer base.

As we advance, Orient Technologies' financial performance is likely to be driven by expanding its product and services portfolio, increasing its global footprint, long-term relationships with customers and collaboration with technology partners, thereby heightening its ability to design and innovate products and provide solutions tailored to specific customer requirements. The issue is valued at a P/E of 20.7x on the upper price band based on FY24 earnings, which is deemed fair compared to its peers. Therefore, we recommend a SUBSCRIBE rating for the issue," advised Masdekar.

Master Capital Service Ltd The brokerage claims that the business has lately dabbled with "Device as a service (DaaS)". In line with the "pay-per-use" model, or subscription-based pricing structure, the firm will provide desktops, laptops, tablets, printers, scanners, cellphones, and servers along with managed services packaged with software. The organization intends to broaden its consumer base internationally and increase its geographic reach. The firm is primarily involved in the trade of computer equipment, including servers, storage, and network devices, and it has already established a branch in Singapore. Those who are interested in investing can make medium- to long-term investments in the IPO.

Orient Technologies IPO details Orient Technologies IPO, which is worth 214.76 crore, comprises a fresh issue of 120 crore, and an offer-for-sale (OFS) of 46 lakh equity shares by the promoters.

Ajay Baliram Sawant, Umesh Navnitlal Shah, Ujwal Arvind Mhatre, and Jayesh Manharlal Shah are the ones offloadingshares in the OFS.

The company plans to use the net proceeds for general company purposes, including capital expenditure requirements, and the purchase of an office building in Navi Mumbai.

The Orient Technologies IPO's book running lead manager is Elara Capital (India) Private Limited, and the issue's registrar is Link Intime India Private Ltd.

Orient Technologies IPO GMP today Orient Technologies IPO grey market price is +30. This indicates Orient Technologies share price were trading at a premium of 30 in the grey market, according to investorgain.com.

Considering the upper end of the IPO price band and the current premium in the grey market, the estimated listing price of Orient Technologies share price was indicated at 236 apiece, which is 14.56% higher than the IPO price of 206.

Today's IPO GMP is showing an upward trend based on the grey market activities of the last 13 sessions, indicating a strong listing. According to analysts at investorgain.com, the GMP has ranged from a low of 0 to a high of 55.

'Grey market premium' indicates investors' readiness to pay more than the issue price.

Orient Technologies IPO details
MUMBAI : NMDC Ltd clocked an Ebitda growth of 18% year-on-year (y-o-y) for the June quarter (Q1FY25), beating Streets estimates. This growth was driven by higher realisation, up 9.3%, lower royalty expenses and other operating costs.

However, the company faces near-term headwinds, with the recent cut in prices reflecting global supply overhang. The management has guided for its average realization to drop to 4,300 per tonne in the September quarter (Q2FY25) from 5,300 per tonne in Q1FY25. Ebitda is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization.

Factoring the change in market conditions, most brokerages have lowered their earnings estimates for NMDC. We are cutting FY25 and FY26 estimated Ebitda by 9% and 5% to factor in lower prices and volume," said Nuvama Institutional Equities analysts in a 16 August report. Similarly, Philip Capital India Research points out: Given international prices below $100 per tonne, we believe that NMDC may face one last round of price correction in late August to early September, further impacting the performance." Philip Capital has reduced FY26 Ebitda estimates by 6%.

The Supreme Court ruling

The mining industry is also assessing the financial liability arising from the recent Supreme Court ruling upholding state governments' right to levy taxes on ores mined within their respective states. The courts decision is retrospective, applicable from 2005, which means miners would have to pay past taxes also in cases where states had raised the demand. However, states have the right to waive past dues.

According to NMDC management, the immediate liability arising out of the decision is only 21 crore. However, similar cases are pending before the court where NMDC would face a liability of 2,644 crore if the same ruling is given. Despite the companys assertion that it would be able to recover this amount from its customers, it could be a lengthy, time-consuming process. Besides the past liability, NMDC would remain unaffected by the imposition of any levy in the future since its sales contracts allow it to pass on all government levies and taxes to buyers.

Also Read: Metro Brands is losing its mojo, but its stock remains richly valued

The ruling on tax demand on a retrospective basis will affect mineral consumers the most, and there would be minimal impact on miners like NMDC and Coal India, according to Nuvama.

NMDC Steel dues

On the brighter side, the companys demerged business, NMDC Steel Ltd, which had been running at lower capacity utilization because of evacuation issues, is projected to start making profits in H2FY25. The commissioning of a rail line, expected by September end, would help it reach full capacity utilization. NMDC Steel owes 2,400 crore to NMDC, nearly 30% of NMDCs FY24 pre-tax profits and would have to repay this after it starts generating sufficient cash. NMDC also stands to recover this entire amount if the proposed privatization of NMDC Steel goes through.

While the company managed higher realization in Q1FY25, lower production led to an 8.2% drop in sales volumes. Production declined by 14% last quarter to just about 9.2 million tonnes (mt) owing to labour issues. While the company has maintained its volume guidance at 50mt for FY25 versus 45mt in FY24, it may be a tall ask to meet this target, given that Q2FY25 production is likely to get hurt due to flooding after a subdued Q1FY25. To an extent, higher production would aid the companys profitability since nearly 90% of its cost is fixed in nature.

NMDCs stock price has declined about 3% since Q1FY25 results despite the strong show. The shares are down about 4.2% over the last six months amid weakening market dynamics. The stock trades at 6.5x FY25 consolidated EV/Ebitda estimate. A reversal in iron ore prices can act as a trigger in the coming months.
Market stakeholders suggested mandating a minimum cash requirement for retail investors keen on derivatives trade and permitting multiple product expiries on the same day, in response to the regulator's recent move to tighten the index derivatives framework.

Tuesday was the last day for submitting public comments on the discussion paper that Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) floated last month.

If you want to protect retail investors, one of the ways of doing it is to keep a minimum requirement of, say, 5 lakh cash or cash equivalent for either buying or selling options," said Rajesh Baheti, director, Crosseas Capital, one of India's largest arbitrage and jobbing firms. Another suggestion is to have multiple index products expire on the same day in place of having just a single expiry per week per exchange."

Baheti said these were part of his comments to Sebi's 30 July consultation paper titled Measures to strengthen index derivatives framework for increased investor protection and market stability".

Three of the most important recommendations of Sebis Secondary Market Advisory Committee (SMAC) are to increase the initial margin to trade, have only a single product expiry per week per exchange, down from the current five indices which expire each day of week, and increase in contract size from 5-10 lakh currently to 25-30 lakh.

The initial margin comprises Span and extreme loss margin (ELM). Span is the minimum margin prescribed by the exchange and ELM is over and above that to mitigate any mark-to-market losses.

As per a discount broker, the initial margins for writing options on the expiry day could increase from the current 12-13% to as much as 20-21% if the measure is implemented.

A third broker, requesting anonymity, agreed with Baheti, saying that margins were meant for risk management and not to control" volumes.

Our current margin system is robust. We hope that Sebi instead implements a product suitability framework, stipulating a threshold for retail participation in options trading like 5 lakh to trade," he said.

Currently, options buyers can trade in options for as little as a few thousands.

Baheti said that allowing multiple option index products to expire on the same day would square" with Sebis objective of not having daily expiries, and thus reduce volatility to a single day instead of every day of week.

The three measures of increasing margins, having a single expiry per week and increasing contract size could shrink NSE's volumes by 35-40% and increase BSE's volumes by 10%, estimates the broker cited earlier.

This is because market share of NSE in June stood at 78.15% based on notional turnover of 7384.37 trillion, while that of BSE stood at 21.85% ( 2063.8 trillion). While NSE has four index option expiries per week, including Midcap Select on Monday, Finnifty on Tuesday, Bank Nifty on Wednesday and Nifty on Thursday, BSE s most liquid expiry is Sensex options expiring on Friday.

If the measure of having a single product expiry is implemented, NSE is likely to choose Nifty and BSE Sensex. This could have a more adverse impact on NSE, whose other index products will be effectively stopped, and a favourable impact on BSE, which could see a relative increase in volumes, said the broker.

Other measures include increasing contract size from 5-10 lakh 25-30 lakh, increasing strike intervals in options, removal of calendar spread benefit on expiry day of options, collecting upfront margin from option buyers and ensuring that position limits are adhered to by clients on an intra-day basis rather than only by the end of day to reduce extra leverage.

Another person, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Sebi was likely to implement all seven measures with some tweaks in them. He said these could include reduction in the margin increment.

What raised regulatory concerns was that 925,000 unique individual and proprietary firms who traded index derivatives on NSE incurred a loss of 51,689 crore in FY24. Of these investors, 85% made a net trading loss and only 142,000 made a net profit.

The recommendations come on the back of a dramatic hike in securities transaction tax (STT) in the FY25 Union budget by 60% on sellers of futures and options contracts, which will be effective from October 2024.

On the contrary, Anand K. Rathi from MIRA Money said the Sebi measures are in the direction of curtailing retail traders from unnecessarily using it as a mode to get rich. "In my opinion, this may not really impact the market as such, primarily because, yes, in the interim, you may see some derivative trading coming down. But whosoever is left over to remain, whosoever is left over and are remaining because of the transaction size increasing will compensate for the volume loss due to the number of people trading", he said.
GRM Overseas share price spiked over 7% after the company roped in Bollywood star Salman Khan as the brand ambassador for its basmati rice and wheat flour (Atta). The products of the company are sold under the brand name 10X.

We found Salman Khans mass appeal and fanbase to be a perfect match for our 10X brand range of Basmati Rice and 10x Shakti range of Wheat Flour (Atta), said Atul Garg, Managing Director of GRM Overseas.

The companys contract with Salman Khan is for two years. By partnering with the Bollywood actor, GRM is set to leverage his iconic status to further strengthen its brand presence and connect with millions of consumers globally, the company said.

GRM Overseas Share Price GRM Overseas share price rallied as much as 6.77% to 274.90 apiece on the BSE Wednesday. The smallcap stock hit a 52-week high of 286.15 on August 19, 2024. GRM Overseas shares have gained over 40% in the past one month. The company commands a market capitalisation of around 1,580 crore.

The smallcap stock bottomed out at around 115 apiece in the mid-March 2024. At current market price at around 260 per share, the FMCG stock has delivered more than 126% returns in the last five months. Hence, GRM Overseas shares are one of the multibagger stocks in the Indian stock market.

The 52-week high of the GRM Overseas shares is 286.15, while its 52-week low is 114.15 apiece on BSE.

GRM Overseas Q1 Results GRM Overseas reported a consolidated net profit of 18 crore in the first quarter of FY25 as against 17.4 crore in the same quarter of the previous fiscal year. The companys revenue from operations in Q1FY25 grew 15% to 370 crore from 320 crore, year-on-year (YoY).

At 2:25 pm, GRM Overseas shares were trading 2.16% higher at 263.00 apiece on the BSE.
Shares of Hero MotoCorp, the world's largest 2-wheeler manufacturer, have been on a steady decline since reaching their all-time high in June. Multiple factors are currently dragging the stock lower, with the company's June quarter numbers coming in below the Street estimates, as profitability was impacted by weak average selling prices.

Furthermore, the heightened competition in the 2-wheeler segment, driven by the introduction of CNG bikes, increased demand for premium models, and intensified rivalry in the electric vehicle (EV) sector, has put additional pressure on the stock. Combined with weak demand in the rural economy, these factors have exacerbated the downward trend in the stock price.

The stock is presently trading 11% below its all-time high of 5,894, achieved in June. This decline has adjusted the stock's valuation to a more favorable level. As a result, domestic brokerage firm InCred Equities has upgraded its rating to 'Add' from 'Hold' and revised its target price to 5,812 per share, up from the previous target of 4,766. It also noted that the recent decline in the stock price offers an attractive entry point.

Market share gets priority The prolonged market share erosion, the brokerage believes, is nearing its end. With the revival in rural markets still unfolding, supported by good rainfall and favorable government policies, the emphasis on HMCLs strategy to prioritise market share recovery after achieving peak EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) margin for its internal combustion engine (ICE) portfolio appears promising, it noted.

The company's market share in the 125cc segment improved to 20% in 1QFY25 from 13% in 4QFY24, driven by the success of the Hero Xtreme 125cc. In the below 110cc segment, Hero commands a 90% market share. To fuel growth in the entry-level category, the company plans to launch a refreshed Passion model, with additional premium models expected soon.

To further enhance its market presence, the company intends to increase the production capacity of Hero Xtreme 125cc bikes from 25,000 to 40,000 units per month within a few months. It is expected to drive higher sales volume for Super Splendor by offering higher mileage facility. It has launched Glamour model in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The company believes that improving vehicle financing options, lowering down payments, and expanding distribution reach will be crucial factors in accelerating rural market growth, given its already extensive range of entry-level bikes.

With rural market demand improving, InCred feels high-teen growth for the domestic 2W segment and HMCL is possible, aided by a better rural mix and a new 125cc bike launch.

OLA EV bike competition is limited The brokerage noted that while OLAs aggressive pricing for Hero's new EV bike launch may pose a challenge, it could take up to three years for OLA to establish a strong presence in the motorcycle segment, much like its experience with scooters. Meanwhile, Hero MotoCorps revenue from the EV business reached 1.25 billion.

The company aims to double its EV sales volume by expanding the presence of its Vida EV motorcycle and plans to introduce a more affordable variant. The company is also focusing on developing flex-fuel and hybrid models, as well as improving the fuel efficiency of its internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

Also Read | Is the Ola Electric stock ready to break out after Q1 results?

The EV industry saw a decline in sales volume after April 2024 due to subsidy cuts, with Heros market share at 5% in Q1. However, with new launches on the horizon, the company expects its market share to grow. Additionally, Hero has partnered with Ather to establish 2,500 charging stations, further supporting its EV strategy.

Forays into Southeast Asia The company has recently forayed into the Southeast Asia region to drive its export business. It is witnessing soft demand in Nigeria, while demand in Columbia is making a comeback. Bangladesh remains under pressure, contributing 0.30.4% to total revenue and accounting for 13% of the global business.
Fund managers are steering clear of pricey capex-driven stocks, switching focus to private banks and defensive bets such as pharma and consumer goods that are still available at relatively cheaper valuations.

The sectoral rotation is evident in the performance of these segments as Nifty Pharma index surged 17% and the Nifty Healthcare gauge jumped 16% over the past three months. The Nifty Private Bank, FMCG, and IT indices rose 6-25% during the period against a 9% rise in S&P BSE Capital Goods index.

Sectors that led the rally in the past two years appear to be richly valued; hence, certain stocks in capital goods, engineering and public sector may not create alphabeat the benchmark in the near term, said Gaurav Dua, senior VP and head of capital market strategy at Sharekhan by BNP Paribas. Some fund managers have readjusted their portfolios, he said, as valuations are supportive in healthcare, private banks and select consumer stocks.

In July, capital goods stocks accounted for 10.3% of the assets managed by mutual funds, compared with 11% in May, show data compiled by Abhilash Pagaria, head of Nuvama Alternative and Quantitative Research. In contrast, holdings in consumer and pharma and healthcare stocks edged up to 16.2% from 15.7%, and to 8.3% from 8%, respectively. Mutual funds also increased their IT exposure to 10.3% in July from 8.6% in May.

The government's pivot from prioritizing capital expenditure and infrastructure to focusing on the rural sector and job creation suggests conditions conducive for the former themes (like capital goods, engineering, infrastructure, power, defence sectors) are less prevalent now, said Dhiraj Relli, MD & CEO of HDFC Securities. Conversely, the previously underperforming consumption sector may revive due to this policy focus shift."

Supportive valuations

Analysts said private banks hold potential since they are trading at below-average multiples.

The risk-reward in private sector banks is currently attractive, with stocks trading below their 5- and 10-year average valuations," said Karthikraj Lakshmanan, senior vice-president and fund manager-equity at UTI AMC. "These lenders are showing double-digit growth, outpacing banking industry growth."

While their return on equity (RoE) have dipped slightly due to leverage coming down post-Covid, they remain reasonably strong, according to Lakshmanan. He expects a better monsoon this year to drive a rural recovery, helping consumer companies with a higher exposure to the hinterland.

Relli, too, has a positive outlook on private banks despite the challenges faced in mobilising deposits and early signs of stress in asset quality. These challenges are already factored into their pricing."

Moreover, private banks RoE improved in FY24, surpassing the BSE500 and industrial sectors, indicating that the worst may be over for them, he said.

Its not that capital goods, defence, infrastructure, and power sectors companies are not growing. Analysts flagged their exuberant valuations.

The BSE Capital Goods index is trading at 47.64 times its earnings compared with its five-year average of 29.5 and the 10-year average of 28.81, according to Bloomberg data.

"When you consider both factors, these sectors have likely outperformed significantly, making the risk-reward less favourable," Lakshmanan said.

He is overweight on private banks and information technology and consumer durables/retail, also his preferred bet over fast-moving consumer goods. Lakshmanan finds healthcare stocks reasonably valued, but advises caution on power, suggesting it is wiser to increase weight when valuations are more reasonable.

Flip side

There are some fund managers who look at things differently.

A major shift in the Indian economy is the move from a service-driven model to a manufacturing-driven one, said Ashish Naik, fund manager at Axis Mutual Fund. While the past decade was consumption-focused, he said, this one will blend consumption with investments,

Unlike services, large-scale manufacturing requires diverse infrastructurepower, water, ports, and roads. Setting up mobile or auto manufacturing units also drives demand for ancillary services, creating a broader growth narrative.

These investments are generally long term, which is why many stocks in this sector may seem expensive in the short term," Naik said.

If these companies sustain their growth and achieve higher targets, they could deliver substantial returns, he said. This trend could persist for a decade or more, driving major shifts and creating numerous sub-themes and sub-sectors in the market.

To that extent, I am overweight on these sectors," Naik said.

In recent years, there has been a strong uptick in high-end consumption, leading to a K-shaped economic recovery.

Eventually, we should also see growth in the lower segments of the economy," Naik said. And an increased spending in the rural sector could stimulate growth in various other sectors."
The worlds No. 2 lithium producer SQM shipped record-high volume last quarter and vowed to keep growing production in Chile even as slumping prices prompt a review of less attractive markets. Shares rose.

A 20%-plus jump in volume of the battery metal shows SQM is plowing ahead with expansions at its low-cost operations in the Atacama Desert. Its a bet on growing market share as other producers curtail output and spending in response to the lowest prices in three years.

While SQM remains optimistic about consumption, estimating demand growth of about 20% this year, it reported a bigger-than-expected slump in quarterly profit and signaled prices would remain in the doldrums in the second half.

While we continue to advance our previously announced expansions, we are currently re-evaluating specific markets and initiatives that may be less attractive in the near term, Chief Executive Officer Ricardo Ramos said.

Some of SQMs rivals are already going on the defensive. Top producer Albemarle Corp. plans to shut half its current processing capacity in Australia and put an expansion there on hold. Some smaller, higher-cost miners have already shuttered mines, including Core Lithium Ltd. In China, Zhicun Lithium Group Co. has placed two carbonate units into care and maintenance.

Other producers may reduce their output, Ramos said, as many projects, especially greenfield, are not economically viable at these prices. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence estimates that the market wont return to deficit until the end of the decade.

Meanwhile SQMs plants in northern Chile continue to ramp up production toward a recently expanded annual capacity of 210,000 metric tons. Further expansions would take capacity toward 300,000 tons, although that will depend on execution of a deal to hand over a majority stake in SQMs brine assets to state-owned Codelco in exchange for extending operations.

SQM has some of the industrys lowest costs. Its able to tap into the worlds richest brine deposit and employ an evaporation technique that uses far less fresh water, chemicals and energy than hard-rock mining as practiced in top producer Australia.

Chiles government shares SQMs growth strategy as authorities look to open up new areas to mining and encourage more processing. More threatening than oversupply in the coming years is the risk of a renewed shortage, which would send prices soaring and make alternative battery technologies more viable, Finance Minister Mario Marcel said in March.

SQM shares were up 1.8% at 11:53 a.m. in New York, paring a year-to-date decline to 37%. Executives from the firm formally known as Soc. Quimica & Minera de Chile SA will hold a conference call at noon.
F&O ban list:The National Stock Exchange (NSE) banned trading in 16 stocks on Wednesday, August 21, in the futures and options (F&O) segment as they exceeded 95% of the market-wide position limit (MWPL).

However, these stocks will be available for trading in the cash market. The NSE updates the list of securities in the F&O ban for trade every day.

Also Read | Bajaj Consumer Care to ICICI BankSMC Global lists four stocks for this week

F&O ban list today Aarti Industries, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail, Balrampur Chini Mills, Bandhan Bank, Birlasoft, GNFC, Granules India, Hindustan Copper, India Cements, LIC Housing Finance, Manappuram Finance, National Aluminium, Piramal Enterprises, RBL Bank, SAIL, and Sun TV are the 16 stocks on the NSE's F&O ban list on August 21.

The NSE said the derivative contracts in these securities crossed 95% of the market-wide position limit and have been placed in the stock exchange's ban period.

All clients/members shall trade in the derivative contracts of said security only to decrease their positions through offsetting positions. Any increase in open positions shall attract appropriate penal and disciplinary action, the NSE statement said.

Also Read | Breakout stocks to buy: Sumeet Bagadia recommends five shares to buy today

No new positions are allowed when the stock exchanges place F&O contracts in a particular stock in the ban period.

On August 20, stock market benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty found firmer ground on Tuesday, propelled by robust buying in banking, financial and auto stocks amid a largely firm trend in global equities.

The 30-share BSE Sensex rebounded 378.18 points or 0.47 per cent to settle at 80,802.86. During the day, the benchmark soared 518.28 points or 0.64 per cent to 80,942.96.

Rising for the fourth consecutive day, the NSE Nifty surged 126.20 points or 0.51 per cent to 24,698.85.

In the broader market, the BSE mid-cap gauge climbed 0.98 per cent and smallcap index went up by 0.52 per cent.

Among the indices, financial services jumped 1.19 per cent, utilities (1.07 per cent), power (0.80 per cent), IT (0.76 per cent) and auto was up (0.75 per cent).
Axis Securities has identified TVS Motor Company and Hero MotoCorp as its top picks in the auto sector. Meanwhile, among auto ancillaries, it has chosen CIE Automotive, Minda Corporation and Sansera Engineering.

Q1 Review - Auto The companies under Axis Securities' coverage reported impressive year-on-year (YoY) growth in Revenue, EBITDA, and PAT at 11 percent, 30 percent, and 28 percent, respectively, exceeding expectations of 10 percent, 24 percent, and 21 percent. This strong performance was fueled by higher average selling prices (ASPs), increased sales volumes, a shift towards premium products, cost optimisation measures, and the benefits of operating leverage, said the brokerage.

However, it noted that on a quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) basis, the companies saw a decline in Revenue, EBITDA, and PAT by 4.5 percent, 4.2 percent, and 2.2 percent, respectively, which was better than the anticipated declines of approximately 6 percent, 9 percent, and 7 percent. This QoQ dip was mainly due to seasonal factors.

The YoY surge in EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) was particularly driven by cost optimisation strategies and stable commodity prices, as observed in companies like Hero Motocorp, Bajaj Auto, Eicher Ltd, TVS Motors, Maruti, and Ashok Leyland, highlighted Axis. Additionally, EBITDA margins expanded by 207 basis points YoY and 2 basis points QoQ, largely due to higher ASPs from premiumisation, effective cost control, and stable raw material costs, it said.

Auto Ancillaries The companies covered by Axis Securities posted year-on-year (YoY) growth in Revenue, EBITDA, and PAT at 11 percent, 10 percent, and 12 percent, respectively, surpassing expectations of 9 percent, 9 percent, and 8 percent. This robust performance was driven by the premiumisation trend in two-wheelers (2Ws) and passenger vehicles (PVs), stable raw material prices, and effective cost control measures within auto ancillaries, stated the brokerage.

Sansera Engineering, Endurance Technologies, UNO Minda, and Minda Corp all reported significant YoY growth in EBITDA. In contrast, CIE Automotive and Steel Strips Wheels saw flat EBITDA performance. Automotive Axles faced a 17 percent YoY decline due to decreased volumes in the commercial vehicle (CV) trucking segment, further informed Axis.

Q1FY25 Auto Sales and Outlook In Q1FY25, domestic sales for two-wheelers (2Ws) and passenger vehicles (PVs) grew by 20 percent and 3 percent year-on-year (YoY), respectively, while commercial vehicles (CVs) saw a 3 percent increase. Tractor volumes remained flat.

For FY25, 2W demand is expected to grow in early double digits, approaching pre-COVID levels, with continued rural recovery and premiumisation trends, predicted the brokerage. PVs are anticipated to grow moderately YoY due to a high base, with a shift towards SUVs and increased export volumes. CV growth may remain subdued for short term but has a favorable long-term outlook, supported by macroeconomic conditions and infrastructure development. Tractor growth is expected to be flat to low single digits, aided by favorable monsoon conditions and government support, it forecasted.

Margin Outlook and Investment Strategy Axis expects EBITDA margins to stay stable, with potential improvements from richer product mixes and higher realisations. The impact of raw material prices is expected to be neutral to slightly negative. It advised a "Buy on Dips" strategy for quality stocks due to recent rallies and elevated valuations.

Its top picks include TVS Motors and Hero MotoCorp for 2Ws, Mahindra & Mahindra for its strong SUV lineup and tractor market position, and Minda Corporation and Sansera Engineering Ltd in auto ancillaries. CIE Automotive, Endurance Technologies, and UNO Minda are also recommended from a long-term perspective.

Stock Picks - Auto TVS Motor: The brokerage has a buy call on the 2-wheeler stock with a target price of 2,900, implying a 10 percent upside.

In Q1FY25, TVS Motor Co Ltd (TVS) reported a 15 percent YoY and 4 percent QoQ growth in domestic sales. With expectations of a normal monsoon and ongoing infrastructure support, the industry is likely to see high single-digit growth in FY25, with TVS anticipated to outperform the average, said the brokerage. The companys EV brand, TVS iQUBE, saw 34 percent YoY volume growth and is expanding its presence with over 750 dealerships and export initiatives. EBITDA margins improved from 10.6 percent to 11.5 percent due to cost reductions, softening commodities, and better product mix, despite a higher share of lower-margin EVs, it further noted. Axis has a long-term EBITDA margin target of 14-16 percent for TVS with a projected 19 percent CAGR over FY24E-27E.

Hero MotoCorp: The brokerage has a buy call on the 2-wheeler stock with a target price of 6,015, implying an almost 15 percent upside.

As per the brokerage, Hero MotoCorp has strengthened its motorcycle lineup with new launches in FY24 and plans to introduce both ICE and EV scooters, along with premium motorcycle models in FY25. The company aims to capture market share in the premium 2W segment, expand its EV business, and increase its Premia stores to over 100 while upgrading existing stores to Hero 2.0, it added. In Q1FY25, Hero's 125cc segment market share grew from 13 percent to 20 percent, with an expected 6.5 percent CAGR in volumes over FY24-27E. The company's EBITDA margin, at 14.4 percent in Q1FY25, is projected to rise to 14-15 percent for FY25/26E due to scaling operations, product localisation, cost efficiencies, and premiumisation trends, predicted the brokerage.

Auto Ancillaries CIE Automotive: The brokerage has a buy call on the stock with a target price of 650, implying an almost 18 percent upside.

In H2CY24, CIE's Indian operations are projected to see a 10 percent CAGR revenue growth, driven by improvements across key customers like M&M, Bajaj, and Maruti, estimated the brokerage. Conversely, the European market remains subdued, with a 5 percent decline in the EU car market and a 30 percent drop in the US off-road market in H1CY24, it added. Axis also expects a gradual recovery is expected in CY25, with a 4.5 percent CAGR revenue growth forecasted for the EU business over CY24-26E. CIE's order book includes new orders worth 500 crore in India (30 percent for EVs) and 220 crore in the EU (55 percent for EVs), though the EV transition in Europe may be slower due to the removal of subsidies, further stated the brokerage.

Minda Corporation: The brokerage has a buy call on the stock with a target price of 575, implying an almost 10 percent upside.

In Q1, Minda secured lifetime orders worth 2,100 crore, with EVs making up 25-30 percent of these orders. Total new lifetime orders as of June 2024 reached 12,000 crore, covering various segments including EV technologies, said the brokerage. Axis expects the company's EBITDA margins to remain between 11 percent and 12 percent in FY25/26E, bolstered by a premium product mix, increased OEM wallet share, improved exports, and operational efficiencies. EVs contributed 5-6 percent to total revenues in Q1FY25, with new facilities under construction for key components in India. Additionally, Minda has formed a 50:50 joint venture with HCMF for automotive sunroofs and closure systems, with a new Pune plant set to start operations by Q1FY26 and an industry potential of 8,000 crore by CY28, added Axis.

Sansera Engineering: The brokerage has a buy call on the stock with a target price of 1,580, implying an almost 6 percent upside.

According to the brokerage, Sansera holds a robust order book with annual peak revenues of 1,685 crore, with 49 percent of orders from Non-Auto and Auto Tech Agnostic & EV sectors and 63 percent from international clients. Despite a 20 percent decline in its Swedish subsidiary, the company secured business from Volvo and added Saab and Triumph Aerospace to its roster. Sansera is gaining traction in ultra-high precision components for semiconductor manufacturing. Axis forecasts EBITDA margins at 17-18 percent for FY25/26E, with long-term targets of 20 percent, driven by shifts in the sales mix and operational improvements. The company has also planned a 450 crore capex for FY25, focusing on Tech Agnostic EV and Non-Auto products, and has signed an MoU for greenfield expansion in Karnataka, further informed the brokerage.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced the launch of the RBI 90 Quiz for college students at the undergraduate level. It is a nationwide competition which is being held as part of the events to celebrate 90 years of RBIs functioning.

The quiz will ask questions relating to general knowledge and will feature a multi-level competition, starting with an online phase, followed by state and zonal level rounds and will culminate in a national final.

Launching the RBI90Quiz online platform on August 20, 2024, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, showed confidence that the quiz would help create greater awareness about the Reserve Bank and the financial ecosystem among the students.

Also Read | The Reserve Bank of India should defy the curve and cut rates

He also said that banking regulator has been encouraging the youth to cultivate responsible financial behaviour and develop the habit of safe and secure usage of digital financial products through its public awareness campaigns.

The participating teams of this RBI 90 Quiz program stand to win attractive prizes at various levels, as detailed below:

Prize money of up to  10 lakh The first prize is 10 lakh followed by second prize of 8 lakh and the third prize of 6 lakh. In the Zonals, the first prize is of 5 lakh followed by the second prize of 4 lakh and the third prize of 3 lakh.

In the state level quiz, the first prize of 2 lakh is followed by the second prize of 1.5 lakh and the third prize of 1 lakh.

Those interested to participate in the quiz can click this link to get more details:

The RBI has explicitly invited interest from all undergraduate students and urged them to take part in the quiz.

Frequently Asked Questions: Who can participate in the quiz? The RBI90Quiz is open to undergraduate students who are not more than 25 years of age on September 1, 2024 (i.e., those born on or after September 01, 1999) and pursuing bachelors degree across any stream of study through colleges located in India.

Is there any registration fee? No, the participation in the quiz is free of charge.

What are the key dates for the online quiz? Registration started on Aug 20, and will end on Sept 17. The quiz date is yet to be announced.
M. Pattabiraman, a physics professor at IIT Madras, teaches complex theories to eager students. Beyond the classroom, hes also a well-known personal finance figure, with nine of his financial calculators featured on the Securities and Exchange Board of Indias (Sebi) investor education site.

Also meet Vijay Malik, a doctor who practised for five years but transitioned into a successful equity research analyst and now runs a popular blog under his name and has a research analyst (RA) licence.

These stories highlight an emerging trend: professionals like professors, doctors, and engineers stepping into the role of part-time investment advisors or research analysts.

The market regulator does not allow individuals engaged in other full-time professions to obtain investment advisor (IA) or research analyst (RA) licenses. This has prevented many knowledgeable professionals from offering investment advisory/research services.

However, in a recent consultation paper, Sebi has proposed the concept of a part-time investment advisor and research analyst.

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Becoming a part-time investment advisor

The requirement to become a part-time RIA/IA would be the same as that of a full-time advisor. While all other requirements remain almost the same, there is an upper cap of 75 clients.

These qualification requirements will prevent just anybody from doling out investment advice for a fee.

Also Read: Becoming an investment advisor is about to get a lot easier

The requirements to become a part-time IA/RA are similar to those for full-time advisors. Applicants must have a relevant finance-related degree, or a postgraduate degree from NISM, or a CFA charter. Additionally, they must clear the NISM 10-A and 10-B exams.

If working in another full-time role, the applicant must get a no-objection certificate from their employer while applying for this job.

Whos left out

The market regulator said those already working in the securities field and handling peoples money such as brokers, mutual fund distributors, PMS/AIF distributors, and real estate agents, may abstain from becoming part-time investment advisors.

If the applicant is engaged in an activity under the purview of a self-regulatory organization like the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai), he/she would be allowed to become an investment advisor. Hence, CAs and insurance agents would be allowed to become part-time IA/RA under the proposed regulations.

Harsh Roongta, RIA, and founder of fee-only, says those involved in the securities field should also be allowed to become an IA/RA to make it a level playing field.

Career transition

The concept of part-time advisers will make it easier for many professionals to shift careers, said Vishal Dhawan, founder of Plan Ahead Advisors.

Consider an engineer who can leverage his/her mathematical expertise to become an IA/RA. Under the current rules, the engineer cannot obtain the IA/RA license without leaving their full-time job and committing entirely to the new venture. However, if the proposed part-time IA/RA rules are finalized, the engineer could first pursue this business on a part-time basis. This approach allows them to test the waters and switch to full-time investment research or advisory.

What do present RIA/RAs think?

Present RIAs have a mixed view about Sebi's new proposal. While a professional can provide investment advisory as a part-time gig, it would become nearly impossible to manage an entire financial plan. A part-time RIA can only provide stuff like which MF to buy, but it would be nearly impossible if he starts making financial plans for 50 clients," said Dhawan.

Also Read: IA regulation reforms: The perils of introducing part-time advisors

Suresh Sadagopan, founder of ladder7 Wealth Advisor, on the other hand, thinks the proposals need a revisit. Can someone who is already doing other activities or pursuing other professions or employment have the bandwidth to professionally provide investment advice too? "

As the consultation process unfolds, its clear that Sebis proposal could open doors for many professionals looking for a career change. Whether this will lead to a surge in part-time advisors or create new challenges in the industry remains to be seen.

Also Read: How Sebis reforms could transform Indias investment advisory landscape
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Anyone running a protection racket knows the rule: Squeeze your marks too hard, and theyll end up breaking. Thats what appears to be happening in Pakistan right now.

For years, the country has been rolling from electricity crisis to electricity crisis. A decade ago, failure to foresee the precipitous decline of domestic gas fields caused widespread power cuts. From 2013, the government of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif built a fleet of Chinese-financed coal plants to fix the problem. The cost of all that, plus the imported coal and liquefied natural gas to fuel all those fossil turbines, helped send the rupee tumbling and forced a round of bailouts from the International Monetary Fund.

Over the past year, the government of Shehbaz Sharif  Nawazs brother and the current prime minister  has been jacking up power prices in an attempt to mend the yawning budget hole. Thats added further pain to a struggling population. With tariffs rising 155% since 2021, many households are now spending more on their electricity bills than rent, Bloomberg News reported recently. Protests against the price rises last month halted a major road into the capital. On Sunday, Maryam Sharif  Nawazs daughter and chief minister of Punjab province, home to half of Pakistans population  announced a 45 billion rupee ($162 million) subsidy program to soften the sticker shock.

What all politicians have failed to do is give Pakistan the affordable and clean electricity system that its 240 million people need if theyre ever to close the widening economic gap with other emerging economies. Faced with extortionate costs for a barely functioning power grid, households and businesses have started to opt out. Clean power has been the main beneficiary.

A recent study by BloombergNEF analyst Jenny Chase illustrates the extraordinary scale of this off-the-books boom. Last year, $1.45 billion in solar panels were exported from China to Pakistan. Thats enough to buy about 6 gigawatts of modules, sufficient to provide about 7% of Pakistans electricity. Roughly the same amount was imported in the first six months of this year alone. With the drop in cell prices over the past year, that now represents something closer to 13 GW.

Separate evidence from machine-learning processing of satellite imagery suggests huge amounts of panels are going undetected. The area of arrays visible from space is equivalent to a minimum of between 1.4 GW and 2.8 GW, BloombergNEF found. Much appears to be built on the rooftops of factories, for industries to consume themselves. Chase estimates that a total 12.7 GW was installed by the end of last year and a further 10 GW to 15 GW will be added in 2024, making Pakistan the worlds sixth-largest solar market.

The official numbers couldnt be more different. The countrys electricity regulator lists just 0.6 GW of solar in the entire country, and its base case long-term plan is for a cumulative total of just 5.5 GW in 2034. Even its most bullish high demand scenario only lifts that estimate to 15.6 GW, 10 years from now  a level the country has already likely blown past, on BloombergNEFs estimates.

From a certain angle, this looks like a success story. Faced with a corrupt, incompetent and authoritarian government forcing them to pay over the odds for dirty, unstable fossil power, households and businesses are voting with their feet for a cleaner alternative. Weve already seen in South Africa how quickly this dynamic can steady a collapsing electricity grid.

It would be far better, however, if people werent being driven to such measures. Pakistans electricity system is underfunded as it is. The more that major consumers quit it to generate their own power, the more the remaining costs are forced onto those unable to do so  mostly poor households without the roof space for panels. That will only amplify the vicious circle of rising prices, falling reliability, and unpaid bills.

Starved of capital, the grid wont be able to invest in the transmission networks or clean generation that it needs to function properly. That will leave Pakistan ever more dependent on imported fossil fuels that undermine the currency in the short term, and in the long term expose its population to rising temperatures and choking pollution. Its a tragic waste for a country whose rich endowment of hydroelectricity and sunny, windy deserts should allow it to be a powerhouse of clean energy.

The government, whose electricity plans currently see barely any role for solar and wind in its power mix, would be far better to remove fossil fuels. Providing a voracious market for Chinas surplus solar panels might also help placate Beijing, a key ally whose $15 billion in loans to build Pakistans costly, underperforming fleet of coal generators may never be fully repaid.

As recently as 2008, Pakistan trailed only Sri Lanka and Bhutan as the most affluent nation in South Asia. It now risks slipping behind Nepal to a level that falls short of many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Turning that around is going to require fixing the energy problems that have plagued the country for decades. Clean power can provide the solution  if Pakistans government would only accept it.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

David Fickling is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering climate change and energy. Previously, he worked for Bloomberg News, the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion
When a priceless Rembrandt is stolen in New York, the evidence points to a solitary master thief (Sean Connery), who is about to meet the insurance company's most cunning - and seductive - investigator (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Following a nerve-racking game of cat and mouse, the two join forces, or so it seems, to attempt a daring multibillion-dollar heist tied to the dawn of the new millennium.

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After the Badlapur school sexual abuse case, another assault case from Maharashtra is in the spotlight. Following complaints from six school girls, the police arrested a school teacher from Maharashtra's Akola district on August 21, under various sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act, according to an ANI report quoting sources.

"There was a program in the school yesterday...After the program was over the teacher went to meet the students of class 7-8. Some 4-5 girls said that they were harassed, then we came to know about this, until then we were not aware of any such thing," ANI quoted the Principal of the school, Ravindra Samdur, as saying.

The arrested school teacher has been identified as Pramod Manohar Sardar. After recording the statements of the victims, the police apprehended the assailant under the POCSO Act.

Superintendent of Police Akolka Bachchan Singh said, Akola Police received a complaint of molestation of six school girls by Pramod Manohar Sardar, a teacher of the Zilla Parishad School in Kajikhed. Police immediately arrested the accused teacher and recorded the statements of the victim girls, reported ANI.

The Police Superintendent further informed ANI that cases under sections 74 and 75 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita and POCSO Act were registered. Meanwhile, the police officer said further investigation into the case is underway.

This incident comes days after the Badlapur sexual assault case, which sparked widespread protests in Maharashtra. On Tuesday, protestors blocked train tracks at Badlapur railway station in Maharashtra's Thane district while agitating against the alleged sexual assault of two four-year-old girls in the washroom of a school. Subsequently, services of local and long-distance trains had to be suspended and diverted.

The victims were students of a pre-primary class at a co-ed school in Badlapur. They were sexually assaulted by the 23-year-old male sweeper on August 12-13. The toilet for girls in the school was not supervised by female staff and the sweeper was hired on a contract basis, school authorities said, according to media reports.
Bharat Bandh today: A nationwide strike, known as "Bharat Bandh," is set to take place on August 21, 2024, in response to a recent Supreme Court ruling on SC/ST reservations. The Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti has called for this protest, which is supported by SC/ST groups mainly from Rajasthan.

Law enforcement agencies are preparing to deal with the Bandh. Rajasthan's Director General of Police, UR Sahoo, has instructed district Superintendents of Police to maintain order and engage with local organisations. Sahoo stated, We have asked our officials to organise meetings with groups calling for the bandhand with market associations to facilitate better cooperation, The Times of India reported.

The Supreme Court's decision to exclude the "creamy layer" from SC/ST quota has sparked controversy and led to this call for protest. Police forces across Rajasthan have been directed to increase deployment and coordinate with local SC/ST outfits to ensure peaceful demonstrations, according to the report.

In Jaipur, Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph has already initiated dialogue with groups supporting the strike. The authorities are taking proactive measures to prevent any potential conflicts or disruptions during the protest.

This Bharat Bandh comes after similar protests recently in India, including nationwide hospital strikes against violence on healthcare workers and a local trade union stir in Bathinda, highlighting simmering socio-political tensions across the country, as per the TOI report.

The Bharat Bandh is expected to get the backing of various social and political organisations. The purpose of the protest is to protest the verdict on reservations.

While public transport and private offices are usually not functional on such days, emergency services such as ambulances would remain operational.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, just-in-time inventory management of Bloomberg Opinions opinions. Sign up here .

Todays Agenda

Slurpee > Sloche

In America, the convenience store hierarchy is rather contentious. At the top sits Buc-ees. Then theres Wawa (or Sheetz if thats more your speed). Additional regional disputes follow: In the Northeast, Stewarts beats Cumberland Farms. Down south, its Parkers all the way. Out west, youve got the REI of gas stations, Maverik. Then theres the national chains, the clear winner of which is 7-Eleven. You cant get a Slurpee(1) at BP or ExxonMobil or Circle K.

Which is why its surprising to hear that Circle Ks Canadian corporate overlord, Couche-Tard, wants to buy 7-Elevens parent, Seven & i. Gearoid Reidy calls the $86 billion bid audacious in his latest column (free read). In Tokyo, where Gearoid lives, the Japanese offshoot of 7-Eleven is a treasured institution. The idea of some Canadian big shot coming in and tinkering with the conbini experience is terrifying.

7-Eleven is frequented daily by some 20 million people, or a sixth of [Japans] population, he writes. It pioneered the sale of onigiri rice balls in the 1970s and built out a vast range of cheap, fresh and surprisingly nourishing food with its just-in-time inventory management. Locals and tourists fear a takeover would upend that reputation and herald a subpar experience.

Despite operating far fewer stores than Seven & i, Couche-Tard is worth nearly twice as much as its target, Gearoid says. And while much of that is down to the weak yen, its not the only factor. Chris Hughes explains: Prior to this week, 7-Elevens market value had fallen by more than 20% since March. The business is also in a tight spot. Theres an activist on board in the form of ValueAct Capital Management. And while this acquisition would be a historic mouthful  potentially Japans largest foreign takeover  the Tokyo market is no longer the closed shop it once was.

Chris calls the Couche-Tard bid opportunistic, but I have another theory: What if this is just some elaborate ploy to get 7-Elevens Slurpee recipe??

Hear me out: In 2000, the Canadian chain decided to launch a brand to compete against Slush Puppie and Slurpee. They called it Sloche and marketed it to unruly teens loitering around the convenience store parking lot. The names of these beverages were a disgusting departure from the cherry and blue raspberry slushies of yore: Winchire Wacheur (Windshield Washer), Sang Froid (Cold Blood), Goudron Sauvage (Wild Tar), Rosebeef (Roast Beef), Cheddar Tropical(Tropical Cheddar), Liposuccion (Liposuction), Gadoue (Dirty Half-Melted Snow) and Wontong (Wonton Soup). In 2013, they even launched a Pizzaghetti Sloche in honor of Quebecs most shameful food tradition. If you dont believe me, heres a photo:

On the bright side (if you can call it that), none of these iced beverages actually taste like their ungodly-sounding names. Instead of marinara sauce, its strawberry. Instead of cheddar, its sour apple. Instead of roast beef, its peach  and so on. Still: The mishmash of names and flavors is wrong! And it doesnt bode well for 7-Eleven. Just as Gearoid worries that Couche-Tard could corrupt Japans conbini, I fear what would happen if it got ahold of Americas Slurpee machines.

Bonus Business Reading: Estee Lauders brands have lost their luster recently. The company could use a fresh perspective.  Andrea Felsted

Demore > Demure

You know a trend is well and truly over when New York City Mayor Eric Adams is joining in on the fun. In response to the menswear guys recent tweet about ditching demure for demore, Adams said:

Yes, Adams trend-baiting is cringe, his sentiment is not. We do need more affordable housing options in this country:

While the YIMBY crowd appears to be gaining ground (see: Obama at the DNC last night), Conor Sen says housing isnt a bubble that is likely to pop overnight. Instead, we might be waiting until at least 2029 to see some positive movement on pricing: Rising incomes, falling mortgage rates, more construction and thoughtful policy will slowly chip away at the affordability problem. It will probably take five years or more to approach the kind of purchasing power homebuyers enjoyed before the pandemic, he writes.

Returning to the kind of housing affordability that Americans enjoyed in mid-2018 overnight would require home values to drop 30% or for mortgage rates to decline to 3%, Conor explains. The odds of that happening anytime soon are slim to none. The government can help builders construct new houses, but change will be incremental. Clearly, demure was just a fleeting trend. Demore will take time.

DNC Roundup

Today I bring you an ACTUAL treat: Two triple thick, black and white milkshakes from Wilmington, Delaware. What in the world does that have to do with the DNC? Well, apparently somebody brought President Joe Biden a frozen shake allllll the way from one of his childhood-favorite restaurants, Charcoal Pit. How does a milkshake endure a 700-mile journey to Chicago? Inquiring minds want to know:

Appetizer Quote: It is a notable and necessary shift that many of the most ardent supporters of abortion rights are Democratic men, who have pointed to the ridiculous and harmful statements made by their Republican counterparts.  Nia-Malika Henderson, Democrats Made Abortion Personal. Trump Has No Rebuttal.

Entree Chart: On Monday, JD Vance wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal declaring that Vice President Kamala Harris is waging a war on US energy. If so, shes not much of a general and nor is her boss. US oil and gas production has hit new records under President Joe Biden and net exports of these fuels have surged, Liam Denning writes. Trumps running mate says Americans cant afford the energy transition, but really, we cant afford to avoid it, Liam says. Plus, its not like theres a huge discrepancy between Biden and Trumps energy cost record. Excluding the pandemic, theyre basically the same:

Dessert Video: Lil Jon pretty much broke the internet with Georgias role call last night, but Mary Ellen Klas says Trumps allies are trying to break the states entire electoral process. Yikes: Unless the courts intervene, a new state Board of Elections rule means results could be delayed for weeks, potentially creating echoes of 2020s election denialism, she writes.

Further Reading

Obamacares ban on doctor-owned hospitals has backfired.  Bloombergs editorial board

Actually, 818,000 fewer jobs signals a healing economy. No need to panic.  Jonathan Levin

Supply-side reform worked for China before, but it will fail this time.  Shuli Ren

DEI has a new nemesis  and hes scary good at his job.  Beth Kowitt

Ukraine has a Germany problem again. Heres how to fix it.  Marc Champion

Trade deficits are dangerous because of stupid policy responses.  Clive Crook

Pilots should avoid flying through the cold, humid parts of the sky.  David Fickling

ICYMI

RFK Jr. is expected to drop out by the end of the week.

Most supermarket baby food is unhealthy.

Chick-Fil-A is launching a streaming service.

Beyonce threatened Trump with a cease-and-desist.

Teenagers trade $20 million to prep for jobs at Citadel.

Kickers

Humpback whales are elite.

Megalopolis may have used fake quotes.

A blind rock climber has the ultimate guide.

A man with a bloody head got kicked off a plane.

Notes: Please send Slurpees and feedback to Jessica Karl at jkarl9@bloomberg.net.

Sign up here and follow us on Threads, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

(1) Fun fact: Each year, 7-Eleven sells enough Slurpees to fill 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Jessica Karl is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and author of the Bloomberg Opinion Today newsletter.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and former minister and BRS working president K T Rama Rao exchanged barbs over the Congress government's decision to install a statue of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in front of the Telangana secretariat within 15-20 days.

CM Revanth Reddy said that a statue of Rajiv Gandhi would soon be installed on the secretariat premises. In addition, he said, a statue of 'Telangana Talli' the state's mother goddesswould also be installed in the Secretariat on December 9.

K T Rama Rao threatened to remove Rajiv Gandhi's statue decision, stating his party would clear the trash when back.

Mark my words Cheap Minister Revanth. We will clear out the trash from the surroundings of Dr BR Ambedkar secretariat the very same day we are back in office [sic], KTR said in a post on X on August 20.

In four years, a BRS government will be formed under KCR. As soon as that happens, we will remove the statue of Rajiv Gandhi with due respect, and move it wherever Congress wants, and reinstall Telangana Talli's statue, KTR said, as reported by NDTV.

Despite losing power, arrogance remains In a sharp response, the Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy dared BRS leaders to touch Rajiv Gandhi's statue. When we are proposing to install the statue of Rajiv Gandhi, who sacrificed his life for the country, they are saying that they will remove it. Despite losing power, their arrogance remains. Our party activists will take the responsibility of crushing this arrogance.

Revanth Reddy, condemning K T Rama Rao's statement, added that if anyone touched Rajiv Gandhi's statue, hell will break loose.

Also Read | Telangana CM Revanth Reddy meet Hyundai officials in Seoul for investments

If anyone touches the statue of Rajiv Gandhi, hell will break loose. He (KTR) is day-dreaming that BRS will return to power, the Chief Minister said at an event on August 20. He claimed that K T Rama Rao wanted to install his father and former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's statue instead. He also referred to the former CM as a drunk.

KTR calls Revanth Reddy a Delhi Ghulam Calling the Chief Minister a Delhi Ghulam, KTR has said he cannot be expected to understand the self-respect and pride of Telangana.

Also Read | Naidu govt removes Jagan Reddys name from welfare schemes for students in AP
PORTICELLO, Sicily (AP)  Divers searching the wreck of a superyacht that sank off Sicily found the bodies of four passengers Wednesday and searched for two more as questions intensified about why the vessel sank so quickly when a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed.

Rescue crews unloaded three body bags from the rescue vessels that pulled into port at Porticello. Salvatore Cocina, head of the Sicily civil protection agency, said one other body had also been found in the wreckage for a total of four.

The discovery indicated the operation to search the hull on the seabed 50 meters (164 feet) underwater was a recovery one, not a rescue, given the amount of time that had passed and that no signs of life had emerged over three days of searching, maritime experts said.

The Bayesian, a 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged yacht, went down in a storm early Monday as it was moored about a kilometer (a half-mile) offshore. Civil protection officials said they believed the ship was struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout, and sank quickly.

Fifteen people escaped in a lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby sailboat. One body was recovered Monday  that of the ships chef, Recaldo Thomas, of Antigua.

Thomas was born in Canada, according to his cousin David Isaac, but would visit his parents homeland of Antigua as a child, moving permanently to the tiny eastern Caribbean island in his early 20s. Italian officials previously listed Antigua as the nationality of someone on board.

The fate of six passengers had driven the search effort, including British tech magnate Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter and associates who had successfully defended him in a recent U.S. federal fraud trial.

Lynchs spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Meanwhile, investigators from the Termini Imerese Public Prosecutors Office were acquiring evidence for their criminal investigation, which they opened immediately after the tragedy even though no formal suspects have been publicly identified.

Questions abound about what caused the superyacht, built in 2008 by Italian shipyard Perini Navi, to sink so quickly, when the nearby Sir Robert Baden Powell sailboat was largely spared and managed to rescue the survivors.

Was it merely the case of a freak waterspout that knocked the ship to its side and allowed water to pour in through open hatches? What was the position of the keel, which on a large sailboat such as the Bayesian might have been retractable, to allow it to enter shallower ports?

Theres a lot of uncertainty as to whether it had a lifting keel and whether it might have been up, said Jean-Baptiste Souppez, a fellow of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects and the editor of the Journal of Sailing Technology. But if it had, then that would reduce the amount of stability that the vessel had, and therefore made it easier for it to roll over on its side, he said in an interview.

The captain of the Sir Robert Baden Powell sailboat, which came to the Bayesians rescue, said he had remained anchored with his engines running to try to maintain the ships position as the storm, which was forecast, rolled in.

Another possibility is to heave anchor before the storm and to run downwind at open sea, Karsten Bornersaid in a text message. But he said that might not have been a viable option for the Bayesian, given its trademark 75-meter (246-foot) tall mast.

If there was a stability problem, caused by the extremely tall mast, it would not have been better at open sea, he said.

Yachts like the Bayesian are required to have watertight, sub-compartments that are specifically designed to prevent a rapid, catastrophic sinking even when some parts fill with water.

So for the vessel to sink, especially this fast, you are really looking at taking water on board very quickly, but also in a number of locations along the length of the vessel, which again indicates that it might have been rolled over on its side, Souppez said.

Italian coast guard and fire rescue divers continued the underwater search in dangerous and time-consuming conditions. Because of the wrecks depth, which requires special precautions, divers working in tag teams can only spend about 12 minutes at a time searching.

The limited dive time is designed in part to avoid decompression sickness, also known as the bends, which can occur when divers stay underwater for long periods and ascend too quickly, allowing nitrogen gas dissolved in the blood to form bubbles.

The longer you stay, the slower your ascent has to be, said Simon Rogerson, the editor of SCUBA magazine. He said the tight turnaround time suggests the operation's managers are trying to limit the risks and recovery time after each dive.

It sounds like theyre operating essentially on no decompression or very tight decompression, or theyre being extremely conservative, he said.

Additionally, the divers are working in extremely tight spaces, with debris floating around them, limited visibility and oxygen tanks on their backs.

We are trying to advance in tight spaces, but any single thing slows us down, said Luca Cari, spokesman for the fire rescue service. An electric panel could set us back for five hours. These arent normal conditions. Were at the limit of possibility.

Its not a question of entering the cabin to inspect it, he added. Theyve arrived at the level of the cabins, but its not like you can open the door, he said.

The Italian coast guard said they had reinforced their dive teams and were using underwater remote-controlled robots, which can stay out for six or seven hours at a time and record the surroundings.

The lack of any signs of life and the recovery of bodies led outside experts to conclude that the search was now a recovery effort and investigation to determine how the tragedy had unfolded.

I think the fact that theres been quite a lot of diving presence around the vessel and that they havent been able to pick up any signs of life inside the vessel, is, is unfortunately, not a particularly good sign, said Souppez.

___

Winfield reported from Rome and Kirka from London. Associated Press visual journalists Trisha Thomas in Rome and Silvia Stellacci in Porticello and reporter Anika Kentish in St. Johns, Antigua contributed.

___
(Bloomberg) -- Italian divers have retrieved four bodies from a sunken yacht off Sicily, where British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer were among those feared to have died earlier this week.

While four people were recovered, the local coast guard said Wednesday, no statements identifying them have been issued. A fifth body was spotted in the yacht but hasnt yet been retrieved, an Italian government official said.

A total of six people likely were trapped and died inside the Bayesian when it was hit by a tornado near Porticello, Sicily, on Monday, according to authorities. The coast guard said operations would resume on Thursday morning to retrieve the remaining two missing people. Adding to the complexity of the search mission is the narrowness of the spaces inside the sunken yacht and the presence of many objects, the agency said.

Authorities are meanwhile investigating exactly how the luxury yacht sank  and why it sank so quickly  in the early hours of Monday morning, with the captain and other survivors answering questions from the local prosecutors office, according to a report from Italian news agency ANSA.

The UKs Marine Accident Investigation Branch said its also probing the incident, with questions surfacing around the expansiveness of the yachts mast and the state of the hull.

Right now there is no evidence that the mast has been snapped, coast guard spokesman Vincenzo Zagarola told Bloomberg News on Wednesday. We can also say that, so far, there is no evidence that the hull has been broken. But we dont have a clear idea yet of the full damage.

Crews aided by military ships, remote controlled underwater vehicles and helicopters have been searching for missing passengers since Monday. Six guests, including Lynchs wife Angela Bacares, and nine crew have been rescued. The body of Recaldo Thomas, the ships chef, was found soon after the Bayesian sank.

Lynch and his daughter Hannah, Bloomer and his wife Judy, and Clifford Chance partner Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda were identified as the missing passengers on Tuesday by authorities in Sicily.

Lynch, 59, and his family were celebrating his recent acquittal from fraud charges with a small group of advisers when the violent storm struck. The charges stemmed from Lynchs sale of his software firm Autonomy Corp. to Hewlett Packard Co. in 2011. The Silicon Valley giant went on to accuse Lynch of accounting failures. Hed spent years working to clear his name in court and restore his reputation as one of Europes most successful entrepreneurs.

A little over two months before the yacht accident, a San Francisco jury found Lynch not guilty of criminal charges that he duped HP into overpaying for his company. He was still fighting HP in a civil case in London, where a British judge held him responsible for creating the illusion of a company much larger and more successful than it really was.

Rescue workers have had difficulties gaining access to the yacht 48 meters below the surface, citing the depth and position of the vessels hull.

The search will go on as long as necessary, Zagarola told Bloomberg. For sure the whole hull will need to be inspected meter by meter.

--With assistance from Olivia Solon.

(Adds fifth body spotted in second paragraph)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
(Bloomberg) -- Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd., the Hong Kong-listed arm of billionaire Li Shufus car empire, is the latest Chinese automaker to come out swinging against proposed European Union tariffs, saying the extra levies would mean a large hit to exports to the continent.

The EU increasing import tariffs would have a relatively big impact on the sales of Zeekr and Geely vehicles in the European market, said Andy An, an executive with Geely Auto who also serves as CEO of the companys Zeekr pure electric vehicle brand.

The European Commission on Tuesday proposed a 19.3% tariff on EV imports from Geely  slightly lower than the 19.9% previously mooted. The US meanwhile has quadrupled tariffs on Chinese EVs to more than 100%, effectively locking them out of the market. Other countries including Turkey and Canada have taken or are considering similar actions.

Geely Auto Executive Director Daniel Li, also speaking at a briefing Wednesday after the companys financial results, added that Geely as a group has made significant contributions to Europes economy for more than a decade via its investments. The parent company controls Swedens Volvo Cars AB, and British brands Lotus Cars and London Electric Vehicle Company.

This should allow a more flexible response to tariffs considering Geely has resources in place that can be leveraged upon, such as existing production facilities for Volvo and Lotus, Li said.

Geely Auto posted a 575% rise in net income earlier Wednesday to 10.6 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) for the six months ended June 30 from a year earlier. The deemed disposal of subsidiaries from establishing the Horse venture with partners Renault SA and Saudi Aramco resulted in an one-time gain of 7.47 billion yuan, the automaker said.

Excluding the item and impairment loss on assets, profit attributable to shareholders was 3.37 billion yuan, up 114%. Revenue climbed 47% to 107.31 billion yuan.

Vehicle deliveries gained 41% in the first half to 955,730 units, with EVs and plug-in hybrids leading the growth. The strong performance saw Geely raise its 2024 sales target to 2 million vehicles from 1.9 million.

Geely continues to build on the momentum of its plug-in hybrid range, with its affordable Galaxy series launching new cars such as the E5 electric SUV. Premium brand Zeekr has also refreshed existing models, including the global editions of its minivan 009 and X compact SUV.

In the face of the slowdown in the growth rate of Chinas passenger car market and the increasingly fierce price competition, the group has adopted the strategy of striving for progress while maintaining stability, Geely said in a statement. This strategy enabled the groups sales performance in the first half of 2024 to exceed managements expectations and reach a record high.

For more details from the earnings report, click here.

Polestar however, the beleaguered EV brand controlled by Geely Autos parent, saw a 42% decline in exports to the EU in July after the provisional tariffs came into effect. Its shipments in the first seven months fell 37%, according to research from Dataforce. The Swedish-origin brand is separately listed in the US, but its challenges mirror those facing Geely Autos EV exports.

Geely Auto is also battling an ultra competitive domestic market at home in China, where a price war has hit the bottom line of automakers and a weakening economy has weighed on consumer spending for big ticket items like new cars. In an attempt to boost auto spending, the government has introduced a cash-for-clunkers incentive for buyers who trade in old vehicles for new qualifying EVs and fuel-efficient gasoline cars, with rebates of up to 20,000 yuan.

The subsidy would benefit manufacturers including Geely, with Bloomberg NEF expecting the policy to potentially drive sales of 1.1 million EVs, worth around $26 billion.

--With assistance from Anthony Palazzo.

(Updates with executive comments on EU tariffs from first paragraph.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
Badlapur in Maharashtra's Thane district witnessed massive protests on Tuesday over the alleged sexual assault of two four-year-old girls by a cleaner of a local school.

Internet services would be suspended as Thane police lodged FIRs against protesters who stormed railway stations, disrupting local train services. Here are the top developments.

Badlapur sexual assault case: Top 10 Updates The Thane police registered FIRs against around 300 people who were protesting yesterday. Police have arrested more than 40 people, who would be presented in court today.

Internet services would remain suspended for few days, to avoid spreading of misleading information and rumours, Manoj Patil, DCP, GRP of Central Railway, told ANI.

"No section has been imposed. Internet services will be suspended for a few days so that rumours do not spread," said Patil.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that senior lawyer Ujjwal Nikam will be the special public prosecutor in the Badlapur sexual assault case. Fadnavis also assured that the trial in case the case would be held at a Fast Track court.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has ordered a high-level probe into the case and has said a Special Investigation Team(SIT) will be formed.

We are in the process to fast track this case, and no one will be spared if found guilty, Shinde was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

The government also ordered the suspension of three police officers, including a senior police officer, assistant sub-inspector, and head constable, following the incident. Fadnavis took to X to announce that the suspension orders were issued.

Massive protests at railway stations led to the diversion of several long distance trains, including the Mumbai-Surat Vande Bharat, Pune Duronto, and other key trains.

Local train services on the Ambarnath and Karjat routes were also affected due to the protests.

State Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar said that a probe is on to find out why the CCTV cameras were not working. He said four IAS officers from Pune and Mumbai had been assigned to work on the case.

Also Read | Badlapur sexual abuse case bigger than Kolkata doctor rape case: LoP Wadettiwar

Vishakha committees, aimed to provide a platform for the students to share their grievances, would be formed at the school level, Kesarkar told TOI.

The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo moto cognisance of the Badlapur sexual assault case and has sought a detailed report on the incident.

UBT Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi condemned the incident, stating that the entire state has been outraged over the incident. She further urged the President to approve the Maharashtra Shakti Criminal Law, in a post on X.

Also Read | Massive protest in Badlapur over sexual assault of 2 kids, stones thrown at cops
Kolkata murder rape case: Former TMC MP Mimi Chakraborty on Tuesday claimed to receive rape and death threats on social media after she took part in the protest against the rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital.

Amid the nationwide protests demanding capital punishment against the people guilty of the heinous crime, Mimi Chakraborty, Riddhi Sen, Arindam Sil, and Madhumita Sarcar took part in the protest held in Kolkata against the rape and murder of an on-duty doctor inside government-run hospital.

In her recent post on X, Mimi Chakraborty shared screenshots of a few social media posts containing rape threats for the Bengali actress.

AND WE ARE DEMANDING JUSTICE FOR WOMEN RIGHT???? These are just few of them. Where rape threats has been normalised by venomous men masking themselves in the crowd saying they stand by women. What upbringing nd education permits this, wrote Chakraborty, former MP from Mamata Banerjee-led TMC on X.

Mimi Chakraborty was a Member of the Parliament (MP) from the Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency (2019-2024). Several social media users came in support of the politician and demanded strict action in the case.

A former MP receives rape threats! Alarming reminder of womens vulnerability. @DCCyberKP , take action now to safeguard womens safety, wrote Nilanjan Das, State General Secretary, IT & Social Media Wing, TMC.

Kolkata police is too busy arresting college students!, read another comment on the post.

Thank you for having the courage to share this .People are having internet does not mean they will say whatever. They need education first and after getting punishment only they will learn...

Kolkata Rape Case A brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital has sparked nationwide protests over the past few days. Doctors from across the nation have called strikes and are organising protests demanding strict punishment for the criminals guilty of the rape and murder of the RG Kar trainee doctor.
(Bloomberg) -- Representative Bill Pascrell Jr., of New Jersey, a senior Democratic member of the powerful House Ways & Means Committee, died Wednesday morning, his office announced.

Pascrell, 87, had recently been released after a lengthy hospital stay for a respiratory infection and fever. He was then hospitalized again early this month. His office did not list a cause of death, or where he died.

He is now at peace after a lifetime devoted to our great nation of America, his office announced in a post on X, noting that he had lived his entire life in Paterson, New Jersey, and that he had fought to his last breath to return to the job he cherished and the people he loved.

In November, Pascrell was to face a third challenge from Republican Billy Prempeh, whom he defeated by a dozen percentage points in 2022.

Who Democrats will run in Pascrells place isnt clear. Under New Jersey law, Governor Phil Murphy isnt required to call a special election, which can take up to six months to arrange. Democrats can replace Pascrell on the Nov. 5 general election ballot if party officials in the district nominate a substitute by Aug. 29.

Pascrell, the grandson of Italian immigrants, served as a state assemblyman and as mayor of Paterson.

He was first elected to Congress in 1996 and through his tenure established a consistent liberal voting record.

On the Ways & Means Committee he rose to become chairman of the subcommittee on oversight when Democrats were in the majority, and he was a key player in pushing through President Joe Bidens legislative agenda. As chairman of the subcommittee on oversight, he also led the fight to gain access to former President Donald Trumps tax returns.

Pascrell was also among lawmakers sighting for a state and local tax deduction on federal taxes, a popular position in tax-heavy New Jersey.

Pascrell is the fourth House member to die while in office this year. Among them was another New Jersey Democrat, Representative Donald Payne Jr., who died in April.

--With assistance from Greg Giroux and Nacha Cattan.

(Adds details on November election in fifth paragraph)

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Some films just dont need to be remade. Remakes as a whole arent always a bad thing. Given enough time and societal progress (or regression) an old familiar story can be worth revisiting in a new way. Unfortunately in the brisk business of early 2000s big-budget Hollywood horror remakes, more than a few great films were unnecessarily revisited with dismal results. Meyer Zarchis rape-revenge exploitation classic I Spit On Your Grave fell victim to this machine. Rather than rising to the occasion to bring something new about the state of unprosecuted sexual assaults, the film aims for cheap horror carnage.

Directed by Steven R. Monroe (who would later direct a long string of Hallmark Channel movies), written by Adam Rockoff, and starring Sarah Butler, this I Spit On Your Grave is an ugly mess. With the glitz and glam of a bigger budget and flashier camerawork substituting for genuine shock or substance, this film loses all weight of responsibility. It quickly devolves into the worst kind of frivolous trash and somehow it spawned two direct-to-video sequels each worse than the last. Heres what Mr. Duarte had to say in 2011:

Payback is a furious, brutal bitch. And it comes in the form of what's cheerfully dubbed "torture porn" in this remake of a violent exploitation flick that many consider a cult icon. The gruesome nature of the plot's dark subject matter has always been at the center of the original movie's controversy and arguable legacy. It pushed the envelope of acceptability more by accident than by intention. This modernized version, from relatively unknown filmmaker Steven R. Monroe seems intent on doing just the opposite, with ten-times the cruelty and carnage, but none of the talent or understanding of what gives the original an immense following. The director, joined by Meir Zarchi as executive producer, is more focused on shocking audiences than in saying anything at all about violence against women.

While overall production value and acting is a significant improvement over its predecessor, the first, and most obvious, mistake made by the filmmakers is an attempt at delivering a horror movie instead of the vigilante/revenge thriller the story is known for. Upon arriving at a service station, Jennifer Hills (Sarah Butler) is immediately made to feel uncomfortable about spending a month by herself at a very secluded cottage. The three gas attendants  who by the way, play their roles with such stereotypical delight that we can expect them in next year's Inbred Redneck Cousins calendar  threateningly eyeball her like she's a 24-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon. The sequence instantly signals warning flares that she should find someplace else to write her novel. But, no that would force Monroe to make a good movie rather than this vile concoction.

Granted, the entire scene functions to establish a suspenseful and chilling tone early on, but the lack of skill throughout also hits viewers over the head with the fact that something terrible is about to happen. Working from a script by first-time writer Stuart Morse, Monroe, it appears, is none too familiar with subtle filmmaking. Not only do we have the gas station scene foretelling future events, but Jennifer also has to contend with the usual tricks of the genre. Namely, random creepy noises at night. And just for the heck of it, why don't we also throw in a scene where our would-be heroine discovers a shed full of wonderful toys appropriate for exacting vengeance. You know, if the occasion should ever arise. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

If the gratuitous display of foreshadow and mind-numbing coincidences weren't enough, things only get better with a big dose of gratuitous, mind-numbing violence this side of the 'Saw' series. Before we're forced to see the inevitable rape scene, Jennifer endures a disgusting barrage of cat calls, harassment, and intimidation by the same three men from the beginning (Jeff Branson, Daniel Franzese, and Rodney Eastman). They're also joined by a local young man with certain unspecified challenges (Chad Lindberg). Later, they're joined by a fifth (Andrew Howard) for no apparent reason. Honestly! There is no reason whatsoever to explain why this new character is introduced or why he even participates in any of the gruesomeness. He's not related to any of the four men, and he doesn't act remotely friendly with them either.

What's worse, the sequence loiters for a very, very, very long time on screen, which feels far too real and uncomfortable to watch. And it works against the whole movie's supposed objective  Jennifer's revenge. The second half, in fact, feels cheapened by a sudden lack of realism. Her contraptions for delivering justice are so perfectly arranged and intricate that we can't help but laugh at their ingenuity and careful preparation. The entire movie fails because the heinous crimes committed bring an authentic air of psychological and physical abuse, but the best our heroine can do in response is conjure a caricature of every slasher movie ever devised. In essence, the men are a real terror, but her retaliation is nothing more than pre-planned movie magic. This is more apparent than the female-empowerment angle the movie so desperately wishes to accomplish.

What this boils down to is that 'I Spit on Your Grave (2010)' should never have been made. It's a terrible remake that spits  phlegm and all  on the original cult favorite.







Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray

2010s I Spit On Your Grave hawks another 1080p loogie with a new single-disc Blu-ray + Digital SteelBook from Lionsgate. Walmart and Bloody Disgusting partnered up for this release giving collectors a rather attractive black and red motif for the SteelBook. The included 1080p disc is the exact same as the one that came out in 2011, so if you have that, the only difference here is the packaging. Same Anchor Bay opening logo, the same long string of random trailers at the opening, the same animated main menu with standard navigation options. In short - the same BD-50 disc.
Chhattisgarh gang-rape: A 27-years-old tribal woman was allegedly gang-raped by eight men in the Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh when she was returning home from a village fair after celebrating Raksha Bandhan festival, Raigarh police said on Wednesday.

The police said six people have been arrested so far, and a search for the remaining two others is underway.

The incident took place in the Pusaur area of Raigarh when the woman, who had separated from her husband for the past few years, went to Meena Bazaar with some acquaintances. She filed a complaint on Tuesday, based on which the police registered an FIR.

According to her complaint, when she was returning with one of the male acquaintances, they were allegedly obstructed by seven other men known to the male friend and forcibly dragged her to an isolated location nearby the pond, where they allegedly raped her. The accused dumped her in an unconscious state and fled.

Raigarh SP Divyang Patel told reporters that six accused were arrested within hours of the complaint, and others were being searched.

Also Read | Bengali actress gets rape threat after protesting against Kolkata doctor murder

By Tuesday night, we had arrested six persons. Two of the accused are absconding. We are interrogating the arrested accused for the whereabouts and identity of the others involved, and soon they will also be arrested, HT quoted Divyag Patel, superintendent of police, Raigarh as saying.

The accused were arrested under Sections 70(1) and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

We are not revealing the identity of the accused as it could hamper the investigation. The issue is serious, the SP said.

Also Read | Indian doctor films naked children and adults in US, arrested

Those arrested were jobless men between the age of 20-25 years and had an eye on the woman since they found her an easy target because of her separation from her husband.

Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel has termed the incident as very serious and demanded immediate arrest of all the accused.
The Delhi High Court extended suspended trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar's interim protection against arrest on Wednesday, August 21. The extension will remain effective until August 29, eight days from today.

Puja Khedkar, a former IAS officer trainee, was accused of falsifying and misrepresenting facts in her application to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

ANI reported that the court instructed the investigation agency not to arrest Khedkar while the matter was still being considered, noting that immediate arrest is not necessary.

Justice Subramonium Prasad of the Delhi High Court has further deferred the hearing on Pooja Khedkar's anticipatory bail plea to August 29, 2024. The accused's lawyer, Siddharth Luthra, also requested more time to review the UPSC's response to the anticipatory bail plea.

Delhi High Court issues notice to UPSC On the last day of the hearing, the Delhi High Court issued notices to the Delhi Police and Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) regarding Puja Khedkar's anticipatory bail plea.

The top court had earlier observed that the trial court's order denying Puja Khedkar's bail lacked substantial discussion and merely briefly mentioned the Public Prosecutor's claim about the involvement of others. The High Court has instructed the police not to arrest Khedkar until Friday, which is pending further proceedings.

Mastermind Puja Khedkar UPSC had argued that Puja Khedkar is a mastermind, claiming that her actions would not have been possible without the help from others, hinting at more minds connected to the case.

Puja Khedkar's plea in the Delhi High Court follows last week's dismissal of her plea by Delhi's Patiala House Court.

The trial court judge believed that a thorough investigation of Puja Khedkar's activities was needed to unearth the conspiracy and identify others involved in the case.

"In the present facts and circumstances, I am of the considered opinion that it is not a fit case to exercise discretionary powers of anticipatory bail in favour of the accused," Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala said, reported ANI.

The court further held that to attain the misrepresentation, Khedkar had prepared various documents to support her claim. The conspiracy had been hatched in a pre-planned manner. It also stated that the accused alone could not have executed the conspiracy without the assistance of some outsider or insider.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday halted the announcement of results for the ongoing recruitments in Haryana till assembly poll process is over.

The Commission took cognizance of the complaint received from Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, regarding violation of the Model Code of Conduct in the process of recruitment against 5,600 vacancies for the post of Constable in the Haryana Police, 76 posts of TGT and PTI by Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) and recruitment for various posts by Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC).

Subsequently, the Commission sought detailed report from the State government and after ascertaining the facts and in view of the existing Model Code of Conduct (MCC) instructions, the Commission found no violation of MCC in the ongoing recruitment process by HSSC and HPSC.

In a letter to Jairam Ramesh, the EC said that the matter has been examined in light of the Comrnission's existing instructions relating to Model Code of Conduct and the reports received from the State Government.

It is amply clear that the selection process was initiated and necessary communications were sent by State Government to concerned statutory authorities much before date of enforcement of MCC. Statutory authorities have also started process including advertisement before enforcement of MCC.

The EC said that further, as per the Commission's instructions dated 02.01.2024, there is no bar for continuing the regular recruitment process by the IJPSC, State Pubtic Service Commissions or the Staff Selection Comrnission or any other statutory authority. Therefore, there is no violation of Commission's instructions on Model Code of Conduct."

However, in order to maintain the level playing field and to ensure that no undue advantage is accrued to anyone, EC stated, The Commission has directed the State Government not to declare the results of these recruitments till completion of General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Haryana.
Amid growing anger over the Badlapur sexual assault case, in which two kindergarten girl students were sexually abused at school, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Wednesday called for a Maharashtra bandh on August 24.

The decision was made during the MVA allies meeting in Mumbai, which was attended by leaders from Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP) headed by Sharad Pawar.

Also Read | Badlapur sexual abuse case: Court extends police custody of accused sweeper

Stating that they had come to discuss seat sharing but then thought that they would not discuss seat sharing and instead discuss the law-and-order in the state, Sena UBT leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said, The people of Maharashtra are agitated, and FIRs have been registered against those who protested. We have decided that on August 24, MVA will call for Maharashtra Bandh over the Badlapur incident.

Meanwhile, Congress workers protested against the state government in Badlapur, and they were detained. Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad also led a protest outside Mantralaya, the state secretariat.

Holding placards outside the gates of Mantralaya, Congress leaders and workers shouted slogans against the government for the delay in the registration of the FIR. The police stopped the protesters from entering the premises.

Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole accused the government of doing politics over the incident. The biggest state where crime against children takes place is Maharashtra. 21,000 such incidents have happened in the state, and the government is hiding them, said Patole.

Congress leader Aslam Shaikh slammed the Shinde-Fadnavis government, saying that, on the one hand, you are providing money under the Ladki Bahin Yojana, and on the other hand, crime in Thane has increased by 57 per cent.

Also Read | School teacher arrested in Maharashtras Akola for sexually assaulting 6 girls

CM himself is from there. There is no security and crimes against women have increased. The entire Maharashtra is on fire today. We want the Government to provide security to women...How will Maharashtra trust Ujjwal Nikam? The institution (where the alleged crime occurred) has a BJP connection and Ujjwal Nikam contested elections against Congress recently. So, how will people trust him?...If crime rate is increasing in CM's Thane, then Deputy CMs are unsuccessful and CM is a complete failure...Ground reality is that girl children are being raped, there is atrocity on women...He should take accountability and resign.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Protests against sexual violence are taking place across India to demand more protection for women in the worlds most populous nation. The demonstrations are helping to raise much-needed awareness about an epidemic of rape. But to tackle the pervasive culture of misogyny in a society thats still fiercely patriarchal, reform needs to start with the top echelons of institutions, such as the courts and police force.

It wont be easy to address norms that have been in place for centuries. While education and better policies can help, more women need to be elected and appointed to top jobs, both in politics and the corporate world (scores for womens representation in ministerial positions (6.9%) and in parliament (17.2%) remain relatively low, according to the World Economic Forums Global Gender Gap report for 2024). Instituting change from within these largely male bastions of power will help to improve Indias reputation internationally, at a time when foreign investors are looking closely at the economic powerhouse.

The brutal act that prompted the marches was the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor on Aug. 9 at a government hospital in Kolkata. It was reminiscent of the 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student on a New Delhi bus.

Back then, massive demonstrations occurred across the nation, and a commission was set up to reconsider laws on sexual crimes. The government passed tougher laws on rape, including the death penalty for repeat offenders. The legislation also provided for jail terms for police officers who fail to record an initial complaint lodged by an assaulted woman.

The policy changes, though small steps, were an improvement and recognize that lawmakers have to act to deal with these vicious crimes.

But it didnt stop violence against women. In fact, its getting worse.

A total of 445,256 cases of crime against women were registered during 2022. Among them, around 32,000 were rapes, up from approximately 28,000 in 2020. In 2011, a woman was raped every 20 minutes, according to government data. That rose to about every 16 minutes by 2021.

India is not the only country with a strong patriarchal culture that favors men. However, it is one where it seems that those in power have been turning a blind eye to violence against women for far too long. It has become so normalized that a report from the National Crime Records Bureau has categories including Murder With Rape/Gang Rape, Dowry Deaths, Abetment to Suicide of Women, Acid Attack, and Cruelty by Husband or His Relatives.

Despite economic advances, the picture for women isnt improving. India ranked 129 out of 146 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index 2024. Nine-in-10 Indians agree with the notion that a wife must always obey her husband, including nearly two-thirds who completely agree with this sentiment, according to a 2022 survey by the Pew Research Center on how men and women perceive gender roles.

It all starts at home, which is another issue. Families tend to place a higher value on sons rather than daughters, because of a perception that they (1)can help to financially support parents in old age  although many working women do this too. Then theres the matter of dowries for brides. Despite being outlawed since 1961, they are still prevalent, even among the educated middle class.

Passing new laws wont address these issues, because of inherent flaws within the system. Law enforcement personnel are misogynistic and overburdened  they neither have the will nor the capacity to help women, Poulami Roychowdhury, associate professor of sociology at Brown University, told me. Policymakers need to implement police reforms and add judges to the benches, and make public spaces like hospitals, schools and other institutions where women are at risk, safer.

Indias judicial system is notoriously backlogged and cases can take years to go through the courts. For many women, this adds to the stigma of reporting a rape or sexual assault, because of the long delay they face to get any form of justice. The largely male police force also needs to change  women make up just under 11%, far behind the UK, where female officers constitute a third of overall law enforcement. In 2022, the India Justice Report, which surveys the state of law enforcement, said it would take 24 years to reach the polices target of 33% female representation.

Given a society that has long adhered to deeply ingrained views on the roles of men and women, it is not surprising that men are disproportionately represented in government and corporate positions of power. That makes it an uphill battle and a missed opportunity to acknowledge the value that women contribute to business. India could increase gross domestic product by $770 billion by 2025 if it gets more women to work and boost equality, McKinsey Global Institute estimated. The female contribution to GDP is 18%, one of the lowest in the world, reflecting the fact that women make up only 25% of the labor force.

People power has brought attention to the plight of women in India. But that is no longer enough. For meaningful change, policymakers need to reform the institutions that can directly improve the lives of half the population. Women in the worlds largest democracy deserve that.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

(1) India has had one of the most skewed sex ratios at birth in the world. According to the 2011 census, there were 111 boys born for every 100 girls born, though recent data suggests the gap may be narrowing.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Karishma Vaswani is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia politics with a special focus on China. Previously, she was the BBC's lead Asia presenter and worked for the BBC across Asia and South Asia for two decades.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion
Pune news: Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirants gathered in Pune to voice their demands for changes to the upcoming examination. The protesters have demanded for the inclusion of 258 posts from the Agriculture Department to the MPSC exam.

Bharat Bandh 2024 Live Updates In addition to this, the protesting aspirant urged for the exam scheduled for August 25 to be postponed. They argued that the current date conflicts with the IBPS exam, creating an overlap that could affect many candidates.

The protestors also called for the postponement of the examination until their demands were met.

Listing two demands, MPSC aspirant staging a protest told ANI, The exam on 25th August is overlapping with IBPS exam. Our first demand is that the MPSC exam should be postponed. Our second demand is that 258 posts in the Agriculture Department exam should also be added to this.

Another aspirant also said, "We demand that the 258 vacancies in the Agriculture department exam should be added to the MPSC exam...IBPS exam is overlapping with the exam on August 25th."

In a notification dated August 20, the MPSC stated that they could not include the newly requested Agricultural Service posts in the upcoming exam due to timing issues.

Also Read | UP Police Constable Exam 2024 admit cards OUT at uppbpb.gov.in

It wrote, The Commission has received the demand letter dated 16th August, 2024 for total 258 posts in Maharashtra Agricultural Service Group-A and Group-B cadre. According to the examination scheme released by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission on 29th December, 2023, it is mentioned that the posts in Maharashtra Agricultural Service will be filled through the Maharashtra Gazetted Civil Services Combined Examination. However, as the demand letter for Maharashtra Agricultural Service Examination 2024 was not received by the Commission till the publication of the advertisement on 29th December, 2023 regarding the said examination, it was not possible to include the posts in the said Agricultural Service in the advertisement."
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman urged the Income Tax Department on Wednesday to simplify the tax process, enhance taxpayer services, ensure certainty, and minimize litigation. Addressing the 165th anniversary of the department, Sitharaman emphasized the need for a more taxpayer-friendly approach.

"I would honestly say we should look for simpler ways of talking and communicating with our assesses. Grievance redressal is a major issue," Sitharaman said.

Read this | Why CBIC asked its officials to check before shooting off tax demands

She stressed that taxpayer compliance hinges on the ease and clarity of the system. Only after the taxpayers have realised that there is ease and flexibility and simplicity, which is being offered, like in the new tax regime, people are willing to come aboard and comply.

She also called for a significant simplification of the language used in tax notices and correspondence. "(Ensure) the language that you use in tax notices and letters is not so convoluted and is not too technical," she asserted.

She emphasized that enforcement measures by the Income Tax Department should be a last resort and must be proportionate to the issue at hand.

Sitharaman also reiterated the governments objective to simplify taxes, enhance taxpayer services, ensure tax certainty, and reduce litigation. "Within six months, we will have the tax code or the Income Tax Act, at least some parts of it, very clearly written in simple, easy-to-understand language," she announced.

She mentioned that a committee within the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is actively working on this, ensuring alignment with the prime ministers vision of seamless and faceless tax administration.

Also read | Govt to launch all-India drive to weed out fake GST registrations from 16 August
Kolkata Rape-Murder Case: All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director has appealed the resident doctors of AIIMS New Delhi to resume their duties immediately so that patient care services are normalised.

According to a release from the Office of the Director, AIIMS, The undersigned along with the entire AIIMS family stands behind the cause of the safety of all healthcare professionals at AIIMS New Delhi & across the Country. However, as doctors, our supreme duty is also to ensure that the patients visiting our portals do not go unattended.

Also Read | Bengali actress gets rape threat after protesting against Kolkata doctor murder

"The Government of India is committed to the cause of healthcare professionals' safety unequivocally and the Hon'ble Supreme Court, while assuring affirmative action for ensuring safety of healthcare professionals, has requested all doctors to resume duties in the interest of patient care. Accordingly, the undersigned is kindly requesting the Resident Doctors of AIIMS New Delhi to resume their duties immediately so that patient care services are normalized," Prof M Srinivas, AIIMS Director said.

Also Read | Badlapur sexual abuse case: Court extends police custody of accused sweeper

OPD, OT services register 90% decline at AIIMS Delhi Earlier on August 17, it was reported that AIIMS Delhi registered more than 90 per cent fall in admissions, OPDs and operation theatres (OTs). The emergency services and ICUs were functioning normally as of Saturday, said an official report by medical superintendent of AIIMS Delhi. However, OPDs, admissions, operation theatres, Radiological investigations and nuclear medicine have registered more than 90 per cent reduction while laboratory services have been affected by more than 80 per cent.

Kolkata doctor rape case The brutal assault and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata have ignited widespread protests across India in recent days. Medical professionals from various regions are participating in strikes and demonstrations, calling for stringent punishment for those responsible for this heinous crime.

Supreme Court hearing on Kolkata doctor rape case Earlier on August 20, the apex court ordered the victim's name, photos, and videos removed from social media platforms. The top court also pulled up the West Bengal government over the delay in registration of FIR, and subsequent destruction of the crime scene, while hearing the case. It also had urged the striking doctors to call off their strike, saying their concerns are receiving the highest importance before the top court. Not just this, it also constituted a 10-member National Task Force to make recommendations on the prevention of violence and safe working conditions for medical professionals.

Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), is currently investigating the Kolkata doctor rape case, which was initially identified as a suicide by the West Bengal police. The CBI is likely to submit a status report on the crime on August 22.
The mpox vaccination drive will begin within a few days, according to Africa's top public health agency. According to a Reuters report, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Tuesday said the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other African countries would most likely administer the mpox vaccine within days.

Vaccination drive Africa's health agency has been working with countries dealing with mpox outbreaks. "We didn't start vaccinations yet. We'll start in a few days, if we are sure that everything is in place. End of next week, vaccines will start to arrive in DRC and other countries," Reuters quoted Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya as saying in a press briefing.

Also Read | What is Mpox? Know symptoms of monkeypox and what to do if you get infection

This comes after the World Health Organization declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years on August 19.

The drive to roll out vaccine doses involves working on logistics and communication strategies with international partners, including European Union, vaccine maker Bavarian Nordic, the United States and Japan before being implemented. The decision on vaccination comes in the backdrop of rapidly spreading new variants of the disease in Africa.

Jean Kaseya added, "We need to make sure that the supply chain management, the logistics are ready...to ensure that this vaccine will be safely stored and can be safely administered to people who need them," reported Reuters.

While shots will be administered in the African continent, studies on the efficacy of different vaccines will continue, the Africa CDC Director General said. This will be done to better understand which shots are appropriate in their context.

It is important to note that African states reported over 1,400 additional mpox cases last week. The number of total cases reported were around 19,000 in the 12 African countries where mpox has been detected this year, according to Africa CDC data. As compared with the same period last year, the number of mpox cases is on the rise by as much as 100%.

Also Read | Principal Secretary to PM reviews Mpox situation in country

What is mpox? Mpox refers to a viral infection that causes pus-filled lesions and flu-like symptoms. The flu symptoms are usually mild but deadly at the same time. According to reports, more than one strain is spreading simultaneously in Africa.
(Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germanys support for Ukraine wont let up as he sought to blunt concerns that budget tightening within his coalition will halt funding to the war-battered nation.

We will continue to support Ukraine as long as necessary, Scholz told reporters during a trip to Moldova on Wednesday. Everybody can depend on us.

Scholzs government this week sought to tamp down a debate about Ukraine funding following a report in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper that spending constraints meant that no new additional funds would be earmarked for Ukrainian military aid.

The German leader said that his government remained the European Unions biggest financial supporter of Ukraine.

Scholz cited 4 billion ($4.5 billion) earmarked in Germanys budget next year and pointed to a Group of Seven agreement this year to provide some $50 billion in new aid backed by the profits generated by frozen Russian central bank assets.

Generating the central bank funds is technically difficult but clarified politically, Scholz said.

Moldovas EU Ambitions

The chancellors coalition has been mired in bickering for months over budget spending thats affected by strict constitutional debt limits. The parties sealed a final agreement on next years spending plan only after weeks of squabbling over limited funds.

Standing alongside Moldovan President Maia Sandu after talks in the capital Chisinau, Scholz reinforced Germanys support for Moldovas bid to join the European Union, which is in the interests of the bloc, Germany as well as Moldova, he said.

The former Soviet republic, wedged between war-battered Ukraine and EU-member state Romania, plans to hold a referendum on joining the 27-member bloc on Oct. 20, in parallel with a presidential election that Sandu is slated to win for a second term.

Sandu, first elected on 2020 on a wave of pro-European support, has sought to root out corruption and cement a Western-style democracy even as shes raised the alarm of persistent Russian campaigns of destabilization and disinformation.

Fully reliant on Russia for its gas imports before the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moldova faces a steep challenge in shifting its energy system to the West. The government in Chisinau put its gas sector on alert earlier this month over fears that Ukraines shock incursion into Russian territory may disrupt the Kremlins gas supplies that still transit Ukraine.

--With assistance from Irina Vilcu and Andra Timu.

(Updates with coalition tension, Moldovas ambitions from seventh paragraph.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
A massive landslide hit east Sikkim on August 20, causing damage to sections of a 510 MW hydroelectric project on the Teesta River, officials told news agency PTI. The landslide also resulted in damage to 17-18 houses.

The official reported that the landslide occurred at Dipu Dara, near Singtam in the Gangtok district, around 7:30 a.m. It has severely impacted the powerhouse of the NHPC's Teesta Stage V hydroelectric project, according to the officials.

Also Read | Earthquake Today: Tremors felt in Soreng of Sikkim

Officials also reported that the landslide caused significant damage to the project's GIS building. A technical team from Delhi will visit the site to assess the situation and recommend measures for restoration, they added as quoted by PTI.

Around 17-18 houses were damaged by the landslide, and six of them had to be evacuated. The displaced families were moved to the NHPC Guest House in Balutar, which was designated as a relief camp.

The landslide also disrupted access to the Singtam-Dikchu Road.

Gangtok's District Collector, Tushar Nikhare, called on the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to start the road restoration work without delay while the Department of Mines and Geology was instructed to conduct a detailed investigation into the landslide.

The hill adjacent to the power station has been under threat for many weeks now, with frequent minor slides. As per ANI report, no casualties were reported due to slides, the power station was evacuated days ago. The Stage 5 dam became defunct after the October 2023 Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) across the Teesta River Basin. The dam which was destroyed in the ensuing flash flood overflow was being reconstructed.

Also Read | SKM chief Prem Singh Tamang sworn in as chief minister of Sikkim

Last year in October, Indias apex power planning body, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), came up with guidelines for slope stabilityinclines that can withstand movementin hydropower projects after heavy rains and glacial lake floods had damaged a dam in Sikkim.
A doll thought to be possessed by a restless spirit has gained notoriety as the 'most haunted' in the world. It has reportedly attacked 17 men.

The doll's owner, Lee Steer, bought it from eBay for 866 (around 94,000) to showcase at his Haunted Objects Museum in Rotherham, South Yorkshire in England.

He reported experiencing a burning sensation when the entity allegedly marked a pentagram on his back. Another individual was recorded having his shirt pulled by the spirit, known as Elizabeth.

At least 15 other men claimed to have been scratched by the doll, which has also been associated with triggering fire alarms, moving objects and causing electronic disturbances in videos.

Lee, a paranormal investigator, bought the doll for his Haunted Objects Museum after learning about its strong dislike for men. He believes, while women are around, the doll causes objects to move and lights to flicker.

Also Read | Real ghost stories: 5 encounters shared by social media users

However, the doll becomes particularly aggressive towards men, the Daily Star reported. It got especially violent after Lee had added items from The Conjuring movie series to his collection. Lee claimed the doll attacked him during an investigation with Sarah, his partner and colleague.

It was then that Lee shared an experience of feeling a burning sensation on his neck, which later shifted to his back after he was told about scratches there. He suspects the doll strongly dislikes men, especially married ones.

Lee recounted an incident in which a perfume bottle mysteriously flew off a shelf in Sarah's presence. The reason behind the doll's actions remains unclear.

Some speculate that it might be connected to past mistreatment by a man or an unfortunate wedding, leading to the doll's haunting behaviour, the publication added.

Most haunted doll "It could also be the fact that Elizabeth has always been the centre of attention in the museum and we're getting new items in and she's feeling a bit of jealousy. We've got famous items from The Conjuring now and maybe she is feeling a bit forgotten so she is making herself known in the most extreme way, Lee said.
Thailand on Wednesday reported a suspected first case of the new more dangerous strain of mpox, which the World Health Organization has declared a global public health emergency.

The patient is a European who travelled to Thailand from an African country, Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, head of the kingdom's Department of Disease Control told AFP.

Also Read | Mpox scare! Vaccinations to be rolled out within days in THESE countries

Laboratory tests are under way to confirm the strain, but officials believe it to be from Clade 1. The infected person has been quarantined in hospital.

"We have done a test and they definitely have mpox and it's definitely not Clade 2," Thongchai told AFP.

Also Read | How prepared is India for an Mpox outbreak?

"We are convinced the person has the Clade 1 variant, but we have to wait to see the final result in the lab for two more days."

Mpox cases and deaths are surging in Africa, where outbreaks have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda since July.

The disease, caused by a virus transmitted by infected animals but passed from human to human through close physical contact, causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions.

Also Read | Mpox scare: AIIMS Delhi issues protocol for handling patients amid global surge

While mpox has been known for decades, a new more deadly and more transmissible strain -- known as Clade 1b -- has driven the recent surge in cases.

Clade 1b causes death in about 3.6 percent of cases, with children more at risk, according to the WHO.

Formerly called monkeypox, the virus was discovered in 1958 in Denmark, in monkeys kept for research.

DR Congo has reported more than 16,000 cases and 500 deaths this year.
Former FTX executive Ryan Salame has asked a US judge to either vacate his conviction or block any indictment of his girlfriend, alleging prosecutors reneged on a deal to stop investigating her if he entered into a plea agreement.

The one-time boss of FTXs Bahamas subsidiary made the sensational claims in a federal court filing Wednesday in New York, almost three months after he was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison for his role in illegal activities at the cryptocurrency platform before it collapsed.

According to the filing, prosecutors used plea negotiations to threaten Salames partner Michelle Bond, who is the mother of his eight-month-old child. In April 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation searched the Maryland home that Bond, a crypto advocate and 2022 Republican congressional candidate, shared with Salame.

In an effort to induce Salames plea, government lawyers conveyed that they would discontinue investigating Bond if Salame pleaded guilty, attorney Christopher Bartolomucci wrote.

A spokesman for the Manhattan US Attorneys Office declined to comment.

Salame, a prolific political donor during his time at FTX, eventually pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws and operating a unlicensed money transmitter. But, he alleges, the government resumed an investigation into Bond, who has yet to be charged with any crimes, for violating campaign finance laws.

Salame asked US District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan to block any indictment of Bond, or else vacate his conviction and the plea agreement.

In this case, the government failed to honor the implied assurances it gave to secure Salames guilty plea, which any reasonable person would have interpreted as an assurance that the government would discontinue any investigation of Bond, Salames court filing states.

Lawyers for Salame and Bond didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

Salame was the last of four top FTX figures to plead guilty to criminal offenses following a sweeping investigation that landed FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried behind bars for 25 years.

Unlike former Bankman-Fried lieutenants Nishad Singh, Caroline Ellison and Gary Wang, Salame didnt sign a cooperation agreement or testify at Bankman-Frieds trial late last year. There is no written condition in Salames plea agreement that supports his claims about an assurance from prosecutors.

He alleges an assistant US Attorney told him that although the condition couldnt be written into his plea agreement, if the government wrapped up Salames investigation, that would also conclude the inquiry into Bond.

The motion comes less than two months before Salame is due to begin serving his prison sentence. The date was recently delayed so he could undergo surgery after being bitten on the face by a German Shepherd dog.

The case is US v. Bankman-Fried, 22-cr-00673, US District Court, Southern District of New York .
Island nations scattered across the Pacific Ocean are at the center of an intensifying competition between China and the US for maritime routes, deep-water ports and other strategic assets in what the Lowy Institute calls a new Great Game.

The countries proximity to key shipping lanes and the communication cables that criss-cross the Pacific floor, together with fisheries and seabed minerals, also encourage the rivalry, Lowy said in a report on Wednesday. But its the regions maritime location between Asia, North America and Australia that is set to keep it at the forefront of major powers defense strategies.

The Pacifics geopolitical landscape is increasingly crowded, with multiple powers vying for influence, report authors Mihai Sora, Jessica Collins and Meg Keen said. China is expanding its reach through diplomatic relations, infrastructure projects, and development finance, while traditional partners such as Australia and the US strive to maintain their influence.

Thats a significant turnaround for island leaders who used to complain that western nations didnt pay enough attention to the region. Lowy warns the new strategic focus is set to challenge good governance and transparency, given opportunities for local political actors to advance narrow interests over what best serves the people of the Pacific.

Read: Why US and China Compete for Sway in South Pacific: QuickTake

The Pacific region is further grappling with rising sea levels due to climate change, as well as a lost decade of development following Covid.

China is now a significant player in the Pacific via development finance, diplomatic outreach and infrastructure such as ports, airports and telecommunications. Its also pushing to play a greater role in key sectors such as the military, policing, digital connectivity, and media, according to the report from the Sydney-based institute.

The US and its allies are also catching up. Since 2017, 18 new embassies have been established in the Pacific, including American outposts in Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, while four have closed. Australia, which has opened six new Pacific posts since 2017, is the only country with a resident diplomatic presence in every sovereign Pacific nation.

The frenetic tempo of global diplomatic outreach to the Pacific underscores the intensity of competition, Lowy said. But this sustained engagement can quickly overwhelm local systems and may not bring tangible benefits.

Beijings loans and infrastructure investments have allowed it to bolster its presence at the expense of Taiwan, which has lost three diplomatic partners in the Pacific to China since 2019.

In 2022, China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands, triggering concerns among western nations. That prompted the US and Australia to bolster security and other agreements with countries including Papua New Guinea. Canberra also signed an agreement with Tuvalu allowing its people to relocate to Australia as climate change worsens.

Rapid population gains and urbanization are straining services in Pacific nations and young people often have poor employment and education prospects, according to Lowy. PNGs population is estimated to reach 22 million by 2050, from around 10 million currently, it said.

Ports and Infrastructure

The Great Game reference harks back to the 19th century competition for influence in Central Asia between the British Empire and Russias tsarist rulers.

One of the problems of great power attention in the Pacific is that local needs like poverty reduction, education, health and other key areas are ignored in favor of strategic projects like deep-water ports and communications infrastructure. Or locally, politicians use development funds to build stadiums and other high-profile projects at the expense of more pressing needs.

The number of individual donors to the Pacific increased to 82 in 2021 from 31 in 2008 and some Pacific Islanders are concerned about the capacity of regional architecture and national systems to manage and coordinate this activity, Lowy said.

The extent of corruption in the Pacific, including capture of the state by elites and private interests, has seen no material improvements across the years, the Lowy report showed.
Ashley Biden, US President Joe Biden's daughter, delivered an emotional tribute to her father, President Joe Biden, highlighting his courage, resilience, and his role as a devoted family man, at the 2024 Democratic National Convention on August 20, People.com reported.

Opening her remarks, Ashley, 43, recounted a story from her 8th birthday, when her father, now 81, travelled from Washington, D.C., to their home in Wilmington, Delaware, to surprise her and sing "Happy Birthday" around her cake before quickly returning to the capital to finish urgent Senate business, the report added.

"Joe Biden is the O.G. girl dad," Ashley said. He wasn't just a girl dad. I could see that he valued and trusted women. How he listened to his mother, how he believed in his sister. And most of all, how he respected my mother's career, Ashley was quoted as saying in the report.

Ashley also spoke about the president's emotional presence on her wedding day, when he walked her down the aisle and told her he would always be her best friend, as per the report.

Addressing the crowd, Ashley emphasised her father's resilience, saying, "He taught me that everyone deserves a fair shot and that we shouldn't leave anyone behind. That's what you learn from a fighter who has been underestimated his entire life, as quoted in the report.

She went on to describe the president as a figure of "grace, strength and humility" and "one of the most consequential leaders ever in history."

Noting her father's constant concern for the American people, Ashley said, "About your dreams, about your dignity, about your opportunities, about your family." She also spoke about how he absorbed her and her brother Hunter's grief when their older brother Beau died in 2015.

Concluding her remarks, Ashley voiced her support for Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, saying, "In 2020, my dad selected Kamala Harris to beat Donald Trump, and he knows in 2024, she will beat Donald Trump again, as quoted in the report.
Democrats at their convention in Chicago on Wednesday are turning the spotlight to the next generation of party stars in a bid to cast Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as an elderly, out-of-touch candidate and existential danger.

Headlining that effort will be vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, whose plainspoken brand of politics  including labeling Trump and other Republicans as weird  has fueled his rapid ascent to join Vice President Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket.

The convention stage will be the biggest opportunity yet for his self-proclaimed joyful needling of the Republican ticket, and a critical platform to introduce himself to millions of viewers who may not have heard of the Minnesota governor before he became Harris running mate.

Walz will have help introducing himself and prosecuting his case against the GOP ticket. Hell be preceded on stage by a trio of 2020 presidential candidates  Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota  who remain top draws among fellow Democrats for their willingness to bluntly criticize Trump.

Theyll be joined by a group widely assumed to have presidential aspirations of their own, including Governor Wes Moore of Maryland, Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut.

Convention organizers have also planned moments intending to highlight Trumps role in the Supreme Court overturning national protections for abortion rights, as well as the Jan. 6, 2021 attack by his supporters on the Capitol.

Interspersed among the youth movement will be help from a couple of old hands.

Former President Bill Clinton  the original folksy Democrat who is able to offer cutting criticism with a smile  will be among the evenings biggest draws. So too will former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, seen as a chief instigator in the effort to force President Joe Biden from the race  paving the way for Harris ascension.

Whether on the economy, whether its on our fundamental rights and freedoms, I think the contrast is going to be very stark for the American people to see, Harris campaign spokesman Michael Tyler told reporters on Wednesday.

While highlighting some of Trumps key vulnerabilities may be the guiding principle for convention organizers eager to exploit voter misgivings about the Republican nominee, Democrats also said theyre eager to introduce Walz to a bigger audience.

Earlier: Walzs Progressive Policies Spark Debate Back Home in Minnesota

He has a folksy way about himself, Jim Clyburn, the longtime South Carolina congressman, said Wednesday at a convention event hosted by the Washington Post. He knows how to just be himself. He doesnt try to be anything else or anybody else. He just does it, he added. That is why hes on this ticket.

The race to define Walz has become particularly important as Republicans have seized on past misstatements by the Minnesota governor to paint him as a fabulist.

Walzs 2006 campaign for Congress made false statements about his arrest in 1995 for drunk driving, while the governor himself appears to have overstated elements of his military record.

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance also accused Walz of lying about having conceived his children via in vitro fertilization, which has become a flashpoint in the campaign after the Alabama Supreme Court in February ruled that frozen embryos could be considered children under state law.

Senate Republicans, including Vance, voted against a bill that would federalize protections for the fertility treatment. But despite some remarks suggesting his wife had undergone IVF, Walzs children were conceived via a different treatment called intrauterine insemination.

Trump himself is notoriously prone to exaggeration and embellishment, and polls show Vance is viewed unfavorably by a plurality of Americans, complicating Republican efforts to hit Walz on the issue. But around four in 10 Americans surveyed earlier this month by the Associated Press said they didnt know enough about Walz to have an opinion  underscoring why both sides are working hard to define him.

Trump, for his part, suggested that Democratic attacks would backfire. He told supporters in North Carolina on Wednesday that he thought the convention was focused far more on him than issues like the economy or the border.

You know, they always say, Sir, please stick to policy, dont get personal, Trump said. And yet they are getting personal all night long, these people.

With assistance from Stephanie Lai, Hadriana Lowenkron and Michael Sasso.
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Walmart was largest shareholder in JD.com with 5.19% stake -LSEG

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Companies say they will continue commercial cooperation

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JD.com shares close nearly 9% lower in Hong Kong, down 5% in US

By Kane Wu, Summer Zhen

HONG KONG, -

Walmart sold its entire stake in JD.com, ending an eight-year investment in the Chinese e-commerce firm that was yielding waning returns, and the U.S. retail giant said it would focus on its own operations in China. The move comes as competition for online shoppers' money in China has led to steep discounts from companies including JD.com as well as Alibaba, which has squeezed their margins.

"This decision allows us to focus on our strong China operations for Walmart China and Sam's Club, and deploy capital towards other priorities," Walmart said in a statement, adding it was committed to a continued commercial relationship with the Chinese company, which carries Walmart goods on its website.

Walmart

invested in JD.com

in 2016 by selling its Chinese online grocery store Yihaodian to JD.com in return for a 5% stake in JD.com itself. Shares of JD.com have fallen around 70% from their peak in early 2021 and prices are close to the levels in 2016. JD.com sales growth has stagnated after the pandemic as shoppers have flocked to rival low-cost e-commerce firm Pinduoduo.

The US retailer's share sale was fully subscribed, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday, and would be worth $3.74 billion at the top end of the offered range.

"Walmart wanted to get exposure in China in 2016 and kind of learned the retail business there," said Thomas Hayes, chairman at investment firm Great Hill Capital. "They did it and they expressed that interest through JD and now they have their own exposure and their own interests in China, and they no longer need a minority position in JD when they have a great business themselves."

JD.com said in a statement on Wednesday it was confident about the future cooperation between the two companies. As part of the original contract, Walmart and JD.com worked together to leverage their supply chains, broadening the range of imported products for Chinese consumers.

JD.com's Hong Kong-listed shares closed nearly 9% lower on Wednesday. Its U.S.-listed shares were down 5% in midday trading.

Shares of Walmart were up 0.6% on Wednesday, after hitting a record high of $75.58.

In the latest quarter, Walmart reported a 17.7% year-on-year rise in revenue from its China business to $4.6 billion on the back of strong growth in its Sam's Club warehouse chain and its digital offering.

Its membership income in China from its Sam's Club business grew 26% as member count continues to increase. The company has about 48 clubs in China.

Walmart offered 144.5 million American depositary shares of JD.com in the price range of $24.85 to $25.85, according to a term sheet seen by Reuters. Morgan Stanley was the broker-dealer of the offering.

The shares were offered at a discount of up to 11.8% to Tuesday's closing price of $28.19. Morgan Stanley did not respond to a request for comment.

The stake sale allows Walmart to raise capital and refocuses JD.com on its core online business, but a strategic partnership between the pair can continue, especially in data sharing, said Jeffrey Towson, a Beijing-based partner at TechMoat Consulting.
When Steven Kapur, aka Apache Indian, first came to India after the huge success of his song Arranged Marriage , he said in an interview that he had always thought that Punjabi was Indias first language, until he landed in India and found out otherwise.

Now, something opposite happened to me when I landed at the Heathrow Airport in London in July, knowing fully well that English was the first language of the people living in the United Kingdom. But the only language I could hear around me at Heathrow was Hindustanithe lingua franca of the people of North India and Pakistan.

The feeling did not leave me during my first couple of days in London, and wherever I went I could hear only Hindustani. Of course, as any idiot can possibly tell you, Hindustani isnt the lingua franca of the British. People in the UK speak Englishor at least something that sounds like English to us Indian ears.

Pretty soon I started registering other sounds as wellTelugu, Tamil, Bangla, Marathi, Malayalamthe Indian languages came first, and were followed by French and Italian, the only European languages that I can recognize. Nonetheless, by the time my two weeks in the UK had come to an end, sounds from a whole host of languages had made it to my ears. Of course, I have no ability of mapping a sound to a language.

So, what happened here? I was limited by my experience. My ears are primarily used to picking up the Hindustani sound and some amount of Marathi. As soon as I hit London, my ears picked up all the Hindustani and drowned out everything else. It took me a few days to get over this limitation, only to make me realise all over again how limiting our limited experiences from which we try and make sense of our lived lives can actually turn out to be. An old lesson was learnt all over again.

*****

Dear reader, if you are the kind who looks for pointed takeaways of the kind that MBAs and CAs offer when they make powerpoint presentations or give uninterruptedgyanon LinkedInyou know, six points per page and only four words to a line or perhaps vice versathen this piece is not for you. Please stop reading it immediately.

I am no snake oil salesman or in the business of pretending to manage other peoples money (OPM) by supposedly selling new products which are nothing but old wine in a bottle that isperhapsbeing reused. This piece will be totally all over the place and in the end might leave you with the feeling: Why did he write it?

*****

The one thing I really enjoyed in the UK was walking uninterrupted, unlike in Mumbai where a walking pathway can suddenly come to an end, or someone could possibly be squatting on it, or someone could be running a business on it, or an entrance to a building can be built over it.

Also, the walking pathways in London are pretty wide, almost siganlling that the local government thinks that walkers should get precedence over vehicle ownerssomething that seems to work in the opposite direction in Mumbai, where a lot of expensive physical infrastructure is built to help car owners to get to their destinations faster.

That aside, what I found most interesting was the behaviour of walkers while crossing a road. If the signal for walkers to cross a road was red people would typically stay still until it turned green, indicating it was safe to cross the road, unless one individual or a couple for that matter decide to ignore the red light and simply start crossing the road. This would immediately motivate the others to do the same as well.

I found this fascinating. Everyone stuck around following a rule until someone decided to break it. Then almost everyone broke it, including me. This also showed clearly how even one single individual can quickly create a herd following them.

*****

What will come after this is my favourite UK rant. From what I could gather during my two-week stay I can safely say that when it comes to making payments, the three places I visited (London, Oxford and Edinburgh) in the UK have gone totally digital. In London, I encountered so many sellers from fancy coffee shops to shops selling curious and even those selling street food, who refused to be paid in cash. They wanted to be paid digitally.

What I could not understand is that how could someone refuse a legal tender? I dont know what the laws in the UK have to say on this. Nonetheless I found it very weird. In fact, it is safe to say that most people have moved on to paying digitally.

One set of service providers whom I found to be not very comfortable with digital payments were the London black cab taxi drivers. While they were accepting digital payments they were more comfortablefor whatever reasontaking cash. Quite a few of them even had notices stuck in their cabs saying so.

View Full Image .

This reminded me of the kaali peeli taxi drivers of Mumbai, who unlike their autorickshaw counterparts, are still very uncomfortable with digital money. I guess there are two main reasons for it. First, many of them are over 50 and hence are generally uncomfortable doing things digitally. This wasnt the world they were brought up in. Second, and more importantly, most taxi drivers dont own the cabs they drive. They rent it. And at the end of every day, thedhanias the taxi owner is known ashas to be paid in cash. And this requires cash. So, the reluctance. But then shouldnt this logic apply to autorickshaw drivers as well? Well, I never claimed I had all the answers.

Anyway, dear reader, if you are wondering why this isnt quite sounding like a rant I said it would be, well, I havent come to the actual story yet. My usual habit of blabbering quite a bit before getting to the point isnt going to go away in a hurry.

So, my younger sister and I were on a tour bus that was taking us through the beautiful Scottish Highlands. I mean even Lonavala puts on a show on a rainy day, but this was something else. The only other comparison I can make given my limited travelling experience was that day in December 2006 when it had snowed in Gulmarg. Okay, I am blabbering again.

View Full Image The Loch Ness

Now, around an hour after we had gotten on the bus, the driver started selling us a tour within the tour that we were taking. Basically, a one-hour cruise on the Loch Ness. And he wanted cash. There were two problems with this.

First, I dont think anyone on that bus was carrying cash except me, at least thats the impression I got. Well, I grew up in a city which in the May of 1992 had a power cut lasting two weeks. So I like to be prepared. Also, if you keep talking about diversification of investment for a living, it sort of creeps into your daily life as well.

Second, there were no ATMs at the place where we were making our first stop. I guess as digital payments have taken off, ATMs are looked as a cost and been shut, like it seems to have started to happen in India as well. Anyway, there was a simple solution to all this. It was called a cashback". And one of the shops at the location we were stopping at would make it happen, or so the driver of the bus told us over the squeaky sound system.

Now, this cashback has nothing in common with what we in India call cashback. Which is why I found it very fascinating. So, you go to that shop guy, give them the card, they swipe it and give you the cash. Wait, wait, wait So, how does the shop guy make money? Well. Lets say you need 30. The shop guy swipes for 32 and gives you 30 in cash. A profit of 2.

They first nudge you towards digital payments. And when someone doesnt want to be paid digitally, they turn around and tell you, no problem, we have a solution for that as well. The market and its makers make money both ways.

Its like a company that sells you a razor to shave your beard, and when the fashion choices change, it sells you a machine to trim your beard. And this, my dears, is how markets work and win.

*****

I made three other observations regarding how a market works. The first one concerns water. Almost everywhere and anywhere you go in India, the 20 water bottle is available. Well, in the UK water prices can fluctuate a bit too much.

The cheapest water bottle I bought was from the Tesco supermarket. It cost 70 pence for a two-litre bottle. And the most expensive bottle was a 500ml bottle I bought after climbing a hill to see the Royal Observatory in Greenwich through which the Prime Meridian passes. I was extremely thirsty and couldnt find any tap water around.

View Full Image The Prime Meridian

So, the market dictated the price of water. The easier it was to find water the cheaper it was. And the more difficult it was to find water the more expensive it was. I am so used to not carrying a water bottle that I ended up paying for it almost everywhere. Bad habits, I tell you.

Second comes the Wharfor as some people like to elaborate, Warehouses at the River Front. While the full-form thing is complete rubbish, it doesnt change the fact that many London Wharfs were actually warehouses on the Thames River front, at a time when London was a big port. But once big shipping containers became the order of the day, the business model of warehouses came to an end. And they were turned into offices and apartments. Ever heard of Canary Wharf? The market has always won. (This reminds me of the textile mills of Mumbai, which have also been turned into offices and apartments.)

View Full Image The Butler's Wharf

The third good market story I heard was from an ice cream vendor at the Grassmarket in Edinburgh, who was doing brisk business on a hot day, and who sold me an ice cream with some whiskey in it, which apparently was their bestselling flavour. Six months of the year, the vendor sold ice cream, and the remaining six months they rented it out to someone selling Korean ramyun, when it was cold as hell in Edinburgh. The market always has a solution.

*****

If it hadnt been for the cash versus digital story, what follows would have been my favourite rant from my UK trip. Agatha Christies play The Mousetrap opened in London in 1952 and has run constantly since then, except for a break during the pandemic when shows were suspended from March 2020 to May 2021. It has been running at the St Martins Theatre from March 1974 onwards. And which is where my sister and I went to see the play all excited.

The excitement ended as soon as we entered the theatre. For starters, it had no AC. While that would have worked in the 1970s, we are in 2024, and climate change has impacted London as well. So it was pretty hot inside.

View Full Image Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap playing at the St. Martins Theatre in London.

Further, the seats were designed for people living in the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. (Well, I checked, the St. Martin Theatre opened in 1916.) There was simply no leg space. Now, I am tall and have a leg space problem almost everywhere. But these seats were really, really small. Plus, seated in the dress circle one had to concentrate extremely hard to be able to hear what the characters in the play were saying.

Also, what did not help was the fact that I had read too much of Agatha Christie over the years. A bunch of characters stuck in a location where one of them is the murderer is a formula she has used so often that one could see the resolution of the suspense, or the twist", as soon as the character who carried out the murder appeared on the screen. So within 30 minutes of the play starting, I realised that this had been a mistake. Also, progressive lenses help you see things clearly only when you see straight and not look down, as one seated in the dress circle had to. The things you realise as you age.

Anyway, the experience reminded me of my days of watching movies at the Sujata Cinema in Ranchi, where the ACs would almost never work and sometimes even the fans would be switched off or not run because there was no electricity, and the show was being run on a generator.

One particular winter day in January 1994, when we were watching the first day first show of the Govinda-Karishma Kapoor starter Raja Babu, the ACs stopped working and it became extremely hot and claustrophobic inside the cinema, despite it being a winters day outside.

View Full Image Agatha Christies play The Mousetrap opened in London in 1952.

The film was also a bit of a bore and a stretch. So we sweated and waited for something to happen on screen. And it did happen. The item number that had taken the country by storm came along. And we were all dancing in the aisles. The paisa vasool happened. Something that did not happen with the Christie play in London when we watched it in its seventy-third year on stage.

Nonetheless, I guess I was the only one thinking along these lines. When the play ended the audience couldnt stop clapping. In fact, when the big reveal happened and the murderer was revealed, there was a collective gasp amongst the audience, like they were so surprised by the twist".

Many clearly did not see it coming even though it was visible from half a mile away. The funniest bit happened after the play, when the actor playing the murderer came on stage and told the audience that now that they had seen the play they shouldnt go out and reveal its end to others. Given the number of gasps I heard in the audience when the big reveal came, it makes me believe that those who see the play do not go out and share the end with others.

This behaviour reminded me of something that George Orwell wrote in an essay titled Propaganda and Demotic Speech, which is a part of a book titled All Art is Propaganda, where he writes that any speech or piece of writing aimed at a large public has to take the ignorance of the people into account. Therefore, it needs a popular and everyday language.

Which is why Christie and her writing still remain popular, though I find it very boring. Also, what it told me was that you could get away with quite a bit in the name of tradition and nostalgia. Bad seats. No air-conditioning. Difficulty in hearing what the characters are saying. And at the end, a standing ovation. Paisa vasool for the customer is not the only business model going around despite what management gurus would like to say. Sometimes torture also works. Just kidding folks!

*****

So, dear reader, as you can make out from all that I have written up until now, I generally had a good time in London and the UK. Serendipity ensured that the Tower Bridgeor the bridge we Indians typically refer to as the London Bridgedecided to suddenly open up on a day I randomly decided to take a boat to Greenwich to see the Prime Meridian.

And it opened up to let through a barge with a very long flag pass, thus holding up traffic on both sides of the bridge. In fact, the story goes that the bridge once even held up Tony Blair and Barack Obama, who were supposed to drive through at some point during the day and at that very point the bridge had to be opened up to let something pass through. Tradition can be such a thing.

View Full Image When the Tower Bridge opened up.

I also discovered some of the best bookstores in the world. Just the military history section at the Blackwells Bookshop in Oxford is bigger than many bookstores in India. The Blackwells Bookshop in Edinburgh has the most bang for the buck. The London Review Bookshop has an excellent curation of books. So is the case with Daunt Books in Marylebone, London. And the Foyles at Charring Cross Road, the Waterstones at Piccadilly, and the Hatchards, also at Piccadillythe oldest bookshop in London. All these bookshops are huge and have an amazing collection of books.

Finally, I have a question for all the vanilla ice cream manufacturers in the UK. What do you guys put in the ice cream? Why is it so tasty? Is your special ingredienteh, milk? With a chocolate stick dipped in it and the right amount of Oreo dust sprinkled on it the taste becomes just so heavenly.

I say this as someone who stopped having vanilla ice cream in the early 1990s, when other softy options became available in the city I grew up in. And I had vanilla ice cream in different forms almost every single day I was in the UK.

View Full Image Vanilla ice cream sprinkled with Oreo dust, at the bottom of Arthurs Seat in Edinburgh.

The best vanilla ice cream, which was sprinkled with Oreo dust, I had, was at the bottom of the Arthurs Seat in Edinburghafter having unsuccessfully tried to climb it on a sunny dayand giving up and deciding on climbing up the Salisbury Crags, or thats where I was told I had ended up. The pleasure of that ice cream at the end of what turned out to be a hard climb was unparalleled.

All this reminds me of something that Vladmir Nabokov writes on the first page ofSpeak, MemoryAn Autobiography Revisited: Imagination, the supreme delight of the immortal and the immature, should be limited. In order to enjoy life, we should not enjoy it too much." Ah, sigh! Life will never be the same again.
The Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), a unit of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), insures deposits across the banking system. As of March 2023, it insured 2,026 banks.

In 2022-23, it collected gross premiums of 21,381 crore, with investment income at 11,908 crore, and revenue surplus after tax at 24,559 crore.

As an insurance company, it has an actuarial valuation for liability as of 31 March 2023 at 12,174 crore, but surplus collection to date beyond actuarial liability totalled 1,57,427 crore. The total funds available with the Deposit Insurance Fund are 1,69,602 crore, or 2.02% of the total insured amount.

With these impressive surpluses, the key issue to be examined is whether DICGC is overcharging banks for premiums to collect a surplus? Can the premiums be reduced and based on the risk profiles of the insured bank, which will reduce the overall costs of compliance in the banking system?

Also read: Indian banks are staring at worrisome savings and investment trends

Commercial banks have lower risk profiles: Insurance premiums rose from 5p per 100 insured in 1962when DICGC was set upto 10p in 2005 and 12p in 2020. Insurance coverage was capped at 1,500 in 1962, which increased to 1,00,000 in 1993 and 5,00,000 in 2020.

Today, DICGC collects insurance premiums at 12p per 100 insured for all deposits up to 5 lakh per person. This premium is uniformly applied, irrespective of whether the bank is commercial or cooperative, despite the differing risk profiles and management structures.

Of the 2,026 insured banks, 139 are commercial and 1,887 cooperative banks. Insured deposits totalled 83,89,470 crore, of which 77,00,667 crore were deposited with the commercial banks and the rest 6,88,803 crore with the cooperative banks.

Accordingly, of the total premiums collected in 2022-23 of 21,381 crore, 20,104 came from commercial banks and 1,277 crore from cooperative banks.

However, the claims profile is reverse, with cooperative banks requiring 98%-plus of the total claims to date. Since 1962, gross claims of 295.85 crore have been filed towards 27 commercial banks. Against cumulative recoveries of 157.54 crore, the net claims for commercial banks total 138.31 crore.

On the other hand, 14,735.25 crore have been filed in gross claims towards 410 cooperative banks. Against cumulative recoveries of 4,602.26 crore, the net claims for cooperative banks stood at 10,133 crore.

DICGC collects 94% of premiums from commercial banks, which account for a mere 1.3% of net claims. Cooperative banks contribute only 6% of premiums but claim 98.7% of the net claims.

The skew of premiums to net claims totally distorts the sector because well-managed banks are being made to pay for the huge defaults prevalent in cooperative banks. It imposes high costs on good management, contrary to the risk evaluation theory of insurance.

Reevaluation of premiums: DICGC does not need to carry these big surpluses on its balance sheet. It invests them in government securities, which are stable investments. Additionally, as a wholly owned subsidiary of RBI, it has in-principle access to liquidity support from RBI in case of need.

In 2022-23, revenue surpluses after tax totalled 24,559 crores. It is safe to assume that there will be a surplus of at least 26,000 crore in 2023-24 and another 30,000 crore in 2024-25.

Adding these will take the fund surplus to 2,13,427 crore plus the actuarial valuation, which will be close to the oversized target of 2.5% of the insured deposits that DICGC has set. It is especially outrageous in the case of commercial banks.

DICGC and RBI must reevaluate premiums paid by commercial banks, which hold a majority of the insured deposits but have significantly lower risk profiles than cooperative banks.

If the insurance premium of 12p per 100 insured is reduced to 3p for commercial banks, this will provide them a relief of about 20,000 crore in 2025-26. The premium for cooperative banks can be lifted up to 15p, the maximum the law allows.

This will reduce DICGCs gross 2025-26 revenue by about 20,000 crore and revenue surplus after tax by about 15,000 crore. However, with balance premium revenue along with investment income, DICGC will get an estimated 24,000 crore in pre-tax revenue, which is still a significant surplus.

Reducing the premiums for low-risk banks will send a clear message to the economy that premiums must be based on the risk profile of the insured entity, and larger banks do not have to subsidize the claims of cooperative banks.

In case of bank failure, RBI has demonstrated alacrity in working out a safety net, as seen in the case of Yes Bank. The probability of public sector banks requiring bailouts is almost nil as the government owns them.

The likelihood of private sector banks requiring bailouts is also relatively low, as evidenced by data. Still, if one is in trouble, RBI has enough tools to ensure it is safely reset. High insurance premiums are not required.

Excessive regulation and compliance costs in banking must be reduced to improve efficiency. RBI and the government have done exceptionally well in developing tools to manage bank failures.

They must ensure that commercial banks do not bear the high compliance costs, which are ultimately passed on to depositors and good borrowers and drag down the economy.
DHAKA, BangladeshThree months ago, 26-year-old Nahid Islam was airing his views in online posts about the war in Gaza and alerting followers to a book club discussion. Now the sociology studentwho helped lead protests that toppled Bangladeshs longtime leader, Sheikh Hasinais the countrys technology and telecom minister, making decisions that affect 170 million people.

Islam and other student protesters lobbied the army to put Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Prize-winning, 84-year-old microlending pioneer, in charge of the interim government.

They got the leader they wanted, along with two seats in his cabinet.

Islam was a natural choice for a post. While pursuing a masters degree he had honed his organizing skills in university politics and became one of the most visible faces of the protests over weeks, gaining prominence after he was detained and beaten by the police in July.

His job hasnt been easy, as the new government faces a flood of pent-up demands.

It is a very big responsibility on my shoulders," said Islam, who had deep bags under his eyes and said he was working 16-hour days. People are coming with their problemsso many."

On a recent afternoon, cries of One-point! One point!" wafted from the streets below up to Islams seventh-floor office at the technology ministry. It was a reference to the students successful rallying crytheir one-point demand" for Hasinas resignation.

Now other groups are repurposing the slogan for their own demands.

Islam sees the protests that just happened as a battle of generationson one side, those who fought for independence from Pakistan in 1971 and their children, on the other, those born in the 1990s and later.

Now, a new generation representing the new middle class, rising middle class, people from rural areas, they want to come to power," he said.

In her governments final days, Hasina, who had ruled since 2009, shut off the internet and blocked the social-media platforms the students were using to organize protests, which began over an unpopular quota system for government jobs. Despite her efforts to repress the often violent protests, they grew into a broader uprising against her increasingly autocratic rule.

More than 500 people died after the demonstrations intensified in mid-July, though the situation has calmed in recent days.

From his new perch overseeing the countrys communicationshe is in charge of broadcasting as well as the internetIslam signaled that the new government would be different. Previously, police often used internet-communications laws to round up journalists and opposition figures on charges of defamation and spreading false information.

We will give topmost priority to freedom of speech and freedom of the press," said Islam, who said his father is an opposition politician who was often detained before elections.

A fellow student leader, Asif Mahmud, also 26, is in charge of labor and employment, as well as the youth ministry.

Although many in Dhaka are hopeful about the prospects for a new Bangladesh, there are enormous challenges ahead. Neither Yunus nor his student backers have any experience governing.

In the days after Hasinas Aug. 5 resignation, amid a power vacuum, police left their posts, afraid of retribution for shooting protesters. Looting spread, targeting former regime officials and buildings associated with the Hindu religious minority.

Students poured onto the streets to protect Hindu temples and conduct day-to-day governance responsibilities such as directing traffic. A number of students have become a first point of help for families of those hurt or killed in the protests.

Last week, Asad Bin Rony, a 28-year-old law student who worked closely with Islam and Mahmud coordinating the protests, was up past midnight negotiating on the phone with hospitals to get an intensive care bed for a student who had been injured in protests in early August.

Rony got a call in the early hours of Thursday from a leading Dhaka hospital after he directed the family there. He identified himself as part of the students main coordination group. Please admit the patient," he added.

A few minutes later the hospital called back to confirm the student had been admitted.

In recent days in Dhaka, police have returned to the streets, restoring some level of order. But governance challenges remain, in part because hundreds of mayors and other local officials affiliated with the old regime have vanished, amid fear of reprisals.

In other cases, the students have pushed for officials who held the most powerful postsincluding the chief justice of the Supreme Court, the central bank governor and vice chancellors of top universitiesto resign.

Yunus has defended some of the steps taken so far and said legal processes were followed.

There is uncertainty about how long the interim government can stay in power, and under what authority.

Major political parties are calling for quick elections, but student leaders say those shouldnt be rushed. Legal questions hover over the constitutionality of the current government arrangement and some of the steps taken under it.

The students argue that the interim government is a government with powerunlike a caretaker government intended only to oversee elections. They want even more sweeping changes before elections happen.

The interim government must reform many things, like our constitution, our law enforcement, our High Court, our Supreme Court, our education system, our economic system, our health system," said Nusrat Tabassum, a 23-year-old masters student of political science at Dhaka University who was a leading protest coordinator.

Few of Bangladeshs enormous problemsnot enough jobs, a legacy of government corruptioncan be resolved quickly or through legal changes. Many problems are only now bubbling to the surface, as a new government, tolerant of dissent, takes charge.

In recent days, protesters outside government offices included candidates for state teaching jobs seeking the long-delayed results of their recruitment exams, and a disbanded paramilitary unit whose members were seeking to be reinstated.

Islam, the student leader, has been a member of government for all of two weeks, but his offices are already filled with petitioners asking for help.

Fazle Rabbi, 62, a retired teacher, waited outside his offices, saying he hoped to resolve a long-running salary dispute.

Abdul Munnaf, 27, an app developer, said he wanted to share ideas about getting youth involved in the information technology sector.

A group of student protesters asked Islam if he could fix the quality of rural internet. And could he also find a way to end the endemic corruption and extortion in Bangladesh? The students referred to him as brother, instead of the sir" conventionally accorded government officials.

Islam, who dresses in a uniform of a button-down shirt with rolled-up sleeves and trousers, hears each request patiently and often responds that he will look into the problem.

R.H.M. Alaol Kabir, Islams new private secretary, has served 14 years as a civil servant. He said reporting to a 26-year-old was a breath of fresh air compared with many politicians he has seen enter government.

In most of the cases we see that people are actually coming for their own personal interests," said Kabir. But the students are coming for the betterment of the country."

Write to Krishna Pokharel at krishna.pokharel@wsj.com and Jon Emont at jonathan.emont@wsj.com
As negotiations to halt more than 10 months of fighting in Gaza drag out with no clear breakthrough in sight, U.S. officials see a silver lining: Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah have for now held off on what many feared would be a major retaliatory attack against Israel.

For three weeks, the Middle East appeared on the brink of a regional war after Iran and its proxy said they would strike back against Israel for its twin killings of a senior Hamas leader in Tehran and a Hezbollah commander in Beirut. The Biden administration issued a series of dire warnings last week, saying the attack could come soon.

But no massive attack has materialized.

Biden administration officials say Iran doesnt want to interfere with U.S. and Arab-mediated cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas, in part because a deal would pave the way for the U.S. to reduce its stepped-up military footprint in the Middle Easta priority for Tehran.

The Iranians see the threat of an attack as leverage for bringing about Israeli concessions to get the cease-fire in place, and also providing motivation to the U.S. to do all they can to push all sides," a U.S. official said. They realize the opportunity here to influence things in support of their strategic aims."

Iran continues to message that it is putting off a retaliatory strike as talks unfold. In a statement to The Wall Street Journal, Irans mission to the United Nations said any response must both punish Israel and deter future strikes in the country, but also must be carefully calibrated to avoid any possible adverse impact that could potentially influence a prospective cease-fire."

The timing, conditions, and manner of Irans response will be meticulously orchestrated to ensure that it occurs at a moment of maximum surprise; perhaps when their eyes are fixed on the skies and their radar screens, they will be taken by surprise from the groundor perhaps even by a combination of both," the statement said.

Hopes that a cease-fire might ease tensions in the region, including with Iran, were thrown into doubt Tuesday night, when Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated that a breakthrough wasnt imminent. Time is of the essence," he told reporters, citing the fierce urgency" needed to get a deal done and warning all parties not to escalate tensions further.

Blinkens remarks were at odds with the optimism mediators expressed in recent weeks that a deal was imminent after Hamas dropped its demand for an explicit commitment to a permanent cease-fire. It also appeared to be a setback from Monday, when, after meeting in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken announced that Israel had accepted a proposal to bridge gaps holding up the deal for a cease-fire and hostage release.

Blinken declined to provide details, however, and the Israeli leader hasnt publicly backed the agreement.

A group of hostage families on Tuesday said Netanyahu told them he was not sure" a deal could be reached and that Israel will under no circumstances" leave a buffer zone along Gaza-Egypt border and an area that bisects the enclaves north and south. Netanyahu has told Israeli officials he persuaded Blinken of the need for Israeli troops to remain in both places.

A senior U.S. official traveling with Blinken swiftly criticized the remarks attributed to Netanyahu, which saw the Israeli leader hold his ground on a prime sticking point. Maximalist statements like this are not constructive to getting a cease-fire deal across the finish line," the official said.

President Biden, fresh from addressing the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, appeared to blame the militant group for the lack of visible progress. Hamas was now backing off," he said early Tuesday morning. But he said a cease-fire was still in play."

Hamas replied that Bidens remark was misleading and didnt reflect the true position of the movement. The militant group says it has been eager to reach an agreement that would halt the conflict, but the most recent proposal includes Israeli conditions that it doesnt accept.

A potential cease-fire isnt the only part of Tehrans consideration in weighing a potential attack on Israel. Iran also fears that directly attacking Israel for a second time this year would lead to a broader regional war, a senior administration official said. Such an outcome would come at huge cost to Iran, where the economy is already struggling, and would likely draw the U.S. deeper into the conflict.

They dont want to go down that path," the official said.

Iran might not hold back indefinitely, however. Iran will respond to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, regardless of the diplomatic situation, according to Steven Cook, a senior fellow for the Middle East at the Council on Foreign Relations. It would be a strategic setback if they dont," he said.

Cook added that an attack by Iran during the talks would also make it easy for Israel and Hamas to blame Tehran for a collapse in negotiationsa convenient foil for two sides that keep finding ways not to reach an agreement.

On Tuesday, Alimohammad Naini, a spokesman for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, told state media that Tehran is looking at different options, and whatever it chooses might not be a repeat of previous operations." A spokesman for Irans mission at the U.N. didnt respond to a request for comment.

In April, Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel, but almost all of them were intercepted by Israel, the U.S, and its allies.

U.S. officials also tout their own diplomatic and military messaging as potentially deterring Iran, at least for now.

The movement of U.S. aircraft carriers and jet fighters into the region sent a clear signal to Tehran, in addition to the messages Washington sent directly and indirectly to the Iranian regime, a senior administration official said. We know they are paying attention to our messages, we have indications," the official added.

If the cease-fire talks do collapse, however, Iran may use that diplomatic breakdown to legitimize an eventual attack on Israel, said Dana Stroul of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, who served as the top Pentagon official overseeing Middle East policy until February.

Either way its leaders are working to position Iran as a regional leader rather than the epicenter of the regions woes," she said.

Summer Said contributed to this article.

Write to Lara Seligman at lara.seligman@wsj.com, Alexander Ward at alex.ward@wsj.com and Alan Cullison at alan.cullison@wsj.com
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi will be visiting Jammu and Kashmir on August 21-22 to take stock of party's preparations for the upcoming assembly elections in the Union Territory.

As per the revised schedule, the two leaders will reach Srinagar on Wednesday evening and visit Jammu on the second day on Thursday. Earlier the two leaders, were to visit Jammu first followed by their travel to Srinagar.

JKPCC spokesperson, Ravinder Sharma said the visit has been rescheduled and that the two leaders will reach Srinagar today evening.

The two leaders are also expected to explore possibilities of alliances with the regional parties  National Conference (NC) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP). The two parties are part of INDIA bloc but are rivals in Jammu and Kashmir.

This visit follows their meeting on Monday with general secretaries, in-charges, and screening committee members from four states heading to the polls.

On the first day on August 21, the two leaders will be in Srinagar for assembly-poll related meetings. The leaders will are expected to travel to Jammu later to continue their engagements and address a workers' convention there.

On the first day on August 21, the two leaders will be in Srinagar for assembly-poll related meetings. The leaders will are expected to travel to Jammu later to continue their engagements and address a workers' convention there.

Jammu and Kashmir is all set to hold its first Assembly elections in a decade to elect a government after over six years of Central rule. The last assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir was held in 2014.

Voting will be held in three phases with first round on September 18. The next two phases will be held on September 25 and October 1. The results will be announced on October 4. As many as 24 seats will vote in first phase on September 18.

Congress, NC alliance in the past While there are no confirmations about any meetings of the Congress leaders with the NC or PDP leadership in the erstwhile state, the grand old party has in the past formed coalition government with the NC.

The NC won the 2008 Assembly elections, winning 28 seats. It formed a coalition government with the Congress, which had won 17 seats, in the then 87-member House that also included Ladakh.

Omar Abdullah, the NC vice president said in Srinagar on Monday that the party was willing to start a negotiations with the Congress party.

After the meeting of screening committee members in Delhi on Monday, Congress general secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal had told reporters that the Congress is very much for an alliance in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has appointed RSS leader and former party general secretary, Ram Madhav as election in-charge for the upcoming Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.

Madhav is returning with a responsibility in the erstwhile state where he was instrumental in stitching up BJP's unlikely coalition government with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015 after the assembly polls threw up a hung verdict.

It is another matter that the alliance broke in 2018 after BJP withdrew its support to then chief minister Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP. This also marks Madhav's return in active politics. He will share the responsibility in the Union Territory along with Union Minister G Kishan Reddy.

The three-phase assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir are scheduled to begin with the first round on September 18. The other two rounds are scheduled on September 25 and October 1. The counting of votes will take place on August 4.

A BJP statement said that party president JP Nadda has appointed the two leaders as poll in-charge.

It is unusual that two leaders are made election in-charge together as, generally, an in-charge is joined by one or more co-incharges by the BJP.

As a key BJP organisational leader between 2014-2020, Madhav was deeply involved with the politics of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir ten years ago.

Also Read | How Jammu and Kashmir threw up hung verdicts since 2002 polls. 10 points

The BJP leadership's decision to bring Madhav back underlines the useful role he may play for the party in navigating the Union Territory's politics, full of fault lines and contesting narratives, and devoid of an overarching theme, according to news agency PTI. The appointment also hints at the likely RSS role in the upcoming plls, the agency said quoting sources

Madhav was removed as BJP general secretary in 2020 and returned to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 2021 and was made an executive member of the Hindutva organisation.

Madhav is also the president of the think tank India Foundation and is a regular contributor to opinion pages in the media. In his previous tenure in the BJP, he was one of the more visible party general secretaries who also fronted its expansion drive in the Northeast region.

In 2014 assembly polls , the BJP got 25 seats, and the PDP won 28 seats in a House with 87 members before the two parties decided to form the government in the erstwhile state.

The BJP's efforts have yielded political dividends in Hindu-dominated Jammu region. The BJP did not field candidates in the three seats of Kashmir Valley in the Lok Sabha polls in assembly polls. It, however, won both seats of Jammu region in the general elections.

Even in past assembly polls, the BJP has won seats only in Jammu region which now has 43 seats in the 90-member house. The Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley has 47 seats.

Jammu and Kashmir is all set to hold its first Assembly elections in a decade to elect a government after over six years of Central rule. The notification for the first phase of the three-phased assembly elections inJammu and Kashmirwas issued on Tuesday. As many as 24 seats across 6 districts will vote in first phase on September 18,
US Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump are facing a close contest among Virginia voters, according to a Roanoke College poll, according to reports. Most voters view Trump as a threat to democracy.

According to The Washington Post, a survey conducted before the Democratic National Convention began, shows Harris leading with a 47 per cent, a few points ahead of Trump's 44 per cent. The margin, however, falls within the polls margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.

The reports further mentioned, that even if additional candidates are to be considered, Harris has been maintaining a three-point lead from 45% to 42%. Other candidates including Robert F Kennedy Jr, and Cornel West, are also not far behind as they got support from 13% of voters.

Harry Wilson, a senior political analyst for the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research, noted that the transition from President Joe Biden to Harris has had an impact, but not as significant as anticipated, per the report.

Although Virginia remains a tough battleground for the US Presidential Polls, Harris holds a slight edge over Trump, which is better when compared to Biden's past electoral records.

Harris favourable, Trump in between According to the report, Joe Bidens approval ratings in Virginia remain low, with only 37% of voters viewing him favourably, while the majority of 61% views him unfavourably. While Harris has been a set negative, she remains somewhat better, with a 43% favourable rating and 53% marking her unfavourable. Meanwhile, Donald Trumps ratings lie in between, with 40% favourable rating and 57% unfavourable.

Both parties vice-presidential candidates also face negative ratings, with Democratic Gov. Tim Walz at 34% favourable and 51% unfavourable, and GOP Sen. JD Vance at 32% favourable and 55% unfavourable.

Donald Trump threat to democracy? The poll indicates a polarised electorate, with 51% of voters viewing Trump as a threat to democracy and 47% expressing similar concerns about the process leading to Harriss nomination. There has also been a broad sense of discontentment for Walz, and J.D Vance, further highlighted the report.
The government is facing accusations of failing to deliver social housing after new figures showed that 5,092 people across Longford-Westmeath are on social housing lists or in receipt of Housing Assistance Payment (HAP).

The report, published by the Parliamentary Budget Office, estimates that the number of social homes across the state must be increased 56% to meet the current deficit.

Sinn Fein TD Sorca Clarke says the remedy for the problem is a change of government.

Deputy Clarke said a Sinn Fein Minister for Housing implementing the party's housing plan is the answer to the problem: Figures released this week show that 5,092 people across Longford-Westmeath are on housing lists or in receipt of HAP. This is further evidence of the governments inability to fix the housing crisis and their failure to deliver social housing for those who need it.

The Sinn Fein TD says this is at odds with the government's position: Only last month Taoiseach Simon Harris inexplicably claimed that a sufficient volume of social housing was being delivered.

These figures rubbish the Taoiseach's claim, and show just how out of touch he and his government are when it comes to their failures to address the housing crisis.

Deputy Clarke said the government stance is in contradiction of the experience of those seeking housing: None of this will come as a surprise to those struggling to put a secure and affordable roof over their heads. Fine Gael has been in government for 13 years, Fianna Fail have been propping them up for the last eight years.

Last week alone, three independent reports were released by the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland, the Central Statistics Office and Savills. These reports once again highlighted that the governments housing plan is not working.

The Longford-Westmeath elected representative said the housing issue remains a number one priority: The three reports highlight sky high house prices, chronic undersupply and the growing affordability challenge for working people looking to rent or buy a home.

During all of that time, house prices, rents and homelessness have risen to historic highs. Meanwhile, the delivery of social and affordable homes has been unacceptably low.

Deputy Clarke concluded by reiterating her party's position: Sinn Fein has an alternative housing plan that will prioritise the delivery of social and affordable housing to the level required. That's why we need a general election, a change of government and a Sinn Fein Minister for Housing."
Search crews have carried out further inspections of a luxury yacht that sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily as the hunt for six people feared trapped in the vessel continues.

The Italian Coastguard has not ruled out the possibility that those missing, including technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, may still be alive, with experts speculating air pockets could have formed as the yacht sank.

Among those also missing are Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

Inspections of the yachts internal hull took place on Wednesday morning.

A team of four British inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) have arrived in Porticello, where they are expected to look at the site of the sinking.

The MAIB is looking into what happened because the yacht Bayesian was flying a British flag, it is understood.

The Italian Coastguard said the MAIB is not involved in the search for the missing people and that it has not been requested to assist.

A helicopter had been drafted in to help the search effort, as divers from the local fire service were seen entering the water with torches attached to their headgear.

A police boat and divers were also seen entering the water on Wednesday afternoon.

Fire crews from the Vigili del Fuoco said they have been accessing the vessel through natural entrances, without making openings.

Remotely controlled underwater vehicles are being used, with naval units and cave divers also taking part in the search, the Italian Coastguard has said.

Mr Bloomers twin brother, Jeremy Bloomer, told the BBC: Its a slow process and it will take time. So there might be air pockets, but we dont know. Its still wait and see, so fingers crossed.

The body recovered at the scene of the sinking on Monday was that of Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working on the Bayesian superyacht, the Italian Coastguard told Sky News.

Gareth Williams, a friend of the chef, told the BBC: I can talk for everyone that knew him when I say he was a well-loved, kind human being with a calm spirit.

Another friend, Eli Fuller, told the broadcaster Mr Thomas was friends with everybody, always positive and sought-after in his profession.

Bayesian was moored around half a mile off the coast of Porticello when it sank at around 5am local time on Monday as the area was hit by a storm.

Vincenzo Zagarola, of the Italian Coastguard, said the six missing tourists are feared dead.

Asked about the likelihood of them being alive, he said: Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not.

He told the PA news agency: We think they are still inside the boat, that is our very hard idea.

Of course, we do not exclude that they are not inside the boat, but we know the boat sank quickly.

We suppose that the six people missing may not have had time to get out of the boat.

The wreckage of Bayesian is resting on the seabed off the coast at a depth of 50m (164ft).

Fire crews described the operation as complex, with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts.

Dr Jean-Baptiste Souppez, a senior lecturer in mechanical, biomedical and design engineering at Aston University, said the next 24 hours are crucial to find survivors trapped inside the wreck.

He said: The speed at which the vessel sank (a few minutes, according to survivor and witness accounts) and the fact that it remains intact and on its side could favour the formation of small air pockets inside.

But whether air pockets formed on the Bayesian is simply impossible to predict.

Of the 22 passengers and crew on board, 15  including Mr Lynchs wife, Angela Bacares  were rescued after escaping on to a lifeboat.

The Mirror reported that Ms Bacares is in a state of shock and sadness as she awaits news of her husband. She has reportedly been joined by the couples elder daughter who was not on board the yacht.

More of the vessels rescued crew members were named by the Italian Coastguard on Tuesday, with Leo Eppel and South African nationals Leah Randall and Katja Chicken all confirmed as having been on board.

Survivors are recuperating at a hotel complex in Porticello, where authorities are gathering witness statements.

The Telegraph reported that authorities are investigating whether hatches left open by crew members contributed to the sinking, as well as what onboard measures were taken in preparation for the storm.

The ships captain, James Calfield, 51, told Italian media: We didnt see it coming.

The boat trip was a celebration of Mr Lynchs acquittal in a fraud case in the US.

The businessman, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was cleared in June of carrying out a massive fraud relating to its 11 billion US dollar (8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.

The Financial Times reported that Mr Bloomer appeared at trial as a defence witness for Mr Lynch, while media reports suggest the pair are close friends.

A spokesman for Morgan Stanley said the bank is shocked and saddened, while Clifford Chance said it was a tragic incident.

David Tabizel, Mr Lynchs Autonomy co-founder, told Sky News: Im just heartbroken for him and his family and I hope theres a miracle about to occur.

If anyone has the resilience to survive this, he does. And I hope hes found an air pocket.

The former school of Mr Lynchs daughter, Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London, said its thoughts are with their family and everyone involved.

One of the survivors, British tourist Charlotte Emsley, told Italian newspaper la Repubblica she held her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, to stop her from drowning.

The pair were treated in hospital, as was Ms Emsleys father, James Emsley.

In a separate incident, Mr Lynchs co-defendant in his US fraud trial, Stephen Chamberlain, died after being hit by a car while out running in Cambridgeshire on Saturday.
Mobile phones could be banned in secondary schools under plans being considered by the education minister.

Norma Foley said she is looking into introducing a ban on mobiles in post-primary schools.

The Department of Education published guidelines for parents last year, as part of an initiative to keep childhood smartphone free.

The Fianna Fail minister is set to go further to reduce the use of mobile phones in schools.

Speaking at Ardscoil Ris in north Dublin, Ms Foley said that the Government has done a huge body of work around mobile phones.

Ive met with mobile phone providers, Ive met with the social media platforms and we will continue to educate both at primary and at post-primary, but I am now in a space where Im saying  looking to introduce a ban on the mobile phone at post-primary, the Kerry TD said.

I think were very conscious of the world in which we live. All studies, including, for example the United Nations study last year, telling us that mobile phones interrupt learning in a school environment.

Obviously theyre a cause of cyber bullying and we know too the conversation, the integration, the community of conversation thats so important in school, is very much interrupted by the fact that students take out their mobile phones at different times.

But I want to be clear, schools are doing a huge body of work on the ground in relation to this.

All of them would have policies in relation to appropriate use of the mobile phone. But equally so, I meet principals who tell me, the mobile phone, even though students keep it in their bag, the beeping of it is an interruption to study.

Its a continuous hum almost in the background.

Im very clear that I think we need to establish in our schools a culture of non-acceptance of the mobile phone.

Moving forward now with the band working with our schools on mobile phones, particularly in post primary, its not the issue really in the primary, in that theyre not using them particularly during school hours in the primary.
Press Releases

By Long Island Published: August 21 2024

Governor Hochul announced a decline in overdose deaths across New York State, highlighting ongoing efforts and innovative approaches to combat the opioid epidemic.

Governor Hochul today provided an update on New Yorks ongoing efforts to combat the opioid and overdose epidemic that is impacting states across the nation. Estimated overdose deaths in areas of New York State outside New York City declined 9 percent in the 12-month period ending March 2024 compared to the prior 12-month period, according to new provisional data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Estimated overdose deaths in New York City declined 3.1 percent in the same period. Following the release of this data, Governor Hochul highlighted that New York is continuing to take aggressive action to reduce overdose deaths statewide  including new, innovative approaches to deliver supportive services to New Yorkers struggling with addiction.

Im committed to keeping New Yorkers safe and turning the tide against an overdose epidemic that has taken far too many neighbors, friends and family members in New York and across the nation, said Governor Hochul. We'll continue taking aggressive action and deploying new resources that will save lives and ensure New Yorkers struggling with addiction get the services and support they need.

Office of Addiction Services and Supports Commissioner Dr. Chinazo Cunningham said, The updated provisional CDC data continue to trend in the right direction, meaning fewer New Yorkers are dying of overdoses. However, we remain cautiously optimistic and focused on saving lives through our ongoing efforts to bring innovative prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery services to all those who need it. Free online naloxone kits and drug testing strips, enhanced access to medication treatment, and mobile medication units are just a few ways we continue to use data, equity, and harm reduction strategies toward this effort.

State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, The provisional data released by the CDC is evidence that the harm reduction and prevention measures being taken at all levels in New York State are making an impact and saving lives. We still have more work to do. Opioid use disorder is a public health crisis that requires a collaborative approach and in partnership with community organizations, public health professionals and our state agency and federal partners, we will continue to leverage every tool available to reach more New Yorkers who are impacted by the overdose epidemic.

According to the newly released provisional data, the CDC estimated 3,253 drug overdose deaths in areas of New York State outside New York City during the 12-month period from April 2023 to March 2024. This represents a 9 percent decrease compared to the estimated 3,575 overdose deaths in those parts of the state from April 2022 to March 2023.

Also according to that data, the CDC estimated 3,123 drug overdose deaths in New York City during the 12-month period from April 2023 to March 2024. This represents a 3.1 percent decrease compared to the estimated 3,223 overdose deaths in New York City from April 2022 to March 2023.

Since this is provisional data, it is subject to further revisions by federal officials in the coming months based on final reporting.

More Than $335 Million in Opioid Settlement Funds Made Available

As part of continued efforts to address this crisis, Governor Hochul highlighted New Yorks nation-leading work to distribute opioid settlement funds to local communities. Settlement funds are used to invest in addiction prevention, recovery services, harm reduction and other resources that can play a role in reducing overdose deaths.

As of August 1, New York has made more than $335 million in settlement funds available since January 2023  making this funding available faster than any other state in the nation. NYS OASAS is the lead agency responsible for oversight of New Yorks Opioid Settlement Fund. To guide distribution of this funding, New York established the Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board, which provides recommendations on the best use of this funding to support the various services across New York State.

Delivering New Resources to Support Individuals Impacted by Addiction and Decrease Overdoses

Swift distribution of settlement funding and new State funding have enabled New York to advance a wide array of community investments and new initiatives that will help save more lives and address the needs of New Yorkers struggling with addiction. Governor Hochul highlighted several examples of these efforts:

Providing more than $100 million to municipalities across the state to support efforts to address the opioid and overdose crisis on a local level.

Funding new programs to increase access to medication for addiction treatment and other healthcare services, including comprehensive integrated outpatient programs, new opioid treatment programs, and increased access to low-threshold buprenorphine.

Providing a total of more than $12 million to Recovery Community and Outreach Centers across the state, which help struggling New Yorkers access more services, support and information about addiction and recovery.

Significantly increasing community-level outreach and engagement efforts that connect at-risk individuals with the harm reduction and treatment services they need.

Expanding the addiction services workforce by recruiting and training more New Yorkers for jobs that enable them to help fellow New Yorkers struggling with addiction, including providing funding to medical schools and other colleges to support a new scholarship program.

Establishing Mobile Medication Units which provide medication for addiction treatment and other services and resources, and are designed to bring services directly to underserved communities and address barriers that keep some people from seeking treatment.

Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs), which provide an array of coordinated services to address substance use and/or mental health, including crisis intervention, screening and assessments, and treatment planning.

Distributed Nearly 700,000 Life-Saving Naloxone Kits Statewide

Along with deploying new services and resources to support New Yorkers struggling with addiction, the State has taken nation-leading action to distribute naloxone kits that can save lives during an overdose emergency.

Through combined efforts by NYS DOH, NYS OASAS and other partners, New York has distributed nearly 700,000 naloxone kits statewide in the last 18 months  including many through a first-in-the-nation online ordering portal. This portal also provides individuals and organizations the opportunity to order fentanyl and xylazine test strips. To date, more than 11.3 million fentanyl test strips and 8.3 million xylazine test strips have been distributed through this effort. These supplies can be ordered through the OASAS website.

Additionally, New York recently began providing free access to naloxone kits to domestic violence shelters and service providers across the state.

New Yorkers struggling with an addiction, or whose loved ones are struggling, can find help and hope by calling the states toll-free, 24-hour, 7-day-a-week HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (Short Code 467369).

Recognizing National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day

To recognize National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, the following New York State landmarks will be lit purple today:

One World Trade Center

Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge

Kosciuszko Bridge

The H. Carl McCall SUNY Building

State Education Building

Alfred E. Smith State Office Building

Empire State Plaza

State Fairgrounds - Main Gate & Expo Center

Niagara Falls

The "Franklin D. Roosevelt" Mid-Hudson Bridge

Albany International Airport Gateway

MTA LIRR - East End Gateway at Penn Station

Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal

Moynihan Train Hall

Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park

State Senator Nathalia Fernandez said, Governor Hochuls announcement highlights significant progress in addressing New Yorks opioid crisis, including a decrease in overdose deaths and new investments in crucial resources. These developments support the ongoing efforts of the Alcoholism and Substance Use Disorder Committee. While promising, continued action is essential. We look forward to more initiatives from the Governor and are committed to advancing additional legislation. Our goal is to ensure every New Yorker receives the support they need.

Erie County Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein said, The recent national and New York State drug overdose death decreases demonstrate that harm reduction strategies work. With NYSDOH support, Erie County continues to support Narcan trainings, fentanyl test strip use, and promotes never using alone, accessing peer navigator assistance and implementing low threshold buprenorphine.

Albany Medical College Professor of Emergency Medicine Michael Dailey MD, said, This good news in the face of ongoing tragedy allows us a moment to reflect on the interventions that we are making across the State, from the community of drug using people working to prevent overdose, to those in public safety and emergency medicine working to treat people who are in crisis. Drug use and overdose is a highly personal public health problem. As we treat people who overdose, we must continue to follow the evidence to provide compassionate care, minimize severe withdrawal symptoms, offer opportunities for intervention, and assure that we are focused on the best solutions for each individual.

CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy Professor Pedro Mateu-Gelabert Ph.D., said, The recent data indicating a decline in overdose deaths from April 2023 to March 2024 in New York State could signal the continuation of a positive trend that began in 2023. This comes after five years of troubling increases in overdose fatalities, suggesting that the tide might finally be turning. While this shift may be partly due to public health initiatives like expanded treatment access and naloxone distribution, it's crucial to remain cautious. Ongoing monitoring will be essential to see if this downward trend persists and to understand the factors contributing to this potential reversal.
The cover of Imam Hosseins Peace; Historys Most Glorious Heroic Flexibility, a book authored by Razi al-Yassin and translated into Farsi by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as featured on his website. Khamenei has also used the term heroic flexibility to describe Iranian inaction after issuing threats.

The Islamic Republic has scaled back its rhetoric against Israel and pivoted away from hard revenge, instead shifting to strategic ambiguity. Tehran believes time is on its side, and its retaliation against Israel for the killing of Hamas Political Chief Ismail Haniyeh need not be imminent. However, developments on the ground suggest otherwise.

While numerous high-ranking regime officials vowed to avenge Haniyeh in late July, Tehran is yet to follow through with these threats. In contrast, Iran responded within 12 days after Israel targeted key Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) figures in Damascus. Tehran has evidently adopted a different approach from its response in April and seems unlikely to retaliate the same way.

On August 20, The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported on the regimes revised approach of strategic ambiguity against Israel that has caused an unprecedented state of alert in Israel and the region without firing a bullet. On the same day, IRGC Spokesperson Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini stated that time is on our side and the response [to Israel] may take long. For now, Zionists must endure an astatic state.

The statements from IRNA and the IRGC echo remarks made by Islamic Republic Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei a week prior: Sometimes a retreat is tactical; retreating is a tactic just like advancing. Khamenei has a history of using innovative phrases to justify the regimes inability to meaningfully follow through with its threats, such as heroic flexibility and strategic patience. Employing these terms often indicates that the regime is holding back from escalating tensions with its enemies but still aims to protect its reputation in the eyes of its supporters inside Iran and across the region.

Khameneis latest speech suggests that his regime is recalculating its response to the humiliating assassination of Haniyah in Tehran by hoping for increased international pressure on Israel. On the diplomatic front, Islamic Republic Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani accused Israel of not being interested in establishing a ceasefire in Gaza and called for a collective effort to pressure Jerusalem. In another attempt at rallying support against Israel, Iranian state TV aired a dramatized video in early August that depicted an Israeli Olympic athlete with bloodied hands being confronted by other athletes.

The Iranian regimes reluctance to wage another large-scale attack against Israel is perhaps due to deterrence from the West and a lack of support from the East. The United States firmly asserted that if Tehran were to retaliate by conducting a major attack, Irans government and economy could suffer a devastating blow. The US Department of State also stated that it has been sending consistent messages to Tehran that the US will defend Israel from Iranian attacks. Additionally, Israel anticipates that the United Kingdom and France will support it in undertaking military measures if the Islamic Republic carries out its threatened retaliation.

Simultaneously, the Islamic Republic did not receive meaningful diplomatic support from Moscow and Beijing after Haniyahs assassination. Russian President Vladimir Putin allegedly asked Khamenei for a restrained response to Israel, as opposed to condemning the assassination. Similarly, China Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Lin Jian indirectly discouraged Tehran from retaliating by stating, It is critical for the international community to enable de-escalation. China remains committed to keeping the Middle East peaceful and stable.

Whether a patient approach is truly favorable to Tehrans objectives remains a matter of contention. Despite international pressure for a ceasefire, Israel has reaffirmed that disarming Hamas is a stance on which it cannot compromise. Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that the countrys military has killed more than 17,000 Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war.

Meanwhile, Israels targeted assassinations have taken out numerous high-ranking figures in Irans proxy network in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria. IDF airstrikes have eliminated Hamas and Hezbollah fighters in Nablus, Tubas, Gaza, Beirut, Nabi Chit, Shebaa, Nabatieh, Homs, and many other locations in recent weeks. These heavy losses endured by the Axis of Resistance call into question Iranian leaders lauding heroic flexibility and claiming that time is on [the regimes] side.

Janatan Sayeh is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies focused on Iranian domestic affairs and the Islamic Republics regional malign influence.
One of the homes damaged on August 21 in Hezbollahs rocket attack. (IDF photo)

Hezbollah expanded its attacks on Israel on August 21, targeting the Israeli town of Katzrin in the Golan Heights with a large barrage of rockets. Hezbollah has hit numerous sites in the Golan in recent months, and its recent attack on the Katzrin, the largest in this area since October 8, 2023, caused significant damage and injured one person. The IDF singled out the barrage in its statements, illustrating how seriously Israel considers the groups latest round of rocket fire.

Hezbollah has recently expanded its attacks on northern Israel. The Iranian-backed group has launched 7,500 rockets and 200 drones at Israel in the last 10 months, often targeting communities within several miles of the Lebanese border. Most of these Jewish communities have been evacuated, and around 60,000 residents continue to live in hotels or areas outside of their villages and towns.

Hezbollah previously expanded its attacks in August to target the small communities of Shamir and Ayelet HaShachar, both of which are in the Huleh Valley, several miles south of the Lebanese border. Neither of these locales have been evacuated, and Hezbollah singled them out with barrages on August 15 and 17.

On August 21, the first attack on Katzrin in the Golan began at 8:21 am. More than 50 rockets were fired, and several impacted the town. Hezbollah followed the initial barrage with attacks between 11:23 and 11:33 and several more in the afternoon, ending this round of escalation at sunset. In all, sirens sounded in more than 40 communities on August 21.

Hezbollah claimed the barrage that struck Katzrin was aimed at a nearby IDF base, which the group claimed houses forces from the IDFs 651st maintenance unit. Hezbollah also stated that it targeted a number of other IDF sites in northern Israel. Hezbollah often claims that its attacks target the Israeli military, even when they consist of indiscriminate rocket fire. In some cases, the groups precision drone and anti-tank missile strikes do aim at IDF sites. However, the rockets often also target civilian areas.

Thousands of families and civilian homes targeted and hit by Hezbollah fire, the IDFs spokesperson to international media, Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, said in a statement. Shoshani posted an image of one of the homes damaged by rocket fire. This is one of the few houses that were just destroyed by Hezbollahs barbaric attack on Israeli civilians in Katzrin, northern Israel. There was no other target in the area other than a civilian neighborhood and kids on their summer vacation. Like any other country in the world, attacks against our civilians will not go unanswered.

IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari also condemned the attacks in a separate statement in Hebrew, illustrating the seriousness of the situation.

In the wake of the Katzrin attack, Brigadier General Yair Peli, the commander of Israels 210th Division responsible for protecting the Golan Heights, held a situational assessment in Katzrin with the IDFs Home Front command. Peli also met with the civilian leadership of the Golan Regional Council, the head of the Katzrin Local Council, and others. The latest attacks on civilian areas in the Golan come after a rocket killed 12 children and teenagers in the Druze town of Majdal Shams on July 27.

After Peli met with local officials, Brigadier General (Res) Alon Friedman, the commander of Northern Commands Home Front Division, also slammed Hezbollah for the attack. This is a village with approximately 8,000 people, he noted. The IDF also said that Hezbollah fired rockets toward the area of Zarit.

Israeli warplanes struck a building from which it said the rocket fire originated. Another airstrike hit Kfarkela in southern Lebanon, and the IDF fired artillery at threats in the areas of Ayta ash Shab and Aalma El Chaeb in southern Lebanon, according to the IDF.

While Hezbollah was escalating attacks on the Golan, the IDF also carried out a strike on Khalil Al-Maqdah, whom the IDF described as operating on behalf of the Hezbollah terrorist organization and the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

According to an extensive Israeli statement on the strike, Maqdah was responsible for coordinating terror attacks in the West Bank and smuggling weapons and funds to terrorists. Over the past two years, there has been an increase in arms smuggled to groups in the West Bank. Most of the weapons consist of rifles that have ended up in the hands of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other organizations.

The IDFs statement presents new evidence of how this smuggling network is linked to Iran and Hezbollah and has become more sophisticated. The Maqdah strike also comes in the larger context of various other Palestinian terror groups, including Hamas, working with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

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).
The manager of a new Greek restaurant in Maidenhead town centre is hoping the venue will make diners feel like they are holidaying by the sea.

The Greek House opened in Maidenhead High Street on August 15 and has been decorated in the traditional blue and white colours of the Greek flag.

Manager Erisa Hoda said the dining spot takes inspiration from Greek kitchens and culture and aims to fill a gap in the market in Maidenhead.

She told the Advertiser: A Greek restaurant has been missing from Maidenhead for a long time so we thought, why not?

We thought Maidenhead was missing this type of restaurant. The British people love Greece and they love our food.

She added: The restaurant is colourful and you feel like youre by the sea.

We are not in Greece and we dont have beaches and those things but the colours make you feel like we are there.

The Greek flag is white and blue and the restaurant is all in white and blue. That makes you feel like you are by the front of the sea.

The venue has pledged to offer guests an authentic Mediterranean dining experience on a menu where everything is imported from Greece.

Traditional dishes such as moussaka and beef stifado are available as well as a selection of plates from the grill including halloumi, chicken or pork souvlaki.

The restaurant is currently open seven-days-a-week for lunch and dinner.

Erisa added: Since opening on August 15 its been crazy.

Weve been open for one week and weve already had people booking three weeks in advance.

Call 01628 769473 or visit the restaurant at 126 Maidenhead High Street to make a booking.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has reassigned two top executives at the VA hospital in Buffalo after hearing complaints that local veterans experienced delays in receiving critical treatments.

Upon learning of concerns raised by clinicians about local leadership and instances of delayed care, VA immediately transferred the medical center director and the chief of staff out of clinical- and Veteran-facing positions pending the results of an investigation, VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes said in a statement Wednesday morning.

Because the investigation is ongoing, the VA said it could not comment about whether Michael J. Swartz, executive director of the VA Western New York Healthcare System, or Chief of Staff Dr. Philippe Jaoude could return to those roles depending on what the probe finds.

Shawn De Fries, associate director of VA Finger Lakes Healthcare System, which includes the Canandaigua VA Medical Center, has been named the interim medical center director in Buffalo. VA Western New York Healthcare System serves roughly 2,000 patients a day and employs about 2,250 people.

News of the leadership changes came not long after U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy sent a letter Tuesday to VA Secretary Denis R. McDonough. In the letter, Langworthy said it had come to his attention that the VA had informed the House Committee on Veterans Affairs that the Buffalo VA Medical Center had likely mismanaged oncology referrals made to the community.

Specifically, VA has reported that due to the medical centers mismanagement, veterans may not have received treatment as fast as they should have, wrote Langworthy, a conservative Republican who represents outlying parts of Erie County, as well as the Southern Tier.

Langworthy implored the VA to conduct a thorough and transparent review of the situation and to cooperate fully with the House Committees investigation. Langworthy said he would closely monitor the situation and continue to press for accountability to guarantee that no veterans health is compromised due to administrative failures.

This situation is deeply concerning, Langworthy wrote. The potential mismanagement of oncology referrals raises serious questions about the Buffalo VA Medical Centers adherence to established protocols and its overall commitment to the well-being of its patients.

In his statement, Hayes said the VA proactively informed Congress of this matter, and will continue to keep lawmakers and local veterans informed on the issues.

Providing veterans with the world-class care they deserve when and where they need it is our top priority, and VA has taken immediate steps to ensure the health care needs of veterans are being met, Hayes said.

VA is committed to providing veterans timely, quality health care  we will never settle for anything less, and we will continue to hold our employees accountable to the highest standards of care and services, he added. Because the investigation is ongoing, we cannot comment further at this time.

U.S. Rep. Tim Kennedy, a Democrat, issued a statement Wednesday afternoon, calling it "unacceptable for veterans to receive delayed care due to administrative failures."

"As a member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am committed to providing oversight to ensure that these heroes receive the care they have earned and deserve," Kennedy said. "My Congressional colleagues and I will be monitoring the outcome of the investigation and taking appropriate action where needed."

The union that represents more than 400 nurses at the Buffalo VA Medical Center had previously raised concerns about the facilitys local leadership, though those issues revolved around staffing, rather than referrals for cancer care. However, staffing levels can have a significant effect on how long patients wait for care.

As union criticizes blizzard staffing plan, Buffalo VA says 'there is no shortage of nurses' at its hospital Union nurses at the Buffalo VA Medical Center on Tuesday blasted what they said was the administration's failure to prepare for the deadly holiday storm with a proper staffing plan, noting it's emblematic of a larger, and ongoing, problem: VA administrators who are not listening to their concerns about a chronic worker crunch.

Several nurses, represented by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United, in January 2023 blasted what they said was the Buffalo VA Medical Center administrations failure to prepare for the deadly 2022 Christmas weekend blizzard with a proper staffing plan. They said it was emblematic of a larger problem of VA administrators who were not listening to their concerns about a chronic staffing crunch.

An Office of Inspector General report on VA occupational staffing shortages, released this month, found the VA Western New York Healthcare System had 12 clinical occupation titles with shortages and seven nonclinical titles with shortages. With 19 titles designated as in a severe shortage, the VA Western New York Healthcare System was roughly in line with the VA systems in Syracuse (21 titles in shortage), in the Finger Lakes (25 titles) and in Albany (25 titles).

Nurses at the Buffalo VA are planning to hold a protest at noon Friday outside the Bailey Avenue hospital to discuss the VAs hiring freeze.

The leadership change and investigation also comes as the VA Western New York Healthcare System is renovating its 75-year-old campus on Bailey Avenue, with many projects geared toward modernizing and improving the patient experience.

With plans for new downtown hospital 'off the table' for now, VA is revamping its aging Buffalo medical center The VA could still one day build a new Buffalo hospital  but that is something that would be "probably 20 to 25 years down the road."

While a new Buffalo VA Medical Center could one day be built, such a project is probably 20 to 25 years down the road, Swartz told The Buffalo News earlier this year.

So, the VA has more than $64 million worth of projects in active construction on the 1.1 million-square-foot Bailey Avenue campus, and another $3.1 million in projects ongoing at the Batavia VA Medical Center.

Tens of millions of dollars more in spending is projected at the VA Western New York Healthcare System over the next five to 10 years.

The VA also is securing a lease to relocate its research program from its research facility in Building 20 on the Bailey Avenue campus to an off-campus space that is more modern. Building 20, which was built in the 1990s and is connected to the main hospital, will then be expanded and repurposed to house surgical and critical care operations.

We will renovate what we can here, Swartz said, and I think Building 20 gives us a great opportunity to expand the footprint to meet the needs of modern health care.

But Swartz may no longer be the local leader leading those expansions.
Boston police are asking the public for help in investigating a shooting at the Dominican Festival Sunday evening in Franklin Park in which five people were shot.

Police officers were clearing the streets as the annual festival wrapped up around 8:45 p.m. when multiple gunshots were heard coming from the crowd, police said previously. Three men and two women were shot, but their injuries were all non-life-threatening.

Boston police are now asking the public to contact them with any witness information, images or videos related to the shooting, the department said in a press release. Detectives can be reached at (617) 343-4275, or an anonymous tip can be submitted by calling 1 (800) 494-TIPS or texting the word TIP to CRIME (27463).

The Boston Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to help this investigation in an anonymous manner, the department wrote in the release.
A handful of criminal cases  including one of the highest profile murder cases in Mass. last year  stand to be affected by fallout over testimony from a state trooper suspended after testifying at the murder trial of Karen Read.

And the number is likely to grow.
Maggots were found in a breakfast served to a Democratic National Convention delegate in Chicago, WGN 9 in Chicago reported.

Chicago police and Illinois State Police entered the Fairmont Chicago hotel where delegates ate, the television station reported.

Soon after, an FBI evidence response team van parked outside the hotel Wednesday morning.

We can confirm that a group of individuals caused a disruption at a DNC-related breakfast event at our hotel this morning, Fairmont Chicago hotel spokesperson Haley Robles told WGN 9. Our team acted immediately to clean and sanitize the area, ensuring that the event could continue without further incident.

DNC officials said in a statement obtained by the station that multiple unknown female offenders ... began placing unknown objects onto tables containing food. The offenders are believed to have then left the area.

It is not clear if the maggots were found before delegates started eating, WGN 9 added.

Indiana delegate Tracy Boyd told the station that she and other state delegates were notified that there was a delay with the breakfast service because of the incident.

One person was treated, though it was not clear if it was connected to the incident, NBC 5 Chicago reported.

The incident happened on the third day of the convention, where former President Bill Clinton, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are expected to speak, NPR reported.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is expected to formally accept the Democratic Partys vice presidential nomination in the evening.
Both the Army Reserve and police missed opportunities to intervene in a gunmans psychiatric crisis and initiate steps to seize weapons from the spiraling reservist responsible for the deadliest shootings in Maine history, according to the final report released Tuesday by a special commission created to investigate the attacks, which killed 18 people.

The independent commission, which held 16 public meetings, heard from scores of witnesses and reviewed thousands of pages of evidence, reiterated its earlier conclusion that Maine law enforcement officers had authority under the states yellow flag law, but didnt use it, to seize reservist Robert Cards guns and put him in protective custody weeks before the shootings.

The 215-page report also faulted the Army Reserve for failing to do more to ensure Cards health and deal with his weapons. And it pointed out that no one used New Yorks red flag law to initiate steps to seize the gunmans weapons when he was hospitalized last summer, even though the law had been used on non-New York residents before.

The commission, created by Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, announced its conclusions at Lewiston City Hall, less than 3 miles from the two sites where the shootings took place Oct. 25, 2023.

Our ability to heal  as a people and as a state  is predicated on the ability to know and understand, to the greatest extent possible, the facts and circumstances surrounding the tragedy in Lewiston. The release of the independent commissions final report marks another step forward on that long road to healing, the governor said in a statement.

Although the report contained no major surprises, the commissions chair, Daniel Wathen, noted the facts laid out in the document can be used by others to make changes to prevent future tragedies.

Megan Vozzella, who lost her husband two weeks shy of their first anniversary, expressed through an American Sign Language interpreter that she wants accountability for those who failed to act to stop the shootings.

FILE  Rain soaked memorials for those who died in a mass shooting sit along the roadside by Schemengees Bar & Grille, Oct. 30, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)AP

We are dealing with grief, loss of our loved ones. And its a journey. All we can do is learn from this and make our lives better, she said, likening the process to dealing with broken pieces. Its like were walking through the shards, she said.

Ben Gideon, a lawyer for Vozzella and other relatives of those who died, described the shootings as the product of a dangerous intersection of gun ownership and mental illness with failures to intervene that were outlined in the report.

At the end of the day, what happened here was a pairing of someone who was known to be paranoid, delusional and suffering from a diagnosed psychosis with someone who owned numerous weapons of warfare, Gideon said.

The commission began its work a month after the mass shootings by Card, who killed his victims at a bowling alley and a bar and then took his own life. Over nine months, there has been emotional testimony from family members and survivors of the shooting, law enforcement officials, U.S. Army Reserve personnel and others.

The commission praised the swift response by police to the shootings but also noted what Wathen, a former chief justice of Maines highest court, described Tuesday as utter chaos as hundreds of law enforcement officers arrived to search for the gunman. The only recommendation issued by the commission was for state police to conduct an after-action review.

Family members and fellow reservists said Card had exhibited delusional and paranoid behavior months before the shootings. He was hospitalized by the Army during training in July 2023 in New York, where his unit was training West Point cadets, but Army Reserve officials acknowledged that no one made sure Card was taking his medication or complying with his follow-up care at home in Bowdoin, Maine.

The starkest warning came in September text from a fellow reservist: I believe hes going to snap and do a mass shooting.

The commission report contained new details of Cards time at a private psychiatric hospital  Four Winds in Katonah, New York  where Card acknowledged having a hit list and officials planned to ask a judge to extend Cards hospitalization. But the court hearing never happened, and his psychiatrist felt the hospitals request would have been unsuccessful, given Cards stabilization and progress and his agreement to continue medications and participate in therapy. The psychiatrist thought he was safe to discharge after 19 days.

The report also took up New Yorks red flag law but didnt reach a conclusion on whether it should have been used to initiate the removal of Cards weapons while he was hospitalized at Four Winds. An Army health care worker testified he thought the law applied only to New York residents. But the report noted that petitions were successfully initiated in New York against at least 10 nonresidents, like Card, between 2021 and June 2024.

Army officials conducted their own investigation after the shootings that Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, then the chief of the Army Reserve, said found a series of failures by unit leadership. Three Army Reserve leaders were disciplined for dereliction of duty, according to the report.

The commission report noted that the last call to Cards cellphone was from the Army Reserve Psychological Health Program the day before the shooting. He hung up when the caller identified herself. That same day, he also received the last of five emails from the Army Reserve Medical Management Center; he didnt respond to any of them, the report said.

After the shootings, Maines Legislature passed new gun laws for the state, which has a tradition of hunting and firearms ownership, after the shootings. A three-day waiting period for gun purchases went into effect this month.

In addition to Wathen, the seven-member commission included two former federal prosecutors; two additional former judges, including a former member Maines highest court; the states former chief forensic psychologist; and a private psychiatrist who is an executive at a psychiatric hospital.

___

Sharp reported from Portland, Maine. Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Kathy McCormack in New Hampshire and Lisa Rathke in Vermont.
A Massachusetts man died Tuesday night after he was struck by a van in Brockton, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruzs office announced Wednesday.

At around 8:40 p.m., Brockton police were notified of a pedestrian struck at the intersection of North Quincy and Hovenden streets, Cruzs office said in a statement.

First responders arrived and found a man on the street, the statement continued. Domingos Gomes, 57, of Brockton, was taken to Brockton Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The operator of the van, a Ford Econoline, stopped after the incident and called 911, Cruzs office wrote.

Brockton police reached out to Massachusetts State Police to investigate the crash. The investigation remains ongoing.
Editors note: This article was updated at 4:07 p.m. on Aug. 21, 2024 to correct what state the man killed in a crash was from.

A North Carolina man was killed in a two-car crash early Wednesday morning in Stoughton, officials said.

Stoughton Police were told around 6:15 a.m. that a black Cadillac with two men inside and a Toyota Highlander driven by a Quincy woman crashed near 1463 Turnpike St. in Stoughton, Norfolk District Attorney Micheal W. Morrissey said in a statement.
HOUSTON  As the Red Sox close out a seven-game road trip Wednesday afternoon, theyll do so against a future Hall of Famer.

Justin Verlander will make his return to the mound for the Astros after more than two months on the injured list with a neck strain and pitch for the first time since June 9, when he threw five innings in Anaheim. The 41-year-old has been limited to just 10 starts this year. The Red Sox havent seen him since Aug. 22 of last season, when Verlander  who owns a career 2.74 ERA in 20 starts against Boston  tossed six shutout innings against them at Minute Maid Park.
Update: Worcester has placed Marcelo Mayer on the IL with low back inflammation.

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer will be placed on Triple-A Worcesters injured list, a source confirmed.

The 21-year-old shortstop has been dealing with a lower back and upper glute muscle issue.

Mayer, who Boston promoted to Worcester along with Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel on Aug. 11, has not yet appeared in a game with the WooSox.

He last played in a game July 30 with Double-A Portland. He spent from Aug. 1-9 on Portlands IL before being activated and promoted to Triple A.

Boston selected Mayer with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. He batted .307 with a .370 on-base percentage, .480 slugging percentage, .850 OPS, eight homers, 28 doubles, 38 RBIs, 60 runs, 30 walks, 66 strikeouts and 13 steals in 77 games (335 plate appearances) for Portland.

Im feeling much better, Mayer said Aug. 13. My lower back and my upper glute was just bothering me a little bit. I missed a week in Somerset due to pec soreness and then my back kind of flared up on me. So weve just kind of been being cautious with it.

He said he and the Red Sox didnt want to want him to play through it and make it worse.

Injuries have been an issue. He suffered a shoulder injury last year that limited him to 78 games.

The Boston Globes Alex Speier was the first to report Mayer heading to the IL.
BOSTON  The owner of a now-defunct luxury home business in West Springfield was sentenced this week after pleading guilty to defrauding the U.S. government to help one of his clients obtain a mortgage.

Kent Pecoy, 66, of San Mateo, Florida  but formerly of Wilbraham  was sentenced to time served and two years of supervised release Tuesday by a federal judge, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorneys office for the district of Massachusetts.

Pecoy was also ordered to pay a $24,000 fine and $35,982 in restitution.
SPRINGFIELD  A lawsuit filed by a former X-ray technician claims two of her male colleagues, including a supervisor, took inappropriate photos of her and shared them with all or almost all of the staff at the center where she worked.

Moira McDonald, who worked at the Surgery Center of New England for six-and-a-half years, said in the complaint filed in Hampden Superior Court Aug. 16 that the centers human resources department received several complaints about the photos but failed to investigate.
The Health Products Regulatory Authority has informed the Coroner of Mayo that it is updating product information of a medication used to treat multiple sclerosis that may cause an anaphylactic reaction.

The updating of the product information follows an EU-wide review of Glatiramer Acetate, a medication used to treat multiple sclerosis which found that it is associated with anaphylactic reactions.

Elaine Quinn, a mother of two, from Crillaune, Ross, Castlebar died in Mayo University Hospital on February 12, 2022, three days after administering herself with her regular medication Glatiramer Acetate, known by its brand name Copaxone.

The inquest into Mrs Quinns death heard that the 42 year old had an anaphylactic reaction to the medication which was administered at her home and suffered cardiac arrest.

At the conclusion of the inquest in June, Mr Pat OConner, the coroner for Mayo, recommended to the HPRA to continue its investigations into any possible side effects of the drug 'Copaxone' and inform the public and medical profession of its findings.

On August 14, the HPRA informed Mr OConnor that an EU-wide review of glatiramer acetate found that anaphylactic reactions may occur shortly following the administration of the medicine and in some cases a fatal outcome has been reported.

As a result of the review, the product information of all glatiramer acetate-containing medicines has been updated by the HPRA and circulated to consultants and GPs around the country.

Anne Tobin, Pharmacovigilance Manager with HPRA stated that a EU-wide review of all available data concerning anaphylactic reactions with glatiramer acetate has concluded that the medicine is associated with anaphylactic reactions, which may occur shortly following administration of glatiramer acetate even months up to years after initiation of treatment.

Ms Tobin explained that as a result of the findings new measures will be taken and a Direct Healthcare Professional Communication (DHPC) highlighting this important safety information, is being circulated in Ireland to relevant healthcare professionals including consultant neurologists, emergency department consultants, retail pharmacies and GP practices.

The updated product information states that patients receiving treatment with glatiramer acetate and their caregivers should be informed about the signs and symptoms of anaphylactic reactions and instructed to seek immediate emergency medical care if an anaphylactic reaction occurs.

This is particularly important given the seriousness of anaphylactic reactions and the possibility for self-administration in the home settings.

The product for all glatiramer acetate-containing medicines will be updates with new information regarding the risk of anaphylactic reactions, including anaphylactic reactions occurring months up to years after initiation of treatment , and the new measures to be taken, the communication to healthcare professionals states.

Mrs Quinn was found unresponsive in her home on the morning of February 9, 2022 and rushed to Mayo University Hospital where tests showed features of an anoxic brain injury. Ms Quinn failed to respond to treatment and she passed away peacefully on February 12.

The post mortem into her death found she died as a result of acute fatal cerebral ischaemia due to anaphylactic shock.

The inquest into her death heard that it is possible that her medication 'triggered an anaphylactic reaction' which led to a 'catastrophic brain injury'.

At the conclusion of the inquest in Swinford Courthouse in June, Declan Hynes, the solicitor for Mrs Quinn's husband Paul and her family said the family had used medical experts to conduct their own investigation into her death. He said that they accepted and understood the findings of her death but had concerns regarding Glatiramer Acetate and there should be ongoing vigilance of it.

Family were adamant that there would be ongoing vigilance of this product, he said. They have heard and accept the evidence they feel there is something of an unknown and a lacuna there for them. They feel the medication prescribed is what ultimately led to Elaine's passing albeit medical evidence there is no known background case which has led to a fatality.

In recording an open verdict into the death of Mrs Quinn, Mr O'Connor said that while an anaphylactic reaction triggered by taking this medication is extraordinarily unusual, it did unfortunately occur in Mrs Quinn's case and he hopes it will be taken into account by clinicians in the future.

I think it is appropriate that I should recommend that the HPRA continues its vigilance into this particular medication and they continue to monitor as they will under their statutory obligations I am sure the clinicians who are here will echo that recommendation, Mr O' Connor said.
Mayo Writer Ray Lawlor has been named as a finalist for the Writers Guild of Ireland (WGI) Zebbie Awards.

The Castlebar writer secured his spot as a finalist in the Best TV Drama Script at the seventeenth (WGI) Zebbie Awards for the opening episode of his RTE television series, Obituary.

The six-part series was conceived and penned by Mr Lawlor, who has described it as a fun, darkly twisted drama.

Set in the fictional Mayo town of Kilraven, Obituary is a dark comedy crime drama in which the newspaper that 24-year-old Elvira Clancy works for falls into hard times, meaning she is now being paid per obituary.

When work dries up, Elvira soon discovers that by murdering the unpleasant residents in her small town, she will not only earn more money but discovers she has an untapped bloodlust. The only problem for her lies with the papers new hire, Emerson Stafford, a suspicious crime correspondent who she begins to develop feelings for.

Siobhan Cullen as Elvira Clancy in Obituary, which is nominated for Best TV Drama Script at the WGI Zebbie awards

The WGI Zebbie Awards celebrate Irish writing for stage, screen and radio.

The WGI, which campaigns for rights, remuneration, more control of work and better recognition for its members, represents over 400 Irish writers for film, television, theatre, radio, animation and games.

This years awards take place as the WGI celebrates its emerald anniversary, marking 55 years since it was first established as the Society of Playwrights in Ireland.

Jennifer Davidson, Chair of the Writers Guild of Ireland, said: Once again, were delighted to support and celebrate the craft of our talented members through the Zebbie Awards. Now in their seventeenth year, the Zebbies highlight the incredible contribution that Irish writers make to our creative industries. At the Writers Guild of Ireland, we are exceptionally proud of the work that our members do.

The awards ceremony, which will be presented by Tara Flynn, will take place on Tuesday, September 3 at The Sugar Club in Dublin.
Connacht GAA have announced that they are hosting a 5km fun-run, Daisy Dash, in aid of childrens cancer charity, Cancer Fund for Children.

The fundraising event will take place on Saturday, 7th September at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence in Bekan, Co. Mayo.

Connacht GAA CEO John Prenty is excited to support Cancer Fund for Children through the Daisy Dash event and is calling out for all clubs to take part: We are all looking forward to the inaugural Connacht GAA Cancer Fund for Children fun run. It should be a great day of craic at the COE and of course all for a great cause. I'd encourage all clubs to send as many representatives as possible if they can and it will be great to see the colour and excitement on the day.

Sinead OMalley, Events and Digital Fundraiser for Cancer Fund for Children, is also looking forward to the fundraising fun run: We are so grateful to Connacht GAA for this partnership. It has been fantastic to work with John Prenty and his team to host an event like this in these state-of-the-art grounds. With the second Daisy Lodge in plans in Cong, Co. Mayo, we are delighted that this event will raise much needed funds and awareness for the work Cancer Fund for Children do.



I would urge all GAA clubs, running clubs, all organisations and groups to sign up and join us on September 7th. Daisy Dash is suitable for all ages and fitness levels, so come along and walk it, crawl it, dance it - whatever suits! We will have some well-known GAA stars joining us on the day also; you never know who you will meet!

Cancer Fund for Children is a non-profit organisation providing emotional, social and therapeutic support to children and young people living with cancer across the island of Ireland. This support is provided in the hospital, at home, in the community and at the short-break therapeutic centre, Daisy Lodge in Newcastle, Co. Down. Plans are already underway for a second Daisy Lodge centre to be built in Cong, Co. Mayo, with construction commencing later in the year. Cancer Fund for Children hope to officially open Daisy Lodge, Cong in Spring 2026.

Registration is 25 per adult and 10 per child, with t-shirt included and refreshments provided after the run. Those interested in signing up for the Daisy Dash can do so through the Eventmaster link: https://eventmaster.ie/event/KlGrcpnHGx
Supermac's boss Pat McDonagh rolled up his sleeves to feed "the masses Supermac's chips" as the fast food chain made their debut at Electric Picnic last weekend.

The Galway-founded food chain made a welcome addition to the many food options at the festival and proved a fan-favourite over the three days.

The Supermac's boss attended the Stradbally festival over the weekend and while his staff were busy cooking up the food, McDonagh was spotted mixing with punters and even went so far as to feed one excited woman a chip.

Supermacs opened its doors as far back as 1978 in Main Street, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway and since then, Supermacs has gone from strength to strength with over 100 restaurants throughout Ireland and over 2,700 staff.

If the queues at the Supermac's stands over the weekend were any indication, it's safe to say their debut went down well with Picnickers and they'll be back in 2025.
MCLAs goal of fostering global citizenship among its students will take a major step forward in the Spring 2025 semester as the College debuts its Global and Intercultural Studies major. The major closely aligns with the Massachusetts Department of Higher Educations Equity Agenda and will enable the College to become an educational leader in implementing curriculum initiatives that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. In addition, the program will enhance opportunities for social mobility for underrepresented students by offering global experiences and preparing them for career opportunities in a rapidly changing labor market.

This major includes coursework drawn from across the entire MCLA academic catalog. The majors foundational coursework includes classes in global and cultural studies, as well as anthropology, communications, history, and political science. Additional elective coursework is pulled from economics, English, environmental studies, finance, philosophy, social work, sociology, and modern languages. The experiential learning requirement can be filled through study abroad, independent study, or an internship.

The program was intentionally structured with an abundance of flexibility, allowing students to craft their own experience to meet their individual interests and career goals. Students will work with Career Services early on in their studies to explore career options to help aid in appropriate course selection.

The goal of the coursework is to help students critically examine complex global issues and understand how world systems influence and are influenced by struggles for sustainability, social justice, and intercultural dialogue.

Upon graduation, students will display a nuanced understanding and appreciation for diverse perspectives and worldviews, have actively addressed personal and cultural biases, and be able to interact across cultures.
by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, August 20, 2024

Dismantling years of investments and reinvestments of profit to build what some view as a nearly perfect string of supply-chain platforms reinforced with data and access to users through logins and identifiers can be seen in two completely different ways.

Google reported 2023 advertising revenue of about $237.86 billion, which contributed to the company's total revenue of $305.6 billion.

Search queries based on time of day and location can inform ad targeting, and 90% of these are processed in the United States to inform the flow throughout its businesses. How do competitors compete with that massive scale?

By no means do I expect an answer. Its more of a rhetorical question based on Googles commitment to building technology.

Nor do I expect to provide all the information needed to make a decision. I just want to inform readers of how much time, money and expertise was put into building out Google, an information and ad-serving machine.

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Google owns multiple pieces of the technology supply chain -- such as ad placement, ad server, demand-side platform (DSP), sell-side platform (SSP), ad network, exchange, and the creative process. It spent years piecing together the puzzle to land the perfect ad on the perfect page based on the correct time, and experimented with automation using data within its network of connected services and sites.

Some think that in its lawsuit, the Department of Justice provided a limited description of how the ad-technology landscape works, and failed to describe how advertising moved with consumers from laptops or desktops to mobile and tablets to apps and displays into video. Then there is audio, such as podcasts and connected TV (CTV).

Advertisers and publishers are not locked into a string of technology that Google either created or acquired to serve ads, making it difficult for other companies to participate. Technology is interchangeable and interoperable, enabling the highest bid for any placement to win. Google also for many years reinvested its profit back into the business, as so many others have done and continue to do.

To identify inventory on a publisher site and serve an ad, the supply chain mixes and matches a variety of companies billions of times daily each time a transaction is triggered and performed.

Its common for companies to own many pieces across advertising and publishing services. An advertiser could use Googles Campaign Manager 360 as their ad server, The Trade Desk as their DSP, buy through any ad exchange, and land on a sell-side platform like Magnite.

The U.S. government claims Google is self-preferencing, but self-preferencing is not unlawful under U.S. antitrust laws, according to one unnamed source.

Many new companies -- large and small -- have entered the ad landscape and gained traction quickly. In addition to Kroger, Walmart and Target, new entrants include TikTok, Uber, and PayPal. Why would any of these companies enter a monopolized market? No one expects a company that has just entered the market to have the same profit power as one that has been working on building it for years.

Brands or advertisers are not locked into working with one company. That would defeat the purpose. It is assumed that the average publisher today uses about six SSPs simultaneously to monetize inventory.

Advertisers use three or more DSPs because its easy to drop a tracking tag and monitor which one provides better targeting options. Its an outdated idea that an advertisers would use one DSP or SSP for opportunities across the web.

Each piece of Googles ad technology informs the others, giving the Alphabet company a competitive advantage, according to the lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice.

But the argument that Google has created a closed-loop ecosystem doesnt work. The company has been working for years to increase its interoperability with other companies. Some believe that choosing winners and losers of a highly competitive industry could break the tools that work for ad buyers and sellers by changing what works today.

Google buys into more than 80 exchanges through its DSP, and also shares the data used to inform bid requests from publishers, and the data that comes from advertisers for publishers and exchanges. That information is available to all via electronic data transfers.

Technology moves faster than the court system. Artificial intelligence (AI), while it has not yet overtaken traditional search, will in time.

Within that time, competitors that have and will emerge continue to improve their chances of overtaking Google in search and ad targeting. Companies like Microsoft, OpenAI, Perplexity, Meta, and many others.

Unless there is an underlying and ill-intentioned strategy to undermine advertisers, dismantling Google is not the answer. Time could correct the competitive imbalance.

There are other challenges with AI, such as global warming. The technology requires massive amounts of energy to run the servers that operated the technology -- much more than search and ad serving -- but that's another topic that requires exploring alternative sources of energy.

An AI focus seems to be the opposite of sustainability -- one of the major challenges to climate change.

U.S. Judge Amit Mehta ruled on August 5 that Google violated antitrust laws through exclusive agreements with companies, and deemed the company had monopoly power in two markets, general search services and general search text advertising. But a second trial that will begin in September will determine potential remedies. This may include breaking up the Alphabet company, although the company said it will appeal.
by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, August 20, 2024



While late payments haven't bottomed out yet, they have reached a plateau, according to the most recent semi-annual tracking report on digital media payments released this week by OAREX.

While the percentage of payments made late by media debtors including advertisers, agencies and DSPs have fallen to 76% in the first half of 2024 -- the lowest percentage since the second half of 2021 -- OAREX Executive Vice President Nick Carrabbia said the most meaningful signal is the percentage of media payments made 15 days or later.

"Late payments are relatively accepted in this space," he explains, adding, "but 15 days or more is a true signal. When you start seeing two weeks late consistently, that tends to be indicative of a broader problem."

The percentage of payments made more than 15 days late rose to 11% during the first half of this year, up from 8% in the previous half, and near recent marketplace highs.

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The percentage of payments that were underpaid also remained near recent highs, though the first half's 15% was down from the previous half's 20%.

That said, Carrabbia said OAREX has detected an improvement in market sentiment, and the continuing high level of late payments in the first half may be more of a lagging indicator than a leading one, as the digital advertising marketplace continues to adjust to defaults and bankruptcies, as well as sequential liabilities, from a year ago.

One potentially troubling signal for advertisers and agencies is that their manual media-buying demand worsened during the first half, while programmatic media buys saw improvements:

55% of all manual payments were late (a 6% increase from H2 2023), and 24% were more than 15 days late (a 5% increase).
by Teresa Buyikian , August 20, 2024

The Queen Bee herself wants fans to catch a buzz -- with her new whisky, that is.

Today LVMH subsidiary Moet Hennessy announced its collaboration with musical superstar Beyonce Knowles-Carter to create a new whisky.

It all started when Japanese whisky enthusiast Knowles-Carter reached out to the company, looking to develop her own spirit, the brand claims. Moet Hennessy had already been exploring ways to get further into the U.S. whisky market, which is expected to reach $11.8 billion by 2029, per Statista.

"I've always been drawn to the power and confidence I feel when drinking quality whisky and wanted to invite more people to experience that feeling," said Knowles-Carter in a release.

The name SirDavis was inspired by Knowles-Carter's great-grandfather Davis Hogue, who was a farmer and a moonshiner in the American South during Prohibition.

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The joint venture is a first of its kind in several areas. Moet Hennessy tapped Dr. Bill Lumsden, one of the worlds master distillers to lead the whisky creation. Lumsden combined traditional whisky-making techniques to impart an elegant mouthfeel and texture reminiscent of Japanese and Scotch whiskies, while retaining the robust and deep flavors typical of classic American rye, according to the brand.

Knowles-Carter also contributed to the artistic direction of the bottle design, a long, lean vessel with a bronzed horse, as a tribute to her Texas birthplace. Texas is also where the whisky is finished, blended and bottled -- the first of Moet Hennessy's spirits brands developed entirely internally by Moet Hennessy in the United States.

SirDavis is only available now for pre-order for $89 at SirDavis.com and will roll out at retail outlets across the U.S., as well as in select airports (LAX/JFK/SFO) and stores in London, Paris, and Tokyo, in September.
by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, August 21, 2024

Boston-based ad agency CTP has been named agency of record for the Cambridge Office for Tourism.

The remit includes ad campaigns and other destination marketing activities, public relations and visitor services for Cambridge, Mass., which is just across the Charles River from Boston and home to Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other places of note.

advertisement advertisement The shop is already out with its first work for the client, a campaign titled, Theres A Lot To Unpack that is designed to showcase the depth and breadth of Cambridge.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, August 21, 2024

Former lawmaker George Santos will ask a federal appellate court to revive his lawsuit against late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel over prank videos that were broadcast on TV and posted to YouTube.

U.S. District Court Judge Denise Cote in the Southern District of New York threw out Santos's suit on Monday, ruling that it was evident from the allegations in Santos's complaint that Kimmel and the network made fair use of the clips.

On Tuesday, Santos formally initiated an appeal to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. He hasn't yet filed substantive arguments with that court.

The legal battle dates to February, when Santos sued Kimmel, ABC and Disney over Cameo videos featuring Santos reading ludicrous messages that had been suggested by Kimmel.

The Cameo videos aired on Jimmy Kimmel Live in the segment, Will Santos Say It, and were also posted to YouTube.

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One clip showed Santos congratulating the fictional Gary Fortuna, who supposedly had eaten almost six pounds of loose ground beef in under 30 minutes in order to win a contest.

I know you're feeling a little under the weather, but I hear from a great source that the doctor said that you'll be released from the hospital soon and recover well, Santos says in the Cameo.

Santos joined Cameo late last year, just days after he was expelled from Congress. The former House representative, who pleaded guilty to fraud and wire fraud earlier this week, charged $200 a video to deliver personalized messages through the platform.

Santos's complaint included claims that Kimmel and the TV network infringed copyright by displaying the Cameo videos.

Kimmel and the TV network urged Cote to dismiss the case at an early stage, arguing that the clips were a quintessential example of a fair use," and therefore didn't infringe copyright.

The videos were shown to mock and criticize Santos decision to immediately pivot from being expelled from Congress for financial misconduct to a 'new gig' selling Cameo videos, in a manner that suggested he still had no shame about doing anything for money, attorneys for Kimmel and ABC wrote.

Cote agreed with Kimmel and ABC, and threw out the lawsuit. She said that even though judges don't typically decide fair use questions until later in the proceedings, in this case it was obvious from Santos's allegations that Kimmel and the network would prevail.
Microsoft will release its controversial Recall artificial intelligence search feature for Windows users to test beginning in October, the company confirmed in an updated blog post on Monday.

Recall takes screenshots of activity on Windows run computer screens so people can later search their machine for specific information.

"As previously shared on June 13, we have adjusted our release approach to leverage the valuable expertise of our Windows Insider community prior to making Recall available for all Copilot+ PCs," Pavan Davuluri, corporate vice president of Windows and Devices, wrote in a blog post. "Security continues to be our top priority and when Recall is available for Windows Insiders in October we will publish a blog with more details."

When Microsoft initially announced Recall in June, security researchers expressed concerns about the risks of Windows automatically capturing images, without users opting in. independent researchers released open-source software showing how personal information might become easily accessible to hackers and attackers.

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Microsoft explained how Recall stores encrypted snapshots locally on a persons computer. Other technology can already do this, but the tech based on AI does not store the information in the cloud and does not give Microsoft access to the files. The feature is in the companys forthcoming Copilot+ PCs.

But those focused on privacy have called Recall a potential "privacy nightmare."

Microsoft in June said Recall would be turned off by default, and committed to security enhancements for the feature before releasing it.

Some report that with Windows Recall entering its preview phase in October, users are unlikely to see the service in production with Copilot+ PCs until sometime in 2025.
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Wildfires - A threat to respiratory patients. Lets act now to safeguard those most at risk. #wildfire #lungdisease #smoke #medindia  Advertisement Health Impacts of Poor Air Quality Many components of wildfire smoke can have adverse impacts on health, especially for those with preexisting respiratory diseases. Currently more than 34 million people living in the United States live with a chronic lung disease like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) according to the American Lung Association(   Trusted Source

UC Davis Health develops a real-time action plan to help patients with lung disease cope with wildfire smoke



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Exposure to wildfire-related air pollutants has been shown to cause and exacerbate diseases of the lungs, heart, brain and nervous system, skin and other major organs. For patients being treated for preexisting respiratory conditions, poor air quality causes inflammation in the lungs. This can exacerbate symptoms and lead to emergency department visits and hospitalizations.



Poor air quality can trigger exacerbations  acute increase in shortness of breath, cough, dyspnea  even leading to hospitalization, explained Brooks Kuhn, co-director of the Comprehensive COPD Clinic at UC Davis Health and co-author of the article. The impact is not just transient: Respiratory exacerbations lead to persistent and accelerated worsening of lung function.



And adults are not the only ones at risk for these complications. Children also see these impacts when they are exposed to poor air quality from wildfires, said Kiran Nandalike, chief of pediatric pulmonology at UC Davis Childrens Hospital. As we see more wildfires impacting our communities each year, the urgency for health systems to outline a response to support patients is pressing.





Advertisement Wildfire Population Health Approach The targeted wildfire preparedness action plan adopted by UC Davis Health uses a population health approach. This means care teams with providers from different specialties proactively work with patients who are at higher risk of developing symptoms from poor air quality. A population health approach zeroes in on targeted interventions tailored to specific communities or population groups, Gupta explained. This approach considers a range of determinants, including social, economic, environmental and behavioral factors, which affect the health of these groups.



The teams wildfire preparedness action plan includes: Identifying clinically at-risk and underserved patient populations using well-validated, condition-targeted registries

Assembling multidisciplinary care teams to understand the needs of these communities and patients

Creating custom analytics and wildfire-risk stratification

Developing care pathways based on wildfire-risk tiers by disease, risk of exposure and health care access

Identifying outcome measures tailored to interventions with a commitment to continuous, iterative improvement efforts We have seen population health approaches be successfully implemented to support patients with dementia, chronic kidney disease, and cancer, Gupta said. Using this model, we can adapt to the threat of poor air quality from wildfires and adopt a proactive approach to meet the needs of clinically at-risk and underserved patients.





Advertisement How UC Davis Health Deals with Wildfires As the regional academic health system in Northern California, UC Davis Health has been at the epicenter of recent wildfires  including the recent Park Fire, the fourth largest in California history. Because of this experience, the health system team has experience caring for patients in the most affected areas.



Over the last few years, our clinicians have routinely cared for patients with physical, financial, and occupational barriers to clean air, explained Kuhn. We are uniquely equipped to share our experiences of serving communities harmed by wildfires.



To direct wildfire preparedness interventions to those who need them, UC Davis Health has assembled a multidisciplinary care team to serve as liaisons between communities affected by wildfires and the health system.



Some of the teams efforts include: Identifying at-risk patients

Providing air quality health education

Personalizing outreach to patients

Building and distributing "go-bags" with supplies for patients

Partnering with community organizations to provide support to patients The patients have been so grateful to receive this proactive approach, Gupta said. Often patients feel alone and closed off from the world when they are locked in their homes due to poor air quality. Working with our team empowers them to protect themselves in the comfort of their own home.





Taking the Next Step As climate change progresses, wildfires are now a yearly expectation in the United States. To meet the needs of clinically at-risk and underserved patients affected by this increasing health threat, the authors of the article are urging health systems to replace reactionary approaches with collaborative, innovative, and proactive approaches.



In the coming years, it will be crucial to prepare health systems, clinicians and communities to manage the profound health impacts of environmental events and prevent potentially devastating consequences, Gupta said. We must come together to sustain this outreach and support patients at risk from wildfire exposure.



Reference: Improving Wildfire Readiness Among Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Asthma: Applying a Population Health Approach to Climate Change- (https://journal.copdfoundation.org/jcopdf/id/1488/Improving-Wildfire-Readiness-Among-Patients-With-Chronic-Obstructive-Pulmonary-Disease-and-Asthma-Applying-a-Population-Health-Approach-to-Climate-Change)



Source-Eurekalert

Experts from University of California, Davis Health (UCDH) call on health systems to develop action plans to assist patients with respiratory diseases from wildfire. They encourage the early implementation of interventions to lessen the impact of smoke on air quality.The article released in thedetails the requirements of individuals at high risk when exposed to smoke from wildfires. It provides a plan of action for health services to assist these populations in dealing with the effects of poor air quality.Patients being treated for respiratory conditions are at high-risk of exacerbations of symptoms when they are exposed to wildfire smoke, said Reshma Gupta, chief of population health and accountable care at UC Davis Health and co-author of the article. Unfortunately, wildfire frequency and severity are increasing in the United States and negatively affecting these clinically at-risk and underserved communities. So, there is a significant need for us to install interventions to mitigate the health threat posed by wildfires.
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Nurses play key role in addressing mental well-being for people after a stroke



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#Nurses are essential in helping #stroke patients recover. Their support is vital for both physical and #mental well-being. #recovery

Nurses Role in Addressing Psychosocial Health Challenges in Stroke Patients

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Nurses play key role in addressing mental well-being for people after a stroke - (https://newsroom.heart.org/news/nurses-play-key-role-in-addressing-mental-well-being-for-people-after-a-stroke)

Nurses play a crucial role in addressing the emotional and social needs of stroke patients, helping them navigate the challenges of recovery, said the American Stroke Association ().Releasing a new statement, the health body highlighted the significance of improved screening and assessment for these psychosocial requirements. The statement emphasised how stroke continues to be a major cause of disability and a leading cause of death worldwide, even with advances in prevention and treatment.According to the research, psychosocial problems such as sadness, worry, stress , exhaustion, and a lower quality of life affect 16-85 percent of stroke survivors. Psychosocial health discussions are sometimes surrounded by stigma."It is imperative that nurses and all other health care professionals create a safe and therapeutic environment for patients and offer hope and comprehensive education on the topic," said Patricia A. Zrelak, Ph.D. of Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento, California.In addition to discussing the impact, causes, screening, diagnosis, and treatment of these five important emotional and social health factors -- depression , stress, anxiety, exhaustion, and quality of life -- the statement offers a thorough analysis of the most recent research on psychological health in stroke patients. About 30 percent of stroke survivors have depression, which can impede cognitive and functional rehabilitation and raise the risk of dying or having another stroke.The statement highlights the importance of nurses in teaching patients and their families about symptom recognition and available treatments, and it suggests routine screening for depression. Stress is associated with poor medication adherence and anxiety , and it affects 16.5 percent of stroke survivors. It is recommended that nurses do stress and PTSD screenings and offer therapies such as mindfulness and meditation. Anxiety is linked to an increased incidence of depression, with a prevalence of 20 percent to 34 percent following a stroke.Improving patient recovery depends on the early identification and treatment of anxiety. Post-stroke fatigue is frequent within the first six months following the stroke and is difficult to treat because there are no well-proven interventions. Interventions aimed at improving physical fitness, however, might lessen weariness. After a stroke, a persons speech, physical strength, and capacity to resume social and professional activities all affect their quality of life. By helping stroke patients make social connections, nurses can help repatriate them into society.The declaration also emphasises how socioeconomic position and structural racism, two factors that influence health, affect stroke outcomes.Source-IANS
Following the seemingly bungled Army mission establishing a pier off the Gaza Strip to deliver aid to the region, the Pentagon's internal watchdog has launched an investigation into the service's capabilities to conduct such a mission.

The Department of Defense's Office of Inspector General earlier this month announced that it's investigating how the military runs so-called Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS, operations -- in which troops construct piers either to deliver goods or personnel in places with limited infrastructure.

The Gaza Strip mission was mostly run by the Army's 7th Transportation Brigade, which encompasses much of the service's watercraft -- dubbed "the Army's Navy." But that unit, its tactics and equipment have long been an afterthought of the land service, especially coming off the heels of the landlocked post-9/11 wars.

Read Next: Fort Liberty Soldier Gets Booted After Indictment for Weapons Trafficking, Lying About White Nationalist Ties

The watchdog said that it wants to evaluate the Pentagon's "capabilities to effectively carry out Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (JLOTS) operations and exercises" in a letter dated Aug. 5.

The Defense Department inspector general also noted that the investigation "is separate from and in addition to" its ongoing review "examining the DoD's involvement in facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza through the maritime corridor."

A Military.com investigation found that the Army's watercraft elements may not have been ready for prime time. The capability, which had lingered in obscurity for half a century, was suddenly tasked with one of the Pentagon's highest-profile missions in years.

The Gaza mission not only stress-tested a unit that had little real world experience, but also served as a pseudo test bed for how the Army may operate in the Pacific if a war with China ever breaks out. In a potential conflict, Army planners are anticipating a war could involve a complex island-hopping campaign akin to the fight against the Japanese during World War II. That campaign would push Army logistics to their limit, and could see watercraft units serve at the tip of the spear, moving troops into combat and carrying critical supplies to the front lines under fire.

The move for a deeper and official look at JLOTS comes after months of questions and coverage of the system's shortcomings in the mission to deliver aid to the starving people of Gaza, as well as questions and reports about the state of its equipment -- namely its boats.

Several experts and former community insiders told Military.com earlier this month that the system, while capable, has suffered from funding shortfalls throughout the 20 years of the Global War on Terror.

The Army's boats that serve to maneuver parts of the system and materials are old. Some even have engines that say they were built in "West Germany," according to a now-retired Army warrant officer who served on the vessels.

While the Pentagon has not offered any details on whether the ships suffered breakdowns or issues while conducting the Gaza mission, publicly available tracking data showed that at least one ship encountered problems early on.

Shortly after the fleet of ships carrying all the equipment for the mission set off from the East Coast of the U.S. in April, one of the small Army vessels was held up in Tenerife -- a small island that is part of the Canary Islands cluster off the west coast of Africa -- leading to concerns about the readiness of the Army's fleet.

However, while there seem to be few questions that the JLOTS craft have not been maintained to the best possible standard, experts have argued that the several public halts in Gaza aid operations due to weather conditions were not reflective of the system's readiness.

Dr. Salvatore Mercogliano, a maritime historian and former merchant mariner who worked with JLOTS during the 1990s, told Military.com in a previous interview that the choice to keep U.S. troops from stepping foot in Gaza made the mission far more challenging.

"That really makes it difficult to do because you would have other methods to land cargo beyond just the Trident pier," Mercogliano said, referring to the pier connected to the Gaza shore that ended up breaking loose in rough seas and then being removed for the same reason three times.

"You'd be able to bring watercraft right to the beach -- you'd be able to do just a variety of different things," he added.

Despite the issues, Pentagon officials have regularly stressed that the pier was able to deliver some 20 millions pounds of aid -- food that would have otherwise not have been able to be delivered to the war-torn region. At one point, the pier ended up providing the second-highest volume of aid from any entry point into Gaza.

Related: As the Gaza Pier Is Packed Up, Experts Worry About What It Portends for a War in the Pacific
CHICAGO  Democrats are hoping to wrestle veteran voters away from Republicans this year, and plan to highlight efforts to expand health care access in campaigns for some key seats.

Central to the partys argument is the 2022 law expanding access to health care for veterans exposed to toxins while serving overseas. That legislation has led to a sharp increase in demand at the Department of Veterans Affairs, with over 412,000 new veterans enrolled over the past year. That high level of interest has even led to a VA budget shortfall that lawmakers will be scrambling to fill in September.

Two of the Democratic senators behind that effort, Montanas Jon Tester and Pennsylvanias Bob Casey, are featuring the law in campaign advertisements, and President Joe Biden called the law one of the most significant laws ever in his keynote address here Monday night.

We have only one truly sacred obligation: to prepare and equip those we send to war and care for them and their families when they come and when they dont, Biden said.

Veterans voted for President Donald Trump over Biden in 2020 by a 54% to 44% margin in 2020, according to exit polls conducted by television networks.

Members of the Democratic National Committees Veterans and Military Families Council met Tuesday and vowed to push against the Republican Partys grip on veteran voters.

For too long, the GOP has laid claims to veterans, our nations defense, and all things patriotic, Terron Sims II, a co-chair of the council, said. That is and always has been b.s.

Speakers on Tuesday included Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, both veterans who were in the running to be Vice Presidents Kamala Harris running mate, plus Gwen Walz, the wife of the running mate Harris chose, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Trump faced criticism from speakers for a myriad of comments he has either made in public or allegedly made in private about veterans. For example, Kelly criticized Trump for saying last week that the Presidential Medal of Freedom was much better than the Congressional Medal of Honor, whose recipients are usually dead or in very bad shape.

In this election, its pretty clear to me which presidential candidate supports service members and veterans and which one does not, Kelly said.

Trump clarified his comments  which he made to praise a GOP megadonor hed given the medal of freedom to  in an interview with a Pennsylvania television station last week in which he called the military honor the ultimate honor.

Impact of toxic exposure law

Kelly credited the Biden-Harris administration with the largest expansion of veterans health care in decades under the toxic exposure law.

Now thats government working the way it should, supporting veterans, Kelly said. Those are Kamala Harris values.

Buttigieg said that he cried in the White House when Biden signed the toxic exposure law.

(Biden) has made it clear that as long as he draws breath, he will back veterans and military families, Buttigieg said. And a Harris-Walz administration will build on that record.

Tester and Casey have both rolled out campaign ads featuring veterans from their states talking about receiving needed care after the enactment of the law.

Casey also held an event in Scranton last week with the veterans group VoteVets that focused on the toxic exposure law. His race against businessman David McCormick, who is a veteran, is rated Tilt Democratic by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales. Tester, who is the chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, is in a Toss-up race with Tim Sheehy, another businessman who is also a veteran. Tester skipped the Democratic National Convention to campaign in Montana, while Sheehy spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month.

Sheehy has spoken extensively about his military service as a Navy SEAL in his campaign, and hosted an event with Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte last year on providing tax relief for veterans.

Democrats absolutely should do a better job highlighting the toxic exposure law and other efforts to boost veterans, Rep. Seth Moulton, D- Mass., said in an interview.

Biden has led the way by talking about veterans issues more than previous Democratic leaders and Harris should keep it up in her campaign, said Moulton, who won a Bronze Star while serving in the Marines.

For too long, weve just sat around while Republicans are willing to attack us on national security issues, veterans issues, and try to own the flag, Moulton said.

_____

2024 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Visit cqrollcall.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Jennifer Barnhill is a columnist for Military.com writing about military families.

Moving may be a part of military life, but for families of color and other groups, military moves pose more than an inconvenience: They threaten their safety. That puts our nation's readiness at risk.

"There's an unspoken known factor of places that are red-flagged for people of color," said Ellie Walker, a Coast Guard spouse who is one-half of an interracial couple. "The better relationship you have with your detailer, the better. ... He tells new recruits coming in that too, [saying], 'You know, there's gonna be places that are not great for you, as an active-duty person or even as your family, and you need to advocate for yourself or else you're just going to be at the mercy of wherever they send you.'"

Despite finding a safe and welcoming home near their installation, the moment the Walkers left their neighborhood, they were surrounded by unwelcoming messages. Their local gas station parking lot was regularly filled with pickup trucks adorned with Confederate flags as various groups used the central location as a meeting location.

The Walkers' daughter was just four years old when she first experienced both subtle and overt racism. It started with her being physically separated from her peers, something her parents noticed on the school's security cameras. It came from those peers, when two young boys and a young girl repeatedly asked her why her hair was in braids one week and in an afro the next. They frequently touched her hair, removed her hair accessories, and made comments about the darkness of her skin compared to her siblings.

When the Walkers informed the school, nothing happened. School officials dismissed the behavior as "children being children." It was when the other children began using racial slurs, calling her a "Black monkey," that the school employees took notice.

"They're saying racially charged things to her and that is not OK," said Walker. "That's a very specific term that you heard from somewhere."

Walker shared that her daughter, despite being very young, fully understood that their words were intended to make her feel less than human.

Data shows the Walkers' experience is far from singular. According to research conducted by Blue Star Families (BSF) in 2021, one in three service members of color (33%) experienced "at least one incident of being threatened or harassed" in their local civilian community between January 2020 and June 2021. BSF began collecting this data shortly after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, an event that sparked a nationwide conversation around the prevalence of racism in our country. BSF wanted to understand how this national conversation was impacting military families of color, so it conducted and released a survey that confirmed what people of color already knew: Service members are not immune to racism.

Fast-forward to May of this year, and these fears were confirmed when 23-year-old Senior Airman Roger Fortson was shot and killed in his own home by a police officer in Okaloosa County, Florida.

"Most of the media coverage about his death features photos of Roger wearing his Air Force uniform, drawing shock from some of my neighbors that racial profiling could still happen to someone in the military, but I wasn't shocked," said Brandi Jones, organizing director for the Secure Families Initiative (SFI), an organization focused on helping military families engage in the political process. "Roger's death illuminated a truth that many of us who are Black and brown already knew: A military uniform can't protect you from violence."

That awareness means people of color are making military career decisions based on very real dangers.

The 2021 BSF survey found that 46% of service members of color have considered racial/ethnic discrimination in their installation ranking decisions, and 42% consider concerns about safety due to their (or their family's) racial/ethnic identity.

As a result of these events, SFI launched its PCS Safety Campaign, sharing stories like the Walkers' to raise awareness. And Congress has responded.

"We have an obligation to safeguard service members and their families," said Sen. Laphonza Butler D-Calif., of the Senate Armed Services Committee in an emailed statement to Military.com. "The Senate Armed Services Committee is now seeking additional steps to protect military families during relocations and to make it easier for them to voice safety concerns during the process. Both my predecessor Senator [Dianne] Feinstein and I requested that this language be included in the NDAA [National Defense Authorization Act], and I am thankful that the committee prioritized military families in this way."

Butler and other members of Congress are calling for the military branches to prepare a report detailing their individual compassionate reassignment policies, including "an assessment of a service member's ability to raise safety concerns within the reassignment or permanent change of station process." Currently, each branch offers compassionate or "humanitarian" reassignments to service members whose personal circumstances require a change of duty location, often the result of a lack of availability of medical services or to allow them to care for a loved one in an emergency.

In 2022, Military.com asked every military branch whether its compassionate reassignment policies covered issues of community discrimination. All said that it likely would, but none provided figures as to how many service members had used the policy to move based on those concerns.

"Since 2021, the Navy has reviewed more than 2,000 [Navy Reassignments for Humanitarian Reasons] HUMS requests and approved more than 80%," Lt. Cmdr. Sean Brophy, a public affairs officer from Navy Personnel Command, said in a July email. The Navy was the only branch to respond to Military.com's request for updated reassignment information. The Navy's relatively modest number of applicants represents less than half a percent of its eligible 340,065 sailors and 362,239 Navy family members. That begs the question: Are these numbers a result of a lack of need, or a sign that families don't know these programs exist?

"Any experience of racism that I shared with any of my peers or any leadership have historically always been dismissed," said Marine Corps spouse Khiet Ho, who is Asian American. "People will minimize. They will dismiss it; will tell me I'm taking it too personally; will say people don't mean anything by it or it's just a joke."

In 2020, the Asian American community experienced a heightened period of racial discrimination and violence amid unfounded and racist accusations tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the surface, commands are trying to combat racism, regularly conducting command climate surveys to address issues that disrupt unit cohesion. However, those who belong to racial minorities may not feel as though they have the freedom to be fully transparent in these unit-level assessments. If they are the only person of color in their unit, their responses are not truly anonymous. And if they choose not to share their experiences, it is easy for white leadership to think everything is fine.

"One of our friends [a leader from a past command] said, 'You know, I've been lucky throughout my career that racism has never really existed in the units that I've been a part of,' and I'm like, 'I'm sorry, I've been in the same unit, and racism definitely existed'," said Ho. Ho shared that, during a night of drinking in that command, a white officer got into an argument with someone at a bar and made comments that he was going to hang the man -- who was Black -- from a tree. Ho says when others have heard of this incident, they dismiss the gravity of his threat saying, "He doesn't mean anything by it; that's just him being him because of where he's from," and pointing to being from a region of the country where what he said was an acceptable response.

The military likes to think it is color-blind, a meritocracy that is beyond race. But is this idyllic mentality ignoring the very real dangers posed to service members of color and their families?

The military's "we all bleed blue" mentality says that, when individuals join the military, they leave their individuality behind and embrace the unity and conformity of the uniformed service. However, this mentality does nothing to combat racism. Talking about it openly and admitting past failures is the only way forward. But are military leaders who are tasked with keeping service members and families safe fully free to make policy choices that would help their military families?

Over the past few years, military diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives have been dragged into partisan politics. The Trump administration and GOP have labeled military diversity programming as "woke" and used this narrative to undermine the work done by the Defense Department to course-correct extremism in the military. It's a problem that, if left unaddressed, would leave the military unprepared to recruit people of color, who will be the majority of recruitable adults by 2027. Politicians have forced anti-racism efforts behind closed doors, where they have little to no effect, leaving families like the Walkers to navigate racism largely unaided.

Families of color are afraid to move their Black sons to areas where they will be at greater risk. LGBTQ families worry they will be ostracized. Women worry that their bodily choices will be taken from them. Even straight white families worry they could be persecuted if they choose to pursue in vitro fertilization in certain states.

"You can't just leave who you are behind when you put on a uniform and go defend freedom, because inevitably you still have your skin and tattoos and sexual preferences and natural hair and all these things that you bring to the table," said Walker.
August 21: Honeywell has accepted his outright, per OKC broadcaster Alex Freeman on X.

August 20: Dodgers righty Brent Honeywell went unclaimed on waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Honeywell has a previous career outright, so he can decline the assignment in favor of minor league free agency.

A top prospect when he was a member of the Rays system, Honeywell battled various injuries before getting a real look at the MLB level. He finally got that opportunity last season, combining for 52 1/3 relief innings between the Padres and White Sox. Honeywell posted serviceable middle relief numbers in San Diego before being hit hard with the Sox. That cost him his roster spot in Chicago and left him to sign a minor league deal with the Pirates over the winter.

The 29-year-old spent the first half of the year with Pittsburghs Triple-A team. He turned in a 4.85 ERA with a modest 19.6% strikeout percentage across 39 innings. While it wasnt the most dominant showing, the Bucs called him up in July. He made two appearances before Pittsburgh designated him for assignment and lost him on waivers to Los Angeles. The Dodgers gave Honeywell 10 outings in low-leverage spots. He posted a 2.21 ERA through 20 1/3 frames. Thats despite a well below-average 15.2% strikeout rate and 6.5% swinging strike percentage. The Dodgers squeezed him off the roster over the weekend when they promoted Ben Casparius.

Honeywell carries 4.26 ERA across 80 1/3 innings over parts of three big league campaigns. If he reports to OKC, hed be eligible for minor league free agency at the start of the offseason unless the Dodgers call him back up.
The Padres placed Ha-Seong Kim on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 19, with right shoulder inflammation. San Diego recalled Matthew Batten to take the open spot on the active roster.

This isnt much of a surprise after Kim left Sundays game with what the team initially called a jammed shoulder. The versatile infielder dove into first base on a pickoff attempt and came up in obvious pain. Manager Mike Shildt said yesterday that the team was encouraged by the initial MRI results, but theyll nevertheless go without their shortstop for at least a week and a half. Shildt said today that the club wasnt especially concerned and believed Kim couldve made it back within 10 days, but the team instead decided to play things cautiously (X link via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com).

It marks the first injured list stint of Kims MLB career. The South Korea native has been exceptionally durable since signing a four-year deal going into the 2021 season. He reached the 150-game plateau in both 2022 and 23. While that wont happen this year, he could top 140 contests if the injury proves relatively insignificant.

Kim is having his typically solid season. Hes walking enough to compensate for fringy power and carries a league average .233/.330/.370 slash in 470 plate appearances. He has swiped 22 bases on 27 attempts. San Diego committed to Kim as a full-time shortstop this season after bouncing him around the infield during his first three years. He has better than average defensive grades in more than 1000 innings at the infields toughest spot. Tyler Wade is taking over at shortstop in his absence.

The 28-year-old Kim is headed back to free agency next offseason. Hell certainly decline his end of an $8MM mutual option in favor of a $2MM buyout. Kim has a shot at another four- or five-year deal thatd come with a much stronger average annual value than the $7MM he received when he was first coming over from Korea. A serious shoulder injury could naturally impact his market value. It seems he dodged a bullet with a fairly minor issue that might only sideline him for a minimal amount of time.
The Padres announced they have selected the contract of infielder Mason McCoy. Infielder Matthew Batten has been optioned to Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding active roster. To open a 40-man spot for McCoy, outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Tatis has already been on the IL for 60 days, so he can return as soon as hes healthy. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune relayed the McCoy and Batten moves on X prior to the official announcement.

McCoy, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Padres in the offseason. He has played 108 games for Triple-A El Paso this year with a .260/.329/.382 batting line, which translates to a wRC+ of 79, indicating hes been 21% below league average.

He has never been much of a hitter, having slashed .239/.318/.400 for a wRC+ of 80 in 458 Triple-A games since the start of 2021. His major league work consists of just one plate appearance with the Blue Jays last year, though he did get into six games overall, mostly as a defensive replacement. He has a reputation as an excellent defender and frequently racks up double-digit steal totals, including 25 this year.

The Padres recently lost shortstop Ha-Seong Kim to the injured list, which has moved utility player Tyler Wade into regular shortstop action. McCoy can provide the Padres with depth all over, as he has played all the infield positions to the left of first base, in addition to some outfield work. Based on his skills, he might be ticketed for a lot of late-game work, either on defense or on the basepaths. He still has a full slate of options and just a few days of service time, so the Padres could keep him around for a while if they so choose.

As for Tatis, as mentioned, this is just a formality. He landed on the IL June 24, retroactive to June 22, due to a right femoral stress reaction. Todays transfer is retroactive to that June 22 date, meaning he can be reinstated at any point. It was reported earlier this week that he could be back in the middle of next month.
HAZEL PARK, MI - A pizzeria in Michigan is receiving some big accolades, landing at the very top of a brand new pizza ranking from Yelp.

The Detroit-style pies at Louis Pizza in Hazel Park rank No. 1 on Yelps 2024 Top 100 Pizza Spots in the Midwest list.

Located at 23141 Dequindre Road, Louis was founded in 1977 by a former chef at Buddys, Louis Tourtois, according to the Detroit News, which says it once dubbed him The King of Pizzas.

Louis beat out popular pizzerias in places like Chicago Indianapolis, St. Louis and Cleveland, just to name a few, for top spot on the Yelp list, which also has 15 other Michigan pizzerias on it, all listed below.

To come up with its list, the folks at Yelp said its data team analyzed business rating and review volume.

NO. 14

Coming in at No. 14 is Pie Sci, with locations in Detroit and Oak Park.

My favorite thing about this shop is the variety and uniqueness of the pies you can find here, reviewer Jessy R. wrote on Yelp. They also have a lot of veg/vegan options and their pizzas can be made GF.

A huge variety of creative pizzas with a generous amount of toppings, wrote Izzy W.

NO. 18 - Market 22

We go off-the-beaten-path for the next Michigan spot to make Yelps list. Market 22 in Maple City in Leelanau County.

Absolutely fantastic Detroit style pizza, wrote Krystal T. on Yelp. The crust was nice and crispy with the perfect ratio of crust, sauce, cheeses and toppings! Service was great and its a very cute market to eat in or take out.

NO. 23 - Fredi The PIzzaMan

Fredi The PizzaMan in Melvindale is the pizzeria in which the one bite Barstool Pizza review guy said is Detroits best pizza, and its not even close.

NO. 43 - The Filling Station Microbrewery

The Filling Station Microbrewery in Traverse City is known for its wood-fired flatbreads.

Consistently the best pizza in Traverse City, wrote Sophie B. on Yelp.

NO. 52 - Tawas Bay Pizza Company

Tawas Bay Pizza Company is ranked just outside of the top 50.

"So you want to look at the lake, eat an amazing pie and enjoy some cold beverages. This is the spot in Tawas, wrote Steve B. on Yelp.

NO. 55 - Major Tomato

Major Tomato in Allen Park is a family-owned restaurant which was founded in 2014.

Cozy spot that gives family restaurant/pizza place vibes, Sara M. wrote on Yelp. The menu boasts a range of classic pizzas with some fun extras. Good news- theres something for everyone with vegan cheese and gluten free crust options available.

NO. 57 - Patellies

Patellies is next on the list, located in the small southwest Michigan town of Three Oaks.

Founded in 2016, all pizzas here are one size, 16in. You can also purchase pizza by the slice, which is 1/4 of a pie.

NO. 62 - Quarantinos

Quarantinos in Grand Rapids opened in the summer of 2020 as a Detroit-style pizza pop-up in response to the pandemic. It comes in at No. 62 on Yelps list.

NO. 68 - Silver Beach Pizza

This spot was the only pizza place in Michigan to make Yelps top 100 pizza spots in the U.S. list for 2024, which came out earlier this year.

Located in St. Joseph, Silver Beach Pizza has been in business since 2005.

I think we have really good pizza, but our incredible growth over the last 18 years has been because of our staff. They are second to none, Co-owner Jay Costas told MLive.

NO. 69 - Buddys

The Detroit original. Most people in Michigan have been dining at Buddys since they were young.

Along with numerous spots in Metro Detroit, Buddys now has locations in Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Portage and Okemos.

NO. 74 - Grandma Bobs Pizza

This place is located in Detroits oldest neighborhood, Corktown, just steps from Michigan Central Station.

Grandma Bobs serves a variety of handmade pies, including Detroit-style.

NO. 75 - Foggias Pizzeria

Located in Southgate in Metro Detroit, Foggias is a family-owned Italian restaurant and pizzeria which has been serving Downriver for more than 60 years.

NO. 76 - Charles & Reid Detroit Pizza

Charles & Reid, located on State St. in Traverse City, was founded by Dan and Kristin Karabacz, who moved back to Michigan from Colorado to raise a family, and start this pizza business.

NO. 78 - 112 Pizzeria Bistro

112 Pizzeria Bistro, established in 2012 in Rochester Hills in Metro Detroit, is known for its New York thin crust pies.

NO. 79 - Antonious Towne Square Pizza

Antonious is also located in Rochester Hills. This family owned and operated pizzeria was established in 1996. You can order thin and thick crust pies here.
DETROIT -- A judge who was removed from his docket for training after he had a teenage girl placed in handcuffs and forced her to wear jail clothing is being sued by the teen and her family. According to the Associated Press, lawyers for 15-year-old Eva Goodman filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing King of humiliation, false arrest and unlawful detention.

The lawsuit comes a little more than a week after Goodman fell asleep in Kings courtroom while visiting during a field trip with a nonprofit organization. King scolded Goodman before eventually having her handcuffed and forcing her to wear jail clothing while also threatening to have her placed in juvenile detention.
OAKLAND COUNTY, MI  A Michigan doctor is accused of using hidden cameras to record nude images of numerous women and young children over the last six years.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the case involving Oumair Aejaz is one of the most disgusting, potentially prolific and disturbing sexual predator cases hes seen in his career.
YPSILANTI, MI -- Ypsilantis LeForge Bridge near Eastern Michigan University has reopened after more than two months of construction.

The bridge was in poor condition, according to a state bridge database. The Spring Street bridge  also known as the Factory Street bridge  was previously in fair condition. It reopened in June.

The construction on the two bridges involved the milling and removal of the asphalt surface, the replacement of waterproofing membranes, concrete barrier and sidewalk patching and approach reconstruction, according to city documents.

City leaders approved the agreement with the Michigan Department of Transportation for the projects last November.

Construction for both bridges was estimated to cost $703,000, with the city responsible for 5% and the remainder coming from federal funding and competitive state grants for bridge maintenance, according to a city memo.
OTTAWA COUNTY, MI -- An Ottawa County commissioner tied to the highly conservative political platform Ottawa Impact has asked for a recount after losing in the Aug. 6 primary.

District 9 Commissioner Roger Belknap filed a petition Monday, Aug. 19, with the Ottawa County Clerks office, citing concerns about complications and outages of online reporting being down during the evening of Aug. 6, 2024.

But Belknap also claims he was sent screenshots, displaying election results in his district, that appeared to show he had more votes than opponent Phil Kuyers. He said local media sources were reporting that all precincts had reported.

Kuyers, a former Ottawa County commissioner displaced in the 2022 election by Belknap, won this years Republican primary. He had 4,070 votes to Belknaps 2,997.

Per election rules, Belknap must pay for the recount and he submitted payments totaling $5,000.

Belknap was one of two current incumbent commissioners tied to Ottawa Impact who lost in the August primary.

The losses mean that Ottawa Impact members, who gained a majority on the board after the 2022 election, will no longer maintain that majority after Dec. 31. This will remain true even if Belknaps recount changes the election results for District 9.

The Ottawa Impact platform proved controversial in the last two years because of several county board decisions. Meetings often were packed with residents both opposed and supporting the group.

Related: Far-right groups opponents say change is coming. Joe Moss will lose gavel in 148 days

Ottawa County Clerk Justin Roebuck, following the Aug. 6 primary, acknowledged that a high volume of website visitors caused an outage on election night.

RELATED: Thousands of visitors caused Ottawa County primary election results website to crash

This was a purely traffic driven problem where, despite testing on the website in the two weeks leading up to the election, we essentially had a situation where we had very heavy traffic all at one time on the election webpage, which essentially caused the server to go down for the website, Roebuck earlier told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press.

The website was back up about 90 minutes after going down and Roebuck gave no indication that any results had been compromised.

The website issue also was noted during the Aug. 15 Ottawa County Republican Party convention.

According to an announcement posted by the Ottawa GOP following the event, the 268 delegates attending the convention took an impromptu vote on whether they believed the voting processes in the Aug. 6 primary were altogether fair.

The delegates were asked to stand if they believed the election was fair. According to the announcement, 239 delegates remained seated, indicating a lack of trust.

Kuyers, reached Wednesday, told MLive he doesnt believe a recount will change the results given the spread of more than 1,000 votes.

He said he also was aware that a media outlet, during election night, had accidentally transposed the numbers for him and Belknap for a short period.

(Belknap) can do it if he wants to, Kuyers said of the recount.

The recount is scheduled to happen Aug. 29 at the Ottawa County Fillmore Street complex.

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LANSING, MI  A federal judge is deciding whether a former state police sergeant, charged in the death of a fleeing suspect, should stand trial in federal or state court.

Brian Keely, who is charged with second-degree murder in the April 17 death of Samuel Sterling, 25, should face charges in federal court because he was assigned to a federal task force when he struck Sterling with a police vehicle, Keelys attorneys told the federal judge on Wednesday, Aug. 21.
MUSKEGON, MI - Developer Troy Wassermans vision for the old Lumbermans Bank building at 221 W Webster Ave. is quickly coming to life, with plans to be ready to welcome customers by October.

Much has happened since Core Plaza, the future home of Lumbermans Vault food hall, secured its first tenant, soul food catering business Soul Filled, in March.

Wasserman, a partner with Core Plaza, told MLive/Muskegon Chronicle the $8 million multi-use development also recently closed deals with Mexican restaurant Casa Casos, and Thai fusion restaurant and juice bar Up Leaf Cafe.

While Lumbermans Vault is shooting for an October opening, the timing is contingent on the city granting approval.

RELATED: See inside Muskegon food hall being built in historic bank building

The first, second and basement levels are all on one construction permit, although the tenants themselves are in various stages of completing their respective suites.

Between all of us who are partners on this project and our connections with the city, Im assuming we can probably push it forward, Wasserman said.

The buildings third through sixth floors, meanwhile, are occupied by office tenants, including Core Realty Partners, that are all currently open.

Since signing on with the vault in March, Soul Filled owner LaKisha Harris and her large social media following have been the face of recruiting for Core Plaza to fill up the four bays on the first floor of the vault.

The bays range from 168 to 615 square feet, and tenants pay $17 per square foot for both the kitchen and seating area. Monthly rents range from$600 to $2,200.

Within the shared seating area is the Liquid Assets bar, which features one of the old banks 6,680-pound vault doors as a centerpiece.

Adding to the ambience of the food hall will be black epoxy flooring and 46 overhead lights painted to look like moons. It will have a 120-130 seating capacity once complete.

The food hall also will have an adjacent lounge area and several large-screen TVs on the walls.

Liquid Assets also has a license for customers to take their drinks out to the sidewalk of the building along West Webster Avenue, and there will be outdoor seating and lighting to accommodate them, Wasserman said.

The vault also recently submitted a license application for customers to bring their drinks up to the second-story mezzanine.

On the mezzanine overlooking the bar are seven retail bays, three of which are still available for lease. Wasserman said he already has secured hairstylist Alchemy Salon by the Barbers Daughter and the Gathering Room, a rentable event space by Montague-based retailer Home and Gather.

Retail bays range from 288 to 628 square feet and go for a minimum of $25 per square foot. Wasserman said he hopes to have the second floor complete and ready to welcome new tenants by next week.

Inside the basement vault, which will be converted into a meeting room, is a treasure trove of old bank memorabilia such as gates and safe deposit boxes that Wasserman hopes to reclaim.

I got a guy that is potentially going to make us some furniture, and he was in here the other day and said, dont throw this stuff away, Wasserman said. I dont want to!

The basement also offers storage space for food tenants and a fully equipped gym with restrooms and showers.

The redevelopment breathes new life into a building that had sat vacant for over a decade. Wasserman told MLive in March that the project will give space to new entrepreneurs and a new direction for the city.

Wasserman also has strong personal ties to the area. His family owns Muskegons oldest business, the 144-year-old Wasserman Flowers and Gifts.

The name Lumbermans Vault pays homage to the buildings history. Originally built in 1962 as National Lumbermans Bank of Muskegon, the building was once regarded as the citys premier bank and even became the states first rooftop heliport in 1965.

Wasserman has called the old Lumbermans building a destination because its set in itself.

The Lumbermans redevelopment is part of a renaissance of historic building redevelopment in Muskegon, in addition to Core Plazas NorthTown 794 redevelopment and the Bernhardt familys transformation of the former Muskegon Central United Methodist Church into a mixed retail and event space.

WheelFish Group also recently began redeveloping the historic Hackley Administration Building into a hotel along with a nearby apartment complex.

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HOWELL, MI  Tackling violent crime, deporting undocumented immigrants and supporting law enforcement agencies were among the campaign policy pursuits former President Donald Trump addressed at a Tuesday, Aug. 20, visit in Howell.

At a Livingston County Sheriffs Office facility in Howell, Trump spoke to supporters about his policy plans relating largely to crime and safety issues.

Read more: Trump, in Michigan return, says hell stop Kamala crime wave

Here are five key takeaways from Trumps latest Michigan visit:

Supporters of former President Donald Trump packed the streets outside of the Livingston County Sheriffs Office where the Republican presidential nominee is set to give remarks to the press on Tuesday, Aug. 20.Santino Mattioli

Trump supporters rallied, near and far

Although access to the event venue  a warehouse-like facility operated by the sheriffs office  was limited to a few dozen supporters, dozens more Trump followers made sure to show up in the surrounding neighborhood.

Read more: Crowds of supporters gear up for Donald Trumps visit to Howell

There, they hoisted Trump-Vance signs in the air.

They waved American and Trump-campaign flags while showing off shirts with designs supporting the Republican Partys 2024 presidential ticket.

Motorists in passing vehicles honked their car horns as they drove near the group in the streets outside the sheriffs office.

While the crowd was largely populated by Trump followers, there were some people there to support his Democratic opponent in the November election, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Among the people in the crowd was Patty Barlow, who said she believed Trump chose to come to Howell because it represents an all-American, patriotic city that is home to many Republicans.

Hell win this election, and he will make America great again, she said.

Trump plans to refund the police

There were a handful of topics discussed Tuesday, including Trumps plans to refund the police if he wins back the presidency.

The Republican railed against the defund the police movement, a law enforcement reform initiative that surged in popularity in 2020 while Trump was still in the White House.

When Im president of the United States again, we will never even think about or mention the words defund the police, he said, inspiring applause from supporters in the audience.

Read more: Donald Trump says hell refund the police during Michigan campaign stop

Trump attacked Harris for expressing support years ago for the defund the police movement.

In 2020, she questioned whether money was being effectively spent on public safety. However, she has not said during her 2024 campaign that she is in favor of defunding law enforcement.

Donald Trump speaks at the Livingston County Sheriffs office in Howell on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. Josh Boland | MLive.com

Border control remains a top GOP focus

Trump spent a large chunk of his Tuesday remarks addressing policy relating to undocumented immigrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border.

He promised that, if elected president, he would enact the largest deportation operation in the history of the country.

Trump criticized President Joe Biden-era immigration policy that Trump said reversed his own administrations efforts to reduce border crossings.

Several times, he attached responsibility for the Biden administrations immigration policy in part to Harris, who the Republican often references as a border czar.

On day one, I will seal the border, Trump said. Ill send Kamalas illegal aliens back home where they belong.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump reacts to a reporters question at the Livingston County Sheriffs Department in Howell, Mich. on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com

There was some controversy behind his visit

Since announcing the campaign stop last weekend, the former president received criticism from opponents for making a stop in Howell, a Michigan town with a history of activity from white supremacist groups.

Read more: Donald Trump laughs off criticism on visiting Michigan city with historic white supremacy ties

Trump is choosing to rally in a town that was historically known as the KKK capital of Michigan, Alyssa Bradley, communications director for the Harris campaign in Michigan, said in a statement before Trump arrived. This event on crime and safety isnt a dog whistle from Trump  its a bullhorn.

As Trump ended the event, a reporter asked him to respond to such criticism from opponents.

Who was here in 2021?, Trump responded.

When someone in the audience answered, Joe Biden, Trump smiled and laughed. Supporters in the room applauded the retort.

Biden visited Howell in October 2021 to promote domestic policy programs.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Livingston County Sheriffs Department in Howell, Mich. on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com

Michigan remains popular for presidential hopefuls

Trumps visit Tuesday marked his fourth stop in 2024 in Michigan, considered a key state in the presidential race.

Trump last landed in Michigan in July. His appearance at Van Andel Arena was his first public rally since surviving an assassination attempt and accepting the Republican presidential nomination.

He also campaigned in Saginaw County and Detroit earlier this year.

Trumps running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, of Ohio, campaigned three times so far in Michigan this year, including last week in Kent County.

Their Democratic opponent in the race, Harris, has visited Michigan five times this year. Only her most recent visit  a rally earlier this month at a Detroit Metropolitan Airport hangar  came after she replaced Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
HOWELL, MI  During remarks to a crowd of law enforcers and supporters here, former President Donald Trump warned of a coming World War III if voters dont return him to the White House in November.

This is a very dangerous time were in in terms of crime, Trump said during the Republicans Tuesday, Aug. 20, campaign stop in the key battleground state. Were closer to World War III than ever. The level of power and weaponry in the world is so bad. You need the right person to be president.

The former president delivered his 55-minute afternoon address in a warehouse-sized facility managed by the Livingston County Sheriffs Department, where there was enough space for dozens of Trump supporters to gather with dozens of members of the press.

Trump announced the planned visit only four days earlier, stating his remarks would focus on policy plans related to crime prevention.

He stuck largely to that theme, although there were tangents referencing the auto manufacturing industry and past elections.

Surrounded by members of the Michigan law enforcement community, Trump claimed police were under assault and were experiencing difficulty with the laws of the land.

Were going to get rid of that difficulty, Trump said.

The Republican blamed much of that difficulty on policies supported by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Trumps Democratic opponent in the 2024 presidential election.

Trump attached several monikers to her name during his remarks. Among them: Comrade Kamala and radical liberal Kamala Harris. He also called her a Marxist, the border czar and the godmother of sanctuary cities.

There has to be a change

Were here today to talk about how we are going to stop the Kamala crime wave that is going on at levels we have never seen before, Trump said. She is so far left, you cant even imagine.

Trump disputed Biden-era violent crime rates the Harris campaign has advertised as evidence of her tough-on-crime stance.

The Harris campaign has disputed crime statistics Trumps campaign has advertised as evidence he would prove tougher on crime if elected in November.

You cant walk across the street to get a loaf of bread, Trump told the crowd in Howell. You get mugged. You get raped. There has to be a change.

Trump said, as president, he would push policy that provided support and resources for law enforcement agencies.

He said the Biden administration  and Harris, by extension  supported policies that made policing law more difficult than during Trumps administration.

You look at radical liberal Kamala Harris: Shes been the ringleader of the anti-police crusade, Trump said. They just have it out for the police. I like to say The Republican Party is the party of common sense.

Trump referred to Harris once supporting the defund the police movement.

Harris expressed praise for the defund the police movement after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, questioning whether money was being effectively spent on public safety. However, she has not said during her 2024 campaign that she is in favor of defunding law enforcement.

Trump said he believed Harris would.

If she ever had a chance, she would do whatever she could to defund the police, Trump said. We cant have that. We have to give (law enforcers) protection. And we have to give them love and respect.

Trump said, as president, he will crack down on local Marxist (district attorneys) that refuse to put murderers in jail.

Border watch

Trump spent a large chunk of his address Tuesday promising, as president, he would enact the largest deportation operation in the history of the country.

He was critical of Biden-era immigration policy the Republican said reversed his administrations efforts to address border crossings from Mexico to the U.S.

On day one, I will seal the border, Trump said. Ill send Kamalas illegal aliens back home where they belong.

He was critical of Harris work as Californias attorney general, a role she served from 2011-17.

Trump did not address his donation of $6,000 to her reelection campaign as attorney general in 2014. A copy of one of the checks recently was transformed into a political billboard sign along I-75, about 60 miles southwest from Howell.

At his Tuesday campaign stop, Trump briefly diverted from talking about his crime prevention policy plans to discuss the auto manufacturing industry.

The former president said, under Bidens administration, other nations were building automotive manufacturing facilities that would lead to fewer auto jobs in the U.S.

Theyre building some of the biggest car plants in Mexico, Trump said. Were not going to let it happen.

He claimed, without a change, every auto worker in this state will be out of a job in three years.

Read More: Trump is a scab, UAW leader Shawn Fain tells Democratic National Convention

Trump also told the crowd he did not believe polls that showed he was unpopular among suburban women.

Its a fake poll, Trump said, not specifying the poll he was referencing. I keep suburbs safe. Im keeping the illegal aliens away from them. Weve seen a lot of fake polls.

He also seemed to reference the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

We won the first one and did better the second time, Trump said.

The Republican has repeated disproven claims the 2020 presidential election was rigged to favor Biden.

Supporting cast

Among the law enforcers in attendance Tuesday was Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy, who was among a group of Michigan sheriffs to address the crowd before Trump arrived.

Murphy made headlines in recent years for supporting law enforcement policies that align with conservative values.

After Michigan became the nations 21st red flag state  an initiative that permits a state to order the temporary seizure of firearms from a person suspected could present a danger  Murphy in an April 2023 Facebook video spoke at length about why he found the premise of red flag laws unconstitutional.

He questioned why only demonstrating preponderance of evidence  and not the higher standards of probable cause, or beyond a reasonable doubt  was necessary to grant an order.

He also took issue with how the courts could really prove a person was lying in filing a risk order frivolously, saying if somebody truly believes something  whether its true or not, in our mind  how can you say that they knowingly and intentionally made a (false) accusation ... How can we prove that? You cant.

The sheriffs comments in 2023 came the same day Livingston Countys Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution vowing not to put any public resources behind enforcing restrictions on firearm ownership within their jurisdiction.

At the Trump event Tuesday, Murphy told the crowd he preferred federal law enforcement policies enacted and enforced during the Trump presidency.

Now, it would be awesome if I could put my little umbrella over Livingston County and all things would stay local and we can just live in our little utopia, said Murphy, a Republican. But thats not the way things work. We are affected by state policy. We are affected by federal policy.

The sheriff said, earlier this month, a pregnant woman in Livingston County was involved in a 2-vehicle crash with an illegal immigrant who had previously been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

We have wins when we get those trends solved and when we lock up the bad guys, but the real win comes in prevention, right?, the sheriff told the crowd Tuesday.

He said immigration policy demonstrates how federal law impacts local law enforcement.

We also have lived in the previous (years) under the Trump administration, and you saw what a difference that made, the Livingston County sheriff said. Thats why were here, supporting (Trump). Its really just that simple. We need to get back to that.

Murphy serves as the top law enforcer in a county that has proven its pro-Trump credentials. Livingston County voters favored Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections.

Four years ago, the Republican received 60.5% of the countys vote compared to the 37.9% of voters who favored Biden. And nearly twice as many Livingston County voters favored Trump as Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Michigan voters as a whole favored Biden in 2020 and Trump in 2016.

Murphy wasnt the only elected Republican in attendance Tuesday who has advocated for another Trump victory this November.

U.S. Reps. John James and John Moolenaar; former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, now a candidate for Michigans open U.S. Senate seat; Paul Junge, a candidate for a U.S. House seat in November; state Rep. Matt Hall, the House minority leader; and state Sen. Aric Nesbitt, Michigans Senate minority leader, joined Trump in Howell.

Trumps visit Tuesday marked his first return to Michigan since he hosted a rally last month at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.

Howells history

The Trump campaigns decision to campaign in Howell drew criticism from the Harris campaign and her Democratic allies who noted the communitys history involving white supremacy groups.

Last month, a white supremacist group marched through Howell, with about a dozen in the group chanting Heil Hitler while carrying Nazi and KKK flags, passing around white supremacist literature and displaying banners with anti-Semitic messages.

City officials have acknowledged the citys history with white supremacist leader Robert E. Miles, who was the Michigan Grand Dragon of the KKK in the 1970s.

Trump is choosing to rally in a town that was historically known as the KKK capital of Michigan, Alyssa Bradley, communications director for the Harris campaign in Michigan, said in a statement before Trump arrived in the city. This event on crime and safety isnt a dog whistle from Trump  its a bullhorn.

When a reporter on Tuesday asked Trump why he chose to campaign in Howell considering its history with white supremacy, the former president responded, Who was here in 2021?

Someone in the audience answered, Biden, eliciting applause and laughter from the pro-Trump crowd, seemingly responding to the appearance of hypocrisy from critics who attach Trump to the towns history but not Biden.

Biden visited Howell in October 2021 to promote two pillars of his domestic agenda: A $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill and a $3.5 trillion package to expand social programs.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Arizona Republicans are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a case that could potentially block 40,000 citizens in the battleground state from voting in the presidential election this November.

The Republican National Committee filed an emergency application for stay earlier in August to reinstate a 2022 Arizona law that would require residents to provide proof of citizenship like a birth certificate or passport to vote in presidential elections and by mail. If reinstated, some Arizonians voter registration forms will be rejected this year.

Federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in elections and there is no proof that it occurs anywhere in the U.S. to a high degree. Republicans asked the court to rule on the issue by Thursday.

Politicians this election year are focusing their efforts on battleground states like Arizona to swing the pendulum in their favor. In 2020, President Joe Biden narrowly won the state by just over 10,000 votes  with Latinos helping to secure his victory.

Analysts said the case, known as the Republican National Committee v. Mi Familia Vota, could potentially hand Arizona to Donald Trump. Many of the impacted voters are service members, students and Native Americans who did not have birth certificates on hand when registering to vote, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Every voter in Arizona has a bedrock right to ensure their votes and their voices are not diluted by ineligible voters casting ballots and impacting our elections and our representation, Arizona GOP Chairwoman Gina Swoboda said in a release.

Voter advocates said the Republican push in Arizona is another method of disenfranchisement. According to a study by the University of Maryland, nearly 10 percent of voting-age citizens (21.3 million) do not have immediate access to documents that show proof of citizenship. Nearly 4 million people dont have any legal documents to prove their citizenship. Marginalized groups were more likely to lack documentation, with Republicans least likely.

A study released late last year found that federal-only voters tended to be concentrated on or near college campuses and homeless shelters in Arizona. Young adults were found to be disproportionately impacted by the states unique voting laws, according to the analysis of the more than 32,000 voters on the list.

The law, if reinstated, would require that Arizona not print presidential candidates on federal-only ballots or configure its voting machines to not count those votes, Republicans said in the court filing.

Arizona has a track record of voter disenfranchisement. In 2004, the state passed a law requiring new voters to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote. This law conflicts with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which mandates that states register people who submitted the standard federal form.

In 2022, Arizona enacted more stipulations for voter registration, including that election officials must reject state forms without citizenship proof and that these voters could not vote for president or by mail.

According to Vox, Arizona has refused to fully register voters who submitted the federal form without providing proof of citizenship, leading to Federal-Only Voters who cannot vote in local and state elections but vote in presidential or congressional elections. Less than one percent of those voters are from minority groups  but they could make a difference in the swing state.

Democrats last week announced their own efforts to squeeze out votes in battleground states. The party is targeting about 1.6 million people living abroad who are legally registered to vote in the U.S. They include military personnel, students, people traveling on business and digital nomads who work remotely.
News / National

by Staff reporter

The Supreme Court of Zimbabwe has dismissed a US$10 million lawsuit filed by Zemqos Incorporated (Pvt) Ltd against City Parking over an alleged breach of a verbal agreement concerning the supply and installation of an automated parking management system in Harare.Zemqos had appealed a High Court ruling that dismissed its claim for specific performance of the verbal contract and sought damages as an alternative.In 2014, Zemqos and City Parking entered into a verbal agreement for the installation of a fully automated parking system across 5,000 bays.Zemqos installed the system on 555 bays and supplied 200 handheld devices, with City Parking paying for the initial stage and continuing to pay license fees until 2017.Zemqos claimed City Parking failed to allocate the remaining 4,445 bays and continued using the system without paying license fees.City Parking, however, denied these claims, stating the verbal agreement was not fully honored by Zemqos and argued that the contract had already been canceled.The High Court found no evidence to support Zemqos's claims and dismissed the lawsuit. Zemqos then appealed to the Supreme Court, which upheld the High Court's decision, ruling that the appeal had no merit and that the alternative claim for damages was also without merit.The Supreme Court supported the High Court's judgment that the performance of the contract was conditional upon the availability of funds, which Zemqos failed to prove.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Zimbabwe is being criticized for its increasing authoritarianism and interference with judicial processes, particularly in the context of recent arrests of opposition activists.Zanu-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa indicated that activists detained before the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government Summit might be released.Over 160 activists were arrested on charges of planning protests to disrupt the summit, which was held in Zimbabwe.Human rights groups and opposition parties condemned Mutsvangwa's statement as an overt disregard for judicial independence, suggesting that it exemplifies the ruling party's control over the judiciary.Critics argue that this interference undermines the rule of law and shows a troubling overlap between the executive and judicial branches.Citizens Coalition for Change spokesperson Promise Mkwananzi criticized Mutsvangwa's authority to influence judicial decisions, calling for an apology.Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition's Blessing Vava lamented the detention of innocent individuals, while Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights' Roselyn Hanzi warned that Zanu-PF could face legal consequences for the arrests.The Zimbabwe Democracy Institute highlighted that these actions reflect a broader decline in democratic norms and governance standards.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Political commentators have strongly condemned Zanu-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa after he laughed at the plight of incarcerated activists during a recent press briefing in Harare.They warned that such 'tasteless behaviour' could worsen tensions in the country.Mutsvangwa praised the country's security forces for arresting the activists, claiming they had received their "deserved medicine" and that since the SADC Summit event they allegedly intended to disrupt was over, there was no reason to keep them in prison.His remarks elicited fierce backlash from various political analysts and opposition figures, who regarded them as a disturbing reflection of Zanu-PF's history of violence and disregard for human rights.In an interview with CITE, political commentator Mxolisi Ncube criticised Mutsvangwa for conflating the roles of the ruling party and the government, accusing him of undermining the independence of law enforcement agencies."Mutsvangwa must understand there is a difference between the ruling party and the government, yet we still see him conflating the two in his statement. He has no right to speak on behalf of either the government or the security forces," Ncube stated."What he's confirming is that our law enforcement agents are not independent but operate as a tool in the hands of the ruling party, and that is quite unfortunate."Ncube noted that Zanu-PF will always make political decisions that are inimical to the development of the country, decisions "aimed at crushing political opponents as they have been doing since 1980, beginning with Gukurahundi."He added that Zanu-PF should understand that even if they are the party in government, "they are not the government.""It is also unfortunate that because of this conflation, our security forces have found themselves having to act against the very constitution they must protect, in aid of a political party that is failing to govern and would rather silence dissent."Political activist Future Msebele said it was "absurd" that Mutsvangwa made fun of people who had been arrested not for protesting but for being seen by security forces as having the potential to protest."It does not get worse than this. Mutsvangwa is showing us that Zanu is a schadenfreude organisation. How can one find pleasure in arresting innocent people?" he questioned."Does this mean that activists will be arrested every time our country hosts major summits?"It is common knowledge that no government can remain in power by arresting dissenting voices. Some of us who come from Matabeleland are reminded of the Matabeleland genocide."The Mutsvangwas have become worse than the white colonial regime. Is this what they meant when they talked of kutonga kwaro?'"Another political analyst, Patrick Ndlovu, added that Zanu-PF's violent tendencies are deeply rooted in its history, dating back to its days in Mozambique during the liberation struggle.He noted that Mutsvangwa's reaction was consistent with the party's legacy of using violence and intimidation to silence opposition voices."Various biographies written by Zanu people speak of incarceration in pits and torture as a way of indoctrination. It is not surprising that Mutsvangwa, an enforcer and enabler of the system, would find it funny that the police actually tortured and arrested people exercising their constitutional right to assemble and protest," Ndlovu remarked.ZAPU Secretary-General Mthulisi Hanana echoed Ndlovu's sentiments, describing Mutsvangwa's remarks as indicative of a "bloodthirsty" leadership that prioritises political repression over addressing the genuine concerns of Zimbabweans."It's clear Zimbabwe is led by bloodthirsty leaders who have their priorities wrong," Hanana said."Mutsvangwa's utterances show that Zanu-PF is now brazenly arrogant. They do not have any decorum or decency in running the country. This is why they brag about arbitrary arrests and a flawed justice system that denies people bail simply because they are serving the interests of Zanu-PF."The ZAPU SG added that "Mutsvangwa's utterances were synonymous with people who have always survived by killing.""Zanu supposedly fought Smith only to replace him with a system that is more brutal, insensitive, bloodthirsty, and lacking any sense or iota of development," Hanana said."We need Zimbabweans to show them that what they fear is not something to be done by a few individuals. A lot of Zimbabweans are disgruntled by this government and sooner or later, without being led by anyone, Zimbabweans will do to Mutsvangwa and his friends what ZAPU and ZPRA did to Ian Smith."General Secretary of the Zimbabwe Communist Party Ngqabutho Nicholas Mabhena went further, labelling Mutsvangwa's comments as "criminal" and calling for his arrest."It cannot be correct that you violate the rights of individuals, the right to protest, on the basis that you believe they are going to disrupt an event," Mabhena argued."What Mutsvangwa is saying is criminal, and he must be charged for that."Mabhena highlighted that the protests were not only about Zimbabwe's internal issues but also about broader concerns within the SADC region."We have civil society leaders from Eswatini and other countries who wanted to demonstrate as led by the Zimbabwean activists to raise issues that are happening in other countries, and this is what happens in other SADC countries where civil society will organise protests," he said.
Algoma Steel Group Inc. (TSE:ASTL  Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, August 23rd, TickerTech reports. Investors of record on Friday, September 27th will be given a dividend of 0.05 per share on Friday, September 27th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 23rd.

Algoma Steel Group Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of ASTL traded up C$0.14 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting C$13.08. The company had a trading volume of 23,900 shares, compared to its average volume of 54,172. Algoma Steel Group has a 1 year low of C$8.71 and a 1 year high of C$13.95. The firm has a market capitalization of C$1.36 billion, a P/E ratio of -59.77 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 40.09, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 4.19. The companys 50-day simple moving average is C$11.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$10.96.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ASTL shares. Cormark raised their target price on Algoma Steel Group from C$14.50 to C$18.75 in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Algoma Steel Group from C$13.00 to C$15.00 in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Algoma Steel Group from C$16.00 to C$19.00 in a report on Thursday, August 15th.

Algoma Steel Group Company Profile

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Algoma Steel Group Inc produces and sells steel products primarily in North America. The company provides flat/sheet steel products, including temper rolling, cold rolled, hot-rolled pickled and oiled products, floor plate, and cut-to-length products for the automotive industry, hollow structural product manufacturers, and the light manufacturing and transportation industries; and plate steel products that consist of rolled, hot-rolled, and heat-treated for use in the construction or manufacture of railcars, buildings, bridges, off-highway equipment, storage tanks, ships, and military applications.

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Shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD  Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of Moderate Buy by the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $72.13.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from $70.00 to $68.50 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. UBS Group upgraded shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th.

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Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Stock Performance

BUD stock opened at $60.54 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $60.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.27. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has a fifty-two week low of $51.66 and a fifty-two week high of $67.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $108.80 billion, a PE ratio of 25.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.10.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The consumer goods maker reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $15.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.21 billion. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV had a return on equity of 21.74% and a net margin of 9.89%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.72 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV will post 3.35 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 9,765 shares of the consumer goods makers stock worth $568,000 after buying an additional 606 shares during the period. Creative Planning raised its position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 11.3% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 52,041 shares of the consumer goods makers stock worth $3,026,000 after purchasing an additional 5,279 shares during the period. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the second quarter worth about $1,023,000. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the 2nd quarter valued at about $328,000. Finally, Elgethun Capital Management grew its position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. Elgethun Capital Management now owns 59,579 shares of the consumer goods makers stock valued at $3,465,000 after purchasing an additional 2,648 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.53% of the companys stock.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Company Profile

(Get Free Report

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV produces, distributes, exports, markets, and sells beer and beverages. It offers a portfolio of approximately 500 beer brands, which primarily include Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois; Beck's, Hoegaarden, Leffe, and Michelob Ultra; and Aguila, Antarctica, Bud Light, Brahma, Cass, Castle, Castle Lite, Cristal, Harbin, Jupiler, Modelo Especial, Quilmes, Victoria, Sedrin, and Skol brands.

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Carnegie Investment Counsel lowered its position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII  Free Report) by 18.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,883 shares of the aerospace companys stock after selling 875 shares during the quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsels holdings in Huntington Ingalls Industries were worth $956,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 5,658.6% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 684,235 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $177,655,000 after purchasing an additional 672,353 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc raised its position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 745.3% in the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 100,569 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $26,112,000 after purchasing an additional 88,671 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 564.2% in the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 98,300 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $28,652,000 after purchasing an additional 83,500 shares in the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 48.7% in the 4th quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 250,469 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $65,032,000 after purchasing an additional 82,028 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC acquired a new position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $23,011,000. 90.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on HII shares. StockNews.com lowered Huntington Ingalls Industries from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Citigroup initiated coverage on Huntington Ingalls Industries in a research report on Monday, May 20th. They set a buy rating and a $310.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $278.00.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Stock Performance

Shares of HII stock traded down $4.47 on Wednesday, hitting $270.76. 57,956 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 300,146. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The company has a market capitalization of $10.68 billion, a PE ratio of 15.51, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.53. Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. has a 1-year low of $199.11 and a 1-year high of $299.50. The companys fifty day moving average is $257.21 and its 200 day moving average is $267.64.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The aerospace company reported $4.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.61 by $0.77. The firm had revenue of $2.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.84 billion. Huntington Ingalls Industries had a return on equity of 18.55% and a net margin of 6.35%. The firms revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.27 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. will post 16.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 13th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.92%. Huntington Ingalls Industriess payout ratio is currently 29.31%.

About Huntington Ingalls Industries

(Free Report)

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc designs, builds, overhauls, and repairs military ships in the United States. It operates through three segments: Ingalls, Newport News, and Mission Technologies. The company is involved in the design and construction of non-nuclear ships comprising amphibious assault ships; expeditionary warfare ships; surface combatants; and national security cutters for the U.S.

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CCL Industries Inc. (TSE:CCL.B  Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as C$77.59 and last traded at C$76.72, with a volume of 37018 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at C$76.72.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on CCL.B. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of CCL Industries from C$84.00 to C$87.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of CCL Industries from C$79.00 to C$83.00 in a research report on Friday, May 10th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of CCL Industries from C$83.00 to C$84.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of CCL Industries from C$80.00 to C$84.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, CIBC lifted their price objective on shares of CCL Industries from C$86.00 to C$88.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of C$84.78.

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CCL Industries Stock Performance

Insider Activity

The stock has a market capitalization of C$12.84 billion, a PE ratio of 20.40, a PEG ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 0.56. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of C$72.87 and a 200-day moving average price of C$70.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.08.

In other CCL Industries news, Director Gunther Johann Birkner sold 20,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$71.69, for a total transaction of C$1,433,800.00. In other news, Director Gunther Johann Birkner sold 20,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$71.69, for a total transaction of C$1,433,800.00. Also, Senior Officer Mark Mcclendon sold 400 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$73.47, for a total value of C$29,388.00. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 45,400 shares of company stock valued at $3,348,890. 11.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About CCL Industries

(Get Free Report)

CCL Industries Inc manufactures and sells labels, containers, consumer printable media products, technology driven label solutions, polymer bank note substrates, and specialty films. The company operates through four segments: CCL, Avery, Checkpoint, and Innovia. The CCL segment offers pressure sensitive and specialty extruded film materials for decorative, instructional, functional, and security applications in the consumer packaging, healthcare, chemicals, consumer electronic device, and automotive markets.

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FILE PHOTO: Aerial view shows the brine pools of SQM lithium mine on the Atacama salt flat in the Atacama desert of northern Chile

SANTIAGO (Reuters) -Chile's SQM, the world's second-largest lithium producer, reported a bigger-than-expected 63.2% slide in its quarterly profit on Wednesday due to weak prices of the battery metal, which it expects will continue for the rest of the year.

The miner, which also produces fertilizers and industrial chemicals, posted a second-quarter net profit of $213.6 million, or 75 cents a share, missing analysts' estimates of $296.7 million, or 95 cents a share, according to LSEG data.

Its revenue of $1.3 billion in the quarter was in line with expectations, based on LSEG data.

SQM produces the white metal in the Atacama salt flat of northern Chile, home to the world's highest lithium concentration in brine, giving it an advantage of low-cost production.

But while it posted record-high quarterly sales volume of lithium, its results were dragged down by a significant drop in the metal's prices and CEO Ricardo Ramos said that trend will continue.

"We see this pricing trend continuing in the second half of this year, with current lithium price indices in China nearly 20% lower than the average lithium price indices in the second quarter of 2024," he said.

A basket of lithium prices tracked by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence shows they have fallen about 70% over the past year because of weaker-than-expected global demand for electric vehicles, due in part to high borrowing costs and global uncertainty.

INVESTMENT PLAN

Ramos said some lithium producers may reduce output since the low prices made projects economically unviable. But he told an earnings call SQM was maintaining its lithium capex and that it did not consider the current price environment reflective of long-term lithium prices.

"We are really clear the price will be different in the future. That's why we have a clear investment plan in lithium," he said.

Ramos said in the results report SQM will continue with its expansion plans, although it is reevaluating specific markets and initiatives that may be "less attractive in the near term under these conditions."

Story continues

U.S. rival Albemarle, which also operates in Atacama, said last month it would cut costs after posting a second-quarter loss.

Investors are also closely watching for updates on SQM's timeline to close a deal with Chile's state-run Codelco that will give the state copper giant a majority stake in a joint venture to mine lithium in the Atacama salt flat.

The companies have said they are aiming to secure regulatory approvals by mid-2025.

A Chilean court is analyzing an argument against the deal, after China's Tianqi Lithium, which owns about a fifth of SQM, challenged the financial regulator's decision to allow the joint venture to move forward without a vote by shareholders.

Ramos said on Wednesday the company was "very optimistic" about the court's decision, but that there was no new information on the issue.

(Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon in Santiago, Harshita Meenaktshi in Bengaluru, and Brendan O'Boyle in Mexico City; Editing by Savio D'Souza and David Holmes)
Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lessened its stake in shares of Moodys Co. (NYSE:MCO  Free Report) by 3.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 90,426 shares of the business services providers stock after selling 3,659 shares during the quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLCs holdings in Moodys were worth $38,063,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MCO. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Moodys in the second quarter worth $106,000. Ninety One UK Ltd grew its stake in shares of Moodys by 1.2% in the second quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 1,980,021 shares of the business services providers stock worth $833,450,000 after purchasing an additional 24,107 shares during the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Moodys in the second quarter worth $2,877,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Moodys by 1.8% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,357 shares of the business services providers stock worth $571,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Moodys by 8.7% in the second quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,712 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,984,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Stephen T. Tulenko sold 500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $464.06, for a total value of $232,030.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 6,647 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,084,606.82. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Moodys news, insider Stephen T. Tulenko sold 500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $464.06, for a total value of $232,030.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,647 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,084,606.82. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 1,862 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.43, for a total transaction of $848,010.66. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,040 shares of the companys stock, valued at $473,647.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,931 shares of company stock worth $1,332,825 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.07% of the companys stock.

Moodys Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE MCO traded up $2.66 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $476.20. 193,861 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 732,449. The businesss fifty day moving average is $441.12 and its 200 day moving average is $408.06. Moodys Co. has a fifty-two week low of $298.86 and a fifty-two week high of $476.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 1.52.

Moodys (NYSE:MCO  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The business services provider reported $3.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.22. Moodys had a net margin of 28.34% and a return on equity of 57.03%. The company had revenue of $1.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.72 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.30 EPS. The firms revenue was up 21.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Moodys Co. will post 11.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moodys Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Moodyss dividend payout ratio is presently 37.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Moodys to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Moodys from $454.00 to $492.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Moodys from $443.00 to $454.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Moodys from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and cut their price target for the company from $482.00 to $455.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Moodys from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $456.00.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on MCO

Moodys Profile

(Free Report)

Moody's Corporation operates as an integrated risk assessment firm worldwide. It operates in two segments, Moody's Analytics and Moody's Investors Services. The Moody's Analytics segment develops a range of products and services that support the risk management activities of institutional participants in financial markets.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MCO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Moodys Co. (NYSE:MCO  Free Report).

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Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG  Get Free Report) shares were up 3.3% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $53.72 and last traded at $53.65. Approximately 4,244,095 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average daily volume of 15,138,865 shares. The stock had previously closed at $51.94.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $74.00 to $62.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. BTIG Research upped their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a buy rating and issued a $67.00 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $61.00 to $56.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Wedbush raised shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $54.00 to $58.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $62.36.

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Read Our Latest Report on Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle Mexican Grill Trading Up 3.2 %

The firm has a market cap of $73.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.24. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $122.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $80.76.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The restaurant operator reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.02. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 13.23% and a return on equity of 44.01%. The company had revenue of $2.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $12.65 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 18.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Chipotle Mexican Grill

In other Chipotle Mexican Grill news, insider Curtis E. Garner sold 17,394 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.68, for a total transaction of $951,103.92. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 358,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,591,844. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chipotle Mexican Grill

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 4,732.3% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 20,177,309 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $1,264,109,000 after purchasing an additional 19,759,754 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 5,209.5% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 10,935,669 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $685,128,000 after purchasing an additional 10,729,706 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 5,930.8% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,310,132 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $645,930,000 after acquiring an additional 10,139,174 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 4,816.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,356,173 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $523,514,000 after acquiring an additional 8,186,198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 76,617.6% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 5,904,952 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $369,945,000 after acquiring an additional 5,897,255 shares during the last quarter. 91.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Chipotle Mexican Grill

(Get Free Report)

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants. It sells food and beverages through offering burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, tacos, and salads. The company also provides delivery and related services its app and website. It has operations in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Further Reading

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Southwestern Energy (NYSE:SWN  Get Free Report) and EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG  Get Free Report) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk and dividends.

Risk & Volatility

Southwestern Energy has a beta of 1.17, suggesting that its share price is 17% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, EOG Resources has a beta of 1.3, suggesting that its share price is 30% more volatile than the S&P 500.

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Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Southwestern Energy and EOG Resources, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Southwestern Energy 1 10 2 0 2.08 EOG Resources 0 14 8 1 2.43

Profitability

Southwestern Energy currently has a consensus target price of $8.27, suggesting a potential upside of 31.56%. EOG Resources has a consensus target price of $144.15, suggesting a potential upside of 15.09%. Given Southwestern Energys higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Southwestern Energy is more favorable than EOG Resources.

This table compares Southwestern Energy and EOG Resources net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Southwestern Energy -48.91% 10.55% 4.80% EOG Resources 30.33% 25.65% 16.38%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Southwestern Energy and EOG Resources top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Southwestern Energy $6.52 billion 1.06 $1.56 billion ($1.74) -3.61 EOG Resources $24.01 billion 3.00 $7.59 billion $12.66 9.89

EOG Resources has higher revenue and earnings than Southwestern Energy. Southwestern Energy is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than EOG Resources, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

87.0% of Southwestern Energy shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 89.9% of EOG Resources shares are held by institutional investors. 0.6% of Southwestern Energy shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of EOG Resources shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

EOG Resources beats Southwestern Energy on 13 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Southwestern Energy

(Get Free Report)

Southwestern Energy Company, an independent energy company, engages in the exploration, development, and production of natural gas, oil, and natural gas liquids (NGLs) in the United States. It operates through two segments, Exploration and Production, and Marketing. The company focuses on the development of unconventional natural gas and oil reservoirs located in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Louisiana. It also engages in the marketing and transportation of natural gas, oil, and NGLs. It serves LNG exporters, energy companies, utilities, and industrial purchasers of natural gas. Southwestern Energy Company was incorporated in 1929 and is headquartered in Spring, Texas.

About EOG Resources

(Get Free Report)

EOG Resources, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, explores for, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas primarily in producing basins in the United States, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and internationally. The company was formerly known as Enron Oil & Gas Company. EOG Resources, Inc. was incorporated in 1985 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

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Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Southern Company (NYSE:SO  Free Report) by 1.8% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 15,672 shares of the utilities providers stock after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc.s holdings in Southern were worth $1,279,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern in the 2nd quarter worth about $120,000. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Southern by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. now owns 229,302 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $17,787,000 after acquiring an additional 856 shares during the period. Mayfair Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Southern by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Mayfair Advisory Group LLC now owns 20,075 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,606,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. MBE Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $210,000. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Southern by 6.3% during the second quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 49,079 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $3,807,000 after purchasing an additional 2,919 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 64.10% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

SO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Southern from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a sector outperform rating in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Southern from $77.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Southern from $80.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Argus boosted their price target on Southern from $75.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Southern from $66.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $82.64.

Southern Stock Performance

NYSE:SO traded up $0.50 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $87.30. The company had a trading volume of 876,243 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,440,907. The firm has a market cap of $95.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.51, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. The firms 50 day moving average price is $81.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.58. The Southern Company has a 52 week low of $61.56 and a 52 week high of $89.68.

Southern (NYSE:SO  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $6.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.10 billion. Southern had a return on equity of 12.88% and a net margin of 17.67%. Southerns revenue for the quarter was up 12.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.79 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that The Southern Company will post 4.01 EPS for the current year.

Southern Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th will be given a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 19th. This represents a $2.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%. Southerns payout ratio is presently 74.42%.

Insider Transactions at Southern

In other Southern news, EVP Sloane N. Drake sold 12,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.61, for a total transaction of $931,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,771 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,301,597.31. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Southern news, EVP Sloane N. Drake sold 12,000 shares of Southern stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.61, for a total transaction of $931,320.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,771 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,301,597.31. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sterling A. Jr. Spainhour sold 2,380 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.99, for a total transaction of $211,796.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,500 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,112,375. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,280 shares of company stock worth $1,678,625 in the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Southern Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. The company also develops, constructs, acquires, owns, and manages power generation assets, including renewable energy projects and sells electricity in the wholesale market; and distributes natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, as well as provides gas marketing services, gas distribution operations, and gas pipeline investments operations.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Southern Company (NYSE:SO  Free Report).

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Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V. (NYSE:ASR  Get Free Report) shares were down 2.9% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $270.50 and last traded at $271.04. Approximately 31,838 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 26% from the average daily volume of 43,249 shares. The stock had previously closed at $279.15.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V. from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V. currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $274.00.

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Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V.

Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V. Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $298.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $311.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 3.97 and a quick ratio of 3.97. The company has a market cap of $8.19 billion, a PE ratio of 13.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.14.

Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V. (NYSE:ASR  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $9.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.64 by $3.96. Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V. had a return on equity of 25.99% and a net margin of 49.57%. The firm had revenue of $357.51 million during the quarter. Research analysts anticipate that Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V. will post 23.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V. Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 25th were issued a dividend of $5.597 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 25th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.3%. Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V.s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.54%.

Institutional Trading of Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ASR. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V. by 227.8% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 118 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V. by 116.7% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 221 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V. by 64.7% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 313 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $100,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V. by 53.5% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 413 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $122,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V. by 62.2% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 840 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $247,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 10.57% of the companys stock.

About Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V.

(Get Free Report)

Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S. A. B. de C. V. holds concessions to operate, maintain, and develop airports in the southeast region of Mexico. The company operates airports that are located in the cities of Cancun, Cozumel, Merida, Huatulco, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Villahermosa, Tapachula, and Minatitlan.

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HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC  Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,830,000 shares, a decline of 7.2% from the July 15th total of 8,440,000 shares. Currently, 0.2% of the companys shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,460,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.4 days.

HSBC Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE HSBC opened at $42.72 on Wednesday. HSBC has a 12-month low of $35.30 and a 12-month high of $45.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $160.22 billion, a PE ratio of 7.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.58. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $43.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.83.

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HSBC (NYSE:HSBC  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter. HSBC had a return on equity of 10.60% and a net margin of 15.61%. The company had revenue of $16.54 billion during the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that HSBC will post 5.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HSBC Dividend Announcement

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HSBC

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. HSBCs payout ratio is 34.14%.

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mission Wealth Management LP increased its holdings in HSBC by 21.5% during the 1st quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 6,311 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $248,000 after purchasing an additional 1,115 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital purchased a new position in shares of HSBC during the first quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Pitcairn Co. bought a new stake in HSBC during the first quarter worth $567,000. Insight Folios Inc purchased a new stake in HSBC in the 1st quarter valued at $4,589,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in HSBC by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 11,621,349 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $471,129,000 after acquiring an additional 376,641 shares in the last quarter. 1.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Dbs Bank raised shares of HSBC to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, HSBC presently has an average rating of Hold.

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HSBC Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

HSBC Holdings plc provides banking and financial services worldwide. The company operates through Wealth and Personal Banking, Commercial Banking, and Global Banking and Markets segments. The Wealth and Personal Banking segment offers retail banking and wealth products, including current and savings accounts, mortgages and personal loans, credit and debit cards, and local and international payment services; and wealth management services comprising insurance and investment products, global asset management services, investment management, and private wealth solutions.

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iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (NYSEARCA:EFA  Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders purchased 79,442 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 16% compared to the average volume of 68,762 put options.

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Trading Up 0.8 %

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF stock traded up $0.62 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $81.68. The stock had a trading volume of 7,600,208 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,832,405. The firms 50 day moving average is $79.00 and its 200 day moving average is $78.78. iShares MSCI EAFE ETF has a one year low of $65.68 and a one year high of $82.16.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. SYM FINANCIAL Corp purchased a new stake in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF during the second quarter worth $26,000. Howe & Rusling Inc. increased its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 112.7% in the 4th quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 336 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Fortis Group Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.80% of the companys stock.

About iShares MSCI EAFE ETF

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF, formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Index Fund (the Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Funds investment objective is to seek investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of its underlying index, MSCI EAFE Index (the Index). The Index has been developed by MSCI Inc as an equity benchmark for its international stock performance.

Further Reading

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Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ  Get Free Report)s stock price traded up 0.2% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $159.80 and last traded at $159.63. 767,952 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 7,299,017 shares. The stock had previously closed at $159.39.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on JNJ. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. TD Securities decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an overweight rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $173.21.

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Johnson & Johnson Trading Up 0.8 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $388.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.07. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $152.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $153.09.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $22.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.33 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 36.60% and a net margin of 46.34%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.80 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th will be paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 27th. Johnson & Johnsons dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.92%.

Institutional Trading of Johnson & Johnson

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Johnson & Johnson in the second quarter worth $27,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 1st quarter worth $31,000. WFA Asset Management Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 61.4% in the 4th quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 255 shares of the companys stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Disciplined Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. 69.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Johnson & Johnson

(Get Free Report)

Johnson & Johnson, together with its subsidiaries, researches, develops, manufactures, and sells various products in the healthcare field worldwide. The company's Innovative Medicine segment offers products for various therapeutic areas, such as immunology, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis; infectious diseases comprising HIV/AIDS; neuroscience, consisting of mood disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and schizophrenia; oncology, such as prostate cancer, hematologic malignancies, lung cancer, and bladder cancer; cardiovascular and metabolism, including thrombosis, diabetes, and macular degeneration; and pulmonary hypertension comprising pulmonary arterial hypertension through retailers, wholesalers, distributors, hospitals, and healthcare professionals for prescription use.

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The Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE:TD  Free Report) (TSE:TD)  Stock analysts at National Bank Financial decreased their FY2024 earnings per share estimates for shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, August 15th. National Bank Financial analyst G. Dechaine now expects that the bank will post earnings per share of $5.78 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $5.81. National Bank Financial currently has a Underperform rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Toronto-Dominion Banks current full-year earnings is $5.87 per share. National Bank Financial also issued estimates for Toronto-Dominion Banks Q4 2024 earnings at $1.36 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $5.71 EPS.

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Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE:TD  Get Free Report) (TSE:TD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 23rd. The bank reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $10.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.90 billion. Toronto-Dominion Bank had a return on equity of 14.38% and a net margin of 9.96%.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. UBS Group began coverage on Toronto-Dominion Bank in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. They set a neutral rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Toronto-Dominion Bank from $86.00 to $84.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 24th. StockNews.com upgraded Toronto-Dominion Bank from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Cibc World Mkts upgraded Toronto-Dominion Bank from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Toronto-Dominion Bank currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $88.00.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Toronto-Dominion Bank

Toronto-Dominion Bank Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:TD opened at $59.43 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $103.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.51, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01. Toronto-Dominion Bank has a one year low of $53.52 and a one year high of $65.12. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $56.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $57.66.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in TD. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. LifeSteps Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Toronto-Dominion Bank during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Bank of New Hampshire acquired a new position in Toronto-Dominion Bank during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Toronto-Dominion Bank by 92.9% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 594 shares of the banks stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.37% of the companys stock.

Toronto-Dominion Bank Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 10th were given a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 10th. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.98%. Toronto-Dominion Banks payout ratio is 67.73%.

About Toronto-Dominion Bank

(Get Free Report)

The Toronto-Dominion Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides various financial products and services in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking, U.S. Retail, Wealth Management and Insurance, and Wholesale Banking.

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PROG Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:PRG  Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $46.50 and last traded at $46.03, with a volume of 198089 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $45.42.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on PRG. BTIG Research assumed coverage on PROG in a report on Friday, June 7th. They set a neutral rating for the company. Loop Capital raised PROG from a hold rating to a buy rating and raised their price target for the stock from $41.00 to $55.00 in a report on Monday. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of PROG from $40.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of PROG from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $45.40.

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Read Our Latest Analysis on PRG

PROG Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 3.87, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The firms fifty day moving average price is $37.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $34.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.99 billion, a PE ratio of 18.84 and a beta of 2.09.

PROG (NYSE:PRG  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.22. PROG had a return on equity of 26.30% and a net margin of 4.57%. The company had revenue of $592.16 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $573.23 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that PROG Holdings, Inc. will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current year.

PROG Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 20th will be given a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 20th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. PROGs dividend payout ratio is presently 19.59%.

Institutional Trading of PROG

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Point72 DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of PROG during the 2nd quarter worth about $47,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new position in PROG in the 1st quarter worth about $59,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in PROG by 2,015.1% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,967 shares of the companys stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 1,874 shares in the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new stake in PROG in the second quarter valued at approximately $73,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in PROG in the second quarter valued at approximately $88,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.92% of the companys stock.

PROG Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

PROG Holdings, Inc (NYSE:PRG) is a financial technology holding company based in Salt Lake City, Utah with three business segments: Progressive Leasing, which offers lease-to-own transactions primarily to credit-challenged consumers through e-commerce and point-of-sale retail partners, via online, mobile, and in-store solutions; Vive Financial, which provides consumers who may not qualify for traditional prime lending with a variety of second-look, revolving credit products through private label and branded credit cards; and Four Technologies, which provides consumers of all credit backgrounds Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) options through four interest-free installments via its platform, Four.

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DNC Host Ana Navarro on Her Dog ChaCha Becoming Conventions Emotional Support Poodle: Doug Emhoff Petted Her and So Did Barack Obama

Ana Navarro was always supposed to serve as a celebrity host at this years Democratic National Convention. In fact, she was offered the role when President Joe Biden was still in the race.

I was supposed to do Kamala Harris night, Navarro told me Tuesday night during a phone call from a car. The View co-host and CNN commentator was traveling from Chicagos United Center to an after party featuring a performance by John Legend.

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Ive known Joe Biden for 25 years and Kamala for about seven, Navarro continued. Kamala and I, its not a political friendship. Its a genuine friendship. Weve laughed together. Weve cried together. We have cussed together. We have danced together.

Navarro hosted the DNC Tuesday evening after Tony Goldwyn did so on Monday. Mindy Kaling will host Wednesday while Kerry Washington will take on the fourth and final night on Thursday, when Harris is set to formally accept the partys nomination.

Navarro, a GOP strategist known for her outspoken criticism of Donald Trump, jokes about her moment in the primetime spotlight: I havent had a carb or a drink in at least a week.

Youve attended conventions before, but what was it like being back hosting an night of the DNC?

This is incredibly special for many reasons. Kamala Harris is my friend. I love her, and I admire her. She has captured lightning in a bottle. Theres this extraordinary joy and enthusiasm. And my god, were nominating an incredibly qualified woman. We have another shot at making history.

When you started out in Republican politics, could you have ever imagined youd host a night a Democratic National Convention?

I never thought, as a little refugee girl from Nicaragua, that I would ever be at a convention, much less be on stage at a convention. There is no larger celebration of democracy than a political convention. Its an incredible privilege. The energy was ecstatic. I just wish my mom and Kamalas mom had been around to watch it.

Did your dog ChaCha need a special credential to get into the convention?

No, shes ChaCha. She came in and immediately took on the role of emotional support poodle for the entire convention. She has a brand new red, white and blue star-spangled collar and leash. Doug Emhoff petted her and so did Barack Obama. ChaCha is a very politically astute dog. ChaCha is going to be chair of dogs for Kamala.

Variety reported today that you werent allowed to mention your work with The View while you were hosting. Is that the usual case when youre doing political work?

It is. When youre doing political work, youre representing yourself. I fully understand and support that request.

How confident are you that Kamala Harris is going to be the next president?

I dont take anything for granted. I think its going to be a very close race and I just hope that people have learned their lesson from 2016. There were a lot of people who didnt vote because they thought Hillary Clinton had it in the bag. They then had to live with that great remorse for four years.

Are you hoping for a role in the Harris administration if she wins?

Yes. I want to be a presidential friend. All I really want is for me and ChaCha to be at the inauguration. Ill get ChaCha a little faux fur.

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Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM  Free Report) (TSE:AEM)  Stock analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Agnico Eagle Mines in a report released on Wednesday, August 14th. Zacks Research analyst A. Barman now expects that the mining company will post earnings per share of $0.70 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.80. The consensus estimate for Agnico Eagle Mines current full-year earnings is $3.52 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Agnico Eagle Mines Q2 2025 earnings at $0.69 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $3.05 EPS.

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Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on AEM. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Agnico Eagle Mines from $81.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a sector outperform rating in a research note on Monday. TD Securities boosted their target price on Agnico Eagle Mines from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Agnico Eagle Mines from $79.00 to $77.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Agnico Eagle Mines from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Agnico Eagle Mines from $59.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Agnico Eagle Mines has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $82.86.

Agnico Eagle Mines Stock Performance

NYSE AEM opened at $82.03 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $63.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 86.35, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.06. Agnico Eagle Mines has a fifty-two week low of $43.22 and a fifty-two week high of $82.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 1.51.

Agnico Eagle Mines (NYSE:AEM  Get Free Report) (TSE:AEM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The mining company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.14. Agnico Eagle Mines had a return on equity of 7.16% and a net margin of 8.44%. The company had revenue of $2.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.65 EPS. The firms revenue was up 20.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Trading of Agnico Eagle Mines

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its position in Agnico Eagle Mines by 1,134.4% in the second quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 395 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 363 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Agnico Eagle Mines during the second quarter worth $32,000. Stephens Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Agnico Eagle Mines during the first quarter worth $30,000. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Agnico Eagle Mines by 406.4% during the first quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 709 shares of the mining companys stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 569 shares during the period. Finally, WASHINGTON TRUST Co increased its position in shares of Agnico Eagle Mines by 92.1% during the second quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 730 shares of the mining companys stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.34% of the companys stock.

About Agnico Eagle Mines

(Get Free Report)

Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, a gold mining company, exploration, development, and production of precious metals. It explores for gold. The company's mines are located in Canada, Australia, Finland and Mexico, with exploration and development activities in Canada, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States.

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Mr Price Group (OTCMKTS:MRPLY  Get Free Report) and Industria de Diseno Textil (OTCMKTS:IDEXY  Get Free Report) are both consumer cyclical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, profitability, dividends and earnings.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

0.3% of Mr Price Group shares are held by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

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Profitability

This table compares Mr Price Group and Industria de Diseno Textils net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Mr Price Group N/A N/A N/A Industria de Diseno Textil 15.09% 31.68% 16.27%

Analyst Recommendations

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Mr Price Group 1 0 0 0 1.00 Industria de Diseno Textil 0 1 1 0 2.50

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Mr Price Group and Industria de Diseno Textil, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Dividends

Mr Price Group pays an annual dividend of $3.71 per share and has a dividend yield of 29.4%. Industria de Diseno Textil pays an annual dividend of $0.59 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. Mr Price Group pays out 44.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Industria de Diseno Textil pays out 61.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Mr Price Group is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Mr Price Group and Industria de Diseno Textils gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Mr Price Group N/A N/A N/A $8.28 1.52 Industria de Diseno Textil $38.90 billion 4.28 $5.82 billion $0.96 27.85

Industria de Diseno Textil has higher revenue and earnings than Mr Price Group. Mr Price Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Industria de Diseno Textil, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Industria de Diseno Textil beats Mr Price Group on 7 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Mr Price Group

(Get Free Report)

Mr Price Group Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a fashion retailer serving women, men, and children in South Africa and internationally. The company operates through Apparel, Home, Financial Services, and Telecoms segments. It offers clothing, underwear, footwear, cosmetics, babywear, school wear, and accessories; furniture and kids merchandise; sporting, outdoor, and fitness products comprising footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessories; women's smart and casual fashion and intimate wear; and home textile and decor products for bedroom, living-room, bathroom, kitchen, and dining-room. The company also provides credit services; insurance products; cellular products and services; mobile devices and accessories; and value-added services. It serves its customers through an omni-channel retail distribution of 2,702 corporate-owned stores and 8 franchised stores in Africa, as well as through its online channels. Mr Price Group Limited was founded in 1885 and is headquartered in Durban, South Africa.

About Industria de Diseno Textil

(Get Free Report)

Industria de Diseno Textil, S.A. engages in the retail and online distribution of clothing, footwear, accessories, and household products. The company sells its products under the Zara, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, and Zara Home brands. It is also involved in the textile manufacturing, logistics, design, insurance, construction, and real estate businesses, as well as provides financial services. The company operates in Spain, rest of Europe, the Americas, Asia, and internationally. Industria de Diseno Textil, S.A. was founded in 1963 and is headquartered in A Coruna, Spain.

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SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC cut its holdings in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU  Free Report) by 2.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,253 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 123 shares during the quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $498,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Creekmur Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 78.8% in the first quarter. Creekmur Asset Management LLC now owns 245 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Lynx Investment Advisory bought a new stake in Prudential Financial in the second quarter worth $29,000. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Prudential Financial in the first quarter worth $33,000. ESL Trust Services LLC bought a new stake in Prudential Financial in the first quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in Prudential Financial in the first quarter worth $37,000. 56.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Prudential Financial

In other Prudential Financial news, major shareholder Insurance Co Of Ame Prudential purchased 652,884 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $27.57 per share, for a total transaction of $18,000,011.88. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now owns 3,883,390 shares of the companys stock, valued at $107,065,062.30. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a market perform rating and issued a $121.00 price target on shares of Prudential Financial in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Prudential Financial from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and set a $113.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Prudential Financial from $118.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Prudential Financial from $143.00 to $141.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Prudential Financial from $125.00 to $121.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Prudential Financial has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $119.33.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Prudential Financial

Prudential Financial Stock Up 0.3 %

PRU traded up $0.31 on Wednesday, hitting $113.57. The company had a trading volume of 196,621 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,505,573. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $117.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $114.69. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.95 and a 12-month high of $128.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.13 and a current ratio of 0.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.30, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.34.

Prudential Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 20th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 20th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.58%. Prudential Financials dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 88.44%.

Prudential Financial Company Profile

(Free Report)

Prudential Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through PGIM, Retirement Strategies, Group Insurance, Individual Life, and International Businesses segments.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PRU? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU  Free Report).

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Sendas Distribuidora S.A. (NYSE:ASAI  Get Free Report) shares dropped 3.6% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $9.01 and last traded at $9.03. Approximately 185,870 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 40% from the average daily volume of 310,191 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.37.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Sendas Distribuidora from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd.

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Check Out Our Latest Report on Sendas Distribuidora

Sendas Distribuidora Trading Down 3.5 %

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.15. The firm has a market cap of $2.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.68, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.10, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. increased its holdings in Sendas Distribuidora by 35.2% in the second quarter. Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. now owns 8,135,612 shares of the companys stock valued at $75,661,000 after purchasing an additional 2,116,441 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Sendas Distribuidora by 6.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,124,903 shares of the companys stock worth $16,626,000 after purchasing an additional 63,227 shares during the period. Breakout Capital Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Sendas Distribuidora in the 4th quarter valued at about $13,347,000. Renaissance Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sendas Distribuidora by 6.8% during the first quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 531,101 shares of the companys stock valued at $7,876,000 after acquiring an additional 33,937 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barings LLC increased its stake in Sendas Distribuidora by 28.9% during the 1st quarter. Barings LLC now owns 403,015 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,957,000 after purchasing an additional 90,256 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.76% of the companys stock.

About Sendas Distribuidora

(Get Free Report)

Sendas Distribuidora SA engages in the retail and wholesale sale of food products, bazaar items, and other products in Brazil. The company serves restaurants, pizzerias, snack bars, schools, small businesses, religious institutions, hospitals, hotels, grocery stores, neighborhood supermarkets, and individuals.

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Summit Global Investments lifted its holdings in shares of Ford Motor (NYSE:F  Free Report) by 804.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 105,059 shares of the auto manufacturers stock after purchasing an additional 93,440 shares during the period. Summit Global Investments holdings in Ford Motor were worth $1,317,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 32,527 shares of the auto manufacturers stock worth $432,000 after acquiring an additional 817 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 29.8% during the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,604 shares of the auto manufacturers stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 828 shares during the period. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 48,916 shares of the auto manufacturers stock worth $650,000 after acquiring an additional 836 shares during the period. Insight Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Insight Wealth Partners LLC now owns 44,144 shares of the auto manufacturers stock worth $554,000 after acquiring an additional 843 shares during the period. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 29,850 shares of the auto manufacturers stock worth $374,000 after acquiring an additional 846 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 58.74% of the companys stock.

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Insider Transactions at Ford Motor

In other news, Director Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. sold 81,234 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.09, for a total value of $982,119.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 168,601 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,038,386.09. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the companys stock.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

Shares of F stock traded up $0.14 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $10.82. The companys stock had a trading volume of 30,874,555 shares, compared to its average volume of 54,597,145. The company has a market cap of $43.20 billion, a PE ratio of 11.13, a P/E/G ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30. The business has a fifty day moving average of $11.96 and a 200-day moving average of $12.28. Ford Motor has a 52 week low of $9.49 and a 52 week high of $14.85.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.21). The business had revenue of $47.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $47.79 billion. Ford Motor had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 15.28%. The businesss revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.72 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ford Motor will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 7th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 7th. Ford Motors payout ratio is currently 61.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on F shares. Barclays dropped their price target on Ford Motor from $17.00 to $16.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Ford Motor from $14.00 to $12.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Ford Motor from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Ford Motor from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Ford Motor in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. They issued an outperform rating and a $16.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ford Motor currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $13.48.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on F

About Ford Motor

(Free Report)

Ford Motor Company develops, delivers, and services a range of Ford trucks, commercial cars and vans, sport utility vehicles, and Lincoln luxury vehicles worldwide. It operates through Ford Blue, Ford Model e, and Ford Pro; Ford Next; and Ford Credit segments. The company sells Ford and Lincoln vehicles, service parts, and accessories through distributors and dealers, as well as through dealerships to commercial fleet customers, daily rental car companies, and governments.

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Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC trimmed its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG  Free Report) by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 162,080 shares of the insurance providers stock after selling 3,816 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLCs holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $16,296,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HIG. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 26.8% during the 2nd quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,152 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $331,000 after purchasing an additional 666 shares during the period. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.1% in the second quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 34,105 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $3,429,000 after buying an additional 1,356 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.0% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 120,991 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $12,164,000 after purchasing an additional 17,584 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 87,606 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $8,849,000 after purchasing an additional 1,180 shares during the period. Finally, Stanley Laman Group Ltd. boosted its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 8.0% during the second quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. now owns 31,734 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $3,191,000 after purchasing an additional 2,362 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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The Hartford Financial Services Group Trading Down 0.3 %

The Hartford Financial Services Group stock traded down $0.30 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $110.89. 1,022,806 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,648,183. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.61, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.92. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $103.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $100.25. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $68.82 and a fifty-two week high of $112.65.

The Hartford Financial Services Group ( NYSE:HIG Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The insurance provider reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 21.20% and a net margin of 11.44%. The company had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.88 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.07 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, July 25th that allows the company to buyback $3.30 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the insurance provider to buy up to 10.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the companys board believes its shares are undervalued.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Hartford Financial Services Group

In related news, EVP Michael R. Fisher sold 4,088 shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.47, for a total value of $414,809.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,503,582.46. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.60% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on HIG shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, June 13th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $109.00 to $107.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $120.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Argus upgraded The Hartford Financial Services Group to a strong-buy rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $110.88.

View Our Latest Research Report on The Hartford Financial Services Group

The Hartford Financial Services Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and financial services to individual and business customers in the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. Its Commercial Lines segment offers insurance coverages, including workers' compensation, property, automobile, general and professional liability, package business, umbrella, fidelity and surety, marine, livestock, accident, health, and reinsurance through regional offices, branches, sales and policyholder service centers, independent retail agents and brokers, wholesale agents, and reinsurance brokers.

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The Hungarian government has responded to Brussels request for an explanation over its easing of entry requirements for Russian and Belarusian nationals, dismissing concerns it would undermine the security of the Schengen border-free travel zone.

In a letter shared by the Hungarian minister for European affairs on social media channel X on Wednesday, Hungarys home affairs minister Sandor Pinter claims that the National Card scheme - which was recently extended to Russians and Belarusians - would be issued "in accordance with the relevant EU framework and with due consideration of the security risks involved".

"Hungary continues to place great emphasis on the protection of its national security and the security of the Schengen area as a whole," Pinter also wrote.

Hungarys National Card immigration scheme - now open to Russia and Belarus as well as Ukraine and several Western Balkan countries - allows "guest workers" to stay in the country for two years, renewable by an additional three, and can pave the way to permanent residency.

The European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, wrote to her Hungarian counterpart on August 1 expressing concerns that recent changes to the scheme could give "potential Russian spies and saboteurs easy EU access," jeopardising the security of the passport-free Schengen zone.

"If their easy access scheme is a risk, we will act," Johansson warned in her letter.

The bloc fears that including Russians and Belarusians in the scheme could lead to a "de facto circumvention" of the measures it has put in safe to shield itself from Russian security threats since Moscow launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

These measures include the suspension of a visa facilitation agreement with Russia, the closure of airspace to Russian-operated flights and stringent restrictions on land travel into bordering EU countries.

But the Hungarian government says applicants will undergo the same rigorous screening process as for other permits, pointing out that the Commission has never voiced concerns about the processes it currently has in place.

It adds that Hungary is responsible for only a "fraction" of the residence permits currently issued to Russian and Belarusian nationals across the EU's 27 member states.

'We will act'

Commissioner Johansson had given the Hungarian government until August 19 to respond to her letter, a deadline that was missed by two days. A Commission spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday (August 20) that it was "in touch with the Hungarian authorities" and expecting its reply.

"It is very important we don't jump to any conclusion yet because it is still too early to determine what (...) implications this scheme has when it comes to EU law," the spokesperson explained.

"When it comes to our acquis and the Schengen rules, Hungary is bound at all times by the Schengen rules, and this means there needs to be very thorough checks, not only if you are in the possession of a visa or a valid residence permit, but you need to have security checks that are thorough in place."

The executive is now expected to assess the responses Budapest has provided to a range of questions provided by Johansson. She has made clear that the bloc is willing to act if the National Card Scheme poses a security risk.

At the heart of Brussels' concerns is a potential back door to the Schengen area - which removes border checks between 29 European countries - for individuals posing a serious security risk for the bloc.

While each EU country is free to design its own visa policy, the Commission could step in if it found that a country's decisions violate the common minimum rules imposed by Brussels.

Eight Nordic and Baltic countries - Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden - had also weighed in on the issue with a letter dated August 15 to Johansson, in which they express deep concern over the scheme and urge the Commission to respond.
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Press Release

August 21, 2024 PhilHealth to study the removal of single confinement policy after prodding from Bong Go "Dapat masanay kang tumulong sa mahihirap," firmly said Senate Committee on Health Chairperson Senator Christopher "Bong" Go as he urged Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) CEO and President Emmanuel R. Ledesma, Jr., to scrap its single period of confinement policy. A single period of confinement, according to PhilHealth Circular No. 0035, series of 2013, means admissions and re-admissions due to the same illness or procedure within a 90-calendar day period shall only be compensated with one case rate benefit. During the Senate Committee on Health Public Hearing on August 20 which Senator Go presided on as Chairperson of the said committee, Ledesma gave his commitment that PhilHealth will thoroughly study the revision and the possible removal of the abovementioned policy, saying there has been a flaw in the Circular. Senator Go, in his opening statement raised the policy of single period of confinement, "Bakit ganyan ang polisiya? Kunyari nagka-kumplikasyon ka sa panganganak pag nagka-bleeding, makaka-claim ka base sa case rate. Pero sa susunod na linggo, pag mag-bleed ka ulit, hindi ka na makakaclaim." Go added, "Kung ma-confine ang isang tao dahil sa diarrhea at nagamit na nya ang PhilHealth nya, hindi na sya pwedeng magka-diarrhea within 90 days dahil hindi na nya maa-avail ang PhilHealth benefits for the same illness. Mapipigilan mo ba ang diarrhea? Mapipigilan mo ba ang bleeding o pneumonia? Pwede ba nating sabihin, sorry po pero hindi ka na pwedeng magka-diarrhea within the next 90 days." By not covering the same illness, Go noted, some doctors are forced to give a different diagnosis to help patients to be able to avail of their PhilHealth benefits. Senator Go, in the same hearing, called the attention of PhilHealth to increase their benefits in light of the recent spikes of illnesses, including leptospirosis, dengue, and the most recent, monkeypox. The senator from Davao City underscored that health equates with the life of every Filipino, recalling a patient from Ozamis who wanted to remove oxygen support to avoid further hospital costs. "Katumbas ng kalusugan ang buhay po ng bawat Pilipino," Go noted. Related to this, Senator Go mentioned the out of pocket health expenses of Filipinos, citing a 2024 Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) research, which showed that out of the total expenses of Filipinos for their health, 48% was paid from their own pockets, 25% came from government share, such as PhilHealth, while the rest came from voluntary and compulsory health care payment schemes. In the middle of this all, Go reiterated his deep concern and opposition on the transfer of billions of funds from PhilHealth to the national treasury. As stated by executive officials during the last hearing, the funds for health will be used instead to fund other programs and projects of the government. "Hindi ito katanggap-tanggap para sa akin lalo na dahil maraming pasyente pa po hanggang ngayon ang naghihingalo at hindi makalabas sa hospital dahil wala pong pambayad. Lalung-lalo na po yung mahihirap nating kababayan," Go said. "Seryosong usapin po ito dahil buhay po ang nakataya dito... Natutulog po yung pondo dyan, kaya nga po nawawalis ng ating mga finance officials ng gobyerno dahil bilyon-bilyong piso ang nakatengga na dapat sana magamit para sa mga pasyente. Imagine P500 billion reserve fund, ilang pasyente pa ang mabubuhay imbes mamatay kung magagamit po itong pondo na ito? Bakit, bangko na ba ang PhilHealth na kailangan nitong mag-accumulate ng liquid assets?," he lamented further. Part of the discussion on the August 20 Senate public hearing is the excess funds of PhilHealth, the review of the implementation of the Universal Health Coverage Act, the utilization of medical assistance programs, the implementation of the Health Facilities Enhancement Program, and the release of Health Emergency Allowances still due to qualified health workers, among others.
Danish Khan is the editor of Technology and Telecom. He was previously with the Economic Times and has tracked the sector for 13 years.
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The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will dissolve its Office of Diversity and Inclusion and eliminate the vice chancellor position that directed its efforts, administrators said on Tuesday.

UNL Chancellor Rodney Bennett said the change, which was announced to students, faculty, and staff in an email, comes as part of a broader restructuring of the executive leadership team for the state's largest public university campus.

"I fully grasp the weight of this decision and its implications," Bennett wrote, "but a centralized approach to this work is no longer right for our institution."

The change means the position currently held by Marco Barker, UNL's first and only vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion, will be eliminated at the end of the calendar year. Barker's total salary and benefits is nearly $320,000.

The $750,000 annual budget of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, which was previously subjected to budget cuts implemented last year, will also be reabsorbed into UNL. The five staff members who worked in the office will be allowed to apply for vacant positions across campus, administrators said.

In an interview with the Journal Star, Bennett said the nationwide trend that started 10 to 15 years ago of colleges and universities establishing offices of diversity and inclusion and hiring administrators to lead them has shifted.

"I think during that period, perhaps, a goal was met and those offices have served the campuses well," said Bennett, who is entering his second year leading UNL. "But there certainly has been a shift."

Offices focused on diversity, equity and inclusion -- commonly referred to as DEI -- have been shuttered at public and private universities across the country in recent years, as their efforts have come under fire from lawmakers in conservative states.

A handful of states -- Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Texas, Utah and Wyoming -- have banned DEI offices and programs in higher education altogether, as conservatives said those efforts have raised racial and gender identities over individual merit, creating their own kind of discrimination along the way.

The backlash gained strength after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that race-conscious admissions at public and private colleges and universities were unconstitutional, opening the door for challenges from several groups against diversity programs on campuses.

While Nebraska lawmakers have introduced legislation to prohibit diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at the state's public institutions, as well as to block any public money from being used in those offices, those bills have not made it to the floor for debate.

Bennett said he spent much of his first year talking and listening with people around UNL's campus and the state about their expectations for the state's only land-grant, flagship university campus about the best way forward when it comes to diversity and inclusion programs.

"I like to be and I like this university, as the leader of higher education across the state, to be in charge of its own narrative," he said. "To chart the path and create the model and really be trailblazers of what the future looks like.

"That's what led me here."

Bennett said eliminating the office would provide a small savings to UNL, but he explained that did not drive the decision. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion accounted for less than 1% of the campus's total budget, what Bennett called "a shoestring budget from the beginning."

"It really isn't about the budget as it is about the reach," he said. "We have the greatest opportunity to reach more people with a model that's not centralized."

Formed in response to racist incidents

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion was borne out of a series of high-profile racist incidents on UNLs campus that highlighted a lack of strategy by the university for dealing with them.

According to news reports at the time, those incidents included:

* A student using a racial slur repeatedly during a meeting of the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska.

* Racist messages were written on the sidewalk outside the Nebraska Union.

* A homecoming skit included racial and ethnic stereotypes that students and others found offensive.

In 2014, then-Chancellor Harvey Perlman announced his intention to hire a chief diversity officer, joining more than 30 colleges and universities across the country.

Seen as a successor position to the vice president for minority affairs which was used in the 1970s and 1980s as more Black students enrolled in colleges nationwide, UNLs position was seen as a way to implement a strategic plan around improving diversity and inclusion on campus.

Andre Fortune, who was director of the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center at UNL at the time, said the office would need to thread two needles.

First, it would need to focus its efforts on improving the campus climate for students of color, international students, as well as LGBT students. Fortune said the office would also need to include majority students in its conversations to foster more understanding and inclusion on campus.

While Perlman helped lay the early groundwork, it would take four more years for UNL to accomplish his goal.

In November 2018, former Chancellor Ronnie Green  Perlmans successor  announced Marco Barker would become UNLs inaugural vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion.

Baker, who came to UNL from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, considered Utahs most diverse institution of higher education, started in the position on April 1, 2019. His starting salary was $250,000, which was below the midpoint for chief diversity officers in the Big Ten Conference.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion was initially appropriated with $338,000 in state funds to hire staff, $26,460 for operational costs, and $100,000 to develop programming for UNL students, faculty and staff.

A year later, in 2020, the office was part of Greens initiative to combat racism on UNLs campus following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer by examining curriculum, student recruitment, and hiring and retention practices.

That work, which was led by UNL faculty and others, as well as a subsequent plan for addressing institutional racism and improving diversity at UNL, drew fire from conservative lawmakers and members of the NU Board of Regents, however.

Seizing upon a broader national backlash to critical race theory, then-Regent Jim Pillen sought to end any imposition of the academic field that focuses on systemic inequalities resulting from racial discrimination that is generally taught in law schools or at the graduate level at NU.

In August 2021, despite support from then-Gov. Pete Ricketts and 22 state senators who backed Pillens effort, the NU Board of Regents rejected the resolution following overwhelming opposition from administrators, faculty, staff, students and others.

Not end of diversity efforts

In his email to campus, Bennett said UNL would "steadfastly uphold the principle that every person and every interaction matters," referring to the overarching theme of a strategic plan published under Green's tenure as chancellor.

Bennett said UNL would continue to recruit and support faculty, staff and students from all backgrounds and identities, and would continue to support the ongoing efforts of several existing diversity offices on campus.

The Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center will remain open and active, he said, as will the Institute of Ethnic Studies, the Women's Resource Center and LGBT Resource Center. UNL will also continue offering courses in the women and gender studies program, among others.

Instead, Bennett said he wanted UNL's 6,000-plus employees to shoulder efforts to reach students, no matter their identity, adding he believes those interactions between people who know and work with each other regularly would bear more fruit.

"It is incumbent on each of us to foster a welcoming environment for all members of our community," he said.

Other offices will also take on additional responsibilities, Bennett wrote in his email to campus. The Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor will be responsible for building and supporting a sense of community on campus for faculty; the Office of Business and Finance will do the same for staff; and the renamed Office of Student Life would do so for students.

Bennett said some of those efforts have already begun.

UNL will also take the existing Diversity Advisory Board, which includes external stakeholders, and transform it into the Chancellor's Advisory Board on Community and Belonging, he said.

Bennett, who is the first person of color named to the top administrator position at UNL, said he didn't reach his conclusion to close the Office of Diversity and Inclusion lightly.

"The fact of how some may see us dissolving that office is not lost on me, that we in some opinions have abandoned core principles of equity and diversity and inclusion," he said. "I would say those people are wrong in that conclusion.

"I see us adapting to the environment that we're in, and I see us expanding the expectation of every member of our community in having a role in the success of UNL and the success of our students."
Christin Mathew Philip is an Assistant editor at moneycontrol.com. Based in Bengaluru, he writes on mobility, infrastructure and start-ups. He is a Ramnath Goenka excellence in journalism awardee. You can find him on Twitter here: twitter.com/ChristinMP_
Bharat Bandh today: Why has the bandh been called and how it leaves BJP on sticky wicket
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On August 21, the union government asked the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to take over the security of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, official sources told news agency PTI.

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) gave the directions after the order of Supreme Court.
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Aug 21, 2024 / 12:36 PM ISTAll Rights Reserved. FT and Financial Times are trademarks of the Financial Times Limited Not to be redistributed, copied or modified in any way.

Jobs growth across the region has been strongest in leisure, hospitality and construction, but is tapering off across the trade and manufacturing sectors.

Colby Smith in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

A short drive from the plant that once housed industrial titan Bethlehem Steel before its bankruptcy in 2001, Lehigh Valley Plastics each week produces tens of thousands of parts needed in machines across the US.

Operating out of a 57,000-sq-foot warehouse, it manufactures sheaves for cranes, wear pads for truck producers and gaskets used by the oil industry. Its clients also include medical equipment producers and food companies.

Pennsylvanias Lehigh Valley, a logistics and manufacturing
Siraj Hussain is a former Union Agriculture Secretary. He is Advisor, Food Processing FICCI. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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Big Spring School Board members opted not to include proposed changes to the districts Profile of a Graduate on their meeting agenda Monday evening, but public comment on the matter continued.

The districts Profile of a Graduate is outlined in its Strategic Plan and includes six readiness skills to prepare all students for life after graduation: global/empathetic citizen, creator, collaborator, continuous learner, critical thinker and communicator.

During the boards Aug. 5 meeting, board members introduced a proposed change that would remove the global/empathetic citizen component and replace it with responsible American citizen. This change would also adjust the bullet points listed beneath that attribute and call for the removal of every public display of the global citizen reference throughout the district.

The recommendation drew nearly a dozen community members to the podium to offer public comments, though it did not receive a vote earlier this month.

At Mondays meeting, Board President John Wardle said the majority of the board opted not to vote on the proposed change this week.

Any future direction regarding this topic, as well as the decision-making process will be shared once decided upon, he said.

Still, both board and community members shared their thoughts during Mondays meeting.

Board Member Julie Boothe gave a presentation during the Committee of the Whole meeting, held immediately prior to the regular board meeting, to offer some insight into the recommended change.

Her presentation examined the community input that went into the creation of the districts graduate profile in 2018 where, she said, survey results showed no mention of the global citizen component.

Referencing meeting agendas from 2018, Boothe believes this component came from a third-party resource called EdLeader21 to help develop the profile.

According to a February 2018 Committee of the Whole agenda, then Superintendent Richard Fry said developing such a profile was a national process and progressive school districts are moving in this manner.

Boothe claimed the district spent more than $75,000 on the resource between 2018 and 2023.

This was not even displayed as mentioned in the presentations before, but here it is, and nearly $75,000 into this nonprofit to help us know what our survey results are, to get the predetermined narrative was required to become a progressive school, she said.

Multiple community members pointed out that Boothes presentation was not included on Mondays Committee of the Whole meeting agenda.

I really contest that being added to this meeting, Former board member Bob Kanc said. That was not on the agenda.

Big Spring parent Adam Oldham said if Boothes presentation had been announced, the auditorium would have been packed Monday evening.

When that agenda came out on Friday, there was a collective sigh of relief from every educator and from almost everybody in the community I spoke to, because we could say, I can go to bed on Monday night and wake up and go to school ready to work with these kids knowing that there wasnt drama at the school board meeting on Monday, he said. Here we are.

Boothe said she submitted the presentation prior to the meeting agendas release.

As with the Aug. 5 meeting, public comments reflected a combination of support and opposition to the proposed change.

Resident Charlotte McDonald said patriotism is not selfish, nor narrow-minded.

Everyone in this room made a pledge this evening, she said, referring to the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of the meeting. You took an oath as a citizen of the United States. You pledged your allegiance to this republic. You pledged to one nation under God. You pledged to liberty and justice for all. You did not pledge to the globe.

Resident Elizabeth Flynn spoke of her father and grandfather, both U.S. Army veterans, saying U.S. citizens owe their allegiance to the United States of America, not the globe, and that the idea of global citizenship diminishes and degrades U.S. citizenship.

The worldview of global citizenship is like cancer, she said. It will suck the life out of what is healthy and good until either it is removed or until it causes death.

Caleb Tilden, the boards student representative, opposed the proposed change during public comment.

He referred to the responsible American citizen wording as nationalist rhetoric that harms rather than helps our students.

In our profile of the graduate, we should aspire to be global citizens, because we aim to include rather than exclude, Tilden said.

Other community members asserted that the conversation wasnt really about American citizen versus global citizen wording, but rather an opportunity to make a political statement.

Board Member Frank Myers spoke out against the change during his time for board member comments at the end of the meeting.

Were American citizens, but we are living in the global society, whether you want to be or not, he said. Thats just a fact of reality. If you were born on this globe, youre going to be a global citizen.

Other board members thanked the community for sharing their opinions, saying they have been heard and will be taken into consideration as the board weighs its decision.

Photos: 2024 Big Spring football practice
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We all know times are tough with the current strain on our bank accounts, and with power prices rising, that's not stopping anytime soon.

Our very own Sarah and Flynny asked the expert opinion of Consumer NZ's Paul Fuge to find out what we can do to keep our bills down and surprisingly, we can save up to $500.

But why have we seen an increase in our monthly bills?

"At the moment we're facing a bit of a shortage of electricity due to low rainfall in the South Island, Fuge says. "The lakes are getting lower but also there's a bit of a gas shortage at the same time."

It's terrible, especially when so many Kiwis are already struggling to cover rent and mortgages, let alone higher power bills.

If you want to put your best foot forward at reducing your power bill, Fuge has some tips on which appliances are costing you the most.

His advice? It may seem obvious but tread lightly with any heating devices.

"Big devices are hot water and space heating," he explains. "Hot water is costing about 30% of your bill and space heating is about 15%."

A very tough call for many Kiwis with winter hitting so hard, especially with the South Island experiencing record-low temperatures.

But we don't have to let ourselves freeze by shutting our heating devices off completely. Fuge says a common mistake is cranking heat pumps too high, which ends up costing a large chunk more.

According to Consumer NZ, the sweet spot for efficiency is between a comfortable 19 to 21 degrees.

It's recommended to turn up the fan rather than the temperature, as it's the heating process that really stings financially.

If you find your heat pump isn't working at its prime, Fuge suggests taking a look at your filter - this should be cleaned regular vacuum every 6 months.

Pairing these tips could keep your prices down up to a whopping $300 per year.

And if you are concerned you might be paying too much for your power, Fuge recommends checking out Powerswitch. The site compares thousands of power plans across NZ and checks you're on the best one for your household.

"We've seen some big savings, they've jumped up from $380 [saved per year] last winter to about $500 this year just by just changing power plans."

Reckon you'll be making some changes to the way you use your power? Your bank account might just notice the difference!
People walk on the Swiftie Steps ahead of a Taylor Swift concert at Wembley Stadium in London, Britain, Aug. 15, 2024.
The largest skydiving center in Virginia hosted its annual Big O Boogie this past weekend, drawing hundreds of jump enthusiasts, exhibition jumpers and spectators.

The three-day festival ended Sunday with two skydivers colliding midair, sending one to the ground off Virginia Route 20 and the other into the limbs of a tree off Mount Sharon Road. Both were carried by helicopter to University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, where they are expected to recover from their injuries.

"This is an unfortunate risk that every person takes when skydiving," Whitney Stotts, operations manager at Skydive Orange, which puts on the event, told The Daily Progress via email. "It's not a roller coaster or a carnival ride, it's a highly dangerous sport and while we take as many precautions as we can, we cannot guarantee a safe landing 100% of the time."

The remaining 150 or so jumpers appeared to have managed to land safe and sound over the weekend, catching more than a few thrills on their way back to Earth.

Skydive Orange is one of the countrys longest running club-operated drop zones, with the first jump taking place at Orange County Airport in 1977, John Lighthall, Skydive Oranges safety and training adviser and tandem instructor, told The Daily Progress ahead of the festival.

The Big O Boogie has a reputation for impressive crowds, and this past weekend did not fail to meet expectations.

The Boogie attracts a lot of people because we tend to go pretty big, bringing in as many as three airplanes and booking some of the biggest names in the sport, Stotts said ahead of the festival. The Boogie brings in people from all around the country to experience Orange County and all of the great things it has to offer. We aim to fully book all the hotels in the area.

Jumpers in the area for the occasion are encouraged to frequent local shops, restaurants and farmers market.

We love highlighting our community in any way that we can and we take a lot of pride in supporting our community, whether its event sponsorships or working with our Chamber of Commerce, we want our community to be proud of us, Stotts said.
Press Release

August 21, 2024 DOH cites increase in HEA claims after series of Senate public hearings conducted by Bong Go; healthcare workers thank senator for giving them avenue to air concerns In a public hearing on Tuesday, August 20, conducted by the Senate Committee on Health, the Department of Health (DOH) revealed that the number of Health Emergency Allowance (HEA) claims significantly increased as a result of the series of hearings led by Senator Christopher "Bong" Go. The hearings have provided a crucial platform for healthcare workers to voice their concerns, leading to a noticeable uptick in the submission of appeals for unpaid allowances. In response, a healthcare workers group expressed their gratitude to Go, acknowledging his persistent efforts to address their long-standing issues. During the hearing, Go expressed deep concern over the persistent delays in the release of HEA payments. He stressed that despite multiple hearings and promises from the DOH and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), many healthcare workers are still waiting for their allowances. "Ang target po nila ay by October. At ang concern ko po dito until now, na 'yung mga darating pa, mga hindi pa nakikita, marami pa rin sumisigaw... HEA pa rin sila ng HEA," he said, emphasizing the need to ensure all qualified healthcare workers receive the HEA due to them for services rendered during the pandemic. "Sabi ko, ipaparating ko po sa inyo. 'Yan naman ang ating pangako sa mga kababayan nating health workers na iparating natin ang hinahing at hindi po ako titigil dito," Go added. While acknowledging the progress made as DBM and DOH continue to reconcile records and expedite release of HEA, Go also recognized that much work remains to be done, particularly in addressing the appeals of other healthcare workers who claim to have yet to receive their emergency allowances. Go then opened the floor to Ronald Ignacio, spokesperson for the United Private Hospital Unions of the Philippines, asking him to share other ongoing concerns of healthcare workers. Ignacio acknowledged that the hearings have indeed made a difference, particularly in the processing of HEA claims. "Ngayon, napansin nga po namin, gumalaw na po 'yung Health Emergency Allowance... lalung lalo na po dun sa mga members po namin sa United Private Hospital Unions of the Philippines." He shared that some hospitals have recently received 19 months' worth of HEA, although the payments have not yet been fully disbursed to the healthcare workers' accounts. However, Ignacio also highlighted that many hospitals are still waiting for their HEA payments, with some still facing substantial delays. He expressed concerns about the situation in non-unionized hospitals, where healthcare workers lack the venue to air concerns or worse, penalized for inquiring about their emergency allowances. In response to the points raised by Ignacio, Go reiterated his commitment to listen to their concerns and continue appealing to executive agencies until all qualified healthcare workers receive what they are rightfully owed. He asked the DOH to open their doors to appeals and also reach out to other health workers who have no platform to air their concerns. Meanwhile, DOH Undersecretary Achilles Gerard Bravo outlined the phased release of funds as coordinated with the DBM. However, Bravo also mentioned a significant challenge: the influx of appeals and late submissions that have come in since the hearings started. "After sa cut-off date natin sa May 20, naka-receive pa rin kami ng a lot of requests for appeals. Ito 'yung tinatawag na appeals," Bravo explained, pointing out that these appeals are largely from healthcare workers under the payroll of local government units (LGUs). Go emphasized the importance of addressing these appeals promptly, especially since they represent legitimate claims from healthcare workers. "Ang problema nito, maraming appeals, 'no? DBM, marami pa pong appeals sa ngayon. Baka pwede n'yong i-anticipate po 'yan," he urged the DBM representatives present. Go then pushed for the inclusion of these appeals in future budget considerations to cover validated claims. "Siyempre, ngayon, nasa Kongreso na po 'yung budget deliberation. Ngayon, dito po sa Senado. Baka by the time na makikita niyo na may mga pending pa pala sa mga appeals na HEA at qualified po sila, baka pwede n'yong gawan ng paraan in anticipation, kahit malagay n'yo man sa unprogrammed," he recommended. DOH Usec. Bravo provided insights into the increasing volume of appeals and submissions, noting the influence of the committee's active and continuous hearings: "Mr. Chair, we have regularly coordinated with DBM especially on the appeals. We have but we still have to validate if these claims are correct." "Actually, lumaki 'yung appeals at late submissions because of your committee hearings. Nung nalaman ng mga health workers na we are very serious in paying them, ngayon pa lang sila nagsasubmit," DOH shared. Go responded: "ibig sabihin 'di sila naniwala na seryoso kayo na bayaran sila? So ngayon, after several hearings, after five hearings, sulit po ang ating pangungulit since siniseryoso na po nila na talagang meron silang obligasyon ang gobyerno. At services rendered na po ito, pinaghirapan po ito, dapat po ibigay po ito sa ating mga health workers. "So salamat po. At least... you treated it seriously na po itong mga claims. At itong mga appeals, kung qualified naman, bakit hindi n'yo po i-consider at mas importante itong sa health dahil nagsakripisyo po sila noong panahon ng pandemya. Maliit na halaga po ito (kumpara) sa buhay at sakripisyo (na) ginawa (nila) para sa ating sa bayan," Go added. In response, Ignacio also expressed his appreciation for the progress made, particularly in terms of the impact the hearings have had on the processing of HEA claims. "Napakalaking bagay po ng pagkakataon na binigay 'yung platform po sa amin para makapagsalita at maging boses po ng mga healthcare workers po sa buong Pilipinas," he said. He noted that while they had initially resigned themselves to the idea that their HEA might only be paid out in 2025, the hearings led by Go have accelerated the process. Go emphasized that the Senate Committee on Health would continue to oversee the disbursement of HEA and ensure that all legitimate claims are honored. "Tututukan po natin ito... At 'yung sinasabi n'yo pong mga non-unionized hospitals, part po ito ng mga appeals, no? Please check kung qualified na man po sila," he said.
Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors Sign View Photo

Sonora, CA The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors held a meeting on Tuesday, where they tackled several issues, including the future of the countys sanctioned homeless camp on the Law and Justice Center property. The camp was originally established in response to a court ruling from Grants Pass, Oregon, which prohibited municipalities from banning unhoused individuals from sleeping in public spaces without providing a designated area. However, the recent overturning of that decision by the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the board to reconsider its approach to local camping regulations.

After reviewing the implications of the Supreme Courts ruling, the supervisors agreed to continue operating the sanctioned encampment for the full duration of its 12-month pilot period. The board emphasized the importance of establishing clear boundaries at the site and agreed on the need for more proactive enforcement of clean and clear ordinances to maintain order and safety. In addition, the board addressed concerns about the availability of water at the camp, deciding to work towards installing a spigot and exploring the possibility of developing a bottle-filling station in the future. They also discussed the potential expansion of the camps boundaries and the designation of specific campsites as needed to better manage the population.

Aside from the homeless camp issue, the board approved a deck replacement at the Cabrini behavioral health housing site. Additionally, the board declared a county-owned building at 2 Pinecrest School Road as surplus property.
By Lambert Strether of Corrente

Bird Song of the Day

California Thrasher, Mori Pt., San Mateo, California, United States. Short and sweet!

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In Case You Might Miss

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Politics

So many of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in fact a rational management of symbolic capital. Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles

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Democrats en Deshabille

2024

Less than one hundred days to go! Fridays RCP Poll Averages: There is no good news here for Trump. The deterioration in both Pennsylvania and Georgia is especially marked. Remember, however, that all the fluctuations  in fact, all the leads  are within the margin of error. So the joy is based on, well, vibes. North Carolina Moves to Toss-up, Setting Up November Battle for Magnificent Seven Swing States [Larry Sabato]. Ever since the 2020 presidential election, it seemed clear that so long as the 2024 presidential election was reasonably competitive and reasonably comparable to 2020, the campaigns focus would be on 7 key swing states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in the Industrial North, Georgia and North Carolina in the southeast, and Arizona and Nevada out west. These were the only 7 states that were each decided by 3 points or less in 2020, and President Biden won 6 of the 7 (all but North Carolina) on the way to the presidency. Former President Trump, meanwhile, won 6 of the 7 (all but Nevada) in winning the presidency in 2016. sAs Democrats meet in Chicago, the 2024 campaigns overall focus remains trained on these statesso much so that its hard to give an immediate edge to either candidate in any of them. That includes the Tar Heel State, the only truly close state that eluded Bidens grasp in 2020. We are moving it from Leans Republican to Toss-up. This is the first time this cycle that we have moved any electoral votes away from the Republican column into the Toss-up column. With this, the number of electoral votes at least leaning to Trump is now 219, down from 235.  This opens up more paths to victory for Democrats than I suggested here (based on Sabatos previous projections). Biden Defenestration: Joe Biden, Trump Casualty [The American Conservative]. The Joe Biden who addressed the convention last night was already a ghost, one fated to haunt the White House until January 20. Hes an angry, impotent spirit. Heedless of his naked hypocrisy, he linked Trump to neo-Nazis in one breath and insisted in the next that he had been a president for all Americans, demonizing no one. On the contrary, he demonized Republicans relentlessly, not just last night but throughout his administration. Democracy has prevailed, democracy has delivered, and now democracy must be preserved! he shoutedafter he, the democratically chosen nominee of the Democratic Partys voters, handed the nomination over to a replacement who had never won so much as a single presidential primary.  Haunt and  presumably  run the executive branch? * * * Democrat National Convention Vignettes: Joe Bidens Late Goodbye [The Atlantic]. Some things have come later for Biden than he anticipated. Having dreamed of the presidency for decades, he finally achieved it in the twilight of his life. His star turn at this convention came late, too. By the time Biden took the stage, at about 10:30 p.m. Chicago time, it was barely a half hour before midnight in Washington. Some things have come later for Biden than he anticipated. Having dreamed of the presidency for decades, he finally achieved it in the twilight of his life. His star turn at this convention came late, too. By the time Biden took the stage, at about 10:30 p.m. Chicago time, it was barely a half hour before midnight in Washington.  I suppose Jackson wanted to come (Sanders, too, for that matter) but the ick factor is strong for me here, due to the exploitation. If the Democrats had managed to nominate Jackson instead of [groan] Mondale and [sigh] Dukakis, this would be a much better timeline. Jacksons they work every day speech (video) puts Michelles (below) speech to shame. They work hard everyday. I know, I live amongst them. They catch the early bus. Of course, these are precisely the voters the Democrats pivoted away from. Anyhow, heres the Democrat alibi for why Biden came on so late: New DNC statement from convention officials explaining why the program ran so late tonight: "Because of the raucous applause interrupting speaker after speaker, we ultimately skipped elements of our program to ensure we could get to President Biden as quickly as possible so  Yashar Ali  (@yashar) August 20, 2024 Raucus applause. Come on. They didnt want Biden in prime time in case he slipped another cog. This isnt hard. The 7 Best Lines From Michelle Obamas Barnstorming DNC Speech [Mehdi Hassan, zeteo]. But Tuesday nights primetime address in her home city of Chicago was electrifying and energizing like nothing Ive seen for decades. The crowd in the United Center went wild, roaring with approval as she arrived onstage to deliver a tour de force of political rhetoric. It wasnt just me. CNNs Anderson Cooper called her address probably the most effective, powerful speech Ive ever heard.'  The entire convention reminds me of K-Pop fan service. The speech: Heres Michelle Obamas full remarks tonight. If you werent able to listen live, I encourage you to listen when you have the time. Its of the best DNC speeches Ive heard over the course of the last half a century.pic.twitter.com/6xVBagqGiN  Leah McElrath (@leahmcelrath) August 21, 2024 Better than Jacksons? For shame. Hasan puts this number on his list: [Kamala Harris] understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth. Lack of generational wealth is not top-of-mind for those who take the early bus (it is, however, top of mind in the movement for reparations, to which this is an enormous dog whistle). Walz: Tim Walzs kids doing bunny ears behind him while hes on national TV at the DNC is the most relatable, Minnesota content. pic.twitter.com/w0VDEehdeM  Nate Morris  (@_natemorris) August 20, 2024 Democrat National Convention: How Harris wants to handle Gaza at the Democratic convention [The Hill]. While Gaza is a big issue outside the United Center, seen through the protests that have launched in Chicago, its not the issue Harris wants as the focal point inside the building. Gaza and Israel is an issue that has divided the Democratic Party, making it something speakers dont necessarily want to embrace during a convention about unity Harris is seen as more sympathetic to the Palestinian population, and this already appears to be helping her.  Vibes. If you throw out the vibes and the multiple liberalgasms, whats really there? (And if she were all that sympathetic, she could have gotten the platform changed.) At Democratic Convention, UAW head threatens strike against Stellantis over delayed plant reopening [ABC News].  A high-profile spat between the United Auto Workers and Stellantis over reopening an Illinois factory complex has made its way into the race for U.S. president and could elicit a strike against the automaker. In a speech at the Democratic National Convention Monday night, union President Shawn Fain accused the company of reneging on promises to restart a now-closed assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois, just over an hour northwest of Chicago. After the contracts were approved, Biden visited Belvidere with Fain to celebrate the plant reopening. Fain, wearing a red T-shirt that said Trump is a scab. Vote Harris, told the convention that the union won strong contracts and the plant reopening with the support of Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden.  Well, he did get a T-shirt. The Democrats Old Guard Passes The Torch At The DNC [HuffPo]. Of the 25 elected officials who were scheduled to speak, 13 were under 50 years old. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 34, brought the house down and seemingly leveled her career up with her speech. Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, 37, slammed  literally  the conservative blueprint called Project 2025 after bringing it out as a large printed book. Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, 48, and a trio of young women delivered the partys most important message, promising to protect abortion rights. Other young leaders, including Whitmer, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, were seemingly held in reserve, with the speaking schedule for the next three nights not yet fully revealed. The youth push also helps the party sell the idea of Harris as a fresh start, a way to move past the chaotic politics of eras defined by former President Donald Trump and the coronavirus pandemic.  As if the coronavirus pandemic didnt happen mostly under Biden, with results that we know. (Man-oh-man, do I loathe the phrase young leader. Its as if every leader in very field is following Now whats the English word Im looking for. Principle, thats it. It also presuppposes an institutional binary between young and old, and implies a sort of nurtuing process where the young are brought along, presumably by mentors. Wrong and unrealistic respectively.) Accessibility and Access: Reporters Have Complaints About the DNC [NOTUS]. There are only about 15% of the assigned press seats for print news publications this year than there were at the last Democratic National Convention.. Complaints about the media logistics of the Democratic National Convention  who gets what seats, how many, whats the access like, how long does it take to get in, is there power and Wi-Fi  are not exactly swaying many votes. But as Kamala Harris faces new scrutiny about her reluctance to sit for traditional interviews or answer questions at a press conference, the media access choices organizers made with the DNC are carrying new weight, especially with the journalists on the ground. One of the biggest objections has been about the dedicated seats the DNC provided for print reporters. While there are 12,000 credentialed reporters at this historic convention, hardly any of them have an assigned seat with a power outlet inside the bowl of the United Center, where the speeches are given and the delegates sit during prime-time hours.  No power outlets? Wowsers. How odd that Kamala wants the adulation, but no coverage, not even from our normally sycophantic press. NOTE Everyone trapped in buses by the protest movement or trapped in long lines to get through security had proof that things were not going smoothly. Sounds like a recipe for a superspeading event. Kamala: Kamala (D): Foxs Karl Rove Warns GOP Hes Never Seen Anything Like Dem Reaction to Kamala Harris: Falling In Love And In Line' [FOX]. Karl, last night you said that Democrats are falling in love and in line. Have you ever seen anything like it? she asked. No, replied Rove. This is normally what Republicans do is fall in line. But Democrats normally fall in love. And theyre doing both this time around.'  Hmm. Im not sure thats true. Republicans  both voters and Never Trumpers  didnt fall in line in 2016, or we would have gotten Jeb! Kamala (D): Exclusive: Harris election effort raises around $500 million in a month, sources say [Reuters]. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris election effort has raised around $500 million since she became the Democratic presidential candidate, sources told Reuters, an unprecedented money haul that reflects donor enthusiasm going into the Nov. 5 election. Four sources familiar with the fundraising effort told Reuters that figure had been banked for Harris in the four weeks since she jumped into the race on July 21.  Vibes. Four sources, but one hive mind. In any case, after the Democrats  very much including Kamala  universally and vociferously claimed that Biden had no cognitive difficulties (sharp as a tack), until Biden slipped a cog on TV in front of millions, I take the strong from position that Democrats are lying until proven otherwise. Given this hermeneutic of suspicion, Im working on the assumption that theyre lying about the $500 million. Of course, they lie about small things, too Kamala (D): Fact-checking night 2 of the Democratic National Convention [CNN]. On the second night of the Democratic National Convention, on Tuesday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker repeated a claim a Democratic congressman had made the previous night about something former President Donald Trump said about the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. After touting Illinois handling of the pandemic, Pritzker then said of Trump: And Donald? Well, Donald told us to inject bleach.  Readers know this is a lie, and that NC has very early, possibly the first, to call it. Kamala (D): The message behind Kamala Harriss power tailoring [The Telegraph]. In fact, Harriss look has remained mostly unchanged since she began her political rise. Her official portraits, captured for the positions she held before her role at the White House  first, as Californias Attorney General (2011-2017) and then representing the Golden State in the U.S. Senate (2017- 2021)  portray her wearing nearly identical garb. Namely, mannish suit jackets, blouses and pearls. Her preference for pearls, WWD has noted, began during her time as an economics and political science major at Howard University. She then became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first Black sorority in the United States and pearls were a traditional signature of the sisterhood. The relatively petite political force (shes 5 4) also increases her stature by wearing Manolo Blahniks footwear almost religiously. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also favours the shoe brand. According to the masterly designers New York office, Harris favours three variations of Manolo court shoes  the BB, the Newco and the Tucciosam. Not just one but two stylists are said to finesse the fine details of the vice presidents wardrobe. While stylists have been integral to crafting the look of White House women such as Michelle Obama and Ivanka Trump, Vice President Harris reportedly works with the professions highest rank  namely power stylists Karla Welch and Leslie Fremar. Both are renowned for styling Hollywood celebrities for red-carpet events like the Oscars.  Not one but two stylists. Trump: Trump (R): Manhattan DA signals openness to delaying Trump criminal sentencing [The Hill]. The Manhattan district attorneys office said it would not oppose delaying former President Trumps sentencing in his hush money criminal case slated for Sept. 18, suggesting prosecutors would instead defer to the judge. Trump has demanded a delay in sentencing until after the November presidential election. Among other arguments, he asserts that he will immediately appeal if the judge doesnt wipe the guilty verdict following the Supreme Courts presidential immunity decision. A ruling is expected by Sept. 16, two days prior to Trumps sentencing. Trump (R): Former President Trump On The Assassination Attempt, Israel, The Border And Comrade Kamala' [Hugh Hewitt]. Oppo: [TRUMP:] And where, you know, one thing Id like to know, as you know, in my opinion, shes a Marxist, because if you go back and look at her, what shes done over the years, shes a Marxist. Now shes changed and flip-flopped on just about everything she believe in, in life, but shes a Marxist. And where is her father? Her fathers a Marxist professor. I dont know if you know that or not. [HEWITT:] I do.[TRUMP:] But he seems to have, hes not around. Id like to find out where is he. Hes a professor. They dont interview the father. I think, Id like to find out more about her from the father.  Its been out there since 2019. Kennedy: Kennedy (I): I have often urged that the distinctive competence of the Democrat Party is control over the ballot. Here Nicole Shanahan explains how that worked out in practice: MUST WATCH: RFKs VP Nicole Shanahan on how the DNC sabotaged their campaign and forced them to be a spoiler. She was a Democrat. They kept us off stages, manipulated polls, sued us in every possible state, and even planted insiders in our campaign.pic.twitter.com/aNbiktWDfK  Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) August 20, 2024

Realignment and Legitimacy

A Rancher Who Leads a Paramilitary-Style Group Sues Biden Over Border Policies [Texas Observer]. Just some detail: The lead plaintiff is Michael Vickers, a veterinarian who also owns a 1,000-acre ranch in Brooks County. Brooks County, which does not border Mexico, has a population of 7,000 and a long history of recorded deaths of migrants, who die in remote areas while trying to bypass its Border Patrol checkpoint. For nearly two decades, Vickers has led a paramilitary-style, civilian patrol group called the Texas Border Volunteers. Vickers and his wife, Linda, were once affiliated with the Minutemen, an organization that former President George W. Bush called a vigilante group. In the suit, Vickers alleges that undocumented immigrants have damaged his property as a result of Bidens policies. He has incurred more than $50,000 in fence and gate damages since 2021 and the value of his property has decreased, according to the lawsuit. At times, Vickers and other Texas Border Volunteers have offered emergency help or assisted with body recoveries. But the group sees its main mission as finding and detaining migrants, and has a history of allegations against it, including members tying migrants hands together with shoelaces or zip ties and taking their belongings, and members pulling weapons on migrants, as the Observer reported in 2014. The group was incorporated in Texas in 2006, state business filings show, and has been tax exempt since 2008, according to Internal Revenue Service records.

Syndemics

I am in earnest  I will not equivocate  I will not excuse  I will not retreat a single inch  AND I WILL BE HEARD. William Lloyd Garrison

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Covid Resources, United States (National): Transmission (CDC); Wastewater (CDC, Biobot ; includes many counties; Wastewater Scan, includes drilldown by zip); Variants (CDC; Walgreens); Iowa COVID-19 Tracker (in IA, but national data). Infection Control, Emergency Management, Safety, and General Thoughts (especially on hospitalization by city).

Lambert here: Readers, thanks for the collective effort. To update any entry, do feel free to contact me at the address given with the plants. Please put COVID in the subject line. Thank you!

Resources, United States (Local): AK (dashboard); AL (dashboard); AR (dashboard); AZ (dashboard); CA (dashboard; Marin, dashboard; Stanford, wastewater; Oakland, wastewater); CO (dashboard; wastewater); CT (dashboard); DE (dashboard); FL (wastewater); GA (wastewater); HI (dashboard); IA (wastewater reports); ID (dashboard, Boise; dashboard, wastewater, Central Idaho; wastewater, Coeur dAlene; dashboard, Spokane County); IL (wastewater); IN (dashboard); KS (dashboard; wastewater, Lawrence); KY (dashboard, Louisville); LA (dashboard); MA (wastewater); MD (dashboard); ME (dashboard); MI (wastewater; wastewater); MN (dashboard); MO (wastewater); MS (dashboard); MT (dashboard) ; NC (dashboard); ND (dashboard; wastewater); NE (dashboard); NH (wastewater); NJ (dashboard); NM (dashboard); NV (dashboard; wastewater, Southern NV); NY (dashboard); OH (dashboard); OK (dashboard); OR (dashboard) ; PA (dashboard); RI (dashboard); SC (dashboard); SD (dashboard); TN (dashboard); TX (dashboard); UT (wastewater); VA (dashboard); VT (dashboard); WA (dashboard; dashboard); WI (wastewater); WV ( wastewater ); WY ( wastewater ).

Resources, Canada (National): Wastewater (Government of Canada).

Resources, Canada (Provincial): ON (wastewater); QC (les eaux usees); BC (wastewater); BC, Vancouver (wastewater).

Hat tips to helpful readers: Alexis, anon (2), Art_DogCT, B24S, CanCyn, ChiGal, Chuck L, Festoonic, FM, FreeMarketApologist (4), Gumbo, hop2it, JB, JEHR, JF, JL Joe, John, JM (10), JustAnotherVolunteer, JW, KatieBird, KF, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, square coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3).

Stay safe out there!

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Maskstravaganza

Mask bans disenfranchise millions of Americans with disabilities [STAT]. If masks are banned where I live, I will have to make the choice between endangering my transplant and my health every time I leave the house, or to remain on permanent lockdown in my home. As disability oracle and activist Alice Wong reminds us, mask bans are an extension of ugly laws, historical laws and ordinances that prevented disabled people from being in public. We deserve to be seen and to be included in public life. Mask bans are a threat not just to disabled people, but to all of us. Its never too late to start masking againto protect not just your health and the health of people around you, but also to protect our fundamental human rights.  As well as millions of dull normals who just dont want to be infected because they were breathing. Mask bans (1): NEW: Zero tolerance at @UofCalifornia for encampments, blocking pathways, masking to shield identities. President Drake directs chancellors to strictly enforce campus rules after huge protests over the Israel-Hamas war this past spring. https://t.co/hFFRVL4ek5  Teresa Watanabe (@TeresaWatanabe) August 19, 2024 Mask bans (2): Nassau County, NY just passed a mask ban and now residents say they are going to take pictures of anyone wearing a mask and send them to police. This is why we need to stop any kind of mask ban legislation. They empower vigilantes to harass and surveil people wearing masks. pic.twitter.com/80NJgWndpJ  Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran) August 20, 2024 From a Letter to the Editor in Newsday.) On mask bans, I wrote: The thought occurs, then, that many normal citizens want mask bans not to assist law enforcement, but for acts of vigilantism and private retribution. This is not vigilantism, but if Perlmutter had thought to introduce the concept of citizens arrests, it would be.

Vaccines: Covid

COVID vaccine efficacy against severe illness just under 50%, per early estimates from 2023 [Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy]. Two European observational studies estimate the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of the COVID-19 XBB.1.5 vaccine approved in fall 2023 against hospitalization, the first one finding 49% overall VE in adults, and one showing good protectionbut uneven uptakeamong pregnant women.  For XBB.1.5, not the currently dominant KP* variants.

Transmission: Covid

A much more infectious COVID variant fueling Californias relentless surge [Los Angeles Times]. Its so surprising to me that it hasnt gone down yet, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases specialist at UC San Francisco. Its a little bit more of a prolonged season for California.' Ah, UCSF. Maybe we should ask Bob Wachter. More: Its this confluence of a much more infectious variant on top of folks overall immunity having waned  either from natural or vaccine-induced immunity, [Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional chief of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente Southern California] said. Its just kind of come [as] a perfect storm.' With non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) only being considered far too late, as usual. More: An open question is whether COVID will continue to rise as kids go back to school. Doctors are urging people to stay home if theyre sick and asking parents to keep their ill kids from attending school, to limit spread of disease. NPIs erased again! Funny thing, Kamalas from California. So is Pelosi. And yet they never mention Covid at all.

Sequelae: Covid

Patients recovering from COVID-19 who presented with anosmia during their acute episode have behavioral, functional, and structural brain alterations [Scientific Reports]. N = 73. From the Abstract: Here, we report findings from a sample of patients consisting of 73 adults with a mild to moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection without signs of respiratory failure and 27 with infections attributed to other agents and no history of COVID-19. The participants underwent cognitive screening, a decision-making task, and MRI evaluations. We assessed for the presence of anosmia and the requirement for hospitalization. Groups did not differ in age or cognitive performance. Patients who presented with anosmia exhibited more impulsive alternative changes after a shift in probabilities (r =  0.26, p = 0.001), while patients who required hospitalization showed more perseverative choices (r = 0.25, p = 0.003). Anosmia correlated with brain measures, including decreased functional activity during the decision-making task , thinning of cortical thickness in parietal regions, and loss of white matter integrity. Hence, anosmia could be a factor to be considered when identifying at-risk populations for follow-up.

Morbidity and Mortality

Deaths Are Up Post-Covid, and So Are Funeral Stocks: Prognosis [Bloomberg]. The number of officially reported Covid fatalities (7.1 million worldwide) doesnt fully explain the trend in excess deaths. (Neither do Covid vaccines, since body bags were piling up months before the shots were released, and multiple studies show the immunizations protect against severe illness and death). Theres no silver lining to the tragic loss of life. But if one group sees an upside, its those providing funerals, cremations, and burials. Publicly traded companies handling funerals and related services have handed investors an average 79% return since Jan. 1, 2020  outpacing the 60% gain in the MSCI All Country World Index, one of the broadest measures of the global equity market. The US highlights the morbid picture. In the two decades before the pandemic, the number of deaths had been climbing at an average clip of almost 1% a year  reflecting population growth and aging, and the devastating opioid epidemic  for a crude rate in 2019 of 869.7 deaths for every 100,000 Americans. Covid catapulted the rate well beyond 1,000 in 2020 and 2021 before the rate dropped back to just over 984 in 2022. Last year, there were 927.4 deaths per 100,000 people in the US  almost 12% above the 20-year average  for nearly 3.1 million deaths all up. The coronavirus directly and indirectly contributed to many of them. For instance, a jump in drug overdoses and alcohol userelated diseases during the pandemic likely added to fatalities from unintentional injuries and chronic liver disease in 2023, according to a study this month. Covid also led to more cardiometabolic disease, and age-adjusted mortality rates for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke were above pre-pandemic levels.  Go long morticians. Surprised, actually, that Silicon Valley hasnt tried to disrupt this business.

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TABLE 1: Daily Covid Charts

Lambert here: Worth noting that national Emergency Room admissions are as high as they were in the first wave, in 2020.

Wastewater This week[1] CDC August 12: Last Week[2] CDC July 22 (until next week): Variants [3] CDC August 10 Emergency Room Visits[4] CDC August 10 Hospitalization  New York[5] New York State, data August 20: National [6] CDC July 27: Positivity National[7] Walgreens August 20:  Ohio[8] Cleveland Clinic August 17: Travelers Data Positivity[9] CDC July 29: Variants[10] CDC July 29: Deaths Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11]CDC July 27: Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12]CDC July 27:

LEGEND

1)  for charts new today; all others are not updated.

2) For a full-size/full-resolution image, Command-click (MacOS) or right-click (Windows) on the chart thumbnail and open image in new tab.

NOTES

[1] (CDC) This weeks wastewater map, with hot spots annotated. Keeps spreading.

[2] (CDC) Last weeks wastewater map.

[3] (CDC Variants) KP.* very popular. First showing of the new variant from China, XDV.1 (though it didnt appear in travelers data).

[4] (ER) Worth noting Emergency Department use is now on a par with the first wave, in 2020.

[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Going down. Doesnt need to be a permanent thing, of course. (The New York city area has form; in 2020, as the home of two international airports (JFK and EWR) it was an important entry point for the virus into the country (and from thence up the Hudson River valley, as the rich sought to escape, and then around the country through air travel.)

[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). The visualization suppresses what is, in percentage terms, a significant increase.

[7] (Walgreens) Fiddling and diddling.

[8] (Cleveland) Jumping.

[9] (Travelers: Positivity) Up. Those sh*theads at CDC have changed the chart so that it doesnt even run back to 1/21/23, as it used to, but now starts 1/1/24. Theres also no way to adjust the time range. CDC really doesnt want you to be able to take a historical view of the pandemic, or compare one surge to another. In an any case, thats why the shape of the curve has changed.

[10] (Travelers: Variants) The new variant in China, XDV.1, is not showing up here.

[11] Deaths low, but positivity up.

[12] Deaths low, ED up.

Stats Watch

There are no official statistics of interest today.

* * *

Tech: AI initiatives would get $40M annually in draft California journalism bill agreements [Politico]. Artificial intelligence initiatives would receive tens of millions of dollars in a draft settlement on a closely watched state legislative effort to make large platforms like Google and Meta fund California newsrooms. The draft proposal, dated Saturday afternoon, would see California form a public-private partnership with Google and news publishers to fund in-state newsrooms and AI over five years. The partnership would provide over $300 million across five years, including at least $40 million annually for an unspecified AI Innovation Accelerator program managed by a yet-to-be finalized nonprofit. A summary of the draft proposal says it aims to strengthen democracy and the future of work in an Artificial Intelligence future  a remarkable shift from the original purpose of Assemblymember Buffy Wicks bill, which aimed to make platforms share advertising profits from news-link sharing back to California newsrooms.  Ah, Buffy Wicks.

Manufacturing: Boeing Finds Cracks in Structure of 777X Test Jets [Wall Street Journal]. Shares of Boeing fell about 5% Tuesday after the plane maker found cracks in the structure of its 777X jetliner in initial test flights, the latest setback for the long-delayed airplane. The company said it would ground its four-plane test fleet while it replaces the faulty component and sorts out what went wrong. Boeing has orders for about 500 of the new aircraft that it plans to start delivering in 2025. It is unclear what impact the issue could have on the planes launch date. The 777X, designed for airlines wanting to connect the globes major cities and to carry some 400 passengers more, is already years behind. Boeing unveiled the plane in 2013 and said it would start delivering the model in 2020. . The company is also facing scrutiny of another of its jets, the 787 Dreamliner. The Federal Aviation Administration said it would require inspections of Dreamliners after an incident with a cockpit seat led to a LatAm flight plunging midflight in March.  That new CEO sure must have his hands full.

* * *

Todays Fear & Greed Index: 50 Neutral (previous close: 44 Fear) [CNN]. One week ago: 27 (Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Aug 21 at 1:10:16 PM ET.

Gallery

Topical:

As Far back as his Grandfather, 1799

Get more Goya  https://t.co/tjHb5y4Eji pic.twitter.com/NkXC8PXo0t  Francisco Goya (@artistgoya) August 19, 2024

Groves of Academe

Historys Footnotes [JSTOR]. Once the historian writes with footnotes, historical narrative becomes a distinctly modern practice, [historian Anthony Grafton] explains. History is no longer a matter of rumor, unsubstantiated opinion, or whim. The text persuades, the note proves, he avers. Footnotes do double duty, for they also persuade as well as prove and open up the work to a multitude of voices Leopold von Ranke (17951886), the founder of source-based history, is usually credited with the invention of the scholarly footnote in the European tradition. Grafton describes von Rankes theory as sharper than his practice: his footnoting was much too sloppy to be a model for scholars today. But various forms of footnotes were used long before von Ranke. Sources were of vital importance to both Roman lawyers and Christian theologians in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, as they strove to back up their own arguments with the weight and gravitas of others As Grafton writes in a second article about this history of naming ones sources, the modern footnotewith its full bibliographical details, discussion of variant texts and sources, and separate place on the page [] seems to have arrived at its definitive form in the later 17th century. Pierre Bayles enormously influential Historical and Critical Dictionary (1697) is the thing to cite here. The Dictionary consisted in large part of footnotes (and even footnotes to footnotes). Within a few decades scholars emulating Bayle were producing footnotes by the busheland satirists were making fun of them for doing so. Grafton has a candidate for the longest known footnote: its 165 pages long and found in John Hodgsons 1840 History of Northumberland. The award for the Most Ironic Footnotes goes to Edward Gibbon, who plays it straight in the text of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (published between 1776 and 1789) and then adds the snark to the footnotes, playfully undermining the seriousness of the endeavor above.  Who doesnt love footnotes?

Zeitgeist Watch

Do Robots Love Their Customers? Automated Restaurants Face Human Issues [New York Times]. But people come to restaurants to feel connected to other humans. They want to encounter people, not a chatbot, kiosk or mechanical arm. So successfully integrating robots is more than just an engineering challenge. Professor Giebelhausen has found, for example, that consumers prefer human chefs to robot ones, in part because they believe that humans cook with love. In a paper currently under review, he and his co-authors found that if consumers had a friendly text chat with the robot, that preference faded. The crux is, if you feel the robot loves you, he said, you allow the robot to cook with love.'  Thats all very well, but the feeling has no basis in reality whatever.

Please dont stack rocks on your next hike. Heres why [Lonely Planet]. Hike far enough on just about any trail in the world, and youll likely spot a collection of stones placed atop each other that form impromptu sculptures. Some call them cairns. Others favor more colorful terms like stone balancing or prayer stone stacks. Whatever the name, the act of stacking rocks atop each other is ubiquitous. Over the past decade or so, for better or worse, rock-stacking has become even more popular. What many dont know, though, is that the practice is controversial, particularly in national parks and other protected areas. Depending on who you ask, it can be a crucial navigational device, a rewarding mindfulness practice or an environmental menace. Today, the popularity of rock cairns has less to do with utility and tradition and more to do with social media. At least thats the opinion of the Colorado-based rock-stacking artist, Michael Grab, who goes by the moniker Gravity Glue.It really started to blow up between 2014 and 2015, he said, speaking about the trend of stacking rocks in gravity-defying formations and then posting the photos onto social media. Then it exploded into this international art form, and what was maybe a handful of practitioners became hundreds. Others followed, stacking rocks on beaches, on hiking trails, and, much to the chagrin of conservationists, in places where visitors are specifically asked to leave no trace.. Besides potentially confusing lost hikers, critics say rock-stacking can be culturally insensitive to past and present residents of the area. They also point to the cumulative effects disruptions can have on ecosystems underfoot. While the National Park Service at times employs rock-stacking as part of its route-marking system, in most parks, the agency prohibits people from adding their own cairns. Like carving initials into a tree, leaving trash at a campground or spray-painting your name on a boulder, rock-stacking in most (but not all) national parks is punishable under the same laws that protect these places against vandalism and littering.  Hmm.

News of the Wired

Why People Procrastinate, and How to Overcome It [Scientific American]. Putting it all together, our research sheds light on the processes that lead to procrastination. When faced with a deadline, people seem to ask themselves, Do I want to do this now? That leads them to weigh the pros and cons involvedand their biases then come into play. Although additional rigorous testing is required, the training procedure used in our last study shows promise as an avenue to assist people who struggle with procrastination. Cognitive training based on this approachfor example, through an appcould help people who struggle with delaying tasks. But there are more immediate implications of our work as well. Our research indicates that valence weighting has the biggest impact among people who lack the motivation and cognitive resources to pause and deliberate beyond their initial quick appraisals on whether or not to tackle a task. In other words, just pushing yourself to think a little bit more before acting may help you generate more positive reasons to get started and to ensure you dont put off to tomorrow what you might best tackle today.  I dont think rumination helps

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ET writes: Caught this guy on my snapdragons one morning. Eastern Pondhawk.

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Yves here. This article from THE CITY illustrates in miniature the mess of US border policy. Biden substantially liberalized entry rules via executive order, producing a migrant wave that was so large that blue and Democrat-loyal cities like New York went into a mini-revolt and criticized the impact on their budgets and existing programs for the homeless. Even though this mess has largely disappeared from the headlines, the problem of how to house and find employment for these new entrants remains unresolved.

If you read the piece below carefully, it comes off as a complete cluster. First, some migrants might actually qualify for continued housing, but they are not told clearly who qualified and how to go about getting back in the system. Oh, those PMC complex eligibility requirements! Second, denying the migrants housing is in many cases dumping them on the streets. THE CITY reports that some (how many?) actually found work and/or have kids in school, but the loss of housing will upend this progress toward assimilation. Third, officials act as if these entrants can fall back on family in the NYC area, which is quite the assumption. Note that NYC is even offering to pay for transportation, as in make these refugees someone elses problem.

Again I am not blaming New York City. This hot mess was dumped into their lap by the Biden Administration. This story shows that the Administration has yet to offer the needed level of assistance.

By Gwynne Hogan. Originally published by THE CITY on August 20, 2024

New York State officials have granted New York City permission to begin evicting many of the roughly 30,000 migrant parents and children living in Department of Homeless Services shelters, state officials confirmed Tuesday.

Anthony Farmer, a spokesperson for the states Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, said the state has granted the city permission to begin issuing 60-day eviction notices to any family not receiving public assistance. OTDA didnt say how many families with children are not receiving public assistance, and thus will be subject to the new rules.

The majority of migrant families live in roughly 150 shelters overseen by the Department of Homeless Services that operate under OTDA regulations, sparing them until now from the 60-day limits on shelter stays that took effect in January.

While city officials made the request to begin evictions in DHS sanctuary facilities last summer, the request was only granted recently, Farmer said.

Around 20,000 parents and children in shelters overseen by two other local agencies, the Health and Hospitals Corporation and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, have already received eviction notices after 60 days, at which point they can reapply at the Roosevelt Hotel, the citys main intake center for migrants, for another shelter stay.

Advocates fighting to protect what remains of the citys right to shelter have urged the city to halt the time limits on family stays, calling them cruel and disruptive for vulnerable families who are just settling into schools and communities. But the administration of Mayor Eric Adams has defended the 60-day limits, saying theyre needed to help reduce the migrant-shelter population, hovering at around 65,000 people, and control costs amid more than $4 billion in spending to house and feed new arrivals.

I dont call them eviction notices, I call them time limits, said Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom at the mayors weekly press Q-and-A Tuesday, confirming the new policy for DHS shelters.

Were telling people that they have 60 days and that they can see if theres other places, other family members, she said, adding they could reapply for another shelter stay if they have nowhere else to go.

City officials informed shelter providers about the new rules on a call on Monday, according to one person on the call who asked for anonymity, fearing repercussions from city officials. The call was marked by a note of panic, the provider said.

What does this mean? What does it mean for the kids? the provider said people on the call wanted to know. Where do they go? Do they come back to us?

A warning of the new 60-day evictions, obtained by THE CITY, was handed out to shelter residents this week.

These notices will be distributed on a rolling basis beginning later this summer, read a notice in Spanish that was passed out on Tuesday to families at a shelter in Staten Island.

It is important that you begin planning your release from the shelter now that the children are out of school. Staff are ready to help you with this immediately. They can help you connect with family or friends and give you money for transportation. For help with these services, please contact shelter staff immediately. Be sure to plan ahead, even before the 60-Day Notices are issued.

The flier made no mention of how someone might reapply for shelter. It also did not mention the exception for families who receive cash assistance  a small but growing number of migrant families.

In New York, migrants can become eligible for cash assistance after theyve applied for asylum or Temporary Protected Status.

People from Venezuela, Haiti and other nations that many migrants hail from can apply for TPS from federal immigration authorities.

Neha Sharma, a spokesperson for the citys Department of Homeless Services said the 60-day shelter limit for families will roll out in the coming months, starting with a small number of families, with the goal of issuing the first notices to those who have had the longest shelter stays.

The NY Sane Coalition, a group of homeless and immigrant advocates including African Communities Together and WIN, the citys largest family shelter provider, said the new eviction rule is shortsighted and does nothing to address the longstanding obstacles impeding the path out of shelter nor the root causes of homelessness.

Katie Honan contributed reporting.
Fitch downgrades Israels credit rating as investors worry about war in Gaza dragging on

American financial services and credit ratings agency Fitch has once again downgraded Israel's credit rating , bringing the country down from "A-plus" to "A" on Aug. 12, citing increased geopolitical risks as the conflict in Gaza drags on and fears of Tel Aviv escalating tensions with Iran, Lebanon and Yemen increase.

Fitch is keeping its outlook for Israel's economic future negative, warning of possible downgrades in the future.

"In our view, the conflict in Gaza could last well into 2025 and there are risks of it broadening to other fronts," Fitch warned in a statement that accompanied the credit downgrade. (Related: COUNTRY IN COLLAPSE: 46,000 Israeli businesses have shut down since October 7.)

Part of Fitch's concerns come from an expectation that the Israeli government will be permanently increasing its military spending closer to 1.5 percent of GDP versus pre-war levels, putting significantly more pressure on the country's budget deficit and debt levels.

"Public finance have been hit and we project a budget deficit of 7.8 percent of GDP in 2024 and debt to remain above to 70 percent of GDP in the medium term," warned Fitch, describing how additional military spending, combined with attacks on Israeli infrastructure and damage to investment and economic activity could prove disastrous to Israel.

The median debt-to-GDP ratio for nations with an "A" credit rating is 55 percent. Similarly, Israel's budget deficit has already reached 8.1 percent of GDP as of July. The government claims the deficit will shrink to 6.6 percent of GDP by the end of the year.

This is not the first time the conflict in Gaza has negatively affected Israel's economic outlook. Earlier this year, both Moody's and S&P Global issued similar cuts to their credit rating for Israel, with both citing the elevated geopolitical risks that come with investing in Israel.

The value of Israel's currency, the new shekel, fell by 1.7 percent against the American dollar on the day Fitch released its assessment. The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange ended over one percent lower on the same day as investors fretted over a possible escalation of the conflict. The value of the shekel has yet to recover since Monday.

Israeli government claims its economy remains strong

Responding to Fitch's decision, Israel's extremist Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich said it was only "natural" for Israel's credit ratings to take a hit, given the war and the geopolitical risks associated with investing in the Israeli economy. Despite this, Smotrich claimed the country's economy remains strong.

"Israel's economy is strong and we are navigating it correctly and responsibly," claimed Smotrich, adding that "the economic indicators point to the economy's robustness and the high trust we have in the markets."

Responding to fears of higher debts and bigger budget deficits, Smotrich claimed that the government "will pass a responsible budget," however he noted that military spending will remain high "to support all the needs of the war on all fronts until victory."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a similar statement, saying that he expects the country's credit ratings to increase once Israel wins the war.

"Israel's economy is strong and is functioning very well," he said in a statement. "The rating downgrade is a result of Israel dealing with a multi-front war forced upon it."

Finance Ministry Accountant General Yali Rothenberg also claimed that Israel's economy was strong and the country is still freely and enthusiastically participating in global capital markets. He is advising the government to pass a government budget for the 2025 fiscal year that would rebuild the country's fiscal reserves through a gradual decrease of the country's debt-to-GDP ratio.

Preliminary discussions on the state budget for the next fiscal year  which begins in January 2025  have already begun. Smotrich claims the government's "responsible budget" will be approved "very quickly," and the country's credit ratings "will rise again."

Watch this Aug. 2 episode of "Brighteon Broadcast News" as host Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, discusses why the world despises the violence and terror wrought by the government of Israel.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Largest U.K. pension fund sells off Israeli assets amid backlash over Gaza.

Israeli tourism industry in collapse as 10% of the country's hotels at risk of shutting down.

Western brands take big financial hit in Muslim countries from boycotts over their ties to Israel.

Israel's DEBT has doubled to nearly $43 billion since declaring war on Gaza.

Israel faces cascading DEBT COLLAPSE as Jewish state hit with credit rating downgrade.

Sources include:

TheCradle.co

Reuters.com

CNN.com

Brighteon.com
Masked Israeli mob launches deadly anti-Palestinian pogrom in West Bank

A mob of masked Israeli settlers launched a "pogrom" in the Palestinian village of Jit in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, burning Palestinian homes, cars, shooting one young man in the chest and critically injuring another.

(Article by Chris Menahan republished from InformationLiberation.com)

Breaking | Israeli settler militias are now setting fire to Palestinian homes and vehicles in the village of Jit, east of Qalqilia. Despite the presence of Israeli occupation forces near the village, they deliberately remain absent during these attacks. pic.twitter.com/fKwuJ85pbK  Quds News Network (@QudsNen) August 15, 2024

BREAKING | Over 100 Israeli settlers storm the village of Jit near the occupied West Bank city of Qalqilya and burn Palestinian homes and cars. Injuries reported. A critical bullet injury to the chest of a young man as a result of settlers shooting him, said the Red Crescent. pic.twitter.com/1Jm2lSljuV  The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) August 15, 2024

23 year old Rashid Mahmoud Abdul Qader Sada was shot in the chest and killed by Israeli settlers during their pogrom in Jit near Qalqilya. Several areas across the occupied West Bank have been attacked by settlers today under the protection of Israeli forces. pic.twitter.com/egX2xF8c1A  The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) August 15, 2024

From First Post, "50 masked Israeli settlers torch homes, cars in Palestinian village in West Bank":

While the Israel-Hamas war continues to escalate, things are not stable in the West Bank. On Thursday, reports started to emerge that around 50 masked Israeli settlers have invaded the Palestinian village of Jit and created a major ruckus in the area. According to The Times of Israel, the settlers torched at least four homes and six vehicles in the Palestinian village. Multiple videos of the incident are also circulating online, where a massive blaze can be seen erupting through the area. After the news broke out Israels Labor Party chairman Yair Golan took to X, formerly known as Twitter to condemn the incident. Messianic Jewish terrorism is determined to ignite the territory and force a difficult and unnecessary regional campaign on Israel," he wrote in his post. It is pertinent to note that the settler violence in the West Bank reached an all-time high following the start of the war in Gaza.

The anti-Palestinian "pogrom" comes just one day after the U.S. approved another $20 billion arms sale to Israel.

Despite the Israeli government condemning this mob violence attack, odds are overwhelming no one involved will get seriously punished.

As we saw earlier this month, Israelis rioted to demand the "right to rape" Palestinians in their detention and received widespread public and governmental support.

Read more at: InformationLiberation.com
Democrat policies are so unpopular theyve built a WALL around the DNC convention to block their own voters

After giving former president Donald Trump endless flak about the border wall, security officials have erected a 15-foot buffer to protect the site of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, with the area surrounding the United Center getting additional fortification from eight-foot-tall fences and concrete barriers.

Around 100,000 protestors are expected at the convention. Apparently, Democrats' policies are so unpopular that they feel like they need to protect themselves, perhaps even from their own voters. Many observers note the irony of the move and the implicit acknowledgement that walls are, in fact, effective.

According to reports from ABC 7 Chicago, "The security footprint area encompasses a 15-foot buffer around the perimeter of McCormick Place and the United Center, and includes Union Park and Park 578, where large-scale protests are planned."

The station reports that there are a slew of rules in effect for the areas within its boundaries, including a ban on throwing items or pushing vehicles, carts and floats. A lengthy list of items that are deemed a potential safety hazard extends beyond the usual dangerous items such as knives and firearms to encompass laptops, drones, sealed packages, large bags, scooters, balloons, metal containers, tobacco products and bicycles. Violators are being warned that they could face jail time. This is a sharp contrast to the poor security provided to Donald Trump for his speeches.

They are also establishing vehicle screening checkpoints around the area, and they are planning to start checking cars well ahead of the convention, which is expected to make life rather inconvenient for those who work in the area.

100,000 Anti-Israel protestors expected

One Democrat policy that seems to be particularly unpopular with their own voters is their support for Israel and its genocidal acts in Gaza. Reports from Axios ahead of the convention indicate that at least 100,000 anti-Israel protestors are expected to turn up at the event.

They report that House Democrats were warned by congressional security officials to avoid booking hotel rooms in their own names; hotels have reportedly already been getting random phone calls asking for specific individuals. They were also told not to engage with any protestors if they are confronted.

The Bidens, Obamas and Clintons, along with Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz, will be staying in hotels in downtown Chicago during the convention.

One senior House Democrat told Axios that they were informed to avoid certain areas due to expected violence, noting: The protesters arent staying in a designated protest site  and there are people who are going to go and really try to cause trouble.

125 anti-Israel groups are organizing March on the DNC 2024 rallies, and the chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, Hatem Abudayyeh, told the Washington Post they dont plan to go easy on Democrats even though Genocide Joe wont be on the ticket anymore.

Our target is the Democratic Party, and the leadership of the party and Killer Kamala is one of them, he stated.

Some business owners have been boarding up their shops in preparation for the crowds, as they fear potential looting.

The wall isnt the only issue where they seem to have a double standard; the DNC will also be requiring photo ID from everyone who is attending the convention, with credentialed individuals such as attendees and volunteers required to pass through dedicated checkpoints  a hypocritical move considering how much energy liberals have spent claiming voter ID laws are discriminatory. Suddenly, walls and photo IDs are perfectly okay when its their lives on the line.

Sources for this article include:

100PercentFedUp.com

ABC7Chicago.com

100PercentFedUp.com
Doctors, drug dealers ARRESTED in connection with actor Matthew Perrys ketamine overdose death

Several suspects were arrested on Thursday, Aug. 15, in Southern California in connection with the drug overdose death of actor Matthew Perry last year.

On Oct. 28, 2023, the 54-year-old Perry, most known for his role in the television sitcom "Friends," was found dead in the heated end of a pool at his Pacific Palisades home in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office ascribed his death to the acute effects of ketamine, a legal drug commonly used as an anesthetic and for treating depression. (Related: Ketamine seen as "fast-acting" for those who suffer from depression.)

Following Perry's death, law enforcement immediately opened an investigation. Los Angeles ABC affiliate KABC verified through police sources that five arrests were made in connection to the investigation during an early morning operation on Thursday in Southern California.

Police said they "executed search warrants and seized computers, phones and other electronic equipment" to discover who provided Perry with the illegally prescribed ketamine that brought about his death. The doctors and dealers who were arrested allegedly helped arrange and deliver the ketamine to Perry.

Five people were arrested, including two physicians, Salvador Plasencia, 42, and Mark Chavez, 54. Two drug dealers were also arrested  Jasveen Sangha, 41, also known as the "Ketamine Queen," and Eric Fleming, 54. Perry's live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, was also arrested.

All five were arrested and indicted over allegations that they were part of a "broad underground criminal network."

Suspects exploited Perry's addiction problems

Prosecutors said the group exploited Perry's addiction problems, with one accusation claiming that the five defendants made tens of thousands of dollars by selling ketamine to the troubled star.

In one example, Plasencia allegedly collaborated with Chavez to charge Perry $2,000 for a vial of ketamine that was worth $12, after he became progressively desperate to get his hands on the drug, as stated in the filings.

Meanwhile, Perry's assistant has acknowledged being the one who supervised the actor's ketamine doses after being trained on how to give them by Plasencia. Court documents claim that Iwamasa injected Perry with 27 shots of ketamine in the five days leading up to his death.

Prosecutors allege that Sangha's distribution of the substance on Oct. 4, 2023, led to Perry's death. Photos issued by prosecutors showed that Sangha had thousands of pills and several kilograms of powder in her "drugs emporium" home. Police raided her home in March and retrieved the implicating evidence including text messages about selling "double strength" ketamine.

Sangha, who has dual American and British citizenship, is now indicted with a lot of drug offenses connected to providing the ketamine that killed Perry.

An affidavit filed in a Los Angeles federal court by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Tyler Abrego on March 20 depicted a raid the day before on Sangha's home.

"During the search, law enforcement seized significant quantities of illegal drugs, including approximately 1,978 grams of orange pills that field tested positive for methamphetamine, 79 bottles containing a clear liquid that field tested positive for ketamine, and various other suspect narcotics," Abrego stated in the criminal complaint. A handgun can also be seen in a photo of the seized drugs incorporated in Abrego's affidavit.

The complaint stated Sangha was a "large volume drug dealer" earlier identified by the DEA, Los Angeles Police Department homicide detectives and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Agents confiscated her cell phone which had "conversations related to selling pressed methamphetamine pills and ketamine." In a March text conversation about selling ketamine, she asked for a payment of "958,51" to her PayPal and said, "I think you'll like these but remember they're double strength." The DEA agent stated that videos retrieved from Sangha's phone showed her "cooking ketamine."

Follow Addiction.news for more stories about drug overdose deaths in America.

Watch the video below about the reported multiple arrests in connection with Matthew Perry's death.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Prescription drugs are now the leading cause of death.

Overdose deaths have skyrocketed since 2019, with synthetic and prescription opioids driving the crisis.

California State Legislature approves bill decriminalizing personal use and cultivation of psychedelic drugs.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

Daily Mail.co.uk

Brighteon.com
Experts slam LAUGHABLE CDC report claiming vaccines saved 1.1M lives

Experts have criticized a "laughable" report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) claiming vaccines have saved 1.1 million lives.

The Aug. 8 edition of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) reproduced a methodology from a 2014 paper published in the journal Pediatrics. The said paper by Dr. Fangjun Zhou, a scientist at the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and his colleagues estimated the health and economic benefits of vaccination for the year 2009.

According to the MMWR, routine childhood vaccines  like those targeting measles, tetanus, diphtheria and hepatitis B, among others  have prevented approximately 508 million cases of illness, 32 million hospitalizations and 1.1 million deaths over approximately 30 years. It also estimated that the injections have also saved the country $540 billion in direct costs and $2.7 trillion in indirect societal costs, such as parents missing work to care for a sick child.

Zhou defended the study, saying that it "shows the substantial impact of vaccines on peoples' lives and the impressive return on the investment in vaccines and immunization services. Even mainstream media praised the report as a "testament to the success" of childhood vaccines and as evidence that the high cost of childhood vaccines is paying off.

But experts who talked to the Defender begged to differ from the MMWR's findings. According to them, the CDC relied on outdated disease and mortality statistics that led to "laughable" conclusions. Moreover, the public health agency ignored the real costs of adverse effects of vaccination in its report.

"The methods are shoddy, the data are untethered for reality and the conclusions are a preposterous fiction," said Toby Rogers, a fellow at the Brownstone Institute. "This study is an advertisement on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry and it should be treated as such."

Other experts also chime in

"If there are two or more conflicted journals to represent the benefits of the childhood vaccination program, you could not find them," said author and Minnesota congressional candidate Mark Blaxill.

"The profession of pediatrics is the delivery channel for the childhood immunization program, that's why it exists. And the MMWR is put out by the CDC, which is recommending the program. So this is propaganda, and it is put out by those parties most interested in defending the outcome."

According to the report, the highest number of deaths prevented was 752,800 from diphtheria. The next largest benefit claimed was over 100 million measles cases prevented, 13.2 million hospitalizations avoided and 85,000 deaths prevented.

But Rogers was skeptical of these claims, telling the Defender: "None of the vaccines available through the Vaccines for Children Program are as effective as the CDC claims. "We know that the mumps portion of MMR [measles, mumps and rubella vaccine] does not work. The pertussis portion of DTP [diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine] does not stop infection nor transmission of pertussis."

Meanwhile, Children's Health Defense Chief Science Officer Brian Hooker noted that the diphtheria mortality rates used for the report were "highly inflated."

"[These numbers were] prior to the development of antibiotics," Hooker stressed. "Corynebacterium diphtheriae, the bacteria that causes diphtheria, is treatable with penicillin or erythromycin."

Blaxill also commented on the report's findings about diphtheria. According to him, diphtheria was "a disease of the horse-drawn economy," adding that C. diphtheriae ifs often found in horse manure. "It's caused by environmental exposures and it's not infectious and it isn't common, really anywhere, anymore," he said.

"In other words, a century of economic progress was excluded. Public health measures like better nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, clean water, indoor plumbing  that's excluded."

Head over to CDC.news for similar stories.

Watch this video of an enlightening discussion on banning vaccines.

This video is from the Aussie Flyers channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Media now pushing comically bizarre COVID-monkey-AIDS-pox disease as latest threat to society.

WHO seeks emergency use listing for monkeypox vaccines as globalists try to launch another pandemic scare.

COVID mRNA jab recipients suffer 4,900% increased risk of heart failure, Japanese researchers discover.

Sources include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

CDC.gov

Brighteon.com
FBI accused of cover-up after destroying body of Trump shooter just days after assassination attempt

A shocking report by Representative Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana) reveals that the FBI completely mishandled the investigation into Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks, leaving lawmakers to wonder how a theoretically well-trained agency could botch something so spectacularly  and all signs point to a potential coverup.

The most incredible part of this story is the fact that his body was already gone when Higgins, who was appointed to a congressional bipartisan task force to look into the assassination attempt, asked to view it on August 5.

He said that his request to see the body caused quite a stir and revealed a disturbing fact -- it turns out that the FBI actually released Crookss body for cremation just ten days after the shooting that killed him when he tried to assassinate Trump on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania.

According to Higgins, nobody knew that Crookss body had already been returned to his family  including people who should have been well aware of its movements, such as the county coroner and local law enforcement. In fact, the coroner still had legal authority over the body when the FBI decided to give it to his family, prompting Higgins to accuse the agency of obstruction. He said there was no way the coroner would have released the body to the family without receiving permission from the FBI.

The problem with me not being able to examine the actual body is that I won't know 100% if the coroner's report and the autopsy report are accurate. We will actually never know, he lamented, before going on to question why the FBI was so quick to offload the shooters body.

Again, similar to releasing the crime scene and scrubbing crime scene biological evidence... this action by the FBI can only be described by any reasonable man as an obstruction to any following investigative effort, he added.

Crooks was cremated on July 23, which is the same day that the oversight committee and the Homeland Security Committee opened their investigations into the failed assassination attempt, and Higgins said that the FBI's scorched earth approach was troubling. He explained that the FBI would have been completely aware that an investigation by Congress was forthcoming and should have known that releasing the crime scene would affect it.

FBI cleaned up the crime scene and released it surprisingly quickly

Higgins, a former police officer, also criticized the FBI for the way it handled the crime scene. He wrote in his report: The FBI cleaned up biological evidence from the crime scene, which is unheard of. Cops dont do that, ever.

The first responders he spoke to shared a range of reactions to the FBI releasing the crime scene so quickly, with some surprised and others suspicious of their motives.

One of the bullets fired by Crooks killed 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore, while two other bullets severely injured 74-year-old James Copenhaver and 57-year-old David Dutch. One bullet grazed the ear of Trump, and experts say that it could well have killed him had he not moved his head slightly just before the bullet made contact.

There were already so many parts of this story that just didnt add up, and although the committee sought answers, their report really just leaves us with a lot more questions. Why would they be in such a hurry to cremate the body before an independent examination could be carried out on it? Why did the FBI release all of the first responders who went to the scene that evening, why were they so eager to wash the site down on just the second day, and why did they release the entire crime scene on the third day?

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NYPost.com

X.com
Israel tried to get around U.S. foreign agent law so it could spread propaganda to Americans unchecked

A new report by The Guardian reveals that the Israeli government obtained legal advice on how it can get around laws in the U.S. that prevent foreign states from spreading propaganda to the American population.

Although federal law requires foreign-backed lobbying campaigns to disclose their activities, an investigation by the publication found that the Israeli government spoke to lawyers because they were worried that Zionist lobbying groups who were working with them would have to register as foreign agents and, by extension, admit their ties to Israel.

To conceal their activities and avoid legal scrutiny, Israeli government officials proposed setting up an American nonprofit. An advisor wrote to them that the nonprofit could not be managed formally from Israel, but the Jewish State would have "means of supervision and management over it, such as oral meetings and other "informal coordination mechanisms.

One law in particular that they were concerned about circumventing is the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which they worried would harm the reputation of the groups that Israel was funding. They felt that donors would be unwilling to provide funding to groups that were registered under FARA.

One Israeli legal memo they viewed, which was dated July 2018, stated that FARA has been applied to countries hostile to the U.S. in the past, including Pakistan and Russia. At the time, there had been some enforcement actions against officials with the Trump administration for unregistered lobbying for foreign interests, and given the ties between then-president Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, there were some concerns that a formal investigation could be launched by the U.S. Department of Justice.

One memo indicated the Israeli government was concerned about FARA forcing registrants to flag any piece of propaganda that is distributed to two or more parties in the U.S., with a disclaimer stating that it was delivered by a foreign agent and then submit a copy of the propaganda to the US Department of Justice within 48 hours.

Their attempts to get around FARA were largely focused on an Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs PR commando unit that sought to boost Israels image abroad. It was first known as Kela Shlomo before being changed to Concert in 2018 and Voices of Israel in 2022, and it sought to undermine the popular BDS movement that was carrying out boycott, divestment and sanction campaigns against Israel to protest its treatment of Palestinians.

Voices of Israel was reactivated not long after the Gaza war broke out, with Likud Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli telling the Knesset it would go on the offensive against students in the U.S. who were protesting the war.

Lawyers aligned with DNC accused of secretly advising Israel

Some of the lawyers Israel consulted included the former in-house general counsel for the Democratic National Committee, Joseph E. Sandler, and FARA expert Joshua I. Rosenstein for the campaign and election law firm Sandler Reiff. The firm analyzed FARA-related questions for them for at least four years, according to the emails and memos reviewed by the journalists.

Liat Glazer, who was serving as the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs legal advisor, emphasized the need for secrecy surrounding the hiring of the firm, cautioning: Exposing the name of the law firm could thwart the entire relationship, as I understand it was agreed with them that the engagement with [Israel] would not be revealed.

She also warned that if the public found out that Israel was getting legal advice about FARA, it may raise claims that the state of Israel wants to unacceptably interfere in US matters and spark a public debate on a sensitive issue in Israel-US relations.

The report was based on emails and documents obtained by a hacktivist collective known as Anonymous for Justice, who infiltrated the Israeli Ministry of Justice.

Sources for this article include:

TheCradle.co

LeeFang.com
Coming to America: Opposing illegal immigration, climate change, or mRNA vaccination to be considered THOUGHT CRIMES punishable by prison time

In overwhelming increments, communism is being installed in America, whether you realize it or not. Its a war of attrition, and the communists are winning, and winning fast. Take a good look at whats happening under similar governments around the world, because surely the USA is next, according to the commie formula for erasing democracy and the modern Western way of life.

In the UK, riots about illegal immigration are becoming the norm, and the aftermath is seeing the worst crime of all, as the government arrests people who simply comment on the riots online, saying something the government doesnt like, that doesnt fit the narrative that ALL immigration is fantastic, legal or not, so never complain (even if the illegals rape you or kill your loved ones).

If you say youre thinking about protesting, you can go to jail in the UK. Dont believe it? One man just got two months prison time for one post on Fakebook criticizing illegal Muslim immigrants that are coming to a town near you. Thought crimes are real, not just in the movie Minority Report anymore. Get ready USA, its about to hit here too, should the commies win in November.

Get ready to do prison time for simply THINKING about something the crooks in DC dont want you thinking about. Now you know why they have fluoride in the drinking water, trillions of spike proteins in the Covid jabs, and lots of chemical pesticides on the produce. You must be really stupid to not see where this is all heading.

In Canada, if you criticize gender-bender ideology on social media, you must do time in a concentration camp called reeducation training program under Trudeaus rule

Do you not understand how to communicate properly under communist rule? You will learn or suffer the consequences. The governing body for psychological practitioners in Canada is forcing a University of Toronto professor to undergo reeducation to learn how to support the grooming of children, perverting their minds, pushing them to get gender-mutilation surgery, and think about sex and sex partners all day.

Professor Dr. Jordan Peterson has been suspended in Canada, with no rights to operate as a licensed clinical psychologist, because the groomers in the UK government dont like his social media posts. This is happening. The USA is next. Get ready should Kamilla the Hun and Nazi Walz win in November.

In New Zealand, during Covid, if you did not follow the protocol of lockdowns, social distancing, masking 24/7, and getting the horrid clot shots, you found yourself in prison. Now were seeing all the plandemic liars, including pundits, politicians and health experts trying to rewrite history overnight, and claim they NEVER told anyone anything was mandatory, it was all just advice. Talk about misinformation, disinformation, domestic terrorism and outright genocide. Lets save America from the communist aggression thats working from the INSIDE out. We can never forget what they did to us with this scamdemic apocalypse and stolen elections.

Are you engaging in "thought crimes" right now? Beware ... artificial intelligence government is watching!

Keep your truth news in check by adding Preparedness.news to your favorites list and tuning in daily for updates on thought crimes being enforced for Americans who oppose the dictatorship in Washington DC, in collaboration with Big Tech, Big Pharma and Big Vax. #PlandemicII

Sources for this article include:

Censored.news

NaturalNews.com

ZeroHedge.com
Panama moves against MIGRANT SMUGGLERS offering VIP services for Chinese nationals

The Central American nation of Panama has moved against migrant smugglers offering a VIP service for Chinese nationals

Authorities in the country arrested 15 people in connection with the scheme on Aug. 7. The suspects were arrested in the town of Santa Fe, near the city of Meteti in Panama's Darien Province  a jungle-covered border region shared with neighboring Colombia. The detainees  who face 15 to 20 years in prison  are all Panamanian, but are accused of working for Colombian gangs.

According to ZeroHedge, a 66-mile gap that starts just inside Colombia and stretches into Panama cuts the 19,000-mile Pan-American Highway spanning the Americas. This gap, called the Darien Gap, forces migrants to make a journey on foot through the mountainous and marshy region. Migrants pay about $500 for a standard escort through the gap, with the trek taking five to eight days.

Meanwhile, the VIP service offers a shorter trek of two days using various modes of transportation  including canoe, horseback or even all-terrain vehicles. But according to local prosecutor Emeldo Marquez, the fees for this shorter trip range from $2,600 to $8,000. Given the price, most customers who can afford the first-class experience are Chinese nationals. (Related: Report: Groups of military-age males from China and South America are illegally entering the United States.)

ZeroHedge noted, citing data from the United Nations, that there were about 500,000 migrants who crossed the Darien Gap in 2023. About 200,000 have crossed so far this year.

While the migrants come from many nations, most of the recent ones hail from Venezuela. Illegal crossing by Chinese migrants have also soared, with more than 55,000 crossing the Mexican border into the U.S. after bypassing the Darien Gap since 2023.

Panama now taking BORDER SECURITY seriously

The arrests followed the Panamanian Border Service (SENAFRONT) installing razor wire fences inside the Darien Gap, in a bid to block migrants wanting to enter the U.S. illegally. "The [SENAFRONT] patrol  has begun to block the majority of border passages," said Panamanian Public Security Minister Frank Abrego back in June. While the installation of barriers have sparked panic among migrants trying to cross the gap, this has failed to dissuade them even one bit.

Border security pundits in the U.S. have also wondered if the Aug. 7 arrests are a sign that Panamanian President Jose Raul Molino is taking his campaign pledge seriously. Molino vowed to end the country's role as a major funnel of masses of illegal immigrants bound for the United States.

On July 1, the same day Mulino was sworn into office, Panama announced it had signed an agreement with the U.S. intending to cut the flow of migrants through the isthmus. Under the deal, Washington committed to cover Panama's expenses for deporting people who enter Panama illegally, and to help with "equipment, transportation and logistics."

"I will not allow Panama to be a path open to thousands of people who illegally enter our country supported by an entire international organization related to drug trafficking and human trafficking," Mulino said at the time.

Head over to OpenBorders.news for similar stories.

Watch this video that explains everything about the ongoing crisis at the southern U.S. border.

This video is from the Flyover Conservatives channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

HUMAN TRAFFICKING: Mexican cartels offer $15,000 VIP border crossing packages to migrants trying to get into the U.S. via tunnels.

Bidens new executive order FAILS to stop border crossings.

Biden admits to FLYING 320,000 migrants into U.S. to PURPOSELY skew border crossing numbers.

ITS BASIC MATH: Border Patrol agents link 575% increase in seizures of smuggling vehicles to surge in U.S. border crossings.

Kamala Harris paves the way for ILLEGALS to become lawyers in California after she helped one in 2014.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

ChannelNewsAsia.com

Brighteon.com
Russia expands hydrocarbon exports to China, cements position as largest oil supplier to Chinese market

The Russian government announced on Monday, Aug. 19, that the country is expanding its hydrocarbon exports to China

"Strategic cooperation in the energy sector is deepening. The volume of Russian hydrocarbon exports to China is increasing. Russia is the largest supplier of oil to the Chinese market and also occupies a leading position in the export of coal and LNG [liquefied natural gas]," the Kremlin said in a statement.

Russia surpassed Saudi Arabia to become China's largest oil supplier last year, according to the latest Chinese customs data. The two countries are systematically increasing natural gas supplies through the Power of Siberia pipeline in the Russian Far East.

India, the world's third largest oil-consuming and importing nation, also acquired $2.8 billion worth of crude oil from Russia in July, second only to China.

Russia emerged as India's largest supplier of crude oil, which is converted into fuels such as petrol and diesel in refineries, as Russian oil became available at a discount after Europe, the United States and most of their Western allies stopped purchasing oil from Moscow following Russia's special military operation in Ukraine in late February 2022.

Imports from Russia, which were less than one percent of the total oil imported by India before the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, now make up nearly 40 percent of India's total oil purchases.

The Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) reported that China purchased 47 percent of Russia's crude exports, followed by India (37 percent), the European Union (seven percent) and Turkey (six percent).

China and India are also acquiring coal from Russia. CREA noted that, from December 2022 until the end of July 2024, China purchased 45 percent of all of Russia's coal exports, followed by India at 18 percent, Turkey and South Korea at 10 percent each and Taiwan at five percent.

China has emerged as the biggest buyer of Russian fossil fuels

China has emerged as the biggest purchaser of Russian fossil fuels. In July, China made up 43 percent  $6.87 billion  of Russia's monthly export earnings from the top five importers. Crude oil accounted for 63 percent ($4.32 billion) of China's imports from Russia.

In July, China's worldwide import volumes of seaborne crude fell to 40.2 million tons, the communist nation's lowest level since February 2023.

Seaborne crude imports from Russia amounted to 4.3 million tons, which is also the lowest level since December 2022 and may be connected to decreased processing margins for refineries amid low fuel demand.

CREA's report noted that India is the second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels in July. Almost 80 percent of all of India's imports for the month comprised crude oil, mostly from Russia.

India, which relies more than 85 percent on imports to meet its oil needs, spent $11.4 billion in July on the import of 19.4 million tons of crude oil.

In July, the discount on Russian Urals grade crude oil rose by nine percent month-on-month to $16.76 per barrel in comparison to Brent crude oil. The discounts on the ESPO grade and Sokol blends stayed comparatively stable and modest at $4.23 per barrel and $6.11 per barrel, respectively.

As reported by CREA, 36 percent of Russian seaborne crude oil and its products in July were delivered by tankers subject to the oil price cap. (Related: The Wests price cap on Russian oil exports is NOT WORKING.)

Follow EnergySupply.news for more stories about energy exports around the world.

Watch the video below about Russian oil exports being at their highest since April 2020.

This video is from the WorldViewTube channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Russian oil exports surge despite Western sanctions, Moscows output cut.

Russia has almost fully bypassed Western sanctions on oil exports.

OIL LAUNDERING: India imports Russian oil at a discounted price, refines it and sells to the West for massive profits.

Sources include:

SputnikGlobe.com

FirstPost.com

Brighteon.com
NO CHOICE AND NO LIFE: Study finds mRNA COVID-19 vaccines increase risk of spontaneous abortions

recent study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology has revealed unsettling safety data on COVID-19 vaccines when administered during pregnancy. The findings, derived from a comprehensive analysis of over 105,000 pregnancies, paint a grim picture, with the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines (biological weapons) being associated with an increased rate of spontaneous abortion

When it comes to COVID-19 vaccines mandates, the Democrats and their government institutions essentially mandated abortions, taking away CHOICE and LIFE.

Study finds startling rate of spontaneous abortion in pregnant women injected with COVID-19 jabs

The study utilized data from the Vaccine Safety Datalink, a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and nine health systems across the United States, representing 3% of the population. It analyzed pregnancies from December 15, 2020, to June 28, 2021, focusing on the rates of spontaneous abortion among women who had received one or more doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines during early pregnancy. The researchers applied a validated pregnancy algorithm using diagnostic codes, electronic health records, and medical claims data to assign gestational ages and identify cases of spontaneous abortions and ongoing pregnancies. The analysis was stratified by vaccine type, gestational age, and maternal age groups.

The study identified an astonishing 13,160 cases of spontaneous abortions out of 105,446 unique pregnancies analyzed. Among women aged 35 to 49, the rate of spontaneous abortions was notably higher at 38.7% compared to the 22.3% rate observed in ongoing pregnancies. Among women with spontaneous abortions, 8.6% had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose within 28 days prior to the abortion.

The study's authors concluded that the risk of spontaneous abortion after COVID-19 vaccines was not statistically significant. Dr. Heather Lipkind, who served on Pfizers independent external data monitoring committee, and Drs. Naleway and Vesco, who received funding from Pfizer for unrelated studies, share serious conflicts of interest with one of the makers of the mRNA vaccines. These connections to Pfizer raise concerns about the objectivity of the studys findings and the potential influence of external factors on the research outcomes.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recklessly harming pregnant women

Conventional medical wisdom cautions against introducing illicit drugs, toxins, heavy metals, certain herbs, pharmaceuticals, and unknown substances during pregnancy. Fetal development is a delicate process, dependent on specific nutrients and hormonal processes.

Disturbingly, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) continues to recommend COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy. These experimental vaccines instruct the womans cells to produce foreign proteins that do not readily absolve and can travel throughout the blood to various organ systems. How do these pervasive toxins affect a developing baby? The ACOG doesnt seem to care, because its all about compliance with a narrative, with no objective approach to science or appeal to traditional common sense.

The revelation of a higher rate of spontaneous abortions among women who received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines during early pregnancy warrants a cautious and thorough review. The ACOG has an ethical duty to warn pregnant women of this risk when they are offered this deleterious product in the future.

Without proper informed consent about vaccine risks, pregnant women are routinely coerced to take products that may cause abortions, despite the woman choosing LIFE. With almost every government institution and every Democrat in the country mandating individuals to take these shots, these false authorities have proven themselves to be against personal choice and opposed to life, while mandating destruction and death on pregnant women who CHOOSE LIFE and condoning statistics that link their savior vaccines to the TERMINATION of LIFE.

Sources include:

Expose-News.com

JAMANetwork.com
U.K. authorities have arrested more anti-mass migration protesters than human traffickers

Police in the United Kingdom have arrested about 1,024 anti-mass migration protesters, with 575 of them charged with "inciting disorder" or "stirring up hatred" on social media. The figures are far higher than the number of human traffickers detained last year.

According to reports, protesters have been convicted for petty reasons such as yelling at the police. Some were nabbed for posting "inaccurate information" about the migration-background suspect in a deadly mass stabbing in Southport, which sparked the current unrest. Some of those arrested are children, including at least two boys aged 11 and 12.

Since early August, rallies have been held in numerous towns and cities all over the U.K., including major cities like London, Glasgow, Belfast and Manchester. This included outside the London office of Nigel Farage's Reform UK party.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had earlier warned of implementing draconian measures against the protesters when the disorder began. He condemned what he called "far-right thuggery" and promised charges and convictions, "whatever the apparent cause or motivation", and said those participating in violence, including those "whipping up this action online," would regret it. (Related: UK government doubles down on threats to those involved in immigration protests.)

Meanwhile, human traffickers have been arrested at a far lower rate by the British government with Home Office statistics showing only 246 arrests last year along with just 86 pilots of small boats transporting illegals across the English Channel.

Last year, nearly 30,000 illegals crossed the channel in small boats, but very few were arrested for the offense of "illegal arrival." Even factoring in arrests for illegals working without a permit, arrests totaled just 380 in 2023.

Starmer claimed that he would take action on the channel crisis, but so far this year, over 33,000 illegals have attempted to or succeeded in reaching England, with a significant uptick in crossings since the Labour Party took over from the Conservative Party.

Critics accuse Starmer as well as the prosecutors and the law enforcement of two-tier justice, with mobs of Muslim counter-demonstrators able to harass journalists and attack white Britons as the police adopted a hands-off approach in consultation with so-called "community leaders."

Moreover, the new Labour government has already scrapped the Rwanda deportation plan for the 18-year-old British citizen suspect, who has Rwandan parents. This would have seen illegal aliens transported to the African country to claim asylum, wasting hundreds of millions of taxpayer pounds already spent readying the scheme.

British government to enact an emergency plan as jails are now overcrowded with "rioters"

Weeks since anti-mass migration protests erupted in the U.K., the government is poised to enact an emergency plan to avoid overcrowding in jails, according to reports.

"Operation Early Dawn" is a long-standing plan that allows defendants waiting for a court appearance to be kept in police cells until prison space becomes available.

Reports indicate that prosecutors are trying to accelerate court cases of people accused of involvement in the recent riots. To date, 927 people have been arrested in connection with the serious disturbances and 466 of those were charged by last Monday.

Chairman of the Prison Officers' Association Mark Fairhurst predicted an "Operation Early Dawn" announcement could come as early as Monday.

"I can say with confidence at some point this week, because they're so short of spaces, Operation Early Dawn will kick in," he told Sky News, adding to describe the operation as "essentially a triage system for prisoners held in police cells."

He said that they would only take those prisoners to court for whom they could guarantee a prison cell. This means that only the most serious offenses will be heard in court.

"But if somebody needs to be in prison, they will be in prison, we will find a space," he said.

Check out Migrants.news for more stories about illegal immigration.

Watch the video below that talks about U.K. protesters being jailed for "inciting violence" on social media posts.

This video is from the TKWK T.V channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Met Police (UK) threaten TERRORISM charges against "keyboard warriors" who comment on immigration protests.

Any Brits who retweet material deemed as "inciting hatred" to be ROUNDED UP AND CHARGED by the police state.

Anarchy spreads in UK as Muslim pedophile "grooming gangs" rove nation spreading terror with full government support.

Sources include:

TheNationalPulse.com

Express.co.uk

Brighteon.com
The UKs Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme requires individuals to be 60% disabled to receive compensation for their vaccine injury

Individuals who are injured by COVID-19 vaccines deserve to be adequately compensated for medical costs, the loss of life and livelihood and for pain and suffering. Families who lost loved ones to the vaccine should be able to make wrongful death claims. However, during the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines, governments around the world contracted with the vaccine companies, absolving them of liability when their products cause harm to individuals. This means that the governments and vaccine companies knew there would be vaccine injuries, but these entities conspired to keep this known fact a secret. The vaccine makers and government bodies falsely advertised the vaccines as safe and effective while denying individuals proper informed consent, in an elaborate process of coercion and deceit.

For EU member states, the AstraZeneca vaccine was purchased in bulk in August 2020, only if the countries indemnified the manufacturer for liabilities. In order to compensate for such high risks taken by manufacturers, the Advanced Purchase Agreements provide for Member States to indemnify the manufacturer for liabilities incurred under certain conditions..."

UKs Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme only compensating 2% of claims

Even with these crooked contracts in place, thousands of vaccine-injured individuals have pursued claims with longstanding vaccine injury compensation systems set up by their governments. These systems were setup decades ago to compensate vaccine injuries caused by traditional vaccines. These government-ran systems, while not holding the vaccine makers directly accountable, still allow some cases of vaccine injury to be recognized and compensated. However, these government-ran systems deny the vast majority of claims.

The United Kingdoms Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) is refusing to compensate 98% of vaccine injury claims because the vaccine injured individuals are not disabled enough. This system was setup in 1979 to compensate injuries from traditional vaccines.

According to a Freedom of Information request, nearly 14,000 individuals in Britain have applied for compensation through the VDPS for disabilities caused by COVID-19 vaccines. In the UK, individuals were coerced to take the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, developed by Oxford University and British-Swedish company AstraZeneca. Individuals were locked down, discriminated against and segregated from society until they complied with the vaccine mandates and vaccine passports implemented in the UK.

Out of the nearly 14,000 individuals who initially applied for compensation, only 175, or 2 percent, have received compensation. To make matters worse, this one-time compensation payment oftentimes fails to cover basic medical expenses, let alone pay for the pain and suffering inflicted on individuals. The meager payment of 120,000 ($155,300) does not consider the loss of livelihood nor does it adequately cover long term damages to ones health, career and livelihood.

Moreover, the one-time payment is uniform and doesnt factor in the individuals unique medical needs. An individual who now suffers from blood clots or had a heart attack after taking the vaccine should have access to a larger compensation pool that addresses the serious harms and high financial costs inflicted by the vaccine.

UK government mocks the disabled who were injured by vaccines

According to the FOIA request, individuals seeking compensation have suffered from stroke, heart attack, blood clots, inflammation of the spinal cord, excess swelling and facial paralysis. Instead of adequately compensating these individuals, the UK government has denied 98 percent of the claims. According to the report, hundreds of individuals were turned down because they were not disabled enough. According to the VDPS, an applicant has to be at least 60 percent disabled to qualify. The VDPS is essentially setup to mock victims of vaccine injury, refusing to pay disabled individuals.

This callous disregard for human life and dignity comes from a UK government that pushed the AstraZeneca vaccine onto its population, despite the vaccine being halted by Germany, Italy, France and many other European countries as early as March 2021. It should be noted that, of the compensation requests, 97 percent of the injuries were caused by the Astra-Zeneca vaccine that was mandated by the government. By May 2021, AstraZeneca conceded that their vaccine product does cause blood clots and they withdrew their product worldwide. However, because the vaccine makers are not held directly accountable, they are allowed to create booster vaccines for future coronavirus variants, while claiming that their new formulas are safer and more effective.

Under this cursed system, the lies and suffering will only continue, as vaccine makers continue to injure the public with impunity, and as governments refuse to adequately compensate victims of vaccine injury.

Sources include:

RT.com

EC.Europa.eu
New ATM technology is coming that will enforce vaccine compliance before youre allowed to access bank deposits

A couple at The University of Virginia filmed a new UVA Community Credit Union automated teller machine that they claim will soon require users to submit proof of vaccination status in order to use.

Manufactured by South Korean industrial conglomerate Hyosung, the ATM looks like most others, but the couple identified components of it that they say point to the coming implementation of vaccinations as a prerequisite for accessing banking services.

"Okay, so here we have the new ATMs here at the UVA Credit Union here in Charlottesville, Va.," the man says in the video below while introducing viewers to the ATM. "Looks like they're made by Hyosung with a thing that kind of looks like  like the buildings there in Wuhan, China. This looks like a bar to possibly scan your license plate or your vehicle. Down here we have ID scan for, I assume  for vaccination cards..."

As the man is explaining that he believes the ID scanner and palm scanner are "for possible microchips" to be associated with vaccination cards, the woman is heard in the background emphasizing that she and the man are "trying to warn everybody."

?? New ATM Machine hits America This is for your vaccination card The future is here & its technocratic tyranny - weve been warning you. pic.twitter.com/kr7xmLMlGy  Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) August 14, 2024

(Related: Remember "Arabella," the $500 million dark money "ATM machine" for the Democrat Left to launder money?)

Beast banking system on the way?

You will notice that the entire video bears the words "beast banking system getting ready" as its descriptor, the idea being that this new ATM at UVA is designed to accommodate the eventual rollout of an entirely new financial system.

"And so what they're gonna do is they're going to require mandatory vaccinations for all Americans and all of your children," the man continues.

"And if you do not, you know, comply with them, then they're not gonna allow you to have access to your money," he added. "They will take your children, you will not have any kind of benefits, but they will give you the option to opt out to give you free will to make your own choice."

This same scary-sounding type of thing is already coming to Australia which is reportedly rolling out a new "voluntary" digital identification program this upcoming December  soon to arrive in the United States as well, according to speculation.

Hyosung, by the way, is a South Korean company that is best known in that country for manufacturing ATMs and building high-end apartments.

"China or USA, I can't hardly tell the difference anymore," someone wrote on X about the new ATM rollout.

The group Texans Take Action Defending Our Rights & Liberty was not so sure the claims made in the above video were accurate since it remains unknown if the ID card scanner is really for vaccination cards and if the palm scanner is really for a microchip.

"It's setting up for some end times biblical prophecy to start being fulfilled," said another believing the opposite.

"Banks have to purchase their own ATMs and the government doesn't mandate them or pay for them," wrote another, adding that even if the machine really does have a vaccination card checker, they will not be permitted in many states across the country that have banned such a practice.

"Many states have outlawed vaccine passports."

The latest news about the engineered takedown of the existing world order so it can be replaced with a new one can be found at Collapse.news.

Sources for this article include:

X.com

NaturalNews.com
Automakers once again in meltdown mode; poised for another government-funded bailout because they followed government mandates and produced cars nobody wanted

GM announces layoffs of 1,000 tech workers who wasted time and money designing expensive EVs and self-driving autonomous vehicles that average American consumer can't afford and doesn't want.

(Article republished from LeoHohmann.Substack.com)

General Motors is laying off more than 1,000 salaried tech employees in its software and services division in an effort to streamline the units operations.

The layoffs include roughly 600 jobs at GMs tech campus in Warren, Michigan, just outside of Detroit, CNBC is reporting.

The cuts come as automakers attempt to reduce costs during an industry downturn and as theyre spending billions of dollars on super-expensive all-electric vehicles and so-called software-defined vehicles. These include self-driving autonomous vehicles that are continuously gathering up and sending all your personal data to a central computer, then they sell it off to third parties. These cars will also include remote kill switches.

In other words, the auto industry is pouring all of its R&D money into vehicles that nobody in their right mind would want to own.

In fact, GM is being sued for illegally selling more than 1.8 million drivers personal driving data to insurance companies.

Only a digital slave to Klaus Schwabs Fourth Industrial Revolution would want a car that spies on them, reports their driving habits to the insurance companies, and offers the government the opportunity to shut their car down.

It would be nice to see some new automobile manufacturers spring up to fill the niche of consumers who would like to remain free. Free of tracking, free of those nagging beeping reminders to put your seatbelt on, free of cameras checking your every move, and with no online connection to the socialist nanny state. The time for such a car company has arrived. Will anyone answer the bell? I hope so.

What about you? Would you buy a car thats made in America, specifically for freedom-loving Americans, who want nothing more than to be left alone, free of the entangling web of Big Brother surveillance?

Read more at: LeoHohmann.Substack.com
Biden abused his office and took part in impeachable offenses, House committees conclude in new investigation

House Republicans have finally concluded their investigation into President Bidens questionable business activities and have issued a scathing report accusing him of at least two impeachable offenses. Although it may be a bit late to impeach him , it does serve to demonstrate how corrupt the Biden family is and will certainly tarnish the Democrat Party's image as the Democratic National Convention gets underway in Chicago.

The investigation was initially launched last September in light of evidence showing that the president actively participated in business transactions with foreign business partners of his relatives while he was the vice president under Barack Obama. IRS investigators also alleged that there was a far-reaching cover-up by the Justice Department at the time.

The report, which is nearly 300 pages long, describes how Biden took part in abuse of power and obstruction of justice or obstruction of Congress in a $27 million influence-peddling racket  something that would certainly justify trying to remove him from office were he not already on his way out. He announced he would not be seeking reelection on July 21 amid concerns about his steep cognitive decline. In fact, he is not expected to be impeached by the House despite a narrow majority for Republicans, partly as a result of his dropped bid for another term.

The report was based on interviews with 30 witnesses, along with dozens of subpoenas to obtain testimony. The House committees behind the report also reviewed millions of pages of bank records, business contracts, and other types of documents to reach their conclusion.

According to the report, Joe Biden has exhibited conduct and taken actions that the Founders sought to guard against in drafting the impeachment provisions in the Constitution: abuse of power, foreign entanglements, corruption, and obstruction of investigations into these matters.

They explained how the president's family carried out a worldwide influence peddling racket that brought them millions of dollars worth of profits with the full knowledge and cooperation of President Biden.

One of the most egregious abuses of power uncovered in the history of the United States

One of the major transgressions identified by the report was Bidens support for the shady business ventures of his son Hunter and his brother James, which he then tried to cover up by resisting Congressional oversight.

The report called his actions one of the most egregious abuses of power uncovered in the history of the United States.

At least $18 million flowed from foreign entities to accounts and shell companies that are linked to members of the Biden family, who sold the Biden brand to various associates in places such as China, Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. On several occasions, Joe reportedly met with or spoke to foreign patrons and implied that they would have access to him in exchange for the payments that could help to support the family's business interests.

One example they cited was how Hunter Biden received a $1 million per year salary for serving on the board of a Ukrainian natural gas company known as Burisma Holdings despite a dearth of relevant experience just weeks after his father, who was then the vice president, was named the Obama administrations Ukrainian policy point person; Joe later leveraged his position to have a prosecutor investigating Burisma fired.

Biden's family and business associates went out of their way to cover up his involvement in business schemes by funneling the money through various networks and using code names and other tactics in hopes of maintaining plausible deniability.

The report also exposes the lies that Biden told about these situations, claiming repeatedly to the public that he "never discussed business with his brother and son, nor did he ever interact with their business partners; the report contains considerable evidence indicating otherwise.

Sources for this article include:

MSN.com

ZeroHedge.com
Biden returns to hoaxes at DNC: Fine people; Suckers and losers; Bloodbath

President Joe Biden resorted to a slew of familiar hoaxes in his address Monday night to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago  not just the very fine people hoax, but also several other familiar, long-debunked, hoaxes.

(Article by Joel B. Pollak republished from Breitbart.com)

The very fine people hoax: Biden repeated his claim that then-President Donald Trump had referred to neo-Nazi protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 as very fine people. In fact, Trump condemned them totally. This hoax has been repeatedly debunked. Ironically, Biden praised the pro-Palestinian protesters on the streets, never condemning those who had pro-Hamas flags or chanted antisemitic slogans. (One protester even wore a swastika).

The suckers and losers hoax: This is another Biden mainstay, based on an unsubstantiated claim in 2020 in The Atlantic that Trump had refused to visit the graves of U.S. soldiers in Europe, and had disparaged dead soldiers. Bad weather had prevented Trump from visiting the graves, and the claim about suckers and losers was denied by everyone who was with Trump. Biden cited former Trump chief of staff John Kelly, but Kelly simply repeated the claim as it had been reported in the media; he did not say that he heard the president say those words.

The bloodbath hoax: Biden claimed, as he has before, that Trump promised a bloodbath if he loses. That is false: Trump used the term bloodbath to refer to the fate of the automobile industry, not to political violence.

The injecting bleach hoax: Biden did not use this one personally, but it was used on the stage before him by Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA). Trump never told people to drink or inject bleach; at a press conference in 2020, he talked about developing technology that could inject ultraviolet (UV) light into the body to disinfect it. Asked by a journalist whether he was suggesting that people inject bleach, Trump explicitly said that he was not doing so.

Biden has repeated these hoaxes, despite many fact checks, largely because the media rarely hold him accountable.

Read more at: Breitbart.com
Children given mRNA COVID-19 vaccines showed dangerous immune system alterations one year later

A new study shows that children between the ages of five and 11 who were given two doses of Pfizer's Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) mRNA vaccines had raised levels of antibodies that indicate an altered immune system response a year after getting the jab.

The study, which was published in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal and conducted by German researchers, examined blood samples taken from 14 healthy children on the day they received their first dose of the vaccine, as well as at the one-month mark and one year after getting their second dose. At that point, the levels of immunoglobulin (Ig) G4 antibodies in their blood were elevated, which suggests that their immune system actually changed its response mechanism.

Although previous studies have seen this same phenomenon in adults, the new study is believed to be the first to demonstrate that it also occurs in children.

In their report, the researchers cautioned: IgG4 responses should gain more attention in health and disease, especially in the context of mRNA vaccination. Understanding the unusual mechanism triggering IgG4 production is crucial as more mRNA vaccines are currently under development and could hit the global market soon.

Children's Health Defense Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Brian Hooker said that the studys conclusion is worrying given the connection between raised IgG4 levels and IgG4-related disease, which is a multi-organ, fibro-inflammatory condition that usually involves the pancreas, kidneys or salivary glands but could involve any other organ.

He notes that as much as 80% of people who have the disease have high levels of these antibodies, and although it can be treated, it is associated with chronic underlying autoimmune conditions that often need lifelong treatment.

Another concerning aspect of this finding is the fact that the human body's ability to fight off cancer can be compromised when the immune system has elevated IgG4 antibodies.

In addition, a 2022 study revealed that people who have IgG4-related diseased may have a higher risk of several types of cancer, particularly lymphoma and pancreatic cancer, when compared to the general population.

The potential for increased levels of these antibodies due to COVID-19 vaccines to harm the immune system has long been a concern among researchers.

Risk of myocarditis is 620% higher after mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, study shows

Another way that COVID-19 vaccines are damaging children's health is by causing heart problems such as myocarditis and pericarditis. This has been flagged since the vaccines were first rolled out and increases in these conditions were observed following vaccination. (Related: Heart failure surge among children linked to COVID-19 vaccines.)

Recently, a peer-reviewed study of more than nine million South Koreans found a remarkable 620% increase in the risk of myocarditis and a 175% rise in the risk of pericarditis after receiving the vaccine. Their findings came after following 4.5 million individuals for an average of 15 months after getting the jab.

Meanwhile, a study carried out in Thailand during the countrys adolescent COVID-19 vaccine campaign found a stunning association between the Pfizer shot and myocarditis.

The study, which involved more than 300 teens aged 13 to 18, found that 18% had abnormal electrocardiograms following their second dose, with 3.5% of males developing myocarditis or myopericarditis and one being admitted to the ICU for related heart problems.

Unfortunately, this could be just the beginning of the studies showing the dangerous long-term effects of the shots as many problems will only become apparent with time. These studies are a reminder of precisely why so many people feared getting experimental vaccines, especially for children who are at a delicate time in their development.

Sources for this article include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org 1

Journals.LWW.com

ChildrensHealthDefense.org 2

ChildrensHealthDefense.org 3

NaturalNews.com
COVER-UP: Congressman blasts FBI for authorizing the cremation of Trump shooter, obstructing congressional probe

Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) has condemned the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for releasing the remains of former President Donald Trump's would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks for cremation.

According to the Republican congressman, the move that came 10 days after the shooting is "an obstruction to any following investigative effort." He also noted that the "disturbing" decision would impede further probes. Higgins said he discovered that Crooks' body had been handed over to the suspect's family when the congressman requested to examine it during his visit to the Butler, Pennsylvania rally site. (Related: Body of Trump shooter Thomas Crooks is "gone" as shocking report raises more questions about how FBI handled investigation.)

Crooks was killed by the U.S. Secret Service on July 13 after he opened fire on Trump during a campaign rally. His attempt left volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore dead, hit Trump in his ear and injured two other attendees.

"My effort to examine Crooks' body on Monday, Aug. 5, caused quite a stir and revealed a disturbing fact. The FBI released the body for cremation 10 days after July 13," Higgins wrote in the report to the July 13 Task Force, a bipartisan committee organized to investigate the security failures around the assassination attempt on Trump.

Higgins claimed that while Crooks' body was under the Butler County Coroner's authority, the coroner would "have never released his body to the family for cremation or burial without specific permission from the FBI." The coroner's report and the autopsy report were not ready then and without the body, there was no way to verify their accuracy, Higgins noted.

According to Higgins' findings, Crooks fired eight shots from the roof of a building overlooking the fairgrounds where Trump spoke. The ninth shot came from a Butler County SWAT operator and struck Crooks' rifle, while the tenth shot from a Secret Service sniper killed him.

The FBI reportedly has the casings from the roof, but they "released the crime scene" after just three days and cleaned up the blood and other "biological evidence," according to his report. Crooks also did not use a ladder to climb the roof, but an air conditioning unit. He somehow knew to take a position that minimized his exposure to Secret service snipers, Higgins wrote, noting that it is not usual practice to assign counter-snipers to former presidents.

"I have not yet investigated Crooks' origins, how he came to be a shooter, how he manufactured a remote trigger bomb, etc. I have not reviewed the harvested evidence, nor have I examined his home, his vehicle, spoken with his family, his neighbors, his classmates, examined his computer, his emails or his closet."

FBI says Higgins' allegations are inaccurate and unfounded

The FBI has responded to claims by a GOP congressman that the agency released the body of Crooks for cremation just 10 days after his assassination attempt on Trump last month.

"Any suggestion the FBI is interfering with congressional efforts to look into the attempted assassination which took place in Butler, Pennsylvania, is inaccurate and unfounded," a spokesperson told the Daily Mail. "The FBI has been working closely with our law enforcement partners to conduct a thorough investigation into the shooting, and we have followed normal procedures in the handling of the crime scene and evidence."

The federal law enforcement agency claimed that it continues its "painstaking work on the investigation to develop as complete a picture as possible of what led to the shooting," and that it remains committed to maximum transparency regarding the ongoing investigation.

It also clarified that Crooks' body was released to his family after coordinating with the coroner's office as well as state and local law enforcement partners.

According to the FBI, the crime scene was released to the property owners in phases, and that "nothing was rushed and everything was documented as part of the investigation." The agency did arrange for the cleaning of the location where Crooks died, but that is also under standard procedures.

Check out FBICorruption.news to read stories related to the agency's "politically motivated" measures.

Watch the video below that talks about details of Trump's would-be assassin Thomas Crooks.

This video is from the CONSERVATIVE POLITICS & NWO channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Sen. Johnson: FBI CAN'T BE TRUSTED on Trump assassination probe.

FBI Director Wray reveals Trump shooter apparently researched JFK assassination.

Meta Platforms: MASS CENSORSHIP of Trump photo after failed assassination attempt was an "error."

Sources include:

RT.com

NYPost.com

Unilad.com

FoxNews.com

Brighteon.com
DHS issues new rule that allows about 550,000 undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens to remain in the country

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced a new rule that would allow approximately 550,000 undocumented spouses of American citizens to apply for "parole in place" (PIP)

This program, based on the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, leverages the government's authority to grant parole to undocumented spouses of citizens already residing in the United States. The program is extended to undocumented children, provided they are the stepchildren of U.S. citizens and their eligibility hinges on the alien parents' PIP eligibility.

Under the rule, those eligible for parole will be able to avoid deportation and potentially seek more permanent legal status. The DHS stated that this initiative seeks to keep families together and that "granting parole in place, on a case-by-case basis, to eligible noncitizens under this process will achieve the significant public benefit of promoting the unity and stability of families."

In addition to the family-centric focus, the DHS stressed several broader benefits of the rule. Officials believe the measure will enhance the economic prosperity of U.S. communities, foster stronger diplomatic ties with partner countries and alleviate pressure on the nations limited immigration resources. (Related: Biden administration rushing to process citizenship requests AT THE FASTEST RATE in 10 years.)

The rule applies to spouses of U.S. citizens who have lived in the country for at least 10 years as of June 17. To qualify, immigrants must not pose a threat to national security, public safety or border security.

The DHS estimates that out of the 765,000 undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens, about 500,000 will be eligible for this protection. Additionally, approximately 50,000 children of these immigrants may also apply for parole, provided they meet the criteria, which include having resided in the U.S. since June 17 and maintaining a clean record.

Parole, as granted under this rule, is a temporary measure offering deportation relief. It provides undocumented immigrants the opportunity to extend their stay in the U.S. and potentially transition to a more permanent legal status.

Analysts warn PIP is "legally questionable" and "purely politics"

Democrats, including Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) and the Florida Immigrant Coalition, an organization that protects illegal immigrants in Florida, lauded the decision.

However, Andrew Arthur, a fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), which advocates for low levels of immigration, wrote in a blog post that there will be "inevitable legal challenges" for the "legally questionable" rule.

Arthur also noted that the brief CIS web page titled "Process to Promote the Unity and Stability of Families," offers little in the way of concrete details, merely stating that a Federal Register Notice will be published soon to provide further guidance on the application process, including required forms, fees and supporting documentation.

"There would be no reason  aside from pure politics  why that Federal Register rule implementing the Biden PIP program would not have been issued at the same time that the program was announced. At this point, the PIP proposal is little more than a 'promise' to do something  not a plan to actually do it," Arthur continued.

"Given all of this, the White Houses PIP proposal is at best 'half-baked,' taken out of the administrative oven before its time. Unless this is a political sop offered to appease the presidents progressive base, which was angered by the administrations June 4 'Proclamation on Securing the Border' (which itself is all show and no substance), this PIP is simply a slapdash plan rolled out before its time."

Follow BorderSecurity.news for more stories about illegal immigration in America and other parts of the world.

Watch this clip of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sounding the alarm on illegals voting in the November elections.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Biden administration speeding up citizenship request processing to bolster Democratic voter base ahead of election.

Kamala promises to abolish ICE, welcome unlimited illegal immigration into America.

REPORT: Biden-Harris deportation program lets nearly 90% of illegal immigrant families STAY in the U.S..

14% of illegal immigrants in Georgia admit they are registered to vote in America's elections.

RINO TRAITOR: Rand Paul unleashes on Mitch McConnell for aligning with Biden to allow 5,000 illegals per day into US, $735M in funding for "path to citizenship."

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

CIS.org

Brighteon.com
FBI raids U.S. home of Soviet-born former Trump adviser

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has raided and searched the house of Dimitri Simes, who used to be a political advisor to former President Donald Trump and a vocal critic of the administration of President Joe Biden.

According to the Virginia-based newspaper Rappahannock News, which first reported the story, the FBI agents executed a search warrant on the home of Simes, a Russian-born political pundit and author, on Aug. 13.

Simes, whose name was included more than 100 times in the 2019 report by former Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, told the news outlet that he was out of the country and had not been notified about the search ahead of time. He was unaware he was the focus of any current law enforcement investigation.

"I'm puzzled and concerned," he said. "I have not seen a warrant. I was not contacted by any law enforcement or anyone else whatsoever."

For Simes, the raid was "clearly an attempt to intimidate, not only somebody from Russia but just anyone who goes against official policies and particularly against the Deep State"

"I suspect that instead of trying to get me to come to the United States and to interrogate me or even to arrest me, their real purpose is to make sure that I would not come back," he added. (Related: Total tyranny: FBI agent admits questioning Americans "every day, all day long" about social media posts.)

The author's son, Dimitri Simes Jr., described it as "a bandit-like intimidation attempt" by the U.S. government in a statement posted on X.

"The Biden regime is terrified of being called out over Ukraine and Israel," he wrote. In another post, he added: "Elements of Biden regime are trying to disrupt any possibility for de-escalation with Russia and plunge America into World War III."

In an email, FBI spokesperson Samantha Shero declined to comment on the raid, except to confirm that it had been authorized by a court.

Simes, who was born in Moscow, is a naturalized U.S. citizen who immigrated to the country in 1973. He served as an informal foreign policy adviser to former President Richard Nixon before leading the media company Center for the National Interest for nearly three decades. He was described by U.S. media as providing "a sympathetic platform for the Russian government in the heart of the D.C. policy establishment," after Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) named him as a foreign policy adviser in 2014.

He was one of the people investigated by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as a suspected contact between Trump and the Russian government. The report finalized in 2019, which failed to find any evidence of collusion between Moscow and Trump's 2016 campaign, also vindicated the political expert, confirming that his activities were normal for how D.C. operates.

Last year, Simes moderated a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. And in June, Simes participated in a closed-door meeting with Putin, the state-owned Russian news agency TASS reported.

Antonov calls out U.S. for "witch-hunt"

Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov slammed the FBI's actions as part of "a witch-hunt." He expressed outrage over the apparent increase in aggressive government actions against those deemed to be Russian sympathizers.

The ambassador explained that these attacks come against the backdrop of the U.S. election campaigns amid a growing nationwide crackdown against those who Washington claims are Russian foreign assets working "in violation of foreign agent laws."

Antonov expressed concern, saying: "We are certainly worried about what is happening." He criticized Washington for its "double standards in the field of democracy and freedom of speech," noting that "hundreds of people are declared objectionable simply because they dare to contradict the administration's policies," leading to actions such as "home break-ins, searches and seizure of documents."

The incident has sparked discussions about law enforcement's role in political affairs. Opinions diverge sharply on whether the FBI's actions strike at the heart of Democratic freedoms or represent justified steps to maintain security.

Meanwhile, supporters of the Biden administration's methods argue they are necessary to safeguard national interests. But critics see the raid as inappropriate, claiming it could discourage open discourse about critical global issues.

BigGovernment.news contains stories related to the government's abuse of power to push its agenda.

Watch the video below that talks about the FBI raid of anti-war pundit Scott Ritter.

This video is from the Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

STAGED: FBI "stopped" an alleged assassination plot orchestrated by a suspected terrorist who entered the U.S. via a special permission given by the bureau itself.

INTIMIDATION TACTICS: FBI questions Oklahoma woman who made anti-Israel posts on Facebook.

Left-wing cities no longer report crime statistics to the FBI, resulting in a "50-year low" in reported criminal activity.

CIA officer brags agency "can put anyone in jail" by "setting 'em up"  Alex Jones announces intention to sue.

Sources include:

RT.com

TheGuardian.com

English.Almayadeen.net

Brighteon.com
Former leaders of Pakistan, Bangladesh say U.S. Deep State led COUPS to oust them for not supporting Ukraine war efforts

World leaders are coming out of the woodwork to condemn the United States and its political establishment for covertly unleashing coups in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

At least two former leaders of major South Asian countries have come forward in recent days to accuse U.S. authorities of committing covert regime change operations in the two aforementioned countries.

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan, who is rotting away in prison "on a perverse conviction that proves Khan's assertion," to quote Great Game India, and former Prime Minister Sheik Hasina of Bangladesh, who fled to India following a violent coup that overtook her country, are the two leaders who say the U.S. is behind the destruction of their lives, livelihoods, and respective countries.

Khan and Hasina both want the United Nations to intervene by launching an investigation to get to the bottom of what the U.S. has done to Pakistan and Bangladesh.

If an investigation is ever conducted, it could expose the U.S. for destabilizing entire nations to serve the interests of its controllers. This would make the U.S. an existential threat to world peace, and especially to regional stability throughout South Asia.

(Related: Speaking of regime change, the establishment is shifting gears by removing Joe Biden and replacing him with Kamala Harris  what could go wrong?)

As usual, it's all about supporting Ukraine

Khan and Hasina present different stories as to what the U.S. allegedly did to their respective countries, but the underlying claim is the same. They both contend that the U.S. deliberately toppled legitimate governments in order to install its own easily controlled political puppets.

"The very strong evidence of the U.S. role in toppling the government of Imran Khan raises the likelihood that something similar may have occurred in Bangladesh," Great Game India says.

In Pakistan's case, Donald Lu, the assistant secretary of state for South Asia and Central Asia, met with Asad Majeed Khan, Pakistan's Ambassador to the U.S., on March 7, 2022, to discuss political matters. Khan almost immediately reported back to his capital upon meeting Lu that relations between the U.S. and Pakistan had soured because of Khan's "aggressively neutral position" regarding the situation between Russia and Ukraine.

Because Khan visited Russia, Washington essentially punished him. And Lu was there to threaten Khan in advance of his being ousted for not hating Russia like the U.S. was demanding at that time.

On March 27 of that same year, Khan came forward to warn his followers that the U.S. was out to destroy him, which is exactly what happened. Washington imprisoned Khan and replaced him with one of their own who is supportive of Ukraine as expected.

A similar situation occurred in Bangladesh after Hasina was brought down by the U.S. Deep State for allegedly refusing to grant the U.S. military access to facilities in the region that are considered strategic for the "Indo-Pacific Strategy" of those who control the United States.

Lu played a role in Hasina's toppling as well, having visited Dkaha just prior to discussing that same U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy. For allegedly refusing to compromise with the U.S., Hasina was forced to flee out of the country to India.

"The U.S. is by far the world's leading practitioner of regime change operations, yet the U.S. flatly denies its role in covert regime change operations even when caught red-handed, as with (Victoria) Nuland's infamous intercepted phone call in late January 2014 planning the U.S.-led regime change operation in Ukraine," Great Game India says.

"It is useless to appeal to the U.S. Congress, and still less the executive branch, to investigate the claims by PM Khan and PM Hasina. Whatever the truth of the matter, they will deny and lie as necessary."

More related news about the horrors taking place throughout the world because the U.S. wants to play world police can be found at Coup.news.

Sources for this article include:

GreatGameIndia.com

NaturalNews.com

CommonDreams.org
Hezbollah unveils vast tunnel network capable of launching missiles

Hezbollah recently revealed an extensive network of terror tunnels capable of launching missiles , escalating fears of a major conflict with Israel. In a chilling video released by the Lebanese militant group, the underground infrastructure is shown in detail, highlighting its capacity to accommodate large trucks transporting missiles and other weaponry.

The video features a sprawling network of tunnels with high stone walls decorated with portraits of leaders and soldiers. Heavily armed militants are seen maneuvering through the underground maze on motorbikes.

The footage also captures trucks carrying enormous missiles navigating the dark corridors, offering a stark glimpse into the group's extensive arsenal. Drone footage further reveals the vastness of this subterranean network, which also contains advanced military technology, including computers and other equipment. (Related: Hezbollah launches 200 rockets, drones toward Israel following killing of senior commander.)

In the video, a narrator boasts about the precision and secrecy of Hezbollah's missile capabilities. He asserts that the group has both precision-guided and unguided missiles ready for deployment, claiming that any Israeli aggression would be met with a formidable response spanning from the Lebanese border to the Jordanian border and extending to the Red Sea. The narrator emphasizes that the missiles are strategically placed and ready to strike.

Hezbollah's revelation comes amidst a backdrop of heightened regional tensions. The militant group's actions mirror those of Hamas, which also operates secret underground facilities. In January, Israeli forces uncovered hidden workshops beneath a civilian evacuation route in Gaza. These facilities were used to manufacture long-range missiles and other weaponry, including modified mortar shells.

The workshops were connected to an extensive tunnel network designed to transport weapons throughout Gaza, with multiple sites along the Salah a-Din main highway being used for producing rocket fuel, explosives and projectiles. The IDF identified this as the largest Hamas weapons production site discovered to date.

The ongoing conflict has prompted global concern, with experts warning of a potential large-scale war involving Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups. The Middle East is on edge following a brutal ambush by Hamas on Israeli soil in October last year, which marked the beginning of a new and intense phase of conflict. Israels response included nearly 10 months of airstrikes and warfare in Gaza, resulting in significant casualties.

Israel is provoking its enemies to retaliate

Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has vowed retaliation following the death of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut in late July. This has raised expectations of imminent retaliation against Israel. Meanwhile, Iran has also vowed vengeance for the assassination of a Hamas commander in Tehran on July 31. In response to the escalating threats, the U.S. has advised its citizens to leave Lebanon, while British troops are positioned in the region for a potential military evacuation operation.

The current situation underscores the growing volatility in the region, with multiple actors poised for further escalation amid a backdrop of ongoing and complex geopolitical tensions.

In response to Hezbollah's video, the Iranian Embassy in Beirut has made a bold statement regarding Iran's missile capabilities. The embassy declared that Iran can launch attacks against Israel "from any location" within the country.

In its statement, the embassy explained that what is referred to as "missile cities" in Persian are missile installations located underground, within rocks and mountains throughout Iran. These facilities are designed to instill fear in Irans adversaries, with the capability to strike from various locations across Iranian territory if needed.

The tension between Israel and Hezbollah continues to escalate, fueled by ongoing cross-border attacks. This rise in hostilities occurs against the backdrop of a devastating Israeli campaign in Gaza, which has resulted in over 40,000 deaths since last October, following a major assault by the Palestinian group Hamas.

Learn more about the conflict in Israel at IsraelCollapse.com.

Watch this report from Al Jazeera discussing Hezbollah's recent missile barrage involving over 200 rockets aimed at military installations in Israel.

This video is from the channel Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

U.S. leading diplomatic efforts to prevent Israel from retaliating against Hezbollah strikes.

An Israel vs. Hezbollah War is brewing.

Hezbollah "storing missiles and explosives at Lebanons main airport," Western media claims without evidence.

Sources include:

The-Sun.com

Brighteon.com
Israel issues new demands in 11th hour of ceasefire talks; Hamas deal ruined

The ceasefire plan that both Israel and Hamas had previously ironed out in Doha, Qatar was upended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week.

Netanyahu reportedly added new demands at the last minute that brought negotiations back to stalemate status, meaning IDF airstrikes on Gaza will continue indefinitely.

Dr. Ali Mamouri, a research fellow at Deakin University in Australia told Sputnik, a Russian media outlet, that it is Israel's fault that there is still no ceasefire agreement.

"Israel is the main reason for the delay as it adds new conditions constantly," Mamouri said. "Hamas' spokesman also said early this week that Hamas had agreed to Biden's recent proposal but Netanyahu added new conditions, ruining the deal."

In Mamouri's view, the United States is the only entity powerful enough to pressure Israel to accept any ceasefire agreement, but it seems that the administration of President Joe Biden "is not willing or does not have enough power to do so."

(Related: Did you hear that Canada just revoked the charity status of two pro-Israel "nonprofits" that were funneling monies intended for people in need to Israel's military?)

Blinken says Qatar, Egypt will help U.S. bring "lasting peace and security" to Middle East

The Biden White House has been bragging as of late about making "significant progress" on a ceasefire deal, which runs contrary to what Mamouri is saying. One Washington politician who was in Doha actually declared that an "endgame" had been reached, only to now see the whole thing fall apart for the umpteenth time.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has visited Israel a total of nine times so far since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, recently made a trip to Qatar after a stopover in Egypt to continue pushing for a ceasefire agreement.

Egypt and Qatar, Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv, "are our two critical partners in this effort to get the ceasefire agreement over the finish line, to get the hostages home, to put everyone one a better path to lasting peace and security."

After U.S. officials basically declared the latest ceasefire agreement forged to be a done deal, Netanyahu returned with more demands that killed it, according to Hamas.

Netanyahu is "still putting obstacles in the way of reaching an agreement," according to Hamas. Netanyahu is also "setting new conditions and demands with the aim of undermining the mediators' efforts and prolonging the war."

"The new proposal meets Netanyahu's conditions and aligns with them, particularly his refusal of a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and his insistence on continuing the occupation of the Netzarim Junction (which separates the north and south of the Gaza Strip), the Rafah crossing, and the Philadelphi Corridor [a strip of territory separating Egypt from Gaza, ed.]," Hamas said in a statement.

The next round of ceasefire talks is scheduled to commence in Egypt on Aug. 21.

As for Netanyahu, "all he cares about is his political career, his future and concerns about possible prosecution due to corruption allegations and failure in security management in the Oct. 7, 2023, security breach, not to mention the ongoing International Criminal Court genocide case against him," Mamouri says.

"That is why he is trying to make the war longer and involve other regional parties and bring the U.S. into the conflict, as well to protect himself. It is clear that the release of the hostages via a ceasefire does not benefit him."

Mamouri, by the way, previously served as strategic communication advisor to the Iraqi prime minister from 2020 to 2022, so he is familiar with the negotiation process.

Will war in the Middle East ever end? Find out more at Prophecy.news.

Sources for this article include:

SputnikGlobe.com

NaturalNews.com
Migrant shelter costs in Massachusetts projected to exceed $1 billion in a few years

Migrant shelter costs are expected to exceed $1 billion in a few years.

The Center for Immigration Studies reported that the number of "illegal and inadmissible" migrants living in Massachusetts is about 355,000, including 50,000 new arrivals since 2021. It also revealed that 10,000 migrants are minors, with 8,500 being unaccompanied  putting a strain on the state's infrastructure, resources and budget.

While state leaders headed by Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey have long embraced sanctuary policies that guarantee access to housing, welfare programs, health coverage and other benefits regardless of immigration status, some are now raising concerns about the cost to taxpayers.

Officials with the Healey administration said Massachusetts taxpayers will most likely need to shell out more than $1 billion in fiscal years 2026 and 2027 if the number of people seeking state-funded shelter services does not subside. They disclosed this estimate in a presentation to a state commission this month.

Sen. Ryan Fattman, a Sutton Republican who sits on the commission, said Massachusetts lawmakers and the commission should consider making permanent changes to the shelter system to keep it viable for residents.

"We can't be seen as a state where, whether you're from South Dakota or South America or anywhere in between, you just get to come and we're going to take care of you," he told the Herald in an interview. "A society can't work that way. There has to be rules of the road and we've had very few in this program, which has become an albatross financially."

Rep. Paul Frost, an Auburn Republican who is also part of the commission, said he was not surprised to learn that costs are expected to exceed $1 billion this fiscal year.

"It's not shocking. I mean, when they wouldn't address the issue of the influx into the system from out-of-state applicants back in the fall, you have to expect this was going to happen," he said.

Massachusetts now prioritizing homeless locals

State officials are also now prioritizing Massachusetts families who are homeless because of a no-fault eviction or because of a "sudden or unusual circumstances" beyond their control like a flood or fire, or if they have at least one family member who is a veteran. (Related: Liberal sanctuary state Massachusetts tells illegals to GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.)

The projections for fiscal year 2025 were revised in mid-July based on the assumption that the shelter system will remain at its 7,500-family cap moving forward, four overflow shelters stay open; and the same supports from FY24 continue.

A spokesperson for budget-writing office said the Healey administration "has been clear that the current size of the emergency assistance shelter system is unsustainable  both in terms of physical space and financially."

Healey's administration anticipates spending another $76 million on overflow shelters; $48 million on school and municipal supports; $44 million on intake and clinical assessment sites; and $25 million on work authorization and workforce initiatives.

"Our proposal to use pandemic-era funding to cover the remaining FY25 costs is a responsible strategy to address the needs of the system without impacting other critical programs," said the spokesperson for Healey's budget-writing office.

Families with children and pregnant women, including migrants, can only stay at overflow shelters for five days before they are kicked out and must wait six months before accessing the larger system.

Visit OpenBorders.news for similar stories.

Kamala Harris sees 11 million illegal immigrants as future Democratic voters, according to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Watch this video.

This video is from NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey SLAMMED for opening Chelsea Soldier's Home to illegals for free, while hundreds of military veterans remain homeless.

Massachusetts governor's plan to fill former Boston veteran housing with HOMELESS ILLEGALS sparks outrage.

Illegal alien who entered the country undetected has been arrested, charged with CHILD RAPE in Massachusetts.

PEDO FUNNEL: Massachusetts government placed immigrant children in hotels with registered sex offenders.

Kamala led jobs program that hired illegal who brutally beat American woman.

Sources include:

AmericanMilitaryNews.com

Brighteon.com
Stock price of monkeypox vaccine maker INCREASES after WHO emergency declaration

The World Health Organization's (WHO) emergency declaration with regard to monkeypox is good news for Danish vaccine maker Bavarian Nordic , the company making the vaccine against the disease.

Stock prices for Bavarian Nordic jumped by 17 percent following the WHO's declaration of a global public health emergency, according to Forbes. The 17 percent climb came after an earlier 12 percent rise in stock prices. U.S. shares for Bavarian Nordic, meanwhile, climbed by 33 percent.

Paul Chaplin, Bavarian Nordic's CEO, told Bloomberg News that the company can provide 10 million doses of its vaccine to African countries over the next 18 months. "We have inventory and we have the capabilities. What we're missing are the orders," he said.

On Aug. 14, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC)  the second time he did so after the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). He justified the declaration by citing a reported 27,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since the start of 2023, alongside a new monkeypox strain being detected in Sweden. (Related: WHO warns that new monkeypox strain is a global emergency.)

"The emergence of a new clade of [monkeypox], its rapid spread in eastern DRC and the reporting of cases in several neighboring countries are very worrying," said Tedros. "On top of outbreaks of other [monkeypox] clades in [the] DRC and other countries in Africa, it's clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives."

Tedros' announcement followed an earlier declaration by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) that monkeypox is a continent-wide public health emergency. In line with the declaration, the DRC  where the monkeypox outbreak is concentrated and most severe  has approved two vaccines: Bavarian Nordic's Jynneos and the LC16 vaccine from Japan.

Monkeypox is another ploy to boost Big Pharma profits

According to a post by the Africa CDC, 10 million monkeypox vaccine doses are needed to control the outbreak. It also called for global support for its vaccination efforts.

While monkeypox has appeared to be a mild illness in the U.S., several lucrative government contracts in 2022 paid Bavarian Nordic and other vaccine makers hundreds of millions to stockpile the injections. That year, a monkeypox outbreak was recorded in 116 countries. It affected almost 100,000 people  primarily gay and bisexual men  and killed about 200.

On Aug. 8, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)  under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services  renewed its contract with Bavarian Nordic. The agency committed $156.8 million to manufacture and store Jynneos doses to partly replenish the inventory used to manufacture vaccines following the 2022 outbreak.

But some experts have expressed doubt over the PHEIC declaration, warning that it was a ploy to increase Big Pharma profits under the guise of addressing the monkeypox outbreak.

"The WHO is using the monkeypox outbreak in Africa to fast-track, under emergency use, two monkeypox vaccines," said Dr. Kat Lindley, president of the Global Health Project. "We need to use discernment and evaluate risks and benefits before recommending any experimental new product to a vulnerable population."

Dr. Meryl Nass also expressed similar skepticism on her Substack page, noting that there are "lots of unanswered questions" about monkeypox.

"If this generally mild viral illness is killing people, what is the cause of death? Does it only cause death in severely immune-suppressed patients? Are babies dying due to dehydration? Do we need to treat babies with fluids rather than give them a vaccine that was never tested in babies?"

Visit MonkeypoxPanic.com for similar stories.

Watch this clip about the Aug. 14 public health emergency announcement by the WHO.

This video is from the Thrivetime Show channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Media now pushing comically bizarre COVID-monkey-AIDS-pox disease as latest threat to society.

WHO seeks emergency use listing for monkeypox vaccines as globalists try to launch another pandemic.

Judge orders CDC to release 7.8 million text-based responses submitted to V-safe (revealing vaccine injuries).

WHO head Ghebreyesus announces new covid dictates to force governments into authoritarian compliance.

WHO functions as Big Pharmas profit maker and propaganda pusher.

Sources include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

Brighteon.com
Republican VP pick J.D. Vance calls for Google breakup over CENSORSHIP activities

Technology experts and citizens who use tech devices have become more concerned about how Big Tech and startups will "control" their lives soon. It may even be a reason for the need to have an "expert" in the White House who understands these concerns.

There is hope as Donald Trump's running mate J.D. Vance is calling to break up Google.

This is not the first time that Vance has criticized Google, posting on X in February that it was "time to break the tech firm up." Vance is a former tech investor and venture capitalist turned critic of the tech giant. (Related: VP nominee JD Vance calls for breaking up Google.)

Vance spent less than five years in Silicon Valley's tech industry, but the connections he made with tech billionaire Peter Thiel and others became crucial to his political ascent. Thiel has donated a record-breaking amount of money to support Vance in the Ohio Republican Senate primary.

The case for Google spin-off has been talked about in recent years from different angles. Vance focuses on the danger of such large entities censoring and controlling speech.

Vance: "I don't want Google to censor American information"

Vance said he is going after Big Tech companies that monopolize what people want to say.

"I don't want Google or a billionaire that controls Google that's in bed with China to be able to censor American information and that's exactly what they've done," he added. He also mentioned the anti-trust lawsuit against Google launched during Trump's first term in office, noting that they both "look at this in the same way."

Speaking of the difference between "Small Tech" and "Big Tech," Vance singled out the monopolistic power the latter has to control some key elements, such as Google's digital advertising power versus that of Elon Musk's X.

"I don't think that Elon Musk has any monopoly  he's not using his company to try to destroy competitors," Vance remarked, explaining the importance of anti-trust initiatives around the technology sector.

In pushing for better anti-monopoly rules, Vance hopes the Trump presidency would achieve two goals: secure better-paid jobs at home and freedom of expression.

As for cryptocurrencies, Vance, like Trump, wants to avoid overindulgent regulatory measures. Earlier this year, he criticized the approach of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler during a Y Combinator event called "RemedyFest."

Some reports see these policy points as appealing to several Silicon Valley actors, which, after all, isn't uniformly left  although its biggest players seem to be.

But Vance's messages, particularly around cryptocurrencies, seem to augur well with venture capitalists and the likes of Musk, who are willing to put their money where their mouth is and support the Trump-Vance ticket with large campaign contributions.

Vance wants to see technology used in ways that allow the citizens to speak their minds, which means citizens with the freedom to speak their minds, censorship by Big Tech be damned.

Visit EvilGoogle.news for similar stories.

Watch this video about Big Tech censoring information to Americans.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

J.D. Vance: Trump's anti-Iraq war, pro-Israel vice presidential running mate.

Why J.D. Vance is the right guy to help secure Americas wide-open borders.

VP pick Tim Walz accused of "stolen valor" by J.D. Vance  and a group of retired MN National Guardsmen.

HUGE  Texas senate committee presses Big Tech firms to supply documents for election interference investigation.

Court finds Google guilty of breaking antitrust laws by monopolizing online searches.

Sources include:

ReclaimtheNet.org

POLITICO.com

Brighteon.com
Violent criminals getting released from U.K. prisons to make room for peaceful protesters who oppose illegal immigration

In accordance with Operation Early Dawn, as they are calling it, the government of the United Kingdom is releasing 5,500 prisoners early , supposedly to address prison overcrowding. Meanwhile, more than 1,000 British citizens and counting have been arrested in recent days for protesting unrestricted illegal immigration, and now need a place to be imprisoned.

Following last month's reported stabbing incident at a Taylor Swift-themed dance studio in Southport, England, thousands of Brits have stormed the streets all over the U.K. to call for an immediate end to illegal migration. U.K. police, working on behalf of the political establishment, have been rounding up these protesters for punishment, though with nowhere to toss them due to prison overcrowding.

To make way for the boxcars to bring in a fresh supply of prisoners, this time from the protest pools rather than from actual criminal syndicates, the British government enacted Operation Early Dawn to replace criminals with citizens at U.K. prisons.

(Related: Did you know that on day one of her presidency, Kamala Harris is planning to set free all currently held illegal aliens into American society?)

Imprisoning free speech

One of newly elected British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's first priorities was to enact Operation Early Dawn as a means to open up space at prisons, particularly in the regions of Cheshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, Manchester, Merseyside, the North East and Yorkshire.

Another component of Operation Early Dawn, spearheaded by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, is to considerably reduce the mandatory prison time served before parole by upwards of 50 percent for some inmates, which would result in the near-immediate release of thousands of criminals in September and October of this year.

Operation Early Dawn was branded as a type of criminal justice reform, but the truth behind its purpose is now on full display. It is simply a means through which the powers that be (TPTB) in England are planning to silence all dissent about the UK's rampant illegal migrant problem.

"We inherited a justice system in crisis and exposed to shocks," commented Prisons Minister James Timpson. "As a result, we have been forced into making difficult but necessary decisions to keep it operating."

Law enforcement throughout the U.K. is upset about the changes and the potential impacts they might have on police operations. Mark Fairhurst, a representative of the Prison Officers' Association, warned that Operation Early Dawn is just "justice delayed at the moment because we are now clogging up police cells, so they might have to delay some of their operations."

Deputy Chief Constable Nev Kemp of the National Police Chiefs' Council countered this by reassuring the British public that police forces will continue as normal to prioritize public safety over everything else.

"We are working closely with criminal justice system partners to manage demand in the system and ensure that the public are safe," Kemp said. "Policing will continue to arrest anyone that they need to in order to keep the public safe, including policing protests and events and ensuring that people are arrested as expected."

Interestingly enough, Operation Early Dawn was a program hatched by the previous Conservative government to address prison overcrowding. It has since been taken over by the far-left Labour Party as a way to silence dissent against the U.K.'s open borders policies.

"The irony of freeing criminals to make space for the unhappy citizenry ... signs your government might be dictators," one commenter wrote in disgust.

"The U.K. government knows what's just around the corner and they desperately want to get the first wave behind bars before it kicks off," responded another.

The latest news about the growing fight against illegal immigration throughout the West can be found at OpenBorders.news.

Sources for this article include:

YourNews.com

NaturalNews.com
Telecoms players in the Philippines say that the governments recent moves to streamline the permit process for faster network rollouts are helping, but that stakeholders need to do more to make the process smoother.

Last year, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr issued Executive Order No. 32, which  along with its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR)  streamlined the permit process for the construction, installation, repair, operation and maintenance of telecoms and Internet infrastructure in the Philippines.

The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) said during its fourth telco workshop last week that EO 32 and the IRR have had a positive impact on network rollouts, citing a 48% rise in approved telco-related permits between May 2022 and May 2024.

Attorney Pamela B. Felizarta, head of joint strategic operations at PLDTs wireless arm Smart Communications, acknowledged that the guidelines, rules and regulations now in place have paved the way for faster rollouts of telecom infrastructure. However, she said that telcos still face formidable permit-related challenges, including securing Mayor's and Business Permits, unreasonable fees, and difficulties in obtaining consent from homeowners' associations, among others.

Ricky James Steyn, COO and interim president and CEO at tower company Miescor Infrastructure Development Corporation (MIDC), agreed that uncooperative homeowner associations often hinder site development and connectivity improvements. He also emphasized the importance of standardizing Lease and Right of Way Agreements with landowners to prevent excessive fees and construction delays.

Felizarta urged industry stakeholders, including government agencies, local government units (LGUs), tower companies and other telco operators, to intensify collaboration in order to address these challenges.

"We continue to collaborate with local government units toward a full appreciation of EO 32, and we look forward to the enactment of local ordinances that adopt in full the IRR's provisions," she added. "Together with ARTA and our partners in the public and private sectors, we trust that we will continue to work closely together, since there is still so much work to be done."

ARTA secretary Ernesto V. Perez said that ARTA will collaborate with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to "draft a template ordinance for LGUs to adopt in order to expedite the approval process."
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Internet shutdowns are described as a common tactic used by government to supress dissent, according to the World Economic Forum. This is increasingly an unacceptable reality given that connectivity is now so ingrained in the majority of economies that any such disruption can have a massive impact to GDP and society as a whole.

This year has been labelled a global election year; according to Kings College London, many as 65 leaders may be electedthis calendar year. With the global political landscape shifting, organised rallies and protests are likely to occur, in line with the fundamental human right of free speech.

However, not all governments adhere to such an important mechanism for a free and prosperous society. There has been a sharp rise in internet blackouts in recent years, with 2023 the worst year recorded according to internet rights group Access Now.

Research from Access Now found that during 2023 there were 283 shutdowns in 39 countries, an increase of 82 from 2022 when there were 201 blackouts in 40 countries.

Conflicts were the leading driver for internet shutdowns from both democratic and authoritarian regimes to suppress fundamental human rights, according to Access Now.

India was the worst offender with 116 cases of shutdowns, followed by Myanmar with 37, Iran with 34. Kenya, Mozambique, Nepal, and Surinam were highlighted as notable new offenders in 2023.

Turmoil in Bangladesh

As we have reported here at Developing Telecoms, Bangladesh has been in the headlines this year as students protested a variety of issues. A lot of animosity was aimed towards the governments recruitment criteria for highly-coveted civil servant roles: only 44% of these roles are available for general applicants, with 30% reserved for descendants and associates of the ruling Awami League party.

The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina enforced a complete internet blackout on July 18th to quell protests that had turned violent. Fixed broadband was restored on July 24th followed by mobile connectivity on July 28th, but then switched off again between August 4th-5th. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission said it was forced to implement the shutdown by the previous government to fulfil its political interests.

In the aftermath of the protests, Hasina fled the country, with the protesters appointing Grameen founder Muhammad Yunus as leader of the interim government

Telenor Group, which operates Bangladeshs largest operator Grameenphone with 79 million subscribers, was of course caught up in the political turmoil.

Thomas Midteide, Telenor Group SVP of Communications told Developing Telecoms that Grameenphones 3G and 4G networks are back online, but noted that the group held deep concern for colleagues at its local unit, who worked to maintain voice and SMS connectivity to millions of customers during the blackout.

Access to the internet is crucial for individuals and businesses across Bangladesh, who rely on it for fundamental day-to-day activities and access to essential services. Thats why we appealed to the government for the immediate and full restoration of mobile internet services, added Midteide.

Veon-owned Banglalink and Robi Axiata stated they had complied with regulatory orders but stressed the impact of disruption to citizens and businesses.

An unsafe environment

Speaking to Developing Telecoms, Shruti Narayan, Access Nows Asia Pacific Policy Fellow, described internet blackouts as a weapon to supress peoples voices in a democracy and created an extremely unsafe environment for the people of Bangladesh.

People suffering in an internet shutdown are forced to use calling and messaging services that are not end-to-end encrypted, which makes them vulnerable to surveillance and targeted harassment. Journalists are unable to do their job safely, and people lose access to verifiable news and information.

In this way, shutdowns aid the spread of misinformation and rumours rather than stop them. People are unable to safely share their location with loved ones or access emergency services, often in a situation of violence or under threat of violence. All of these factors have a chilling effect on people, making them less willing to mobilise and participate  a constitutional right in a democracy like Bangladesh, said Narayan.

Diseye Isoun (pictured, below), Founder and Director of Nigerian internet service provider Content Oasis, said enforced blackouts come with technical ramifications but notably will create trust issues and brand perception challenges for providers.

There then becomes this suspicion from subscribers and questions from them such as are they [the government] now targeting certain areas? Is it still down even though they said it's up? It creates this unhealthy sense of doubt, said Isoun.

In the provision of connectivity services theres always this struggle with the perception of your service. Customers question whether they are getting the full 100Mbps that was promised for example. Anything that sows even more seeds of doubt into the customer experience is never a good thing.

On the technical aspects of bringing down such large swathes of connectivity, Isoun noted it is not as simple as flipping a switch.

There are any number of complexities around bringing networks back up, which is usually done in stages. In a lot of instances, you have downlink and uplink providers and the last mile components. All of those things could affect the speed at which systems come back online.

Access Now Data Analyst Zach Rosson noted that providers are being strong-armed into absorbing the financial impact that internet shutdowns have on their businesses

ISPs, including mobile providers, also risk retribution or threats from governments if they don't comply with shutdown orders. In addition, across many countries, some of the largest or most prominent telcos are owned and operated by the government, said Rosson.

Acknowledging such blackouts will have an effect on the bottom lines of connectivity providers, and Narayan argued they should not pass losses on to citizens suffering under such restrictive measures.

Mobile service providers have a responsibility to not pass on economic losses to their customers, and also to publicise these losses and hold governments accountable for causing them. Legal action like lawsuits for recovery of the losses could also deter governments from imposing arbitrary, unjustified shutdowns, in a legal system which recognises the fundamental right to free speech, said Narayan.

As well as violating human rights, shutting down the internet also hamstrung Bangladeshs economy. According to Zaved Akhtar, president of Bangladesh-based Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the recent internet shutdowns cost Bangladesh around US$10 billion, with the World Bank Group estimating Bangladeshs GDP at US$437.42 billion in 2023.

Bloomberg quoted Akhtar as saying that when mobile connectivity was restored, the country was operating at half its economic potential because of the disruption as it recovered from the blackouts.

Just from this shutdown, initial reports indicate massive losses to Bangladeshi industries dependent on connectivity to work  the business process outsourcing industry, call centres, small businesses, and freelancers, said Narayan.

Reports also indicate that people have been unable to use online apps for essential services like food and gas. Sustained internet censorship and repeated shutdowns would permanently hinder the ability of people in Bangladesh to carry on their businesses, potentially force people out of jobs, and have a devastating impact on the socio-economic conditions.

Rosson added: Internet shutdowns violate peoples rights to free speech, protest, and assembly, inhibit people from sharing and receiving information, and block people from conducting business or accessing healthcare and education. In times of crises, when people are most in need of information, shutdowns plunge lives into disarray and confusion. From Myanmar to Palestine, the internet is essential for people to protect their and their loved ones' lives.

It is clear that connectivity has become an integral cog in emerging economies, and any spanners in the works can have a detrimental effect on citizens both socially and financially.

Rosson said: Authorities must follow the principles of necessity and proportionality when making any decision affecting the general public. Internet shutdowns are disproportionate measures that harm peoples most fundamental rights and are not supported by any evidence to be helpful in managing security concerns or public order.

It is alarming that governments continue to weaponise technology intended to help to unshackle those at the bottom end of society. Whether on the picket line or via a social media post, freedom of expression is a vital tool in helping to hold elected officials to account when governments continue to use this common tactic', we must ask why they wish to avoid accountability.
Maya Rudolf opens up on playing Kamala Harris

A

ctress-comedian Maya Rudolph, who is a regular at 'Saturday Night Live' (SNL), has teased her return to the stage as Kamala Harris, the current US Vice President, and the Presidential candidate of the Democratic Party.

Maya appeared on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live interview with RuPaul', and told the show host that she has never experienced something like this in any of the work she has done.

She said, "This has been such a tremendous, exciting time for me that feels so much bigger than me or anything I've ever done. I've played her on the show before, but the minute it was announced that she was running, I think I was home watching 'The Bear' and it was announced that I'd confirmed doing SNL. I was like, 'I did what?' Everybody's just ready for it".

Maya appeared on 'SNL' for seven years between 2000 and 2007 as the lead. She has since returned to the series for a number of guest spots and hosting gigs. She even won a Primetime Emmy for portraying Harris throughout that year's presidential race.

She told the show host, "I would never have believed you if you'd said one day you're going to be playing the presidential candidate. To think that I had anything to do with this by association is mind-blowing. I spent so many years on SNL watching other people play presidential candidates and thinking there's no one that resembles me in the race. To think that we're here now, and to think that I'd ever be close by association, is incredible".

Kamala Harris is the first female US vice president, making her the highest-ranking female official in the country's history, as well as the first African American and first Asian American vice president.

 Maya Rudolf opens up on playing Kamala Harris

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Jennifer Lopez files for divorce from Ben Affleck after 2 years of their marriage

S

inger-actress Jennifer Lopez and actor Ben Affleck are headed for splitsville, and this time it's confirmed. This comes after two years of their marriage.

JLo filed for divorce on Tuesday, August 20, in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The official separation date is listed as April 26, reports 'Variety'.

The couple married in Las Vegas in July 2022 after re-sparking their relationship from two decades prior, which was dubbed "Bennifer" by tabloid publications at the time and was a fixation of their coverage in the early 2000s.

As per 'Variety', the two tied the knot again in a large ceremony in Georgia on August 20, 2022, exactly two years ago.

JLo and Affleck made two films together: Martin Brest's largely reviled romantic caper 'Gigli' in 2003 and Kevin Smith's comedy 'Jersey Girl' in 2004. By the time the latter feature hit theatres, Lopez and Affleck had called off their engagement and gone their separate ways.

Both got married and divorced in the intervening years, JLo to Marc Anthony, Affleck to Jennifer Garner. Then the two began a public relationship once again roughly three years ago. JLo provided frequent updates on her engagement, and eventual marriage, to her fans through her social media presence and newsletter.

JLo also explicitly addressed the relationship in her most recent album, 'This Is Me ... Now', a sequel to her 2002 album 'This Is Me ... Then', which also discussed her then-relationship with Affleck. Affleck appeared in JLo 'This Is Me ... Now: A Love Story', a celebrity cameo-studded film centred on music from the new album. Released to Prime Video in February, the film features Affleck in prosthetic make-up playing a jaded anchorman.

In May, Lopez cancelled her summer 'This Is Me... Now' tour, with a statement that read, "Jennifer is taking time off to be with her children, family and close friends."

 Jennifer Lopez files for divorce from Ben Affleck after 2 years of their marriage

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PM Modi embarks on three-day visit to Poland, Ukraine

P

rime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a three-day visit to Poland and Ukraine to lay the foundation for stronger bilateral ties with the two nations.

He will first arrive in Poland on Wednesday, marking the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister in 45 years. The visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between both countries.

"My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe. Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship," the Prime Minister said in his departure statement.

He will also hold bilateral meetings with his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk, and President Andrzej Duda to further advance the partnership between India and Poland.

PM Modi will also engage with the members of the vibrant Indian community there.

After his Poland visit, PM Modi will travel to war-torn Ukraine on August 23, on what will be the first visit by an Indian PM to the country since the establishment of bilateral relations in 1992.

"From Poland, I will be visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine. I look forward to the opportunity to build upon earlier conversations with President Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict," the departure statement further read.

According to the statement, the visit will serve as a "natural continuation of extensive contacts" with the two nations and help forge the foundation for stronger bilateral ties in the future.

The Prime Minister's engagements in Kyiv will touch on a range of aspects of bilateral ties including political, trade, economic, investments, education, cultural, people-to-people exchanges, humanitarian assistance and others, a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs detailed.

As India continues to encourage a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, PM Modi had met the Ukrainian President on the sidelines of the 50th G7 Summit in Italy's Apulia on June 14, terming the discussions as "very productive".

During the meeting, PM Modi reiterated that India would continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, India has maintained its consistent position that allows it to reach out to both sides to find a solution to the conflict through diplomacy and dialogue.

At the same time, New Delhi has dispatched tonnes of humanitarian assistance to Kyiv, including essential medicines and medical equipment.

 PM Modi embarks on three-day visit to Poland, Ukraine

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Pankaj Tripathi: Always believed that an actor's real success lies in love, respect of audience

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ankaj Tripathi was recently invited as the Guest of Honour for the annual India Day Parade in New York, where he obliged a sea of fans for pictures as he believes that an actor's real success lies in the love and respect of the audiences.

After the event, a swarm of fans requested for pictures with the actor. Due to security reasons and safety protocols, the area was barricaded, limiting the interaction between the acclaimed actor and his fans.

However, that did not stop Pankaj, who leaned down on the floor to pose for selfies with those behind the barricades, ensuring that as many people as possible could capture a moment.

Talking about the experience, Pankaj said: "I have always believed that an actor's real success lies in the love and respect of the audience. My fans have supported me throughout my journey, and I feel it's my duty to reciprocate that love in whatever way I can.

He said that India Day Parade in New York was a special occasion.

Pankaj, whose latest release 'Stree 2' has created a tizzy at the box-office, added: "And I was overwhelmed by the warmth and affection of the people there. When I saw how much it meant to them to take a picture with me, I couldn't let a barricade stand in the way. I'm deeply grateful for the love they've shown me, and moments like these remind me why I chose this profession."

Pankaj was the guest of honour at this year's India Day Parade in New York.

The event was held at Madison Avenue, New York and was organised by the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA). The India Day Parade is a cherished event that brings together thousands of people to celebrate with vibrant floats, traditional dances, and cultural performances.

The FIA aims to promote Indian culture and heritage while fostering a sense of community among Indian-Americans.

 Pankaj Tripathi: Always believed that an actor's real success lies in love, respect of audience

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Rajnath Singh to embark on four-day US visit for high-level defence talks

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nion Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will embark on an official visit to the United States from August 23 to 26, at the invitation of US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, to further enhance the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.

The four-day visit, starting Friday, comes as part of the growing momentum in India-US relations, particularly in the defence sector.

During his visit, Rajnath Singh will hold a bilateral meeting with the US Defence Secretary to discuss various aspects of defence cooperation between the two nations, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

In addition to this key meeting, the Defence Minister is also scheduled to meet Jake Sullivan, the US Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, to discuss broader strategic issues.

The visit underscores the deepening military-to-military relationship between India and the US, which both nations view as crucial for stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

As part of his visit, Rajnath Singh will chair a high-level roundtable with representatives of the US defence industry to discuss ongoing and future collaborations in defence manufacturing and technology.

This engagement is expected to strengthen industrial ties and foster new partnerships in the defence sector.

The Defence Minister will also take the opportunity to interact with the Indian community in the US, reinforcing the ties between the two nations at the people-to-people level.

Last week, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh emphasised the importance of the India-US partnership, particularly in light of the National Defense Strategy (NDS) that focuses on the Indo-Pacific and the strategic challenge posed by China.

"The relationship with India remains one of great importance. It's one of great importance to the Indo-Pacific as well," she said at a news conference.

Rajnath Singh's visit marks the high-level engagement between India and the US since Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in for his third term in June this year.

 Rajnath Singh to embark on four-day US visit for high-level defence talks

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After Sweden, Thailand detects 1st 'suspected case of new Mpox strain'

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fter Sweden, Thailand has detected the first suspected case of new Mpox strain -- Clade 1b, the country's health department informed on Wednesday.

Both Thailand and Sweden are the first outside of Africa to see Mpox cases of the Clade 1b variant after the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently declared a global health emergency.

Thai health authorities found that the patient has a travel history to Congo.

"The Department of Disease Control found a patient with suspected clade 1 smallpox. The first person in Thailand travelled from Congo," said Dr. Thongchai Keerati Hatthayakorn, Director General of the Department of Disease Control, in a statement.

Laboratory tests are yet to confirm the strain, but officials believe it to be from Clade 1. The infected person has been quarantined in hospital.

Africa is currently seeing a Mpox outbreak with 14 African countries, reporting 14,000 cases and 524 deaths. The outbreak is caused by the more virulent Clade 1b strain.

Clade 1b causes death in about 3.6 per cent of cases, with children more at risk, the WHO said.

Pakistan also reported a dozen of Mpox cases of which 4 were lab-confirmed and found to be from Clade IIb -- responsible for the 2022 outbreak in 116 countries.

The Philippines has also reported a new case of Mpox. However, "it was the original variety" or Clade IIb, said health authorities.

Mpox is a viral infection that primarily affects humans and animals. It typically begins with signs of flu -- fever, headache, muscle pains, and tiredness and results in pus-filled lesions. It can last from 2 to 4 weeks.

It can be transmitted by contact with an infected person, animal, or contaminated materials.

Mpox can be prevented by avoiding sexual contact with unfamiliar individuals, avoiding close contact with those with rashes, vesicles, or pustules, washing hands frequently, and not sharing personal items with others.

 After Sweden, Thailand detects 1st 'suspected case of new Mpox strain'

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Ashish Vidyarthi's Doctor Doom plans to take over the world in Hindi trailer of 'Marvel's Wastelanders: Doom'

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he Hindi trailer of the upcoming audio series 'Marvel's Wastelanders: Doom' was unveiled on Wednesday, and it gives a peek into the world domination plans of Doctor Doom, voiced by actor Ashish Vidyarthi.

'Marvel's Wastelanders: Doom' marks the fifth season of the Hindi Original podcast series of Marvel's 'Wastelanders'. The trailer follows what happens after the fall of the Super Heroes of the Marvel universe and the subsequent rise of the Super Villains.

As shown in the trailer, Doctor Doom is out for revenge and he now rules with an iron fist. However, the resistance stirs with the Super Heroes uniting in the face of humanity's face hangs in the balance. Yashaswini Dayama lends her voice to the character of Valeria Richards, who is the goddaughter of Ashish Vidyarthi's character of Doctor Doom, listeners will be drawn into the post-apocalyptic world.

The six-season audio epic originally launched as an English language series in June 2021. The English language version of Marvel's Wastelanders: Doom was written by Mark Waid and James Kim, story by Mark Waid. Original sound design and music by Mark Henry Phillips.

The 5th season in the series, Marvel's 'Wastelanders: Doom' is set to launch on September 4, 2024 on Audible.

Elsewhere in the Marvel universe, Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr. has returned to the barracks of Marvel studios as he is set to essay the role of Doctor Doom in the live action version after his character of Tony Stark died in 'Avengers: Endgame' as he sacrificed his life to stop Thanos.

After a critically acclaimed work in 'Oppenheimer', Robert Downey Jr. will be next seen in 'Avengers: Doomsday', the announcement of his return to MCU was done at 2024 Comic-Con International: San Diego. 'Avengers: Doomsday' will be directed by Joe and Anthony Russo in their own return to Marvel

 Ashish Vidyarthi's Doctor Doom plans to take over the world in Hindi trailer of 'Marvel's Wastelanders: Doom'

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Bhutan Telecom is deploying Cienas coherent routing solutions to support booming data traffic demands in the Kingdom of Bhutan.

With Cienas routers, Bhutan Telecom will improve its customer experience as new technologies such as edge cloud applications gain traction in the market.

Karma Tshewang, Technical Director, Bhutan Telecom said: Post-pandemic, the local community continues to work, play and leverage digital content in the comfort of their homes. Were also seeing renewed interest from connected tourists to the worlds happiest country. Hyperconnectivity is set to be a game-changer in helping transform Bhutan into a digital society and were working with Ciena to improve connectivity and reduce latency.

Cienas 5164, 8110 and 8114 coherent routers were remotely deployed, tested and turned up by Ciena Services, who also custom designed the providers network. Developed specifically for space-constrained locations, Cienas 5164 Router is ideal for landlocked Bhutan, while its temperature-hardened 8114 Router is suited to the range of temperatures experienced in the country. In addition, with the 8110 Coherent Aggregation Router, Bhutan Telecom can help with reducing network latency, improving the quality of experience for users.

Amit Malik, Vice President and Sales Leader, Ciena India & South Asia, said: Market dynamics are accelerating the push for cloud, and residential connectivity drives the need to leverage IP network modernization to capitalize on these new opportunities.
India-Africa growth partnership to serve as catalyst for Global South: Jagdeep Dhankhar

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ndia is Africa's fourth largest trading partner, with 85 billion dollars in bilateral trade and 75 billion dollars in investments, and the 19th CII India-Africa Business Conclave on India-Africa growth partnership offers opportunities to fully exploit the potential in varied areas, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Wednesday.

According to him, India and Africa's growth partnership will serve as a catalyst for accelerated global rebalancing and the strengthening of the Global South, which augurs well for global peace and harmony.

Addressing the event, VP Dhankhar said India has invested over 12.37 billion dollars in 206 infrastructure projects across 43 African countries, impacting millions of lives.

The country also provides capacity-building, training, and educational opportunities, reflecting its commitment to the African Union's priorities like the African Union's focus for this year 'Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century'.

"India, the largest democracy on the planet, most vibrant and home to one-sixth of humanity, has nurtured its bonds with Africa in people-to-people relations with the extension of e-Visa facilities to 33 African countries," the Vice President told the gathering.

According to VP Dhankhar, the deep-rooted ties between India and Africa, forged by shared histories, common struggles, and mutual aspirations for a just and progressive future, and equitable world order make this partnership natural and stronger than ever.

The country has leveraged digital technology to revolutionise public services. It has been of the highest order the technological world has so far seen, collaborating this expertise with Africa on initiatives like "India Stack".

"India's space programme offers Africa tech-based solutions to advance towards achieving sustainable development. This is an area that offers enormous avenues and the country in this direction is now one of global leaders," said the Vice President.

The country now looks forward to organising the 'India-Africa Forum Summit IV' to provide a more contemporary agenda for cooperation between the two sides.

"India is an economy on the upsurge, an economy on the rise. The rise has been exponential and historic in the last decade, recognised globally has much to offer to the world and in particular Africa, and I am sure the deliberations here will surely have much to take away and get realised on the ground soon," the Vice President added.

 India-Africa growth partnership to serve as catalyst for Global South: Jagdeep Dhankhar

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Irregular heart rhythm notification arrives on Samsung smartwatches in India

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outh Korean company Samsung on Wednesday announced the rollout of irregular heart rhythm notification (IHRN) feature on its health monitor app for Galaxy watches in India.

According to the company, the new feature, combined with the app's existing blood pressure and electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring capabilities, helps detect heart rhythms suggestive of atrial fibrillation (AFib), offering Galaxy watch users a more comprehensive understanding of their heart health.

Once activated, the feature continuously checks for irregular heart rhythms in the background using the 'BioActive Sensor'. If a certain number of consecutive measurements are irregular, the smartwatch warns the user of potential AFib activity, prompting them to take an ECG using their watch for a more accurate measurement.

"With the existing blood pressure and heart rate monitoring, this new feature provides users with even deeper insights into their cardiovascular health," said the company.

AFib is a type of arrhythmia, widely considered a warning sign for major cardiovascular issues including an increased risk of stroke, heart failure and other complications.

Moreover, many cases of AFib are asymptomatic or even silent, leaving people unaware of their risk.

The company said that the irregular heart rhythm notification feature is now available as part of the newly-launched Galaxy Watch7 Ultra, Galaxy Watch7 as well as on Galaxy Watch6, Watch5 and Watch4 series.

A recent study said that work-related stress, particularly high job strain and effort-reward imbalance, may significantly increase the risk of developing AFib. The study, published in the 'Journal of the American Heart Association', included nearly 6,000 white-collar workers in Canada.

It found that those experiencing both high job strain and effort-reward imbalance faced 97 per cent increased risk of AFib compared to those not exposed to these stressors.

Previous studies have linked work-related stress with coronary heart disease, but this is the first to examine its impact on AFib, said senior author Xavier Trudel, from Laval University in Quebec, Canada.

 Irregular heart rhythm notification arrives on Samsung smartwatches in India

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PM Modi arrives in Poland on historic visit

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rime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday arrived in Warsaw on a two-day visit to Poland, the first by an Indian PM in the past 45 years.

"My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe. Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship," PM Modi said in his departure statement, earlier in the day.

Prime Minister Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome in Warsaw. He will call on President Andrzej Sebastian Duda on Thursday and will also hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Donald Tusk. He is also scheduled to interact with the Indian community in Poland.

"Our bilateral trade is substantial. And it's of the order of US$6 billion, which makes Poland India's largest trading partner in Central and Eastern Europe. Indian investments in Poland are estimated at around US$3 billion. And the Polish investments into India are around US$1 billion," said Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday while announcing PM Modi's visit to Poland and Ukraine.

PM Modi has met his Polish counterpart on four occasions in the latter's earlier capacity as the President of the European Council.

He also spoke over the phone with President Duda in March 2022, thanking him for the assistance provided by Poland in the evacuation of Indian citizens from Ukraine and for the special gesture of relaxing visa requirements for Indian citizens crossing over to Poland from the conflict zone. More than 4000 Indian students were evacuated via Poland in 2022.

Expressing his particular appreciation for the warm reception and facilitation extended by Polish citizens to Indian nationals during the difficult time, PM Modi had also recalled the assistance offered by Poland in the wake of the Gujarat earthquake in 2001.

He also recollected the exemplary role played by the Maharaja of Jamnagar in rescuing several Polish families and young orphans during the Second World War.

The MEA stated that the PM's visit builds upon a series of continuing high-level exchanges between India and Poland which take place in various formats, including the meeting between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in February. Poland's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski, had visited India the same month.

Poland has the sixth largest economy within the European Union and will hold the next Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

"Many Indian companies have an active business presence in Poland. And they are engaged in a range of sectors, from IT to pharmaceuticals to manufacturing to farm vehicles to electronics, steel, metals and chemicals. Nearly 30 Polish companies have a business presence in India. And some of them have manufacturing units. These relate to, for example, hygiene and sanitary products, cosmetics, metal packaging, waste to energy and mining. There are direct flights between India and Poland, which commenced in 2019. And this, in a way, is helping the economic and commercial linkages," said the MEA Secretary.

In Warsaw, PM Modi is scheduled to visit the memorials commemorating the time in the 1940s, during World War II, when more than 6,000 Polish women and children found refuge in two princely states in India, Jamnagar and Kolhapur.

He will also interact with members of the Indian community - estimated at around 25,000 - select Polish business leaders and prominent Indologists.

From Poland, PM Modi will be visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelensky which will be the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine.

 PM Modi arrives in Poland on historic visit

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PM Modi pays homage at Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw

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rime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Polish capital Warsaw on Wednesday paid homage at the Kolhapur Memorial that was constructed as a tribute to the royal family of Kolhapur, which played an instrumental role in providing shelter to the women and children from Poland in India who were displaced during the Second World War.

Taking to X, PM Modi, while sharing pictures of his visit to the Kolhapur Memorial in the Polish capital, wrote: "Paid homage at the Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw. This Memorial is a tribute to the great Royal Family of Kolhapur. This Royal Family was at the forefront of giving shelter to Polish women and children displaced due to the horrors of World War II. Inspired by the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the great Royal Family of Kolhapur put humanity above everything else and ensured a life of dignity for the Polish women and children. This act of compassion will keep inspiring generations."

According to some historical anecdotes, approximately 5,000 Polish refugees are believed to have lived in India between 1942 and 1948. The exact numbers of Poles who resided in India, however, are not established.

A number of transit camps were set up across the country for the Polish refugees.

Earlier on Wednesday, PM Modi also paid tribute at The Dobry Maharaja Memorial in Warsaw that honours Jamsaheb of Nawanagar Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja's act of kindness during World War-II.

The statue was built in recognition of Dobry (Good) Maharaja's compassionate gesture of providing hundreds of Polish children refuge during the Second World War which remains one of the most evocative chapters in the relations between India and Poland and has had a lasting impact on ties between the two countries.

Many Polish elderlies as well as their kin even today fondly remember India's act of kindness in assisting and providing shelter to the refugees, even as the country, which was under British rule back then, was sailing through rough waters.

Also, icons like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru were known for being in support of Poland's struggle against the invasion by Germany, the erstwhile Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of the Second World War in September 1939.

PM Modi's visit to Poland is the first-ever by an Indian leader to the central European nation in 45 years.

 PM Modi pays homage at Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw

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The search on the informal market for medicines that have disappeared from state pharmacies, and payments for medical care and treatments, including operations, carried out at public hospital facilities, have already become part of Cubans' daily lives.

The new Cuban Public Health Law, 2023, states that "among the rights of users are free access to care, protection, and recovery services; as well as those medicines and health products or supplies necessary to promote, preserve and restore health, through the regulations established in this regard." The health system's implosion, however, has forced the population to pay for what are supposedly free services to deal with their medical emergencies.

The government knows this, as does the entire country. On July 17, in the National Assembly of Popular Power, after hearing a report by the sector's minister, Jose Angel Portal Miranda, the representatives agreed that to "address and prevent crime, illegalities and acts of social indiscipline in the Cuban Public Health sector, collective responsibility for services and resources is essential."

The Public Health crisis is reflected in the long waiting lists for surgeries, and procedures like the extraction of wisdom teeth, due to the shortage of medical supplies and the state of hospital facilities. The desperation of those affected and the government's inability to respond to them leads them to seek "alternative" solutions.

"Among the most affected specialties is Stomatology. There is nothing at the clinics, and when something comes in we try to help family and friends," said a dental clinic assistant who asked to remain anonymous.

"Patients come with the anesthesiaand we do the work of extracting the tooth, or doing the filling, as the case may be. Prosthetists are the most affected, as materials are expensive and almost nothing comes in," she explained.

The existence of illegal private practices was recognized by Minister Portal in his remarks before the National Assembly. He referred to them as "an issue that not only violates the most elementary ethics and principles of the national health system, but also affects the quality and transparency of care."

Katia, a clerk at a small business, and her mother Alina, are clients of a private dentist in Santiago de Cuba. "I got some very high-quality dental implants," Alina said. "I started with the top part. They are fixed, not mobile prostheses, and they cost me 4,000 pesos. Now I have to save up to get the bottom done. The prices are high, but the state clinics don't have the materials, nor do they do work of this quality."

According to Alina, the doctor who treats her is a young entrepreneur who resigned from his position in the government health system. "You can choose the color of the new teeth, so that they resemble yours. I took my daughter and she had a wisdom tooth extracted, which cost 1,500 pesos. When she gets paid, she'll have the other one extracted." She explained that the doctor buys material imported from the United States to Havana.

The purchase and sale of supplies and medicines in Cuba is a common practice on social media, where one find all kinds of medications, anesthetics, sutures, and wheelchairs, among other items. Permitting these offerings is the authorization of "the importation of medicines not of a commercial nature, without limits in terms of their value, exempt from the payment of the Customs tax on food, toiletries, medicines and medical supplies," legislation in force until September 2024.

Illegal surgeries at state hospitals

"We must be more efficient in the management of waiting lists, the discussion of each patient in need of surgical treatment, the planning of activities, and the daily analysis of emergencies. In addition, we must strengthen the pharmacotherapeutic committees, control over authorized signatures, and relationships with external pharmacies in order to combat criminal activity, " said First Deputy Minister of Public Health Tania Margarita Cruz in the National Assembly.

According to Dania, a restaurant accountant, managing to get her husband Rey two inguinal hernia surgeries was a race against time. "He had been on the list for surgery for more than a year. She received a series of excuses: Covid, the OR was being repaired, they were only doing emergency surgeries... Meanwhile, the hernia kept growing, and the lump was increasingly prominent. Finally, we were referred to a doctor at the Military Hospital; he was admitted as an emergency patient, at night, and had the surgery. We gave him 4,000 pesos."

The doctor told them that he would operate on the second hernia when the scar from the first one healed, in two to three months. "That was more than a year ago. The second hernia is now almost the size of the first, and has reached his testicles. He hasn't had the surgery because the doctor went on a mission and hasnt returned. Now we are looking for a new surgeon in the same way: an emergency treatment, and then paying.

We can't wait until it squeezes the life out of him, which is what makes these cases urgent," she explained.

In light of the strict control measures announced by Minister Portal, it seems that vigilance over the provisioning of services has been tightened. "Now doctors are more afraid of performing emergency operations, but they are being done. It's a shame they can't set up private surgery facilities," said Jose, who works as a medical technician.

Jose took everything for his surgery. "Every time I went to the offices they told me that something was missing. So, I bought the sutures, scalpels, saline solution, cotton... I work in Public Health, and bought everything on the street. I spent like 5,000 pesos. I was admitted to the Clinic on an emergency basis, and had surgery. I should note that I didn't pay anything," he added.

Minister Portal lamented that "when patients pay for procedures at a healthcare unit, it constitutes a failure for Public Health, whose free, universal and humanistic nature is one of the greatest triumphs of the Cuban model."

"We would never sanction a professional for not having the resources to do their work, so we are going to be strict in responding to irresponsible and insensitive actions by our workers," the official said during a visit to Santiago de Cuba in January of this year. "Nothing justifies it, nor do the people of Cuba, or the people of Santiago, deserve it," he said.

However, the strictness promised by the minister has not been accompanied by more resources for Public Health, while Cubans look on as the Government continues to make major investments in sectors such as hotels, despite declining numbers of visitors.
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HCV infection is the underlying cause for chronic Hepatitis C (CHC), liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In 2019, over 2,90,000 people died of HCV-related diseases. Recent medical advancement made a new breakthrough treatment available for patients with hepatitis C. DAAs that block replication of HCV has dramatically transformed the treatment approach with around 90% effective anti-viral response rates. However, it is unclear whether DAAs impact the severity of disease burden caused by liver fibrosis.

To answer this critical question, Associate Professor Seungbong Han from the Department of Biostatistics, Korea University College of Medicine, South Korea collaborated with his colleagues across multiple centers in South Korea to evaluate the impact of DAAs on the fibrotic disease burden in patients with chronic HCV infection. Their study was made available online on May 30, 2024 and was published in Volume 73 of the journal eClinicalMedicine on July 1, 2024.

For individuals, early detection and effective treatment would mean fewer complications, better health outcomes, and enhanced quality of life. Successful strategies could serve as models for other countries with high Hepatitis C prevalence, leading to global improvement in Hepatitis C management." Seungbong Han, Associate Professor, Department of Biostatistics, Korea University College of Medicine

The team collected medical records of 11,725 patients with HCV infection from 29 institutions in South Korea. They compared individual participant data from 3,261 untreated to 8,464 patients treated with DAAs, for a follow-up period of 27.5 months. To evaluate liver disease severity and outcomes, they analyzed non-invasive reporters of liver fibrosis and stiffness, and evaluated their risk of developing liver cancer, damaged liver function, and death.

They observed that DAA treatment reduced fibrotic disease burden and lowered the risk of disease progression to cancer or cirrhosis, increasing life expectancy. The differences were most prominent in age groups 4060 years.

One of the limitations of this study is the reliance on non-invasive tests for measuring liver fibrosis. "Noninvasive scores and liver stiffness, are not accurate for detecting reduced fibrosis after sustained viral response in patients with HCV infection because improvements in noninvasive tests typically reflect the expected reduction of necro-inflammation but not that of fibrosis," explains Associate Prof. Han.

How important are liver biopsies for accurate assessment?

Biopsy of the liver is the gold standard method to accurately measure and stage liver fibrosis. However, the risks and expertise needed to perform this challenging procedure limits repeatability. Despite the limitation, this study provides scientific evidence that use of DAA is a crucial strategy for reducing liver fibrosis-based disease burden and improving clinical outcomes.

Sustainability in healthcare requires evidence-based allocation of healthcare resources. The findings from this study merits public health campaigns raising awareness about Hepatitis C and its risks that will promote nationwide screening for HCV positivity. Early intervention with advanced antiviral approaches is likely to decrease healthcare costs associated with treating advanced liver diseases like cancer or cirrhosis, freeing up resources for other critical healthcare needs.

"Our study can help improve public health, healthcare systems, and individual lives by encouraging the development of early intervention and effective treatment strategies for HCV infection," concludes Associate Prof. Han.
In recent years, machine learning models have become increasingly popular for risk assessment of chemical compounds. However, they are often considered 'black boxes' due to their lack of transparency, leading to skepticism among toxicologists and regulatory authorities. To increase confidence in these models, researchers at the University of Vienna proposed to carefully identify the areas of chemical space where these models are weak. They developed an innovative software tool ('MolCompass') for this purpose and the results of this research approach have just been published in the prestigious Journal of Cheminformatics.

Over the years, new pharmaceuticals and cosmetics have been tested on animals. These tests are expensive, raise ethical concerns, and often fail to accurately predict human reactions. Recently, the European Union supported the RISK-HUNT3R project to develop the next generation of non-animal risk assessment methods. The University of Vienna is a member of the project consortium. Computational methods now allow the toxicological and environmental risks of new chemicals to be assessed entirely by computer, without the need to synthesize the chemical compounds. But one question remains: How confident are these computer models?

It's all about reliable prediction

To address this issue, Sergey Sosnin, a senior scientist of the Pharmacoinformatics Research Group at the University of Vienna, focused on binary classification. In this context, a machine learning model provides a probability score from 0% to 100%, indicating whether a chemical compound is active or not (e.g., toxic or non-toxic, bioaccumulative or non-bioaccumulative, a binder or non-binder to a specific human protein). This probability reflects the confidence of the model in its prediction. Ideally, the model should be confident only in its correct predictions. If the model is uncertain, giving a confidence score around 51%, these predictions can be disregarded in favor of alternative methods. A challenge arises, however, when the model is fully confident in incorrect predictions.

This is the real nightmare scenario for a computational toxicologist. If a model predicts that a compound is non-toxic with 99% confidence, but the compound is actually toxic, there is no way to know that something was wrong." Sergey Sosnin, senior scientist of the Pharmacoinformatics Research Group, University of Vienna

The only solution is to identify areas of 'chemical space' - encompassing possible classes of organic compounds - where the model has 'blind spots' in advance and avoid them. To do this, a researcher evaluating the model must check the predicted results for thousands of chemical compounds one by one - a tedious and error-prone task.

Overcoming this significant hurdle

"To assist these researchers," Sosnin continues, "we developed interactive graphical tools that display chemical compounds onto a 2D plane, like geographical maps. Using colors, we highlight the compounds that were predicted incorrectly with high confidence, allowing users to identify them as clusters of red dots. The map is interactive, enabling users to investigate the chemical space and explore regions of concern."



The methodology was proven using an estrogen receptor binding model. After visual analysis of the chemical space, it became clear that the model works well for e.g. steroids and polychlorinated biphenyls, but fails completely for small non-cyclic compounds and should not be used for them.



The software developed in this project is freely available to the community on GitHub. Sergey Sosnin hopes that MolCompass will lead chemists and toxicologists to a better understanding of the limitations of computational models. This study is a step toward a future where animal testing is no longer necessary and the only workplace for a toxicologist is a computer desk.
Bollywood actor Randeep Hood, who never misses any chance to get noticed, no matter whether on screen or offscreen, turned 48 on August 20, 2024. To celebrate the special day, he gifted himself a swanky brand new JLRs hot-selling product Range Rover Autobiography.

The actor did not share any details about the same on his official social media handles. However, Land Rover Mumbai, shared a few photos and videos of him on Instagram while delivering the car at his residence.

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In a major development, the Maharashtra Government is planning to build a new 376 Km long expressway connecting Mumbai to Goa, called the Konkan Expressway.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) will oversee the construction of this 6-lane access-controlled highway. The proposed Greenfield Expressway will run along the scenic Konkan coast.

According to DNA India, the work on preparing Konkan Expressways Detailed Project Report (DPR) has already begun and the MSRDC has started the process of getting approval from the Environment Department for the highway, as per NBT. This new corridor will significantly reduce travel time while providing a comfortable experience to all the commuters.

The new expressway will connect Panvel (Navi Mumbai) and Sindhudurg via Raigad and Ratnagiri and is expected to reduce the travel time from Mumbai to Sindhudurg to 6 hours from the current 12-13 hours. According to an MSRDC official, the expressway will comprise a total of 14 interchanges.

Reportedly, the project will be constructed at an estimated cost of a whopping Rs 68,000 crore and will require approximately 3,792 hectares of land, including 146 hectares of forest land for the upcoming corridor.

As per the official, the expressway will benefit travellers commuting from Mumbai to Goa by reducing travel time from 12 hours to mere six hours. The Konkan Expressway is also expected to boost tourism and create job opportunities in the districts surrounding the highway.

On the other hand, the already sanctioned Mumbai-Goa Expressway is likely to be operational from December 2024. In 2011, the central government decided to widen Mumbai-Goa National Highway 66 from two to four lanes, promising a smooth, pothole-free trip and cutting travel time by five hours. With the initial deadline of 2016, the project is still under development even after 13 years.

Earlier in June this year it was reported that the 42 km stretch between Panvel and Kasu is 99 percent completed and the highway will be completely operational in December. Divided into 11 packages or phases for speedy completion, the total length of the Mumbai-Goa Highway 66 is 460 km.

The Mumbai-Goa Highway is being constructed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the state-government-led National Highway Public Works Department (NH PWD).
A Karnataka government circular issued on August 12 ordered all its departments, boards, corporations, public sector units and universities to withdraw all their deposits and investments in the State Bank of India (SBI) and the Punjab National Bank (PNB) and stop transacting any business with these institutions.

According to the circular, Rs 12 crore belonging to the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) and Rs 10 crore of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) were blocked by PNB and SBI respectively for many years owing to scams in these two banks.

Latest Update: Hold for 15 Days

The Karnataka government on Friday kept its circular in abeyance for 15 days, which prohibited all business transactions with the SBI and the PNB.

The decision came after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah considered the two banks requests.

After considering the banks requests, the Honorable Chief Minister has directed officials of the Finance Department to keep the circular in abeyance for 15 days, the state government said in a release.

It said that putting the previous circular on hold will allow the banks sufficient time to address the issues and redress the concerns of the government. The government is committed to ensuring transparency and accountability in all its dealings, said the statement.

We will continue to monitor the situation and take appropriate action to protect the interests of all stakeholders, it added.

Reasons For August 12 Circular

Explaining the circumstances, the state government said that based on the observations made by the Public Accounts Committee on July 2 and August 6 and the audit findings included in the Comptroller and Auditor Generals report, the government decided to issue the circular on August 12, directing all departments to withdraw their deposits and restrict further deposits in all branches of SBI and PNB.

This action was taken in response to the alleged fraud in the bank branches, which resulted in the non-repayment of fixed deposits made by the KSPCB and the KIADB, the statement said.

Despite prolonged correspondence and meetings, these issues remained unresolved since 2012-13, the government said.

Issue

The order had come after the denial to redeem Rs 12 crore deposited by the KIADB following a scam involving bank employees.

The August 12 circular said the meeting with the bank officials did not yield any result and the matter is now sub judice.

Similarly, Rs 10 crore deposited by the KSPCB was not returned by the bank owing to a scam by the bank officials, the circular said.

The finance secretary P C Jaffer (budget and resource) said in the circular that the Auditor General too had objected to it.

In this background, it is informed through this circular that the state governments departments, public sector units, corporations, boards, local bodies and universities and other institutions should withdraw all the deposits/investments made in all the branches of the State Bank of India and the Punjab National Bank and no deposits/investments should be made in future, the circular read.

The government had also directed the government institutions to close their accounts in these two banks and submit the certified closer report and send details of deposits and investment reports in the prescribed format to the finance department by September 20, 2024.

Banks Response

State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank said they are engaged with the state for an amicable resolution on the matter.

As the matter is currently subjudice, we are unable to provide any specific comments at this time. However, we remain in ongoing discussions with the Government of Karnataka to resolve the issue amicably, the SBI statement said.

SBIs peer Punjab National Bank, also had a similar statement and pointed out that it will not be prudent to offer a specific comment on the matter.

The Bank is committed for an amicable resolution of the matter and is in discussion with the Government of Karnataka, the PNB statement said.

The ban by one of the most prosperous states in the country comes at a time when the banking system is reeling under a war for deposits where challenges on liability accretion dominate all discussions.
Brian Niccol, the newly appointed CEO of Starbucks Corp., will not be compelled to relocate to the companys headquarters in Seattle once he begins his tenure next month. Instead, according to the new CEOs offer letter, which was made public in an SEC filing last week, Starbucks said Niccol may reside in his California home and commute 1,000 miles (1,600 kms) to the companys head office on a corporate jet.

According to Starbucks hybrid work guidelines, Niccol will still be required to work from the Seattle office three days a week when he is not traveling for business, a company representative told CNBC Make It. Starbucks further mentioned in the offer letter that it would provide Niccol with a remote office in Newport Beach and a secretary of his choosing.

CEOs are increasingly permitted to work remotely, and this was a perk Starbucks offered Niccol when he joined the struggling restaurant firm. Together with a yearly salary of $1.6 million, he also received a $10 million monetary signing bonus. A monetary bonus ranging from $3.6 million to $7.2 million could be offered to him, contingent on his performance. Additionally, the 50-year-old will be qualified for yearly equity rewards of up to $23 million.

A Starbucks representative added that Niccol would mostly work out of the companys Seattle headquarters. According to the filing, the corporation would also cover his living expenses for up to three months as he looks for additional accommodation in Seattle. Niccol will be qualified to get reimbursement for a portion of his relocation expenses should he choose to relocate to the Seattle area. He will start as CEO on September 9.

According to CNBC, the coffee giants performance has suffered this year as a result of poor sales in its two biggest markets, China and the United States. Under the leadership of former CEO Laxman Narasimhan, Starbucks shares dropped by 21%.

Niccol has a proven track record of stabilising unstable businesses. During his tenure as Chipotles CEO, he guided the companys eateries through the pandemic and assisted the company in recovering from its foodborne disease controversy. According to CNBC, the restaurant chains shares increased by 773% while he held a position there.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal expressed concerns about predatory pricing practices by e-commerce platforms and the potential job losses in the traditional retail sector as a result.

Goyal also questioned Amazons announcement of USD 1 billion investment in India, saying the US retailer was not doing any great service to the Indian economy but filling up for the losses it had suffered in the country.

He said that their huge losses in India smells of predatory pricing, which is not good for the country as it impacts crores of small retailers.

Launching a report on Net Impact of e-commerce on Employment and Consumer Welfare in India in New Delhi, the minister lambasted the e-commerce companies, questioning their business model that has been impacting small retailers in the country.

When Amazon says that we are going to invest a billion dollars in the country, we celebrate, and we forget that the billion dollars are not coming in for great service or investment to support the Indian economy. They made a billion-dollar loss in their balance sheet that year, they had to fill in that loss.

And how did that loss get caused, they paid Rs 1,000 crores to professionals. I do not know who these professionals areI would love to know, which chartered accountants, professionals or lawyers get Rs 1,000 crores unless you are paying all the top lawyers to block them so that nobody can fight a case against you, the minister said.

He wondered whether the Rs 6,000 crore loss in one year does not smell of predatory pricing, as they are just an e-commerce platform and those companies are not allowed to do B2C (business to consumer) business.

As per the policy, the e-commerce platform legally can not do B2C in the country.

The minister alleged that these companies only re-route all the businesses through an entity to show that it is B2B.

How are they doing it? Should this not be a matter of concern for us, he said.

He added that the e-commerce sector has a role, but one has to think very carefully and cautiously about what that role is.

How that role can be in an organised fashion. Is predatory pricing policies good for the country? Goyal asked.

He also said that e-commerce companies are eating into the small retailers high-value, high-margin products that are the only items through which the mom-and-pop stores survive.

The minister also said that with the fast-growing online retailing in the country, Are we going to cause huge social disruption with this massive growth of e-commerce.

Citing examples of Western countries, Goyal said Europe and America have seen the consequences of this.

What has happened to the mom-and-pop stores there? How many do you see surviving, why did Switzerland allow e-commerce until recently (so late), he said, adding I am not wishing away e-commerce, it is there to stay.

Further, he said one has to see the impact of cloud kitchens on restaurants and people buying food items online.

We will land up becoming a country of couch potatoes, watching OTT and having food at home every day, he said.

Commenting on online pharmacies, the minister said, We have to assess what is happening to 5 lakh pharmacies of the country.

He expressed concern over these firms selling medicines online.

Online, you can order whatever you wantit is a matter of concern, Goyal said, adding How many mobile stores do you see in the corner, and how many were there 10 years ago.

He pointed out that India is not a developed nation like the US and Switzerland with high per capita income, and a large section of people need affirmative action and help here.

Of course, I do not deny that technology will play its part, technology is a means to empower, to innovate, to meet consumer requirements, probably sometimes more efficiently, but we will have to see that it grows in an orderly fashion, he said.

People have to see that this connectivity and convenience is citizen-centric, he said, adding that in the race for market share of online retailers at 27 per cent a year, we do not land up causing huge disruption for the 100 million small retailers across the country.

Amazon India is facing rising competitive intensity in India from players like Flipkart and SoftBank-backed Meesho, as well as the onslaught of firms like Blinkit, Swiggys Instamart and Zepto that are making aggressive inroads into the market as busy consumers opt for the convenience of instant delivery of grocery and many other household items.

Last year, Amazon had talked of plans to invest USD 15 billion more in India, taking its total investment in the country to USD 26 billion.

After meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the US in 2023, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said: I had a very good and productive conversation with Prime Minister Modi. I think we share a number of goals. Amazon is one of the biggest investors in India. We have invested USD 11 billion to date and intend to invest another USD 15 billion, which will bring the total to USD 26 billion. So, we are very much looking forward to the future of partnering.

Goyal also criticised the report, saying he does not agree with the findings of the study Net Impact of e-commerce on employment and consumer welfare in India.

I would like to completely disassociate myself from this reportI do not agree with any of these findings.I think, in the urge to show that this has not had an impact on employment in India, the researchers have lost sight of even the statistics, which EY has put out, the minister said.

(With PTI inputs)
The overall gem and jewellery exports witnessed a 21.93 per cent year-on-year decline in July to USD 1,665.4 million (Rs 13,922.03 crore) on account of dampening of consumer demand following global unrest, Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) has said.

According to data released by GJEPC  the apex body for the gems and jewellery industry in India  the overall exports in the category in July 2023 stood at Rs USD 2,170.71 million.

The exports are mainly affected due to decline in demand following geopolitical disturbance in key markets like the US and China. The demand in the China market has drastically slowed down due to a struggling economy, GJEPC Chairman Vipul Shah told PTI.

The overall export of cut and polished diamonds (CPD) declined 21.34 per cent in July to USD 907.67 million from USD 1,174.41 million in the year-ago period.

Gold jewellery exports also witnessed a 10.53 per cent decline in July to USD 530.38 million compared to USD 603.12 million in the same period of last year.

Meanwhile, the apex trade body said during the recent six-day India International Jewellery Show (IIJS) Premiere 2024, held from August 9-13, business worth about USD 12 billion (approximately Rs 1 lakh crore) was generated.

IIJS Premiere 2024 attracted over 50,000 buyers and international delegations from over 13 countries, including Cambodia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, and Uzbekistan.

IIJS Premiere 2024 was a tremendous success, generating over USD 12 billion in business for our exhibitors. The business was mainly dominated by gold jewellery following weakness in prices of the yellow metal, Shah said.

The show featured an array of products that highlighted the brilliance in designs and clearly reflected the shift towards catering to millennials and Gen Z, he said.

IIJS Premiere 2024 played a crucial role in boosting exports and expanding our global footprint. The presence of these international participants underscores the importance of IIJS as a premier platform for connecting with global markets and enhancing trade opportunities, he added.
Imagine youre about to invest in a promising new company making its public debut. The buzz is high, the potential seems enormous, and youre excited to jump in. But before you commit your hard-earned money, theres a critical document you need to reviewone that holds the key to understanding the companys true potential, risks, and plans. This document is your roadmap to making an informed investment decision, revealing everything from the companys financial health to the strategies of its top executives.

What Is A Red Herring Prospectus?

A Red Herring Prospectus (RHP) is a preliminary document filed by a company with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) when it intends to raise funds through an Initial Public Offering (IPO). This document provides potential investors with essential information about the companys business operations, financial status, risk factors, management, and details of the offering.

The term red herring refers to the fact that certain details, such as the price of the shares and the size of the issue, are not finalised or disclosed in this prospectus.

Key Components of a Red Herring Prospectus:

Company Overview: Description of the company, its history, and its business model.

Financial Statements: Audited financial data including balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements.

Risk Factors: Potential risks that could affect the companys business or the value of its shares.

Use of Proceeds: How the company plans to use the funds raised from the IPO.

Management: Details about the companys board of directors, key management personnel, and their compensation.

Legal and Regulatory Information: Information about any legal proceedings involving the company and compliance with regulations.

Promoter and Shareholding Patterns: Information about the promoters of the company and the shareholding structure.

Why You Must Read the RHP Before Investing in an IPO:

Informed Decision-Making: The RHP contains all the critical information you need to assess whether the company is a good investment. Understanding the companys business model, financial health, and risk factors can help you make an informed decision.

Risk Assessment: By reading the risk factors section, you can gauge the potential risks involved in investing in the IPO. This includes market risks, industry-specific risks, and company-specific risks.

Understanding Valuation: The RHP helps you understand the basis of the issue price, which is crucial in evaluating whether the IPO is fairly priced. Even though the exact price is not disclosed, the RHP provides sufficient information to make an educated guess about the valuation.

Use of Funds: Knowing how the company intends to use the proceeds from the IPO can help you determine whether the funds will be used for growth and expansion, debt repayment, or other purposes that align with your investment goals.

Promoters Intentions: The RHP includes information about the promoters and their shareholding in the company. Understanding the promoters intentions and their commitment to the company is crucial in evaluating the long-term prospects of the business.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance: The RHP includes details about any legal issues or regulatory non-compliance that might affect the companys operations. This is important in assessing the stability and credibility of the company.

In summary, reading the Red Herring Prospectus is essential for any investor considering participating in an IPO. It provides a comprehensive overview of the company and the investment, helping you make a well-informed decision.
Orient Technologies IPO: The initial public offering (IPO) of information technology solutions provider Orient Technologies Ltd was opened for public subscription on Wednesday, August 21. The price band of the IPO has been fixed at Rs 195-206 per share. Till 1:05 pm on the first day of bidding on Wednesday, the 215-crore IPO has received a 3.61 times subscription, garnering bids for 2,63,52,360 shares as against 72,97,670 shares on offer.

According to the latest data, the retail quota received a 6.12 times subscription, while the non-institutional investors category also got a 2.56 times subscription.

The Orient Technologies IPO will be closed on August 23. Its price band has been fixed at Rs 195-Rs 206 apiece. The share allotment will likely be finalised on August 26, while its listing will take place on the NSE and BSE on August 28.

Orient Technologies IPO GMP Today

According to market observers, unlisted shares of Orient Technologies Ltd are trading Rs 30 higher in the grey market than its issue price. The Rs 30 grey market premium or GMP means the grey market is expecting a 14.56 per cent listing gain from the public issue. The GMP is based on market sentiments and keeps changing.

Grey market premium indicates investors readiness to pay more than the issue price.

Orient Technologies IPO: Analysts Recommendations

Brokerage firm Master Capital Service Ltd in its IPO note said, Orient Technologies Limited expertise in developing IT products and solutions. The company offers wide range and diversified bouquet of products and services ranging from Data Centre Solutions to Cloud and Data Management Services. The company have recently ventured into Device as a service (DaaS). Under DaaS the company will provide desktops, laptops, tablets, printers, scanners, smartphones, and servers, bundled with software, along with managed services on a pay-per-use model i.e. on a subscription basis.

The company plans to expand geographic footprint and cater to a broader customer base globally. The company has already set up a branch in Singapore which is primarily engaged in the business of trading of computer equipment such as servers, storage and network devices. Investors looking to invest can invest in the IPO for medium to long term, it added.

Another brokerage firm Anand Rathi in its IPO note said, Orient Technologies is engaged in IT solutions and related services providing across the business verticals. OTLs business operations involves technologically advanced solutions for which the company collaborates with a wide range of technology partners including Dell International Services India Private Limited (Dell) and Fortinet, Inc. (Fortinet) and Nutanix Netherlands B.V. (Nutanix).

At the upper price band, the company is valuing at P/E of 20.7x with a market cap of Rs 8,580 million post issue of equity shares and a return on net worth of 27.2 per cent. On the valuation front, we believe that the company is fairly priced. Thus, we recommend a subscribe rating to the IPO, Anand Rathi stated.

Orient Technologies IPO: More Details

The initial public offering (IPO) is a combination of a fresh issue of Rs 120 crore and an offer for sale of up to 46 lakh equity shares valued at Rs 95 crore, at the upper end of the price band, by promoters. This aggregates the transaction size to Rs 215 crore.

Orient Technologies Ltd has fixed a price band of Rs 195-206 a share for its Rs 215-crore initial public offering.

Those offloading shares in the OFS are Ajay Baliram Sawant, Umesh Navnitlal Shah, Ujwal Arvind Mhatre, and Jayesh Manharlal Shah.

Proceeds from the fresh issue to the tune of Rs 79.65 crore will be used for funding capital expenditure requirements, Rs 10.35 crore for the acquisition of office premises at Navi Mumbai, and a portion will also be used for general corporate purposes.

Investors can bid for a minimum of 72 equity shares and in multiples thereof.

Over the years, the company has developed deep expertise in creating products and solutions for specialised disciplines across IT Infrastructure, IT Enabled Services (IteS), and Cloud and Data Management Services.

Orient Technologies has a diverse clientele spanning both public and private sectors, including industries like Banking, Financial Services, Insurance (BFSI), Information Technology (IT) & ITeS, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals.

It has clients such as Coal India, Mazagon Dock, DDcor, Jyothy Labs, ACG, Integreon, Bluechip, Tradebulls. The company primarily operates in India and has sales and services offices in cities across the country, including Navi Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai.

Additionally, it has a branch office in Singapore.

As of June 30, 2024, Orient Technologies order book stood at Rs 101.20 crore.

Orient Technologies revenue from operations during the fiscal year 2024 increased to Rs 602.89 crore from Rs 535.10 crore in the previous year and profit after tax rose to Rs 41.45 crore in fiscal 2024 from Rs 38.30 crore in fiscal 2023.

Elara Capital (India) Pvt Ltd is the sole book-running lead manager for the IPO. The equity shares are proposed to be listed on the BSE and NSE.
Stocks To Watch On August 21: The markets continued their upward momentum, gaining nearly half a percent on Tuesday. In todays trade, shares of Zomato, Cyient DLM, L&T, Petronet LNG, NHPC among others will be in focus due to various news developments.

PNB Housing Finance: According to reports, General Atlantic Singapore Fund FII Pte plans to divest a 5.1 per cent equity stake in PNB Housing Finance through a block deal, with a floor price of Rs 775 per share. The transaction is expected to total Rs 1,032.7 crore.

Exide Industries: Exide Industries has invested an additional Rs 75 crore in its subsidiary Exide Energy Solutions on a rights basis, bringing the total investment to Rs 2,652.24 crore. This investment does not alter the companys shareholding percentage in the subsidiary.

Larsen & Toubro: The Bombay High Court has quashed a show-cause notice issued by GST authorities to Larsen & Toubro. The notice related to a service tax demand of Rs 2,237 crore on an erstwhile subsidiary, for tax already paid post-demerger.

Reliance Industries: Reliance Jio added 1.91 million subscribers in June, a decrease from the 21.95 lakh added in May. The market share for Reliance Jio stood at 40.71 per cent as of June 2024.

Bharti Airtel: Bharti Airtel added 1.25 milion subscribers in June, slightly up from the 12.50 lakh added in the previous month. Its market share was 33.23 per cent as of June 2024.

Vodafone Idea: Vodafone Idea lost 0.86 million subscribers in June 2024, an improvement from the 9.24 lakh loss in May. The companys market share was 18.56 per cent as of June 2024.

Ola Electric Mobility: Olas scooters, S1 X 3 kWh and S1 X 4 kWh, have received certification under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for the automobile and auto components industry. Both models have met the 50 per cent localization criteria set by the Ministry of Heavy Industries.

Cyient DLM: Cyient is set to sell a 14.5 per cent stake, equating to 1.15 crore equity shares, in Cyient DLM through block deals on August 21. The deal, valued at Rs 860.9 crore, will have a floor price of Rs 748.65 per share. Following the transaction, Cyients stake in Cyient DLM will decrease from 66.66 per cent to 52.16 per cent.

Tata Chemicals: SES ESG Research has assigned Tata Chemicals an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Score of 69.4 (Grade B) based on FY24 data. The company did not engage SES for this rating, which was independently prepared from publicly available information.

GE T&D India: Promoters GE Grid Alliance BV and Grid Equipments are reviewing their shareholding structure in GE T&D India to simplify it. They are considering the possibility of a minority stake sale in the company.

Genus Power Infrastructures: Genus Power Infrastructures wholly-owned subsidiary has secured three Letters of Award (LOA) worth Rs 3,608.52 crore for advanced metering infrastructure services.

NHPC: A landslide at NHPCs 510 MW Teesta-V Power Station in Sikkim has affected the TRT gate hoist structure and part of the GIS building. The power station is currently non-operational and undergoing restoration following the October 2023 flash flood.

Shriram Finance: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved Mango Crest Investment Ltds acquisition of shareholding in Shriram Housing Finance Ltd.

Apollo Hospitals Enterprise: The CCI has approved the proposed combination involving Advents acquisition (through Rasmeli) in Apollo Healthco, Apollo Healthcos acquisition of Keimed, and the merger of Keimed into Apollo Healthco.

Indostar Capital Finance: A subsidiary of Indostar Capital Finance has been granted a Certificate of Registration by IRDAI to act as a Corporate Agent (Composite).

Weizmann: The company has approved a buyback of shares for an aggregate amount not exceeding Rs 5.84 crore at a price of Rs 160 per equity share.

Petronet LNG: Petronet LNG has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sri Lankas LTL Holdings to supply LNG to its dual-fuel power plants in Colombo. The LNG will be supplied from Petronets Kochi LNG terminal using ISO tank containers, with an initial five-year term extendable by mutual agreement.
With the announcement of the full Union Budget 2024-25, taxpayers in India are once again faced with the decision of choosing between the new tax regime and the old tax regime. Though the latest Budget has made the new tax regime more attractive, experts said it should still be seen on a case-by-case basis. Heres the comparison of the income tax slabs under the new and old tax regimes for FY 2024-25, and which is more beneficial for different types of taxpayers.

Here are the income tax slabs for FY 2024-25:

New Tax Regime (FY 2024-25)

The new tax regime, introduced in the Budget 2020, aims to simplify the tax structure by offering lower tax rates while eliminating most deductions and exemptions. Here are the revised income tax slabs under the new tax regime for FY 2024-25:

Income up to 3 lakh: Nil

3 lakh  7 lakh: 5%

7 lakh  10 lakh: 10%

10 lakh  12 lakh: 15%

12 lakh  15 lakh: 20%

Above 15 lakh: 30%

2. Old Tax Regime (FY 2024-25)

The old tax regime allows taxpayers to claim various deductions and exemptions, such as HRA, LTA, and Section 80C, among others. The income tax slabs under the old tax regime for FY 2024-25 are as follows:

Income up to 2.5 lakh: Nil

2.5 lakh  5 lakh: 5%

5 lakh  10 lakh: 20%

Above 10 lakh: 30%

New Tax Regime vs Old Tax Regime: Which is Beneficial for You?

1. For Low-Income Earners (Up to Rs 5 Lakh)

For individuals with an annual income of up to Rs 5 lakh, both regimes offer similar tax benefits due to the standard deduction under the old regime and the basic exemption limit in the new regime. However, the new tax regime might be slightly more advantageous due to its lower tax rates, a tax expert said.

2. For Middle-Income Earners (Rs 5 Lakh  Rs 10 Lakh)

Middle-income earners who have limited investments and do not claim multiple deductions might find the new tax regime more beneficial due to its lower tax rates. On the other hand, those who extensively utilize deductions under Section 80C, 80D, and HRA may save more under the old tax regime, he added.

3. For High-Income Earners (Above Rs 10 Lakh)

High-income earners who have significant investments and claim numerous deductions will likely benefit more from the old tax regime. The higher tax rates in the new regime may offset any savings made through lower tax rates if deductions are not claimed, the tax expert said.

4. For Salaried Individuals

Salaried individuals with substantial exemptions like HRA, standard deduction, and Section 80C investments may find the old tax regime more favorable. The new tax regime, although simpler, may not offer the same level of tax savings for those who maximise their deductions, he said.

The expert, however, added that if no or very less investments or deduction options are available, the new tax regime is beneficial for salaried individuals also, he added.

It is necessary to do a computation on both the regimes to conclude which regime is better for salaried individuals. However, for those who have no investments, the new tax regime is better, he said.

5. For Self-Employed Individuals

Self-employed individuals with fewer opportunities to claim deductions may find the new tax regime more appealing. The lower tax rates and simplified structure can lead to significant tax savings for those who do not have substantial investments in tax-saving instruments.

The choice between the new tax regime and the old tax regime for FY 2024-25 depends largely on the taxpayers income level, investment habits, and financial goals. While the new tax regime offers simplicity and lower rates, the old regime provides substantial savings through deductions and exemptions. Taxpayers should carefully evaluate their financial situation and consult a tax advisor if necessary to make the best decision, the tax expert said.
The UK government said that it has started supporting those affected by Tata Steel UKs decarbonisation process with the release of an initial 13.5 million (Rs 142.06 crore), which will also be available to affected workers to enable them to retrain or acquire new skills for the labour market.

A statement from the Welsh Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday said the funds from the Tata Steel/Port Talbot Transition Board fund will support local businesses that are heavily reliant on Tata Steel as a major customer and enable them to move to new markets and customers where appropriate.

At a meeting last week, the board discussed how the funds would be allocated, monitored and evaluated to ensure value for the taxpayer. This funding is an important step in supporting workers affected by the transition at Tata Steel and businesses in the wider supply chain, said Jonathan Reynolds, UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade.

We are working in partnership with unions and industry to ensure a green transition of the steel sector that benefits the economy, our talented workforce and local communities for generations to come, and our negotiations with Tata are ongoing, he said.

Last week, Tata Steel UKs transition committee was briefed on the companys decarbonisation project and how the company will support those affected.

Welsh Minister Jo Stevens announced that more than 50 companies have so far signed a pledge to support any workers forced to leave their jobs at the Port Talbot steelworks in Wales. Negotiations with Tata Steel over the future of the site will continue separately. But this Government will not wait for a crisis to befall us before acting. We will put a safety net in place now to ensure we can support workers and businesses whatever happens, Stevens said.

The steel industry is the lifeblood of Welsh communities, but so is supporting local businesses. What they offer will make a real difference to suppliers and employees, she said.

The Mumbai-headquartered steel giant, meanwhile, has been running an informal consultation process before Tata Steel UK submits a planning application for its new electric arc furnace, which is due to come online in late 2027.

What we are doing here is a massive transformation of the steelworks to low-carbon electric arc furnace production, which has implications for the whole community, Tata Steel UK chief executive Rajesh Nair said during a recent visit to Wales.

People want to know how this will affect their daily lives, in terms of dust, noise, etc. We have been able to explain to them how this new investment and new technology will make a significant difference, particularly on these environmental issues, Nair said.

The new furnace is designed to make steel using UK scrap as a feedstock. By restructuring our UK operations, we will be able to sustain the business during the transition to the new electric arc furnace technology, Tata Steel UK said previously. The new Labour government has pledged a reshuffle of the relationship between the devolved Welsh government and the DBT  with both being run by the Labour Party, unlike under the previous Conservative Party administration in Downing Street.
More than half of the students failing class 10 and 12 board exams in India in 2023 were majorly from six school boards  Madhya Pradesh (MP), Gujarat, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh (UP), Andhra Pradesh, and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)  findings from a study of the exam results of secondary and higher secondary education boards carried out by the union ministry of education (MoE) showed.

The analysis conducted by the school education department examined class 10 and 12 results of the total 59 existing school boards across the country, of which three are national-level boards while the remaining are state boards.

The study highlights that the student failure rate for class 10 at the central board is 6% while for state boards is 16%. For class 12, it is 12% at the central board and 18% at state boards.

According to the study, 56% of students remaining unsuccessful in class 10 board exams are majorly from MP, Gujarat, Bihar, UP, and Andhra Pradesh.

Those failing to clear class 12 board exams are also concentrated across five school boards  UP, MP, CBSE, Bihar, and Gujarat.

The MoE undertook this study in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which envisages standardising various school boards and providing a level playing field to all for national-level competitive entrance exams like JEE, NEET, and CUET, among others.

Of the 59 school boards, 41 are common boards for secondary and higher secondary while nine are standalone higher secondary boards [Andhra Pradesh, Assam (2), Kerala (2), Manipur, Odisha, West Bengal, and Telangana].

Six state boards follow their own syllabus (not NCERT)  Andhra Pradesh (AP), Odisha, Telangana, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.

The study highlighted the variation in the exam duration of these boards ranging between 8 days and 34 days for class 10 (Bihar- 8 days, CBSE- 34 days), and 10 days to 63 days for class 12 (Bihar- 10 days, CBSE- 49 days, Punjab Board- 63 days).

According to the ministry, until last year there were 60 school boards, but with the Karnataka government merging the SSLC Board and PU Board in 2023, the number came down to 59.

One of the biggest challenges in implementing NEP 2020 is working with 59 different school boards. For states at the bottom of the passing percentage and higher number of students failing in classes 10 and 12, we have referred the analysis to the states to come up with strategies to improve the existing scenario. We hope some of them like Karnataka will want to merge eventually, said Sanjay Kumar, secretary, school education, MoE.

Since education is a subject in the concurrent list, states are not bound to follow any of the central governments directives.

Number of students not clearing class 10, 12 remains high

According to the study, around 33.5 lakh class 10 students (5.5 lakh not appearing and 28 lakh failed) are not reaching class 11.

In class 12, around 32.4 lakh students (5.2 lakh not appearing and 27.2 lakh failed) are not completing the final stage of school.

This is one of the causes for low retention rate and Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at higher secondary level. Open schools are yet to pick up with only 4.2 lakh students enrolled, of whom 2 lakhs passed for class 10 while in case of class 12 only 6.5 lakh enrolled, 6.2 lakh appeared and 3.3 lakh passed (2.9 lakh failed), the report stated.

Out of the total class 10 pass-out students, 14% are from central boards and 86% from state boards. In the case of class 12, this figure stands at 12% from the central board and 88% from state boards.

There is a need to try innovative ways to retain students. For example, Andhra Pradesh (with effect from 2023) allowed failed students to repeat for one more year as regular students, the report said.

Number of girls opting for Science remains low

Results depict that more girls are opting for the Arts/Humanities stream, whereas the number of male students opting for the Science stream is higher.

According to data, 25.04% of girls opted for Science in 2023 while 29.8% of boys enrolled in it. This figure stood at 23.3% for girls in 2022 and 29.1% for boys.

The percentage of girls enrolling for Arts last year was 28.3% while for boys it was 21.12%. In 2022, the figure was 28.2% for girls and 21.8% for boys.

Notably, there are five school boards that are at the bottom with the least number of students enrolling in the Science stream, including Meghalaya (11.38%), Tripura (12.83%), West Bengal (14.61%), Nagaland (15.75%), and Punjab (16.35%), as per the report.

States with the highest number of Science students include Andhra Pradesh (77.97%), Manipur (68.43%), Tamil Nadu (65.94%), Telangana (65.05%), and UP (62.02%).

Disparity in performance of class 10, 12 within same boards

The study observed that there is a huge disparity between the performances of students of class 10 and 12 boards within the same state.

This is a strong case for converging to single boards and equivalence of curriculum and assessment, the report stated.

Data showed that the deviation in performance between class 10 and 12 board results widened in Odisha and West Bengal while it remained the same in Kerala. At the same time, in Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Manipur, this gap narrowed.

Gap in gender parity in privately-run schools

The analysis also showed that more girls registered and appeared in both secondary and higher secondary exams from government-managed schools, but it is the opposite in privately-run and government-aided schools. But, the number of boys in private schools is significantly higher.

The data points to gender parity in government-run schools, but a large gap in privately-run schools. However, despite the lower numbers, the overall performance of female students in private schools is better than that of the boys. This indicates that parents need to invest more in the girls education, who have been a socially disadvantaged group, and that given an opportunity they are faring better than the boys.
Osmania University has revised the dates for the Telangana State Eligibility Test (TS SET) 2024 to avoid a clash with the UGC NET exam. The TS SET will now be held on September 10, 11, 12, and 13, 2024, instead of the previously scheduled dates  August 28, 29, 30, and 31. Due to this rescheduling, the university will reopen the TS SET 2024 application correction window on August 23 and 24. Candidates who have already submitted their applications can make changes by logging in with their application number and password on the official website, telanganaset.org.

The admit cards for TS SET 2024 will be available on the website starting on September 2. It will feature important information, including the candidates name, roll number, exam date, time, location, photograph, and signature.

Candidates who are currently pursuing their Masters Degree or have appeared for their qualifying Masters Degree (final year) examination, with results still pending, are eligible to take the test. The TS SET 2024 will consist of two papers, each with objective-type questions, administered in a three-hour session. Paper I includes 50 compulsory questions, each worth two marks, designed to assess the candidates teaching and research abilities, reasoning skills, general knowledge, comprehension, and more. Paper II comprises 100 compulsory objective-type questions, also worth two marks each, focused on the candidates chosen subject and its related syllabus.

The TS SET is administered at the state level by Osmania University in Hyderabad, on behalf of the Telangana government. This test is designed to assess applicants eligibility for the positions of Assistant Professor and Lecturer in Telanganas universities and colleges. To pass the exam, candidates in the general category must score 40 per cent, while reserved category candidates must achieve at least 35 per cent.

Meanwhile, the National Testing Agency (NTA) plans to administer the UGC NET 2024 for the June session in computer-based test (CBT) mode for 83 courses starting today. The UGC NET June 2024 will continue until September 4. The test will be administered in two shifts. The first shift will begin at 9 AM and go until noon, while the second will run from 3 PM to 6 PM.
Press Release

August 21, 2024 Bong Go backs OVP's budget and programs, lauds VP Sara for genuine efforts to uplift lives and address needs of Filipinos Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, Vice Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, voiced his full support for the PHP2.037-billion proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) during a Senate budget deliberation held on Tuesday, August 20. In solidarity with his fellow Davaoeno public servant, Senator Go, in his manifestation speech, emphasized his confidence that the budget would significantly benefit Filipinos, particularly the underprivileged, citing his firsthand experience of Vice President Sara Duterte's dedication to public service, saying, "I can attest to the positive impact she has made on every community and the entire nation." "Sa mga nakaraang taon, nagkaroon ang OVP ng mga programang nagbibigay ng tunay na benepisyo po sa ating mamamayan. From medical assistance, to relief operations, educational support, pangkabuhayan programs at libreng sakay, among others," Go shared. In particular, Go cited that the Libreng Sakay Program of the OVP has already served more than 638,000 passengers in Metro Manila, Bacolod, Cebu and Davao in 2023 alone. The senator, in his own capacity, has supported VP Sara's Libreng Sakay Program by partnering with the OVP to further augment its free bus rides. "Meron pong pinahiram po sa akin na bus noong 2019, at ngayon po'y pinahiram din po natin ito sa OVP para po mas marami pang mga kababayan nating commuters ang makikinabang sa programang Libreng Sakay," he continued. The proposed budget, which has been submitted to the plenary after the Finance committee's approval, will support the continuation and expansion of key OVP programs. These include the popular "Libreng Sakay (Free Ride)" Program, Disaster Relief Operations, and the Pagbabago: A Million Learners and Trees Campaign, among others. Senator Go also expressed support for the introduction of two new initiatives next year--the "Educational Assistance Program" and the "Wheelchair Program"--which he believes will further extend the reach of the OVP's social services. Furthermore, the PHP2.037-billion budget will allow the OVP to maintain its satellite and extension offices, further enhancing its capacity to deliver services nationwide. "Bawat piso po'y napakahalaga po ito sa ating mga kababayang Pilipino, lalung-lalo na po yung mga mahihirap nating kababayan. Ang programang ito ay tunay na nakakatulong sa pagpapagaan sa kanilang araw-araw na pamumuhay, kaya mas lalo pa po dapat natin itong suportahan," Go added, noting that the Vice President's efforts resonate deeply with his own advocacies. With the backing of Senator Go and other members of the Senate, the proposed budget, according to Go, is poised to empower the OVP to continue making a difference in the lives of many Filipinos, especially those in need.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has signed a new agreement with India to promote collaboration and growth for small businesses in both countries.

Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the representative for Americas more than 34 million small businesses, announced a landmark agreement with Indias Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). This new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed on August 13 in New Delhi, marks the SBAs first formal collaboration with India and is set to enhance joint efforts in promoting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the global marketplace.

Key aspects of the agreement

Focus on Green Energy and Women Entrepreneurs: The MOU emphasizes integrating small businesses into the green energy transition and promoting womens entrepreneurship, reflecting a mutual commitment to fostering sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Joint Programming: Over the initial five-year term, the agreement will facilitate joint programming to share expertise on entrepreneurial training, access to capital, trade and export financing, and the use of technology and digital services to enhance global competitiveness. Business Matching Digital Platform: Both nations have agreed to explore the development of a Business Matching Digital Platform designed to create strategic partnerships and business opportunities between U.S. and Indian firms, further boosting small business engagement in international trade.

Strengthening ties

The MOU, signed on August 13 in New Delhi, marks a milestone in U.S.-India relations, building on discussions from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis state visit to the United States in 2023. During that visit, both Modi and President Biden underscored the critical role of MSMEs in driving economic growth and innovation.

The MOU is set to cover an initial five-year term, during which both countries will collaborate on implementing various programs and initiatives. These efforts will assist small businesses in navigating the complexities of the global economy, with the goal of fostering stronger and more inclusive economic growth in both the United States and India.

The United States-India partnership is grounded in shared values of democracy, freedom, and opportunity, and through our new MOU with the Indian Ministry of MSMEs, the SBA is delivering on President Biden and Prime Minister Modis outlined commitment to expanding our collaboration on empowering more small businesses and innovative startups in the global marketplace, said Administrator Guzman. From advancing technology to supporting inclusive growth for women and other underserved entrepreneurs, we look forward to working alongside our counterparts to ensure entrepreneurial ecosystems are at the center of both countries efforts to strengthen investment, commercialization, supply chains, and trade in industries of the future.

SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman highlighted the significance of the agreement: The United States-India partnership is rooted in our shared values of democracy, freedom, and opportunity. Through this new MOU, the SBA is advancing on President Biden and Prime Minister Modis commitment to expanding our collaboration. We aim to empower small businesses and startups, support technological advancements, and promote inclusive growth, especially for women and underserved entrepreneurs.

More here.

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The Election Commission has decided to keep a hawk eye on social media during the upcoming elections in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in an effort to nip rumours, fake news, and misinformation in the bud.

CNN-News18 has learnt that the J&K chief electoral officer (CEO) has sought the services of a private firm to monitor social media for a period of one month as elections are held in the union territory. The idea is to develop a rapid response mechanism to counter fake, prejudicial, or harmful misinformation on social media regarding elections, a document accessed by CNN-News18 says. The J&K elections are being considered very sensitive on the matter of security.

The document says rumours and hearsay-based controversies on social media need to be nipped in the bud and the effort will be to counter any unwarranted and baseless attacks on the credibility of Election Commission of India, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and sanctity of the electoral process. As per the details, all social media channels will be monitored for one month in all languages including Dogri, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, English, and Pahari.

The idea is also to avoid detrimental outcomes for election integrity, or public safety and security.

Various kinds of problematic content are on target:

False or fake information Content that is entirely fabricated, has a deceptive intent, or grossly distorted actual information.

Toxic information/hate speech Content that is inflammatory, insult, obscene, flirtation, profanity, threats, sexually explicit, attacks on commenters, and attacks on authors.

Unreliable information Content that originates from unreliable sources or content that requires further verification despite originating from reliable sources.

Artificial promotion Content that originates from bot-operated accounts.

Propaganda operations Content that represents and promotes sources which generate information that is shaped to purposefully foster a predetermined agenda.

Account impersonation Inauthentic actors (sock puppets) that could impersonate election officials or other federal, state, and local authorities.

AI eye

An artificial intelligence-based platform will also be built to identify, analyse, and disarm harmful disinformation at scale. The platform would define, triage, assess and respond early to problematic activity/content online before their harms are irreversible or become widespread, the document says.

Problematic content or activity is any information that can lead to significant real-world harm. Problematic actors are to be classified as individuals, organizations, and groups who, with varying levels of intent and frequency, publish, share, and engage with problematic content, the document adds.

The agency will do realtime daily monitoring of top social media platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, etc and monitor any kind of comment or information related to the Election Commission, press releases, model code of conduct violations, campaigns, and any adverse publicity related to the election process, etc.

Why the need?

In the past, there have been instances wherein misinformed/disinformation and baseless aspersions have been cast on the credibility of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and the Election Process through various portals including Social Media platforms, which not only raises unnecessary doubts about the integrity of the election process, but also misguides the general public, the document accessed by CNN-News18 says. It has also been observed that there is a considerable time lag in the escalation of such issues to the Election Commission of India (ECI), which results in snowballing of controversies. Such rumors and hearsay-based controversies can be easily nipped in the bud through quick response and timely clarification of facts.

The EC wants to purposefully and timely respond to prejudicial or misinformed reporting/posts at the very outset through a proactive communication strategy. It will counter any unwarranted and baseless attacks by transparently and accurately coming out with facts and clarifications in the matter and rebutting the misinformation in its nascent stage.

Jammu and Kashmir will vote in three phases on September 18, September 25 and October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 4.
The Allahabad High Court had asked the Uttar Pradesh government to re-release a fresh list of 69,000 candidates selected for the post of assistant teacher through the Assistant Teacher Recruitment Examination (ATRE).

The high court had recently set aside the selection lists issued on June 1, 2020 and January 5, 2022 by the UP government. The exams held in 2019 got stuck in controversy over anomalies in reserved seats.

The high court asked the state government to rectify irregularities in applying reservations in appointments.

What were the Complaints?

Some reserved candidates had pointed out discrepancies in the reservation policy. They said despite securing more marks than the cut-off for general candidates, they were not considered for recruitment under the general posts.

They alleged that reserved seat students were not given their due representation as per the quota policy, and instead more than 50% of the general category candidates were selected.

The Meritorious Reserved Category (MRC) candidates were placed in the reserved category instead of being placed in the general category. This was against Section 3(6) of the Reservation Act, 1994, which provides that reserved category candidates who score equal to general candidates are to be mandatorily selected/appointed on the unreserved vacancies.

According to candidates who challenged the recruitment, candidates from the Other Backward Class (OBC) were given 3.86% reservation against the mandated 27%, while Scheduled Caste candidates were represented in 16.2% of posts instead of 21%.

Several protests were held in Uttar Pradesh since 2020 over the exam process. There was a prolonged protest in Lucknow by OBC and Dalit candidates waiting for their appointments. They alleged that they were being deprived of jobs as part of a scam.

In 2021, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath met protesting students and directed the Basic Education Department officials to find a swift and fair solution.

What Did the Allahabad High Court Do?

Several candidates had filed petitions on the selection lists being published without declaring category-wise details of the marks obtained by candidates.

During the hearing in the high court, the state government filed several affidavits. It later issued a press statement admitting that the Reservation Act, 1994, could not be properly followed in this case. Therefore, it issued a fresh selection list on January 5, 2022, making 6,800 more appointments from amongst the reserved category candidates. However, this decision was stalled by the Allahabad HC.

But in an order passed on March 13, 2023, a single-judge bench of the Allahabad HC set aside the earlier lists of selected candidates. The matter again reached the high court through several petitions on April 17, 2023, challenging the March 13 order.

On August 13, 2024, the Allahabad High Court asked the state government to implement the reservation policy  after preparing the fresh lists of 69,000 candidates  as envisaged under Section 3 (6) of the Uttar Pradesh Public Services (Reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes) Act, 1994.

A division bench of Justices Brij Raj Singh and Attau Rahman Masoodi, hearing a bunch of no less than 91 appeal petitions, ruled that if a reserved category candidate acquires marks equivalent to the merit prescribed for the general category, then the MRC candidate shall be migrated to the general category.

What are the Implications of the Ruling?

The court stressed that if any assistant teacher deployed based on earlier lists is affected by this action, they shall be allowed to continue their jobs through the current academic session so that the students may not suffer.

This means that the recruitment process will be done afresh and that the teachers deployed based on earlier orders stand to lose their jobs.

The appeals challenged the order of the single-judge bench, which had in March 2023 ruled that candidates who benefited from reservations in the Teacher Eligibility Test should not be considered under the general category even if they scored marks as per the cut-off for the general category.

What are the Political Implications?

Although the Yogi Adityanath government on the evening of August 18 indicated it would follow the high courts directions and not challenge them in the Supreme Court, just three weeks earlier, the CM himself had termed the protests by the candidates as a conspiracy of the opposition Samajwadi Party.

During a meeting with officials of Basic Education Department, Adityanath said, The government is of the clear opinion that the benefit of the reservation facility provided by the Constitution should be available to all the candidates of the reserved category and no injustice should be done to any candidate, as quoted by The Indian Express.

Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday that the Allahabad HCs decision was a befitting reply to the conspiracies of the BJP government which is playing with the reservation system.

Meanwhile, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Mauryas comments were also a part of a conspiracy to mislead the candidates through doublespeak by the government. First, he was himself involved with the government in usurping the rights of reservation and when the youth fought against him and secured justice after a long struggle, he came forward to prove himself as sympathetic, said Yadav on X on August 18.

OBCs form around 50% of Uttar Pradeshs population. And it seems that in the recent Lok Sabha elections, many OBC communities shifted their votes to the Opposition INDIA bloc.

What was ATRE?

The Assistant Teachers Recruitment Examination was held on January 5, 2019. Some 4.31 lakh candidates applied for the examination, of which, 4.10 lakh appeared for it. The results were declared on May 12, 2020, where 1.46 lakh candidates had qualified. The cut-off was fixed at 67.11% for unreserved or general category candidates, 66.73% for OBC candidates and 61.01% for SC candidates.

On June 1, 2020, the Secretary of the Basic Education Board, Allahabad, delineated the recruitment process. Two lists of selected candidates  one dated October 11, 2020, for 31,277 candidates and another dated October 30, 2020, for 36,590 candidates  were then issued, totalling 67,867 of the 69,000 posts, as per an Indian Express report.

Around 1,133 posts for ST candidates were shown lying vacant due to non-availability of candidates from the category.
Ukrainian forces daring act by destroying two key bridges in Russias Kursk region has further escalated the cross-border tensions between the countries who have been on a war since February 2022.

The destruction of another bridge in the same region just days before indicates Ukraines strategic move to cripple Russian supply lines and solidify its position in the area.

Pro-Kremlin military bloggers acknowledged the destruction of the first bridge on the Seim River near the town of Glushkovo will impede deliveries of supplies to Russian forces repelling Ukraines incursion, although Moscow could still use pontoons and smaller bridges. Ukraines air force chief, Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk, on Friday released a video of an airstrike that cut the bridge in two.

The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed the destruction of the second bridge across the Seim River. Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk shared a video on Telegram, declaring, Minus one more bridge! He stated that the air force continues to deprive the enemy of its logistical capabilities with accurate airstrikes, which significantly affects the course of hostilities.

Why is Ukraine Doing So?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, It is now our primary task in defensive operations overall: to destroy as much Russian war potential as possible and conduct maximum counteroffensive actions. This includes creating a buffer zone on the aggressors territory - our operation in the Kursk region, he said in his address.

The incursion, which began on August 6, has seen Ukrainian forces advance deep into Russian territory, capturing several villages and taking hundreds of prisoners. According to the Ukraines army chief, the operation has allowed Ukrainian forces to advance over 1,000 square kilometres into the Kursk region.

The Need to Create Buffer Zone

Both Ukrainian and Russian presidents have stressed the need to create buffer zones. Russian President Vladimir Putin said while visiting China in May that Moscows offensive that month in Ukraines northeastern Kharkiv region was aimed at creating a buffer zone there.

That offensive opened a new front and displaced thousands of Ukrainians. The attacks were a response to Ukrainian shelling of Russias Belgorod region, Putin said.

I have said publicly that if it continues, we will be forced to create a security zone, a sanitary zone, he said. Thats what we are doing.

Although the success of Ukraines offensive in Kursk has bolstered the morale of its forces, analysts believe Ukraines gains inside Russia would be risky, given Kyivs limited resources, because its own supply lines extending deep into Kursk would be vulnerable.

Despite these risks, the operation has shown that Kyiv is willing to push deep into enemy territory to achieve its strategic objectives.

Why Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is a concern?

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi urged maximum restraint from all sides after an IAEA team at the plant reported an explosive carried by a drone detonated just outside its protected area.

According to Grossi, the impact was close to the essential water sprinkle ponds and about 100 meters (100 yards) from the only power line supplying the plant. The IAEA team at the plant has reported intense military activity in the surrounding area in the past week, it said.

Kyiv and Moscow have traded blame for attacks near the power plant since it was captured by Russian forces early in the 2022 invasion, including a fire at the facility last weekend.

What Next?

Zelenskyy has urged Kyivs allies to lift remaining restrictions on using Western weapons to attack targets deeper in Russia, including in Kursk, saying his troops could deprive Moscow of any ability to advance and cause destruction if granted sufficient long-range capabilities.

Ukraines leaders have repeatedly sought authorization for long-range strikes on Russian air bases and other infrastructure used to pummel Ukraines energy facilities and other civilian targets, including with retrofitted Soviet-era glide bombs attacking Ukraines industrial east in recent months.

Russia launched its third ballistic missile attack on Kyiv this month on Sunday, but reports suggest that most of the missiles were intercepted before reaching their targets, according to the Ukrainian capitals military administration.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Putin, has massed nearly a third of his countrys army along the border with Ukraine. In an interview of Russia state television, he warned that Ukraines actions could provoke Russia into using nuclear weapons, a threat that has loomed over the conflict since its inception.

(with inputs from Associated Press)
Badlapur saw chaotic scenes on Tuesday as the anger over the sexual assault of two four-year-old kindergarten students on the school premises led to 10-hour protests at the spot and railway station, bringing train services to a halt and leading the police to forcibly remove the protesters from the tracks.

What caused the anger to boil over? While most protesters demanded capital punishment for the arrested accused, the insensitivity of the police  there were claims that the girls parents were made to wait for around 11 hours  triggered fears of a cover-up, thus causing the outrage.

ALSO READ | Badlapur Sexual Assault: Child Rights Panel To Send Team, Minister To Meet Schoolgirls Families | Updates

The protest, which culminated in a police lathi charge, highlighted the growing anger in the community over the handling of the case. Despite the suspension of three police officials for delaying the filing of the First Information Report (FIR), the incident has sparked a broader discussion about the urgent need to train and sensitise police personnel to handle such sensitive matters.

THE DELAY: TIMING KEY TO GATHER EVIDENCE

According to the FIR, the incident took place between 9 am and 12 pm on August 13. The parents of the two girls took them to a doctor, got in touch, and informed the police about the incident on August 16. They alleged the FIR was filed 11 hours later  around 9 pm on August 16.

The accused cleaning staff member, Akshay Shinde, 23, was arrested on August 17 for allegedly abusing the girls in the school toilet. The school management has suspended the principal, a class teacher and a female attendant.

Senior advocate Jayesh Vani warned that the delay in registering a case could have serious consequences. In cases like these, circumstantial and medical evidence are crucial. But because the complaint was lodged so late, it will be difficult to gather medical evidence. The delay also gave the accused a chance to destroy important circumstantial evidence at the crime scene. Without CCTV footage, it will be a major challenge for the police to build a strong case," he said.

ALSO READ | Badlapur School Sexual Abuse Case: Maharashtra Govt Suspends Three Cops

Some even suggest that the police may have initially tried to protect the school management. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chief Priyank Kanoongo expressed strong disapproval of how the case was handled. The schools attitude was insensitive. They tried to suppress the case, and the police failed to register an FIR in time. A team from NCPCR will be sent to the spot," said Kanoongo.

An editorial in Shiv Sena UBTs mouthpiece Saamana also raised serious concerns, questioning the delay and speculating whether it was done to protect someone connected to the school, possibly due to political influence. The editorial hinted that as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member is associated with the school, the delay in registering the case might have been intentional.

NOT THE FIRST TIME

This case is the latest in a series of incidents that have put the Maharashtra Police Department under scrutiny. Recently, the police department was criticised for protecting the accused in a hit-and-run case in Pune.

The communitys demand for justice remains loud and clear, as the Maharashtra Police face growing pressure to ensure that such mishandling never happens again.
The national capital is likely to face major transportation issues for the next two days as auto and taxi driver unions in Delhi-NCR have announced a strike from Thursday to protest against app-based cab services Ola and Uber. The strike by auto and taxi drivers on August 22 and 23, is organised by over 15 unions from Delhi-NCR.

The strike call was given auto-taxi unions to protest against the adverse effects of app-based cab services on their livelihoods as these services have significantly reduced their earnings.

The Unions claimed that despite raising concerns, neither the central nor the state governments have taken any action to address the issue.

Why The Strike?

For several years, we have been writing to governments and departments about companies like Ola and Uber, but no one listens. These companies present their side, and the government presents its side, but these businesses operate as a game of donations, with the government also involved. We demand an end to this game,  President of Delhi Auto Taxi Transport Congress Union Kishan Verma was quoted as saying by news agency IANS.

Employment for auto and taxi drivers, which is being affected or taken away, must be addressed. Private Ola and Uber taxis are involved in smuggling, and there is also trade in alcohol and drugs. To address these issues, we are going on strike. The organisation has decided that on August 22 and 23, all auto and taxi services in Delhi NCR will be suspended, he added.

The Delhi Auto Taxi Transport Congress Union president further stated that the ride-hailing services companies are taking 45 percent commission. We are not getting anything. E-rickshaw and bikes with private number plates are plying on roads. Where will auto and taxi drivers go? We expect a ban on these companies and an app should by launched by the government, he said.

Auto, kaali-peeli taxi, economic radio taxi, and taxis with all India tourist permit will not be seen on the roads of Delhi during the strike, he informed.
The Bombay High Court has taken a suo motu cognizance of the violent protests over the sexual assault of two kindergarten students in Badlapur area in Maharashtras Thane district.

A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Prithviraj Chavan will be hearing the matter on Thursday, Live Law reported.

Earlier on Wednesday, a local court extended till August 26 the police custody of the man arrested for allegedly sexually abusing two girls at a school in Badlapur town in Thane district.

The accused, an attendant at the school, was produced before a magistrate at Kalyan in Thane district amid elaborate security arrangements.

Internet services at Badlapur in Maharashtras Thane district were suspended on Wednesday a day after a massive protest over alleged sexual abuse of two kindergarten girls. As many as 72 persons have been arrested in connection with the violence during the stir, officials said.

At least 17 city police personnel and around eight railway cops were injured in the incidents of stone-pelting at the railway station and other parts of Badlapur during the protest on Tuesday, they said.

Police have been deployed in large numbers across Badlapur to maintain law and order, and the situation in the town is back to normal.

Entire Badlapur town virtually came to a standstill on Tuesday after thousands of protesters blocked railway tracks at the station and stormed the school building, where sexual abuse of two girls by the school sweeper took place last week.

The protesters hurled stones at police personnel and vandalised the school building during the protest. The police cane-charged the protesters to disperse them and clear the tracks for train movement.

Commissioner of Government Railway Police (GRP) Ravindra Shisve said one FIR has been registered in connection with the violence at Badlapur railway station and 32 persons have been arrested.

Seven to eight railway police personnel, including officials, were injured in the stone-pelting, he said.

The situation is normal and under control today, he said.

(With PTI inputs)
The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday (August 21) said the authorities should provide proper security cover at the residence of Dr Sandip Ghosh, the former RG Kar principal being quizzed by the CBI in connection with the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the hospital.

The order came after his family members reached out to the court stating that they were not feeling secure inside their own house, as a large number of people were gathering outside.

Ghosh, who resigned two days after the woman doctors body was found in a seminar hall of the medical facility on August 9, has already appeared before CBI sleuths for questioning several times. The agency now wants to conduct a polygraph test on him.

Officers have put forth various questions to Ghosh in the last few days, including specifying his role after getting the news of the doctors death, who he had contacted thereafter and why he allegedly made the parents wait for nearly three hours before getting to see her body. He has also been quizzed over the authorisation of renovation of rooms adjacent to the seminar hall of the RG Kar hospital, after the body was discovered there.

The CBI took over the probe into the trainee doctors rape-murder from the Kolkata Police last week upon directions of the Calcutta HC.
A day after the Supreme Court ordered the deployment of CISF at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, a team of the central paramilitary force on Wednesday visited the state-run medical establishment and inspected the security arrangements.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) team led by a senior officer reached the hospital in the morning. They talked to the local police and hospital authorities about the security arrangements, an official said.

#WATCH | RG Kar Medical College & Hospital murder and rape case | DIG CISF K Pratap Singh says, Let us do our job. We have come here for some assignment. I am doing my job which has been mandated by the higher authorities pic.twitter.com/hxm7cbdmAp ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2024

The body of a postgraduate trainee doctor, who was allegedly raped and murdered, was found in the seminar room of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, triggering nationwide outrage. A civic volunteer was arrested in connection with the case the next day.

A mob entered the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and vandalised the emergency department, nursing station, and medicine store, while also damaging CCTV cameras in the early hours of August 15.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered deployment of CISF at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital to enable doctors to resume work.

In the aftermath of the brutal incident and the demonstrations which followed, the state government was expected to ensure the deployment of the state machinery to prevent a breach of law and order.

It was all the more necessary to do so since investigation of the crime which took place in the precincts of the hospital was underway. We are unable to comprehend how the state was not prepared to deal with the incident of vandalisation of the premises of the hospital, the top court said.
A day after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday summoned Kolkata Polices ASI Anup Dutta, Union minister and West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar on Wednesday questioned his close relationship with the Kolkata postgraduate trainee doctor rape-murder accused Sanjay Roy.

The Union minister also shared some photos of Dutta and Roy together at a gathering that he claimed was of ruling TMC at South Dinajpur.

Not just a champion in running, but also in party connections! Engaged in a gathering with TMC leaders of South Dinajpur are none other than Kolkata Polices notable ASI Anup Dutta, alongside Civic Volunteer Sanjay! Majumdar wrote on X.

He further raised questions on the safety and dignity of women in the state and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Not just a champion in running, but also in party connections!Engaged in a gathering with TMC leaders of South Dinajpur are none other than Kolkata Polices notable ASI Anup Dutta, alongside Civic Volunteer Sanjay! pic.twitter.com/xU5jkvUZ5o  Dr. Sukanta Majumdar (@DrSukantaBJP) August 21, 2024

According to the sources, Arun Dutta reportedly arranged for a bed for Sanjay Roy inside 4 Battalion Barrack going against the rules. He also helped Roy procure a motorbike for daily travel.

It has been learnt the CBI after scrutinising Roys call records found that he called Dutta on August 9, the day the body of the trainee doctor was recovered from the hospital.

Sources revealed that the central agency is also probing the angle if Dutta helped the accused Sanjay Roy destroy evidence or escape in any way? The agency was is also investigating if Dutta was aware of the crime.

CBI Summons ASI Anup Dutta

CBI on Tuesday summoned ASI Anup Dutta, an alleged associate of the arrested accused Sanjay Roy in connection with the rape and murder of a 31-year-old PG trainee doctor in Kolkatas RG Kar MCH on August 9.

As per reports, Roy joined Kolkata Polices disaster management group as a volunteer in 2019 but later transferred to the police welfare cell. He then moved to the police outpost at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and had access to all departments.

Despite not being a regular cop, Roy would introduce himself as a Kolkata Police personnel and roam in t-shirt with KP (Kolkata Police) written on it. His bike too had a KP tag. He often used his contacts to stay at the police barracks. Many other civic volunteers thought he was actually a cop, reports said.
Two Assistant Commissioners and an Inspector have been suspended by the Kolkata Police over dereliction of duty in connection with the vandalism at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 14 night as they were on duty at the medical facility when a group of around 40-50 miscreants ransacked and vandalised the Emergency Department of state-run medical facility.

A departmental inquiry has also been initiated against ACPs Shakir Uddin Sardar, Ramesh Shah Chowdhury, and inspector Rakesh Minz.

The suspension decision came hours after the Supreme Court lambasted the Kolkata police on their inability and role in combating the vandalism.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the case, the top court said this incident raises systematic issue regarding safety of doctor across India. A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, which had taken cognisance of the incident, said if women are not able to go to work and working conditions are not safe, we are denying them equality.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said West Bengal should not be in denial mode and there was a complete failure of law and order in state. He said a mob of 7,000 people cannot enter the hospital without knowledge of the Kolkata Police.

The Supreme Court has also constituted a 10-member task force to formulate a national protocol for ensuring safety and facilities for the doctors across the country. The task force will submit its interim report within three weeks and the final report within two months.

The protesting students and medical fraternity had complained that the cops posted at the hospital premises remained mute spectators while the vandalism by the outsiders was going on.

Meanwhile, the police claimed to have identified 1,000 men and women who were allegedly involved in the vandalism. Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal on August 16 admitted flaws on the part of his forces on that night. He admitted that the police could not apprehend that the peaceful agitation would suddenly become violent in front of R.G. Kar.

That was our mistake. After the Deputy Commissioner (north) got injured being hit on his head, our forces personnel got disoriented and took time to recover. The police personnel also got injured. If you want to call it our failure, you can do that, the Commissioner had said.

The case pertains to rape and murder of a second year PG student in Kolkatas RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. Amid the ongoing protests, some miscreants entered the premises of state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and vandalised portions of the medical facility, where the body of the victim was found.

On August 13, Calcutta High Court ordered the transfer of the probe from the Kolkata Police to the CBI, which started its investigation on August 14. The high court ordered the transfer of the probe to the CBI while hearing petitions, including one moved by the victims parents praying for a court-monitored probe.

(With inputs from agencies)
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Amid the ongoing outrage of doctors over the rape and murder case of their fellow colleague in Kolkatas RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, former Solicitor General of India Harish Salve in conversation with News18 highlighted the role of police and civil service in a democracy.

Talking about the role of free police, Salve said, There was a time when the police was free of politics. Civil service and police are the two institutions that are vital for democracy.

#Exclusive | Civil service & police are two vital institutions for democracy. Police has become a tool for political class, it is dangerous. If educated class loses trust in institutions, it is a threat: @harishsalvee, Fmr SG#KolkataDoctorDeath #TheHardFacts | @RShivshankar pic.twitter.com/4IlMmodGUe News18 (@CNNnews18) August 21, 2024

Raising concern over the ongoing doctors protest, the former Solicitor General of India asserted, Our doctors are not hooligans or trade unions. We all know what it takes to become a doctor. They gave their blood and sweat to become a doctor and if this educated class loses faith in the institution of Democracy that is a threat to the Constitution.

A federal government will fail if it allows one state government to go rogue where the law and order ends in that state. In-depth investigation is required to find out who was calling the shots, he added.

#Exclusive | A federal govt will fail if it allows one state govt to go rogue where the law and order ends in that state. In-depth investigation is required to find out who was calling the shots: @harishsalvee, Fmr SG#KolkataDoctorDeath #TheHardFacts | @RShivshankar pic.twitter.com/I71mbUzhP2 News18 (@CNNnews18) August 21, 2024

Doctors On Strike, SC Forms Panel On Safety of Medics

Junior doctors at government hospitals in several states across the country remained off duty disrupting OPD and elective services as major doctors associations on Tuesday decided against calling off their indefinite strike over the alleged rape and murder of a medic in Kolkata.

The protest continued even as the Supreme Court intervened in the matter and constituted a 10-member National Task Force (NTF) to formulate a protocol for ensuring the safety and security of doctors and other healthcare professionals.

The apex court also requested the protesting doctors to end the strike, saying abstention from the work of doctors affects those segments of the society that are in need of medical care.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday embarked on a two-nation state visit to Poland and Ukraine.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the prime minister will first visit Poland from August 21 to 22 and then will head to Kyiv on August 23.

In his departure statement, PM Modi hailed the diplomatic ties between India and Poland. My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe. Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship. I look forward to meeting my friend Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda to further advance our partnership, he said.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi emplanes for Warsaw, Poland.PM Modi will be on a two-day official visit to Poland. This will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Poland in the past 45 years. (Source: PMO) pic.twitter.com/5kqN5HTQBf  ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2024

He is also scheduled to address the Indian community at a program in Warsaw on Wednesday evening.

Leaving for Warsaw. This visit to Poland comes at a special time- when we are marking 70 years of diplomatic ties between our nations. India cherishes the deep rooted friendship with Poland. This is further cemented by a commitment to democracy and pluralism.I will hold talks  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 21, 2024

The external affairs ministrys secretary (West) Tanmaya Lal said that PM Modi during his visit will hold meetings with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk. He will also meet the Polish president Andrzej Duda and the Indian community. Modi will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Warsaw. He will also interact with business leaders and prominent ecologists during the visit.

Modi, who was recently got elected for a third successive term, is the first prime minister after Morarji Desai to visit Poland after 45 years.

From Poland, the prime minister would visit Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelensky, which is currently in war with Russia.

It will be the first visit to Ukraine by an Indian prime minister since diplomatic ties were established between the two countries 30 years ago. Modis visit comes at a time when Kyiv has carried out a fresh military offensive into the Russian territory.

I will be visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President @ZelenskyyUa. This visit will be an opportunity to build on the earlier discussions with him and deepening the India-Ukraine friendship. We will also share perspectives on the peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 21, 2024

I will be visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine. I look forward to the opportunity to build upon earlier conversations with President Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict. As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region, he said.

Modi had met Zelensky along the sidelines of G7 summit in June this year. During the interaction, the prime minister had said that India continues to encourage a peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, and New Delhi will continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution.
PM Modi Asks Diaspora Indians To Inspire 5 Polish Families Per Year To Visit India PM Modi tells members of the Indian diaspora to become brand ambassadors of India.

Donald Tusk A Good Friend Of India: PM PM Modi says counterpart Donald Tusk is a good friend of India and recalls his interactions with the Tusk when he was the President of the European Council.

India Working To Become Developed Nation And Net Zero Nation Together: PM PM Modi says India is an advocate for mixing ethanol with petrol and said a large number of electric vehicles (EVs) are being sold in India. He says India will become a major green hydrogen hub. India and Poland continue to partner in these sector, he said.

PM Modi Says India And Poland Agreed On Social Security Agreement PM Modi tells Indian diaspora will benefit from the social security agreement as he announces that New Delhi and Warsaw have agreed on a social security arrangement.

After Make In India, There Will Soon Be Heal In India: PM PM Modi said India will soon become a quality healthcare provider.

We Are Working To Make India A Major Education, Research And Innovation Hub: PM PM Modi said India has taken the responsibility to upskill its youth.

India Working To Build Its Own Space Station: PM PM Modi says Indian astronauts will go to outer space in Made In India Gaganyaans.

Indias AI Market To Grow At 30-35%: PM Modi PM Modi also highlighted that India has taken major initiatives in the fields of green hydrogen, semiconductors and artificial intelligence.

India On Track To Become World's Third-Largest Economy: PM Every global agency is predicting Indias bright future on the basis of data (collected). India will soon become the worlds third largest economy, PM Modi in Warsaw.

Whenever India Takes A Step Towards Development, It Makes A Record: PM PM Modi highlights that India recently sent 100 satellites in single flight. He also said the anniversary of Chandrayaan sending a rover on the south pole of the Moon is nearing.

Indias Broadband Users Larger Than EU, US Population Combined: PM PM Modi also points out that 7 lakh kilometres of optical fibre cable has been laid down. He adds that India has ensured 5G access for its citizens and now focus is on Make In India 6G.

Financial Inclusion Has Been Taken To New Levels, 500 Million Jan Dhan Accounts Opened: PM PM Modi said the amount of people in India who have Jan Dhan accounts is larger than the population of the European Union (EU).

Financial Inclusion Has Been Taken To New Levels, 500 Million Jan Dhan Accounts Opened: PM PM Modi said the amount of people in India who have Jan Dhan accounts is larger than the population of the European Union (EU).

In Last Decade, India Lifted 250 Million People Lifted Out Of Poverty: PM PM Modi says the number of people who were lifted out of poverty in India is larger than the population of UK, Germany and France combined.

PM Modi In Awe Of Polands Kabaddi Success PM Modi highlights how Poland has adopted the Indian game of Kabaddi and emerged as continental champions. Poland won the European Championships 2019 in Glasgow defeating Holland.

Whenever There Is War Happening, India Says Humanity First: PM Modi Without naming the ongoing 2022 Russo-Ukrainian war, PM Modi says India always advocates for peace whenever a war breaks out in any region of the world.

PM Modi Says India Known For Its Empathy, Humanity First Approach PM Modi says during Covid-19 India showed that it has a empathy and humanity first approach towards any crises.

India Wants Lasting Peace In Region, This Is Not An Era Of War: PM Modi Prime Minister Modi says India has always advocated for peace in the region and said this is not an era of war and called for lasting peace in the region.

PM Modi Reflects On How Kolhapurs Royal Family Also Gave Shelter To Polish Refugees Kolhapurs royal family also gave refuge to Polish women and children, PM Modi said.
Amid the ongoing outrage over the Kolkata doctors rape and murder case, the new principal of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital Suhrita Pal, the HOD of the Chest Department and one Assistant Superintendent were removed from their posts on the students demand by West Bengal Health Department.

Soon after the removal of Suhrita Ghosh, Manas Bandopadhaye was appointed as the new principal of RG Kar Medical College.

In addition to this, the Health Department also removed ex-principal Sandip Ghoshs appointment as the principal of Calcutta National Medical College. Notably, Ghosh is currently being probed by the CBI for his mishandling of the rape case.

Trouble Mounts For Sandip Ghosh

Trouble mounted for Sandip Ghosh as he was appointed as the principal of the National Medical College immediately after his resignation. Following the state governments decision to appoint Ghosh as the principal of another college after his resignation, a massive row erupted with reports claiming that Ghosh was involved in unethical practices.

The West Bengal governments formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate financial irregularities at RG Kar has been criticised by the BJP as an attempt to shield Ghosh.

Kolkata Horror

Massive outrage erupted in Kolkata after a post-graduate trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. The victims family has alleged that she was raped and murdered. This incident has triggered a nationwide protest by doctors and medical fraternities.
Gujarat-based semiconductor company Suchi Semicon is set to inaugurate the states first Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facility in Surat this November, marking a critical advancement for Indias semiconductor ecosystem. The plant is expected to create about 1,200 jobs, focusing on advanced semiconductor assembly and testing.

The Surat facility, spanning an initial 30,000 square feet, will feature Class 10k and 100k cleanroom facilities. As part of its broader strategy, Suchi Semicon has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of Gujarat to promote job creation and economic development in the region.

Established in 2023, Suchi Semicon aims to bridge the critical gap in Indias semiconductor supply chain. In an exclusive conversation with News18, company executives revealed that government support has been pivotal. The state of Gujarat is contributing incentives equivalent to 20 per cent of the project cost. The state government has already sanctioned our project, said a representative from Suchi Semicon.

The company has also applied for approval under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), which could provide a 50 per cent subsidy for capital expenditure. If our project gets approval from the central government under the ISM scheme, we will receive a 50 per cent subsidy. We have already applied for the same, added the executive.

Suchi Semicon has formed strategic collaborations with Gujarat Technological University and SVNIT to cultivate a skilled workforce for their Surat plant. The companys core technical team is currently based in Malaysia, but the focus will now shift to recruiting and training Indian talent.

For the first phase, we are looking to employ around 100 people. However, for the entire project, we aim to create jobs for between 700 and 1,200 people, the executive mentioned. The plant will be developed over five phases, spanning more than three years, with hiring to follow the same phased approach.

Discussing the broader semiconductor landscape in India, Suchi Semicon executives pointed out the existing gap. In India, designing plays a major role; India is the design hub. But after that, the supply chain stops, the executive noted.

They added that while companies like Tata are working on fabrication, the next step in completing the supply chain is OSAT services, which handle further processes in the semiconductor sector. Fab is a high-capex and complex project, and one fab can cater to 20 OSATs. OSAT, in comparison, is a simpler project, though still complex by general industry standards. This is where we want to fill the gap and help make the whole ecosystem self-reliant, they explained.

Technological advancements are at the core of Suchi Semicons strategy. The company is adopting a customer-centric approach by focusing on two types of products: legacy discrete products and advanced power devices. Our first product is discrete, which is a very simple, legacy product used in everything from laptops to LED bulbs. But in phase two, we will diversify into power devices, which have significant potential in automotive applications, the executive shared.

Suchi Semicons journey into the semiconductor space began in 2021 with extensive research and travel to understand the complexities of the OSAT process. While the learning curve was steep, funding was never an obstacle. The executives are now eagerly looking forward to the factorys grand opening in November, for which they plan to invite notable personalities, including Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel and Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The launch of Suchi Semicons Surat OSAT plant will be a major step toward strengthening Indias semiconductor supply chain, fostering economic growth, and positioning the country as a self-reliant player in the global semiconductor industry.
Tripura chief minister Manik Saha visited the flood-affected areas in Tripuras capital city Agartala and adjoining areas on Wednesday as the state received very heavy rainfall over the last three days. He also met families who have been shifted to relief camps and shelter houses as low-lying areas in the city and other parts of the state witnessed flooding due to the heavy rains.

Conducted an on-ground assessment of the flood-affected areas in Agartala and visited shelter houses to take stock of the situation and ensure timely support to those in need," chief minister Saha said in a post on social media site X.

Conducted an on-ground assessment of the flood-affected areas in Agartala and visited shelter houses to take stock of the situation and ensure timely support to those in need. pic.twitter.com/AKlXNPXGZH Prof.(Dr.) Manik Saha (@DrManikSaha2) August 21, 2024

He said that he spoke to home minister Amit Shah requesting him to dispatch additional NDRF teams to support the states flood response efforts.

Spoke to Honble Union Home Minister, Shri @AmitShah Ji and briefed him on the current situation arising out of severe flood situation. I also requested to despatch additional NDRF teams to support our response efforts.Honble Home Minister assured me of all possible support  Prof.(Dr.) Manik Saha (@DrManikSaha2) August 21, 2024

The chief minister also shared pictures of him meeting families who have shifted to the relief camps and shelter houses who shifted there due to rising water levels. A report by the Indian Express said that over 34,000 people across the state sought shelter in over 346 relief camps opened across the state.

At least seven people, including three members of a family, were killed while two villagers went missing after landslides triggered by incessant rains occurred at three to four places in Tripura, a senior official said earlier on Tuesday.

While five deaths were reported from South Tripura district, one casualty each was reported from Gomati and Khowai districts, Revenue Department Secretary Brijesh Pandey said.

The chief minister earlier said that schools will remain closed on August 21 and August 22 due to the heavy rainfall that the state has received.

The Met Department has issued a warning for more heavy rains due to a depression in the Bay of Bengal. Four rivers of the state  Haora, Dhalai, Muhuri, and Khowai  are flowing above the danger-level.

Southern Tripuras Bagafa, Belonia and Amarpur received very heavy rainfall and areas like Shantirbazar witnessed flash floods.

Parts of Agartala city were also temporarily flooded due to the heavy rainfall. Farmers in suburbs of Agartala expressed concern that the incessant rains could cause serious damage to the crops.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi expressed deep concern on Wednesday over the flood situation caused by heavy rainfall in Tripura and urged the Centre and the state government to put in place immediate relief-and-rehabilitation measures.

They also urged Congress leaders and workers to provide all possible assistance to the people in distress.

Deeply concerned about the flood situation caused by heavy rainfall in Tripura where many people have lost their lives, and about 5,600 families have sought refuge in relief camps. Our deepest condolences to the families of the bereaved. They must be provided compensation at the earliest," Kharge said in a post on X.

The central and state governments must put in place immediate relief-and-rehabilitation measures, he said.

More NDRF and SDRF teams must be deployed in the flood-affected areas. Food and medical help must be urgently provided. I urge the Congress leaders and workers to provide all possible assistance to the people in distress," Kharge said.

Gandhi said his thoughts are with his brothers and sisters in Tripura, who have been forced to seek refuge in relief camps due to the devastating floods caused by relentless rains and landslides.

I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. It is crucial that both the Union and state governments urgently implement a comprehensive action plan to accelerate rescue and rehabilitation efforts, and ensure adequate compensation for those affected," the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha said in a Facebook post.

I strongly urge Congress leaders and workers to offer their full support in any way possible. Please take care, everyone. We stand with you in this challenging time," Gandhi said.

(with inputs from PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a warm welcome by the Indian diaspora in Warsaw on the first day of his visit to Poland. During his address to the Indian community in Poland, PM Modi highlighted that India wants lasting peace in the region and highlighted the advancements India made in the last decade while interacting with Indians residing in Poland.

PM Modi, who visited Poland on Wednesday and became the first Prime Minister to do so in 45 years, while addressing the Indian community thanked everyone and expressed his gratitude for the incredible scenes and said, This scenery is wonderful and your enthusiasmyou people gave me a grand welcome here and I am very grateful to all of you for this

Russia sent troops into Ukraine in a ground invasion on Feb 24, 2022. Over the next few days, the war will enter the 30th month.

PM Modi At Indian Diaspora Event In Warsaw, Poland | Top Quotes
In a startling revelation, police in Uttar Pradeshs Baghpat disclosed details about the murder of a mason, whose body was recovered from a canal after a month of investigation. The police report indicated that the crime stemmed from an illicit affair involving the victim.

Mason Rohit Kumar, a resident of Malkpur, was working at the residence of Dinesh in Kakripur village. During this period, Kumar reportedly engaged in an affair with Dineshs wife. When Dinesh learned of the relationship, he confronted both Kumar and his wife. Despite Dineshs warnings, Kumar reportedly continued the affair, leading Dinesh to plan retaliation.

According to the plan, before Rohit came home, both the accused reached near the village canal with a shovel and waited for the mason to come there. As soon as he came, both of them took him hostage and killed him and buried the body near the canal.

Kumar was reported missing by his family on July 21, having not returned home since July 10. The family filed a missing person report at the local police station. As the investigation unfolded, authorities uncovered details about the affair, leading to the arrest of both Dinesh and Raju. During questioning, the suspects confessed to the crime.

CO Baraut Vijay Chaudhary confirmed that the investigation revealed that Dinesh and his brother-in-law Raju were responsible for the murder of Rohit Kumar. They had concealed the body, which was recovered along with the victims clothing and mobile phone. The Baraut police station is continuing with further action in the case, he said.
Step into the world of Aneka, where Kathak transcends boundaries and friendships flourish into a powerful force for change. Amidst the challenges of the pandemic, eight friends from Canada, the US, India, Dubai, the Netherlands, and Australia united to craft more than just a dance production  its a tribute to mental health awareness. Juggling roles as choreographers, scriptwriters, designers, finance heads and more, all while balancing our studies, weve already seen success with two shows. Now, as Aneka comes to India, they promise audiences an unforgettable experience, where Kathak becomes a vehicle for profound storytelling and social impact, igniting conversations and touching hearts. In this exclusive interview with News18.com, the group discusses everything about their journey thus far.

Excerpts from the interview:

How did you come up with this idea of starting a Kathak troupe  Aneka? What inspired you to start Aneka?

Embarking on a journey unlike any other, Aneka is not just a Kathak production; its a testament to the power of friendship, creativity, and a shared commitment to a cause. Born from the depths of the pandemic, our group of eight friends, hailing from diverse corners of the globe including Canada, the US, India, Dubai, the Netherlands, and Australia, united through our love for Kathak. Together, we envisioned more than just dance; we saw an opportunity to amplify awareness about mental health, utilising Kathak as our medium of expression.

Why did you name it as Aneka?

The reason naming our Kathak troupe as Aneka is that our narrative revolves around Aneka, a Mughal Era courtesan courageously confronting her Dissociative Identity Disorder, embodied by Rasika and Arya. Supported by her mentor, Guru Begum Noor, and friend Aashna, Aneka embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Through our thematic exploration of mental health, we aim to engage, entertain, and educate audiences.

How many girls are there in the troupe, what is their age group and what is their background?

Aneka is a Kathak troupe of 8 young energetic, vivacious and highly talented girls, hailing from diverse corners of the globe, including Canada, the US, India, Dubai, the Netherlands, and Australia

View this post on Instagram A post shared by ANEKA (@aneka_dancedrama)

How many shows have you done so far and where are they all?

We have had a total of 5 sold out shows in Dubai in 2021 and 2023.

Where would you be performing in India? What brings you to India ?

We will be performing at M.E.S. Auditorium Pune on August 17, 2024 and at NCPA Mumbai on August 18, 2024. As we all know, Kathak is derived from North India. It is an ancient and one of the major forms of Indian classical dance, and so are our roots, which are from India. Hence, it is a tribute to our motherland, India and we are privileged to perform here.

How many hours of rehearsals do you guys do in a day/week?

We have our rehearsals from 9am to 5 p.m. every day.

What message do you want to convey to audiences with your Kathak performances ?

Together, we envisioned more than just dance; we saw an opportunity to amplify awareness about mental health, utilising Kathak as our medium of expression.Now, as we bring Aneka to India, we promise audiences an unforgettable experience, where Kathak becomes a vehicle for profound storytelling and social impact, igniting conversations and touching hearts.

Any tips for young girls (45 years old) seeking to learn Kathak?

Keep doing your riyaz, keep your creativity high by telling and dancing your stories. Your voice is important and should be heard.

About the cast:

Aditi Achwal (Aneka, Creative Director):

Aditi Achwal has completed an undergraduate degree at FLAME University, Pune, with a major in literary and cultural studies and a minor in dance. She is interested in research orientated towards literature for dance and theatre. She has performed across India and the U.A.E.

Swarashri Shridhar (Rasika, Anekas Alter Personality, Artistic Director):

Swarashri Shridhars niche is to build choreographies around mental health and social well being, having performed them in UAE, India, Switzerland and UK. She continues to learn Carnatic Music from Smt. Rajani Shridhar, has explored the art of Konnakol & Nattuvangam.

Avani Samyani (Arya  Anekas Alter personality, Co-Managing Director):

Avani Samyani, a Finance graduate from Western University in Canada, has performed globally, including in the UAE, India, Canada, Switzerland, London, and Scotland. She uses her finance background to make dance more sustainable and tells impactful stories through Kathak, pushing its boundaries.

Janhavi Thorat:

Janhavi Thorat is currently pursuing her Masters in Business Psychology as part of her educational journey. She has been a part of several performances in UAE, India, London, and Switzerland. She has completed and received the ISTD diploma with distinction. She aspires to explore dance therapy, which will include an amalgamation of Kathak and psychology in her future endeavors.

Revati Mirchandani:

Revati Mirchandani is currently pursuing her bachelors in business at Tilburg University, Netherlands. She has performed in various countries, including the UAE, India, the Netherlands, Switzerland, UK and Kenya. She has completed the Kathak ISTD Diploma with distinction.

Maithili Patel:

Maithili Patel, a kathak artist from the USA, aims to tell stories that celebrate yet challenge traditional narratives. A prime shishya of Guru Dr Pali Chandra, she has performed globally. Including the New York Kathak Festival, Swiss International Kathak Festival, the International Human Rights Arts Festival, and Modhera Dance Festival. An accomplished storyteller, her work has been called relatable and expressive, performed by a passionate dramatist. Maithili has recently served as rehearsal director for her Gurus Gita Govinda Project.

Suranya Siriwardana:

Suranya Siriwardana is a Sri Lankan kathak dancer based in Adelaide, Australia. She has been learning kathak for the past 14 years, and following her completion of the ISTD Vocational Diploma in Kathak, she has begun her own venture, Nalini Dance Company. Having travelled the world sharing the beautiful art form, Suranya is passionate about using dance as a way of communication.
In a groundbreaking development in medical science, a new drug is poised to revolutionise treatment for several major diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and blindness. This innovative therapy, which involves editing DNA to correct genetic abnormalities, represents the most significant medical breakthrough since antibiotics.

The British government is investing 1.7 billion (approximately Rs 184 billion) in the development of this drug. Initial results suggest that it not only holds potential for curing cancer  particularly when detected early  but also addresses conditions such as heart disease and blindness. While the treatment shows potential for curing cancer, especially if detected early, a complete cure for blindness remains unconfirmed. Experts anticipate this advancement will be a historic achievement in medical science.

The treatment involves altering DNA to eliminate or mitigate the risk of these diseases, a method that has already shown promise in clinical trials. DNA, which carries our genetic blueprint, determines our susceptibility to various diseases. If DNA is defective, it can increase the risk of conditions such as cancer.

According to a report by Daily Mail, some patients in the UK have successfully undergone this gene-editing treatment, with notable successes including the treatment of hemophilia B in a 31-year-old patient. Scientists project that within the next three years, this therapy could become widely available, potentially saving thousands of lives globally.

Professor Robin Lovell-Badge, a genetic expert at the Francis Crick Institute, described gene editing therapy as the medicine of the future. If the therapy continues to prove successful, it could become a groundbreaking treatment, offering new hope and potentially restoring health to millions of patients.

The National Health Service (NHS) is set to further fund research to enhance the therapys effectiveness, with plans to make it available to millions globally within the next three years.

Gene editing has been under investigation since the 1960s, but recent advances with the CRISPR-Cas9 system have accelerated progress. This method uses molecular scissors to remove and replace faulty DNA, offering new hope for treating a range of genetic disorders.
Janmashtami is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna is considered the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who incarnates on earth to restore cosmic order whenever there is a decline in dharma and an increase in adharma. Lord Krishnas incarnation occurred during the Dwapar Yuga, the third of the four yugas in Hinduism.

The Janmashtami festival is marked by fasting, singing devotional songs, enacting scenes from Krishnas life, and offering prayers at midnight, which is believed to be the time of his birth.

Pandit Nandkishore Mudgal, a famous astrologer from Mudgal Jyotish Kendra at Pagal Baba Ashram in Deoghar, stated that Janmashtami is celebrated every year on the Ashtami Tithi of Krishna Paksha in the month of Bhadrapada. This year, the festival falls on August 26.

The auspicious timing to observe the rituals begins on August 25 at 9:20 pm and continues until 10:34 pm on August 26.

It is believed that couples wishing to have a son should worship Lord Krishna on this day with proper rituals to fulfil their wishes. On this auspicious day, Lord Krishna is dressed in beautiful clothes, and his favourite dishes are offered by the devotees.

Pandit Mudgal also mentioned that a wonderful coincidence will happen this year. On Janmashtami, to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna in his child form, Laddu Gopal, a cucumber is traditionally cut as part of the ritual. This year, the ceremony involves using a silver coin for this act. Additionally, the arrival of Laddu Gopal should be marked by blowing a conch, which is a vital aspect of worshipping Lord Vishnu.

Apart from this, devotees should follow these rituals:

 Decorate the puja room with fresh flowers, diyas and eco-friendly idols of Lord Krishna.

 Adorn Laddu Gopal with handmade garlands.

 Wear traditional clothes like dhotis and kurtas for men and sarees for women.

 Prepare bhog and other special dishes, including makhan and sweets, for Lord Krishna.

 Read sections from the Bhagavad Gita or other literature related to Krishnas life and teachings.

 Chant the Hare Krishna mantra or other mantras dedicated to Lord Krishna.

 Stay awake until midnight when Lord Krishna is said to have been born.

 As the auspicious moment approaches, engage in prayers, meditation and devotional music.
KERALA LOTTERY FIFTY FIFTY FF-107 RESULT ON WEDNESDAY, 21.08.2024, LIVE UPDATES: The Kerala State Lottery Department has announced the results of the Fifty Fifty-FF-107 lottery for Wednesday, August 21. Check the Full List of Winning Numbers below.

ALSO READ: Kerala Lottery Result Today LIVE: Sthree Sakthi SS-430 WINNERS for August 27, 2024 (DECLARED); First Prize Rs 75 Lakh!

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0672 7076 0616 1191 0761 1673 4577 2361 6315 2881 8206 1264 2632 7642 7116 2909 5753 7311 3503 5467 3064 8012 4802 7549 4722 7707 5120 7247 6331 0281 0827 2743 3453 0685 7318 8585 5917 4143 0382 7545 0748 8714 1451 8943 7672 8587 3715 7225 1457 8559 1302 3481 6230 9489 8745 5257 4798 6289 5746 8343 1709 7879 1274 9958 6626 2261 2943 6506 6918 7220 6700 0631 9923 4903 1773 0230 1259 1968 5714 8953 6598 3223 7554 5066 0966 9616 1033 4045 8338 2189 9764 9182 2616 9375 8867 7444 6804 5433 5469 4383 2440 4881 1279 3991 9411 3965 8204 4279 0202 8249 2928 7742 3257 9118 6012 3612 9027 2597 4600 5276 3157 8397 6759 3466 9583 0426

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Krishna Janmashtami, also known as Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, is one of the most cherished Hindu festivals, celebrated with great devotion across India. This auspicious occasion marks the birth of Lord Krishna, the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu, and will be observed on Monday, August 26, this year. The festival is rich in rituals, stories and traditions that unite communities in joyous celebration. Heres a comprehensive guide to this sacred day. Read to check the date, timings, rituals and the significance of the festivities.

Krishna Janmashtami 2024: Date, Timings And Significance

August 26 will mark Lord Krishnas 5251st birthday. The festival observed on the 8th day (Ashtami) of the dark fortnight in the month of Bhadrapada according to the Hindu lunar calendar, spans two days.

The first day is observed by followers of the Smarta Sampradaya, while the second day is for those following the Vaishnava Sampradaya.

This two-day celebration allows different communities across India to honour their unique traditions in marking this special occasion.

Krishna is believed to have been born on Ashtami Tithi during Krishna Paksha, the waning phase of the moon in the Bhadrapada month. However, this festival is more than just a joyous occasion; it is a profound spiritual event that brings people together in celebration.

It serves as a reminder of Krishnas teachings from the Bhagavad Gita, inspiring us to lead lives of righteousness and devotion.

Krishna Janmashtami 2024: Timings

Krishna Janmashtami Date: Monday, August 26, 2024

Ashtami Tithi Starts: 03:39 AM, August 26, 2024

Ashtami Tithi Finishes: 2:19 AM, August 27, 2024

Rohini Nakshatra Starts: 03:55 PM, August 26, 2024

Rohini Nakshatra Finishes: 03:38 PM, August 27, 2024.

Dahi Handi: Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Parana Time: After 12:45 AM, August 27, 2024

Moonrise Time: August 26, 2024, at 11:07 PM

Krishna Janmashtami 2024: When To Begin And End Fast?

The day before Krishna Janmashtami, devotees typically observe a one-meal fast. On Janmashtami itself, the fast officially begins after performing the morning rituals. At this time, a formal declaration of intention (Sankalpa) is made to mark the beginning of the fast.

The fast traditionally ends with the arrival of Ashtami Tithi, the eighth lunar day, and Rohini Nakshatra, the star constellation. However, some devotees may choose to end their fast on either of these auspicious days.

Krishna Janmashtami 2024: Shubh Muhurat And Puja Timings

Brahma Muhurta: 04:27 AM to 05:12 AM

Abhijit: 11:57 AM to 12:48 PM

Godhuli Muhurat: 06:49 PM to 07:11 PM

Amrit Kalam: 01:36 PM to 03:09 PM

Sarvartha Siddhi Yoga: 03:55 PM to 05:57 AM, August 27

Pratah Sandhya: 04:50 AM to 05:56 AM

Vijaya Muhurta: 02:31 PM to 03:23 PM

Sayahna Sandhya: 06:49 PM to 07:56 PM

Nishita Muhurta: 12:01 AM, August 27 to 12:45 AM, August 27

According to the Vedic calendar, Nishita Kaal which will start at 12:01 on August 27, 2024, is the most fortunate time for Krishna Puja.

Krishna Janmashtami 2024: Fasting Rituals And Importance

On Krishna Janmashtami, devotees observe a fast from sunrise until midnight, believed to be the time of Krishnas birth. Some may opt for a partial fast or follow a vrat by avoiding specific foods.

The day begins with a special puja dedicated to Lord Krishna, including the performance of aarti, offering flowers and presenting Krishnas favourite foods like sweets and butter.

Devotees also recite verses from the Bhagavad Gita, reflecting on Krishnas life and teachings. Homes and temples are adorned with flowers, rangoli and images or idols of Krishna.

The celebration often features bhajans (devotional songs) and kirtans (chants) in praise of Krishna, accompanied by dancing. Storytelling sessions about Krishnas birth, his playful childhood and his role in the Mahabharata further enrich the spiritual atmosphere.

Why Is Janmashtami Celebrated? The Legend Of Lord Krishnas Birth

According to the ancient Hindu scriptures, on the night of Krishna Janmashtami, it is believed that Lord Krishna was born at midnight in a prison in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. Krishna, revered for his divine qualities, was born to Queen Devaki and King Vasudeva.

His birth was shrouded in danger, as Devakis brother, Kansa, a tyrant who had usurped the throne of Mathura, was driven by a prophecy that foretold his death at the hands of Devakis eighth child.

Paranoid and desperate to prevent this, Kansa imprisoned his sister and her husband, killing each of their newborns immediately after birth.

It is said that on the night of Krishnas birth, a divine light illuminated the prison, and a heavenly voice directed Vasudeva to protect his newborn son.

Following these divine instructions, Vasudeva carried Krishna across the treacherous Yamuna River, guided by the serpent deity Shesh Naag.

Upon reaching Gokul, he entrusted Krishna to Nandraja and Yashoda, exchanging him for their own newborn daughter.

Upon returning to the prison, Kansa attempted to kill the daughter, but she transformed into Goddess Durga and forewarned him of his impending doom.

Krishna was raised in Gokul by Nandraja and Yashoda, and as he grew, he fulfilled the prophecy by returning to Mathura to defeat Kansa and restore peace to the kingdom.
Allu Arjun recently made a special appearance at the pre-release event of Maruthi Nagar Subramanyam, where he addressed ongoing rumours about the much-anticipated Pushpa 2: The Rule. The Telugu superstar put an end to speculation that the films release might be postponed to 2025, confidently confirming that Pushpa 2 is set to hit theatres on December 6, 2024.

Addressing his fans, famously known as the Allu Army, Arjun acknowledged the nervousness he feels when discussing his films before their release. However, he assured them that Pushpa 2 is shaping up to be a massive success. He encouraged his fans to walk into theatres with Pushpa Rajs signature shoulder slap, infused with his own confidence, promising that the sequel would not disappoint. After confirming the release on stage, the actor declared, Assalu Thaggedhe Le, which is a Telugu phrase that roughly translates to I wont back down at all in English and Main kabhi nahi jhukega in Hindi. This phrase gained popularity after it was used by Allu Arjuns character in the movie Pushpa: The Rise. Check out the video below:

Director Sukumar, who was also present at the event, did not object to this promise, adding to the excitement surrounding the films release.

Pushpa 2: The Rule has been one of the most anticipated films in Indian cinema, especially after the blockbuster success of the first installment. The film was originally slated for an August 15, 2024 release, but production delays led to its new December release date.

In addition to confirming the release date, Arjuns recent appearance coincides with reports that he will soon be travelling to Sri Lanka for the next phase of shooting. According to E-Times, after wrapping up the Hyderabad schedule, Arjun and the Pushpa team will film action sequences in the jungles of Sri Lanka throughout September. These scenes are expected to feature Allu Arjun alongside his gang members and other key characters.

The excitement for Pushpa 2 has been building ever since the makers released a teaser earlier this year on Allu Arjuns birthday. In the teaser, the star was seen in a striking new look, dressed in a saree with his face painted in shades of blue and red, adorned with traditional gold and flower jewellery, as he took on goons in a fierce action sequence.

Rashmika Mandanna, who also stars in the film, recently promised fans that Pushpa 2 would be bigger than ever, acknowledging the high expectations surrounding the sequel.
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has spoken out about the hidden costs of the film industry and how some actors in Mumbai dont take their craft seriously. He pointed out that much of a films budget goes towards maintaining the lavish lifestyles of those involved, including the entourage. Anurag also said that hes frustrated with actors who, instead of attending acting workshops and theatre, choose to spend their time at the gym, focusing more on their appearance than on actually honing their acting skills.

In a video going viral on Reddit, Anurag says, Ab film banane jaate hain na, to log kaam karne jaate hain, jo itni saari cheezein hain industry ki, bahut saara kharcha jo hota hai wo film mein nahi jaata. Woh paraphernalia mein jaata hai, entourage mein jaata hai. Matlab jungle mein shoot kar rahe hain, lekin aapko jungle mein shoot karte hue city se five-star se burger chahiye, to ek gaadi extra uske liye jaati hai (When people go to make a film, they encounter many issues and expenses that dont actually go into the film itself. Instead, a lot of the money goes into the paraphernalia and entourage. For instance, while shooting in a jungle, if you want five-star burgers from the city, an extra vehicle is needed just for that).

The filmmaker also said that actors in Mumbai dont try to hone their skills. Instead, they pay more attention to their physique. He added, Aap poore process mein nahi jaate hain. Aur khaaskar Mumbai mein, main dekhta hoon ki aadhe actors ko main workshops aur theatre karne ko kehta hoon, lekin woh gym chale jaate hain (You dont get into the whole process of it. And especially in Bombay, I see that half of the actors, I tell them to go and do workshops and theatres, but they go to the gym).

Anurag Kashyap was last seen in Maharaja alongside Vijay Sethupathi.
Bhagyashree marked her acting debut with Maine Pyar Kiya in 1989. The Sooraj Barjatya directorial may have been Salman Khans second outing as an actor but it was instrumental in making him a household name. The film set new standards of love and romance and Salman-Bhagyashrees endearing chemistry became its biggest highlight. But there are several other reasons why Maine Pyar Kiya remains a fan favourite even after all these years.

It marked the first ever collaboration between Salman and SP Balasubrahmanyam. Kabootar Ja Ja Ja and the love ballads  Mere Sawaalon Ka, Dil Deewana and Aate Jaate Hanste Gaate  have truly aged well. Dosti ka ek ussol hai madam, no sorry, no thank you still does the rounds on social media. So, when Rajshri Productions announced that the romantic musical is all set to re-release in theatres on its 35th anniversary on August 23, fans couldnt keep their calm. While the Gen-Z are excited to experience the film on the big screen for the first time, millennials are ready to be washed over by a wave of nostalgia.

Speaking exclusively to News18 Showsha, Bhagyashree says that shes beyond thrilled with the anticipation of how the film will impact todays generation. To think that a whole new generation will experience the magic of Maine Pyar Kiya onscreen is just incredible! Its a timeless love story and to have it connect with young hearts today is like watching the film come alive again. Im eager to see how Gen-Z resonates with the pure, simple romance we portrayed, she tells us.

But back in the 80s when she was shooting for the film with Salman, did she ever have an inkling that Maine Pyar Kiya would go on to become a rage? Honestly, no. While we were shooting, it just felt like were telling a beautiful story. None of us had any idea that it would become such a phenomenon. The love that people still have for the film is something I cherish deeply. Its humbling to know that it left such a lasting impact, she says.

Following the release of Maine Pyar Kiya, Bhagyashree became what in todays lingo may be termed as a national crush. It also made her a much sought-after actor. Recalling the euphoria surrounding herself back when the film had released, she remarks, It was life-changing for me in every sense. Personally, it made me a household name, and professionally, it opened up doors I never imagined. But more than that, the film gave me an emotional connection with audiences that is still alive today. Its rare for an actor to have that and I feel truly blessed.

But despite all the love the film has and continues to receive, Bhagyashree wouldnt want a remake. I think some stories are timeless and Maine Pyar Kiya is one of them. However, theres also something sacred about the original. It represents an era and a kind of love story that is unique to that time. While it would be exciting to see how a modern version would look, I personally feel that the magic of the original should remain untouched. Some classics are best left as they are, she shares.
The entire state of Maharashtra is shaken by the inhuman incident involving two girls at a school in Badlapur. On August 13, a sanitation worker sexually assaulted two girls. As per media reports, the two girls are currently undergoing treatment in a hospital. People are protesting in the streets, seeking severe punishment for the perpetrator. As a part of the protest, a 10-hour demonstration took place at Badlapur railway station on August 20. Previously, the country was shocked by the rape case involving a doctor in Kolkata, which attracted widespread protests across the country. Similarly, the Badlapur incident has also seen thousands of people expressing their outrage on social media. Several Marathi celebrities condemned the incident and expressed their anger.

The celebrities posted on their social media handle, asking for severe punishment. Actor Prasad Oak posted a story on his social media handle to share the details of the incident. He also demanded justice through his post. He wrote, Two 4-year-old Girl child was raped in Badlapur Mumbai. The school is named Adarsh School Vidya Mandir. This was done by the school worker who cleans the toilets and washrooms, those two rapists are in the custody of Badlapur Police, and the two innocent 4y/o girls are admitted to the hospital. This was done on 13th August 2024.

Popular actor Abhijit Kelkar, who often writes about several social issues on social media, also posted about the incident seeking justice. He wrote, If the act itself is brutal and inhuman, why should the punishment be humane? when translated to English.

Chandramukhi fame actress Surabhi Bhave also expressed her anger on social media. She mentioned that the offenders should be hanged to death immediately. Surabhi wrote, In Badlapur, two 3-and-a-half-year-old girls were sexually assaulted at their school. As a mother, its a situation that would leave me in constant fear every day! The end of humanity is certain. I cant even imagine what those parents must be going through. When will such offenders be directly sentenced to death in this country, only God knows, when translated to English.

Popular Marathi actress Mrunmayee Deshpande also raised her question following this inhuman crime. She condemned the incident and asked for immediate action against the criminal.

Actor Siddharth Chandekar also expressed his rage on social media. He mentioned that while some people say that girls should wear decent dresses, what have these kids done? They were in school uniform when this incident took place. He wrote, Now tell me, should girls preserve their culture so that no one looks at them with a bad eye? Those little girls probably dont even know what culture means. They are 3-4-year-old girls in school uniforms. This is a perversion. Such perverse men should not have Human Rights! They should have no rights! Not even the right to live!
The 235-page report released by the Justice K Hema Committee on the sexual harassment of women in the Malayalam film industry on Monday, August 19, has sparked widespread discussion. It uncovered 17 forms of exploitation against women, including pay disparity, rape threats, and unsolicited sexual remarks. The committee was formed in response to a demand by the Women In Cinema Collective, following the 2017 incident involving a female Malayalam actor who was sexually assaulted in a moving vehicle in Kochi. One of the accused in the case was Malayalam actor Dileep.

The Hema Committee report has met with strong reactions from many in Mollywood, including actors Revathy and Ranjini. Now, in an exclusive conversation with News18 Showsha, Tanushree Dutta, who spearheaded the #MeToo movement in 2018 when she accused for the second time  Nana Patekar of sexual misconduct on the sets of Horn Ok Pleassss, responds to the Hema Committee report. She says, These committees and reports, I dont understand them. I think theyre useless. It took them seven years to make a report on what happened in 2017?

She refers to the Vishakha Committee (previously known as the Womens Grievances Committee), which is aimed at preventing sexual harassment in the workplace, and adds, Whats the point of this new report anyway? All they had to do was arrest the accused and enforce a strong law and order system. I remember hearing about the Vishakha Committee, which came up with so many guidelines and prepared pages and pages of reports, but what happened after that? The names of the committees just keep changing.

Tanushree continues, People like Nana and Dileep are narcissistic psychopaths. Theres no cure for them. Only a vicious and vengeful man can do what they did. I dont care about these committees. I have no trust in this system. It feels like with these reports and committees, theyre just wasting our time rather than doing the real work. Having a safe workplace is a basic right for a womanor any human being, for that matter.

Following the publication of the Hema Committee report, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan stated that the state government is working towards formulating a comprehensive cinema law to ensure womens safety. Sharing her thoughts on this, Tanushree says, All this is just talk. Action is needed. Who even follows all this paperwork? Even if they come up with a comprehensive cinema law, those who want to break the law will still break it. These predators are all mentally ill. They arent in their right minds, yet they manage to find support among other crazy and psychotic people.

When asked about her stance on Dileep finding work despite the allegations, and Parvathy Thiruvothuwho has repeatedly raised her voice against sexual discriminationbeing denied opportunities, Tanushree says, Thats the weirdest thing. Theres no compassion. When it comes to actresses, male actors are prejudiced. They look down on their female counterparts as second-class citizens. Youre supposed to stay in line, behave a certain way, not open your mouth too much, and not complain about anything. If something really bad happens, were supposed to accept it as our fate without making a big issue out of it.

Tanushree adds, People dont look at actresses as human beings but as morally corrupt entitieswhich is a very rudimentary perceptionwho dont have the right to dignity. We arent asking to be treated like queens, but we have the right to be treated with dignity and the right to protest. They use their male ego to reduce you to someone whos a nuisance.

While she lauds the #MeToo movement, she believes that a stronger outcome would have set a healthier precedent. #MeToo was such a good opportunity to set the record straight because it involved high-profile women and many witnesses. Punishments should have been enforced, but they all escaped because of corruption. It was an amazing movement, but some people just couldnt stand up, points out Tanushree.
Tamil actress Sanam Shetty claimed that Tamil film industry has problems of casting couch. The actress made the shocking claim while addressing the Hema Committee Report from Kerala. The actress spoke with the media outside the Chennai Police Commissioner office. She was at the venue to seek permission to rally to condemn crimes against women following the Kolkata rape and murder case.

As reported by Hindustan Times Tamil (and translated by Google Translations), Sanam was discussing her plans of rallying in Chennai when she was asked about the Hema Committee Report. The report features a few shocking sexual exploitation incidents in the Malayalam film industry. Speaking about it, Sanam claimed Tamil film industry also has casting couch issues.

I dont know the details of the Hema Committee report. But I welcome this move. I would like to thank Hema and the Government of Kerala for coming up with such a report. Such incidents are also taking place in the world of Tamil cinema. No one can say no. I am speaking from my own experience, she said. Sanam added that people cross-question why didnt she or the victim open up about the incident when it happened. She admitted she gets angry when such a question is asked. I cut the phone saying I will beat you with sandal, she said, as per the auto-translation.

I am raising my voice against the cruel scenario that adjustment is the only way to get a chance. But not everyone in the film industry is like this. Not just women; Men also face these problems. If there is a photo opportunity only if you do adgetsmand, spit it out and go outside. We dont want a film like this. If you believe in yourself, opportunities will follow, she added.

The Kerala government on Monday released the much-anticipated Hema Committee report, shedding light on the systemic assault and harassment faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. The Hema Commission, led by former High Court judge Justice Hema, alongside veteran actor Sharada and retired IAS officer KB Valsala Kumari, was established in 2017 following an assault case that implicated actor Dileep. The reports findings expose the alarming conditions within an industry often celebrated for its quality cinema.
Lawyer and Director Nelson Dilipkumars wife Monisha has been reportedly questioned by the Sembium police regarding the Tamil Nadu BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) Chief K Armstrongs murder case. The late BSP Chief was hacked to death by six bike-borne men near his house in Chennai in July 2024. Till now, according to the press release, 24 people have been arrested in connection with this case.

As per reports, Monisha is reportedly under the police scanner because she had spoken frequently to the absconded lawyer Mottai Krishnan. Krishnan is reportedly a close accomplice of the rowdy Sambo Senthil. Senthil is wanted in the late BSP Chief Armstrongs murder case. The Sembium police reviewed Mottai Krishnans call log and found that he had contacted Monisha after July 5. On this date, the late BSP chief was murdered and Krishnan fled abroad.

In a recent development in this case, Porkodi, wife of Suresh alias Arcot was arrested by the special teams on August 19. Suresh was a history-sheeter and was killed in August 2023. Porkodi was apprehended from her hideout on the Tamil Nadu- Andhra Pradesh border. She was brought back to Chennai city and was produced before a court after the preliminary investigation. She is now remanded in judicial custody till September 2.

Some time back, according to PTI, a key accused in the murder of BSP Tamil Nadu chief K Armstrong, K Thiruvengadam was shot dead in July. He had attempted to assault police personnel and flee from custody, police said. The accused was taken by officers to a location in north Chennai as part of the investigation to unearth weapons concealed in a spot. At this point, he assaulted a policeman and tried to escape and was shot at by a police officer.

The accused was taken to a hospital, where he was declared by doctors as brought dead. Thiruvengadam, in his thirties, was one of the 11 accused arrested in the Armstrong murder case and was a history-sheeter. A couple of days ago, a court in Tamil Nadu granted police five-day custody to the accused.
People taste grapes at a grape fair in Turpan, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 17, 2024.

The three-day Turpan grape festival kicked off on Friday. With its dry and sunny climate, Turpan has a long history of growing grapes and is one of the main grape production bases in China. Its planting area totals 42,000 hectares with 550 grape varieties. (Xinhua/Chen Shuo)

Tourists participate in a grape eating contest in the Grape Valley in Turpan, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 17, 2024.

The three-day Turpan grape festival kicked off on Friday. With its dry and sunny climate, Turpan has a long history of growing grapes and is one of the main grape production bases in China. Its planting area totals 42,000 hectares with 550 grape varieties. (Xinhua/Chen Shuo)

People taste grapes at a grape fair in Turpan, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 17, 2024.

The three-day Turpan grape festival kicked off on Friday. With its dry and sunny climate, Turpan has a long history of growing grapes and is one of the main grape production bases in China. Its planting area totals 42,000 hectares with 550 grape varieties. (Xinhua/Chen Shuo)

A Turpan Muqam show is staged during a performance for the Turpan grape festival in Turpan, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 17, 2024.

The three-day Turpan grape festival kicked off on Friday. With its dry and sunny climate, Turpan has a long history of growing grapes and is one of the main grape production bases in China. Its planting area totals 42,000 hectares with 550 grape varieties. (Xinhua/Chen Shuo)

People walk to the venue of the opening ceremony of the 30th China Silk Road Turpan Grape Festival in Turpan, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 16, 2024.

The three-day Turpan grape festival kicked off on Friday. With its dry and sunny climate, Turpan has a long history of growing grapes and is one of the main grape production bases in China. Its planting area totals 42,000 hectares with 550 grape varieties. (Xinhua/Chen Shuo)

A child poses for photos in the Grape Valley in Turpan, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 17, 2024.

The three-day Turpan grape festival kicked off on Friday. With its dry and sunny climate, Turpan has a long history of growing grapes and is one of the main grape production bases in China. Its planting area totals 42,000 hectares with 550 grape varieties. (Xinhua/Chen Shuo)

People taste grapes at a grape fair in Turpan, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 17, 2024.

The three-day Turpan grape festival kicked off on Friday. With its dry and sunny climate, Turpan has a long history of growing grapes and is one of the main grape production bases in China. Its planting area totals 42,000 hectares with 550 grape varieties. (Xinhua/Jin Bowen)

Staff members sell grapes via livestreaming at a grape fair in Turpan, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 17, 2024.

The three-day Turpan grape festival kicked off on Friday. With its dry and sunny climate, Turpan has a long history of growing grapes and is one of the main grape production bases in China. Its planting area totals 42,000 hectares with 550 grape varieties. (Xinhua/Jin Bowen)

People watch a drone light show during the opening ceremony of the 30th China Silk Road Turpan Grape Festival in Turpan, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 16, 2024.

The three-day Turpan grape festival kicked off on Friday. With its dry and sunny climate, Turpan has a long history of growing grapes and is one of the main grape production bases in China. Its planting area totals 42,000 hectares with 550 grape varieties. (Xinhua/Chen Shuo)

Editor: Zhang Zhou
The Kolkata rape and murder has shook the nation. Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, known for speaking out on social issues, has now addressed the brutal rape and murder of the doctor at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata. Vivek Agnihotri joined a protest rally in Kolkata and criticised online activism. He told HT, We all set in Bombay are posting on Instagram or Twitter and clearing ourselves from the guilt, but somebody has to do the leg work. The 50-year-old filmmaker stressed the need to move from online support to actual involvement, adding, When people who have the power to influence public opinion and young people come together, it inspires others to get involved.

Hello, Kolkata! Tomorrow, Ill be joining the protest rally against the brutal rape and murder of an on-duty doctor. I urge all citizens to join me in demanding womens safety and our right to life.Rally: 21 Aug, 3:30 PM, from Maula Ali to Dorina Crossing. pic.twitter.com/DahC8f5xP4  Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) August 20, 2024

He spoke about the importance of encouraging young people to take action in the real world, not just online. Vivek thinks that if leaders protest, it will inspire others to join in. He also warned against the idea that social media alone can bring change, stressing that real progress happens on the streets, which is why hes taking a stand in the wake of the heinous rape-murder in Kolkata. If people like us lead by example and protest, it will encourage younger individuals to leave their homes and join the cause. Otherwise, theres a tendency for people to think that simply typing on social media is enough to make a difference. But real change requires us to be active on the streets. Thats why I am here  to fight for what I believe in, he said.

#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: On Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder incident, Film director Vivek Agnihotri says, "Since the time of the Direct Action Day, rape has been used as a political weapon. In Bengal, communal, political, electoral violence should pic.twitter.com/nJcicjdC1J ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2024

In the wake of the Kolkata doctor death, The Kashmir Files director said, Women safety and right to life. Every woman is scared to step out of the house. Dignity of life is also getting compromised when someone is even eve teasing you.

The filmmaker said that when he heard of the Kolkata doctor death case at RG Kar Hospital, he couldnt believe it. Its impossible for me to comprehend that something can happen to a doctor in a hospital. I come from a generation when our parents used to say, Doctor bhagwaan hota hai. In my mind, hospitals were a very secured place. For the first 48 hours, I was in denial. Its worse than what people know right now, he said.

The Kolkata doctor rape-murder case is being investigated by the CBI now after the Calcutta High Court ordered the Kolkata Police to hand it over to the CBI.
Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh will be welcoming their first child together soon. The couple has already grabbed headlines ever since they made the pregnancy announcement. The actress was spotted enjoying a dinner date with Ranveers family amid this on Tuesday. Deepika Padukone was also bonding with badminton player Lakshya Sen, and the video went viral.

In the video, shared by Filmygyan, we can see Lakshya Sen and Deepika Padukone having a conversation while she exits. She is laughing. He also wished Ranveers family well. The actress, who is in the final trimester of her pregnancy, exuded effortless elegance in an oversized black blazer paired with matching wide-legged trousers. Her long, wavy hair cascaded down her shoulders, adding to the chic and relaxed vibe of her outfit.

Watch the video here:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by F I L M Y G Y A N (@filmygyan)

Deepika announced her pregnancy in February this year through an Instagram post. As Deepika prepares for the arrival of her first child in September, she has also made significant adjustments to her professional commitments. A source revealed to Times Now that the actress has turned down the opportunity to join the third season of The White Lotus, opting instead to focus on her family. Deepika loves children and is determined to be a hands-on mother. Shes not someone who would rely on nannies; she plans to be fully involved in parenting, the source added.

Lakshya Sen faced a tough defeat in the bronze medal match at the Paris Olympics mens singles badminton. Despite the setback, Ranveer Singh has shown his support for the 22-year-old, who made history as the first Indian male shuttler to reach the Olympic semi-finals in mens badminton. Ranveer praised Lakshyas efforts and encouraged him to fight another day. Ranveer was all praise for the young shuttler and wrote, What a player! What endurance, what agility, what a range of shots, what focus, what grit, what smarts. Scintillating badminton on display! Its difficult to encapsulate just how brilliant hes been at the Olympics. Missed out narrowly in a game of extremely small margins. But hes only 22 and he is just getting started.
Ramayana starring Ranbir Kapoor is considered one of the most highly anticipated films. Fans are eagerly waiting for fresh updates and announcements. Makers are yet to make an announcement. Ahead of it, casting director Mukesh Chhabra has been making some shocking revelations about the cast in the film. He revealed that many actors rejected the offer to play Lakshmans role in the film.

Speaking at Ranveer Allahbadias podcast, Mukesh Chhabra revealed that they went with a newcomer from the television industry. He said, Nitesh bhai had decided to cast Ranbir very early in the process, and once you watch the film, youll see why its such apt casting. I think the actors Ive worked with the most in my career are Ranbir and Rajkummar Rao. Nobody can beat Ranbir when it comes to acting. Explaining what he meant by that, Mukesh continued, Hes very neutral about it. He doesnt bother too much about hits and flops. All hes concerned about is acting.

He also said, Weve found a lovely actor for Lakshman. A lot of people auditioned for the role. But Im very happy with the actor weve gone with, this is going to be his first film in Bollywood.

Mukesh Chhabra spoke about why Ranbir Kapoor was chosen to play Lord Rama in Nitesh Tiwaris Ramayana. Uske chehre pe calmness hai, woh toh chahiye thi naNitesh (Tiwari) ne bahot pehle hi soch lia tha unko. Ye bahot sahi decision hai. Wo aapko maloom chalega film aane ke baad. (He has a calmness on his face. It was needed for the film. Nitesh Tiwari thought about casting him quite earlier. It is a great decision and the audience will realize after watching the film), Chhabra said.

For Ramayana, the makers have strategically decided to cover up the sets from all directions and shoot indoors to avoid pictures being leaked, a plan put in place by producer Namit Malhotra. The producers didnt want any glimpses of the film to come out before an official announcement and despite trying their best  including opting for a no-phone policy on set  shutterbugs managed to click pictures of Ranbir and Sais looks from the film. Curtains have been put all around and the surveillance has been tightened to avoid further leaks, states the source, further revealing that the working title of Ramayana is God Power.
Tollywood actor Samrat Mukherjee was arrested early Tuesday after his car hit a motorcycle in Behala. Some speculated he was Rani Mukerji and Kajols cousin, Samrat Mukerji. However, he clarified in an interview with Etimes that hes based in Mumbai and not involved in the incident.

Samrat clarified the matter and said, I would like to clarify met with an accident is not me. The actor Samrat Mukherjee is based in Kolkata and I am a filmmaker owner of Filmalaya studios, based in Mumbai. Since morning I have been getting calls and tired now, telling them how I am not the same Samrat. It is reported that the actor who met with an accident belongs to our family it is not true. I would like to tell everyone, I am safe and based here in Mumbai. The actor Samrat Mukherjee does not belong to our family.

He clarified that many have confused him with the Bengali actor involved in the incident and assured everyone that he is safe in Mumbai. Meanwhile, the Bengali actor with the same name was arrested after his car hit a motorcycle in Kolkata. The motorcyclist was taken to the hospital for treatment.

The accident

The 29-year-old motorcyclist from Vidyasagar Colony in Behala was initially taken to MR Bangur Hospital and then moved to SSKM Hospital. Witnesses said Mukherjee was driving from Behala Chowrasta towards Tollygunge when he lost control and hit the motorcycle. Police arrested him on charges of reckless driving and causing serious injury. The actor was also given a medical exam.
Kannada actor and filmmaker Rishab Shetty, known for the hit Kantara, has recently made waves with his comments on Bollywood. After winning a National Film Award for Kantara and promoting his new film Laughing Buddha, Shettys interview with MetroSaga has gone viral. He said, Indian films, especially Bollywood, show India in a bad light. These art films are invited to global events and given a red carpet. My nation, my state, my languagemy pride. Why not take it on a positive note globally, and thats what I try to do.

READ MORE HERE: Rishab Shetty Takes Dig at Bollywood After Kantara National Award Win: It Shows India in Bad Light

Tanushree Dutta, who spearheaded the #MeToo movement in 2018, responded to the Hema Committee report in an exclusive conversation with News18 Showsha. She said, These committees and reports, I dont understand them. I think theyre useless. It took them seven years to make a report on what happened in 2017? The 235-page report released by the Justice K Hema Committee on the sexual harassment of women in the Malayalam film industry has sparked widespread discussion.

READ MORE HERE: Hema Committee Report Is Useless, Says Tanushree Dutta: People Like Nana Patekar, Dileep Are | Exclusive

Ramayana casting director Mukesh Chhabra has been making some shocking revelations about the cast in the film. He revealed that many actors rejected the offer to play Lakshmans role in the film. Speaking at Ranveer Allahbadias podcast, Mukesh Chhabra revealed that they went with a newcomer from the TV industry. He said, Nitesh bhai had decided to cast Ranbir Kapoor very early in the process, and once you watch the film, youll see why its such apt casting. I think the actors Ive worked with the most in my career are Ranbir and Rajkummar Rao. Nobody can beat Ranbir when it comes to acting.

READ MORE HERE: Ranbir Kapoors Ramayana Auditioned A Lot of Actors For Lakshmans Role: Nobody Can Beat

Akshay Kumar is likely to team up with Siddharth Anand soon. If a recent report is to be believed, the Khiladi star will soon be seen in Siddharth Anands action movie, which will be directed by Milan Luthria. Reportedly, Akshay and Siddharth have been discussing a potential collaboration for a long time and have now finally decided to go ahead with this action project.

READ MORE HERE: Akshay Kumar Teams Up With Pathaan Director Siddharth Anand After Khel Khel Mein Debacle? Know Here

Following the blockbuster success of 2019s The Lion King, fans are now eagerly waiting for Mufasa: The Lion King. Months ahead of the films release in India, it has now been revealed that superstar Mahesh Babu will voice the character of Mufasa in Telugu. He will also be joined by industry stalwarts including Brahmanandam and Ali, who will be returning as Pumbaa and Timon respectively.

READ MORE HERE: Mahesh Babu To Voice Mufasa In Telugu Version of The Lion King Movie: Will Cherish With My Children
Kapil Sharma is back with the second season of his Netflix show  The Great Indian Kapil Show. On Wednesday, the comedian shared the teaser of the upcoming season on his Instagram handle with the caption, Ab shanivaar hoga Funnyvaar cuz Kapil and gang are coming with double fun and hassi iss baar Season 2 coming soon! Stay tuned.

The teaser confirms that Sunil Grover will be reuniting with Kapil Sharma even in the second season of TGIKS. Krushna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda and Rajiv Thakur will also return with their respective hilarious characters. Archana Puran Singh will also be part of the show. Watch it here:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Netflix India (@netflix_in)

The upcoming season will mark Sunil Grovers second reunion with Kapil Sharma after their six-year-long ugly fight. Grover became a household name with his fictional characters Gutthi and Dr Mashoor Gulati in Comedy Nights With Kapil and The Kapil Sharma Show respectively. However, he had an ugly fight with Kapil in 2018 while they were returning from a show in Australia. They got into a heated argument following which Sunil stopped working with Kapil. The two reunited only when Kapil announced his Netflix show earlier this year.

Meanwhile, it should also be noted that Sumona Chakravarti is still missing from the TGIKS season 2 teaser. Earlier this year, while Sumona was in Romania for Khatron Ke Khiladi 14, a report did the rounds claiming she did not leave The Kapil Sharma Show by choice but was rather not informed about the comedians new show, The Great Indian Kapil Show. It was also claimed that Sumona was disheartened and upset with Kapil.

However, the actress later spoke exclusively to News18 Showsha and clarified that this was not the case. Chakravarti made it clear that she wasnt fired from Kapil Sharmas show. I have said this time and again, I was part of a show which ended in July last year and its not like you exited or I resigned or I got fired, the show ended in July and after that, we all went ahead. We took up our individual projects after that. Im doing Khatron Ke Khiladi. He (Kapil Sharma) did another show. Its just that there is no bad blood at all. Why would I be upset (with Kapil)? He and I worked before and I went to Romania, the actress added.
The Republic of Buryatia, tucked around 5,000 km away from the capital city of Moscow in Russia, is known globally for having the worlds largest freshwater reservoir, Lake Baikal. Spread over 23,000 sq. km, it holds 20 per cent of the worlds total freshwater reserves. Buryatia is also home to a large section of the Buddhist population in Russia.

After the collapse of the communist Soviet Union in 1999, Buddhism witnessed a major revival in Russia. With a population of around 1.5 million in Russia, Buddhists are largely spread over three major provinces of Russia-Buryatia, Kalmykia and Tuva. These three provinces are also home to some of the most ancient monasteries in Russia.

Understanding the significance of Buddhism, especially in the context of the global impact it could have as a soft power, Russia had recognised Buddhism as one of its official religions way back in 1741. From 1917 to 1999, there was no place for any religion in Russia as it was part of the Soviet Union governed by the Communist ideology. However, in the post-Soviet Union era, Russia has recognised four religions officially  Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and Judaism.

It is important to note that the United States and China both have been trying to use Buddhism as a part of their global geopolitical strategy. While the US has used the cause of Tibet to embarrass China when it suits the former, China has also started hosting the World Buddhist Conferences over the last few years.

Interestingly, India is home to one of the largest Buddhist populations. With around 8.5 million Buddhists in India, and the two top spiritual Gurus of Buddhists  the Dalai Lama and the Gyalwang Karmapa  being seated in India, it is clear that India is one of the most important players in the Buddhist circuit. However, unlike China or the US, it has neither tried to create a wedge amongst different sects in Buddhism nor it has tried to use it for geo-political purposes. India is the birthplace of Buddhism and that is recognised globally by Buddhists.

The Republic of Buryatia recently held an interesting and significant event in the form of a second international conference on Buddhism from August 12-14. A 13-member Indian delegation participated in this event and contributed significantly by presenting several papers. In fact, India is going to hold the World Buddhist Media Conclave in 2024. The International Buddhist Conference (IBC), one of the apex bodies working on promoting Buddhism in India and globally, is playing a pivotal role through its various outreach programmes in this regard.

It is important to note that the Russian Buddhist tradition is deeply rooted in the Pandito Khambo Lamas legacy for the last 260 years. Pandito Khambo Lamas are at the helm as spiritual gurus of Buddhists in Russia and they have time and again received the blessings of His Holiness Dalai Lama also. Incidentally the word Pandito has come from the Indian vocabulary where the word Pandit has been in use for the high priests for thousands of years.

In the second International Buddhist Forum (IBC) held at Ulan-Ude (August 12 to August 14, 2024), the capital of the Republic of Buryatia, a resolution was also passed by delegates from 13 countries having significant or majority Buddhist populations such as Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

The resolution significantly mentions, Buddhist communities engage in active collaboration with the state and other public institutions to educate individuals, bolster national customs, safeguard traditional values, and uphold religious liberties. We oppose any attempts to sow interreligious enmity, to turn Buddhism and other spiritual teachings into destructive cults and ideologies, to create conflicts between various Buddhist schools and streams, to use Buddhism to create sects that violate human interests and rights, to discredit other movements, to incite enmity, to promote extremism and separatism. Buddhism is an inclusive teaching that cannot be monopolized by any particular group.

It also adds, Admit the significant contribution of Pandito Khambo Lamas to the development of the Buddhist community, Buddhist philosophy, education and spiritual practice, the construction of harmonious state-confessional relations, the preservation of traditional spiritual and moral values, the development of humanitarian cooperation and international dialogue with the countries of the Buddhist world.

The resolution emphasised that Buddhism is one of the greatest spiritual achievements of mankind, which has created a vast cultural tradition, and has promoted the establishment of ties between different regions and peoples of the world for thousands of years. All schools and movements within the Buddhist faith play an equal role in the broader Buddhist movement. In light of the challenges posed by modernity, the conference advocated for the preservation of traditional spiritual values, wisdom, compassion, and spiritual discipline. Additionally, the importance of fostering a sense of brotherhood among all individuals was also emphasised.

The writer is an author and columnist and has written several books. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
After ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled from Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, there has been specific targeting of Hindus in Bangladesh, which includes widespread looting of Hindu houses and shops, vandalism of temples, lynching and killings of Hindu men, and abductions and rapes of Hindu women. X (formerly Twitter) is replete with videos showing Hindu homes in villages being burned down and their livestock killed. There have also been reports of hospitals, including government facilities, refusing treatment to Hindu patients. These incidents of Islamic atrocities against Bangladeshi Hindus and other minorities have drawn international condemnation, asking for the attacks to stop.

While the global community is expressing shock at the recent events in Bangladesh, such acts of barbarism are not new to the country.

The communal riots during the 1947 Partition and the 1971 atrocities committed by the Pakistan Army and Razakar-Ansar Bahini against Hindus should have been documented in world history under a chapter titled Hindu Genocide. Unfortunately, discussions on these atrocities and the ongoing genocide of Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh remain a taboo subject among Western academicians. However, it is heartening to see that many Hindus are now awakening from their deep slumber and demanding the establishment of a Hindu Genocide Day, similar to Holocaust Day for the Jews.

Below are brief details of some of the brutal massacres perpetrated by Islamists, the Pakistan Army, and their alliesthe Ansar Bahini and the Razakarson Bangladeshi Hindus after Partition and during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war. The Razakars were an East Pakistani paramilitary force formed by the Pakistan Army during the 1971 war, and the Ansar Bahini, like the Razakars, were allies of the Pakistani Army.

Ramna Kali Temple massacre by the Pakistan Army  March 27, 1971

The Ramna Kali Temple massacre during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war is either not well-known or has been forgotten by many. This massacre in Dhaka involved the killing of Hindus living in the area around the Ramna Kali Temple on the night of 26-27 March 1971.

According to Dr John Rohde of USAID, the Pakistan Army doused the 14th-century temple with petrol and set it on fire. Approximately 250 Hindus, including the temple priest, were killed, and the temple was destroyed. Rohde documented seeing burnt bodies of men, women, and children who had been shot dead (with machine guns) before being set on fire.

Interestingly, after the war, the Bangladesh government under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman chose not to rebuild the temple but instead confiscated the destroyed Ramna Kali Bari and its land. The temple land, located within the Dhaka Race Course, was handed over to the PWD, which then transferred it to the Dhaka Club.

A new temple was recently built (in 2021) with the help of the current Indian government. It stands beside the former Dhaka Race Course, which is now ironically known as Suhrawardy Udyan. Suhrawardy was infamous as the Butcher of Bengal, under whose supervision the Direct Action Day occurred.

Anderson Bridge massacre  February 12, 1950

Anderson Bridge, also known as Bhairab Bridge, is a 1 km long railway bridge over the Meghna River in Bangladesh, connecting Bhairab Bazar Junction with Ashuganj. On February 12, 1950, most of the Hindu passengers travelling on this train route were murdered. The attackers boarded the train from both ends, at Bhairab Bazar Junction and Ashuganj. Once inside, they locked the doors of the compartments. When the train was completely on the bridge, it was brought to a halt. The assailants then selected Hindus one by one, forced them out of their compartments, slit their throats, and threw their bodies into the river.

According to reports from The Economist and The Manchester Guardian, trains from Ashuganj were stopped on Bhairab Bridge over the Meghna. The Muslim mobs then attacked the Hindu passengers from both sides of the bridge. Those who attempted to dive into the river and swim to safety were struck with bricks and drowned. Eyewitness Pierre Dillani reported that approximately 2,000 Hindus were massacred on the Bhairab Bridge.

Chuknagar Massacre

While the Chuknagar massacre is among the deadliest attacks on Hindus during the 1971 war, it remains poorly documented and largely unknown.

Chuknagar is a small town in Dumuria, Khulna, near the Indian border. When the Pakistani Army launched the brutal Operation Searchlight, many Hindus fled from Khulna and Bagerhat and took refuge in Chuknagar, hoping to cross into India via the Satkhira Road. By May 15, 1971, as the Pakistani Army intensified its killings, more fleeing Hindus gathered in Chuknagar. On May 20, the army, in 2-3 trucks equipped with semi-automatic rifles and light machine guns, arrived at Pathkhola ground (Jhautala) near Chuknagar Bazaar. They opened fire and then moved to Chuknagar Bazaar, continuing the assault until 3 pm. After the killings, the Pakistani Army reportedly looted the belongings of the dead Hindus.

It is estimated that about 10,000 people, mostly Hindus, including children, were killed in the firing by Pakistani forces. Bangladeshi writer Shahriar Kabir stated, Within 5 hours, 10 to 12 thousand innocent people, who were resting there before fleeing to India, were killed. Professor Muntassir Mamoon, in his book 1971 Chuknagar Genocide, describes the massacre in detail: At around 10 am, two trucks carrying Pakistani troops arrived at Kautala, then known as PatkholaAs soon as the trucks stopped, the Pakistani troops alighted, carrying light machine guns and semi-automatic rifles, and opened fire on the public. Within a few minutes, a lively town turned into a city of death.

The Dhaka Tribune reported at the time that the area was filled with bodies, and the Bhadra River had turned red with the blood of the fallen victims.

Unimaginable Brutalities from the 1971 Hindu Genocide in Bangladesh, as Narrated by Arunudoy Bhattacharjee

India-Bangladesh border areas were the sites where Hindus were killed the most by the Ansar Bahini members.

Lifeless Trains: When trains carrying Hindu refugees approached Karimganj, India, they would be stopped at the Bangladesh border. Members of the Ansar Bahini would then board these trains, moving from compartment to compartment, slaughtering men and abducting and raping women. Women who resisted were also killed. Many of these trains, filled with the bodies of Hindus, would then cross into Indian territory.

When trains carrying Hindu refugees approached Karimganj, India, they would be stopped at the Bangladesh border. Members of the Ansar Bahini would then board these trains, moving from compartment to compartment, slaughtering men and abducting and raping women. Women who resisted were also killed. Many of these trains, filled with the bodies of Hindus, would then cross into Indian territory. Rivers Red with Hindu Blood: Trains heading towards India would be halted on bridges in Bangladesh. Mass slaughters and rapes would commence. With no escape, many Hindus would jump into the crocodile-infested waters below. It is said that the River Bhairab turned red with the blood of Hindus during these events.

Trains heading towards India would be halted on bridges in Bangladesh. Mass slaughters and rapes would commence. With no escape, many Hindus would jump into the crocodile-infested waters below. It is said that the River Bhairab turned red with the blood of Hindus during these events. The Bus in the Middle: In one incident, three buses carrying refugees were approaching the Indian border. A bomb exploded in the middle bus, instantly killing all the Hindus aboard.

In one incident, three buses carrying refugees were approaching the Indian border. A bomb exploded in the middle bus, instantly killing all the Hindus aboard. No Escape: Hindu women, bearing visible signs of trauma and abuse, would be seen wandering the streets of Sylhet town. Many had children with them. Some made a desperate attempt to cross the border into India, only to be stopped by Ansar Bahini members, who would continue their assault and killings. These Hindu women could not escape the barbaric Muslim Bahinis.

Islamic brutality against non-Muslims or kafirs is not new and has been ongoing since the birth of Islam. Hindus, in particular, have suffered greatly from these brutalities, starting from the medieval era when Islam arrived in the Indian subcontinent, leading to widespread killings, rapes, and forced conversions. Unfortunately, even in the 21st century, the persecution of Hindus by Muslims continues. What was initiated by a group of fanatical foreign invaders is now being perpetuated by Indians who converted to Islam under severe persecution.

The author is a well-known travel and heritage writer. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
Former Jharkhand chief minister Champai Soren on Wednesday hinted that he might float a new political party in the run-up to the state assembly elections amid speculations of joining the BJP.

Champai, a 67-year-old tribal leader, also said that he is open to alliance with any party.

I will not retire from politics. In the new chapter that I have started, Ill strengthen the new organisation and if I find a good friend in the way, Ill move ahead with that friendship to serve the people and state Everything will become clear in a week, the senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader said shortly after he reached his ancestral village Jhilingora in Seraikela-Kharsawan district post midnight on Tuesday.

The former CM further said that no leader from the JMM contact him recently.

No one from JMM contacted me. This is the land of JharkhandI have struggled since my student life. I participated in the agitation for a separate Jharkhand state under the leadership of party supremo Shibu Soren, he said.

VIDEO | Former Jharkhand chief minister Champai Soren (@ChampaiSoren) announces to float a new political party, and also keeps doors open for alliance.I had mentioned three options  retirement, organisation or friend. I will not retire; I will strengthen the party, a new pic.twitter.com/LfQABpo6Lh  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 21, 2024

Champai Soren was anointed as the Jharkhand CM after Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate. He had to step down from the post to make way for Hemant after he got out of the jail.

Earlier, there were reports of Champai meeting BJP leaders in Kolkata.

Champai had expressed feeling bitter humiliation during his tenure as Jharkhand Chief Minister. He revealed that during his tenure as Chief Minister, his government programs scheduled for the first week of July were abruptly cancelled by the party leadership without his knowledge. He stated that he remained silent as he was not greedy for power but his self-respect was hurt.

Who Is Champai Soren?

Champai has earned the sobriquet Jharkhands Tiger for his contribution to the long fight for the creation of a separate state in the 1990s. Jharkhand was created from the southern part of Bihar in 2000.

A matriculate from a government school, he started his political career by getting elected as an independent MLA through a by-election from the Saraikela seat in undivided Bihar in 1991.

Four years later, he contested the assembly polls from the seat on JMM ticket and defeated the BJPs Panchu Tudu. In the 2000 assembly elections, the first one held in the state, he was defeated from the same constituency by the BJPs Anant Ram Tudu. He regained the seat in 2005 by defeating the BJP candidate by a margin of only 880 votes.

Champai Soren won the subsequent elections in 2009, 2014 and 2019.

He served as a cabinet minister in the BJP government headed by Arjun Munda between September 2010 to January 2013.

When Hemant Soren formed his second government in the state in 2019, Champai Soren became the Minister of Food and Civil Supplies and Transport.

Champai Soren got married at a young age and has four sons and three daughters.

(With PTI inputs)
On the day the government was about to introduce the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha, LJP leader and key NDA ally Chirag Paswan stepped out of the Makr Dwar of Parliament and made it clear to CNN-News18 that his party wants the Bill to be sent to a parliamentary committee first.

This was not the first time that Chirag Paswans party, which has five MPs in the Lok Sabha, was punching above its weight. A few days before the Waqf Bill issue, LJP MP Shambhavi Choudhary had told CNN-News18 that her party did not agree with the Supreme Court judgment that the SC quota should be subcategorised, and creamy layer be excluded from it. Chirag Paswan followed this up with a press conference, saying his party would move a review petition before the apex court.

On Monday, Chirag Paswan again spoke out  this time against the governments move to hire 45 professionals as lateral entrants without following the reservation formula.

The government has subsequently sent the Waqf Amendment Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee, the Union Cabinet passed a decision saying it wont implement Supreme Courts decision on removing creamy layer from SC quota, and, on Tuesday, the government also announced the cancellation of the lateral entry advertisement. Chirag Paswan later thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reversing the move.

Among the TDP (16 MPs), JDU (12 MPs), and Shiv Sena (7 MPs), it is the LJP with five MPs that has become the most vocal ally in the NDA camp, contributing to the governments U-turns. Chirag Paswan is also a cabinet minister in the government. In the past, he has termed himself as the Hanuman of Narendra Modi and was a vociferous critic of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar till the latter joined NDA.

Caste Factor Reigning Supreme

Sources in the LJP say Paswan has his ear to the ground and is cognisant of caste issues that can hurt the NDA politically. They say it is the Bihar Lesson from 2015 when the reservation review comment of Mohan Bhagwat had hurt the BJPs chances in the assembly elections then and JDU-RJD alliance romped home by castigating the BJP on the issue of finishing reservations. Paswan has also been pitching for a pan-India caste census, something that the BJP is against.

However, the Modi government has quickly reversed the lateral entry move, anticipating that the Opposition could make it a big issue in the upcoming assembly elections and hurt the BJPs chances. The caste narrative has become dominant in the political discourse with Rahul Gandhi making it a major issue in the recent Lok Sabha elections and accusing the government of attempting to change the reservation system. The BJP does not want to hand the Congress any advantage.

It is hence expected that the refreshed lateral entry scheme will also be rolled out soon in time for the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, putting in place the 60 per cent reservation provisions in such lateral entry processes.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka, who is on an official visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka in Beijing on Tuesday.

Xi congratulated Fiji's Men's Rugby Sevens team on winning the silver medal at the Paris Olympic Games.

Noting that Fiji was the first Pacific island country to establish diplomatic relations with China and that next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, Xi said that for nearly half a century, the two countries have always supported and helped each other, setting a good example of equal treatment and friendly cooperation between countries large and small.

China attaches great importance to China-Fiji relations and is willing to continue to provide assistance to the best of its ability for Fiji's economic and social development, and work with Fiji to grasp the general direction of bilateral relations and promote the building of a China-Fiji community with a shared future to better benefit the two peoples, Xi said.

Xi briefed Rabuka, who had visited Yunnan, Fujian and Zhejiang provinces prior to the meeting, on China's practices and experience in poverty alleviation. The completion of the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects for more than 1.4 billion people is a historic achievement the Chinese people have made under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and a historic contribution China has made to the cause of poverty reduction and the development of humanity, he stressed.

"In this process, we have left no ethnic group, region or individual behind, fully demonstrating the socialist system's political advantage in concentrating resources on major undertakings. We have won the heartfelt support of the people of all 56 ethnic groups in China," Xi said.

China is endeavoring to build itself into a stronger country and rejuvenate the Chinese nation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization that adheres to a path of peaceful development, Xi said.

Noting that China and Fiji both belong to the Global South, Xi said China is ready to help Fiji and other Pacific island countries cope with climate change, and strengthen development cooperation with them to make the Pacific Ocean an ocean of peace, friendship and cooperation.

Rabuka congratulated the Chinese Olympic delegation on its excellent performance at the Paris Olympics. He said he visited China 30 years ago as prime minister, and through his Yunnan, Fujian and Zhejiang tours this time, he witnessed the tremendous achievements China has made in poverty eradication and development under the leadership of President Xi.

Fiji is willing to learn from China's experience, and strengthen cooperation with China in poverty reduction, infrastructure and connectivity, he said.

Fiji appreciates China's adherence to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, supports the global initiatives proposed by President Xi, and is willing to continue the Belt and Road cooperation with China, promote the development of relations between Pacific island countries and China, and make the Pacific Ocean a peaceful ocean, Rabuka said.

He noted that Fiji fully understands China's position on the Taiwan question and will continue to firmly pursue the one-China policy.

A joint statement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Fiji was issued.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka, who is on an official visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

Editor: Zhang Zhou
While many travellers from Western countries prefer familiar spots in Asia or Europe, Australians are choosing unconventional locations. Despite strong warnings from their government, some wealthy and experienced tourists are opting to visit Afghanistan, Iraq and West Africa. David Smyth, a New South Wales-based travel agent and owner of Forward Travel, known for organising trips to offbeat locations, started offering tours to these countries just a year ago. His decision came after seeing numerous dark tourism social media posts from travellers exploring these less travelled spots. Intrigued by the online buzz, Smyth attended the ITB travel trade show in Berlin, where he connected with representatives from these regions and even received a rare opportunity to explore Iraq.

As per the New York Post, he said, Iraq was such an eye-opener for me. Im hitting 100 countries and I can genuinely say they were the friendliest people, most welcoming. Theyre just so happy. Westerners are wanting to visit their country and not invade it or steal their artifacts. I spent 14 days basically going from Basrah all the way up through Iraq and Kurdistan. From a history perspective, it was just like Oh my God, I cant comprehend the age, you know because its the Cradle of Civilization. It was just amazing.

David Smyth explains that although only a small number of travellers are picking Afghanistan, Iraq and West Africa, these destinations are surprisingly popular among older Australians in their 60s and 70s, who have enough time, financial capacity and are passionate about history and culture. The travel agent shares that trips to these regions are not cheap and not suitable for first time travellers, but for those who are willing to pay a premium amount. They are not looking for luxury, instead, they are simply interested in experiencing local life and are comfortable staying in normal houses.

He further mentioned that, due to a lack of content for his newsletter last month, he included a partner companys 55 day expedition through West Africa, covering areas like the Sahara Desert, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Ivory Coast. Smith said, I couldnt believe the response I got. I mean I just put it in as a filler thinking this is out there, 55 days, but no one will want it. I had three calls within 24 hours.

For travellers heading to unusual destinations, David Smyth urges them to do thorough research about risks involved, consult experts to discuss the trip in detail and register with the local consulate before traveling. Refraining from going into unfamiliar areas and following the guidance of local experts is also crucial. Smyths travel agency collaborated with Global Rescue, which offers specialised services. While they dont cover things like lost luggage, it offers emergency evacuation if someone gets stuck in a crisis and covers medical expenses. This type of insurance is more costly than standard travel insurance, and it is essential for those visiting high risk areas.
US President Joe Biden delivered an emotional farewell speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday as he handed over the mantle to the partys presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, for the upcoming November election. Biden who was visibly emotional wiped away tears as he stepped onto the stage of a packed arena, following an introduction by his daughter, Ashley. The crowd greeted him with placards that read We (heart) Biden, to which he responded with a heartfelt I love you before beginning his hour-long address. Near the end of his speech, Biden reflected on his time in office, saying, Like many of you, I gave my heart and soul to this nation, prompting the audience to respond with resounding shouts of Thank you, Joe.

Soon, the stark moment where Biden used a tissue to dab away his tears on stage became a talking point on social media.

While reacting to Bidens emotional farewell speech, an individual wrote, Whoa! All those individuals with tears welling up in their eyes. What a beautiful farewell to Joe Biden for a life of service to the US.

Whoa! All those individuals with tears welling up in their eyes what a beautiful "farewell" to @POTUS AKA @JoeBiden for a life of service to the #USA #DNC2024 #DNCConvention2024 https://t.co/djmcRR4PDn God Emperor of Drama (@PolenGeneration) August 20, 2024

It was a good send-off speech for Joe Biden. It was an emotional night for his family. There was a part after the speech ended and Jill Biden came out to meet him at the podium where you could see Jill catch herself to keep from crying, said another.

It was a good send off speech for @JoeBiden. Clearly, it was an emotional night for his family. There was a part after the speech ended and Jill Biden came out to meet him at the podium where you could see Jill catch herself to keep from crying. David A Thigpen (@david_a_thigpen) August 20, 2024

American citizens have been crying for 3 1/2 years because of your feckless leadership. So you can stop your boohooing right now, is what this individual wrote as he reacted to Bidens farewell speech.

Hey @JoeBidenWTF were you crying!?!?! American citizens have been crying for 3 1/2 years because of your feckless leadership. So you can stop your boohooing right now. Don't let the door hit you on your way out!  KatLee (@KatBirdLee) August 20, 2024

Another expressed, So proud to call him President! I cried tonight watching @JoeBiden @POTUS say goodbye. I wanted four more years of him, the most amazing and empathetic heart we have had in an office, ever. Thank you for all!

So proud to call him President! I cried tonight watching @JoeBiden @POTUS say goodbye. I wanted four more years of him, the most amazing and empathetic heart we have had an office, ever. Thank you for all! https://t.co/SpOz05avMY Laura (@lauraegibs) August 20, 2024

Check out what this X user has to say:

One of the most selfless and patriotic acts a President has done since Washington stepped down to teach us how to say goodbye. One last time President Biden. Lets go win this for the future of our nation. Way to teach us how to say goodbye Mr. President! https://t.co/Lp7bKnvE1t https://t.co/3LjF0y40A1 Cory Inman (@IM_Inman) July 21, 2024

Yeah we are all hoping that Kamala follows Biden and this is her big farewell, chimed in a fourth.

Yeah we are all hoping that Kamala follows Biden and this is her big farewell. Amlkva Bergnot (@A1M1L1K1V1A1) August 21, 2024

A fifth posted, I had to turn off the Democrat National Convention, Monday night because of Bidens whopper lies. Its a ship of Utopian Reality Deniers. A picture taken during Bidens farewell speech showed a scornful and irritable look. Give me a break with fake joyful BS!

I had to turn off the Democrat National Convention, @DemConvention, Monday night because of Biden's whopper lies. It's a ship of Utopian "Reality Deniers." A picture taken during Biden's farewell speech showed a scornful and irritable look. Give me a break with fake "joyful" BS! pic.twitter.com/VX5ZhdONGI Christopher Mitchell For Congress 2024 (@PatriotForCD5) August 21, 2024

Heres what this X user has to say:

We've heard four or five stellar speeches in the last two nights, by my count, by Raphael Warnock, Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama and Barack Obama. Joe Biden gave the perfect farewell speech, but the others got down to the American experiment from different angles. Paula Behnken (@phbehnken) August 21, 2024

Biden and Harris were sworn in as the 46th President and 49th Vice President of the United States in 2021. The 2024 US Presidential election will be held on November 5. People in each state and the District of Columbia will vote people to the Electoral College, who will then elect a president and vice president for a term of four years.
Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai recently attended Taylor Swifts concert at the Wembley Stadium in London. She was joined by her husband Asser Malik. Malala has also shared some pictures from an electrifying evening on Instagram. The opening frame features Malala and Asser smiling ear-to-ear for the camera. The next one is a throwback picture of Malala and her childhood friend Moniba. Moving ahead, Malala makes a heart gesture as she enjoys the evening with her loved ones. Along with the album, Malala has shared a note. She walked down memory lane and recalled her time in Swat Valley.

Malala Yousafzai also opened up about Taylor Swifts significance in her life. Having lived through a time where music and art were banned, music felt like a gift. Moniba and I found the highest rock we could, climbed on top of it and announced to all of our classmates and teachers we were going to perform our new favourite song called Love Story, she wrote.

She continued, We sang with all of our heart, taking in the joy we felt every second. Thats where my Swiftie journey began. It feels magical that my first-ever proper concert would be to see Taylor Swift, singing along to every song surrounded by friends.

In her note, Malala Yousafzai highlighted how the Taliban has regained power in Afghanistan. She said, Three years ago, the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan. Once again, music no longer plays on the streets, and girls and women are barred from school, work and public life. In Swat, music made my friends and me feel confident and free. And one day I hope we will live in a world where every girl will be able to enjoy music and live out her wildest dreams.

Malala Yousafzais life changed when the Taliban took control of her town in Swat Valley in 2008. The group banned owning a television and playing music, and forbade girls from attending school.
Two tourists in Venice recently drew criticism for their inappropriate behaviour by swimming in front of a cemetery. According to New York Post, the two men, spotted by commuters on a water bus, left their clothes in front of the San Michele Cemetery and took a swim in the murky water. The incident reportedly took place on August 14.

The video, captured by a passerby and shared by news website GMC, shows the two travellers splashing in the water with the cemetery visible in the background. San Michele Cemetery is located on Isola di San Michele, an island in the Venetian Lagoon, located between Venice and Murano. It also consists of a church.

Visitors are often attracted to this island to pay respects at the graves of notable figures, such as the renowned Russian-born composer Igor Stravinsky.

As reported by NYP, Venice locals have voiced their outrage on social media over the visitors actions. One resident described their behaviour as Shameful. Rude. Ignorant," while another in agreement, said the tourists had no respect at all."

A comment also read, Im at a loss for words," while one user suggested, In other countries, theyd have been arrested, fined heavily, and then sent home with a boot."

Swimming in Venice is restricted to designated public beaches, with canals and residential waterways off-limits due to boat traffic and poor water quality. Violating these rules can result in fines and ban from the city.

According to the news outlet, Venice is grappling with significant tourism issues. To manage the influx of visitors, the city has implemented an $8 (approximately Rs 670) entry fee for day trippers during peak season for the first time this year. The further measures include limited tourist groups to a maximum of 25 people.

Venice isnt the only city dealing with overtourism, other European cities have also experienced issues with tourists behaviour before. Last month, in Spains Barcelona, diners were startled when visitors began playfully squirting water pistols. In Florence, Italy, a tourists behaviour sparked outrage when she climbed a statue and struck inappropriate poses, as reported in NYP.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Welcome To Florence (@welcome_to_florence)

Pictures of the incident were shared on the popular Instagram page with the moniker, Welcome to Florence. In one image, a woman was seen with her legs wrapped around the statues waist and arms around its neck, seemingly kissing it. Another photo depicted her bent over with her backside pressed against the statue.
Evil dolls rank among the scariest entities, often depicted as haunted, possessed or grotesquely animated. The scientific term for fear of dolls is called pediophobia. It would be prudent to assume that the Annabelle doll from The Conjuring was the primary source of fear for the majority of us. Even before she comes to life, Annabelle is terrible to look at, with her sharp eyebrows, flushed cheeks and intense gaze. Adding to the horror, a doll reputed to be the most haunted in the worldallegedly inhabited by the ghost of a spurned bridehas been said to have attacked 17 men.

It seems like the doll has a hatred towards men, paranormal investigator Lee Steer told Kennedy News.

Lee Steer, who paid over $1,000 (over Rs 83,000) for the doll on eBay, reportedly claimed he was severely scratched on his back in the bridal doll room of his Haunted Objects Museum in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, as a result of the toys attack.

According to Steer, the doll exhibits unsettling behaviour when women are present, such as moving objects and turning lights on and off.

Steer said, People say it goes around scratching married men and hates married men. I suspect it to be the most haunted doll in the UK.

The Daily Star reports that Steer claimed that males always appeared to make the doll furious.

The abnormalities of the entity have intensified after he obtained merchandise from the well-known horror film series The Conjuring, which centres on a doll named Annabelle who is possessed.

Steer described an experience in which he was attacked while working on a paranormal investigation inside the museum with his partner, 32-year-old Sarah Carter.

Daily Star quoted him saying, I had a burning sensation on my neck.

He continued by saying that although he didnt give it much thought at first, the burning feeling subsided as others pointed out that he had scratches on his back.

Reportedly, over 15 individuals have gone to Steer to complain that they have been scratched.

A little perfume bottle that seemed to be flying off the shelf was one of the things he highlighted. Some people think she was treated badly by a man and some think her wedding went wrong so this is why she haunts a bridal doll.

Steers coworker, Jon-Paul Kenny, experienced the dolls wrath while recording a TikTok Live in the wedding doll area with partner Kymmi Jeffrey.

I had my shirt on and I was just talking to her and I felt someone grab my shirt and my skin was touched, stated Kenny.

Kenny went on to explain to Daily Star that he thought someone had grabbed his shirt behind him and was trying to get his attention. According to Kenny, he is positive that the wedding doll is to blame for what happened to him.
A video has gone viral on social media from a court proceeding in which a womans advocate is making arguments to secure Rs 6 lakh monthly maintenance from her husband.

The womans advocate told the court that she needs Rs 15,000 per month for shoes, dresses, bangles etc and Rs 60,000 per month for food at home. She needs Rs 4-5 lakh for medical expenses for her knee pain and physiotherapy and other medication, the womans advocate told the court.

During the hearing, the judge observed that this is a exploitation of the process of the court. The judge further said that she could earn if she wants to spend so much money.

Please dont tell that the court that it is all a person requires. Rs 6,16,300 per month. Does anybody spend this much? A single lady for herself. If she wants to spend, let her earn. Not on the husband. You dont have any other responsibility of the family. You dont have to take care of the children. You want it for yourself You should be reasonable, the judge said.

Marriage is Scary GuysWife ask for 6,16,300 per month as Maintenance Wife asked this amount for herself, she Didnt have Any Children Hats off to the Judge Who Said If she want to spend this much, let her earn, not on the husband #viralvideo pic.twitter.com/OoP2JIlL5k  Anuj Prajapati (@anujprajapati11) August 21, 2024

The judge also asked the womans advocate to come up with a reasonable amount otherwise her plea would be dismissed.

The matter was being heard on August 20 on the issue of non-filing of the expenditure of woman namely Radha Munukuntla.

On September 30, 2023, the Additional Principal Judge, Family Court, Bengaluru, granted her a monthly maintenance of Rs 50,000 from her husband, M Narsimha. She moved the High Court requesting an increase in the interim maintenance amount.
Heavy rains early Tuesday morning brought relief from Delhi-NCRs searing heat, but it also caused significant waterlogging and traffic problems throughout the region. Water levels climbed to the point that automobiles were submerged in many places, severely impeding traffic. A yellow alert has been issued by the Regional Meteorological Centre in Delhi for heavy rainfall over the next three days. Periodic showers are predicted to continue for the next five days. Amid the downpour, an autorickshaw on Minto Road submerged in water.

The yellow roof of the auto rickshaw was seen in a video posted by news agency ANI. The extent of the was shown in a zoomed-out view of the region.

#WATCH | Delhi: Severe waterlogging witnessed on Minto Road after incessant rainfall in the national capital. pic.twitter.com/7SUAMu48iy ANI (@ANI) August 20, 2024

The rickshaw driver told the Times Of India (TOI) that his vehicle abruptly stopped and that he approached a few other drivers for assistance.

He continued by saying that while he came out of his vehicle to save his life, the papers were still inside it.

Meanwhile, a school bus was reported to be trapped in Minto Bridges submerged subway.

According to TOI, no injuries were recorded in any of the two occurrences.

The news outlet was informed by the concerned officials that water was being pumped out of the affected areas.

On Tuesday morning, the national capital experienced brief but heavy rains that resulted in waterlogging in numerous areas.

While most regions received modest precipitation, the Ridge received substantial rainfall. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) attributes this to a localised western disturbance and southwesterly winds.

Safdarjung reported 28.7 mm of rainfall between 5:30 AM and 8:30 AM, Lodhi Road 25.6 mm and Ridge 72.4 mm. Afterwards, some locations reported very light to light rain between 8:30 AM and 5:30 PM.

The meteorological office has issued a yellow advisory for Thursday through Saturday because of the unexpected deluge.

For Delhi today, IMD forecasts a typically overcast sky with light showers and thunderstorms.

Todays lowest temperature is anticipated to be around 25 degrees Celsius, and the highest temperature will likely be about 33 degrees.
A couple recently created a buzz among social media buffs after they pointed out 10 differences between life in the United States and India. Nayrith Bhattacharya and his wife Rishita Das, who graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, left their homeland in 2016 to pursue higher education. They spent a few years in the US before returning to India in August last year. Bhattacharya is the co-founder of an AI startup named Gushwork, while Das works as an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering at IISc Bengaluru.

Having resided in India for one year since their return, the couple noticed some fundamental differences between the lifestyles of Indian and American people. Nayrith Bhattacharya shared their experience via an online post, mainly referring to those people who are staying in foreign countries and remain doubtful about coming back to India.

To all the Indian 20-40-year-olds who are contemplating their move back to India but are filled with uncertainties, this is an honest compilation of 10 differences we observed after our move back here, the IIT graduate noted on X.

My wife and I made the decision of moving back to India from the US after completing our higher education. We decided to dedicate our lives to building & researching technologies out of India for the world. We recently completed 1 year of our stay here. To all the Indian https://t.co/zMKQ80VVmU pic.twitter.com/wFIermI1Ij  Nayrhit (@NayrhitB) August 20, 2024

According to Nayrith, The ease and affordability of having domestic help are something that set India apart from other nations. He has claimed that the cost of labour here may be cheap but the convenience is undeniable. 15-20 extra hours each week as a working couple is a luxury tough to imagine back in the US, Nayrith added.

1/10The ease and affordability of having a domestic help. While I do worry about the of the cost of labour being cheap, the convenience is undeniable  an 15-20 extra hours each week as working couple is a luxury tough to imagine back in the US.  Nayrhit (@NayrhitB) August 20, 2024

About the reason for heavy traffic across Indian roads, Nayrith has blamed the unpredictable driving practices and multi-modal forms of transport which slow down the movement of vehicles. He, however, feels India is way ahead of the US in terms of digital convenience and the intra-city logistics are also far superior here.

2/10Traffic in India is not necessarily worse than downtown NY/SF/CHI, but definitely much more irritating because of the unpredictable driving practices & multi-modal forms of transport which slows down the overall traffic.No clear solution for a few years to come.  Nayrhit (@NayrhitB) August 20, 2024

Moreover, Nayrith acknowledged that he found it hard to make deep connections with the American people which has never been an issue in this country. He also hailed UPI (Unified Payments Interface), drawing comparison with Apple Pay, which is the most prominent online payment option in the US. UPI is free & a part of govt infra  where in Apple Pay, there is a 2%-7% of transaction volume which flows into private players, he wrote.

4/10Culturally, as an Indian, I found it challenging to make deep connections in the USbeyond coffee meetups, drinks, or the usual work/sports talk. It is easier for me personally to form meaningful relationships and even rekindle old ones.  Nayrhit (@NayrhitB) August 20, 2024

Nayrith further expressed his admiration for Indian food while also admitting that he misses the variety of cheese, bread and desserts available in the American market. He also believes the US is an ideal place for outdoorsy persons but not for those who find leisure in indoor activities.

7/10I am a foodie. Coming back to Dosas & Biryanis from PB&J & Burgers is a relief. Though  I do sometimes miss the variety of cheese, bread & desserts.  Nayrhit (@NayrhitB) August 20, 2024

Shedding light on social issues in India, Nayrith underlined that India has yet to show progress in the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. He hopes that this situation will change fast in the next 5 years.

9/10India is still very judgemental of queer communities. Yes, there are hyper-urban pockets where it is fine. But, mass India still is not very accepting of LGBTQ communities. I am bullish though that this will change fast in the next 5 years.  Nayrhit (@NayrhitB) August 20, 2024

At the end of his post, Nayrith highlighted the job market in India. You can get a job (in the US) but to get a high-paying gig that can allow you an equivalent house and car here, it is not trivial. Several of my friends who came back had to cut back on their lifestyles significantly, he noted.

Many users have found the post quite informative. Since being dropped on X, it has garnered over 5.8 million views so far.
The United States will participate in the 60th quadrennial presidential election on November 5 this year to elect the 47th US President. Citizens in each state and the District of Columbia will elect representatives to the Electoral College, who will then cast their votes for president and vice president for the next four-year term.

Read| How X Users Reacted to Joe Bidens Emotional Farewell As He Passes the Mantle to Kamala Harris

Initially, the presidential race was set to be a contest between incumbent President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. However, Biden, facing opposition over his health and age, withdrew from the race on July 21. On August 5, Kamala Harris was officially announced as the Democratic nominee for the upcoming election. The Indian-origin Vice President selected Tim Walz, the current governor of Minnesota, as her running mate. On Monday, the 81-year-old delivered an emotional farewell speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, United States, as he passed the mantle to Harris.

With this shift, the race for the presidency now pits former President Donald Trump against incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris. As the election approaches, both Harris and Trump have become top search trends on Google, with many people searching Who will win the 2024 Presidential Election?

As curiosity grows about who will become the next US president, Elon Musk, who is backing Donald Trump in the upcoming election, shared a poll on X (formerly Twitter) asking users to vote for their preferred candidate. He wrote, Since many have asked, heres a super unscientific poll. Who will you vote for?

The poll garnered nearly 36 million views and 3.6 million votes, with results indicating strong support for Donald Trump, suggesting he could be sworn in as the 48th U.S. President.

Since a lot of people have asked, here goes a super unscientific poll Who will you vote for?  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 20, 2024

According to a report by The Independent, Harris has a 2.9-point lead over Trump in the latest average of national polls, collated by FiveThirtyEight.

In July this year, Reuters/Ipsos conducted a survey online in which 1,241 people took part, including 1,018 registered voters. The survey revealed that in a head-to-head matchup, Harris leads Trump 44% to 42%. Additionally, 56% of registered voters agreed that the 59-year-old Harris is mentally sharp and able to deal with challenges, compared to 49% who said the same about 78-year-old Trump.
Ukraine has entered Russian territory, taking the war to Vladimir Putins doorstep. The Kursk offensive  a shock, lightning attack  has caught the Russians by surprise.

On August 6, Ukrainian tanks rolled into the bordering Russian region of Kursk, taking over almost a thousand square kilometres of Russian territory with ease. Russia was so surprised by the attack that it had no defensive strategy in play for the first few days. Its response, according to one expert, has been shambolic, even as Ukrainian troops advanced facing little resistance. Putin, meanwhile, has been left red-faced. Is this gamble going to pay off?

Deadly wars are no stranger to the Russian region of Kursk. In 1943, the battle of Kursk, dubbed the final gasp of Nazi aggression, was one of the most consequential battles on the eastern front, when Nazi Germany pushed further into Soviet territory. It was the largest tank battle in history with 6,000 tanks and two million troops. With over one million casualties, it is considered one of the costliest battles in the Second World War. Ultimately, Hitlers forces were defeated by the Soviets, and this played a deciding role in the war.

80 years on, Kursk finds itself turned into a battlefield again  this time between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraines incursion into the region has surprised almost everyone, including Russia. No one saw it coming except locals at the ground level who had been sending warnings about a Ukrainian build-up. But they were not heard, and ultimately, Ukrainian troops successfully rolled in and fanned out across a vast area of Russian land. Ukraine has also blown up three bridges in the region. More than 2,00,000 people have been evacuated across all border regions, including Belgorod, and more will follow in the days to come. Ukraine has even captured the city of Sudzha. There is a lot at stake here, including a crucial pipeline.

You see, this region hosts a pipeline that supplies Russian gas to European countries through Ukraine. Thats right, Hungary, Austria and Slovakia are still buying Russian gas, and it is through this pipeline. Whats more, its sole pumping station is in Sudzha, which is now in Ukrainian control. So far, Ukraine has kept its hands off this pipeline because it is bound by a contract. Kyiv has allowed the continued flow of gas through this Soviet-era pipeline under a $2 billion-a-year contract between the state-owned Naftogaz and Russias Gazprom. But the risk of damage and disruption as the fighting intensifies cannot be ruled out. Moreover, the Kursk nuclear power plant, which has not been taken over yet, is also at risk of becoming a fighting zone in the days to come.

This was not just a major intel failure, but Russian troops were caught so off-guard that they completely failed to defend against the attack. You see, Ukraine took advantage of an obvious weakness. This part of the border was lightly guarded and therefore, an easy target at a time when Russian forces are concentrated in the Donetsk region where the main frontlines of the war remain. Reports say that the attack comprised battle-hardened Ukrainian troops who had an easy walkover against poorly armed Russian conscripts. Russia had to initially rely on jets and helicopter gunships to counter the attack.

So was this a winning move for Ukraine? Or was it a big mistake?

Firstly, lets not forget that such a sophisticated attack must be months in the making and, despite this, Ukraine was able to achieve the element of surprise. Operational security of this level has impressed allies, including the US. Secondly, Ukraine gets a possible bargaining chip. It has said that it is not interested in taking Russian territory. Zelenskyy has himself called this takeover part of an exchange fund.

Depending on the magnitude of its success, the reasoning for this attack could be to take over Russian territory so as to force a bargain on the negotiating table  in other words, handing over Russian territory held by Ukrainian troops in return for Ukrainian territory held by Russian troops. Thats the best-case scenario, that is if Ukraine is able to hold on to the seized territory long enough.

Thirdly, the short-term gain from Ukraines Kursk offensive was to simply alleviate the stress on its forces in Donbas, by forcing Russia to pull out its troops from there. And this is already happening. Russia has diverted thousands of troops inside Ukraine towards Kursk. In fact, Putin has had to walk back on a promise he made not to send conscripts to the frontlines. Fourth, Ukraine is seeking to make a buffer zone here, which will affect Russias supply lines to its men entrenched in Donbas. It may be able to use jammers deeper into Russian territory, which will affect Russias air superiority.

Fifth, the move has boosted the morale of Ukraines forces as well as its people at a time when hope had been withering away. And finally, Ukraine seizing Russian territory with relative ease has embarrassed Putin, making a spectacle of how shambolic Russias initial reaction was to the attack. This has been satisfying for Ukraines leaders. But it comes with a risk.

That brings us to the question, is Ukraine making a mistake? Firstly, Ukraine has invited Putins wrath which may lead to more intense fighting in Donbas as well as in Kursk. He has said that Ukraine will receive a worthy response. Russia essentially reacted with air raids and a missile attack in the capital city Kyiv and more such attacks are expected in the future.

Second, Ukraine transferred a chunk of machines and men from the frontlines of the war to fight in Kursk and that has left experts concerned. Its even more concerning considering the third point. You see, Ukraines losses are greater than Russias in this battle. It is losing far more tanks and armoured vehicles. In the first nine days of the invasion, the Ukrainians lost four tanks and 41 infantry vehicles. Ukraine has also lost more men than Russia. Given that these were battle-hardened brigades, that are now out in the open, this is a concerning loss ratio.

Third, the nuclear threat is also back on the table, although Ukraine cannot really be blamed for that. Russia has claimed that Ukraine is planning to take the Kursk nuclear plant and also has plans to use a dirty bomb. This would be a major provocation. Ukraine has termed this as insane Russian propaganda but this is a dangerous discourse. For Russia, this may be a hint that it may use its own nukes to stop Ukraine. With Russia angry and on the backfoot, this only elevates the risk of a nuclear bomb going off in this war.

According to professor Mearsheimer, the Kursk offensive is a foolish move. In fact, he says, It is no wonder  given what a foolish idea the Kursk incursion is  that the Russians were caught by surprise.

He added: Ukraines invasion (of Kursk) was a major strategic blunder, which will accelerate its defeat. The key determinant of success in a war of attrition is the casualty-exchange ratio, not capturing territory, which Western commentators obsess over.

While Ukraine has made a hopeful advance, Russia still has its cards to play, and that may or may not flip the mood in the days to come. Zelenskyy has made a bold gamble but the victor is defined by the ending of the battle, not the beginning. Throughout history, we have seen successful attacks turn into crushing defeats. Will this be one of them, or will it beat the naysayers? Only time will tell.
Photo taken on August 19, 2024 shows the parliamentary delegations from 32 developing countries visiting the Museum of the Communist Party of China. From August 19 to 28, 2024, China will host the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of China's National People's Congress's (NPC) affiliation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the 2024 Interregional Seminar on the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals for Parliaments of Developing Countries. (Photo by Wang Ruoxin/Guangming Online

Photo taken on August 19, 2024 shows the parliamentary delegations from 32 developing countries visiting the Museum of the Communist Party of China. From August 19 to 28, 2024, China will host the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of China's National People's Congress's (NPC) affiliation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the 2024 Interregional Seminar on the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals for Parliaments of Developing Countries. (Photo by Wang Ruoxin/Guangming Online

Photo taken on August 19, 2024 shows the parliamentary delegations from 32 developing countries visiting the Museum of the Communist Party of China. From August 19 to 28, 2024, China will host the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of China's National People's Congress's (NPC) affiliation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the 2024 Interregional Seminar on the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals for Parliaments of Developing Countries. (Photo by Wang Ruoxin/Guangming Online

Editor: WRX
Chinas growing footprints in Afghanistan may soon become a major concern for the world as Beijing looks to harness its business interests in Kabul along with connectivity, security and access to natural resources.

Shunned globally since Talibans takeover, Afghanistan has the been struggling for finance. Though the country gets UN aid every week, the fragile economic situation and fight on terror need more support from the world community.

Huge sums of Afghanistans money have been frozen by USA, much to the chagrin of Taliban. In such a situation, China has come as a panacea, investing heavily in the country in return for selective terror crackdown, top Intelligence sources have told CNN-News18.

China was the only country to host Afghanistans ambassador in Beijing. It also wants Taliban and Pakistan to sit and settle the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) issue, sources said.

In connectivity, China wants Taliban to continue with the 2016 Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) pact and expansion in Central Asia apart from CPEC and Gwadar Port.

In doing all this and paying under-the-table rewards to the Taliban leadership, China started with crackdown on the East Turkistan Islamic Movement. This they wanted for two reasons  crackdown in Afghanistan is optics and will ensure safety of Chinese workers in Afghanistan, the sources added.

In 2023, Afghanistans foreign minister Muttaqui had promised his counterpart in China that they were ready to deliver on terror crackdown. Pakistan has deported hundreds of thousands of Afghans who were settled in Pakistan from decades, justifying its action by alleging that Taliban-supported TTP is taking shelter with these refugees.

China facilitated trilateral talks with Afghanistan and Pakistan so that Pakistans tensions with Afghanistan are reduced and they desist from troubling Islamabad and GHQ.

The Intel sources said the idea behind the high-level meeting was to prevent any major tension between Taliban and Pakistan and ensure zero-hinderance in BRI and CPEC.

Also, Afghanistans Lithium will be a major asset in the days to come, especially when green energy is the future and logistics cost for China are negligible.

Helping Hand

 In January 2023, Taliban signed a $540 million contract to extract oil from the Amu Darya basin

 In April 2023, a Chinese company showed interest in investing $10 billion in Lithium and another rare earth minerals in Afghanistan

 In November 2022, China revived the Pine Nut Air Corridor, resulting in exports of over 1,000 tonnes to Beijing

 In December 2022, China implemented zero tariffs on 98 per cent Afghan products

 Restarting work on the Aynak Copper Mine in Logar and securing new oil and gas extraction contracts in the Amu Darya basin exemplify Chinas keen interest in resource extraction
Jack Schlossberg, the 31-year-old grandson of former US President John F. Kennedy, addressed the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night, drawing a parallel between Vice President Kamala Harris and his grandfather. Schlossberg has steadily become a prominent figure within the Democratic Party, mirroring his familys longstanding political engagement.

Addressing the convention, Schlossberg, who is serving as a Democratic delegate for New York, said, Like President Kennedy, Vice President Harris has dedicated her life to public service. She believes in America like my grandfather did  that we do things not because theyre easy, but because theyre hard, he said while referring to Kennedys iconic 1962 speech on the American space effort.

Schlossberg emphasised that the ideals his grandfather championed are still relevant and reflected in current leaders. The torch has been passed to a new generation of leader who shares my grandfathers energy, vision and optimism for our futurethat leader is Vice President Kamala Harris, Schlossberg said, calling Kennedy his hero.

JFK's grandson Jack Schlossberg on Kamala Harris:"She believes in America, like my grandfather did; that we do things not because they're easy, but because they are hard." pic.twitter.com/7fNzYb1pK8  The Recount (@therecount) August 20, 2024

In recent weeks, Schlossberg has been active in the political sphere, engaging with the public through various platforms. His presence at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, running from August 19-22, has been notable. On Instagram, he shared his excitement about the event with a post: EXCELSIOR !!! DNCLFG !!! VOTEBLUE !!! An honor to be here, INSANE to meet my HEROES IRL !!!! Just gonna keep being myself what do you guys think?

The post featured a series of photos showcasing Schlossberg with prominent politicians, including U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

Schlossberg, a Yale University graduate with a degree in history focusing on Japanese studies, pursued further education at Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School.

Former US President Barack Obama will deliver the keynote address on the second day of the convention, capping off Tuesdays events after speeches by former First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that India has always advocated for dialogue and diplomacy and wants to see lasting peace in the region while addressing a community event in Polands Warsaw.

India is an advocate of permanent peace in this region. Indias concept is clear  this is not an era of war India believes in dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflict, PM Modi told Indians who had gathered at a community event.

Modi, who is visiting Ukraine on Friday after finishing his two-day Poland trip, at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelensky, has said that he will share with the Ukrainian leader perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict.

Humanity and compassion are vital foundations of a just and peaceful world. The Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw highlights the humanitarian contribution of Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, who ensured shelter as well as care to Polish children left homeless pic.twitter.com/v4XrcCFipG Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 21, 2024

The prime minister was accorded a warm welcome at the Warsaw airport. Shortly after he reached his hotel, PM Modi met members of the Indian diaspora and thanked them for their warm hospitality.

He also thanked the people of Poland for the warm welcome that he received. Over the past one week, a lot has been discussed in the media about Poland and its people. It was also said that this is the first time in 45 years that an Indian PM is visiting Poland, he said.

Homage At Three Memorials

The Prime Minister paid homage at three memorials, including the monument of the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, known here affectionately as Good Maharaja who provided refuge to over 1,000 Polish children who escaped the Soviet Union.

In 1942, the Maharaja had provided refuge to about 1,000 Polish children from war-torn, occupied Poland and Soviet camps following the occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia.

The surviving Polish children have formed an Association of Poles, which meets annually in one of the major Polish cities, it said.

According to the Indian Embassy website, eight Polish primary and secondary schools are named after Jam Saheb, known as Good Maharaja in Poland.

He also paid his tributes at the memorials for the Valivade-Kolhapur camp and the Monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino in Warsaw.

Humanity and compassion are vital foundations of a just and peaceful world. The Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw highlights the humanitarian contribution of Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, who ensured shelter as well as care to Polish children left homeless due to the Second World War. Jam Saheb is fondly remembered in Poland as Dobry Maharaja, Modi posted on X along with some photos.

Thanking Poland

Modi thanked the people of Poland for the warm welcome that he received. Over the past one week, a lot has been discussed in the media about Poland and its people. It was also said that this is the first time in 45 years that an Indian PM is visiting Poland, he said.

He also thanked the Polish government for support during Operation Ganga, especially by giving visa waivers to Indians.

Modi also praised the Polish Kabaddi team for its achievements.

He also said that India and Poland have a lot of similarities. One of them is democracy. India is not just the mother of democracy, but also a participative and vibrant democracy. People of India have a lot of confidence in democracy, and this was evident in the recent (Lok Sabha) elections, he said, highlighting that these polls were the biggest elections in history.

He said that if any country faces a crisis, India is the first country to extend a helping hand. When Covid came, India said  Humanity first. We sent medicines and vaccines to more than 150 countries of the world. Wherever there is an earthquake or any disaster, India has only one mantra  Humanity first, he said.

He also recalled that Poland was one of the first countries to assist when Gujarat was hit by an earthquake two decades ago.

Quality Manufacturing, Quality Manpower

PM Modi while addressing the Indian diaspora said that India has now directed its entire focus on quality manufacturing and quality manpower as they are crucial aspects for the global supply chain.

In Budget 2024, we have focused a lot on ensuring youth skill-ing and job creation, and we want to turn India into a centre of education, research and innovation, he said.

He also launched the Jam Saheb Memorial Youth Action programme under which India will invite 20 Polish youths annually to visit India.

Modi said he has promised that in his third term, India will become the third largest economy in the world.

NASSCOM estimates that India will become a trillion dollar economy by the end of this decade due to its digital infrastructure, he told the crowd.

He said that Indias wisdom is global and its vision is global. We have considered the entire world as one family and this is visible in the policies and decisions of todays India, he said.

He said that balance between economy and ecology is Indias priority today.

It is only India which is moving ahead with both the resolutions of a developed nation and Net zero nation together, he said.

He also said that India will soon establish its space station.

(with inputs from PTI)
Tweaking his own 2008 presidential campaign slogan Yes we can, Barack Obama endorsed Kamala Harris as the next president of the US at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday (August 20). Yes she can, he said of Harris, prompting the boisterous crowd to repeatedly chant the phrase.

Obama told fellow Democrats that the US is ready for Harris to be president. And Kamala Harris is ready for the job. This is a person who has spent her life fighting for people who need a voice. The next President of the US is Kamala Harris, he said to loud cheers.

Calling Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump dangerous, the former president said the torch has been passed to someone who will fight for Americans. He said Harris is someone who sees you and hears you and will get up every single day and fight for you.

He further said it has been 16 years since he had the honour of accepting this partys presidential nomination. He also brought President Joe Biden into his speech, saying history will remember him as an outstanding president.

It has been 16 years since I had the honour of accepting this partys nomination for PresidentLooking back, I can say without question that my first big decision as your nominee turned out to me as one of your best friends. I was asking Joe Biden to serve by my side as vice-president History will remember Joe Biden as an outstanding president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger. I am proud to call him my president and even prouder to call him my friend he added.

Before his stardust performance, his wife and former US first lady Michelle Obama told convention goers something magically wonderful is in the air. Its the contagious power of hope, she said, calling Harris my girl and saying that hope  another rallying cry of her husbands successful 2008 campaign  is making a comeback.

Comparisons are already being made by Democratic faithful to Obamas historic 2008 campaign, where a tidal wave of enthusiasm carried him to the White House. With the party united and Harris polling strongly, Democrats are making clear they believe they can defeat Donald Trump.

The Republican nominee had seemed set to regain power in Novembers election until Biden upended the race by dropping out and endorsing his vice president. Bullish delegates symbolically nominated Harris as their candidate in a boisterous roll call, following a paper exercise to confirm her as their standard bearer earlier this month.

Thank you see you in two days, Chicago, she said to delegates via video link from her event in Milwaukee to massive cheers.

Harris, who was received rapturously in Chicago at her debut appearance, was in Milwaukee for an event at the basketball arena where Trump attended the Republican convention just a month ago. The choice of the 18,000-seat arena will rile Trump, who has been rattled that the 59-year-old, unlike Biden, is able to draw the kinds of crowds the Republican has long attracted to his events. Addressing both crowds simultaneously highlighted that she had filled the DNC and RNC venues.
UPDATE

Aug 21, 2024 3:16 PM CDT

A former babysitter pleaded guilty to manslaughter Wednesday for the 2019 death of a man she was accused of disabling as an infant 40 years ago. Terry McKirchy, 62, accepted a plea deal for the death of Benjamin Dowling, who died at 35 after a life of severe disabilities caused by a brain hemorrhage he suffered in 1984 when he was 5 months old while at McKirchy's suburban Fort Lauderdale home, the AP reports. She was sentenced to three years in prison. Investigators believed she caused the injury by shaking him. In a letter of apology read to Dowling's parents by her attorney, assistant public defender David Fry, McKirchy said she was feeling overwhelmed and exhausted by taking care of numerous children and struck him, causing his injuries.

Jul 27, 2021 12:42 PM CDT

Babysitter Terry McKirchy got a light sentence 36 years ago after pleading no contest to attempted murder for shaking 5-month-old Benjamin Dowling so severely that he suffered permanent brain damageweekends in jail for three months and three years probation. But now McKirchy is facing a possible life sentence after a Florida medical examiner says Dowling succumbed to those injuries when he died in 2019 at the age of 35 after a life with severe mental and physical disabilities, per the AP. A Broward County grand jury recently indicted McKirchy, 59, on charges of first-degree murder. She is now jailed near her home in Sugar Land, Texas, pending her return to Florida. McKirchy, who has previously denied injuring the boy, has waived extradition, the Broward State Attorney's Office said.
George Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, could face arrest if they set foot in Russia under the current regime. The Clooney Foundation for Justice, founded by the couple in 2016, has been declared "undesirable" and banned from operating in Russia, Politico reports. The foundation investigates human rights abuses in countries including Ukraine. "We have documented indiscriminate attacks that killed civilians, destroyed civilian objects, as well as executions, enforced disappearances, torture, sexual violence, looting, and other crimes committed by Russian forces," it says on its website.
A witness testified Tuesday that McKenzie Cochran, who died in a confrontation with security guards at Northland Center in Southfield in 2014, repeatedly said, "I can't breathe." This startling revelation came from Hoy Monk II, who worked at a Foot Locker store and observed the incident. The three guards involved in the incidentJohn Seiberling, Gaven King, and Aaron Mareeare currently on trial for involuntary manslaughter.

Jurors were shown a dark, grainy video of the encounter, which started when Cochran refused to leave the mall after a dispute with a jewelry store owner. The situation escalated when a guard pepper-sprayed Cochran, leading to a struggle involving five guards to restrain Cochran, despite his repeated cries for breath. "By the time Cochran was handcuffed and moved upright, I could see his face, and his eyes were closed," Monk testified. Cochran, who had an enlarged heart, eventually succumbed to the circumstances.

Assistant Attorney General Robyn Liddell questioned Monk about whether the guards responded to Cochran's pleas. Monk confirmed they did not. One guard has already pleaded guilty, and the senior guard involved, Gary Chaffin, passed away in 2017. The defense urged jurors to consider the guards and their actions individually and said Cochran was perceived as a volatile threat. The Oakland County prosecutor initially declined to file charges in 2014, but Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel reopened the case in 2021. Northland Center was demolished in 2021 for redevelopment. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
After a relationship that spanned two decades, two engagements, two weddings, and headlines too numerous to count, Jennifer Lopez has filed for divorce from Ben Affleck. The filing Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court brought to an apparent end a celebrity coupling or at least the second installment of itthat dazzled from the very heights of the pop culture firmament and emblazoned countless tabloid covers, the AP reports. They became known, even before such power-couple portmanteaus were ubiquitous, as "Bennifer."

After meeting, falling in love, and getting engaged in the early 2000sand starring together in 2003's infamous Gigli and 2004's Jersey Girlthe couple parted ways, blaming in part the pressure of the public eye. But to the delight of many and perhaps the skepticism of others, they reunited two decades later and marriedtwicein 2022. "Love is beautiful. Love is kind. And it turns out love is patient. Twenty years patient," wrote Lopez, announcing their first, quickie Las Vegas wedding that July, and signing off as Jennifer Lynn Affleck. A month later, they had a much grander wedding at Affleck's house in Georgia, in front of friends and family. TMZ notes that the Tuesday filing comes two years to the day after the second wedding.

Affleck, 51, had been married once before and Lopez, 54, had been married three times before. Lopez is starring in the upcoming Unstoppable under Affleck and Matt Damon's Artists Equity banner. In May, she starred in the Netflix movie Atlas. At the end of the month, she suddenly canceled her 2024 North American tour, saying she was "heartsick and devastated" to be letting fans down but the move was necessary. TMZ reports that the divorce filing lists the date of separation as April 26. (More Jennifer Lopez stories.)
Following a terrifying mid-air dive in March that left more than 50 people injured on a flight from Australia to New Zealand, the Federal Aviation Administration has ordered inspections of the aircraft involved in the LATAM Airlines incident. Nearly 900 Boeing 787 Dreamliners must be inspected within the next 30 days, NBC News reports. Of those, 158 are registered in the US and the other 737 are registered in other countries. The FAA says the cause of the March incident was the captain's seat in the cockpit jerking forward and disconnecting the autopilot system, and that four other similar incidents involving the "uncommanded movement" of captain's seats or first officer seats have been reported, Reuters reports.
A small plane crash in Odessa, Texas, resulted in the deaths of pilot Joseph Vincent Summa, 48, and passenger Joleen Cavaretta Weatherly, 49, on Tuesday. After taking off from an Odessa airport around 7 a.m., the aircraft reportedly struggled to gain altitude, struck a power line, and crashed in an alley. The impact initiated a significant ground fire.

Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis stated, "It's obvious the pilot attempted to avoid the houses." The crash led to propellant explosions, causing the fire to spread to nearby mobile homes and outbuildings. Odessa Fire Rescue Chief Jason Cotton confirmed that a woman was injured and hospitalized after being rescued from one of the burning mobile homes.

The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the aircraft as a Cessna Citation business jet. In addition to the human casualties, the crash damaged vehicles, fences, and a local restaurant in Odessa, a city of about 114,000 residents. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are set to investigate the incident. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
Former guerrilla fighters and their families fled their homes in Miravalle, southern Colombia, en masse on Tuesday due to death threats from the Ivan Diaz front, a rebellious faction active in the Caqueta province. This group accused the residents, all former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who had laid down arms in 2016, of aiding rival rebels. Given 40 days to vacate, over 80 individuals, including ex-fighters, spouses, and children, relocated on Tuesday to another village of former FARC members 200 km south, with assistance from the Colombian government.

The displaced families had resided in Miravalle since the 2016 peace agreement, which led to the creation of 24 Transition Spaces for Capacity Building and Reincorporation (ETCR), designed to help the former guerrillas reintegrate through farming and tourism ventures. Despite such efforts, security issues have plagued these communities. Carlos Zamudio, a former FARC combatant, expressed optimism in a video by the ARN agency, stating: "We are leaving this place, but we'll continue to focus on building peace."

Miravalle's evacuation is part of a broader trend impacting ETCRs. Once bustling with ex-FARC fighters working towards new beginnings, these areas have seen declining populations due to persistent threats and employment difficulties. Five ETCRs have now been deserted. As the Colombian government engages in peace negotiations with remaining rebel factions, ensuring the safety of former fighters remains fraught with challenges. A UN report from April noted 416 former FARC fighters had been murdered since the 2016 accord. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
Businesses across Canada are on edge as a potential shutdown looms for Canadian National (CN) and CPKC railroads due to unresolved contract disputes with their respective unions. The railroads, crucial to the Canadian economy, move over $1 billion Canadian in goods daily. Government officials are increasingly involved, with Labor Minister meetings ongoing, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has hesitated to force an agreement, citing the need to balance labor relations.

The cessation, which could come Thursday, would have a widespread impact, disrupting the commutes of over 32,000 people in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Crucially, bulk industries like grain and chemical manufacturing, which rely heavily on rail transport, could face severe operational bottlenecks. Industry leaders, such as Greg Moffatt of the Chemistry Industry Association, warned of the dire consequences, noting that many critical supplies, like chlorine for water treatment, rely solely on rail transport.

The negotiations have primarily stalled over issues related to worker scheduling and fatigue prevention. Both rail companies have proposed wage increases, but disputes remain over operational adjustments that unions argue would regress working conditions. Although CPKC has made some concessions, moving away from an hourly pay system, key issues like compensation during rest periods and worker relocation continue to be points of contention. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
After six days stranded on a remote peak in Pakistan's northeast, two injured Russian climbers were rescued, while another remains missing and is presumed dead, reports the AP . The five-member team was attempting to climb one of Gasherbrum's peaks to retrieve the body of a fellow climber who died there last year when the group was hit by a pile of ice on Friday, officials said. Rescuers airlifted two of the mountaineers Monday, but more planning was needed to rescue the next two, who were unable to move because of their injuries.

An army helicopter, backed by local volunteers, helped rescue the two injured on Tuesday, said Karrar Haidri, the secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan. He said the fifth climber, Sergei Nilov, went missing during the avalanche and is presumed dead. Haidri identified the rescued climbers as Mikhail Mironov and Sergei Mironov. Haidri said Wednesday the two Russians were moved from the peak to base camp and were in stable condition at a winterized tent. "A helicopter was set to transport them to the northern city of Skardu, but it could not fly due to bad weather," he said, and that they were trying to find another way to get them to a hospital.

The Russian team, which was not accompanied by guides, took an unusual route on Gasherbrum. While Haidri acknowledged that the climbers were hit by the ice formation while "ascending the mountain for a noble cause," he still warned against such endeavors. "Climbers are fully aware of the dangers linked to such missions, but they still opt for dangerous and unexplored routes," he said. "This is how climbers make records but also come across challenges."

(More mountaineers stories.)
Masked police officers in Romania conducted early morning raids on Wednesday at the home of controversial internet personality Andrew Tate, who currently faces charges of human trafficking, rape, and forming a criminal gang. The country's anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, confirmed that the homes in Bucharest and Ilfovincluding Tate's large property on the edge of the former citywere being searched for evidence related to human trafficking and money laundering. Tate's representative, Mateea Petrescu, stated that his legal team was present during the raid though she did not address allegations concerning minors.

Andrew Tate, 37, and his brother Tristan, 36, both dual British-US citizens and former kickboxers, were detained in 2022 with two Romanian women. In April, the Bucharest Tribunal confirmed that the evidence against them met the legal criteria to proceed with a trial, but no start date has been set. The Tate brothers initially spent three months in police detention and are now under house arrest within Romania. Last month, a court decided they cannot leave the country while awaiting trial, overturning a prior ruling allowing them to travel within the European Union.

Andrew Tate maintains that the charges are baseless and part of a political agenda to silence him. He faced previous bans on multiple social media platforms due to his offensive remarks. Additionally, in a separate case, British authorities have issued arrest warrants for the Tate brothers related to allegations of sexual aggression between 2012 and 2015, but Romania has ruled that any extradition will only occur post their ongoing legal proceedings. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
Moscow reported a substantial drone attack by Ukraine, one of its largest since the invasion began in 2022. Russian authorities announced that all the drones targeting the capital had been neutralized. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin stated their strong defenses prevented any damage. Russia's Ministry of Defense confirmed downing 45 drones overnight, with 11 being destroyed around Moscow.

The strikes coincide with Ukrainian forces advancing into Russia's western Kursk region. Videos on social media showed air defense systems in action, prompting car alarms. Bryansk's governor, Alexander Bogomaz, noted a significant attack on his region but said all 23 drones had been destroyed. These drone strikes are often aimed at refining and airfield facilities in an attempt to weaken Russia's combat infrastructure.

Ukraine's incursion into Kursk has notably boosted morale and shifted the combat's dynamics. However, sustaining their gains poses challenges as Ukraine also loses territory in Donbas. The Institute for the Study of War reported Ukrainian advances in Kursk despite stretched resources. Drone attacks on bridges over the Seym River are intended to trap Russian forces, and satellite imagery confirmed significant fires near Krasnooktyabrskoe, indicative of intense ongoing battles. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
A group of 50 military veterans who are serving in Congress want Gov. Tim Walz to "come clean" on his own military service, and said so in a letter addressed to him on Wednesday. Politico reports the letter, signed by both "longtime die-hard supporters of former President Donald Trump and more moderate members from competitive House districts," takes issue with how Walz has characterized his 24 years in the Army National Guard . Politico and the Hill flag a trio of criticisms: One, that Walz misrepresented his rank (the 2024 campaign initially referred to him as a "retired Command Sergeant Major"; he did achieve that rank but moved down to master sergeant prior to his retirement).

Second, when talking about gun violence in 2018, Walz mentioned "weapons of war, that I carried in war." Walz never served in a combat zone, and a rep for Vice President Kamala Harris clarified that he did "handle weapons of war," just not in war. Lastly, the Hill notes that the letter faulted Walz for abandoning his National Guard unit by deciding in 2005 to resign just months before they deployed to Iraq; Walz, however, announced his plans to run for office months prior to his unit getting its mobilization order.

The letter, which includes signatures from Sens. Joni Ernst and Rick Scott and Reps. Brian Mast and Ryan Zinke, was penned on Trump-Vance campaign letterhead. Standout lines:

"You have stated that you are 'damn proud' of your service, and like any American veteran, you should be. But there is no honor in lying about the nature of your service."

"You have violated the trust of our brothers and sisters in arms. Their blood, sweat, and sacrifice are the only reason our nation is able to exist. Until you admit you lied to them, there is no way you can be trusted to serve as Vice President."

(More Tim Walz stories.)
A Kansas mother whose 2-year-old son fatally shot his 4-year-old sister has been sentenced to life in prison. The AP reports Mariann Belair, 24, won't be eligible for parole until she's served 25 years under the sentence imposed Tuesday in Shawnee County District Court. Jurors found her guilty in May of aggravated child endangerment and first-degree murder in the commission of a felony.

Belair testified at her trial that she removed a loaded 9mm handgun from her diaper bag and placed it on the couch next to her in October while she was home with her 4-year-old daughter, Lawrencia Perez-Belair, and her 2-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter. She said she had planned to go get food with her family and was making sure she had everything she needed in the bag. She said Lawrencia then "distracted" her by asking her to shoot a cellphone photo of them together.

Deputy District Attorney Lauren Amrein told jurors that the gun sat on the couch at least 12 minutes before Belair's son, who was about to turn 3, picked it up and shot his sister. She said no reasonable person would have let the gun sit there so long with small children present. Court records show Belair complained in a handwritten motion that her trial attorney discouraged her from taking a plea that would have resulted in her being sentenced to 10 years and three months in prison. A new attorney assigned to the case has requested a new trial.

(More fatal shooting stories.)
/

We'll Be Stuck With That TSA Liquids Rule for a While

The technology to do away with it exists, but getting enough CT scanners will take time
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

The Kingdom of Bahrain is committed to creating programmes that encourage the private sector to employ Bahraini professionals.

This was emphasised by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, as he met yesterday with the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Isa bin Salman Education Charitable Trust and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and members of the Board of Directors of Tamkeen, at Al-Sakhir Palace.

HRH Prince Salman highlighted the importance of increasing productivity and efficiency to improve individual and societal outcomes.

He stressed the significance of providing high-level training programmes for Bahraini professionals to help achieve the goals of the comprehensive development, led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister noted that the skilled and capable Bahraini workforce has played a crucial role in Bahrains history, emphasising the importance of providing appropriate training and employment opportunities within the private sector in support of citizens and the economy.

His Royal Highness expressed appreciation for the tireless efforts of HH Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad in achieving the aspirations and goals for which Tamkeen was established.

He expressed his gratitude to Tamkeens Board of Directors and employees for their efforts and dedication in enhancing the Funds workstreams and adding value to the Kingdoms wide-ranging economic objectives.

Achievements

During the meeting, HRH Prince Salman reviewed Tamkeens extensive efforts over the last few months, commending the achievements that demonstrate the Funds commitment and dedication to ensuring citizens remain at the forefront of development.

In this regard, His Royal Highness stressed the importance of building on efforts to achieve the Funds goals, which contribute to ensuring Bahraini citizens remain the preferred choice for employment in the Kingdoms vibrant labour market.

His Royal Highness noted that Bahraini citizens are the wealth of the nation and are the foundation for all development paths, and emphasised Bahrains commitment to empowering and creating quality job opportunities for Bahraini citizens.

Gratitude

HH Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad expressed gratitude for HRH Prince Salmans commitment to supporting Tamkeens efforts to develop and enhance the Bahraini workforce across all fields.

His Highness underlined the importance of fostering a supportive environment for Bahraini professionals to develop and thrive and creating new opportunities and strengthen their role in the labour market.

The Minister of Finance and National Economy, His Excellency Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, also attended the meeting.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahraini authorities have successfully apprehended four Asian nationals suspected of engaging in drug trafficking and possession within the country. The arrests were made following a carefully planned sting operation by the Ministry of Interior's Anti-Narcotics Directorate.

The operation stemmed from intelligence gathered from confidential sources, revealing a drug trafficking network operating in Bahrain. The network, allegedly led by the third suspect and his female accomplice, the fourth suspect, was believed to be involved in both the sale and consumption of drugs obtained from unknown sources.

The investigation led to a confidential informant establishing a relationship with the first suspect, a 35-year-old laborer, and gaining his trust. The informant then requested to purchase a quantity of heroin for 30 Bahraini dinars. The suspects agreed to a meeting point for the transaction.

On the day of the operation, the informant, accompanied by undercover police officers, met the first suspect at the designated location. After the informant handed over the agreed-upon sum, the first suspect left briefly and returned with the second suspect, a 24-year-old mechanic, and the third suspect, a 26-year-old laborer. The second suspect then handed the informant a substance later confirmed to be heroin.

The informant immediately apprehended the suspects, revealing his identity and legal authority. The police officers then arrived and searched the first suspect, finding the money he had received from the informant along with a quantity of drugs.

Police then proceeded to the third suspect's residence, where they found the fourth suspect in an altered state, indicating drug use. She was apprehended by female police officers. A search of the third suspect's home yielded additional drugs, drug paraphernalia, local and foreign currency believed to be the proceeds of drug sales, and medical syringes and drinks found under the fourth suspect's bed.

Further investigations revealed that all four suspects were part of an organised network that obtained drugs from unknown sources and distributed them for profit.

During questioning by the Public Prosecution, the first suspect confessed to agreeing with the third suspect to find customers and sell drugs. The second, third, and fourth suspects admitted to using and purchasing drugs. Phone records of the suspects revealed conversations related to drug sales, financial transfers, and locations marked with symbols and signs.

The High Criminal Court has scheduled a hearing for August 27th to consider the case.
TORONTO, Aug. 20, 2024 /CNW/ - While the back-to-school season is typically associated with children returning to classrooms, it also represents an important opportunity for adults who want to upgrade their skills.

With so many literacy organizations, libraries and community centres ramping up their offerings, September is ripe with resources, programs and a renewed focus on education that can greatly benefit adult learners.

Having strong literacy skills can vastly improve the outcomes of Canadians. Without strong literacy skills, an employee's prospects of progressing up the ladder at work are limited, and they're less able to succeed in the workplace. According to UNESCO, adults with low literacy skills have incomes that largely flatline through their careers. Conversely, individuals with higher levels of education typically see their income rise to two or three times higher than what they earned at the beginning of their careers.

Additionally, Canadians with low literacy are more than twice as likely to experience unemployment than those with higher levels. Adults with low levels of literacy often have difficulty securing housing, rely more heavily on social assistance, and are more likely to find themselves incarcerated.

For some adults, the thought of skills upgrading can be daunting due to previous negative experiences with school. However, many adult literacy programs designed for adults are tailored to be supportive and accommodating. Free programming, flexible scheduling and dedicated support services help to mitigate barriers, making education more accessible.

For those looking to upgrade their skills this fall, ABC Life Literacy Canada offers the following tips:

Identify your goals: What is your purpose for upgrading your skills? Are you looking to enhance specific skills, obtain a high school diploma, or change jobs? Understanding your goals will help you select a program that aligns with them.

Do your research: Investigate various adult literacy and skills upgrading programs. Look for ones that offer the resources, flexibility and support you need. Consider factors such as program length, format (online vs. in-person) and reputation. Visit LookUnderLearn.ca for a searchable list of academic upgrading programs in your town.

Consider your schedule: Opt for programs that offer flexibility, such as evening, weekend or online classes. This can make it easier to balance your studies with work and family responsibilities.

Communicate with family and employers: Keep your family and employer informed about your educational goals and commitments. Their understanding and support can be invaluable, and they may be willing to offer flexibility to accommodate your studies.

Practice self-care: Balancing multiple responsibilities can be stressful. Ensure you take time for self-care, including regular exercise, adequate sleep and relaxation. Maintaining your physical and mental health is crucial for staying productive and focused.

"This time of year, when everyone is thinking about children heading back to school, there's a large cohort of adults who are also taking steps to improve their lives," says Alison Howard, Executive Director of ABC Life Literacy Canada. "By investing in upgrading their literacy skills, adults can achieve personal growth, improve their career prospects and engage in lifelong learning. The back-to-school season is a reminder that learning is a continuous journey, beneficial at all stages of life."

To access free adult literacy programs and resources and begin your skills upgrading journey, visit abclifeliteracy.ca.

About ABC Life Literacy Canada

ABC Life Literacy Canada is a national charitable organization that champions literacy by empowering adult learners, raising awareness, and supporting the adult learning sector. We develop and support the use of foundational learning materials and help to build the capacity of the sector by convening and connecting the adult literacy community, and advocating for skills programming. We envision a Canada where everyone has the skills and opportunities to fully participate in learning, life, and work. For more information about literacy in Canada and ABC Life Literacy Canada's programs, visit abclifeliteracy.ca.

SOURCE ABC Life Literacy Canada

Ashley Tilley, Communications, [email protected], 647-326-9693
CALGARY, AB, Aug. 21, 2024 /CNW/ - (TSXV: GRD) (OTCQB: GRDAF) - Grounded Lithium Corp. ("GLC" or the "Company") announces our financial and operating results for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2024. Selected financial and operational information is set out below and should be read in conjunction with the Company's June 30, 2024 financial statements and the related management's discussion and analysis, which are available for review at www.sedarplus.ca or the Company's website at www.groundedlithium.com.

(CAD$, except per share amounts and common shares outstanding)























Three Months Ended

June 30,

Six Months Ended

June 30,



2024 2023

2024 2023 FINANCIAL RESULTS











Net comprehensive loss

241,823 944,463

749,430 2,626,751 Per share - basic and diluted

- 0.01

0.01 0.04













Cash flow used in operating activities

93,410 407,588

505,166 2,138,424 Per share - basic and diluted

- 0.01

0.01 0.04













Funds flow used in operations

108,213 684,960

575,853 2,158,016 Per share - basic and diluted

- 0.01

0.01 0.03













Capital expenditures











Capital expenditures (*)

- 7,210

(800,000) 450,847













Liquidity











Working capital surplus

208,583 166,415

208,583 166,415













Common shares outstanding











Weighted average - basic and diluted

78,279,227 69,656,423

77,702,758 69,132,779 Outstanding, end of period



























* Capital expenditures for the six months ended June 30, 2024 includes the first cash payment from Denison Mines Limited which is recorded as a reduction of the Exploration & Evaluation asset balance.

About Grounded Lithium Corp.

GLC is a publicly traded lithium brine exploration and development company that controls approximately 1.0 million metric tonnes of Measured & Indicated lithium carbonate equivalent mineral resource and approximately 3.2 million metric tonnes of Inferred lithium carbonate equivalent resource over our focused land holdings in Southwest Saskatchewan as per the Company's updated PEA. The updated PEA, titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report: Preliminary Economic Assessment Kindersley Lithium Project  Phase 1 Update" dated November 7, 2023 and effective as of June 30, 2023, reports a Phase 1 NPV 8 after-tax of US$1.0 billion with an after-tax IRR of 48.5%. GLC's multi-faceted business model involves the consolidation, delineation, exploitation and ultimately development of our opportunity base to fulfill our vision to build a best-in-class, environmentally responsible, Canadian lithium producer supporting the global energy transition shift. U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the Company on https://www.otcmarkets.com/.

Qualified Person

Scientific and technical information contained in this press release has been prepared under the supervision of Doug Ashton, P.Eng., Alexey Romanov, P. Geo., Meghan Klein, P. Eng., Dean Quirk, P.Eng., Jeffrey Weiss, P.Eng., Chad Hitchings., P.L. Eng., and Michael Munteanu, P.Eng., each of whom is a qualified person within the meaning of NI 43-101.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. The opinions, forecasts, projections and statements about future events of results, are forward looking information, forward-looking statements or financial outlooks (collectively, "forward-looking statements") under the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. These statements are made as of the date of this press release and the fact that this press release remains available does not constitute a representation by GLC that the Company believes these forward-looking statements continue to be true as of any subsequent date. Although GLC believes that the assumptions underlying, and expectations reflected in, these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these assumptions and expectations will prove to be correct. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the internal rates of return and net present values of the KLP, activities funded by Denison to drive the KLP value and GLC's vision of becoming a best-in-class, environmentally responsible, Canadian lithium producer supporting the global energy transition.

Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are: GLC's expectation that our operations will be in Western Canada, unexpected problems can arise due to technical difficulties and operational difficulties which impact the production, transport or sale of our products; geographic and weather conditions can impact production; the risk that current global economic and credit conditions may impact commodity prices and consumption more than GLC currently predicts; the failure to obtain financing on reasonable terms; volatility in the trading price of the common shares of the Company; the risk that unexpected delays and difficulties in developing currently owned properties may occur; the failure of drilling to result in commercial projects; unexpected delays due to the limited availability of drilling equipment and personnel; and the other risk factors detailed from time to time in GLC's periodic reports. GLC's forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction.

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 Grounded Lithium Corp.

For more information, please contact: Gregg Smith, President & CEO; Greg Phaneuf, SVP Corporate Development & CFO, Phone: 587.319.6220, Email: [email protected]
Debut marks first-time listing for the popular muscle health drink mix at Jean Coutu

Retailer lists two Rejuvenate 14-count products in store and online at www.jeancoutu.com

BURLINGTON, ON, Aug. 21, 2024 /CNW/ - Promino Nutritional Sciences Inc. (CSE: MUSL) (OTC: MUSLF) (FRANKFURT: 93X) (the "Company" or "Promino") today announces that it has shipped its all-new Rejuvenate Muscle Activator drink mix in Raspberry Burst and Citrus Blast to nearly 300 Jean Coutu stores across Canada, marking critical expansion of the brand's availability in Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario.

Promino Nutritional Sciences Inc. Announces Debut of Rejuvenate Muscle Activator at Nearly 300 Jean Coutu Pharmacies Across Canada and Provides Corporate Update (CNW Group/Promino Nutritional Sciences Inc.)

"Jean Coutu pharmacies are first class and bring critical expansion of doors for the patented Rejuvenate Muscle Activator drink mix," says Janice Day, Chief Sales Officer of Promino. "We are honored to have them on the front line in our quest to help Canadians improve their muscle health."

The all-new Rejuvenate Muscle Activator, which debuted last month at retailers across the United States and Canada, is the next generation of the popular product that first appeared in 2020. The current version features bold new red packaging highlighting flavor appeal and efficacy, and enhanced flavor profiles. Rejuvenate is a patented plant-based essential amino blend at the precise dose required to trigger maximum muscle protein synthesis for the building and repair of muscles.

About Rejuvenate Muscle Activator

One 3.6 gram serving of Rejuvenate provides the muscle-building power of 40 grams of whey protein  without all the calories, filler, sugar, fat and dairy. Developed at the University of Arkansas over 23 years and costing more than USD $20 million. Inaugural research for the blend was funded by NASA to find the most efficient supplement for astronauts to retain muscle mass while in orbit, and research has expanded to highlight faster muscle recovery for burn victims and major surgical procedures. Rejuvenate is shown to increase muscle protein synthesis by over 60% better than whey protein, improves muscle tone and combats age-related muscle loss.

About Jean Coutu

Founded in 1969, the Jean Coutu network is one of the most trusted names in Canadian pharmacy retailing, with more than 420 franchised stores in Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario under the banners Jean Coutu, PJC Sante and PJC Sante Beaute.

Stock Option Grants

Promino further announces that it has granted an aggregate of 3,900,000 options ("Options") to purchase common shares of the Company ("Common Shares") to its directors, officers, consultants and employees. Each Option is exercisable upon vesting to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.18 per share for a period of three years, with the Options vesting in three equal tranches on the 6, 12 and 18-month anniversaries of the date of grant.

Finder's Agreement

Additionally, the Company announces that has it entered into a finder's agreement (the "Finder's Agreement") dated and effective as of August 2, 2024 with Caerus Capital Management Inc. ("Caerus"). As announced in the Company's press release dated August 2, 2024, the Company acquired all of the outstanding shares of Helios Helium Corp. ("Helios") by way of a three-cornered amalgamation on August 2, 2024 (the "Transaction"). Caerus introduced the Company to Helios for the purposes of the Transaction and assisted the Company with M&A advisory services throughout the Transaction. In consideration for such services, the Company agreed to issue to Caerus 2,043,435 Common Shares pursuant to the terms of the Finder's Agreement.

About Promino

Promino is an innovative and research driven Canadian nutraceutical company specializing in the development of patented and science-based products for the global consumer packaged goods market, with a portfolio focused specifically on muscle health. Promino's lead product, Rejuvenate, is a patented proprietary formulation that is clinically proven to assist in the building, rebuilding, restoration and rejuvenation of natural muscle mass. Promino also offers Promino, an elite performance supplement for both professional and amateur athletes to accelerate muscle recovery, build strength and accelerate recovery from injury. Promino was founded in 2015 and is located in Burlington, Ontario.

To learn more about Promino, visit http://www.drinkpromino.com.

More information about Rejuvenate can be found https://www.rejuvenatemuscle.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. All statements that address activities, events, or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will, or may, occur in the future, are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding: the issuance of Common Shares to Caerus; and the Company's business prospects, future trends, plans and strategies. In some cases, forward looking statements are preceded by, followed by, or include words such as "may", "will," "would", "could", "should", "believes", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "continues", or the negative of those words or other similar or comparable words. In preparing the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, that protein supplement market growth will continue as anticipated by the Company, and that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner. These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors.

No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

SOURCE Promino Nutritional Sciences Inc.

For further information about Promino: Vito Sanzone, Chief Executive Officer, [email protected], 289-348-1970 ext. 222; Marc Charbin, Investor Relations, [email protected], 416-467-5229
Press Release

August 21, 2024 Next steps for PH after the Escoda Shoal ramming incident

Tolentino: PH should convene NSC, demand compensation for damaged PCG ships Senate Majority Leader Francis 'Tol' Tolentino reiterated his call for the Philippine government to convene the National Security Council (NSC), and to demand compensation from the People's Republic of China for the damages sustained by two Philippine Coast Guard patrol vessels after being rammed by Chinese Coast Guard ships in the vicinity of Escoda Shoal on Monday. "What happened in Escoda Shoal is unacceptable. The next step is for the DFA to lodge a diplomatic protest, I hope that has been filed already," said Tolentino in an interview with Teleradyo on Tuesday. "The Philippines should also file a claim for damages. Under Part 15 of UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), the owner of the ship, whether state-owned or private, can be held accountable for what happened," added the chair of the Senate Special Committee on Maritime and Admiralty Zones. Tolentino said he intends to bring up during the budget hearing of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) his proposal for the creation of a specialized team of lawyers that will handle maritime cases, which he foresees will recur in the coming years. "The OSG and DOJ should create a specialized team of maritime lawyers to handle these cases. The ramming incident in Escoda won't be the last. We cannot assign this task to fiscals, because these cases involve specialized aspects of international law and maritime law," he explained. Finally, the senator reiterated his position that it is high time for the President to convene the National Security Council (NSC). "I reiterate my plea to the President to convene the NSC, because what happened was an aggravated action. The convening of the NSC will allow the country to formulate a more focused response. We can get the opinion of the Coast Guard, Philippine Navy, and DFA. This [incident involves] one of the highest forms of aggravated maritime intentional allision and collision," the senator stressed. He further noted that the incident puts into question the sincerity and seriousness of China in the Bilateral Consultative Meeting (BCM) mechanism with the Philippines. "China must show its sincerity in negotiating with the Philippines. We just concluded the talks on Ayungin Shoal, and this happened," lamented the senator, who has strongly advocated for multilateral mechanisms to resolve the issues between the Philippines and China. "The rhetorics must stop. We should file the necessary cases," he concluded. Tolentino is the principal author and sponsor of the proposed Philippine Maritime Zones Act and Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act. The two landmark measures, the senator said, will lay the foundation for Philippine foreign policy with respect to the West Philippine Sea amid the more frequent and aggressive actions of China.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: A few years ago, I developed a gluten intolerance. While I am blessed that it isnt full-blown celiac disease, I am unable to eat many everyday treats, such as the free donuts in the break room at work.

My co-workers have no issue with my not eating a donut; not only do I work with lovely people, but it is a small office and everyone knows of my predicament.

But when Im out and about, I can run into issues.

I was at the library and was offered a cupcake -- it was a librarians birthday, and she had received a whole box of them. I told her Thank you, but no thank you. Likely assuming I had demurred out of politeness, she very kindly insisted.

I didnt quite know what to say, but when I mentioned being unable to eat the cupcakes, she seemed to deflate a little. It was obvious she hadnt meant to be rude, even if no offense was taken, and it made me feel bad in turn.

Do you have any advice for what I should say the next time I encounter someone trying to be nice by innocently offering me a snack? I can deal with the rude people who say things like, Its not that big of a deal! Everyone has an allergy these days. But I find myself at a loss when it comes to those who mean well and have nothing but kindness in their hearts.

GENTLE READER: Meaning well is offering you a cupcake. Meaning well is not, however, using emotional blackmail to make you eat something you have politely declined.

The social weaponizing of food is a modern concept that has created no end of trouble. If people would stop monitoring what others are eating or not eating, the world would go around a lot faster.

Miss Manners assures you that in such a situation, you need only keep repeating No, thank you until either the food bully is discouraged, or the cupcake has aged so much as to be unsuitable for consumption.

***

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I was fortunate enough to inherit my mothers thick and wavy hair. Since I stopped coloring it a few years ago, it has turned a lovely shiny silver and white. I know this is not an accomplishment of any sort; it is simply the luck of the gene pool draw.

Strangers frequently approach me to say how much they admire my hair, and I dont know how to respond. Typically, I say thank you and keep moving, but I am afraid it sounds a bit arrogant, as though I hear this all the time, or dismissive, as though I wont acknowledge that the person is trying to make my day.

What is the polite way to handle this?

GENTLE READER: Try saying thank you as if you do not hear this all the time and are pleased by it. These people are saying it to you for the first time, and are hoping to please you.

***

(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)
A man who previously worked as a summer camp counselor for the YMCA has been charged with child porn possession.

Robert Nault, 23, of Mount Laurel, was arrested following a search warrant at his home on Wednesday morning, the Burlington County Prosecutors Office said in a statement. Hes been charged with possession of child sexual abuse material, a third-degree crime.

Cyber crime detectives started investigating Nault following a tip about his online activity from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Investigators later determined that he accessed links to images and videos containing child sexual abuse and downloaded them to an online storage system, the office said.

Electronic devices were seized during the search of his home and will be analyzed by investigators from the prosecutors office High-Tech Crimes Unit.

Nault has worked as a counselor for two programs run by YMCA of the Pines  Camp Ockanickon for Boys and the Schools Out program, the office said.

He appeared in Burlington County Superior Court on Wednesday and has since been released pending future court appearances

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Traveling this fall just got a whole lot cheaper  but youll have to book your flight ASAP.

JetBlues Big Fall Sale is back with major discounts on one-way flights and roundtrip flights with two-day hotel stays starting at $34 from now through Friday, Aug. 23.

The flights out to Europe have dropped significantly with this deal. You can book a flight to Paris from New Yorks JFK airport starting at $249 one-way or $818 for a roundtrip flight and hotel for two nights.

Or pack your bags for a flight from JFK airport to Dublin for as low as $199 one-way and $596 for round-trip flight and two-night hotel stay. If youd prefer a jaunt in Edinburgh, London or Amsterdam, you can book one-way flights to these cities from JFK for $249 one-way.

If youre opting for a vacation in paradise outside of Europe this fall instead, you can book a flight to Bermuda starting at $69 one-way or $766 for a roundtrip flight and two-night hotel stay. Or fly out to Aruba for $119 one-way or $461 roundtrip with a two-night hotel stay.

But there are a few catches to consider before you snag these crazy low deals. Your departing and return dates must fall between Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024 and Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024.

Also, Thursday, Friday and Sunday departure and arrival days are excluded so youll have to fly out and return on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday. This also depends on the destination, as some only exclude Tuesday and Thursday departures and returns so its best to click each destination youre interested in to see what is available.

Plus, the lowest flight fees are for Basic Blue economy seats, which are limited on the perks, like only one carry-on is included in the price, no free checked bags are included, no changes are permitted, you are charged for cancellations, and you cant choose your seat.

But for deals as low as this, the pros of getting to your dream destination on a budget outweigh the cons.

You can find more details and book your next flight during JetBlues Big Fall Sale here.

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David Chase gathered with the cast of The Sopranos in June for a big premiere.

Chase and the actors had given the world one of the most acclaimed, groundbreaking shows in TV history, but now they would be the subject of another story.

Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos, directed by Alex Gibney, premiered at New Yorks Tribeca Film Festival ahead of its premiere on HBO.

Now HBO has set an airdate for the documentary  Saturday, Sept. 7  and released a trailer.

READ MORE: Inside the Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos documentary and cast reunion

The films June premiere brought out a stage full of cast members, from Edie Falco (Carmela) to Michael Imperioli (Christopher), Dominic Chianese (Uncle Junior), Drea de Matteo (Adriana), Steve Schirripa (Bobby), Jamie-Lynn Sigler (Meadow), Robert Iler (A.J.), Aida Turturro (Janice), Kathrine Narducci (Charmaine), Steve Buscemi (Tony Blundetto) and Annabella Sciorra (Gloria).

Joining Chase and the cast were writers and producers Terence Winter and Matthew Weiner, who also participated in a Q&A session moderated by Gibney.

While Chase is the starting point for the documentary, many of those involved with the series were interviewed for the film.

Chase sits down with Gibney, an Oscar-winning documentarian, in Dr. Melfis office on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the shows 1999 premiere. While Chase is initially a bit surprised that Gibney wants to focus on his life, the two talk about the series creators Jersey childhood, early career and much more before plumbing The Sopranos.

Of course, all of those things are deeply connected.

Some highlights from the films two hours and 40 minutes include Chases jarring and memorable anecdotes about his mother  his relationship with her was the basis for the entire show  and auditions for the lead part of Tony Soprano, Steven Van Zandts among them (Van Zandt would go on to play Silvio Dante).

Behind-the-scenes clips of James Gandolfini are another draw, showing a playful side of the actor behind Tony while underscoring the loss of such a great talent.

For a full recap and preview, see our coverage of the Tribeca premiere.

Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos airs on HBO in two parts Sept. 7, starting 8 p.m. ET/PT and ending at 10:45, and will be streaming on Max.

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A 38-year-old Newark man is in custody after smashing a glass bottle over the head of another man on a street corner in the states largest city Tuesday morning, police said.

In an assault captured on surveillance video, Khalif Judd walked up to a man at the intersection of Central Avenue and South 10th Street at about 7:45 a.m and struck him with an object concealed in a black bag, Newark police said.
Andrew Jerome Washington, III (Drew) should be alive today.

Thus begins the 63-page lawsuit filed Wednesday morning by Washingtons sister against the parties involved in the response to a mental health episode that ended with her brother being shot dead by police in his Jersey City home.
A man is facing federal charges after authorities alleged that he took photos of himself sexually assaulting children and posted them on the dark web.

Anthony Lagotta Jr., 54, of Plainsboro, is charged with production and possession of child pornography, the U.S. Attorneys Office District of New Jersey said in a news statement.

Federal investigators allege that Lagotta sexually assaulted two minors about 15 years ago and posted photos of the alleged assaults in a forum on the dark web between 2022 and 2024. (Lagotta lived in Sayreville from about 2009 to 2012.)

In one particular post on the forum, Lagotta allegedly described a sexual assault against a 5-year-old, federal prosecutors said.

During a search warrant this week, investigators found about 700 child pornography photos on Lagottas computer, including some of the same images that had been posted on the dark web, authorities said.

He made his initial appearance in Newark federal court this week and is now in federal custody. Lawyer information for Lagotta was unavailable Tuesday.

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Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama on Tuesday called on the nation to embrace Kamala Harris in urgent messages to the Democratic National Convention that were at times both hopeful and ominous.

But a moment of the former presidents speech caught the internets attention and continues to make its rounds.

Obama: The people who will decide this election are asking a very simple question, who will fight for me? Whos thinking about my future? About my childrens future? About our future together? One thing is thing is for certain, Donald Trump is not losing sleep over that question. Heres a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. It has been a constant stream of gripes and grievances thats actually been getting worse now that hes afraid of losing to Kamala.

He added: Theres the childish nicknames. The crazy conspiracy theories. This weird obsession with crowd sizes. It just goes on and on.

wow this clip has really mushroomed on social media https://t.co/bBvdQ1EqJy  George Conway (@gtconway3d) August 21, 2024

Barack Obama made a gesture with his hands and looked down at them after he delivered the weird obsessions with crowd sizes, drawing laughs from the audience.

Ok this is a perfect comedic delivery. pic.twitter.com/7ZOUaG9j19  Jason Kander (@JasonKander) August 21, 2024

I cannot believe this moment happened pic.twitter.com/u14mY9GD9E  Yashar Ali  (@yashar) August 21, 2024

Barack Obama, the first Black president in U.S. history, insisted the nation is ready to elect Harris, who is of Jamaican and Indian heritage and would be the nations first female president.

The fiery messages from two of the Democratic Partys biggest stars underscored the urgency of the moment as Harris works to stitch together a broad coalition in her bid to defeat Trump this fall. The vice president is drawing on stars like the Obamas and other celebrities, officials from the far left to the middle, and even some Republicans to boost her campaign.

And while the theme of the night was a bold vision for Americas future, the disparate factions of Harris evolving coalition demonstrated, above all, that they are connected by a deep desire to prevent a second Trump presidency.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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New Jersey political leaders on both sides of paid tribute to U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., the scrappy congressman from Paterson who died Wednesday following a month-long illness.

Pascrell, 87, liked to boast that hed never lost an election  not as mayor of his hometown Paterson, not as a state assemblyman, and not as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, in a seat he held since 1997.
Michelle Obama brought people to their feet Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention.

The former first lady delivered a rousing speech where she lauded Kamala Harris for understanding that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth.

Then she laid into former President Donald Trump.

If we bankrupt a business  if we bankrupt a business or choke in a crisis, we dont get a second, third or fourth chance. If things dont go our way, we dont have the luxury of whining or cheating others to get further ahead. No, she said, referencing Trumps multiple bankruptcies.

We dont get to change the rules so we always win. If we see a mountain in front of us, we dont expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top, Obama said, a reference to Trumps first run in the 2016 election when his rode down an escalator to make his official announcement.

Obama also warned people of whats to come this election.

Now, unfortunately, we know what comes next. We know folks are going to do everything they can to distort her truth. My husband and I sadly know a little something about this, she said. For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us.

Obama added: See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black. I want to know  I want to know  whos going to tell him, whos going to tell him, that the job he is currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?

Barack Obama, the first Black president in U.S. history, insisted the nation is ready to elect Harris, who is of Jamaican and Indian heritage and would be the nations first female president. He also called Trump a 78-year-old billionaire who hasnt stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.

The fiery messages from two of the Democratic Partys biggest stars underscored the urgency of the moment as Harris works to stitch together a broad coalition in her bid to defeat Trump this fall. The vice president is drawing on stars like the Obamas and other celebrities, officials from the far left to the middle, and even some Republicans to boost her campaign.

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.
U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., an often-feisty New Jersey Democrat and former history teacher who served as a state lawmaker and mayor of his beloved hometown of Paterson before representing the area in Congress for nearly three decades, has died after a month-long illness, his family announced Wednesday. He was 87.

The second-oldest member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Pascrell had been in and out of the hospital since suffering an infection in July. He died Wednesday morning at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, his long-time chief of staff, Ben Rich, told The Associated Press.

In a social media post, his family said Pascrell fought to his last breath to return to the job he cherished and to the people he loved.

Bill lived his entire life in Paterson and had an unwavering love for the city he grew up in and served, the family added. He is now at peace after a lifetime devoted to our great nation America.

Pascrell represented the states 9th congressional district, a stretch of North Jersey that includes Paterson, the states third-largest city, and surrounding areas. He was seeking a 15th term in November and would have become the Houses oldest member had he won.

The congressman was a sharp critic of former President Donald Trump and pushed hard for years to force the Republican to release his tax returns.

This marks the second time this year that a member of New Jerseys congressional delegation died in office. Rep. Donald Payne Jr., D-10th Dist., died after suffering a heart attack in April.

Bill Pascrell embodied the spirit of New Jersey, U.S. Rep Frank Pallone, D-6th Dist., said. He was relentless fighting for his community. As a first son of Paterson, he never forgot where he came from, leaving an indelible mark on North Jersey as a mayor, a public-school teacher, an assemblyman, and a congressman who never, ever backed down from doing what was right.

Bill was a fierce champion for the working class, always standing up for the little guy, fighting to ensure that New Jersey families got a fair shake  whether on the factory floor, in the classroom, or at the doctors office. Beyond his dedication, Bill was one of the funniest, most entertaining people you could ever meet.

Gov. Phil Murphy called Pascrell a giant of New Jersey and a lifelong champion for our most vulnerable neighbors.

At every stage of his Congressional career, he stood up for our neighbors by defending access to reproductive health care, keeping our communities safe from gun violence, supporting our law enforcement officers and first responders, protecting our natural wonders  like Patersons Great Falls  and so much more, added Murphy, a fellow Democrat.

It will now be up to Democratic leaders in Pascrells district  which includes parts of Passaic, Bergen, and Hudson counties  to choose a replacement on the November ballot for the seats next two-year term. They have until Aug. 29 to make the pick.

Known for his sometimes spirited and frequently funny public comments, Pascrell long brought Jersey attitude  and its penchant for bare-knuckled politics  to the Capitol.

He also never lost an election in his 37 years in office. Pascrell spent five terms in the state Assembly, two as mayor of Paterson, and was in his 14th term in the House when he died.

It is with deep sadness that we announce that Bill Pascrell Jr., our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away this morning. As our United States Representative, Bill fought to his last breath to return to the job he cherished and to the people he loved. Bill lived  Bill Pascrell, Jr.  (@BillPascrell) August 21, 2024

Pascrell was born in Paterson to Italian immigrant parents and later became student council president at the citys St. John the Baptist High School before serving in the Army and graduating from Fordham University. He spent 12 years as a high school history teacher in nearby Paramus and then as a professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

His career in public office started when Pascrell was appointed to the Paterson school board, and he eventually served as its president.

Pascrell moved into state politics in 1987, when he was elected to the Assembly at age 50. He once said he didnt reach political maturity until then.

In 1990, Pascrell was also elected mayor of his hometown. He served in both positions for years, at a time when state law still allowed dual office-holding.

Washington beckoned in 1996, when Pascrell re-painted New Jerseys 8th Congressional District blue by narrowly defeating Republican incumbent Bill Martini  who had flipped the longtime Democratic stronghold two years earlier during a red wave.

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. speaks in Kearny in May.Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal

In 2012, Paterson was moved into the 9th District and the existing 8th District was eliminated because of a new congressional map. Pascrell faced Rep. Steve Rothman in a Democratic primary to represent the newly redrawn 9th, ousting his fellow incumbent in a highly competitive race. He beat Rabbi Shumley Boteach, the Republican nominee, in the general election.

Pascrell survived a close re-election bid in 2022, beating Republican Billy Prempeh in his newly redrawn district. And despite rumors of retirement, Pascrell was set to face Prempeh in a rematch this fall before his death.

In the House, Pascrell was one of the original members of the Homeland Security Committee in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks and became the ranking member of its Emergency Preparedness Subcommittee. He also served on the House Transportation Committee, securing funding for roads and transportation in the heavily traveled Garden State, and was a member of the influential House Ways and Means Committee, which handles tax-writing legislation.

After Hurricane Sandy devastated New Jerseys shoreline in 2012, some lawmakers opposed approving aid. But Pascrell chastised them on the House floor.

I dont think that this is time for a pedantic debate, he said. Its time to take the gloves off  Jersey style.

Two days later, the House passed the legislation.

Meanwhile, Pascrell helped get the Great Falls in Paterson, a symbol of the citys industrial roots, designated as a national park. He even featured the waterfall on his offices letterhead.

When you visit the Great Falls or see a Superfund site turned to a park or drink clean water, thats his legacy, said Jeff Tittel, a veteran environmentalist.

A longtime advocare for emergency responders, Pascrell spearheaded the Firefighter Investment and Response Enhancement Act, which delivers grant dollars directly to fire departments across the U.S.

Pascrell also led a big fight against Ticketmaster prices, which he considered to be price-gouging.

Trump was frequently in Pascrells crosshairs. In 2021, when the U.S. Justice Department said Trumps tax returns must be turned over to House investigators, Pascrell responded: It is about damn time.

In addition, Pascrell sought to remove a $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions  known as SALT  that was installed during the Trump administration and disproportionately affected high-tax states like New Jersey.

Pascrell always dreamed of becoming New Jerseys governor, but he never saw the right opening. I havent given up on being the left fielder for the Yankees, Pascrell, a devout baseball fan, said in 2013.

And if you look at my career, Ive always come from nowhere to win, he added.

Tributes from officials in both major parties poured in Wednesday.

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said Pascrell led with his heart and put the people first. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., called him a courageous fighter and an unparalleled champion of hardworking families and first responders.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-11th-Dist., said Pascrells unwavering faith in democracy and the promise of America was palpable and could be felt in everything he did. State Senate Minority Leader Anthony Bucco, R-Morris, said his absence leaves a large hole in the Garden State.

Its unclear what happens with the remainder of Pascrells current term, which ends in January. Murphy has the option of calling a special election, as he has with Paynes seat, though the governor is not required to because Pascrells death comes within six months of Novembers general election.

Pascrell is survived by his wife, Elsie; three sons, Bill, David, and Glenn; and six grandchildren.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X at @johnsb01.

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Georgias roll call turned into a surprise concert at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday.

Lil Jon, an Atlanta native, answered the call in rousing fashion, stepping out at the DNC to a performance of Turn Down for What, his supercharged 2013 song with DJ Snake.

Yeahhhh! the hip-hop star began in his signature fashion (see video below). Ladies and gentlemen, we are here tonight to officially nominate Kamala Harris for president!

The surprise appearance, which got the Chicago crowd moving on the second day of the convention and is bound to strike a chord with millennial Democrats, may just help voters to turn out at the polls.

Lil Jon, King of Crunk, led the convention in a chant of were not going back! before segueing into Get Low, his 2002 hit song with The East Side Boyz.

He flipped the famous to the window .... to the walls lyric in the chorus to VP Harris ... Governor Walz, name-checking Minnesota governor Tim Walz, Harris pick for vice president.

The performance gave a nod to the to the window, to the Walz refrain that resounded on social media after Harris announced her running mate.

Lil Jon makes a surprise appearance at the #DNC for Georgia's roll call pic.twitter.com/okirJaGfqY  philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) August 21, 2024

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If you dont have a mini fridge for your college dorm on your packing list, youre going to need to one to stay hydrated during those late night cram sessions.

A mini fridge is a college dorm essential. Not only does it keep snacks and beverages cold, but also its freezer is ideal for ice trays and quick-serve meals to keep you energized.

Luckily, top retailers, like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Best Buy are offering big discounts on mini fridges just in time for your college dorm move-in. This means you can save big on top models from Whirlpool, Arctic King, Hisense and more, including those coveted Frigidaire retro-styles youve been eyeing.

Youll also save with free shipping on these mini fridge markdowns with most arriving before you have to start hitting the books.

Heres a look at some of the best mini fridge deals you can score for your college dorm.

Shop Mini Fridges On Sale

Amazon

Walmart

Target

Best Buy

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Six-day (Tuesday through Sunday) print subscribers of the Watertown Daily Times are eligible for full access to NNY360, the NNY360 mobile app, and the Watertown Daily Times e-edition, all at no additional cost.

If you have an existing six-day print subscription to the Watertown Daily Times, please make sure your email address on file matches your NNY360 account email. You can sign up or manage your print subscription using the options below.
This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa. (AP Photo)

DUBAI, United Arab EmiratesA Greek-flagged oil tanker traveling through the Red Sea came under repeated attack Wednesday, leaving the vessel not under command and drifting ablaze after an assault suspected to have been carried out by Yemens Houthi terrorists, the British military said.

The attack, the most serious in the Red Sea in weeks, comes during a monthslong campaign by Houthis targeting ships over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that has disrupted a trade route through which $1 trillion in cargo typically passes each year.

In the attack, men on small boats first opened fire with small arms about 140 kilometers (90 miles) west of the terrorist-held Yemeni port city of Hodeida, the British militarys United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center said.

Four projectiles also hit the ship, it added. It wasnt immediately clear if that meant drones or missiles.

The vessel reports being not under command, the UKMTO said, likely meaning it lost all power. No casualties reported.

Later, the UKMTO warned the ship was drifting while on fire in the Red Sea.

The Greek shipping ministry later identified the vessel as the tanker Sounion, which had 25 crew members on board at the time of the attack as it traveled from Iraq to Cyprus.

The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack, though it can take them hours or even days before they acknowledge their assaults.

The Houthis have targeted more than 80 vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that also killed four sailors.

Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets.

The terrorists maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the United States, or the UK to force an end to Israels war against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

The Houthis have also launched drones and missiles toward Israel, including an attack on July 19 that killed one person and wounded 10 others in Tel Aviv. Israel responded the next day with airstrikes on Hodeida that hit fuel depots and electrical stations, killing and wounding a number of people, the terrorists say.

After the strikes, the Houthis paused their attacks until Aug. 3, when they hit a Liberian-flagged container ship traveling through the Gulf of Aden. A Liberian-flagged oil tanker came under a particularly intense series of attacks beginning Aug. 8, likely carried out by the terrorists. A similar attack happened Aug. 13 as well.

The last three recent attacks, including Wednesdays, targeted vessels associated with Delta Tankers, a Greek company.

As Iran threatens to retaliate against Israel over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, the U.S. military told the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area. America also has ordered the USS Georgia guided missile submarine into the Mideast, while the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group was in the Gulf of Oman.

Additional F-22 fighter jets have flown into the region and the USS Wasp, a large amphibious assault ship carrying F-35 fighter jets, is in the Mediterranean Sea.
CROWN POINT  A Portage man is accused of shooting into a vehicle last month while driving on Interstate 80/94, according to criminal charges filed Monday.

Isaiah Taylor, 23, is charged with felony battery by means of a deadly weapon, criminal recklessness, misdemeanor criminal mischief and leaving the scene of an accident, court records show.

The victim told police he and another man were in a white Chrysler Pacifica on July 16 driving west in the left lane when a person in a black Dodge Charger tried to illegally pass him on the left shoulder of the road, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The Dodge collided with the front left side of the Chrysler, the victim said. The Dodge driver then merged into the lane directly to the right, slowed down and fired shots toward the passenger side of the car, the affidavit said.

An Indiana State Police trooper noticed the car had a flat tire, two holes in the passenger side door that appeared to be bullet holes and a metallic projectile on the rear passenger seat. The victim who was in the passenger seat told police he was grazed by one of the bullets, but didn't need medical care, the affidavit said.

The trooper used the FLOCK license plate reader system to identify the the Dodge and showed it to the victims, who identified it as the same car they saw try to pass their vehicle. The owner of the car was identified as Taylor, the affidavit said. One victim said it appeared as if Taylor was the driver of the car, but he was not completely sure.

FLOCK data captured the Dodge around 4:20 p.m. in Oak Lawn, Ill. in Lake Station and hour and a half later and in Portage around 6:40, the affidavit said. The victims called police around 7:30 p.m. and the Dodge was located in Glenwood, Ill. at 7:20 p.m.

ISP advised departments to be on the lookout for Taylor's vehicle as it headed west. It was located by a Midlothian Police Department officer who said he found damage along the passenger side with white paint that might have transferred from the Chrysler, the affidavit said.

Police found a Glock handgun in the car with 10 rounds in the chamber. The gun could hold 13 rounds at its capacity, the affidavit said.
The Duneland Chamber of Commerce will bring back its wine-tasting festival to downtown Chesterton.

The chamber of commerce representing businesses in the Duneland communities in Porter County will host Vino al Fresco from 5-8 p.m. Sept. 14 at Thomas Centennial Park in downtown Chesterton.

Attendees can savor local wines from wineries including Aftermath Cidery and Winery, Avinodos, Four Corners Winery, Lambstone Cellars Winery, Lia's Bella Cucina, Running Vines Winery, Shady Creek Winery and Trip Fermentations. Tickets include unlimited wine tastings and commemorative wine glasses to take home.

Vino al Fresco also will feature live music from the Hicks Duo, the acoustic duo of Scott and Amy Hicks from Northwest Indiana who have performed across the Region at venues including Four Winds Casino New Buffalo, Speakeasy at the Spa in Porter and Zorn Brew Works in Michigan City.

The Zorn craft brewery will take part in Vino al Fresco, pouring craft beer for those who don't have a taste for vino but still want to imbibe.

The food vendors Albano's, South Shore Ovenworks and Lia's Bella Cucina will sell pasta, pizza and other Italian fare to pair with the wine.

"We love partnering with local wineries and vendors to put on this great event for our community. Vino al Fresco is a perfect opportunity to bring a date or a friend and enjoy a night of sampling under the lights," Duneland Chamber of Commerce Events Manager Rachel Campbell said.

The event is 21+ and IDs are required for entry.

The Duneland Chamber is staging it to add to the quality of life in its service area, which includes the towns of Beverly Shores, Burns Harbor, Chesterton, Dune Acres and Porter.

For tickets, visit www.dunelandchamber.org or swing by the Duneland Chamber of Commerce office at 220 Broadway.
Myron E. Ullman III, the unassuming retail executive who gave Macys a strategic makeover, revitalized J.C. Penney during two stints as chief executive, and held key positions at Starbucks and the French conglomerate LVMH, died on Aug. 6 in Grand Junction, Colo. He was 77.

His wife, Cathy Emmons Ullman, said the cause of his death, at a hospice facility, was complications of Alzheimers disease, cancer and other ailments. For much of his career, Mr. Ullman zipped through store aisles on a Segway scooter because of a progressive neurological condition that made walking difficult.

In a business of grandiose personalities, Mr. Ullman stood out for being a measured executive with a keen analytical mind and an intense focus on customer satisfaction, which included stocking merchandise and sizes that were popular in local communities.

I think the best shopping experience is when there really is a stimulating environment  things you havent seen before, variety, newness and freshness, Mr. Ullman told Womens Wear Daily in 2015. Its hard to describe, but you know it when you feel it.
The reservoir of good will for Barack Obama is deep in the Democratic Party.

He was the embodiment of a moment when people were invested in the ideas of hope and change, believing that he represented an inexorable evolution of the country toward a more egalitarian tomorrow.

And on Tuesday night he attempted to resurrect that feeling, to make people remember the time and place that the lightning had struck, to make them believe that Kamala Harris was in many ways a continuation of, and a natural heir to, his legacy and mantle.

As the former first lady Michelle Obama said before her husband took the stage, America, hope is making a comeback.

Indeed, Obama was still proselytizing a form of rainbow-ism that the Trump years proved is not a natural, inevitable progression for America, but is instead a defense against an endemic part of America.
A Kentucky man who prosecutors say hacked into state death registry systems to fake his own death  in part to avoid paying more than $100,000 in child support  was sentenced on Monday to 81 months in federal prison, the authorities said.

According to federal prosecutors, the man, Jesse Kipf, 39, of Somerset, Ky., hacked into the Hawaii Death Registry System in January 2023 with the username and password of a doctor living in another state to create and certify his own death certificate.

This resulted in Kipf being registered as a deceased person in many government databases, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky said in a news release on Tuesday. Kipf admitted that he faked his own death, in part, to avoid his outstanding child support obligations.

In an arrangement with prosecutors, Mr. Kipf pleaded guilty in April to one count of computer fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Under the deal, other charges against him were dropped.
Standing in the middle of an outdoor bar in an alleyway in Chicago, Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, looked around and remarked: Nice city. Its not New York, but its a nice city.

It was the second night of the Democratic National Convention, and Mr. Schumer was getting ready to give his eight-minute speech at 8 p.m. But first he stopped by a party where the crowd was made up almost entirely of New Yorkers: a mix of businesspeople, state senators and Assembly members. Mr. Schumer, an old-school party boss who loves nothing more than retail politics, was in his element.

He began pointing out familiar faces in the crowd.

Youve got a great daughter, he told one woman. I love her.

I was at your swearing-in, he boomed as a state senator from the Bronx approached.

Everything this lady does is a success!
Voters in Montana will decide in November whether to enshrine a right to abortion in the state Constitution, joining eight other states with similar citizen-sponsored questions on their ballots.

Montanas secretary of state sent an email late Tuesday to the coalition of abortion rights groups sponsoring the measure, certifying that they had collected enough valid signatures to place it on the ballot. The coalition had submitted more than 117,000 signatures, nearly double the 60,039 required and the most submitted for a ballot measure in Montana history.

And in Arizona  which, like Montana, was facing a Thursday deadline to certify its ballots  the states Supreme Court rejected an appeal late Tuesday from anti-abortion groups trying to strike a similar measure that the secretary of state there had approved last week. The justices, all appointed by Republicans, said that their decision did not signal support for the measure, only that they did not agree with the technical objection raised by the anti-abortion groups about the language used on ballot petitions.

National Democrats and abortion rights groups are pouring money into ballot measures in both states in the hopes that they can drive turnout to help the Democrats running for the Senate, where the party holds a razor-thin majority. In Montana, Senator Jon Tester is perhaps the partys most endangered incumbent.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a former one-term congresswoman from Miami, won the Democratic nomination in the race for U.S. Senate in Florida on Tuesday, setting up a challenge against Rick Scott, the Republican incumbent.

Ms. Mucarsel-Powell, 53, who led in fund-raising and had President Bidens support, easily defeated three other Democrats. Mr. Scott, 71, who is seeking his second Senate term, also won, after facing nominal opposition in his partys primary.

Florida has become more Republican and is no longer considered a swing state, so few political analysts view the November race as a Democratic pickup opportunity  especially given Mr. Scotts vast personal wealth, which he has used to help finance his political campaigns. Still, presidential election years tend to turn out a less conservative-leaning electorate in Florida than during midterm cycles.

Mr. Scott, a former two-term Florida governor, was elected to the Senate in 2018, a midterm year, by a razor-thin margin that required a manual recount. He defeated Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat, by about 10,000 votes. He is among the Republicans hoping to succeed Mitch McConnell when he steps down as Senate leader at the end of the year.
An active duty U.S. Army soldier has been charged with lying to the military about his ties to a group dedicated to overthrowing the government and with illegally selling firearms, according to federal prosecutors in North Carolina.

The soldier, Kai Liam Nix, 20, who was stationed at Fort Liberty in Fayetteville, N.C., was arrested on Aug. 15. A day earlier, a grand jury handed up an indictment accusing him of having lied on his security clearance application in 2022, when he stated he had not been involved in a group dedicated to the use of violence or force to overthrow the United States Government.

A redacted copy of the indictment did not name the group to which Mr. Nix was accused of having ties, and neither did a news release issued on Monday by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. He is also accused of stealing and illegally selling firearms at the end of 2023 and at the beginning of 2024.

Mr. Nix, who prosecutors said also went by the name Kai Brazelton, is charged with one count each of making a false statement to the government and of dealing in firearms without a license, along with two counts of selling a stolen firearm. If convicted on all counts, he could face up to 30 years in prison.
The second night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday featured a series of Republicans who laced into their own partys nominee.

The prime-time portion of the evening was hosted by the television commentator Ana Navarro, a longtime Republican critic of former President Donald J. Trump, and included a plea from John Giles, the Republican mayor of Mesa, Ariz., who said his party had been hijacked by Mr. Trump.

The Grand Old Party has been kidnapped by extremists and devolved into a cult, Mr. Giles said, describing himself as somewhat uncomfortable at the convention and saying that his hero was John McCain, the 2008 Republican nominee for president.

But Mr. Giles, whose city is home to about 500,000 people, said he had come to Chicago because John McCains Republican Party is gone. He urged his fellow Republicans to turn the page and put country first.
Good evening! Im in Chicago, where were covering the Democrats prime-time problem, Gov. Gretchen Whitmers selfie-taking strategy and a Republicans view of the proceedings here. My colleague Michael Grynbaum, who covers media, starts us off.  Jess Bidgood

Democrats are headed into their second night of convention programming with lofty goals: Persuade the persuadables. Inspire the masses. And, please, just try to do it all on time.

After Monday nights telecast stretched well past midnight on the East Coast  a delay that organizers blamed on raucous applause from the crowd  several speakers were contacted and instructed to shorten their prepared remarks. And Tuesdays proceedings began at 5:30 sharp, local time.

If those changes result in a tighter show, it wont matter for President Biden, whose valedictory speech on Monday began a few minutes before 11:30 p.m. Eastern and ended in the wee hours. All of which prompted a question bouncing around Chicago on Tuesday: Does it matter if a president speaks in prime time?

Bidens late-night appearance was not by design. Organizers had hoped his big moment would start 40 minutes earlier, within the traditional bounds of televisions most watched hours between 8 and 11 p.m.  and before millions of voters in Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania went to bed.
Democrats managed to be in two places at once on Tuesday night, holding a ceremonial roll-call vote at their Chicago convention to celebrate Vice President Kamala Harris as their partys nominee, while she herself rallied supporters roughly 80 miles north in Milwaukee.

Ms. Harriss choice to appear in Milwaukee, the largest city in a crucial battleground state, was intentional and pointed: She stood onstage in the same arena where former President Donald J. Trump accepted the Republican nomination last month.

For much of the evening in Milwaukee, the Harris campaign used the arenas Jumbotron to pipe in the events taking place in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention. But after Gov. Gavin Newsom of California announced his states votes for Ms. Harris, ending the roll call of 57 states and territories, Ms. Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, marched onto the stage in Milwaukee.

For a moment, she was speaking to two packed arenas at the same time, celebrating the roll-call vote in front of tens of thousands of people, with millions more watching on screens. The two-city rally represented a significant flexing of Democratic muscle with the presidential election just 76 days away.
Grandchildren of two Democratic presidents  John F. Kennedy and Jimmy Carter  helped to open the second night of the Democratic convention on Tuesday by presenting Vice President Kamala Harris as a natural heir to the legacy of both of these former leaders.

Today, J.F.K.s call for action is now ours to answer, said Jack Schlossberg, 31. He is the only grandson of Mr. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963. Because once again, the torch has been passed to a new generation.

Jason Carter, a 49-year-old lawyer and politician, said that his grandfather, who is 99 and in hospice care, cant wait to vote for Kamala Harris.

Kamala Harris carries my grandfathers legacy, he said. She knows what is right, and she fights for it.
Bastille Day felt a little bit different this year than others, said Violaine Huisman, the artistic director of New Yorks annual Crossing the Line festival. LAlliance New York, the French cultural center in Midtown, throws a party every July 14, the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution. This year, the celebration took place just one week after a surprising snap election left President Emmanuel Macron  and France  in a state of flux.

I overheard onlookers wondering out loud whether it was a French tradition to demonstrate with blank signs on that day, recalled Huisman, who had just been in the country to witness the upset in the streets. (Many participants in this years festival opted to carry blank placards in homage to a demonstration created by the choreographer Anna Halprin during the civil rights and antiwar protests of the 1960s.)

During these times of uncertainty, many look to art for clarity and guidance. Huisman, 45, is certainly one of those people, as she has been hard at work curating programming for the next Crossing the Line, which kicks off several weeks of art, dance and theater on Sept. 5.
For nearly a decade, Democrats have tried to persuade voters that Donald Trump is a villain, a racist and a threat to democracy. Now, with Kamala Harris atop the ticket, the vice president and her allies are trying something new: They are looking to deflate him.

During this weeks Democratic convention in Chicago, party leaders have sought to paint Trump as a meanspirited fraud who cares only about himself and his billionaire friends. They have depicted him as an anti-union scab and a fake working mans populist. The strategy is designed to erode Trumps support among mostly white middle-class voters in states, like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, that could decide the election.

Tonight, Tim Walz will formally accept the nomination for vice president. Harris chose him as her running mate after his attempts to deflate Trump and other Republicans  by calling them weird  struck a chord with Democrats.
Harris rallies Democrats on Day 2 of the convention

The lineup of speakers on the second night of the Democratic National Convention featured Barack Obama, and the nominee herself, Vice President Kamala Harris, made a video appearance. A jubilant crowd danced in the aisles and cheered as Republicans whod disavowed Donald Trump announced their support for Harris. Heres the latest.

Harris and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, her running mate, were rallying supporters at the site of last months Republican convention in Milwaukee, in the swing state of Wisconsin. This is a people-powered campaign, she said, appearing on screens throughout the Chicago arena. And together we will chart a new way forward.

In a show of unity, the speakers last night included Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, eight years after hundreds of his supporters stormed out of the Democratic convention in Philadelphia to protest Hillary Clintons nomination after a bruising primary contest.
Russia says Ukrainian drones attacked Moscow

Russia said it repelled a drone attack against Moscow yesterday, as Ukraine presses on with its offensive in Russias southern Kursk region. The Russian authorities did not report any damage or casualties, saying 10 Ukrainian attack drones were destroyed by the capitals air defenses.

A Washington-based think tank said Ukraine was making marginal advances within Russia. Footage showed that Ukrainian troops had entered the outskirts of Korenevo, a town of about 5,000 people, and pushed into two more villages. Russian forces are trying to install pontoons to cross a section of the Seym River after Ukraine destroyed several bridges.

President Vladimir Putin has promised a decisive response to Ukraines incursion, but so far there has been more focus on containment than retaliation. Russian forces have slowed Ukraines advance and hardened the front line, setting up the next phase of a battle with high stakes for both sides. Instead of weakening the Kremlin, the invasion may eventually cause more Russian citizens to rally around the flag, some analysts said.

Context: Drone assaults away from the front lines have become a feature of the Russia-Ukraine war. Ukraine also said it had intercepted 50 Russian drones over its territory overnight.
Vice President Kamala Harris threw her support behind a federal ban on price-gouging in the food and grocery industries last week. It was the first official economic policy proposal of her presidential campaign, and it was pitched as a direct response to the high price of putting food on the table in America today.

To combat high grocery costs, VP Harris to call for first-ever federal ban on corporate price-gouging, the Harris campaign proclaimed in the subject line of a news release last week, ahead of a speech laying out the first planks of her economic agenda.

It is still impossible to say, from publicly available details, what exactly the ban would do. Republicans have denounced the proposal as communist, warning that it would lead to the federal government setting prices in the marketplace. Former President Donald J. Trump has mocked the plan on social media as SOVIET Style Price Controls.

Progressives have cheered the announcement as a crucial check on corporate greed, saying it could immediately benefit shoppers who have been stunned by a 20 percent rise in food costs since President Biden took office.
Representative Bill Pascrell Jr., a blunt progressive Democrat from northern New Jersey who was poised to become the oldest member of the House of Representatives, died on Wednesday in Livingston, N.J. He was 87.

His death, in a hospital, was confirmed by his deputy chief of staff, Mark Greenbaum.

Mr. Pascrell, who was serving his 14th term in Congress, checked himself into a hospital on July 14 with a fever. Ten days later, his staff said he had suffered a setback while being treated for a respiratory infection and was receiving breathing assistance, according to The Record of Bergen County, N.J. He had recently discharged himself from the hospital but then found he had to return, Mr. Greenbaum said.

Mr. Pascrell was heavily favored to win re-election. Had that happened  and had he lived to be sworn in in January, just before his 88th birthday  he would have become the oldest member of the House. Representative Grace F. Napolitano, a California Democrat, will turn 88 in December, but she did not seek re-election.

A former high school history teacher and the grandson of Italian immigrants, Mr. Pascrell served as a state legislator and as the mayor of Paterson, N.J., the once-thriving industrial city a dozen or so miles west of Manhattan where he was raised, before being elected to Congress in 1996.
Charlene Marshall, who played a central role in a high-profile civil suit and subsequent criminal trial in which her husband, Anthony, was convicted of defrauding his mother, the wealthy socialite Brooke Astor, died on Aug. 6 at her home in Northeast Harbor, Maine. She was 79.

A representative from St. Judes Episcopal Church in Seal Harbor, Maine, where her funeral was held, confirmed the death but did not provide a cause.

The Astor case had all the makings of a New York celebrity scandal: an ailing matriarch beloved by the citys elite for her social and philanthropic largess; an only son who had long lived in his mothers shadow; a nine-figure inheritance; and a will that had been rewritten more than 45 times.

At issue was whether Mrs. Astors son, Anthony Marshall, had conspired with a lawyer, Francis Morrissey Jr., to revise the will to direct more money to himself, along the way forcing his mother, who had dementia and died at 105 in 2007, to slash her expenses to keep her fortune intact.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to end his troubled independent presidential campaign this week, according to three people briefed on his plans, and is in talks to throw his support behind former President Donald J. Trump.

Mr. Kennedys campaign said on Wednesday that he intended to address his path forward in a speech from Phoenix on Friday, the same day that Mr. Trump is expected to hold a rally in nearby Glendale, Ariz.

Three of the people briefed on Mr. Kennedys plans emphasized that nothing was final, and that the iconoclastic Mr. Kennedy could still change his mind, but said that plans were in the works for him to appear alongside Mr. Trump on Friday. Some people close to Mr. Kennedy were still arguing against an endorsement, according to two of the people.

Mr. Kennedys backing of Mr. Trump would be the culmination of weeks of discussions, brokered by high-level intermediaries, between the two men.
Welcome to Opinions commentary for Night 2 of the Democratic National Convention. In this special feature, Times Opinion writers rate the evening on a scale of 0 to 10: 0 means the night was a disaster for Kamala Harris; 10 means it could lead to a big polling bump. Heres what our columnists and contributors thought of the event, which included speeches by Bernie Sanders, Chuck Schumer, Doug Emhoff and Michelle and Barack Obama.

Best Moment

Kristen Soltis Anderson, contributing Opinion writer Doug Emhoffs description of Kamala Harris as a joyful warrior could be a formidable theme for the next few months.

Binyamin Appelbaum, member of the editorial board The rocking state roll call, featuring the rapper Lil Jon as Georgias hype man.

Josh Barro, author of the newsletter Very Serious Democrats played a short video that offered voters a clear choice between Harriss plan to lower drug costs, build three million new homes and give over 100 million Americans a tax cut; and what she described as Donald Trumps plan to repeal Obamacare and impose a national sales tax (!) so he can cut taxes for billionaires. Expect to see this in ads soon.
The damage inflicted on the nation during Donald Trumps first term in office pales in comparison with what he will do if he is elected to a second term. How can we know this? The best evidence is Trump himself. He has repeatedly demonstrated his willingness to tear the country apart.

Donald Trump and his MAGA supporters, Sean Wilentz, a historian at Princeton, writes in a forthcoming article in Liberties,

have made it clear that they will not accept defeat in November any more than they did when Trump lost four years ago. They believe that Trump is the one true legitimate president, that those who refuse to accept this fundamental fact are the true deniers, and that any result other than Trumps restoration would be a thwarting of historys purpose and a diabolical act of treason. The authoritarian imperative has moved beyond Trumpian narcissism and the cultish MAGA fringe to become an article of faith from top to bottom inside the utterly transformed Republican Party, which Trump totally commands.

Like Wilentz, Laurence Tribe, a law professor at Harvard, does not mince words, writing by email:

All the dangers foreign and domestic posed by Trumps cruelly vindictive, self-aggrandizing, morally unconstrained, reality-defying character  as evidenced in his first presidential term and in his unprecedented refusal to accept his 2020 electoral loss  would be magnified many times over in any subsequent term by three factors. First, he has systematically eroded the norms and the institutional guardrails that initially set boundaries on the damage he and his now more carefully chosen loyalist enablers are poised to do in carrying out the dangerous project to which they are jointly committed. Second, their failures to insulate themselves from electoral and legal constraints during the dry run of 2017-21 have led them to formulate far more sophisticated and less vulnerable plans for their second attempt at consolidating permanent control of the apparatus of our fragile republic. And third, their capture of the Supreme Court and indeed much of the federal judiciary has put in place devastating precedents like the immunity ruling of July 1 that will license a virtually limitless autocratic power  if, but only if, they are not stopped during the epic struggle that will reach one climax this Nov. 5 and another next Jan. 6.

The most important reason a second Trump term would be far more dangerous than his first is that if he does win this year, Trump will have triumphed with the electorates full knowledge that he has been criminally charged with 88 felonies and convicted of 34 of them (so far); that he has promised to appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden, and the entire Biden crime family; and that he intends to totally obliterate the deep state by gutting civil service protections for the 50,000 most important jobs in the federal work force, a central tenet of what he calls his retribution agenda.

Julie Wronski, a political scientist at the University of Mississippi, contended in an email:

The question is how much the Supreme Court presidential immunity decision will undermine institutional guardrails against Trumps anti-democratic behavior. If there are no repercussions for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, intimidation of election officers, and casual handling of classified materials, then Trump will be emboldened to partake in such activities again. Trump has made clear that norms of governance  e.g., civility, accepting electoral defeat, and treating members of the political opposition as legitimate holders of power  do not apply to him.

While Kamala Harris has pulled even with, if not ahead of, Trump in recent polling, Republican attacks on her have yet to reach full intensity, and the outcome remains very much up for grabs.

Bruce Cain, a Stanford political scientist, voiced concerns similar to Wronskis by email:

Trump is more erratic, impulsive, and self-interested than your average candidate and is much bolder than most in testing the boundaries of what he can get away with. In political insider lingo, he is a guy who likes to put his toes right up to the chalk line between legal and illegal activity. There is some evidence that his bad traits are getting worse with old age, but the more serious problem is the lowering of institutional and political guardrails that constrained him in the past. The decision in Trump v. the U.S. entitling a former president to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority and presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts seems to me particularly problematic. The court left open the question of how to distinguish between official and unofficial acts. Trumps personality is such that he will without doubt test the limits of this distinction.

Timothy Snyder, a historian at Yale and an expert on the regimes of Stalin and Hitler, wrote by email in reply to my inquiry: It would be closer to the truth to think about a second Trump administration beginning from the images of Jan. 6, 2021. That is where Trump left us and that is where he would begin.
As Tim Walz took the stage at the Astro Theater in the Omaha suburb of La Vista on Saturday afternoon, the crowd roared with approval. Nearly 2,500 people were packed inside the auditorium, and thousands more were watching on big screens outside. It was the first time that Mr. Walz, the Minnesota governor, had been back to the state where he was born and grew up since Kamala Harris tapped him to join the Democratic ticket. He wasted no time in contrasting his running mates early years with her opponent Donald Trumps gilded upbringing.

Ms. Harris, Mr. Walz reminded the audience, worked at McDonalds in high school. Can you picture Donald Trump working the McFlurry machine? he asked. Later, he used a similar line of attack on Mr. Trumps running mate. You think JD Vance knows one damn thing about Nebraska? he asked. You think hes ever had a Runza? (A Runza is a German-style meat and cabbage roll that, improbably, can be purchased as fast food in Nebraska.) That guy would call it a Hot Pocket, he said. You know it.

For a generation or more, most of the politicians who visited towns like La Vista were Republicans who told their audiences a familiar story: that the government was in their way, that the welfare state was leeching their sweat and tears to service the lazy poor, that rugged individualism still reigned supreme. Its the same story that Mr. Vance and his fellow Republicans are telling today. Mr. Walz is making a bold play to claw back the narrative by telling a different story  one that harks back to the prairie populists of the 20th century.

But there are limits to how much having a candidate like Mr. Walz on the ticket can achieve. Some parts of the country may be lost to Democrats for the foreseeable future, no matter how compelling a story the vice-presidential candidate has to tell. The rural Nebraska counties where Mr. Walz grew up and which comprise part of the Third Congressional District went 80 percent to 90 percent for Mr. Trump in the last two elections. And the state as a whole has voted for just two Democratic presidential candidates in the last century  Franklin Roosevelt at the height of the Dust Bowl and Lyndon Johnson after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Still, Democrats have an opportunity to win back at least some of these voters  but only if they talk about what Republican policies have done to rural people, many of whom have been forced to leave their rural hometowns to find education and work in urban centers like Omaha.
FRONT PAGE

An article on Tuesday about Hillary Clintons bond with Kamala Harris referred incorrectly to dinners hosted by the Clintons at their home in Washington. Douglas Elmendorf, the former dean at Harvard Kennedy School, says he was not in attendance.

INTERNATIONAL

An article on Friday about the new mpox epidemic misstated the number of U.S. mpox cases so far in 2024. It is 1,657, not 740.

BUSINESS

Because of flawed data provided by FactSet, The Market Last Week graphic on Aug. 18 contained inaccurate information. The Weeks change columns for Best performers and Worst performers contained daily returns from Friday Aug. 16, not from the entire week.

ARTS

A review on Friday of the Frank Walter exhibition misidentified the Caribbean country where Walter farmed. It was in Dominica, not the Dominican Republic.
This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email transcripts@nytimes.com with any questions.

Three days into the Democratic National Convention, one thing is clear  Democrats are united behind their new nominee. And Kamala Harris has the Democratic Party, from Bernie Sanders 

Before we even arrived in Chicago, it was clear this Democratic Convention would be defined by themes of unity. But I wanted to test how far that unity extended. So, along with my colleagues, Elisa and Caitlin, I decided to go to a place where the vibe would be a little different.

With that in mind, we went to go find the people who were supposed to be causing Joe Biden the biggest problems  the young people who came to Chicago to protest his foreign policy and the uncommitted delegates, who plan to spend this week pressuring the party from the inside. Does anger over Gaza still pose an electoral threat? And how are Bidens biggest critics thinking about Kamala Harris? From The New York Times, Im Astead Herndon. This is The Run-Up.

 thinking they can win. In fact, the unity is such that after months of worrying about whether this weeks convention will be upended by protests over Israels war in Gaza, so far, things feel quiet.

[LAUGHS]: Were in Union Park, which is near the United Center. And we are at a big protest action where folks are challenging Democrats specifically around their policy in Gaza.

So were five or six blocks from the convention center, but its still kind of worlds away. I think theres a very united Democratic Party there that is, frankly, jubilant at their current levels of enthusiasm. And what we hear here is a lot of people who are not only, I think, kind of raising a moral question around the party, theyre vowing, in some cases, not to vote for them specifically because of this. And so 

The people there were a slice of the electorate thats been noisy and uncomfortable for Democrats, interrupting campaign events, pressuring elected officials and demanding the party adopt a new policy toward Israel and its ongoing military campaign. But like always, we were most focused on the election in November. How is this group thinking about the Democrats new nominee? And does the change at the top of the ticket make them any more likely to vote blue? We split up to ask people in the crowd about that.

I was potentially. I was debating it. And it was also before a lot of the campaigning started. And I kind of heard more of what the Republican Party or conservative ends were talking about for their plan for the next four years. And that concerned me a lot. So I feel like, yeah, the third party was definitely more in my peripheral before Kamala Harris got placed as the new nominee.

Is that what you were thinking of doing before this swap happened, voting third party, or what were you thinking?

I think some of the things she said about she does want a ceasefire and to bring hostages back, but to have a ceasefire deal, I appreciate that. I would love to see how its put in action. I feel like a lot of the times, I cant put too much stake in what presidential nominees are saying on their campaign trails. But I do feel more hopeful with her than I did with Biden. I definitely feel like, right now with the risk, voting for her over a third party candidate, just understanding the way the two-party system works, would feel smarter to me.

I feel like, seeing her recent rallies, it does feel more hopeful to me than I felt about politics in a really long time, I feel like. Theres also, as much as I prioritize foreign policy, theres so many other things that Im worried that are so imminent right now that Im really concerned about, just as a queer person, a woman, obviously. I live in Chicago for school, but Im not from a place thats super liberal and Democrat. So I can kind see the other end of it.

Yeah, she has my vote. I mean, I dont really have a choice. Project 2025 is not in the interest of myself or any of my children or descendants. So I have to take a stand against that. I know shes created a lot of fanfare, but I havent really heard that much of her policies yet. So I dont know what to really think about  she hasnt really had to because people are just  theres a wave of excitement.

I voted in the primary as uncommitted in Wisconsin. And now Ive moved to Chicago, and I havent really decided. I think its going to be a really interesting couple of months to figure that out.

Are you thinking about voting for her, or are you not sure, or?

At first, it was refreshing to see that our coalitions and our movements are actually making a difference, that theyre semi-listening to us. But at the same time, I understand that she is still a part of the regime. And it is a little disheartening to hear her commentary that had given us this sort of lift for a moment and now dismissing our calls that we thought we would now be heard, and obviously, were not.

If she comes out and says that shes going to continue supporting this genocide by not standing by an arms embargo, by not standing by a ceasefire, by not pressuring Netanyahu to stop doing what hes doing, probably not. But if she makes message that she will, then I probably will.

Most of the protesters we talked to were clearly wrestling with the impact of the candidate switch. But that wasnt exactly the message we were hearing from the stage.

All throughout this week, Genocide Joe, Killer Kamala, Baby Killer Blinken, and hundreds of other war criminals are here in Chicago to celebrate themselves.

We make it clear that we will not be casting any ballots for anybody who oversees the genocide, the indiscriminate murder of Palestinian children, families, and futures.

And some of the biggest applause lines were ones where speakers vowed to not vote for any Democrat until their policy demands were met. So, before we left, we wanted to speak to someone who had been involved in organizing the event.

Again, I emphasize its not the most important, because why is that person in there? Why are they doing that? Its because theyve seen that there are tens of thousands of people taking to the streets for these issues? Because they have learned and they have seen that this is what people care about. And hopefully, its what they care about, too. So, I see those things as maybe more related than maybe some people would think, yeah.

No, yeah, definitely. Like I said, these are tools. Working from within is a tool. I do not think you are going to be able to change things so much from the inside that you fix the whole thing, right? So if there was somebody doing that inside who agreed with my views and supported me, great. I think thats a good thing.

Obviously, you all are taking a different tack, kind of outside pressure. Can you give me a sense of what you think about that argument that some of those folks make to us that they think that the way to shift the party is to go rules, bylaws, fight the place, to shift it from the inside. Im curious about that, how you view  do you all view yourselves as working in tandem or no?

Can I ask one more question? We were talking to some uncommitted delegates, folks who are DNC members who are trying to use their position from the inside to kind of shift how the party is thinking about this issue specifically.

Yeah, and the reason that we focus on this is because we see this as kind of the root cause for a lot of the other stuff, right? The United States sending billions and billions of my dollars, of taxpayer dollars, overseas to fight to cause a genocide in a place that Ive never been, right, and probably will never be, that is one of the reasons we dont have health care, right? That is why we dont have all of the other stuff that we could have. Its because the super wealthy are fighting a war that benefits them, and it comes at our expense.

Thats a good question, because I think when you look at the numbers, right, if you poll people what their biggest issue are, they usually say like the economy, right? Yeah, its like I dont think Palestine even makes the top three.

You mentioned the range of issues yall were focused on before and now kind of centralizing around a Palestinian cause. How representative do you think that is of working class people, broadly, or young people, broadly? It does seem as if that focus, while I understand why you all have made it a priority, are we sure that thats representative of the larger group?

OK, so it shifted from being kind of like a broader group of progressive causes to being focused on this one in response to what happened.

And then October 7 happened, right? And so thats when we were like, hey, this is probably the most important issue in the world right now. And the US is directly responsible and has been for decades in the genocide of the Palestinian people. So thats when we made that the central call to action of the coalition.

So, actually, no. We had planned this before October 7. And the original messaging was defend LGBTQIA+ rights, the environment, ending police crimes and police violence, immigration rights, women and other oppressed genders rights. Thats what the coalition was originally organized around.

Mm-hmm. Specifically around this issue or what was  because in October, is that timed with October 7 or what?

Oh, yes, from as soon as they announced that the DNC was going to be in Chicago. I got involved last October. But I know that theyve been planning this for over a year.

The day after the protest, Elisa and I went to sit down with someone who was also focused on pushing the administration on Gaza.

Gemini said she will most likely vote in November, but it would depend on if Harris breaks from Bidens rhetoric and policy. After the break, we talk to one person working inside the party to make sure that happens.

My names Abbas Alawieh and I am an uncommitted delegate from Michigan. And Im one of the founders of our Uncommitted Movement.

A lifelong Democrat, hes worked on Capitol Hill and now, as a delegate, has spent months trying to push the Democratic Party from the inside. So I wanted to ask him many of the same questions we asked the protesters earlier in the week. Has the switch from Biden to Harris changed the political calculus of some of Bidens biggest critics? And where does the uncommitted vote go, now that Bidens campaign is done?

astead herndon

I was going to ask for an update on the state of Uncommitted Movement. It seems as if some stuff has changed in the last several months, even as the administration has shifted some of its rhetoric around its relationship to Netanyahu. You hear things like ceasefire mentioned on the DNC stage last night. For you, what is the specific policy ask youre looking for from the administration? And what are you looking for from Vice President Harris? Is the standard still as high that you think it could risk a loss if she doesnt provide the details youre talking about?

abbas alawieh

I think all of those are good questions. Im glad to see President Biden yesterday mentioned a ceasefire. Im also deeply hurt by President Biden and hope that he changes course. I hope that he takes this opportunity to change longstanding US policy of not putting any conditions on the weapons that are being sent to the Israeli military, especially because the Israeli militarys campaign right now is so flagrant, so disgusting, and so unimaginable that 16,000 children, babies, have been blown up into a million pieces. And so, its a good thing that President Biden is saying ceasefire. It took our movement for him to say that, to be clear. But its also exposing a very clear hypocrisy with President Biden saying ceasefire, while continuing to send weapons that are being used to kill children.

astead herndon

So the arms embargo is the policy ask.

abbas alawieh

I mean, I and uncommitted organizers want to be understood on multiple levels. On a human level, I want it to be known that its a very reasonable ask for us to want our president to stop sending weapons that are killing people we love, that are killing civilians. Thats a very reasonable policy ask. And because were good organizers, and were good political strategists, and were reading the room, we know that no president has ever supported an arms embargo in the case of Israel. And we know that Vice President Harriss ascendancy, in the context of her being the vice president and not being able to adopt a policy on foreign policy in particular that is very different than what President Biden does, we know that the things that were pushing for, we have to be smart about what were asking. And so, with that, we continue to ask President Biden, who has the power now to implement an arms embargo. We feel like thats an urgent ask. We feel like thats a moral ask. And we know that uncommitted voters specifically voted uncommitted because they want to see a change in the policy. And so now that Vice President Harris is at the top of the ticket, that concern remains the same. And so if Vice President Harris cant endorse an arms embargo unilaterally because shes vice president, we think theres a lot that she could say that would be super helpful. And so our ask of her is arms embargo, OK? And what arms embargo means is not another bomb. Stop sending bombs that theyre using to kill civilians. If thats not what Vice President Harris is capable of doing right now, A, I want my fellow Democrats to recognize that it would be a very reasonable thing to do if she did. But if its not, then, B, tell us what it is that you are able to do. And actually, the uncommitted movement, we have a lot of ideas of things that she could say. For example, we know that Vice President Harris could say that she intends to respect international and US laws as it relates to international weapons transfers. That would be important for us to hear from Vice President Harris. We havent heard that. We also know that if its hard for her to publicly break with President Biden on this issue, theres a lot that she could say that makes it very clear how she intends to be different from Donald Trump. If she endorses an arms embargo, we endorse her. Thats just what we would do, uncommitted. And we would mobilize those voters with whom the Democratic Party has lost a lot of trust and that weve built trust with. We would mobilize those voters to vote for Vice President Harris. If she doesnt do that, if she has a different idea of what she could say, lets work together on it, so we can get it to a place where we feel like we can mobilize voters with, and so that we can extend support that way.

astead herndon

It seems like one of the disconnects between how youre laying this out here and how Ive heard some Democrats, particularly those close to Biden and now Harris campaign, articulate this, is, they do not feel like the uncommitted vote was all about Gaza, and that we have seen uncommitted voters in Michigan in different types of cycles. And it seems to be a little bit of an implicit idea that you can kind of, in the binary choice that is this election, that some of those people might come home in November, no matter if theres a shift in rhetoric or policy or not. Can you respond to those two disconnects? Because it feels like thats a difference in how youre kind of explaining you alls origin and promise and how I think some of the folks, particularly political insiders, have thought about it.

abbas alawieh

Im not claiming  our movement isnt claiming that every single uncommitted vote was specifically about Gaza. What we are clear about is that in a situation where its extremely to beat Donald Trump  and I feel like that is of paramount importance. I was in the Capitol on January 6 as a congressional staffer. Nobody needs to convince me how dangerous Donald Trump is. I get it. We have a situation in Michigan where its not just 101,000 votes fell out of the sky and voted uncommitted. We ran a campaign. We ran a good campaign because weve got some excellent organizers who worked on this campaign. So all of the reporting that this is just some angry Arabs and Muslims, as the tropes go, is missing the point. What were saying is, in a state like Michigan, where we cannot take any chances, where we need every vote we can get  the last time Donald Trump won was in 2016. He won by 10,700 votes or so. Were saying that at least 101,000, if you think 10,000 of those voters, Gaza wasnt a top policy issue for them  say, 91,000, OK? At least that many voters have self-identified and said, this is a top policy issue for me. And since February, what has happened? The killing has intensified. The images of Palestinian children being made orphans, experiencing unimaginable atrocities, have continued to pop up on peoples phones. The American people are in touch with whats happening here in a way that our political establishment is incapable of suppressing entirely. And so, weve got to do something about this.

astead herndon

You met quickly with Kamala Harris earlier this year ahead of a rally in Michigan. Can you tell me about that exchange and what you took away from it?

abbas alawieh

Yeah, so the vice presidents team has been engaging uncommitted since soon after she became the candidate.

astead herndon

Are they engaging in a different way, or are they engaging more than the Biden team was?

abbas alawieh

Its night and day. The vice president has, it seems, made a decision to engage communities for whom this is a top issue. It was clear that theres an openness from the vice president to engage on this issue that we hadnt seen previously. And I think thats a very positive step. As part of that engagement, weve requested a meeting with the vice president to discuss an update in the policy that would stop sending weapons to be used to kill civilians. And weve requested meetings with the vice presidents top policy staff to discuss that. Weve requested several things related to our involvement here at the Democratic National Convention.

astead herndon

The night and day thing is really sticking with me in terms of engagement, because it kind of exposes  I mean, even if there hasnt been a policy change, it kind of says that Bidens refusal to engage was singular. What should we take from the fact that even to switch in person with similar teams around, with similar policy to this point, caused the change in rhetoric and engagement? What do you make of that?

abbas alawieh

I think for many reasons. President Biden himself seems to have been blocking engagement with voters for whom this is a top policy issue and seems to have been enabling Netanyahu and his murderous campaign. I think thats the unfortunate reality that Im sitting with as a Democrat. And I think, honestly, I still have hope for President Biden. I think he has an opportunity to make his final act, breaking away from the decades of our countrys unconditional support for the Israeli military. I also think, to your question, I think Vice President Harris herself, herself, had to OK re-engaging with our communities and re-engaging with uncommitted. And I think thats a very positive sign.

astead herndon

The Listen to Michigan campaign started as Democrats were running an unpopular incumbent. And it seemed as if there was a lot of interest because of a lot of reasons. Not only people being upset with foreign policy, which we certainly heard about when we talked to electorate, but also people just feeling like Biden was too old. There was a lot of things kind of wrapped up into there. But we were at the protest yesterday, and theres less people than folks expected. And I think some of the fear or some of the assumptions that this week would be kind of overtaken by this issue have kind of fallen away. Has the switch from candidate taken some of the energy from you alls movement? Im walking around at the United Center. People know that uncommitted is in the house. OK? There is no question to me about that. Several congressional leaders I have interacted with at the United Center, virtually all of the Michigan Democratic Party leaders that I am interacting with, people know who we are and what our demands are. And we are doing everything that we can, not just to engage other delegates. Weve engaged other delegates. Mind you, we started here with 30 uncommitted delegates. Now, were engaging Harris delegates and asking them to support alongside us an arms embargo. Were up to over 210, what were calling ceasefire delegates, who are here at the convention now. Our movement is growing. And we feel like through telling this story publicly, were saying publicly, heres what we intend to do. We want a policy change so that we can turn around and beat Donald Trump, so that we can live to organize another day to try and change this policy long-term. And our movement is only getting stronger. You mentioned how she expressed some openness to meeting around the possibility of an arms embargo. But I also remember some of her spokespeople clarifying the next day that that is not a policy she supports, at least as of now. How do you read that? If the openness or the rhetoric change doesnt come with the policy change, is that still something that you find to be a positive engagement? Or is that just political theater?

abbas alawieh

The vice president not being for an arms embargo, in my opinion, and I think in reality, is not news. Thats like saying the sky is blue. So we know that thats not her policy. We also think that in this moment of the mass killing of Palestinian children, maybe its time we have this difficult conversation as Democrats. Maybe its time we figure out how we can have a more humane approach. Thats where were at right now. The moment of genocide requires that an update to the status quo approach be made immediately.

astead herndon

We keep mentioning the protests yesterday because thats kind of fresh in my mind. But it is noticeable how differently you talk about policy goals and strategy, or even Democrats, than some of the folks out there yesterday, who also be out there on Thursday. The first speaker within minutes is talking about Killer Kamala and saying very explicitly that not only is an arms embargo a policy outcome theyre looking for, but that they are withholding their vote and do not care if Donald Trump wins because of that. Does that hurt your efforts? And how do you see the distinctions in rhetoric, even among leftists or progressives or people sympathetic to the similar cause, but going about it in a different way?

abbas alawieh

I think people are organizing through a great deal of pain and grief right now. This morning, we held a press conference. The Uncommitted Movement held a press conference with health care workers who have spent time in Gaza over the last 10 months. As they were describing the horrors that theyve witnessed, I personally broke down weeping multiple times. I couldnt contain myself. I wasnt the only person in the room. People are trying to make sense of a political moment of a presidential election as they see themselves in the humanity of the Palestinians in Gaza, who are being killed using US weapons. And so, I think its actually very hard to oscillate between having super-effective political strategy and sitting with your own grief. And I think we have to extend members of our community who are making sense of that grief, a lot of grace. Its understandable that it would be very hard to think about what the smart political strategy is through this. In the Uncommitted Movement, a lot of us who are helping lead this are dealing with that grief ourselves. And we have a strategy that were putting out there that we find compelling and that we are in touch with voters about. And so, our strategy is to engage within the Democratic Party, specifically because we know that on the Republican side, we know theres no room for our politics there. We know that the Republican Party, the Marjorie Taylor Greenes of the world and the Donald Trumps of the world, they would prefer that I, as an Arab-American, as a Muslim-American, they would prefer that I not exist at all. Genuinely, I think theyre offended by my existence. I think we can build power among Democratic voters because the vast majority of Democratic voters support life-saving policies on this issue. And indeed, the majority of American voters do, too. But we have more hope to deliver a more humane policy from within the Democratic Party, in my estimation.

astead herndon

Im saying does that rhetoric make your pitch to Democratic voters harder?

abbas alawieh

I think what makes our pitch, the Uncommitted Movements pitch, to try and re-engage Democratic voters harder is, our Democratic Party continuing to support a policy of sending weapons to kill civilians. Thats what makes it the hardest, right? I can have disagreements with folks about tactics and strategies as were trying to stop a genocide. My focus is on getting the people who have the power to stop this thing, to stop this thing.

astead herndon

Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

abbas alawieh
Lawmakers on Tuesday called on health insurance regulators to detail their efforts against troubling practices that have raised costs for patients and employers.

In a letter to a top Labor Department official, two congressmen cited a New York Times investigation of MultiPlan, a data firm that works with insurance companies to recommend payments for medical care.

The firm and the insurers can collect higher fees when payments to medical providers are lower, but patients can be stuck with large bills, the investigation found. At the same time, employers can be charged high fees  in some cases paying insurers and MultiPlan more for processing a claim than the doctor gets for treating the patient.

The lawmakers, Representatives Bobby Scott of Virginia and Mark DeSaulnier of California, both Democrats in leadership positions on a House committee overseeing employer-based insurance, highlighted MultiPlan as an example of opaque fee structures and alleged self-dealing that drive up health care costs. In their letter, they pressed the department for details on its efforts to enforce rules meant to promote transparency and expose conflicts of interest.
Theres nothing wrong with being over-excited.

So said Terry McAuliffe, the former governor of Virginia, as he stood surrounded by over-excited members of the Democratic establishment at a cocktail party on the 99th floor of the Willis Tower in Chicago. It was well after midnight, and President Biden had finally, literally, gotten off the stage. Which meant his party could now party.

Mr. McAuliffe looked around the room. There was Susan Rice, a top adviser to both Mr. Biden and former President Barack Obama, sipping from a wine glass. And there was Brian Fallon, who worked for Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign and recently became communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris. Newspaper reporters bobbed at his elbow, hoping to get some precious face time. Walter Isaacson, biographer of geniuses, wandered by.

This is my 13th convention, Mr. McAuliffe said. This one is especially great, he added, because everybodys joyful, everybodys hopeful. Theyre fired up.

That is just how Republicans felt when they gathered for their convention in Milwaukee last month. They were joyful that former President Donald J. Trump had survived the assassination attempt. Hopeful that Mr. Biden would stay in the race and get clobbered by Mr. Trump. And certainly, they were fired up. (Hulk Hogan even ripped off his shirt.)
The anthemic synths of Bruce Springsteen. The driving rhythm of Tom Pettys guitar. The guttural screams of Lil Jon.

These were part of the soundtrack to the official nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday evening at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, as delegations from all 50 states and several territories pledged their support to Ms. Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota. (Technically, Ms. Harris had already been nominated in a virtual roll-call vote before the convention, but the in-person roll call is an essential part of the conventions pageantry.)

The music was mixed and organized by DJ Cassidy, a mainstay of Democratic conventions dating to 2012, who tried to pair the music with the state whose delegates were speaking.

The process of compiling the playlist took about a month, and he worked with each states delegation to find a song that captured a spirit of unity and celebration and had meaning to the state. (In some cases, he acknowledged, those meanings were obvious and in others more nuanced.)
A man who escaped from a Mississippi courthouse nearly 70 days ago was taken into custody after barricading himself overnight inside a Chicago restaurant less than a mile from where the Democratic National Convention is being held, the authorities said.

The man, Joshua Zimmerman, escaped on June 14 from the DeSoto County Courthouse in Hernando, Mississippi, where he had been scheduled to appear for a hearing, Justin Smith, the chief deputy of the DeSoto County Sheriffs Office, said at a news conference on Tuesday night.

Mr. Smith said the DeSoto County Sheriffs Office was notified on Tuesday afternoon by the U.S. Marshals Service that Mr. Zimmerman had been located at a seafood restaurant in Chicago.

The Marshals Service said in a statement on Wednesday that Mr. Zimmerman had been working at the establishment and that during an arrest attempt on Tuesday he retreated into the ceiling and barricaded himself.
The new DNA lab report came in two days before Marcellus Williams was supposed to have his day in a suburban St. Louis courtroom, and it was a problem.

Not because the report showed that Mr. Williams, who claimed that he was wrongfully convicted of murder and faced a looming execution date, had touched the murder weapon. It did not.

But the report indicated that the weapon, a kitchen knife, had been mishandled during his trial, dashing his hopes that it could be used to help exonerate him.

Instead of sitting through a daylong hearing that was supposed to be an opportunity to poke holes in his conviction, Mr. Williams found himself agreeing to a compromise that would spare him the death penalty but keep him in prison for life without parole.
Joe Bidens decision on July 21 to drop out of the presidential race unleashed a gusher of cash that fundamentally changed the money race between Democrats and former President Donald J. Trump.

Fund-raising reports released on Tuesday night revealed in stark terms just how much the presidential campaign had transformed. The Biden campaign and its joint fund-raising committees with the Democratic Party raised about $1.5 million a day on average in the first three weeks of July, according to reports filed by ActBlue, a Democratic fund-raising platform. That was about 25 percent less than the campaign was raising daily in the month of June.

After Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee, her committees raised an average of $16.6 million over the final 11 days of July, leading to a monster fund-raising haul of $310 million total for the month.

The new data shows how July was one of the most unusual months in American political fund-raising history. Before Mr. Bidens exit, Democrats were struggling to raise significant money. Then, after he revealed his decision in a single post on social media on a Sunday afternoon, Democrats began raising money hand over fist.
Lauren Underwood was running late, but she couldnt not stop for a selfie. Or five.

A Democratic congresswoman from Chicago who represents the citys western suburbs, she cant go anywhere this week without being recognized as her hometown hosts her partys national convention.

In Washington, where she is completing her third term, Ms. Underwood is known more for her policy work than viral moments. Though she is a co-chair of the House Democrats policy and communications committee, she largely blends in as a rank-and-file member.

But in Chicago, a city she has called home since she was 3, Ms. Underwood is much more of a household name.

Its different when its in your hometown, she said in an interview inside the McCormick Place convention hall, where Democratic delegates are conducting business.
The Georgia delegates danced with the rapper Lil Jon at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday. The Wisconsin delegates cheered in their Cheesehead hats.

But across a party gathering where the word joy has become an unofficial mantra, perhaps no one exudes it more than the Minnesotans.

After nearly four decades without representation on a presidential ticket, the sudden, stunning elevation of Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen, has prompted a surge of excitement among the states Democrats. Minnesota attendees are celebrating Mr. Walz as a beloved state export on par with Prince or Bob Dylan.

The Minnesota delegation is, like, buzzing, Senator Tina Smith, a Democrat from the state, enthused in an interview on Tuesday. Its like they cant even complete a sentence because theyre so excited about what this means for their friends Tim and Gwen, and also what it means for the country.
Representative Mary Peltola, Democrat of Alaska, ranked first on Tuesday in an open primary to set the field for her re-election bid, claiming just over 50 percent of the vote in preliminary results, well ahead of 11 challengers vying for her position as the states sole member of the House.

The results put Ms. Peltola in a strong position for the general election in November, setting the stage for a possible replay of her successful run in 2022, when Republicans split their partys support in the states unusual ranked-choice system and propelled her to victory.

Nick Begich III, the Republican son of a prominent liberal political family in Alaska, who ran for the seat in 2022 and has been endorsed by the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, ranked second, with 27 percent, according to The Associated Press. He beat out Nancy Dahlstrom, the Republican lieutenant governor endorsed by former President Donald J. Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson, who had 20 percent, according to the A.P., which reported the results Wednesday morning with nearly 90 percent of the states precincts tallied. They were the only two challengers in the race who had reported raising any money.

Mr. Begich had said he would drop out of the race if he finished behind Ms. Dahlstrom, which Democrats feared could make for a tougher contest for Ms. Peltola, consolidating Republican support behind a single viable G.O.P. candidate instead of splintering it among several, as happened when she won the seat in 2022. But Ms. Dahlstrom has made no such commitment, and Ms. Peltolas commanding lead suggested she could prevail even if Republicans united behind one challenger.
As Representative Ro Khanna of California left a Michigan delegation breakfast this week after giving a brief speech, he was humble about the impression he had made.

The attendees, he had noticed, were clearly more interested in their breakfast than any of the speakers.

But one of his lines, he noted happily, had drawn a favorable reaction: Donald Trump, in four years, how many new factories came up in those four years in Michigan?

Zero! the crowd responded.

My big focus is trying to make the economic case for the Harris-Walz ticket, Mr. Khanna said, holding a cup of coffee as he waited for a Lyft to whisk him to his next stop. He added, I use these state breakfasts to see how I can build on that economic message.
Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota will speak to the largest audience of his political career on Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention, where he will formally accept the partys nomination for vice president. His speech, on Day 3 of this weeks political coronation at the United Center in Chicago, will be the biggest test so far since Vice President Kamala Harris made the decision to put the jovial, blunt-spoken Midwesterner on the ticket.

Before Mr. Walzs keynote speech, former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to whip up the crowd, two days after his wife, Hillary Clinton, energized the delegates with a passionate plea for Ms. Harris to finally break the presidential glass ceiling.
Despite the concerns of some Democratic leaders and city officials in Chicago, the state of Texas has not sent buses filled with migrants to the city this week during the Democratic National Convention.

In fact, no buses have been sent by Texas anywhere for nearly two months, according to state data obtained by The New York Times, and interviews with state and local officials in Texas. The last bus left the border near El Paso on June 27 carrying 50 migrants to New York.

The reason for the lack of buses, Texas officials said, was not that the program had been halted.

There have simply not been enough migrants to send.

The absence of buses began after the Biden administration issued an order in June that sharply limited the number of migrants released into the country after crossing the border illegally.
The Pakistani authorities arrested a man this week on charges of cyberterrorism for spreading fake news that helped set off violent riots in Britain following a deadly stabbing attack last month.

Racist and anti-immigrant rioting flared for days after the suspect in the killing of three young girls at a dance class, in the town of Southport, was falsely identified online as a Muslim asylum seeker.

In Pakistan, Farhan Asif, a freelance web developer, was arrested on Tuesday at his residence in Lahore, the local police said. He worked for Channel3Now, a news aggregation website that published sensational claims about the Southport attacker.

The site incorrectly reported that the suspect was a 17-year-old Muslim who had entered Britain by boat the previous year and was on an MI6 watch list, referring to Britains foreign intelligence service. In reality, the British authorities arrested a 17-year-old who was born and raised in Britain by a Christian family from Rwanda.
Chinese premier in Moscow to promote ties

Xinhua) 08:14, August 21, 2024

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, accompanied by senior Russian government officials, reviews the honor guard during a grand welcome ceremony at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, Russia, Aug. 20, 2024. Li arrived here on Tuesday to hold the 29th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government and visit Russia at the invitation of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

MOSCOW, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived here Tuesday for the 29th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government and an official visit to Russia at the invitation of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

Li arrived at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, where a grand welcome ceremony for him was held. The premier reviewed the honor guard accompanied by senior Russian government officials.

During his stay, Li will meet with Mishustin to exchange in-depth views on bilateral relations, practical cooperation and key issues of common interest.

The regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government, held every year since its inception in 1996, is an important mechanism for implementing the consensus reached by the two countries' heads of state and promoting bilateral cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

In a statement released upon arrival, Li said that under the strategic guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, China and Russia set a model for a new type of international relations and relations between neighboring major countries.

Over the past 75 years, China-Russia relations have withstood the test of changing international circumstances and become stronger and fresher over time, Li noted, adding that China-Russia relations in the new era have shown new vigor and vitality, with stronger mutual political trust, fruitful cooperation in various fields, deeply rooted friendship, and close and effective international coordination.

Li said his visit to Russia is aimed at implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state, carrying forward the enduring friendship from generation to generation, and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation.

He pointed out that the two heads of state have met twice this year, laying out the top-level design and strategic plan for the new development of China-Russia relations at the new historical starting point of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.

It is believed that with joint efforts of both sides, the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era will surely enter a brighter future, Li said.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the beginning of the China-Russia Years of Culture. During Putin's state visit to China in May, Xi said that in the past three quarters of a century, the China-Russia relationship has grown stronger amidst wind and rain, and stood the test of a changing international landscape.

With concerted efforts from both sides, China-Russia relations have been moving forward steadily, with enhanced comprehensive strategic coordination and further cooperation on economy and trade, investment, energy, and people-to-people exchanges, at the subnational level and in other fields, Xi said.

Bilateral cooperation in traditional areas such as energy, resources, aerospace and connectivity has made steady progress, and cooperation in emerging areas such as scientific and technological innovation, cross-border e-commerce and automobile manufacturing has also enjoyed strong momentum.

In the first seven months of this year, China-Russia trade increased by 1.6 percent year on year to 136.67 billion U.S. dollars. The volume exceeded 240 billion dollars in 2023, close to 2.7 times that of a decade ago.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, accompanied by senior Russian government officials, reviews the honor guard during a grand welcome ceremony at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, Russia, Aug. 20, 2024. Li arrived here on Tuesday to hold the 29th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government and visit Russia at the invitation of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Thailand reported on Wednesday a case of mpox suspected to be caused by the new and potentially more deadly version of the virus. If confirmed, it would be the first such case in Thailand and would come a week after the World Health Organization declared the disease a global health emergency.

The case involves a 66-year-old European man who works in an African country with an ongoing outbreak, health officials said at a news conference, without specifying which country. The man, who has a home in Thailand, was not reported to have severe symptoms.

Officials said they were awaiting test results  likely due Friday  to determine if the man has been infected with Clade Ib, the version of the mpox virus that has been driving a rise in cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to health officials, the man flew from Africa to Thailand, transiting in a Middle Eastern country, before arriving on the evening of Aug. 14. The next morning, he started to develop a fever and found small bumps on his skin.
A politician is surrounded by journalists while walking down a corridor when one of them asks him a question. Instead of answering it, he raises his hand and slaps her in the head several times before climbing into his vehicle and driving away.

Videos of this interaction in Bangkok last week, between Duangthip Yiamphop, a reporter for the Thai Public Broadcasting Service, and Prawit Wongsuwan, a retired general and former deputy prime minister, have led to anger in Thailand, where violence against women is prevalent and the military has repeatedly disavowed democratic norms.
The first time most Americans were introduced to Representative Andy Kim was in the wee hours of Jan. 7, 2021, when a photographer captured a single image of the bespectacled congressman kneeling alone in the Capitol Rotunda, picking up trash left behind by rioters who had stormed the building just hours earlier.

The image, which quickly began circulating widely online, was Mr. Kims first major foray onto the national political stage. He was a young, at the time relatively unknown, Democratic congressman who had served on the National Security Council and advised President Barack Obama on Iraq before his election to represent a swing district in southern and central New Jersey.

What a difference three years has made.

When he recalled the moment on Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Mr. Kim, 42, was speaking as the odds-on favorite to become the next senator from New Jersey in November. If he wins, he will replace Robert Menendez, who resigned after being convicted in a vast international bribery scheme.

I thought to myself, How did it get this bad?  Mr. Kim told attendees in the packed United Center in Chicago on Wednesday night. So I did the only thing I could think of: I grabbed a trash bag and started cleaning up. What I learned on Jan. 6 is that all of us are caretakers for our great republic. We can heal this country, but only if we try.
A school employee shot dead three people on Wednesday in a town in northwestern Bosnia, the police said, and was then severely wounded after trying to kill himself.

The shooting took place around 10 a.m. local time in a high school building in Sanski Most, about 180 miles northwest of Bosnias capital, Sarajevo, according to a regional police spokesman, Adnan Beganovic.

Mr. Beganovic said that the gunman had used a military weapon, an automatic rifle. The attacker then attempted to kill himself and is in serious condition in a hospital in the nearby city of Banja Luka, Mr. Beganovic added, noting that the victims included the school principal, a secretary and a teacher.

The television station N1 reported that the attacker had been involved in a dispute with the schools management. No other details were immediately available.
On the dock, a crowd of reporters and bystanders watched on in near complete silence, as a church bell tolled in the background.

Although 15 people made it to safety and the yachts cook was confirmed dead, the fate of the remaining six people, including a British tech entrepreneur, Mike Lynch, had been formally unresolved until the update on Wednesday.

In addition to Mr. Lynch, the remaining people who had been identified as missing by the authorities were his daughter Hannah; Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of Morgan Stanley International; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Christopher J. Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

Image Mike Lynch in 2011. Credit... Pool photo by Ben Gurr

They were part of a group of people celebrating a legal victory for Mr. Lynch, who was acquitted in June of fraud charges tied to the sale of his company, Autonomy, to the tech giant Hewlett-Packard.
Russia said on Wednesday that Moscow had come under a sizable drone attack overnight, as Kyiv presses on with a cross-border offensive far from the capital that has rattled the Kremlin.

Moscows mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, said in a statement that 10 Ukrainian attack drones had been destroyed by the citys air defenses. Russian authorities did not report any damage or casualties. This is one of the largest ever attempts to attack Moscow with drones, Mr. Sobyanin wrote on social media.

Drone attacks on Moscow, more than 270 miles from the Ukrainian border, are relatively rare. They disrupt the prevailing sense of normalcy in the capital, which has largely remained insulated from the war, including from Ukraines recent offensive into Russias western Kursk region.

Last year, Russia accused Ukraine of launching drone attacks that targeted the Kremlin and a building housing government ministries.
A former U.S. Air Force airman who absconded to Russia after being hit with child pornography charges appears to be featured in a Russian propaganda video in which he defends his decision to enlist in the military there.

Wearing military fatigues with a Russian flag patch on the chest and a combat helmet, the veteran, Wilmer Puello-Mota, describes his service in the U.S. Air Force and the Massachusetts Air National Guard. Toward the end of the video, he offers a prediction seemingly intended to please the audience in his adopted country:

Victory will be ours, he declares in Russian.

Mr. Puello-Mota, 28, nevertheless defended his patriotism.

I dont consider myself a traitor, he said. The United States and Russia arent at war.

The former airman, who said he now went by the call sign Boston, is a reconnaissance drone operator in the Russian Armed Forces, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. Mr. Puello-Mota said he had fought in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region of Ukraine.

In the video, which was posted to the Telegram social media app on Monday by the defense ministry, Mr. Puello-Mota introduces himself to viewers. Im Will; Im from Massachusetts, he says.
At least 28 pilgrims from Pakistan were killed in Iran when their bus overturned on Tuesday night while traveling to commemorate a Shiite Muslim holiday, state-run media in Iran has reported.

The bus was heading to the Iraqi city of Karbala for Arbaeen, a two-day holiday that begins on Sunday evening, draws tens of millions each year and is one of the worlds largest organized gatherings.

At least 23 other passengers were wounded, 14 of whom were critically injured, the state-run news agency IRNA reported, adding that Iran was working to repatriate the bodies and fly the injured back to Pakistan.

Many of the pilgrims came from Sindh Province in the south of Pakistan, Pakistani officials and local news media said.
Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon traded cross-border strikes on Wednesday, fueling concerns about a wider regional conflagration as negotiators struggle to broker a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

Israel said that it had struck weapons storage facilities used by Hezbollah, the powerful Iranian-backed militia, in eastern Lebanon for the second time this week. The overnight airstrikes, close to the Syrian border, killed at least one person and injured 30 others, including children, Lebanons Health Ministry said in a statement.

Hezbollah said that in response it had targeted an Israeli military base in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.

Israels military said that dozens of rockets had crossed into the area from Lebanon, but that they had struck a civilian neighborhood, not near a military target, damaging two houses in Katzrin, a town of about 8,000 people in the region. Magen David Adom, the Israeli emergency medical service, said a 30-year-old man in Katzrin had been treated for shrapnel wounds.
Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Israeli men protested outside a conscription center in Jerusalem on Wednesday and clashed with police officers amid rising national tensions about a court decision ordering a draft for the insular community.

Israels military began sending conscription orders last month to ultra-Orthodox men aged 18 to 26 after the Supreme Court in June ordered an end to exemptions that had been in place for decades. Military service is mandatory for most Israelis over 18, with some exceptions, such as for most Arab citizens. Before the ruling, over 60,000 ultra-Orthodox religious students of draft age were also formally exempt from service.

At the protest on Wednesday, ultra-Orthodox demonstrators, many of whom appeared to be of draft age, scuffled with officers and also with counterprotesters who want the military to push forward with the draft to end what they see as an unequal sharing of the burden at a time of war and rising regional tensions.

The Israeli police said that they had sent reinforcements to try to maintain order, and Israeli news media reported that officers had sealed off several streets, used water cannons to disperse crowds and beaten some protesters with batons. When asked about the response, the police said in a statement that officers had been forced to act using various means as protests continued and demonstrators broke through a blockade, with some protesters throwing water bottles. Five people were arrested, the police statement added.

The protest highlights the increased friction between Israels mainstream secular society and the ultra-Orthodox, the fastest-growing part of the population.

Some ultra-Orthodox Israelis do not fully recognize the state of Israel, rejecting secular Jewish sovereignty and military service. Many ultra-Orthodox see full-time Torah study as crucial, arguing that this scholarship is what has ensured the survival of Jews for centuries.
Libya has scarcely known peace or stability since rebels overthrew its longtime dictator during the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. After a civil war that ended in 2020, Libya remains split between rival, mutually hostile governments, one in the west and one in the east.

That uneasy stalemate appears headed for a destabilizing shake-up after a series of moves by political players, including a fight for control of the central bank, the conduit for Libyas vast oil wealth and therefore a key prize in political factions infighting.

On Monday, the countrys presidential council tried to fire the bank head, Sadik al-Kabir, by decree. He refused to go, and analysts said the decree was legally toothless, but the leader of Libyas western government endorsed the move and the presidential council announced that it would install a new central bank board of directors, beginning Wednesday.

Heres what to know about how the countrys shaky peace and power-sharing might be unraveling.

What is the state of affairs in Libya?

The U.N.-recognized government headed by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeiba controls only western Libya. The eastern part of the country houses the countrys Parliament and has its own prime minister, but it is ruled by Gen. Khalifa Hifter, a warlord.
A cruise on the Mediterranean Sea aboard a superyacht was supposed to be a celebratory event for the British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, who was acquitted in June of fraud charges tied to the sale of his company, Autonomy, to the tech giant Hewlett-Packard.

Instead, it turned into a disaster after the yacht, a 180-foot boat called the Bayesian, sank off the coast of Sicily in a violent storm. Of the 22 people aboard, 15 were rescued and seven others died. Search operations ended on Friday after the final body was recovered from the site of the sunken yacht.

Heres what we know about the passengers.

Mike Lynch and his family

Mr. Lynch, 59, is a British software entrepreneur who had once been described as his countrys Bill Gates. He founded the software firm Autonomy, which analyzed clients unorganized data, and turned it into one of the most prominent British technology companies of its time. He became a widely known corporate leader, who advised David Cameron, the British prime minister at the time, and joined the board of the BBC.

In 2011, Mr. Lynch sold Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion, which was far above its market value, earning him hundreds of millions. But HP investors almost immediately soured on the transaction, and the American tech giant quickly fired its chief executive  and then Mr. Lynch.
Six Questions

We Asked 65 Democratic Convention Attendees

With the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week, we spoke with 65 party members, leaders and legislators, all attending the convention as delegates or alternates, to gauge their enthusiasm and opinions going into the election. We talked to them about their views on Kamala Harris, the issues that drive them, what theyve seen change, formative political moments, their favorite Democrats and who they think represents the future of the party.

Heres how 65 Republicans answered the same questions.

1/6 How would you describe your feelings or level of enthusiasm about Kamala Harris as the nominee?

Nearly all the delegates surveyed  from self-described moderates to progressives  were very enthusiastic about Ms. Harriss nomination. Many said that they felt she was the right candidate for the moment and that they had seen a spike in engagement within their local parties, especially among young people.

I am so excited, I am tired now from my excitement. Pat Spearman, 69, Nevada

state legislator and minister Im not trying to be corny or anything here. She just seems to be the person for the moment that we need when it comes to so many issues facing American families today. Tim Drea, 66, Illinois

president of the Illinois A.F.L.-C.I.O. Our country doesnt have the best reputation for elevating women and elevating minorities. So I was a little scared. But then the young people in my life started texting me  my kids, my nieces and my cousins. Crystal LaGrone, 51, Oklahoma

I.T. professional

Sam Skardon, the chair of his county party in Charleston, S.C., recalled the early hours of Ms. Harriss candidacy: We took a vote in that first meeting, that night that the president withdrew, on whether to endorse Vice President Harris as a delegation. I believe the vote was 58 to 4, he said. Its a testament to her and her strength and her leadership that she consolidated the party so quickly.

Many delegates said they were inspired by the potential of electing a Black and Asian American woman and talked about what that representation meant for them and their communities.

I never thought the president would have an Indian name. Its so special. Kavya Nair, 19, Minnesota

student All of the people that look like me making a difference, it makes me want to work harder. It makes me realize that hey, the American dream does include me. Shawnte Rothschild, 46, Arizona

pharmaceutical manager

Just a handful of delegates surveyed provided caveats to their excitement, saying that they needed to see Ms. Harris take a stronger position on ending the war in Gaza.

In addition to thousands of protesters outside the convention, a small number of convention delegates plan to remain uncommitted  representing Democratic primary voters who cast uncommitted ballots to protest President Bidens Israel policy.

I do not want another Trump presidency, another disastrous Trump presidency. None of us who are uncommitted want that. But we need to see more from Harris. Inga Gibson, 52, Hawaii

policy consultant In order for me to be enthusiastic about her candidacy, I need to hear from her that she will both support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an arms embargo. June Rose, 29, Rhode Island

chief of staff for city council

Delegates were chosen before President Biden stepped down from the race and endorsed Vice President Harris. Many praised Mr. Bidens legislative accomplishments and his sacrifice in stepping down.

History is littered with examples of powerful men clinging to power even when they know they are going to lose, said Taylor Sappington, a 32-year-old delegate from Ohio. He added that Mr. Bidens actions felt liberating in a pessimistic, hate-filled era of politics.

2/6 Is there a particular issue that drives you toward or excites you about the Democratic Party right now?

Forty percent of respondents, across ages and genders, said that reproductive rights was a motivating issue for them. They expressed fear and disbelief over the Supreme Courts decision overturning Roe v. Wade and described how the ruling had affected them personally.

My grandchildren, granddaughters, will not have the same rights as I had growing up, so thats my biggest concern right now. Lenora Sorola-Pohlman, 69, Texas

business owner I told my husband, this is the hill I choose to die on. This is worth fighting for. Karmyn Seaberg, 66, Texas

retired registered nurse

In 2019, Robert Kahne and his wife made the decision to terminate her pregnancy after discovering at 20 weeks that their fetus had a fatal anomaly. It was really a devastating moment, said Mr. Kahne, who is attending the convention as a delegate for Kentucky. I think about it almost every day.

Since then, a near-total abortion ban has taken effect in Mr. Kahnes state: This issue isnt an abstract thing to us. This is a real thing to us that we needed, and its no longer a right that families who need it have.

It is not very pro-life to be anti-I.V.F., and anti-paid leave, and anti-child care and public education, and all these things that the Republican Party stands for right now. Kylie Oversen, 35, North Dakota

attorney I am really proud to be in Illinois, where I have been able to vote on pretty landmark legislation protecting reproductive freedoms. But its scary to think that they could be attacked on a national level. Katie Stuart, 53, Illinois

state legislator

More than a quarter said they were worried about maintaining democracy and basic freedoms. Some said they were concerned about Project 2025, a set of conservative policy options that Mr. Trump has distanced himself from but that align with many of his priorities.

I am from a background where democracy changed every few years and became a dictatorship, so we constantly have to fight. I value democracy more than anything else. Salauddin Choudhury, 54, Arizona

tech worker In Florida and North Florida, we feel like weve almost been the guinea pigs of Project 2025 in the way that Governor DeSantis has governed the state. Daniel Henry, 32, Florida

procurement professional The foundations and institutions and the rule of law that make our country what it is are under serious threat if Donald Trump gets elected. Nathan Soltz, 27, Oregon

chief of staff for state senator

A handful mentioned the economy. In a speech last week, Ms. Harris presented a series of economic proposals, including expanding a tax credit for parents, banning price gouging at grocery stores, spurring more affordable housing and lowering the cost of prescription drugs.

Even though I believe we have a strong economy, sadly its been dominated by a select few. Simon Carlo, 36, Puerto Rico

attorney and accountant Something that makes me most hopeful is the conversation around helping people get ahead, both in lowering price gouging and advocating for working people. Izzy Dobbel, 26, Illinois

political director at the Chicago Federation of Labor Affordable housing. Theres a lot of people in my generation that cant afford a home, even here in the Midwest. Ryan Granger, 36, Missouri

regulatory analyst

Many respondents offered more than one issue. Education, climate change, gun control, health care and the rights of immigrants and other groups were cited several times.

I was the mayor of Parkland before becoming a state representative, so gun violence prevention is incredibly important to me. Christine Hunschofsky, 54, Florida

state legislator Public education for me, personally, is an issue that is just so important. I come from a small-town, working-class environment, and I had the world open up. Mike Woods, 70, Oklahoma

retired college professor My grandfather was a nationalist who fought against communism, and my grandmother had to flee. Thats why Im in this country. For people that stir up this rhetoric about criminals coming into this country, they dont know anything about what theyre talking about. Howard Chou, 49, Colorado

political consultant and strategist

A handful of delegates mentioned the war in Gaza, with some emphasizing the plight of the Palestinian people and others calling for continued U.S. support for Israel in its fight against Hamas.

3/6 Is there something youve seen change in the party?

Some respondents focused on the most immediate change  Ms. Harriss replacement of Mr. Biden at the top of the ticket.

Theres that famous quote, If I cant dance, I dont want to be part of your revolution. I think the last month or so has been a great time. Alex Bores, 33, New York

state legislator A lot of us got very depressed for several years. When Kamala and Tim Walz stepped in, the excitement just came back. Kathy Jensen, 71, Nebraska

retired teacher

The most common response was that the party has grown more diverse, particularly in positions of leadership. Several reflected on how the party has changed when it comes to L.G.B.T.Q. rights and inclusion, and with promoting younger members.

I can see a shift in the gay rights movement. Even in 2012, when Obama came out supporting L.G.B.T.Q., it took him a long time to come out with that support. Tan Pham, 39, Massachusetts

marketing director When you have folks like Maxwell Frost and AOC, and you have Nancy Pelosi giving the reins over to minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, that all kind of signals to folks that there is a pathway for young people. Raumesh Akbari, 40, Tennessee

state legislator and lawyer On Kamala Harris: If you go back to a Democratic convention 20 years ago, you dont see any of the people in leadership roles like her or like myself. Neil Makhija, 37, Pennsylvania

county commissioner I feel like with our vice president being our nominee, it opens up the party to more diversity. I still feel like there are a lot of gatekeepers. Angela Romero, 50, Utah

state legislator, community program manager

Some noted a shift toward progressivism, or a return to more populist roots. Others described their experiences as Democrats in Republican-leaning states, pointing to leaders like Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky as models for the partys future.

At least here in Minnesota, I think that people are really waking up to the possibility of really strong and smart progressive policies. Quentin Wathum-Ocama, 33, Minnesota

kindergarten teacher, president of Young Democrats of America In the past weve not done great by our Democrats that live in the red states, but I think maybe were turning a corner and seeing the value of propping them up. Crystal LaGrone, 51, Oklahoma

I.T. professional There has been a recent change in the party to return to our roots, and to bring back the Democrats that we may have lost over the years when they felt that the Democratic Party left them. Michael J. Zagrobelny, 55, New York

labor relations specialist

4/6 Has there been a particularly meaningful or formative political moment in your life?

Nearly a quarter of respondents cited the 2008 election of Barack Obama. (Mr. Obama was the first Democratic president many of those surveyed had been able to vote for.)

That was key to me. Just seeing somebody who looked like me be successful in an arena where Black folks havent truly been successful, especially on the national stage. Kevin Ford Jr., 34, Maryland

real estate and cannabis entrepreneur It was seeing then-senator Obama give a speech. I can tell you it was just like, I can assume, seeing John F. Kennedy back in the day. Daniel Mulieri, 35, Florida

legislative director It brought so many new people into the party, and the excitement, hope and optimism. And by the way, thats what Im seeing now. Marlon Kimpson, 55, South Carolina

lawyer, Biden trade committee appointee

Some described other meaningful campaigns and movements.

My dad said: Youre little. Make your way to the front. Go squirm your way to the front so you can see Jimmy Carter up close. Sophia Rodriguez, 57, Ohio

educator I took a leave of absence my freshman year to work on Ted Kennedys campaign. I guess that would be where the bug started. William Eddy, Massachusetts

executive director of a trade association It was very telling the kind of responses that Donald Trump received and what he invoked as a candidate. Prior to that I was actually very much a moderate Republican. Aaron Sims, 32, Nevada

accountant After Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed, and Roe v. Wade was overturned, and Louisiana enacted a strict abortion ban, I ran for office. I was seven months pregnant and filmed my pregnancy and birth in my campaign ad. Katie Darling, 38, Louisiana

director of partnerships

The rest cited personal moments or national or world events that helped shape their political views.

The 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. October 11. Glenn D. Magpantay, 55, New York

attorney, commissioner to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights What really got me to be actively involved was when George W. Bush was lying to America and the world about weapons of mass destruction. Kristan Peters-Hamlin, Rhode Island

writer and lawyer When Joe Biden went on Meet the Press and was one of the first really prominent national figures to endorse same-sex marriage. Jeremy Moss, 38, Michigan

state legislator I got involved in political campaigns in 1972, and it was really an outgrowth of opposition to the war in Vietnam. Jeffrey Dinowitz, 69, New York

state legislator One of my sisters and I were among the first people to go to an integrated school in Alabama  Holtville High School. They did not want us there. Pat Spearman, 69, Nevada

state legislator and minister

5/6 Which Democratic figure do you consider your favorite, or think aligns most closely with your positions?

Barack Obama was the most common favorite, mentioned by one-third of the delegates surveyed.

The way he was able to inspire hope, to bring people together when so many in society were fighting to push people apart is something I deeply admire. Alex Bores, 33, New York

state legislator My uncle passed away in 2008, but he was actually able to vote absentee from his hospital bed for President Obama. He passed away literally about a week or so after the election was called, so he died knowing that first African American president had been elected. Kyler Gilkey, 24, Tennessee

government employee

Several Democrats were mentioned by at least three people:

Barack Obama Hillary Clinton Bernie Sanders Kamala Harris Joe Biden F.D.R. Elizabeth Warren Robert F. Kennedy Pete Buttigieg Barack Obama Hillary Clinton Bernie Sanders Kamala Harris Joe Biden F.D.R. Elizabeth Warren Robert F. Kennedy Pete Buttigieg

On Hillary Clinton: Doggone it, that was so sad. We came so close to getting her elected president, and it didnt happen. It was a real devastating feeling to me. Kathy Jensen, 71, Nebraska

retired teacher I met Joe Biden on a train 15, 20 years ago, and he bought me a cup of coffee. And the first time you meet Joe Biden, you love Joe Biden. Lou Grossman, 73, Florida

public relations counselor I love Kamala Harris. I love the fact that she can be positive while remaining tough. Its not a bad thing for a woman to be assertive and strong. Gini Ballou, 64, Idaho

sales manager Politicians of all parties propose solutions as if we were dealing with smaller problems, and I think AOC and Bernie Sanders meet the moment. June Rose, 29, Rhode Island

chief of staff for city council

The respondents named 53 favorite Democrats in all.

On former Representative Shirley Chisholm: After watching the Netflix movie, I admire her even more than I did before. Mark Kelly Tyler, 58, Pennsylvania

senior pastor I very much liked George McGovern when he ran his what turned out to be ill-fated campaign. Though two years later when Nixon was being impeached, you couldnt find anyone who voted for Nixon. John W. Hedrick, 69, Florida

retired attorney On Ann Richards, former governor of Texas: She was brave and bold and charismatic and stood up for her values at a time when many women didnt hold positions of power at all. Rayellen Smith, 68, New Mexico

retired C.P.A.

6/6 Aside from Kamala Harris, which Democratic figure do you think represents the future of the party?

Pete Buttigieg, the secretary of transportation, was the most popular answer.

If somebody said, Andy, you now have to be in a debate against Pete Buttigieg, Id say: I decline. Im not doing it. Im not going to do that. Why would I do that? Andy Josephson, 60, Alaska

state legislator Has a way of sort of breaking through the noise, giving information, but at the same time, not relinquishing any power when he speaks. Crystal LaGrone, 51, Oklahoma

I.T. professional

Other common choices were several Democratic governors, including Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan; Tim Walz of Minnesota (a handful of these interviews took place before he was announced as Ms. Harriss running mate); Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania; Wes Moore of Maryland; and Andy Beshear of Kentucky.

Gretchen Whitmer is sort of pushing back and saying: Actually government can do good things. Adam Goldwyn, 43, North Dakota

professor On Tim Walz: He served in the army. He comes from a working-class background. He was a teacher. I think the future of our party are ordinary people. Alan Cai, 18, Massachusetts

student Josh Shapiro has an amazing way of bringing people together across parties. The way that he responded to the assassination attempt of former president Trump was absolutely spot on. Michele L. Kidd, 46, New Jersey

political consultant On Wes Moore: He ran away a bunch of times and got in a lot of trouble, but eventually he dialed down. He started focusing on academics, he attended Oxford, and he attended Johns Hopkins University, and now hes the sitting governor of Maryland. Landiran Kern Jr., 18, Wisconsin

student Andy Beshear is able to be progressive on every issue without alienating anybody. He shows this leadership that isnt really ideological. Robert Kahne, 38, Kentucky

data scientist

Several Democratic members of the House were also mentioned.

I love the boldness of Jasmine Crockett. I want to see us be willing to stand up and say, No, you cant treat us like that. Gini Ballou, 64, Idaho

sales manager On Representative Ro Khanna of California: I think he presents a very thoughtful vision on progressive values and policies that also makes sense to everyone, whether you work in Silicon Valley or on Main Street. Sungkwan Jang, 34, New Jersey

consultant On Representative Jennifer McClellan of Virginia: She is a very quiet but powerful leader, and I would keep my eye on her. Pat Spearman, 69, Nevada

state legislator and minister

Overall, participants named 44 Democrats they thought represented the partys future.
The town of Kudrovo, in Russias Leningrad Region, is home to the countrys largest residential building, a giant oval-shaped monstrosity featuring 3708 apartments and 35 different entrances.

Completed in 2015 as part of the massive Novyy Okkervil residential complex on the outskirts of Kudrovo, Russias largest residential building got its first international coverage in 2021 when aerial photos of it made it to the first page of Reddit, getting over 50,000 upvotes and thousands of comments. People were equally fascinated and freaked out by the enormous building, and many compared it to a human anthill. The comparison is not as farfetched as it might seem, because the concrete oval of Kudrovo is home to between 11,000 and 18,000 people (reports from Russian media vary) all technically living under the same roof.

The gloomy location of Russias largest residential building, its communist architectural style, and the clear lack of sunshine in the lower apartments facing the inner courtyard of the building suggest that living in a giant concrete oval must be pretty depressing, but one resident told Redditors that life there isnt as bad as it seems.

Reddit user Everlastsun, who claimed to live inKudrovos massive apartment building, claimed that finding a free parking space is not as hard as it may seem, as the inner courtyard and the surrounding streets feature hundreds of them, there is a shopping ball close by, and the apartments themselves are quite spacious.

Other Redditors imagined what a nightmare it must be for couriers to deliver parcels to residents of this massive apartment building, comparing it to finding a needle in a haystack. Having to find that right entrance out of 35, and then navigating the 25 floors to reach that one apartment must be one hell of a challenge. Luckily, there are plenty of fast-traveling elevators, so at least one doesnt have to take the stairs.

A fire breaking out in Russias human anthill and its total evacuation was another interesting scenario thought up by the Reddit community, one that well hopefully never see play out.

Despite the negative publicity it got on social media the developer describes Novy Okkervil as a wonderful alternative to noisy areas, because here the windows of the apartments overlook walking alleys for lovers and quiet courtyards.

Russias concrete human anthill has drawn comparison to Chinas largest residential building, the Regent International apartment building in Hangzhou, which reportedly houses around 20,000 people.
This year, the Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT) printed its admission letters on an innovative carbon fiber composite material that is just 0.2 millimeters thick but as sharp and strong as a knife.

While most university admission letters are usually put away in a cupboard after students learn they have been accepted, freshmen accepted by the Beijing University of Chemical Technology have been busy using their admission letters as a multi-tool. Many of them have been sharing videos of themselves using the sturdy admission letters to cut all kinds of fruits, even melons, mincing pieces of meat, and holding them over open flames to prove they dont burn or melt. After several of these videos went viral, a spokesperson from the Chinese university went public to clarify that this years admission letters were made out of an innovative material developed at the learning institution.

The carbon fiber-made admission letter not only showcases our universitys exceptional abilities in the field of carbon fiber composite material but also marks the transformation of Chinas homegrown carbon fiber composite material from high-end industrial use to daily application, Yang Xiaoping, a professor at BUCTs College of Materials Science and Engineering, said.

Measuring only 0.2 millimeters in thickness, the coveted Beijing University of Chemical Technology admission letters are very flexible but tough enough to cut through watermelons, as demonstrated in multiple viral videos on Chinese social media. The letters have come to be known as invincible online.

While proud of its innovative carbon fiber material, BUCT has urged freshmen who received admission letters to stop abusing them by staging dangerous experiments ,and instead cherish them.
LDPR has been named agency of record for Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch, which will transition to The Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort this fall. The agency will be overseeing all PR programming, including print and digital media relations, influencer and brand partnerships and media visit programming. With a full renovation under way, the 496-unit property will be the first Grand Hyatt hotel in Arizona. Headquartered in New York City, LDPR also has staff in Los Angeles and Chicago.

MRB Public Relations, a tech-focused PR and communications firm, signs on to manage strategic promotion for Cybertech NYC 2024, a cyber industry event taking place on Sept. 5 at NYCs Metropolitan Pavilion. MRB will work to ensure an extensive media presence for the event, managing its media center on the day of the show and driving media coverage. The event will feature a comprehensive exhibition hall, a startup pavilion showcasing over 100 emerging companies, and specialized discussions on key topics such as AI, cyber talent and misinformation in elections. Speakers from AmEx, NBC News, Nvidia, Philips and Visa are set to appear. MRBs proven record of successfully promoting both emerging startups and established industry leaders in the cyber arena will ensure that Cybertech NYC 2024 receives the visibility it deserves, said Cybertech director Steve Corrick.

CTP, a Boston-based agency, is named AOR for the Cambridge Office for Tourism, which manages destination marketing, public relations and visitor services for Cambridge, MA. CTP has been working on the organizations Theres a lot to Unpack campaign, which includes new brand ID as well as paid, social and owned digital communications designed to elevate the brand and generate new and recurring visitors. CTP has been a fantastic partner in bringing those stories to life, said Cambridge Office for Tourism executive director Robyn Culbertson. Theyve completely reenergized our brand, and were thrilled about the positive feedback that weve received from all of our stakeholders.
Conde Nast and OpenAI have reached an agreement that will give the AI company access to content from the publishers properties. The deal will permit OpenAI to surface stories from outlets including The New Yorker, Vogue and Vanity Fair in both ChatGPT and the new SearchGPT prototype. Its crucial that we meet audiences where they are and embrace new technologies while also ensuring proper attribution and compensation for use of our intellectual property, Conde Nast CEO Roger Lynch wrote in a company-wide email. Noting the financial losses publishers are facing, Lynch said the partnership with OpenAI begins to make up for some of that revenue, allowing us to continue to protect and invest in our journalism and creative endeavors, Publishers who have struck similar deals with OpenAI include the Associated Press, Axel Springer, The Atlantic, Financial Times and News Corp.

ABC News names Almin Karamehmedovic, senior executive producer of World News Tonight with David Muir, to serve as its next president. The promotion expands his responsibilities to include such programming as Good Morning America, 20/20 and Nightline. He will also oversee the ABC News Studios division as well as the networks coverage of the upcoming presidential debate and election. Karamehmedovic succeeds Kim Godwin, who announced her exit in May. He began started with ABC News on a freelance basis in London in 1998, joining Nightline in 2008 and servingd as its executive producer before joining World News Tonight.

Time magazine is laying off 22 staffers. The cuts affect its editorial, technology, sales & marketing departments, in addition to Time Studios. In an Aug. 20 memo to staff announcing the layoffs, Time CEO Jessica Sibley cited lower advertising budgets, competition and shifts in consumer behavior as among the factors leading to the decision. We are making changes now across our business to protect against this period of transformation and unpredictability in the media industry, she wrote. The announcement follows the axing of about 15 percent of the magazines staff in January.
Maithripala Sirisena completes Rs. 100 million compensation for Easter Sunday victims

Posted by Editor on August 21, 2024 - 9:07 am

Former Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has finished paying Rs. 100 million in compensation to the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks, as ordered by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.

He paid the final Rs. 12 million on August 16, 2024, completing the total amount.

On January 12, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that Sirisena and four other officials violated the Fundamental Rights of petitioners by failing to act on intelligence that could have prevented the attacks.

The court ordered them to pay compensation to the victims. Sirisena was ordered to pay Rs. 100 million, former IGP Pujith Jayasundara and former SIS Director Nilantha Jayawardena Rs. 75 million each, former Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando Rs. 50 million, and former National Intelligence Director Sisira Mendis Rs. 10 million.

Additionally, the Sri Lanka government was ordered to pay Rs. 1 million in compensation.

This ruling came from a seven-member Supreme Court panel in response to 12 petitions filed by individuals, including those who lost loved ones in the attacks and those injured.

On July 15, the Supreme Court ordered Sirisena, Jayasundara, and Jayawardena to complete their payments by August 30, 2024, warning of contempt of court charges if they failed.

Sirisenas lawyers informed the court that Rs. 58 million had already been paid, but a request to extend the payment period by six years was denied.

Earlier, Sirisena had requested to pay the remaining amount in 10 installments by June 2033, but this was also rejected, and the deadline was initially set for July 12, 2023.


Frederick Nietzsche

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It got wild -- that fin de siecle party back in 00 19. History was being re-written by the likes of Jacob Burkhardt, Germany was losing its Seele to the newly fulminant Reichsturm, and Nietzsche's aphoristic philology was a glowing stick of "dynamite" ready to explode and bring in die Gotterdammerung. Twilight of the Idols. The Death of Gods and Great Men. Warum? Das Volk. Wagen. The little people clamoring for power-sharing, and reanimation of Christian values. Nietzsche, the son of a preacher man (yes, he was), was having none of that. As far as he was concerned, Christianity had caused perhaps irreparable harm to the human spirit.

Nietzsche had a point. Christianity has softened the spirit, tenderized the meat of Man's resolve, tossed more than one soul on the barbie of the devil. Perhaps most importantly, Nietzsche saw that church structures (its rites and rituals) and the interpretive, privileged haranguing of preachers (no matter how gently) made folks lazy in their thinking, developing his famous parsing of the sermon and its mount as "herd mentality." He had absolutely loved Richard Wagner and the greatness of his new chromatic music, but when he heard the conversion sounds, from Nordic mythology to Christianity, culminating in the genuflection and mythopoesis of Parsifal, a breakup was inevitable. But maybe Nietzsche went too far in his truly legendary diatribes aimed at what he called strutting, proselytizing "turkey cocks of God." Oy!

The first task is to try to understand from whence his venom welled. It is, of course, complicated. Nietzsche grew up amidst devout Christian women (mother, sister, aunts), who reinforced the taming of his shrewish nature; it made him shy and aloof and testy, which was great for philosophy but played havoc with his potential love life. Lou Andreas-Salome' loved Nietzsche's mind, but laughed at his romantic clumsiness, on her way to Freud and Rilke. What could Fritz do? He was not in their league sexually. Hell, he wasn't even in pal Paul Rees's league.

In "The Problem of Socrates," which is part of a loose collection of essays that make up Twilight of the Idols, Nietzsche wakes up cranky to the whole wisdom industry that has informed his education thus far. Socrates was "decadent." He seems to have Aristophanes' attitude toward the early deconstructor of democracy as portrayed in The Clouds: S was no Ubermensch. Nietzsche tells us,

These wisest men of all ages -- they should first be scrutinized closely. Were they all perhaps shaky on their legs? late? tottery? decadents? Could it be that wisdom appears on earth as a raven, inspired by a little whiff of carrion?

Nothing but the dead and dying back in Socrates's little town, it seems. "Socrates was the buffoon who got himself taken seriously: what really happened there" (473)? asks Nietzsche, dismissing the dialectics of Socrates as "bad manners." One of Nietzsche's self-designated tasks was to clear the air of historical stench. Socrates, avers Nietzsche, introduces, with his jibes, a concept that Nietzsche despised more than any other -- ressentiment. He writes,

Is the irony of Socrates an expression of revolt? Of plebeian ressentiment? " The dialectician leaves it to his opponent to prove that he is no idiot: he makes one furious and helpless at the same time"Is dialectic only a form of revenge in Socrates.

For Nietzsche, ressentiment is directly tied to revenge. Revenge of the pleb over the noble. This ressentiment is a key to understanding Nietzsche's take on Christian negativity. In Nietzsche Now! Glenn Wallis explains the terminology:

It names an affect, an emotional charge, that arises when we believe we have been slighted or harmed yet find ourselves incapable of redressing the offense. Ressentiment is an affect of the powerless. It differs from resentment precisely in this regard. A person with the means for redress or revenge can feel resentment and respond accordingly. The attitude of ressentiment, by contrast, is: "I suffer: someone must be to blame for it."

Christianity is about blaming and resigning at the same time, as Nietzsche sees it. It's a loser's religion. This mission he was on seems to have continued with the fresh air of new aesthetics (Wagner, and the Apollonian/Dionysian tao) and the desire to rid the world's thinking (in the West, at least) of the defilement of Slave Morality, as he saw encompassed in the decadence of the Christian ethos. Nietzsche contrasts Master and Slave Morality. This may be his most controversial area of thought, as it can be and has been read as acceptance of such a division as necessary. Indeed, in Genealogy of Morals, he further differentiates and clarifies:

Whereas all noble morality grows out of a triumphant affirmation of oneself, slave morality immediately says No to what comes from outside, to what is different, to what is not oneself: and this No is its creative deed. This reversal of the value positing glance--this necessary direction outward instead of back to oneself-is of the nature of ressentiment: to come into being, slave morality requires an outside world, a counterworld; physiologically speaking, it requires external stimuli in order to react at all: its action is at bottom always a reaction.

To sublimate and compensate for the inability to respond with authenticity the slave becomes a reactionary. For Nietzsche, nobody represents slave morality better than Christians. He often sees life as changing, unbridled, requiring individual courage to endure and all topped with amor fati. Christians subjugate themselves to the will of an implausible god whose works, including humans, are to be interpreted for them by priests and liars. Nietzsche blurts in Ecce Homo, --" Have I made myself understood? -- Dionysus versus the Crucified..."

Nietzsche castigates Christ in a manner similar to how he abused Socrates. He was especially caustic of Christ's "politics," seeing the age he lived in as generally apolitical In a sense, Christ, like Socrates, was "guilty of bad manners," as far as Nietzsche was concerned.

It can be difficult for modern minds to understand, but we see such reactionary morality, perhaps, in the US, in far right, among Christian conservatives, who, some believe want to tamper with democracy and the Bill of Rights by imposing bans on history-learning and books that might promote a critical race theory response to classic American literature. Not that would be much solace to an astute modern Christian, but Nietzsche was not fond of democracy either. He was unimpressed by what he saw as "herd mentality" thinking.

But did Nietzsche go too far? For sure, Christianity is ostensibly set up to secure a relationship with God that leads to the shedding of sin through acts of contrition, and reiterated lessons in the continuous connectivity of humankind through history, from Eden on -- lessons delivered by educated, well-read ministers. They provide solace for otherwise inexplicable suffering and injustice and political imbalance that may never see a shift toward equality. Marx said religion is the opium of the masses; and even many priests would agree on the positive value of a tasty alcoholic beverage -- once in a while. Freud wrote about the future of this illusion. We could not cope without sublimation of our existential anxieties and stressors. Not everyone can be a superman.

I have personally seen the good work of Christians in the fray. As a child of the 60s and 70s I came to read about superhero Catholic leaders who broke the mold and refused to be merely shepherds of lost souls. Most of these leaders were Jesuits. The Berrigan Brothers rejected the slaughter of the war machine in Vietnam. And nuns who protested nukes. The brothers of LaSalette in Ipswich who personally saved me from premature suffering; who opened and manned drop-in centers for drug addicts, and wept as they fell, one by one. These folks made the practical Christian ethos come alive -- often at great personal cost, such as excommunication.

Reading Nietzsche through a Christian lens can be challenging. There is some ambivalence involved. There are ways in which the religions of Abraham seem anachronistic, even pointless, if their actions in the world are as incomprehensible as the absence of answer to our pleas for mercy to God. Take climate change: Imagine, I say to myself, if the Abrahamics got together as a bloc party and voted to end Climate Change, and made it known that they would not tolerate another moment of the wholesale destruction of God's Earth and went on a general strike globally until nukes and war and climate catastrophe were eliminated. Nuns could set up stands for lemonate.

On the other hand, I am sufficiently Nietzschean to accept that we will have to enter the abyss before we can play under the rainbow together. I don't see Christianity as being as valuable spiritually as it once might have been. It is still ruled by forces of ressentiment. It has not changed enough to answer the challenges of our times and may, in some small way, enjoy the evidence of the decline of humanity as some kind of revenge for its historical impotence over things that matter most to the species.

An important new book on the philosopher and his life is out: Nietzsche Now! by Glenn Wallis, an independent scholar who kives in Philly. He runs an online education site called Incite that features progrms in Buddhism, Anarchy, and Nietzsche. The Wallis account has a fresh translation and a new approach for reading Nietzsche for contemporary values.

See my interview with Glenn Wallis, re; Nietzsche Now! here.
Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator

Anthony Blinken left Doha on August 20 empty-handed. He had been pushing Israel and Hamas to come to a ceasefire agreement, but the negotiations appear to have once again failed to find peace for the people in Gaza, who have suffered over 40,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of injuries since the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. The US supported Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his revenge attack on Gaza, which has been termed genocide by the UN. However, the US President Joe Biden administration has forcefully demanded that Netanyahu stop the war to allow Israeli hostages out of Gaza, and prevent further Palestinian deaths. Most of the dead have been women and children in Gaza.

Biden was assured by Netanyahu that he would sign a ceasefire, but at the last moment Netanyahu broke his promise to Biden, and this prompted Biden to end his re-election campaign. Biden was counting on a Gaza ceasefire to win the votes to put him in the White House for a second term, but had to admit defeat. It appears that Netanyahu is determined to wage a full-scale war against Hezbollah, the Lebanese resistance organization. Experts agree that the military capability of Israel and Hezbollah are on parity. The war could be avoided if Netanyahu would stop the war on Gaza, but he is looking for a military victory in both Gaza and Lebanon.

To understand the crucial issues at play as the world faces a major war in the Middle East, which may likely expand into a regional war, Steven Sahiounie of MidEastDiscourse interviewed Abbas Zalzali, news anchor, media instructor, talk show host and writer.

1. Steven Sahiounie (SS): On July 30, Israel assassinated Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukr in the Lebanese capital Beirut. In your opinion, did Israel take this action to provoke Hezbollah into a full-scale war?

Abbas Zalzali (AZ): It was clear that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the green light for an escalation during his visit to Washington and his speech before the US Congress. The assassination of Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukr in the Lebanese capital Beirut is a translation of this escalation and an attempt to drag Hezbollah into a large-scale war because the Israeli leadership, since the first days of Operation Flood of Al-Aqsa on October 7, has wanted to launch a military campaign on Lebanon and has been trying since that time to separate the fronts to isolate Hamas in Gaza.

2. SS: The tension between Israel and Hezbollah is on the highest level, especially with reports that a full-scale war between the two sides might erupt any day. In your opinion, is war inevitable, and what role will the Lebanese Army play?

AZ: All indications show that war is inevitable between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel, which received a heavy blow on October 7, wants to restore its prestige as an invincible state. Hezbollah's growing military capabilities, especially what was recently revealed, and here I mean the video of the underground military facility Imad 4, makes Hezbollah an existential threat to Israel and the Israelis. If a comprehensive war does not break out this time, it will inevitably break out in the near future. Speaking of the role of the Lebanese army in the event of a war, the matter is clear: it will confront Israeli attacks in defense of the homeland because it is the homeland's army, despite its modest capabilities and lack of the capabilities ready for such a war. Here we will open the door to questions about whose interest it has not allowed the Lebanese army to be strong throughout these years.

3. SS: Lebanon is going through one of the worst economic crisis in their history. In your opinion, will the political and military pressure that Lebanon is going through force Lebanon to accept the conditions of the World Bank?

AZ: Lebanon is going through one of the worst economic crises in history, not because it is a poor country, but because the corruption of its officials and the sectarian system did not build a country or an economy, but rather invested state funds in strengthening their own interests and political goals.

Lebanon has no solution except to reform the sectarian system, end the quota system, and reform the administration to rise.

Again, any talk other than that is a waste of time, even if the International Monetary Fund gave $100 billion as a grant and not a loan, because the stolen money amounts to hundreds of billions of dollars.

As for the conditions of the International Monetary Fund, of course, they are to bear obligations or abandon non-economic issues that may be related to sovereignty over Lebanese territory or to the settlement of Palestinian refugees and displaced Syrians, and here I do not think that Lebanon will accept this.

4. SS: Historically, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt has followed the American directives and wishes handed out from the US Embassy in Lebanon. However, he gave an interview to the UK media, SkyNews, in which he said he supports the resistance against the occupation of Lebanon and Palestine by Israel, and he supports Hezbollah. He later attended the condolences held for Fuad Shukr. In your opinion, what is the significance of this position and demonstration by Jumblatt?

AZ: If we must talk about the history of the Druze leader Walid Jumblatt or even the history of his late father Kamal Jumblatt, we must admit that the general orientation was Arab and Palestine was a fundamental issue for them. Let me add here that even in internal affairs and political disputes, Walid Jumblatt has always distinguished himself by separating any internal political dispute from the country's supreme interest.

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CONCRETE, Wash.  Police are searching for a man in connection with the deaths of three people earlier this month who were killed in a house fire after they were shot in Washington state.

An arrest warrant for the investigation of three counts of second-degree murder was issued for 49-year-old Jason M. Birman, who lived in the home and was married to one of the victims, the Mount Vernon Police Department said in a news release over the weekend. Police said last week they were looking for Birmans 1994 blue Chevrolet pickup truck.

The victims in the Aug. 9 fire in the small town of Concrete have been identified as Erin Birman, 52, her 19-year-old son, Taylor Dawson; and 18-year-old Jillian Van Boven, who was dating Dawson.

The Skagit County Coroners Office found that all three victims had been shot and that the gunshots contributed to their deaths.

Authorities were called to the fire in the morning on Aug. 9. The blaze destroyed the two-story home, and it took days to recover the bodies, police said. Investigators from multiple agencies including the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms spent six days investigating the scene, police said.

Investigators believe Jason Birman was at the home before the fire started, police said. Birman and his vehicle have been unaccounted for since the fire. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact Mount Vernon police.

The town of Concrete is about 96 miles northeast of Seattle.
The arsonist who destroyed a 118-year-old church that once served as a religious gathering place for Portlands Korean Americans has been found guilty but for insanity.

Cameron D. Storer, also known as Nicolette Fait, snuck into the vacant church at 1438 S.W. 10th Avenue about 5:30 p.m. Jan. 3, 2023  spurred on by hallucinated voices that threatened to mutilate the defendant unless she set the structure alight, according to a court affidavit.
After Jesse Banks died alone in his cell at Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, a state medical examiner found a ripped up a mask to protect against disease crammed in the back of his bloody mouth.

The account, drawn from an Oregon State Police detectives notes, is part of a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the Oregon Department of Corrections on Aug. 18 in U.S. District Court in Eugene. The lawsuit, filed by Banks mother Patricia Trish Nemeth, lays out a series of allegations about Banks treatment in prison before his death on the morning of April 1, 2023 in a cell im the prisons behavioral health unit.

More broadly, it seeks to hold the agency accountable for its treatment of Banks, a 35-year-old man who had a documented history of mental health challenges and needed medication. The lawsuit suggests either a coverup, negligence or both were involved and seeks damages of up to $20 million.

988 crisis line If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide or a mental health crisis, call or text 988 for free, immediate support 24/7.

The state actors were deliberately indifferent to the serious medical needs of Mr. Banks, either by strangling him to death, increasing his dosage to a fatal dose and then leaving him unattended for several hours while they had the responsibility to perform tier checks every 15 minutes, the lawsuit said.

A spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Corrections declined to comment on the allegations.

Banks had a developmental disorder, and corrections agencys staff failed to follow their rules for inmates and make the necessary checks for inmates with mental health conditions who are in solitary confinement, the lawsuit alleges. Those checks are supposed to happen every 15 or 30 minutes.

Instead, a corrections officer checking on Banks found him dead after more than two hours without any checks, the lawsuit alleged.

Wayne Lamb, a Salem attorney who represents the mother, said appropriate medical care and regular checks are crucial in a case like Banks.

The lawsuit says the prison turned a blind eye to his need for mental health care and that the state acted to cover up evidence. The mask mentioned in the detectives notes was an N95, which is supposed to filter out 95% of particles in the air, including those that cause COVID.

The bloody mask was not mentioned in the autopsy report, the lawsuit said. Instead, the report said the upper airway was not obstructed, the lawsuit alleged.

The complaint said the autopsy investigation was flawed and that the state either intended to bury evidence or had no interest in the actual cause of death, the lawsuit said. The autopsy found the death was self-inflicted strangulation.

The lawsuit asserted Banks died in one of two ways  and the state was responsible in both cases. One possibility is that a state employee at the prison crammed the mask into his throat and the evidence was buried, the lawsuit said. The other is when a doctor inappropriately adjusted his medication, it forced an overdose and triggered a suicide, the lawsuit said.

Either way, the failure to conduct regular checks contributed, the lawsuit said.

Whether the death was suicide or guard strangulation, the death was the product of a criminal act of intent or recklessness, the lawsuit said.

Based on medical records, the lawsuit said Banks didnt have an inclination toward suicide. Rather, he said he looked forward to his release while visiting with his family.

He spoke of the future, of work, of National Geographic subscriptions and he generally spoke with optimism and level-headedness, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit said Banks faced bullying and harassment from corrections officers and struggled to get access to appropriation medications.

Banks bounced in and out of the criminal justice system and, at times, went to Oregon State Hospital for treatment so he could aid in his defense in court against various charges. His mental health and ability to face charges was repeatedly mentioned in his felony cases.

He also was imprisoned. In 2018, he went to Oregon State Penitentiary for a 38-month sentence and was housed in the behavioral health unit.

In 2022, he was sentenced on charges of aggravated harassment and assaulting a public safety officer and returned to the prison. When Banks died, he was about two years from his release date.

A corrections officer found him under his blankets and out of sight from the door, the lawsuit said.

Officers told investigators they made efforts to revive him with medical staff, but his body was no longer warm. He was already stiff and rigid from rigor mortis. They said they gave him CPR anyway.

Whether true or not, it was clearly too late, as Mr. Banks was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m., the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit opens the door for Nemeths lawyer to obtain more evidence, including potential security camera footage, and to interview prison staff to learn more about what transpired.

Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, the nations largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
A man whos accused of mowing down 25 seagulls with a rented Jeep on a Washington beach is facing possible charges of first-degree animal cruelty and reckless driving.

Prosecutors from Pacific County filed the charges against 64-year-old James Travis, of Hawaii, on Aug. 14, less than a month after Travis allegedly killed the gulls with a rented car and nearly ran down other beachgoers.
At least 5,000 birds have died so far this summer at a network of wildlife refuges on the Oregon-California border, sparking fears of another large outbreak of disease and calls for more water releases in a region roiled by drought and water uncertainty made worse by climate change.

The deaths are likely caused by a rare combination of avian flu and botulism, said John Vradenburg, supervisory biologist at the refuge complex. Virus-caused avian was confirmed at one of the refuges in July, Vradenburg said. Avian flu has been on the rise in recent years, leading to die-offs in poultry and wild birds.
The latest ranking by WalletHub, the personal finance app and website, puts Oregon as the 12th most fun state to visit. The company came to this conclusion by looking at 26 key indicators of a jolly good time that wont break the bank.

Those indicators included the number of restaurants, theaters and arcades per capita, how much each state spends on parks and recreation, and the average cost of movies and drinks in each state.

Oregon has no shortage of fun places, such as the worlds best pinball arcade in Hillsboro, or the best family-owned amusement park south of Salem. And Portland knows how to have fun, with annual events like the Adult Soap Box Derby and the Winter Light Festival.

(In a separate ranking of most fun cities, Portland ranked No. 13 and Salem made the list at No. 121.)

The most fun places in the country? The top three arent surprising: Florida, California and then Nevada.

As No. 12, Oregon came in just behind Arizona (which, what do they have that we dont?) and Louisiana (admittedly, New Orleans is pretty darn fun).

Oddly enough, WalletHub also recently ranked Oregon as one of the worst states to live in (No. 42) and one of the least happy states (No. 38).

Which leads us to believe that former governor Tom McCall might have been onto something when he famously said, back in 1971, Come visit us again and again. This is a state of excitement. But for heavens sake, dont come here to live.

Here are the rankings of the Top. 20 Most Fun States to Visit, according to WalletHub

1. Florida

2. California

3. Nevada

4. New York

5. Colorado

6. Illinois

7. Texas

8. Washington

9. Minnesota

10. Louisiana

11. Arizona

12. Oregon

13. Pennsylvania

14. North Carolina

15. Ohio

16. Wisconsin

17. Missouri

18. South Carolina

19. Maryland

20. Alaska

 Samantha Swindler covers features for The Oregonian/OregonLive and Here is Oregon. Reach her at sswindler@oregonian.com.

Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com.
The Oregon Army National Guard made history last week with the commissioning of its first Jewish chaplain, Rabbi Menachem M. Orenstein. The Aug. 18 ceremony took place at the 41st Armed Forces Reserve Center Auditorium in Clackamas, marking a significant milestone for the Guard and the Jewish community, according to the Tigard Chabad Jewish Center.

Orenstein, who serves as a rabbi at the Tigard Chabad Jewish Center, said he is honored to take on the part-time position as chaplain and serve his country and community at the same time.

I have a military background, and three of my grandparents served in World War II, Orenstein said. It was always something I considered  to become a chaplain. I also wanted to lead a community and be a rabbi  thats what Im doing now.

As the first Jewish chaplain in the Oregon Army National Guard, Orenstein is eager to contribute to a diverse and inclusive environment.

It feels really good to be the first one to do it, Orenstein said. Theres not too many soldiers or service members in Oregon that are Jewish, and a big part of my responsibility is to serve everyone, regardless of religion, in a very open way. Thats what I look forward to doing. But its definitely exciting to be the first Jewish [chaplain].

While the path to his commission was long and challenging, taking a year to apply and be accepted after many assessments and qualifications, Orenstein described it as a rewarding experience.

It just made a lot of sense, and I was really excited when I learned about [the position], Orenstein said. Its definitely a blessing. I feel honored to be able to do it. I feel honored that such an opportunity exists.

 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.
After celebrating its 50th anniversary in June, the Portland Saturday Market has been officially designated as an Oregon Heritage Tradition by the Oregon Heritage Commission.

Its a huge honor, said Emma Cilley, marketing manager for the Portland Saturday Market. It just means that we recognize our longevity, as well as Portland recognizes that were really conserving the heritage of the market.

The market was started in 1974 by artists Sheri Teasdale and Andrea Scharf, who wanted to create an open-air venue in downtown Portland to give artisans a place to sell handmade crafts and foods. Today, the market hosts over 400 members and draws more than 750,000 visitors annually, according to a news release from Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

The designation recognizes businesses that have been operating for 50 years or longer that add to the livability and identity of the state, said Katie Henry, Oregon Heritage Commission coordinator, in the press release.

The recognition places the market among 28 other significant Oregon events, including Woodburn Fiesta Mexicana, the Oregon State Fair and the Pendleton Round-Up.

We are a cornerstone of downtown and that will boost tourism, Cilley said. We support local artisans. It really just means, Hey, weve been here for 50 years, were going to be here for 50 more, were going to support downtown and were going to support artists in Portland.

The Portland Saturday Market will celebrate the official designation at 12:30 p.m. Saturday with a presentation by Commissioner Libby Provost of the Oregon Heritage Commission.

This entire year is a celebration, Cilley said. We have events going on every month.  So there is that specific celebration, but also just the whole year is a celebration for us.

Some of the celebratory events have included a Mothers Day flower planting, giveaways, an upcoming Skidmore Fountain birthday party and other holiday events later in the year.

I think going forward, especially coming out of COVID, were really coming back and were really hoping to revitalize Old Town and put a lot of effort into connecting the businesses around and bringing the community back to downtown, said Cilley.

Visit the Portland Saturday Market from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sundays at 2 S.W. Naito Parkway.

 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.
As an organizer with Extinction Rebellion and a member of the Coalition for Climate and Economic Justice, I am writing to urge Oregonians to weigh in on the states efforts to restore the Oregon Climate Protection Program. The Department of Environmental Quality is accepting testimony until Aug. 30, at cpp.2024@deq.oregon.gov, and at an online hearing on Aug. 21 at 4 p.m.

This is a critical step in the states effort to mitigate the climate crisis by limiting the greenhouse gas emissions of the natural gas industry and other major emitters of toxic substances. Northwest Natural Gas, with other natural gas companies, has been undermining the states climate protection program, securing a court order based on a technicality to stop it.
The defense for Bryan Kohberger, who is accused in the University of Idaho student homicides, rejected arguments from prosecutors that Moscow remains an acceptable place for the suspect to receive a fair trial next summer.

Elisa Massoth, one of Kohbergers attorneys, continued the push to move their clients capital murder trial 300 miles south to Boise. The North Idaho region has been tainted by intense media coverage of the case, she wrote, which has created a mob mentality within the community about Kohbergers possible culpability.
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The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has allegedly lost track of tens of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children released from government custody.

US ICE Failed To Track Unaccompanied Migrant Children

In an interim report sent to Congress on Tuesday, an internal watchdog within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that, between 2019 and 2023, the ICE transferred over 448,000 unaccompanied migrant kids to the custody of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

However, the ICE later failed to monitor all of the children they transferred over to the HHS, losing track of more than 32,000 migrant kids in the five-year period that spanned both the Trump and Biden administrations. The watchdog also noted that the ICE failed to notify the HHS when migrant children failed to appear for their immigration court proceedings.

"Despite its responsibilities for overseeing UCs [unaccompanied migrant children] through the immigration process, we found ICE cannot always monitor the location and status of UCs once they were released from DHS and HHS custody," the DHS report said.

An internal ICE guidance prompts the agency to notify the HHS if a child fails to appear at their court date. However, an ICE official said they are not required to share this information with the HHS, the report said.

READ ALSO : Migrant Children Face Challenging Situations in Border Camps, Court Records Revealed

In addition to communication issues, the watchdog cited the lack of adequate staffing in the ICE, which could limit their ability to monitor the locations and case status of migrant children. Furthermore, their "manual, multi-step processes" of sharing information on children who fail to appear for their court dates could also be a burden to ICE staff members.

Department of Homeland Security 's Recommendations

The watchdog noted that the number of lost migrant kids could be worse than documented in the report, adding that 291,000 unaccompanied immigrant children have not yet been marked for removal proceedings. The report noted that the ICE has routinely failed to schedule immigration court dates and serve notices for the children.

To resolve the issue, the watchdog said the HHS and the ICE should improve their communication and coordination efforts.

Agency officials have agreed to the recommendations but also argued that the report failed to take into account structural challenges that make monitoring migrant children more complex, per ABC News.

Republicans in Congress, on the other hand, said the watchdog's report was evidence of the Biden administration's mismanagement of the border, according to The Hill.
Illinois has announced it is banning the use of corporal punishment in all schools, becoming the fifth state in the nation to do so.

Gov. JB Pritzker, D-IL, signed into law this month the legislation that prohibits corporal punishment in all private schools in the state. That same law also reiterates a ban on the use of physical punishment in public schools, which was first introduced 30 years ago, AP News reported.

The ban comes after the American Association of Pediatrics noted that the practice of using corporal punishment in schools increases behavioral and mental health problems as well as impairs the cognitive development of students. Additionally, the association said corporal punishment is disproportionately administrated to Black students and those with disabilities.

"The use of corporal punishment in schools is not an effective or ethical method for management of behavior concerns and causes harm to students. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that corporal punishment in all school settings be abolished in all states by law and replaced by alternative forms of student behavior management," the association added.

READ ALSO : San Diego School Disciplined Elementary Students Via Planking On Hot Surface, Corporal Punishment Complaint Dismissed

What Other Organizations Say About Corporal Punishment?

Apart from the American Association of Pediatrics, other health organizations have also called for the end of corporal punishment. In 1990, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child established an obligation that aims to prohibit all corporal punishment of children. In November 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) decreed corporal punishment to be a "violation of children's rights."

WHO defines corporal punishment as any punishment where force is used to cause some degree of pain or discomfort. This involves spanking, smacking, and slapping a child with a hand or tool such as a whip, belt, or stick. It also involves kicking, shaking, pinching, biting, forced ingestion, burning, scalding, and forcing children to stay in uncomfortable positions.

Other States Where Corporal Punishment Is Banned

Apart from Illinois, corporal punishment in schools is also outlawed in New Jersey, which banned it in 1867; Iowa, which eliminated it in private schools in 1989; and Maryland and New York, which prohibited physical punishment in private schools in 2023.


A post on the Patheos front page grabbed my attention last week. It was titled What Do You Do When You Doubt? This is a common question in any religion, and I was wondering if it might be helpful to Pagans.

Unfortunately, it was written by a priest in a conservative Catholic order, and so it assumes the absolute truth of the Catholic faith. That makes it unsuitable for anyone who isnt a devout Catholic.

I dont want to spend any time critiquing something written for the followers of another religion. Instead, I want to explore this question from a modern Pagan perspective.

Believing the right things is not whats most important

The version of Christianity I grew up in called its adherents believers  emphasizing the importance of believing what the church said was true. Or at least, of affirming what the church said was true. It took me a long time to realize that when people told me you need to just believe what they were really saying was stop talking about this because I dont want think about it because Im not sure I believe it either.

When youre told that the fate of your eternal soul depends on believing the right things, challenging what youve always been told is very, very hard.

In virtually all other religions  including the many forms of Paganism  what you believe is far less important than what you do. Religion isnt about qualifying for the good place in the afterlife, its about living virtuously and heroically in this life. Live a good life and if you happened to believe the wrong things, youll learn something in the next life. Live a bad life and believing the right things wont save you from learning some unpleasant lessons either in the Otherworld or in your next life.

[To be clear  I do not believe in rewards and punishments. I do believe in cause and effect.]

Because believing the right things isnt whats most important, doubts are of lesser concern in Paganism. But they can be a concern, and that concern needs to be actively addressed.

Religious questions are inherently uncertain

Are there many Gods, one God, or no Gods? After death do we live on in an afterlife, are we reincarnated into this life, or is this one life all we get? Different religions, cultures, and traditions have different answers, but how can we be sure any of them are correct?

We cant.

Its not that theres no evidence. Theres lot of evidence. But its anecdotal, subjective, and conflicting. In the absence of conclusive evidence, doubt is unavoidable.

And that means one or both of two thing is true. Either knowing The Truth about religious questions is impossible (because its beyond the capacity of our brilliant but still limited human brains) or knowing The Truth isnt particularly important.

So dealing with doubt begins with understanding that doubt is an honest response to questions that concern us but are impossible to answer with certainty.

Is something clearly true?

Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that deals with the theory of knowledge: how do we know what we think we know? We have to rely on more than just our own senses. Some things are beyond our ability to sense. Others are beyond our expertise to put into context and fully understand.

Science is a process of hypothesis, experiment, and analysis. Over the centuries it has proven to be very reliable in telling us what is. It cant always tell us if thats good or not. But what science can do, it does very well.

Fundamentalists who argue for Young Earth Creationism are simply wrong. Realizing that if they were wrong about that, they were probably wrong about a lot of other things (and they are) was key in removing their indoctrination from my soul.

But when we move away from misreading myths as science and move into the realm of religion proper, science becomes less helpful. Science isnt well suited to investigate religious and spiritual claims, in part because of the materialist assumptions of many scientists.

Still, if science tells us something is true, we can be reasonably confident that it is true.

Is it meaningful and helpful?

The question of doubt boils down to what do we do when we cant be sure?

As in any case where you dont have enough information, the first step is to dig deeper. Read more books, talk to experienced people, run your own experiments. You dont need a laboratory to try something and see if it works.

I believe in magic because Ive seen it work so many times its easier to just go with it than to keep trying to rationalize it away as an improbably string of coincidences.

And also, is something meaningful and helpful? Does it help you understand your place in the world? Does it help you deal with the challenges of life? Does it help you connect to something bigger than yourself?

When people ask my why I believe in the Gods, I talk about the stories of our ancestors and contemporary experiences and a continuum of spirits, but ultimately it comes down to the fact that my life is better with the Gods in it. I cant prove they exist  I cant prove they dont exist. But prayer, meditation, offerings, worship, and the other things I do because I believe in the Gods makes my life better, and thats enough for me.

Hold loosely but practice deeply

If you require certain answers to unanswerable questions youll be waiting your whole life.

If you grab hold of the first thing you come across  or cling to what you were taught as a child  you may be stuck in something thats less than ideal, untrue, or even harmful.

What to do? Hold loosely but practice deeply.

Read, study, investigate. Figure out what your brain and your heart tell you is true. Make a conscious decision to follow that tradition, that path, that general direction. And then do it.

Remain open to new evidence, new experiences, new ways of thinking. If what you find  or what finds you  convinces you that your ideas arent correct, or that theres something better, then change your mind  change your life. Too many people are afraid to admit they were wrong about anything. I say its better to admit you were wrong so you can start being right. Or closer to right. Or on a path thats better suited for you even though its neither right nor wrong.

But while youre following that path, explore it as deeply as you can. Go all in with whatever it is: worship the Gods, do divination, work magic  whatever beliefs and practices call to you. See where they take you. If it works for you, keep going. If it doesnt, try something else.

Its OK to change your spiritual or religious path. Just make sure you give it an honest try before you do.

Cherish your doubts

The first UU sermon I ever heard was by the late Rev. Suzanne Meyer, who preached Cherish Your Doubts at the UU Congregation of Atlanta sometime in 2001. The fact that I remember this after all these years tells you the impact it made on me.

Doubts keep you honest. Doubts keep you humble. Doubts keep you searching for the truth, which makes it possible to move closer to the truth even though you can never be sure just how close you are.

Doubts help you be tolerant and accepting of those who believe other things. You might be wrong and they might be right or closer to right than you are. Theres no need to fight over things we cant prove.

[Theres plenty of need to fight over behaviors and policies that discriminate against, demean, dehumanize others, but thats another topic for another time. And also, vote!]

Doubts are only bad when you dont deal with them, when you put off making even a tentative decision because thinking about hard questions is, well, hard.

Build a strong foundation through reading and study. Examine your spiritual experiences, and find whats meaningful and helpful within them. Develop answers that will never be final, but that are enough to get you started. Then practice deeply and see where that practice takes you. All the while, remain open to new evidence, new experiences, and new ways of thinking. If you discover that what you think is wrong, or something else is better, change what you we think, and adjust your practices accordingly.

The answer to doubt is to hold loosely but practice deeply.
Search without spying

Foundry Foundry Foundry

Google is the most popular search engine, but not the only one. Many of the upstarts profile themselves on the promise of better respect for our privacy and one of the best known is called Duckduckgo. It searches in the same way as Google but without spying.

More than a browser

Foundry Foundry Foundry

Brave is a browser that prioritizes privacy. It has a built-in search engine, but it is also available in other browsers. Recently, Brave Search was released in a new version that lets you search as usual  or with the help of artificial intelligence.

Today is Amazon Prime Big Deal Days! Our editorial team lists the best tech deals here. ]

Green search engine that plants trees

Foundry Foundry Foundry

When you do an internet search, the search engine makes money from ads. Challenger Ecosia uses its revenue to plant trees. It has planted over 200 million trees in more than 30 countries. Ecosia uses Google or Microsoft Bing as its search engine, and in the settings at the top right you can choose which one.

Search in Europe

Foundry Foundry Foundry

Most search engines are based in the U.S., but there are also European contenders. Frances Qwant emphasizes that its geographical location means it complies with tough European data protection rules.

AI search with Copilot

Foundry Foundry Foundry

Microsoft is pushing hard to challenge Googles search engine by using artificial intelligence. You can do this via the Bing search service, but you can make it even easier by going directly to Microsofts AI service Copilot.
At a Glance Expert's Rating Pros Unlimited simultaneous connections

Independently certified no-log policy

Decent global server spread

Good app support Cons Monthly membership is pricey

Not all servers work with streaming services Our Verdict IPVanish provides unlimited device connections, wide app support, and a reasonable server network. While the long term plans are affordable, the monthly plan is a bit steep. Still, its a solid VPN with fast speeds and good privacy promises.

Best Prices Today: IPVanish VPN

Retailer Price IPVanish $52.56 View Deal Product Price

Very few VPN services actually own their own server networks and thats where IPVanish stands out. Instead of relying on commercial server farms, U.S.-based IPVanish prides itself on running its own hardware and servers. It even claims that running its own server infrastructure makes it a top-tier VPN service. In my latest testing, I took IPVanish for another spin to see if it can still live up to that self-proclaimed title.

IPVanish in brief:

P2P allowed: Yes

Unlimited device connections: Yes

Business location: United States

Number of servers: 2,200+

Number of country locations: 75+

Cost: $12.99 per month, $33.48 for 1 year, or $52.56 for a 2-year subscription

Further reading: See our roundup of the best VPN services to learn about competing products.

What are IPVanishs features and services?

IPVanishs connection screen is rather basic, but displays all of the relevant info you need. IPVanishs connection screen is rather basic, but displays all of the relevant info you need. Sam Singleton IPVanishs connection screen is rather basic, but displays all of the relevant info you need. Sam Singleton Sam Singleton

At first blush, IPVanish has a clean, if rather dark interface  dark mode is enabled by default. The initial home screen youre presented with is a split-screen dashboard showing a world map with server location pins to the right and connection info to the left.

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The connection info box displays basic information about your connection including the server location, IP address, connection status, protocol used, and data up and down. While it may not have any fancy design flair, the interface is intuitive and easy to parse. In recent iterations, navigating the world map and connecting seemed to lag, but this has seemingly been fixed in the latest version so that everything runs buttery smooth.

IPVanish provides server load information for each server, which can be very helpful when choosing the optimal connection. IPVanish provides server load information for each server, which can be very helpful when choosing the optimal connection. Sam Singleton IPVanish provides server load information for each server, which can be very helpful when choosing the optimal connection. Sam Singleton Sam Singleton

There is a toolbar on the left of the applications interface with options for Locations, Settings, Info, and Account. Under the Locations tab, you are able to access more detailed information about each server including each locations ping, load (amount of server utilization from current user connections), and number of servers available in that location. It also has a helpful filtering mechanism that allows you to find the servers with the least ping or load. For those who want the optimum connection this is great info to have and I wish more VPNs would have the courage to display it.

There are over 2,200 servers all over the world to choose from on IPVanish, which is a huge step up from just a few years ago when it had less than half of that. It has even increased its server count by more than 10 percent in the last year alone.

In fact, IPVanish has made great strides in recent years to update and optimize its services. It now supports all major operating systems including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Chrome, Linux, and a few others. This is on par with most of the other top VPN providers, but its still nice to see.

IPVanish scored an impressive average of 60 percent of the base download speed and 58 percent of the base upload speed, putting it in the top 10 speediest VPNs Ive tested.

IPVanish recently added the split tunneling feature to its Windows app. IPVanish recently added the split tunneling feature to its Windows app. Sam Singleton IPVanish recently added the split tunneling feature to its Windows app. Sam Singleton Sam Singleton

Other notable improvements include broader kill-switch support for mobile apps and a split-tunneling feature for its Windows app. Split tunneling is a useful feature that allows you to pick and choose which apps you wish to run through the encrypted VPN connection and which to exclude. This can allow you to optimize app connections for both speed (outside the VPN) and privacy (inside the VPN).

IPVanish currently does not have a browser extension, but it does offer access to an in-browser SOCKS5 Proxy, which isnt encrypted like a VPN connection but does allow you to still reroute your browsers traffic through remote servers.

The VPN service comes with a few extra perks as well. It provides an automatic kill switch which will disconnect you from the internet in the event that your VPN connection unexpectedly drops. In the future Id like to see the addition of features such as multi-hop connections and IP rotation. Competitors are also offering extras such as password managers and data storage, which, while not necessary, are nice-to-haves.

IPVanish does come with an antivirus program called VIPRE, which will block malware and other threats on your computer. While this is helpful, I personally recommend that you elect for standalone antivirus software instead as it will provide more comprehensive security and protection.

The company does a great job with its customer support. It has a built-in support contact directly from the app. Additionally, it offers 24/7 live chat support and a call center that is open every day of the week. Its app even supports multiple languages such as English, Spanish, French, German, and Dutch.

How much does IPVanish cost?

IPVanish offers monthly, 1-year, or 2-year plans. The month-to-month rate is $12.99 per month, which is a bit on the high side and comparable to ExpressVPN and NordVPN, two of our favorite services here at PCWorld. Considering all of the extra features you get with these competitor services, it seems hard to justify paying for IPVanish based on its monthly rate.

The 1-year rate is a much more reasonable $33.48, or $2.79 per month for the first year. It will then renew at $89.99 per year after that. The 2-year plan will run you an even cheaper $52.56, or $2.19 per month for the first two years. After the initial two years, it will renew at $179.99 per two years. These are much more reasonable prices and end up being cheaper than most competitors in the long run.

For Android and iOS users, IPVanish offers a 7-day free trial. This is unfortunately not available for Windows users. However, it does offer a 30-day money back guarantee for those who opt for the yearly or 2-year plans no matter your operating system.

IPVanish accepts payments with credit card, PayPal, and Google Pay.

How is IPVanishs performance?

With claims of having a superior network, how does IPVanish hold up in speed tests? Pretty well, actually. Comparing speeds across six different countries VPN server connections, IPVanish scored an impressive average of 60 percent of the base download speed and 58 percent of the base upload speed. That might not make it a top contender, but it still puts it firmly in the top 10 speediest VPNs Ive tested.

Those relatively good download speeds should be plenty fast enough to stream all of the high-resolution video or do all of your gaming across most country connections. Please note, however, that this is a single experience on a limited number of machines, and your experience may vary.

As for streaming, IPVanish successfully unblocked most of the streaming services that I tested including Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu. Unfortunately I found a few hiccups when trying to access Amazon Prime video or HBO Max. It would work most of the time, but other times I found that some servers wouldnt be able to access content.

Overall, its decent enough for streaming, but if its your main use case for a VPN then you may consider another option such as those on my list of best VPNs for Netflix.

How is IPVanishs security and privacy?

IPVanishs privacy policy is transparent and easy to understand. IPVanishs privacy policy is transparent and easy to understand. IPVanish IPVanishs privacy policy is transparent and easy to understand. IPVanish IPVanish

Being based in the U.S., IPVanish could potentially lead to privacy problems as certain domestic laws require VPN companies to log and store client information in the event that law enforcement needs it. But IPVanish promises to keep your data totally private by not logging or sharing client information at all.

This was validated in 2022 when IPVanish conducted a third-party audit of its services by Leviathan Security group. The audit confirmed the claims that IPVanish does not keep logs of client data whatsoever. These audits go a long way toward establishing and maintaining user trust. So, despite the U.S.-based operations, no-logs means there is nothing for IPVanish to provide the government even if requested.

IPVanish offers WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 protocols. IPVanish offers WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 protocols. Sam Singleton IPVanish offers WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 protocols. Sam Singleton Sam Singleton

IPVanish also supports a number of protocols such as WireGuard, IKEv2, and OpenVPN (UDP and TCP). It offers the additional option to customize the port options for OpenVPN connections, allowing you to further tweak and optimize your connection setup.

While using its service, everything is encrypted with AES 256-bit encryption, which is the industry standard. The Windows client comes with IPv6 and DNS leak protection. My testing verified this to be true with no DNS or WebRTC leaks to be found anywhere.

Is IPVanish worth it?

IPVanish is a very appealing VPN based in the United States. The service is bolstered by solid overall speeds and a respectable global server network. The desktop app is easy enough to use and recent updates have made it even better. Plus, the third-party security audit is a refreshing sign that it is committed to privacy and willing to prove it to users.

At just a little over $30 for a yearly subscription its price is also hard to beat. Many people might seek out more VPN providers with more name recognition, but IPVanish shouldnt be overlooked. It already does the basics well and with the addition of a few more features, IPVanish could easily become a force to be reckoned with.

Editors note: Because online services are often iterative, gaining new features and performance improvements over time, this review is subject to change in order to accurately reflect the current state of the service. Any changes to text or our final review verdict will be noted at the top of this article.
Group Stands for Peace, Growth, and Development (GSPGD) commends the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for its impartial investigation into the Airbus scandal and its principled stance in safeguarding the rule of law in Ghana.



On Thursday, August 8, Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng confirmed that former President John Dramani Mahama was identified as Government Official 1 in UK court documents and Individual 1 in corresponding US filings.



Despite this identification, the OSP found no evidence that Mr. Mahama engaged in any corrupt activities or received bribes during the transactions.



Background



The Airbus scandal, which dates back to the period of Mahamas presidency, involved Ghanas procurement of military transport aircraft from the European aerospace giant, Airbus. Allegations of impropriety emerged, leading to an investigation by former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu in 2020. The focus was on the agreements made under Mr. Mahamas administration for the purchase of military aircraft for the Ghana Armed Forces.



CONCLUSIVE REPORT BY THE OSP



However, after a thorough investigation, the OSP has clarified that there is no evidence implicating former President Mahama in any wrongdoing. The report from the OSP emphasized that Mr. Mahamas involvement in the procurement process was driven by good intentions, and there was no indication of corrupt practices.



Group stands for Peace, Growth and Development extends its deepest gratitude to the OSP for its unwavering dedication to maintaining independence in its investigations. The organization recognizes the pressure that public officials may face to act in ways that align with the interests of the sitting government.



We commend the OSP for resisting such pressures, focusing solely on the evidence, and ensuring that the investigation was conducted without bias.



The OSPs approach sets a strong example of how public offices should operatefree from external influence and committed to the principles of justice and fairness. The decision to present the findings without fear or favor is a testament to the offices commitment to upholding the rule of law.



Group stands for Peace, Growth and Development urges all Ghanaians to recognize and appreciate the Special Prosecutors efforts in maintaining independence and resisting political pressures. The integrity of our countrys legal and justice systems relies on such professionalism and impartiality. It is essential that all public officials operate with the highest levels of integrity and resist any forms of nepotism or favoritism, which can weaken government operations and damage public trust.



Furthermore, Group stands for Peace, Growth and Development commends former President John Dramani Mahama for his willingness to subject himself to the investigation. His actions demonstrate a commitment to transparency and accountability, qualities that are essential in leadership.



As the leader and flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, GSPGD advises Mr. Mahama to prioritize patriotism in selecting individuals to serve in his administration, should the people of Ghana entrust him and his party with the mandate to govern. The future of our nation depends on leaders who are dedicated to the countrys growth and development, and who place the national interest above all else.









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 Embassy of the Republic of Ghana in Berlin has announced a significant update for individuals who have previously renounced their Ghanaian citizenship.



According to the Embassy, from August 19, 2024, persons who have given up their Ghanaian citizenship can seek reinstatement under Germanys new dual citizenship law, which took effect on June 27, 2024.



The reinstatement form is absolutely free of charge. In case of an affidavit on behalf of an applicant, the declarant must affirm that the applicant is a Ghanaian, the Embassy said in a statement.



It noted that this development presents an opportunity for individuals to reclaim their Ghanaian heritage and citizenship.



To apply, prospective candidates must submit two completed copies of the reinstatement form, two passport-sized photographs, and a renunciation certificate or naturalisation certificate, the statement indicated.



The Embassy noted that alternatively, an affidavit from a living Ghanaian relative may be provided.



It said applications can be delivered to the Embassy in person or by post, and will be forwarded to the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Ghana for consideration.



It is essential to note that applicants can only apply for a passport or dual citizenship certificate after their citizenship has been reinstated, the Embassy pointed out.



The Embassy again emphasised that the reinstatement form is free of charge.



Additionally, specific guidelines have been outlined for affidavits, including the requirement for declarants to affirm the applicants Ghanaian citizenship and attach a copy of their Ghanaian identity document.



The statement asserted that this update offers a chance for individuals to reconnect with their Ghanaian roots and citizenship, and added that for more information, interested individuals could contact the Ghanaian Embassy in Berlin.

Source: Ernest Kofi Adu/Daily Guide









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The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has reassigned Mr Kwasi Asante as the substative director of passports. His appointment takes effect from Monday, 19 August 2024.



The honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has decided that you should be re-assigned to the Passport Office as the Director of Passports with effect from Monday, 19th August, 2024, Mr Asantes reassignment letter read: You are, therefore, requested to take steps to undergo the required handing over process to cnable you assume duty, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integrations letter further directed.



As the substantive director of passports in Ghana, he will be responsible for the overall management and administration of the passport issuance process as well as the overseeing of the processing and issuance of passports to eligible Ghanaian citizens.



He will also be expected to develop and implement policies and procedures for passport issuance, ensure that all passport applications meet the required criteria, and verify the authenticity of documents.



Another important duty of Mr Kwasi Asante will be to work with other government agencies, such as immigration and national security, to ensure effective passport administration as well as to ensure compliance with international passport standards and regulations.



Prior to his new assignment, Mr Kwasi Asante was the Charge Daffaires at Ghanas Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a position he has held from May 2024. At the same Embassy, he has served as the Deputy Ambassador/DPR from June 2021 to August 2024.



Before his posting to Addis Ababa, Kwasi Asante worked at the Passport Office as the director of operations from April 2020 to June 2021. He has also served at the ECOWAS Commission Executive Assistant from June 2018 to April 2020.



His diplomatic career has also taken him to the Embassy of Ghana in Tel Aviv, Isreal, where he worked as Minister-Counsellor/HOC from September 2016 to June 2018. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mr Asante worked as Deputy Director from September 2013 to September 2016.



Between 2009 and 2013, Kwasi Asante held the role of Counsellor/HOC at the Embassy of Ghana in Seoul, Korea and from 2006 to 2009, he worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an assistant director and from 2001 to 2006, he served as an assistant economic officer at the then Ministry of Economic Planning & Regional

Cooperation.





Source: Asaaseradio.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 Accra Circuit Court has remanded a self-proclaimed religious leader to police custody for allegedly threatening to kill his wife.



Imam Mohammed Lanson Abubakar, 44, also known as Andre, pleaded not guilty to the offence but was detained by the Court after the prosecution said he jumped an earlier police inquiry bail.



Chief Inspector, Jonas Lawer informed the Court presided over by Isaac Addo that due to that act, the police had been unable to conclude the investigation, and that he may not appear for trial when granted bail.



The Court asked about his whereabouts on March 27, 2024, when a bench warrant for his arrest was issued after he failed to appear in court.



He was, therefore, remanded to assist police in the investigation and to be brought back on September 2, 2024.



According to Police Chief Inspector Laweh, Maimuna Sarki Abubakar, the complainant's wife is a Social Worker and a Nigerian citizen residing in the United Kingdom.



He said that Mr Abubakar [accused] is a self-styled Imam and businessman in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, and the complainant was his estranged wife.



Chief Inspector Lawer stated that the accused met Maimuna on social media, and they started chatting, during which time he presented himself to her as an Imam of a mosque and persuaded her to marry him, to which she accepted, and they married.



Prior to the separation, Maimuna purchased a plot of land in East Trassaco from Abubakar and built a one-story dwelling on it, the Court heard.



The prosecution said Maimuna subsequently furnished the house and returned to the United Kingdom, stating that whenever she visited Ghana to see her husband, she stayed in the property with him.



Chief Inspector Lawer said in 2020, Mr Abubakar persuaded Maimuna to buy and ship 2020 Chevrolet Silverado and 2019 Infinity CPX vehicles to him in Ghana, with the intention of selling the cars and using the proceeds to buy a parcel of land at Adjiringanor for her.



Maimuna then bought the vehicles and shipped them to Mr Abubakar, who used the proceeds to buy four plots of land in Adjiringanor.



Later, the marriage deteriorated, and Mr Abubakar threatened her during one of their disagreements, stating, "I have scammed you; I am taking over your building and all your property here in Ghana including your daughter. If you dare get closer to this property again, I will kill you.



In pleading for bail, Mr Abubakar's counsel said that her client did not jump bail, claiming that he travelled and did not threaten Maimuna as charged.



The Court was told they are seeking a divorce at the Adentan Court.



She said Mr Abubakar is a responsible family person, had a fixed place of abode and would be available to stand trial.

Source: GNA









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The Director of Communications for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah has expressed confidence in the bold manifesto of launched on Sunday, August 18, 2024 at the hall of Ghana Secondary Technical School (GSTS).



Richard Ahiagbah, in his view posits that the phrase Bawumia means business is not rhetoric. According to him, the phrase is substantiated by Dr. Bawumias significant contributions to public service.



Posting on his official X, formerly known as twitter page, the Communications director of the NPP, Richard Ahiagbah wrote, I earnestly recommend Dr. Bawumia to middle-class Ghanaians, professionals, and the business communitythose whose voting decisions go beyond partisan politics.



He further stated that, Dr. Bawumia, the flagbearer of the NPP, has the capacity to improve healthcare for all.



Furthermore, I recommend Dr. Bawumia to the broader Ghanaian electorate for his commitment to improving healthcare for all. Based on my personal experiences with our healthcare system, I believe that the vision articulated in his 2024 manifesto will lead to enhanced healthcare outcomes for every Ghanaian.





Read Full Post Below:



The phrase Bawumia means business is not rhetoric; it is substantiated by his significant contributions to public service thus far. I earnestly recommend Dr. Bawumia to middle-class Ghanaians, professionals, and the business communitythose whose voting decisions go beyond partisan politics.



Furthermore, I recommend Dr. Bawumia to the broader Ghanaian electorate for his commitment to improving healthcare for all. Based on my personal experiences with our healthcare system, I believe that the vision articulated in his 2024 manifesto will lead to enhanced healthcare outcomes for every Ghanaian. Consider the following initiatives:



1. Completing the Agenda 111 hospitals to ensure that every district has a hospital;



2. Recruiting additional doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals with improved conditions of service;



3. Finalizing the digitization of public healthcare institutions under the E-health project;



4. Expanding telehealth services;



5. Establishing two additional medical drone delivery sites at Funsi and Kintampo to broaden drone coverage;



6. Ensuring the interoperability of the National Electronic Pharmacy Platform (NEPP) with both public and private healthcare facilities;



7. Providing incentives for healthcare workers to purchase a vehicle with an engine capacity of up to 1,800cc and



8. Enforcing compliance with the existing deprived area incentive package for health workers.







I am confident that increasing the number of hospitals and equipping them adequately will directly improve healthcare outcomes for Ghanaians across all districts, thereby alleviating the pressure on tertiary hospitals such as Komfo Anokye. Central to Dr. Bawumias vision is the recruitment and motivation of health sector workers, as highlighted in points 7 and 8 above. This approach will help stem the exodus of healthcare workers, increase staff capacity, and inevitably lead to higher quality care and better outcomes for all Ghanaians.







Given these considerations, I urge all health sector workers to vote for Dr. Bawumia in the upcoming election on December 7, 2024.







Health is wealth, and Dr. Bawumia is committed to prioritizing the health of Ghanaians.







Vote Bawumia for quality, accessible, and improved healthcare outcomes for you and your family.







A vote for Bawumia is a vote for your health.

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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General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Frimpong Koduah, says Ghanaians should not be too surprised if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) passes off more than half of the contents of the NPP's 2024 Manifesto as their own.



In an exclusive interview with Peace FMs Kwami Sefa Kayi on Tuesdays edition of the Kokrokoo morning show, Lawyer Koduah asserted that the NDC has stalled the launch of their manifesto just so they could copy directly from the ideas and policies of the ruling party.



I know what Im talking about. NDCs manifesto, is a complete duplication of what we have captured in our manifesto which Dr. Bawumia presented to Ghanaians on Sunday, August 18, he claimed.



Giving reasons for his position, Mr. Kodua stated that, despite the largest opposition party nominating its flag bearer in May 2023, and the NPP electing theirs in November, six months interval, the NDC failed to proffer any policy.



Rather, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, few months after his unveiling, was quick to outline a number of great initiatives he envisions for the country at the BOLD SOLUTIONS event in February 2024, at the UPSA auditorium, he said.



The NPP General Secretary added that, considering the backlash and criticisms the NPP has been receiving from the opposition, the expectation was that the NDC would have outdoored its manifesto to lessen the burden of Ghanaians way ahead of time but that did not seem to be the case because, the NDC, according to Justin Kodua, have nothing to offer.



If [PA1] a government you have been criticising has been able to announce its manifesto date and launch it, then it is obvious that you are earnestly waiting to copy their working document. The truth is that, if the NDC truthfully had their manifesto, they would have released it long ago, Mr. Kodua told the host, Kwami Sefa Kayi.



Dont be surprised if the NDC displays 70% of the content of the NPPs manifesto, he concluded.



Busiest Week In The 2024 Electioneering Period



The NPP officially launched its 2024 manifesto at GSTS in Takoradi over the weekend, where the party's flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia emphasised on addressing issues such as economic instability, unemployment, and infrastructure deficits, which continue to affect the daily lives of many citizens.



Dr. Bawumia highlighted several key initiatives that his administration has already implemented, such as digitising public services and introducing pro-poor policies like the Free Senior High School program, and also hinted at new policies aimed at boosting job creation and expanding access to affordable healthcare.



Meanwhile, the NDC is set to launch their 2024 manifesto at the Professor Jophus Anamuah-Mensah conference centre at the University of Education, Winneba on the 24th of August 2024.



The launch is expected to receive speeches form the rank and file of the NDC.









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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The running mate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has criticized Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), for his promise to establish a specialized SME bank for women.



During her campaign tour at the Mallam Market on Monday, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang challenged Dr. Bawumia to fulfill this promise immediately, given that the NPP is currently in power and has the means to do so.



If you can do it, do it now, she urged the energized crowd. You are in government, and yet you are still making promises, she added, addressing the gathering at Mallam Market.



She highlighted that the NDC has already committed to establishing a Womens Development Bank, which will offer soft loans to women without collateral.



Prof. Opoku-Agyemang accused Dr. Bawumia of making empty promises, pointing to the NPP governments previous failures to deliver on their commitments.



She emphasized that the NDCs Womens Development Bank would provide genuine support to women, contrasting it with what she sees as the NPPs voter-buying tactics.



The NPP's manifesto includes plans to establish an SME Bank to cater to the special financing needs of small and medium-sized businesses, which employ over 80% of Ghanaians.



However, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang expressed skepticism, suggesting that Dr. Bawumias promise is merely a strategy to win votes and should be disregarded.







Source: class fm









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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Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum has added a remarkable exhibit to its rich collection, Azernews reports.

Collector Khoja Abasi, a member of the Azerbaijan Literary and Cultural Society- ???q Yol residing in Berlin, has donated Garabagh carpet Achma-yumma, woven in Shusha in 1825.

This stunning carpet is a feast for the eyes, adorned with intricate geometric and floral motives as well as stylized human and zoomorphic images, demonstrating the cultural heritage of Garabagh region. The vibrant patterns also reflect the craftsmanship of the artisans of that era.

At the event marking the donation, Khojat Abasi expressed his joy and fulfillment in realizing a long-held dream, by returning 199-year-old exquisite work to his native land.

The Carpet Museum director Amina Malikova expressed deep gratitude to Khojat Abasi for his noble initiative and for donating such a rare and exceptional piece of craftsmanship to the museum.

In her speech, Amina Malikova emphasized the importance of Achma-yumma carpet, highlighting its original composition, harmonious color palette and the richness of its ornamental designs.

Malikova underlined that this remarkable art piece will take a worthy place in the exposition of the museum's branch in Shusha, a city with centuries-old culture and history, located in Azerbaijan's Garabagh region.

By showcasing this unique treasure, the museum aims to honor its heritage as well as promote the enduring legacy of Azerbaijani craftsmanship for generations to come.

Founded in 1967, the National Carpet Museum holds more than 14,000 exhibits of the finest Azerbaijani carpets.

Initiated by eminent carpet artist Latif Karimov, the museum is beautiful inside and out.

The museum's new building is designed in the form of a rolled carpet. Now, the museum hosts multiple events, including international symposiums, conferences, and various exhibitions.

In 2019, the museum received national status for its significant contribution to promoting Azerbaijani carpet weaving art.

In 2020, the Carpet Museum enriched its collection with a beautiful pile of carpets purchased by the Culture Ministry at the Sartirana Textile Show in Italy.

The 19th-century Guba carpet "Ugakh" was donated to the Carpet Museum, while the Garabagh carpet "Chelebi" enriched the collection of the museum's Shusha branch.

For four years, the Carpet Museum won the Travellers' Choice Awards. The award proves once again that the professional activity of the National Carpet Museum is highly appreciated by visitors from all over the world.
The Minister for Works and Housing, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has said the Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, John Mahama, cannot be compared with the Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, in terms of their records as vice presidents of Ghana.



According to him, Dr. Bawumia is miles ahead of John Mahama, as the latter cannot be credited with any policy proposal he put forward as vice president to move the country forward.



Speaking on GHOne TV on Monday, August 19, 2024, monitored by GhanaWeb, Oppong Nkrumah, who is the Vice Chairman of the NPP Manifesto Committee, said Ghanaians will struggle to name just one policy intervention introduced by John Mahama as Veep.



He argued that it will be wrong for anyone to compare Mahama with Bawumia because the latter has a superior record of achievement while serving as Veep.



"Forget the two parties; focus on the two candidates. Both of them have stood on the same scale. Never mind the presidency; take the vice presidential slot. Mr. Mahama has been vice president, and Dr. Bawumia has been vice president of the Republic. Dr. Bawumia today can tell you of over 30 policy prescriptions that he put on the table that are working today. I ask you in all humility, are you able to mention one that Mr. Mahama, as vice president, introduced? You will struggle. That is the first clue that the two men are not the same; it is the first clue that the two men have different competencies and different capacities.



"You can choose to brand him anyway, call him names, but the fact remains the fact. That when Mahamudu Bawumia had the opportunity to be vice president, he provided over 30 different initiatives. When Mr. Mahama had the opportunity to be vice president, what were the policy interventions that he could boldly say that he assisted his president with? He will struggle to find any. That is the first clue," the Ofoase Ayirebi MP said.



He added: "The second clue is that, when you look at how they both respond to times of crisis... crisis come, when times of crisis hit, what is Mr. Mahama's response? 'I am not a magician to put money in people's pockets.' Energy prices go up; 'he says we need to find more energy because your mobile phones are consuming power.' When the crude oil crisis goes up, what is Mr. Mahama's reaction? On the other hand, when crisis comes in the time of Dr. Bawumia, does he say these same things to you, or does he put alternative prepositions on the table on how to fix it? I think it is clear: there is one who, when a crisis comes, will tell you off; there's another who, in humility, will prescribe an opportunity, and if he has power in his hands, he will implement it."











Source: ghanaweb.com









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Hajia Samira Bawumia, the Second Lady of Ghana, has made a passionate appeal to Ghanaians to vote massively for her husband, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), in the upcoming 2024 general elections.



With unwavering confidence in his leadership abilities, she assured the nation that Dr. Bawumias presidency would bring about significant improvements.



Addressing a gathering of NPP supporters at Effiakuma Zongo, also known as VIP, in Takoradi, on Saturday, August 17, ahead of the partys Manifesto Launch, she declared, Ghana's future will be better if Dr Mahamudu Bawumia becomes president.



She also highlighted the numerous social interventions initiated by the Akufo-Addo government, expressing her optimism that these projects would continue to thrive under Dr Bawumias leadership.



The Second Lady, who was born and raised in a Zongo, shared her personal story of how education transformed her life, emphasising the impact of the governments free educational policy.



I was born and nurtured in the Zongo, and if it hadn't been for education, I wouldn't be where I am today, she said.



As part of her outreach, she also paid a courtesy visit to Muslim leaders at the Mosque in Pipe Ano, a suburb of Takoradi.



The NPP will launch its Manifesto on Sunday, August 18.

















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 running mate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Prof. Jane Naana Opoku- Agyemang, has urged Ghanaians to base their voting decisions on the state of the economy and how it has impacted their lives and businesses.



She has therefore invited those who usually vote for the ruling party to be sincere about the abysmal performance of the government, and vote for change.



A political party is not like a family which bonds you by blood. You are free to change party and vote for a party that can truly improve your livelihood and develop the nation, she explained.



Addressing a mammoth durbar of traders at the Odorkor market in Accra on Monday as part of her campaign tour of markets in the Greater Accra region, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang noted that it was important that Ghanaians derived value from voting.



According to her, the main reason and value for voting is to achieve national development in all sector. Therefore, any political party in government that does not produce the desired development does not deserve to be in government.



She encouraged the citizens to make the right decision by voting for the NDC to guarantee the safety and progress of the county.



The government will come with sweet promises, gifts and money to buy your votes. Take the money because it is your money, but vote against them, she advised.



Prof. Opoku-Agyemang noted that it is time for Ghanaians to unite against poverty, underdevelopment and deceit, giving the assurance that former President John Mahama is a trustworthy leader who has the experience to navigate the country out of the hardship created by the mismanagement of the NPP government.



She said all attempts by the NPP government to discredit the NDC flagbearer have failed, saying it is now clear to Ghanaians who the corrupt and incompetent people are.



We shall continue to be truthful to Ghanaians, she said, indicating that the mission of the NDC is to use its experience to get the country back on the track of progress.We have done it before, so when we say we shall do this and that, we know what we are talking about because we know how to do it better for the benefit of all Ghanaians, she said.



Prof. Opoku-Agyemang called for the support of all, especially traders to be able to return the NDC to power, reset the country and build the Ghana we want together.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Acclaimed Ghanaian filmmaker, Peter Sedufia, along with his production team, hosted a press conference on Tuesday at the Silverbird Galleria in Lagos to officially announce the commencement of production for his latest film, One Night Guests. The highly anticipated movie will be shot on location in Lagos throughout August and is slated for a grand premiere on Christmas Day, 2024.



The press conference, which brought together media, industry insiders, and fans, also featured appearances by the films talented cast, hailing from both Ghana and Nigeria. The ensemble cast promises to deliver a captivating performance in this cross-cultural production, blending the finest elements of West African cinema.



The star-studded cast includes notable actors from both Nigeria and Ghana, such as Chidi Mokeme, Ini Edo, Yvonne Okoro, Majid Michel, Warri Pikin, Roselyn Ngissah, James Gardiner, Lasisi Elenu, and Akah Nnani. These celebrated talents promise to bring the film's thrilling narrative to life, making it one of the most anticipated releases of the year.



In his address to the media, Peter Sedufia shared his excitement about the project, stating, "Lagos is the perfect backdrop for One Night Guests. The energy, the vibrancy, and the cultural richness of this city are unmatched. This film is not just a story; its an experience that brings together two of Africas most dynamic film industriesNigeria and Ghana."



Sedufia went on to discuss the films themes and narrative, revealing that One Night Guests is a suspenseful drama that explores the intricacies of human relationships and the unexpected twists of fate that can change lives in an instant. "This movie will keep audiences on the edge of their seats," he added. "Its a story about chance encounters and the profound impact they can have on our lives. Were pushing the boundaries of storytelling with this project, and I cant wait for everyone to see what weve created."



The director also emphasized the importance of collaboration in bringing this film to life. "Working with such a diverse and talented team from both Ghana and Nigeria has been an incredible experience. The synergy weve built is reflected in the quality of the production, and Im confident that One Night Guests will resonate with audiences across the continent and beyond."



The movie project is a partnership is produced by the Nigerian Producer, Chris Odeh, who also spoke on the collaboration, stating that the idea was to create an African Christmas movie that will resonate well with people, so when the director shared this idea with him, he didnt hesitate to jump on it to make it a reality.



According to him they have made every necessary arrangement to ensure they deliver and therefore urged everyone to check the movie when its out in the cinemas.



One Night Guests will be simultaneously premiered in Nigeria and Ghana on Christmas Day, 2024, with screenings in cinemas across both countries. This dual premiere is set to be a major event, celebrating the unity and cultural exchange between the two nations.



The director, Peter Sedufia is a prolific writer, producer, and director from Ghana, West Africa. With a diverse filmography encompassing four feature films, a self-financed television series, and three commissioned series for M-Net/Multichoice, Sedufia has established himself as a leading voice in West African cinema. His debut feature, "Keteke," garnered international acclaim, securing nominations and selections at over twenty film festivals worldwide, and claiming seven prestigious awards. Notably, his films such as Aloevera, Side Chic Gang and Ketete have found a global audience, streaming on platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Canal Plus.



Following the press conference, the production team confirmed that shooting will begin immediately in various locations across Lagos. The films release is expected to draw significant attention, marking another milestone in Sedufias illustrious career.



One Night Guests is directed by Peter Sedufia and produced by OldFilm Productions (Ghana), SozoFilms (Nigeria), and Gravel Road Studios (South Africa).

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Actor Prince David Osei has called on young people, especially young men, to stay away from promiscuity and channel their energies into achieving their goals and aspirations.



According to the actor, many great futures, great men, and dreams have been ruined as a result of promiscuous lifestyles and the urge by most men to always engage in indiscriminate sexual intercourse.



Prince David Osei delivered his message to the youth via X, formerly known as Twitter.



He also shared a picture of himself with an official from the United States government and captioned it, The same vagina that can birth a man can kill a man. Dont die a foolish death, my guy! The vagina can never be defeated. Dont know who needs to hear this! Focus, boy. Good morning.



The post from the actor triggered varying reactions from internet users.



A significant number of them accepted his counsel, while a group of them saw it as a damage control tactic by the actor to divert the minds of his many followers away from his recent speech at the NPPs manifesto launch on August 18, 2024.



Prince David Osei recently came under intense backlash after he called on all electorates and Ghanaians to vote in favor of Dr. Bawumia in the upcoming December 7, 2024 general elections.



According to him, a vote for the vice president is a vote for a progressive Ghana and a brighter future for all Ghanaians.





The same Vagina that can birth a man, can kill a man. Dont die a foolish death my guy!! The Vagina can never ever be defeated Dont know who needs to hear this!! FOCUS BOY .. Good morning  pic.twitter.com/wUMpzRGQ61  H.E Prince David Osei (@PrinceDavidOsei) August 21, 2024









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A New Jersey woman was seriously burned after two people hired by her former boyfriend doused her with acid last month, authorities said.

The ex-boyfriend and the pair he allegedly hired to carry out the attack last month have each been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and other offenses, the Gloucester County Prosecutors Office said Tuesday.

The 42-year-old woman was returning from work to her home in the Forrest Hill development in Monroe Township on July 26 when she was approached by a woman while exiting her vehicle, officials said. The woman then threw a cup containing a highly caustic acid at the victim, causing her to suffer chemical burns over 35% of her body, authorities said. She remains hospitalized.

The woman who threw the acid and a man who accompanied her fled in a vehicle that had been rented in Florida, prosecutors alleged.

An investigation determined the victims former boyfriend  William DiBernardino 49, of Boynton Beach, Florida  hired two people from Florida to travel to New Jersey to attack her.

Betty Jo Lane, 38 and Jmarr McNeil, 39, both of Jacksonville, are charged with the same crimes as DiBernardino  conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, stalking and a weapons offense. All are being held in Florida awaiting extradition to New Jersey.

Attorney information wasnt immediately available. A motive for the attack wasnt disclosed.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Jordan Plitt of the Gloucester County Prosecutors Office at 856-384-5583 or Monroe police Detective Jennifer Skala at 856-728-9800 Ext. 534. Information can also be e-mailed to the Gloucester County Prosecutors Office at tips@co.gloucester.nj.us .
UPDATE: Former central Pa. teacher sent nude picture to student: state police

Pennsylvania State Police in Berks County on Tuesday arrested and charged a 47-year-old man with unlawful contact with a minor and related offenses, which caused him to lose his teaching job with the Susquehanna Township School District, according to court documents and a release from the school district.

Ryan G. Stewart, of Jonestown in Lebanon County, was charged by state police with one count of the dissemination of explicit sexual material to a minor, one count of unlawful contact with a minor and one count of corruption of minors, court documents said.

Stewart was hired as a science teacher for the Susquehanna Township Middle School on Aug. 16, 2023, with a salary of $71,465, according to school board minutes posted by the Susquehanna Township School District on Aug. 7, 2023.

The Pennsylvania Department of Educations Teacher Information Management System corroborated Stewarts employment at Susquehanna Township Middle School during the 2023-2024 school year.

Stewart was placed on leave after state police notified the school district of the investigation, the press release said. As of Tuesday, he is no longer employed there, according to district Superintendent Tamara Willis.

According to Willis statement, the offenses that prompted the charges against Stewart did not take place during or in connection with his employment with the district. It is unclear when police launched their investigation, but court documents list the offense dates in May 2024.

The Susquehanna Township School District did not specify when Stewarts last day of employment was. As of Tuesday night, Stewart was still listed as a middle school teacher on the Susquehanna Township School Districts staff directory.

Previously, Stewart worked in the Northern Lebanon School District, which listed his resignation date on or about Nov. 22, 2022.

Stewarts preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 26. He posted $25,000 bail on Tuesday.
Six-time WWE legend Hulk Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, insists that he was joking when he talked about U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.

The questionable comments were made when the 71-year-old attended a promotional event on Monday for his brand of beer in Ohio. In a video obtained by TMZ, the retired wrestler at one point asked a cheering crowd, Do you want me to body slam Kamala Harris?

Want me to drop the leg on Kamala? he added, referring to one of his iconic wrestling moves.

The comments were made amid calls to put an end to violent political rhetoric, following the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump almost six weeks ago.

The wrestling champion continued to make comments about Harris, questioning her heritage.

Is Kamala a chameleon? Is Kamala Indian? Hogan asked the crowd, before utilizing an outdated and stereotypical greeting associated with Native Americans.

Harris, who is the Democratic presidential nominee, is bi-racial. Her mother is from India, while her father is from Jamaica.

Hogan later walked back his comments and suggested that the remarks he made was not a true representation of himself. He also blamed the comments on the alcoholic drinks he drank at the bar.

I am going to get heat for that one, brother. That was not me. That was the beers talking, he added before the video stopped.

This comes after Trump recently attacked Harris racial identity, where he claimed she had only ever emphasized her Asian-American heritage until recently when he said she became a black person.
Jamie-Lynn Siglers son 10-year-old Beau has been discharged from the hospital after the Sopranos stars oldest child was diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), which resulted in a nightmare experience in the ICU.

Over the weekend, the actress, 43, took to Instagram and shared a touching video of her son leaving the hospital, and met with cheers from the medical staff.

After 33 days, we are busting out of here! My brave boy, you are a walking miracle, Sigler wrote along with a clip, on Aug. 16. The rest of this story will be Beaus to tell, if he chooses to one day.

She went on to thank the staff at Dells Childrens Hospital in Austin, Texas.

Thank you to the INCREDIBLE staff at Dells Childrens Hospital. The way you take care of your patients and the way you guide their families through the process, I just dont have enough words, she continued. Im in awe of your patience, dedication, and expertise  But, no offense ... I hope we never see you again.

Thank you all for the love and prayers. They worked, the actress concluded.

The video featured a smiling Beau walking down the hospital corridor as both medical staff and patients lined up on both sides to loudly cheer. He skipped down the hallway and high-fived people during the heartwarming moment.

The video concluded with a picture of Beau with his back turned to the camera and pointing to himself. The youngster stood in front of a sign with an arrow pointing to the left, that read, Heroes This Way.

After her sons exit from the hospital, the MeSsy podcast host also reshared a post on her Instagram Stories about having a Lifequake, in which she defined the term as A significant, sudden and unexpected shift in the trajectory of your life that initially feels devastating but has the beneficial outcome of catalyzing personal growth, transformation and rebirth.

She revealed her sons nightmarish ADEM diagnosis on Instagram on Aug. 6.

According to the National Institute of Health, ADEM is very rare and is an acute, rapidly progressive autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, which is typically caused by inflammation due to a prior infection or immunization.

4 weeks ago, what seemed like a normal virus for our son, turned into a nightmare, she wrote along with posting a picture of the two smiling at the time. Beau has what we believe to be ADEM. To say this has been hard, is an understatement, and Ive never felt more broken.

She also acknowledged her husband Cutter Dykstra and second son Jack, 6, and thanked family and friends for thetheirsupport and love.

On her podcast with Christina Applegate, Sigler shared that ahead of Beau being hospitalized, he had a 105-degree fever and screamed that his head hurt when he was rushed to the hospital. He was also unable to eat and urinate.

He went to the ER three separate times over the next few days but was sent home after tests were run each time. After his symptoms worsened, he went back to the ICU where he lost the ability to speak, and at one point, even the ability to move his legs.

It was and has been like the darkest, hardest, most [expletive] up thing Ive ever been through, Sigler revealed on the podcast on Aug. 6. She also added that she thought her son was dying.

Beau eventually left the ICU but had to stay in the hospital until his recent release.
An explosion that leveled a home in northeastern Pennsylvania and killed two people was apparently caused by a propane leak, state police said.

The blast in Jefferson Township, near Scranton, was reported around 2 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. It sparked a fire that sent thick smoke spewing high into the air and sent debris flying through the residential neighborhood in Lackawanna County.

A 75-year-old woman, later identified as Diane Gruss, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to multiple news reports.

A man was pulled from the home and taken to a hospital, where he died Wednesday, according to a news release from the Lehigh County Corner.

Leon W. Gruss, 91, suffered burns over 51% of his body, according to the news release. He was burned when his home caught on fire, the release says. The home is a man in the 1000 block of Mount Cobb Road.

The source of the propane leak and what caused it to ignite remains under investigation, state police said.
A jury sided with a former Bloomsburg University dean and awarded him nearly $4 million after he was fired for helping a woman file a sexual harassment claim against the university president.

Dr. Jeffrey Krug, who had been dean of the college of business, said he was fired 2018 in retaliation for counseling the presidents administrative aide who told him her boss, Bashar Hanna, sexually harassed her.
By Nathan Willison, LNP, Lancaster, Pa. (TNS)

A Lancaster County K-9 officer has been medically cleared for duty after a monthslong rehab for a broken bone.

Ragnar, the 5-year-old German shepherd and four-year veteran of the Lancaster County Sheriffs Office, was given a clean bill of health and allowed to return to full-time duty last week.

During a training exercise in early June, Ragnar sustained an injury to his paw, breaking a bone that required him to undergo surgery at Pet Emergency Treatment and Specialists in Lancaster and wear a cast for several weeks.

Corporal David Cole, Ragnars handler, has seen firsthand how eager the canine has been to get back to work.

In his mind there was nothing wrong with him. He wanted to go to work, Cole said, recalling days when he would have to go to work and leave Ragnar behind. He would look at me kind of perplexed, like why are you leaving me at home.

After a few weeks in a cast, Ragnar got bandages that allowed him to start walking again. Throughout the healing process, Ragnar underwent physical therapy.

The recovery process was difficult for Cole, too.

It sucked, Cole said. My primary job is to be a K-9 handler. So I was still working in that capacity, but I didnt have my main asset: my dog.

The sheriffs office has two K-9 units trained in explosive detection and patrol. Dogs and their handlers respond to bomb threats and suspicious packages and help apprehend fugitives.

Ragnar is the primary K-9 officer for the Lancaster County Special Emergency Response Team, which handles potentially violent situations including barricaded gunmen and hostage situations.

In January, a barricaded gunman shot at Ragnar during a standoff with police in Columbia. The dog escaped uninjured.

Were there for whatever a local police department would need us for. The dog is ready to respond 24/7, just like us, Cole said.

Cole has been working with Ragnar since 2020 and has gotten to know his personality well.

Hes such a mild-tempered dog, until he gets to work. Then he is 100% on, Cole said. He doesnt hold anything back. Hes like a freight train.

It didnt take long for Ragnar to get back in the swing of things. Just a few hours after the dog cleared medical protocols, Cole and Ragnar responded to a bomb threat in the Warwick School District.

Cole intends to keep a close eye on Ragnars health and wants to avoid rushing him back to work, but Cole is happy to be back on duty and believes Ragnar is, too.

This dog lives to work. He enjoys his time at home, but hes like a different dog, Cole said. When hes at work, hes in his happy place.

More:

K9 injured in fatal Harrisburg police shooting gets escort home

Pa. K9 who helped capture prison escapee to be honored at National Dog Show

This dog wont eat homework: Therapy animal joins CD high school
By Nathan Willison, LNP, Lancaster, Pa. (TNS)

A reptile rescuer caring for a 2-foot caiman discovered in a Columbia-area storage unit said Tuesday that the animal is in poor health.

Columbia police turned over the smooth-fronted caiman, also known as a Schneiders dwarf caiman, to the care of John Fitzwalter, who operates Triple J Reptile Rescue in Elizabethtown.

Fitzwalters initial assessment of the animals condition is bleak.

Hes in poor condition. Im not 100% sure if he will make it or not, Fitzwalter said.

The caiman was dangerously thin, and Fitzwalter has no idea how long the animal was kept in the storage unit without being fed. Getting the caiman to eat is Fitzwalters first priority.

Well know for sure in six months if hell make it, Fitzwalter said. Unfortunately theres not a lot you can do.

Caiman belong to the crocodilian order along with alligators and crocodiles but are distinguishable by their shorter, more rounded snouts. Smooth-fronted caiman are native to the Amazon basin in South America but have become common in the exotic pet trade through online pet stores and reptile shows.

Columbia police found the caiman and six cats inside a storage unit last Friday after receiving a complaint of animals left inside the unit. The caiman was found shut in a 2-by-1-foot plastic bin in a few inches of water.

Columbia police originally identified the animal as a crocodile. Please note that we are not reptile experts, Columbia Chief of Police Jack Brommer Jr. said in a statement.

Police and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission are investigating the incident.

Discarded crocodilians

This is not the first abandoned animal Fitzwalter has rescued. Since starting Triple J Reptile Rescue in 2005, he has been responding to calls for abandoned reptiles when he is not working as a mechanic at Mars Wrigley in Elizabethtown.

In 2022, Fitzwalter rescued an alligator abandoned on the side of the road in Dauphin County.

Jesse Rothacker, founder of the Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary in Elizabeth Township, has rescued caimans and other crocodilians and is warning people not to purchase the animals.

Dont do it, Rothhacker said. It might be fun for a week or a month, but they grow. Theyre not meant to be in Pennsylvania.

Forgotten Friend is caring for two caimans and an alligator rescued after owners abandoned them or turned them over to the sanctuary. Every month we are getting more crocodilian calls, Rothhacker said.

A dwarf caiman at a Michigan zoo in 2019. An animal like it was found abandoned in a storage unit in Lancaster County this month. (Cory Morse | MLive.com, file)Cory Morse | MLive.com

Eighteen states have banned the sale or purchase of caimans, but the trade remains legal in Pennsylvania.

Rothhacker says most vendors at reptile shows are responsible about whom they sell to, but some take advantage of customers who dont understand the responsibility of taking care of large reptiles.

Folks look at the sticker price for the animal and dont consider the cost of care, Rothhacker said. Folks arent thinking this through.
Several cars became disabled Tuesday morning after their drivers filled up at the same Bethlehem Township gas station, according to police.

Township police Capt. Shaun Powell told lehighvalleylive.com the incident happened just after 11:15 a.m. along Freemansburg Avenue. Officers were dispatched for disabled vehicles in the area of the Raceway gas station at 3608 Freemansburg Ave., he said.
If youre flying domestically next spring and well into the summer, youll soon need an extra document thats more secure than a state-issued drivers license or ID if you dont have your passport in tow.

Starting in May 2025, all U.S. travelers will be required to have whats known as a Real ID on hand when traveling domestically by plane. If you dont have the document, U.S. travelers also have the option to carry their passports with them.

If you can recall, this initiative has been in the works for a long time now. It was initially supposed to be enforced in May 2023, but the deadline was pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Real ID is an enhanced form of identification that will be required to gain entry into certain federal facilities, board commercial aircraft, and enter nuclear power plants, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The Real ID Act, which was passed by Congress in 2005, establishes minimum security standards for state-issued drivers licenses, permits, and ID cards, and is designed to reduce identity fraud. It also prohibits Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel from accepting cards that fail to meet the new minimum standards, according to the DHS.

Any traveler who is 18 or older who is flying domestically or visiting certain federal facilities will require a Real ID, or an alternative acceptable form of identification, such as a passport. Moving forward from May 7, 2025, TSA will only accept Real ID cards with the complaint star marking.

Some states, including Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Vermont, are issuing Enhanced Drivers Licenses (EDL) with the flag marking, which also meets Real ID standards.

If you recently renewed your license, it could be an Enhanced Drivers License, or EDL, which also meets Real ID standards. If the top right corner of your ID has an American flag, it is compliant. If it doesnt have it, its not.

If youre curious about how to get a Real ID card, all states are issuing them through drivers licensing agencies, with requirements varying by state. There is no additional fee for a Real ID, but standard DMV processing fees do apply. Getting an enhanced ID costs $30.

Be sure to visit the DHS website and click on your state of residence for specific instructions about how to apply and what documents youll need to bring to your appointment.

Usually, youd need your social security card, proof of citizenship, and multiple proofs of residence.
Police in New Jersey are looking for a woman who was caught on video going into the tiger enclosure at a zoo.

The woman climbed over the wooden fence at Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton and began enticing the tiger and almost got her hand bitten, according to a Facebook post from the Bridgerton Police Department.

A sign posted outside the enclosure says that it is illegal to climb the fence.

In the video, the woman can be seen standing next to one of the two tigers in the enclosure and attempting to pet it. After it appears to attempt to bite her, she leaves the area.

The zoos website describes the two Bengal tigers, known as Rishi and Mahessha, as gorgeous and ornery. They each weigh over 500 lbs.

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact Ptlm. Cusano at 856-451-0033 ext. 0. nonymous tips can also be sent by going to BPD.TIPS
Brian Phillips, an author of the Heritage Foundations controversial Project 2025, is clear and direct in describing the upheaval many conservatives would like to see in Washington D.C. after the November 2024 elections. But it would also impact people who depend on federal agencies around the country, including in Pennsylvania.

The Department of Education needs to be abolished, and federal bureaucracies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the FBI and the IRS need to be tarred, feathered and hung out to dry until the vermin flee -- thats how Phillips and his conservative colleagues at the Heritage Foundation and beyond see it, and many of them are staunch supporters of former President Donald Trump.

Phillips is president of the Texas Public Policy Foundation and an adviser to Project 2025. He has a long and impressive pedigree in conservative politics, having served as Director of Rapid Response for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruzs presidential campaign, Communications Director for U.S. Senator Mike Lee. R-Utah, and media adviser for the Heritage Foundation.

Phillips joined PennLives Battleground PA recently with Republican analyst Jeffrey Lord to explain why he and dozens of other influential conservatives are so determined to promote Project 2025. The answer is simple. They believe too many civil servants in federal agencies no longer take their direction from the President of the United States.

Phillips says many federal bureaucrats have their own agendas and march to their own drummers. Conservatives like Phillips see a Trump victory in 2024 as the opportunity to change that.

Former Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak made a surprise announcement today that he is seeking the Democratic nomination in a bid for the presidency.

Former U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, who spent 31 years in the Navy and retired as a Rear Admiral, sees some good in Project 2025, especially their aggressive stance toward containing China. Sestak, a Democrat who also ran for president in 2016, joined Battleground PA this week to offer a Democratic view of Project 2025.

His conclusion: Project 2025 is not all bad.

But if it became the agenda for the next president of the United States, it could impact a lot of people, particularly if you work in Washington D.C. or rely on federal agencies for trustworthy information, guidance and protection.

Heres the most important thing we all need to know, whether conservative or liberal. The Heritage Foundation is an independent think tank that has taken the initiative in many presidential elections to offer a plan of action for a new Republican administration. They are well within their rights to do so. Freedom of speech and of thought is still paramount in the United States. Thank God.

The Heritage Foundations Project 2025 is the work of a coalition of conservative voices, but Jeffrey Lord rightly reminded us, former President Donal Trump hasnt endorsed it. In fact, as Lord mused, he may feel somewhat put out that they think they can tell him what to do.

Project 2025 does offer an in-depth view into activist conservative thinking before the 2024 elections. And a lot of people find it a bit scary.

Rear Admiral Joe Sestak served as a Congressman from Pennsylvania and ran for president during his political career after he retired from the Navy.Facebook screenshot

For one, the chaos that would come with taking a sledgehammer rather than a chisel to government bureaucracies is frightening. And recommendations for a more aggressive policy to arrest and export illegal aliens in the United States is alarming.

According to the Niskanen Center, another Washington think tank, the most troubling proposals include plans to:

Block federal financial aid for up to two-thirds of all American college students if their state permits certain immigrant groups, including Dreamers with legal status, to access in-state tuition.

Terminate the legal status of 500,000 Dreamers by eliminating staff time for reviewing and processing renewal applications.

Use backlog numbers to trigger the automatic suspension of application intake for large categories of legal immigration.

Suspend updates to the annual eligible country lists for H-2A and H-2B temporary worker visas, thereby excluding most populations from filling critical gaps in the agricultural, construction, hospitality, and forestry sectors.

Bar U.S. citizens from qualifying for federal housing subsidies if they live with anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident.

Force states to share drivers licenses and taxpayer identification information with federal authorities or risk critical funding.

The Niskanen Center says Project 2025 will do extraordinary harm not just to immigrants, but to the health and wealth of our entire country. It will create the kind of upheaval in the immigration process that Phillips advocates for federal bureaucracies.

But Admiral Sestak seemed to agree with Phillips on this point: government bureaucracies need an overhaul. Sestak also warned that expertise in things like food safety is valuable and protects Americans. He rightly notes such expertise only comes with years of training and experience.

Phillips made another point worth pondering. He argues its not the job of federal bureaucrats to reign in a president. He says federal workers are paid to do the presidents bidding and leave the checks and balances to Congress, the Courts, and the people.

A Flint scrapyard has been cited for violating the federal Clean Air Act for failing to verify that refrigerants were removed from old appliances on its property, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says.

That is a strong argument. But theres an equally strong argument that the role of professional, experienced, sober and patriotic bureaucrats should not be undervalued in protecting Americans.

Theres a reason President Chester A. Arthur set up a civil service system to protect government. It protects federal workers from political interference and abuse. If experts in their fields could be tossed out at a political whim every four years, imagine the whiplash people way over here in Pennsylvania would suffer in not knowing how or what to trust that comes out of the federal government.

As much as we need strong leadership in the White House, we need confidence, stability, and trust in federal agencies. Science and professional guidance on things like food, drug and workplace safety shouldnt vary with political parties and personalities. It doesnt serve Americans well to have scientists kowtowing to political mandates from either the right or the left on issues like pandemics, vaccines and public health.

We need workers in these agencies to tell the truth, offer professional guidance to the American people, and remain independent of the political machinations of either right or left.

Phillips respectfully disagrees. And he has a right to do so.

Ultimately, it will be voters who decide whether they want sober, measured reform in 2025, or the kind of upheaval and chaos that will impact Pennsylvanians and people throughout the nation.

Joyce M. Davis is PennLives Outreach & Opinion Editor. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter @byjoycedavis.

Quality local journalism has never been more important. You deserve the best. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.

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Seen any turkeys lately?

We mean the actual bird by the way. Not a euphemism for any foolish people you might have encountered in your daily travails.

But if you have encountered any of those large birds in Pennsylvania recently, the state Game Commission wants you to share the details with them.

The commission is asking state residents to report any flocks of wild turkeys they see so the group can then trap and band the birds to monitor their population

You can report your big bird sightings at the commissions online Wild Turkey Sighting Survey. Participants should include the number of turkeys they spotted, along with the county, township, wildlife management unit (WMU), date and contact information in case agency biologists have any questions. Sightings can be submitted through Aug. 31.

Participants can also drop a pin on the surveys map to get the location data. The data are used only for the survey and are not shared with anyone, including law enforcement.

Participants should not report the same flock more than once, as that could bias the results.

The turkey survey enhances our agencys internal survey, which serves as a long-term index of turkey reproduction and is used in our turkey population model, Game Commission Turkey Biologist Mary Jo Casalena said in a press release. Participants should report all turkeys seen, whether gobblers, hens with broods, hens without broods, or turkeys of unknown sex and age.

Factors that affect the states turkey population include the weather, habitat conditions, previous winter food abundance, predators, and last falls harvest.

The statewide reproductive success for summer 2023 was 2.9 poults per hen, compared to 3.1 poults per hen in 2022 and 2021.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is set to speak in prime time Wednesday on the third day of the Democratic National Convention.

Shapiro is listed to speak during the 9 p.m. hour on the same night former President Bill Clinton will address the audience in the United Center in Chicago and when Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will accept the nomination to be the running mate to the partys presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, on the Democratic ticket.

Shapiro, who was passed over as Harris vice president pick, took over the microphone on Tuesday to cast Pennsylvanias 178 delegate votes for Harris and Walz on the convention floor.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro casts their votes for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)AP

The governor is expected to travel throughout Pennsylvania with President Joe Biden this fall to campaign for Harris in an effort to score a victory on Nov. 5 in this must-win state to gaining the necessary 270 electoral votes to claim the presidency.

Shapiro spoke on Monday morning with several states delegations to the Democratic National Convention, including the Pennsylvania delegation where he fired up the party leaders about the partys presidential ticket, calling Republican presidential nominee President Donald Trump scared of Harris and saying Harris is battle tested and ready to go.

Shapiro gave a rousing address on Aug. 6 at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia at the first rally after Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. Some described his speech as energizing while others called it more about self promotion.

I am going to continue to pour my heart and soul into serving you every single day as your governor and Im going to work my tail off to make sure we make Kamala Harris and Tim Walz the next leaders of the United States of America, he said during that speech.

41 1 / 41 Vice President Kamala Harris holds a rally to announce her choice for running mate in her run for the Presidency

The next day, he visited a Cafe Nour, a Hampden Township coffee shop, he reiterated that message telling reporters of his plans to continue to do everything I can in this commonwealth and across the country to elevate her, to speak about the Kamala Harris Ive know for years, the kind of president shell be and the stark contrast with Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee.

He also said at that time that he anticipated he would be speaking at the convention that runs through Thursday at Chicagos United Center and looked forward to it. Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell also expected Shapiro to be given the honor of addressing the convention. He described Shapiro as now a leading candidate to run for president in 2028 should Harris lose this year and told PennLive, I think hes going to knock it out of the park at the convention.

He also held a rally on July 27 to pump up support for Harris at a farm outside of Carlisle even before she had made her selection of a vice president.

Shapiro had a national profile prior to his consideration to be on the Democrats 2024 ticket from cases he handled as attorney general including the investigation into clergy sex abuse of children six of Pennsylvanias Roman Catholic dioceses to fighting Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, among others.

But having his name and photo a staple of daily news coverage for weeks aftere President Joe Biden announced he was dropping out of the race made Shapiro even more a household name.

His popularity in Pennsylvania continues to hold strong with two polls coming out last week showing a majority of voters hold a favorable opinion of him. He had a 53% percent approval rating in the latest Quinnipiac University Poll. The Franklin & Marshall College Poll indicated 51% rate him as doing an excellent or good job, the highest approval rating at this point in a first term since Gov. Tom Ridge.

Shpiro spoke to Pennsylvanias presidential delegation at Mondays breakfast at Chicagos Palmer House Hotel as well as offered remarks to several other states delegations as well as theDNC Labor Council meeting before heading to the convention floor in the evening.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on X at @JanMurphy.\
Josh Gates is bringing along scientist Phil Torres and paranormal researcher Jessica Chobot to investigate claims of strange creatures, extraterrestrials and paranormal activity in season 8 of Discovery Channels Expedition X.

Read more: How to watch Discovery channels Expedition Bigfoot season 5, episode 2, stream online for free

Season 8 will take viewers on exciting adventures to uncover the mysteries and unexplained phenomena lurking in some of the worlds most enigmatic locations.

Expedition X season 8, episode 2 will air tonight, Wednesday, August 21 at 9 p.m. on Discovery Channel.

For those who have cut the traditional cable cord, viewers can stream Expedition X live on streaming services Philo or SlingTV. Philo offers a free trial to new subscribers.

What to expect on tonights premiere episode

Season 8, episode 2 Trapped in the Asylum: Josh, Heather and Phil continue their investigation into a haunted lunatic asylum; they encounter extreme paranormal activity, capturing stunning evidence that convinces them this is their most terrifying expedition yet.

About the show

According to Discovery Channels official synopsis, Whether trekking through the remote jungles of Cambodia in search of a legendary ape-man or exploring the secrets of the worlds largest cave system right here in the United States, the EXPEDITION X team is taking viewers to the stranger side of the unknown.

Where to find Discovery

You can find which channel Discovery is on by using the channel finders here: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV and Dish.

Where to stream Expedition X for free?

Cord cutters can sign up for a free trial of Philo or SlingTV to enjoy the broadcasts.

More about Philo

Philos live TV subscription offers a free 7-day free trial and costs $28 per month. It includes MTV and over 50 other classic TV, lifestyle and news channels. Subscribers can stream on up to three devices simultaneously, create up to 10 profiles and save unlimited live or future shows for up to one year.

More about SlingTV

SlingTV is the first app-based TV service letting you stream live television and on-demand content over the internet. Watch live shows wherever you are, at home or on the go. Subscribers will also get half off their first month. The 2 main plans  Sling Orange and Sling Blue  offer 30+ channels for $40 a month, or $55 combined. Slings two main offerings are Sling Orange and Sling Blue. Each plan is available to stream for $40 a month. You can also combine the two for $55 a month, giving you access to around 50 channels. Sling is currently offering the first month for only $20.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 21. The coalition of election monitoring My Vote presented an interim report on the extraordinary parliamentary election in Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

According to the information, the report was presented by coalition's co-founder Saadat Bananyarli, chairperson of Azerbaijan Society for Protection of Women's Rights named after Dilara Aliyeva Novella Jafaroglu, chairperson of the Public Association Protection of Human Rights and Legality, Saida Gojamanli.

Additionally, it was pointed out that the coalition handpicked 533 observers to keep an eye on things in 65 electoral districts spanning the entire territory of Azerbaijan. They came up with educational leaflets that were branded with the coalition's logo.

The observers monitoring the electoral process in the country closely follow the processes taking place in the regions and collect data. The working group created by the coalition, in turn, closely follows all the processes taking place in connection with the electoral process, conducts observations, and analyzes objective and subjective aspects in detail.

The data of the observers indicates that there were no obstacles for the nominees in the signature collection process anywhere in the country. In meetings with coalition members, the nominees noted that the non-registration of candidates was mainly due to deficiencies in documentation.

Moreover, it was mentioned that 459 candidates from 25 political parties had been nominated to run in the election, of which 305 were registered. Besides, under the Electoral Code, blocs of political parties and parties with more than 60 registered candidates are given free airtime and space for publication in several state-funded media outlets. In other words, parties and their blocs with more than 60 registered candidates can conduct campaigning using the opportunity of free airtime. Presently, only the New Azerbaijan" party can use this opportunity. This is because none of the other parties has more than 60 registered candidates.

On June 28, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree dissolving the sixth convocation of the Azerbaijani Parliament and calling for an extraordinary election.

The snap parliamentary election in Azerbaijan is scheduled for September 1, 2024.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
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BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 21. A delegation led by Elchin Amirbayov, Representative of the President of Azerbaijan for special assignments, has begun a visit to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia on August 19, 2024, which is set to continue through August 30, 2024, Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) told Trend.

The delegation includes Vugar Suleymanov, Chairman of ANAMA, Samir Poladov, Deputy Chairman of ANAMA, and other senior officials from relevant departments.

Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia have extensive experience dealing with mine and explosive remnants of war threats.

During the international Mitigating Environmental Impact of Landmines: Resource Mobilization for Safe and Green Future conference, held on May 30-31 this year and organized by ANAMA in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), a statement of intent was signed to establish an International Centre of Excellence and Training for Mine Action.

The visit aims to study international best practices related to the center, enhance cooperation with foreign centers and international organizations specializing in mine action, and include site visits to training centers and demining operations.

The visit is expected to raise awareness about Azerbaijans mine problem and the countrys efforts to address it, thereby increasing international attention to the issue.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Andreas Kniep Blasts Off to Ship WSOP Circuit Graton Event for First Ring

Connor Richards Editor & Live Reporter U.S. Copy link

Before this month's World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Graton stop, Andreas Kniep had been heads-up for a Circuit ring three times without ever being able to close out. The German-turned-Californian can now boast a Circuit ring after taking down Event #5: $600 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed for $15,907.

Kniep, a Google software engineer and former SpaceX engineer who best known for his deep run in the 2021 WSOP Main Event and fourth-place finish in the 2023 Millionaire Maker for $501,182, topped a field of 120 runners and defeated heads-up opponent Pedro Green.

It was a welcomed victory for Kniep, who earlier in the series finished third in Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Mega Stack for $10,451.

Read About the Recent WSOPC Cherokee Stop!

Event #5: $600 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed Final Table Results

PLACE PLAYER HOMETOWN PRIZE (IN USD) 1 Andreas Kniep San Francisco, CA $15,907 2 Pedro Green Lawrenceville, GA $10,318 3 Frank Saunders Livermore, CA $6,937 4 Loren Egide Novato, CA $4,834 5 Taylor Pollard Concord, CA $3,514 6 Terrance Reid Mckinleyville, CA $2,654

Finally Closing Out

With his bright clothing and eccentric personality, Kniep is a bit of a fan favorite on the live poker circuit. He went viral last year at the Millionaire Maker final table when he had aces cracked in one of the worst beats of the summer, one that cost potentially cost him more than a half million in cash.

The 6-handed final table in Graton also included Californians Frank Saunders (3rd - $6,937), Loren Egide (4th - $4,834), Taylor Pollard (5th - $3,514) and poker journalist Terrance Reid (6th - $2,654), who has been on a hot streak that includes a WSOP Main Event deep run and a RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) victory in the $2,500 Million Dollar Main Event for $192,755.

Daniel Hughes Wins Deepstack Event for $86,857

The WSOPC Graton stop runs Aug. 15-26 and features over a dozen ring events, including a $1,700 buy-in Main Event with a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool getting underway Aug. 23. Last year's inaugural WSOPC Graton Main Event drew 616 entrants as Michael Persky defeated Dan Sarasin for $175,595 and his first Circuit ring.

This year's stop started off with a victory from Frank Chavez in Event #1: $400 Big 30K Stack Kickoff for $21,762. After that, Daniel Hughes topped a sizable field of 1,131 runners in Event #2: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack for $86,857, making him the biggest winner of the stop so far.

Daniel Hughes

Other players who have picked up rings in Graton include Lev Saakov (Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Mega Stack - $22,901) and Charles Himes (Event #4: $400 Seniors Event - $15,738).

Read About Last Year's Inaugural WSOPC Graton Main Event!

WSOPC Graton Winners So Far

EVENT ENTRANTS PRIZE POOL WINNER HOMETOWN PRIZE (IN USD) Event #1: $400 Big 30K Stack Kickoff 311 $102,630 Frank Chavez Sacramento, CA $21,762 Event #2: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack 1,131 $582,465 Daniel Hughes Fair Oaks, CA $86,857 Event #3: $400 No-Limit Hold'em Mega Stack 333 $109,890 Lev Saakov San Francisco, CA $22,901 Event #4: $400 Seniors Event 201 $66,330 Charles Himes Santa Rosa, CA $15,738 Event #5: $600 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed 120 $61,800 Andreas Kniep San Francisco, CA $15,907

*Photos courtesy WSOPC

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After PBS reported that Donald Trump has been talking to Netanyahu to kill a Gaza ceasefire deal, a request for investigation into Trump violating the Logan Act was filed with the DOJ.

Here is the video of PBS reporting that Trump is talking to Netanyahu to delay a ceasefire:

Am I the only one who caught this last night at the #DNC? pic.twitter.com/eiSghREKyw  David Carroll  (@profcarroll) August 20, 2024

American Muckrakers asked the DOJ and State Department to investigate Trumps potential Logan Act violation:

NEW: We've filed a request with @StateDept & @TheJusticeDept to investigate @realDonaldTrump for violations of the Logan Act by negotiating with PM Netanyahu on behalf of the US. That is illegal and got @GenFlynn in a heap of trouble. pic.twitter.com/SE3UKnV4lo  American Muckrakers (@AmericanMuck) August 20, 2024

It is illegal for private citizens to negotiate on behalf of the US government without the authorization of the government. Unless Biden asked Trump to talk to Netanyahu any side deal that Trump is trying to get that delay a Gaza ceasefire until after he took office, if he wins the election, would be illegal.

Trump is in his buddy Bibis ear because the ex-president knows that a Gaza ceasefire would help VP Harris in the election.

What Netanyahu is doing by listening to Trump and potentially conspiring with the ex-president is a form of foreign election interference.

Trump and Netanyahu are two brothers in crime who dont want to see Kamala Harris who has taken a much more public pro-Gaza stance become president.

The ex-president is using all of his dirty tricks to try to game the electorate to return to the White House. What Trump is reportedly doing, if it is true, is criminal, and it deserves a full federal investigation.
Over 15,000 people have packed the same venue that Trump used for the Republican convention for a Kamala Harris rally while the DNC is going on.

Donald Trump appeared to be addressing a smattering of people in a Michigan police department parking garage. It seemed like a parking garage because they were indoors and there were cars parked behind Trump.

Video:

Trump rambles about being shot at and claims that tariffs are the reason why he gets shot at. Trump is making no sense, and if this tour continues by Friday, all that will be left is a combover and a pile of orange makeup. pic.twitter.com/wpRSiWWn5F  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) August 20, 2024

Meanwhile, this was the scene moments ago in Milwaukee, Wisconsin:

No, rally crowds do not equal winning. But this is Milwaukee a few minutes ago. Ive been in and around political events for a long time, and believe me  this is WILD. pic.twitter.com/aTeb4R7x9f  Matt Bennett (@ThirdWayMattB) August 21, 2024

It gets even better, Kamala Harris has filled up the site of the Republican convention:

The Harris campaign says more than 15,000 people are in attendance at the Milwaukee rally tonight at the Fiserv Forum, the same space where the RNC was held. The crowd is cheering and enthusiastic as they just watched Gov Walzs speech and are watching the DNC roll call. pic.twitter.com/fPXeBwCRRT  Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) August 21, 2024

Yes, Vice President Harris is making a quick trip to Milwaukee to address voters and then she is heading back to the Democratic convention in time for her husbands speech tonight.

Harris made it clear that she is holding the rally because there is no time to waste in the compressed campaign. It is also damn impressive that she has sold arenas supporting her in two different cities at the same time.

Trump spent his convention falling asleep as people praised him. Trump didnt hold any campaign events once the convention started.

Vice President Harris appears to be still gaining momentum, and if Republicans arent careful, she could be a juggernaut by Election Day.
Former Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham spoke at the Democratic convention to denounce her ex-boss and endorse Kamala Harris.

Grisham said:



I wasnt just a Trump supporter. I was a true believer. I was one of his closest advisers. The Trump family became my family. I spent Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years all at Mar-a-Lago. I saw him when the cameras were off behind closed doors.

Trump mocks his supporters. He calls them basement dwellers. On a hospital visit one time when people were dying in the ICU. He was mad that the cameras were not watching him. He has no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth. He used to tell me it doesnt matter what you say, Stephanie say it enough and people will believe you, but it does matter what you say is matter and what you dont say matters. On January 6th. I asked Melania if we could at least tweet that while peaceful protest is the right of every American, theres no place for lawlessness or violence. She replied with one word. No.

I became the first senior staffer to resign that day of the insanity any longer. When I was press secretary, I got skewered for never holding a White House briefing. Its because unlike my boss, I never wanted to stand at that podium and lie now, here I am behind a podium advocating for a Democrat because I love my country more than my party. Kamala Harris tells the truth. She respects the American people and she has my vote.

Video:

Former Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham said, "I am behind a podium advocating for a Democrat, and that's because I love my country more than my party. Kamala Harris tells the truth. She respects the American people and she has my vote." pic.twitter.com/4TvUMN3ISc  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) August 20, 2024

There is a reason why there were no ex-Kamala Harris staffers disavowing her at Trumps convention. There are literally dozens of former Trump staffers who are warning that he cant be returned to the White House.

Grishams endorsement isnt intended to sway the hard core red hat wearing crowd. Her endorsement is meant for those roughly 20% of Trump voters who may not like him and are persuadable.

The point also is that unlike the cult like following of Donald Trump, Kamala Harris is assembling a broad coalition that reflects all parts of the political spectrum. Former presidential press secretaries dont appear at opposing party conventions to warn about their former boss, so when one does, America should pay attention.
Donald Trump tried to campaign in Michigan, but his voice and physical appearance were weak, and the ex-president repeated stories that he had just told.

Trump sounded weak and frail and also was supposed by talking about crime, but lost his train of thought and start talking about a coup against Joe Biden:

This is why Trump doesn't campaign on back to back days. His voice his low and weak. Trump's mind is wandering off. He is supposed to be talking about crime but he insults Harris and talks about a "Biden coup." Trump is too old to campaign on consecutive days. Here's the proof. pic.twitter.com/sVADSbL1x5  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) August 20, 2024

Trump also claimed that tariffs are the reason why people shoot at him:

Trump rambles about being shot at and claims that tariffs are the reason why he gets shot at. Trump is making no sense, and if this tour continues by Friday, all that will be left is a combover and a pile of orange makeup. pic.twitter.com/wpRSiWWn5F  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) August 20, 2024

Trump showed signs of his mental decline by repeating a story that he had just told ten minutes or so earlier:

Trump is repeating the exact same false story that he just told a few minutes earlier. Donald Trump appears to have no idea that he just told this same story in this speech moments earlier.

More about Trump's reported memory issues: https://t.co/4ZXxjMoVLc pic.twitter.com/piitMIEOpS  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) August 20, 2024

It was clear that Donald Trump didnt want to be out campaign in what looked like the parking garage for a local police station. Trump had no energy or vigor at all. The original plan was that the ex-president was supposed to be at his private club all week. Trump said that he had no intentions of holding any campaign events until the end of the Democratic convention.

Trump is showing that he doesnt have the physical or mental stamina to campaign for back to back days.

It is becoming clear that the reason why Donald Trump didnt campaign a lot during the Republican primary or when he was running against President Biden is because the ex-president cant.

Donald Trump cant stay on message. He cant keep a coherent thought in his head. Trump looked and sounded tired in Michigan. His energy is gone. This isnt 2016 anymore , and with Joe Biden out of the race, it is becoming more difficult for his campaign to hide Trumps decline.
In the post-Roe environment, this is not good news for Republicans. Abortion will be on the ballot in both swing state Arizona and Montana, where Democratic Senator Jon Tester needs all of the help he can get to win his close race.

The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a challenge by anti-abortion activists to the Arizona Abortion Access Act, aka Proposition 139. It had amassed a record-breaking number of signatures to qualify for the November ballot, and just under 578,000 were confirmed to be valid last week  far exceeding the 383,923 requirement for a proposal that amends the Arizona Constitution.

Anti-abortion activists (who misleadingly refer to themselves as Right to Life when this doesnt apply to womens or girls lives) argued that voters hadnt been told that this would invalidate existing abortion laws including the current 15-week gestational ban, as if that wasnt the point, but the judge ruled the Act perfectly accurate.

Indeed, if this passes, it sets the anti-abortion activists back. The act guarantees access to an abortion up to the point of fetal viability, generally regarded as being around 24 weeks, and includes exceptions beyond that timeframe if a health care provider deems the procedure is necessary to preserve a womans life, physical or mental health. It also prohibits any state law from denying, interfering or restricting a womans right to obtain an abortion unless the state has a compelling interest in doing so that is rooted in evidence-based decision-making and doesnt infringe on a womans autonomy.

In other words, abortion is healthcare and healthcare is best decided by professionals and individuals.

In Montana, abortion will also be on the ballot in November. The state Secretary of States office certified on Tuesday that the issue will be on the ballot. Montana voters will have the opportunity to enshrine their right to medical freedom in the state constitution.

Montanas measure seeks to enshrine a 1999 Montana Supreme Court ruling that said the constitutional right to privacy protects the right to a pre-viability abortion by a provider of the patients choice as Republican lawmakers have tried to overturn the ruling, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and left the abortion issue up to the states, the AP reported late Tuesday evening.

The abortion measure might help boost Democratic Senator Jon Tester, who was polling behind his Republican opponent Tim Sheehy until the most recent week of polling.

This makes eight states in which abortion will be on the ballot in November. Additionally, the AP noted Nebraska as having a measure pending and New York having a protective measure barring discrimination regarding reproductive healthcare on the ballot, but it doesnt specifically mention abortion.

So far, each time the issue of medical freedom has been brought before voters, it has won  including in red states like Ohio and Kentucky. A lot of work goes into not only getting signatures for these measures, but then fighting in court against anti-abortion activists who seek to overturn the will of the voters and impose their own beliefs on the populace at large at every turn.

Medical freedom is an individual human right, and someone elses religious beliefs should have no bearing on how your doctor can treat you no matter what the presenting healthcare issue is.

Abortion will now be on the ballot in Arizona, Montana, South Dakota, Nevada, Colorado, Missouri, Maryland and Florida.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 21. Baku Initiative Group supports colonized countries in gaining independence, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Belize to the UN Carlos Fuller, told reporters at the Baku Initiative Group office, Trend reports.

We achieved independence from Britain in 1981. It's a struggle where you have to be persistent and point out what your core principles are. In the case of Belize, it has always been self-determination of the people and territorial integrity. Then, of course, you have to spread your idea to your neighbors and make them join you. Then you spread that idea around the world to get the full support of the international community, he emphasized.

Carlos Fuller noted that colonized countries should make their neighbors understand their situation and convey this idea to them.

I think that's what the Baku Initiative Group is doing. Thereafter, we will have a mandate to go to the UN and engage other countries at the political level to disseminate information about the struggle of the people of Bonaire for their right to independence, he added.
South Carolina has a plan to ban cellphones in public schools, but the prohibition wont be easy to enforce, the Aiken County Public School Districts superintendent told a local service organization Aug. 19.

Thats going to be a struggle, and I can tell you [that] as a 10-year high school and middle school principal, said Dr. Corey Murphy, who was the guest speaker at a Rotary Club of Aiken meeting at Newberry Hall. When I started this thing, the phone was a little bit 'Star Trek' with the flip and the whole nine yards. Now, its a permanent part of what these young people do. Its how they communicate. Its how they interact with life.

Murphy described a recent interaction with a female student while visiting a school.

I said, Hey, please put your phone away, and she said, I dont have my phone, Murphy told the Rotarians. I said, Look at your hand, [and she said,] Im so sorry. They (students) dont identify the phone as being not native to their bodies.

Murphy was at the Rotary Club meeting to talk about the 10-year-renewal of the 1 percent sales tax that supports education, which Aiken County voters will be asked to approve in November.

After he finished, Murphy took questions from his audience, and one was what do you think or what does the [school] district think about the cellphone ban?

Is no comment a response? Murphy replied with a smile before expressing some thoughts.

The superintendent didnt say if he or the school district was for or against the ban.

A 2024 budget amendment approved by South Carolina legislators requires public school districts to prohibit the use by students of cellphones and other personal electronic communications devices during the school day.

The South Carolina Board of Education gave initial approval earlier this month to a model policy that would apply to K-12 public schools throughout the state.
Tiffany Tan is a senior reporter at The Post and Courier in Columbia, where she covers a range of topics. She previously reported on the courts, the opioid epidemic and regional news in Vermont for VTDigger. She has also worked for newspapers and television outlets in Manila, Beijing, Singapore and South Dakota.
The Charleston County School District confirmed "unknown actors" breached its system and acquired data, according to an Aug. 19 statement.

The district said it had not yet confirmed whether sensitive data was acquired, but said they are not aware of any "malicious misuse of school data."

The investigation is ongoing.

"One of our priorities is to determine whether personal or sensitive information was affected during the incident," Andy Pruitt, the district's spokesman, said in an email.

If it is revealed that sensitive data was accessed or acquired without authorization, the district will notify the impacted individuals and will offer resources pursuant to state regulatory requirements, Pruitt added.

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The statement comes following a district investigation into system disruptions on July 16, which caused some schools to experience "temporary network outages" that impacted access to online information as well as incoming and outgoing phone lines.

A communication was sent out to parents on July 26 saying there was some disruption to district operations due to suspicious activity in their network environment. The statement noted the issues still existed and that district officials anticipated them to be solved at all school sites by the week of July 29.

Pruitt said that after the July 16 incident, the district began investigating and engaged a team of experts to assist in the process. He said the district wanted to obtain preliminary findings of their investigation before alerting parents, to avoid providing misinformation or speculations to the community.

Pruitt also said the majority of the district's systems were restored within three weeks since they first detected the suspicious activity and that they have fully recovered from the event.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 21. President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on the conscription of citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan for fixed-term active military service from October 1 through October 30 and the dismissal of fixed-term active military service servicemen to the reserve, Trend reports.

According to the decree, citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan born in 2006 who were 18 years old by the day of call-up (including this day), as well as citizens born in 19892005, aged up to 35 years old, who have not completed fixed-term active military service, who are not entitled to deferment of call-up to fixed-term active military service, or who are not exempted from call-up to fixed-term active military service in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan, will be called up for fixed-term active military service from October 1 through October 30, 2024.

Furthermore, military personnel of fixed-term active military service who have completed the term of service stipulated in Article 38.1.1 of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan On Military Duty and Military Service will be discharged from October 1 through October 30, 2024.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 21. The central office of the New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) has hosted a meeting between Deputy Chairman, Head of the Central Office of YAP Tahir Budagov and Head of Staff of the Observer Mission of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Oleg Kuleba, YAP told Trend.

While acknowledging that the CIS observation team has been keeping tabs on the Azerbaijani elections since 2003, Kuleba conveyed his appreciation for the meeting. It will be the CIS mission's twelfth election in Azerbaijan, he said, drawing attention to the next extraordinary election to the parliament of Azerbaijan on September 1.

He further provided information about the composition and activities of the CIS observation mission, stating that it currently consists of 132 members, 10 of whom have been long-term observers. He mentioned that preliminary observations indicate equal opportunities for candidates and that the Central Election Commission and its local bodies are well-prepared for the election. Kuleba also noted that the mission members have faced no obstacles in their work and that the relevant agencies have supported their efforts to obtain the necessary information.

In his turn, Budagov emphasized the importance of the CIS observation mission in Azerbaijan for the exchange of election management experience and the further development of the electoral process.

Reporting on YAPs preparations for the election and the pre-election campaign, Budagov stated that Azerbaijan has a rich and continually improving electoral experience. He assured that all conditions have been provided to ensure the upcoming parliamentary elections are competitive, free, fair, transparent, and democratic.

The YAP deputy chairman answered questions from the CIS observation mission, underscoring the significance of external evaluations of the election process and wishing the mission success in its work.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 21, 2024 / Levi & Korsinsky notifies investors that it has commenced an investigation of The Chemours Company ("The Chemours Company") (NYSE:CC) concerning possible violations of federal securities laws.Chemours issued a press release on August 1, 2024, reporting its financial results for the second quarter of 2024. Among other items, Chemours reported non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.38, missing consensus estimates by $0.20. The Company advised that it "anticipates a low to mid-single digit sequential decline in Net Sales for the third quarter," citing "[r]esidual impacts from Q2 unplanned downtime at our Altamira, Mexico manufacturing site" in its Titanium Technologies segment; "[r]efrigerant seasonality paired with weaker Freon Refrigerants pricing in its Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment; and "[a] continued modest recovery in" its Advanced Performance Materials segment. Following this news, Chemours's stock price dropped over 11% on August 2, 2024. To obtain additional information, go to:or contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. either via email at jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com or by telephone at (212)363-7500.WHY LEVI & KORSINSKY: Over the past 20 years, Levi & Korsinsky LLP has established itself as a nationally-recognized securities litigation firm that has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for aggrieved shareholders and built a track record of winning high-stakes cases. The firm has extensive expertise representing investors in complex securities litigation and a team of over 70 employees to serve our clients. For seven years in a row, Levi & Korsinsky has ranked in ISS Securities Class Action Services' Top 50 Report as one of the top securities litigation firms in the United States. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 17th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212)363-7500 Fax: (212)363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
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BOULDER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / August 21, 2024 / Informa Markets, the world's leading B2B event organizer, proudly announces Danica Cullins as the newly appointed Executive Vice President of Health and Nutrition for North America, managing both the Natural Products and SupplySide portfolio of brands, and Carlotta Mast in a new role as Senior Vice President of Global Community & Content Strategy across all of Informa Markets. These newly created roles are indicative of Informa Markets' increased focus on improving the customer experience for community and audience groups and optimizing return on customer investment.Mast served in the commercial leadership role for the New Hope Network brands from 2021 until taking on this expanded role serving Informa Markets' global community and content strategy in June. In her new role, Carlotta will apply her extensive experience using content, partnership and purpose to build and strengthen the natural and organic products communities to support other businesses across Informa Markets. She will focus on sharing best practices, inspiring teams with new routes to market, and demonstrating the ROI of focusing on content, community and partnership to enable long term growth, all with the goal of improving the customer experience and extending Informa Markets' positive impact worldwide.Cullins served in the commercial leadership role for the SupplySide network of brands over a similar timeline. In this new role as EVP of Health and Nutrition, she will oversee growth, strategy and commercial success of both the SupplySide and New Hope Network portfolios. Cullins will be instrumental in advancing each brand, ensuring they are well-positioned for the future, unlocking opportunities, and delivering even greater value to our customers.Both promotions are a result of tremendous leadership, and belief in the growth of the sector."Danica Cullins' exceptional capabilities and successful leadership with SupplySide will transfer tremendously into this new expanded role, propelling the health and nutrition verticals to maximum synergy, to create innovative opportunities for our customers across both businesses," says Nancy Walsh, President, Informa Markets North America. "The addition of this leadership role is a testament not only to Danica's leadership, but to the long term confidence in, and appreciation of, the Health and Nutrition community and its boundless potential. We want to deliver more for our customers, and Danica's stewardship will help us do that." Cullins offers an extensive 26 years of industry experience, touching across senior roles in operations and sales. In early 2021, Cullins was tapped to lead the SupplySide platform of events and robust content product suite, specializing in consultative selling strategies, sales group structuring, organizational development and leadership, with a strong foundation in portfolio management and strategic planning with exceptional results. Leading SupplySide, Cullins instills the manifesto of "more health for more people," as a directing principle to ensure customer experience meets the highest standards of the health and nutrition community."Empowerment and accountability are core foundational values that drive success with intent across our teams which SupplySide and New Hope Network are known for," adds Danica Cullins. "We look forward to bringing renewed energy and continuing creative solutions to the Health and Nutrition offerings and customer experiences at Informa Markets, as the industry evolves, so do we to meet the transforming needs of our audiences." As the new leader for Informa Markets Health and Nutrition, Cullins will collaborate closely with Carlotta Mast, a reputable industry veteran, whose newly created larger divisional role will also be focused on helping verticals across Informa Markets expand their sustainability knowledge and practices as part of an enhanced customer experience. Mast reports to Chief Customer Experience Officer Anna Hill in this new role.With a rich 30-year career in content, Mast joined Nutrition Business Journal as an editor in 2008, working her way up the ladder to SVP of Content and Insights, and then becoming SVP & Market Leader of New Hope Network in 2021, where she helped transform New Hope Network into a community- and purpose-driven portfolio of event and media brands serving the natural and organic product community."Community is at the heart of everything we do at Informa Markets, and community engagement and leadership have been critical factors in New Hope Network's continued growth and success," says Carlotta Mast, SVP Global Community & Content Strategy, Informa Markets. "The vision is to share the value of community engagement, partnership and experiences for our customers on a global scale, to deliver more value and return on investment while also helping the markets we serve become more resilient and prepared for a changing future." "Customer Experience is the critical frontier for the events industry, and Informa Markets aims to be the leader in how we build those connections and experiences for the communities we serve," adds Anna Hill, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Informa Markets. "Creating this new role celebrates the excellence Carlotta has created within the natural and organic products community, emphasizing her innate sense of storytelling, partnership-building strengths and communal awareness, and sharing those with others. Our goal is to be a catalyst for exceptional moments, collaboration, and shared learning with the businesses that we devotedly serve, and I'm confident in Carlotta's ability to help deliver that." Both Cullins and Mast assumed their roles prior to Informa Markets' latest show launch, a new concept called Newtopia Now, whose first edition will be held August 25-28, 2024, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. The highly anticipated annual show SupplySide West and Food ingredients North America will take also place October 28-31, 2024, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.About Informa Markets Informa Markets, a subsidiary of Informa plc (LON:INF), creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. Our portfolio comprises more than 550 international B2B events and brands in markets including Engineering, Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Infrastructure, Construction & Real Estate, Fashion & Apparel, Hospitality, Food & Beverage, and Health & Nutrition, among others. We provide customers and partners around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, specialist digital content and actionable data solutions. As the world's leading exhibitions or
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FORT WORTH, TX / ACCESSWIRE / August 21, 2024 /Empire Holdings is pleased to announce that Sasser Restoration, a leading commercial restoration and emergency response company headquartered in North Carolina, has become the newest tenant in the Sun Valley Properties community. Sasser Restoration has leased a 6,608 square-foot facility located at 5304 Sun Valley, marking a significant addition to the thriving industrial community.Sasser Restoration is known for its rapid and reliable emergency response services, specializing in restoring commercial properties to their pre-loss condition. Their decision to expand to Sun Valley Properties reflects the strategic importance of the location and the growing demand for their services in the area.The successful lease transaction was facilitated by Todd Hubbard, Managing Principal and Joe McLiney, Transaction Manager at NAI Robert Lynn along with Luke Clardy, Senior Broker at Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services, who played an integral role in bringing Sasser Restoration to Sun Valley Properties."We are thrilled to welcome Sasser Restoration to Sun Valley Properties," said Bowie Holland, President at Empire Holdings. "Their presence enhances the diversity of businesses in our development and strengthens our community. We look forward to a long and successful partnership." ##ABOUT EMPIRE HOLDINGSFort Worth, Texas-based Empire Holdings is a commercial real estate developer that specializes in single-tenant, build-to-suit industrial properties with design, technology, and innovation at the forefront. Backed by a powerhouse team led by 40-year commercial real estate industry vet Sandra McGlothin, Empire Holdings is changing the way commercial industrial spaces are built. For more information, visit Empire Holdings:Online at https://empireholdingstx.com On Facebook at www.facebook.com/empireholdingstx On Instagram at www.instagram.com/empireholdingstx On LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/empire-holdings-tx Media Contact:Empire Holdings | Bowie Holland 817-985-0051 | Bowie@ empireholdingstx.com Contact InformationKeishi HighOffice Administratorkeishi@ empireholdingstx.com 8179850054SOURCE: Empire HoldingsView the original press release on newswire.com
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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 21, 2024 / Levi & Korsinsky notifies investors that it has commenced an investigation of Globus Medical, Inc. ("Globus Medical, Inc.") (NYSE:GMED) concerning possible violations of federal securities laws.In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on August 13, 2024, Globus disclosed that "[o]n July 16, 2024, Globus Medical, Inc. received a warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the FDA') following an inspection of our facilities in Audubon, Pennsylvania. In the warning letter, the FDA cited deficiencies in the response letters sent by the Company to the FDA following the Form 483, List of Investigational Observations, which was delivered to the Company in connection with the inspection that occurred from February 15, 2024 until March 7, 2024. The letter describes observed non-conformities in establishing and maintaining product complaint procedures, including complaint investigations, trending, risk reconciliation, and Medical Device Report (MDR) procedures including timely reporting, pertaining to the ExcelsiusGPS robotic system."Following this news, Globus's stock price fell over 7% the same day. To obtain additional information, go to:or contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. either via email at jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com or by telephone at (212)363-7500.WHY LEVI & KORSINSKY: Over the past 20 years, Levi & Korsinsky LLP has established itself as a nationally-recognized securities litigation firm that has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for aggrieved shareholders and built a track record of winning high-stakes cases. The firm has extensive expertise representing investors in complex securities litigation and a team of over 70 employees to serve our clients. For seven years in a row, Levi & Korsinsky has ranked in ISS Securities Class Action Services' Top 50 Report as one of the top securities litigation firms in the United States. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 17th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212)363-7500 Fax: (212)363-7171 https://zlk.com/ SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 21, 2024 / Kootenai Health, including its subsidiaries Kootenai Clinic, Kootenai Outpatient Surgery, and Kootenai Outpatient Imaging, recently disclosed a data breach that compromised the sensitive personal information of over 480,000 employees, employees' dependents, and patients. This breach has led to concerns over the security of private information entrusted to the healthcare provider.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?On March 2, 2024, Kootenai Health detected unusual activity that disrupted access to certain IT systems. Kootenai Health conducted an investigation which revealed an unauthorized party may have gained access to certain data in its network on or around February 22, 2024. The investigation determined that the following sensitive personal information were compromised in the data breach: full name, Social Security number, driver's license, government-issued ID, medical records number, medical information, health insurance information, and medical diagnoses.On August 12, 2024, Kootenai Health began issuing notice letters to individuals impacted by the data breach. Compensation may be available for Kootenai Health patients, employees, and their dependents who received notice that their personal information had been compromised.WHY AM I ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION?Data breaches are serious matters that can cause long-term damage. Hackers may use stolen information to commit identity theft, financial fraud, or other crimes. Companies that fail to secure your personal data may be held liable for the resulting harm.HOW DO I KNOW IF I WAS AFFECTED?If you received a data breach notification letter from Kootenai Health, you are likely affected. Follow the link below to find out if you may be eligible for compensation.Levi Korsinsky, LLP is investigating whether affected customers are entitled to compensation. If you have received a notice about the data breach, you may be entitled to compensation. There is no cost or obligation to participate. Follow the link below to find out:Levi & Korsinsky is a nationally recognized consumer advocacy law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars against large corporations. The firm's team of over 70 extraordinary attorneys and professionals have a winning track record going against the most powerful defense attorneys in the world and know how to maximize your compensation. The firm is a 100% contingency firm - we don't get paid unless you get paid! Please visit us at www.zlk.com for more information. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLPJoseph E. Levi, Esq.Ed Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 17th FloorNew York, NY 10004 jlevi@ levikorsinsky.com Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171 https://zlk.com/SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
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The NYC concert debut of composer Christopher DeLair features selections from the new astrology-themed musical Signs Of LifeNEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 21, 2024 / The Green Room 42 presents the New York City club debut of writer and composer Christopher DeLair. He will be joined by nearly a dozen musicians and artists to presentLife In The Air: The Music of Christopher DeLair , an evening of his original theatrical and contemporary pop music. The one-night-only event will take place Wednesday, September 11, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. ET. The concert is also available to live stream. Reservations are recommended and can be made at thegreenroom42.com . The Green Room 42 is located at 570 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10036.Life In The Air: The Music Of Christopher Delair in Concert Photo of writer and composer Christopher DeLairThe audience will experience a captivating evening featuring songs from Christopher DeLair's visionary new musical, Signs Of Life which follows the interstellar adventure of a young man on a quest to reconnect with his lost inner child, guided by the mystical Signs of the Zodiac. Also showcased are selections from DeLair's diverse catalog of melodic, witty, and unique songs.The concert features Christopher DeLair on the keyboard, vocals, and bongos who is joined by featured vocalists Diana Huey, Cayman Ilika, Tara Martinez, Leif Coomer plus Sabrina Shah and Alexa Green, guest vocalists who will premiere work from the upcoming presentation of the new musical Signs Of Life . Music Director Chris Ranney leads the band, all under the direction of James A. Rocco and Billie Wildrick."Christopher DeLair's musical universe transports me to a world of wonder, hope, and magic. I can't wait for New York City audiences to experience the emergence of this exciting new writer," said James A. Rocco, co-director of the concert.Christopher DeLair is a NYC-born, Seattle-based composer. He's been playing piano and writing songs since he was a child, and Signs of Life will be his first major work as a writer of both the script and score. He is a nature lover and a certified Astrologer. Aquarius to a fault, he is passionate about all the esoteric sciences. He identifies as the boy who fell to Earth.Past writing projects include More Than a Feeling, an original, seven-episode series featuring the students at Shorecrest High School. Many of DeLair's stand-alone songs have been featured in New York's cabaret scene, most recently a concert at Symphony Space to raise money for ALS and to celebrate the life and talent of the late Rebecca Luker."It's a surreal and wonderful experience to have characters in your head be sung into existence by amazing actors, accompanied by stellar musicians. I'm so excited for you to meet a few 'Signs', along with some other eccentric characters that live in my mind," said Mr. DeLair. Learn more by following Christopher on Instagram @christopherdelair.Contact InformationJulie NemitzMarketing & Communications, Astro Lab Productionsmarketing@ astrolab.productions 646-884-2249SOURCE: Christopher DeLair, composerView the original press release on newswire.com
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NAM's investment in Inferyx allows it to build solutions in the space of data-driven decision-making through innovation and delivering exceptional outcomesCRANBURY, NJ / ACCESSWIRE / August 21, 2024 /NAM Info Inc., a leading IT solutions provider, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Inferyx, a pioneering data management and analytics platform provider. NAM will serve as a Strategic Growth Partner, driving the development and adoption of Inferyx's innovative products.Lisha Akshay, Yogesh Palrecha, Vinay Mahajan, Balaji Krishnamoorthy and Abhimanyu Diwaker Vinay Mahajan, President & CEO of NAM Info Inc. & Yogesh Palrecha, Founder of Inferyx, enter into a strategic partnership.Facilitated by NAM's CTO, Balaji Krishnamoorthy, this partnership underscores NAM's commitment to expand the canvas for AI / ML / Advanced analytics / Data Management solutions. Inferyx's "intuitively adaptive platform" empowers organizations to evolve their data landscapes and unlock new opportunities."Our investment in Inferyx is a critical step in enhancing data-driven decision-making through innovation and delivering exceptional outcomes," said Vinay Mahajan, President & CEO of NAM Info Inc."Our investment in Inferyx is a critical step in enhancing data-driven decision-making through innovation and delivering exceptional outcomes," said Vinay Mahajan, President & CEO of NAM Info Inc.Balaji Krishnamoorthy added, "Inferyx's technology aligns perfectly with our vision of helping businesses unlock the infinite possibilities of data." Through this collaboration, NAM aims to explore new market opportunities, expand product offerings, and build a scalable ecosystem for data management and analytics."We are excited to partner with NAM, a company known for delivering impactful results. This collaboration will accelerate our growth and focus on enabling the full potential of the data and analytics universe," said Yogesh Palrecha, Founder of Inferyx.Inferyx is a leading provider of data management and analytics solutions. Its platform helps organizations efficiently manage, integrate, and analyze their data, featuring tools for data management, a business rule engine, and advanced analytics. By leveraging Inferyx's platform, businesses can improve operational efficiency, drive innovation, and enhance data-driven decision-making.NAM Info Inc. stands as a beacon in the realm of business solutions, offering services across business domains and technological frameworks. Established in 2000 with our headquarters in Cranbury, NJ, USA, NAM has expanded its operational horizon with offices in Bangalore and Chennai, India, and Mississauga, Canada. In 2007, we initiated our offshore services in Bangalore, underlining our commitment to global growth and operational excellence. NAM is set to broaden its geographical footprint further, reinforcing our mission to deliver outstanding business solutions worldwide.This partnership marks a significant milestone in the journey of both companies to redefine the future of data management and analytics.Media Contact: Vinay MahajanPresident & CEONAM Info Inc. vinay@ nam-it.com Contact InformationVinay MahajanPresident & CEOvinay@ nam-it.com +1 (732) 500-6511SOURCE: NAM Info Inc.View the original press release on newswire.com
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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 20, 2024 /Q2 Metals Corp. (TSXV:QTWO)(OTCQB:QUEXF)(FSE:458) (" Q2 " or the " Company ") announces that, as a result of a technical review by the British Columbia Securities Commission, the Company is issuing the following news release to clarify its technical disclosure as it pertains to the news release issued on August 19, 2024.The Company previously reported the cumulative grades of drill holes CS-24-007 to CS-24-010 at the Company's Cisco Property over cumulative intervals' and cumulative metres.' This disclosure has been removed from the August 19, 2024 news release as well as all previously issued news releases that reported cumulative intervals and/or cumulative metres.As such, the highlights of the Company's inaugural drilling campaign at the Cisco Property included:CS-24-010: Widest interval of 120.3 m at 1.72% Li 2 O including 19.0 m at 2.06% Li 2 OCS-24-007: Widest interval of 27.1 m at 1.96% Li 2 O including 11.1 m at 2.49% Li 2 OCS-24-008: Widest interval of 19.3m at 1.75% Li 2 O including 6.2 m at 2.23% Li 2 OCS-24-009: Widest interval of 82.1m at 1.43% Li 2 O including 15.7 m at 1.88% Li 2 OThe analytical results reported represent the first 1,017 m of drilling over four (4) holes of the 3,753 m that were drilled over 12 holes at the Cisco Property. Initial visual results of those four holes were reported by the Company on June 17, 2024.The Spring 2024 Drill Campaign was designed to expand upon the 2023 drilling by the Property vendors. Hole CS-23-05 ("Hole 5") drilled by the Property vendor ended in pegmatite and assays results confirmed its widest interval of 48.0 m at 1.23% Li 2 O including 9.0 m at 1.73% Li 2 O.Holes CS-24-009 and 010 ("Hole 10") were designed as 50 m westward step-outs from Hole 5. Assay results from these two holes confirmed wide intervals of spodumene pegmatite, with the widest interval reaching 120.3 m at 1.72% Li 2 O, including 19.0 m at 2.06% Li 2 O in Hole 10.Complete highlighted intervals from holes CS-24-007 to 010 are summarized in Table 1 and represented in Figure 1. All intervals of greater than two (2) metres of core-length are included in the table. Internal dilution of non-pegmatite material was limited to intervals of less than five (5) metres. No specific grade cap or lower cut-offs were used during grade and width calculations. All intervals are reported as core widths and mineralized intervals in all the holes drilled thus far are not representative of the true width as the modelled pegmatite zones are being refined with every additional hole.Figure 1. Map of Inaugural Drill Hole Analytical Results at Cisco Property Table 1. Summary of Analytical Results of Spring Drill Holes at Cisco PropertyTable 2. Summary of Drill Hole Collar Information, Cisco PropertyResults from approximately 2,700 m of drilling eight (8) holes (CS-24-011 to CS-24-018) remain to be reported from the Spring 2024 Drill Campaign and will be released as soon as results are available. Drilling at the Cisco Property is ongoing and will continue into the fall of 2024.About the Cisco Property The Cisco Property is comprised of 222 mineral claims and is 11,374 hectares in size. It is located less than 10 kilometres ("km") east of the Billy Diamond Highway, and is approximately 150 km north of Matagami, a small town that contains the closest rail link to much of James Bay. The Property lies within the greater Nemaska Community lands of the Eeyou Istchee Territory, James Bay, Quebec.The Property is situated along the Frotet Evans Greenstone Belt, comprised of a volcanic package dominated by mafic to felsic metavolcanic rocks, of the southern James Bay Lithium District, the same belt that hosts the Sirmac and Moblan lithium deposits, located 130 km and 180 km away, respectively.Sampling, Analytical Methods and QA/QC Protocols As per the BCSC technical review, information required by sections 3.2 and 3.3 of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") that was inadvertently omitted has also been updated.All drill core samples were shipped to SGS Canada's preparation facility in Val D'Or, Quebec, for standard sample preparation (code PRP92) which includes drying at 105C, crushing to 90% passing 2 mm, riffle split 500 g, and pulverize 85% passing 75 microns. The pulps are then shipped by air to SGS Canada's laboratory in Burnaby, BC, where the samples are homogenized and subsequently analyzed for multi-element (including Li and Ta) using sodium peroxide fusion with ICP-AES/MS finish (code GE_ICM91A50). The reported Li grade was multiplied by the standard conversion factor of 2.153 which results in an equivalent Li 2 O grade. Drill core was saw-cut with half-core sent for geochemical analysis and half-core remaining in the box for reference. The same side of the core was sampled to maintain representativeness.A Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QA/QC) protocol following industry best practices was incorporated into the sampling program. Measures include the systematic insertion of quartz blanks and certified reference materials (CRMs) into sample batches at a rate of approximately 5% each. Additionally, analysis of pulp-split and reject-split duplicates was completed to assess analytical precision. The QP has verified the QA/QC results of the analytical work.Qualified Person Neil McCallum, B.Sc., P.Geol, is a registered permit holder with the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release. Mr. McCallum is a director and VP Exploration for Q2.About Q2 Metals CorpQ2 Metals is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on unlocking its portfolio of lithium projects in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region of Quebec, Canada, that includes both its 100-per-cent-owned Mia Lithium Property and the Cisco Lithium Property.The Cisco lithium property is located approximately 150 km north of Matagami, Que., and comprises 222 mineral claims and is 11,374 ha in size. The property has district-scale potential with an already identified mineralized zone and a discovery drill result that included 48 metres at 1.36% lithium oxide (hole CS-23-05).FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:Alicia MilnePresident & CEOAlicia@ Q2metals.com Jason McBride Corporate CommunicationsJason@ Q2metals.com Telephone: 1 (800) 482-7560 E-mail: info@ Q2metals.com Follow the Company: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and InstagramForward-Looking StatementsThis news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements%2
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 21. The Altyn Kyran  2024 joint tactical-special exercise opened in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on August 20 under a cooperative arrangement between the Azerbaijani and Kazakh Defense Ministries, Trend reports, referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

The ceremony was a real showstopper, with the national anthems being played and the national flags of the participating countries being raised high and proud.

Speakers welcomed the guests, drove home the point about the significance of such exercises for brainstorming joint activities and swapping stories, and crossed their fingers for success for all the participants.

At the end, the servicemen participating in the exercise solemnly marched in front of the grandstand.

During the drills, the participants will conduct mountainous reconnaissance and detect and neutralize illegal armed formations at the Almaty Koktal training site joint exercise. Furthermore, Azerbaijani servicemen will spill the beans on the nitty-gritty of their battle-hardened experience acquired during the 44-day second Karabakh War with their Kazakh comrades.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
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"The Critical Minerals and ZEO Company"THOMPSON FALLS, MT / ACCESSWIRE / August 21, 2024 / United States Antimony Corporation ("USAC", or the "Company"), (NYSE American:UAMY) announced today the acquisition of, through a helicopter supported staking program, 69 State of Alaska mining claims, covering 11,040 acres (17.25 square miles). UAMY personnel were attracted to the area upon the recommendation of consulting geologists who had many years of Alaskan field experience, and by studying historical State of Alaska geological reconnaissance, mapping, sampling and assaying reports. One of the prime targets of the staking program was an 8-foot-wide quartz vein with very high copper values that the company geologists had previously examined. Assay values of 13 samples collected by the State geologists, from the quartz vein averaged 16.5% copper with 0.076 opt gold and 2.21 opt silver. Copper is one of the minerals on the U.S. Department of Energy Critical Minerals List.Access to this high-grade copper exposure is particularly favorable in open to moderate terrain. The company's consulting geologists were able to drive (without the use of 4WD) to within walking distance of the quartz vein via 10 miles of existing resource roads from a major highway.Commenting on the new mining leases acquired by the Company today, Mr. Joe Bardswich, P.E., a Director and Co-CEO of USAC stated, "Similar to our recent acquisition of mining claims with high grades of critical minerals located in Ontario, Canada, announced last week (see Press Release dated August 13, 2024), these Alaskan properties continue to expand our in-house strategic mineral reserve options. Alaskan citizens are very much aware of the importance of natural resources to the national security of this nation. State rules, regulations and the attitudes of citizens encourage environmentally responsible development without the many years of red tape found under other jurisdictions. The State of Alaska is under-explored, and we are considering other mining opportunities located in Alaska. We are currently having initial discussions with other claim holders within the area of interest regarding possible acquisitions, options or joint ventures. Due to these other activities which are ongoing, we are not yet disclosing the exact location of these new mining claims announced today." This second announcement of new mining claims by the Company, also associated with Critical Minerals, gives our company and its shareholders an additional mining option on home grown territory. With the recent decision by China to curtail worldwide sales of antimony, we are better understanding the importance of immediate access to critical minerals necessary not only for our military in munitions, but for everyday necessities such as batteries, fire retardants, computer chips, etc. We are not in a free market when China controls so much of these materials around the world and then dictates when and how they will be sold.About USAC:United States Antimony Corporation and its subsidiaries in the U.S. and Mexico ("USAC", the "Company", "Our", "Us", or "We") sell processed antimony, zeolite, and precious metals products in the U.S. and Canada. The Company processes antimony ore primarily into antimony oxide, antimony metal, and antimony trisulfide. Our antimony oxide is used to form a flame-retardant system for plastics, rubber, fiberglass, textile goods, paints, coatings and paper, as a color fastener in paint, and as a phosphorescent agent in fluorescent light bulbs. Our antimony metal is used in bearings, storage batteries, and ordnance. Our antimony trisulfide is used as a primer in ammunition. In its operations in Idaho, the Company mines and processes zeolite, a group of industrial minerals used in soil amendment and fertilizer, water filtration, sewage treatment, nuclear waste and other environmental cleanup, odor control, gas separation, animal nutrition, and other miscellaneous applications. We recover certain amounts of precious metals, primarily gold and silver, at our plant in Montana from antimony concentrates.Forward-Looking Statements:Readers should note that, in addition to the historical information contained herein, this press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of, and intended to be covered by, the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on the Company including matters related to the Company's operations, pending contracts and future revenues, financial performance, and profitability, ability to execute on its increased production and installation schedules for planned capital expenditures, and the size of forecasted deposits. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and the assumptions upon which they are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations and assumptions will prove to have been correct. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as these statements are subject to numerous factors and uncertainties. In addition, other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are discussed in the Company's most recent filings, including Form 10-K and Form 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission.Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "outlook," "estimate," "forecast," "project," "pro forma" and other similar words and expressions. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which change over time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Because forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions and uncertainties, actual results or future events could differ, possibly materially, from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements and future results could differ materially from historical performance.Contact: United States Antimony Corp.PO Box 64347 Cox Gulch Rd.Thompson Falls, Montana 59873-0643E-Mail: Jmiller@ usantimony.com Phone: 406-606-4117SOURCE: United States Antimony Corp.
Controversial actor Yul Edochie has opened up on his reason for becoming a pastor and described it as fulfilling.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Yul launched his online church, True Salvation Ministry (TSM), in January. Since then, he has held regular Sunday services on his YouTube channel and frequently addresses various issues.

One of his controversial sermons was in July, where he condemned men who sleep with another mans wife, noting that such actions weaken mens spiritual well-being.

The 42-year-old actor, in an interview he hosted with two other co-hosts, posted on his YouTube page Monday, claimed that his calling as a minister of God was predetermined.

He said: First of all, becoming a pastor is the best thing I have ever done for myself. Serving God and being able to tell people about Him are wonderful and bring me a peace I never had before. Many years ago (in 2012 or 2013), people told me I would be a minister of God, but I never believed them because I was thriving in Nollywood and making money. I thought that having money would allow me to enjoy my life.

Then, as time passed, I began to hear the voice myself. I would sit down, and the voice would come, saying, Youre going to be a minister of God; youre going to work for me, just know this. Nothing else made sense to me, and the things I used to do that distracted me from God no longer made sense. Thats when I knew it was time to work for Him. I had many prayer points years back, and when I look back, I realise that God has answered them all. He told me, I have done all these for you; now its time for you to do mine.

Zero financial gain

The University of Port Harcourt alumni said he did not start a ministry or become a pastor for financial gain but to fulfil Gods purpose and plan for his life.

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Its not about making money, and I dont have everything in the world, but Im content with what I have. Im not doing ministry work to make money from it, even though some people might, perhaps because they dont have money. But Ive done everything in lifeI have a house, Im raising my children, acting, doing real estate, and Im okay.

Its my destiny, and everything thats happened in the last two years (the noise) is about bringing us closer to God. Now, when I talk about God, everyone listens. If I had talked about Him in 2019, maybe only 10 per cent of people would have listened, but now, 110 per cent of the world listens. When I say I have something to say, everyone wants to hear it, said the actor.

Alcohol, not sinful

Furthermore, the son of veteran actor Pete Edochie added that pastors drinking alcohol or smoking is not inherently sinful and does not contradict biblical teachings.

Yul, who made his acting debut in the 2005 film The Exquires, clarified that excessive alcohol consumption by ministers is inappropriate.

He said, I dont see anything wrong with a man of God drinking alcohol, but what I do have a problem with is drinking to the point of getting drunk, which can lead to actions theyll later regret. Thats my take, and anyone can criticise; thats their problem. God hasnt told me that drinking alcohol is wrong, and I believe He will tell me if its wrong.

But I dont see anything wrong with it because when I was young, white priests (foreign priests) in Nigeria during their Mass, just before they started, youd go to the back of the church and often see them smoking, holding, and drinking cigarettes and hot drinks. I dont know who told our people that once youre a pastor, you shouldnt drink alcohol or that its against Gods law. God will tell me if its time for me to stop.

Publics opinion

The 2017 Anambra State Democratic Peoples Congress gubernatorial candidate revealed indifference to public opinion about himself and his family over the past two years.

This newspaper reported that Yul has been in the news since August 2023, when divorce proceedings involving his estranged wife began in May. In August 2023, there was also the ongoing controversy surrounding his marriage to his second wife, Judy.

I dont read what people say about me or the comments on my posts, which is why I post and tell people that the comments section is open for them to express themselves because I love making Nigerians happy. I understand that people are going through a lot in Nigeria, and if not, why would they focus on my issues instead of theirs?

If something on my page can bring them happiness and help them live longer, they are welcome. When I said Im a man of God, He told me its time to announce it, not to see what people think because their opinions are irrelevant. Im only concerned about what God thinks of me.

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South Africa Department of Home Affairs has revealed more about the investigation launched into Chidimma Adetshinas citizenship authenticity.

Ms Adetshina competed in the just-concluded Miss South Africa pageant on 10 August at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria.

Ms Adetshina withdrew from the pageant won by Mia Le Roux following her mothers alleged identity theft and backlash from South Africans.

On 8 August, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Home Affairs Department commenced an investigation into Ms Adetshinas citizenship following a request from the Miss South Africa organisers and outcry from South Africans.

The Department further announced that its preliminary investigation showed Ms Adetshinas mother may have committed fraud.

Upon her withdrawal, Ms Adetshina, born in South Africa to a Nigerian father, a Mozambique mother, and now a naturalised South African, was extended an invitation to contest the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant.

The 300-level law student who accepted the invitation is contesting as Miss Taraba State at the ongoing Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, which will have its grand finale on 31 August.

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On Tuesday, PSAFLIVE, a South African media outlet, posted a statement on its X page regarding Ms Adetshinas ongoing citizenship investigation.

Home Affairs Statement

The statement released by Home Affairs followed a presentation by Advocate Constance Moitse, Head of the Counter-Corruption Unit, to the Parliaments Home Affairs Portfolio Committee on the ongoing investigation.

The statement revealed that the South African mother whose identity was allegedly stolen by Ms Adetshinas mother has been identified.

The statement partly read: The Department has relied on its records to establish that the South African mother whose identity may have been stolen was registered by her mother in 1982, and as a result, she entered the National Population Register. Her birth was registered in Tshwane. In 1995, she applied for an ID. Three months after the application, she returned to Home Affairs to collect the ID. On her return to Home Affairs, she learnt that her ID was issued in Johannesburg at an office she had not applied for.

She then gave birth in 2001. When she went to register her child at Home Affairs, she discovered a child was registered under her ID number. The child that was registered was Miss Chidimma Vanessa Onwe Adetshina. She then spent months before she could be given a new identity number. Home Affairs has visited the address listed for Ms Adetshinas mother and that of the lady whose ID was stolen. The information the ladys family shared, whose ID was stolen in Tshwane, matches the details in DHA records.

Legal advice

Furthermore, the Department stated that it is obtaining legal advice on the implications of the alleged fraudulent activity on Ms Adetshinas citizenship status.

Home Affairs noted that the case highlighted the need for caution as the Department implements the court order on blocked IDs.

They said: Ms Adetshinas mother was issued a Promotion of Administrative Justice Act letter on 07 August 2024. Her response to this letter will determine the final decision that the Department will take about the ID she is currently carrying. The Departments ongoing investigation also looks at other important areas for a fair and accurate conclusion of this case.

The Departments investigation is at an advanced stage. This investigation now includes the involvement of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks.) The Departments drive towards digitisation will eliminate instances of fraudulent interference.

Officials involved

According to the Department, three officials allegedly conspired with Ms Adetshinas mother to commit the identity theft.

Additionally, the Department noted that the officials involved in the alleged fraudulent scheme are being investigated.

The Department has identified officials who registered the birth at the Home Affairs Office in Johannesburg. One of the officials has since passed on. The Department is investigating two other officials who may have been involved in the alleged fraudulent scheme, the statement added.

Background

This newspaper reported that the controversy surrounding Ms Adetshinas eligibility started after she entered the pageant.

As she advanced in the competition, she became crucial in the xenophobia and national identity debate.

Despite calls for her disqualification, the pageant organisers confirmed her eligibility.

However, the criticisms intensified when her marriage video was discovered and deemed a violation of pageant guidelines.

According to them, a married, divorced woman or a nursing mother is not eligible to compete for Miss South Africa. However, as their website outlines, the Miss South Africa organisations guidelines clarify that being married, divorced, or a mother does not disqualify contestants from participating in the pageant.

According to the South African Citizenship Act, an individual automatically qualifies for citizenship if they are born in South Africa, if at least one of their parents is a South African citizen, or if a South African permanent residency permit holder or a South African citizen adopts them.

This Act provides the legal basis for Ms Adetshinas South African citizenship as she is a dual citizen of South Africa and Nigeria.

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The United Nations Children Funds (UNICEF) on Wednesday deplored the alleged diversion of nutrition supplements in some communities in Sokoto State.

UNICEFs Chief of Field Office in charge of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states, Micheal Juma, expressed concerns during the quarterly policymakers meeting on Wednesday in Sokoto.

Mr Juma urged community members and stakeholders in the healthcare sector to intensify vigilance against the diversion of prepared nutrition supplements in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that UNICEF organised the meeting in collaboration with the Sokoto State Government to discuss activities, successes, and challenges and offer solutions to lingering challenges.

Mr Juma, who was represented by Abraham Mahama, noted that the nutrition supplements were provided by donors and distributed to healthcare centres in different communities aimed at enhancing the lives of malnourished children.

He lamented that some bad elements in the system connived with traders and sold the supplements to unintended persons.

He stressed that the supplements were openly sold in markets. During an investigation at the designated stores, UNICEF discovered that personnel stocked cartons of supplements with stones and other objects to cover their nefarious acts, he said.

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Mr Juma also urged the Sokoto government to join other states in appointing a Statistician General who would fastrack data collection, prudence, preservation and dissemination in line with modern trends.

He highlighted that most of the states key indicators, such as antenatal care, immunisation, mortality rates, healthcare-seeking behaviours, and social behavioural change, portrayed very poor performance.

According to him, indices on healthcare Infrastructure, power and water supply, competent healthcare workers, and client-untrusting service providers were not encouraging in the state.

In his presentation, the UNICEF Social Protection Specialist, Isa Ibrahim, dwelled on the states 2024 budget performance. He listed areas that need alignment, such as the nutrition sector with recorded zero allocation. He also mentioned areas that recorded high capital expenditure but had less impact on the citizens.

Mr Ibrahim also anchored Mr Jumas call for the appointment of a substantive Statistician-General in the state to harness data prudence and accessibility using standard systems, stressing that the absence of a Statistician-General creates a vacuum and gap that needs to be abridged.

He explained that the objectives of the quarterly meeting comprised sensitising stakeholders on activities, advocating increased inclusion of children on policies, prioritising joint partnerships, advocating optimum data usage and budget performance.

Earlier, the Sokoto State Deputy Governor, Idris Gobir, assured of the governments maximum support to all donor agencies, describing the presentations as an awakening call to government officials to amend anomalies.

Balarabe Kadadi, the state commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, said UNICEF and other donor interventions were critical toward addressing the states challenges.

Mr Kadadi noted that collaborations remained key to improving service efficiency and ensured value for money on budget formulation and implementation.

(NAN)

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The Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, has announced a lump sum of 200 million as allowances to support the residency training of 150 medical doctors.

Mr Zulum announced this Wednesday during a meeting with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Maiduguri, as part of measures to discourage the Japa syndrome and to elevate the quality of healthcare services in the state.

Japa is a Nigerian slang used to describe the act of professionals leaving Nigeria to seek better opportunities and living conditions abroad.

Nigeria loses thousands of health workers annually to the Japa syndrome.

Under his new initiative, the Borno governor said 50 medical doctors employed by the state government will each receive 2 million, while over 100 Borno indigenes working in federal institutions are slated to receive 1 million each. These allowances are in addition to their normal salaries and allowances.

He said the financial support is intended to provide doctors with advanced clinical skills, practical experience, and specialised training, thereby contributing to the overall improvement of medical services in the region.

Brain Drain

Nigeria has been grappling with brain drain, as thousands of Nigerian health professionals, including doctors, leave the country yearly to seek greener pastures.

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The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, recently revealed that the country now has only 55,000 licensed doctors as 16,000 doctors left the country in the last five years and about 17,000 have been transferred.

He also said that 67 per cent of Nigerian doctors who migrate go to practice in the United Kingdom.

To manage the mass exodus of the countrys health workforce, President Bola Tinubu approved the National Policy on Health Workforce Migration last week.

Mr Pate announced that the policy is a comprehensive strategy to manage, harness, and reverse health workers migration.

He added that the policy will also encourage the return of professionals to Nigeria through attractive incentives and reintegrate them into the nations health system.

Many states like Borno are also making their own efforts to retain health workers.

Bornos efforts

Mr Zulum emphasised his administrations commitment to healthcare service delivery. He appreciated the collaborative efforts of national health leaders in advancing healthcare services in Borno State.

The governor said his administration is committed to improving residents healthcare and underscored the critical role that well-trained medical professionals play in ensuring quality healthcare delivery.

He urged the NMA leadership to work with the state government in improving the healthcare of residents.

Plans for health sector

Mr Zulum highlighted his governments planned interventions for the healthcare sector, including recruiting over 1,000 medical personnel, building doctors quarters and establishing a state university teaching hospital, as well as providing scholarships to medical students.

He said his administration plans to allocate more than 15 per cent of its budget to healthcare and enhance primary healthcare facilities in Borno.

NMAs comments

In its reaction, the NMA named the governor as a champion for quality healthcare and the welfare of health workers.

NMA President Bala Audu commended Governor Zulums leadership and urged him to continue advocating for universal quality healthcare.

Mr Audu also lauded Governor Zulum for his notable achievements in healthcare infrastructure development and initiatives aimed at improving the welfare of healthcare workers.

He highlighted a successful medical outreach programme initiated by doctors from various specialities, which he said contributed to the advancement of healthcare services in the state.

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The Africa CDC says controlling the spread of Mpox will require immediate action on the continent as the risk of spread between neighbouring countries and globally is high.

Cross-border movement, low public understanding of Mpox transmission, and insufficient response capacity are major challenges among African countries that make the spread likely, according to the public health body.

In an article published on its website, Africa CDC highlighted the vaccine shortage as a serious threat to the countries efforts at containment.

The agency also noted that many African countries are highly vulnerable to Mpox infection due to widespread malnutrition and the prevalence of HIV.

The outbreak is further complicated by a high case fatality rate of over 39 per cent, particularly among children younger than 15 years, who account for 60 per cent of cases, the agency said.

The agency reported that investigation revealed that heterosexual sexual activities, particularly among sex workers in Congo, are a major driver of Mpox transmission.

This is in contrast with what is obtainable in Europe, where spread occurred mostly between men who had sex with men.

The high prevalence among women raises concerns about vertical transmission risks and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

The high risk of severe infection among people living with HIV, considerations for asymptomatic infections, poor vaccination strategies, limited access to medical countermeasures, and low detection rates were other concerns, the agency said.

Rapid spread

On 13 August, the Africa CDC declared Mpox a public health emergency of continental security (PHECS) in Africa.

The agency said it acted in line with its mandate to address significant public health threats.

This mandate was established in July 2022 by the Executive Council of the Africa Union (AU) Assembly through its decision.

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It said the worsening mpox situation on the continent drove the decision.

Between 2022 and now, about 40 874 cases and 1512 deaths have been reported across 15 African Union member states.

In 2024 alone, 17 541 cases and 517 deaths have been reported from 13 AU member states. This shows that there was a 160 per cent increase in cases and a 19 per cent rise in deaths in 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

In 2023, there was a 79 per cent increase in cases compared to 2022.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) accounts for 96 per cent of all cases and 97 per cent of all deaths reported in 2024.

Mpox vaccine production in Africa

Also, the public health agency is currently in talks with Bavarian Nordic, the sole global producer of a mpox vaccine, about transferring technology to enable African manufacturers to produce the vaccine locally.

Africa CDC Director General Dr Jean Kaseya, on Tuesday, said the goal is to have 10 million doses available by the end of 2025.

He described this as a longer-term solution to the Mpox outbreak affecting African countries in West and Central Africa.

More immediately, the continent expects donations from wealthier countries during this emergency humanitarian era, he said.

He noted that the European Union is assisting with procuring 215,000 vaccines for mpox.

He also appealed to the international community not to impose travel bans on countries dealing with an outbreak of mpox, but instead to support the continent in rolling out testing and vaccinations.

Dont punish Africa. We hear from here and there that you want to apply travel bans we need solidarity, we need you to provide appropriate support, this vaccine is expensive, he said.

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A presidential audit revealed that the Nigerian government wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars at COP 28 in Dubai last year including nearly $500,000 spent on a showcase pavilion in addition to a number of wasteful sub-contracts and consultancies, among many other avoidable expenses, an official has said.

President Bola Tinubus spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, stated this while briefing journalists in Abuja, according to an official statement.

Mr Ngelale said President Tinubu has thus set up an efficient and prudent system for this years climate conference, COP 29, in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Background

In December last year, PREMIUM TIMES reported how the large delegation sponsored by the government to the climate change conference in Dubai elicited condemnation by citizens who had been asked by Mr Tinubu to endure the rise in the prices of goods and services caused by government policies.

According to the UNFCCC published list of attendees during the conference last year, Nigeria and China had 1,411 delegates each with badges accredited to attend the summit in Dubai, of which about 590 were party badge holders.

A review of the published list at the time ranked Nigeria joint-third behind the conference host, the UAE and Brazil among all the countries present at COP28.

In response to public criticisms, the government said it only funded 422 persons of the 590-person list that includes the presidents son, Seyi Tinubu, and other individuals believed to have no significant roles in the climate conference.

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The 422 people funded by the federal government under Mr Tinubu are, however, more than the total number of official government delegations to COP27 last year (120) and COP26 in 2021 (87).

PREMIUM TIMES review of the figures at the time also showed that the number of government-funded delegates increased by over 250 per cent between COP27 in 2022 and COP28 even if all 120 official delegates at COP27 were government funded.

The 422 persons funded by the Nigerian government also suggests that the Nigerian government funded more delegates to COP28 than the UK and the US combined (even if both countries used government funds for all their party delegates  234). The US had 159 delegates with party badges, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland had 75.

Based on these concerns, Mr Ajuri, on Tuesday, disclosed that Mr Tinubu has authorised the establishment of the Climate Accountability and Transparency Portal and other measures to ensure efficiency and accountability in the nations participation in the forthcoming COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, slated for 11 to 22 November.

Also, he said the Nigerian leader has called for an audit of the expenditure profile of Nigerias delegation at last years Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai amidst inefficiency of the government representatives at the summit.

The Conference of the Parties, dubbed COP, is the supreme decision-making body of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC).

Annually, states (countries) that are parties to the convention send representatives to COP, where they review the implementation of the climate change pact ( Paris agreement) and any other legal instrument adopted to address the lingering scourge of climate change globally.

At COP meetings, parties also make decisions necessary to promote the effective implementation of the convention, including institutional and administrative arrangements.

Read the full statement below.

President Bola Tinubu has authorised the establishment of the Climate Accountability and Transparency Portal and other measures to ensure efficiency and accountability in the nations participation in the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP 29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, slated for November 11-22, 2024.

Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed this at the State House on Tuesday while briefing the media on Nigerias preparation for the forthcoming climate conference.

He also announced that the government would strictly implement cost saving measures that would save the nation nearly 10 billion during COP 29 relative to expenditures made during COP 28 in Dubai last year.

President Bola Tinubu is fully aware of and sensitive to the economic conditions confronting our people, and as a result, he approved an audit of the expenditure profile of last years COP 28 climate conference. While there was deliberate misinformation regarding the delegation size, our investigation clearly identified inefficiencies that required immediate remedies.

The President had approved that the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action in collaboration with the National Council on Climate Change establish the Climate Accountability and Transparency Portal (CAT-P) as a tool for every Nigerian to verify the number of delegates attending COP 29 later this year.

This will, among other things, ensure that all members of the delegation across ministries, departments and agencies at the federal and state levels, as well as the legislative branch of government, are captured on a transparent portal. Nigerians will have full-and-real-time access into the data concerning who is attending and those the government is sponsoring to COP 29.

Mr Ngelale said concerns were raised about the size of Nigerias delegation and the associated expenditures during COP 28 in Dubai.

He noted that in response, President Tinubu authorised an audit to fully understand and ascertain what happened and what must be done to ensure that such inefficiencies are not repeated.

According to him, the audit revealed significant wasteful expenditures at COP 28, including nearly $500,000 spent on a showcase pavilion in addition to a number of wasteful sub-contracts and consultancies, among many other avoidable expenses.

This review and resolution process is conducted with a view to ensuring that whatever is spent ahead of COP 29 has a function that will lead to the economic empowerment of our people and the economic development of our nation.

Additionally, this will also ensure that anyone who is attending this conference has an economic imperative to be at that conference, engaging with companies, multilateral partners and stakeholders who will attract finance and opportunity into the country for the benefit of our people.

Anyone who is not engaging in activities that are directly linked to the attraction of climate engagement, business opportunity, and ushering new finance into the country will not be part of the federal governments delegation this time around, the Special Envoy said.

Mr Ngelale further explained that the Nigerian delegation will efficiently utilise the on-site delegation office with a time slotting system within the conference complex, which will cost less than 10 percent of the amount spent the previous year on the pavilion.

This is the change that Nigerians have asked for. This is the change that President Tinubu is giving to them, Mr Ngelale told reporters at the briefing.

Segun Imohiosen

Director, (Information & Public Relations)

August 20, 2024

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Amnesty International Nigeria has accused Nigerian security agencies of failing to account for the whereabouts of many residents who were arrested in the South-east.

In a series of posts on its X handle on Monday, Amnesty said the arrested victims were often accused of being members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

IPOB is a group agitating for the independent state of Biafra, which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of south-south Nigeria.

In South-east Nigeria, many people were arrested by state agents, without any trace of their whereabouts, and the state denies knowledge of where they are, putting their families through endless anguish, the right group said.

The victims

Amnesty said Sunday Nwafor, a 47-year-old entrepreneur, has not been seen since 27 February 2020 after his arrest by soldiers from 14 Brigade Ohafia, Abia State.

The group said aside from Mr Nwafor, many young men detained at a facility of the now disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Awkuzu, Anambra State, have disappeared.

Nothing was heard about their whereabouts, it said of the young men at the SARS facility.

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Amnesty did not provide the identities of the young men whom it said disappeared at the facility of the disbanded SARS.

The right group said another victim, Chijioke Iloanya, 20, has not been seen since his arrest by Nigerian security forces in November 2012.

The group uploaded on the microblogging platform details of other victims of the alleged forced disappearance.

It said Maduabuchi Obinwa, 22, disappeared after his abduction on 24 April 2022 when security agents from the Awkuzu State Criminal Investigation Department raided his house in Ekwulobia, Anambra State.

It also said security operatives took Sunday Ifedi and Calista Ifedi, a couple, from their home in Enugu, on 23 November 2021 for allegedly being IPOB members.

The group, however, did not mention the security agency responsible for their arrest.

The fates and whereabouts of all these people remained unknown at the end of the year, the group said.

Amnesty also recalled that Obiora Agbasimalo, a governorship candidate of the Labour Party, was abducted by gunmen on 18 September 2021 while going to an election campaign rally in Azia Town in the state.

Mr Obiora, like other victims, has not been released for nearly three years.

Army, police speak

When contacted on Tuesday, the police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, said he was constrained to speak on matters relating to SARS.

Mt Ikenga, a superintendent of police, however, referred PREMIUM TIMES to a panel of enquiry set up by the Anambra State Government to look into the cases of alleged brutality and harassment by SARS operatives.

When reached for comments on Tuesday, the Chairperson of Civil Society Organisations in Anambra State and a member of the panel, Chris Asor, told PREMIUM TIMES that he would need to look into records to give details of such cases against SARS operatives.

He said the case of Mr Obinwa and several similar cases were reported to the panel at the time.

Mr Asor, however, expressed disappointment that the Anambra State Government was yet to implement the recommendations of the panel on SARS.

He said the government might have abandoned the recommendations given that it later set up a Truth and Justice Committee to carry out similar assignments.

We submitted the recommendations to the current governor, Charles Soludo, and he promised to implement some recommendations, but nothing has been done yet, he said.

Innocent Omale, the spokesperson of the 14 Brigade of the Nigerian army in Ohafia, Abia State, did not respond to calls and text messages seeking his comments.

Arbitrary arrest, extrajudicial killings

Amnesty has repeatedly accused Nigerian security forces of carrying out extrajudicial killings in the South-east under the guise of fighting IPOB and other Pro-Biafra groups.

In 2016, the group accused the Nigerian Army of extrajudicial killing of at least 17 unarmed pro-Biafra supporters in Nigerias south-east.

READ ALSO: Police teams reportedly shoot each other after mistaking themselves for IPOB members

The allegation supported PREMIUM TIMES investigation which documented the killing of many unarmed Nigerians by the army in Onitsha and other areas of the South-east within that year.

Also in 2022, PREMIUM TIMES found that many unarmed residents in the South-east were killed by Nigerian troops deployed to check Biafra agitation.

Earlier in the same year, this newspaper had detailed how innocent residents of the region were killed by security agencies fighting suspected IPOB members.

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He hit me with a gun butt, Premium Times newspaper reporter Yakubu Mohammed told the Committee to Protect Journalists, recalling how he was struck by a police officer while reporting on cost-of-living protests in Nigerias capital of Abuja on August 1. Two other officers beat him, seized his phone, and threw him in a police van despite his wearing a Press vest and showing them his press identification card.

Mohammed is one of at least 56 journalists who were assaulted or harassed by security forces or unidentified citizens while covering the #EndBadGovernance demonstrations in Nigeria, one of several countries across sub-Saharan Africa that have experienced anti-government protests in recent months.

In Kenya, at least a dozen journalists have been targeted by security personnel during weeks of youth-led protests since June, with at least one reporter shot with rubber bullets and several others hit with teargas canisters. Meanwhile, Ugandan police and soldiers used force to quash similar demonstrations over corruption and high living costs, while a Ghanaian court banned planned protests.

Globally, attacks on the press often spike during moments of political tension. In Senegal, at least 25 journalists were attacked, detained, or tear gassed while reporting on Februarys protests over delayed elections. Last year, CPJ found that more than 40 Nigerian journalists were detained, attacked, or harassed while reporting on presidential and state elections. In 2020, at least a dozen journalists were attacked during the #EndSARS campaign to abolish Nigerias brutal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) police unit.

CPJs documentation of the incidents below, based on interviews with those affected, local media reports, and verified videos and photos, are emblematic of the dangers faced by reporters in many African countries during protests  and the failure of authorities to prioritize journalists safety and ending impunity for crimes against journalists.

All but one of the journalists  a reporter for government-owned Radio Nigeria  worked for privately owned media outlets.

July 31

In western Lagos State, police officers harassed Bernard Akede, a reporter with News Central TV, and his colleagues, digital reporter Eric Thomas and camera operators Karina Adobaba-Harry and Samuel Chukwu, forcing them to pause reporting on the planned protests at the Lekki toll gate.

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August 1

In Abuja, police officers arrested Jide Oyekunle, a photojournalist with the Daily Independent newspaper, and Kayode Jaiyeola, a photojournalist with Punch newspaper, as they covered protests.

In northern Borno State, at least 10 armed police officers forcefully entered the office of the regional broadcaster Radio Ndarason Internationale (RNI) and detained nine members of staff for five hours. Those held said that police accused them of publishing fake news in the arrest documentation and RNIs project director David Smith told CPJ that the raid was in response to the outlets reporting via WhatsApp on the protests.

The detained staff were: head of office Lami Manjimwa Zakka; editor-in-chief Mamman Mahmood; producer Ummi Fatima Baba Kyari; reporters Hadiza Dawud, Zainab Alhaji Ali, and Amina Falmata Mohammed; head of programs Bunu Tijjani; deputy head of programs Ali Musa; and information and communications technology head Abubakar Gajibo.

In Abuja, police officers threw tear gas canisters at Mary Adeboye, a camera operator with News Central TV; Samuel Akpan, a senior reporter with TheCable news site; and Adefemola Akintade, a reporter with the Peoples Gazette news site. The canisters struck Adeboye and Akpans legs, causing swelling.

In northern Kano city, unidentified attackers wielding machetes and sticks smashed the windows of a Channels Television-branded bus carrying 11 journalists and a car carrying two journalists.

The journalists were: reporters Ibrahim Ayyuba Isah of TVC News broadcaster, whose hand was cut by glass; Ayo Adenaiye of Arise News broadcaster, whose laptop was damaged; Murtala Adewale of The Guardian newspaper, Bashir Bello of Vanguard newspaper, Abdulmumin Murtala of Leadership newspaper, Sadiq Iliyasu Dambatta of Channels Television, and Caleb Jacob and Victor Christopher of Cool FM, Wazobia FM, and Arewa Radio broadcasters; camera operators John Umar of Channels Television, Ibrahim Babarami of Arise News, Iliyasu Yusuf of AIT broadcaster, Usman Adam of TVC News; and multimedia journalist Salim Umar Ibrahim of Daily Trust newspaper.

In southern Delta State, at least 10 unidentified assailants opposed to the protest attacked four journalists: reporters Monday Osayande of The Guardian newspaper, Matthew Ochei of Punch newspaper, Lucy Ezeliora of The Pointer newspaper, and investigative journalist Prince Amour Udemude, whose phone was snatched. Osayande told CPJ by phone that they did not make a formal complaint to police about the attack because several police officers saw it happen, but added that the state commissioner for information, Efeanyi Micheal Osuoza, had promised to investigate. Osuoza told CPJ by phone that he was investigating the matter and would ensure the replacement of Udemudes phone.

August 3

In Abujas national stadium, masked security forces fired bullets and tear gas in the direction of 18 journalists covering the protests, several of whom were wearing Press vests.

The journalists were: Premium Times reporters Abdulkareem Mojeed, Emmanuel Agbo, Abdulqudus Ogundapo, and Popoola Ademola; TheCable videographer Mbasirike Joshua and reporters Dyepkazah Shibayan, Bolanle Olabimtan, and Claire Mom; AIT reporter Oscar Ihimhekpen and camera operators Femi Kuku and Olugbenga Ogunlade; News Central TV camera operator Eno-Obong Koffi and reporter Emmanuel Bagudu; the nonprofit International Centre for Investigative Reportings video journalist Johnson Fatumbi and reporters Mustapha Usman and Nurudeen Akewushola; and Peoples Gazette reporters Akintade and Ebube Ibeh.

Kuku dislocated his leg and Ademola cut his knees and broke his phone while fleeing.

In Abujas Wuse neighborhood, unidentified men robbed Victorson Agbenson, political editor of the government-owned Radio Nigeria broadcaster, and his driver Chris Ikwu at knifepoint as they covered a protest.

August 6

In Lagos State, unidentified armed men hit four journalists from News Central TV and their vehicle with sticks. The journalists were News Central TVs Akede, camera operator Adobaba-Harry, reporter Consin-Mosheshe Ogheneruru, and camera operator Albert David.

Abuja police spokesperson Josephine Adeh told CPJ by phone on August 16 that police did not carry out any attacks on the media and asked for evidence of such attacks before ending the call. She also accused CPJ of harassing her.

Police spokespersons Bright Edafe of Delta State and Haruna Abdullahi of Kano State told CPJ that their officers had not received any complaints about attacks on the press.

Lagos State police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin referred CPJ to the states police Complaint Response Unit, where the person who answered CPJs initial phone call declined to identify themselves and said they had no information about attacks on journalists. CPJs subsequent calls and messages went unanswered.

CPJs repeated calls and messages to Borno State Commissioner for Information Usman Tar requesting comment were unanswered.

See also: CPJs guidance for journalists covering protests

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Director of Public Health, Edo State Ministry of Health, Stephenson Ojeifo, says the state has recorded three suspected cases of Mpox.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday evening, Mr Ojeifo, a medical doctor, said though none of the cases had been confirmed as positive, residents of the state should be vigilant.

He said: We have three suspected cases of Mpox; two patients are in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, and one is at the Edo State University Teaching Hospital, Auchi.

He explained that while the symptoms of Mpox resembled those of other skin rashes, the ministry was maintaining a high level of caution by isolating the suspected cases for proper management.

We make sure that any suspected case is isolated, while we send samples to the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja for testing.

So, until the results of the tests are out, we cannot say we have any case of Mpox, Mr Ojeifo said.

He assured that the patients were not in critical condition but are being isolated as part of the states enhanced surveillance measures.

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He also said the ministry had strengthened its surveillance across the states private, public, and primary healthcare centres.

The ministry is also working with local government health educators to raise public awareness about the symptoms of Mpox.

Mr Ojeifo noted that while Edo had managed cases of Monkeypox in the past, the current situation was being taken more seriously in line with the WHO and Africa Centre for Disease Controls alert.

We have had pockets of cases of Mpox in Edo in the past and we have always managed them and they get well, he said.

Mpox is a viral disease and primarily spreads through close contact with an infected person or animal, or by touching contaminated objects.

It can cause serious complications, especially in individuals with weakened immune systems, but most cases are mild and recover without treatment.

The disease is characterised by flu-like symptoms, including fever, headache, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes, followed by a distinctive rash that develops into small, fluid-filled blisters and eventually forms scabs.

READ ALSO: Mpox not new COVID WHO

Infection prevention and control measures for the disease include regular hand hygiene by washing hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based sanitiser

Other measures are disinfecting surfaces and objects, managing waste properly, and practising respiratory hygiene by covering while coughing and sneezing and using masks in crowded area.

(NAN)

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 21. The Baku Initiative Group has voiced its support for the people of Bonaire in their pursuit of self-determination, June Soomer, a representative of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD), told reporters at the office of the Baku Initiative Group, Trend reports.

It is crucial for me to support both the Baku Initiative Group and the Bonaire Group in their efforts to secure self-determination for the people. They have been denied this right for too long. Therefore, it is necessary for a body like this, which amplifies their voices, to come here and inform the world about what is happening in Bonaire, she said.

Soomer also explained that the UN PFPAD is dedicated to ensuring that people of African descent globally experience equality in all forms, including economic, political, and social.

Our mandate is to report to the United Nations and the Human Rights Council on issues related to colonialism and assess how these issues impact people of African descent, she added.

To note, as a result of colonialism, the Dutch Empire expanded swiftly, and by the 18th century, it had borders in Guiana and Indonesia, as well as factories in India, Ceylon, and Formosa. Throughout its history, the Dutch Empire has represented numerous territories in various nations across the world. Today, a number of territories of the defunct Netherlands Antilles still rely on the Netherlands: Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, and the Caribbean Netherlands, which includes the islands of Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius.
President Bola Tinubu has extended his profound condolences to the government and the people of Jigawa State over the recent flooding that has led to the loss of lives and displacement of many citizens.

The president also commiserated with the bereaved families and victims of the flooding, which has impacted about 14 local government areas and many households.

President Tinubu stated that recurring environmental disasters underscore the urgency of sustaining measures to address climate change and its perils and remove man-made elements from the challenge.

The president prayed for the repose of the souls of the deceased and assures the people of Jigawa of his administrations support at this difficult time.

Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

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August 21, 2024

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The newly appointed Chairperson of the Governing Council, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Kayode Ojo, has lamented that the facilities available in the institution are grossly inadequate for its growing student population.

To this end, he called for an urgent intervention from the federal government.

Mr Ojo, alongside other members of the council, was in the school on Wednesday, on a three-day working visit for inspection of projects and familiarisation tour of the Oye and Ikole Ekiti campuses.

He said he was impressed with what the management of the institution has been able to do for the young university.

He disclosed that the council was determined to work hand-in-hand with the Vice Chancellor of the school to sustain the tempo and take it higher than they met it.

This institution is very important. With the student population and the fact that this is one of the most subscribed by prospective JAMB candidates, it is obvious that the facilities here presently are below fifty per cent of the required infrastructure for such growth.

We need government intervention immediately and we will do everything humanly possible and within the prism of law to attract government attention, he said.

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Mr Ojo expressed optimism that the institution would get a lot of support from different agencies of government and other well-meaning people to meet up with its infrastructure needs.

These facilities are needed so the students can be well prepared for the future. As you are aware, this institution has multiple campuses. So, we are going to make a case that the university be treated as such, he stressed.

Speaking further, Mr Ojo said the council was currently proposing to sit down and develop a plan so they could factor in where the government intervention would be needed and where individuals could step in.

He reiterated that the school required external support to complement governments financial responsibility to the University.

While emphasising the fact that Education was a social service that students alone could not pay for, Mr Ojo urged both government and individuals to step in to further impact the institution.

Earlier, in his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor, Abayomi Fasina, said his management team was elated to receive Mr Ojo and other council members.

He described their period of appointment as timely and necessary for the upliftment of the 13-year-old institution.

Addressing journalists on the sideline of the visit, Mr Fasina, a professor, stated that the management of the school has, so far, touched all aspects of the university positively, starting from academics to farming activities.

According to him, We now have 16 hectares of palm trees and pineapples, which is one way to support the federal government on food security. Of course, we also use it as training for our students. We have also built several classrooms, at least more than 40 as I speak.

We have changed the face of the university. That is why I am not surprised that the university is ranked 4th in the most subscribed universities index in Nigeria. The courses are available, the quality of our lecturers is good and we have a stable calendar.

Looking at all parameters, you know FUOYE is growing and will continue to grow. You will recall that eight of our students recently passed ICAN at 300 level and six of them got scholarships from degree to PhD level in a foreign university. If they are not good, they wont be achieving these feats.

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Stakeholders in the agriculture and food value chain have been enjoined to explore the unique roles of technological innovation in securing the nations food supply and supporting rural development.

The founder, Cultivate Africa, Dominic Joshua, made the call in his address at the Nigerian Agricultural Innovation Forum, which focused on the future of agriculture in Nigeria and food security.

Stressing that agriculture remained a cornerstone of the nations economy, Mr Joshua highlighted the transformative trends currently reshaping the agricultural landscape, noting that the sector was witnessing a paradigm shift from traditional farming methods to tech-driven solutions.

He listed the integration of precision agriculture, biotechnology, and digital platforms as key drivers of change, with the potential to revolutionise food production and distribution.

He also referenced the use of drones for crop monitoring and the deployment of IoT sensors to optimise water usage and soil health.

These technologies, he noted, could increase crop yields by up to 40 per cent, giving a significant boost in a country where smallholder farmers contribute over 80 per cent of agricultural output.

Precision farming isnt just a buzzword; its the future, he remarked, acknowledging companies like FarmSense and AgriTech NG for leading the charge in providing farmers with real-time data for better decision-making.

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He emphasised that the data-driven approach not only improves efficiency but also minimises waste, crucial in a country where post-harvest losses account for up to 30 per cent of total produce.

Mr Joshua also stressed the role of biotechnology in enhancing food security. He noted that genetically modified (GM) crops could be vital in ensuring a stable food supply, particularly amid the challenges posed by climate change.

The introduction of drought-resistant and pest-resistant crop varieties can significantly mitigate the risks associated with erratic weather patterns, he explained, citing a recent study by the Nigerian Institute of Agricultural Research, which found that adopting improved seed varieties could increase maize and rice production by 25 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively.

These figures are not just statistics  they represent real opportunities to feed our growing population and reduce our dependence on food imports, he added.

Beyond technological innovations, Mr Joshua stressed the importance of empowering rural communities as a cornerstone for agricultural growth.

He explained that rural development and food security are intrinsically linked, with Cultivate Africa playing a pivotal role by implementing programmes that provide farmers with access to finance, training, and markets.

He highlighted Cultivate Africas recent partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria, aiming to disburse low-interest loans to smallholder farmers.

Access to finance is a game-changer. With the right support, our farmers can invest in modern equipment, purchase high-quality inputs, and ultimately increase their productivity, he said.

Mr Joshua also pointed to the organisations farmer education programmes, which have trained over 50,000 farmers in sustainable farming practices. Knowledge is power, and when farmers are equipped with the latest techniques and tools, they can achieve remarkable results, he noted.

In his closing remarks, Mr Joshua shared his vision for Nigerian agriculture as a sector that not only feeds the nation but also drives economic growth and reduces poverty.

He called for increased investment in agricultural research and infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, to build a resilient agricultural system capable of withstanding shocks from climate change, market fluctuations, or pandemics.

We need to create a sustainable, food-secure future for Nigeria, he said, signaling a call to action for all stakeholders in the agricultural value chain.

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Amnesty International has condemned the terrorism-related allegations levelled against the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president, Joe Ajaero.

The internal human rights group said the allegations are an attempt by the federal government to silence the unions right to question governmental policies that affect them.

The group made the observation on Tuesday in a statement by its Nigerias office head, Isa Sanusi.

According to the group, it is deeply concerned by the threats to arrest Mr Ajaero, describing it as a fresh attempt to intimidate and harass the leadership of the workers union.

The international non-profit argued that this action violates various legal instruments, such as international human rights law and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, which protect freedom of association.

The Nigerian authorities have an obligation not only to respect the rights of workers but also to protect these rights from abuse. Freedom of association is guaranteed, and workers cannot be targeted for participating in trade union activities.

We urge the authorities to end this pattern of brazen impunity and respect the right of the labour unions to agree or disagree with the government and its policies, it said.

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On Monday, the Nigerian police invited Mr Ajaero to appear at 10 a.m. on Tuesday for an interview over an alleged terrorism-related case. They threatened to arrest him should he fail to honour the invitation.

Recurring issue

This is not the first time the police have gone after Mr Ajaero since becoming the NLC president.

In November 2023, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Nigeria Police Force arrested Mr Ajaero in Owerri, the Imo State capital and taken to an unknown destination.

Noting the trend, Amnesty International said the invitation by the police is the latest in the spate of unlawful attempts by the Nigerian government to silence the umbrella labour union by arresting its leader and discrediting its activities.

No one was held to account for the assault. Recently, Nigeria Police raided the headquarters of NLC and carted away documents and books. After the raid, the union labour leaders had to go into hiding for safety reasons. In February, the leadership of NLC cried out over threats and intimidation they faced over a legitimate strike action, the group said.

The organisation also said the Nigerian government tries by hook and crook to use state institutions to discredit them, and this is a new low in this governments human rights records.

The Nigerian government is clearly and unlawfully interfering with the functioning of an independent workers union by targeting its leaders with baseless accusations that are gradually crippling the activities of the union.

The organisation urges the Nigerian authorities to immediately end this bizarre crackdown on leaders of the nations labour union. The allegations against NLC and its leadership are just punitive measures aimed solely at deterring and punishing them for standing up for workers rights, it said.

Background

PREMIUM TIMES reported that on Monday, the Nigerian Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Abuja invited Mr Ajaero over allegations of terrorism financing, cybercrime, subversion, criminal conspiracy, and treasonable felony.

A letter from the IRT, signed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Adamu Muazu, directed Mr Ajaero to appear for an interview at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at the IRT complex located at Guzape Junction in Abuja.

However, the NLCs legal team replied to the police on Tuesday, saying Mr Ajaero could not honour the invitation as scheduled in view of the fact that your invitation letter was received by him yesterday (Monday).

He has an engagement that had been fixed before the receipt of the invitation letter, read the letter signed by Samuel Ogala, a lawyer from the law firm of Femi Falana, a prominent lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

The letter sought a nine-day postponement of Mr Ajaeros appearance for the interview.

Therefore, Comrade Ajaero is prepared for your interview on Wednesday, 29 August 2024, the letter said.

It also requested the police to provide the details and nature of the allegations of Criminal Conspiracy, Terrorism Financing, Treasonable Felony, Subversion and Cybercrime levelled against him. The letter said the request is based on section 36 of the Nigerian constitution.

The police invitation came in the wake of a controversial police raid on the NLC headquarters in Abuja on 7 August.

On 9 August, the police admitted to conducting the raid but maintained that the NLC was not the target.

Police spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi stated that the target was a prime criminal suspect in an ongoing investigation. He said the suspect was traced to a shop within the building where the NLC secretariat is located.

However, NLC insisted that the police had intentionally raided the NLC offices.

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The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Tuesday ordered former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello to surrender himself for arraignment in the N80 billion money laundering case pending against him at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

A three-member panel led by Hamma Barka gave the order after dismissing appeals filed by Mr Bello seeking to stop his arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The appellant (Mr Bello) shall obey the provision of section 396(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) by presenting himself for arraignment in the charge before taking any other step in this matter, the court ordered in the lead decision read by Kenneth Amadi on Tuesday.

The EFCC charged Mr Bello with 19 counts of money laundering involving over N80 billion, which he allegedly diverted from the Kogi State Governments treasury.

Running away from trial

However, since filing the charges, the commission has not been able to bring him to court for arraignment.

The former governor has snubbed six court sessions scheduled for his arraignment.

He was scheduled to appear on 18 April, a day after the trial court ordered his arrest.

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Mr Bello has skipped other court sessions scheduled for his arraignment on 23 April, 10 May, 13 June, 27 June, and 17 July.

Tuesdays court decision is the latest in the series of judicial responses to Mr Bellos legal efforts to stop his trial.

In June, the Court of Appeal in Abuja ruled against him in a fundamental rights case, which he held on to as an excuse for staying away from court.

He also unsuccessfully sought the transfer of his trial from the Abuja division of the Federal High Court to the Lokoja division.

On 17 July, the trial judge, Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, also rejected an application by the former governors legal team to halt his trial.

Appeal courts fresh decision

On Tuesday, the Court of Appeal unanimously reaffirmed the power of the EFCC to prosecute the former governor.

The court dismissed Mr Bellos appeal against the trial judges decision and threw out his preliminary objection to the trial.

Mr Bello challenged the Federal High Courts decision ordering the service of the charges and proof of evidence on his lead counsel.

However, the Court of Appeal validated the service as ordered by the trial court.

What is more? Section 379 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) allows service on the Defendant or his legal practitioner, Mr Amadi held in the lead courts lead decision.

Mr Amadi also held that it was enough that Mr Bello had become aware of the pending charges. The judge said Mr Bellos engaging of lawyers to represent him in the case was a confirmation of his awareness of the pending charges.

In view of this, the appeal lacks merit and is accordingly dismissed. The decision of the lower court directing service on the Appellants lead counsel is thus affirmed, the court added.

Delivering judgement on the second case, the Court of Appeal also validated the trial courts decision not to entertain any of Mr Bellos applications until he presented himself for arraignment.

The judgement touched on the decision of a Kogi State High Court judge in Lokoja, Isah Abdullahi Jamil, on a fundamental rights case filed by Mr Bello in February 2024. The High Court judge ruled in favour of Mr Bello, shielding him from arrest and prosecution by the EFCC.

Mr Bello clung to the Kogi State High Courts judgement as an excuse for his absence from court for his arraignment.

However, the Court of Appeal described as scandalous the High Courts decision shielding Mr Bello from prosecution.

It is very clear that the purpose of the case instituted at the trial court was to shield the respondent Yahaya Bello from his criminal trial, the Court of Appeal judge ruled.

Mr Amadi held that no court has the power to preclude a law enforcement agent from performing its statutory functions.

The pronouncement drew on an earlier decision of another Court of Appeal judge, Olubunmi Oyewole, ruling against Mr Bello in one of the appeals (CA/ABJ/CV/413/2024) that stemmed from the fundamental rights suit,

Mr Amadi ruled that EFCCs appeal, prosecuted by an external lawyer of the commission, Jibrin Okutepa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is meritorious and is therefore allowed.

EFCC had made futile efforts to bring Mr Bello to court.

On 17 April, it attempted to arrest Mr Bello at his residence in Abuja based on an arrest warrant issued by the trial court earlier that day.

READ ALSO: Judge rejects Yahaya Bellos request to stop corruption trial

However, the police officers attached to Mr Bellos house at Wuse Zone 4, Abuja, obstructed EFCC operatives.

Mr Bello was believed to have later sneaked away from the house in the convoy of his successor, Governor Usman Ododo, whose convoy suddenly emerged on the scene in the middle of the stand-off between EFCC and police operatives.

The anti-graft agency has since declared Mr Bello wanted.

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The Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai has eliminated five key terrorist commanders, alongside more than 35 foot soldiers, in successful operations in Arina, Southern Tumbuns of Borno.

This is contained in a statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Edward Gabkwet, on Wednesday in Abuja.

Mr Gabkwet said the terrorist commanders killed in the air strikes on 16 August include; Munzir Arika, Sani Dilla (a.k.a Dan Hausawan Jubillaram), Ameer Modu, Dan Fulani Fari Fari, and Bakoura Arina Chiki.

He said the air interdiction was a decisive effort to further weaken the activities of terrorists operating in the North-east, while also protecting innocent civilians and troops.

According to him, intelligence had revealed the clandestine migration of terrorists into the area from neighbouring locations prior to the mission.

Confirmatory Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions were further conducted on Aug. 12 and Aug. 15, identifying numerous terrorists and active structures concealed under trees.

Consequently, coordinated airstrikes were launched over the location, and the targets successfully engaged, resulting in the neutralisation of several terrorists and the destruction of their structures.

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Battle Damage Assessment after the strikes revealed that several equipment, vehicles, water vessels and a suspected medical dispensary were obliterated by the strikes.

Additionally, credible intelligence further revealed that five key terrorist leaders were either killed or severely injured in the strike.

This operation, no doubt, has significantly degraded the operational capacity of the few remaining terrorists in the region.

The Nigerian Air Force remains committed to supporting the efforts of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies in safeguarding the region and ensuring peace and security prevail, he said.

(NAN)

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The Kwara State Commissioner for Health, Amina El-Imam, has issued stern warning to perpetrators of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in the state, saying severe punishment awaits culprits.

She gave the warning at the close of an event for mobilising communities for the prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) organised by Stand To End Rape Initiative (STER), a non-governmental organisation, in Ilorin, the state capital, on Tuesday.

The commissioner, who reaffirmed that severe punishment awaits anyone who commits violence against women and girls in the state, described such an act as criminal and should be discouraged to promote fairness and equality among citizens.

She said Kwara State had always been at the forefront of advocating and preventing violence against women and girls, adding that the menace of GBV is rampant and should be discouraged, and all hands must be on deck to checkmate the criminal act.

According to her, there is a need to sensitise people on violence against women that such an act is prohibited and punishable under the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) law.

Ms El-Imam advised survivors to report cases to appropriate authorities for justice to prevail.

She assured the NGO that the state government is ready to partner with relevant agencies to improve the wellbeing of kwara citizens.

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The states Programme Manager for STER, Hussain Muhammed, explained that the objective of the programme is to create a grassroots coalition in communities for the prevention of VAWG.

According to him, the coalition includes faith-based, traditional leaders, youth, women leaders, health providers, first responders of SGBV, and other key community members identified during engagements with the communities.

Mr Muhammed also said that the programme aims to increase the capacity of grassroots coalition, while equipping them with knowledge and skills to become effective GBV advocates.

The programme manager urged stakeholders to continue to engage and empower local leaders and the coalition groups to take ownership of prevention efforts.

He advocated integration of the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) awareness and prevention training into existing institutional frameworks, such as schools, healthcare facilities, and community centres.

He added that this will help to maintain and build on the knowledge and skills developed during the project.

There is a need to establish a robust monitoring and evaluation system to regularly assess the effectiveness of GBV prevention activities and make necessary adjustments, as this will help in tracking progress and identifying areas for improvement.

There is also the need to explore diverse funding sources and private sector contributions to ensure that resources are available for ongoing and future prevention activities.

(NAN)

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Nigerias main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has waded into the prolonged political feud between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, who is now the minister of FCT.

The political rift between Messrs Fubara and Wike has battered the Rivers House of Assembly, splitting lawmakers into two factions  one loyal to Mr Wike and the other to Mr Fubara.

Besides the state assembly, the feud has also divided the ruling PDP in the state into two camps and has disrupted governance in the state.

Mr Wike appears to have gotten the support of the PDP at the national level: his loyalists made the list of the party caretaker committees against Mr Fubaras wishes.

Recently, a court barred the PDP from conducting party congresses in the state but the national leadership of the party released materials for Mr Wikes loyalists, who went ahead to conduct the congress against the court order. Governor Fubara and his supporters boycotted the congress.

Amidst the support enjoyed by Mr Wike from the national leadership of the party, Governor Fubara two months ago told some National Assembly members, who visited him in Port Harcourt, that the PDP has failed him and his supporters.

Receiving members of the PDP Board of Trustees (BOT), who visited him in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, Mr Fubara told them that he had at some point doubted his membership of the party.

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Honestly speaking, if I was having any doubt about my membership first, of this great party, I think today, I have gotten a reconfirmation that I am still, not minding the drama around, a member of this party.

The governors remark is contained in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday by Mr Fubaras spokesperson, Chukwudi Nelson.

I want to assure members of our party, genuine members of PDP that are here with us, that this is another hope to show that our decision to stand by the party, still standing by the party, is not a wrong decision, Mr Fubara said

Speaking further, Mr Fubara said the partys BOT delegation is in the state to ascertain what is the problem that has caused so much dissatisfaction and tearing down the party. How did it start and how did it degenerate to what it is today?

But, so far, what is important this afternoon is that we are still members of the party, and the owners of the party have visited us, he said.

Many people had speculated that Governor Fubara was about to exit the PDP as a result of the crisis which is further compounded by Mr Wike having control of the party leadership at the state level.

But Mr Fubara in the statement, dismissed the speculation as a mere rumour, stressing that he remains in the party.

So, for those people outside who are carrying all sorts of rumour and propaganda, at least, this visit will put those propaganda to rest, and to tell the world that we are and we still remain members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he stated.

Were scared of losing Rivers State  BOT chairperson

The oil-rich Rivers is a traditional PDP state, however, the party for the first time since 1999 fell to opposition, APC in the 2023 presidential election, because the then Governor Wike, after losing the partys presidential ticket, refused to support former vice president Atiku Abubakar, who emerged the partys flagbearer.

Mr Wike formed allegiance with Bola Tinubu, then presidential candidate of the APC, who, after winning the presidential election, rewarded Mr Wike with a ministerial appointment.

Speaking during the visit to Mr Fubara, the chairperson of PDP BOT, Adulfus Wabara, said the party was scared of losing Rivers State as they do not want a repeat of what happened to the party in 2015, and 2023, where the party lost the presidential election to the APC.

We were scared Sir, when we heard or read speculations, perceptions or what have you, that the party, if we are not careful, might lose Rivers State. Of course, if we lose Rivers State, Nigeria has lost its future.

We dont want what happened in 2015, and 2023 to repeat itself. These men and women you see here are very neutral. But as the conscience of the party, we must go by the rule of law. And anything you do, going by the rule of law, can never be wrong. It may be delayed, but it cannot be wrong, Mr Wabara said.

I dont want to describe it. Otherwise, as a Governor, we have former Governors here, I doubt if they would have taken as much as you have. So, on behalf of this party, once again, let me thank you for your resilience, your wisdom, and for the fact that you are still in this party.

And to assure you that the Board of Trustees under my watch and with these serious minded Nigerians, will deal with the matter as constitutionally allowed.

The former Senate president expressed appreciation to Governor Fubara for giving them the opportunity to hear his own side of the story, and noted with optimism, that the political crisis in the state will soon be resolved.

He said that the delegation will meet with the other party in the crisis to also hear from them, stressing that there is always two sides to a coin, adding that it is better late than never.

Mr Wabara reiterated that the PDP under his watch as BOT chairperson, will not allow a repeat of what happened in 2015 and 2023.

He said they will not, therefore, stand helplessly while the party is destroyed by a few individuals.

The chairperson said that the BOT will make its recommendations to the National Working Committee of the PDP for implementation, bearing in mind that the party must be united to win the 2027 elections.

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Raymond Dokpesi Jnr, Chairperson of DAAR Communications, has offered an in-depth explanation of the recent management changes at the company.

The shake-up, which has seen the departure of several 1-serving directors, was said to be part of a broader strategy to align with regulatory requirements and ensure the companys future growth.

In a press statement issued on Wednesday, Mr Dokpesi Jnr began by clarifying that the decision to part ways with the directors was not driven by personal preference.

It isnt a personal decision to ask anyone to go, he stated. If it were up to me, I would definitely want to harness the experiences, relationships, and skill sets of our management for a little bit longer.

He explained that as a publicly listed company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, DAAR Communications is subject to the rules set by the Security and Exchange Commission and the code of corporate governance.

The regulations, he noted, mandate that directors serve no more than two terms of five years, emphasising that, Our responsibilities to our shareholders transcend personal choices or opinions.

He noted that many of the current management team members have been with DAAR Communications since its early days, with some serving for up to 27 years.

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Their retirement is, in fact, long overdue, he said. This decision should have been made five, six, or seven years ago.

Mr Dokpesi Jnr also addressed the political context influencing the timing of these changes. Reflecting on the impact of former President Muhammadu Buharis administration on the organisation, he noted, During that period, the treatment of AIT and our founder was difficult. Implementing changes at that time might not have been the best idea.

With the current political environment now more favourable, Mr Dokpesi Jnr believes it is an ideal time for a strategic review of the companys direction.

The time is right for us to review where we want to go, he remarked. We must decide whether to continue on our existing trajectory or to pursue something different.

He highlighted that the shake-up aims to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory standards, thereby instilling confidence in investors and supporting the companys growth. We need to abide by existing laws and regulations to give the investing public confidence in our organisation and its administration, Mr Dokpesi Jnr explained.

He assured that the changes would create opportunities for both existing staff and external candidates. Opportunities will open up for people within DAAR Communications to advance into new roles, as well as for qualified individuals from outside the organisation and the broader industry to contribute, he concluded.

The shake-up announced by DAAR Communications Plc led to the retirement of six executive directors and four management staff who have attained the mandatory retirement age as contained in the companies Code of Corporate Governance.

In a memo signed by the Company Secretary, Miji Jonah, and sent to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NGX), DAAR Communications stated that the action was in compliance with the Code of Corporate Governance as well as the Companys Internal Control Policies and Procedures Manual.

In the memo, DAAR Communications Plc, owners of Raypower FM, AIT, and Faaji FM disclosed that the affected staff included Tony Akiotu, Oluwatosin Dokpesi, Ambrose Somide, Anthony Uyah, Paulyn Ugbodagha, and Mary Lawrence-Dokpesi.

Others are Faith Ikems, Imoni Amarere, John Iwarue and Johnson Onime. Their disengagement takes effect on 31 October 2024.

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Danger was averted in Lagos on Wednesday as men of the Lagos State Fire Service and Lagos State Emergency Management (LASEMA) Response Unit (LRU) evacuated a fallen tanker with a loaded gas cylinder from the road.

The loaded gas tanker had overturned at Anthony Oke, heading towards Gbagada along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.

The incident prompted swift action from the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and other emergency responders.

According to a statement by the Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq, its General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, led the operation.

LASTMA personnel promptly arrived at the scene, cordoning off the affected area to ensure the safety of road users and nearby residents.

The tanker driver, who sustained hand injuries, was successfully rescued from the scene and is currently receiving medical treatment, the statement read.

Mr Taofiq explained that the Lagos State Fire Service and LASEMA Response Unit (LRU) and other emergency responders were also mobilised to the site.

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They diligently implemented safety measures to mitigate any potential hazards. Their quick and coordinated response has been crucial in containing the situation and preventing further complications, he added.

The statement quoted Mr Bakare-Oki as saying, LASTMA personnel, with the support of LRU, have successfully evacuated the tanker and its loaded gas cylinder from the road, restoring vehicular movement towards Gbagada, Iyana-Oworo, Car Wash, Ifako, and Toll Gate.

Mr Bakare-Oki explained that the safety of citizens remained a top priority for the agency. He expressed gratitude for everyones cooperation.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 21. In October, Bonaire Island will submit a resolution to the UN for its inclusion in the G24 project, Abbas Abbasov, Executive Director of the Baku Initiative Group, told reporters, Trend reports.

Representatives of Bonaire Island have requested that the Baku Initiative Group organize a conference focused on Bonaire under Dutch colonial rule, he said.

He also mentioned that the group's next event related to Bonaire Island is scheduled for August 22.

This demonstrates that Baku has become an international platform for decolonization issues, Abbasov emphasized.

To note, in 1971, the Intergovernmental Group of Twenty-Four on International Monetary Affairs and Development, or the Group of 24 (G-24), was established as a chapter of the Group of 77. Its purpose was to ensure that the interests of developing countries are adequately represented in negotiations on international monetary matters and to assist in the coordination of their positions on international monetary and development finance issues.

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A team of operatives, drawn from different security agencies, have killed 27 suspected kidnappers in Enugu State, South-east Nigeria.

The suspects were killed during shootouts with the security agencies in different parts of the state, Onochie Ezeh, a police operative who led the team, said on Wednesday.

Mr Ezeh, a superintendent of police, did not mention the security agencies that participated in the operations.

This was contained in a statement issued by the media team of Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State on Wednesday.

The statement claimed that some of the slain suspects were members of the AutoPilot, a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) founded by a Finland-based Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa.

How the suspects were killed

Mr Ezeh, according to the statement, said among the slain suspects was a seven-member gang of kidnappers tracked down in Ogbeke-Nike where they allegedly used a large poultry farm to hide their hostages.

Ogbeke Nike is a community in the East Local Government Area of Enugu State.

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The operative explained that Wednesdays killing of the suspects was part of the sustained operations in the state to flush out criminals operating from other neighbouring states.

We were on the trail of these kidnappers for more than three months now. They had been operating within this axis where they kidnapped their victims and kept them at a large poultry farm at Ogbeke-Nike until ransoms were paid.

So, following a tip-off from members of the public who suspected the strange movements in the area and the accounts of some of the victims of these criminals, we swung into action, he said.

On sighting us, these men of the underworld opened fire on my men, and we quickly retaliated and overpowered them with our superior firepower.

Weve recorded successes

Mr Ezeh also said the security team, set up by Governor Mbah, had recorded milestones in policing the state and flushing out criminals.

This is a gallant crack squad with the mandate to eliminate every form of threat in the state. We have recorded huge successes over the past months. You know our role is not to rush to the media to tell our story but to ensure that every citizen and resident of the state has peace.

I can tell you that we have already neutralised over seven criminal gangs who were mostly kidnappers and unknown gunmen.

We are going after them. We are taking the battle to their doorsteps because the governor said we should not come back home if we dont completely rid the state of threats, he stated.

The team leader said, in the course of their investigation, they had identified many criminal hideouts where kidnap victims and dangerous weapons are kept.

He said the hideouts were located at New Artisan Market, Akwuke Community, Akegbe-Ugwu, Four Corners, Awgu, Mgbowo, Emene, Eke and Afa and other communities in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of the state.

Mr Ezeh stressed that over 30 suspected kidnappers were killed by the security team during separate operations at the hideouts.

Rescued victim speaks

One of the rescued victims, Kate Pamela, said she was traumatised by her ugly experiences at the hands of the kidnappers.

Each time I pass through that poultry, I feel I have been denied justice by still allowing it to operate. They kidnapped us and kept us there for five days.

They even killed two of the victims because their families could only afford N10 million each against the N50 million demanded, Pamela recalled.

The rescued victim said she was able to identify three of the slain kidnappers.

She suggested that the government should develop the area.

Government must ensure justice by turning that place to a landfill, she said.

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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared the Park and Pay scheme currently operating in Abuja as illegal.

He vowed to take swift action against the operation.

Mr Wike said this during a media parley on Wednesday in Abuja to commemorate his first anniversary in office.

He was inaugurated as minister on 21 August 2023 by President Bola Tinubu.

Mr Wike recounted how a senior Nigerian lawyer alerted him to the dubious scheme, which had been syphoning government funds under the guise of a legitimate operation.

He said the lawyer, whose name he did not disclose, contacted him after some individuals claiming to represent the FCTs Transport Secretariat attempted to seize vehicles from his (lawyer) office.

A call from a Senior Advocate of Nigeria brought to light a scheme that has been syphoning government funds under the guise of a legal operation.

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The SAN told me, Sir, some people came to our office, and they are trying to seize our cars.They claim to be from the Transport Secretariat, he said.

The minister further narrated that when he spoke directly to the individuals, asking who they were, they claimed they were from the FCT Transport Secretariat.

Alarmed by the situation, Mr Wike said he sought clarification from the responsible official of the ministry, who told him that it had entered agreements with some consultants to reintroduce the scheme.

I was unaware of this. So I contacted the person in charge. I asked, Who collects the money? To my surprise, I discovered that there are agreements between the Secretariat and certain individuals posing as consultants, where the consultant takes 80 per cent of the revenue, leaving only 20 per cent for the FCT Administration, the minister said.

Mr Wike said the scheme exposes a significant flaw in the system, where private consultants are reaping the majority of the revenue intended for the government.

These are issues we must tackle within the system. Without such reports, we may remain unaware. We cannot be everywhere at once.

This is illegal, and such a scheme does not exist. If my colleague hadnt called me, I wouldnt have known, he said.

Court scraps policy

The Park and Pay policy, which requires motorists to pay fees for parking in designated areas, was in operation in the territory until it was scrapped in 2014 when an FCT High Court declared it illegal.

Before then, Abuja motorists repeatedly complained about the scheme, citing extortion and fraudulent practices by the companies that was contracted to enforce it.

At the time, four companies were engaged to collect the parking fees.

Reintroduction of scheme

In August 2023, shortly before Mr Wike assumed office, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) signed an agreement with a group of concessionaires to restore the policy.

The FCT Permanent Secretary, who signed on behalf of the administration, said the move to reintroduce the policy was to promote a culture of orderliness and organisation in vehicle parking.

In May this year, the Secretary of the FCT Transport Secretariat, Jonathan Ivoke, indicated that the policys suspension was temporary.

Mr Ivoke explained that the transport regulation bylaw was under review and that the policy wiould be reintroduced once the review was completed.

He said the new system would be more streamlined, with a universal card to be used across the territory.

Mr Invoke also warned that, in the meantime, parking regulations would continue to be enforced without the associated fees.

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the South-Easts quietude amidst national turmoil need not be a function of fatigue, disillusionment, or apathy but a deliberate choice rooted in historical experience and strategic foresight. By channelling our efforts into regional development, the Igbo people have an opportunity to address critical issues, while potentially influencing national discourse through action rather than protest.

The protests at the start of this month reached intense levels, particularly in the northern regions of Nigeria, with various reports implying that up to 30 lives were lost, and that the North bore the brunt of the violence. In some instances, the demonstrations took on destructive turns, with protesters targeting the homes and properties of political figures. In Zamfara, crowds converged on the residence of the former governor, Bello Matawalle, attempting to breach the property in a display of public outrage. The home of a prominent Senator in the region, however, did not escape unscathed, with valuable possessions destroyed and vehicles damaged beyond repair. The wave of discontent also reached Yobe State, where demonstrators vented their frustrations on the property of a member of the House of Representatives, accusing the politician of neglecting the needs of his constituents.

Even revered past rulers were not spared. Protesters gathered near the home of former President Muhammadu Buhari. In states like Borno, Kaduna, Kano, and Katsina, some protesters resorted to waving Russian flags  a provocative gesture that seems disconnected from the realities of Nigerias political landscape.

Human rights organisations have raised alarms about the authorities response to these demonstrations. Amnesty International reported that security forces were responsible for at least 13 fatalities across various northern states, including Niger, Borno, and Kaduna. This heavy-handed approach has only fueled the flames of discontent, pushing some protesters to more extreme measures.

Yet, despite the chaos, one region stands apart.

Amid Nigerias national turmoil, a curious quiet prevails in the South-East. While much of the country is loudly expressing displeasure, the Igbo heartland remains unusually calm  if the consistent reports of kidnappings and violence can be considered as calm.

This striking contrast between the tumultuous scenes across Nigeria and the calm of the South-East raises pressing questions: Why have the Igbo chosen this path of abstention?

Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later

The Igbo people have long faced institutional hostility  a legacy that continues to shape our political decisions. From the aftermath of the Nigerian Civil War to more recent events, such as discriminatory statements from high-ranking officials and perceived unfairness in the 2023 presidential election, the Igbo have cultivated a deep-seated distrust of the Nigerian political establishment.

The Igbo can address these pressing issues by redirecting our energies towards regional development and governance, while maintaining a spirit of activism. This inward focus, aku luo ulo, if you will, could manifest in several ways, including but not limited to: launching campaigns to increase political participation and accountability in local and state elections

This historical backdrop informs the Igbos current stance of strategic caution. By abstaining from the protests, we aim to avoid becoming scapegoats for any potential fallout. There is a collective memory of past instances where we were targeted for reprisals in situations where we had no hand. This has led to a calculated decision to let other ethnic groups take the lead in these protests, thus avoiding accusations of trying to destabilise the government or pushing a separatist agenda  charges that have been levelled against ndi Igbo in the past.

However, this abstention comes at a cost. While it shields the Igbo community from potential backlash, it risks diminishing our influence in the national discourse and decision-making processes. The challenge now is to find a balance between self-preservation and proactive engagement.

A strategic shift towards improving governance within the South-East itself could offer a solution.

The region faces significant development challenges that demand attention. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the South-East has the highest unemployment rate in Nigeria at 31.6 per cent, compared to the national average of 27.1 per cent. This shows up in the mass of idle hands available to wreak violence on their fellow Igbo in an ill-defined secessionist agitation. The region also lags in infrastructure development, with only 56 per cent of households having access to electricity, compared to the national average of 69 per cent.

The Igbo can address these pressing issues by redirecting our energies towards regional development and governance, while maintaining a spirit of activism. This inward focus, aku luo ulo, if you will, could manifest in several ways, including but not limited to: launching campaigns to increase political participation and accountability in local and state elections; creating watchdog groups to monitor the performance of elected officials and government agencies in the South-East; developing economic initiatives to promote local industries and reduce the regions high unemployment rate; investing in infrastructure projects to improve the regions electricity access and overall development; and implementing education and skills development programmes to address the root causes of unemployment and underemployment.

While streets across the country erupt in protest, the South-Easts calm could be a springboard for meaningful, localised change. This strategic redirection of energy towards regional development could ultimately contribute to Nigerias progress in a unique and impactful way.

These efforts would improve the quality of life in the South-East and strengthen the Igbos position in national politics by demonstrating our capacity for effective self-governance. By spearheading regional development and showcasing effective governance, the South-East could redefine its role in Nigerias future  not through protests but through decisive, transformative action.

The South-Easts silence in the face of national protests is a calculated response to a complex political landscape. However, this silence need not equate to inaction. The Igbo can chart a course that balances self-preservation with progress by focusing on regional development and governance.

While streets across the country erupt in protest, the South-Easts calm could be a springboard for meaningful, localised change. This strategic redirection of energy towards regional development could ultimately contribute to Nigerias progress in a unique and impactful way.

The path forward for the Igbo lies in leading by example within our own region. By fostering good governance, transparency, and economic development in the South-East, we can make a powerful statement without risking the backlash that might come from direct participation in national protests.

In conclusion, the South-Easts quietude amidst national turmoil need not be a function of fatigue, disillusionment, or apathy but a deliberate choice rooted in historical experience and strategic foresight. By channelling our efforts into regional development, the Igbo people have an opportunity to address critical issues, while potentially influencing national discourse through action rather than protest.

This approach may yet prove to be our most effective form of activism, contributing to Nigerias progress in our own distinct manner.

Cheta Nwanze is a partner at SBM Intelligence.

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The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dissolved the leadership of its Benue State chapter, led by Augustine Agada.

It also appointed a caretaker committee to run the party in the state.

The National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje, inaugurated the seven-member committee on Wednesday at the partys national secretariat in Abuja.

Mr Ganduje swore in Benjamin Omale as chairman and Bem Angwe as secretary.

Other members are Richard Mzungweve, James Ornguga, Terhemen Ngbea, Helen Agaigbe, and Francis Adah.

The state chapter of the party has been embroiled in a power tussle between a group loyal to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and another loyal to Governor Hyacinth Alia.

The faction loyal to Mr Akume is led Benjamin Omakolo why the one loyal to Mr Alia is led by Mr Agada.

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Earlier, a High Court in Benue State restrained the national leadership of the APC from removing the Mr Agada-led committee.

The ex parte order was delivered in a motion number MH/1585m/2024 by Theresa Igoche, a judge of the Benue High Court.

While delivering the ruling, Mr Igoche said the status quo should be maintained pending the determination of the suit filed by the Agada-led executive council.

Mr Alia, 56, ditched his cassock last year and emerged as the governorship candidate of the APC. He won the election on the back of a mass following.

Mr Akume, a former governor of the state, is believed to have provided the political structure that ultimately propelled the APC back to power in the state, which was governed by the PDP.

However, the two men have been battling for control of the party for about a year now.

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Less than a month to the Edo governorship election, a pre-election poll shows that Asue Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate is leading his two main challengers.

In the poll conducted by African Polling Institute (API), 43 per cent of the respondents favoured Mr Ighodalo as the next governor, 20 per cent favoured Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), while 9 per cent favoured the Labour Party candidate, Olumide Akpata.

However, 28 per cent of the 2, 678 respondents were undecided, according to the poll result.

API is an independent, non-profit, and non-partisan opinion research think-tank that undertakes opinion polls and surveys, social research, evaluation and development programmes at the intersection of democracy, governance, economic conditions, markets, and public survey.

It involved telephone interviews of a random sample. Two thousand, six hundred and seventy-eight randomly selected phone-owning Nigerians aged 18 years plus, representing the 18 local government areas in Edo State, the API said of the poll.

The respondent consisted of 2,687 voters across the 18 local government areas, with the following distributions: Etsako Central (94), Etsako East (98), Etsako West (157), Owan East (145), Akoko Edo (211), Owan West (83), Esan North East (87), Esan South East (118), Iqueben (62), Esan Central (137), Esan West (155), Egor (279), Ikpoba-Okha (306), Oredo (302), Orhionmwon (131), Ovia North East (108), Ovia South West (123) and Uhunmonde (90).

According to socio-demographics of the respondents released by the API, 51 per cent were male while 49 per cent were female.

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Further demographic details indicate that 19 per cent of the respondents were aged 18-34 years, 71 per cent aged 35-60 years while 10 per cent were aged 60 and above.

The most important factors that influence voters decisions, according to API, include competence, personality, experience and track record, political party and manifesto/policy stance.

For Mr Ighodalo, a lawyer and banker, 30 per cent of the respondents said they will vote for him based on his capacity, qualifications and accomplishments, 24 per cent said because of his economic experience, 15 per cent backed his manifesto & policy plans while 10 per cent said they will vote for him because of his credibility & honesty.

READ ALSO: Newly inaugurated Abia PDP lawmaker speaks on alleged plan to defect to Labour Party

For Mr Okpebholo, a serving senator and the APC candidate, 30 per cent of respondents support him because of his political party, 25 per cent said he is a home boy while 19 per cent support him because he is a senator.

For the lawyer and Labour Party candidate, Mr Akpata, 30 per cent of the respondents favoured his political party, 27 per cent said because he is Obedient while 24 per cent said because he is young.

However, the number of respondents is statistically insignificant compared with the number of registered voters in the state.

According to the INEC updated voter register, Edo has a total number of 2,629, 025 registered voters but 2,678 of the voters, representing 0.10 per cent, were sampled.

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Fatima Latifova

The new ambassador of Belgium, Julien de Fraypont, arrived in Azerbaijan, Azernews reports, citing the post shared by ambassador on his official "X" account.

"One week after our arrival in Baku, already relishing the morning walking commute to the office," the post reads.

It should be noted that Julien de Fraypont is the non-resident ambassador of Belgium to Georgia and Turkmenistan.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 21. As experience shows, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and Europes shift to renewable energy sources have not yet led to a complete reduction in the role of gas in the continents energy mix. EU countries have continued to purchase gas from Russia, although direct supply volumes have significantly decreased. In 2021, Russia supplied about 155 bcm of gas directly to the EU, but by the end of 2022, this had dropped to 63.8 bcm.

U.S. LNG suppliers, following Russias lead, have also started prioritizing regions willing to pay higher prices. Norway, which the EU had placed its last hopes on, is unable to meet member states' energy demands at a low cost. There are, of course, objective reasons for this. LNG is more expensive than pipeline gas due to the higher costs of production and sea transport. A similar situation exists with Algerian gas. The EU also cant rely on its own resources, as domestic gas production has declined by a third due to resource depletion. The resulting deficit can only be covered by imports, but this is difficult to achieve with the sanctioned eastern neighbor.

Russia has accepted the loss of the European market and is now shifting all its export focus to Asia. The EU, meanwhile, is grappling with a serious problem: the number of available suppliers is dwindling rapidly, and competition among EU countries for these suppliers is intensifying, making it crucial to act quickly and decisively. In this context, Europe is urgently searching for alternative gas suppliers, and Azerbaijan, with its extensive experience in executing strategic initiatives, stands out as a reliable option.

Kyiv has made it clear that it has no plans to extend the agreement on Russian gas transit, which expires at the end of 2024. This appeal by EU member states and Ukraine to Azerbaijan has drawn significant media attention. Ukraines gas transportation system has a massive capacity of 146 bcm, and it would be a grave mistake to let these pipelines sit idle while Europeans shiver through the winter. Baku has confirmed that representatives from Ukraine and the EU have reached out, seeking assistance in supplying and transiting natural gas to certain EU countries.

LNG and pipeline gas suppliers in the EU, 2Q2024

The main consumers of Russian gas flowing through Ukraine are Hungary, Austria, and Slovakia, with Italy receiving smaller amounts. Sanctions against Russia and plans to phase out Russian gas havent fully resolved the gas supply issue. Ukraine, meanwhile, is tasked with keeping its gas transportation system operational, and maintaining compressor stations involves significant costs. There has even been discussion about shutting down unnecessary and surplus compressor stations. Ukrainian experts believe there is enough gas for domestic use, but not enough for EU countries like Slovakia, Czechia, and Austria. As a result, any disruptions to European energy security could strain relations between these countries.

Gas pipelines passing through Ukraine

Kyiv is still weighing options for gas transit involving third countries or EU companies, as long as the gas is not from Russia. The economic benefits from transit are significant, with Kyiv earning about $1 billion a year in transit fees. The only supply route for European consumers, mainly Austria and Slovenia, runs through the Sudzha gas metering station on the border of Kursk Oblast, Russia. Recent Ukrainian military operations in this area and the fighting around Sudzha have raised concerns about the security of gas transport to the EU. If transit is interrupted, gas prices could rise. With the era of cheap Russian energy coming to an end, the EU is looking for new solutions to address this issue.

Kyiv and Brussels reaching out to Azerbaijan about gas supplies indicates that Naftogaz of Ukraine is open to negotiating with SOCAR, Azerbaijans state oil company. With the expiration of the Russia-Ukraine gas transit agreement, there's a proposal to import Azerbaijani gas through a point on the Russia-Ukraine border. This could create significant opportunities for all involved. Firstly, it would meet the gas needs of the EU member states mentioned. Secondly, it would allow Ukraine to maintain its role as a transit country and earn stable revenue from gas transit. Thirdly, it would enable Azerbaijan to continue its crucial role in ensuring Europes energy security. For Russia, Azerbaijans role as an intermediary with third countries is also significant.

Thus, Azerbaijan is emerging as the most reliable gas supplier to the EU, giving Brussels and Kyiv good reason to depend on Baku. More expensive alternatives are unlikely to be acceptable to European consumers. In January 2024, Azerbaijan once again confirmed its reliability as an energy supplier by increasing gas exports through the TAP pipeline, a key part of the Southern Gas Corridor project. If the plan to transport Azerbaijani gas from the Russia-Ukraine border moves forward, the EU could receive gas at a more affordable price. Successful implementation of this export project to the south and east will undoubtedly make a substantial contribution to improving Europes economic situation.
Amidst a national skilled labor shortage, 88% of tradespeople in Houston say that easier access to necessary tools would attract more workers to the construction industry

The majority of tradespeople (92%) say that not having the right tools or losing a tool on the jobsite is a significant hindrance to productivity

This year, DEWALT will gift 100 tool kits to graduates of The Home Builders Institute's (HBI) Houston BuildStrong Academy to jumpstart their trades careers, including the latest cohort graduating on August 23

TOWSON, Md., Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey of Houston-based tradespeople from DEWALT, a Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) brand and leader in total jobsite solutions, found that 78% of tradespeople agree that the initial buy-in cost of tools, which can range from several thousands to upwards of $10,000, was a barrier to getting started in their career. As the nation grapples with a skilled labor shortage consisting of more than 500,000 open construction jobs, the DEWALT Tool Talk Survey examined how having the right tools for the job impacts those beginning a career in the trades.

This year, DEWALT will gift 100 tool kits to graduates of The Home Builders Institutes (HBI) Houston BuildStrong Academy to jumpstart their trades careers, including the latest class graduating on August 23.

"Our findings tell us that two in three tradespeople in Houston (66%) did not own all the tools needed for their job upon starting their career, and of those, half (52%) say they saved up or took out a loan to purchase tools," said Jeff Doehne, President, U.S. Retail, Stanley Black & Decker. "As part of DEWALT's commitment to grow the trades, we are making every effort to empower those starting out by supplying the tools young professionals need to be successful from day one."

Proper Tools are Worth the Investment

Upon the start of their career, nearly 3 in 5 tradespeople (57%) cite the need to replace their toolset with more heavy-duty tools or not having the tools they need as the biggest roadblocks.

Not surprisingly then, 93% of tradespeople say that investing in durable, high-performance tools is worth paying a higher cost. For nearly 3 in 4 tradespeople (72%), it took two years or less to see a return on the money spent on their initial investment in tools.

As their careers progress, more than 3 in 4 tradespeople (78%) are refreshing or replacing their tools at least once a year with 65% estimating their annual investment in tools, batteries and accessories to be $10,000 or more. Further, 41% estimate this investment is $25,000 or more.

Access to Tools May Attract More Workers to the Construction Industry

For more than 4 in 5 tradespeople (86%), it would have been extremely significant or very significant to receive a gift of core tools for their trade upon the start of their career, while 88% go as far to say that easier access to necessary tools would attract more workers to the construction industry.

As part of DEWALT's Grow the Trades initiative, a $30 million commitment over five years to close the skilled trades gap in the U.S., DEWALT will provide tool kits to 100 students of HBI's BuildStrong Academy in Houston throughout the year. DEWALT will be onsite to hand deliver kits to the latest graduating class on Friday, August 23.

In March 2024, DEWALT partnered with The Home Builders Institute, the nation's leading nonprofit provider of trade skills training and education for the building industry, to become HBI's BuildStrong Academy Tool Trade Sponsor. HBI's BuildStrong Academy in Houston is a tuition-free, industry-driven academy that provides hands-on training and education for anyone interested in pursuing a career in construction. In addition to hands on training, the organization focuses on professional development, mentoring, and ongoing support, equipping students with the necessary skills and certifications to meet the demand for skilled workers.

To learn more about DEWALT's Grow the Trades initiative, please visit: www.dewalt.com/growthetrades.

To learn more about the HBI's BuildStrong Academy, please visit: hbi.org.

Methodology

DEWALT commissioned Atomik Research to conduct an online survey of 903 tradespeople1 throughout the United States. The sample consists of tradespeople from three markets, Orlando, FL (n=300), Houston, TX (n=301) and Phoenix, AZ (n=302). Fieldwork took place between November 15 and November 21, 2023. The margin of error for the overall sample is +/- 3 percentage points with a confidence interval of 95 percent. Atomik Research is an independent creative market research agency.

1In order to qualify for participation in the study, participants must indicate a trades profession in the electrical, carpentry, mechanical, plumbing/pipe trades, general contracting, masonry /concrete, flooring, framing or HVAC trade.

About DEWALT

DEWALT, a Stanley Black & Decker brand, celebrates 100 years in business by continuing to provide our customers with total jobsite and outdoor solutions. By applying its latest technology to the challenges of today's skilled trades, DEWALT is leading the charge for the jobsite of the future and is pioneering the next generation of tools, outdoor equipment and forward-looking technologies. DEWALT products. GUARANTEED TOUGH. For more information, visit www.dewalt.com or follow DEWALT on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

About Stanley Black & Decker

Founded in 1843 and headquartered in the USA, Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) is a worldwide leader in Tools and Outdoor, operating manufacturing facilities globally. The Company's approximately 50,000 diverse and high-performing employees produce innovative end-user inspired power tools, hand tools, storage, digital jobsite solutions, outdoor and lifestyle products, and engineered fasteners to support the world's builders, tradespeople and DIYers. The Company's world class portfolio of trusted brands includes DEWALT, CRAFTSMAN, STANLEY, BLACK+DECKER, and Cub Cadet. To learn more visit: www.stanleyblackanddecker.com or follow Stanley Black & Decker on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and X .

SOURCE DEWALT
ATLANTA, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ameris Bank recently welcomed two commercial banking industry veterans to its well-established team. Bill Kilburg joins Ameris as senior vice president, relationship manager and Patrick Murphy will serve as senior vice president, government relationship manager.

Bill Kilburg Patrick Murphy

Based in Metro Atlanta, Kilburg brings more than 25 years' experience in the financial services industry. He spent the last 20 years in commercial banking with BB&T (now Truist), in roles of increasing responsibility ranging from senior relationship manager, market president, regional president and middle market banking manager in Metro Atlanta and Middle Georgia. He is a graduate of Florida State University.

Murphy has 30 years of government banking experience, most recently with TD Bank. He has spent his entire career in the government banking sector and brings tremendous expertise handling the unique needs of municipalities. A graduate of Eastern Connecticut State University, Murphy is based in Jacksonville and will work throughout Florida.

"Adding these established commercial banking veterans to our team brings invaluable industry expertise to Ameris," said Ameris Bank President Lawton Bassett. "Their deep knowledge combined with practical experience is the right formula to allow us to better serve our customers while driving strategic growth for our company."

About Ameris Bank

Ameris Bank, a subsidiary of Ameris Bancorp (NYSE: ABCB), is a state-chartered bank headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Ameris operates 164 financial centers across the Southeast and serves consumer and business customers nationwide through select lending channels. Ameris manages $26.5 billion in assets as of June 30, 2024, and provides a full range of traditional banking and lending products, treasury and cash management, insurance premium financing, and mortgage and refinancing services. Learn more about Ameris at www.amerisbank.com.

SOURCE Ameris Bank
FREMONT, Calif., Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- AppSentinels, the world's foremost API Security Platform trusted by Fortune 500 clients, proudly announces the appointment of Vishal Salvi as an advisor to the Board. Vishal Salvi will be pivotal in guiding the company's growth and expansion initiative.

Vishal Salvi is widely regarded as one of the industry's most esteemed business leaders and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), boasting a wealth of experience acquired from various leadership positions within cybersecurity. With over three decades of front-leading cybersecurity initiatives, Salvi has left an indelible mark on the industry, having contributed significantly to esteemed organizations, such as PwC, Infosys, Standard Chartered Bank, HDFC Bank, Crompton Greaves, and Development Credit Bank. Currently, he spearheads Quick Heal Technologies Limited, a leading global cybersecurity solutions company, and its enterprise arm, Seqrite, which provides robust security solutions to individuals, businesses, and government organizations.

AppSentinels eagerly anticipates leveraging Salvi's invaluable insights and strategic guidance, to further solidify its position as a leader in API security. Salvi's wealth of experience will propel the company toward continued success in the rapidly evolving API Security landscape.

"I am honored to join the Board of Advisors at AppSentinels. The rapid advancements in technology demand robust security measures, and I believe AppSentinels is uniquely positioned to address these challenges with its innovative solutions. Drawing on my experience of over three decades as a CISO and now as the CEO of Quick Heal, I look forward to contributing to the company's growth and helping shape its strategic direction, to deliver impactful security solutions for businesses worldwide," said Vishal Salvi.

Puneet Tutliani, CEO of AppSentinels, said, "I am thrilled to extend a warm welcome to Vishal Salvi as our Advisor. As AppSentinels embarks on a journey of substantial growth, Vishal's profound expertise as a business leader and CISO will undoubtedly expedite our ongoing success. His invaluable insights will serve as a compass, guiding us through the intricate and ever-evolving landscape of API Security. With Vishal's guidance, we are confident in our ability to navigate this critical domain and maintain our trajectory of success."

About AppSentinels

AppSentinels is the world's most comprehensive full-lifecycle API Security Platform. The platform supports multiple DevOps-friendly deployment modes, offers Shift-Left and Protect-Right capabilities, and form-factors for easy and quick onboarding, integrating seamlessly within existing systems. To learn more about the AppSentinels API Security Platform, visit www.appsentinels.ai.

Media Contact:

Karthick Sreedaran

[email protected]

SOURCE AppSentinels
The global auto insurance market is experiencing growth due to rise in number of accidents, implementation of stringent government regulations for the adoption of auto insurance and increase in automobile sales globally

WILMINGTON, Del., Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Auto Insurance Market by Coverage (Third Party Liability Coverage and Collision/Comprehensive/Other Optional Coverages), Distribution Channel (Insurance Agents/Brokers, Direct Response, Banks and Others), Vehicle Age (New Vehicles and Used Vehicles), and Application (Personal and Commercial): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2024-2032". According to the report, the auto insurance market was valued at $923.4 billion in 2023, and is estimated to reach $2, 274.8 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 10.8% from 2024 to 2032.

Get Your Sample Report & TOC Today: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/2450

(We are providing report as per your research requirement, including the Latest Industry Insight's Evolution, Potential and COVID-19 Impact Analysis)

178  Tables

60  Charts

350  Pages

Prime determinants of growth

The global auto insurance market is experiencing growth due to rise in the number of accidents, the implementation of stringent government regulations for the adoption of auto insurance, and increase in automobile sales. However, adoption of autonomous vehicles acts as a restraint for the auto insurance market. In addition, the implementation of technologies in existing products and service lines and the rise in demand for third-party liability coverage in emerging economies are projected to provide ample opportunities for the market development during the forecast period.

Report coverage & details:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 20242032 Base Year 2023 Market Size in 2023 $923.4 billion Market Size in 2032 $2, 274.8 billion CAGR 10.8 % No. of Pages in Report 350 Segments Covered Coverage, Distribution Channel, Vehicle Age, Application, and Region Drivers Rise in a number of accidents

Implementation of stringent government regulations for the adoption of auto insurance

Increase in automobile sales globally Opportunities Implementation of technologies in existing products and service lines

Rise in demand for third-party liability coverage in emerging economies Restraint Adoption of autonomous vehicles

Purchase This Comprehensive 350-Page Report (PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, and Figures) @ https://bit.ly/3SYpmzw

The third-party liability coverage segment held the highest market share in 2023.

Based on coverage, the third-party liability coverage segment held the highest market share in 2023. Third-party coverage in motor insurance protects against claims of losses and damages sustained by uninsured drivers who are not covered by the insurance policy.

The direct response segment held the highest market share in 2023.

Based on distribution channel, the direct response segment held the highest market share in 2023. Direct response refers to selling insurance directly to consumers by telephone, television, direct mail, or other channels. In addition, vehicle insurance businesses look into new distribution methods, concentrate on growing their consumers, and aim to maximize their investment potential.

The new vehicle segment held the highest market share in 2023.

Based on vehicle age, the new vehicle segment held the highest market share in 2023. Consumers are increasingly inclined towards new vehicles that offer the latest technology, safety features, and fuel efficiency. Advances in automotive technology, such as electric vehicles (EVs), autonomous driving capabilities, and enhanced connectivity, make new vehicles highly demandable to buyers.

The personal segment held the highest market share in 2023.

Based on application, the personal segment held the highest market share in 2023. A motor vehicle classified as a personal vehicle seat no more than eight people, including the driver. These cars have witnessed significant market growth due to their high-cost effectiveness, improved comfort, and higher durability.

Access Your Customized Sample Report & TOC Now: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/2450

North America held the highest market share in 2023.

Based on region, North America held the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2023 and is expected to remain dominant throughout the forecast period. The major factors that drive the growth of the market in this region include the presence of key players and rise in purchase of cars in countries, such as the U.S. and Canada.

Players: -

Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Admiral Group Plc

People's Insurance Company of China

Allstate Insurance Company

CHINA PACIFIC INSURANCE CO.

PACIFIC INSURANCE CO. Tokio Marine Group

Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China , Ltd.

, Ltd. Automobile Insurance

Allianz

State Farm Mutual

The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players in the global auto insurance 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 Industry Development:

In June 2024 , OpenRoad Insurance partnered with Majesco, to provide a modernized digital experience for OpenRoad's clients and agent partners. The partnership aims to launch OpenRoad across selected U.S. states, offering a new choice for classic and modern collector vehicle policyholders.

, OpenRoad Insurance partnered with Majesco, to provide a modernized digital experience for OpenRoad's clients and agent partners. The partnership aims to launch OpenRoad across selected U.S. states, offering a new choice for classic and modern collector vehicle policyholders. In March 2024 , Cheche Group Inc. partnered with Beijing Houji Insurance Brokerage Co., Ltd. to broaden its partner network with leaders in the new energy vehicle ("NEV") industry.

Get More Information Before Buying: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/2450

Key Benefits For Stakeholders

This report provides a quantitative analysis of the auto insurance market forecast segments, current trends, estimations, and dynamics of the market analysis to identify the prevailing market opportunities.

The market research is offered along with information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities.

Porter's five forces analysis highlights the potency of buyers and suppliers to enable stakeholders make profit-oriented business decisions and strengthen their supplier-buyer network.

In-depth analysis of the auto insurance market outlook segmentation assists to determine the prevailing market opportunities.

Major countries in each region are mapped according to their revenue contribution to the global auto insurance market opportunity statistics.

Market player positioning facilitates benchmarking and provides a clear understanding of the present position of the market players.

The report includes the analysis of the regional as well as global auto insurance market trends, key players, market segments, application areas, and market growth strategies.

Auto Insurance Market Key Segments:

By Coverage

Third Party Liability Coverage

Collision/Comprehensive/Other Optional Coverages

By Distribution Channel

Insurance Agents/Brokers

Direct Response

Banks

Others

By Vehicle Age

New Vehicles

Used Vehicles

By Application

Personal

Commercial

By Region

North America (U.S., Canada )

(U.S., ) Europe ( France , Germany , Italy , Spain , UK, Rest of Europe )

( , , , , UK, Rest of ) Asia-Pacific ( China , Japan , India , South Korea , Australia , Rest of Asia-Pacific )

( , , , , , Rest of ) Latin America ( Brazil , Argentina , Colombia , Rest of Latin America )

( , , , Rest of ) MEA ( Saudi Arabia , South Africa , UAE, Rest of MEA)

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We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
Life insurance carrier appoints experienced leader to oversee and expand business in the Central Region sales territory

CANTON, Mass., Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company, a national provider of insurance solutions for individuals and at the workplace, today announced the promotion of Marie Lackey to Vice President of Workplace Solutions  Central Region. In her new role, Ms. Lackey will oversee the company's Workplace Solutions division in the Central Region sales territory.

Marie Lackey has been promoted to Vice President of Workplace Solutions  Central Region at Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company, responsible for the workplace sales division in the Central Region sales territory for the life insurance carrier.

Ms. Lackey's new position as Vice President includes strategic oversight of multiple states in the territory, including Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. In addition, the Boston Mutual Life sales representatives based in the region will report to her in the new position.

"Marie's promotion is a testament to her exceptional leadership and the significant contributions she has made to our organization over the past six years," said Joshua Police, Executive Vice President of Distribution and Business Development at Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company. "During her tenure at Boston Mutual Life, Marie has been instrumental in driving sales in the Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Florida regions."

Ms. Lackey began her career at Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company in 2018 as the Senior Regional Sales Director for the Southeastern region. Prior to joining Boston Mutual Life, Ms. Lackey held a Regional Vice President role with a different insurance carrier for over ten years, further enhancing her expertise in the field. She has over 25 total years of experience in the employee benefits and insurance industry, providing Ms. Lackey with a strong foundation to continue her contributions to the team's growth and success in her new leadership role.

"With this new position, I'm excited to lead the sales team in the Central Region in continuing to provide affordable, competitive life insurance solutions paired with excellent service to our producer partners and customers across the region," said Marie Lackey, Vice President of Workplace Solutions  Central Region at Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company.

For brokers looking to find out more about life insurance offerings for your clients, click here to find a sales representative in your state. To learn more about Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company, please visit https://www.bostonmutual.com/.

About Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company

Founded as a progressive life insurance company in 1891, Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company is a national carrier that provides insurance solutions designed for working Americans and their families, as well as enrollment and billing options at the workplace. With offices based in Canton, Massachusetts, and Omaha, Nebraska, as a mutual company, Boston Mutual Life is dedicated to acting in the best interests of its policyholders, producers, employees, and its communities. For more information, please visit www.bostonmutual.com or contact your Boston Mutual Life representative. Follow the company on Facebook (/BostonMutualLifeIns), LinkedIn (/company/boston-mutual-life-insurance), or Instagram (/bostonmutuallifeinsurance).

Media Contacts

Meredith D'Agostino

Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company

[email protected]

(800) 669-2668 x276

Boston Mutual Life News Desk:

[email protected]

SOURCE Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company
Fast casual concept to celebrate grand opening in Moore on August 27, offering free chicken salad for a year

ATLANTA, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicken Salad Chick , the nation's only fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept, announced today it is opening its newest location in Moore, located at 750 SW 19th Street, just outside of Oklahoma City. The local community is invited to celebrate this grand opening on Tuesday, August 27 and the first 100 guests in line will win free chicken salad for a year*.

During grand opening week, guests can expect to experience the Southern hospitality Chicken Salad Chick is known for with various specials and giveaways. These include:

Tuesday, August 27  Free Chicken Salad for a Year to the first 100 Guests  The first guest in line will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for an entire year. The next 99 guests in line receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month for a year.*

  The first guest in line will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for an entire year. The next 99 guests in line receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month for a year.* Wednesday, August 28  The first 50 guests to purchase a Chick Trio receive a FREE Chicken Salad Chick 40oz Tumbler.**

 The first 50 guests to purchase a Chick Trio receive a FREE Chicken Salad Chick 40oz Tumbler.** Thursday, August 29  The first 50 guests to purchase a Chick Trio receive a FREE Chicken Salad Chick Canvas Tote Bag.**

 The first 50 guests to purchase a Chick Trio receive a FREE Chicken Salad Chick Canvas Tote Bag.** Friday, August 30  The first 50 guests to purchase a Chick Special will receive a FREE Chick Special on their next visit.**

 The first 50 guests to purchase a Chick Special will receive a FREE Chick Special on their next visit.** Saturday, August 31  The first 50 guests to purchase two Large Quick Chicks receive a FREE Chicken Salad Chick Cooler.**

Chicken Salad Chick of Moore is owned and operated by Troy Morrison, an experienced restaurant franchise owner who oversees 95 Taco Bell and Wing Stop franchises nationwide. Morrison has big expansion plans for the state, as he's acquired the rights to five more Chicken Salad Chick locations in Oklahoma and 11 in Austin, TX. The Moore restaurant is the first of his to open while the others are under construction.

"I'm excited and grateful for the opportunity to introduce Chicken Salad Chick to the Moore community," said Troy Morrison, franchise owner of Chicken Salad Chick of Moore. "Chicken Salad Chick's dedication to exceptional food and dining experiences continues to inspire me to expand my portfolio. Our menu caters to a wide range of tastes, from health-conscious individuals to families and professionals seeking quick, nutritious meals. I'm incredibly fortunate to work side-by-side with a talented and passionate team and look forward to sharing our delicious menu items with Moore residents very soon!"

Chicken Salad Chick is known for its dozen-plus variety of made-from-scratch chicken salad flavors, fresh side salads, gourmet soups, signature sandwiches, and desserts. The new Moore location offers in-restaurant and outdoor patio dining, take-out, curbside pickup, third-party delivery, and catering options. The Moore opening marks the brand's fourth location in Oklahoma, following a recent opening in Broken Arrow and two in Tulsa.

"We're thrilled to reenter the Oklahoma City market with our new franchise owner, Troy Morrison," said Scott Deviney, president and CEO of Chicken Salad Chick. "Oklahoma City is a key region for us because of its lively community and strong support for local businesses. We're for Troy and his team to engage the Moore community with our unique hospitality and made from scratch food. His prior restaurant franchising experience, paired with his dedication to serving others, makes him the perfect candidate to continue growing our brand in the Sooner State."

Giving back to the community is an important focus for the Moore team and the Chicken Salad Chick brand, which established the CSC Foundation to support CURE Childhood Cancer and local food banks with fundraisers throughout the year. As part of pre-opening Friends & Family events in Moore, the restaurant will be raising money for The Toby Keith Foundation, which funds the building and operation of the "OK Kids Korral," a home-away-from-home for children battling cancer.

Chicken Salad Chick of Moore will be open Monday  Saturday from 10 a.m.  8 p.m. For more information, visit www.chickensaladchick.com . Follow Chicken Salad Chick on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and trends.

For more information on giveaways and specials, visit

https://www.facebook.com/ChickenSaladChickMooreOK/

*Guests should arrive early to secure a place in line. The first 100 guests must remain in line and download the Chicken Salad Chick app. Wi-Fi will not be available on site. Once the restaurant opens, guests will make a purchase of "The Chick" or anything of equal/greater value and enter a code in the Chicken Salad Chick app to officially secure their spot. If you leave the line for any reason, your spot will be awarded to the next guest in line. Guests will receive their first free Large Quick Chick electronically to their app the Monday following Grand Opening Day. Your reward will be valid for redemption for 30 days upon delivery.

**Must download the CSC App and be 16 years or older to purchase. Not valid with any other offers. Limit 1 reward per guest present, per day.

About Chicken Salad Chick

Chicken Salad Chick serves full-flavored, Southern-style chicken salad made from scratch and served from the heart. With more than a dozen original chicken salad flavors as well as fresh side salads, gourmet soups, signature sandwiches and delicious desserts, Chicken Salad Chick's robust menu is a perfect fit for any guest. Founded in Auburn, Alabama, by Stacy and Kevin Brown, in 2008, Chicken Salad Chick has grown to more than 260 restaurants in 19 states. Today, under the leadership of Scott Deviney and the Chicken Salad Chick team, the brand is continuing its rapid expansion with both franchise and company locations. Chicken Salad Chick has received numerous accolades including rankings in the 2023 Entrepreneur Franchise 500, Franchise Times' Fast & Serious for the third consecutive year, Fast Casual.com's top Movers and Shakers from 2018 to 2023, QSR's Best Franchise Deals in 2019, 2020 and 2022, and Franchise Business Review's Top Food Franchises in 2020. See www.chickensaladchick.com for additional information.

Contact:

Alexis Paul

Fish Consulting

954-893-9150

[email protected]

SOURCE Chicken Salad Chick
SEGUIN, Texas, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The City of Seguin is excited to announce that it is seeking qualified partners to work with on the redevelopment of the historic Nolte property abutting Central Park in the City's downtown. Seguin officials recently purchased the property and are working with renowned TBA Douglas Architects to create a development plan to reimagine the site. The City of Seguin is now issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) from experienced developers. Interested parties can sign up here to receive the RFQ when it goes live on Wednesday, August 28, 2024.

Historic photo of the Nolte building in Seguin, Texas.

The RFQ is part of a strategic real estate initiative, in which the City aims to divest its interest in the property, while facilitating a visionary project that enriches the fabric of the community. The issuance of a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) marks the initial step in a two-step process, culminating in a Request for Proposal (RFP), to identify a developer capable of executing the City's vision and objectives. City officials are eager to see what developers have in mind for the property, with the expectation that it should catalyze economic growth, foster community engagement and preserve cultural heritage.

The property, located at 101 East Nolte in downtown Seguin, consists of an entire city block just south of Central Park. The site consists of four buildings lining E. Nolte and a large surface parking lot to the south of the buildings. Two historic buildings, the Nolte National Bank Building and the Post Office, located at the north west corner of the site, will be a major component of the redevelopment. The property sits on 0.92 acres in the heart of downtown and in its current configuration, the buildings encompass 40,000 square feet across two stories.

Following the issuance of the RFQ, the City of Seguin will host a site tour at 10 a.m. on Thursday, September 5, 2024 for interested developers; those interested in attending can RSVP here. A formal Request for Proposals will be sent to selected teams at a later date.

As one of the fastest growing cities in the United States, Seguin is an attractive market for developers to enter into. For additional information on the City of Seguin see here. For more information on the RFQ process please click here.

SOURCE City of Seguin
GUANGZHOU, China, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- CNFinance Holdings Limited (NYSE: CNF) ("CNFinance" or the "Company"), a leading home equity loan service provider in China, today announced that it will report its unaudited financial results for the first half of 2024, before U.S. markets open on Tuesday, August 27, 2024.

CNFinance's management will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 (8:00 PM Beijing/ Hong Kong Time on Tuesday, August 27, 2024).

Dial-in numbers for the live conference call are as follows:

International: +1-412-902-4272 Mainland China +86-4001-201203 United States: +1-888-346-8982 Hong Kong: +852-301-84992 Passcode: CNFinance

A telephone replay of the call will be available after the conclusion of the conference call until 11:59 PM ET September 2, 2024.

Dial-in numbers for the replay are as follows:

International: +1-412-317-0088 United States: +1-877-344-7529 Passcode: 6689462

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations section of CNFinance's website at http://ir.cashchina.cn/.

About CNFinance Holdings Limited

CNFinance Holdings Limited (NYSE: CNF) ("CNFinance" or the "Company") is a leading home equity loan service provider in China. CNFinance, through its operating subsidiaries in China, conducts business by connecting demands and supplies through collaborating with sales partners and trust companies under the trust lending model, and local channel partners and commercial banks under the commercial bank partnership model. Sales partners and local channel partners are responsible for recommending micro- and small-enterprise ("MSE") owners with financing needs to the Company and the Company introduces eligible borrowers to licensed financial institutions with sufficient funding sources including trust companies and commercial banks who will then conduct their own risk assessments and make credit decisions. The Company's primary target borrower segment is MSE owners who own real properties in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities and other major cities in China. The Company's risk mitigation mechanism is embedded in the design of its loan products, supported by an integrated online and offline process focusing on risks of both borrowers and collateral and further enhanced by effective post-loan management procedures.

For more information, please contact:

CNFinance E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE CNFinance Holdings Limited
Known for drawing big crowds with its world-famous lobster rolls, chowder, and whoopie pies, Cousins Maine Lobster is a premier food truck partner for breweries and wineries, and can often be found at fairs, festivals, local businesses, and retailers. Customers have traveled from all over Illinois to enjoy Cousins Maine Lobster, fueling the opening of the second truck in Illinois.

Yunus Shahul shared, "We're thrilled to be expanding our reach in Illinois with the launch of our third lobster truck. The enthusiastic response from our customers has been incredible, and we're excited to bring even more of our wild caught, mouthwatering lobster rolls to new communities. This launch is a testament to our commitment to quality and our passion for sharing the best of the coast with the Midwest."

The local community is invited to attend the grand opening celebration at Standard Meadery, chosen for its handcrafted selection of meads and family-friendly environment. Cousins Maine Lobster will also have a prize wheel set up for customers to win CML apparel, free food, and other fun prizes.

Cousins Maine Lobster  Chicago, IL Truck Three Grand Opening Celebration

2:00  9:00 PM

Standard Meadery

11 W Park Blvd Suite A,

Villa Park, IL 60181

Chicago, IL Cousins Maine Lobster Facebook Page

Cousins Maine Lobster is seeking new franchisees nationwide. More franchising information can be found here https://www.cousinsmainelobster.com/franchise/.

DISCLAIMER: This news is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy a franchise. Any actual offer or solicitation can only be made through a Franchise Disclosure Document. If you reside in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, or Wisconsin, we may not be able to offer you a franchise until it has been registered in your state.

For more information, please contact: Lindsey Herberger: [email protected]

SOURCE Cousins Maine Lobster
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 21. SOCAR Vice President Babek Huseynov met with a Vietnamese delegation, Trend reports via SOCAR.

A meeting was held with the General Director for Drilling of Vietnamese company VietsoVPetro Pham Xuan Son and Manh Cuong, Head of Oil and Gas Contract Management Department of PetroVietnam, the SOCAR's information says.

During the meeting, participants shared their thoughts on how the companies may work together more closely, highlighted the value of sharing experiences, and addressed other topics of common interest.

To note, Azerbaijan and Vietnam have long-standing cooperation in the field of oil, in particular, SOCAR has carried out drilling works in Vietnam.
LONDON, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresha, the leading marketplace platform for beauty and wellness, today announced it has secured a $31 million venture debt facility from J.P. Morgan. This funding will accelerate Fresha's expansion into new markets and drive the growth of its machine learning capabilities and AI-powered robotics, further advancing its innovative all-in-one platform.

Fresha the world's leading marketplace for beauty and wellness investing in Machine Learning and AI Powered Robotics.

Fresha's platform empowers beauty businesses, such as salons, barbershops, spas, and aesthetics clinics, to operate efficiently and independently. By offering a subscription-free business software with embedded payment processing and a consumer marketplace, Fresha helps businesses streamline their entire operations and connect with more customers, levelling the playing field for businesses of all sizes.



To date, Fresha has raised over $185 million in venture capital funding, including a $150 million Series C round in 2021 led by General Atlantic. As Fresha approaches profitability, this new relationship with J.P. Morgan will further fuel its ambitions to revolutionise the beauty and wellness space.

Fresha's platform allows consumers to discover, book, and pay for beauty and wellness appointments with local businesses through its marketplace. Beauty and wellness professionals' benefit from an all-in-one platform that includes free business software and financial technology solutions to manage their operations seamlessly. This approach aligns with Fresha's vision of fostering innovation and accessibility across the industry, enabling every business to thrive in a competitive landscape.

The Fresha ecosystem offers merchants everything they need to run their businesses effectively, including appointment bookings, point-of-sale, customer records management, marketing automation, loyalty programs, beauty product inventory, and team management. The consumer marketplace leverages online bookings and automated marketing through mobile apps and advanced integrations with major tech platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Google, unlocking significant revenue potential for partner businesses. By removing barriers to advanced technology, Fresha ensures that all beauty professionals can enhance their services and expand their reach.

Fresha boasts a network of over 110,000 merchants, with a strong presence in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. The platform's reach extends across 120 countries, where customers book tens of millions of appointments monthly. To date, Fresha has facilitated transactions worth over $35 billion in gross merchandise volume, showcasing its significant impact on the global beauty and wellness industry. In 2023, the company grew revenues by 67% year-over-year, with a similar level of performance expected in 2024.

"We're delighted to support Fresha on their continued growth journey," said Alexandra Wyatt, U.K. Innovation Economy banking at J.P. Morgan. "Fresha is steering the rapidly expanding beauty and wellness space with its innovative technology and strong unit economics. Their unique business model is transforming the industry landscape, and it's precisely the type of innovation we want to help drive globally."

J.P. Morgan serves venture-backed and high-growth companies, founders and venture capital firms across the globe in industries like technology, fintech, disruptive commerce and internet, life sciences, climate tech and healthtech. The firm provides deep industry expertise, local support, global products and services and a robust network of investors and partners to meet clients' commercial, investment and private banking needs.

"We are thrilled to be working with J.P. Morgan," said William Zeqiri, Founder and CEO of Fresha. "The beauty and wellness industry is a dynamic world, buzzing with creativity, innovation, and an endless quest for service enhancement. Today, there is so much potential to be unlocked. Beauty service providers need a 360-degree view of each client, including booking behaviour, preferences, payment methods, and lifetime value. Extracting insights from every transaction has become a key competitive advantage, allowing our users to offer highly tailored and personalized services."

Zeqiri continued, "The next exciting frontier for Fresha is expanding our research and development in machine learning and integrating AI into daily business operations. By embracing cutting-edge technology, we are not just enhancing our services; we are creating opportunities and redefining what's possible. Our vision is a world where innovation and creativity flourish together, driving progress and enabling everyone to reach their full potential. In the not-so-distant future, we envision AI-powered robots working alongside humans in the beauty and wellness space. Robots can handle repetitive tasks, such as managing bookings, mixing colours, welcoming customers, or managing inventory, freeing up valuable time for stylists to focus on personalizing their services and honing their craft."

About Fresha

Fresha is the world's #1 beauty and wellness marketplace powered by all-in-one free business software with integrated payments. With over 100,000 partner venues in more than 120 countries, Fresha simplifies business operations and enhances customer experiences. To learn more, visit fresha.com, download Fresha on the App Store and Google Play, or follow Fresha on Facebook and Instagram.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2486639/Fresha.jpg

SOURCE Fresha
GUIYANG, China, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. ("FTA" or the "Company") (NYSE: YMM), a leading digital freight platform, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2024.

Second Quarter 2024 Financial and Operational Highlights

Total net revenues in the second quarter of 2024 were RMB2,764.3 million ( US$380.4 million ), an increase of 34.1% from RMB2,062.0 million in the same period of 2023.





in the second quarter of 2024 were ( ), an increase of 34.1% from in the same period of 2023. Net income in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB840.5 million ( US$115.7 million ), an increase of 38.0% from RMB609.0 million in the same period of 2023.





in the second quarter of 2024 was ( ), an increase of 38.0% from in the same period of 2023. Non-GAAP adjusted net income [1] in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB970.9 million ( US$133.6 million ), an increase of 34.3% from RMB722.7 million in the same period of 2023.





in the second quarter of 2024 was ( ), an increase of 34.3% from in the same period of 2023. Fulfilled orders [2] in the second quarter of 2024 reached 49.1 million, an increase of 22.0% from 40.2 million in the same period of 2023.





in the second quarter of 2024 reached 49.1 million, an increase of 22.0% from 40.2 million in the same period of 2023. Average shipper MAUs[3] in the second quarter of 2024 reached 2.65 million, an increase of 32.8% from 2.00 million in the same period of 2023.

Mr. Peter Hui Zhang, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FTA, commented, "We are pleased to see our team's unwavering commitment to user centricity in the first half of 2024 despite pressure from macroeconomic challenges and extreme weather conditions. In the second quarter, we made steady progress across the board and delivered a strong operational and financial performance. Focusing on the core of our product and business from the user's perspective has empowered consistent execution excellence. As a result, our shipper-user scale reached an all-time high. Meanwhile, we enhanced the infrastructure serving our truck-cargo matching system, driving continuous order structure improvement and a steady increase in fulfillment rate. As we move into the second half of the year, we are confident of achieving progress in various businesses and maintaining growth in both scale and profits."

Mr. Simon Cai, Chief Financial Officer of FTA, added, "We delivered another set of robust financial results in the second quarter with growth in both top line and bottom line. Total net revenues increased by 34.1% year over year to RMB2,764.3 million, while net income and non-GAAP adjusted net income soared by 38.0% and 34.3% to reach RMB840.5 million and RMB970.9 million, respectively. More importantly, as we enhance the value of our platform's ecosystem, our transaction service is rapidly realizing its monetization potential, with revenues under this model growing more than 60% year over year this quarter. Looking ahead, we see significant potential for user scale and monetization growth. We seek to continue seizing those opportunities by improving service quality and creating greater user value."

[1] Non-GAAP adjusted net income is defined as net income excluding (i) share-based compensation expense; (ii) amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions; (iii) compensation cost incurred in relation to acquisitions; and (iv) tax effects of non-GAAP adjustments. See "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and "Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" at the end of this press release. [2] Fulfilled orders on our platform in a given period are defined as all shipping orders matched through our platform during such period but exclude (i) shipping orders that are subsequently canceled and (ii) shipping orders for which our users failed to specify any freight prices, as there are substantial uncertainties as to whether such shipping orders are fulfilled. [3] Average shipper MAUs in a given period are calculated by dividing (i) the sum of shipper MAUs for each month of a given period by (ii) the number of months in a given period. Shipper MAUs are defined as the number of active shippers on our platform in a given month. Active shippers are defined as the aggregate number of registered shipper accounts that have posted at least one shipping order on our platform during a given period.

Second Quarter 2024 Financial Results

Net Revenues (including value added taxes, or "VAT," of RMB953.0 million and RMB1,255.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2024, respectively). Total net revenues in the second quarter of 2024 were RMB2,764.3 million (US$380.4 million), representing an increase of 34.1% from RMB2,062.0 million in the same period of 2023, primarily attributable to an increase in revenues from freight matching services.

Freight matching services. Revenues from freight matching services in the second quarter of 2024 were RMB2,328.7 million (US$320.4 million), representing an increase of 34.4% from RMB1,732.2 million in the same period of 2023. The increase was mainly due to a significant increase in transaction service[4] and the continued growth in freight brokerage service.

Freight brokerage service. Revenues from freight brokerage service in the second quarter of 2024 were RMB1,164.8 million ( US$160.3 million ), an increase of 22.7% from RMB948.9 million in the same period of 2023, primarily attributable to an increase in transaction volume due to the continued growth in user demand.





Revenues from freight brokerage service in the second quarter of 2024 were ( ), an increase of 22.7% from in the same period of 2023, primarily attributable to an increase in transaction volume due to the continued growth in user demand. Freight listing service . Revenues from freight listing service in the second quarter of 2024 were RMB212.1 million ( US$29.2 million ), an increase of 5.6% from RMB200.8 million in the same period of 2023, primarily due to a growing number of total paying members.





. Revenues from freight listing service in the second quarter of 2024 were ( ), an increase of 5.6% from in the same period of 2023, primarily due to a growing number of total paying members. Transaction service.[4] Revenues from transaction service amounted to RMB951 .9 million ( US$131 .0 million) in the second quarter of 2024, an increase of 63.4% from RMB582 .5 million in the same period of 2023, primarily driven by an increase in order volume, penetration rate, and the per-order transaction service fee.

Value-added services. Revenues from value-added services in the second quarter of 2024 were RMB435.6 million (US$59.9 million), an increase of 32.0% from RMB329.9 million in the same period of 2023. The increase was due to the growing demand from truckers and shippers for credit solutions and other value-added services.

Cost of Revenues (including VAT net of government grants of RMB774.9 million and RMB992.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2024, respectively). Cost of revenues in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB1,312.1 million (US$180.5 million), compared with RMB975.3 million in the same period of 2023. The increase was primarily due to increases in VAT, related tax surcharges and other tax costs, net of grants from government authorities. These tax-related costs net of government grants totaled RMB1,176.3 million, representing an increase of 33.8% from RMB879.3 million in the same period of 2023, primarily due to an increase in transaction activities involving the Company's freight brokerage service.

Sales and Marketing Expenses. Sales and marketing expenses in the second quarter of 2024 were RMB372.3 million (US$51.2 million), compared with RMB281.8 million in the same period of 2023. The increase was primarily due to an increase in advertising and marketing expenses for user acquisitions, as well as higher salary and benefits expenses.

General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses in the second quarter of 2024 were RMB219.2 million (US$30.2 million), compared with RMB201.7 million in the same period of 2023. The increase was primarily due to higher share-based compensation expenses.

Research and Development Expenses. Research and development expenses in the second quarter of 2024 were RMB232.1 million (US$31.9 million), compared with RMB223.7 million in the same period of 2023. The increase was primarily due to higher share-based compensation expenses and increased investment in technology infrastructure.

Income from Operations. Income from operations in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB565.4 million (US$77.8 million), an increase of 69.4% from RMB333.8 million in the same period of 2023.

Non-GAAP Adjusted Operating Income.[5] Non-GAAP adjusted operating income in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB699.0 million (US$96.2 million), an increase of 55.1% from RMB450.7 million in the same period of 2023.

Net Income. Net income in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB840.5 million (US$115.7 million), an increase of 38.0% from RMB609.0 million in the same period of 2023.

Non-GAAP Adjusted Net Income. Non-GAAP adjusted net income in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB970.9 million (US$133.6 million), an increase of 34.3% from RMB722.7 million in the same period of 2023.

Basic and Diluted Net Income per ADS[6] and Non-GAAP Adjusted Basic and Diluted Net Income per ADS.[7] Basic and diluted net income per ADS were RMB0.79 (US$0.11) in the second quarter of 2024, compared with RMB0.57 in the same period of 2023. Non-GAAP adjusted basic net income per ADS was RMB0.92 (US$0.13) in the second quarter of 2024, compared with RMB0.68 in the same period of 2023. Non-GAAP adjusted diluted net income per ADS was RMB0.91 (US$0.13) in the second quarter of 2024, compared with RMB0.68 in the same period of 2023.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

As of June 30, 2024, the Company had cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, short-term investments, long-term time deposits and wealth management products with maturities over one year of RMB26.8 billion (US$3.7 billion) in total, compared with RMB27.6 billion as of December 31, 2023.

As of June 30, 2024, the total outstanding balance of on-balance sheet loans, consisting of the total principal amounts and all accrued and unpaid interests of the loans funded through our small loan company, reduced by an allowance for estimated losses, was RMB3,997.1 million (US$550.0 million), compared with RMB3,521.1 million as of December 31, 2023. The total non-performing loan ratio[8] for these loans was 2.1% as of June 30, 2024, compared with 2.0% as of December 31, 2023.

In the second quarter of 2024, net cash provided by operating activities was RMB573.7 million (US$78.9 million).

[4] Effective January 1, 2024, we have renamed our "Transaction commission" revenue stream as "Transaction service," which consists of all monetization from truckers related to our freight matching service, including the revenue generated from our intra-city business, which was previously classified under "Freight listing service" and "Value-added services." The comparative periods have been restated to conform to this presentation by reclassifying RMB26.4 million and RMB1.0 million, which were previously included in "Freight listing service" and "Value-added services," respectively, as "Transaction service". [5] Non-GAAP adjusted operating income is defined as income from operations excluding (i) share-based compensation expense; (ii) amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions; and (iii) compensation cost incurred in relation to acquisitions. See "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and "Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" at the end of this press release. [6] ADS refers to American depositary shares, each of which represents 20 Class A ordinary shares. [7] Non-GAAP adjusted basic and diluted net income per ADS is net income attributable to ordinary shareholders excluding (i) share-based compensation expense; (ii) amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions; (iii) compensation cost incurred in relation to acquisitions; and (iv) tax effects of non-GAAP adjustments, divided by weighted average number of basic and diluted ADSs, respectively. For more information, refer to "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and "Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" at the end of this press release. [8] Non-performing loan ratio is calculated by dividing the outstanding principal and all accrued and unpaid interests of the on-balance sheet loans that were over 90 calendar days past due (excluding loans that are over 180 days past due and are therefore charged off) by the total outstanding principal and all accrued and unpaid interests of the on-balance sheet loans (excluding loans that are over 180 days past due and are therefore charged off) reduced by an allowance for estimated losses as of a specified date.

Business Outlook

The Company expects its total net revenues to be between RMB2.76 billion and RMB2.82 billion for the third quarter of 2024, representing a year-over-year growth rate of approximately 21.9% to 24.6%. These forecasts reflect the Company's current and preliminary views on the market and operational conditions, which are subject to change and cannot be predicted with reasonable accuracy as of the date hereof.

Exchange Rate Information

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars ("US$") at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from RMB to US$ were made at a rate of RMB7.2672 to US$1.00, the exchange rate in effect as of June 28, 2024, as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The Company makes no representation that any RMB or US$ amounts could have been, or could be, converted into US$ or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate, or at all.

Conference Call

The Company's management will hold an earnings conference call at 8:00 A.M. U.S. Eastern Time on August 21, 2024, or 8:00 P.M. Beijing Time to discuss its financial results and operating performance for the second quarter of 2024.

For participants who wish to join the conference using dial-in numbers, please complete online registration using the link provided below prior to the scheduled call start time.

Participant Online Registration:

https://dpregister.com/sreg/10191169/fd24d80cfd

Upon registration, each participant will receive details for the conference call, including dial-in numbers, passcode and a unique access PIN. To join the conference, please dial the provided number, enter the passcode followed by your PIN, and you will join the conference.

The replay will be accessible through August 28, 2024, by dialing the following numbers:

United States: +1-877-344-7529 International: +1-412-317-0088 Replay Access Code: 6781695

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available on the Company's investor relations website at ir.fulltruckalliance.com.

About Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd.

Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. (NYSE: YMM) is a leading digital freight platform connecting shippers with truckers to facilitate shipments across distance ranges, cargo weights and types. The Company provides a range of freight matching services, including freight listing, freight brokerage and online transaction services. The Company also provides a range of value-added services that cater to the various needs of shippers and truckers, such as financial institutions, highway authorities, and gas station operators. With a mission to make logistics smarter, the Company is shaping the future of logistics with technology and aspires to revolutionize logistics, improve efficiency across the value chain and reduce its carbon footprint for our planet. For more information, please visit ir.fulltruckalliance.com.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company uses non-GAAP adjusted operating income, non-GAAP adjusted net income, non-GAAP adjusted net income attributable to ordinary shareholders, non-GAAP adjusted basic and diluted net income per share and non-GAAP adjusted basic and diluted net income per ADS, each a non-GAAP financial measure, as supplemental measures to review and assess its operating performance.

The presentation of non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The Company defines non-GAAP adjusted operating income as income from operations excluding (i) share-based compensation expense; (ii) amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions; (iii) compensation cost incurred in relation to acquisitions. The Company defines non-GAAP adjusted net income as net income excluding (i) share-based compensation expense; (ii) amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions; (iii) compensation cost incurred in relation to acquisitions; and (iv) tax effects of non-GAAP adjustments. The Company defines non-GAAP adjusted net income attributable to ordinary shareholders as net income attributable to ordinary shareholders excluding (i) share-based compensation expense; (ii) amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions; (iii) compensation cost incurred in relation to acquisitions; and (iv) tax effects of non-GAAP adjustments. The Company defines non-GAAP adjusted basic and diluted net income per share as non-GAAP adjusted net income attributable to ordinary shareholders divided by weighted average number of basic and diluted ordinary shares, respectively. The Company defines non-GAAP adjusted basic and diluted net income per ADS as non-GAAP adjusted net income attributable to ordinary shareholders divided by the weighted average number of basic and diluted ADSs, respectively.

The non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as an analytical tool. The non-GAAP financial measures do not reflect all items of expense that affect its operations. Share-based compensation expense, amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions, compensation cost incurred in relation to acquisitions and tax effects of non-GAAP adjustments have been and may continue to be incurred in its business and are not reflected in the presentation of its non-GAAP financial measures.

The Company reconciles the non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest U.S. GAAP performance measures. Non-GAAP adjusted operating income, non-GAAP adjusted net income, non-GAAP adjusted net income attributable to ordinary shareholders and non-GAAP adjusted basic and diluted net income per share should not be considered in isolation or construed as an alternative to operating income, net income, net income attributable to ordinary shareholders and basic and diluted net income per share or any other measure of performance or as an indicator of its operating performance. Investors are encouraged to review FTA's non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures. FTA's non-GAAP financial measure may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies.

For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned "Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this release.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements which are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to," and similar statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs, plans, and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: FTA's goal and strategies; FTA's expansion plans; FTA's future business development, financial condition and results of operations; expected changes in FTA's revenues, costs or expenses; industry landscape of, and trends in, China's road transportation market; competition in FTA's industry; FTA's expectations regarding demand for, and market acceptance of, its services; FTA's expectations regarding its relationships with shippers, truckers and other ecosystem participants; FTA's ability to protect its systems and infrastructures from cyber-attacks; PRC laws, regulations, and policies relating to the road transportation market, as well as general regulatory environment in which FTA operates in China; the results of regulatory review and the duration and impact of any regulatory action taken against FTA; the impact of health epidemics, extreme weather conditions and production constraints brought by electricity rationing measures; general economic and business condition; and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:

Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd.

Mao Mao

E-mail: [email protected]

Piacente Financial Communications

Hui Fan

Tel: +86-10-6508-0677

E-mail: [email protected]

In the United States:

Piacente Financial Communications

Brandi Piacente

Tel: +1-212-481-2050

E-mail: [email protected]

FULL TRUCK ALLIANCE CO. LTD.











UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS, per share and per ADS data)













As of

December 31,

June 30,

June 30,

2023

2024

2024

RMB

RMB

US$ ASSETS









Current assets:









Cash and cash equivalents 6,770,895

5,135,376

706,651 Restricted cash  current 115,513

100,763

13,865 Short-term investments 11,516,304

11,552,755

1,589,712 Accounts receivable, net 23,418

27,378

3,767 Loans receivable, net 3,521,072

3,997,137

550,024 Prepayments and other current assets 2,049,780

2,376,943

327,079 Total current assets 23,996,982

23,190,352

3,191,098 Restricted cash  non-current 10,000

20,000

2,752 Long-term investments[1] 11,075,739

12,007,362

1,652,268 Property and equipment, net 194,576

236,282

32,513 Intangible assets, net 449,904

421,875

58,052 Goodwill 3,124,828

3,124,828

429,991 Deferred tax assets 149,081

185,000

25,457 Operating lease right-of-use assets and land use rights 134,867

134,986

18,575 Other non-current assets 211,670

277,633

38,204 Total non-current assets 15,350,665

16,407,966

2,257,812 TOTAL ASSETS 39,347,647

39,598,318

5,448,910 LIABILITIES, MEZZANINE EQUITY AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY









Current liabilities:









Accounts payable 25,220

32,656

4,494 Prepaid for freight listing fees and other service fees 548,917

600,993

82,699 Income tax payable 154,916

276,578

38,058 Other tax payable 784,617

878,786

120,925 Operating lease liabilities  current 37,758

42,846

5,896 Dividends payable 

16,806

2,313 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 1,723,245

1,493,252

205,478 Total current liabilities 3,274,673

3,341,917

459,863 Deferred tax liabilities 108,591

102,080

14,047 Operating lease liabilities  non-current 46,709

40,394

5,558 Other non-current liabilities 22,950

17,229

2,371 Total non-current liabilities 178,250

159,703

21,976 TOTAL LIABILITIES 3,452,923

3,501,620

481,839 MEZZANINE EQUITY









Redeemable non-controlling interests 277,420

389,099

53,542 SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY









Ordinary shares 1,371

1,341

185 Treasury stock, at cost (608,117)



 Additional paid-in capital 47,713,985

45,699,371

6,288,443 Accumulated other comprehensive income 2,897,871

3,031,806

417,190 Accumulated deficit (14,400,604)

(13,036,601)

(1,793,896) TOTAL FULL TRUCK ALLIANCE CO. LTD. EQUITY 35,604,506

35,695,917

4,911,922 Non-controlling interests 12,798

11,682

1,607 TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY 35,617,304

35,707,599

4,913,529 TOTAL LIABILITIES, MEZZANINE EQUITY AND EQUITY 39,347,647

39,598,318

5,448,910



1. The Group's long-term investments consist of RMB9,318 million long-term time deposits, RMB678 million wealth management products with maturities

over one year, RMB979 million investments in debt securities, RMB320 million equity method investments, and RMB712 million equity investments without

readily determinable fair value as of June 30, 2024.

FULL TRUCK ALLIANCE CO. LTD.



























UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS, per share and per ADS data)





























Three months ended

Six months ended

June 30,

March 31,

June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

2023

2024

2024

2024

2023

2024

2024

RMB

RMB

RMB

US$

RMB

RMB

US$ Net revenues (including value added taxes,

























"VAT", of RMB953.0 million and

























RMB1,255.6 million for the three months

























ended June 30, 2023 and 2024,

























respectively) 2,062,028

2,268,713

2,764,283

380,379

3,764,285

5,032,996

692,562 Operating expenses:

























Cost of revenues (including VAT net of

























government grants, of RMB774.9

























million and RMB992.8 million for the

























three months ended June 30, 2023

























and 2024, respectively)(1) (975,269)

(1,031,888)

(1,312,072)

(180,547)

(1,824,642)

(2,343,960)

(322,540) Sales and marketing expenses(1) (281,772)

(340,147)

(372,288)

(51,229)

(527,449)

(712,435)

(98,034) General and administrative expenses(1) (201,711)

(264,467)

(219,157)

(30,157)

(381,218)

(483,624)

(66,549) Research and development expenses(1) (223,696)

(247,708)

(232,140)

(31,944)

(453,575)

(479,848)

(66,029) Provision for loans receivable (51,146)

(80,324)

(71,057)

(9,778)

(104,024)

(151,381)

(20,831) Total operating expenses (1,733,594)

(1,964,534)

(2,206,714)

(303,655)

(3,290,908)

(4,171,248)

(573,983) Other operating income 5,355

8,010

7,798

1,073

26,176

15,808

2,175 Income from operations 333,789

312,189

565,367

77,797

499,553

877,556

120,754 Other income (expense)

























Interest income 285,461

315,363

305,337

42,016

531,575

620,700

85,411 Foreign exchange gain 272

417

6,306

868

175

6,723

925 Investment income 4,471

18,484

18,697

2,573

7,184

37,181

5,116 Unrealized gains (losses) from fair

























value changes of investments and

























derivative assets 8,268

(7,388)

(4,522)

(622)

18,229

(11,910)

(1,639) Other income, net 4,259

2,070

1,395

192

10,922

3,465

477 Share of loss in equity method investees (696)

(48)

(882)

(121)

(1,006)

(930)

(128) Total other income 302,035

328,898

326,331

44,906

567,079

655,229

90,162 Net income before income tax 635,824

641,087

891,698

122,703

1,066,632

1,532,785

210,916 Income tax expense (26,832)

(54,720)

(51,190)

(7,044)

(46,212)

(105,910)

(14,574) Net income 608,992

586,367

840,508

115,659

1,020,420

1,426,875

196,342 Less: net income (loss) attributable to

























non-controlling interests 14

(549)

(568)

(78)

14

(1,117)

(154) Less: measurement adjustment

























attributable to redeemable non-

























controlling interests 3,441

5,744

17,942

2,469

5,960

23,686

3,259 Net income attributable to

























ordinary shareholders 605,537

581,172

823,134

113,268

1,014,446

1,404,306

193,237

FULL TRUCK ALLIANCE CO. LTD.



























UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (CONTINUED) (All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS, per share and per ADS data)





























Three months ended

Six months ended

June 30,

March 31,

June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

2023

2024

2024

2024

2023

2024

2024

RMB

RMB

RMB

US$

RMB

RMB

US$ Net income per ordinary

























share

























Basic 0.03

0.03

0.04

0.01

0.05

0.07

0.01 Diluted 0.03

0.03

0.04

0.01

0.05

0.07

0.01 Net income per ADS*

























Basic 0.57

0.56

0.79

0.11

0.96

1.35

0.19 Diluted 0.57

0.56

0.79

0.11

0.95

1.34

0.18 Weighted average number

























of ordinary shares used

























in computing net

























income per share

























Basic 21,177,034,098

20,864,118,097

20,805,892,860

20,805,892,860

21,234,910,577

20,834,974,344

20,834,974,344 Diluted 21,218,841,485

20,904,689,303

20,905,548,181

20,905,548,181

21,285,276,797

20,905,238,796

20,905,238,796 Weighted average number

























of ADS used in

























computing net

























income per ADS

























Basic 1,058,851,705

1,043,205,905

1,040,294,643

1,040,294,643

1,061,745,529

1,041,748,717

1,041,748,717 Diluted 1,060,942,074

1,045,234,465

1,045,277,409

1,045,277,409

1,064,263,840

1,045,261,940

1,045,261,940



























* Each ADS represents 20 ordinary shares.





















































(1) Share-based compensation expense in operating expenses are as follows:

















































































Three months ended

Six months ended

June 30,

March 31,

June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

2023

2024

2024

2024

2023

2024

2024

RMB

RMB

RMB

US$

RMB

RMB

US$ Cost of revenues 1,381

2,744

2,734

376

3,187

5,478

754 Sales and marketing

























expenses 13,075

10,685

12,875

1,772

24,272

23,560

3,242 General and administrative

























expenses 68,124

119,543

79,197

10,898

126,965

198,740

27,348 Research and development

























expenses 17,046

22,984

21,495

2,958

34,528

44,479

6,121 Total 99,626

155,956

116,301

16,004

188,952

272,257

37,465

FULL TRUCK ALLIANCE CO. LTD.



























RECONCILIATIONS OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS (All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS, per share and per ADS data)





























Three months ended

Six months ended

June 30,

March 31,

June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

2023

2024

2024

2024

2023

2024

2024

RMB

RMB

RMB

US$

RMB

RMB

US$ Income from operations 333,789

312,189

565,367

77,797

499,553

877,556

120,754 Add:

























Share-based

























compensation

























expense 99,626

155,956

116,301

16,004

188,952

272,257

37,465 Amortization of

























intangible assets

























resulting from

























business acquisitions 13,021

13,021

13,021

1,792

26,042

26,042

3,583 Compensation cost

























incurred in relation

























to acquisitions 4,281

4,281

4,281

589

8,562

8,562

1,178 Non-GAAP adjusted

























operating income 450,717

485,447

698,970

96,182

723,109

1,184,417

162,980



























Net income 608,992

586,367

840,508

115,659

1,020,420

1,426,875

196,342 Add:

























Share-based

























compensation

























expense 99,626

155,956

116,301

16,004

188,952

272,257

37,465 Amortization of

























intangible assets

























resulting from

























business acquisitions 13,021

13,021

13,021

1,792

26,042

26,042

3,583 Compensation cost

























incurred in relation

























to acquisitions 4,281

4,281

4,281

589

8,562

8,562

1,178 Tax effects of

























non-GAAP

























adjustments (3,255)

(3,255)

(3,255)

(448)

(6,510)

(6,510)

(896) Non-GAAP adjusted net

























income 722,665

756,370

970,856

133,596

1,237,466

1,727,226

237,672

FULL TRUCK ALLIANCE CO. LTD.



























RECONCILIATIONS OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS (CONTINUED) (All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS, per share and per ADS data)





























Three months ended

Six months ended

June 30,

March 31,

June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

2023

2024

2024

2024

2023

2024

2024

RMB

RMB

RMB

US$

RMB

RMB

US$ Net income attributable

























to ordinary

























shareholders 605,537

581,172

823,134

113,268

1,014,446

1,404,306

193,237 Add:

























Share-based

























compensation

























expense 99,626

155,956

116,301

16,004

188,952

272,257

37,465 Amortization of

























intangible assets

























resulting from

























business acquisitions 13,021

13,021

13,021

1,792

26,042

26,042

3,583 Compensation cost

























incurred in relation

























to acquisitions 4,281

4,281

4,281

589

8,562

8,562

1,178 Tax effects of

























non-GAAP

























adjustments (3,255)

(3,255)

(3,255)

(448)

(6,510)

(6,510)

(896) Non-GAAP adjusted net

























income attributable to

























ordinary shareholders 719,210

751,175

953,482

131,205

1,231,492

1,704,657

234,567 Non-GAAP adjusted net

























income per ordinary

























share

























Basic 0.03

0.04

0.05

0.01

0.06

0.08

0.01 Diluted 0.03

0.04

0.05

0.01

0.06

0.08

0.01 Non-GAAP adjusted net

























income per ADS

























Basic 0.68

0.72

0.92

0.13

1.16

1.64

0.23 Diluted 0.68

0.72

0.91

0.13

1.16

1.63

0.22

SOURCE Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd.
Addressing the urgent need to bridge socioeconomic disparities in healthcare, Info-Tech Research Group has published a blueprint to promote equitable access to digital health solutions. The research-backed resource underscores the significance of collaborative efforts and innovative approaches by IT leaders and stakeholders in healthcare to overcome digital barriers. By focusing on key pillars such as advocacy, affordability, digital skills training, technical support, and technology access, the firm's resource aims to foster an inclusive and effective digital health ecosystem for all.

TORONTO, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Socioeconomic disparities, low digital literacy, and cultural barriers continue to obstruct equitable healthcare access, leaving underserved populations at a significant disadvantage. Recognizing the urgency of these challenges and to help bridge the digital divide in healthcare, Info-Tech Research Group has published its latest blueprint, Empowering Health Management Technologies for Underserved Populations. This resource is designed to help IT leaders in the industry ensure modern healthcare innovations are accessible and effective across all communities, fostering a more inclusive and efficient digital health ecosystem.

Info-Tech Research Group's "Empowering Health Management Technologies for Underserved Populations" blueprint highlights five pillars of digital health access that will be crucial in addressing digital and telehealth equity gaps. (CNW Group/Info-Tech Research Group)

"As technology rapidly shapes the future of healthcare, the digital divide remains a significant challenge," says Neal Rosenblatt, principal research director at Info-Tech Research Group. "While affluent communities and urban centers typically benefit from seamless access to digital health resources, rural populations are often left behind. Even in urban areas, many populations are impacted due to racial, ethnic, financial, and other socioeconomic barriers."

Info-Tech's research insights highlight key challenges contributing to the healthcare digital divide, such as insufficient infrastructure investment in certain regions and the lack of culturally sensitive digital health solutions tailored to diverse communities. These barriers significantly impede the adoption and effective use of digital health technologies, leaving many underserved populations without access to the benefits of modern healthcare advancements. Bridging this divide is essential to ensure that digital health solutions can reach all population segments, particularly those most in need.

"This inequity not only perpetuates health disparities but also hinders the potential of technology-driven population health management to reach its fullest impact," explains Rosenblatt. "To address the digital divide in population health management, a multifaceted approach is essential."

The firm's resource outlines a comprehensive strategy to address the healthcare digital divide, emphasizing the importance of multi-stakeholder collaborations. Info-Tech advises that these collaborations should focus on enhancing infrastructure, implementing digital literacy programs, and developing inclusive, accessible digital health solutions. Building trust with communities, educating patients, and continuously improving digital health interventions are other essential steps in bridging this divide.

In the blueprint, Empowering Health Management Technologies for Underserved Populations, Info-Tech highlights five pillars of digital health access that will be crucial in addressing digital and telehealth equity gaps:

1. Advocacy & Awareness:

Permanent expansion of low-cost broadband

Permanent adoption of telehealth reimbursement

2. Access & Affordability:

Discount broadband

Public Wi-Fi

Mobile hotspots

Internet in public/affordable housing

Wi-Fi buses

3. Digital Skills Training:

Digital literacy

Online safety

Telehealth literacy

Managing personal health information

4. Technical Help & Support:

Tech support hotlines

Digital connectors/navigators

Technical organizers

Volunteers/community health workers (CHWs)

Community tech events

5. Technology & Devices:

School laptop programs

Refurbished computers

Discount computers & mobile devices

Laptop lending

Public computer centers

Mobile computer labs

By addressing critical barriers and promoting the adoption of innovative digital health solutions, the guidance provided for IT and organizational leaders in Info-Tech's resource has the potential to positively impact underserved communities, ensuring they receive equitable healthcare access.

For exclusive and timely commentary from Neal Rosenblatt, an expert in the healthcare industry, and access to the complete Empowering Health Management Technologies for Underserved Populations blueprint, please contact [email protected].

Info-Tech LIVE 2024 Conference

Registration is now open for Info-Tech Research Group's annual IT conference, Info-Tech LIVE 2024, taking place September 17 to 19, 2024, at the iconic Bellagio in Las Vegas. This premier event offers journalists, podcasters, and media influencers access to exclusive content, the latest IT research and trends, and the opportunity to interview industry experts, analysts, and speakers. To apply for media passes to attend the event or gain access to research and expert insights on trending topics, please contact [email protected].

About Info-Tech Research Group

Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world's leading research and advisory firms, proudly serving over 30,000 IT and HR professionals. The company produces unbiased, highly relevant research and provides advisory services to help leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For nearly 30 years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with teams to provide them with everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

To learn more about Info-Tech's divisions, visit McLean & Company for HR research and advisory services and SoftwareReviews for software buying insights.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact [email protected].

For information about Info-Tech Research Group or to access the latest research, visit infotech.com and connect via LinkedIn and X.

SOURCE Info-Tech Research Group
DALLAS, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --

HFCL Limited (HFCL), a leading technology enterprise and integrated provider of next-gen communications products and solutions, today introduced a suite of new high-performance cable solutions at ISE EXPO 2024 in Dallas, Texas, USA. First, HFCL introduced a product line of high-density single-jacket single-armor Intermittently Bonded Ribbon (IBR) cables with 144-1728 fibers, a development which was recognized with the presentation of an ISE Innovators Award. Second, HFCL expanded its award-winning Nano Thin product line of loose tube microcables to add a 10.6mm diameter 864 fiber cable.

As one of the leading global suppliers of optical fiber cables, HFCL will cater to changing demands for network deployment driven by growth in data centers, metro networks and FTTx in North America with these innovative cable solutions.

In order to address the connectivity needs and bandwidth challenges faced by telcos and enterprises in the fast-evolving digital landscape, HFCL showcased its new family of 144-1728F Single-Jacket Single-Armor IBR Cables, the smallest, lightest and highest-density general purpose armored ribbon cables available in the North American market. The rugged armored design makes these cables ideal for lashed aerial, direct buried and duct deployments, with a wide range of fiber counts available to support OSP trunk and distribution applications.

This patent-pending cable family features a tubeless design for simplified core access, and supports quick, direct access to the core with a guide notch for slitting tools. These craft-friendly features facilitate faster splicing in the field during both installation and restoration. Use of fiberglass-composite strength members instead of steel wire improves safety while supporting lower cable bend radius, enabling use of smaller handholes and pedestals to reduce both material consumption and system cost. Compared to competing armored IBR cable solutions, the cables themselves are more sustainable, with diameter reductions up to 24% and weight reductions ranging from 18 to 48%.

HFCL has also extended its sustainable Nano Thin microcable product line to include a 10.6mm diameter 864 fiber cable. This innovative cable maximizes fiber capacity in 14mm diameter microducts to support increased traffic driven by AI and data centers. This 864 fiber cable uses cost-effective, backward-compatible ITU G.657.A1 optical fiber, and its fiber packing density of 9.8 fibers/mm2 is a world record for cables with this fiber type. The cable has a fill factor of 0.75 in 14mm diameter microduct, smaller than that of competing cables. This ideal fill factor enables fast installation by jetting, as demonstrated by a trial by HFCL in which 2000m of cable was installed in duct on an industry-standard route in only 16 minutes, an astonishing speed of 125 m/minute.

Speaking on the launch of these cables, Mr. Harsh Pagay, Executive President, OF & OFC, HFCL, said, "For us, the North American market holds huge potential due to network deployments supporting rapid expansion in data center, mobile and FTTH capacities. As a prominent global manufacturer of optical fibers and optical fiber cables, we are confident that we will play a significant role in building robust networks that speed up fiberization across North America with the launch of these innovative cables. With our established team, office and warehousing facility in the USA, we are dedicated to enhance connectivity throughout North America."

Dr. Peter Weimann, Chief Technology Officer, OF & OFC, HFCL, said, "At HFCL, we design our optical cable solutions to directly address customer pain points. These innovative, next-gen high density cables will deliver high performance, installer friendly solutions to North America, the world's fastest growing data centre hub. The armored IBR cable family and the new 864-fiber microcable target different parts of the network, but both support increasing demand for high-speed connectivity, 5G expansion and linking hyperscale data centers to end users. These smaller, high-density cables will empower our customers to achieve faster installation and exceptional network performance while minimizing raw materials consumption. As part of our mission to continue to build a sustainable global digital economy, HFCL also integrates eco-friendly manufacturing practices to minimise the carbon footprint while adhering to international quality standards."

The United States, the single largest region for connectivity and cloud in the world, houses more than 5300 data centre clusters across the country. In the US, North America has continued to maintain its lead in the market, boasting the most data centres and accounting for 69% of investments as of April 2024. Similarly, data by Synergy Research Group proves that the country accounts for 51% of data centre capacity worldwide, a figure which is expected to double in the next four years with businesses migrating to the cloud and technology giants racing towards AI. In order to keep up with the pace, existing data centers are being expanded both horizontally and vertically. Upgradation in existing power and network infrastructure is now becoming imperative.

Compared to improvements in previous optical fiber cables, IBR Cables are a revolutionary product that combines small diameters with the high fiber packing densities and supports mass fusion splicing. These cables are also compliant to the relevant parts of various global cable performance standards, including IEC 60794, Telcordia GR-20, and ICEA-S-122-744.

About HFCL

HFCL is a leading technology company specializing in creating digital networks for telcos, enterprises, and governments. Over the years, HFCL has emerged as a trusted partner offering sustainable high-tech solutions with a commitment to providing the latest technology products to its customers. HFCL's strong R&D expertise coupled with its global system integration services and decades of experience in fiber optics enable it to deliver innovative digital network solutions required for the most advanced networks.

The Company's in-house R&D Centers located at Gurgaon, Bengaluru and Hyderabad along with invested R&D houses and other R&D collaborators at different locations in India and abroad, innovate a futuristic range of technology products and solutions. HFCL has developed capabilities to provide premium quality Optical Fiber and Optical Fiber Cables, state- of-the-art telecom products including 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) products, 5G Transport Products, Wi-Fi Systems (Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 7), Unlicensed Band Radios, Switches, Routers and Defence electronics products.

The Company has state-of-the-art Optical Fiber and Optical Fiber Cable manufacturing plants in Hyderabad, and Optical Fiber Cable manufacturing plants in Goa and at its subsidiary HTL Limited in Chennai.

HFCL is a partner of choice for its customers across India, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, and North America. HFCL's commitment to quality and environmental sustainability inspires it to innovate solutions for the ever- evolving customer needs.

Visit www.hfcl.com for more information.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2260761/4369714/HFCL_Logo.jpg

SOURCE HFCL Limited
NEW YORK, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- HR Acuity, the enterprise leader in employee relations case management and investigations software, announced today its recognition by the Inc. 5000 list for a third consecutive year. The company achieved 234% three-year growth, ranking it No. 2,229 overall. This recognition underscores HR Acuity's dynamic growth and market leadership.

The Inc. 5000 is an annual ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States. Regarded as America's entrepreneurial benchmark, the list ranks companies based on three years of annual revenue growth. Notable organizations that once appeared on the list include Facebook, Chobani, Microsoft and Patagonia, emphasizing the list's role in identifying emerging leaders.

"At a time when the workplace is rapidly evolving and organizations are facing continued uncertainty, the value of employee relations has never been more critical. Our consistent growth over the last three years demonstrates that more companies are realizing the direct impact of investing in employee relations on their business objectives," said Deb Muller, CEO of HR Acuity.

Recently, HR Acuity has successfully launched its next generation platform including AI companion olivER, strengthened its leadership team with key executive appointments, expanded to more than 150 global team members, received more than 50 awards from G2, and earned 2024 Great Place To Work Certification for the fifth year in a row.

For detailed insights into the complete results of the 43rd edition of the Inc. 5000, including comprehensive company profiles and an interactive database that allows sorting by industry, location and other parameters, please visit inc.com/inc5000/2024 .

About HR Acuity

While you can't prevent every employee relations issue, you can change how you respond. HR Acuity is the only technology platform specifically built for employee relations and investigations management. HR Acuity's SaaS technology empowers you with built in intelligence, templates and reporting so you can conduct fair investigations according to best practices; uncover trends and patterns through forward-looking data and analytics; and provide trusted, consistent experiences for your people.

For more information, visit hracuity.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Kate Freer, CMO

[email protected]

SOURCE HR Acuity
JAKARTA, Indonesia, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (Indosat or IOH, IDX: ISAT) has taken a significant step forward in its larger purpose to empower Indonesia by launching the country's first AI Experience Center at Solo Technopark in Solo, Central Java. This state-of-the-art facility, backed by advanced 5G connectivity, stands as a testament to Indosat's commitment to shaping Indonesia's future as an AI Nation and positioning the country as a key player in the global AI community.

The inauguration of this groundbreaking AI Experience Center was marked by the presence of prominent figures, including Wijaya Kusumawardhana, Expert Staff to the Minister for Social, Economic and Cultural Affairs representing the Minister of Communication and Informatics of the Republic of Indonesia; Vikram Sinha, President Director and CEO of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison; and Teguh Prakosa, the Mayor of Surakarta. This milestone underscores Indonesia's strides toward realizing its vision of a Golden Indonesia 2045 through the adoption of advanced technologies, with 5G connectivity serving as the backbone of this transformation.

Expert Staff to the Minister of Communication and Informatics of the Republic of Indonesia for Social, Economic and Cultural Affairs, Wijaya Kusumawardhana, expressed, "We congratulate Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison for pioneering the first AI Experience Center in Indonesia. This initiative signifies a pivotal moment in the evolution of our telecommunications industry. We are confident that this experience center will catalyze further innovation across sectors, and we stand ready to support its success."

President Director and CEO of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, Vikram Sinha, said, "This AI Experience Center marks a cornerstone in our journey to empower Indonesia through AI. It is a clear demonstration of our commitment to transforming Indonesia's digital and telecommunications landscape. We deeply appreciate the support from the Indonesian government and our strategic partners who share our vision of propelling Indonesia onto the global stage. This is only the beginning of many exciting developments as we unlock infinite possibilities for millions of Indonesians."

Mayor of Surakarta, Teguh Prakosa, emphasized, "We are honored that Indosat has chosen Solo for the establishment of Indonesia's first AI Experience Center. This facility will not only enhance Solo Technopark but also trigger a multiplier effect on the local economy and digitalization, benefiting education, tourism, and job creation."

Partnering with global technology leader Huawei, the Indosat AI Experience Center showcases cutting-edge AI technologies applicable to various sectors, including smart city management optimized by its 5G network, arts, food & beverages, and other creative industries. Beyond serving as a showcase for the latest AI innovations, the AI Experience Center will also function as a training hub, offering programs to students, public servants, and the broader community on how AI can enhance productivity and create new opportunities.

This hands-on experience is a precursor to the AI Center of Excellence that Indosat plans to establish, which will be powered by 5G technology and is set to be groundbreaking in the near future. Indosat's commitment to catalyzing advanced technology in Solo began in 2021 with the launch of its 5G service, followed by the establishment of Solo Safari as the first 5G zoo in Indonesia.

Guided by Indosat's overarching purpose of empowering Indonesia, the AI Experience Center is poised to be a catalyst for innovation, fostering the development of AI-ready talent, and providing society with the tools to harness AI's transformative power. As Indonesia stands on the cusp of a technological revolution, Indosat's AI Experience Center symbolizes not just the dawn of a new era, but the beginning of a journey that will see Indonesia rise as a leader in AI. With this facility, Indosat is not merely investing in technology; it is investing in the future of the nationempowering Indonesians to seize the boundless opportunities that AI and 5G present and to propel the country toward a brighter, more innovative future.

About Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (Indosat, IDX: ISAT) has the vision to become the most preferred digital telecommunications company in Indonesia. Together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, Indosat provides cellular services, ICT solutions, data centers, Fiber to the Home (FTTH), electronic payment services, financial services, and other digital services. Indosat has a larger purpose of empowering Indonesia, and with the spirit of Gotong Royong, Indosat wants to be the main collaborator in realizing it and creating meaningful change.

Disclaimer

This document may contain financial information and the results of certain operational activities, and may contain a number of projections, plans, strategies, and objectives of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, which are not statements of historical fact which will be treated as forward-looking statements in accordance with applicable law. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could result in actual events and future achievements of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison different from those expected or indicated by the statements. No warranty can be given as to the results expected by Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, or indicated by such statements, to be achieved.

SOURCE Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison
PASAY CITY, Philippines, Aug. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Business Awards (IBAs), one of the world's premier business awards programs, have conferred SM Investments Corporation (SM Investments) with distinguished accolades at the 21st Annual International Business Awards. SM Investments received a Gold Stevie for Company of the Year in the Conglomerates category and a Silver Stevie for Best Annual Report.

The Gold Stevie highlighted SM Investments' exceptional growth from a small shoe store in Manila to becoming one of the Philippines' largest conglomerates, further underlining the company's unwavering commitment to its customers across its expansive network in retail, property, banking, and investment sectors.

"SM Investments' impressive financial performance, strong commitment to sustainability and substantial contributions to social welfare and the economy underscore its status as a leading conglomerate in the Philippines," said a judge from the Stevie Awards. Another judge lauded SM for continuing to serve its customers and how it looks forward to serve more communities as it expands across the nation.

Frederic DyBuncio, President and Chief Executive Officer of SM Investments said: "This recognition inspires us more to deliver products and services that matter to our customers while positively impacting the communities we serve. We hope to continue growing together with our stakeholders and to contribute to a more sustainable future."

SM's contributions to the Philippine economy are substantial, supporting over 130,000 jobs and aiding more than 100,000 micro, small, and medium enterprises. The award also underpins the company's commitment to sustainability through the SM Foundation, which has advanced education, healthcare, and community welfare, benefiting over 1 million Filipinos and supporting thousands of scholars.

SM Investments' Integrated Report 2023, with the theme "Committed to Our Customers," was awarded a Silver Stevie for Best Annual Report. This recognition highlights the report's clear and effective communication, showcasing SM Investments' adherence to global reporting standards and dedication to transparency and customer satisfaction.

SOURCE SM Investments Corporation
In a new resource designed to help HR optimize individual jobs or job families, McLean & Company highlights that job design is critical to individual and organizational effectiveness. The HR Guide to Job Redesign is intended to help HR leaders determine the best solution and approach to job redesign to meet both the needs of the organization and its employees.

TORONTO, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - As organizations increasingly prioritize employee retention, engagement, and experience amid uncertain economic conditions, global HR research and advisory firm McLean & Company has released a new resource for HR leaders, the HR Guide to Job Redesign. In the guide, the firm explains that creating alignment between a job's key tasks, duties, responsibilities, and interactions is associated with improved productivity, decreased turnover, and enhanced employee wellbeing. However, when done ineffectively, job redesign presents risks to organizations' increasingly employee-focused priorities. To avoid such risks, McLean & Company advises that organizations involve employees in the redesign process to best address expanding employee needs alongside the needs of the organization.

According to the new guide from McLean & Company, job design is not one-dimensional. Impactful redesign requires deconstruction and intentional analysis of each job component to address pain points and promote efficiency while balancing the needs of the organization and employees. (CNW Group/McLean & Company)

According to the firm's recently published guide, several scenarios can prompt organizations to redesign jobs, including shifts in organizational needs, decreased employee engagement, integration of new technology, imbalanced workloads, limited budgets, or changes in the workforce.

"Job design is not one-dimensional. Impactful redesign requires deconstruction and intentional analysis of each job component to address pain points and promote efficiency while balancing the needs of the organization and employees," says Grace Ewles, director of HR Research & Advisory Services at McLean & Company. "It's important that the human element of the job is not taken for granted. Redesigning jobs without incorporating the employee voice risks significant resource investment with limited return as changes may not effectively address underlying pain points."

McLean & Company's new guide includes four easy-to-follow sections for HR leaders:

Uncover. In the first section, HR leaders will review guiding principles for effective job redesign, confirm the need for job redesign using data, and invite key players to be involved in the process. Next, while remaining mindful of project constraints, they'll prioritize jobs to be redesigned based on team and individual impacts while involving employees in the process. Analyze. In the second section, the resource provides leaders with insights to successfully review prioritized jobs to identify underlying pain points, strengths, and opportunities to inform job redesign and the selection of goals and metrics to track success. Design. In the third section, HR leaders will review and select methods for job redesign based on the insights gathered in the previous section, identify impacts to adjacent jobs, and build a roadmap for implementation. Implement. In the fourth and final section, HR leaders will find guidance to help them identify areas to align with redesigned jobs, such as job descriptions and performance management. Finally, they will prepare managers and employees for change and plan to monitor impact and adjust the design as needed.

To access the full blueprint, including sample accountabilities for key players, sample interview questions for managers and employees, and additional job analysis methods, please visit HR Guide to Job Redesign.

To attend upcoming free webinars on a variety of topics or explore the publicly available archive of recorded sessions, please visit McLean & Company's webinars page.

McLean Signature 2024 Conference

To register for Signature, McLean & Company's premier industry conference for future-focused HR leaders, please visit the official Signature event page. This year Signature will take place from October 27 to 29 at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Media interested in connecting with McLean & Company analysts for exclusive, research-backed insights and commentary on generative AI in HR, HR trends in 2024, the future of work, and more can contact Senior Communications Manager Kelsey King at [email protected].

About McLean & Company

McLean & Company pairs evidence-based research and immediately applicable tools with deep HR expertise to position organizations to meet today's needs and prepare for the future. The global HR research and advisory firm's member organizations enjoy comprehensive resources, full-service diagnostics, workshops, action plans, and advisory services for all levels of HR professionals, from executive leadership to HR leaders to HR team members, that help shape workplaces where everyone thrives.

McLean & Company is a division of Info-Tech Research Group.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact [email protected].

SOURCE McLean & Company
Award-winning building design showcases KOA's commitment to sustainability

BILLINGS, Mont., Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA) , the world's largest system of privately owned, open-to-the-public campgrounds, celebrated the opening of its new headquarters in Billings, Montana this week. As part of the celebration, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) president and CEO, Peter Templeton, was onsite to present KOA with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification.

KOA opens new HQ in Billings, MT, earning LEED Gold. Post this Kampgrounds of America, Inc. President and CEO Toby O'Rourke, Owner of KOA and Chairman of KOA Holdings, Oscar Tang, and USGBC President and CEO Peter Templeton proudly display the Gold LEED Certificate at the dedication of KOA's new headquarters in Billings, Montana.

LEED , developed by the USGBC, is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. Gold certification was awarded for the building's innovative design, construction, and use practices, which are measured against criteria including water conservation, energy efficiency, waste and resource management and indoor environmental quality.

"KOA is very proud of our Montana roots and thrilled to complete our new headquarters in Billings, where we welcomed our first campers in 1962," said KOA's president and CEO, Toby O'Rourke. "From the beginning, we knew we wanted to create a space that embodied our mission of connecting people to the outdoors and each other. Partnering with local firms that share our commitment to sustainability was essential, and we are proud of the award-winning, eco-friendly space we have built."

Completed in 2023, the project was designed to create a high-performance, sustainable, working environment for all building users. KOA's corporate headquarters incorporates intentional elements that nod to the company's legacy while reflecting the brand's link to nature. Design features include:

Native landscaping, that once established, won't need irrigation, promoting water conservation and preserving wetlands

Building layout designed to bring in natural daylight and visual connection to the outdoors

Functional outdoor space to create opportunities to work, meet and relax throughout the day, while interacting with the surrounding natural environment

Curated art collection of contemporary Indigenous art, many with local and regional ties

Collaborative workspaces with advanced technology to connect with peers throughout North America

The building dedication represents a milestone in the company's journey, affirming KOA's innovative approach to outdoor hospitality and the company's commitment to being good community partners, neighbors and stewards of the land.

To learn more about Kampgrounds of America and the company's sustainability practices, please visit koa.com .

ABOUT KAMPGROUNDS OF AMERICA

Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA) is a pioneer in outdoor hospitality and an emerging trailblazer in the travel industry with a mission to "connect people to the outdoors and each other." The company comprises two unique brands: KOA and Terramor Outdoor Resorts. KOA offers an unrivaled brand visibility, providing campground owners and operators unparalleled support in campground education, design, recruitment, marketing and technology. With more than 60 years of expertise, KOA is the world's largest system of privately owned, open to the public campgrounds, consisting of more than 500 franchised and owned campgrounds. Terramor Outdoor Resorts, a glamping venture, delivers a refined and upscale outdoor experience.

As a steward of outdoor recreation access, KOA uses 1% of pre-tax profits to fund the Kampgrounds of America Foundation, which strives to increase opportunities for all to access and engage with the outdoors, make positive impacts in the communities where we live and work to help preserve outdoor spaces for years to come.

For more information, visit KOA.com and TerramorOutdoorResort.com .

Media Contact:

Jenna Greene

[email protected]

SOURCE Kampgrounds of America, Inc.
BRAINTREE, Mass., Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Kinnami Software Corporation, in collaboration with University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) and University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL), today announced a significant advancement in real-time bridge health monitoring. The project, successfully demonstrated at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Living Bridge project in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, utilizes Kinnami's AmiShare data mesh platform for its proactive monitoring and predictive analytics SMART-RDF solution, a collaborative project including the US Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center, UNO, UNL and UNH.

The UNH Living Bridge project is a dynamic research platform that seeks to advance understanding of bridge engineering, environmental science, and technology by transforming a traditional bridge into a "smart" infrastructure platform for research and innovation. The "Living Bridge" in Portsmouth, NH is equipped with an array of sensors for collecting data on the bridge's structural integrity, including stress, movement, and overall condition.

The SMART-RDF solution combines cutting-edge technology to provide unprecedented insights into bridge structural health. AmiShare securely collects and transmits sensor data to a high-performance cloud-based University of Nebraska predictive analytics solution, which is run in real-time. The SMART-RDF system integrates sensor data, which are streamed to a Raspberry Pi equipped with AmiShare at the bridge site. This critical data is then transmitted over 5G to an AWS EC2 instance, where University of Nebraska's predictive analytics solution processes it in real-time to provide insights into the bridge's structural health. AmiShare ensures data security, protection and availability meeting the real-time requirements of this public safety and national security predictive analytics application.

"The University of Nebraska research work has been instrumental in developing the predictive analytics models and a secure and scalable architecture that underpin this project," said Dr. Robin Gandhi, Associate Dean and Charles W. and Margre H. Durham Distinguished Professor of Cybersecurity in the College of Information Science and Technology at the University of Nebraska Omaha. "By combining this expertise with the data collected through AmiShare, we are able to provide valuable insights into bridge health in real-time. Our contributions are essential for transforming raw data into actionable, trustworthy information for bridge maintenance and management."

"We are proud to have played a crucial role in this groundbreaking project," said Sujeesh Krishnan, CEO at Kinnami Software Corporation. "AmiShare's ability to securely and efficiently handle vast amounts of data from edge devices coupled with University of Nebraska's predictive analytics software is a key enabler for real-time monitoring and predictive analytics that can help prevent infrastructure failures."

This collaborative effort demonstrates the power of combining industry, academia, and government to address critical challenges. The successful demonstration of this real-time bridge health monitoring system is a major milestone and has the potential to revolutionize how infrastructure is managed and maintained, preventing failures and ensuring public safety. This demonstration initiates a year-long test on the Living Bridge using this integrated solution to gather data for improving predictive models. Future plans include incorporating drone-based 3D bridge inspections for computer vision analysis and on-site data processing for faster structural issue responses.

About Kinnami Software Corporation

Kinnami Software Corporation is a leading provider of resilient secure data mesh for the digital edge. The company's AmiShare platform simplifies data availability, protection, and security for complex distributed networks. Kinnami is committed to enabling a connected future through innovative data management solutions.

About the UNH Living Bridge Project

The primary purpose of the UNH Living Bridge project is to transform a traditional bridge into a "smart" infrastructure platform for research and innovation. The Memorial Bridge serves as a testbed for emerging technologies in sensor networks, data communication, and energy generation. The Living Bridge also serves to increase public awareness about infrastructure and the importance of data-driven decision-making.

Media Contact

Patricia Friar, Kinnami Software Corporation

[email protected]

Phone: 512-656-3730

SOURCE Kinnami Software Corporation
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SHANGHAI, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from chinadaily.com.cn:

Special area in Shanghai taking innovative approaches to develop industries, attract talent

A post celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Lin-gang Special Area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone. [Photo/en.lingang.gov.cn]

In late June, China's first independent car design company IAT Auto signed an investment framework agreement with Lin-gang Special Area to conduct its automotive research and development, manufacturing and export operations.

Xuan Qiwu, chairman of IAT Auto, which has worked with over 80 industry leaders including Honda, SAIC Motor and Li Auto for the past 17 years, said there were major reasons the company was setting up in the special area section of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone.

Apart from an extensive transportation network linking Lin-gang to the rest of the country and the world, various opening-up policies introduced to improve global competitiveness were good incentives for the company to expand its footprint there, he said.

IAT's new facility will be located in Lin-gang's Yangshan Free Trade Zone.

The bonded zone has already attracted a large number of well-established overseas carmakers such as BMW and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to build design hubs, and international centralized procurement and distribution centers for auto parts. Establishing itself in the zone is expected to accelerate IAT's internationalization, as Chinese automotive companies become more outward looking, Xuan said.

Apart from overseas companies, Lin-gang is also home to a large number of domestic companies in the auto industry chain. The possibility of working with more companies is another major reason IAT was attracted to the area, Xuan said.

In 2023, more than 1.1 million intelligent connected cars were churned out in Lin-gang, with the industry's annual output exceeding 300 billion yuan ($41.9 billion), which is 10 times the size in 2019.

Big players, big benefits

US electric vehicle maker Tesla can take a big part of the credit for progress made by the industry in Lin-gang. By launching a gigafactory in Lin-gang in 2018, Tesla helped build a full industry chain for intelligent connected car manufacturing in the special area.

More than 180 companies have been providing auto parts or services to Tesla's gigafactory. Of those, 105 are based in 24 cities in the wider Yangtze River Delta region. Tesla's 40 gigawatt-hour energy storage project, also located in Lin-gang, is scheduled to be operational by the end of this year.

With a whopping 50 billion yuan in investment, Tesla's gigafactory is the largest foreign-invested manufacturing project in Shanghai.

More significantly, the massive project involved large and complicated construction work, which in the past usually resulted in a lengthy process to complete administrative approval.

However, Lin-gang allowed Tesla to start construction first and submit the documents later, as long as all the approval procedures were ultimately met. This allowed Tesla to start construction of the facility, put it into use as soon as possible, and churn out the inaugural vehicle in the first year of the factory's operation.

Wu Xiaohua, deputy-secretary of the Party working committee of the Lin-gang Special Area, said the seemingly miraculous speed at which Tesla achieved this feat reflected Lin-gang's dedication to improving the business environment. This also gave the market a glimpse of China's resolve, and the actions taken to expand the country's opening-up.

Tesla's vice-president Tao Lin said the multiple institutional innovations introduced in Lin-gang were another major reason Tesla's operations were galloping ahead there.

"The institutional advantages not only help companies land new projects rapidly, but provide nonstop vitality for the companies' operations, which is as important," she said.

Over the past five years, Lin-gang has realized 138 institutional innovative cases covering free trade, investment, cross-border finance and high-end shipping. Just as importantly, 70 of these cases were the first of their kind in China.

Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services' modification and maintenance businesses in Lin-gang is one of the latest, and best, examples of institutional innovation.

On June 20, the project set a record for Shanghai by completing the process of signing land contracts, gaining construction permits and starting operations within five hours.

To make that possible, Boeing Shanghai took advantage of 13 policies relating to engineering construction projects from Lin-gang's latest review and reform measures.

The presence of the industry giant will help Lin-gang expand the civil aviation industry, one of four frontier industries targeted in its development along with integrated circuits, artificial intelligence and biomedicine.

Path of exploration

As a special economic zone, Lin-gang should undertake more experiments in institutional arrangements, improve weak links and explore new development paths, municipal government officials said at an executive meeting in late July.

It should also take on more special functions and further improve institutional mechanisms to attain these goals, they added.

Chen Jinshan, director of the Lin-gang Special Area Administration, said the zone will seek more institutional innovations by aligning itself with high-standard international economic and trade rules. Chen cited as examples the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement.

Lin-gang will also conduct more "stress tests"  experiments to test how far the reform can go by including possible challenges and difficulties  on cross-border data, cross-border finance, value-added telecommunications and high-level shipping, he said.

One stress test has already been conducted this year on cross-border data flow in the connected cars, mutual funds and biomedicine sectors, and released in May.

Companies registered in Lin-gang, or other areas of the Shanghai FTZ, can apply for general data cross-border flow services in 11 scenarios specified on a list. However, the data transfer activities must be conducted within Lin-gang.

US carmaker Ford has benefited from the new list, which is the first of its kind in China. Wu Ji, head of information security and data compliance at Ford China, said if one of its cars sold in China needs maintenance, the company needs to transfer the vehicles' information back to its global headquarters to get technical support.

The new list classifies global aftersales services under the cross-border data flow scenario. This means Ford can now provide these services more conveniently, Wu said.

Shen Yi, a professor of international politics at Fudan University, said the list was "down-to-earth and elastic", and stressed its importance to stimulating economic growth. "Cross-border data flows are now a prerequisite for industry development," he said.

"But the compliance cost for such activities cannot be overwhelming for companies. The new list, which is quite exceptional from a global perspective, has provided a list, with limits, that will meet economic development needs because it is based on real business scenarios," he said.

It is also important that Lin-gang was chosen as the location for such an experiment, Shen said.

"Risks cannot be completely avoided while seeking economic development," he said. "The solution is not to eliminate risks, which is impossible, but to strike a balance between development and security, and control risks within a tolerable range."

When it comes to cross-border data flow, no institution, regulatory body or company can come up with a ready-made solution. Also, technologies and application scenarios evolve and upgrade rapidly, Shen added.

The list rolled out in Lin-gang is a realistic solution, he said. "It is through experiments, and maybe mistakes, that progress can be made," Shen said.

A second list covering insurance and shipping will be released in August, said Chen from the Lin-gang Special Area Administration.

Population growth

The expansion of industries and new businesses, coupled with economic dynamism, has propelled Lin-gang's population from 440,000 in 2019  when it was upgraded to become part of the Shanghai FTZ  to over 600,000 today.

The government's efforts to attract fresh talent to the area have also played a big role.

Over the past five years, Lin-gang has issued 1,110 work permits for expatriates and approved permanent residency for another 79 foreigners. Overseas returnees have set up 270 companies in the special area.

From July 12, Lin-gang took the initiative of issuing China's first e-visas. With the entire application process completed online, a digital visa can be issued within three days.

An e-visa is valid for a single entry, with an entry validity of 15 days and a period of stay not exceeding 30 days.

Yang Wu, deputy director of the human resources department of Lin-gang Special Area Administration, said such measures can help overseas professionals set up businesses and conduct trade.

Ye Wei, head of the port visa office at the Exit-Entry Administration Bureau of Shanghai Public Security Bureau, said they had worked with the Lin-gang administration to keep records for 1,300 companies to help with their future needs. Similar initiatives are expected to eventually be implemented outside Lin-gang, he added.

Over the past five years, Lin-gang has attracted more than 97,000 professionals. Over 27,000 new talents have settled in Lin-gang in the first seven months of this year, a 41 percent year-on-year increase.

A total of 1,132 companies have registered for the online job market launched by Lin-gang administration in early 2023, which has detailed over 8,000 job opportunities and received 146,200 resumes.

Credit, where credit's due

To help technology startups stabilize their core research and development and further boost innovation, Lin-gang introduced a new type of loan early last year.

Tech companies can use the loan for stock ownership and equity incentives. Companies from the integrated circuits, artificial intelligence, biomedicine, electronic information, life science, high-end equipment and advanced materials sectors can apply for the loans as long as they have at least one technological achievement already acknowledged by the government.

By the end of June, 16 Lin-gang-based companies had applied for the new loans, and eight had already received them. In September 2023, the pilot program was extended to Zhangjiang, another part of Shanghai with a cluster of pharmaceutical companies.

More practical measures are also being introduced in Lin-gang to retain and attract talent. Over 2,200 people from 200 companies have been approved for home subsidies totaling 50 million yuan, to settle in Lin-gang. Another 2.5 million yuan in rental subsidies has also been granted to nearly 300 people.

Meanwhile, construction of Dishuihu School, a public school covering 12 grades, started in March. It will receive its first primary and middle school students in 2025. With a total investment of 2.34 billion yuan, the school will support the families of workers and offer courses in subjects such as AI and IC to cater to Lin-gang's development needs.

During a visit to the area in late July, Shanghai's Party secretary Chen Jining compared Lin-gang to a vigorous and adventurous "little tiger", and said it should strive to complete the reform and pioneering tasks assigned to it by the government.

The special area has the potential to grow into a vibrant growth engine for Shanghai by attaching greater importance to soliciting new businesses and investment, introducing fresh talents, nurturing new industries and consolidating its existing advantages, he said.

"By aligning with China's major development strategies, Lin-gang should initiate more reform and lead further opening-up. More new quality productive forces and world-class industrial clusters should be nurtured here by giving full play to its advantages in institutional innovation and continued opening-up," Chen added.

SOURCE chinadaily.com.cn
SYDNEY, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A end-of-life scenario for a once-dominant voice biometrics provider has prompted organizations to reassess their identity verification systems. The urgency to migrate to a sustainable, secure solution has never been greater. As a result, major players in the financial, healthcare, government, and telecommunications sectors are making the decision to transition to Auraya's EVA, a solution renowned for its cutting-edge technology, reliability, and ease of integration. Auraya's EVA voice biometric solution has become the go-to choice for businesses worldwide, as companies seek alternatives to ensure the continuity of their identity verification processes.

One example is a major European bank, which recently decided to transition to Auraya's EVA voice biometric solution. The switch was driven by the need for a system capable of meeting the demands of secure customer interactions in a highly regulated environment. One factor in selecting EVA was the ability to seamlessly re-enrol all existing users.

EVA's prominence in this changing landscape is no coincidence. Designed to meet the evolving needs of today's enterprises, EVA offers unmatched security, accuracy, and flexibility, making it an ideal replacement for outdated systems. Unlike legacy solutions, EVA is built to ensure that businesses can continue to protect their operations with its innovative design. EVA is perfectly suited for a variety of environments, whether on-premises, hybrid cloud, or fully cloud-based instances.

Auraya's EVA Solutions suite includes:

EVA for Contact Centres : Tailored for integration within CCaas platforms, ensuring secure, efficient verification.

: Tailored for integration within CCaas platforms, ensuring secure, efficient verification. EVA Web : Optimized for web-based platforms, delivering robust biometric security for online interactions.

: Optimized for web-based platforms, delivering robust biometric security for online interactions. EVA Forensics: Offering advanced capabilities for investigative and forensic applications, enhancing security and accuracy in critical operations.

The flexibility of EVA is amplified by its native integration with industry-leading platforms such as Genesys, Amazon Connect, Five9, and more. Businesses using these platforms can seamlessly integrate EVA into their existing systems.

Where organizations choose Voice Biometrics as a Service (Vbaas), Auraya provides a fully managed service that allows companies to eliminate the need to maintain extensive infrastructure. This model reduces the complexity of deployment and ensures businesses can scale their voice biometric capability to match their needs.

The shift towards EVA is more than just a migrationit's a move towards a robust and future-proof identity verification solution. Companies making this transition are safeguarding their current operations and positioning to leverage the latest advancements in voice biometrics technology.

Auraya's EVA is setting new industry standards, offering a seamless transition path for businesses looking to move away from legacy systems. The increasing adoption of EVA by top-tier organizations highlights the growing confidence in Auraya's ability to deliver a solution that meets the highest demands of security and user experience.

As companies make the switch, Auraya is poised to become the leader in voice biometric verification, driving a new era of security, innovation, and trust in the industry.

Contact Auraya to schedule a demo.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2485423/Auraya_Logo.jpg
MINISO's Lucky 7 perfume series embodies the idea of "Naturally Lucky"  the belief that everyone possesses innate luck. Through carefully crafted natural fragrances, Lucky 7 creates an uplifting atmosphere that helps individuals unlock their own good fortune and attract positive energy. MINISO believes that a positive outlook is key to harnessing luck, and the fresh, floral, and fruity notes of Lucky 7 infuse everyday life with optimism and hope. The phrase "Naturally Lucky" encapsulates both the idea that luck is inherent in everyone and the natural essence of the perfume's ingredients. MINISO encourages people to embrace the present moment with a positive mindset, believing that luck is all around us.

To bring this vision to life, MINISO has collaborated with seven internationally acclaimed perfumers who have designed some of the world's most outstanding fragrances, including Maurice Roucel, a master of classic fragrance, Suzy Le Helley, Coralie Spicher, and Nathalie Benareau, as well as rising stars in the perfume industry  Steven Guo, Florian Gallo and Kira Zhu.

The Lucky 7 perfume series features six distinct fragrances, each symbolizing a different kind of luck and aspiration: Classic, Muse, Goddess, Bloom, Starlight, and Passion. The bottle's unique diamond cut design reflects the multifaceted personality of the wearer. From sweet and fruity youthful scents to elegant, feminine florals and rich, passionate oriental blends, the collection offers a diverse range to cater to every taste and self-expression. Each scent is a captivating talisman designed to evoke feelings of confidence, optimism, and limitless potential full of good luck.

The stunning series made its grand debut on August 18th at 11 stores in the USA, including MINISO's newly revamped store near Wall Street. Featuring special Lucky 7 fragrance fixtures and decor, the store brought shoppers into a lucky wonderland, allowing them to experience the enchanting scents firsthand. The interactive event invited customers to explore their personal scent preferences and discover the perfume that perfectly aligned with their personality. The Lucky 7 perfume series will subsequently be available at MINISO stores across the U.S., and will be available elsewhere, with the series set to launch in Indonesia at the end of August.

Additionally, MINISO will kick off a global "Lucky 7 Lifetime Version" online lottery commencing August 20th. Seven countries  the United States, Mexico, Indonesia, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Singapore  will participate in this online extravaganza. Seven lucky winners will receive a massive 7.3-liter MINISO LUCKY 7 perfume.

"We are excited to introduce the Lucky 7 perfume series as part of our 150 Broadway store opening." said Bella Tu, General Manager of MINISO Overseas Directly Operated Markets and Vice President. "This collection embodies MINISO's commitment to offering high-quality, trendsetting products that enhance our customers' lives. By collaborating with world-class perfumers, we have created a truly extraordinary fragrance experience."

MINISO's Lucky 7 perfume series is a testament to the brand's dedication to innovation and consumer satisfaction. The collection is set to captivate consumers with its alluring scents, sophisticated packaging, and the promise of luck and fulfillment.

About MINISO

MINISO Group is a global lifestyle brand offering a variety of trendy lifestyle products featuring IP design. The Company serves consumers primarily through its large network of MINISO stores, and promotes a relaxing, treasure-hunting and engaging shopping experience full of delightful surprises that appeals to all demographics. Aesthetically pleasing design, quality and affordability are at the core of every product in MINISO's wide product portfolio, and the Company continually and frequently rolls out products with these qualities. Since the opening of its first store in China in 2013, the Company has built its flagship brand "MINISO" as a globally recognized retail brand and established a massive store network worldwide.

SOURCE MINISO

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MONTEREY, Calif., Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascendant Capital Partners , a leading real estate investment and operating company, together with global hotel management firm Highgate and global investment manager Centerbridge Partners , debuts Monterey Beach Hotel , a Marriott Tribute Portfolio hotel, which re-opens today after a significant renovation and rebranding effort worthy of its iconic stature. The only beachfront hotel along the Monterey Peninsula, the property embraces the region's natural beauty and cultural richness, with 192 guest rooms including four suites, versatile meeting and events spaces, reinvented culinary venues, and more.

Monterey Beach Hotel Beachfront Exterior. Photo Credit: Ron Starr. Monterey Beach Hotel Lobby Lounge. Photo Credit: Ron Starr.

Monterey Beach Hotel is located moments away from downtown Monterey and directly along the iconic Highway 1. An anchor of Monterey hospitality, the property collaborates with local artisans and personalities to infuse the entire guest experience with enriching moments of local culture. Spearheading the hotel's design transformation is LA-based Indidesign , with project management by LUCID, Highgate's in-house Design & Construction Studio. Indidesign encapsulated quintessential California living through its curation of bespoke furnishings and integration of natural materials to foster a seamless indoor-outdoor flow, showcasing the spectacular ocean views upon arrival.

"Monterey Beach Hotel embodies the essence of the Monterey Peninsula and is a reflection of the quintessential central California coastal experience, which we sought to honor as part of a dramatic renovation of this truly one-of-a-kind property," stated Alex Halpern, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Ascendant. "With its modern interiors, enhanced dining and drinking offerings, and dynamic spaces for gatherings of every kind, the hotel pays homage to a convergence of the ocean, nature, and the vibrant mosaic of the community that defines Monterey's charm. We are excited to reintroduce this iconic property with an entirely new aesthetic and elevated experiences that reflect an incomparable sense of place along a truly special stretch of the coast."

Monterey Beach Hotel's three distinct culinary and cocktail venues  Lobby Lounge, The Lantern Room, and Tidewater  offer unique, chef-driven interpretations of central California coast flavors. With direction from Resident Culinary Advisor Paul Corsentino, execution by longtime Executive Chef Jose Velasquez, and an elevated wine program in partnership with local winemaker Ian Brand of I. Brand & Family winery, guests can savor the best of Monterey County, from all-day dining to twilight cocktails at Tidewater's beachside venue. The food and beverage offerings celebrate the hotel's commitment to community through many local purveyor partnerships and sustainable, organic practices.

The hotel features top-tier amenities that extend beyond its private beach and once-in-a-coastline views. From a heated outdoor pool and hot tub, to Scandinavian-inspired contrast therapy with barrel saunas and ice baths (debuting this fall) and complementary e-bikes, Monterey Beach Hotel is a haven for wellness aficionados and outdoor enthusiasts alike. With over 7,500 sq. ft. of versatile meeting and event space and 32,500 sq. ft. of private beach access, Monterey Beach Hotel caters to various occasions, from beachside weddings and large-scale corporate gatherings to hotel buyouts and intimate executive retreats.

"We are excited to start making our mark and welcoming new travelers and community members alike to Monterey Beach Hotel; our property truly stands out, with a reimagined hotel experience, premium dining offerings, and best-in-class hospitality style," said Nathan Hanner, General Manager.

Reservations for the all-new Monterey Beach Hotel are now open, with rates starting at $350 per night. The Lantern Room's reservations are also now open via OpenTable for guests and the public to enjoy breakfast from 7am-11am daily and dinner from 5pm-10pm daily. To learn more, please visit Montereybeach.com or follow along @MontereyBeachHotel and @DineatLanternRoom on Instagram.

ABOUT ASCENDANT CAPITAL PARTNERS

Ascendant is a vertically integrated real estate investment and operating vehicle headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in Dallas and regional teams throughout the country. Ascendant has full discretion over commingled institutional funds and an investment focus on the hospitality and residential sectors, and has invested more than $1bn of equity capital commitments since the Firm's founding in 2019. For more information visit www.ascendantcapital.com .

ABOUT CENTERBRIDGE PARTNERS

Centerbridge Partners, L.P. is a private investment management firm employing a flexible approach across investment disciplines  Private Equity, Private Credit and Real Estate  in an effort to develop the most attractive opportunities for our investors. The Firm was founded in 2005 and, as of December 31, 2023, has approximately $38 billion in capital under management with offices in New York and London. Centerbridge is dedicated to partnering with world-class management teams across targeted industry sectors and geographies. For more information, please visit https://www.centerbridge.com/ | LinkedIn .

ABOUT HIGHGATE

Highgate is a leading global real estate investment and hospitality management company in major U.S. gateway cities including New York, Boston, Miami, San Francisco and Honolulu, with a growing footprint in Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. Highgate has a proven record of developing its diverse portfolio of bespoke lifestyle hotel brands, legacy brands, and independent hotels and resorts with contemporary programming and digital acumen. The company utilizes industry-leading revenue management tools that efficiently identify and predict evolving market dynamics to drive out performance and maximize asset value. Highgate maintains corporate offices in New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, Waikiki, London and Lisbon. For more information visit www.highgate.com .

Media Contact: J. Wade Public Relations, [email protected] .

SOURCE Monterey Beach Hotel
Entrepreneurs and Pet Care Start Ups Invited to Join Pitch Competition with $15,000 in Prizes

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Nestle Purina PetCare invites budding and experienced pet care entrepreneurs to the Capital Region Pet Care Entrepreneur Event. Slated for September 5, 2024, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Nestle USA's Arlington headquarters in Rosslyn, the event provides networking opportunities, expert discussions, and a live pitch competition with cash prizes for innovative ideas.

This event is part of Purina's annual PetCare Innovation Prize program, which supports and celebrates the visionaries shaping the future of pet care. In collaboration with Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) and Maryland's TEDCO, Purina will host a live pitch competition where entrepreneurs can vie for $15,000 in prizes.

Event Highlights:

Networking and Expert Panels: Connect with fellow entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and potential investors while enjoying food and drinks.

Connect with fellow entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and potential investors while enjoying food and drinks. Pitch Competition: Entrepreneurs are invited to apply to pitch their business ideas for a chance to win $5,000 for the best pitch from Maryland courtesy of Maryland's TEDCO, $5,000 for the best pitch from Virginia courtesy of VIPC, and $5,000 for the best overall pitch courtesy of Purina.

Entrepreneurs can register to attend the event and/or enter the pitch competition here. Pitch competition applicants must apply by September 1, 2024 to be considered for the live pitch event. Top applicants will be invited to pitch their business via Zoom, with finalists selected to present live on September 5.

The Pet Care Innovation Prize is a collaborative effort of Purina's 9 Square Ventures corporate venturing group and investing leaders Active Capital to support and connect with early stage pet care startups that are currently in market with an innovative business addressing pet and pet owner needs in the areas of pet health and wellness, services, technology, and food, treats or litter.

9 Square Ventures leverages Purina's knowledge, experience, and financial resources to help emerging pet care startups scale their businesses and make a positive impact on the lives of as many pets and their owners as possible. The group has been steadily investing millions of dollars in a diverse set of early-stage pet care startups since it was founded in 2014.

For more information, contact [email protected]

About Purina

Nestle Purina PetCare creates richer lives for pets and the people who love them. Founded in 1894, Purina has helped dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives by offering scientifically based nutritional innovations. Purina manufactures some of the world's most trusted and popular pet care products, including Purina ONE, Pro Plan, Fancy Feast and Tidy Cats. Our more than 11,000 U.S. associates take pride in our trusted pet food, treat and litter brands that feed 46 million dogs and 68 million cats every year. More than 500 Purina scientists, veterinarians, and pet care experts ensure our commitment to unsurpassed quality and nutrition.

Purina promotes responsible pet care through our scientific research, our products, and our support for pet-related organizations. Over the past five years, Purina has contributed more than $150 million towards organizations that bring, and keep, people and pets together, as well as those that help our communities and environment thrive.

Purina is part of Nestle, a global leader in Nutrition, Health, and Wellness. For more information, visit purina.com or subscribe here to get the latest Purina News.

Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC):

VIPC operates as the nonprofit corporation on behalf of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA). As Virginia's designated authority for leading innovation and economic development, VIPC supports early-stage startups and venture capital growth through research, commercialization, and technology advancement.

For more information, visit www.VIPC.org.

Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO):

TEDCO, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, enhances economic empowerment growth through the fostering of an inclusive entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem. TEDCO identifies, invests in, and helps grow technology and life science-based companies in Maryland. Learn more at www.tedcomd.com

SOURCE Nestle Purina PetCare
DRESDEN, Ohio, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Relentless Ag proudly announces its official launch, introducing a new era of grower-first agricultural support. Founded by industry veterans Doug Coe and Jared Cox, Relentless Ag is dedicated to delivering top-quality Pioneer seed, advanced crop protection solutions, and comprehensive agronomy services designed to maximize farm productivity and profitability.

Relentless Ag's mission is clear: to support farmers in achieving unparalleled success through proactive farming practices. "Our approach is all about helping farmers avoid problems before they happen," says Doug Coe, Co-Founder of Relentless Ag. "We provide the best seed and crop protection and an in-the-field, boots-on-the-ground standard of service."

Relentless Ag's comprehensive product and service portfolio includes:

Seed : Featuring Pioneer and Soybean Seed Treatment.

: Featuring Pioneer and Soybean Seed Treatment. Crop Protection & Fertility : Offering a wide range of chemistry products, including Corteva, Meristem, Rosen's, and Sound Ag, as well as liquid fertilizers and aerial application services.

: Offering a wide range of chemistry products, including Corteva, Meristem, Rosen's, and Sound Ag, as well as liquid fertilizers and aerial application services. Agronomy Services: Delivering soil and tissue sampling, tailored Rx recommendations for Nitrogen, P/K, lime, and seeding, as well as ground and air scouting and chemistry recommendations.

Relentless Ag is built on the philosophy that a grower's success directly translates to its success. "We strive to be a trusted advisor to our farmers," explains Jared Cox, Co-Founder of Relentless Ag. "Our goal is to provide the best price and value, ensuring each acre always performs at its peak potential. In agriculture, every decision impacts the bottom line. Being part of a farmer's decision-making process is a responsibility we take very seriously."

For more information about Relentless Ag, contact us. https://relentlessag.com/

Media Contact:

Doug Coe

(740)505-0350

[email protected]

Website: https://relentlessag.com/

SOURCE Relentless Ag
PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Nova Ukraine proudly announces its achievement of a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, reflecting its accountability, transparency, and financial health. This rating designates Nova Ukraine as an official "Give with Confidence" charity, indicating that the organization effectively utilizes donations in accordance with Charity Navigator's stringent criteria. Charity Navigator is the nation's largest nonprofit evaluator with more than 225,000 organizations rated.

Children take a break at the kids' corner while their parents charge their phones and connect with loved ones at the Invincibility Center in Mykolaiv, which operates at the Ukrzaliznytsia train station." A mobile bomb shelter is being delivered to Sumy, where people are affected by daily shelling. Each shelter can safely protect up to 12 people.

Charity Navigator assesses nonprofit performance based on four key indicators, referred to as beacons. Nonprofits can earn scores for the Impact & Measurement, Accountability & Finance, Culture & Community, and Leadership & Adaptability beacons.

"We are delighted to provide Nova Ukraine with third-party accreditation that validates their operational excellence," said Michael Thatcher, President and CEO of Charity Navigator. "The Four-Star Rating is the highest possible rating an organization can achieve. We are eager to see the good work that Nova Ukraine is able to accomplish in the years ahead."

"This top rating is a great validation of our impact and transparency," said Mikola (Nick) Bilogorskiy, Chairman of Nova Ukraine. "We have delivered over $103 million worth of aid to Ukraine, helping more than 7.4 million people, while maintaining our commitment to maximum effectiveness. Now in our 10th year, we continue to strive every day to support Ukrainians with a sense of urgency."

Nova Ukraine's primary focus is on delivering critical aid to those in immediate need while also supporting strategic projects that provide help now and will continue to make a difference in the future. As we provide essential support and plan for the challenges ahead, we remain steadfast in our mission to heal, rebuild, and empower Ukraine.

This rating highlights Nova Ukraine's commitment to achieving real results through strong, reliable processes. It reassures our supporters and stakeholders that Nova Ukraine consistently upholds high standards in managing and distributing funds, ensuring that we fulfill our mission with integrity and efficiency.

This achievement would not have been possible without the tireless dedication and hard work of our team and supporters. Their commitment to our mission of building a better, safer Ukraine has been crucial in reaching this milestone. The Nova Ukraine team is deeply grateful for all the contributions and passion in supporting our vision, and we look forward to continuing making a difference for countless people across Ukraine with the same enthusiasm.

Nova Ukraine's ratings are available free of charge on https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/465335435

About Nova Ukraine

Founded in 2014 in Palo Alto, California, Nova Ukraine is a 501(c)(3) charity dedicated to providing humanitarian aid and raising awareness about Ukraine. Since the war's onset, Nova Ukraine has focused on delivering extensive humanitarian assistance, rebuilding infrastructure, providing medical supplies, and supporting refugees. We remain committed to transparency and efficiency, with a focus on making a significant impact while maintaining low operating expenses.

Contact:

Dr. Igor L. Markov

[email protected]

424-332-8999

Nova Ukraine website

SOURCE Nova Ukraine
NEW YORK, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The nursing education market size in US is estimated to grow by USD 134.1 billion from 2024-2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of almost 30.05% during the forecast period. Rising demand for competency-based learning is driving market growth, with a trend towards increasing use of ar/vr in nursing education. However, lack of assessment metrics poses a challenge. Key market players include Azusa Pacific University, Columbia University, Emory University, NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing, PLATTCOLORADO, Rush University, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, The Ohio State University, The University of Iowa, University of California, University of Maryland School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, University of Washington, UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing, WEB WOC Nursing Education Program, Western Carolina University, and Yale University.

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Nursing education market in us 2024-2028

Get a detailed analysis on regions, market segments, customer landscape, and companies- View the snapshot of this report

Nursing Education Market Scope In US Report Coverage Details Base year 2023 Historic period 2018 - 2022 Forecast period 2024-2028 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 30.05% Market growth 2024-2028 USD 134.1 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 23.12 Regional analysis US Performing market contribution North America at 100% Key countries US Key companies profiled Azusa Pacific University, Columbia University, Emory University, NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing, PLATTCOLORADO, Rush University, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, The Ohio State University, The University of Iowa, University of California, University of Maryland School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, University of Washington, UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing, WEB WOC Nursing Education Program, Western Carolina University, and Yale University

Market Driver

Nursing education in the US is undergoing a technological transformation, with the incorporation of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) into curricula becoming increasingly common. AR utilizes digital elements to enhance live views through a smartphone camera, while VR offers a fully immersive experience that replaces the real world. These technologies provide nursing students with interactive and cost-effective methods of learning various medical topics. For instance, AR/VR platforms enable students to repeat virtual scenarios as needed, improving learning outcomes and saving institutions time and resources. Yale School of Nursing is developing an app that combines AR headsets, QR codes, and CPR manikins for portable clinical training. The use of AR/VR tools enhances nursing education by improving communication skills, self-efficacy, and confidence, and is expected to continue gaining popularity during the forecast period. Academic institutions must support this technological shift to promote student success and facilitate the adoption of a new educational paradigm.

The nursing education market in the US is experiencing significant growth due to the increasing demand for qualified nurses in healthcare services. With the global population aging and the prevalence of chronic conditions, there is a rising need for skilled nursing professionals to care for patients with chronic diseases. Digital education and virtual networks are becoming popular in nursing education, providing students with theoretical knowledge and practical training through webinars, conferences, and educational resources. Academic and clinical training are essential for developing professional competencies required in various healthcare settings. The International Council of Nurses reports a nurse shortage gap, with vacant positions in clinics, long-term care, home healthcare, and retirement age facilities. Educational offerings include degree and certificate programs with specializations for registered nurses to meet market demands and workforce projections. BSN-prepared nurses contribute to improved patient outcomes and interprofessional collaboration in population health. Physical facilities and simulated laboratory settings provide hands-on experience for nursing students to excel in their careers.

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Market Challenges

The quality of nursing education is determined by assessment metrics or standards, which evaluate students' abilities against established nursing practice. However, the focus on first-time National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX) pass rates as the primary assessment metric limits the evaluation of nurse performance. Nursing schools invest insufficiently in developing comprehensive assessment measures, relying on standardized tests like those offered by Educational Resources and Elsevier's Health Education Systems. These assessments primarily measure content knowledge and nursing skills. However, the lack of common metrics for evaluating learning outcomes hinders market growth. To attract students and employers, robust assessment measures that evaluate both knowledge gain and application of concepts in patient care are necessary. The absence of such evaluations may lead to decreased student interest and low enrollments, negatively impacting market growth in the forecast period.

The nursing education market in the US faces challenges due to an aging nursing workforce nearing retirement age. To meet the demand for BSN-prepared nurses and address workforce projections, educational offerings must expand. This includes degree and certificate programs with specializations, preparing RNs for advanced roles. Patient outcomes rely on interprofessional collaboration and population health focus. Physical facilities with simulated laboratory settings and clinical rotations offer real-world experience. Experienced educators and regulatory bodies ensure licensure requirements are met. Private institutions invest in simulation labs and clinical training using modern teaching methods. Industry standards and healthcare policies drive innovative curriculum. Healthcare providers seek clinical placements, internship opportunities, and research collaborations. Networking with peers and experienced educators enhances learning. Regulatory bodies and industry partnerships facilitate job placement.

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Segment Overview

This nursing education market in US report extensively covers market segmentation by

Type

1.1 Graduate courses

1.2 Postgraduate courses

End-user

2.1 Hospitals

2.2 Home healthcare services

Geography

3.1 North America

1.1 Graduate courses- The nursing education market in the US is projected to expand significantly during the forecast period, driven by the increasing enrollment in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. This trend is attributed to the growing demand for competent nursing professionals to cater to the needs of an aging population and the preference of healthcare organizations for degree holders. Graduate nursing programs provide students with comprehensive theoretical and practical knowledge, enhancing their employability and performance in real patient scenarios. Numerous colleges and universities in the US offer a range of nursing degrees, from bachelor's and associate's to master's and doctoral programs, in various domains such as critical care, midwifery, nursing assisting, and pre-nursing. Prestigious universities like Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of California offer formal degree programs, allowing students to gain extensive experience in treating patients in realistic settings. In the US, nursing graduates must complete a state-approved program and pass the licensing exam to work as registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), or advanced practice nurses (APNs). The American Association of Colleges of Nursing recognizes the BSN as the minimum educational degree for professional nursing practice. The nursing education market's growth is expected to continue as graduate-level programs become increasingly available and preferred by healthcare organizations.

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Learn and explore more about Technavio's in-depth research reports

The global Healthcare Education Solutions market is experiencing significant growth, driven by the increasing adoption of digital learning platforms and the rising need for continuous medical education. Key market players are focusing on offering innovative solutions, including e-learning modules, virtual simulations, and AI-based personalized learning, to enhance the skills of healthcare professionals. The market is segmented by delivery mode, application, and end-user, with North America and Europe leading in adoption. Growing investments in healthcare infrastructure and the emphasis on patient safety are further propelling market expansion.

Research Analysis

The nursing education market in the US is experiencing significant growth due to the increasing demand for qualified nurses to address the healthcare needs of an aging population and the rising prevalence of chronic conditions. With the global population projected to reach 9 billion by 2050, the need for a well-prepared nursing workforce is more critical than ever. Nursing education is evolving to meet the demands of this changing landscape, with digital education and virtual networks becoming increasingly popular. Students and faculty engage in webinars, conferences, and educational resources to enhance academic training. Registered nurses with a BSN degree are becoming the new standard, as patient outcomes have been shown to improve with this level of education. Interprofessional collaboration and population health management are key components of modern nursing education, preparing nurses for the complexities of modern healthcare. Physical facilities and simulated laboratory settings provide hands-on experience, while clinical rotations offer real-world application. Peers and experienced educators offer valuable insights, and regulatory bodies and licensure requirements ensure the highest standards are met. Private institutions play a crucial role in providing innovative and flexible nursing education solutions.

Market Research Overview

The nursing education market in the US is experiencing significant growth due to the increasing global population and the aging-related health needs, particularly in managing chronic conditions. With the rise of chronic diseases and an aging population, there is a high demand for qualified nurses to meet the healthcare needs of patients. Nursing education institutions are responding by offering various educational resources, academic training, and practical training to students to develop theoretical knowledge, clinical skills, and professional competencies. Digital education, virtual networks, webinars, and conferences are becoming increasingly popular, allowing students to learn from experienced educators and peers. Healthcare settings, including clinics, long-term care, home healthcare, and retirement age facilities, are seeking skilled nursing professionals to address the nurse shortage gap and vacant positions. The International Council of Nurses projects a need for 9 million more nurses globally by 2030. Nursing workforce projections indicate a demand for BSN-prepared nurses, registered nurses, and specialized nursing professionals. Nursing education offerings include degree programs, certificate programs, and specializations. Modern teaching methods, regulatory bodies, licensure requirements, and industry standards are shaping the innovative curriculum of nursing education programs. Healthcare providers offer clinical placements, internship opportunities, research collaborations, job placement, real-world experience, and networking opportunities to nursing students.

Table of Contents:

1 Executive Summary

2 Market Landscape

3 Market Sizing

4 Historic Market Size

5 Five Forces Analysis

6 Market Segmentation

Type

Graduate Courses



Postgraduate Courses

End-user

Hospitals



Home Healthcare Services

Geography

North America

7 Customer Landscape

8 Geographic Landscape

9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

10 Company Landscape

11 Company Analysis

12 Appendix

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SOURCE Technavio
Fostering Leadership and Opportunities: A Journey of Educational Empowerment

WALNUT CREEK, Calif., Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Starfish International, a pioneering organization dedicated to empowering girls in The Gambia, recently welcomed a second group of team members from One Planet Group to gain firsthand insight into the powerful impact of their work.

One Planet Group supports Starfish International's mission to uplift girls through education. Post this July 2024: One Planet Group volunteers visiting Starfish International in The Gambia

Starfish International is dedicated to providing quality education and mentorship to Gambian girls, empowering them to become confident, well-educated, and service-oriented leaders. Through a comprehensive curriculum that includes academics, life skills, and leadership development, Starfish International is transforming lives and building a foundation for future generations.

The One Planet Group team spent a week immersed in the vibrant community at Starfish International's main campus. They engaged directly with students, participated in classes, and learned about the array of programs Starfish offers its students and the community. Additionally, the team shadowed students during a typical day-in-the-life, gaining valuable insight into their living conditions and household responsibilities. This experience provided essential context for understanding the profound impact of Starfish International's programs on the students' lives.

"Starfish International is doing something remarkable by uplifting an entire generation of girls through education, and we are deeply grateful to play a small part in supporting their mission. I thank them immensely for hosting our team, as Starfish's impact can only be fully understood through first-hand experience," stated Payam Zamani, Founder of One Planet Group.

Mam Yassin Sarr, Founder and Director of Starfish International, shared, "Partnering with One Planet Group is one of the most special gifts of doing this service. Having professionals and leaders in their fields, who have a heart for giving back, commit to rolling up their sleeves and coming to teach, learn, plan and execute with our students every summer, is lifelong learning at its best. Our girls know, not only that they are loved, but also, firsthand, that they can follow the same path as these mentors, achieve their dreams, and keep on serving."

The visit also included a tour of 'The Land', and new facilities developed with the support of funds raised from One Planet Group's 2022 and 2023 Holidays with a Purpose events. This extension features classrooms, a satellite library, and skill-building workshops that serve as a vital resource for local youth.

Elevating the idea of a traditional holiday party, over the years Holidays with a Purpose has raised more than 2 million dollars for organizations supporting women's rights, empowerment and education. Last year's Holidays with a Purpose event raised $141,000 with the support of One Planet Group's employees, vendors, and partners  with $100,000 coming from One Planet Group itself. Last year's event also supported Lide Haiti, an education non-profit operating in rural Haiti that provides programs in the arts, education, health, and parent and community engagement for over 1,200 adolescent girls.

Looking ahead, this year's Holidays with a Purpose event, scheduled for December 12, 2024, will continue to raise funds to support Starfish International. The event will also benefit Parent University based in Savannah, Georgia, another vital initiative focused on empowering parents to actively engage in their children's education.

One Planet Group embraces the philosophy that service to humanity often benefits the giver more than the receiver. In line with this belief, they are grateful for the opportunity to play a small role in the amazing work of these extraordinary organizations working to make a positive impact through people-first initiatives.

About One Planet Group

One Planet Group is a closely held private equity firm that owns a suite of technology and media businesses while also investing in early-stage companies. Owned and operated businesses span a variety of industries including ad tech, publishing, and media. One Planet Group's mission is to support strong business ideas while building an ethos that helps improve society and give back to communities. The company's investment portfolio includes a diverse group of innovative tech-enabled products and solutions. Investing primarily in high-growth early-stage entities, emphasizing companies that aspire to 'Innovation + Intention.' One Planet Group was founded by tech entrepreneur Payam Zamani in 2015. With offices and employees in over ten countries, its global headquarters is in Walnut Creek, California. For more information, visit oneplanetgroup.com.

About Starfish International

Starfish International is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a well-rounded and quality education for Gambian girls and boys. Working annually with 100 girls and 35 boys, Starfish International has been in service for 12 years, uplifting, educating, accompanying, and providing a safe haven for their students' growth, well-being, and development. Starfish's mission is to uplift Gambian girls by providing them with a world-class education that is focused on service to humanity while at the same time providing international service-learning opportunities for volunteers. The values and the five qualities highlighted at Starfish International are nobility, independence, courtesy, knowledge, and service. As an organization, its major achievement is to have graduated and impacted over 900 students who are now doctors, teachers, lawyers, nurses, and many other professionals in their respective fields. Their three significant areas of impact are education, health, and agriculture, with a focus on mentorship, entrepreneurship, character development, scholarship opportunities, leadership training, career counseling, public speaking, and community service. For more information, visit starfishinternational.org.

MEDIA CONTACT

Bita Milanian, Head of Communications & PR, One Planet Group

pr (at) oneplanetgroup.com

(925) 237-9036

SOURCE One Planet Group Inc.
FORT COLLINS, Colo., Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- PhotonPharma, a cutting-edge biopharmaceutical company based in Fort Collins, Colorado, is pleased to announce the successful closing of a $2.5 million seed financing round. This vital funding will support the Phase I clinical trial of Innocell, an innovative therapy for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute (https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/ovary.html) ovarian cancer will impact 19,680 women in the US with 12,740 deaths in 2024 alone. The average five-year relative survival rate is 50.4% (2014-2020).

In February 2024, PhotonPharma received FDA clearance to initiate clinical development of Innocell. The Phase I trial, expected to enroll its first patient in Q4 2024, will be a crucial step in evaluating the safety and efficacy of this promising new treatment.

"This funding is a significant milestone for PhotonPharma and marks a pivotal moment in our mission to advance breakthrough therapies for cancer therapies," said Dr. Terry Opgenorth, Chairman of the Board of Directors of PhotonPharma. "We are excited to move forward with our clinical trials and are grateful for the support of our investors, whose confidence will help drive the development of our technology platform forward."

PhotonPharma's presentation at the upcoming Rocky Mountain Life Sciences Investor and Partnering Conference will provide a comprehensive overview of the company's progress and development plans. The conference will be an opportunity for investors and partners to learn more about PhotonPharma's advancements and the potential impact of Innocell on the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Founded in 2018, PhotonPharma is dedicated to pioneering novel drug delivery systems and targeted treatments aimed at improving cancer care. The company's innovative approach and commitment to scientific excellence position it at the forefront of cancer therapeutics.

"We invite investors and industry partners to attend our presentation at the Rocky Mountain Life Sciences Investor and Partnering Conference in September," added Dr. Alan Rudolph, CEO of PhotonPharma. "It's an excellent opportunity to learn about the development of our cutting-edge technology and the development plans for the company and its technology platform."

About PhotonPharma

PhotonPharma is dedicated to developing innovative cancer therapies that leverage the body's immune system to fight disease. With a focus on personalized medicine, the company's lead product, Innocell, aims to provide a first in class treatment for a wide range of solid organ tumors.

For more information, please visit www.photonpharmaceuticals.com or contact:

Alan Rudolph, PhD

CEO

PhotonPharma, Inc.

[email protected]

301-520-8982

Media Contact:

Ms. Anjelica Doriety

PhotonPharma, Inc.

[email protected]

954-851-4023

SOURCE PhotonPharma Inc.
VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - August 22, 2024  Sydney, Australia

Patriot Battery Metals Inc. (the "Company" or "Patriot") (TSX: PMET) (ASX: PMT) (OTCQX: PMETF) (FSE: R9GA) advises that Ken Brinsden, the Company's President, CEO and Managing Director, will host a live investor webinar today, to present the findings of the Preliminary Economic Assessment on the Shaakichiuwaanaan Project, reported in the announcement dated 21 August, "PEA Highlights Shaakichiuwaanaan Project as a Potential North American Lithium Raw Materials Supply Base".

Patriot Battery Metals logo (CNW Group/Patriot Battery Metals Inc.)

Mr Brinsden will update investors on the key findings of the PEA, with the opportunity for investors, analysts and shareholders to submit questions via the online Q&A webinar portal following the completion of Mr Brinsden's presentation. Alternatively, questions can be submitted in advance via email to the Company's Investor Relations managers  Brad Seward (Australia/Asia) and Olivier Caza-Lapointe (North America/Europe).

Registration Details

The webinar will commence at 8.30am Australian Western Standard Time / 10.30am Australian Eastern Standard Time / 8.30pm Canadian Eastern Daylight Time and will last approximately 45 minutes. Investors, shareholders and media can register to attend the webinar via the following link:

https://www.bigmarker.com/read-corporate/Patriot-Battery-Metals-TSX-PMET-ASX-PMT-Preliminary-Economic-Assessment-PEA-Confirms-Shaakichiuwaanaan-Project-as-a-Future-North-American-Lithium-Raw-M

A recording of the webinar will be released through Patriot's website and social media platforms for the benefit of investors in North American time zones.

Investor and Media Contacts:

Brad Seward Nicholas Read  Australian media inquiries Vice President, Investor Relations Read Corporate T: +61 400 199 471 Tel: +61 419 929 046 E: [email protected] E: [email protected]



Olivier Caza-Lapointe

Head, Investor Relations  North America

T: +1 (514) 913-5264

E: [email protected]



About Patriot Battery Metals Inc.

Patriot Battery Metals Inc. is a hard-rock lithium exploration company focused on advancing its district-scale 100%-owned Shaakichiuwaanaan Property (formerly known as Corvette) located in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region of Quebec, Canada, which is accessible year-round by all-season road and is proximal to regional powerline infrastructure. The Shaakichiuwaanaan Mineral Resource1, which includes the CV5 & CV13 spodumene pegmatites, totals 80.1 Mt at 1.44% Li 2 O Indicated, and 62.5 Mt at 1.31% Li 2 O Inferred, and ranks as the largest lithium pegmatite resource in the Americas, and the 8th largest lithium pegmatite resource in the world. Additionally, the Shaakichiuwaanaan Property hosts multiple other spodumene pegmatite clusters that remain to be drill tested, as well as significant areas of prospective trend that remain to be assessed.

____________________________________ 1 Shaakichiuwaanaan (CV5 & CV13) Mineral Resource Estimate (80.1 Mt at 1.44% Li 2 O and 163 ppm Ta 2 O 5 Indicated, and 62.5 Mt at 1.31% Li 2 O and 147 ppm Ta 2 O 5 ppm Inferred) is reported at a cut-off grade of 0.40% Li 2 O (open pit), 0.60% Li 2 O (underground CV5), and 0.80% Li 2 O (underground CV13) with an Effective Date of June 27, 2024 (through drill hole CV24-526). Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves as they do not have demonstrated economic viability.

For further information, please contact us at [email protected] or by calling +1 (604) 279-8709, or visit www.patriotbatterymetals.com. Please also refer to the Company's continuous disclosure filings, available under its profile at www.sedarplus.ca and www.asx.com.au, for available exploration data.

This news release has been approved by the Board of Directors.

"KEN BRINSDEN"

Kenneth Brinsden, President, CEO, & Managing Director.

SOURCE Patriot Battery Metals Inc.
In addition to investing in Eat Real to help bring real, high-quality food to school cafeterias nationwide, Primal Kitchen is launching a new national brand campaign to change the way the world eats.

OXNARD, Calif., Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Primal Kitchen , a brand beloved for elevating classic condiments with real ingredients, good fats and delicious flavor, today announced it has made a two-year, $1M commitment to Eat Real, a 501(3)(c) nonprofit nourishing the future of American kids by putting real food on the table at school, at home, and in local and federal policy. This announcement coincides with the release of Primal Kitchen's latest brand campaign, titled "Made for Real Food," centered around the brand's second-ever TV ad that shares Primal Kitchen's definitions of "real foods" and how Primal Kitchen is the deliciously perfect compliment to any meal.

The Primal Kitchen "Made for Real Food" campaign centers around the brand's second-ever TV ad that shares Primal Kitchen's definitions of "real foods" and how Primal Kitchen is the deliciously perfect compliment to any meal. Primal Kitchen's "Made for Real Food" campaign Primal Kitchen's "Made for Real Food" campaign

Changing The Way the World Eats Through Eat Real Partnership

Primal Kitchen is committed to bringing founder Mark Sisson's mission to life to change the way the world eats, and is investing in Eat Real to celebrate that Primal Kitchen isn't just made from real ingredients  it's made to make a real impact. With this new $1M investment from Primal Kitchen, Eat Real will continue expanding its core school lunch certification program nationwide, getting the nonprofit much closer to its goal of reaching 1M school kids in 15 states by 2025.

This new commitment marks Eat Real's first $1M corporate donation and will positively impact millions of school meals over the next two years and beyond. Eat Real has been Primal Kitchen's Giving Tuesday partner for two years, during which time the brand has already donated annually to the nonprofit.

Primal Kitchen Co-Founder Morgan Zanotti shares: "We are so excited to amplify our partnership with Eat Real this year and expand access to real, high-quality food for kids across America. Primal Kitchen is a brand that has always been committed to creating sauces, dressings, condiments, and pantry staples that are made with real, high-quality ingredients  so expanding our investment in a nonprofit dedicated to nourishing the future of American kids through real food was a no-brainer."

Eat Real CEO Nora LaTorre said: "Primal Kitchen shares our commitment to an entire philosophy around real ingredients for real food. They have already proven to be a next-level corporate partner, not only supporting our certification program but helping to grow awareness for it. Both of these mission-driven organizations are committed to changing the way the world eats, starting with our kids. Together, we're going to nourish the future. We can't wait to see their new brand campaign highlighting real food and Eat Real when it debuts this fall!

"Made for Real Food" Takes Center Stage

Primal Kitchen's announcement with Eat Real comes in tandem with the brand's new national brand campaign emphasizing its mission to change the way the world eats.

Primal Kitchen's Head of Marketing Ana Goettsch shares: "It can feel overwhelming and complicated to figure out what to eat. Primal Kitchen believes that simplicity is key  primal, even  so the brand is taking things back to basics and starting a movement to bring real food back to the table."

The new campaign centers around Primal Kitchen's second TV advertisement in its eight-year history with its 15-second & 30-second spots spotlighting Primal Kitchen's definitions of multivitamins, greens, and protein bars. To keep it real, the ads  which have begun to roll out across TV, CTV, YouTube, Meta, Pinterest, TikTok and more -- were created by Primal Kitchen's in-house creative team, in production partnership with The Rec League, feature the company's employees and their families, and even feature co-founder Morgan Zanotti as the voiceover.

To bring to life further, Primal Kitchen has invested in paid social, partnerships, shopper marketing, out-of-home, and other channels which will roll out over a few months.

To get involved with Eat Real, please visit EatReal.org. To learn more about the "Made for Real Food" campaign and Primal Kitchen products, please visit PrimalKitchen.com.

About Primal Kitchen

With the launch of the PRIMAL KITCHEN brand, Mark Sisson delivers on his mission to change the way the world eats. PRIMAL KITCHEN offers uncompromisingly delicious condiments, sauces, cooking oils, salad dressings and pantry staples that are made with fats we love and purposeful, high-quality ingredients, and contain no gluten, grains, artificial sweeteners or soy. PRIMAL KITCHEN is the #1 condiment, dressing, and shelf-stable mayo brand in the Natural Channel. PRIMAL KITCHEN is also the maker of the #1 condiment and sauce brand in the Natural Grocery Channel1. As Mark would say, Eat Like Your Life Depends on It, because it does. Learn more at primalkitchen.com .

About Eat Real

Eat Real Certified is a national nonprofit that nourishes the future of American kids by putting real food on the table at school (access), at home (awareness), and in local and national policy (advocacy). Our award-winning K-12 certification program provides Food Service leaders with the framework and support they need to make their school menus delicious, nutritious, and planet-sustaining. Alongside our community of food system advocates, chefs, and parents, we spread the word about the power and urgency of serving real food at every meal. And we leverage our unique vantage point to push for system change, advocating for healthier policies and higher food standards at the local, state, and federal level so every child can look forward to a healthy future. Learn more at eatreal.org.

1 SPINS, TPL, Total US Natural Expanded Channel, L52 ending 1/28/24 *Natural as defined by SPINS (NPI)

SOURCE Primal Kitchen
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- QurAlis Corporation ("QurAlis"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company driving scientific breakthroughs into powerful precision medicines that have the potential to alter the trajectory of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and other neurodegenerative and neurological diseases, today announced that Kasper Roet, Ph.D., chief executive officer and co-founder, will present at the following conferences in September. Management will also participate in one-on-one investor meetings.

3rd RNA Leaders USA 2024 (September 4-5, 2024) Format: Company presentation Date: Thursday, September 5, 2024 Time: 9:30 AM PT Location: San Diego, CA

UBS Biotechnology Private Company Virtual Symposium (September 18-19, 2024) Format: One-on-one investor meetings. To request a one-on-one meeting at the conference, please contact your UBS representative. Location: Virtual

Bank of America Healthcare Trailblazers Private Company Conference (September 25-26, 2024) Format: One-on-one investor meetings. To request a one-on-one meeting at the conference, please contact your Bank of America representative. Location: Boston, MA

The QurAlis corporate presentation can be accessed by visiting the presentations section of the Company's website at www.quralis.com.

About QurAlis Corporation

At QurAlis, we are neuro pioneers on a quest to cure. We work with a relentless pursuit of knowledge, a precise attention to craft, and an optimistic mindset to discover and develop effective precision medicines that have the potential to alter the trajectory of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and other neurodegenerative and neurological diseases. Founded by an internationally recognized team of neurodegenerative biologists from Harvard Medical School and Harvard University, QurAlis is advancing a robust precision medicine pipeline with therapeutic candidates aimed at modifying severe disease pathology in defined patient populations based on both disease-causing genetic mutation(s) and clinical biomarkers. For more information, please visit www.quralis.com or follow us on X @QurAlisCo or LinkedIn.

SOURCE QurAlis
NEW YORK, Aug. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --

Why: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces an investigation of potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Dril-Quip, Inc. (NYSE: DRQ) resulting from allegations that Dril-Quip, Inc. may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.

So what: If you purchased Dril-Quip securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses.

What to do next: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=27144 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action.

What is this about: On July 8, 2024, after the market closed, Dril-Quip filed a current report on Form 8-K with the SEC. In this current report, Dril-Quip disclosed that it had become "became aware of an error in the classification of certain inventory write-downs from 2021. [. . .] 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")."

Further, Dril-Quip disclosed that "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."

Finally, Dril-Quip disclosed that the "Management has also concluded that, in light of the findings described above, the Company's disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2023 were not effective", and that it intended "to complete and file restated consolidated financial statements for the Affected Period[.]"

On this news, the price of Dril-Quip stock fell by 9.9% on July 9, 2024.

Why Rosen Law: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

Phillip Kim, Esq.

The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

[email protected]

www.rosenlegal.com

SOURCE THE ROSEN LAW FIRM, P. A.
NEW YORK and SYDNEY, Aug. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- RE1 Limited, in its capacity as responsible entity and trustee of Scentre Group Trust 2 (the "Offeror"), a trust forming part of the stapled entity Scentre Group (ASX: SCG) ("Scentre Group"), has commenced a cash tender offer (the "Tender Offer") for up to US$550 million aggregate principal amount (the "Maximum Tender Amount") of its outstanding Subordinated Non-Call 6 Fixed Rate Reset Notes due 2080 (the "Notes"). The Tender Offer is subject to certain conditions as described in the Offer to Purchase, including the Financing Condition and the Minimum Tender Condition (each as defined below).

Following the Early Tender Time (as defined below), provided that the Minimum Tender Condition has been satisfied or waived and subject to market conditions, Scentre Management Limited, in its capacity as responsible entity and trustee of SGT 1 ("SML"), intends to conduct an offering of new subordinated debt securities denominated in Australian Dollars ("A$") to certain institutional investors outside the United States (the "Financing Transaction"). SML intends to issue in the Financing Transaction up to the principal amount of new securities that, when converted to US$ at the exchange rate used by the Offeror to hedge the Notes (the "Notes Hedging FX Rate", being A$1 = US$0.7288) and subject to rounding, is equivalent to the Maximum Tender Amount. The Offeror will not repurchase more than the amount of Notes equivalent to the principal amount of new securities, when converted into US$ at the Notes Hedging FX Rate, that are actually issued in the Financing Transaction. As a consequence, the Offeror may not purchase all of the Notes validly tendered even if the aggregate principal amount tendered is less than the Maximum Tender Amount. We refer to the lesser of (i) the Maximum Tender Amount and (ii) the aggregate principal amount of Notes equivalent to the principal amount of new securities, when converted into US$ at the Notes Hedging FX Rate, that are issued in the Financing Transaction as the "Tender Amount".

Up to US$550,000,000 Aggregate Principal Amount of the Outstanding Notes Listed Below:

Title of Security CUSIP Nos. and ISINs Principal

Amount Outstanding First Reset Date U.S. Treasury Reference Security Bloomberg Reference Page Fixed Spread Early Tender Premium(1) Early Tender Consideration(1) Hypothetical Early Tender Consideration(1)(2) Subordinated Non-Call 6 Fixed Rate Reset Notes due 2080 144A CUSIP: 76025LAA2

Reg S CUSIP: Q8053LAA2 144A ISIN: US76025LAA26

Reg S ISIN: USQ8053LAA28 US$1,387,955,000 Sept. 24, 2026 4.375% UST due

July 31, 2026 FIT1 +135 bps US$50 To be determined at the Price Determination Time US$988.53

__________________________ (1) Per US$1,000 principal amount. The Early Tender Consideration is calculated using the Fixed Spread and when calculated using such Fixed Spread as described herein already includes the Early Tender Premium. (2) For illustrative purposes only, a hypothetical Early Tender Consideration is set out in the table above, based upon a hypothetical pricing time at or around 1:00 p.m., New York City time, on August 20, 2024, and assuming an Early Settlement Date (as defined below) of September 10, 2024. Holders should note that the actual Early Tender Consideration determined in the manner described in the Offer to Purchase will be determined at the Price Determination Time (as defined below) and could differ significantly from the hypothetical Early Tender Consideration set out in the table above.

The Tender Offer is being made pursuant to an Offer to Purchase, dated August 20, 2024 (as may be amended or supplemented, the "Offer to Purchase"), which sets forth a more detailed description of the Tender Offer. The Offeror urges holders of the Notes to read the Offer to Purchase carefully before making any decision with respect to the Tender Offer. The Offer to Purchase may be obtained at https://www.gbsc-usa.com/scentre/ or by contacting the tender and information agent using the telephone number or email address found below under "Dealer Managers and Tender and Information Agent".

Tender Offer Details

Upon the terms and subject to the conditions described in the Offer to Purchase, the Offeror has invited holders of Notes to tender Notes for purchase by the Offeror for cash up to an aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Notes equal to the Maximum Tender Amount. The Tender Offer is subject to certain conditions described below, including the Financing Condition and the Minimum Tender Condition. The Tender Offer is conditional on a minimum of US$250,000,000 in principal amount of Notes being tendered by the Early Tender Time (the "Minimum Tender Condition"). The Offeror may waive the Minimum Tender Condition in its discretion.

Following the Early Tender Time, provided that the Minimum Tender Condition has been satisfied or waived and subject to market conditions, SML intends to conduct the Financing Transaction. SML intends to issue in the Financing Transaction up to the principal amount of new securities that, when converted into US$ at the Notes Hedging FX Rate and subject to rounding, is equivalent to the Maximum Tender Amount.

If, in Scentre Group's reasonable opinion, SML is unable to complete the Financing Transaction on acceptable terms, the Offeror may terminate the Tender Offer without purchasing any Notes (the "Financing Condition").

If the principal amount of new securities that in Scentre Group's reasonable opinion SML is able to issue on acceptable terms in the Financing Transaction, when converted into US$ at the Notes Hedging FX Rate, is less than the principal amount of Notes validly tendered, the Offeror will only repurchase a maximum of the amount of Notes validly tendered equivalent to the principal amount of new securities, when converted into US$ at the Notes Hedging FX Rate, that are actually issued in the Financing Transaction. As a consequence, the Offeror may not purchase all of the Notes validly tendered even if the aggregate principal amount validly tendered is less than the Maximum Tender Amount. We refer to the lesser of (i) the Maximum Tender Amount and (ii) the aggregate principal amount of Notes equivalent to the principal amount of new securities, when converted into US$ at the Notes Hedging FX Rate, that are issued in the Financing Transaction as the Tender Amount. The Offeror also reserves the right to increase the Maximum Tender Amount. For example, if in the Financing Transaction, SML is able to issue on acceptable terms an amount of new securities that, when converted into US$ at the Notes Hedging FX Rate, exceeds the Maximum Tender Amount of Notes, the Offeror may increase the Maximum Tender Amount of Notes correspondingly. However, the Offeror is under no obligation to increase the Maximum Tender Amount in the event that it raises more funds in the Financing Transaction.

Any investment decision to purchase any securities that may be issued in the Financing Transaction should be made solely on the basis of the information contained in the separate offering document relating to the Financing Transaction, and the Financing Transaction will be subject solely to the terms and conditions set out therein. No securities will be offered or sold in the Financing Transaction to any person in the United States.

Subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, the Offeror will accept for purchase on the Early Settlement Date (as defined below) or the Final Settlement Date (as defined below), as applicable (each, a "Settlement Date"), validly tendered Notes up to the Tender Amount.

Notes validly tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Time will be accepted for purchase in priority to other Notes validly tendered after the Early Tender Time. Accordingly, if the Tender Amount is reached as a result of tenders of Notes made at or prior to the Early Tender Time, Notes tendered after the Early Tender Time will not be accepted for purchase (unless the Offeror, in its discretion, elects to increase the Maximum Tender Amount).

The Tender Offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on September 19, 2024, or any other date and time to which the Offeror extends the Tender Offer (such date and time, the "Expiration Time"), unless earlier terminated.

To be eligible to receive the Early Tender Consideration (as defined below), which already includes an early tender premium of US$50 per US$1,000 principal amount of Notes (the "Early Tender Premium"), holders of Notes must validly tender their Notes at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on September 4, 2024, unless extended or the Tender Offer is earlier terminated by the Offeror (such date and time, the "Early Tender Time").

If a holder validly tenders its Notes after the Early Tender Time but at or prior to the Expiration Time and such holder's Notes are accepted under the terms of the Tender Offer, such holder will receive only the Late Tender Consideration (as defined below).

Holders of Notes may only tender Notes in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Offer to Purchase.

Proration

Notes accepted for purchase in the Tender Offer may be subject to proration. If purchasing all of the Notes validly tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Time or the Expiration Time, as applicable, would exceed the Tender Amount, the amount of Notes purchased on the applicable Settlement Date will be prorated based on the aggregate principal amount tendered at or prior to such time. The proration rate used for tenders of Notes will be the percentage factor that results in the aggregate principal amount of all Notes that are validly tendered and accepted for purchase in the Tender Offer coming nearest to but not exceeding the Tender Amount. When proration of Notes is required, the aggregate principal amount of such Notes tendered by a holder will be multiplied by the proration rate and then rounded down to the nearest US$1,000 increment. The proration procedures will also take into account the minimum authorized denomination of the Notes, being US$200,000, as detailed in the Offer to Purchase.

Consideration and Accrued Interest

The consideration (the "Early Tender Consideration") offered per US$1,000 principal amount of Notes validly tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Time and accepted for purchase will be determined as of 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on September 5, 2024 (such date and time, the "Price Determination Time"), in the manner described in Schedule A of the Offer to Purchase to reflect, as of the Early Settlement Date, a yield to the initial interest reset date specified in the table above (the "First Reset Date") equal to the sum of: (i) the yield to maturity (the "Reference Yield") of the U.S. Treasury Reference Security specified in the table above, determined in accordance with market convention and based on the bid-side price of such U.S. Treasury Reference Security as quoted on the Bloomberg Reference Page specified in the table above, plus (ii) the fixed spread specified in the table above (the "Fixed Spread"). Specifically, the consideration will equal (i) the value of the remaining payments of principal and interest on the Notes up to and including their First Reset Date (assuming for the purposes of the calculation that all outstanding Notes are redeemed at their principal amount on the First Reset Date), discounted to the Early Settlement Date at a discount rate equal to the sum of (x) the Reference Yield plus (y) the Fixed Spread, minus (ii) Accrued Interest as of the Early Settlement Date (each as defined below).

The Early Tender Time is the last date and time for holders to tender their Notes in order to be eligible to receive the Early Tender Consideration. Holders of Notes that are validly tendered after the Early Tender Time but at or prior to the Expiration Time and that are accepted for purchase will receive an amount equal to the Early Tender Consideration minus the Early Tender Premium (the "Late Tender Consideration").

In addition to the Early Tender Consideration or the Late Tender Consideration, as the case may be, holders whose Notes are purchased in the Tender Offer will receive accrued and unpaid interest ("Accrued Interest") from the last semi-annual interest payment date up to, but not including, the applicable Settlement Date.

Settlement

The Offeror reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to pay for Notes that are validly tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Time and that are accepted for purchase on a date after the Early Tender Time and prior to the Expiration Time (the "Early Settlement Date"). The Offeror anticipates that the Early Settlement Date will be September 10, 2024, the fourth business day after the Early Tender Time, subject to all conditions to the Tender Offer having been satisfied or waived by the Offeror.

Except as set forth in the paragraph above, payment for Notes that are validly tendered at or prior to the Expiration Time and that are accepted for purchase will be made on the date referred to as the "Final Settlement Date." The Offeror anticipates that the Final Settlement Date will be September 23, 2024, the second business day after the Expiration Time, subject to all conditions to the Tender Offer having been satisfied or waived by the Offeror.

Withdrawal Conditions

Notes tendered pursuant to the Tender Offer may be withdrawn at any time prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on September 4, 2024, unless extended or the Tender Offer is earlier terminated by the Offeror (such date and time, as it may be extended, the "Withdrawal Deadline"), but not thereafter. Notes may only be withdrawn in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Offer to Purchase.

After the Withdrawal Deadline, holders may not withdraw their tendered Notes unless the Offeror amends the Tender Offer in a manner that is materially adverse to the tendering holders, in which case withdrawal rights may be extended to the extent required by law, or as the Offeror otherwise determines is appropriate to allow tendering holders a reasonable opportunity to respond to such amendment. For the avoidance of doubt, we do not regard accepting less Notes than the amount validly tendered because the amount we raise in the Financing Transaction is less than we expect and applying proration accordingly as materially adverse to the tendering Holders. Additionally, the Offeror, in its sole discretion, may extend the Withdrawal Deadline for any purpose. Notes withdrawn prior to the Withdrawal Deadline may be tendered again at or prior to the Expiration Time, in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Offer to Purchase.

If a holder holds their Notes through a custodian bank, broker, dealer or other nominee, such nominee may have an earlier deadline or deadlines for receiving instructions to participate or withdraw tendered Notes in the Tender Offer.

The Offeror's obligation to accept for purchase and to pay for the Notes validly tendered in the Tender Offer is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of a number of conditions, including the Financing Condition and the Minimum Tender Condition, as described in the Offer to Purchase. The Tender Offer may be terminated or withdrawn, subject to applicable law. The Offeror reserves the right, subject to applicable law, to (i) waive any and all conditions to the Tender Offer, (ii) extend or terminate the Tender Offer, (iii) increase or decrease the Maximum Tender Amount, or (iv) otherwise amend the Tender Offer in any respect.

Dealer Managers and Tender and Information Agent

The Offeror has appointed Merrill Lynch International, RBC Capital Markets, LLC and SMBC Nikko Capital Markets Limited as dealer managers (the "Dealer Managers") for the Tender Offer. The Offeror has retained Global Bondholder Services Corporation as the tender and information agent for the Tender Offer. For additional information regarding the terms of the Tender Offer, please contact: Merrill Lynch International at +44 207 996 5420 (international) or +1 (980) 387-3907 (in the U.S.) or +1 (888) 292-0070 (U.S. toll-free) or [email protected] (email) or RBC Capital Markets, LLC at (212) 618-7843 (in the U.S.) or (877) 381-2099 (U.S. toll-free) or [email protected] (email) or SMBC Nikko Capital Markets Limited at + 44 204 507 5043 or [email protected] (email). Requests for documents and questions regarding the tendering of Notes may be directed to Global Bondholder Services Corporation by telephone at (212) 430-3774 (for banks and brokers only), (855) 6542015 (toll-free) or 001212430-3774 (international), by email at contact@gbscusa.com or at https://www.gbsc-usa.com/scentre/.

This press release shall not constitute, or form part of, an offer to sell, a solicitation to buy or an offer to purchase or sell any securities. The Tender Offer is being made only pursuant to the Offer to Purchase and only in such jurisdictions as is permitted under applicable law.

Neither the Offer to Purchase nor any disclosure document (as defined in the Australian Corporations Act 2001) in relation to the Notes has been or will be lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, and in Australia, the Tender Offer is only available to persons to whom an offer or invitation can be made without disclosure in accordance with Parts 6D.2 or 7.9 of the Australian Corporations Act.

From time to time after completion of the Tender Offer, the Offeror or its affiliates may purchase additional Notes in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions, through tender or exchange offers or other methods, or the Offeror may redeem Notes pursuant to their terms. Any future purchases may be on the same terms or on terms that are more or less favorable to holders of the Notes than the terms of the Tender Offer.

About Scentre Group

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and communities of the lands on which our business operates. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to their Elders past and present.

We recognise the unique role of Maori as Tangata Whenua of Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Scentre Group (ASX: SCG) owns and operates 42 Westfield destinations across Australia and New Zealand encompassing more than 12,000 outlets. Our Purpose is creating extraordinary places, connecting and enriching communities. Our Plan is to create the places more people choose to come, more often, for longer. Our Ambition is to grow the business by becoming essential to people, their communities and the businesses that interact with them.

This release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are information of a nonhistorical nature or which relate to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. No assurance can be given that the transactions described herein will be consummated or as to the ultimate terms of any such transactions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Except as required by law or regulation (including the ASX Listing Rules) neither the Offeror nor Scentre Group undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Contact: Scentre Group Corporate Affairs, [email protected]

SOURCE Scentre Group
MILWAUKEE, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ademi LLP is investigating Arch (NYSE: ARCH) for possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law in its transaction with CONSOL.

Click here to learn how to join our investigation https://www.ademilaw.com/case/arch-resources-inc or call Guri Ademi toll-free at 866-264-3995. There is no cost or obligation to you.

Arch stockholders will receive only 1.326 shares of CONSOL common stock for each share of Arch common stock owned. The transaction agreement unreasonably limits competing transactions for Arch by imposing a significant penalty if Arch accepts a competing bid. Arch insiders will receive substantial benefits as part of change of control arrangements.

We are investigating the conduct of Arch's board of directors, and whether they are fulfilling their fiduciary duties to all shareholders.

If you own Arch 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/arch-resources-inc.

We specialize in shareholder litigation involving buyouts, mergers, and individual shareholder rights throughout the country. For more information, please feel free to call us. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contacts

Ademi LLP

Guri Ademi

Toll Free: (866) 264-3995

Fax: (414) 482-8001

SOURCE Ademi LLP
OAKVILLE, ON, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sheridan College is proud to announce a fully online suite of program offerings starting in 2025providing working professionals the chance to pursue the standard-setting, high-quality education for which Sheridan is recognized and to further their careers while studying from anywhere and setting their own schedule.

Launching January 6, 2025, SheridanOnline will offer programs designed to meet the needs of students looking for an alternative to on-campus learning. The online format removes barriers to learning and allows students to earn a degree while balancing other commitments such as work and family.

SheridanOnline's unique format offers multiple start dates throughout the year and learning is self-paced with 24/7 access to asynchronous courses to accommodate busy schedules.

"At Sheridan, we are committed to delivering the kind of higher education learners need to thrive and lead in our evolving world. SheridanOnline anticipates and meets the changing needs of our learners, employers and communities, and prepares students to be future leaders," says Dr. Janet Morrison, President and Vice-Chancellor of Sheridan College. "This type of trailblazing education sets us apart and provides learners with the resilience and skills that they need to navigate an ever-evolving future."

SheridanOnline will complement the college's in-person programs, and offers the following programs:

Honours Bachelor of Business Administration  Accounting

Honours Bachelor of Business Administration  Finance

Honours Bachelor of Business Administration  Human Resources Management

Honours Bachelor of Business Administration  Marketing Management

Honours Bachelor of Business Administration  Supply Chain Management

General Arts and Science  University Profile

Honours Bachelor of Social and Community Development

Honours Bachelor of Information Science  Cyber Security

Honours Bachelor of Computer Science

To support the online programs, Sheridan partnered with Risepoint, a leading education technology company focused primarily on adult learners and a partner to more than 125 universities and colleges.

"Risepoint is excited to partner with Sheridan College to expand their innovative online program offerings and enable students to earn a degree at their own pace" says Fernando Bleichmar, CEO of Risepoint. "We look forward to seeing the opportunities that lie ahead for graduates of these programs and the impact they will have within their communities."

The first cycle of classes begins January 6, 2025, with an application deadline of December 13, 2024. Learn more about the SheridanOnline programs and how to apply at online.sheridancollege.ca.

About Sheridan College

Founded in 1967, Sheridan is one of Ontario's leading postsecondary institutions, educating more than 40,000 full- and part-time students every year from campuses in Brampton, Mississauga and Oakville. Sheridan is an award-winning institution that attracts students from across Canada and more than 110 countries. As a trailblazer in unique arts, technology and health care programs, Sheridan has always been on the leading edge of innovation ensuring students learn job-ready, practical skills and develop the confidence, empathy and problem-solving savvy that allows them to push boundaries in an ever-changing world. Learn more at sheridancollege.ca.

About Risepoint

Risepoint (formerly Academic Partnerships) is an education technology company that provides world-class support and trusted expertise to more than 125 universities and colleges. We primarily work with regional universities, helping them develop and grow their high-ROI, workforce-focused online degree programs in critical areas such as nursing, teaching, business, and public service. Risepoint is dedicated to increasing access to affordable education so that more students, especially working adults, can improve their careers and meet employer and community needs. Learn more at www.risepoint.com.

SOURCE Risepoint
BOCA RATON, Fla., Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- EpositBox, a Secure Data Storage and Protection Services Company utilizing immutable blockchain technology is excited to announce the appointment of Simon McNamara to its Board of Directors. Simon's senior executive experience and his extensive success with the development and growth of emerging technologies makes him uniquely suited to this board position. His 35+ years of industry experience, as a start-up founder, technology and operations executive, and C-suite leader in a FTSE 100 financial services organization are unparalleled.

"We are delighted to welcome Simon to the EpositBox Board" said Stephen Saldanha, Founder & Chairman of EpositBox. "His deep knowledge and understanding of financial IT services, extensive experience and proven record of leading digital transformation in the financial services industry will be invaluable as EpositBox moves to its next level of growth through its game changing innovation".

Simon has an established record of success as a senior executive in global, household name businesses. He is passionate about elevating all elements of the business and driving innovation, bringing together diverse outlooks and perspectives to support strong, sustainable business growth. His experience is extensive, including:

Global Network: Brings a large, active network of senior decision makers in major, global financial institutions. Recognized as a connector of small and growing businesses with funding, resources and expertise.

Start-Up Experience: Well versed in all stages of company development, having started and grown a successful software start-up in Silicon Valley, and more recently having presided over the invigoration and revitalization of the "largest start-up on the planet", NatWest Group.

Innovation: Known for embracing new and emerging technologies, and for ensuring that technology supports business' relationships with its customers. Most recently, at NatWest Group, oversaw a fundamental and reputation-making overhaul of technology to fix serious issues in the bank's operations and public perception.

His executive roles include key positions with Westpac Banking Corporation (Australia), Standard

Chartered Bank (Singapore) and NatWest Group (United Kingdom). He has also been on the board of RBS an India entity, Natwest Technology, Pollinate and CarbonPlace.

"I am excited to join EpositBox at such a pivotal time in the Company's journey" said McNamara.

"EpositBox is at the forefront of revolutionizing the SD/PII storage protection industry"

Stephen A Saldanha

Founder Chairman & CEO

[email protected]

www.epositbox.com

SOURCE EpositBox
EBD segment maintained steady growth, with direct sales reaching a new all-time high

HONG KONG, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sisram Medical Ltd (the "Company" or "Sisram", 1696.HK; together with its subsidiaries collectively referred to as the "Group"), a global consumer wellness group, featuring a distinguished synergistic ecosystem of business building blocks and consumer-focused approach, including energy-based devices, injectables, aesthetics and digital dentistry, personal care, and more, today announced its unaudited consolidated interim results for the six months ended June 30, 2024 (the "Reporting Period").

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Revenue was US$168.7 million , representing a decrease of 1.7%YoY.

, representing a decrease of 1.7%YoY. Revenues in APAC, Europe , and Middle East and Africa were US$56.0 million , US$24.0 million , and US$15.4 million , increased by 15.5%YoY, 10.0%YoY, and 10.9%YoY, respectively. Revenue in North America was US$67.0 million , representing a decrease of 15.7% YoY.

, and and were , , and , increased by 15.5%YoY, 10.0%YoY, and 10.9%YoY, respectively. Revenue in was , representing a decrease of 15.7% YoY. The Energy Based Devices (EBD) segment achieved revenue of US$149.3 million , representing an increase of 1.3%YoY.

, representing an increase of 1.3%YoY. Portion of revenue derived from direct sales reached 86.1%, compared to 72.1% for the corresponding period in 2023.

Gross profit margin increased to 62.4% for the Reporting Period, up from 61.4% for the corresponding period in 2023.

The adjusted net profit was US$16.7 million , representing a decrease of 19.4% YoY.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

Product portfolio expanded with significant R&D achievements

Three new products were successfully launched with immediate market adoption and better-than-expected new order intake, reflecting strong customer confidence in Alma platforms. Alma Harmony: A new and innovative cutting-edge multi-modal anti-aging platform that was launched in North America . With FDA-cleared for over 130 indications, this product is tailored to address multiple signs of aging across all skin types and diverse demographics. Alma Harmony was launched in North America with immediate market adoption. The Special Edition of Soprano Titanium: A new and improved Alma's flagship equipment platform for hair removal delivering 20% more energy, while remaining virtually painless. It effectively treats all skin and hair types with all-in-one TrioMax handpiece that combines the three of the most clinically validated laser hair removal wavelengths  755nm, 810nm and 1064nm. The product was warmly embraced by the market after its global debut. Alma IQ: A whole new intelligent skin analysis and consultation solution. Alma IQ revolutionizes the consultation process by offering a visually engaging, interactive and automatic experience while addressing the patients' skin health concerns.

Solidified Sisram injectables' global presence by the strategic partnership with Prollenium, a Canadian premium CE and FDA approved dermal filler manufacturer, to distribute the renowned Revanesse dermal fillers collection in several key markets including Germany , Austria , Switzerland , Australia , and New Zealand .

, , , , and . Profhilo, a next-generation hyaluronic acid injectable product exclusively distributed by the Company, was granted approval by the China Hainan Medical Products Administration as a designated medical device in April 2024 .

. The Company's quality management system has been successfully audited and have been found compliant to the European MDR requirements, marking an important milestone as it is the first objective to achieve in order to certify the full portfolio.

Expanding direct reach aligns with strategy, accelerating market penetration while further enhancing global leadership.

The direct sales portion continues to rise, reaching a new all-time-high: During the Reporting Period, the Company achieved double-digit growth in APAC, Europe , and Middle East and Africa . The growth achieved within the market conditions in Europe has further showcased the global competitiveness and recognition of the Company's brand and products.

, and and . The growth achieved within the market conditions in has further showcased the global competitiveness and recognition of the Company's brand and products. Strategically focus on the APAC market: The Company continued to strengthen the direct sales layout in APAC and actively promote the establishment of the direct sales office in Japan and post-investment integration in mainland China , aiming to achieve effective cost control and improve operational efficiency. With the generation of more substantial benefits, the energy-based devices segment met its performance target in China .

and post-investment integration in mainland , aiming to achieve effective cost control and improve operational efficiency. With the generation of more substantial benefits, the energy-based devices segment met its performance target in . Solidify our market dominance: The Company continued to promote product and technology R&D innovation. During the Reporting Period, new energy-based products were successfully launched in North America and the global market, and in terms of injectables business line, the registration process of both the long-lasting botulinum toxin product and the next-generation hyaluronic acid product have been actively promoted. Leveraging the advantages of a more diversified core product portfolio and differentiated services, the Company continued to strengthen competitiveness in market segments to consolidate the leadership position as a global consumer wellness group.

Continued enhancement of Company's global brand, aiming to drive demand and growth for our partners

Focusing on enhancing business relationships, the Company held two Alma Academies, Alma's flagship event, in North America and Barcelona , which generated a record-breaking intake of new orders. In addition, during the Reporting Period, the Company participated in leading international industry congresses worldwide including IMCAS to further enhance global brand exposure and impact.

and , which generated a record-breaking intake of new orders. In addition, during the Reporting Period, the Company participated in leading international industry congresses worldwide including IMCAS to further enhance global brand exposure and impact. By leveraging the strategic collaboration with the global brand ambassador, the Company maximized global brand impact to help partners effectively promote and sell the Company's wellness solutions, as well as enhance brand awareness and deliver the philosophy and vision of the Company among end-consumers. Based on social media reach and media coverage, the campaign has reached so far a cumulative number of more than 300 million people worldwide.

With shifting the business mindset from product approach to clinic-centric approach (from B2B to B2E), the Company continued to promote technology and product innovation by expanding its offering of high-value and high-demand advanced products, such as diagnostic tools with consultancy experience, one-of-a-kind skincare product line and high-end injectables portfolio to create end-to-end customer journey.

Strategy and Outlook

Enriching Sisram wellness ecosystem with high-value offering and maintaining leadership in strategic markets

In the second half, Sisram will continue to execute our strategy by evaluating and implementing near-future technologies. The Company will further penetrate the Chinese market to achieve the targets. In North America market, the Company will activate its existing client base and develop new client relationships with new products to secure a larger market share. Overall performance in H2 2024 is expected to exceed that of the first half of the year. At the same time, the Company will continue to expand its high-end injectables product portfolio and accelerate the registration and commercialization of DAXXIFY, the world's first long-lasting botulinum toxin product, and Profhilo, a high-end biostimulator, in mainland China. With a comprehensive injectables portfolio and a dedicated, seasoned sales force, Sisram aims to accumulate strength for its strategic growth engine.

In the future, Sisram will continue to focus on the stable development of its core business while actively developing new growth engines, allowing for greater flexibility to ramp up quickly as market conditions improve.

Strengthen direct sales layout, enhance market penetration and segment impact, and increase market share

Relying on advanced and excellent products and firm strategic practices, the Company's core energy-based devices segment maintained steady growth, and the Company achieved a double-digit growth in markets outside North America in the first half of 2024. In the second half of 2024, the Company will continue to implement the strategy of the direct sales in APAC and North America. Leveraging its diversified offerings, the Company will continue to enlarge install base and expand customer base to enhance overall competitiveness and impact in market segments. Finally, we are aiming to provide consumers with high quality, high value, full cycle, and personalized medical-grade wellness solutions and services.

Mr. Liu Yi, Chairman and Executive Director of Sisram, commented: "Looking forward to the second half of 2024, we will continue to leverage our core strengths to foster steady growth and sustainable development. Adhering to value creation, we will continue to expand localized R&D and production layout and implement our direct sales expansion strategy to promote localization development in the global market. At the same time, the Company will enhance regional market penetration while optimizing cost control and improving operational efficiency. Moreover, by synergizing internal strengths with strategic external cooperation, we are dedicated to creating more value for clients and prioritizing journey for consumers with a diverse product portfolio and high-quality one-stop services, as well as to enhancing the overall profitability of the Company over the long term."

"Today, Sisram is reporting a new all-time high in direct sales revenue, up 14 percent from a year ago," said Lior Dayan, CEO of Alma and Sisram. "This milestone highlights the profitability and success of our direct-sales strategy, which allows us to navigate through market trends effectively, maintaining our leadership as a premium leader and enabling long-term relationships with partners and clients. During this period, we have enriched our core EBD product portfolio with three successful launches of new Alma platforms, each one setting new standards in the industry and creating even more value for our partners."

He continued, "In the second half, we will continue to expand our unique wellness ecosystem with high-value and synergetic offerings, with a strategic focus on utilizing the building blocks of energy-based devices and injectables to enhance patient results, elevate clinic practice, and increase patient satisfaction. With a clear long-term strategy that emphasizes driving innovation, building brand recognition, and increasing patient lifetime value to support our partners growth, we are confident in maintaining leadership and driving growth in new markets."

About Sisram Medical Ltd

Sisram Medical Ltd (1696.HK) is a global consumer wellness group, featuring a first-of-its-kind synergistic ecosystem of business building blocks and consumer-focused approach, ranging from Energy Based Devices, injectables, aesthetics and digital dentistry, personal care and more. The Company is majority-owned by Fosun Pharma, one of China's leading healthcare groups. Sisram Medical went public on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Exchange in September 2017.

Sisram Medical  Enhancing Quality of Life

http://www.sisram-medical.com

SOURCE Sisram Medical Ltd
Airline Veteran to Guide Pricing and Yield Management in Carrier's Revenue Organization

DALLAS, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) has appointed Tim Lyon to a new role as Vice President Pricing, where he is focusing additional attention on the carrier's yield and pricing discipline. Lyon brings more than two decades of airline industry experience and will oversee the carrier's Pricing Department, coordinating closely with business units that guide Revenue Management and Sales.

"Tim's talent is highly regarded across our industry, and Southwest expects to benefit from his expertise as we sharpen our focus on maximizing our low-fare leadership in ways that express our unique value, all-in flexibility, and standalone Hospitality," Andrew Watterson, Southwest Airlines Chief Operating Officer said. "We're bolstering our Revenue organization to elevate our pricing and yield management focus and drive improvement of our revenue performance."

Lyon previously was Managing Director of Domestic Pricing at both American Airlines and US Airways.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act"). Specific forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements related to (i) the Company's expectations with respect to benefitting from Mr. Lyon's expertise; and (ii) the Company's focus areas, goals, and initiatives, including with respect to maximizing low fare leadership, pricing and yield management; and driving improvement of its revenue performance. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current estimates, intentions, beliefs, expectations, goals, strategies, and projections for the future and are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that are difficult to predict and that could cause actual results to vary materially from those expressed in or indicated by them. Factors include, among others, (i) the impact of fears or actual outbreaks of diseases, extreme or severe weather and natural disasters, actions of competitors (including, without limitation, pricing, scheduling, capacity, and network decisions, and consolidation and alliance activities), consumer perception, economic conditions, banking conditions, fears or actual acts of terrorism or war, sociodemographic trends, and other factors beyond the Company's control, on consumer behavior and the Company's results of operations and business decisions, plans, strategies, and results; (ii) the Company's ability to timely and effectively implement, transition, operate, and maintain the necessary information technology systems and infrastructure to support its operations and initiatives, including with respect to revenue management; (iii) the cost and effects of the actions of activist shareholders; (iv) the Company's ability to obtain and maintain adequate infrastructure and equipment to support its operations and initiatives; (v) the Company's dependence on The Boeing Company ("Boeing") and Boeing suppliers with respect to the Company's aircraft deliveries, fleet and capacity plans, operations, maintenance, strategies, and goals; (vi) the Company's dependence on the Federal Aviation Administration with respect to safety approvals for the Company's new cabin layout and the certification of the Boeing MAX 7 aircraft; (vii) the Company's dependence on other third parties, in particular with respect to its technology plans, its plans and expectations related to revenue management, operational reliability, fuel supply, maintenance, Global Distribution Systems, and the impact on the Company's operations and results of operations of any third party delays or non-performance; (viii) the Company's ability to timely and effectively prioritize its initiatives and focus areas and related expenditures; (ix) the impact of governmental regulations and other governmental actions on the Company's business plans, results, and operations; and (x) other factors, as described in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including the detailed factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, and in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2024.

ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.

Southwest Airlines Co. operates one of the world's most admired and awarded airlines, offering its one-of-a-kind value and Hospitality at 117 airports across 11 countries. Southwest took flight in 1971 to democratize the sky through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel and now carries more air travelers flying nonstop within the United States than any other airline1. Based in Dallas and famous for an Employee-first corporate Culture, Southwest maintains an unprecedented record of no involuntary furloughs or layoffs in its history. By empowering its more than 74,0002 People to deliver unparalleled Hospitality, the maverick airline cherishes a passionate loyalty among more than 137 million Customers carried in 2023. That formula for success brought industry-leading prosperity and 47 consecutive years3 of profitability for Southwest Shareholders (NYSE: LUV). Southwest leverages a unique legacy and mission to serve communities around the world including harnessing the power of its People and Purpose to put communities at the Heart of its success. Learn more by visiting Southwest.com/citizenship. As the airline with Heart, Southwest has set a goal to work toward achieving net zero carbon emissions by 20504. Southwest has also set near-term targets and a three-pillar strategy to achieve its environmental goals. Learn more by visiting Southwest.com/planet.

1Based on U.S. Dept. of Transportation quarterly Airline Origin & Destination Survey since Q1 2021

2Fulltime-equivalent active Employees

31973-2019 annual profitability

4Our net zero by 2050 goal includes Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 Category 3 emissions only and excludes any emissions associated with non-fuel products and services, such as inflight service items.

SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.
SINGAPORE, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- SquareX delivered a groundbreaking presentation at DEF CON 32, univocally proving that Secure Web Gateways (SWGs) are broken beyond repair. Presented by SquareX founder Vivek Ramachandran and the research team, the talk exposed over 30 bypass techniques that highlight core architectural vulnerabilities in SWGs, challenging the effectiveness and relevance of a technology that has been trusted for over two decades.

To demonstrate the ease with which SWGs can be bypassed, SquareX introduced browser.security, a website designed to allow anyoneincluding SWG vendorsto test their products. The framework's release has already garnered much attention, with thousands of requests logged through SWG solutions from top SASE/SSE vendors, potentially indicating that both customers and vendors are scrutinizing their products for vulnerabilities.

Audience reactions to the talk were overwhelmingly positive. One attendee, representing a security team, commented, "We are very surprised to see how easy it is to deliver malware to the endpoints by bypassing SWGs." Another added, "It's surprising that SWG vendors have not acknowledged these issues in their public documentation."

Many are unaware of how much browsers have evolved into complex systems that resemble standalone operating systems. SWGs are becoming obsolete in monitoring and securing the browser. These revelations sparked widespread discussion on social media and across industry platforms, highlighting the need for a new approach to web security. A CISO from a Fortune 500 enterprise commented on one of the threads, stating, "It's evident that the only way to protect users is to build security solutions natively within the browser."

Vivek Ramachandran, Founder & CEO of SquareX, emphasized this point, "Attackers are targeting employees of organizations while they are online, and the old guard SWGs are failing to detect and block new-age client-side web threats due to their antiquated architecture. In our view, the only way to detect and block these complex attacks is to have access to DOM changes, browser events, user interactivity etc., as input to detection algorithms, and the only way to do this is to have a browser-native product. This is exactly what SquareX is building."

SquareX invites enterprises concerned about the security of their SWG solutions to engage with the company directly. For more information or to request an assessment, visit sqrx.com or contact SquareX at [email protected].

About SquareX:



SquareX helps organizations detect, mitigate and threat-hunt web attacks happening against their users in real time. With our innovative browser-native security product, SquareX safeguards enterprise users from a spectrum of web-based threats, encompassing malicious files, websites, scripts, and compromised networks.

For more information, visit http://www.sqrx.com

About Vivek Ramachandran:

Vivek Ramachandran is a security researcher, book author, speaker-trainer, and serial entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in offensive cybersecurity. He is currently the founder of SquareX, building a browser-native security product focused on detecting, mitigating, and threat-hunting web attacks against enterprise users and consumers. Prior to that, he was the founder of Pentester Academy (acquired in 2021), which has trained thousands of customers from government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and enterprises from over 140+ countries. Before that, Vivek's company built an 802.11ac monitoring product sold exclusively to defense agencies.

Vivek discovered the Caffe Latte attack, broke WEP Cloaking, conceptualized enterprise Wi-Fi Backdoors, and created Chellam (Wi-Fi Firewall), WiMonitor Enterprise (802.11ac monitoring), Chigula (Wi-Fi traffic analysis via SQL), Deceptacon (IoT Honeypots), among others. He is the author of multiple five-star-rated books in offensive cybersecurity, which have sold thousands of copies worldwide and have been translated into multiple languages.

He has been a speaker/trainer at top security conferences such as Blackhat USA, Europe and Abu Dhabi, DEFCON, Nullcon, Brucon, HITB, Hacktivity, and others. Vivek's work in cybersecurity has been covered in Forbes, TechCrunch, and other popular media outlets.

In a past life, he was one of the programmers of the 802.1x protocol and Port Security in Cisco's 6500 Catalyst series of switches. He was also one of the winners of the Microsoft Security Shootout contest held in India among a reported 65,000 participants. He has also published multiple research papers in the field of DDoS, ARP Spoofing Detection, and Anomaly-based Intrusion Detection Systems. In 2021, he was awarded an honorary title of Regional Director of Cybersecurity by Microsoft for a period of three years, and in 2024 he joined the BlackHat Arsenal Review Board.

SOURCE SquareX
Comprehensive TheCUBE Research Report Reveals Key Data Management Practices Driving AI Innovations

BOSTON, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Starburst, the open data lakehouse company, today announced the release of a comprehensive report highlighting the critical role of real-time hybrid data access and robust security in successful AI implementations. This report, created in partnership with TheCUBE Research, presents valuable insights based on a survey of 300 IT professionals from diverse industries in the United States and Western Europe.

The survey underscores the importance of efficient data management practices, real-time data access, hybrid and federated access, and robust security measures for successful AI implementations. Key findings include:

Strong AI Adoption Intent : 87% of organizations express a strong or very strong desire to implement AI within the next 12 months, with significant progress reported by 86% of respondents.

: 87% of organizations express a strong or very strong desire to implement AI within the next 12 months, with significant progress reported by 86% of respondents. Alignment of Data Management and AI Success : 90% of respondents believe their data management practices are somewhat or very aligned with their AI innovation goals, highlighting the critical role of coherent data strategies.

: 90% of respondents believe their data management practices are somewhat or very aligned with their AI innovation goals, highlighting the critical role of coherent data strategies. Primary Challenges : Organizations face significant hurdles in organizing both structured (52%) and unstructured data (50%) for AI applications. Data privacy/security concerns and data volume are cited as the most significant barriers.

: Organizations face significant hurdles in organizing both structured (52%) and unstructured data (50%) for AI applications. Data privacy/security concerns and data volume are cited as the most significant barriers. Real-Time Data Access : 62% of respondents highlight real-time data access as critical for AI success, with 65% considering it important or critical for their AI initiatives.

: 62% of respondents highlight real-time data access as critical for AI success, with 65% considering it important or critical for their AI initiatives. Data Literacy Impact : Enhanced data literacy is seen as crucial, with 90% of respondents believing it would moderately or significantly impact AI project success.

: Enhanced data literacy is seen as crucial, with 90% of respondents believing it would moderately or significantly impact AI project success. Building a Data-Driven Culture: Strategies such as increasing awareness of data's value (69%), fostering cross-functional collaboration (66%), and building a data-driven culture (61%) are identified as key to maximizing AI's potential.

The survey reveals several key trends in data management that are shaping the AI landscape:

Data Governance and Federated Access : 52% of respondents have adopted data governance and federated data access strategies to improve data quality and accessibility across systems, including on-premises and in the cloud.

: 52% of respondents have adopted data governance and federated data access strategies to improve data quality and accessibility across systems, including on-premises and in the cloud. Cloud-Based Platforms and Agile Methodologies : 59% are leveraging cloud-based platforms for scalability, and 61% are using agile methodologies for data project management.

: 59% are leveraging cloud-based platforms for scalability, and 61% are using agile methodologies for data project management. Emerging Importance of Real-Time Data: Real-time data access is essential, with 62% of respondents emphasizing its critical role in AI success.

"Starburst provides the essential foundation for AI innovation, emphasizing real-time hybrid data access and robust security," said Justin Borgman, co-founder and CEO of Starburst. "With our advanced and user-friendly open hybrid lakehouse platform, customers can navigate the complexities of data management with greater ease, efficiency, and accuracy, driving transformative AI outcomes."

"Real-time data access and robust security are paramount in the successful deployment of AI technologies. Our research underscores the significance of these elements, revealing that organizations prioritizing efficient data management practices are better positioned to harness the full potential of AI. The insights from this comprehensive report provide a roadmap for businesses to align their data strategies with their AI innovation goals, driving substantial advancements and competitive advantages in the AI landscape," said Shelly Kramer, Managing Director, Principal Analyst, TheCUBE Research.

Supporting Resources

For more information, read the full research report.

About the Survey

This report, based on a survey by TheCUBE Research and Starburst, explores data management practices and their impact on AI development. The survey includes 300 IT professionals from the US (53%) and Western Europe (47%), covering industries like financial services, manufacturing, retail, technology, and telecommunications. Respondents are primarily CTOs (51%), software engineers (25%), data engineers (15%), and data architects (9%) from companies of various sizes.

About Starburst:

Starburst, the Open Hybrid Lakehouse, is the leading end-to-end data platform to securely access, analyze, and share data for analytics and AI across hybrid, on-premises, and multi-cloud environments. As the leaders in Trino, a modern open-source SQL engine, Starburst empowers the most data-intensive and security-conscious organizations like Comcast, Halliburton, Vectra, EMIS Health, and 7 of the top 10 global banks to democratize data access, enhance analytics performance, and improve architecture optionality. With the Open Hybrid Lakehouse from Starburst, enterprises globally can easily discover and use all their data to power AI and other business-critical applications like anti-money laundering and fraud analytics, next best products, customer 360, log analytics, and ESG reporting.

About theCUBE Research:

theCUBE Research is an independent research, analysis, and advisory firm focused on the enterprise and emerging tech sectors, tracking disruptive innovation, industry trends, and creating industry categories. theCUBE Research is where tech executives and business leaders go to gain real-time, transformative insights and expert advice and guidance designed to help grow share of voice and share of market. For additional information, visit theCUBE Research.

SOURCE Starburst
Program has granted more than $5 million in scholarship funds

CINCINNATI, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) Foundation today announced the Kroger Scholars for the 2024-2025 academic year, awarding $300,000 to 120 students. All scholars are the children of Kroger associates and receive $2,500 toward any accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational program. Launched in 2008, the Kroger Scholars Program has awarded more than $5 million in scholarship funds.

"To be selected for this scholarship is a tremendous honor. I am reminded that people believe in me and my ability to succeed in the future," said Rachael Fritz, Kroger Scholar pursuing a degree at Eastern Kentucky University. "I can't express how thankful I am to be able to receive this scholarship as it is not only helping me currently, but also my future by allowing me to go to school debt free."

The 2024-2025 Kroger Scholars will be represented at more than 75 institutions across the nation. Students were selected based on a broad range of criteria, including volunteering, civic service, extra-curricular activities, academic performance and work experience.

"We are proud to recognize this year's Kroger Scholars for their commitment to academic excellence and service to their schools and communities," said Patty Leesemann, head of philanthropy at Kroger. "Our associates are at the center of everything we do at Kroger, and being able to honor their children with scholarships is a special tradition. We hope these funds make it a little easier for our associates and their children as they pursue higher education. Congratulations to our 2024 Kroger Scholars."

A company-wide program presented by The Kroger Co. Foundation, Kroger Scholars is open to children (biological, adopted and stepchildren) of associates in the Kroger Family of Companies who have two years of service and have worked at least 1,000 hours per year. To learn more about The Kroger Co. Foundation, visit here.

Kroger also offers a tuition reimbursement program for its associates, contributing up to $21,000 for both part-time and full-time associates. Since 2018, the company has reimbursed more than $50 million for continuing education. Kroger encourages lifelong learning for all, enabling everything from GEDs to Ph.D. degrees. Learn more about pursuing a career at Kroger here.

About Kroger

At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit. We are, across our family of companies nearly 420,000 associates who serve over 11 million customers daily through a seamless digital shopping experience and retail food stores under a variety of banner names, serving America through food inspiration and uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site.

SOURCE The Kroger Co.
The consortium of researchers from Alimentiv Inc., Cleveland Clinic, and Mayo Clinic are supported by The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust

NEW YORK, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a recent innovation for Crohn's disease treatment, researchers from the Stenosis Therapy and Anti-Fibrotic Research (STAR) consortium have developed reliable methods to measure intestinal strictures using both MRI and CT imaging. This advancement, published in Radiology, marks a significant step toward effective medical therapies for Crohn's disease-related intestinal strictures.

Crohn's disease can cause narrowing of the bowel, known as intestinal strictures, due to the buildup of scar tissue (called fibrosis), muscular thickening, and inflammation. It is a common complication often leading to bowel obstructions, resulting in surgery and bowel resections in patients. There are no medical therapies for Crohn's intestinal strictures largely because of the lack of objective tools that allow for clinical testing of antifibrotic drugs.

The STAR consortium, composed of researchers from Alimentiv Inc., Cleveland Clinic, and Mayo Clinic, and supported by The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, has published results addressing this unmet medical need by demonstrating the reliable measurement and description of intestinal strictures. Their approach uses both MRI and CT imaging of the bowel to deliver consistent results across patients and interpreting radiologists.

This breakthrough paves the way for the development of antifibrotic therapies in stricturing Crohn's disease by providing reliable measurable radiological outcomes for clinical trials. Researchers can now use these imaging techniques to determine patient eligibility for clinical trials and assess the effectiveness of antifibrotic therapies. These methods can also be used by radiologists, gastroenterologists and surgeons in daily clinical practice. These results have been shared with research partners, and a clinical trial evaluating the first medical therapy is underway.

The STAR consortium is dedicated to transforming the treatment of Crohn's disease strictures with their research, extending beyond developing imaging-based methods. They are also seeking to understand the genetic and molecular mechanisms that contribute to the development and progression of strictures. Additionally, they are working to validate a patient-reported outcome tool that measures symptoms and whether their experiences may be indicative of a therapy's success or failure.

The STAR consortium consolidates and shares knowledge of Crohn's disease strictures with leading academic research institutions across the globe, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology partner organizations.

"At Helmsley, we are committed to supporting research that builds standards and biomarkers for Crohn's disease, which are crucial to the development of new therapies," said Laurie Churchill, Program Officer at the Helmsley Charitable Trust. "These new findings from the STAR Consortium bring us closer to developing treatments for intestinal strictures  we are proud to continue to support this important work."

"Our research findings provide much-needed tools for the medical community to allow testing of antistricture therapies in our Crohn's disease patients. Treating strictures is one of the largest unmet needs in the field of inflammatory bowel diseases. This work, performed by an international, multi-institutional and multidisciplinary expert team paves the way to novel therapy approaches," says Florian Rieder M.D., who is Vice Department Chair and Director of Global Translational IBD at the Cleveland Clinic.

"We are hopeful that for patients with stricturing Crohn's disease and their families, these developments, which have arisen from interdisciplinary collaboration of experts across the world, will speed the development of antifibrotic drugs that will reduce intestinal obstructions, morbidity and surgeries, and that these findings can be used to improve the daily care of Crohn's disease patients," says J. G. Fletcher, M.D., a Mayo Clinic radiologist.

"These findings bring renewed hope that we are entering a new age of great progress for the management of fibrostenosing Crohn's disease," says David Bruining, M.D., who is part of the Mayo Clinic Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic.

"This research is a milestone in our ability to fight Crohn's disease with imaging technology. For the first time, we have a reliable way to measure and track intestinal strictures, opening the door to targeted therapies that could drastically improve patient outcomes. We are excited about the potential of this research to transform the lives of those suffering from this debilitating condition," says Brian G. Feagan, M.D., who is the senior scientific director at Alimentiv.

The STAR consortium is working to share its experience and knowledge with regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical organizations, and medical societies to improve patient care and clinical outcomes for patients with Crohn's disease and intestinal strictures.

About the Helmsley Charitable Trust

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the U.S. and around the world in health and select place-based initiatives. Since beginning its active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has committed $4.5 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes. Helmsley's Crohn's Disease Program supports impactful ideas and mobilizes a global community committed to improving the lives of Crohn's disease patients while pursuing a cure. For more information on Helmsley and its programs, visit helmsleytrust.org.

About Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. Cleveland Clinic is consistently recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for its expertise and care. Among Cleveland Clinic's 77,000 employees worldwide are more than 5,658 salaried physicians and researchers, and 19,000 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,699-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 23 hospitals, more than 275 outpatient facilities, including locations in northeast Ohio; southeast Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2022, there were 12.8 million outpatient encounters, 303,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 270,000 surgeries and procedures throughout Cleveland Clinic's health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 185 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org.

About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and to providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

About Alimentiv, Inc.

Alimentiv is a leading specialty GI-focused CRO advancing frontiers of gastrointestinal (GI) clinical trials and medical research since 1986. As a global CRO offering clinical, medical imaging and precision medicine services, Alimentiv partners with pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries to advance the development of novel therapies and accelerate their time to market. Alimentiv is headquartered in London, Ontario, Canada, with a global footprint across its operations in Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.

SOURCE The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust
BEIJING, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Global investment management company, Allianz Global Investors, recently launched its first equity investment fund in the Chinese market, joining dozens of foreign financial institutions that have expanded their footprints in China after the Third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee, held in middle July, set the direction for future reform in the financial sector.



Boosted by a strong signal of deepening reform and widening opening-up and promoting high-quality economic development, multiple foreign financial institutions have expressed their optimism to the Global Times about the sound long-term growth prospects of China's economy including the capital market, while showing eagerness to expand their operations in the Chinese market in order to reap more fruitful dividends.



Future growth prospects



"We are very optimistic about the development prospects of the Chinese economy, especially considering that foreign trade picked up in the first quarter and the import and export volume has hit a record high, which will inject strong impetus into the steady growth of the economy throughout the year," Ginger Cheng, CEO of DBS China, told the Global Times.



DBS raised its growth forecast for Chinese economy this year to 5 percent from 4.5 percent in April.



"With China's steady economic growth, the country remains an attractive destination for foreign investment, especially in scientific research and technological innovation, energy transition, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods," she said, noting that the bank will invest in sectors and industries that benefit from China's economic growth and the continued recovery of broader consumer optimism.



On August 1, the Standard Chartered Bank (China) formally opened a private wealth management branch in Beijing's CBD that will provide multidimensional services for China's high-net-worth families, while UBS Futures, a wholly-owned subsidiary of UBS Securities in China, celebrated its 10th anniversary recently.



As the first foreign financial institution in China to obtain the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (QFII) status, UBS looks forward to further leveraging its strengths to deepen its cross-border business, assisting international investors to participate in China's futures market, as well as utilizing its global resources to contribute to the high-quality development of the local futures market, Qian Yujun, chairman of UBS Securities, said in a press note shared with the Global Times.



The arrival and expansion of a growing number of global financial institutions in China not only highlights the country's commitment to opening up its finance industry to international players, but also underscores the confidence shared by global institutions in China's sustainable development of the new quality productive forces and the great potential it holds, Bian Yongzu, executive deputy editor-in-chief of Modernization of Management magazine, told the Global Times on Thursday.



Over recent years, China has rolled out more than 50 measures to expand financial opening-up, including scrapping foreign ownership caps in the banking and insurance investment sectors, and cutting access thresholds for foreign investors, according to the National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA), the top financial sector regulator.



As of January, 24 foreign Global Systemically Important Banks (GSIB) had established branches and representative agencies in China and nearly half of the world's top 40 insurance companies had entered the Chinese market, data from the NFRA showed.



"China's capital market has witnessed some breakthroughs in recent years, with the capital market structure much improved, underlying the progress of the country's reform in the financial sector," Bian said, displaying his confidence in the country's capital market.



Bian noted that there is room for improvement to strive for high-quality development of China's capital market, for example, the yields for investors remain undesirable and major stock indexes cannot reflect the economic development. Bian called for the rollout of structural reforms as well as new laws and regulations to help upgrade the market.



Commitment to opening-up



The reform-themed Third plenary session, which is often referred to as the "third plenum," emphasized that reform of the country's financial markets, sending a strong signal that China is earnest and steadfast in reform and opening-up.



China will facilitate foreign equity investment and venture capital investment in China, according to the resolution adopted at the third plenum.



"We will improve the management model based on pre-establishment national treatment plus a negative list and support qualified foreign capital institutions in participating in our financial service trials. We will expand the connectivity between domestic and overseas financial markets in a steady and prudent way and improve the qualified foreign institutional investor system," the document reads.



After the third plenum, Chinese government agencies are actively taking steps to further promote the country's opening-up, targeting the capital market and financial sector.



While chairing a symposium in Beijing in late July with foreign financial institutions, Wu Qing, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, said the commission is studying and planning a package of new initiatives to further deepen reforms and opening-up of the country's capital market.



It is hoped that foreign financial institutions can leverage their advantages and their role as a bridge connecting with the global market, stick to their long-term development strategy in China, Wu said.



"In addition to improving connectivity with foreign capital markets, Chinese regulators will unify existing market access and settlement systems. The Chinese government is exploring and establishing inclusive institutional arrangements compatible with a multi-level custody system. This will enable overseas institutional investors to entrust qualified local custodians for bond custody directly, or through their global custodians in the future," Cheng from DBS China, said.



DBS China is well positioned to participate deeply in the development of China's financial market, coordinating the resources and networks of DBS Group worldwide to provide differentiated financial support for the development of new quality productivity forces in China, Cheng said.

SOURCE Global Times
WINNSBORO, S.C., Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In early June, TruVista and the Fairfield County School District announced their partnership in constructing the first of its kind education initiative in the state of South Carolina at "The Village in Winnsboro, a Community of Fairfield Educators". Both the residential development and Village in Winnsboro Technology Center will be opening this fall.

TruVista will be providing all the high-speed broadband service for the residential section as well as the technology center.

The Technology Center is intended to appeal to teachers across the district as a place where they can come to find cutting-edge resources and tools that will enhance their teaching capabilities. It will also serve as a hub for innovation, professional development, and collaboration for teachers in a district where retention has been a major problem.

Working with TruVista's Director of Market Development for South Carolina Brian Winland, the Technology Center will be equipped with community Wi-Fi and multi-gigabit internet speeds provided by TruVista. It will also feature a WebEx board the teachers can use for screen shares and online meetings, a digital whiteboard, and a large shared meeting space with smaller collaborative rooms.

Seventeen residences will be open for move-in this fall and The Fairfield County School District Education Foundation board of directors selected the educators from a lengthy list of teacher applicants.

They used a completely blind process based on a set of requirements, then hired a property management company and rental management company to work together to make the selections.

Teachers across the district and beyond were invited to apply but according to Veronica Thomas, a Fairfield Central High School math teacher, former district Teacher of the Year recipient, and instructor at the Fairfield County Adult Education Center, longevity is one of the main requirements.

"Because the Village in Winnsboro is primarily a teacher recruitment and retention tool, the longer you have been teaching in the district, the better the teacher's chances were at being selected," she said.

Thomas is one of the teachers chosen for the first residential houses to open this fall. She has been with the district for nine years. The average teacher longevity for that district is three years. Although she knew it would be competitive, she felt she had a good chance of being selected.

"Their recruitment and retention theory works because prior to this year, I was looking around and had an opportunity to move on. A reasonably priced brand-new home in the Village in Winnsboro gives me a reason to stay, at least three or four more years" she admits.

The initial residential community features a mixture of 17 three-bedroom, two bath, one story; or three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath, two-story standalone houses. The community will also be equipped with TruVista high speed internet and optional automation and security services.

Owned by the Foundation, educators are given the opportunity to rent houses for between $700 and $900 a month with a subsidy available to keep the rent low. Leases are for one year but renewable annually.

"I currently rent a two-bedroom townhouse and the rent is nearly three times that," Thomas explains. "To have a brand new three-bedroom home complete with appliances including washers and dryers, no yardwork, and only minimal annual rent increases for under $1,000 a month is for me, and I am sure for a lot of other teachers, a great opportunity,"

Nine more lots will be available for future expansion and the FCSD Education Foundation continues to seek donations and support to realize the full potential of The Village in Winnsboro, and to serve the waiting list of teachers for the housing.

The idea for the groundbreaking Village in Winnsboro residential community and technology center has been in the works for more than a decade.

Fairfield County is a rural South Carolina school district serving about 2,500 students, 75% of whom reside outside of the county. The district has always faced ongoing challenges in attracting and retaining qualified teachers.

The FCSDEF envisions The Village in Winnsboro as a transformative project that will set a precedent for other rural districts facing similar challenges.

For more information about the Village in Winnsboro Technology Center and residential community, contact:

Melinda Russell, Vice President of Marketing

TruVista Communications

Phone: 803-601-7264

Email: [email protected]

About TruVista:

TruVista has been providing telecommunications services for over 125 years and offers high-speed internet, video, and phone services to communities in South Carolina and Georgia. With a strong commitment to community engagement and support, TruVista is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in the areas it serves.

About The Village in Winnsboro:

The Village in Winnsboro is a signature initiative of the Fairfield County School District Education Foundation, aimed at building the first residential community for educators in South Carolina. This project seeks to address the challenges of teacher recruitment and retention in rural districts by providing a supportive and engaging living environment for educators.

SOURCE TruVista
NYSE: VZLA TSX-V: VZLA

VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Vizsla Silver Corp. (TSXV: VZLA) (NYSE: VZLA) (Frankfurt: 0G3) ("Vizsla" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on resource expansion potential and outline its exploration plans to test high priority targets in the central and east areas of its flagship Panuco silver-gold district (the "Property" or "Panuco") as well as other greenfield prospects located in Sinaloa, Mexico.

Figure 1: Plan map of the Panuco property highlighting proximal exploration targets in the west (orange circle) and high priority district-wide targets in the central-northeast areas (blue circles). (CNW Group/Vizsla Silver Corp.) Figure 2. Longitudinal section of Copala vein with mineral resources, planned stopes, drill-hole intercepts and location of the recently discovered Copala adit. (CNW Group/Vizsla Silver Corp.)

"With Panuco Project 1 now having been defined, the hunt for Project 2 begins," commented Michael Konnert, President and CEO. "Since our initial discovery at Napoleon, we have completed over 350,000 metres of diamond drilling, made several new discoveries and outlined a robust, high-grade resource base which serves as the foundation for Panuco Project 1, located in the southwest corner of the district. We are now determined to identify the next epicenter of high-grade mineralization in the central and/or east area of the district with the potential to host similar resources to that outlined in Project 1. To support this objective, we have budgeted 10,000 metres of new exploration drilling for the remainder of the year designed to test highly prospective targets. These select targets are based on an improved geologic understanding of the structural controls to mineralization as well as ongoing mapping, sampling, observations of metal ratios and alteration and other exploration methods. Additionally, we will continue to enhance the resource base that informs the Project 1 PEA through an expanded infill program targeting the first few years of production from Copala. This will culminate in a mineral resource update planned for late Q4 2024."

Key Exploration Objectives for 2024

Complete +10,000 metres of exploration drilling in the central-east area of the district.





Complete +5,000 meters of resource infill/expansion drilling in Copala central.





central. Complete VTEM, airborne mag and radiometric surveys on 950 l-km.





Advance mapping of the district to 70% coverage.





Provide updated resource estimate in Q4 2024.

Webcast

Vizsla Silver will be hosting a webcast at 9:30 am PT (12:30 pm ET) on Thursday, August 22, 2024, to present and discuss the geology of the Panuco district and outline its exploration plans and objectives for the remainder of the year. To register, please click here.

Exploration Approach and Organic Growth

The foundation of Vizsla's exploration approach for organic growth consists of detailed mapping, rock chip sampling aided by a LiDAR DTM model of the district and diamond drilling. Other initiatives such as alteration mapping with the use of Terraspec ASD and 3D modelling of alteration minerals and metal ratios support prioritizing prospective targets. Additionally, ground Electro-Magnetics ("EM"), airborne magnetics, high-resolution multispectral satellite imagery, age dating and more recently AI and machine learning-based targeting done by VRIFY have been key for targeting. Furthermore, in 2023, the Company established a technical committee with Dr. Peter Megaw and Dr. Craig Gibson (Prismo Metals Inc.) to further enhance the knowledge of the district and to augment the probability of finding new mineralized centers (see Press Release dated April 26, 2023).

Vizsla's exploration approach and programs completed to date have resulted in a significantly improved geologic understanding of the district and have successfully defined multiple layers of exploration upside radiating out from the current center of mass in the west. This center of mass, referred to as Project 1, hosts ~98% of the current mineral resources and is the focus of the recently published PEA (see Press Release related to mineral resources update from January 8, 2024, and PEA from July 24, 2024). Project 1 upside potential consists of 1) expansions to open resources on known structures and 2) proximal targets located within hauling distance to the proposed PEA processing location in the west area.

Beyond expanding resources and testing targets which support Project 1 in the west, Vizsla is committed to finding additional mineralized centers in the central and east areas of the district. Through the application of Vizslas exploration approach and initiatives across the district, the Company has defined several district-wide targets it plans to test in H2 2024, which have the potential to host similar resources to that of Project 1.

Additionally, the recent acquisitions of the La Garra and San Enrique properties have significantly increased Vizsla's land package in the emerging and highly prospective Panuco-San Dimas corridor situated on the Western Mexico Silver belt. This adds yet another layer of blue-sky exploration upside potential. The Company has already started building a GIS database of the region and plans to apply the same exploration approach that has been successful at the contiguous Panuco property to these two prospects in the future.

Enhancing Project 1:

Since data cut-off for drill results to be included in the current MRE (September 1, 2023), Vizsla has completed over 65,000 metres of drilling designed to upgrade and expand mineral resources in the western portion of the district, particularly on the Copala, Napoleon and La Luisa veins.

To date, exploration and resource drilling at Copala has traced mineralization along ~1,770 metres of strike length and ~400 metres down dip and measuring ~10 metres (~33 feet) thick on average. Three vein splays have also been discovered at Copala. Copala 3 is situated on the hanging-wall side of the main Copala structure, while Copala 2 and Copala 4 are located on the footwall side, between the high-grade Cristiano Vein and Copala main.

Our most recently completed Copala infill program (~10,000 metres at ~25 metre centers) has successfully confirmed high-grade precious metal continuity within the area planned for the first two years of mine production (see Press Release dated July 9, 2024 for preliminary results). Given the ongoing success of Copala infill drilling, and the new discovery of a historic mine adit exposing the Copala Vein approximately 200 metres above the current resource boundary, Vizsla has expanded its Copala infill program by an additional 5,000 metres (see Figure 2).

Infill drilling completed at the southern extent of the Napoleon area has also demonstrated mineral continuity along the main Napoleon structure and splay veins, particularly the high-grade, shallow dipping Hanging Wall 4 ("HW4") splay vein. Drilling results and observations based on metal zonation and alteration continue to support the interpretation that the corridor is tilted, where the southern extent of drilling is at the top of the mineralized horizon, near surface. Ongoing analysis of core samples and 3D modelling of metal ratios and alteration minerals have further enhanced our understanding of the local controls on mineralization and have defined vectors to three potential feeder zones along the main Napoleon Vein.

At HW4, recent infill drilling has returned higher than average grade silver and gold values. The HW4 vein dips to the east at a shallow angle (35 to 55) and is situated within the hanging wall side of the main Napoleon vein. HW4 remains open to the east, particularly in its southern extent where the vein shows higher silver and gold grades.

Other notable targets included the Cruz Negra and La Luisa Veins. At La Luisa, recent exploration has not only expanded the zones mineralized footprint well beyond the 2024 MRE boundary, but new alteration mapping with the aid of Terraspec, has validated Vizsla's local exploration model. At La Luisa, the Company has identified a 400-metre gap between the current mineral resource boundary and seven exploratory holes in the north. Furthermore, two potential feeder zones within a target depth horizon have been interpreted through geologic modelling and observed metal ratios. Cruz Negra, located between La Luisa and Napoleon main, remains open along strike to the north, and the more recent discovery, El Molino, which is a high-grade northeast trending vein discovered through condemnation drilling between Napoleon and Copala in 2023 is open in all directions. Other proximal targets in the west area include 4 de Mayo, the potential Colorada-Napoleon intersection, Esmeralda-Tecolote, San Jack and San Peter.

Resource Extension Targets:

The Copala structure remains open down-dip in the south and along strike to the north. Additionally, with the recent discovery of the historic Copala adit, potential for high-grade mineralization closer to surface in the central portion of the vein has been confirmed.

structure remains open down-dip in the south and along strike to the north. Additionally, with the recent discovery of the historic adit, potential for high-grade mineralization closer to surface in the central portion of the vein has been confirmed. Napoleon HW4 is a shallow dipping vein that splays off to the east from main Napoleon. Drilling targeting main Napoleon has reported multiple high-grade intercepts along HW4 that warrant future resource expansion down dip to the east.

La Luisa remains open at depth and along strike to the southeast and to the north in the 400 metre gap zone. Additionally, geologic modelling and observed metal ratios suggest two potential feeder zones at depth that warrant future drill-testing.

Cruz Negra is a relatively narrow (average thickness), gold-rich vein trending northwest that splays off from the Josephine Vein (situated parallel to Napoleon). Open-ended intercepts completed in 2022 suggest that mineralization continues to the northwest in the direction of the Alacran Vein in the northwest. The 500 metre gap between Cruz Negra drilling in the southeast and Alacran in the northwest warrant future exploration drilling.

Proximal Targets:

4 de Mayo is a set of subvertical narrow veins trending northwest located west of La Luisa. Scout drilling in the area has reported some high-grade silver intercepts close to surface. The 4 de Mayo vein shows strong pinch and swell characteristics but remains open to the south and at depth.

Colorada-Napoleon intersection is a conceptual target located at the projected intersection of the Colorada Vein and the northern extent of Napoleon, where indications of good structural preparation exist. This target has been validated by preliminary AI and Machine Learning analysis done by VRIFY.

Esmeralda-Tecolote is a set of two epithermal veins discovered through mapping. Sampling on the veins and vein textures suggest a high level in the epithermal profile and warrants drill testing in the future.

San Jack and San Peter are two parallel structures that show subtle quartz veining and strong hydrothermal alteration on surface. These structures are located west of Napoleon and La Luisa, in the southwest dipping, western block of the district. Extrapolation of our working exploration model applied at Napoleon and La Luisa suggests that vein mineralization could occur below the rhyolite tuffs exposing veining and alteration.

Table of Top 20 Drill Composites drilled post September 1, 2023, cut-off date.

Drillhole From To Downhole

Length Estimated

True width Ag Au Pb Zn AgEq Vein







(m) (m) (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) % % (g/t)



CS-24-356 219.00 223.90 4.90 4.20 1,694 103.20 - - 8,817 Copala



Includes 219.85 220.60 0.75 0.64 9,920 663.00 - - 55,769





NP-24-429 433.75 435.10 1.35 1.30 2390 28.10 2.19 9.61 4,533 HW4



CS-24-352 211.80 217.25 5.45 5.00 1,378 22.95 - - 2,872 Copala



Includes 213.00 216.00 3.00 2.75 2,115 39.10 - - 4,681





NP-24-431 428.55 431.15 2.60 2.40 1,551 14.08 0.97 3.84 2,561 HW4



Includes 428.55 429.90 1.35 1.24 2460 23.20 1.57 6.10 4,121





CS-24-347 287.85 294.00 6.15 6.00 1,882 10.31 - - 2,440 Copala



Includes 289.00 291.45 2.45 2.39 3,859 20.51 - - 4,957





CS-24-366 348.85 357.00 8.15 7.00 1,898 9.51 - - 2,398 Copala 3



Includes 348.85 349.50 0.65 0.56 3,950 25.40 - - 5,385





Includes 351.00 352.50 1.50 1.29 3,430 18.95 - - 4,457





Includes 352.80 354.00 1.20 1.03 3,200 13.00 - - 3,829





NP-23-359 80.00 82.05 2.05 1.65 1,552 8.37 0.47 1.22 2,066 El Molino



Includes 80.90 82.05 1.15 0.93 2,630 14.20 0.62 1.57 3,480





CS-23-304 468.00 471.30 3.30 2.80 1,366 6.80 - - 1,722 Copala



Includes 468.85 469.50 0.65 0.55 5,320 25.20 - - 6,618





CS-24-354 153.50 168.30 14.80 13.00 1,017 8.19 - - 1,503 Copala



Includes 153.50 155.10 1.60 1.40 4,124 35.11 - - 6,229





Includes 157.55 159.05 1.50 1.31 2,540 21.30 - - 3,813





CS-24-344 561.95 573.90 11.95 8.70 1,096 5.18 - - 1,363 Copala



Includes 563.10 564.00 0.90 0.66 8,720 36.60 - - 10,516





CS-24-362 344.60 346.10 16.10 10.50 804 5.27 - - 1,103 Copala



Includes 337.50 339.75 2.25 1.47 3,437 24.87 - - 4,881





CS-24-359 332.15 341.65 9.50 7.80 788 4.40 - - 1,027 Copala 3



Includes 336.25 337.30 1.05 0.86 5,010 25.30 - - 6,343





Includes 341.00 341.65 0.65 0.53 1,360 7.26 - - 1,749





CS-24-357 347.00 347.45 14.45 10.90 762 2.80 - - 891 Copala



Includes 345.50 347.45 1.95 1.47 3,805 13.58 - - 4,419





CS-24-342 627.60 634.25 6.65 6.00 487 3.69 - - 703 Copala



NAP-2023-004 108.45 119.35 10.90 6.50 328 4.32 0.79 2.11 696 Napoleon



Includes 109.12 115.25 6.13 3.65 505 6.33 2.89 0.10 1,038





COP-2023-004 195.75 202.10 6.35 5.10 318 5.23 - - 658 Copala



Includes 197.65 198.00 0.35 0.28 338 16.00 - - 1,436 Copala



Includes 200.90 202.10 1.20 0.96 1,270 13.45 - - 2,104 Copala



NP-23-419 564.00 572.45 8.45 3.25 58 7.74 0.73 1.44 650 La Luisa Main



Includes 567.00 568.60 1.60 0.62 50 16.74 0.27 0.99 1,220





NP-23-420 414.60 418.25 3.65 2.80 95 6.97 0.11 0.17 568 La Luisa Main



Includes 415.60 417.50 1.90 1.46 116 11.50 0.05 0.07 888





COP-2023-001 145.30 158.90 13.60 13.60 240 1.61 - - 332 Copala



Includes 146.00 147.10 1.10 1.10 1,075 11.55 - - 1,793





NP-23-397 670.15 679.85 9.70 8.70 32 1.44 0.17 2.45 221 La Luisa Main



Includes 670.15 671.55 1.40 1.26 77 6.55 0.54 1.32 577







Note: AgEq = Ag g/t x Ag rec. + ((Au g/t x Au Rec x Au price/gram)+(Pb% x Pb rec. X Pb price/t) + (Zn% x Zn rec. X Zn price/t))/Ag price/gram. Metal price assumptions are $24.00/oz silver, $1,800/oz gold, $2,424.4/t lead and $2,975.4/t zinc. Metallurgical recoveries assumed for Copala are 91% for silver and 94% for gold (see press release dated August 16, 2023). Metallurgical recoveries assumed Napoleon veins and La Luisa are 93% for silver, 90% for gold, 94% for lead and 94% for zinc (see press release dated February 17, 2022).

The Hunt for Project 2:

Since consolidation of the Panuco district, Vizsla has continuously conducted detailed geologic mapping and rock chip sampling. To date Vizsla has mapped ~67% of the district at a 1:1,000 scale and has collected over 5,000 rock chip samples. The mapping and sampling efforts, supported by LiDAR, have allowed the Company to define over 158 targets, in the district, of which 43 have been tested. For the remainder of 2024, Vizsla has planned a fully funded 10,000 metre exploration drill program designed to test multiple veins in five high-priority target areas: Camelia-San Dimas, Animas-Triunfo, Galeana, San Fernando-Nacaral and Jesusita-Palos Verdes.

Other important initiatives planned for Q4 2024 include a geophysical survey consisting of VTEM, airborne mag and radiometrics on ~950-line km at 100 metres at 100 metres spacing. Information derived from these surveys will be applied in combination with other tools on hand such as, geology, geochemistry, alteration and multi-spectral World View III satellite imagery to define new exploration targets and locate additional mineralized centers. Geologic evidence that supports the presence of multiple mineralized centers include: intrusions with different age and composition, ubiquitous presence of dikes and domes, extensive hydrothermal alteration across the district, many vein prospects and a vast amount of veins with variable orientations, geochemistry and recently determined 40Ar/39Ar age dates that resolved mineralization at Copala and Napoleon at 25.81  0.05 Ma and 25.72  0.06 Ma (identical age within error) and sericite alteration at the Guayanera dome along the Animas vein trend at 32.14  0.17 Ma. The age gap of ~6 My between epithermal mineralization in the west and hydrothermal alteration (activity) farther east, supports the hypothesis that multiple hydrothermal centers operated in the district over time.

District Targets:

Notable targets to be tested in Q4 2024 located in the central and east areas of the district with potential to host similar mineral resources to that outlined in Project 1 in the west include:

Camelia- San Dimas , which consists of two almost vertical subparallel veins in the Camelia trend and the high-grade, flat lying and east dipping, San Dimas Vein. The San Dimas Vein is the highest ranked target due to its features that make it similar to Copala .

, which consists of two almost vertical subparallel veins in the Camelia trend and the high-grade, flat lying and east dipping, San Dimas Vein. The San Dimas Vein is the highest ranked target due to its features that make it similar to . Animas-Triunfo is a target designed to test recent interpretations based on mapping, that indicates that the Animas Vein extends to the southeast, in the direction of the Camelia-San Dimas target veins.

The Galeana target is a northeast trending vein with significant silver anomalies observed on surface. More importantly, geologic mapping suggests that exposed outcrops of the Galeana Vein occur proximal to the paleosurface, thus providing great potential for deep drilling.

target is a northeast trending vein with significant silver anomalies observed on surface. More importantly, geologic mapping suggests that exposed outcrops of the Galeana Vein occur proximal to the paleosurface, thus providing great potential for deep drilling. San Fernando-Nacaral are two parallel veins, that similar to the Galeana target, show indications of great exploration potential at depth.

target, show indications of great exploration potential at depth. Jesusita-Palos Verdes is a northeast trending vein target in the east area of the district. Positive drill results and alteration-based interpretations done by Prismo, combined with significant silver anomalies on surface and spectacular vein outcrops warrant additional deep drilling.

Greenfields Projects:

La Garra

The La Garra-Metates District, comprised of 16 claims covering 16,962 Ha, is located approximately 32 km north-northwest of the Panuco Project and 32 km south-southwest of First Majestic's flagship San Dimas mine. The district contains N-NNW-trending silver-gold-rich epithermal veins in a geological setting akin to that of the Panuco Project and San Dimas. Two main vein systems are known to date: the N-S trending La Garra with ~2.6 km of known strike length and the NW trending Cerro Verde  Las Playas vein system with ~1.8 km of strike length.

In December 2023, Vizsla Silver conducted a five-day site visit and collected 37 samples on vein outcrops and underground pillars on La Garra and Cerro Verde  Las Playas vein systems: fourteen rock-chip samples collected across veins ranging from 0.30 to 2.50 metres reported silver equivalent grades (AgEq) greater than 200 g/t (2.22 to 12.30 g/t Au and 22 to 1,156 g/t Ag). Because of its favourable location in the emerging Panuco  San Dimas silver-gold-rich corridor, its geologic setting, vein orientation and observed high-grades, Vizsla Silver's geologists are confident that the La Garra-Metates District has good potential for a discovery of high-grade mineralization along-strike and at depth on the La Garra and Cerro Verde  Las Playas vein systems.

San Enrique

The San Enrique prospect area is adjacent to the southern boundary of the Panuco project and comprises two titled mining claims covering 10,667.0 Ha. LiDAR and high-resolution mag data show strong NW-trending lineaments, indicative of regional faults and fractures. Two of these lineaments are aligned and seem to be the SE extensions of the Copala fault and the Cordon del Oro - Animas vein structures at Panuco. The San Enrique prospect contains several indicators that suggest it is a highly prospective area, namely: location (Panuco  San Dimas corridor), high-grade deposits immediately north (Copala and Panuco), structural controls (southeast extensions of the Copala fault and Cordon - Animas lineament), domes and an operating mine to the south along another NW regional fault (Santa Fe mine, Inca Azteca). The recently acquired multispectral World View III satellite image covering the Panuco and San Enrique claims will help Vizsla with target definition at San Enrique.

Key Exploration Objectives for 2024

Complete +10,000 metres of exploration drilling in the central-east area of the district.





Complete +5,000 meters of resource infill/expansion drilling in Copala central.





central. Complete VTEM, airborne mag and radiometric surveys on 950 l-km.





Advance mapping of the district to 70% coverage.





Provide updated resource estimate in Q4 2024.

About the Panuco Project

The newly consolidated Panuco silver-gold project is an emerging high-grade discovery located in southern Sinaloa, Mexico, near the city of Mazatlan. The 17,856.5-hectare, past producing district benefits from over 86 kilometres of total vein extent, 35 kilometres of underground mines, roads, power, and permits.

The district contains intermediate to low sulfidation epithermal silver and gold deposits related to siliceous volcanism and crustal extension in the Oligocene and Miocene. Host rocks are mainly continental volcanic rocks correlated to the Tarahumara Formation.

On January 8, 2024, the Company announced an updated mineral resource estimate for Panuco which includes an estimated in-situ indicated mineral resource of 155.8 Moz AgEq and an in-situ inferred resource of 169.6 Moz AgEq (please refer to our Technical Report on Updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the Panuco Ag-Au-Pb-Zn Project, Sinaloa State, Mexico, by Allan Armitage, Ben Eggers and Peter Mehrfert, dated February 12, 2024 and to our Companys press release dated January 8, 2024).

About Vizsla Silver

Vizsla Silver is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company headquartered in Vancouver, BC, focused on advancing its flagship, 100%-owned Panuco silver-gold project located in Sinaloa, Mexico. To date, Vizsla Silver has completed over 368,000 metres of drilling at Panuco leading to the discovery of several new high-grade veins. For 2024, Vizsla Silver has budgeted +30,000 metres of resource/discovery-based drilling designed to upgrade and expand the mineral resource, as well as test other high priority targets across the district.

Quality Assurance / Quality Control

Drill core samples were shipped to ALS Limited in Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico and in North Vancouver, Canada for sample preparation and for analysis at the ALS laboratory in North Vancouver and rock samples were shipped to SGS Lab in Durango Mexico for sample preparation and analysis. The ALS Zacatecas, North Vancouver facilities and SGS lab are ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 17025 certified. Silver and base metals were analyzed using a four-acid digestion with an ICP finish and gold was assayed by 30-gram fire assay with atomic absorption ("AA") spectroscopy finish. Over limit analyses for silver, lead and zinc were re-assayed using an ore-grade four-acid digestion with AA finish.

Control samples comprising certified reference samples, duplicates and blank samples were systematically inserted into the sample stream and analyzed as part of the Company's quality assurance / quality control protocol.

Qualified Person

In accordance with NI 43-101, Jesus Velador, Ph.D. MMSA QP., Vice President of Exploration, is the Qualified Person for the Company and has reviewed and approved the technical and scientific content of this news release.

Information Concerning Estimates of Mineral Resources

The scientific and technical information in this news release was prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 which differs significantly from the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The terms "measured mineral resource", "indicated mineral resource" and "inferred mineral resource" used herein are in reference to the mining terms defined in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Standards (the "CIM Definition Standards"), which definitions have been adopted by NI 43-101. Accordingly, information contained herein providing descriptions of our mineral deposits in accordance with NI 43-101 may not be comparable to similar information made public by other U.S. companies subject to the United States federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

You are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral resources will ever be converted into reserves. Pursuant to CIM Definition Standards, "inferred mineral resources" are that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. Such geological evidence is sufficient to imply but not verify geological and grade or quality continuity. An inferred mineral resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to an indicated mineral resource and must not be converted to a mineral reserve. However, it is reasonably expected that the majority of inferred mineral resources could be upgraded to indicated mineral resources with continued exploration. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures.

Canadian standards, including the CIM Definition Standards and NI 43-101, differ significantly from standards in the SEC Industry Guide 7. Effective February 25, 2019, the SEC adopted new mining disclosure rules under subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "SEC Modernization Rules"), with compliance required for the first fiscal year beginning on or after January 1, 2021. The SEC Modernization Rules replace the historical property disclosure requirements included in SEC Industry Guide 7. As a result of the adoption of the SEC Modernization Rules, the SEC now recognizes estimates of "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" and "inferred mineral resources". Information regarding mineral resources contained or referenced herein may not be comparable to similar information made public by companies that report according to U.S. standards. While the SEC Modernization Rules are purported to be "substantially similar" to the CIM Definition Standards, readers are cautioned that there are differences between the SEC Modernization Rules and the CIM Definitions Standards. Accordingly, there is no assurance any mineral resources that the Company may report as "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" and "inferred mineral resources" under NI 43-101 would be the same had the Company prepared the resource estimates under the standards adopted under the SEC Modernization Rules.

Website: www.vizslasilvercorp.ca

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release includes certain "ForwardLooking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forwardlooking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "plan", "forecast", "may", "would", "could", "schedule" and similar words or expressions, identify forwardlooking statements or information. These forwardlooking statements or information relate to, among other things: the exploration, development, and production at Panuco; the publication of an updated mineral resource estimate in late Q4 2024; and exploration objectives and targets.

Forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information relating to any future mineral production, liquidity, enhanced value and capital markets profile of Vizsla Silver, future growth potential for Vizsla Silver and its business, and future exploration plans are based on management's reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the price of silver, gold, and other metals; no escalation in the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic; costs of exploration and development; the estimated costs of development of exploration projects; Vizsla Silver's ability to operate in a safe and effective manner and its ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms.

These statements reflect Vizsla Silver's respective current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of other assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forwardlooking statements or forward-looking information and Vizsla Silver has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the Company's dependence on one mineral project; precious metals price volatility; risks associated with the conduct of the Company's mining activities in Mexico; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to reliance on the Company's management team and outside contractors; risks regarding mineral resources and reserves; the Company's inability to obtain insurance to cover all risks, on a commercially reasonable basis or at all; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; risks relating to project financing and equity issuances; risks and unknowns inherent in all mining projects, including the inaccuracy of reserves and resources, metallurgical recoveries and capital and operating costs of such projects; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties; laws and regulations governing the environment, health and safety; the ability of the communities in which the Company operates to manage and cope with the implications of COVID-19; the economic and financial implications of COVID-19 to the Company; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; the Company's interactions with surrounding communities and artisanal miners; the Company's ability to successfully integrate acquired assets; the speculative nature of exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; litigation risk; and the factors identified under the caption "Risk Factors" in Vizsla Silver's management discussion and analysis. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forwardlooking statements or forward-looking information. Although Vizsla Silver has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. Vizsla Silver does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forwardlooking statements or forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information, other than as required by applicable law.

SOURCE Vizsla Silver Corp.
CHICAGO, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Water Street Healthcare Partners, an investment firm dedicated to building market-leading businesses in health care, announced today that it has appointed Christine Shtepani as vice president. Ms. Shtepani joins Water Street's team of senior investment leaders and health care executives, who are focused on leveraging their industry experience and resources to create meaningful value in businesses addressing critical needs in the health care system.

Christine will be a valuable contributor to our work focused on growing our family of health care companies. Post this Christine Shtepani will work with Water Street to pursue investment and growth opportunities in middle-market health care businesses.

Ms. Shtepani has a strong background in sourcing middle-market investment opportunities and collaborating with leadership teams on merger and acquisition strategies. She served as vice president at The Sterling Group after working as an analyst and investment banking associate at J.P. Morgan Securities. Recently, Ms. Shtepani earned her master's in business administration from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where she graduated with high honors distinction as a Wallman Scholar and received the 2024 Private Equity Entrepreneurship Award. She was also a member of the winning team selected to represent Booth in a global case challenge at the University of Oxford (2023).

"We met Christine through our sponsorship of the University of Chicago's case challenge, which Christine and her team won. Christine's initiative, creative thinking and collaborative approach in developing a compelling business case stood out to us. She is a strong addition to our team and will be a valuable contributor to our work focused on investing in and growing our family of health care companies," said Tim Dugan, managing partner, Water Street.

Ms. Shtepani also holds a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in international economics and development from Texas A&M University. Her appointment follows Water Street's new investment in MedSpeed, a leading U.S. provider of same-day logistics services to the health care industry. Ms. Shtepani will work with Water Street's team to pursue attractive investment and growth opportunities in middle-market health care businesses.

ABOUT WATER STREET HEALTHCARE PARTNERS

Water Street Healthcare Partners is a strategic investor dedicated to building businesses in three critical health care sectors: medical products and diagnostics, pharmaceutical and life sciences, and health care services. The firm has completed more than 165 investments and acquisitions to build 45+ companies contributing to improved patient care, innovation and a more efficient health care system. Working closely with leadership teams, Water Street contributes its industry experience and network of resources to support businesses' growth objectives. Based in Chicago, Water Street's team is a distinctive blend of highly experienced health care executives, investment leaders and functional specialists. For more information, visit waterstreet.com.

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SOURCE Water Street Healthcare Partners
SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- X Financial (NYSE: XYF) (the "Company" or "we"), a leading online personal finance company in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2024.

Second Quarter 2024 Operational Highlights



Three Months Ended

June 30, 2023 Three Months Ended

March 31, 2024 Three Months Ended

June 30, 2024





QoQ YoY Total loan amount facilitated and

originated (RMB in million) 25,874 21,505 22,749 5.8 % (12.1 %) Number of active borrowers 1,474,930 1,369,410 1,642,605 19.9 % 11.4 %

The total loan amount facilitated and originated [1] in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB22,749 million , compared with RMB25,874 million in the same period of 2023.

in the second quarter of 2024 was , compared with in the same period of 2023. Total number of active borrowers[2] was 1,642,605 in the second quarter of 2024, compared with 1,474,930 in the same period of 2023.



As of June 30, 2023 As of March 31, 2024 As of June 30, 2024 Total outstanding loan balance (RMB in million) 45,071 43,812 41,804 Delinquency rates for all outstanding loans that are past

due for 31-60 days 0.96 % 1.61 % 1.29 % Delinquency rates for all outstanding loans that are past

due for 91-180 days 2.50 % 4.37 % 4.38 %

The total outstanding loan balance [3] as of June 30, 2024 was RMB41,804 million , compared with RMB45,071 million as of June 30, 2023 .

as of was , compared with as of . The delinquency rate for all outstanding loans that are past due for 31-60 days [4] as of June 30, 2024 was 1.29%, compared with 0.96% as of June 30, 2023 .

as of was 1.29%, compared with 0.96% as of . The delinquency rate for all outstanding loans that are past due for 91-180 days[5] as of June 30, 2024 was 4.38%, compared with 2.50% as of June 30, 2023 .

[1] Represents the total amount of loans that the Company facilitated and originated during the relevant period. [2] Represents borrowers who made at least one transaction on the Company's platform during the relevant period. [3] Represents the total amount of loans outstanding for loans that the Company facilitated and originated at the end of the relevant period. Loans that are delinquent for more than 60 days are excluded in the outstanding loan balance, except for Xiaoying Housing Loans. As Xiaoying Housing Loans is a secured loan product and the Company is entitled to payment by exercising its rights to the collateral, the Company does not exclude Xiaoying Housing Loans delinquent for more than 60 days in the outstanding loan balance. [4] Represents the balance of the outstanding principal and accrued outstanding interest for Xiaoying Credit Loans that were 31 to 60 days past due as a percentage of the total balance of outstanding principal and accrued outstanding interest for Xiaoying Credit Loans that the Company facilitated and originated as of a specific date. Xiaoying Credit Loans that are delinquent for more than 60 days are excluded when calculating the denominator. Starting from the first quarter of 2021, substantially all of the loans facilitated and provided by the Company have been Xiaoying Credit Loans. [5] To make the delinquency rate by balance comparable to the peers, the Company also defines the delinquency rate as the balance of the outstanding principal and accrued outstanding interest for Xiaoying Credit Loans that were 91 to 180 days past due as a percentage of the total balance of outstanding principal and accrued outstanding interest for the Xiaoying Credit Loans that the Company facilitated and originated as of a specific date. Xiaoying Credit Loans that are delinquent for more than 180 days are excluded when calculating the denominator.

Second Quarter 2024 Financial Highlights

(In thousands, except for share and per share

data) Three Months Ended

June 30, 2023 Three Months Ended

March 31, 2024 Three Months Ended

June 30, 2024 QoQ YoY

RMB RMB RMB



Total net revenue 1,220,422 1,207,974 1,372,588 13.6 % 12.5 % Total operating costs and expenses (775,293) (831,433) (909,535) 9.4 % 17.3 % Income from operations 445,129 376,541 463,053 23.0 % 4.0 % Net income 366,292 363,139 415,303 14.4 % 13.4 % Non-GAAP adjusted net income 364,885 322,205 374,661 16.3 % 2.7 %











Net income per ADSbasic 7.62 7.44 8.46 13.7 % 11.0 % Net income per ADSdiluted 7.50 7.32 8.28 13.1 % 10.4 %











Non-GAAP adjusted net income per ADSbasic 7.62 6.60 7.62 15.5 % 0.0 % Non-GAAP adjusted net income per ADSdiluted 7.44 6.54 7.50 14.7 % 0.8 %

Total net revenue in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB1,372.6 million ( US$188.9 million ), representing an increase of 12.5% from RMB1,220.4 million in the same period of 2023.

( ), representing an increase of 12.5% from in the same period of 2023. Income from operations in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB463.1 million ( US$63.7 million ), compared with RMB445.1 million in the same period of 2023.

( ), compared with in the same period of 2023. Net income in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB415.3 million ( US$57.1 million ), compared with RMB366.3 million in the same period of 2023.

( ), compared with in the same period of 2023. Non-GAAP [6] adjusted net income in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB374.7 million ( US$51.6 million ), compared with RMB364.9 million in the same period of 2023.

adjusted net income in the second quarter of 2024 was ( ), compared with in the same period of 2023. Net income per basic and diluted American depositary share ("ADS") [7] in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB8.46 (US$1.16) and RMB8.28 (US$1.14) , compared with RMB7.62 and RMB7.50 , respectively, in the same period of 2023.

in the second quarter of 2024 was and , compared with and , respectively, in the same period of 2023. Non-GAAP adjusted net income per basic and adjusted diluted ADS in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB7.62 (US$1.05) and RMB7.50 (US$1.03) , compared with RMB7.62 and RMB7.44 , respectively, in the same period of 2023.

[6] The Company uses in this press release the following non-GAAP financial measures: (i) adjusted net income (loss), (ii) adjusted net income (loss) per basic ADS, (iii) adjusted net income (loss) per diluted ADS, (iv) adjusted net income per basic share, and (v) adjusted net income per diluted share, each of which excludes share-based compensation expense, impairment losses on financial investments, income (loss) from financial investments and impairment losses on long-term investments. For more information on non-GAAP financial measure, please see the section of "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures Statement" and the table captioned "Unaudited Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release. [7] Each American depositary share ("ADS") represents six Class A ordinary shares.

Mr. Kent Li, President of the Company, commented, "We are very pleased to report another solid quarter as we made further progress in improving our profitability. Our proactive management of loan volumes based on asset quality dynamics continued to bear fruit in the second quarter. As a result, while loan volume declined year-on-year, our net income for the quarter grew significantly and reached a record high."

"The total loan amount facilitated and originated decreased by 12% year-on-year but increased 6% sequentially to RMB23 billion. Our total outstanding loan balance was RMB42 billion at the end of June 2024. Delinquency rates for outstanding loans past due for 31-60 days and 91-180 days were 1.29% and 4.38%, respectively, at the end of the quarter, compared to 1.61% and 4.37% a quarter ago and 0.96% and 2.50% a year ago. As we have seen an improvement in our asset quality, we have decided to ease our strict controls on loan volumes, and we expect our loan volumes to gradually recover on a year-on-year basis in the second half of the year. Meanwhile, we will continue to strengthen and refine our risk management system to improve asset quality. Our focus remains on sustainable profitability, and we employ flexible tactics to adapt to evolving market conditions to achieve this and, as always, to increase shareholder value."

Mr. Frank Fuya Zheng, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, added, "We delivered strong financial results this quarter. Total net revenue was RMB1.4 billion, up 12.5% year-on-year and 14% sequentially. We continued to focus on cost control and improved asset quality and, as a result, our net income grew 13% year-on-year and 14% sequentially to RMB415 million, a record high in our history. In May 2024, we announced a new US$20 million share repurchase program. In June 2024, we initiated a tender offer to purchase 2 million ADSs, which was completed in July 2024. We are pleased to have executed this ADS buyback, which provided liquidity to shareholders seeking an exit at a premium price and, at the same time, increased remaining shareholders' stakes in the Company. We are committed to profitable growth while exploring various avenues to further increase returns for our shareholders."

Second Quarter 2024 Financial Results

Total net revenue in the second quarter of 2024 increased by 12.5% to RMB1,372.6 million (US$188.9 million) from RMB1,220.4 million in the same period of 2023, primarily due to growth in various disaggregated revenue items compared with the same period of 2023. Please refer to the analysis of disaggregation of revenue below.



Three Months Ended June 30,

(In thousands, except for share and per share data) 2023 2024 YoY

RMB % of Revenue RMB % of Revenue

Loan facilitation service 715,503 58.6 % 732,249 53.3 % 2.3 % Post-origination service 140,317 11.5 % 154,669 11.3 % 10.2 % Financing income 274,639 22.5 % 351,012 25.6 % 27.8 % Guarantee income - 0.0 % 45,564 3.3 % 100.0 % Other revenue 89,963 7.4 % 89,094 6.5 % (1.0 %) Total net revenue 1,220,422 100.0 % 1,372,588 100.0 % 12.5 %

Loan facilitation service fees in the second quarter of 2024 increased by 2.3% to RMB732.2 million (US$100.8 million) from RMB715.5 million in the same period of 2023, primarily due to a decrease in the expected prepayment rates this quarter compared with the same period of 2023.

Post-origination service fees in the second quarter of 2024 increased by 10.2% to RMB154.7 million (US$21.3 million) from RMB140.3 million in the same period of 2023, primarily due to the cumulative effect of increased volume of loans facilitated in the previous quarters. Revenues from post-origination services are recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the underlying loans as the services are being provided.

Financing income in the second quarter of 2024 increased by 27.8% to RMB351.0 million (US$48.3 million) from RMB274.6 million in the same period of 2023, due to an increase in average loan balances held by the Company compared with the same period of 2023.

Guarantee income in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB45.6 million (US$6.3 million), due to an increase in guarantee income arising from financing guarantee business operated by a subsidiary which holds the financing guarantee license and commenced the financing guarantee business in second half of 2023.

Other revenue in the second quarter of 2024 decreased by 1.0% to RMB89.1 million (US$12.3 million), compared with RMB90.0 million in the same period of 2023.

Origination and servicing expenses in the second quarter of 2024 increased by 19.1% to RMB415.1 million (US$57.1 million) from RMB348.6 million in the same period of 2023, primarily due to the increase in collection expenses resulting from the cumulative effect of increased volume of loans facilitated and provided in the previous quarters compared with the same period of 2023.

Borrower acquisitions and marketing expenses in the second quarter of 2024 decreased by 2.6% to RMB323.6 million (US$44.5 million) from RMB332.1 million in the same period of 2023.

Provision for loans receivable in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB95.9 million (US$13.2 million), compared with RMB55.4 million in the same period of 2023, primarily due to an increase in loans receivable held by the Company as a result of the cumulative effect of increased volume of loans facilitated and provided in the previous quarters compared with the same period of 2023.

Provision for contingent guarantee liabilities in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB21.4 million (US$2.9 million), due to increase in the guarantee liability arising from financing guarantee business operated by a subsidiary which holds the financing guarantee license and commenced the financing guarantee business in second half of 2023.

Income from operations in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB463.1 million (US$63.7 million), compared with RMB445.1 million in the same period of 2023.

Income before income taxes and gain from equity in affiliates in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB504.0 million (US$69.4 million), compared with RMB443.9 million in the same period of 2023.

Income tax expense in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB89.6 million (US$12.3 million), compared with RMB87.0 million in the same period of 2023.

Net income in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB415.3 million (US$57.1 million), compared with RMB366.3 million in the same period of 2023.

Non-GAAP adjusted net income in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB374.7 million (US$51.6 million), compared with RMB364.9 million in the same period of 2023.

Net income per basic and diluted ADS in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB8.46 (US$1.16), and RMB8.28 (US$1.14), compared with RMB7.62 and RMB7.50, respectively, in the same period of 2023.

Non-GAAP adjusted net income per basic and diluted ADS in the second quarter of 2024 was RMB7.62 (US$1.05), and RMB7.50 (US$1.03), compared with RMB7.62 and RMB7.44 respectively, in the same period of 2023.

Cash and cash equivalents was RMB1,612.2 million (US$221.8 million) as of June 30, 2024, compared with RMB1,413.1 million as of March 31, 2024.

Recent Development

Share Repurchase Plan

On May 30, 2024, the Company announced that its board of directors authorized a new US$20 million share repurchase program, effective through November 30, 2025. On June 5, 2024, the Company announced that it had commenced a tender offer under the share repurchase program to purchase up to 2 million ADSs at a price of $4.52 per ADS. On July 15, 2024, the Company announced the results of the tender offer. A total of 2,026,640 ADSs were validly tendered and not withdrawn. The total repurchase amount of the tender offer was approximately US$9.2 million. Following the completion of the tender offer, the Company has about US$10.8 million left for potential repurchases under its new US$20 million plan. Additionally, approximately US$5.5 million remains under our US$30 million plan which is effective until the end of September 2024.

Declaration of Semi-Annual Dividend

In March 2024, the Company approved a semi-annual dividend policy. Pursuant to the semi-annual dividend policy, the Board today approved the declaration and payment of a semi-annual dividend of US$0.17 per ADS (approximately US$0.028 per ordinary share) for the first half of 2024. The holders of the Company's ordinary shares shown on the Company's record at the close of trading on September 4, 2024 (U.S. Eastern Daylight Time) will be entitled to the semi-annual dividend. These shareholders, including the Bank of New York Mellon, the depositary of our ADS program (the "Depositary"), will receive the payments of dividends on or about September 27, 2024. Dividends to the Company's ADS holders will be paid by the Depositary on or after September 27, 2024, and the precise timing of receipt will vary based on the processing efficiency of the respective holding brokerage.

Business Outlook

The Company expects the total loan amount facilitated and originated for the third quarter of 2024 to be between RMB26.0 billion and RMB27.5 billion.

This forecast reflects the Company's current and preliminary views, which are subject to changes.

Conference Call

X Financial's management team will host an earnings conference call at 7:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time on August 22, 2024 (7:00 PM Beijing / Hong Kong Time on August 22, 2024).

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

United States: 1-888-346-8982 Hong Kong: 852-301-84992 Mainland China: 4001-201203 International: 1-412-902-4272 Passcode: X Financial

Please dial in ten minutes before the call is scheduled to begin and provide the passcode to join the call.

A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following numbers until August 29, 2024:

United States: 1-877-344-7529 International: 1-412-317-0088 Passcode: 3590885

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available at http://ir.xiaoyinggroup.com.

About X Financial

X Financial (NYSE: XYF) (the "Company") is a leading online personal finance company in China. The Company is committed to connecting borrowers on its platform with its institutional funding partners. With its proprietary big data-driven technology, the Company has established strategic partnerships with financial institutions across multiple areas of its business operations, enabling it to facilitate and originate loans to prime borrowers under a risk assessment and control system.

For more information, please visit: http://ir.xiaoyinggroup.com.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures Statement

In evaluating our business, we consider and use non-GAAP measures as supplemental measures to review and assess our operating performance. We present the non-GAAP financial measures because they are used by our management to evaluate our operating performance and formulate business plans. We believe that the use of the non-GAAP financial measures facilitates investors' assessment of our operating performance and help investors to identify underlying trends in our business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of certain income or expenses that we include in income (loss) from operations and net income (loss). We also believe that the non-GAAP measures provide useful information about our core operating results, enhance the overall understanding of our past performance and future prospects and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by our management in its financial and operational decision-making.

We use in this press release the following non-GAAP financial measures: (i) adjusted net income (loss), (ii) adjusted net income (loss) per basic ADS, (iii) adjusted net income (loss) per diluted ADS, (iv) adjusted net income per basic share, and (v) adjusted net income per diluted share, each of which excludes share-based compensation expense, impairment losses on financial investments, income (loss) from financial investments and impairment losses on long-term investments. These non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools, and when assessing our operating performance, investors should not consider them in isolation, or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

We mitigate these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measures, which should be considered when evaluating our performance. We encourage you to review our financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.

For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned "Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP results" set forth at the end of this press release.

Exchange Rate Information

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars are made at a rate of RMB 7.2672 to US$1.00, the exchange rate set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System as of June 28, 2024.

Disclaimer

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "potential," "continue," "ongoing," "targets," "guidance" and similar statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, but not limited to the followings: the Company's goals and strategies; its future business development, financial condition and results of operations; the expected growth of the credit industry, and marketplace lending in particular, in China; the demand for and market acceptance of its marketplace's products and services; its ability to attract and retain borrowers and investors on its marketplace; its relationships with its strategic cooperation partners; competition in its industry; and relevant government policies and regulations relating to the corporate structure, business and industry. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this announcement is current as of the date of this announcement, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

Use of Projections

This announcement also contains certain financial forecasts (or guidance) with respect to the Company's projected financial results. The Company's independent auditors have not audited, reviewed, compiled or performed any procedures with respect to the projections or guidance for the purpose of their inclusion in this announcement, and accordingly, they did not express an opinion or provide any other form assurance with respect thereto for the purpose of this announcement. This guidance should not be relied upon as being necessarily indicative of future results. The assumptions and estimates underlying the prospective financial information are inherently uncertain and are subject to a wide variety of significant business, economic and competitive risks and uncertainties that could actual results to differ materially from those contained in the prospective financial information. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the prospective results are indicative of the future performance of the Company, or that actual results will not diff materially from those set forth in the prospective financial information. Inclusion of the prospective financial information in this announcement should not be regarded as a representation by any person that the results contained in the prospective financial information will actually be achieved. You should review this information together with the Company's historical information.

For more information, please contact:

X Financial

Mr. Frank Fuya Zheng

E-mail: [email protected]

Christensen IR

In China

Mr. Rene Vanguestaine

Phone: +86-178-1749 0483

E-mail: [email protected]

In US

Ms. Linda Bergkamp

Phone: +1-480-614-3004

Email: [email protected]

X Financial





Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets













(In thousands, except for share and per share data) As of December 31, 2023 As of June 30, 2024 As of June 30, 2024

RMB RMB USD ASSETS





Cash and cash equivalents 1,195,352 1,612,200 221,846 Restricted cash, net 749,070 590,210 81,216 Accounts receivable and contract assets, net 1,659,588 1,510,866 207,902 Loans receivable from Xiaoying Credit Loans and other loans, net 4,947,833 5,080,810 699,143 Deposits to institutional cooperators, net 1,702,472 1,589,195 218,681 Prepaid expenses and other current assets, net 48,767 34,878 4,799 Deferred tax assets, net 135,958 192,391 26,474 Long-term investments 493,411 497,278 68,428 Property and equipment, net 8,642 10,423 1,434 Intangible assets, net 36,810 36,504 5,023 Loan receivable from Xiaoying Housing Loans, net 8,657 6,494 894 Financial investments 608,198 756,323 104,074 Other non-current assets 55,265 57,655 7,934 TOTAL ASSETS 11,650,023 11,975,227 1,647,848







LIABILITIES





Payable to investors and institutional funding partners at amortized cost 3,584,041 3,134,236 431,285 Guarantee liabilities 61,907 82,838 11,399 Deferred guarantee income 46,597 84,566 11,637 Short-term borrowings 565,000 474,500 65,293 Accrued payroll and welfare 86,771 58,757 8,086 Other tax payable 289,819 268,198 36,905 Income tax payable 446,500 472,584 65,030 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 595,427 674,731 92,846 Dividend payable 59,226 - - Other non-current liabilities 37,571 35,359 4,866 Deferred tax liabilities 30,040 35,137 4,835 TOTAL LIABILITIES 5,802,899 5,320,906 732,182







Commitments and Contingencies





Equity:





Common shares 207 207 28 Treasury stock (111,520) (101,788) (14,006) Additional paid-in capital 3,196,942 3,206,740 441,262 Retained earnings 2,692,018 3,469,948 477,481 Other comprehensive income 69,477 79,214 10,901 Total X Financial shareholders' equity 5,847,124 6,654,321 915,666 Non-controlling interests - - - TOTAL EQUITY 5,847,124 6,654,321 915,666







TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY 11,650,023 11,975,227 1,647,848

X Financial













Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

















Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30, (In thousands, except for share and per share data) 2023 2024 2024

2023 2024 2024

RMB RMB USD

RMB RMB USD Net revenues













Loan facilitation service 715,503 732,249 100,761

1,296,107 1,346,399 185,271 Post-origination service 140,317 154,669 21,283

261,590 307,411 42,301 Financing income 274,639 351,012 48,301

528,695 685,640 94,347 Guarantee income - 45,564 6,270

- 78,490 10,801 Other revenue 89,963 89,094 12,260

138,964 162,622 22,378 Total net revenue 1,220,422 1,372,588 188,875

2,225,356 2,580,562 355,098















Operating costs and expenses:













Origination and servicing1 348,604 415,071 57,116

720,088 841,618 115,811 Borrower acquisitions and marketing1 332,119 323,636 44,534

604,061 572,010 78,711 General and administrative1 36,566 39,073 5,377

74,633 77,547 10,671 Provision for accounts receivable and contract assets 3,175 9,016 1,241

2,235 17,671 2,432 Provision for loans receivable 55,449 95,865 13,192

75,826 157,405 21,660 Provision for contingent guarantee liabilities - 21,376 2,941

- 69,269 9,532 Change in fair value of financial guarantee derivative2 (667) - -

(24,966) - - Fair value adjustments related to Consolidated Trusts2 247 - -

800 - - (Reversal of) provision for credit losses for deposits and other financial assets (200) 5,498 757

(234) 5,448 750 Total operating costs and expenses 775,293 909,535 125,158

1,452,443 1,740,968 239,567















Income from operations 445,129 463,053 63,717

772,913 839,594 115,531 Interest expenses, net (8,457) (1,818) (250)

(10,455) (6,109) (841) Foreign exchange loss (11,798) (7,807) (1,074)

(8,781) (8,231) (1,133) Income from financial investments 12,093 51,276 7,056

2,579 101,522 13,970 Other income (loss), net 6,932 (657) (90)

18,263 3,388 466















Income before income taxes and gain from equity in affiliates 443,899 504,047 69,359

774,519 930,164 127,993















Income tax expense (87,043) (89,568) (12,325)

(139,607) (154,593) (21,273) Gain from equity in affiliates, net of tax 9,436 824 113

15,725 2,869 395 Net income 366,292 415,303 57,147

650,637 778,440 107,115 Less: net income attributable to non-controlling interests - - -

- - - Net income attributable to X Financial shareholders 366,292 415,303 57,147

650,637 778,440 107,115















Net income 366,292 415,303 57,147

650,637 778,440 107,115 Other comprehensive income, net of tax of nil:













Gain from equity in affiliates 40 - -

42 30 4 Income from financial investments - 2,294 316

- 4,519 622 Foreign currency translation adjustments 27,186 3,970 546

19,925 5,188 714 Comprehensive income 393,518 421,567 58,009

670,604 788,177 108,455 Less: comprehensive income attributable to non-controlling interests - - -

- - - Comprehensive income attributable to X Financial shareholders 393,518 421,567 58,009

670,604 788,177 108,455















Net income per sharebasic 1.27 1.41 0.19

2.26 2.65 0.36 Net income per sharediluted 1.25 1.38 0.19

2.21 2.60 0.36















Net income per ADSbasic 7.62 8.46 1.16

13.56 15.90 2.19 Net income per ADSdiluted 7.50 8.28 1.14

13.26 15.60 2.15















Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstandingbasic 287,607,857 293,914,248 293,914,248

287,955,066 294,224,447 294,224,447 Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstandingdiluted 293,863,323 300,458,575 300,458,575

294,078,329 299,681,672 299,681,672



1 Starting in the first quarter of 2024, management has concluded to separate expenses related to borrower acquisitions from origination and servicing expenses and indirect expenses of the borrower acquisitions from

general and administrative expenses to a single line item as theses expenses become more and more significant and thus deemed to be useful to financial statement users. Furtherly, management has determined to embed

the sales and marketing expenses, which is not considered as material, in other line item. In conclusion, management has decided to combine these two line items into one captioned borrower acquisitions and marketing

expenses. Management has correspondingly conformed prior period presentation to current period presentation to enhance comparability. This change in presentation does not affect any subtotal line on the face of

consolidated statements of comprehensive income. (In thousands, except for share and per share data) Three Months Ended June 30, 2023 Changes



















before re-grouping after re-grouping





















RMB RMB RMB



















Origination and servicing 669,720 348,604 (321,116)



















Borrower acquisitions and marketing expenses - 332,119 332,119



















Sales and marketing 3,431 - (3,431)



















General and administrative 44,138 36,566 (7,572)















































2 Starting in the first quarter of 2024, management has considered the facts that fair value change related to financial guarantee services and Consolidated Trusts are generated from ordinary course of businesses, and has

concluded to reclass the amount to captions above total operating costs and expenses. Prior to the reclassification, management classified all amount of fair value changes to captions below total operating costs and

expenses. This reclassification does not have impact on net income for any prior periods presented.

X Financial













Unaudited Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results





























Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30, (In thousands, except for share and per share data) 2023 2024 2024

2023 2024 2024

RMB RMB USD

RMB RMB USD GAAP net income 366,292 415,303 57,147

650,637 778,440 107,115 Less: Income (loss) from financial investments (net of tax of nil) 12,093 51,276 7,056

2,579 101,522 13,970 Less: Impairment losses on financial investments (net of tax of nil) - - -

- - - Less: Impairment losses on long-term investments (net of tax) - - -

- - - Add: Share-based compensation expenses (net of tax of nil) 10,686 10,634 1,463

23,351 19,946 2,745 Non-GAAP adjusted net income 364,885 374,661 51,554

671,409 696,864 95,890















Non-GAAP adjusted net income per sharebasic 1.27 1.27 0.17

2.33 2.37 0.33 Non-GAAP adjusted net income per sharediluted 1.24 1.25 0.17

2.28 2.33 0.32















Non-GAAP adjusted net income per ADSbasic 7.62 7.62 1.05

13.98 14.22 1.96 Non-GAAP adjusted net income per ADSdiluted 7.44 7.50 1.03

13.68 13.98 1.92















Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstandingbasic 287,607,857 293,914,248 293,914,248

287,955,066 294,224,447 294,224,447 Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstandingdiluted 293,863,323 300,458,575 300,458,575

294,078,329 299,681,672 299,681,672

SOURCE X Financial
CARY, N.C., Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 20, 2024 Yes Solar Solutions became the first Triangle solar installer in North Carolina to offer customers the NC Clean Energy Fund in collaboration with the Solar and Energy Loan Fund (SELF). Yes Solar considers this a major breakthrough in making solar accessible to more homes in North Carolina and a big first step to preparing for EnergizeNC, North Carolina's deployment of a $156 million Solar for All EPA grant that will enable the rapid deployment of distributed solar across the state.

"We are thrilled to partner with Yes Solar Solutions to make solar more accessible to people in the Triangle," said Michelle Myers, Program Manager with NCCEF. "Our financing has no dealer fee, transparent terms, and is available for people with the ability to make the monthly payments, regardless of credit score, allowing more people to take advantage of incentives like the federal tax credit and Duke's PowerPair program."

NCCEF has created more competition in the market by tailoring the offering to solar customers, particularly those that have the moderate disposable income to pay for solar but not the credit score. Especially now, with the Duke PowerPair incentive available, and the 30% tax credit, solar can be accessible to a range of buyers with a range of needs.

Yes Solar Solutions Co-Founder and CEO Kathy Miller said, "This is another valuable new tool in our kit to offer solar to those that in the past could not pay cash, and did not have a qualifying credit score for financing. Another example of the innovations that are taking place in the work of non-profits like NCCEF advocating for affordable solar for all."

About Yes Solar Solutions

Yes Solar Solutions has been the leading local solar company for almost 15 years, founded and locally owned by Stew and Kathy Miller. Being the only NABCEP-accredited solar company in North Carolina, Yes Solar has earned a reputation for integrity, quality, and responsiveness. Our track record of over 2,500 projects installed, and our local ownership and management are strengths in helping us serve our communities. Contact Yes Solar or give us a call at (919) 459-4155 today for a free and accurate estimate for your own solar, energy storage or EV charging system.

About North Carolina Clean Energy Fund and EnergizeNC

North Carolina Clean Energy Fund is a nonprofit that operates on the "Green Bank" model successfully pioneered in other states, including Connecticut, Florida, Michigan, and New York. Our mission is to accelerate investment in clean and efficient energy solutions and increase climate resilience in North Carolina, particularly to the benefit of underserved populations. We partner with public and private investors, foundations, and other non-profit organizations to deploy sustainable financing solutions that will create long-lasting environmental, economic, and social benefits.

EnergizeNC is North Carolina's Solar for All program, part of the U.S. EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund The program is led by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality's State Energy Office and includes North Carolina Advanced Energy, the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center and the North Carolina Clean Energy Fund. After a planning year, with a roll out expected sometime in 2025-2026, the five-year Solar for All grant expects to be able to bring solar to disadvantaged communities across the state. It will include loans to affordable multifamily housing developers as well as subsidy and financing for low to moderate income (LMI) households.

Media Contact:

Meranda Van Ningen

Marketing Manager

Yes Solar Solutions

(919)-459-4155

[email protected]

Michelle Myers (she/her)

Program Manager, NCCEF

(828) 551  9402

[email protected]

SOURCE Yes Solar Solutions
HANGZHOU, China, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ZEEKR Intelligent Technology Holding Limited ("ZEEKR" or the "Company") (NYSE: ZK), a fast-growing intelligent battery electric vehicle ("BEV") technology company, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2024.

Operating Highlights for the Second Quarter of 2024

Total vehicle deliveries were 54,811 units for the second quarter of 2024, representing a 100% year-over-year increase.

Deliveries

2024 Q2

2024 Q1

2023 Q4

2023 Q3



54,811

33,059

39,657

36,395

















Deliveries

2023 Q2

2023 Q1

2022 Q4

2022 Q3



27,399

15,234

32,467

20,464

Financial Highlights for the Second Quarter of 2024

Vehicle sales were RMB13,438.2 million ( US$1,849.2 million ) [1] for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 59.0% from the second quarter of 2023 and an increase of 64.4% from the first quarter of 2024.

were ( ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 59.0% from the second quarter of 2023 and an increase of 64.4% from the first quarter of 2024. Vehicle margin [2] was 14.2% for the second quarter of 2024, compared with 13.6% for the second quarter of 2023 and 14.0% for the first quarter of 2024.

was 14.2% for the second quarter of 2024, compared with 13.6% for the second quarter of 2023 and 14.0% for the first quarter of 2024. Total revenues were RMB20,040.1 million ( US$2,757.6 million ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 58.4% from the second quarter of 2023 and an increase of 36.0% from the first quarter of 2024.

were ( ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 58.4% from the second quarter of 2023 and an increase of 36.0% from the first quarter of 2024. Gross profit was RMB3,449.8 million ( US$474.7 million ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 122.5% from the second quarter of 2023 and an increase of 98.3% from the first quarter of 2024.

was ( ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 122.5% from the second quarter of 2023 and an increase of 98.3% from the first quarter of 2024. Gross margin was 17.2% for the second quarter of 2024, compared with 12.3% for the second quarter of 2023 and 11.8% for the first quarter of 2024.

was 17.2% for the second quarter of 2024, compared with 12.3% for the second quarter of 2023 and 11.8% for the first quarter of 2024. Loss from operations was RMB1,721.0 million ( US$236.8 million ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 25.5% from the second quarter of 2023 and a decrease of 17.5% from the first quarter of 2024. Excluding share-based compensation expenses, adjusted loss from operations (non-GAAP) [3] was RMB777.1 million ( US$106.9 million ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing a decrease of 41.7% from the second quarter of 2023 and a decrease of 62.7% from the first quarter of 2024.

was ( ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 25.5% from the second quarter of 2023 and a decrease of 17.5% from the first quarter of 2024. Excluding share-based compensation expenses, adjusted loss from operations (non-GAAP) was ( ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing a decrease of 41.7% from the second quarter of 2023 and a decrease of 62.7% from the first quarter of 2024. Net loss was RMB1,808.8 million ( US$248.9 million ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 28.7% from the second quarter of 2023 and a decrease of 10.5% from the first quarter of 2024. Excluding share-based compensation expenses, adjusted net loss (non-GAAP) was RMB864.9 million ( US$119.0 million ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing a decrease of 36.8% from the second quarter of 2023 and a decrease of 57.2% from the first quarter of 2024.

[1] All conversions from Renminbi("RMB") to U.S. dollars ("US$") are made at an exchange rate of RMB7.2672 to US$1.00, set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board on June 28, 2024. [2] Vehicle margin is the margin of vehicle sales, which is calculated based on revenues and cost of revenues derived from vehicle sales only. [3] The Company's non-GAAP financial measures exclude share-based compensation expenses. See "Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this announcement.

Key Financial Results

(in RMB millions, except for percentages)



2024 Q2 2024 Q1 2023 Q2 % Change i







YoY QoQ Vehicle sales 13,438.2 8,174.1 8,450.2 59.0 % 64.4 % Vehicle margin 14.2 % 14.0 % 13.6 % 0.6pts 0.2pts











Total revenues 20,040.1 14,736.8 12,649.7 58.4 % 36.0 % Gross profit 3,449.8 1,739.4 1,550.3 122.5 % 98.3 % Gross margin 17.2 % 11.8 % 12.3 % 4.9pts 5.4pts











Loss from operations (1,721.0) (2,086.9) (1,371.0) 25.5 % (17.5) % Non-GAAP loss from operations (777.1) (2,084.2) (1,333.5) (41.7) % (62.7) %











Net loss (1,808.8) (2,022.1) (1,405.2) 28.7 % (10.5) % Non-GAAP net loss (864.9) (2,019.4) (1,367.7) (36.8) % (57.2) %











i Except for vehicle margin and gross margin, absolute changes instead of percentage changes are presented.

Recent Developments

Delivery Update

In July 2024, the Company delivered 15,655 vehicles, representing an increase of 30% from July 2023.

New Model Launches

On August 13, 2024, ZEEKR launched its updated ZEEKR 001 and upscale sedan models, both featuring the latest proprietary ADAS and AI OS technologies. The updated upscale sedan model, now equipped with enhanced batteries, can charge from 10% to 80% in just 10 to 11 minutes using ZEEKR's ultra-charging piles.

On July 19, 2024, ZEEKR officially introduced its luxury flagship MPV, the all-new ZEEKR 009, with deliveries starting on July 22, 2024. Boasting an 800V battery electric platform and a Qilin 5C battery, the all-new ZEEKR 009 accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds. It delivers a CLTC range of 702km with its 108kWh battery and a maximum CLTC range of 900km with the optional 140kWh battery.

In July, ZEEKR unveiled its mid-large SUV, the ZEEKR 7X, revealing further insights into its original "Hidden Energy" design. The ZEEKR 7X, with a wheelbase of 2,925mm, a length of 4,825mm, and a width of 1,930mm, exemplifies ZEEKR's commitment to product excellence.

CEO and CFO Comments

"In the second quarter of 2024, we substantially improved our financial and operational performance, despite facing numerous challenges and economic headwinds. We delivered 54,811 vehicles, marking remarkable 100% year-over-year growth and a 66% increase quarter-over-quarter," Mr. Andy An, ZEEKR's chief executive officer commented. "In addition to accelerating deliveries, we successfully launched several new models during the second quarter. The innovative technologies and distinctive design elements embedded in these vehicles have set new industry benchmarks and quickly garnered exceptional market responses. Furthermore, our accelerated global expansion and effective marketing efforts enabled us to extend our customer base across a broader spectrum, driving a surge in sales and enhancing our brand. As we progress through the second half of 2024, our core objectives remain unchanged to continuously invest in research and development, ensuring we stay at the forefront of technological innovation to drive our business forward and deliver long-term value for our shareholders."

"We are pleased to report another strong quarter, with total revenues reaching RMB20 billion, representing a 58.4% year-over-year increase and 36.0% growth quarter-over-quarter. We made significant strides in optimizing costs while maintaining high-quality delivery standards, contributing to sustainable margin and profitability improvement," Mr. Jing Yuan, ZEEKR's chief financial officer added. "Moving forward, we remain dedicated to improving product quality, expanding our market share and propelling the sustainable growth of our business."

Financial Results for the Second Quarter of 2024

Revenues

Total revenues were RMB20,040 .1 million ( US$2,757.6 million ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 58.4% from RMB12,649 .7 million for the second quarter of 2023 and an increase of 36.0% from RMB14,736.8 million for the first quarter of 2024.





were .1 million ( ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 58.4% from .7 million for the second quarter of 2023 and an increase of 36.0% from for the first quarter of 2024. Revenues from vehicle sales were RMB13,438 .2 million ( US$1,849.2 million ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 59.0% from RMB8,450.2 million for the second quarter of 2023, and an increase of 64.4% from RMB8,174.1 million for the first quarter of 2024. The year-over-year increase was due to the increased sales volume of ZEEKR vehicles, partially offset by the lower average selling price due to the different product mix and pricing strategy changes between the two quarters. The quarter-over-quarter increase was mainly attributable to the increased sales volume of ZEEKR vehicles.





were .2 million ( ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 59.0% from for the second quarter of 2023, and an increase of 64.4% from for the first quarter of 2024. The year-over-year increase was due to the increased sales volume of ZEEKR vehicles, partially offset by the lower average selling price due to the different product mix and pricing strategy changes between the two quarters. The quarter-over-quarter increase was mainly attributable to the increased sales volume of ZEEKR vehicles. Revenues from sales of batteries and other components were RMB5,299.2 million ( US$729.2 million ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 36.1% from RMB3,894.3 million for the second quarter of 2023 and a decrease of 16.1% from RMB6,318 .5 million for the first quarter of 2024. The year-over-year increase was mainly driven by higher sales volume of battery packs and electric drives, as well as the growth of battery components sales overseas. The quarter-over-quarter decrease was mainly attributable to the lower sales of battery modules in the domestic market compared with the prior period.





were ( ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 36.1% from for the second quarter of 2023 and a decrease of 16.1% from .5 million for the first quarter of 2024. The year-over-year increase was mainly driven by higher sales volume of battery packs and electric drives, as well as the growth of battery components sales overseas. The quarter-over-quarter decrease was mainly attributable to the lower sales of battery modules in the domestic market compared with the prior period. Revenues from research and development service and other services were RMB1,302.6 million ( US$179.2 million ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 326.8% from RMB305 .2 million for the second quarter of 2023 and an increase of 433.6% from RMB244 .1 million for the first quarter of 2024. The year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter increases were mainly due to the increased sales of research and development services to related parties.

Cost of Revenues and Gross Margin

Cost of revenues was RMB16,590 .2 million ( US$2,282.9 million ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 49.5% from RMB11,099 .3 million for the second quarter of 2023 and an increase of 27.6% from RMB12,997 .4 million for the first quarter of 2024.





was .2 million ( ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 49.5% from .3 million for the second quarter of 2023 and an increase of 27.6% from .4 million for the first quarter of 2024. Gross profit was RMB3,449 .8 million ( US$474.7 million ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 122.5% from RMB1,550 .3 million for the second quarter of 2023 and an increase of 98.3% from RMB1,739 .4 million for the first quarter of 2024.





was .8 million ( ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 122.5% from .3 million for the second quarter of 2023 and an increase of 98.3% from .4 million for the first quarter of 2024. Gross margin was 17.2% for the second quarter of 2024, compared with 12.3% for the second quarter of 2023 and 11.8% for the first quarter of 2024. The year-over-year increase and quarter-over-quarter increase were mainly attributable to the increased margins on batteries and other components.





was 17.2% for the second quarter of 2024, compared with 12.3% for the second quarter of 2023 and 11.8% for the first quarter of 2024. The year-over-year increase and quarter-over-quarter increase were mainly attributable to the increased margins on batteries and other components. Vehicle margin was 14.2% for the second quarter of 2024, compared with 13.6% for the second quarter of 2023 and 14.0% for the first quarter of 2024. The year-over-year increase was primarily attributed to procurement savings as the cost of auto parts and materials decreased, partly offset by the lower average selling price of ZEEKR vehicles. The quarter-over-quarter increase was mainly due to the change in product mix. Vehicle margin remained generally stable in the second quarter of 2024.

Operating Expenses

Research and development expenses were RMB2,623 .5 million ( US$361.0 million ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 89.6% from RMB1,383 .5 million for the second quarter of 2023 and an increase of 36.3% from RMB1,925.3 million for the first quarter of 2024. The year-over-year increase was mainly attributable to increased employee compensation due to an increased number of research and development staff and share-based compensation expenses recognized from the share-based awards granted to employees, including a one-off large amount recognized in the second quarter, conditional on the Company's initial public offering. The quarter-over-quarter increase was mainly attributable to increased employee compensation due to the aforementioned share-based compensation expenses.





were .5 million ( ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 89.6% from .5 million for the second quarter of 2023 and an increase of 36.3% from for the first quarter of 2024. The year-over-year increase was mainly attributable to increased employee compensation due to an increased number of research and development staff and share-based compensation expenses recognized from the share-based awards granted to employees, including a one-off large amount recognized in the second quarter, conditional on the Company's initial public offering. The quarter-over-quarter increase was mainly attributable to increased employee compensation due to the aforementioned share-based compensation expenses. Selling, general and administrative expenses were RMB2,604 .7 million ( US$358 .4 million) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 61.3% from RMB1,614 .3 million for the second quarter of 2023 and an increase of 33.5% from RMB1,951.5 million for the first quarter of 2024. The year-over-year increase was mainly due to increased employee compensation due to share-based compensation expenses recognized from the share-based awards granted to employees, including a one-off large amount recognized in the second quarter, conditional on the Company's initial public offering, and increased expenses related to the expansion of offline channels in China and overseas. The quarter-over-quarter increase was mainly due to increased employee compensation due to the aforementioned share-based compensation expenses.

Loss from Operations

Loss from operations was RMB1,721 .0 million ( US$236.8 million ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 25.5% from RMB1,371.0 million for the second quarter of 2023 and a decrease of 17.5% from RMB2,086.9 million for the first quarter of 2024.





was .0 million ( ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 25.5% from RMB1,371.0 million for the second quarter of 2023 and a decrease of 17.5% from RMB2,086.9 million for the first quarter of 2024. Non-GAAP loss from operations, which excludes share-based compensation expenses from loss from operations, was RMB777 .1 million ( US$106.9 million ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing a decrease of 41.7% from RMB1,333.5 million for the second quarter of 2023 and a decrease of 62.7% from RMB2,084.2 million for the first quarter of 2024.

Net Loss and Net Loss Per Share

Net loss was RMB1,808 .8 million ( US$248.9 million ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 28.7% from RMB1,405.2 million for the second quarter of 2023 and a decrease of 10.5% from RMB2,022.1 million for the first quarter of 2024.





was .8 million ( ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 28.7% from RMB1,405.2 million for the second quarter of 2023 and a decrease of 10.5% from RMB2,022.1 million for the first quarter of 2024. Non-GAAP net loss , which excludes share-based compensation expenses from net loss, was RMB864.9 million ( US$119.0 million ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing a decrease of 36.8% from RMB1,367 .7 million for the second quarter of 2023 and a decrease of 57.2% from RMB2,019.4 million for the first quarter of 2024.





, which excludes share-based compensation expenses from net loss, was ( ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing a decrease of 36.8% from .7 million for the second quarter of 2023 and a decrease of 57.2% from RMB2,019.4 million for the first quarter of 2024. Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders of ZEEKR was RMB2,190 .2 million ( US$301.4 million ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 47.0% from RMB1,489.7 million for the second quarter of 2023 and an increase of 8.7% from RMB2,014 .3 million for the first quarter of 2024.





was .2 million ( ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing an increase of 47.0% from RMB1,489.7 million for the second quarter of 2023 and an increase of 8.7% from .3 million for the first quarter of 2024. Non-GAAP net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders of ZEEKR , which excludes share-based compensation expenses from net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders, was RMB1,246 .3 million ( US$171.5 million ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing a decrease of 14.2% from RMB1,452.2 million for the second quarter of 2023 and a decrease of 38.0% from RMB2,011.6 million for the first quarter of 2024.





, which excludes share-based compensation expenses from net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders, was .3 million ( ) for the second quarter of 2024, representing a decrease of 14.2% from RMB1,452.2 million for the second quarter of 2023 and a decrease of 38.0% from RMB2,011.6 million for the first quarter of 2024. Basic and diluted net loss per share attributed to ordinary shareholders were RMB0.95 (US$0.13) each for the second quarter of 2024, compared with RMB0.74 each for the second quarter of 2023 and RMB1.01 each for the first quarter of 2024.





were each for the second quarter of 2024, compared with each for the second quarter of 2023 and each for the first quarter of 2024. Non-GAAP basic and diluted net loss per share attributed to ordinary shareholders were both RMB0.54 (US$0.07) each for the second quarter of 2024, compared with RMB0.73 each for the second quarter of 2023 and RMB1.01 each for the first quarter of 2024.





were both each for the second quarter of 2024, compared with each for the second quarter of 2023 and each for the first quarter of 2024. Basic and diluted net loss per American Depositary Share ("ADS [4] ") attributed to ordinary shareholders were RMB9.51 (US$1.31) each for the second quarter of 2024.





were each for the second quarter of 2024. Non-GAAP basic and diluted net loss per ADS attributed to ordinary shareholders were RMB5.41 (US$0.75) each for the second quarter of 2024.

[4] Each ADS represents ten ordinary shares.

Balance Sheets

Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash was RMB8,048.1 million (US$1,107.5 million) as of June 30, 2024.

Conference Call

The Company's management will host an earnings conference call on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at 8:00 A.M. U.S. Eastern Time (8:00 P.M. Beijing/Hong Kong Time on the same day).

All participants who wish to join the call are requested to complete the online registration using the link provided below. After registration, each participant will receive by email a set of dial-in numbers, a passcode and a unique access PIN to join the conference call. Participants may pre-register at any time, including up to and after the call start time.

Participant Online Registration: https://dpregister.com/sreg/10191577/fd3dea2392

A live webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at https://ir.zeekrlife.com/.

About ZEEKR

ZEEKR is a fast-growing intelligent BEV technology company. The Company aspires to lead the electrification, intelligentization, and innovation of the automobile industry through the development and sales of next-generation premium BEVs and technology-driven solutions. Incorporated in March 2021, ZEEKR has focused on innovative BEV architecture, hardware, software, and the application of new technologies. Our diverse product lineup spans a range of vehicle models, including shooting brakes, MPVs and upscale sedans, all meticulously designed to cater to the evolving needs of our customer needs.

With a mission to create the ultimate mobility experience through technology and solutions, ZEEKR's efforts are backed by strong in-house R&D capabilities, a deep understanding of products, high operational flexibility, and a flat, efficient organizational structure. Together, these features enable fast product development, launch, and iteration, as well as the creation of a series of customer-oriented products and go-to-market strategies.

For more information, please visit https://ir.zeekrlife.com/.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company uses non-GAAP financial measures, such as non-GAAP loss from operations, non-GAAP net loss, non-GAAP net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders, non-GAAP basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share attributed to ordinary shareholders, non-GAAP basic and diluted net loss per ADS attributed to ordinary shareholders, in evaluating its operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes. By excluding the impact of share-based compensation expenses, the Company believes that the non-GAAP financial measures help identify underlying trends in its business and enhance the overall understanding of the Company's past performance and future prospects. The Company also believes that the non-GAAP financial measures allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by the Company's management in its financial and operational decision-making. The non-GAAP financial measures are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP and may be different from non-GAAP methods of accounting and reporting used by other companies. The non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools and when assessing the Company's operating performance, investors should not consider them in isolation, or as a substitute for net loss or other consolidated statements of comprehensive loss data prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The Company encourages investors and others to review its financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure. The Company mitigates these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable U.S. GAAP performance measures, all of which should be considered when evaluating the Company's performance.

For more information on the non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned "Unaudited Reconciliations of GAAP and non-GAAP Results" set forth in this announcement.

Exchange Rate Information

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at a specified rate solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to RMB are made at a rate of RMB7.2672 to US$1.00, the exchange rate on June 28, 2024, set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the RMB or U.S. dollar amounts referred to could be converted into U.S. dollars or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "future," "target," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to," or other similar expressions. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this announcement is as of the date of this announcement, and the Company does not undertake any duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For Investor Enquiries

ZEEKR

Investor Relations

Email: [email protected]

For Media Enquiries

ZEEKR

Media Relations

Email: [email protected]

ZEEKR INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Amounts in thousands)



As of

December 31

June 30

June 30

2023

2024

2024

RMB

RMB

US$











ASSETS









Current assets:









Cash and cash equivalents 3,260,670

5,495,539

756,211 Restricted cash 844,079

2,552,561

351,244 Notes receivable 487,851

1,502,984

206,817 Accounts receivable 1,104,450

1,206,222

165,982 Inventories 5,228,689

4,267,195

587,186 Amounts due from related parties 7,256,861

7,145,521

983,256 Prepayments and other current assets 2,294,508

3,062,405

421,401 Total current assets 20,477,108

25,232,427

3,472,097 Property, plant and equipment, net 2,914,274

3,320,738

456,949 Intangible assets, net 410,912

554,479

76,299 Land use rights, net 51,755

62,539

8,606 Operating lease right-of-use assets 2,443,545

2,319,631

319,192 Deferred tax assets 86,395

188,174

25,894 Long-term investments 459,794

638,097

87,805 Other non-current assets 273,717

362,830

49,927 Total non-current assets 6,640,392

7,446,488

1,024,672 TOTAL ASSETS 27,117,500

32,678,915

4,496,769

ZEEKR INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (CONTINUED) (Amounts in thousands)



As of

December 31

June 30

June 30

2023

2024

2024

RMB

RMB

US$ LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY









Current liabilities:









Short-term Borrowings -

30,000

4,128 Accounts payable 4,104,717

4,293,914

590,862 Notes payable 5,504,945

10,662,344

1,467,187 Amounts due to related parties 16,355,902

13,770,683

1,894,909 Income tax payable 108,083

239,300

32,929 Accruals and other current liabilities 6,243,956

8,697,194

1,196,775 Total current liabilities 32,317,603

37,693,435

5,186,790 Long-term borrowings -

414,680

57,062 Operating lease liabilities, non-current 1,807,159

1,662,850

228,816 Amounts due to related parties, non-current 1,100,000

450,000

61,922 Other non-current liabilities 563,001

505,010

69,492 Deferred tax liability 8,337

8,149

1,121 Total non-current liabilities 3,478,497

3,040,689

418,413 TOTAL LIABILITIES 35,796,100

40,734,124

5,605,203











SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY









Ordinary shares 2,584

3,361

462 Convertible preferred shares 362

-

- Shares subscription receivable -

(66)

(9) Additional paid-in capital 11,213,798

15,635,867

2,151,567 Accumulated deficits (20,865,686)

(25,070,195)

(3,449,774) Accumulated other comprehensive income 17,555

49,456

6,806 Total ZEEKR shareholders' deficit (9,631,387)

(9,381,577)

(1,290,948) Non-controlling interest 952,787

1,326,368

182,514 TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT (8,678,600)

(8,055,209)

(1,108,434) TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY 27,117,500

32,678,915

4,496,769

ZEEKR INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE

(LOSS)/INCOME (Amounts in thousands, except share/ADS and per share/ADS data and otherwise noted)



Three Months Ended

June 30

March 31

June 30

June 30

2023

2024

2024

2024

RMB

RMB

RMB

US$ Revenues:













Vehicle sales 8,450,177

8,174,117

13,438,241

1,849,164 Sales of batteries and other components 3,894,307

6,318,535

5,299,171

729,190 Research and development service and

other services 305,190

244,100

1,302,639

179,249 Total revenues 12,649,674

14,736,752

20,040,051

2,757,603 Cost of revenues:













Vehicle sales (7,300,487)

(7,026,741)

(11,533,020)

(1,586,996) Sales of batteries and other components (3,606,782)

(5,883,360)

(4,223,452)

(581,166) Research and development service and

other services (192,079)

(87,301)

(833,756)

(114,729) Total cost of revenues (11,099,348)

(12,997,402)

(16,590,228)

(2,282,891) Gross profit 1,550,326

1,739,350

3,449,823

474,712 Operating expenses:













Research and development expenses (1,383,501)

(1,925,278)

(2,623,471)

(361,002) Selling, general and administrative

expenses (1,614,305)

(1,951,530)

(2,604,665)

(358,414) Other operating income, net 76,488

50,525

57,287

7,883 Total operating expenses (2,921,318)

(3,826,283)

(5,170,849)

(711,533) Loss from operations (1,370,992)

(2,086,933)

(1,721,026)

(236,821) Interest expense (87,364)

(10,700)

(23,396)

(3,219) Interest income 18,512

20,192

42,537

5,853 Other income/(expense), net 27,040

(29,658)

(7,809)

(1,075) Loss before income tax expense and

share of losses in equity method

investments (1,412,804)

(2,107,099)

(1,709,694)

(235,262) Share of income/(loss) in equity method

investments (11,090)

90,882

85,852

11,814 Income tax expense 18,678

(5,889)

(184,980)

(25,454) Net loss (1,405,216)

(2,022,106)

(1,808,822)

(248,902) Less: income/(loss) attributable to non-

controlling interest 84,481

(7,782)

381,363

52,477 Net loss attributable to shareholders of

ZEEKR (1,489,697)

(2,014,324)

(2,190,185)

(301,379)

ZEEKR INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE

(LOSS)/INCOME (CONTINUED) (Amounts in thousands, except share/ADS and per share/ADS data and otherwise noted)



Three Months Ended

June 30

March 31

June 30

June 30

2023

2024

2024

2024

RMB

RMB

RMB

US$ Net loss per share attributed to

ordinary shareholders:













Basic and diluted (0.74)

(1.01)

(0.95)

(0.13) Weighted average shares used in

calculating net loss per share:













Basic and diluted 2,000,000,000

2,000,000,000

2,301,866,887

2,301,866,887 Net loss per ADS attributed to

ordinary shareholders:













Basic and diluted -

-

(9.51)

(1.31) Weighted average ADS used in

calculating net loss per ADS:













Basic and diluted -

-

230,186,689

230,186,689 Net loss (1,405,216)

(2,022,106)

(1,808,822)

(248,902) Other comprehensive income/(loss),

net of tax of nil:













Foreign currency translation

adjustments 48,240

(42,769)

74,670

10,275 Comprehensive loss (1,356,976)

(2,064,875)

(1,734,152)

(238,627) Less: comprehensive income/(loss)

attributable to non-controlling interest 84,481

(7,782)

381,363

52,477 Comprehensive loss attributable to

shareholders of ZEEKR (1,441,457)

(2,057,093)

(2,115,515)

(291,104)

ZEEKR INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE

(LOSS)/INCOME (Amounts in thousands, except share/ADS and per share/ADS data and otherwise noted)



Six Months Ended

June 30

June 30

June 30

2023

2024

2024

RMB

RMB

US$ Revenues:









Vehicle sales 13,175,373

21,612,358

2,973,959 Sales of batteries and other components 7,365,776

11,617,706

1,598,650 Research and development service and other

services 728,933

1,546,739

212,838 Total revenues 21,270,082

34,776,803

4,785,447 Cost of revenues:









Vehicle sales (11,549,164)

(18,559,761)

(2,553,908) Sales of batteries and other components (7,010,648)

(10,106,812)

(1,390,744) Research and development service and other

services (477,474)

(921,057)

(126,742) Total cost of revenues (19,037,286)

(29,587,630)

(4,071,394) Gross profit 2,232,796

5,189,173

714,053 Operating expenses:









Research and development expenses (3,188,554)

(4,548,749)

(625,929) Selling, general and administrative expenses (2,898,733)

(4,556,195)

(626,953) Other operating income, net 134,296

107,812

14,835 Total operating expenses (5,952,991)

(8,997,132)

(1,238,047) Loss from operations (3,720,195)

(3,807,959)

(523,994) Interest expense (192,165)

(34,096)

(4,692) Interest income 41,243

62,729

8,632 Other income/(expense), net 38,147

(37,467)

(5,155) Loss before income tax expense and share of

losses in equity method investments (3,832,970)

(3,816,793)

(525,209) Share of income/(loss) in equity method

investments (55,240)

176,734

24,319 Income tax expense 17,632

(190,869)

(26,264) Net loss (3,870,578)

(3,830,928)

(527,154) Less: income attributable to non-controlling

interest 13,452

373,581

51,406 Net loss attributable to shareholders of

ZEEKR (3,884,030)

(4,204,509)

(578,560)

ZEEKR INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE

(LOSS)/INCOME (CONTINUED) (Amounts in thousands, except share/ADS and per share/ADS data and otherwise noted)



Six Months Ended

June 30

June 30

June 30

2023

2024

2024

RMB

RMB

US$ Net loss per share attributed to ordinary

shareholders:









Basic and diluted (1.94)

(1.95)

(0.27) Weighted average shares used in

calculating net loss per share:









Basic and diluted 2,000,000,000

2,150,933,444

2,150,933,444 Net loss per ADS attributed to ordinary

shareholders:









Basic and diluted -

(19.55)

(2.69) Weighted average ADS used in calculating

net loss per ADS:









Basic and diluted -

215,093,344

215,093,344 Net loss (3,870,578)

(3,830,928)

(527,154) Other comprehensive income, net of tax of

nil:









Foreign currency translation adjustments 46,321

31,901

4,390 Comprehensive loss (3,824,257)

(3,799,027)

(522,764) Less: comprehensive income attributable to

non-controlling interest 13,452

373,581

51,406 Comprehensive loss attributable to

shareholders of ZEEKR (3,837,709)

(4,172,608)

(574,170)

ZEEKR INC. UNAUDITED RECONCILIATIONS OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS (Amounts in thousands, except share/ADS and per share/ADS data and otherwise noted)



Three Months Ended

June 30

March 31

June 30

June 30

2023

2024

2024

2024

RMB

RMB

RMB

US$ Loss from operations (1,370,992)

(2,086,933)

(1,721,026)

(236,821) Share-based compensation expenses 37,471

2,734

943,921

129,888 Non-GAAP loss from operations (1,333,521)

(2,084,199)

(777,105)

(106,933) Net loss (1,405,216)

(2,022,106)

(1,808,822)

(248,902) Share-based compensation expenses 37,471

2,734

943,921

129,888 Non-GAAP net loss (1,367,745)

(2,019,372)

(864,901)

(119,014) Net loss attributable to ordinary

shareholders (1,489,697)

(2,014,324)

(2,190,185)

(301,379) Share-based compensation expenses 37,471

2,734

943,921

129,888 Non-GAAP net loss attributable to

ordinary shareholders of ZEEKR (1,452,226)

(2,011,590)

(1,246,264)

(171,491)















Weighted average number of

ordinary shares used in calculating

Non-GAAP net loss per share













Basic and diluted 2,000,000,000

2,000,000,000

2,301,866,887

2,301,866,887 Non-GAAP net loss per ordinary

share attributed to ordinary

shareholders













Basic and diluted (0.73)

(1.01)

(0.54)

(0.07) Weighted average number of ADS

used in calculating Non-GAAP net

loss per ADS













Basic and diluted -

-

230,186,689

230,186,689 Non-GAAP net loss per ADS

attributed to ordinary shareholders













Basic and diluted -

-

(5.41)

(0.75)

ZEEKR INC. UNAUDITED RECONCILIATIONS OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS (Amounts in thousands, except share and per share data and otherwise noted)



Six Months Ended

June 30

June 30

June 30

2023

2024

2024

RMB

RMB

US$ Loss from operations (3,720,195)

(3,807,959)

(523,994) Share-based compensation expenses 70,199

946,655

130,264 Non-GAAP loss from operations (3,649,996)

(2,861,304)

(393,730) Net loss (3,870,578)

(3,830,928)

(527,154) Share-based compensation expenses 70,199

946,655

130,264 Non-GAAP net loss (3,800,379)

(2,884,273)

(396,890) Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders (3,884,030)

(4,204,509)

(578,560) Share-based compensation expenses 70,199

946,655

130,264 Non-GAAP net loss attributable to

ordinary shareholders of ZEEKR (3,813,831)

(3,257,854)

(448,296)











Weighted average number of ordinary

shares used in calculating Non-GAAP net

loss per share









Basic and diluted 2,000,000,000

2,150,933,444

2,150,933,444 Non-GAAP net loss per ordinary share

attributed to ordinary shareholders









Basic and diluted (1.91)

(1.51)

(0.21) Weighted average number of ADS used in

calculating Non-GAAP net loss per ADS









Basic and diluted -

215,093,344

215,093,344 Non-GAAP net loss per ADS attributed to

ordinary shareholders









Basic and diluted -

(15.15)

(2.08)

SOURCE ZEEKR Intelligent Technology Holding Limited
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
Kigali, Aug 20 : Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Monday urged the country's leaders to work together in carrying out their duties during the swearing-in ceremony of the recently appointed Cabinet.

"An individual who has done very well and has dedicated himself or herself to everything is not enough. One person alone cannot take us anywhere or will not take us where we want to go as a nation, because no one works alone, no one lives alone," Kagame said in a speech at the parliament building in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.

The president stressed the need for government institutions to work together to deliver on national goals, Xinhua news agency reported.

"When I say institutions, I mean people. People must work together; institutions must work together; our national institutions must complement each other to spearhead our economic transformation journey. There is no shortcut to the development goals we want to achieve," he added.

Last week, Kagame appointed 21 ministers and nine ministers of state with three new faces in a new government following last month's legislative and presidential elections.
Baghdad, Aug 21 : The Shiite militia group "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" has claimed responsibility for a drone attack on a site in Eilat, Israel's southern port city.

In an online statement, the militia said its fighters carried out the attack on Tuesday evening on a "vital site" in Eilat, adding that the attack was conducted "in solidarity with the people of Gaza" and vowed to continue targeting "the enemy's strongholds", Xinhua news agency reported.

The statement did not provide details about the targeted site or casualties, and Israeli authorities have not commented on the alleged attack.

Since the Israeli-Palestinian conflict began on October 7, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has launched multiple attacks on Israeli targets and US bases in the region to show their support for Palestinians in Gaza.
Cairo, Aug 21 : Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Canadian counterpart Melanie Joly have discussed efforts to facilitate a ceasefire in Gaza.

During a phone conversation on Tuesday, the two ministers exchanged views on developments in the Middle East, especially the situation in the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Abdelatty reviewed Egypt's efforts to contain the ongoing escalation in the region and to facilitate a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Xinhua news agency reported.

The two diplomats stressed the need for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza and urged the international community to help achieve a comprehensive ceasefire and to prevent the conflict from expanding, the statement said.

Qatari, Egyptian, and US mediators have been engaged in talks to broker a ceasefire in Gaza in recent days, with the latest round of talks taking place in Doha last week.
Washington, Aug 21 : The US' alliance with South Korea and Japan will continue to get "even stronger", a Pentagon spokesperson has said amid questions about how the American presidential election in November would affect Washington's security and foreign policy.

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder made the remarks on Tuesday as Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are in a tight race for the White House following President Joe Biden's exit from the contest last month, Yonhap news agency reported.

"I am not going to get into a hypothetical other than to say (that) I think our alliances with Japan and South Korea are strong ... stronger than they've ever been," he told a press briefing.

"I think going into the future, you will see them continue to get even stronger," he added.

A key pillar of the Biden administration's foreign policy is to reinvigorate and leverage America's network of alliances and partnerships to confront shared challenges, including North Korean "threats".

Harris is expected to build on that policy initiative, while Trump could bring about a policy shift under his "America first" credo.

Asked to comment on North Korea's claim that the ongoing major South Korea-US military exercise is a rehearsal for an invasion, Ryder called it "patently false".

"These exercises are defensive in nature. They are also longstanding and these are opportunities for our forces to work together on interoperability and to learn how to operate in dissimilar environments," he said.

Seoul and Washington kicked off Ulchi Freedom Shield, an annual exercise, on Monday. It features a computer simulation-based command post exercise, concurrent field training and civil defence drills.
Seoul, Aug 21 : Automotive companies in South Korea are pushing forward with their new electric vehicle launch schedules despite public concerns over EV safety, with key players actively campaigning to debunk unsubstantiated myths surrounding safe charging practices.

The latest fears surrounding EVs began after a spontaneous fire that began in a parked Mercedes-Benz EV wiped out an entire underground parking garage inside an apartment complex in Incheon, 27 kms west of Seoul, while damaging over 100 cars, reports Yonhap news agency.

Since then, many pundits have pointed out that fully or overcharged EVs could pose fire risks, while authorities have scrambled to present safety measures against such accidents. The Seoul city government announced a plan to discourage the entry of EVs that are more than 90 percent charged into apartment underground parking garages.

Various local governments across the country also have announced or were considering similar measures, including moving underground EV charging facilities to above-ground locations.

After having remained mostly reactive in their responses to such safety fears, car manufacturers are now coming out to actively promote the safety of EVs as they seek to resuscitate the automotive segment that has seen a recent slowdown in demand globally amid the so-called adoption chasm.

Industry heavyweights Hyundai Motor and Kia, in particular, are seeking a breakthrough in the global EV demand lull with their new affordable yet advanced models, the Casper Electric subcompact model and the EV3 crossover model, respectively.

The two companies said that their EV batteries are designed to be safe even when charged to 100 per cent, with the internal battery management system monitoring and controlling any issues that may arise.

They explained that the battery's charging capacity is calculated within a safety-verified range -- meaning that even when the battery is full, there is still additional capacity that remains unutilised.

Hyundai and Kia pointed out that in the case of ternary NCM (nickel-cobalt-manganese) batteries, while they can technically hold up to 275 mAh of energy per gram, battery manufacturers design them to use only 200 to 210 mAh per gram.

The automakers said car manufacturers, too, also set the 100 percent charge level while leaving some capacity unused when designing and producing cars.

They emphasised that the charging level displayed to consumers on car dashboard screens reflects the available capacity minus the margins set by both the battery cell and vehicle manufacturers -- meaning that a 100 percent charge does not actually indicate that the battery has been charged to its absolute maximum capacity.

The imported car companies are also actively addressing battery safety concerns as they prepare to launch new models.

Polestar Automotive Holdings, for instance, highlighted the safety of its Chinese CATL NCM batteries during the South Korean launch event for the Polestar 4 EV held in Seoul last week. A company official stressed that out of some 160,000 Polestar 2 units sold across 27 countries in the past, there have been no reported fire incidents.

Porsche Korea is planning to launch the electric Taycan in the second half of this year as scheduled. while Stellantis Korea is also set to release its first electric SUV model under its Jeep brand.

Additionally, BMW Group Korea, which sells vehicles under three brands -- BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce -- in the country is also preparing to introduce the new Mini Countryman Electric later this year.

Central government authorities have also suggested that measures by local governments to arbitrarily restrict entry of EVs into parking facilities based on charging levels should be subject to closer review.

The government and the ruling party plan to announce a comprehensive safety plan later this month aimed at preventing EV fire accidents.
Patna, Aug 21 : Ahead of the Bharat Bandh, Patna District Magistrate Chandrashekher Singh has issued a strong warning against any form of violence during the protests.

He emphasised that anyone involved in agitations, roadblocks, or damaging private or government properties will face legal consequences.

"The citizens can protest peacefully within the legal framework. The district administration would deal strictly with any violent activities," he said.

Additionally, Singh instructed the district police to deploy adequate forces at various locations to prevent any potential untoward incident during the Bharat Bandh.

Meanwhile, in the Rafiganj block of Aurangabad district, a group of Bhim Army members protested against the recent Supreme Court order by organising a torch procession late on Tuesday night.

The Bharat Bandh, scheduled for Wednesday, has been called by the Aarakshan Bachao Sangharsh Samiti in opposition to the Supreme Court's ruling on the "quota within quota" issue.

The recent Supreme Court verdict has sparked significant debate by suggesting that not all Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) communities are equally disadvantaged. The ruling allows state governments to further classify these communities and potentially establish separate quotas for those considered more backward within the SC and ST categories.

In response, people connected with Aarakshan Bachao Sangharsh Samiti believe that it undermines the original purpose of the reservation system. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has announced its support for the bandh, with the party's national vice president, Uday Narayan Choudhary, expressing concern over the ruling.

Choudhary emphasised that the reservation system, as envisioned by Dr B. R. Ambedkar was designed to combat untouchability and social discrimination, rather than being based on economic conditions.

He affirmed that the RJD would continue to protest until there is clarity on the Supreme Court's ruling, ensuring that the reservation system for SCs and STs remains a tool for eradicating social discrimination.
Kolkata, Aug 21 : Former principal of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata Dr Sandip Ghosh, on Wednesday, reached the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office here despite being summoned by the Kolkata Police on the same day.

Ghosh, as per the summons of the Kolkata Police issued on Tuesday evening, is supposed to be present at the city police headquarters by noon. The city police have summoned him for questioning on charges that he revealed the identity of the woman doctor of R.G. Kar, who was raped and murdered earlier this month, several times while speaking to the media persons.

Now it is to be seen whether Ghosh gets the chance to go to the city police headquarters from the CBI office, considering that the central agency officials have questioned him for an average of 12 to 14 hours daily during the last few days.

He arrived at CBIas Salt Lake office in Kolkata outskirts at 9 a.m. carrying some files. This is the sixth consecutive day since last Friday that he has appeared for questioning at the central agency's office.

Earlier this week, the state government announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team to probe the allegations of financial irregularities at R.G. Kar. Medical College & Hospital since 2021, when it was under the supervision of Ghosh.

Dr Ghosh stepped down as principal, days after the rape and murder of a junior doctor on the hospital premises.

Opposition parties have already claimed that the SIT has been formed because Ghosh might have revealed many secrets to the CBI during his grilling for the past few days.

He is currently on leave after the Calcutta High Court last week gave a clear instruction to the state Health Department not to appoint him as the head of any medical college in the state until further orders.

Notably, hours after resigning last Monday as the principal of R.G. Kar, citing "moral responsibility", Dr Ghosh was appointed as the principal of the Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital (CNMCH), triggering protests by the medical students and junior doctors of CNMCH.
Mumbai, Aug 21 : Pankaj Tripathi was recently invited as the Guest of Honour for the annual India Day Parade in New York, where he obliged a sea of fans for pictures as he believes that an actor's real success lies in the love and respect of the audiences.

After the event, a swarm of fans requested for pictures with the actor. Due to security reasons and safety protocols, the area was barricaded, limiting the interaction between the acclaimed actor and his fans.

However, that did not stop Pankaj, who leaned down on the floor to pose for selfies with those behind the barricades, ensuring that as many people as possible could capture a moment.

Talking about the experience, Pankaj said: "I have always believed that an actor's real success lies in the love and respect of the audience. My fans have supported me throughout my journey, and I feel it's my duty to reciprocate that love in whatever way I can.

He said that India Day Parade in New York was a special occasion.

Pankaj, whose latest release 'Stree 2' has created a tizzy at the box-office, added: "And I was overwhelmed by the warmth and affection of the people there. When I saw how much it meant to them to take a picture with me, I couldn't let a barricade stand in the way. I'm deeply grateful for the love they've shown me, and moments like these remind me why I chose this profession."

Pankaj was the guest of honour at this year's India Day Parade in New York.

The event was held at Madison Avenue, New York and was organised by the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA). The India Day Parade is a cherished event that brings together thousands of people to celebrate with vibrant floats, traditional dances, and cultural performances.

The FIA aims to promote Indian culture and heritage while fostering a sense of community among Indian-Americans.
Washington, Aug 21 : The denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula would remain a US policy objective should Vice President Kamala Harris win the White House race in November, said a former Pentagon official, dispelling concerns about the exclusion of the goal in the Democratic Party's new policy platform.

Colin Kahl, former undersecretary of defence for policy, made the remarks, saying that people appear to be "overreading" the platform.

Kahl is known to have participated in a process to write the platform, expected to help set the tone for Harris' policy stances, Yonhap news agency reported.

During the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday, party delegates officially adopted the platform that did not mention the goal in contrast with the 2020 document that stated a pledge to advance the "longer-term goal of denuclearisation."

"Denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula remains an objective of this (Biden) administration and, I would have to imagine, a Harris-Walz administration," Kahl told a press briefing.

Noting the reality of a challenging and time-consuming process to reach that objective, he highlighted a "near-term" priority to beef up deterrence against North Korean threats.

"I think realistically, in the near term, I don't think that experts who look at the Korean Peninsula see an imminent prospect of denuclearisation," he said.

"So the near-term priority has to be to make sure that we're defending our alliance commitments as it relates to South Korea, but also to close allies like Japan ... but also strengthening our deterrent."

The omission of the denuclearisation language in the 2024 platform raised questions over whether it signals any potential policy focus shift or reflects North Korea's unwillingness to talk or other hurdles toward that goal.

Some observers said that the exclusion might reflect Washington's emphasis on doubling down on deterrence to counter North Korean threats following Pyongyang's rejections of talks over a denuclearisation deal.

The omission also caused concerns that Pyongyang could misconstrue it as an opening to seek the US' acknowledgement of the North as a de facto nuclear power and negotiations on arms control rather than on denuclearisation -- an anathema to Seoul.
Akola : , Aug 21 (IANS) Amid the raging controversy over the sexual abuse of two girls in Badlapur's reputed school, a 42-year-old schoolteacher was arrested in Maharashtra's Akola district for repeatedly molesting six Class 8 girl students for the last four months and forcing them to watch adult films.

According to the police, the accused, identified as Pramod Sardar, showed obscene videos on his mobile phone before inappropriately touching the students. This took place in the Zilla Parishad school premises of Kazikheda village, 40 km from the city.

The incident came to light after one of the victims dared to call the 1098 child helpline. The complaint led to an inquiry by the Child Welfare Committee (CWC).

On Tuesday, the CWC members visited the school on the pretext of conducting an hour-long session with the students and requested to speak to the Class 8 girls in person. On this occasion, the victim girls gave information about the trauma they had endured for the last four months.

After hearing the girls' testimony, the CWC members immediately contacted the police. "We received a call from a CWC member and sent a police team to the school to record the statement of the minor girls," said Gopal Dhole, a police inspector at Ural police station. Thereafter, the police took Pramod Sardar into custody and booked him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (BNS).

School Principal Ravindra Samdoor said he was not aware of the sexual abuse by the teacher. "If I had known about it, I would have taken action immediately. It was only when the CWC team spoke to the girls that we came to know about the crime", he added.

Asha Mirje, a former member of the Maharashtra State Women's Commission, has condemned the incident and demanded strict action against the accused teacher. She slammed the school staff questioning how such abuse could go unnoticed in the school.

The Akola incident comes just days after two four-year-old girls were sexually assaulted at a school by a cleaning staff in Badlapur town in Thane district. The incident triggered protests, with residents blocking the Mumbai rail route at Badlapur railway station, bringing train services to a standstill on Tuesday.
Badlapur, Aug 21 : After protests over the alleged sexual abuse of two girls in Badlapur in Maharashtra's Thane district, internet services in the town were suspended to prevent the spread of misinformation.

The police have stepped up security and vigil in and around the town to avoid any untoward incidents and enforced Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita prohibiting rallies and gatherings.

The train services, halted for 12 hours due to 'rail roko' by protesters on Tuesday, have resumed. However, the shops remained closed.

The state government has reiterated that the case will be tried in the fast-track court and appointed senior lawyer Ujjwal Nikam as a special public prosecutor.

According to police sources, about 300 to 400 people have been booked in connection with the 'rail roko' agitation while 28 protesters have been detained.

A case was registered in Kalyan Lohmarg police station for obstructing the trains and government work, throwing stones at the police and staging violent agitation.

Those detained will be taken to the Kalyan Lohmarg Court in the afternoon. About four to five police personnel were injured in the stone pelting by the protesters on Tuesday.

School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar visited Badlapur on Tuesday and also met trustees and the principal of the school, where the girls were allegedly sexually abused.

He announced that the government will soon introduce a resolution, making it mandatory for all schools in the state to establish Vishakha Samiti for the protection and safety of girls.

The said Samiti will also have a mandate to take measures to curb sexual assault against girls and women.

The proposed Samiti will be in addition to the existing Sakhi Savitri Samiti scheme, ensuring that girls do not face any problems - mental, physical, or social - while exercising their right to get educated.

The minister said that the government will make the installation of CCTVs and its regular upkeep mandatory in over 1 lakh schools across the state.

The Municipal Commissioners and district-level Zilla Parishad CEO would be responsible for the installation of CCTVs in schools in their respective areas, he said.

This is important especially when it came to light that the CCTVs were not functioning in the Badlapur school.

"I have sought the report from the administration about lapses on the part of the school," he said.

The minister assured that action would be taken against the doctor who refused to attend to the victim who was reportedly lying in the police station without any treatment for a long time.

"I have called a meeting with the parents of the victims at 4 p.m. on Wednesday and appealed to them to speak to me freely. The government will take stern action against the accused," he added.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will embark on an official visit to the United States from August 23 to 26, at the invitation of US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, to further enhance the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.

The four-day visit, starting Friday, comes as part of the growing momentum in India-US relations, particularly in the defence sector.

During his visit, Rajnath Singh will hold a bilateral meeting with the US Defence Secretary to discuss various aspects of defence cooperation between the two nations, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

In addition to this key meeting, the Defence Minister is also scheduled to meet Jake Sullivan, the US Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, to discuss broader strategic issues.

The visit underscores the deepening military-to-military relationship between India and the US, which both nations view as crucial for stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

As part of his visit, Rajnath Singh will chair a high-level roundtable with representatives of the US defence industry to discuss ongoing and future collaborations in defence manufacturing and technology.

This engagement is expected to strengthen industrial ties and foster new partnerships in the defence sector.

The Defence Minister will also take the opportunity to interact with the Indian community in the US, reinforcing the ties between the two nations at the people-to-people level.

Last week, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh emphasised the importance of the India-US partnership, particularly in light of the National Defense Strategy (NDS) that focuses on the Indo-Pacific and the strategic challenge posed by China.

"The relationship with India remains one of great importance. It's one of great importance to the Indo-Pacific as well," she said at a news conference.

Rajnath Singh's visit marks the high-level engagement between India and the US since Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in for his third term in June this year.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : India has signed an agreement for the export of green ammonia to Japan marking a significant step forward in the country's journey to becoming a global leader in green energy in green hydrogen and ammonia production, the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) said.

The Heads of Terms (HoT) project offtake agreement was signed between Sembcorp Industries, Sojitz Corporation, Kyushu Electric Power and NYK Line solidifying a cross-border green ammonia supply partnership from India to Japan. Minister of New & Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi was present on the occasion.

Sembcorp Industries will lead the production of green ammonia in India, utilising renewable energy sources. Kyushu Electric Power has committed to integrating this green ammonia into its energy mix, partially replacing coal consumption at its thermal power plants in Japan.

Sojitz Corporation will act as the business intermediary, facilitating the connection between the ammonia producer and the off-taker. NYK Line will oversee the maritime transportation of green ammonia from India to Japan.

"This agreement will help establish a robust supply chain from production in India to consumption in Japan, paving the way for future collaborations in the green energy sector," Joshi said.

The Minister informed that a tender for 7.5 lakh tonnes per annum (TPA) of Green Ammonia is currently live, and additional tenders for 4.5 lakh TPA capacity have also been floated.

These efforts are part of India's broader strategy to award incentives for the production of over a million tonnes per annum of Green Hydrogen, demonstrating India's capability and intent to scale up green energy production at an unprecedented pace, he added.

The Minister expressed confidence that this agreement is just the beginning of India's expanding capabilities in the green energy sector, with future endeavours expected to be even more ambitious and impactful.

This agreement reinforces India's position as a key player in the global green energy market and reflects the government's steadfast support for green hydrogen and renewable energy initiatives. The collaboration with Japan is a testament to India's growing expertise and commitment to sustainable development and energy independence.
Mumbai, August 21 : NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule on Wednesday blamed the MahaYuti government for deteriorating law and order situation, especially in the wake of Badlapur sexual abuse case, and demanded Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis that security provided to her be withdrawn and the police personnel be deployed for public security.

"The law and order situation in Maharashtra has been very critical for the past few months. The people are living in an unsafe environment and due to constant untoward incidents there is an atmosphere of fear in the minds of the citizens. Women, young and elderly are not safe. Criminals are on the loose and there is no fear of the law. It is clearly seen that there is a huge strain on the police system while implementing the system," said Sule, who on Wednesday participated at the protest organised by the party's Pune unit against the spate of molestation and abuse of women and girls and government's failure to curb crimes against them.

"On the other hand, a large police system is working for the security of many elderly people, including me. But on the one hand, when the strength of the police system is decreasing in maintaining law and order, on the other hand, it is not right to take this security. Therefore, I request the State Home Minister to please immediately withdraw the police deployed for my security. These police officers given for my security should be appointed for public security," she added.

She also demanded that the government should immediately conduct the security needs of all those who have been given security cover in the state and those who do not need security should be removed. Thereafter those police personnel should be deployed for the security of the public.

"It is a humble request that state Home Minister Fadnavis should take this decision immediately so that law and order in the state remains intact and the people get a safe environment," said Sule.

Meanwhile, the NCP (SP) MP slammed the MahaYuti leaders for their statements over the Badlapur sexual abuse case.

Sule did not name the leader but said, "How serious the government is about the incident of child abuse in Badlapur is evident from the insensitive statements of its workers. The government should register a case of molestation against this person who spoke insultingly to the woman journalist who was covering the incident."
Chennai, Aug 21 : The Directorate of Private Schools in Tamil Nadu has issued an order to schools to take prior permission from district education officers before conducting National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Service Scheme (NSS), Scout and Guide or Junior Red Cross (JRC) programmes.

This is following the shocking incident of a 12-year-old girl student in Bargur, Krishnagiri District being sexually assaulted in a fake NCC camp at a private school.

It may be recalled that the All Women's Police Station in Bargur had on August 17 booked a case under the POCSO Act.

This was after the student was admitted to the Krishnagiri Government Medical College and Hospital with pelvic pain on August 16.

As many as 17 students had attended the camp and there were complaints that other than sexually assaulting this girl, 12 other students were sexually abused in a purported NCC camp from August 5 to August 9 in the private school where they were studying.

The police arrested the main accused Sivakumar who conducted the fake camp, the school principal, two women teachers and four staff including two women.

As per a circular issued to district education officers who are in charge of private schools, all schools are required to get prior approval before organising any camps on their campus or anywhere else.

The circular states that schools must submit a letter from the state or district office-bearers of the respective organisations.

A senior official with the Directorate of Private Schools told IANS, "There are standard instructions in place but now we have made them specific so that the safety of students is ensured."

The schools are directed to appoint an adequate number of male and female teachers to ensure the safety of students during these camps.

The circular states that female students must be trained by female instructors and male students by male instructors, as per the guidelines provided by the state unit.

Schools are required to get individual permission letters from the parents of all students who will be attending these camps.

The circular also mandates that no student must participate in any activities without a teacher's supervision.

The letter also stated that private schools must be properly registered with the state unit of the respective organisations to run NCC, Scout and Guide and JRC units.

Schools are not allowed to operate a unit of NCC, NSS if they don't have teachers who have received training from the state unit.

The circular also directs the district education officers to circulate this communication to all private schools and confirm that they are accepting the guidelines specified in the circular from the directorate.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 21. In the COP process, we'll make sure to see eye to eye on all major decisions, and we'll pull out all the stops to push for a global ceasefire during the event, Deputy Energy Minister of Azerbaijan and CEO of COP29 Elnur Soltanov told Turkish Anadolu Agency, Trend reports.

He explained that while major decisions require everyone to be on the same page, other proposals that push forward climate action but don't require everyone's blessing will also be taken into account.

Azerbaijan has put up fourteen initiatives in this sense. These ideas will be discussed with several nations and businesses to guarantee their general acceptance. Subjects cover climate financing, energy, agriculture, water resources, tourism, digitalization, green cities, and human resources. Like the Olympics, we shall advocate a worldwide truce, he emphasized.

Additionally, Soltanov stated that Azerbaijan anticipates approximately 80,000 attendees during COP29.

With our current setup, we can host up to forty thousand people daily. After receiving invitations, more than fifty heads of state and government have confirmed their presence. Our prediction is that this figure will increase. In line with all nations, Armenia has also been invited.

COP29 will be Azerbaijan's most unique international event to date. As a leader in this area, we will take the lead in the climate negotiations. Our goal is to showcase Azerbaijan's hospitality and guarantee a top-notch organization by bringing together government agencies, companies, and NGOs. In all likelihood, COP29 will be a success, he added.

To note, this November, Azerbaijan will host COP29. This decision was made at the COP28 plenary meeting held in Dubai on December 11 last year. Baku will become the center of the world and will receive about 7080,000 foreign guests.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. COP - the Conference of the Parties - is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change. There are 198 countries that are parties to the Convention. Unless the parties agree otherwise, the COP is held annually. The first COP event took place in March 1995 in Germany's Berlin, with its secretariat in Bonn.

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Srinagar, Aug 21 : Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will now arrive in Srinagar on Wednesday evening after rescheduling their visit to Jammu and Kashmir.

The visit of the senior Congress leaders to J&K was rescheduled because of the Bharat Bandh. According to the earlier schedule, the two were to visit Jammu first.

This will be Rahul Gandhi's first visit to the union territory after he became the LoP.

After holding deliberations with the National Conference (NC) leaders in Srinagar, Rahul Gandhi and Kharge will go to Jammu to meet the Congress leaders and discuss issues pertaining to the Legislative Assembly elections in the union territory.

"He will discuss seat-sharing formula with the NC leaders here while the pre-poll alliance is almost final," Congress sources said.

Rahul Gandhi will also meet Pradesh Congress Committee leaders to discuss the seat-sharing formula.

NC president, Dr Farooq Abdullah, however, has recently said that there would be no pre-poll alliance with any political party and the party is confident of getting a majority in the 90-member J&K Assembly on its own.

Congress and the NC had a poll alliance during the Lok Sabha polls as well. Two seats of the Jammu division and the lone Lok Sabha seat of the Ladakh union territory were given to the Congress while three seats in Kashmir were given to the NC.

Congress lost both seats in the Jammu division to the BJP while the Ladakh seat was won by an NC rebel defeating the BJP and the Congress candidates.

Out of the three seats in Kashmir, Srinagar and Anantnag-Rajouri were won by the NC. An independent candidate, Engineer Rashid defeated NC Vice President and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the Baramulla Lok Sabha election.

J&K has been without an elected government since June 2018 when the BJP pulled out of the Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP coalition government. The state came under the Governor's rule and the then-Governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved the state Assembly.

On August 5, 2019, Article 370 was abrogated and J&K was divided into two union territories of J&K and Ladakh.

After holding a largely people-participative Lok Sabha election, the ECI announced the 3-phase Assembly elections in J&K.

Voting will be held for the first phase on September 18, for the second phase on September 28 and for the third phase on October 1.

Counting is scheduled on October 4 and the poll process would be over by October 6.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : In a fillip to the government's chip manufacturing vision, semiconductor company Suchi Semicon on Wednesday said it is set to inaugurate an assembly and testing (OSAT) plant in Gujarat by November this year with an investment of $100 million.

Spanning an initial area of 30,000 square feet, the plant will have the capacity to produce up to 3 million chips per day, generating up to 1,200 jobs, the company said in a statement.

The facility will focus on advanced semiconductor assembly and testing, in line with the government's 'Make in India' initiative.

Suchi Semicon said it has also collaborated with Gujarat Technological University and SVNIT to develop a skilled workforce for the semiconductor industry.

"Our goal is to address the growing global demand for semiconductors while also reducing supply chain inefficiencies. By creating up to 1,200 local jobs and leveraging cutting-edge technology, we aim to offer competitive pricing and high-quality services on the global stage," said Ashok Mehta, Founder of Suchi Semicon.

This approach will reduce supply chain lead times and logistical costs, benefiting companies with design operations in India.

"With this investment, we're not just scaling up production but also empowering the local community through job creation and skill development," said Shetal Mehta, Co-Founder of Suchi Semicon.

The Surat-based plant will serve key sectors such as consumer electronics, automobiles, telecommunications and wearables.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his Independence Day address to the nation, said the country has the potential to fulfil the dream of developing a 'Made in India' chip for every piece of equipment.

Semiconductors, modern technologies and artificial intelligence are "inextricably linked to our future and we have started working on the Indian Semiconductor Mission."

The first indigenously-developed chip is set to arrive in the country by the end of this year.

While India is growing in stature in the field of manufacturing across sectors, the country also has the necessary talent to design quality products, including chips.
Gurugram, Aug 21 : A youth was killed and six others were injured after a truck hit their vehicle on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway near Pachgaon Chowk on Wednesday, police said.

Complainant Rahul, a resident of Housing Board Colony, Bhiwadi, told the police that he, along with his friends Suraj, Pankaj, Shubham, Neeraj, Sachin and Deepraj, had gone to Gurugram for some work in his tempo.

When they were returning from Gurugram to Bhiwadi and reached Pachgaon Chowk on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway late at around 2 a.m., a speeding truck coming from behind hit their tempo.

The tempo driver lost control of the vehicle and it overturned. After the incident, the truck driver fled from the spot.

The people nearby took all the injured to a private hospital, where Suraj died during the treatment.

Suraj, a resident of Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh, used to work in a factory while staying on rent in Bhiwadi. Police have informed the family members about the incident. The condition of others injured in the accident is stable, police said.

"A truck rammed them from behind, killing one of them. The injured have been admitted to the hospital. The deceasedas body has been kept in the mortuary for autopsy," Sandeep Kumar, spokesperson of the Gurugram Police said.

The Gurugram traffic police have pointed out many black spots on the expressway, which are prone to accidents.

At present, flyover work is underway at the Bilaspur Chowk to curb accidents on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway. In the absence of a flyover, several people have lost their lives.

aThe flyover work is in full swing which will be completed soon," a traffic official said.
Kolkata, Aug 21 : Hundreds of representatives from the medical fraternity, including senior and junior doctors as well as medical students, hit the streets at Salt Lake here on Wednesday demanding justice for the woman doctor of state-run R. G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata who was allegedly raped and murdered in the medical facility.

The protest march, which started from the Central Government Office (CGO) complex, would culminate at Swasthya Bhavan, the state health department headquarters.

Explaining the rationale behind starting the rally from the CGO complex, a protesting doctor said that the said complex houses the office of the special crime unit of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which is conducting the probe into the matter,

"A week has passed since the CBI officials have started the investigation process and we are yet to get any information about any significant progress in the probe process. So, we started our rally from the CGO complex to send a subtle message to CBI," he said.

While the rally started, former R.G Kar principal Sandip Ghosh, who is facing interrogation in the case, was within the CBI office at the CGO complex.

Meanwhile, both the CGO complex and Swasthya Bhavan have been wrapped under a thick security blanket since Wednesday morning.

Heavy police deployment has been made to escort the protesters during the rally.

The protesters are marching peacefully raising slogans like "We want Justice" or "Justice for R.G. Kar victim".

The protesters carrying posters sought justice, fast probe and punishment for the accused.

As per the schedule, after reaching Swasthya Bhavan, a delegation of the protesters will meet the top officials of the state Health Department and submit a memorandum in which their demands will be enlisted.

The post-mortem report of the victim had suggested that the body had 14 injuries.

The body of a female doctor was found under suspicious circumstances in the seminar hall of the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. So far, only one person has been arrested in connection with the case.
Mumbai, Aug 21 : The protest that led to rail roko against the sexual abuse of two four-year-old girls in reputed Badlapur school is politically motivated, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde alleged on Wednesday, claiming that the involvement of locals was limited while a lot of people were brought in from outside.

He targeted the opposition saying that Tuesday's protest was to defame the MahaYuti government.

"The seven to eight-hour protest in Badlapur was politically motivated. It unfortunately caused hardship to lakhs of railway passengers which should not have happened. People came from outside as they were brought in vehicles. Everything is visible in the CCTV footage. The state minister (Girish Mahajan) explained to the protesters and accepted all the demands. Still, they weren't backing down. They wanted to defame the government. There are many issues to be politicised. But shame on them who politicise the sexual abuse of minor girls," said Shinde.

The CM claimed that the opposition was unable to digest the success of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana and questioned how some protesters were displaying the Ladki Bahin scheme during the protest. "I want to tell the opposition that their discomfort over the Ladki Bahin's success was visible on Tuesday," he said.

Shinde admitted that the Badlapur incident was very unfortunate and the police were investigating the case, saying that no one would be spared.

"The police have been ordered to take action to ensure severe punishment to the accused. This case will be taken up on the fast track, for which SIT has been formed. The policemen who caused a delay in the registration of the case have been suspended. Government is behind the families of the victims and all cooperation will be provided," he said.

Shinde added that the government will take a few more steps including providing security to the girls and women to avoid such incidents in future. He asked the opposition not to politicise the Badlapur case.

Meanwhile, the state government is in damage control mode. In the wake of the Badlapur sexual abuse case, cabinet minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha on Wednesday announced that the government has given orders to all educational institutions to appoint women staff near women's toilets, start self-defence campaign and conduct police verification of every school employee including bus drivers, security personnel and canteen staff.

Further, all schools and educational institutions will have to establish a committee of parents of girls and senior officials for their safety. The safety and health of girls will be reviewed per month.
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 21 : Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly V. D. Satheesan on Wednesday said that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has blatantly lied for not releasing the explosive report of Justice (retd) Hema Committee on the condition and sexual exploitation of women in Malayalam film industry.

It was on Monday that the Hema Committee report was put out after a long-drawn legal battle.

Satheesan said that people are surprised by the reason Vijayan gave on Tuesday: "It was Justice Hema herself who wrote to the state government in 2020, quoting the apex court guidelines not to name the people in the report as it is private information and it has to be kept extra confidential. The state government had no role in this."

Satheesan slammed Vijayan, telling him to not take people for a ride as all know that the apex court directive is that the names of the victims should not be disclosed.

"Who doesn't know that and that's what Justice Hema has informed the Vijayan government through a letter. So this clearly shows that Vijayan and the state government have an agenda to not disclose the names of the accused. The CPI-M is always known for shielding wrongdoers if they are close to the CPI-M," said Satheesan.

"Hema has never ever said to not release the report, she said that if the report is released, it should be as per the apex court's directives. Moreover, Section 21 of the POCSO Act clearly states that if anyone after coming to know about an incident fails to report or take appropriate action, then they are liable to be jailed. In this case, the report clearly states the violation that has taken place, but Vijayan nor the previous State Minister of Films, A. K. Balan who received the report, and the present Minister Saji Cherian failed to act," added Satheesan.

What has now become a joke is that Vijayan says that the government will hold a cinema conclave, and what is hilarious is that the victims, the accused and all others will sit and discuss.

"We are clear, we want the wrongdoers to be brought before the law. We demand a probe by a team of the Kerala Police headed by a lady IPS officer. It's a criminal act that with the entire evidence in a pen drive, Vijayan says that there is no complaint. We will not sit idle, we will wait for a while to see what action is coming; if not, we will take appropriate steps," added Satheesan.

"We wish to remind Vijayan that he has a legal obligation and he has to do it," said Satheesan.
Mumbai, Aug 21 : The Hindi trailer of the upcoming audio series 'Marvel's Wastelanders: Doom' was unveiled on Wednesday, and it gives a peek into the world domination plans of Doctor Doom, voiced by actor Ashish Vidyarthi.

Mumbai, Aug 21 (IANS) The Hindi trailer of the upcoming audio series aMarvel's Wastelanders: Dooma was unveiled on Wednesday, and it gives a peek into the world domination plans of Doctor Doom, voiced by actor Ashish Vidyarthi.

aMarvel's Wastelanders: Dooma marks the fifth season of the Hindi Original podcast series of Marvelas aWastelandersa. The trailer follows what happens after the fall of the Super Heroes of the Marvel universe and the subsequent rise of the Super Villains.

As shown in the trailer, Doctor Doom is out for revenge and he now rules with an iron fist. However, the resistance stirs with the Super Heroes uniting in the face of humanityas face hangs in the balance. Yashaswini Dayama lends her voice to the character of Valeria Richards, who is the goddaughter of Ashish Vidyarthias character of Doctor Doom, listeners will be drawn into the post-apocalyptic world.

The six-season audio epic originally launched as an English language series in June 2021. The English language version of Marvelas Wastelanders: Doom was written by Mark Waid and James Kim, story by Mark Waid. Original sound design and music by Mark Henry Phillips.

The 5th season in the series, Marvelas aWastelanders: Dooma is set to launch on September 4, 2024 on Audible.

Elsewhere in the Marvel universe, Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr. has returned to the barracks of Marvel studios as he is set to essay the role of Doctor Doom in the live action version after his character of Tony Stark died in aAvengers: Endgamea as he sacrificed his life to stop Thanos.

After a critically acclaimed work in aOppenheimera, Robert Downey Jr. will be next seen in aAvengers: Doomsdaya, the announcement of his return to MCU was done at 2024 Comic-Con International: San Diego. aAvengers: Doomsdaya will be directed by Joe and Anthony Russo in their own return to Marvel
Mumbai, Aug 21 : Bollywood star Shraddha Kapoor, who is basking in the success of her recent horror-comedy offering 'Stree 2', has spoken up about why she hasn't yet worked with the superstars of Hindi cinema, the holy trinity of Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan.

During a podcast with Shubhankar Mishra, the 'Aashiqui 2' actress, said that she hasn't yet got the opportunity to work with the 3 Khans of Bollywood.

She said, "Many times you are offered a film, but if you feel the character isn't exciting enough or the role doesn't challenge the artiste in you then you let go off that role. I'm very clear about the king of work that I choose".

She further mentioned, "I want to be part of good films, engaging films with good stories, work with good directors, and do good work. If the by-product of all of this is the opportunity to work with good actors or huge stars, I'm happy to say yes to it".

Meanwhile, Shraddha, who returned to box-office almost after 16 months, has delivered her 2nd consecutive Rs 200 crore film with 'Stree 2', the first being 'Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar' in which she starred opposite superstar Ranbir Kapoor which collected Rs 223 crores worldwide.

As per industry tracker Sacnilk, 'Stree 2' has netted Rs 255 crores at the Indian box-office with additional Rs 55 crores in overseas collections taking its worldwide collections to Rs 361.15 crore.

'Stree 2', which released on Independence Day, clashed with the multi-starrer 'Khel Khel Mein', John Abraham-starrer 'Vedaa' and the Telugu movie 'Double iSmart', and has managed to leave behind them all. The Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao-starrer film is witnessing highest occupancy during evening and night shows.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : Respiratory droplets might play a role in the spread of Mpox but not as efficiently as Covid-19 or even flu, said infectious disease experts on Wednesday.

Mpox is a viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of central and west Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions. The disease is currently seeing an outbreak in Africa with over 14,000 cases and 524 deaths have been reported, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it a global health emergency.

It majorly causes fevers, headaches, and muscle aches, as well as painful boils on the skin. It spreads from person to person through close, skin-to-skin contact.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prolonged face-to-face interactions (such as talking or breathing)" may increase the risk of transmission. The WHO also maintains that respiratory droplets (and possibly short-range aerosols) can result in Mpox transmission.

"This suggests that respiratory droplets might play a role in transmission. That being said, it's considered to play a lesser role in transmission dynamics as compared to direct intimate contact and sexual contact which are the primary modes of transmission," Dr. Dipu T S, Professor and Unit Chief, Infectious Diseases Department, Amrita Hospital, Kochim told IANS.

A recent study published by the University of New South Wales in Australia showed that the current outbreak caused by the Clade 1 strain has reported 70 per cent of cases and 88 per cent of deaths in children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

"The predominance of children in the DRC epidemic suggests transmission may be respiratory. In fact, smallpox and Mpox are respiratory viruses, and Mpox has been identified in ambient air," the researchers noted.

The study showed that the variola virus (smallpox) was highly airborne, "with the potential to transmit over long distances".

Another study by a team of Spanish researchers in a 2023 study published in the journal The Lancet Microbe also showed that Mpox raised the risk of transmission indoors in poorly ventilated rooms.

Referring to the US CDC, Dr. Lancelot Mark Pinto, Consultant Pulmonologist and Epidemiologist, P. D. Hinduja Hospital & Medical Research Centre, said that the keywords are "prolonged" and "face-to-face".

"Unlike highly transmissible airborne viruses such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2, Mpox isn't likely to spread during casual short encounters," Pinto told IANS.

"Family transmission, sexual partner transmission, and caregiver transmission is much more likely, and therefore such encounters would need added protection," he added.

The 2022-2023 global outbreak of Mpox was caused by a strain known as clade IIb. Since 2022, the WHO has reported 99,176 cases and 208 deaths due to monkeypox from 116 countries.

A total of 30 cases were detected in India, with the last case in March 2024.

Global scientists claim that if the more pathogenic Clade I Mpox becomes highly transmissible between humans, it may pose a greater pandemic threat than Clade IIb.

However, Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, in a recent media briefing stated that Mpox, regardless of Clade IIb or Clade Ib, is not the new Covid, as speculated. He said health authorities know how to control its spread.

Currently, there is no proven treatment against Mpox.

Bavarian Nordic's MVA-BN vaccine (Jynneos/Imvanex) -- approved in the US, Europe, and Canada -- is the leading Mpox vaccine worldwide.

In addition, KM Biologics' LC16 vaccine is available in Japan and Emergent BioSolutions' ACAM2000 is also under regulatory review for Mpox in the US.

The Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's largest vaccine maker, has also announced plans to develop a vaccine for Mpox.

"Serum Institute of India is currently working on developing a vaccine for Mpox," said CEO Adar Poonawalla, in a statement, adding that the company will share "positive news within a year's time".

"To prevent the transmission of Mpox, the general public should avoid close contact with infected individuals, and practise good hygiene by regularly washing hands and disinfecting surfaces," Dipu told IANS.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : The import dependency of India's urea industry, contributing to 55 per cent of chemical fertiliser demand, is expected to fall to 10-15 per cent in the near-to-medium term from its peak of 30 per cent seen in fiscal 2021, a report showed on Wednesday.

This will be mainly driven by commencement and stabilisation of new capacities, as the industry takes strong strides towards self-sufficiency, according to a Crisil Ratings report.

To boost domestic production, the government notified the New Investment Policy 2012 (NIP 2012) in fiscal 2013. Under this, six plants with a total capacity of 7.62 million tonnes (25 per cent of the domestic capacity) have been gradually commissioned over the past five fiscals.

"The NIP 2012 has played a crucial role in reducing import dependence structurally. The new plants are expected to operate at 100 per cent capacity utilisation this fiscal, as against 85-90 per cent in the previous fiscal, as operations stabilise," said Anand Kulkarni, Director, Crisil Ratings.

The likely commissioning of one more plant by next fiscal will further boost domestic production. These new plants will see steady regulated returns as utilisation improves.

According to the report, as for the legacy capacities, profits will remain stable this fiscal, in line with raw material prices and policies. That, and adequate subsidy allocation will keep credit profiles stable

The report mentioned that working capital cycles remain stable, backed by government measures. The urea industry relies heavily on government subsidies, which is typically 80-85 per cent of sales.

Nitin Bansal, Associate Director, Crisil Ratings, said the budgetary allocation of Rs 1.19 lakh crore for urea will be adequate and hence no major build-up of subsidy receivables is expected this fiscal.

"With no significant capital expenditure, the net leverage is expected to remain comfortable at 3 times this fiscal, in line with fiscal 2024," Bansal added.

Urea makers get reimbursements of a defined fixed cost per ton along with raw material cost as per prescribed energy norms. The existing energy efficiency norms announced in March 2018 are applicable till end of fiscal 2025.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 21. Azerbaijan, which is getting ready to roll out the red carpet for approximately 80,000 guests at COP29, has extended invitations to all countries, including Armenia, with whom it had a past conflict, deputy energy minister and CEO of the 29th session (COP29) of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Elnur Soltanov said this in an interview with Turkiye's Anadolu Agency, Trend reports.

According to him, although the current number of confirmed participants at COP29 exceeds 50 heads of state and government, that figure is anticipated to increase.

He noted that climate financing will be an important part of the national, regional, and international agenda at COP29.

Soltanov mentioned that one of the top priorities of COP29 will be to grease the wheels and ensure that developed countries step up to the plate and lend a helping hand to developing countries.

The African continent accounts for around four percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Still, it is the continent most impacted by climate change.

To lower greenhouse gas emissions and slow down climate change, developing nations require financial help. There are serious negotiations under progress to boost climate money, which at present amounts to about $100 billion. By COP29, perhaps, a resolution on this matter will be taken, Soltanov added.

To note, the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) will be held in Azerbaijan in November this year. The decision was made at the plenary meeting of COP28 held in Dubai on December 11 last year. Within two weeks, Baku, having become the center of the world, will host about 70,00080,000 foreign guests.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Rio Earth Summit in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference in the climate system. The acronym COP (Conference of Parties) stands for Conference of Parties, which is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.

A total of 198 countries are parties to the convention. Unless the parties have decided otherwise, COP is held annually. The first COP event was held in March 1995 in Germany's Berlin, with its secretariat in Bonn.

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Vientiane, Aug 21 : Lao authorities have discussed preparations for the ASEAN Energy Business Forum and the 42nd ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting, which will take place in Lao capital Vientiane from September 24 to 27.

According to a report issued by the Lao Ministry of Energy and Mines on Wednesday, the event will be an international conference and exhibition that promotes the development of the ASEAN energy sector.

The 42nd ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting will focus on key aspects of energy cooperation within ASEAN and the implementation of the ASEAN plan of action for energy cooperation 2016-2025 Phase 2, reports Xinhua news agency.

It will also review the outcomes and follow-up requirements from previous high-level ASEAN meetings and coordination bodies.

The ASEAN Energy Business Forum has grown over the years to become a high-level platform for information exchange and cooperation opportunities for stakeholders in the ASEAN energy sector, including policymakers, business players and researchers from the region and beyond.

According to the report, the forum is viewed as a unique opportunity for companies to connect with the industry's most important stakeholders and decision-makers.
Bhopal, Aug 21 : Union Minister George Kurian on Wednesday filed his nomination papers as a BJP candidate for the upcoming bypoll to a Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh.

While filing his nomination, he was accompanied by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Deputy Chief Ministers Rajendra Shukla and Jagdish Devda, state BJP chief V.D. Sharma, former Union Minister Faggan Singh Kulaste, several state Ministers and party leaders.

The BJP on Tuesday evening announced Kurian as its candidate for the Upper House seat from Madhya Pradesh that fell vacant after Jyotiraditya Scindia was elected to the Lok Sabha.

Earlier, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and state BJP chief V.D. Sharma welcomed him at the Chief Minister's residence and then they together went to the Assembly.

BJP veteran, Kurian (63) is the Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy Farming.

Hailing from Kerala's Kottayam, he has worked to strengthen the organisation through decades in the south state.

He was part of the BJP's core group in Kerala for more than two decades and later became the state vice-president. He was also a member of the BJP's national executive.

Kurian will be the second South Indian BJP leader to become the Rajya Sabha MP from Madhya Pradesh after Tamil Nadu-based Union Minister L. Murugan, at present.

The Upper House seat from the state became vacant after Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia won the Lok Sabha election from Guna constituency on June 4. Scindia was made Rajya Sabha MP in June 2020, four months after he disassociated from the Congress and joined the BJP in March 2020.

Madhya Pradesh has a total of 11 seats for the Rajya Sabha, of them, eight are from the BJP, and three are from Congress.

The by-election to 12 Rajya Sabha seats will be held on September 3. The process of filing nominations started on August 14 and will continue till August 21. The BJP has already announced nine names for the coming by-election for Rajya Sabha.

Ten of 12 seats fell vacant as the sitting members, including Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Sarbananda Sonowal and Jyotiraditya Scindia, were elected to the Lok Sabha. With this election, the NDA is hoping to gain a majority in the Rajya Sabha which has eluded it for a decade.
Chennai, Aug 21 : Tamil film actor and popular comedian S. N. Vadivelu has moved Madras High Court seeking compensation of Rs 5 crore from actor K. R. Singamuthu for defamatory allegations made against him in interviews to various YouTube channels this year.

Justice R. M. T. Teekaa Raman of Madras High Court allowed an application filed by Vadivelu along with the suit.

The judge also ordered notice returnable by two weeks on another application filed by Vadivelu for an interim injunction restraining the defendant from making further defamatory allegations related to his personal and professional life.

The plaintiff said that he had been acting in Tamil cinema since 1991 and has more than 300 movies to his credit. He also said that he had created a niche for himself by becoming one of the most sought-after comedians whose memes continue to be popular on social media.

He also stated that he collaborated with Singamuthu in many movies since 2000 and that their combination had been a big hit.

Vadivelu, in his prayer, said that the relationship between them soured in 2015 and since then, the latter had been making personal comments against him in public fora.

He urged the court to issue a permanent injunction restraining Singamuthu from indulging in "character assassination" by speaking about the plaintiff's personal and professional life and also to direct him to pay a compensation of Rs 5 crore for the damage already caused.
Bhopal, Aug 21 : BJP MP and former Union Minister Faggan Singh Kulaste on Wednesday slammed the Congress, accusing it of playing politics over Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes reservation.

Amid a nationwide strike call (Bharat Bandh) given by the Aarakshan Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (ABSS) on Wednesday to protest against the Supreme Court's recent ruling on the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Kulaste told media persons in Bhopal that he was among 70 Members of Parliament (MPs) who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and handed over a memorandum to him on the issue.

"During the meeting, Prime Minister Modi had assured that no creamy layer applies to the SC\ST quota. The Union Cabinet had also approved this proposal," Kulaste said.

On the Supreme Court's verdict, he claimed that "four judges of the Supreme Court have made their observations, which should not be taken as the court's judgment".

"We cannot comment on judges' observation, but, it is not the SC's judgment on SC\ST reservation," Kulaste added.

He further said, "Politics is being played in the name of SC/ST as the opposition has nothing to do."

"Congress has always played politics over SC/ST reservation. We should not forget that during the Congress regime in 1994-95, an attempt was made to end the reservation for SC/ST. And then, the BJP under the leadership of (ex-PM) Atal Bihari Vajpayee had opposed it in the Parliament," he said.

With the ruling, the Supreme Court has allowed state governments to sub-classify SCs and STs and potentially establish separate quotas for those considered more disadvantaged groups.

The National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR) has taken an opposing view to a recent Supreme Court judgement by a seven-judge bench that undermines the earlier ruling of a nine-judge bench in the landmark Indira Sawhney case, which established the framework for reservations in India.

Several political parties, including Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), have extended their support to the Bharat Bandh.
Bengaluru, Aug 21 : Karnataka BJP on Wednesday said that it would hold a statewide protest for 'disrespecting' Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot after he gave consent to investigate Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the MUDA case.

"The BJP will hold protests in all district centres across the state on August 22 to condemn Congress for disrespecting the dignity of the Governor and to demand the Chief Minister's resignation in light of Siddaramaiah's involvement in the case," Karnataka BJP General Secretary V. Sunil Kumar said.

He said that the protests would take place in all district centres including Bengaluru, adding that the members of the core committee, local MPs, MLAs, former ministers, former MLAs, public representatives, district presidents, and office bearers will participate in these protests.

"During a Congress protest, the image of the Governor was disrespected while in some places, his photographs were burned. Ministers Zameer Ahmed Khan, Krishna Byre Gowda, and Legislative Council member Ivan D'Souza have made objectionable remarks against the Governor," said Sunil Kumar.

He added that in Beltangady town, Congress leader Rakshit Shivaram made derogatory remarks against the Prime Minister, adding that the Congress leaders have been making statements which incite violence.

"Police Department should register suo motu cases against them," he demanded.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar taking a dig at the BJP, said that there are internal issues within the BJP. "They are now staging another protest to fix those issues. Their protest holds no significance," said Shivakumar.

On the BJP's protest near his residence in Sadashivanagar, the Deputy Chief Minister said that they staged a 'Mysuru Chalo' protest alleging MUDA corruption.

"We have already addressed that issue. Now they are protesting again can anyone stop them from doing so? Who told them not to protest?" he said.

About the repairing of the Tungabhadra Dam gates, he said, the gates have been repaired with the hard work of labourers, engineers, and officials.

"As soon as the dam is full, the Chief Minister and I will perform the Bagina ceremony. The government will honour every labourer involved in the repair work. The BJP criticised us on this issue but we didn't speak then. We worked and achieved results. Criticisms fade away but the work remains," the Deputy Chief Minister said.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : Acting swiftly on the recommendation made by the Supreme Court (SC) Collegium, the Centre on Wednesday notified the appointment of two additional judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court as permanent judges.

"In exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint (i) Smt. Justice Venkata Jyothirmai Pratapa and (ii) Shri Justice Venuthurumalli Gopala Krishna Rao, Additional Judges of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, to be Judges of that High Court with effect from the date they assume charge of their respective offices," said a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.

Last week, the SC Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, recommended the appointment of two additional judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court as permanent judges.

The Collegium of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, in May, unanimously forwarded its recommendation naming Justices Venkata Jyothirmai Pratapa and Venuthurumalli Gopala Krishna Rao.

The SC Collegium said that it has consulted other judges of the apex court who are conversant with the affairs of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in terms of the Memorandum of Procedure.

"A Committee of two Judges of the Supreme Court constituted by the Chief Justice of India in terms of the Resolution dated 26 October 2017 of the Supreme Court Collegium has assessed the judgments of the above-named Additional Judges," it said.

The SC Collegium said that it has scrutinised the materials placed on record, including the opinions of the consultee colleagues and the reports of the Judgment Assessment Committee, to assess the merit and suitability of these additional judges for appointment as permanent judges in the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Bearing in mind all aspects, the SC Collegium resolved that these additional judges be appointed as permanent judges in the Andhra Pradesh High Court against the existing vacancies.

"As the views of the Chief Minister and the Governor of the State of Andhra Pradesh have not been received, the Department of Justice has forwarded the above recommendation by invoking para 14 of the Memorandum of Procedure which provides that if the comments of the State Constitutional authorities are not received within the prescribed time-frame, it should be presumed by the Minister of Law and Justice that the Governor and the Chief Minister have nothing to add to the proposal and proceed accordingly," said a statement uploaded on the website of the apex court.
Hyderabad, Aug 21 : Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has called for a protest across Telangana on Thursday to demand that the state government completely waive off Rs 2 lakh crop loans of all farmers without any restrictions.

Reiterating the allegation that the Congress government abetrayeda farmers by not fully implementing farm loan waiver, BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Wednesday asked party workers to stage protests in support of the growers.

He told a Press conference that the government cheated lakhs of farmers by not waiving off their loans despite making promises.

KT Rama Rao alleged that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy backstabbed 70 lakh farmers with false promises and misleading talk.

Citing media reports, he said farmers have come on roads to protest by locking banks and laying siege to government offices.

KT Rama Rao alleged that the government was booking false police cases against farmers to suppress their protest.

KT Rama Rao also alleged that the Chief Minister was trying to divert attention from farmersa protest by using abusive words against BRS President and former chief minister, K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR).

KT Rama Rao claimed the BRS will not allow its attention to be diverted and stand by farmers.

The BRS leader said the Chief Minister should apologise to farmers for failing to fulfil promises including loan waiver and withdraw cases booked against some of them in Adilabad District.

Making it clear that the BRS would gun for the government till it fulfils all its promises, he said if necessary the party would begin a ajail bharoa programme.

KT Rama Rao claimed that the Chief Minister himself had said that farmers had outstanding loans of Rs 49,000 crore in December 2023 but he kept revising the figure downwards and finally loans to the tune of only Rs 7,500 crore were waived.

KT Rama Rao cited the statement made by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka at a meeting of bankers on Tuesday that only Rs 7,500 crore loans were waived.

He played the videos of the speeches of Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and ministers to highlight their contradictory statements on loan waiver.

The BRS Working President alleged that the government was making excuses for failing to implement loan waiver.

He recalled that after the state Cabinet meeting it was announced that loans of Rs 31,000 crore would be waived but this did not happen.

He alleged that the Chief Minister made a false claim on August 15 that crop loans of Rs 31,000 crore were waived.

KT Rama Rao also referred to the statements of Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy and Revenue Minister P Srinivas Reddy that crop loan waiver was not fully implemented.

He also slammed the Chief Minister for his comments on Telangana Talli and called on the party cadres to wash the statues of Telangana Talli with milk during the protest on Thursday.
Moscow, Aug 21 : Russia destroyed 45 Ukrainian drones overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, including 11 over the Moscow region, the Russian Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday.

Moscow's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that there were 11 drones shot down over the territory of the Moscow region, one of the largest drone attacks on Moscow ever, Xinhua news agency reported.

Another 23 drones were destroyed over the Bryansk region, six were shot down over the Belgorod region, three over the Kaluga region and two over the Kursk region, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, three counterattacks of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Avdeyevka direction were disrupted overnight, the ministry said.

Last week, the Russian military repelled a similar group missile attack on the Crimean Bridge and drone attacks over the Black Sea overnight.

"Air defence systems repelled a group attack by 12 US-made ATACMS operational-tactical missiles on the Crimean Bridge over the night. All missiles were destroyed," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry added that Ukraine had launched drone attacks in the Black Sea on August 15 and that its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed five Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea.

Russian helicopters destroyed five Ukrainian unmanned boats in the Black Sea heading in the direction of Crimea, it added.
Mumbai, Aug 21 : Music composer duo Sharib-Toshi, who are awaiting the release of their new track 'Salle Alla', has said that trying anything new in the music industry, which is majorly driven by the market, demands a lot of courage from artistes.

'Salle Alla' is a Sufi track and features Pakistani artiste Hashim Ahmedani. It marks the duo's first Pakistani collaboration, and the single will be released on August 30, 2024.

When asked about the collaboration, the duo Sharib-Toshi said, "Daring to try something different from the crowd, especially in the music industry, takes immense courage. We have always wanted to make the Sufi genre popular among the current generation, which is a huge challenge and requires faith in oneself. When we heard the idea from producer Hashim and composer Alex, we were instantly on board".

The Sufi single depicts a deep expression of divine union and love with the lyrics furnished by Zaheer Zarf express the soul's quest for a connection with the divine, transcending worldly concerns. The idea for this collaboration with Sharib-Toshi first came from composer and music producer Alex Shahbaz, who wanted to create an original piece with live recorded instruments.

"This collaboration not only entertains the audience but also serves as a wonderful opportunity to unite people across the country through Sufi music. We're excited about working together more and allowing music to bridge cultural divides", the duo added.

Speaking about their first collaboration with Bollywood artistes, Hashim and Alex said, "This track is a testament to the fact that music transcends all barriers. Working with the brothers was an incredible experience and a dream come true for me. Their humility is reflected in their music, and we can't wait for our audience to witness the magic of this single. We hope to create new memories through this collaboration".
Bengaluru, Aug 21 : Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that the government will not hesitate to arrest Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy in the mining case if the need arises.

"If the situation arises, Kumaraswamy will be arrested without hesitation in the mining case. However, the situation to arrest Kumaraswamy has not yet arisen," the Chief Minister told media persons at Ginigera airstrip in Koppal.

He said that although the Lokayukta Special Investigation Team (SIT) has submitted a report seeking the Governor's permission to file a chargesheet however no action has been taken by the Governor as of now.

"This has led the SIT to submit another petition," the Chief Minister said.

Congress has questioned about Governor's inaction on the SIT report which indicted Kumaraswamy in the mining case. "How can Kumaraswamy continue in his position," the Chief Minister asked.

Earlier, Kumaraswamy said that he was not scared of the developments in connection with the Karnataka Lokayukta seeking sanction for his investigation and questioned why the SIT report has not been submitted to the Supreme Court.

On Tuesday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah criticised Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot over his 'selective' approach, saying the Governor has adopted a 'biased' approach on the consent issue needed for an investigation against Kumaraswamy.

Siddaramaiah said the SIT sought consent for the investigation against Kumaraswamy in November 2023 in the Sri Sai Venkateshwara Minerals (SSVM) case but the Governor did not grant any consent.

In Sri Sai Venkateshwara Minerals (SSVM), it is alleged that illegal activities were committed in 2007 when Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister. He is accused of awarding a contract to the SSVM Company for mining 550 acres of land.

The SIT is conducting the probe based on a report on illegal mining by the then Karnataka Lokayukta, Justice N. Santhosh Hegde.

Kumaraswamy has been charged under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act. The SIT sought consent from Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on November 21, 2023, to submit a charge sheet against him.

In response, the Governor wrote a letter to the SIT on July 29, 2024, seeking clarifications. The SIT submitted the clarifications to the Governor's queries on Monday.

Along with the response, the SIT again sought permission from the Governor to file a charge sheet against Kumaraswamy.
Fatima Latifova

According to a joint plan signed between the Ministries of Defense of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, the opening ceremony of the "Alt?n K?ran - 2024" joint tactical-special training was held on August 20 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Azernews reports.

The event, attended by military personnel from the participating countries, featured the national anthems of the countries and the raising of national flags.

Speakers at the opening ceremony welcomed the guests and emphasized the significant importance of conducting such exercises for the planning of joint activities and the exchange of mutual experiences, wishing success to the training participants. At the end, there was a ceremonial parade of the military personnel participating in the international exercise in front of the podium.

The joint training, held at the "Koktal" training range in Jarkent, Almaty Region of Kazakhstan, will involve exercises on conducting reconnaissance operations in mountainous areas, detecting and neutralizing illegal armed groups. Azerbaijani military personnel will share their real combat experiences gained from the Homeland War and other successful operations with their Kazakh counterparts.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 21. Pakistan is interested in importing energy resources from Kazakhstan, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan Yerzhan Kistafin told Trend.

"Kazakhstan regularly receives requests from Pakistani friends for the supply of Kazakh coal, oil, petroleum products, and gas. The main issue on our agenda is logistics. We are closely following the development of the so-called TAPI (Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India) project. We are closely monitoring the development of projects such as CASA-1000. That is several regional projects. And in this case, we must clearly understand that for the development of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Pakistan, the regional factor is of decisive or even predetermining importance," he said.

The ambassador noted that logistics is essential for the delivery of the above goods.

"To deliver goods between our countries, we need to cross at least two countries in the region. Be it Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, even China, or Tajikistan. Our task at the current stage is to create a sufficient transport and logistics infrastructure that would allow us to deliver products, including energy resources, painlessly, in a timely manner, and with high quality," Kistafin concluded.

Meanwhile, the volume of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Pakistan amounted to $52.5 million in 2023, which is 40 percent less than in 2022 ($73.5 million).

Kazakh exports to Pakistan last year amounted to $5.7 million, while imports from Pakistan amounted to $46.8 million.
Mumbai, Aug 21 : India has the potential to add another 500 MW data centre capacity over next the four years, as demand for artificial intelligence (AI) use cases surge in the country, a report said on Wednesday.

With AI workloads set to surge and eventually outpace traditional cloud computing, the demand for data centres is also expected to rise sharply, according to the report by Avendus Capital, one of the country's largest investment banks.

The data centre sector doubled from 540 MW in 2019 to 1,011 MW in 2023, making India among the fastest-growing markets globally.

According to Jhawar, the industry is maturing with the entry of long-term investors with commitments of over $250 million per investment, offering de-risked returns.

Expected to grow at a CAGR of 26 per cent over the next three years, the sector is attracting considerable attention from a wide range of investors, from growth stage private equity (PEs) to long-term pension and sovereign wealth funds.

"We believe that India's data centre market will pave the way for the next wave of investments in real estate and AI, unlocking tremendous stakeholder value," said Prateek Jhawar, Managing Director and Head, infrastructure and real assets investment banking, Avendus Capital.

Developers can expect to generate more than 25 per cent internal rate of return (IRR) with a build-and-sell model, highlighting the sector's potential for superior returns compared to other yielding real asset classes.

"This will drive demand for DC capacity in India, which is expected to double to 2GW by 2026," Jhawar mentioned.

In a major deviation from global trends, hyperscalers in the country are opting to build and own data centres tailored to their specifications -- bolstered by long-term growth potential and regulatory guidance for data sovereignty in the country.

According to the report, nearly 94 per cent of the current installed data centre capacity is concentrated in India's top seven cities.

Over the next five years, around 40 per cent of the total additional capacity is projected to be added in Mumbai, underscoring the city's significance in the space.

Chennai is expected to contribute about 25 per cent of the new capacity, while Delhi will account for around 15 per cent.

"Edge data centres (smaller facilities located close to the populations they serve) are anticipated to experience substantial demand due to rising data generation and consumption in tier 2 and Tier 3 cities," the report noted.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : Following the nationwide protests against brutal rape and murder case of trainee woman doctor in Kolkata's R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday slammed the 'politics of convenience' of the INDIA bloc and also its silence on heinous crimes committed in the states, ruled by its allies.

BJP National General Secretary Dushyant Gautam slammed the West Bengal government over Kolkata rape horror and also accused the opposition parties of hushing up their voice on matters related to states ruled by INDIA bloc but going on ballistic mode when similar incidents take place in BJP-ruled states.

"They (INDIA bloc) maintain silence on tragic rape and murder incident in West Bengal but speak up only when itas convenient for them, like they do on Ayodhya and Manipur."

In a special interaction with IANS, the senior BJP leader said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has completely failed to maintain law and order in the state and prevent atrocities against women. He also cited the atrocities and sexual abuse against large number of women in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali village in North 24 Parganas district where a TMC leader was the main perpetrator.

"Calcutta High Court criticised Bengal government, holding it responsible over the rape incident in Kolkata's R.G. Kar hospital last month. The parents of the victim also said that the last rites of their daughter was done hastily which points to utter failure and apathy of Mamata government," Dushyant Gautam said.

He also recalled an infamous remark by top Samajwadi Party leader, in which he said, "boys can sometimes commit mistakes." (Ladkon se galti ho jati hai).

"The INDIA bloc always asks if someone is murdered or raped then what is their caste or who is the perpetrator? If the perpetrator is a Muslim then they will not raise their voice, even if the victim is from the Yadav community."

Dushyant Gautam also spoke about PM Modias contribution in India's rising stature as a superpower. He said that PM Modi has taken several significant steps such as hosting G20 Summit last year, popularising the importance of yoga globally and many others.

"If India develops as a nation, the world will grow rapidly. India's growth has never been a roadblock in the progress of the entire world. PM Modi had said during an earlier visit to Europe earlier this year that India has given the concept of Buddha and not 'Yuddha' (war) to the entire world. India has also given the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbhakam (world is one family)," Dushyant Gautam said.
Jaipur, Aug 21 : The Rajasthan government on Wednesday suspended principal Isha Dharmawat of Government Higher Secondary School Bhatiani Chauhatta, Udaipur for negligence in discharging duties in the student death case.

Joint Director of Udaipur Division Mahendra Kumar Jain also put senior school teacher Rakesh Kumar Jaroli on Awaited Posting Order (APO) status. A departmental inquiry has also been initiated against him.

District collector Arvind Poskal wrote to the Education Department soon after the incident highlighting the negligence of the school management.

"Action has been recommended against those responsible in the case," an official said.

The family of the deceased (student) also demanded action against the responsible staff of the school.

The Divisional Commissioner and the Collector had assured proper investigation in the case to family members.

The 15-year-old student Devraj succumbed to his injuries last week in a tragic turn of events. He was stabbed by his classmate over a trivial issue, for refusing to share his notebook.

Violence followed soon after the incident, vehicles were torched and a shopping mall was vandalised.

Soon after the death of the student, a huge crowd gathered at the hospital and started protesting.

The family refused to take his body and demanded the harshest punishment for the accused, a government job for a family member and Rs 1 crore as compensation.

However, later consensus was reached at Rs 51 lakh as compensation and a contractual job for a family member and then a post-mortem was performed
Canberra, Aug 21 : Domestic violence should be treated with the same significance as terrorism, an official, charged with ending gendered violence in Australia, said on Wednesday.

Micaela Cronin, Australia's Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence commissioner, on Wednesday, released the first annual report tracking the progress of the government's National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032, reports Xinhua news agency.

In a speech to the National Press Club here, Cronin called for deploying all the tools that are currently used to fight terrorism to prevent domestic violence offences.

"I think that what we need is for the community to take as seriously threats of domestic, family and sexual violence as they take terrorist threats, act on them as urgently and recognise that they are different," she said.

The inaugural report highlighted the need for the government to support overwhelmed support services and systems for victims of domestic violence and called for the government to ensure that men are engaged in every aspect of ending violence.

Cronin said that meetings with over 300 individuals and organisations revealed anger, distress and frustration from many communities at the lack of progress in addressing gender-based violence.

According to a report published by the Australian Institute of Criminology in July, intimate partner homicide (IPH) accounted for almost one-quarter of all homicide incidents in Australia between 1989-90 and 2022-23, with women the victims in three-quarters of IPH incidents in that period.

Tens of thousands of Australians joined protests around the country in April and May, demanding greater action to stop gender-based violence following a series of high-profile incidents.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese marched with protesters in Canberra and described the issue as a national crisis.

Tabling the progress report in parliament on Wednesday, Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence Justine Elliot said that it showed there were no quick fixes to the crisis.

"Eliminating violence against women and children is a national priority backed by immediate action and driven by a generational goal," she said.

"Today's report presents a vital opportunity for continued action, improvement, and development."

She said the government has committed 3.4 billion Australian dollars ($2.2 billion) to fund women's safety in the last three federal budgets.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : As political controversy continues over the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, senior BJP leader and former Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, said the Bill is the need of the hour.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) is preparing to meet for the first time on Thursday to discuss the Waqf (Amendment) Bill introduced by the Modi government during the recently concluded Parliament session.

The Bill is significant for the BJP and the party's strategists want it to be passed in the upcoming Winter Session of the Parliament. However, a lot also depends on the JPC report. The BJP has to not only get the opposition parties on the board, but also convince allies like Chandrababu Naidu and Chirag Paswan to support the Bill.

Speaking exclusively with IANS, Naqvi said this entire system (of the Waqf Board) will have to come out of the 'touch me not' politics. The government has brought this Bill to make the Waqf system better, he said.

Responding to questions raised by the opposition parties as well as a few allies, Naqvi said this is not the first time that the Waqf laws are being amended, as amendments were made earlier as well.

"Amendments were made during the tenure of the Congress and during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. The Bill introduced by the government should be debated, discussed and analysed in detail, and that is why it has been sent to the JPC. The JPC is a constitutional body and this Bill should be discussed with an open mind at its meetings. Whatever arguments any political party has will come up in the meetings of the JPC," Naqvi told IANS.

Opposing the 'attempts' to give a communal colour to the Bill, he said that many questions are being raised regarding it, and attempts are being made to create confusion and hence it has been sent to the JPC for a thorough discussion, taking all the views into consideration.

He said this amendment is the need of the hour and it should not be assumed that someone is being attacked or that this Bill is against someone.

"Both Hindus and Muslims are stakeholders in this matter which should be made clear to everyone." he said.

Amid strong disapproval by the opposition parties, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, in the Lok Sabha on August 8. NDA allies JD-U, TDP, and the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde supported the Bill.

TDP MP Ganti Harish Madhur said his party will have no problem if the Bill is sent to a parliamentary committee.

Accepting the demand of the allies and the opposition parties, the government proposed to send this Bill to the JPC for detailed discussion.

The joint panel of both Houses formed to discuss the Waqf (Amendment) Bill includes 31 MPs -- 21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha -- from various parties, including the opposition.

BJP MP Jagdambika Pal has been appointed the Chairman of the JPC. In its first meeting scheduled on August 22, representatives from the Ministry of Minority Affairs will give details about the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, and the proposed amendments mentioned in it.

Officials of the Department of Legislative and Legal Affairs under the Ministry of Law and Justice will also be present at the meeting to clarify on the Bill's legal aspects.

After the discussions, the JPC will submit its report on the last day of the first week of the next Parliament session.
Tehran, Aug 21 : Iranian lawmakers on Wednesday began the session to confirm President Masoud Pezeshkian's 19 proposed ministers.

At the start of the session on giving a vote of confidence, the new President reiterated his insistence on collaboration and cooperation between his administration and Parliament, as per Iranian media reports.

"I will consider parliament's advice on my decisions," Pezeshkian said.

He called for unity and urged the lawmakers to set aside their differences.

Addressing the session, Speaker Mohammad Baqeri Qalibaf said that as many as 285 lawmakers were present for the vote of confidence, and called on the President to leave the session so that the MPs could cast their votes.

Pezeshkian submitted a list of his ministerial picks to the Parliament on August 11, almost two weeks after his swearing-in ceremony.

Among key picks are former Deputy Foreign Minister and nuclear talks negotiator Abbas Araqchi as Foreign Minister, Deputy Chief of Armed Forces and former Air Force chief, Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh as the Defence Minister, and incumbent Esmaeil Khatib to retain the post of the Intelligence Minister - a post reserved for clerics.

Former Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati is the choice for Finance & Economic Affairs Minister and former IRGC officer Eskandar Momeni for the Interior Minister.

The only female nominee, Farzaneh Sadeq, has been proposed as Minister of Roads and Urban Development.

Lawmakers began debating the qualifications of the proposed ministers on August 17. Intensive sessions were held since last week to discuss the credentials and backgrounds of the proposed ministers for the vote of confidence and the review process lasted until Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters after attending the last day of reviewing the qualifications of his picks for the ministerial posts on Monday, the President expressed hope that the lawmakers in the parliament will give a vote of confidence to all his proposed ministers.

He said that none of his proposed ministers had been chosen without consultations with high-level authorities.

He said his incoming administration has honoured the pledge of "national consensus" and now expects the lawmakers to demonstrate their commitment in practice by giving a vote of confidence to his cabinet.

If any of the proposed ministers fail to win a vote of confidence, Pezeshkian will have up to three months to name a replacement.
Warsaw, Aug 21 : As Poland rolls out the red carpet for Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, hundreds of 'Indian Poles' are commemorating a historic facet of India-Poland relations which has been the bedrock of people-to-people ties between the two countries since the Second World War.

"One of the unique bonds between our countries relates to the time in the 1940s, during World War II, when more than 6,000 Polish women and children found refuge in two princely states in India, Jamnagar and Kolhapur. As you may be aware, Jam Sahib of Nawanagar had provided shelter to more than 1,000 Polish children, and others were offered refuge in Kolhapur," Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said earlier this week while announcing PM Modi's August 21-22 visit, the first by an Indian Prime Minister to Poland in the past 45 years.

While Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, the Jam Sahib of Nawanagar who is known in Poland as the 'Good Maharaja', gave refuge to over 1,000 Polish children in the famous Balachadi camp, the royal family of Kolhapur provided safe haven to more than 5,000 Polish women and children in the equally-famous Valivade camp.

A monument, commemorating Jam Sahib Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, was unveiled in October, 2014 at the Square of the Good Maharaja, Ochota District in Warsaw.

Another plaque commemorating the Valivade-Kolhapur camp near the Monte Casino War Memorial was inaugurated in November 2017 in Warsaw.

As many as eight Polish primary and secondary schools are also named after Jam Sahib.

During his historic visit, PM Modi is scheduled to visit these memorials that commemorate the very special episodes of Jamnagar and Kolhapur.

A large number of Polish refugees and their descendants have, over the last many decades, expressed their gratitude towards the two royal families of India by building memorials in Warsaw and organising annual events to keep the memories alive.

The Association of Poles in India, which reunites all the Polish people who lived between 1942 and 1948 in the two camps set up by the Maharajas of Jamnagar and Kolhapur, meets once in two years to recall and reiterate their gratitude and affection for the two royal families and the people of India.

During its last meeting held in Gdansk in September 2023, the first after the Covid pandemic, Jan Chendynski, the President of the Association, recounted "some of the happy childhood memories" that most of them had of the camps.

Nagma Mallick, India's Ambassador to Poland, who attended the meeting as a special invitee, acknowledged that the story of the Polish refugees was not as well-known in India as it deserved to be and also commended the Indian Poles for keeping this memory alive in Poland.

Commemorating the historic link, another event titled 'Remembering the Good Maharajas' was organised in the Old Orangery of the iconic Royal Lazienki park in July 2022 where 22 photographs from the camps of Valivade and Nawanagar depicting the lives of the Polish children in India during that period were exhibited for the guests.

Sambhaji Chhatrapati, the descendant of the Chhatrapati Shivaji and Piyushkumar Matalia, representative of the Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, especially flew from India to attend the event while former MP and President of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and Ambassador Mallick, represented the Indian government at the event which was attended by a large number of Polish citizens who were in the camps as children.

According to the Indian Embassy in Poland, there is also a strong tradition of Indology studies in Poland, with Polish scholars having translated Sanskrit into Polish as early as in the 19th Century.

"Sanskrit was being studied at the 600-year-old Jagiellonian University in Krakow (the oldest in Poland) in 1860-61, with a Chair of Sanskrit having been established there in 1893.

The Indology Department of the Oriental Institute at the University of Warsaw (established in 1932) is the biggest centre for Indian studies in Central Europe," the MEA states.

Study of Indian languages, literature, culture and Indology is also pursued at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan and the University of Wroclaw.

ICCR sponsored the first Central & Eastern European regional conference of Indology in Warsaw University in September 2005 in which 19 scholars from 11 countries participated.

An MoU for the establishment of an ICCR Chair of Indian studies at the Jagiellonian University was signed in February 2017 and two Indian professors have since been appointed as ICCR Chair Professors since the signing of the MoU.

"There are long-standing cultural ties between India and Poland, and Indology studies in Polish universities date back to the 19th century. There is respect and appreciation in Poland for Indian culture and spiritual ethos, including yoga and Ayurveda," said MEA's Secretary (West) Tanmaya Lal on Monday, ahead of the PM's visit to Poland.

In Warsaw, PM Modi will hold talks with the country's President Andrzej Duda on Thursday.

He is also scheduled to interact with members of the Indian community, select Polish business leaders and prominent Indologists.
Istanbul, Aug 21 : Turkish police on Wednesday busted 32 illegal migrants in the northwest province of Kirklareli near the Bulgarian border, reported a state-run broadcaster.

They were detained during an enforcement operation near the Pinarhisar district when police signalled a truck to stop, which ignored the warning and fled, leading to a chase towards the Derekoy border gate to Bulgaria, reports Xinhua news agency, quoting state-run broadcaster TRT.

After the chase, the police stopped the truck and discovered 32 migrants of various nationalities hiding in the back. The migrants were transported to the provincial security directorate's anti-migrant smuggling department.

The local media reports also suggest that the truck driver, who was detained, is wanted for two separate offences.

Kirklareli has recently become a preferred route for irregular migrants attempting to enter Europe illegally via Bulgaria by land. To combat human trafficking, police frequently conduct checks at key points along this route.
Seoul, Aug 21 : The parliamentary broadcasting and communications committee held a hearing on the government's alleged control of the media Wednesday as the ruling party lawmakers boycotted the meeting.

Lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) left the session, arguing it was inappropriate to hold the hearing when a motion to impeach Korea Communications Commission (KCC) Chairperson Lee Jin-sook is still pending at the Constitutional Court, Yonhap news agency reported.

"KCC officials are currently defendants in a trial and forcing them to testify using the authority of the National Assembly is akin to coercing their confession," PPP Rep. Choi Hyung-du said.

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) has accused the government of President Yoon Suk Yeol of trying to control public broadcasting stations which led to the National Assembly's impeachment of KCC Chairperson Lee early this month.

One of the reasons for Lee's impeachment was that she approved the appointments of directors at public broadcasting stations on the day of her inauguration when the KCC's standing committee had only two pro-government members, including herself, with the remaining three seats unfilled.

The DP claims the approval constitutes a violation of the law.

On Wednesday, the PPP blamed the DP for the KCC's two-member decision-making structure, noting the opposition's failure to recommend its share of standing commissioners.

Later in the day, the DP said it would recommend its share of two KCC standing commissioners.

"The DP leadership has decided to recommend standing commissioners," Rep. Choi Min-hee of the DP, who chairs the science committee, said. "We look forward to the president's appointment."

The opposition has accused the former KCC chiefs under the Yoon administration of unfairly running the watchdog's decision-making standing committee, making decisions with two members while leaving the other three of the five positions vacant.

Lee took office as the new chief late last month but her duties were immediately suspended after the opposition-led National Assembly voted to impeach her. The Constitutional Court will decide whether to endorse or reject the impeachment, a process that usually takes a few months.

Rival parties have clashed over the KCC as it has the right to recommend and appoint board members of public broadcasters, which influence shaping public opinion.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, August 21. Kazakhstan and Moody's international rating agency discussed investment climate of the country, Trend reports.

The news followed a meeting between the analysts of the agency with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Alibek Kuantyrov, Chairman of the Investment Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Gabidulla Ospankulov and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Kazakh Invest Madiyar Sultanbek.

During the meeting the parties discussed medium-term investment forecasts, investment evaluation criteria and international strategic partnership of Kazakhstan.

Alibek Kuantyrov told the representatives of the agency about plans to improve the investment climate.

The impetus may be Kazakhstan's accession to the OECD, which will mean bringing the country's socio-economic policy in line with the high standards of the organization. Kazakhstan is already implementing a number of economic reforms and modernization projects, including industrialization and digitalization programs. In addition, Kazakhstan plays an important role in Central Asia and its strategic location between Europe and Asia makes it attractive to investors. Since 2017, we are an associate member of the OECD Investment Committee, he said.

Gabidulla Ospankulov noted the existing measures of state support for investors, the activities of the National Digital Investment Platform and elaborated on promising sectors, such as the oil and gas, and mining sectors, and green energy, innovation and manufacturing sectors.

Meanwhile, the Moody's expects Kazakhstan's economy (positive Baa2) to continue to grow.

The reason for this is the support of higher trade volumes and the influx of migrants and funds against the backdrop of the military conflict in Ukraine.
Hyderabad, Aug 21 : Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President K. T. Rama Rao on Wednesday claimed that he owns no farmhouse and said if the farmhouse he had taken on the lease was built illegally, he would welcome its demolition.

He, however, demanded that the action should start with the farmhouses and guest houses of ministers and top Congress leaders.

Denying that he owns a farmhouse, he told media persons that he had taken the property of his friend on lease 7-8 years ago.

"If it is in FTL or buffer zone, I will tell my friend and I will be present there when it is demolished. There is no problem, demolish it. I will welcome but the farmhouses of ministers and top Congress leaders which are there in FTL should also be demolished. They are also in FTL," he said.

The former minister was replying to a query about the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) planning demolition of his farmhouse at Janwada village in Rangareddy district.

Pradeep Reddy, who is said to be the owner of the farmhouse, has approached Telangana High Court, seeking direction to HYDRAA not to demolish it.

HYDRAA, a newly constituted body for the core urban region, has taken up the demolition of structures built in Full Tank Level (FTL) or buffer zones of water bodies in and around the city. It has also pulled down structures which came up in the FTL or buffer zone of Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar reservoirs on the city outskirts.

"If they want to take action, let them take but the action should be against all those who have their farmhouses in FTL or buffer zones," said KT Rama Rao.

The BRS leader claimed that Revenue Minister P. Srinivas Reddy, Legislative Council Chairman G. Sukhender Reddy, MLC Patnam Mahender Reddy, former MPs KVP Ramachandra Rao, Madhu Yaskhi, MLA G. Vivek and others have their properties in FTL or buffer zone. He also offered to take media persons with him and show the farmhouse of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's family.

After KTR's press conference, BRS leader Krishank posted on 'X' images of a house, allegedly belonging to Revanth Reddy's brother A. Thirupati Reddy.

"HYDRA if you want to set an example, start with the brother of CM Revanth, Anumula Thirupati whose house is constructed in FTL. Why demolish only the Middle Class, Why not this Real Estate Tycoon," asked Krishank.

In 2020, Revanth Reddy was arrested and booked for flying a drone when he had tried to force his way into the farmhouse at Janwada saying it belonged to KTR and was constructed illegally. KTR was then Minister for municipal administration, urban development, industries and information technology.

The Congress leader had alleged that the farmhouse, spread over 25 acres with a built-up area of one lakh square feet, is located within the jurisdiction of Government Order (GO) 111 wherein constructions are not allowed.

GO 111 prohibits construction activity within 10 km distance of Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar. According to the GO, hotels and residential structures should not be constructed anywhere in the 84 listed villages in six mandals which constitute the catchment area of the two reservoirs.
Seoul, Aug 21 : South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday warned that North Korea would face the end of its regime should it attempt to invade the country while inspecting an annual joint exercise with the United States.

Yoon made the remark during his visit to the Ground Operations Command in Yongin, south of Seoul, where he received briefings on the Ulchi Freedom Shield, reports Yonhap news agency.

The joint military exercise began Monday for an 11-day run.

"The North Korean regime is the most irrational group on Earth that can stage provocations at any time," Yoon said. "Only our military's robust military readiness can prevent them from making miscalculations."

Yoon underscored the importance of the joint exercise in assessing military readiness and enhancing the combined defence posture of the allies against the growing North Korean military threats.

"We must make it clear to the North Korean regime, which harbours dreams of forceful unification and constantly eyes the Republic of Korea, that any invasion will lead to the end of its regime," Yoon said, referring to South Korea's official name.

He also called for strong firepower capabilities against the North's long-range artillery and missiles, which are located within striking distance of the greater Seoul area -- home to nearly half of South Korea's 50 million people.

"It is important to overwhelm (North Korea's) long-range artillery and missile bases in the early stages of a war," he said.

Gen. Paul LaCamera, commander of the US Forces Korea, and Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, commander of the US Eighth Army, accompanied Yoon on his visit to the command.

It marks the first time that a sitting president has visited the Ground Operations Command since its establishment in 2019, following the merger of two Army commands.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : The Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association (SCWLA) on Wednesday urged a complete and effective ban on public viewing of online pornography and unfiltered obscenity on OTT platforms across the country.

The SCWLA said that it was deeply shocked, traumatised, agonised and pained by the recent spurt of crimes against women, girls and infants, which were reported in Kolkata, Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and other parts of the country at the hands of brutal, insensitive perverted perpetrators.

"These incidents have shaken our collective conscience to the core. While the women of the nation feel insecure and unsafe, no quantum of stringent laws seems to be working as a deterrent, therefore, we urge that there must be a complete and effective ban on public viewing of online pornography and unfiltered obscenity on OTT platforms across the country," it said.

The top court Women's Bar Association also urged for installation of functional CCTV systems in every workplace and all institutions across the country, adding that Gender Sensitisation Committees come into place in all public and private sectors in consonance with the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace Guidelines.

The SCWLA said that it is resolute in its mission to advocate for the safety and dignity of women across India and called upon government officials, legal authorities, and the public to unite in addressing issues relating to the safety and dignity of women with urgency and seriousness.

"Only through comprehensive and coordinated action, we can hope to create a safer, more equitable society for all women," the SCWLA said in a statement.

The SCWLA strongly condemns these horrendous, violent and brutal crimes and stands in complete solidarity with the young girls and women of this nation, the statement read.
Mumbai, Aug 21 : Maharashtra Legislative Council Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe on Wednesday emphasised the need for a thorough review of existing procedures, particularly those related to handling Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) cases to ensure that the approach is sensitive and appropriate for females of different ages.

Gorhe, who visited Badlapur on Tuesday after the protest over the sexual abuse of two four-year-old girls in a reputed school, raised a major concern with regard to the apparent negligence of some school authorities.

Gorhe highlighted the disturbing trend where certain educational institutions attempt to suppress complaints to protect their reputation, which only exacerbates the problem.

She announced that she will hold a series of meetings next week with administrative officers and representatives from various educational institutions.

Gorhe stressed the importance of swift justice, noting that trials must be expedited. She advocated for the case to be heard in a fast-track court, aiming for a resolution within two months.

After her discussions with the police, Gorhe underscored the importance of ensuring that the accused does not receive bail and that the girls involved receive immediate psychological support from child counsellors to mitigate the trauma they've experienced.

Furthermore, she emphasised the need for increased participation from parents, teachers, and educational organisations in safeguarding students.

She said she will also collaborate with the School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar to ensure better implementation of protective measures.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray targeted the MahaYuti government saying that instead of providing money under the Ladki Bahin scheme the government should create a feeling that the girls and women are safe in the state.

He made a strong case for the enactment of strict laws and their implementation to prevent such incidents in future.

"As I said yesterday about the very unfortunate and horrific incident that happened in Badlapur, why did it take so long to take action? Women office-bearers of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena read about this issue, raised the issue, and it sparked a public outcry," the MNS chief wrote on X.

He said that Thane is the district of the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, adding that if the law is bypassed in this district, then one cannot imagine what the situation will be in other places.

"Today the government is busy praising itself through the 'Ladki Bahin' scheme, but if your sister is really beloved, is it not the first duty to see that such a time should not befall her? She should get justice," he added.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : South Korean company Samsung on Wednesday announced the rollout of irregular heart rhythm notification (IHRN) feature on its health monitor app for Galaxy watches in India.

According to the company, the new feature, combined with the app's existing blood pressure and electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring capabilities, helps detect heart rhythms suggestive of atrial fibrillation (AFib), offering Galaxy watch users a more comprehensive understanding of their heart health.

Once activated, the feature continuously checks for irregular heart rhythms in the background using the 'BioActive Sensor'. If a certain number of consecutive measurements are irregular, the smartwatch warns the user of potential AFib activity, prompting them to take an ECG using their watch for a more accurate measurement.

"With the existing blood pressure and heart rate monitoring, this new feature provides users with even deeper insights into their cardiovascular health," said the company.

AFib is a type of arrhythmia, widely considered a warning sign for major cardiovascular issues including an increased risk of stroke, heart failure and other complications.

Moreover, many cases of AFib are asymptomatic or even silent, leaving people unaware of their risk.

The company said that the irregular heart rhythm notification feature is now available as part of the newly-launched Galaxy Watch7 Ultra, Galaxy Watch7 as well as on Galaxy Watch6, Watch5 and Watch4 series.

A recent study said that work-related stress, particularly high job strain and effort-reward imbalance, may significantly increase the risk of developing AFib. The study, published in the 'Journal of the American Heart Association', included nearly 6,000 white-collar workers in Canada.

It found that those experiencing both high job strain and effort-reward imbalance faced 97 per cent increased risk of AFib compared to those not exposed to these stressors.

Previous studies have linked work-related stress with coronary heart disease, but this is the first to examine its impact on AFib, said senior author Xavier Trudel, from Laval University in Quebec, Canada.
Chennai, Aug 21 : The Tamil Nadu government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the sexual abuse of minor girls at a National Cadet Corps (NCC) camp held without any authorisation at the Krishnagiri district in the state at a private school earlier this month.

Recently, a 12-year-old girl student in Bargur, Krishnagiri district was sexually assaulted in the so-called camp at a private school.

The student was admitted to the Krishnagiri Government Medical College and Hospital with pelvic pain on August 16.

As many as 17 students had attended the camp organised at the private school where they were studying.

Over 10 other girls have also complained of sexual abuse.

Eleven people, including the main accused Sivakumar, who conducted the fake camp, the school correspondent, principal, two women teachers and four staff, including two women, have been arrested.

The state Home department said in a statement on Wednesday that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who is also the Home Minister of the state, has directed the constitution of the SIT.

The SIT will be headed by a senior IPS officer, K. Bhuvaneeswari.

Stalin directed the SIT to conduct the probe within 15 days and to file a chargesheet within 60 days.

The statement also added that the Chief Minister has also directed to set up a multidisciplinary team to recommend measures that could be taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future.

The team will be headed by the Social Welfare Department Secretary Jayasree Muraleedharan. The group will also include police officers and School Education Department officials.

The statement also said that Chief Minister Stalin had directed the police to ensure stringent punishment for those involved in the Krishnagiri sexual assault case.

The All Women's Police Station in Bargur of Krishnagiri district had on August 17 booked a case under POCSO Act against those involved in the matter.

The development came after the girl student was admitted to the Krishnagiri Government Medical College Hospital with pelvic pain on August 16.

The Directorate of Private Schools in Tamil Nadu has issued a directive to schools to take prior permission from concerned district education officers before conducting NCC, National Service Scheme (NSS), Scout and Guide or Junior Red Cross, following the sexual assault and abuse in the NCC camp.
Tehran, Aug 21 : Iran's Parliament on Wednesday confirmed all 19 ministers proposed by President Masoud Pezeshkian, setting the stage for his government to begin work.

Former Deputy Foreign Minister and nuclear talks negotiator Abbas Araqchi was cleared to become Foreign Minister, receiving 244 votes out of the 285 lawmakers present and voting, while incumbent Esmaeil Khatib retains the post of the Intelligence Minister - a post reserved for clerics, securing 261 votes.

Deputy Chief of Armed Forces and former Air Force chief, Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh will be the new Defence Minister, getting the maximum votes in his favour, at 281.

He was followed by Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Seyyed Abbas Salehi, who had held the post in President Hasan Rouhani's second administration, with 271 votes.

Former Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati was cleared as Finance & Economic Affairs Minister with 192 votes in favour, and former IRGC officer Eskandar Momeni as Interior Minister with 259 votes.

The only female nominee, Farzaneh Sadeq, will be the next Minister of Roads and Urban Development, receiving 230 votes. She is only the second woman to become a minister in Iran.

At the start of the session on giving a vote of confidence, the new President reiterated his insistence on collaboration and cooperation between his administration and Parliament, Iranian media reported.

"I will consider parliament's advice on my decisions," Pezeshkian said.

He called for unity and urged the lawmakers to set aside their differences.

Addressing the session, Speaker Mohammad Baqeri Qalibaf said that as many as 285 lawmakers were present for the vote of confidence, and called on the President to leave the session so that the MPs could cast their votes.

Pezeshkian submitted a list of his ministerial picks to the Parliament on August 11, almost two weeks after his swearing-in ceremony.

Lawmakers began debating the qualifications of the proposed ministers on August 17. Intensive sessions were held since last week to discuss the credentials and backgrounds of the proposed ministers for the vote of confidence and the review process lasted until Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters after attending the last day of reviewing the qualifications of his picks for the ministerial posts on Monday, the President expressed hope that the lawmakers in the parliament will give a vote of confidence to all his proposed ministers.

He said that none of his proposed ministers had been chosen without consultations with high-level authorities.

If any of the proposed ministers had failed to win a vote of confidence, Pezeshkian would have up to three months to name a replacement.
Warsaw, Aug 21 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday arrived in Warsaw on a two-day visit to Poland, the first by an Indian PM in the past 45 years.

"My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe. Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship," PM Modi said in his departure statement, earlier in the day.

Prime Minister Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome in Warsaw. He will call on President Andrzej Sebastian Duda on Thursday and will also hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Donald Tusk. He is also scheduled to interact with the Indian community in Poland.

"Our bilateral trade is substantial. And it's of the order of US$6 billion, which makes Poland India's largest trading partner in Central and Eastern Europe. Indian investments in Poland are estimated at around US$3 billion. And the Polish investments into India are around US$1 billion," said Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday while announcing PM Modi's visit to Poland and Ukraine.

PM Modi has met his Polish counterpart on four occasions in the latter's earlier capacity as the President of the European Council.

He also spoke over the phone with President Duda in March 2022, thanking him for the assistance provided by Poland in the evacuation of Indian citizens from Ukraine and for the special gesture of relaxing visa requirements for Indian citizens crossing over to Poland from the conflict zone. More than 4000 Indian students were evacuated via Poland in 2022.

Expressing his particular appreciation for the warm reception and facilitation extended by Polish citizens to Indian nationals during the difficult time, PM Modi had also recalled the assistance offered by Poland in the wake of the Gujarat earthquake in 2001.

He also recollected the exemplary role played by the Maharaja of Jamnagar in rescuing several Polish families and young orphans during the Second World War.

The MEA stated that the PM's visit builds upon a series of continuing high-level exchanges between India and Poland which take place in various formats, including the meeting between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in February. Poland's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, WAadysAaw Bartoszewski, had visited India the same month.

Poland has the sixth largest economy within the European Union and will hold the next Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

"Many Indian companies have an active business presence in Poland. And they are engaged in a range of sectors, from IT to pharmaceuticals to manufacturing to farm vehicles to electronics, steel, metals and chemicals. Nearly 30 Polish companies have a business presence in India. And some of them have manufacturing units. These relate to, for example, hygiene and sanitary products, cosmetics, metal packaging, waste to energy and mining. There are direct flights between India and Poland, which commenced in 2019. And this, in a way, is helping the economic and commercial linkages," said the MEA Secretary.

In Warsaw, PM Modi is scheduled to visit the memorials commemorating the time in the 1940s, during World War II, when more than 6,000 Polish women and children found refuge in two princely states in India, Jamnagar and Kolhapur.

He will also interact with members of the Indian community - estimated at around 25,000 - select Polish business leaders and prominent Indologists.

From Poland, PM Modi will be visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelensky which will be the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has signed an MoU with the Department of Posts under which the Postal Department staff working across the country will do the physical verification of new micro units being set up across the country under the Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme (PMGEP), the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) said on Wednesday.

The KVIC will get the benefit of the services of 1,65,000 post offices spread across the country, out of which 1,39,067 are working in rural areas to ensure the success of its scheme. Along with physical verification of PMEGP units, margin money subsidy will also be settled at a faster pace as

The KVIC will train the staff of the Postal Department to enable them to carry out the physical verification.

KVIC Chairman Manoj Kumar signed the MoU in accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to promote a cooperative work culture between the two departments.

He said that the PMEGP has promoted entrepreneurship throughout the country and created new employment opportunities. Since the inception of the scheme, the PMEGP has supported the setting up of more than 9.69 lakh new projects and generated employment for more than 84.64 lakh entrepreneurs.

So far, the margin money subsidy of Rs 25563.44 crore has been distributed through this scheme against a loan of Rs 69,021.29 crore. In the last financial year 2023-24 itself, PMEGP has generated employment for more than 9.80 lakh entrepreneurs and distributed margin money subsidy of more than Rs 3,093 crore.

The KVIC chairman further said that in the last 10 years, Khadi has become the guarantee of a developed India as for the first time in the history of the country, the turnover of Khadi and Village Industries has crossed the figure of 1.55 lakh crore.

The Prime Minister's brand power has led to a five-fold increase in the sale of Khadi and Village Industries products and a four-fold increase in production in the last 10 years.

Kumar said for the first time, 10.17 lakh new jobs have been created in this sector.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, August 21. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) plans to grant a loan of $180 million for the resilient Amu Darya river basin sector development program in Uzbekistan, Trend reports.

According to the bank, a total of $130 million will be granted as concessional ordinary capital resources and $50 million for ordinary capital resources.

The project will help to undertake a long-term and strategic approach to deliver climate adaptive solutions for water resources management in the Amu Darya river basins in Uzbekistan. Predicted climate change impacts include increased temperatures, increased frequency and severity of extreme events such as floods and droughts, and a reduction of water availability and increased variability of water flows in the major river basins.

The ADB noted that the decreasing availability and increased water requirements by different sectors are leading to a growing seasonal and absolute supply-demand gap. The water imbalance will contribute to the instability of agricultural production.

Within the framework of the project, it is planned to create reservoirs to reduce the risks of drought and floods, improve irrigation, improve agriculture practices, and improve management of the reservoir and related project components.

Uzbekistan joined the ADB in 1995. The bank has provided loans, grants, and technical assistance amounting to $12.5 billion to Uzbekistan.
Kolkata, Aug 21 : Bulbul Mukhopadhyay, the newly-appointed medical superintendent-cum-vice principal (MSVP) at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata where a junior doctor was raped and murder earlier this month, reached the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) office on Wednesday after being summoned by the probe agency.

Sources said she reached the CBI office when the agency officers were interrogating the controversial former principal of R.G. Kar, Sandip Ghosh, in connection with the case.

However, the CBI has so far remained tight-lipped on the reason for summoning Mukhopadhyay for questioning.

Mukhopadhyay was elevated to the position of medical superintendent-cum-vice principal at R.G Kar replacing Sanjay Vashisth on August 11, just two days after the body of the junior doctor was found in the seminar room of the hospital on the morning of August 9.

Mukhopadhyay was also heading the internal probe committee constituted by the hospital to probe the rape and murder case. Sources said she is probably being questioned by the central agency on the findings of the internal probe committee.

Meanwhile, Sandip Ghosh, who was asked by the Kolkata Police to be present at the police headquarters by 12 noon on Wednesday, could not reach there as he is being questioned by the CBI since 9 a.m.

The police summoned him for questioning for revealing the identity of the victim while addressing mediapersons about the incident.

This was the sixth consecutive day that Ghosh appeared before the CBI for questioning since last Friday. He had been questioned for about 12-14 hours daily.

Earlier in the day, a PIL was filed at the Calcutta High Court demanding a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar when Ghosh was its principal.

A division bench of Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya has admitted the petition filed by Akhtar Ali, the former deputy medical superintendent at R.G. Kar.

The petition came after the West Bengal government earlier this week announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by an IG-rank officer to probe the allegations of financial irregularities at the hospital when Ghosh was the principal.
Bengaluru, Aug 21 : Karnataka BJP on Wednesday slammed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for not resigning over his alleged role in the MUDA land case.

"Even if Siddaramaiah is sent to jail, he is not ready to leave the seat of power. He should resign from his position and face the investigation as he is directly involved in the case. If the investigation proves that he is not guilty, he can become the Chief Minister again. We will have no objection to it," State BJP SC Morcha President and BJP MLA Cement Manjunath said.

He alleged that Siddaramaiah, who compares himself to Devaraj Urs, is tightly clinging to power.

He said that Congress should stop looting the money of Dalits, adding that they should also stop disrespecting Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, only because he is a Dalit. "Is the Police Department alive or dead in the state," he said.

He added that those Congress leaders speaking "against" the Governor should be booked under the Tamil Nadu Goondas Act.

He said that when a Dalit woman ascended to the honourable position of President, Congress leaders addressed her in a "derogatory" manner.

Earlier, Karnataka BJP that it would hold a statewide protest for 'disrespecting' the Governor after he gave consent to investigate Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the MUDA case.

On August 17 Siddaramaiah ruled out the possibility of his resignation, emphasising that he would fight it out legally, adding that the Congress high command and the entire cabinet were with him.

"There is no question of tendering the resignation. I will fight it out legally in the court of law. It is the decision taken by the Governor. He has no authority, he has no jurisdiction and it is unconstitutional and we will fight it out legally," the Chief Minister said.

He added that it is a conspiracy against the Congress government.

"The BJP and JD (S) parties along with the central government have joined hands in this. The high command is with me, the entire cabinet is with me. The government is with me. All MLAs are with me," the Chief Minister said.
Chandigarh, Aug 21 : Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday launched the BJP's election campaign by inviting suggestions from every community within one week to be included in the party's manifesto for the October 1 Assembly elections.

After attending a meeting at the BJP office in Panchkula, near Chandigarh, with the manifesto committee led by former Cabinet minister Om Prakash Dhankar, Saini told the media suggestion boxes would be kept in the partyas offices in all 22 district headquarters.

"Their aim is to gather feedback regarding the people's expectations from the BJP. In the past 10 years, our government has fulfilled what was promised in the earlier manifesto. Now the election has been announced. The van will go to the block level. It will be going to all the 22 districts. We are starting this from Panchkula. They will go to different districts and take suggestions from people. People should also suggest the solution to the problems," he said.

BJP's national secretary Dhankar, who is heading the 14-member manifesto committee, said that within one week, the public can submit their views.

"The manifesto will incorporate views of every section of society."

Saini also flagged-off vans called aSankalp Yatra Ratha that will travel across the constituencies seeking suggestions from the voters for the manifesto.

The "raths" will travel through various regions, gathering feedback that will help shape the partyas manifesto, a senior BJP leader told IANS.

The "raths", pasted with posters and banners with catchy slogans, will be launched in all 22 districts simultaneously. They will have a box in which people can drop their suggestions written on paper.

Former state BJP chief and prominent Jat leader Dhankar said feedback compiled by 'Sankalp Yatra Rath' will be analysed in two weeks before drafting the manifesto.

The party is eyeing retaining power in the state for the third consecutive term.

Just two months after the Parliamentary elections, politics in BJP-ruled Haryana heated up with the Election Commission of India (ECI) announcing the legislative polls in a single phase for 90 Assembly seats on October 1.

The Assembly election results will be declared on October 4.

Political observers say the ruling BJP, which is confident of its return to power with a majority for the third-consecutive term under the leadership of first-time Chief Minister and Other Backward Class (OBC) leader Saini, has been facing anti-incumbency and farmers' anger.

The BJP's main rival, the Congress, which ruled the state for a decade till 2014, has an edge over it with the support of farmers, traders and government employees.

Senior Congress leader and two-time chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is working hard to return to power amid the party's internal 'war of supremacy'.

Even the AAP has launched its campaign by targeting the BJP government over the issues of unemployment, law and order and the Agnipath scheme.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : Acharya Pramod Krishnam launched a scathing attack on Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, stating that he would "soon destroy Congress" and fulfil Mahatma Gandhi's dream.

Acharya Pramod Krishnam said that Mahatma Gandhi strongly advocated for disbanding the Congress party after the country's Independence.

He added that many former Congress leaders and Prime Ministers including late Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi failed to do that but Rahul Gandhi will definitely fulfil the desire of the Mahatma.

Speaking exclusively to IANS, the former Congress leader also slammed the MP over his remarks on the Kolkata rape and murder incident and said that he was avoiding visiting West Bengal and Ayodhya because it might not go down well with his INDIA bloc allies.

Q: When questioned about the Kolkata rape and murder case, LoP Rahul Gandhi mentioned that he was in his constituency Raebareli to ensure justice is served to the murdered Dalit youth and asked the media not to distract him. Will he visit Kolkata? Also, is he avoiding visiting Ayodhya because an SP leader is an accused there?

A: Rahul Gandhi needs to decide whether he is sensitive or insensitive. If he is sensitive, he should definitely visit Kolkata, Ayodhya, and any place where injustice occurs. While it's understandable he goes to Raebareli if a crime happens there, why not Ayodhya or Bengal?

Regardless of where the victim is from a" be it Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, Rajasthan, Bihar or Delhi a" Rahul Gandhi needs to understand that she is India's daughter. The crime is against a daughter of the nation.

Rahul Gandhi avoids Bengal to not upset Mamata Banerjee, his INDIA bloc ally, and avoids Ayodhya because the prime accused is an SP leader, fearing it might upset Akhilesh Yadav. Should we really oppose or support rapists based on political interests?

As the Leader of Opposition, making statements like this regarding the Kolkata incident, which has saddened the entire nation, is inappropriate.

Q: The Supreme Court has taken cognisance of the Kolkata case, but CM Mamata Banerjee herself is protesting. Why is the Opposition silent?

A: Mamata Banerjee seems to have lost her mental balance. She has resolved conflicts with the Left, but the growing support for the BJP troubles her. If anyone mentions Lord Ram or Sanatan Dharma, she gets irritated.

Mamata Banerjee must answer what happened to the girl in the hospital that day. How were her parents treated after the incident? Why was evidence vandalised at the crime scene? You are the Chief Minister of the state, so you will have to answer.

History will not forgive her. What is she hiding? She should come forward, she is widely respected, even I respect her. But the victim was also someone's sister and daughter, and so are you. As the Chief Minister, she must take responsibility and ensure the culprits face the death penalty.

Why did the Supreme Court have to intervene? Mamata, along with the entire Opposition, should remove the earplugs of secularism, religion, and communalism to understand the gravity of the matter.

Q: What do you have to say about the Congressa recent opposition to the BJPas bid to make Lateral Entry appointments as during the UPAas rule many benefitted from it?

A: The Congress is the root cause of every problem in this country. I say this as someone who was part of the party for 30-32 years. Today, the Congress has become a cancer. However, by god's grace, Congress has Rahul Gandhi as its leader, who will soon fulfil Mahatma Gandhi's dream.

Mahatma Gandhi always wanted Congress to be disbanded after India gained Independence. This dream wasn't fulfilled by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, or Sonia Gandhi, but Rahul Gandhi will surely fulfil Mahatma Gandhi's forgotten dream. I'm confident of it.
Jaipur, Aug 21 : Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu filed nomination papers as the BJP candidate on Wednesday for the Rajya Sabha bypolls from Rajasthan.

Singh, who is the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, was accompanied by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Deputy Chief Ministers including Diya Kumari and Premchand Bairwa, and Parliamentary Affairs MinisterJogaram Patel while he filed the nomination papers.

After submitting the nomination papers, Returning Officer Mahavir Prasad Sharma administered the oath to the candidate.

Sunil Kothari also filed nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha bypolls as a cover candidate from the BJP.

Three candidates have submitted nomination papers from Rajasthan for the Rajya Sabha bypolls.

On August 17, independent Babita Baghwani filed nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha by-election.

The nomination papers will be scrutinised on August 22.

Bittu joined the BJP in March this year and contested the Lok Sabha polls, which he lost. However, he was appointed as a Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries and Railways. Under the rules, a minister who is not a member of either House of Parliament for six consecutive months shall cease to hold the post.

The current effective strength of Rajya Sabha is 229: of this, the BJP has 87 MPs, with the NDA allies taking the number to 105. The support of six nominated MPs takes the NDAas strength further up to 111, four short of the half-way mark. The Opposition has 84 members: Congress 26, and allies 58.

Several of the 12 seats fell vacant as the sitting members, including Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Sarbananda Sonowal and Jyotiraditya Scindia, were elected to the Lok Sabha.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : The Centre on Wednesday directed social media platforms operating in the country to comply with the Supreme Court order to remove the deceased's identity in the RG Kar Medical College incident, or else face regulatory action.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said that prompt removal required all references including the name, photographs, and video clips depicting the deceased, from all social media platforms and electronic media.

MeitY also asked social media platforms to inform about the action taken in response to the compliance of the Supreme Court order. It also urged all social media companies to ensure that such sensitive information is not further disseminated. "Failure to comply with the Supreme Court's order may result in legal consequences and further regulatory action," said the ministry.

In its order dated August 20, the apex court had directed that all references to the name of the deceased, along with any photographs and video clips depicting the deceased, be promptly removed from all social media platforms and electronic media.

"This Court is constrained to issue an injunctive order since the social and electronic media have proceeded to publish the identity of the deceased and photographs of the dead body after the recovery of the body," read the order.

"We accordingly direct that all references to the name of the deceased in the above incident, photographs and video clips shall forthwith be removed from all social media platforms and electronic media in compliance with this order," the court added.

A bench headed by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud also pulled up the West Bengal government over the publication of the name, photographs and video clips of the deceased victim. "It is extremely concerning. We are first to recognise the right to free speech, but there are well-settled parameters," it said.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court also ordered the formation of a national task force to suggest measures for the security of medical professionals across the country, observing that the safety of doctors is the "highest national concern".
Patna, Aug 21 : After the Patna Police lathi charged protesters during the Bharat Bandh on Wednesday, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav sharply criticised the action by the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government.

Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav shared a video of the incident and accused Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of directing the police to target Dalit and marginalised communities while allowing criminals to act with impunity.

Tejashwi Yadav stated, "The police initiated the lathi charge on Dalit and marginalised people under the direction of Nitish Kumar, but he has given criminals a free hand to commit crimes. I've never seen Bihar police initiate a lathi charge on criminals."

During the Bharat Bandh, a significant number of protestors from the Bhim Army gathered at Dak Bungalow Chowk in Patna to express their dissent against the Supreme Court's ruling on quota within quota in the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories.

Given the large size of the crowd, the Patna Police resorted to lathi charge and used water cannons in an effort to disperse the protestors.

This action by the police has drawn criticism from Opposition leaders, including Tejashwi Yadav, who have condemned the government's handling of the situation.

The RJD leader further criticised Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, claiming that crime in Bihar has reached unprecedented levels and the elderly CM, is not being able to govern efficiently.

He highlighted Nitish Kumar's role as head of the Home Department, accusing him of failing to maintain law and order in Bihar.

Tejashwi Yadav highlighted the alarming rise in crimes in Bihar.

"We have been regularly releasing the crime bulletin. People in the state are in a state of panic, refusing to go out of their homes. Criminals are killing people inside homes, bombs are being exploded in Patna. CM Nitish Kumar is looking helpless. It is a double-engine government, but crime is rising in Bihar," LoP Yadav said.

Tejashwi Yadav also mentioned his intention to visit the victim in Hajipur, indicating his commitment to addressing the concerns of those affected by the increasing crime rate.

"I am going to meet the family members of a public representative who was gunned down in Hajipur recently. The morale of criminals is very high and justice has become impossible in the Nitish Kumar government," Tejashwi Yadav said.
Srinagar, Aug 21 : Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge reached Srinagar on Wednesday, beginning their two-day visit to J&K.

The programme of the two senior Congress leaders had to be rescheduled because of the Bharat Bandh on Wednesday.

Earlier, they were to begin their visit from Jammu but now they will go to Jammu on Thursday.

The two leaders would drive to Hotel Lalit Palace on the banks of the Dal Lake where they will stay for the night.

Security has been beefed up in and around the Hotel. Both leaders will meet party leaders and workers to strengthen the party and improve its poll chances for the upcoming legislative elections in J&K.

"The two leaders are expected to meet National Conference (NC) President Farooq Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti to forge a pre-poll alliance against the BJP during the assembly elections in J&K," sources said.

There are sufficient indications that the Congress has already worked out a seat-sharing formula with the NC which the two Congress leaders will discuss with the NC leaders during the visit.

"They will discuss seat-sharing formula with the NC here while pre-poll alliance is almost final," sources said.

Rahul will also meet Pradesh Congress Committee leaders to discuss the seat-sharing formula.

Farooq Abdullah has recently said that there would be no pre-poll alliance with any political party and the NC is confident of getting a majority in the 90-member J&K Assembly on its own.

Congress and the NC had a poll alliance during the Lok Sabha polls as well. Two seats of the Jammu division and the lone Lok Sabha seat of the Ladakh region were given to the Congress while three seats in the Valley were given to the NC.

Congress lost both seats in the Jammu division to the BJP while the Ladakh seat was won by an NC rebel defeating the BJP and the Congress candidates.

Out of the three seats in the Valley, Srinagar and Anantnag-Rajouri were won by the NC while an independent candidate, Engineer Rashid defeated the former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the Baramulla Lok Sabha election.

J&K has been without an elected government since June 2018 when the BJP pulled out of the Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP coalition government.

The state came under the Governor's rule and the then Governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved the state assembly.

On August 5, 2019, Article 370 was abrogated and J&K was divided into two union territories of J&K and Ladakh.

Voting will be held for the first phase on September 18, for the second phase on September 28 and for the third phase on October 1.

Counting is scheduled on October 4 and the poll process would be over by October 6.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : The BJP on Wednesday hit out at the Mamata Banerjee dispensation over the alleged cover-up in the Kolkata medic's rape and murder case and also slammed the Trinamool for comparing the ghastly incident with the Pulwama episode.

Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh in a social media post, earlier in the day, compared the Kolkata rape and murder case with the Pulwama terror attack and urged the "doctors to return to work, as the martyrs of Pulwama also are still awaiting justice."

Speaking exclusively to IANS, BJP spokesperson Prem Shukla also hit out at the past governments in Rajasthan for shielding the Khadims in the Ajmer gang rape case.

Notably, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court sentenced six individuals to life imprisonment for their involvement in the infamous Ajmer sex scandal in the early 1990s, which saw many powerful men with politically connected families gang-raping, videographing and silencing multiple schoolgirls and college going women and also blackmailing them for months.

Q: The POCSO court has given life imprisonment to six individuals in the infamous Ajmer sex scandal in the 1990s. How do you see this judgment?

A: The judgment on the Ajmer gang-rape case has exposed the Rape Jihadis and Congressmen alike, both of whom formed a nexus to sexually assault and gang rape schoolgirls with impunity, for months. More than 100 young girls were raped and blackmailed by Ajmer's influential Khadim family while their dirty deeds were given cover and protection by the respective Congress governments in the state.

In their desperate bid to appease the Muslim community, the Congress governments kept giving clean chit to the rapists. In spite of bringing them to book, they shielded the criminals. Today, those who gave slogans of 'Ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon' are looking away while the victim's family is running from pillar to post to seek justice. INDIA bloc is not a democratic alliance but it's a coalition of crooked parties and is rather working as 'Balaatkaari bachao alliance.'

Q: A Trinamool leader has equated the Kolkata rape horror with the Pulwama terror attack? What's your take on this?

A: Doctors are demonstrating and protesting for their rights and safety. A woman was brutally violated and murdered mercilessly in Kolkata's RG Kar hospital but the way the Mamata dispensation has been covering up the incident is really shameful. The state government has been insensitive towards the victim's family. The anger and outrage of doctors over such callous and indifferent treatment by the state government is totally justified.

Comparing the Kolkata incident with the Pulwama episode only shows the mental bankruptcy of the Trinamool spokesperson as well as the party.

Q: The Congress party is reportedly exploring an alliance with regional parties in Jammu and Kashmir for the Assembly elections. Your reaction?

A: Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party have a history of standing with separatists and Pakistani sympathisers. The Gupkar Alliance has always advocated for dialogue with Pakistan. Now, with elections approaching in the Valley, the thieves have again come together to join ranks.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : Amid a wave of demonstrations and protests by the doctor fraternity over Kolkata medic's rape and murder, close to 300 eminent citizens of the country wrote an open letter on Wednesday, blaming Mamata Banerjee government for 'series of lapses' in the gruesome case and also took strong objection to cover-up attempts by the hospital authorities as well as state administration.

The eminent citizens, comprising 295 signatories including retired judges, former envoys, bureaucrats and army veterans wrote a scathing letter and lambasted the Mamata Banerjee-led dispensation for not standing by the side of the victim trainee doctor and her family and tore into it for the alleged cover-up over the ghastly crime.

"The state's apparent inclination to shield perpetrators rather than protect victims is a grave miscarriage of justice," said the letter signed by Former Secretary Gopal Krishna and Former Ambassador Bhaswati Mukherjee.

The letter, spotlighting many incidents of state's apathy, says that the horrific crime was first misclassified as a suicide. The victim's parents were subjected to wait for several hours, construction work took place near the crime scene leading to potential compromise of crucial evidence.

The letter further said that it was only after the intervention by the Calcutta High Court that the state government transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), paving the way for a rigorous probe.

"The delayed handover cost precious time during which the actual perpetrators could have been apprehended, and vital evidence remained vulnerable to tampering - all due to the West Bengal administration's inefficacy," the letter said.

The eminent citizens, in the open letter, also berated the Bengal government over multiple cases of violence against women in the state.

"Right from the violence during the election period, to the recent rapes, the law-and-order situation in the state needs serious introspection and immediate corrective measures are required. Time and again courts have to intervene in these situations," it said.

Notably, the trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital was raped and murdered in the seminar hall while on duty. The shocking murder sent shockwaves across the country but the attempt to project the crime as suicide left the doctors' community incensed and livid.

The eminent citizens, in the letter, also shredded the Kolkata Police for a botched-up probe and the 'irresponsible conduct' in the entire episode.

"The Kolkata Police stood by as silent spectators during this assault, with allegations surfacing that attempts were made to suppress the doctors' voices and conceal evidence. This incident highlights the prevailing apathy, misgovernance, and lack of accountability in Kolkata," the letter said.

The group of former envoys, bureaucrats, judges and army veterans also made certain recommendations for safeguarding women from violence in the workplace.

Increase patrolling and security personnel in areas where doctors are on night duty.

Provide separate and adequate washrooms for female and male doctors

Install functional intercom systems in doctors' rooms with emergency SOS features

Conduct thorough investigations into the administrative heads of institutions to assess their role in ensuring the safety of their staff

Reassess and reform the entire system to address the systemic failures that contribute to such tragedies.

They said that the doctors have been demoralised due to the incident, which would have far-reaching consequences for the medical profession.

"Policymakers in West Bengal must take decisive action to restore confidence and ensure the safety of healthcare workers," the letter said.
Mumbai, Aug 21 : Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann met several leaders of the India Inc. during his two-day visit to the state and firmed various major investment proposals for his state, government officials said here on Wednesday.

Major corporates like Sun Pharmaceuticals, RPG Group, Sify Technologies and JSW Group were among the companies which expressed their willingness to invest in Punjab or strengthen their existing presence there.

Among the top business leaders who called on Mann included Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd' Active Pharmaceuticals Ingredients Business CEO Damodharan Satagopan, RPG Group's Vice-Chairman Anant Goenka, Sify Technologies President Daleep Kaul and business heads of JSW Steel Coated Products Ltd. Amarjit Singh Dahiya and Ashwani Kumar Sharma.

Offering to lay out the red carpet for businesses, the Chief Minister showcased Punjab (also known as "Land of Five rivers") as full of opportunities and invited the companies to invest there as the state is rapidly emerging as an industrial hub in the country, and assured the state's readiness to embrace new ideas and innovations to boost its industrial growth.

Besides, Mann said that Punjab has complete social harmony, peace and amity, which are mainly responsible for overall development and prosperity in the state, providing uninterrupted power to every sector, besides offering excellent infrastructure, skilled human resources, plus the best industrial and work cultures to enable them to expand their businesses across various sectors.

Satagopan highlighted Punjab's strategic advances, a professional bureaucracy and other aspects while expressing interest to expand its existing Taunsa project in the state that would help boost its economy and create fresh opportunities.

He said that the company is currently operating in Taunsa, Balachaur and Mohali, and is looking to expand through in-licensing, M&A and out-licensing activities for its branded projects, plus setting up joint ventures and research partnership with globally renowned academic institutions.

Lauding the single-window-clearance, Goenka expressed readiness to invest in Punjab through RPG Group's CEAT after its huge presence in south and west India.

Kaul said that SIFY technologies has decided to set up a dedicated/captive data centre in Mohali in the first phase and invest Rs 1,500 crore in artificial intelligence-based horizontal data centre in Punjab.

Dahiya and Sharma have agreed to hike investments worth Rs 1,600 crore through expansion of JSW Steel coating products, for which the company has purchased 28 acres of land adjacent to its existing plant in Rajpura.

Various top industry leaders hailed the investor-friendly policies of the Mann government and assured their full support and cooperation to catapult the state on a high trajectory of economic growth.

--IANS

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Gadchiroli : , Aug 21 (IANS) A dreaded woman Maoist carrying a reward of Rs 6 lakh on her head and having a long list of serious crimes against her in Odisha and Chhattisgarh, has laid down arms before the Maharashtra Police, an official said here on Wednesday.

She has been identified as Sangita Pusu Podadi, 40, hailing from Laheri village in Gadchiroli, said the district Superintendent of Police, Neelotpal.

Sangita turned a rebel in 2007 and joined as a member of Naibared local organisation squad (LOS) in Chhattisgarh, was transferred to Kohakameta LOS in 2008 for three years and then posted to Mahasamund LOS where she was promoted as ACM in 2014 and served in that position till her surrender on Wednesday.

In the past over 17 years, she built up a notorious reputation in Odisha and Chhattisgarh with brutal murders, brazen police encounters, and arson in both the states.

She was wanted for three murders in Odisha, including the Sarpanch of Bhartonda village (2012), and two others in 2015 and 2017 in Bargarh district.

Later, she was part of direct gun-wars with the SOG and Bargad Police in Gandhamardan and Khandizaran forests of Odisha (2015, 2022 and 2024).

In Chhattisgarh, she was involved in two gunbattles with security forces with Narayanpur Police in Akibeda and Basing forests (2008), exchange of fire with CRPF in Mahasamund (2010 and 2012), and torching several vehicles on Krishnar-Sonepur Road in Chhattisgarh.

Following her notorious reputation, the Maharashtra government had announced a reward of Rs 6 lakh for Sangita's scalp, till she decided to give up before the top security officials like Sandip Patil, Ankit Goyal, Ajay Kumar Sharma and Dao Enjirkan Kindo, said Neelotpal.

Post-surrender, she will be entitled to a reward of Rs 4.5 lakh from the state and centre towards her rehabilitation, and called upon other wayward rebels to surrender themselves.

Neelotpal said that from 2022 onwards, 24 hardcore Maoists including several women, have laid down arms before the police and taken advantage of the state's policies to lead a respectable life in the national mainstream.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : The Centre on Wednesday cautioned citizens not to fall prey to fraudulent calls impersonating officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

There have been numerous instances where scammers, claiming to be from the telecom regulatory body, threaten people that their numbers will be blocked soon unless they give certain personal information.

"It has been brought to the notice of TRAI that a lot of pre-recorded calls are being made to citizens claiming to be from the TRAI," the regulatory body said.

The TRAI further clarified that it does not initiate communication with customers regarding mobile number disconnection through messages or otherwise.

"TRAI has also not authorised any third-party agency to contact customers for such purposes. Therefore, any form of communication (call, message or notice) claiming to be from TRAI and threatening mobile number disconnection should be considered a potential fraudulent attempt and must not be entertained," it advised.

The government also encouraged citizens to report suspected fraudulent communications through the Chakshu facility on the Department of Telecommunications' Sanchar Saathi platform.

"For confirmed instances of cybercrime, victims should report the incident at the designated cyber crime helpline number '1930' or through the official website," said TRAI.

Moreover, the disconnection of any mobile number due to billing, KYC or misuse if any, is done by the respective telecom service provider (TSP). Citizens are advised to be vigilant and not panic to fall prey to suspected fraudsters.

TRAI said they should cross-verify such calls by contacting the authorised call centres or customer service centres of the respective TSP.

Meanwhile, the regulatory body has directed access service providers to take concrete measures to curb misuse of messaging services, effective from September 1. The telecom authority mandated them to migrate telemarketing calls starting with 140 series to the online distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform, latest by September 30, for better monitoring and control.
Dhaka, Aug 21 : Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the advisor on environment and water resources in the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh, said on Wednesday that Dhaka will engage in discussions with New Delhi regarding shared rivers, including the Teesta.

"Just as West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee considers her own people's interests, we will also take into account the needs of our people when making decisions about the Teesta project," the Dhaka Tribune quoted Hasan as saying during a media briefing on Wednesday.

"The interim government may approach the international stage, if necessary, while maintaining friendly relations with India," she added.

Hasan told reporters that the interim government will start working on the issue after taking into consideration the opinion of people living along the Teesta river.

The advisor made the comments following a meeting with Abdoulaye Seck, the World Bank's Country Director for Bangladesh, at the ministry's office.

A lawyer and environmentalist, Hasan is also the chief executive of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association (BELA).

The 'India-Bangladesh Shared Vision for Future: Enhancing Connectivity, Commerce and Collaboration for Shared Prosperity' released on June 22 this year during the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's New Delhi visit had recognised the importance of water resource management in bilateral relationship.

"We will continue to engage in prioritizing the exchange of data and formulating the framework for interim water sharing based on the recommendations of the Joint Rivers Commission. We welcome the formation of a Joint Technical Committee to initiate discussions for the renewal of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty of 1996. As part of our development cooperation, we will also undertake conservation and management of Teesta River inside Bangladesh with Indian assistance within a mutually agreed time frame," the document mentioned.

India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers, of which 7 rivers were identified for developing the framework of water sharing agreements on priority.

The Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) of India and Bangladesh was constituted in 1972 as a bilateral mechanism to address issues of mutual interest on common/border/transboundary rivers.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), one of the important areas of cooperation, where India has been assisting Bangladesh, is sharing of real time flood data. India has also extended the period of flood data sharing beyond October 15 to help Bangladesh address unforeseen flood events.

Hasan also mentioned the interim water-sharing agreements on Kushiyara and Feni rivers, saying that there is an "issue" with the renewing of the Ganga Treaty and discussions with India can be held on more uniform rivers.

"India is our biggest neighbour. They played a big role in the independence of Bangladesh. We will definitely maintain our friendly relations with India. We will vigorously present our demands. We will either speak internationally that this is a fair claim. I would like to assure the people of their rightful demands, what we have to say about saving the life of the rivers of Bangladesh," said the advisor according to Dhaka-based major Bengali daily Bhorer Kagoj.
Visakhapatnam, Aug 21 : Seven workers were killed and 50 others injured in a reactor explosion in a r pharma unit in Andhra Pradesh's Anakapalle on Wednesday, officials said.

The explosion occurred during the lunch break at pharmaceutical company Escientia at the Atchutapuram Special Economic Zone.

A huge fire broke out following the explosion in the company premises during lunch break, officials said. There was panic among workers, who ran out for safety.

Several fire tenders rushed to the spot to douse the fire. NDRF, fire services personnel and police rescued the workers trapped on the third floor of the building. The injured were shifted to various hospitals in Anakapalle.

Officials said the death toll may go up as the condition of some of the injured was critical. About 300 employees were present in the company at the time of the explosion.

Such was the impact of the explosion that the slab of the first floor of the building collapsed. The entire area is filled with thick smoke, hampering rescue operations.

The explosion sent panic among people in the nearby villages.

Employees gathered outside the company demanding compensation for the victims, and punishment for the officials for their negligence.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has expressed shock over the reaction explosion. He spoke to Anakapalle district collector and enquired about the incident. He directed officials to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured.

Former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy also expresses deep shock over the reactor explosion at Atchutapuram SEZ. He extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the incident. The YSRCP chief has urged the government to ensure that the injured receive the best possible medical treatment in hospitals. He also called upon the authorities to take immediate steps to prevent such incidents in the future. He demanded that the state government provide adequate support to the families of the deceased.

--IANS

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Shimla, Aug 21 : Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Wednesday inspected the first phase of Shimla bypass tunnel located near Kaithlighat in Solan district, reducing the overall distance by nearly 15 km.

He inspected the progress of the work and took detailed information related to the project.

In the 28.5 km-long four-laning of the bypass (Package-1 and 2), a total of 10 tunnels, spanning about 10.6 km would be constructed.

The project would also feature 27 bridges and viaducts with an estimate cost of Rs 4,800 crore.

The Governor said that after the completion of the project, the distance from Kaithlighat to Dhalli would be reduced by nearly 15 km, saving nearly an hour of travelling time.

He lauded the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for its environmental considerations and highlighted that the construction of the tunnel has prevented the felling of around 5,000 trees and mitigated soil erosion.

He emphasised that the tunnel would ensure a smooth and safe travel experiences in the hilly terrain, leading to fuel saving and significantly reduce air pollution and the carbon footprints.

Moreover, the construction of 10 tunnels in total is expected to save about 22,500 trees.

NHAI Regional Officer Abdul Basit, while appraising the Governor about the Shugal tunnel, said that the total length of the tunnel in both the phases was 1,410 metres and this tunnel was likely to be completed by January 2025, on which about Rs 90 crore would be spent.

He added that the total cost of the four-laning project from Kathlighat to Dhalli of the Shimla bypass was Rs 4,800 crore and would likely to be completed by March 2027, he added.

The State Secretary to Governor Rajesh Sharma, Deputy Commissioner Manmohan Sharma, Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh and other officers of the NHAI were present at the event.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : The Delhi High Court has allowed extension of the interim bail of businessman Amit Arora, an accused in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy case, till August 30, on account of his "precarious medical condition".

A bench of Justice Neena Bansal took note of the submission that Arora, Director of Gurugram based Buddy Retail Pvt. Limited, was suffering from serious life-threatening diseases and has recently been admitted to a hospital.

The medical documents placed on record indicated that Arora, having a complaint of breathlessness along with other complications, was advised oxygen and admission by Gurugram's Arihant Hospital.

Listing the matter for arguments on August 30, the Delhi HC granted interim bail to the applicant "on account of his precarious medical condition, upon his furnishing a personal bond in the sum of Rs 2 lakh and one surety of the like amount."

Advocate Zoheb Hossain, appearing on behalf of the Enforcement Directorate, accepted notice and sought time to verify the medical records.

Imposing a slew of conditions, the high court asked Arora not to leave Delhi-NCR without prior permission of the court and asked him to provide his mobile number as well as of his wife/surety to the IO (Investigating Officer) concerned.

"He shall not change the mobile numbers without prior intimation to the IO concerned and shall inform the IO and the Jail Superintendent the address where he shall be available in Delhi," it said.

The Delhi High Court also asked Arora to inform the IO of the hospital where he is undertaking the medical procedure for his ailment and will keep updating the IO on a weekly basis of the treatment undergone by him.

"Applicant/petitioner shall appear before the Court as and when the matter is taken up for hearing and shall not indulge in any criminal activity or communicate with or come in contact with the witnesses," the high court added.

Arora was granted 10-day interim bail on August 12 by the trial court on account of his wife's medical condition.
Chandigarh, Aug 21 : Flooding in Punjab last year was due to peculiar rainfall patterns in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) said in a report on Wednesday.

The unprecedented flooding resulted in colossal damage to life, livestock and agricultural produce. It had a devastating impact on the people, as a quarter of the working population is dependent upon agriculture and allied sectors for their livelihood.

Climate vulnerability is also expected to inflict further harm to the community, since it is projected that by 2050, maize yields in Punjab would be decreased by 13 per cent, cotton yields by 11 per cent, and rice by roughly one per cent.

Climate change is one of the world's most pressing issues today, due to changes in climatic factors such as temperature and rainfall patterns.

According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the average temperature of the decade 2014-2023 has been 1.20 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial (1850-1900) average globally. The impact can also be seen locally, as the northern state of Punjab has been witnessing declining rainfall since 2000, along with having witnessed two tornadoes and major flooding since March 2023.

The study was conducted by Prabhjyot Kaur, Sandeep Sandhu and Simerjeet Kaur of Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana to understand the causes and impact of floods of 2023.

Their learnings from the study have been elucidated by Parinita Singh from Clean Air Punjab. The flooding happened as a consequence of peculiar rainfall patterns in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh in July 2023.

While Punjab received about five per cent less rainfall than typical during the 2023 monsoon season, July was an outlier, with the rainfall exceeding normal by 43 per cent.

A similar pattern was spotted in Himachal Pradesh, which witnessed 75 per cent more rainfall than normal in July. The rainfall in the hill state, however, peaked at its highest point between July 7 and July 11, when it exceeded 436 per cent of normal within four days.

The rainfall received in the upstream state of Himachal Pradesh is the source of water for Punjab's three major rivers -- the Ravi, the Beas, and the Sutlej, as well as their tributaries. The four-day period of excessive rainfall in Himachal Pradesh caused the rivers in Punjab to breach, resulting in floods in various parts of Punjab.

In the same period, heavy rainfall continued across other parts of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh which significantly increased the water level in the reservoirs, making it imperative to keep the floodgates at Bhakra and Pong dams open, which further worsened the condition. This resulted in an inundation of fields, homes, and villages, particularly in the Bet area, forcing the residents to evacuate their homes and abandon their fields.

The districts of Patiala, Mohali, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, and Fatehgarh Sahib felt the most brunt due to the overflowing of the Ghaggar, the Beas, the Sutlej, and the Ravi rivers.

Consequently, 2.21 lakh hectares of cropped area or seven per cent of the paddy crop was destroyed. Additionally, other crops of vegetables, maize, sugarcane and cotton were also damaged because of water stagnation as adequate drainage facilities could not be provided in time.

Author of the study Prabhjyot Kaur, Principal Scientist in Agrometeorology at Punjab Agricultural University, said: "Climatic extremes are becoming frequent and resilience as well as adaptive measures are the need of the hour."

S.S. Sandhu, Principal Agronomist, Punjab Agricultural University, said, aProactive approach along with proper guidance by PAU and adaptive behaviour of farmers presented an example of adoptable and reproducible climate resilience, which can be adopted in other regions of India."

Parinita Singh, State Coordinator of Clean Air Punjab, said: "Our state's agricultural productivity is critical for national food security, and adopting diverse, climate-resilient practices is essential. Embracing a range of sustainable farming techniques not only enhances our ability to adapt to climate variability but also supports biodiversity, protects our natural resources, and secures the livelihoods of our farmers."
Agartala, Aug 21 : The flood situation in Tripura further worsened on Wednesday with the death toll rising to 10 and over 34,100 people taking shelter in 331 relief camps in all the eight districts, officials said, adding that incessant heavy rains since Monday have created havoc in the state.

Chief Minister Manik Saha, who has sought deployment of additional National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, talked with Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the phone and apprised him about the prevailing flood situation in the state.

"The Home Minister assured me of all possible support during this crisis. I am grateful to him for providing all possible support to us at this hour," Saha said in a post on X.

Disaster Management Department officials said that at least nine people, including three members of a family, were killed and two persons were injured in separate incidents of landslides and drowning following incessant rains in Tripura during the past 48 hours.

According to the officials, the 10 deaths, including a 12-year-old girl, were reported from South Tripura, Gomati, and Khowai districts.

An official said that three members of a family, including a woman and a child, died at Debipur in South Tripura district when their house collapsed due to a massive landslide late on Monday night. Villagers recovered the three bodies on Tuesday morning. The deceased were identified as Trisankar Chakma, 50, his wife Rajini Chakma, 41, and their daughter Mita Chakma, 12.

The official said that over 34,100 people belonging to over 6,620 families had so far taken shelter in 331 camps in eight districts while over 1,055 houses were damaged either fully or partially and hundreds of trees uprooted.

Water Resource Department officials said that most of the prominent rivers in Tripura are either flowing above critical or danger levels while the state's main river Gomati has crossed the 'extreme danger level' in many places of Gomati and Sepahijala districts, as rainfall has continued.

A large number of human habitations, urban and rural areas and many important highways have been inundated due to the floods while crops and other important assets were damaged in huge areas in all eight districts.

Chief Minister Saha, before going to his office in the civil Secretariat, had to come out from his private residence on a boat of the Disaster Management Authority.

Due to the heavy rain and floods, the government had ordered the closure of schools on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) has cancelled 10 local trains in Tripura. An NFR spokesman said that due to heavy rains railway tracks were damaged in Gomati district, forcing the railway authority to cancel these trains.

A defence spokesman said that following the requisition from state administrations, four columns of Assam Rifles were deployed in different districts and they are working in close coordination with civil administration to rescue civilians stranded due to floods.

First aid and essential items have been distributed by the Assam Rifles to hundreds of stranded people and those in relief camps.

An India Meteorological Department (IMD) statement said that heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely to continue over Tripura for the next five days.

"The low-pressure area over north Bangladesh and neighbourhood persisted over the same region on Wednesday. The associated cyclonic circulation extends up to 9.6 km above mean sea level. It is likely to move nearly westwards across West Bengal during the next 48 hours," the statement said.

The IMD recorded 145 mm rainfall till 5.30 p.m. on Wednesday and 182 mm rainfall between 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday to 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Mumbai, Aug 21 : A day after protests were staged against the sexual assault on two four-year-old minor girls at a school in Maharashtra's Badlapur city, the state government on Wednesday issued a resolution to ensure the safety of students in general, and the girl students in particular, in the schools.

According to the government resolution, it will be binding on all schools to install CCTVs within a month for the safety and security of students, teachers and non-teaching staff in the schools and in their vicinity.

If CCTVs are not installed in the schools run by the government and local self-governments, then they will have to initiate action soon. After their installation, the schools will have to periodically check the footage and if found unobjectionable, it will be the responsibility of the headmaster and school management to take further action.

The schools will have to take all the necessary due precautions during the recruitment of non-teaching employees, and they will have to keep a vigil for those already employed in the schools.

Further, the school management will have to check the background of regular employees or outsourced employees or those on contract, including security personnel, bus drivers, sweepers and helpers.

The schools will have to take character verification reports from the police. It will be mandatory for schools to appoint women employees on a priority basis for students up to six years.

The schools have to install a complaint box and it will have to be examined if it is being used effectively. The school headmaster will be held responsible in case of lapses in this regard.

The schools will also have to strictly adhere to government norms with regard to Sakhi Savitri Samiti and Vidyarthi Suraksha Samiti.

Further, the government has established a state-level security review committee headed by the School Education Commissioner. The committee will have six members.

It will also be binding on the school management to immediately report untoward incidents, if any, to the school education officer. In case of any delays, the action will be taken against the school management.

Meanwhile, the leader of opposition in the state council Ambadas Danve led a delegation and met Maharashtra Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla demanding that the accused involved in the Badlapur sexual assault case be severely punished, adding that action should be taken against the police and school management "for showing inordinate delays in doing what is required".

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 21. More than half of Iran's daily gasoline production, 70 million liters, meets European standards, Iran's Deputy Oil Minister and Executive Director of the National Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC) Jalil Salari told reporters, Trend reports.

According to him, more than 30 million liters of gasoline produced in the scope mentioned meet the Euro-4 standard.

Salari noted that the quality of gasoline produced in the country is still being improved. The production of gasoline that meets the Octane 90 index is considered one of the top priorities of the National Iranian Oil Products Refining and Distribution Company.

The deputy minister added that it is necessary to explore the additional potential of oil refineries on production programs. The focus remains on issuing the necessary licenses for exporting the additional production of refineries.

To note, Iran's crude oil refining potential is 2.25 million liters daily. It is reported that the country produces 112 million liters of gasoline daily.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
New Delhi, Aug 21 : As the statistics reflect a significant increase in employment in the country, non-profit organisation PRS Legislative Research, commonly referred to as PRS, is set to organise a 'National Workshop for State Legislators on Employment' on August 22-23, with top economists in presence.

New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) As the statistics reflect a significant increase in employment in the country, non-profit organisation PRS Legislative Research, commonly referred to as PRS, is set to organise a aNational Workshop for State Legislators on Employmenta on August 22-23, with top economists in presence.

Scheduled to be addressed by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Jayant Chaudhary, in the national capital, the workshop will have discussions around broad macroeconomic trends and implications for employment generation, along with the countryas employment trends over the years.

A session by Professor Pronab Sen, First Chief Statistician of India, at the workshop, is set to lay the background for discussions, including deliberations on both the organised and unorganised sectors. According to the Economic Survey 2023-24, the Indian economy needs to generate an average of 7.85 million non-farm jobs annually until 2030 to cater to the rising workforce.

Another session will look at the potential the industrial sector has to offer and which regulatory and policy reforms can further job creation in this sector.

A session at the two-day workshop will look at the countryas employment trends over the years. It will cover data from across India and do a cross-state comparison. It will also be looking at what the future holds and how India can realise its full potential in the context of demographic dividend.

Dr V. Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Advisor to the government of India, will speak at a session to discuss measures to improve both employment opportunities and the employability of the workforce. It will discuss the possible measures that can be taken by the government and the private sector.

Anil Bhardwaj, Secretary General, Federation of Indian Micro and Small and Medium Enterprises, will discuss the challenges MSMEs face and ways to address them in order to enable faster growth.

According to the latest data released by the Ministry of Statistics, the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in India's urban areas among persons aged 15 years and above has increased from 48.8 per cent during April-June, 2023 to 50.1 per cent in April-June, 2024.
New Delhi, August 21 : The Supreme Court, which has taken suo moto cognisance of the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata earlier this month, will resume hearing the matter on Thursday.

In its first hearing held on Tuesday, a bench headed by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a report detailing the status of its investigation within two days besides directing the Bengal government to file a status report in relation to the vandalisation of the hospital premises on the night of August 14.

The Bench, also comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, was dealing with the suo moto case titled 'Alleged rape and murder incident of a trainee doctor in R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, and related issues'.

Raising several tough questions on the conduct of the police machinery, the top court observed that it was unable to comprehend how the police was not prepared to deal with the incident of vandalisation of the hospital premises by a mob.

During the hearing, the CJI Chandrachud-led Bench asked, "A mob assembles at the hospital and critical facilities are damaged.. What was the police doing? What are they (police) doing? Allowing vandals to enter the hospital?"

It said that the state government was "expected to ensure the deployment of the state machinery to prevent a breach of law and order" and "it was all the more necessary to do so since investigation of the crime which took place in the precincts of the hospital was underway".

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, the second highest law officer of the Centre, said that a mob of 7,000 people armed with lathis and other weapons cannot gather in middle of night without "the knowledge, if not consent, of the police force", adding that the situation of vandalism was a complete failure of law and order in West Bengal.

The Supreme Court also ordered the formation of a National Task Force to suggest measures for safety of medical professionals across the country, observing that safety of doctors deserves "highest national concern".

"This is not just a matter of protecting the doctors. Their safety and well-being as health providers is a matter of national interest," it said.

The apex court also urged doctors and medical professionals across the country, who are abstaining from work in protest against the "horrific incident", to resume work at the earliest.

"Since this court is seized of the matter pertaining to safety and well-being of all medical professionals at their workplaces, and the issue involving high national priority, we will request all the doctors, who are abstaining from work, to resume work at the earliest," it said, adding that the medical community can stand assured that their concerns are receiving the highest attention of the Supreme Court.

It also pulled up the West Bengal government over publication of the name, photographs and video clips of the victim junior doctor.

"It is extremely concerning. We are first to recognise the right to free speech, but there are well settled parameters," said the Bench, directing removal of the identity of the deceased from all social media platforms and electronic media.

In its order, the top court also said that the identity of victims of rape should be protected and the media, including the press, electronic and social media, should not reveal their identity as doing so is in violation of the SC directives in the Nipun Saxena vs Union of India case.
Hyderabad, Aug 21 : Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday directed the concerned officials to start land acquisition for the southern part of the Regional Ring Road (RRR) and review the progress of work on a daily basis.

At a review meeting on the progress of the project held at the Secretariat, the Chief Minister also directed the officials to update him regularly on land acquisition and other issues.

The officials briefed the Chief Minister about land acquisition and the status of the works which have already been taken up in the northern part of the RRR.

CM Reddy also directed the concerned District Collectors to brief the Chief Secretary on the progress of the works, land acquisition, and other issues every evening.

He said land acquisition should be taken up in a transparent manner and also suggested creating a WhatsApp group with Chief Secretary, Infrastructure and Projects Advisor Srinivasa Raju, Chief Minister's OSD Shanwaz Qasim, District Collectors, and R&B officials as its members for updates on the progress of the works from time to time.

CM Reddy asked the officials to start land acquisition for RRR's southern part on the Sangareddy-Amangal-Shadnagar-Choutuppal (189.20 km) stretch, adding that land acquisition for the northern part has already been completed to a large extent.

He also directed the officials to discuss with the Central government should any technical or other problems arise regarding the road development.

At the meeting, the Chief Minister examined the entire map of RRR on Google Maps and suggested some changes in the proposed alignment of the southern part.

He asserted that the alignment should be done by taking the future needs into consideration in a transparent way. The officials have been asked to conduct a field visit and submit a comprehensive report regarding the changes suggested by him.

The Chief Minister also gave several instructions to the officials regarding the construction of radial roads in the proposed Future City project.

Before the construction of roads, they should be connected to the main roads everywhere, the CM said, asking the officials to take precautions to ensure smooth travel without signals or other problems.

The radial roads should be suitable for connecting Outer Ring Road (ORR) and RRR and be useful for the upcoming industries and organisations in the Future City, he said.
Visakhapatnam, Aug 21 : Fourteen workers were killed and 50 others injured in a reactor explosion in a pharmaceutical company in Andhra Pradesh's Anakapalle district on Wednesday, officials said.

Visakhapatnam, Aug 21 (IANS) Fourteen workers were killed and 50 others injured in a reactor explosion in a pharmaceutical company in Andhra Pradeshas Anakapalle district on Wednesday, officials said.

The explosion occurred during the lunch break at Escientia at Atchutapuram Special Economic Zone near Visakhapatnam.

A huge fire broke out following the explosion in the company premises, officials said. There was panic among workers, who ran out for safety.

A dozen fire tenders rushed to the spot to douse the fire. Initially, there were reports of seven deaths. However, the toll later rose sharply as the bodies of at least seven workers were found under rubble. Nine of the deceased were identified as plant AGM V. Satyanarayana, lab head Rami Reddy, chemist Harika, Parthasarthi, Y. Chinna Rao, P. Rajasekhar, Mohan, Ganesh, H. Prashanth and M. Narayan Rao.

Personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), fire services personnel, and police rescued the workers trapped on the third floor of the building. The injured were shifted to various hospitals in Anakapalle and Visakhapatnam.

Officials said the death toll may go up as the condition of some of the injured was critical.

About 387 employees were present in the company at the time of the explosion. Such was the impact of the explosion that the bodies of the victims were blown to pieces. The slab of the first floor of the building also collapsed, trapping many workers under the rubble. The entire area was filled with thick smoke, hampering rescue operations.

The explosion also sent panic among people in the nearby villages.

Employees gathered outside the company demanding compensation for the victims, and punishment for the officials for their negligence. Angry workers were seen trying to stop ambulances carrying the bodies. One of the workers alleged that adequate safety precautions were not taken which resulted in the disaster. He said they had long been demanding for conduct of a safety audit at SEZ and alleged that the fire services department, inspector of factories, and Pollution Control Board failed to conduct the audit.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has expressed shock over the reaction explosion. He spoke to Anakapalle District Collector and enquired about the incident. He directed officials to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured. He wanted officials to use air ambulances to shift the injured to Hyderabad.

The Chief Minister will visit Anakapalle on Thursday. He will call on the injured at hospitals.

Former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy also expressed his deep shock over the reactor explosion at Atchutapuram SEZ. He extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the incident. The YSRCP chief has urged the government to ensure that the injured receive the best possible medical treatment in hospitals. He also called upon the authorities to take immediate steps to prevent such incidents in the future and demanded that the state government provide adequate support to the families of the deceased.
Bengaluru, Aug 21 : Claiming that his signature had been forged in papers granting permission to a firm for mining activities, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday, while reacting to the Karnataka Lokayukta's move to seek prosecution sanction against him, said that will tackle the matter legally.

Speaking to the media here on Wednesday, H.D. Kumaraswamy said: "The Congress government in Karnataka is targeting me out of envy because I am a Union Minister. They are bringing up an old, long-forgotten case and are trying to implicate me in a matter where my signature doesn't even appear.

"I haven't granted even a pin-sized area to Sai Venkateshwara Minerals Company. They haven't carried out any mining activities, the Central government has not even given them permission, and the state exchequer has not lost a single paisa. Given these facts, how can prosecution permission be sought from the Governor?" the Union Minister questioned.

"I'm not someone who will run away and get scared of the conspiracy that the state government has hatched against me. I will also fight it legally. In the Sai Venkateshwara Minerals case, I will engage in a legal battle. In such situations, one must resort to the law. We must bow to the law of the land," he added.

"The Congress leaders, who had been silent all this time, have now woken up. They cannot tolerate that I'm a Union Minister. How long does it take the Lokayukta Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate? I approached the court in 2014. Do they need this much time to investigate? They have taken not just my signature but also my handwriting for verification. Let them investigate wherever they want," the Union Minister challenged.

"The Congress leaders made a big fuss about 21 scams committed by BJP leaders. They couldn't prove even one. Now, they are struggling to revive a 'dead case' against me. If they want, they can even try a live case," he said.

H.D. Kumaraswamy said that the Sai Venkateshwara documents were not in his handwriting.

"All this happened on October 6, 2007. That is not my signature... I don't know who signed it. I havenat given land to that company. I don't know who has committed fraud. I became aware only after learning that Rs 20 lakh had been transferred to an official's son's account by the company. Why are you dragging the Governor and the Central government into this?

"Someone is now claiming that they have taken out the document showing that I signed the Sai Venkateshwara file. Did you investigate which document I signed? Did the SIT investigate? Does the government know what all illegal activities have taken place?

"It wasn't the SIT or the police who discovered the transfer of Rs 20 lakh to an official's son's bank account. I was the one who discovered it. I could have buried this Sai Venkateshwara case long ago. I could have shut it down in 2011-12 when I was heading the government with the Congress. It would have taken just two seconds to close it.

"The CM and his team are digging into my information. But, regarding granting permission for illegal mining, CM Siddaramaiah's scale is colossal. I have all the related documents," said H.D. Kumaraswamy, holding an envelope filled with documents, during the press conference.

"In 2015, criminals who were nabbed for stealing seized iron ore in Belekere port were granted mining permission by CM Siddaramaiah. In other words, they gave mining permissions to the gangs that cheated the state government in crores. He is claiming there's only one case against him. But there are many scams involving the Chief Minister," he said.

"I wonat release these documents now. I will release them at an appropriate time. Because there are many who are experts in tampering with documents around the Chief Minister," H.D. Kumaraswamy said.

"Although the Jantakal and mining bribe cases were quashed in the High Court, permission was granted for an investigation into the Sai Venkateshwara controversy. I challenged it and approached the Supreme Court. In 2017, the Supreme Court ordered that the investigation report should be submitted within three months. But the investigation wasn't completed in three months. The final report hasn't been submitted. How many years has it been now? Isn't this a violation of the court order?" Kumaraswamy questioned.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday asked the officials of the Income Tax Department to simplify the language of notices and work towards being "fair and friendly" to the taxpayers.

New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday asked the officials of the Income Tax Department to simplify the language of notices and work towards being "fair and friendly" to the taxpayers.

Addressing an event to mark the 165th year of the Income Tax Department here, the Finance Minister said the officials should refrain from using "threatening language" in tax notices.

"Let the experience of filing tax return on the first day be as good as filing it on the last day. We have to ensure that threatening language in tax notices and messages is avoided," FM Sitharaman said.

She also asked tax officials to be judicious in the use of power to ensure compliance, and not create fear among the taxpayers.

Emphasising the need to avoid "ham-handed ways" in dealing with the taxpayers, the Minister said that the action taken by the officials should be proportionate to the issue on hand.

The language used should be friendly and people should be invited to file their income tax returns, rather than being forced to comply, she added.

Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been "very clear from the beginning that we need to provide a simple system", FM Sitharaman asked the Income Tax Department to approach the taxpaying public with "more transparency and less intimidation".

The Finance Minister also said that within six months, there will be a new Tax Code or a new Income Tax Act aimed at reducing litigation.

The Tax code will be simplified in line with the three goals set by the Prime Minister, she said.

"The three goals -- seamless, painless and faceless -- will be kept in mind, as mentioned previously by PM Modi," the Finance Minister said.

Stating that there is room for improvement in issuing refunds faster, she asked, "Can refunds go sooner rather than later?"

The Finance Minister also expressed happiness over the widening of the tax base, pointing out that as many as "58.57 lakh ITRs were received from first-time tax filers, which is a great achievement".

"I can see the tax net widening. I have a great word of appreciation for these first-time filers because we need such examples which will showcase to the world that India is a country which is getting more and more formalised, where people are getting on board and paying taxes," she said.

The Finance Minister also congratulated the taxpayers for immensely contributing to the Indian economy, besides hailing the feat achieved by income tax officials in making highest-ever collections.

"The last 10 years were full of challenges for India and the tax officers. The collective effort of the taxpayers and income tax officials have led to the highest ever income tax collection," she said.

The Finance minister also said that 72 per cent of all the taxpayers have moved to the new and simpler tax system.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : Fearing Bangladesh could well be the next Pakistan in the making in India's troubled neighbourhood, several scholars and experts on Wednesday severely condemned the recent statements given by Shafiqur Rahman, the radical leader who currently heads Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI), in which he has openly backed implementation of Sharia law in the country.

Rahman, the Ameer (Chief) of the largest Islamist party in the country which has been banned from contesting elections, was arrested in December 2022 before being released in March, this year.

Over the past few weeks, Bangladesh has witnessed massive unrest and violence against minorities - especially targeting the Hindu community in the country - following former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation on August 5.

Even though Muhammad Yunus, sworn in as the chief advisor of the interim government, pledged to take control of the situation, massive atrocities were committed against the Bangladeshi Hindus.

Experts reckon that the BJI chief's latest comments will only embolden the radical elements in Bangladesh who are currently enjoying a free run.

"The way minorities have been harmed in Bangladesh is extremely condemnable. Now, Rahman is talking about implementing Sharia in the country which could lead to further suppression and harassment of people. Threatening people, and destroying their homes and temples is completely against Islamic teachings and customs. India helped Bangladesh in getting independence in 1971 and saving people from Pakistan. For this, every Bangladeshi should be indebted to India," said Mufti Shamoon Qasmi, an Islamic scholar who is also the Chairman of the Uttarakhand Madarsa Education Board.

Defence expert Qamar Agha reckoned that "anarchy will spread rapidly" if Sharia is imposed in Bangladesh.

"Investors, including foreigners, will back out as the situation will be quite similar to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Also, the kind of Sharia law which is backed by the Jamaat will not be acceptable to the Sufi society or institutions there. One must not forget that there is division in the Bangladesh Army too and the general public in the country believes in secular politics. Therefore, there is a lot of difference between Bangladesh and Pakistan. Bengali nationalism is deeply rooted in the people of Bangladesh. Besides this, Jamaat-e-Islami is not a very popular force there," said Agha.

He further said that if Sharia is indeed implemented in Bangladesh, then an attempt will be made to turn the eight per cent of Hindus of the country into second-class citizens, just like Pakistan has done.

"It will be a big problem for the region. It is also clear that the interim government has the support of America. In such a situation, all countries should unite and put pressure on the US. If Sharia is implemented in Bangladesh, it will have a direct impact on India because of the long border. Also, new extremist organisations will be formed there, creating instability in the region. India has made a big investment there and that too will be badly impacted," Agha added.

Shesh Paul Vaid, former Director General of Police (DGP) of Jammu and Kashmir, commented that the people of Bangladesh will have a big role to play in countering the growing radical forces in the country.

"It is for the people of Bangladesh to decide if they really want to live in conditions like Afghanistan. Do they want to live in a country governed by Sharia law because Bangladesh has been following the path of development. In such a situation, the 1.5 crore minorities there will also have to decide about their future. After the implementation of Sharia, they will not get any rights there and, in such a situation, they may be forced to ask for a piece of land for themselves and live separately. This decision will be taken by the people there," said Vaid.

Muslim scholar Mufti Wajahat Qasmi reminded that Bangladesh was founded on secular principles by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

"Pakistan was divided in the name of Islam. It was said that Muslims wanted an Islamic system and Islamic discipline. Then those people who had gone to Pakistan tried to separate themselves from the system of Islam and create a secular country. Bangladesh was not divided on the basis of Islam. A large population in Bangladesh is of minorities. Bangladesh has been governed by secular law since its formation. In such a situation, the people of Bangladesh should come forward and answer on their own on such matters," said Qasmi.
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 21 : In a rare occurrence, Kerala's outgoing Chief Secretary Dr V. Venu will, on August 31, hand over the post to his wife Sarada Muraleedharan.

Decks for this unique transition were cleared on Wednesday as the cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, cleared the appointment of Muraleedharan in its weekly meeting.

Even though in the past in Kerala, there have been couples who have both held the top bureaucratic post, this is the first time when one succeeds another.

Venu, a medical doctor by qualification, and Muraleedharan both belong to the 1990 IAS batch.

This top post would have missed them had Dr Manoj Joshi, who was the seniormost bureaucrat in June 2023 but was on central deputation, returned to Kerala. Since Joshi preferred to remain in Delhi, the next seniormost official was Venu and he was appointed the Chief Secretary in June last year. Joshi will serve till 2027.

Muraleedharan, at present, is the seniormost bureaucrat in the state and hence got the coveted post.

Expressing happiness she said she was extremely lucky to see how the Chief Secretary works at close quarters as it was her husband who was holding the post before she takes over. "This is a rare chance and I saw everything and the challenges that lie ahead. We used to discuss things also," Muraleedharan said.

"The challenge ahead is the Wayanad rehabilitation programme and the advantage I have is that we, as a state, have done well when the challenge is big and my job will be to do the facilitation role," she added.

Muraleedharan has held crucial posts in the past, including the top post in the Kudumbasree Mission, the flagship women empowerment programme of the Kerala government which has won international accolades.

At present, she is the Additional Chief Secretary, Local Self Government, and her tenure as the bureaucratic head of the state will last till April 2025.
Mumbai, Aug. 21 : The Central government on Wednesday accorded the highest Z-Plus security cover to Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President Sharad Pawar, party officials said.

The Union Home Ministry has directed the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to extend the highest level of VVIP armed security blanket to the veteran politician ahead of the Assembly elections in Maharashtra scheduled to be held later this year.

The move follows a review of the threat perceptions to the senior leader carried out by central agencies, said a senior NCP(SP) leader, declining to be named.

In view of certain recent developments, they recommended the topmost Z-Plus armed security cover for Pawar, a former Union Minister and four-time Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

The senior NCP leader said that he will be protected by a crack CRPF team of around 10 armed personnel, along with other security paraphernalia, ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Earlier in April 2022, Pawar and his family had been given a Z-Plus security ring after some persons attacked his home in South Mumbai during a political agitation.

There was chaos outside the veteran politician's residence after over a hundred striking workers of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) staged angry protests, accusing Pawar of not doing anything to help them.

Employees of the state transport body having more than 90,000 persons on its payroll were on strike since November 2021. Pawar's NCP was part of the ruling coalition in Maharashtra at that time.

Following the incident, the then undivided NCP demanded that Pawar's security cover be upgraded and wondered if the 'attack' on his residence was a pre-planned conspiracy to create instability in the state.

Pawar, 83, is among the senior-most and highly-respected political leaders in the state and his party is a key constituent of the national opposition INDIA bloc.

VIP security cover categorisations begin from the highest Z-Plus category, followed by Z, Y, and X.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : Jamsaheb Shatrusalyasinhji Jadeja, scion of the Jamnagar royal family, on Wednesday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for interacting with his extended family in Poland and paying tribute at the Jamsaheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw.

PM Modi's "thoughtful gesture," he said in a written statement, reflects the spirit and humanity that mirrors the 'Good Maharaja' Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja.

Prime Minister Modi, who arrived in Warsaw on Wednesday, paid tribute at The Dobry Maharaja Memorial in Warsaw that honours the Jamsaheb of Nawanagar Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja's remarkable act of kindness during World War-II.

The statue was built in recognition of Dobry (Good) Maharaja's compassionate gesture of providing hundreds of Polish children refuge during the Second World War which remains as one of the most evocative chapters in the relations between India and Poland and has had a lasting impact on ties between the two countries.

In his message, Jamsaheb Shatrusalyasinhji Jadeja mentioned the deep reverence of the unimaginable trials and enduring hardships that were endured by the Polish people.

He also mentioned that in order to build on the legacy and further strengthen the historical connect between the people of India and Poland, he has requested the Prime Minister to consider setting up a youth, student and cultural exchange between the two countries.

As PM Modi arrived in Warsaw, the 'Indian Poles' are commemorating a historic facet of India-Poland relations which has been bedrock of the people-to-people ties between the two countries since the Second World War.

"One of the unique bonds between our countries relates to the time in the 1940s, during World War II, when more than 6,000 Polish women and children found refuge in two princely states in India, Jamnagar and Kolhapur. As you may be aware, Jam Sahib of Navanagar had provided shelter to more than 1,000 Polish children, and others were offered refuge in Kolhapur," Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said earlier this week while announcing PM Modi's August 21-22 visit -- the first by an Indian Prime Minister to Poland in the past 45 years.

While Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, the Jamsaheb of Nawanagar who is known in Poland as the 'Good Maharaja', gave refuge to over 1,000 Polish children in the famous Balachadi camp, the Royal Family of Kolhapur provided safe haven to more than 5,000 Polish women and children in the equally-famous Valivade camp.

A monument, commemorating Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, was unveiled in October 2014 at the Square of the Good Maharaja, Ochota District in Warsaw. Another plaque commemorating the Valivade-Kolhapur camp near the Monte Casino War Memorial was inaugurated in November 2017 in Warsaw. As many as eight Polish primary and secondary schools are also named after Jam Saheb.

A large number of Polish refugees and their descendants have, over the last many decades, expressed their gratitude towards the two royal families of India by building memorials in Warsaw and organising annual events to keep the memories alive.

The Association of Poles in India, which reunites all the Polish who lived between 1942 and 1948 in the two camps set up by the Maharajas of Jamnagar and Kolhapur, meets once in two years to recall and reiterate their gratitude and affection for the two royal families and the people of India.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 21. Iran has applied for observer status in the Eurasian Economic Union, the statement of the press service of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) said, Trend reports.

According to the information, Iran's application was considered at a videoconference chaired by Russia's Minister of Integration and Macroeconomics Sergei Glazev.

However, it is reported that the final decision will go down at the big powwow of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Union.

To note, the free trade agreement between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union was signed on December 25, 2023, in Russia's St. Petersburg. The agreement mentioned is to be ratified in the parliaments of 6 countries (Iran and ADB member countries). Once the signed agreement comes into force, it is predicted that the trade turnover will reach $18$20 billion within 5-7 years.
New Delhi, Aug 21 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Polish capital Warsaw on Wednesday paid homage at the Kolhapur Memorial that was constructed as a tribute to the royal family of Kolhapur, which played an instrumental role in providing shelter to the women and children from Poland in India who were displaced during the Second World War.

Taking to X, PM Modi, while sharing pictures of his visit to the Kolhapur Memorial in the Polish capital, wrote: "Paid homage at the Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw. This Memorial is a tribute to the great Royal Family of Kolhapur. This Royal Family was at the forefront of giving shelter to Polish women and children displaced due to the horrors of World War II. Inspired by the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the great Royal Family of Kolhapur put humanity above everything else and ensured a life of dignity for the Polish women and children. This act of compassion will keep inspiring generations."

According to some historical anecdotes, approximately 5,000 Polish refugees are believed to have lived in India between 1942 and 1948. The exact numbers of Poles who resided in India, however, are not established.

A number of transit camps were set up across the country for the Polish refugees.

Earlier on Wednesday, PM Modi also paid tribute at The Dobry Maharaja Memorial in Warsaw that honours Jamsaheb of Nawanagar Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja's act of kindness during World War-II.

The statue was built in recognition of Dobry (Good) Maharaja's compassionate gesture of providing hundreds of Polish children refuge during the Second World War which remains one of the most evocative chapters in the relations between India and Poland and has had a lasting impact on ties between the two countries.

Many Polish elderlies as well as their kin even today fondly remember India's act of kindness in assisting and providing shelter to the refugees, even as the country, which was under British rule back then, was sailing through rough waters.

Also, icons like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru were known for being in support of Poland's struggle against the invasion by Germany, the erstwhile Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of the Second World War in September 1939.

PM Modi's visit to Poland is the first-ever by an Indian leader to the central European nation in 45 years.
Guwahati, Aug 22 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said that the influence of the anti-talk faction of the ULFA-I led by Paresh Baruah in the state "is very much there, although it has considerably declined over the years", asserting that the outfit has as many as 400 cadres in its camp in the neighbouring nation of Myanmar.

The Chief Minister said that though the banned militant group -- United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) -- has its influence in Assam, but its impact has been gradually diminishing.

"Who has said that the influence is not there? Has the Union Home Minister said this or the Assam Chief Minister said it? It is a fact that in comparison to 1990s and 1996, its influence has decreased," Sarma told the media here.

Claiming that he had been talking to Paresh Baruah every 10 to 15 days, he said : "He (Paresh Baruah) calls me up, and I generally respond to his call."

However, after the Lok Sabha election, Sarma said he did not talk with the ULFA-I leader.

The Chief Minister said that Baruah wants discussion on asovereigntya, but there cannot be discussion on 'sovereignty'.

"ULFA must decide when there will be talks. I am ready to sit for talks the moment they desire to have peace talks."

The Paresh Baruah-led ULFA faction is a proscribed outfit and manifested itself with a new name (ULFA-I) in 2012.

Meanwhile, Assam Police urged the people to provide information in the ongoing investigation on explosives planted by anti-talk ULFA-I in 24 locations in Assam as a mark of protest against the Independence Day celebrations on Thursday.

Sarma, who holds the home portfolio, said that two cases would be given to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), remaining cases would be investigated by the Assam Police.

Police have done something to prevent these bombs from exploding, he said, adding: "Such a blast must not take place for Assam. Such incidents have been happening in Assam for the last 30 years. Until the day we do not have discussion with ULFA, we would have to remain concerned and cautious."
Kolkata, Aug 22 : In a late-night development, the West Bengal Health Department on Wednesday announced the transfer of three top officials of state-run R.G Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata, including its new Principal and Vice Principal.

Apart from the newly-appointed Principal Suhrita Pal, the newly-appointed Medical Superintendent & Vice Principal Bulbul Mukhopadhyay and the head of the institute's Chest Medicine Department Dr Arunava Duta Chowdhury were also shifted out.

According to state Health Secretary Narayan Swarup Nigam, the decision was taken honouring the demand of the protesting junior doctors and medical students of R.G Kar Medical College & Hospital in particular and the representatives of the medical fraternity in general in order to resume normal medical services in the health sector of the state.

At the same time, Nigam announced that the state government has also withdrawn its earlier notification for appointing former R.G Kar Principal Sandip Ghosh as the Principal of Calcutta National Medical College & Hospital (CNMCH).

Earlier in the day, the representatives of the medical fraternity took out a protest rally to the Swastha Bhavan, the state Health Department headquarters.

There a delegation of protesting doctors met the Department officials and handed over a memorandum enlisting their demands. The demands included the withdrawal of the notification for appointing Ghosh as CNMCH Principal and the removal of Pal as the current RG Kar Principal.

After coming out after the meeting, the delegation members said that they did not receive any firm commitment from the state Health Department officials that their demands would be fulfilled. The protesting doctors also asserted that they would be continuing with their agitation unless their demands were fulfilled. It is probably due to this all-round pressure, the state government decided to accept some of the demands of the protesting doctors and shift the officials concerned.
Warsaw, Aug 22 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the Polish capital Warsaw on Wednesday paid tributes at The Dobry Maharaja Memorial, Kolhapur Memorial, and the Monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino.

The Dobry Maharaja Memorial honours Jamsaheb of Nawanagar (modern-day Jamnagar in Gujarat) Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja's act of kindness during World War II.

During the Second World World War, the Jamsaheb provided shelter to over a thousand Polish children and is today remembered as the Dobry (Good) Maharaja in Poland. The profound impact of his generosity lives on among the Polish people.

At the memorial, Prime Minister Modi met with the descendants of Polish people who were given shelter by the Jamsaheb.

Later, the Prime Minister visited the Kolhapur Memorial, which is dedicated to the generosity of the princely state of Kolhapur offered to the Polish people during the Second World War. The camp established at Valivade, Kolhapur, provided shelter to Polish people during the war. This settlement housed approximately 5,000 Polish refugees, including women and children.

At the memorial, Prime Minister Modi met with Polish people who had lived in the Kolhapur camp and their descendants.

The Prime Minister's visit to the memorial highlights a special historical connection that exists between India and Poland, and one that continues to be nurtured and nourished, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

Prime Minister Modi also visited the Monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino, which commemorates the sacrifice and valour of soldiers from Poland, India and other countries who fought alongside each other in the famous Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy during the Second World War.

The Prime Minister's visit to the memorials underscores the shared history and deep-rooted ties between India and Poland.
German publishing trade magazine BuchMarkt will cease publication at the end of 2024 after 59 years in business. The closure of BuchMarkt follows the demise of Buchreport in January this year, leaving Germany with only one major trade magazine, Borsenblatt.

In an interview published on the magazines website, BuchMarkt managing director Julian Muller cited falling subscriptions and advertising as key factors in the decision. "The situation for all publishers in the magazine industry is tense," Muller said. "The decline in subscriptions and advertising revenues has made daily work increasingly difficult."

After an uptick from 2019 to 2021, the magazine's revenue fell off, and by the end of 2023 the company was forced to evaluate its future. "At the beginning of February, we finalized the business figures, with the result that we would lose more advertising revenues. Consequently, we couldn't create a financial plan that would have covered the necessary investments and resulted in positive earnings development in the coming years," Muller said.

BuchMarkt had been working on a strategy to reposition itself in the changing media landscape. "We restructured the magazine and had planned the relaunch of buchmarkt.de as an education platform for the Frankfurt Book Fair this year, Muller said, in the hopes of augmenting editorial and attracting new advertisers. That plan now appears untenable.

In addition to the loss of yet another of its premier trade magazines, one direct consequence of the magazines closure for the German book trade will be the need for a new publisher of the Spiegel monthly bestseller lists. The lists, which are the benchmark book bestseller lists in Germany, are published in collaboration with eBuch, an association of 850 independent bookstores, and Media Control (MC Metis), a firm that tracks sales from over 9,000 points of sale in Germany. The lists had been published by Buchreport prior to its closing, and moved to BuchMarkt this year.

Muller said that he is holding out hope for a rescue. "BuchMarkt remains one of the best-known brands in the industry with a very long tradition, he said, For me personally, a book industry without BuchMarkt is actually unimaginable, it will certainly take a while for this to be processed."

Muller added that the company does not just need a financial backer, but someone with professional magazine publishing experience and expertise. "We are open to any serious option that would make it possible to continue publishing BuchMarkt. That is still the most fervent wish, that this succeeds," he said.

For now, Muller said that his focus is on supporting his employees and serving subscribers. "Ending well means giving colleagues enough space and time to find a new job where they can start fresh in the new year, but also that we will deliver the magazine to our loyal subscribers until the end," he said.

The magazine plans to publish a commemorative final issue in December.
In another sign of the ever-increasing importance of audiobooks to the publishing industry, Penguin Random House has promoted longtime audio group president and publisher Amanda D'Acierno to the newly created position of global president of Penguin Random House Audio.

The announcement of D'Acierno's promotion was made by PRH CEO Nihar Malaviya in a memo to staff. In her new role, Malaviya wrote, D'Acierno will work to expand PRH's audio publishing worldwide by increasing the size of the publisher's catalog across all genres in both the adult and children's segments, as well as oversee the company's investment in in-house recording studios around the world. With her promotion, D'Acierno will join the PRH global executive committee and continue to report to Malaviya.

Since becoming president and publisher of PRH Audio in the U.S. in 2008, D'Acierno has led the group "through a period of robust growth," Malaviya wrote. He added that, under D'Acierno's purview, the division has increased its annual title output from 500 titles in 2008 to approximately 2,000 titles today.

In his memo, Malaviya called audio "a significant part of our growth in recent years," noting that he expects growth to remain strong. "As we look to the future, the audio business will continue to grow and evolve in many of the countries where we operate, driven by the shifting retail landscape and consumer reading preferences, as well as by technological developments such as AI," he wrote.

Given the trends, Malaviya wrote, D'Acierno "will foster closer collaboration across all PRH Audio groups globally, acting in a pivotal advisory role to local teams across territories and continuing our successful relationships with our global retail partners at Audible, Apple, OverDrive, Google, and Spotify, among others."

A this year's London Book Fair, D'Acierno took part in a panel examining the future of audio, where she emphasized the growth potential in other languages such as French and Hindi. She also pointed out the evolving nature of the market: "We all remember when we used to do a British version audio and then an American English version," she said. "So I think, as the market expands and grows, some of those slight differences will change."
When Edward Grinnanrecovering alcoholic, ex-drug addict, a man unsure of his faith was hired in 1986 as an editor at Guideposts, a Christian inspirational magazine and publisher, he had no interest in writing devotions. It took eight years for his boss to convince him to contribute to their highly popular devotional book, Daily Guideposts, published annually since 1977. Renamed Walking in Grace in 2023, it's written by a long-established team of 50 authors contributing highly personal 350-word stories that offer "glimpses of God in everyday life," he says.

PW talked with Grinnan, now the editor-in-chief of Guideposts and v-p of strategic content, about the impact of writing devotionals and why he now says he "can't imagine stopping."

Why were you so reluctant to write devotionals?

I enjoyed being an editor behind the scenes, I didn't really want to talk publicly about myself, my faith. My mentor at Guideposts suggested instead that I start by helping two others write their devotions. One was David Jacobsen, who had been held hostage in Lebanon for a couple of years, and one was Bill Irwin, who was the first blind man to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. It was fantastic. So, my boss said, "now you're ready to write your own."

Tell me about the first devotional you wrote.

My wife and I were new to marriage and we had a little argument about a guacamole recipe. "Write a story about that," My boss said. What?! You want me to write about guacamole? "No," he said, "I want you to write about your marriage. Use that silly little argument and make something of it." I thought it was absurd but I did it. And it turned into a story about forgiveness. I was off to the races when I realized you can pull a spiritual point out of any everyday event in life. Guidepost devotional writers are storytellers. Our readers don't need a sermon from us. They get that in church. What they like from us is a look into the writer's life.

Among your most popular devotional entries are ones about your dogs. Can you share a dog devotional story?

We had a beautiful cocker spaniel, Sally. One day I rush home on my lunch hour to walk her. It's a cold, blustery Manhattan day and I'm in a hurry when Sally stops to say hello with the most down-and-out homeless person you can imagine, rags and all. He gets down on his haunches and he's petting her and Sally is just in heaven but I'm in a hurry. I finally get her to move on and as we walk away, the homeless man calls out to Sally, "Hey Beautiful, thanks for saying hello." All of a sudden, I thought maybe I should have stopped to say hello, and maybe that's what God wants, that we see each other and greet each other. I learned a lesson and I made a little story about it. It got a lot of response.

What do people write to you?

It's always, "I identify with that," or "I know how you feel." At first, I was afraid if people knew really who I was and some of the struggles I've had that they wouldn't be open to hearing about my life, my faltering faith, my wife's suicide, my mother's Alzheimer's, and how it shook my world. But the audience reacted positively. They understood. They have their own frailties that they deal with. To see me doing it was helpful to them. They can see I can be a failure. I can be a recovering person. I can be an argumentative person. I can need forgiveness. And God still wants to hear my story.

How has writing devotionals all these years affected your own spiritual life?

It's taught me to seek out the divine in daily life, to see the hand of God in the smallest moments.
Author Exposes Myths of Christian Nationalism

Valerie Weaver-Zercher, acquisitions editor at Broadleaf Books, has taken world rights to Hijacking History: Stories Christian Nationalism Tells Itself about the Pastand How to Debunk Them by psychology professor and coauthor of Getting Jefferson Right, Warren Throckmorton, who represented himself in the deal. In the book, Throckmorton looks to expose "the six major myths that prop up Christian nationalism" and explains why these myths wield so much psychological force. Publication is planned for 2026.

Help for Women to Baker Books

Stephanie Smith of Baker Books acquired world rights to the tentatively titled Learning to Let Go: Overcome Disappointment, Release Offense, and Move Forward into Freedom by Alexandra Hoover in a two-book deal brokered by Trinity McFadden of The Bindery Agency. The first book releases in 2026 and the seconds title and release date are to be decided. Hoover (Eyes Up, Without Wavering) is a Bible teacher and ministry leader. The publisher said Learning to Let Go offers "biblical truth, personal stories, and wisdom to help women move through hurt and offense toward true security, healing, and acceptance in Christ."

Author Addresses Conversion Therapy

Broadleaf acquisitions editor Lisa Kloskin has acquired world rights to Good Church Kid by Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez, which chronicles the author's journey through eight years of gay conversion therapy, his coming out, and his work with evangelical Christianity's most prominent megachurches. The book, planned for early 2026, will explore how Schraeder Rodriguez forged a new life and kept his faith "without losing his soul" and offers an insider's look at the lasting impacts of conversion therapy on a generation of LGBTQ young people. Rachelle Gardner of Gardner Literary represented the author in the deal.

Asian American Manifesto to Broadleaf

Jevon Bolden of Embolden Media Group sold world rights to Kristin Tin-Wai Lees We Mend with Gold: An Asian American Spiritual Manifesto to Valerie Weaver-Zercher at Broadleaf Books. According to the publisher, Lee, a second-generation Chinese immigrant, offers readers "freedom from the constrictive theology of conservative evangelicalism and the weight of Asian immigrant church norms" and takes on aspects of the Asian American experience such as marginality, displacement, and exile. Publication is planned for Spring 2026.

Spiritual Disciplines for Women

Mary DeMuth of Mary DeMuth Literary has sold world rights to editor Eddie LaRoe ot Baker Books for Monica Ritchies tentatively titled Theologically Fashioned: Enduring Faith in an Insta World. The book will explore spiritual disciplines such as tov, mystery, lament, prayer, thanksgiving, making room, the Bible, wisdom, community, rest, fasting, and the shema to help women move toward deeper spiritual formation. Ritchie is a Bible teacher, devotional writer, theologian and host of the podcast Theologically Fashioned. A summer 2026 publication is planned

Wisdom for Leaders to Brazos

Brazos Press editorial director Katelyn Beaty has acquired world rights to unagented author Christina Edmondsons Heeding the Voice of Wisdom. The book seeks to help leaders understand, seek, and apply wisdom in their daily decision-making so that their communities and people they lead can thrive, leading to improved organizational health. Edmondson is "a certified cultural intelligence facilitator" and mental health therapist. She cohosts the Truth's Table podcast and is CEO of the Truth's Table Foundation. The book is set for a spring 2026 release.

Broadleaf to Publish Sojourners Anthology

Lisa Kloskin at Broadleaf Books has acquired world rights from Sojourners Magazine for an anthology of pieces on the topics of spiritual thriving, simple living, and rest. With essays from some of the most beloved names in progressive Christian and spiritual thought, this will be an invaluable resource and beloved keepsake for readers, says Kloskin. The book is planned for spring 2026.
London-based Christian publisher SPCK (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge) Group has signed a distribution agreement with Ingram Publisher Services Two Rivers Distribution group. The agreement kicked in July 1, and Two Rivers is now handling all sales and distribution for SPCKs print, e-book, and audiobooks in the U.S. and Canada.

"SPCK Group are delighted to embark on this new partnership with Two Rivers, which will meet the growing demand in the U.S. and Canada for many of our titles from SPCK, IVP UK, and our childrens lists including Lion and Candle, said Sam Richardson, CEO of SPCK in a statement. We are excited about working with Two Rivers to enhance the sales of our authors and ensure availability of all our titles in North America"

SPCKs publishing program, established in 1698, publishes about 80 titles annually and has a backlist of more than 3,000 titles. It has nine imprints and features nonfiction works on theology, spirituality, Christian living and Bible studies. The publisher also publishes spiritual fiction titles under its Marylebone House imprint.

This is the second big sales and distribution announcement by SPCK within the last month. In early August, it announced it had reached an agreement with InterVarsity Press to handle sales in the U.K. for the Illinois-based evangelical publisher.

We are delighted to begin our partnership with SPCK Group, says Nick Parker, VP of IPS in a statement. Weve followed their excellent program for several years and were looking forward to expanding their reach in North America.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 21. Armenia is attempting to shift the blame for its own mistakes and strategic miscalculations onto Russia, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said at a briefing, Trend reports.

Zakharova made the statement, commenting on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's claim that Armenia is sabotaging the November 10 trilateral agreements."

We have observed the Armenian Foreign Ministry's reaction to FM Lavrov's statement. This is another example of Armenia crying wolf, pointing fingers at others, especially Russia, for its own blunders and tactical misjudgments, the spokesperson said.

She reminded the Armenian side of point nine of the trilateral statement issued on November 10, 2020.

Much of the work to open communications has stalled due to Armenia's stance on border control issues. Armenia has refused to allow the Russian Federal Security Service to manage transport communications through the Zangezur corridor and has effectively frozen its participation in the working group, Zakharova noted.

To recall, on August 19, FM Lavrov commented on Russian television that the Armenian government was sabotaging the peace deal with Azerbaijan.

We advocate for the swift conclusion of a peace agreement and the unblocking of communications, Lavrov stated.

He emphasized that the Armenian leadership is obstructing the agreement, which was signed by Prime Minister Pashinyan.

It is difficult to understand the rationale behind such a position, Lavrov added.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Discover the eye-catching new hues of the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Sport Chronograph, a triumph of casual elegance in Milano Blue, Arctic Grey or London Grey

Last year, Parmigiani Fleurier unveiled the Tonda PF Sport collection, in essence an update superseding the brands Tonda GT line. The debut chronograph model featured a refreshed case, dial and bracelet, aligning nicely with the aesthetic codes established by the first "PF" models in 2021. Sporty yet elegant, this hit chrono now comes in three subtle yet striking new colourways: Milano Blue, Arctic Grey and London Grey.

Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Milano Blue  Parmigiani Fleurier

What They Did Last Summer

The 2023 Tonda PF Sport saw the introduction of an understated, refined evolution of Parmigianis GT chronograph dial. The large date was transformed into a regular sized one and shifted to 4 oclock, creating space for the PF logo. Indexes were shortened and the flange was reduced, allowing more room for the resized, subtler "clou triangulaire" guilloche. Despite these refinements, the sporty look was retained through contrasting counters and the use of black lume.

The brushed and polished 42mm case, with its swim-ready 100-metre water resistance, received a more assertive look thanks to punchier notches on the knurled bezel compared to non-Sport Tonda PF models. The design of the waterdrop lugs and pushers, however, remained consistent with the dressier Tonda PF aesthetics.

Enhancing the sporty feel, a new textile-type textured rubber strap was introduced. Though saddle-stitched like on a leather strap, it was made entirely from rubber for better water resistance.

Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Arctic Grey  Parmigiani Fleurier

Finally, inside, the finely decorated PF070 automatic chronograph calibre, made with affiliate company Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier, powered the watch. Featuring a column wheel, vertical clutch and one-piece reset hammer, this 5 Hz, COSC-certified movement boasts a double-barrel-generated 65-hour power reserve. Whats more, a new skeletonised oscillating weight  the design of which is inspired by the steering wheel of the iconic Ferrari 250 GTO  was developed specifically for this line.

Inspired by Nature

The initial Tonda PF Sport Chronograph impressed with its silvered dial, black counters and a black strap paired with either a steel or rose gold case.

Earlier this summer, Parmigiani Fleurier announced three new models to grace this chronograph range, maintaining the winning ingredients introduced last year in terms of dial, case, strap and movement design. However, this time, the strap, chronograph counters and chronograph seconds flange are colour-matched in a visually appealing palette of Milano Blue, Arctic Grey or London Grey.

This trio of tones provides a nuanced update to the collection. And once again, the cultivated aesthetes eye of Parmigiani Fleurier CEO Guido Terrenis is evident in these watches that have, according to the Milan native, been imbued with a relaxed beauty inspired by nature.

Tonda PF Sport Chronograph London Grey  Parmigiani Fleurier

Terreni says: As we unveil the Tonda PF Sport 2024 Collection, Im captivated by the serene beauty nature offers, perfectly mirrored in the hues of Milano Blue, Arctic Grey and London Grey.

Each piece is crafted to bring a touch of elegance to lifes carefree moments, embodying a minimalist luxury that speaks to both form and function. This collection marries horological precision with a refined sporty aesthetic, designed for those who find beauty in simplicity and sophistication in sportive elegance.

Guido Terreni  Parmigiani Fleurier

Understated Luxury

In line with the theme of nature, the accompanying images on the Parmigiani Fleurier website evoke a mood of refined adventure and tranquil elegance.

Activities like swimming in a lake, views from clifftop residences, sunlight glistening on the ocean and rocky cliffs overlooking the sea are depicted, suggesting that these new Tonda PF Sport Chronographs are perfect for sophisticated outdoor pursuits and luxurious coastal living  a lifestyle of leisure and natural beauty that goes hand in hand with this chronos blend of casual design and understated luxury.

The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Sport Chronograph is priced at CHF 27,900. To find out more about it, please visit the brands website.
Property details:

NO RESERVE AUCTION! HIGHEST BID WINS THE LOT! This is a great opportunity to own a piece of land in Arkansas! This land is located on Parfleche Circle, right next to Lake Omaha Lake in Cherokee Village and is zoned for residential use. The property is being sold in a no-reserve auction, so don't miss your chance to own this land. The seller's state of residence is California, but the property is located in Arkansas. It includes utilities and is ready for you to build your dream home or vacation ...

Price: $ 260 Seller State of Residence: California Property Address: CHATUGA DR CHEROKEE VILLAGE, AR 72529 Zip/Postal Code: 72529 Zoning: Residential State/Province: Arkansas Location: 725**, Cherokee Village, Arkansas

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Property details:

This auction is for OIL & GAS and MINERAL RIGHTS on 20 ACRES OF LAND in COLLIER COUNTY, in FLORIDA. the nearest city is Ochopee, FL, its near highway 41 & 29. LOCATED about 4.3 miles north of Tamiami Trl ENO RESERVE AUCTION, Starting Bid of only $100or BUY it NOW for ONLY $17,500Famous Collier Family is the largest holder of the mineral rights in the area, they kept mineral rights, after they sold land to the Bush family.Collier County in Florida, is home to florida's first oil well. First oil w...

Price: $ 100 State/Province: florida Seller State of Residence: Florida Location: 770**, Houston, Texas

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'It is not just the US and European opportunity, but it is a huge global opportunity.'

Photograph: Kind courtesy Biocon

The peptides and GLP-1 class of drugs that are offering breakthrough treatment for diabetes and obesity are estimated to be a $100 billion global opportunity by 2030.

Speaking to Sohini Das and Aneeka Chatterjee/Business Standard over a video call, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, executive chairperson, Biocon and Biocon Biologics, outlines how being vertically integrated puts Biocon in a strong position.

The generics business has seen some pricing pressure in Q1FY25. What is the outlook?

I would rather not focus on pricing pressure and markets.

I would rather focus on the overall generics business, which I think has huge growth potential in the second half because of the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists opportunity.

It is not just the US and European opportunity, but it is a huge global opportunity.

We are seeing a great demand for this first GLP 1, which has genericised both from a diabetes and obesity point of view.

We have a dominant position on many of our generic molecules, whether it is active pharmaceutical ingredients or generic finished formulations.

How are you positioned to take advantage of the GLP-1 off patent opportunity?

I really think real growth and the real opportunity are going to come from GLP1, starting with Liraglutide.

The Semaglutide opportunity is opening up in 2026, and that is going to add to that excitement because that is the product everyone is focusing on.

Now, having said that, why is Biocon so unique in this Peptide business? For one, I think Peptides are not an oral tablet and it's not just an injectable.

This GLP-1 is like an insulin -- it needs devices, large volumes, and capacities for producing both cartridges and devices or auto-injectors. So it is a device play.

You have filed for approval for your GLP-1 with the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration.

How critical is an early approval to make the most of this current market shortage for GLP-1s?

The US market is a good market, because the price points are higher.

It is going to be an interesting window of opportunity because there is such a shortage of Semaglutide and Mounjaro (Eli Lilly's drug Tirzepatide).

So as long as there's that shortage there will be scope for a product like Liraglutide.

If Semaglutide and Mounjaro are going to be expensive, and you get a generic Liraglutide at a fraction of the price then obviously, European health care systems are going to promote Liraglutide.

In the US, I think there is a window of opportunity for Liraglutide, which we need to address.

You started work early on GLP-1s. Can you share some details?

In 2007, Biocon had a partnership with Amylin Pharmaceuticals. We were developing a GLP1 molecule together similar to Mounjaro.

We had developed it with a company in San Diego and that company was acquired first by Bristol Myers Squibb and then later on sold to AstraZeneca, and they dumped this product.

What a blunder they made! Seven years ago we discovered this molecule, and in fact, the US company had told us about its obesity potential.

You haven't applied for Liraglutide in India. Do you now plan to do so?

We didn't do it because there was a requirement for a clinical trial.

Now, because it is approved in the United Kingdom, we can get a clinical trial waiver, and introduce it if we want.

So, yes, there is now an interest in India too.

We have exited the branded formulations business in India, but we will work with companies who are interested in this molecule.

Will you be open to divesting more of your businesses?

No, I think we have done our divesting. I think the reason

why we did the divesting of the India business is because we felt that that was a business we could support through supplying products and let somebody else really drive the marketing, because India is a very different market.

So we said, let them drive it. We'll supply them products.

And Eris, for instance, is doing a very good job of building a market share of our brands through them.

What measures are being planned to pare debt?

In the last two quarters we have comfortably serviced our debt. We used proceeds from Eris, and also our internal accruals to pay for it.

We would want to repay even more debt.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
Stocks of Indian steel companies are reeling from pricing pressure that is partly blamed on cheap imports.

Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters

The stocks have declined up to 9 per cent on the NSE in one month, likely allowing investors an opportunity to use the correction to enter the pack as pricing pressure eases.

"In steel or any other commodity, if prices or spreads are nearing their bottom, it can be an opportune time to invest in those stocks.

"In India, domestic fundamentals such as steel consumption remain robust, hence one can take fresh positions in these counters, said Amit Dixit, an analyst at ICICI Securities.

Domestic steel spread is at Rs 24,330 per tonne (the lowest since March 2024) and the price of hot rolled coil (HRC) is at Rs 51,370 per tonne (the lowest since December 2020), said Dixit.

The Nifty Metal index has fallen by 1.01 percent in the past month, while the NSE Nifty 50 has risen by 0.17 per cent, according to data from ACE Equity.

APL Apollo Tubes, which makes structural steel tubes, has dropped by 8.89 per cent, Steel Authority of India (SAIL) by 7.4 per cent, NMDC by 3.89 per cent, Jindal Stainless by 2.97 per cent, and Tata Steel by 2.41 per cent in one month.

The weakness, analysts said, followed China and Vietnam dumping their steel produce in the Indian market.

In the first four months of FY25, net steel imports rose 57 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to 2.7 mega tonnes (mt), while exports fell by 46 per cent Y-o-Y to 1.7 mt.

Chinese imports rose 193 per cent Y-o-Y to 0.85 mt, taking the countrys share in Indias overall steel imports to 32 per cent from an average of 16 per cent in the past four years.

Vietnamese steel imports, on the other hand, were down by 60 per cent Y-o-Y, according to data from ICICI Securities.

Indias Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) recently launched an anti-dumping investigation of Vietnamese HRC imports.

Vietnam has a smaller share in imports but Indias move is a step in the right direction, said analysts.

The investigations should engulf countries like China, whose share in Indian imports has gone up markedly.

"Further, there is hardly any export of steel from India to China, thus ruling out any benefit to Indian steel companies, said analysts at ICICI Securities in a report.

According to the brokerage, profitability in Chinas HRC and rebar products is at their lowest in the past 15 years (HRC at 2.5 per cent and rebar at 0.08 per cent).

Hence, the brokerage said Chinas exports seem unfairly priced and do not cover even the variable cost of production.

Brokerage Motilal Oswal estimates that while steel prices might remain subdued in the short term, there is potential for improvement in the second half of FY25.

The Supreme Court last week held that state governments had the authority to impose additional taxes on minerals, retrospectively, with effect from April 1, 2005.

Analysts expect the verdict will have little impact and the final cost will be passed on to steel consumers.

On a prospective basis, the Jharkhand government recently proposed an additional cess of Rs 100 per tonne on coal and iron ore and Rs 70 per tonne on bauxite.

"Assuming all state governments follow this, incremental impact on companies ebitda shall be 23 per cent, which is not alarming, said Ashish Kejriwal and Jyoti Singh, analysts with Nuvama Institutional Equities, in a report, referring to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation.

Analysts predict NMDC can pass on most past liabilities arising from the ruling to consumers due to the availability of pass-through clauses on any regulatory cess.

Hindalco, on the flip side, has not received any tax demand yet, whereas the disclosed contingent liability of Tata Steel could include interest and penalties, which are not admissible, analysts at Kotak Institutional Equities pointed out.

The demand raised by states under different laws could be further litigated based on merits on a case-to-case basis, it added.

Against this, ICICI Securities has buy recommendations for JSW Steel, Jindal Steel, Jindal Stainless, and Tata Steel. It has add for NMDC and sell for SAIL.

Motilal Oswal has a buy rating for Jindal Steel, JSW Steel and NMDC and neutral on Tata Steel and Vedanta.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday questioned Amazon's announcement of $1 billion investment in India, saying the US retailer was not doing any great service to the Indian economy but filling up for the losses it had suffered in the country.

Photograph: Abhishek N Chinnappa/Reuters

He said that their huge losses in India "smells of predatory pricing", which is not good for the country as it impacts crores of small retailers.

Launching a report on 'Net Impact of e-commerce on Employment and Consumer Welfare in India' in New Delhi, the minister lambasted the e-commerce companies, questioning their business model that has been impacting small retailers in the country.

"When Amazon says that we are going to invest a billion dollars in India and we all celebrate, and we forget the underlying story that the billion dollars are not coming in for great service or any great investment to support the Indian economy.

"They made a billion-dollar loss in their balance sheet that year, they had to fill in that loss.

"And how did that loss get caused, they paid Rs 1,000 crores to professionals.

"I do not know who these professionals are...I would love to know, which chartered accountants, professionals or lawyers get Rs 1,000 crores unless you are paying all the top lawyers to block them so that nobody can fight a case against you," the minister said.

He wondered whether the Rs 6,000 crore loss in one year does not smell of predatory pricing, as they are just an e-commerce platform and those companies are not allowed to do B2C (business to consumer) business.

As per the policy, the e-commerce platform legally can not do B2C in the country.

The minister alleged that these companies only re-route all the businesses through an entity to show that it is B2B.

"How are they doing it? Should this not be a matter of concern for us," he said.

He added that the e-commerce sector has a role, but one has to think "very" carefully and cautiously about what that role is.

"How that role can be in an organised fashion. Is predatory pricing policies good for the country?" Goyal asked.

He also said that e-commerce companies are eating into the small retailer's high-value, high-margin products that are the only items through which the mom-and-pop stores survive.

The minister also said that with the fast-growing online retailing in the country, "Are we going to cause huge social disruption with this massive growth of e-commerce."

Citing examples of Western countries, Goyal said Europe and America have seen the consequences of this.

"What has happened to the mom-and-pop stores there? How many do you see surviving, why did Switzerland allow e-commerce until recently (so late)," he said, adding "...I am not wishing away e-commerce, it is there to stay".

Further, he said one has to see the impact of cloud kitchens on restaurants and people buying food items online.

"We will land up becoming a country of couch potatoes, watching OTT and having food at home every day," he said.

Commenting on online pharmacies, the minister said, "We have to assess what is happening to 5 lakh pharmacies of the country."

He expressed concern over these firms selling medicines online.

"Online, you can order whatever you want...it is a matter of concern," Goyal said, adding "How many mobile stores do you see in the corner, and how many were there 10 years ago? Where are all those mobile stores? Will only Apple or the large retail sell mobile phones and their accessories?."

He pointed out that India is not a developed nation like the US and Switzerland with high per capita income, and a large section of people need affirmative action and help here.

"Of course, I do not deny that technology will play its part, technology is a means to empower, to innovate, to meet consumer requirements, probably sometimes more efficiently, but we will have to see that it grows in an orderly fashion," he said.

People have to see that this connectivity and convenience is citizen-centric, he said, adding that in the race for market share of online retailers at 27 per cent a year, "we do not land up causing huge disruption for the 100 million small retailers across the country".

Amazon India is facing rising competitive intensity in India from players like Flipkart and SoftBank-backed Meesho, as well as the onslaught of firms like Blinkit, Swiggy's Instamart and Zepto that are making aggressive inroads into the market as busy consumers opt for the convenience of instant delivery of grocery and many other household items.

Last year, Amazon had talked of plans to invest $15 billion more in India, taking its total investment in the country to $26 billion.

After meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the US in 2023, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said: "I had a very good and productive conversation with Prime Minister Modi.

"I think we share a number of goals.

"Amazon is one of the biggest investors in India.

"We have invested $11 billion to date and intend to invest another $15 billion, which will bring the total to $26 billion.

"So, we are very much looking forward to the future of partnering."

Goyal also criticised the report, saying he does not agree with the findings of the study 'Net Impact of e-commerce on employment and consumer welfare in India'.

"I would like to completely disassociate myself from this report...I do not agree with any of these findings....I think, in the urge to show that this has not had an impact on employment in India, the researchers have lost sight of even the statistics, which EY has put out," the minister said.

Talking about a finding in a report about the growth of e-commerce in India over the next 10 years, he said, "I do not see it as a matter of pride that half our market may become part of the e-commerce network 10 years from now; it is a matter of concern".
New Delhi -- which has had a disastrous neighbourhood policy that has alienated almost all the States with which it has a land or sea border -- seemed to be unwilling over the past years to even consider that its unquestioning support of Sheikh Hasina was painting it into a corner, points out Mihir S Sharma.

IMAGE: Activists of the Anti-Discriminatory Student Movement gather at the University of Dhaka's teacher student centre demanding capital punishment for former prime minister Sheikh Hasina for the deaths of students during anti-quota protests, August 13, 2024. Photograph: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters

With hindsight, there was far too much complacency about deposed Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina's hold on power.

The apparent disarray of the official Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party -- whose leader, Ms Hasina's long-time rival Khaleda Zia, was sentenced to 17 years in jail in 2018, and has been ill for some time -- meant that the Awami League appeared unassailable.

The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami retained many committed activists, but it also seemed to carry too much historical and ideological baggage to be seen as a credible replacement for the BNP as an effective Opposition.

Given the lack of any organised political challenge, it seemed that Ms Hasina would stay in power as long as she willed it.

We now know how untrue that belief was. The unceremonious exit of the world's longest-serving female head of government followed weeks of intensifying protests led by students from Dhaka University; but it also followed serious mis-steps by Ms Hasina's government and party, most especially the attempt to use street violence to confront the protestors.

Too many died in that confrontation for Ms Hasina's government to survive.

Governments, even autocratic ones, are best placed to survive protests if they do not attempt to crush protestors with violence.

If they do, they must be certain that force will be overwhelming and sustained, and completely backed by the military.

In Kyiv a decade ago, during the Maidan Square protests, the breaking point for the Moscow-backed government of Viktor Yanukovych came when over 100 people died in clashes with special riot police.

But Mr Yanukovych could not count on his military to reinforce the paramilitary, and had to flee.

The difference with June 4, 1989, when the People's Liberation Army happily followed order to mow down students in Tiananmen Square, thereby cementing the Communist party in power, is stark.

Ms Hasina had to leave only when she pushed her military too far.

She may have tried to buy them off over the past decade. But that is a double-edged sword. You cannot permanently buy a military's loyalty, merely rent its acquiescence.

The first priority of armies in authoritarian States is always to preserve their position and privileges.

To do that, they will turn on -- or refuse to support -- their benefactors if necessary.

Even in the most terrifying of totalitarian regimes, ultimate power rests with the army.

Armando Ianucci's The Death of Stalin does not pretend to historical accuracy -- but it is certainly true, as depicted in the movie, that Marshal Georgy Zhukov's support was essential to the deposition, after the dictator's death, of the Stalinist clique led by his spymaster Lavrenti Beria.

Bangladesh's tentative steps after Sheikh Hasina, therefore, must be carefully watched to try and understand the degree to which the army feels empowered to impose a successor regime.

In a best-case scenario, the caretaker government under Mohammed Yunus serves as similar regimes did in the 2000s, long enough to recreate 'normal' politics and hold a free and fair election.

Whoever takes over then could have the authority to ensure the army stays in its barracks.

But, even then, they will have to achieve some sort of concord with the military leadership, including the preservation of its business interests.

In Bangladesh, as in Pakistan and in Egypt, leaders desperate to keep middle-level and senior officers on their side have allowed the army to expand their participation in the non-military economy.

This may appear cheap and sensible in the short term as a way of shoring up support.

But, in the long term, it is clearly destabilising, as Sheikh Hasina is only the latest deposed leader to discover.

We all hope the best-case scenario comes about. Certainly, that is what Mr Yunus likely believes he can achieve.

But, objectively, the prognosis for Bangladesh politics is not good.

The army may not be truly desirous of wielding political power, but it can feel it needs to do so in order to defend its interests.

Or it may do so if it fears the alternative is chaos, continuing disorder, or the rise of political Islamism; this is what has happened in Egypt under Abdel Fatteh el-Sisi.

The most complacent actors in this drama have been, unquestionably, in New Delhi and Washington.

New Delhi -- which has had a disastrous neighbourhood policy that has alienated almost all the States with which it has a land or sea border -- seemed to be unwilling over the past years to even consider that its unquestioning support of Sheikh Hasina was painting it into a corner.

As for Washington, it has had an ambassador to Dhaka for the past two years who merely ensured that the Awami League government grew to distrust America without sowing any seeds of responsible governance or respect for liberal values in the Opposition.

Authoritarians and their supporters can never afford to be complacent.

The people may always rise up to remove you -- and succeed if the men with the big guns agree.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
Los Angeles police have shared new details of the case of the unexpected death of Friends star Matthew Perry, who was found dead in a swimming pool in the fall of 2023. Law enforcement officials are trying to find out how the celebrity received a lethal dose of ketamine, which led to his death.

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This was reported by People. According to reports, on the day of his death, Perry's assistant Kenneth Iwamasu injected the anesthetic at the actor's request, administering 3 doses. Matthew asked to give him the "highest dose" and prepare a hot tub. After that, Iwamasu left the house, and when he returned to the star, he found him without signs of life.

Nearly 10 months later, Kenneth, 59, and four other suspected accomplices were charged with involvement in Perry's death. Among those who played a "key role": Salvador Plascencia, 42, a doctor who sold ketamine to Perry and injected it into him; Mark Chavez, 54, a doctor who is said to have obtained ketamine for Plascencia from legal suppliers; alleged drug dealer Jaswyn Sangha, 41, referred to in court documents as the "Queen of Ketamine"; and Eric Fleming, 54, who allegedly sold Sangha's supply to Perry's assistant. Prosecutors allege that Perry was killed by ketamine addict Jaswin.

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Three of the defendants - Chavez, Fleming and Iwamasa - have entered into plea agreements. Plascencia and Sangha have pleaded not guilty to several charges, including distribution of ketamine, and face 10 to 25 years to life in prison.

On September 30, 2023, doctors Plascencia and Chavez, who had known each other for 20 years, learned through intermediaries that Perry was interested in purchasing ketamine and discussed a deal. "I wonder how much this asshole will pay," one of them wrote to the other, according to prosecutors' court documents. Chavez, who allegedly received the ketamine with a fake prescription, sold it to Plascencia.

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That day, a deal was made with Perry. Plascencia arrived at the star's house and gave the actor a ketamine injection, leaving syringes and other doses with Iwamasa, who paid him $4,500 for the visit, prosecutors say. Iwamasa, using code words like "Dr. Pepper," indicated that Perry wanted more ketamine in the future, and Chavez and Plascencia were determined to continue the business.

According to court documents, Plascencia met with Perry in October 2023 to give him more ketamine and gave him an injection as they "sat in the back of a car that was parked in a public parking lot." On October 12, a scarier incident occurred when Plasencia administered the dose: Matthew had an "adverse reaction" and his blood pressure spiked. The drug made him temporarily "freeze", leaving the actor unable to speak or move.

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Plascencia allegedly told another patient that Perry's addiction was "getting out of hand.""At the same time [he] was offering to sell ketamine to Mr. Perry. I think all of this behavior shows a level of greed that prioritizes profits over the patient," says Estrada, the U.S. attorney for central California.

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But by then, Perry was getting the drugs through other people: Hollywood director Eric Fleming also allegedly offered to sell the celebrity ketamine a few weeks before his death. The filmmaker allegedly worked with the "Queen of Ketamine" Sangha, who led a glamorous lifestyle while "revealing herself to be a famous drug dealer with high quality products" including ketamine, methamphetamine and magic mushrooms.

In his correspondence with Iwamasa, Fleming made it clear that he wanted to make cash from the drug trade. "I wouldn't do it if there wasn't a chance to make some money," he allegedly wrote.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!

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The BJP's strategy seem to be to wean away allies from the Congress in Tamil Nadu, and maybe later in UP, Bihar and elsewhere, though in slow doses, but without wooing them into a new alliance.

The idea seems to be only to weaken the INDIA bloc from within -- and leaving it at that, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.

IMAGE: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin releases a commemorative coin on late DMK leader M Karunanidhi to mark his birth centenary year in Chennai, August 18, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

The embarrassingly overwhelming praise for the late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the latter in person, has triggered a new political discourse on the possibility of a 'secret agreement' between the ruling parties at the Centre and in the state.

At least, rival AIADMK predecessor Edappadi K Palaniswami and 'minor' rival NTK's Seeman feel that DMK Chief Minister M K Stalin is into it, if only to cause eyebrows to raise in the party's Congress ally in the state.

Both Modi and Rajnath Singh said how Karunanidhi did not allow regionalism to come in the way of nationalism, and how he went on to become a national leader and became an architect of coalition governments at the Centre.

The occasion was provided by Rajnath Singh releasing a commemorative coin to mark Karunanidhi's centenary at Chennai, as a part of the year-long celebrations planned by the DMK.

The criticism from the AIADMK and the NTK, for starters, flowed from the presence of a BJP veteran in what essentially was an in-house celebration of an ideological rival in the DMK.

Contesting EPS's charge that the DMK had allowed Hindi words to appear on the coin when Karunanidhi was known to be against all forms of 'Hindi imposition', the DMK's A Raja said that it was the case even when a commemorative coin was released in honour of the late AIADMK founder, M G Ramachandran.

Raja also pointed out how the Karunanidhi coin carried the inscription, 'Tamizh Vaazhga', or 'Long Live Tamil'.

Yet, no DMK leader had an explanation or defence to offer when it was pointed out how the MGR coin was released by EPS when he was chief minister and no BJP minister from the Centre was invited for the function.

The reasons for what is beginning to look like an acrimonious debate are not far to seek.

After a hugely successful run in the Lok Sabha polls, the DMK-Congress alliance, in the company of the two Communist parties, and the MDMK and the VCK, hopes to repeat the feat in the state assembly elections, due in the summer of 2026, roughly two years from now.

In his maiden statement after the Lok Sabha poll results were known, Stalin, who is also the DMK president, told party men how the alliance had recorded more votes than its rivals in 221 of the 234 assembly segments.

He wanted the cadres to work for a 200 seat victory, and reiterated the appeal at the DMK district secretaries' meeting in the second week of August.

In between, you had state Congress President Selvaperunthagai and party MP Karti Chidambaram going to town on the 'injustice' done to the party in seatn sharing for the Lok Sabha polls.

Clearly, they were seeking to make out a case for more seats than in the past from within the DMK alliance in the assembly elections in 2026 -- but were focussing on past 'denials' and not present or future 'strengths'.

It is not unlikely that the DMK leadership would have taken it to the Congress high command to ask party leaders in the state to behave, even if the idea was for the latter to usher in the long forgotten 'Kamaraj rule'.

It is a constant reference point for Congress leaders over 30-odd years, which have only seen its vote share dwindling from 20 per cent in 1989 to less than five in recent years, especially when contesting alone.

IMAGE: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Stalin share a light moment in Coimbatore. Photograph: ANI Photo

It is unclear if the Congress high command has since asked state party leaders to shut up and mind their business, leaving seat sharing for the assembly polls to be discussed at appropriate levels at appropriate times.

However, the DMK has a point, as in the past, when Congress emissaries from Delhi talked then chief minister M Karunanidhi into conceding 60 odd seats for the party in the 2G-tainted 2011 assembly polls.

The alliance lost the polls badly, as was only to be expected under the circumstances.

Apart from the 2G scam and other anti-incumbency factors, the DMK leadership concluded that by holding them prisoner as an alliance partner in the ruling UPA-II at the national level, the Congress had upset and angered party cadres, who point-blank refused cooperation in the poll campaign.

Judging the cadre mood post facto, Karunanidhi declared early on that they were ditching the Congress alliance for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, which was a washout for the DMK in the state and for the other, also at the national level.

Yet, when they contested together in the assembly polls two years hence in 2016 and the Congress partner won only eight of 40 seats that Team Stalin had allotted after negotiations with all allies, Karunanidhi sort of jumped the gun to declare that it was a waste to have given away 40 seats to the national party.

In the 2021 assembly polls that the DMK won in the company of traditional allies, the Congress bagged 18 of the 25 seats contested.

The current efforts of some party leaders in the state is to up the seat-share tally by sounding the bugle early on.

The DMK cadres are not impressed and are holding back, seemingly at the express direction of the leadership.

The implied message was/is that the DMK leadership was in touch with the Congress high command to 'discipline' its state leaders who are proving to be an embarrassment for the alliance.

Some in the DMK hierarchy also see a spill over of the state Congress internal feud for supremacy and claims to TNCC presidency.

It is in this scenario, the ruling BJP at the Centre is believed to be fishing in what it sees as the TN political waters that it could stir and make murky before the assembly polls.

By thus far continuing with former IPS officer K Annamalai as the state BJP chief despite the party's poor showing in the Lok Sabha polls (unlike expected in Delhi), the national leadership has sent out a clear message that they were in no mood to do business with the AIADMK under EPS, at least not until after the results of assembly polls in Haryana and Maharashtra are known.

The party can delay alliance formation until after the end of 2025.

For his part, EPS too has been unrestricted in his criticism of the BJP and attack on Annamalai as if both continued to be the AIADMK's main adversary -- even if for the second slot in the state's electoral politics.

Against this background, the BJP national leadership does not seem to think or worry about wooing the ruling DMK, which has been very successful in all elections after the death of AIADMK's charismatic chief minister J Jayalalithaa in December 2016.

It would be happy to wean away the DMK from the Congress rival, which after the Lok Sabha polls, has breathed fresh air and has been adopting an aggressive posture not seen over the past ten years of Modi 1.0 and 2.0.

Thinking for the DMK, the BJP seems to have concluded that a weakened AIADMK would be a good enough excuse for the ruling party in the state to ditch the Congress ally, whose votes it had otherwise counted in for the past victories.

The BJP leadership has also finally convinced itself that the party does not have 'transferrable votes' for the DMK, as the Karunanidhi leadership reportedly explained it to the Vajpayee-Advani duo leading the NDA-1 government at the Centre, following the debacle of the state ruling party in the 2001 assembly elections.

It means that there was/is no meaning or justification for the BJP to expect an alliance with the DMK, as both of them have also revived an ideological battle on multiple fronts, like religion, language and federalism.

The MoSha duo would be seemingly satisfied if the DMK snapped ties with the Congress, which in turn would weaken their national ally, as much as the BJP itself has been weakened in relative terms in the LS polls earlier this year.

IMAGE: Rajnath Singh being felicitated by Stalin. Photograph: ANI Photo

That the BJP leadership would be targeting the Congress rival from the sides and not take it on head-on as in the past decade became clear after the ruling party and government retained its past aggressiveness without let up even after the marginal reversals in the Lok Sabha polls.

Clearly, the BJP seems to have concluded that the INDIA combine's poll successes, compared to the past, and also the Congress rival's unanticipated ascendancy, that too under a Rahul Gandhi whom the BJP social media especially had ridiculed no end through ten long years, still owed to the politico-electoral strengths of its regional partners.

The strategy thus seem to be to wean away the allies from the Congress in Tamil Nadu, and maybe later in UP, Bihar and elsewhere, though in slow doses, one after the other, but without wooing them into a new alliance with the BJP.

The idea seems to be only to weaken the INDIA bloc from within -- and leaving it at that.

To that extent, the BJP seems to have revived its efforts in and with southern Tamil Nadu, where the party does not exist in ways for the high command to take the state unit into greater confidence than already.

Even if its efforts failed, as it mostly likely is to, no one elsewhere in the country is wiser to the leadership's misadventure unless they try out something outlandish and over-ambitious and get exposed or over-exposed, to be precise.

Otherwise, the Stalin leadership is least concerned about media speculation and social media posts about the imminent anointing of minister-son Udhayanidhi Stalin as deputy chief minister before the CM leaves for the US to attract investments later this month.

The party is clear that it does not need anyone's clearance for the same, least of all the ruling BJP adversary at the Centre.

Answering newsmen's queries in the matter, Stalin responded with the single and singular Tamil phrase, 'kaniyanum' or 'pazhukkanum'. Translated, it means 'to ripen'.

Yet, Stalin left the phrase open to multiple interpretation, like only his late father Karunanidhi was known to play with words.

It is anybody's guess if Stalin meant that the time was not yet 'ripe' for him to elevate his son as the deputy CM, especially when there were many seniors in the party, whose egos may be hurt.

Or, did he mean that Udhayanidhi too has to 'ripen' as a party leader and minister before being able to do justice to the responsibilities of a deputy chief minister, which would be much more than being ornamental in parties and governments that are driven by coalition dharma or internal party feuds and balancing acts!

N Sathiya Moorthy, veteran journalist and author, is a Chennai-based policy analyst and political commentator.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
Around 150 personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force are being deployed at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital following an order of the Supreme Court, official sources said on Wednesday.

IMAGE: CISF deputy inspector general K Pratap Singh with police and security personnel arrives at the RK Kar Medical College and Hospital after the Supreme Court ordered for deployment in view of protests over the alleged sexual assault and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor of the RG Kar Hospital, in Kolkata, August 21, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

A day after the apex court's order, the Union home ministry wrote to the West Bengal chief secretary seeking deployment of the CISF at the state-run hospital.

Subsequently, a decision has been taken for the deployment of the CISF, the sources said.

Earlier in the morning, a CISF team, led by a DIG-rank officer, surveyed the hospital complex where a 31-year-old trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered earlier this month.

The force is expected to secure the resident doctors' hostel and other facilities, the sources said.

The medic's body was found in the hospital's seminar room on the morning of August 9.

A civic volunteer, who was an outsider frequenting the hospital premises, was arrested the next day in connection with the case.

The incident has since triggered protests affecting medical services across the country, with hundreds of resident doctors on strike under different banners demanding safety of medics through a central law.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday constituted a 10-member task force to formulate a national protocol to ensure safety and facilities for doctors.

The task force will submit its interim report within three weeks and the final report within two months.

The apex court also ordered the deployment of CISF at the RG Kar hospital to provide security to the doctors.
A man from Tripura's Sepahijala district returned home after spending 37 years in Bangladesh jails.

Shahjahan returned to India through the Srimantapur land customs station with the assistance of Border Security Force personnel.

Shahjahan, a resident of Rabindrangar, a border village in Sonamura subdivision, had gone to his in-law's house in Comilla, Bangladesh, in 1988.

During his visit, police raided his relative's home and arrested him for illegally entering the neighbouring country, officials said.

"At the age of 25, I was sentenced to 11 years in prison by a court in Comilla. Despite completing my sentence, I was not released and spent an additional 26 years in custody, totaling 37 years before I was allowed to return home," Shahjahan told reporters.

The injustice faced by Shahjahan came to light a few months ago through media reports. His plight attracted the attention of the Zara Foundation, an organisation dedicated to helping immigrants who become trapped in foreign countries, his family said.

Moushahid Ali, the chairman of the Zara Foundation, took swift action to secure Shahjahan's release.

Following numerous legal proceedings, Shahjahan was finally handed over to BSF personnel at Srimantapur LCS on Tuesday, they added.

Now 62 years old, Shahjahan left home when he was young and his wife was pregnant. His son saw him for the first time physically upon his return.

"I can't express my happiness in words. I feel like I am in heaven. This is like a rebirth for me. I never thought I would return to my birthplace in this lifetime. It is the Zara Foundation that brought me back home. I will remain indebted to the organization for the rest of my life," Shahjahan said.

He also alleged that he endured brutal torture during his initial 14 days in police custody.

"After serving 11 years in Comilla Central Jail, I was transferred to other prisons under false charges and spent an additional 26 years there," he recounted.
The daylong nationwide strike called by some Dalit and Adivasi groups against the Supreme Court's verdict on the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes affected normal life in Bihar and Jharkhand as well as tribal areas of various states.

IMAGE: The police baton charge on BSP supporters during blocking Dak Bangalow in support of 'Bharat Bandh' against the Supreme Court's recent judgment on reservations, in Patna, Bihar, August 21, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

The police baton-charged and used water cannons on protesters in several districts of Bihar, including Patna, Dharbhanga and Begusarai, to remove rail and road blockades, while in Jharkhand and Odisha public transport services were partially affected.

The response was tepid in other parts of the country even as several INDIA bloc parties as well as other non-BJP outfits extended their support to the bandh.

The Chhattisgarh unit of the Congress said the government should consider the "legitimate demands" of the protesters sympathetically. However, the BJP's prominent tribal leader Faggan Singh Kulaste accused the opposition of politicising the Supreme Court's ruling on the issue.

Twenty-one organisations across the country had called for the Bharat Bandh against the apex court's order, which they said would harm the basic principles of reservation.

The protesters put up rail and road blockades in several districts of Bihar, and police used batons and water cannons to disperse them.

Darbhanga and Buxar witnessed disruption in train services while traffic was blocked in Patna, Hajipur, Darbhanga, Jehanabad, and Begusarai districts.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal and other partners of the INDIA bloc extended their support to the bandh.

Independent MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, led demonstrations in Patna and other areas, criticising the National Democratic Alliance government's stance on SC/ST quota and alleging that it wants to undermine reservations.

In Patna, the police chased away crowds who blocked traffic at Dak Bungalow Chowk. Five people were detained in Jehanabad district following clashes between protesters and security personnel.

In other districts, including Madhepura, Muzaffarpur, Saran, Begusarai, Hajipur, and Purnea, protesters attempted to block traffic and burned tyres, but were dispersed by security forces.

East Central Railway chief public relations officer Sharswati Chandra confirmed that train services were disrupted in Ara, Chausa (Buxar), Darbhanga, Begusarai, and Rajgir, but the situation was promptly controlled.

Public buses stayed off the roads and schools remained closed in Jharkhand where the call for the bandh was backed by the state's ruling JMM-Congress alliance.

The Left parties too have extended their support to the strike.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren has cancelled his visit to Palamu on Wednesday due to the strike, an official said, adding security was bolstered at key locations to prevent any untoward incident.

The practical examination of Bachelor of Education students at Ranchi University was postponed owing to the strike.

Attendance was thin in offices as several long-route public buses did not ply. Protesters burnt tyres and put up blockades at various places in Ranchi.

The bandh supporters urged shopkeepers to down the shutters in the Jharkhand capital. Road blockades were erected in Palamu, Godda, Dumka, Garhwa and other districts.

"We are not protesting the top court's verdict. We hit the streets to protect our rights provided by the Constitution," said Adivasi Jan Parishad president Prem Sahi Munda.

Rail and road communications were partially affected in Odisha but government offices, banks, business establishments and educational institutions functioned normally.

The agitators briefly stopped trains at Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur while passenger buses did not operate on some routes.

The call for the strike evoked a mixed response in Chhattisgarh, barring its tribal-dominated areas. Transport services largely remained unaffected in the rest of the state.

In parts of Bastar and Surguja divisions, and Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki and Dhamtari districts several shops and commercial establishments remained closed. Bastar Division comprises seven districts and Surguja Division six districts.

At Dantewada district's headquarters, a huge motorcycle rally was organised by members of Sarva Adivasi Samaj (SAS), an umbrella body of tribal organisations.

The opposition Congress extended its "moral" support to the shutdown and called for addressing concerns of members of ST and SC communities.

"People belonging to ST and SC communities and their organisations called for Bharat Bandh for their legitimate demands, which should be considered sympathetically as it is their Constitutional right. Congress morally supports their agitation," said the state Congress' communication wing head Sushil Anand Shukla.

Kulaste the Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Madhya Pradesh's Mandla (ST) seat said, "The judges have given their opinion. I personally along with 60-70 MPs met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this issue. The PM told us that the creamy layer provision will not be implemented among SCs and STs."

"Despite such clarity and decision of the government, people have called for a Bharat Bandh... They are playing politics. The Congress played politics in the name of SCs and STs and Mayawati is also doing the same," Kulaste said.

The call for the nationwide strike had some impact in Gujarat's tribal belts as well, including in Chhota Udepur, Narmada, Surendranagra, Sabarkantha and Aravalli districts where markets in cities and semi-urban areas remained closed.

Protesters briefly blocked a goods train in Wadhwan taluka of Surendranagar district and shouted slogans. At Bhiloda and Shamlaji in Aravalli district, roads were blocked by protesters. Several people were detained in Patan and Aravalli districts while trying to enforce the bandh, officials said.

Umarpada town in the Surat district wore a deserted look in the afternoon as shops remained closed.

The call for strike had little impact on normal life in Uttar Pradesh as shops were open and it was business as usual in large parts of the state amid tight security arrangements.

The opposition Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party extended their support to the bandh.

BSP workers held a demonstration near Hazratganj, briefly affecting the traffic flow.

The Bhim Army held protests in pockets of western Uttar Pradesh where it has a sizeable presence.

"Today's mass movement is a clear message to central and state governments that now the Bahujan Samaj will not allow the conspiracy of divide and rule to succeed," Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) president and Lok Sabha MP from Nagina Chandra Shekhar Aazad said in a post on X.

Other northern states, including Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana, remained largely unaffected, barring a few places where markets remained closed and public transport services were partially affected.

Rajasthan police chief UR Sahoo said, "Barring two to three minor incidents at different places, the bandh was peaceful across the state." Rallies and protest marches were taken out in all districts.

In Jaipur, the SC/ST Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti held a rally against the August 1 Supreme Court.

"During the rally, the markets remained closed and opened after 3 pm. The bandh was peaceful," Suresh Saini, general secretary of Jaipur Vyapar Mahasangh, said.

Shops and other commercial establishments functioned normally in Punjab and Haryana as police in both states made elaborate security arrangements to maintain law and order.

In Phagwara, some educational institutions were closed by their management as a precautionary measure.

Protest marches were taken out in Phagwara, Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur districts. Schools functioned normally in Ludhiana.

The bandh had no impact in Assam where schools, offices and business establishments functioned normally with almost full attendance across the state.

The August 1 Supreme Court order held that states are constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within SCs, which form a socially heterogeneous class, for granting reservation for the uplift of castes that are socially and educationally more backward among them.
A video of the Independence Day celebration in Chhattisgarh's Mungeli district, showing a pigeon released by a police officer failing to fly off, has gone viral, prompting the officer to demand action against those responsible.

IMAGE: A screengrab taken from thee viral video on social media. Photograph: X

Some social media users promptly noticed that a similar situation unfolds in season 3 of popular web series Panchayat.

During the function, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA and former minister Punnulal Mohle who was the chief guest, Mungeli Collector Rahul Deo, and Superintendent of Police Girija Shankar Jaiswal were handed pigeons to release, signifying peace and freedom.

The birds released by the MLA and the collector successfully flew off. However, when the SP released the pigeon, it fell to the ground.

Social media user Sachin Gupta shared the video on his 'X' handle and wrote, 'Panchayat-3 was repeated in Chhattisgarh. SP sahab released pigeons on Independence Day. His pigeon fell down instead of flying. Watch the video.'

Official sources on Tuesday said the SP wrote a letter to the collector, seeking disciplinary action.

'During a major national festival like Independence Day, the incident of a pigeon falling to the ground was prominently broadcast on social media and other media. This situation was created as a result of presenting a sick pigeon for flying in the main district-level programme. Had it happened at the hands of the chief guest of the function and honourable MLA, then the situation would have been more unpleasant,' the SP wrote in the letter.

'Certainly, the officer responsible for this work has not discharged his responsibility properly,' it said.

The bird is stated to be alive.
The Badlapur school, where two young girls were allegedly sexually abused, preferred to cover up the crime instead of helping their parents file a police complaint, said Susieben Shah, chairperson of Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, on Wednesday.

IMAGE: Shiv Sena-UBT leader Rajan Vichare along with supporters protest against the alleged sexual assault of two minors in Thane's Badlapur, on Tuesday. Photograph: ANI Photo

The alleged crime by a male attendant created a volatile situation in the town of Thane district on Tuesday, with protesting parents and locals crippling rail services and clashing with police.

Shah stressed the urgency of the matter, saying that the alleged sexual abuse of the two kindergarten students is a clear case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act.

After learning about the incident, the state child rights panel chief said, she contacted the Thane District Child Protection Unit about the parents' concerns.

They (child protection unit) took them to the police to file the complaint. When I asked the school management about the case, they tried to cover it up. I even asked them why POCSO provisions should not be invoked against the school management, said Shah.

She said if the school management had promptly alerted the police, the chaotic situation in Badlapur could have been avoided. The issue arises from the parents being made to wait for 11 hours.

Despite being apprised of the alleged sexual attack, the principal chose not to contact the police . Instead, she went to the school management, Shah said, calling the episode a terrible state of affairs .

Every district in the state has a child protection unit under the Women and Child Development Department. There is also a Special Juvenile Protection Unit in every police station, she said.

All the systems, units, and committees are in place. We all must make collective efforts to make the system work effectively, she said.

Shah also said she would recommend a structured procedure for educational institutions to avoid such situations in the state in the future. The state should implement such procedures and implement them strictly, she said.

Referring to an earlier episode of alleged molestation of students of a Thane school by a bus attendant, Shah recalled that she had then stressed the need for mandatory police verification of teaching, non-teaching and contractual staff in educational institutes.

The alleged molestation had taken place on February 20 when students had gone to a mall in the Ghatkopar area of Mumbai on a private bus.

Court extends police custody of accused till Aug 26

A Thane court on Wednesday extended till August 26 the police custody of the man arrested for the alleged sexual assault.

The accused, who was employed as an attendant at the school where the incident took place last week, was produced before a magistrate at Kalyan in the district on Wednesday morning amid tight police security.

The court ordered the extension of his police custody till August 26, following which he was taken away by the police in a van, a senior official said.

The police had arrested the accused on August 17.

As per the complaint, he abused two kindergarten girls in the toilet of the school, the police have said.

MVA calls for Maharashtra bandh on Aug 24

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), meanwhile, has called for a 'Maharashtra bandh' on August 24 to protest against the incident.

MVA allies -- the Congress, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray and the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar headed by Sharad Pawar -- took the decision after a meeting here, said Vijay Wadettiwar, leader of opposition in the state assembly.

He said all MVA allies will participate in the bandh on August 24.

"We discussed the issue of women's security in the state and the failure of the BJP-led Mahayuti government on all fronts," he said.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad led a protest outside Mantralaya, the state secretariat, over the Badlapur incident. Wadettiwar and a few congress leaders were also present during the protest.

Holding placards outside the gates of Mantralaya, Congress leaders and workers shouted slogans against the government for the 'delay in the registration of the FIR'.

The protesters were stopped by the police from entering the premises.

Gaikwad and Wadettiwar slammed the state government for the 'rise in crimes against women in the state'.
The IT ministry on Wednesday asked social media platforms to immediately comply with the Supreme Court order on the removal of the name, photos and videos of the trainee doctor who was raped and murdered in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

IMAGE: BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul and party leaders take part in a protest against the alleged sexual assault and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor of the RG Kar Hospital, in Kolkata, August 21, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

Seeking prompt removal of identifiable references of the deceased from all social media platforms, the IT ministry warned that failure to comply with the apex court's order may result in legal consequences and further regulatory action.

Social media platforms have been asked to inform the IT ministry about actions taken by them in compliance with the Supreme Court order.

"The ministry of electronics and Information Technology has asked the social media platforms operating in India to comply with a recent Supreme Court order dated August 20, 2024, in the matter titled Kinnori Ghosh @ Anr. versus Union of India & Ors- Re: Circulation of name and photographs of deceased in RG Kar Medical college incident," an official release said.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered the removal of the name, photos and videos of the trainee doctor, who was raped and murdered in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, from all social media platforms.

A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said disclosure of the identity of a victim of sexual assault is a violation of its order passed in the Nipun Saxena case.

The IT ministry release said: "The Supreme Court of India vide an injunctive order has directed that all references to the name of the deceased, along with any photographs and video clips depicting the deceased, be promptly removed from all social media platforms and electronic media. This directive follows concerns regarding the dissemination of sensitive material related to the incident in question".

The IT ministry emphasised the importance of adhering to the apex court's order to safeguard the privacy and dignity of individuals involved, and accordingly, asked social media platforms "to take immediate action to ensure compliance with this order".

"The ministry of electronics and IT urges all social media companies to ensure that such sensitive information is not further disseminated. Failure to comply with the Supreme Court's order may result in legal consequences and further regulatory action," it said.

All social media platforms have been asked to inform the ministry of electronics and Information Technology about the action taken in compliance with the Supreme Court order.

The trainee doctor's body with severe injury marks was found inside the seminar hall of the hospital's chest department on August 9.

A civic volunteer was arrested by the Kolkata Police the following day for his alleged involvement in the rape-murder incident.
Two days ahead of his crucial visit to Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said he was looking forward to sharing perspectives with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi emplanes for two-nation state visit to Poland and Ukraine, in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photograph: ANI Photo

The prime minister's comments came shortly before he embarked on a two-nation trip to Poland and Ukraine.

In the first leg of the visit, Modi is visiting Polish capital city Warsaw on August 21 and 22.

Modi will be in Kyiv for around seven hours on August 23 in the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since the country became independent in 1991.

In a departure statement, Modi, referring to the Ukraine conflict, said that as a 'friend and partner', India hopes for an early return of peace and stability in the region.

"From Poland, I will be visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is the first-ever visit by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine," he said.

"I look forward to the opportunity to build upon earlier conversations with President Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict," he said.

"As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region," he added.

Modi said he was confident that his visit to Warsaw and Kyiv 'will serve as a natural continuation of extensive contacts with the two countries and help create the foundation for stronger and more vibrant relations in the years ahead'.

The prime minister will travel to Kyiv from Poland in a 'Rail Force One' train that will take around 10 hours. The return trip will also be of the same duration.

A number of world leaders including United States President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Kyiv by train after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Modi's visit to Kyiv comes nearly six weeks after his high-profile trip to Moscow which triggered criticism from the US and some of its Western allies.

India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has been calling for resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

In his summit talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month, Modi said that a solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield and peace talks do not succeed amidst bombs and bullets.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday said Modi's visit to Ukraine would be a "landmark and historic" one.

"Lasting peace can only be achieved through options that are acceptable to both parties. And it can only be a negotiated settlement," said Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) in the MEA.

"On our part, India continues to engage with all stakeholders," he said.

On his visit to Poland, Modi said he was looking forward to meeting Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda.

"My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe," he said.

"Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship. I look forward to meeting my friend Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda to further advance our partnership," he said.

"I will also engage with the members of the vibrant Indian community in Poland," Modi said.
Ahead of his maiden visit to Ukraine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India was an advocate of permanent peace in the region, as he reaffirmed his view that "this is not an era of war" and any conflict should be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses Indian diaspora during a community event in Warsaw, Poland, August 21, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

Addressing an enthusiastic Indian diaspora in the Polish capital, Warsaw, on Wednesday evening, Modi also said that for decades, India had a policy to maintain distance from all the countries. However, the policy of today's India is to remain close to all the countries, he added, amid chants of Modi-Modi.

"India is an advocate of permanent peace in this region. Our stand is very clear - this isn't an era of war. This is the time to come together against those challenges which threaten humanity. Therefore, India believes in diplomacy and dialogues...," Modi told the gathering.

His remarks come ahead of his trip to Kyiv - the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since the country became independent in 1991.

Modi, who is visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has said that he will share with the Ukrainian leader perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict.

His visit to Kyiv comes nearly six weeks after his high-profile trip to Moscow and meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin which triggered criticism from the US and some of its Western allies.

At the meeting with the diaspora in Warsaw, Modi lauded their contribution to strengthening bilateral relations and commended their role in the success of Operation Ganga, an evacuation mission carried out by the Indian government to rescue its citizens stranded in neighbouring countries of Ukraine after Russia attacked it in 2022.

"Today's India wants to connect with all. Today's India talks about the development of all. Today's India is with all and thinks about the interests of all," Modi said.

Modi said that if any country faces a crisis, India is the first country to extend a helping hand. "Wherever in the world there is an earthquake or any disaster, India has only one mantra - Humanity first," he added.

Prime Minister Modi's visit to Poland is the first trip by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in the past 45 years.

In his address, Modi said he was eagerly looking forward to meeting President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk to strengthen India-Poland ties.

He stated that India as the Mother of Democracy and its shared values with Poland bring the two countries closer.

He called upon the community to become a brand ambassador of tourism to India and be part of its growth story.

To further strengthen the special bond with Poland, the Prime Minister announced a new initiative called Jamsaheb Memorial Youth Exchange Program under which 20 Polish youth would be invited to India each year. He also recalled the help provided by Poland during the massive earthquake in Gujarat in 2001.

The prime minister spoke about the transformative progress India has achieved in the last 10 years.

He expressed confidence that India will become the third-largest economy in the next few years. He also spoke about his vision for the country to become a developed nation - Viksit Bharat - by 2047. He stated that Poland and India were enhancing their partnership in areas of new technology and clean energy and driving green growth.

Prime Minister dwelt on India's belief in "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam", the world is one family, which inspires it to contribute to global well-being and to be the First Responder in humanitarian crises.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday claimed that the protest at Badlapur in Thane district over the alleged sexual abuse of two kindergarten girls was politically motivated and aimed at maligning the state government.

IMAGE: A large group of people gather to stage a massive protest at the Badlapur Railway Station against the alleged sexual assault incident with two girl children at a school, in Thane on Tuesday. Photograph: ANI Photo

He also said that the majority of protesters were outsiders.

Talking to reporters, Shinde targeted the opposition and said those doing politics over the incident should be ashamed.

A massive protest broke out in Badlapur town on Tuesday as angry parents, local residents and others blocked railway tracks and ransacked the school where two kindergarten girl students were sexually abused by a male attendant last week.

"The protest was politically motivated because the protesters were not local residents. The local residents who were part of the protest could be counted on fingers," he said.

He said state minister Girish Mahajan agreed to all demands of the protestors but they were still not ready to relent.

"This means they just wanted to malign the government," he said.

According to him, some protesters were carrying placards mentioning the 'Ladki Bahin Yojana', his government's flagship financial assistance scheme for women.

The placards said they did not want the monthly sum of Rs 1,500 but protection for their girls.

The protestors blocked the rail route which led to suspension of rail services between Badlapur to Ambernath for over 10 hours.

"Does anyone protest like this? The stomachache the opposition is suffering from due to this scheme is visible from yesterday's protest," Shinde said.

Under the 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana', eligible women are entitled to get a monthly sum of Rs 1,500.

At least 25 police personnel, including the railway cops, were injured in incidents of stone-pelting at the Badlapur railway station and elsewhere in the town during the protest.

Police have arrested at least 72 persons and filed four FIRs in connection with the violence.

Sule seeks Fadnavis' resignation

Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar leader Supriya Sule on Wednesday targeted the Maharashtra government over the Badlapur sexual abuse case and demanded the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a protest organised to condemn the Badlapur incident, she accused the Eknath Shinde-led dispensation of not being serious about the issue of women's safety, and alleged that while the government was busy breaking parties, it had no time for common people.

Sule said, "Had action been taken by the education minister immediately after the incident at the school, the need for an agitation would not have arisen. It shows that this government is not at all serious about the safety of women. The government is busy breaking the houses, parties, using the Income Tax Department and Enforcement Directorate."

The Baramati MP criticised Fadnavis over the incident and asked what happened to the Shakti Act that was brought earlier.

"Home minister, who spends more time in Delhi than in Mumbai, should give a clarification on this incident and as a moral responsibility, he should resign," she demanded.

Questioning the delay in registering an FIR, Sule sought to know why inquiry was not launched to probe the police's inaction.

"Had there been no agitation by people, this incident would not have come to light," the NCP-SP working president said.

The law and order situation in the state was crumbling and offences against women were on the rise, she alleged.

"The Badalpur school incident should have been looked into more sensitively," she added.
The legendary French actor Alain Delon, who passed away on August 18, dreamed of dying on the same day as his pet dog, Lubo. The star wanted to put his best friend to sleep in case he died first.

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The celebrity talked about this in an interview with Paris Match in 2018. When asked whether he was afraid of death, Delon answered in the negative, noting that it was only a matter of time. Instead, the actor was worried about the fate of his pet: "What I do know is that I will not leave my dog alone. It's my dog, a Belgian shepherd, whom I love like a child. His name is Lubo."

Then the Frenchman admitted that he had owned 50 dogs in the past, but he considered Lubo a special friend. "If I die before him, I'll ask the vet to take us away together. He will put him down so that he dies in my arms. I'd rather do that than know that he'll let himself die on my grave in such suffering," Delon expressed his wish.

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However, these words quickly provoked a reaction from the Society for the Protection of Animals (Societe protectrice des animaux, SPA), writes L'Independant. In its account on the X platform, the association noted that "the life of an animal should not depend on the life of a human" and offered to take Lubo into care to find him a new family.

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After "numerous calls from fans worried about Lubo," the Brigitte Bardot Foundation said it had contacted Alain Delon's family, who assured them that the dog was being taken care of. "Lubo is doing well," the association founded by the 89-year-old actress confirmed.

The actor's children consider their pet a full-fledged member of the family. According to the star's entourage, they became friends with their father's dog during regular visits to him. The dog's name is even mentioned in the official announcement of the actor's death. "Alain Fabien, Anouchka, Anthony, and (his dog) Lubo are deeply saddened to announce that their father has passed away," reads the press release published on Sunday morning. Thus, Lubo will continue to live, probably together with Alain Fabien, the youngest of Delon's children.

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Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
In the wake of intense statewide protests condemning Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot's grant of permission to prosecute Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the state constitutional head's security has been tightened, Raj Bhavan sources said on Wednesday.

IMAGE: Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot (right) being welcomed by state CM Siddaramaiah on his arrival for the joint session of the state assembly, as state legislative council chairman Basavaraj Horatti (centre) looks on, at Vidhana Soudha, in Bengaluru, February 12, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

The governor has also started using a bullet-proof car since Tuesday morning, the sources told PTI.

"All the governors, by virtue of holding gubernatorial posts, are entitled to Z-plus security. Till now, the governor was not using it because he did not feel the need for it but now his security will be tightened," a source told PTI hinting that Gehlot will be given Z-Plus security.

Major protests had broken out across the state after Gehlot gave permission to investigate and prosecute Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority site allotment scam.

Congress leaders and workers staged dharnas, foot marches and rallies in all the district headquarters, holding placards denouncing the action of the governor and raising slogans against him. The opposition BJP leaders too staged a demonstration here demanding the chief minister's resignation.

The agitations against Gehlot shook various parts of the state, where people burnt the effigy of the governor, and a private bus was set on fire by protestors in Mangaluru.

During a protest in Mangaluru on Monday, Congress leader Ivan D'Souza warned that Gehlot might be forced to flee Raj Bhavan -- similar to what deposed Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina did earlier this month.

"Gehlot, get out. He has to go back. In case he is not recalled by the President (Droupadi Murmu)...like the way Bangladesh Prime Minister fled in the middle of night... the same circumstance would befall the governor's office," MLC D'Souza said.

Hasina, 76, resigned and fled to India on August 5 following a massive protest by students against a controversial quota system in government jobs.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday said humanity and compassion are vital foundations of a "just and peaceful world" as he paid homage at three memorials, including the monument of the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, known in Warsaw affectionately as 'Good Maharaja' who provided refuge to over 1,000 Polish children who escaped the Soviet Union.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays a wreath at the Kolhapur Memorial, in Warsaw, August 21, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

Modi, who arrived in Warsaw on the first leg of his two-nation visit during which he will also travel to Ukraine, paid his tributes at the memorials for the Valivade-Kolhapur camp and the Monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino in Warsaw.

"Humanity and compassion are vital foundations of a just and peaceful world. The Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw highlights the humanitarian contribution of Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, who ensured shelter as well as care to Polish children left homeless due to the Second World War. Jam Saheb is fondly remembered in Poland as Dobry Maharaja," Modi posted on X along with some photos.

The ministry of external affairs said in a post on X: PM @narendramodi paid tribute at The Dobry Maharaja Memorial in Warsaw, honouring the Jamsaheb of Nawanagar Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja's remarkable act of kindness during World War-II.

"The story of the Dobry (Good) Maharaja' is one of the most evocative chapters in the relations between India and Poland. This moving tribute to the compassion of the Maharaja continues to have a lasting impact on India-Poland ties, the post added along with the photos from the event.

The memorial monument -- a small brick pillar with inscriptions  was unveiled in October 2014 at the Square of the Good Maharaja, Ochota district in Warsaw.

According to the Indian Embassy website, eight Polish primary and secondary schools are named after Jam Saheb, known as Good Maharaja' in Poland.

In 1942, the Maharaja had provided refuge to about 1,000 Polish children from war-torn, occupied Poland and Soviet camps following the occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia.

The surviving Polish children have formed an Association of Poles, which meets annually in one of the major Polish cities, it said.

Later, Modi paid tributes at the memorial plaque for the Valivade-Kolhapur camp, which was inaugurated in November 2017, near the Monte Casino War Memorial.

"Paid homage at the Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw. This Memorial is a tribute to the great Royal Family of Kolhapur. This Royal Family was at the forefront of giving shelter to Polish women and children displaced due to the horrors of World War II," Modi said in another post on X.

"Inspired by the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the great Royal Family of Kolhapur put humanity above everything else and ensured a life of dignity for the Polish women and children. This act of compassion will keep inspiring generations," he added and posted a few photos from the event.

In a post, the MEA said that the monument honours the generosity of the state of Kolhapur in Maharashtra which had given shelter to Polish women and children during World War II. "It continues to illuminate the deep and enduring friendship & togetherness between India and Poland," it said.

Valivade village near Kolhapur town in Maharashtra was where over 5,000 Poles had lived, integrated, and worked for several years before returning to their motherland.

The majority of them had arrived either by land or sea route after evacuations from Polish camps at the height of the Second World War.

Prime Minister Modi also paid solemn homage at the Monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino in Warsaw.

"PM honoured the brave soldiers who fought in World War II. Indian and Polish troops fought side by side in this historic battle. Our shared history and enduring ties continue to inspire," the MEA said in another post on X.

Prime Minister Modi's visit to Poland is the first trip by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in the past 45 years.
A sessions court on Wednesday directed the Mumbai police to provide adequate security to an approver in the 1993 serial bomb blast case and his family members.

Image used for representational purpose only. Photograph: ANI Photo

Sessions court judge VD Kedar stated the man was a star prosecution witness and prime approver and the trial in the case of the belated arrest of seven persons is slated to commence soon.

"In the said trial, the evidence of the applicant may be required for cross-examination at the hands of accused persons. Thus, looking at the above facts and circumstances of the case, I am of the view that the applicant and his family members need to be provided sufficient security," the court said.

The court directed the police to provide sufficient security to the applicant and his family members as contemplated under the Witness Protection and Security Act as early as possible.

The court ordered a compliance report to be submitted within two weeks.

The man had filed an application seeking to beef up police protection provided to him expressing apprehension of threat to his and his family's life.

The man was initially arraigned as an accused in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case but was later granted pardon and was declared as an approver.

Thereafter he deposed as a prosecution witness and claimed to have played a crucial and vital role in not only providing minute details of the perpetrators of the crime to the investigating agency in carrying out a full-fledged and thorough investigation but also in identifying the accused persons during the trial, which has resulted in conviction of several accused.

The man sought security for him and his family members under the Witness Protection and Security Act claiming he incurred the wrath of his own Muslim community as well as the high-profile accused.

He fears for his own and his family's safety, the application said.

The man said he was initially given 25 police personnel as protection but this cover was later reduced to one. He has sought the CBI to provide at least five police personnel for his protection.

The man claimed that he had made several requests to the CBI but to no avail.

The police told the court that in March 2024 it was ordered by the city police commissioner to provide 3 police personnel from the Protection branch and four personnel from another division to the man.

The applicant's case of seeking more security will be considered at a later stage, the police had said.

On March 12, 1993 twelve bombs went off at different locations in Mumbai killing 257 persons and injuring more than 700 others.

A total of 123 persons were arrested and many more were shown as absconding accused in the case.

A special court had convicted 100 of these accused.

Some of the absconding accused were arrested later and the trial against them was to be held separately.
Twenty years ago, a little known state senator from Illinois delivered a 2,297 word speech at the Democratic National Convention speech in Boston.

That 17 minute speech -- which was interrupted by applause 33 times -- made Barack Obama an all American political star. Three months later he was elected to the United States senate in a landslide. And we all know what happened on November 4, 2008.

On Tuesday, August 20, 2024 -- 16 days after he turned 63 -- Barack Obama appeared on stage during Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

The former US president and former First Lady Michelle Obama spoke in support for Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee for the November election.

IMAGE: Michelle Obama spoke before her husband did, here and below. Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters

Photograph: Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters

IMAGE: Barack Obama takes the stage. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

IMAGE: Michelle greets Barack before his speech. Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters

IMAGE: After they left the White House in January 2020, Michelle and Barack have dabbled in many things, including producing content for Netflix like Leave The World Behind, Rustin and Bodkin. Photograph: Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters

IMAGE: Barack Obama is a mesmerising speaker and someone who has endorsed Kamala Harris from her baby steps in California and national politics. Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters

IMAGE: In 2010, even though the Democratic party faced tough Congressional and governor races in many states, Obama flew down to canvass votes for Kamala Harris in the California atrorney general's election.

That may as well won Kamala that election -- she sneaked past her Republican rival by 0.85 of the votes cast. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
Glimpses of the Super Moon rising over skylines and landmarks of the world.

Also known as the Blue Moon and Sturgeon Moon, it is the first of four Super Moons expected this year.

The phenomenon occurs when a full moon coincides with the time of the year when the Moon is closest to the Earth.

IMAGE: The Super Moon rises next to the Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion near Athens, Greece. Photograph: Louiza Vradi/Reuters

IMAGE: The Super Moon rises behind the Temple of Poseidon. Photograph: Louiza Vradi/Reuters

IMAGE: The Super Moon's glow illuminates the Temple of Poseidon. Photograph: Louiza Vradi/Reuters

IMAGE: The Super Moon rises over the Galata Tower in Istanbul, Turkiye. Photograph: Umit Bektas/Reuters

IMAGE: The Super Moon rises behind the Juscelino Kubitschek Memorial in Brasilia, Brazil. Photograph: Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters

IMAGE: The Super Moon is pictured from Kongekajen in Copenhagen, Denmark. Photograph: Ritzau Scanpix/Thomas Traasdahl/Reuters

IMAGE: The Super Moon rises in Dortmund, Germany. Photograph: Leon Kuegeler/Reuters

IMAGE: The Super Moon rises over the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Photograph: Christian Hartmann/Reuters

IMAGE: The Super Moon rises behind the Belgrade waterfront in Belgrade, Serbia. Photograph: Djordje Kojadinovic/Reuters

IMAGE: People gather to watch the Super Moon in the White Sand National Park near Alamogordo, New Mexico, USA. Photograph: Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters

IMAGE: The Super Moon visible next to the 123-story Lotte World Tower in Seoul, South Korea. Photograph: Kim Soo-hyeon/Reuters

IMAGE: The Super Moon illuminates Seoul's cityscape. Photograph: Kim Soo-hyeon/Reuters

IMAGE: An aircraft passes in front of the Super Moon as seen from Parliament Hill in London. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com and Anant Salvi/ Rediff.com

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
Ukraine is currently in the middle of a strategic offensive into Russia's Kursk region.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra D Modi meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Italy on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in June. Photograph: @PMOIndia/X

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick off his two-nation visit on Wednesday with the trip to Ukraine likely to see discussions over politics, trade, education, and humanitarian assistance, the ministry of external affairs has said.

Modi will embark on a two-day tour of Poland, followed by a visit to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv to hold talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The day-long visit to Ukraine will be the first ever by an Indian PM since formal diplomatic relations were established in 1992 and will hold geopolitical heft as Modi renews his call for dialogue and a non-military solution to the ongoing war, sources said. Ukraine is currently in the middle of a strategic offensive into Russia's Kursk region.

Modi's visit to Ukraine comes shortly after his visit to Russia in July. Back then, Zelenskyy had described the meeting as a 'huge disappointment'.

Meanwhile, Modi and Zelenskyy met a couple of months ago in June on the sidelines of the Group of Seven Summit in Italy. They had also met last year on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Japan.

Over the past two years, India has resisted Western pressure to discontinue crude oil purchases from its traditional partner, Russia.

Discounts on a steady stream of Russian crude have led to India's crude oil import bill shrinking by 15.9 per cent to $132.4 billion in 2023-2024, down from $157.5 billion in the previous year, even as import volumes remained the same.

IMAGE: Modi and Zelenskyy meet on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, May 20, 2023. Photograph: @PMOIndia/X

India's trade with the embattled country has dwindled since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022. Trade had reached a high of $3.38 billion in 2021-2022.

At $2 billion, the vast majority of this trade comprised sunflower seed oil imports, which continue to be the largest import item from the nation.

India had previously relied on Ukraine, the world's largest traditional producer of cooking oil, for shipments.

However, the war forced the government to reach out to Russia, the second-largest producer of sunflower oil, as domestic edible oil prices had quickly climbed to historic highs in May-June 2022.

New Delhi sought a special carve-out or concessional rates for shipments after Russia placed quotas on the exports of sunflower oil.

As of FY24, Russia is the largest source of cooking oil for India.

IMAGE: Russia's President Vladimir Putin awards Modi the Order of St Andrew the Apostle the First-Called at the Kremlin in Moscow, July 9, 2024. Photograph: Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters

Business ties with Poland

The visit to Poland marks the first visit by an Indian PM in 45 years, as the country becomes an important fulcrum of Indian trade and investment in the Central European region.

Poland is currently the sixth-largest economy in the European Union and will hold the next presidency of the Council of the EU.

Marking the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Poland, the visit will seek to increase Indian presence in a key European economy that is positioning itself as a low-cost manufacturing and logistics hub on the continent.

The talks are set to include greater defence cooperation, as well as more bilateral business ties in information technology, pharmaceutical, and automotive manufacturing, MEA officials said.

The country is already home to nearshoring operations of Indian information technology majors like Tata Consultancy Services, HCLTech, Infosys, and Wipro.

Manufacturing units of pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy, Berger Paints, and automotive and equipment manufacturer Escorts, among others, have also emerged in the past decade.

Officials said the country is keen to attract more Indian investments and has pitched itself as a technology-driven, yet cost-effective, manufacturing destination in Europe.

In February, telecommunications gear maker HFCL announced plans to set up a fibre optic cable plant in the country.

On the other hand, foreign direct investment from Poland is the 34th-largest among nations at $712 million.

On Monday, Secretary (West) Tanmaya Lal pointed out that nearly 30 Polish companies have a business presence in India.

India has a positive trade balance with Poland, bolstered by a diversified export basket.

In tandem, the number of Indian nationals in Poland has increased to 25,000.

This includes 5,000 students, many of whom chose to study in Poland after being evacuated from neighbouring Ukraine in 2022.

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com
BENNINGTON  Vermont Arts Exchanges (VAE) Basement Music Series returns with Coffee House Jazz for a special show featuring The Convergence Trio with special guest, Paul Austerlitz, on Sunday at The Prospect Coffee House, 1 Prospect St., in North Bennington.

Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m.

The Convergence Trio is comprised of Eugene Uman (piano and composer), Brian Shankar Adler (drums and percussion) and Cameron Brown (double bass). The Trio will perform the compositions of Eugene Uman, many of which are based on the indigenous rhythms of Colombia, South America. All three of its members are on the faculty of the Vermont Jazz Center Summer Jazz Workshop and have distinguished careers as recording and performing artists. Listeners can expect to hear a diverse program that features original music based on Colombian rhythms such as cumbia, currulao, passillo, bambuco as well as Cuban rhythms including rumba and bembe.

Joining the trio will be special guest, bass clarinetist and saxophonist Dr. Paul Austerlitz.

Together they will also play several of Pauls original works which have grown from four decades of ethnomusicological research in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and beyond. A graduate of Bennington College, he has been especially influenced by Professor Milford Graves, and will tap into this special connection during this reunion of sorts.

Eugene Uman is the artistic and executive director at the Vermont Jazz Center (VJC) where, for 26 years, he has produced over 300 concerts and overseen educational programming, including the Summer Jazz Workshop.

Brian Shankar Adler is a multidisciplinary percussionist and composer. Adler has performed in caves, forests and glacial ice fields as well as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center and other prestigious venues. He currently teaches at Bates College, Bowdoin College, University of Maine and the Vermont Jazz Center.

Detroit-born bassist Cameron Brown has been playing jazz and free music professionally since the mid-1960s when he toured Europe with the bands of George Russell, Archie Shepp, Don Cherry and Donald Byrd. Career highlights include a 50-year musical relationship with National Endowment of the Arts jazz vocalist Sheila Jordan, a tour of Japan with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, and a long tenure with the legendary George Adams/Don Pullen Quartet.

Tickets for this show are very limited and selling fast. For tickets, visit CoffeeHouseJazzAug25.eventbrite.com.

Beer, wine, hot and cold non-alcoholic beverages will be available as well as baked goods from the cafe. No dinner tonight. This show is sponsored in part by Hampton Inn and the Prospect Coffee House.
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SOUTH NEWFANE  A new owner of the former South Newfane Baptist Church plans to convert the building into residential property.

"We are all relieved that this historic treasure of our community is in good hands," said Maia Segura, chairwoman of the South Newfane Community Association Board.

SNCA announced the sale of the historic building earlier this month. The property has been in the association's possession since it was donated to the association for $1 by the South Newfane Church Board of Trustees in 2022.

South Newfane church for sale sparks some interest SOUTH NEWFANE  Put on the real estate market earlier this month, the South Newfane Baptist 

Matt Ewald, the new owner, is president of Pinnacle Builders. The Putney-based construction firm specializes in 18th and 19th century building restoration and reproductions, according to SNCA's announcement.

For more than 30 years, Ewald has been in the trade. He "honed his skills locally working at Jonathan Jesup Restorations, a company well-known for its historic renovation expertise," according to the announcement.

Ewald said the church is "really in pretty good shape."

"It has a lot of history to it," he said in an interview. "We'll see what the building and the land can handle, whether or not it's able to have a two-unit place or it's just going to be a home. That all has yet to be determined."

Town records show the property was sold for $56,000. At one point, a real estate listing included a price tag $299,000.

Segura said the figure was "less than we were hoping, but we were thrilled with the qualifications of this particular buyer. It was clear that our overall goal of preserving the structure and ushering it into its next life could not have been better served than by Matt."

Proceeds from the sale of the church will go toward maintenance and upgrades in the nearby historic South Newfane Schoolhouse. Owned and operated by SNCA, the schoolhouse is used as a venue and gathering space.

When initially talking with SNCA a couple of years ago, Ewald heard about a need for more residential property in the area.

"It seems to me in Vermont and around the nation, there's just a shortage of houses," he said.

Currently, the project is in the planning stages. Ewald said the goal is to have the property ready to be moved into around fall 2026.

With the building sitting on a rock foundation with a dirt crawl-in space in the basement, he noted moisture has risen and "attacked the floor system." He's looking at lifting the building to install a new foundation or lifting it partially to put in a heated slab.

"That's the first thing," he said. "We'll start there."

His plan is to keep the stained glass windows but not in their current manner. He said new insulation, siding, windows and doors will be needed.

"We want to see great things happen to South Newfane," he said. "I just think that there's a real opportunity in that town. I'm excited to be part of it."

SNCA said the church had been "a vibrant part of community life in the village of South Newfane back to its first organized congregation in the late 1700s. The current structure was built in 1860 on a parcel of land donated by the Pardon Perry family. It served as a meeting place for worship, friendship, and a great sense of local pride for over 160 years."

Due to a dwindling congregation, the church had been closed for several years when it was essentially donated to the SNCA. The association said it "committed to steward the property into its next stage."

"The priority was to secure a buyer who would preserve the structures historic integrity, and ideally increase housing opportunities in the village," the announcement states. "The organization is confident that these aspirations will be met through Ewald."

SNCA describes itself as "an all-volunteer organization committed to building community and encouraging activation of the South Newfane Schoolhouse on a donation-basis." Currently, the group is engaged in raising funds for a ramp project to ensure accessibility for all community members coming to the schoolhouse.

To learn more, contact snschoolhouse@gmail.com or visit facebook.com/SouthNewfaneSchoolhouse.
Invitations have been sent to all world leaders to participate in COP29, Azernews reports, citing Elnur Soltanov, Azerbaijan's Deputy Minister of Energy and Executive Director for COP29 in Azerbaijan, as he stated in an interview with the Anadolu Agency.

Elnur Soltanov mentioned that more than 50 heads of state and government have confirmed their participation in COP29.

"We expect this number to increase. Armenia has also been invited," he emphasized.

Recall that Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, will host the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 29) for the first time in the region from November 1122, 2024. The decision was made at the plenary session of COP28 on December 11. Azerbaijan successfully participated in the COP28 held in Abu Dhabi last year.

Azerbaijan will take the opportunity to bring heads of state and governments, civil society organisations, business, and international institutions together in the South Caucasus to discuss climate change, measures to accelerate the implementation of the Paris Agreement, and focus on long-term climate strategies and goals.

It is worth noting that Azerbaijan confirmed its commitment to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by 35 percent by 2030 and increase this target by 40 percent by 2050. Fulfilling the commitments under the Paris Agreement adopted in 2015 and actively working in this regard are priority issues for the government of Azerbaijan.

The Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has been held annually since 1995. The event aims to assess the progress made in combating climate change around the world.
First Lady Olena Zelenska and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Superheroes School in their hometown of Kryvyi Rih. The hospital branch was created to treat and educate children.

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The new photos posted on the Telegram channel show the first lady's best friend Iryna Pikalova, the ex-wife of Kvartal 95 actor Alexander Pikalov. In the picture, she is wearing a blue suit.

As Zelenska told the World Inside Out program, she has been friends with her closest friend since she was 18. The president's wife admitted that over the years she has never doubted her friend. "Life is impossible without friends. For example, I have known my friend Iryna since I was 18. Now I am 46. We have been together most of our lives. And I have never doubted that she is the best person in my life. And it's really cool to have friends," she said.

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In 2019, the first lady shared a photo with Irina Pikalova, dedicating a sincere post to her: "A study on happiness has proven that friendship and sincere relationships are important to a person. It's hard to disagree with this... Ira, I am proud of our amazing friendship."

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Spanish pensioner Maria Branyas Morera, who was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest person in the world, died at the age of 117. According to doctors, the woman was in excellent physical and psychological condition until her last day despite having lived through pandemics and wars.

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The sad news was announced by the family members of the long-lived woman on her X (formerly Twitter) page. Despite her venerable age, she constantly communicated with her audience of more than 18,000 readers, the Daily Mail reports.

"Maria Branyas has left us. She died the way she wanted: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain," the woman's relatives wrote on social media.

For the past twenty years, the pensioner had been living in a specialized nursing home in the town of Olot in northeastern Spain. Employees of the facility said they were delighted with the health of the record holder, who always maintained a positive attitude. However, at the end of her life, she published her last post on social media, where she spoke about the deterioration of her condition, "I feel weak. The time is coming. Don't cry, I don't like tears. And most importantly, do not suffer because of me. You know me, wherever I go, I will be happy."

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The woman faced many obstacles. She was born in 1907 in San Francisco just as the city was suffering from the bubonic plague. In 1915, her family decided to move to Spain during the First World War, which caused partial hearing loss.

She eventually survived both world wars, the Spanish flu pandemic, the civil war in her country of residence, and COVID-19. Despite the many traumatic events, she was never a pessimist. She played the piano, read newspapers, and exercised every morning until she was 105 years old.

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"She had an absolutely clear head. She could recall events with amazing clarity when she was only four years old, and she had no cardiovascular disease typical of the elderly," one of the doctors described Maria Branyas Morera.

The main secrets of her impressive age were keeping order in her life, maintaining maximum calmness, and avoiding "toxic" people.

Her husband was a Catalan doctor Joan Moret, who passed away 46 years ago. She is survived by three children, eleven grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren.

Only verified information is available on OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!

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Datacoms Datascape local government software play appears to be succeeding with 21 customers now using one or more core modules and 81 using one or more apps from the broader suite.

In July, Wattle Range in South Australia added the Datascape CRM system and Moorabool Shire in Victoria added the suites property and rating system, making both now fully live on the Datascape core ERP modules, Datacom told Reseller News.

Datascape was also selected by the only two councils in New Zealand who came to market for full ERP, with Waimakariri going live on the CRM module in July and Kapiti Coasts implementation underway.

Two full ERP customers were signed on in Western Australia and another 15 chose to use Datascapes citizen portal, community engagement system or council website.

Regional Software Holdings, a regional council-owned software provider to that sector, is also rebuilding its IRIS integrated regional information system using Datacoms Datascape software.

While Datacom booked $23 million in impairments to the value of its local government software unit in the year to 31 March, 2023, managing director of SaaS products at Datacom Peter Nelson described that as a conservative point in time valuation.
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
Angry protesters in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, pelted the Belarusian Embassy with eggs and tomatoes on August 21 after recent comments by Alyaksandr Lukashenka sparked outrage. The Belarusian strongman criticized Armenia, which had earlier downgraded diplomatic ties with his country. Armenia had accused Belarus of meddling in its internal affairs. The protesters also called on the Armenian government to expel Belarusian diplomats.
The local authorities will not evacuate the village of Vnezapnoye in Kursk region, which the Ukrainian Defense Forces have recently entered. The head of the Viktorovka village council, Vladimir Marentsev, which includes the village, advised people to take their relatives out of the area on their own.

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A local resident sent OBOZ.UA a recording of the conversation confirming this. He himself is working in Moscow, and he has a wife in Kursk region, who managed to write from the military's phone that she was fine.

"Why did you leave your wife? The Ukrainian Armed Forces entered Vnezapnoye, so I don't know how to relocate her from there now," said the head of the village council. He himself is now in Kursk, from which, according to the authorities, he was evacuated.

Marentsev justified his refusal to help by the fact that the so-called anti-terrorist operation was being conducted in the Kursk region. He advised to call 112 (a single number for emergency services) with all questions.

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The village of Vnezapnoye, according to a local resident, was occupied by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on August 15.

It should be noted that the evacuation of the local population from the territories of the Kursk region of Russia controlled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to Ukraine has not yet been carried out. Residents of the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, continue to live in place in areas where the fighting is not ongoing, although some may leave on their own without assistance from Ukraine, said MP Roman Kostenko.

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As reported, Kirill Suvorov, the owner of a funeral home from St. Petersburg, threw a tantrum online because men were leaving the Kursk region. He was outraged that they did not want to take up arms or even shovels to dig trenches.

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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.
Police have cordoned off a school compound in Sanski Most, a town in northwest Bosnia-Herzegovina, after an employee shot dead three of his colleagues on August 21. An investigation is under way to ascertain the motives of the shooter who used an automatic rifle. After the attack, he apparently tried to kill himself and was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to his chest. Although Bosnian schoolchildren are still on vacation, police say that some pupils were retaking exams in the building when the gun attack took place.
Welcome back to the China In Eurasia briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter tracking China's resurgent influence from Eastern Europe to Central Asia.

I'm RFE/RL correspondent Reid Standish and here's what I'm following right now.

Powered Down In Mongolia

Mongolia's government voted not to to include the Power of Siberia-2 natural gas pipeline that connects Russia to China through its territory in its spending plans for the next four years, a sign that the megaproject may be on hold.

Finding Perspective: Mongolia's new coalition government voted on August 16 for its action program for its four-year term and notably did not include the 2,594-kilometer pipeline, meaning they don't expect the ambitious project to begin construction during that span.

While the bulk of the energy project rests between Beijing and Moscow reaching an agreement, Mongolia would need to be involved in construction and transmission fee negotiations.

Power of Siberia-2, which is a joint project between the China National Petroleum Corporation and Gazprom, would take at least five years to build and would look to bring gas from the huge Yamal Peninsula reserves in western Siberia to China.

Much of these reserves were originally intended to be sold to the European Union, but Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has left Moscow looking for a new market in China, the world's largest consumer of natural gas.

But Beijing currently has no particular incentive to agree to the new pipeline, and there have been ongoing disputes and tough negotiations between China and Russia over price and supply levels.

In June, the Financial Times newspaper, citing "people familiar with the matter," reported that talks are frozen over what Russia sees as China's unreasonable demands.

What's Next? The decision by Mongolia's government is seen by some analysts as the latest sign that the pipeline is facing setbacks.

"It's premature to declare the project over, but the omission signals significant challenges," Aleksei Chigadaev, a China expert and former visiting lecturer at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, told me.

Moscow's bargaining power with its more economically powerful neighbor has weakened over the course of the war in Ukraine, and questions remain over Gazprom's ability to underwrite such a complicated venture.

The natural gas pipeline, which would bring gas to northern China, is also uncertain because it faces competition from China's growing shift toward renewable energy and Beijing's wider strategy to avoid being too dependent on any one exporter.

"North China's access to [global] liquefied natural gas (LNG) markets is expanding, and global LNG markets will likely remain oversupplied for the rest of the decade," Joseph Webster, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told me.

"Additionally, north China can squeeze out incremental volumes from domestic production and the existing lines of the Central Asia-to-China [pipeline]."

Why It Matters: Approval for the pipeline would transform Gazprom's current fortunes by tying it further to a massive consumer market, but Beijing's tough stance also underscores how Russia's invasion of Ukraine has left President Vladimir Putin lacking leverage.

Concluding a deal on a project as expansive as Power of Siberia-2 is incredibly complex, but China clearly believes it is holding better cards.

Beijing also has alternatives to pursue. Xi has also offered support for the construction of the so-called Line D pipeline, which would be the fourth to bring Turkmen gas to China.

As Chigadaev explains, the Turkmen pipeline offers some clear advantages.

"The pipeline will be significantly shorter than the Russian one, and its construction will be entirely controlled by China, including investments, the construction process, and operations," he said. "Negotiating with Turkmenistan's political leadership is also easier -- it has an even higher level of authoritarianism than Russia and a simpler economy."

Still, as Webster notes, Power of Siberia-2 and Line-D feed different parts of China and don't necessarily cancel the other out, although "China's future and even current natural gas demand is a big analytical blind spot."

"Line D is believed to service southern China, which would place it in only indirect competition with Power of Siberia-2, which would deliver gas to customers in northern China," he said. "Line D is more likely to compete against American and Australian LNG. But the routes of Line D and Power of Siberia-2 aren't finalized yet. Things could change."

Three More Stories From Eurasia

1. Li Qiang In Russia and Belarus

Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived on August 20 in Moscow on a three-day official visit where he is expected to hold talks with his Russian counterpart Mikhail Mishustin and Putin.

The Details: The visit will focus on bilateral ties and economic cooperation between China and Russia as part of a regular diplomatic track created for both countries' prime ministers.

Ahead of the visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Li planned to "exchange in-depth views on practical cooperation in bilateral relations and issues of common concern" in talks with Mishustin.

Neither the Chinese or Russian side mentioned the war in Ukraine in their previews, but Li's trip is the first from a Chinese official since Ukraine's incursion into Russian territory.

Li will then depart Moscow for Belarus, where he'll meet with Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko and strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Belarus relies heavily on Russia for political and financial support but has also looked to balance that dependence with closer ties with China.

In July, Belarus became the 10th member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and also hosted China for military exercises in the western part of the country, some 5 kilometers from the Polish border.

2. Kazakhstan's Nuclear Energy Bid

Kazakh officials held their 20th public discussion in the country about building a new nuclear power plant on August 20, my colleague Asemgul Mukhitkyzy from RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.

What You Need To Know: The most recent public forum was held in the capital, Astana, and came before a possible national referendum on this issue.

The discussion tour includes officials and nuclear energy experts and are partly held as part of an effort to raise public awareness, dispel myths and misinformation about nuclear power, and quell any safety or environmental concerns from having another plant in the country.

Kazakh officials have not yet said who will be building the plant, but the government is reportedly considering proposals from French, South Korean, Chinese, and Russian companies.

3. Diluting Tajikistan's China Debt

Tajik Deputy Finance Minister Yusuf Majidi says China's share of Tajikistan's external debt is decreasing each year, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports.

What It Means: Speaking at a recent press conference, Majidi said Tajikistan's total debt owed to China is $1.5 billion and Dushanbe has paid back $610 million already.

He added this leaves Tajikistan's remaining debt owed at around $850-890 million and the government has been taking steps to limit its debt exposure.

"China's share in the structure of Tajikistan's external debt is decreasing. After 2018, we have only received grants from China," Majidi explained to reporters.

Tajikistan's growing financial dependence on China has been a major source of criticism for the Tajik government, with China owning half of the country's foreign debt and being its main source of external investment.

Added to those financial concerns, all of the terms of loan contracts agreed to with China have not been made public and have sparked fears that Tajikistan's inability to repay its loans could lead to offering land or other concessions in exchange for debt relief.

According to the Finance Ministry, the grace period for a number of loans owed to China's Export-Import Bank will stop at the end of 2025 and Dushanbe will need to pay off a percentage of its Chinese-owned debt.

Across The Supercontinent

Yuan Listed: In a move designed to boost cross-border trade with China, the National Bank of Kyrgyzstan announced it will begin publishing the official exchange rate of the yuan against the Kyrgyz som starting on September 1.

Wheat Woes: Kazakhstan has suspended wheat exports to China for an undetermined period following unilateral tariff changes by Beijing, the Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture said in an August 7 statement.

The Not 'For You Page': TikTok's algorithm promotes the Chinese government's narratives on hot-button issues such as Tibet, Taiwan, and the Uyghurs while suppressing content critical of Beijing, a new study has found.

A Dawn Raid And A Ruling: Legal claims brought by the Chinese firm Nuctech that European Commission raids in April to search for evidence of state subsidies were illegal have been thrown out by a court in Luxembourg.

Nuctech is a maker of body and baggage scanners for airports and ports and they sued the commission in June over the raids being unlawful. The ruling by the court could have a wider effect on Chinese businesses in Europe and the case is the most high-profile use of the European Commission using its foreign subsidies regulation.

One Thing To Watch

Azerbaijan officially applied to become a member of BRICS, the group of emerging-market nations led by China and Russia that also includes Brazil, India, and South Africa as founding members.

The country's Foreign Ministry made the announcement on August 20. Azerbaijan is the latest applicant to BRICS, which has consisted of just five members for years until it expanded with the inclusion of Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, and Egypt in January.

The development also comes after Azerbaijan signed a strategic partnership agreement with China on July 3 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you might have.

Until next time,

Reid Standish

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Wednesday.
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.
Ukraine's military said its forces came under repeated attack on August 21 around the town of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, where Russian forces are pressing for a breakthrough.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

In a statement, the General Staff of the Ukrainian military said there were 46 Russian attacks in the Pokrovsk area over the course of day. Of these, 44 were repelled and two were ongoing into the evening hours local time.

It also said 238 Russian troops were killed or wounded in the same area on August 21. It did not disclose Ukrainian losses, and it was not possible to verify the number of Russian soldiers killed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine's military was responding to the Russian push by strengthening its forces around Pokrovsk, one of the hottest areas of the front.

The Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine has ordered a forced evacuation of children with their parents or legal representatives from certain districts of the Donetsk region, including Pokrovsk.

There were dozens of other clashes across the front line on August 21. Most of them were repelled, according to the General Staff, but some continued into the late evening hours.

The governor of the Bryansk region of Russia, Aleksandr Bogomaz, said Russian forces prevented an attempted incursion into the region by Ukrainian troops. Bogomaz said the attempted breakthrough occurred in the Klimovo district of the region, which borders the Chernihiv region of Ukraine.

"The enemy has been hit by fire. Currently, the situation at the site of the clash has stabilized," Bogomaz said on Telegram.

Ukraine said separately that it had destroyed a Russian pontoon bridges with U.S.-made weapons in Russia's Kursk region. A video posted by Ukrainian special forces showed strikes on several pontoon crossings after Russia reported that Ukraine has destroyed at least three bridges over the Seym River.

"Where do Russian pontoon bridges 'disappear' in the Kursk region? Operators...accurately destroy them," Ukraine's Special Operations Forces said on Telegram.

Claims of battlefield success could not be independently verified.

The Kremlin believes the fighting to repel Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region will last for months and is trying to prepare the public for this "new normal," sources close to the Russian presidential administration and the government have told the Meduza and Verstka news websites.

The reports came as Russia is battling to repel the two-week-old Ukrainian incursion into its region bordering Ukraine, where Kyiv's forces say they control more than 1,260 square kilometers and 92 settlements.

The news outlets said the Ukrainian incursion "shocked" Russian elites, but now that the initial shock has passed, "they've gotten used to it."

'New Reality'

At the same time, the Kremlin is using its propaganda machine to try and prepare Russians for life in the conditions of a "new reality" and "new normality," said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"The Kremlin proposes convincing Russians that an enemy that breaks through to Russian territory will face 'inevitable defeat,' but 'the return of territories will take time and Russians need to wait,'" one of the sources said.

Russian elites are expecting the resignations of those responsible for the Ukrainian breakthrough, a source told Meduza.

Ukraine's leadership has repeatedly clarified that its bold move into Kursk is meant to establish a buffer zone inside Russia meant to protect Ukrainian civilians from cross-border Russian shelling.

The American Institute for the Study of War said Ukrainian forces continued to advance along the entire front line in Kursk.

Earlier on August 21, Ukrainian naval forces struck a Russian S-300 antiaircraft complex in Russia's Rostov region, Ukraine's General Staff reported, while Russia said it was subjected to one of the most intense waves of Ukrainian drone strikes that ever targeted the capital, Moscow.

Ukraine's General Staff said the strike against the S-300 missile complex near the settlement of Novoshakhtinsk in the Rostov region was carried out by naval force units and the consequences of the strike are still being evaluated.

"Russian invaders also use S-300 missiles to attack peaceful Ukrainian cities, destroying residential buildings and terrorizing the civilian population," the General Staff said.

Rostov regional Governor Vasily Golubev separately said a Ukrainian missile had been shot down in the region, without giving details.

Meanwhile, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Ukrainian drones targeted the Russian capital in one of the largest such attacks, adding that air defenses shot down 10 of the drones.



"This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow with drones of all time," Sobyanin wrote, adding no casualties or material damage were reported.

Russia's Defense Ministry separately said its air defense systems shot down 45 Ukrainian drones.

"Eleven drones were destroyed over the Moscow region, 23 over the Bryansk region, six over the Belgorod region, three over the Kaluga region, and two over the Kursk region," it said.
Archaeologists in Spain have discovered ancient Roman settlements. According to the scientists' assumption, it could have been a "hidden empire".

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The team of researchers hoped to meet interesting finds in the Spanish region of Sierra de Cadiz. However, scientists could not even dream that they would find 57 unique monuments of the Roman Empire era, writes DailyMail.

Researchers from the University of Cadiz in Spain found entire settlements in the areas around Arcos de la Frontera, Bornos, Villamartin and Puerto Serrano. Interestingly, they were connected by the Guadalete River, leading experts to believe that these houses were part of a hidden empire.

According to archaeologists, they used GPR, an instrument that sends radar pulses underground to detect any hidden objects, during their investigation. The experts wanted to find the walls of ancient houses that were not visible from the surface.

ADVERTISIMENT

Macarena Lara, a professor of archaeology at the University of Cadiz, and her team began excavating the Roman villa El Canuelo in Bornos. They found that the building contained walls that separated living and working areas.

The scientists say the findings may help them better understand the presence of the Roman Empire in the Guadalete River Valley more than 2,000 years ago.

"The aim is to learn about the interaction of the Gulf of Cadiz with the settlement of the Guadalete River depression during the Roman period. After all, this is an aspect that is virtually unknown until now," the researchers said in their report.

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The Romans settled the Guadalete River after they conquered Spain in 264 BC. Therefore, it should be clarified when the newly discovered structures were built.

"Our main goal is to continue to excavate and research using unconventional methods and tools, which will culminate in the study of the contexts found. As well as analyzing methods on documented materials that will allow us to obtain a holistic view of the Roman settlement and territory in the area of the Bornos and Arcos de la Frontera reservoirs," summarized Macarena Lara.

Only verified information we have in Telegram-channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!

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BUCHAREST -- It has been a busy six months for the Chinese ambassador to Romania.

Among the institutions that Han Chunlin has visited during his travels around Romania, the envoy made stops at two of Romania's top medical universities to promote one of his governments more unassuming ways to build cultural influence abroad: traditional Chinese medicine.

While the details of the closed-door discussions between the ambassador and representatives of these universities are not fully known, the diplomatic outreach by Han and the Chinese Embassy in Bucharest is achieving results in Romania.

Both the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest (UMF Bucharest) and the Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy In Iasi (UMF Iasi), which are home to some of Romanias most respected medical programs, have been organizing traditional Chinese medicine events for years for staff and students, as well as paid study trips to China, and both universities offer courses on it, with UMF Iasi set to launch such classes in the fall.

Other medical programs at Romanian universities, such as Transylvania University of Brasov and Vasile Goldis Western University of Arad have also embraced traditional Chinese medicine in their curriculum, with Brasov offering a specialized masters degree and Arad operating a traditional Chinese medicine center on campus.

The inroads made by the steady engagement of Chinese officials marks a success story for Beijings official efforts to strengthen its soft power abroad and promote traditional Chinese medicine, which centers around practices like acupuncture, tai chi, and the use of herbal remedies to treat health problems.

In Romania, this push for influence in the medical field has also found fertile ground amid decades of funding cuts, low pay for doctors, and other problems that have undermined public trust in the national health-care service and left the country with one of the European Unions lowest ranked systems.

The health system is discredited and when you have a certain mistrust the public attitude toward the generally accepted medical treatments becomes tied to the shortcomings of the broader medical system, Stefan Popescu, a former state secretary at the Romanian Foreign Ministry, told RFE/RL.

Chinas promotion of traditional Chinese medicine should be seen as part of a broader constellation of initiatives that [Beijing] uses to deepen cooperation with countries, Popescu said. It also highlights Chinese traditions in a way that puts them in opposition to the West.

In April, UMF Iasi became the first Romanian medical university to host a Confucius Institute, a Chinese cultural-education center that is administered by an organization under the purview of Chinas Education Ministry. The stated aim of the centers is to promote Chinese language and culture, but theyve also faced criticism over attempts to stifle academic freedom and using improper influence on teaching and research.

Speaking at the launch of the Confucius Institute in April, UMF Iasi Rector Viorel Scripcariu said that, in addition to teaching Chinese, the center could also help integrate and expand professional skills training activities in the field of traditional Chinese medicine, a sentiment that was also shared by Han in his public comments.

Following the institutes inauguration, Han met that same month with Viorel Jinga, the rector of UMF Bucharest, where the two discussed the future of collaboration in traditional Chinese medicine, according to a written response provided to RFE/RL from Jingas office.

The Chinese Embassy in Bucharest did not reply to RFE/RLs request for comment about the meetings or its efforts to promote traditional Chinese medicine in the country.

'A National Treasure

While the efforts of Chinese diplomats in Romania show some of the latest attempts to promote traditional medicine abroad, its importance to Chinese foreign policy was unveiled in Beijing nearly eight years ago.

Traditional Chinese medicine has been part of the countrys foreign medical aid for decades, but its standing has been boosted under the tenure of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who often refers to the collection of practices that date back thousands of years as a national treasure in his public speeches.

Under Xi, Beijing launched a global campaign in 2016 that has since gathered pace with an official white paper and a law on traditional Chinese medicine aimed at promoting it worldwide.

The effort received a major boost in 2019 when the World Health Organization (WHO) included traditional Chinese medicine in its influential global diagnostic compendium, the International Classification of Diseases -- a move that was criticized as anti-scientific and potentially harmful by many, including influential industry publications such as Scientific American and Nature, who said there was little evidence that these practices provided effective treatment.

Traditional Chinese medicine has been lumped into important Chinese global projects like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and Beijing has launched a series of scholarships to sponsor foreign students to study the discipline in China. It also featured prominently in Chinas response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with its practices recommended domestically as part of a treatment plan for the virus. Traditional Chinese pharmaceuticals were also included in foreign aid provided during the pandemic.

The promotion of traditional Chinese medicine also has a commercial dimension to it -- including an expanding multibillion-dollar market inside China and a growing international one -- which adds extra impetus to its ongoing health diplomacy around the world.

Chinas strategy [with traditional Chinese medicine] has the potential to be much more effective than other soft power efforts because it is high-visibility and medicine is needed everywhere in the world, Popescu said.

Inroads At UMF Iasi

The new Confucius Institute in Iasi is the fifth such center in Romania and it aims to become a platform for the promotion of Chinese culture in the eastern Romanian city and across the country.

Reaching this point is the result of years of work by Scripcaru, the rector of UMF Iasi, who has been courting Chinese cooperation since as early as 2019, when he announced a partnership agreement with the Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, which he said would be a launching pad for traditional Chinese medicine at the university.

We hope to bring to UMF Iasi the spirit of traditional Chinese medicine, which not only involves medicine, but also the understanding of the culture of one of the most valuable civilizations in the world, Scripcaru said in a statement then.

Scripcaru has continued to forge ahead and has worked closely with Chinese officials over the years. A few days before the opening of the Confucius Institute in April, UMF Iasi concluded another agreement with the Kunming University of Medicine in southern China, which provides for bilateral cooperation in the field of education and research.

In response to questions from RFE/RL, Scripcaru said the Confucius Institute is part of the process of internationalizing the university and that the expansion of new courses on traditional Chinese medicine are the result of guidance from the World Federation for Medical Education, an NGO focused on the training and education of doctors worldwide, which advised the university to adopt the discipline as part of its alternative-medicine curriculum.

By integrating traditional Chinese medicine into the curriculum, UMF Iasi can offer students a more diverse knowledge of global medical practices. Also, over time, more than 250 students have expressed their interest in learning the Chinese language and learning about Chinese culture, Scripcaru's office said in a written statement to RFE/RL.

The decision to open the Confucius Institute and to introduce an optional course in traditional Chinese medicine was taken solely out of the desire to enrich the educational offer and expand the academic horizons of our students and researchers, the statement continued.

The campaign to promote traditional Chinese medicine by UMF Iasi continued in June 2024 when a conference -- the first major event under the auspices of the new Confucius Institute -- was held at the university.

But the actual organization of the event was handled by the Romanian Society of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SRMTC). The SRMTC, which was founded in 2008 and claims to have 83 members no longer has, as of 2018, the legal right to organize educational events such as the June congress in Iasi.

According to Romanian law, a medical conference falls under the category of continuing medical education and only providers accredited by the College of Physicians can organize such events.

SRMTC has not been on this list since 2018 when the College of Physicians decided to drastically limit how alternative medicine practitioners can offer their services.

In response to questions from RFE/RL, SRMTC President Angela Tudor defended hosting the event, saying that UMF Iasi was the main organizer of the conference.

Tudor added that the conference was attended by professors from universities in France, Italy, and the United States where traditional Chinese medicine is also taught as part of the curriculum.

Traditional Chinese medicine has nothing to do with politics. It is practiced and studied on all continents as an important part of medicine, Tudor said. We are doctors and we study everything that can make us more competent in the fight against diseases.

A Flagship In Bucharest And Beyond

While the program at UMF Iasi is a recent development, courses on traditional Chinese medicine have existed on an optional basis at UMF Bucharest for years.

In a statement provided to RFE/RL, a spokesperson from the rectors office said that its alternative medicine program is in accordance with international guidelines and is reviewed and evaluated annually.

Still, the Chinese Embassy in Bucharest is actively involved with the university. On May 16, Han visited the campus and met with Jinga, the UMF Bucharest rector, where they discussed future collaboration in the field of traditional Chinese medicine, according to a press release.

A spokesperson from the rectors office told RFE/RL that talks between Han and Jinga in April have already led to a new exchange program sponsored by Chinas Commerce Ministry that sent two doctors from UMF Bucharest to China for a specialized traditional Chinese medicine course in July.

The purpose of this course was to provide participants with a thorough understanding of the fundamental principles of traditional Chinese medicine, the rectors office said.

Other medical universities across the country have also embraced traditional Chinese medicine in recent years.

The central Romanian Transylvania University of Brasov offers what it says is a one of a kind masters degree in Central and Eastern Europe and even began offering courses in English through a partnership with the University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Beijing.

Vasile Goldis Western University of Arad, in the western part of the country, is a private institution that hosts Romanias first center for traditional Chinese medicine, where students can practice under the supervision of doctors from China, take Chinese-language courses, and receive a degree recognized by the Chinese government.

The press offices of Transylvania University and Vasile Goldis Western University did not respond to RFE/RLs inquiries about their traditional Chinese medicine programs.

Written by Reid Standish in Prague based on reporting by RFE/RL Romanian Service Senior Correspondent Ionut Benea in Bucharest.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, making his first visit to Azerbaijan in six years, marveled at how Baku, the capital city, had developed. "It's an oasis, I would say, in the region," he said at an August 19 meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev.



It was an apt phrase.

In the past few years, Azerbaijan has indeed emerged as the most welcoming spot for the Russian leader in a tumultuous South Caucasus region. Armenia is rapidly turning against its erstwhile Russian ally, while Georgia -- in spite of its own current crisis with the West -- remains deeply unfriendly territory for Putin.



At home, meanwhile, Putin is dealing with the unexpected headache of a Ukrainian military incursion into the Kursk region that the Russian military has not been able to turn back.



In Baku, a beaming Aliyev welcomed Putin into his residence with a hug, and first lady and Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva gave him a kiss. Putin marveled at the "family atmosphere" in which he was received.



But there are limits to the Aliyevs' hospitality, and Baku has been playing multiple sides as part of its well-established multivector foreign policy. In the Caucasus of 2024, though, that may be the best Putin can get.



Behind the smiles and hugs, Azerbaijan has been pushing to shut Russia out of regional politics in which, until recently, Moscow had been deeply involved.

For decades, Russia -- along with the United States and European countries -- played a key role in diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. But Azerbaijan, believing the conflict-resolution process had become a venue for outside powers to exert their influence in the region, has in recent months managed to push Russia and other foreign powers out of the process and to work on a peace treaty with Armenia one-on-one.



In another setback for Russia, Azerbaijan also recently announced it was removing a contentious issue from the treaty negotiations: a transportation link between mainland Azerbaijan and its exclave of Nakhchivan, through southern Armenia, known by its Azerbaijani name, the Zangezur Corridor.



While that route is of critical importance to Azerbaijan, it also represents a chance for Russia to gain a new foothold in the region. Armenia and Azerbaijan initially agreed that the route would be guarded by Russia's state security service, and Moscow still harbor hopes such a provision will be fixed in the final agreement. In that context, Putin's comments in Baku on the peace negotiations appeared a bit plaintive.

"If we can do something so that we can sign a peace agreement with Azerbaijan and Armenia, complete the delimitation and demarcation of the border, as we discussed a lot, unblock logistics and the economy, we would be very glad," Putin said.



Other, even more difficult, issues weren't mentioned.



In May, a senior Russian official announced that Moscow hoped to open a consulate in Karabakh, the territory at the heart of the long-running conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan now fully controls the territory, after its September 2023 offensive resulted in the flight of the entire population of 100,000 ethnic Armenians. But the news about a prospective Russian consulate set off alarm bells among Azerbaijanis, who saw in it a hidden Kremlin agenda to reassert Russian -- and possibly Armenian -- influence in the territory.



Ahead of Putin's visit, the Russian news agency Tass interviewed the Azerbaijani ambassador to Moscow, Polad Bulbuloglu, and asked him about the issue.



Bulbuloglu gently signaled Azerbaijan's resistance to the idea, noting vaguely that in Azerbaijan "the field of work for consulates is limited." Following the Tass interview, Bulbuloglu followed up with an Azerbaijani government-affiliated website, Haqqin, and issued a fastidious correction that again delicately signaled Baku's resistance: "I didn't say that a Russian consulate might appear in Karabakh. I said that the issue is in the discussion stage."

Aliyev and Putin did not mention the consulate in their public remarks.



Meanwhile, as the two leaders met in Baku, in another part of the city, an erstwhile adviser of Putin, Ruben Vardanian, sat in prison, one of several officials from the former Armenian-backed unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic who were arrested following Azerbaijan's retaking of that territory last year.



Ahead of Putin's visit, the Union of Armenians in Russia sent him an appeal asking him to raise the issue of the Karabakh prisoners. That issue, too, was unmentioned.



It has been easier to find common ground on economic relations between the two countries. When Aliyev visited Moscow in April, the focus was on expanding a transportation network connecting Russia, via Azerbaijan, to Iran and ports on the Persian Gulf. The project is of critical strategic importance to Russia, which is trying to redirect its trade links to the east and south after its relations with the West collapsed following its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.



While Azerbaijan stands to benefit from the trade expansion, as well, a brief exchange between the two leaders in Baku made Russia look like the more eager party. Total trade turnover between the two states stands at "a little more than $4 billion -- a good number," Aliyev said.



"But it doesn't correspond to the potential of our capacities," Putin added.



When the August 19 meetings concluded, the two announced they had signed agreements on topics like food security and labor inspection. A new Russian-Azerbaijani University will be opened in Baku, and the two countries will start joint production of oil tankers.



To some Azerbaijanis, that modest takeaway exposed what they saw as the real reason for the visit: a chance for Putin to look like he had allies when he is actually internationally isolated.
Residents of the Russian border town of Sudzha appeared shocked and disorientated at its capture by Ukrainian forces, in interviews with an RFE/RL reporter during a media tour organized by Ukrainian authorities on August 20. Ukraine launched a surprise cross-border attack into Russia in early August and now holds a swath of territory.
Up until this weekend, the western reaches of the Seym River, a meandering waterway flowing west across the Kursk region into Ukraine, was spanned by three low, two-lane, concrete-and-asphalt bridges that served road traffic for the southern Russian territory.

As of August 20, however, those three bridges are now impassable, partially destroyed by a series of Ukrainian attacks that pose serious problems for Russian forces struggling to contain Ukraine's two-week-old expanding invasion of Russia.



The goal of the effort -- which has stunned Russia, surprised the West, and possibly rewritten the narrative of the entire war -- remains uncertain, although President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signaled that at least one of the aims is to create a buffer zone.



But it's an open question whether a border buffer zone will change the fact that, some 400 kilometers to the south, Russian forces are on the verge of capturing Pokrovsk, a Donbas city whose fall would imperil Ukrainian supply and logistics lines all along the front line across the Donbas.



Here's a look at where things stand 30 months into Europe's largest land war since World War II.

All Eyes On Kursk



The last time Ukraine pulled off an offensive maneuver that reset the battlefield, not to mentioning gobsmacking outside observers, came in late 2022: in the eastern part of the Kharkiv region, and further the south, on the west side of the Dnieper River, in the Kherson region.



Ukraine tried to pull off an even more ambitious counteroffensive last year, but that ground to a halt, resulting in major personnel and equipment losses and widespread disappointment.



The Kursk invasion has surprised observers, but it's unclear if it will reset the battlefield.



More than 1,000 troops, including some of Ukraine's most battle-hardened units, backed by tanks and heavy weaponry, were believed to have been involved in the initial foray on August 6, which quickly overran undermanned and underbuilt border defenses. The number of Ukrainian troops has reportedly grown by at least five times since.

According to Ukrainian and Russian officials, open-source intelligence, and analysts, Ukrainian troops have been spotted digging fortified defensive positions in several locations. That suggests the invasion's goal is not just to attack Russian positions and retreat back across the border but to hold territory as a chip for future negotiations.



"It's a calculated risk that they've taken; they knew what they were doing," said Pentti Forsstrom, a retired Finnish Army lieutenant colonel who is now a senior researcher at the National Defense University in Helsinki.



"People were thinking: 'This is the attritional phase of the war, nothing special will happen, the fighting goes on, but nothing changes, so this is a good time to do something,'" he said. "And the Ukrainians did it. They didn't wait. They took the initiative into their own hands, forcing Russia to respond."



The strikes on the Seym bridges, in Kursk's Glushkovo district, are also significant: The bridge that was apparently hit sometime over the weekend -- announced in a drone video issued by Ukraine's air force commander on August 18 -- was the third to have been rendered impassable in recent days.



Destroying the bridges hinders Russia's ability to move forces and mount an effective defense, an effort that to date has been shambolic -- though that might change as more experienced units arrive. It also increases the risk that some Russian forces could be encircled.



"The strikes on the bridge crossingsand the advance of Ukrainian defense forces' forward units to the western bank of the river suggest that the objectiveis to take control of a portion of Kursk Oblast south of the Seym," according to the Center for Defense Strategies, a Kyiv think tank headed by a former Ukrainian defense minister.

Satellite imagery shows Russian troops have tried to erect a handful of temporary pontoon bridges across the Seym.



On August 18, in his first remarks outlining the objectives of the incursion, Zelenskiy said Ukrainian forces were seeking to destroy "as much Russian war potential as possible," as well as to create "a buffer zone on the aggressor's territory."



There was another goal, said Mykhaylo Podolyak, a top Zelenskiy adviser.



"The third task is, of course, to show the type of war that Ukraine is waging, compared with the type of war that Russia is waging," he said in an interview with Current Time. "Russia is destroying populated areas. Russia, in fact, is going to occupy and seize populated areas. Ukraine does not intend to seize populated areas. It does not intend to occupy this territory."

In a separate speech, Zelenskiy trumpeted Russia's flat-footed response as an illustration that Moscow's threats about major escalation were illusory.

"It is the time when the world is shedding its last and very naive illusions about Russia, illusions that have significantly hindered the defense of Ukraine," he said.

Western observers, meanwhile, have been surprised not only by the Ukrainian success but also by the ineffectual Russian reaction.



"Russia is still pulling together its reaction to this incursion," U.S. Army General Christopher Cavoli, NATO's top military commander, said on August 15 during a talk in New York. "There has been a fairly slow and scattered reaction to it. Part of that is because it's not exactly clear who is in charge."

Send In The Conscripts



The Ukrainian advance has sent tens of thousands of Kursk residents fleeing; at least 130,000, as of August 20. It is a flood of people that has stretched resources and nerves in the regional capital, also called Kursk.



For the Kremlin, there's another, bigger people problem looming: the role of conscripts being deployed against Ukrainian troops.



Under Russian law, all men between the ages of 18 and 40 are required to serve in the armed forces. The law also puts some limits on deploying conscripts to war zones, requiring a minimum of four months of service and specialized training, and including an outright prohibition on deployment outside of the country.



That means the war in Ukraine has been fought only with contract volunteers -- "kontraktniki" -- as well as recruited prison inmates.



That, in turn, has insulated the wider Russian population from the horrors of the Ukraine conflict, which has killed or wounded at least 350,000 Russian soldiers (and a comparable number of Ukrainians), according to Western estimates.



Russian President Vladimir Putin has said multiple times that conscripts would not be deployed to combat areas. But the Ukrainian invasion of Kursk is changing that calculus.



At least 22 Russian conscripts went missing in the Kursk region in the first week of Ukraine's invasion, according to the news outlet iStories.



In the northern region of Murmansk, mothers of conscripts who began service in early July have circulated petitions demanding their sons not be sent to the Kursk region.



Relatives of conscripts from the central region of Bashkortostan told the news organization Vyorstka that some of their brothers and sons who had been stationed in the Kursk region had gone missing and may have been captured.

"What right do they have to send conscripts there?" one woman, who asked to be identified only as Olga, told RFE/RL's Siberia Realities. Putin promised that only kontraktniki would fight, she said.

Ukrainian forces have also released videos and photographs purporting to show scores of Russian prisoners of war, and observers say more than 1,000 soldiers may have been captured during the Kursk incursion. If true, that would present the Kremlin with an even bigger headache.

Idite Lesom, an NGO that helps Russians being mobilized or conscripted, said it had fielded scores of calls from parents complaining their sons had gone missing or were set to be deployed to fight Ukrainian troops.



"Formally, they cannot all be sent to the combat zone, but their commanders are obviously much more concerned now that they will get a slap on the wrist if they do not promptly carry out the order" to deploy to Kursk, Grigory Sverdlin, the NGO's founder, told RFE/RL's Russian Service.



Oksana Deyeva, a woman from the Voronezh region whose son was drafted in 2023 and had served near the Kursk village of Korenevo, published a petition on the website Change.org, calling on Putin to order the withdrawal of any conscripts.



"A full-scale offensive is under way on our territory today. Save the lives of soldiers who are not prepared for military action. You promised parents that [conscripts] would not participate in military action!!!! We believe in you," the petition read.



Deyeva did not respond to multiple messages from RFE/RL seeking further comment.

Pokrovsk Has (Almost) Fallen



Ukraine's successes have eclipsed more dire news further south, along other parts of the 1,100-kilometer front line.



Russian commanders, who have more men, more weaponry, and more willingness to conduct infantry-wave assaults, are grinding down Ukrainian defenses in three locations along a 70-kilometer section of the front: Chasiv Yar, Toretsk, and Pokrovsk.



Pokrovsk, in particular, is under critical threat, according to analysts and open-source maps and intelligence. On August 20, Russian forces were reported within 11 kilometers of the city, which has a dwindling civilian population of around 50,000. Authorities have called on civilians to evacuate the city, as well as the neighboring town of Myrnohrad.



"If Pokrovsk still has two weeks, then Myrnohrad has only a few days left," Yuriy Tretyak, the head of the local military administration, told RFE/RL's Donbas Realities.



Now a garrison town with supply depots and trauma facilities, Pokrovsk sits astride a key highway -- known variously as the T-0504 or N23 -- that heads northeast toward Kostyantynivka, a city with a major railway junction. Russian forces were even closer to the highway, less than 7 kilometers, as of August 19, according to Deep State, an open-source mapping group with ties to Ukraine's military.

Russia's Defense Ministry on August 21 claimed it had captured Nyu-York, a town also often spelled New York, located to the east of Pokrovsk. Ukrainian officials did not immediately confirm the town's loss, which would put more pressure on the defense of Pokrovsk.

Russia's seizure of the highway would be a major rupture of Ukrainian supply lines and would put further pressure on Kostyantynivka, which is being threatened from the northeast by Russian advances into the city of Chasiv Yar.



As of August 20, Russian forces controlled Chasiv Yar's Kanal district on the eastern side and have started sending scout units to try to establish a foothold across the Siverskiy Donets, the Donbas Canal, which Ukraine has relied on for defense.



The relentless Russian advances have again highlighted one of Ukraine's biggest problems: manpower.



Despite passing a new mobilization law this spring, the system for recruiting, equipping, training, and deploying new recruits continues to work slowly, experts said, giving Russia the advantage, overwhelming Ukrainian positions with bloody but effective infantry assaults.



"It's not about materiel, weapons. I have the feeling that Western aid is adequate enough. But the Ukrainians don't have the personnel to use those materials, to fire those weapons," Forsstrom told RFE/RL. "The Russians have the same problems in recruiting, but of course Russians have the money to attract soldiers. The Ukrainians don't. So they have to rely on the morale of the Ukrainian people."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the Middle East hoping to broker an elusive cease-fire deal aimed at ending Israels devastating war in the Gaza Strip.

But the top U.S. diplomat left the region on August 21 -- his ninth visit during the 10-month-old war -- without securing any major breakthroughs.

Experts say key differences remain between Israel and EU- and U.S.-designated Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, the two sides in the conflict.

This is still very much a work in progress, and I'm personally not optimistic, said Firas Maksad, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington.

'Sheen Of Optimism'

Ahead of Blinkens latest visit, U.S. officials expressed optimism that a cease-fire deal was closer than ever.

He traveled to Israel, Egypt, and Qatar in a bid to inject urgency to secure an agreement. During his stay in Tel Aviv, he warned that this was maybe the last opportunity to secure a deal.

But Blinken appeared to be downbeat in comments he made as he ended his tour of the region.

Confidence had grown after Blinken met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and announced that Israel had accepted a U.S. "bridging proposal" aimed at narrowing the gaps between the two sides in the war. He then urged Hamas to do the same.

But just a day later, Netanyahu was quoted by Israeli media as disagreeing on a key sticking point -- the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

Hamas has not explicitly rejected the U.S. proposal, but said it went against previously agreed terms.

Washington has been keen to add urgency to the protracted cease-fire talks after Israels suspected assassinations of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, in Iran and a senior Hizballah commander in Lebanon last month. Tehran, which backs Hamas and Hizballah, has vowed revenge, sparking fears of a wider regional war.

Maksad said the United States is putting a sheen of optimism on the talks to pressure Israel and Hamas into accepting the proposed cease-fire deal and to assure Iran and Hizballah that progress is being made.

The goal, Maksad added, is to prevent an Iranian-led attack on Israel and avert an all-out war in the volatile region.

Iran has so far delayed its retaliation against Israel and has suggested that it does not want its actions to impact cease-fire talks.

'War May Not Actually End'

Experts say it is not even clear if the two men central to the negotiations want peace -- Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who has been blamed for masterminding the deadly October 7 attacks in Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.

Key members of Netanyahus right-wing coalition are opposed to a cease-fire deal.

[Netanyahu] knows his coalition in the Knesset would be at risk if he signs a deal that ends the war, said Michael Horowitz, head of intelligence at the Bahrain-based Le Beck International consultancy.

Meanwhile, Hamas may be waiting for an Iranian strike on Israel, which would escalate regional tensions and may give the group more leverage in the future, Horowitz added.

Maksad said that Sinwar from the onset of the war has wanted to very much draw in Iran and its various proxies in support of his cause.

What could potentially complicate matters further is the attempted suicide bombing in Tel Aviv on August 18, which Hamas claimed to have carried out in cooperation with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad extremist group.

Hamas renounced suicide attacks in 2006 before taking over in Gaza as it sought more legitimacy and international recognition. But the return of suicide operations could have consequences, according to experts.

It suggests the war may not actually end, but may only morph into something more terrifying, more destructive, and ultimately more threatening both to Israeli security and the future hopes of a Palestinian state, said Gregory Brew, a senior analyst at the U.S.-based Eurasia Group.

Deal's Sticking Points

Specific details of the U.S. cease-fire proposal have been kept under wraps, but analysts say it envisions a multiphase deal.

Horowitz said the first phase would include a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from most of Gaza and the release of some of the scores of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in return for Palestinian prisoners.

Negotiations would also be held to facilitate a permanent cease-fire during the second phase.

Hamas is concerned that, even if it signs the U.S. bridging proposal, talks for a permanent cease-fire between phase 1 and phase 2 will fail, and Israel will use this as an excuse to resume the war, he said.

Horowitz said that Netanyahu wants to retain the right to decide which Palestinian detainees are released in the prisoner exchange. Crucially, he added, Netanyahu also wants the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to maintain a presence along at least one of two strategic corridors in the Gaza Strip.

The Philadelphi corridor is a narrow strip of land running along the enclaves southern border with Egypt. The Netzarim corridor, which runs just south of Gaza City, divides the territory into southern and northern sections.

Hamas's main objective is to secure a permanent end to the war and the full withdrawal of all IDF troops -- to that end, accepting Israel's right to keep troops inside the territory is unacceptable, said Brew.

He added that without Israeli concessions on Philadelphi or Netzarim -- or, less likely, a full Hamas retreat from the issue -- a deal doesn't look likely.
A pair of veteran American astronauts, 58-year-old Sunita Williams and 61-year-old Barry "Butch" Wilmore, who have been stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) since June, may be rescued by an Ilon Musk rocket. NASA officials have acknowledged that malfunctions on Boeing's new Starliner test capsule may be more serious than originally thought, and the astronauts may not be able to use it to return to Earth after all.

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For months, the U.S. space agency assured that Williams and Wilmore would return on the Starliner, downplaying the problems with the capsule. However, due to the apparent malfunctions of the spacecraft, the cause of which engineers can not understand, NASA still decided to explore a backup option for the astronauts, writes Space.com.

Recall that the Boeing Starliner capsule launched from Florida aboard an Atlas V rocket on June 5, 2024. However, a few hours later, the space agency reported that the capsule had two leaks. While the capsule was docking to the ISS on June 6, another leak was discovered, and a few days later, on June 10, another leak was spotted. In addition to the helium leak, five engines temporarily failed during the flight.

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Engineers attempted to remotely repair the Boeing craft, but it was not possible to understand all the details of the malfunctions.

NASA Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich said the agency has brought in additional propulsion experts at other units, such as the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to see if they can spot anything that Boeing and CFT engineers may have missed during the capsule's extensive ground and space testing. But that takes time.

As a result, a mission that was supposed to last 8 days has already dragged on for more than 60 days. And it looks like it will end next year. After all, NASA is considering SpaceX's Crew-9 to return astronauts to Earth.

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Under the contingency plan, the next SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule will head to the space station with only two astronauts instead of four. Suni Williams and Barry Wilmore will then join as full space station crew members for six months and return home on Crew Dragon around February 2025.

Despite the rough plan for the upcoming mission, Steve Stich emphasized that a final decision has yet to be made, but it will need to be made by the middle of this month.

At the same time, a Boeing spokesman said he has faith in his ship. "We still believe in Starliner's capabilities and its flight rationale. If NASA decides to change the mission, we will take the steps necessary to customize the capsule for a crewless return," the spokesperson said.

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OBOZ.UA previously wrote that the faulty Boeing Starliner left astronauts in a space trap for 54 days: and the end of it is not visible.

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A shredded 14-meter sailboat washed up on a beach in Florida. This event attracted the attention of many locals, who began to call it a "ghost ship".

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For the people who first saw the boat wash up on the beach, it was associated with mystery and intrigue. But for its owner, 39-year-old Michael Barlow, the ship had a name: "Lady Catherine III" and its own story, MailOnline writes.

To buy this sailing ship, Michael spent most of his savings. He invested $80,000, intending to "explore the world," but was forced to abandon the ship and ask the coast guard to conduct a rescue operation. This is how the empty Lady Catherine, bought by Barlow in May, eventually ended up on the sandy shores of Florida, but the full story is much longer and more complicated.

And it started with Barlow's dream of living a freer, more fulfilling life with his wife and 9-year-old son: "We were just going to explore the world. We're normal people. We have normal finances, very, very basic. And this is the only way I could show my son that there's a whole world out there other than the one in America," Michael commented.

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More than a month ago, Barlow and a friend embarked on a 1,500-kilometer journey from Fort Pierce, Florida, back to Texas, where he was ready to close his excavation business and sell off his possessions to finance his new lifestyle. A few days before the official departure, they studied the weather conditions and concluded that "the forecast was excellent."

A week after Barlow's first voyage on the Lady Catherine, however, the initially ideal sailing conditions changed dramatically: "The sea began to get rough, and a strong wind blew, which almost never abated for the next two days," the owner shares his impressions.

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A series of storms caused waves to crash into the hull and strong winds to tear the sails, but Barlow remained unfazed. At first. For three days, he battled the terrible weather that slowly destroyed his vessel, but he was able to stay in touch with his family using a Garmin tracker. They knew his exact location the entire time, which was one of the reasons why Barlow eventually made it out of the ordeal alive. Still, the ship was too badly damaged to continue moving. To make matters worse, his loyal crewmember began to freeze to death.

"The autopilot broke down during the first storm, so we steered manually for three days. My friend had all the symptoms of hypothermia, he went down and lost consciousness. He was unconscious for the whole time. I was sitting there watching the sea rise, so I started making radio calls to see if there was anyone within range who could help us. No one answered," Barlow said in an interview.

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Just when he thought all hope was lost, he pressed the SOS button on his Garmin, which allowed him to establish a direct connection with the Coast Guard in New Orleans. Rescuers later reported that Barlow and his friend were picked up on June 1 about 300 km south of Panama City, Florida. A Coast Guard officer radioed that they were "about to get into trouble again" and that they had three hours to rescue them. Michael was told that he would need to make a sacrifice. His boat for $80,000 or his life.

"We can come for you right now, but you have to leave the ship. You're definitely risking your life if you stay," Michael said, recalling what the Coast Guard told him. Barlow decided to survive by leaving the doomed ship.

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Richard Hoofle, a rescue swimmer aboard the helicopters sent to Barlow's location, said they dodged storms left and right during their journey over the Persian Gulf. And when they arrived at the site, it was already completely dark. The night vision video released by the Coast Guard shows the boat bobbing in the rough waves, with its main sail almost completely torn off.

The same video also shows the rescue of two men, during which a rescuer jumped from a helicopter directly into the water. "It was like a movie. He jumped out of the helicopter into this crazy big sea and swam to us with just a mask and a snorkel," Barlow said.

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The dramatic video shows Michael and his friend being lifted into the sky and then flown back to Panama.

For several weeks, no one knew the whereabouts of the Lady Catherine. But when residents of Pensacola began posting images of the wrecked ship on social media, Barlow was able to locate it.

Despite his experience, Michael is still a novice sailor, and he was not intimidated by the storm experience or the financial difficulties he faced: "It definitely didn't shake my resolve to sail. I love the ocean. I respect the ocean. It is relentless and beautiful at the same time," he says.

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MEP Ciaran Mullooly has said he will initiate a consultation process with community groups in the midlands to assess the effectiveness of the European Just Transition Fund (EUJTF).

This comes after recent allocations of grant aid to various projects in the region. Mullooly is seeking to gather comprehensive feedback on the impact of these allocations, particularly in relation to former Bord na Mona and ESB workers and their families.

Mullooly raised important questions, asking: "How many community groups were involved in this EUJTF process? How many former Bord na Mona and ESB workers or their families directly benefited from the grant aid?"

These questions highlight his commitment to ensuring full engagement from those affected by the EUJTF initiatives.

As the European Commission undertakes a review of the EUJTF's operations, President Ursula von der Leyen has indicated that "red tape and regulation is hampering the effectiveness of the EUJTF schemes within some countries - with 40 million euros unspent." In light of this, Mullooly emphasised the need for community feedback before the Commission's review is presented to the European Parliament early next year. This feedback, he noted, will be crucial in shaping potential legislative changes ahead of the introduction of EUJTF 2.0.

Mullooly has encouraged all community groups in the midlands to participate in this consultation during the month of August. He has assured them that their views will be represented as part of the Commission's review process. Mullooly, who will be involved in scrutinising the review as part of the European Parliament's Regional Development Committee, stated, "Your view will be heard. I can assure you of that."

Through his efforts, Mullooly aims to ensure that the experiences and concerns of midlands communities are taken into account as the EUJTF evolves, reflecting his dedication to effective and responsive policy-making.
A Roscommon business that was burgled earlier this week has thanked the local community for their support. They also thanked Roscommon Gardai for responding so quickly to the incident.

In the early hours of Tuesday, 20th August, a quantity of cash was stolen from the well known pub, the Castlecoote Lodge Bar and Lounge. Some damage was also caused to the premises.

The pub is owned by former Fianna Fail politician Terry Leyden and his family.

While shaken by the upsetting and disturbing incident, the Leyden family said that thanks to the support of the local community, their customers, friends and neighbours they were able to reopen that evening at 5 pm. The family said they greatly appreciated the support at this difficult time.

The thieves in the night gained entry through an emergency door at the back of the premises, breaking the doors hardened glass in the process. They removed a blind and they took the cash drawer from the till. They also damaged the pool table, taking change from it too. None of the spirits or drinks were taken. It was the first burglary in the premises' 13 years in business.

The Leyden family also expressed their sympathies with others who have suffered from the recent spate of burglaries, saying this type of crime was affecting far too many business premises and private homes in the county.

They called for a clamp down on these criminals and said that businesses could ill afford to lose any of their takings. They asked that anyone with information contact the Gardai on (090) 663 8300 and were confident that the thieves would be caught.

Gardai said that investigations into the burglary are ongoing.
A number of junctions in the Kiltoom area are extremely dangerous, a recent meeting of the Athlone Municipal District was told.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), the state agency with responsibility for road and public transport infrastructure, was again accused of being out of touch with the condition of roads in the county.

At the July meeting of the MD, Cllr Laurence Fallon called on the councils roads division to work with the TII to restore the continuous white line between the Purts junction and Kiltoom Cemetery and also both sides of the Barrybeg junction.

This was the situation before the resurfacing of the N61 and the changed road markings at both junctions are creating a very dangerous situation and needs urgent attention, the independent councillor said.

In response to this request, the TII said that following a review, the road markings were in accordance with the current standards, and no changes were proposed at the locations.

Cllr Fallon said that the response had made him very angry and disappointed.

Obviously this was a desktop exercise that was done by TII. They didnt look at the situation at the two junctions, if they had I am sure they wouldnt have come up with this position, he said. This is kind of typical of what TII does. He asked what were the current standards, are they the standards in their laptop or the reality on the ground?.

There is no doubt about it that particularly the Purts junction is extremely dangerous. The idea that it is safe to current standards is totally ridiculous. He called on the TII to go out to the junctions during the busy periods in the morning and evening, and then review them.

These are dangerous junctions, its a matter of life and death, Cllr Fallon said.

He said that the matter had been raised with him and other councillors during the local elections.

People are frustrated coming through Cornaseer. They come over the top of the hill, they see a broken line and they fly up. And it is only a matter of time before we see accidents in those two positions. He proposed that a representative from TII be invited to meet with councillors at those junctions.

Because unless someone comes out and has a look at this, theyll have no understanding of the danger that is there, he said. He added that unless these junctions were addressed, a major accident would happen.

Cllr Domnick Connolly said he supported Cllr Fallons proposal in the strongest way possible.

From the turn to St Brigids GAA pitch to the turn for Barrymore, there are an awful lot of dangerous junctions along that stretch of road, he said.

In the morning and evenings, its almost impossible to get in or out of those roads. Cllr Emer Kelly also voiced her support.

She also criticised the TIIs engagement with the council.

There are accidents on that road so frequently, she said.

Cllr John Naughten said TII had point-blank refused to address these long standing and obvious issues.

If someone from TII came out and looked at the situation on the ground, theyd see very quickly that the line marking there is not appropriate and needs to be amended.

Municipal District Cathaoirleach John Keogh supported the proposal, but highlighted that it had previously taken years and years for a meeting to take place with TII on the N61.

They wouldnt meet and we all had to go marching up to Parkgate Street (Dublin) on no less than two occasions, he said.

Cllr Fallon asked that the TII representative, who assessed the road markings as appropriate, justify that response.
Ukraine's operation in the Kursk region shocked the Kremlin. However, two weeks after it began, the shock of the Russian "elites" gradually began to recede, and Moscow realized that the "situation" in Kursk would last at least several months.

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Now, the Russian propaganda machine is trying to convince the Russian population that what is happening is part of a "new normal." This was reported by the Medusa media outlet, citing sources close to the administration of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and the Russian government.

Three interlocutors of the publication - two close to the Presidential Administration and one from government circles - admitted that the Russian authorities were "shocked" immediately after the start of Ukraine's operation in the Kursk region. However, the shock later receded, and "we got used to it."

"At first, it was unclear what forces had entered, and for how long. Now I understand, it's always easier. It is far from the regional centers. But the very entry [of the Ukrainian Armed Forces] into the territory of the Russian Federation and the taking control of villages is a new event, and a very unpleasant event," said a source close to the Kremlin.

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One of the interlocutors close to the AP noted that recent polls have shown a surge in "anxiety" among the Russian population: 45% of Russians are experiencing it, compared to the previous poll, which showed a 6% increase. The Kremlin considers these figures to be quite high and hopes that anxiety will soon subside.

"In times of shock, and this was definitely a shock, there are always jumps [in sociological indicators], then people get used to it and everything settles down. What happened during Prigozhin's mutiny, mobilization, and at the beginning of the war? But everything has settled down," he said, adding, however, that "if the war stopped, it would be easier for everyone."

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At the same time, the Kremlin decided not to wait for the mood to "settle down" and to make efforts to speed up the process. To do so, Putin's entourage decided to resort to good old-fashioned propaganda: the entire propaganda machine is now geared to preparing Russians for life in a "new reality" and "new normal."

"This [the use of such turns of phrase in propaganda] is necessary for people to consider what is happening not an aberration but a new normal, even if it is temporary. It should be reassuring. It is difficult to exist in a deviation from the norm. It is easier to live in the norm, even if it is a new one," explained one of the media technologists who works with the Presidential Administration's domestic political unit.

Propaganda from the Kremlin is spreading the following theses in the image of this "new reality." The Russian population is being told that "the enemy has really broken through to Russian territory" and is "facing an inevitable defeat," but this will take time, so Russians will "have to wait" for the return of the territories currently controlled by the Ukrainian armed forces.

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The propagandists also convince Russians of the need to "channel the negative and shock into a positive direction" and collect aid for the Kursk region. Relevant "recommendations" have also been sent down from Moscow to the level of regional authorities.

"Who can do what they can. There is no such thing as having to raise so much money or send so many products. Organize a collection, offer to participate. Somewhere they offer to transfer one day's salary - this is already voluntary and compulsory. It's clear that if the bosses say so, state employees will transfer it. [But, for example, everything here is purely voluntary," said one of the high-ranking regional officials, who wished to remain anonymous, in a conversation with Medusa.

Several regional representatives also told the publication that similar meetings have been organized in some Russian state corporations.

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The "new normal," according to Russian media reports, is also characterized by the announcement of early voting in the Kursk Oblast gubernatorial election, which will start on August 28, with the main stage of voting taking place in early September.

At the same time, according to the Verstka media outlet, the elections in the Kursk region could be canceled altogether, and a possible replacement of the government candidate was also discussed. However, Medusa's sources close to the Putin administration denied these reports.

"There is no telling what they say and what rumors they spread. Cancellation would increase panic: it means the whole region is under threat, since they refused to elect a governor, so maybe the region has already been surrendered? There are no threats to the vote. Elections and referendums have been held in Donbas under military conditions and nothing happened," said one of the sources close to the Kremlin.

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But municipal elections in the region may indeed be canceled.

"It's just a point cancellation, it's not terrible," the Medusa source said.

All the interlocutors of the publication agree that the fighting in the Kursk region could last for several months, some of them claiming that this assessment is "quite optimistic - if everything goes well." The thesis of a relatively quick ousting of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Kursk was also previously voiced by the Russian Federation's "chief spokesman" for Kursk region, Akhmat commander Apti Alaudinov, who said that Russian troops would regain control of Kursk region in "two to three months." This, he said, could coincide with the "end of the war" in general.

Despite the fact that Alaudinov has made many contradictory statements, often outright lies, since the first days of Ukraine's operation in the Kursk region, Moscow has no objection to this "speaker." According to Medusa's sources, the Kremlin was based on the assumption that the FSB was handling the situation on the Russian side, and "the special services do not like to talk and go public." But since "Apte wanted to do it himself, he was not interfered with."

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"Some official representative is needed," one of the interlocutors explained.

Medusa's sources also said that immediately after the entry of the Ukrainian Armed Forces into the Kursk region, the Kremlin discussed the possibility of a new wave of mobilization. So far, it has been decided to wait with this, but due to the lack of reserves, a new mobilization in Russia may be announced by the end of 2024.

At the same time, the Russian government and business community have a strongly negative attitude towards the possible mobilization.

"This will knock out the last labor resources from the economy. There is no one left to work. Some will be taken away, others will go into hiding," said a government source.

But the source found it difficult to answer whether the Kremlin would listen to these arguments. He also emphasized the likelihood of massive involvement of conscripts in the fighting in Kursk region. The corresponding information "heating up" through the media has already begun.

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"This is also presented as part of the new normal. Since the enemy has come to us, conscripts [must] take part in the fight back," says one source.

The "elites" are also waiting for the resignations of those responsible for the breakthrough of the Armed Forces.

"Immediately afterwards, they started discussing the resignation of [Chief of the General Staff Valeriy] Gerasimov. There are no such rumors now - on the one hand, things are not easy in the Kursk region, but the offensive in Donbas is ongoing. Gerasimov has enemies, and he has an offensive that he can present to the president as a merit. But if there is a crisis situation, mistakes, then somebody will definitely be blamed for it," the publication quotes one of the interlocutors as saying.

Earlier, ISW explained what the operation in the Kursk region would give Ukraine and noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to make progress there. The Russian military command is responding to the advance of Ukrainian soldiers by multiplying duplicate structures and transferring some units from Chasovyi Yar to Kursk region.

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Meanwhile, Z-publics reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces defeated a brigade of Russian marines in the Kursk region, and that Russian troops have a large number of dead and wounded.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber . Do not fall for fakes!
James Cox

Here, we have a look at the political talking points doing the rounds in the week to come.

No rest for Harris

It's as close as we really come to a political off season in Ireland, with the Dail not resuming until Wednesday, September 18th.

However, Taoiseach Simon Harris has been showing no signs of slowing down.

His colleagues have been struck by his high workrate, with some quietly wondering how long he can sustain the level of energy he has shown.

Mr Harris is reportedly only taking five full days off this summer.

He has been going all around the country, most recently at the Tullow Agricultural Show in Co Carlow on Tuesday.

His first 100 days in office have been marked by decisive action, with the young Taoiseach unafraid to get involved in difficult issues such as the migration challenge.

However, this may be because he knows a general election is on the cards.

The Government continues to insist it will go full-term to March 2025, however, sources have indicated November is the most likely date for the next general election.

Candidate selection

There are many factors that suggest an autumn general election is the most likely scenario.

The main one is Government will look to capitalise on positive showings in the local and European elections, while Sinn Fein had an underwhelming display.

There would be five by-elections between now and March, giving Sinn Fein an opportunity to regain momentum.

The candidate selection of parties also suggests they are preparing for a November election.

In an interview with BreakingNews.ie, former minister for agriculture Ivan Yates suggested November 15th is the most likely general election date.

Northern Ireland unrest

British prime minister Keir Starmer visited Belfast this week, where he condemned the recent disorder in Northern Ireland following similar incidents in the UK which erupted after the Southport stabbings.

Mr Starmer visited PSNI officers who were injured in the disorder.

The UK prime minister next met injured police officers, including Constable Josh Elliott, discussing with him how the community had rallied round each other. Mr Starmer added: Thats the real Northern Ireland.

He later met leaders from a number of organisations which represent the minority ethnic community in Northern Ireland.

Abroad

In the US, all eyes are on November 5th and Kamala Harris has injected huge energy into the presidential race.

She is either ahead or matching former president Donald Trump in most opinion polls, and the Trump camp is said to be extremely worried.

Ms Harris will make the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Thursday.
Bharat Bandh Today: Not much impact in Punjab, Haryana

Huge security arrangements were placed in both the states to maintain law and order, the police said.

Bharat Bandh Today 21 August: The day-long Bharat Bandh called by some Dalit and Adivasi groups on Wednesday against the Supreme Court's verdict on the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes failed to garner much response in Punjab and Haryana. Although protests were held in some places, there was no huge impact in the states.

While essential services were supposed to be not working during Bharat bandh's ambit, public transport as well as shops and other commercial establishments functioned normally in Punjab and Haryana.

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Notably, huge security arrangements were placed in both the states to maintain law and order, the police said.

In the meanwhile, markets and business establishments were open as usual in the majority of areas of Punjab. However, some educational institutions were closed as a precautionary measure.

A protest march was taken out in Phagwara and Jalandhar. In Haryana, some members of Dalit communities participated in a protest march in Hisar but the bandh failed to evoke any response in Ambala.

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As many as 22 organizations across the country called for the Bharat Bandh against the Supreme Court order.

The August 1 Supreme Court order held that states are constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within SCs, which form a socially heterogeneous class, for granting reservation for the uplift of castes that are socially and educationally more backward among them.

(For more news apart from Bharat Bandh Today 21 August, stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman)
August 21, 2024

A roundup of the latest local and world news

Newsflash

Newsroom, 21.08.2024, 13:45

VISIT The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is paying a two-day visit to Brussels as of today. He will talk with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, about the portfolio that Romania will receive in the future configuration of the Commission, as well as about the name of the future Romanian commissioner. Marcel Ciolacu and Ursula von der Leyen will also discuss the implementation stage of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The Romanian prime minister might also present the general principles that he wants to put into practice to reduce the budget deficit.

RADAR NATO strengthens Romanias defence capabilities with a new sophisticated radar called LANZA, which has been relocated from Italy, together with its operational team. Located in Tulcea County, south-eastern Romania, this state-of-the-art facility provides a unique tracking and surveillance capability to the NATO command and control center. The aforementioned radar has been designed to improve the operational capabilities of various platforms, including military vessels and submarines. Mobile active radars are extremely effective and offer additional protection as compared to their airborne or static counterparts and they also improve interoperability within alliances and partnerships strengthening NATO air and space power.

MEASURES The Romanian government will adopt, today, a series of provisions that will support energy producers in the cold season. Thus, the government will allow the local public authorities to guarantee bank loans that the energy producers under their authority will take in order to be able to buy natural gas with which to produce thermal energy for the coming winter. Through another law, the government will adopt the budget for the program of distributing vegetables, milk and fruits in schools for the 2024-2025 school year. Also in the education field, the executive will supplement the budget of the relevant ministry with 40 million lei (approx. 8 million Euros) for the finalization of seven student dormitories, which are in various stages of execution.

TAROM Romanias air carrier, TAROM doesnt plan to give up other routes in the following period, but the volatile situation on the market can prompt further changes  the companys interim director Costin Iordache said. The statement comes after TAROM announced its intention to sell the slots it has on Heathrow airport in London to Qatar Airways. The strategic deal is to be completed on October 26th as TAROM is presently in full restructuring and streamlining process.

ELECTION During their national convention on Tuesday night in Chicago the US Democrats officially confirmed Kamala Harris as the presumptive nominee for the presidential election of November 5th. Democrat delegations from all over the USA again voiced their support for Harris in a ceremonial vote after President Biden dropped his bid for reelection. Harris is to deliver a major speech during the convention on Thursday marking the end of the four day event aimed at celebrating and giving an impetus to the Democrats nominees for the rest of the campaign. Vice President Harris, 60, has been the second woman nominee of the Democratic Party since its foundation in 1828 and could become, if elected, the first female president of the United States. Her opponent in the presidential election is the former US president the Republican billionaire Donald Trump.

(bill)
August 21, 2024 UPDATE

Click here for the latest news from RRI

Newsflash

Newsroom, 21.08.2024, 20:00

Visit  The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is visiting Brussels, accompanied by the Minister of Investments and European Projects and the Finance Minister. He will discuss with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, including about Romanias portfolio in the future community executive. Ciolacu said that his option is Victor Negrescu, who is currently the vice-president of the European Parliament. Marcel Ciolacu and Ursula von der Leyen will also discuss the implementation stage of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The Romanian prime minister might also present the general principles that he wants to put into practice to reduce the budget deficit.

Drought  The drought has seriously affected cereal production in Romania, especially in the south of the country. The authorities say that an area of approximately 2 million hectares is affected. According to some estimates, approximately 40% of the wheat, corn, rape and sunflower crops are allegedly compromised. It is the fourth year of drought in the last five years, and the losses of farmers are piling up. They put their hopes in the compensation that they can receive from the state. The Romanian Agriculture Minister, Florin Barbu, has recently declared that this year farmers will receive 200 Euros worth of aid per hectare for crops affected by the drought. He added that a unique mechanism in Europe was drawn up by which Romania should ensure 7 million hectares against the drought.

NATO  NATO is strengthening Romanias defense capacity with the LANZA air defense radar moved from Italy, including the technical team. Located in Tulcea county (southeast), the radar offers a unique capability to NATOs command and control center, which provides both passive and active radar detection. This state-of-the-art radar is designed for detection, tracking and surveillance in advanced conditions. It is used to provide comprehensive situational awareness and improve the operational capabilities of various platforms, including military ships and submarines. Mobile active radars are highly effective and provide additional protection over airborne and static command and control platforms as they improve interoperability through alliances and partnerships and strengthen NATOs air and space power readiness.

Program  The Romanian government has decided to continue the program Hot meals in schools, for the almost 1.9 million children who go to kindergarten or school. They will receive fruits, vegetables, dairy and bakery products, and the local authorities and directors of the education units will be responsible for the smooth running of the program. Moreover, they will be taught why it is important to eat healthy food, through educational actions. Also during Wednesdays meeting, the Government set the timetable for the parliamentary elections, scheduled for December 1. The election campaign will start on November 1 and end on November 30. Romanians in the country will vote between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. For the Romanian citizens in the Diaspora, the vote will begin on November 30, at 7:00 a.m. and will end on December 1, at 9:00 p.m..

Washington  The American Democrats officially confirmed Kamala Harris as their candidate for the November 5 presidential election, on Tuesday evening in Chicago, during the partys national convention. The delegations from all the states and U.S. territories once again cast their votes for Harris, accompanied by music, lighting effects, short speeches and much cheering in the event hall, after she had already been officially elected in an online roll call earlier this month. Vice President Kamala Harris (60 years old) is the second woman nominated by the Democratic Party for the presidential election since its creation in 1828 and could become, if elected, the first female president in US history. She replaces the current US president, Joe Biden (81 years old), who gave up his candidacy for a second term. The Republican counter-candidate in the presidential election is the former president, the billionaire Donald Trump (78 years old).

Air show  The biggest air show in Romania will take place on Saturday, August 31 at the Baneasa Airport near Bucharest. More than 100 civil and military aircraft and more than 150 pilots and paratroopers from 13 countries will participate. The event will mark the 20th anniversary of Romanias accession to NATO. The pilots of the Romanian Air Force will perform demonstrations with F-16 and IAR-99 Soim and STANDARD aircraft, among others, as well as with Spartan and Hercules transport aircraft. Special guests this year are the aerial acrobats from the Baltic Bees, the Latvian jet team with a unique in the world style of piloting, performing artistic maneuvers of maximum difficulty. The famous Lithuanian pilot Jurgis Kairys, a multiple world champion in aerobatics, is not missing this year either. (LS)
The future of Tarom

The Romanian airline, TAROM, has given up flights to London.

photo: TAROM

Roxana Vasile, 21.08.2024, 14:00

The number of passengers in Romanian airports is on the rise, compared to previous years, according to data provided by the National Airport Association. In fact, Romania is already above the level reported in 2019, the year regarded as the best for tourism in the past decade.

In the first half of 2024, nearly 12 million people transited Romanian airports, up 10.5% compared to the corresponding period of 2019 and nearly 5% more than in the first half of 2023. The rise in ticket prices, cancellations and delays, as well as the decrease in safety reported for certain foreign destinations have rechanneled an important number of holiday bookings to Romania.

Not everything is good news, however: few people choose to fly domestically. Local flights only account for 7% of the total number of passengers.

Meanwhile, the national airline, TAROM, has recently announced the sale of its slots on Londons Heathrow Airport to Qatar Airways. The transaction is scheduled to complete on October 26.

In a news release, TAROM described the sale as a strategic one, and as a necessary measure to ensure the companys economic sustainability, given that Heathrow flights, the operator claimed, were some of the least profitable in the last few years. The sale of the London slots is expected to enable the company to focus on fleet and route optimisation, as part of a large-scale recovery plan aimed at bringing the company back to profit in 2025 and 2026.

Owned by the Romanian government, TAROM has long been struggling to survive. In the last 6 years alone, it reported losses of nearly EUR 300 million, i.e. some EUR 55 million per year. And according to the Finance Ministry, the last time the company made profits was in 2007.

In 2023, due to recovery efforts, losses were cut to EUR 17 million, and for 2024 a break-even or even small profits are expected. And at the end of April the European Commission approved a EUR 95.3 million aid package for the restructuring of TAROM.

For the time being, the management says the airline does not plan on giving up further routes in the near future. But they warn that the volatile situation in commercial aviation may trigger changes.

According to TAROMs interim chief executive, Costin Iordache, only after completing the restructuring plan in 2026, could the company consider moving to new routes. In the meantime, TAROM is to sell 4 Airbus 318 aircraft and upgrade its fleet, by bringing in new Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes, scheduled to arrive in Romania next year.

TAROM was set up in 1954 and has been a member of SkyTeam Alliance since June 2010 and a member of IATA (International Air Transport Association) since 1993. (AMP)
Public sector finances data from the UK is the only major report due on Wednesday, headlining a light day for the European economic news.

At 2.00 am ET, the Office for National Statistics releases UK public sector net borrowing data for July. The budget deficit is expected to narrow to GBP 0.5 billion from GBP 13.6 billion in June.

At 4.00 am ET, industrial production, producer prices and corporate wages figures are due from Poland.

Economists forecast Poland industrial output to grow 7.3 percent annually in July after rising 0.3 percent in June. Producer prices are expected to fall 5 percent on year after easing 6.1 percent in the prior month.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
Thailand has recently confirmed its first mpox case of 2024, involving a 66-year-old European man who arrived in the country from Africa just last week. Health officials are currently awaiting test results to determine the specific strain of the virus.

Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, the head of the Department of Disease Control revealed that the patient, who is employed in an unnamed African nation that is currently experiencing an outbreak of mpox, landed in Thailand on August 14. His journey included a layover in a Middle Eastern country before he arrived in Thailand. The following morning, he began to experience symptoms, including a fever and the appearance of small bumps on his skin, which prompted him to seek medical attention.

In light of the confirmed diagnosis of mpox, the patient has been placed in quarantine at a hospital while further tests are conducted to identify the specific strain of the virus.

Keeratihattayakorn confirmed to the French news agency AFP that initial tests have confirmed the presence of mpox, stating, "We have conducted a test, and it is confirmed that he has mpox, which is definitely not Clade 2." He expressed a high degree of confidence that the man is infected with the Clade 1 variant of the virus but emphasized the need to await final laboratory results, which are expected in two days.

In response to this case, the Department of Disease Control has taken proactive measures by identifying 43 individuals who were in close contact with the patient, including fellow passengers who were seated near him on the flight. These individuals will be monitored for a period of 21 days, and so far, none have exhibited any symptoms.

To further mitigate the risk of transmission, Thai authorities have implemented screening measures at all international airport disease control checkpoints and ports, for passengers arriving from Africa, according to the Bangkok Post.

Since January 2022, Thailand has reported a total of 827 cases of mpox, all of which have been classified as clade 2, up until August 11 of this year.

On August 15, Sweden became the first nation outside Africa to identify a mpox infection attributed to the Clade 1 variant. Followed by Pakistan which on August 16, reported one case linked to a patient returning from an unspecified Gulf country. Meanwhile, on August 19, the Philippines confirmed its first case of the year in a 33-year-old man who had not traveled abroad.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), along with several other African nations, is poised to initiate vaccinations against mpox by next week, as highlighted by Africa's foremost public agency.

DRC Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba has emphasized the urgent need for 3.5 million vaccine doses to effectively combat the current rates of infection. Meanwhile, Jean Kaseya, the director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), has pointed out that the continent as a whole requires a minimum of 10 million doses to adequately address the outbreak.

In a recent interview with NPR, Kaseya stated, "We require vaccines. Currently, we are discussing the availability of nearly 200,000 doses. We need at least 10 million doses."

He further noted the financial burden associated with the vaccine, which costs approximately $100 per dose, rendering it unaffordable for many nations across Africa.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the use of specific vaccines, including MVA-BN or LC16, and the ACAM2000 vaccine as an alternative when the others are not available. The MVA-BN vaccine, developed by the Danish biotech company Bavarian Nordic, is marketed under various names such as Jynneos, Imvamune, and Imvanex, and has received extensive regulatory approval from major global health authorities.

In response to the urgent need for vaccines, the United States has pledged to send 50,000 doses from its reserves to the DRC in the near future.

Additionally, European nations have committed to providing over 215,000 doses of the mpox vaccine.

Reports from the AFP news agency indicate that Japan has also stepped in, promising to deliver 3.5 million doses of its LC16 vaccine, produced by KM Biologics, specifically targeting the DRC, with a particular emphasis on protecting children who are at a heightened risk of severe illness from the virus. Furthermore, France has announced its intention to contribute 100,000 doses of the mpox vaccine through the European Union, as confirmed by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Tuesday.

The urgency of the vaccination campaign is underscored by the recent surge in mpox infections, with approximately 1,400 new cases reported across Africa in the past week. This brings the total number of mpox cases on the continent to nearly 19,000 since the beginning of the year, according to data from the Africa CDC.

"As we don't know yet how the disease will progress, the amount promised by the EU would not allow us to protect our entire population should the disease affect more people," Kamba said, adding that the government would be "greatly thankful" for further contributions.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Health News
President of the United States Joe Biden has emphasized the importance of Washington's leadership in the world and his administration's success in strengthening global alliances and confronting Russia and China. The politician recalled that at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, dictator Vladimir Putin was going to take "Kyiv in three days," but his plans never materialized.

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Biden said this at the Democratic Party convention in Chicago on August 19, Voice of America reports. "Putin thought he would capture Kyiv in three days. Three years later, Ukraine is still free," he said.

The American leader said that he and US presidential candidate Kamala Harris "will never bow down to Putin."

Biden urged Americans to vote for Harris and said he did not hold a grudge against those who convinced him to withdraw from the presidential election.

"I spent almost 190 hours with my partners, the heads of state in Europe, to strengthen NATO. We have done it, we have united Europe, which has not happened for years, by adding Sweden and Finland to NATO," he said about strengthening the alliances.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, earlier US President Joe Biden commented for the first time on the operation of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the Russian Federation, which began on August 6. He noted that the unexpected offensive on the Kursk region of Russia "creates a real dilemma" for Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin.

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Toyota India Sales Surge by 42.27% in July 2024, HyRyder Leads the Charge  Fortuner sales decline

Toyota India recorded a remarkable 42.27% year-on-year (YoY) growth in July 2024, selling a total of 29,533 units compared to 20,759 units in July 2023. This significant increase of 8,774 units highlights Toyotas strong performance in the Indian market, driven by a mix of established models and new entrants.

Toyota India Sales Breakup July 2024  HyRyder Sees Explosive Growth

Leading the charge for Toyota in July 2024 was HyRyder, which sold 7,419 units. This represents an impressive 119.04% YoY growth, with an increase of 4,032 units compared to July 2023. HyRyders strong performance gave it a commanding 25.12% share of Toyotas total sales for the month, making it the top-selling model for the brand.

Toyota Innova Crysta continued to be a strong performer, selling 4,965 units in July 2024, up by 15.44% YoY from the 4,301 units sold in July 2023. Crystas reliable performance ensured a 16.81% share of Toyotas sales. Similarly, Toyota Hycross also saw positive growth, with 4,947 units sold in July 2024, marking a 6.75% YoY increase compared to the 4,634 units sold in the same month last year. Hycross contributed 16.75% to the total sales, reinforcing its popularity among Indian consumers.

Toyota Glanza, while still a significant contributor to Toyotas overall sales, experienced a slight decline of 1.35% YoY. Glanza sold 4,836 units in July 2024, down by 66 units from July 2023. Despite this minor drop, Glanza held a substantial 16.37% share of the brands total sales.

Toyota Taisor sold 2,640 units, capturing an 8.94% share of Toyotas sales, while Rumion, with 1,929 units sold, accounted for 6.53% of the total sales. On the other hand, Toyota Fortuner, faced a decline in sales. Fortuner sold 2,380 units in July 2024, down by 23.94% YoY from 3,129 units in July 2023. Fortuner now holds an 8.06% share of Toyotas overall sales.

Toyota Hilux recorded a 17.59% YoY decline, with 178 units sold in July 2024, compared to 216 units in July 2023. This drop reduced its market share to 0.60%. Toyotas premium sedan, Camry, saw a more significant decline of 33.68% YoY, selling 126 units in July 2024, down by 64 units from July 2023. Camry contributed a modest 0.43% to the total sales. Meanwhile, Toyota Vellfire, a luxury MPV, sold 113 units in July 2024, making a notable entry with a 0.38% share of the overall sales.

Toyota Sales July 2024  MoM Comparison

Toyota recorded a 14.68% increase in sales compared to June 2024, with total units sold rising from 25,752 in June to 29,533 in July, reflecting a positive trend across several key models. Building on its stellar year-on-year performance, the Toyota HyRyder saw an even more dramatic month-on-month increase. Sales skyrocketed by 73.54% in July 2024, with 7,419 units sold compared to 4,275 in June.

Innova Crysta maintained its upward trajectory, posting a 9.85% MoM growth in July 2024. Crysta sold 4,965 units, up by 445 units from its June total of 4,520. Toyota Glanza also contributed significantly to the brands growth, with sales increasing by 17.44% MoM. Glanza sold 4,836 units in July, up by 718 units from Junes 4,118. Toyota Rumion, which has quickly made its mark since its launch, continued its strong performance with a 23.18% MoM increase. Sales grew from 1,566 units in June 2024 to 1,929 units in July, highlighting the models successful entry into the market.

Despite the overall positive momentum, not all Toyota models saw growth in July. Taisor, after a strong start, experienced a 17.11% decline in sales, dropping from 3,185 units in June to 2,640 units in July. Similarly, Toyota Fortuner, a key player in the premium SUV segment, saw an 11.03% decrease in sales, from 2,675 units in June to 2,380 units in July.

Toyotas premium models, including the Hilux, Camry, and Vellfire, faced notable declines in July 2024. Hilux saw a significant 24.58% drop in sales, falling from 236 units in June to 178 units in July. Camry also recorded a decline, with sales down by 11.89%, from 143 units in June to 126 in July. Vellfire, another premium offering, experienced a 20.42% decrease, with sales reducing from 142 units in June to 113 in July.
At this stage of the climate crisis, the need to cut carbon emissions is repeated like a mantra. The goal is to prevent the world from continuing to warm, but in a scenario where emissions continue to rise and temperature records are broken every year, some scientists have a put forward a controversial idea: what if the planet could be cooled artificially? This is what solar geoengineering proposes. The best known of its promoters, the American David Keith, does not believe that this is a magic wand or an alternative to cutting emissions, but a necessary conversation. The idea is, on the face of it, simple: pump sulfuric acid into the atmosphere so that it reflects sunlight and lowers temperatures.

Keith, 60, is a professor in the department of geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago, where he has a team dedicated to solar geoengineering research. He was previously a professor of applied physics at Harvard University and, in 2009, he was included in Time magazines list of Heroes of the Environment. In 2013, he published the book A Case for Climate Engineering.

The physicist has been writing about solar geoengineering since 1992, although he explains his interest in the subject without a hint of romanticism. I studied physics and a graduate degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but I was looking to do something that was more environmental and I found a network of people doing research on climate change, a subject that no one was working on at the time, so I got into it, he explains to EL PAIS by video call from Chicago.

The idea of solar geoengineering seeks to mimic the effect of volcanic eruptions, which shoot sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. When it reaches the stratosphere, it transforms into sulfuric acid and builds up to function as a reflector. According to author Jeff Goodell in his book The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet (2023), when the Pinatubo volcano erupted in the Philippines in 1991, it released 15 million tons of sulfuric acid into the atmosphere and lowered temperatures in the region by about 1C for a year. Solar geoengineering aims to recreate a similar effect on a planetary scale using aerosols to emit the same substance around the globe.

These are called stratospheric aerosols, small particles that reflect solar radiation, such as sulfuric acid. They can reach the stratosphere naturally, as in the case of volcanic eruptions, but in solar geoengineering the proposal is to inject them artificially to reduce global warming.

Buildings stand shrouded in smog as authorities ordered traffic restrictions due to air pollution in Mexico City, February 23, 2024. LUIS CORTES (REUTERS)

Pollution and temperature

Keith is careful with words when talking about his work, and does not deny the risks attached to this experimental method: Sulfuric acid is an air pollutant, probably the most significant in terms of impact on humans. It kills millions of people a year, so it is an obvious risk. There is also the risk of damaging the ozone layer.

But even with these dangers, the physicist argues that the benefits may be greater. Although there are uncertainties, there is a broad consensus, even among the most skeptical, that stratospheric aerosols would reduce temperatures everywhere. And the benefits of temperature reduction are greater, especially in the hottest countries and for poorer people. For me, if there is one ethical reason to take this technology seriously, its that.

For Keith, there are benefits and risks to almost any intervention that humans make, which should not be an argument for not doing something. For example, solar energy is fantastic, the most important thing that has happened in the world of energy, but it also brings environmental damages. There are risks of toxic metals in the production chain. These are real things and we should work on them, but it is not a reason to not use solar energy, he says.

The first high-quality paper on stratospheric aerosols is from 1960. So, we know a lot. Thousands of papers have been written over a long period of time. We dont necessarily have the hardware, but we have the technological capability to do it. So what we can do is compare how much cooling would reduce heat-related deaths, and we can compare that to deaths from air pollution, Keith argues.

In a recent article in The New York Times on solar geoengineering and Keiths work, the paper quotes several critics of the science. Environmentalist David Suzuki, for example, called the claim of releasing sulfuric acid into the atmosphere arrogant and simplistic. The article mentions that solar geoengineering implies as-yet unknown consequences as well as the danger that the world will embrace these solutions over emissions cuts because they are more convenient for polluting industries. Keith, however, is adamant that he does not believe solar geoengineering is a substitute for other environmental efforts.

Another criticism of solar geoengineering is the frequency with which the aerosols would have to be applied, as sulfuric acid only stays in the stratosphere for around two years. For Keith, however, that is a good thing, because the aerosols could be applied gradually and, if the results are not as expected, they could be stopped, or adjustments made. Thats a good thing. If you put sulfuric acid in and it stayed there forever and you couldnt remove it, youd be permanently changing the climate, he explains.

Thinking in four dimensions

According to the scientist, there are four ways humans can manage the climate crisis: reducing emissions, removing carbon from the atmosphere, solar geoengineering, and, finally, adaptation methods. We have to think in four dimensions, he says.

In addition to solar geoengineering, the physicist has also worked with the second mentioned method: carbon removal. In 2009, Keith founded Carbon Engineering, a company that specializes in a process for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This technique is known as direct air capture and some oil companies have begun to use it to try to reduce their huge environmental footprint. Among Carbon Engineerings initial investors was the oil company Chevron. Last year, the company was acquired by Occidental Petroleum, another Texas-based oil company that has made air extraction its flagship project, for a total of $1.1 billion.

Keith no longer has any ties to Carbon Engineering and avoids the subject altogether when asked if he still promotes carbon extraction as a viable alternative for the environment. In his statements to The New York Times, however, he said he was not comfortable with the company being acquired by an oil company, and that he was considering donating the money he received to a conservation group.

Despite no longer being involved in any carbon removal initiatives, Keith believes there should be as much talk about this method as there is about solar geoengineering and adaptation. A long time ago, people like Al Gore said we shouldnt talk about adaptation because it would be immoral to divert attention away from reducing emissions. But I think most people would now agree that, in fact, Gores own statement was immoral. People in Bangladesh have the right to try to protect themselves from the harmful effects of climate pollution. That is why there is now much more attention being paid to adaptation. Keith believes that this interest will also gradually spread to carbon removal and solar geoengineering.

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Saudi Arabia has implemented stringent penalties for those who physically or verbally assault teachers and school staff. The law mandates that individuals found guilty of physically attacking a teacher could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to 1 million riyals.

Law Gains Attention Amid Rise in Incidents

This law, originally introduced in 2018 by then-Minister of Education Ahmed Al-Issa, has recently gained renewed attention due to a rise in violent incidents targeting teachers. A particularly shocking event in 2021 involved a high school student assaulting his teacher in broad daylight, while a friend filmed the attack. The disturbing footage, which went viral on social media, showed the student slapping and punching the teacher.

Verbal Abuse Also Punishable

In addition to physical violence, the law also covers verbal abuse against teachers. The government has emphasized that any form of assault on school staff will be treated with the utmost seriousness, equating such acts to homicidal crimes, with severe consequences.

Saudi authorities are sending a clear message: any assault on educators will be met with significant legal action, as part of ongoing efforts to protect teachers and maintain a safe educational environment.
One of the big differences between the mpox outbreak spreading across Africa and the 2022 outbreak in Europe is how it is being transmitted. While transmission two years ago was confined almost exclusively to sexual intercourse, now the victims are mainly children, who account for 70% of cases. It seems that something has changed in the way in which this new variant (Clade 1b) is transmitted, and the extent to which this has changed is still to be clarified. But perhaps it is not changes in the virus we should be looking at so much as changes in the environment.

More and more voices are questioning assumptions made about this new variant of monkeypox (renamed mpox): that it is more dangerous, that it is more transmissible, and that it generates more serious disease. All this is possible, but it is yet to be confirmed, something that will require more precise information than that coming from a context as complicated as that of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a place with very few diagnostic and clinical resources in the midst of a military conflict, with terrible poverty and overcrowding.

Last week, it was the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) that warned of the unknowns in the face of the growing number of warnings from experts about the greater virulence and lethality of the new variant: Although in the past it has been reported that the morbidity and case fatality rate of Clade 1 are higher than those of Clade 2, the current preliminary data from Africa do not show greater clinical severity in confirmed cases, the ECDC stated, something which has been echoed by virologist Jose Antonio Lopez Guerrero in an interview in EL PAIS.

Case fatality is calculated by dividing the number of cases by the number of deaths. The less accurate the diagnosis, the more biased  and higher  that figure will be. There is under-diagnosis in all diseases, even here [in Europe] where there is much better health coverage, so lethality is an unknown quantity right now, says Adrian H. Aginagalde, coordinator of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Bilbaos Public Health Section.

What is not in doubt is that transmission is behaving differently. But this should not be surprising either, according to Aginagalde: Poxviruses (such as smallpox, and now mpox) have always spread more among children than adults, and more among women than men, because it is usually women who take care of children. This is not new, and it has already happened with mpox in Africa, he says.

There are many infections that have a higher rate of transmission in children, because childrens way of interacting involves much closer physical contact: they play, fight and touch each other more. In pathogens whose spread requires close proximity or very direct contact, it is not uncommon for them to be the most affected. The context has changed with respect to 2022, in which it was transmitted mainly during sexual encounters, with the largest number of cases occurring among bisexual people and gays.

Aginagalde points out that poxviruses have great flexibility when it comes to adapting to the population, so that changes in the sociodemographic profile of those affected do not necessarily indicate, although neither do they exclude variations in the transmission of the virus produced by changes in their genetics.

In principle, the transmission route is still considered to be direct and continuous contact. That clearly exists in the case of sexual relations, but it also happens when touching the secretions of an infected person, touching their clothing or even talking in close proximity for a period of time, with the potential for saliva droplets to be exchanged. These are the possible transmission routes cited by the World Health Organization (WHO). The more contact and the longer the contact, the greater the likelihood of transmission.

Its not the new Covid

This is very different from the airborne aerosol transmission that occurred with SARS-CoV-2. And it is one of the reasons why the evolution of the epidemic is expected to be slower and different in other ways. Mpox is not the new Covid, said Hans Kluge, director general of the WHO in Europe, on August 20.

Rafael Toledo, professor of immunoparasitology at the University of Valencia, says that there are many differences between mpox and Covid. The most obvious is its size. The mpox virus is twice the size of SARS-CoV-2. That makes it virtually impossible for it to mutate in a way that would allow it to stay in the air for long, he says. If you are on a bus next to someone for 20 minutes, you might get infected through their breath, or by contact, but it is not going to infect the driver.

According to Toledo, if there was airborne transmission via aerosols, there would be a much greater age span in the cases. Although a very different phenomena, Toledo compares the transmission of mpox to that of head lice: We could say that they are transmitted through the air, because they jump from one person to another. But there has to be proximity. And it is usually children who are most affected, because they have more of this type of contact. But if we change the context  say, for example, theres an outbreak in a war zone  the affected population may be crowded together.

According to Toledo, the most frequent transmission is still fluid exchange, and he believes it is very difficult to assess how this new variant might behave in Europe. The ECDC has described the risk among the European population as low, and this is something Toledo agrees with. It is a different scenario, a different disease, with a much simpler traceability, in which migration has little influence, because it has an incubation period of two weeks, and anyone coming from the DRC to Spain does not make the trip in four hours. It takes a long time, and in that case the disease has already manifested itself, because it is very visible, he adds.

The previous outbreak of mpox in Europe was controlled precisely by enhancing the traceability of cases, providing information to at-risk people, and facilitating vaccination. From the 7,521 infected persons that Spain recorded in 2022, the number of cases fell to 264 this year, none of them, as far as is known, suffering from the new variant.

Experts from the WHO, the ECDC and the Spanish Ministry of Health are starting to be more vigilant. In Spain, the Public Health Commission will issue recommendations on August 21, after the meeting held on August 20 by the Alert Committee, in which measures such as border control and mass vaccination were ruled out to align with international organizations. The idea is to put the focus on the DRC and neighboring countries, where the new variant of the virus has started to be detected for the first time.

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New Jersey Senator Bob (Robert) Menendezs Senate career came to a close Tuesday, capping roughly five decades in Democratic politics that took him from the local school board to chair of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee, just over a month after a jury convicted him on federal bribery charges, Azernews reports, citing apnews.

On July 16, a New York court found Bob Menendez guilty of a total of 16 counts, including bribery, financial fraud, obstruction of justice, and acting as a foreign agent. His arrest is scheduled for October 29. Menendez faces 222 years in prison.

Menendez's wife, Nadine of Armenian origin, was also charged with the listed items. However, her trial was postponed indefinitely due to her illness.

Menendez signaled his resignation would take effect at the end of the day Tuesday in a letter last month to Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, who said Friday hes tapping a former top aide to succeed the three-term incumbent.

Besides, George Helmy will succeed Menendez until the November election results for the Senate seat are certified late in the month, the governor said. At that point, Murphy said Helmy would resign and hell name the winner of the election to the seat.

The stakes in the Senate election are high, with Democrats holding on to a narrow majority. Republicans have not won a Senate election in Democratic-leaning New Jersey in over five decades. His resignation also comes as Democrats gather in Chicago for their national convention to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris to be their standard bearer nationally in November.
The end of the long road to permanent residency and citizenship appears to be in sight for more than half a million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. With almost three months to go before the November presidential election, the Biden administration has once again moved one of the pieces on the immigration chessboard with a new program that will benefit thousands of people who have been without legal status for at least 10 years. It is, according to officials, part of President Bidens commitment to promote family unity in the immigration system.

Announced in June, the Parole in Place program, also known as Keeping Families Together, will not only allow thousands of migrants to receive work permits; it will also allow them to apply for their permanent residency or green card without having to leave the country, through the online form I-131F, at a cost of $580. Applications began to roll in on August 19 to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Parole in Place is a wonderful initiative, aimed at those people who have been in the United States illegally for more than 10 years, and who entered the country before June 2014, Immigration attorney Willy Allen told EL PAIS. The main benefit is going to be for Mexicans. The governments own statistics say that, among the people who qualify, 60% are Mexican, 20% Central Americans from Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, and the rest from other parts of Latin America.

According to official figures, the program will benefit about 500,000 non-citizen spouses of U.S. citizens and about 50,000 stepchildren residing in the country. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) specified that the program was for spouses and unmarried stepchildren who are aged under 21, who entered the country irregularly, and who have remained at least 10 years until June 17, 2024; who do not have a criminal record that constitutes a threat to the national or public security of the country; and, in the case of spouses, who are in a legally valid marriage to a U.S. citizen.

The federal agency said that if a person is in removal proceedings or has a deportation order, they may still qualify for parole. It also stated that each application will be analyzed on a case-by-case basis and will determine whether granting leave, albeit temporarily, to remain in the country is justified by reasons of significant public benefit or urgent humanitarian reasons, and whether it merits a favorable exercise of discretion.

Migrants wait to be processed by the Border Patrol next to the wall dividing the U.S. and Mexico, in San Diego, California, on June 13, 2024. Qian Weizhong (Getty Images)

A week prior to the application date, many people began to receive alerts via text message or email about the new program that has revived hope in those who have been in an irregular situation for years and could face deportation. It also lifts uncertainty for undocumented immigrants who apply for an I-601A waiver, which forces them to leave the country to complete their consular procedures for indefinite periods of time, keeping them separated from their families. That process, which used to be quite fast, has been very slow since Covid, Allen says. It now takes 46 to 48 months to be able to return to the country. This new program is going to alleviate that. It also exempts migrants from the so-called Punishment Act, which bans them for three to 10 years if they have left the country illegally for a certain period.

The scheme, which has been received with enthusiasm, also comes with a degree of uncertainty for beneficiaries, who believe that the results of the upcoming elections could roll back the program, particularly as Donald Trump has promised to enact the largest deportation in U.S. history if he returns to the White House.

The future is in November

Certainly, the future for immigrants, for the undocumented, is in November, says Allen. The results of the presidential election will determine what the immigration policy map looks like. A candidate like Trump could eliminate these types of programs. Or not, as the case may be.

Trump never eliminated the provisional pardon that began with Barack Obama, and continued during Trumps and Joe Bidens administrations, Allen adds. If the Republican candidate wins, many things could happen  the humanitarian parole for Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, Cubans and Haitians could disappear. We must remember that 19 Republican governors have been trying to eliminate it. I suspect that Parole in Place could also be eliminated, just as TPS (Temporary Protected Status) for Nicaraguans, Salvadorans, Hondurans, and Venezuelans is under threat.

Neither in the first presidential debate nor in his campaign speeches has Trump disguised his intention to intensify anti-immigrant policies in the country. During one of his last rallies, he branded Democratic candidate Kamala Harris the border czar and the one responsible for the fact that illegal aliens are coming in by the millions. He also promised that migrants would be removed from the country if he got a second term and repeated his mantra: Were going to get them out as fast as we can. Were going to do the biggest deportation.

For his part, Biden continues to implement programs such as Parole in Place, which could win the Democrats votes, while strengthening controls at the southern border. In June, he boasted that it was the month with the fewest arrests of migrants at the border since his arrival at the White House, and that 40% fewer people are arriving illegally into the country due to restrictive policies that have been strongly criticized by activists, and that have also contributed to the increase in deaths of migrants who risk highly dangerous journeys to reach the U.S.

Migrants at a center in the border city of Tijuana, Mexico, watch the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and U.S. President Joe Biden, in June 2024. Gregory Bull (AP)

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Astronomers using the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array have observed Polaris, a member of a triple system and the nearest and brightest classical Cepheid star.

Polaris, also known as the North Star, the Pole Star,  Ursae Minoris, HR 424 or HD 8890, is a kind of star known as a Cepheid variable.

Astronomers use these stars as standard candles because their true brightness depends on their period of pulsation: brighter stars pulsate slower than fainter stars.

How bright a star appears in the sky depends on the stars true brightness and the distance to the star.

Because they know the true brightness of a Cepheid star based on its pulsational period, astronomers can use them to measure the distances to their host galaxies and to infer the expansion rate of the Universe.

Dr. Nancy Evans from the Harvard & Smithsonians Center for Astrophysics and her colleagues observed Polaris using the CHARA optical interferometric array of six telescopes at Mount Wilson, California.

Their goal was to map the orbit of the close, faint companion that orbits Polaris every 30 years.

The small separation and large contrast in brightness between the two stars makes it extremely challenging to resolve the binary system during their closest approach, Dr. Evans said.

The researchers successfully tracked the orbit of the close companion of Polaris and measured changes in the size of Polaris as it pulsated.

The orbital motion showed that Polaris has a mass five times larger than that of the Sun.

The images of Polaris showed that it has a diameter 46 times the size of the Sun.

The CHARA observations also provided the first glimpse of what the surface of a Cepheid variable looks like.

The CHARA images revealed large bright and dark spots on the surface of Polaris that changed over time, said Dr. Gail Schaefer, director of the CHARA Array.

The presence of spots and the rotation of the star might be linked to a 120-day variation in measured velocity.

We plan to continue imaging Polaris in the future, said University of Michigans Professor John Monnier.

We hope to better understand the mechanism that generates the spots on the surface of Polaris.

The teams paper was published in the Astrophysical Journal.

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Nancy Remage Evans et al. 2024. The Orbit and Dynamical Mass of Polaris: Observations with the CHARA Array. ApJ 971, 190; doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ad5e7a
Multiple studies have demonstrated that European colonization of the Americas led to the extinction of nearly all North American dog mitochondrial lineages and replacement with European ones sometime between 1492 and the present day. Historical records indicate that colonists imported dogs from Europe to North America, where they became objects of interest and exchange as early as the 17th century. However, it is not clear whether the earliest archaeological dogs recovered from colonial contexts were of European, Indigenous, or mixed descent. To clarify the ancestry of dogs from the Jamestown Colony, Virginia, scientists sequenced ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from six archaeological dogs from the period 1609-1617.

Europeans and Native Americans valued their dogs as companion animals, using them for similar work and as symbols of identity.

Consequently, the dogs reflected the tension between European and Indigenous cultures  the settlers described Indigenous dogs as mongrels to emphasize the perception that Indigenous people did not breed or own their dogs.

Indigenous peoples identified European dogs as a direct threat to their existence and took measures to limit the use of European dogs.

Previous studies had suggested that there were a lot of Indigenous dogs in the continental United States and that they were eradicated, said University of Iowa anthropologist Ariane Thomas.

We wanted to understand what that entailed: when it happened, were they culled, was it the competition with European dogs, or was it disease?

Dr. Thomas and colleagues focused on the Jamestown colony in Virginia due to the number of dog remains available at the site and the evidence of Indigenous influence.

They were able to identify and analyze 181 bones that represented at least 16 individual dogs.

Of these, they selected 22 remains that spanned multiple time points of the early settlement at Jamestown, between 1607 and 1619.

They extracted and sequenced the ancient mtDNA to better understand the ancestry of these dogs.

Based on body size estimates alone, the researchers discovered that most of the Jamestown dogs weighed between 10 and 18 kg (22-39 lbs), comparable to modern-day beagles or schnauzers.

Furthermore, many of the dog bones showed traces of human-inflicted damage, including burning and cut marks.

The cut marks and other butchery marks we found on them show that some of these dogs were eaten, Dr. Thomas said.

It implies that when the colonists came over, they didnt have enough food and they had to rely on the Indigenous dogs in the area.

Additionally, the DNA sequences demonstrated that at least six of the dogs showed evidence of Indigenous North American ancestry.

Our results show that there were Indigenous dogs in the area and they werent immediately eradicated when the Europeans arrived.

Although the identification of dogs with Indigenous ancestry is not surprising, the results suggest that the colonists and Indigenous tribes may have traded dogs and likely had little concern with possible interbreeding.

The findings were published in the journal American Antiquity.

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Ariane E. Thomas et al. The Dogs of Tsenacomoco: Ancient DNA Reveals the Presence of Local Dogs at Jamestown Colony in the Early Seventeenth Century. American Antiquity, published online May 22, 2024; doi: 10.1017/aaq.2024.25
America is ready for a new chapter. America is ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris, he said. Hope is making a comeback! she proclaimed. In their closing speeches on the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago Tuesday, Barack Obama, Americas first Black president, and his wife, Michelle, invested the presidential candidate as the heir to their political legacy, in the hope she will become the first U.S. president of mixed Black and South Asian American heritage, and the countrys first female leader, in Novembers election.

With the lofty oratory that is his trademark, the former president and spiritual leader of the Democrats launched an appeal for unity, between generations and ideologies. An appeal directed not only to the 4,500 Democratic delegates who moments before had ratified in a ceremonial vote the nomination of Harris as candidate, and who greeted Obama with cheers of Yes, we can, his old campaign slogan. As he did in the 2008 campaign that brought him to the White House, Obama appealed above all to the spectators beyond the United Center, to those who are not willing to listen to his message at first, to those who are not convinced by Harris. To Democrats, Republicans, and those somewhere in between.

The vast majority of us dont want to live in a country thats bitter and divided. We want something better. We want to be better. And the joy and excitement were seeing around this campaign tells us we are not alone, the former president told a convention attempting to conjure up the same spirit of optimism and hope for the future that turned the Obama campaign a political phenomenon.

The conciliatory words of the former president did not extend to the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, against whom he launched a multitude of rhetorical darts. We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos. We have seen that movie before and we all know that the sequel is usually worse, he said, adding in a serious tone: Donald Trump sees power as nothing more than a means to his ends.

By contrast, Obama said of the Democratic ticket: Kamala and Tim [Walz] have kept faith with Americas central story, a story that says we are all created equal, all of us endowed with certain inalienable rights, that everyone deserves a chance that even when we dont agree with each other, we can find a way to live with each other.

Michelle Obama arrives to speak on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Andrew Harnik (Getty Images)

Black jobs

Like her husband, Michelle Obama drew a stark contrast between the Democratic nominee and Trump. In very personal terms, the real estate magnate was the main promoter of the hoax in 2011 that claimed Barack Obama had not been born in the United States, and could not therefore serve as the countrys legitimate president. For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. His limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard working and highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black, she said.

The former first lady mocked Trump by alluding to the message the Republican candidate delivered during his debate with Biden, when he said migrants crossing into the U.S. are taking Black jobs away from Black Americans. Obama sparked laughter and applause from the audience when she asked: Whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?

Barack Obamas speech in the city where he lived for years and the state from which he launched his political career carried a special symbolism. Twenty years ago, the former president made his first appearance at another Democratic convention, in Boston in 2004 to nominate John Kerry as presidential candidate. There is no Republican America. There is no Democratic America. There is a United States of America, Obama said at the time, moving the entire country and launching the young Illinois state legislator, who until then was almost an unknown, to political stardom.

Without Obama, Harriss candidacy would not have been possible: not only did he pave the way as Americas first non-white president, he also selected Joe Biden as vice president, making it possible for the former senator reach the White House and, in turn, appoint Harris as his own number two. And Obama was one of the Democratic heavyweights who pushed to convince Biden to cede the nomination to his running mate in July.

Harriss campaign bears more than one similarity to the one that brought Obama to the White House in 2008. The former chief strategist in that battle for the presidency, David Plouffe, has joined the current candidates team. If Obamas campaign masterfully used the nascent social networks and databases to reach the maximum number of voters, before an audience much more fragmented than that of that time the vice president has made it a priority to turn to influencers and content creators, to use TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Her slogans, like Obamas, are short, memorable and optimistic. The artist Shepard Fairey, who turned Obama into a cultural icon with his portrait Hope, has created a similar image for Harris entitled Forward.

The relationship between the former president and the candidate dates back almost two decades, to when Obama decided to throw his hat into the presidential election ring with only two years of experience on Capitol Hill, his oratory and a slogan of hope: Yes, we can, to compete against someone who at the time had the almost complete support of the party hierarchy and was considered the inevitable candidate: former first lady Hillary Clinton.

Harris, then Californias attorney general, was one of the few senior officials to declare her support from the start for what seemed a doomed campaign, and even to help by trying to convince voters door-to-door in Iowa. Obama never forgot this. The two became good friends.

Barack Obama hugs Kamala Harris during an event to mark the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act in the East Room of the White House on April 5, 2022, in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla (Getty Images)

Many things in common

They have many things in common: both are lawyers, of similar ages (Obama is 63, Harris 59) and have a life experience marked by their diverse cultural heritage. In 2015, the then president considered appointing Harris to replace attorney general, Eric Holder. According to Harris memoir, The Truths We Hold, Holder, a good friend of both, offered her the job, but she turned it down. She was already considering a run for the Senate that same year, which would take her to Washington in 2017. Once she was selected by Biden to be his number two and took up the vice-presidency, Obama maintained his role as mentor on the peculiarities of White House life and protocol.

Obamas legacy is not immaculate. Progressives believe that throughout his term he was too conservative in areas such as immigration reform, and at the same time, too aggressive with a foreign policy that attacked Libya and sent American soldiers to Syria. Others accuse him of having neglected relations with the Democratic National Committee, towards which he always felt distrust, to the point that he seriously weakened the partys structures, something that could have contributed to Hillary Clintons defeat against Trump in the 2016 election.

But on Tuesday, none of that mattered. The old spirit of optimism, hope and desire for change prevailed. During his speech, Obama switched his yes, we can into a yes, she can, which the audience chanted. We did it then and we can certainly do it again now... Lets keep moving our country forward and go higher than weve ever been before, concluded Michelle Obama, to thunderous applause.

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KYODO NEWS - Aug 21, 2024 - 18:14 | All, Japan

A zoo in Hiroshima said Wednesday it had confirmed Japan's first case of a pregnancy of an African forest elephant, a species threatened with extinction.

According to the Hiroshima City Asa Zoological Park, African forest elephants are very rare in the wild and there are only three in captivity worldwide. It is classified as "critically endangered" on the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

As an elephant's gestation period is usually 20 to 22 months, she is expected to give birth sometime between August and October next year, the zoo said.

The elephant, which came to the zoo in 2001 from Burkina Faso, is estimated to be 25 years old.

In 2022, the Hiroshima zoo partnered her with a male elephant on loan from another Japanese zoo and had been working toward a successful conception.

The pregnancy was confirmed via ultrasonic echography on Aug. 14. The zoo said it would continue to monitor the expectant mother's health through blood tests and other measures until she gives birth.

Related coverage:

FEATURE: Elephant breeding efforts failing despite big moves by Japan zoos
By Kent E. Calder, KYODO NEWS - Aug 21, 2024 - 11:03 | All, World

With the Republican National Convention in the rear-view mirror and its Democratic counterpart now underway, political operatives on all sides in American politics are busy calculating the optimal strategies for capturing the White House on Nov. 5.

The central battlefield for both parties over most of the past two decades has consistently been the so-called "Blue Wall" -- three industrial states in the Upper Middle West (Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania) that have been essential to Democratic victories in presidential contests.

Barack Obama carried all three twice and won election in 2008 and 2012; Joe Biden also did so in 2020. Yet Donald Trump breached the Blue Wall in 2016, winning all three key states, bringing him White House victory over Hillary Clinton.

And Trump clearly contemplates a repeat performance to his 2016 win in 2024, as indicated by his choice of Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio), an authentic blue-collar hillbilly from southern Ohio, as his vice presidential running mate.

President Joe Biden, himself a Pennsylvania native, had clearly embarked on a Blue Wall defense strategy before dropping out of the presidential race only a few weeks ago.

That remains one potential approach for Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, although complicated by Trump's own fixation on the same political real estate, and by the Rust Belt authenticity of his running mate JD Vance.

Another intriguing "leap-frog" path, however, is also appearing to Democratic strategists, which could help set a new orientation for American politics, with historic implications. That is the so-called Southern Strategy, of appealing to swing states across the West and the South, rather than to the Rust Belt.

The Harris strategic option for 2024 would be very different than the similarly titled Southern Strategy of Richard Nixon in 1968, which focused on conservative white voters, many of them rural, in Deep South states such as Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina.

The Harris Southern Strategy would focus on African American, Hispanic and Asian American voters, as well as suburbanites of all persuasions, many of them female, in the growing, economically vigorous swing states around the periphery of the Deep South and Harris' California western base.

The four Southern Strategy target states (Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and North Carolina), should Harris be successful there, would yield 49 electoral votes, as compared with 44 electoral votes for the northern Blue Wall states.

Together with around 225 relatively safe "Blue" states, beginning with California's 54, the Southern Strategy would give Harris enough electoral votes to become president.

The four targets of a prospective Harris Southern Strategy share four key traits making them more promising for Harris than for either Biden or Trump:

(1) Presence of large cities and suburban areas that have experienced substantial growth in recent years (as opposed to the older smokestack industrial states of the Mid-Western Blue Wall);

(2) Frequent presence of post-industrial, non-smokestack industries, as in North Carolina's Technology Triangle;

(3) A large share of newcomers, including young people and educated immigrants, in the local voting base; and

(4) High concentration of minorities, including African Americans, Asian Americans and Hispanics.

In Georgia, for example, 48 percent of the population are minorities, and almost 11 percent foreign born. Thirty-two percent are black, 10.5 percent Hispanic, and over 5 percent Asian (mainly South Asian and Korean).

Arizona and Nevada both have minority populations reaching 41 percent of their total, while North Carolina has 37 percent, or the average for the United States as a whole.

Three of these four swing states voted for Biden in 2020, but only narrowly. Georgia was won by only 12,000 votes, going to the Democrats for the first time since 1992.

North Carolina was the state that Biden lost most narrowly. So these new southern swing states, due to their ongoing long-term socio-political changes, had just begun to show favorability toward Democrats four years ago.

That trend is now more advanced, making them even more attractive in Democratic eyes -- especially for a minority candidate (both African and Asian American, like Harris, with an immigrant mother from India) who can capitalize especially well on local demographic trends.

A Bloomberg News poll at the end of July indicates that the four key South-Southwestern swing states could well be within reach for Harris.

In North Carolina Trump still leads (48-46), but in Georgia the race, as of late July, was tied (47-47). And in both Arizona (49-47) and Nevada (47-45) Harris was leading.

National polls also indicate that two thirds of black voters, 60 percent of "Generation Z" young voters, and around 58 percent of Hispanic voters -- all constituencies that tend to be heavily Democratic -- indicate that they are more likely to vote with Harris as the candidate than with Biden.

And such voters are much more heavily concentrated in the new, more liberal southern swing states than they are along the northern Blue Wall.

The early "honeymoon period" sentiment for Harris may be distorting America's political map, but her strategists cannot help looking southward at a tantalizing route back to the White House, and to victory over Donald Trump.

(Kent E. Calder is the director of the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington.)

Related coverage:

Harris kicks off campaign for president with energized Democrats

U.S. envoy to Japan "not decided" on when to leave post: embassy
By Sachie Nakada, KYODO NEWS - Aug 21, 2024 - 07:41 | Arts, Feature, All, Japan

A movement is underway in Japan to re-evaluate Lise Meitner, the Austrian physicist who was key to the discovery of nuclear fission and labeled the "Mother of the atomic bomb" despite her refusal to contribute to the Manhattan Project that developed the world's first nuclear weapons.

In Japan, essays and a biography about Meitner by an American writer were published in Japanese this year. Manga artist Fumiyo Kono also produced the short story "Lise to Genshi no Mori" (Lise and the Forest of Atoms) in 2018.

"She was devoted to science but did not stray from the path of humanity," Kono said of Meitner, who was overlooked for the Nobel Prize despite being one of the first to discover that uranium atoms split when bombarded with neutrons, releasing a large amount of energy and radiation in the process she named nuclear fission.

In contrast to Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist known as the "Father of the atomic bomb," who directed the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, New Mexico, and whose life was portrayed in the 2023 biopic "Oppenheimer," little is known of Meitner, a Jewish woman from Vienna who fled Nazi Germany for Stockholm, Sweden, where she continued her research in exile.

Chemists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann, her colleagues at the institute in Berlin where she had worked for years, found evidence for nuclear fission.

But in 1938 Meitner and her nephew, fellow physicist Otto Frisch, were the first to explain in correspondence with Hahn the theoretical process behind the data the chemists had collected.

Hahn, with whom Meitner had a close but complicated relationship due to her being Jewish, later received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this work which led to the development of the atomic bomb, but never acknowledged Meitner's contribution to the discovery.

In the United States, a podcast introducing Meitner's life was released last year after the release date of "Oppenheimer." Marissa Moss, author of the biography "The Woman Who Split the Atom: The Life of Lise Meitner," based on Meitner's correspondence with long-time collaborator Hahn and other materials, appeared in the show.

Mentioned in Moss's biography is Meitner's conversation with former U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, which took place in August 1945. When approached by colleagues to work on the Manhattan Project, Meitner famously declared: "I will have nothing to do with a bomb."

Meitner -- only the second woman to earn a doctorate degree in physics at the University of Vienna -- was praised by Roosevelt in the radio interview for her contributions.

Asked by Roosevelt about the atomic bombings at the end of World War II, Meitner replied: "Women have a great responsibility and they are obliged to try, so far as they can, to prevent another war."

"I hope that the construction of the atom bomb not only will help to finish this awful war, but that we will be able to also use this great energy that has been released for peaceful work." Meitner later expressed dismay about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, saying, she was "sorry that the bomb had to be invented."

Moss' biography released in Japan was proposed to publisher Iwanami Shoten by the book's translator, Reiko Nakaigawa, who lives in Hong Kong. Nakaigawa argues that Meitner did not deserve the A-bomb moniker, saying rather, the focus should be on her remarkable achievements as a woman whose work made her a target of the Nazis before she fled to Sweden where she made her historic discovery.

"Meitner, who refused to cooperate in the development of the bomb, is not the 'Mother of the atomic bomb.' She was one of the few female physicists at the time, and I would like people to look back at history through the life of a woman who was forced to leave Germany by the Nazis," Nakaigawa said.

Manga artist Kono, who is from Hiroshima, learned about Meitner from a book on radioactive materials she read at the time of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that resulted in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, and produced a short manga about the Austrian physicist.

Kono, who portrays families suffering from radiation sickness as a result of the Hiroshima atomic bombing in her one-volume manga "Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cheery Blossoms," and in "In This Corner of the World," noted that Meitner was aware of the danger of radiation and was concerned about protecting people from it.

The single-volume manga was released in 2007 as a live-action film called "Yunagi City, Sakura Country" in English, while the latter was adapted into a Japanese theatrical anime wartime drama of the same name in 2016.

Meitner's epitaph on her gravestone in Britain, written by her nephew Frisch, reads, "Lise Meitner: a physicist who never lost her humanity" -- in the hope, he explained, people will learn about a way of life that builds humanity through a love of physics.

Kono's fictional short story based on Meitner concludes with the Austrian physicist saying, "I believe that if science makes things difficult for people, it is because we have not yet become the 'good people' we are supposed to be."

Kono said she had originally conceived of a full-length manga depicting Meitner's childhood and life story, and that she still hopes to "complete it someday."

Related coverage:

Hiroshima A-bomb survivor who became activist in Brazil dies at 100

U.S. records reveal details of troops who died in Hiroshima A-bomb

Dialogue critical to avoid nuke war: grandson of 'father of A-bomb'
KYODO NEWS - Aug 21, 2024 - 22:00 | All, World, Japan

The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.

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Foreign visitors to Japan top 3 mil. in July, single-month record

TOKYO - The number of foreign visitors to Japan totaled 3.29 million in July, up 41.9 percent from a year earlier and hitting a record high for a single month, boosted by the weak yen, government data showed Wednesday.

The latest figure represented a 10.1 percent rise from July 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic took hold, exceeding the 3 million mark for the fifth consecutive month, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

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Circular wooden roof for 2025 World Expo venue in Osaka takes shape

OSAKA - As preparations ramp up for the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, the symbolic giant wooden roof, known as the "Grand Ring," was visible in its full circular form at the venue on Wednesday.

The ring is set to become one of the world's largest wooden structures, with a circumference of approximately 2 kilometers and a maximum height of around 20 meters, according to the expo organizers. Construction is expected to continue through February next year.

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China indicts Japanese businessman detained over spying

BEIJING - A Japanese businessman detained in Beijing since March last year on suspicion of espionage has been indicted by Chinese prosecutors, a Japanese government source said Wednesday, with the forthcoming court proceedings expected to prolong his time in custody.

A spokesperson for Astellas Pharma Inc. confirmed that the man, an executive at the company's local subsidiary, had been indicted but declined to comment further due to the ongoing legal process. The Japanese government will continue its efforts to secure his early release.

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Japan's Rapidus seeks 100 bil. yen in loans for chip production

TOKYO - Japanese chipmaker Rapidus Corp. has approached four banks for loans totaling approximately 100 billion yen ($685 million) as part of its efforts to secure about 5 trillion yen needed for mass production of next-generation semiconductors by 2027, a source familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

The Japanese government-backed venture, established in 2022 to bolster the country's economic security through advanced semiconductor production, requested loans from Mizuho Bank, MUFG Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and the Development Bank of Japan, as it still needs around 4 trillion yen in additional funding, the source said.

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116-year-old Japanese in line to be named world's oldest living person

BARCELONA, Spain - Tomiko Itooka, a 116-year-old woman from the western Japan city of Ashiya, is in line to be declared the world's oldest living person by Guinness World Records, a nonprofit organization that tracks supercentenarians said Wednesday.

Itooka became a candidate for the title after the previous holder, Maria Branyas Morera, a 117-year-old from Olot in Catalonia, Spain, died Monday, according to the Gerontology Research Group.

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Japan, Taiwan ruling parties oppose China's assertive moves

TOKYO - Ruling party lawmakers from Japan and Taiwan agreed Wednesday that they are united in their opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo through force or coercion, citing China's assertive behavior, as they discussed security and diplomatic issues.

Lawmakers from Japan's Liberal Democratic Party and Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party shared the view that a contingency in Taiwan would impact Japan and vice versa, according to Hisayuki Fujii, an LDP member who attended the meeting at the party's headquarters in Tokyo.

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Ex-main opposition CDPJ chief Edano eyes comeback in leadership race

TOKYO - A former leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Yukio Edano, said Wednesday he will run in his party's leadership election next month, in a fresh bid to salvage the struggling main opposition party.

Edano, 60, is the first to announce his candidacy for the Sept. 23 race, which comes only days before the country's ruling party selects a new president. He is expected to compete with incumbent Kenta Izumi and possibly Yoshihiko Noda, who was prime minister when the CDPJ's predecessor was in power.

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12 Japanese taken into protective custody in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH - Twelve Japanese nationals in Cambodia have been taken into protective custody by Cambodian police after they were forced to work in the country's southeastern province, local police sources told Kyodo News on Wednesday.

The sources said the 12 were given false information about highly-paid but easy jobs in Cambodia and went to Bavet in the Svay Rieng province bordering Vietnam.

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Asia-Pacific ministers agree to decarbonize 3 key sectors

JAKARTA - Ministers from Southeast Asia and surrounding regions vowed on Wednesday to promote zero-emission power generation, sustainable fuel markets and next-generation manufacturing industries during a decarbonization framework meeting in Jakarta.

At the second ministerial meeting of the Asia Zero Emission Community, or AZEC, 11 partner countries also acknowledged the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, emphasizing the importance of embracing various approaches to achieve this goal, given the differing circumstances of each nation.

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Hiroshima zoo confirms endangered elephant's pregnancy, 1st in Japan

HIROSHIMA - A zoo in Hiroshima said Wednesday it had confirmed Japan's first case of a pregnancy of an African forest elephant, a species threatened with extinction.

According to the Hiroshima City Asa Zoological Park, African forest elephants are very rare in the wild and there are only three in captivity worldwide. It is classified as "critically endangered" on the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Video: Controversial U.S. air base construction project proceeds off Okinawa's Henoko
Communications and radio frequency technology specialist MTI Wireless Edge reported steady revenue and notable improvements in profitability in its interim results on Wednesday.

The AIM-traded company reported revenue of $22.3m, consistent with the same period in 2023.

EBITDA increased 18% to $3.3m, while profit before tax rose 10% to $2.3m.

Earnings per share also grew, by 8% to 2.14 US cents.

Despite a decrease in net cash to $5.5m as of 30 June due to dividend payments and share buybacks, MTI said it remained in a strong financial position.

The firm announced an expansion of its buyback programme, increasing the funding from 0.7m to a maximum of 1m, effective from 22 August.

Operationally, the antenna division performed strongly, with a 16% increase in sales driven by demand from the defence sector and 5G backhaul solutions.

The company said the division had a significant order backlog, and promising opportunities ahead.

However, the Mottech division experienced an 11% decline in revenues due to conflicts affecting domestic sales and a slowdown in North America and Western Europe.

Despite that, profitability improved thanks to a higher margin business mix and successful price adjustments.

MTI Summit saw a slight 1% increase in sales, but profitability was affected by underperformance at PSK, leading to staff reductions in August.

However, the core business remained strong, with a solid pipeline of new projects.

Looking ahead, MTI reported strong demand and record levels of inquiries, particularly in the global defence sector, positioning the company for future growth.

Demand for good communication utilising radio frequency solutions across the water, defence and 5G industries remains high, said chief executive officer Moni Borovitz.

Our range of products are well positioned in each of these industries and we are experiencing strong enquiry levels, most notably in the defence sector.

Borovitz said the companys trading performance in the first half showed a good increase in profitability and strong cash generation, combined with maintaining its financial base.

We are therefore well placed for the current year. Not surprisingly, the conflict in Israel is having some impact on local market revenues although we did experience better deal flow in July and hopefully we will see the end to this conflict soon.

At 1210 BST, shares in MTI Wireless Edge were up 7.11% at 39.63p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
The market spotlight on Thursday would be on a raft of preliminary survey results for manufacturing and services in the month of August due out in the UK, euro area and US.

The UK was expected to have fared best, thanks to a brisker pace of activity in services.

Activity levels in the euro area on the other hand were expected to have ticked lower and much more so in the States, albeit from significantly higher levels in the case of the US.

Indeed, euro area Purchasing Managers' Indices were expected to come in only marginally above the threshold consistent with any growth at all.

Also due out later in the session were existing home sales data for the US in July and Treasury auction results.

The euro area and UK PMIs were scheduled for release at 0800 BST and 0830 BST, respectively, and those in the US at 1345 BST.

At 1130 BST the European Central Bank would publish the minutes of its last rate-setting meeting.

In the background, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's annual economic symposium would be kicking off.

Thursday 22 August

INTERIMS

Bank of Georgia Group, LungLife AI, Inc (DI) , Partners Group Private Equity Limited. (EUR)

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Hercules Site Services

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Atalaya Mining, Convatec Group , DFI Retail Group Holdings Limited (Bermuda Regd), DFI Retail Group Holdings Limited (Jersey Reg), DFI Retail Group Holdings Limited (Sing.Reg), Glanbia (CDI), Hammerson, Hongkong Land Holding Ltd. (Bermuda), Hongkong Land Holding Ltd. (Jersey), Hongkong Land Holding Ltd. (Sing.Reg), Ibstock , Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd (Singapore Reg), Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd. (Bermuda), Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd. (Jersey), Jpmorgan Uk Small Cap Growth & Income, Just Group, Legal & General Group, Mandarin Oriental International (Bermuda), Mandarin Oriental International (Jersey), Mandarin Oriental International (Singapore), Mondi, OSB Group , Rights & Issues Investment Trust , Sabre Insurance Group, Schroders, Shaftesbury Capital, St James's Place

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

JPMorgan Asia Growth & Income

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Land Securities Group, RM Infrastructure Income, Vaalco Energy, Inc (DI)

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

Q2

Bank of Georgia Group, Nexxen International LTD (DI)

FINALS

Hays

AGMS

Calnex Solutions , Oryx International Growth Fund Ltd.

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

QinetiQ Group

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Babcock International Group, Cohort, International Distribution Services, Investec, Molten Ventures VCT , Supreme , XPS Pensions Group
China launched an anti-subsidy investigation into dairy products imported from the European Union on Wednesday, intensifying trade tensions between Beijing and Brussels.

The move, announced on Wednesday by Chinas commerce ministry, followed the European Union's decision to revise its proposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), a change that Beijing had urged the EU to abandon.

On Tuesday, the EU adjusted its punitive duties on Chinese EV imports to 36.3%, down slightly from the initially planned 37.6%.

However, the adjustment failed to satisfy China, prompting a strong response from the Chinese commerce ministry, which expressed firm opposition and vowed to protect its domestic industries.

According to Reuters, the anti-subsidy probe would scrutinise a range of dairy products, including cheeses, milk, and creams, and was triggered by a complaint from the Dairy Association of China and the China Dairy Industry Association.

Chinas investigation would apparently focus on 20 subsidy schemes across several EU member states, including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Ireland, and Romania.

Ireland, the largest exporter of dairy products to China among the listed countries, sold $461m worth of dairy goods to the Asian market last year.

Overall, the European Union was Chinas second-largest source of dairy imports in 2023, contributing 36% of the total value, second only to New Zealand.

The move followed a similar anti-dumping investigation launched by China in June against EU pork imports, primarily affecting Spain, the Netherlands, and Denmark, in what appeared to also be a retaliatory response to the EU's EV tariffs.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
Mobico shares surged by a fifth on Wednesday after the public transport operator started the sale process for its North American school bus business to cut debt and reported a jump in adjusted interim operating profit driven by positive demand and cost cuts.

Profit for the six months to June 30 rose 23.8% to 71.2m while on a pre-tax basis the company narrowed losses to 1.5m from 52m a year earlier. No dividend was declared as the group, formerly known as National Express, continues to deleverage.

It still expects adjusted operating profit for 2024 to be within the range of 185m to 205m.

An immediate priority remains the reduction of debt and leverage. With that ambition in mind, we're pleased to report that the formal process for the sale of the North America School Bus business has begun, and is progressing in line with expectations, the company said.

Covenant net debt rose to 988m from 908m, while net debt at the end of June stood at 1.24bn. Mobico said it was on track to save 30m this year and would launch further plans to deleverage in the second half.

Alsa, the companys European unit which operates across France, Portugal and Switzerland, posted a 43.2% rise in operating profit to a record 82.5m.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com
Waitrose is planning to open 100 convenience stores over the next five years as part of a 1bn-plus investment in new outlets and shop refurbishments. The upmarket grocery chain is planning to unveil a revamped outlet in Finchley Road, north London, on Wednesday. This will kick off a new phase of expansion with its first new store in six years in Hampton Hill, west London, by the end of this year.  Guardian

Two former bosses of the collapsed department store chain BHS have been ordered to pay 110m to creditors in relation to breaching their corporate duties. The ruling against Dominic Chappell, the former chief executive of BHS whose Retail Acquisitions team bought the chain for 1 from Philip Green in 2015, and his former colleague Lennart Henningson comes eight years after the retailer collapsed into administration owing creditors, including its pension fund, more than 1bn.  Guardian

Union chiefs who have called three months of rail strikes on London North Eastern Railway (LNER) are lobbying to have Royal Mail train drivers they also represent hired on the East Coast main line. Train drivers union Aslef said LNER could make strides toward avoiding industrial action by hiring experienced crews, including those currently being let go by Royal Mail.  Telegraph

McDonalds plans to create 24,000 jobs in the UK and the Republic of Ireland over the next four years as it opens more than 200 restaurants in a sign of faith in the high street. The expansion, its biggest since 2002, is part of a 1 billion investment by the chain and its franchisees, which already have 1,435 outlets in the UK employing 171,415 people. Four fifths of its restaurants are owned and operated by franchisees.  The Times

The 191-year-old Crown Agents survived existential crises, including the demise of the British empire and one of the biggest financial scandals of the 1970s, but cuts in government funding and the strains of a pension liability mean that it will not reach its 200th anniversary. The not-for-profit organisation, founded in 1833 to conduct financial transactions with British colonies, was placed into liquidation this month. Directors of Crown Agents, which had become an international development agency, filed a winding-up petition after concluding that they would not be able to attract the funding required to keep it trading. Its 150 staff have been made redundant.  The Times
KYODO NEWS - Aug 21, 2024 - 07:36 | All, Podcast

How often do you eat rice?

Three Kyodo News reporters -- Yamaguchi-san, Peter and Nakanishi-san -- talk about Japan's rice inventory, which has dropped to its lowest level since record-keeping began in 1999, as inbound tourism drove up demand for the commodity. They also discuss other reasons behind the inventory fall, as well as interesting ways to eat natto, or fermented soy beans.

Article mentioned in the podcast:

Japan's rice inventory hits record low as tourism boom boosts demand

Kyodo News presents a bilingual podcast for English learners about the ins and outs of news writing and how to translate tricky Japanese phrases into English. Have fun listening to journalists discuss recent articles as they occasionally go off on unrelated tangents.

Recent episodes:

Podcast [English World] Episode 58: Hottest July on record

Podcast [English World] Episode 57: Budgeting for the summer

Podcast [English World] Episode 56: Overtourism in Japan
GRM Overseas, a leading FMCG company, has roped in Bollywood superstar Salman Khan as the brand ambassador for its 10X brand, which includes basmati rice and wheat flour (atta). The partnership, signed for a two-year duration, is aimed at enhancing the brands visibility and expanding its reach across India, particularly in tier 2 and tier 3 cities.

"Salman Khans popularity across GRMs target market geographies and demographics aligns perfectly with the 10X brand", said Atul Garg, Managing Director of GRM Overseas. Garg also highlighted the companys ambitious growth plans for its domestic branded business, which generated a turnover of Rs 265 crore in FY24 out of a total turnover of Rs 1,800 crore. The company is now targeting Rs 650 crore from its domestic branded business in the current financial year and aims to reach Rs 1,000 crore by 2026.

focusing on the domestic market. The company has expanded its product line under the 10X brand to include rice, atta, besan, semolina, flour, and mustard oil. Additionally, it has entered the ready-to-cook segment, introducing products like ready-to-cook biryani, with plans to launch more offerings in this category. We call it our new-age business, and many other ready-to-cook products are in the pipeline for the domestic market added Garg. GRM Overseas, primarily known for its basmati rice exports, has been increasingly. The company has expanded its product line under the 10X brand to include rice, atta, besan, semolina, flour, and mustard oil. Additionally, it has entered the ready-to-cook segment, introducing products like ready-to-cook biryani, with plans to launch more offerings in this category. We call it our new-age business, and many other ready-to-cook products are in the pipeline for the domestic market added Garg.

The company is strategically focusing on tier 2 and tier 3 cities, where branded products currently hold only a 10% share of the market, with the remaining dominated by unbranded goods. Garg noted a noticeable shift in consumer preferences towards branded products in these regions, and GRM aims to capitalize on this trend to boost its branded business.

To fund its expansion and potential acquisitions in the ready-to-cook segment, GRM Overseas recently raised Rs 136 crore through share warrants. The companys collaboration with Salman Khan is seen as a strategic move to connect with consumers across diverse demographics and strengthen its brand presence both domestically nd globally.

'Salman Khans mass appeal and fanbase are a perfect match for our 10X brand range of Basmati Rice and 10X Shakti Wheat Flour (Atta), said Garg, expressing confidence in the brands future growth with this high-profile endorsement.
One Little Leaguer from Staten Island is aiming to be the third in his family to reach the Majors. South Shore Little League pitcher/first baseman Jake Romero is related to two Big Leaguers, a fact that was revealed by ESPNs Karl Ravech during Tuesday nights Little League World Series broadcast of the Metro region champs 6-1 defeat at the hands of Florida.

It turns out that Romero - who has starred on the diamond at Williamsport this summer - is the cousin of Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Richie Palacios and Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Joshua Palacios, a pair of Brooklyn brothers who hail from Berkeley Carroll HS and HS of Telecommunications, respectively.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A new city task force will review government-owned sites around the five boroughs for possible housing conversions, Mayor Eric Adams announced Wednesday.

A mayoral executive order created the City Housing Activation Task Force Wednesday as the mayors latest effort to develop more housing in a city with a historically-low vacancy rate.

If theres any land within the citys control that has even the remotest potential to develop affordable housing, our administration will take action, Adams said. Todays executive order is one of the many ways we will continue to exhaust every option to meet this crisis head on and fulfill our pledge of building 500,000 new housing units by 2032.

Adams office has taken several steps in his first term hoping to spur housing growth in the five boroughs.

Those initiatives include Staten Islands North Shore Action Plan, estimated to create 2,400 new housing units, and the broader City of Yes for Housing Opportunity plan, which the City Council will vote on later this year.

Adams Wednesday announcement follows repeated suggestions from the mayor that bringing housing to underutilized city sites could be a way to address the housing crisis in 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.

Adams City Housing Activation Task Force would be overseen by Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Maria Torres-Springer and would task city agencies with reviewing their properties for housing development.

The exterior of the former Department of Health district health center in St. George is shown Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (Staten Island Advance/Paul Liotta)

While Adams office did not respond to a request for comment about possible sites, the executive order does specify those chosen could only be converted without disruption to critical operations.

One site on Staten Island, a former Health Department building in St. George on Stuyvesant Place, could be a leading candidate for such a conversion, but it remains to be seen what the task force chooses.

Today, this administration doubles down on its commitment to address the citys historically low 1.4 percent vacancy rate and use every tool in our toolkit to deliver the housing New Yorkers deserve, Torres-Springer said. Building off our City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal and wins in Albany to increase housing production, this whole of government response will allow us to develop underutilized land. Im grateful for every agency doing their part.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce is now accepting entries for its 2024 Annual Building Awards -- a program that recognizes excellence in design and construction.

Now in its 62nd year, the awards celebrate the best in construction and design for commercial and residential properties across Staten Island, as judged by industry experts. Each year, entries are submitted by homeowners, contractors, engineers, architects, interior designers, landscapers and craftsmen. Both new construction and renovations are eligible for recognition.

This years event will be hosted at the St. George Theatre on Wednesday, Nov. 13, and sponsored by National Grid. Partner sponsors include Northfield Bank, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Renewal by Andersen, Sherwin Williams and Staten Island University Hospital. Food for the cocktail hour will be provided by Framboise Catering.

If you have completed any project within the past few years, you are eligible to submit your project, the Chamber noted in a press release. Any structure or building of any size or project type (including new structures, renovations, alterations, redesigns, etc.) designed and/or constructed by a Staten Island-based professional is eligible. All submitted projects must be completed by September 2023.

All projects must be submitted for consideration by Sept. 6. Excellence and Commendation Awards will be presented in the following categories:

Exterior

Interior

Interior Decorating

Landscaping

Outdoor Space

Specialty Craftsmanship

Technology and A/V

Sustainability

The Chamber will also present the Chairmans Award - the highest honor of the Building Awards. To be eligible, applicants must submit and excel in at least four of the categories listed above.

To learn more and apply, visit www.sichamber.com/buildingapplication.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 21, 2024 - 18:25 | World, All, Japan

Ruling party lawmakers from Japan and Taiwan agreed Wednesday that they are united in their opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo through force or coercion, citing China's assertive behavior, as they discussed security and diplomatic issues.

Lawmakers from Japan's Liberal Democratic Party and Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party shared the view that a contingency in Taiwan would impact Japan and vice versa, according to Hisayuki Fujii, an LDP member who attended the meeting at the party's headquarters in Tokyo.

Japan and Taiwan share concerns about China's aggressive moves in the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

The dialogue, involving ruling party members responsible for foreign affairs and diplomacy, was held for the first time since Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te succeeded Tsai Ing-wen, both of whom are from the DPP, in May.

At the meeting, they exchanged views on "information warfare," which includes disinformation targeting Taiwan and a possible U.S. response in case of a contingency in Taiwan. The next round will be held in Taiwan, Fujii said.

From the LDP, Fujii, who heads the foreign affairs division, and Hitoshi Kikawada, who leads the defense division, attended the meeting with their Taiwanese counterparts, Kuo Kuo-wen and Shen Pao-yang.

At the outset, Kikawada underscored the importance of coordination as the security environment in East Asia is increasingly severe.

Shen said that the build-up of China's military pressure in the East and South China seas and the Taiwan Strait is a serious issue for the security of Taiwan and Japan.

Led by the Communist party, China regards democratic Taiwan as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary. Beijing and Taipei have been governed separately since they split due to a civil war in 1949.

Japan and Taiwan maintain unofficial diplomatic ties.

Related coverage:

Taiwan names former senior official Lee Yi-yang new de facto Japan envoy

Taiwan's Lai seeks unity in talks with veteran Japan lawmaker Ishiba
Santos half-year profit slid 17 per cent to $US659 million ($977 million) after its revenue from selling oil and gas fell, but a record interim dividend did not prevent its share price from slumping by more than five per cent.

Production in the first six months of 2024 was the equivalent of 44 million barrels of oil, down two per cent, while sales revenue of $US2.7 billion slid further, dropping nine per cent.

Santos chief executive Kevin Gallagher said Moomba would reach full capacity this year. Credit: Ben Searcy

Jardin analyst Nik Burns said the earnings and profit results were slightly below the consensus, driven by higher costs, but it was positive that all projects were predicted to be delivered on time and within budget and that Santos had not changed its 2024 guidance.

MST Marquee energy analyst Saul Kavonic has longer-term concerns, telling clients the material presented by Santos to investors on Wednesday indicated free cash flow would decline from 2030 as production of liquefied natural gas from Papua New Guinea fell.
A Herald and Good Food investigation reveals a top Sydney restaurant group allegedly ousted female staff after they reported sexual assaults and encouraged on-duty sex and drug use.

Swillhouse chief executive Anton Forte has stood down from the board of the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association after five female employees alleged they were sexually assaulted and harassed at the companys high-profile venues, including Restaurant Hubert, Le Foote and the Baxter Inn.

The revelations in an investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald and Good Food triggered immediate industry blowback on Wednesday as sponsors, artists and partners pulled out of Swillhouses first major festival, Swillfest. Food magazine Gourmet Traveller announced it was removing Restaurant Hubert from its NSW Top 25 list.

Swillhouse chief executive Anton Forte on Wednesday morning. Credit: Sam Mooy

The former staff also alleged they were encouraged to take drugs while on shift and the company failed to support them after reporting sexual assaults and harassment.

Chef Neil Perry, the chair of the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association, which represents industry heavyweights Merivale, Fink Group and Accor, said Forte had stood down until the claims had been thoroughly investigated.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 21, 2024 - 14:30 | Expo, All, Japan

A city near Osaka recently put out a call asking foreign residents in Japan to apply to play the role of a feudal warlord in a local festival.

The government of Daito in Osaka Prefecture said it is looking for someone to play the role of Miyoshi Nagayoshi, a lord who governed the region and the island of Shikoku near the end of Japan's "Sengoku" warring states period.

The person would play the role in the western Japan city's samurai procession festival in March.

The offer comes as the area gears up for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, which opens in April next year.

Applications are open to any foreign resident aged 18 or older who is willing to commit to participating in the March 1 parade. The city said it will provide the successful candidate with traditional armor and other costume elements to wear.

Miyoshi was born in 1522 in what is now known as Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku. He died at a castle located in Daito in 1564.

Related coverage:

Osaka Expo unveils tie-up goods with Hello Kitty, Sanrio characters

Iran, Pakistan give up on building own pavilions for 2025 World Expo

Osaka Expo pavilion cost may further increase by 7.7 billion yen
Take My Hand 

(M) 102 minutes

The first-time writer-director John Raftopoulos has been quick to explain that the central events of Take My Hand are based on real life  specifically, on the lives of Raftopoulos and his wife Claire Jensz, one of the films producers. But any of the old Hollywood masters of melodrama would have known how to bring them to life on screen.

Meg Frasers Laura falls for the unassuming charm of Xavier Molyneuxs Michael in Take My Hand.

Growing up on her familys property in rural NSW, Laura (Meg Fraser) is under the thumb of her strict father (Darren Gilshenan) and finds her only escape in riding horses, until she falls for Michael (Xavier Molyneux), an unassuming local boy. But they come from different worlds, and soon shes off to London to pursue a high-flying finance career, while he stays home working for the family greengrocer business.

Twenty years on, theres another dramatic twist: Laura, now played by Radha Mitchell, is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, threatening both her job and her marriage to an upper-class Englishman (Bart Edwards). Soon shes yearning to move back to Australia, where her mother (Robyn Gibbes) is dealing with a later stage of MS, and where Michael (Adam Demos), now divorced with a teenage daughter (Jessi Robertson), hasnt forgotten his first love.
In a fictional TV world, the last time Naveen Andrews was in Sydney, he was boarding Oceanic Flight 815 to Los Angeles. It was a doomed journey that would become the catalyst for the hit sci-fi series Lost, with Andrews character  Sayid Jarrah  sticking it out for six seasons until the bitter end.

Now, 20 years later, Andrews is back in Sydney, filming Last King of the Cross, the TV series inspired by Sydney nightclub boss John Ibrahims 2017 memoir. In it, Andrews plays Ray Kinnock, a rival nightclub owner who Ibrahim wants to buy out. As Ibrahim, played by Lincoln Younes, says, the Cross is dead, and Oxford Street, the heart of the citys gay scene, is now where its at.

Naveen Andrews plays nightclub owner Ray Kinnock in season two of Last King of the Cross.

On the day I visit the set, an actual club on Oxford Street, drag queens and party-goers are milling about, Younes has his brown contact lenses and dark wig in place, while the real John Ibrahim keeps an eye on the playback monitor.

In the middle of this sits Andrews, whose velvet jacket and coloured nails paint a picture of Kinnock as a dapper man who is more at ease in Oxford Street than Ibrahim is.
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Exclusive Eating outComing soon Celebrity hotspot Pelicano bar to be reborn at former Hugos Lounge site in Kings Cross Restaurateur Andrew Bechers reboot will have a coastal Mediterranean menu with a strong Italian bent. Scott Bolles August 22, 2024 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

In a boost to Sydneys late-night revitalisation, the sprawling old Hugos Lounge site on Bayswater Road is set to be born again as a restaurant and nightclub. Restaurateur Andrew Becher, whose stable of hatted inner-east restaurants includes Parlar at Potts Point and Surry Hills Armorica, will reboot his own dormant brand, Pelicano, in the space next month. Hugos Lounge in its heyday. Supplied Becher is gambling the tide has finally turned for late-night Sydney. He points to the success of new venues pumping at 2am and NSW Premier Chris Minns taking away red tape for budding operators. There are lots of green shoots bringing Kings Cross back. [Restaurateur] Maurice Terzini has also announced hes going in on the same strip, Becher says. In spring, Terzini and business partner Peter Shopovski of queer collective House of Mince will open Mirage KX, a cabaret bar on Bayswater Road.

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There is no shortage of action in the neighbourhood. Piano bar The Hook and Caravin wine bar are part of a party of arrivals that includes sherry bar Vermuteria and rebooted stalwart Piccolo Bar. The team behind Fratelli Paradiso and 10 William is also rumoured to be eyeing a site on the corner of Roslyn Street and Ward Avenue. Restaurateur Andrew Becher at Armorica Grande Brasserie in Surry Hills. Steven Siewert Becher launched celebrity hotspot Pelicano bar and eatery in 2012 in the Double Bay site where, by a twist of fate, Neil Perry is opening Bobbies. Pelicano closed in 2019 due to an impending development, while Hugos Lounge had a less dignified exit. Hugos Lounge  a six-time winner of Australias best nightclub  became a poster child for the effect of the lockout laws, and owner David Evans was one of the most vocal critics of the restrictions. Evans highlighted a 60 per cent drop in trade before Hugos closed in 2015, along with nine other licensed-venue casualties in the area. Hugos was my go-to venue, that was my Saturday and Sunday nights, Becher says, excited by plans for the site under his watch. Pelicanos first stage  a restaurant and terrace that will open at 5pm and trade late  launches on September 17, followed by the launch of the adjoining Pelicano nightclub on the October long weekend.

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Frozen cocktails at Pelicano in Double Bay in 2016. Fairfax Media Come in early and stay all night, is Bechers mantra, describing the type of venue Sydney has in short supply. The restaurants culinary pitch will be coastal Mediterranean with a strong Italian bent. Interiors will have a similar nautical feel to the Double Bay original. Becher is also keen to distil some of the old Hugos spirit. The crowd, the elegant nature of it, you always felt safe there, he says. While COVID ingrained a stay-at-home culture among many Australians, Becher is banking on more Sydneysiders heading out again: If you build it, they will come. Its coming back: Why Icebergs Maurice Terzini is staking his money on Kings Cross

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Eating outSpecials board Where to get this burger and fries for just $10 plus nine more juicy burger specials Smashing value burgers dont have to be reserved for takeaway night. Pick up some extra napkins and flip out on these deals at restaurants, pubs and even a bakery. Isabel Cant August 22, 2024 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

From ultra-caramelised patties to crispy fried chicken, smashing value burgers dont have to be reserved for takeaway night. Our latest edition of Specials board brings you burger specials that offer everything from a cheap night in to a fine-dining experience, bag you a free drink, or let you try wild flavour combos. Pick up some extra napkins and flip out on these burger deals. Bistrot 916s cheeseburger includes a grass-fed chuck and brisket patty, alongside American cheese, raw onion, dill pickle, ketchup, mustard and secret sauce. Steven Woodburn Bistrot 916 What was born in the depths of lockdown has now become one of Sydneys most popular burgers. Every day from 5pm to 6pm, grab the hatted eaterys cheeseburger with a generous portion of fries for just $15  less than half the price of what they go for at their weekend lunches. Their super-soft potato bun envelopes a grass-fed chuck and brisket patty alongside American cheese, raw onion, dill pickle, ketchup, mustard and secret sauce. Be quick, though  Bistrot 916 is closing at the end of the year. 22 Challis Avenue, Elizabeth Bay, bistrot916.com

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RAFI This hatted Med-inspired restaurant in North Sydney has a top-notch cheeseburger available during happy hour. From 3pm to 6pm every Monday to Saturday, try its super-caramelised cheeseburger on a sesame-seed bun topped with onions, pickles and their secret RAFI sauce for $16. Also available from Wednesday at its new breezy surf-park spin-off. Pair it with their signature Fragola Fizz cocktail for only $10 during happy hour, with yuzu sake, Aperol and vodka. 99 Mount Street, North Sydney and URBNSURF, 15 Hill Road, Homebush, rafisydney.com.au Self Raised Bread Shoppes weekend-only special is stacked with smashed beef, caramelised onions, pickles and house sauce. Supplied

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Self Raised Bread Shoppe One of Sydneys hottest bakeries, Self Raised Bread Shoppe in Carlton has made the milk bun of your dreams to build the perfect cheeseburger, coming in at $16. A weekend-only special, the burger is stacked to the heavens with two smashed beef patties (each with a slice of melted American cheese), caramelised onions, pickles and house sauce. 45 Jubilee Avenue, Carlton, selfraised.com.au Hotel Harrys burger range costs $10 with chips. Supplied Hotel Harry

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Wednesday nights see this colourful Surry Hills boozer slinging their ace burger range for $10 with chips. Go for their famous Harrys wagyu beef burger, a buttermilk fried chicken burger, or a black bean and onion patty burger with a hash brown. Come back every Wednesday for a secret burger that changes weekly; expect creative concepts such as a Singapore chilli crab burger or a karaage chicken burger with pickled ginger slaw and tonkatsu barbecue sauce. 40/44 Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills, hotelharry.com.au Burgers are half price on Thursdays at The Blind Bear. Supplied The Blind Bear Rock up to this dark American-inspired whiskey bar every Thursday evening to try their burger menu and any additions for half price. Choose between a beef cheeseburger deluxe, a cajun fried chicken burger, or the mushroom burger with pickled cauliflower and hummus. Add a schooner for the cost of a midi.

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28 Cronulla Street, Cronulla, theblindbear.com BL Burgers announce their burger specials on Instagram. Supplied BL Burgers Bar Lucas dedicated casual burger outposts in Darlinghurst and Parramatta have a funky new burger special every week, announced on their Instagram page. Inspired by the latest happenings and trends, the creative burgers are packed with fillings for about $20. One recent special, the Gucci Jang burger, features karaage chicken covered in gochujang sauce, kimchi aioli and golden curry poutine. In the last week of August, their Down South burger will have two beef patties and deep-fried dim sim with chilli jam. Shop 1/151 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst and 3/188 Church Street, Parramatta, blburgers.com.au

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Ricos Tacos burgers are inspired by Pueblan-style sandwiches called cemitas. Supplied Ricos Tacos Taco master Toby Wilson also puts his skills towards making burgers at this sunny Mexican pub eatery. Every Wednesday from 5pm, the torta and tinnies deal wins you a burger with chipotle-salted fries and a can of Tecate for just $20. Their burgers, which are inspired by Pueblan-style sandwiches called cemitas, add a Mexican bent with their dynamic salsa roja, pico de gallo and salsa verde. Choose between their classic beef hamburguesa, the chicken schnitzel, a chip buttie-inspired hash-brown burger, and Wilsons favourite, a fried flathead burger. 305 Cleveland Street, Redfern, ricostacos.com.au

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Loulou Looking for a luxurious burger in a schmick setting to match? Hatted Loulous lunchtime burger special, le grand Loulou burger, has been described by Good Food reviewer Terry Durack as the burger benchmark for good reason. For $29, their sesame-seed brioche bun sandwiches a juicy brisket and chuck mix patty, pickles, cheese, lettuce and sauce with a generous serving of skin-on pommes frites. 61 Lavender Street, Milsons Point, loulou.sydney Dee Why Hotel

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End the week on a high note with this beachy pubs $15 Friday cheeseburger and chips, with a hefty 180-gram brisket and chuck patty, pickles, cheese, mustard, smoked onion puree and roast onion mayo. The pub also offers a rotating weekly $27 burger and beer deal. Expect specials such as an ebi prawn burger with yuzu and mustard mayo and white cabbage, or a tandoori chicken burger with pakoras and raita. 834 Pittwater Road, Dee Why, deewhyhotel.com.au Crowbar The greasy good times are doubly affordable at Crowbar on Wednesdays with their two-for-one Whole Beast Butchery smashed cheeseburger deal from 4pm to 7pm and $6 happy hour drinks from 4pm to 6pm. Take a mate and stick around afterwards for a round of trivia and your chance to win the meat tray raffle from 7pm, too.

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MICHEL GUERARD: 1933  2024

Michel Guerard, who has died aged 91, was, with Roger Verge, Paul Bocuse and Pierre Troisgros, one of the founding fathers of nouvelle cuisine, the culinary movement that marked a radical shift towards lighter, more delicately flavoured French cooking, breaking away from the heavy, rich sauces of the traditional Escoffier canon.

Michel Guerard (centre) with staff tasting food in the hotel restaurant Les Pres dEugenie in Eugenie-Les-Bains, France, 2011. Credit: Getty Images

Guerard was known in particular for developing a sort of sub-genre of the movement known as cuisine minceur  literally slimming cooking  essentially consisting of less calorific versions of nouvelle cuisine dishes, and he went on to become one of the most influential and most copied of Frances nouvelle cuisine chefs.

It was in the early 1970s that Guerard, inspired by his bride-to-be, Christine, to lose a few kilograms, created his slimming take on contemporary French fine cooking  replacing butter, cream and oil-rich sauces with less artery-clogging fromage blanc, fresh concentrated stocks and vegetable coulis.
From little kids waving cardboard signs to trainspotters, long-suffering commuters and people  like me  who simply love being part of history: Sydney is unlikely to see the same level of excitement attached to a piece of infrastructure as what we saw on Monday when the new metro shot under the harbour for the first time.

No one, from Premier Chris Minns to Transport Minister Jo Haylen or even project director Hugh Lawson, who knows the 15.5-kilometre line inside out, had any real idea of the scale of metro mania that would be unleashed. They expected enthusiasm, but nobody anticipated the throngs of passengers lining up hours before sunrise to be the first to ride the $21 billion M1 line. Or the constant flow of joyriders taking selfies aboard Sydneys newest train then wandering aimlessly around the stations (that was me).

Passengers on the first regular passenger metro service left Sydenham at 4.54am on Monday. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

At last, the city had something to be excited about.

It is not Sydneys first metro  a driverless train has been linking the north-west of the city and Chatswood since 2019  and it will not be the last. Two lines are still to come plus the final stretch of the M1 to Bankstown. The line to Sydneys new international airport will be open by the time the first planes take off in late 2026, while Metro West, along Sydneys east-west spine, is slated to be ready in 2032.
A brave 11-year-old Australian girl has spoken about her terrifying ordeal after she was grabbed in a headlock and stabbed eight times in Londons busy Leicester Square.

Laila Johnson was on a trip with her mother, Samantha, exploring London after travelling to see the Matildas play in the Olympic Games in Paris, when the pair were allegedly confronted by homeless man Ioan Pintaru.

Laila Johnson survived a stabbing attack in London. Credit: Facebook

Pintaru allegedly attacked Laila with a steak knife as her mother tried to shield her daughter.

Im still so scared, it was awful. I couldnt sleep, Laila told Ben Fordham on 2GB.
In a subsequent letter sent to parents and staff on Wednesday night, Quinane said the college has been working closely with students, families, staff and police to manage the matter with sensitivity.

Over the past week, the College has been working to resolve an incident which occurred at the boarding house. The college notified police of the incident, as is a legal requirement for all schools for matters of this nature, he said.

All students in the boarding house were briefed and supported from the beginning, as their welfare has been our number one priority, and this will continue to be the case.

As you would appreciate this is an extremely delicate matter, given the students involved, which also attracts privacy law restrictions. So, we are being very careful about what we say and how we say it.

A Newington spokesperson said the school was continuing to work with the boys and their families before determining next steps.
A senior officer would have been alerted to a family of killers fixated on police if he had access to interstate reports before his colleagues were ambushed and killed, a coroner has been told.

Brothers Nathaniel, 46, and Gareth Train, 47, opened fire on four junior constables as they walked up the driveway of a remote property at Wieambilla, west of Brisbane, late in the afternoon of December 12, 2022.

State Coroner Terry Ryan previously heard NSW Police Detective Senior Constable Tim Montgomery contacted Chinchilla officers near Wieambilla asking if they could attend the property for a missing persons welfare check on Nathaniel, but did not share the latest police reports.

Some of the reports summarised emails from Gareth telling his brother officers wanted to see you dead and others saying Nathaniel would greet them as they deserve if they turned up to his remote bush property.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 21, 2024 - 07:59 | All, World, Japan

A group of 22 Japanese high school students on Tuesday submitted to the United Nations a set of signatures calling for the abolishment of nuclear weapons and attended the world body's disarmament conference in Geneva.

The students, aged 15 to 18, who were selected as peace messengers by a Nagasaki-based civic committee, also met with Carolyne-Melanie Regimbal, chief of service of the U.N. Office for Disarmament Affairs' Geneva Office.

"A world without nuclear weapons is a goal that should be shared by all humanity," said Kosaku Okimoto, a 16-year-old student from Hiroshima, during the meeting with Regimbal.

Seto Sugimori, 17, from Fukuoka Prefecture, said that as the average age of atomic-bomb survivors, or hibakusha, is now over 85, the number "who are willing to share their stories with us is decreasing every year."

The committee selects peace messengers every year from a nationwide pool of applicants. The latest group delivered to the Geneva office a set of 96,428 signatures collected across Japan, bringing the total number gathered through the initiative to more than 2.7 million.

Regimbal said the discussions to prohibit nuclear weapons take time, but "even if some states disagree, we are all in the room to be sure that what happened in Japan, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, will never happen again."

"Please continue to raise your voice. We are listening," she said.

Referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the conflict in Palestine between Israel and the militant group Hamas, the students urged relevant states to act as soon as possible to prevent another human disaster.

The peace messenger initiative dates back to 1998, when two high school students from Nagasaki brought signatures calling for the abolishment of nuclear weapons to U.N. headquarters after India and Pakistan conducted nuclear tests.

The United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the final days of World War II in August 1945, with respective death tolls by the end of that year reaching some 140,000 people and some 74,000 people, according to the cities.

Related coverage:

FEATURE: Japan reassesses anti-war actions of woman labeled "Mother of A-bomb"

Japan marks 79th anniv. of WWII end at event with no COVID curbs

Hiroshima A-bomb survivor who became activist in Brazil dies at 100
A new cluster of tents in a Brisbane CBD intersection has prompted renewed calls for the state government to invest in long-term housing solutions as the citys homeless population grows.

The tents in E.E. McCormick Place, a grassed park between Roma Street, Eagle Terrace and North Quay just before the William Jolly Bridge, were erected about two weeks ago.

Tents have appeared in one of the citys busiest intersections, opposite the Roma Street Fire Station just before the William Jolly Bridge. Credit: Courtney Kruk

Northwest Community Group founder Paul Slater said he was asked to provide a tent for a woman who had been sleeping on a bench near the park for two months.

This prompted a couple to set up similar accommodation in the area.
As I was walking my dog this morning, I looked into my local cafe and saw every single person wearing black puffers. For a moment, I thought about pulling my phone out to snap a photo. But then who would need evidence? This is Melbourne.

Its the cliche Melbourne scene; people in black puffers queuing up for coffee. Outside, I stood in the cold wearing a cream-coloured jacket, a cream-coloured beanie and a mustard-yellow scarf. I was a vision in a sea of black. Nearly five years after moving here, it made me wonder: When does someone become a legitimate Melburnian?

A magic coffee is poured at Bowery to Williamsburg cafe. Credit: Eddie Jim

I have done the quintessentially Melbourne things. Ive queued along Russell Street for Lune croissants and at the Queen Vic Market for hot jam doughnuts. Ive walked around the Tan. Ive dined at my fair share of hidden laneway eateries. I meet up with my friends under the clocks at Flinders Street Station. I attend Philharmonic concerts at the Bowl during summer and bask in the illumination of the Royal Botanic Gardens Lightscape in the winter.

But does all this make me a legit Melburnian? I dont know.
WA Police have launched a murder investigation after a 57-year-old man died of head injuries he allegedly sustained during an assault on a Two Rocks driveway on Friday.

Police said the man was found with serious injuries at a Whitfield Drive address at about 5.15pm on August 16 that he had sustained after allegedly being physically assaulted by a 33-year-old man known to him.

The 57-year-old was conveyed to Royal Perth Hospital where he was treated for a serious head injury, while police allege the younger man fled the area in a grey Mazda hatchback.

They said he was later located and arrested by police in Greenwood.

Police later charged him with grievous bodily harm, and he appeared at Perth Magistrates Court on August 17 where he was remanded in custody.
Billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes moonshot plan to build the biggest solar farm in Australia and export clean energy to Singapore is moving ahead after the Albanese government gave the project environmental approval.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek approved the SunCable project on Wednesday, the final tick needed to build a 12,000-hectare solar farm, an 800-kilometre transmission line from the middle of the Northern Territory to Darwin and a 4200-kilometre undersea cable to the edge of Australian waters.

The first stage of Mike Cannon-Brookes SunCable project has been given environmental approval by the Albanese government.

The project is the most ambitious example of the vision renewable evangelists spruik for Australia, arguing the nation could become an energy superpower by exporting clean electricity and products to the world.

But it still needs permission from Indonesia to extend its undersea cable through its waters to Singapore, and SunCable said it would make a final investment decision in 2027, with electricity supply to begin in the early 2030s.
The NSW Liberal omnishambles just keeps on unravelling. Not only has gross incompetence left the party missing candidates for the upcoming local government elections, but now the first signs of open internecine factional brawling are further adding to the mayhem.

When word broke of the party administrations failure to meet the deadline to nominate candidates, leaving 140 candidates in 16 councils unable to contest next months election, we wondered how NSW voters could be expected to have confidence in the Liberals running the state when it clearly cannot run itself.

NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman and senior party figures have taken aim at NSW Liberal Party state director Richard Shields. Credit: Kate Geraghty

Instead of accepting blame and moving on, the administration opted to double down and compound failure with stupidity.

Not content with missing the deadline, the hierarchy fiddled while an unedifying brawl erupted between NSW Liberal Party president Don Harwin and state director Richard Shields; and, after Shields was sacked, they threatened to take the NSW Electoral Commission to court unless it gave a one-week extension for nomination.
Perth property sellers are walking away from property sales with the highest profits in more than a decade with the suburb of Rossmoyne recording a median profit exceeding $1 million.

Profit making sales from houses across Australia have reached their highest since 2008, with 96 per cent reselling for a profit in the last financial year, Domains Profit and Loss report shows.

Just four per cent of houses across Australia failed to make a profit in the 12 months to June.

Perth homeowners are walking away with a median of $231,000 in profits from house resales, with 97.1 per cent of houses up for resale making a profit in the last financial year.
SABA:--- The Saba Tourist Bureau recently hosted a select group of travel writers from top-tier North American publications. The visit, coordinated by Diamond PR, took place from August 7 to 9, 2024, and provided these writers with an immersive experience of Sabas beauty and unique offerings.

The visiting journalists represent a diverse array of influential publications, each bringing a distinct perspective to their coverage:

 Destination I Do: This publication, which caters to 121K unique visitors per month (UVM), will feature Saba as a prime location for destination weddings, honeymoons, and romance travel.

 Travel Off Path: With over 1 million unique visitors monthly, this outlet provides daily travel news, tips, and trends, and will showcase Sabas allure to American travelers.

 Freelance Writer for Major Outlets: A travel writer whose work appears in leading outlets such as Readers Digest (2.5M UVM), TripSavvy (2.3M UVM), Bridal Guide (CIRC 114K / UVM 101K), among others, focused on the wellness, culinary, and wedding experiences unique to Saba.

 Freelance Writer for ESSENCE and AFAR: Representing ESSENCE (2.4M UVM) and AFAR (1.2M UVM), this writer will explore Sabas vibrant culture, cuisine, and natural wonders for readers interested in rich, authentic travel experiences.

During their stay, the journalists experienced Saba's unique charm, starting with the exhilarating landing on the worlds shortest commercial runway. The itinerary allowed them to explore the islands beauty, activities, rich biodiversity, and ongoing projects, all of which contribute to Sabas reputation as the "Unspoiled Queen" of the Caribbean.

The Saba Tourist Bureau would like to thank the partners involved and Diamond PR for coordinating this successful and impactful visit. The stories and features generated from this trip are expected to significantly enhance Sabas visibility as a premier travel destination.
By Alimat Aliyeva

Walmart Inc. has sold all of its shares in the Chinese online retailer JD.com, Azernews reports.

As of the end of March this year, the American company owned about 9.4% of the shares JD.com .

Documents for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released on Tuesday state that Walmart no longer owns shares in the Chinese company.

According to Bloomberg, Walmart has sold 144.5 million ADR JD.com at a price of $24.95 per paper, this is 11% lower than the value of securities at the market close on Tuesday. Thus, the American company received about $3.6 billion for its stake.

JD.com She announced that she had bought back her own shares for $390 million.

Walmart acquired shares for the first time JD.com In 2016, he simultaneously sold his Yihaodian e-commerce platform to a Chinese company. Later, Walmart continued to invest in JD.com and I have almost doubled my share in it.

"The decision to sell shares will allow us to focus on the operations of Walmart China and Sam's Club, as well as direct capital to other priorities," the American company said in a statement.

Promotions JD.com they lost 10.1% in price during trading in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Since the beginning of this year, their cost has decreased by 10%.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 21, 2024 - 22:27 | World, All, Japan

A Japanese businessman detained in Beijing since March last year on suspicion of espionage has been indicted by Chinese prosecutors, a Japanese government source said Wednesday, with the forthcoming court proceedings expected to prolong his time in custody.

A spokesperson for Astellas Pharma Inc. confirmed that the man, an executive at the company's local subsidiary, had been indicted but declined to comment further due to the ongoing legal process. The Japanese government will continue its efforts to secure his early release.

The case is expected to be tried at the Intermediate People's Court in Beijing. There are concerns the prolonged detention of the man, a former senior official of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China who is in his 50s, could negatively impact Japanese investment in China and bilateral exchanges.

He was detained on March 20 last year, just before his scheduled return to Japan, and formally arrested in October. Chinese authorities launched a process to examine whether to indict him this March.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reiterated his call for the businessman's release during a summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November last year.

Japanese Ambassador to China Kenji Kanasugi met with the detained citizen in January and March this year, his predecessor Hideo Tarumi having done so last November.

According to the source, Japanese Embassy officials conducted their 16th consular visit with him on July 23.

The businessman reportedly told embassy officials he has no health problems, having already been supplied with medication for his preexisting condition of high blood pressure. The embassy will continue to provide necessary support to the man, including contacting his family.

Under Xi's leadership, China has emphasized national security in all fields, be they political, economic or cultural, and has increased surveillance of foreigners and foreign companies.

In July last year, Beijing implemented a revised counterespionage law that broadened the scope of what constitutes spying activities to safeguard national security, with a revised law on guarding state secrets having taken effect in May this year.

Since China's counterespionage law first came into force in 2014, 17 Japanese citizens, including the Astellas employee, have been detained for alleged involvement in spying activities. Five remain in custody, according to Japan's Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Related coverage:

China implements law to strengthen control on state secrets

China begins process on whether to indict detained Japanese man
By Mata Press Service

The urgency of the situation is underscored by the resignation of Bangladesh's longest-serving prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, who ruled with an iron fist for over twenty years, on August 5, 2024.

With its stability, economic opportunities, and established Bangladeshi communities, Canada remains a beacon of hope for many Bangladeshis despite job prospects and housing challenges in popular areas like Toronto.

Her dramatic exit followed a month-long, student-led protest movement that began with an agenda of reforming government job quotas but spiralled into a mass uprising calling for Hasina's resignation and democratic reforms.

There is hope for the future as Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunis, a microfinance pioneer in Bangladesh, has been appointed as the interim government's chief advisor. He's tasked with stabilizing the economy and facilitating a smooth transition to a new government.

Syed told Radio Canada that there was also a lot of frustration and anger over the political situation, particularly its economic impact and uncertainty.

Syed owns Ghoroaa Restaurant on Danforth Avenue near Victoria Park  an area in East York known as Little Bangladesh.

He says there was a sense of anxiety within the entire neighbourhood.

Economic Impact Related To Canada

The readymade garments sector, which exported apparel worth C$53 billion last year and accounts for 83 percent of Bangladesh's export earnings, has been severely affected by the political turmoil.

This turmoil may jeopardize the country's reputation as an investment destination for Western companies.

Several Canadian brands, including Hudson's Bay, Mark's, and Lululemon, source their products from Bangladesh factories.

"Very few expected the situation to turn the way it had," said Vina Nadjibulla, vice president of research and strategy at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

Canada's Immigration Pathways for Bangladeshis in Crisis

Canada's central city, Toronto, has become a thriving hub for Bangladeshi immigrants, with many success stories inspiring others to make the move.

Wealthy, controversial Bangladeshis have settled in some small pockets of the suburbs in and around Toronto.

These pockets comprise palatial homes and lakeshore apartments purchased by wealthy Bangladeshis in various posh locales and small towns like Mississauga, Hamilton, Guelph, and the townships around Ontario Lake.

Colliquillay it is called "Begumpuras"

However, the locality of Danforth provides a glimpse of how Bangladeshis who recently came to Canada are doing.

While the visa categories vary, the problem for all is the same  getting a job and housing.

Most Bangladeshis who have migrated to Canada in the past few months have been on tourist or student visas.

Why Canada Is a Preferred Destination for Bangladeshis Fleeing Unrest

While the average Bangladeshi faces job prospects and housing issues like the rest of the immigrants to Canada, the economic and political crises will lead to another wave of Bangladeshis seeking to move to greener pastures.

The country is still reckoning with the aftermath of weeks of unrest, which produced some of the worst bloodshed since the 1971 war of independence.

Many fear that Hasina's departure could lead to even more instability in the densely populated South Asian nation, which is already dealing with crises from high unemployment to corruption and climate change's effects.

According to Statistics Canada, there are about 100,000 Canadians of Bangladeshi origin.

Permanent Residents:

In 2020, Canada welcomed approximately 4,300 new permanent residents from Bangladesh.

In 2021, the number increased to about 6,000.

In 2022, Canada grew further, welcoming around 7,300 Bangladeshi immigrants.

Essential Documents for Bangladeshi Immigrants to Canada

Bangladeshis planning to move to Canada should pay particular attention to all the immigration programs Canada offers and make available before they do so.

To immigrate from Bangladesh to Canada, you will need various documents depending on the immigration pathway you choose.

Please consult these Canadian immigration consultants for further information.

Best Canada Registered Immigration Consultants For Bangladeshi

Sach Immigration

Iconic Immigration

Dev Immigration

Allway Canada Immigration

Trace Immigration

Ramify Canadian Immigration

Here is a general list of essential documents required for the most common immigration programs:

Express Entry:

Passport or travel document: Valid passport or travel document.

Language test results: Proof of language proficiency in English or French (e.g., IELTS, CELPIP, TEF).

Educational Credential Assessment (ECA): Assessment of foreign education to Canadian standards.

Proof of work experience: Reference letters from previous employers detailing your job title, duties, and duration of employment.

Proof of funds: Evidence of sufficient funds to support yourself and your family in Canada.

Police certificates: Police clearance certificates from every country you have lived in for six months or more since you were 18.

Photos: Date-stamped passport-sized photos.

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP):

All documents required for the Express Entry Program.

(if applying through the Express Entry-linked PNP stream).

Provincial Nomination Certificate: Proof of nomination from a Canadian province or territory.

Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP):

Certificat de selection du Quebec (CSQ): Selection certificate from the province of Quebec.

All other documents are similar to those required for Express Entry.

Study Permit:

Acceptance letter: Letter of acceptance from a designated learning institution (DLI) in Canada.

Proof of funds: Evidence of financial support for tuition fees, living expenses, and return transportation.

Letter of explanation: A letter explaining why you want to study in Canada and your understanding of your responsibilities as a student.

Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ): For studies in Quebec, you need a CAQ.

Work Permit:

Job offer letter: A valid job offer from a Canadian employer.

Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA): You will need an LMIA from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) for most work permits unless exempt.

Proof of professional qualifications: Educational and professional qualifications relevant to the job offered.

Proof of work experience: Reference letters from previous employers.

Family Sponsorship:

Sponsor's documents: Proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent residency of the sponsor.

Proof of relationship: Marriage certificate, birth certificate, or other documents proving the relationship between the sponsor and the applicant.

Financial documents: Proof of the Canadian sponsor's ability to support the applicant financially.

Medical examination: Medical exam results from a designated panel physician in Bangladesh.

Additional Documents

Proof of identity: National ID card, birth certificate, or other identity documents.

Civil status documents: Marriage certificate, divorce certificate, or death certificate of a spouse, if applicable.

Children's documents: Birth certificates and adoption papers, if applicable.

Important Notes

Documents must be translated and certified into English or French if they are in another language.

Certified copies and original documents will be required during different stages of the application.

The following Panel Physicians are available in Bangladesh.

Name: Abdul WAHAB

Address: Mercury Medical (ex. Wahab Medical), Level 15, MMK Aakash Ave building, 12 Kemal Ataturk Ave, Gulshan 2, Dhaka 1212

Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Website: www.wahabmedical.com

Telephone: 09614 333 777

Spoken Languages: Bengali, English, German

Name: Lina HOQ

Address: Green Crescent Health Services, House # 60, Road # Park Road, Baridhara Diplomatic Zone, Baridhara,1212

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.greencrescentmedicalbd.com

Telephone: + 88 (02) 58817335, + 880 1742388854

Spoken Languages: Bengali, English

Name: Dhaka IOM

Address: IOM Migration Health Assessment Clinic,

1st & Ground floor, House 13/A, Road 136, Gulshan-1, 1212

(This panel physician or clinic provides services paid by the Interim Federal Health Program.)

Telephone: +88 0171 3481 798, +88 0177 7761 309

Spoken Languages: Bengali, English

Name: Ferdous WAHAB

Address: Mercury Medical (ex. Wahab Medical), Level 15, MMK Aakash Ave building, 12 Kemal Ataturk Ave, Gulshan 2, Dhaka 1212

Email: [email protected];, [email protected] /

Website: www.wahabmedical.com

Telephone: 09614 333 777

Spoken Languages: English

Name: Salini MANOHARAN

Address: Mercury Medical (ex. Wahab Medical), Level 15, MMK Aakash Ave building, 12 Kemal Ataturk Ave, Gulshan 2, Dhaka 1212,

Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

Website: www.wahabmedical.com

Telephone: 09614 333 777

Spoken Languages: English

Name: Rafia AKTER

Address: Green Crescent Health Services,

House # 60, Road # Park Road, Baridhara Diplomatic Zone, Baridhara, 1212

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.greencrescentmedicalbd.com

Telephone: + 88 (02) 58817335, + 880 1742388854

Spoken Languages: Bengali, English
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka, who is on an official visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka in Beijing on Tuesday.

Xi congratulated Fiji's Men's Rugby Sevens team on winning the silver medal at the Paris Olympic Games.

Noting that Fiji was the first Pacific island country to establish diplomatic relations with China and that next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, Xi said that for nearly half a century, the two countries have always supported and helped each other, setting a good example of equal treatment and friendly cooperation between countries large and small.

China attaches great importance to China-Fiji relations and is willing to continue to provide assistance to the best of its ability for Fiji's economic and social development, and work with Fiji to grasp the general direction of bilateral relations and promote the building of a China-Fiji community with a shared future to better benefit the two peoples, Xi said.

Xi briefed Rabuka, who had visited Yunnan, Fujian and Zhejiang provinces prior to the meeting, on China's practices and experience in poverty alleviation. The completion of the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects for more than 1.4 billion people is a historic achievement the Chinese people have made under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and a historic contribution China has made to the cause of poverty reduction and the development of humanity, he stressed.

"In this process, we have left no ethnic group, region or individual behind, fully demonstrating the socialist system's political advantage in concentrating resources on major undertakings. We have won the heartfelt support of the people of all 56 ethnic groups in China," Xi said.

China is endeavoring to build itself into a stronger country and rejuvenate the Chinese nation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization that adheres to a path of peaceful development, Xi said.

Noting that China and Fiji both belong to the Global South, Xi said China is ready to help Fiji and other Pacific island countries cope with climate change, and strengthen development cooperation with them to make the Pacific Ocean an ocean of peace, friendship and cooperation.

Rabuka congratulated the Chinese Olympic delegation on its excellent performance at the Paris Olympics. He said he visited China 30 years ago as prime minister, and through his Yunnan, Fujian and Zhejiang tours this time, he witnessed the tremendous achievements China has made in poverty eradication and development under the leadership of President Xi.

Fiji is willing to learn from China's experience, and strengthen cooperation with China in poverty reduction, infrastructure and connectivity, he said.

Fiji appreciates China's adherence to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, supports the global initiatives proposed by President Xi, and is willing to continue the Belt and Road cooperation with China, promote the development of relations between Pacific island countries and China, and make the Pacific Ocean a peaceful ocean, Rabuka said.

He noted that Fiji fully understands China's position on the Taiwan question and will continue to firmly pursue the one-China policy.

A joint statement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Fiji was issued. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka, who is on an official visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)
UK to build military test site to combat GPS jamming



London, Aug 20 (AFP) Aug 20, 2024



The UK is to build a new facility to help protect military equipment against foreign GPS jamming, the defence ministry announced on Wednesday amid a rise in hostile threats.

The so-called silent hangar site will aim to protect equipment from "attempts to jam GPS devices" and develop kit that can "perform in the harshest electromagnetic environment on operations", the MoD said.

The facility, which is due to open in 2026 and will be one of the largest in Europe, will be used to test military equipment including Protector drones, Chinook helicopters, armoured vehicles and fast jets.

The tests will be conducted in a specialist hangar, which will "reduce reflections, echoes or the escape of radio-frequency waves".

It will be located at MoD Boscombe Down, a military aircraft testing site in Wiltshire, southwest England, with a pound20 million ($26 mn) contract awarded to defence tech firm QinetiQ to build the facility.

"Hostile threats jamming GPS to disorientate military equipment has become increasingly common," said Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, Maria Eagle.

"This cutting-edge test facility will help us eliminate vulnerabilities from our platforms, protect our national security and keep our Armed Forces better protected on global deployments," Eagle added.

In April, Estonia and other Baltic states warned that widespread GPS jamming increased the threat of an aviation accident, with the NATO-member state blaming the interference on Russian "hybrid activity".

A month earlier, a British Royal Air Force plane carrying the then-UK defence minister had its GPS signal jammed as it flew near Russian territory.

"The testing we will conduct using this new facility will be integral to strengthening the resilience of military equipment", said Will Blamey, chief executive of UK Defence at QinetiQ.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ordered a review of the country's armed forces in his first month in office in July, which would set out the path for the UK to increase defence spending to 2.5 percent of its GDP.

UK spending on defence in 2023 stood at 2.26 percent, according to latest official figures.
Russia hands 8-year term to self-exiled Kremlin critic Gudkov



Moscow, Aug 21 (AFP) Aug 21, 2024



A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced exiled opposition politician and former MP Dmitry Gudkov to eight years in prison "in absentia" for criticism of Russia's military offensive in Ukraine.

Gudkov, who served as a lawmaker in Russia's parliament from 2011 to 2016, was found guilty of publishing "false information" about the Russian military, motivated by "political hatred", the Moscow prosecutor's office said in a statement.

Since launching its offensive in Ukraine, Russia has issued multiple court rulings convicting Kremlin opponents who have left the country of crimes, making them liable for arrest if they ever returned.

It has criminalised disseminating "false information" about Russia's armed forces or discrediting the military.

Gudkov, 44, a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin, said the sentence was a "badge of honour".

In a post on Instagram, he said his thoughts were with "the hundreds of real, and not 'in absentia' Russian political prisoners who are waiting either for an ephemeral chance of a new exchange or for the end of their 'while Putin is alive' sentences".

Now based in Cyprus, Gudkov left Russia in 2021 after announcing he would run again for the State Duma.

He said at the time that sources close to the Kremlin had told him he would be arrested if he did not flee the country.

He left -- initially for Ukraine -- days after being detained by police and having his house searched.

He and his father Gennady Gudkov were both lawmakers in A Just Russia party, from which they were expelled for campaigning against the Kremlin.

Gennady Gudkov left Russia in 2019.

Moscow has also labelled Dmitry Gudkov a "foreign agent".

In June he was part of a group of exiled Kremlin critics that urged EU countries to do more to welcome Russians fleeing Putin's government.

The criminal case was launched against him over a video posted on YouTube in April 2022 where he criticised the actions of Russia's military in Ukraine, prosecutors said.

Gudkov was a close ally of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, having spoken alongside him at huge opposition rallies in Moscow against Putin's election for a third term in 2012.

bur/imm
Israeli military intel chief asks for 'forgiveness' over Hamas attack failures



Jerusalem, Aug 21 (AFP) Aug 21, 2024



The outgoing head of Israeli military intelligence, Major General Aharon Haliva, asked Wednesday for "forgiveness" from Israelis for failing to protect them from Hamas's October 7 attack.

According to a video released by the Israeli military, Haliva -- the first high-ranking official to make a public appeal for forgiveness -- said at a ceremony marking his departure that "we did not uphold the sanctity of our oaths".

October 7, when Gaza militants stormed southern Israeli communities, army bases and a rave party, was a "bitter and dark day which I carry in my heart, on my conscience and on my shoulders every day and night since", Haliva said.

"An apology won't correct, heal or bring back the beloved ones who paid the heaviest of prices, but it must be said... On my behalf and on behalf of the entire intelligence wing, I ask for forgiveness."

The military announced in April that Haliva had asked to be relieved of his duties, citing his "responsibility" for the failure to prevent the attack, which triggered the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has never formally apologised for the failure of his government or the country's security forces to prevent the unprecedented attack, the deadliest in Israel's since it was founded in 1948.

The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,199 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Palestinian militants also seized 251 hostages, of whom 105 remain in Gaza including 34 the military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed 40,223 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths. The UN rights office says most dead are women and children.

The Israeli military says 333 of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza since its ground offensive began on October 27.
TEHRAN, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least 28 people were killed and 23 others injured as a bus carrying Pakistani pilgrims to Iraq overturned in the central Iranian province of Yazd Tuesday night, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.

The incident occurred in Dehshir village, Taft County, at around 9:50 p.m. local time (18:20 GMT) Tuesday night as the bus was en route to the Iran-Iraq border carrying Pakistani passengers who sought to attend the Arbaeen ceremonies, IRNA quoted Mohammad-Ali Malekzadeh, the director general of the provincial crisis management department, as saying on Wednesday.

Malekzadeh added out of those injured, 14 were in critical condition and under treatment in the province's medical centers.

He said the provincial authorities were ensuring the necessary coordination with the Iranian Foreign Ministry to transfer those killed and wounded in the incident to Pakistan on board a plane.

Commenting on the cause, Iran's Traffic Police Chief Seyyed Teymour Hosseini said initial investigations showed that a technical defect in the bus's braking system had led to the incident's occurrence.

He said that the traffic police's experts were on the scene conducting further investigations.

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani on Wednesday expressed condolences over the deaths of Pakistani pilgrims, saying the incident "caused us deep sadness" and assuring that Iran's relevant organizations and authorities were seriously continuing rescue, service and treatment operations.

Speaking to IRNA on Wednesday, Mohammad-Ali Malekzadeh, director general of Yazd province's crisis management department, said provincial authorities were ensuring the necessary coordination with the Iranian Foreign Ministry to transfer those killed and wounded in the incident to Pakistan.

Falling this year on Aug. 25, Arbaeen marks the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, in the battle of Karbala in 680 A.D.

The annual Arbaeen pilgrimage, attended by millions of Shiite Muslims from different countries, involves an 80-km walk from Najaf to Karbala in central Iraq, where Imam Hussein's shrine is located.

In similar incidents on Friday, two people were killed and 71 others injured, mostly Iranians, in two car accidents in Iraq, the Iraqi traffic police said.

In one accident, a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims collided with a fuel tanker in the city of Diwaniyah, some 160 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, killing the Iraqi bus driver and an Iranian pilgrim while injuring another 60 Iranian pilgrims, Hussein Abdul Amir from the Iraqi traffic police told Xinhua.

Abdul Amir said that 11 Iranian pilgrims were wounded in another car accident when a bus overturned on a road in Diyala province in eastern Iraq while they were heading to Karbala to observe Arbaeen. 
BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's actions to implement a five-year national plan for disability prevention have been progressing smoothly with some targets set for 2025 being achieved ahead of schedule, according to the China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF) on Wednesday.

Significant progress has been made on the promotion of disability prevention knowledge, and the prevention of birth defects, disability-causing disorders and diseases, as well as disabilities caused by injuries, said a CDPF document issued at a press conference.

Disability rehabilitation services have also been greatly enhanced, it said.

Feng Li, an official with the CDPF, said that to date, pre-marital medical examinations have covered over 76 percent of the country's newlyweds and the rate of prenatal screening has reached 91.3 percent.

Besides, over 60 percent of patients with major chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes have been placed under standardized management programs at the community level, while basic rehabilitation services are now accessible for over 85 percent of people with disabilities, Feng said.

China has established a whole-process service system for people with severe mental disorders, with over 96 percent of relevant registered patients receiving proper management, said Li Dachuan, an official from the National Health Commission.

Aug. 25 this year marks the country's eighth Disability Prevention Day. 
At the time, the true extent of the violence and its racial motivations were not fully exposed. Senior Metropolitan police officers attempted to dismiss the violence as the work of ruffians, both coloured and white hellbent on hooliganism. But confidential police files only released in 2002 confirm what many in the black community already knew to be true: that the unrest was overwhelmingly instigated by 300 to 400-strong Keep Britain White mobs, many of them Teddy Boys armed with iron bars, butchers knives and weighted leather belts, who went on a rampage among the West Indian residents of Notting Hill. The files, which were closed under the 75-year rule but were released early, show that senior officers tried to convince the then home secretary, Rab Butler, that there had been no real racial element to the rioting.
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He said: In recent days, Ive had very, very positive feedback from colleagues, not least from the former first minister, Humza Yousaf, whos very, very close to this as an issue and whose advice and support in all of this has been very important to me.
Ms McNeill continued: The UK Government, in particular the Scotland Office has been working with the Scottish Government and the family of Linda Norgrove through their foundation, we have helped make sure that people will be able to get visas, to make sure they get practical support so they get a fantastic welcome in Scotland, and I know their universities and the communities that surround them are waiting with open arms for these women to continue their education.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jerusalem, on Aug. 19, 2024. (Haim Zach-GPO/Handout via Xinhua)

Blinken's latest Middle East tour comes just days after the Pentagon revealed that he approved a potential sale of fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel.

CAIRO, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken left Qatar on Tuesday night, concluding his ninth tour to the Middle East since the outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over 10 months ago. Like his previous eight trips, this one has hardly achieved anything.

Before arriving in Qatar, Blinken visited Israel and Egypt. His tour comes at a time when the world expects urgent progress toward a Gaza ceasefire, as the Palestinian death toll in the enclave has surpassed 40,000. Concerns over a wider conflict have intensified after Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah vowed retaliation against Israel following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and the killing of senior Hezbollah military commander Fouad Shokor in Beirut's southern suburbs at the end of July.

Despite Blinken's warning that the latest push for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal was "probably the best, possibly the last opportunity" at the start of his latest tour, there has been no advancement on the horizon. Israel continued to strike Gaza on Tuesday, and Hamas has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing an agreement by imposing new conditions and demands, indicating a lack of progress toward reconciliation.

A man checks on a destroyed building after an Israeli bombardment at Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza Strip, Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Marwan Dawood/Xinhua)

DISPUTES UNRESOLVED

The latest round of Gaza ceasefire negotiations took place in Doha last week with the U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators having issued a joint statement that the talks had made "constructive" progress and that relevant parties would continue their efforts this week to negotiate the details of the deal's implementation.

After meeting with Netanyahu on Monday, Blinken announced that Netanyahu had accepted a bridging proposal aimed at narrowing Israel's differences with Hamas. Speaking to the press at Doha airport on Tuesday, Blinken vowed to "do everything possible" in the coming days to "get Hamas on board with the bridging proposal."

On Monday night, U.S. President Joe Biden accused Hamas of "backing away" from a potential hostage deal with Israel that could halt the ongoing fighting in Gaza, according to Israeli media.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Hamas called Biden's remarks "misleading," which reflect complete American bias toward Israel and serve as a renewed green light for the Israeli government to "commit more crimes against defenseless civilians in pursuit of the goals of exterminating and displacing our people."

Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University, said that "reports which reflect optimism are very much exaggerated or express wishful thinking rather than realistic situation."

"The gap between the two sides (Israel and Hamas) is very wide, particularly regarding Philadelphi Corridor and Israel's demand that the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) stay there in the day after," he said.

"The Americans, deep in their mind, know that the gap between Israel and Hamas is very deep," he added.

Kheir Diabat, a professor from the International Affairs Department at Qatar University, said, "Despite the declared optimism from the American side, American mediation could not solve the problem between Hamas and Israel, because reaching an agreement will not be easy due to the fundamental differences between them."

Fighting continued on the ground in Gaza on Tuesday, with the IDF saying that they had killed approximately 40 militants in Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip, through a combination of close-quarters combat and airstrikes.

Smoke billows following Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, as seen from Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip, on Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)

NO WEIGHTY PRESSURE FROM U.S.

Rounds of ceasefire talks have repeatedly stalled since the outbreak of the conflict. Israel insists that the conflict can only end with the complete dismantling of Hamas, while Hamas demands a permanent ceasefire rather than a temporary one.

According to Mostafa Amin, an Egyptian researcher on Arab and international affairs, the failure of U.S. mediation in the Middle East and its inability to solve the problem from the outset until now arise from the lack of real pressure from Washington on Israel to stop the war, while it continues to supply Israel with weapons to kill the Palestinians.

Amin said that Netanyahu and the far-right officials in the Israeli government had realized that the Biden administration is unable to apply meaningful pressure on Israel due to its preoccupation with the upcoming presidential election and its unwillingness to jeopardize relations with Israel.

In reviewing U.S.-Israel relations since the outbreak of the ongoing Gaza conflict, there have been notable public rifts between Biden and Netanyahu. However, experts believe that their disagreement was more about political maneuvering for domestic electorates than a substantive clash over Gaza.

In May, the Biden administration announced a pause in the shipment of heavy weapons to the Israeli government out of concerns over its plans to attack Rafah. However, this move now appears to have been more of a smokescreen. Blinken's latest Middle East tour comes just days after the Pentagon revealed that he approved a potential sale of fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel, valued at over 20 billion U.S. dollars, on Aug. 13.

"I don't believe the United States genuinely seeks sincere, authentic, lasting, and sustainable peace in the region," said Baris Doster, an academic at Istanbul's Marmara University.

Were such a peace to be achieved, the United States would have no reason to remain in the Middle East and would lose the basis for its presence there, he noted.

According to Doster, the instability in the Middle East serves several key interests for the United States: securing access to the region's energy resources and routes for exploitation; addressing Israel's security needs; countering the influence of other major countries; pursuing regime change in Iran; and facilitating arms sales in the region.
Speaking to BBC News about what caused the sinking, Dr Souppez said: We now have reports from the divers that the vessel is pretty much intact so that very much hints at extreme winds on a rather large-sized rig, causing the vessel to keel over and then most likely start taking on water, which would then lead to a very fast sinking.
"Their thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy. They would like to sincerely thank the Italian coastguard, emergency services and all those who helped in the rescue, the statement continued.
I think we need initiatives as well, like specific things like comedy, for example, you only get tax breaks if its super high end, but actually, very few people are investing in comedy any more, the BBC wants to, but why should it only be tax breaks at the very high end?
Tourists pose for photos in the Kanas scenic area of Altay, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 22, 2024. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

SHANGHAI, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Armed with umbrella, hat, mask, sunglasses and ice sleeves, Wu Xiaoyan, a 38-year-old Shanghai resident, steps out on summer days fully shielded from the sun, and to such an extent that even acquaintances struggle to recognize her.

"Sunscreen products are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and I often buy and try some during online sales," Wu said.

Sun protection used to be simple and seemingly optional. However, with awareness of "photoaging" growing in recent years, sun protection has become an essential part of Chinese people's daily skincare routines.

Searching for terms like "sun protection" and "anti-photoaging" on social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Weibo, one can find millions of related notes and posts, sharing photoaging knowledge, skincare experiences, sunscreen product reviews and styling tips for sun-protective clothing.

Data from iResearch, an industry research and consulting institute, shows that the value of China's sunscreen clothing and accessories market had reached 74.2 billion yuan (about 10.4 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, and is expected to increase to 95.8 billion yuan by 2026.

As China's sunscreen economy heats up along with the summer heat, the industry is undergoing a technological transformation. Companies are investing in science and technology to enhance both functions and user experience -- thereby meeting consumer needs in multiple ways.

China's national standards require ultraviolet (UV) protection products to meet two key criteria, namely an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) greater than 40 and an ultraviolet light transmittance rate of less than five percent at wavelengths between 315 and 400 nanometers.

Many Chinese companies are delving into the development of very sophisticated sun protection products. Some embed molecules that reflect and absorb multiple wavelengths of light directly into yarn, rather than applying a UV-protective coating to the finished product. This approach ensures the material is not only sun-protective but also more breathable, comfortable and resistant to damage caused by washing.

There are also companies which incorporate materials that enhance the thermal conductivity of fibers during the spinning process, boosting the fabric's ability to conduct heat away from the body. When the skin touches such clothing, the fabric quickly transfers heat, creating a cooling sensation.

Sports brands have also entered the sunscreen market, leveraging their expertise in outdoor and sportswear to launch new products. Even traditional apparel companies are making new attempts at activity within this market. Bosideng, for instance, known for its down jackets, has ventured into the summer market.

"The number of Bosideng stores selling sun-protective clothing in 2024 has grown from the 2023 figure of 1,100 to about 1,500, reflecting rapid expansion," said Shen Yun, a planning expert with Bosideng.

"Sales of our sun-protective apparel have surged from an initial trial in 2022, which generated 100 million yuan, to 500 million yuan in 2023, and surpassed the one-billion-yuan mark in 2024," Shen added.

Bosideng attributes China's booming sunscreen economy to technological innovation. The company has developed a new type of sun protection fiber that enhances UV protection while maintaining the fabric's lightness and breathability.

Additionally, Bosideng is collaborating with research institutions to explore the application of biotechnology in the manufacturing of sun-protective clothing, aiming for production processes that are more environmentally friendly, said Shen.

As the sunscreen market expands, it is also becoming more diverse. Sun protection products are no longer just for women. Online shopping platform Tmall's data shows that searches for men's sunscreen clothing increased by 127 percent year-on-year during the first wave of sales of the "618" shopping festival in 2024. Children's sunscreen consumption is also on the rise, with some products seeing turnover growth of over 70 percent year on year, according to data from the Jingdong Institute of Consumer and Industrial Development in May.

Meanwhile, as people's lives become more varied, so do sun protection scenarios. Companies have launched products tailored specifically for the likes of daily commuting, outdoor activities, beach vacations and camping.

Ding Ying, an associate professor at Renmin University, noted that the growth of the sunscreen clothing market reflects Chinese consumers' focus on healthy and environmentally friendly consumption.

Deng Zhidong, an expert in industrial economy and investment, recently said in a media interview that the future of the sunscreen market lies in diversification and intelligence, in alignment with consumers' quest for an enhanced quality of life.

Diversification means the market will offer a richer variety of products, catering to daily protection, outdoor sports, water activities and more, with customized options for different skin types and age groups, Deng explained.

The requirement of intelligence translates into sunscreen products integrating more technological innovations, likely featuring systems that automatically sense UV intensity and adjust protection accordingly, he added. 
Chairman of Myanmar's State Administration Council (SAC) Senior General Min Aung Hlaing (L) receives the credentials presented by the new Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Ma Jia, in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, Aug. 21, 2024. Min Aung Hlaing said on Wednesday that Myanmar highly values its relations with China and is committed to developing bilateral cooperation in various fields, strengthening the traditional paukphaw (fraternal) friendship and benefiting both peoples. (State Administration Council of Myanmar/Handout via Xinhua)

YANGON, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chairman of Myanmar's State Administration Council (SAC) Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said on Wednesday that Myanmar highly values its relations with China and is committed to developing bilateral cooperation in various fields, strengthening the traditional paukphaw (fraternal) friendship and benefiting both peoples.

Min Aung Hlaing, while receiving in Nay Pyi Taw the credentials presented by the new Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Ma Jia, noted that Myanmar and China are the first initiators of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and have consistently carried out friendly cooperation in accordance with the principles.

Myanmar will make every effort to safeguard the safety of Chinese personnel and projects in Myanmar, effectively safeguard the security and stability of the Myanmar-China border, and will never allow any behavior that undermines China's security and interests, Min Aung Hlaing added.

For her part, Ma said China will steadfastly promote its friendly policy toward Myanmar, and welcome Myanmar to strengthen engagement with China and jointly build a China-Myanmar community with a shared future. It is hoped that Myanmar will effectively safeguard the safety of Chinese personnel and projects in Myanmar and create a safe environment for exchanges and cooperation, Ma added. 
Over 100 civil and military aircraft, as well as over 150 pilots and paratroopers from 13 nations will participate on Saturday, August 31, in the 14th edition of the Bucharest International Air Show & General Aviation Exhibition (BIAS) Romania's largest air show celebrating the 20th anniversary of Romania's NATO membership, the Bucharest National Airports Corporation (CNAB) reported on Wednesday.

Hosting BIAS 2024 will be the Aurel Vlaicu Bucharest Baneasa International Airport.

Special guests this year are the air acrobats of Baltic Bees, a Latvian team with a unique piloting style in the world, performing artistic manoeuvres of maximum difficulty on L39 C Albatros aircraft.

The Romanian Air Force will stand out at BIAS 2024 for its firsts. Spectators will have the opportunity to admire the spectacular performances of military pilots, who will provide genuinely artistic demonstrations of supersonic force on F-16 Fighting Falcon, IAR-99 OIM, IAR-99 STANDARD aircraft, C-27J Spartan transport aircraft, C-130 Hercules, IAK-52 training aircraft, IAR-330 and IAR-316 B helicopters.

Also, spectators can watch air policing and air landing support exercises.

At a static exhibition, the Romanian Air Force will showcase the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, IAR-99 IOM, C-27J Spartan, IAR 330 helicopters, a TPS-79R low/medium altitude radar, a HAWK surface-to-air missile launcher, an M903/PATRIOT missile launcher, and an EOD special vehicle.

The U.S. Air Force will parade their Blackhawk and Sea Stallion helicopters, and the German Air Force their F-2000A Eurofighter Typhoons and Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallions.

"The French Air Force will put up 'Rafale Solo Display,' that will showcase their Dessault Rafale supersonic combat aircraft. The Polish Air Force will be flying two supersonic Mig-15s. Also hailing from Poland will be paragliding team Flying Dragons Team, which stands out for fireworks and laser effects. The Greek Air Force are sending their Daedalus Demo Team - Beechcraft T-6 Texan II. The Dutch Air Force are bringing C-130 Hercules. Hungary will be dispatching a Lisunov Li-2 aircraft, of the Goldtimer team, and also the Mil Mi-2 helicopter of Heliforce. The Slovenian Armed Forces will be flying Pilatus PC-9," according to CNAB.

The Czechs of Flying Bulls will fly in a formation of 4 XtremeAir Sbach 342 aircraft, and the Croatian Air Force's performance will feature Black Hawk and Kiowa helicopters.

Rounding up the air show will be the aces of the Romanian Aeroclub: the Hawks of Romania, The Pelicans, and White Wings, along with the paratroopers of the Blue Wings team, and the famous Acrobatic Yakers, unique for their air shows that include fireworks, music and lightworks, will be performing on three Yak-52 aircraft at sunset.

"This year too, the famous Lithuanian pilot Jurgis Kairys, multiple world acrobatics champion flying a Sukhoi Su-31, will be in the mix," according to CNAB.

On Friday morning, the General Aviation Exhibition opens at Baneasa Airport, where aircraft manufacturers and owners, as well as general aviation service providers exhibit dozens of civil aircraft, from ultralight aircraft to business jets. The exhibition stays open to the public on Friday and Saturday.

According to CNAB, the Romanian contribution to the history of world aeronautics will be celebrated by exhibiting in the static display area life-size models of the aircraft of the Romanian pioneers Vuia, Vlaicu and Coanda, as well as the first commercial aircraft model built entirely in Romania, BAC 1-11/400, renamed ROMBAC 1-11.
The Velo Masterplan for Bucharest, which has reached the final stage of consultation, foresees a main network of bicycle tracks, which will total a number of 150 kilometers, during the next five years, Radu Andronic, the representative of FIP Consulting, told a press conference on Wednesday.

Almost 400 kilometers of secondary network could be added to them, which can be realized with the involvement of the sector municipalities, in the next ten years.

Andronic, the representative of FIP Consulting, the company that drafts the document, says that if the plan is implemented, Bucharest will become a "new Amsterdam or a new Paris", in the conditions in which, currently, the bicycle tracks "somewhat efficient" in the Capital City of Romania count for 25 kilometers.

Radu Andronic added that the bike tracks represent part of the wider solution for alternative mobility and that the Velo Masterplan must be correlated with the public transport system.

"Through this Velo Masterplan, we want to have a strategic, integrated approach for the whole of Bucharest, which avoids those situations in which we have tracks made by certain administrations, which start from nowhere and lead nowhere," said the Chief Architect of Bucharest, Matei Damian.
Romania's Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu on Wednesday had a telephone conversation with her Lithuanian counterpart Gabrielius Landsbergis amid the 100th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties between Romania and Lithuania.

"Firm committed to further enhance bilateral ties, our coordination withing EU, NATO, regional formats, international fora and continue support for Ukraine and Moldova," the head of Romanian diplomacy wrote in a social media post.

According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE), Odobescu highlighted the strategic value of the enlargement of the European Union. She pointed out Romania's determination to continue political and practical support for Ukraine and Moldova, both in terms of the accession process and in the particularly difficult context generated by the war of aggression unleashed by the Russian Federation.

The Romanian official welcomed the decisions of the NATO Summit in Washington that reaffirm the alliance's commitment to collective defence, including by strengthening the alliance's defence and deterrence posture on NATO's eastern flank.

The two heads of diplomacy also discussed the latest developments in the Middle East
Anti-crime prosecutors are to interrogate brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate on Wednesday in a new case concerning trafficking of minors and statutory rape, judicial sources inform.

The Romanian Police General Inspectorate (IGPR) and the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) announced that four searches are being conducted Wednesday morning in Ilfov County and in Bucharest in connection with a case involving the setting up of an organised crime group, trafficking in minors, human trafficking, statutory rape, interference with statements and money laundering.

The hearings are to take place at the DIICOT headquarters - Central Structure. Specialist support was provided by the Romanian Police Special Operations Directorate and DIICOT's Technical and Forensic Service. Gendarmes of the Romanian Gendarmerie Special Brigade provide the necessary support for this action.

On June 20, 2023, the Tate brothers, holders of dual British and American citizenship, were indicted in another case on charges of setting up an organized criminal group that engaged in the recruitment, housing and exploitation of women for the creation of pornographic content intended for paid distribution on dedicated sites. They supposedly derived important gains from these activities.

The crimes held against them are the creation of an organized criminal group, repeated human trafficking, rape (two counts), illegal access to a computer system, altering the integrity of computer data, battery and other violence, and instigating to such crimes.
by Ding Duo

BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- On Aug. 19, two Philippine coast guard vessels, without permission from the Chinese government, intruded into the adjacent waters of Xianbin Jiao of China's Nansha Qundao.

In disregard of China Coast Guard's dissuasion and warning, they acted dangerously by deliberately ramming the China Coast Guard vessel that was carrying out law enforcement operation. China Coast Guard took necessary measures in accordance with domestic and international law, and its maneuvers at the scene were professional, restrained and appropriate.

Since April this year, a Philippine coast guard vessel, MRRV-9701, has been unlawfully anchored at Xianbin Jiao. Recently, Manila has also dispatched some fisheries administration ships and fishing boats to intrude into Chinese waters. As pointed out by relevant Chinese authorities, the Philippines' behavior seriously violated China's sovereignty and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea, posing a serious threat to regional peace and stability.

Xianbin Jiao is an uninhabited reef in China's Nansha Qundao. The reef covers more than 80 square kilometers, which is greater than Ren'ai Jiao, where the Philippines illegally grounded a warship. The central part of the reef is a lagoon with a maximum depth of more than 30 meters. Except for a small number of sandbanks and reefs above the water surface in the western part, all other reef flats are submerged.

China Coast Guard vessels are constantly on patrol in the area. The reef and its surrounding waters are also a traditional fishing ground for Chinese fishermen, who have been engaged in fisheries production for a long time. Since the outcropping reef resembles fish scales, Chinese fishermen called it "yulin"(fish scale). In the early 1990s, China also temporarily built stilt houses on the reef and dispatched personnel to conduct scientific research.

The Philippines has been hyping up Xianbin Jiao before it dispatched the coast guard vessel MRRV-9701 to illegally encroach on the reef. In order to mislead the international community, it has deliberately slandered China's activities and disseminated a lot of disinformation. For example, it claimed that China intended to carry out land reclamation and building on Xianbin Jiao, and that the MRRV-9701 vessel is stationed in the lagoon to monitor Chinese coast guard and fishermen.

Considering that the MRRV-9701's supply can last no more than 20 days, the Philippines has been rotating personnel and providing material supplies through another smaller patrol ship. In the past four months, in addition to the personnel rotation and material supplies, Manila also held a flag-raising ceremony on board and brought "marine scientists" and reporters to Xianbin Jiao. Philippine personnel also interfered with the marine scientific work of China in the west part of the reef.

The images released by the China Coast Guard clearly showed that the Philippine side not only supplied many daily necessities to the MRRV-9701, but also used cranes to transfer large packages suspected of containing concrete and other construction materials. The purpose of this move is clear. First, the Philippines uses the MRRV-9701 as a transit point to deliver construction materials to the warship that is grounded at Ren'ai Jiao, in the hope of doing so at midnight unnoticed to the China Coast Guard. Second, the Philippines is trying to gain de facto control of the reef by long-term berthing of the MRRV-9701. In Manila's scheme, the MRRV-9701 could also serve as a transit station for other official ships and fishing boats. If the MRRV-9701 does not leave, more Philippine fishing boats will flock to the water area to "fish".

Behind these actions is the Philippines' goal to encroach on China's territory. Manila has long been trying to occupy Chinese islands and reefs in the Nansha Qundao, with various cover-ups and excuses. Encouraged by the U.S. Biden administration, Manila's South China Sea policy is becoming more adventurous and speculative. Following the illegal ruling of the South China Sea arbitration, the Philippines has been attempting to justify its illegal claims in the South China Sea.

China will not allow the Philippines to do whatever it wants on Xianbin Jiao. The interaction and confrontation between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea issue over the past two years have also fully proved that Manila will never achieve its goal, whether it adopts the so-called gray zone strategy at sea, the so-called exposure strategy in public opinion, or it promotes compulsory arbitration on environmental issues at the legal aspect. No matter how the Philippines stirs up trouble at Xianbin Jiao, it will not overwhelm China's effective response and disposal capabilities.

The Philippines' move also violates the DOC. The fifth paragraph of the DOC provides that the parties undertake to exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability including, among others, refraining from action of inhabiting on the presently uninhabited islands, reefs, shoals, cays, and other features and to handle their differences in a constructive manner. Xianbin Jiao falls within the scope of "uninhabited features" of this provision.

As an ASEAN member, the Philippines participated in the DOC's entire consultation process. As a result, it should know exactly what the obligations under the fifth paragraph of the DOC are. Without rigorous application, the values of DOC will be undermined and eroded. In this regard, China's countermeasures against the Philippines' violation of the fifth paragraph relating to Xianbin Jiao stem not only from the need to safeguard its territorial sovereignty, but also from the need to maintain the seriousness and authority of the DOC. Enditem

(Editor's note: Ding Duo is an associate research fellow of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, based in south China's Hainan Province.)
In his reelection campaign, Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley wants to use Democratic nominee Lucas Kunces successful fundraising effort as a weapon.

Since the start of 2023, Kunce has collected $11.2 million, all but about 3% from individuals giving in amounts ranging from less than $1 to the maximum contribution of $3,300. Hawley, who has raised a little more than $9 million through his campaign and joint fundraising PAC in the same period, has also collected more than 90% of his funding from individual donations.

That makes Kunce the best-funded Democrat in a statewide contest this year. He opened the fall campaign with nearly $1 million in television advertising that began a week before the primary. Hawley has countered with more than $700,000 in ad buys, as tallied by The Independent from broadcaster reports to the FCC.

A key strategy of Hawleys campaign so far has been to paint Kunce as out-of-touch with Missouri voters and funded by out-of-state interests.

Its no surprise that Lucas Kunce has been outraising my campaign with the help of California millionaires, but I wont back down, Hawley said in a recent fundraising email to supporters.

In a face-to-face confrontation with Kunce last week at the Missouri State Fair ham breakfast, Hawley repeated his attacks.

This guy, over 60% of his contributions come from outside the state, Hawley said, Hes taking money from Bain Capital, for heavens sake.

I have never taken money from Bain Capital, Kunce responded. I take money from individuals. Our average donation is $30. We have donations from all 114 counties.

Asked about the attacks after he and Hawley separated, Kunce said it shows Hawley cannot win on a campaign that compares policy positions.

He doesnt want to talk about anything that hes actually done, and he wants to just make up other stuff to attack me on, Kunce said. Weve never taken money from a corporate PAC, I can tell you that much. And so if Bain has a corporate PAC I have not taken money from it.

The Independent analyzed the fundraising reports of each candidate to test Hawleys attacks The analysis revealed:

The majority of Kunces itemized donations are from outside the state, as are Hawleys.

The list of Kunces donors includes some famous Hollywood names, including actors John Goodman and Jon Hamm, both born in Missouri.

Hawley has promised to refuse donations from corporate PACs, a stance he adopted after dozens of corporate donors halted contributions to lawmakers like Hawley who voted against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The statement that Kunce is taking money from Bain Capital is based on $5,800 donated to his failed 2022 Democratic primary race from an individual who listed the company as their employer.

Here or there

Each candidates report lists hundreds of donations of less than $1 and thousands below $10. The vast majority of that money is raised through small-donor conduits aligned with each party, ActBlue for the Democrats and WinRed for Republicans.

Those platforms have helped the parties nationalize races in individual states, and hundreds of candidates in each party raise money through them.

It is true that a majority of Kunces itemized individual donations are from outside Missouri, with about 38% of the listed donations and about 41% of the total. The list of almost 54,000 donations  with 20,529 from Missouri  includes many multiple entries for repeat donors.

Kunce said hes got no apologies for where his donors live.

We built a real grassroots movement around here, he said. And I think that Josh Hawley just doesnt want to talk about anything that hes actually done or proposes to do.

Hawleys list of individual donors, both since he joined the Senate in 2019 and during the current two-year election cycle, is weighted even heavier to out-of-state donors.

Of his almost 55,000 individual donations listed since he took office, 23% are from Missouri, providing about 38% of the total for those donations. Since the start of 2023, only 22.5% of the itemized donations came from Missourians, contributions that equal 31% of the money Hawley reported in itemized receipts.

Asked whether voters should be concerned that most of his donations come from outside the state, Hawley turned back to his criticism of Kunce.

He does not represent our state, he said.

Neither candidate reports the name of every donor. Federal law allows campaigns to omit the names of donors who give $50 or less.

Kunce does not disclose the donors of $6 million he has received and Hawley has not disclosed the donors for $2 million collected since the start of 2023.

California donors

Both candidates have reported hundreds of thousands of dollars from contributors in the Golden State, but it is by no means the main source of funding for either Kunce or Hawley. Along with Hamm, who regularly lends his name to fundraising appeals, and Goodman, who narrated a two-minute video for Kunce, the list includes Mark Hamill, the original Luke Skywalker from Star Wars, late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and Michael Shamberg, producer of A Fish Called Wanda and Erin Brockovich.

He just got another Hollywood actor to narrate a video for him, Hawley said after the confrontation at the state fair, adding: The guy is totally out of step in Missouri. That is my point.

The Goodman video will not only show up in various media as an ad for Kunce, he is using it to showcase his message to potential donors.

John Goodman is a born-and-raised Missourian who knows real family values, an email appeal stated. He learned them the same way I did, by growing up in a beautiful community where people took care of each other  through good times and tough times.

In all, Kunce reported about $589,000 from California donors, while Hawley has $251,424 since the start of 2023 and $334,758 since he took office.

PAC donations

During his first two years in office, the portion of Hawleys campaign finance report where committee donations are listed looked like many from both parties, with interest group PACs of various stripes chipping in.

The list of $91,000 in donations includes corporate PACs for companies like AT&T, Fedex and Citigroup and farm commodity PACs such as The National Cotton Council, the California Rice Industry Association and the National Sorghum Producers, among others.

But then came Jan. 6, 2021, when a violent mob broke into the U.S. Capitol Building while Congress was counting the presidential electoral vote. Hawley not only was the first member of the Senate to announce he planned to challenge the votes of several states, he was photographed with a defiant fist-raised encouragement to members of the group that eventually breached the security perimeter.

The reaction from some of Hawleys biggest backers was intense and immediate.

David Humphreys, president and CEO of Tamko Building Products in Joplin, denounced Hawley as a political opportunist who used irresponsible, inflammatory, and dangerous tactics to incite the rioting that took over the U.S. Capitol Building. Humphreys and his family provided $4.4 million of the $9.2 million Hawley raised in his campaign for Missouri attorney general in 2016.

Along with corporate donors who vowed to stop giving to the Republicans who objected to certifying the electoral vote, some donors, such as Kansas City-based Hallmark Cards Inc., asked for Hawley to return their money.

Since the start of 2021, Hawley has reported only a handful of corporate PAC donors and none since the start of 2023. He has received donations from lobbying interests  the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the National Association of Realtors and the American Crystal Sugar PAC among them  and one union, the Teamsters.

Hawley has also taken donations from 21 PACs associated with other members of the Senate or prominent Republicans, including Working for Ohio, the leadership PAC associated with GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance, and the Bluegrass Committee, the leadership PAC for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

You can go ask Mitch about our relationship and whether or not Ive supported him for leader, Hawley said in an interview at the Missouri State Fair. Ive never supported him for leader, and Im not going to.

Hawley said he wasnt even aware McConnells PAC had donated this cycle.

Fantastic, he said. If he wants to give me money to criticize him, Ill take it.

All of the leadership PACs that have given to Hawley accept corporate PAC donations.

Hawley said he doesnt check where the leadership PACs get their money before depositing their donations.

I dont know what other people get, Hawley said. I can control what I get, and I do not accept corporate money.

Publicly refusing corporate PAC funding while accepting donations from PACs that raise significant cash from corporate contributors is hypocritical, Kunce said.

Hes laundering the money, Kunce said. The guys being a fraud about it. Im proud of the way that we dont take corporate PAC money, no federal lobbyist money and no big pharma executive money.

Kunce has accepted 46 donations from PACs since the start of 2023  36 from PACs associated with unions and the rest from committees that have a partisan bent toward Democrats. The Democratic PACs all raise money from small donors.

Union PACs are different from corporate PACs, Kunce said.

Union PACs are created to empower everyday people, to give power to everyday folks  and change who has power in this country, Kunce said. Corporate PACs are set up so that corporations can remain in power over the rest of us.

Bain Capital

The name of Bain Capital is a dirty word in some Republican circles.

The venture capital firm was founded and led initially by U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah  the GOPs 2012 nominee for president and one of former President Donald Trumps most vocal Republican critics.

In 2022, when Kunce sought the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate, he accepted $5,800 in donations from contributors who listed their employer as Bain Capital. None of his individual donations in the current cycle are from people employed by Bain.

There was no significant carryover from the 2022 campaign to the present effort. In his October 2022 report, Kunce listed $26,350 in cash on hand and $164,983 in debts.

But for Hawley, those donations from 2022 are enough to justify his attack.

When you suck money from Bain Capital, you may as well put owned by Wall Street right on your chest, Hawley said at the campaign stop in Boonville.

Kunce, asked about the donations, said every contribution from an individual represents support for his issues, not the corporate interests of the donors employer.

Weve never taken money from a corporate PAC, I can tell you that much, Kunce siad. And so if Bain has a corporate PAC I have not taken money from it.

What it means

Unlike the 2018 election, when Hawley defeated Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, there has been little evidence super PACs  groups that can accept unlimited donations  intend to make a major effort in the state.

In 2018, Hawley and McCaskill combined to spend about $50 million, with about $39 million raised and spent by McCaskill. Outside groups spent $76 million more, according to the campaign finance tracking site Open Secrets.

The dynamic could change if polls show Kunces early ad effort puts him within striking distance, or if national groups see an opening because abortion rights and minimum wage ballot measures impact other campaigns.
The number of people languishing in Missouri jails in need of court-ordered mental health treatment currently stands at 344  and the wait time for a hospital bed averages one year.

Thats up from 254 people this time last year, according to Missouri Department of Mental Health data provided to The Independent. A spokeswoman for the department said that because the agencys inpatient beds are at capacity, the number of people waiting in jails for treatment will continue to rise.

Debra Walker, the departments spokeswoman, said February was the first month the number of individuals waiting ever exceeded 300.

No individuals on the waitlist have criminal convictions. They were arrested, found incompetent to stand trial and ordered by the court into mental health treatment, designed to allow them to stand trial, a process called competency restoration that generally includes therapy and medication.

We do want to increase the number of individuals who are getting competency restoration, said Jeanette Simmons, deputy division director of the Missouri Department of Mental Healths Division of Behavioral Health, during a mental health commission meeting earlier this month. We have a growing number of individuals who are waiting for those services.

Missouri has faced a yearslong struggle with this issue, due to increasing numbers of court referrals for competency restoration, staffing issues and limited psychiatric hospital capacity. Its worsened over the last year.

The Legislature appropriated $300 million this year for Department of Mental Health to open a new hospital in Kansas City, but it could be around five years before construction is complete.

State officials are also working to implement the jail-based competency restoration program approved by the Legislature this year in response to the issue. This years budget set aside $2.5 million for the jail-based competency programs to be established in jails in St. Louis, St. Louis County, Jackson County, Clay County and Greene County.

Services in jail-based competency restoration will include room and board, along with medical care for 10 slots at each jail, contracted staff from a local behavioral health organization, and psychiatric care from mobile team practitioners.

The department is currently training two agencies in Kansas City that will be going into county jails to provide jail-based treatment. Clay County has a tentative go live date for September, Simmons said.

So were really looking forward to that and getting that launched, because we do believe that its going to take a multifaceted approach to target those numbers, she said.

Simmons said the agency has mobile teams of doctors going into county jails prescribing medications to try and get folks started on those medications that they need to stabilize their mental illness. The department is working with community behavioral health liaisons as well as jail mental health or medical staff, she said, to get people services.

The Department of Mental Health is also working on trying to get information to the courts about outpatient restoration, for those who can be safely treated in the community and dont require hospital-level care. A law passed this year gives the agency the authority to treat certain arrested people on an outpatient basis.

Sometimes I think the courts dont really consider that as an option, Simmons said of outpatient treatment. Its something very new.

In other states, including some bordering Missouri, lawsuits have been filed over similar wait times, alleging they violate individuals rights to due process and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

A federal lawsuit filed last year in Oklahoma alleged jails are holding patients for three months to one year. A proposed settlement set a benchmark of a 60-day maximum wait and ultimately a goal of 21 days, but it has faced opposition from the governor.

A lawsuit filed in Kansas in 2022 alleged that individuals are detained for longer waiting for a psychiatric bed than they would be if they had been convicted. Many of the charges are for low-level crimes, national investigations have found.

County sheriffs and jail administrators in Missouri have raised the alarm about challenges caring for individuals who are being detained pretrial. And state officials have acknowledged the long waits contribute to mental deterioration.

The Missouri Sheriffs Association recently published an issue of their Missouri Jails magazine focused on managing mental health challenges in county jails, which shared several examples of local issues, including that one county spent $30,000 to provide around-the-clock guarding over a suspect for two months, because the secure medical centers didnt have any openings.

Some county sheriffs are looking to build or expand jails to combat the issue, according to the magazine, including by increasing the number of solitary cells to keep those with mental health diagnoses out of the general population. Others have contracted with private health provider Turn Key Health Clinics to provide increased mental health care while people are awaiting transfer.

As mental health professionals and legislators struggle to find solutions to the crisis, magazine contributor Michael Feeback wrote, sheriffs and other agencies are looking for answers on their own.

Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com. Follow Missouri Independent on Facebook and X.
EQS-Ad-hoc: MPC Munchmeyer Petersen Capital AG / Key word(s): Change in Forecast

MPC Capital significantly raises full-year guidance for 2024



21-Aug-2024 / 15:35 CET/CEST

Disclosure of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Disclosure of inside information pursuant to Article 17 MAR

MPC Capital significantly raises full-year guidance for 2024

Hamburg, August 21, 2024  Investment and asset manager MPC Munchmeyer Petersen Capital AG ("MPC Capital", Deutsche Borse Scale, ISIN DE000A1TNWJ4) is raising its Group forecast for the full year 2024 against the backdrop of strong half-year results and increased earnings visibility.

For the 2024 financial year, the Management Board now expects consolidated earnings before taxes (EBT) to be in a range between EUR 23 million and EUR 25 million. Previously, EBT was forecast to be slightly above the level of the 2023 financial year (EBT 2023: EUR 19.3 million). Group revenues are now expected to be around EUR 40 million. Previously, the Management Board had assumed consolidated revenues to be at least at the previous year's level (2023 revenues: EUR 37.9 million).

The first half of 2024, which was already strongly forecast, was even better than originally planned. After the first six months of the 2024 financial year, EBT of EUR 16.5 million was around 80% higher than in the same period of the previous year. This is due in particular to strong growth in the Maritime and Energy Infrastructure platforms as well as high earnings contributions from the co-investment portfolio.

Against the backdrop of a continued well-filled and tangible project pipeline as well as visible income from co-investments, revenues and earnings are also forecast to exceed original expectations for the second half of the year.

The 2024 half-year financial report will be published on August 22, 2024. A webcast on the 2024 Half-Year Financial Report will take place on Thursday, August 22, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. CEST. CEO Constantin Baack and CFO Dr. Philipp Lauenstein will explain the Group results for the first six months of 2024 and provide an update on the strategy. The webcast will be held in English.

This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Future results may differ materially from those currently anticipated due to various risk factors and uncertainties, such as changes in business, economic and competitive conditions, exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties regarding litigation or investigations, and the availability of financing. MPC Capital AG assumes no responsibility to update the forward-looking statements contained in this release. Adjectives such as "strong" or "significant" describe changes in key figures that deviate at least 10% from their comparative ratio.

Contact and notifying person according to Art. 17 MAR

MPC Capital AG

Stefan Zenker

Head of Investor Relations & Public Relations

Phone +49 (40) 380 22-4347

E-Mail: s.zenker@mpc-capital.com
August 21, 2024: Hungary is replacing its Cold War era force of 164 T-72 tanks with 38 Leopard 2 tanks. NATO has no guidelines for how many tanks each member must maintain but the total number of tanks maintained by all member nations is 4.600. Most of these are the 2,500 U.S. M1A1 tanks. The only other NATO nation to use M1A1s is Poland. The second most used tank is the 1,500 German Leopard 2A4. These are used by Germany and most other NATO members. There are also about 200 each of British Challenger 2s, French Leclercs and Italian Ariete tanks.

Hungary is the latest NATO member to adopt the Leopard 2 and is receiving a small number of them because other nation members already maintain large tank forces. The only potential foe is Russia and the Russians have lost over 7,000 tanks since invading Ukraine in early 2022. That number includes all their most modern models. Currently Russia is bringing 60 year old T-64 tanks out of storage to replace all the modern tanks lost. Russia can only produce 200 new T-90 tanks a year, while also delivering four times as many refurbished older tanks. These include T-80s, T-72s, T-64s, T-62s and T-55s.

Hungary has noted that none of these Russian tanks have lasted long in combat because the Ukrainians have developed, or received from NATO, a large number of modern anti-tank weapons. These systems, many operated by civilian volunteers in early 2022, destroyed or disabled thousands of Russian tanks. The Ukrainians captured some intact, repaired those with slight damage, and added several hundred additional tanks to their military. As a result of all these losses and constantly revolving Ukrainian anti-tank weapons, Russia rarely uses more than a few tanks in each attack and keeps the rest of their tanks hidden from Ukrainian drones that are seeking out Russian tanks and destroying or disabling any they find.

There is still a need for tanks but, as the small size of the Hungarian Leopard 2 tanks on order shows, tanks in combat are less common than in the past.
ANKARA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish military "neutralized" a total of eight "terrorists" in operations in northern Iraq and northern Syria, the country's Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

The Turkish forces killed seven members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the Hakurk region of northern Iraq, said the ministry in a statement, without specifying the time frame of the operations.

Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralized" in their statements to imply the "terrorists" in question surrendered, were killed, or were captured.

On Tuesday, the ministry announced that one Turkish soldier was killed in northern Iraq as a result of the explosion of an improvised explosive device planted by the PKK.

In a separate operation in northern Syria, the Turkish forces killed one member of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in the "Operation Olive Branch" zone of the military, the ministry also said.

Turkiye sees the YPG group as the PKK's Syrian branch.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades. 
A B-2 Spirit stealth bomber arrives at Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley in Queensland, Australia, Aug. 16, 2024. (Whitney Erhart/U.S. Air Force)

American B-2 Spirits recently deployed to eastern Australia for the first bomber task force mission there in over two years.

An undisclosed number of aircraft, support personnel and equipment arrived Friday at Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley in Queensland, Australia, the Air Force said Tuesday.

B-2s last deployed to Amberly for a bomber task force mission in July 2022.

Spirits arrived this month from the 509th and 131st bomb wings at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., according to the release.

This deployment is in support of Pacific Air Forces training efforts with allies, partners, and joint forces and strategic deterrence missions, the release states.

A B-2 Spirit stealth bomber arrives at Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley in Queensland, Australia, Aug. 16, 2024. (Whitney Erhart/U.S. Air Force)

Bomber task force missions operate regularly out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

In March, for example, two B-52 Stratofortress bombers were deployed to Diego Garcia. In June, a B-1B Lancer operating out of Guam bombed simulated targets on Pilsung Range, about 100 miles southeast of Seoul, South Korea.

The Australian bomber deployment comes as American military planners look for options to disperse forces in the region.

In a conflict, China could strike U.S. bases on Guam and in the Far East with everything from ballistic missiles to maneuverable cruise and hypersonic missiles.

Nearly $450 million in U.S.-funded air base construction is underway in Australias Northern Territory, Pacific Air Forces commander Gen. Kevin Schneider told reporters during a visit to RAAF Darwin in July.

The construction includes facilities that can support rotations of U.S. B-52 Stratofortress bombers to RAAF Tindal, 180 miles southeast of Darwin, he said, noting that any deployments must be coordinated at the highest levels of the Australian and U.S. governments.

Tindal and Darwin are closer than Amberly to Manila by more than 1,400 miles.

Tindal hosted Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters during the biennial Pitch Black exercise in July and August. The drills involved 21 nations, 140 aircraft and 4,400 personnel in the Northern Territory and Queensland.
A South Korean F-15K Slam Eagle assigned to the 11th Fighter Wing out of Daegu Air Base takes off from an unspecified location in South Korea, Aug. 20, 2024. (South Korean air force)

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  Squadrons from the U.S. and South Korean air forces are conducting weeklong, around-the-clock flight drills for the first time as part of a large-scale exercise throughout South Korea.

Around 200 U.S. and South Korean military aircraft are planning 2,000 sorties by Friday as part of the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise on land, air and sea, according to a Ministry of National Defense news release Tuesday.

The five-day exercise includes F-15K Slam Eagles, FA-50 Golden Eagles and KF-16s from the South Korean air force and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and F-16 Fighting Falcons from the Air Forces 8th and 51st fighter wings at Kunsan and Osan, respectively, the release said.

Previously, Ulchi Freedom Shields aerial exercises consisted of one wing from each country. Having multiple squadrons conduct flight operations simultaneously helps verify the allies multidomain capabilities during wartime, according to the release.

One of the exercises scenarios includes an unexpected combat patrol for aircraft already in flight, following a simulated appearance of enemy aircraft or cruise missiles.

The scenarios directly support the exercises focus on conducting multi-domain operations and emphasizes countering weapons of mass destruction, the 8th Fighter Wing said in a separate news release.

A South Korean air force FA-50 takes off from an unspecified base in South Korea, Aug. 19, 2024. (South Korean air force)

It is imperative to link the Wolf Pack with the operational level of command, wing commander Col. Peter Kasarskis said in the release, referring to the groups nickname. These connections do not happen automatically and must be rehearsed. Exercises such as Ulchi Freedom Shield provide the sandbox to allow us to continuously improve.

The allies conducted another joint air exercise, Korea Flying Training, starting April 12. Around 25 aircraft types flew over 15 days and focused on integrating fifth-generation models, such as the F-35 Lightning II, with U.S. and South Korean jets.

Additional information of the ongoing exercise that kicked off Monday has been kept under wraps by the South Korean and U.S. militaries.

U.S. Forces Korea, the command responsible for the 28,500 U.S. troops on the peninsula, has not disclosed the number of American service members participating in the drills. Roughly 19,000 South Korean troops are involved, according to the Souths military.

Ulchi Freedom Shield is the second large-scale joint military exercise conducted annually in South Korea. The first, Freedom Shield, was held March 4-14.
The Army has removed a Fort Liberty soldier from the service after his indictment on federal false statement and weapons charges, officials at the North Carolina Army post said Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (Corey Dickstein/Stars and Stripes)

A Fort Liberty soldier with ties to a white supremacist group has been removed from the Army after his indictment on federal false statement and weapons charges, officials at the North Carolina Army post said Wednesday.

Former Pvt. Kai Liam Nix, 20, was separated from the Army on Tuesday after his Aug. 14 indictment, said Col. Mary Ricks, a spokeswoman for the Fort Liberty-based 18th Airborne Corps. Nix was arrested Aug. 15 near Fort Liberty after a federal grand jury indictment accused him of lying about ties to an anti-government organization on a 2022 security clearance application and selling stolen guns.

Nix joined the Army in 2022 and served as an infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Liberty until his separation, according to the service. Ricks said he had not deployed since enlisting.

Former Army Pvt. Kai Liam Nix, 20, was separated from the service on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, after he was indicted on charges that he lied about ties to an anti-government organization and selling stolen guns. (Cumberland County, N.C., Jail)

Nix made an initial court appearance on Monday, when a judge ordered him held until his next court appearance scheduled for Thursday, court documents show. A court-appointed attorney for Nix, Robert J. Parrott Jr., did not return a request for comment Wednesday.

The Justice Department said in a statement this week that Nixs arrest was the result of an investigation by the FBI, ATF and Army Criminal Investigation Division that uncovered that Nix had been a member of a group dedicated to the use of violence or force to overthrow the U.S. government. The investigation by the FBI and ATF, or Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, is ongoing, according to the Justice Department.

Army regulations bar soldiers from active membership in groups that advocate supremacist, extremist or criminal gang ideology or causes.

The Justice Department said Nix lied when he denied membership in such a group on his 2022 SF86 application for a security clearance. The department also charged Nix with a count of dealing in firearms without a license and two counts of selling a stolen firearm.

The charges carry a maximum 30-year prison sentence, according to the Justice Department.

Army officials said the stolen weapons that Nix is accused of selling did not belong to the military. Ricks said the service would continue to cooperate in the federal probe. Nix was not expected to be prosecuted by the military.

The Justice Department declined to name the anti-government organization with which Nix is accused of working. However, the Southern Poverty Law Center identified Nix as a member of the Patriot Front, a white nationalist and neo-fascist hate group. The group describes itself online as aiming to reclaim America for the European race and defend its sovereignty and cultural independence. The law center is a nonprofit based in Montgomery, Ala., that specializes in civil rights litigation and monitoring hate groups.

It said the Patriot Front is known to conduct public demonstrations that include neo-Nazi and racist slogans. The group marched through Nashville last month parading a Reclaim America banner through the citys downtown streets and carrying shields.

Nix denied membership in the hate group in an interview with the New Yorker before his arrest. The law centers Hatewatch publication said it linked Nix to Patriot Front via leaked documents and a Telegram account that he supposedly ran for far-right white supremacists. Nix appeared to have joined the group more than one year before he enlisted in the Army, according to the law center.
The Oregon Army National Guard Chaplain Corps inducted a new officer, the first Jewish Rabbi chaplain candidate in the organization Rabbi Menachem M. Orenstein, during a commissioning ceremony at 41st Armed Forces Reserve Center Auditorium, in Clackamas Ore., Aug. 18, 2024. (Aaron Perkins)

(Tribune News Service)  The Oregon Army National Guard made history last week with the commissioning of its first Jewish chaplain, Rabbi Menachem M. Orenstein. The Aug. 18 ceremony took place at the 41st Armed Forces Reserve Center Auditorium in Clackamas, marking a significant milestone for the Guard and the Jewish community, according to the Tigard Chabad Jewish Center.

Orenstein, who serves as a rabbi at the Tigard Jewish Center, said he is honored to take on the part-time position as chaplain and serve his country and community at the same time.

I have a military background, and three of my grandparents served in World War II, Orenstein said. It was always something I considered  to become a chaplain. I also wanted to lead a community and be a rabbi  thats what Im doing now.

As the first Jewish chaplain in the Oregon Army National Guard, Orenstein is eager to contribute to a diverse and inclusive environment.

It feels really good to be the first one to do it, Orenstein said. Theres not too many soldiers or service members in Oregon that are Jewish, and a big part of my responsibility is to serve everyone, regardless of religion, in a very open way. Thats what I look forward to doing. But its definitely exciting to be the first Jewish [chaplain].

While the path to his commission was long and challenging, taking a year to apply and be accepted after many assessments and qualifications, Orenstein described it as a rewarding experience.

It just made a lot of sense, and I was really excited when I learned about [the position], Orenstein said. Its definitely a blessing. I feel honored to be able to do it. I feel honored that such an opportunity exists.

Chiara Profenna covers religion, faith and cultural connections. Reach her at cprofenna@oregonian.com

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.

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Visit oregonlive.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
An MV-22 Osprey with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 refuels over Australia during the Talisman Sabre exercise in July 2019. (Jackson Ricker/U.S. Marine Corps)

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa  An officer killed when an MV-22B Osprey crashed last year over northern Australia also piloted the tiltrotor that went down off Okinawa in 2016, according to the Marine Corps.

Maj. Tobin Lewis, 37, of Jefferson, Colo., was one of two pilots flying the Osprey that crashed Aug. 27, 2023, with 23 aboard on Melville Island, north of Darwin in Australias Northern Territory.

Lewis, the squadron executive officer and Osprey command pilot, died alongside two other Marines, pilot Capt. Eleanor LeBeau, 29, and crew chief Cpl. Spencer Collart, 21.

Their aircraft was assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 363 at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

A Marine Corps accident report released Aug. 9 identified pilot error and complacency as the primary cause of the fatal crash. The Osprey went down after a close call with another aircraft during their approach to a landing zone, according to the report. It also found that squadron leadership had permitted a culture that disregarded safety of flight.

Lewis also was the commander and pilot of an Osprey that crashed offshore of Camp Schwab, injuring two crewmembers, on Dec. 13, 2016, according to the report and the III Marine Expeditionary Force.

He was not identified publicly by the Marine Corps as the pilot in the Okinawa incident prior to the Aug. 9 report being released.

Pilot error due to a loss of situational awareness and not mechanical failure was the primary cause of the Okinawa accident, III MEF spokesman 1st Lt. Owen Hitchcock wrote in an email to Stars and Stripes on Tuesday.

Lewis, a captain at the time, and four other Marines were on board during a nighttime training mission when the Ospreys propeller cut a refueling hose on an Air Force C-130 tanker. Rather than risk crashing the Osprey into a residential area near Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Lewis flew the aircraft about 18 miles north and set it down offshore.

That Osprey was assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 with Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, according to the report.

Lewis Field Flight Performance Board held Dec. 20, 2016, and included in the Australia accident report, found that he made excessive changes in power to the aircraft during aerial refueling. That and insufficient safety briefs before the flight contributed to the Okinawa accident, the report states.

Lewis and another pilot made multiple failed attempts to refuel the Osprey during the northbound leg of the flight, according to the boards report.

On the second-to-last attempt to connect with the C-130, the drogue, or fuel funnel, came close to hitting the Ospreys nose, and Lewis failed to tell the rest of the crew, the report states. Lewis then dropped back behind the C-130 for one more attempt, which resulted in the impact of the right proprotor to the left refueling drogue of the tanker.

The board unanimously recommended Lewis be placed on conditional flight status beginning in February 2017 and receive remedial training. Lewis completed a comprehensive review of the MV-22 syllabus under the supervision of an experienced pilot, Hitchcock said. He returned to full flight duties in 2019.

U.S. officials told the government of Japan in September 2019 that Lewis had been disciplined, the Mainichi newspaper reported at the time.

Lewis was born and raised in Conifer, Colo., according to the ABC affiliate in Denver. He was commissioned in August 2008 and promoted to major in October 2018. He served in Pensacola, Fla.; Corpus Christi, Texas; Jacksonville, N.C.; Okinawa; and Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

He logged 1,800 flight hours, including 1,500 in Ospreys, according to his obituary from Evergreen Memorial Park in Colorado. His awards include two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Navy Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and four Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.

Stars and Stripes reporter Keishi Koja contributed to this report.
U.S. and Australian sailors stand in formation as the submarine tender USS Emory S. Land prepares to moor at HMAS Stirling, a navy base near Perth, Australia, Aug. 16, 2024. (Darek Leary/U.S. Air Force)

An American submarine tender recently arrived in Western Australia, where sailors are training to service U.S. and British nuclear-powered fast-attack boats under a mutual defense pact.

The USS Emory S. Land, a Guam-based tender crewed by American and Australian sailors, pulled into naval base HMAS Stirling, near Perth, on Aug. 16, the Navy announced in a news release that day.

The crew will perform maintenance on a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine over several weeks, the release said, without naming the boat.

We are unable to provide information on future operations due to operations security concerns, 7th Fleet spokesman Lt. Jamie Moroney said by email Wednesday.

The 2021 AUKUS agreement  so named for Australia, the United Kingdom and United States  aims to position one British and four U.S. nuclear-powered boats as Submarine Rotational Force-West at HMAS Stirling, according to the Australian Defence Department website.

The defense pacts first phase is on track to bring the vessels there on a temporary basis within three years, Australias nonpartisan Lowy Institute reported last month.

The Emory S. Lands visit marks a step toward Australia becoming able to operate, maintain and support a fleet of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered boats, according to the Navy release.

For the last six weeks weve had a team of U.S. Sailors embedded in the [Fleet Support Unit] West workshops at HMAS Stirling, Capt. Brent Spillner, commander of the submarine tender, said in the release.

More than 30 Australian sailors, supervised by U.S. personnel, will perform submarine maintenance. Tasks will include replacing a mast and a hydraulic valve, along with the simulated removal of a pump weighing more than 3,500 pounds, the release said.

It will be the first time Australians have maintained a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine in Australian waters, Spillner said in the release.

This is an important milestone and learning opportunity as we work together to establish Submarine Rotational ForceWest, where both U.S. and UK submarines will regularly transit through HMAS Stirling, with maintenance and logistics assisted by Australian personnel, he said.

Australian and U.S. sailors have worked side by side on the Emory S. Land to maintain U.S. boats on Guam, Cmdr. Derek Fletcher, repair officer aboard the vessel, said in the release.

Guam is home to the Navys only submarine tenders  Emory S. Land and USS Frank Cable  as well as Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarines.

The maintainers will also work with the crew of a visiting British navy Astute-class submarine, according to former Australian assistant defense secretary Ross Babbage.

Essential knowledge and skills gained will equip Australias naval personnel to service, maintain and repair the Royal Australian Navys own nuclear-powered submarines when they enter service in the early 2030s, he said by email Monday.

Australia will eventually operate its own submarine tender, a U.S. security expert based in New Zealand, Paul Buchanan, said by email that day.

Navy submarine tenders will continue to support U.S. and British submarines rotating through HMAS Stirling in the lead up to deployment of the AUKUS boats, Buchanan wrote.

Given the unique qualities of SSNs (nuclear-powered submarines), it is likely that Australia will commission a tender capable of handling the unique requirements of the SSN platforms as well as those of conventional subs, he said.
A USS Blue Ridge sailor greets his family just moments after stepping off the ship at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan  Sailors in their dress whites manned the rails of the amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge as it steamed into Tokyo Bay on Tuesday, concluding its longest deployment in five years.

More than 200 friends, family and coworkers gathered pierside around 5:30 p.m. to greet the Blue Ridge as it pulled into its homeport. Backed by lively music from the U.S. 7th Fleet Band, the crowd cheered and waved signs with messages like Welcome Back Papa! and Together Again! while sailors waved back from the ships deck.

The Blue Ridge  the Navys oldest operational warship and the 7th Fleets flagship  left for patrol on June 4 and over the next 77 days traveled nearly 10,000 nautical miles, with stops in Malaysia, Palau, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, said commander Capt. Nicholas DeLeo.

During their port calls, the Blue Ridges crew, which includes 7th Fleet command elements, met with foreign dignitaries and military counterparts to discuss regional security and joint operations, DeLeo said pierside on Tuesday.

Its really just a chance to build on those allies and partnerships and just really focus on what kind of things can we do together in the future, he said.

The Blue Ridge can act as a mobile command center during fleet operations, but during peacetime it often serves as an envoy for diplomatic and humanitarian efforts.

During the Manila stop, the head of 7th Fleet, Vice Adm. Fred Kacher, met with U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, Philippine fleet commander Rear Adm. Renato David and Lt. Gen. Arthur Cordura, vice chief of staff for the Philippines armed forces.

Kacher and Blue Ridge officers held similar meetings  sometimes referred to as Big Top Receptions  in Palau and Vietnam.

In Cam Ranh, Vietnam, DeLeo and other senior officers visited the site of a U.S. Army helicopter lost during the Vietnam War, which continues to be excavated by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

The ship also joined the exercise Valiant Shield in the Philippine Sea alongside the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and other 7th Fleet warships, June 7-18.

Sailors standby on Pier 9 to help moor the USS Blue Ridge at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes) Friends and family hold up signs at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, as the USS Blue Ridge eturns home from a 77-day deployment, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes) A USS Blue Ridge sailor kisses his partner moments after stepping off the ship at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)

The Blue Ridge is well known for its numerous port calls; sailors sometimes call it the admirals yacht since it often visits exotic locales. But this years trip was just the second full deployment for the ship since 2019, when it visited 11 ports in nine countries over 114 days.

The Blue Ridge in 2020 made stops in Japan, South Korea and Thailand, but its deployment was cut short when the Navy curbed operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ship last summer marked its first full deployment since the pandemic, with 40 days at sea and stops in Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore.

Such visits are often a first for the Blue Ridge crew, which includes more than 1,400 sailors. For Petty Officer 1st Class Lugene Johnson III, a culinary specialist, all seven of this years stops were a personal first.

Ive always heard that when you get a chance to go to the Blue Ridge, you go  you cant pass that up  and I found out why, Johnson, of Chicago, said pierside on Tuesday. We hit a lot of amazing countries, and I found out what the Blue Ridge does; it was a great opportunity to see the partnerships being built.

Beyond visits with foreign dignitaries, the crew also typically participates in community relations and volunteer events.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Kyndra Sisayaket, of Pascoe, Wash., said her role as a French horn musician with the 7th Fleet Band meant she could play in places she never dreamed of.

We meet a bunch of people during these performances and just get to share music with everyone in these countries, she said, adding that a concert in Thailand, where her family is originally from, was one of the most memorable moments.

Now that the Blue Ridge is home, the crew deserves some much-needed rest and relaxation, DeLeo said.

[The Blue Ridge] is a ship that requires a lot of maintenance, he said. Now that were home, we can focus on some of those things, but I think reuniting with our families right now is first and foremost on our minds.
HANGZHOU, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The third Global Digital Trade Expo will take place in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, from Sep. 25 to 29, featuring Kazakhstan and Thailand as guests of honor.

The expo aims to leverage global digital trade resources to enhance cooperation and promote development, said Deng Bo, deputy director of the Trade Development Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce, at a press conference on Wednesday.

According to Han Jie, director of the Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province, more than 1,000 digital trade enterprises and 15 international organizations have confirmed their participation, and professional purchasers from over 50 countries and regions are expected to join in the procurement activities.

The expo will span 150,000 square meters, featuring a comprehensive exhibition area and eight specialized zones dedicated to various digital industries.

Industrial activities related to artificial intelligence, low-altitude economy and digital healthcare will be included in the expo.

Launched in 2022, the annual event is co-hosted by the government of Zhejiang Province and China's Ministry of Commerce. 
A flag-draped casket holding the remains of Army Pfc. Charles McAllister is unloaded from an Alaska Airlines honor flight at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Aug. 15, 2024. (Kevin McAllister)

More than a century after his combat death in France during World War I, Army Pfc. Charles McAllister will be buried Wednesday with full military honors at Acacia Memorial Park in Seattle.

The 25-year-old doughboy from Seattle went missing during the Aisne-Marne offensive in northern France on July 19, 1918, and was subsequently presumed to be killed in action.

For the past 20 years, his unidentified remains lay at the Department of Defense forensic laboratory in Hawaii until a DNA sample from a descendant led to his identification earlier this year.

The sample came from 91-year-old Gerald McAllister, according to Geralds son, Kevin McAllister.

That branch of the family had no knowledge of Charles McAllister, much less that he had gone missing during the war, Kevin McAllister said by phone Friday from the home he shares with his father in Lake Stevens, Wash.

It wasnt until I received a certified letter in the mail from the military, basically stating that they believed they found the remains of a long lost relative of ours in France, he said.

Three male members of the family subsequently provided DNA samples, and they began earnestly researching their family tree to know more about their unknown relative.

The first picture that we saw of him is a spitting image of my dads brother, Uncle Tommy, he said. They could be twins.

It is unlikely the soldiers remains would have been identified if not for work by Jay Silverstein, a former DOD forensic anthropologist who refused to give up on the case, and Beverly Dillon, a great niece from a different branch of the family.

Unsolvable case

In 2004, two sets of remains from an unmarked grave in France were transferred to the U.S. militarys forensic lab at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The lab at that time was operated by Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, which has since morphed into the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

In 2005, Silverstein, a forensic anthropologist at the lab, successfully identified one set of remains as being those of Pvt. Francis Lupo, Silverstein told Stars and Stripes in 2020.

But the second set defied quick identification.

After Silverstein completed his analysis of those remains, a historian deemed the case unsolvable, Silverstein said at the time.

The case always nagged the anthropologist, though, and when the 100th anniversary of Americas entry into World War I arrived in 2017, he pulled the case out for another look.

He scoured the available clues such as uniform insignia, used geographic information system mapping to reconstruct battles and sought documents from the National Archives, including dental records.

Silverstein narrowed the possible identities to two missing soldiers, but his supervisors ordered him to drop the work because DPAAs charter did not authorize work on WWI cases.

Silversteins relationship with the labs management was thorny, and he left the position in 2019.

But convinced the remains were Charles McAllisters, Silverstein sought out the soldiers descendants to get DNA verification.

Charles McAllister poses in his World War I uniform in this undated photo. (Beverly Dillon)

Goosebumps and tears

In the summer of 2019, he reached Dillon by phone at her home in a small Montana town near Glacier National Park.

As it turned out, the missing soldier was a subject of family lore for Dillon, who was then 80 years old.

On her family room wall hangs a framed letter that her great uncle Charles sent to his sister Effie  Dillons grandmother  on Dec. 3, 1917, from New York before shipping out for France.

During the call, she read him the letter, which closed with the words: From boy gone away to war, remember me in the sweet by and bye and Ill come home when the war is over.

I always remember that first phone call I made to Bev after tracking her down through genealogical research, Silverstein said in an email Saturday. When she pulled the framed last letter of Charlie from the wall and read it to me, I had goosebumps and was almost in tears.

The first page of a letter written by Charles McAllister to his sister Effie dated Dec. 3, 1917, sent before he shipped out from New York for France, where he died in July 1918, during the Second Battle of the Marne. (Beverly Dillon)

Dillon and her son submitted DNA samples to the Defense Department DNA Registry about a month later, but the case stalled out.

Dillon and Silverstein separately reached out to numerous members of Congress for help in pushing the case along.

DPAA Director Kelly McKeague outlined the agencys position on the World War I case in a Nov. 23 letter to Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., in response to the lawmakers query, writing that the agency is not authorized by statute to account for remains in conflicts before World War II.

Meeting the flag-draped casket

During an Aug. 6 phone interview, Dillon said she credits Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., with getting the case back on track after she wrote his office in 2023.

Within 48 hours I was contacted by his aide in charge of military matters, and all the information I could give was passed to the Army Human Resources Command in Fort Knox, Dillon said. They and I poured through my ancestry again, and we both came up with one lineage tree that went through a male line for four generations.

That line led to Gerald McAllister, whom the DOD regards as the dead soldiers closest next of kin.

This case would not have been solved without her help and determination as well as many unnamed volunteers who assisted me with genealogical work, archive retrieval, GIS analysis, and moral support, said Silverstein, now a professor at Nottingham Trent University in England.

Still, he said he remains angered that it took five more years to ID McAllister after his identity was incontrovertibly identified through multiple lines of forensic evidence.

Dillon was in Seattle on Thursday when her great-great uncles flag-draped casket arrived via honor flight by Alaska Airlines.

That flag will be folded and handed to Gerald McAllister during the burial ceremony, but a second flag will be presented to Dillon, Kevin McAllister said.

Shes worked harder on this than anybody, I believe, he said. I wanted them to make sure that she got a flag.
A U.S. Army AH-64E Apache attack helicopter trains over the Arabian Gulf in April 2020. (Cody Rich/U.S. Army)

The U.S. State Department has greenlighted the sale of 36 Apache attack helicopters to South Korea  a deal potentially worth $3.5 billion.

South Korea requested the AH-64E Apaches, along with 72 General Electric turboshaft engines, 400 Hellfire missiles, 438 Stinger missiles and other spare parts and equipment, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced Monday.

The sale must be approved by Congress before becoming final.

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific region, the announcement states.

The primary vendors in the proposed sale are defense contractors Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

A spokesman for South Koreas Defense Acquisition Program Administration confirmed the request for attack helicopters by phone Tuesday but declined further comment on details of the proposed sale, citing security concerns.

South Korean government officials customarily speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.

The country is attempting to buy attack helicopters to improve the high-mobility maneuvering capabilities of its ground forces, the officer said.

The South Korean army in January 2017 acquired 36 Apaches from the United States. The Ministry of National Defense decided in November 2022 to add a similar number of helicopters to the army fleet, according to the spokesman.

We are currently in negotiations with the U.S. side, planning to sign the arms deal within this year. The contract signing procedure will proceed according to the results of the negotiations, he said.
The US embassy in Moscow. (Wikimedia Commons)

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow on Wednesday rejected Russian accusations of U.S. involvement in Ukraines Kursk incursion, after the Foreign Ministry summoned Charge dAffaires Stephanie Holmes to protest the provocative actions of American journalists who reported from the Russian region under Ukrainian control.

The ministry condemned the actions of American journalists who reported from Kursk after Ukrainian forces took control of the region and complained that an American private military company was operating there as well.

In response, the embassy said that independent news organizations make their own operational and personnel decisions, in a statement Wednesday. The U.S. government plays no role.

In fact, we actively discourage all U.S. citizens from traveling to Russia, including for reporting purposes, as we have stated in our Travel Advisory for Russia, which is currently at Level 4: Do Not Travel.

The statement added that we were not engaged in any aspect of the planning or preparation of this operation. We refer you to the Ukrainians to speak about their own military operations.

The ministry on Tuesday told Holmes that the journalists had entered the region illegally for propaganda coverage of the crimes of the [Ukrainian] regime. Its statement Tuesday said Russian law enforcement agencies would investigate Americans involved in these crimes and bring them to justice. The ministry did not name any journalists or media outlets.

The European Federation of Journalists on Tuesday strongly condemned earlier Russian threats to prosecute Italian journalists who covered the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk.

The EFJ considers that these intimidations amount to censorship and are aimed at preventing public opinion from being informed about ongoing operations, the federation said in a statement.

The Washington Post and several other U.S. news organizations have reported from inside Kursk in recent days. The Post said in a story published Aug. 18 that its team traveled to Ukrainian-held territory in Russia to document the extent of Ukrainian control and witness firsthand the conditions remaining Russian civilians face.

We are proud of our reporting on the Ukraine-Russia war and remain committed to covering all aspects of this important, evolving conflict, a Post spokesperson said.

Russias Foreign Ministry also complained that an American private military company was fighting on Ukraines side in Kursk and participating in the invasion of the territory of the Russian Federation. The ministry statement did not name the company but warned that any foreign military specialists or mercenaries illegally crossing into Russia were legitimate military targets.

According to the ministry, Holmes was warned that these actions, which run counter to the claims of the Biden administration about its alleged noninvolvement in the attack of Ukrainian neo-Nazis on Russia, clearly prove the involvement of the United States as a direct participant in the conflict.

Earlier, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the journalists were whitewashing Ukrainian crimes and manipulating public opinion and creating the necessary background for the Wests further support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Zakharova on Wednesday said that only journalists who had Russian accreditation and a visa could report from Kursk.

The threats to prosecute journalists comes just weeks after Russia released several imprisoned activists and American journalist Evan Gershkovich  who was accused without evidence of espionage  in a major prisoner swap.

Since Russia began occupying parts of Ukraine, Russian journalists, military bloggers and officials have routinely visited. In 2022, Russia illegally claimed to have annexed the four regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, including areas not under its military control.

In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded that Ukraine surrender the remaining territory in those regions as one of several Russian conditions for peace. After Ukraines incursion into Kursk, however, he and other officials have ruled out peace negotiations while Ukrainian forces remain in Russia territory.

On Monday, Zakharova called journalists who reported from Kursk traitors to the profession who have stooped as low as direct involvement in the fabrication and dissemination of Ukrainian Nazi propaganda.

A leading press freedom group called Russias accusations an attempt to harass journalists and silence reporting from the Kursk region.

Russian authorities are desperately trying to silence international reporting from the impacted area after they effectively muzzled local media, said Gulnoza Said of the Committee to Protect Journalists. They are trying to hide the truth about Ukraines surprise offensive and Russias losses in its own territory, which the world knows about thanks to those brave journalists reporting from the area. Media plays an essential role in conflict zones and Russian officials must stop their harassment of journalists covering the war.

Jeremy Barr contributed to this report.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to reporters on the tarmac in Doha on Aug. 20, 2024. (Kevin Mohatt, Pool Photo, AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

(Tribune News Service)  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken left the Middle East late Tuesday with Hamas and Israel still divided over an American proposal to pause, if not permanently end, the war in Gaza.

After a day spent meeting with Egyptian and Qatari officials, Blinken reiterated that Israel had agreed to what the top U.S. diplomat called a bridging agreement that would create space for the two sides to hammer out the details of a cease-fire introduced by President Joe Biden in May. Now its Hamass turn, he said.

Hamas pushed back against the idea it was the one stalling the talks and said it wanted to reach a cease-fire. It also blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for coming up with new demands.

Time is of the essence, Blinken told reporters on the airport tarmac in Doha, minutes before beginning the trip home to the U.S. Israel has now accepted that proposal  I heard that directly from Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday  and we hope and expect Hamas will do the same.

It was Blinkens ninth trip to the region since the conflict began with Hamass Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and the result was just the same: Israel and Hamas unable to set aside their disagreements to halt the fighting. Stymied in the push for an enduring cease-fire, Blinken had come to the region this week with the more modest proposal aimed at building common ground and easing the violence.

One stumbling block Blinken and other mediators have been unable to overcome is that Hamas wants any cease-fire to amount to a permanent end to the war, while Netanyahu wants to be able to restart the conflict to achieve his countrys aim of destroying the groups military and governing capabilities.

There are also rising tensions over Israel wanting to keep troops stationed along the strategic Philadelphi corridor, the southern portion of Gaza that runs along the border with Egypt, to prevent arms smuggling from the Arab nation.

The first thing is to eliminate Hamas and achieve victory, Netanyahu said Tuesday. The second thing is that we are, at the same time, making an effort to return the hostages, on terms that will allow for the maximum number of hostages being released in the first stage of the deal.

He said Israel must preserve its strategic security assets, mentioning its seizure of the Philadelphi corridor and the Rafah border crossing with Egypt earlier in the war. That comment drew a rebuke from a senior State Department official, who told reporters traveling with Blinken that maximalist statements from the Israeli leader arent constructive.

The official asked not to be identified discussing private assessments of the Israel stance. But the U.S. view underscored how the Biden administration continues to remain frustrated with Israel even as officials such as Blinken continue to insist Netanyahus government is on board with their plans.

Officials are still planning to proceed with a new round of talks on a cease-fire set for Cairo later this week, though no precise day has been set. Officials said a round of talks last week had the sides on the cusp of an agreement.

Looming in the background is the threat of an attack from Iran, which has sworn to retaliate against Israel for the assassination of senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran late last month. Israel has declined to take responsibility for the attack.

Blinkens trip had been seen in part as a U.S. effort to delay or deter an Iranian attack. On Tuesday, one government official suggested any retaliation would not be rushed.

Time is on our side and its possible that the waiting period for this response will be long, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman said to Iranian state TV on Tuesday. Israel must await calculated and precise strikes at the appropriate time.

The Israel-Hamas war erupted when Hamas fighters swarmed into southern Israel from Gaza, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostage. Israels subsequent air and ground assault on Gaza has killed more than 40,000 people, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run territory. Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and European Union.

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PHNOM PENH, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has encouraged businesspeople, entrepreneurs, investors and service providers to join the 21st China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO), scheduled for Sept. 24-28 in Nanning, capital city of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said a Ministry of Commerce's announcement on Wednesday.

"The CAEXPO is a significant platform for trade and investment exchanges between ASEAN member states and China," the announcement said.

"To promote business and investment activities between Cambodia and China, the Ministry of Commerce, as a co-organizer, would like to invite all Cambodian businessmen, entrepreneurs, investors, and service providers, who wish to apply as Trade Visitors, to submit their applications by Aug. 31, 2024 at the latest," it said.

The participants will be eligible for designated hotel coupons, complimentary dining vouchers at the exhibition venue, and shuttle bus services between the hotel and the CAEXPO venue, the announcement said.

They will be able to join business-to-business matching services, talking with their potential partners in the areas of food processing and packaging equipment, digital technology and agricultural products, and new energy-powered electronic products, it said, adding that they will also be eligible for study trips to industrial parks and enterprises in Guangxi.

Kin Phea, director-general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia, an arm of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said China-ASEAN relations have seen significant developments in recent years, particularly in economic cooperation, regional security, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchange.

"Economic cooperation has been a central pillar for China-ASEAN relations, as both sides have become each other's largest trading partners for several consecutive years," he told Xinhua.

"China and ASEAN have promoted high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, focusing on infrastructure development, digital economy, green technologies, and resilient supply chains," he added.

ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. 
In this handout image from the Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader, people gather during a funeral procession for Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas and his bodyguard who were killed in an assassination on Aug. 1, 2024, in Tehran, Iran. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via Getty Images/TNS)

Iranian officials are signaling this week that an attack against Israel may not be imminent, pulling back for now from some of their harsher threats to avenge Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed last month in a blast at his guesthouse in Tehran.

Iran had repeatedly warned of a devastating reprisal to punish Israel for the assassination - but it later softened its rhetoric, and, in a statement Wednesday, the Iranian mission to the United Nations reinforced the governments position that any response must be carefully calibrated to avoid affecting a potential cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

Even Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the countrys most powerful security force, said that an attack might not come right away. Time is at our disposal, Brig. Gen. Ali Mohammad Naeini, the IRGC spokesman, said Tuesday, according to local media. And the waiting period for this response could be long.

The remarks appeared to reflect Irans desire to avoid a wider war as it deals with economic strife and a delicate political situation at home. Haniyehs killing, at a secure compound on July 31, was a stunning embarrassment for Irans security forces - but the countrys new reformist president just formed his government, and a conflict with Israel threatens to distract from his central campaign pledge of improving the economy.

On Wednesday, Irans hard-line parliament approved President Masoud Pezeshkians 19-member cabinet, which includes both reformists and conservatives, a move that the new leader said represents his consensus approach to governing.

During his campaign this summer, Pezeshkian, the first reformist to be elected president in more than two decades, called for greater engagement with the West and promised to address Irans spiraling economy and simmering public anger over the harsh enforcement of the countrys mandatory dress code for women.

Still, the election that brought him to power was fraught. Historically low turnout in the first round of voting in June forced the contest to a runoff, drawing out an electoral campaign that had already polarized and discouraged some voters.

But Irans domestic pressures are just one contributing factor to the bind the country now finds itself in, according to Gregory Brew, an Iran analyst at the Eurasia Group.

Their dilemma is that they dont know how to respond without starting a war, he said, adding that doing something that everyone sees as symbolic doesnt solve the problem of restoring deterrence with Israel.

Immediately after Haniyehs assassination, which came just hours after Israel killed a senior Hezbollah commander near Beirut, the region went on high alert. Israelis braced for a response, both from Iran and Lebanon, and the United States, a key ally of Israel, bolstered military assets in the Red Sea, Eastern Mediterranean and Gulf of Oman.

Despite Irans public statements vowing revenge, its private messaging was much more cautious. During meetings with leaders of allied militias, Iranian officials urged restraint - seeking to balance any show of force with the desire to avoid an all-out conflict.

The Biden administration also deployed senior diplomats to the region to contain the fallout, including a renewed push for a cease-fire agreement in Gaza, where a war has raged for more than 10 months.

This week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken shuttled between Israel, Egypt and Qatar on a mission to pressure Israel and Hamas to agree to a U.S.-sponsored proposal that would halt the fighting and see the release of Israeli hostages still in captivity.

The plan, which the administration describes as a bridging proposal, would also allow for displaced Palestinians to return to their homes in northern Gaza under Israeli supervision, and includes a scheduled withdrawal of Israeli forces from major population centers there.

The negotiations, which remain tense and have so far failed to produce an agreement, gave Iran the opportunity to climb down from the more bellicose statements, analysts said, and take a wait-and-see approach to cease-fire talks while still considering a response.

In April, Iran retaliated against Israel for a deadly strike on the Iranian Embassy complex in Damascus, which killed seven people, including senior military advisers. It launched its first direct attack on Israel, firing hundreds of missiles and drones toward Israeli territory - most of which were intercepted, including by the U.S. military.

This time, Iran will probably have to do something bigger or different, Brew said.

Irans mission to the United Nations also hinted that the response may take a different form.

Perhaps when their eyes are fixed on the skies and their radar screens, they will be taken by surprise from the ground - or perhaps even by a combination of both, the mission said in its statement.

The timing, conditions, and manner of Irans response will be meticulously orchestrated to ensure that it occurs at a moment of maximum surprise, the statement said.
A Defense Department policy barring HIV-positive people from enlisting in the military is unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled Aug. 20, 2024. The ban is considered the last major hurdle denying full military service to people with HIV. (Joseph Barron/Air Force)

A Defense Department policy that advocates called the last major barrier to full military service for people with HIV was struck down this week by a federal judge in Virginia.

HIV-positive people with undetectable viral loads and no symptoms were barred from joining the armed forces under the policy.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled Tuesday that it was irreconcilable with scientific evidence concerning HIV treatment and transmission, calling it irrational, arbitrary and capricious.

The ruling came after civil rights defender Lambda Legal filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of the advocacy group Minority Veterans of America and three people who were unable to enlist or reenlist because of their HIV status.

They argued that DOD was in violation of their Fifth Amendment right to due process.

Attorney Peter Perkowski of Minority Veterans of America, who represented the plaintiffs, called on DOD to immediately comply with the ruling.

Officer candidate Nick Harrison, District of Columbia National Guard, is pinned the rank of first lieutenant by Baraq Stein, his partner at right, and Kevin Jennings, CEO of Lambda Legal, during a ceremony at the D.C. Armory on Aug. 5, 2023. Harrison successfully challenged the militarys discriminatory policies against service members living with HIV, leading to a landmark federal court decision affirming their right to serve and be deployed. (John Jack/Army)

We are thrilled the court has ruled in our favor and agreed that the militarys outdated policies blocking people living with HIV from enlisting are unconstitutional, Perkowski said in a statement by Lambda Legal on Tuesday. Thanks to modern science, there is no legitimate reason to continue denying people living with HIV the ability to enlist.

In 2022, the Pentagon announced that service members would no longer be discharged or separated from the military for testing positive for HIV. Nor would HIV-positive personnel with undetectable viral loads and no symptoms be prevented from deploying.

However, HIV would continue to be a disqualifying condition for those not already serving and wishing to enlist or commission.

The policy change followed rulings in Harrison v. Austin and Roe v. Austin in 2018 that ordered the military to stop discriminating against service members living with HIV.

In the current case, the Defense Department argued that certain deployments could make it difficult for HIV-positive troops to take their medication, resulting in a rebound of their viral loads.

The Pentagon also contended that allowing HIV-positive recruits would impose disproportionately high costs on the military and that sending HIV-positive troops to countries with access restrictions pertaining to the virus could be difficult, according to court documents.

Brinkema was not swayed, writing in her opinion that some of DODs arguments amounted to the same set of justifications offered in Harrison and Roe.

Merely labeling an argument as new does not make it so, she added.

DOD did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Antiretroviral therapy to treat HIV  or human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS  became widely available in the late 1990s.

Within several months of starting treatment, a persons viral load becomes suppressed, allowing the virus to drop to undetectable levels. At that point, those who take their medication cannot transmit the infection to HIV-negative partners through sex.

Isaiah Wilkins, the main plaintiff in the case, had been admitted to the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School and had signed an Army Reserve contract when he tested positive for HIV during a medical exam.

Wilkins, 24, was separated because of his health status. Following the ruling, he said he would resume his studies at the prep school.

Giving up on my dream to serve my country was never an option, Wilkins said in the Lambda Legal statement. I am eager to apply to enlist in the Army without the threat of a crippling discriminatory policy.
Kendra Peachey-Lubin is shown in this 2023 photo with her son, Hunter, at Childrens Hospital Colorado Springs, Colo. Peachey-Lubin became pregnant while serving in Iraq. Her duty involved handling and disposing of abandoned weapons. Her son was born with a rare medical condition that causes intellectual disability, muscle weakness and feeding difficulties, among other challenges. (Kendra Peachey-Lubin)

WASHINGTON  The Defense Department has identified 400 former service members who experienced possible or probable exposures to chemical weapons during the Iraq War with the Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct clinical evaluations and offer consultations and treatment, according to VA officials.

Called VET-HOME, the newly formed VA veterans exposure team for health outcomes [from] military exposure is expected to facilitate contact tracing, clinical exams for chemical weapons exposure and medical care for impacted veterans.

But the VA is coming under criticism from some lawmakers and impacted veterans about lengthy delays in fully implementing the clinical program to monitor the health status of the 400 veterans and develop treatment plans for them.

Istvan Gabor, a sergeant who served with the Armys 41st Transportation Company in Iraq destroying abandoned munitions, said he has struggled to get a medical exam for possible chemical weapons exposure and benefits for Gulf War syndrome.

I am still fighting just to get recognized by the VA and were kind of getting nowhere, said Gabor, who worked at an Iraq weapons destruction site called Arlington Depot where abandoned arsenals were removed from bunkers and detonated.

The Arlington Depot, which was an Iraq base called Bayji, was about 120 miles northwest of Baghdad.

Members of the Armys 41st Transportation Company said they detonated chemical weapons in bunkers at Arlington Depot, 124 miles north of Baghdad. The depot formerly was used by Iraqi forces before coming under U.S. control. More than 70 tons of weapons were demolished at a blow pit near the depot. (Morgan Hopson)

The Defense Department has not disclosed the locations where the 400 veterans were exposed to chemical weapons, and the VA does not grant disability benefits for chemical weapons exposures under the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022, known as the PACT Act.

Conditions related to sarin, mustard gas and other chemical warfare agents were not included by Congress in the PACT Act, according to Terrence Hayes, the VA press secretary.

Veterans can receive disability compensation for exposure if their military record shows confirmed contact with the chemical weapons, according to the VA. Claims are decided on a case-by-case basis.

The VA said this week that it has granted 35 claims for disability benefits related to chemical weapons exposure in Iraq from 2003-2011.

But Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who is chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said the PACT Act has a framework that allows the VA to establish additional toxic-exposure presumptions.

I urge VA to continue to use it to make sure this law is implemented the way Congress intended, he said. Every veteran exposed to toxins during their military service deserves access to the health care and benefits they earned and were promised.

Some members of the Armys 41st Transportation Company are seeking medical exams for determining exposure to chemical warfare agents in Iraq.

But they said they have encountered roadblocks to obtaining evaluations with the VA and denials for disability benefits for serious health conditions from which they are suffering or believe they have passed on to their children, according to the veterans and their advocates.

The 41st Transportation Company cleared out abandoned weapons from the Arlington Depot in 2003 and 2004. The location was never identified publicly by the military as a site that contained abandoned chemical weapons.

Gabor said he and fellow service members lost consciousness when they first uncovered a stash of weapons inside a bunker the size of a warehouse. They were not wearing protective gear.

That was one of the first things that happened to us. When we went into this bunker and opened it up, everyone passed out. There was this oily liquid leaking from the rounds. We were like, Whoa something is wrong here.

Members evacuated the bunker but returned that evening. Several reported headaches, confusion, shortness of breath and extreme sweating and salivating after working there, he and others said.

I was touching the weapons, loading them and taking them to the detonation site  doing this every day, Gabor said.

Morgan Hopson, an Army corporal who served with the 41st Transportation Unit, said he, Gabor and others raised questions about possible exposure to agents used in chemical weapons that were seen leaking from abandoned tanks and on the ground.

Morgan Hopson, an Army corporal who served with the 41st Transportation Company, said he and others raised questions about possible exposure to chemical weapons agents after observing liquid leaking from rounds, in abandoned tanks and on the ground. Members of his unit lost consciousness upon entering a bunker filled with abandoned weapons, he and others said. (Morgan Hopson)

There were no decontamination procedures in place, he said. We were told to get the job done, but this was a secret mission and not to discuss it further.

Gabor, who was discharged in 2006 after five years of service, said he was later diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, which was treated.

He said he experiences symptoms of a chronic multisymptom illness  also known as Gulf War Syndrome.

Gabor said his son, Kevin, who was conceived after his military service ended, was diagnosed with brittle bone disease at birth. He uses a wheelchair and has had hundreds of bone fractures, his father said.

Istvan Gabor, a sergeant who served with the Armys 41st Transportation Company in Iraq destroying abandoned munitions, said he has struggled to get a medical exam for possible chemical weapons exposure and disability benefits related to Gulf War Syndrome. He is shown with his son, Kevin, who was diagnosed at birth with brittle bone disease. (Istvan Gabor)

He also said he knows several other veterans from his unit with children who have serious disabilities. All the veterans were directly involved with weapons removal and detonation in Iraq, Gabor said.

No one is looking at this, he said.

Kendra Peachey-Lubin, a former private who joined the Army in April 2003, was a member of the same platoon and helped to remove and destroy caches of abandoned weapons.

There was a lot of talk about the different colors of the plumes when the weapons were detonated, she said. The smoke was tinged in green, yellow and orange.

Peachey-Lubin said she left military service in December 2004 after becoming pregnant. She was married to a service member deployed at another location, she said.

Her son, Hunter, now 19, was born with a rare genetic disorder that causes intellectual disability, respiratory illnesses, muscle weakness, impaired motor function and feeding issues.

Hunter Peachey-Lubin, the son of Army veteran Kendra Peachey-Lubin, was diagnosed with MECP2 duplication, a genetic disorder, at birth. Kendra Peachey-Lubin said neither she nor her former husband carried the gene that can cause the disorder. She believes his condition is related to her own exposure to chemicals leaking from weapons that her unit disposed of in Iraq. The service members did not wear protective equipment. (Kendra Peachey-Lubin)

He is nonverbal and cannot walk. He is 100% dependent on us, said Peachey-Lubin, who is Hunters full-time caregiver. His rare condition is called MECP2, which can be inherited, but neither parent was determined to be carriers.

She also developed asthma, neuropathy and severe headaches that persist now.

Peachey-Lubin said she has tried to get medical claims for chemical weapons exposure related to his condition. She said she saw three doctors in 18 months. She also saw her veteran service officer to discuss how she believes chemical weapons exposure have affected her health and her son.

I want this information in my files, so there is documentation, she said. The VA is confused by this. They look at me like I have a third eye. They are clueless on how to process a claim for a child with his kind of medical issues.

No one wants to touch this or do anything about it, she said. They pretty much distance themselves from the situation.

Peachey-Lubin said she has not been contacted by the VA for her one-time medical assessment.

I called several times on my own, but no one has returned my calls, she said.

Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., wrote a letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough in July urging him to the speed up the process by which former service members are medically evaluated and treated for illnesses and conditions that might be connected to chemical weapons exposure.

Brecheen wrote in the letter that his office heard from constituents who are former members of the Armys 41st Transportation Company about difficulties establishing appointments for exams related to possible chemical weapons exposure.

There has been a four-year delay in program activity between when the DOD offloaded the program to the VA and when the VA informed the surviving members of 41st Transportation Company that they were eligible for evaluation and for treatment as necessary, said Ben Decatur, communications director for Brecheen.

Brecheen has not heard directly from McDonough but was told by the VA secretarys staff that the VA has plans to restart the program, Decatur said.

Congressman Brecheen will continue to work with the VA to improve its operations. Congress has an obligation and the constitutional power to provide our veterans with adequate medical care, he said.

In addition, Tester has introduced the Molly R. Loomis Research for Descendants of Toxic Exposed Veterans Act to fund research on connections between toxic exposures and birth defects in the children of exposed veterans.

The findings could be used to support benefits for children of exposed veterans who were born with serious birth defects, his office said.

Hopson said he underwent a clinical exam focused on chemical weapons exposure after being contacted by VET-HOME in 2023.

I was among the first ones to be assessed. But the VA does not seem to have the systems in place for treatment and the doctors are uncertain about how to deal with this, he said.

Hopson said his assessment supported a finding of chemical weapons exposure, but there is no plan for follow-up treatment.

Theyre like, Hey you have these conditions from chemical weapons, but they seem to have no doctors with knowledge about treatment. Its a problem. You cannot get appropriate care, he said.

He was medevaced from Iraq in 2003 with a high fever, abnormal blood tests and bleeding from his mouth, after his unit cleared out and destroyed the abandoned weapons, he said.

Hopson also said the munitions had an acrid odor, leached an oily liquid and produced unusual plumes upon detonation. He said he also observed leaking rounds that seemed to have been recently filled and stacked.

Morgan Hopson, an Army corporal who served with the 41st Transportation Unit, said he took photos of weapons detonations because of the unusual colors of the plumes, tinged orange, green and yellow. Hopson said he became seriously ill during the mission and was medevacked to Germany with a high fever, headaches and bleeding from his mouth and pores. (Morgan Hopson)

The outside of the rounds was still wet and there was a trail of liquid to mobile mixing units, he said. The units were these huge metal containers with tubes running from them. They had been emptied out and were laying on their sides when we found them.

Hopson was hospitalized in Germany, suffering from a high fever, confusion, extreme headaches, blistering on his hands and torso, and blood sweating, a rare condition in which an individuals skin seeps blood.

After being medically discharged from the service in 2005, Hopson experienced a watershed stroke caused from a sudden drop in blood flow to the brain, he said.

He has continued to experience inflammation in different parts of his body that require immediate treatment. But he said he was denied disability benefits related to chemical weapons exposure.

I can wake up in the morning and find that the skin is falling off my hands or have a rash that rapidly spreads throughout my body and that happens internally, too, Hopson said.

Doctors at the VAs War Related Illness and Injury Study Center explained chemical weapons exposure can cause universal changes in bodily systems, he said.

Gabor said he has never received disability compensation or health care benefits for medical problems related to what he believes was chemical warfare exposure.

Gabor said a VA claim he filed in 2023 for disability benefits for Gulf War Syndrome has not been acted upon and recently disappeared from his online claim history and records in the VA system.

Im trying to track it down to see what happened, he said.

Gabor contacted the VA on his own to schedule a one-time assessment related to chemical weapons exposure after learning about the VET-HOME program.

He said he feels the issue of potential chemical weapons exposures by former service members during duty in Iraq is being avoided by military officials and the VA.

Gabor also believes his sons brittle bone disease  a rare medical condition  is the result of his own chemical weapons exposure.

I feel let down by the entire system, especially for my child who has a lifelong untreatable condition. I have a lot of grievances and regrets. This service was something I wanted to do for my country.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at a campaign rally in Las Vegas on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. Former President Donald Trump and his allies are continuing their attacks on Walzs account of his military service. (Jason Armond, Los Angeles Times via TNS)

(Tribune News Service)  The Trump campaign Wednesday released a letter signed by 50 Republican lawmakers who are military veterans that criticizes vice presidential candidate Tim Walz for what they called egregious misrepresentations of his time in uniform.

To be blunt, when you falsely claim military service that did not happen and abandon your post, you diminish the real sacrifices made by veterans who did serve in combat, reads the letter, whose signatories include Florida Rep. Brian Mast, chairman of the Veterans and Military Families for Trump coalition.

The letter is part of a sustained attack by the Trump campaign  spearheaded by Sen. JD Vance, the vice presidential candidate and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran  on the military service record of Walz, who served 24 years in the Army National Guard before retiring to run for Congress.

Republicans have lambasted Walz for retiring in May 2005, two months before his unit received orders to deploy to Iraq. The letter accuses Walz of abandoning the men and women under your leadership just as they were getting ready to deploy, calling his decision to leave the service not honorable.

When America asked you to lead your troops into War, you turned your back on your troops, it says. You have violated the trust of our brothers and sisters in arms. ... Until you admit you lied to them, there is no way you can be trusted to serve as Vice President.

The letter also highlights Walzs characterization of his military rank, which critics say he exaggerated for political gain.

The Minnesota governor achieved the rank of command sergeant major, one of the Armys highest enlisted ranks, but retired as a master sergeant because he did not complete the required coursework required to keep the higher title. His governors biography website calls him Command Sergeant Major Walz, and his and Vice President Kamala Harris campaign site says he rose to that rank.

The letter writers include Rep. Darrell Issa, who represents portions of San Diego and Riverside counties; Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, Florida Sen. Rick Scott, and Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, who served as secretary of the interior under Trump.

Vance, who has repeatedly accused Walz of stolen valor, doubled down on his attacks in a speech this week in a Philadelphia speech in which he joked that, before the end of the campaign, Tim Walz is going to be talking about how he was carrying an M16 through the jungles of Vietnam.

The closest Tim Walz has ever come to combat ... is when he let rioters burn Minneapolis to the ground after the police murder of George Floyd, said Vance, who was deployed to Iraq for six months in 2005 and did not see combat.

Walz addressed the scrutiny over his service during a speech to union workers in Los Angeles last week.

I am damn proud of my service to this country, Walz said, and I firmly believe that you should never denigrate another persons service record. For anyone who put on that uniform for our great country, including my opponent, I just have a few simple words: Thank you for your service and sacrifice.

The military service of the vice presidential candidates  as well as Trumps lack of it  has been a frequent theme during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week.

Trump never served in the military, and a string of deferments enabled him to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War. After graduating high school from the New York Military Academy in 1964, he received four education deferments to attend college.

In 1968, at age 22, he got a medical deferment for having bone spurs in his heels.

In a speech about reproductive rights at the Democratic convention on Tuesday night, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Army veteran who lost both her legs while serving in Iraq, called Trump old Cadet Bone Spurs.

I went to war to protect Americas rights and freedoms, so I take it personally when a five-time draft dodging coward like Donald Trump tries to take away my rights and freedoms in return, Duckworth said.

Trump in recent days has been criticized for saying the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor, is much better than the Medal of Honor, the nations highest military decoration, because its recipients either in very bad shape because theyve been hit so many times by bullets or theyre dead.

2024 Los Angeles Times.

Visit at latimes.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A former commander of a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Oklahoma will spend four years on probation after he pleaded guilty to stealing more than $40,000 from the organizations bank accounts to use for his personal expenses. (Joshua Jospeh Magbanu/U.S. Air Force)

A former commander of a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Oklahoma will spend four years on probation after he pleaded guilty to stealing more than $40,000 from the organizations bank accounts to use for his personal expenses.

Michael Bruce Colley, 65, of Marlow, Okla., was sentenced last week by Chief Judge Timothy DeGiusti in the Western District of Oklahoma, according to court records. He faced up to 20 years in federal prison.

Colley was charged in September with wire fraud for a theft scheme that he established while the commander of VFW Post 1192 in Duncan, according to court records. As commander from about July 2018 until June 2021, he presided over meetings, enforced the rules, appointed committee members and made certain that other leaders performed their duties. Though not traditionally the role of the commander, he also controlled the finances during a portion of his tenure.

The post had five bank accounts with First Bank & Trust Co., and Colley almost exclusively used and controlled these accounts, according to court records.

He requested the bank send him debit cards, which he used to make more than 30 unauthorized withdrawals of cash using ATMs located inside casinos between January 2019 and June 2021. He used the money for his own expenses, including his mortgage.

Following the theft, the Duncan post had to sell its building and merge with VFW Post 4888 in nearby Marlow. Duncan is located about 80 miles south of Oklahoma City and has a population of roughly 22,000. Jason Burns, the post commander in January, said the organization was fighting to stay alive.

The post remains active but did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment.

Colley enlisted in the Air Force in 1978 as an aircraft fuel systems mechanic, according to his official service record. He left the service in 1991 as a staff sergeant.
CANBERRA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Australia and Indonesia have agreed to upgrade their defense ties to a treaty-level agreement.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia's President-elect and Defense Minister, on Tuesday announced the conclusion of negotiations to upgrade the Australia-Indonesia Defence Cooperation Arrangement after meeting for talks in Canberra.

The treaty-level pact includes provisions for joint drills and for the Australian and Indonesian militaries to operate from each other's countries.

"It will be a vital plank for our two countries to support each other's security, which is vital to both countries but also to the stability of the region we share," Albanese told reporters at a joint press conference with Prabowo and Richard Marles, the Australian minister for defence and deputy prime minister.

The agreement, negotiations on which began in February 2023, will also improve education links between the countries and escalate cooperation on maritime security.

Prabowo, who won Indonesia's presidential election in February and will be inaugurated in October, thanked Albanese and Marles for progress on the defense agreement but also called for Australia to extend more help and assistance in agriculture, food security and narcotics.

"I view the drug problem and the narcotics threat to be of the highest importance in Indonesia and I really value Australian help in this case," Prabowo said. 
Niall ODonoghue (81), of Martello Tower, Killiney Hill Road, Killiney, Co Dublin, died in St Vincents University Hospital

An elderly man who got into difficulty at a popular bathing spot two years ago probably suffered a cardiac event, an inquest has heard.

Niall ODonoghue (81), of Martello Tower, Killiney Hill Road, Killiney, Co Dublin, died in St Vincents University Hospital (SVUH) on May 8, 2022.

A sitting of Dublin District Coroners Court heard the great-grandfather had been found in an unresponsive state in the water at Killiney Beach by a passer-by earlier that morning.

The deceaseds son, Philip ODonoghue, said he had gone to the beach after being alerted by his sister, Emma ODonoghue, that his father had gotten into difficulty during his swim.

Mr ODonoghue told the coroner, Crona Gallagher, that he was informed by gardai shortly after arriving at the hospital that his father had died.

Asked by the coroner if his father was in the habit of swimming on his own, Mr ODonoghue said it depended on the circumstances, as his father was an all-year-round swimmer and a member of Killiney Swimming Club.

He said his father would stay within his depth and swim parallel to the shore.

Mr ODonoghue also said his father had taken a video of Killiney Beach on the morning of his death and it showed the area was empty apart from one person in the distance.

The inquest heard the water was like glass that morning, but the sea had become rougher by the time the witness arrived at the beach.

Emma ODonoghue told the coroner her father had suffered a cardiac event after swimming in Killiney a few months earlier in December 2021.

He just collapsed after getting out of the water, she said.

The inquest heard family members had tried to persuade him to just get in and out of the water quickly after that event, but Mr ODonoghue persisted with his swimming habits, saying cold water will do me good.

Philip ODonoghue said his father returned to good health after that incident and got back to regular swimming and lifting weights.

He was very fit all his life, he said.

Emma O'Donoghue, the daughter of drowning victim Niall O'Donoghue

The inquest heard Mr ODonoghue had also participated in scuba diving and was a regular runner until about six years before his death.

In a written statement, Bridget McCaul, a woman who had gone to Killiney Beach to go swimming on the morning of Mr ODonoghues death, said she noticed someone in difficulty in the water at around 9.30am. Ms McCaul said she recognised it was Mr ODonoghue, as they were in the same swimming club, and she raised the alarm.

The inquest heard she told the deceaseds relatives she had seen a white object in the water that she realised was a swimming cap. She managed to pull Mr ODonoghue, who was face down in the water, to the shore, but he was unresponsive.

In another written statement, a consultant in emergency medicine at SVUH, Rosa McNamara, said the patients heart had stopped by the time he arrived at the hospital and he was pronounced dead at 11.34am.

A post-mortem examination showed Mr ODonoghue had a slightly enlarged heart as well as a 90pc blockage of his main coronary artery.

The coroner confirmed no drugs or alcohol were found in his body.

Dr Gallagher said it did not appear Mr ODonoghue had drowned because he was not a good swimmer or because of difficult sea conditions. She said it was more likely that he had experienced a cardiac event while swimming.

The coroner recorded the cause of death as due to drowning, with ischaemic heart disease related to a cardiac event while swimming.

Returning a verdict of accidental death, Dr Gallagher offered her condolences to Mr ODonoghues family.
Jonathan Abraham was arrested in Dublin and charged with performing a surgical procedure without being a registered medical practitioner

The "entire Jewish community stands fairly and squarely" behind a London-based rabbi awaiting trial accused of performing an illegal circumcision on a baby boy in Dublin, the High Court has heard.

Jonathan Abraham, 47, was arrested in Dublin on July 30 and charged with performing a surgical procedure, male circumcision on a child, without being a registered medical practitioner at an address in Dublin 15.

Two days later, the father of 10, a British citizen, was denied District Court bail, but he lodged a fresh application which opened before Ms Justice Karen O'Connor in the High Court in Cloverhill yesterday.

The defence proposed a suite of bail conditions, including a bond and a combination of independent sureties totalling 100,000, to secure his release pending trial.

After hearing evidence and submissions and receiving testimonials and an affidavit from the accused, Ms Justice O'Connor adjourned ruling on the application until Thursday.

Detective Garda Megan Furey said the offence, contrary to the Medical Practitioners Act 2007, could result in a maximum fine of 130,000 and five years imprisonment at the Circuit Court level.

Detective Garda Furey said there was strong evidence in support of the charge. Gardai entered an address in Dublin 15 with the homeowners' consent.

According to the detective, they observed the accused "dressed in a white robe, a doctor's-like gown, with blue gloves and a scalpel in his hand."

The court heard there was a table in the middle of the room with a changing pad, scissors and other medical supplies and implements. "Gardai at this time also observed a very young child on the changing pad naked," she said.

There were three babies, including a set of twins, aged between three and six weeks, in the house, but only one circumcision involving removal of the penis foreskin of an 18-day-old baby boy had taken place.

That infant was brought to a hospital as a precautionary measure.

The babies present when gardai arrived were from Muslim and Christian backgrounds, the court heard.

There was a set of twins whose mother had asked him through his website to perform the circumcision. The court heard his fees were 70 for travel, 350 for each child with a 70 discount for twins.

The detective said Mr Abraham was not a medical practitioner in Ireland, and she raised flight risk concerns. She said he flew into Dublin around midday and booked a 7 pm return flight for the same date.

She also thought he was entitled to an Israeli passport, but the court later heard he only had a UK passport.

The rabbi's wife, sister, and brother came to the hearing and watched the proceedings from the public gallery.

Defence barrister Ronan Kennedy SC (instructed by solicitor Michael Staines SC) furnished the court with testimonials.

They came from doctors, lawyers and leading figures in the Jewish community in London.

The court heard his family, including his elderly parents, depended on him and being in prison in Ireland, where he is in solitary confinement. It had caused them hardship and anxiety.

The garda said she was not aware that he was the leader of an orthodox congregation in north London or an expert in Jewish law.

The hearing was told he received a stipend for his work but also got a state benefit.

Ireland's Chief Rabbi Yoni Wieder told Ms Justice O'Connor that he could vouch for the accused's character and would assist him in adhering to bail terms.

During exchanges between Detective Garda Furey and Mr Kennedy, it emerged that a 2004 Department of Health report said a rabbi could perform non-therapeutic circumcision for cultural or religious purposes.

However, the garda stated the report recommended that they be done in sterile environments.

The court heard Rabbi Abraham was a member of the Initiation Society, the oldest Anglo-Jewish organisation, founded in 1745; he was a mohel and trained to perform circumcisions in the UK.

The defence submitted that it would be frowned upon in the defendant's community if he evaded justice and no mohel had been prosecuted in this manner before.

The judge heard that the defendant was seeking to be let return to London pending trial but would reside in Dublin if the court made that a condition.

Mr Kennedy said his client intended to contest the case, which has attracted international attention, and "the entire Jewish community stands fairly and squarely behind him".

Until his trial, the court heard that he wished to be able to return to his family and undertake his rabbinical duties.

The defence proposed bail terms in the defendant's bond of 10,000, of which half must be paid over by him, along with 50,000 raised by his community in England and 40,000, of which half must be lodged from an independent surety in Dublin.

Trial venue directions from the Director of Public Prosecution are still pending on whether the case will be heard in the District Court or the Circuit Court.
Glen Bride, 30, of Mount Olive Park, Kilbarrack, Dublin, was charged and remanded in custody following a brief hearing.

A book of evidence is nearly ready to be served on a man accused of impeding the investigation into the murder of Drogheda teenager Keane Mulready Woods, a court has heard.

Mulready Woods, 17, was last seen alive by his family on the evening of Sunday, January 12, 2020. He was killed, and his body was later dismembered.

Remains found at Coolock and in a burned-out vehicle at Trinity Terrace, Dublin, and at Rathmullan Park in Drogheda, Co. Louth, were those of the missing boy.

On Friday, Glen Bride, 30, of Mount Olive Park, Kilbarrack, Dublin, was charged and remanded in custody following a brief hearing.

He was accused of damaging a Volvo V40 car bearing false registration plates by fire for the benefit of a criminal organisation on January 15, 2020, at Trinity Terrace, Ballybough, Dublin 3.

The second charge alleged that from January 13  15, 2020, at Trinity Terrace, to enhance the ability of a criminal organisation to commit a serious offence, murder, he participated in or contributed to the transportation and disposal of body parts of Keane Mulready Woods.

The third charge stated that over the same two-day period at locations in the State, he impeded the apprehension or prosecution of another person who committed the murder and knowing they were guilty of that or another offence.

He did not apply for bail and faced his second hearing at Dublin District Court today. Judge Monika Leech heard that the Director of Public Prosecutions has directed trial on indictment in the non-jury Special Criminal Court.

The judge was told that the prosecutions book of evidence was nearly ready.

Judge Leech noted from defence solicitor Tracy Horan that her client consented to adjourning the case until September 16, and he was remanded in custody to appear again on that date.

Prosecutors must serve the book of evidence must be served on him before a return-for-trial order is granted.

Mr Bride did not address the court.

Keane Mulready-Woods

Earlier in the proceedings, the defence said, My client has concerns for his safety in custody, and he had asked to be held at Mountjoy rather than Cloverhill Prison.

In May, Stephen Carberry, 46, of Adair Apartments, Sandymount, Dublin 4, was charged with the same three offences. He is currently awaiting trial in the Special Criminal Court.

Last year, that court jailed two men for connected crimes.

Gerard Cruise, 50, of Rathmullan Park, Drogheda, pleaded guilty to a charge that, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, he facilitated the murder of Keane Mulready Woods, at Rathmullan Park, Drogheda.

He received a seven-year jail term.

Paul Crosby, 28, of Rathmullan Park, Drogheda, also admitted the same offence and was imprisoned for 10 years.

Those proceedings heard that the prime suspect in the murder was Robert Lawlor, a notorious Dublin criminal.

Lawlor, 36, was shot dead in Belfast in April 2020.
A spokesperson confirmed that no injuries were reported.

Gardai have sealed off a house in Galway after an alleged shooting and fire incident last night.

Gardai were alerted to the incident at Cluain Riocaird , a housing estate in the citys suburbs, at around 7.30pm on Tuesday evening, August 20, and arrived at the scene shortly afterwards.

A spokesperson confirmed that no injuries were reported but a probe into the incident is underway.

Gardai are investigating an incident of discharge of a firearm and criminal damage to a residential property in Castlegar, Galway on the evening of Tuesday, August 20, 2024, they said.

At approximately 7.30pm, gardai were alerted and attended the scene. No persons were injured during the incident.

Investigations are ongoing.
The gang travelled to Charleville from Limerick and their intended target is understood to have been a young male.

Gardai are appealing for witnesses to come forward. Stock image: Getty

A girl (12) who suffered a serious head injury during an attack on a Cork property was the innocent and unintended victim of a spiralling feud between two groups in Cork and Limerick.

Gardai are following a definite line of inquiry into the attack on a family home in Charleville last Monday night in which the girl suffered a serious head injury when an object was thrown into the property.

Detectives believe five masked men  several of whom are believed to have links to criminality in the Munster region  were tasked to carry out the attack that happened at about 11.30pm.

The gang travelled to Charleville from Limerick and their intended target is understood to have been a young male.

Officers are now hopeful of identifying the vehicle used in the attack from a study of CCTV security camera footage from homes and commercial premises around Charleville.

Senior gardai have described as "vile and heinous" the attack on the family home at New Line in which a mother and her children were left terrified.

The incident in Charleville involved a group of up to five masked men who tried to force their way into a family home.

The gang were searching for a male who was not present at the scene when the attack began  and the masked men fled the scene when they realised that the child had been injured.

Earlier, the gang had caused considerable damage to a parked car outside the property.

During this attack, several objects were thrown into the house.

The youngster was treated at the scene by paramedics before being rushed to Cork University Hospital (CUH) by ambulance.

However, such was the nature of the child's injuries that she was later transferred to Dublin for specialist care.

The youngster is now being treated at Temple Street Children's Hospital.

It is understood she underwent emergency surgery. Her condition is described as serious but stable.

Her family are maintaining a vigil by her bedside.

Detectives described the attack on the family home as shocking and disturbing.

This is a new low, a senior garda said.

We regard this as a vile and heinous attack and we would urge everyone within the Charleville community to help us bring those responsible to justice.

Officers sealed off the scene after the incident in New Line in the town on the Cork-Limerick border to allow for a forensic and technical examination.

Detectives are investigating.

When a patrol unit attended the scene, considerable criminal damage was visible both to a parked vehicle and a local property.

The girl was found at a property in a semi-conscious state with a serious head injury.

Gardai have begun door-to-door inquiries in the area and a number of people have given statements.

Charleville gardai have now appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

Gardai are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this incident to come forward or who may have been in the vicinity of the New Line in Charleville town on Monday between 10.30pm and 12am midnight, a spokesperson said.

Additionally, any persons with camera footage (including dash-cam footage) from the area at the time are encouraged to provide it to investigating gardai.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Mallow garda station at 022 31450, the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or any garda station.

Locals said they were deeply shocked by the incident.

Everyone here is stunned by what happened, one Charleville resident said.

This is a quiet area and people just cannot believe it. Everyone is praying for that poor child and that she makes a full recovery.

Councillor John Paul O'Shea said the community was appalled by what had happened.

He urged people to support the gardai and help bring the culprits to justice.
New probe launched into Klu Klux Klan display at mosque

Group of far right thugs dressed in Ku Klux Klan garb outside Newtownards mosque in 2018

A TERRIFYING Ku Klux Klan stunt at a mosque six years ago could finally see people prosecuted after a review of the case.

The Bangladesh Islamic Centre in Newtownards was the target of racist graffiti and a failed petrol bomb attack last week in the aftermath of a swathe of anti-immigration protests and street disorder.

But as we revealed last week, the mosque has been in the crosshairs of dangerous far-right thugs for at least the last seven years.

In 2017, a pigs head was left on the steps of the mosque in Greenwell Street, and the following year a group of men dressed up in KKK costumes and carrying crosses posed for pictures outside the mosque and were filmed boozing in a nearby pub beforehand.

But seven years on nobody has been convicted of any offence connected to those two race hate incidents  despite some of them being clearly identified in photographs afterwards.

The lack of action has drawn criticism from anti-fascist campaigners who feel had they been taken more seriously by the authorities it could have put others off from attacking the mosque last weekend.

Sharon Mellor poses in a bar with one of the men  she claimed she believed it was just Halloween fancy dress

Matthew Collins, from Hope Not Hate, told the Sunday World: At a time when there were heightened tensions, its disappointing the PSNI appeared to not be monitoring either known far right actors or potential places they would target.

This mosque in particular has been a particular favourite target for race haters. On this issue  racial hatred  the PSNI appear to be failing in getting to grips with the continuing insidious activities of a small but vocal few.

But we can reveal the case has been reopened and theres a potential for at least three people to be brought before the courts for the provocative 2018 KKK stunt.

The Public Prosecution Service told the Sunday World this week: This case is currently under review as additional evidence was recently received from the PSNI.

That response came after we had asked the PSNI about the KKK incident and if anyone had ever been brought to court over it.

They told us: Nine men were arrested in connection with this investigation that was treated as a hate crime involving a group of people dressed as Ku Klux Klan members in Newtownards on Saturday, 27th October 2018.

The men were all arrested on suspicion of displaying written material to stir up hatred or arouse fear and later bailed to allow for further inquiries.

Two men aged 33, and two men aged 32 and 41, were released unconditionally following questioning in respect of the investigation.

A report was submitted to the Public Prosecution Service in relation to three men aged 33, 39 and 41.

Two men, aged 31 and 32, were also issued with a community resolution notice.

A man gets ready to lob a petrol bomb at Newtownards mosque

This week the PPS confirmed to the Sunday World they had made the decision in May 2019 not to bring charges against the three men who the PSNI submitted files on as their cases did not pass the Test for Prosecution on evidential grounds.

They told this paper: Following a thorough consideration of all available evidence in an investigation file submitted by police in April 2019, a decision [was made] not to prosecute a number of individuals reported to the PPS for alleged offences of displaying written material to stir up hatred or arouse fear issued in May 2019, as it did not pass the Test for Prosecution on evidential grounds.

However, that stance appears to have now changed and they have told us they are looking into the case again and will make a decision soon.

When new information or evidence becomes available it is considered along with all the existing information and evidence in the case and the Test for Prosecution applied. A decision will issue in due course.

Images of the group of at least nine draped in sinister garb, carrying wooden crosses and posing outside the mosque six years ago, were beamed around the world, making headlines on CNN international news and in The Washington Post and The Guardian.

National Front leader Tony Martin was suspected of being involve in the KKK incident after his then partner Sharon Mellor was pictured posing with some of those in costume afterwards.

Sharon Mellor once bragged about attacking the Newtownards mosque.

Mellor, originally from Gillingham, made the claim in an angry rant on Facebook a number of years ago.

Cross-hair graffiti was sprayed on the wall of the Mosque building

After Britain First members posted pictures of themselves outside what they claimed was a new mosque, a furious Mellor responded saying: Since when has this been a new mosque Ive been ranting for three years about it ffs even tried burning the f**ker down.

A photograph showing one of the group with Mellor also appeared online.

Mellor, who moved to Newtownards, brushed off her appearance with the KKK mob as coincidence.

A few blokes were dressed up for Halloween, [Ive] no idea who they were, she told the Belfast Telegraph at the time.

Her ex-soldier partner, who was elected chairman of the hate group last month, was unable to recall what pub the pair were in when the image was taken as he is not from the area.

I was out with my girlfriend and we saw some guys in fancy dress, he said at the time.

Shaz posed for a photo.
It cannot be that a life is lost and her family is denied the truth, he said in a social media statement

The Nationalist Party in Malta has supported calls for an inquest into the murder of Nicolette Ghirxi earlier this month.

Ghirxi (48) was found dead in an apartment in Birkirkara, a town about 7km west of Valletta, at around 2am on August 2 after allegedly being fatally stabbed by her ex-partner, Irishman Edward William Johnston (50).

He was later killed by Maltese police on a beach in the seaside town of St Julians after a three-hour standoff.

On Monday, Maltese politician Bernard Grech backed calls made by Ghirxis family for an independent inquiry into whether her murder could have been prevented.

It cannot be that a life is lost and her family is denied the truth, he said in a social media statement.

The (Nationalist Party) joins Nicolette Ghirxis familys call for an independent inquiry to find out what more could have been done by the State to prevent Nicolettes death.

It is only by conducting an independent inquiry and then fully committing to implementing all the necessary changes that we can ensure things improve and other women are protected before it is too late.

Ghirxis former lawyer Joseph Borda and two members her family told Times of Malta this week that they wanted an inquiry to establish the facts leading to her tragic death.

Nicolettes family have a right to know what led to her murder, and if her death could have been avoided, he said.

Edward Johnston

"This is the only way we can identify the states failings and how it failed Nicolette".

Ms Ghirxis family have said Johnston began harassing his former partner when she ended a two-year relationship between them. They alleged he ran a number of fake social media accounts which were used to harass and slander Ms Ghirxi.

She filed police reports on two occasions with regard to her former partner, Maltese police confirmed.

There were no previous reports of violence between the two but in April, Ms Ghirxi filed two harassment reports against Johnston after receiving some emails from him when they broke up.

However, she decided against carrying out a risk assessment, telling police and social welfare officials she did not believe she was at risk.

She filed another report of harassment in May, again linked to emails. At the time, police established that Johnston was not in Malta, Mr Gafa said, describing the emails as being harassment but not of a threatening nature.

In July, the victim again contacted police about a number of slanderous social media posts about her and said she suspected Johnston. Days before her death, she informed police by email that Johnston may be in Malta.

Sources told the Times of Malta that Mr Johnston had gone to the Hilton Hotel in St Julians at around 11.30pm on August 1 and asked for a drink at the hotels Vista Lobby Lounge, overlooking the sea.

He was told by the bartender that the bar was closed. The staff member later left the bar for a short moment to check with colleagues.

Upon their return, Johnston pulled out a gun and said: Get me a beer or Ill shoot you. He left the hotel and is believed to have jumped down to the ground from a nearby roof.

Police were alerted when they received a report of a man in St Julians wielding a gun and saying he had murdered someone.

Police commissioner Angelo Gafa told a news conference earlier this week that Johnston told police he had murdered a woman.

A police negotiator was brought in and two police teams were deployed, one to Birkirkara, where they found the womans apartment door locked and had to break in to find the victim dead.

The other unit was deployed to the Hilton. Police cordoned off the area behind the Hilton as Johnston was found on the rocks behind the hotel, the police commissioner has said.

Johnston jumped into the sea and pointed a gun at his head and despite police negotiators descending on the scene, he leapt at one of the officers, resulting in him being shot. He was transported to Mater Dei Hospital and was later confirmed dead, Mr Gafa confirmed.

When he said those words and pointed the gun at the police, he knew he was provoking them to shoot him, because that is what police do when faced with a threat like that, all the while knowing he had nothing to fire back with, the source said.
TOKYO, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- A zoo in Japan's western city of Hiroshima said Wednesday that it had confirmed the country's first case of a pregnancy of an African forest elephant, a species threatened with extinction, local media reported.

According to the Hiroshima City Asa Zoological Park, African forest elephants, classified as "critically endangered" on the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, are very rare in the wild and there are only three in captivity worldwide, Kyodo News reported.

The pregnancy was confirmed via ultrasonic echography on Aug. 14. The zoo will continue to monitor the expectant mother's health through blood tests and other measures until she gives birth, the report said.

As an elephant's gestation period is usually 20 to 22 months, she is expected to give birth sometime between August and October next year, the report said.

The elephant, which came to the Hiroshima zoo in 2001 from Burkina Faso, is estimated to be 25 years old. In 2022, the zoo partnered her with a male elephant on loan from another Japanese zoo and had been working toward a successful conception. 
Molloy, who runs Molloy Estates in Blanchardstown, also claimed to the Sunday World that his tenants think hes the nicest landlord ever.

A landlord who has been ordered to pay damages for stress and suffering to a 92-year-old tenant he tried to evict has astonishingly described her as a stubborn old woman and a diddery aul wan who should be in a nursing home.

Patrick Molloy, (55) from Castleknock in Dublin, also said he has no regrets about sending the eviction notice and admitted that he will sell the property and make a profit on the apartment when his tenant dies.

In a lengthy expletive-laden interview, Molloy also lashed out at numerous people, including the womans solicitor, who he called a f***ing arsehole, and Sinn Fein TD Eoin OBroin, who he labelled the arsehole with the glasses, for describing him as a greedy landlord.

Molloy, who runs Molloy Estates in Blanchardstown, also claimed to the Sunday World that his tenants think hes the nicest landlord ever.

Ask any of my tenants am I greedy, [theyll say] no hes sound, hes the nicest landlord ever, Molloy told us when we approached him at his office this week.

He also lashed out at the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) who described his actions as unconscionable and said he planned to sue them for defamation.

The headlines should have read another decent landlord was f**ked over by the RTB.

Patrick Molloys property in Rathfarnham

The tenant, whose name we are not revealing, had been living in an apartment in Rathfarnham, Dublin, since 2011 and paid rent of 1,150 per month.

However, when Patrick Molloy bought the property in 2022, he sought to increase the rent on three occasions. In July 2022, he issued a notice of termination, indicating that he intended to sell the apartment.

A legal representative for the pensioner argued that the eviction notice was a knee-jerk reaction to her querying the rent increase.

He claimed the landlord wanted to penalise the tenant and he did not take any action to sell the property.

The 92-year-old woman also claimed that the landlord had shouted at her on a couple of occasions. He said he may have raised his voice once or twice, but did not shout at her.

Mr Molloy was ordered to pay 3,750 damages for what the RTB said were unconscionable actions.

The tribunal determined that the notice was served so he could gain vacant possession and increase the rent in excess of rent pressure zone caps to a new tenant.

It ruled that the notice of termination and the third rent review were invalid.

Asked by our reporter if he regretted sending the eviction notice now, he replied: Do you know what, it got their attention, I was so ticked off, I dont regret sending the eviction notice, I havent sent another one. I could send another one.

Molloy then made a number of personal slurs against his tenant in a sickening rant.

Shes just a stubborn old woman and she wants to stay there. I said, Jesus Christ, she should be looked after properly in a nursing home. Thats what I said to her a few times. Shes just stubborn and wants to stay.

He went on to say she was a diddery aul wan at the RTB meeting and he felt he could have won his case if he challenged her more at the hearing but he didnt want to embarrass the old woman.

He went on to make further slurs against his tenant which this newspaper is not going to repeat.

He said he believed the apartment could command a rent of between 2,500 and 2,700 a month and also said he had to pay 3,000 a year in management fees and also spent 10,500 addressing fire safety issues.

However, he boasted that despite these costs he will still make a profit on the apartment which he bought for 292,000 in 2022.

If she died today or next month or two years time Ill sell it and make a profit on the apartment, he said.

Thankfully, the property has gone up since I bought it.

Another two bed apartment in the same block sold for over 400,000 last year.

Molloy sad he was unhappy with media coverage of the case. It sounds like I scruff-of-the-neck grabbed a 92-year-old and threw her out of the place.

The landlord is getting f***ed over [but] people read what they want to read.

He said he was angry that Sinn Fein TD Eoin OBroin commented on the case.

That arsehole with the glasses on, whats his name, Eoin OBroin, he called me a greedy landlord. Im not greedy.

Sinn Fein TD Eoin O Broin

The tenant had been living in the property for more than a decade when Molloy bought it, and he claims he initially wasnt going to increase her rent.

I was trying to figure out what age she was. She looked well for 90. [I thought] The poor aul divil, I think Ill just leave her alone. She probably has 10 years left, God bless her, and shell probably leave to a nursing home.

Then I said am I being stupid? What Ill do is send her a rent increase notice because if she does go I wont be able to put up the rent for the next tenant to the legal amount. I have to put increments, increments, increments.

He said he had tried to do this twice but he was knocked back after the womans solicitor later replied that the notices were invalid as he had not provided comparables of rent in the area in one notice and the figure was wrong in another.

I had to give 90 days notice. Two weeks before the 90 days he said thats invalid. I said hes a f**king areshole.

Molloy then issued a third rent increase notice but before he got a response, he then changed tack and decided to issue an eviction notice and claimed he was selling the property.

I was just f***ing pissed off, he said.

He claimed he wouldnt have actually evicted the 92-year-old.

The RTB found that the context of the notice of termination being served within three days of a disputed rent review notice shows the landlord had not demonstrated that he genuinely intended to sell the property.

The tribunal adjudicators said the notice was issued out of frustration and to pressurise the tenant into accepting the increased rent.

Molloy insisted this week he had intended to sell the apartment when he issued the notice.

The recent ruling was not the first time the RTB found against him. They reprimanded him previously for failing to register the tenancy with the RTB.

I was sanctioned for not registering. Jesus Christ, the amount of paperwork because of it, he said.

Molloy claims he is still on good terms with his tenant and said he went over recently and had a cup of tea and chat.

He also said he previously visited her when she was in hospital.

I went into hospital to visit her a few times I went in and visited her and brought her in flowers and chocolates or whatever. That is not mentioned.

I brought her flowers for Valentines Day Jesus, theyre lovely red roses, 92-year-old getting them off the landlord. Thats not mentioned.

Molloy said he couldnt understand why he was getting such bad press.

They should have more sympathy for landlords because there are decent landlords out there like myself. Youre talking to a good landlord here, he said.

No wonder the landlords are running from the market, he said before saying some landlords were f***ing pr**ks.

Despite everything that happened, he felt his tenant would welcome him with open arms if he called over now.

I get on with her. I would go over with you and she would let me in and have a cup of tea and have a chat. I like older people, theyre older, wiser and more knowledgeable than I am, he said.
A woman in her 60s who was arrested in relation to the alleged harassment of Taoiseach Simon Harris at his family home has been released without charge.

The woman had been detained on Thursday and was being held at a garda station in Co Wicklow.

She was the second person to be arrested in connection with the incident at Mr Harriss home in Greystones on May 2.

Protesters gathered outside the home as Mr Harriss children were preparing for bed.

The incident came days after Mr Harris had criticised protests outside politicians homes as downright thuggery.

Mr Harris lives with his wife and two small children in a housing estate in the Co Wicklow town.

More than a dozen people were part of a group who gathered at his home, holding banners with slogans including close the borders, house the Irish first and Eire will no longer run by EU puppets.

Gardai have released the woman, aged in her 60s, that was detained in relation to the ongoing investigations into the alleged harassment of an elected representative on 2nd May, 2024, a garda spokesperson said.

She was released without charge last night and a file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Investigations ongoing, the spokesperson added.
The lawsuit was filed by Jeffrey Piccolo, whose wife Kanokporn Tangsuan died last October from an allergic reaction after eating at one of Disneys restaurant.

The Raglan Road is in Disney World in Florida

Disney has reversed its decision to oppose a widowers wrongful death lawsuit over his wifes death at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

The lawsuit was filed by Jeffrey Piccolo, whose wife Kanokporn Tangsuan died last October from an allergic reaction after eating at Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant in the Disney Springs shopping complex in Orlando.

In its initial response in April to the complaint, Disney made no mention of arbitration, instead arguing it was not liable because it has no control over Raglans operations or management, and merely serves as its landlord.

But in a later filing, Disney argued that the complaint is subject to arbitration based on Mr Piccolos Disney+ subscription, as well as his use of the companys website in 2023 to buy theme park tickets.

Disneys legal strategy was slammed as preposterous and absurd by Piccolos attorney Brian Denney, according to court documents.

This week, the company waived its right to arbitration.

In a statement on Monday night, Josh DAmaro, Disney Experiences Chairman, said: At Disney, we strive to put humanity above all other considerations.

Disney Springs at Walt Disney Resort, Florida. Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

With such unique circumstances as the ones in this case, we believe this situation warrants a sensitive approach to expedite a resolution for the family who have experienced such a painful loss.

As such, weve decided to waive our right to arbitration and have the matter proceed in court.

The case began when Mr Piccolo dined at Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant with his wife Kanokporn Tangsuan, and his mother Jackie on October 5, 2023.

Its alleged in the 19-page lawsuit that Tangsuan, a doctor at NYU Langone in New York City, informed waiters that she had a severe allergy to dairy and nuts ahead of the meal the meal.

According to the complaint filed in Orange County in February, waitstaff assured Dr Tangsuan multiple times that her food - broccoli and corn fritter, scallops and onion rings - would be prepared without allergens.

After eating, Tangsuan and her mother-in-law split up to go shopping at different shops in Disney Springs while Mr Piccolo returned to their hotel room with leftovers.

Tangsuan began having severe difficulty breathing and collapsed to the floor at around 8.45pm while shopping at Planet Hollywoods merchandise store, the lawsuit states.

A bystander called 911 and an epi-pen was administered before she was rushed to hospital, but she passed away shortly afterwards.

A medical examiners investigation concluded that Tangsuan died as a result of anaphylaxis due to elevated levels of dairy and nut in her system.

The 42-year-olds death was ruled an accident, according to an autopsy report obtained by Florida Politics.

Mr Piccolo is now seeking more than $50,000 in damages pursuant to Floridas Wrongful Death Act, as well as damages for mental pain and suffering, loss of companionship and protection, and funeral expenses.

He alleged that Disney failed to educate, train and/or instruct its employees to make sure food indicated as allergen free or requested to be made allergen free, was in fact free of allergens.

Piccolos attorney Brian Denney told Florida Politics earlier this year: Jeff really wants to make sure that this never happens to anyone else.

Its very important to him that people are aware that people with severe allergies like this should be taken seriously. And he doesnt want this to happen to anybody elses family.

Raglan Roads online menu states that cross-contamination may occur and the restaurant cannot guarantee that their dishes will be completely free of gluten/allergens.
Researchers analysed samples of Maria Branyass DNA in a bid to understand her longevity

The worlds oldest living person has died aged 117, her family has announced.

Spains Maria Branyas died peacefully in her sleep at the Santa Maria del Tura nursing home in the town of Olot, Catalonia, her relatives said in a post on X.

In her long life, which she attributed in a 2019 interview to an orderly life... without excesses, Ms Branyas lived through two world wars, the Spanish Civil War, the 1918 flu pandemic and the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement, her family said: She has died as she wanted: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain.

A few days ago she told us: One day I will leave here. I will not try coffee again, nor eat yoghurt I will also leave my memories, my reflections and I will cease to exist in this body. One day, I dont know [when], but its very close. This long journey will be over. Death will find me worn out from having lived so long, but I want it to find me smiling, free and satisfied.

The family added: We will always remember her for her advice and kindness.

Maria Branyas, who was born in San Francisco in 1907, died in her sleep at a nursing home in Spain.

She was declared the worlds oldest living woman by the Guinness World Records upon the death of Lucile Randon, of France, who reached 118 years and 340 days.

Ms Branyas was born in San Francisco in 1907, but moved with her family to Catalonia in 1915, where she finally settled in Barcelona.

She outlived her husband, who died in 1976, as well as her son, who died aged 86.

She contracted Covid after her 113th birthday in 2020, but fully recovered within days to become the worlds oldest survivor of the virus at the time.

Researchers had previously taken samples of Ms Branyass DNA to analyse in a bid to understand longevity.

Manel Esteller, one of the scientists involved in the analysis, told Spanish outlet ABC at the time: She has a completely lucid head.

She remembers, with impressive clarity, events from when she was only four years old and she does not present any cardiovascular disease, common in elderly people.

It is clear that there is a genetic component because there are several members of her family who are over 90 years old.

Ms Branyas was the 12th-oldest verified person in history.

The oldest person ever authenticated was Frances Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days.
Berry sung her former co-stars praises in a new video with Wired in which she answers the internets most asked questions about herself.

Halle Berry says she is a big fan of Meath actor Pierce Brosnan. Photo: Kevin Winter

Halle Berry attends a roundtable discussion highlighting women's health research at University of Illinois on January 11, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/Getty Images)

Halle Berry has said that filming James Bond flick Die Another Day with Pierce Brosnan "restored my faith in men.

The Catwoman actor played Bond girl Jinx in the 2002 movie, which marked Brosnans final stint as 007 seven years after he took over from Timothy Dalton in GoldenEye (1994).

In a new video with Wired in which she answers the internets most asked questions about herself, Berry sung her former co-stars praises.

Responding to the question, What James Bond movie was Halle Berry in?', she revealed that the Navan man was her favourite actor to play the famous secret agent.

Halle Berry says she is a big fan of Meath actor Pierce Brosnan. Photo: Kevin Winter

Im a Pierce Brosnan fan. He will always be my Bond, always, she gushed.

He restored my faith in men in that movie. There couldnt be a human who is more of a gentleman than Pierce Brosnan.

Berry added that it was never on her wish list to star in a Bond film, but said that she always loved the movies.

Having been in one, I feel like Im a part of cinematic history. Those movies are iconic. They will forever be a part of our history, and Im really honoured to have been a part of one, especially with Pierce.

It comes after Brosnan celebrated his 23rd wedding anniversary with his wife Keely Shaye Smith.

He took to Instagram earlier this month to share a carousel of photos of the couple over the years, including snaps of them holding hands on the beach and sharing multiple embraces.

"Happy 23rd anniversary my darling Keely my beautiful brown eyed girl, my north, my south, my east and west. All my love, should I fall behind, wait for me," Brosnan captioned the post.

American journalist Smith also shared her own Instagram post paying tribute to her husband, sharing photos from their wedding day alongside the caption: "You are the finest, loveliest, tenderest person I have ever known.

"Happy Anniversary my love @piercebrosnanofficial. Heres to the next 23 years together. May they continue to be creative, adventurous, loving, inspiring, and joyful. Time flies on loves wings."

The pair first met in Mexico back in 1994 and wed in Brosnans native Ireland in August 2001.

They share two sons, Dylan and Paris, while Brosnan is also a father to son Sean from his first marriage to Cassandra Harris.

He also adopted Harris other two children, Charlotte and Christopher, from her first marriage after their father died in 1986.

Harris and Brosnan were married for 11 years before she died from ovarian cancer in December 1991.

In 2013, their daughter Charlotte also passed away from ovarian cancer at the age of 42.
A fatality alert has been issued to the forestry industry about operating diggers on unstable ground based on preliminary investigations into the deaths of two men last month.

WorkSafe and the Forestry Industry Safety Council jointly issued the industry safety advisory after the men were killed within 10 days while operating excavators in waterways in Bay of Plenty and Tairawhiti.

Gisborne man Tony Andrew Crosswell, 48, died on July 22 after a 30-tonne evacuator tipped over in the Waimata River and he was trapped inside the submerged cab of the machine.

Craig Dawson Griffiths, 58, of Opotiki, died on July 31 after his machine became submerged in the Kaingaroa Forest near Rotorua.

WorkSafe NZ has launched investigations into the circumstances of the two deaths.

A spokesman for the workplace safety watchdog says the investigations were still in their early stages.

The August 12 fatality alert stated the early indications were that both incidents involved unstable ground conditions.

The alert outlines safety points that should be considered when operating an excavator near water and unstable ground conditions, including identifying hazards and risks, using agreed safety controls and communicating that to workers and others involved.

Appropriate controls when excavating near water included ensuring the excavator was in a stable position and monitoring the ground conditions if it became unstable.

If working near water, establish a safe setback position to ensure stability is not compromised to undercutting, the alert says.

In the alert, WorkSafe and FISC offered condolences to the whanau and communities involved in these tragedies and urged those in the industry to post the alert in containers and discuss it at their safety tailgate meetings.

Forestry Industry Contractors Association chief executive Rowan Struthers says on receiving the alert, copies were widely distributed  to its members.

The association was formed in 2022 to promote a safe and sustainable forest contracting industry and has 240-plus member companies and associate members in harvesting, silviculture, civil and roading and partners with other forestry entities.

Rowan says he was aware the alert had been sent to other stakeholders in the industry including various Wood Councils.

These are tragic, tragic events and our thoughts go to the immediate families of these two men and everyone else involved.

He says the association worked closely with WorkSafe and FISC concerning a raft of matters, not only health and safety.

This is all about helping raise awareness of these tragic events and improving the health and safety and wellbeing of everyone in the industry.

The Forestry Industry Safety Council was established in response to the 2014 Independent Forestry Safety Review, and is jointly funded by the forestry industry and the Government with aims to improve health and safety in the industry. Chief executive Joe Akari was approached for comment.

-Bay of Plenty Times
Bay of Plenty cancer patients will no longer need to travel to Auckland or Hamilton for specialist scans as a new radiology clinic has opened in Tauranga.

I-MED Radiologys newest clinic in Fraser Cove opened to the public on July 2.

Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell, Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford, stakeholders, and staff gathered at an event on August 15 to formally open the clinic.

In a first for the region, the clinic offers PET-CT and SPECT scans - important diagnostic tools used to help diagnose cancer and assess cancer treatment, an I-MED Radiology statement says.

It also offers general radiology services, including MRI, X-ray, and ultrasound, providing the local community with access to shorter scan times, it says.

I-MED Radiology has opened a new radiology clinic in Tauranga. Pictured (from left) I-MED New Zealand general manager Angus Brown, Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford, and I-MED Tauranga regional manager Roger Lysaght.

I-MED New Zealand general manager Angus Brown says the clinic provided the local medical community and patients access to specialist scans that they otherwise would have had to travel to Auckland or Hamilton to receive.

I-MED Tauranga regional manager Roger Lysaght says the new clinic provided much-needed capacity for radiology services in the region and enabled more choice of providers.

By offering a broad range of services, including those not previously available such as PET-CT and SPECT scans, it offers enhanced patient comfort due to shorter scan times.

Were thrilled we can offer the local community access to high-calibre medical services at their doorstep.

Clinic will significantly improve access to X-ray services

Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation network services general manager Wendy Dillon says the new clinic would significantly improve access to X-ray services.

Previously, I-MED (formerly Focus Radiology) provided X-ray services exclusively at their Papamoa branch, while their 11th Avenue site, now relocated to Fraser Cove, only offered ultrasounds, she says.

This expansion to include X-ray services at the new Tauranga location is a welcome development for primary care.

Additionally, having services such as PET-CT and SPECT closer to home will benefit the community by reducing travel times and potentially accelerating diagnoses.

Sam - also the Health Select Committee chairman - says it was a big step forward for Tauranga and the region, offering further facilities and competition in radiology services.

I-MED will help achieve better patient outcomes. It is fantastic to have them here in Tauranga.

Tom says the clinic would provide a much-needed boost to health services in the region.

The clinics opening comes after Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced a $30 million funding boost in June for faster access to radiology services, recognising the inconsistent access to radiology services across New Zealand.

Te Whatu Ora was approached for comment.

-Megan Wilson
Funding for a key road project that could enable more homes in Tauranga has been declined by the New Zealand Transport Agency.

The business case for the $164 million Cameron Rd stage two project has not been endorsed by the NZTA board.

Under the stage two plans, the road between 17th Ave and State Highway 29 would be upgraded, with new cycle and bus lanes added.

The ageing sewerage infrastructure would also be improved to allow for more housing capacity.

The NZTA board said the project was unlikely to be prioritised in the National Land Transport Programme for 2024-2027 because it didnt align with the new Government Policy Statement on Transport, which sets out the coalitions priorities.

NZTA requested Tauranga City Council do more work on the proposal.



Mayor Mahe Drysdale says the project is a key driver to deliver more homes in Tauranga. Bay of Plenty Times photo / Alex Cairns

Mayor Mahe Drysdale said if the council didnt go ahead with this project, the consequences would be far-reaching.

The project was a key driver to enable growth in Tauranga, he said in a statement.

Without the right infrastructure  improved roads and upgrades to our ageing water supply and wastewater network  we are not going to be able to meet the demand for new houses.

Without support from the Government, council might have to look at cancelling, delaying, or redirecting funds from other projects, Drysdale said.

We are already starting to see the success of Cameron Rd stage one, with monitoring showing more commuters are using a range of travel modes, including public transport.

At a meeting on Monday, council strategy, growth and governance manager Christine Jones said Cameron Rd stage two would provide a key transport link for the city.



Tauranga City Council strategy, growth and governance general manager Christine Jones. Bay of Plenty Times photo / Alex Cairns

It was particularly important for the Western Corridor, which could have 25,000 homes in the long term, to link with Cameron Rd through to Mount Maunganui, said Jones.

Cameron Rd stage one was finished but the full benefits of it couldnt be achieved until stage two was completed, she said, and there would be no safe separated cycleway past 17th Ave, so people were less likely to cycle.

For people to choose the bus over their car, buses need to be faster. This would be achieved with priority bus lanes along the entire road, Jones said.

The $110m stage one suffered a $25m budget blowout and delays that impacted business along the road.

Many businesses took a financial hit because of the roadworks and loss of parking.

Councillor Steve Morris asked what the council had learnt from stage one to ensure businesses didnt face similar impacts during stage two.



Tauranga City Council chief executive Marty Grenfell. Bay of Plenty Times photo / Alex Cairns

Chief executive Marty Grenfell said the council could have done better delivering the project.

Stage one was developed as part of the Governments shovel-ready projects, said Grenfell.

In August 2020, the council gained $45m from the Governments Crown Infrastructure Partners fund, the money was contingent on physical work starting within a year of approval.

Staff pulled the projects cost estimates and plan together in a very short time, he said.

The commission had the project reviewed and one of the recommendations was to establish a dedicated major projects unit, which the council had done, said Grenfell.

The unit was overseen by a panel of three senior transport experts, he said.

Cameron Rd stage one, which came in at around $110m, is the largest transport project that this city has ever managed.



The Cameron Rd stage one project caused disruptions to businesses. Bay of Plenty Times photo / Alex Cairns

If the funding for stage two isnt secured it could also risk the $68m Infrastructure Acceleration Fund (IAF) grant from the Crown.

The IAF is for infrastructure that enables increased housing supply.

Jones said the benefits of the project need to be delivered to ensure IAF support.

Drysdale said the IAF funding was important and helped to deliver value for money.

It was better to deliver as one, rather than digging up Cameron Rd to upgrade the water pipes then redoing it again to improve the road, he said.

A business case that aligned more with the new Government Policy Statement would be brought to council for approval and be submitted to NZTA in early 2025.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
An eruption on Whakaari/White Island is causing flight delays.

At least 10 flights have been cancelled and three delayed from both Tauranga and Rotorua Airports Thursday morning after an eruption at Whakaari.

GNS is currently investigating.

It said last week a new vent detected on Whakaari/White Island, which has been experiencing a minor eruption, was emitting an increase in volcanic ash.

Images show the column of ash emitting from Whakaari growing considerably in size in the two hours to 8am.

Air New Zealand says volcanic ash is across the flight path for both airports.

It says it will continue to monitor the ash cloud, and says any other customers on flights should keep an eye on the Air NZ app in case there are other routes affected.

The growing ash cloud as captured by GNZ cameras at Te Kaha at 8am on Thursday. Photo: GNS.

Air New Zealand's chief operational integrity and safety officer Captain David Morgan says the airline is continuing to monitor the movement of the ash.

"The safety of our people and our customers is our utmost priority."

More to come ...

-RNZ.
* Seeking greater efficiency, Zhao Xianchang transitioned into a professional farm machinery operator, offering specialized services to fellow farmers.

* Farmers are now taking on roles as farm machinery operators, live streamers and even artists, reflecting the growing specialization and professionalism in the country's rural areas and expanding their skill sets.

* From 2019 to 2022, China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security added 74 new professions to its list, including e-commerce practitioners and housekeepers, with 13 directly supporting rural revitalization.

JINAN, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- After months of hard work during the peak wheat harvest season, Zhao Xianchang and his son finally have a moment to rest, but their brief respite will be short-lived as they prepare to embark on a new venture.

Zhao hails from Zhaojia Village in Weifang, a city in east China's Shandong Province. He bought a small tractor several years ago to ease planting, which eventually led him to establish an agricultural machinery cooperative. Seeking greater efficiency, he transitioned into a professional farm machinery operator, offering specialized services to fellow farmers.

The demand for machinery services used to fluctuate seasonally due to single-crop farming, but with the diversification of agriculture, Zhao now sees their machinery in constant use.

As agricultural modernization and economic development progress, new professions are emerging in rural China. Farmers are now taking on roles as farm machinery operators, live streamers and even artists, reflecting the growing specialization and professionalism in the country's rural areas and expanding their skill sets.

A farmer drives a harvester in Weicheng District of Weifang City, east China's Shandong Province, June 5, 2024. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)

FINANCIAL GAINS

Zhao Xichang's son, Zhao Kai, explained that in the spring, they drive rotary tillers to Kaifeng City in central China's Henan Province for plowing and also operate tractors in Weifang to assist vegetable farmers.

During the summer, they travel across regions nationwide for over a month, working on wheat harvest. In autumn and winter, they focus on local farming, assisting with the harvest and helping ginger farmers with plowing.

As a dedicated farm machinery operator for nearly a decade, Zhao Kai has used five or six combine harvesters, evolving from manual to electronic controls while witnessing the advancement of modern farming in China.

"Harvesting 300 mu (20 hectares) of wheat in a single day is now easily achievable, with less grain loss than before, working from 9 a.m. until late at night," Zhao Kai said.

In Huanghua Village, Gongzhuling City, in northeast China's Jilin Province, Wang Xiuying stood in a flower greenhouse spanning over 1,000 square meters and introduced clivia online. Facing the camera, he said, "The texture of this orchid's leaves is clear and eye-catching. If you like it, please buy it," as he live-streamed at an e-commerce platform.

Now a planter, Wang was once a migrant worker. She is effectively contributing to China's rural revitalization by leveraging modern new media technology in farming.

"I sell dozens of potted plants during each live stream," she said. "In peak seasons, I can sell over a hundred pots a day, with buyers from across the country."

Wang Xiuying, a flower grower, promotes floral products via livestreaming in Huanghua Village, Gongzhuling City, northeast China's Jilin Province, Feb. 7, 2024. (Xinhua/Xue Qinfeng)

In recent years, Huanghua has established an e-commerce service station, and several logistics companies have partnered with local flower farmers. Wang's daily routine includes live-streaming in the morning and packaging orders in the afternoon. Each day, delivery personnel from various logistics companies arrive on time to pick up the goods.

Wang has amassed over 20,000 social media followers, with nearly a hundred viewers tuning in daily to watch her sell flowers via livestreaming. This has expanded the market for the village's clivia to buyers nationwide. Inspired by her success, many villagers are now venturing into e-commerce livestreaming.

Currently, the village has over 100 flower greenhouses, with annual clivia sales revenue exceeding 100 million yuan (about 14 million U.S. dollars), benefiting many households with significant economic gains.

CULTIVATING CREATIVITY

From 2019 to 2022, China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security added 74 new professions to its list, including e-commerce practitioners and housekeepers, with 13 directly supporting rural revitalization. In May this year, online live streamers were also included in the list of new professions.

In Jilin Province, over 6,000 rural professionals have been awarded vocational titles in fields such as folk artistry, farm management, e-commerce marketing, and leadership in farmer cooperatives.

Likewise, Juye County, located in Shandong's Heze, a city renowned for its peony cultivation, has seen a rise in peony-themed art that has become increasingly popular among tourists. Notably, many of the most celebrated artists are local farmers.

Gui Huaifang, 37, has worked diligently to master drawing techniques and now completes a painting in about two weeks, each selling for 4,000 yuan. As one of the first artists in the Hongmiao Village cooperatives, she often creates detailed peony paintings and films the process with her phone to share online.

Farmers paint peony-themed paintings at a studio in Juye County, Heze City of east China's Shandong Province, Dec. 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Guo Xulei)

"Instead of leaving my rural home to work in the cities, I can stay here, spend more time with my children, and embrace new opportunities. Peony art has allowed me to build a better life right here at home," she said.

Peony brush painting is relatively easy to learn, allowing farmers to quickly grasp basic techniques and complete works independently. To support this artistic endeavor, Juye County has launched free training courses through 49 local painting studios and over 160 calligraphy and painting institutions. These initiatives promote art education and help farmers increase their income.

Currently, Juye has eight towns and 50 villages specializing in painting, with over 600 calligraphy and painting studios, more than 300 framing shops, and over 1,000 sales outlets.

The art industry here employs over 20,000 people and produces more than 1.2 million artworks annually, which are exported to 40 countries and regions, with the output value expected to exceed 1.2 billion yuan this year.

(Reporting by Shao Kun, Ye Ting, Feng Yuanyuan, Zhang Liyuan, Wang Haofei, Xue Qinfeng and Wei Meng; Video reporters: Feng Yuanyuan, Zhu Xiaoguang and Wei Meng; Video editors: Zhang Nan, Mu Xuyao and Zheng Xin .) 
Victor Heredia Malaga Wednesday, 21 August 2024, 16:09 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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Calle Larios, in Malaga city, was inaugurated on 27 August 1891. It was born as an expression of the power of the Larios family and with the goal of becoming the city's main street. It was also a step towards modernity. From its very opening, Calle Larios became the de facto meeting point for local 'malaguenos', and the evolution of its commercial activity reflects the legacy of the city itself.

This article does not seek to provide an inventory of the hundreds of commercial establishments that have existed in the buildings of Calle Larios, designed by Eduardo Strachan. Rather, we aim to take you through the stages of streets' development over its 130 years of existence.

According to Francisco Bejarano, merchants were at first wary of opening their businesses on the new street. This forced the Larios family to sponsor various societies, businesses and institutions to set up there, including the Circulo Mercantil, the Liceo, the Junta de Obras del Puerto and the Chamber of Commerce.

But this initial reluctance was soon dispelled, and by the beginning of the 20th century, the street was lined with shops where you could find practically anything you wanted. Jose Cabezas furniture, Pedro Temboury's hardware store, La Riojana's chocolates, Porras hairdresser's, Paez' confectioner's, Perez de Guzman's chemist's, Enrique Rosado's jewellery shop, Morganti's mouldings and mirrors, Conde y Prados' fabrics, Chico Ganga's shoe shop, Ruiz's men's hat shop and Ana Maria Florido's women's hat shop. These businesses, alongside the respective factories of Hidalgo Espildora and Federico Vilches, marked the first stage of the commercial life of Calle Larios.

The 1920s and 1930s were the golden age of cafes and recreational societies. The Circulo Mercantil maintained its luxurious lounges at number 5, the Real Club Automovilista was at number 9, and the Circulo de la Union Patriotica at number 12. Some of the cafes along the main road included the Imperial, the elegant Ingles (with a restaurant and a ladies' room), the Peninsular, the Pay-Pay, the Comercial, the Espanol, the Malaga, La Cosmopolita, Bar Plata, La Palma Real and the Cerveceria El Mediterraneo.

Zoom Calle Larios after the 1959 renovation. CTI UMA The renovation of Calle Larios The idea of opening a street that would connect the Plaza de la Constitucion to Malaga's port had already been proposed as part of Moreno Monroy's preliminary expansion project of 1861, although the definitive plan was proposed by Sancha in 1878 and designed by Rucoba. Casa Larios reached an agreement with the Town Hall to execute the works, which were carried out between 1887 and 1891, and the buildings were erected according to plans by Eduardo Strachan. The new road was carefully designed, with gas street lamps and a wooden pavement giving it a distinctive character. The wooden paving stones were destroyed in the 1907 flood. In July 1936, at the outbreak of the Civil War, several of the original buildings were burnt down, before being rebuilt between 1939 and 1940. In 1947, the street lamps were replaced with lights anchored to the facades. The pavement was renovated in 1959, when the first traffic lights were also installed. The last major transformation took place in 2002, when a renovated and pedestrianised Calle Larios was opened, and its street lamps restored.

In 1928, a Madrid newspaper wrote that "Calle de Larios is the main artery of Malaga, its vital centre, the channel through which all Malaga life flows". By then there were even more new businesses: Damian Moragues' shirt shop, Enrique Rivas' bookshop, Raimunda Cavagliani's tobacconist, Antonio Entrambasaguas' opticians, Lopez and Griffo's music shop, Cristobal Benitez car shop, the Prados Hermanos furniture shop, Alejandro Romero's luxury goods, La Perla's jewellers' and Gomez Hermanos' fabric shop.

In the post-war years new establishments also appeared: the Tourist Office, Casa Mira, Maso fabrics, La Mar Chica brewery, Cosmopolis groceries, La Chavalita confectionery, the Rodolfo Prados radio and electronics shop, Bazar del Fumador, Marcos jewellers, Ceisa clothes shop, Segarra, Parriego and Nicolas shoe shops, Bar Ricardo, Martin Saenz travel shop and Imperio stationery shop.

The 1960s ushered in a new era. Several buildings were partially transformed into department stores: these included the premises of the Circulo Mercantil at number 3 and the first floor of number 4. Number 10 was entirely occupied by the Gomez Raggio shopping centre. Banks also consolidated their presence: there were as many as nine branches on the street around 1990. Just one cafe still stood on Calle Larios, and it was a new one, Lepanto. By this point, there were already several clothes shops which were branches of bigger retailers as opposed to independent shops; since then, these have taken over much of Calle Larios.

Today, surrounded by brand names present in any city, Mata pharmacy, Marcos jewellers, Casa Mira and the Arturo kiosk are the only survivors of Calle Larios in times past.
Lorena Cadiz Benalmadena Wednesday, 21 August 2024, 13:46 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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Benalmadena has been the scene of a major police operation against illegal street vending that has culminated in the arrest of four people and the seizure of 2,826 items, most of them clothes, bags and shoes.

According to information provided by Benalmadena town hall, some 56 officers took part in the operation, around 20 of them in plain clothes, including officers from the Local Police forces of Benalmadena and Torremolinos and the National Police. The action was carried out on the Fuente de la Salud beach, on the border between the Costa del Sol municipalities of Torremolinos and Benalmadena.

According to the information provided, the police operation began at 7.30pm on Monday (19 August), and the aim is "to carry it out periodically at different times and days throughout the coastal area to put a stop to this practice on the coast". Mayor Juan Antonio Lara praised the "collaboration and effort between different police forces and the success of the joint operation". He also stressed that there were no altercations during the operation.

Now, all the seized merchandise will be handed over to the courts, together with the detainees, with a report of the seizure of the items certifying whether they are counterfeit in order to process them in the case of a possible crime against intellectual property. All the merchandise that was abandoned on the public highway after some of the street vendors evaded the police will also be recorded in the report. All the counterfeit products will, after 15 days, be destroyed by the council's cleaning concessionaire, FCC.

It should be remembered that an altercation took place between the Benalmadena Local Police and street vendors on 8 August, which ended with four policemen injured and one person arrested, on the same stretch of the coast where Monday's operation took place. At the time, the Benalmadena Senegalese association said it regretted the injuries suffered by the police officers and one of their fellow countrymen, but added that "for some months now, physical force has been used against some of us, something that had never happened before". "The police have always asked us for our documents and even seized our merchandise, but without harming us," the association said.
Irene Quirante Malaga Wednesday, 21 August 2024, 11:48 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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National Police officers are investigating four separate incidents after fires were ignited within the first 48 hours of Malaga city's summer fair at the weekend.

All of the fires occurred in the district of Carretera de Cadiz and just a few minutes away from each other. They have left at least a dozen vehicles burnt, as well as damage caused to some homes and rubbish containers in the area.

Calls started coming in to the fire brigade just a few hours after the August festivities kicked off. At about 5.20am on 17 August residents of Las Delicias alerted authorities to a car on fire in Calle Sor Teresa Prat. It also caused another vehicle to catch on fire.

While firefighters were putting out the first fire, they were then called to another in Calle Omar, next to the Parque del Oeste, located just five minutes' walk from the previous blaze. The Local Police force carried out several searches in the area, but those responsible were not located.

The following early morning was just as busy. On this occasion, there were several calls about a van on fire in Avenida Catamaran, also located in the vicinity of the Parque del Oeste. Numerous cars were also affected, as was reported to 112 operators by police officers.

The first calls that afternoon came about 4.30pm on Sunday 18 August and then ten minutes later, while firefighters were working to extinguish the flames of the first incident, they were alerted to another similar incident less than 300 metres away, in Calle Chopin in the La Paz neighbourhood.

According to sources, four cars were completely gutted in this second fire, although the flames also reached nearby homes and scorched the facades of two houses.

President of the La Paz neighbourhood association, Victor Picon, said it was "the straw that has broken the camel's back". "In recent weeks we have had several security problems in the Plaza Mozart at night, with noise and shouting in the early hours of the morning," he told SUR.

In addition to the dozen vehicles damaged in the first 48 hours of the fair, the fire brigade also intervened in the early hours of Tuesday morning after a lorry caught fire at the Real Cortijo de Torres fairground. It happened at about 2.55am in Calle Jose Blanquez el Mano.
Lorena Cadiz Mijas Wednesday, 21 August 2024, 12:12 | Updated 12:20h. Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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The controversy over the Mijas donkey taxis has been going on for a long time, although every year, especially in summer, it intensifies, mainly due to the increased presence of tourists on the Costa del Sol. It is a paradoxical situation because the donkey taxi service was originally created to take tourists around Mijas Pueblo and that is still its purpose, but there are also many foreign tourists who see this practice as a form of animal abuse and openly reject it.

Some time ago, French national Anne Blitz started a Facebook group calling for the release of the working donkeys and horses in Mijas. She still remembers the first time she visited Mijas and saw the donkeys in the 1970s. Since then, she visited frequently, until five years ago, when she left behind her career as a European civil servant to settle in Mijas and enjoy her retirement.

Blitz doesn't understand how the practice of donkey taxis continues to this day and so "since I've been here, I've started to get active to ask for this to stop".

"I have met with politicians and I have gone to demonstrations organised by animal activists, but I realised that very few people went and so I decided to create my group on social media to try to mobilise more people," she explained. This group now has more than 1,500 people and "they are the ones who have asked me to organise a protest".

The protest will take place on Thursday 22 August at 1pm in front of the tourist office in Mijas Pueblo. It already has the corresponding permissions and according to its organiser, "all those attending should dress in white and wear a rope around their necks". The idea is to generate a powerful image that will get the group's message across.

Among the things that the organisers are calling for, which they believe will be backed by a significant number of people demonstrating, is the release by sale of the donkeys, which could be financed, the group says, by the council, private funds or crowdfunding. Once the animals are acquired, the group proposes the creation of one or more "sanctuaries", in other words, spaces in nature where they can live and be cared for. For the economic maintenance of these spaces, they propose the organisation of school and tourist visits.

Zoom Tuk tuk' proposal put forward by the protest organisers. SUR

Finally, in order to provide a solution to the operators who currently run the donkey taxi business, the group believes that a good option would be to replace the animals with 'tuk tuks' (three-wheeled vehicles very common in Asia), which according to the proposal, could be customised in memory of the donkeys and with which the service of transferring tourists through the streets of Mijas Pueblo would be provided.

The town hall acknowledged a few days ago that they were aware of all the complaints about the donkeys, especially "from non-resident foreigners", who "are unaware" of the situation, according to the councillor for animal welfare, Marco Cortes.

Cortes defended the fact that in recent times the number of drinking water troughs has been increased and the ropes that hold them in place have been lengthened to give them more space. "Many things are said that are not true due to lack of knowledge. Most donkeys don't go out more than once a day," he said.

New side

Despite these considerations, at the beginning of August the council issued a municipal bylaw reducing the service of donkey taxis and horse-drawn carriages in situations of a weather alert for heat. Specifically, the law states that in situations of an amber or red warning issued by Spain's state meteorological agency (Aemet) they should not provide the service. When the warning is yellow, the service will not be operational between 2pm and 6pm.

Related article Mijas town hall issues new regulation for protection of the donkeys in response to complaints Lorena Cadiz

"The situation we are going through with constant alerts for high temperatures made the existence of this bylaw, on which the council has been working for some time, very necessary. Above all, health must come first and what we are looking for is to guarantee that the wellbeing of both muleteers and the animals prevails," said Cortes.
NEW DELHI, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand said on Wednesday that they have sought help from the National Disaster Response Force to trace a missing trainee aircraft with two pilots on board.

The aircraft went missing on Tuesday after takeoff from Sonari airport in Jamshedpur.

According to officials, the aircraft was last located near Nimdih in Seraikela Kharsawan district, about 116 km southeast of Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand.

Local media quoted an eyewitness as saying the plane fell into water at some distance.

Police said they suspect the aircraft might have crashed in Chandil Dam.

The two-seater aircraft reported to be a Cessna 152 and owned by flying school Alchemist Aviation company had a pilot and trainee on board when it lost contact with the air traffic control, raising immediate alarms. 
The Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard police blotter of arrests from police agencies around Central New York was updated today.

The arrests added this week were between July 8 and Aug. 18. Those charged were from 16 to 76 years old.

Negligent homicide and rape were among the crimes charged. Other charges included kidnapping, arson, sale of a ghost gun and animal abandonment, among others.
The Onondaga County Conservative Party must reinstate Tom Dadey, seven months after expelling him on charges of corruption and conduct that hurt the party, a judge has ruled.

The decision by state Supreme Court Judge Joseph Lamendola opens the door for a return to prominence for Dadey, a former top political power broker in Central New York and ally of former President Donald Trump.
Chris Brock, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y. (TNS)

WATERTOWN  The 10th Mountain Division will reaching new heights Wednesday in its Climb to Glory path of prestige.

About 200 Fort Drum soldiers, in teams, are summiting the 46 Adirondack High Peaks on Wednesday. For individuals, hiking the 46 Adirondack High Peaks is recognized as one of the greatest challenges in the Adirondack Park. But pulling it off as a brigade-level operation involves another level of intense planning and strategy.

Were going to be the first organization ever to summit all 46 high peaks on the same day, said Sgt. First Class John P. Pearson, who in April returned from a deployment to Iraq with the 2nd Brigade Combat team.

Fort Drum public affairs officer Maj. Geoffrey Carmichael refers to Pearson, a former Army rappel instructor, as the brigades mountaineer. Pearson and Fort Drum Capt. Joshua Crossman, operations officer, developed todays climbing operation.

In October of 2021, members of the Pearson family, John, his wife and children  then ages 6, 9 and 10  became Adirondack 46ers, a club dedicated to hikers who have summited all 46 High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. They completed the challenge in a remarkable five months.

Today, Pearson will be one of the climbers as he also helps to manage the operation.

Were going out to do this to train junior level leaders, the E5s, E6s, how to do land navigation, decentralized operations in a large remote area, he said. Its all the things that would be required of an army fighting force in the future, like a large-scale combat operation.

Pearson said Fort Drum is working with agencies such as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Adirondack Mountain Rescue and state forest rangers.

We have inter-operability and approval through all of these, he said. Its taken nine months to get where were at.

Pearson said Wednesdays operation will be executed by 24 teams of eight soldiers each. Were going to have soldiers across the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division on every summit all at the same time. Its not only going to be a historic event for the division, but its going to be one in general because no organization has ever summited all 46 in a single day.

The training, Pearson said will be invaluable for the troops of the 10th Mountain Division, which has roots in the mountains. The 10th Light Division (Alpine) was constituted on July 10, 1943, and activated that July 15 at Camp Hale, Colorado. The Army reactivated the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum in 1985. Troops regularly return to Colorado to train.

Pearson said that many future threat locations are in the mountains.

We lost that skill set, he said. Were trying to get soldiers back into the mountains and understand how to survive in the mountains. Thats what this is all about.

I think its going to do a lot for the 10th Mountain Division story, Carmichael said.

___

(c)2024 Watertown Daily Times (Watertown, N.Y.)

Visit Watertown Daily Times (Watertown, N.Y.) at www.watertowndailytimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Patricia R. Doxsey, Daily Freeman, Kingston, N.Y. (TNS)

KINGSTON, N.Y.  An Upstate New York woman admitted Tuesday to running down a young woman and leaving her on the side of the road to die.

Lacy Maxwell, 43, of Saugerties, wiped tears from her eyes as she pleaded guilty in Ulster County Court to one felony count of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting a death for the Jan. 10, 2024, hit-and-run crash in which 21-year-old Starllie Swongyoung was killed.

Maxwell also pleaded guilty to one felony count of insurance fraud for working with her husband, Ryan Maxwell, to stage a crash the next day in an attempt to account for the damage to her 2011 Subaru.

As part of the plea deal, her husband, Ryan Maxwell, in a separate proceeding Tuesday before Ulster County Judge Bryan Rounds, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of insurance fraud for working with his wife to stage the crash. Prosecutors say Ryan Maxwell was the one who reported the alleged crash to the couples insurance company.

In exchange for pleading guilty, Lacy Maxwell will be sentenced on Nov. 15 to 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison for leaving the scene, the maximum sentence allowed by law. She was sentenced to 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison for insurance fraud, with the sentences to run concurrently. She was allowed to remain free on a $200,000 bond until her sentencing.

Ryan Maxwell will be sentenced to three years probation for falsely reporting the accident to the insurance company.

The two must also pay $3,100 in restitution to the insurance company.

The Maxwells were arrested on March 6 following an extensive two-month investigation into the crash, which occurred at about 5:10 p.m. on Jan. 10 on U.S. Route 9W.

Authorities said Swongyoung and a friend were walking along the shoulder of the highway between the village of Saugerties and the hamlet of Malden when Lacy Maxwell, who was driving southbound on U.S. Route 9W, struck Swongyoung from behind with such force that she flew up onto the hood of the vehicle, leaving a large dent in the hood of the car, before landing on the ground. Her friend was not injured in the crash.

Rather than stop, authorities said Maxwell drove another mile down the road to an apartment complex to deliver food to her stepfather. Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Paul Derohannesian said surveillance video showed that before going into the house, she walked around her vehicle to look at the damage.

You could see significant indentations in the hood of the vehicle, Derohannesian said, adding that DNA belonging to Swongyoung was found in the panel that covers the gap between the cars hood and windshield, where he had previously said Swongyoungs skull left a huge indentation. Additionally, he said previously, paint chips found on Swonyoungs clothing matched the paint from Lacy Maxwells vehicle.

At about 6:50 a.m. the next day, Lacy Maxwell intentionally drove her car into a tree in Greene County and reported to police that she had swerved to avoid a small animal that darted in front of her.

Derohannesian said that later that morning, Ryan Maxwell called the couples insurance company to report the accident.

Swongyoungs mother was among those who attended Tuesdays proceedings. Although she declined to comment Tuesday, Derohannesian said she as well as the mother of the friend who witnessed the crash will make statements at sentencing.

The Jan. 10, 2024, hit-and-run death of Swongyoung was the first of three such incidents in Ulster County to occur in the first three months of the year.

On Jan. 25, Raymond E. Rattray, 22, a senior at SUNY New Paltz, was killed in a hit-and-run at about 5:11 p.m. as he was walking home from the college campus. In March, Ty Kobelt, 33, was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter, tampering with physical evidence and leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle crash, all felonies. Kobelt is due back in Ulster County Court on Sept. 18.

On, March 1, Donna Cristallo, 72, and Stephen Celuch, 75, were killed in a hit-and-run as the Cristallo pushed Celuch, who was in a wheelchair, across U.S. Route 9W near The Falcon, in Marlborough.

Angela Jennie Fischl, 25, of Newburgh, was arrested in the city of Newburgh by state police at Highland on May 17, and charged with two felony counts of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. Fischl is due back in Ulster County Court on Sept. 30.

___

(c)2024 Daily Freeman, Kingston, N.Y.

Visit Daily Freeman, Kingston, N.Y. at https://www.dailyfreeman.com/

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
NEW DELHI, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong interacted with a group of Indian students, who won scholarships to pursue higher studies at various Chinese universities, at a function held at the embassy on Tuesday evening.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chinese envoy said that prior to COVID-19 pandemic, there were over 23,000 Indian students at Chinese universities, and hoped that the number would gradually increase.

He said that Chinese universities' doors were open for Indian students and that the opportunity to study in China would give Indian students a chance to know China better.

"Delighted to meet Chinese Government Scholarship winners from India. The door of China is open to you all. Hope you will indulge yourselves in Chinese language, culture and society and become friendship ambassadors between China and India," the Chinese ambassador later said on social media.

The Indian students who won scholarships told Xinhua that learning the Chinese language could bring a lot of employment opportunities.

Khushbooo Yadav, a female student from India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh, said she will join a three-year post-graduation program in Chinese literature at the Beijing-based Capital Normal University.

She added that after completing her higher studies in China, she could get various job opportunities in India as an interpreter. "There is a great demand for Chinese language interpreters in various Indian government departments or companies," she added.

Another student Priyanshu, who comes from the northern state of Uttarakhand, said that he will study at Tsinghua University in Beijing for a master's degree starting in September.

"In India, there are ample opportunities for those who know the Chinese language. One can easily get a job either in government departments or in the corporate world, drawing a decent salary," he said. 
Why it matters: Remember when cheating in school meant sneaking in a crib sheet or glancing at a neighbor's test? Teachers today likely look back on those days with nostalgia. Now, they face a more formidable challenge in maintaining academic honesty: generative AI. Unfortunately for educators, a foolproof solution is nowhere in sight.

Half of teachers report that generative AI has made them more distrustful of students' original work. And they have reason to be suspicious if anecdotal evidence is to be believed. Reports of cheating in colleges and high schools since the advent of generative AI have skyrocketed, causing despair and frustration in faculty rooms.

Quantifying the extent of this issue has not been easy. Turnitin, a plagiarism detection company, found that AI use was detected in only 10% of writing assignments reviewed over the past year, with just 3% being mostly AI-generated.

However, a Stanford University survey suggests that 60-70% of high school students admitted to cheating since the introduction of AI tools like ChatGPT.

Historically, cheating is not a novel issue. Studies have shown that more than half of high school and college students have engaged in some form of academic dishonesty. The International Center for Academic Integrity reported that nearly one-third of undergraduates admitted to cheating on exams as of early 2020.

Meanwhile, there is an arms race developing between AI-generated content and detection technologies, and for the moment, the former is winning.

For instance, OpenAI has experimented with embedding digital watermarks in its output to identify AI-generated text. However, these watermarks can be tampered with, and detectors can only identify those created by specific AI systems. This may explain why OpenAI has not released its watermarking feature, as it could drive users to services without such markers.

Other innovative approaches have been attempted. Researchers at Georgia Tech developed a system to compare students' responses to essay questions before and after the advent of ChatGPT. PowerNotes, a company integrating OpenAI services into Google Docs, allows instructors to track AI-generated changes in documents. However, all of these efforts have proven to have limited effectiveness.

In response to these challenges, there is a growing recognition that educational institutions must adapt their teaching and assessment methods. John Warner, a former college writing instructor and author of the forthcoming book 'More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI,' suggests that faculty should update their teaching approaches.

He argues that the ease with which AI generates credible college papers is partly due to the rigid, algorithmic format of traditional assignments. Warner proposes that teachers reduce the scope of assignments, focusing on shorter, more specific prompts linked to useful writing concepts. For instance, students could be asked to craft a vivid paragraph, make a clear observation about their surroundings, or write a few sentences that turn a personal experience into a broader concept.

Granted, generative AI could also complete these assignments, but by making them more relevant to their lives, students may want to do the project on their own. It's worth a try, at least, because right now, schools are on the losing end of their battle with AI.
In a nutshell: The Civilization games have been around since the start of the 1990s, entertaining millions of people. The launch date of the series' seventh numbered title has just been announced, but where did it all start? With a 386 PC in 1991 that packs 16MB of RAM, cost $10,000 at the time, and still works today.

Firaxis Games has announced that the next installment of the Civilization series, Civilization 7, will land on PC and console on February 11, 2025.

The studio invited members of the gaming press to try Civilization 7 at its Maryland offices. PC Gamer's Editor-in-Chief, Tyler Wilde, writes that an old leather desk chair and a similarly aged PC and CRT monitor are on display in the building, looking slightly out of place.

The reason for the reverence is that Sid Meier, the man who created Civilization over three decades ago, did so sitting in that chair and using that computer.

Firaxis learning and development manager Pete Murray told Wilde that the PC is a Compaq Deskpro 386. Incredibly, it cost $10,000 at the time, which would be more than $23,000 today.

The machine contains 640 KB of usable RAM, an architectural limitation of IBM-compatible PCs at the time. There's also expanded memory, and Murray said it contains "16 MB of memory," which appears to be the model's upper limit. There's also a Sound Blaster audio card, naturally, though the specific model is not mentioned.

What's surprising is that the PC was still bootable as of last year, though it did require buying some parts from eBay and "creative salvage" from Firaxis' IT department. The hard drive is almost dead, but Murray said there's a pre-release version of the original Civilization on the PC that's still playable.

MicroProse, formed by Meier, Bill Stealey, and Andy Hollis in 1982, was the original developer of Civilization. Meier left the company and formed Firaxis with two others in 1996, apparently taking the PC and chair with him.

In a 2019 Ars Technica documentary video, Meier said he'd saved two of the Compaq Deskpro 386 computers, but one of them exploded when he tried to boot it up due to the dust in the power supply.

Thanks, PC Gamer
Bottom line: Nvidia is teaming up with MediaTek on a new scaler for gaming monitors that will eliminate the need for a separate G-Sync module. This new scaler is very similar to existing scaler hardware, but has been updated with modifications to support G-Sync features including ULMB 2, the Reflex Latency Analyzer, and new Pulsar technology  Nvidia's new backlight strobing technology. The new technology is expected to streamline production and could significantly reduce costs. With any luck, some of the savings will get passed along to consumers in the form of cheaper monitors.

Nvidia and MediaTek announced their partnership during the ongoing Gamescom trade show in Cologne, Germany. When the original G-Sync tech arrived in 2013, it required a proprietary module that added an extra layer of cost to the equation.

In a nutshell:

Nvidia is working on a new G-Sync module in partnership with MediaTek

HDMI 2.1 will be possible

No fan needed

G-Sync Pulsar is Nvidia's new backlight strobing technology that works with adaptive sync simultaneously

The new module is very similar to existing scaler hardware, but with G-Sync modifications

It will have the same compatibility as the existing G-Sync module

In 2019, Nvidia announced a new standard called G-Sync Compatible that does not require a hardware module (yet isn't as feature-rich). Most displays that work with G-Sync Compatible don't support premium features like ultra-low motion blur 2 (ULMB2), variable overdrive, or Nvidia's Reflex Latency Analyzer that you get with the full G-Sync suite.

Nvidia introduced a trio of displays that will be among the first to utilize G-Sync Pulsar technology, including the Asus ROG Swift 360Hz PG27AQNR, the Acer Predator XB273U F5, and the AOC Agon Pro AG276QSG2. All are 27-inch displays that boast a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, a 360Hz refresh rate, and support HDR.

The new monitors are due out later this year, Nvidia said, but at what price? Surely they will be more affordable than traditional G-Sync monitors with proprietary modules, but by how much? For reference, the original Asus PG27AQN with G-Sync module commands nearly $800.

If all of this G-Sync talk has your head spinning, don't feel like the Lone Ranger as it is a lot to keep up with. Fortunately, our own Tim Schiesser compiled an excellent guide explaining everything you need to know about Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync in 2024.

What gaming monitor are you running these days, and is refresh rate a top priority when shopping for a new display or do you prioritize other features like resolution, screen size, or panel type?
In context: Disney raised eyebrows last week when its lawyers moved to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit because the plaintiff agreed to arbitration when he signed up for a Disney+ subscription on his PlayStation. The legal wrangling sparked blowback on social media and within the Disney community.

On Monday, Disney withdrew its arbitration request to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit out of court, allowing the case involving a woman who died from a severe allergic reaction at a Disney World restaurant to proceed to a jury trial. The New York Times reports that the decision came after public backlash over Disney's attempt to enforce an arbitration clause in a streaming television terms of service agreement.

Jeffrey Piccolo filed the lawsuit on behalf of his wife's estate. Kanokporn Tangsuan, a family medicine specialist from Long Island, died from a severe allergic reaction after eating at a restaurant at Disney World in October. The lawsuit claims that Dr. Tangsuan had informed their server that she was allergic to nuts and dairy. The employee assured her that the dishes she ordered were allergen-free. However, she suffered a fatal allergic reaction shortly after eating.

Initially, Disney argued that Piccolo had agreed to arbitration when he signed up for a free trial of Disney+, thereby forfeiting his right to sue. However, this legal stance was met with criticism when it became public. Critics highlighted the dubious nature of tying a wrongful death claim to a streaming service agreement. Disney also asserted that Raglan Road was independently owned and operated, suggesting that the company bore no direct responsibility for the incident.

Piccolo is seeking $50,000 in damages, the minimum required to file in Florida Circuit Court. However, his legal team stated that a jury could award much higher punitive damages. Despite Disney's claim that it acted only as a "landlord" to Raglan Road, the company acknowledged that forcing arbitration could prolong an already difficult process for Mr. Piccolo.

"With such unique circumstances as the ones in this case, we believe this situation warrants a sensitive approach to expedite a resolution for the family who have experienced such a painful loss," said Josh D'Amaro, Chairman of Disney Parks, in a statement. "As such, we've decided to waive our right to arbitration and have the matter proceed in court."

Legal experts noted that it is rare for a company to withdraw a request for arbitration, suggesting that public perception might have influenced Disney's decision rather than legal strategy. Matt Adler, an arbitration attorney not involved in the case, speculated that Disney decided that the harm from the negative public response outweighed any financial loss it would assume.

The case has also sparked a broader conversation about the prevalence of arbitration clauses in service agreements and the risks they pose in corporate negligence cases. Adler pointed out that most consumers are subject to one or more arbitration clauses in the various legal agreements they enter into, including cellular contracts, brokerage agreements, and the terms and conditions for websites and other services. Piccolo's lawyer expressed concern that Disney's initial attempt to force arbitration could set a dangerous precedent for others injured by corporate negligence.

Image credit: Frank Phillips
A new tool introduced by McAfee called 'Deepfake Detector' is now made available to Lenovo's Copilot+ PCs, and will help determine if the video playing is made using AI-generated content. Through this tool, users will be better informed and kept safe from the growing dangers of deepfakes proliferating online, especially with its significant spread over the past years.

This new tool promises that users will be kept safe, as well as their data which would not be collected by the system or McAfee.

McAfee Deepfake Detector Now Available on Lenovo Copilot+ PCs

Select Lenovo Copilot+-powered PCs are now getting exclusive access to McAfee's latest Deepfake Detector tool which the company introduced today via a press release. The tool uses artificial intelligence to fight against AI-generated content available on different platforms, especially in this age where deepfake is widely spread to bring fake information to the public.

According to McAfee, the Deepfake Detector brings up to a 96 percent accuracy rate in detecting AI-made content, with the tool capable of detecting AI content in seconds from audio found in videos.

Moreover, McAfee is also introducing its Smart AI Hub will help increase awareness of deepfakes and AI scams, offering interactive resources to help educate its users.

Here's What McAfee Brings for Its Deepfake Detector Tool

McAfee's Deepfake Detector leverages Neural Processing Units (NPUs) for its performance and claims it will be an on-device tool to protect user's privacy as well as reduce latency. The tool can also run in the background and notify users when it detects a deepfaked or AI-generated video.

Users with the eligible Lenovo Copilot+ PCs are given a 30-day free trial to utilize the Deepfake Detector, and then charge users $9.99 per year to use the service.

Deepfakes, AI, and Their Growing Online Dangers

Many fake videos made to look legitimate or real are known as deepfakes, and because of the significant progress in generative AI development, these have become more dangerous and better to confuse the public. There are many reasons behind Deepfake's proliferation, with some using it to scam the public into divulging sensitive information or threats, and others targeting companies or businesses.

Earlier this year, there was a more hurtful deepfake use that took over the internet, and it is by creating sexually abusive content using AI-powered technology.

Moreover, amidst the election period, bad actors have also used it to spread misinformation and disrupt the process, going as far as cloning President Joe Biden's voice to malign voters.

Various companies, organizations, and governments have launched efforts to combat deepfakes and prevent them from sowing chaos among the public, especially with the widespread disinformation campaign.

That being said, users may now arm themselves with a tool from McAfee called the Deepfake Detector, using AI to fight against AI-made content and vows to keep users safe.
China has strongly criticized the European Union's decision to impose tariffs on electric vehicle (EV) imports. This response comes after the EU lowered duties on several major electric automakers, including Tesla, sparking tensions between the two economic giants.

A spokesperson from China's Ministry of Commerce stated that Beijing remains firm in its belief that the EU's investigation into China's subsidies for its electric vehicle industry has been biased from the start.

The spokesperson accused the EU of fostering unfair competition, asserting that the probe's outcome was predetermined.

According to the translated statement from the Ministry of Commerce representative, China "will take necessary measures" to firmly protect the legitimate rights and interests of local automakers.

EU Lowers Tariffs on Key Electric Vehicle Manufacturers

On Tuesday, Aug. 20, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, announced a reduction in import duties for several electric vehicle manufacturers bringing cars into the European market from China.

Among the companies benefiting from this tariff reduction is Tesla, which now faces a 9% import duty, significantly lower than the previously expected rate of 20.8%.

According to CNBC, the newly imposed tariffs add to the existing 10% duty on battery electric vehicles imported into the EU from China. The decision also extends tariff reductions to prominent Chinese electric car manufacturers, including BYD, SAIC, and Geely.

The EU's move to adjust tariffs comes in response to growing concerns that China's substantial subsidies for its electric vehicle industry are undermining fair competition in Europe. The EU initially announced these tariffs in June as part of its strategy to address the perceived imbalance in the market.

China's Response: A Plea for Fairness

Reacting to the EU's tariff reductions, the Chinese Commerce Ministry highlighted the extensive efforts made by the Chinese government and its EV industry to address the EU's concerns.

According to the Ministry, China submitted tens of thousands of pages of legal documents and evidence, including questionnaires, written comments, and hearing statements, to defend its practices.

These submissions, the Ministry argued, provided a comprehensive defense against what China sees as the EU's unreasonable and non-compliant actions. The Ministry also warned that the EU's tariffs could disrupt the stability of the global automotive supply chain, including within the EU itself.

Despite these efforts, the Chinese Commerce Ministry expressed disappointment with the EU's final ruling, stating that it failed to fully consider China's perspective.

The Ministry claimed that the decision was based on facts selectively identified by the EU, rather than those agreed upon by both parties.

In closing, the Ministry of Commerce voiced hope for resolving trade disputes with the EU through practical actions, aiming to prevent an escalation of trade tensions between the two economies.

Impact on Global Automotive Industry

The ongoing trade friction between China and the EU has raised concerns about potential disruptions in the global automotive industry.

As both regions are significant players in the electric vehicle market, any further escalation could have far-reaching consequences for the industry, affecting supply chains, pricing, and consumer choice.

"The EU's goal of phasing out ICE vehicles by 2035 was already facing challenges. The market share of battery electric vehicles fell from 14.5% in 2023 to 12% in the first four months of 2024. Additional levies on Chinese EVs could delay the availability of a larger range of more affordable EVs in Europe," Euronews reports via ING.
An aircraft of Alaska Airlines takes off from San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, the United States, April 4, 2024. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)

In December, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines announced their plans to merge operations, arguing that in an industry where four major carriers -- American, Delta, Southwest and United -- account for 80 percent of the market, they had no choice but to join forces.

NEW YORK, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have cleared an important regulatory hurdle for their plan to combine operations, according to Alaska Airlines.

"The nearly 2 billion U.S. dollars deal, the first airline merger in almost a decade, is expected to significantly broaden mainland U.S. travel options from Hawaii and expand Alaska Airlines' international presence," said the Washington Post in its report on Tuesday about the move.

An overnight deadline for the Justice Department to file a lawsuit blocking the merger passed with no announcement that it would sue. Statements from Alaska Airlines and the governor of Hawaii said the deal had cleared an important milestone. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to inquiries, according to the report.

Alaska Airlines said in a news release late Monday that the time period for the U.S. Department of Justice to complete its regulatory investigation of the proposed combination of Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines "has expired."

The merger still has to be approved by the Department of Transportation, according to Alaska Airlines.

The announcement came as a surprise to some in the industry, given the Biden administration's pledge to scrutinize mergers in already highly concentrated industries.

In December, the two carriers announced their plans to merge operations, arguing that in an industry where four major carriers -- American, Delta, Southwest and United -- account for 80 percent of the market, they had no choice but to join forces.

The Justice Department then opened a review of the deal in February. The carriers had initially sought a decision by Aug. 5 but agreed to extend the deadline to Aug. 15, according to a regulatory filing. 
Australia approves world's 'largest' solar hub



Sydney, Aug 21 (AFP) Aug 21, 2024



Australia on Wednesday approved plans for a massive solar and battery farm in its remote north, a project it called the "largest solar precinct in the world" with some of the energy to be exported to Singapore.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the vast solar farm would generate enough energy to power three million homes and would include panels, batteries and, eventually, a cable linking Australia with Singapore.

"It will be the largest solar precinct in the world -- and heralds Australia as the world leader in green energy," Plibersek said.

The 12,000-hectare (29,650 acre) project, known as SunCable, is in Australia's sun-soaked Northern Territory and backed by tech billionaire and green activist Mike Cannon-Brookes.

The project would provide four gigawatts of energy per hour for domestic use, with two more gigawatts sent offshore to Singapore.

Australia is currently one of the world's leading exporters of coal and gas, but has also been ravaged by the effects of climate change -- from intense heat to floods and bushfires.

Although Australians are among the world's most enthusiastic adopters of household solar panels, a string of governments have been slow to fully embrace renewables.

In 2022, renewables made up 32 percent of Australia's total electricity generation -- compared to coal, which contributed 47 percent, according to the latest government data.
Brazilians 'struggling to breathe' as Amazon burns



Porto Velho, Brazil, Aug 21 (AFP) Aug 21, 2024



Residents of Porto Velho in the Brazilian Amazon have barely seen sunlight in days as a thick cloud of smoke from forest fires envelops their city.

"We are struggling to breathe," said 30-year-old teacher Tayane Moraes, one of some 460,000 people who live in the city near the border with Bolivia.

On Tuesday, the concentration of cancer-causing microparticles known as PM2.5 reached 56.5 micrograms per cubic meter of air in Porto Velho -- 11 times more than the limit recommended by the World Health Organization and the worst of Brazil's big cities.

Inhaling PM2.5 has been found to increase the risk of lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and a range of other health problems.

On August 14, the level was a "dangerous" 246.4 micrograms per cubic meter, according to the IQAir monitoring company.

It can be difficult to escape the smoke, even at home.

"It's terrible, yesterday I woke up at midnight and my eyes were tingling because of this smoke entering my house," 62-year-old retiree Carlos Fernandes told AFP.

The government of Rondonia state believes illegal fires, often started by farmers clearing land, are one cause of the disaster and has launched an online campaign calling on the population to report them.



- Historic drought -



According to data collected by satellites of Brazil's INPE Space Research Institute, Rondonia has just had its worst month of July for forest fires in 19 years with 1,618 confirmed outbreaks.

So far in August, there have been 2,114.

The Amazon as a whole has recorded more than 42,000 forest fires from January 1 to August 19, according to the INPE, the worst number in nearly two decades.

That number was 87 percent higher than in the same period of 2023.

The Amazon suffered a historic drought between June and November last year.

INPE's satellite images show a plume of smoke crossing Brazil from north to south, also passing through neighbors Bolivia and Paraguay.

State authorities insist much of the smoke enveloping Porto Velho, its capital, comes from fires in Bolivia, to the west, and the neighboring state of Amazonas, to the north.

"Because we are in the center of the continent, the smoke stays longer here," Cae Aires of the CENSIPAM Amazon protection center said in a video published on the Instagram account of Rondonia governor Marcos Rocha.

In the same video, infectious disease specialist Antonieta Ferreira reported "an increase in asthma attacks, as well as cases of pneumonia or sinusitis" among patients at a children's hospital.

"It's complicated with all this smoke, especially for those who have breathing problems," sighed Beatriz Graca, a 35-year-old homemaker in Porto Velho.

Forest fires have increased even as deforestation -- which helps reduce global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide -- is on the wane.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has pledged to put a stop to illegal deforestation of the Amazon by 2030.

The practice had dramatically worsened under his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.
MOSCOW, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang said here Wednesday that China is ready to work with Russia to strengthen all-round practical cooperation between the two countries, and push the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era to a new level.

Li made the remarks when co-chairing the 29th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

In recent years, under the strategic guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, China-Russia relations have achieved high-quality development at a high level, and bilateral cooperation in various fields has continued to show strong resilience and steadily moved forward, he said.

China, Li said, is ready to work with Russia to follow the strategic guidance of the two heads of state and take the opportunity of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties to uphold mutual respect, mutual trust, everlasting friendship and mutual benefit.

For his part, Mishustin said Russia is ready to work with China to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, continue to deepen mutual trust, expand cooperation in investment, energy, economy and trade, culture and sub-national areas, and ensure the success of the Russia-China Years of Culture.

He also pledged that Russia will join China in strengthening communication and coordination in international affairs, better safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of the two sides, and pushing forward the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. 
Australia approves world's 'largest' solar hub



Sydney, Aug 21 (AFP) Aug 21, 2024



Australia on Wednesday approved plans for a massive solar and battery farm that would export energy to Singapore, a project dubbed the "largest solar precinct in the world".

Authorities announced environmental approvals for the US$24 billion SunCable project in Australia's remote north that is slated to power three million homes.

The project, which will include an array of panels, batteries and, eventually, a cable linking Australia with Singapore, is backed by tech billionaire and green activist Mike Cannon-Brookes.

"It will be the largest solar precinct in the world -- and heralds Australia as the world leader in green energy," said Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.

It is hoped that energy production will begin in 2030.

The 12,000-hectare (29,650 acre) project will provide four gigawatts of energy per hour for domestic use. Two more gigawatts sent to Singapore via undersea cable will supply about 15 percent of the city-state's needs.

Batteries would be able to store about 40 gigawatts

SunCable Australia's managing director Cameron Garnsworthy said the approval was "a landmark moment in the project's journey".

Despite Wednesday's green light, numerous approval processes remain -- including working with Singapore's energy market authority, Indonesia's government and Australian Indigenous communities.

"SunCable will now focus its efforts on the next stage of planning to advance the project towards a final investment decision targeted by 2027," said Cannon-Brookes.



- 'Clean energy powerhouse' -



Australia is currently one of the world's leading exporters of coal and gas, but has also been ravaged by the effects of climate change -- from intense heat to floods and bushfires.

Although Australians are among the world's most enthusiastic adopters of household solar panels, a string of governments have been slow to fully embrace renewables.

In 2022, renewables made up 32 percent of Australia's total electricity generation -- compared to coal, which contributed 47 percent, according to the latest government data.

Climate Council chief executive officer Amanda McKenzie said the new solar hub was a bold step in making Australia a "clean energy powerhouse" and that such projects were essential in "delivering affordable energy and slashing climate pollution".

"With the closure of coal-fired power stations on the horizon, Australia needs to accelerate the roll-out of solar and storage at every level-rooftops, large-scale projects, and everything in between," she said.

The project would also be a significant step for Cannon-Brookes', who has expanded his portfolio from software company Atlassian -- which he co-founded -- to the renewable energy space, including being the latest shareholder in AGL Energy.
'Monsoon brides': Extreme weather fuels Pakistan child marriages



Dadu, Pakistan, Aug 21 (AFP) Aug 21, 2024



As monsoon rains were about to break over Pakistan, 14-year-old Shamila and her 13-year-old sister Amina were married off in exchange for money, a decision their parents made to help the family survive the threat of floods.

"I was happy to hear I was getting married... I thought my life would become easier," Shamila told AFP after her wedding to a man twice her age in hope of a more prosperous life.

"But I have nothing more. And with the rain, I fear I will have even less, if that is possible."

Pakistan's high rate of marriages for underage girls had been inching lower in recent years, but after unprecedented floods in 2022, rights workers warn such weddings are now on the rise due to climate-driven economic insecurity.

The summer monsoon between July and September is vital for the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security, but scientists say climate change is making them heavier and longer, raising the risk of landslides, floods and long-term crop damage.

Many villages in the agricultural belt of Sindh have not recovered from the 2022 floods, which plunged a third of the country underwater, displaced millions and ruined harvests.

"This has led to a new trend of 'monsoon brides'," said Mashooque Birhmani, the founder of the NGO Sujag Sansar, which works with religious scholars to combat child marriage.

"Families will find any means of survival. The first and most obvious way is to give their daughters away in marriage in exchange for money."

Birhmani said since the 2022 floods, child marriage has spiked in villages in Dadu district, one of the worst-hit areas that for months resembled a lake.

In Khan Mohammad Mallah village, where Shamila and Amina were married in a joint ceremony in June, 45 underage girls have become wives since the last monsoon -- 15 of them in May and June this year.

"Before the 2022 rains, there was no such need to get girls married so young in our area," said village elder Mai Hajani, 65.

"They would work on the land, make rope for wooden beds, the men would be busy with fishing and agriculture. There was always work to be done".

Parents told AFP that they hurried the marriage of their daughters to save them from poverty, usually in exchange for money.

Shamila's mother-in-law, Bibi Sachal, said they gave 200,000 Pakistan Rupees ($720) to the young bride's parents -- a major sum in a region where most families survive on around one dollar a day.



- 'I thought I would get lipstick' -



Najma Ali was initially swept up in the excitement of becoming a wife when she married at 14 in 2022 and began living with her in-laws, as is tradition in Pakistan.

"My husband gave my parents 250,000 rupees for our wedding. But it was on loan (from a third party) that he has no way of paying back now," she said.

"I thought I would get lipstick, makeup, clothes and crockery," she told AFP, cradling her six-month-old baby.

"Now I am back home with a husband and a baby because we have nothing to eat."

Their village, which lies on the banks of a canal in the Main Nara Valley, is barren and there are no fish left in the polluted water -- its stench overwhelms the area.

"We had lush rice fields where girls used to work," said Hakim Zaadi, 58, the village matron and Najma's mother.

"They would grow many vegetables, which are all dead now because the water in the ground is poisonous. This has happened especially after 2022," she added.

"The girls were not a burden on us before then. At the age girls used to get married, they now have five children, and they come back to live with their parents because their husbands are jobless."



- 'I want to study' -



Child marriages are common in parts of Pakistan, which has the sixth-highest number of girls married before the age of 18 in the world, according to government data published in December.

The legal age for marriage varies from 16 to 18 in different regions, but the law is rarely enforced.

UNICEF has reported "significant strides" in reducing child marriage, but evidence shows that extreme weather events put girls at risk.

"We would expect to see an 18 percent increase in the prevalence of child marriage, equivalent to erasing five years of progress," it said in a report after the 2022 floods.

Dildar Ali Sheikh, 31, had planned to marry off his eldest daughter Mehtab while living in an aid camp after being displaced by the floods.

"When I was there, I thought to myself 'we should get our daughter married so at least she can eat and have basic facilities'," the daily wage labourer told AFP.

Mehtab was just 10 years old.

"The night I decided to get her married, I couldn't sleep," said her mother, Sumbal Ali Sheikh, who was 18 when she married.

An intervention from the NGO Sujag Sansar led to the wedding being postponed, and Mehtab was enrolled in a sewing workshop, allowing her to earn a small income while continuing her education.

But when the monsoon rains fall, she is overcome by dread that her promised wedding will also arrive.

"I have told my father I want to study," she said. "I see married girls around me who have very challenging lives and I don't want this for myself."
Australia green lights world's 'largest' solar hub



Sydney, Aug 21 (AFP) Aug 21, 2024



Australia on Wednesday approved plans for a massive solar and battery farm that would export energy to Singapore, a project it calls the "largest solar precinct in the world".

Authorities announced environmental approvals for SunCable's US$24 billion project in Australia's remote north that is slated to power three million homes.

The project, which will include an array of panels, batteries and, eventually, a cable linking Australia with Singapore, is backed by tech billionaire and green activist Mike Cannon-Brookes.

"It will be the largest solar precinct in the world -- and heralds Australia as the world leader in green energy," said Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.

It is hoped that energy production will begin in 2030.

The 12,000-hectare (29,650-acre) project will provide four gigawatts of energy per hour for domestic use.

Two more gigawatts sent to Singapore via undersea cable will supply about 15 percent of the city-state's needs.

Batteries would be able to store about 40 gigawatts of power.

SunCable Australia's managing director Cameron Garnsworthy said the approval was "a landmark moment in the project's journey".

Despite Wednesday's green light, numerous approval processes remain -- including working with Singapore's energy market authority, Indonesia's government and Australian Indigenous communities.

"SunCable will now focus its efforts on the next stage of planning to advance the project towards a final investment decision targeted by 2027," said Garnsworthy.



- 'Clean energy powerhouse' -



Australia is currently one of the world's leading exporters of coal and gas, but has also been ravaged by the effects of climate change -- from intense heat to floods and bushfires.

Although Australians are among the world's most enthusiastic adopters of household solar panels, a string of governments have been slow to fully embrace renewables.

In 2022, renewables made up 32 percent of Australia's total electricity generation -- compared to coal, which contributed 47 percent, according to the latest government data.

Director of the Energy Change Institute at the Australian National University Ken Baldwin said the project was a "world first" for exporting renewable electricity from solar and wind on such a scale.

"Australia has some of the best solar and wind resources of any country, and as a result, is installing solar and wind at one of the fastest rates of any country in the world on a per capita basis," he told AFP.

But this momentum must continue, particularly if Australia is to meet its net zero targets by 2050, Baldwin said.

"Australia has, over the last five years, invested heavily in solar and wind, but it needs to double and triple that investment in order to reach its climate trajectory towards a net zero future by 2050."

He added that by the 2030s, Australia will need about 100 gigawatts of solar and wind capacity -- the SunCable project will only provide four gigawatts of that need.

Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie said the new solar hub was a bold step in making Australia a "clean energy powerhouse" and that such projects were essential in "delivering affordable energy and slashing climate pollution".

"With the closure of coal-fired power stations on the horizon, Australia needs to accelerate the roll-out of solar and storage at every level-rooftops, large-scale projects, and everything in between," she said.

The project would also be a significant step for Cannon-Brookes, who has expanded his portfolio from software company Atlassian -- which he co-founded -- to the renewable energy space, including being the latest shareholder in AGL Energy.
Australia greenlights world's 'largest' solar hub



Sydney, Aug 21 (AFP) Aug 21, 2024



Australia approved on Wednesday plans for a massive solar and battery farm that would export energy to Singapore, a project billed as the "largest solar precinct in the world".

Authorities announced environmental approvals for SunCable's US$24 billion project in Australia's remote north that is slated to power three million homes.

The project, which will include an array of panels, batteries and, eventually, a cable linking Australia with Singapore, is backed by tech billionaire and green activist Mike Cannon-Brookes.

"It will be the largest solar precinct in the world -- and heralds Australia as the world leader in green energy," said Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.

It is hoped that energy production will begin in 2030, providing four gigawatts of energy for domestic use.

Two more gigawatts would be sent to Singapore via undersea cable, supplying about 15 percent of the city-state's needs.

SunCable Australia's managing director Cameron Garnsworthy said the approval was "a landmark moment in the project's journey".

Numerous approval processes and other hurdles remain despite Wednesday's green light.

The project depends on sign-offs from Singapore's energy market authority, Indonesia's government and Australian Indigenous communities.

Singapore's energy market authority said in a statement it was in "discussions with Sun Cable on its proposal for electricity imports into Singapore" but did not provide further details.

Garnsworthy said: "SunCable will now focus its efforts on the next stage of planning to advance the project towards a final investment decision targeted by 2027."



- 'Clean energy powerhouse' -



Countries around the world are racing to bring major solar projects online to ease the transition away from polluting fossil fuels.

China leads the way and is building almost twice as much wind and solar capacity as every other country combined.

It brought the 3.5 gigawatt Midong solar farm online this year, its largest facility so far.

In contrast, Australia remains one of the world's leading exporters of coal and gas, despite being ravaged by the effects of climate change from intense heat to floods and bushfires.

And, although Australians are among the world's most enthusiastic adopters of household solar panels, a string of governments have been hesitant to embrace renewables.

Renewables made up 32 percent of Australia's total electricity generation in 2022 compared to coal, which contributed 47 percent, according to the latest government data.

Plibersek hailed the project as a way of meeting Australia's projected energy shortfall and creating "14,300 new jobs in northern Australia".

Ken Baldwin, director of the Energy Change Institute at the Australian National University, said the project was a "world first" for exporting renewable electricity from solar and wind on such a scale.

"Australia has some of the best solar and wind resources of any country and, as a result, is installing solar and wind at one of the fastest rates of any country in the world on a per capita basis," he told AFP.

This momentum must continue, Baldwin said, particularly if Australia is to meet its net zero targets by 2050.

"Australia has, over the last five years, invested heavily in solar and wind, but it needs to double and triple that investment in order to reach its climate trajectory towards a net zero future by 2050."

He said Australia will need about 100 gigawatts of solar and wind capacity by the 2030s. The SunCable project will only provide four gigawatts of that need.

Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie said the new solar hub was a bold step in making Australia a "clean energy powerhouse" and that such projects were essential in "delivering affordable energy and slashing climate pollution".

"With the closure of coal-fired power stations on the horizon, Australia needs to accelerate the roll-out of solar and storage at every level -- rooftops, large-scale projects and everything in between," she said.

The project would also be a significant step for Cannon-Brookes, who once described the project as "insane" before becoming an enthusiastic investor.
MOSCOW, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Several Ukrainian units are retreating from the Kursk region, local media reported Wednesday, citing a senior official of the Russian Defense Ministry.

"The enemy has been stopped and has suffered heavy losses. Essentially ... some of the units are being withdrawn in order to be sent to other areas," said Apty Alaudinov, deputy head of the main military political directorate of the Russian Defense Ministry, commander of the Akhmat special forces.

The fighting continues in several settlements on the outskirts, which are currently under Russian control, he added.

The Ukrainian armed forces started an offensive in southern Russia's Kursk region on Aug. 6. The Russian Defense Ministry reported Wednesday that Ukraine has so far lost over 4,400 military personnel and 65 tanks during fighting in the region. 
MANILA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The United States and certain other countries should stop provoking confrontation in the South China Sea and cease actions that undermine regional stability and exacerbate tensions, the Chinese embassy in the Philippines urged Tuesday.

In a statement issued Tuesday regarding the Xianbin Jiao collision, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the Philippines said that the United States and certain countries are not parties to the South China Sea issue and have no right to interfere in maritime matters between China and the Philippines.

On Monday, two Philippine coast guard vessels, without permission from the Chinese government, intruded into the adjacent waters of Xianbin Jiao of China's Nansha Qundao and, in disregard of China Coast Guard's dissuasion and warning, acted dangerously by deliberately ramming the China Coast Guard vessel that was carrying out law enforcement operation.

"On the day of the collision, the U.S. State Department issued a statement, and Embassies of the United States and some of its allies in the Philippines also wasted no time in taking sides and making inflammatory statements, which raises questions about their underlying motives," the spokesperson said.

The Chinese diplomat noted that spokespersons of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Coast Guard have issued statements on this incident, on-site video footages have been released, and the facts are clear and the truth is evident.

"If they genuinely care about peace and stability in the South China Sea, why do they persist in sowing discord and fueling tensions?" the spokesperson said.

The statement said that China is committed to handling maritime disputes with the Philippines properly through dialogue and consultation. "We hope the Philippines will honor its commitment, earnestly observe the understandings and arrangement reached with China, refrain from taking actions that may complicate the situation, and work with China to get the situation at sea under control." 
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size It shouldve been called Pussy Island. The provocative jab, a working title that straddles the line between feminist reclamation and sexist objectification, is a perfect encapsulation of the darkly funny and righteously furious tone of Zoe Kravitzs directorial debut. Instead, its called Blink Twice. Nondescript, generic, broadly inoffensive. Just like the marketing departments at major film studios like it. Its not a fight Im fighting right now, a resigned Kravitz says of the title change, from her home in New York. I feel like the spirit of Pussy Island is in the film, so if thats the way to get this feeling across, then you dont have to say it so literally. It still lives on. Kravitz directs partner Channing Tatum on the set of Blink Twice. Credit: Carlos Somonte Whats in a name, after all? But in this brat summer, that catch-all term reflecting the current female desire for unapologetic hedonism, Dionysian recklessness and the right to be messy without fear or judgment, inspired by British pop star Charli XCXs hit album (Brat), it feels like a missed opportunity. The title Pussy Island taps into a prevailing cultural mood; it surely wouldve put people in cinema seats. Blink Twice? Well see. I really believe in collective consciousness, so I always feel that in every moment theres a certain frequency or energy that were all tuned into and I feel like that definitely feels like  yes, says Kravitz of her films alignment with brat summer. Thats kind of what I wanted to make a film about, which is what happens when women stop behaving, when we stop playing by these rules weve been given. So I definitely think it feels in line with brat summer. Frida (Naomi Ackie) lands in deep water when she accepts an invitation to a tycoons private island. Credit:

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Directed by Kravitz from a script she co-wrote with Eric E.T. Feigenbaum, the films story centres on broke cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie). She is, like any number of people whose priorities have been skewed by influencer culture and late-stage capitalism, illiterate to current affairs but impressed by proximity to fame and fortune. One evening, while working a high-class catering gig, Frida makes a connection with the toxic-yet-charming tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum), whos in the midst of an apology tour after being cancelled for numerous undisclosed discretions. King immediately invites Frida and her friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) to join his party of young women (Adria Arjona, Liz Caribel, Trew Mullen) and ageing rich bros (Christian Slater, Haley Joel Osment, Simon Rex) at his private island, and the gang are suddenly whisked to a remote resort where the sun-dappled days merge into an unending haze of blissful, intoxicated excess. Of course, nothing is as it seems. Before long, the tropical escapist vibes subside and, as Fridas sobriety returns, the film transforms into a sinister and frenetic psychological thriller. In Kravitzs deft hands Blink Twice echoes elements of Get Outs social horror, Midsommars woozy paranoia and a Tarantino revenge flick seething with fury over male sexual entitlement and male violence against women. Though the film could be inspired by any number of stories of high-powered men behaving criminally that emerged in the wake of #MeToo, the obvious parallels are to Epstein island, that horrendous site of abuse once owned by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Kravitzs initial idea, however, emerged long before such stories became headline news, fuelled by her own frustrations around societys skewed power dynamics. Naomi Ackie as Frida and Adria Arjona as Sarah. Credit: Carlos Somonte It was more of a feeling at first, just having this array of emotions and not really knowing where to put them. I started writing this in 2017, so a little bit beforehand what felt like a big shift in the zeitgeist around conversations about power dynamics and #MeToo, #TimesUp, all of that, says Kravitz, now 35. I think prior to that shift I was just feeling a combination of anxiety, anger and confusion around power dynamics. I wrote down Pussy Island first  just the concept of it, just those words  and that led me to this story that turned into the film.

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The script mutated heavily in the years after the first outline was completed in 2017. Me and my writing partner Eric had to rewrite over and over again because the conversation culturally kept changing, which was amazing, actually, says Kravitz. But having to adapt to the state of the world, and the conversations we were having, was a really interesting thing when youre writing about a living and breathing moment in history. The result is a thematically hefty and ambitious project, particularly for a first-time director. With its wide-angle shots, Steadicam looseness and saturated colour palette, Kravitz brings an assured auteurist touch to the film. This is someone with a clear vision and the taste to achieve it. Of course, industry contacts help. Steven Soderbergh is a great mentor of mine. He watched an early cut and gave me really fantastic notes and was really encouraging, says Kravitz. Ramy Youssef gave me some great notes. Ilana Glazer. Just friends of mine that have been around over the many years of me writing this and knew the story already, which was helpful for them to understand what I was trying to make. Donald Glover, too. He was someone who gave me great notes. It was great to have friends who I love and respect and that make fantastic art themselves. I would have been talking about it with whoever I was with, because when youre directing something youre obsessed with it, says Kravitz. Credit: Carlos Somonte

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If Blink Twice is Kravitzs filmmaking debut, shes not a novice to the medium. The daughter of actress Lisa Bonet and rock star Lenny Kravitz, she has already carved a particular avenue for herself on screen  its in those heavy eyes, dripping with unimpressed judgment; in her bohemian aesthetic; in her detached demeanour, cultivated in childhood where she split time between her divorced parents homes in LAs hippie-ish Topanga Canyon, trendy Manhattan and Miami. Her first role out of acting school, at 18, was playing a lackadaisical Goth babysitter in the romcom No Reservations with Catherine Zeta-Jones, but her profile expanded exponentially with roles in X-Men: First Class, the Divergent trilogy and Hulus criminally underrated reboot of High Fidelity, a project on which she was also a producer. Shes also a musician as part of the R&B duo Lolawolf, and co-wrote the track Lavender Haze on friend Taylor Swifts Midnights. A long-promised solo debut with Jack Antonoff is still in the works. Theres a lot of unfinished songs sitting around somewhere, maybe Ill get to that as well, she says. Kravitz, with star Channing Tatum, at the films Los Angeles premiere. Credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Immediately prior to Blink Twice, Kravitz was coming off her biggest roles to date, playing Bonnie Carlson in Big Little Lies and Catwoman/Selina Kyle opposite Robert Pattinson in 2022s The Batman. In the coming months shell begin shooting Darren Aronofskys next epic, Caught Stealing. Like any actor-turned-director, she had originally considered putting herself in Blink Twice. I think early on I was writing more from my perspective in early drafts for Frida. But the more I developed the script I decided I wanted to direct it, so that really freed my mind from writing it for me just out of habit, she says. By the time I finished the script I knew I wasnt going to star in it. I wanted to direct it and I had written it specifically not for me.

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Moving between each of her creative modes of actor, writer, director, musician and model wasnt a problem while making Blink Twice, she says, as they all fed into each other. I was always inspired by the work I was doing at the same time, the directors I was working with, the characters I was playing. As an actor, theres time between projects where youre really not doing anything and I like to be busy, so I was very thankful to have something that I knew I could just delve back into. Specifically during COVID, too, I was so thankful to have something to focus on. Beyond her many hats, another on-set distraction mightve been love. Blink Twice, after all, is the film on which Kravitz met her now partner, actor Channing Tatum. The pair have since become a tabloid staple, adorably loved up, pictured riding tandem bikes through New York streets or picking their favourite art-house DVDs (We love Cassavetes) for Criterions beloved closet picks videos. The relationship has also proved professionally simpatico. For Tatum, perhaps still best known for his singlet-heavy turns in Step Up and the Magic Mike films, Kravitz has gifted him with the best role of his career to date, a chance to use his infamous charm for sinister reasons. A closing monologue, in which Tatums Slater King speaks to the bitter entitlement of men cancelled by their own heinous wrongdoings, railing against a world that wont accept their Im sorrys as penance enough, is chilling. Channing Tatum plays troubled tech bro Slater King in Blink Twice. Chans performance is phenomenal, says Kravitz. Credit: I think thats part of the reason I wanted him to do it. Its always exciting when you see actors do things you havent seen them do before, says Kravitz. I think the character Slater King is an incredibly complex one. I knew that he also had to be someone who was quite charming and someone you felt safe with, that Frida would feel safe. Thats usually the kind of role that Chan plays because he is warm and charismatic and kind and charming, and so I thought it would be interesting to see that flipped on its head. The idea of working with a romantic partner has its nay-sayers but Kravitz says she cherished the experience. Chan has said this before but I think its true: I think having some kind of challenge to do together as a couple is a great way to test the relationship, and if you enjoy doing it together I think that really does say a lot, Kravitz says.

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The rising, spinning wind gathers speed, and water vapour sucked up from the ocean becomes a visible vortex as the spout reaches maturity and connects to the cumulus clouds above. Fair-weather spouts are dramatic yet short-lived, lasting for only five to 10 minutes. Theyre not particularly dangerous, but the Bureau of Meteorology warns winds inside the spout can reach 100km/h and inflict serious damage to boats. Can waterspouts turn into tornadoes? Fair-weather waterspouts dont turn into tornadoes, but the second category of waterspouts  the tornadic variety  are essentially just actual tornadoes that form over the ocean. Theyre the fair-weather waterspouts destructive cousin. Tornadic waterspouts can hit 400km/h, are associated with hail and lightning, and may be the culprit behind the Bayesians sinking.

While fair-weather spouts form on the oceans surface and stretch up to meet the clouds, the tornadic kind emerge from supercell storms in the sky and develop downward. Debris flies as a waterspout sweeps into Lennox Heads. Credit: Ross Tuckerman Theyre much better at surviving landfall and can inflict serious damage. Do they happen in Australia? Tornadic waterspouts are rare in Australia but there are instances when theyve made landfall and ripped through homes and infrastructure.

In 2010, a tornadic waterspout destroyed dozens of homes in Lennox Head, and in 2015 a similar vortex tore through Kurnell, damaging Sydneys desalination plant and sucking a worker out of a control-room window. And the Bayesian incident isnt the first time the tornadic vortexes have wreaked havoc for yachts. A massive waterspout smashed through the Sydney to Hobart in 2001, tearing the mainsail of the maxi yacht in the lead. Non-tornadic waterspouts can be dangerous, too. In April this year, one made landfall in Green Point on the Mid North Coast, hurling barbecues and trampolines into the air and damaging dozens of homes. But its very rare for fair-weather waterspouts to maintain their energy once they hit land. Usually, theyre spotted far out to sea spinning above warm waters off NSW and Queensland.

Theyre more likely in autumn and winter, says the bureau, because air over land is colder while the ocean stays relatively warm. In 2022, unusually warm water off the Illawarra coast generated a twirling line of six waterspouts. Its not uncommon for multiple waterspouts to form at the same time along the convergence line where two winds meet. Can waterspouts be predicted, and are they becoming more common? Because theyre relatively small and short-lived, its almost impossible to predict when a waterspout will strike.

As opposed to rain events, which are easy to pick up on radar, we dont have much data on the formation of tornadoes and waterspouts, Professor Jason Evans from the Climate Change Research Centre at UNSW said. I would say thats a massive gap in our knowledge, he said. We dont even have a good handle on how frequent theyve been in the recent past. Generally speaking, warmer ocean temperatures intensify storms, he said. The president of the Italian Meteorological Society, Luca Mercalli, has tied the tragedy in Sicily to climate change, saying temperatures spiking 3 degrees above average in the Mediterranean Sea added volatile energy to the weather system. Thirty years ago an event of this kind might have brought winds of 100km/h, he told The Guardian. Today its 150km/h because sea temperatures of 3 degrees higher means an enormous quantity of energy for storms, and when cold air arrives its explosive.

At least one study has found the frequency of waterspouts is increasing with warming water. Like the Mediterranean, the ocean off south-east Australia is a global warming hotspot, with water warming three times the global average. What authorities think happened to the Bayesian in Sicily The Italian coastguard said a violent storm hit the small harbour of Porticello, near Palermo, in the early hours of Monday morning (local time), where the Bayesian had dropped anchor. Scuba divers study a map of the sailing yacht Bayesian at the Porticello harbour. Credit: AP Authorities believe a waterspout spiralled up in the exact location of the Bayesian, potentially dumping an enormous volume of water onto the deck.

That water carries significant weight, Matthew Schanck, chairman of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, told The Times. If the waterspout ends up dumping a load of that water on board the vessel, thats going to cause significant damage. The Times dubbed the waterspout a freak black swan event. Sicilian prosecutors are investigating whether portholes and hatches were left open overnight, allowing water from the spout to rush into the vessel. Sailing expert Skip Novak told AP he believed gusts may have pushed the yacht over, allowing ocean water to gush through open internal doors. This just doesnt happen. You know, boats sink because things like keels fall off, or they run aground and breach the hull, he said. From a weather angle, a boat that big being pushed over on its side is absolutely extraordinary.
It all started with a seemingly innocuous joke.

During a dinner to celebrate the Rural Womens Awards in Parliament House on Tuesday night, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dropped in an off-script remark about a discussion with Indonesian president-elect Prabowo Subianto about beef exports.

The opposition swooped on Prime Minister Anthony Albaneses comments. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

When we had dinner, beautiful Australian beef  not the live export  we made sure it was dead.

Its fair to say that the rather limp gag failed to land.
A former Melbourne real estate agent is accused of stashing almost $1 million worth of illicit drugs, cash and a handgun in her apartment and a storage unit.

Tegan Miller, 29, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged with more than a dozen offences, including drug trafficking, after police raided her home in Plummer Street, Port Melbourne, on October 11 last year.

Former real estate agent Tegan Miller is accused of drug trafficking. Credit: Facebook

Police allege they discovered more than a kilogram of methamphetamine, about 130 grams of cocaine, and almost 40 grams of MDMA during their raids, with a combined street value estimated at more than $390,000.

Charge sheets released by the court say police also found an unregistered handgun and almost $520,000 in cash.
BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities plan to launch a special operation to increase IPv6 traffic in major cities, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said on Wednesday.

The operation will be launched in eight major cities -- Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Hefei, Wuxi and Yantai -- by the CAC and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the CAC said in a press release.

The yearlong operation is aimed at expanding the deployment of IPv6, which stands for Internet Protocol version 6.

IPv6 is the next-generation Internet Protocol standard. It will provide a vast quantity of address resources and serve as a fundamental support for the enhancement of network capabilities, technological innovation and industrial upgrading.

Measures will be taken to significantly increase IPv6 activation on home routers, and to visibly improve the actual adoption of IPv6 among the dedicated internet access services of key government departments and enterprises, the statement said.

Data centers will undertake technological upgrading and transformation to provide IPv6 services, and more cloud services products will support IPv6, it noted. 
Trains in Melbournes Metro Tunnel will have to run slower near the new Parkville station, a leaked government report shows, under a plan to limit interference with sensitive cancer and medical scanning equipment.

Flaws in the $14 billion project were exposed after a report to the state governments Infrastructure Development Committee was leaked to The Age, revealing construction delays, potential compensation claims and plans to dump elements of the mega-project to cut ballooning costs.

The new Parkville station. Credit: Penny Stephens

But along with these issues, which the government argues are part of any infrastructure project of this scale, unresolved problems remain with cancer treatment equipment at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Parkville, and with sensitive microscopes at RMIT in the CBD.

The new rail tunnel runs beneath Parkvilles $1.2 billion Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, which opened in 2016, two years before the tunnel started construction. The Peter Mac is located within the cancer centre.
Teal MP Kylea Tink wants to take a complaint about offensive and degrading personal comments to the new parliamentary watchdog the government wants to introduce  but other MPs are worried political parties could weaponise its powers.

Incidents of bullying, assault and sexual assault in Canberras parliament could be punished if the much-delayed Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission comes into law after it was tabled in the House on Wednesday.

Independent member for North Sydney Kylea Tink will take a bullying complaint to the new watchdog if it passes into law. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Tink said she will explore the possibility of making a complaint about Coalition MPs sending out electronic direct mail she said is inflammatory.

Its a piece of marketing they send far and wide and sometimes theyre very offensive and degrading things written about me, she said.
New housing developments up to 20 storeys high will be fast-tracked under a state government plan to deliver an extra 60,000 homes across 10 suburban activity centres including Camberwell, Chadstone, Niddrie and Ringwood by 2051.

Planning rules for new townhouses and apartments up to six storeys will also be overhauled for areas within a 10-minute walk of the designated hubs to allow denser neighbourhoods close to shopping and transport.

Under new details of the pilot program, to be announced by the state government on Thursday, the structure planning process in new activity centres, named last year, will be fast-tracked  from up to five years down to about 12 months.

The new planning controls will apply in 10 activity centres across Melbourne: in Broadmeadows, Camberwell Junction, Chadstone, Epping, Frankston, Moorabbin, Niddrie, North Essendon, Preston and Ringwood.
Washington: Independent US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr is considering ending his campaign to join forces with Republican rival Donald Trump, Kennedys running mate said in an interview posted online on Tuesday.

The vice presidential candidate, Nicole Shanahan, said that as independents she and Kennedy ran the risk of drawing support from would-be Trump voters and clearing the way for Democrats Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to win the November election.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr in Albany, New York on August 7. Credit: nna\josh.hohne

Or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump, she told Los Angeles media company Impact Theory. Asked when they would make a decision, she did not say.

In a separate statement on X on Tuesday, Kennedy wrote: As always, I am willing to talk with leaders of any political party to further the goals I have served for 40 years in my career and in this campaign.
Gavin Newsom is a rising Democratic star and governor of California, and on Wednesday (AEST) he pledged the culminating delegate votes to clinch the partys presidential nomination for Kamala Harris in a ceremonial roll call.

But while hes happy to support her, hes torn.

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, thinks Kamala Harris is an excellent candidate, but he feels bad for Joe Biden. Credit: Monique Westermann

Newsom is not pleased with the partys treatment of the man she is replacing as nominee, President Joe Biden.
GOTHENBURG, Sweden--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Polestar announces that Philipp Romers has been appointed Head of Design.

Philipp has over 25 years of experience in automotive design and joins Polestar from AUDI AG, where he has held a number of roles, including Head of Exterior Design. Before joining AUDI AG, he was a leading designer at Volkswagen AG.

Philipp will succeed Maximilian Missoni, who after 6 years with Polestar and a total of 12 years in Sweden, has decided to take up a new role outside of Polestar.

Philipp Romers says: Polestar is the role model of a design-driven automotive company and it's a great honour to take on the responsibility for the design department. Im looking forward to working with the creative team to design the next generation of Polestar cars.

Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO, says: I thank Max for his leadership and companionship during the inception of Polestar as Europes only pure EV brand. Max established the innovative design standards that combine aesthetics, luxury and performance in a way that is truly Polestar. We wish him all the best in the future.

At the same time, I am delighted to welcome Philipp to Polestar. Philipps modern approach to automotive design and experience from the luxury, performance segment will really support us as we take the next step in developing our model line-up.

About Polestar

Polestar is the Swedish electric performance car brand determined to improve society by using design and technology to accelerate the shift to sustainable mobility. Headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, its cars are available online in 27 markets globally across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Polestar plans to have a line-up of five performance EVs by 2026. Polestar 2, the electric performance fastback, launched in 2019. Polestar 3, the SUV for the electric age, launched in late 2022. Polestar 4, the SUV coupe transformed, is launching in phases through 2023 and into 2024. Polestar 5, an electric four-door GT and Polestar 6, an electric roadster, are coming soon.

The Polestar 0 project supports the companys ambitious goal of creating a truly climate-neutral production car by 2030. The research initiative also aims to create a sense of urgency to act on the climate crisis, by challenging employees, suppliers and the wider automotive industry, to drive towards zero.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that are not historical facts, but rather forward-looking statements within the meaning of Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include those that address activities, events or developments that Polestar or its management believes or anticipates may occur in the future. All forward-looking statements are based upon, as applicable, our current expectations, various assumptions and data available from third parties. Our expectations and assumptions are expressed in good faith and we believe there is a reasonable basis for them. However, there can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will materialize or prove to be correct as forward-looking statements are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual future results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the future results, performance or achievements expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those set out in the forward-looking statements, including those risks and uncertainties set forth in the sections entitled Risk Factors and Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements in Polestars Form 20-F, and other documents filed, or to be filed, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by Polestar. For any forward-looking statements contained in this or any other document, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and we assume no obligation to update publicly or revise any such statements in light of new information or future events, except as required by law.
2025 GMC Yukon Close Up First Look





Upgraded and up-leveled interior paired with a fresh exterior design Advanced tech includes new 16.8-inch-diagonal premium infotainment system, an enhanced suite of safety features, and the introduction of available Night Vision1 to the GMC portfolio First-ever AT4 Ultimate trim introduced

DETROIT  Today, GMC revealed the 2025 Yukon, the brands flagship nameplate, with major technology upgrades, a bold exterior and thoughtfully refreshed interior design. The 2025 Yukon introduces the first-ever AT4 Ultimate trim, timed to celebrate the fifth anniversary of GMCs AT4 sub-brand.

Following the all-new GMC Acadia and next-gen GMC Terrain, the addition of the updated 2025 GMC Yukon completes GMCs reimagined SUV lineup, said Duncan Aldred, global vice president, Buick and GMC. Were raising the bar on what our customers expect from GMCs flagship and the addition of the AT4 Ultimate trim fuses ruggedness and capability with craftsmanship and refinement.

Underpinned by an available 6.2L V8 engine2, the 2025 Yukon offers 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. Also available across the lineup, including on AT4 and AT4 Ultimate for the first time, a 3.0L Duramax Turbo-Diesel engine option offers customers 305 horsepower and 495 lb-ft of torque.3

Boldly refreshed  inside and out

As the flagship of the brand, the 2025 Yukon sets a new bar for GMCs distinctive and premium design language. The Yukons interior blends a precisely crafted mix of luxury and technology for a world-class driver and passenger experience, while the elevated exterior design exudes a muscular yet refined character.

The centerpiece of the cabin is a 16.8-inch-diagonal Premium GMC Infotainment Center4 with a vertical interface, which allows users to customize the integration of maps, audio inputs, vehicle diagnostics and more into a diagonal screen display. The addition of an available 8-inch-diagonal rear climate control touchscreen also helps ensure a comfortable cabin environment for passengers.

The 2025 GMC Yukon exterior also commands attention with the application of unique grille patterns, liftgate badging, animated headlamps and taillamps, and an available panoramic sunroof delivers an open-air cabin experience.

Uniquely ultimate

Representing the ultimate mixture of sophistication and functionality, the 2025 Yukon provides customers with even more design options and upgraded technology on both the Denali Ultimate and first-ever AT4 Ultimate trims, including:

Denali Ultimate: Exclusive 24-inch 8-spoke machined wheels with laser etching  a first-ever for Yukon 16-way powered heated and ventilated massaging front seats and 2 nd row Executive Seating 5 featuring luxury captains chairs  a first for the GMC lineup 6 New interior wood decor featuring open pore laser etched topographical patterns, chrome accents and leather rim steering wheel accents A Bose Performance Series sound system 7 with up to 22 speakers, including stainless-steel head restraint speakers in the front row and optional second row executive seating, delivering a premium, personalized cabin acoustic experience

AT4 Ultimate: A front skid plate and 20-inch wheels with all-terrain tires Four-corner Air Ride Adaptive Suspension can raise the vehicle up to 2 inches to improve ground clearance when off-road Luxurious Obsidian Rush interior with three rows of full-grain leather seating and Ash Burl wood accents New unique leather seat style, featuring open pore wood decor, and leather rim steering wheel accents



Purposeful advanced technology

The 2025 Yukon delivers an enhanced suite of advanced technology, safety and driver assistance features, including available Night Vision1  enabling customers to drive more confidently in low-light environments. Thermal object detection helps identify pedestrians and animals by alerting drivers via the head-up display and driver information center.

The 2025 Yukon also features an expansive list of new standard advanced safety features and available driver assistance tech, including1:

Front Pedestrian and Bicyclist Braking

Rear Cross Traffic Braking

Side Bicyclist Alert

Intersection Automatic Emergency Braking

Intuitive technologies that just make life easier include an available presence based hands-free liftgate that automatically opens the liftgate in the presence of the key fob. The 2025 Yukon also features available Super Cruise8  the industrys first true hands-free advanced driver assistance system with the largest operating domain that is expected to grow to ~ 750,000 miles of roads in the U.S. and Canada by the end of 2025. Yukon owners with Super Cruise will be able to experience the industrys first and only hands-free trailering technology.

Next-gen trailering tech

The 2025 Yukon is engineered for effortless towing and offers a variety of available cutting-edge trailering technologies9.

Offering a towing capability of up to 8,400 lbs., the suite of available trailering technologies includes1:

Blind Zone Steering Assist 1 can alert drivers and provide a brief, firm turn of the steering wheel when a potential crash is detected with a moving vehicle in a side blind zone that is extended to trailer lengths.

can alert drivers and provide a brief, firm turn of the steering wheel when a potential crash is detected with a moving vehicle in a side blind zone that is extended to trailer lengths. Transparent Trailer View 10 uses a tailgate-mounted camera and a customer-installed auxiliary camera available on the rear of a compatible trailer to help virtually see through a compatible trailer to view objects or vehicles behind it.

uses a tailgate-mounted camera and a customer-installed auxiliary camera available on the rear of a compatible trailer to help virtually see through a compatible trailer to view objects or vehicles behind it. Trailer Reverse Trajectory 11 adds rearward guidelines to track the path of the trailer when backing up.

adds rearward guidelines to track the path of the trailer when backing up. Trailer Tire Health enhances the Trailer Tire Pressure Monitoring System by adding leak detection, tire life monitor and over-speed warning.

Jackknife Alert12 tracks the position of the compatible trailer in relation to the vehicle to notify the driver if facing a potential jackknife situation.

Coming soon

The 2025 GMC Yukon will be produced at Arlington Assembly in Texas13 and is expected to be available by the end of 2024.

Additional details, including pricing, will be announced closer to the start of production. More information is available at www.gmc.com.

About GMC

GMC offers a range of premium trucks and SUVs designed and engineered to the highest standard. With vehicles like the compact Terrain and full-size Yukon, all-new Canyon and Sierra light-duty, as well as the worlds first all-electric supertruck the GMC HUMMER EV, our trucks and SUVs deliver GMCs signature combination of intuitive technologies, precise engineering and premium execution. Built on a strong foundation of manufacturing trucks since 1902, GMC now sells in a dozen countries across the world. Details on all models are available at www.gmc.com, Instagram at @GMC, Twitter at @GMC or at www.facebook.com/gmc.

1Safety or driver-assistance features are no substitute for the drivers respToday, GMC revealed the 2025 Yukon, the brands flagship nameplate, with major technology upgrades, a bold exterior and thoughtfully refreshed interior design. The 2025 Yukon introduces the first-ever AT4 Ultimate trim, timed to celebrate the fifth anniversary of GMCs AT4 sub-brand.onsibility to operate the vehicle in a safe manner. The driver should remain attentive to traffic, surroundings and road conditions at all times. Visibility, weather and road conditions may affect feature performance. Read the vehicle Owners Manual for more important feature limitations and information.

233.0L Diesel engine will have late availability.

4Functionality varies by model. Full functionality requires compatible Bluetooth and smartphone, and USB connectivity for some devices.

5Second Row Executive Seating will have late availability.

6Second Row Executive Seating is also available on the 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ

7Bose is a registered trademark of the Bose Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.

8Always pay attention while driving and when using Super Cruise. Do not use a handheld device. Requires active Super Cruise plan or trial. Terms apply. Visit gmc.com/connectivity-technology/super-cruise for compatible roads and full details. Automatic Lane Change and Lange Change on Demand are not available while trailering.

9Requires available trailering package. Before you buy a vehicle or use it for trailering, carefully review the Trailering section of the Owners Manual. The weight of passengers, cargo and options or accessories may reduce the amount you can tow.

10Transparent Trailer View will have late availability.

11Trailer Reverse Trajectory will have late availability.

12Jackknife Alert will have late availability.

13With domestically and globally sourced parts.

2025 GMC Yukon Spec Sheet

EPA-ESTIMATED MPG

City Not Available Highway Not Available Combined Not Available

ENGINES

5.3L V8

(Standard on Elevation, AT4) Bore & Stroke (in. / mm) 3.78 x 3.62 / 96 x 92 Block Material Cast aluminum Cylinder Head Material Cast aluminum Valvetrain Overhead valve, two valves per cylinder, variable valve timing Fuel Delivery Direct high-pressure fuel injection with Dynamic Fuel Management Horsepower (hp / kW @ rpm) @ rpm 355 HP Torque (lb.-ft. / Nm @ rpm) @ rpm 383 lb-ft 6.2L V8

(Standard on AT4 Ultimate, Denali, Denali Ultimate; Optional on AT4) Bore & Stroke (in. / mm) 4.06 x 3.62 / 103.25 x 92 Block Material Cast aluminum Cylinder Head Material Cast aluminum Valvetrain Overhead valve, two valves per cylinder, variable valve timing Fuel Delivery Direct high-pressure fuel injection with Dynamic Fuel Management Horsepower (hp / kW @ rpm) @ rpm 420 HP Torque (lb.-ft. / Nm @ rpm) @ rpm 460 lb-ft 3.0L Duramax Turbo-Diesel  Late Availability

(Available on all Trims) Bore & Stroke (in. / mm) 3.30 x 3.54 / 84 x 90 Block Material Cast aluminum Cylinder Head Material Cast aluminum Valvetrain Dual-overhead camshafts, four-valves per cylinder Fuel Delivery High-pressure, common-rail direct injection; electronic throttle valve Horsepower (hp / kW @ rpm) @ rpm 305 HP Torque (lb.-ft. / Nm @ rpm) @ rpm 495 lb-ft

TRANSMISSION & AXLE

Type 10-speed automatic Axle Ratio 3.23

CHASSIS & SUSPENSION

Front Suspension Independent coil-over-shocks and stabilizer bar; available four-corner air control and Magnetic Ride Control Rear Suspension Independent multi-link with coil-over shocks and stabilizer bar; available four-corner air control and Magnetic Ride Control Steering Type Electric power-assisted rack-and-pinion Turning Circle (m) Turn Circle by tire size:

SWB (m), LWB (m)

20", 12.0/ 13.2

22", 12.0/ 13.2

24", 12.4 / 13.6 Brake Type Four-wheel disc with ABS; vented front and rear DuralifeTM rotors Brake Rotor Size (mm) 13.5 x 1.2 / 343 x 30.4 (front)

13.6 x 1.0 / 345 x 20.0 (rear) Wheel Size 20-in. aluminum (std. Elevation, AT4, Denali, AT4 Ultimate)

22-in. aluminum (avail. Elevation, Denali, Denali Ultimate)

24-in. aluminum (std. Denali Ult; avail. Denali) Tire Size 275/60R20

275/50R22

285/40R24

EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS

Yukon Yukon XL Wheelbase (in. / mm) 120.9 / 3071 134.1 / 3407 Overall length (in. / mm) Elev., Denali, Denali Ult: 210.2 / 5338

AT4 & AT4 Ult.: 210.5 / 5347 Elev., Denali, Denali Ult: 225.2 / 5720

AT4 & AT4 Ult.: 225.6 / 5729 Overall width w/o mirrors (in. / mm) 81 / 2058 Overall height (in. / mm) Elev.: 76.6 / 1945



AT4 & AT4 Ult: 76.3 / 1939 Denali & Denali Ult: 76.4 / 1941



Denali Ult with Exec Seats: 76.3 / 1938 Elev.: 76.5 / 1943 AT4 & AT4 Ult: 76.1 / 1934 2WD Denali: 76.3 / 1937 4WD Denali: 76.2 / 1936 Denali Ult: 76.1 / 1933 Front track width (in. / mm) 68.4 / 1737 68.4 / 1737 Rear track width (in. / mm) 68.1 / 1730 68.1 / 1730 Ground clearance (in. / mm) Elev. 2WD: 7.8 / 198

Elev. 4WD & Denali 2WD: 7.5 / 191 AT4 & AT4 Ult.: 8.0 / 204 Denali 4WD: 7.4 / 189 Denali Ult.: 7.3 / 186 Elevation: 7.7 / 195



Denali 2WD: 7.6 / 193 AT4 & AT4 Ult.: 7.8 / 198 Denali 4WD: 7.5 / 190 Denali Ult.: 7.3 / 186

INTERIOR DIMENSIONS

1st Row 2nd Row 3rd Row Headroom (in. / mm) 42.3 / 1074 38.9 / 988 38.2 / 970 Headroom (in. / mm) with sunroof 40.4 / 1025 37.5 / 952 38.2 / 970 Legroom (in. / mm) 44.5 / 1131 42.0 / 1068; 41.5 / 1054 [Yukon Den Ultimate with Exec Seats]; 41.6 / 1057 [Yukon XL Den Ultimate] 34.9 / 886 (Yukon); 30.8 / 783 [Yukon Den Ultimate with Exec Seats]; 36.7 / 933 (Yukon XL) Shoulder Room (in. / mm) 65.5 / 1664 64.7 / 1643 62.7 / 1592 (Yukon) 62.8 / 1595 (Yukon XL) Hip Room (in. / mm) 61.5 / 1562 61.3 / 1558 [Yukon]; 61.3 / 1557 [Yukon XL] 49.4 / 1255

WEIGHTS, CAPACITIES & CARGO VOLUME

Yukon Yukon XL Base Curb Weight (lb. / kg) 5602 / 2541 5772 / 2595 Max Cargo Volume (cu. Ft / L)1 122.9 / 3480 (rear seats folded) 144.7 / 4097 (rear seats folded) Max Trailering Capacity (lb. / kg)2 8,400 lb 8,200 lb

1Cargo and load capacity limited by weight and distribution.

2Before you buy a vehicle or use it for trailering, carefully review the Trailering section of the Owners Manual.
SYDNEY, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The State of Western Australia (WA) issued a health warning on Wednesday after two locally acquired mpox cases were recorded.

The state's Department of Health said in a media release that people at risk of contracting mpox should be vigilant after recording two locally acquired cases of the virus in the state.

The local cases, which are still being investigated, are the milder clade II strain of mpox and are not connected to the more severe clade Ib strain of mpox which is spreading through west and central Africa.

People with the clade II strain of mpox usually experience a milder illness which may last for two to four weeks and resolves without specific treatment while only a few people experience more severe illness, said WA Health's Communicable Disease Control Director Paul Armstrong.

"Now that we are seeing locally acquired cases of mpox in WA, it's really important to raise awareness of this virus and encourage people at risk to get vaccinated," he said. 
Photo taken on Aug. 21, 2024 shows the opening ceremony of the 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week in Gui'an New Area, southwest China's Guizhou Province. The 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week kicked off here on Wednesday. The education cooperation week, which was first held in 2008, has developed into a high-end platform and bridge making positive contributions to China-ASEAN relations. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

Foreign students sell products via livestream during the 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week in Gui'an New Area, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Aug. 21, 2024. The 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week kicked off here on Wednesday. The education cooperation week, which was first held in 2008, has developed into a high-end platform and bridge making positive contributions to China-ASEAN relations. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

Foreign students take selfies during the 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week in Gui'an New Area, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Aug. 21, 2024. The 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week kicked off here on Wednesday. The education cooperation week, which was first held in 2008, has developed into a high-end platform and bridge making positive contributions to China-ASEAN relations. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

A foreign student experiences Miao embroidery during the 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week in Gui'an New Area, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Aug. 21, 2024. The 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week kicked off here on Wednesday. The education cooperation week, which was first held in 2008, has developed into a high-end platform and bridge making positive contributions to China-ASEAN relations. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

Representatives of foreign students sing songs at the opening ceremony of the 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week in Gui'an New Area, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Aug. 21, 2024. The 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week kicked off here on Wednesday. The education cooperation week, which was first held in 2008, has developed into a high-end platform and bridge making positive contributions to China-ASEAN relations. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

A visitor (L) praises the tea products of Guizhou Province during the 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week in Gui'an New Area, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Aug. 21, 2024. The 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week kicked off here on Wednesday. The education cooperation week, which was first held in 2008, has developed into a high-end platform and bridge making positive contributions to China-ASEAN relations. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

Guests attend the opening ceremony of the 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week in Gui'an New Area, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Aug. 21, 2024. The 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week kicked off here on Wednesday. The education cooperation week, which was first held in 2008, has developed into a high-end platform and bridge making positive contributions to China-ASEAN relations. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

A staff member (R) introduces tea products of Guizhou Province during the 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week in Gui'an New Area, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Aug. 21, 2024. The 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week kicked off here on Wednesday. The education cooperation week, which was first held in 2008, has developed into a high-end platform and bridge making positive contributions to China-ASEAN relations. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

Foreign students visit a batik craft exhibition during the 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week in Gui'an New Area, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Aug. 21, 2024. The 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week kicked off here on Wednesday. The education cooperation week, which was first held in 2008, has developed into a high-end platform and bridge making positive contributions to China-ASEAN relations. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

Foreign students visit an exhibition of intangible cultural heritage crafts during the 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week in Gui'an New Area, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Aug. 21, 2024. The 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week kicked off here on Wednesday. The education cooperation week, which was first held in 2008, has developed into a high-end platform and bridge making positive contributions to China-ASEAN relations. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

A foreign student experiences batik craft making during the 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week in Gui'an New Area, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Aug. 21, 2024. The 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week kicked off here on Wednesday. The education cooperation week, which was first held in 2008, has developed into a high-end platform and bridge making positive contributions to China-ASEAN relations. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

Foreign students visit an exhibition of intangible cultural heritage crafts during the 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week in Gui'an New Area, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Aug. 21, 2024. The 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week kicked off here on Wednesday. The education cooperation week, which was first held in 2008, has developed into a high-end platform and bridge making positive contributions to China-ASEAN relations. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)

A foreign student learns about Miao embroidery making during the 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week in Gui'an New Area, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Aug. 21, 2024. The 2024 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week kicked off here on Wednesday. The education cooperation week, which was first held in 2008, has developed into a high-end platform and bridge making positive contributions to China-ASEAN relations. (Xinhua/Tao Liang)
Participants of a training program for Afghan professionals in archaeology and cultural preservation visit the Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, Aug. 21, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Rui)

LANZHOU, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Sitting at a cave temple conservation forum in northwest China's Gansu Province, Afghan archaeologist Azizuddin Wafa was intensely focused, taking swift notes with one hand and capturing photos of each slide with the other, as a Chinese scholar delivered a presentation on desalination techniques.

The ongoing forum, taking place from Aug. 18 to 22 in Dunhuang -- home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Mogao Grottoes -- has brought together hundreds of experts and scholars from 16 countries to exchange knowledge on cave temple conservation.

Wafa's participation is part of a broader training program in China for Afghan professionals in archaeology and cultural preservation.

"We've gained a lot of experience, and China's use of science and technology to preserve cultural relics has been especially helpful," he said, adding that over the years, China has been making continuous efforts to support Afghan talent development.

Since 2022, around 70 Afghan government officials and scholars have attended three training sessions organized by China's Ministry of Commerce and hosted by the Central Academy of Culture and Tourism Administration.

The current training session Wafa is attending began in Beijing on Aug. 14 and includes 23 participants. Over 16 days, they will study Chinese laws and regulations on cultural preservation, archaeological science and digital techniques. The program also includes visits to cultural landmarks such as the Temple of Heaven, the Great Wall and the Mogao Grottoes, as well as institutions like the National Museum of China.

"China and Afghanistan both lie along the ancient Silk Road, and share deep historical ties and a long tradition of cultural exchanges," said Miao Bin, deputy director of the international exchange department at the Central Academy of Culture and Tourism Administration.

In 2018, a team from the Dunhuang Academy became one of the first Chinese academic groups to conduct research in Afghanistan. An exhibition featuring treasures from the National Museum of Afghanistan has also toured Chinese cities, including Dunhuang and Beijing, garnering widespread acclaim.

Mayel Aqa Karimy, director of the ancient coin gallery at the National Museum of Afghanistan, has been involved in cultural relic preservation for nearly two decades. This is his second time attending a training program in China.

"Afghanistan and China share many similarities in culture and art. The conservation techniques I've learned here can be applied at sites in Afghanistan," Karimy said.

During his previous training, Karimy visited Beijing, Xi'an and Dunhuang, and was impressed by the sustainable preservation efforts in Chinese cities. This time, he is focusing on China's digital technology and hopes to make use of these advanced techniques in his country to better protect their cultural heritage.

Karimy also highlighted China's ongoing assistance in preserving Afghanistan's historical sites and its commitment to training Afghan professionals.

Su Bomin, dean of Dunhuang Academy and a keynote speaker at the forum, also participated in last year's training program. Su emphasized that China is willing to share its experience in cave temple preservation with the world.

According to Miao, China's overseas training programs are fostering deeper cooperation with Afghanistan in cultural preservation.

After the Dunhuang forum, the Afghan participants will return to Beijing for further academic discussions, and Chinese archaeologists are also scheduled to travel to Afghanistan to conduct joint research at the ancient Buddhist heritage site Mes Aynak.

This year, China has expanded similar training programs to other countries, including Cambodia and Iran, to enhance professional resource exchanges. 

Afghan professionals in archaeology and cultural preservation attend lectures during a cave temple conservation forum in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, Aug. 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Rui)
Once the European colonists were driven out of Africa, they forgot about Africa for many decades, said Victor Gao, vice president of the Center for China and Globalization.

China really engaged with Africa in real earnest. "China and African countries look at each other as equals. We are sisters and brothers," he added.

Click video to learn more about his talk with Xinhua Correspondent Ma Zheng.












Penrhos Spirits calls on farmers to save the raspberries

Artisan gin brand Penrhos Spirits has issued a call to fruit farms in its Herefordshire home to save the raspberries in a new campaign.

Penrhos uses wonky raspberries which dont meet supermarket standards to make its Wonky Raspberry Gin, using raspberries from its own Penrhos Farm. The brand is now calling on other farms in its area to donate their raspberries that may otherwise go to waste to be used for gin instead.

The initiative is not the first time Penrhos has collaborated with other organisations to reduce food waste. The brand has previously partnered with vegetable delivery company Oddbox on its limited edition Cucumber and Apple Gin, which was made with wonky fruit rescued from waste by Oddbox.

According to research in a 2021 LEAF survey cited by Penrhos, up to 20 per cent of raspberries go to waste each year. To reduce the figure, the brand is asking farmers looking to rescue their raspberries to email hello@penrhosspirits.co.uk.

As well as practising sustainability through its liquid, Penrhos has made changes to its packaging. The brand moved from glass to 100 per cent recycled aluminium bottles in 2023, to be refillable, recyclable, and lighter weight. Aluminium bottles have been adopted or trialled by several spirits brands recently, including Turncoat Gin and Baileys

21 August 2024 - Lucy Schofield

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BNP asks India to extradite Sheikh Hasina for facing trial





DHAKA :

BANGLADESH Nationalist Partys Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday asked India to extradite deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to face trial as he accused her of plotting to thwart the countrys revolution. Hasina,76,resignedandfled to India on August 5 following massive protests by students and others against her Government over a controversial quota system in Government jobs. It is our call to you that you should hand her over to the Government of Bangladesh in a legal way. The people of this country have given the decision for her trial. Let her face thattrial, Fakhrul was quoted as saying by the Daily Star newspaper. Talking to reporters after placing a wreath at the grave of former president and BNP founder Zia-ur Rahman in the city,FakhrulsaidIndiaisseemingly not keeping its commitment towards democracy by providing shelter to her. Stayingthere, shehas started various plots to thwart the revolution that happened in Bangladesh, he alleged.

The BNP secretary general said the people ofthis country do not consider her offences asminor.Hesaidtheythinkher fascist rule has weakened Bangladeshs Independence and hindered the countrys progress for the last 15 years. BNP chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, 79, was sentenced to 17 years inprisonfor graftin2018 under the rule of Hasina. Zia, currently undergoing treatmentforvariousailments, was released on an executive order from President Mohammed ShahabuddinafterthecollapseoftheHasinaledAwamiLeaguegovernment. YUNUS TO HEAD FOUNDATION TO BE SET UP FORVIOLENCE VICTIMS KIN: Bangladesh onTuesday decidedtosetupafoundationtotakecare of the families of thosekilled and injured in theunprecedented student-ledviolent protests that ultimatelyledtotheousteroftheSheikhHasina government.
CP Dr Singal honours youth for brave act





Staff Reporter :

COMMISSIONER of Police Dr Ravinder Singal honoured Kunal Rakesh Choudhary, a 20- year-old resident of Hazaripahad, for his heroic actions in rescuing a teenage girl who attempted suicide in Telangkhedi Lake on August 16. Kunal, who works at a Chinese food stall near the lake, received a cash reward of Rs 5,000 and a certificate of appreciation for his bravery by the City Police Chief. Around 1.30 pm on August 16, constables Rajendra Somkuwar and Vinod Sanap were on routine patrol near Telangkhedi Lake when they noticed an 18-year-old girl standing on the edge of the lake wall. Shortly after, the girl jumped into the water in an apparent suicide attempt.

The constables quickly sought the help of Kunal, a skilled swimmer who was nearby. Without hesitation, Kunal dived into the lake and successfully rescued the girl. In recognition of their swift and decisive actions, Commissioner Dr Singal also felicitated constables Rajendra Somkuwar and Vinod Sanap, along with Senior Police Inspector (Ambazari) Vinayak Golhe, who were instrumental in the rescue operation. Kunals heroism is not a onetime act; he has previously saved the lives of five others. His bravery and selflessness have earned him admiration and respect in the community
Govt issues security measures for central hospitals





NEW DELHI,

Monitoring of entry-exit, escort to women doctors, adequate number of well secured duty rooms with basic amenities for female health professionals and deployment of women health professionals at night be preferably done in more than one in number among the measures issued by the Health Ministry.

THE Union Health Ministry on Monday issued a list of security measures to be implemented at all Central Government hospitals which include strict monitoring of the entry and exit and providing escort to women health professionals at night. Themovecomesamidnationwide protests by resident doctors who have been demanding a specialcentallawtocheckviolence against healthcare workers following the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor atastate-runhospitalinKolkata. In a communication sent to allheadsofCentralGovernment hospitals, the Ministry asked them to ensure adequate number of well secured duty rooms with basic amenities for female healthprofessionalsanddeployment of women health professionals at night be preferably done in more than one in number. They should be escorted in premises while on duty and proper arrangement of secured transport should be made for themforanymovementatnight.

The letter comes amid protests by resident doctors who have been demanding a special cental lawto check violence against healthcareworkersfollowingthe alleged rape and murder of a traineedoctoratastate-runhospital in Kolkata. The Ministry, in its communication,saidthatithasbeenevidenced for a long time that Government hospitals are more permeable to the public compared to private facilities, making it easier for unauthorized individuals to enter freely. While accessibility is important for providing care, it can alsoposesecurityrisks.Hospitals sometimesbecometargetbyacts ofviolence, includingassaulton staff,whichcanberelatedtodisputes, dissatisfactionwithmedical care, or external criminal activities.

Ensuring safety of healthcareprofessionalsisvital, the Ministry said. Violence or harassment against staff can disrupt operations and affect quality of care providedtopatients.Patientrush increases potential for conflicts and security breaches, it stated. TheMinistrysaidthataddressing these concerns requires a comprehensive approach to security that balances accessibility with effective measures to protectpatients,staffandintegrity of the facility. Listing the actions to be takentoaddress thesecurityissues, the Ministry stressed on proper display of relevant penal provisions of the state legislation to preventviolenceagainsthealthcare workers in hospital premises. It advised installing sufficientnumberofhigh-resolution CCTV cameras at strategic locations including entrances, exits, corridors, dark spots and sensitive areas. A control room should be set up in the institute for quick response to an emergent situation. In the control room one admin staff should always be stationed along with security persons, it said. It asked for employment of adequatenumberofwelltrained security guards forpropermonitoring/patrolling/ surveillance of the premises. The Ministry advised that entry and exit should be strictly monitored to allow entry
BAGHDAD, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- A security man was killed during an operation to arrest an international drug dealer in Dhi Qar province in southern Iraq, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.

The ministry said in a statement that a shootout erupted when the Iraqi anti-narcotics forces carried out an operation to arrest an international drug dealer, which resulted in the death of Hassan Abdul-Kadhim Jaafar, a member of the anti-narcotics directorate in Dhi Qar province, as the drug dealer was arrested.

The chaos and conflicts that have engulfed Iraq since the U.S. invasion in 2003 impeded successive Iraqi governments from effectively addressing the threat of drugs.

In May 2023, al-Sudani underlined the importance of waging "a war on drugs," saying that drug dealing remains one of the main ways of financing terrorism, and the circulation of drugs flourishes in the shadow of terrorism. 
India-Poland ties





Sir,

India-Poland relations are unique. It is not based on hard strategic interest , but are bonded by Indias Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam ethos. India had always considered world as one family. Unfortunately, many decades since the end of world war-2 these emotional ties somehow lost the attention and recognition it deserves. It is since last three decades the veneer on the unknown historical reality could be removed. Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi will embark on a historic visit to East European nation Poland on 21st August 2024. He will be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Poland in 45 years. Mr Morarji Desai was the last Prime Minister who paid visit to this nation in 1979. When polish PM DonaldTusk visited India in 2008, he revealed before the then Indian President Mrs Pratibhatai Patil that  When our children were subjected to inhuman treatment during world war-2 and getting killed at the hands of Nazis and Soviets, it was India who gave them refuge, care, love and treated them with utmost respect. The philanthropic service which India rendered even when under colonial power will make everyone proud. Initially British were not in favour of giving refuge to these children in 1942.Many nations had turned down the ship carrying these children. Maharaja of Jamnagar, Digvijay Singh insisted on taking care of these children and prevailed on British. He came forward and built a school and houses which could accommodate 500 children.

He raised these infrastructures from his own earnings. Subsequently, a township came up at a place called Valivade near Kolhapur where polish children were taken care off. In 1989 when polish Prime Minister visited Balachadi school, built by Maharaja of Jamnagar, a bronze strip was installed which states in Hindi as under - Jamnagar Ke Bhumi Ko Pranam, Jisne dwitiya Yudh Ke kathor Varsh Ke Doran Hajaro Beghar Poland Ke Bachho ko Sharan Di Aur Apna Aatithi Banaya. Aabhari hai Polish Janta Aur Balachadi Shibir ke Wah polish Chatra Jo 1942 Se 1946TakYaha Rahe.This glorious legacy of our nation should be preserved and passed on to future generations. This legacy only separates India from others. Maharaja was Bapu for these orphaned polish children, as he was for his own subject. That is the reason many polish people considers Balachadi as a pilgrimage place. Polish people still holds Maharaja Digvijay Singh with utmost respect and honour. One school in capital Warsaw has been named after Maharaja Jamnagar Saheb, Digvijay Singh. In the year 1999, after conducting a poll as per Christian tradition Maharaja Digvijay Singh was bestowed with Sainthood title. Modis ensuing visit will further cement these emotional ties between India and Poland.

Satish Marathe, Nagpur
Kolkata rape-murder case SC raps W Bengal Govt Questions delay in filing of FIR





NEW DELHI :

TERMING the rape and murder case of a medic at Kolkatas RG Kar Medical College and Hospital as horrific, the Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the West Bengal government over delay in filing FIR in the matter. Taking suo motu cognisance of the case, the top court said this incident raises systematic issue regarding safety of doctor across India. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, which had taken cognisance of the incident, said if women are not able to go to work and working conditions are not safe, we are denying them equality. The top court slammed the West Bengal Government over delay in filing FIR in the rape-murder case, and asked what were hospital authorities doing. It appears crime was detected in early hours, medical college principal tried to pass it off as suicide, the bench comprising justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra observed. The bench rapped the Kolkata Police and asked how a mob of thousands entered the RG Kar Medical College. When the conduct of the R G Kar Hospitals principal was under scrutiny, how was he appointed to another college immediately, it asked. The top court said the power of the West Bengal Government should not be unleashed on protestors as its time of national catharsis. The apex court said most young doctors are putting in 36 hours of work and there was a need to evolve national protocol to ensure safe conditions at workplace. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said West Bengal should not be in denial mode and there was a complete failure of law and order in State. He said a mob of 7,000 people cannot enter the hospital without knowledge of the Kolkata Police.

The suo motu cognisance of the case, titled In Re: Alleged rape and murder incident of a trainee doctor in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata and related issue, assumes significance in view of the fact that Calcutta High Court is already in action and has transferred the probe into the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The doctors strike over the rape and murder of the medic completed a week on Sunday and is now entering its second week, causing difficulties for patients. Calcutta HC allows BJP to stage demonstration near hospital: THE Calcutta High Court on Tuesday allowed the West Bengal unit of the BJP to stage a demonstration near the state-run R. G. Kar Medical College & Hospital against the rape and murder of a woman doctor of the medical facility. Being denied the police permission to stage protest demonstrations at Shyambazar five-point crossing which is quite close to the said hospital, the state unit of BJP had moved the Calcutta High Court.

A single-judge bench of Justice Rajarshi Bhardwaj granted the BJP permission to stage the demonstration for five days, beginning Wednesday. Justice Bhardwaj has also fixed the time limit for the demonstration from 12 noon to 9 p.m. Incidentally, the state unit of BJP had planned a protest demonstration at Shyambazar five-point crossing on August 16, and accordingly, they had set up a temporary dais there for that purpose. However, on the same morning, the cops of Kolkata Police demolished that dais, after which the BJP workers started raising another dais at the same spot. However, when the police stopped them from doing so, a scuffle broke out between them. Soon after that Kolkata Police enforced Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, around R.G. Kar Hospital for seven days starting from August 18, barring all sorts of gatherings, protests, or rallies there during that period. Later, the BJP approached Justice Bhardwajs bench seeking permission which was granted. Welcoming the Calcutta High Court order, the state BJP leaders said that it has become a common practice in West Bengal, where the opposition parties have to approach the court for permission to conduct peaceful political programmes.
NOW, BALL IS IN J&KPEOPLES COURT





BY DEEPIKA BHAN :

With the Pakistan-sponsored narrative getting check-mated in J&K, people have realised the value of living in a terror-free atmosphere. The Centre has tried to correct the course with J&Ks amalgamation with the rest of the country. Since then, the Valley has recorded a change that cannot be ignored. So, whosoever wins on October 4 will decide the future course of the UT, whether it can maintain the peace, build on the nationalistic sentiment, curb the separatist and terror linking of some motivated elements and drive it on to road of prosperity or once again lead to the edge of a precipice. It is over to the people to elect a dispensation they deem fit to carry them forward.

THE baton has been passed on to the people of Jammu & Kashmir. The announcement of elections is the first step towards restoring the right to choose the Government and it is now over to the people to elect a dispensation they deem fit to carry them forward. But it is here where the real challenges lay. J&K needs the right leaders at this defining moment who can bridge several divides, put a lid on separatist tendencies and steer the masses to the nationalistic course. The question is are there any leaders to do this? The UT has mostly been ruled by certain dynasties since 1947. The Abdullah and Mufti families have long held sway over the erstwhile States politics. And, they have at times been accused of leaning towards the pro-separatists agenda.

The National Conference has always been advocating for autonomy and pre-1953 status for J&K. In 2000, the State Legislative Assembly, when the National Conferenceled Government headed by Dr Farooq Abdullah was in place, passed the autonomy resolution, which was rejected by the Centre then. Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has also been seen sympathising with the militants and their families. She, however, lost badly in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Both these parties have faced allegations of corruption and mismanagement and lack of transparency, accountability and nepotism. Then there are a few other leaders like Sajad Lones Peoples Conference (PC), and Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari. But they have not been able to cut much ice. Former Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad formed the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) with a lot of fanfare but has so far failed to make a mark in UT politics.

In the recently concluded Lok Sabha election, its candidates only managed 80,264 votes from three constituencies the party contested. It was Azads first electoral foray in the UT after quitting Congress in 2022 and launching his party. In Jammu, the BJP has been doing very well but no leader can sway the whole people from the UT to one side. In the last Assembly election (2014) the divide in results was clear. BJP had won massively in Hindudominated Jammu. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) emerged as the largest party with 28 seats, Farooq Abdullahs National Conference won 15 seats, and the Congress had 12. Seven seats went to smaller parties and Independents. Since no party secured a majority in the 87-seat Assembly then, the PDP formed the government in alliance with the BJP. The two, however, fell out in 2018. In 2024, the situation has largely changed as Jammu has gained six Assembly seats and Kashmir has got one more after delimitation. The April-June Lok Sabha elections can provide a peek at how the voters may vote in the Assembly polls. The BJP and the National Conference won two seats each, with the fifth one going to an Independent candidate.

BJP did not field any candidate in Kashmir and won from Hindumajority Jammu. What shape the elections will give to the Assembly is eagerly awaited on October 4. In these ten years, since the last Assembly polls were conducted, a lot has changed in J&K. First, its Special Status under Article 370 was abrogated on August 5, 2019. Second, the State ceased to exist and was converted into two Union Territories -- J&K, and Ladakh under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. Thirdly, a delimitation exercise was carried out in 2022 following which the total number of seats in the Assembly increased to 114, including the 24 seats reserved for Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit Baltistan. Of the remaining 90 seats, 43 are in the Jammu region and 47 in Kashmir. Along with the size, structure and status change, the UT has also seen several other significant changes. Those who were the flag bearers of the so-called separatist movement are either dead or are incarcerated. The crackdown on the fund flow from sinister sources has ensured drying up, and demonetisation did play a definite part in that. This meant there was no money to fund the stone pelters or jack up the locals to take to guns.

The separatist leaders have also been exposed for how they exploited the sentiments to fill their own private coffers With the Pakistan-sponsored narrative getting check-mated in the UT, especially in Kashmir, the people have realised the value of living in a terrorfree atmosphere. The Centre has tried to correct the course that had derailed since 1989 when terrorism first struck the Valley. The biggest push has been the amalgamation with the rest of the country. Since then, the Valley has recorded a change that cannot be ignored. Various businesses are booming, tourist inflow is at its peak and youth is back to education and sports. At this juncture, the Assembly elections are being held, which means that all the rights that have been done in these years have to be continued. Besides, the security challenges continue as Pakistan keeps sending its trained terrorists to various parts of the UT and some local support exists. Whosoever becomes the winner, October 4 will decide the future course of the UT, whether it can maintain the peace, build on the nationalistic sentiment, curb the separatist and terror linking of some motivated elements and drive it on to the road of prosperity or once again lead to the edge of a precipice. (IANS) 
ONE STEP CLOSER TO REHABILITATIONRecently released long-billed vulture spotted feeding with17 white-rumped and 2 red-headed wild vultures in PTR





By Kaushik Bhattacharya :

One white-rumped vulture, which was kept in TATR reached Cgarh after its release

 Wild vultures accepted company of their 20 captive mates in their natural habitat

ALL the 20 long-billed and white-rumped vultures that were released into the wild a few days ago from Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) and Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), after six months in captivity by the Forest Department are thriving well in the wild. In a recent development, one longbilled vulture (N24) of PTR was recently spotted dining on a wild chital carcass with other 17 white-rumped and 2 redheaded vultures. Similarly, one whiterumped vulture (N11) which was released into the wild in TATR, was recently spotted in Chhattisgarh after travelling through Gadchiroli district of Vidarbha.

All the 20 vultures are fitted with radio collar and we are monitoring their movement 24x7. Accepting the company of their wild mates after their release is a big success for us in the project, Kishor Rithe, Director, Bombay Natural History Society and Member of Maharashtra State Wildlife Board told The Hitavada. While talking about the white-rumped vultures of TATR, Rithe said, After releasing the captive white-rumped vultures into the wild, all of them fed on the carcass with their wild mates near the aviary. But the good thing among that was that three among them preferred to fly with the wild vultures immediately after the release. On the day of release, theforest team and BNHS spotted around 14 wild vultures inTATR whereas in Pench thenumber was around 19. Spotting so many wild vulturesin their natural habitat is a good sign and accepting our captive vultures in their groups is a big success on our side, said Rithe.

The Forest Department in partnership with BNHS brought 20 long-billed and white-rumped vultures to Maharashtra from the Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre in Pinjour, Haryana in January this year. Till then, 10 long-billed vultures were kept in PTR and 10 whiterumped vultures were shifted to TATR in newly established vulture aviaries. Recently, all the 20 vultures were released into their natural habitat for their conservation purpose. This project aims to provide valuable insights into the habitat, distribution, and conservation status of these majestic birds.Therefore, the Forest Department is planning to bring another group of 20 vultures to these aviaries for their conservation.
Space & the perception of time





By Ruth Ogden :

TWO astronauts marooned in space may sound like the plot of a Hollywoodblockbuster,but for two NASA crew members, it is nowareality. Commander Barry Wilmore and pilot Sunita Williams are currently in limbo on the International Space Station (ISS). They arrived in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft  the first testof thespaceshipwithastronauts. Wilmore and Williams were supposed to stay on the ISS for around eight days and return on the same spacecraft. But there is now debate about the safety of Starliner after it experienced helium leaks and thruster problems on its way to the ISS. In coming days, NASA and Boeing may decide to clear Starliner to carry the astronauts back to Earth. This means their staymightnotlast toomuchlonger.Butifofficials decide against Starliner, the astronauts face waiting an additional six months in orbit before returning. So how do astronauts cope with a potential six-month wait for a lift home? Waiting for thingsis difficult at thebestof times.Undernormal circumstances, it is frustrating, stressful and anxietyprovoking. But in extreme situations, with high stakes, waiting can be purgatory. Part of the reason that waiting is difficult is that it distorts our sense of time.

Think of last time you were waiting for a delayed train, test results or a text froma potential new partner. Did it fly by or drag? For most people, time spent waiting crawls at a glacial pace. As a result, delays and periods of anticipation often feel much longer than they actually are. Waiting slows our perceptionof time,becauseitchanges the amount of time that we spend thinking about time. During normal daily life we often ignore time; our brains havealimited capacity. If time isntimportant,wesimplydont think about it, and this helps it to pass quickly. Waiting also slows our perceptionof timebecauseitwhat wedo andhowwe feel.Normal life is busy and full of everchanging activities and interactions. The sudden need to wait halts the flow of life, often leaving us with nothing else to do, thus increasing levels of boredom and frustration. In general, time filled with activity passes more quickly. We all got a taste of this during COVID lockdowns.

When we were stuck inside unable to see friends and engage in normal daily activities, the loss of routineanddistractionscaused time to drag for many. For the astronauts stuck on the ISS, anxiety about when theywillreturn,limitedopportunities for activities and fewer opportunities to contact friends and families combine to make their wait to return home feel significantly longer than six months - if it should come to that.However, as academicswhoresearch theeffects of time on human psychology and biology, our ongoing work withcrewmembersatresearch stations in Antarctica aims to shed light on whether waiting inextremeenvironmentsisdifferent to waiting during normal daily life.

A year in Antarctica While being stuck for six months on the ISS may sound likemanypeoplesworstnightmare, it is not uncommon for scientists to spend long periods isolated and confined in extreme environments. Every year, organisations such as the Instituto Antartico Argentino (which uses the Belgrano II Antarctic station), the French Polar Institute and the Italian AntarcticProgramme,incooperation with the European Space Agency (which all use AntarcticasConcordiastation), send crews of people for up to 16months toconductresearch on the frozen continent. During theMarch toOctober polar winter, teams spend six monthsin near darkness  and from May to August, in completedarkness facingoutside temperatures of up to -60C, wind speeds of 160 km/h (100 mph) and storms which prevent almost all outdoor activity.

Limited Internet coverage canalsopreventconstantcommunication with the outside world.For thelast year,wehave researched how life in Antarctica influences peoples experience of time. Each month, we asked crew members how time felt like it was passing in comparison to before their mission. Trapped on base, with limited contact with the outside world, you might expect time to drag. However, our results suggest the opposite may be true. Analysis of crew members experiences indicated that being constantly busy with complex tasks such as scientific research helped time to pass swiftly, according to 80% of crew responses. Only 3% of responses indicated that time actually dragged, and these reports occurred when nights were long and there was little to do. These experiences may provide hope for those stuck on the ISS.
Teenage girls murdergrandmother for property







Staff Reporter :

Bhilai Police arrest 18-yr-old girl, detain her 17-yr-old minor sister

TWO teenage girls killed their grandmother for property. Although the incident occurred in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, the two girls who committed the crime are residents of Nagpur. The Bhilai Police have arrested one of the girls and detained her minor sister. The arrested girl has been identified as Deepjot Kaur Baljinder Singh Sandhu (18), a resident of Baba Laxman Apartment, Awale Babu Square. Her minor sister has been sent to a juvenile correctional home. Both are accused of murdering their maternal grandmother, Atinder Kaur Amarsingh Sahni (56), a resident of Purai, Bhilai. Despite their young ages Deepjot just 18-year-old and her sister approaching 17-years of agethe sisters executed the crime with professionalism that left even the police astonished.

According to police, the sisters arrived in Durg from Nagpur via Chhattisgarh Express on July 24. They then took an auto-rickshaw to their grandmothers house. When Atinder opened the door, the sisters gagged her, dragged her inside, and restrained her by tying her hands and feet. They stuffed a cloth in her mouth, suffocated her with a pillow, and ultimately killed her by hitting her on the head with a steel water bottle. The sisters stole valuables worth over Rs five lakh, including ornaments, a mobile phone, Rs 40,000 cash from the cupboard, and gold jewellery. They took the keys to Atinders scooter, locked the home from outside, and travelled to Rajnandgaon. From there, they transported the scooter by bus to Nagpur, abandoned it near the railway tracks, and went home.

The crime came to light when Atinders niece, Rajpreet Singh, who lives in Bhilai, tried to contact her by phone. After 3-4 days of no communication, Rajpreet grew suspicious and went to the house. Upon breaking the lock, she discovered Atinders decomposed body. Initially, the police registered a case of accidental death, but following the postmortem report and discovery of missing jewelry, they reclassified it as murder and robbery. During their investigation, the Bhilai police learned that Atinders daughters, who live in Nagpur, had threatened to kill her if she did not give them money. The police travelled to Nagpur and, after some initial attempts to mislead, the sisters confessed to the robbery and murder. They were taken into custody in Bhilai. Deepjot and her sister had hidden the stolen jewellery with an acquaintance. The police reconstructed the entire sequence of events and seized the looted goods based on the information provided by the sisters.
Very Serious





THE assertion of West Bengal Governor Mr. C.V. Ananda Bose that democracy is degenerating in West Bengal, needs to be taken in complete seriousness not just by the people but also by the Centre. For record, democratic framework is quite operational in West Bengal -- with elections taking place, with administration structurally sound, with bureaucracy properly in place ... ! But, even as the structure is in place, there is something critical missing in West Bengals system of governance -- the right spirit of democracy and governance. And this makes it a very serious issue that the nation cannot afford to ignore or take lightly.

Whether the powers that be find it politically appropriate or not to impose Presidents Rule in West Bengal, may be left to the discretion of the competent persons and authorities. But critically important at this stage is the realism of West Bengals dirty picture of missing governance. Factually and philosophically, the case for Presidents Rule in West Bengal is very strong and complete. The overall situation in West Bengal is such as to touch upon every possible parameter by which the Centre decides to impose Presidents Rule on the State. Massive corruption with indulgence of high and mighty in the West Bengal Government of Trinamool Congress (TMC) headed by Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee, widespread political violence from the trigger-happy base-level TMC cadres, shameless protection of wrong-doers by the ruling party -- all these point to the imperative of Presidents Rule in the State. This has been the case for a long, long time -- though the Centre often hedged when the issue came up for consideration.

This hedging is quite beyond the comprehension of those who understand the nuances of governance -- well beyond the uninformed notions of common people. It is obvious that in the Centres consideration, political dimension appears to have weighed heavier than issues of ground reality. There is an apprehension in common peoples minds that the leaders of the current Central Government harbour certain reservations about taking the precipitate step imposing Presidents Rule on West Bengal under Ms. Mamata Banerjees Chief Ministership.

Now that things have turned upside down in the neighbouring Bangladesh, political considerations have assumed an altogether different meaning for India. In the changed scenario, will the internal situation in West Bengal be affected by factors beyond the border? To this question, a definitive answer may not be available from the political circles -- particularly when differing perceptions act as points of confusion in the country. Another question that springs up in the mind is about whether Ms. Mamata Banerjee would follow a path of conciliation with the Centre for reasons fathomable only to her -- and possibly perceptible to Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and his close associates.

No matter these fine points of political complexities, the larger Indian society thinks that it is good time now to impose Presidents Rule on West Bengal. For, the manner in which the Mamata Banerjee Government is trying to shield the wrong-doers in the woman doctors rape-and-murder case and opposing the Central Bureau of Investigations proposed involvement in probe, makes a strong case for an immediate dissolution of the TMC Government in West Bengal and imposition of Presidents Rule there. If the Centre makes up its mind on the issue thus, it will certainly gain a much popular support from the entire country, let alone pockets of Opposition dotting the political landscape. But time it is now for the Centre to think seriously about what Governor Mr. C.V. Ananda Bose has said about the situation.
* In 2023, the market size of China's freshly brewed coffee market reached roughly 162.35 billion yuan (about 22.76 billion U.S. dollars), indicating a significant growth from the previous year and the value was forecast to exceed 193 billion yuan (about 27 billion dollars) by 2024, said German statistics platform Statista.

* Fast delivery in China makes it easier for consumers to order coffee online. In major cities, it usually takes less than an hour for coffee to be brewed and then delivered.

* Between 2010 and 2022, coffee consumption per person in China rose fourfold, said the International Coffee Organization. More than half of Chinese coffee drinkers consume at least three cups a week, according to Statista.

by Xinhua writers Lyu Yanhao and Wang Zongnan

BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Here is some good news for coffee lovers in China: Chinese coffee giant Luckin Coffee recently opened its landmark 20,000th outlet, and German coffee brand Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG), one of the world's largest coffee merchants, launched a subsidiary in Shanghai in August.

The World Coffee Portal reported that China surpassed the United States last year to become the country with the most coffee outlets in the world.

Traditionally a tea-drinking nation, China has now emerged as East Asia's fastest-growing market for coffee consumption, carving out a unique position in the global coffee landscape.

People enjoy their leisure time at Heyin Cafe in Shangwangyu Village of Huairou District, Beijing, capital of China, June 12, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

NEW TREND

Chinese coffee drinkers have become more discerning in their tastes. Instant coffee once dominated the Chinese market. Yet, statistics show a surge in the freshly ground coffee market.

In 2023, the market size of China's freshly brewed coffee market reached roughly 162.35 billion yuan (about 22.76 billion U.S. dollars), indicating a significant growth from the previous year and the value was forecast to exceed 193 billion yuan (about 27 billion dollars) by 2024, said German statistics platform Statista.

Chinese consumers are looking for high-quality coffee with special offerings. They consider "coffee origin" to be an important factor when purchasing freshly brewed coffee, and many white collar workers are willing to pay premium prices for premium coffee.

Coffee companies in China are making efforts to cater to local tastes. One innovation has been tea coffee and fruit coffee, a concoction that blends the two drinks.

"Just like Chinese tea, which can be made in different ways in other countries, a foreign product like coffee can also have a local taste," said Long Ye, founder of a coffee shop called Wuyinmen in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

Oolong Latte and Orange Juice Americano are among the popular choices. Last year, the "Sauce-flavored Latte" from Luckin quickly became a sensation on social media, with alcohol from China's premium liquor maker Kweichow Moutai. On the first day of its launch, it sold over 5.42 million cups and generated sales exceeding 100 million yuan (about 14 million dollars).

For major coffee companies in China, the competition on how to make the best coffee that caters to the needs of Chinese customers is very fierce between the leading brands.

"This expansion allows us to be closer to our customers, understand their needs better, and deliver tailored coffee solutions," said Emily Chua, chief operating officer of NKG Shanghai, in a statement.

A staff member works at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 24, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang)

GROWING DEMAND

Coffee became a widely served beverage in China after the arrival of foreign coffee brands, starting with Starbucks, the first major Western coffee chain entering the market in 1999, followed by Costa Coffee in 2006 and Tim Hortons in 2019.

More and more customers are developing a love for coffee and know a lot about coffee quality. "To me, coffee is a beverage that can make you physically and mentally comfortable. Thus, I hope my customers can also find a moment of peace while they are drinking my coffee," Long said.

In the past, it was primarily fashionable white-collar workers who frequented coffee shops in China, drawn by the trendy atmosphere and the allure of international coffee culture. However, this has changed in recent years.

The sight of ordinary Chinese carrying a cup of coffee has become increasingly common. Whether it is grabbing a coffee on the way to work, sipping while shopping, or enjoying a leisurely cup on the weekend, coffee has become an integral part of the daily routine for many people in China.

Fast delivery in China makes it easier for consumers to order coffee online. In major cities, it usually takes less than an hour for coffee to be brewed and then delivered.

More than 90 percent of 4,000 Chinese coffee shop consumers surveyed drink hot coffee weekly, while 64 percent consume iced coffee at least once a week, the World Coffee Portal said in a report last year.

China has become the fastest-growing market in East Asia, it said.

"When I traveled to China, I found that in recent years, China's beverage brands have developed rapidly, and the number of stores and beverage categories are increasing rapidly," a young man named Hong Seong-bin from Seoul told Xinhua, adding that he loves the coconut series in Chinese coffee shops.

A staff member of Luckin Coffee makes coffee for a customer in Xiong'an New Area, Hebei Province, north China, Jan. 16, 2024. (Xinhua/Qin Jing)

MARKET POTENTIAL

South Korean coffee brands including "Caffe Bene" have opened branches in China and some are increasingly interested in the ever-growing Chinese market, Hong said.

"As the Chinese market is so huge and the demand is high, I believe that South Korean high-quality brand coffee shops can win the hearts of Chinese consumers," he said.

Chua shared this enthusiasm. "We are thrilled to establish NKG Shanghai as our first office in China," said Chua. "We are excited about the opportunities this vibrant market presents and are committed to contributing to the growth and development of the coffee industry in China."

Between 2010 and 2022, coffee consumption per person in China rose fourfold, said the International Coffee Organization. More than half of Chinese coffee drinkers consume at least three cups a week, according to Statista.

Shanghai leads the world in the number of cafes, with 9,553 coffee shops by the end of 2023, according to the China urban coffee development report 2024.

China has been an attractive potential market for international coffee chains, with Starbucks leading the way. However, its CEO, Laxman Narasimhan, was quoted by CNN as saying that the company is "still in our early days in China."

As more Chinese people are stepping into coffee shops to savor coffee from around the world, their coffee consumption and spending are expected to rise.

Tims China, the exclusive operator of Tim Hortons coffee shops in China, celebrated its fifth anniversary this February, marking a milestone with over 900 stores across more than 60 cities in China. Yongchen Lu, CEO of Tims China, is confident that "it will continue to integrate deeply into China's budding coffee-loving market."

For a traditional tea-loving country, coffee could become China's new cup of tea. The growing popularity of coffee culture across China and its vast market potential for the beans present a great opportunity that foreign brands are eager to seize.

(Xinhua correspondents Chen Qingbing, Li Xiaoting, and Li Sibo also contribute to the story. Video reporters: Zhou Yonghui, Xiong Xuanang, Wang Junfeng, Chen Jie, Shang Kunlun, Sun Zhenghao, Yan Xinhe; Video editors: Hong Liang, Zhang Yuhong, Wang Han.)
BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products on Wednesday voiced its strong objection to the European Commission's plan to slap tariffs of up to 36.3 percent on imports of Chinese electric vehicles (EVs).

In a statement, the industry body said that the commission's anti-subsidy probe into Chinese EVs did not originate from an EU industry complaint, lacked transparency, and failed to provide an objective analysis of damage to the EU industry.

The erroneous decisions disclosed in the commission's draft plan to levy definitive duties on Chinese EVs lacked objectivity and fairness, and a tendency toward preset conclusions was very obvious, it said.

On Tuesday, the commission published a draft plan to make the tariffs definitive, at slightly revised rates, subject to approval by EU member states. This came after it announced extra provisional tariffs of up to 37.6 percent on Chinese EV makers in July. It launched its anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese EVs in October 2023.

China has, with the utmost sincerity, undertaken multiple rounds of technical consultation with the European side since the commission announced it would impose provisional additional duties last month, the chamber statement said.

Despite these efforts, the chamber said that the European side has ignored the facts and the anti-subsidy rules of the WTO and the EU. This will disrupt the global automotive industrial chain and hinder the realization of the global green and sustainable development goals, the statement said.

It strongly urged the European Commission to proceed in light of the overall interests of China-EU cooperation, work in sync with China, and reach a balanced solution. 
Hobbs Group Advisors LLC bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 259 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $234,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tidemark LLC purchased a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 188.2% in the 4th quarter. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 49 shares of the companys stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC raised its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 123.3% in the 4th quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 67 shares of the companys stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other Eli Lilly and Company news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 2,052 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $809.00, for a total transaction of $1,660,068.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 98,554,195 shares in the company, valued at $79,730,343,755. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Eli Lilly and Company news, EVP Johna Norton sold 7,056 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $819.38, for a total transaction of $5,781,545.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 25,428 shares in the company, valued at $20,835,194.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 2,052 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $809.00, for a total transaction of $1,660,068.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 98,554,195 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $79,730,343,755. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,214,704 shares of company stock worth $1,066,841,316. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on LLY. Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,000.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,001.00 to $1,101.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $875.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $994.00 to $1,015.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Truist Financial restated a buy rating and issued a $1,000.00 price objective (up previously from $892.00) on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $956.88.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on LLY

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LLY traded up $28.16 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $949.97. 4,888,486 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,104,829. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. The businesss fifty day moving average is $880.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $808.13. Eli Lilly and Company has a one year low of $516.57 and a one year high of $967.00. The stock has a market cap of $902.86 billion, a PE ratio of 140.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.41.

Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio is 76.58%.

Eli Lilly and Company Profile

(Free Report)

Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; Jardiance, Mounjaro, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes; and Zepbound for obesity.

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Enzi Wealth grew its stake in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:JHMM  Free Report) by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 665,083 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 3,859 shares during the quarter. John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF makes up approximately 16.0% of Enzi Wealths investment portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Enzi Wealths holdings in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF were worth $36,287,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its position in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 1,897,561 shares of the companys stock worth $104,442,000 after buying an additional 15,497 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates increased its position in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF by 2.9% during the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 246,328 shares of the companys stock worth $13,558,000 after acquiring an additional 6,904 shares during the period. FMA Wealth Management LLC increased its position in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF by 1.8% during the second quarter. FMA Wealth Management LLC now owns 45,465 shares of the companys stock worth $2,502,000 after acquiring an additional 814 shares during the period. ERn Financial LLC raised its stake in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. ERn Financial LLC now owns 228,352 shares of the companys stock worth $12,569,000 after purchasing an additional 7,342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF by 17.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,871 shares of the companys stock valued at $598,000 after purchasing an additional 1,630 shares during the period.

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John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of JHMM traded down $0.43 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $57.19. 102,024 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 199,493. The firm has a market cap of $3.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.17 and a beta of 1.02. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $55.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $55.38. John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF has a 52 week low of $44.07 and a 52 week high of $58.63.

John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF Cuts Dividend

About John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 26th were paid a dividend of $0.2381 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 26th.

(Free Report)

The John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF (JHMM) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the John Hancock Dimensional Mid Cap index. The fund tracks an index of US firms ranked 200-950 by size, weighted by multiple factors relative to their sector peers. JHMM was launched on Sep 28, 2015 and is managed by John Hancock.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding JHMM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:JHMM  Free Report).

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M&T Bank Co. (NYSE:MTB  Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, August 20th, RTT News reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be paid a dividend of 1.35 per share by the financial services provider on Monday, September 30th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%.

M&T Bank has increased its dividend payment by an average of 5.7% annually over the last three years. M&T Bank has a payout ratio of 33.5% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect M&T Bank to earn $16.24 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $5.40 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 33.3%.

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M&T Bank Stock Performance

NYSE MTB traded down $2.14 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $162.26. The company had a trading volume of 676,451 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,027,648. The business has a 50 day moving average of $157.14 and a 200-day moving average of $148.02. The company has a market cap of $27.07 billion, a PE ratio of 11.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.77. M&T Bank has a 1-year low of $108.53 and a 1-year high of $176.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at M&T Bank

M&T Bank ( NYSE:MTB Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.50 by $0.23. M&T Bank had a return on equity of 9.62% and a net margin of 17.84%. The firm had revenue of $3.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.12 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that M&T Bank will post 14.24 EPS for the current year.

In other M&T Bank news, Director Kirk W. Walters sold 2,471 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.60, for a total transaction of $60,786.60. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 20,414 shares in the company, valued at $502,184.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other M&T Bank news, Director Kirk W. Walters sold 2,471 shares of M&T Bank stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.60, for a total transaction of $60,786.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 20,414 shares in the company, valued at $502,184.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Vice Chairman Kevin J. Pearson sold 6,095 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.28, for a total transaction of $989,096.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 47,944 shares in the company, valued at $7,780,352.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 22,699 shares of company stock valued at $3,395,049. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of M&T Bank from $160.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on M&T Bank from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on M&T Bank from $157.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on M&T Bank from $164.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of M&T Bank from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $173.85.

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M&T Bank Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

M&T Bank Corporation operates as a bank holding company for Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company and Wilmington Trust, National Association that engages in the provision of retail and commercial banking products and services in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Commercial Bank, Retail Bank, and Institutional Services and Wealth Management.

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CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. reduced its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Free Report) by 11.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,698 shares of the companys stock after selling 353 shares during the quarter. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd.s holdings in Altria Group were worth $123,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Albion Financial Group UT increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 49.1% in the first quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 2,767 shares of the companys stock valued at $121,000 after buying an additional 911 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,027,886 shares of the companys stock worth $44,960,000 after purchasing an additional 16,541 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Altria Group by 24.2% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 57,111 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,304,000 after buying an additional 11,111 shares in the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Altria Group by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,953 shares of the companys stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, &PARTNERS purchased a new position in Altria Group during the first quarter worth $556,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the companys stock.

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Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO stock traded up $0.12 on Tuesday, reaching $51.44. 7,300,719 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,528,767. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $48.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.87. The company has a market capitalization of $88.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.66. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $39.06 and a 12-month high of $51.70.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Altria Group ( NYSE:MO Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.35 by ($0.04). Altria Group had a net margin of 42.25% and a negative return on equity of 232.55%. The company had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.39 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.31 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.11 earnings per share for the current year.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Argus upgraded Altria Group to a hold rating in a report on Friday, May 31st. StockNews.com raised shares of Altria Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Barclays raised their target price on Altria Group from $37.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Altria Group from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $47.08.

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Altria Group Profile

(Free Report)

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.

Further Reading

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Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Free Report) by 1.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 78,728 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 962 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorps holdings in Altria Group were worth $3,586,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth $3,945,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. CWM LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 22.2% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 220,511 shares of the companys stock worth $8,895,000 after acquiring an additional 40,075 shares during the period. Duality Advisers LP boosted its position in Altria Group by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. Duality Advisers LP now owns 27,192 shares of the companys stock worth $1,097,000 after acquiring an additional 4,395 shares during the period. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its position in Altria Group by 34.6% during the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 276,585 shares of the companys stock worth $11,157,000 after acquiring an additional 71,026 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Altria Group Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE:MO traded up $0.37 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $51.81. 6,156,074 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,501,696. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $48.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $44.87. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $39.06 and a 12 month high of $51.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $88.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.66.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Altria Group ( NYSE:MO Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.04). Altria Group had a net margin of 42.25% and a negative return on equity of 232.55%. The business had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.31 EPS. Altria Groups revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MO. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Altria Group from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays upped their target price on Altria Group from $37.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. StockNews.com raised Altria Group from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, June 28th. Bank of America upped their target price on Altria Group from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Argus raised Altria Group to a hold rating in a report on Friday, May 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $47.08.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Altria Group

Altria Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.

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Fresnillo (OTCMKTS:FNLPF  Get Free Report) and Aris Mining (NYSE:ARMN  Get Free Report) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, analyst recommendations, risk, institutional ownership, dividends, valuation and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares Fresnillo and Aris Minings net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Fresnillo N/A N/A N/A Aris Mining 2.46% 6.00% 3.06%

Insider & Institutional Ownership

35.8% of Aris Mining shares are held by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation & Earnings

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Fresnillo $2.71 billion 1.99 $233.91 million N/A N/A Aris Mining $447.67 million 1.76 $11.42 million $0.05 93.00

This table compares Fresnillo and Aris Minings top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Fresnillo has higher revenue and earnings than Aris Mining.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Fresnillo and Aris Mining, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Fresnillo 0 1 0 1 3.00 Aris Mining 0 0 0 0 N/A

About Fresnillo

(Get Free Report)

Fresnillo plc mines, develops, and produces non-ferrous minerals in Mexico. It operates through seven segments: Fresnillo, Saucito, Cienega, Herradura, Noche Buena, San Julian, and Juanicipio. The company primarily explores for silver, gold, lead, and zinc concentrates. Its projects include the Fresnillo silver mine located in the state of Zacatecas; Saucito silver mine situated in the state of Zacatecas; Cienega gold mine located in the state of Durango; Herradura gold mine situated in the state of Sonora; Noche Buena gold mine located in the state of Sonora; San Julian silver-gold mine situated on the border of Chihuahua/Durango states; and Juanicipio mine located in the state of Zacatecas. It also leases mining equipment; produces gold/silver dore bars; and provides administrative services. The company was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico. Fresnillo plc operates as a subsidiary of Industrias Penoles, S.A.B. de C.V.

About Aris Mining

(Get Free Report)

Aris Mining Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of gold properties in Canada, Colombia, and Guyana. It also explores for silver and copper deposits. The company was formerly known as GCM Mining Corp. and changed its name to Aris Mining Corporation in September 2022. Aris Mining Corporation is based in Vancouver, Canada.

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Revolution Acceleration Acquisition (OTCMKTS:RAACU  Get Free Report) and Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW  Get Free Report) are both manufacturing companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation and dividends.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Revolution Acceleration Acquisition and Illinois Tool Works top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Revolution Acceleration Acquisition N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Illinois Tool Works $16.01 billion 4.54 $2.96 billion $10.14 24.00

Illinois Tool Works has higher revenue and earnings than Revolution Acceleration Acquisition.

Analyst Ratings

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Revolution Acceleration Acquisition 0 0 0 0 N/A Illinois Tool Works 3 4 2 1 2.10

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Revolution Acceleration Acquisition and Illinois Tool Works, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Illinois Tool Works has a consensus price target of $250.22, suggesting a potential upside of 2.80%. Given Illinois Tool Works higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Illinois Tool Works is more favorable than Revolution Acceleration Acquisition.

Profitability

This table compares Revolution Acceleration Acquisition and Illinois Tool Works net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Revolution Acceleration Acquisition N/A N/A N/A Illinois Tool Works 19.15% 99.74% 19.26%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

79.8% of Illinois Tool Works shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.9% of Illinois Tool Works shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Illinois Tool Works beats Revolution Acceleration Acquisition on 9 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Revolution Acceleration Acquisition

(Get Free Report)

Revolution Acceleration Acquisition Corp does not have significant operations. It intends to effect a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses. The company was formerly known as Acceleration Acquisition Corporation and changed its name to Revolution Acceleration Acquisition Corp in November 2020. Revolution Acceleration Acquisition Corp was incorporated in 2020 and is based in Washington, District of Columbia.

About Illinois Tool Works

(Get Free Report)

Illinois Tool Works Inc. manufactures and sells industrial products and equipment in the United States and internationally. It operates through seven segments: Automotive OEM; Food Equipment; Test & Measurement and Electronics; Welding; Polymers & Fluids; Construction Products; and Specialty Products. The Automotive OEM segment offers plastic and metal components, fasteners, and assemblies for automobiles, light trucks, and other industrial uses. The Food Equipment segment provides warewashing, refrigeration, cooking, and food processing equipment; kitchen exhaust, ventilation, and pollution control systems; and food equipment maintenance and repair services. The Test & Measurement and Electronics segment produces and sells equipment, consumables, and related software for testing and measuring of materials and structures, as well as equipment and consumables used in the production of electronic subassemblies and microelectronics. The Welding segment produces arc welding equipment; and metal arc welding consumables and related accessories. The Polymers & Fluids segment produces adhesives, sealants, lubrication and cutting fluids, and fluids and polymers for auto aftermarket maintenance and appearance. The Construction Products segment offers engineered fastening systems and solutions for the residential construction, renovation/remodel, and commercial construction markets. The Specialty Products segment provides beverage packaging equipment and consumables, product coding and marking equipment and consumables, and appliance components and fasteners. It serves the automotive OEM and tiers, MRO, commercial food equipment, construction, general industrial, industrial capital goods, consumer durables, automotive aftermarket end, and other markets. The company distributes its products directly to industrial manufacturers, as well as through independent distributors. Illinois Tool Works Inc. was founded in 1912 and is based in Glenview, Illinois.

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Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lowered its stake in Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM  Free Report) by 8.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 280,186 shares of the companys stock after selling 24,697 shares during the quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLCs holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland were worth $16,937,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. NBC Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 9.6% during the first quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,815 shares of the companys stock valued at $114,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 2,158 shares of the companys stock worth $130,000 after buying an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 0.8% in the second quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 23,462 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,418,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the period. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA boosted its stake in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 4.4% during the first quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA now owns 4,207 shares of the companys stock valued at $264,000 after buying an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its holdings in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 0.7% during the first quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 25,107 shares of the companys stock worth $1,577,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.28% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity at Archer-Daniels-Midland

In related news, insider Fruit Molly L. Strader sold 6,904 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.73, for a total value of $419,279.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $519,545.15. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $64.62.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on ADM

Archer-Daniels-Midland Price Performance

Shares of ADM stock traded down $0.65 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $59.03. 1,831,601 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,813,912. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The company has a market cap of $29.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.36 and a beta of 0.74. The stocks fifty day moving average is $61.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.87. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company has a fifty-two week low of $50.72 and a fifty-two week high of $83.00.

Archer-Daniels-Midland (NYSE:ADM  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.22 by ($0.19). The business had revenue of $22.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.12 billion. Archer-Daniels-Midland had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 12.06%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.89 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Archer-Daniels-Midland Company will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.39%. Archer-Daniels-Midlands dividend payout ratio is 35.09%.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Profile

(Free Report)

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company engages in the procurement, transportation, storage, processing, and merchandising of agricultural commodities, ingredients, flavors, and solutions in the United States, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions, and Nutrition.

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Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Get Free Report)s share price dropped 0.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $48.78 and last traded at $48.91. Approximately 838,596 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 95% from the average daily volume of 15,723,794 shares. The stock had previously closed at $48.98.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on BMY shares. Barclays lowered shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and set a $41.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, July 29th. StockNews.com raised shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $55.00 to $48.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $45.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $54.86.

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Bristol-Myers Squibb Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $98.11 billion, a P/E ratio of -15.78, a PEG ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 0.44. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $43.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.86.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 26th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.43. The firm had revenue of $12.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $11.54 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a negative net margin of 14.06% and a positive return on equity of 12.51%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.75 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 0.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 1st. Investors of record on Friday, July 5th were paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 5th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.96%. Bristol-Myers Squibbs payout ratio is -77.42%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Northwest Financial Advisors bought a new position in Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. ESL Trust Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc acquired a new stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. LGT Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 42.7% in the 2nd quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 759 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.41% of the companys stock.

About Bristol-Myers Squibb

(Get Free Report)

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, and neuroscience diseases. The company's products include Eliquis for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in non-valvular atrial fibrillation, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for various anti-cancer indications, including bladder, blood, CRC, head and neck, RCC, HCC, lung, melanoma, MPM, stomach and esophageal cancer; Pomalyst/Imnovid for multiple myeloma; Orencia for active rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis; and Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia.

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KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR  Free Report)  Analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q4 2024 EPS estimates for KBR in a research note issued on Wednesday, August 14th. Zacks Research analyst S. Mukherjee now anticipates that the construction company will post earnings per share of $0.81 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.80. The consensus estimate for KBRs current full-year earnings is $3.24 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for KBRs Q3 2025 earnings at $1.02 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.18 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $4.61 EPS.

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KBR (NYSE:KBR  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The construction company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.04. KBR had a net margin of 2.77% and a return on equity of 27.92%. The company had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.88 billion.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on KBR. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of KBR from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 14th. StockNews.com lowered shares of KBR from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $78.00 price objective on shares of KBR in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of KBR from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, May 9th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $76.00.

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KBR Price Performance

NYSE KBR opened at $66.24 on Monday. KBR has a 12 month low of $49.37 and a 12 month high of $69.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.89 billion, a PE ratio of -34.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.90. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $65.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $63.20.

Insider Activity at KBR

In related news, insider Jalal Ibrahim sold 35,000 shares of KBR stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.56, for a total value of $2,329,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 106,550 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,091,968. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KBR

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in KBR in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in KBR by 2,029.2% in the 2nd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 511 shares of the construction companys stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its holdings in KBR by 39.4% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 817 shares of the construction companys stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its holdings in KBR by 454.7% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 821 shares of the construction companys stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in KBR in the 4th quarter worth $64,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.02% of the companys stock.

About KBR

(Get Free Report)

KBR, Inc provides scientific, technology, and engineering solutions to governments and commercial customers worldwide. It operates through Government Solutions and Sustainable Technology Solutions segments. The Government Solutions segment offers life-cycle support solutions to defense, intelligence, space, aviation, and other programs and missions for military and other government agencies in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

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ISLAMABAD, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia's (CICA) vision for a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security in Asia.

He made the remarks during a meeting with visiting CICA Secretary General Kairat Sarybay, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Dar emphasized the need for conflict prevention, addressing the root causes of regional disputes, and finding sustainable solutions for lasting peace and development in the CICA region, said the statement.

He also stressed the significance of preventive diplomacy, multilateralism and regional collaboration in addressing emerging global challenges, it added.

Sarybay appreciated Pakistan's active and constructive role in the CICA, and briefed the deputy prime minister on the ongoing activities and the outlook of the CICA, according to the ministry. 
Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE  Free Report)  Analysts at KeyCorp issued their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Vital Energy in a report issued on Thursday, August 15th. KeyCorp analyst T. Rezvan expects that the company will post earnings of $2.23 per share for the quarter. KeyCorp has a Sector Weight rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Vital Energys current full-year earnings is $8.70 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Vital Energys Q2 2025 earnings at $2.28 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $2.24 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $2.32 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $9.07 EPS.

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Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Vital Energy from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Vital Energy from $52.00 to $38.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Bank of America reiterated an underperform rating and issued a $46.00 target price on shares of Vital Energy in a report on Friday, June 14th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Vital Energy from $69.00 to $66.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Vital Energy from $55.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vital Energy currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $55.82.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VTLE opened at $35.92 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.22. Vital Energy has a 1 year low of $35.17 and a 1 year high of $62.87. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $42.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $47.28. The company has a market cap of $1.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 3.22.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.88 by ($0.42). Vital Energy had a return on equity of 14.22% and a net margin of 30.34%. The firm had revenue of $476.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $468.76 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.35 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 42.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VTLE. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $64,690,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 800.9% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 541,337 shares of the companys stock worth $24,263,000 after buying an additional 481,248 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 19.6% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,723,075 shares of the companys stock worth $77,227,000 after buying an additional 282,574 shares during the period. Thomist Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Vital Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $10,443,000. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vital Energy in the 4th quarter worth $7,306,000. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Vital Energy

In other Vital Energy news, CEO M. Jason Pigott acquired 2,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $37.85 per share, for a total transaction of $94,625.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,389 shares in the company, valued at $6,411,373.65. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Vital Energy

(Get Free Report)

Vital Energy, Inc, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of oil and natural gas properties in the Permian Basin of West Texas, the United States. The company was formerly known as Laredo Petroleum, Inc and changed its name to Vital Energy, Inc in January 2023.

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Capital Investment Counsel Inc lessened its position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE  Free Report) by 29.9% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 31,782 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 13,553 shares during the quarter. Capital Investment Counsel Incs holdings in Pfizer were worth $889,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ironvine Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Pfizer by 2.1% in the first quarter. Ironvine Capital Partners LLC now owns 16,953 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $470,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the period. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. increased its position in Pfizer by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 42,162 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,180,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the period. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its stake in Pfizer by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 25,185 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $705,000 after acquiring an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Advisor OS LLC lifted its position in Pfizer by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 35,202 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,013,000 after acquiring an additional 365 shares during the period. Finally, Lantz Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 30,582 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $849,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.36% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Pfizer from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Daiwa Capital Markets raised Pfizer from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $28.00 to $34.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com raised Pfizer from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Pfizer from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Pfizer from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $34.54.

Pfizer Stock Performance

Shares of PFE stock traded up $0.10 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $28.90. The company had a trading volume of 21,185,877 shares, compared to its average volume of 39,372,578. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $28.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $27.93. Pfizer Inc. has a one year low of $25.20 and a one year high of $37.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The company has a market capitalization of $163.76 billion, a PE ratio of -481.67, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.69.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.14. Pfizer had a negative net margin of 4.66% and a positive return on equity of 8.42%. The company had revenue of $13.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.67 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th will be given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 26th. Pfizers dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -2,800.00%.

Pfizer Company Profile

(Free Report)

Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular metabolic, migraine, and women's health under the Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura, Zavzpret, and the Premarin family brands; infectious diseases with unmet medical needs under the Prevnar family, Abrysvo, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, and Trumenba brands; and COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and potential future mRNA and antiviral products under the Comirnaty and Paxlovid brands.

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CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. reduced its position in Exxon Mobil Co. (NYSE:XOM  Free Report) by 12.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,083 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after selling 424 shares during the period. CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd.s holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $355,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 388,543,396 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $38,846,569,000 after purchasing an additional 1,269,495 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Exxon Mobil in the 4th quarter valued at $5,519,753,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 6.3% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 45,161,783 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $5,249,607,000 after purchasing an additional 2,676,652 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 25.1% in the 1st quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 27,511,952 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $3,197,989,000 after purchasing an additional 5,523,429 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 18,388,299 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $1,838,462,000 after acquiring an additional 1,037,226 shares in the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Exxon Mobil Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:XOM traded down $3.95 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $114.58. The company had a trading volume of 15,589,817 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,180,271. The firms fifty day moving average is $114.85 and its 200 day moving average is $113.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $451.79 billion, a PE ratio of 14.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.51 and a beta of 0.91. Exxon Mobil Co. has a twelve month low of $95.77 and a twelve month high of $123.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.38.

Exxon Mobil Announces Dividend

Exxon Mobil ( NYSE:XOM Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 2nd. The oil and gas company reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $93.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.09 billion. Exxon Mobil had a net margin of 9.62% and a return on equity of 16.75%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Exxon Mobil Co. will post 8.65 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.32%. Exxon Mobils dividend payout ratio is currently 46.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on XOM. HSBC lifted their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an overweight rating and issued a $145.00 price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil in a report on Wednesday, May 15th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Exxon Mobil presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $134.56.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on XOM

Exxon Mobil Profile

(Free Report)

Exxon Mobil Corporation engages in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas in the United States and internationally. It operates through Upstream, Energy Products, Chemical Products, and Specialty Products segments. The Upstream segment explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas.

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CarsonAllaria Wealth Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT  Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 2,484 shares of the restaurant operators stock, valued at approximately $180,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in Brinker International during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Brinker International by 64,800.0% during the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 649 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 648 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in Brinker International by 3,611.1% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 668 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its holdings in Brinker International by 96.2% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 416 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Brinker International in the first quarter valued at about $47,000.

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Insider Activity

In other news, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 10,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.31, for a total value of $683,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 38,164 shares in the company, valued at $2,606,982.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Brinker International news, SVP Daniel S. Fuller sold 3,611 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.04, for a total transaction of $249,303.44. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 34,764 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,400,106.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Douglas N. Comings sold 10,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.31, for a total transaction of $683,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 38,164 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,606,982.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 16,564 shares of company stock worth $1,147,884. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Brinker International from $62.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Brinker International from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Argus upgraded shares of Brinker International from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $72.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Brinker International from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Wedbush reissued a neutral rating and issued a $68.00 price objective on shares of Brinker International in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $61.85.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Brinker International

Brinker International Stock Down 2.1 %

Brinker International stock traded down $1.42 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $66.69. 1,167,355 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,513,555. Brinker International, Inc. has a one year low of $28.23 and a one year high of $76.02. The company has a market cap of $2.97 billion, a PE ratio of 19.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 2.52. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $67.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.70.

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 14th. The restaurant operator reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.04). Brinker International had a negative return on equity of 154.29% and a net margin of 3.55%. The company had revenue of $1.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.39 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Brinker International, Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Brinker International Profile

(Free Report)

Brinker International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the ownership, development, operation, and franchising of casual dining restaurants in the United States and internationally. It operates and franchises Chili's Grill & Bar and Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant brands.

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Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lessened its stake in The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV  Free Report) by 1.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 125,573 shares of the insurance providers stock after selling 1,340 shares during the quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned about 0.05% of Travelers Companies worth $25,534,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of TRV. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 36.8% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,743,236 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $2,702,588,000 after acquiring an additional 3,158,979 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Travelers Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $282,593,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 19,918.1% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 475,830 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $90,641,000 after acquiring an additional 473,453 shares during the period. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI purchased a new position in Travelers Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $88,190,000. Finally, Boston Partners boosted its holdings in Travelers Companies by 42.5% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,192,008 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $227,175,000 after acquiring an additional 355,489 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.45% of the companys stock.

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Travelers Companies Stock Performance

TRV traded down $0.41 on Wednesday, hitting $216.61. The company had a trading volume of 190,382 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,348,560. The companys fifty day moving average price is $210.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $215.39. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $157.33 and a 1-year high of $232.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market cap of $49.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.61.

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

Travelers Companies ( NYSE:TRV Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 19th. The insurance provider reported $2.51 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $3.23 by ($0.72). Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 15.90% and a net margin of 8.37%. The business had revenue of $11.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.06 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.94%. Travelers Companiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on TRV shares. William Blair reaffirmed a market perform rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Friday, June 28th. StockNews.com raised Travelers Companies from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Travelers Companies from $213.00 to $207.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a sector perform rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Travelers Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a sell rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $223.78.

View Our Latest Report on Travelers Companies

Insider Transactions at Travelers Companies

In other news, EVP Michael Frederick Klein sold 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.44, for a total transaction of $2,114,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,798 shares in the company, valued at $4,820,409.12. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.33% of the companys stock.

Travelers Companies Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Travelers Companies, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides a range of commercial and personal property, and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Business Insurance, Bond & Specialty Insurance, and Personal Insurance.

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Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC reduced its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX  Free Report) by 1.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 784,912 shares of the natural resource companys stock after selling 9,766 shares during the quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Freeport-McMoRan worth $38,147,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FCX. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 16.5% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 31,112 shares of the natural resource companys stock valued at $1,324,000 after buying an additional 4,397 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust raised its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 24,647 shares of the natural resource companys stock valued at $1,049,000 after buying an additional 1,817 shares during the last quarter. abrdn plc raised its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 83.7% during the 4th quarter. abrdn plc now owns 664,672 shares of the natural resource companys stock valued at $28,295,000 after buying an additional 302,762 shares during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan during the 4th quarter valued at $209,000. Finally, Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. raised its holdings in Freeport-McMoRan by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 8,494 shares of the natural resource companys stock worth $362,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. 80.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FCX has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $52.00 to $51.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Freeport-McMoRan to a strong-buy rating in a report on Friday, June 21st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. HSBC upped their price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $39.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a sector perform rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $52.67.

Freeport-McMoRan Stock Performance

NYSE FCX traded up $0.32 on Wednesday, reaching $43.85. 2,933,675 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,460,499. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. has a one year low of $32.83 and a one year high of $55.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.99 billion, a PE ratio of 38.52, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.92. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $46.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $46.45. The company has a current ratio of 2.40, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The natural resource company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.07. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 7.83% and a return on equity of 7.60%. The company had revenue of $6.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.35 EPS. The firms revenue was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 1.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Freeport-McMoRan Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 15th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 15th. Freeport-McMoRans payout ratio is currently 26.55%.

About Freeport-McMoRan

(Free Report)

Freeport-McMoRan Inc engages in the mining of mineral properties in North America, South America, and Indonesia. It primarily explores for copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and other metals. The company's assets include the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia; Morenci, Bagdad, Safford, Sierrita, and Miami in Arizona; Chino and Tyrone in New Mexico; and Henderson and Climax in Colorado, North America, as well as Cerro Verde in Peru and El Abra in Chile.

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Cordoba Minerals Corp. (CVE:CDB  Get Free Report) dropped 3.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as C$0.41 and last traded at C$0.41. Approximately 500 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 97% from the average daily volume of 18,604 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.42.

Cordoba Minerals Stock Down 3.6 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.83, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 5.12. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of C$0.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$0.44. The firm has a market capitalization of C$36.37 million, a PE ratio of -1.40 and a beta of 0.78.

About Cordoba Minerals

(Get Free Report)

Cordoba Minerals Corp., a mineral exploration company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, evaluation, and development of base and precious metal properties in Colombia and the United States. The company explores for copper, silver, and gold deposits. It primarily holds a 100% interest in the San Matias project with exploration licenses covering 146.62 square kilometers and has an additional 893.91 square kilometers of mining titles under application located in the municipality of Puerto Libertador, Department of Cordoba, Colombia.

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Danimer Scientific (NYSE:DNMR  Get Free Report) had its price objective cut by analysts at Piper Sandler from $1.25 to $1.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a neutral rating on the stock. Piper Sandlers price target would suggest a potential upside of 148.39% from the stocks current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. TD Cowen lowered shares of Danimer Scientific from a buy rating to a hold rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $2.00 to $1.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Danimer Scientific from a buy rating to a hold rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $1.30 to $0.80 in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd.

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Check Out Our Latest Research Report on DNMR

Danimer Scientific Stock Performance

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

DNMR stock traded down $0.01 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $0.40. 134,180 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 940,992. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.88 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.28 and a beta of 1.58. Danimer Scientific has a 52 week low of $0.32 and a 52 week high of $2.20. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $0.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 4.91, a current ratio of 6.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Privium Fund Management B.V. increased its stake in shares of Danimer Scientific by 67.6% in the second quarter. Privium Fund Management B.V. now owns 75,398 shares of the companys stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 30,398 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Danimer Scientific in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. increased its position in Danimer Scientific by 423.3% in the 4th quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. now owns 78,500 shares of the companys stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 63,500 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co raised its stake in Danimer Scientific by 35.7% during the 2nd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 285,000 shares of the companys stock valued at $172,000 after acquiring an additional 75,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC boosted its position in Danimer Scientific by 628.5% during the 4th quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 182,078 shares of the companys stock worth $186,000 after acquiring an additional 157,085 shares during the period. 33.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Danimer Scientific

(Get Free Report)

Danimer Scientific, Inc, a performance polymer company, provides bioplastic replacements for traditional petroleum-based plastics in the United States, Germany, Poland, Belgium, Austria, and internationally. It produces polyhydroxyalkanoate, a biodegradable plastic feedstock alternative under the Nodax brand name for applications in films, straws, cutlery, food containers, and others; polylactic acid-based resins for coating disposable paper cups; and other biopolymers.

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Legacy Capital Group California Inc. lessened its stake in Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV  Free Report) by 29.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 579 shares of the companys stock after selling 243 shares during the period. Legacy Capital Group California Inc.s holdings in Elevance Health were worth $314,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ELV. Canoe Financial LP grew its stake in Elevance Health by 158.1% during the 4th quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 844,122 shares of the companys stock worth $398,054,000 after buying an additional 517,116 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of Elevance Health by 114.8% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 31,311 shares of the companys stock valued at $14,765,000 after acquiring an additional 16,737 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in Elevance Health by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 55,262 shares of the companys stock valued at $26,060,000 after purchasing an additional 4,362 shares during the last quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Elevance Health by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC now owns 1,756,653 shares of the companys stock worth $828,367,000 after purchasing an additional 129,055 shares during the period. Finally, New Mexico Educational Retirement Board grew its position in Elevance Health by 14.6% during the 1st quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 14,146 shares of the companys stock worth $6,949,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.24% of the companys stock.

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Elevance Health Price Performance

Shares of ELV stock traded down $1.56 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $541.48. The stock had a trading volume of 180,480 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,034,501. The company has a market cap of $125.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Elevance Health, Inc. has a 12-month low of $431.38 and a 12-month high of $555.35. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $530.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $522.65.

Elevance Health Dividend Announcement

Elevance Health ( NYSE:ELV Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 17th. The company reported $10.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.99 by $0.13. Elevance Health had a net margin of 3.89% and a return on equity of 20.64%. The company had revenue of $43.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $42.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.04 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Elevance Health, Inc. will post 37.25 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 10th. Elevance Healths payout ratio is 24.64%.

Insider Transactions at Elevance Health

In related news, Director Ramiro G. Peru sold 753 shares of Elevance Health stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $531.52, for a total transaction of $400,234.56. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 8,744 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,647,610.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Elevance Health news, CEO Gail Boudreaux sold 34,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.98, for a total transaction of $17,033,320.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 126,709 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $63,478,674.82. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Ramiro G. Peru sold 753 shares of Elevance Health stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $531.52, for a total value of $400,234.56. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 8,744 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,647,610.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 35,058 shares of company stock valued at $17,588,116 over the last three months. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Elevance Health from $575.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Elevance Health from $624.00 to $589.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Mizuho increased their price target on Elevance Health from $575.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Elevance Health from $600.00 to $620.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, July 15th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a neutral rating and set a $530.00 price target (down from $646.00) on shares of Elevance Health in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $604.29.

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Elevance Health Profile

(Free Report)

Elevance Health, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a health benefits company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Health Benefits, CarelonRx, Carelon Services, and Corporate & Other. It offers a variety of health plans and services to program members; health products; an array of fee-based administrative managed care services; and specialty and other insurance products and services, such as stop loss, dental, vision, life, disability, and supplemental health insurance benefits.

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Enzi Wealth grew its position in Invesco S&P MidCap Quality ETF (NYSEARCA:XMHQ  Free Report) by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 87,015 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 1,559 shares during the quarter. Invesco S&P MidCap Quality ETF accounts for about 3.7% of Enzi Wealths portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Enzi Wealth owned about 0.19% of Invesco S&P MidCap Quality ETF worth $8,329,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its position in Invesco S&P MidCap Quality ETF by 3.2% in the second quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 250,815 shares of the companys stock valued at $25,217,000 after buying an additional 7,864 shares in the last quarter. Avid Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Invesco S&P MidCap Quality ETF by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. Avid Wealth Partners LLC now owns 53,691 shares of the companys stock worth $5,210,000 after buying an additional 2,810 shares during the period. Continuum Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Invesco S&P MidCap Quality ETF by 81.5% in the 2nd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 2,022 shares of the companys stock valued at $196,000 after buying an additional 908 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Invesco S&P MidCap Quality ETF by 0.4% in the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 507,105 shares of the companys stock valued at $49,204,000 after buying an additional 1,901 shares during the period. Finally, OMNI 360 Wealth Inc. raised its position in shares of Invesco S&P MidCap Quality ETF by 138.6% during the second quarter. OMNI 360 Wealth Inc. now owns 6,973 shares of the companys stock worth $677,000 after acquiring an additional 4,050 shares during the last quarter.

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Invesco S&P MidCap Quality ETF Price Performance

Shares of Invesco S&P MidCap Quality ETF stock traded down $0.89 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $98.67. The company had a trading volume of 426,511 shares, compared to its average volume of 404,751. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $99.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $102.60. Invesco S&P MidCap Quality ETF has a fifty-two week low of $75.29 and a fifty-two week high of $110.61. The firm has a market cap of $4.42 billion, a PE ratio of 16.29 and a beta of 1.15.

Invesco S&P MidCap Quality ETF Profile

The Invesco S&P MidCap Quality ETF (XMHQ) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the S&P MidCap 400 Quality index. The fund tracks the S&P mid-cap 400 Quality Index, which screens stocks based on fundamental factors and weights them using a multi-factor approach. XMHQ was launched on Dec 1, 2006 and is managed by Invesco.

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ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said mpox vaccination could start "in the coming days" as the number of cases surges across Africa.

Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya, while addressing a special online media briefing Tuesday on the multi-country mpox outbreak in Africa, expressed concern over the rapid spread of the disease across the affected African countries.

He said the specialized healthcare agency of the African Union (AU) is working with international partners and AU members to start mpox vaccination soon.

"We will start in a few days if we are sure that everything is in place. By the end of next week, vaccines will start to arrive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other countries," Kaseya told reporters.

He said the number of mpox cases in the affected countries has now surpassed 18,910, registering more than 1,400 new cases and 24 related deaths during the previous week alone.

Africa CDC data show that between Jan. 1 and Aug. 13, 12 African countries reported 17,505 mpox cases and 541 deaths.

On Aug. 13, the Africa CDC declared the ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security, saying that the outbreak "has now crossed borders, affecting thousands across our continent."

Kaseya called for concerted efforts to contain the virus, which has spread rapidly in the most-affected countries.

"An alert is coming from Burundi, the DRC and the Central African Republic, where we see an increase in terms of deaths and cases," he told reporters Tuesday.

Kaseya said the Africa CDC is working with all AU members to strengthen the vaccine supply chain and the communication component to ensure a smooth introduction of the vaccines across the continent.

"As Africa CDC, we have a clear plan to procure and make available 10 million doses for our Africans. The 10 million doses that we are talking about is not a dream. We have a clear plan that by the end of 2025, we will have the 10 million doses in Africa," he said.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, was discovered in Denmark in 1958 in monkeys kept for research, and the first reported human case of mpox was a nine-month-old boy in the DRC. Mpox can spread from person to person or occasionally from animals to people.

Common symptoms of mpox are rash, fever, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.

Following the eradication of smallpox in 1980 and the end of smallpox vaccination worldwide, mpox steadily emerged in Central, East and West Africa, and a global outbreak occurred in 2022-2023, the WHO said. 
Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in shares of Boston Properties, Inc. (NYSE:BXP  Free Report) by 16.9% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 62,888 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after buying an additional 9,092 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorps holdings in Boston Properties were worth $3,871,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Boston Properties by 435.9% during the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 418 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 340 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Boston Properties by 59.1% during the first quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,063 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Boston Properties in the 4th quarter worth approximately $93,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Boston Properties by 198.1% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,428 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 949 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Boston Properties in the 1st quarter worth approximately $108,000. 98.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Boston Properties Stock Performance

Shares of BXP stock traded up $0.38 on Wednesday, reaching $70.56. The stock had a trading volume of 785,071 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,313,477. The stock has a market cap of $11.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 4.77 and a current ratio of 4.83. Boston Properties, Inc. has a 1 year low of $50.64 and a 1 year high of $73.97. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $65.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $63.56.

Boston Properties Announces Dividend

Boston Properties ( NYSE:BXP Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.72 by ($1.21). The business had revenue of $850.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $819.49 million. Boston Properties had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 2.05%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.86 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Boston Properties, Inc. will post 7.12 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Investors of record on Friday, June 28th were given a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 28th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.56%. Boston Propertiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 321.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Boston Properties from $75.00 to $67.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Wedbush increased their price objective on shares of Boston Properties from $63.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Boston Properties from $73.00 to $69.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an equal weight rating and issued a $62.00 target price on shares of Boston Properties in a research note on Thursday, June 20th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Boston Properties from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $70.54.

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Boston Properties Company Profile

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Boston Properties, Inc (NYSE: BXP) (BXP or the Company) is the largest publicly traded developer, owner, and manager of premier workplaces in the United States, concentrated in six dynamic gateway markets  Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC. BXP has delivered places that power progress for our clients and communities for more than 50 years.

Further Reading

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Hall Laurie J Trustee lowered its position in shares of General Electric (NYSE:GE  Free Report) by 1.1% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,403 shares of the conglomerates stock after selling 80 shares during the quarter. Hall Laurie J Trustees holdings in General Electric were worth $1,177,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. New England Research & Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of General Electric by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. New England Research & Management Inc. now owns 2,910 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $463,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Choate Investment Advisors increased its stake in General Electric by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Choate Investment Advisors now owns 16,000 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $2,808,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Walker Asset Management LLC increased its stake in General Electric by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Walker Asset Management LLC now owns 4,111 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $722,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Trust Co of the South increased its stake in General Electric by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 5,909 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $939,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Lantz Financial LLC increased its stake in General Electric by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 3,718 shares of the conglomerates stock worth $591,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.77% of the companys stock.

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General Electric Stock Performance

General Electric stock traded down $0.99 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $169.94. 2,573,487 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,893,465. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $163.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $160.99. The firm has a market cap of $186.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.72, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.21. General Electric has a fifty-two week low of $84.42 and a fifty-two week high of $177.20.

General Electric Dividend Announcement

General Electric ( NYSE:GE Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The conglomerate reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.21. General Electric had a net margin of 7.66% and a return on equity of 16.07%. The firm had revenue of $9.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.68 EPS. General Electrics revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that General Electric will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 11th were given a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 11th. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.66%. General Electrics dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.72%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other General Electric news, SVP Russell Stokes sold 45,309 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.82, for a total transaction of $7,377,211.38. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 112,958 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,391,821.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on GE. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of General Electric from $192.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of General Electric from $190.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of General Electric from $120.43 to $186.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of General Electric from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of General Electric from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, General Electric currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $190.38.

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General Electric Profile

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General Electric Company, doing business as GE Aerospace, designs and produces commercial and defense aircraft engines, integrated engine components, electric power, and mechanical aircraft systems. It also offers aftermarket services to support its products. The company operates in the United States, Europe, China, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa.

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Global X MSCI Norway ETF (NYSEARCA:NORW  Get Free Report) dropped 1.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $26.10 and last traded at $26.12. Approximately 5,777 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 49% from the average daily volume of 11,252 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.45.

Global X MSCI Norway ETF Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $52.50 million, a PE ratio of 7.12 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.23.

Global X MSCI Norway ETF Company Profile

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The Global X MSCI Norway ETF (NORW) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI Norway IMI 25\u002F50 index, a market-cap-weighted index of Norwegian stocks. NORW was launched on Nov 9, 2010 and is managed by Global X.

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Internet Initiative Japan (OTCMKTS:IIJIY  Get Free Report) and Total Access Communication Public (OTCMKTS:TACYY  Get Free Report) are both communication services companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, risk, earnings, dividends and profitability.

Profitability

This table compares Internet Initiative Japan and Total Access Communication Publics net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Internet Initiative Japan 7.16% 16.57% 7.51% Total Access Communication Public N/A N/A N/A

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Internet Initiative Japan and Total Access Communication Public, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Internet Initiative Japan 0 0 0 0 N/A Total Access Communication Public 0 0 0 0 N/A

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Internet Initiative Japan and Total Access Communication Publics revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Internet Initiative Japan $1.91 billion 1.72 $136.83 million $1.53 23.52 Total Access Communication Public N/A N/A N/A $22.58 0.34

Internet Initiative Japan has higher revenue and earnings than Total Access Communication Public. Total Access Communication Public is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Internet Initiative Japan, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Dividends

Internet Initiative Japan pays an annual dividend of $0.29 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Total Access Communication Public pays an annual dividend of $12.06 per share and has a dividend yield of 158.3%. Internet Initiative Japan pays out 19.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Total Access Communication Public pays out 53.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Summary

Internet Initiative Japan beats Total Access Communication Public on 6 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Internet Initiative Japan

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Internet Initiative Japan Inc. provides Internet connectivity, WAN, outsourcing, systems integration, and network-related equipment sales services in Japan. It operates through two segments, Network Services and Systems Integration Business, and ATM Operation Business. The company offers mobile communication and remote access/telework services; WAN/network services, including SDN, multi-cloud network, closed connection, internet VPN, SEIL, remote access, wireless LAN, and GIGA-school; leased line and broadband services; IIJ DNS platform, and domain name registration and maintenance services; IIJ access ID management, dial-up access, and IIJ IPv6 fiber access services; and security solutions for IIJ managed firewall, DDoS protection, and managed IPS/IDS services. It also provides cloud solutions, such as HaaS/IaaS, cloud storage, monitoring/operation, virtual desktop, Paas/Saas, solution for Microsoft and AWS, IoT/M2M, ID management and authentication, network, global, mobile, license, and specialized solutions, as well as IIJ cloud exchange and IIJ cloud integration solutions; integrated, network, mail, and web security, endpoint, security assessment/consulting, web and mail hosting, online storage, content delivery/CDN/CMS, and system integration; IoT services and solutions in the field of industrial, agriculture, energy, and IoT-oriented mobile communication; industry-specific solution; content delivery; and global/privacy products. In addition, the company offers IT outsourcing, IIJ consulting, cognitive factory, IIJ PC deployment support, IIJ PaaS solution, IIJ EMM utilization support, IIJ private cloud, network solutions, IIJ security audit, IIJ malware analysis, IIJ content management, cloud integration solution for Microsoft and AWS, Microsoft 365 transition support solution, data center service, and data center construction engineering solutions, as well as DX edge services. The company was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

About Total Access Communication Public

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Total Access Communication Public Company Limited or DTAC is one of the leading telecommunication service providers in Thailand. Founded in August 1989, it operates 800 MHz and 1800 MHz frequency bands under a concession granted by the Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT). As of 6 September 2007, the Companys registered capital was THB 4,744,161,260 of which THB 4,735,622,000 was paid-up capital and divided into 2,367,811,000 ordinary shares with a par value of THB 2. To promote the development of telecommunication services in Thailand, the private sector was allowed to participate in the telecommunication market under concessions on a Build-Transfer-Operate (BTO) basis with two state enterprises, which has been corporatized as TOT Corporation Public Company Limited (TOT) and known as TOT Public Company Limited and CAT Telecom Public Company Limited (CAT). Under the BTO arrangement, the private operators, as concession holders, are required to build network infrastructure and transfer the assets to the state agencies granting the concessions. The operators thereafter have an exclusive right to use the assets during the term of the concession and operate cellular network to

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HG (OTCMKTS:STLY  Get Free Report) and Omega Healthcare Investors (NYSE:OHI  Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability, risk and analyst recommendations.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares HG and Omega Healthcare Investors revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio HG $11.11 million 1.55 -$820,000.00 N/A N/A Omega Healthcare Investors $949.74 million 10.31 $242.18 million $1.11 34.23

Omega Healthcare Investors has higher revenue and earnings than HG.

Profitability

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets HG -3.02% -1.05% -0.76% Omega Healthcare Investors 33.52% 8.61% 3.60%

Analyst Ratings

This table compares HG and Omega Healthcare Investors net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

This is a breakdown of current ratings for HG and Omega Healthcare Investors, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score HG 0 0 0 0 N/A Omega Healthcare Investors 0 8 3 1 2.42

Omega Healthcare Investors has a consensus price target of $33.67, suggesting a potential downside of 11.38%. Given Omega Healthcare Investors higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Omega Healthcare Investors is more favorable than HG.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

1.7% of HG shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 65.3% of Omega Healthcare Investors shares are held by institutional investors. 36.1% of HG shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.4% of Omega Healthcare Investors shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility & Risk

HG has a beta of 0.62, suggesting that its stock price is 38% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Omega Healthcare Investors has a beta of 0.97, suggesting that its stock price is 3% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Omega Healthcare Investors beats HG on 11 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About HG

(Get Free Report)

HG Holdings, Inc. engages in the title insurance and real estate businesses in the United States. It operates through four segments: Title Insurance Services, Reinsurance, Management Services, and Real Estate. The company provides title insurance, closing and/or escrow, and similar or related services in connection with residential and commercial real estate transactions. It also owns and operates a portfolio of single-tenant properties leased for the occupancy by U.S. government tenant agencies and sub-agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Veterans affairs, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, the Social Security Administration, and the Department of Transportation. In addition, the company provides excess-of-loss reinsurance coverage related to catastrophic weather risk in Texas; and management advisory services, such as formation, operational, and restructuring services. The company was formerly known as Stanley Furniture Company, Inc. and changed its name to HG Holdings, Inc. in March 2018. HG Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 1984 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

About Omega Healthcare Investors

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Omega is a REIT that invests in the long-term healthcare industry, primarily in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities. Its portfolio of assets is operated by a diverse group of healthcare companies, predominantly in a triple-net lease structure. The assets span all regions within the U.S., as well as in the U.K.

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Secure Trust Bank PLC (LON:STB  Get Free Report) insider Jim Brown acquired 12,600 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 860 ($11.17) per share, with a total value of 108,360 ($140,800.42).

Secure Trust Bank Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of Secure Trust Bank stock traded up GBX 6 ($0.08) during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting GBX 876 ($11.38). 12,239 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 39,038. Secure Trust Bank PLC has a twelve month low of GBX 572 ($7.43) and a twelve month high of GBX 950 ($12.34). The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 814.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 754.42. The company has a market cap of 167.05 million, a PE ratio of 635.04, a PEG ratio of 0.11 and a beta of 0.75.

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Secure Trust Bank Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 29th will be paid a dividend of GBX 11.30 ($0.15) per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 29th. This represents a yield of 1.32%. Secure Trust Banks dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 2,043.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Berenberg Bank restated a buy rating and set a GBX 1,420 ($18.45) price objective on shares of Secure Trust Bank in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Shore Capital reaffirmed a house stock rating on shares of Secure Trust Bank in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th.

Read Our Latest Analysis on STB

About Secure Trust Bank

(Get Free Report)

Secure Trust Bank PLC provides banking and financial products and services in the United Kingdom. It operates through four segments: Real Estate Finance, Commercial Finance, Vehicle Finance, and Retail Finance. The Real Estate Finance segment provides secured loans against property assets. The Commercial Finance segment provides invoice discounting solutions, coronavirus business interruption loan scheme, and recovery loan schemes.

Further Reading

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iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Mexico ETF (NYSEARCA:HEWW  Get Free Report)s share price were down 0.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $18.09 and last traded at $18.09. Approximately 100 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 388 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.10.

iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Mexico ETF Trading Down 0.1 %

The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $18.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $18.09.

Further Reading

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iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (NYSEARCA:EWU  Get Free Report)s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $36.96 and last traded at $36.94, with a volume of 142968 shares. The stock had previously closed at $36.49.

iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $2.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.86 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.70.

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Institutional Trading of iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EWU. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new position in shares of iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Private Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF in the 2nd quarter worth $52,000. Syntrinsic LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF by 37.0% in the 2nd quarter. Syntrinsic LLC now owns 1,885 shares of the companys stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF by 1,442.3% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,406 shares of the companys stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 2,250 shares during the last quarter.

iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF Company Profile

The iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (EWU) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI United Kingdom index. The fund tracks a market cap-weighted index of British companies. It covers the top 85% of British companies by market cap. EWU was launched on Mar 12, 1996 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Equities research analysts at StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Issuer Direct (NYSE:ISDR  Get Free Report) in a report released on Monday. The brokerage set a buy rating on the stock.

Issuer Direct Trading Down 4.7 %

ISDR opened at $9.03 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $34.47 million, a P/E ratio of 45.15 and a beta of 0.73. Issuer Direct has a 12 month low of $7.61 and a 12 month high of $21.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $8.75 and a 200 day moving average of $11.06.

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Issuer Direct (NYSE:ISDR  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $7.69 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.62 million. Issuer Direct had a return on equity of 9.01% and a net margin of 2.43%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Issuer Direct will post 0.52 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Issuer Direct

About Issuer Direct

In other Issuer Direct news, insider Topline Capital Management, Ll bought 4,744 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $7.80 per share, for a total transaction of $37,003.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 662,855 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,170,269. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link . In other Issuer Direct news, insider Topline Capital Management, Ll bought 4,744 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 26th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $7.80 per share, for a total transaction of $37,003.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 662,855 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,170,269. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link . Also, major shareholder Topline Capital Partners, Lp bought 22,469 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $7.83 per share, with a total value of $175,932.27. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 685,324 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,366,086.92. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here . Insiders acquired 78,184 shares of company stock worth $692,527 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 26.08% of the companys stock.

(Get Free Report)

Issuer Direct Corporation operates as a communications and compliance company, provides solutions for both public relations and investor relations professionals in the United States and internationally. The company provides press release distribution, media databases, media monitoring, and newsrooms through media advantage platform; ACCESSWIRE, a news dissemination and media outreach service; and Webcaster Platform, a cloud-based webcast, webinar, and virtual meeting platform that delivers live and on-demand streaming of events to audiences of various sizes, as well as allows customers to create, produce, and deliver events.

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Jervois Global Limited (OTCMKTS:JRVMF  Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,360,900 shares, a decrease of 7.6% from the July 15th total of 5,804,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,079,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days.

Jervois Global Trading Down 7.4 %

Shares of Jervois Global stock opened at $0.01 on Wednesday. Jervois Global has a 52-week low of $0.01 and a 52-week high of $0.04. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $0.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $0.01.

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About Jervois Global

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Jervois Global Limited engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral properties. It explores for cobalt, nickel, copper, and gold deposits. The company holds 100% interest in the Idaho Cobalt Operations project located in the state of Idaho, the United States; the Sao Miguel Paulista nickel cobalt refinery in Sao Paulo, Brazil; and the Nico Young nickel-cobalt deposits in New South Wales, Australia.

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TOKYO, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks closed lower on Wednesday, as the market was in a risk-off mood ahead of revised U.S. jobs data that could lead to a stronger yen.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei stock index, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average, ended down 111.12 points, or 0.29 percent, from Tuesday at 37,951.80.

The broader Topix index, meanwhile, finished 5.68 points, or 0.21 percent, lower at 2,664.86.

Market watchers here noted that the benchmark Nikkei briefly shed over 400 points in the morning as declines on Wall Street overnight dampened sentiment, while a stronger yen weighed on some exporters, but declines were trimmed in the afternoon as the yen's strengthening trend eased.

Analysts said investors took a cautious approach ahead of the release of revised figures in U.S. jobs data in the year through March 2024, with speculation of large downward revisions causing wariness that the Fed's rate cuts could bring a stronger yen. 
Krilogy Financial LLC lessened its stake in shares of Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. (NYSE:TR  Free Report) by 28.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,687 shares of the companys stock after selling 8,240 shares during the quarter. Krilogy Financial LLCs holdings in Tootsie Roll Industries were worth $632,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Tootsie Roll Industries during the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Clarity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Tootsie Roll Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in Tootsie Roll Industries by 107.2% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,138 shares of the companys stock worth $138,000 after buying an additional 2,141 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in Tootsie Roll Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $191,000. Finally, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System bought a new stake in Tootsie Roll Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $213,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 14.28% of the companys stock.

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Tootsie Roll Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TR traded up $0.17 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $28.42. 212,369 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 119,663. Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. has a 52-week low of $27.58 and a 52-week high of $35.84. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $29.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.46. The company has a market cap of $2.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.74 and a beta of 0.17.

Tootsie Roll Industries Announces Dividend

Tootsie Roll Industries ( NYSE:TR Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $148.82 million during the quarter. Tootsie Roll Industries had a return on equity of 11.54% and a net margin of 12.80%.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 20th were paid a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 20th. Tootsie Roll Industriess payout ratio is 27.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Tootsie Roll Industries from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Sunday, June 30th.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on TR

Tootsie Roll Industries Company Profile

(Free Report)

Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of confectionery products in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and internationally. It sells its products under the Tootsie Roll, Tootsie Fruit Rolls, Frooties, Tootsie Pops, Tootsie Mini Pops, Child's Play, Caramel Apple Pops, Charms, Blow-Pop, Charms Mini Pops, Cella's, Dots, Junior Mints, Charleston Chew, Sugar Daddy, Sugar Babies, Andes, Fluffy Stuff, Dubble Bubble, Razzles, Cry Baby, NIK-L-NIP, and Tutsi Pop trademarks.

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Legacy Capital Group California Inc. raised its stake in iShares S&P 500 Value ETF (NYSEARCA:IVE  Free Report) by 10.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,474 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 315 shares during the period. Legacy Capital Group California Inc.s holdings in iShares S&P 500 Value ETF were worth $632,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in iShares S&P 500 Value ETF by 905.6% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 1,410,516 shares of the companys stock worth $263,498,000 after purchasing an additional 1,270,256 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its position in shares of iShares S&P 500 Value ETF by 503.8% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 1,377,642 shares of the companys stock worth $257,357,000 after buying an additional 1,149,497 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of iShares S&P 500 Value ETF by 228.4% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,496,348 shares of the companys stock valued at $279,533,000 after acquiring an additional 1,040,767 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of iShares S&P 500 Value ETF by 5.1% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 17,776,089 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,320,751,000 after purchasing an additional 861,704 shares during the period. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of iShares S&P 500 Value ETF by 1,337.4% during the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 902,534 shares of the companys stock worth $168,602,000 after acquiring an additional 839,744 shares during the period.

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iShares S&P 500 Value ETF Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSEARCA:IVE traded down $0.57 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $190.81. 320,400 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 743,456. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $185.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $182.68. The stock has a market cap of $34.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.79 and a beta of 0.81. iShares S&P 500 Value ETF has a twelve month low of $147.23 and a twelve month high of $191.93.

iShares S&P 500 Value ETF Profile

iShares S&P 500 Value ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares S&P 500 Value Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the S&P 500 Value Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the large-capitalization value sector of the United States equity market and consists of those stocks in the S&P 500 exhibiting the strongest value characteristics.

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Lundin Gold Inc. (TSE:LUG  Get Free Report)s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Monday after Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on the stock from C$27.50 to C$28.50. The stock traded as high as C$26.27 and last traded at C$26.20, with a volume of 12585 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at C$25.97.

LUG has been the subject of several other research reports. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of Lundin Gold from C$21.00 to C$25.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Lundin Gold from C$24.00 to C$26.00 in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Desjardins upgraded Lundin Gold to a moderate buy rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Lundin Gold from C$23.50 to C$25.50 in a research report on Monday. Finally, National Bank Financial raised shares of Lundin Gold from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Sunday, July 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of C$26.00.

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Insider Buying and Selling

Lundin Gold Stock Performance

In other Lundin Gold news, Senior Officer Chester See sold 30,100 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of C$20.27, for a total transaction of C$610,253.42. 58.83% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of C$22.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$19.66. The stock has a market cap of C$6.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.36 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 33.65, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.98.

Lundin Gold Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be given a dividend of $0.551 per share. This is a boost from Lundin Golds previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.00%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 10th. Lundin Golds dividend payout ratio is currently 85.27%.

About Lundin Gold

(Get Free Report)

Lundin Gold Inc operates as a mining company in Canada. The company holds interests in 28 metallic mineral concessions and three construction material concessions covering an area of approximately 64,454 hectares located in Southeast Ecuador. It primary holds 100% interests in the Fruta del Norte gold project that comprising seven concessions covering an area of approximately 5,566 hectares located near the city of Loja in Ecuador.

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Nadler Financial Group Inc. lessened its holdings in Bank of America Co. (NYSE:BAC) by 5.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,422 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 531 shares during the period. Nadler Financial Group Inc.s holdings in Bank of America were worth $375,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BAC. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Bank of America by 402.2% during the 1st quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 683 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Bank of America during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in Bank of America during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Bank of America during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC grew its holdings in Bank of America by 1,489.3% during the 1st quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 890 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 834 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.71% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on BAC shares. Piper Sandler Companies raised shares of Bank of America from an underweight rating to a neutral rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $37.00 to $42.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Bank of America from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Bank of America from $39.50 to $40.50 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Piper Sandler raised shares of Bank of America from an underweight rating to a neutral rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $37.00 to $42.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Bank of America from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $42.07.

Bank of America Stock Performance

NYSE:BAC traded down $0.98 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $38.69. The stock had a trading volume of 44,426,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 39,234,125. The stock has a market capitalization of $302.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $40.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $37.93. Bank of America Co. has a 52 week low of $24.96 and a 52 week high of $44.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 16th. The financial services provider reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.04. Bank of America had a net margin of 13.28% and a return on equity of 10.56%. The firm had revenue of $25.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.22 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.88 EPS. Bank of Americas quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Bank of America Co. will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bank of America Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 6th will be given a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.69%. This is an increase from Bank of Americas previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 6th. Bank of Americas payout ratio is 35.99%.

Bank of America declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, July 24th that allows the company to repurchase $25.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 7.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the companys board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Bank of America news, insider Lindsay D. Hans sold 10,901 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.91, for a total transaction of $402,355.91. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,907 shares in the company, valued at approximately $402,577.37. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, major shareholder Berkshire Hathaway Inc sold 5,035,018 shares of Bank of America stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.65, for a total value of $199,638,463.70. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 928,460,939 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $36,813,476,231.35. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Lindsay D. Hans sold 10,901 shares of Bank of America stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.91, for a total transaction of $402,355.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,907 shares in the company, valued at approximately $402,577.37. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 66,768,513 shares of company stock worth $2,807,216,504. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Bank of America Company Profile

(Free Report)

Bank of America Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides banking and financial products and services for individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses, institutional investors, large corporations, and governments worldwide. It operates in four segments: Consumer Banking, Global Wealth & Investment Management (GWIM), Global Banking, and Global Markets.

Further Reading

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Nadler Financial Group Inc. reduced its holdings in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWF  Free Report) by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 133,903 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 1,343 shares during the quarter. iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF accounts for about 5.7% of Nadler Financial Group Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Nadler Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.05% of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF worth $48,809,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 1.8% in the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 1,795 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $605,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Nvwm LLC raised its holdings in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 44.9% in the 1st quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 100 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Mayfair Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Mayfair Advisory Group LLC now owns 643 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC now owns 1,976 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $666,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Finally, Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 1.3% during the first quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,560 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $863,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period.

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iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Price Performance

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF stock traded down $0.44 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $367.80. The company had a trading volume of 711,739 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,347,409. The firm has a market cap of $97.30 billion, a PE ratio of 35.64 and a beta of 1.20. iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF has a one year low of $256.01 and a one year high of $382.82. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $361.78 and a 200 day moving average of $343.53.

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Company Profile

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Russell 1000 Growth Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment returns that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 1000 Growth Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of equity securities of Russell 1000 index issuers with relatively higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth.

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Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO  Free Report) (NYSE:BMO)  Equities researchers at National Bank Financial cut their Q3 2024 earnings estimates for Bank of Montreal in a report issued on Thursday, August 15th. National Bank Financial analyst G. Dechaine now forecasts that the bank will earn $2.67 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $2.95. The consensus estimate for Bank of Montreals current full-year earnings is $11.64 per share. National Bank Financial also issued estimates for Bank of Montreals Q4 2024 earnings at $2.67 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $10.48 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $11.82 EPS.

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A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on BMO. Barclays decreased their price objective on Bank of Montreal from C$140.00 to C$132.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on Bank of Montreal from C$136.00 to C$135.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. UBS Group set a C$122.00 price objective on Bank of Montreal and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. TD Securities reduced their target price on Bank of Montreal from C$134.00 to C$130.00 in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Scotiabank reduced their price objective on shares of Bank of Montreal from C$129.00 to C$123.00 in a research note on Monday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of C$127.86.

Bank of Montreal Stock Performance

Shares of TSE BMO opened at C$117.99 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of C$116.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$122.84. The stock has a market cap of C$86.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.16. Bank of Montreal has a 52-week low of C$102.67 and a 52-week high of C$133.95.

Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO  Get Free Report) (NYSE:BMO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 29th. The bank reported C$2.59 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of C$2.74 by C($0.15). Bank of Montreal had a net margin of 20.07% and a return on equity of 8.19%. The firm had revenue of C$7.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$8.06 billion.

Bank of Montreal Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th will be paid a dividend of $1.55 per share. This represents a $6.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 30th. This is a positive change from Bank of Montreals previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. Bank of Montreals payout ratio is 74.34%.

About Bank of Montreal

(Get Free Report)

Bank of Montreal provides diversified financial services primarily in North America. It operates through Canadian P&C, U.S P&C, BMO Wealth Management, and BMO Capital Markets segments. The company's personal banking products and services include deposits, mortgages, home lending, consumer credit, small business lending, credit cards, cash management, financial and investment advice, and other banking services; and commercial banking products and services comprise various of financing options and treasury and payment solutions, as well as risk management products.

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Capital Investment Counsel Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Nokia Oyj (NYSE:NOK  Free Report) by 14.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 29,777 shares of the technology companys stock after purchasing an additional 3,650 shares during the period. Capital Investment Counsel Incs holdings in Nokia Oyj were worth $113,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Pzena Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Nokia Oyj by 29.0% in the first quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 67,489,193 shares of the technology companys stock worth $238,912,000 after buying an additional 15,175,751 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its stake in Nokia Oyj by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 106,769,682 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $365,152,000 after acquiring an additional 5,087,927 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of Nokia Oyj by 379.3% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,493,893 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $5,109,000 after purchasing an additional 1,182,184 shares during the period. TSP Capital Management Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Nokia Oyj by 89.2% in the first quarter. TSP Capital Management Group LLC now owns 2,179,467 shares of the technology companys stock worth $7,715,000 after purchasing an additional 1,027,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Nokia Oyj by 98.3% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,749,327 shares of the technology companys stock worth $6,193,000 after purchasing an additional 867,297 shares during the period. 5.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Nokia Oyj Stock Down 0.2 %

Nokia Oyj stock traded down $0.01 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $4.14. The company had a trading volume of 7,108,740 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,110,359. Nokia Oyj has a fifty-two week low of $2.94 and a fifty-two week high of $4.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.82 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.79 and a beta of 1.12. The firms fifty day moving average is $3.83 and its 200-day moving average is $3.71.

About Nokia Oyj

Nokia Oyj ( NYSE:NOK Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 18th. The technology company reported $0.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.01. Nokia Oyj had a return on equity of 7.98% and a net margin of 1.95%. The business had revenue of $4.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.12 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that Nokia Oyj will post 0.37 earnings per share for the current year.

(Free Report)

Nokia Oyj provides mobile, fixed, and cloud network solutions worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Network Infrastructure, Mobile Networks, Cloud and Network Services, and Nokia Technologies. The company provides fixed networking solutions, such as fiber and copper-based access infrastructure, in-home Wi-Fi solutions, and cloud and virtualization services; IP networking solutions, including IP access, aggregation, and edge and core routing for residential, mobile, enterprise and cloud applications; optical networks solutions that provides optical transport networks for metro, regional, and long-haul applications, and subsea applications; and submarine networks for undersea cable transmission.

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Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO  Get Free Report)s stock price traded up 0.7% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $136.13 and last traded at $135.87. 482,398 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 4,471,836 shares. The stock had previously closed at $134.89.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on NVO. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an overweight rating and set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com cut Novo Nordisk A/S from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday. Argus raised their target price on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from $125.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a buy rating and a $156.00 price objective for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $145.17.

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Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

Novo Nordisk A/S Cuts Dividend

The company has a market capitalization of $605.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $136.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $131.28.

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be paid a $0.5126 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. Novo Nordisk A/Ss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novo Nordisk A/S

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NVO. First PREMIER Bank bought a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 200.0% in the 2nd quarter. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the companys stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Novo Nordisk A/S Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Novo Nordisk A/S, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research and development, manufacture, and distribution of pharmaceutical products in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, North America, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Diabetes and Obesity Care, and Rare Disease.

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GFG Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE  Free Report) by 21.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,469 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares during the quarter. GFG Capital LLCs holdings in Pfizer were worth $349,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PFE. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 239,209,768 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $6,886,849,000 after purchasing an additional 11,099,024 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 104,246,432 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $2,985,783,000 after purchasing an additional 8,473,686 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter worth $2,129,927,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 13.8% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 68,506,441 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,972,300,000 after purchasing an additional 8,298,920 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 15,813,328 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $438,820,000 after purchasing an additional 2,829,178 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.36% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an overweight rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Pfizer from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on Pfizer from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $36.00 price target (up previously from $33.00) on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Pfizer from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Pfizer currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $34.54.

Pfizer Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:PFE traded up $0.10 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $28.90. 21,185,877 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 39,372,578. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.86. Pfizer Inc. has a 12-month low of $25.20 and a 12-month high of $37.19. The firm has a market cap of $163.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -484.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.69. The firms 50-day moving average price is $28.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.92.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.14. Pfizer had a positive return on equity of 8.42% and a negative net margin of 4.66%. The business had revenue of $13.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $12.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.67 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 26th. Pfizers payout ratio is currently -2,800.00%.

Pfizer Company Profile

(Free Report)

Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular metabolic, migraine, and women's health under the Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura, Zavzpret, and the Premarin family brands; infectious diseases with unmet medical needs under the Prevnar family, Abrysvo, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, and Trumenba brands; and COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and potential future mRNA and antiviral products under the Comirnaty and Paxlovid brands.

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Raymond James (NYSE:RJF  Free Report)  Zacks Research decreased their Q4 2024 EPS estimates for Raymond James in a report issued on Wednesday, August 14th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $2.42 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $2.46. The consensus estimate for Raymond James current full-year earnings is $9.56 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Raymond James Q1 2025 earnings at $2.49 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $2.44 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $9.92 EPS.

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Raymond James (NYSE:RJF  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $3.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.24 billion. Raymond James had a net margin of 13.16% and a return on equity of 18.44%. Raymond Jamess revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Raymond James from $145.00 to $141.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Raymond James from $137.00 to $135.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Raymond James from $138.00 to $135.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of Raymond James from $132.00 to $131.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Raymond James from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Monday, July 8th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Raymond James has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $129.89.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Raymond James

Raymond James Stock Performance

Shares of RJF stock opened at $115.58 on Monday. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $116.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $120.15. Raymond James has a 52 week low of $91.67 and a 52 week high of $131.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market cap of $23.80 billion, a PE ratio of 13.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.02.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Raymond James by 35.9% in the 2nd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 6,384 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $789,000 after purchasing an additional 1,687 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Raymond James in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Raymond James in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,656,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Raymond James by 15.8% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,965 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $367,000 after purchasing an additional 404 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nemes Rush Group LLC lifted its position in Raymond James by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 64,820 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $8,012,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. 83.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Raymond James news, CEO Tashtego S. Elwyn sold 31,277 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $3,429,210.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,380 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,879,063.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Bella Loykhter Allaire sold 17,363 shares of Raymond James stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.00, for a total value of $1,996,745.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 75,586 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,692,390. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Tashtego S. Elwyn sold 31,277 shares of Raymond James stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $3,429,210.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 35,380 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,879,063.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 9.74% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Raymond James Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Raymond James Financial, Inc, a financial holding company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the underwriting, distribution, trading, and brokerage of equity and debt securities, and the sale of mutual funds and other investment products in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through Private Client Group, Capital Markets, Asset Management, RJ Bank, and Other segments.

Further Reading

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Members of Israeli emergency service work at a house directly hit by a rocket from Lebanon, in Katzrin of Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on Aug. 21, 2024. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired at least 50 rockets at northern Israel Wednesday morning after Israeli warplanes struck several areas overnight and in the morning in Lebanon, killing at least three people, according to Israeli and Lebanese sources. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired at least 50 rockets at northern Israel Wednesday morning after Israeli warplanes struck several areas overnight and in the morning in Lebanon, killing at least three people, according to Israeli and Lebanese sources.

Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), wrote on the social media platform X that Hezbollah had targeted with rockets the center of Katzrin, a city in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. "Hezbollah is firing indiscriminately at Israeli civilians. Like any country that protects its citizens -- we will act accordingly," Hagari warned.

Citing anonymous Israeli security officials, Israel's Ynet news site reported that the attack marked the first time Hezbollah had deliberately targeted civilian areas instead of military bases.

The IDF said in a statement that the aerial defense array intercepted some of the rockets, and "a number of fallen projectiles were identified in the area of Katzrin." Video footage on social media showed several residential homes were set on fire, with black smoke rising above them.

Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service reported that a man in his 30s was injured by shrapnel and taken to a hospital in moderate condition.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the rockets, saying the attack was in response to Israeli strikes in the Beqaa area of Lebanon.

Earlier in the morning, at least three people were killed in an Israeli attack on the city of Sidon in Lebanon, according to Israel's state-owned Kan TV news.

In a statement released by the IDF, warplanes reportedly struck Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in the Beqaa area. "Following the strikes, secondary explosions were identified, indicating the presence of large amounts of weapons in the facilities that were struck," the statement read.

The strikes also targeted "a compound that was used by Hezbollah's aerial defense system and posed a threat to Israel Air Force aircraft," it added. 

Members of Israeli emergency service work at a house directly hit by a rocket from Lebanon, in Katzrin of Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on Aug. 21, 2024. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired at least 50 rockets at northern Israel Wednesday morning after Israeli warplanes struck several areas overnight and in the morning in Lebanon, killing at least three people, according to Israeli and Lebanese sources. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)

Members of Israeli emergency service work at a house directly hit by a rocket from Lebanon, in Katzrin of Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on Aug. 21, 2024. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired at least 50 rockets at northern Israel Wednesday morning after Israeli warplanes struck several areas overnight and in the morning in Lebanon, killing at least three people, according to Israeli and Lebanese sources. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)

Members of Israeli emergency service work at a house directly hit by a rocket from Lebanon, in Katzrin of Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on Aug. 21, 2024. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired at least 50 rockets at northern Israel Wednesday morning after Israeli warplanes struck several areas overnight and in the morning in Lebanon, killing at least three people, according to Israeli and Lebanese sources. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)

A man works at a house directly hit by a rocket from Lebanon, in Katzrin of Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on Aug. 21, 2024. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired at least 50 rockets at northern Israel Wednesday morning after Israeli warplanes struck several areas overnight and in the morning in Lebanon, killing at least three people, according to Israeli and Lebanese sources. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)

Members of Israeli emergency service work at a house directly hit by a rocket from Lebanon, in Katzrin of Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on Aug. 21, 2024. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired at least 50 rockets at northern Israel Wednesday morning after Israeli warplanes struck several areas overnight and in the morning in Lebanon, killing at least three people, according to Israeli and Lebanese sources. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)

Israeli soldiers are seen at a house directly hit by a rocket from Lebanon, in Katzrin of Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on Aug. 21, 2024. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired at least 50 rockets at northern Israel Wednesday morning after Israeli warplanes struck several areas overnight and in the morning in Lebanon, killing at least three people, according to Israeli and Lebanese sources. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)

Members of Israeli emergency service work at a house directly hit by a rocket from Lebanon, in Katzrin of Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on Aug. 21, 2024. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired at least 50 rockets at northern Israel Wednesday morning after Israeli warplanes struck several areas overnight and in the morning in Lebanon, killing at least three people, according to Israeli and Lebanese sources. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)

A member of Israeli emergency service works at a house directly hit by a rocket from Lebanon, in Katzrin of Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on Aug. 21, 2024. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired at least 50 rockets at northern Israel Wednesday morning after Israeli warplanes struck several areas overnight and in the morning in Lebanon, killing at least three people, according to Israeli and Lebanese sources. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)
Silvercorp Metals Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:SVM  Free Report)  Equities researchers at Roth Capital decreased their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Silvercorp Metals in a report released on Thursday, August 15th. Roth Capital analyst J. Reagor now anticipates that the company will earn $0.28 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $0.31. The consensus estimate for Silvercorp Metals current full-year earnings is $0.25 per share.

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Silvercorp Metals (NYSEAMERICAN:SVM  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 13th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.03. Silvercorp Metals had a net margin of 21.57% and a return on equity of 8.03%. The company had revenue of $72.17 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $72.00 million.

Separately, Roth Mkm reissued a buy rating and issued a $6.00 target price (up previously from $5.75) on shares of Silvercorp Metals in a report on Tuesday, May 28th.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Silvercorp Metals

Silvercorp Metals Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of SVM stock opened at $3.90 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $692.91 million, a PE ratio of 19.50 and a beta of 1.26. Silvercorp Metals has a 12-month low of $2.08 and a 12-month high of $4.39.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Silvercorp Metals

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. First Heartland Consultants Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Silvercorp Metals in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. PFG Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Silvercorp Metals in the first quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its stake in shares of Silvercorp Metals by 56.3% during the second quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 15,094 shares of the companys stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 5,435 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC lifted its position in shares of Silvercorp Metals by 27.4% during the second quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 17,140 shares of the companys stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 3,690 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Williams & Novak LLC acquired a new position in shares of Silvercorp Metals during the second quarter worth $61,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 22.30% of the companys stock.

Silvercorp Metals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 27th. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th were given a dividend of $0.0125 per share. This represents a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 7th. Silvercorp Metalss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.00%.

About Silvercorp Metals

(Get Free Report)

Silvercorp Metals Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and mining of mineral properties in China. The company primarily explores for silver, gold, lead, and zinc metals. It holds a 100% interest in the Kuanping silver-lead-zinc-gold project located in located in Shanzhou District, Sanmenxia City, Henan Province, China; Ying project located in the Ying Mining District in Henan Province, China; Gaocheng (GC) mine located in Guangdong Province, China; and Baiyunpu (BYP) mine located in Hunan Province, China.

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Summit Global Investments boosted its stake in Tim S.A. (NYSE:TIMB  Free Report) by 147.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 325,462 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 193,996 shares during the period. Summit Global Investments holdings in TIM were worth $4,661,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in TIMB. UBS Group AG grew its stake in TIM by 19.3% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 453,388 shares of the companys stock worth $8,374,000 after buying an additional 73,388 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in TIM by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 191,741 shares of the companys stock worth $3,541,000 after buying an additional 9,206 shares in the last quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP grew its stake in TIM by 98.3% in the 4th quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 182,703 shares of the companys stock worth $3,375,000 after buying an additional 90,562 shares in the last quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC grew its stake in TIM by 34.6% in the 1st quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 130,472 shares of the companys stock worth $2,316,000 after buying an additional 33,537 shares in the last quarter. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its stake in TIM by 13.3% in the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 123,700 shares of the companys stock worth $2,196,000 after buying an additional 14,527 shares in the last quarter.

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TIM Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:TIMB traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $16.72. The companys stock had a trading volume of 422,653 shares, compared to its average volume of 535,662. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $15.07 and a 200-day moving average of $16.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Tim S.A. has a 12-month low of $13.84 and a 12-month high of $19.14.

TIM Increases Dividend

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 27th were given a dividend of $0.1154 per share. This represents a $0.46 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.76%. This is an increase from TIMs previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 27th. TIMs dividend payout ratio is 27.64%.

Separately, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of TIM from $19.00 to $18.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd.

Read Our Latest Research Report on TIMB

About TIM

(Free Report)

TIM SA, a telecommunications company, provides mobile voice, data, and broadband services in Brazil. The company offers in mobile, landline, long-distance, and data transmission services. It also offers fixed ultra-broadband, fixed ultraband broadband, and digital content services. The company serves individuals and corporates, as well as small, medium, and large companies.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding TIMB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Tim S.A. (NYSE:TIMB  Free Report).

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Summit Global Investments increased its position in Quanex Building Products Co. (NYSE:NX  Free Report) by 17.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,567 shares of the construction companys stock after purchasing an additional 3,953 shares during the quarter. Summit Global Investments holdings in Quanex Building Products were worth $735,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Quanex Building Products by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,714,516 shares of the construction companys stock worth $113,553,000 after buying an additional 30,198 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Quanex Building Products by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 509,581 shares of the construction companys stock worth $15,578,000 after acquiring an additional 9,172 shares in the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC increased its position in Quanex Building Products by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 256,135 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $9,843,000 after purchasing an additional 6,680 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC raised its holdings in shares of Quanex Building Products by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 229,978 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $7,030,000 after purchasing an additional 29,662 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Quanex Building Products by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 207,819 shares of the construction companys stock worth $7,986,000 after purchasing an additional 6,678 shares during the period. 97.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Quanex Building Products Stock Down 0.8 %

Quanex Building Products stock traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $27.60. The stock had a trading volume of 1,055,405 shares, compared to its average volume of 291,911. The company has a market cap of $913.84 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.31, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 1.29. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $29.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.50. Quanex Building Products Co. has a 52 week low of $24.97 and a 52 week high of $39.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.37.

Quanex Building Products Announces Dividend

Quanex Building Products ( NYSE:NX Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 7th. The construction company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $266.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $268.80 million. Quanex Building Products had a net margin of 7.33% and a return on equity of 16.55%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Quanex Building Products Co. will post 2.33 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th were issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 14th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.16%. Quanex Building Productss dividend payout ratio is presently 13.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on NX shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Quanex Building Products from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Saturday, July 20th. Benchmark reiterated a buy rating and issued a $38.00 price target on shares of Quanex Building Products in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Quanex Building Products

About Quanex Building Products

(Free Report)

Quanex Building Products Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides components for the fenestration industry in the United States, rest of Europe, Canada, Asia, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North American Fenestration, European Fenestration, and North American Cabinet Components.

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Summit Global Investments lessened its stake in Kilroy Realty Co. (NYSE:KRC  Free Report) by 63.1% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 6,598 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 11,295 shares during the quarter. Summit Global Investments holdings in Kilroy Realty were worth $206,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KRC. Centersquare Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Kilroy Realty by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 2,598,144 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $87,817,000 after acquiring an additional 24,855 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of Kilroy Realty by 139.4% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 693,552 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $25,266,000 after acquiring an additional 403,807 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Kilroy Realty by 33.8% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 134,103 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $4,885,000 after acquiring an additional 33,857 shares during the last quarter. APG Asset Management US Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kilroy Realty by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. APG Asset Management US Inc. now owns 5,380,747 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $214,369,000 after acquiring an additional 255,835 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Kilroy Realty during the 4th quarter valued at about $360,831,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.22% of the companys stock.

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Kilroy Realty Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE KRC traded up $0.33 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $34.30. The company had a trading volume of 305,823 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,034,893. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $33.42 and a 200 day moving average of $34.12. Kilroy Realty Co. has a 1-year low of $26.78 and a 1-year high of $43.37. The company has a current ratio of 3.61, a quick ratio of 3.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.52 and a beta of 1.04.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Kilroy Realty ( NYSE:KRC Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($0.67). The business had revenue of $280.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $276.81 million. Kilroy Realty had a return on equity of 3.52% and a net margin of 17.91%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.19 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Kilroy Realty Co. will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on KRC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of Kilroy Realty from $40.00 to $34.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. KeyCorp lowered their price target on shares of Kilroy Realty from $45.00 to $42.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their price target on shares of Kilroy Realty from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kilroy Realty has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $38.40.

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Kilroy Realty Company Profile

(Free Report)

Kilroy Realty Corporation (NYSE: KRC, the company, Kilroy) is a leading U.S. landlord and developer, with operations in San Diego, Greater Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Greater Seattle and Austin. The company has earned global recognition for sustainability, building operations, innovation and design.

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Summit Global Investments increased its holdings in shares of EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE:EPAM  Free Report) by 2.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,333 shares of the information technology services providers stock after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Summit Global Investments holdings in EPAM Systems were worth $627,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in EPAM. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. purchased a new position in shares of EPAM Systems during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in EPAM Systems by 5,000.0% in the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 153 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in EPAM Systems in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in EPAM Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in EPAM Systems in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.58% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on EPAM. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on EPAM Systems from $282.00 to $203.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Morgan Stanley raised EPAM Systems from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $236.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Friday, April 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on EPAM Systems from $331.00 to $311.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Itau BBA Securities raised EPAM Systems from an underperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their target price on EPAM Systems from $230.00 to $225.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, EPAM Systems has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $263.33.

EPAM Systems Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE EPAM traded down $2.54 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $199.75. 325,801 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 631,497. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.33, a PEG ratio of 4.97 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 4.68 and a current ratio of 4.68. EPAM Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $169.43 and a 52-week high of $317.50. The companys 50-day moving average is $194.75 and its 200-day moving average is $232.28.

EPAM Systems (NYSE:EPAM  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The information technology services provider reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.26 by $0.19. EPAM Systems had a return on equity of 14.95% and a net margin of 9.28%. The business had revenue of $1.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.21 EPS. The companys revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that EPAM Systems, Inc. will post 7.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

EPAM Systems declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, August 8th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the information technology services provider to repurchase up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the companys board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

EPAM Systems Profile

(Free Report)

EPAM Systems, Inc provides digital platform engineering and software development services worldwide. The company offers engineering services, including requirements analysis and platform selection, customization, cross-platform migration, implementation, and integration; infrastructure management services, such as software development, testing, performance tuning, deployment, maintenance, and support services.

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Summit Global Investments decreased its holdings in shares of Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. (NYSE:IIPR  Free Report) by 29.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,856 shares of the companys stock after selling 3,648 shares during the period. Summit Global Investments holdings in Innovative Industrial Properties were worth $967,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in IIPR. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Innovative Industrial Properties during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Innovative Industrial Properties during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Innovative Industrial Properties by 2,085.7% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 459 shares of the companys stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 438 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Innovative Industrial Properties by 251.0% in the 4th quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 723 shares of the companys stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 517 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in Innovative Industrial Properties in the 1st quarter valued at $80,000. Institutional investors own 70.58% of the companys stock.

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Innovative Industrial Properties Stock Performance

NYSE IIPR traded down $0.01 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $119.54. 133,749 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 206,128. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 14.27 and a current ratio of 14.27. The company has a market capitalization of $3.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.97 and a beta of 1.37. Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. has a 1 year low of $69.08 and a 1 year high of $125.44. The businesss 50 day moving average is $114.02 and its 200-day moving average is $105.26.

Innovative Industrial Properties Increases Dividend

Innovative Industrial Properties ( NYSE:IIPR Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The company reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.64). The company had revenue of $79.79 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.18 million. Innovative Industrial Properties had a net margin of 53.07% and a return on equity of 8.46%. Innovative Industrial Propertiess revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.26 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. will post 8.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 28th were issued a dividend of $1.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 27th. This represents a $7.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.36%. This is a positive change from Innovative Industrial Propertiess previous quarterly dividend of $1.82. Innovative Industrial Propertiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 133.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IIPR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on shares of Innovative Industrial Properties from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Innovative Industrial Properties from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Innovative Industrial Properties currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $118.33.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Innovative Industrial Properties

Innovative Industrial Properties Profile

(Free Report)

Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc is a self-advised Maryland corporation focused on the acquisition, ownership and management of specialized properties leased to experienced, state-licensed operators for their regulated cannabis facilities. Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc has elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust, commencing with the year ended December 31, 2017.

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Summit Global Investments bought a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO  Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 11,129 shares of the apparel retailers stock, valued at approximately $222,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEO. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in American Eagle Outfitters by 1,050.5% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,681,465 shares of the apparel retailers stock worth $56,740,000 after purchasing an additional 2,448,400 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 1st quarter worth $61,315,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 4th quarter worth $20,917,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 62.7% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,233,659 shares of the apparel retailers stock worth $47,264,000 after acquiring an additional 860,578 shares during the period. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters during the 1st quarter worth $11,280,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.33% of the companys stock.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,577 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.93, for a total transaction of $53,936.61. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 7.30% of the companys stock.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE:AEO traded up $0.24 on Wednesday, reaching $21.67. 1,447,327 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,573,990. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.51. The business has a fifty day moving average of $20.65 and a 200-day moving average of $22.40. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. has a 52-week low of $14.39 and a 52-week high of $26.44.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 29th. The apparel retailer reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.15 billion. American Eagle Outfitters had a net margin of 4.12% and a return on equity of 19.39%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.17 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current year.

American Eagle Outfitters Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 12th were paid a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 12th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. American Eagle Outfitterss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a market perform rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of American Eagle Outfitters in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Barclays lifted their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $19.00 to $18.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, May 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Eagle Outfitters presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $25.00.

Read Our Latest Report on American Eagle Outfitters

About American Eagle Outfitters

(Free Report)

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc operates as a multi-brand specialty retailer in the United States and internationally. The company provides jeans, apparel and accessories, and personal care products for women and men under the American Eagle brand; and intimates, apparel, activewear, and swim collections under the Aerie and OFFLINE by Aerie brands.

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Summit Global Investments trimmed its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG  Free Report) by 69.9% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,901 shares of the insurance providers stock after selling 6,729 shares during the quarter. Summit Global Investments holdings in The Hartford Financial Services Group were worth $292,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 26.8% during the 2nd quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,152 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $331,000 after acquiring an additional 666 shares during the period. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its position in The Hartford Financial Services Group by 4.1% in the second quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 34,105 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $3,429,000 after buying an additional 1,356 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 17.0% in the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 120,991 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $12,164,000 after buying an additional 17,584 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 1.4% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 87,606 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $8,849,000 after buying an additional 1,180 shares during the period. Finally, Stanley Laman Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group by 8.0% during the 2nd quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. now owns 31,734 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $3,191,000 after buying an additional 2,362 shares in the last quarter. 93.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael R. Fisher sold 4,088 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.47, for a total transaction of $414,809.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,818 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,503,582.46. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.60% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from $120.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Argus upgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup downgraded shares of The Hartford Financial Services Group from a buy rating to a neutral rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $114.00 in a report on Friday, June 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, June 13th. Finally, Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on The Hartford Financial Services Group from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $110.88.

View Our Latest Analysis on HIG

The Hartford Financial Services Group Stock Performance

Shares of HIG traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $111.07. 389,135 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,640,363. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $104.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $100.40. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $68.82 and a 12-month high of $112.65.

The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE:HIG  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The insurance provider reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.26. The Hartford Financial Services Group had a return on equity of 21.20% and a net margin of 11.44%. The business had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.88 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. will post 10.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Hartford Financial Services Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, July 25th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.30 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the insurance provider to purchase up to 10.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the companys management believes its shares are undervalued.

The Hartford Financial Services Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. The Hartford Financial Services Groups payout ratio is 21.36%.

About The Hartford Financial Services Group

(Free Report)

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and financial services to individual and business customers in the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. Its Commercial Lines segment offers insurance coverages, including workers' compensation, property, automobile, general and professional liability, package business, umbrella, fidelity and surety, marine, livestock, accident, health, and reinsurance through regional offices, branches, sales and policyholder service centers, independent retail agents and brokers, wholesale agents, and reinsurance brokers.

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TBC Bank Group PLC (LON:TBCG  Get Free Report) shares traded down 0.5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 3,030 ($39.37) and last traded at GBX 3,045 ($39.57). 17,003 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 92,521 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 3,060 ($39.76).

TBC Bank Group Stock Down 0.5 %

The firm has a fifty day moving average of GBX 2,787.15 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 2,921.01. The firm has a market cap of 1.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 477.27, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.10.

TBC Bank Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

TBC Bank Group PLC, through its subsidiaries, provides banking, leasing, brokerage, insurance, and card processing services to corporate and individual customers in Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan. The company operates through Retail; Corporate; and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises segments. It offers mortgage, digital, consumer, car, overdraft, and pawnshop loans; and term deposits, mortgage, credit cards; current, and nominee account services.

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Youdao (NYSE:DAO  Get Free Report) will be posting its quarterly earnings results before the market opens on Thursday, August 22nd. Persons that are interested in registering for the companys earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Youdao (NYSE:DAO  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 23rd. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $192.77 million for the quarter.

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Youdao Stock Performance

Youdao stock opened at $3.47 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $3.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $3.79. Youdao has a 52 week low of $2.86 and a 52 week high of $4.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $419.59 million, a P/E ratio of -9.13 and a beta of -0.04.

Youdao Company Profile

Youdao, Inc, an internet technology company, provides online services in the field of content, community, communication, and commerce in China. It operates through three segments: Learning Services, Smart Devices, and Online Marketing Services. The company provides various learning content, applications, and solutions, which cover topics and target people from various age groups for their learning needs through its websites and mobile applications.

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BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday started an anti-subsidy investigation into certain dairy products imported from the European Union (EU), according to the Ministry of Commerce. 
NAIROBI, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Moja EV Kenya, a Chinese firm, has ramped up marketing of its flagship Neta electric cars, targeting taxi drivers in the country's coastal region in a bid to enlarge its footprint in East Africa's largest economy.

Erick Lumallas, the personal assistant to the company's chief executive officer, said during an Aug. 17 meeting with taxi drivers in Mombasa that the uptake of electric vehicles in Kenya is growing as more people see their economic and ecological benefits.

"People are starting to learn about electric vehicles. They are learning about the economic benefits of electric vehicles and the environmental impacts that electric vehicles have on carbon footprint," Lumallas said.

In June, the Chinese e-vehicle brand Neta announced its entry into the Kenyan market, with Moja EV acting as its distributor.

Executives have said the Neta V model will retail at 4 million shillings (31,000 U.S. dollars).

Zhou Jiang, an overseas business general manager at Neta, said that when fully charged, a Neta e-vehicle can travel 380 km, making it ideal for the Kenyan market, because it is more affordable and requires less maintenance than diesel-powered vehicles.

Lumallas noted that Neta electric cars can enable taxi drivers to cut down on operational costs by 90 percent, adding that Moja EV has been investing in supportive infrastructure to facilitate greater uptake of new energy vehicles in Kenya.

He said that if Moja EV captures 30 percent of the taxi market in Kenya by 2026, the company will have played a pivotal role in the country's green transition.

Isaiah Odhiambo Ngoha, the chairman of Pwani Online Drivers Umbrella, said taxi drivers in the coastal region are keen to adopt Chinese-manufactured electric vehicles since they will shield them from high fuel and maintenance costs.

"We are very excited by China for bringing us electric vehicles into our business," he said. "These electric vehicles will help us in savings ... They will also help the environment by reducing pollution." 
People gather near a vehicle destroyed by missiles from an Israeli drone in Sidon, Lebanon, on Aug. 21, 2024. An Israeli drone fired two air-to-surface missiles at a civilian SUV at the southern entrance to the city of Sidon on Wednesday morning, killing a leader in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), Lebanese military sources told Xinhua. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

BEIRUT, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli drone fired two air-to-surface missiles at a civilian SUV at the southern entrance to the city of Sidon on Wednesday morning, killing a leader in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), Lebanese military sources told Xinhua.

The dead was identified as Khalil Maqdah, a leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and also the brother of Fatah commander Munir Maqdah.

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's attack on Israel the day before. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.

The situation escalated further after Israel's attack on Dahieh in Beirut's southern suburbs, killing Hezbollah senior military commander Fouad Shokor and seven civilians. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah threatened a definite and painful response to the Israeli raid at the appropriate time and place. 

People check a vehicle destroyed by missiles from an Israeli drone in Sidon, Lebanon, on Aug. 21, 2024. An Israeli drone fired two air-to-surface missiles at a civilian SUV at the southern entrance to the city of Sidon on Wednesday morning, killing a leader in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), Lebanese military sources told Xinhua. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

A soldier stands guard near a vehicle destroyed by missiles from an Israeli drone in Sidon, Lebanon, on Aug. 21, 2024. An Israeli drone fired two air-to-surface missiles at a civilian SUV at the southern entrance to the city of Sidon on Wednesday morning, killing a leader in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), Lebanese military sources told Xinhua. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

People try to extinguish a fire on a vehicle hit by missiles from an Israeli drone in Sidon, Lebanon, on Aug. 21, 2024. An Israeli drone fired two air-to-surface missiles at a civilian SUV at the southern entrance to the city of Sidon on Wednesday morning, killing a leader in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), Lebanese military sources told Xinhua. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

People gather around a vehicle destroyed by missiles from an Israeli drone in Sidon, Lebanon, on Aug. 21, 2024. An Israeli drone fired two air-to-surface missiles at a civilian SUV at the southern entrance to the city of Sidon on Wednesday morning, killing a leader in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), Lebanese military sources told Xinhua. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

Smoke and flames rise from a vehicle hit by missiles from an Israeli drone in Sidon, Lebanon, on Aug. 21, 2024. An Israeli drone fired two air-to-surface missiles at a civilian SUV at the southern entrance to the city of Sidon on Wednesday morning, killing a leader in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), Lebanese military sources told Xinhua. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

People try to extinguish a fire on a vehicle hit by missiles from an Israeli drone in Sidon, Lebanon, on Aug. 21, 2024. An Israeli drone fired two air-to-surface missiles at a civilian SUV at the southern entrance to the city of Sidon on Wednesday morning, killing a leader in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), Lebanese military sources told Xinhua. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)

A rescuer is seen near a vehicle destroyed by missiles from an Israeli drone in Sidon, Lebanon, on Aug. 21, 2024. An Israeli drone fired two air-to-surface missiles at a civilian SUV at the southern entrance to the city of Sidon on Wednesday morning, killing a leader in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), Lebanese military sources told Xinhua. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua)
A delegation of diplomats from 23 countries visited Zhangjiakou City, north China's Hebei Province, to learn about the city's advancements in the new energy industry. #GLOBALink
Stand against move to fence border Encouraging illegal immigration

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It was more than just a protest against the decision of the Centre to fence the highly porous Indo-Myanmar border, but must be understood in the context of the strong stand taken against illegal immigration from across the border. This reality should be understood in the face of the growing anxiety over large scale entry of immigrants from across the border at Kamjong side in Ukhrul district and while voices of concern have been raised over the growing number of refugees at Kamjong, nothing much is heard of from Churachandpur, Pherzawl and Moreh. This is what is worrying and view this against the protest raised by the Zou civil society organisations at Behiang village in Churachandpur district against the move of the Government of India to fence the Indo-Myanmar border and this cannot be taken as just another protest against the policies and programmes of the Government. The decision to do away with the Free Movement Regime and to fence the Indo- Myanmar border came after the admission of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishanker that illegal immigration is one of the factors for the ongoing clash between the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zos. A well researched study conducted by three gentlemen and which was published in The Sangai Express on February 13, 2024, showed the abnormal growth of the Kuki-Chin-Zo population and as per their findings, the population of this group of people which was pegged at 17,204 in the 1881 Census saw this climb to 4,48,214 in the 2011 Census. Correspondingly there has been an abnormal increase in the number of villages of the Kuki-Zo people and it is with a reason why Manipur has been demanding that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) with 1951 as the base year must be actuated in the State. Again it was no one else but a Kuki gentleman by the name Paolienlal Haokip who more than admitted that since and India and the then Burma share a long international border, much of which is porous...there has always been unrestricted trans-border movement of people. In the said article which appeared in the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies back on May 23, 2002, Mr Haokip went on to elaborate that in 1967 the Burmese Government under Ne Win launched the Burmanisation programme during which the Kuki-Zos were served eviction notices, requiring them to move out within 48 hours. As a result 20,000 Kukis made their way to Manipur while the others went to Mizoram and Nagaland, recorded Mr Haokip. Again during the democratic uprising of 1988 in Burma many others too made their way towards Manipur. Here is a case of a Kuki gentleman himself admitting the free flow of people from across the border and the opposition to the move to fence the border should be seen in this perspective too.

The said article talks only about the mass immigration from across the border during the Burmanisation programme in the neighbouring country in 1967 and the democratic uprising in 1988, but the fact stands that movement of people from across the border has been a continuous process. And as Mr Haokip admitted in the article written back in 2002, many of the immigrants took to drugs and arms smuggling to make fast and easy money and fast forward to 2021 and the military coup in the neighbouring country only gave more push to illegal immigrants. Now add the ongoing military clash in the neighbouring country and one will get a clearer picture of the reality of mass human migration, which has come at the cost of the local indigenous folks. A look at the number of refugees at Kamjong will tell a clear story and it was with a reason why Phungyar Assembly Constituency MLA Leishiyo Keishing managed to draw the attention of the House to the reality at the border area of Kamjong during the recently held monsoon session of the Assembly. The open show of defiance and the protest staged against the move to fence the Indo-Myanmar border should be understood against the backdrop of the facts enumerated above, making it clear that this is not the time for New Delhi to pussy foot the issue. The whip must be cracked for here the question is about ensuring the protection of the Nation and not to give in to the unreasonable opposition raised by some whose only agenda is to encourage illegal immigrants and flood the State of Manipur.
BEIRUT, Aug 21 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli drone fired two air-to-surface missiles at a civilian SUV at the southern entrance to the city of Sidon on Wednesday morning, resulting in casualties, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua.

The casualties were not yet determined, according to the sources. 
CAIRO, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken left Qatar on Tuesday night, concluding his ninth tour to the Middle East since the outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over 10 months ago. Like his previous eight trips, this one has hardly achieved anything.

Before arriving in Qatar, Blinken visited Israel and Egypt. His tour comes at a time when the world expects urgent progress toward a Gaza ceasefire, as the Palestinian death toll in the enclave has surpassed 40,000. Concerns over a wider conflict have intensified after Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah vowed retaliation against Israel following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and the killing of senior Hezbollah military commander Fouad Shokor in Beirut's southern suburbs at the end of July.

Despite Blinken's warning that the latest push for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal was "probably the best, possibly the last opportunity" at the start of his latest tour, there has been no advancement on the horizon. Israel continued to strike Gaza on Tuesday, and Hamas has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing an agreement by imposing new conditions and demands, indicating a lack of progress toward reconciliation.

DISPUTES UNRESOLVED

The latest round of Gaza ceasefire negotiations took place in Doha last week with the U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators having issued a joint statement that the talks had made "constructive" progress and that relevant parties would continue their efforts this week to negotiate the details of the deal's implementation.

After meeting with Netanyahu on Monday, Blinken announced that Netanyahu had accepted a bridging proposal aimed at narrowing Israel's differences with Hamas. Speaking to the press at Doha airport on Tuesday, Blinken vowed to "do everything possible" in the coming days to "get Hamas on board with the bridging proposal."

On Monday night, U.S. President Joe Biden accused Hamas of "backing away" from a potential hostage deal with Israel that could halt the ongoing fighting in Gaza, according to Israeli media.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Hamas called Biden's remarks "misleading," which reflect complete American bias toward Israel and serve as a renewed green light for the Israeli government to "commit more crimes against defenseless civilians in pursuit of the goals of exterminating and displacing our people."

Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University, said that "reports which reflect optimism are very much exaggerated or express wishful thinking rather than realistic situation."

"The gap between the two sides (Israel and Hamas) is very wide, particularly regarding Philadelphi Corridor and Israel's demand that the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) stay there in the day after," he said.

"The Americans, deep in their mind, know that the gap between Israel and Hamas is very deep," he added.

Kheir Diabat, a professor from the International Affairs Department at Qatar University, said, "Despite the declared optimism from the American side, American mediation could not solve the problem between Hamas and Israel, because reaching an agreement will not be easy due to the fundamental differences between them."

Fighting continued on the ground in Gaza on Tuesday, with the IDF saying that they had killed approximately 40 militants in Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip, through a combination of close-quarters combat and airstrikes.

NO WEIGHTY PRESSURE FROM U.S.

Rounds of ceasefire talks have repeatedly stalled since the outbreak of the conflict. Israel insists that the conflict can only end with the complete dismantling of Hamas, while Hamas demands a permanent ceasefire rather than a temporary one.

According to Mostafa Amin, an Egyptian researcher on Arab and international affairs, the failure of U.S. mediation in the Middle East and its inability to solve the problem from the outset until now arise from the lack of real pressure from Washington on Israel to stop the war, while it continues to supply Israel with weapons to kill the Palestinians.

Amin said that Netanyahu and the far-right officials in the Israeli government had realized that the Biden administration is unable to apply meaningful pressure on Israel due to its preoccupation with the upcoming presidential election and its unwillingness to jeopardize relations with Israel.

In reviewing U.S.-Israel relations since the outbreak of the ongoing Gaza conflict, there have been notable public rifts between Biden and Netanyahu. However, experts believe that their disagreement was more about political maneuvering for domestic electorates than a substantive clash over Gaza.

In May, the Biden administration announced a pause in the shipment of heavy weapons to the Israeli government out of concerns over its plans to attack Rafah. However, this move now appears to have been more of a smokescreen. Blinken's latest Middle East tour comes just days after the Pentagon revealed that he approved a potential sale of fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel, valued at over 20 billion U.S. dollars, on Aug. 13.

"I don't believe the United States genuinely seeks sincere, authentic, lasting, and sustainable peace in the region," said Baris Doster, an academic at Istanbul's Marmara University.

Were such a peace to be achieved, the United States would have no reason to remain in the Middle East and would lose the basis for its presence there, he noted.

According to Doster, the instability in the Middle East serves several key interests for the United States: securing access to the region's energy resources and routes for exploitation; addressing Israel's security needs; countering the influence of other major countries; pursuing regime change in Iran; and facilitating arms sales in the region. 
Tollywood actor Samrat Mukherjee has been accused of hitting a motorcyclist while driving allegedly under the influence of alcohol.

He was arrested and produced before the Alipur court. The incident left the motorcyclist seriously injured, and has been admitted to SSKM Hospital in critical condition. According to local sources, the incident occurred on Monday night at Behalas Roy Bahadur Road. Eyewitnesses claimed that the accused actor was driving recklessly when he hit the motorcyclist, causing the car to crash into a nearby wall. The injured mans family stated that the actors car suddenly swerved into the opposite lane and hit the bike, throwing the rider off his bike. He was quickly rescued and sent to the hospital.

Locals alleged that the actor was intoxicated at the time of the accident. Although the police have not yet released any official statement, sources at Lalbazar have indicated that the actors blood samples might be tested to confirm if he was under the influence. Samrat Mukherjee is a well-known face on television, having played significant roles in several serials, mostly as a villain. His wife, Moyna Mukherjee, is also an actress. Samrat runs his own dance and acting training center, which has trained many individuals who have gone on to pursue careers not only in acting but also in journalism. He also conducts various acting workshops. Currently, he can be seen in the television series Akash Kusum.

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After the state government constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe allegations of financial irregularities against Dr Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of R G Kar Medical College & Hospital, the Opposition has criticized the move.

The SIT, comprising four senior IPS officers, has been tasked with investigating the alleged embezzlement of funds over the past two years. This decision follows a series of pointed questions raised by BJP IT cell in-charge and Bengal co-observer Amit Malviya, who demanded transparency and called for an investigation into the financial mismanagement at the prestigious medical institution.

Malviya has accused the government of attempting to shield Ghosh by handing the investigation to the state police, instead of allowing a central agency.

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The involvement of IPS officers in investigating financial crimes raises serious questions about their expertise in such complex matters. The state governments move to form an SIT is nothing more than an attempt to protect Dr Ghosh from facing justice, said Malviya, hinting at the possibility that the West Bengal Police might arrest Ghosh just in time to prevent the CBI from taking him into custody.

The allegations against Dr Ghosh, who has already been embroiled in controversies, have added another layer of complexity to the situation. BJP leaders have intensified their demand for a free and fair probe into the rape and murder of a lady doctor associated with the same medical college, asserting that Mamata Banerjee must resign to ensure an impartial investigation.

This is not just about financial irregularities. The murder of a doctor and the potential cover-up by the state administration cannot be brushed under the carpet. The chief minister must step down to allow a fair investigation, Malviya added. The West Bengal governments decision has ignited a fresh wave of political rumblings. As the SIT begins its work, the spotlight remains on how effectively the state police can navigate the complex terrain of financial crime investigations and whether justice will be served in this high-profile case.

The investigation team will be led by Pranab Kumar, IG of the West Bengal Police. Assisting him will be Syed Waquar Raza, IPS, DIG of Murshidabad Range, Soma Das Mitra, DIG of the CID, and Indira Mukherjee, DC (Central) of the Kolkata Police. The team will be allowed to seek assistance from any officer or personnel of the police force. The SIT has been instructed to submit the first report on the progress of the investigation within a month.
Former principal of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata Dr Sandip Ghosh, on Wednesday, reached the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office here despite being summoned by the Kolkata Police on the same day.

Ghosh, as per the summons of the Kolkata Police issued on Tuesday evening, is supposed to be present at the city police headquarters by noon. The city police have summoned him for questioning on charges that he revealed the identity of the woman doctor of R.G. Kar, who was raped and murdered earlier this month, several times while speaking to the media persons.

Now it is to be seen whether Ghosh gets the chance to go to the city police headquarters from the CBI office, considering that the central agency officials have questioned him for an average of 12 to 14 hours daily during the last few days.

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He arrived at CBIs Salt Lake office in Kolkata outskirts at 9 a.m. carrying some files. This is the sixth consecutive day since last Friday that he has appeared for questioning at the central agencys office.

Earlier this week, the state government announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team to probe the allegations of financial irregularities at R.G. Kar. Medical College & Hospital since 2021, when it was under the supervision of Ghosh.

Dr Ghosh stepped down as principal, days after the rape and murder of a junior doctor on the hospital premises.

Opposition parties have already claimed that the SIT has been formed because Ghosh might have revealed many secrets to the CBI during his grilling for the past few days.

He is currently on leave after the Calcutta High Court last week gave a clear instruction to the state Health Department not to appoint him as the head of any medical college in the state until further orders.

Notably, hours after resigning last Monday as the principal of R.G. Kar, citing moral responsibility, Dr Ghosh was appointed as the principal of the Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital (CNMCH), triggering protests by the medical students and junior doctors of CNMCH.
Prof Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India, on Wednesday launched an advisory document titled Bharat Zero Emission Trucking (ZET) Policy Advisory at Vigyan Bhawan Annexe.

The Bharat ZET Policy Advisory document has been conceived as a dynamic document, outlining a comprehensive set of 30 policy interventions designed to accelerate ZET adoption in India.

Emphasising the importance of Zero Emission Trucks (ZET) for both decarbonisation and energy security, Prof Sood said, The induction and wider adoption of ZETs require technical expertise and systematic policy interventions to create an enabling techno-socio-economic ecosystem in India.

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The proposed policy interventions are categorised into five key areas: incentives, regulations, infrastructure, business and financing, and stakeholder-centric initiatives.

Each policy intervention identifies a nodal agency responsible for implementation, a list of key stakeholders, its impact on the sector, and the methodology of policy formulation.

These recommendations will be further refined through extensive stakeholder consultations, including detailed cost-benefit and impact analyses by the concerned ministries, departments, and institutions.

The Vigyan Bhavan launch event was joined by Dr Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of PSA; Mr Hanif Qureshi, Additional Secretary (Auto), Ministry of Heavy Industries; Mr Sudhendu Sinha, Adviser (Infrastructure Connectivity & E-Mobility), NITI Aayog; Prof. Shankar Ram, IIT Madras (Member, Consultative Group on e-Mobility (CGeM)); Mr M Ravi, Chief of Operations, Centre of Excellence for Zero Emission Trucking (CoEZET), IIT Madras; Ms Sharvari Patki, Program Head, Electric Mobility, World Resources Institute (WRI); and Ms Chandana K., Program Associate  Sustainable Cities & Transport, WRI.

The development of the advisory document was steered and guided by a Policy Advisory Panel (PAP) constituted by the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor. A Project Management Unit was established at CoEZET, IIT Madras to draft the document.
Union Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, in collaboration with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), hosted an Industry Meet in Ahmedabad.

The meet was in the run-up to India Chem 2024, the 13th Biennial International Exhibition and Conference on Chemicals and Petrochemicals.

It focused on promoting Gujarat as a global hub, attracting new investments, and showcasing innovations that align with sustainable practices. It also served as a platform for industry leaders, policymakers and other key stakeholders to discuss the future of the sector and explore collaborative opportunities.

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Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilisers Anupriya Patel graced the occasion as the Chief Guest, emphasising the critical importance of the chemical industry in achieving Indias USD 5 trillion economy vision.

Addressing the gathering the minister said that the Union Government considers the chemicals and petrochemicals sector a priority sector and has taken several initiatives to reduce bottlenecks, ease the burden of compliances, and create an investment-friendly environment.

Commending Gujarats key role in the sector she added that Gujarat stands at the forefront of Indias industrial landscape, especially in the chemicals and petrochemical sectors with a 62 per cent share of Indias petrochemical production, 53 per cent share of chemical production and 45% of pharma production.

Gujarats Industries Minister Balvantsinh Rajput, who was the Guest of Honour at the event, highlighted the states strategic role in powering Indias industrial growth and said that the state has a share of 8.4 per cent in the national GDP and 18 per cent share in the overall manufacturing output.

The state also accounts for 33 per cent of Indias total exports, he added.

This industry meet was a part of a series of events aimed at building momentum towards India Chem 2024, scheduled for October 17-19 in Mumbai.

The main event will showcase the latest technologies, innovations in the global chemical and petrochemical sectors. It will also provide a platform for discussing policy issues, regulatory frameworks and sustainable practices that are crucial for the industrys future.
The Delhi BJP on Wednesday accused the ruling Aam Aadmi Party of not allowing the proper functioning of corporation house meetings in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

The corporation house meeting is held once every month to discuss issues related to public interests.

Taking a jibe at the AAP, Sardar Raja Iqbal Singh, Leader of the Opposition in the MCD, alleged that the attitude of AAP councillors and the Mayor during Wednesdays Corporation House meeting clearly indicated their lack of interest in running the session.

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He mentioned that the Corporation House meets once a month to discuss issues related to the public, but every time, due to the attitude of the ruling government, the meeting ends without any concrete results.

Singh further alleged that the Mayor arrived an hour late to the meeting, and AAP councillors were already sitting in the House with banners against the Commissioner and officials, which clearly showed that they had come to the House with the intention of creating a ruckus.

Echoing similar issues, Singh further alleged that the ruling party never wants to discuss issues with the Corporation House and always passes the agenda amid chaos so that the opposition is unable to participate in the discussion.

Furthermore, He criticised the AAP government and said that despite the party being in power in the Corporation, they are accusing the Corporation officials of not working, which clearly shows their failure. It is their responsibility to ensure that all Corporation services are available to the citizens, and if the officials are not working, they should introspect.

Singh also stated that the Corporation needs funds to carry out development works related to the public. The Delhi government owes Rs 15,000 to the Corporation, but the Mayor has never demanded it from the Delhi government, which clearly indicates that they do not want to undertake any development work for the citizens.
Aam Aadmi Partys women wing on Wednesday staged a demonstration outside Raj Ghat seeking justice for the Kolkata rape and murder victim and other women who faced atrocities across the country.

The AAP women leaders and party workers paid respect to the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial.

In a protest held outside the memorial, the women sought justice for the trainee doctor who was allegedly raped and murdered at a medical college and hospital in Kolkata, and demanded capital punishment for the perpetrators.

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AAP councilor Nirmala Kumari who was present at the protest said that the incident of rape of a daughter in Kolkata was highly condemnable, and demanded from the central government that the culprit be given death penalty after a CBI inquiry.

She added that when rapists are given the death penalty, such incidents will be reduced.

The AAP leader added that the party and its leaders have always raised their voices for womens safety, be it the incident of Hathras, Unnao or the case of Ankita Bhandari.

AAP MLA Preeti Jitender Tomar said that after 12 years, another Nirbhaya case has come before us, and the demand from the central government is that a law should be made regarding the safety of doctors and all the political parties should forget their differences and bring a law on this.

Another woman councilor of AAP in Delhi Sarika Chaudhary said that Everyone is extremely saddened by the increasing number of rape incidents in the country, be it Kolkata, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh or Bihar, we demand from the central government that the police force be increased for the safety of women and children and more fasttrack courts be created so that the perpetrators can be punished within 6 months.
BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi will pay a visit to China from August 22 to 24 at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Wednesday.

During Marsudi's visit, Wang, also member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, will co-chair the 5th Meeting of the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Indonesia with her, the spokesperson said. 
The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday demanded an answer from the Lieutenant Governors (LG) office on the recruitment of doctors, specialists, nurses, paramedics, OT technicians in Govt Hospitals and dispensaries of Mohalla Clinics.

In a press statement, the party stated that recently the matter had come up in the High Court of Delhi and the same was also recommended by the Committee formed by HC. It was directed by the HC that because Delhi Govt Hospitals are facing severe scarcity of doctors, specialists, paramedics should be hired on war footing.

It further mentioned that the shortage of staff was highlighted by the Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj when several inmates of Asha Kiran Shelter home had died. At that time, the LG office had misled the Media by claiming that shortage of staff is not the responsibility of L-G.

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The statement has further claimed that almost 14,000 beds are being constructed as a part of new hospitals and new blocks in existing hospitals. Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj has written to the Health Secretary to ask the Services Department to create the sanctioned posts of Doctors, Specialists, Paramedics for the upcoming hospitals.

Till date, not even one past has been created for the upcoming hospitals. Only after the sanctioned posts are created by Services Dept of LG, it can be sent to UPSC for recruitment of doctors and specialists. And after that it will take at least two more years to bring the doctors and specialists on board, said the statement.

The party further claimed that the existing hospitals of Delhi Government are already facing vacancies of 30 per cent of doctors and specialists. If the L-G works at the current pace, then it will take another decade to hire doctors, specialists and paramedics for the new upcoming Hospitals. Without having doctors, specialists, paramedics onboard, the newly constructed infrastructure, furniture, services and equipment will start deteriorating, said the party.
The Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested two persons wanted in connection with the murder of their business partner in Gautam Buddha Nagar from North Delhi. The arrest resulted in the seizure of two semi-automatic pistols, six live bullets, and a country-made pistol (desi katta) from their possession.

The accused were identified as Nitin (25) and Shekhar (23).

According to the police, on August 19, the special staff team received a tip-off about the presence of two accused persons wanted by the UP Police in connection with the murder of a man named Vinay.

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Acting on this information, a trap was laid near the Khyber Pass area, and a car was signalled to stop. The three people sitting in the car were overpowered and weapons were recovered from them. Subsequently, a case under the Arms Act was filed at the Civil Lines police station in this regard.

During interrogation, Nitin revealed that he and the deceased, Vinay, had been friends for the past 10 years, and a rift developed between them over the functioning of an RO Plant.

On August 17, he fired at Vinay five times in his village, Luksar, in Gautam Buddha Nagar, and fled along with his associates, Shekhar and Aakash, in his car.

The accused further revealed that they had come to Delhi to hire an advocate to plead their case.

The Delhi Police said that the SHO concerned of the Kasna Police Station in Gautam Buddha Nagar district has been intimated to initiate legal action into the matter at their end.
A new video of Allu Arjun going to a cafe has taken social media by storm, showcasing the actors genuine humility and everyday charm. In a recent clip thats rapidly gained traction online, the star is seen in a refreshingly unguarded moment that contrasts sharply with his larger-than-life on-screen persona.

The footage, shared by a social media influencer known for spotlighting high-end luxury cars, captures Allu Arjun during an ordinary day in Hyderabad. The influencer, who was filming a Range Rover Vogue SE, serendipitously caught the actor stepping out of his vehicle and heading to a nearby cafe. Clad in a simple t-shirt, shorts, and sporting a casual ponytail, Arjun exuded a relaxed and approachable demeanor.

Advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mohammed Adnan (@addy.984)

In the video, Allu Arjun is warmly greeting patrons and staff at the cafe with friendly handshakes. This unpretentious interaction, far removed from the glitz of celebrity life, has resonated deeply with fans. The clip quickly went viral on Instagram, drawing widespread admiration for the actors grounded nature.

Social media users have been quick to express their appreciation. Reactions flooded in, with many highlighting how Allu Arjuns modesty stands out in an industry often characterized by opulence and extravagance.

One fan expressed their admiration by posting, Love you Bhai  #AlluArjun #Pushpa2TheRule. Another commented, Simplicity  #AlluArjun #Pushpa2TheRule, and yet another shared, bhAAi is Simple and Grounded!! #AlluArjun.

The praise comes as Allu Arjun prepares for the release of his highly anticipated film, Pushpa 2: The Rule, set to hit theaters on December 6. In this sequel, Arjun reprises his role as Pushpa Raj, continuing the gripping saga from the original Pushpa film. The movie also features Rashmika Mandanna and Fahadh Faasil, who play pivotal roles alongside him.

This recent viral moment underscores that despite his superstar status, Allu Arjun remains deeply connected to his fans and committed to maintaining a humble persona. As the countdown to Pushpa 2 continues, this episode only seems to enhance his already solid reputation for down-to-earth authenticity.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to arrive in Chhattisgarh on August 23 on a three-day visit. During this trip, he will lead high-level meetings focused on the states ongoing battle against Naxal insurgency and other critical issues.

This marks Shahs second visit to Chhattisgarh in four months, underscoring the central governments commitment to enhancing security and promoting development in the region.

Upon arrival in Raipur, Shah will immediately engage in a series of strategic discussions, including a key meeting to review the Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh and neighboring states. The Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP) have prepared detailed reports and presentations, highlighting the impact of recent operations, including casualties among security forces and the number of Naxalites neutralised.

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Senior officials, including DGPs and Chief Secretaries from other Naxal-affected states, as well as top officers from the Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will participate in these discussions. This visit is part of Shahs broader strategy to ensure coordinated efforts across state lines to combat the Naxal threat effectively.

In addition to security matters, Shah will assess the implementation of the Niyad Nellanar (Your Good Village) initiative in the Bastar region, which is designed to enhance governance in remote and Naxal-affected areas. State Home Minister Vijay Sharma will accompany Shah in evaluating the schemes effectiveness and discussing future strategies to further extend government benefits to these vulnerable regions.

During his stay, Shah will also convene with senior BJP leaders at the partys state headquarters, Kushabhau Thakre Complex, to review organisational activities and devise strategies for the upcoming municipal and by-elections. Local leaders are expected to present their plans to bolster the partys presence and influence across the state.

On the administrative front, Shah will chair a meeting of the Union Cooperation Department to assess the progress of cooperative schemes in Chhattisgarh. There are also reports that the state government is preparing to launch a new initiative during Shahs visit, although official confirmation is still awaited.

Amit Shah is expected to arrive in Raipur on the evening of August 23, likely aboard a BSF or Indian Air Force aircraft. He will be staying at a private resort in Naya Raipur, which has been secured with heightened measures, including the deployment of state police and CRPF personnel. His visit is scheduled to conclude on the evening of August 25.
Maharashtra police have registered four FIRs and arrested 66 people following protests against the alleged sexual abuse of two minor girls at a school in Badlapur near Mumbai.

The protest, which saw hundreds of demonstrators taking to the streets and disrupting train services, has prompted authorities to suspend internet services in the area to prevent the spread of rumors.

The protests erupted after news broke that a janitor at a local school allegedly assaulted two four-year-old girls, leading to widespread public outrage.

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The accused, identified as Akshay Shinde, has already been taken into police custody. He has been sent to police remand till August 24.

However, publics anger turned into large-scale demonstrations, with protestors blocking major roads and halting local trains at Badlapur railway station.

According to the police sources, the FIRs have been lodged against approximately 500 protesters. The charges include rioting, damaging public property, and causing harm to public servants.

Authorities are also trying to identify more individuals involved in the unrest by reviewing CCTV footage and more people are likely to be arrested.

Earlier on Tuesday, the police had to resort to lathi charge on the protesters, who stopped trains at Badlapur railway station over alleged police inaction.

The incident that comes in the wake of nationwide protests over the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata prompted the Maharashtra government to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to thoroughly investigate the sexual assault case.

State Cabinet Minister Girish Mahajan visited the protest site and reassured the public that severe punishment would be meted out to the accused.
Amid massive public outrage and protests over the alleged sexual abuse of two four-year-old girls in a school in Badlapur, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut has claimed that the police were pressured not to register a case.

Addressing the media on Wednesday, Raut pointed out that the protests led by parents and locals were against the Mindhe government.

The outcry of the people of Badlapur was against the Mindhe government (referring to the Shinde-led administration). The complaint of the girls parents was not taken for 12 hours. Pressure was put on the police. People took to the streets fearing that the accused would be saved, he said.

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The school where the alleged incident took place is run by the Adarsh Vidya Prasarak Sanstha, and the outrage has only grown after reports surfaced of delays in filing the sexual abuse case.

Raut sharply criticized the governments response, calling the situation a disgrace to Maharashtra. He also questioned whether the Supreme Court was paying attention to the cries of the public.

Is this a public cry that the Supreme Court is not seeing or hearing? he asked, drawing a comparison between the Badlapur incident and the recent rape and murder or trainee doctor in Kolkata.

He accused the government, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, of adopting a similar mindset to Prime Minister Narendra Modis administration, referencing the alleged case of Karnataka mass rapes, involving NDA leader Prajwal Revanna.

The mindset of the government is the mindset of the Prime Minister. Even though more than 200 women had filed sexual harassment complaints against Prajwal Revanna in Karnataka, the PM went to his campaign and praised him. Such leadership is acceptable to the Maharashtra government. What can we expect from such a government? he questioned.

Raut also alleged political connections, suggesting that the school where the assault took place is linked to the BJP.

He claimed that if the schools owner had been associated with the Congress or Shiv Sena (UBT), there would have been a stronger reaction from the states Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the BJPs womens wing.

If the owner had been from another party, including the Congress or Shiv Sena (UBT), the states Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the partys womens wing would have launched an agitation, he added.
A nationwide strike  Bharat Bandh  was observed across the country on Wednesday with Dalit groups holding protest marches against a recent Supreme Court verdict on SC/ST reservations.

Organised by the Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, the bandh was largely successful as local markets remained shut in several states, including Rajasthan, UP, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

The protesters believe that the courts verdict allowing sub-classification undermines the rights of the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).

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In Bihars capital, Patna, tensions flared as police resorted to lathi charge to disperse protesters supporting the bandh. Deputy Superintendent of Police, Ashok Kumar Singh, told a news agency that police had to use mild force because it was not a peaceful protest and common people could not travel.

Demonstrations erupted following the Supreme Courts ruling, with several areas witnessing disruptions. In Rajasthans Shekhawati region, shops across the towns remained shut. Local MLAs and MPs from the Congress had also extended their support to the Bharat Bandh.

In Rajasthan, massive security arrangements were made and police personnel were put on high alert to prevent any untoward incidents.

Jharkhands capital, Ranchi, also saw significant impact from the bandh, with roads in key areas like Harmu Chowk, Kathal Mode, and Chapu Toli Chowk completely blocked by protesters.

In Uttar Pradeshs Noida, authorities took preemptive measures to maintain order. Uttar Pradesh DGP Prashant Kumar said, Extensive police force have been set up for the Bharat Bandh called by various political parties and organisations. Our officers are constantly on the ground with the concerned magistrates. Leaflets are being collected from all places. The situation is under control in the entire Uttar Pradesh. No untoward incident has been reported anywhere Talks have been held with important persons of all parties and everyone has assured that there will be no disturbance of any kind We want to assure the people of the state that law and order will not be allowed to deteriorate under any circumstances

In Uttar Pradeshs Noida, police forces have been deployed in large numbers to maintain order. The Joint Commissioner of Police, Shiv Hari Meena, stated, We are conducting foot marches to ensure that law and order is maintained. We are also taking care that the general public does not face any kind of problem. The police team is keeping an eye on those attempting to create disorder.

Protestors occupied railway tracks and forced a goods train to halt in Wadhwan town in Gujarats Surendranagar district during the nation-wide bandh.

We have seen photos of people occupying the track and therefore a goods train had to be halted, Mashooque Ahmad, senior divisional commercial manager of Bhavnagar division of Western Railway said. Gujarat Railway Police and Railway Protection Force cleared the tracks after some time, public relations inspector of the Bhavnagar division Shambhu Singh said.

In Odisha, road and rail services were partially affected due to the protests.

The Bharat Bandh call was also supported by several Opposition parties, including the Congress, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Bahujan Samajwadi Party and the Samajwadi Party.

Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said, The Supreme Court judgment has two parts  one issue was about creamy layer, the other issue was about sub-categorisation of the SC. On one of these issues, the Supreme Court gave an observation. The observation is not a part of the judgment. When SC-ST MPs, who belong to BJP, felt that the Opposition was misleading people that with this decision creamy layer will now be a part of SC/ST, they gave a memorandum to the Prime Minister on 9th August. After a cabinet decision, the PM said that the creamy layer is not implemented in SC/ST and is not a part of this judgment.

The second part is about direction, it is a part of the judgment  Supreme Court said that if the states want they can draw sub-categorisation and it imposed two conditions, 1) states will collect quantifiable data, 2) they cant give 100 per cent reservation to whoever they are giving. Opposition is spreading unnecessary misinformation.

In a majority decision of 6:1, the Supreme Court on August 1 ruled that states have the authority to sub-classify Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for reservation purposes.

The ruling, delivered by a seven-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, overturned a previous judgement in the EV Chinnaiah case, which had declared that sub-classification within SCs and STs was impermissible.

Alongside CJI Chandrachud, the bench comprised Justices BR Gavai, Vikram Nath, Bela M Trivedi, Pankaj Mithal, Manoj Misra, and Satish Chandra Sharma.

Justice Gavai suggested that the state should develop a policy to identify the creamy layer within the SC/ST communities. However, Justice Bela M Trivedi dissented, expressing her disagreement with the majority ruling that sub-classification within SC/ST reservations was permissible.
In Assam, the Bharat Bandh called by 21 groups to protest the Supreme Courts August 1 decision on SC-ST reservations had minimal impact on Wednesday, August 21.

Daily life across the state remained largely unaffected, with schools, offices, and businesses operating as usual.

Reports indicated near-full attendance in educational institutions and workplaces.

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Transportation services were also unaffected, with road traffic flowing smoothly and long-distance buses and trains running on schedule.

The bandh, aimed at opposing the Supreme Courts ruling, which the protesting groups claim weakens the principles of community-based reservation, failed to garner significant support in Assam, resulting in little to no disruption throughout the day.
Various Dalit and Adivasi organizations on Wednesday observed a 14-hour Bharat Bandh across Chhattisgarh in protest against the Supreme Courts recent ruling permitting the application of the creamy layer principle within Scheduled Castes (SC) and ST reservations. The bandh witnessed a mixed response, with Chhattisgarh seeing varied levels of participation across different regions.

While the Congress extended moral support to the bandh, local business communities in Chhattisgarh were divided. The Bastar Chamber of Commerce supported the bandh but the Raipur Chamber of Commerce refrained from backing the protest.

In the state capital, Raipur, the bandh had minimal impact, with normalcy largely maintained throughout the day. However, activists were seen urging residents in various neighborhoods to participate in the shutdown. Durg and Bhilai also experienced little disruption, with routine activities continuing largely unaffected.

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Conversely, in districts like Gariyaband, Mungeli, and Kanker, the bandh saw more significant adherence, with public transport, schools, colleges, and markets remaining closed since the morning, excluding essential services.

In Ambikapur, the Sarva Adivasi Samaj led a rally from the Collectorate Chowk, appealing for public cooperation. However, transport services, including buses and trains, remained operational.

Bilaspur saw heightened security, with police deployed at key locations. Educational institutions and businesses remained open, but rallies organized by the Sarva Adivasi Samaj are expected to push for broader support of the bandh. A memorandum addressed to the President is planned to be submitted via the local Collector.

The most pronounced impact of the bandh was observed in the Bastar division. The Bandh caused major disruptions on key highways in southern Chhattisgarh, with significant traffic jams reported.

The Jagdalpur-Sukma route, a vital link between Chhattisgarh and the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, was blocked by protesters, leading to long queues of stranded vehicles.

Similarly, the Jagdalpur-Bijapur National Highway-63 was completely jammed. The members of the Adivasi community took to the streets and blocked the road, bringing traffic to a standstill.

In Kanker district, protesters entered the Shaheed Ram Kumar Yadav Government Girls Higher Secondary School, dismissing students for the day. Demonstrators also blocked a section of the National Highway by felling trees, causing significant traffic disruptions.

In Kondagaon, SC-ST community members gathered at the Ambedkar statue, chanting slogans such as Jai Bhim and Withdraw Supreme Courts decision. Protesters were active on the streets from early morning, enforcing the closure of shops through bike rallies.

The Bharat Bandh was called nationwide on August 21 in response to the Supreme Courts verdict on the sub-categorization of SC-ST reservations.

The ruling allows state governments to further classify SC-ST reservations into sub-categories and allocate separate quotas, a move deemed constitutional by the Court under Article 341.

The bandh received support from several political parties, including the Bhim Army and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), echoed the call to reconsider the Supreme Courts decision.
The Centre on Wednesday asked the social media platforms to remove name and photographs of the woman postgraduate trainee (PGT) doctor, who was brutally raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata recently.

In a statement, the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said it has asked the social media platforms operating in the country to comply with a recent Supreme Court order dated 20th August 20 in which it has directed that all references to the name of the deceased (RG Kar Medical College), along with any photographs and video clips depicting the deceased, be promptly removed from all social media platforms and electronic media.

This directive follows concerns regarding the dissemination of sensitive material related to the incident in question, it said.

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In light of this order, the Ministry said it hereby emphasizes the importance of adhering to the Apex Courts directive to safeguard the privacy and dignity of individuals involved and therefore social media platforms are required to take immediate action to ensure compliance with this order.

The Ministry said it urged all social media companies to ensure that such sensitive information is not further disseminated and added that failure to comply with the Supreme Courts order may result in legal consequences and further regulatory action.

All the social media platforms shall also inform the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology at cyberlaw-legal@meity.gov.inabout the action taken in response to the compliance of Supreme Court order, it added.
Tourists visit the ancient city of Ephesus at night in Izmir, Turkiye, Aug. 14, 2024. (Xinhua/Liu Lei)

Istanbul, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- As twilight descends on Ephesus, founded in the 10th century B.C. in Turkiye's Izmir province, lights will cast a captivating glow over the ancient city, offering a mesmerizing cultural experience for visitors until midnight.

The light show is part of the Night Museum project promoted by the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry, which aims to attract more tourists and promote the country's historical sites during summer, Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced earlier.

The initiative brings some of the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts' most extraordinary ancient sites, such as Ephesus, Hierapolis, Aspendos, Patara, Side, Phaselis, and Olympos, to life after sunset.

Mustafa Cevik, a first-time visitor, was profoundly impressed by Ephesus's nighttime illumination.

"When I was a child, we saw pictures of Ephesus's columns in our books. Seeing them in person, under the combined lighting and moonlight, was beautiful. It's truly a place worth seeing," Cevik told Xinhua.

He was particularly moved by the ancient library, stating, "Its existence underscores the profound importance of valuing literature from that era," and noted that the illumination made it even more magnificent at night.

Ephesus's grand structures, including the theater and library, were primarily built during the Roman period, particularly from the 1st century B.C. onward.

While the Night Museums project attracts more tourists, it has also boosted the number of visitors to the digital museums in the ancient cities.

DEM Museums, a visual art design company, has transformed an old gendarmerie building into a stunning digital museum that brings Ephesus's history to life through projections and holograms.

"Looking around now, we truly enjoy the ambiance of the nighttime museum experience. The lighting and the way people experience the night here are unique," Eda Bildiricioglu, CEO of the DEM, told Xinhua after a show.

According to Bildiricioglu, the project has resulted in at least a 10 percent increase in visitors compared to last year. "This rise has certainly been reflected in the museum's attendance," she noted.

Bildiricioglu also highlighted that exploring historical sites in the evening provides a refreshing experience, allowing visitors to enjoy the comfort of the cool night air rather than the heat of the summer sun. 

Tourists visit the ancient city of Ephesus at night in Izmir, Turkiye, Aug. 14, 2024. (Xinhua/Liu Lei)

Tourists visit the ancient city of Ephesus at night in Izmir, Turkiye, Aug. 14, 2024. (Xinhua/Liu Lei)
On the tenth day of their protest over the rape of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, resident doctors in Delhi on Wednesday protested at the Jantar Mantar, demanding justice to the victim and safer workplace for doctors across the country.

Doctors from various hospitals in the city such as AIIMS, Lady Hardinge Medical College, Maulana Azad Medical College along with various privately practicing doctors participated in the protest.

Speaking to a news agency, Dr Aditi said: Shauk nahi majboori hai, ye hadtaal jaroori hai (It is not a hobby to protest rather it is a compulsion; this strike is necessary). While another doctor Tanya said, we need laws for doctors and not committees.

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Meanwhile during the protest, resident doctors of AIIMS provided free OPD services at the Jantar Mantar to passerby persons, which were received well by them.

The protesting doctors raised slogans such as Give justice to RG Kar, we want justice. Through banners demanding justice along with holding placards, the doctors voiced their protest.

A skit was also performed by the young doctors from the University College of Medical Sciences, highlighting the safety of doctors at the workplace.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday constituted a 10-member National Task Force to make recommendations on the prevention of violence and safe working conditions for medical professionals.

The top court also asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a status report on the status of the investigation in the rape case.

The court asked the West Bengal government to file a status report on the mob attack incident in the RG Kar hospital on August 15.
The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday asked the Haryana government not to declare the results of recruitments to various posts till the completion of the Assembly polls.

The poll panel issued the direction after it received complaints from Congress General Secretary in-charge of Communication Jairam Ramesh alleging violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by the Haryana government by advertising recruitment for various posts.

According to the EC, the complaints filed by Ramesh alleged that on the date of announcement of Haryana Assembly elections on 16th August, the State government first announced and subsequently issued advertisement for recruitment against 5,600 vacancies for the post of Constable in the Haryana Police.

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He also alleged that on the date of enforcement of MCC, the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) announced the schedule of examination for 38 government posts.

In response to the Congress leaders complaints, the EC said, The matter has been examined in light of the Commissions existing instructions relating to MCC and the reports received from the State government. It is amply clear that the selection process was initiated and necessary communications were sent by the State government to concerned statutory authorities much before the date of enforcement of MCC. Statutory authorities have also started a process including advertisement before enforcement of MCC.

Further, as per the Commissions instructions dated 2nd January 2024 there is no bar for continuing the regular recruitment process by the UPSC, State Public Service Commissions or the Staff Selection Commission or any other statutory authority. Therefore, there is no violation of Commissions instructions on MCC, it said.

The poll panel further said, However, in order to maintain the level playing field and to ensure that no undue advantage is accrued to anyone, the Commission has directed the State government not to declare the results of these recruitments till completion of General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Haryana.

Assembly elections in Haryana will be held in a single phase on 1st October. The counting of votes will take place on 4th October.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said he will share perspectives with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict in his nation during talks between them on August 23.

I look forward to the opportunity to build upon earlier conversations with President Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict. As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region, he said in a statement before his departure on a three-day visit to Poland and Ukraine.

Mr Modi expressed confidence that the visit will serve as a natural continuation of extensive contacts India has with the two countries and help create the foundation for stronger and more vibrant relations in the years ahead.

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My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe. Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship, he said.

Mr Modi said he looks forward to meeting my friend Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda to further advance bilateral partnership. He said he will also engage with the members of the vibrant Indian community in Poland.

From Poland, I will be visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Zelenskyy. This is the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine, he noted.

The PMs visit to Ukraine is being seen as an attempt by India to balance its ties with the war-ravaged nation, weeks after Kyiv condemned him for hugging President Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow.
A man, his wife, and his friend were arrested on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in the murder of his sisters husband at their rented accommodation in Bas Khusla village in Manesar.

According to the police, the victim was killed over his illicit relationship with the accuseds wife. The body was reportedly dumped in a drain in Manesar.

The victim was identified as Ramparicham Sharma (27), a native of Madhubani, Bihar.

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The accused were identified as Panchdev Thakur, his wife Indu, a resident of Supaul, Bihar, and his friend Chandan Thakur, a resident of Madhubani, Bihar.

The incident came to light late on Saturday evening after some people pruning trees in the green belt near the drain spotted a blue drum with a foul smell emanating from it.

They informed the security inspector of a nearby office who alerted the IMT Manesar police station.

After receiving the information, a police team, along with FSL reached the spot, pulled out the drum from the drain and recovered the body, which was tied with a saree.

The victims throat was reportedly strangled with an electric wire. Nothing was found in his clothes that could help in his identification.

The body was kept in the postmortem room.

A case was then registered against an unknown person under sections of murder at the IMT Manesar police station Gurugram, he said.

During the investigation and after receiving specific inputs regarding the culprits, a trap was laid, and police nabbed the trio accused from Bas Khusla village on Tuesday.

During questioning, Panchdev Thakur told the police that the deceased had developed an illegal relationship with his wife, Indu, and he wanted to eliminate the victim.

He made a plan to kill Ramparicham along with his wife Indu, and on August 14, they called the victim at their house. Panchdev Thakur and his wife killed him with an electric wife and hid his body in their house.

The next day, on August 15, the accused, along with his friend Chandan Thakur, put the body in a blue drum and dumped the body in the drain in the Manesar area, which was recovered on August 18, Vipin Ahalawat, ACP (Manesar) said.
The Union Home Ministry has written to the West Bengal Chief Secretary regarding the deployment of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata where the rape and murder of a trainee doctor took place.

According to sources, it was following the Supreme Court order regarding security of the medical institution by the CAPF, the MHA on Wednesday wrote to the states chief secretary.

On Tuesday , the top court had directed, on a suggestion by the Central government, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to take over the security of the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital.

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The apex court had set up a high-powered National Task Force (NTF) to go into the issues of the safety of the doctors, nurses and other medical professions in the hospitals and medical colleges.

A team of the CAPF led by a senior officer did a survey of the said hospital where the alleged incident of rape and murder of the trainee doctor took place.

For the security of the hospital and the resident doctors, an armed team of the central armed police force will soon be deployed at the campus.

The incident has triggered protests across the country, while Kolkata has also been witnessing strong protests in wake of the incident that has shaken everyone.
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi separately met Malaysian Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim here on Wednesday.

Ibrahim is on his maiden state visit to India as Prime Minister of Malaysia at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Nadda, who is also the national president of the BJP, met the Malaysian Prime Minister as part of the Know BJP initiative.

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During the meeting, the leaders reflected on the significant progress in bilateral relations between India and Malaysia over the past decade. They also discussed the potential for further collaboration, particularly in the areas of education, employment and Ayurveda.

Both leaders agreed to strengthen party-to-party relations by facilitating exchanges between BJP and Peoples Justice Party, thereby fostering a deeper partnership and mutual understanding, as per a communique issued by the BJP.

Nadda was accompanied by BJP Foreign Affairs department in-charge Vijay Chauthaiwale during the meeting, it said.

Meanwhile, the Congress informed that Gandhi called on the Malaysian Prime Minister.

In a post on X, the Congress, LoP Rahul Gandhi met with Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi announced that India and Malaysia have decided to elevate their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership as the two nations signed eight accords and considered possibilities of defence cooperation between them.

At a joint press statement with his Malaysian counterpart here after wide-ranging talks between them, Modi noted that the Enhanced Strategic Partnership between the two countries is completing a decade.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Warsaw, Poland Wednesday evening on the first leg of his two-nation visit during which he will also travel to Ukraines capital Kyiv.

Mr Morarji Desai was the last Indian Prime Minister to visit Poland in 1979.

Mr Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome in Warsaw. He is expected to meet President Andrzej Sebastian Duda and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

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The Prime Minister posted on X: Landed in Poland. Looking forward to the various programmes here. This visit will add momentum to the India-Poland friendship and benefit the people of our nations.

During his visit, Mr Modi is scheduled to visit memorials in Warsaw commemorating the time in the 1940s during the World War II, when more than 6,000 Polish women and children found refuge in two princely states in India, Jamnagar and Kolhapur.

The Prime Minister will also address members of the Indian community, estimated at around 25,000, select Polish business leaders and prominent Indologists.

Mr Modi has met his Polish counterpart on four occasions in the latters earlier capacity as the President of the European Council.

He had a telephonic conversation with President Duda in March 2022, thanking him for the assistance provided by Poland in the evacuation of Indian citizens from Ukraine.

He had thanked Poland for the special gesture of relaxing visa requirements for Indian citizens crossing over to Poland from the Ukraine conflict zone. More than 4000 Indian students were evacuated via Poland in 2022.

My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe, he said in his departure statement earlier today.

The Prime Ministers historic visit to Poland in this landmark year for India and Polish relations will provide an opportunity to the countries to review the bilateral partnership and offer guidance on enhancing this cooperation in diverse areas and to discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest
Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi along with Congress president Malikarjun Kharge reached Srinagar on Wednesday evening for a two-day visit to J&K.

The leaders will take stock of the partys preparedness ahead of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and are expected to meet leaders of INDIA bloc parties to work out a pre-poll alliance so as to defeat the BJP.

The two leaders were accorded a rousing reception at the Srinagar airport from where they drove straight to Lalit Grand Palace. Large number of people greeted them as their cavalcade crossed the city streets.

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Reports said that both leaders will interact with party leaders on the three-phases polling, starting from 18 September to 1 October.

The leaders will hold thorough discussions with party leaders both in Srinagar and Jammu, and take stock of the partys poll preparedness.

Reports added they are likely to meet the regional political parties to discuss pre-poll alliance.

The programme of the two senior Congress leaders had to be rescheduled because of the Bharat Bandh on Wednesday. Earlier, they were to begin their visit from Jammu but now they went to Srinagar first and will arrive at Jammu on Thursday.

Both leaders will meet party leaders and workers to strengthen the party and improve its poll chances for the upcoming legislative elections in J&K.

They are expected to meet National Conference (NC) President Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti to forge a pre-poll alliance against the BJP during the assembly elections in J&K, sources said.

They will discuss the seat-sharing formula with the NC here while the pre-poll alliance is almost final, sources said.

Rahul will also meet Pradesh Congress Committee leaders to discuss the seat-sharing formula.

Farooq Abdullah told this correspondent that talks are on for a pre-poll alliance on all the 90 seats of the assembly.

Congress and the NC had a poll alliance during the Lok Sabha polls but the PDP was left out. Two seats of the Jammu division and the lone Lok Sabha seat of the Ladakh region were given to the Congress while three seats in Kashmir were given to the NC. Congress lost both seats in the Jammu division to the BJP while the Ladakh seat was won by an NC rebel defeating the BJP and the Congress candidates.

Out of the three seats in the Valley, Srinagar and Anantnag-Rajouri were won by the NC while an independent candidate, Engineer Rashid defeated the former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Baramulla.
In a sensational development, advocate Monisha, wife of film-maker Nelson Dilipkumar, who directed superstar Rajinikanths Jailer was quizzed by the police in connection with the murder of K Armstrong, Tamil Nadu state president of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

According to police sources, Monisha was questioned after it was found that she had transferred Rs 75 lakh from her bank account to one Mottai Krishnan, a lawyer but an absconding accused wanted in the case. The popular film makers wife came under the police scanner when inquiries revealed that she had met the accused at a star hotel in the city and was frequently in touch with him over the phone.

Krishnan is a close associate of notorious gangster Sambo Senthil, the mastermind of the killing of Armstrong. Both are absconding and is said to have fled the country. Scrutiny of the call log of Krishnan showed that he had called Monisha on July 5, the day when the BSP leader was brutally hacked to death in front of his new house under construction at Sembium in north Chennai, the sources added.

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While police suspect that Monish could have given shelter and assistance to Krishnan, she had maintained that he was her client and had discussed with him about a case. During questioning about the transfer of Rs 75 lakh to Krishnan from her bank account, her response was that it was in connection with a case and as an acquaintance.

According to police Krishnan, along with his family, is hiding in the Gulf and had visited Singapore recently. Besides issuing a Look Out Notice at airports, steps are being taken to secure him with the assistance of the Interpol.

Within hours after the murder of Armstrong by six bike-borne assailants on the evening of July 5, seven persons surrendered before the police and were arrested. One of them, Thiruvengadam was killed in an encounter while he was taken to recover the weapons used in the crime. So far 23 accused, including lower-rung functionaries of BJP, AIADMK, Congress, Tamil Maanila Congress and DMK, were arrested in connection with Armstrongs murder. The case is being investigated by the CB-CID.
For the first time in its history, Tripura will host a two-day North East Council (NEC) plenary meeting in Agartala.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha announced on Monday that the high-profile event, scheduled for August 31 and September 1, will be attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, DoNER Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with the chief ministers and governors of the Northeastern states.

Expressing his pride, Chief Minister Saha highlighted the significance of Tripura hosting the NEC meeting for the first time.

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In the past, we always traveled to Shillong, Assam, for such meetings. Now, for the first time, this important NEC meeting will be held in our state, Saha stated.

Preparations are in full swing to ensure the events smooth execution.

The two-day plenary session will address several key issues, including the development of the northeastern region, the India-Bangladesh border, and the progress of ongoing developmental projects.

Established under the North-Eastern Council Act of 1971, the NEC serves as a regional planning and advisory body for the eight northeastern states, including Sikkim. The organization is headquartered in Shillong.
Opportunities flourish in rural China as new professions bloom

Xinhua) 08:20, August 21, 2024

JINAN, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- After months of hard work during the peak wheat harvest season, Zhao Xianchang and his son finally have a moment to rest, but their brief respite will be short-lived as they prepare to embark on a new venture.

Zhao hails from Zhaojia Village in Weifang, a city in east China's Shandong Province. He bought a small tractor several years ago to ease planting, which eventually led him to establish an agricultural machinery cooperative. Seeking greater efficiency, he transitioned into a professional farm machinery operator, offering specialized services to fellow farmers.

The demand for machinery services used to fluctuate seasonally due to single-crop farming, but with the diversification of agriculture, Zhao now sees their machinery in constant use.

As agricultural modernization and economic development progress, new professions are emerging in rural China. Farmers are now taking on roles as farm machinery operators, live streamers and even artists, reflecting the growing specialization and professionalism in the country's rural areas and expanding their skill sets.

A farmer drives a harvester in Weicheng District of Weifang City, east China's Shandong Province, June 5, 2024. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)

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Zhao Xichang's son, Zhao Kai, explained that in the spring, they drive rotary tillers to Kaifeng City in central China's Henan Province for plowing and also operate tractors in Weifang to assist vegetable farmers.

During the summer, they travel across regions nationwide for over a month, working on wheat harvest. In autumn and winter, they focus on local farming, assisting with the harvest and helping ginger farmers with plowing.

As a dedicated farm machinery operator for nearly a decade, Zhao Kai has used five or six combine harvesters, evolving from manual to electronic controls while witnessing the advancement of modern farming in China.

"Harvesting 300 mu (20 hectares) of wheat in a single day is now easily achievable, with less grain loss than before, working from 9 a.m. until late at night," Zhao Kai said.

In Huanghua Village, Gongzhuling City, in northeast China's Jilin Province, Wang Xiuying stood in a flower greenhouse spanning over 1,000 square meters and introduced clivia online. Facing the camera, he said, "The texture of this orchid's leaves is clear and eye-catching. If you like it, please buy it," as he live-streamed at an e-commerce platform.

Now a planter, Wang was once a migrant worker. She is effectively contributing to China's rural revitalization by leveraging modern new media technology in farming.

"I sell dozens of potted plants during each live stream," she said. "In peak seasons, I can sell over a hundred pots a day, with buyers from across the country."

Wang Xiuying, a flower grower, promotes floral products via livestreaming in Huanghua Village, Gongzhuling City, northeast China's Jilin Province, Feb. 7, 2024. (Xinhua/Xue Qinfeng)

In recent years, Huanghua has established an e-commerce service station, and several logistics companies have partnered with local flower farmers. Wang's daily routine includes live-streaming in the morning and packaging orders in the afternoon. Each day, delivery personnel from various logistics companies arrive on time to pick up the goods.

Wang has amassed over 20,000 social media followers, with nearly a hundred viewers tuning in daily to watch her sell flowers via livestreaming. This has expanded the market for the village's clivia to buyers nationwide. Inspired by her success, many villagers are now venturing into e-commerce livestreaming.

Currently, the village has over 100 flower greenhouses, with annual clivia sales revenue exceeding 100 million yuan (about 14 million U.S. dollars), benefiting many households with significant economic gains.

CULTIVATING CREATIVITY

From 2019 to 2022, China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security added 74 new professions to its list, including e-commerce practitioners and housekeepers, with 13 directly supporting rural revitalization. In May this year, online live streamers were also included in the list of new professions.

In Jilin Province, over 6,000 rural professionals have been awarded vocational titles in fields such as folk artistry, farm management, e-commerce marketing, and leadership in farmer cooperatives.

Likewise, Juye County, located in Shandong's Heze, a city renowned for its peony cultivation, has seen a rise in peony-themed art that has become increasingly popular among tourists. Notably, many of the most celebrated artists are local farmers.

Gui Huaifang, 37, has worked diligently to master drawing techniques and now completes a painting in about two weeks, each selling for 4,000 yuan. As one of the first artists in the Hongmiao Village cooperatives, she often creates detailed peony paintings and films the process with her phone to share online.

Farmers paint peony-themed paintings at a studio in Juye County, Heze City of east China's Shandong Province, Dec. 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Guo Xulei)

"Instead of leaving my rural home to work in the cities, I can stay here, spend more time with my children, and embrace new opportunities. Peony art has allowed me to build a better life right here at home," she said.

Peony brush painting is relatively easy to learn, allowing farmers to quickly grasp basic techniques and complete works independently. To support this artistic endeavor, Juye County has launched free training courses through 49 local painting studios and over 160 calligraphy and painting institutions. These initiatives promote art education and help farmers increase their income.

Currently, Juye has eight towns and 50 villages specializing in painting, with over 600 calligraphy and painting studios, more than 300 framing shops, and over 1,000 sales outlets.

The art industry here employs over 20,000 people and produces more than 1.2 million artworks annually, which are exported to 40 countries and regions, with the output value expected to exceed 1.2 billion yuan this year.

(Reporting by Shao Kun, Ye Ting, Feng Yuanyuan, Zhang Liyuan, Wang Haofei, Xue Qinfeng and Wei Meng)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) on Wednesday said that 307 Chinese nationals suspected of cross-border telecom and internet fraud have been transferred to China after their capture in a recent joint crackdown operation in Myanmar.

Relevant evidence items were also transferred to Chinese authorities, the MPS said in a statement.

Police in China have also arrested nine suspects involved in the same case.

The ministry said that since last year, it has been deepening international law enforcement cooperation with its counterpart in Myanmar, carrying out a series of joint operations to combat relevant crime, with a total of over 50,000 Chinese suspects handed over to Chinese authorities. 
All India Congress Committee general secretary and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot on Wednesday reiterated the partys demand for a JPC probe into the alleged scam involving the SEBI Chairman and the Adani Group.

We demand that as per the report, the scam worth thousands of crores should be investigated by the JPC, and the SEBI Chairman should resign till the investigation is completed, he said.

He questioned why the BJP is afraid of the JPC investigation and why it is avoiding the investigation when it has the highest number of MPs and the Chairman of the JPC will be from the BJP.

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Addressing a press conference here along with UP Congress president Ajay Rai, the Congress general secretary said that the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance and asked the central government to investigate the charges.

Now the question is, what will be the fairness and quality of the investigation from a person who is a suspect in this case? It is being discussed nationwide and globally that the SEBI Chairmans husband is doing business with someone the SEBI Chairman himself is suspected of being involved with. In such a situation, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and all the members of the INDI Alliance have demanded a JPC probe to unravel the truth, he said.

Sachin Pilot said that the Supreme Court has indicated the need for a factual investigation, but despite this, central government is maintaining silence. This collusive game has been going on for the last 10 years, and if such serious allegations have been levelled against an institution that monitors the countrys investment, it should be investigated by a JPC, he demanded.

He alleged, The Prime Minister and the central government speak about transparency but ignore what has been happening over the past 10 years. Their focus is only on defaming the Congress party, opposition parties, and Nehru ji. The countrys ports and airports were sold to their people at throwaway prices. The Prime Minister, who speaks of honesty, is only engaged in targeting opposition members, seizing the accounts of the Congress Party, sending the Chief Minister to jail, and defaming opposition parties through the central government, ED, CBI, and police administration.

Sachin Pilot said that the public decided to change the country in the Lok Sabha elections. People no longer support politics of pressure and exploitation. Ever since Rahul Gandhi became the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the government has been forced to make continuous U-turns on various decisions, such as the creation of IAS through lateral entry and the Waqf Board issue. This is the same central government that introduced black agricultural laws, which led to the loss of hundreds of farmers lives in protest and were eventually withdrawn.

We will put pressure on the government both inside and outside Parliament. The Chairman of SEBI will have to resign because there are very serious allegations that cannot be denied. It is SEBIs responsibility to monitor the crores of investors who have suffered losses. A JPC investigation is necessary to reveal the truth to the country, the Congress leader stated.

Today, various organisations have called for a bandh across the country. Tribals, Dalits, backward classes, farmers, and youth all feel that their interests are not safe under the NDA central government. Dalits, backward classes, and the exploited have been particularly affected. Despite receiving a massive majority, they have tampered with the Constitution and attempted to alter reservation. Efforts have been made to make direct recruitment of IAS officers and reconsider constitutional provisions. In such a situation, the tribals and Dalits do not have any hope of protecting their interests while this government is in power. Only a few BJP people are taking advantage of this situation, he alleged.

Sachin Pilot said that elections are to be held in four states but the party that talks about one nation and one election is conducting elections in only two states and they want elections at their convenience even though the Election Commission conducts the elections. The BJP will lose elections in all four states and Congress and INDI Alliance will form government in all four states, he claimed.

He said that the public is having to bear the brunt of the internal tussle in the BJP, whether in the government, organisation, Lucknow or Delhi. By-elections are to be held on 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh and INDI alliance will win all the seats.

In response to a question, he said that the incident of rape is shameful for any civilised society and should be condemned. Action should be taken regardless of the class, party, or religion of the accused. Strict action should be enforced no matter which state it occurs in.
If there is one bloc that the Israel-Palestine war has completely discredited, internally and externally, it is the Arab Sheikhdoms and their overentitled and inefficacious monarchies. As concerns on the horrors of Gaza Strip mount, Arab Street is distraught with the pusillanimous and meek expression of its princelings who meekly profess support for the Palestinian cause but refuse to go beyond meaningless platitudes. As the Palestinian death count spirals beyond reason, the Arab leadership has yet again shamed itself by remaining complicit with their telling silences.

If anything, the only modicum of counter to Israels disproportionate retaliation has come from the other sectarian bloc led by Shiite Iran and its proxies in the region e.g., Houthis, Hezbollah etc., whereas some like the Jordanians actually shot down Iranian drones as they were headed towards Israel ~ this when the Jordanian Queen Rania, is of Palestinian origin (like 20 per cent of Jordan)! It is a two-faced and insincere approach of supposed support for the Palestinian cause that has routinely got exposed. Murmurs of secret parleys between Arab capitals and Tel Aviv have done the rounds for years ~ today, it is not even discreet anymore.

While Egypt and Jordan had formalized relations with Israel long back, the recent Abraham Accords have led to normalization of official relations with Israel by the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. Others like Oman and more importantly, Saudi Arabia, have been having backchannel meetings and side deals with Israel to advance their bilateral agendas. The sudden eruption of the Israel-Palestine War (triggered by the dastardly 7 Oct 2023 Hamas attack) has optically pushed the formal rapprochement of the Arab world with Israel onto the backburner but the essential conduct of Arab capitals suggests clear riskaversion towards offending Israel.

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It is a far cry from the earlier times when Palestine was an Arab cause, as today it seems that the Palestinians have been left to fend for themselves. Counterintuitively it is Western countries like Norway, Ireland and Spain that have shown some opposition by recognising the Palestine State to the discomfiture of the Israelis. The last time that the Arab Sheikdoms had caught cold feet and reacted jointly to selfishly save their own skins was during the Arab Spring. As the Arab streets were marching to slogans of ashshb yurid isqat an-nizam (literally, the people want to bring down the regime) and many Arab regimes did topple e.g., Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen the Arab princelings quickly suppressed the popular uprisings and insistences towards more democracy. Basically, the restive youth were wanting reforms, democratic rights and true faith, which essentially spelled doom for the illiberal and undemocratic Sheikdoms that refused to share or transfer power to others.

Many disowned the hardline factions like the Muslim Brotherhood and its ideological offspring, as a virtual cleansing to root out the religioextremist factions gathered steam. Today, it is the fear of guaranteed reprisals by Israel (as conducted on Yemen and Iranian elements) that frightens the Sheikdoms towards a virtual freeze and inaction on Palestine. But the history of the region is instructive of the imminent dangers that loom for leaders who surrender the Arab Cause (foremost amongst them, Palestine) vis-a-vis Israel. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated by disgruntled officers of his Egyptian Army who believed that Sadat had abandoned the cause of Palestine by currying favour with the Israelis (Camp Da vid Accords).

The assassin, Second Lieutenant Khalid Al-Islambuli, is still regarded as a hero on Arab streets with his name triggering many symbolic continuations. Almost 14 years after assassinating Sadat, Islambulis younger bro ther nearly assassinated Sadats successor, Hosni Mubarak in a daring attack in Addis Ababa. An obscure organisation called The al-Islambuli Brigades of al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for an attempted assassination on Pakistans Shaukat Aziz. And of course, Iran has gone from releasing commemorative stamps to naming roads after Islambuli who is regarded as the hero who stood up against normalising relations with Israel at the cost of Palestine.

Peace making on Palestine is fraught with risks on all sides, including the Israeli side. Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin paid for making peace and committing to a Two-State Solution on Palestine with his own life, getting assassinated by a radical Jew. Today, Saudi Arabias heir apparent Mohammad Bin Salman (MBS) has voiced dangers to his life for remaining invested with Israel (despite the mayhem in Gaza Strip) on its work-in-progress Israel-Saudi Peace Deal. MBS has invoked the Anwar Sadat case to insist on a semblance of a Palestine State to avoid the same fate. He alluded to the Arab fury towards Tel Aviv that can trigger lone wolves or radicalized groups to attack the Arab leadership, and the same is not unfathomable. While such bilateral deals e.g. Israel-Egypt earlier, or Israel-Saudi Arabia now, carry many reciprocal benefits for the countries involved, they are also tantamount to reneging and abandoning many other historical causes that are still important to a vast section of Arab citizenry.

While Iran has been threatening to open the battle front against Israel, such a situation could lead to an even more awkward situation for Arab capitals as they will have to choose a side. They will struggle to side with the Iranians given the sectarian dimension but the siding with the Israelis could be far worse and devastating in the eyes of their own citizenry. Even continuing silence or purported neutrality would not be an option as Iranians would ostensibly be doing the needful for the Palestinians cause and not helping could be unforgivable. The best option would be to de escalate tensions between Tehran and Tel Aviv and avoid the full-fledged flare up.

The Arab leadership is looking increasingly weak, unreliable and insincere in the eyes of its own, a dangerous portent. Benjamin Netanyahus relentless bludgeoning of Gaza is not helping matters for the effectively unseen and unheard Arab Sheikdoms and it is a sort of chilling inaction that has invariably and historically led to devastating implosions and uprisings, within. Cold silence over Arab deserts looms and that has always been ominous

(The writer is Lt Gen PVSM, AVSM (Retd), and former Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry)
Prime Minister Narendra Modis third term presents a unique opportunity to solidify and expand the India US defence partnership. Over the past decade, this partnership has evolved into a cornerstone of bilateral ties, marked by significant milestones that have enhanced both nations strategic and military capabilities. With a new leadership on the horizon in the United States and continued bipartisan support for closer ties with India, there is immense potential for growth in defence cooperation.

However, realising this potential will require addressing complex regulatory challenges, enhancing public-private collaborations, and navigating shifting geopolitical dynamics. One of the primary challenges in the US-India defence relationship is the complex regulatory environment that governs defence trade and cooperation. Frameworks like the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the Strategic Trade Authorization Tier 1 (STA-1) exemptions, while intended to facilitate collaboration, often impose stringent licensing procedures that can be resource-intensive and time-consuming. These barriers are particularly burdensome for start-ups and smaller companies, which may struggle to navigate the bureaucratic procurement processes.

For the defence partnership to thrive, it is essential to streamline these regulations and make them more accessible to a broader range of participants, including emerging defence start-ups in India. In addition to regulatory reforms, there is a growing need to enhance public-private collaborations in the defence sector. The success of initiatives like the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) demonstrates the potential of partnerships between Indian and American defence companies, investors, and universities. Expanding such initiatives to include more private companies and academic institutions will help build a more robust defence ecosystem. For example, establishing incubator centres in major Indian cities, supported by the US Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), could provide critical support to defence start-ups, fostering innovation and capacity-building.

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Technological advancement is another area where the US-India defence partnership can make significant strides. The two countries have already begun collaborating on emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and space exploration. Expanding these efforts to include more joint research and development projects, talent exchange programmes, and innovation funds will not only enhance the technological capabilities of both nations but also ensure that they remain at the forefront of global defence innovation. The INDUS-X initiative, which has already achieved success in advancing bilateral defence collaboration, should be further expanded to support a broader range of technological initiatives.

However, the path forward is not without its challenges. Indias long standing defence ties with Russia, coupled with concerns about US-Pakistan relations, present complex geopolitical dynamics that must be carefully managed. Indias efforts to diversify its arms imports away from Russia are gradual and must be balanced with maintaining its strategic autonomy. Penalising India for its defence relationship with Russia could undermine its military modernisation efforts and strain the India-US partnership. As both countries navigate a complex global landscape, their shared commitment to strategic dialogue, innovation, and mutual respect will be key to realising the full potential of this critical partnership.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has entered a critical phase, where military actions and diplomatic manoeuvres are increasingly intertwined. Ukraines recent incursion into Russias Kursk region marks a bold escalation, one that has not only shocked the Russian military but also prompted Moscow to re-evaluate its willingness to engage in peace talks. This intertwining of battlefield dynamics and diplomacy reveals the fragile and volatile nature of any potential resolution to the conflict.

Ukraines attack on Kursk is the largest foreign incursion into Russian territory since World War II, a significant achievement for Kyiv that underscores its ability to strike at the heart of Russian territory. This operation, however, has complicated the already fraught prospects for peace talks. Russias response, as articulated by presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, has been to suspend any immediate negotiations, citing the attack as justification. While Russia has not withdrawn its earlier peace proposals, it has made clear that the timing for talks is now completely inappropriate. This development highlights a key challenge in the conflict: the difficulty of separating military actions from diplomatic initiatives.

Both Russia and Ukraine have made it clear that their willingness to engage in talks is contingent on the situation on the battlefield. This conditional approach means that as long as either side sees potential gains from continued military operations, the likelihood of meaningful negotiations remains low. For Russia, the Kursk attack is more than just a tactical setback; it is a significant blow to its military prestige and a potential turning point in how it approaches the conflict. The embarrassment of having Ukrainian forces penetrate so deep into Russian territory has likely influenced the Kremlins decision to pause negotiations. Yet, by keeping its peace proposals on the table, Russia signals that it still sees diplomacy as a viable option, albeit on its own terms and timing. Ukraine, on the other hand, faces the challenge of balancing its military successes with the need for a sustainable resolution to the conflict.

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The Kursk operation demonstrated Ukraines growing military capabilities, but it also risks hardening Russias stance and prolonging the war. Kyiv must now consider how to leverage its battlefield gains without completely undermining the possibility of future talks. The challenge for Ukraine will be to maintain its momentum while also creating conditions that could eventually lead to a negotiated settlement. The current situation underscores the precarious nature of any diplomatic efforts in the midst of ongoing conflict. As long as both sides tie their willingness to negotiate to battlefield outcomes, the conflict is likely to continue in a cycle of escalation and retaliation. This dyna  mic risks pushing peace further out of reach. In this environment, the role of the international community becomes even more critical. Diplomatic efforts must focus on decoupling military actions from peace negotiations, encouraging both sides to engage in talks regardless of the immediate situation on the ground.
The heinous incident at RG Kar Medical College that shook the collective conscience of the nation has three important dimensions. The first dimension is the very obvious one which in a short term has aroused a strong sense of despondency and dejection, followed by justified anger and outburst at the system. This is an essential dimension as it has the potential to pressurize the political and administrative system to deliver speedy justice, as these entities can afford to ignore mass sentiment only at their own peril. It also shows a sense of right, wrong and betrayal of expectations in society, and how much value the citizens place on basic principles like safety, accountability and good governance.

In fact, when deployed on a larger scale, this first dimension of public outrage can even dethrone a national government, as has been demonstrated in the recent turn of events in neighboring Bangladesh. The second dimension is how we can take lessons from this barbaric crime and ensure an improvement in the system so that we can hope to eradicate (or to at least minimize) future occurrences of this magnitude. The effectiveness of this dimension would depend on the maturity and moral sincerity of the political system to learn from the gaps and incorporate the right checks and balances.

An example could be to take stock of the safety measures across various government places like hospitals etc. not only in Kolkata but across districts and remote villages, and take effective steps to improve the same. The second would be to attempt to curb political influence in hospitals including the appointment to key positions of management and leadership, and give weightage to merit. Many more such process improvement steps can be considered as part of the second dimension.

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However, here we hit a roadblock. Past experience suggests that in most cases the second dimension goes out of the radar as soon as the media (including social media) searchlight focuses on the next issue at hand. There is no mechanism to ensure the robust execution of the right processes which can reduce the occurrence of unacceptable and ghastly events. Society hops from one issue to another, being caught in the endless loop of the first dimension and venting its frustration again and again at the altar of political and administrative indifference. This brings us to the third dimension. This is the least sexy of all the other dimensions. People talk about it but mostly at a collective level and also when this dimension is directed at others at a macro level, instead of towards the self at the micro level.

However, this dimension ultimately significantly influences the social outcomes of the other two dimensions mentioned above. This dimension (or the lack or misuse of it) , when neglected in times of apparent tranquility and calm, wreaks havoc through such incidents as the RG Kar tragedy and the helpless outburst of society at its inability to prevent such recurrences again and again. This dimension is about how we are nurturing ethics, morality and values in the different strata of our existence, percolating down to the level of the individual.

We need to take a hard look at our systems (including the educational and family systems) to see how we have nurtured such values both in our institutions as well as in our daily lives. This is the dimension that will perhaps give us more handle over our lives in distinguishing between right and wrong, and in ensuring that there is a quick and heavy price to be paid for being deliberately wrong. This may sound highly idealistic, but in reality may not be so. While the extensive process and measures through which this can be inculcated in the overall social and political mindset is beyond the scope of this article, it may be pertinent to mention that there are organizations that have been fairly successful in defining processes which bring about authenticity, accountability and integrity in the outcomes and actions of the people who are part of it.

However, there need to be more concerted efforts (almost to the point of being a mass movement) to make it an essential ingredient of existence at the national level. The third dimension is not an easy option because it is a long drawn and continuous effort, and there is no easy and quick way out. It would not appeal to the media and social media eyeballs.

Moreover, there is no collective element to it, in the sense that it may strongly challenge the individual to make certain intrinsic and hard changes inside out. These core values and integrity are something that we have to indoctrinate our minds with, and take personal ownership. This third dimension is the bedrock on which a peaceful and integrated society can live and prosper, where the necessity of the first dimension (i.e public outrage and vigilance) will be substantially reduced and the second dimension (i.e process improvement measures) will be productive and spontaneous.

(The writer is a chartered accountant.)
Russia has created three troop groups in the border regions as Ukraine continues its offensive there, local media has reported.

The groups are named after the regions of Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk, TASS news agency reported on Tuesday, citing Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov at a defence coordination meeting.

Ukraine started a military operation in the Kursk region on August 6. The Ukrainian army has seized more than 1,250 square km of Russian territory and taken control of 92 settlements in Russias western Kursk region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday.

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Russian Defence Ministry said on Tuesday it thwarted Ukrainian attempts to attack four settlements in Kursk and Ukraine lost 350 servicemen and 25 armored vehicles in the Kursk direction over the past day.
People mourn for victims killed in an Israeli airstrike at Salah al-Din school in Gaza City, on Aug. 21, 2024. At least five Palestinians were killed and many others injured by an Israeli airstrike on the Salah al-Din school in Gaza City, local medical sources said on Wednesday. (Photo by Mahmoud Zaki/Xinhua)

GAZA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least five Palestinians were killed and many others injured by an Israeli airstrike on the Salah al-Din school in Gaza City, local medical sources said on Wednesday.

Avichay Adraee, spokesperson for the Israeli army, confirmed the attack in a statement, saying that "a Hamas military compound in the Salah al-Din school in Gaza City was targeted."

"Fighter jets from the Air Force, with precise targeting and intelligence from military intelligence, the Shin Bet, and the Southern Command, attacked terrorists from the Hamas organization who were located in a command and control facility camouflaged in the school," Adraee added.

Earlier in the day, the Israeli army issued new evacuation orders in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, urging civilians to move towards the western neighborhoods of the city.

During the past 24 hours, the Israeli military killed 50 people and wounded 124 others in the Gaza Strip, bringing the total Palestinian death toll to 40,223 and injuries to 92,981 since the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October of last year, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Wednesday.

Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others were taken hostage. 

People mourn for victims killed in an Israeli airstrike at Salah al-Din school in Gaza City, on Aug. 21, 2024. At least five Palestinians were killed and many others injured by an Israeli airstrike on the Salah al-Din school in Gaza City, local medical sources said on Wednesday. (Photo by Mahmoud Zaki/Xinhua)

A woman mourns over the body of a victim killed in an Israeli airstrike at Salah al-Din school in Gaza City, on Aug. 21, 2024. At least five Palestinians were killed and many others injured by an Israeli airstrike on the Salah al-Din school in Gaza City, local medical sources said on Wednesday. (Photo by Mahmoud Zaki/Xinhua)

A man holds the body of a victim killed in an Israeli airstrike at Salah al-Din school in Gaza City, on Aug. 21, 2024. At least five Palestinians were killed and many others injured by an Israeli airstrike on the Salah al-Din school in Gaza City, local medical sources said on Wednesday. (Photo by Mahmoud Zaki/Xinhua)

People are seen at Salah al-Din school after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, on Aug. 21, 2024. At least five Palestinians were killed and many others injured by an Israeli airstrike on the Salah al-Din school in Gaza City, local medical sources said on Wednesday. (Photo by Mahmoud Zaki/Xinhua)
ISTANBUL, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police on Wednesday bust 32 illegal migrants in the northwest province of Kirklareli near the Bulgarian border, reported the state-run TRT broadcaster.

They were detained during an enforcement operation near the Pinarhisar district when police signaled a truck to stop, which ignored the warning and fled, leading to a chase towards the Derekoy border gate to Bulgaria.

After the chase, the police stopped the truck and discovered 32 migrants of various nationalities hiding in the back. The migrants were transported to the provincial security directorate's anti-migrant smuggling department.

TRT also reported that the truck driver, who was detained, is wanted for two separate offenses.

Kirklareli has recently become a preferred route for irregular migrants attempting to enter Europe illegally via Bulgaria by land. To combat human trafficking, police frequently conduct checks at key points along this route. 
Starbucks will get a new chairman and CEO next month and he is set to get some mindblowing perks: A $1.6 million base salary, $3.6 million to $7.2 million cash bonus, up to $23 million in annual equity and above all, he doesn't have to relocate  Instead he can supercommute 1,600 km to work from his California home to the coffee behemoth's Seattle HQ on a corporate jet.

Niccol, 50, who is set to take over as Starbucks chief on September 9 will replace Laxman Narasimhan. Narasimhan's salary was $1.3 million, with cash bonuses estimated to be up to $5.85 million and equity worth $13.6 million, as per the filings.

His entry to Starbuck comes amid plunging sales of the coffee major. Niccol has a history of bringing struggling companies back to life including Taco Bell and Chipotle.

To make up for his abrupt departure from Chipotle, Niccol will also receive $10 million cash bonus and $75 million in equity. His base salary at Chipotle was $1.3 million with a total compensation of $22.5 million.

What is Supercommuting?

Supercommuting refers to travelling regularly between different cities or countries for work, whether it's on public transport or even flights. This could prove costly for commuters, in terms of money and time, unless the company pays for their jet travel like in the case of the Starbucks CEO.

Supercommuting is necessitated when people prefer to live in a more affordable part of the country or want to live with family members. The benefits of supercommuting include a better work-life balance and reduced cost of living.
Popular Bollywood actor Vicky Kaushal on Tuesday said the filmmakers from the West feel the need to make films like 'Avengers' because they don't have "real superheroes" like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.

The actor stars as Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in his upcoming film Chhaava, directed by Laxman Utekar. The period drama will release on December 6.

Vicky Kaushal was speaking at a special event held at Chitra Cinemas where he and Utekar showed the teaser of the movie, produced by Maddock Films, to a group of fans.

The National Award winner said it is an honour for him to play the role of the Maratha warrior, who was the son of Maratha empire founder Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for an actor. The whole team has worked very hard on this film. I always say the West feels the need to make films like 'Avengers' because they don't have those kinds of superheroes that we have. We have real superheroes.

"If we look into the history of India, we will find so many superheroes like Sambhaji, Chhatrapati Shivaji that all other superheroes will fail in front of them. It's important to tell such stories and celebrate with people. We are proud of them. It's because of their valour and sacrifice that we are able to live in this beautiful country," Vicky said.

The makers officially released the first glimpse into the world of Chhaava on social media on Monday, days after its teaser premiered in cinema halls alongside the shows of Maddock Films' latest offering Stree 2.

The film also stars Rashmika Mandanna as Chatrapati Maharani Yesubai, the wife of Sambhaji, and Akshaye Khanna as Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

A.R. Rahman has composed the music for Chhaava, written by Rishi Virmani.
I have consistently and regularly attacked backward, feudal ideas, practices and customs, and superstitions among Hindus (just as I have attacked backward ideas and practices among Muslims).

This made many people think I am anti-Hindu.

For instance, I posted the following writing of the great French thinker Voltaire on my facebook page:

Baba and the Fakirs

A story by Voltaire (written in 1750)

When I was in the city of Benares on the banks of the Ganges, the ancient land of the Brahmans, I strove to learn. I understood Hindi fairly well. I listened much and noted everything. I was staying with my friend Om. He was a Brahman, the worthiest man I have ever known.

One day we went together to a temple. There we saw several holy men. As is well known, they have a learned language, Sanskrit, in which is written a sacred book they call the Veda.

I passed in front of a holy man who was reading this book.

"O wretched infidel, he cried. "You have made me forget the number of vowels I was counting. Because of that my soul will go into a rabbit's body when I die, instead of going into a parrot's, as I had every reason to hope it would.

I gave him a rupee to console him.

A few steps from there I had the misfortune to sneeze, which awakened a yogi who was in samadhi.

"Where am I?" he cried out. " hat a calamity! I can no longer see the end of my nose. The celestial light has disappeared."

"If I am the cause", I said to him, "of your not being able to see the end of your nose, here is a rupee to repair the harm. Now go back to your celestial light.

My friend Om then took me to the cell of the most famous of the holy men, whose name was Baba. He was naked as a monkey, and around his neck had a chain that weighed over sixty pounds. He was sitting on a chair which had nails penetrating into his buttocks. Many women came to consult him. He was the oracle of every family, and enjoyed a very great reputation.

Om had a long talk with him.

"Do you believe swamiji, Om said to him, that after seven lives and seven transmigrations of my soul I may reach the abode of Brahma?"

"That depends on how you live, said Baba.

"I strive, said Om, "to be a good citizen, a good husband, a good father, and a good friend. I give money to the poor, and I maintain peace among my neighbours.

"Do you sometimes put nails in your arse?" asked Baba.

"Never, swamiji, replied Om.

"I am sorry, but then you will certainly never reach the abode of Brahma, said Baba.

(End of story.)

I have repeatedly said that there is nothing wrong in eating beef.

Almost the whole world eats beef: North and South America, Europe, Africa, China, Australia, Japan, Arab countries, Asian countries (except most of India where it is legally banned), etc. Are all these people wicked, and Hindus alone sadhu sants?

Moreover, how can a cow be called 'gomata'? Can an animal be the mother of a human being?

Such people say that a cow gives us milk to drink, and hence she is like a mother, and should be venerated. But people also drink the milk of goats, buffaloes, yaks, camels, deer, etc. Should all such animals be regarded as a mother, and worshipped?

I regard a cow like any other animal, e.g. a horse or a dog.

For saying this I was branded as an anti-Hindu.

I also said that according to the original Ramayan by Valmiki, which is in Sanskrit, Ram is a human being, not a god. He was transformed into a god only 2,000 years later in Tulsidass Ramcharitmanas.

For saying this, I was again condemned as anti-Hindu. (Some people even called me appeaser of Muslims, overlooking the fact that I have repeatedly condemned burqa, sharia, maulanas and madrasas, drawing the ire of many Muslims, and praised Mustafa Kemal who suppressed these and modernised Turkey.)

Those who call me anti-Hindu have little idea of the great Hindu intellectualism which I have referred to in my articles.

I leave it to the reader: after going through this article, decide whether you still regard me as anti-Hindu.

Justice Markandey Katju retired from the Supreme Court in 2011. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK.
An explosion in the Escientia pharma unit in Atchutapuram of Andhra Pradeshs Anakapalle had claimed the lives of at least seven workers, reports said. Many others have suffered burn injuries in the blast that happened on Wednesday afternoon.



Atchutapuram Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is a pharmaceutical hub and a fire breakout at the Escientia pharma unit which triggered the explosion. The tragedy was caused when a reactor blew up during the lunch break, Indian Express said in a report. Escientia is one of the biggest companies operating from the SEZ and has over a thousand employees.

The daily identified two of the deceased workers as Pudi Mohan and N Harika, both native to Rambilli Mandal.

Anakapalli District Collector Vijaya Krishnan told the press that the accident occurred around 2:00 pm. While the severely injured were rushed to hospitals in Visakhapatnam, some others were admitted to the Anakapalli NTR District Hospital.

Thick smoke caused by the fire hampered rescue efforts at the facility even though over a dozen fire and rescue units were rushed to the spot. Among the survivors were 13 people who were trapped inside the facility following the fire.

Officials suspect that the cause of the fire was electricity-related.

More details are awaited.
Maharashtra state congress president Nana Patole on Wednesday claimed that the school in Badlapur where alleged sexual assault of two kindergarten girl students took place was associated with BJP and RSS and the CCTV footage from the school is missing. He alleged that an attempt to suppress the case was underway in order to protect school's reputation.

The MVA parties have given a Maharashtra Bandh call on August 24 to protest the shocking incident and said that it had tarnished Maharashtra's image.

The state government has announced a special investigation team probe into the incident led by Inspector General of Police Arti Singh. The Eknath Shinde government wants to appoint Ujwal Nikam as special public prosecutor to handle the case but MVA has taken strong objection stating that Nikam is a BJP member as he contested recent LS election on BJP ticket.

The accused, Adarsh Shinde, was employed at Adarsh Vidya Mandir where he allegedly sexually assaulted two girls aged 4.

Meanwhile railway services to Badlapur, on Mumbai-Pune rail route, resumed around 9 pm on Tuesday night, after a 10 hour long agitation by people from Badlapur.

According to Patole, the incident in Badlapur has once again brought the serious issue of the safety of women and girls in the state to the forefront. As a result, a discussion on seat sharing at the Mahavikas Aghadi meeting was cancelled and instead, a discussion on the increasing incidents of violence against women and their safety was held. The meeting was attended by Congress, Shiv Sena UBT and NCP (SP) leaders.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Patole expressed his anger over the Badlapur incident, stating that the BJP alliance government is drunk on power and doesn't care about anything going on in the state. The number of crimes against women in the state has increased significantly, but the government is in a state of complacency. Big events are being held to distribute Rs 1500 under the "Ladki Bahin" scheme, but the safety of sisters is not being ensured. The situation in the state is that of total anarchy, there is no law and order, no government, no home minister.

The role of the police in the Badlapur incident has also come under the scanner. The mother of the victim, who went to file a complaint, was made to sit in the police station for more than 10 hours. It raises the question of under whose pressure the police are working and who the government is trying to protect, Patole said.

Despite a large public movement in Badlapur demanding strict action against the culprit, there was an attempt to suppress the protest as well. Incidents of child abuse are also increasing in the state. The BJP alliance government is extremely inefficient and corrupt. To give a wake-up call to the government, a Maharashtra bandh has been called on August 24. All constituent parties of the Mahavikas Aghadi will participate in this bandh. Patole also urged doctors, lawyers, and parents to join this bandh to raise their voices against the government and ensure justice for the victim's family in Badlapur.
Even as Badlapur in Thane is reeling from protests over the alleged sexual assault on two nursery students by a sweeper at a reputed school in the district, reports have emerged about the delay by the police in taking action against the accused initially.

The school administration, on Monday, suspended the principal, a class teacher and a female attendant, apart from sacking the accused. As per the complaint, the sweeper sexually abused the four-year-old girls in the toilet of the school. He was arrested on August 17.

However, Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly Vijay Wadettiwar alleged that the parents of the children were made to wait at the police station for 11 hours before the FIR was filed. They (parents of the girls) are made to wait for 11 hours when they seek to file a complaint. Is there any sensitivity left? I spoke to the police commissioner and told him that the woman police officer responsible for this delay must be suspended immediately."

The parents also, reportedly, said that while the incident happened on August 13, the case was filed only on August 16.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has ordered a probe into the alleged sexual assault and a special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the case, which will be headed by senior IPS officer Arti Singh.

"The incident that has happened is serious. The state government has formed an SIT, and an IG-level woman officer will head the SIT. We will try that this case is investigated immediately, a chargesheet is prepared and the case is taken up in a fast-track court, so that the victims get justice," Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.

He added that the state government has ordered the suspension of three police officials, including a senior police inspector, for alleged dereliction of duty in probing the sexual abuse of the two girls.

Thousands took to the streets on Tuesday to protest against the alleged sexual abuse. The demonstrators vandalised the school and pelted stones at Badlapur railway station during the 'rail roko' agitation. Central Railway train services and suburban services were severely disrupted following the protests. Police had to resort to lathi-charge to disperse the protesters.

War of words between Mahajan and Danve

Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Girish Mahajan justified the police action against protesters who blocked rail tracks at Badlapur station. He said the state government had accepted most of the demands made by protesters, but it was not possible to publicly execute the accused. However, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Ambadas Danve of the Shiv Sena (UBT) blamed the Mahayuti government and the police for its handling of the incident and the subsequent protest at Badlapur station, and announced his party will launch a state-wide agitation from Wednesday.

While Mahajan described certain protesters as "daily wage" workers, Danve called the agitation a spontaneous manifestation of public outrage.
Actor-politician Mimi Chakraborty, who has come out with a series of X posts expressing support for the ongoing protests demanding justice for the doctor who was raped and killed at Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, has been receiving rape threats for backing the protests.

The former Trinamool Congress MP took to X to share screenshots of the online rape threats that she received and sought to know what education and upbringing permitted such acts.

AND WE ARE DEMANDING JUSTICE FOR WOMEN RIGHT????

These are just few of them.

Where rape threats has been normalised by venomous men masking themselves in the crowd saying they stand by women.What upbringing nd education permits this????@DCCyberKP pic.twitter.com/lsU1dUOuIs  Mimi chakraborty (@mimichakraborty) August 20, 2024

A former MP receives rape threats! Alarming reminder of womens vulnerability, wrote TMC leader Nilanjan Das in response to her tweet, and urged Kolkata police to look into such threats.



Mimi Chakraborty has been regularly posting visuals of the protests in the state on X.





"Punishment should be such that next time even thinking of a heinous crime like this gives you shiver down the spine," she had said in one of her posts.



Punishment should be such that next time even thinking of a henious crime like this gives you shiver down the spine. #RGKarMedicalcollege

Some1s daughter died, some1s dream, some1s family nd the loss is irreparable.



No mercy plea is what i stand for.

I stand with you.  Mimi chakraborty (@mimichakraborty) August 11, 2024

Several other actors like Arindam Sil, Madhumita Sarcar, and Riddhi Sen too had extended support to the protesters who have been demanding justice for the victim.



Mimi Chakraborty, popular for movies like Crisscross, Posto and Proloy, made her political entry in 2019 and won the Lok Sabha polls from the Jadavpur constituency on a TMC ticket.



The postgraduate trainee doctor was raped and murdered in R G Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, triggering protests and outrage across the nation. A civic volunteer was arrested in connection with the case the next day.
BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) issued a new judicial interpretation on punitive damages for food and drug cases on Wednesday to guide producers in engaging in lawful production and encourage consumers to exercise their rights in a rational manner.

Chen Yifang, a chief judge of the SPC's first civil adjudication tribunal, highlighted the court's focus on balancing the protection of consumers' rights and interests with the promotion of economic and social development at a press conference.

"The judicial interpretation strengthens the protection of consumer rights and interests while implementing the principle of proportionate penalties," Chen said. "It regulates excessive compensation claims to ensure the normal operation of production and business activities."

The document, which consists of 19 articles, supports punitive damages claims for all purchasers within the scope of their daily consumer needs, thereby fully protecting the rights of ordinary consumers to seek compensation.

The interpretation also addresses malicious excessive compensation claims and repeated claims. Those who knowingly purchase counterfeit goods and maliciously seek excessive compensation will have their claims supported within a reasonable scope, in accordance with the law.

The judicial interpretation also takes into consideration public opinions solicited during the drafting process. It stipulates that when necessary, food and drugs should be disposed of or destroyed in accordance with relevant provisions of the Food Safety Law and the Pharmaceutical Administration Law. This is to eliminate public concerns about unqualified food and drugs re-entering the market.

To crack down on illegal compensation claims, the document imposes penalties ranging from fines to detention for perpetrators engaged in illegal activities such as blackmailing for compensation or fabricating false lawsuits. The severity of the offense determines the level of punishment.

The judicial interpretation will come into effect on Thursday.

Moving forward, the SPC aims to enhance coordination between civil litigation and administrative law enforcement. It also plans to provide legal support for procuratorial organs in filing public interest litigation to curb illegal acts by market entities, according to Chen. 
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the central armed force under the ministry of home affairs, which is tasked with providing security to large institutions both public and private, including nuclear installations, airports, seaports, power plants, important government buildings, heritage monuments, took charge of the security of the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

The CISF team reached the hospital a day after the Supreme Court ordered the deployment of CISF there to enable doctors to resume work. The court had observed that several doctors left the campus after the violence and vandalism that took place on August 15.

The team conducted a recce of the hospital premises and spoke to the local police and hospital authorities about the security arrangements.

ALSO READ: Kolkata doctor rape-murder: Sourav Ganguly to join protest at RG Kar Hospital

Senior CISF officer K Pratap Singh, who was at the hospital in the morning, said he is doing his job mandated by the higher authorities.

#WATCH | RG Kar Medical College & Hospital murder and rape case | DIG CISF K Pratap Singh says, "Let us do our job. We have come here for some assignment. I am doing my job which has been mandated by the higher authorities..." pic.twitter.com/hxm7cbdmAp  ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2024

Ordering the deployment of CISF at the hospital, the apex court, on Tuesday, said, "In the aftermath of the brutal incident and the demonstrations which followed, the state government was expected to ensure the deployment of the state machinery to prevent a breach of law and order...We are unable to comprehend how the state was not prepared to deal with the incident of vandalisation of the premises of the hospital."

The court was told that of the nearly 700 resident doctors working at the hospital, merely 60-70 have stayed after the August 15 incident.

READ MORE: 'Can't wait for another rape for things to change': What SC said about safety of doctors | 10 points

Meanwhile, protests demanding justice for the trainee doctor who was raped and murdered at the hospital have continued in Kolkata and other cities in the country.
Under-fire former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly will join the protesting junior doctors at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, to demand justice for the trainee doctor who was raped and brutally murdered.

Even as the Supreme Court took suo motu action in the rape and murder case and requested the protesting doctors to end their strike, the medics vowed to continue their agitation until the apex court delivers its verdict on Thursday. They will also hold a protest march today from RG Kar Hospital to Sashthya Bhawan.

The trainee doctor's body with severe injury marks was found inside the seminar hall of the hospital's chest department on August 9. A civic volunteer was arrested by the Kolkata Police the following day for his alleged involvement in the incident. Thousands have been protesting against the police apathy and the state government's handling of the probe.

ALSO READ: The ugly past of RG Kar Medical College: Porn video rackets, suicides and mysterious deaths

Ganguly is expected to join the protesting doctors, along with his wife Dona. The former BCCI boss faced a huge backlash recently for referring to the rape and murder of the doctor as an isolated incident. Speaking to reporters at an event at the Biswa-Bangla Convention Centre, Ganguly had said that a state or a country should not be judged based on an isolated incident. Such accidents happen all over the world. It is wrong to think that girls are not safe. Not only in West Bengal, but everywhere in India, women are safe, he had said.

Following the backlash, he clarified that his remark was misconstrued, and added that the culprit should be given the harshest punishment so that nobody else dares to commit such crimes in future.

Ganguly also blacked out his DP on social media platform 'X', in solidarity with the protesting doctors, like several others.

SC orders removal of name, photos and videos

Ordering the removal of the name, photos and videos of the deceased trainee doctor from all social media platforms, the bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said disclosure of the identity of a victim of sexual assault is a violation of its order passed in the Nipun Saxena case.

The top court was hearing a plea filed by lawyer Kinnori Ghosh and others against the disclosure of the victim medic's identity on social media. The plea said the name of the deceased and related hashtags have been widely disseminated on electronic and social media platforms including Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Google (YouTube) and X (formerly Twitter).

In its 2018 judgement in the Nipun Saxena case, the top court had said, "No person can print or publish in print, electronic, social media, etc. the name of the victim or even in a remote manner disclose any facts which can lead to the victim being identified and which should make her identity known to the public at large."

CBI may conduct polygraph test on principal

CBI may conduct a polygraph test on Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Ghosh, who resigned two days after the trainee doctor's body was found, has already been grilled by the central agency. According to PTI, there have been "discrepancies in some of the replies" given by him, and hence the CBI is mulling over the option to conduct a polygraph test.
An Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter aircraft made an unintended release of an "air store" near the Pokhran firing range on Wednesday due to a technical malfunction. The IAF said it has ordered an inquiry into the incident. It, however, did not reveal the exact nature of the "air store".



The incident occurred during a routine IAF operation in an isolated area and there was no damage to life or property, authorities said.

Pokhran firing range is located in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district. Located in the Thar Desert, the isolated area used by the IAF to test weapons and execute firing exercises.

An inadvertent release of an air store from an Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter aircraft took place near Pokhran firing range area, due to technical malfunction, today. An enquiry by the IAF has been ordered to investigate into the incident. No damage to life or property has been  Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) August 21, 2024

"An inadvertent release of an air store from an Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter aircraft took place near Pokhran firing range area, due to technical malfunction, today," the Indian Air Force (IAF) posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Ramdevra police station's Sub-Inspector Shankar Lal told the press that villages reported the presence of a shattered object lying on the ground about a kilometre away from their residences. They were alarmed by a "loud bang" some distance away from their homes and found the damaged "air store" after launching a search.

Usually, "air stores" are munitions, bombs, or other military equipment carried by aircraft. They are attached to an aircraft in such a way that they can be released or jettisoned during flight.

Earlier in April, Pokhran firing range hosted 'Gagan Shakti', the biggest exercise in the history of IAF.

Last year an IAF jet was forced to jettison external stores in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur due to a technical malfunction, reports said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a two-nation trip to Poland and Ukraine today. In the first leg, he will vist the Polish capital city, Warsaw, on August 21 and 22. The prime minister will then be in Kyiv on August 23. It will be the first visit by an Indian PM to Ukraine since the country became independent in 1991.

In a departure statement, Modi, referring to the Ukraine conflict, said that as a "friend and partner", India hopes for an early return of peace and stability in the region.

Poland visit

Modi's visit to Poland will seek to increase India's presence in the sixth-largest economy in the European Union (EU), which is fast becoming a low-cost manufacturing and logistics hub.

With Poland already home to nearshoring operations of Tata Consultancy Services, HCLTech, Infosys and Wipro, and manufacturing units of Ranbaxy, Berger Paints and automotive and equipment manufacturer Escorts, the country is aiming to attract more Indian investments.

According to MEA secretary (West) Tanmaya Lal, PM Modi will meet his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk, and also Polish president Andrzej Duda. He will also interact with the Indian community there, and interact with interact with prominent business persons and ecologists.

Lal also said that nearly 30 Polish companies are doing business in India.

Leaving for Warsaw. This visit to Poland comes at a special time- when we are marking 70 years of diplomatic ties between our nations. India cherishes the deep rooted friendship with Poland. This is further cemented by a commitment to democracy and pluralism.



I will hold talks  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 21, 2024

Visit to Ukraine

Modi will travel to Kyiv from Poland in a 'Rail Force One' train that will take around 10 hours. Modi's visit comes more than a month after his much-criticised trip to Moscow, which did not go down well with the US and some of its western allies. India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has been calling for resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

According to Lal, the talks between Modi and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are expected to focus on India-Ukraine ties, with emphasis on agriculture, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, health and education, and defence.

Ukraine, the worlds largest traditional producer of cooking oil, was once India's major supplier. But the Russian invasion resulted in edible oil prices going through the roof in 2022, forcing India to turn to Russia, the second-largest producer of sunflower oil. As of FY24, Russia is the largest source of cooking oil for India.

India has also been purchasing crude oil from Russia for the past two years, despite pressure from the west. A non-military solution to the conflict is believed to be in India's best interests, as far as trade is concerned.

Lal also said that India is willing to provide all support and contribution to Ukraine not only find a peaceful solution to the conflict but also in the recovery process.

Modi had held talks with Zelenskyy in June on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy.
Dr Sandip Ghosh, who resigned as RG Kar Medical College Hospital principal following the alleged rape and murder of a doctor at the institute, was involved in several illegal activities including the selling of unclaimed bodies, a former deputy superintendent has claimed. Dr Ghosh has been grilled for over sixty hours by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the 31-year-old doctor's murder. He is being probed by the West Bengal government as well over the alleged disclosure of the rape-murder victim's identity.



READ HERE | Kolkata doctor rape-murder: CISF takes charge of security of RG Kar Hospital

It was Akhtar Ali, a former state health recruitment board deputy superintendent who alleged Dr Sandip Ghosh of leading several unethical and criminal activities. Apart from selling unclaimed corpses, the principal took money from students for the illegal trafficking of medical waste. The whistleblowing last year saw Akhtar Ali being transferred.

Here are five major allegations levelled against Dr Sandip Ghosh, an orthopaedic surgeon during his practising days, by Akhtar Ali in an explosive revelation.

1. Dr Sandip Ghosh took money from students who failed examinations. Many students fell prey to this scandal, Ali alleged.

2. Dr Sandip Ghosh maintained contacts in Bangladesh. These people were willing to take medical wastes including used gloves, syringes and other equipment from RG Kar Medical College Hospital. These went against the regulations in place regarding safe disposal of medical wastes.

3. The former hospital employee alleged that as much as 20 per cent of every tender acquired was collected by Dr Ghosh as commission. Vendors who were willing to pay him rich dividends were given priority, he added.

4. According to whistleblower Ali, he had tried to raise this issue with Dr Sudipta Roy, chairman of the West Bengal Health Recruitment Board. However, he was threatened by the official with termination instead of probing the allegations, he told the press.

READ HERE | Kolkata doctor rape-murder: Actor-politician Mimi Chakraborty faces rape threats for supporting protests

5. The principal took money for anything and everything -- from hostel allotments and staff selection, transfers, or even housestaffship, the former deputy superintendent was quoted as saying by media reports.
Ahmedabad, Aug 20 (PTI) Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Anupriya Patel on Tuesday emphasised on the critical importance of the chemical industry in achieving the vision of a USD 5 trillion Indian economy and hailed Gujarat's key role in the sector.

Patel said Gujarat stands at the forefront of India's industrial landscape, especially in chemicals and petrochemical segments.

She was in Ahmedabad to attend an industry meet in the run-up to 'India Chem 2024', the 13th Biennial International Exhibition and Conference on Chemicals and Petrochemicals to be organised in October by the Union Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilisers in collaboration with FICCI.

Ahead of the meeting with industry leaders associated with the sector, Anupriya Patel called on Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar in what was a courtesy visit.

"Gujarat is the leader with a 62 per cent share of India's petrochemical production, 53 per cent share of chemical production and 45 per cent of the pharma production. The state also accounts for 41 per cent of the chemical and petrochemical exports," she pointed out.

The Union minister invited entrepreneurs from the sector for the 'India Chem' event to be held in October in Mumbai.

She said the central government has accorded priority to chemicals and petrochemicals segments and taken several initiatives to reduce bottlenecks, ease the burden of compliances, and create an investment-friendly environment.

Gujarat's Industries Minister Balvantsinh Rajput, who was the guest of honour at the event, highlighted the state's strategic role in powering India's industrial growth.

"Gujarat is the leader in chemical and petrochemical segments. The state has a share of 8.4 per cent in the national GDP and 18 per cent share in the overall manufacturing output. The state is home to more than 100 Fortune 500 companies and also 19 lakh MSMEs. Gujarat ranks first in export preparedness and logistics performance index," Rajput said.
Thane/Pune: Shripad Shankar Nagarkar Jewellers, a name synonymous with distinctive and designer jewelry in Pune for over seven decades, has now embarked on a new chapter by inaugurating a grand showroom in Thane. Located on Ram Maruti Road, the showroom was unveiled on Sunday and has already garnered significant attention for its unique and rare jewelry designs, as highlighted by Director Pushkar Nagarkar.



The showroom's inauguration was a proud moment, marked by the presence of key members of the Nagarkar familyDirectors Vasant Nagarkar, Vasanti Nagarkar, and Swati Nagarkarwho have upheld the 72-year-old tradition of customer satisfaction and trust. Other notable attendees included Directors Prasad Nagarkar, Pushkar Nagarkar, Pooja Nagarkar-Kulkarni, Rohan Kulkarni, and Priyanka Nagarkar.



Speaking on the occasion, Vasant Nagarkar expressed his joy, stating, "After 72 years of dedicated service in Pune's Tulshibaug and Laxmi Road, we are excited to bring an innovative collection of jewelry to Thane. Our range includes both traditional and fusion pieces in gold, silver, and diamonds. We offer a wide variety of jewelry, from lightweight to more substantial pieces. Customers can find ready-made items or opt for custom designs. We invite Thane residents to visit and explore our new showroom."



Prasad Nagarkar added, "The uniqueness of our designs is our specialty. We are recognized as designer jewelers, offering innovative jewelry in gold, silver, diamonds, and polki. Our extensive collection includes traditional pieces like Bakuli, Pohe Haar, Thushi, Shrimant Haar, Kolhapuri Saj, Vajra Tika, Chandrahara, pearl jewelry, as well as fusion designs such as Kundan necklaces, Geru necklaces, Nakash work, Moti Kundan, Gahu Todya necklaces, Rani, and Lakshmi Haar."



Shripad Nagarkar founded Shripad Shankar Nagarkar Jewellers in 1952. The Nagarkar brothers, Vallabh and Vasant, successfully expanded the business. The third generation of Nagarkars, Prasad and Pushkar, is working hard to bring their tradition of antique and unique jewelry to Pune and other cities across the state. The Thane showroom, their third branch, spans nearly 4,500 square feet and is staffed by over 35 employees committed to providing customer-focused service, noted Pooja Nagarkar-Kulkarni.



For more details and to experience the exclusive collection of jwellery made by SS Nagarkar Jewellers, you can visit on https:snagarkarjewellers.com/.



(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with HT Syndication and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR

PWR
BANGKOK, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Yuchai Power System (Thailand) Co., Ltd. officially opened in Samut Prakan amidst high expectations on August 20 local time. As the first overseas factory of Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Co., Ltd. (Yuchai) (NYSE:CYD), it represents a significant milestone in Yuchai's globalization strategy, highlighting Yuchai's further development in overseas markets. This establishment is expected to inject new momentum into Yuchai's growth, particularly in the Southeast Asian market.



At the opening ceremony, senior leaders of Yuchai, representatives from the Economic and Commercial Office of the Embassy of China in Thailand, key partners, and guests from various sectors witnessed this historic moment. Yuchai Power System (Thailand) Co., Ltd. mainly produces diesel engines, gas engines, and clean-energy engines. The initial products put into production include K08, S06 and S04 series. In the future, enabling the production of Yuchai 2-11L series products.



As one of the earliest engine exporters in China, Yuchai has been exporting its products to Southeast Asia since 1970s. Over the past half century, Yuchai has been accelerating its pace towards globalization. Especially over the last decade, aided by the open cooperation policy between China and ASEAN countries, Yuchai has given full play to its advantages in location, product and channel, becoming a pioneer in expanding the ASEAN market. Yuchai exported only 400 units to ASEAN in 2004. In recent years, export volume has increased to more than 20,000 units per year. As of now, Yuchai has set up 21 overseas institutions and 495 service agents, with over 680,000 engines held globally.



In the new era, taking the Thailand factory as an important starting point of its globalization strategy, Yuchai will further strengthen cooperation with key partners such as Beiqi Foton to enhance product competitiveness and expand its presence in the Southeast Asian market. Through this strategic layout, Yuchai aims to significantly increase its product share in overseas markets, further consolidating and expanding its market to lay a solid foundation for global business growth.



It is worth noting that Yuchai will cooperate with KIM LONG MOTOR, a subsidiary of FUTA Group, to build new factories in Vietnam. At the same time, strategic cooperation negotiations in Europe and the Middle East are also advancing. The first K08 engine from Yuchai's factory in Thailand was officially rolled off the production line and delivered to customers, marking the official launch of the global market blueprint jointly envisioned by Yuchai and its partners.



Li Hanyang, Chairman of Yuchai, stated that in the future, Yuchai will leverage the strategic support of the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area. Yuchai aims to build its Thailand factory into an advanced facility emphasizing high-end, intelligent, digital, and green manufacturing. This will support Yuchai's doubling plan and provide more high-quality products to customers, promoting high-quality development of the industrial chain in China, Thailand, and the ASEAN region.



Https://www.yuchai.com/

E-mail: csm@yuchai.com



(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR

PWR
New Delhi, Aug 21 (PTI) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday questioned Amazon's announcement of USD 1 billion investment in India, saying the US retailer was not doing any great service to the Indian economy but filling up for the losses it had suffered in the country.

He said that their huge losses in India "smells of predatory pricing", which is not good for the country as it impacts crores of small retailers.

Launching a report on 'Net Impact of e-commerce on Employment and Consumer Welfare in India' here, the minister lambasted the e-commerce companies, questioning their business model that has been impacting small retailers in the country.

"When Amazon says that we are going to invest a billion dollars in the country, we celebrate, and we forget that the billion dollars are not coming in for great service or investment to support the Indian economy. They made a billion-dollar loss in their balance sheet that year, they had to fill in that loss.

"And how did that loss get caused, they paid Rs 1,000 crores to professionals. I do not know who these professionals are...I would love to know, which chartered accountants, professionals or lawyers get Rs 1,000 crores unless you are paying all the top lawyers to block them so that nobody can fight a case against you," the minister said.

He wondered whether the Rs 6,000 crore loss in one year does not smell of predatory pricing, as they are just an e-commerce platform and those companies are not allowed to do B2C (business to consumer) business.

As per the policy, the e-commerce platform legally can not do B2C in the country.

The minister alleged that these companies only re-route all the businesses through an entity to show that it is B2B.

"How are they doing it? Should this not be a matter of concern for us," he said.

He added that the e-commerce sector has a role, but one has to think "very" carefully and cautiously about what that role is.

"How that role can be in an organised fashion. Is predatory pricing policies good for the country?" Goyal asked.

He also said that e-commerce companies are eating into the small retailer's high-value, high-margin products that are the only items through which the mom-and-pop stores survive.

The minister also said that with the fast-growing online retailing in the country, "Are we going to cause huge social disruption with this massive growth of e-commerce".

Citing examples of Western countries, Goyal said Europe and America have seen the consequences of this.

"What has happened to the mom-and-pop stores there? How many do you see surviving, why did Switzerland allow e-commerce until recently (so late)," he said, adding "...I am not wishing away e-commerce, it is there to stay".

Further, he said one has to see the impact of cloud kitchens on restaurants and people buying food items online.

"We will land up becoming a country of couch potatoes, watching OTT and having food at home every day," he said.

Commenting on online pharmacies, the minister said, "We have to assess what is happening to 5 lakh pharmacies of the country".

He expressed concern over these firms selling medicines online.

"Online, you can order whatever you want...it is a matter of concern," Goyal said, adding "How many mobile stores do you see in the corner, and how many were there 10 years ago".

He pointed out that India is not a developed nation like the US and Switzerland with high per capita income, and a large section of people need affirmative action and help here.

"Of course, I do not deny that technology will play its part, technology is a means to empower, to innovate, to meet consumer requirements, probably sometimes more efficiently, but we will have to see that it grows in an orderly fashion," he said.

People have to see that this connectivity and convenience is citizen-centric, he said, adding that in the race for market share of online retailers at 27 per cent a year, "we do not land up causing huge disruption for the 100 million small retailers across the country".

Amazon India is facing rising competitive intensity in India from players like Flipkart and SoftBank-backed Meesho, as well as the onslaught of firms like Blinkit, Swiggy's Instamart and Zepto that are making aggressive inroads into the market as busy consumers opt for the convenience of instant delivery of grocery and many other household items.

Last year, Amazon had talked of plans to invest USD 15 billion more in India, taking its total investment in the country to USD 26 billion.

After meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the US in 2023, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said: "I had a very good and productive conversation with Prime Minister Modi. I think we share a number of goals. Amazon is one of the biggest investors in India. We have invested USD 11 billion to date and intend to invest another USD 15 billion, which will bring the total to USD 26 billion. So, we are very much looking forward to the future of partnering".

Goyal also criticised the report, saying he does not agree with the findings of the study 'Net Impact of e-commerce on employment and consumer welfare in India'.

"I would like to completely disassociate myself from this report...I do not agree with any of these findings....I think, in the urge to show that this has not had an impact on employment in India, the researchers have lost sight of even the statistics, which EY has put out," the minister said.
New Delhi, Aug 21 (PTI) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday asked tax officers to use simpler words in notices or letters they sent to taxpayers and exercise power bestowed upon them judiciously.

Addressing the 165th Income Tax Day celebrations, Sitharaman said that after adopting the faceless regime, the tax officers must now aspire to be more "fair and friendly" in their dealings with taxpayers.

The tax notices should not trigger a "sense of fear" among the taxpayers and instead, it should be simple and straightforward, she added.

The notice should make it "crystal clear" to the assessee the reason for which a notice was being sent to him/her, the minister noted.

Sitharaman also said there was room for improvement in issuing refunds faster.

Asking taxmen to avoid "ham-handed ways" in dealing with taxpayers, the minister said that the action taken should be proportionate to the issue at hand.

She also asked taxpayers to use enforcement measures only as a last resort, and the goal of the department should be to encourage voluntary compliance.

The minister also underlined that when she says that the tax department should be more friendly and transparent, it does not mean that the tax officers were unfair all these years.

"Can we explore issuing simple and easy-to-understand notices? Explain the reason behind why the action was taken and why the notice was being sent," Sitharaman said.

Stating that she would stand with the tax department, the minister said that tax officers should continue to perform their sovereign duties.
BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) has launched an open inquiry into an overpriced product of the Shanghai MicroPort Endovascular MedTech (Group) Co., Ltd.

It is the first open inquiry conducted by the NHSA involving a medical device enterprise, which aims to regulate operator's pricing activity, tackle improper sales of medical products through overcharging, and safeguard the well-being of patients and the country's healthcare funds, according to the NHSA.

This move follows a preliminary talk with the Shanghai-based company concerning their Castor branched aortic stent graft system, whose price drastically increased from about 50,000 yuan (about 7,012 U.S. dollars) of manufacturer's price to 120,000 yuan at the sales agent's side.

However, the price adjustment plan proposed by the company following the talk still failed to reduce the price gap to a reasonable range.

The NHSA has required the company to submit relevant explanatory materials to it before Aug. 26, and to publicize all relevant content while accepting societal oversight and a peer review.

The NHSA has vowed further measures in accordance with its price risk management mechanism and, if necessary, its credit rating mechanism, should the company not meet its requirements.

On Wednesday, the company released a statement concerning the matter, saying it is willing to further adjust the price under the guidance of the NHSA.

According to the company's website, their product is the world's first covered stent to achieve endovascular repair of the aorta and supra arch branch artery through minimally invasive treatment. 
Amritsar, Aug 21 (PTI) The Akhal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) have demanded an immediate ban on the film "Emergency", claiming it tries to "character assassinate" Sikhs.

SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami, addressing a press conference, also sought the registration of an FIR against the Kangana Ranaut, the film's writer, director, producer and lead actor.

"Emergency", starring actor-MP Ranaut, is slated to hit the screens next month.

The release of the period political drama has been delayed multiple times; it was previously scheduled to be released on November 24, 2023.

Expressing strong objection, Gyani Raghbir Singh, Jathedar (head) of the Akal Takht, said it is clear from the released excerpts of the film that it has deliberately misrepresented the character of Sikhs as separatists, which is part of a deep conspiracy.

This is a "despicable act" of disrespecting the community by "creating an anti-Sikh narrative about the martyrs of June 1984", he said in a statement.

The community can never forget the anti-Sikh brutality of June 1984 and Ranaut's film is trying to character assassinate Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale, who has been declared a Qaumi Shaheed (community's martyr) by Sri Akal Takht Sahib, Singh said.

Dhami said this film has been made by Ranaut, who remains in controversy due to her anti-Sikh and anti-Punjab statements, with the intention of "deliberately character assassinating" Sikhs, which the community cannot tolerate.

He alleged that Ranaut has often deliberately made statements that provoked the sentiments of Sikhs, but instead of taking action against her, the government is protecting her.

He urged that the Lok Sabha MP be booked "for inciting religious sentiments of Sikhs for her act through the film Emergency".

He said the film could "cause a lot of anger and resentment in the Sikh community".

Dhami said in the past, there have been numerous instances where Sikh sentiments were hurt due to the misrepresentation of Sikh characters and the disregard for religious concerns in films.

He urged the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting to impose an immediate ban on the "Emergency" film and said it should be ensured that no film with anti-Sikh sentiments is released from now on.

The SGPC president called for the inclusion of Sikh members in the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), claiming "biased decisions are being taken due to the absence of a Sikh member".

He said the SGPC has on several occasions passed resolutions in its general meeting to demand the inclusion of a representative of Sikhs in the CBFC, but the government is not meeting the demand.
Tehran, Aug 21 (AP) A bus carrying Shiite pilgrims from Pakistan to Iraq crashed in central Iran, killing at least 28 people, an official said Wednesday.

The crash happened Tuesday night in the central Iranian province of Yazd, said Mohammad Ali Malekzadeh, a local emergency official, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

Another 23 people suffered injuries in the crash, 14 of them serious, he added. He said all the bus passengers hailed from Pakistan.

There were 51 people on board at the time of the crash outside of the city of Taft, some 500 kilometers (310 miles) southeast of the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Iranian state television later blamed the crash on the bus brakes failing and a lack of attention by its driver.

In Pakistan, media reports quoted a local Shiite leader, Qamar Abbas, saying as many as 35 people had died in the crash. He described those on the bus as coming from the city of Larkana in Pakistan's southern Sindh province. Pakistan's government offered no immediate comment.

Iran has one of the world's worst traffic safety records with some 17,000 deaths annually. The grave toll is blamed on wide disregard for traffic laws, unsafe vehicles and inadequate emergency services in its vast rural areas.

The pilgrims had been on their way to Iraq to commemorate Arbaeen.

Arbaeen  Arabic for the number 40  marks the death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Hussein, at the hands of the Muslim Umayyad forces in the Battle of Karbala, during the tumultuous first century of Islam's history. Hussein was seen by his followers as the rightful heir of the prophet's legacy. When he refused to pledge allegiance to the Umayyad caliphate, he was killed in the battle, cementing the schism between Sunni and Shiite Islam.

Pilgrims gather in Karbala, Iraq, in what's regarded as the largest annual public gathering in the world. The event draws tens of millions of people each year.

A separate bus crash early Wednesday in Iran's southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province killed six people and injured 18, authorities said. (AP)

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Colombo, Aug 21 (PTI) Sri Lanka's former president Maithripala Sirisena has settled in full the SLR 100 million compensation for the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 270 people, including 11 Indians, during his tenure.

Sirisena, 72, was ordered by the Supreme Court to pay SLRs 100 million as compensation to victims for his negligence in preventing the countrys one of the worst terror strikes despite having credible information of an imminent attack.

His lawyers said the full payment of rupees 100 million was completed on August 16.

Nine suicide bombers belonging to local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) linked to ISIS carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three Catholic churches and as many luxury hotels on April 21, 2019, killing nearly 270 people, including 11 Indians, and injuring over 500. Sirisena was also the minister of defence at that time.

The attack stirred a political storm as the then President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe were blamed for their inability to prevent the attacks despite prior intelligence being made available.

In mid-July, Sirisena reported to the court that he had already paid SLR 58 million and pleaded for six more months to pay the balance of 42 million.

A presidential panel of inquiry appointed by Sirisena after the attacks ironically found the then-president guilty of his failure to prevent the attacks.
Dubai, Aug 21 (AP) A commercial ship travelling through the Red Sea came under repeated attack Wednesday, leaving the vessel not under command in an assault suspected to have been carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels, the British military said.

Details remained few about the attack, though it comes during the Houthis' monthslong campaign targeting ships over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

The attack saw men on small boats first open fire with small arms, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.

The ship also was hit by three projectiles, it added.

The vessel reports being not under command, the UKMTO said, likely meaning it lost all power. No casualties reported.

The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, though it can take them hours or even days before their acknowledge one of their assaults.

The Houthis have targeted more than 70 vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sunk two in the campaign that also killed four sailors.

Other missiles and drones have been either intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets.

The rebels maintain that they have targeted ships linked to Israel, the United States or the U.K. to force an end to Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

The Houthis have also launched drones and missiles toward Israel, including an attack on July 19 that killed one person and wounded 10 others in Tel Aviv. Israel responded the next day with airstrikes on the Houthi-held port city of Hodeida that hit fuel depots and electrical stations, killing and wounding a number of people, the rebels say.

After the strikes, the Houthis paused their attacks until Aug. 3, when they hit a Liberian-flagged container ship traveling through the Gulf of Aden. A Liberian-flagged oil tanker came under a particularly intense series of attacks, beginning Aug. 8, likely carried out by the rebels. A similar attack happened Aug. 13 as well.

As Iran threatens to retaliate against Israel over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, the U.S. military told the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area. America also has ordered the the USS Georgia guided missile submarine into the Mideast, while the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group was in the Gulf of Oman.

Additional F-22 fighter jets have flown into the region and the USS Wasp, a large amphibious assault ship carrying F-35 fighter jets, is in the Mediterranean Sea. (AP)



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Islamabad, Aug 21 (PTI) Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday demanded an open court trial of former Pakistan spymaster Lt Gen (retd.) Faiz Hameed if his links with the May 9 violence were established as then it would not be an internal military affair.

These remarks came just two days after Khan on Monday expressed his fear that authorities were coercing the arrested former spymaster to become a state witness against him (Khan) in the May 9, 2023 riots.

After Khan was arrested in an accountability case last year, hundreds and thousands of his followers and workers of his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vandalised a dozen military installations, including the Jinnah House (Lahore Corps Commander House), Mianwali Airbase and the ISI building in Faisalabad on May 9.

The Army headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi too was attacked by the mob for the first time.

The arrest of Hameed, the former chief of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was disclosed by the military last week.

During an informal conversation with journalists at the Adiala Jail at Rawalpindi, where he has been lodged since last year, Khan said that if Hameed is indeed the mastermind behind the May 9 conspiracy, then the trial should be held openly, adding that the incident was a local issue rather than a matter of national security.

Earlier in one of the similar informal talks with the media soon after Hameed was arrested, Khan had said it was an internal matter of the army.

Theyll make Faiz Hameed turn state witness against me, he told reporters and added, The army chief should facilitate a transparent trial for Faiz Hameed.

Hameed, who served as director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) from 2019 to 2021 when Khan was the prime minister, was arrested following action in the complaint of a private property developer over alleged misuse of official authority.

He denied that he had any association with the ex-spy chief since the latter retired in November 2022. General Faiz became insignificant after retirement. How could he benefit me in any way? Khan questioned, dismissing the notion that he was in contact with the former ISI chief.

The former premier also said he knew who ordered my arrest and this person was the number one and the Badshah and the super King but didnt name anyone.

Khan also expressed concern that subjecting him (Khan) to a military trial would damage Pakistan's global image, reiterating his belief that the matter should be resolved in a civil court, not a military one, as it concerns a civilian leader, not the army's internal operations.

The former ISI chief was arrested on the complaint of a property developer who alleged that he was guilty of misuse of official authority.
Warsaw, Aug 21 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday arrived in Poland on the first leg of his two-nation visit during which he will also travel to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and share perspectives with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.

Prime Minister Modi's visit to Poland is the first trip by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in the past 45 years. During his stay in Poland, Modi will meet President Andrzej Sebastian Duda and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

"My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe," he said.

"Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship. I look forward to meeting my friend Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda to further advance our partnership," Modi said in his departure statement earlier today.

"I will also engage with the members of the vibrant Indian community in Poland," Modi said.

Prime Minister Modi's discussions with the Polish leadership during his two-day visit will allow the two sides to exchange views at the top level on a variety of subjects and it will be a kind of real "useful exchange" of views, Indian Ambassador to Poland Nagma Mohamed Mallick told PTI Videos here.

From Warsaw, Modi will travel to Kyiv on the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since the country became independent in 1991.

"From Poland, I will be visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine," he said.

"I look forward to the opportunity to build upon earlier conversations with President Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict," he said.

"As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region," he added.

Modi said he was confident that his visit to Warsaw and Kyiv "will serve as a natural continuation of extensive contacts with the two countries and help create the foundation for stronger and more vibrant relations in the years ahead".

The prime minister will travel to Kyiv from Poland in a 'Rail Force One' train that will take around 10 hours. The return trip will also be of the same duration.

Modi's visit to Kyiv comes nearly six weeks after his high-profile trip to Moscow which triggered criticism from the US and some of its Western allies.

India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has been calling for resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
London, Aug 21 (PTI) The UK on Wednesday announced new GBP 3.1 million funding to work with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to bolster the regional African response to outbreaks of Mpox and cholera in the country.

The funding announcement follows a declaration from the World Health Organisation (WHO) that the upsurge of Mpox in the DRC and a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).

During a visit to the Institute National de Recherche Biomedical (National Institute of Biomedical Research) in the DRC, minister Lord Ray Collins announced the funding for a new partnership with UNICEF aimed at benefiting over 4.4 million people in affected communities and preventing the further spread of Mpox to neighbouring countries.

"Working together, with our partners and using the expertise and dedication of Congolese scientists, including those at the world-leading research centre I have visited in DRC, our support will play an important role in ensuring global health security for all, said Collins, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) minister in charge of Africa.

By protecting the health and wellbeing of communities across DRC, and by helping contain these outbreaks, we reduce the risk of diseases spreading further afield. This will ultimately benefit us all, he said.

There have been more than 17,000 Mpox cases and 571 deaths in Africa this year, following the emergence of a new clade 1b variant of the disease first spotted in the DRC.

Mpox, previously referred to as monkey pox, causes blisters on the face and elsewhere, and mainly spreads when fluids from these lesions are passed on during sexual contact. But it can also be spread through other types of skin-to-skin contact, as well as an infected person coughing or sneezing nearby, and can even be spread by touching clothing, bedding, or towels used by someone with Mpox. The smallpox vaccine is used to protect against its spread.

The UK said it remains in regular contact with the WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention on developments of the outbreak and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is closely monitoring the situation. India is also on high alert over the disease, which has reportedly been detected outside Africa in Sweden and Pakistan.

The UKs support to the DRC, in partnership with UNICEF, on the Mpox response, will contribute to saving the lives of affected populations by aligning with the DRC's national Mpox preparedness and response plan," said Professor Christian Ngandu, Public Health Emergency Operations Centre Coordinator at DRC's National Public Health Institute.

The funding announcement came as Collins visited DRC this week to bolster bilateral ties between the UK and DRC and drive forward the bilateral relationship in key areas, including climate and trade and investment.

The minister also announced GBP 6 million of new UK funding to provide clean drinking water and sanitation to some 200,000 displaced in partnership with UNICEF and SAFER, helping improve access to clean water for all. The FCDO said this forms part of a three-year humanitarian programme in the east of DRC, providing life-saving emergency assistance and increasing the resilience of crisis-affected communities affected by the conflict.
Lahore, Aug 21 (PTI) Pakistan's top investigation agency on Wednesday arrested a web freelancer under cyber terrorism charges for his alleged role in disseminating the disinformation that led to race-motivated riots across the UK following the stabbing of three young girls last month.

The riots broke out in the north-west England town of Southport after false claims over the UK-born teenage male suspect being a Muslim refugee who arrived illegally into the country on a small boat recently spread like wildfire online.

Farhan Asif  a freelance web developer associated with the Channel3Now platform that is blamed for posting the disinformation has been arrested from his Defence House Authority residence in Lahore following the request of the British government to look into the matter.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said on Wednesday that it registered a case against Asif, a father of two, under sections 9 (glorification of offence) and 10A (cyber terrorism) of PECA (Prevention of Electronic Crimes).

A copy of the FIR available with PTI says the suspect uploaded an article on his website www.channel3now.com, with the title "17-year-old Ali Al Shakati arrested in connection with a stabbing incident in Southport England."

The FIA says the said article contained a false claim about the arrest of a Muslim asylum seeker by police in the fatal stabbings of three young girls at a holiday dance party in Southport on July 29.

"The false name widely shared on social media spurred the far-right section into a violent rioting. Asif admitted to providing misleading information to BBC regarding his accomplices in an attempt to divert blame to others," it says.

The FIA said it raided Aif's residence along with police and arrested him.

A senior FIA official told PTI that the Pakistan government might consider handing the suspect over to Britain if it requested his extradition because it is a "very serious matter."

Recent reports aired by UK media identified a little-known platform, Channel3Now, as being the source of the disinformation that claimed the British-born 17-year-old suspect was a Muslim immigrant who had arrived in the UK on a boat.

However, the assertion by UK broadcaster ITV News that a Pakistani individual was the originator of the false news story has been questioned, both by local law enforcement and other UK media outlets.

The investigators believe that Asif was not the first source of this spurious news but copy-pasted it from a social media post.

They say the disinformation was first published by kossyderrickent.com, a little-known tabloid on July 29. The tabloid posts reports about celebrities and trending topics in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, the US, Zimbabwe and India.

The disinformation was then shared by a UK-based woman who has previously been involved in spreading disinformation about COVID-19 and climate change on social media accounts.

The FIA said Asif, upon realising the mistake, issued an apology and deleted the post from all social media accounts, but the disinformation kept gaining traction as it kept being shared by other users and garnering views online.

Channel3Now regularly publishes sensational news stories under the pretence of being an American-style TV channel.
Chicago, Aug 21 (PTI) For millions of Americans, the November presidential elections is a choice between a bright future and a dark night, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday.

In his address, soon after the ceremonial Roll Call vote in which Vice President Kamala Harris got all the delegates' votes, the top American senator urged his party members and countrymen to vote and elect Harris as the next president of the US and defeat the Republican presidential candidate former president Donald Trump.

Make sure Donald Trump never gets near the White House, he said urging people to vote for Harris.

The senator said Harris would need a Democratic majority in both the House and the Senate to get work done. She cannot do it alone, he said.

I am wearing this blue square to stand up to anti-semitism, to stand up to all hate. Our children, our grandchildren, no matter their race, no matter their creed, their gender or family, deserve better than Donald Trump's American carnage," he added.
Dhaka, Aug 21 (PTI) Former Bangladesh prime minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia returned to her home as a free person on Wednesday after undergoing more than a month's treatment at a hospital here.

Zia, 79, was acquitted of all charges against her following the fall of the Awami League government led by her arch-rival and prime minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5.

Having been under house arrest for the past five years, this is the first time that Zia, the Chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will go home as a free person following a presidential pardon earlier this month, The Daily Star newspaper reported.

Many party activists and senior leaders escorted her home as she left the hospital around 7:00 pm, said Shayrul Kabir Khan, the report quoted a BNP media cell member as saying.

Zia served as the prime minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006.

Suffering from various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, and issues related to kidney, lungs, heart, and the eyes, Zia was admitted on July 8.

She will soon be sent abroad for advanced medical treatment, said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on August 16.

On July 8, she was admitted to Evercare Hospital in the capital six days after she had been discharged from the same hospital with various ailments.

A group of specialist doctors successfully installed a pacemaker on her on June 23.

Khaleda's doctors have been recommending sending her abroad since she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis in November 2021, the UNB news agency reported.

On October 26 last year, three US specialist doctors completed the hepatic procedure known as the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS procedure) to stop water accretion in Zia's stomach and chest, and bleeding in her liver.

She was lodged in the Old Dhaka Central Jail on February 8, 2018, after a special court sentenced her to five years in prison in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case.

On October 30, 2018, the High Court raised her punishment to 10 years. Later, she was convicted in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.

Amid the Covid-19 outbreak, the government temporarily freed Zia from jail after 776 days through an executive order, suspending her sentence on March 25, 2020, with conditions that she would stay in her Gulshan house and not leave the country.

On August 6, after the regime change in Dhaka, Zia was completely freed by an order of Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin.

On Monday, tax authorities decided to unfreeze the bank accounts of Zia, 17 years after they were blocked, indicating the fast-changing political scene in Dhaka after the fall of the Hasina-led government.
BUCHAREST, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- This year's drought has caused 1.5-1.8 billion euros (1.67-2 billion U.S. dollars) in losses to Romania's agriculture, severely affecting 2.5 million hectares of crops, said Ionel Arion, president of the Pro Agro National Federation on Wednesday.

Approximately 40 percent of the nation's wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower fields have been devastated, Arion was quoted as saying by local business daily Ziarul Financiar.

Despite the government offering 500-600 million euros (555-666 million dollars) in compensation, the funds fall significantly short of covering farmers' basic losses.

Arion said the costs of growing a hectare of crops range between 800 and 1,200 euros (888 and 1332 dollars), while the compensation only equals 200-230 euros (222-255.3 dollars) per hectare.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development estimates that the losses span approximately 2 million hectares nationwide, with another 330,000 hectares of autumn crops, including wheat, barley and rapeseed, also severely impacted.

As the damage assessments continue, there are growing concerns that the total losses could increase further, potentially leading to more food imports and increased costs for consumers.

Meteorologists forecast that the heatwave will persist, worsening the already dire situation for Romanian farmers.

The Pro Agro National Federation, established in 2012, represents and advocates for the interests of Romanian agriculture, food industry and related sectors through 17 affiliated professional organizations at the national and European levels. 
Warsaw, Aug 21 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid homage to the Polish-Indian legacy at the memorial for the Valivade-Kolhapur camp here in the Polish capital.

Modi, who arrived here earlier for a two-day visit, paid tributes at the memorial plaque for the Valivade-Kolhapur camp near the Monte Casino War Memorial, which was inaugurated in November 2017.

Valivade village near Kolhapur town in Maharashtra was where over 5,000 Poles had lived, integrated, and worked for several years before returning to their motherland.

The majority of them had arrived either by land or sea route after evacuations from Polish camps at the height of the Second World War.
Dubai, Aug 21 (AP) A Greek-flagged oil tanker travelling through the Red Sea came under repeated attack Wednesday, leaving the vessel not under command and drifting ablaze after an assault suspected to have been carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels, the British military said.

The attack, the most serious in the Red Sea in weeks, comes during a monthslong campaign by Houthis targeting ships over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that has disrupted a trade route through which USD 1 trillion in cargo typically passes each year.

In the attack, men on small boats first opened fire with small arms about 140 kilometres west of the rebel-held Yemeni port city of Hodeida, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said.

Four projectiles also hit the ship, it added. It wasn't immediately clear if that meant drones or missiles.

The vessel reports being not under command, the UKMTO said, likely meaning it lost all power. No casualties reported.

Later, the UKMTO warned the ship was drifting while on fire in the Red Sea.

The Greek shipping ministry later identified the vessel as the tanker Sounion, which had 25 crew members on board at the time of the attack as it travelled from Iraq to Cyprus.

Later Wednesday, the UKMTO reported a second ship being targeted in the Gulf of Aden by three explosions that occurred in the water close to it, though they caused no damage.

The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attacks, though it can take them hours or even days before they acknowledge their assaults.

The Houthis have targeted more than 80 vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that also killed four sailors.

Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the United States or the UK to force an end to Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

The Houthis have also launched drones and missiles toward Israel, including an attack on July 19 that killed one person and wounded 10 others in Tel Aviv. Israel responded the next day with airstrikes on Hodeida that hit fuel depots and electrical stations, killing and wounding a number of people, the rebels say.

After the strikes, the Houthis paused their attacks until August 3, when they hit a Liberian-flagged container ship travelling through the Gulf of Aden. A Liberian-flagged oil tanker came under a particularly intense series of attacks beginning August 8, likely carried out by the rebels. A similar attack happened August 13 as well.

The last three recent attacks, including Wednesday's, targeted vessels associated with Delta Tankers, a Greek company.

As Iran threatens to retaliate against Israel over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, the US military told the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area. America also has ordered the USS Georgia-guided missile submarine into the Mideast, while the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group was in the Gulf of Oman.

Additional F-22 fighter jets have flown into the region and the USS Wasp, a large amphibious assault ship carrying F-35 fighter jets, is in the Mediterranean Sea. (AP) GRS

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Moscow, Aug 21 (AP) Moscow came under one of the largest attacks by Ukrainian drones since the start of fighting in 2022, Russian authorities reported Wednesday, saying they destroyed all of those headed toward the capital.

The drone attacks come as Ukrainian forces are continuing to push into Russia's western Kursk region. In the past week, they have also struck three bridges, several airfields and an oil depot in a sign they are not letting up on their attacks.

This was one of the biggest attempts of all time to attack Moscow using drones, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his Telegram channel. He said strong defences around the capital made it possible to shoot down all the drones before they could hit their intended targets.

Russia said it downed 45 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 11 over the Moscow region. There was no independent information to verify those figures.

Some Russian social media channels shared videos of drones apparently being destroyed by air defence systems, which then set off car alarms.

Ukrainian drone strikes have brought the fight far from the front line into the heart of Russia, targeting the Russian capital and second city St. Petersburg, and an airport in Western Russia, according to Russian officials.

Since the beginning of this year, Ukraine has stepped up aerial assaults on Russian soil, targeting refineries and oil terminals to slow down the Kremlin's assault.

A fire at an oil depot targeted by Ukraine burned for the fourth day Wednesday in Rostov, a region in southwestern Russia that borders Ukraine. Priests from the Russian Orthodox Church held a prayer service for injured firefighters as dark plumes of smoke rose in the distance at the oil depot in Proletarsk, according to a photo shared on social media by the Volgodonsk diocese.

Ukraine's daring land incursion into Russia has raised morale in Ukraine with its surprising success and changed the dynamic of the fighting, creating hopes it could hasten an end to the war.

But it has opened up another front in a fight where Ukrainian forces were already badly stretched, with active hostilities taking place along more than 970 kilometres. The gains in Kursk come as Ukraine continues to lose ground in its eastern industrial region of Donbas.

The Russian state news agency Tass reported that 31 people had died since Ukraine's attack on Russia began August 6, figures which are impossible to verify. It said 143 people had suffered injuries, of whom 79 were hospitalised, including four children.

A Ukrainian drone dropped an explosive device on a car in the Bolshesoldatsky area of Kursk region, slightly northeast of the town of Sudzha, the acting governor Alexei Smirnov said. One woman was killed on the spot and two others were hospitalised, he said.

Russia's Central Electoral Commission announced that local elections in six districts and one city of the Kursk region scheduled for September 8 will be postponed and rescheduled when voters' safety can be guaranteed.

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said Ukraine's attack on Kursk has ended any possibility of peace negotiations.

Who will negotiate with them after this, after the atrocities, the terror that they are committing against peaceful residents, the civilian population, civilian infrastructure and peaceful facilities, she said at a briefing Wednesday in Moscow.

Ukraine said it was respecting the Geneva Conventions, the international humanitarian rules of war.

Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said Kyiv established an office in the Kursk region to provide humanitarian and medical aid to the local population. More than 90 per cent of the Russian civilians who stayed in territories of the Kursk region currently controlled by Ukraine are aged 60 and older, he said.

We have no right to leave them there to die," Klymenko said, according to the Ukrinform national news agency.

Ukraine's attacks on three bridges over the Seym River in Kursk could potentially trap Russian forces between the river, the Ukrainian advance and the Ukrainian border. Already they appear to be slowing down Russia's response to the Kursk incursion.

Ukrainian forces appear to be striking Russian pontoon bridges and pontoon engineering equipment over the Seym in an area west of the Ukrainian advance point, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Tuesday.

Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC analysed Wednesday by The Associated Press showed a significant fire on the Seym near the village of Krasnooktyabrskoe.

The blaze appeared on the northern bank of the river on Tuesday, with another fire seemingly in the village itself. Such fires are common after strikes and often signify where ongoing front-line combat is taking place.

The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces had thwarted attack attempts by Ukrainian assault groups in the Kursk region, according to a report from Tass. Ukraine's armed forces saw more than 45 soldiers killed or wounded over the past 24 hours while two were captured while attempting to attack the Kursk region, Tass said. There was no independent confirmation of those numbers and no comment from the Ukrainian side.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's Army General Staff said it struck a Russian S-300 defence system Wednesday some 200 kilometres behind enemy lines in Novoshakhtinsk in the Rostov region. It said Russia had used the S-300 system for ground strikes at Ukrainian troops and peaceful cities, destroying residential buildings and terrorizing the civilian population. (AP)

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Singapore, Aug 21 (PTI) Giving insight into infrastructure developments and economic progress across India to an international forum, High Commissioner Dr Shilpak Ambule on Wednesday said Indias strategy is to have advanced technologies to support 8 to 10 per cent GDP growth to make it a developed economy by 2047.

Speaking at the World Opportunities Forum Singapore 2024 attended by Singapore-based envoys of leading investment-oriented countries as well as investors and entrepreneurs, India's High Commissioner here highlighted that policies formulated in New Delhi were implemented across the country, including rural regions, women folks and the agriculture sector.

Projects such as roads, railways, ports and airports have been done and others are in progress or are in the pipeline, said the High Commissioner as he addressed over 150 delegates led by the Ambassador of Mexico and Dean of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps, Agustin Gracia Lopez Loaeza.

The forum was organized by Sun Media Communications, a leading publications and publicity group working mostly with embassies in the city-state.

Trade enhancement economic corridors on the eastern side and western side of the country are in place and more are in the pipeline as India continues to progress on becoming a developed economy by 2047.

Elaborating on business opportunities in India, Ambule pointed out the 1,200 aircraft ordered by airlines operating in India for taking deliveries in 10-15 years, calling the aviation sector one of the growing segments of the economy.

Further, he shared Indias strategy to have advanced technologies to support the 8 per cent to 10 per cent economic growth that would make India a developed economy by 2047.

In fact, we have doubled the number of airports from 74 to 148 in the last 10 years, he said.

Peoples income has doubled in 10 years, urbanisation is taking place, said the Indian envoy, adding that people were more confident, their aspirations were higher and consumer spending was on the rise.

Women in the rural regions have been empowered and trained to handle technology-savvy drones for surveys of soils across farmlands among others while their bank accounts, linked to their mobile phones, are receiving direct subsidies.

There is a lot of focus on technology deployment in agriculture as per the Union Budget 2024-25 presented in July, he added.
Asheboro, Aug 21 (AP) Donald Trump is holding his first outdoor rally since narrowly surviving an attempted assassination in Pennsylvania last month.

Trump's podium at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame, where he is slated to deliver remarks on national security Wednesday afternoon, is surrounded by panes of bulletproof glass that form a protective wall across the stage.

Storage containers have been stacked around the perimeter of the space to create additional walls and block sight lines. Snipers have been positioned on roofs at the venue, where old aircraft are sitting behind the podium and a large American flag is suspended from cranes.

The event is part of Trump's weeklong series of counterprogramming to the Democratic National Convention, which is underway in Chicago. Allies have been urging him to focus on policy instead of personal attacks as he struggles to adjust to running against Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

On Tuesday night, the convention showcased a double dose of Obama firepower, as the former president and former first lady assailed Trump, calling him out repeatedly by name.

His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black, Michelle Obama said of Trump in a rousing speech.

Barack Obama mocked Trump's obsession with his crowd sizes and called Trump a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn't stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.

It's been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that's actually gotten worse now that he's afraid of losing to Kamala, the former president said.

Trump will be joined on Wednesday by his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. He's spent the week visiting battleground states in his busiest week of campaigning since the Republican primaries.

Reflecting the importance of North Carolina in this year's election, the trip is Trump's second to the state in just the past week. Last Wednesday, he appeared in Asheville, North Carolina, for a speech on the economy.

Trump won North Carolina by a comfortable margin in 2016. The state delivered the former president his closest statewide margin of victory four years ago and is once again considered a key battleground in 2024.

Before Trump arrived, his plane did a flyover of the rally site. The crowd erupted into cheers.

Lisa Watts, a retired business owner from Hickory, North Carolina, who was attending her fifth Trump rally, said she's feeling very positive about the race.

A month ago they never spoke her name and now she's like, quote quote the savior for the country,' Watts said of the vice president. I don't think that her record proves that she is ready to run this country."

Watts said she doesn't think Trump's chances of winning are much different now from when Biden was the Democratic nominee.

I think the Democrats are going to try to do everything they can to keep her up on that pedestal, she said, predicting the hype around Harris will fade. (AP)

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Chicago, Aug 21 (PTI) Hope is making a comeback in America, former first lady Michelle Obama has said as she made an impassioned case for Kamala Harris and described her as the most qualified person ever to seek the office of the US president.

Michelle, in her speech to the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night, described Vice President Harris as a candidate who worked her way up from a middle-class background, drawing on lessons from the two womens late mothers.

"America, Hope is making a comeback," Michelle, the wife of former president Barack Obama, said as she was given a rousing welcome by thousands of Democratic party leaders and workers from across the country for the national convention.

Harris, 59, is scheduled to formally accept the Democratic Party's presidential nomination on Thursday to take on Republican rival Donald Trump, 78, in the November 5 election.

Recollecting the death of her mother recently, Michelle, 60, said she was an inspiration for her and so was the mother of Harris.

"Her mother moved from India at 19, she said, as she spoke about Harris' mother Shyamala Gopalan.

Kamala Harris is more than ready for this moment. She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency. And she is one of the most dignified tributes to her mother, to my mother, and probably to your mother too," she said.

"Her story is your story, it's my story. It's the story of the vast majority of Americans trying to build a better life. Kamala knows, like we do, that regardless of where you come from, what you look like, who you love, who you worship, or what's in your bank account, we all deserve the opportunity to build a decent reputation. All of our contributions deserve to be accepted and valued. Because no one has a monopoly on what it means to be an American. No one, she said.

Michelle said Harris has shown her allegiance to this nation, not by spewing anger and bitterness, but by living a life of service and always pushing the doors of opportunity open for others.

"She understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth. If we bankrupt a business or choke in a crisis, we don't get a second, third, or fourth chance," she said.

Michelle said for years Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear them.

"His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black," she said.

"Who's going to tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those "Black jobs"? It's his same old con: doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people's lives better," she said.

Making a passionate plea for electing Harris as the net president of the United States, Michelle called for voting her to power.

I don't care how you identify politically - whether you are a Democrat, Republican, independent, or none of the above- this is our time to stand up for what we know in our hearts is right. To stand up not just for our basic freedoms, but for decency and humanity, for basic respect, dignity, and empathy. For the values at the very foundation of this democracy," she said.

"It's up to us to remember what Kamala's mother told her: "Don't just sit around and complain about something!'" she said.

"If we start feeling tired, if we start feeling that dread creeping back in, we've got to pick ourselves up. throw water on our faces, and do something!" she added.

Michelle said that this election is going to be close.

"In some states, just a handful of votes in every precinct could decide the winner, So we need to vote in numbers that erase any doubt. We need to overwhelm any effort to suppress us. Our fate is in our hands, she said.

"In 77 days, we have the power to turn our country away from the fear, division, and smallness of the past. We have the power to marry our hope with our actions. We have the power to pay forward the love, sweat, and sacrifice of our mothers and fathers and all those who came before us. We did it before and we sure can do it again," she said.
Ratlam (MP), Aug 21 (PTI) A probe has been initiated into the alleged waving of Pakistani flag during a programme held at a private school in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam after the matter was raised by ABVP, an official said on Wednesday.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad staged a protest demanding action against the private school, where the Pakistani flag was allegedly used in the Independence Day event, and submitted a memorandum to the district collector.

District Collector Rajesh Batham told PTI the memorandum was forwarded to the police for investigation, and legal steps will be taken based on the probe outcome.

ABVP activists staged a protest and blocked a road after the video of the purported waving of the Pakistani flag went viral, said ABVP's Ratlam district convenor Satyam Dave.

Deepak Pant, Director of Time Kids Pre-School, where the incident occurred, said children had staged a drama on the freedom struggle on August 15, also depicted the Partition.

The flags of India and Pakistan were used in this drama, he said and added that someone shot the video of this scene and made it viral.

"It was a drama on Independence. I have the script of the story," Pant claimed.
Thane, Aug 21 (PTI) Maharashtra minister Shambhuraj Desai on Wednesday claimed that the protesters who blocked the railway traffic at Badlapur in the district following the incident of sexual abuse of two girls at a local school were outsiders.

Probe was on to find out who was behind the violent protests, he said.

Desai, who is also the guardian minister of the district, was speaking to reporters after visiting Badlapur, over 50 km from Mumbai.

The "rioters and protesters" were outsiders and not locals, he claimed.

As to the accused man arrested for the alleged sexual abuse at the school, the minister said the school management failed to ensure police verification of the staff hired from outside agencies.

The accused, notably, was working as a school attendant.

Meanwhile, the school where the incident took place remained closed on Wednesday, said Ambernath tehsildar Amit Puri.

It is for the school management to decide when to resume classes, he added.



The school had been ransacked by a violent mob on Tuesday.
Bhopal, Aug 21 (PTI) Former Union minister and BJPs prominent tribal leader Faggan Singh Kulaste on Wednesday accused the opposition of politicising the Supreme Courts ruling about sub-classification within Scheduled Castes, saying the Centre has already clarified its stand on it.



The MP from Mandla (ST) Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh said, The judges have given their opinion. I personally along with 60-70 MPs met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this issue. The PM told us that the creamy layer provision (sub-classification) will not be implemented among SCs and STs.

The Union cabinet has also decided that the apex courts opinion will not be implemented, he told reporters in Bhopal.

Despite such clarity and decision of the government, people have called for a Bharat Bandh They are playing politics. Congress played politics in the name of SCs and STs and Mayawati (BSP chief) is also doing the same, Kulaste said.

He said that former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee had also protected the reservation.

There could be an opinion of the judges but the governments stand is clear on this issue as it will not be implemented, he said.

Twenty-one organisations across the country have called for a Bharat Bandh on Wednesday against the Supreme Court's August 1 decision over quota. The organisations have opposed the decision, saying it will harm the basic principles of reservation.

The Supreme Court on August 1 held that states are constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within the SCs, which it said form a socially heterogeneous class, for granting reservation for the uplift of castes that are socially and educationally more backward among them.

The apex court, however, made it clear that states have to make the sub-classification based on quantifiable and demonstrable data of backwardness and representation in government jobs and not on whims and as a matter of political expediency.
Raipur, Aug 21 (PTI) The day-long Bharat Bandh, called by certain Dalit and Adivasi groups against the Supreme Courts verdict on sub-classification of Scheduled Castes, evoked a mixed response in Chhattisgarh, barring tribal-dominated regions.

Several shops and commercial establishments remained closed in parts of Bastar and Surguja divisions, largely inhabited by tribals, and Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki and Dhamtari districts. The shutdown evoked a mixed response in Raipur, Bilaspur, Durg, Rajnandgaon and Korba districts.

Bastar Division comprises seven districts and Surguja Division six districts.

Transport services largely remained unaffected. Schools, hospitals and other essential services were kept out of the bandh ambit.



In Dantewada district headquarters, a huge motorcycle rally was organised by members of Sarva Adivasi Samaj (SAS), an umbrella body of tribal organisations.

SAS leader Ballu Bhavani claimed the bandh received a good response in Dantewada with people from various sections of society, including traders, extending their support.

Bhavani said a memorandum addressed to the President, Prime Minister, and Chief Justice of India was submitted at the district collectorate against the "unconstitutional" verdict of the apex court on sub-classification of Scheduled Castes.

The opposition Congress extended its "moral" support to the shutdown and called for addressing concerns of members of ST and SC communities.

"People belonging to ST and SC communities and their organisations have called for Bharat bandh for their legitimate demands, which should be considered sympathetically as it is their Constitutional right. Congress morally supports their agitation," said the state's Congress communication wing head Sushil Anand Shukla.

The top court on August 1 held that states are constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within the SCs (Scheduled Castes), which it said form a socially heterogeneous class, for granting reservation for the uplift of castes that are socially and educationally more backward among them.

The Supreme Court, however, made it clear that states have to make the sub-classification based on quantifiable and demonstrable data of backwardness and representation in government jobs and not on whims and as a matter of political expediency.
MOSCOW, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang said here Wednesday that China is ready to work with Russia to further strengthen multilateral coordination to firmly promote world multipolarity and economic globalization.

Li made the remarks when meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin after he co-chaired the 29th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. 
Pune, Aug 21 (PTI) The Pune police on Wednesday booked four minors, including a girl, for allegedly sexually abusing their 13-year-old female friend and detained two of them, a police official said.



Police said the minors and the teenager are mutual friends and the girl was subjected to sexual abuse by the juveniles twice.

In the first incident, one of the male juveniles, despite knowing that the victim is minor, allegedly established forceful relations, said a police official.

In the second incident, the accused girl took her female friend to the house of one of the boys where a second minor allegedly sexually abused her, while the third juvenile recorded the assault on his phone, the official said.

Police on Wednesday registered a case under Indian Penal Code sections 376 (rape) and 363 (kidnapping) and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he said.

Two of the three accused boys were detained and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, he added.
Bhopal, Aug 21 (PTI) The Madhya Pradesh home department has directed the collectors and superintendents of police (SPs) of all districts in the state to take necessary steps to maintain law and order situation during the day-long Bharat Bandh called by some groups over community-based reservation on Wednesday.

Veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh also extended support to Bharat Bandh.

In a circular issued on Tuesday night, the state home department directed the collectors and SPs of all districts besides police commissioners of Bhopal and Indore to maintain law and order situation in their respective jurisdictions during the Bharat Bandh.

Twenty-one organisations across the country have called for a Bharat Bandh on Wednesday against the Supreme Court's August 1 decision on the issue of Scheduled Castes-Scheduled Tribes (SC-ST) reservation. The organisations opposed this decision and said that it will harm the basic principles of reservation.

The Supreme Court on August 1 held that states are constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within the SCs, which form a socially heterogeneous class, for granting reservation for the uplift of castes that are socially and educationally more backward among them.

The apex court, however, made it clear that states have to make sub-classification on the basis of "quantifiable and demonstrable data" of backwardness and representation in government jobs and not on "whims" and as a matter of "political expediency".

Digvijaya Singh in a post on X on Wednesday morning said, "I support Bharat Bandh in protest against the Honourable Supreme Court's decision regarding division of classes among the SC ST and appeal to everyone for cooperation."

The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister on Tuesday tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) have also extended support to the Bharat Bandh.
Mumbai, Aug 21 (PTI) The NCP (SP) on Wednesday said the party chief Sharad Pawar's safety is always a priority as he is the tallest political leader in the country in view of the Centre assigning the highest category of armed VIP security cover -- Z plus -- to the ex-Union minister.

Party spokesperson Clyde Crasto said if the Z plus security is accorded to Pawar after a threat assessment review then it is a cause of concern.

The Union Home Ministry and the state home department must take this cause of concern seriously, he said.

"Sharad Pawar is the tallest political leader in our country. His safety must be a priority at all times," Crasto said.

The Union Home Ministry has asked the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to extend the cover to the 83-year-old former chief minister of Maharashtra. A team of 55 armed CRPF personnel has been earmarked for the task, official sources said.

A threat assessment review by central agencies has recommended a strong security cover for Pawar. The Centre has accorded him a Z plus cover to be protected by the CRPF VIP security wing, the sources said.

A CRPF team is already in Maharashtra to take up the task, they said.

The VIP security cover categorisations begin from the highest Z plus followed by Z, Y plus, Y and X.
Guwahati, Aug 21 (PTI) The day-long Bharat Bandh called by some groups over community-based reservation had no impact in Assam on Wednesday.

Schools, offices and business establishments functioned normally with almost full attendance across the state.

Vehicular traffic was normal and long-distance buses operated according to their schedules. There were no disruptions to railway services, with all trains running on time.

Twenty-one organisations across the country have called for Bharat Bandh against the Supreme Court's August 1 decision on the issue of SC-ST reservation.

The organisations opposed the verdict, contending that it will harm the basic principles of reservation.
Kolkata, Aug 21 (PTI) CBI officers may conduct a polygraph test on Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where a woman doctor was allegedly raped and murdered earlier this month.

Ghosh, who resigned two days after her body was found in a seminar hall of the medical facility on August 9, has already appeared before sleuths of the central probe agency for questioning several times.

"We want to further verify Ghosh's answers, as there have been discrepancies in some of the replies to our questions. Therefore, we are mulling over the option to conduct a polygraph test on him," an official told PTI.

Ghosh was on Tuesday, too, grilled by investigators, as part of its probe into the rape-murder of the postgraduate trainee.

CBI officers have put forth various questions to Ghosh in the last few days, including specifying his role after getting the news of the doctors death, who he had contacted thereafter and why he allegedly made the parents wait for nearly three hours before getting to see her body, the official said.

He has also been quizzed over the authorisation of renovation of rooms adjacent to the seminar hall of the RG Kar hospital, after her body was discovered there, he said.

The CBI had earlier obtained permission from a local court to conduct a polygraph test on Sanjay Roy, the civic volunteer who has been arrested for his alleged involvement in the case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation took over the probe into the trainee doctors rape-murder from the Kolkata Police last week upon directions of the Calcutta High Court.
Ranchi, Aug 21 (PTI) The day-long Bharat Bandh called by some groups over community-based reservation evoked a mixed reaction in Jharkhand on Wednesday, as several public buses stayed off the roads and schools remained closed.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren has also cancelled his visit to Palamu on Wednesday due to the strike, an official said.

Twenty-one organisations across the country have called for the Bharat Bandh against the Supreme Court's August 1 decision on the issue of SC-ST reservation. The organisations have opposed the verdict, contending that it will harm the basic principles of reservation.

The states ruling alliance  Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal  have extended support to the bandh. The Left parties, too, have backed the strike.

In some parts of the state, workers of the alliance were seen taking to the streets in support of the bandh.

Schools remain closed in Ranchi and most parts of the state, while several long-route public buses were seen parked at bus stands, inconveniencing commuters.

"I had to go to Giridih today for urgent work. But, buses are not plying. I had no prior information about this development," said Vinod Rawani, as he awaited transportation at the Khadgarha bus stand.

Security has been bolstered at key locations to prevent any untoward incident, the official said.
Bhubaneswar, Aug 21 (PTI) The day-long Bharat bandh called by some Dalit and Adivasi groups to protest against the Supreme Court's recent verdict on the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs) partially affected rail and road communications in Odisha on Wednesday.

Government offices, banks, business establishments and educational institutions are functioning normally, police said.

The Home department in a note on Tuesday, " .... advised officers and employees of various departments working in the state secretariat and heads of department building to reach office by 9.30 am."

Security has been beefed up in the state secretariat, heads of department building and other important places in the state.

The agitators detained trains at Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur while passenger buses did not operate on different routes. The protestors also staged demonstrations in different places and blocked several roads including national highways.

The agitators detained Visakha express at Bhubaneswar railway station for some time, they also blocked Sambalpur-Puri and Sambalpur-Rayagada trains at Khetrajpur station in Sambalpur. However, the train operation became normal after the police evacuated the agitators from the track.

Reports of road blockade were also received from Cuttack, Sambalpur, Bolangir, Malkangiri, Sundergarh, Keonjhar and other places.

Twenty-one organisations across the country have called for the Bharat Bandh against the Supreme Court order, which they have said will harm the basic principles of reservation.
New Delhi, Aug 21 (PTI) The IT Ministry on Wednesday asked social media platforms to immediately comply with the Supreme Court order on the removal of the name, photos and videos of the trainee doctor who was raped and murdered in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Seeking prompt removal of identifiable references of the deceased from all social media platforms, the IT Ministry warned that failure to comply with the apex court's order may result in legal consequences and further regulatory action.

Social media platforms have been asked to inform the IT Ministry about actions taken by them in compliance with the Supreme Court order.

"The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has asked the social media platforms operating in India to comply with a recent Supreme Court order dated August 20, 2024, in the matter titled Kinnori Ghosh @ Anr. versus Union of India & Ors- Re: Circulation of name and photographs of deceased in RG Kar Medical college incident," an official release said.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered the removal of the name, photos and videos of the trainee doctor, who was raped and murdered in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, from all social media platforms.

A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said disclosure of the identity of a victim of sexual assault is a violation of its order passed in the Nipun Saxena case.

The IT Ministry release said: "The Supreme Court of India vide an injunctive order has directed that all references to the name of the deceased, along with any photographs and video clips depicting the deceased, be promptly removed from all social media platforms and electronic media. This directive follows concerns regarding the dissemination of sensitive material related to the incident in question".

The IT Ministry emphasised the importance of adhering to the apex court's order to safeguard the privacy and dignity of individuals involved, and accordingly, asked social media platforms "to take immediate action to ensure compliance with this order".

"The Ministry of Electronics and IT urges all social media companies to ensure that such sensitive information is not further disseminated. Failure to comply with the Supreme Courts order may result in legal consequences and further regulatory action," it said.

All social media platforms have been asked to inform the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) about the action taken in compliance with the Supreme Court order.

The trainee doctor's body with severe injury marks was found inside the seminar hall of the hospital's chest department on August 9. A civic volunteer was arrested by the Kolkata Police the following day for his alleged involvement in the rape-murder incident.
Varanasi, Aug 21 (PTI) BJP national spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam on Wednesday offered tributes to renowned musician Bismillah Khan at his grave in Varanasi as the representative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who represents the constituency in the Lok Sabha.

Islam, a former MP, said a newly built mausoleum was also opened to the public in honour of the famous shehnai player on the occasion of his death anniversary. A memorial was organised to pay tributes to him.

Khan had died in 2006 at 90 years of age.
New Delhi, Aug 21 (PTI) The US on Wednesday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Ukraine on August 23 as "important" that comes around six weeks after his trip to Moscow.

Richard R Verma, the US Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, at the same time noted that Washington understands India's "long relationship" with Russia.

Modi arrived in Polish capital Warsaw on Wednesday as part of his two-nation visit to Poland and Ukraine.

The prime minister will be in Kyiv for around seven hours on Friday.

The prime minister is scheduled to hold one-on-one and delegation-level talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with a focus on finding a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.

"I am delighted about this visit. I think this is an important visit -- Poland and Ukraine," Verma said at an interactive session at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress in Delhi.

The senior Biden administration official said he appreciated PM Modi's previous comments that it is not an era of war and it is time for peace.

"We understand India's long relationship with Russia and India has to make its own determinations about where it wants to be on the scale," Verma said.

The former US ambassador to India added "this is a very consequential period for defence of liberty, freedom and rule of law".

The US and several of its allies were outraged over the timing of Modi's July 8-9 visit to Moscow as it coincided with the NATO summit in Washington.

Some Western capitals were also learnt to be peeved over Modi choosing Russia for his first bilateral trip in his third term.

India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and it has been calling for resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

In his summit talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Modi said a solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield and peace talks do not succeed amidst bombs and bullets.

On the political developments in Bangladesh, Verma said the US has been supportive of the democratic process in that country.

"It has been a difficult situation for people there for the last few months. I am not going to get into all the misinformation and disinformation that's out there on social media," he said.

Verma was responding to a question on allegations that the US had a hand in destabilising the previous government of Sheikh Hasina.

"We will be supportive of this transition as it plays out," he said.

Hasina resigned and fled to India on August 5 following weeks of violent unrest.

Days later, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Yunus was sworn in on August 8, along with 16 advisers.

The US official also slammed Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

"I think what we have witnessed over the last two-plus years is really an attempt by Russia to destabilise the global order to upend the post-World War system," he said.

"Frankly the targeting of civilians, the killing of children in hospitals -- I think it's been terrible from many different aspects," he said.

"I am glad to see international alliance coming together to support Ukraine in its efforts to defend itself. I think that's the important piece here -- it is to try and protect and preserve international order," he said.
MOSCOW, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang said here Wednesday that while consolidating cooperation in traditional areas, China is willing to work with Russia to explore cooperation in emerging areas.

He made the remarks when meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin after he co-chaired the 29th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

The Chinese side is also ready to further highlight the role of scientific and technological, as well as industrial innovation in powering bilateral cooperation with Russia, so as to constantly foster new economic growth points, he said. 
New Delhi, Aug 21 (PTI) JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree D Pandit on Wednesday met the students protesting against the university's alleged unresponsive attitude to their various demands, including increasing scholarship amounts, and urged them to end their hunger strike which entered the 10th day.

The students have been demanding that the V-C meet and address them on their charter of demands since August 11.

Their demands also include a caste census, lifting the ban on protests on campus and withdrawal of proctorial inquiries initiated against students for participating in protests on campus.

In a purported video, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) V-C is seen trying to convince the protesters to end their hunger strike.

"I am doing whatever I can for all of you. You all are like my children. I am requesting you to end this strike. It makes me feel bad. Even I come from a backward class and I know the struggle that you had to face to reach here...," Pandit is heard telling the protesters.

In the video, the V-C is seen requesting Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) president Dhananjay to end the hunger strike.

On the demand for withdrawal of proctorial inquiries against students, Pandit said, "I cannot go against the court. I have revoked penalties imposed on several students. But those of you who went to court, I cannot do anything about it as the matter is subjudice."

Dean of Students Manuradha Chaudhary and Chief Medical Officer Fouzia Firdous Ozair were also present at the protest site.

Several students have had to end their hunger strike after their health deteriorated.

On Monday, two students were referred to AIIMS by JNU's health centre after their condition deteriorated. The two refused treatment to continue their protest.
New Delhi, Aug 21 (PTI) The decomposed body of a man was recovered from his rented house in southwest Delhi's Dwarka, police said on Wednesday.

Police suspect the man, Sachin, was killed by his wife Kavya, who is missing.

On Tuesday evening, a PCR call was received alleging that a man had been killed by his wife. After reaching the spot, the decomposed body of Sachin was found in a room at Chanakya Place 2 in the Dabri area, a police officer said.

Crime and forensics teams examined the spot, he said.

Prima facie, Sachin was killed by Kavya on the intervening night of August 17 and 18 due to regular domestic violence, the officer said.

Kavya is missing. A case has been registered in the matter, he said.
Gurugram, Aug 21 (PTI) An 18-year-old youth was killed while seven persons were critically injured after an autorickshaw overturned here after being hit by a speeding truck on the Delhi-Jaipur highway, police said on Wednesday.

The truck driver fled with his vehicle, while the injured are being treated, they said.

The accident took place a kilometre ahead of the Pachgaon Chowk here in the wee hours of Tuesday. An FIR was registered against the unknown truck driver, they added.

Rahul, the driver of the autorickshaw and a resident of Rajasthan's Bhiwadi, said in his complaint that he along with his seven friends had gone to the Sahara Mall here around 9.30 pm on Monday in his vehicle, the police said.

While the group was returning to Bhiwadi headed towards Jaipur, a speeding truck coming from behind hit the autorickshaw from the side around 2.30 am on Tuesday and fled the spot, the complainant said.

The three-wheeler got overturned due to the collision, leaving all the passengers injured, he added.

After the accident, the passersby took everyone to a private hospital in an ambulance, where 18-year-old Suraj died during treatment, the police said citing Rahul.

Suraj hailed from Gonda district in Uttar Pradesh and used to work in a factory in Bhiwadi, they added.

Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered under relevant sections of the criminal laws at the Bilaspur police station here on Tuesday, the police said.

A senior police officer said the body was handed over to Suraj's family after postmortem.

The other injured are being treated in a hospital and their condition is stable now, he added. PRI COR RPA
Kota (Raj), Aug 21 (PTI) Members of two communities clashed in Lakheri town of Bundi district after a youth allegedly uploaded an objectionable post on social media, police said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred on Tuesday night when members of a community pelted stones at the house of the youth, who along with a group of people retaliated.

"Taking immediate action in the matter, the police arrested Balkishan Narwal and lodged a case against him under sections of the IT Act for his post. Seven other people were booked and arrested for stone-pelting," DSP of the area Dilip Meena said on Wednesday.

Narwal, a resident of Mahavirpura area in Lakheri town of Bundi, uploaded a post on his social media account on Tuesday that allegedly hurt the sentiments of the Muslim community.

Demanding action against the youth, people from the community handed over a memorandum to the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Lakheri on Tuesday night. Some of them also reached the Lakheri police station and demanded action, according to police sources.

A group of these people, while returning from the police station, allegedly pelted stones at Narwal's house when he was sitting outside on the doorsteps.

Narwal, along with members of his community, retaliated and the attackers fled from the site, leaving their 3-4 two-wheelers, which were damaged, they said.

No one was injured in the stone-pelting. However, a few two-wheelers were damaged, Meena said.

"The situation in the area is normal. Further investigation in the matter is underway, he said.
Jodhpur, Aug 21 (PTI) A home guard was arrested on Wednesday for sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl in Pratap Nagar area here, police said.

A case has been registered against him under the POCSO Act, they said.

The incident took place on Tuesday evening near the child's home in Pratap Nagar area, said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Labhuram Choudhary.

"The girl was playing outside her house on Tuesday evening when the accused, who was riding around on a motorcycle, noticed her. He stopped his bike, sat on the platform outside the house and called the girl over, placing her on his lap. He then began to molest her. The panicked girl began screaming," said Choudhary.

The accused fled from the spot after the girl began to scream, he added.

The girl reached her home and narrated the incident to her parents, who filed a report at the local police station, police said.

Swinging into action, the police examined the spot and checked the CCTV footage to identify the accused, who was later found to be a home guard Kishan Lal Jingar (44) from the same area.

"We filed a case against him under the POCSO Act and other relevant sections and caught him from his house today morning and arrested him later after preliminary investigation," said Choudhary.
Hyderabad, Aug 21 (PTI) A 30-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh was arrested for allegedly raping a three-year-old girl in Siddipet district of Telangana, police said on Wednesday.





The accused, a painter from Gorakhpur of UP, allegedly sexually assaulted the girl on August 19 in a room of an under construction apartment after taking her from her family members on the pretext of making her play, they said adding the accused had gone to the apartment for painting work.







The girl's grandfather, who works as a watchman and stays with his family in the under construction apartment rushed to her rescue on hearing her cries. A complaint was lodged with the police who shifted her to a hospital, a release from Siddipet police said.







A case was registered and the accused was arrested on August 20 and sent to judicial custody, it said.







The condition of the girl, who is undergoing treatment at the hospital, is stated to be stable.
IDF: Changes in the Home Front Command Defensive Guidelines Following a situational assessment, it was determined that as of today (Tuesday) at 6:00PM, changes will be made to the Home Front Commands defensive guidelines. As part of the changes, it was decided that in the area of the Haifa Bay (HaMifratz), specifically the communities of Kiryat Ata, Kiryat Bialik, Kiryat Yam, and Kiryat Motzkin, the activity scale will be changed from Partial Activity to Limited Activity, meaning educational activities are prohibited. The rest of the countrys guidelines remain unchanged. The instructions published on the official Home Front Command channels must be followed. The full instructions are updated on the National Emergency Portal and the Home Front Command app.

WATCH: IDFs 98th Division Conducts Targeted Raids Against Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon The IDFs 98th Division, including the Paratroopers Brigade, Commando Brigade, 7th Brigade, and Yahalom Unit, has carried out a series of targeted operations against Hezbollah strongholds near Israels border with southern Lebanon. During these limited raids, the division has eliminated hundreds of Hezbollah terrorists, dismantled several underground tunnel routes, and destroyed dozens of terrorist infrastructure sites and combat compounds. Hezbollah had embedded hundreds of weapons along the border, which were located and destroyed by the IDF. The ongoing operations aim to neutralize Hezbollahs capabilities in the region. https://yeshivaworlds3.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/08103301/WhatsApp-Video-2024-10-08-at-10.30.15-AM.mp4 https://yeshivaworlds3.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/08103309/WhatsApp-Video-2024-10-08-at-10.30.00-AM.mp4 https://yeshivaworlds3.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/08103318/WhatsApp-Video-2024-10-08-at-10.29.49-AM.mp4

Hezbollah Fires Rockets Into Central Israel Interceptions seen over Central Israel after Hezbollah fired rockets. No reports of injuries. https://yeshivaworlds3.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/07162808/WhatsApp-Video-2024-10-07-at-4.26.19-PM.mp4

Air France Extends Flight Suspensions to Tel Aviv and Beirut Due to Regional Security Concerns Air France announced on Monday that it will continue suspending flights between Paris and Tel Aviv until October 15, and between Paris and Beirut until October 26, citing ongoing security concerns in the area, according to a company spokesperson.

Netanyahus Address at the State Ceremony to Mark One Year since the October 7 Massacre Following is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus address at the state ceremony to mark one year since the October 7 massacre [translated from Hebrew]: Citizens of Israel, A year ago, on October 7th, we were all hurled into a critical battle. That day, a Saturday, the Sabbath and the holiday of Simchat Torah, will be etched in the history of our nation as a day of grief and loss, of unimaginable agony. On that day, the Hamas monsters attacked our communities, our brothers and sisters, who are so dear to our hearts. They murdered and kidnapped babies and children, adults and old people. They tortured, maimed, raped, burned and destroyed. The memory of our citizens who were killed in the terrorist attack, and the memory of all the fallen heroes from the IDF and security forces, will be cherished forever. On October 7th, we were all hurled into a critical battle, but we were not defeated. On the contrary, it is we who are acting to defeat and deter our enemies. And, as we have often experienced in our history, it is in dark moments such as these that we exude our great inner power. We rallied together to defend our country, our homeland. We mustered immense mental strength. We outlined the goals of the war and we are achieving them: toppling the rule of Hamas; bringing all the hostages home, the living and the deceased alikethis is a sacred mission and we will not stop until we complete it; eliminating any future threat from Gaza to Israel; and returning the residents of the south and the north safely to their homes. We are doing this with solidarity unlike anything among the nations. When put to the test we proved, once again, that we are the Eternal People. A people that fights to bring light to this world, that aspires to spread good and eradicate evil. A people that rises like a lion, leaps up like a lion. Every time my wife and I meet with our soldiers, our wounded, with bereaved families, we hear the same message over and over again: we mustnt stop the war prematurely. As long as the enemy threatens our existence and the peace of our country, we will continue to fight. As long as our hostages are still in Gaza, we will continue to fight. We will not forsake any of them. I will not give up. As long as our citizens have not returned to their homes safely, we will continue to fight. We will continue to fight, and unitedwe will win. And when we win, not only for our sake but for the sake of future generations and for all humanity, we will rebuild the Tekuma region even bigger. When we hold onto the roots, the tree of life will grow back

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Laly Derai, the mother of Saadia, who fell in battle said: Shadow is not darkness. Shadow is a sign that there is light from behind. Even if a mountain of grief obscures the light, we must all, as a nation, climb the mountain, because the light exists. We must always aim up, towards the light. Citizens of Israel, my dear brothers and sisters, Victory is the light. Victory guarantees eternity. October 7th will symbolize for generations the cost of our revival, and for generations it will demonstrate how determined we are and how strong our spirit is. Together we will continue to fight. And together, with Gods help we will win. Am Yisrael Chai!

NOW: Hamas Protests At Brooklyn College Pro-Hamas protestors are at Brooklyn College, as thousands are expected to protest at multiple locations around NYC on Monday. https://yeshivaworlds3.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/07142419/WhatsApp-Video-2024-10-07-at-2.23.01-PM.mp4

Home Front Command Eases Restrictions in Parts of Northern Israel, Allows Limited Educational Activities Following a situational assessment, it was determined that as of today (Monday) at 7:00PM, changes will be made to the Home Front Commands defensive guidelines. As part of the changes, it was decided that in the areas of the Lower Galilee, Southern Golan (in communities in the Emek HaYarden Regional Council) and Central Galilee (in some of the communities in the Lower Galilee Regional Council) the activity scale will be changed from Limited Activity to Partial Activity, meaning educational activities can be held in a place from which a standard protected space can be reached within the time available to reach shelter. The rest of the countrys guidelines remain unchanged.

FLASHBACK FEARS: Paragliders in Northern Israel Cause Brief Panic on October 7th Anniversary Thousands of Israelis in the north were briefly alarmed Monday afternoon when they spotted three paragliders flying around, triggering memories of the Hamas attacks exactly a year ago on October 7th. However, authorities confirmed the paragliders were civilians, and there was no connection to any terrorist activity. https://yeshivaworlds3.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/07113116/WhatsApp-Video-2024-10-07-at-11.29.00-AM.mp4
U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Turner warned on Sunday that Iran may declare itself a nuclear weapons state by the end of this year, citing rapid advancements in the Islamic Republics nuclear program. Turner blamed the Biden administrations policies for reversing gains made during former President Donald Trumps tenure.

Speaking on CBSs Face the Nation, Turner noted the impact of Trumps maximum pressure campaign on Iran, which included economic and military measures. Donald Trump put the most pressure on Iran that they have had in any administration. Both economically, militarily, they were on the ropes, he told host Margaret Brennan. What we see now with this administration, they might declare themselves a nuclear weapons state by the end of this year.

The flexibility and freedom that [Iran has] had under the Biden administration has given them the ability to continue their nuclear weapons and nuclear enrichment programs, he added.

Recent reports from Iran International, a London-based opposition media outlet, indicate that Tehran is advancing its secret nuclear program. According to three independent sources, Iran is restructuring its Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), resuming tests to produce nuclear bomb detonators, and retaining Mohammad Eslami as the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

In response to these developments, the Biden administration issued private warnings to Tehran in June regarding its nuclear research activities, according to Axios. Both U.S. and Israeli officials have detected suspicious activities by Iranian scientists, fueling fears that Iran may use the period around the U.S. presidential election to push closer to nuclear weaponization.

American and Israeli officials met in Washington in mid-July to discuss coordinated efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The White House confirmed that these discussions focused on measures to ensure Iran never achieves nuclear weapon status.

The mounting tension has also triggered debates within Irans leadership, with some officials advocating for nuclear weapons as a deterrence strategy. Iranian lawmaker Mohammad-Reza Sabbaghian voiced his support for such a path during a parliamentary session, asking, What logic or law dictates that arrogant powers should have nuclear weapons, but Iran should not?

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
NAIROBI, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- From Uganda to Egypt, and from Senegal to Nigeria, Chinese-operated industrial parks and zones are thriving across Africa, helping the continent better integrate into the global production chain and promote new African brands.

Driven by the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China's involvement in African industry is also fostering the ecological and sustainable development of local manufacturing, thereby enhancing its competitiveness in the global market. As this fruitful cooperation continues, "Made in Africa" sees promising prospects.

"MADE IN AFRICA" BOOMING

Hellen Mugala, 27, joins hundreds of her colleagues each morning to commute to the Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park in the eastern district of Mbale, Uganda. "This industrial park has helped many local people. I've gained skills and earned a living," she said.

The park, invested in and operated by the private Chinese company Tian Tang Group, has attracted more than 40 companies since its establishment in March 2018, creating over 5,000 local jobs.

One notable company in the park is Pearlight Technology Co., Ltd, which manufactures lighting products, contributing to reducing Uganda's dependence on imported LED lamps by producing them affordably and facilitating repairs.

"Previously, Uganda's LED lamps were mainly imported, expensive, and difficult to repair. Chinese companies have changed this situation. Now, our company produces about 3 million LED bulbs and tubes annually, sold across Uganda," said local technician Joseph Otim.

Spanning thousands of hectares, the park encompasses a wide range of sectors, including household appliances, daily beauty products, home fabrics, building materials, medicines, smartphones, televisions and automobiles. It reflects the achievements of Sino-African cooperation under the BRI and serves as a model for promoting local industrialization and modernization through incubating local brands.

Among industrial zones of various types in African countries, many were built and operated by Chinese enterprises, such as the Diamniadio International Industrial Platform in Senegal, the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Nigeria, and the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone in Egypt. Through these zones, African countries can participate more effectively in the global production chain and promote the internationalization of local brands.

ECO-FRIENDLY MANUFACTURING

The BRI encourages ecological and sustainable development, supports African countries in adopting green technologies and clean energy in manufacturing. This not only helps protect Africa's natural environment but also gives African manufacturing a "green manufacturing" label, enhancing its appeal in the global market.

Based in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, Gogo Electric, one of the country's top three electric motorcycle manufacturers, imports lithium-ion batteries from China and assembles electric motorcycles for the local market.

Janos Bisasso, its chief operating officer, said that customers can always bring their used batteries to a battery exchange station, where they can get a fully charged battery at a lower price. Over time, customers may realize that exchanging batteries is less expensive than refueling, encouraging them to choose electric motorcycles.

In Kenya, the BasiGo project in Nairobi highlights the importance of cooperation in the eco-friendly transportation sector. Faced with local currency devaluation and rising energy import costs, the Kenyan government has expanded support for the electric vehicle sector, which relies on the country's renewable energy resources.

BasiGo, a Kenyan startup, launched its electric bus service in March 2022, locally assembled from parts supplied by Chinese automotive company BYD.

Mutoro Sifuna, BasiGo's marketing director, emphasized the significant energy cost savings of electric buses compared with diesel ones. They plan to introduce and operate 1,000 electric buses by 2025.

BETTER FUTURE FOR "MADE IN AFRICA"

Sino-African cooperation in the electric transportation sector has become a tangible example of the positive outcomes of the BRI. Chinese companies bring quality products and technologies that meet the needs of local businesses and contribute to the transition towards a more sustainable future.

Africa has enormous potential in natural resources and labor. Through cooperation with China, Africa has begun to update its own production capabilities, while eco-friendly manufacturing and innovative technologies allow African brands to gain positions in the global market.

Through further enhancing cooperation, China and Africa are shaping a promising future for "Made in Africa." African countries can develop more advanced technologies, get skilled professionals, and create larger markets.

The BRI has already laid a solid foundation. With the determination of both parties and the support of the international community, "Made in Africa" is entering an era of prosperity and sustainable development, contributing to the global economy and improving the lives of African people. 
Yoel and Mendy Levy, brothers who escaped from the Lev Tahor cult years ago, have tried to visit their widowed mother several times in recent months after eight long years of separation but have been cruelly driven away each time amid threats to their lives.

The brothers have sent many letters to their mother over the years but the cult members refused to give them to her. A month ago, Mendy finally obtained permission from the cult leaders to see their mother. He booked two tickets to Guatemala but when the brothers reached the compound, they were blocked by cult members who claimed that their mother didnt want to see them and threatened to harm them if they didnt leave the compound.

We burst into bitter tears, Mendy said. Because we know the truth. Our mother loves us and how could it be she said she didnt want to see us?

They returned to the States but had a breakthrough in the weeks afterward when one of the cult members, Uriel Yosef, personally assured them that they could meet their mother. They again traveled to Guatemala. But when they arrived there, Uriel Yosef wasnt available and they were again denied entry. One of the cult leaders, an El-Salvadorian who joined the cult, even approached them holding a shechita knife and threatened to harm them if they didnt leave the area.

The brother tried again several days ago but this time they came with their a bodyguard. But to no avail  they were again expelled from the area amid threats to their lives.

Donate to the Levy brothers efforts in helping their family inside the cult and exposing the Lev Tahor abuse: Zelle or PayPal  [email protected]

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
The U.S. imposed sanctions on the former president of Haiti, Michel Joseph Martelly, Tuesday following accusations that he abused his influence to facilitate drug trafficking into the U.S. and sponsored gangs that have contributed to instability in the Caribbean country.

The Treasury Departments acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, Bradley T. Smith, said the action emphasizes the significant and destabilizing role he and other corrupt political elites have played in perpetuating the ongoing crisis in Haiti.

Haiti is engulfed in gang violence while peaceful protesters are tear-gas sed by police as they call on law enforcement to help them stop the gangs that have been violently seizing control of neighborhoods.

Hundreds of police officers from Kenya have arrived in Haiti for a U.N.-backed mission led by the East African country to deal with the gangs.

A July United Nations report states that gang violence in Haiti has displaced more than 300,000 children since March  with many children living in makeshift shelters, including schools in poor hygienic conditions, placing them at risk of disease.

Martelly, who served as president from 2011 to 2016, was previously sanctioned by the Canadian government in November 2022 for financing gangs.

In January, a Haitian judge issued an arrest warrant for Martelly and more than 30 other high-ranking officials accused of government corruption, namely misappropriation of funds or equipment related to Haitis National Equipment Center.

State Department official Vedant Patel said the Tuesday sanctions were meant to promote accountability for all individuals whose activities contribute to gang violence and destabilize the political environment in Haiti, regardless of their rank or stature.

The U.S. uses a December 2021 executive order related to foreigners engaged in the drug trade as its authority to impose the sanctions.

(AP)
Ukrainian forces have either destroyed or damaged all three of the bridges over the Seym River in western Russia, according to Russian sources, as Kyivs incursion into western Russia entered its third week Tuesday.

Kyivs incursion into Russias Kursk region is changing the trajectory of the war and boosting morale among Ukraines war-weary population, though the ultimate outcome of the incursion  the first attack on Russia since World War II  remains impossible to predict.

Even as Ukraine hails its success on Russian territory, the Russian push in eastern Ukraine is poised to claim another key center, the city of Pokrovsk.

Ukraines attacks on the three bridges over the Seym River in Kursk could potentially trap Russian forces between the river, the Ukrainian advance and the Ukrainian border. Already they appear to be slowing down Russias response to the Kursk incursion, which Ukraine launched on Aug. 6.

Over the weekend, Ukraines Air Force commander posted two videos of bridges over the Seym being hit, and satellite photos by Planet Labs PBC analyzed Tuesday by The Associated Press confirmed that a bridge in the town of Glushkovo had been destroyed.

A Russian military investigator confirmed Monday that Ukraine had totally destroyed one bridge and damaged two others in the area. The full extent of the damage remained unclear.

As a result of targeted shelling with the use of rocket and artillery weapons against residential buildings and civilian infrastructure in the Karyzh village  a third bridge over the Seym River was damaged, the unnamed representative for Russias Investigative Committee said in a video published on the Telegram channel of Russian state TV anchor Vladimir Solovyov.

Russian military bloggers Vladimir Romanov and Yuri Podolyaka and several high-profile pro-war Telegram channels in Russia also claimed that the third bridge had been targeted and damaged. Podolyakas post was shared by Roman Alekhin, an advisor to Kursks acting regional governor.

Since the incursion into the Kursk region began, the Ukrainian army has captured 1,263 square kilometers (488 square miles) and 93 settlements, Ukraines top military commander said Tuesday  up from 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) a week ago. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi made the remarks while meeting with local officials.

Following a meeting with Syrskyi later Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address that the Ukrainian army was achieving set goals in Kursk.

Zelenskyy said in recent days that the operation is aimed at creating a buffer zone that can prevent future attacks on his nation from across the border, and that Ukraine is capturing a large number of Russian prisoners of war that it hopes to exchange for captured Ukrainians.

TASS, a Russian state news agency, reported that 17 people have died and 140 have been injured in Ukraines incursion, citing an unnamed source in the Russian medical service. Of 75 people hospitalized, four are children.

Russias Ministry of Emergency Situations said Tuesday afternoon that more than 500 people had left dangerous areas in the Kursk region over the past 24 hours. In total, more than 122,000 people have been resettled since the Ukrainian attack began, it said.

In another example of Ukraine taking the war to Russian soil, a massive fire burned for the third consecutive day after an oil depot was hit by Ukrainian drones.

The fire at the depot in the town of Proletarsk burned across an area of a hectare (2 1/2 acres), according to Russian state news agencies. There were 500 firefighters involved in the operation, and 41 of them already have been hospitalized with injuries, according to TASS, citing local officials.

Ukraines Army General Staff claimed responsibility Sunday for attacking the oil depot, which was used to supply the needs of Russias army, calling it a measure to undermine the military and economic potential of the Russian Federation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the Ukrainians of trying to destabilize our country and compared them to terrorists.

We will punish the criminals. There can be no doubt about that, Putin said Tuesday. He was meeting with mothers of children killed in the 2004 Beslan school attack by Islamic militants that left more than 330 people dead.

Ukraines incursion has exposed Russian vulnerabilities according to analysts and Ukrainian officials.

Zelenskyy said Monday that he believes Ukraines actions would help to dispel Western fears of offering more robust military aid to Kyiv. Some allies have been handing over weapons slowly and imposing limits on how they can be used, fearing that crossing a Russian red-line could lead to escalation, even nuclear escalation.

We have now achieved an extremely important ideological shift: the naive and illusory concept of so-called red lines regarding Russia that dominated the assessments of the war by some of our partners has crumbled these days somewhere near Sudzha, the president said, referring to a seized Russian town under Ukrainian control.

Much remains unknown about Ukrainian operations in Russia but satellite images provide some clues.

Pontoon bridges  temporary bridges used by militaries when formal bridges are blown out  could be seen in the satellite images provide by Planet Labs PBC in two different positions along the Seym River in recent days. The pontoons likely were built by Russian troops trying to supply forces around the Ukrainian advance.

One pontoon bridge appeared along the serpentine path of the river between Glushkovo and the village of Zvannoye on Saturday, but not in images taken Monday. On Monday, smoke could be seen rising along the banks of the river nearby  typically the sign of a strike.

Meanwhile along the frontline in eastern Ukraine, Russia continued to bear down on the city of Pokrovsk, one of Ukraines main defensive strongholds and a key logistics hub in the Donetsk region, forcing Kyivs forces to pull back and Ukrainian civilians to flee their homes. Its capture would compromise Ukraines defensive abilities and supply routes and would bring Russia closer to its stated aim of capturing the entire Donetsk region.

Russias relentless six-month slog across the region following the capture of Avdiivka, has cost both sides heavily in troops and armor.

Russia wants control of all parts of Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk, which together make up the Donbas industrial region.

(AP)
Boro Park Shomrim hosted their annual appreciation event on Monday night, celebrating the selfless efforts of their volunteers who dedicate their timeand often their own resourcesto assist those in need. Shomrim plays a critical role in the community, responding to reports of missing persons, addressing suspicious activity, solving crimes, and apprehending suspects every day of the year.

This years event saw a strong presence from law enforcement with NYPD Chief of Department Jeff Maddrey, Chief of Patrol John Chell, Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry , Chief Charles McEvoy Commanding Officer of Brooklyn South, Chief Richie Taylor, Commanding Officer of Community Affairs, Lt. Ira Jablonsky and numerous other Community Affairs Officers were in attendance along with community leaders and elected officials, underscoring the strong partnership between the NYPD, Shomrim and the community.

Councilman Kalman Yeger, Chairman Yidel Perlstein of Community Board 12, District Manager Berish Spitzer, Rabbi Abe Rosenberg, Rabbi Abe Friedman, Rabbi Joel Friedman, Rabbi Yosef Friedlander, and representatives from various Shomrim branches across New York City were also present to support and celebrate the occasion.

During the ceremony, Shomrim presented a plaque to Chief McEvoy in recognition of his outstanding work in Brooklyn South, commending his professionalism and dedication to safety. Lt. Jablonsky was also honored with an award for his tireless service to the community.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Brandi Wells, a Community Health Program Manager at the New York State Department of Health, is under fire for sharing antisemitic content online. In a series of disturbing social media posts exposed by StopAntisemitism.org, Wells has spread hateful rhetoric, making numerous baseless and offensive claims about the Jewish community.

Among the content, Wells has shared the insane conspiracy that Jews are part of a death cult and perpetuated the conspiracy theory that Jewish people were behind the transatlantic slave trade. Additionally, she has spread the dangerous trope that Jews are part of a satanic cabal manipulating world events.

Wells inflammatory posts do not stop there. She has claimed that Jews intentionally pit black and white communities against each other, has drawn comparisons between Jews and Nazis, and has distributed propaganda from the Goyim Defense League, a neo-Nazi group known for spreading antisemitic messages.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Moscow came under one of the largest attacks by Ukrainian drones since the start of fighting in 2022, Russian authorities reported Wednesday, saying they destroyed all of those headed toward the capital.

The drone attacks come as Ukrainian forces are continuing to push into Russias western Kursk region. In the past week, they have also struck three bridges, several airfields and an oil depot in a sign they are not letting up on their attacks.

This was one of the biggest attempts of all time to attack Moscow using drones, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his Telegram channel. He said strong defenses around the capital made it possible to shoot down all the drones before they could hit their intended targets.

Russia said it downed 45 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 11 over the Moscow region. There was no independent information to verify those figures.

Some Russian social media channels shared videos of drones apparently being destroyed by air defense systems, which then set off car alarms.

Ukrainian drone strikes have brought the fight far from the front line into the heart of Russia, targeting the Russian capital and second city St. Petersburg, and an airport in Western Russia, according to Russian officials.

Since the beginning of this year, Ukraine has stepped up aerial assaults on Russian soil, targeting refineries and oil terminals to slow down the Kremlins assault.

A fire at an oil depot targeted by Ukraine burned for the fourth day Wednesday in Rostov, a region in southwestern Russia that borders Ukraine. Priests from the Russian Orthodox Church held a prayer service for injured firefighters as dark plumes of smoke rose in the distance at the oil depot in Proletarsk, according to a photo shared on social media by the Volgodonsk diocese.

Ukraines daring land incursion into Russia has raised morale in Ukraine with its surprising success and changed the dynamic of the fighting and raised the morale of Ukrainians. But it is also a risky move. Ukrainian forces were already badly stretched, with active hostilities taking place along more than 970 kilometers (600 miles). The gains in Kursk come as Ukraine continues to lose ground in its eastern industrial region of Donbas.

The Russian state news agency Tass reported that 31 people had died since Ukraines attack on Russia began Aug. 6, figures which are impossible to verify. It said 143 people had suffered injuries, of whom 79 were hospitalized, including four children.

A Ukrainian drone dropped an explosive device on a car in the Bolshesoldatsky area of the Kursk region, slightly northeast of the town of Sudzha, the acting governor Alexei Smirnov said. One woman was killed on the spot and two others were hospitalized, he said.

Russias Central Electoral Commission announced that local elections in six districts and one city of the Kursk region scheduled for Sept. 8 will be postponed and rescheduled when voters safety can be guaranteed.

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said Ukraines attack on Kursk has ended any possibility of peace negotiations.

Who will negotiate with them after this, after the atrocities, the terror that they are committing against peaceful residents, the civilian population, civilian infrastructure and peaceful facilities, she said at a briefing Wednesday in Moscow.

Ukraine said it was respecting the Geneva Conventions, the international humanitarian rules of war.

Ukraines Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the Ukrainian military established an office in the Kursk region to provide humanitarian and medical aid to the local population. More than 90% of the Russian civilians who stayed in territories of the Kursk region currently controlled by Ukraine are age 60 and older, he said.

We have no right to leave them there to die, Klymenko said, according to the Ukrinform national news agency.

Ukraines attacks on three bridges over the Seym River in Kursk could potentially trap Russian forces between the river, the Ukrainian advance and the Ukrainian border. Already they appear to be slowing down Russias response to the Kursk incursion.

Ukrainian forces appear to be striking Russian pontoon bridges and pontoon engineering equipment over the Seym in an area west of the Ukrainian advance point, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Tuesday.

Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC analyzed Wednesday by The Associated Press showed a significant fire on the Seym near the village of Krasnooktyabrskoe.

The blaze appeared on the northern bank of the river on Tuesday, with another fire seemingly in the village itself. Such fires are common after strikes and often signify where ongoing front-line combat is taking place.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had thwarted attack attempts by Ukrainian assault groups in the Kursk region, according to a report from Tass. Ukraines armed forces saw more than 45 soldiers killed or wounded over the past 24 hours and two were captured while attempting to attack the Kursk region, Tass said. There was no independent confirmation of those numbers and no comment from the Ukrainian side.

In other developments:

 A Russian prosecutors office has filed a request at the military court in Rostov-on-Don asking the Russian prosecutors office for sentences of 16 to 24 years in prison for 23 Ukrainian prisoners of war. Theyre accused of terrorism and actions aimed at the violent seizure of power. All served in the Ukrainian Azov battalion, including nine women who mostly served as cooks.

 An AP analysis of drone strike data by Ukraines armed forces shows that missiles and drones have consistently been launched from Russias Kursk region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the aim of the Kursk operation was to create a buffer zone to better protect Ukraine from Russian attacks.

(AP)
by Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Sefas Tamim Foundation

QUESTION: I have some very expensive medications even after my health insurance kicks in. My Brilinta costs $418.54 for 30 days worth of pills. I can get my American doctor to call the prescription in to a Canadian pharmacy and the pharmacy can ask a Canadian doctor to look it over and they can ship it to the USA. The price for buying Brilinta this way is only $122.89. My Farxiga is $365 per month as a co-pay, but in Canada the whole bill is only $99.76. My Entresto copay in the United States is $639.45. In Canada, the entire cost of it is $139.94. Is this enabling a lie, because I am sure that both AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP who manufactures the first two and Novartis who manufactures Entresto probably made Canada promise that they wouldnt sell to Americans?

ANSWER: There are three issues here. Firstly, is it a violation of American law? Our research shows that it is not. Secondly, is it a violation of US Customs law? Our research shows that it depends on the class of drugs  these three drugs are legal to mail because they are not considered a narcotic. The third issue is are you allowed to purchase something from a gentile who may be in violation of his initial agreement? The answer to the third question is further broken up into two sections and is somewhat complex  the first part involves defining what is called a clear and defined mekach taus in the first sale. If that would be the case, then it would be forbidden to do so because the Brilinta and the Farxiga would not belong to the pharmacy. It would seem, however, that in this case  the first party would be fine with the sale because of two factors 1] They know about it anyway and 2] It would be too much of a pain in the neck to stop those sales. The second part involves the issue of Lifnei Iver on lying.

WHY NOT SUBSCRIBE? Each week the Sefas Tamim Foundation publishes a parsha sheet with four columns. To subscribe please send an email to the author at [email protected]

Although there is a prohibition of lifnei Iver regarding non-Jews as well, here there are two mitigating factors: 1] We are not sure if these companies made this arrangement with Canada in the first place, thus rendering it a safaik and thus permissible (see the authors sefer, Misguiding the Perplexed) and also there is a three way debate as to how we understand this pasuk of MiDvar Sheker Tirchak. The Chofetz Chaim rules in his ahavas chessed that there is an out and out prohibition to lie. This is in accordance with the view of many Rishonim. Other Rishonim hold that the verse is merely good advice, but not halacha. A third opinion holds that it is applicable to judges adjudicating law. Generally speaking, the view of the Chofetz Chaim is normative halacha but for gentiles this may not be the case. It would therefore be entirely permitted.

There is also a Mitzvah in saving money, when you can. Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher, author of the Tur, in the Choshen Mishpat section of Shulchan Aruch, chapter 35) discusses a person who does not care about Jewish money, and he writes that such a person will, in the future, surely answer for it.

Halacha is filled with illustrations of great Torah leaders who were concerned about the rising costs that Klal Yisroel faced.

The Origin of Plain Tachrichim

The Gemara in Moed Katan 27b tells us that when Jews were burying their dead in the finest clothing, Rabban Gamliel HaZakain arose and declared that enough was enough. The rising pressures, the keeping up with the Joneses in how to dress the deceased was causing enormous economic pressure on the living. It must stop, declared the rabbi, and the tachrichim, burial shrouds, we now use became the norm.

Boycotting Fish

The great Tzemach Tzedek (of 17th century Poland), cited by the Magen Avrohom in the beginning of hilchos Shabbos, once ruled (Responsa #28) that when local fishermen collude and raise the price of fish excessively, a prohibition can be levied upon the consumption of fish on Shabbos. It may take a week or two or even three, but eventually the collective buying power of ordinary people would force the price back down.

Obligation Upon Everyone

We will see, however, that it is not just great Torah leaders who have saved and are concerned for the financial well-being of their fellow Jews. It seems that this is what is expected by the Torah of everyone. The Gemara (Menachos 76a) tells us that Hashem commanded Moshe to also feed the nations livestock from the water that He had caused to emanate from the rock at Mei Merivah. Also, Rashi (Rosh Hashanah 27a) points out that the Kohen first removes the vessels from the house before declaring a house impure. So we see examples of the Torah being concerned with the financial well-being of the Jewish nation. The difference between the two cases is that the former is for the entire nation, while the latter demonstrates that the Torah is concerned even for the individuals finances.

Social Norm and Torah Obligation

The Chasam Sofer on Bava Basra (54b) states that, generally speaking, one can make the assumption that fellow Jews are concerned with the monetary well-being of their fellow man, and that this assumption has legal ramifications. So we see that it is the normal behavior expected of all Jews. The Minchas Chinuch writes that one who is concerned about the preservation of his fellow Jews money fulfills the biblical commandment of vahavta lreiacha kamocha, love thy neighbor as yourself (see his commentary on that mitzvah). The clear indication from all these sources is that demonstrating concern for the financial well-being of others is not just a mitzvah, it is an expected social norm with reward for those who do it and punishment for those who do not.

Save your money and also spread the idea to others.

Each week the Sefas Tamim Foundation publishes a parsha sheet with four columns. To subscribe please send an email to the author at [email protected] (or to get more information on how to best purchase the prescription drugs)
A new analysis by the Pew Research Center reveals that one in five Jews globally live outside their birth country, making Jews the most migratory major religious group by percentage. The findings are based on data from 2020 and include both adults and children living outside their native countries, regardless of when they migrated.

While Christians make up the largest religious migrant group at 47% worldwide, Jews are the most likely to have migrated, despite being one of the smallest religious groups at just 1% of the global migrant population. According to Pew, 20% of Jews have migrated, compared to 6% of Christians, the next most likely group to move abroad.

Israel is the leading destination for Jewish migrants, with 1.5 million Jews, or 51%, having moved there from other countries as of 2020. The United States follows with 400,000 Jewish migrants, and the United Kingdom ranks third with 120,000.

Pews analysis highlights that former Soviet republics, including Ukraine (170,000) and Russia (150,000), are among the top sources of Jewish migrants to Israel. Morocco also ranks high on the list, contributing 160,000 Jewish migrants.

Between 1990 and 2020, the global Jewish migrant population grew by 28%, from 2.3 million to 3 million. This increase represents the smallest growth among major religious groups during that period, with the religiously unaffiliated (67%) and Hindus (48%) experiencing the largest growth, according to Pew.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Israel Polices Tel Aviv District Commander, Deputy Commissioner Peretz Amar, said on Monday evening that the suicide bomber whose device detonated prematurely on Sunday evening likely intended to target the Rashbi shul, where Maariv was taking place with at least 80 mispallelim along with dozens of bochurim and avreichim who were learning in the Beis Medrash.

It was an attack involving a large explosive device, which, had it not exploded outside, would have caused major damage, he said. If the terrorist had entered the shul, it could have been a horrible tragedy.

Amar added that the terrorist, a resident of Shechem, had no criminal record.

We identified the terrorist, who is from the Palestinian territories. The explosive device was likely manufactured where he lived.

We estimate the terrorist was supposed to reach a certain location and apparently noticed the shul on his way. He decided to stop for a moment to arm the device but apparently pressed something else and activated it. A clear picture will develop in a few days and well hold those responsible accountable.

Amar urged the public to remain vigilant. Anyone who looks strange  report to the police. Anyone wearing more than a short-sleeved shirt in this hot summer weather is hiding something. Someone whos carrying a heavy bag, isnt behaving naturally, is furtively looking around  those are suspicious signs.

Im sure there will be false reports but Id rather run for a false alarm than arrive at an incident that the public didnt report. Ultimately, it was truly a neis.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (Front) is seen during a tour of the Philadelphi Corridor, an area that runs along the Gaza-Egypt border, on Aug. 21, 2024. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday that Hamas' Rafah Division in Gaza has been "defeated" and signaled that the military was shifting its focus to the fighting against Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border. (Ariel Hermoni-GPO/Handout via Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday that Hamas' Rafah Division in Gaza has been "defeated" and signaled that the military was shifting its focus to the fighting against Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border.

Gallant made the remarks during a tour of the Philadelphi Corridor, an area that runs along the Gaza-Egypt border and which Israel seeks to maintain control even after a potential ceasefire. The Israeli Defense Ministry released a photo of Gallant, clad in a bulletproof vest and surrounded by commanders, in a Palestinian building that Israeli troops had seized and converted into a headquarters.

He said that Division 162 of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had "defeated" Hamas' Rafah Division. During the assault on Gaza's southernmost city, the IDF destroyed 150 tunnels, according to figures revealed by Gallant. He added that "a small number" of tunnels remained intact and he had "given an immediate order" to destroy them.

In May, the IDF launched a large ground offensive in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza that had been designated as a "safe zone" and was sheltering over one million displaced Palestinians.

Israeli security officials have recently claimed that most potential military targets in Gaza have been exhausted. Gallant indicated that the military was now shifting its focus.

"The most important thing, in my view, in terms of strategy, is to achieve all the war's goals regarding Hamas and the hostages, and now to look northward," he said, referring to northern Israel, where ongoing conflict with Hezbollah has intensified since Oct. 7, 2023.

The cross-border tensions have heightened in recent weeks following the Israeli assassination of a senior Hezbollah official in Beirut at the end of July. 

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (Front) is seen during a tour of the Philadelphi Corridor, an area that runs along the Gaza-Egypt border, on Aug. 21, 2024. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday that Hamas' Rafah Division in Gaza has been "defeated" and signaled that the military was shifting its focus to the fighting against Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border. (Ariel Hermoni-GPO/Handout via Xinhua)

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (C) is seen during a tour of the Philadelphi Corridor, an area that runs along the Gaza-Egypt border, on Aug. 21, 2024. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday that Hamas' Rafah Division in Gaza has been "defeated" and signaled that the military was shifting its focus to the fighting against Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border. (Ariel Hermoni-GPO/Handout via Xinhua)

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (R, Front) is seen during a tour of the Philadelphi Corridor, an area that runs along the Gaza-Egypt border, on Aug. 21, 2024. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday that Hamas' Rafah Division in Gaza has been "defeated" and signaled that the military was shifting its focus to the fighting against Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border. (Ariel Hermoni-GPO/Handout via Xinhua)
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro denied rumors that his Jewish faith was a factor in being passed over as Vice President Kamala Harriss running mate for the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket. The denial came after former President Donald Trump suggested that Harris rejected Shapiro due to concerns that his Jewish identity might alienate Muslim voters in swing states like Michigan, especially amid the ongoing Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Speaking to reporters at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Shapiro called Trump the least credible person to speak on antisemitism, accusing the former president of attempting to exploit the issue to divide Americans. Trump is trying to use me and trying to use other Jews to divide Americans further, Shapiro said.

Shapiro was widely considered a potential vice-presidential pick due to his popularity as the governor of a critical swing state. However, Harris ultimately selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Many have speculated that Shapiros staunch support of Israel made him a controversial choice for the ticket in light of anti-Israel criticism from radical factions within the Democratic Party.

Despite the speculation, Shapiro asserted that antisemitism played absolutely no role in his conversations with Harris. He did, however, acknowledge antisemitism in parts of the country and within his own party, stressing the need to confront it. We have to stand up and speak out against that, he added.

As a vocal supporter of Israel, Shapiro has been outspoken in his condemnation of Hamas following the groups attack on Israel on October 7. He ordered flags to be flown at half-mast at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in honor of the victims and delivered a speech at a local synagogue. Shapiro has also condemned antisemitic protests in Pennsylvania and has resisted calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, comparing anti-Israel demonstrations on college campuses to the Ku Klux Klan.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Israeli troops have killed approximately 40 gunmen in the Gaza Strip over the past day, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The clashes and airstrikes took place in various locations across southern and central Gaza.

In the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, troops with the 162nd Division engaged in fierce battles with gunmen, resulting in the deaths of around 40 terrorists. In one incident, the military directed a drone strike on a building where a cell of RPG-wielding operatives was spotted, eliminating the threat.

Further north, in Khan Younis, troops with the 98th Division killed several terror operatives and destroyed sites belonging to terror groups, including rocket launchers used in recent attacks.

In the Netzarim Corridor, reservists with the 252nd Division directed airstrikes, killing several terror operatives. Additionally, reservists from the Jerusalem Brigade foiled an attempt by two gunmen to plant a bomb near troops in central Gaza, killing both operatives as they emerged from a tunnel.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Rocket alert sirens blared across the Golan on Wednesday morning as Hezbollah fired a barrage of about 50 rockets and drones at northern Israel.

The yishuv of Katzrin absorbed most of the fire. Israeli security officials said that the barrage directly targeted the yishuv and not local military bases  considered a serious escalation as Hezbollah fired directly at civilian targets.

The IDFs defense systems intercepted some of the projectiles but others scored direct hits on the yishuv, moderately injuring one man and causing heavy property damage. Several fires broke out and firefighters are currently fighting the flames at several sites.

The injured victim, a man in his 30s, was at home when the rocket hit and was injured by shrapnel and the impact of the blast. MDA paramedics administered emergency medical aid at the scene and evacuated him to Ziv Hospital in Tzfas. Two others were treated for shock.

Ynet military correspondent Yossi Yehoshua wrote: It was a targeted barrage of 40 rockets at Katzrin. The Iron Dome defense system successfully intercepted about 90% of the barrage. There is no airtight defense and there certainly wont be during an all-out war. Therefore: 1. Its required to heed the directives of the Home Front Command, theyre life-saving. 2. Defense is not enough. We must exact a price from Hezbollah and create deterrence.

Shortly after the barrage, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that the terror group fired Katyusha rockets at the Golan in resonse to the IDFs airstrikes deep in Lebanon for the second consecutive night. The IDF said on Wednesday morning that it targeted Hezbollah weapons depots and air defense bases in the Beqaa region, northeast of Beirut, about 100 kilometers north of the border.

In the videos below, Uri Kellner, head of the Golan Regional Council, shows the destruction on the yishuv and says: We were sure that there were people trapped in their homes. The State allows miracles to happen instead of taking the initiative and providing security. We cannot allow Hezbollah to win.

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari responded to the barrage by stating: Hezbollah launched about 50 rockets this morning at the center of Katzrin. Once again, Hezbollah is firing indiscriminately at Israeli civilians. Like any country that protects its citizens  we will act accordingly.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Chareidi extremists held a protest next to the recruitment center in Jerusalem on Wednesday, the day 200 bnei yeshivos were scheduled to report to the center for their first summons.

According to Army Radio, the IDF instructed soldiers not to report to work at the center on Wednesday. Instead, a large number of Border Police and Israel Police officers were stationed in the area. As the protesters streamed to the area, they began blocking the surrounding streets as well as the nearby light rail station on Rechov Yaffo, leading to skirmishes between the protestors and police.

The police declared the protest illegal due to the disturbance of public order and began forcibly removing the protesters. Five protesters were arrested.

Some of the passersby began arguing with the protesters and one man punched a protester in his face.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Incredible nissim occurred on the yishuv of Katzrin on Wednesday morning amid the destruction caused by the heavy rocket barrage that Hezbollah fired directly at a civilian area in northern Israel on Wednesday morning.

Hezbollah fired 40 rockets directly at the yishuv of Katzrin and several homes scored direct hits but only one man was injured. Shai Bettleman, a member of the Katzrin city council, said that many children, who are on summer vacation, were at home during the attack.

Two of those children experienced an incredible neis. Daniels house [seen in the video below] sustained a direct hit while he, his wife and two young children were at home. The rocket hit the living room while they were in the hallway and they were Baruch Hashem unharmed, but they couldnt leave the house from the front door as the living room was full of smoke and fire. He led his family out of the house from the back windows.

Another neis occurred at a nearby camping site. In the photo below, Rabbi Yoel Rakel holds the fragments of an interceptor rocket that fell five meters from a tent full of children.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Amid complaints of soaring prices for Israeli airline tickets in recent weeks as foreign airlines canceled their flights due to Iranian attack threats, Econmy Minister Nir Barkat met on Wednesday with the CEOs of El Al, Israir and Arkia Airlines.

An agreement was reached during Barkats meeting with El Al CEO Dina Ben Tal Ganancia that El Al will operate flights to four destinations at fixed prices until the end of 2024.

The four destinations: Vienna, Dubai, Athens, and Larnaca, will serve as stopovers for connecting flights to further destinations.

Roundtrip tickets to Vienna and Dubai will be fixed at $349; at $299 to Athens; and $199 to Larnaca.

In return, Israel will not tax El Als revenue this year.

Ben Tal Ganancia said: We continue to work to increase the supply of seats as much as possible and broaden the flight schedule. This move will allow us to offer tens of thousands of seats at affordable prices and provide an extensive response for destinations that will serve as connecting points to other continents.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Hatzolah of Central Jersey welcomed Brigadier General Dror Avda, the Israel National Police & Ministry of Public Security Attache and Liaison Officer to the United States and Canada, for discussions and an official tour of its headquarters on Thursday. The visit was led by Hatzolah CEO Meilich Esterzohn and Captain Aaron Mueller, with Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy accompanying the tour.

The tour included an in-depth look at Hatzolahs state-of-the-art dispatch room, ambulance bays, and the advanced technology that supports its life saving operations. With Hatzolah of Central Jersey on track to respond to over 25,000 emergency calls in 2024, Brig. Gen. Avda came away deeply impressed by the scope of Hatzolahs operations and unwavering dedication to service.

I am truly amazed by what I have seen here at Hatzolah of Central Jersey, said Brig. Gen. Avda. The level of professionalism and the commitment to providing the best possible emergency medical care is extraordinary.

During the visit, discussions were held regarding potential collaborations between Hatzolah of Central Jersey and Israel National Police, particularly in the areas of mass casualty incident (MCI) training and other emergency preparedness initiatives.

We were honored to host Brig. Gen. Avda and to share with him the work that Hatzolah is doing in our community, said Hatzolah CEO Meilech Esterzohn. His visit opens the door for exciting opportunities to learn from each other and improve how we respond to critical incidents, ensuring that our communities remain as safe as possible.

Brig. Gen. Avda also took the time to commend Sheriff Mastronardy for his bravery and solidarity following the devastating terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7.

Sheriff Mastronardy was one of the first U.S. officials to visit Israel following the horrific terrorist attacks of October 7, Avda noted. While others hesitated out of fear, Sheriff Mastronardy stood resolute and made the journey to Israel, offering solidarity and support when it was needed most. His courage and dedication did not go unnoticed.

Additionally, Avda expressed deep appreciation for Hatzolah of Central Jerseys direct contributions to Israels emergency services in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks. Three of Hatzolahs paramedics were deployed to Israel just days after the incident to assist and complement Israeli emergency teams on the ground.

HCJ Captain Aaron Mueller reflected on the visit, emphasizing the importance of Hatzolahs international connections. Our collaboration with Brig. Gen. Avda and other officials underscores how emergency response is a global mission, said Mueller. Were always looking to improve and innovate, and working with international partners helps us learn from the best.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi faced heated protests during a live taping of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday, where she discussed the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. The special episode, filmed in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention, was interrupted by protesters who voiced opposition to U.S. support for Israel amid the conflict in Gaza.

While Pelosi was speaking about the DNC and Vice President Kamala Harris, a protester from the audience shouted, Free Palestine!

As you can see from the continuing protests out here, that answer is unsatisfying to some people because they believe that the United States  hold on one second, would you like to respond to what theyre saying? Colbert asked Pelosi, giving her the opportunity to address the critics.

Theyre screaming, I cant hear them, Pelosi responded, before Colbert clarified, Theyve said the United States should not have any role in supplying Israel arms to kill the people of Gaza. Thats what theyre saying. This comment earned applause from parts of the audience.

Pelosi reiterated her support for Israels right to self-defense while emphasizing her long-standing advocacy for a two-state solution. Israel has a right to defend itself. And the hostages should be returned, Pelosi asserted, but there must be a two-state solution. You cannot have peace unless you have two states. Israel, a secure, democratic, Jewish state in the region and the Palestinians having their own secure country there as well.

As the protests continued, Colbert made a final plea to the audience, urging them not to interrupt his guests. Pelosi wrapped up her appearance with applause, asking, Isnt it great to be in Chicago?!

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Almost 1billion was wiped off the value of BT after a rival struck a major broadband deal.

Shares in the telecoms giant fell more than 6 per cent on the news that network provider CityFibre will partner with Sky next year.

The deal will see Sky rollout its broadband to those on CityFibres network, which serves nearly 4million homes.

BT provides ultra-fast full-fibre broadband across the UK through its Openreach business, whose biggest external partner is Sky.

The platform  which was founded in 2011  wants to reach up to 8million homes and businesses in the coming years.

BT provides ultra-fast full-fibre broadband across the UK through its Openreach business, whose biggest external partner is Sky.

Matt Britzman, an analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, insisted Skys deal with CityFibre is unlikely to strain relations with BT.

He said CityFibre is more focused on rural areas where the likes of Openreach arent building out fibre networks  so theres likely limited cannibalisation of Openreachs existing business with Sky.

Shares in BT tumbled 6.4 per cent, or 9.3p, to 136.3p, reducing its value by 926million.

The sell-off comes just a week after Sunil Bharti Mittals conglomerate Bharti Enterprises agreed to buy the 24.5 per cent of the telecoms giant that is owned by embattled French tycoon Patrick Drahi.

On the wider market, the FTSE 100 fell 1 per cent, or 83.62 points, to 8273.32 and the FTSE 250 lost 0.8 per cent, or 171.32 points, to 20986.15.

Shares in a North Sea oil and gas minnow jumped after it backed a 174m takeover.

Zoo Digital Group laid bare the impact of last years Hollywood writers and actors strikes.

The group, which provides dubbing and subtitling for film and TV distributors, saw revenues slump 55 per cent to 31million in the year to the end of March as new productions ground to a halt.

The company also swung to a loss of 15.7million, having made a 6.1million profit the year before.

Shares tumbled 15.2 per cent, or 9.6p, to 53.4p.

Education software provider Tribal Group revealed a dip in sales following last years takeover interest.

The group paused discussions over new contracts while it was in an offer period in October last year after a 159million offer from its US peer Ellucian, which ultimately decided to walk away.

This, alongside continuing concerns among universities on a potential fall in international student numbers, impacted the groups revenues in the first half of 2024.

Shares retreated 3.5 per cent, or 2p, to 56p.

Machining firm Castings warned its annual results will be worse than hoped as demand among its commercial vehicle customers remained subdued.

Shares slumped 9.4 per cent, or 32p, to 308p.

Sosandar is opening its third store in October as it gears up for the key festive season.

The womens fashion retailer said its latest site will be in the Metrocentre shopping centre just outside Newcastle.

Sosandar is already preparing to open its first two stores in Chelmsford in Essex and Marlow in Buckinghamshire next month. Shares yesterday rose 5.7 per cent, or 0.5p, to 9.25p.

Shares in a kidney disease testing firm fell as hopes faded over a potential takeover.

Renalytix, which is listed in London and New York, launched a formal sales process in March following an unsolicited approach from a large and well-capitalised public diagnostics company.

But yesterday Renalytix said it is no longer up for sale and it does not believe there is a realistic prospect of an offer being made any time soon. Shares slumped 20.7 per cent, or 3p, to 11.5p.
GlaxoSmithKline has been granted a fast-track approval process from the US watchdog for a lung cancer drug.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted the pharma giant breakthrough therapy designation for the drug, which is being developed with Chinese partner Hansoh Pharma.

This speedier status is given to drugs that have the potential to treat serious conditions and when there is early clinical evidence to show they are superior to already available treatments.

In charge: GSK's chief executive, Emma Walmsley

The antibody drug, referred to by the name HS-20093 or the code GSK5764227 is for extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer.

It is aimed at patients whose condition has progressed or who have received a certain type of chemotherapy.

Early research trials in China have been promising, the London-listed company said. Details about the trial will be presented at 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer next month.

Hesham Abdullah, senior vice president, global head oncology, research and development at GSK, said: Extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer is aggressive with poor prognosis and significant need for new treatments.

'Todays breakthrough therapy designation supports our ambition to accelerate GSK5764227 for these patients.

The positive update is a shot in the arm for GSK chief executive Emma Walmsley, who has been heading a turnaround strategy at the company.

In 2022, she revealed plans to refocus the pharma giant on vaccines and infectious diseases, which included selling its consumer healthcare division Haleon.
HANOI, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and Vietnamese President To Lam paid a state visit to China from Sunday to Tuesday, his inaugural foreign visit as Vietnam's top leader.

Currently, China is making active efforts to comprehensively deepen reforms, while Vietnam is conducting a comprehensive review of its nearly 40 years of renovation experience. This visit served to strengthen the exchange of governance experiences, deepen strategic trust, and promote the alignment of development strategies between the two countries.

By intensifying high-level exchanges and strategic communication, both countries have also signaled a commitment to strengthening their traditionally close relationship, enhancing political trust and deepening practical cooperation, underscoring a shared vision of solidarity.

China and Vietnam are linked by mountains and rivers, and the friendship between their people is deeply rooted in history. The older generations of leaders from the two countries forged a deep "comrades-plus-brothers" friendship during their revolutionary struggles for national independence and development.

A century ago, Ho Chi Minh, a revolutionary leader in Vietnam's struggle for independence, arrived in Guangzhou, marking the beginning of a new chapter in Vietnam's journey towards national liberation. Now, a hundred years later, To Lam chose Guangzhou as the first destination of his visit to China. During his visit, he paid tribute to the sites of Vietnam's revolutionary martyrs, reiterating his dedication to upholding the spirit of friendship and furthering the longstanding ties between the two countries.

Last December, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, made a successful state visit to Vietnam. During the visit, the two sides decided to build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

Over the past six months, leaders of both parties and countries have engaged in frequent interactions, providing strong momentum for bilateral relations to enter a new stage of higher political trust.

In the meantime, mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Vietnam has continued to deepen, laying a solid foundation for the building of a strategically significant China-Vietnam community with a shared future.

From January to July, bilateral economic and trade cooperation stayed at a high level, with the trade volume reaching 145 billion U.S. dollars, a growth of 21 percent. Notably, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports to China reached 2.1 billion dollars, accounting for 64 percent of Vietnam's total fruit and vegetable exports.

In terms of local border trade cooperation, several international and bilateral ports have been opened, contributing to border trade and cross-border tourism between China and Vietnam.

From January to July, the China-Vietnam freight trains departing from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region shipped a total of 6,850 containers, a 16-fold increase year on year. In July alone, 1,922 containers were shipped, exceeding the total shipment volume of the first quarter, and marking the third time this year that a new monthly shipping record has been set.

The enhancement of economic exchanges and cross-border infrastructure has led to an increase in cultural exchanges between China and Vietnam. So far this year, 2.1 million Chinese tourists have visited Vietnam, making China the second-largest source of tourists. In the 2022-2023 academic year, more than 23,000 Vietnamese students studied in China.

The deepening relationship between the two countries has also created more opportunities and broader prospects for Vietnamese students studying Chinese. Currently, over 10,000 primary and secondary school students in Vietnam are learning Chinese, and more than 20,000 university students are studying the language.

During To Lam's visit, more than 10 cooperation agreements were signed, covering areas such as connectivity, industry, finance, customs inspection and quarantine, health, news agencies and media, subnational cooperation, and people's livelihoods. These agreements fully reflect the vision of both sides to share opportunities, seek common development, and jointly promote the deepening and solidification of the China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

The deepening of China-Vietnam relations serves the fundamental interests of both nations and aligns with the current global trends. As the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Vietnam approaches next year, this will send a strong message to the world, highlighting their steadfast dedication to jointly promoting regional and global peace, stability and development. 
Waitrose plans to open 100 new convenience stores within the next five years, the John Lewis Partnership announced on Wednesday.

The 100 new smaller convenience-style stores form part of the group's 1billion investment in new stores and refurbishments.

The supermarket chain will open the stores across England, Wales and Scotland.

The group said the first new Waitrose store in six years will open in Hampton Hill in south west London later this year, with a second following at an unnamed London location early next year.

New stores: Waitrose plans to open 100 new convenience stores within the next five years

As spokesperson for Waitrose told This is Money: 'We are responding to the way our customers are shopping with us.

'The success of our on demand partnerships with Uber Eats and Deliveroo, where average weekly sales are up 140 per cent on last year, underlines the opportunity we have.

'We also have a successful franchise with 27 Welcome Break motorway service shops and supply more than 90 Shell forecourt shops. We know the demand is there yet we have currently only circa 45 little Waitrose convenience shops.'

The stores will focus on 'areas which differentiate the grocer', including deli service counters, wine selections, dry aged beef cabinets and dedicated parmesan sections.

It will also focus on expanding collaborations with other sellers including Crosstown doughnuts and Hot Wok meals provided by Sushi Daily.

The group will also refurbish 150 existing stores, almost half of its estate, over the next three years.

The chain's John Barnes shop in Finchley Road, London, is being used to test new store concepts. The Finchley Road store will have larger fresh meat and fish counters and a new out-of-hours pickup point for online shoppers.

James Bailey, executive director for Waitrose, said: 'Waitrose will always offer fantastic food, but the groundwork we have undertaken behind the scenes in recent years means we can now focus on growth through new shops and ensuring our existing ones are providing great shopping experiences that match the quality of our products.

On a mission: Waitrose and John Lewis have endured a torrid few years, but remain intent on luring shoppers back

'The transformation of our Finchley Road store marks the next evolution of our journey to create a great shopping experience for our customers, underpinned by a high-quality product offering tailored to the local area, and the quality service we are synonymous with.

'In designing the store, we have taken time to understand how our customers like to shop, and used this knowledge to introduce new concepts that will be tested and rolled out nationally as we continue to work towards the Waitrose of the future.'

Nish Kankiwala, chief executive of the John Lewis Partnership, said: 'Our investment in our Waitrose store portfolio is already yielding strong results, with customers responding positively.

'As our retail driven plan continues to gain traction, our growing number of shoppers and increasing customer satisfaction scores are clear indicators of its success.'

Waitrose and John Lewis have endured a torrid few years, but remain intent on luring shoppers back and boosting their market share. The group returned to profit in the spring.

In a statement on Wednesday, the group said: 'The latest Kantar figures reported last week show customers are responding to the investment in our offering, Waitrose recorded our strongest growth since November 2023 and is continuing to gain market share after Julys figures showed an increase for the first time since January 2022.'

It's not only food lovers the group wants to woo.

John Lewis is on a mission to ramp up sales of its clothing lines and hired former Asos executive Rachel Morgans as its new director of fashion in June.
NAIROBI, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Kenya and China signed an agreement on Wednesday to promote cooperation in renewable energy in the East African country.

Cynthia Muhati, acting chief executive officer at the Kenya Renewable Energy Association, said that under the partnership, Chinese counterparts are expected to help Kenya unlock finance for additional investment in green energy projects.

"Kenya will also benefit from capacity building through technology from China to ensure locals develop solar and other renewable technologies and products that are competitive," Muhati said in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, during the 2024 China-Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Summit.

The day-long meeting, attended by over 100 participants from China and Africa, was convened to deliberate on strategies for decreasing the percentage of the population without access to financial services. The participants included officials from central banks, governments, and development financial institutions.

Data from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Agency indicates that Kenya's installed electricity capacity stands at 3,112 megawatts (MW) out of which solar contributes 210 MW.

Wang Weiquan, director of the China Renewable Energy Industry Association, said that the Asian nation is committed to supporting Kenya to expand its electricity generation capacity from renewable sources of energy.

Wang added that, under the agreement, China and Kenya will also undertake joint assessments to better understand the needs of Kenya's renewable energy market. 
NEW DELHI, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 people were killed and many others injured Wednesday after a fire broke out following an explosion at a pharmaceutical manufacturing unit in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, officials said.

The fire was triggered by a blast near the reactor site inside the factory in Atchutapuram Special Economic Zone (SEZ) of Anakapalle district, about 30 km west of Vishakhapatnam, the main city of Andhra Pradesh.

"The death toll in today's blast and a subsequent major fire at a pharmaceutical firm, Escientia, in Atchutapuram SEZ has risen to 14," an official at the Anakapalli collectorate said. "Since the rescue operations are underway, the complete details will be shared after its culmination."

According to officials, the incident occurred during lunchtime.

Television images from the spot showed an ambulance entering the company's premises amid grey smoke surrounding the area.

Officials told media that the factory operates with 381 employees in two shifts.

"The staff presence was less because of the lunchtime," a local newsgathering agency quoted Anakapalli District Collector Vijaya Krishnan as saying.

According to Indian Express, the powerful explosion left 18 people wounded, while the India Today television news channel put the number of the injured at 33.

Authorities have rushed firefighters to the spot to douse the flame and bring the fire under control. 
MOSCOW, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang said here Wednesday that while consolidating cooperation in traditional areas, China is willing to work with Russia to explore cooperation in emerging areas.

Li made the remarks when meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin after he co-chaired the 29th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

Li conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings and best wishes to President Putin. He said that the two heads of state have met twice this year, drawing a new blueprint and injecting strong momentum into further deepening bilateral relations and cooperation, especially at the historical juncture of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Russia.

The steady development of China-Russia relations not only serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and two peoples, but also contributes to regional and world peace, stability and prosperity, Li noted, expressing China's willingness to work with Russia to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, maintain the sound momentum of the development of bilateral relations, expand all-round mutually beneficial cooperation and achieve more practical results.

Li pointed out that the current round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is deepening, which implies huge development opportunities. China is ready to further highlight the role of scientific, technological and industrial innovation in powering bilateral cooperation with Russia, to constantly foster new economic growth points, he added.

The two sides should continue to deepen cultural, tourism, education, youth and sub-national exchanges and cooperation to promote mutual understanding between the two peoples and pass on the cause of China-Russia friendship from generation to generation, Li said.

Against the backdrop of accelerating changes in the world unseen in a century, China is ready to work with Russia to further strengthen multilateral coordination, deepen mutual trust and cooperation with developing countries, firmly promote a multi-polar world and economic globalization, and better safeguard its legitimate rights and interests and basic norms governing international relations. 
JERUSALEM, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied on Wednesday that he has agreed to withdraw military forces from the Gaza-Egypt border as part of a potential ceasefire deal with Hamas, according to a statement from his office.

The current U.S.-backed bridging proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages -- which U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Monday Israel has accepted -- includes a withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Philadelphi Corridor, a key border area between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, Israel's state-owned Kan TV previously claimed.

Both Hamas and Egypt, a critical mediator in the negotiations, reportedly oppose Israeli control over the corridor.

Netanyahu called the reports "incorrect" and emphasized that Israel has not agreed to relinquish control over the area, according to the statement from his office.

"Israel will insist on achieving all of its war objectives as defined by the Security Cabinet, including ensuring that Gaza never again poses a security threat to Israel," the statement said.

"This requires securing the southern border," it added.

Also on Wednesday, Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke by phone to discuss advancing the ceasefire-for-hostages deal, the White House said in a statement, without elaborating.

Israeli military officials have repeatedly stated that Israel could meet its security needs without maintaining control over the Philadelphi Corridor.

The Israeli Ynet news website quoted anonymous Israeli security officials accusing Netanyahu of hampering efforts to reach an agreement, arguing that his insistence on control over the corridor could jeopardize the deal. 
THE HAGUE, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Dutch Asylum and Migration Minister Marjolein Faber on Wednesday described the asylum situation in the Netherlands as a "crisis," with the country facing an influx of tens of thousands of applications.

"The Netherlands is in an asylum crisis," Faber said before a meeting in The Hague about next year's government budget, adding that the Netherlands is "fully packed."

The minister explained that there are problems with the reception of refugees as there are nearly 40,000 family members of refugees recognized by the Netherlands waiting for a residence permit.

The reception centers of the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) are full and many people still have to be deported, she said.

But the minister later clarified that she is not yet ready to declare an asylum crisis legally.

"Legally speaking, there is no asylum crisis yet," she said. "But it is felt that way in our society."

The minister said she wants to have an asylum crisis law as quickly as possible and this law should be ready by the end of September this year. Faber added that her ministry is busy preparing it.

On July 2, the new Dutch government, which consists of the Party for Freedom (PVV), the New Social Contract (NSC), the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB), was sworn in.

One of the agreements of the new government was the plan for a temporary asylum crisis act with measures to "combat the acute asylum influx and reception crisis," such as suspending the processing of asylum applications.

The position of the Dutch government is in potential conflict with the European Commission. In July, European Commissioner Ylva Johansson said that the Dutch government cannot declare an asylum crisis without the permission of the European Commission. 
MOGADISHU, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud received credentials on Wednesday from Wang Yu, the newly appointed Chinese ambassador to Somalia.

Mohamud commended the new Chinese ambassador's desire to promote ties between Somalia and China, pointing out the importance of strengthening the strategic cooperation between the two countries, particularly in areas of economic development, trade, and security.

"Somalia bestows great importance on the partnership with China and is ready to work with China to continuously expand friendly cooperation and enhance bilateral relations," Mohamud said in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

The Somali leader observed that China supports Somalia in several areas, including humanitarian aid, scholarships, and efforts to safeguard national unity and territorial integrity.

On his part, Wang commended Somalia's progress in peace, security, and national reconstruction over recent years.

Wang emphasized China's willingness to work jointly with Somalia and further implement the consensus reached by the two countries to elevate the China-Somalia relationship to new heights.

Wang replaces Fei Shengchao, who was appointed as the Chinese ambassador to Somalia in September 2021. 
Old-school readers might recognize our take on a classic phrase . . .

"As General Motors goes, so goes America."



We're uncertain if that idea was correct but it's a nice line in the sand regarding corporate politics.

Accordingly . . .

We're at another critical moment in Kansas City history that seems familiar.

Remember when politicos, neighbors & biz leaders attempted to save the Plaza?!?

That really didn't work out the best after the Mayor led "mostly peaceful" protesters into a destructive confrontation with police.

This time around . . . Impressive community meetings and demand for police service have elicited some progress the question remains . . .



Will Kansas City save Waldo/Brookside from rising crime?!? If not, the future of this town might be worse than many of us imagine.



Again . . . Recent arrests show police willing to work with neighbors and stand up against a wave of property crime.

Still, like it or not, there's still a lot more work to do . . .



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

KCPD: 2 juveniles arrested for role in 'dozens of crimes' in Brookside, Waldo Two juveniles are in custody for their role in "dozens of crimes" in Brookside and Waldo, according to the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department.

KCPD announces arrests in recent Waldo, Brookside property crime sprees On Wednesday, Kansas City police announced that arrests have been made in a surge of property crimes throughout the Brookside and Waldo area.

A Few Takeaways From Last Week's Brookside/Waldo Community Crime Meeting Last week, representatives from the Metro Patrol Division of the KC Police Department, along with County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker hosted a meeting for residents and businessowners in the Brookside/Waldo area at Research Medical Center. Leaders from the Brookside Business Assn and the Waldo Area Business Assn put the meeting together in response to the...

Developing . . .


A report from our favorite hipster magazine is worth highlighting because 12th & Oak is now attempting to blame shift a historic rise in homicides during the tenure of Mayor Quinton Lucas.

The crux of the talking point . . .

MAYOR Q BLAMES STATE CONTROL FOR HISTORIC RISE IN HOMICIDES!!!

Consider . . .

That argument might work if the governance structure of Kansas City hasn't been the same throughout the modern history of this cowtown.

Let's not forget . . .

When civil unrest was right at the doorstep of Kansas City and Missouri riots in Ferguson dominated the nation . . . KCMO remained calm and offered up prayers instead of riots and fighting with cops that occurred during the 2020 BLM "mostly peaceful" riots.



Still . . .

As we see property crime take center stage this Summer and rising homeowner outcry regarding the lack of prosecutions and enforcement . . . Mayor Q casting blame at Jeff City isn't even a new trick and a "hot potato" tactic that local "progressives" have using for nearly a decade.

In fairness . . . Here's the report that takes Mayor Q at his word . . .



What [Amendment 4] means for us when they direct our budgeting, other than the fact that it is unfair, it is arbitrary that it is applied to only Kansas City, and it hasnt improved a public safety benefit for a city that has experienced its highest ever homicide rate in two of its last four years in its historyall those things make it clear [the system] doesnt work, Mayor Lucas told The Pitch in an interview. The current system doesnt work. We need more accountability, not less We need more innovations in policing, not less. Lucas explained that he doesnt believe an increase in funding for the KCPD will be useful in countering rising violent crime.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Developing . . .


SARAJEVO, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Germany provided 1.569 million euros (1.75 million U.S. dollars) in financial assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) for infrastructure improvements at several military locations, according to an announcement from the BiH Ministry of Defense on Wednesday.

The funds will be used for the renovation, adaptation, and modernization of four military barracks: "Kozara" in Banja Luka, "Zdravko Celar" in Derventa, "Teufik Buza" in Visoko, and a barracks in Kiseljak.

BiH Minister of Defense Zukan Helez said that the assistance will significantly enhance the living and working conditions of soldiers, as well as improve energy efficiency at the targeted locations. 
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday paid tribute to the victims and survivors of terrorism, saying that acts of terrorism create "a wave of unimaginable grief."

"Today we remember and honor the victims and survivors of terrorism," Guterres said in a video message at a virtual high-level event, to mark the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, observed annually on Aug. 21.

Noting that acts of terrorism create "a wave of unimaginable grief," the UN chief said that families and communities torn apart by terrorist acts "are forever changed."

"The scars, both visible and invisible, never fully heal," the UN chief stressed, adding that through the torment and tragedy, there have been examples of "resilience and the enduring power of our common humanity."

Guterres highlighted this year's theme "Voices for Peace: Victims of Terrorism as Peace Advocates and Educators," saying that reflecting on personal trauma to educate others is "an act of immense courage."

He paid tribute to all victims and survivors of terrorism, including those who have chosen to share their stories about perseverance and forgiveness.

The International Day urges people to listen and to learn, and is a reminder that "we must always seek out the light of hope," Guterres said.

At the high-level event, Under-Secretary-General for the Office of Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov said the commitment to prevent emergence of more victims remains as steadfast as ever, adding that listening to victims' experiences is "a powerful reminder that terrorism has no place in this world."

The event also featured testimonies from two victims/survivors of terrorism, and was followed by a virtual panel discussion on the theme "Victims of Terrorism as Peace Advocates and Educators."

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in December 2017 designating Aug. 21 as the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism to honor and support the victims and survivors of terrorism. 
Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Aug. 21, 2024. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

MOSCOW, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang said here Wednesday that while consolidating cooperation in traditional areas, China is willing to work with Russia to explore cooperation in emerging areas.

Li made the remarks when meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin after he co-chaired the 29th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

Li conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings and best wishes to President Putin. He said that the two heads of state have met twice this year, drawing a new blueprint and injecting strong momentum into further deepening bilateral relations and cooperation, especially at the historical juncture of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Russia.

The steady development of China-Russia relations not only serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and two peoples, but also contributes to regional and world peace, stability and prosperity, Li noted, expressing China's willingness to work with Russia to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, maintain the sound momentum of the development of bilateral relations, expand all-round mutually beneficial cooperation and achieve more practical results.

Li pointed out that the current round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is deepening, which implies huge development opportunities. China is ready to further highlight the role of scientific, technological and industrial innovation in powering bilateral cooperation with Russia, to constantly foster new economic growth points, he added.

The two sides should continue to deepen cultural, tourism, education, youth and sub-national exchanges and cooperation to promote mutual understanding between the two peoples and pass on the cause of China-Russia friendship from generation to generation, Li said.

Against the backdrop of accelerating changes in the world unseen in a century, China is ready to work with Russia to further strengthen multilateral coordination, deepen mutual trust and cooperation with developing countries, firmly promote a multi-polar world and economic globalization, and better safeguard its legitimate rights and interests and basic norms governing international relations.

Putin asked Li to convey his cordial greetings and best wishes to President Xi. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Russia and China, which is a memorable year in the history of the development of bilateral relations, Putin said.

Noting that Russian and Chinese heads of government held their annual meeting this morning, during which they had in-depth exchanges on economy, trade, people-to-people and cultural cooperation and signed a series of cooperation documents, Putin said this is a strong implementation of the important consensus reached between President Xi and him and has yielded fruitful results.

Russia is willing to further strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with China, expand cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and step up communication and coordination within BRICS and other multilateral mechanisms, so as to push for greater development of the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era, said Putin. 

Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Aug. 21, 2024. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)
In this episode of Morning Edition, We discuss the issue of bullying following the suicide o
British lawyer, ex-judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Howard Morrison said the ratification of the Rome Statute is an important step that gives Ukraine better long-term protection.

He said this in a comment to an Ukrinform correspondent in The Hague.

"It is an important step both for the ICC and Ukraine. Although Ukraine had adopted the jurisdiction of the Court, and thus full ratification will not make a huge difference in practice in the short term, it gives Ukraine better long-term protection as the future is uncertain even when the current war ends," he said.

According to the former ICC judge, the ratification of the Rome Statute should force the Russian Federation to act more carefully.

"It ought to make Russia tread more carefully but as present-day Russia has no serious intentions about compliance with either international criminal or humanitarian law It will probably only be effective when there is a regime change in Russia and hopefully a more mature and less mindlessly aggressive government is in place. In the meantime, Ukraine needs to work towards full membership of NATO like Finland and Sweden.," he said.

Responding to a question of when the trial of Russian crimes in Ukraine may begin, Morrison noted that "the ICC does not do trials in absentia so it is necessary to arrest those indicted first."

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Verkhovna Rada on August 21 adopted the law on the ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and its amendments.

The Rome Statute will enter into force for Ukraine on the first day of the month following the 60th day from the date of deposit of the ratification facility with the Secretary General of the United Nations.

The document on the ratification of the Rome Statute stipulates that Ukraine shall not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court for war crimes for the next seven years if this concerns Ukrainian citizens.

Photo: ICC
TEHRAN, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Iranian lawmakers on Wednesday approved all of President Masoud Pezeshkian's cabinet picks, the official news agency IRNA reported.

The voting was conducted in an open parliamentary session in the Iranian capital Tehran, following a five-day review of the nominees' qualifications, the report said.

According to IRNA, the new cabinet comprises 19 members. Aziz Nasirzadeh, the new defense minister, received the most support from legislators, securing 281 votes out of the 288 parliamentarians present in the 290-seat chamber.

Seyyed Abbas Araqchi was appointed as the minister of foreign affairs, and Mohsen Paknejad will serve as the oil minister.

Before the vote, the Iranian president highlighted the need for national consensus, unity, and solidarity, pledging to follow the guidelines and policies of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Pezeshkian said that all his proposed ministers had sworn to work towards implementing and achieving the objectives of the country's 20-year vision document, general policies, and seventh five-year development plan.

Pezeshkian submitted the list of his proposed ministers to the parliament on August 11. 
MAPUTO, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Mozambique has invested more than 704 million U.S. dollars in the ongoing post-Cyclone Idai reconstruction, representing 56 percent of the planned implementation of the reconstruction program, according to a report by the Mozambique News Agency (AIM).

During a press briefing following the 26th ordinary session of the Council of Ministers on Tuesday in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, government spokesperson Filimao Suaze announced that the country has secured an additional 526.77 million dollars to be utilized in reconstruction by 2026.

The funding is essential for the continued restoration of vital infrastructure and services across the affected regions, Suaze was quoted as saying.

Suaze highlighted that the government has successfully mobilized an extra 71 million dollars from international partners, including 16 million dollars from the African Development Bank, 25 million dollars from Tzu Chi Foundation, and approximately 30 million dollars from the World Bank.

"All the funds mobilized are being directed toward the rehabilitation of social and other infrastructure, in line with the plan approved with our cooperation partners," said Suaze.

Under the reconstruction program, the government has completed the construction of 5,750 new homes, with 3,269 classrooms built or rehabilitated out of the 4,745 destroyed, according to the report.

Sauze said that 4,154 km of roads and 28 bridges have been restored, and 1,066 km of power transmission lines have been repaired.

In the water supply and sanitation sector, the program is currently providing clean water to at least 43,403 beneficiaries, surpassing the initial target of 21,000, the report said.

Cyclone Idai, which struck central Mozambique in March 2019, claimed 603 lives and affected an estimated 2.5 million people, prompting an extensive recovery operation. 
SANAA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-British naval coalition launched three airstrikes on the Salif area in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Wednesday, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.

The report didn't provide casualties or other details.

Residents told Xinhua that they heard explosions and saw black smoke rising from a "Houthi military site" in Salif, adding that they also saw ambulances rushing to the scene.

Salif, located northwest of the port city, has been frequently hit by the U.S.-British coalition, according to the Houthi television.

The coalition has not commented on the incident.

The attack came a few hours after two cargo ships, one in the Red Sea and the other in the Gulf of Aden, were reportedly hit by missiles, drones, and unmanned boats.

Since November last year, the Houthi group has been launching anti-ship missiles and drone attacks on "Israeli-linked ships" in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to show solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

In response, the U.S.-British naval coalition stationing in the area has since January conducted regular air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets to deter the group. 
Manhattan College is now officially Manhattan University.

The change, which the school announced Wednesday, aims to better showcase its wide range of academic programs and attract a more diverse, global student body. The New York State Board of Regents gave the green light to the new name on Aug. 1.

"I've always thought of Manhattan College as something bigger, given the number of disciplines in the three schools we operate, the superb quality of our faculty, and the growing international reach of the student body. It's a natural evolution in our long history in New York City, and a natural progression of our legacy that has stood for more than 170 years," President Milo Riverso said in a statement.

The institution, which has been around since 1853, started in Manhattan before moving to the Bronx, New York, in 1923.

Riverso also pointed out that the university status will help clarify the school's standing in countries where "college" can be misunderstood as equivalent to high school.

According to the university, a majority of the 3,000 students, faculty and staff that participated in a May 2022 survey supported the name change.
Inter-Agency Meeting on Outer Space Activities:

2024, Forty-third session

31 October 2024 (with a standalone training component on 28 October 2024), New York

Introduction

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, in its capacity as UN-Space secretariat, is pleased to announce that the forty-third session of UN-Space will be held on 31 October 2024 in New York, with the support of the Capacity Development and Operational Training Service (CDOTS) of the Department of Operational Support. This is the first time UN-Space is partnering with CDOTS and it looks forward to new areas of collaboration.

UN-Space encourages representatives of entities of the United Nations system, in line with General Assembly resolution 78/72 of 11 December 2023 (A/RES/78/72), to participate, as appropriate, in UN-Space coordination efforts.

Forty-third session of UN-Space

A dedicated meeting of UN-Space, open to representatives of all United Nations entities, will be held on 31 October 2024. 31 October will focus on, inter alia, orientations on the latest developments in the peaceful uses of outer space and discussions on improving coordination in obtaining and sharing commercial satellite imagery across the United Nations system.

Following on a joint meeting of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Working Group on Capacity-building and Data Democracy and UN-Space, held in March 2023, which focused on the identification of needs of Member States and United Nations entities for capacity-building in the use of space-based observations, a standalone training day will also be arranged as a component of the forty-third session.The training will feature sessions led by the NASA Applied Remote Sensing Training (ARSET) and Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) programs, highlighting Earth observations and satellite data analysis and providing a hands-on experience. By the end of this training attendees will be able to: recognize how remote sensing observations can inform decision making; identify how to locate applicable NASA datasets and tools that support decision-making and policy; and apply workflows to access and visualize NASA datasets. The training will take place in-person only on 28 October 2024. All learners are welcome to register, but would need to fund any travel themselves.

The same individuals need not join both the training day and the regular session.

Relevant documents for the meeting:
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ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Aug, 2024) Chairman Press Council of Pakistan (PCP) Arshad Khan Jadoon reaffirmed the Council's commitment to safeguarding freedom of expression and upholding media ethics in Pakistan.

He assured that the dissemination of accurate information and the curbing of fake news would be prioritized at all costs.

During a meeting with Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jadoon highlighted the PCP's pivotal role in promoting press freedom and media ethics in line with the Code of Practice.

The meeting also focused on addressing the challenges faced by journalists and resolving them on priority basis.

Jadoon emphasized the importance of collaboration in combating the complications affecting the country and enhancing its global soft image.

He promised to induct a representative from the business community into the Press Council to foster closer ties and address its grievances more effectively.

Furthermore, Jadoon stressed the need for close coordination between PEMRA and the PCP to tackle issues like fake news by strictly adhering to standard operating procedures (Sops).

On his part, President ICCI Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari commended the Press Council of Pakistan (PCP) for its efforts in promoting the right to expression while maintaining a positive and constructive narrative.

He suggested that the inclusion of representatives from the business community in the PCP would enhance its dynamism and effectiveness.

Bakhtawari said that the country is passing through the most difficult time and needs concerted efforts to pull it out of the existing impasse by stressing the importance of avoiding negativity in news coverage, particularly in reports related to business and the economy, as these are badly harming the country's economic interests.

At the same time he also emphasized the need to address the challenges faced by the journalists community.

The ICCI President noted that crimes occur in every society but the manner in which they are projected in Pakistan is badly affecting country's economy, businesses and image.

He urged the PCP to take urgent action to address this issue by ensuring the promotion of balanced and positive image of the country, conducive to business growth and development.

Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari pledged full cooperation with the PCP in showcasing Pakistan's positive aspects to drive economic progress.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Syed Asim Munir on Wednesday said the youth of the country was the biggest and most valuable capital that would not be allowed to waste under any circumstances

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Aug, 2024) Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Syed Asim Munir on Wednesday said the youth of the country was the biggest and most valuable capital that would not be allowed to waste under any circumstances.

Addressing the Youth Convention here, the Chief of Army Staff said that knowledge distinguished a person from others, whereas seeing the sparkle in the eyes of young people made one believe that the future of Pakistan was in safe hands.

The Army Chief said it was the responsibility of the state to keep the masses at bay from the malicious implications of social media-induced confusion and sedition.

A strong relationship between the people, the government and the army was the guarantee of Pakistan's security and development, he said, adding, "Those who were creating the narrative of Pakistan's default, where are they today?"

"If you want to know the importance of a free state, ask the people of Libya, Syria, Kashmir, and Gaza.

As Muslims we are forbidden from despair," the COAS said.

The Chief of Army Staff told the youth that life was a test, and read the Qur'anic verse, "Do people think that they will be left alone for saying, 'We believe,' and they will not be tested?"

At the end of the speech, the Army Chief recited this poem of Allama Iqbal addressing the youth:

"The destiny of nations is in the hands of individuals

Every individual is the star of the destiny of the nation."

During the question period after the speech, the Chief of Army Staff explained the position of the Pakistan Army on various issues. In response to a question on the riots in Parachinar, the Army Chief said that the tribes should sit together and help end the land and sub-district disputes.

"The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have stood like a leaden wall against terrorism along with the Pakistan Army for 22 years. I believe that Allah Almighty will grant us victory against terrorism, " the Army Chief said.
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ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Aug, 2024) The International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism was observed all around the world on Wednesday.

Acts of terrorism propagating a wide range of hateful ideologies continue to injure, harm and kill thousands of innocent people each year. On the occasion, Pakistan joins the international community in honouring the lives lost and the survivors of terrorist attacks.

Pakistani nation deeply understands the pain and suffering of the victims of terrorism around the world. For the last two decades, Pakistan has been a victim of terrorism planned, supported and sponsored from across its borders. During this period, it suffered over 80,000 causalities and incurred over US$ 150 billion in economic losses.

Despite these challenges, Pakistan remained resolute in its resolve to combat terrorism. With national commitment, matchless resilience and unparalleled sacrifices of the people, Pakistan has managed to turn the situation and score victories against terrorism.

On this day, the world must also remember the victims of state terrorism including in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) since the 1990s Indian troops have martyred over 100,000 Kashmiris, widowed over 22000 women, orphaned 108000 children and raped over 11000 women in IIOJK.

The international community must stand with victims of state terrorism in IIOJK as well. The international community must adopt a comprehensive approach to counter-terrorism and address its root causes.
Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training has announced that an Education Information Fair is scheduled from September 2 to 14 (including Saturdays) for intermediate students (first and second year) of FDE colleges

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Aug, 2024) Ministry of Federal education and Professional Training has announced that an Education Information Fair is scheduled from September 2 to 14 (including Saturdays) for intermediate students (first and second year) of FDE colleges.

According to the Education Ministry, during this event, representatives from prominent Pakistani universities will conduct sessions to inform students about admission criteria, eligibility requirements, entry test preparations, scholarship opportunities, and other essential details.

Additionally, KIPS, a well-known organization, will offer guidance on entry test requirements and preparation tips.

This fair is exclusively for students of Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) colleges, the ministry said.
Speaker NA Sardar Ayaz Sadiq Wednesday said that gross human rights violations in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK)) and Palestine is the trial of the conscience of the modern world

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Aug, 2024) Speaker NA Sardar Ayaz Sadiq Wednesday said that gross human rights violations in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK)) and Palestine is the trial of the conscience of the modern world. Severe Human Rights violations in IIOJK and Palestine warrant immediate attention of the civilized world he expressed these views during his meeting with the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk, Belarus today.

He said that resolving the Kashmir issue as per resolutions of the United Nations Security Council is pivotal for regional peace and stability, and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza is also essential for ending the Palestinian Genocide, according to a news release received here.

He said that Pakistan is the least contributor to climate change but the most severely affected Nation due to the devastating impact of climate change.

He added, "The issue of global climate change requires global efforts." While highlighting the friendly ties between both nations, he said that Pakistan and Belarus enjoy cordial ties based on shared interests.

He expressed his resolve to strengthen relations between both nations further. The Speaker added, "Pakistan is blessed with vast potential in energy and trade."

Ayaz Sadiq also said that Pakistan-Belarus Bilateral Relations are characterized by mutual respect. He further underscored that Pakistan-Belarus ties would expand through collaboration in economic, industrial, and agriculture sectors. During the meeting, matters related to enhancing bilateral relations, including trade and parliamentary relations, were deliberated in detail.

Both sides also expressed determination to further strengthen bilateral relations. The President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked that Belarus attached great importance to its close ties with Pakistan. While expressing the desire to further expand bilateral cooperation with Pakistan, he added, "Pakistan has great potential in Energy, Trade and Agriculture Sectors.'
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) launched the Apostille Convention on Wednesday in Islamabad, aiming to streamline the authentication process for public documents intended for international use

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Aug, 2024) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) launched the Apostille Convention on Wednesday in Islamabad, aiming to streamline the authentication process for public documents intended for international use.

With the formal launch of Apostille certification, the MoFA and its liaison offices in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, and Gujrat will now accept documents for Apostille attestation through the five courier companies that have already been notified.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar presided over the launch ceremony, which was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Information Technology, and the National Information Technology Board (NITB).

Speaking on the occasion Dar stress the government's commitment to enhancing public facilitation and highlighted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' efforts to improve public service delivery by simplifying document attestation and legalization. He urged Ministry officials to be more proactive in ensuring efficient service provision.

Starting today (Aug 21), the MoFA has launched an "Online Apostille Application System." This system allows individuals to apply for apostille online by creating a profile and submitting documents directly through the "Online Payment App" introduced by Habib Bank Ltd.
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The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday dismissed a petition challenging the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) founder and Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana case, following the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) filing of a reference in the accountability court

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Aug, 2024) The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday dismissed a petition challenging the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) founder and Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana case, following the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) filing of a reference in the accountability court.

A division bench of the Islamabad High Court, consisting of Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Babar Sattar, heard the petitions challenging the arrests of PTI founder and Bushra Bibi in connection with the Toshakhana case.

During the hearing, PTI's lawyer Salman Safdar and NAB prosecutors Rafeh Maqsood and Umair Majeed presented their arguments.

The NAB prosecutor informed the court that a reference regarding the Toshakhana case had already been filed in the accountability court. This development, he argued, granted the right to seek post-arrest bail.

Salman Safdar, representing the PTI founder, contended that the court had previously stated that the call-up notices in the case were unclear.

The court questioned the prosecution on several points, including the validity of the call-up notices and the fundamental rights at stake.

After hearing the arguments, the court dismissed the petitions as ineffective, allowing the arrests to stand under the current legal framework.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Aug, 2024) The University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (UAJK) is proud to honor one of the brightest young talents from the region, Tayyaba Saghir, who recently achieved remarkable success in the Intermediate Exams.

Tayyaba, hailing from Jehlum Valley, secured an impressive 1154 out of 1200 marks, earning her the top position in the exams. In recognition of her extraordinary academic performance, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Kaleem Abbasi invited Tayyaba and her father and brother to his office on Wednesday.

During the meeting, Prof. Dr. Abbasi expressed his admiration for Tayyaba's hard work, dedication, and perseverance, noting that her success is a shining example of how determination and effort can overcome any obstacle, said a press release.

"Students like Tayyaba prove that with unwavering commitment and a strong work ethic, nothing is unachievable," said Prof. Dr. Kaleem Abbasi. "Her remarkable success not only brings pride to her family and her community but also serves as an inspiration for all students across the region.

"

The Vice-Chancellor presented Tayyaba with souvenirs as a token of appreciation and congratulated her on her outstanding achievement. He also encouraged her to continue striving for excellence in her future academic pursuits, emphasizing that UAJK will always support and recognize talented students like her.

Tayyaba Saghir expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor for the warm reception and the recognition of her efforts. "I am deeply honored by the Vice-Chancellor's appreciation, which has boosted my morale and motivated me to continue performing at my best," she said. "This recognition is not just for me but for all students who believe in the power of hard work."

The meeting was also attended by Associate Prof. Dr. Imtiaz Awan, who congratulated Tayyaba on her achievement and wished her continued success in her academic journey.
GUANGZHOU, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese payment services platform Alipay recently announced that it now provides services in 16 languages, which it expects will help international tourists travel in China more smoothly.

Services on the smartphone app are now available in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Turkish, Malay, Indonesian, Thai, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese, in addition to the Chinese and English services already in use.

With the latest update, foreign visitors in China can use the app's payment service in the language of their choosing. Other frequently used services in the app, including a hotel booking platform, can be translated into that language with a single click using Alipay's translation tool.

The People's Bank of China, the central bank, in February held a meeting to optimize payment services in the country. Relevant government authorities have since collaborated to refine the national payment services system, providing increased convenience to elderly people and foreigners in China.

In June, a research group at the Beijing Foreign Studies University's Silk Road Research Institute released a report on the travel and payment experiences of foreigners in China. It surveyed more than 700 foreign travelers who had traveled to China from over 100 countries, finding that 98 percent of respondents would recommend traveling to China to their friends, and that 86 percent believe the payment experience in China has become more convenient.

In the first half of 2024, spending among inbound travelers on Alipay surged eightfold year on year, and the number of Chinese companies using Alipay for business involving international tourists saw a yearly increase of 300 percent, according to Alipay.

With "China Travel" trending on social media platforms, China's inbound tourism is experiencing a surge and these visits are expected to boost consumption.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, average daily consumption among foreign tourists in China was 3,459 yuan (about 485 U.S. dollars) in 2023. In the first seven months of this year, the number of foreigners visiting China soared 129.9 percent year on year to 17.25 million, according to the National Immigration Administration. 
Beijing, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Aug, 2024) Beijing on Wednesday launched a probe into EU subsidies of some dairy products imported into China, the day after the bloc said it planned to impose five-year import duties of up to 36 percent on Chinese electric vehicles.

The investigation, which marks the latest barb in a trade standoff between the two, will cover a range of items including fresh cheese and curd, blue cheese, and some milk and cream, Beijing's commerce ministry said.

"The Ministry of Commerce has decided to initiate an anti-subsidy investigation on imported relevant dairy products originating in the European Union from August 21, 2024," the ministry said in a statement on its website.

Officials said they had received an application from the Dairy Association of China for an anti-subsidy probe into European products on July 29, and held consultations with the European Union on August 14.

Beijing said the investigation would cover EU subsidy schemes implemented in the year up to the end of March 2024, and damages to China's domestic industry between the start of 2020 and the end of March this year.

The probe takes aim at major pillars of the bloc's setup including the common agricultural policy as well as national subsidy plans in Ireland, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Croatia, Finland, Romania and the Czech Republic.

It will last one year but may be extended for up to six months "under special circumstances", the ministry said.

The EU exported 1.68 billion Euros ($1.87 billion) of dairy products to China last year, according to figures from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, which cited Eurostat.

The news comes a day after the European Commission said it planned to impose the five-year import duties on Chinese EVs, unless Beijing can offer an alternative solution to a damaging trade row over state subsidies.

Brussels last month hit EVs imported from China with hefty provisional tariffs -- on top of current duties of 10 percent -- after an anti-subsidy probe found they were unfairly undermining European rivals.

China said this month it had filed an appeal with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over the tariffs, saying the EU's decision "lacks a factual and legal basis".

Its foreign ministry has kept up a steady drumbeat of opposition to the measures, on Wednesday slamming them as a "typical protectionist and politically driven act".

"It ignores objective facts, disregards (WTO) rules, goes against the historical trend, damages the EU's green transformation process and global efforts to address climate change," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

She added that the EU "will only harm itself" with the imposition of tariffs.

Brussels has sought to tread carefully as it tries to defend Europe's crucial auto industry and pivot towards green growth while averting a showdown with Beijing.

But it has launched further investigations into Chinese subsidies for a range of transport and green energy firms.

Beijing, for its part, has begun its own probes into imported European brandy and pork.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly's annual General Debate on September 27, the Pakistan Mission to the UN announced Wednesday

UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Aug, 2024) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly's annual General Debate on September 27, the Pakistan Mission to the UN announced Wednesday.

The change in the date of the prime minister's speech from September 26, given on Tuesday in the UN's provisional list of speakers, was sought by the Pakistan Mission.

The high-level debate of the 193-member Assembly's 79th session will take place from September 24 to 30.

It will be the second time Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will deliver a speech to the General Assembly -- the UN's main policy-making organ -- he last addressed it in 2022.

More than 130 world leaders have so far confirmed their participation in the debate, according to Monica Greylay, the spokesperson for the UN General Assembly. They will be addressing international peace and security issues.

The Assembly's 79th session, which actually opens on September 10, will be meeting amid heightening tensions in the world with several active conflicts, including in Palestine, Ukraine and Sudan. But the Assembly's heavy agenda also aims to set the stage for building a new global development framework which both protects the planet and promotes equity, justice and prosperity for all people.

Brazil, which traditionally opens the debate, will commence the high-level session on September 24.

This will be followed by the United States, the host country, with President Joe Biden delivering final address of his presidency to global leaders from the iconic UN General Assembly hall.

Ahead of the session, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will present his report on the Work of the Organization covering the events in the preceding year.

Guterres is also convening the ambitious Summit of the Future at UN Headquarters during the week. The Summit is scheduled for September 22-23.

It is expected to adopt the Pact for the Future, which will include a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations as annexes. The UN described the Summit as a high-level event aimed at forging a new international consensus on delivering a better present and safeguarding the future.

Effective global cooperation is increasingly critical to our survival but difficult to achieve in an atmosphere of mistrust, using outdated structures that no longer reflect todays political and economic realities, according to the UN.

Other key meetings scheduled are: High-level plenary meeting on addressing the existential threats posed by sea level rise: Wednesday, September 25; High-level plenary meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons: Thursday, September 26; and High-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance: Thursday, September 26.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has paid tributes to victims and survivors of terrorism just ahead of the international day which spotlights the issue each year

UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Aug, 2024) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has paid tributes to victims and survivors of terrorism just ahead of the international day which spotlights the issue each year.

This years International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism on Wednesday, takes place under the theme Voices for Peace: Victims of Terrorism as Peace Advocates and Educators.

It highlights the powerful voices of victims, acknowledging how their experiences and stories contribute to raising awareness of the enduring impact of terrorism - and can ultimately foster positive change.

The day was established by the UN General Assembly in 2017 to honour and support victims and survivors, while also promoting their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The UN chief said in his statement that acts of terrorism create a wave of unimaginable grief.

The scars  both visible and invisible  never fully heal, Guterres said.

Yet, the Secretary-General recognized that through torment and tragedy, there have been examples of resilience and the enduring power of our common humanity.

Guterres said he is paying tribute to all victims and survivors, including those who have shared their stories - an act of immense courage.

This day urges us to listen and to learn, the UN chief said. And it is a reminder that we must always seek out the light of hope.

In recent months, various terrorist groups, mainly the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have stepped their terrorist attacks in Pakistan, resulting in many civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure.

Ben Saul, UN expert on the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, said the International Day of Remembrance provides a chance to renew global efforts to protect victims and survivors.

Many victims feel like life simply got worse in the wake of being attacked, leaving physical and psychological scars such as losing a job, a key relationship, or the ability to focus on studies.

I pay tribute to the many victims who show incredible courage and resilience as they learn how to live again, often with the help of their families, friends and communities, Saul said.

Saul said victims need comprehensive and sustained support from their governments to rebuild their lives.

He said countries should provide long-term assistance to victims, including medical and psychological support while ensuring their protection and access to justice.

Saul emphasised the importance of independent investigations, accountability, and international solidarity in supporting victims, particularly vulnerable groups, and ensuring their full participation in legal proceedings.

I stand ready to advise any country that wishes to strengthen protection of victims of terrorism, improve compliance with international law when countering terrorism, or address conditions conducive to terrorism, Saul said.
Students use laptops during the launch of Learning Passport in Gaborone, Botswana, on Aug. 21, 2024. Botswana on Wednesday launched the Learning Passport, an innovative online platform that aims to bridge the learning gap and transform the education sector in the southern African country. (Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)

GABORONE, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Botswana on Wednesday launched the Learning Passport, an innovative online platform that aims to bridge the learning gap and transform the education sector in the southern African country.

Addressing delegates and students of Mogoditshane Senior Secondary School in the national capital of Gaborone, Douglas Letsholathebe, minister of education and skills development, said the program was developed by the ministry in cooperation with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Microsoft to address the country's challenges of lack of equitable access to education, particularly the use of information and communications technology as a platform for learning, especially in remote areas.

"The Botswana Learning Passport is a ground-breaking initiative aimed at providing accessible and quality education to all children and those in disadvantaged communities around the country," said Letsholathebe.

According to Letsholathebe, the system can hold and provide content for all curriculum subjects, including e-library services, revision materials, and learner performance tracking. It will supplement traditional classroom learning and empower students to take charge of their education, allowing them to learn at their own pace and on their own time.

Joan Matji, UNICEF representative to Botswana and the Southern African Development Community, said the Learning Passport will help bridge the digital divide by providing equitable learning opportunities to all children, regardless of their geographical location or socioeconomic background.

"We recognize the importance of scaling up our activities, which will include cascading training to other school levels and developing more content for junior and primary schools. This will enable us to extend our impact and reach a broader population," said Matji. 

Joan Matji, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) representative to Botswana and the Southern African Development Community, speaks at the launch of Learning Passport in Gaborone, Botswana, on Aug. 21, 2024. Botswana on Wednesday launched the Learning Passport, an innovative online platform that aims to bridge the learning gap and transform the education sector in the southern African country. (Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)

Douglas Letsholathebe, Botswanan minister of education and skills development, speaks at the launch of Learning Passport in Gaborone, Botswana, on Aug. 21, 2024. Botswana on Wednesday launched the Learning Passport, an innovative online platform that aims to bridge the learning gap and transform the education sector in the southern African country. (Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)

Students use laptops during the launch of Learning Passport in Gaborone, Botswana, on Aug. 21, 2024. Botswana on Wednesday launched the Learning Passport, an innovative online platform that aims to bridge the learning gap and transform the education sector in the southern African country. (Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)
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.
On Aug. 16 prominent Russian propagandist Andrej Lysenko claimed that Ukraines Armed Forces had carried out an artillery strike on the Galaktika shopping mall in Russian-occupied Donetsk.

Lysenko is wanted by Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs for spreading malicious propaganda and disinformation on behalf of the Russian government.

In the description of two video clips, he posted at a 20-minute interval in the messenger app Telegram just after midday Kyiv time on Aug. 16, Lysenko painted horrifying events involving mass human casualties due to the alleged Ukrainian strike. He then addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin asking to take Ukraine in its entirety and to cleanse every Ukrainian.

The Galaktika (shopping mall) is on fire. A huge number of people were burned alive. Children. Women are screaming, hysterical, because their children are there. We saved as many people as we could and pulled them out. ...Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin) Ukraine needs to be taken over and everyone needs to be cleansed.

This is false.

The Kremlin-appointed governor of Russian-controlled Donetsk in Ukraine, Denis Pushilin, said 11 people suffered moderate or minor injuries during the Galaktika mall fire. No footage emerged at the time of the fire or in the aftermath showing the rescue efforts or wounded and burned children and women or anyone with visible wounds related to the fire at the Galaktika mall.

Lysenko himself is the focus of the footage he shared online. As his cinematographer follows Lysenko around a burning building, the video shows an empty parking lot with a single car parked in front of the mall. Contrary to his claim about having to pull people from the fire and save them, Lysenkos footage shows him driving away from the shopping mall to avoid the smoke. While he encounters a few visibly distressed people, while running around the building, none of them shows signs of burns or other trauma.

Numerous Russian news media reported mass victims of the Ukrainian strike in the Donetsk Galaktika mall  all citing Lysenko. None, including Russias most viewed state-owned TV channel Rossia 1, provided any original reporting or exclusive footage taken at the place of the alleged disaster.

The 60 Minutes program on Rossia 1, repeated Lysenkos fake uncritically. "Ukraine is committing insane atrocities at the behest of the West," its host Olga Skabeyeva commented on Lysenko's footage.

Pro-Kremlin users and channels on social media platforms like YouTube, VKontakte, and Telegram boosted Lysenko's video reaching millions of viewers.

Two hours after the initial footage, Lysenko posted another video on his Telegram channel. He now stated that the shopping center fire killed dozens. Still, he did not provide any evidence to back up that claim either.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says his military is gradually shifting its attention from Gaza to Israels northern border with Lebanon, as Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants traded new cross-border attacks on Wednesday.

Later on Wednesday, President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone about the threats facing Israel.

The two leaders talked about efforts by the United States to support Israel "against all threats from Iran, including its proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, to include ongoing defensive U.S. military deployments," a White House statement about the call said.

Biden also "stressed the urgency of bringing the cease-fire and hostage release deal to closure and discussed upcoming talks in Cairo to remove any remaining obstacles," the statement said.

In an overnight attack, Israel said it struck a weapons storage facility used by Hezbollah in eastern Lebanon close to the Syrian border. At least one person was killed and 30 injured, including children, Lebanons Health Ministry said in a statement.

In response, Hezbollah said it had targeted an Israeli military base in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. Two houses were damaged in the village of Katzrin, the Israeli military said, and at least one person was injured when dozens of projectiles were fired from Lebanon into the area.

An Israeli military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, posted a photo on X of what he said was a house damaged in Katzrin.

There was no other target in the area other than a civilian neighborhood and kids on their summer vacation. ... Attacks against our civilians will not go unanswered, he said in the post.

In another attack, state media and Palestinian officials in Lebanon said an Israeli airstrike on the Lebanese coastal city of Sidon on Wednesday killed the brother of a high-ranking official from Palestinian faction Fatahs military wing.

Khalil al-Maqdah, the brother of Fatah General Mounir al-Maqdah, was killed in a strike on a vehicle, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Israeli officials have accused Mounir al-Maqdah of facilitating the smuggling of weapons into the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Mounir al-Maqdah told the Beirut-based pan-Arab TV network Al Mayadeen on Wednesday that his brother had been a brigadier general in Fatahs armed wing and vowed the group will respond inside of Israel.

Earlier this month, another Israeli drone strike hit an SUV on a main road in Sidon, killing a Hamas official identified as Samer al-Haj.

Since the war in Gaza started last October, more than 500 people have been killed in Lebanon, including at least 100 civilians. In Israel, 23 soldiers and 26 civilians have been killed.

Gallant toured northern Israel on Tuesday, telling troops that Israel has scaled back its activities in Gaza, where it has been fighting Hamas for 10 months, and gradually shifted its focus to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

Our strongholds are moving from the south to the north. We are gradually changing, Gallant told troops. We still have a number of missions in the south.

Hezbollah quickly began striking Israel after Hamas shock October 7 attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and led to the capture of about 250 hostages. Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in almost daily fighting since then, increasing fears of a broader regional war, especially after Hezbollah vowed retaliation for an Israeli strike in Beirut last month that killed a top Hezbollah commander.

Hezbollah launched more than 120 projectiles toward northern Israel on Tuesday, causing damage to a home and sparking several fires. Israel said it was striking the source of the launches.

But the fighting has not stopped in Gaza.

Israel ordered the evacuation of a residential area in Deir al-Balah, near the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, the main hospital in central Gaza, and the Israeli military said it would soon attack militants in the area.

About 84% of Gazas territory has been placed under evacuation orders by the Israeli military, according to the United Nations, with many Palestinians ordered to move multiple times.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up his ninth visit to the Middle East late Tuesday, saying Israel and Hamas need to soon reach an agreement for a cease-fire.

Time is of the essence, because with every passing day, the well-being and lives of the hostages are in jeopardy, he said before leaving Doha, Qatar.

Time is of the essence because every single day women, children, men in Gaza are suffering without access to adequate food, medicine, and at risk of being wounded or dying in fighting that they didnt start and they cannot stop. And time is of the essence, because with every passing day, theres the danger of escalation in the region.

After traveling earlier this week to Israel where he said Netanyahu accepted a bridging proposal put forward by negotiators from the U.S., Qatar and Egypt, Blinken met with officials in Cairo and Doha.

Were engaged every single day with Israel, and our Qatari and Egyptian partners are engaged with Hamas. And over the coming days, we are going to do everything possible to, one, get Hamas on board with the bridging proposal, and then to make sure that both parties work on and agree to necessary details of implementation that would allow everything to go forward, he said.

On Wednesday, the State Department said Blinken spoke with Jordans Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, stressing the urgent need to finalize the cease-fire deal that would alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people and secure the release of hostages.

The secretary underscored that the bridging proposal presented by the negotiators addressed the remaining gaps in a manner that allows for swift implementation of the deal, State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a statement.

Still, both Hamas and Israel signaled they did not like aspects of the U.S.-supported proposal.

In a new statement, Hamas said the latest proposal was a "reversal" of what it had previously agreed to and accused the United States of acquiescing to what it called "new conditions" from Israel.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu told relatives of hostages in Gaza that a key goal is to "preserve our strategic security assets in the face of great pressures from home and abroad."

Since Hamas started the war, Israel's retaliatory offensive against the militants in Gaza has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to Hamas health officials. The Israeli military says the death toll includes thousands of Hamas fighters.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
Cameroon is trying to register voters before the nearing deadline. But the political opposition and civil society say most qualified voters are reluctant to register because they think President Paul Biya plans to rig elections. Barely 50% of qualified civilians have registered for the election expected in October 2025.

Cameroon's elections management body, ELECAM, says 7.9 million civilians have registered as voters ahead of the August 31 deadline set by the central African states electoral law.

Cameroon is preparing for presidential elections next year to end an ongoing seven-year mandate. The date for the presidential polls will be decided by longtime leader Paul Biya.

Biya was declared the winner of the country's 2018 presidential polls, even though some opposition and civil society groups reject the results and accuse Biya of massive fraud to maintain his grip on power.

Cameroon rights groups say citizens are afraid to register because voters who protested what they claim was the stolen victory of the opposition Cameroon Renaissance Movement, or MRC, leader Maurice Kamto in 2018 were jailed for rebellion and attempted insurrection.

The MRC and a coalition of political parties that support Kamto say they will not tolerate fraud and electoral malpractice during the expected 2025 polls. They are urging civilians to register because voter registration is fundamental to credible elections.

The opposition and civil society say they have sent caravans to towns and villages all over Cameroon to encourage citizens to register and qualify to vote before registration ends in 10 days.

A member of the opposition moves in neighborhoods in Buea, capital of Cameroon's English-speaking Southwest region, is asking people who expect to register to also be ready to protest, should the polls be rigged.

Tamfu Richard is a human rights lawyer and a member of the Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation, or CPNR. Richard said the CPNR is particularly encouraging disgruntled youths who constitute a majority of Cameroon's population to register, vote and come out massively to protest, should their victory be stolen again.

He said the opposition will not allow Biya and his government to continue ruling Cameroon with an iron fist.

"Cameroon is at a crossroads where the current leader is of age and has been there for 42 years, so it is in the interest of Cameroonians to have a different face, somebody who is young at the helm. It is in the interest of Cameroonians to make sure that they massively register, supervise their votes and defend it when the time comes," he said.

Cameroons opposition and civil society estimate there are close to 16 million potential voters in the country of about 30 million civilians.

Forty-seven-year-old merchant Emmanuel Neba said a majority of Cameroonians are reluctant to register because they believe Biya, who has been in power for over four decades, wants to rule until he dies.

"We know that Paul Biya will still win the elections. In America Joe Biden is 82 and he abandoned his candidacy to a younger person, but in Cameroon, Paul Biya who is 91 wants to continue to be president forever, and that is why the youths are not eager to go and register to{qualify} to vote," he said.

Cameroon opposition and civil society say citizens should emulate the example of Chad, which has more than 8.2 million registered voters among a population of about 18 million. They say Cameroonians should also get inspired by Senegal where over 7 million people in a population of about 17.5 million registered for the West African states March 19 presidential elections.

Opposition and civil society proponents say that the massive involvement of youth in Senegal made victory possible for 40-year-old Bassirou Diomaye Faye over 62-year-old Macky Sall, who was running for a third term as president in the West African country.

Cameroon government officials assert Biya has won all presidential elections he contested since the return of multiparty politics in 1990. The government refutes opposition claims that Biya is planning to rig elections next year and warns civilians against what officials say is increasing hate speech ahead of the polls.

Opposition and civil society say the Cameroon government considers criticizing Biya hate language and threatens arrests.

Biya has not publicly announced that he will run again in the October 2025 presidential elections, but his supporters and government ministers have been organizing political rallies calling on him to run again.
White House officials on Wednesday appeared to downplay Beijings sentiment that it is seriously concerned after a report alleged the United States recently approved a secret plan to shift some of the focus of its nuclear strategy away from Russia to deal with Beijing's nuclear weapons buildup.

The guidance issued earlier this year is not a response to any single entity, country, nor threat, National Security Council Spokesman Sean Savett told VOA in response to emailed questions. We have repeatedly voiced concerns about the advancing nuclear arsenals of Russia, [China] and [North Korea].

The most recent guidance builds on what was issued by previous administrations  there is far more continuity than change, he said.

Savett did not provide details of the new strategy but noted that while the specific text of the guidance is classified, its existence is in no way secret.

Late Tuesday, The New York Times reported that U.S. President Joe Biden in March approved a new nuclear employment guidance, a highly classified document outlining how the U.S. would use nuclear weapons in a potential conflict.

The report said the document, updated every four years, reorients U.S. nuclear deterrent strategy to deal with Chinas massive expansion of its nuclear arsenal. The document also orders U.S. forces to prepare for the possibility of coordinated nuclear challenges from China, Russia, and North Korea, according to the report.

Asked about the report during a press briefing Wednesday, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson accused the United States of peddling the China nuclear threat narrative and finding excuses to seek strategic advantage.

"China is seriously concerned about the relevant report, and the facts have fully proven that the United States has constantly stirred up the so-called China nuclear threat theory in recent years," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.

Russia has not responded to the report.

For decades, U.S. nuclear policy has been primarily focused on Russia, the only other country with comparable nuclear weapons capabilities.

However, U.S. officials have increasingly warned that Chinas nuclear buildup under President Xi Jinping is proceeding faster than previously expected.

In an unclassified document released late last year, the Pentagon estimated that the Chinese military had more than 500 operational warheads in its arsenal and will have more than 1,000 warheads by 2030.

That compares to the United States, which possesses a nuclear stockpile of about 3,700 active warheads, according to estimates compiled by the U.S.-based Arms Control Association.

Russia has roughly 4,380 nuclear warheads, including about 1,550 on strategic delivery systems, according to estimates cited by the group.

Given those numbers, Russia remains the major driver behind U.S. nuclear strategy, said Daryl G. Kimball, the director of the Arms Control Association, in a post on social media site X.

The Times report overstates the changes outlined in the U.S. nuclear weapons guidance document, according to Kimball, who insisted there has been no reorientation away from Russia toward China.

Despite Chinas nuclear expansion, Russias arsenal significantly exceeds that of Chinas - even after Xis ambitious plan is complete. Until that changes, focus will remain on Russias arsenal, said Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists.

But planning against China is increasing, as reflected in the document, Kristensen added in a post on X.

U.S. officials have publicly referred to the nuclear weapons document at least twice, without offering much detail on its contents.

In June, Pranay Vaddi, the White House National Security Councils senior director for arms control and nonproliferation, said the new guidance emphasizes the need to account for the growth and diversity of Chinas nuclear arsenal, as well the need to deter Russia, China, and North Korea simultaneously.

According to Vaddi, the U.S. will continue to pursue nuclear arms restraints with Russia and China, but without a change in the trajectory that Russia, [China], and North Korea are on, the U.S. will need to continue to adjust our posture and capabilities to ensure our ability to deter and meet other objectives going forward.

Vipin Narang, an MIT nuclear security specialist who until recently focused on nuclear policy in the Pentagon, said earlier this month that Biden recently issued updated nuclear weapons employment guidance to account for multiple nuclear-armed adversaries, and, in particular, the significant increase in the size and diversity of [Chinas] nuclear arsenal.

It is our responsibility to see the world as it is, not as we hoped or wished it would be, said Narang. It is possible that we will one day look back and see the quarter century after the Cold War as nuclear intermission.

U.S. and Chinese officials both frequently speak of the dangers of nuclear war, but efforts to hold dialogue on the issue have failed.

Last year, U.S. and Chinese officials agreed to negotiations on nuclear non-proliferation and arms control, ahead of a meeting between Biden and Xi. But China suspended the talks last month, citing U.S. arms sales to the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own.

Many analysts are also concerned about growing military and diplomatic cooperation between Russia and China. In 2022, Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on a no-limits partnership and have recently expanded joint military exercises and other cooperation.

Earlier this year, Russia also restored a Cold War-era mutual defense treaty with nuclear-armed North Korea and hinted at further defense cooperation.

Since invading Ukraine in 2022, Putin has repeatedly issued thinly veiled threats about using nuclear weapons against Western-backed forces there.

VOA White House Correspondent Anita Powell contributed to this story from Washington.
China is opening an investigation into subsidies of dairy products imported from the European Union.

The commerce ministry announced Wednesday that it will investigate subsidy plans created by the 27-member bloc as well as individual member states such as Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Ireland and Romania.

The probe will focus on the EUs support of various types of cheeses and some milk and cream for export to China.

The ministry says it launched the probe based on a complaint from the Dairy Association of China submitted on July 29.

The subsidy probe of EU-imported dairy products was announced a day after the EU said it was imposing major import duties on Chinese-made electric vehicles, on top of the current fees of 10 percent, after a probe found Chinese subsidies for domestic EV makers were unfairly undermining European rivals.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse.
LILONGWE, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Two people were confirmed dead after a small aircraft crashed into Lake Malawi on Tuesday, local authorities said Wednesday.

The aircraft, carrying a crew member and two passengers, went down in the Nkhotakota district, approximately 200 km northeast of the capital, Lilongwe, according to Wongani Mkandawire, the district spokesperson.

The 50-year-old Zimbabwean pilot and a 29-year-old Dutch passenger were confirmed dead. The only survivor, 22-year-old Dutch woman Charlotte Lemstra, was rescued by local fishermen and is currently in stable condition at Nkhotakota District Hospital, Mkandawire said.

Information from the survivor indicates that "the pilot lost conscious midair" during the flight from Nkhotakota to Liwonde, a township about 235 km south of Lilongwe, the spokesperson said.

The aircraft, a C210 type with registration number 7QPFU, belonged to Nyasa Express Company, as confirmed by Malawian government spokesperson Moses Kunkuyu on Tuesday. 
Rising unemployment in China is pushing millions of college graduates into a tough bargain, with some forced to accept low-paying work or even subsist on their parents' pensions, a plight that has created a new working class of "rotten-tail kids."

The phrase has become a social media buzzword this year, drawing parallels to the catchword "rotten-tail buildings" for the tens of millions of unfinished homes that have plagued China's economy since 2021.

A record number of college graduates this year are hunting for jobs in a labor market depressed by COVID-19-induced disruptions as well as regulatory crackdowns on the country's finance, tech and education sectors.

The jobless rate for the roughly 100 million Chinese youth people ages 16-24 crept above 20% for the first time in April last year. When it hit an all-time high of 21.3% in June 2023, officials abruptly suspended the data series to reassess how numbers were compiled.

One year on, youth unemployment remains a headache, with the reconfigured jobless rate spiking to a 2024 high of 17.1% in July, as 11.79 million college students graduated this summer in an economy still weighed down by its real estate crisis.

President Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed that finding jobs for young people remains a top priority. The government has called for more channels for the youth to access potential employers, such as job fairs, and has rolled out supportive business policies to help boost hiring.

"For many Chinese college graduates, better job prospects, upward social mobility, a sunnier life outlook, all things once promised by a college degree, have increasingly become elusive," said Yun Zhou, assistant professor of sociology, University of Michigan.

Some jobless young people have returned to their hometown to be "full-time children," relying on their parents' retirement pensions and savings.

Even those with postgraduate degrees haven't been spared.

After spending years climbing China's ultra-competitive academic ladder, "rotten-tail kids" are discovering that their qualifications are failing to secure them jobs in a bleak economy.

Their options are limited. Either they cut their expectations for top-paying jobs or find any job to make ends meet. Some have also turned to crime.

Zephyr Cao obtained a master's degree from the prestigious China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing last year.

Now 27, and back in his home province of Hebei, Cao has stopped seeking full-time work after lower-than-expected wages made him question the value of his education.

"If I worked for three or four years after my undergraduate studies, my salary would probably be similar to what I get now with a master's degree," Cao said.

Cao said he was considering pursuing a Ph.D. in hopes his prospects would improve in a few years.

Amada Chen, a recent graduate from Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, quit her sales job at a state-owned enterprise last week after just one month.

She blamed her decision on the toxic work culture and her boss's unrealistic expectations. For the first 15 days of her probation, she was also getting just 60 yuan ($8.40) a day despite having to work 12 hours daily.

"I cried every day for a week," she said.

Chen had wanted to become a quality inspector or a researcher, jobs she thought would match her skills as a traditional Chinese medicine major.

But over 130 job application letters later, she was offered mostly sales or e-commerce-related positions.

Chen said she was reconsidering her career path altogether and might turn to modeling.

Joblessness among college graduates is not without precedent.

In 1999, China dramatically expanded the enrolment capacity of universities in a bid to produce a better-educated workforce to drive its fast-growing economy.

But the supply of graduates kept exceeding jobs, with authorities expressing concern in 2007 over job availability, an issue that receded but never fully faded as more young people armed with degrees entered the market.

The outlook is uncertain even when a student's major aligns with market needs.

Shou Chen finished her third year at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications this year majoring in artificial intelligence.

However, Chen has yet to secure an internship after more than a dozen applications and remains pessimistic about the job market.

"It may be worse," she said. "After all, there will be more and more people (in this field)."

Supply of tertiary students will exceed demand from 2024 through 2037, after which the effects of falling fertility rates will kick in and sharply narrow the gap, according to a study published in June by China Higher Education Research, a journal under the education ministry.

New college graduates will likely peak at around 18 million in 2034, it said.
The Democratic National Convention's second night showcased a double dose of Obama firepower to validate Vice President Kamala Harris and deliver an unsparing indictment of Republican Donald Trump. The convention also served up a raucous roll call of states that was essentially one big dance party.

Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, ducked out of Chicago to hold a rally just up the interstate in Milwaukee, wooing voters in battleground Wisconsin. It was a recognition that, regardless of whatever good vibes may exist at the convention, Democrats expect this presidential election to be razor-close.

Here are some takeaways from the convention's second night.

The ex-presidents club

If the Republican convention was all about Trump, the Democrats on Tuesday wanted to put Harris in a pantheon with past presidents.

The biggest validators of the night were former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle. The latter linked Harris with her husband by telling the rapt crowd, America, hope is making a comeback.

Barack Obama, for his part, reached back to his own 2004 convention speech to tie Harris to his legacy. I am feeling hopeful -- because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where everything is possible, he said.

It wasnt just the Obamas making the case for the vice president. The grandsons of Jimmy Carter and John F. Kennedy also portrayed her as the natural heir of past Democratic leaders.

As groundbreaking as Harris candidacy is as the first woman of color to be her partys nominee, these speeches by an ex-president and presidential progeny were all about linking her to a broader historical arc and evoking the excitement of Obamas 2008 run that Harris hopes to replicate.

Diverting from the high road

The Obamas did not hold back in lacing into Trump. Michelle Obama's well-worn adage from years past that when they go low, we go high no longer seemed operative.

Barack Obama called Trump a 78-year-old billionaire who hasnt stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.

Michelle Obama also took a personal swipe, saying: For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black.

Playing off her famous line about Republicans going low, Michelle Obama suggested that Trump was going small and that its unhealthy, and quite frankly, its unpresidential.

DNC dance party

Political conventions technically happen so that delegates can nominate presidential and vice presidential candidates.

This year, the Democrats took care of that job in advance. But that didn't stop them from holding a ceremonial do-over and turning it into a raucous dance party.

DJ Cassidy strode on stage in a bright blue double-breasted suit and spun tunes for every state as they nominated Harris and Walz. Minnesota got 1999 by native son Prince, Kansas got Carry on Wayward Son by, well, Kansas. Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen played as New Jersey weighed in.

Usually it was governors or state party chairs calling out the votes, but some states passed the mic to make serious points. Kate Cox, who unsuccessfully sued her home state of Texas while seeking an abortion for a non-viable fetus, announced Texas votes. A survivor of the 2017 Las Vegas strip gun massacre announced Nevadas votes.

The roll call highlight was when Atlanta rapper Lil Jon strode through the United Center to the beats of Turn Down for What, his song with DJ Snake, and rapped his support for Harris and Walz.

Democrats are eager to highlight how Harris ascension has energized the party. The roll call fit that vibe.

Americas blind date with Doug Emhoff

Doug Emhoff wants America to love his wife as much as he does.

His convention speech Tuesday night focused on their love story and offered a personal glimpse meant to pull in voters, too. He dished on the deets of their first phone call, after he left her a rambling voicemail that she still makes him listen to every year on their anniversary.

I love that laugh, he said adoringly, a rebuttal to Trumps criticism of Harris laughter.

As Harris flew back to Chicago from Milwaukee after her rally there, Air Force Two spent an extra 10 minutes in the air so she could watch her husband speak, according to an aide.

Emhoff said he just fell in love fast with Harris, adding that she finds joy in pursuing justice and stands up to bullies. Its not how most husbands describe their partners, but, then, Emhoff is trying to convince voters that the woman hes been married to for 10 years this Thursday knows how to take on Trump.

A message for Republicans: Its OK to quit Trump

The Democrats are making a play for disaffected Trump voters  and they used one of his former White House staffers to make their case.

Stephanie Grisham worked in various roles in the Trump White House, including communications director and press secretary, allowing Democrats to argue that those who know Trump best have seen him at his worst.

He has no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth, Grisham said. I couldnt be part of the insanity any longer."

Kyle Sweetser, a Trump voter from Alabama, told the convention the former presidents tariffs made life harder for construction workers like him. Republican Mayor John Giles of Mesa, Arizona, also spoke about why hes backing Harris. Giles sees Trumps policies as hurting cities like his.
The U.N. Human Rights Commission and international watchdogs are calling on Bangladeshs interim government to allow media to work without fear of attack, and to ensure accountability for attacks on journalists.

During the mass protest movement in Bangladesh that drove former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from office on August 5, dozens of journalists were injured and at least five killed.

Journalists were beaten, forced to delete images from their cameras, and struck by pellets fired by police while reporting on the unrest that started in June and intensified in July. Reporters say they are still receiving threats amid continuing unrest between competing pro- and anti-Hasina factions.

What started as rallies opposing a court ruling reserving 30% of government jobs for descendants of veterans of the nations independence war escalated to demands for an end to corruption, political repression and economic inequality.

Hundreds were killed in clashes between the police and protesters, according to a preliminary report by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

Hasina, who had been in power for 15 years, resigned from her role as prime minister and fled to India on August 5. Economist and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been appointed to lead an interim administration.

Bangladesh's interim government must prioritize press freedom and do all it can to prioritize journalists' safety, Beh Lih Yi, Asia Program coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists, told VOA via email. This includes implementing a transparent and independent justice mechanism to hold all attacks on the media to account.

The U.N. report also called on the interim government to ensure accountability for injuries and deaths. It noted that the media need to be able to work safely without intimidation or reprisals.

During the unrest, five journalists were killed in separate incidents, including when police fired on protesters.

On July 18, police shot and killed Hasan Mehedi, a journalist for Dhaka Times, in the Jatrabari district of Dhaka. The following day, Shakil Hossain, a correspondent for Bhorer Awaj newspaper, and Abu Taher Md Turab, a reporter for the Daily Naya Diganta newspaper, were both shot dead in the city of Sylhet.

On August 2, Tahir Zaman Priyo, a freelance video journalist who contributed to outlets including The Report 24, was shot in the head in Dhaka. A few days later on August 5, reporter Pradeep Kumar Bhowmik of the Daily Khabarpatra was killed in the city of Sirajganj.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay called for a swift investigation into the media killings.

Journalists covering events of public interest provide critical information to the population and must do so without fearing for their safety. I call on authorities to hold those responsible to account, Azoulay said in a statement.

Media watchdogs are documenting dozens of cases of journalists being injured by police and protesters.

Jibon Ahmed, a photojournalist for the Dainik Manabzamin newspaper, told VOA he was injured when police fired in his direction while he was covering protests in the Rampura region of Dhaka last month.

There was a three-way conflict between the protesting BRAC University students, the police and the leaders and activists of the [then] ruling party, Awami League. Some of us journalists got caught between the clashes, he said.

Ahmed said the media workers sheltered at a nearby temple, but police came toward them firing pellet guns.

We held up the journalist ID cards and cameras. Three of us suffered pellet injuries, and 14 pellets hit my camera bag, he said.

Marina Mitu, a reporter for news website Shokal Shondha, said she was also injured after being caught in a clash between protesters and the Bangladesh Chhatra League, a student group aligned with Hasinas Awami League party.

At one point, a piece of brick thrown by the protesters aimed at the Bangladesh Chhatra League hit my leg, she told VOA.

When Mitu went to a hospital for treatment, Chhatra League leaders hit her with bamboo sticks, she said, adding that she had shown her press card before the attack.

Sajjad Hossain, a photojournalist at the Bangla Tribune newspaper, said he was attacked by students in Dhaka.

After the police and Chhatra League activists left the area, the students vandalized the traffic signal lights and police boxes in the area, he told VOA.

As Hossain took photos of the students, one spotted him and hit me from behind with a spear. The journalist said other protesters deleted the picture from his camera and started hitting him with bamboo sticks.

Attacks on media continued even after the interim government took control.

On August 14, unidentified attackers broke into the Chittagong press club and injured about 20 reporters. One day earlier, the president of the Raipura Upazila Reporters Club, Moniruzzaman Monir, was attacked with a hammer by unidentified assailants in the Srirampur Bazar of Upazila.

International media watchdogs have condemned the attacks.

The Vienna-based International Press Institute, or IPI, reports that the violence directed at the media reflects the hostility journalists in Bangladesh have long faced.

An IPI monitoring report from October 2022 to March 2023, found the media in Bangladesh are regularly attacked or threatened, or face legal harassment.

VOA's Bangla Service contributed to this report.
Former President Barack Obama addressed Democrats in his home city of Chicago Tuesday, saying Vice President Kamala Harris is the right choice to take on Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election this November. VOAs congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson has more from the second night of the Democratic National Convention.
Xolo Mariduena is currently starring in the sixth and final season of the hit karate series "Cobra Kai," which premiered on Netflix in July. But he also made waves last year when he was cast as the first Latino superhero lead in "Blue Beetle." The actor spoke with Veronica Villafane about the impact of these roles in his career and the need for Latino representation in Hollywood.
Lebanons Hezbollah launched more than 50 rockets Wednesday, hitting private homes in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

First responders in Golan Heights said they treated a 30-year-old man who was moderately wounded with shrapnel injuries in Wednesdays attack. One house was engulfed in flames, and firefighters said they prevented a bigger tragedy by stopping a gas leak.

Hezbollah said the attack was in response to an Israeli strike deep into Lebanon on Tuesday night that killed one and injured 19. On Tuesday, Hezbollah launched more than 200 projectiles toward Israel, after Israel targeted a Hezbollah weapons depot some 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the border, a significant increase in the daily skirmishes.

Israel and Hezbollah have traded near-daily strikes for more than 10 months against the backdrop of Israels war against Hezbollahs ally, Hamas, in the Gaza Strip. The exchanges have killed more than 500 people in Lebanon  mostly militants but also including around 100 civilians and noncombatants  and 23 soldiers and 26 civilians in Israel.

The attack came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar as he pressed ahead with the latest diplomatic mission to secure a cease-fire in the war in Gaza, even as Hamas and Israel signaled that challenges remain.

Hamas in a new statement called the latest proposal presented to it a reversal of what it agreed to previously and accused the U.S. of acquiescing to what it called new conditions from Israel. There was no immediate U.S. response.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed it, saying it needs the strategic plateau for its security. The United States is the only country to recognize Israels annexation, while the rest of the international community considers the Golan to be occupied Syrian territory.
During his term, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has transformed Japan's defense posture amid growing threats from China, Russia and North Korea.

After nearly three years in power, however, Kishida is set to leave office, having announced earlier this month that he would not run in September's election to lead his ruling Liberal Democratic Party, amid low approval ratings and corruption allegations within the LDP.

At question is whether his successor will build on that legacy or take Japan in a new direction. Regardless, Kishida said he would support the new leader.

War anniversary

Kishida marked the 79th anniversary of his country's defeat in World War II on Thursday, leading a solemn ceremony in Tokyo alongside Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako.

Speaking to delegates in what will likely be one of his last major public events, Kishida reiterated Japan's long-held position on its devastating 1945 defeat.

"We must never again repeat the devastation of war. Although 79 years have now passed, no matter how time flows, we will remain committed to this resolute pledge, passing it down across generations," Kishida said.

But his speech also reflected Japan's changing role on the global stage.

"Japan will do its utmost to resolve the various challenges facing the world as it works to maintain and strengthen the free and open international order based on the rule of law while placing human dignity at the very center. In this way, we will carve out the future of our nation," he added.

Global challenges

Japan lies at the intersection of several of those global challenges, and Kishida's successor will likely continue his approach to defense and security, said Tomohiko Taniguchi, an adviser to the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and now a special adviser at Fujitsu Future Studies Center.

"The scope of options for Japan is indeed narrow because of the troubling neighborhood that Japan finds itself in," Taniguchi told VOA.

"Russia, North Korea and China  three of the nuclear-powered [armed] nations  none of which has exercised anything akin to open democracy. And all three of those countries are all fostering hostility and hate, intentionally and institutionally, towards Japan and the U.S.-Japan alliance," he said.

Ukraine ties

Shortly after Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Kishida warned that "Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow," a statement that appeared to resonate with many regional allies.

The Japanese leader forged close ties with Kyiv, visiting the town of Bucha in 2023, where Russian troops are alleged to have committed war crimes, including mass killings and rape. Moscow denies the charges, despite widespread evidence.

Kishida then invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to attend the 2023 G7 summit in Hiroshima.

Under Kishida's leadership, Japanese lawmakers approved a doubling of defense spending by 2027. He forged closer alliances with regional allies, and in July, successfully negotiated an upgrade of the United States' military command in Japan.

South Korea

Over the past two years, Japan's Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol overcame historical grievances to forge a close alliance.

In a joint statement issued Sunday, the United States, Japan and South Korea reaffirmed their pledge made a year ago at a historic trilateral summit at Camp David.

"We stand by our commitment to consult on regional challenges, provocations and threats affecting our collective interests and security," the statement said.

But uncertainties remain, said analyst Taniguchi.

"There is no assurance whatsoever that the improved South Korea-Japan relationship is going to continue as it is. President Yoon has passed the midpoint of his term. The rest of his term is going to be increasingly a lame-duck administration. The opposition parties are sniffing blood already  and the easiest target for the opposition party is to say that the incumbent administration is too weak vis-a-vis Japan," Taniguchi told VOA.

Likely successor?

Kishida has no obvious successor. Several LDP lawmakers, including numerous government ministers, are expected to put themselves forward for the Sept. 27 vote for the party presidency.

"There are some (candidates) who have shown uneasiness as if Japan was a puppet of the Big Brother of the United States," Taniguchi said.

Japan's next prime minister will also have to win over the Japanese public and rebuild trust that has been eroded by a recent scandal over political funds.

"The public supports in principle are boosting Japan's defenses and the defense budget hikes, but they are actually unwilling to pay higher personal taxes in order to do so," said Yee Kuang Heng, a professor of international relations at the University of Tokyo.

He added that the Japanese public now largely accepts the need for a stronger defense capability, "but nevertheless remains quite cautious about a more aggressive military posture."

Global reaction

The United States' ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, wrote on X that Kishida had "helped build a latticework of security alliances and partnerships across the Indo-Pacific region that will stand the test of time."

Beijing, meanwhile, said it would work to build a constructive and stable China-Japan relationship with Kishida's successor.

The next prime minister will require staying power, Taniguchi said, "because the next five, six or seven years is going to be crucial for this ongoing long game between China and Japan. And nothing can be achievable for a prime minister who stays in office only for one or two years."

He added, "So, the next prime minister has got to come up with a good plan with which he or she could stay in office, manage difficult tasks, strengthen Japan's alliance networks, and beef up Japan's defense spending."
India Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday he will "share perspectives" on the peaceful resolution of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia during his visit to Kyiv this week.

Modi departed for Poland on Wednesday and will visit Kyiv on Friday, a first visit to Ukraine by an Indian prime minister since diplomatic relations were established 30 years ago.

Modi's trip to Ukraine comes weeks after his visit to Moscow during which he rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.

Modi also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Italy last month.

"As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region," Modi said in a statement before his departure.

India has repeatedly urged Ukraine and Russia to use dialog and diplomacy to resolve their differences.

Modi's two-day visit to Russia last month coincided with a lethal strike on a children's hospital in Kyiv, following which he told Putin that the death of innocent children was painful and terrifying and urged resolution of the conflict.

Ukranian leaders have also pitched for India to help rebuild the country's war-torn economy.
Irans parliament gave a "vote of confidence to President Masoud Pezeshkian's proposed ministers on Wednesday, officially establishing his government.

Pezeshkian previously said he had secured approval from the "highest levels of the system" for all his appointees.

Pezeshkian took power in Iran after winning a snap election last month, following the death of hardline President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May.

Before the parliamentary vote, Pezeshkian underscored that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had approved the appointments. He also noted that he had reached agreements with the Ministry of Intelligence, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other intelligence agencies, which led to the final list.

The president said that the backgrounds of the appointees presented to parliament were clear and that potential candidates who had even the slightest doubts about them were excluded from the lists without us needing to make any further comments.

The review of the proposed ministers began Saturday and continued through Wednesday.

Before the parliamentary vote, President Pezeshkian emphasized that his administration's plans are to implement and pursue the "general policies of the system," as outlined by Khamenei.

Pezeshkian also noted that Khameini selected the only woman in the Cabinet, Housing and Road Minister Farzaneh Sadegh.

Typically, the supreme leader must approve the top official of key ministries in the Islamic Republic.

According to the published votes, Aziz Nasirzadeh, the candidate for the Defense Ministry, received the highest number of votes, with 281 out of 288 members of parliament. Mohammadreza Zafarghandi, the candidate for the Health Ministry, received the lowest, with 163 votes.

Some other ministers approved were Ahmad Donyamali for the Ministry of Sports, Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh for the Ministry of Agriculture and Abbas Aliabadi for the Ministry of Energy.
Officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo said Tuesday that a weekend accident on the Lukeni River killed at least 20 people. Forty-six people were rescued, an official told The Associated Press, but hundreds remain missing.

A crowded motorized wooden vessel headed to the town of Nioki was carrying goods and about 300 people overnight Saturday into Sunday when it hit something in the water and sank, Kutu district administrator Jacques Nzena told Agence France-Presse. He said a 9-month-old baby was among the retrieved bodies.

Navigating at night is illegal in Congo.

We are constantly reminding everyone that it is forbidden to sail at night, because it is very dangerous, Nzenza said.

A provincial commission is investigating the incident, Governor Lebon Nkoso Kevan of Mai-Ndombe Province said Tuesday.

Night navigation and overcrowded boats are chronic transportation problems in the central African country. Deadly accidents happen frequently on its waterways because there are few passable roads.

Authorities often issue warnings about the dangers of night navigation and overcrowded vessels.

Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
NAIROBI, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Elijah Mwandawire's eyes have been fixed on his mobile phone for the past 30 minutes, captivated by the plot line of the latest drama series on Chinese pay television company StarTimes.

The 34-year-old businessman is a devoted subscriber to the streaming service, which allows him to watch both local shows and Kungfu movies on demand.

His love for martial arts movies was ignited by his desire to remain fit, inspired by his favorite action star, Jackie Chan.

Mwandawire's attention to the mobile screen is occasionally interrupted by a phone call from a client ordering a smart TV from his digital store, which operates through the Chinese e-commerce platform Kilimall, based in Nairobi.

The father of two flips through his Vivo phone as he confirms an order from a customer and dispatches the device via a Dayun motorbike -- both Chinese brands well-regarded in Kenya.

Mwandawire joins a long list of Kenyans whose lives have been positively transformed thanks to products made in China that are now readily available locally.

He told Xinhua on Sunday from his residence in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that his affinity for Chinese products began 10 years ago when he was laid off from his job as a sales representative at a leading telecom service provider.

At that time, many smartphone brands were beyond his financial reach, but he found Chinese brands to be budget-friendly.

His first mobile phone was a Tecno, purchased with savings he had accumulated from years of formal employment.

"Ever since then, all my phones have been Chinese brands because they have all the latest features at an affordable pocket-friendly price," Mwandawire added.

His smartphone not only helps him manage his e-commerce business but also keeps him connected with friends and family through various social media apps.

To navigate the busy streets of Nairobi more efficiently, he opted for a Dayun motorbike, recommended by a friend for its reliability.

Previously, he depended on the unreliable public transport system which often made him late for meetings. The motorbike's low fuel consumption and readily available spare parts have proven invaluable.

As China's largest trading partner in East Africa, Kenya has become an important participant in China's Belt and Road Initiative and the gateway for Chinese enterprises into Africa. In 2023, their total trade volume reached around 8.1 billion U.S. dollars, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. 
Ahead of a visit to Ukraine, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for an early return to peace and stability and said he will share perspectives on a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Modi will travel to Kyiv on Friday after visiting Poland. He will hold talks with Ukraines President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy weeks after a visit by the Indian prime minister to its longstanding partner Moscow drew sharp criticism from the Ukrainian leader.

Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in July on a day when Russian missiles struck multiple targets including a childrens hospital in Kyiv killing many civilians.

The Indian leader had called the death of children heart-wrenching, but images of Modi hugging Putin were embarrassing, according to analysts.

The optics of the Russia visit were not good. So, the effort by going to Ukraine is to show that India is not just taking a passive position on the conflict but wants to actively help in a settlement, said Manoj Joshi, distinguished fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.

Zelenskyy had said that it was a "huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts" to see Modi hug "the world's most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day."

Modi will be the first Indian prime minister to visit Ukraine since the two countries established diplomatic ties.

"As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region," Modi said in a statement on Wednesday before leaving New Delhi. He said his trip will be a natural continuation of extensive contacts between India and Ukraine.

Modi met Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit held in Italy in June. In March this year, Ukraines foreign minister visited the Indian capital in a bid to give momentum to their political and economic ties.

India has not joined its Western allies in directly holding the Kremlin responsible for the war, but it has been urging the two nations to resolve their conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

The Indian foreign ministry said on Monday that India has substantive and independent ties with both Russia and Ukraine and was ready to support the negotiation of a peace settlement.

India has high credibility with Russia, analyst Joshi told VOA. So the hope is that it can play some kind of a mediatory role and can raise issues with Moscow directly.

The visit is also seen as an effort by India to balance its growing ties with Western countries with its refusal to join them in isolating its decades-long partner Russia.

Following the Modi-Putin summit, the United States State Department said it had raised concerns with India about its relationship with Russia and hoped it would use its ties with Moscow to firmly encourage the Kremlin to adhere to the United Nations charter.

Since the conflict began more than two years ago, India has abstained from all U.N. votes against Russia and become one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil as it continues to trade with Moscow.

Analysts say New Delhis big challenge is to convince the West and Kyiv that its friendship with Russia is not an endorsement of Putins Ukraine policy.

India is walking the tightrope, Joshi said. As the war continues and even becomes more intense, it brings more pressure on New Delhi and the Indian position stands out starkly, especially as the Western position on Russia hardens.

Modis visit to Poland, the first by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in 40 years, is expected to focus on strengthening economic and political cooperation. He will meet both Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda, according to the foreign ministry.

Analysts say Modi's visit to the two countries  Poland and Ukraine  is also part of Indias efforts to increase its engagement with countries in central and eastern Europe as it tries to raise its global profile.
A Las Vegas court this week heard details of how a former Nevada official became frustrated with negative news coverage about him.

Prosecutors said that in several articles between May and June 2022, investigative journalist Jeff German portrayed Robert Telles as a harsh boss who tormented his staff and had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.

They argued that Telles anger over the coverage motivated him to kill the Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter.

Jeff German, 69, was found stabbed to death outside his suburban Las Vegas home on September 3, 2022. Telles, a former Clark County public administrator, has pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder with a deadly weapon against a victim aged 60 or older.

On Monday in court, detective Justine Gatus read text messages that Telles, 47, sent to German. In the messages, Telles said he was frustrated with the articles. Gatus also read June 2022 social media posts in which Telles lambasted German.

There were also screenshots of social media posts of Germans articles on Telles phone, and Telles internet search history showed inquiries into how to bury a news story, Gatus testified.

Prosecutors have called the evidence against Telles overwhelming and said that DNA from Telles was found underneath Germans fingernails.

Following four days of testimony from more than two dozen witnesses for the prosecution, the defense began making its argument on Tuesday.

Defense attorney Robert Draskovich played the court two threatening voicemails found on Germans phone. The calls were made seven months before German was killed, and the detective, Gatus, said she was unable to determine who made the calls.

The case marks the first time that a U.S. politician has stood trial for killing a journalist. Germans killing sent shockwaves through the press freedom and media community, Kirstin McCudden, vice president of editorial for Freedom of the Press Foundation, told VOA.

On Monday, Matthew Hovanec, a supervisor at the Metropolitan Police Departments digital forensics laboratory, testified that on August 12, 2022, just weeks before German was killed, more than 130 images were downloaded on Telles phone from Google maps showing the front of the reporters house and the street where he lived.

Hovenac also testified that on August 23, 2022, Telles work computer showed a search for Germans address.

A longtime investigative journalist who covered some of Sin Citys most ruthless mobsters, German had received countless threats over his reporting over his decades-long career.

I get that stuff all the time. Its not a big deal, he once told his editor, according to The Guardian.

The trial is expected to conclude this week, with Telles expected to take the stand.
A journalist with VOAs sister outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on Wednesday marked 1,000 days in jail in Belarus on charges that he and his employer reject as politically motivated.

Andrey Kuznechyk, with RFE/RLs Belarusian Service  known locally as Radio Svaboda  has been jailed in Belarus since his arrest on November 25, 2021.

He was initially sentenced to 10 days in jail on hooliganism charges, which he rejected. When Kuznechyk was due to be released, authorities kept him in prison and added an additional charge of creating an extremist group.

In a trial that lasted only one day, a regional court found Kuznechyk guilty in June 2022 and sentenced him to six years in prison.

Belarus treatment of Andrey Kuznechyk is reprehensible, RFE/RL President Stephen Capus said in a post on the social media platform X.

The U.S. Agency for Global Media, the parent organization of RFE/RL and VOA, also called for Belarus to release Kuznechyk.

Journalism is not a crime, yet journalists around the world continue to be persecuted just for reporting the truth, USAGM CEO Amanda Bennett told VOA in a statement. Today sickeningly marks the 1,000th day Andrey Kuznechyk has been wrongly detained in Belarus. Every moment he spends in this hard-labor camp is one too many.

Kuznechyk is one of several journalists and activists who have been jailed in Belarus since 2020, when President Aleksander Lukashenko, in power since 1994, claimed yet another victory in a contested presidential election. Massive protests against the disputed election were met with a severe government crackdown.

There are more than 1,400 political prisoners still held in Belarus, according to the rights group Viasna, and independent news outlets have been forced to shutter or retreat into exile. At the end of 2023, Belarus ranked third worst in the world in terms of journalist jailings, with 28 behind bars, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Kuznechyk is one of two RFE/RL journalists currently jailed in Belarus.

The second is Ihar Losik, who has been detained since June 2020, before the contested election took place. He was eventually tried behind closed doors on charges including organization of mass riots and incitement of hatred and sentenced to 15 years in prison. The charges against him are also widely viewed as bogus.

Andrey Kuznechyk and Ihar Losik have been locked away for years, with callous disregard by Belarus, Capus said on X.

Kuznechyk and Losik  as well as opposition leader Viktar Babaryka  are being held at Correctional Colony No. 1, which is considered one of the harshest prisons in Belarus.

The third RFE/RL journalist who is imprisoned is Vladyslav Yesypenko, who has been jailed in Russian-occupied Crimea since March 2021. He was charged with possession and transport of explosives, which he denies, and sentenced in a closed-door trial to six years in prison.

Their so-called crimes? Capus said, referring to the three jailed journalists. Sharing journalistic words of truth. RFE/RL calls for their immediate release, he added.

American RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was among the outlets wrongly jailed journalists until early August, when she was released from Russia as part of a historic prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington.

The Washington embassy of Belarus told VOA it had no comment for this story. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry did not immediately reply to VOAs email requesting comment. Russias Washington embassy also did not immediately reply to VOAs email requesting comment.


A merchant ship was attacked by gunmen in two boats before being hit with three projectiles off the coast of Yemen early Wednesday, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported.

The British military said the assault was likely carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting ships in the region for months in support of Hamas fight with Israel.

Although no casualties were reported among the crew, the ships ability to maneuver was affected.

The British maritime security agency said the two smaller boats, one with three to five people and the other with 10 people aboard, hailed the merchant vessel leading to a brief exchange of small arms fire.

The ship moved 4 kilometers away from the smaller boats, and about two hours after the initial contact, the Master reported that the merchant vessel had been struck by two unidentified projectiles before being hit by a third projectile. The vessel reports being not under command.

The Houthis, who have attacked more than 70 vessels since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October, did not immediately claim the attack.

Material from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse was used in this report.
In his first outdoor rally since last months assassination attempt, Donald Trump appeared on stage in North Carolina to talk about national security as part of his weeklong trip across the country to draw attention away from Democrats and their national convention.

Seventy-six days from now, we're going to win this state and we're going to win the White House, Trump said at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame from behind a podium surrounded by panes of bulletproof glass that formed a protective wall across the stage.

Storage containers were stacked around the perimeter to create additional walls and block sight lines. Snipers were positioned on roofs at the venue, where old aircraft were sitting behind the podium and a large American flag was suspended from cranes.

The event, billed as being focused on national security issues, is part of Trump's weeklong series of counterprogramming to the Democratic National Convention, which is underway in Chicago. Allies have been urging him to focus on policy instead of personal attacks as he struggles to adjust to running against Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

Trump was joined Wednesday by his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, who cast Harris as a candidate selected by power brokers instead of voters and lambasted her vice presidential pick, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, before Trump took the stage.

That included continuing to hammer Walz for mischaracterizing his service record as an Army National Guard member, as well as Walzs retirement from service before his units deployment to Iraq.

Trump has spent the week visiting battleground states in his busiest week of campaigning since the Republican primaries.

Reflecting the importance of North Carolina in this year's election, the trip is Trump's second to the state in the past week. Last Wednesday, he appeared in Asheville, North Carolina, for a speech on the economy.

Trump won North Carolina by a comfortable margin in 2016. The state delivered the former president his closest statewide margin of victory four years ago and is once again considered a key battleground in 2024.

Before Trump arrived, his plane did a flyover of the rally site. The crowd erupted into cheers.

Edna Ryan, a 68-year-old retired flight attendant and private pilot, said she was bullish on the Republicans chances, but said: We need to be strong because otherwise were going to be very sorry.

Lisa Watts, a retired business owner from Hickory, North Carolina, who was attending her fifth Trump rally, said shes feeling very positive about the race against Harris.

Watts said she doesnt think Trumps chances of winning are much different now from when Biden was the Democratic nominee.

I think the Democrats are going to try to do everything they can to keep her up on that pedestal, she said, predicting the hype around Harris will fade.
A U.S. State Department official was in Nigeria this week to meet with local and regional authorities about the responsible use of artificial intelligence in military applications.

Mallory Stewart, assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Arms Control, Deterrence and Stability, said her two-day visit with Nigerian officials from the regional bloc ECOWAS was part of the United States commitment to deepen security cooperation in Africa.

The U.S. government has been working with 55 nations, including African nations, to agree upon responsible uses of AI in the military context, using AI in a manner consistent with international laws [and] recognizing inherent human bias, Stewart told journalists Wednesday.

We've learned the hard way [that there is] inherent human bias built into the AI system ... leading to maybe misinformation being provided to the decisionmaker, she said.

The goal, she continued, "is to hear from as many countries as possible that are at the stage of working in artificial intelligence to their military to see how we can minimize the risks."

Last year, the Global Terrorism Index report named sub-Saharan Africa an epicenter of terrorism, accounting for nearly 60% of terror-related deaths. It is unclear whether the terror groups are using AI.

Nigerian authorities have been pushing for the integration of artificial intelligence in military operations, while acknowledging that adopting AI will require Africa-specific policies.

Security analyst Kabiru Adamu of Beacon Consulting said the use of AI in military operations has advantages.

"Given the position of the U.S. in terms of its military capacity and technological advancement, it will definitely be in the position to support Nigeria's desires, especially if it's able to contextualize some of the peculiarities within the Nigerian security space, Adamu said. We can't isolate ourselves from the international committee of nations. AI is embedded in security, so we have to do it. But we need to be cognizant of the supporting infrastructure for good technology. Power is one of them, culture."

The founder of Global Sentinel online magazine, Senator Iroegbu, said that while AI has benefits, the technology still needs to be treated with caution.

"It limits casualties in terms of the number of soldiers that will be deployed, so you conserve your boots, Iroegbu said. It helps penetrate rough terrains, gather more intelligence. It's good that there's growing awareness of the issue of artificial intelligence, but Nigeria needs to first of all try to define its own policy and strategy with regards to artificial intelligence. More sensitization needs to be done, and more policy aspect of it needs to be developed.

In June, African ministers unanimously endorsed landmark continental AI strategy to advance Africa's digital future and development aspirations. And last week, the African Union approved the adoption of AI in public and private sectors in member states, including Nigeria.
Two U.S. Pacific territories are moving closer to a status upgrade from observer to associate member, elevating their status within the region's political and economic policy organization, the Pacific Islands Forum.

The PIF leaders' meeting is set to open Monday in Tongas capital, Nuku'alofa.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell will represent the United States to attend the gathering in Tonga.

Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni has confirmed there will be a vote on new associate members. Guam and American Samoa have applied, he told ABC Pacific recently. Well be actually tabling a paper for the leaders to consider.

Foreign ministers from the Pacific bloc reviewed the applications for associate member status from the two U.S. territories during their meeting on August 9. Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown noted that there is "widespread support" for the applications.

On Tuesday, forum leaders will engage in talks with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, associate members and forum observers.

The Pacific Islands Forum has 18 member states, with Australia and New Zealand being the largest economies in the bloc. Neither the United States nor China is a full member, but both countries are dialogue partners.

U.S. greenlights

Until recently, U.S. Pacific territories Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands held observer status for the forum.

In June, however, the U.S. government eased restrictions, allowing these territories to join the PIF as nonvoting associate members, provided they do not take foreign policy positions. This change modified a longstanding policy that had previously barred their participation in international organizations.

Although the French territories of French Polynesia and New Caledonia have become full PIF members, analysts currently do not anticipate that U.S. Pacific territories will be approved for full membership soon.

It would be a bit like Nebraska voting at the United Nations, Cleo Paskal, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told VOA.

The degree to which constituent parts of the U.S., such as Guam and American Samoa, can participate as full members in multilateral organizations is complex, she said. On one hand, the people of those islands understandably want to be represented in a forum that claims to speak for the region. On the other, they can't legally sign up to foreign policy positions for the U.S.

U.S.-PIF summit

A State Department spokesperson told VOA that the United States has made broader and deeper engagement with the Pacific Islands a key priority of its foreign policy.

The spokesperson cited the U.S.-hosted summit meetings with Pacific Island leaders in Washington in September 2022 and 2023.

But neither the White House nor the State Department would confirm whether a third U.S.-Pacific Island Forum summit will take place this year.

In recent years, U.S. policymakers have recognized that U.S. presence and influence in the Pacific cannot be taken for granted, especially in the face of increased Chinese interest and engagement in the region, according to Kathryn Paik, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Paik recently wrote in a CSIS publication that Washingtons realization has led to a series of high-level visits, the opening of several new embassies, the return of the Peace Corps to the region, and numerous financial initiatives across the fisheries, health, law enforcement and economic sectors.
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New Jersey delegates speak on the mood at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where former President Barack Obama urged unity in the Democratic Party.
CHICAGO  Former President Barack Obama and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will speak Tuesday on the second day of the Democratic National Convention, turning the party's attention toward Vice President Kamala Harris and her faceoff against Republican Donald Trump.

The pivot toward the presidential campaign's final 76 days follows an opening night that was designed to give a graceful exit to the incumbent president, who was greeted with a hero's welcome for stepping aside for Harris.

Speaking clearly and energetically, Biden appeared to relish the chance to defend his record, advocate for his vice president and assail Trump. His delivery was more reminiscent of the Biden who won in 2020 than the mumbling and sometimes incoherent one-time candidate whose debate performance against Trump in June sparked the downfall of his reelection campaign.

SEE ALSO:

Biden, in his remarks, repeated his 2020 theme that "we're in a battle for the very soul of America," and pressed the case for why Harris and her running mate Tim Walz were best prepared to wage it.

"Because of you, we've had the most extraordinary four years of progress ever, period," Biden declared. And then he interjected, "I say 'we,' I mean 'me and Kamala,'" sharing the credit for his most popular successes with the vice president to whom he handed over his political operation.

Harris made a brief, unannounced appearance at the convention on Monday to thank Biden for his leadership. She later joined him on stage, where the two spoke and hugged.

"Joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation, and for all you'll continue to do," she said. "We are forever grateful to you."

The opening day ran more than an hour behind schedule and forced some planned speakers, including musician James Taylor, to be dropped from the program, which convention organizers attributed to sustained applause for speakers.

Harris will travel Tuesday to Milwaukee for a rally in the swing state of Wisconsin before returning to Chicago late in the evening.

The Harris campaign said Tuesday that it will spotlight "trusted messengers" from key battleground states over the convention's three remaining days. They include Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada; Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Sen. Gary Peters and Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan; Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin. From Arizona, Sen. Mark Kelly will speak along with John Giles, the Republican mayor of Mesa.

Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina will be the last speaker before Harris accepts the Democratic nomination on Thursday.
Columbus Mavhunga

Harare, Zimbabwe  Human rights organizations reacted angrily Tuesday after Zimbabwe's ruling party acknowledged that more than 100 activists were detained to keep them from protesting during a Southern Africa Development Community summit held over the past weekend.

Authorities said they will start to release those who were detained now that the meeting is over.

Speaking with journalists in Harare, ruling ZANU-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa defended detaining the activists.

Those are deviants, and they were dealt with properly. And we are very happy they failed. And they will never succeed again, Mutsvangwa said as he giggled at several points during his comments.

SEE ALSO:

Roselyn Hanzi, director of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, which is representing the activists, said that their detention is no laughing matter.

Every person in Zimbabwe should be worried where the ruling party openly admits that it fully controls one of the key arms of government that is supposed to provide checks and balances and in fact protect the citizens from the excesses of the other two arms: the legislature and the executive, she told VOA.

The judiciary is very key and plays a central role in protecting citizens and ensuring that their rights are realized, she said. In this case, you see them admitting that there [are] those people that wanted to protest. ... Protest[ing] is not criminal, and its not a privilege. You should not be negotiating or begging for it.

Zimbabwes Judicial Service Commission did not comment Tuesday when contacted by VOA.

Mary Lawlor, a U.N. special rapporteur on human rights, called for the immediate release of the activists, alleging that some had been tortured during their detainment by Zimbabwean authorities. State prosecutors and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission said they are investigating the allegations.

The disrespect shown by the ZANU-PF spokesperson who laughed and joked about such a serious matter at his press conference is telling, Lawlor said. The president, [Emmerson] Mnangagwa, has shown how little he believes in the rule of law and how little in SADCs commitment to human rights as chairman. He wants to pretend that everything in Zimbabwe is rosy and fine. But it is not fine. These charges were a travesty.

Since taking over in 2017, Mnangagwa has maintained that he is a constitutionalist and respects the rule of law.

But rights lawyer and legislator Daniel Molokele said the law is being selectively applied against democracy activists. Molokele is a member of the countrys main opposition party  the Citizens Coalition for Change  whose members were arrested ahead of the SADC meeting.

I think what the ZANU-PF spokesperson said clearly confirms what we have always said is happening in Zimbabwe, Molokele said. There is too much political interference in the judicial system. There is no rule of law in Zimbabwe. We do not have a proper judicial system because it's clear that ZANU-PF is abusing our court system for its political benefit.

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said it hopes the detained activists will be released soon, now that the SADC summit is over. The group said it will decide what steps to take next after hearing from the activists.
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- In a breakthrough, more than a dozen aid trucks, including from two UN agencies, have crossed into Sudan's Darfur region from Chad, UN humanitarians said on Wednesday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said trucks from the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) were among the dozen vehicles allowed across the key Adre crossing.

OCHA said the crossing is the most effective and direct cross-border route to deliver humanitarian assistance to Sudan at the scale and speed required to respond to the enormous hunger crisis in the country. WFP reported that trucks can cross into Darfur via Adre and reach key distribution points the same day.

"It is critical to sustain the flow of food and nutrition assistance into and across Sudan, where more than a dozen areas are either in or at risk of famine," the office said. "WFP is scaling up food assistance there and aims to support more than 8 million people by the end of the year."

OCHA said WFP reported its trucks carried sorghum, pulses, oil and rice for 13,000 people at risk of famine in Kereneik, West Darfur, and IOM reported the essential relief items it delivered to Sudan will support more than 12,000 people in need.

The humanitarian office said it continues to engage with the Sudanese authorities to facilitate additional trucks in the coming days and months.

The Famine Review Committee, known as the IPC, on Aug. 1 confirmed famine in Zamzam camp sheltering hundreds of thousands of displaced people in North Darfur. It blamed the famine on the civil war in Sudan, displacement and humanitarian access constraints. 
Photo-Illustration: Illustration: Vulture. Photos: Getty Images

Time is a flat circle: Bennifer has broken up again. TMZ was the first to report that Jennifer Lopez filed to divorce Ben Affleck on August 20, which marks the two-year anniversary of the wedding ceremony the pair had in Georgia after eloping in Las Vegas on July 16, 2022. News of the formal split was also confirmed by People and Variety. J.Los filing does not mention a prenup, and sources told TMZ that there was not one for this marriage. Lopez reportedly filed the documents in the Los Angeles County Superior Court by herself, without an attorney, and listed the date of separation as April 26, 2024. Although she and Affleck have been sporadically photographed wearing their wedding rings over the past few months, the public was not fooled by the rocks that they got. As the rumors predicted, the pair was headed toward another split, their second after previously dating from 2002 until 2004. In February 2022, five months before she would tie the knot with Affleck, Lopez told People that Bennifer was different this time. Were older now, were smarter, we have more experience, were at different places in our lives, we have kids now, and we have to be very conscious of those things, she said. Oh, dear. We hope the workers in her heart factory are holding up okay.
KHARTOUM, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Heavy rains and flooding from Sudan's rainy season, which began in June, have resulted in 114 fatalities, the Sudanese Health Ministry reported on Wednesday.

The ministry's Autumn Emergency Room said in a statement that the death toll has risen to 114, with 281 injuries reported. Ten states have been affected, impacting 27,278 families and 110,278 individuals.

On Aug. 10, the ministry reported 53 deaths and 208 injuries from floods and rains in nine states during June and July.

Flooding is a recurring problem in Sudan, typically occurring between June and October. Recent severe rains have resulted in significant loss of life and damage to agricultural land.

This year's rainy season has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, which is already grappling with a deadly conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Since April 15, 2023, the conflict has displaced millions of people within Sudan and forced hundreds of thousands to flee to neighboring countries.

According to the latest UN data, about 10.7 million people are internally displaced within Sudan, with approximately 2.2 million seeking refuge abroad. 
Soldiers hidden under ice for more than a century.

The remains of two World War One soldiers, trapped under a mountain glacier in the Italian Alps for more than a century, have emerged after the summer heat thawed the ice.

The discovery was made last week by a hiker on Marmolada, the highest mountain in the Dolomites, in the north Italian region of Trentino Alto Adige.

Carabinieri police in Trento said that the remains - found at an altitude of 2,700 metres in the Forcella Serauta area - were identified thanks to the soldiers' army dog tags.

The infantrymen were part of the Como Brigade which engaged in the so-called White War, fought between Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops in the high-altitude Alpine sector of the Italian front between 1915 and 1918.

Photo Marmolada Grande Guerra Museum
Burglar in Rome got distracted by book.

A burglar who broke into an apartment in Rome on Tuesday night was arrested after stopping in the middle of the robbery to read a book about Greek mythology.

The man, a 38-year-old Italian, gained access to the building in the Della Vittoria district from the balcony but became distracted after seeing a book on a bedside table.

However the owner of the property, a 71-year-old man, woke up and confronted the burglar who was reportedly sitting on a bed absorbed in the book.

The burglar then tried to escape from the same balcony but was arrested by police who arrived after being called by the owner.

Police found the man in possession of a bag of designer clothers, likely stolen earlier that night from another house.

The book in question, according to news outlet RomaToday, was Gli Dei alle sei. L'Iliade all'ora dell'aperitivo by Giovanni Nucci who examines The Iliad from the point of view of the gods while highlighting the interpretative power of the epic work to understand current events.
By Grainne Ni Aodha, PA

Irish actor Brendan Gleeson has said communities that are lacking in public services should be invested in if they are to accommodate large groups of people.

He was responding to a question about whether the Dublin riots in November or anti-immigrant incidents in some towns had changed Irelands image of being a welcoming country.

The Dubliner launched a fundraising drive on Wednesday asking people to support Bewleys Big Coffee Morning for Hospice on September 26th, organised by Together for Hospice.

Speaking to PA in Bewleys Cafe, Gleeson said issues such as population increases in Ireland and people living for longer poses challenges which should not be met with a blame game.

Actor Brendan Gleeson at Bewleys Cafe on Grafton St, Dublin, at the launch of the Bewleys Big Coffee Morning for Hospice which takes place on September 26 (Brian Lawless/PA)

I would look to people to encourage and allow the more creative, positive, kinder instincts to prosper, he said.

When asked if the Dublin riots or protests in Coolock in north Dublin, where asylum seekers are to be housed, had affected the image of Ireland as the land of a hundred thousand welcomes, Gleeson said people should be seen as the solution, not the problem.

If you cant go through the city, or you cant get on a Dart (Dublin train service) without there being problems I was just thinking today, why cant they employ more people?

Everywhere, theyre worried about employment being taken over by technology.

But why dont they have people on Darts that make sure that nobody is getting messed around, that old women feel safe on it, that old men feel safe on it?

Theres a little bit of an element that happens where people are the problem instead of people are the point.

Gleeson said that this was not done deliberately by politicians and that solving such issues are difficult, but emphasised the need to bring more people on board.

If Ireland wants to stay more of the Ireland of the welcomes and less of Ireland of the division, I think you invest in the people. Thats what you do.

By the way, my situation with people going out to particular areas, my idea is that if you are bringing a second child home to a first child, getting a new brother, new sister, you bring a little present.

You make the first child feel enriched, not impoverished. Its not youre out the window you bring the first child into it.

I think if youre going to put in a whole pile of people into an area, and the area is lacking in a proper health centre, a proper GP service, whatever it is, proper social facilities, you bring a present home from the hospital with you, and you bring in, say were going to pump in this. Itll be for the entire neighbourhood. Were going to put in a proper health centre.

Thats what you do.

Thats how you accommodate things, because what you do is you alleviate some of the issues that were there already, instead of making them worse by saying by the way, if you thought you didnt have access to a GP now, youre now going to have less of it.

And if the government is serious about accommodating that, what they have to say is, lets bring a present home with the second child.
A new schedule of train services is due to begin between Waterford and Dublin from Monday, August 26.

The new schedule has been welcomed by Waterford Green Party TD, Deputy Marc O Cathasaigh who said its heartening to see the new service come onstream.

The extra Dublin to Waterford service, in each direction, will leave Dublin at 8.20pm hours and serve stations to Carlow and additional stations at Muine Bheag, Kilkenny and Thomastown, as it makes it way to Waterford every day from Monday to Saturday.

There will be a new, additional each way Dublin/Waterford/Dublin service on Sundays, bringing the total number of services to five in each direction.

Commenting on the development, Deputy O Cathasaigh said: It is very heartening to see these new evening services between Dublin, Kilkenny and Waterford come on stream. This is something I have been advocating for with my colleague and Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan and Jim Meade, CEO of Irish Rail.

Frequent services are a necessity if we want our regions to thrive, he said, adding that connectivity will attract employers and employees to Waterford and the South East, particularly as working from home is embraced by businesses.

It is especially important to see good connectivity between Kilkenny and Waterford, for students and commuters alike, he said.

He also commented that passenger numbers had grown significantly in recent years, saying they had recovered well since the pandemic.

He said the three existing services from Dublin to Waterford catered for 1,564 passengers on each journey in 2023, up from 1,269 in 2022 and 707 in 2021, it was positive news.

The new [8.20pm] service will likely see comparable numbers and I am confident that passenger numbers on both evening services  from Waterford to Dublin and from Dublin to Waterford  will grow significantly over the coming year, he said.
WINDHOEK, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Namibia is on track to become one of Africa's leading oil producers by 2035, potentially producing more than half a million barrels of oil per day, an official said on Wednesday.

This development could see the country displace Egypt from the top five oil producers on the continent, Ebson Uanguta, interim managing director of the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (NAMCOR), said while speaking at the Namibia Oil and Gas Conference in Windhoek, the country's capital.

Uanguta revealed that recent discoveries in the Orange Basin have positioned Namibia as a significant new player in Africa's energy sector.

"With four floating production storage and offloading units deployed by 2035, we could be producing more than half a million barrels per day of oil equivalent," he said.

This level of production would place Namibia among Africa's top oil producers, alongside countries such as Nigeria, Angola, and Libya, he added.

Currently, Egypt produces about 500,000 barrels per day, a figure Namibia could surpass if all planned projects reach their production peaks.

The potential increase in output is driven by accelerated exploration and development activities and supported by advanced deep-water technologies, Uanguta said. These efforts are expected to boost Namibia's oil output and contribute to the country's economic growth.

Uanguta added that NAMCOR remains optimistic about the sector's future, with more exploration and appraisal activities scheduled for 2024 and 2025. 
Revolution Bar in Waterford city's Apple Market had a fantastic night at the Irish Bar Awards 2024, winning silver for Craft Bar of the Year.

Mo Chara in Co. Louth took the gold and Treaty City Brewery in Limerick city won the bronze.

The awards ceremony was held on Monday, August 19, at the Clayton Hotel in Dublin 4.

The popular Waterford City bar had a great night, with manager Jim 'Flash' Gordon and co. all together in their finest blue suits and matching shoes.

'Up there with the best'

The win further established Revolution as "up there with the best" in Ireland, according to the judges.

It wasn't the first time that the bar was honoured by the awards body, with Jim being named Ireland's Bar Manager of the Year in 2022.

The awards body said: "Amongst the galaxy of contenders, the most exceptional bars have been recognized and celebrated for their extraordinary contributions to the hospitality industry.

"These establishments have elevated the art of mixology, ambiance, and service, captivating patrons with unforgettable experiences."

They continued: "After rigorous evaluation and deliberation by an esteemed panel of industry experts only the best in the industry were crowned winners.

"Amongst many other winners on the night, Revolution craft beer and whiskey bar were awarded Silver for Best Craft Beer Bar in Ireland.

"Having Previously won Best Bar Manager, Jim Flash Gordon, Best Whiskey Bar, Best Bar Man Alex White - Revolution is up there with the best in the country.

"As well as an eye-watering array of craft beers and amazing whiskeys they also have a great reputation for food - from fresh fish, pulled pork, chicken escalope with creamy mushroom sauce, as well as fresh burgers and pizzas."

The morning after

Jim thanked all the people who work at Revolution: "Well done to all the management and staff who make Revolution a great Waterford bar."

He posted on social media the morning after the win: "Although heads might be sore, the celebrations were mighty. Business as usual today."

True to his word, the bar was open the next day, serving the people of Waterford fresh food and craft beer.
Over 30 people gathered at the North Quays site early Tuesday morning, August 20, due to an ongoing dispute between the project developers BAM and workers.

Workers Eric and Eddie Crowley and Ben McElwee were joined by supporters from Waterford Council of Trade Unions, SIPTU and local councillor Jim Griffin (Sinn Fein).

The men were recently let go from the North Quays project after bringing to light alleged issues onsite regarding contracts, pay and health & safety procedures.

They have alleged that BAM contractors are engaged in "bogus self-employment".

The North Quays project is one of the largest investments made in Waterford's history.

Contractors BAM are developing the publicly-funded state project. They subcontracted work to DPPS Contracts, a construction company based in Donegal.

DPPS Contracts used their own company Enagh Ltd to register employees as 'self-employed', despite the nature of the work falling outside the remit.

The contracts prevented the workers from receiving PRSI, pension, sickness and death-in-service benefits.

Earlier this year, Waterford City and County Council (WCCC) requested an audit.

The audit conducted by Contractors Administration Service (CAS) revealed that employment practices onsite were not in line with the Construction Sector Employment Order (SEO).

According to BAM: CASs audit indicated a small percentage of people working on the project were not in receipt of terms and conditions of employment in compliance with the SEO and that some individuals were registered as self-employed."

Protest

During the protest, a letter was passed on to the BAM offices from SIPTU, condemning the situation and the treatment of the workers.

According to SIPTU, the developer has yet to meet with union members and officials since March 2024.

The letter reads: "The refusal to have a meeting with our union is clearly out of line both in application and in spirit of Construction SEO.

"Since our receipt of BAM's correspondence we have had three of our members sacked by a sub-contractor on site, very questionable which contractor actually carried out the sackings of the three workers. The one thing that is clear is they were sacked for trade union activity, which we are confident we can demonstrate at a meeting with BAM."

SIPTU requested a copy of the CAS audit.

The letter from SIPTU further stated: "We wish to place on record in the strongest possible manner our disappointment that BAM have chosen not to meet with SIPTU officials in relation to matters concerning the application of the Construction SEO.

"The BAM correspondence rejecting our request for a meeting is not consistent with our experiences with BAM for many years, which begs the question why an issue now."

Unequal pay

According to literature from Connect Trade Union: "Analysis of EU earnings data by the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI) shows that pay in Ireland is more unequal than any other high-income European country.

"Importantly, in construction, pay for Craft & Related Trades is the most unequal. Worse, pay inequality is worst - and getting worse still - among workers under 30."

The men spoke with the Waterford News & Star about the impasse, and how younger, under-experienced workers are being thrown into a complex construction site with little oversight. They fear that the project will not be completed on time or on budget.

Ben also claimed: "The Irish taxpayer is going to be paying for this for a very long time."
Waterford Walls has painted the town red... and a myriad of other wonderful, vibrant colours, bringing thought-provoking and exciting art to our cityscape.

This year marks the 10th birthday of the festival, which has endured all the vagaries of the last decade, including a global pandemic. Despite the challenges it has faced, Waterford Walls has returned each year, with stimulating art that has truly enhanced Waterford's urban realm. Buildings which were the worse for wear were given a new lease of life - and standing within our community, as renowned artists from across the world transformed gable walls, side walls, alleyways and so much more besides.

This year, fantastic Olympian Rhasidat Adeleke took centre stage in a work created by street artist JEKS on Jenkin's Lane.

Waterford Walls said: "Rhasidat Adeleke is a beautiful emblem of everything thats great about modern Ireland. She symbolises talent, hard work, achievement at the highest possible level and diversity.

"She represents the Ireland that the vast majority of us want to live in.

"We are super proud of Rhasidat and all our Olympians. Shout out to JEKS for working his magic."

Street art responds to the major events and issues of the day with a particular force that resonates with the public. Waterford Walls is the perfect foil to celebrate an athlete of the calibre of Rhasidat and her fantastic story.

Jumping out as it does from the once rather shabby Jenkin's Lane, it oozes pride in our own - and also in our city's urban spaces.

Waterford Walls turns on its head what is or can be beautiful, and it defies property owners to take pride in and maximise their premises for the good of all our people.

When the festival started out 10 years ago there was a sense of curiosity as these works of art emerged on facades across the city. People were unsure what to expect, and gingerly welcomed the inaugural event.

A work of art spread across the entirety of the long empty Ard Ri hotel during the 2016 festival was a bold, brave move by the organisers, which cemented the street art festival in Waterford hearts and minds.

The image, which was titled 'Ar Scath a Cheile a Muireann a Daoine', and created by Joe Caslin, addressed social injustice and community support.

Today, this work has faded considerably but countless more works have emerged since, with Waterford people now anticipating the festival and its creations with fervour each year.

If you haven't already, it is worthwhile looking up the Waterford Walls website and taking a stroll around our city to see what new works of street art have been created this year.

Consider for a moment that people fly to Amsterdam and Berlin specifically to view the excellent street art in those cities. In Waterford, the street art which has emerged here over the past decade is of such a calibre.

Hats off to all those passionate and imaginative people involved in championing and carrying on this great festival, and the fantastic community initiatives that have fledged from it as a result.
By David Young, Grainne Ni Aodha and Cate McCurry, PA

President Michael D Higgins has led tributes to renowned author, journalist and feminist activist Nell McCafferty, who has died at the age of 80.

The celebrated writers family said she died in the early hours of Wednesday at a nursing home in Co Donegal.

The former Irish Times journalist, originally from Derry, was a prominent voice on womens rights issues across the island of Ireland and in 1970 co-founded the Irish Womens Liberation Movement (IWLM).

Nell McCafferty, centre, died aged 80 at a nursing home in Co Donegal (Niall Carson/PA)

Considered a journalistic trailblazer and fearless social commentator, McCafferty authored several books and also wrote for publications including the Sunday Tribune and Hot Press.

Campaigning for the legalisation of contraceptives in Ireland in the 1970s, she famously took part in an event known as the Contraceptive Train in 1971 when members of the IWLM travelled across the border to Belfast, bought a range of contraceptive products and took them to Dublin, where they staged a protest at the citys Connolly station.

President of Ireland Michael D Higgins said McCafferty had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness and had a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism.

Statement by President Michael D. Higgins on the death of Nell McCafferty https://t.co/IlvxH3OsnK  President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) August 21, 2024

Mr Higgins said he and his wife Sabina were privileged to be friends with her and said she will be deeply missed by us all.

Nell McCafferty was a pioneer in raising those searching questions which could be asked, but which had been buried, hidden or neglected, Mr Higgins said.

Indeed, this is one of the aspects which was most remarkable from the very beginning in her work.

He added: Nell had a unique gift in stirring peoples consciousness, and this made her advocacy formidable on behalf of those who had been excluded from society.

A defining feature across Nells life was such a fierce drive to tackle repression, poverty and authoritarianism wherever she saw it.

Taoiseach Simon Harris paid tribute to the journalist as a fierce, fearless and fiery campaigner who suffered no fools.

If she was in the room or in the debate, you knew about it, the Taoiseach said.

Her passion and wrath was not scattergun  it had a laser-like focus on calling out inequality and injustice. She suffered no fools but had a kindness and warmth for many.

Her wit and Derry turn of phrase made her impossible to ignore.

As one of the women who took the train in 1971, she set in train an unstoppable wave for equality and a changing of Ireland for the better.

That change has not yet reached its conclusion but it would be nowhere if it wasnt for warriors like Nell.

In an Ireland trying to emerge from the shadows and find who it was, Nell McCafferty was one of the people who knew exactly who she was and wasnt afraid to enter every battle for gay and womens rights. We all owe her a great debt for this.

Nell McCafferty left Ireland a much better place than she found it and she played her part with spirit and style. May she rest in peace.

I want to express my deep sadness at the death of former journalist, author and campaigner Nell McCafferty today.



Nell was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. A proud feminist, and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in pic.twitter.com/sg8hLAk4kh  Michelle ONeill (@moneillsf) August 21, 2024

Northern Irelands First Minister and Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle ONeill said McCafferty was a trailblazer in every sense of the word.

She added: A proud feminist and a civil rights campaigner who used her voice to promote equality and fight injustices in our society.

She eloquently spoke up for disadvantaged women through her work with the Irish Womens Liberation Movement, particularly highlighting the poverty and injustices women faced in the late 20th century across the island.

Nell McCafferty was a towering figure in Irish journalism with great courage and honesty, and was an important figure during the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement.

A proud daughter of Derry, Nells wisdom, humour and humility will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her.

I want to extend my deepest sympathies to her family and friends at this very difficult time.

Deeply saddened at the passing of Nell McCafferty.



Nell was an exceptional journalist & campaigner - the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights & womens rights. She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland. (1/2)  Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) August 21, 2024

Tanaiste Micheal Martin said he was deeply saddened at McCaffertys death.

Nell was an exceptional journalist and campaigner  the voice of an era who helped to bring major advancements in civil rights and womens rights, the Tanaiste posted on X, formerly Twitter.

She made an enormous contribution to public debate in Ireland.

In addition to her brilliance as a writer, activist and feminist, Nell brought great warmth and humour to every engagement.

She made a difference.

Sympathies to her family, friends and former colleagues.

Irelands Press Ombudsman, journalist Susan McKay, also paid tribute.

She was an absolutely wonderful journalist, a really ground-breaking journalist, Ms McKay told BBC Radio Ulster.

She changed the way that all of us who came after her wrote journalism and did journalism, because she went straight to people.

You know, if you look back at journalism before Nell, and indeed before some other brilliant woman of her generation, ordinary people were never asked for their opinion.

They were written about by gents who thought that they knew how best to analyse society.

Nell went straight into working-class places, she talked to people who had experienced real hardships and afflictions in their lives, and she brought their voices alive.

She was tremendously brave and courageous and she wrote about all of the most important stories of her time.

And its very, very sad that she has died, but she had been very ill for quite a number of years, and, you know, wasnt really in a position to appreciate life to the same extent as she had been before.

Very sorry to hear about the death of Nell McCafferty. A mould breaker and establishment shaker, she spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could.



An icon for so many people across Ireland. Nell will be sadly missed but her activism will endure.  Colum Eastwood (@columeastwood) August 21, 2024

SDLP leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood described McCafferty as a mould-breaker and establishment shaker.

She spoke truth to power like only a Derry woman could, he said on X.

An icon for so many people across Ireland.

Nell will be sadly missed, but her activism will endure.

Leader of the Labour Party Ivana Bacik said she is deeply saddened.

She described McCafferty as a wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon.

It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends, she posted on X.

Deeply saddened to hear today about the death of the wonderful, fearless and unique feminist icon - Nell McCafferty.



It was an honour and a privilege to have known Nell, and to have had such fun with her over the years. Deep sympathies to all her family and friends. #RIPNell pic.twitter.com/ULHxsnDEBk  Ivana Bacik (@ivanabacik) August 21, 2024

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) described McCafferty as one of the most renowned journalists in Ireland.

She was a long time member of the NUJ and a former union activist.

Irish secretary Seamus Dooley said: With the death of Nell McCafferty, a bright light has been extinguished.

She was one of the most renowned journalists in the country as a reporter, columnist, author and broadcaster.

The public recognised in her a deep commitment to social justice.

The fact that she was so often referred to only by her first name is a reflection of her special place in Irish journalism and in the public consciousness.

This stemmed from her unique qualities as a reporter and storyteller.

Nell McCafferty could be hilariously funny, frequently controversial and delighted in being contrary.

She was never afraid to challenge the consensus and took pleasure in afflicting the comfortable.

Throughout her career, Nell blazed a trail for feminists and played a significant role in the development of the feminist movement in Ireland.

Always provocative, Nell had the ability to trenchantly argue her case with unique style.
Hidden Hearing, renowned for its commitment to excellence in audiology, is revolutionising the field with the introduction of cutting-edge, Artificial Intelligence hearing technology. The companys clinic in Waterford is at the forefront of this advancement, offering exceptional services tailored to individual needs.

With over 35 years of expertise, Hidden Hearing continues to expand its clinic network and invest in refurbishments to ensure patients receive the highest quality of care. The Waterford clinic now stands as a centre of excellence, boasting a modern and inviting atmosphere designed to enhance the patient experience.

Robin Atkinson, long time client, Gavin Johnson, Hearing Aid Audiologist, Suzie Keating, Clinic Coordinator and Stephen Kelly, Hearing Aid Audiologist.

The recent clinic revamp in Waterford and relocation to a larger premises, still in Arundel Square, has seen the introduction of advanced diagnostic audiology tools and personalised hearing care services. State-of-the-art equipment allows audiologists like Stephen Kelly and Gavin Johnson to conduct comprehensive assessments and tailor treatment plans to each patients unique needs.

Audiologists Gavin Johnson and Stephen Kelly, and clinic co-ordinator Suzie Keating are excited to welcome patients into their sleek, modern clinic.

Gavin stated: Having been established in Waterford for over 25 years we are delighted to be opening our newest state-of-the-art premises here in Arundel Square.

Long-term patient Robin Atkinson dropped into the clinic to mark the launch of the new extension.

Robin Atkinson, long time client, Gavin Johnson, Hearing Aid Audiologist, Suzie Keating, Clinic Coordinator and Stephen Kelly, Hearing Aid Audiologist.

Robin has been a patient at Hidden Hearing for almost 20 years and couldnt speak highly enough of the care and professionalism of the staff.

He said: I came in here with hearing aids and bought a set from the consultant in 2006.

The difference in quality was dramatic. Robin explained: I was wearing quite antiquated stuff. I could never manage over-the-ear hearing aids, and I started wearing specs then, so I got varifocal glasses and they interfered with the over-theear aids. I much prefer these ones. Throughout the years, Robin has been looked after by the dedicated staff at Hidden Hearing, who have monitored his hearing health and progress with hearing aids.

He said: I was seeing an ENT consultant in Waterford, and without hearing aids I was so deaf. I had thought I was eligible for cochlear implants at one point. Thanks to the staff at Hidden Hearing, Robins hearing is much improved."

He said: Theyve been monitoring me all the time and Im chuffed with that.

Its brilliant. Theyre keeping pace with whats happening to me, thats important, I think.

So, if I get myself in a pickle I come down to my audiologist Gavin and Ill get them serviced, sorted and tuned and Ill head away again. I couldnt do without my hearing aids.

Hidden Hearing has expanded to Arundel Square

Audiologist Gavin Johnson joined Hidden Hearing in 2008. Throughout the years, he has helped thousands of patients improve their hearing.

He said: Here at Hidden Hearing Waterford we have a dedicated professional team, with a combined experience of nearly 50 years.

We offer a service second-to-none; from free hearing tests, wax removal and full audiometric hearing tests to an actual demonstration of how you can hear better with Hidden Hearing.

Gavin continued: We prescribe and fit all types of hearing aids and offer a free complimentary aftercare service on all our products.

As Irelands leading premier hearing healthcare specialists, we are proud of our proven track record here in Waterford over the years, and as an appreciation, we are offering a free wax removal service for everybody until the end of August, and a fabulous Trade In Offer of 2,000 when you trade in your old hearing aids. This campaign is giving more and more people an opportunity to get the new record-breaking Oticon INTENT range recently introduced worldwide.

Audiologist, Stephen Kelly spoke about the emerging technologies in hearing aids, including Bluetooth and rechargeable aids that include Artificial Intelligence.

A key factor in helping patients, according to Stephen, is to keep things simple: There are so many wonderful features built into the new Oticon Intent. So, once we have it set up with our patients in our clinic, they find these devices so easy to use thereafter.

With new advancements in hearing aid technology, patients can now use apps like Find My Hearing Aid to locate missing aids. The hearing aids are now also rechargeable so a simple 30-minute recharge can give you eight hours of usage.

The most important part of the job is seeing the improvement in peoples hearing and, thus, their lives.

Robin Atkinson, long time client, Stephen Kelly, Hearing Aid Audiologist, Suzie Keating, Clinic Coordinator and Gavin Johnson, Hearing Aid Audiologist

Stephen went on to comment: You see it in the people when they come back in for their free check-ups, they do a little demonstration in the room, you see it straight away in their face that its made such a big difference and then it makes it worthwhile. Job satisfaction for me is through the roof. I love my job and helping people hear better

The clinics patient-centric approach, combined with the latest advancements in hearing technology, ensures that patients receive the best possible care at every step of their journey. Hidden Hearing are specialists in Hearing Healthcare and have made a commitment to providing excellence in service to transform peoples lives through better hearing.

Stephen Kelly, Hearing Aid Audiologist

By revolutionising Audiology in Waterford City, the clinic is empowering individuals to rediscover the joy of hearing and communication Call Hidden Hearing in Waterford City, located at 40-42 Arundel Square, Waterford, X91 KV10 on (051) 878 872 today

Visit www.hiddenhearing.ie today to book a FREE hearing test.

Also visit the website to book a FREE earwax removal appointment.
A very talented young actor from Tramore in Co Waterford will take to the stage over the coming weeks in a lead role in the premiere of a new play titled, 'Dress You Up', by Waterford playwright, Wayne Power.

Evie Burke will play the role of 'Mandy' in the production by Stagemad Theatre Company, which is also based in Tramore.

The play will be performed in Waterford City's, Bank Lane theatre from Tuesday, October 22, to Friday, October 25, with the curtain rising at 8pm each night.

Evie is no stranger to theatre and has graced the Theatre Royal and Garter Lane stages on many occasions. The play also stars two well known actors in Gerry Kane and Greta Rochford. Greta, who plays Karen, is well regarded in theatrical circles. She studied at the Gaiety School of acting and went on to become a regular cast member of Andrew Loyd Webber's, 'Beautiful Game', in the West End.

Her last straight role was in 'The Red Iron', by Jim Nolan. Recently she performed with the Bilberry Goats.

Meanwhile, Gerry Kane has performed in many plays in Waterford including 'On the Razzle', 'The Seafarer', 'The Field' and 'The Birdman of Alcatraz' to name but a very small few.

Gerry is delighted to be cast as Mick, the father of the main character, Bobby. The play also stars Charlie Maher and Jake Penkert. This will be four very special nights at Bank Lane, with the play being staged as part of Imagine Arts Festival.

Wayne Power will have the publication launch of 'Dress You Up', at The Book Centre, Waterford City, on Friday, September 6, at 6pm and all are welcome to attend.

'Dress You Up' is the story of Bobby, an aspiring drag queen still reeling from his mother's untimely death. Championed by his good time girl, aunty Karen, and streetwise best mate Mandy, Bobby navigates his own sexuality and ambitions while his grieving father, Mick, is oblivious to his son's differences and aspirations.

The story is set as at a time when Ireland welcomes a new Taoiseach, Britpop throws its last hoorah and Girl Power becomes part of pop culture towards the millennium. The summer of 1997 is one that will shape and change the lives of all four. As Bobby sharpens his heels, he encounters homophobia and bigotry, still prevalent in a changing Ireland, and learns that all that glitters isnt always gold. A material boy in a mixed up world, can he rise above it all in sky high heels? Early booking strongly advised and tickets, which are selling fast, can be booked through ttps://www.gr8events.ie/dressyouup or by going to gr8events.ie
You wont have trouble travelling by either road or rail in Europe. Trains are fast, efficient and regular. Motorways are well maintained and widespread, supplemented by good highways and country roads.

Car or train? There are pros and cons for both. Credit: Illustration: Greg Straight

Your carbon footprint is vastly reduced by train travel but, leaving aside eco-considerations, youll need to ponder other pros and cons.

Consider the destination. While Europe generally has good rail coverage, there are exceptions, such as Greece, Portugal or Irelands scenic west coast. Italys good network dwindles as you head south, and a car is a must in the Italian Alps.

How far do you want to go? Train travel is faster and easier if youre travelling longer distances and zigzagging across the Continent on a whistle-stop tour. Its less fatiguing too  and a wise idea, at least in the first couple of days, as you get over jet lag.
YANGON, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar will celebrate World Tourism Day on Sept. 27, the official daily Myanma Alinn reported on Wednesday.

An impromptu speech competition marking World Tourism Day was held at the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, on Tuesday, the report said.

Speaking at the event, Union Minister of Hotels and Tourism Thet Thet Khine said that Myanmar has been celebrating World Tourism Day since 2012, and this year marks its 13th celebration, the report said.

This year, the ministry will organize essay writing, article writing, photo competitions, and travel promotion short video clip competitions to commemorate World Tourism Day, it said. 
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Sintra, Portugal: The doorbell to Martinho de Almada Pimentels house is hard to find, and he likes it that way. Its a long rope that, when pulled, rings a literal bell on the roof that lets him know someone is outside the mountainside mansion that his great-grandfather built in 1914 as a monument to privacy. Theres precious little of that for Pimentel during this Northern Hemisphere summer of overtourism. Tuktuks drop off and pick up tourists at the gate of the 19th century Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal. Credit: AP Tourists in standstill traffic outside the sun-washed walls of Casa do Cipreste sometimes spot the bell and pull the string because its funny, he says. With the windows open, he can smell the car exhaust and hear the tuktuk of outsized scooters named for the sound they make. And he can sense the frustration of 5000 visitors a day who are forced to queue around the house on the crawl up single-lane switchbacks to Pena Palace, the one-time retreat of King Ferdinand II. Now Im more isolated than during COVID, the soft-spoken Pimentel, who lives alone, said during an interview on the veranda. Now I try to [not] go out. What I feel is: angry. This is a story of what it means to be visited in 2024, the first year in which global tourism is expected to set records since the coronavirus pandemic brought much of life on Earth to a halt. Wandering is surging, rather than levelling off, driven by lingering revenge travel, digital nomad campaigns and so-called golden visas blamed in part for skyrocketing housing prices. Tourists queue to visit the interior of the 19th century Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal. Credit: AP

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Anyone paying attention during this summer of overtourism is familiar with the escalating consequences around the world: traffic jams in paradise. Reports of hospitality workers living in tents. And anti-tourism protests intended to shame visitors as they dine  or, as in Barcelona in July, douse them with water pistols. The demonstrations are an example of locals using the power of their numbers and social media to issue destination leaders an ultimatum: manage this issue better or well scare away the tourists  who could spend their global $US11 trillion ($16 trillion) a year elsewhere. Housing prices, traffic and water management are on all the checklists. Cue the violins, you might grouse, for people like Pimentel who are well-off enough to live in places worth visiting. But its more than a problem for rich people. Not to be able to get an ambulance or to not be able to get my groceries is a rich people problem? said Matthew Bedell, another resident of Sintra, which has no pharmacy or supermarket in the centre of the UNESCO-designated district. Those dont feel like rich people problems to me. What is overtourism, anyway? The phrase itself generally describes the tipping point at which visitors and their cash stop benefiting residents and instead cause harm by degrading historic sites, overwhelming infrastructure and making life markedly more difficult for those who live there. Martinho de Almada Pimentel poses for a photo in his mountainside mansion,Casa do Cipreste, that his great-grandfather built in 1914 in Sintra. Credit: AP

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Its a hashtag that gives a name to the protests and hostility that youve seen all summer. But look a little deeper and youll find knottier issues for locals and their leaders, none more universal than housing prices driven up by short-term rentals like Airbnb, from Spain to South Africa. Some locales are encouraging quality tourism, generally defined as more consideration by visitors towards residents and less drunken behaviour, disruptive selfie-taking and other questionable choices. Overtourism is arguably a social phenomenon, too, according to an analysis for the World Trade Organisation written by Joseph Martin Cheer of Western Sydney University and Marina Novelli of the University of Nottingham. In China and India, for example, they wrote, crowded places are more socially accepted. This suggests that cultural expectations of personal space and expectations of exclusivity differ. Drivers get stuck on a small Sintra street beneath a banner reading Chaotic traffic affects everyone: residents and tourists. Credit: Bloomberg The summer of 2023 was defined by the chaos of the journey itself  airports and airlines overwhelmed, obtaining or renewing passports a nightmare for travellers. Yet by the end of the year, signs abounded that the COVID-19 rush of revenge travel was accelerating. In January, the United Nations tourism agency predicted that worldwide tourism would exceed the records set in 2019 by 2 per cent. By the end of March, the agency reported, more than 285 million tourists had travelled internationally, about 20 per cent more than the first quarter of 2023. Europe remained the most-visited destination. The World Travel & Tourism Council projected in April that 142 of 185 countries it analysed would set records for tourism, and account for 330 million jobs. Aside from the money, theres been trouble in paradise this year, with Spain playing a starring role in everything from water management problems to skyrocketing housing prices and drunken tourist drama. Protests erupted across the country as early as March, when graffiti in Malaga reportedly urged tourists to go f home. Thousands of protesters demonstrated in Spains Canary Islands against visitors and construction that was overwhelming water services and jacking up housing prices. In Barcelona, protesters shamed and squirted water at people presumed to be visitors as they dined al fresco in touristy Las Ramblas.

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Loading In Japan, where tourist arrivals fuelled by the weak yen were expected to set a new record in 2024, Kyoto banned tourists from certain alleys. The government set limits on people climbing Mount Fuji. And in Fujikawaguchiko, a town that offers some of the best views of the mountains perfect cone, leaders erected a large black screen in a parking lot to deter tourists from overcrowding the site. The tourists apparently struck back by cutting holes in the screen at eye level. Air travel, meanwhile, only got more miserable, the US government reported in July. UNESCO has warned of potential damage to protected areas. And Fodors No List 2024 urged people to reconsider visiting suffering hotspots, including sites in Greece and Vietnam, as well as areas with water management problems in California, India and Thailand. Not-yet-hot spots looked to capitalise on de-touristing drives such as Amsterdams Stay Away campaign aimed at partying young men. The Welcome to MonGOlia campaign, for example, beckoned from the land of Genghis Khan. Visits to that country by foreign tourists jumped 25 per cent the first seven months of 2024 over last year. Tourism is surging and shifting so quickly, in fact, that some experts say the very term overtourism is outdated. Michael ORegan, a lecturer on tourism and events at Glasgow Caledonian University, argues that overtourism has become a buzzword that doesnt reflect the fact that the experience depends largely on the success or failure of crowd management. Its true that many of the demonstrations arent aimed at the tourists themselves, but at the leaders who allow the locals who should benefit to become the ones who pay. Theres been backlash against the business models on which modern tourism has been built and the lack of response by politicians, he said in an interview. Tourism came back quicker than we expected, he allows, but tourists arent the problem. Theres a global fight for tourists. We cant ignore that. ... So what happens when we get too many tourists? Destinations need to do more research.

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Virpi Makela can describe exactly what happens in her corner of Sintra. Incoming guests at Casa do Valle, her hillside bed-and-breakfast near the village centre, call Makela in anguish because they cannot figure out how to find her property amid Sintras disorganised traffic rules that seem to change without notice. Demonstrators march shouting slogans against the Formula 1 Barcelona Fan Festival in downtown Barcelona, Spain, in June. Credit: AP Nobody disputes the idea that the tourism boom in Portugal needs better management. The WTTC predicted in April that the countrys tourism sector would grow this year by 24 per cent over 2019 levels, create 126,000 more jobs since then and account for about 20 per cent of the national economy. Housing prices already were pushing an increasing number of people out of the property market, driven upward in part by a growing influx of foreign investors and tourists seeking short-term rentals. To respond, Lisbon announced plans to halve the number of tuktuks allowed to ferry tourists through the city and built more parking spaces for them after residents complained they were blocking traffic. A 40-minute train ride to the west, Sintras municipality has invested in more parking lots outside town and youth housing at lower prices near the centre, the mayors office said. More than 3 million people every year visit the mountains and castles of Sintra, long one of Portugals wealthiest regions for its cool microclimate and scenery. The Sintra city council also said that fewer tickets were now sold to the nearby historic sites. Pena Palace, for example, began this year to permit less than half the 12,000 tickets per day sold there in the past.

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The World Customs Organization (WCO) and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) proudly announce the launch of the second Small Island Economies (SIEs) Scholarship Programme following the success of the inaugural initiative in 2023. This programme, generously funded by the Korea Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF-Korea), aims to bolster the expertise of young and promising Customs officers from SIEs.

Building on the strong foundation laid by the first programme, the second edition will benefit another cohort of ten Customs officers from SIEs. The programme will span a comprehensive twelve-week period. Participants will immerse themselves in theoretical studies and cross-cultural learning experiences, enhancing their professional capabilities.

The opening ceremony witnessed a warm welcome from distinguished guests, including Dr. Taeil KANG, Director of the Capacity Building Directorate at the WCO, Dr. Minjeong Kim, Vice President of HUFS, and Ms. Hyun-Jung Choi, Head of the International Cooperation Division of the Korea Customs Service. All speakers emphasized the importance of active engagement in discussions and debates, encouraging participants to maximize the learning opportunities provided. Their full support for the scholarship programme was evident, underlining the commitment to fostering skilled Customs officers.

The curriculum remains robust, offering a comprehensive range of courses covering both practical information and theoretical frameworks. Core courses will be delivered by experienced academic faculty, while practical courses will be facilitated by the Korean Customs Service through lectures and workshops. Additionally, sessions conducted by WCO experts will focus on WCO tools and instruments tailored for SIEs. Renowned domain experts, professors, and WCO staff will provide in-depth insights into these topics, ensuring a high-quality learning experience.

The WCO's comprehensive guide, "Guidance for Customs Administrations in Small Island Economies," continues to serve as the foundation for this programme. Approved during the 137th Session of the WCO Council, this guide addresses the unique challenges SIEs face and aims to harness their trade potential. It outlines measures to enhance risk management, trade facilitation, security, and revenue collection, providing a strategic framework for the scholarship programme.

The following countries are participating in the second SIEs scholarship programme: Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Maldives, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, and Samoa.

The WCO remains committed to supporting officials from SIE Member administrations through this ongoing initiative.

For more information, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.
COLOMBO, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka generated 9 billion U.S. dollars in export revenue during the first six months of this year, with 1,575 export-oriented companies operating across 15 investment zones, State Minister for Investment Promotion Dilum Amunugama announced on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Presidential Media Centre (PMC), Amunugama said that these companies employ over 500,000 people.

He also revealed that the government is planning to establish seven new investment zones to further boost export growth.

Amunugama noted that Sri Lanka has already secured 800 million dollars in investments in the first half of this year. To enhance the country's export income, 27 export promotion projects have been launched, he said.

Furthermore, the government has authorized 21 organizations to set up businesses in the Colombo Port City, he added. 
JAKARTA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government said on Wednesday that the country is ready to begin supplying electricity to neighboring Singapore.

Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said that Singapore would offtake or buy electricity from Indonesia's solar power plants in Batam, Bintan and Karimun islands.

"We are currently preparing multiple transmission channels to Singapore to minimize the risks associated with maintenance and outages, as the area experiences heavy transportation traffic," Hartarto said at the 2nd Asia Zero Emission Community Ministerial Meeting in Jakarta.

Indonesia's plan to export electricity to Singapore has been in place since April, following a meeting between Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in West Java. Singapore requires four gigawatts of low-carbon electricity by 2035, with two gigawatts expected to be imported from Indonesia. 
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The Rose of Tralee concluded last night as the New Zealand rose, Keely O'Grady, prevailed following two evenings of co-hosts Daithi O Se and Kathryn Thomas chatting with 32 contestants.

Although a Mayo rose was not in this year's competition, a social media star from the county took to the Tralee stage during Tuesday night's show.

Before the winning rose was revealed, Ballina native Garron Noone demonstrated his musical talent along with Irish musician Sharon Shannon.

Noone sang the song 'Galway Girl' as social media reacted to his impressive performance.

One 'X' user said: "Garron Noone singing Galway Girl was not on my 2024 Rose of Tralee bingo card but I aint complaining, man can sing!"

Garron Noone singing Galway Girl was not on my 2024 Rose of Tralee bingo card but I aint complaining, man can sing!! #roseoftralee  Aoife (@aoifedevirgo) August 20, 2024

While another social media poster remarked: "Garron Noone with Sharon Shannon was the super band I didnt know I needed."

Garron Noone with Sharon Shannon was the super band I didnt know I needed  #roseoftralee  Ciara Ni Dhubhlaing (@ki_ciara) August 20, 2024

Noone, who has 1.1 million followers on TikTok, is known for his comedy clips on the popular app as well as showcasing his singing skills on Instagram.

Last weekend, he performed in the Comedy Arena at Electric Picnic where a large crowd gathered to watch the "Follow me, I'm delicious" content creator.
It is one of the most memorable moments in movie history. Set in a stifling courtroom, during one of the final scenes of Aaron Sorkins A Few Good Men, Jack Nicholson (as Colonel Jessep) delivers his greatest monologue, relishing the opportunity to teach Tom Cruise (as upstart lawyer Lieutenant Kaffee) a few home truths of his iron-fisted command over Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.

However, Cruises character has instead set a gotcha trap for his ego-charged superior, with the provoking demand I want the truth! Without awareness of his hubris and impending legal peril, Jessep famously replies with, You can't handle the truth!, and then is drawn him into admitting that he ordered an illegal punishment of another soldier, resulting in his arrest on the stand. It is one of the ultimate gotchas of our shared cinema culture.

Gotcha is defined as an instance of publicly tricking someone or exposing them to ridicule, especially by means of an elaborate deception, and while many news media figures fantasise of nailing a politician or other high-profile public personality with such a gotcha moment, it rarely happens.

One of the most notable gotchas in Irish TV history occurred on RTEs The Late Late Show, during its live broadcast on January 15th, 1999. The world's second longest running late-night talk show, after NBC's The Tonight Show, was then hosted by the iconic Gay Byrne. While debatable in how knowing Byrne actually was that night, his expert interview of Fianna Fail politician, Padraig Flynn, Ireland's then EU Commissioner, lulled the former government minister into lamenting "the difficulties" in his life; on a salary of 130k and trying to run three houses, cars and housekeepers along with regular travel. His further comments condescendingly attacked the credibility of a property developer Tom Gilmartin, who had been claiming in the Irish media of planning irregularities in Dublin city.

For the public, working on a fraction of the wages of the veteran Mayo politician, Flynns haughty delivery was hard to stomach and his performance was widely ridiculed. Gilmartin himself was stung into publicly releasing details of Flynns nefarious attempts to obtain a political donation of 50k from him, meant for the Fianna Fail party. Instead, Flynn pocketed it himself and then tried to get Gilmartin to change his story. It was considered the end of Flynns political career and he was not reappointed by his government colleagues the following September to the EU Commission.

How much Gay Byrne knew this would be a gotcha moment is debatable. Certainly, his innate insight and experience as an experienced interviewer saw him create the bonhomie boys' club mood which deceived Flynn into overconfidence and forgetfulness of who was actually watching the show.

In my imagination, the machinations of how Donald Trump would have handled that interview kept me awake for far too many hours that I will never get back this past week. I can actually hear him repeat Padraig Flynns words ridiculing Gilmartin: "Oh yes, yes. I haven't seen him now for some years. I met him. He's a Sligo man who went to England, made a lot of money, came back, wanted to do a lot of business in Ireland, didn't work out for him, didn't work out for him. He's not well. His wife isn't well. He's out of sorts."

The difference is that while Flynn subsequently lay low as the media storm erupted, Trump would have doubled down on his claims, and faced with the fact of his own lies, he would simply deny them and tell a few more. By creating a moving target, the media never get fixed on him and he seems to effortlessly glide by career-ending self-owns or gotchas which would have hobbled any other politician, Republican, Democrat or Fianna Fail.

The American media play a huge role in Trumps successful evasion of his chickens coming home to not just roost but also enter the house as a SWAT team and shoot all the occupants. Aside from Fox News, which has long established itself as an unabashed supporter of Trumps propaganda (Fox News agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems nearly $800 million to avert a trial that would have exposed how the network promoted lies about the 2020 presidential election), other networks such as CNN have been expertly played by the former president.

As far back as 13 May 2017, Saturday Night Live lampooned an earlier interview of Donald Trump by Lester Holt of NBC. At one stage of the skit, Alec Baldwin as Trump, blatantly admits to obstruction of justice by firing his FBI director for investigating him. Michael Che as Holt turns to camera and asks Did I get him?, Is it all over?, before being hit with the realisation that with Trump nothing matters, absolutely nothing matters.

The cable networks have been long obsessed with Trump. Since first descending his escalator at Trump Tower in 2015 to announce his presidential bid, the media have carried wall-to-wall coverage of the property developer, parsing what he says, no matter how ridiculous, self-serving, deceitful and factually inaccurate. It is also clear he knows this and while unburdened with anything approaching a moral centre, Trump expertly throws out contentious social media posts, hastily arranged press conferences and weird old-man-shouts-at-the-moon campaign speeches which the TV and press devour, irrespective of the complete lies and half-truths always peppered in his words.

In the latest recent example, Trump falsely posted to his own social media platform Truth Social that a crowd photo from Harris' campaign rally in Detroit was faked using artificial intelligence (AI). It was a ludicrous claim, yet the media seized on it to analyse how it was wrong, even bringing in AI experts and in doing so amply repeated Trumps claim of his opponent being a cheater. Something that deserved no attention has spun a whole narrative and eats up the oxygen in the public square that in another country would have instead allowed policy discussions or nuanced analysis of political outcomes. But this is far from the coffeehouses of late 18th-century France, much less the BBC or RTE.

Just a few days earlier, Trump called a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on August 8th. Clearly upset at the attention Kamala Harriss campaign was generating, he walked out into his own hotel room to the assembled nations media and unleashed an untethered, rambling diatribe for 64 minutes, which consisted of 162 misstatements, exaggerations and outright lies, according to the non-partisan NPR. Without being effectively fact-checked in real-time, the subsequent talk shows and news programmes fell over themselves to mock the former presidents performance, self-congratulatorily claiming it further undermined his credibility with viewers.

But who watches press conferences? Much less parse through the claims made at them. Instead, we witnessed the further ad nauseum repeating of Trumps propaganda by clever people who each think they have just delivered a gotcha moment, while the general public just shrug their collective shoulders, unmoved from their prior beliefs. Yet Trump achieved what he always wants - attention, to be talked about, to be important. Thats it.

In reality, far from the personality and celebrity-obsessed goldfish-memory media, unless voters in November educate themselves into understanding what their political choice for president will mean on a practical level - as happens in other democracies around the world - then in truth nothing matters, absolutely nothing matters.
CANBERRA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Domestic violence should be treated with the same significance as terrorism, an official charged with ending gendered violence in Australia has said.

Micaela Cronin, Australia's Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence commissioner, on Wednesday released the first annual report tracking the progress of the government's National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.

In a speech to the National Press Club here, Cronin called for deploying all the tools that are currently used to fight terrorism to prevent domestic violence offenses.

"I think that what we need is for the community to take as seriously threats of domestic, family and sexual violence as they take terrorist threats, act on them as urgently and recognize that they are different," she said.

The inaugural report highlighted the need for the government to support overwhelmed support services and systems for victims of domestic violence and called for the government to ensure that men are engaged in every aspect of ending violence.

Cronin said that meetings with over 300 individuals and organizations revealed anger, distress and frustration from many communities at the lack of progress in addressing gender-based violence.

According to a report published by the Australian Institute of Criminology in July, intimate partner homicide (IPH) accounted for almost one-quarter of all homicide incidents in Australia between 1989-90 and 2022-23, with women the victims in three-quarters of IPH incidents in that period.

Tens of thousands of Australians joined protests around the country in April and May, demanding greater action to stop gender-based violence following a series of high-profile incidents.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese marched with protesters in Canberra and described the issue as a national crisis.

Tabling the progress report in parliament on Wednesday, Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence Justine Elliot said that it showed there were no quick fixes to the crisis.

"Eliminating violence against women and children is a national priority backed by immediate action and driven by a generational goal," she said.

"Today's report presents a vital opportunity for continued action, improvement, and development."

She said the government has committed 3.4 billion Australian dollars (2.2 billion U.S. dollars) to fund women's safety in the last three federal budgets. 
SUVA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Fiji's Minister for Women and Children Lynda Tabuya is advocating for the death penalty for drug traffickers caught with large volumes of drugs to quickly solve the escalating problem in Fiji.

Tabuya expressed concerns over the easy availability of drugs on the streets, which both adults and children are consuming, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation reported on Wednesday.

"We need to have deterrence and to consider the death penalty to protect our people who are not aware of the harmful effects of drugs, who are using this as a means of earning quick money," she said.

Such stringent measures will deter drug traffickers and drug lords from engaging in illegal activities within the island nation, the minister added.

She emphasized that implementing harsher penalties, including the death penalty, could reduce the drug trade and its harmful effects on Fijian society.

Fiji abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes in 1979 and for all crimes in 2015 and the last execution occurred in 1964.

The death penalty is unlawful under the 2013 constitution.

However, Tabuya said there is an urgent need to enforce stronger laws to protect Fiji's borders and people, as the country continues to serve as a transit point for other markets. 
JAKARTA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government announced on Wednesday that it would grant investors in its new capital city of Nusantara building use rights (HGB) or land concession and business use rights (HGU) for up to 80 years, aiming to attract more business players to invest in the new capital on Borneo Island.

According to the newly issued regulation, investors can obtain HGB and HGU for 80 years in a single cycle, with the option to renew for another 80 years.

"We are rolling out the red carpet for investors. We don't want them to face a lengthy process to invest here. We are streamlining the administrative process to attract more investors," Indonesian Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono told reporters in Jakarta.

Indonesia is planning to move its capital to Nusantara, a newly built city relying on foreign investments for the nearly 30-billion-U.S. dollar project. The central government has issued various incentives to attract investments, including income tax holidays, import tax exemptions, and long-term land use permits. 
CANBERRA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government has granted environmental approval for a plan to build the country's largest solar farm in the outback.

Tanya Plibersek, the minister for the environment and water, on Wednesday announced the government has approved the first stage of SunCable's Australia-Asia PowerLink (AAPowerLink).

The project aims to supply renewable energy to customers in Darwin - capital of the Northern Territory (NT) - and eventually export green energy to Singapore via 4,300 kilometers of undersea cables.

Under its first phase, up to 10 gigawatts (GW) of solar generation and battery storage capacity will be built on pastoral land near the outback town of Elliott over 600 km south of Darwin.

Environmental approvals have been granted for 800 km of overhead transmission lines from the facility to Darwin and an underwater cable from Darwin to the end of Australian waters.

Once completed, the AAPowerLink will deliver up to four GW of 24/7 renewable energy to Darwin - enough to power three million homes - and 1.75 GW to Singapore.

According to SunCable, the project is the world's biggest integrated renewable energy and battery storage facility and will deliver more than 20 billion Australian dollars (13.4 billion U.S. dollars) in economic value to the NT in its first 35 years.

"This massive project is a generation-defining piece of infrastructure. It will be the largest solar precinct in the world and heralds Australia as the world leader in green energy," Plibersek said in a statement.

"Not only will this project help turn Australia into a renewable energy superpower, it will be a huge boost for the Northern Territory economy."

The NT government and NT Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in July approved plans for the generation and storage site, transmission lines, a Darwin converter site and an undersea High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) cable from the converter to the end of Australian territorial waters at the border with Indonesia. 
SINGAPORE, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Officers from Singapore's Anti-Scam Center blocked over 300 suspicious bank accounts from May to August, according to the latest statement from the police.

The police seized illicit funds of more than 1.8 million Singapore dollars (1.37 million U.S. dollars) in the case.

During the operation, the police worked with the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation to identify the suspicious bank accounts exhibiting potential money mule behavior.

The police said they were investigating various offenses, including assisting others in retaining benefits of criminal conduct and unauthorized disclosure of access code. 
by Naim-Ul-Karim

DHAKA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The floods in the greater Noakhali region in southeastern Bangladesh have affected millions of people and displaced tens of thousands.

The worse-than-usual seasonal floods were caused mainly by floodwater from India through several rivers which travel through the region.

In the greater Noakhali region which predominantly includes the districts of Noakhali, Feni and Lakshmipur in Bangladesh, more than 2 million people are now stranded, with many areas severely affected.

Dewan Mahbubur Rahman, deputy commissioner and district magistrate in Noakhali district, told Xinhua Wednesday that around 2 million people were affected by floods merely in the Noakhali district.

He said the entire situation is extremely grim as floodwaters through the Muhuri River in Feni coupled with downpours of days continue to rise.

Musammat Shahina Akter, deputy commissioner and district magistrate in Feni district, told Xinhua Wednesday that the Muhuri River which flows into Bangladesh from India suddenly flowed above the danger line, aggravating the entire flooding situation in Feni and other districts in the region.

"Vast swathes of Feni have now been inundated by the worst flooding in decades, affecting at least 250,000 people and leaving one dead so far," said the official.

Officials said hundreds of thousands of homes in Noakhali's neighboring Cumilla district have also been inundated and electricity has been cut.

Floods reportedly caused widespread damage to habitation, crops, roads and highways across vast swathes of the greater Noakhali region. The water level at most points of key Gumti, Muhuri, Kohua and Silonia rivers which are running through the districts have burst their banks and continued to flow above the danger level Wednesday.

TV reports showed that wide areas of land are under water in parts of the northeastern Sylhet region of Bangladesh where floods also caused widespread damage to habitation, crops, roads and highways.

Authorities have rushed teams of disaster response force to carry out rescue operations, distribute relief materials and supervise centers where tens of thousands of people have taken shelter.

Members of the Bangladesh Army, Border Guard Bangladesh, Coast Guard, fire service and police and other security personnel are carrying out rescue operations. 
OSLO, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Denmark and Sweden have announced plans to strengthen their cooperation in response to a recent surge in violent crimes, which have involved Swedish teenagers being used as mercenaries in Denmark. The justice ministers from both countries made the announcement during a joint press conference in Copenhagen on Wednesday.

"The gangs' willingness to resort to violence knows no bounds. Therefore, our response must be strong and coordinated," said Danish Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard. He emphasized the importance of the two countries working together to apply pressure on nations where the masterminds behind these gang conflicts are believed to be hiding.

As part of this agreement, Denmark and Sweden will enhance their cooperation, particularly through the exchange of information. The two Nordic countries also plan to intensify efforts to prevent the recruitment of children and young people into gangs via social media and other digital platforms.

Swedish Minister of Justice Gunnar Strommer highlighted the need for Sweden to fundamentally overhaul its policies in the fight against gang-related crimes. He announced that the Swedish government intends to increase penalties for gang crimes to align more closely with those in Denmark.

Hummelgaard said earlier this month that the Danish authorities knew of 25 cases where criminal groups in Denmark have hired Swedes to commit crimes in Denmark. 
CHICAGO, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who has already won enough delegates to become the Democratic presidential nominee in a virtual roll call vote earlier this month, was once again confirmed as the party's nominee Tuesday night during the Democratic National Convention.

California, Harris' home state, cast 482 votes for Harris, sending her over the top while concluding a ceremonial roll call.

"The future happens in California first, and Democrats, I've had the privilege of over 20 years to see that future taking shape with a star in Alameda (County) courtroom by the name of Kamala Harris," California Governor Gavin Newsom said.

On Aug. 6, the Democratic National Committee announced that Harris had been officially certified as the party's presidential nominee following a five-day online balloting process.

Tuesday marks the second day of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, held at the United Center in Chicago from Aug. 19-22.

Several prominent Democrats, including former U.S. President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, spoke at Tuesday's event.

While the convention continues with an enthusiastic crowd of Democrats inside the venue, pro-Palestinian protests have been organized on the streets of Chicago in response to the Biden administration's policies on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Several protesters were arrested Tuesday night in front of the Israeli Consulate in downtown Chicago, while a day earlier, thousands of demonstrators gathered near the United Center, with at least four arrested after breaching a security fence.

President Joe Biden closed the first day of the convention by delivering a nearly hourlong keynote speech, in which he lashed out at former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, and urged voters to support Harris in her bid for the White House. 
MAM | Media and Advertising World Entrepreneurs Day 2024: Pioneering ideas for a new era Entrepreneurship has evolved significantly over the past decades. In the 21st century, it is characterized by rapid technological advancements, increased access to global markets, and a growing emphasis on sustainability and social impact. Read More... MAM | Media and Advertising CHUK launches 'CHUK Worth It' campaign CHUK, the flagship brand of Pakka, has launched its latest "CHUK Worth It" campaign to solidify the brand's premium status in the disposable tableware market. Read More...

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Salt painting, also called colored-salt painting, is painting with salt and pigments. Wang Hang, inventor of salt painting from Zhangxian County, has creatively integrated the salt from Zhangxian, her hometown and a county in Dingxi, a city in northwest China's Gansu Province, with traditional Chinese painting. Salt painting has added new vitality to the county's millennia-old salt culture.



Painting Landscape, with Salt

Salt production in Zhangxian County dates back more than 3,000 years. During ancient times, Zhangxian was a salt-producing area, and production of salt from wells created prosperity for the county. The locals' ancestors developed the region's unique salt culture.

How did Wang come up with the idea of painting with salt? Salt culture in Zhangxian has a long history, she explains, and as such the locals have always had a special preference for salt. "I was born and grew up in Zhangxian. When I was a child, I saw how my grandparents made salt in the traditional way. Thus, I have a special feeling for salt. My mother is skilled at drawing and embroidering patterns. Influenced by her, I have liked drawing since I was young," recalls Wang.



"I was employed by a salt factory after I graduated from high school. At that time, I worked with salt every day ... One day, more than two decades ago, I was seized by a whim to combine salt with painting. I wanted to paint the beautiful scenery of my hometown, but with salt."

Wang began studying how to paint with salt. She used a board, canvas or silk paper as her painting board, and she used a calligraphy brush and painting knife as her tools. However, she had difficulty finding a suitable adhesive on which to paste the salt.

"What sticky material could be used to affix the salt on the board? I tried many materials, such as resin, an egg white, starchy water and various kinds of glue. After many trials  I found an economical glue was most suitable for pasting the salt," recalls Wang.

In 2005, Wang completed her first salt painting. She then began experimenting, and she developed "colored salt," by combining salt and pigments. Making "colored salt" requires a few steps; firstly, mixing saline water and food coloring in a pot, and then stirring the colored saline water while boiling it. The second step is boiling away the water, drying the mixture, and then milling the mixture into a powder. The final step is mixing the powder with glue and water.

It takes Wang more than 20 days to complete a salt painting. After the painting is completed, it will take more than 20 hours for it to dry. Once dried, the salt painting can be preserved for a long time. Landscapes, specialties, figures, flowers and birds in Zhangxian have been subjects of Wang's salt paintings. Her paintings, with a 3D effect, have a high aesthetic value. "Aside from collection value, salt painting has broad market prospects, and good economic benefits. It also helps develop and promote the salt culture in Zhangxian, in an innovative way," says Wang.

In 2010, Wang received a national patent for salt painting. In May 2016, salt painting from Zhangxian County was added to the list of items of intangible cultural heritage of Dingxi City.



Promoting Art Form

"My hometown, and its salt culture, hold special meaning for me. The salt painting has become an ideal carrier for me to promote salt culture, and to express my deep love for my hometown," says Wang.

Her second solo exhibition of salt paintings was hosted by a calligraphy and painting academy on December 24, 2020. Fifty-two of her paintings were displayed, and they attracted many art lovers.

"I could not imagine salt could be used to make such good paintings. It's so amazing," said He Junqin, a visitor to Wang's solo exhibition.



In December 2010, Wang established the Salt Painting Research Association of Zhangxian County, to help artists study salt painting techniques. Wang and members of the association have since organized various activities, including promoting salt culture and salt painting to residents in rural areas. They have also given lectures and training in salt painting, including to students in schools.

"Wang's salt painting is particularly good ... I have studied the techniques used to make salt paintings for more than a month. I'm particularly pleased I can earn money by making paintings," says Zhang Chunfang, a resident of Xinzhuangmen, a village in Zhangxian.

During the past few years, Wang has trained more than 200 children and rural women. Some of the women are disabled and/or single mothers. She has also given salt painting lessons during training sessions organized by local women's federations. Wang has helped local women increase their incomes by making salt paintings. In December 2019, Wang's studio was designated an Intangible Cultural Heritage Workshop for Employment and Poverty Alleviation of Gansu Province.



This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, as well as the 90th anniversary of the departure of the Red Army's Long March. Wang says she will make large-scale salt paintings to promote the spirit of the legendary Long March.

Wang dreams of establishing a museum that focuses on the history and culture of salt in Zhangxian. She hopes more people in the county, especially children, will learn about their hometown, and about the history and culture of salt in the area. She often conducts art classes, at her own expense, so students in remote mountainous areas can study painting. She promotes salt culture to them, and teaches them how to make salt paintings.

"Many young people in Zhangxian know little about local salt culture, and they do not have deep feelings for the salt, like our generation. Development of salt painting requires more financial and resource support. I will continue to concentrate on making salt paintings, and to do what I can to promote the art form. I hope more people will contribute to the innovation and development of salt culture, which will bring new vitality to the time-honored salt culture," Wang says.

Photos from Interviewee

(Women of China English Monthly July 2024)

Editor: Wang Shasha
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with foreign parliamentary leaders attending the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of China's National People's Congress' (NPC) affiliation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as well as the 2024 interregional seminar on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for parliaments of developing countries, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. [Xinhua/Liu Weibing]

BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua)  Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China will, as always, support the National People's Congress (NPC) in deepening exchanges and cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

Xi made the remarks while meeting with foreign parliamentary leaders attending the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of NPC's affiliation to the IPU, as well as the 2024 interregional seminar on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for parliaments of developing countries in Beijing.

Xi welcomed the speakers' visit to China, noting that they come from countries on different continents. "We are all members of the Global South," he said.

Despite different national conditions, China and the countries are all good brothers and good partners with a shared vision, Xi added.

Noting that the current global landscape is rapidly evolving, Xi said China is willing to work with other countries to advocate an equal and orderly multi-polar world and an inclusive economic globalization that benefits all, promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, and build the Earth into a harmonious family.

Exchanges between legislative bodies are an important part of state-to-state relations, Xi stressed, adding that legislative bodies should and are capable of playing an active role in forming state-to-state relations based on equality and mutual trust, expanding mutually beneficial cooperation for development, promoting open and inclusive exchanges and mutual learning, advancing global governance featuring fairness and equity, and making unique contributions to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

Xi briefed the foreign parliamentary leaders on the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, which was held in mid-July.

He stressed that China's unswerving commitment to high-level opening up will inject new momentum into the development of the world economy, provide new opportunities for deepening mutually beneficial cooperation, and open up new prospects for the common development of developing countries.

China is ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the legislative bodies of other countries to jointly explore modernization paths suited to their own national conditions, Xi added.

He described the adherence to the path of socialist political advancement with Chinese characteristics under the leadership of the CPC and the commitment to developing whole-process people's democracy as "major experience of China in achieving remarkable progress in governance."

The true essence of people's democracy lies in the principle that matters should be discussed openly, with collective issues being deliberated by the public to accommodate aspirations and demands of the whole society, Xi noted.

Whole-process people's democracy not only has a complete set of institutional procedures but also involves comprehensive participation and practices, making it extensive, authentic and effective, he said.

China will, as always, support the NPC in deepening exchanges and cooperation with the IPU, Xi said.

He added that on the basis of mutual respect for each other's development paths and institutional models, efforts should be made to strengthen the exchange of legislative and governance experience, jointly enhance the capacity to perform duties, and foster a favorable legal environment and a solid foundation of public opinion for deepening friendly cooperation among the Global South.

Tulia Ackson, IPU president and Tanzania's National Assembly speaker, Peter Katjavivi, speaker of Namibia's National Assembly, and Marinus Bee, chairman of Suriname's National Assembly, addressed the meeting on behalf of the foreign speakers.

They said the IPU has maintained long-term friendly and close cooperation with the NPC of China, and thanked the Chinese side for its commitment to promoting unity, mutual trust, friendship and cooperation among parliaments of all countries, as well as its contribution to the development of various undertakings of the IPU and the implementation of the SDGs.

As the largest developing country in the world, China has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and made remarkable achievements in development, setting an example and providing important opportunities for other developing countries, they said.

The IPU appreciates China's stance of upholding fairness and justice in international affairs, advocacy of equality for all countries regardless of size, and significant contributions to world peace, stability and common development, they said.

All parties expressed appreciation for the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by China, pledging commitment to strengthening friendly partnerships with China, adhering to the one-China principle, and jointly safeguarding multilateralism through close cooperation with China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with foreign parliamentary leaders attending the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of China's National People's Congress' (NPC) affiliation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as well as the 2024 interregional seminar on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for parliaments of developing countries, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. [Xinhua/Huang Jingwen]

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with foreign parliamentary leaders attending the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of China's National People's Congress' (NPC) affiliation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as well as the 2024 interregional seminar on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for parliaments of developing countries, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. [Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan]

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with foreign parliamentary leaders attending the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of China's National People's Congress' (NPC) affiliation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as well as the 2024 interregional seminar on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for parliaments of developing countries, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. [Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan]

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with foreign parliamentary leaders attending the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of China's National People's Congress' (NPC) affiliation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as well as the 2024 interregional seminar on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for parliaments of developing countries, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. [Xinhua/Huang Jingwen]

(Source: Xinhua)

Editor: Wang Shasha
This article looks at 15 countries with the most battle tanks in Asia. You can skip our detailed analysis on the subject, and head over directly to the 5 Countries with the Most Battle Tanks in Asia.

Tanks in Modern Warfare

The mass destruction of tanks on both sides in the conflict in Ukraine has raised doubts in certain circles about the utility of tanks in modern warfare. However, most defense analysts agree that this critical heavy combat equipment remains a piece of significant military equipment in war, especially when used alongside other weapons in synchronicity.

READ ALSO: 15 Countries with the Most Battle Tanks in the World and 15 Most Powerful Asian Countries in 2024.

The M1 Abrams, developed by General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD), is one of the most superior battle tanks in the world. These third-generation tanks are equipped with advanced electronics, improved self-defense systems, and powerful weapons. The tank is protected with a thick armor that can withstand heavy enemy fire, explosive rounds, and even chemical reactions.

The M1 Abrams is the main battle tank used by the United States, and it is also operated by several countries in Asia. In July 2021, Kuwait announced it had received the delivery of its first M1A2K tank from the US, which would enhance the operational capabilities of the Kuwaiti land forces. Taiwan is also set to receive the first batch of its 108 M1A2Ts ordered in 2019 for $2.2 billion. 38 of these will be delivered by General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) this year, with 42 to be delivered in 2025, while the remaining 28 will arrive in Taipei in 2026.

Much work is going into enhancing the protection of tanks. The US military selected Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) in 2021 to integrate combat vehicle protection systems to keep tanks safe. Under the 36-month contract, the company will deliver between 5 and 20 production-ready base kits and provide testing kits for Bradley, Abrams, and Stryker fleets.

Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT)'s modular active protection system, which is mounted on combat vehicles, helps detect and defeat incoming threats like anti-tank guided missiles and rocket-propelled grenades. On the other hand, General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD)s M1 Abrams ammunition and fuel already reside in separate compartments to mitigate the risk of the tanks ammunition imploding in the eventuality of the tank getting damaged. The tanks urban survivability kit also ensures the tanks protection.

General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) is among the premier manufacturers of combat vehicles in the defense industry, specializing in both wheeled and tracked combat vehicles. Last year, the company posted an overall revenue of $42.3 billion, increasing 7.3% from 2022. Its combat systems unit which manufactures tanks had a 14.8% rise in revenues driven by a sustained demand for its combat vehicles and weapons.

Story continues

The company was listed as the third-best aerospace and defense stock to buy in July this year by Insider Monkey after it posted a 9.5% YoY higher EPS of $2.88 in the first quarter of 2024. You can see the full list of top stocks to buy in the industry by heading over to the 10 Best Aerospace and Defense Stocks to Buy Now.

General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) continued its good run in Q2 as well during which it recorded a revenue of $12 billion, up 18% from the same period last year. Its earnings for the quarter were recorded at $3.26 per share, which fell short of analysts expectations by two cents, but were 20.7% higher YoY. Moreover, the companys revenue from combat systems also rose 19% from last year, due to a strong performance from its artillery business and an increase in international demand for its tanks and wheeled vehicles.

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15 Countries with the Most Battle Tanks in Asia

iurii/Shutterstock.com

Methodology

The countries with the most battle tanks in Asia are ranked in ascending order of their tank fleet size. Data has been sourced from the Global Firepower Index 2024 and our recent article from earlier in the year which listed countries with the largest fleet of battle tanks in the world.

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Lets now head over to the list of Asian countries with the most tanks.

15 Countries with the Most Battle Tanks in Asia:

15. Iraq

Tanks: 848

Iraq has a sizable fleet of battle tanks, which include at least 140 M1A1 Abrams tanks which it received from the United States between 2005 and 2011. Other tanks which have prominently featured in Baghdads arsenal for decades are T-55, T-62, and T-72 tanks, of Soviet origin. However, many of these are outdated now, and Iraqs government is actively taking measures to modify and modernize these aging tanks. As part of these efforts, the country in mid-2020 unveiled Khafil-1, a locally-built tank, which is an improved version of the T-55/Type 59 tank.

14. Azerbaijan

Tanks: 920

Azerbaijan is a rising military force in Asia and has one of the largest fleets of battle tanks in the continent. The countrys ground troops are equipped with over 900 tanks, comprising 120 T-72, 100 T-55, and 94 T-90 main battle tanks, among others. The T-90 is the most advanced combat vehicle in Azerbaijans arsenal and possesses capabilities to use its main cannon to fire anti-tank guided missiles against enemy targets. Azerbaijans military prowess was on display against Armenia in 2020 in an armed conflict that resulted in the country seizing the Nagorno-Karabakh region from Armenian control.

13. Taiwan

Tanks: 1,010

Taiwan has focused on building a strong military right since its inception due to the perceived threat of invasion from China. With a fleet size of over 1,000 tanks, it is among the countries with the most battle tanks in Asia. Most of these comprise the M60A3 and M48H CM11 tanks. The capabilities of Taiwans ground forces are set to be enhanced with the procurement of 108 M1A2T tanks from the United States between 2024 and 2026. The first batch of these tanks  38 in total  are scheduled for delivery this year.

12. Jordan

Tanks: 1,365

With a fleet size of 1,365 tanks, Jordan is among countries with the most battle tanks in Asia. These include over 250 M60 tanks procured from the United States, 80 French-made Leclerc battle tanks, and several more that it acquired from the United Kingdom such as FV4030/4 Challenger 1, FV4201 Chieftain, and the Centurion.

11. Israel

Tanks: 1,370

Israel has a large fleet of battle tanks, comprising 1,370 units, which include several advanced tanks as well as modern, upgraded versions of older ones. Some of the most notable tanks used by the IDF include the 5th Gen Merkava Barak V, Merkava Mk 4 Meil Ruach, Merkava Mk IV, Merkava Mk III, Merkava Mk II, Merkava Mk I, and Magach 7C.

10. Saudi Arabia

Tanks: 1,485

Saudi Arabia has been the fifth largest spender on defense expenditure since the last two years, having spent over $75 billion each year. The country has leveraged its economic strength to raise a strong military, and now boasts a fleet of 1,485 tanks, including around 450 M1A2, 370 M60, and 140 AMX-30. According to a report in Army Recognition, Saudi Arabia has the third largest fleet of M1A2 main battle tanks in the world.

9. Iran

Tanks: 1,996

Despite being sanctioned for decades now, Iran continues to remain a force and boasts one of the most powerful militaries in the world. Besides manpower, a key strength of the countrys ground forces is its large fleet of battle tanks, which is estimated to be close to the 2,000 mark. The most notable tank operated by the Iranian armed forces is Karrar, which is the Iranian version of the Soviet T-72. The domestically built tank comes equipped with electro-optical fire control systems, night vision systems, LED headlights, and ballistic computers which allow it to strike both mobile and stationary targets during day and night.

8. Vietnam

Tanks: 2,029

Vietnam is among the countries with the most battle tanks in Asia, with a fleet of over 2,000 tanks, including 150 Type-63 and 300 PT-76 tanks. Most of the other tanks operated by Vietnam are of the Cold War era and are outdated. The country in 2017 announced the purchase of 64 T-90s from Moscow in a bid to modernize its fleet and enhance the capabilities of the Vietnamese military.

7. Turkiye

Tanks: 2,231

Turkiye boasts the largest standing military in NATO. It is also among the countries with the most battle tanks in Asia, with a fleet size of 2,231 tanks. This includes around 300 Leopard tanks which Ankara procured from Germany in the early 2000s. Other prominent tanks in Turkiyes arsenal are the M60 and M48. Another notable tank in use by the Turkish military is the locally-produced Altay battle tank, which comes with improved armor, a vehicle-control system, and a new protection system.

6. South Korea

Tanks: 2,501

Given its tense relations with North Korea, Seoul has raised a strong military force that is equipped with some of the most sophisticated and advanced battle tanks in the world. Some of them are locally-produced, including the K2 Black Panther which is often compared to the Abrams due to its superior protection. Several countries over the last few years have expressed interest in acquiring the tank from South Korea, including Poland which placed an order for 1,000 K2 Black Panthers in 2022. Each tank costs around $13 million.

5. Syria

Tanks: 2,720

Syria had close to 5,000 battle tanks in 2008 before the Civil War that ravaged the country. During the conflict, the Syrian armed forces suffered heavy losses, which included an estimated 2,000 tanks getting destroyed. Most of Syrias combat vehicles are of Soviet and Chinese origin. The 2,720 tanks currently in Damascus arsenal mainly comprise the Type-55, Type-62, and Type-72 versions.

4. Pakistan

Tanks: 3,742

Pakistans fleet of battle tanks is divided into 50 armored regiments. About 1,100 of these are the second-generation Al-Zarrar main battle tanks based on Chinas T-59 MBT. The country also operates 350 Al-Khalid tanks, which it co-built with China. There are reports of Islamabad and Beijing currently working on manufacturing an upgraded version of the tank called the Al-Khalid III. Another major tank in Pakistans arsenal is the Type-69 II; it has 400 of these, which are based on Chinese designs but were license-built in Pakistan. According to a report by SIPRI, Pakistan also entered into a contract with China in 2022 to purchase 679 VT4 battle tanks. The monetary value of the deal is not known.

3. India

Tanks: 4,614

India has the second-largest standing army in the world after China, and it is no surprise that it is among the countries with the most battle tanks in Asia. Some notable tanks used by the Indian Army include ARJUN MBT, Vijayanta, T-72 Ajeya, T-90 BHISHMA, and K-9 Vajra. Most of the countrys tanks are of Russian origin, and the tally is set to grow further after New Delhi and Moscow signed a $2.8 billion in 2019 for Indias procurement of 464 T-90MS from Russia. India also purchased 310 T-90 main battle tanks from Russia in 2001.

2. China

Tanks: 5,000

China has the second-largest fleet of battle tanks in Asia, comprising a mix of modern and older combat vehicles. The Black Panther, manufactured by Norinco, is a third-generation Type-15 tank and is among the latest tanks operated by the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA). It is a successor of the Type-62 tank, which retired in 2013, and has a top speed of 70 kilometers per hour and an operational range of 469 kilometers. Another prominent battle tank in the operation of the PLA is the Type-99. Over the last two decades, around 1,200 Type-99 tanks have been manufactured by Beijing, which made these third-generation tanks a critical component of the countrys ground forces strength.

1. North Korea

Tanks: 5,845

North Korea has the most battle tanks in Asia, with an estimated fleet size of 5,845 tanks. The majority of these tanks are aging and in bad shape, despite efforts by the government in Pyongyang to upgrade the fleet. Most of North Koreas tanks are of Chinese and Soviet origin, such as the Type-34, Type-54, and Type-59. Having said that, analysts believe that although these tanks are outdated, Kim Jong Uns regime has enough of them to pose a real threat in the eventuality of a conflict. Moreover, the country has also developed some indigenous tanks domestically; these include Pokpung-ho and Chonma-ho.

READ NEXT: $30 Trillion Opportunity: 15 Best Humanoid Robot Stocks to Buy According to Morgan Stanley and Jim Cramer Says NVIDIA Has Become A Wasteland.

Disclosure: None. 15 Countries with the Most Battle Tanks in Asia was originally published on Insider Monkey.
Welsh-medium playgroup praised for warm and welcoming environment

A Welsh-medium playgroup in Wrexham has been praised for its high-quality environment that is warm and welcoming for children.

Cylch Meithrin a Ti a Fi Llan-y-pwll, based at Llan-y-Pwll school on Borras Park Road, was visited by Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) and Estyn, His Majestys Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales, earlier this summer.

It was the playgroups first inspection since the Welsh-medium primary school opened in September 2022.

During its visit Estyn focused on six areas  Wellbeing, Learning, Care and Development, Teaching and Assessment, Environment and Leadership and Management  all of which were found to be Good.

The inspectorate praised the positive atmosphere of the provision, stating: Nearly all children are happy and enjoy the company of their friends and practitioners as they socialise with each other.

They make choices confidently and enjoy the freedom to move around the learning areas, for example when choosing if they would like to play indoors or outdoors.

As a result, children help themselves to all the resources available, including choosing to experiment with dough, painting a wall with large brushes and riding bikes and scooters.

They are confident and comfortable when asking for help, such as help to put on a rainsuit or to fill a jug from a water barrel.

Nearly all children interact well and develop their social skills successfully. They enjoy the company of friends and learn to work together and take turns.

For example, children observe and support each other when learning how to use knives and share comments when cutting fruit and vegetables. Nearly all children are willing to support each other.

In terms of learning (which applies to three- or four-year-old children who do not receive education in a maintained setting), the inspectorate found that nearly all children, including those with additional learning needs, make sound progress from their starting points.

The inspectorate continues onto say: Most children listen attentively to each other and follow instructions successfully.

They join in enthusiastically with songs and nursery rhymes and a very few children begin to use some songs they have learned in their play.

Considering that most children are new to the Welsh language, around half develop sound communication skills in the home language.

The numeracy skills of a minority of children develop appropriately. They count orally up to ten in their first language. With support, a few children count to five in Welsh.

There is also praise for the staff at Cylch Meithrin a Ti a Fi Llan-y-pwll.

Practitioners were found to have a fond relationship with children and treat them with care and respect.

Estyn state: They are kind and model respectful and warm interactions while teaching children to share and take turns. They take their time to listen and explain in a caring and gentle manner, which creates a sense of belonging.

Practitioners praise children regularly and support them to persevere with their activities, for example by supporting children to master skills such as cutting fruit and rolling dough.Practitioners talk to the children constantly, which offers reassurance and a happy atmosphere.

They sit with children during snack times, lunchtimes and activities such as spontaneous story times to support them to think and expand their understanding and skills.

Practitioners know the children very well and have a clear understanding of their individual needs and interests. They are on hand to offer support when children ask, for example when they use the water barrel tap, change clothes or practise yoga movements outdoors.

Practitioners cater well for children with additional learning needs by taking advantage of effective networks and implementing purposeful procedures.

Three recommendations for the playgroup to focus on where put forward by the inspectorate, including:

Improve childrens spoken Welsh skills to increase their confidence to start using the Welsh language with practitioners and their peers

Improve childrens mathematical understanding and skills

Strengthen the use of observations and assessments to plan the next steps in each childs learning and development effectively

The setting will now produce an action plan that shows how it will address the recommendations.
In this article, we will discuss the 15 most powerful Islamic countries in the world. You can skip our detailed discussion of the Muslim world and population and head directly to the 5 Most Powerful Islamic Countries in the World.

Muslim Population Growth Trends Around the World

According to a Pew Research study, in 2017, there were an estimated 3.45 million Muslims in the United States, and this number is projected to more than double to 8.1 million by 2050. The increase is driven by high levels of immigration and a younger, higher fertility rate within the Muslim community. By 2040, Muslims could become the second-largest religious group in the US.

Despite this growth, Muslims still represent a small fraction of the overall US population. In 2020, the Christian population was projected to be around 252.97 million, and even though the Muslim population is increasing, it will only account for 2.1% of the population by 2050.

It is interesting to note that India is projected to be the country with the largest Muslim population by 2050, estimated at 311 million. Pakistan is expected to follow closely as the second-largest Muslim population, at 273 million.

On the other hand, the 2023 census of Albania revealed that for the first time in over 200 years, Muslims no longer make up the majority of the population in the country. The Muslim population dropped to 45.7%, while the nonreligious segment grew to 23.4%, and the Orthodox Christian community expanded to 20%.

Beyond demographics, lets look at the economic strength of the Muslim world.

The Islamic Economies in 2024

The global Islamic economy is projected to reach a size of $7.7 trillion by 2025, as reported by Al Jazeera. This is more than double the $3.2 trillion projected in 2015 and is significantly higher than the $5.7 trillion recorded in 2021. The growth is largely attributed to a rising demand for halal, or sharia-compliant, investments and opportunities, as Muslims are looking for financial practices that align with their faith.

The Islamic funds market has also seen remarkable expansion, with a 300% increase over the past decade, and nearly $200 billion now under management globally. Halal investments prohibit interest (riba), investments in unlawful (haram) assets like alcohol and pork, and highly uncertain transactions (gharar).

Also See 7 Best Halal Stocks to Buy.

Technology, particularly fintech, is key in making halal investments more accessible. Despite Muslims constituting nearly a quarter of the global population, only about 1% of financial assets are sharia-compliant. Fintech innovations are bridging this gap by providing convenient and transparent investment solutions. As a result, revenues in the fintech sector are expected to grow almost three times faster than traditional banking between 2023 and 2028.

Story continues

On the other hand, Saudi Arabia, the top oil exporter, has raised the price for its flagship Arab Light crude sold to Asia in September by 20 cents, making it $2 per barrel above the Oman/Dubai average. This increase, which marks the first price hike in three months, was less than market expectations of at least a 50-cent rise due to weak refining margins in Asia and impending annual term supply negotiations. Prices for Arab Medium and Arab Heavy crude to Asia remained unchanged.

In contrast, Saudi Arabia has largely reduced prices for other regions. Prices for all crude grades to Northwest Europe and the Mediterranean were slashed by $2.75 per barrel. For the United States, prices were cut by 75 cents per barrel across different grades.

Also, see 15 Countries that will have the Most Powerful Militaries by 2030 and 15 Most Powerful Militaries in Latin America.

The Growing Interest of Multinationals in the Islamic Countries

Speaking of Saudi Arabia, it is worth highlighting that Dell Technologies Inc (NYSE:DELL) is set to expand its presence in Saudi Arabia with a new merger and logistics fulfillment hub in Riyadh. Scheduled to begin operations by the end of 2024, this facility will oversee all Dell Technologies Inc (NYSE:DELL) product lines in the Kingdom, including notebooks, desktops, servers, storage, and networking. The center aims to meet the increasing demand for Dell Technologies Inc (NYSE:DELL)s consumer and enterprise solutions. Moreover, the relocation of Dell Technologies Inc (NYSE:DELL)s Flat Panel Monitor Hub to Riyadh will enable same-day or next-day shipments which will also streamline inventory management.

This expansion is essentially Dell Technologies Inc (NYSE:DELL)s first facility in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) region, and the third in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region, following Ireland and the Netherlands. The hub is expected to create local employment opportunities and provide training to Saudi talent, supporting Saudi Vision 2030's goals of economic diversification and technological advancement.

On the other hand, Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) is expanding its AI innovation in the UAE through a strategic partnership with G42. This partnership includes a $1.5 billion investment for a minority stake in G42. The collaboration aims to capitalize on Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) Azure's advanced AI solutions across different industries in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa. Additionally, Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) plans to establish a $1 billion fund to boost AI skills in the UAE and surrounding regions.

The partnership has a strong focus on ensuring secure and responsible AI development, backed by a binding agreement with the US and UAE governments. G42 will migrate its technology infrastructure to Microsoft Azure which will further enhance its scalability and security.

While we acknowledge the potential of MSFT as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MSFT but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

15 Most Powerful Islamic Countries in the World in 2024

Our Methodology

To identify the most powerful Islamic countries in the world, we considered 30 countries where at least 50% of the population is Muslim. We used two key metrics: real GDP and military strength. The GDP data was sourced from the World Bank for 2023, while the military strength rankings were obtained from Global Firepower Index of 2024. These metrics were chosen for their relevance in assessing economic prosperity and defense capabilities, both of which are critical aspects of national power.

We assigned weights to each metric to reflect their importance. Real GDP received a weight of 0.7 and military strength was given a weight of 0.3. After combining these weighted scores, we calculated an average score for each country. The countries were then ranked in descending order based on their average scores, with lower scores indicating higher ranks.

Please note that in the case of countries sharing a similar weighted average rank, countries with a higher economic strength were ranked higher.

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15. Oman

Economic Strength Rank: 15

Military Strength Rank: 78

Weighted Average Rank: 33.9

Oman largely benefits from strategic oil reserves contributing to 60% of its GDP and has implemented progressive reforms under Oman Vision 2040. Moreover, Oman maintains strong regional relationships and invests significantly in education and infrastructure, making it one of the strongest countries in the world in 2024.

14. Sri Lanka

Economic Strength Rank: 16

Military Strength Rank: 75

Weighted Average Rank: 33.7

With no major internal or external threats since 2009, the military in Sri Lanka is now focusing on restructuring, particularly in integrating women into higher leadership roles. Currently, women constitute only 3.4% of the army and can only rise to the rank of a major while retiring at 45.

13. Kuwait

Economic Strength Rank: 14

Military Strength Rank: 77

Weighted Average Rank: 32.9

The military strength of Kuwait is expanding with a projected defense budget of $8.1 billion by 2028. This investment includes major upgrades across all branches: $3.3 billion for air force enhancements, $2.1 billion for missile and defence systems, and $628 million for unmanned aerial vehicles.

12. Azerbaijan

Economic Strength Rank: 17

Military Strength Rank: 59

Weighted Average Rank: 29.6

Azerbaijan has recently integrated the Turkish military model as they conduct at least 10 joint exercises annually with Turkey to enhance their defence strength. The 2020 Second Karabakh War saw Azerbaijan reclaim over 300 settlements from Armenia. The recent Mustafa Kemal Ataturk-2023 exercise involved approximately 3,000 personnel and different military assets, all of which confirm the military and economic strength of the country.

11. Qatar

Economic Strength Rank: 13

Military Strength Rank: 63

Weighted Average Rank: 28

Qatar has emerged as a major Islamic power on the global stage owing to its strategic use of wealth and influence. With a population of just 2.9 million, this small Gulf country wields considerable international clout through its vast energy resources and financial investments.

Qatar is the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and contributes about 25% of the global LNG supply. The country's sovereign wealth fund is valued at approximately $335 billion and has made it a major global investor as it holds stakes in iconic properties like the Empire State Building and major British land holdings. Qatar also made it to our list of the most respected countries in Asia.

10. Kazakhstan

Economic Strength Rank: 10

Military Strength Rank: 58

Weighted Average Rank: 24.4

Kazakhstan ranks 10th as far as GDP goes in Muslim countries but even after adjusting for military strength, the country retains its ranking when adjusted for our list.

9. Iraq

Economic Strength Rank: 11

Military Strength Rank: 45

Weighted Average Rank: 21.2

Iraq is undoubtedly one of the top 10 powerful Muslim countries in 2024. The Iraqi Armed Forces consist of 193,000 active personnel as of 2024. Their branches include the Ground Forces, Air Force, Air Defence, Army Aviation, Naval Forces, and the Counter Terrorism Service. With a defense budget of $10.3 billion in 2023, the military is supported by substantial annual imports worth $2.4 billion from countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, and France.

8. Malaysia

Economic Strength Rank: 8

Military Strength Rank: 42

Weighted Average Rank: 18.2

The economic power of the country can be judged by the fact that Malaysia attracts handsome foreign investments, as seen with Microsoft's investment of $2.2 billion in the country for AI and cloud infrastructure that will train 200,000 people in Malaysia in the field. The investment was reported in May, 2024.

7. United Arab Emirates

Economic Strength Rank: 4

Military Strength Rank: 51

Weighted Average Rank: 18.1

Despite a population of under 10 million, only 12% of whom are Emiratis, the country has world-class infrastructure, a high literacy rate of 95%, and ranks 10th in the Global Competitiveness Report 2023. It chairs COP28, leads in technology, launched a Mars mission, and topped the Global Passport Power Rank Index 2023. With foreign direct investments surpassing $23 billion in 2022, and major global influence through extensive sovereign wealth funds, the United Arab Emirates justifiably makes it to our list.

6. Algeria

Economic Strength Rank: 12

Military Strength Rank: 26

Weighted Average Rank: 16.2

Oil and gas dominate Algerias economy, as they account for nearly 95% of export revenues and over 30% of GDP. Given the weighted average rank of 16.2, Algeria ranks sixth among the top powerful Muslim countries in the world in 2024.

5. Iran

Economic Strength Rank: 7

Military Strength Rank: 14

Weighted Average Rank: 9.1

Iran is one of the top 10 powerful Muslim countries in the world by military. We say this because as of 2024, the Iranian Armed Forces are the second largest in the Middle East, following the Egyptian Armed Forces, in terms of active troops. Iran's military consists of approximately 425,000 active-duty personnel and an additional 100,000 reserve and trained personnel available for mobilization when needed, bringing the total military manpower to around 525,000.

4. Pakistan

Economic Strength Rank: 9

Military Strength Rank: 9

Weighted Average Rank: 9

The Pakistan Armed Forces comprise the military forces of Pakistan and are the world's sixth-largest in terms of active military personnel. The armed forces include three main branches: the Army, Navy, and Air Force, supported by several paramilitary units such as Rangers.

A critical element of the armed forces' structure is the Strategic Plans Division Force, which is tasked with maintaining and securing Pakistan's tactical and strategic nuclear weapons stockpile and related assets.

3. Saudi Arabia

Economic Strength Rank: 3

Military Strength Rank: 23

Weighted Average Rank: 9

The Saudi Arabian Armed Forces (SAAF) are among the world's best-funded and have the sixth-largest defense budget globally. This stable financial backing ensures they maintain advanced military capabilities across their five branches: the Royal Saudi Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense, and Strategic Missile Force. The King of Saudi Arabia serves as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and oversees military policy in coordination with the Ministries of Defense and Interior.

2. Indonesia

Economic Strength Rank: 1

Military Strength Rank: 13

Weighted Average Rank: 4.6

Indonesias economy is projected to grow steadily at an average rate of 5.1% per year from 2024 to 2026, per World Bank projections, which will be supported by increased public spending, rising business investments, and strong consumer demand.

1. Turkey

Economic Strength Rank: 2

Military Strength Rank: 8

Weighted Average Rank: 3.8

With a weighted average rank of 5.2, Turkey is the most powerful Islamic country in the world in 2024. Turkey's defense industry has seen incredible growth, which truly began after the 1974 Cyprus intervention and led to embargoes from the US and other allies. These restrictions spurred Turkey to invest heavily in domestic defense production. From 1996 to 2021, Turkiye had a change of defense spending as a percentage of GDP of 2.1%, which translated to major achievements like the Altay tank in 2008, the T129 helicopter in 2014, and the renowned Bayraktar TB-2 drone in 2011. It is also worth highlighting that Turkey's defense exports nearly tripled from 2014 to 2023. The country's defense industry now ranks 11th globally in exports, just outside the top 10.

On the economic end, in the first quarter of 2024, Turkey's GDP grew by 5.7% year-on-year, driven by strong domestic demand and net exports. Private consumption, though at its lowest since the pandemic, grew by 7.2% YoY. Investment increased by 10.3% YoY, adding 2.6 ppt, while public consumption rose 3.9% YoY, contributing 0.5 ppt. Despite inventory build-up reducing growth by 4.4 ppt, net exports improved GDP by 1.6 ppt.

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Disclosure: None. 15 Most Powerful Islamic Countries in the World in 2024 was originally published at Insider Monkey.
PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6

Eighty years ago, on August 20, 1940, Leon Trotskythe exiled co-leader of the 1917 October Revolution and founder of the Fourth Internationalwas mortally wounded by an agent of the Soviet Unions secret police, the GPU. The revolutionary leader died in a Mexico City hospital 26 hours later, in the early evening of August 21.

The murder of Trotsky was the outcome of a massive political conspiracy organized by the totalitarian bureaucratic regime headed by Stalin, whose name will for all of history be synonymous with counter-revolutionary treachery, betrayal and limitless criminality. Trotskys assassination was the climax of the campaign of political genocide, directed by the Kremlin, whose aim was the physical extirpation of the entire generation of Marxist revolutionaries and advanced socialist workers who had played a central role in the preparation and leadership of the Bolshevik revolution and the establishment of the first workers state in history. The three show trials held in Moscow between 1936 and 1938judicial frame-ups that provided a pseudo-legal cover for the murder of virtually all the principal leaders of the October Revolutionwere only the public manifestation of a campaign of terror that consumed hundreds of thousands of lives and dealt a shattering blow to the intellectual and cultural development of the Soviet Union and the world-wide struggle for socialism.

Leon Trotsky, in the garden of his house in Coyoacan, Mexico (Image Credit: AP Images)

Driven into exile, deprived of citizenship by the Soviet Union and living on a planet without a visa, lacking all access to conventional attributes of power, armed only with a pen, and dependent on the support of a relatively small number of persecuted comrades throughout the world, there was no man more feared than Trotsky by the powers that ruled the earth. Trotskythe founder and leader of the Fourth International, the party of irreconcilable opposition, not only in capitalist countries, but also in the USSRexerted a political and intellectual influence that was unequalled by any of his contemporaries. He towered above them all. In an essay titled Trotskys Place in History, C.L.R. James, the Caribbean socialist intellectual and historian, wrote:

During his last decade he [Trotsky] was an exile, apparently powerless. During those same ten years, Stalin, his rival, assumed power such as no man in Europe since Napoleon has wielded. Hitler has shaken the world and bids fair to bestride it like a colossus while he lasts. Roosevelt is the most powerful president who has ever ruled in America, and America is the most powerful nation in the world. Yet the Marxist judgment of Trotsky is as confident as Engelss judgment of Marx. Before his period of power, during it, and after his fall, Trotsky stood second only to Lenin among contemporary men, and after Lenin died was the greatest head of our times. That judgment we leave to history. [1]

Trotskys stature was determined not only by the fact that he analyzed, with incomparable brilliance, the world as it was. He also personified the revolutionary process that would determine its future. As he had stated during a session of the Dewey Commission that held hearings in April 1937 to investigate the Kremlins allegations against Trotskyand which subsequently found the Moscow Trials to be a frameupMy politics are established not for the purpose of diplomatic conventions, but for the development of the international movement of the working class. [2]

Trotsky despised every form of political charlatanry, which pretends that there are easyi.e., non-revolutionarysolutions to the immense historic problems arising out of the death agony of the capitalist system. Revolutionary politics did not achieve its aims by promising miracles. Great social advances can be achieved, he insisted, exclusively through the education of the masses through agitation, through explaining to the workers what they must defend and what they should overthrow. This profoundly principled approach to revolutionary politics also formed the basis of Trotskys conception of morality. Only those methods are permissible, he wrote, which do not conflict with the interests of the revolution. Adherence to this principle placed Trotsky, even if considered only from a moral standpoint, in absolute opposition to Stalinism, whose methods were utterly destructive of the needs of social revolution and, therefore, the progress of humanity. [3]

The premature death of Lenin in January 1924, when he was only 53 years old, was a political tragedy. The assassination of Trotsky at the age of 60 was a catastrophe. His murder deprived the working class of the last surviving representative of Bolshevism and the greatest strategist of world socialist revolution. However, the theoretical and political work that Trotsky carried out in the final year of his lifea year dominated by the outbreak of World War IIwas decisive in ensuring the survival of the Fourth International, in the face of what might have proved to be insurmountable difficulties.

Trotsky was murdered at the height of his intellectual powers. Despite his sense that his health was declining, there was no sign of a diminishment of his political energies. Even as he was producing on a daily basis political analysis and polemical essays, Trotsky was hard at work on a biography of Stalin which, even as an uncompleted work, may be justly described as a literary masterpiece.

Trotskys writings during the final year of his life were not only as brilliant as those of earlier periods; the scope of his analysis of the events of 1939-40 extended, in terms of enduring relevance, far into the future. No other figure of his time exhibited a comparable grasp of the state of the world and where it was headed.

For example, Trotsky was interviewed by a group of American journalists on July 23, 1939, just six weeks before the outbreak of World War II. They were anxious to know his assessment of the world situation. For the benefit of the journalists, Trotsky spoke in English. He began by recalling that he had promised a visiting American professor that he would improve his English if the American government would grant him a visa to enter the United States. Regrettably, Trotsky observed, it seems that they are not interested in my English.

Though Trotsky was not satisfied with his command of English, the transcript of his remarks leaves no doubt of his mastery of the complexity of the world situation. The capitalist system, he stated, is in a state of impasse. Trotsky continued:

From my side, I do not see any normal, legal, peaceful outcome from this impasse. The outcome can only be created by a tremendous historic explosion. Historic explosions are of two kindswars and revolutions. I believe we will have both. The programs of the present governments, the good ones as well as the bad onesif we suppose that there are good governments alsothe programs of different parties, pacifist programs and reformist programs, seem now, at least to a man who observes them from the side, as childs play, on the sloping side of a volcano before an eruption. This is the general picture of the world today. [4]

Trotsky then referenced the on-going New York Worlds Fair, whose theme was the World of Tomorrow.

You created a Worlds Fair. I can judge it only from the outside for the same reason which my English is so bad, but from what I have learned about the Fair from the papers, it is a tremendous human creation from the point of view of the World of Tomorrow. I believe this characterization is a bit one-sided. Only from a technical point of view can your Worlds Fair be named World of Tomorrow, because if you wish to consider the real world of tomorrow we should see a hundred military airplanes over the Worlds Fair, with bombs, some hundreds of bombs, and the result of this activity would be the world of tomorrow. This grandiose human creative power from the one side, and this terrible backwardness in the field which is most important for us, the social fieldtechnical genius, and, permit me the word, social idiocythis is the world of today. [5]

As a description of the contemporary World of Today and a prediction of the World of Tomorrowthat is, the world that will emerge from the crises of the present decadeit would hardly be necessary to change a single word. All over the world, with governmentscombining limitless greed with limitless stupidityincapable of responding with either competence or humanity, the question is being asked: How will this crisis be solved? Our answer is the same given by Trotsky: The solution will come in the form of a tremendous historic explosion. And, as Trotsky explained in 1939, such explosions are of two kinds: wars and revolutions. Both are on the agenda.

The journalists who questioned Trotsky in July 1939 were also anxious to know whether he had any advice to give the American government as to its conduct of foreign policy. Not without a trace of humor, Trotsky replied:

I must say that I do not feel competent to give advice to the Washington government because of the same political reason for which the Washington government finds it not necessary to give me a visa. We are in a different social position from the Washington government. I could give advice to a government which had the same objectives as my own, not to a capitalist government, and the government of the United States, in spite of the New Deal, is, in my opinion, an imperialist and capitalist government. I can only say what a revolutionary government should doa genuine workers government in the United States. I believe the first thing would be to expropriate the Sixty Families. It would be a very good measure, not only from a national point of view, but from the point of view of settling world affairsit would be a good example to the other nations. [6]

Trotsky recognized that this would not be accomplished in the immediate future. The defeats of the working class in Europe and the imminence of war would delay revolution in the United States. The entry of the United States into the coming war was only a matter of time. If American capitalism survives, and it will survive for some time, we will have in the United States the most powerful imperialism and militarism in the world. [7]

Trotsky made one other prediction in the July interview. In fact, it was a restatement of a political analysis of Soviet foreign policy that he had been advancing for the previous five years. Referring to the removal of the old Soviet diplomat, Maxim Litvinov, from the post of foreign minister, and his replacement by Stalins closest accomplice in crime, Molotov, Trotsky stated that the change was a hint from the Kremlin to Hitler that we [Stalin] are ready to change our politics, to realize our objective, our aim, that we presented to you and Hitler some years ago, because the objective of Stalin in international politics is a settlement with Hitler. [8]

Even at that late date, the idea that the Soviet Union would ally itself with Nazi Germany was considered preposterous by virtually all expert opinion. But as was the case so often in the past, events confirmed Trotskys analysis. Exactly one month after Trotskys interview, on August 23, 1939, the Stalin-Hitler Non-Aggression Pact was signed in Moscow. The final obstacle to Hitlers war plans was removed by Stalin. On September 1, 1939 the Nazi regime invaded Poland. Two days later Britain and France declared war on Germany. Twenty-five years after the outbreak of the First World War, the Second World War had begun.

Having repeatedly predicted the Kremlins turn to Hitler, Trotsky was not in the least surprised by Stalins treachery. The Soviet Union, he warned, would pay a terrible price for Stalins shortsightedness and incompetence. The dictators belief that he had spared the Soviet bureaucracy from the perils of war with Nazi Germany would prove to be yet another disastrous miscalculation.

* * * * *

The outbreak of war triggered a political crisis within the Fourth International that became the central focus of Trotskys work during the final year of his life. The concentration was not misplaced: his response to the minority faction in the American Socialist Workers Party (SWP) led by James Burnham, Max Shachtman and Martin Abern was of fundamental significance not only in its defense of the theoretical foundations of Marxism and the historical advance, notwithstanding the crimes of the Soviet bureaucracy, represented by the October Revolution. Trotskys polemics anticipated many of the most difficult questions of revolutionary strategy, program and perspective that were to arise during and in the aftermath of World War II.

The signing of the Stalin-Hitler Pact, followed by the Soviet invasion of Poland in mid-September 1939 and Finland (the Winter War of 1939-40), provoked outrage among broad sections of petty-bourgeois radical intellectuals and artists in the United States. Many members of this large and influential social milieu had managed to come to terms with, and even support, Stalins annihilation of the Old Bolsheviks during the Terror and the strangling of the Spanish Revolution. The crimes of 1936-39 occurred while the Stalinist regime was still advocating an international alliance between the Soviet Union and the Western Democracies. The domestic application of this orientation was the promotion by Stalinist parties of an alliance, on the basis of a capitalist program, between working-class organizations and the capitalist political parties (the Popular Front). Stalins signing of the Pact with Germany dealt, in an utterly cynical and opportunist manner, a blow to this particular form of class collaboration. The mood of the democratic petty bourgeoisie turned against the Soviet Union. To the extent that the democratic intelligentsia had uncritically and falsely identified Stalinism with socialism, the turn against the Soviet Union assumed an openly anti-communist character.

This political shift was reflected in the development of an oppositional tendency within the Socialist Workers Party and other sections of the Fourth International. The most important leaders of this tendency within the SWP were Max Shachtmanwho was a founding member of the American Trotskyist movement and, next to James P. Cannon, the most influential figure in the SWPand James Burnham, a professor of philosophy at New York University. They insisted that as a consequence of the Stalin-Hitler Pact and the invasion of Poland by the USSR, the definition of the Soviet Union as a degenerated workers state was no longer acceptable. The Soviet Union, they claimed, had evolved into a new form of exploitative society, with the bureaucracy functioning as a new type of ruling class unforeseen in Marxist theory. One of the terms employed by the minority to describe Soviet society was bureaucratic collectivism. A corollary of this new appraisal was the rejection of the defense of the Soviet Union in the event of war with an imperialist state, even if the adversary was Nazi Germany.

For Trotsky, the demand of Shachtman and Burnham that the Fourth International revoke its definition of the Soviet Union as a degenerated workers state was not merely a matter of terminology. What were, Trotsky asked, the practical political consequences of the demand that the Soviet Union no longer be defined as a workers state?

Let us concede for the moment that the bureaucracy is a new class and that the present regime in the USSR is a special system of class exploitation. What new political conclusions flow from these definitions? The Fourth International long ago recognized the necessity of overthrowing the bureaucracy by means of a revolutionary uprising of the toilers. Nothing else is proposed or can be proposed by those who proclaim the bureaucracy to be an exploiting class. [9]

But the change in the definition of the Soviet Union demanded by the SWP minority had implications that went far beyond a clarification of terminology. The established definition of the USSR as a degenerated workers state was connected to the demand for a political rather than social revolution. Underlying this distinction was the conviction that the overthrow of the Stalinist bureaucracy would not involve a change in the property relations established on the basis of the October Revolution. The working class, having destroyed the bureaucratic regime and reestablished Soviet democracy, would preserve the economic system based on the nationalization of property achieved through the overthrow of the Russian bourgeoisie and the expropriation of capitalist property. This fundamental conquest of the October Revolution, the critical economic foundation for the subsequent economic and cultural development of the Soviet Union, would not be abandoned.

The position of the minority proceeded from the assumption that there was nothing left from the October Revolution that was worth saving. Therefore, there was no reason to retain the defense of the Soviet Union in the program of the Fourth International.

Trotsky raised another critical issue. If the bureaucracy represented a new class, which had established in the USSR a new form of exploitative society, what were the new forms of property relations uniquely identified with this new class? Of what new stage of economic development, beyond capitalism and socialism, was bureaucratic collectivism a historically legitimate and even necessary expression? The Fourth International maintained that the bureaucracy had usurped political power, which it utilized to acquire privileges based on the nationalization of property achieved through the workers revolution of 1917. The dictatorial power wielded by the bureaucracy under Stalins leadership was the product of the degeneration of the Soviet state under specific political conditions. These were, principally, the historical backwardness of the pre-1917 Russian capitalist economy, which the Bolsheviks inherited, and the protracted political isolation of the Soviet Union as a consequence of the defeat of revolutionary movements in Europe and Asia in the aftermath of the Bolshevik conquest of power in Russia.

Were these conditions to persistthat is, if the isolation of the Soviet Union were to persist as a consequence of defeats of the working class and the long-term survival of capitalism in the major centers of imperialismthe workers state would cease to exist. But the outcome of this process, Trotsky insisted, would take the form of the liquidation of nationalized property and the re-establishment of capitalist property relations. This outcome would involve the transformation of a powerful section of bureaucrats, exploiting their political power to steal state assets, into a reconstituted capitalist class. Trotsky had warned that this outcome was a real possibility, which could be prevented only through the political revolutionin conjunction with the socialist revolution in the advanced capitalist countries.

This careful examination of the argument over the appropriate terminological definition of the Soviet Union enabled Trotsky to identify the far-reaching historical and political implications of the changes in program raised by the SWP opposition:

The historical alternative, carried to the end, is as follows: either the Stalin regime is an abhorrent relapse in the process of transforming bourgeois society into a socialist society, or the Stalin regime is the first stage of a new exploiting society. If the second prognosis proves to be correct, then, of course, the bureaucracy will become a new exploiting class. However onerous the second perspective may be, if the world proletariat should actually prove incapable of fulfilling the mission placed upon it by the course of development, nothing else would remain except only to recognize that the socialist revolution, based on the internal contradictions of capitalist society, ended as a Utopia. It is self-evident that a new minimum program would be requiredfor the defense of the interests of the slaves of the totalitarian bureaucratic society. But are there such incontrovertible or even impressive objective data as would compel us today to renounce the prospect of the socialist revolution? That is the whole question. [10]

Therefore, what was at stake was the historical legitimacy of the entire socialist project. Was Stalins alliance with Hitler, combined with the outbreak of the Second World War, incontrovertible proof that the working class was incapable of fulfilling the historical task assigned to it in Marxist theory? Thus, the entire dispute with Burnham and Shachtmanand, indeed, with all the many layers of demoralized petty-bourgeois intellectuals for whom they were speakinghinged on whether the working class was, as established by Marx and Engels in their development and elaboration of the materialist conception of history, a revolutionary class. The response given by Trotsky to this historical issue, which has dominated political and intellectual life for the last eighty years, is sufficient, almost by itself, to establish his stature as the most profound and far-sighted political thinker, equaled only by Lenin, of the twentieth century. It is, therefore, appropriate, to quote this passage in full:

The crisis of capitalist society which assumed an open character in July 1914, from the very first day of the war produced a sharp crisis in the proletarian leadership. During the 25 years that have elapsed since that time, the proletariat of the advanced capitalist countries has not yet created a leadership that could rise to the level of the tasks of our epoch. The experience of Russia testifies, however, that such a leadership can be created. (This does not mean, of course, that it will be immune to degeneration.) The question consequently stands as follows: Will objective historical necessity in the long run cut a path for itself in the consciousness of the vanguard of the working class; that is, in the process of this war and those profound shocks which it must engender, will a genuine revolutionary leadership be formed capable of leading the proletariat to the conquest of power? The Fourth International has replied in the affirmative to this question, not only through the text of its program, but also through the very fact of its existence. All the various types of disillusioned and frightened representatives of pseudo-Marxism proceed on the contrary from the assumption that the bankruptcy of the leadership only reflects the incapacity of the proletariat to fulfill its revolutionary mission. Not all our opponents express this thought clearly, but all of themultralefts, centrists, anarchists, not to mention Stalinists and social-democratsshift the responsibility for the defeats from themselves to the shoulders of the proletariat. None of them indicate under precisely what conditions the proletariat will be capable of accomplishing the socialist overturn. If we grant as true that the cause of the defeats is rooted in the social qualities of the proletariat itself, then the position of modern society will have to be acknowledged as hopeless. Under conditions of decaying capitalism, the proletariat grows neither numerically nor culturally. There are no grounds, therefore, for expecting that it will sometime rise to the level of the revolutionary tasks. Altogether differently does the case present itself to him who has clarified in his mind the profound antagonism between the organic, deep-going, insurmountable urge of the toiling masses to tear themselves free from the bloody capitalist chaos, and the conservative, patriotic, utterly bourgeois character of the outlived labour leadership. We must choose one of these two irreconcilable tendencies. [11]

Neither Shachtman nor Burnham had attempted to work through the consequences of their perspectives. They were not even capable of predicting their own right-wing and pro-imperialist political trajectory, let alone foreseeing the course of world history. Their political thinking was guided by the most vulgar pragmatism, which consisted of improvising political responses on the basis of day-to-day impressions of the reality of living events, without attempting to place the events to which they were reacting within the essential world historical context. Trotsky called attention to their political eclecticism.

The opposition leaders split sociology from dialectical materialism. They split politics from sociology. In the sphere of politics, they split our tasks in Poland from our experience in Spainour tasks in Finland from our position on Poland. History becomes transformed into a series of exceptional incidents; politics becomes transformed into a series of improvisations. We have here, in the full sense of the term, the disintegration of Marxism, the disintegration of theoretical thought, the disintegration of politics into its constituent elements. Empiricism and its foster-brother, impressionism, dominate from top to bottom. [12]

In the course of this polemic, Trotsky, in a manner that certainly caught Burnham and Shachtman by surprise, introduced the question of dialectical logic into the discussion. Trotsky was aware of the fact that Burnham dismissed dialectics as meaningless; and that he despised Hegel, whom the pompous professor stupidly described as the century-dead arch-muddler of human thought. [13] As for Max Shachtman, he had no particular interest in matters relating to philosophy and declared himself to be an agnostic on the relation of dialectical materialism to revolutionary politics. In this situation, there was nothing contrived or capricious about Trotskys philosophical turn.

In a manner that exemplified its pragmatic cynicism, not to mention ignorance, the opposition asked sarcastically when Trotsky had become an expert in philosophy. How could the old revolutionary politician, who had never received a doctorate degree from an appropriately accredited academic institution, presume to lecture Professor James Burnham of New York University on matters pertaining to philosophy? To anyone familiar with the revolutionary intellectual milieu within which Trotskys theoretical conceptions developed and matured, the oppositions question appears both insufferably arrogant and downright stupid.

As Trotsky acknowledged, the greatest influences on his own development as a Marxist were, in addition to Marx and Engels, such champions of dialectical and historical materialism as Franz Mehring, Antonio Labriola, and Georgi Plekhanov. Moreover, the seminal years of Trotskys political and theoretical education coincided with the intense struggle being waged by orthodox Marxists against opportunism, which was rooted theoretically in various forms of neo-Kantianism and the even more extreme forms of subjective idealist irrationalism associated with Nietzscheanism. He had witnessed the rightwing political evolution of Russian opponents of philosophical materialism such as Berdaiev, Struve, and Chernov.

In the course of the first decade of his political activity (1897-1907), Trotsky  through intensive study, personal experience and political struggle  had acquired a mastery of the dialectical method that was clearly expressed in his analysis of the dynamic of the Russian Revolution of 1905 and his formulation of the theory of permanent revolution.

An essential element of his refutation of Burnhams empiricist-pragmatic outlook was Trotskys insistence that the dialectic of thought developed out of and reflected the dialectic of nature. In his Open Letter to Burnham, Trotsky explained that our methods of thought, both formal logic and the dialectic, are not arbitrary constructions of our own reason but rather expressions of the actual inter-relationships within nature itself. In this sense, the universe throughout is permeated with unconscious dialectics. [14]

Many of the arguments that Trotsky made in his demolition of Burnham and Shachtman had been anticipated in several remarkable essays and lectures that he wrote in the 1920s. Almost exactly eighteen years earlier, Trotsky had placed particular emphasis on the dialectic of nature  in full conformity with the views of Marx and Engels  in a letter that was published as the introduction to the first issue of the militantly materialist Soviet journal, Pod Znamenem Marxizma [Under the Banner of Marxism]:

Human society itself, both by its historical roots and by its contemporary economy, extends into the world of natural history. We must see contemporary man as a link in the whole development that starts from the first tiny organic cell, which came in its turn from the laboratory of nature, where the physical and chemical properties of matter act. The person who has learned to look with a clear eye on the past of the whole world, including human society, the animal and vegetable kingdoms, the solar system, and the endless systems around it, will not start to hunt for keys to the secrets of the universe in ancient holy books, those philosophical fairy tales of primitive infantilism. [15]

Trotsky restated with exceptional clarity and beauty this Marxist conception of the dialectic of nature in his December 1939 analysis of the petty-bourgeois opposition in the SWP:

We call our dialectic, materialist, since its roots are neither in heaven nor in the depths of our free will, but in objective reality, in nature. Consciousness grew out of the unconscious, psychology out of physiology, the organic world out of the inorganic, the solar system out of the nebulae. On all the rungs of the ladder of development, the quantitate changes were transformed into qualitative. Our thought, including dialectical thought, is only one of the forms of the expression of changing matter. There is place within this system for neither God, nor Devil, nor immortal soul, nor eternal norms of laws and morals. The dialectic of thinking, having grown out of the dialectic of nature, possesses consequently a thoroughly materialist character. [16]

Trotsky belonged to that rare category of truly great writers who sought and was able to express the most profound ideas in accessible language. But he did not achieve clarity at the expense of intellectual depth. Rather, the clarity is a manifestation of his mastery of the essential theoretical issues. Moreover, Trotskys defense of Marxism was not motivated by any sort of abstract and dogmatic pedantry. He was all too familiar with pseudo-radical poseurs who  in the doleful tradition of the Left Hegelians of the 1840s  habitually invoked the dialectic to cover up their insufficient empirical knowledge of the disputed subject and simply did not know what they were talking about. Rather, Trotsky insisted on the significance of dialectical thought as a method of analyzing and understanding, for the purpose of revolutionary action, objective reality.

The development of a scientific perspective, necessary for the political orientation of the working class, required a level of analysis, of a complex, contradictory and, therefore, rapidly changing socio-economic and political situation that could not be acquired on the basis of formal logic, diluted with pragmatic impressionism. The absence of scientific method, for all his pretensions to philosophical expertise, found crude expression in the manner in which Burnhams analysis of Soviet society and policies was devoid of historical content and based largely on impressionistic descriptions of phenomena visible on the surface of society. Burnhams pragmatic commonsense approach to complex socio-economic and political processes was theoretically worthless. He contrasted the existing Soviet Union to what he thought, in ideal terms, a genuine workers state should be. He did not seek to explain the historical process and conflict of social and political forces, on a national and international scale, which underlay the degeneration.

He was appropriately chastised by Trotsky:

Vulgar thought operates with such concepts as capitalism, morals, freedom, workers state, etc. as fixed abstractions, presuming that capitalism is equal to capitalism, morals are equal to morals, etc. Dialectical thinking analyzes all things and phenomena in their continuous change, while determining in the material conditions of those changes that critical limit beyond which A ceases to be A, a workers state ceases to be a workers state. The fundamental flaw of vulgar thought lies in the fact that it wishes to content itself with motionless imprints of a reality which consists of eternal motion. Dialectical thinking gives to concepts, by means of closer approximations, corrections, concretization, a richness and flexibility; I would even say a succulence which to a certain extent brings them close to living phenomena. Not capitalism in general, but a given capitalism at a given stage of development. Not a workers state in general, but a given workers state in a backward country in an imperialist encirclement, etc. Dialectical thinking is related to vulgar thinking in the same way that a motion picture is related to a still photograph. The motion picture does not outlaw the still photograph but combines them according to the laws of motion. Dialectics does not deny the syllogism but teaches us to combine syllogisms in such a way as to bring our understanding closer to the eternally changing reality. Hegel in his Logic established a series of laws: change of quantity into quality, development through contradictions, conflict of content and form, interruption of continuity, change of possibility into inevitability, etc., which are just as important for theoretical thought as is the simple syllogism for more elementary tasks. [17]

It is worth noting that this passage reveals a striking confluence of Trotsky and Lenins conception of dialectical logic. In his Conspectus of Hegels Science of Logic (which comprises a portion of Lenins notebooks on philosophy published in Volume 38 of the Bolshevik leaders Collected Works), Lenin, commenting on Hegel, wrote:

Logic is the science of cognition. It is the theory of knowledge. Knowledge is the reflection of nature by man. But this is not a simple, not an immediate, not a complete reflection, but the process of a series of abstractions, the formation and development of concepts, laws, etc. and these concepts, laws, etc. (thought, science = the logical Idea) embrace conditionally, approximately, the universal law-governed character of eternally moving and developing nature. Here there are actually, objectively, three members: 1) nature; 2) human cognition = the human brain (as the highest product of this same nature), and 3) the form of reflection of nature in human cognition, and this form consists precisely of concepts, laws, categories, etc. Man cannot comprehend = reflect = mirror nature as a whole, in its completeness, its immediate totality, he can only eternally come closer to this, creating abstractions, concepts, laws, a scientific picture of the world, etc., etc. [18]

In April 1940, the minority broke with the SWP and created its Workers Party. Burnham remained in its ranks for little more than one month. On May 21, he sent a letter of resignation to the organization that he had co-founded with Shachtman, in which he announced his total and absolute repudiation of socialism. Drawing the final conclusions from his rejection of dialectical materialism, Burnham wrote: Of all the important beliefs, which have been associated with the Marxist movement, whether in its reformist, Leninist, Stalinist or Trotskyist variants, there are virtually none which I accept in its traditional form. [19] Upon learning of the desertion of the theoretician of the opposition, Trotsky wrote to his attorney (and SWP member) Albert Goldman, Burnham doesnt recognize dialectics, but dialectics does not permit him to escape its net. He is caught as a fly in a web. [20]

Following his abandonment of the Workers Party, Burnham moved rapidly to the extreme right of bourgeois politics, became an advocate of preventive nuclear war against the Soviet Union, and was, not long before his death in 1987, awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan. Shachtmans evolution was more protracted. His Third Camp was defined by the slogan Neither Washington nor Moscow. Eventually, Shachtman abandoned his ban on support for Washington and became an advocate of the Cold War waged by the United States, which eventually entailed full support for the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 and, later in the decade, the bombing of North Vietnam.

To be continued

[1] Trotskys place in History, in C. L. R. James and Revolutionary Marxism: Selected Writings of C.L.R. James 1939-49, ed. Scott McLemee and Paul Le Blanc (Chicago, 2018), p. 93

[2] The Case of Leon Trotsky (New York, 1968), p. 291

[3] Leon Trotsky The USSR in War, In Defence of Marxism (London, 1971), p. 21

[4] On the Eve of World War II, Writings of Leon Trotsky 1939-40 (New York, 1973), p. 17

[5] Ibid, pp.17-18

[6] Ibid, p. 25

[7] Ibid, p. 26

[8] Ibid, pp. 19-20

[9] In Defence of Marxism, p. 4

[10] Ibid, p. 11

[11] Ibid, pp. 14-15

[12] Ibid, pp. 114-15

[13] Ibid, p. 236

[14] Ibid, pp. 106-107

[15] Attention to Theory, in Problems of Everyday Life (New York: Pathfinder, 2004), pp. 335-36.

[16] In Defence of Marxism, p. 66

[17] Ibid, pp. 65-66

[18] Lenin Collected Works, Volume 38 (Moscow: 1961), p. 182

[19] In Defence of Marxism, p. 257

[20] Ibid, p. 224
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on August 14 that he would not run in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership contest slated for September 27. Whoever is selected as the president of the ruling party will replace Kishida as prime minister, with the next general election not scheduled until October 2025. Kishidas three-year tenure in office has been marked, in particular, by the buildup of the military in preparation for war in league with the US against China.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announces Aug. 14, 2024 that he will not run in the upcoming party leadership vote in September, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024 [AP Photo/Philip Fong]

Kishida has been under pressure to resign for months stemming from different party scandals. This includes revelations last November that different LDP factions had established slush funds by under-reporting hundreds of millions of yen (millions of dollars) in political donations. There also continues to be ongoing fallout from the exposure, following the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022, of the partys longstanding ties to the Unification Church, a rightwing cult also known as the Moonies.

Kishida tied his resignation to the slush fund scandal, stating, It is necessary to firmly present a newly born LDP to the people. He added, What is left for me to do is to take responsibility as the head of the LDP (for the scandal). Kishida claimed he would not back a candidate to replace him, although he will almost certainly exert his influence behind the scenes.

Kishida has become widely unpopular. An Asahi Shimbun poll conducted in July, for example, found 74 percent of people were opposed to Kishida remaining prime minister in contrast to an 18 percent support rating. However, there was no clear support for any of Kishidas potential replacements.

The ruling class is not concerned with corruption or Kishidas personal responsibility for it. It is worried that Kishida will not be able to assert Japans imperialist interests internationally and suppress the growing opposition of the working class at home to attacks on their living conditions and to the danger of war.

There are no doubt concerns in ruling circles that the protests against the governments support for Israels genocide in Gaza, ongoing since last October, will grow as the danger of war in the Indo-Pacific looms greater.

The pressure on Kishida to resign intensified following Joe Bidens announcement in July that he would not run for reelection this November. With an eye towards a Trump victory, a former cabinet member told the Asahi Shimbun, The job of prime minister can only be filled by someone who can deal with a heavyweight (US) president.

The comment reflects concern that that carefully laid plans for war with China could be upended and Tokyo sidelined in the region should Trump return to the White House. During his first term, Trump eschewed traditional alliances while placing economic pressure on Japan. A Trump presidency would not lessen the danger of war, but could undermine the US-Japan alliance and further destabilize the Indo-Pacific.

Whoever replaces Kishida will continue and intensify Japans remilitarization. This includes the de facto doubling of military spending to two percent of GDP by 2027, the acquisition of offensive weaponry, and the solidification of de facto alliances with countries like South Korea and the Philippines under the direction of Washington. Tokyo has also played a leading role in antagonizing Beijing over Taiwan by increasingly questioning the One China policy.

Potential replacements for Kishida include Shigeru Ishiba, who has previously held high-ranking positions including defense minister; Sanae Takaichi, the current Minister of State for Economic Security in Kishidas cabinet; and Toshimitsu Motegi, the LDPs secretary-general and a former foreign minister.

Ishiba stands out for his pro-war positions among a party of far-right warmongers. He espouses tearing up Article 9 of the Constitution, known as the pacifist clause, which bars Japan from fielding a military. Eliminating the clause would represent a new stage in Tokyos remilitarization, allowing Japanese imperialism to assert its interests overseas militarily without any restraints whatsoever.

In an interview with the Diplomat in December, Ishiba stated that Kishidas goal of raising military spending to two percent of GDP was misguided and called for more spending. Some say that NATO countries spend two percent of GDP on defense, so Japan must follow suit. But Japans security environment is worse than NATO countries, so two percent of GDP may not be enough, he said. Ishiba also hinted at the idea of Japan acquiring its own nuclear weapons, something he has called for in the past.

Sanae Takaichi ran in the 2021 party leadership election with the backing of Shinzo Abe. She is a pro-war, anti-China hawk. Shortly before the 2021 contest, she directly appealed to the most hawkish elements of the party by holding talks with then-President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, and calling for increased military ties between the two countries. She has on numerous occasions visited the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, a symbol of Japanese militarism, which enshrines class-A war criminals from World War II. Her most recent visit came on August 15, the anniversary of Japans defeat in the war.

Toshimitsu Motegi has also exacerbated tensions with Beijing. He declared in May that Tokyo intends to deepen ties further, following the inauguration of pro-independence Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. Taiwan is an important partner and irreplaceable friend with which we share the basic values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law, Motegi declared after a 30-lawmaker delegation travelled to Taiwan for Lais inauguration. As foreign minister at the beginning of Kishidas government in October 2021, Motegi raised publicly and explicitly for the first time the possibility of Japans involvement in a conflict between Beijing and Taipei.

None of these candidates represent Japanese working people who will have no say in who becomes prime minister. In the first round of voting, all LDP lawmakers from both houses of parliament are given a vote. This represents 50 percent of the total while the other half is determined by a vote of the LDPs approximately 1.1 million dues-paying members, meaning each LDP members vote has only a tiny fraction of weight of that of a member of parliament.

Should one candidate receive a majority, they will be elected party president. If not, the top two candidates will compete in a run-off in which the lawmakers will again have one vote while the LDP chapter from each of Japans 47 prefectures will also have one vote based on which candidate won the prefecture.

For all the talk of standing up for democracy in the Indo-Pacific and around the globe, these are the anti-democratic measures by which the Japanese ruling class ensures its grip on power while running roughshod over the will of the population.
The International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC) is holding a meeting this Sunday, August 25, at 3:00 p.m. US Eastern Time, For global action to defend jobs at Warren Truck and around the world! To register, click here.

Shawn Fain, president of the United Automobile Workers, speaks during the Democratic National Convention Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. [AP Photo/Paul Sancya]

The Democratic National Convention, as the WSWS predicted, has had a totally unreal character. Since it began Monday, speaker after speaker has presented a rosy picture, totally disconnected from reality, of the United States and this right-wing capitalist party.

One low point came with the appearance of United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain on Monday night. Fain gave fulsome praise to the Biden administration and Kamala Harris as defenders of the working class. Harris, he proclaimed, is one of us.

Who is us? Presumably, Fain meant for the TV audience to think he was responding to workers, but there were no workers in attendance in the hall. Instead, the crowd was packed with celebrities, businessmen, upper-middle class professionals and trade union functionaries, which form the base of the Democratic Party, as well as Democratic politicians themselves.

These forces are a million miles away from and deeply hostile to the working class. This was expressed in the fact that none of them, least of all Fain, could give an honest picture of the immense social hardship facing workers as a result of bipartisan class war policies.

Fain played to the cameras as a spokesman for the working class, but he is not a workers leader. He is a bureaucrat and political operative with decades of experience bargaining away massive concessions and placing the burden on the backs of the workers. He and the UAW bureaucracy are currently helping impose massive layoffs in the auto industry, made possible through a sellout contract rammed through with lies in 2023.

Fain was elected union president in early 2023 with the votes of just 6 percent of eligible UAW members, in a federally supervised election where hundreds of thousands of autoworkers never received ballots. This was an operation to repair the credibility of the UAW, among the most politically prominent unions in the US, by elevating a fake reformer from within the apparatus.

Fain ran against Will Lehman, a socialist autoworker running on a platform of abolishing the bureaucracy. In a union debate (see below), Fain argued that Lehmans opposition to the bureaucracy made him unfit for office. Now, he and other officials are being investigated for corruption, while a judge ruled in favor of a lawsuit by Lehman over irregularities in the 2022 vote. There is growing support for new elections, overseen by the workers.

On Monday night, Fain spoke in Chicago as a spokesman for the corporatist alliance between the bureaucrats, management and the government, especially the Democratic Party. This has existed for decades but has been brought to new heights under Biden, who is seeking to use the apparatus to strangle opposition from below and limit or prevent strikes.

Fain used his speech to promote the recent sellout contract, which followed a standup strike last year designed to avoid impacting production. Last fall we achieved life-changing gains in our strike at the Big Three, he said. We even won a commitment to reopen a closed plant not too far from here [Belvidere Assembly Plant]. He concluded, We were able to do that thanks to the support of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden.

The main life-changing impact of the contract is that thousands of people have lost their jobs. The union knew these layoffs were coming but kept quiet to get the deal passed.

Earlier Monday, the UAW announced a threat to strike over Stellantis delaying its plans to reopen Belviderewhich in fact, the contract allows them to do, only underscoring that the deal is not legitimate. Even in making the announcement, however, the UAW stressed that it was not their goal to strike.

But Fain said nothing about the 2,500 planned layoffs at Warren Truck near Detroit or the thousands of supplemental workers whom the union promised would be rolled over to full-time status and instead have been fired.

Fains crediting of the Biden White House for the new contract is not totally hot air, however. Biden openly backed the contract, appearing at a back-to-work rally alongside Fain, and opposite thousands of anti-genocide protesters. As in every major contract over the past four years, the White House has been centrally involved, with the aim of working with management and the union bureaucrats.

The UAW promises it will do whatever is necessary at Stellantis or any other corporation to stand up and hold corporate America accountable. But only hours before, the union bureaucracy sprang a snap contract vote on Dakkota parts workers to shut down their three-week strike, with terms identical to the proposal workers rejected earlier. The obvious purpose is to keep the parts workers isolated from Stellantis workers and others at the Big Three.

Citing empty photo-ops at the picket line, Fain declared Harris stands shoulder to shoulder with workers when they are on strike. In fact, the White Houses real attitude to strikes was shown in 2022, when it worked with Congress to ban a national strike by railroad workers.

The centerpiece of Fains speech was an attack on the billionaire Trump as a scab. When he unveiled this line, he theatrically removed his jacket, recalling Hulk Hogan ripping off his shirt at the Republican National Congress.

Donald Trump did not bring back the auto industry, Fain said. When Donald Trump was president, auto plants closed. Trump did nothing! Fain cited specifically the closure of GMs Lordstown, Ohio plant, which he blamed entirely on Trump.

It takes one to know one, as the saying goes. Fain and the UAW bureaucrats are scabs: The plant closures he referred to, especially Lordstown, were all signed off on by the UAW bureaucracy. As for his claim that Biden brought jobs back to Lordstown, this is a reference to the Ultium battery plant where workers make poverty wages and work 12-hour shifts. Jobs are being brought back, with the support of the UAW, on the basis of cheap labor.

Calling Donald Trump a scab actually trivializes the real danger which Trump represents. Trump is a fascist. His program is to impose national unity by smashing the working class and ripping up their democratic rights. He is openly discussing sending US troops to the border and to major cities in a second term and is floating plans to rule as a dictator, declaring that if he is elected, you will never have to vote again.

American fascism, however, would only be a first step in preparing for massive new wars, especially against China.

Fains description of Trump as a scab is in keeping with the Democrats general downplaying of the danger he represents, referring to his campaign as weird instead of fascist, while their own feckless response to the January 6 coup attempt is the main reason that he remains at large and could win a second term.

Fain and the Democrats cannot draw attention to this because the class essence of their policies are, at bottom, the same as Trumps. Both support nationalism, attacks on democratic rights and war.

In particular, the UAW is steeped in decades of race-baiting against foreign and immigrant workers as responsible for taking American jobs. At Stellantis, Fain is promoting America First nationalism, demanding that overseas executives keep promises to invest in America, while ignoring layoffs by American executives both in the US and around the world.

Yet with consummate cynicism, Fain attacked Trumps racism as divide and conquer. This is true, but Fain and the bureaucracy are doing the same thing.

To be blunt, there is little difference in substance between Fains speech and the one which Teamsters head Sean OBrien gave to the Republican National Convention last month, where he accused stateless international elites of disloyalty to the United States. To the extent that OBriens overtures to Trump have met with criticism from other union officials, they have not been for his ultra-nationalism, but only his choice of venue.

What Fains attacks on Trump boil down to is the claim that Biden, and not Trump, is the real nationalist.

Mondays speech showed workers the lineup of forces that they are up against. As Will Lehman wrote on Twitter/X:

Watching the Democratic and Republican conventions this summer has illustrated how rotten and bankrupt both capitalist political parties are, whether its Sean OBrien endorsing Trump or Fain endorsing Harris. Harris and Trump represent different factions of the ruling class. The defense of jobs and the rights of working people requires the rank and file to take the initiative ourselves, to link across plants and fight not for what the corporations want but for what we need. Join me in this fight and build rank-and-file committees in your workplace today.
In a ruling that has sparked outrage within the Peruvian working class, 11 peasant leaders were sentenced to nine years in prison on July 25 for participating in marches against the Chinese-owned Las Bambas mega-mine in 2015.

In a parallel development, four young individuals from Cusco have been sentenced to six and seven years in prison for participating in protests against President Dina Boluarte in January 2023.

Indigenous demonstrators in Juliaca on the first anniversary of the January 9, 2023 massacre that claimed at least 20 lives in the Andean city [Photo by QM Keen / CC BY-SA 4.0

According to the website Servindi, which advocates for Perus Indigenous peoples, the Cotabambas Single Criminal Court in Apurimac sentenced the peasant leaders for

... crimes of aggravated damage, disturbances, and obstruction of the operation of public services. The sentence,  [includes] civil reparation of 50,000 soles in favor of the State and US$88,000 in favor of the mining company [Las Bambas].

In a previous statement, the MUQUI network, which covers communities affected by mining, wrote:

Following the protests carried out by the communities of Cotabambas due to the passage of hundreds of trucks with minerals from the mining company MMG Las Bambas in their territories  in September 2015, three people died as a result of police repression, and more than 20 people were injured; the Prosecutors Office accused 19 community members  of illegal possession of weapons, causing common danger with catastrophic means, disturbances and damages.

When the sentence was issued, David Velasco, the defense attorney for the accused from the Ecumenical Foundation for Development and Peace (Pedepaz), told the newspaper La Republica:

In essence, it is the criminalization of social protest and the use of criminal law to prevent people from defending their rights.  They will use criminal law against those who publicly demonstrate against arbitrary decisions of the central or local government or against companies that violate rights to land, the environment, and others.

La Republica coverage of the verdict revealed that the defense deemed it contradictory and arbitrary as the fundamental requirements, including the proof of an organized power apparatus, were not established in the judicial process.

According to defense attorney David Velasco, None of that has been proven in the trial, emphasizing the lack of clarification regarding the responsibility as media authors of the crimes charged rather than indirect arguments supporting participation.

The guilty verdict against the 11 peasant leaders is an assault on the right to protest the abuses of mining and capitalist companies. It is another step toward dictatorial measures by Boluarte to control a restive population.

Boluartes presidency began with a brutal crackdown on those who opposed the removal of then-President Pedro Castillo due to the failed self-coup of December 7, 2022. Boluarte is facing allegations before the International Criminal Court in The Hague for ordering the police and the armed forces to use firearms and shoot to kill. These actions resulted in 49 deaths, 155 attempted murders and 937 injuries during the protests from December 2022 to February 2023.

The presidents administration has an approval rating of only 6 percent, reflecting the growing public dissatisfaction with her, which has led to numerous protests and marches by workers and young people during the national holidays on July 27, 28 and 29 in Lima and other parts of the country.

In the context of increased class struggles in Peru and elsewhere and the escalating competition between the United States and China for South American markets, the peasants resistance against the Las Bambas mine is of great significance. The mine, owned by the Chinese company MMG, represents an investment of US$10 billion, accounting for 11.1 percent of copper exports and 1 percent of the national GDP.

The mines history is marked by conflicts between the mining company and the surrounding peasant communities, who own the land crossed by the road used for transporting copper to the port of Matarani for export.

Since its planning in 2004, there have been protests to prevent its opening due to interference with local communities. Las Bambas began operations in 2015, which led to an increase in clashes with miners and indigenous peoples in the region.

In February 2015, the Challhuahuacho community members went on strike, demanding the hiring of local workers.

On September 25, 2015, the areas residents began a second strike demanding the demolition of the treatment plant because they considered it polluting. The magnitude of the clashes between the community members and the mine led the government to declare a state of emergency in the provinces of Cotabambas, Grau, Andahuaylas, and Chincheros. The protests left four dead and 23 injured.

In October 2016, the residents began a blockade due to the mining companys road use. The clashes left one community member dead, and 15 people and 20 police officers injured.

On February 4, 2019, residents of the Nueva Fuerabamba community began a blockade of the road corridor.

In December 2021, confrontations were reported at the security gate and its facilities. A new blockade of the southern corridor resulted in losses of US$9.5 million a day in income.

In January 2022, operations restarted. Other negotiations were also held with then-Prime Minister Mirtha Vasquez.

In November 2023, residents of Challhuahuacho carried out a strike against the mining company by blockading roads at several strategic points, preventing the passage of vehicles and workers trying to enter the mining camp.

Las Bambas is only one of the most prominent among many conflicts between mining companies and Peruvian peasants. In its February report, the Ombudsmans Office reported that socio-environmental conflicts linked to mining activity rose from 84 to 78 cases this month, representing 37.9 percent of all social conflicts.

A new mega seaport located in Chancay, 80 kilometers north of Lima, is set to be inaugurated in November of this year. This development signifies the increasing rise of Chinese capital in terms of economic and political influence that had been held traditionally by the US in Latin America. Currently, 29.7 percent of Peruvian exports are destined for China, while the United States drastically dropped to second place, with just over half of that value, at 16.6 percent.

Peru is seen as an attractive market for foreign investors, with 51 projects in the mining, petroleum and energy sectors attracting an investment of US$54.556 billion, as reported by the National Society of Mining, Petroleum, and Energy. The sentencing of 11 peasant leaders by the Boluarte government is a signal to transnational corporations, demonstrating a determination to repress the labor movement opposing the super-exploitation of raw materials by international capital.

The judge handed down the sentences in the context of a growing movement of workers, peasant organizations, youth and indigenous people in the Amazon against the corrupt bourgeois state, President Dina Boluarte, and the widely despised Fujimorista-Cerronista alliance, which comprises the far-right Fuerza Popular and the pseudo-leftist Peru Libre party, which exercise de facto rule over Peru from the Congress of the Republic.

This political alliance in Congresswhich has an approval rating even lower than that of Boluarte at 4 percenthas exposed Peru Libre as a trap, an ultra-nationalist bourgeois party designed to keep the working class and peasant movements under control within the bourgeois state framework.

This alliance has successfully paralyzed the executive branch, while enacting a series of counter-reforms, including a proposed amnesty for the massive war crimes committed under the dictatorial regime of former President Alberto Fujimori in the 1980s and 1990s. Stripped of many of her powers as president, Boluarte has been left to implement dictatorial measures to quell the growing resistance from the people, relying on the Peruvian security forces for support.
United Nations Special Rapporteur Tomoya Obokata has restated and amplified his condemnation of Canadas Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TWFP) as a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery. His finding is a devastating exposure of the claims Canada is a staunch defender of human rights and a progressive society, which are so assiduously promoted by the Justin Trudeau-led Liberal government, the New Democrats, and their trade-union and pseudo-left backers.

When Obokata first denounced the TWFP, following a research visit to Canada last year, his conclusions were largely met with indifference. His final report has been far more widely discussed in the media. Far from expressing any concern for the plight of the impoverished migrant workers, the coverage has been a cynical and opportunistic attempt to use their plight as ammunition in the ongoing, far-right-instigated campaign against immigrants and immigration.

Forced to live in barrack-like conditions, migrant farm workers were badly hit by multiple waves of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. [Photo: Migrant Workers Alliance for Change ]

Obokatas final report found that Canadas temporary foreign worker program, which is a means to secure cheap labor from impoverished countries, is spawning contemporary forms of slavery and exploitation.

Obokatas comments followed a two-week tour of Canada to assess the governments preparedness to address modern slavery, including forced labor and other forms of abuse. The report, based on meetings with officials, academics, and migrant workers, highlighted the exploitation of migrant labor under the TFWP, particularly in agriculture. It noted that employer-specific work permits make migrant workers vulnerable to abuse, as they have few legal rights and fear deportation if they speak out or try to report abuses to the authorities.

The World Socialist Web Sites initial article on the UN special rapporteurs visit outlined some of the inhumane conditions he documented in his initial report:

*Closed work permits bind migrant workers to their employers and make them subject to immediate deportation if they are fired;

*Appalling and overcrowded living conditions;

*Low wages, no overtime pay, and long hours (12-hour shifts are common);

*The burdening of workers with extra-contractual tasks not stipulated in their agreements;

*Sexual harassment, intimidation and violence from employers;

*Denial of access to health care and/or transport to medical facilities;

*Lack of access to social services, including language courses and other supports for newcomers;

*Frequent debt bondage to recruiters in their country of origin.

While the exploitation of migrant labor has a long history in North America, its contemporary Canadian form dated from the end of the post-war period. The TFWP, formalized in 1973 under the Liberal government of Pierre-Elliott Trudeau, was an extension of earlier programs designed to address so-called labor shortages by importing migrant workers, particularly from the Caribbean and Latin America.

Over the last fifty years, the TFWP has served as a means for employers to reap large profits from brutally exploiting migrant workers desperate for a means to support themselves and their families and to find a route to gain permanent residency status in Canada.

Under the Harper Conservative government, the number of temporary foreign workers was expanded from 30,000 in 2008-9 to more than 110,000. By 2023 this number had more than doubled to 240,000, according to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) data, as the Liberals responded to calls from employers to address labor shortages, while continuing to prohibit most immigration by non-professional and/or unskilled workers under Canadas discriminatory points-based immigration system.

The increase in demand for the cheapest labor possible must itself be seen as a symptom of the rapidly deepening crisis of world capitalism, which has impacted Canada especially in the aftermath of the eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The exploitation of temporary workers is accompanied by constant pressure and attacks on the working conditions and social standards of all workers.

The TFWP is not just a way for employers to bypass the legal protections and living standards reserved to citizens of Canada. It also serves as a mechanism for the systematic undermining of these standards, since the methods used against the most vulnerable sections of the working class are invariably expanded throughout the economy. This is one of the reasons why all workers, regardless of their immigration status or national background, have a direct interest in defending the rights of all migrant workers.

Obokatas report has been seized upon by sections of the media and political establishment to condemn the Liberal governments immigration policy from the right.

Over the past year, there has been a growing ruling class furor over an alleged immigration crisis in Canada. Far-right Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, Quebecs CAQ government, the pro-independence Parti Quebecois (PQ), and major media outlets incessantly claim that immigration is the primary or a leading cause for the housing crisis and a lack of social services.

While much of big business supported increased numbers of temporary foreign workers as a means to supply Canadian capital with cheap labor, corporate Canada, or at least large sections of it, frightened by the growth of social opposition, has joined in the attack on the Liberals supposed open door immigration policy and is encouraging the far right and outright fascist forces that are spearheading the anti-immigrant agitation.

In November 2023, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced that the target for permanent resident arrivals in Canada would be limited to 500,000 for two consecutive years. This was followed in January 2024 by the imposition of a cap of 360,000 on student visa admissions permits. In March, Miller announced restrictions on temporary immigration. For the first time, Non-Permanent Resident (NPR) arrivals will be limited similarly to permanent resident numbers.

Obokatas report has criticized the latest shift in government policy, noting that the reduction of NPR arrivals will not address the abusive nature of the TFWP program itself.

Rather the governments response is in line with the demands of the far right, which is cynically attempting to use the plight of migrant workers as an argument against immigration.

This was made clear in a press conference held earlier this month in Hamilton, Ontario by Poilievre. The Conservative leader, who routinely denounces the corporate media for liberal bias and generally shuns press conferences, called on a reporter from the far-right outlet Rebel News, which championed the fascist-instigated Freedom Convoy while it menacingly occupied downtown Ottawa in 2022, and promotes the British fascist Tommy Robinson.

In what was clearly a pre-planned exchange, the Rebel News reporter asked Poilievre what a Conservative government would do to prevent temporary foreign workers taking the jobs of unemployed young Canadians. In response, Poilievre denounced Trudeau for destroy(ing) our entire immigration system  he has expanded the temporary foreign worker program by well over 200% at a time when were losing jobs. He went on to decry the program for bringing in migrant workers who supposedly take jobs away from or suppress the wages of Canadian workers.

I challenge Canadian business to hire Canadian workers first, continued Poilievre, and I challenge the government to end the chaos in the temporary foreign worker program.

In Britain, similar far-right agitation by the political establishment, including the Labour government, has emboldened fascists like Tommy Robinson to lead riots of far-right thugs in cities with high immigrant populations.

Contrary to the claims of the far right, the pressure on workers wages does not arise from the importation of cheap labor. Both processes are symptoms of the deepening world capitalist crisis, which the ruling class in every country seeks to overcome with intensified exploitation of the working class

Workers must recognize that the official ruling class debate on immigration is an effort to push politics sharply to the right. The ruling class aims to split the working class, and make immigrants and refugees the scapegoats for the social misery produced by capitalism and their policies of war abroad and austerity at home. In a desperate attempt to compensate for the lack of popular support for their policies, Canadas politicians are whipping up xenophobia and nationalism as they wage an imperialist war against Russia and prepare for war with China.

Obokatas report represents a devastating blow to those who still seek to present Canada as a safe haven and defender of human rights. The fact that this report is being seized upon to further fan the flames of the far rights anti-immigration agenda underscores the advanced stage of Canadas social and political crisis. Above all, it points to the urgency of the working class breaking free of the political stranglehold of the pro-capitalist trade unions, which are four-square behind the Liberal-NDP governmental alliance, and fighting for a workers government that will put social needs before capitalist profit.
The International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC) is holding a meeting this Sunday, August 25, at 3:00 p.m. US Eastern Time, For global action to defend jobs at Warren Truck and around the world! To register, click here.

Lehman campaigners at Kokomo Casting Plant

As Stellantis announces nearly 2,500 job cuts at its Warren Truck Assembly plant, workers at the companys plants in Kokomo, Indiana expressed support for the call by the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC) for a unified, global fight to defend workers jobs.

Almost 8,000 Stellantis workers are employed at the four engine, casting and transmission plants in Kokomo, an industrial city of 60,000 people located 60 miles north of Indianapolis. Within months of the ratification of the United Auto Workers (UAW) labor agreement last fall, 337 temporary part-time (TPT) workers, also known as supplementary employees (SE), were fired. Over the last two months, workers have been on ongoing layoffs, with threats of further job cuts.

I showed my coworkers about the Warren Truck job losses, a member of the Kokomo Rank-and-File Committee told the WSWS, people know it will be trickling down. Another committee member said, Workers are fearful of being without jobs for the next couple months. Some of the old timers who are ready to retire, theyre very concerned. Ive never seen it this bad.

Laid off workers have been fighting to collect unemployment benefits and company-paid supplemental unemployment benefits or SUB pay over the last two months. We file unemployment for $390 a week and then were supposed to get SUB pay to cover the rest of our paychecks. About two months ago, the company began requiring proof that we were getting unemployment benefits before we got SUB pay. Theres a lot of people who have issues receiving unemployment from the state of Indiana.

So now, if they get unemployment messed up or delayed, they wont get any pay until they get it fixed. I know people who have spent 3 hours on hold with the Indiana unemployment office.

Far from opposing the job cuts in Kokomo, Warren Truck or anywhere else, the UAW bureaucracy is acting as an arm of management and the Biden-Harris administration.

A featured speaker at the first night of Democratic National Convention, Fain hailed the Democrats as champions of the working class who have stood up for autoworkers against corporate greed. He announced that the UAW was filing grievances against Stellantis for not living up to the contract and would do whatever was necessary to get the auto company to reopen the Belvidere, Illinois assembly plant, which was closed in December 2022.

In fact, the labor agreement, hailed by both Fain and Biden as a historic, job-creating agreement, gave the automakers a green light to destroy thousands of jobs and force workers to bear the costs of the transition to electric vehicles. The collusion of the UAW bureaucracy with the government-corporate attack on jobs and endless militarism has provided Trump, a steadfast enemy of the working class, an opportunity to gain support among workers, including autoworkers, for his fascistic Make America Great Again demagogy.

Responding to Fains appearance, Will Lehman, a socialist Mack Trucks worker who ran against Fain in the 2022 election, posted the following on X:

The Democratic and Republican conventions this summer have illustrated how rotten and bankrupt both capitalist political parties are. Whether its Sean OBrien backing Trump or Fain endorsing Harris, Harris and Trump represent different factions of the ruling class. The defense of jobs and the rights of working people requires the rank and file to take the initiative ourselves, to link across plants and fight not for what the corporations want, but what we need. Join me in this fight and build rank-and-file committees in your workplace today.

The UAWs Keep the Promise campaign, launched to coincide with Fains appearance at the DNC, is nothing but another publicity stunt cooked up by the Bernie Sanders and Labor Notes supporters in the UAW Communications Department.

It consists of urging workers to file impotent grievances over the cancellation or delay of plans to build a Amazon-style MOPAR parts distribution hub, a stamping plant and a truck assembly plant at the location of the closed Belvidere factory. The UAW campaign web site goes out of its way to say our goal is NOT to strike but to make sure Stellantis fulfills its commitments to invest in America.

Fain and Biden pointed to the worthless promises to reopen Belvidere as the key selling point for the pro-company contracts. In fact, the agreement included a giant loophole that allows the company to renege on any product commitments or proposed employment levels depending on plant performance, changes in market conditions, and consumer demand

I read somewhere Fain said he was upset because these cuts go against the agreed upon contract, said the Kokomo RFC member. Well if he is so upset and its a violation of the contracts what is he doing about it? Why hasnt he addressed his union brothers and sisters. Theyre too busy aiding Kamala Harris who a lot of union members do not endorse. Also, they divided the working members from the newly laid-off workers. This proves the UAW is not interested in unity but division among its workers that only aids the company.

This is why the RFC is a good idea to show the workers they do not need the UAW apparatus or Fain in order to unite. My opinion is if we are seeing these large assembly plants have massive layoffs it has to trickle down to Kokomo at some point because we are the only city that produces transmissions in the United States for Stellantis.

[CEO Carlos] Tavares is making it clear he wants our jobs moved outside the US. The RFC is an idea that I think everyone can get behind, no matter what your political beliefs, because its a fight against those who are corrupt and in power, from the president of the UAW to the CEOs of the auto companies clear up to the heads of governments.

Another RFC member said workers at the Kokomo Casting Plant, where Fain got his start as a local union official, were told as many as three-quarters of the workforce could face elimination. She said the committee was encouraging workers to join and build the RFC to transfer decision making and power from the UAW apparatus to the workers on the shop floor. People better think about it. People better listen up if they dont want to discuss politics. It will come down so fast. Stellantis will off other jobs and if they dont fight it they wont have benefits or anything.

Decades of UAW-backed sellouts have led to a staggering erosion in employment levels and living standards in the Indianapolis Metropolitan area. Between 2000 and 2009, the number of automotive manufacturing jobs in Indiana fell from nearly 150,000 to 80,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. After the 2009 bankruptcy restructuring of GM and Chrysler by the Obama-Biden administration, which halved wages for new hires, automotive employment in the state reached 108,000 in 2022.

The new UAW agreement, however, is paving the way for a new round of massive job cuts. The shift from gas-powered engines and transmissions to batteries and electric motors poses a particular threat to the thousands of workers in Kokomo. The UAW bureaucracy is functioning as a full partner in the destruction of jobs and lowering of labor costs at battery plants, including the Stellantis-Samsung plants in Kokomo.

A fight to defend jobs and living standards can and must be waged but it must be conducted by the workers themselves. It must be guided by the principle that the social rights of the working classfor a secure and good-paying jobmust take precedence over the profit drive of the giant transnational corporations. In a statement, the Kokomo Rank-and-File committee wrote: If EVs require less labor to produce, then it should be used to make our lives better, not worse. We should have our hours reduced with no loss in take-home pay.

The UAW bureaucracy is once again rolling out economic nationalism to blame the job cuts on foreign executives at Stellantis who are not committed to investing in America. But workers in every country are facing a global attack on jobs, including in Italy where Stellantis is threatening to cut 25,000 jobs. The only way to fight it is to unite workers across borders against the transnational corporations.

As the World Socialist Web Site recently wrote:

Warren Truck is now a critical battleground in the global war on jobs. Autoworkers must make this the start of a broad counteroffensive, counterposing workers right to employment and a decent standard of living against managements so-called right to profit.

The International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC) is holding a meeting this Sunday, August 25, at 3:00 p.m. US Eastern Time, For global action to defend jobs at Warren Truck and around the world! To register, click here.
Paying with cash or card? Most Americans default to the payment method of using a card, especially since many credit cards have features that allow you to earn cash back or rewards from everyday purchases. However, highly frequented spaces we use these cards in are increasingly being targeted by scammers. Many will install credit card skimmers in these spots to steal credit and debit card information, putting consumers and their money at risk.

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As scary as this might sound, the good news is there are steps consumers can take now to protect their finances. One of these steps is choosing to pay with cash instead of card for various transactions. GOBankingRates spoke to two financial experts to get their advice on the best places to pay with cash and why you should use cash instead.

benedek / iStock.com

Gas Stations

Whether youre popping in to buy a quick snack or need to pay for a full tank of gas, Phillip Parker, founder at CardPaymentOptions.com, recommends using cash.

Parker said the aforementioned scammers will often install credit card skimmers at gas stations to steal card information. By using cash for their payments, consumers can reduce their risks of becoming a victim.

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monkeybusinessimages / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Mom and Pop Coffee Shops

If youre picking up a big coffee order for several people, like lattes to treat everyone in the office, its OK to stick with a credit card and save the receipt afterward for reimbursement purposes. But if your transaction is under $10 and youre frequenting a local coffee shop, Parker recommends using cash instead on small purchases like coffee.

Businesses pay fees to accept your card, and for small transactions, these fees usually include a percentage plus a flat fee of around 25 cents on average, said Parker. These fees can significantly eat into the profit of small transactions, which businesses need to stay open. Using cash for such purchases helps keep small businesses alive.

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Tipping at Restaurants

After winding up a great meal at a restaurant, youll be presented with the bill and the option to include a tip using cash or credit. Which is the better payment method?

Because a tip is (mostly) still a minor transaction, Oscar Cordoba, manager of external affairs and financial education at Affinity Federal Credit Union, recommends using cash to do it.

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This is especially key for patrons on tight budgets. Paying cash can be a good strategy to stick to a budget as it is easier to control your spending if you only use the cash on hand, said Cordoba.

Drazen Zigic / Getty Images

Public Transportation

Because public transit fare on bus lines is often considered a minor transaction, Cordoba recommends paying with cash when possible.

And while some forms of public transit, like rideshares, allow you to pay using the app its always possible that a tech glitch could occur within the app that makes it impossible to pay via smartphone. Keeping some cash handy acts as a helpful backup plan.

Check Out: These 11 Rare Coins Sold for Over $1 Million

sturti / Getty Images

Nail Salons

A few years ago, a survey conducted by Alliant Credit Union revealed some of the top spaces where consumers will use cash to make payments. Personal grooming appointments, such as visits to nail salons, ranked in second place by more than a third or 39% of Americans.

Why use cash in nail salons specifically though? An article from TheStreet said many of these salons work on cash-only models. If youre not too comfortable Venmo-ing the payment or your salon doesnt offer the option, keep enough cash handy to pay for your mani/pedi.

gradyreese / Getty Images

Bars and Nightclubs

According to Parker, two kinds of problems with card payments exist at bars and nightclubs. The first is that your card is taken to a register behind the bar to process the payment. Unbeknownst to the patron, the machine may have a credit card skimmer installed to skim your card.

The second problem, and one almost everyone hears when they go out to a bar or nightclub, involves leaving a tab open. This behavior is encouraged in these spaces, but Parker said it can easily lead to overspending or having drinks you didnt order added to your tab. Patrons can mitigate this issue by bringing along enough cash to pay for their drinks while staying on budget.

If you do decide to use a card, Parker recommends closing your tab out before you leave. Otherwise, your card will be charged without receiving a receipt and you wont know what you paid for.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 6 Places Where You Should Always Pay With Cash
President Biden speaks during the Democratic National Convention Monday, August 19, 2024, in Chicago. [AP Photo/Matt Rourke]

US President Joe Bidens speech at the Democratic National Convention on Monday evening was a picture of unreality. The presidents description of the results of his four years in office was delusional, and his portrayal of the social and economic situation today bore no relationship to the actual conditions facing the vast majority of the population.

Biden did make one statement that was of immense significance, however. He declared, toward the end of his remarks, that this election will be the first since Trumps attempted coup of January 6, 2021. On that day, he said, we almost lost everything about who we are as a country. And that threat, this is not hyperbole, that threat is still very much alive.

Biden stated:

Donald Trump says he will refuse to accept the election result if he loses again. Think about that. Hes promising a bloodbath if he loses, in his words. And that hell be a dictator on day one, in his own words.

As if to counter any skepticism from his audience, he added:

By the way, this sucker means it. No, I'm not joking. Think about it. Anybody else said that in the past, you'd think he was crazy, youd think it was an exaggeration, but he means it.

One must assume that, as president of the United States, he was basing this remark on intelligence that he has received as well as the public pronouncements of Trump himself.

There are several remarkable facts about the statement. First is the response, or non-response, at the convention itself. The president and leader of the Democratic Party stated that he believes the candidate of the Republican Party will not accept the results of the election, only two-and-a-half months away, and will stoke violence throughout the country if he loses.

One might expect that this would introduce a tone of seriousness to the proceedings. Nothing of the sort. Bidens statements have been passed by without comment, and the convention continued on Tuesday as if they were never uttered.

Second, virtually nothing has been said about them in the media. The news reports on Bidens speech in the New York Times, the Washington Post and Politico did not even mention them. While not referring to the statements about Trump explicitly, Times columnist David Brooks castigated Biden for being unsmiling and haranguing rather than ebullient and joyful. Brooks added, Anger and indignation is not the spirit America is hungering for now.

Clearly, the ruling class does not want to discussor, more accurately, alert the population tothe fact that the elections are taking place under conditions of an escalating breakdown of the entire political structure of the United States.

Returning to Bidens speech itself, while warning that Trump was preparing violence during and following the election, Biden did not indicate that he would do anything about it. The only solution he proposed is to vote for Kamala Harris in the electionthe results of which he had just stated Trump would not accept.

Biden did not point out the basic fact that, in contrast to four years ago, he will be the president of the United States the day after the election, up to the inauguration. He did not indicate that he would use the powers of his office to ensure that no coup would succeed.

Both the response to Bidens statements and his own presentation express the political dynamic in the American presidential election. The danger posed by Trump and the Republican Party is very real. The former president has pledged, if he returns to power, to deploy the military throughout the country to round up immigrants and violently suppress popular opposition. He speaks for sections of the oligarchy that have broken with any semblance of constitutional forms of rule and are turning toward fascism and authoritarianism.

However, there is no significant constituency within the ruling class, including the Democratic Party, for the preservation of democratic forms of rule. For the past four years, the central priority of the Biden administration has been the escalation of warfirst, the instigation of the US-NATO war against Russia in Ukraine, which is entering a new and dangerous phase, and second, the imperialist-backed genocide in Gaza.

To prosecute this war, Biden has sought bipartisan agreement with the Republicans, beginning with his statement following the January 6 coup calling for a strong Republican Party. Indeed, even as he was warning about a second coup, Biden was careful to present it solely as a matter of Trump the individual, and not the Republican Party itself.

This is because the Democratic Party defends the same social interests and economic system as Trump and the Republicans. Whatever their differences, they are both parties of the corporate and financial oligarchy.

Contrary to the portrait of social reality presented by Biden in his remarks, under Bidens watch the real average earnings of workers have collapsed. His administration carried out the largest transfer of social resources to the financial oligarchy in US history, greater even than the 2008 financial crisis. US billionaire wealth, as of March 2024, was up 88 percent over the four years of the Biden-Harris administration. This record accounts for Trumps ability to capitalize on broad-based discontent that finds no expression within the political establishment.

In the resolution passed at its National Congress earlier this month, the Socialist Equality Party wrote, The fundamental objective causes of the turn of the ruling class toward fascism and dictatorship are: 1) the escalating global imperialist war; and 2) the extreme growth of social inequality.

These very processes have been enormously strengthened over the four years of the Biden administration.

It would be the gravest error to think that democratic rights can be secured and dictatorship opposed through support for the Democratic Party. As the SEP resolution stated:

Even if Trump is defeated in the November electionand fails to carry out another coup detatthe objective economic and social contradictions of American imperialism drive the ruling elites, with or without Trump, to dictatorship. Trumpism is a symptom of a systemic crisis that cannot be resolved democratically within the framework of capitalism.

The defense of democratic rights is inseparably connected to the mobilization of the working class in opposition to the corporate and financial oligarchy. This requires an absolute political break from the Democratic Party. It is not through the Democratic Party that fascism can be defeated, but in the fight against both parties and the capitalist profit system.
On August 21, 1940, Leon Trotsky, coleader of the October 1917 Revolution in Russia and founder of the Fourth International, died of a wound inflicted by the Stalinist assassin, Ramon Mercader, the previous day. Trotsky was 60 years old. To commemorate this tragic anniversary, the WSWS is reposting an essay written by David North in 2022.

To learn more about the assassination, click here.

Eighty-two years ago today, on August 20, 1940, Leon Trotsky was assassinated by an agent of the Stalinist secret police, the GPU, in his villa in Coyoacan, Mexico, where he spent the final three years of his life as a political exile. Trotsky died of the wound inflicted by the killer, Ramon Mercader, on the following day.

This anniversary does not mark a five- or 10-year interval, which, as a matter of formal custom, imparts to the observance of historical events a special significance. However, the commemoration of Trotskys death does not require symbolic justification. The importance of the 82nd anniversary of Trotskys death flows from the relevance of his life as a Marxist theoretician and strategist and leader of world socialist revolution.

Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)

The political conditions that existed in August 1940 resemble to an extraordinary degree those that exist today. In the final year of his life Trotskys work was concentrated on the outbreak of World War II and its implications for the international working class, the world socialist movement and the fate of humanity. Trotsky, the most realistic political thinker of his age, was not inclined to paint the world situation in rosy colors. He confronted with brutal frankness the catastrophe that had befallen the working class as a consequence of the betrayal of the October Revolution by the Stalinist bureaucracy that held power in the Soviet Union and the spinelessness of the pro-capitalist Social Democratic-led labor organizations.

It is a measure of not only Trotskys astonishing political farsightedness but also of the parallels between the conditions of 1940 and today, that he devoted an immense amount of attention to the place of Ukraine in the fate of the Soviet Union and all of Europe. Just four months before the outbreak of the Second World War, Trotsky warned:

The Ukrainian question is destined in the immediate future to play an enormous role in the life of Europe. It was not for nothing that Hitler so noisily raised the question of creating a Greater Ukraine. And likewise it was not for nothing that he dropped this question with such stealthy ease.[ 1 ]

Trotsky recognized the legitimacy of the striving of the Ukrainian masses for national self-determination. The formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics by the Bolshevik government in 1922, when Lenin and Trotsky were still the dominant figures, insisted on the voluntary character of the Union and opposed all tendencies to subordinate its Ukrainian component to the pressure of Great Russian chauvinism. The Declaration of Union and Treaty of Union, dated December 30, 1922, defined the USSR as a voluntary union of equal peoples, whose formation would prove a decided step towards the union of the workers of all countries into a World Socialist Soviet Federation.[ 2 ]

By the late 1930s, 15 years of escalating violations of socialist internationalism and bureaucratic terror and despotism had generated deep hostility among the Ukrainian masses toward the Soviet Union and created a constituency for the revival of the most reactionary political tendencies. Trotsky wrote:

Not a trace remains of the former confidence and sympathy of the Western Ukrainian masses for the Kremlin. Since the latest murderous purge in the Ukraine no one in the West wants to become part of the Kremlin satrapy which continues to bear the name of Soviet Ukraine. The worker and peasant masses in the Western Ukraine, in Bukovina, in the Carpatho-Ukraine are in a state of confusion: Where to turn? What to demand? This situation naturally shifts the leadership to the most reactionary Ukrainian cliques who express their nationalism by seeking to sell the Ukrainian people to one imperialism or another in return for a promise of fictitious independence. Upon this tragic confusion Hitler bases his policy in the Ukrainian question. At one time we said: but for Stalin (i.e., but for the fatal policy of the Comintern in Germany) there would be no Hitler. To this can be added: but for the rape of Soviet Ukraine by the Stalinist bureaucracy there would be no Hitlerite Ukrainian policy.[ 3 ]

Accounting for the passage of time and changing what needs to be changed, Trotskys analysis remains an indispensable historical foundation for an understanding of the present war. The dissolution of the Soviet Union and the creation of a capitalist regime in Russia cannot attract the population of Western Ukraine. In the demoralized environment created by the restoration of capitalism, the political situation in Ukraine, in the words of Trotsky, naturally shifts the leadership to the most reactionary Ukrainian cliques [i.e., that of Poroshenko, Zelensky and the neo-Nazi militias] who express their nationalism by seeking to sell the Ukrainian people to one imperialism or another in return for a promise of fictitious independence. And, on the basis of Putins bankrupt and reactionary policies, the US and its NATO allies develop their policies in Ukraine.

Trotsky advocated the formation of an independent socialist Ukraine. He rejected with contempt all claims that Ukrainian independence, in any politically progressive sense, could be achieved on a capitalist basis.

The Ukraine is especially rich and experienced in false paths of struggle for national emancipation. Here everything has been tried: the petty-bourgeois Rada, and Skoropadski, and Petlura, and alliance with the Hohenzollerns and combinations with the Entente. After all these experiments, only political cadavers can continue to place hope in one of the fractions of the Ukrainian bourgeoisie as the leader of the national struggle for emancipation. The Ukrainian proletariat alone is capable not only of solving the taskwhich is revolutionary in its very essencebut also of taking the initiative for its solution. The proletariat and only the proletariat can rally around itself the peasant masses and the genuinely revolutionary national intelligentsia.[ 4 ]

Today the imperialist proxy war in Ukraine is justified by propaganda in its most debased form. The hack journalists of the capitalist press, ignorant of history, function as the public stenographers of their national intelligence agencies. The vast majority of academics, even those who have studied the history of Ukraine and Russia, have fallen into line with the pro-war hysteria. These intellectual sycophants are incapable of displaying independence of thought and critical judgment. No better and probably worse are the denizens of pseudoleft organizations who posture as socialists and even Marxists as they offer deceitful and hypocritical justifications for not only the imperialist operations in Ukraine but also its preparations for war against China.

Trotsky, in his time, did not refrain from expressing his contempt for the demoralized and dishonest middle class intellectuals who capitulated in the face of political reaction. His political intransigence was rooted in a profound grasp of historical processes and confidence in the revolutionary potential of the working class. World reaction has unquestionably assumed monstrous proportions nowadays, he wrote on the eve of World War II. But thereby it has prepared the soil for the greatest revolutionary crisis.

These words reverberate in our own times. Eighty-two years after his assassination, Trotsky, a giant in the history of the last century, remains an immense intellectual and political presence in the revolutionary struggles of the 21st.
Work at Dakkota, Ford or in the auto industry? Fill out the form below to get involved with the Autoworkers Rank-and-File Committee Network at your plant.

The International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC) is holding a meeting this Sunday, August 25, at 3:00 p.m. US Eastern Time, For global action to defend jobs at Warren Truck and around the world! To register, click here.

Striking Dakkota workers on the picket line on Tuesday, August 20.

Striking Dakkota parts workers are furious that the United Auto Workers has brought back a sellout deal nearly identical to one they had previously rejected three weeks ago.

On Monday evening, the UAW hastily called for a snap vote on the contract for Tuesday and Wednesday in a bid to end the three-week strike.

Workers who attended the UAW 3212 union meeting held Tuesday at the union hall denounced the agreement the UAW brought back.

They came back with the same contract, a veteran worker told the World Socialist Web Site. They worded it slightly differently, but it was the exact same deal. And they never gave us any strike pay this whole time.

The worker added, Why would they even bring this [contract] to us? We voted No! That was a smack in the face! It was letting us know how corrupt they are.

The latest sellout agreement is almost identical to the previous agreement offering poverty wages that had been rejected by 87 percent before workers went on strike. The only change is a slight increase in the signing bonus from $1,700 to $2,500.

The agreement offered the exact same wage structure, with wages starting at $16.80 for new hires and ending at $18 by 2028. Senior workers would make $21 to start and end with $25 by the end of the contract.

Last Friday, rank-and-file workers at Ford and Dakkota issued a joint statement, Support the Dakkota workers strike! Ban scab parts and launch a rank-and-file counteroffensive! The statement warned that the UAW was ignoring the will of the membership. It also called for workers at Ford and Dakkota to develop rank-and-file committees to prevent the UAW from defeating the strike.

These warnings have been proven correct. Dakkota workers must urgently take the initiative with the development of a rank-and-file strategy.

In addition to voting No on a contract that only offers poverty wages, workers must appeal to Ford workers to support them and link up with workers at Stellantis Warren Truck and across the auto industry to mount a rank-and-file counteroffensive to fight for their demands, including a 50 percent wage increase and much more.

We voted No! That was a smack in the face!

From the start, the UAW bureaucracy and union president Shawn Fain have sought to isolate the Dakkota strike and prevent workers from linking up with autoworkers in other plants, thus creating the conditions to mount a counteroffensive against the attacks on jobs, wages and working conditions.

The obvious purpose of the snap vote is to try and isolate workers at Dakkota from workers at Stellantis in particular. Nearly 2,500 workers have been threatened with permanent mass layoffs at Stellantiss Warren Truck plant. Seeking to preempt a rank-and-file rebellion of autoworkers, the UAW issued an empty strike threat over the Stellantis layoffs on Monday, only hours before announcing the vote at Dakkota.

On Monday evening, Shawn Fain stumped for the pro-corporate Biden White House and the Kamala Harris campaign at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. He did not mention the Dakkota strike.

Fain and the UAW have promised to give the Democratic National Committee over $1.5 million, while they are starving Dakkota workers on the picket line.

The UAW has also forced workers at the nearby Ford Chicago Assembly plant to handle scab parts from Dakkota, claiming there is nothing that can be done.

The rank and file have to take care of each other

On Tuesday afternoon, a WSWS reporting team was very warmly received by Dakkota workers at the union hall and at the picket lines.

Workers discussed with reporters their opposition to the contract and closely reviewed the joint statement by the rank-and-file workers at Ford and Dakkota.

When one worker heard a WSWS reporter speak, they escorted the reporters to each picket, saying you have to hear this. As the WSWS reporters left, more than a dozen workers were sitting and studying the joint statement carefully.

A veteran worker spoke on the impact of the statement, Its having a powerful effect on people here. Its giving people hope. The rank and file have to take care of each other. [UAW] 3212 hasnt done anything for us. Were recognizing that and were coming together.

Thank you for bringing this, a worker on the picket line said. I agree with this. This shows that there are people who are coming behind us, and will support us. And we want these others strikes to unify.

Another Dakkota worker spoke on unifying with the over 1,000 Cornell UAW academic workers on strike and the attacks on Stellantis workers: If we unify, they cant fight that many battles, here in this state, there in that state and all over the place. They cant fight us from all directions, and youre telling us why they want to shut this down.



We would have the ability to shut it down on our terms rather than theirs, the worker added.

I voted No....I want to fight for us!

Another veteran worker spoke out ahead of going to the union hall. She said, Most definitely its going to be the same contract but just trying to change the bonuses to try to change the young peoples mind to be able to take the contract.

I know were all going to be voting no. Hopefully no one got brainwashed. But believe me, I know the cost of living and everything. Everybodys upset because we have not gotten one check from the union for strike pay.

She also denounced Fains empty words at the Democratic National Convention, I know I heard about it. Its sad that they didnt mention us. Of course not. Well mess up their reputation! Im telling you, theyre all crooksall politics.

I voted No today. I am out here, I want to fight for us, yet another worker stated on the pickets.

Show me the full contract!

A newer Dakkota worker described the union meeting this afternoon as a farce. He said UAW officials responded with condescension to workers questions.

He said, Let me paint the setting for you. Theres these tables. They are passing the contract highlights out and then telling us to go vote on it. I asked her on the table, can I see the underlying part of the contract? Theres more to the contract. I would like to see the whole contract!

The chairperson told him, You dont have to see the whole contract. He then responded, We told her, You know, hey, we are the workers and we have lost a lot of confidence in you. She didnt like that comment. Shes acting like nobody can tell her nothing. Shes not giving everyone the correct answers they need. Shes brushing everyone off. Shes telling everyone this is a good contract. People are up there frustrated and angry. Were voting No. Me and everybody were telling everyone to vote No on this.

The worker added, Youre telling us to go vote after just seeing only highlights. I want to see the full contract. Show me the whole contract! I want to know about vacation, PTO, and what has changed. In response to him, the UAW chairwoman said, I cant give you that, further infuriating the Dakkota workers.

He then demanded of her, Wheres our strike check? Come Friday, well be behind two checks. When are we going to get the other checks? To which the UAW chairwoman and the president dismissed them with further excuses that they were busy negotiating the sellout agreement.

It was a travesty, the worker said of the whole process.

Work at Dakkota, Ford or in the auto industry? Fill out the form below to get involved with the Autoworkers Rank-and-File Committee Network at your plant.
Members of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) have unanimously demanded senior management resign over its decision to cancel concerts by Jayson Gillham following his introduction to Witness, a five-minute piece included in his August 11 piano recital. The meditative composition by Connor DNetto was dedicated to the more than 100 Palestinian journalists killed by Israel in Gaza since October 7.

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra [Photo: MSO]

The acclaimed British-Australian pianist told his audience that Israels murder of Palestinian journalists was illegal and had been carried out to prevent the documentation and broadcasting of war crimes to the world.

The MSO management immediately cancelled Gillhams next concert, claiming that his comments were an intrusion of personal political views, made without authority, and beyond the remit of his contract.

Confronted with the eruption of mass opposition on social media to MSOs blatant censorship, senior management later declared Gillhams cancellation had been an error. It cynically claimed that it had unspecified security concerns about Gillhams next concert previously scheduled on August 15.

An angry meeting of MSO musicians on the night of the cancelled performance, however, brushed aside these cynical manoeuvres and unanimously endorsed a letter demanding the resignation of MSOs managing director and its chief operating officer. The MSO, the first professional orchestra established in Australia, has 88 full-time musicians.

Gillhams treatment, it declared, was part of a continued pattern of behaviour by MSO management. Despite ongoing attempts to engage with senior leadership and provide feedback through formal channels; including committee consultations, employee culture surveys and internal grievance procedures, the response from management has been insufficient, and in many cases dismissive. The letter demanded an investigation into the decision-making process behind Gillhams cancelled performance.

While it made no specific reference to the Gaza genocide, the letter is a damning indictment of MSO management. It also makes clear that Australian classical musicians, like hundreds of thousands of artists internationally, refuse to be intimidated by pro-Israeli propagandists and their multi-millionaire backers who patronise the arts and attempt to dictate what can or cannot be seen or heard.

This determination of MSO musicians to defend free speech and artistic expression was further underlined in an open letter and petition issued last Friday by the Australian Music Students Association (AMSA), signed by scores of students since.

Voicing its solidarity with Gillham for using his art and platform to stand for good, the AMSA called on all musiciansstudents, professionals, and amateursnationally to sign its statement and demand the MSO reverse its cancellation of Gillhams performances.



Support for Gaza and opposition to a genocide are not personal political views; opposing a genocide is not a political matter. They are the crux to the work [Witness], and it would be an inaccurate performance not to mention them; any attempt to politically sanitise the work would render it useless.

Just two days before, on 10 August, the Israeli military massacred 100 Palestinians during morning prayers at Al-Tabiin school in Gazathis massacre is only known because of the journalists reporting to it, the statement said.



The AMSA pointed out that Gillham had introduced and performed a piece composed by Gyorgy Ligeti at the August 11 performance. Ligeti, a Hungarian Jew, was sent to a forced labour brigade, his brother incarcerated in the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp, and his parents sent to Auschwitz. MSO management did not object to Gillhams introduction to that piece.

The Cat Empire [Photo: Facebook/The Cat Empire]

Later that day, Cat Empire, a long-established and popular international touring jazz/funk group, announced that it was cancelling three scheduled MSO performances this week in Melbourne to protest the victimisation of Gillham and express solidarity with MSO musicians.

We value the principles of freedom of speech, artistic expression, and inclusivity. Therefore, in good conscience, weve made the decision to postpone next weeks shows at Hamer Hall, a statement from the group said. We strongly support Jayson and the talented musicians in the orchestra, many of whom are our friends and contemporaries, it said.

Appeals to senior management of the MSO, whose principal multi-millionaire backers are intimately connected to the Australian political establishment that is complicit in the genocide and to pro-Israel lobby groups, however, will fall on deaf ears.

MSO, like other major artistic institutions, is heavily dependent on private donations to fund its operations. It would be naive to think that the generally reactionary views of the ultra-wealthy and corporate interests involved do not exert a powerful sway over the MSO management, however directly or otherwise.

MSOs donors include wealthy individuals who have explicitly supported the Israeli assault on Gaza.

MSO senior management, which now claims to be in negotiations with its musicians and Jayson Gillham over future concerts, has not issued any formal response to last weeks open letters. Nor has it made any public comment on Cat Empires decision to cancel this weeks concerts.

The determination of MSO musicians and other courageous artists and musicians, such as Jayson Gillham, to oppose the Gaza genocide and defend freedom of expression can only be taken forward as part of a unified fight to mobilise workers and youth internationally against imperialist war and the capitalist profit system.

In Australia, this requires a political struggle against the ruling elite and its Labor Party servants which unwaveringly back Israels murderous onslaught in Gaza, the US-led NATO war against Russia, and the preparation for war against China. Their ongoing efforts to discredit, delegitimise and suppress all opposition to the war crimes being perpetrated in Gaza are inseparably connected to this military and geo-strategic agenda.
The far-right Israeli regime continued its genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza on Tuesday by bombing a school, a market and a mobile phone charging point, killing at least 25 people. Amid the ongoing slaughter, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken toured the region in order to finalise a deal that gives Israel everything it wants in Gaza, and paves the way for war in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in El-Alamein, Egypt, Tuesday, August 20, 2024. [AP Photo/Kevin Mohatt]

The Mustafa Hafez school building in the west of Gaza City was flattened to the ground, according to one civil defence worker, killing 12 people and injuring dozens. He explained that many of the bodies may never be recovered due to a lack of rescue equipment, suggesting that the real death toll could be higher. Like many schools across the enclave, the building had served as a place of refuge for displaced people until the Israel Defence Forces struck it without warning. The massacre follows by just over a week the bloody slaughter at the Tabeen school in the same city that killed over 100 people.

Although the official death toll recorded by the authorities in Gaza has just surpassed 40,000, the true number of fatalities is much higher. British medical journal The Lancet estimated last month that after nine months of the genocide, around 186,000 people or more have been killed by Israels assault.

American imperialism and its Zionist attack dog in the Middle East, the same forces responsible for the unending death and destruction across Gaza, are attempting to dictate the terms on which the more than 10-month barbaric onslaught could temporarily end. To call the arrangement Blinken was endeavouring to conclude during meetings with Egyptian and Qatari leaders Tuesday a ceasefire agreement would be a distortion of reality. Just three weeks ago, Israel assassinated with tacit US approval Hamas political leader and lead negotiator in the talks Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran.

Should a deal be reached, it is increasingly clear that it will be entirely on Israels terms, enabling them to restart the slaughter with bombs at a moments notice, and continue to inflict starvation and disease on the Palestinians through its stranglehold over aid supplies into the devastated enclave. Moreover, a pause in the fighting in Gaza would be aimed, above all, at allowing Israel to pivot to a war on its northern front with Lebanon, and, with the support of the US and its NATO allies, lay the groundwork for a region-wide conflict with Iran. As Israels Defence Minister Yoav Gallant put it Tuesday, Israels centre of gravity is moving from south to north.

Washington responded to Israels assassination of Haniyeh and the killing of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shokr in Beirut by deploying an additional aircraft carrier strike group to the region. For the American ruling class, Israels final solution of the Palestinian question is a component part of US preparations to open up the Middle East front in a rapidly emerging third world war to secure its unchallenged hegemony against its rivals. This was underscored by the decision to sell Israel $20 billion worth of weaponry, including dozens of fighter jets to be supplied over the coming five years. While Iran represents a major regional obstacle to US ambitions for dominance over the energy-rich region, Washingtons main targets in its push to redivide the world in its interests are Russia and China.

After delivering a speech Monday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, to endorse fellow war criminal Kamala Harris as his successor in the White House, US President Joe Biden denounced Hamas for backing away from a ceasefire agreement that Israel was ready to accept. In truth, the Biden administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have repeatedly shifted the goalposts in talks that have dragged on for many months to provide a cover for their blood-soaked regimes continued slaughter of Palestinians. When Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposal in early May that would have prevented the IDFs invasion of Rafah, Israel flagrantly disregarded the offer, launching an offensive that drove a million people from Gazas southernmost city and brought aid to a virtual standstill.

In comments Tuesday, Netanyahu made clear that Israeli forces would not withdraw from Gaza under any agreement accepted by his government. Israel wont leave the Philadelphi Corridor and Netzarim Corridor under any circumstances, he said, referring to a strip of land between Gaza and the Egyptian border, and the line dividing the enclave into north and south imposed by the IDF.

Hamas has stated its opposition to a deal that permits the continued presence of IDF soldiers in Gaza and indicated that it would support an original proposal attributed to Biden that would see Israeli soldiers withdraw entirely in two phases. But Washington has apparently abandoned this offer, proposing instead this week a so-called bridging agreement that takes into account Israels demand for a continued military presence. Commenting on Israels latest demands, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan stated, It means a big military force will remain in the Philadelphi Corridor and stay in the Rafah crossing, which means restricting aid to Israeli approval.

Israel is persisting in its use of aid as a weapon of war. Although figures for trucks reaching Gaza through the Kerem Shalom border crossing were up somewhat in July compared to June, only 8 percent of all supplies consisted of humanitarian aid, equating to a mere 37 trucks per day. Prior to the war, Gaza received about 500 aid trucks each day. For the period May to July, aid reaching Gaza through Kerem Shalom dropped 61 percent compared to the period January to April.

The UNs Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported on 16 August that between 1 and 15 August, only 46 out of 109 attempted aid missions to northern Gaza were approved by Israel. The rate of rejected aid missions rose compared to the previous month from 15 percent to 29 percent.

Arwa Damon, founder of the Inara charity, told Al Jazeera that even if aid reaches Gaza, it is proving increasingly impossible to distribute. Citing one example, she noted that Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital is running out of bandages. And what that has meant is that a 13-year-old child who has 50 to 60 percent burns on his body was not able to get sufficient bandage changes for wound cleaning, which then resulted in him having blood poisoning and exhibiting signs of early sepsis, Damon added.

The threat of a major polio outbreak that could spread beyond Gaza also looms after a child was diagnosed with the disease in central Gaza last week. The World Health Organisation has stressed that a major vaccination campaign is necessary in two rounds during late August and September to prevent the further spread of the debilitating condition, which can cause lifelong paralysis. But such an initiative will prove impossible to implement if the genocidal onslaught continues.

Another expression of the Zionist regimes barbarism is the systematic torture of Palestinian prisoners, which has been exposed in a series of revelations. The latest came from 33 Palestinian detainees released from the Ofner Prison, where torture similar to that practiced at the notorious Sde Teiman facility has been reported. One freed detainee told Al Jazeera,

I was tortured day and night. My ribs were broken, shoulders dislocated. We were subjected to all types of torture, beyond anybodys imagination. All detainees lost at least 90 percent of their physical capacity. I was blindfolded and handcuffed for 70 days in a row. All of us were abused, humiliated and tortured.

The threat of a region-wide war and the barbaric practices of the imperialist-backed Zionist regime can be stopped only by an international anti-war movement led by the working class. This movement must combine its opposition to genocide and war with a socialist programme to end imperialist world war and capitalism through the fight for workers power.
Eighty-four years ago, on August 20, 1940, Leon Trotsky was assassinated by the Stalinist agent Ramon Mercader. Trotsky's assassination was the greatest political crime of the 20th century. Alongside Vladimir Lenin, Trotsky was the leader of the 1917 October revolution in Russia, which led to the establishment of the first workers state in history, and the preeminent strategist of world socialist revolution.

In 1923, Trotsky founded the Left Opposition to oppose the growth of a nationalist bureaucracy, headed by Joseph Stalin, as it usurped power in the Soviet Union. In 1933, following the coming to power of the Nazis in Germany, facilitated by the disastrous policies of the Comintern that Trotsky had opposed, Trotsky began to work toward the building of the Fourth International, which was founded in 1938 as the World Party of Socialist Revolution.

In a new period of revolutionary upheavals and imperialist wars, the political and historical principles and perspectives that Trotsky fought for are of immense relevance to workers today. They are embodied in the history and daily political work of the International Committee of the Fourth International and the World Socialist Web Site. In this exhibit, we are publishing a selection of major statements and essays about the enduring political significance of Leon Trotsky, the investigation by the ICFI into his assassination, known as Security and the Fourth International, as well as essential writings by Leon Trotsky himself.
The 30-day countdown to Comoros's WTO membership was activated when Ambassador Sultan Chouzour handed Comoros's instrument of acceptance of the Protocol of Accession to WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at a meeting of the General Council on 22 July 2024.

Comoros submitted its instrument of acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies at the same time, bringing the total number of acceptances of the Agreement to 82.

I am particularly proud to welcome Comoros as the newest member of the WTO. Comoros can use WTO accession as a vehicle for modernization, economic transformation and a complement to the country's regional integration agenda on the African continent, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said. Comoros's membership will add a valuable voice to the multilateral trading system as it has shown commitment to the values of the WTO and has clearly demonstrated willingness to adapt to its rules and principles.

The Director-General thanked WTO members for their support throughout the accession process, and said that they will continue to accompany Comoros in the post-accession phase.

WTO members officially approved the WTO accession of Comoros during a special ceremony at the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi on 26 February.

Comoros applied for WTO membership on 22 February 2007 and the Working Party was established in October 2007. Members of the Working Party concluded the negotiations on 9 January 2024. Following approval by WTO members at MC13, Comoros's National Assembly approved the Protocol of Accession on 10 June.

The list of Comoross commitments is available here.

Twenty-two governments, including eight African countries, are still negotiating their WTO accession. Timor-Leste's WTO membership is due to become effective on 30 August. The full list of WTO observers can be found here.

Learn more about Comoross WTO accession negotiations here.

Learn how to become a member of the WTO here.

Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies

Adopted by consensus at the WTO's 12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12), held in Geneva on 12-17 June 2022, the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies sets new binding, multilateral rules to curb harmful subsidies, which are a key factor in the widespread depletion of the world's fish stocks.

For the Agreement to enter into force, two-thirds of WTO members must formally accept the Protocol of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies by depositing an instrument of acceptance with the WTO.

The Agreement recognizes the needs of developing economies and LDCs, and establishes a Fund to provide technical assistance and capacity-building to help them implement the Agreement.

The Agreement prohibits subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, for fishing overfished stocks, and for fishing on the unregulated high seas.

Members also agreed at MC12 to continue negotiations on outstanding issues, with a view to adopting additional provisions that would further enhance the disciplines of the Agreement.

The full text of the Agreement can be accessed here.

The list of members that have deposited their instruments of acceptance is available here.

Information for members on how to accept the Protocol of Amendment is available here.
Mark Hertzberg/ZUMA Press Wire / Shutterstock

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance broke ranks with many GOP lawmakers earlier this month when he voiced support for increasing the federal child tax credit. In an Aug. 11 appearance on Face the Nation, Vance said he would love to see a child tax credit thats $5,000 per child, CBS MoneyWatch reported. That represents a big hike from the current credit of $2,000.

Check Out: Trump Wants To Eliminate Income Taxes  Heres What That Would Mean for the Economy and Your Wallet

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Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, also supports an expanded CTC, Newsweek reported. Her idea is even more ambitious than Vances because she recommends a credit of $6,000 per child for the first year after birth and $3,600 per year for every year after that.

Both plans might be a hard sell because of the cost to the government, however.

We could easily be talking about $2-$3 trillion in additional borrowing over the next decade, Marc Goldwein, senior policy director for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, told CBS MoneyWatch. Thats a tremendous amount of money.

For now, many U.S. households must make do with the $2,000 federal credit. But as previously reported by GOBankingRates, eligible families living in states that passed their own legislation when the federal enhanced CTC was discontinued can still get a tax credit.

Here are six states that would benefit the least from Vances proposal because they already have generous child tax credit programs.

California

Families eligible for CalEITC  the states Earned Income Tax Credit  who have a child under the age of six at the end of the tax year may also be able to receive the Young Child Tax Credit. It provides up to $1,117 to eligible families with yearly earned income of $30,931 or less. This is a refundable credit.

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Earning passive income doesn't need to be difficult. You can start this week.

Jim Glab / iStock.com

Colorado

You might qualify for Colorados Child Tax Credit if youre a single filer who makes up to $75,000 a year, or youre a joint filer who makes up to $85,000 and have a child or dependent under the age of six as of Dec. 31. The tax credit maximum is $1,200 and is refundable.

Be Aware: Here Are All the Promises Trump Has Made About Social Security If Hes Reelected

Aerial_Views / Getty Images

Minnesota

Minnesota lawmakers created the CTC of $1,750 per qualifying child under 18-years-old for households with income up to $29,500 for singles filers and $35,000 for married joint filers. The credit phases out above these income thresholds.

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jmoor17 / Shutterstock.com

Oregon

Oregons Child Tax Credit provides $1,000 per child for up to five dependent children under the age of six. Families earning $25,000 a year or less receive the full credit. The credit begins phasing out after $25,000 of modified adjusted gross income and phases out completely at a MAGI of $30,000.

f11photo / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Utah

Utahs Child Tax Credit lets eligible families claim up to $1,000 per child each year. This credit is for children ages one through three. Full amounts are available to singles filers making $43,000 a year or less and married joint filers who earn $54,000 or less. The credit phases out at incomes above these thresholds.

For You: Should Trump Eliminate Income Taxes? Heres What Tax Experts Say

DenisTangneyJr / iStock.com

Vermont

Vermonters can receive a child tax credit of $1,000 per child under the age of six if they earn less than $125,000 annually. Households earning $125,000 to $175,000 receive a reduced amount.

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 10 States That Would Benefit Most From JD Vances Proposal for Families.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 6 States That Would Benefit the Least From JD Vances Proposal For Families
Aoris Investment Management, a specialist international equity manager, released its Aoris International Fund Q2 2024 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. In the quarter, Portfolios Class A (Unhedged) returned -2.9% compared to 0.5% return for the MSCI AC World Accum Index ex-Australia (AUD). The funds Class C (Hedged) returned -1.0% compared to a 3.3% return for the MSCI AC World Accum Index ex-Australia 100% Hedged (AUD). In addition, you can check the fund's top 5 holdings to determine its best picks for 2024.

Aoris International Fund highlighted stocks like Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN), in the second quarter 2024 investor letter. Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) is a professional services company. The one-month return of Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) was 0.01%, and its shares gained 6.95% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On August 20, 2024, Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) stock closed at $330.37 per share with a market capitalization of $206.938 billion.

Aoris International Fund stated the following regarding Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:

"The largest detractors for the quarter were Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) and CDW Corp, which both fell by around 14%. Accenture and CDW are currently experiencing flattish years in terms of revenue and earnings growth. This follows a period of post-pandemic elevated demand. We believe both companies continue to gain market share. Accenture is the worlds largest IT outsourcing and consulting company. While earnings in its quarter ended May was essentially flat, we were very encouraged by underlying demand. This demand strength is reflected in a 22% year-on-year increase in client bookings for the quarter. Further, the number of $100m+ contracts signed in the nine months to May was 92, up from 85 in the same period a year earlier. All this bodes well for Accentures revenue and earnings in the next few years."

A team of data experts gathered around a computer monitor analyzing customer data.

Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) is not on our list of 31 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 68 hedge fund portfolios held Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) at the end of the second quarter which was 57 in the previous quarter. Accenture plcs (NYSE:ACN) revenues for the third quarter of fiscal 2024 were $16.5 billion, a 1% decline in US dollars. While we acknowledge the potential of Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) 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.

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In another article, we discussed Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) and shared the list of best big data stocks to buy. Baron Fintech Fund reduced its stake in Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) during Q2 2024 due to sustained weak demand. 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 .
PULSE, launched by the Government of Punjab, uses advanced geospatial technologies to demarcate and map urban and rural land. Better Cotton plans to leverage PULSE's capabilities to validate farm-level data and strengthen its Assurance Programme.

The collaboration addresses a significant challenge in smallholder countries like Pakistan, where the large number of small farmsoften less than two hectares in sizemakes data collection difficult without digital tools.

By partnering with PULSE, Better Cotton aims to corroborate field-level data of licensed farms and reduce the cost of manual data creation and validation.

Hina Fouzia, director at Better Cotton Pakistan, commented: "PULSE has had great success in modernising field boundaries demarcation across Punjab. For us, it presents a great opportunity both to streamline data collection and ensure it mirrors the results validated by the province's government."

The partnership is expected to enhance Better Cotton's data accuracy and efficiency, building on its recent initiative to digitalise field data collection for the 2024 cotton season.

By sharing farmer data with PULSE for validation, Better Cotton Pakistan will strengthen its Assurance Programme, which ensures licensed farmers comply with the organisation's Principles & Criteria and its efforts to support the production and processing of Traceable Better Cotton, which launched last year.

Muhammad Qadeer, field digitalisation manager at Better Cotton, highlighted the benefits: "This partnership will add a new layer of credibility to Better Cotton's footprint and outreach data. The validation of seasonal area under cotton through satellites and machine learning models will enhance transparency, data traceability and trust in the supply chain."

PULSE will share attributes of its 'Digital Gurdawri', a bi-annual record of crops grown across the province, to which Better Cotton Pakistan can contribute. Additionally, PULSE will offer technical support and training on its geospatial data capture methods.

Nasir Ashraf, geographic information system specialist at PULSE added: Being the official custodian of geospatial data on land in Punjab, PULSE has a vision of providing an enabling environment for farmers, businesses and supply chain actors by ensuring that records are transparent, centralised and authenticated.

Last week, (16 August), two US cotton growers told Just Style the consumer appeal of being able to trace the sustainable fibre throughout the fashion supply chain will boost demand in future.

Story continues

"Better Cotton Pakistan, PULSE to boost data transparency in cotton farming" was originally created and published by Just Style, a GlobalData owned brand.







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Bills fan makes presence known at WWE event in Florida

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 07: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills reacts after a 21-14 victory against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on January 07, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

The Buffalo Bills made an appearance during a WWE event in Florida.

During wrestling's "Monday Night Raw" program from Fort Myers this week--A sign stood out to those way up in western New York.

Going viral on Bills social media circles were photos of a wrestling fan holding a sign in the background. It was not a WWE-related message.

Instead, it read "JA 17 owns Miami," sending a message to the city 167 miles away in South Florida which is home to the Dolphins.

Got 'em.

Check out the sign below:

Related

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PFF: Lowest-graded Bills players on offense at the Steelers

This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Bills fan makes presence known at WWE event in Florida
Naomi Ackie as Frida in 'Blink Twice.' - Credit: Carlos Somonte/Amazon Studios

Naomi Ackie fondly remembers filming late-night dance montages with her Blink Twice castmates in Yucatan, Mexico. As the Dixie Cups island-inflected version of Iko Iko blared, the actors, covered in glitter, frolicked, squealed, and cheesed into the camera. But in this nightmarish thriller (out Aug. 23), which marks Zoe Kravitzs directorial debut, the party scenes hide something much darker. Channing Tatums tech billionaire Slater invites strangers to his private island for a hedonistic bacchanal  and every morning, the female guests wake up with a wiped memory, mystery bruises, and dirt under their nails.

Weve all seen situations, and more importantly been in situations, where youre at a party and youre like, Oh, its 1:30 pushing 2, I should probably bounce, the London-born Ackie tells Rolling Stone. I dont want to know what happens after 2.

More from Rolling Stone

Ackie, 32, plays cocktail waitress and aspiring nail artist Frida, who ventures to the island alongside friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) and strangers Sarah (Adria Arjona), Camilla (Liz Caribel), and Heather (Trew Mullen). Their host, Slater, is a fresh off of an apology tour from some kind of undisclosed misconduct and claims hes a changed man. When the guests arrive, their phones are collected, theyre given matching linen dresses and swimsuits, and then the booze, drugs, and gourmet delights come out. What could go wrong?

Ackie, left, and Arjona

As it turns out, plenty. Jess goes missing, the maid (Maria Elena Olivares) keeps repeating cryptic phrases (red rabbit?). Manipulations and abuse rise to the surface. Soon Frida, like Daniel Kaluuyas Chris in Get Out, goes from cheery to petrified  and joins forces with the other women to plot bloody revenge.

Co-written by Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum, the film puts a magnifying lens on the sexual and physical violence women face and how theyre expected to smile through the pain. Kravitz began working on the story well before the falls of Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein during the #MeToo movement.

This needs to be out there, says Ackie, who also appeared in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and played Whitney Houston in the 2022 biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody. People need to see this. I felt really strong about it, actually. I was like, warrior cry, Come on!

What about playing Frida appealed to you?

Frida reminded me of myself when I was like 25, 27, 28, 29. So, up until recently the energy of Frida was within me, the feeling of not being enough, the feeling of not having enough, the inability to have gratitude for things that you already have. Those qualities put you into spaces, situations or mindsets that are detrimental to you. It [was] like talking to my younger self: This isnt the way. This is only going to hurt you. Because what you think you want and how you think youre gonna feel when you get it is usually not the case at all.

Do you know what inspired Zoe to pursue this subject?

Zoe is extremely smart and has her finger on the pulse. Her focus was on this idea of women and power and our relationship to it. That was the pushing force, and then when the #MeToo movement came in, and then she was like, Oh my gosh, its running a similar track to what I am trying to explore.

People as a whole, but in particular women, we all share with one another that, Was that weird? Did I just smile through something that was actually traumatic? That kind of vibe is something that we all know about. Its like a secret language and its not really spoken. I know that was part of her inspiration for this. This idea of bringing that to light and the idea of women in particular feeling in danger and having to smile through it: Yeah, Im OK. Everything is fine. Im gonna sit on all this pain, just so I can survive. Thats a real thing, and thats a universal thing.



You give Frida this face when shes pushing down that pain, a porcelain doll-like look of terror masked with glee. How did you tap into that place emotionally?

Im gonna sound really woo-woo for a second. To me its like balancing energies in your body. Its like tension and release. Its trying to bump two things that dont belong together inside your body at the same time, like a magnet that is repelling. The base layer is terror and then if you push it down hard enough and add a smile on top of that, it will never reach the eyes.

Tatums tech exec is not what he seems.

Did you summon any personal experiences to travel to these dark headspaces?

That feeling of, like, theres something wrong and then pushing past it and continuing is something I have experienced, especially when I was younger. I dont now. I feel like I have a great need to keep myself safe, mentally, physically. I love myself and I want to be safe.

You graduated from the University of Londons Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2014. From there it took a few years before you landed a leading role. Was that hard for you?

It was frustrating, and I think there was a real lack of hope in me that I could make this work. It brought on a lot of self doubt about how I needed to present myself. What did my hair need to look like? What did my figure need to be? All these things to try and fit into what is marketable, not knowing that in the future, thats something I wouldnt need to do.

Whats your overall experience been like navigating Hollywood?

There is a reality that there is a scarce amount of roles available to you or that you will be considered for because of your race, because it doesnt come to mind immediately. Were talking about unconscious bias, and that is something that needs to be addressed. Something I dont think people talk about enough. When you think of a doctor, what [image] comes up in your head, and why is that? So yeah, its still a thing, but I also can acknowledge that Im in a very lucky position. I am working, I have had the joy of playing a robust amount of different characters, and all I can hope is that it happens like that for the rest of my career. If that means that I have a harder time finding them, thats OK. Because to me, the quality of the work means far more than the quantity.

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These new books just won the 2024 Indiana Authors Awards

The Indiana Authors Awards contest has announced winners in nine categories for 2024. The high-profile competition selects works by writers with deep Indiana connections whose work published in the last two years.

The winners spun a diverse set of stories in categories that include fiction, genre, middle grade, drama and young adult. One title contends with society's penchant for remembering serial killers more than victims, another with overcoming painful childhood memories and yet another with a young artist who fights decisions that will adversely affect her neighborhood.

Indiana Humanities runs the competition every other year with support from Glick Philanthropies. Those who win are invited to participate in a statewide speaker program and meet readers, teachers and students. Each winner receives $5,000, a hand-crafted award and the chance to donate $500 to an Indiana library of their choice.

Here are the winners:

'The Rabbit Hutch'

By Tess Gunty, born and raised in South Bend. Lives in Brooklyn, New York

Category: Fiction

Blandine Watkins is struggling against people, places and structures in fictional Vacca Vale, Indiana, a post-industrial town where the exit of a once-thriving automobile industry has left other problems.

More Hoosier reading material: Here's the shortlist for the 2024 Indiana Authors Awards

'To Sleep in the Horses Belly: My Greek Poets and the Aegean Inside Me'

By George Kalamaras, an Indiana University graduate who lives in Fort Wayne

Category: Poetry

The lives of Kalamaras' favorite Greek poets and artists are at the center of this book full of imagery, which includes poetry he started 40 years ago.

'Vanished Indianapolis'

By Edward Fujawa, Indianapolis

Category: Nonfiction

The book tells stories of historic landscapes and buildings that have been destroyed or repurposed.

'Hell If We Dont Change Our Ways'

By Brittany Means, raised near Martinsville, graduated from Ball State University and lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Category: Debut

Means confronts brutal childhood memories in this coming-of-age memoir that shows her strength and self-preservation.

'Dont Forget the Girl'

By Rebecca McKanna, who attended a master's program at Purdue University and teaches at the University of Indianapolis

Category: Genre

Twelve years after college freshman Abby Hartmann disappears, the serial killer suspected of her murder awaits execution. As a well-known podcast prepares to highlight the killer, Hartmann's friends reunite to make sure people know her story, too.

'Here We Come!'

By Janna Matthies, who was born in Anderson and lives in Indianapolis

Category: Childrens

A boy and his bear venture out into the evening and create a musical parade in a rhyming story designed to be read out loud.

'Unfadeable'

By Maurice Broaddus, Indianapolis

Category: Middle Grade

A young graffiti artist who wants to live on her own tries to hide from social services but finds she must risk her privacy to unite her community and fight against the powers-that-be who want to defund her neighborhood.

'The Minus-One Club'

By Kekla Magoon, who grew up in Fort Wayne and lives in Montpelier, Vermont

Category: Young Adult

After Kermit Sanders' sister dies, the 15-year-old struggles with grief until he receives an invitation to join other students who have lost someone close to them.

'Predictor'

By Jennifer Blackmer, who's lived in several places around Indiana and teaches in Muncie

Category: Drama

The play is based on the true story of Margaret Crane who invented the first home pregnancy test in 1967.

Looking for things to do? Our newsletter has the best concerts, art, shows and more  and the stories behind them

Contact IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at 317-444-7339 or d.bongiovanni@indystar.com. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @domenicareports.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: These new books just won the 2024 Indiana Authors Awards
Prince Harry and wife Meghans spanking-new chief of staff has quit after only three months on the job  and sources say his departure is just the tip of the iceberg of people wishing they can escape their bosses from hell!

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex hired public relations pro Josh Kettler in May shortly before a three-day trip to Nigeria, where the self-described experienced executive accelerator, organizer, and confidant squired them around to meet with government officials. Kettler also shepherded Harry, 39, around London in May, when the prince commemorated the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games, a sporting competition he founded for injured and ailing military service members.

But sources exclusively tell In Touch the sudden, shocking departure of the Santa Barbarabased publicity wizard has alarmed other staffers  many of whom also yearn to run for the hills!

What may be most telling is that the entire time I worked there, I dont think I heard a single current or former employee on their staff say they would take the job again if given the chance, blasts a bitter insider.

Sources say Kettler was hired on a trial basis to guide Prince Harry through his next phase, but that the next phase will have to proceed without the PR gurus expertise.

The decision to part ways was mutual, with both sides agreeing it wasnt the right fit, tattles a tipster. But the timing is curious, since spies say Kettler was scheduled to escort Harry and Meghan, 43, last month to the Colombian cities of Bogota, Cartagena and Cali.

These arent employees they had just found off the streets, spills an insider. Many of them are people who had previously excelled working for demanding bosses in high-performance companies and environments.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff walks on the stage during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

In a personal speech sprinkled with goofy anecdotes and a reference to Kamala Harris as the glue that holds the family together," Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff highlighted Harris softer side, describing his and Harris blended family and their love story.

Emhoff painted a picture of a happy and loving family  with Harris, his children from a previous marriage, Cole and Ella Emhoff, and their mother, Kerstin Emhoff.

A video montage introducing Emhoff showed pictures of him and Harris in their early dating days  cozied up at the Hollywood Bowl, cooking together in their Brentwood kitchen and side by side at Harris vice presidential inauguration in 2021.

Next, he is going to make history again as the first first gentleman, Cole said when introducing his father.

Read more: Obama passes the mantle of hope in fierce, fervent endorsement of Harris

Emhoff first described his own childhood, riding his bike around a suburban New Jersey neighborhood and taking the bus to Hebrew school. His family eventually moved to Los Angeles, where he worked at McDonalds before going on to college and law school.

Then Emhoff recounted how he and Harris met, after one of his law clients suggested setting him up on a blind date. Emhoff made the first move, calling Harris at 8:30 a.m. When she didn't answer, Emhoff said, he left a long, meandering voicemail  and later worried that he had butchered his chances.

"I was trying to just grab the words out of the air and put them back in my mouth," he said to laughter from the audience inside the convention hall.

Harris called him back around lunch time, and they spoke for an hour. By the time they had a date a few days later, the couple had hit it off.

"We laughed. You know that laugh. I love that laugh!" he said, referring to Harris' hearty laugh that her opponent, former President Trump, frequently mocks. As I got to know her better, I just fell in love fast. I learned what drives Kamala. And its what youve seen over these past four years, but especially these past four weeks: She finds joy in pursuing justice.

Read more: Inside Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff's L.A.

The two married in 2014 at the Santa Barbara courthouse, and they now share a home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood. Emhoff praised Harris for how she embraced his children.

"Those of you who belong to blended families know that they can be a little bit complicated," Emhoff said. "But as soon as our kids started calling her 'Momala,' I knew wed be OK."

Harris officiated at Cole's wedding, writing her remarks in a custom-bound book and giving it to the couple as a wedding gift, Emhoff said.

Emhoff's remarks captivated the audience, which laughed at the lighter moments and listened quietly at others. At least one person in the crowd carried a sign reading

Doug for First Mensch.

He recounted a recent moment amid the whirlwind of her becoming the Democrats' presidential nominee: She was resting at home in "her favorite chair" when her phone rang. Was it, Emhoff wondered, some pressing issue of government? Not quite. Harris was talking to her stepdaughter, Ella.

"That's Kamala," he said. "That scene was a perfect map of her heart. Shes always been there for our children, and I know shell always be there for yours too."

All smiles in the audience, Ella responded to her father's speech by frequently putting her hand on her chest or forming a heart with her hands. Ella and her mother, Kerstin, jumped to Harris' defense weeks ago, after Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance's comments resurfaced in which he called Harris and other Democratic women "childless cat ladies." In a statement to CNN, Kerstin praised Harris as a "co-parent."

Harris, who had just wrapped up a rally in nearby Milwaukee, had entered Chicago airspace aboard Air Force Two when Emhoff's speech began. The plane circled the tarmac for about 10 minutes so she could finish watching his speech. Senior campaign leaders in the front cabin applauded and cheered, Doug! Doug! Doug! as he concluded.

A photo posted to social media Tuesday night showed Harris sitting in the airplane cabin, watching her husband's speech on a laptop resting on her lap.

"Love you, Dougie," she wrote.

The two will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary on Thursday, the day Harris officially accepts the Democratic Party's nomination for president.

Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter. Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond, in your inbox three times per week.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
By Joan Faus and Anousha Sakoui

BARCELONA/LONDON (Reuters) - Canadian fund Brookfield is in talks with banks to raise funds for its possible takeover bid for beleaguered Spanish drugmaker Grifols, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Those banks include Bank of America and UBS, one of the people said.

Grifols said last month it would study a preliminary offer presented by Brookfield and the Grifols founding family, which holds a stake of around 30% in Grifols, for a possible joint takeover bid with the intent to de-list Grifols.

Bloomberg reported earlier on Wednesday that Brookfield has asked banks, without identifying them, to backstop up to $10.6 billion to refinance Grifols' existing debt for a potential take-private deal for the Spanish pharmaceutical firm, sending Grifols' shares up as much as 6%.

The operation with Brookfield is advancing, the first person said without elaborating.

Grifols, Brookfield, UBS and Bank of America declined to comment.

Since early January, short-seller fund Gotham City Research has released several reports accusing Grifols of overstating earnings and understating debt.

The accusations, which Grifols denies, have erased 40% of the Barcelona-based company's market value.

Following the reports, Grifols, which makes medicine using blood plasma, announced management changes and revised its reported leverage higher after Spain's market supervisor required that it change its calculations.

Grifols' net financial debt reached 9.4 billion euros ($10.46 billion) in the second quarter of this year, around 1.5 billion euros lower than in the prior quarter. The company has focused on cutting debt since its business was severely hit at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic due to a shortage of plasma.

($1 = 0.8989 euros)

(Reporting by Joan Faus and Anousha Sakoui, additional reporting by Elisa Martinuzzi; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)


"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."



The Sussexes spent their last day in Colombia getting to know the city of Cali. Their jam-packed agenda included a summit that brought together Afro-Colombian women across different industries, a youth community event that inspired Harry and Meghan to go salsa dancing, and a music festival that put a spotlight on the countrys Afro-Colombian heritage. Throughout the entire day, Meghan matched the spirited energy of the trip with a rotation of three lively outfits.

The duchess relied on a healthy mix of affordable wardrobe staples and luxury statement pieces, making sure to represent some Colombian-based designers and brands, too. Meghan may be known for her typically minimalist and sleek style, but this trip also showed off her chameleonic fashion sensibilities with a smattering of vibrant and colorful looks.

Below, Bazaar revisits all of Meghan's day four looks and shows you where you can shop them.

All the Photos of Duchess Meghan and Prince Harrys Trip to Colombia

Photo credit: Eric Charbonneau

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Inside the Sussexes Warm Welcome to Colombia

Photo credit: The Office of Vice President Francia Marquez

Shop Now

All About Duchess Meghans New Brand, American Riviera Orchard

Photo credit: Getty Images

Shop Now

Sequins Galore

RAUL ARBOLEDA - Getty Images

Meghan remixed her usual business-casual uniform for this fun and flirty look, which she wore to speak at the Afro-Descendant Women and Power: Voices of Equity summit.

The outfit consisted of a sleeveless button-down from Mango (which is on sale right now) tucked into a peachy sequined skirt by Colombian designer Silvia Tcherassi. In particular, the skirt featured a psychedelic multi-colored floral pattern that swirled across the fabric.

She completed the outfit with fuchsia suede pumps by Manolo Blahnik and gold fan earrings made by artisans from Colombia's Choco regionthe latter being a gift from Vice President Francia Marquez.

Sleeveless Cotton Shirt

Shop Now Sleeveless Cotton Shirt $25.99

Blair Sequined Floral Midi Skirt

Shop Now Blair Sequined Floral Midi Skirt saksfifthavenue.com $1390.00

BB Classic Suede Stiletto Pumps

Shop Now BB Classic Suede Stiletto Pumps bergdorfgoodman.com $725.00

Monochrome with Flair

Eric Charbonneau - Getty Images

Later in the day, the Sussexes attended an event with Jovenes por Cali, a volunteer community youth group. The occasion had Meghan change into a monochromatic lookwith an iridescent twist.

She spruced up her all white ensemble with a maxi skirt from Cali-based brand Juan de Dios. The skirt's front panel featured hand-embroidered jacquard of plants and greenery in a luminous pearl-like color. Up top, she wore a white Anine Bing T-shirt and earrings from Colombian jewelry brand Alvaro Avila. For a finishing touch, she added leather sandals from Stuart Weitzman.

While the skirt is no longer available to shop, we found another Juan de Dios dress that bears the same jacquard design.

Gualanday Canvas Hand Embroidered Midi Dress / Ecru

Shop Now Gualanday Canvas Hand Embroidered Midi Dress / Ecru juandedios.co $1495.00

Amani Round-Neck T-shirt

Shop Now Amani Round-Neck T-shirt farfetch.com $119.00

Amani Round-Neck T-shirt

Shop Now Amani Round-Neck T-shirt farfetch.com $119.00

Gualanday Canvas Hand Embroidered Midi Dress / Ecru

Shop Now Gualanday Canvas Hand Embroidered Midi Dress / Ecru juandedios.co $1495.00

Benni Leather Sandals

Shop Now Benni Leather Sandals bergdorfgoodman.com $295.00

Sundress Season

Eric Charbonneau

For her last outing in Colombia, Meghan appeared onstage for the annual Petronio Alvarez Festival at the Unidad Deportiva Alberto Galindo in Cali, where she looked fabulous in a bright green sundress with a drop waist and a frilly skirt from Andres Otalora, a Colombian designer. She accessorized with some of her signature Cartier jewelry.

Though this specific design is now sold-out, another sundress with a similar green pattern is still available to purchase.

Arte Cubano Ruffled Twill Maxi Dress

Shop Now Arte Cubano Ruffled Twill Maxi Dress modaoperandi.com $1240.00

Harpers Bazaar is on the ground with the Sussexes as they embark on their four-day visit to Colombia. Watch this space for all the exclusive details.

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Erol Mintas has revealed the cast for his upcoming feature Earth Song.

Dilan Gwyn (Da Vincis Demons, Dracula Untold), Ali Seckiner Alc (Burning Days), Feyyaz Duman (Yalan) and Zenan Tunc will star in the film written by Mintas and Mikko Viljanen, which also debuts first-look photos.

More from Variety

Previously, Mintas directed Duman in his debut Song of My Mother, awarded at Sarajevo.

Produced by Mete Sasioglu and Mintas for Sons of Lumiere, Earth Song is co-produced by Anna Blom for Jamedia Production (Finland) and Tanja Georgieva-Waldhauer for Elemag Pictures (Germany). With Finnish broadcaster YLE on board, Cinemanse will distribute the film in Finland, while Folkets Bio will handle Sweden.

In the drama  now in post-production and presented at Haugesunds New Nordic Films Works in Progress session  Rojin, a Kurdish-Finnish woman (Dilan Gwyn), lives in Helsinki with her husband Ferhat (Feyyaz Duman) and their 12-year-old adopted daughter Azad. She finds her life and family crumbling apart as her father (Ali Seckiner Alc) makes an unexpected, devastating visit. It forces her to confront a complicated past.

The film is told from the point of view of the main character, but the supporting characters are also very important. Without them, we wouldnt understand her so well, Mintas told Variety.

Earth Song

Its about a family, but its also about Rojin, whos in the midst of many challenges because of her family ties, but she doesnt give up on dedicating herself to what she finds meaningful. The film also talks about how our family relationships are affected when we dedicate ourselves to the good of others.

Earth Song will be shot in Kurdish, Turkish, Swedish and Finnish.

There are huge injustices that exist because of ones identity. Identity can be anything; it can be the way you wear your hat, and that can get you into trouble  just because you dont fit into the box. When they come to oppress you for it, of course, you fight back. Its an interesting phenomenon that makes the dynamic between people fascinating but also tragic, he said.

Family has been divinized in almost all societies. Its sacred. I wanted to show a family that would make us rethink what the whole concept of a family even means. For them and for us. I really hope the film will make people think about that.

Or about climate change  because of that, theres a constant wind in Helsinki.

There are windy, poetic outdoor scenes and scenes in intimate indoor spaces. The wind separates those two worlds from each other, he explained.

Mintas, whos also a doctoral researcher at Helsinkis Aalto University, founded the Academy of Moving People and Images for those who have arrived in Finland for different reasons. Displaced people, forced immigrants, students or asylum seekers.

Earth Song

I met Erol through the Academy. He asked me to teach production. My father is from Turkey, not that far away from where Erol is from, so there was a connection there, noted Sasioglu.

Helsinki-based Sons of Lumiere focuses on telling stories of the underrepresented. Latest productions include Afruvva by Sami filmmaker Marja Helander, an immersive film that premiered in Venice.

I am very happy the film got funded, but there are still challenges regarding telling these kinds of stories. At some point, there were voices raising a question if this film is Finnish enough. Whats Finnish?! Yes, the characters speak other languages, and they look different, but they live in Helsinki, and the film is mostly happening there.

Mintas added: I totally agree with [The Gravediggers Wife director] Khadar Ayderus Ahmed; the film industry in Finland is still quite white. The streets in Finland are more diverse than the screens in Finland.

Its still not easy to tell stories that arent part of the norms of the white society, but we were lucky: there are great decision-makers, and we got the film financed because of them. Like us, they believed these characters should be seen on screen. I hope there will be the right people in the decision-making positions in the future as well so that the change that has begun can continue.

Erol Mintas

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I'm Already Missing Simone Biles And More Olympians, But What The Heck Is Going On With Correspondent Colin Jost After His Surprise Evacuation?

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Credit: NBC

Honestly, there were many epic coverage moments from the 2024 Olympics. Pommel Horse guy got all the Superman comparisons and eventually even heard from new DC Man of Steel David Corenswet . In addition, Simone Biles got her golds , Noah Lyles won the 100m (presumably with Covid) and the ladies US Rugby team landed an historic win . Meanwhile, amidst these other moments, Colin Josts Olympics coverage was a hilarious standout, even after he got injured and ants began crawling inside his wounds . Unfortunately its been radio silence in recent days.

The last Id seen of Colin Jost, hed been shipped off to Malta , his dang foot looked like it was about to fall off and he was missing from the final rounds of surfing coverage in Tahiti. That's in addition to an "ear infection" and more ailments he'd confirmed to Mike Tirico he'd garnered during his work for NBC. He'd joked his "new goal" was to have "as many infections as Olympic events" while lounging in the pool with only half of his body in.

The doctor told me I couldn't get my feet wet because of the coral reef infection and I couldn't get my head wet because of the inner ear infection, but to me that doesn't mean my torso and my waist can't still enjoy the pool.

And then nothing. Theres been a record silence from the comedian on social media, and while he doesnt owe me jack personally, is it too much to ask for another update here?

I think not. I guess Jost would probably argue he gave fans the foot-update they needed with his memorable video revealing hed been shipped off to Malta. Yes, it was very amusing. In it, he mentioned NBC had declared him a leper and refuted conspiracies hed been sent home after injuring himself. Instead he'd been blowing the "hundreds of dollars" he earned as "a surfing correspondent" at the local casino.

Well I'm actually fine, and despite what big media conspiracies would tell you, I wasn't "sent home" from the Olympics. NBC simply looked at my foot, declared me legally a leper and exiled me here, to the island of Malta!

Jokes aside, his foot injury, as you'll recall, did look pretty gnarly and I think most fans would have loved one more quick correspondence from when he did ultimately come back home from the Olympics, particularly given how much his wife Scarlett Johansson had been roasting his "job" in the first place. I'm not the comedian here, but if his footsies are in tip-top shape now, why not give the folks at wikifeet something to talk about?

Anyone who watched the closing ceremony got a final sendoff for most of the athletes, who showed up wearing medals and looking happy to be there. When Simone Biles and co. got home, we also got social media follow-ups from a lot of the athletes as they reunited with loved ones, and in Biles' case, inadvertently got embroiled in the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears rivalry.

Of course, I've been missing them on my TV, but at least I feel like I know what's up in the athletes' cases.

In Jost's case, I was so interested in life post-Malta I scoured the Internet to find out what the heck is going on with the comedian, and the only real update I got is that hes replacing Pete Davidson in a comedy show next month. As you may well already know, the SNL comedian (Davidson not Jost) entered rehab earlier this year and had to cancel some tour dates.

Jost and Davidson own a Staten Island Ferry together, so I guess men who buy together are tied together? Theres some play on words there. Anyway, Im assuming hes going to be standing during this gig, so I guess I dont need to freak out too much thinking his foots gonna be jacked up forever or whatever. He's now set to play the Rochester Fringe Festival on Friday, September 13. If anything comes out of this gig, please alert me as I need all the foot updates as much as I need a loofah in my life.
Joe Rogan may not be moving to Nashville but here's what he said about living in Tennessee

Podcaster Joe Rogan recently revealed he wouldn't mind moving to Nashville in a recent episode of his podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience." Accompanied by millionaire and co-founder of PayPal, Peter Thiel, the two each named Music City as a desirable city, due to Tennessee being a no income tax state.

Rogan did not explicitly state he had plans of moving to Nashville. However, he did express he would not mind calling the Volunteer State home, like many entertainers now do.

More: Joe Rogan ribs COVID-19 vaccines, LGBTQ community in Netflix special 'Burn the Boats'

Here's what to know about the podcaster and what exactly was said during Friday's episode.

Who is Joe Rogan? What is the 'Joe Rogan Experience?'

Joe Rogan is a comedian and podcaster, who often draws criticism due to comments regarding COVID-19 vaccines, race and the LGBTQ+ community. He is the host of popular podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience."

In 2022, Rogan was criticized for his remarks on COVID-19 vaccines due to concerns that he was promoting false claims about the health treatment. Also in 2022, clips resurfaced of Rogan using racial slurs which prompted him to issue a public apology, as well as a condemnation from Spotify CEO Daniel Ek.

Still, the streaming platform did not part ways with Rogan. In 2024, Spotify announced a new multiyear partnership deal with the "Joe Rogan Experience."

What did Joe Rogan say about Nashville?

Friday's podcast episode kicked off with Thiel sharing his desire to leave California, citing "feeling trapped in Los Angeles" and wishing to escape "inefficient" government, "wokeism," the real estate market, and the big tech companies.

Rogan countered by saying there's no ideal place to live, which led to a conversation about no tax states  Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. Thiel narrowed the options to Miami, Florida and Nashville. While Miami is fun, Rogan said he would prefer not to live in the city due it's high party culture.

Nashville, however, appealed to Rogan.

"Nashville's great," he said. "I could live in Nashville, no problem."

Watch: Joe Rogan talks about Nashville in podcast with guest Pete Thiel

Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Joe Rogan says he could live in Nashville
Kaylor Martin - Credit: Jocelyn Prescod/Peacock

While Love Island USAs Kaylor Martin is famous for her many tear-filled moments on Season Six of the unscripted dating series, the reality star stood firm when confronting her fellow Islander and now-ex, Aaron Evans, at the shows reunion on Monday night. Over the summer, the world watched Martin fall in love with Evans inside the villa in Fiji, but it was a rocky road for the couple after Evans lied to Martin about the details of his relationship with Daniela Ortiz-Rivera.

Martins crying face became the subject of many memes, as did her infamous phrase, Fawk, Aaron (a saying so widespread she even trademarked it). The 22-year-old also caught a lot of heat from fans for taking Evans back so quickly in the villa following his transgressions.

More from Rolling Stone

It wasnt until she left Fiji and watched the episodes back with her friends and family that Martin realized the extent of Evans betrayal and her lack of desire to continue their relationship any further.

Ive shed enough tears and I cant waste my energy on negativity. I deserve someone who is on the same wavelength as me and watching myself on TV being so vulnerable and having such a big heart was a wake up call. It made me realize, damn, I dont deserve this, Martin tells Rolling Stone. Honestly, I dont really know how to feel. Im very hurt and I would be lying to sit here and say that I dont love Aaron and care for him. After being wronged, I still think he is an amazing person. I just think that he has some issues and he cant commit or tell me the truth, or he has poor decision-making skills.

When the reunion streamed on Peacock, Martin was watching from the comfort of a New York City hotel suite along with cast members Olivia Walker, JaNa Craig, Kenny Rodriguez, and some of her other friends from outside the villa. Dressed in matching pajamas and devouring takeout, Martin says she was happy to be with people who understood the intensity of the moment. She hates watching herself on TV, Martin says, and it was especially difficult to relive the anger she felt towards Evans in the heat of the moment; Martin already knew that Evans kissed Ortiz-Rivera, but it wasnt until the reunion that he confessed to putting his hands down her pants.

I normally dont go about things that way but enough was enough and I snapped, she says.

After the finale aired, Martin spoke to Rolling Stone about confronting Evans at the reunion, how shes navigating her newfound fame, and whats next for her.

How did you feel heading into the reunion?

I was very nervous but I was also excited to see everyone outside of the villa. We actually are a really close family and its nice to see everyone back together again, but it was nerve-racking for me as well because youre seeing people that you havent seen in a long time and social media after the show has had an influence on us as well. That setting is very different from the villa.

Can you talk about how your relationship with Aaron finally ended?

After the villa, I came home and I watched the show with my family. I didnt expect Aarons relationship with Daniela to be so consistent and romantic and it caught me off guard. Yes, I saw a lot of things on movie night [in the villa] but he assured me every single time I had doubts that that was the worst of it. So coming out and watching it, I learned that wasnt true. Also, every time I would explain why I was upset with him, he said, You dont understand what its like to be in my position, or You probably did the same thing in in Casa Amor and I just didnt get to see it, or You didnt get a good edit. It was always deflecting. I needed time to process this. I was on a phone call with him and my best friend was in my room, and he was like, Youre just doing this because this is what the people want you to do, instead of actually acknowledging how I felt. My best friend, who was one of his biggest cheerleaders, heard that and said, Oh my god Kaylor, you need to take a step back, and I agreed. I didnt want to start a relationship with resentment or trust issues, I dont think thats a healthy way to start any relationship.

Aaron mentioned that he wanted to end things but I brought it up. He actually asked me, Do you want to just say that were officially done? and I was like, It doesnt have to be that dramatic. It was mutual. I think maybe he also agreed to end things because he knew that he didnt tell me absolutely everything. He waited until the reunion to be on camera to tell me that he did reach his hands down another girls pants. We hung out multiple times and in Los Angeles when we got out of the villa. We were hooking up and he knew that he had put his hands down in other girls pants and yet, he never hesitated to have sexual endeavors with me.

After you broke up, you spent time together in New York City a few days before the reunion. What were those interactions like?

I got to New York one night after him. I flew in early just to see him and Liv [Walker] before the reunion. The first night I was here I went out with Aaron and I invited my best friend who lives in the city. It was fun and we were having a good time but then it got to be too much for me and we got in a big argument the morning after I stayed with him. Apparently, Caine [Bacon, another Love Islander] came to his room and had told him that I was flirting with Jalen [Oliver] in Casa Amor, and Aaron was upset because of that. I was like, Youre upset? How do you think I feel? It was a lot of deflecting.

How did it feel to confront him at the reunion?

[Aarons comments about hooking up with Daniela] completely caught me off guard. I did not expect him to lay that bomb on me. It was very embarrassing because he waited to do it on camera. Hes seen me all summer, Im an emotional person and he knows that. So for him to do that on camera, I was embarrassed and in that moment I felt angry.

What were you planning on saying to Aaron before he dropped the bomb about Daniela?

I didnt really go in with any expectations. I was still going to hold him accountable. I dont think I wouldve been as angry but I was still going to hold him accountable and explain how Casa Amor did make me feel. But I was also probably going to mention that I do really care for him.

At the reunion, you told Aaron, I walked into the villa being so confident and you beat me down, beat me down, beat me down, and I left a different fucking girl. What have you learned about yourself after leaving the villa? How did you find your voice again?

When youre in the villa, youre kind of in your own little la la land. The people who you have in the villa are the only people you have and youre with those people every single minute of the day. Coming back to the real world, watching the show back, and watching my state in the villa showed me that I was such a loyal person, a committed person, and I deserve the truth. I deserve a guy who is willing to give me that, even if its hard to do.

Fans noticed when you walked out of the reunion taping, you had a photo of you and Aaron on your phones lock screen even though you were already broken up. Do you want to clarify that?

My lock screen changes and rotates photos when I press it down, but yes that photo was on my lock screen. Even though Aaron and I werent together, it doesnt mean that I just woke up one day and Im like, Oh, I cant stand him. I have no feelings for him. When you have love towards a person, thats not how it works. It would be a way easier journey if it did. I had that photo as my lock screen and I didnt delete the photo out of my [rotation] because I just wasnt there yet.

Have you spoken to Aaron since filming the reunion?

No, I havent. I did send him a text saying,Best of luck to you. I realized he had texted me before the reunion and I didnt see it until the morning after the reunion, so I reached out and said I was sorry for how I acted because the last thing I want to do is kick someone when theyre down. I know hes dealing with a lot right now and I didnt want my reaction to hurt him so I did reach out. But nothing else was said, He blocked me on Instagram, I dont really know why, and he also blocked Liv.

Are you open to a friendship or any kind of relationship with Aaron at some point in the future?

Ill always care for him. If he ever needs anything, he can reach out to me. But I dont really have any interest whatsoever. Ive been through enough with him. Maybe years down the road, who knows. I cant have any future expectations. Well see what happens. But as of now, Im just having a blast with my best friends and I dont want to have a man in my life right now.

You said you werent mad at Daniela for her interactions with Aaron in Casa Amor. Why werent you upset with her for lying to you in the villa about the extent of their relationship?

Im not blaming it on Daniela. She didnt owe me anything. She and I didnt have a prior friendship going into the villa and the last thing I wanted to do was blame the girl. If I had a few minutes to speak on this at the reunion, it wasnt going to be towards Danielle. It was going to be towards Aaron. However, I think she does know I dont appreciate that she lied to me. I think Daniela and I had a pretty good friendship when she got to the villa so I was very disappointed to see [the truth] on TV. Even after the villa, she never reached out to me to say, Hey girl, I just want to let you know. None of that. But ultimately, in the bigger picture Aaron should have told me because we had that connection. Its not Danielas fault. Would I have appreciated it if Daniela would have told me? Absolutely. But she didnt and Im not going to harp on that.

Is there anything you wish aired from the reunion that didnt?

I did actually say something to Daniella at the reunion but it didnt make the edit. I said I would have appreciated it [if she told me] and she acknowledged that. She apologized to me and we ended on good terms.

Someone who attended the reunion taping posted an Instagram story and claimed that you and Aaron delayed the start time for hours. Is that true?

I dont know what that was about. We actually didnt start on time because there was a power outage in the building we were filming in. I dont even think that person works for Peacock or works for Love Island or [production company] ITV.

Theres been a lot of conversation about the importance of you and your cast members mental health in light of cyberbullying. How are you managing online comments and negativity?

Its really difficult. Im trying not to look at the negative comments. I can tend to go look at the negative comments rather than looking at the positive ones and I think its about not letting yourself jump into that hole of social media. Im just trying to not let this consume my life entirely too much and trying to live in the moment, doing normal things. We are all humans and real people, were not just characters that you see on this TV screen. Many people were really hard on us Islanders and it needs to be considered that we are also going through a lot of things, even with our home lives or family or whatnot.

How are you navigating all of the newfound fame and attention youre receiving? How has it changed your life and your relationships with your castmates?

I dont really think its changed. I think if anything, we all are dealing with social media and its brought us together as a cast because we can bond over that. I guess its changed my life because Im not going back to college for obvious reasons. I just cant do that right now. Im very busy trying to take a break. Coming back to normal life isnt so normal now because youre in the public eye.

Whats next for you?

I dont really know whats going on for me in the next couple months. I just know that Liv and I probably will move in with each other. Were just going to travel and see where life takes us. We both love New York City. Liv and I were just talking about it and we were saying we should do a month in New York, a month in Miami, a month in Los Angeles, and see what works best. But there should be many things coming, Im sure.

Are you open to doing more reality television? Would you go back to Love Island?

If it was a different experience, maybe. Probably not anytime soon, unless Liv and I could walk in as bombshells together. But I think I need a break from reality TV.

Best of Rolling Stone
Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Meet Afro-Colombian Leaders, Visit The First Town For Africans In The Americas And More During Trip To Country

Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Meet Afro-Colombian Leaders, Visit The First Town For Africans In The Americas And More During Trip To Country | Photo by Edwin Rodriguez Pipicano/Anadolu via Getty Images

Meghan Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, recently made their first visit to Colombia, and its safe to say the trip was unforgettable.

On Thursday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex began their tour in Cali, Colombia, meeting with the countrys first Black vice president, Francia Marquez, who had invited them. According to the New York Post, Meghan showcased her impressive dance moves alongside Harry during an engagement at the Centro Nacional de las Artes Delia Zapata Olivella, marking the first of several outings for the couple.

Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Archewell Foundation via Getty Images

Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Archewell Foundation via Getty Images

Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Archewell Foundation via Getty Images

Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Archewell Foundation via Getty Images

On Friday, they visited a school in downtown Bogota where students gave a special performance prepared for the royals. Meghan bonded with one boy who reminded her of her 3-year-old son, Archie.

Bits of Days 1 & 2  #MeghanandHarryinColombia Follow along on all updates here: https://t.co/WMugt3kxK2 pic.twitter.com/VuYB891VhE  Bianca Betancourt (@ByBiancaBee) August 17, 2024

Youre the same age as my son, Archie! she remarked in Spanish to the young boy after he revealed his age, per the Post.

On Saturday, the couple also visited San Basilio de Palenque, a village near Cartagena, where they learned about the areas Black history. People reported that it was established as the first free African town in the Americas in 1619. They were treated to a performance of the Colombian national anthem by students and other performances by community leaders.

I wanted them to come here and discover the essence of who we are  our spirituality, our music, our culture and our ancestral heritage that is still very much alive today, Marquez said, regarding Megan and Harrys visit. In the midst of adversity, this is what has helped us continue to be resilient. Palenque is in the heart of every Afro-Colombian.

Some residents, referred to as Palenqueros, wished the couple would acknowledge the harsh treatment their ancestors endured at the hands of the British.

His ancestors made our ancestors go through terrible times, and he can make good faith and repent to show that they dont agree with what happened before. Hairdresser Elida Canarte Diaz told The Telegraph.

According to The Associated Press, their four-day visit concluded on Sunday with an event featuring Afro-Colombian leaders highlighting social and cultural issues, primarily focusing on challenges Black women faced in their communities.

Meghan, 43, and Harry, 39, sat in the front row at the Municipal Theatre for the Afro Women and Power forum. They were immersed in the cultural sounds of various instruments as they listened to prominent Black leaders discuss several important topics, including women and politics.

I can feel this embrace from Colombia. It is incredible, thank you very much, Meghan said to the crowd in Spanish, revealing that she learned the language 20 years ago, according to the AP.

Meghan also emphasized teaching young girls and women how to use their voices to make a difference.

I was very, very fortunate at a young age to feel as though my voice was being heard, and I think that is a luxury that a lot of young girls and women arent often afforded, she said, according to People, recalling how she wrote a letter at age 11 to have the language in a commercial changed to be less sexist.

For us and the work that we do with the Archewell Foundation, certainly the work that we do as parents and that I do as a mother, is ensuring that young girls feel as though their voices are being heard and also that young boys are being raised to listen and to hear those young women as well, she added.
According to a new report, Warner Bros. Discovery recently made AEW another offer. Sources say the offer is at least double AEWs current deal.

AEWs media rights are coming up this year. The company has been negotiating with Warner Bros. Discovery for a new deal. As previously reported, AEWs Tony Khan was set to meet with WBDs David Zaslav in Paris during the Olympics.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful (via Fightful Select) reports that WBD sources confirmed that there is some red tape to deal with. However, these sources said that another offer for a long-term deal was recently made, and they were very confident in it. Sapp writes that Khans meeting with Zaslav was said to be considered productive, and the offer came after that.

Sapp cites one WBD source who called the offer extensive and said that it was in AEWs hands. AEW is reviewing the offer, and both sides seem to be optimistic about reaching a deal. There is no word on when an announcement could come.

The report also cites sources who say that AEW has been offered at least double the amount of their previous deal, though the meaning was unclear. The exact numbers for the latter are unavailable. It is also important to note that the existing deal has substantially evolved over the duration.

More Details

Per Sapp, sources say that any and all combinations and possibilities regarding AEWs programming lineup have been explored. Furthermore, Sapp references rumors that WBD had discussed a shift in PPV strategy regarding AEW, but they did not respond to comment. As previously noted, WBD reps had said that Max was in mind when they negotiated any deal, and WBD had inquired about possibly putting AEW pay-per-views on Max as of last year.

Sapp writes that sources on both sides have claimed that they have had ongoing discussions about reaching a new deal, adjusting the current one, and working together in the future since last year. Per Sapp, sources on both sides expect the relationship to continue for years.

AEWs deal currently runs through the end of the year. WrestleZone will provide more information as it becomes available.

RELATED: Tony Khan Confirms The Most Important Announcements In AEW History Are Imminent

The post Report: WBD Recently Made AEW Another Offer appeared first on Wrestlezone.
Former President Barack Obamas brutal slam about Donald Trumpsobsession with crowd sizes during the Democratic National Convention was the joke heard round the world.

Here is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago, Obama said of the former president in his speech Tuesday night, before pointing to Trump trademarks such as childish nicknames and the crazy conspiracy theories.

But its the moment when Obama also referenced Trumps weird obsession with crowd sizes, and stretched his hands to suggest length is Trumps real concern, that people really responded to.

Some were incredulous.

I cannot believe this moment happened pic.twitter.com/u14mY9GD9E  Yashar Ali  (@yashar) August 21, 2024

Obama making a dick joke about Trump wasnt on my 2024 bingo card lmao pic.twitter.com/o93z5Kj2dO  RPG Enjoyer  (@BasedRPG) August 21, 2024

Others were impressed with Obamas comedic skills.

Ok this is a perfect comedic delivery. pic.twitter.com/7ZOUaG9j19  Jason Kander (@JasonKander) August 21, 2024

The joke quickly went viral, though there was some debate over whether Obama actually was joking about Trumps physical attributes, his obsession with crowd sizes, or his trademark use of accordion hands when he tells a story.

While making a Dick joke, Obama also mocked trumps patented accordion playing. Now Every time trump plays the the accordion everyone remembers the Dick joke. https://t.co/753MVr4YAE  @revbug.bsky.social (@RevBug) August 21, 2024

Uh, uh... I'm aware I'm a degenerate and may misread things as such, but err... did Obama just use his hands to gesture that Trump has a tiny dick while mocking him for being obsessed with crowd size? Cause uh, I'm writing that into the historical record regardless.  Reverend Aiden (@SweetFnLucifer) August 21, 2024

Every time Trump does *accordion hands* from now on, which is always, the audience will associate it with this Obama joke. It was brilliant.  Suz Bee (@SuzBee599785) August 21, 2024

However, dick joke was the trending term on X, formerly Twitter, over crowd size joke or accordion joke.

Still, some people had questions, like how long Obama practiced the hand gesture.

I need to know how much did he rehearse that in front of the bathroom mirror.  Carlos A. Sainz Caccia  (@sainzcaccia) August 21, 2024

Many people  especially those in the mainstream media  seem to clutch their pearls over the bit.

Obama actually framed the need for grace in a really powerful way, and dedicated 5-10 minutes of his speech to bridging divides. But he couldnt help but make a dick joke so thats all were gonna hear about for 24 hours.  Isaac Saul (@Ike_Saul) August 21, 2024

Smh@jaketapper is such a fucking giant man baby



Love how Anderson yeeted him the fuck off the air when he tried to bait him into a cryfest over the Obama dick joke pic.twitter.com/bEtF05VTPI  T. Fisher King (@T_FisherKing) August 21, 2024

Obama lambasting Trump for how childish he is, and literally not even one sentence later makes a dick joke. You can't write this stuff.  Jordan (@therealjomjohns) August 21, 2024

War criminal Obama made a small-dick joke about Trump during his DNC speech on the national stagewhile most Americans are suffering/strugglingand the cultist Blue Maga crowd is gleefully celebrating it like hes some hero.



What fucking world are we in?  Kamala Harris is a Genocidal Cop (@joleekirk) August 21, 2024

Others suggested fair is fair considering how Trump promoted the false birther conspiracy against Obama.

Barack did a dick joke on live TV at the #DNC2024CHICAGO.



The Obamas truly give 0 F's.



And you know what? Good for them. Trump promoted the racist birther conspiracy, Republicans ran with it, and forced Obama to produce his birth certificate.



Let them humiliate Donald.  Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) August 21, 2024

One person noted that Trumps political career reportedly began in earnest after Obama brutally roasted him at the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner, and thought Tuesdays speech was a fitting bookend.

Remember, it was Obama gently ribbing Trump at the correspondents dinner that started all this. Now a dick joke might finish it, one X user wrote.

remember, it was Obama gently ribbing Trump at the correspondents dinner that started all this. Now a dick joke might finish it. https://t.co/Tvwj5DuecD  Cooper S. Beckett (@CooperSBeckett) August 21, 2024

Related...
Well, so long, London. After eight nights of being taken over by thousands of crying teenage girls decked out in cowboy hats, sequin dresses and friendship bracelets, Wembley Stadium has finally bid farewell to Taylor Swift.

Bowing out from the European leg of her record-shattering, headline-dominating Eras tour, Swift worked her usual magic to make a performance in front of 92,000 people feel as intimate as one taking place in a tiny venue. Its almost futile to describe the Eras tour as a pop concert, because it is so far ahead of anything being offered by any other artist; a three-hour victory lap through two decades of hits, yes, but also a space where girls (and boys) can love, laugh and be themselves.

The events of the past few weeks  when three little girls were killed at a Swift-themed dance class in Southport, and a run of her concerts in Vienna, Austria were cancelled because of a foiled terrorist plot  inevitably placed the emotional power of the tour into even sharper focus. Here was a performer giving everything, and a crowd of thousands, refusing to succumb to hate or fear, giving everything back.

It might be considered embarrassing in a national newspaper to admit that I found myself weeping a total of three times, but here we are: the mass singalongs, the secret clues and fan-made extra lyrics, the dance routines and standing ovations Theyre all testament to Swifts special relationship with her fans. Sixteen years of following her career later, Im still constantly surprised by just how moving her shows are.

Taylor Swift's near two-year tour moves on to Miami next - GETTY IMAGES

When Swift kicked off the Eras tour in Arizona last March, it was nothing more than your usual pop tour  albeit the first time the 34-year-old had performed live, solo, for five years. But fast forward 17 months, to this hazy London summer night in August, and it is an unprecedented colossus that has earned more than a billion dollars, smashed attendance records, provoked political and diplomatic debates from the US to Thailand and, above all, cemented Swift as the most important performer of her generation.

She was introduced by regular support act Paramore (led by Hayley Williams) as well as special guest Raye  the latter a tour de force of charisma, confidence and sheer talent; surely, after the year shes had (a record number of Brit Award wins for her excellent album 21st Century Blues) shes already nailed on to do the next Bond theme.

Swifts opening segment, meanwhile, themed around her Lover album, saw her tearfully declare: You made me the first solo artist to play Wembley stadium eight nights on a solo tour.

After Lover came the unrelentingly upbeat teenage-optimism of her first Grammy winner, Fearless, containing the perennial country gems You Belong With Me and Love Story, before a quick stop at Red  complete with an emotional rendition of her greatest song, the 10-minute opus All Too Well, positively brimming with feminine rage  and her third album Speak Now, consisting solely of fairytale-like ballad Enchanted.

Her lockdown albums, Folklore and Evermore, offered the opportunity to admire Swifts skills as not just a songwriter but a storyteller, while 1989  the synth-pop album that made her name with hits such as Shake It Off, Blank Space and Style  garnered singalongs so loud you caught yourself absentmindedly phoning your doctor for an emergency hearing appointment.

Although the nights main rumour  that Swift would announce the re-recording of Reputation  didnt come to fruition, a shriek-worthy highlight came when she brought Florence Welch, of Florence + the Machine, on stage to sing their song Florida!!! (from The Tortured Poets Department) for the first time.

As any Swiftie knows, the highlight of the set comes from the surprise (or acoustic) song section. Having already brought out Welch, she decided to go one step further by welcoming Jack Antonoff  her close friend, super-producer and Bleachers frontman  to the stage for a heart-tugging mashup of Death By A Thousand Cuts and Getaway Car.

Taylor Swift on stage with Jack Antonoff - Getty

Once those two songs  and the third surprise, the elegiac So Long, London (penned for her ex-boyfriend, the actor Joe Alwyn)  were performed, nobody cared that Reputation was to live another day in the one day department. After the show, a new music video for I Can Do It With A Broken Heart (complete with behind-the-scenes footage from the tour that seemed to tease a forthcoming documentary) shown on the big screen delighted the fans whod stuck around until the very end.

If you dont get Swift, I urge you this: go to the Eras tour. Even for those unfamiliar with her music, it can serve as a joyous celebration of togetherness and female success. And for those of us who know every album inside out, and have grown up alongside her? Well, all Ill say is that youll be a blubbering wreck by the end of it.

Theres no other pop star on earth right now quite like Taylor Swift. See it for yourself (or watch it on Disney+ if a flight to Miami isnt on the cards)  and thank me later.

Taylor Swifts Eras tour arrives in Miami, Florida on October 18, and ends in Vancouver, Canada on December 8

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It's been yet another exciting earnings season for investors as megacap tech companies proved that the artificial intelligence (AI) train is moving full steam ahead.

One AI player in particular is yet to publish financial results for the second quarter. On Aug. 28, semiconductor specialist Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) will report earnings, and you can bet that bulls and bears all across Wall Street will be focusing on every last number the company produces.

Let's dive into what investors should look for and assess if now is a good time to buy shares of Nvidia.

What is Wall Street forecasting for Nvidia earnings?

Nvidia reports revenue in five categories: data centers, gaming, professional visualization, automotive, and original equipment manufacturing (OEM).

Each segment is connected to AI in some form or fashion, but the overwhelming majority of Nvidia's business stems from data centers. During the company's first quarter of fiscal 2025 (ended April 28), total revenue was $26 billion. Nearly 87% of that, or $22.7 billion, came from the data center business.

According to consensus analyst estimates, Wall Street is forecasting that second-quarter sales will be around $28.5 billion. Should Nvidia achieve this target, it would represent 111% growth year over year.

In the section below, I'll break down why I think Nvidia might blow away these estimates and explain some of that tailwinds that could be lifting its important data center operation.

Image source: Getty Images.

A good proxy for Nvidia

It's obvious that a common thread stitching the overall fabric of megacap tech right now is AI. But at a more granular level, AI's integration with cloud computing is a big movement within the technology industry at large.

The cloud computing landscape is dominated by Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet.

During the second quarter, each of these "Magnificent Seven" members revealed some interesting features. Namely, each is aggressively increasing investments in capital expenditures (capex).

AMZN Capital Expenditures (Quarterly) Chart

In the case of Amazon, the company's big initiative is an $11 billion investment into data centers in Indiana as part of a broader rollout to develop its own AI-powered chips. As for Microsoft, the company hasn't been shy about new investments in nuclear-powered data centers as the company seeks to double down on AI infrastructure in an energy efficient way.

During Alphabet's second-quarter earnings call, chief financial officer Ruth Porat said that capex spending was "driven overwhelmingly by investment in our technical infrastructure with the largest component for servers followed by data centers."

Story continues

Do you see the theme? All of Nvidia's cohorts are investing tens of billions of dollars into data center infrastructure, and the trends in the chart above suggest it won't be slowing down anytime soon.

Considering the bulk of Nvidia's revenue and profits comes from data center services and the company's sophisticated graphics processing units (GPU), I see the rising capex patterns from others in big tech as a good proxy for what's to come for Nvidia.

Should you buy Nvidia stock before Aug. 28?

AI emerged as the hottest ticket in the tech realm toward the end of 2022 when OpenAI released ChatGPT.

In the chart below, you can see how Nvidia stock reacted following a series of earnings reports since the beginning of last year. The earnings report dates are annotated by the purple circles with "E" in the middle.

NVDA Chart

It's clear that Nvidia stock has risen considerably over the last 20 months or so. More specifically, the stock rarely dropped immediately following an earnings report, and when it did, the sell-off was brief.

To me, this helps validate that buying Nvidia stock either before or after its last several earnings reports ended in the same result: gains.

NVDA PE Ratio Chart

When it comes to valuation, Nvidia stock is less expensive today than it was a year ago on both a price-to-earnings (P/E) and price-to-free-cash-flow (P/FCF) basis. This compression in multiples has occurred because the company's profits and cash flow are actually rising faster than its sales, a sign of an incredibly healthy and powerful operation.

Given the trends from its Magnificent Seven peers noted above, I'm cautiously optimistic that Nvidia could experience yet another impressive quarter. For these reasons, it might be a good idea to buy some shares now because history suggests Nvidia stock could be headed for further gains.

But I wouldn't get too caught up in the exact timing. If you prefer to analyze the earnings report first and then decide to buy the stock, perhaps you'll be investing at a slightly higher valuation. Given the trends in the earnings chart, I'm confident that gains will still be on the horizon for long-term investors whether or not they buy Nvidia stock before Aug. 28.

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Should You Buy Nvidia Stock Before Aug. 28? was originally published by The Motley Fool
UW-Madison grad Jenn Tran met the families of her final four men on 'The Bachelorette' this week. How'd it go? And, who did she send home?

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "The Bachelorette" Season 21 episode 7, which aired on ABC on Aug. 19, 2024.

While meeting potential future in-laws can be nerve-wracking, that's what Jenn Tran had to do not once, not twice, not thrice, but FOUR times on this week's episode of "The Bachelorette."

That's right, it was hometowns. Tran, a University of Wisconsin-Madison alum, traveled across the country to meet her remaining four suitors' loved ones.

There were breakthroughs. There were reservations. And, there was a Karen. No literally, Jeremy's mom's name is Karen.

Ultimately, one fella told Tran he loved her, and the other three expressed they're falling for her. But alas, she had to narrow her pack down to three.

Next week will bring not one, but two new episodes: Overnights and fantasy suites  which Tran predicts will "change everything"  plus the always highly anticipated "Men Tell All."

But before all that happens, here's a recap of how the hometown dates went down and who was sent home:

'The Bachelorette' Jenn Tran traveled to Houston for Devin's hometown visit

Devin introduced Jenn Tran to his running club  and his other woman

Just like a scene from a movie, Tran ran to Devin and he swept her off her feet  literally.

It wasn't long before they were infiltrated by Devin's running club, Good Guys Run Club, which gave Tran a warm welcome. The group sported matching blue T-shirts with the couple's faces on them surrounded by red hearts and the words "Jenn & Devin Love Run."

"Do you guys call him Pete Davidson, too?" Tran asked the group. They liked that one.

After Tran and Devin shirted up, too, they took off with the group.

The club had been a "saving grace" for Devin, and running daily has since become one of his favorite hobbies.

"Running through Houston with my run club and Jenn, it's probably the best feeling I've ever had," Devin said in a cutaway. "It's amazing. And, I just feel nothing but pure bliss in this moment. It's an almost surreal experience."

As the group came to a bridge, the couple stopped to share a kiss as the rest ran past them, cheering.

Post-run, the club's members started throwing them softballs: What was the sweetest thing Devin had done for Tran thus far? What's Devin's favorite trait of Tran's?

"He's been really good at just understanding me, and when I'm having a bad day, he's just there for me, which is hard to find," Tran said.

Devin said Tran accepts him for who he is "100%."

After parting ways with the group, Devin had someone else for Tran to meet ... the other woman in his life. His doggo, Charlie! Tran loved watching her man be a "girl dad."

As the couple sat on a picnic blanket in the park, Devin gave Tran a heads-up that his dad  who he's had a tumultuous relationship with  was going to meet up with them later that day with the rest of Devin's family.

"Despite what I've gone through with my father in my life, I couldn't get married or get engaged without his opinion," he told Tran.

'I love her. I love her. I love her': Devin introduces Jenn Tran to his family

As Tran and Devin approached the house, giant lawn letters spelled out: "Welcome home Devin" and "Howdy Jenn"  an adorable surprise from Devin's mom.

Having not introduced a gal to his family in a decade, Devin was "scared" and warned Tran that he'd have to lean on her.

"You can always lean on me," she comforted him with a hug.

Once they got inside, many more hugs would follow. Devin's crew consisted of his mom, dad, stepdad, brother and grandparents. With how "unconventional" Devin says his family is, Tran said, it meant so much for them to come together to support them.

Devin's dad, Temo, pulled his son aside to see how he's feeling while Tran and Devin's mom, Jennifer, got to chatting.

"I told her I'd fallen in love with her, but I'm pretty sure I love her at this point," Devin told his dad. "And, I'm not scared to say that to you. I'm scared as hell to say that to her. She is a person that I do see the rest of my life with."

But, Devin is apprehensive about telling Tran he loves her out of fear she'll tell someone else she loves them, too.

When Jennifer asked Tran what makes her son special, Tran brought up his emotional intelligence, confidence and how he's fully himself.

Tran let Jennifer know that she relates to their "not the most traditional" family, having divorced parents and no relationship with her father.

"Devin and I just shared a lot of similarities in how we felt about the way we grew up and what we've learned from it," Tran said. "And, he's spoken so highly of you."

While Jennifer was a single mom for a while and didn't always have the best relationships, she said, she put her focus on her kids and eventually found her love story with Devin's stepdad. Jennifer's resilience and optimism reminded her of her own mom.

When Jennifer asked Tran if she's falling for Devin, Tran let her know that the two had already expressed that they are indeed falling for each other.

"I feel so strongly for him and can really see a future with him," Tran told her.

Worried her son could get his heart broken, Jennifer said she hopes Tran sees Devin as a "shining star" among the other contenders. While Jennifer could see Tran as part of her family, she said in a confessional, she expressed concern with three other gentlemen still in the picture.

Following the conversation, Devin sought "motherly advice" from, well, his mom.

"I've been to places with this girl in my heart and in my soul that I've never been with anyone else," Devin told Jennifer. But, he "can't stand" that other guys are still in the running.

When Jennifer asked where he's at with the "L" word, without hesitation, Devin replied: "I love her. I love her. I love her." This is the first time he's ever been in love "for real," he revealed.

"Don't hold back," Jennifer advised him. "I think you need to tell her that you love her, and especially because there are other guys involved. You're not going to be The One if you don't."

Did he take that advice? Yep, almost immediately, actually.

After saying goodbye to Devin's loved ones, he and Tran had a debrief outside.

"I love you. I love you, Jenn," he said. "I need you to know that, OK?"

While Tran didn't say it back, she did assure Devin that she's falling so hard for him and that her feelings had grown exponentially after the day they shared.

"I want you to know that I really do see a future with you," she told him as the two began passionately making out.

"I've never been this happy with a woman," Devin said in a confessional. "And, I feel like I could get everything I've ever wanted in my life."

'The Bachelorette' Jenn Tran traveled to Fairfield, Connecticut, for Jeremy's hometown date

Jeremy took Jenn Tran to 'the wildest grocery store'

Having already been to two markets during their short time together, why not make it a third?

Jeremy took Tran to Stew Leonard's, which she described as "the wildest grocery store." There were animatronic avocados, farm animals, singing milk cartons and more. The two shared lots of laughs, sweets and a lobster roll (they totally "Lady and the Tramp" spaghetti-ed it).

"This place is very nostalgic to me," Jeremy said in a cutaway. "It would be fun to think maybe our kids could come here one day."

Just like Jeremy made a bouquet for Tran on a previous date, she made one for his mom. How sweet is that?

Jeremy's family seemed skeptical of their fun-filled relationship

When Tran and Jeremy stepped into his family's home, they were greeted by his mom, stepdad, sisters and his older sister's fiance. Tran would quickly see where he gets his sense of humor from, which she's such a fan of.

When Tran was named "The Bachelorette" and described what she's looking for in a partner, "that is not Jeremy," Karen said in a confessional.

Emily quickly pulled Tran aside to get the lowdown on why she's interested in her brother.

"We always have such a good time together," Tran told Emily. "We have the best laughs together. So, it's been really great to have somebody like that and to feel so myself. There's something really special there."

But, since they hadn't yet expressed their feelings for each other, Tran said, she didn't know where exactly Jeremy's head was at.

"Do you think that Jeremy's ready for everything that's coming at the end of this?" Tran asked Emily.

Given the quick timeline of their relationship, Emily was unsure if her brother would be ready for an engagement. But, she did think her brother would want a partner who makes him happy and fulfilled in life.

Ehh, probably not exactly the response Tran was hoping for.

Alone with Jeremy afterward, Emily asked if he saw a future with Tran.

"Yeah, I do," he said. "We'll see how the next few weeks go. But, I've just never been so happy around someone and been like myself, which I did not expect coming into this. But, it happened. So, I couldn't ask for anything else."

When Emily informed her brother that Tran thinks he has some walls up, Jeremy was shocked.

When Karen had some alone time with her son, she wanted to get to the bottom of whether or not he and Tran ever had serious convos. Jeremy said he didn't feel the need to rush that and expected it would just come up naturally.

"Do you feel like you know her well enough that this is the person you want to spend the rest of your life with?" she asked. Its not a game, its not a show, its your life.

Jeremy said he and Tran both only want to get engaged and married once. And, while Tran is seeing other guys, Jeremy said, she likes him the most. Spoiler alert: This won't age well ...

Im skeptical just because I dont even know if its love, Karen said in a confessional. Because I dont know they really discussed how they feel.

When Karen and Tran were alone, she wanted to know how her son stands out from her other suitors. And, if their bond goes beyond the fun they have together.

He wouldnt be here if I didnt think he could be a life partner for me, Tran told her.

Then, Tran hit her with the same question she had asked Emily earlier. Does she think Jeremy is ready for an engagement?

If you gotta keep asking, you probs already know the answer.

I just met you, so it has a lot to do with you as a couple, Karen told Tran. I think if it was the right person, he could be ready. But like, I dont know how you two really are together.

Also not quite what Tran wanted to hear, obviously.

On a bench outside, Tran went ahead and asked Jeremy the question of the hour. Is he ready for an engagement? With the right person, yes, he confirmed.

I am falling for you, he said. I just love being with you, genuinely.

While that was the big step Tran was looking for with Jeremy, his family being so skeptical that day left her feeling uneasy.

The Bachelorette Jenn Tran travels to San Diego for Jonathons hometown date

Playing lacrosse and going deep

Since Jonathon and Tran both played lacrosse during college, thats what he wanted to do with her.

He pulled out all the stops, including matching jerseys. Trans had her actual number on it  nice touch.

With her partner getting to see this side of her, Tran felt excited and at peace. She envisioned the two of them spending Saturdays playing the sport with their future kids.

As the two took a water, err champagne, break, they talked about the walls he built up after being lied to in a past relationship.

I just want to help you break through that and get to that trust with me and get to a point where you do feel comfortable in sharing everything, Tran told him.

He doesnt want to tell her he loves her without fully feeling it and being able to tell her why, he shared.

Jonathon's mom could 'absolutely' see her son ending up with Jenn Tran

I didnt really believe the saying, When you know, you know, until I met, Jonathons sister-in-law Emily said, pointing to her husband.

Emily and Jonathons brother, Zach, had a rapid romance of their own.

They said I love you on their third date and moved in together two weeks later. Theyve now been together for seven years, married for four.

How did you know? Tran asked her.

Emily gave the most-acceptable answer: Zachs dance moves.

When Emily and Zach sat down with Tran, Zach  being protective of his brother  asked if she's falling for any of the other guys. While Tran said yes, she assured him she wouldnt be with Jonathon if she didnt feel their relationship was strong.

Does that mean you feel like you can let yourself fall in love with him? Do you feel that way? Zach pressed.

That brought a smile to her face. While its scary, she said, she thinks theyre on the cusp of that.

Later, Jonathons mom, Lisa, told Tran that the two seem quite smitten with each other. But, she wanted to make sure her son is a true contender.

"I wouldn't be here if he wasn't," Tran let Lisa know. "And, I mean that wholeheartedly. Every moment is just making our relationship stronger and stronger. And, that's why it's giving me so much hope for the future."

But, while they've laid good groundwork, Tran said, it's challenging since he's holding back a bit.

Kristy, Jonathon's sister, advised him to play big to win big. "Don't hold back if this is what you want," she said.

That was what Jonathon needed to hear. And, his mom brought it home.

Jonathan asked if Tran is the person his mom sees him with long-term. "Honestly, absolutely," Lisa said.

But, if he doesn't put all his feelings out there, she warned, he'll always wonder if he should have.

"My family said to lean in and take a chance, put it all out there and listen to my gut," Jonathon said in a confessional. "That's what this is all about."

Afterward, on a bench outside, Jonathon told Tran that his family loved her and he loves so much about her, too.

"Jennifer Tran, I am falling for you," he said. And, she said it back!

'The Bachelorette' Jenn Tran visits Tacoma, Washington, for Marcus' hometown date

While the other hometowns featured a solo date followed by meeting the family, Marcus combined it all into one.

Before they headed into a party with his loved ones, Marcus reminded Tran that "they're going to love you." Marcus was quickly impressed by how "seamlessly" Tran fit in with his sister and friends.

Marcus pulled Scott, a parental figure and mentor, aside to help him unpack how he truly feels about Tran. "I think I'm kind of stuck somewhere between really, really liking someone and loving them," he said.

Scott said no one will analyze it more than Marcus, and hopes he comes to "the right realization."

Marcus' other parental figure and mentor, Sue, asked Tran if she thought engagement was on the table with Marcus.

"I definitely see Marcus as someone that I could have a future with," Tran said. "I think he'd make a great husband. I think he'd make a great father."

But, with Marcus liking to take relationships slower, Tran said, they hadn't expressed their feelings for each other yet.

When Tran was one-on-one with Gabriella  who Marcus previously called the "most important person" in his life  she asked what makes her brother stand out.

"Marcus and I, I think, have a connection that I can't really describe fully," Tran said.

Since their first one-on-one date, he had been opening up to her about everything he's been through in his life. She really cares for him, she said, but can't tell how much he feels for her.

"With Jenn, I can feel that her heart is pure and that she is truly looking for love," Gabriella said in a confessional. But, she doesn't want her brother getting hurt, especially with the trauma he's already experienced.

"Do you love him?" Gabriella asked, point blank.

While Tran can picture herself in love with Marcus, she's been holding back because she's scared, she said holding back tears.

"I care very strongly for your brother," Tran said. "I'm definitely falling in love with him and I think that I get scared because I also don't want to get my heart broken."

When Gabriella saw her brother walk in with Tran, she felt their connection and had never seen that smile on his face before.

"I genuinely think that he's happy in this," Gabriella said.

"That makes me really happy to hear," Tran said as the two embraced one another.

Later, when Gabriella gave Marcus her stamp of approval, he opened up to her about how the speed of everything is making him get in his own way.

"It could be the best thing if you just let that guard down and let it in," Gabriella told him. "It's all scary, love is scary. But, it's definitely worth it at the end of the day."

Tran said she could see herself being a part of Marcus' family, who loved her.

"I want you to know that I am falling for you," Marcus said. "I know that because of just how happy you make me. And, I hope that today meant as much for you as it meant for me."

The feeling was mutual.

Though, when he returned to California and met up with the other guys, Marcus expressed that he's having reservations and feels behind.

Who was eliminated during the rose ceremony after 'The Bachelorette' hometown dates?

Jeremy.

Who did 'The Bachelorette' Jenn Tran choose as her top three?

Devin, Jonathon and Marcus.

How to watch 'The Bachelorette' Season 21

Next week, "The Bachelorette" will air an episode on Monday and Tuesday night on ABC. Episodes stream on Hulu the day after they air.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bachelorette Jenn Tran hometowns with final four men, Jeremy sent home
Haraz Coffee House, a Yemeni coffee shop franchise, is coming to Milwaukee's east side.

Franchise co-owner Hasan Abuasi hopes to open the coffee shop in the early months of 2025 at 2900 N. Oakland Ave.

Haraz Coffee House has 15 locations open and 126 locations under development nationwide.

Abuasi said he hopes to make the coffee shop a place for community to gather, rather than a place to quickly grab coffee and go.

"We're trying, as much as we can, to add as much seating as we can," Abuasi said. "It encourages people to stay."

The 1,690-square-foot business will be in The Eastsider apartment complex.

The menu will include coffee made with beans only from Yemen. The drinks will be named based on the region that's the source of the beans.

"A lot of coffee shops end up selling specific coffee. A lot of it is repetitive and the same," Abuasi said. "With this (coffee shop), there's a lot of different variety. ... You'll find it's not just as simple as dark roast or Americano. There's a lot of different unique flavors."

Abuasi, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee graduate, said he was inspired to open the coffee shop after seeing people of all backgrounds flocking to Yemeni coffee shops Qmaria and Qahwah House and wanted to bring something similar to Milwaukee.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Yemeni coffee franchise coming to Milwaukee's east side in 2025
It was a scene out of a horror movie. There was no sound, the air was deadly still, and the putrid smell of rotting eggs wouldnt go away. Bodies of people and animals lay motionless in several villages near Lake Nyos. In August 1986, hundreds of people died suddenly in one of the rarest geological events of the modern era.

Background

Lake Nyos is a 1.9km long and 200m deep crater lake located in northwestern Cameroon. Between 9 pm and 10 pm on Aug. 21, 1986, villagers in the valley heard a strange rumbling noise. Those closest to the lake itself described a bubbling noise. Then, white smoke started to emerge from the lake and travel northwards. Then, people and animals suddenly dropped dead, killed by a silent assailant. The cloud is called a mazuku, a deadly blanket of carbon dioxide.

Around 1,800 people died, all living in the affected towns of Nyos, Cha, Fang, Mashi, and Subum. Most residents were farmers. About 3,500 livestock also perished. Insects stopped making sounds. It was as if time stood still. The lake water was usually a brilliant blue color, but after the eruption, it turned reddish-brown.

A rescue team did not arrive until 36 hours later. Assisted by the Cameroon military, everyone had to wear protective gear and oxygen tanks. Sadly, the dead could not receive individual funerals, so mass graves were dug.

A dead cow from the Lake Nyos disaster. Photo: Jack Lockwood/USGS

The aftermath and effects varied. The survivors (four in Nyos and around 5,000 in the general area) were all in comas that ranged from six to 36 hours. They reported falling unconscious and waking up dazed. They escaped death because they lived on higher ground.

Some had respiratory issues, which cleared up soon after. Women suffered miscarriages; others had pneumonia. Some committed suicide after seeing the horror or losing family members. Pictures of the dead bodies also contained big lesions caused by low levels of oxygen.

Limnic eruption

The disaster at Lake Nyos is an example of a limnic eruption, also called a gas eruption. It happens when a lake, typically a volcanic crater lake, instantaneously releases a large amount of dissolved gases.

In this case, Lake Nyos primarily contained carbon dioxide with traces of sulfur dioxide. This gas release can occur when pressure builds up at the lakes bottom from geothermal activity.

When the pressure becomes too great, gas rapidly escapes to the surface and forms a dense, toxic cloud. The cloud can blanket the ground, displacing oxygen and asphyxiating people and animals. It does not seem to affect plant life.

Lake Kivu has the potential for a devastating limnic eruption. Photo: ondraphototravel/Shutterstock

Two other dangerous lakes

Lake Nyos is not the only incident. Just 100km away, Lake Monoun erupted on Aug. 15, 1984, killing 37 people. Lake Nyos erupted almost exactly two years later.

Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun are two of three lakes in Africa that experience these types of eruptions. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the third lake, Lake Kivu, expels not just carbon dioxide but also methane and hydrogen sulfide. Though it has not erupted catastrophically like the other two, scientists worry that it has the potential to release over 300 cubic kilometers of carbon dioxide and 60 cubic kilometers of methane, according to journalist Nicola Jones of Nature.

Though companies commercially extract methane from the lake, volcanic activity can trigger a limnic eruption at any time. In 2021, there was a scare when Mount Nyiragongo erupted and triggered small amounts of gas to emerge from the lake. A volcanic crater lake in Italy called Lake Albano also has the potential to have a limnic eruption.

In Russia, the Valley of Geysers is located in the super-active Kamchatka region. Locals refer to an adjacent low-lying area as the Valley of Death because heavier-than-air carbon dioxide can blanket the ground and kill wildlife. While the Valley of the Geysers is a tourist spot (its the second-largest geyser field on Earth, after Yellowstone), the nearby Valley of Death is understandably off-limits.

The Valley of the Geysers, top, and the Valley of Death, below.

The Valley of the Geysers, top, and the Valley of Death, below, in Kamchatka, Russia. Both: Jerry Kobalenko

How it happened

Anaesthetic concentrations of carbon dioxide [was] formed as the gas mixed with air during its flow into the valleys, explained the official study written by Peter J. Baxter et al.

Furthermore, on this calm night, the gas collected in hollows and would stay there until the winds or solar heat dispersed it. Although the initial cloud that erupted from the lake was an estimated 50-100m thick, it is unclear how thick the blanket that settled upon the villages was.

But why are these lakes concentrated in one region? Lake Nyos is not a very old lake, possibly just a few hundred years old. Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun are in the Oku Volcanic Field, part of a 1,600km-long chain of volcanoes that runs from Nigeria and Cameroon in the mainland to the southernmost island of Annobon.

Lake Kivu lies in the East Africa Rift Valley, which is notorious for its highly active and dangerous volcanic formations. The regions volcanism is due to the split between the African and South American plates over 100 million years ago.

Thirty-seven people died in the first limnic eruption, at Lake Monoun above. Photo: Prosper Mekem/Wikipedia Commons

A bubble of CO2

According to NASA, Lake Nyos sits on the edge of an inactive volcano and a pocket of magma. Carbon dioxide from that magma slowly percolates through Earths crust with the groundwater and accumulates in the bottom of the lake, states NASA. Eventually, the gas becomes too concentrated, and a bubble of CO2 bursts from the lake.

What triggered the eruption? Most likely a landslide or a small earthquake. This would have released carbon dioxide, which accumulated to over 10%.

So why carbon dioxide? Why wasnt it mixed with the usual volcanic gases  sulfur dioxide, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen chloride, and carbon monoxide? While water tests showed that the accumulated gas was almost completely carbon dioxide, the rotten egg or gunpowder smell after the eruption suggests that very small amounts of sulfur dioxide might have been present. However, when carbon dioxide is saturated in water, it also gives off this unpleasant smell.

Prevention

To prevent a recurrence, measures were implemented to manage the buildup in Lake Nyos. At first, scientists considered blowing up the lake with a bomb. Instead, they opted for a gradual degassing of the lake.

In 2001, French engineers installed degassing pipes to release the trapped gases in a controlled manner. A plastic tube reached 203m down and conducted the gas safely into the atmosphere. Authorities installed two more pipes in 2011. They did not want to take any chances with Lake Monoun, so they installed three pipes there as well.

They also relocated several communities and have tried to discourage those who wish to return to the lake decades later. Apparently, the lake is still toxic. However, residents claim that this is their ancestral land, and they prefer to bear the risk.

The post The 1986 Deadly Gas Blanket From Lake Nyos appeared first on Explorersweb.
How to avoid the worst of jet lag and maximize your travel time

LONDON (AP)  It's the bane of many travelers: jet lag. Nobody wants to lose out because they're too tired to enjoy the delights of their vacation spot.

Here are some tips on how to handle jet lag, wherever you might end up.

What is jet lag?

Scientists define jet lag as the effect on the human body of traveling across different time zones. Our bodies have biological clocks programmed into almost every cell in the body, according to Sofia Axelrod, who studies circadian rhythms at Rockefeller University in New York.

The clock is set by the 24-hour light and dark pattern, Axelrod said. Every morning when we wake up, specialized (light) receptor cells in our retina receive a daylight signal, which is transmitted to the brain and from there, the whole body.

When we travel to another time zone, our eyes receive the daylight signal at a different time than usual, causing our internal clocks to reset. But that process can take awhile  and its during that adjustment period that we feel the effects of jet lag.

Is jet lag preventable?

Yes, but that can come at a cost. Malcolm von Schantz, a professor who specializes in circadian rhythms at Northumbria University in Newcastle, said that flying in premium cabins where travelers can stretch out and properly rest, can ward off sleep deprivation, but he acknowledges that isn't an option for most people. Still, he said that timing your flights can help. For example, he suggests flying from Europe to North America during the day, so that its evening when passengers land and they can get a proper nights sleep.

If you take the evening flight instead, youll be woken up at midnight to be served breakfast and land an hour or two later, when both jet lag and sleep deprivation will hit you hard and simultaneously, he said.

Von Schantz also said flying in newer models with a lighter frame, like the Airbus A350 or Boeing 787 Dreamliner, would help. Thats because those planes can maintain a more comfortable cabin atmosphere, which should help travelers feel less worn out by the end of their flights.

What should you do when you arrive?

Experts say getting exposure to sunlight is critical to resetting your internal body clock. That can mean either avoiding morning sun or deliberately seeking it out, depending on where youve travelled from. Getting light in the morning will advance your body clock, while light exposure in the early evening will delay it. Naps are OK, but scientists warn against taking long siestas later in the day, as that might compromise your ability to sleep through the night.

Are there supplements or medicines that might help?

Melatonin, a hormone that the brain naturally produces when the body thinks its night, can be helpful. But its not available everywhere and in some countries like the U.K. and France, a prescription is required. Von Schantz of Northumbria University said that one of the advantages of melatonin is that you can start taking it before your journey, to reset your internal clock quicker.

If youre in a part of the world where melatonin is available over the counter, you can combine the effects of light and melatonin to achieve the advance or delay (in your body clock) that you need, he said.

What can you do to deal with the effects of jet lag?

Business travelers might want to consider arriving a day or two ahead of any important meetings or events, said Russell Foster of Oxford University, who has authored a book on circadian rhythms.

You should just be aware that if youre jet-lagged, youre more likely to make unwise decisions, be less empathetic and unable to multitask, he said.

Tourists might not need to be as alert as business travelers, but they should still be careful, he said. He advises tourists to get caught up on their sleep before doing anything potentially risky or that requires concentration, like driving.

Foster said he tries to maximize his light exposure when he arrives at a new destination to offset jet lag. But he also has a fallback strategy: coffee.

Im not suggesting its an ideal thing to do, but caffeine will help override the sleepiness and cognitive impairment you might be feeling as a result of jet lag, he said.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
NEWMARKET  The popular Basil Leaf Thai Cuisine at 80 Main Street is temporarily closed, for a heartfelt reason.

Owners Cy and Amphan Pannolad have shuttered their restaurant until Sept. 20 to make an 8,200-mile journey back to their homeland of Laos to reunite with family and honor the memory of Amphans mother.

I want to go see my mom, she passed away three months ago, said Amphan. I (managed) to talk to her before she died.

The Pannolads were also the first refugees to arrive to Newmarket in April 1981 after fleeing their country and spending almost a year in refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines.

The Pannolads have called Newmarket their home since 1981. The couple said they were the towns first Laotian residents and its first refugees.

The last time the couple visited their home country was five years ago.

From Laos to Newmarket, NH

Originally from Vientiane, the capital of Laos, Cy said their parents supported the Americans during the Vietnam War from the late 1960s to the early 1970s. After the war, when communists took control of Laos, those who had resisted, including the Pannolads parents and their children, were sent to re-education camps.

Cy was 20 at the time and said he knew then he wanted a better life.

I was thinking, I had to do something for myself  nobody was threatening me or anything in (the camp)  but as a young man I was looking for something good for me, Cy said.

Cy and a couple of his friends escaped from the camp, determined to cross the Mekong River and seek refuge in Thailand.

I saw a boat on the side of the river, and we just took it, he said. Some people were not as lucky.

Upon arriving in Thailand, Cy was placed in a United Nations-run refugee camp in Nong Khai.

Cy said that is where he met Amphan, and the two got married eight months later. He said they were later transferred to another camp on an island in the Philippines, where they learned to speak and write in English and got an opportunity to go to the U.S.

In a form, they asked what country do you want to be in, I said, United States. I want to go for work because my father worked for the Americans, he recalled. We got lucky, we got a sponsor from the United States  from Father Bruni and a lot of people in Newmarket are in support of the sponsor for me.

Couple found the 'American Dream' in Newmarket

Owner of Basil Leaf Thai Cuisine at 80 Main Street, Cy and Amphan Pannolad, will be closing their restaurant from Aug. 15 to Sept. 20 to visit their home country, Laos.

Cy said they were excited to come to the United States.

I was happy, excited, and scared because Im in a different world and (have to) speak a different language, Cy recalled of their journey from a refugee camp in the Philippines to the United States. It was just me and my wife, each of us had one bag of clothes, and that's it.

Cy said they made Newmarket their home and worked three decades in manufacturing, working as product line workers in factories in neighboring towns like Newfields, Barrington, and Portsmouth.

In 2021, the Pannolads took over Basil Leaf Thai Cuisine from a friend saying they wanted to try "something new."

"I love it. You (schedule) your own time, you get to see the customers eat and chat with them," said Cy. "You are your own boss."

A bittersweet homecoming

The Pannolads said their trip back to Laos this time is more than just to honor Amphan's mother. It's also an opportunity to spend time with family and reflect.

Cy said they are returning to their homeland as "visitors," citing Newmarket as their home. Having been in town for over four decades, the Pannolads raised their children here and have also become familiar faces to long-time residents of the town.

If I go back (to Laos) and stay for four to five weeks, the fourth week I will be like, Man, I want to go home, Cy said.

Looking back, the Pannolads said they are truly living the American Dream, citing that they have found themselves in Newmarket.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Basil Leaf Thai Cuisine owners' emotional trip home to Laos
Theres an expectation of elegance that comes with the hotel brand Four Seasons and the resort at Peninsula Papagayo in Costa Rica lives up to its reputation. Located on the north Pacific coast of Costa Rica beloved by the rich and famous for its privacy and exclusivity, I recently escaped into the serenity of this Guanacaste province. Heres how the resort takes the pura vida lifestyle Costa Rica is known for and elevates it for an experience of unmatched splendor.

Four Seasons Resort in Costa Rica.

Sleeping

There are a range of accommodations to choose from at Four Seasons Peninsula Papagayo, from standard guest rooms and suites to private villas and residences. If theres one guest room element thats a must, its a private terrace where you can take in the sun and sounds of the beautiful wildlife around you day and night. Enjoy room service in the furnished outdoor space, which is covered with a net to keep mosquitos and other elements of nature at bay, or within the spacious 600 sq ft room which also has a small table and two chairs perfectly designed for mid-day lounging. The ceiling fan in the room proved sufficient for keeping cool in the tropical climate, providing the perfect breeze to fall asleep to at nightnot to mention the comfort of the famous Four Seasons bed. And getting ready in the morning was a treat in the oversized marble bathroom with double sinks, a private toilet area, standing shower, and large soaking tub. Twice-daily housekeeping meant always returning to a neat, clean room.

A guest room at the Four Seasons Costa Rica.

Eating

There are two dishes Im still thinking about weeks after my return from the Four Seasons, the mushroom risotto at the Italian fine dining restaurant Pesce, and the crispy calamari at the outdoor Eastern Mediterranean eatery Virador Beach Club, whose design, beautiful by both daylight and candlelight, is inspired by architect Jorge Borja. On the way to my room from the gym or the spa, I loved stopping by the tapas bar Anejo for a light bite and a cocktailyou must try the signature mal de ojo. While Bahia, the all-day Latin grill, was my go-to for breakfast, particularly for its morning buffet.

Tapas bar Anejo.

Rejuvinating

If youre a spa regular, the treatments you receive might start to blend together after a while, but at this property, the combination of therapeutic expertise with ancestral rituals makes for an unforgettable and unique experience.

Upon arrival, I received a much-needed Travel Legs Recovery massage to undo the damage of a half-days journey to the location, and the next day, I had my first Hammam experience with a Cleansing Herbal Ceremony in a beautifully ornate silver and marble space that took the notion of pampering to a whole new level. In need of a mental refresh, I also booked a Gemstone Energy Balancing treatment which, through a mix of massage, hot stones, and crystal therapy helped me recenter from the inside out. Speaking of outside healing, the compliments Ive gotten on my skin since returning let me know the 60-minute Bespoke facial I booked, during which the aesthetician analyzes your skin and puts together a custom treatment according to your needs using products from the Parisian dermatological brand Biologique Recherche, was the right move.

The cleansing herbal ceremony room at the Four Seasons Costa Rica.

The internal work continued throughout my trip at the wellness shala, a picturesque open-air structure where visiting practitioners bring their own unique therapies to guests of the resort in curated workshops. Energetic designer and crystal healer Rashia Bell was at the property during my stay and proved to be more needed on my personal journey than I couldve anticipated, from the chakra energy yoga session that helped me open up my hipsthe area of the body where trauma is storedto a burning ceremony that allowed me to release the grief I was currently holding onto. A crystal healing and card reading session also provided me with tools to continue my own practice once I returned home, including the chakra stones my body most responded to during the experience.

Visiting practitioners bring their unique therapies to the wellness shala.

Note: If a simple sweat session is more your speed when it comes to wellness, you wont be disappointed with the fitness center on the premises. The two-floor space has every machine you could desire for cardio, toning, and rigorous weight training, plus an assortment of free weights and exercise equipment to stay on track while away from home.

Beaching

The beach is half the reason most of us go on vacation, and at Peninsula Papagayo you neednt take more than a few steps to bask in the sand. Book a private cabana at Virador Beach Club where you can eat, sleep, and soak your day away. The adults-only space also features an infinity-edge pool if you prefer temperature-controlled tranquil waters over the ocean.

The adults-only Viador Beach Club is perfect for guests who want to eat, sleep and soak the day away.

Food at Virador Beach Club.

The property has two other pools Bahia and Blanca situated amid lush greenery that still gives the feeling of being inside a private enclave. Complimentary fresh fruit and cold water keep you cool and hydrated in the heat, as resort attendants remain on standby for any needs you may have, including a fresh, tasty lunch.

Bahia is one of three pools at the Four Seasons Costa Rica.

At the Four Seasons Peninsula Papagayo, eco-friendly grandeur is the standard, and if youre looking for the best place to experience it in the Caribbean, look no further than this locale.

Looking for Luxury Elsewhere? Try These Destinations

S/O Paris: This newly opened property stands out for its stylish modern design juxtaposed against the historic architecture of Paris, making it a perfect location for young, trendy travelers.

Sofitel Mexico City Reforma: Enjoy high-end hospitality in the city center at this hotel which has a few hidden gems within its walls for lovers of history and Mexican culture.

Wakaya: Most everyday travelers only dream of vacationing on a private island, at Wakaya that fantasy can become a reality. The private resort and spa in Fiji offers guests a uniquely elevated experience that honors the environment around them and embraces the local indigenous culture.

Brande Victorian is a freelance writer, editor, producer and on-camera correspondent specializing in entertainment news and celebrity profiles. Shes currently a contributor for The Hollywood Reporter and has freelanced for Teen Vogue, Business Insider, and ESPN.com. Her former roles include Senior Entertainment Editor at ESSENCE magazine and the Content Director of the Womens Division at iOne Digital.

If you enjoy our perspective on travel and Black culture, please sign up for our newsletter. You should consider joining our travel club, too. Or maybe write a piece for us about your favorite destination. In other words, lets stay connected!

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The last time the Idaho Latino Fest took place was in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic threw society for a loop.

But now seems to be the right time to bring it back, said Ivan Melendez, executive director of the Idaho Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which is putting on the event.

The Hispanic population here in Idaho is growing, Melendez told the Statesman in a phone interview. We figure its time to put Latino Fest back on so people can enjoy themselves and celebrate their culture.

The event Saturday is free and open to everyone. Anyone who stops by Cecil D. Andrus Park from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. can enjoy music  performers include A.B. Quintanilla, brother of late renowned artist Selena  food from various countries and a cultural space with information on the various Hispanic nations.

Even though we all speak Spanish and we all are together here in the United States, we are very individual when it comes to culture, right? Melendez said. For example, he said, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are next to each other in the Caribbean but speak Spanish differently and have distinct cultures.

Melendez, who is Puerto Rican, said the goal is to celebrate Hispanic culture and make people feel welcome in the Gem State.

No matter how far we are from our motherland, were still here. We support each other, and were here to make this state also amazing, Melendez said. So we can have a little taste of home here.
A Haitian Vodou baptism ceremony on Dania Beach. Offerings at a Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, altar in Little Havana. A Muslim man praying inside Miamis oldest mosque.

These rituals in these places reflect the rich cultural and religious diversity of South Florida yet they are unseen or even unknown to most outsiders.

For the past three years, Little Haiti photographer Woosler Delisfort has traveled to church, temples, mosques and other sites across Miami-Dade and Broward to document these and many other intimate moments of spiritual connection.

They are scenes that make up a new exhibition, SANCTUARY: Our Sacred Place, that explores how South Florida worships, celebrates new life and grieves the death  with a particular focus on African and Caribbean populations. The show, which opens this Thursday at the HistoryMiami Museum, also follows the spiritual journey of Delisfort, a Haitian-American who grew up Catholic but began exploring Afro-Caribbean spirituality later in life.

Through photography, curated music and religious installations, the more than 100-piece exhibition provides a window into some of the lesser-known practices, including Haitian Vodou and La Regla de Lukumi, colloquially known as Santeria. The show aims to remove some of the stigma around Afro-Caribbean spiritual practices that are often misunderstood  even vilified in some circles, said Delisfort.

For so long, we have always had this negative perception when it comes down to African spirituality, regardless if its Haitian Vodou, Ifa, Lucumi, or Santeria, Delisfort said. When I began to document that, I really wanted to retell or reshape that story.

By including a wide array of religions that reflect Miamis African and Caribbean roots, the exhibition also aims to spark curiosity for those who may not be familiar, said co-curator Ireola Olaifa.

This gives an opportunity for us to now begin to be curious. I didnt know this was here in Miami. And how can I learn more?

Holy Water A Vodou baptism ceremony at Dania Beach is captured by Little Haiti photographer, Woosler Delisfort as a part of his new show SANCTUARY: Our Sacred Place which showcases religious origins of Afro-Caribbeans populations in Miami.







Demographically, South Florida is a coat of many colors. More than half of the countys population is foreign-born and almost 70 percent is Hispanic. Miami-Dade is also home to the second-largest population of Black immigrants in the United States, roughly 490,000, according to a recent study from Pew Research Center, with many coming from countries in the Caribbean.

With that diverse population of immigrants comes longstanding religious traditions. Sanctuary puts these traditions back on display.

Its about pushing back into the light some of the cultural aspects that have been pushed into the dark, Olaifa said.

Creating sacred spaces

The first steps of the Sanctuary exhibit are through a threshold constructed to look like a church, with faux-stained glass windows that read welcome. A large pillar stands in the center of one of the rooms, mirroring what youd find at a Vodou ceremony, where energies and spirits are believed to pass through the central pillar, or Poto-mitan in Creole.

In order to bring the vision of Sanctuary to life, Delisfort and the shows curators, Ireola Olaifa and Marie Vickles, invited religious practitioners to install multiple altars throughout the show. One altar, for example, installed by the Ameyal Mexican Cultural Organization, a group that helps showcase Mexican traditional culture, will contain pictures of real families to represent its significance of honoring ancestors.

Especially when it comes to the indigenous practices, altars are these centerpieces that help to channel different energies, whether it be ancestral or specific deity or Orisha, said Olaifa. So I think for [Delisfort] it was important to incorporate that visually, so that people could get a sense of the spaces that he was entering.

The exhibition kicks off Thursday night with an indigenous ceremony led by the Ameyal Institute, and will run until January 2025.

A Muslim man prays at Masjid Al-Ansar, South Floridas oldest mosque. The image was shot by Little Haiti photographer, Woosler Delisfort, and is a part of his new show called SANCTUARY: Our Sacred Place, which showcases the religious origins of Afro-Caribbeans populations in Miami.

The details are what make the show feel immersive, recreating the feeling of going to church or stepping into a holy place. The show also uses music, playlists of everything from Gospel choir music to African drumming, to help people feel like they are walking into a sanctuary.

There is not a single spiritual system that doesnt use music to invoke the kind of energy that that spiritual practice is tethered to, Olaifa said.

To add historical context, the exhibition also features a small selection of photos from the HistoryMiami museums Center for Photography collection, depicting spiritual practices from Miamis Black communities in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Delisfort was the first recipient of a fellowship with the museum that was created to support emerging photographers whose work documents Miamis BIPOC communities, said Christopher Barfield, HistoryMiami Director of Exhibitions.

What makes Sanctuary truly spectacular is the way Woosler has brought a diverse group of religious traditions together in one project to explore their depth of belief and spirituality, Barfield said.

Sanctuary highlights that fact that many religious traditions, regardless of their origins, have similar elements.

Some of the photo essays intertwine with each other. And I did that on purpose, because I want them to see that theres no difference, Delisfort said.

The idea of water, for example, plays a central part of Delisforts show. Whether its holy water used during a Catholic baptism ceremony or sacred water used during a Vodou baptism in the ocean, water is a major aspect of many religions.

In the exhibitions lead image, a Vodou priestess, or manbo, holds a newborn baby dressed in all white garments on the beach. The birth mother and spiritual mother stand together looking down at the child after her baptism, overlooking the ocean and the sunset.

Delisfort said the photo, which may be his favorite of the entire show, encapsulates the theme by depicting one of our very first sanctuaries  nature.

It tells the story of what sanctuary is, and thats something I really wanted to push. Theres multiple layers of sanctuary, and that sanctuary is all around us. Its just not one specific space.

Delisfort said he wants people to see themselves in the exhibition, while taking time to learn about other faith traditions.

They can remember being in a Haitian church, going by the ocean and doing a baptism, but also seeing a Vodou ceremony doing the exact same thing.

Offerings at a Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, altar in Little Havana are photographed by Little Haiti photographer, Woosler Delisfort. His new exhibition at HistoryMiami, called SANCTUARY: Our Sacred Place, showcases the religious origins of Afro-Caribbeans populations in Miami.

Part of my culture

For Delisfort, a self-taught documentary photographer and filmmaker, the exhibition is also a personal statement on his own spirituality. Delisfort was raised in a Catholic household, and though his family did not practice Vodou, he always understood it as a spiritual system that was central to his Haitian culture. He credits his familys openness as part of the reason why he was able to begin documenting the religion without judgment over 12 years ago.

With me, this is part of my tradition, its part of my culture, Delisfort said. My very first teacher never taught me that this is evil.

The history of Vodou is closely linked to the Haitian Revolution  one of the largest ever successful slave revolts in history  which gave birth to the independent Haitian nation, according to research by Haitian sociologist Laennec Hurbon.

It was practiced by the slaves as a way to restore individual identity and challenge European colonialism. The spiritual system, which has a large focus on different domains of nature (water, air, fire etc.), has roots in African religious and cultural traditions. It has been persecuted throughout history for having links to magic and witchcraft, a pejorative view that resurged during the American occupation of Haiti in the early 1900s.

There are, according to Delisfort, many people, including some in his extended family, who still view Vodou as an evil practice.

They might not come to the show, but they never looked down on me, he said. Im not here for debate, Im not here to push any belief.

Woosler Delisfort stand near the faux stainless windows as he reconnects with the spiritual spaces of African,and Caribbean communities, and Miamis Indigenous, by capturing moments of divine connection in temples, churches, mosques, and other spiritual spaces at the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park on Sunday, August 18, 2024, in Miami, Florida.

A key part of the creative process, Delisfort said, is taking time to learn about the different religions before showing up to document them.

Every practice that I document for the very first time, I come in as someone whos interested in the spirituality. I dont come in as a documentary photographer, so I dont even have my camera.

The process can take more time, maybe weeks of spending time with a subject before filming them, but Delisfort says its important to gaining trust.

By them seeing me like sitting down and participating in ceremony ... it gave them this openness, like okay, maybe he really wants to tell the story.

Central to Delisforts work is his connection with spiritual guides, specifically to the female leaders in his life. He credits his spiritual mother, a Vodou priestess named Mambo Ingrid, as the person who sparked initial interest in photographing Vodou ceremonies. Though he is not initiated, he often attends and participates in ceremonies with his spiritual sisters and friends.

All these women brought me back into spirituality, he said.

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: SANCTUARY: Our Sacred Place

WHERE: HistoryMiami Museum, 101 West Flagler Street Miami, FL 33130

WHEN: Opening night reception Thursday, August 22 at 7:00 p.m. Runs until January 2025

COST: Opening night is free. Other times, $15

This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
CHICAGO  Six people were shot, one fatally, Tuesday night in Back of the Yards.

Chicago police said just after 7:15 p.m., officers were sent to the 5100 block of South Ashland Avenue to investigate a shots fired call. When they arrived, they found multiple people who had been shot.

A witness told investigators that two suspects fired shots at five of the victims who were standing outside before fleeing the scene. Detectives added one of the victims, a 39-year-old man, was driving by when he was hit by the gunfire.

Chicago homicide suspect arrested after manhunt in Lake Barrington

According to police, a 46-year-old man was shot in the left torso and was pronounced dead at St. Bernard Hospital; a 51-year-old man was shot in the left foot and is in fair condition at Stroger Hospital; a 37-year-old man was shot multiple times throughout the body and is in fair condition at Stroger Hospital; a 44-year-old man was shot in the left leg and foot and is in critical condition at Stroger Hospital; a 46-year-old man was shot in the left foot and is in fair condition at Stroger Hospital; a 39-year-old man was shot in the left leg and is in good condition at the University of Chicago Hospital.

No arrests have been made and Area One Detectives are investigating.

Anyone with additional information may leave an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
(Reuters) - Analog Devices forecast fourth-quarter revenue and profit above Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, as it benefits from returning demand for its chips used in consumer electronics.

A decline in surplus chip inventory across sectors, including communication, consumer and industrial, has helped chipmakers see a recovery in orders after a years-long slump.

Analog Devices' consumer segment revenue rose 3% to $316.6 million in the third quarter, compared with analysts' average estimate of $289.3 million, according to LSEG data.

Shares of Wilmington, Massachusetts-based Analog Devices rose 1.3% in premarket trading after the company's third-quarter profit of $1.58 per share also beat LSEG estimates of $1.51.

The company now expects fourth-quarter revenue of $2.40 billion, plus or minus $100 million, above LSEG estimates of $2.37 billion. It also sees adjusted earnings per share of $1.63, plus or minus 10 cents, compared with estimates of $1.62.

The upbeat forecast follows strong results from rival chipmaker Texas Instruments.

However, economic and geopolitical uncertainty continues to limit the pace of recovery, Analog Devices CFO Richard Puccio said.

Revenue for the company's industrial segment, the largest in terms of revenue, came in at $1.06 billion, slightly lower than analysts' expectations of $1.07 million.

Analog Devices provides semiconductors to businesses in a variety of industries, including aerospace, automotive, communications, digital healthcare, and industrial automation among others.

(Reporting by Priyanka.G in Bengaluru)
Police are investigating a shooting in southwest Atlanta that left one person critically injured.

Officers responded to the BP gas station at Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. NW and Westland Blvd. NW on Wednesday afternoon.

Channel 2 Action News has a crew on the way to the scene. Get the latest details, LVIE on Channel 2 Action News at 5:00 p.m.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Investigators say the victim is currently listed in critical condition.

There is no word on what led up to the shooting or possible suspects.

The victim has not been identified.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Looking back at stories that appeared in the OFallon Progress 125, 100, 75, and 50 years ago:

125 years ago, Aug. 25, 1899

An Illinois Central detective swept down on Marissa the other day and had several boys who have a habit of jumping on trains arrested and each was fined $5 and costs.

The boys in OFallon should take warning as there is no telling when some sly detective of the company may be gathering evidence.

100 years ago, Aug. 21, 1924

Three small boys, ranging in ages from 7 to 9 years, dependents at the St. Clair County Detention Home near Edgemont, decided to go out and seek the relatives of one of their number when they absented themselves from the home early Sunday morning while the children were being prepared to attend Sunday school services.

The boys were Randolph Ferris, 7 years old, Clifford Rabel, 8 and Charles Garner, 9.

After traversing over country roads and timberland they arrived in this city shortly after 9 oclock Sunday night, going to the Central Hotel (southwest corner of First and Lincoln) where the mother of the Rabel boy is employed.

Mrs. Rabel immediately notified Special Officer Henry Warhoover who took them in charge and notified Superintendent J. McCaffery of the Detention Home.

The youngsters, who were still hale and hearty after an all-day tramp, were fed and provided with a bed at the City Hall. All three were barefooted and bareheaded, one of the lads suffering with numerous scratches on the legs, received when he went through a timber. Another was suffering with a bad case of poison ivy and the sting of bumble bees contracted while walking through a patch of weeds. In spite of their misfortunes the lads were happy and chatted with the officers and those with whom they came in contact.

Monday morning Officer Warhoover, in sympathy with the lads, took them to his home where they were treated to a sumptuous breakfast.

Later Superintendent McCaffery came to this city to take his charges back. While waiting for a street car at South Second street he was approached by a well-dressed married lady who stated that she is considering the adoption of a child but desired one younger in years. She stated that her husband was the foreman of a construction crew which is installing the light and power line in Shiloh.

75 years ago, Aug. 25, 1949

The Chester Mayberry family had the experience of having two cars stolen in less than 24 hours Saturday.

The 1949 Kaiser 4-door sedan of Mr. Mayberry, a mail carrier on rural route 2, was stolen from the yard of his home at 302 South Lincoln Avenue late Friday night or early Saturday morning.

Mayberry returned home about 10 p.m. Friday night, parked it within 15 feet from the rear door, taking the precaution to lock it. At 7 oclock the next morning when he was ready to go on his route, the car was missing. It had not been recovered up to yesterday.

The same day their son, Bailey Mayberry, arrived home in his 1947 Frazier from Parsons, Kansas, for a vacation visit. In the evening he attended a dance at Community Hall (present day Cavins Center) and when he went to get his car he was in time to see a lone man speed away with it. The theft was also witnessed by Joseph Laquet, superintendent of streets.

Chief of Police Nick Hemmer, Laquet, Constable Ed. Trame and Deputy Sheriff Elmer W. Lacquet gave chase but lost trace of the fleeing car in Shiloh.

It was recovered the next morning on a side road in Silver Creek bottoms, south of the east gate at Scott Air Force Base. The right side of the car was badly damaged, evidently caused by brushing a utility pole or similar obstruction.

50 years ago, Aug. 22, 1974

(Editorial promoting the annual Homecoming and Fall Festival once celebrated in OFallon.)

Welcome visitors, old friends, former residents. Welcome to OFallon. The 54th annual OFallon Homecoming is at your service. We hope the two-day gala affair in town will help you learn a little about the people, the places and the things OFallon has to offer. Sit a spell take it easy.

The Homecoming is designed to give the people in OFallon and visitors to the city a break from hectic day-to-day business. It gives everyone a chance to sit and relax over a sandwich and cool drink, talk and laugh, meet and chat. The Homecoming is a happy time. Its a time when people reminisce about the good ol days and struggles they went through. They talk about the future plans for the family, the neighborhood and the city.

The city has undertaken the task to make the 54th annual Homecoming the best ever. It welcomes one and all with open arms to come and get a taste of the good life as it should be. We too wish to welcome all the newcomers, former friends, residents and townsfolk to the celebration. Have a good time.
Related video: Owner of dog training facility in Florida charged with animal cruelty in June

CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA)  A mother and daughter were arrested on animal cruelty charges Monday after officials seized 18 animals from their Homosassa home, according to the Citrus County Sheriffs Office.

Melissa Dawn Heward, 42, and Samantha Lynn Heward, 21, were already being monitored by the Animal Control Unit on allegations of neglect.

Officials had previously received 38 calls to the home on West Akazian Lane and had advised Melissa on proper animal care and management.

5-year-old found in hot car while mom shops at Walmart

Back in February, authorities mandated her to provide medical care for three of the dogs that had skin issues and hair loss. In a follow-up visit in June, they suggested she reduce the amount of animals in her care. She ended up surrendering three puppies and five cats.

Deputies returned on Aug. 15 after neighbors reported hearing frequent dog fights at the home. Melissa agreed to surrender an additional two dogs.

On Monday, Animal Control officers entered the home and seized 11 dogs and five cats due to the living conditions. Several of the animals had minor medical issues.

Citrus County Sheriffs Office

Citrus County Sheriffs Office

Officials found two minors living at the residence and called the Department of Children and Families to remove them from the home.

Search underway for driver after car is found submerged in Florida lake

Melissa was arrested on 10 counts of animal cruelty and her daughter, Samantha, was arrested on aggravated animal cruelty, along with four counts of animal cruelty. Further charges are pending.

These arrests serve as a reminder that our community will not tolerate animal cruelty or neglect, Sheriff Mike Prendergast said. We are committed to protecting all lives, including those of animals, and ensuring that those who cause harm are held accountable.

All of the animals are now being medically evaluated and receiving proper care, the sheriffs office said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
In the foreground is a stop sign across the street from St. Marys Home for Children in North Providence. The campus, visible in the background, includes three intensive treatment units for youth inpatients. Those services were paused earlier this year, and confirmed closed Tuesday, Aug. 20, with the announcement that outpatient and educational services would also close. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)

St. Marys Home for Children in North Providence announced Tuesday evening it will cease its outpatient and educational services, effectively ending the North Providence institution which has operated since 1877.

The St. Marys Board of Directors decision to close the campus  which has been home to a school and residential care for children with behavioral health issues  comes after nearly eight months of heightened legislative scrutiny and seismic changes in the nonprofit organizations leadership. The facility has not been able to accept youth into its intensive inpatient program since last year, and children receiving those services began to be removed earlier this year.

On May 10, St. Marys passed its remaining outpatient and community-based programs to Tides Family Services, another provider of youth behavioral health care services with six locations across the state.

While we were only able to transfer the community-based outpatient services and a portion of the school to Tides, we are confident that the youth in these programs will be well-served by Tides Family Services. Every decision was made with the best interests of the children and families in mind, said Jeff Cascione, president of the St. Marys board, in a statement.

State education officials and the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) have been notified that existing services will be transferred to Tides within the next few weeks, according to St. Marys, which has also informed employees and is trying to minimize disruptions to students educational placements, according to a statement.

The residential facilitys denouement began with a December 2023 report from Office of the Child Advocate, which oversees DCYF, the agency responsible for placing children and adolescents at St. Marys. The report detailed a monthslong investigation in 2023 into abuse, neglect and subpar psychiatric care at the homes facilities, which led to an oversight hearing at the State House and changes in administration and board leadership.

In the immediate aftermath of the report, St. Marys tried to repair its image by installing an interim CEO, Charles A. Montorio-Archer, in January. That lasted until May 31, when his contract ceased to be in effect, said Frank McMahon, a spokesperson for St. Marys.

North Providence Mayor and St. Marys board member Charles Lombardi, who declared March 18, 2024, to be St. Marys Home for Children Day, did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday evening.

Further hints of struggles at St. Marys came when DCYF announced in June it would pause the $11 million expansion of the campus  a construction project that had been OKd by Gov. Dan McKee in 2023.

St. Marys hasnt been able to accept new patients since 2023, when DCYF placed a series of intake holds on the facility. Before that, St. Marys was home to the only psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF) in Rhode Island. This federally regulated form of intensive psychiatric care is one of the few behavioral health services reimbursed by Medicaid, and only serves people under the age of 21.

The decision to cease operations was driven by the financial challenges of maintaining the school, community based and outpatient programs absent additional revenue from residential programming, according to a statement released by St. Marys.

In April, Damaris Teixeira, a former spokesperson for DCYF, confirmed to Rhode Island Current that all placements at St. Marys psychiatric residential treatment units had been paid for via Medicaid.

When Tides assumed management duties, it submitted a plan to resume operation of the campus three residential treatment units. The state rejected that plan, leading to the current units closure and termination of the planned expansion.

The Tides team worked tirelessly and logged hundreds of hours in its effort to develop a plan, timeline and budget to restart the PRTF and make its vision of developing a continuum of behavioral health care services centralized on one campus a reality, Beth Lemme-Bixby, Tides CEO, stated, adding that the organization remains hopeful the Ocean State can achieve the continuum of care it needs for some of its most vulnerable youth.

A shortage of in-state placements for children in need of intensive, medium-length psychiatric care  especially girls  could be partially addressed by a new facility in Exeter, which broke ground last week. The new campus is not currently a psychiatric residential treatment facility, but could apply for the distinction at any time.

As of Aug. 15, there were 27 adolescent girls in out-of-state placements for behavioral health care, said Misty Delgado, DCYF chief of staff. Most of the placements are in Massachusetts, although some girls are in locales as far as Tequesta, Florida, and Dothan, Alabama.

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SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  Utahs Air National Guard KC-135 has a new tail flash. According to the 151st Wing, which is the Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Bases Air Mobility Command installation, tail flashes hold deep significance within military aviation.

They serve as symbols of identity and pride.

READ NEXT: Kappa Sigma fraternity to be reinstated at U of U after nearly 2-year suspension

When youre out in the system, whether [on temporary duty] or deployed, seeing your units tail flash evokes a sense of pride in your aircraft and your organization, Col. Jeffrey Gould said in a press release. Gould serves as the 151st Operations Group commander.

According to the release, Aircraft 275 bears the new tail flash.

The design of the new tail flash prominently features the Mountain West Militia Minuteman, with a striking blue and mountainous backdrop. The red stripe at the top pays homage to the original F-86 tails that once flew in Utah, connecting the present to the Guards storied history, the 151st Wings release stated.

Gould says for those who are part of that group, its more than just a decal or an art piece.

Its a source of motivation, whether you are a pilot, maintainer, work in finance or security forces; that tail flash represents your organization and the pride of being a part of something bigger than you, Gould said.

The 151st Wing says that the previous tail flashes were applied as stickers, but this one was meticulously painted by hand over five days to make sure the new tail flash will withstand the elements for years to come.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
$15M in federal funds could help farmers save water as they grow crops

Irrigation districts in Central Arizona could receive up to $15 million in federal grants to save water while keeping farmland active.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture designated Central Arizona and the Maricopa-Stanfield irrigation and drainage districts as two of 18 selected recipients across the west for the $400 million investment.

The national Farm Service Agency, which provides disaster relief, loans and conservation program funding, will work with the districts on individual agreements to be signed later this year.

Funding criteria is still in the works, but the focus of the program will be on irrigation improvements, shifts in farming practices and crop systems, and other strategies for water conservation. FSA will work with districts to establish projects that match producer conditions and to establish how they account for water conservation.

"I think they realize each district is unique and different, and different approaches might make sense in one area and maybe not in another," said Brian Yerges, general manager of the Maricopa Stanfield irrigation district.

Producers could switch to more water-saving crops and find new markets, switch to drip irrigation or reducing irrigation to a point that stresses plants but doesn't have affect on yield, for example.

The program "is not prescriptive in saying 'this is the only way you can do it,'" confirmed Gloria Montano Greene, USDA's deputy undersecretary for farm production and conservation and the former director of Arizona's FSA.

"We're trying to meet districts where they are and have them come forward with some changes."

Surface water only

The funding is expected to result in savings of up to 50,000 acre-feet of water across 250,000 acres of irrigated land in production. How much each district will contribute will be established in the individual agreements.

The caveat is that the program focuses on the reduction of surface water only, which the irrigation districts selected for the program in Arizona lost almost entirely two years ago.

Water declines in Lake Mead forced water cutbacks on some of the "youngest" water users in the Colorado River basin. Under the Drought Contingency Plan, wide areas of farmland in Pinal County faced hard cuts in 2022 and, in 2023, lost all allotment of Central Arizona Project water.

Central Arizona and Maricopa Stanfield Irrigation and Drainage Districts, known as CAIDD and MSIDD, still have some surface water through agreements with the Arizona Water Company and Freeport-McMoRan. The rest of their water comes from groundwater pumping.

This year, MSIDD is scheduled to receive 2,275 acre-feet of surface water, and CAIDD is scheduled to get 7,856 acre-feet, according to current CAP deliveries data. Yerges said that represents less than 3% of their total water use. CAIDD did not respond to the data request.

That means the potential for water conservation with the USDA program is small in Central Arizona. But districts cannot offset that by using more groundwater elsewhere, said Montano. The equation has to end up in water savings.

There are complementary programs that can help with groundwater savings, she said, such as programs from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Those can help make water use more efficient and support aquifer recharge and got a funding boost from climate-smart funding and the Western Water and Working Lands Framework for Conservation Action.

Central Arizona priority districts

The program is explicitly keeping farmland active. Districts cannot account for water savings by putting land out of production.

"This is not to reduce water use and fallow," said Montano. "It's reduce water use and grow, reduce water use and maintain agriculture."

That distinction is an important one, given that farmers in Pinal County had to leave land unplanted after the Colorado River water cuts and as they made the transition to groundwater and there wasn't enough infrastructure to take well water to all fields. Yerges, with MSIDD, foresees the irrigation district becoming smaller over time due to pressures of urbanization and reduced water availability.

The irrigation districts have been doing what they can to plan for water and to keep agriculture in the community, which is "fundamental" for the region, Montano said. "Economically, we need agriculture in Arizona."

The agency's Economic Research Service selected CAIDD and MSIDD for the program based not only on how much they've been impacted by drought, she said, but also "based on their possibilities" and needs to do irrigation efficiency and sustain agriculture.

Clara Migoya covers agriculture and water issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Send tips or questions to clara.migoya@arizonarepublic.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: $15M in grant funds would help Pinal farmers save water and maintain crops
MARSHALL COUNTY, Iowa  A 17-year-old was killed in an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) crash in rural Marshall County Tuesday afternoon.

Minutes away from danger says DMFD after pulling multiple people from river

At around 2:21 p.m. the Marshall County Sheriffs Office responded to a ATV vs. pickup truck crash in the 1100 block of 320th Street, southwest of Rhodes. When first responders arrived on scene they found the driver of the ATV, a 17-year-old male, unconscious in the road. The teen was transported to a Marshalltown hospital where he died from his injuries. The driver of the pickup, 40-year-old Jeremy Guckert, wasnt injured in the crash.

According to the sheriffs office, the ATV and the pickup truck crashed head-on. An investigation into the crash is 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 who13.com.
19-Year-Old Man Found Dead After Falling Off Kayak While Trying to Escape South Carolina Storm

"He impacted my life so much," said one of Joshua Scott Edwards' friends

Joshua Edwards/Facebook Joshua Edwards

The body of a 19-year-old kayaker has been recovered after he went missing while caught in a South Carolina storm, officials said.



The Anderson County Coroner's Office said in a news release that authorities responded to reports of a missing kayaker in the Singing Pines Recreation Park at around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17.

Dive teams searched the area throughout the night and into the following day before they found the body of 19-year-old Joshua Scott Edwards at around 6 p.m. local time on Sunday, Aug. 18.



The coroners office said his body was located in approximately 11 feet of water and approximately 20 yards from the shoreline.

Related: Father and 14-Year-Old Son Drown in Lake After Dad Tried to Rescue Teen: '2 Beautiful Souls'

Edwards died as a result of a freshwater drowning, and his death was ruled an accident, officials said.

He and a friend had been kayaking in the lake when they were caught in a storm that developed in the area, the coroners office said. The pair had attempted to return to shore when Edwards apparently fell off his kayak and was not seen again.

The coroners office noted that Edwards had not been wearing a PFD or personal flotation device at the time of his death and said that the investigation into the incident was ongoing.

Related: Calif. Mother Drowns After Dog Pulls Her Into a River, Family Calls Her a Fierce Protector to Everyone

The 19-year-old lived in Anderson, which is located about 15 miles away from Singing Pines Recreation Park, officials told The State.

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Following the news, Edwards was remembered by a number of loved ones, including a friend who described him as a brother to many people.



He impacted my life so much in growing as a person, learning to forgive, and really just being a big part of who I am today, the friend wrote in the social media tribute. There will NEVER be another person like Josh to walk this earth and make the impact he did.

Related: 4 Bodies Recovered from Sunken Yacht in Sicily Where 6 Were Missing, Source Says, but Identities Unclear

Another friend added in a separate tribute that Edwards' parents raised a very respectful, loving, peaceful, understanding, kindhearted, godly young man.

A family friend began a GoFundMe fundraiser for the victims family to help with funeral costs and expenses.

"Joshua was more than just a friend; he was a light in this world, a young man full of kindness and generosity, according to the GoFundMe post. He had a heart that always sought to help others, even when he had little to give. The impact he made on the lives of those around him will never be forgotten, and it brings some comfort to know that his spirit will live on through the good he did for others.



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How a 1950s-era law has become a flashpoint for the US arms industry

The Pentagon and Capitol Hill are split over the future of the Defense Production Act, a Korean War-era law that helps the U.S. quickly ramp up key industries.

The budget associated with the landmark legislation has been critical in past national security emergencies  hastening the production of everything from armored vehicles during the Iraq War to vaccines during the coronavirus pandemic. And its now helping surge Americas defense industry, which has shown atrophy as the country supports wartime partners in Ukraine and Israel.

But amid that effort, the Defense Production Act has become a proxy fight over the future of Americas defense industry, and how the country should prioritize the billions of dollars its using to rebuild it.

At issue is how much money the Pentagon wants for the acts investment account, known as Title III, and how exactly it will be spent. For months, congressional offices have been frustrated that Pentagon officials were asking for too little and planning to invest it on projects they considered too speculative.

Those concerns went public in early August, when the Senate released its defense spending bill for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. Senators would more than double the Pentagons request, but only if the money goes toward a list of projects outlined in the bill  an unusual step for an account that the Pentagon typically controls.

I wouldnt be happy with it if the bill became law, said a defense official, referring to the prescriptive language. Every program manager on the planet always wants more flexibility.

Still, the official said that concerns over the Defense Production Act, which extend beyond Congress, were valid. Some of the Pentagons top priorities for the account are longer-term, the official acknowledged, and it hasnt yet proven that it can keep pace with how fast the budget has grown.

This story is based on interviews with current and former Pentagon officials and multiple congressional aides, most of whom were allowed to speak anonymously to discuss sensitive budget numbers and negotiations. Defense News also reviewed closely held but unclassified documents that showed the Pentagons requests over time.

They described a growing and shared belief in the value of the Defense Production Act, one of the Pentagons few flexible accounts that can quickly help rebuild parts of the U.S. defense industry. But as that mission becomes more urgent, so too are debates over how to best accomplish it.

You can run all the strategies [for the defense industry] you want one congressional aide told Defense News. All that matters is this. This is the strategy.

One good game

In essence, the Defense Production Act lets the Pentagon skip a line.

When the DOD wants to build more weapons it normally asks defense firms for a higher number, and those companies then order more parts in order to build them. The trouble with this process is twofold: one, it can take a long time to increase supply, and two, it can run into bottlenecks when there arent enough parts, such as ball bearings or rocket motors.

Under Title III of the Defense Production Act, the Pentagon can avoid this process. Instead of waiting for the market to activate lower-level suppliers, the Defense Department can invest in them directly.

That account was very helpful in the ramp up for Ukraine, said Chris Michienzi, a former Pentagon official who helped lead the departments surge in aid to Kyiv.

In response, the Pentagon has been asking for larger DPA budgets. In fiscal year 2024 alone, defense officials requested $968 million, up around $300 million from the year before. Congress heavily trimmed that number, though, passing a little under $600 million in its FY24 defense budget, plus more in a defense supplemental this April.

The cuts came in large part because Congress doubted whether the Defense Department could handle the money.

Theres just a shortage of people processing these projects, said a second congressional aide.

The Defense Department has tried to fix those shortages. Its increased the staff that handles DPA cases and created a new contracting pathway for such projects. In fiscal year 2024, the defense official said, the Pentagon executed $850 million of DPA funding  almost as much as during the coronavirus pandemic, a national emergency.

The official estimated the Defense Department can now handle at least $1 billion each year, but acknowledged they still need to prove it.

Its one good game, essentially, the defense official said.

All in on biomanufacturing

Congress concern over the account began to grow earlier this year as the Pentagon was writing its plans to spend DPA funding.

In March, according to documents reviewed by Defense News, the DOD listed its priorities for the account in a spreadsheet. Most of the money would go to traditional areas of the defense industry: fixing supply chains, building chemical plants, powering munitions and building important parts, like solid rocket motors.

Once Congress passed its long-delayed defense spending bill in March, though, that list changed.

A category for biomanufacturing rose by $213 million to a total of $273 million for this fiscal year. To make room, other priorities such as castings and forgings, microelectronics and parts to build hypersonic weapons were trimmed or cut entirely.

Biomanufacturing is a broad, long-term sector, described in multiple White House and Pentagon strategies. The goal is less to build specific things than to find a new and more efficient way to build them  almost like 3D printing, the defense official said. If successful, the U.S. could be a leader in a cleaner, cheaper production method for things from the chemicals that ignite munitions to the protein powder that goes into meals for soldiers.

With the initial $60 million in spending, the Pentagon was trying to better understand what the sector could offer.

Congressional aides that spoke for this story didnt have an issue with that goal. Instead, they argued that biomanufacturing began to displace other priorities  a complaint that grew louder with the Pentagons budget request for the next fiscal year.

The Defense Department asked for far less in DPA funding  $393 million compared to almost $1 billion the year before. And biomanufacturing would take up a larger share of the spending, around $250 million or two-thirds of the total budget.

Its not that biomanufacturing is inherently bad or that we dont think its credible, the first aide said. Its more that there are more urgent needs.

The Houses defense spending bill proposed a $53 million increase to the DPA account but didnt mention any other concerns. The Senates, though, entirely cut new money for biomanufacturing, while offering more than $500 million for the account in other priorities.

The Pentagon isnt likely to cede authority on an account it usually controls. The official speaking earlier defended the smaller budget request for FY25, citing how much Congress trimmed the year before.

And despite difficult choices required to spend more money on biomanufacturing, the official argued, the sector remains a top priority for the administration. The Defense Production Act is also the kind of versatile account that could help grow a new part of the industrial base, the official said.

This debate likely wont be settled until the fall, after the Pentagon and Congress regroup and reach a deal. Regardless, the Defense Department will likely to start the fiscal year on a short-term funding bill given the presidential election in November.

By that point, the Pentagon will have spent the first $60 million on biomanufacturing, the defense official said. It likely wont be able to execute the remaining $213 million until early next year.

If I was looking inside this investment portfolio from the outside, and I had the questions that youre asking about biomanufacturing and execution, I would do the same thing that the [Senate] did, the defense official said.
Democratic Party members holding placards in support of Hubert Humphrey, a nominee for the Democratic Party's 1968 presidential candidate, at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)

1968 was an unbelievably volatile year in American history. Almost every generation could name a pivotal year that challenged their very identity. I think 2020 was certainly another one of those years considering the Presidential election. Most of the turmoil of 1968 was related to the Vietnam War with the anti-war protests led by the hippies alongside racial strife. President Lyndon Johnson was criticized for escalating the war, then pilloried for not doing enough.

On March 31 that year, Johnson shocked the nation when he delivered his Withdrawal Speech, informing Americans that he would not run for re-election. Miraculously, the speech wasnt leaked. The president said that with American troops risking their lives for the country every day in Vietnam, he couldnt spend even an hour worrying about a campaign, so there wouldnt be one for him. He said he planned to focus on dealing with the ongoing war. His announcement caused a seismic shift in the political landscape at a perilous time.

Back in November of 1967, Sen. Eugene McCarthy had officially entered the Democratic primary to run against Johnson. As we say in the South, that takes a lot of gumption and gall. It was unprecedented to take on an incumbent president from ones own party at that time, but McCarthy gathered a lot of support, particularly from young people disillusioned with the war and the state of the country. It would be just a few months later that Martin Luther King would die in St. Josephs Hospital in Memphis.

Kings death further inflamed racial tensions, as Congress continued to expand the Civil Rights Act. The Vietnam War protests continued apace. The late President John Kennedys brother, the former U.S. attorney general, Robert Kennedy, entered the race for president and had just won the California Democratic primary in June. He was assassinated in Los Angeles on the way to deliver his victory speech. The killing of a second prominent political figure on the left side of the political aisle further stoked the anger, frustration, and dismay that was swelling throughout the country. Thus, it felt ironic to me that the Establishment candidate supported by Johnson and his followers was Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Known as the happy warrior, he was probably one of the more liberal members of the U.S. Senate when he represented Minnesota, prior to becoming vice president. Interestingly, he was generally viewed as the conservative establishment candidate by many.

Tennessee Gov. Buford Ellington was contacted by Louisiana Rep. Hale Boggs to assist with the 1968 Democratic platform. (Photo: Tennessee State Library and Archives)

As we approached the Democratic Convention in August in Chicago, McCarthy was still running strong when South Dakota Sen. George McGovern entered the race. Rep. Hale Boggs of Louisiana, the House Majority Whip and an influential member of the Democratic Congressional Delegation, called Tennessee Gov. Buford Ellington, seeking assistance. Boggs headed the platform committee, which developed the Democratic platform for the convention (although the platform might be abandoned later; at the time, it was important). The governor asked me to attend, and I gladly accepted since the convention sounded like an exciting and interesting experience.

The televised committee meetings were in Washington D.C., just before the convention in August. It became quite a spectacle, particularly with the dynamic, headline-seeking congressman from San Francisco, Rep. Phil Burton in attendance. Burton was dominating and vicious in going after the administration and the cabinet members; he and others basically made everything about dealing with Vietnam, and racial unrest to a lesser extent, much more so than platform issues.

One of the most telling moments occurred when Secretary of State Dean Rusk was testifying before the committee. Appointed by Johnson, he had been a widely respected, and a qualified diplomat who brought dignity and balance (I thought) to the State Department and as a representative of the administration. Rusk was getting so unmercifully grilled that it was almost difficult to watch, but he was a pro and handled himself with aplomb. During the intense interrogation, which was supposed to have been a question and answer session, somebody came from backstage and tapped Rusk on the shoulder. As he listened, I could see his shoulders slump. Rusk turned back to the microphone, hesitated for a few seconds, and said he had to leave. The Soviet Union had just sent troops to invade Czechoslovakia, and he had to deal with that situation. That moment brought home to me that other things were occurring in the world, and that people carried other responsibilities wherever they went. It didnt offset any of the vitriolic reactions or attitudes in that room on that day, but it was sobering to me and, I think, to anybody in the room at that moment. At least temporarily.

We moved on to the convention in Chicago. Gov. Ellington headed the Tennessee delegation; I wasnt a delegate myself, but had staff credentials to attend the same events as the delegates. Those four days, August 26-29, saw one of the most riotous, literally, conventions that have ever taken place. Much of the ruckus occurred outside of the convention hall. Most of the delegates stayed in the Palmer Hotel. We walked back and forth to the convention center for meetings, but never felt unsafe. We were shielded by nearly wall-to-wall police protection outside. It was only later that we realized how tumultuous things actually were, once we had a chance to watch television and view the rioting in Grant Park and other places. The charges of police brutality seemed justified. The newscasts clearly showed the police attacking protesters and turning them into rioters; in many instances, they caused the riots. Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley was perfectly cast as the bully. Though roundly mocked, he would do anything to control his city. It was a brutal undertaking with many bloodied heads and numerous people hospitalized. Amazingly, not a single death occurred outside of the convention hall, despite all of the rioting that took place.

Nothing in my previous political experience could have possibly prepared me for the convention itself.

As an insider on staff, I thought that most fictional portrayals of a convention on the television screen were, by and large, B movies stuff.

Tennessee had a prominent location in the hall because of its relationship with President Johnson. By the second session of the first day, the craziness erupted. The larger Massachusetts delegation was seated behind us, where noted economist, political activist and speaker John Kenneth Galbraith quickly established his presence. He sounded as if he was having a highly emotional fit, jeering, as he was hoisted back and forth over the standing Massachusetts delegation, which was clearly extremely distraught over the loss of another native Kennedy son. I saw people yelling from the floor and the balcony and thought, Im now living in a B-movie.

Watching democracy in action was a terribly painful experience (literally, in some cases, for the protestors). There was never a moment where everyone came together and united. Even the national anthem drew sitting protests. Ironically, the only quiet moments were outside, as we walked back to the hotel, flanked by police.

Vice President Humphrey was the nominee, and Sen. Edmund Muskie of Maine, the vice presidential candidate.

Alabama Gov. George Wallace addresses a joint session of the Alabama Legislature in the Old House Chamber of the Alabama State Capitol on May 7, 1963. Behind Wallace are Lt. Gov. James Allen (left) and House Speaker Albert Brewer (right). (Alabama Department of Archives and History)

As if the campaign of 1968 wasnt volatile enough, Alabama Gov. George Wallace, a staunch segregationist, entered the race as a third-party candidate. Nixon won, of course, by less than 1% over Humphrey. Wallace earned nearly 10 million votes and 46 delegates. Those were anti-votes, not anti-Vietnam votes, necessarily; it was more likely they were racially motivated votes. I agree with most pundits who said the outcome would have been higher in favor of Nixon if Wallace hadnt run. In Tennessee, the outcome was Nixon with 47.6%, Wallace 34%, with Humphrey coming in third with 28.1%. Prior to that time, Tennessee had enjoyed a predominantly Democratic legislature for 50 years. Its hard to ascertain how much the national election affected things statewide, but the Republicans ended up with 49 members as did the Democrats. There was one independent from Knoxville who voted with the Republicans.

One of the reasons I bring that up is to show how bipartisanship continued in some places during those turbulent times. As a Democratic administration, we were going to be dealing with a Republican House of Representatives. The Speaker of the House was a Republican friend, Bill Jenkins, from the small city of Rogersville in upper East Tennessee. As the state government, we really didnt miss a beat.

The leadership from the Republican House and the Democratic Senate would get together in the governors office and review the agenda. When a partisan issue would arise, each side would negotiate their respective positions, and then wed get back together to address the states problems and opportunities. This bipartisanship was so reflective of the times: as we had many strong Republican friends in both houses, who were important contributors to policies and laws, and who supported our tax programs earlier in 1968 when the Democrats were in control.

Some of the Republicans who put the best interests of the state first, in addition to Speaker Jenkins, were Sens. Tommy Garland, Ben Atchley, Tommy Haun from East Tennessee and Leonard Dunavant from Memphis, along with Reps. Tom Jensen and David Copeland. While 1968 was one of the most volatile years in American politics, we found common ground in Tennessee.

(Originally published in Robertss first book, Forever Young, which can be viewed along with his current release, Flaming Moderate, at flamingmoderatebook.com.)

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The Composition of Pakistan's Energy Mix

According to US government statistics, Pakistans energy mix is formed of 64% fossil fuels, 27% hydropower and 9% other renewables and nuclear power.

While Pakistan has strong potential for producing renewable energy it is still far behind much of the world in developing these sources.

In a country where over 50 million people still dont have adequate access to electricity, how is Pakistans energy mix evolving?

Chinese funding trap

Pakistan has benefitted from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a multi-billion dollar deal that is part of Chinas Belt and Road initiative to finance infrastructure projects across Asia.

The projects funded by the CPEC include the 720MW Karot hydro-project in the disputed Kashmir region. At a cost $1.4bn, the project was begun in December 2016 and will be completed in December 2021.

However, this initiative has faced criticism in Pakistan. The CPEC has allegedly added to corruption in the country, with the value of the scheme going up from $46bn to $62bn. It has also been accused of binding countries to China through debt via expensive projects.

Because of this Pakistan has made tentative steps to distance itself away from the CPEC due to the suspicions of the current ruling party Tehreek-e-Insaf, with one cabinet minister stating that the CPEC was of little benefit to Pakistanis.

Fossil fuels Pakistan

Fossil fuels still dominate Pakistans energy mix. Recent examples of fossil fuel-powered projects in the country include the China Power Hub Generation Companys (CPHGC) coal fired power plant in the Balochistan region of the country, which has a capacity of 1320MW and will enter Pakistans energy grid by the end of 2019.

Pakistan also has domestic natural gas resources, producing nearly 37 million cubic feet in 2018. Of this, 43% is used in its power sector, powering plants such as the Balloki power plant outside of Lahore. Natural gas accounts for 40% of Pakistans energy needs.

Nuclear power in Pakistan

Nuclear energy has had a presence in Pakistan since the formation of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Committee in 1955, with the first nuclear power station Kanupp 1 being completed in 1971.

Pakistan currently has five reactors with a total capacity of just over 1.3GW, but there are plans to expand this. Since 2013 Pakistan has pushed for a further 2.2GW of nuclear power with two new reactors in the city of Karachi. Built with Chinese assistance, the reactors are estimated to cost $5bn.

A renewable future?

Renewable energy has been slow to develop in Pakistan, and currently only accounts for 4% of the energy mix.

Story continues

However under Prime Minister Imran Khans current government, plans to increase the countrys renewable capacity have stepped up.

In April 2019 it was announced that Pakistan will aim to have 30% of its energy capacity from renewable sources such as wind, solar and biomass by 2030. It has been estimated that Pakistan could produce 340GW of wind power alone.

This plan will coincide with hydropower rising slightly to 30% of Pakistans energy mix. According to the International Hydropower Association, Pakistan has the potential to produce 60,000MW of hydropower, but currently produces just over 7000MW.

The largest hydropower plant in the country is the Tarbela Dam project in the north of the country. With a capacity of over 4000MW, the power plant has been in operation since 1984 at a cost of nearly $1.5bn.

Having been slow on the renewable uptake Pakistan has belatedly made moves to expand its wind and solar capacity, alongside boosting its nuclear power capacity. However the fossil fuel sector still leads the way in Pakistan.

"What does Pakistans energy mix look like and what is its future?" was originally created and published by Power Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.







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Sheetz, the regional family-owned convenience store and gas station chain, announced Wednesday it is opening its first Michigan location in Romulus next Tuesday, a few days before it initially had said it expected.

The Pennsylvania-based round-the-clock retailer with a family name that tends  at first  to incite giggles, because it sounds a little like an obscenity, is rapidly moving into Michigan, which expands its geographical footprint.

The company said it would open the store at 33380 Wick Rd. at 8 a.m., with what it is calling a grand opening celebration from 9-11 a.m. It is the first, the company said, of 50-60 locations in metro Detroit within the next five to six years.

Initially, Sheetz said it was aiming to open the store in September.

Travis Sheetz, President and CEO Sheetz, stands in the lot at Vining road and Wick road in Romulus, Mich. where they plan to build a Sheetz gas station, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024.

Earlier this month, the company announced that in addition to that Romulus store, it was building another on Middlebelt Road, two in Taylor, on Telegraph and Eureka roads, one in Chesterfield on 23 Mile, one in Warren on Van Dyke, and one in Macomb on Garfield Road.

More: Sheetz CEO visits to Romulus, learns about Michigan left, Detroit pizza and hand maps

In February, the companys CEO Travis Sheetz visited the spot, making his pitch to Michiganders for why they will want to shop at his familys business which has grown from just one store in 1952 to more than 700, and more are continuing to open.

Inside a Sheetz convenience store

Sheetz, who was becoming familiar with Michigan driving idiosyncrasies like the "Michigan left," has said he is confident metro Detroiters would like the retail concept once they tried it, but suggested that like the new things in the state he was experiencing, it might be hard to understand what its like until they visited one.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 1st Sheetz convenience store to open Tuesday in Romulus
Two men have been convicted in a complex and deadly scheme that authorities described as "brutal revenge killings."

Ending a four-week criminal trial, a federal jury found 26-year-old Malique Lewis and 28-year-old Marcel Vines guilty in the armed kidnappings, and ensuing murders, of Armani Nico Coles and Kerrice Lewis in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 28, 2017. Malique Lewis and Kerrice Lewis are not related.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in D.C. announced the verdict for Lewis, who went by the name "Freak," and Vines, who went by "Baby Boy," on Monday and said that U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich would schedule sentencing for both men in the coming days. Each faces two mandatory minimum sentences of life imprisonment, to be served consecutively, according to the office.

Prosecutors argued during the trial that Lewis and Vines, while conspiring with a third co-defendant  Ashton Briscoe, who wasn't paired with the other two men in court proceedings after 2022  forged a plan to kidnap and kill the two victims "out of a desire for revenge." Their motivation, authorities said, was the death of their friend, Ronzay Green, who was fatally shot earlier in the day by a friend of the victims.

According to the prosecution, Lewis and Vines were aware of who Green's killer was, to the extent they went looking for the man in his own neighborhood. When they arrived, authorities say Lewis and Vines spotted one of the victims and identified her as a friend of the man who shot Green. They followed her to an AutoZone in the area and, in the parking lot of the shop, held the victim at gunpoint with a .45- caliber assault rifle and kidnapped her, forcing her into the backseat of her vehicle as they drove it across the city. At that point, Lewis and Vines aimed to use the victim as bait to lure the man who killed their friend.

That plan didn't work, prosecutors said, so they instead used the victim's phone to lure Coles, a friend of hers as well as the man responsible for Green's death, to another location nearby. Although Lewis and Vines apparently believed that Coles could lead them to Green's killer, they ultimately kidnapped Coles that evening, moving the first victim into the trunk of her car and the second into the backseat.

Coles remained in the car for a brief period, authorities said. While Lewis and Vines were routing back to their own D.C. neighborhood, Clay Terrace, they became caught in traffic on the highway in Maryland. Lewis and Vines then shot Coles multiple times and pushed him from the backseat of the car onto the highway. Prosecutors said the defendants left him there and fled the scene back to D.C.

Roughly an hour after that, Lewis and Vines drove the other victim's car into an alley near the city's Fort Circle Park. Prosecutors said they shot her at least 13 times before setting her car on fire and abandoning it, while her body was still inside.

The U.S. Attorney said authorities were able to build a case against the two men by matching the guns used to kill each victim, and by matching fingerprints found on an item that was pushed from the victim's car to other fingerprints found on Coles' body. Lewis was also seen on a surveillance camera behind the wheel of Coles' car at a McDonald's drive-through, one night after the murders, and had shortly after killing the victims boasted to people over text about his involvement in the killings.

"Shortly after the murders, Lewis also made statements, via text, bragging about them by sending news articles and saying, 'we ain't done,'" the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Lewis and Vines were arrested weeks after the murders, on Jan. 5, 2018, for unrelated charges. They have both been in custody since then, with Lewis indicted for Coles' murder around the time of the arrest and both charged in D.C. Superior Court for the two murders in August of that year. Their case was taken to federal court the following May. Both had pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them, including those for kidnapping and murder.

Sneak peek: Andreen McDonald: A Millionaire Vanishes

Trump holds first outdoor rally since assassination attempt

Sen. Brian Schatz on DNC, Kamala Harris' campaign, Israel-Hamas war
ASHEBORO, N.C. (WNCN)  Two men were placed into handcuffs in what police say was an apparent road rage incident hours after Donald Trump and JD Vance left the stage of a rally in Asheboro Wednesday afternoon.

The heavy police presence and activity took place around 4:30 p.m. as hundreds of rallygoers continued to pour out of the area in their cars. According to the Asheboro Police Department, a weapon was displayed from within a vehicle during the reported altercation between rallygoers, but it was not pointed at anyone.

Further, the suspect made no threats to assault anyone, Asheboro police said.

Police said 79-year-old Robert Richard Castona Jr. of Hillsborough was cited for violating N.C. General Statute 14-277.2, which prohibits weapons at parades and other similar events. He was released and given a September 16 court date in Randolph County District Court, according to police.

(Russ Bowen/CBS 17)

(Russ Bowen/CBS 17)

CBS 17s Russ Bowen was a few yards away when the men were put into handcuffs.

During the incident, officers spoke at length to both men and several weapons were pulled out and placed on top of a silver-colored sedan.

Wednesdays event marked the first time Trump has spoken at an outdoor rally since the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania on July 13.

This is a developing story. Check back for the latest 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 CBS17.com.
Voters walk across the map of Alaska on the floor of the Alaska State Library, Archives and Museum on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Voting stations in Wales and Kaktovik never opened for the primary on Tuesday, according to the Alaska Division of Elections director.

Despite trying multiple ways to contact the poll workers, the individuals we had hired for those communities were unresponsive today, Director Carol Beecher said in a written response to questions.

Voting in Anaktuvuk Pass also didnt open for most of the day. But Beecher said in an email at 7:42 p.m.  18 minutes before polls closed  that the division was able to reach Anaktuvuk Pass Mayor Lillian Stone and officials in the town opened polls.

As long as people are lined up by 8pm they will be able to vote, Beecher wrote. We are very thankful for Mayor Stone for stepping in to make sure her residents have the opportunity to vote in person.

Beecher said in an earlier email less than an hour before polls were scheduled to close at 8 p.m. that people in those communities who are interested in voting can contact the division.

In addition to the three precincts that didnt open, others  including Marshall, Shaktoolik and Diomede  opened roughly three hours late, around 10 a.m., Beecher said.

Voting in Kobuk opened on Tuesday morning but closed in the afternoon due to flooding, Beecher said.

The division hired election workers well before election day and provided them all with materials and training, but sometimes people get sick or quit on short notice and we must rely on the community to assist in making sure a precinct opens on election day, she said.

Similar problems have occurred in the past. In the 2022 primary election, polling stations in two rural Alaska communities failed to open because workers failed to turn up.

The start of early voting was delayed in several rural communities earlier this month due to ballots being delayed in the mail. In 14 communities, ballots hadnt arrived two days after the scheduled Aug. 5 start of early voting.

In 2022, civil rights groups sued over ballots rejected in the states mail-in primary, noting that the rejection rate was higher in areas where the Alaska Native share of the population was higher. That case is ongoing.

In addition, there were problems with votes from some rural votes being counted in both the primary and general elections in 2022. Votes from six villages, totaling 259 ballots, were only partially counted because they didnt arrive before the state certified the results. And in the 2022 primary, which was also the U.S. House special election, votes from seven villages werent counted because they didnt arrive in time.

Editors note: This article has been updated to reflect the start of voting in Anaktuvuk Pass.

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AUGUSTA, Ga (WJBF)- For four years, crews worked to widen and replace the old bridges on I-20 over the Augusta Canal and the Savannah River.

This construction has been frustrating for drivers since it started in December 2019, but they may not have to deal with it much longer.

The project, a collaboration between the Georgia Department of Transportation and the South Carolina Department of Transportation, widens the road between Riverwatch Parkway and West Martintown Road on both sides, from 2 lanes to 3.

All of the major pavement work, bridge construction and barrier placement on the Georgia side of the project are complete. Now the focus is shifting to completing the work across the river.

WJBFs Ana Christina heads to Las Vegas to compete in Mrs. America pageant

The main area of focus the next few weeks to get all lanes open to traffic, is going to be on the South Carolina side. Running from that South Carolina welcome center area, West Martintown Road that includes the pavement, the barrier wall and just finalizing all the various items, including striping and overhead signage. Thats kind of a big push with the goal being to get those new lanes open to traffic by early October, explained Kyle Collins, GDOTs Communications Manager.

While GDOT hopes to have all lanes open by October, there is still some work left to be done.

Even when we get all the lanes open, there will still be some, what we call punch list work to do to finish things up. Some grassing, some minor corrective work. So they will be in the area this fall after things are open, hopefully by early October. But the main work and some of those overnight headaches should be gone, Collins said.

Over the next several weeks there will be overnight road closures on the interstate, with only one lane open as they head towards the finish line.

GDOT construction partners will implement overnight lane closures as part of the I-20 at Savannah River Bridge project. This closure allows crews to install overhead and ground-mounted sign structures.

Wednesday, August 21, until Thursday, August 22

8 p.m. until 6 a.m., single, right-lane closure on I-20 westbound from MM 1 in South Carolina to MM 200 in Georgia

10 p.m. until 7 a.m., single, right-lane closure on I-20 eastbound from MM 200 in Georgia to MM 1 in South Carolina

Thursday, August 22, until Friday, August 23

9 p.m. until 6 a.m., single right-lane closure on I-20 westbound from MM 1 in South Carolina to MM 200 in Georgia

10 p.m. until 7 a.m., single right-lane closure on I-20 eastbound from MM 200 in Georgia to MM 1 in South Carolina

Friday August 23, until Saturday, August 24

10 p.m. until 6 a.m., single right-lane closure on I-20 westbound from MM 1 in South Carolina to MM 200 in Georgia

10 p.m. until 7 a.m., single right-lane closure on I-20 eastbound from MM 200 in Georgia to MM 1 in South Carolina

During this time, the shoulders of I-20 eastbound and westbound may be impacted. Motorists are advised to expect delays and drive with caution through the work zone.

For additional project information, visit https://i-20savannahriverbridgereplacements-gdot.hub.arcgis.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 WJBF.
About 20% of Swedens brown bear population could be killed this hunting season after licenses were issued for 486 of the animals to culled, despite an outcry from conservation groups.

Theres currently an estimated 2,450 brown bears roaming the Swedish countryside, a number that has decreased in recent years because of increased licensed hunting, according to official figures released in 2023. Given the rapid decline of the bear population since 2022, that number could already be even lower.

For conservation group Swedens Big Five, the decision to continue issuing such high numbers of hunting licenses represents 100 years of brown bear conservation progress being undone at an alarming speed, it said in a statement.

Wild carnivores have to function in the ecosystem and so were not just talking about how many of these animals can be tolerated by humans. Its also about how many do we need for the ecosystem to function, Magnus Lundgren, a director at the Wild Wonders Foundation, which runs Swedens Big Five, told CNN Wednesday.

By the early 1900s, brown bears were almost extinct in Sweden after decades of policies that sought to eradicate them from the country.

Since then, however, strict protective measures have allowed them to reestablish themselves in their native habitat, and their population reached a peak of 3,298 in 2008.

Brown bears with cubs cannot be hunted. - Sven-Erik Arndt/imageBROKER/Shutterstock/FILE

There has been a hundred years of trying to increase the numbers, but we see a change in the policy from the political government that is really aggressive now the last few years, Lundgren added.

Decisions on the number of hunting licenses issued are now taken by county administrative boards, Hanna Ek, deputy head of unit at Swedens Environmental Protection Agency, told CNN, adding that the total number across the country this year added up to 486.

By law, several requirements must be met beforehand, Ek added, without stipulating their exact nature, and these decisions can be appealed.

Licensed hunting is one of several tools in the Swedish management of large carnivores, she said.

But for Lundgren and Steffan Widstrand, managing director of the Wild Wonders Foundation, the extensive use of licensed hunting is a capitulation of sorts to hunters, who have other reasons for killing bears than to manage the population.

There are two reason hunters kill bears, Widstrand told CNN. One is because its fun or its exciting and theres a macho dimension to it, I must say. And the other reason is because they want to get rid of them, as not to compete, because bears also eat moose or elk and thats the number one prey that (hunters) would like to kill.

Similar policies toward wolves and lynx have also prompted an outcry from conservation groups. The Swedish Carnivore Association even filed a complaint against the countrys government for its lynx hunting policies in April, claiming that it contradicted the EUs Habitats Directive, which classifies lynx, bears and wolves as in need of strict protection.

Due to these policies and the governments recent decision to allow almost 500 hunting licenses, Swedens Big Five claims that the government intends to reduce the brown bear population as close as possible to a defined minimum level which would mean about 1,400 bears.

Brown bears are particularly sensitive to a high hunting pressure, Jonas Kindberg, leader of the Scandinavian Bear Project and a researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, said in a statement.

Bears take three to four years to mature, they have only a few cubs at a time and only every two to three years, he added. During the hunt, it is very difficult to tell females from males, and the females are much more valuable to the population. Therefore, you risk to end up in a situation that may take a very long time to repair.

Instead of hunting brown bears, Widstrand and Lundgren said there are other strategies that can allow them to co-exist alongside humans like using fences to separate them from livestock or encouraging ecotourists to watch the wildlife, bringing money into the local communities.

CNNs Henrik Pettersson contributed to reporting.

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TOPEKA (KSNT)  Kansas wildlife officials are releasing the latest edition of the states hunting atlas for the 2024-2025 hunting season.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) announced the release of the 2024-2025 Kansas Fall & Spring Hunting Atlas on Tuesday, Aug. 20. The atlas includes details on walk-in hunting access (WIHA) areas and public lands, hunting seasons and contact information for the states game wardens.

Hunters can begin accessing WIHA properties either Sept. 1 or Nov. 1 with access ending either Jan. 31, March 31 or May 31 the following year, according to the KDWP. Public hunting access to WIHA properties is limited to the specified access period for the property.

Zombie deer disease complicates hunting season in Kansas

Entering WIHA properties before or after the open access period is prohibited. The atlas and WIHA signs at properties in Kansas indicated the access period for each property.

To see a complete online map of all WIHA in Kansas, click here. You can download the atlas in English or Spanish online through the KDWPs website. You can also check it out in the document below:

ATLAS-2024-Hunting-ENG-WEBDownload

What are the Kansas big game hunting season dates for 2024-2025?

For more Kansas Outdoors, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
The 2024 Democratic National Convention continues Wednesday, with former President Bill Clinton, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, set to deliver speeches in primetime.

Our convention is an opportunity to bring the story of our party to the American people  not just the story of what weve achieved under the Biden-Harris administration, but how the Harris-Walz ticket is planning to build on that historic record for a new way forward into the future, Convention Chair Minyon Moore said in a statement. The story here is simple and its one that will resonate with Americans across the country: Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are fighting for the American people and Americas future  Donald Trump is only fighting for himself.

More from TVLine

The DNC is being held at Chicagos United Center, from Aug. 19-22. It follows the Republican National Convention, which was held last month in Milwaukee, Wis., where former president Donald Trump was certified as the GOPs nominee.

Live programming from the Democratic National Convention resumes at 7 pm ET Wednesday. You can watch the DNCs official livestream embedded below. Highlights will be added as they air.

What follows is the DNCs Night 3 program, including a list of confirmed speakers, as well as tune-in information for TV news coverage.

WEDNESDAYS THEME

A Fight for Our Freedoms  Vice President Harris has spent her entire career fighting for Americans freedoms. In Governor Tim Walz, Vice President Harris chose as her running mate a champion for Americas working families and a staunch defender of those same fundamental freedoms. Donald Trump spent his four years in office fighting to strip our rights away, and hes once again running on an extreme agenda to go even farther in turning back the clock on all the freedoms we hold dear. Democratic National Convention Committee

THE HOST

Each night of the DNC will feature a different celebrity host. Tony Goldwyn (Law & Order) will host Monday, followed by Ana Navarro (The View) on Tuesday, Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project) on Wednesday, and Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) on Thursday.

THE SPEAKERS

Justin Sullivan, Andrew Harnik & Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Former President Bill Clinton, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and media mogul Oprah Winfrey will address Wednesdays convention. Additional speakers include Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Chris Murphy, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

THE MUSIC

DNC ON TV

START TIME NETWORK LEAD ANCHOR(S) 8 pm CNN Jake Tapper & Anderson Cooper MSNBC Rachel Maddow NewsNation Chris Cuomo, Elizabeth Vargas & Leland Vitter PBS Amna Nawaz & Geoff Bennett 9 pm ABC David Muir NBC Lester Holt & Savannah Guthrie 10 pm CBS Norah ODonnell Fox News Bret Baier & Martha MacCallum

JOIN DISCUSSION

TVLine invites you to have a civil conversation about the 2024 Democratic National Convention in the comments section below.

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Voters from across Florida cast their ballots in the 2024 Florida primary election.

See live results below as soon as they come in below, and watch special live team coverage on Channel 9 Eyewitness News.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
There are 3 main reasons Mike Lynch's superyacht may have sunk. None give much hope for finding more survivors.

Tech tycoon Mike Lynch is missing after his superyacht sank off Sicily during a storm.

The Bayesian yacht sank near Palermo amid severe weather, with six people still missing.

Authorities are investigating the cause while search efforts continue for Lynch and others.

Mike Lynch, a controversial tech tycoon, remains missing after his superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily on Monday.

The 183-foot Bayesian superyacht was carrying 22 people when it sank during stormy weather near Porticello, Palermo.

Fifteen people were rescued, including Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares. Six passengers remain missing.

One body was recovered and is believed to be that of Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan chef who worked on the vessel, according to BBC News.

Divers on Wednesday entered the superyacht after breaking a window. They now have to contend with narrow corridors and floating debris as they search for survivors.

There are several theories about what caused the vessel to sink, but none carry much chance of survival for the missing.

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch in London in 2019. Yui Mok/PA/Getty Images

A dangerous weather phenomenon

The City Council of Bagheria said the wreck was likely caused by bad weather in a press release published on Monday.

A strong storm hit the area about an hour before the superyacht sank, it said.

Witnesses said they saw a waterspout  a tornado-like column of wind found in water  before the sinking, BBC News reported.

According to data from the International Centre for Waterspout Research, cited by the BBC, there were 18 waterspouts off the coast of Italy on Monday.

Matthew Schanck, a maritime search and rescue expert, told Business Insider that the situation was "unprecedented" because it's difficult for meteorologists to predict when waterspouts will occur.

Rick Shema, a consulting meteorologist, told USA Today that waterspouts are rare and can be triggered by unusually hot weather.

Shema said the water was 83.7 degrees, more than three degrees hotter than an average day for the area.

"Hurricanes can form at 80 degrees. This was almost four degrees higher than that," he said.

Tornadoes usually reach up to 300mph, while waterspouts can reach 120mph, Shema said.

"Even an average tornado, 120 miles an hour, that's a lot of wind," he said, adding that it would "heel the boat over for sure."

The ship's mast could have been damaged

Other factors may have contributed to the 56-meter superyacht's fall  but the details are murky.

Karsten Borner, the captain of another yacht who witnessed the sinking, told Italy's Corriere della Sera Daily that he saw the ship's mast "bend and then snap," according to part of the interview cited by the BBC.

However, Marco Tilotta, a spokesperson for the Palermo fire service divers' unit, told AFP that the ship had been seen lying on its side fully intact, BBC reported.

"If the mast was broken, that would be a significant thing that would be reported," Schanck told the BBC.

Speaking to BI, Schanck said it's possible the mast could have been damaged during the sinking, but the conflicting reports make it difficult to say.

He said there's also the question of whether the keel  a weight underneath the boat to keep it balanced and upright  was deployed.

Either way, he said the construction of the ship was unlikely to be a contributing factor, as it was "designed and constructed to rigorous international standards."

"There's no indication that there's any sort of breach of any international maritime construction or safety standards," he said.

Open doors and windows

Soaring temperatures in the area may have caused passengers to leave windows and doors open.

This would have allowed the yacht to become filled with water quickly during the storm, he said.

"I imagine all the doors were open because it was hot, so there were enough hatches and doors open that it filled with water very quickly and sank like that," Sam Jefferson, former editor of the magazine Sailing Today, said in an interview with PA.

"There has been water ingress into this vessel. That's why it's at the bottom of the seabed," Schanck told BI.

However, he said it's not possible to say whether this happened because of open doors or windows, structural damage to the mast, or because the ship became "heeled over" during the bad weather.

Survival for the missing is unlikely

Italian authorities are investigating the exact cause of the sinking while search crews continue to look for the missing passengers.

A spokesperson for the local fire department told The Independent that the search is "complex," adding that divers operate in 12-minute underwater shifts.

There could be survivors in the ship's air pockets. However, Schanck told USA Today that the chance of survival for those missing seems unlikely.

"My professional opinion is that the casualties will be located within the vessel," he said.

"There is a risk versus benefit in all maritime search and rescue incidents," he said. "Where we start transitioning to a recovery phase, that line shifts."

This sentiment was echoed by Luca Cari, a spokesperson for the local fire service. Speaking to ABC News on Wednesday, Cari said it remains a "rescue operation" rather than a recovery operation. However, he noted that finding survivors in air pockets would be "rather improbable."

It's been more than 48 hours since the ship sank. Nick Sloane, an engineer who worked on the Costa Concordia salvage operation in 2014, told Sky News that there's only a "very small window of time" to find those who could be stuck in air pockets.

"You've got a maximum of two to three days to try to get someone out, so the next 24 hours are critical," he said on Wednesday.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(This Aug. 21 story has been corrected to say Ellison and RedBird Capital Partners committed $4.5 billion, not $4.3 billion, to buy Paramount's Class B shares, in paragraph 8))

By Dawn Chmielewski

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran media executive Edgar Bronfman sweetened his bid to take over Paramount Global, offering $6 billion for its controlling shareholder National Amusements and a minority stake in Paramount, according to a person familiar with the matter.

He had previously offered $4.3 billion, according to Reuters sources. Shares of Paramount rose more than 2.4% after the market closed.

Paramount said on Wednesday it had received an acquisition proposal from Bronfman on behalf of a consortium of investors, but it did not disclose the terms.

The competing offer for the home of Paramount Pictures, the CBS broadcast network and cable networks such as MTV threatens to undo a planned acquisition by tech scion David Ellison and his firm Skydance Media.

Bronfman's new bid includes $3.2 billion in funds that can be used to pay down Paramount's debt or to purchase non-voting Paramount shares held by investors other than the Redstone family for $16 cash, the person said on condition of anonymity because the information was not public.

The board and the Bronfman-led investor group would decide how to allocate those funds, the person added.

That compares to Skydance's $8.4 billion deal to take over Paramount through a complex, two-step transaction that involves Paramount acquiring Ellison's smaller independent media company in an all-stock transaction.

Ellison and deal partner RedBird Capital Partners committed $4.5 billion to buy Paramount's Class B shares for $15 cash each. The partners also pledged to provide a minimum of $1.5 billion to the company's balance sheet.

Bronfman offered $2.4 billion in debt and equity for National Amusements, matching the terms of Skydance's purchase agreement, according to an acquisition proposal submitted on Monday to Paramount special committee Chairman Charles Phillips that was seen by Reuters.

National Amusements holds the Redstone family's controlling interest in Paramount.

Bronfman argued in the letter that his offer is superior because it would eliminate the risks and costs associated with combining Paramount and Skydance.

His bid, if successful, would cover a $400 million break fee owed to Skydance, the person said.

"We believe multiple board members support a bid that excludes the dilution from Skydance," Rich Greenfield, analyst at LightShed Partners said in a note published on Tuesday.

Story continues

On Wednesday, Skydance declined to comment and Bronfman did not respond to a request for comment.

Bronfman's investor group includes Fortress Investment Group and Jeff Ubben, founder and managing partner of Inclusive Capital Partners, according to an Aug. 19 letter seen by Reuters.

Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Brock Pierce and Kazakhstan investor Nurali Aliyev, previously part of the Bronfman group, were no longer listed among the investors in revised documents provided to Paramount's board, an Aug. 20 letter seen by Reuters showed. That document also included 65 names of other parties Bronfman approached to discuss joining his investor group.

Skydance and Paramount had agreed to a 45-day "go-shop" period, to allow the publicly traded media company to solicit and consider other offers.

A special board committee has extended Wednesday's deadline until Sept. 5 for Bronfman's consortium, Paramount said.

The Ellison-led group will have the opportunity to submit a counter-offer, the person said.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report Bronfman's improved offer.

(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewksi in Los Angeles and Savyata Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur, Sandra Maler and Jamie Freed)
Three Belleville residents who worked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in St. Louis County have been indicted on wire fraud charges of scheming to falsely obtain over $20,000 each in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced Wednesday.

The relief money was part of the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, operated by the U.S. Small Business Administration to offer relief and forgivable loans to struggling businesses. Under this program, business owners could apply for loans to offset operational costs for payroll, employee benefits, facility expenses and other bills, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Illinois.

The news release states indictments were returned by a grand jury in the federal courthouse in East St. Louis against the following persons:

Katherine L. Liggins, 36, of Belleville, one count of wire fraud and one count of material false statement for allegedly lying to acquire over $20,000 in Paycheck Protection Program funds.

Eric C. Scott, 43, of Belleville, one count of wire fraud and one count of material false statement for allegedly applying for and spending over $20,000 in Paycheck Protection Program funds under false pretenses.

Tamika N. Wilson, 44, of Belleville, two counts of wire fraud, two counts of material false statement and two counts of material false document. Wilson is accused of applying for and receiving over $40,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans she was not entitled to.

At the time of the alleged misconduct, Liggins, Scott and Wilson were full-time employees of the Veterans Affairs Regional Office in St. Louis County, according to the news release.

A representative of the Veterans Affairs agency could not be reached for comment Wednesday regarding the current employment status of Liggins, Scott and Wilson.

The defendants also used misinformation to apply for loan forgiveness and each was approved, the news release states.

An indictment alleges Wilson falsely represented to two private lenders that Wilson was the sole proprietor of a Belleville business that had $100,956 in gross revenue in 2019

An indictment alleges Liggins claimed ownership of a spa business in a loan application and falsely stated the business had gross receipts or sales totaling $200,000 in 2020, had expenses of $47,000 in 2020 and and a net profit of $124,000 in 2020.

The indictment against Scott alleges he stated he was the sole proprietor of a business in Belleville that had gross income of $105,800 during the 2019 tax year.

A defense attorney was not listed in court records for Wilson, Liggins or Scott.

Wilson, Liggins and Scott are scheduled to appear Sept. 4 in federal court in East St. Louis, according to court records.

The news release states wire fraud convictions are punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment, and material false statement and document convictions may lead to up to five years in federal prison.

Agents with the Department of Veteran Affairs Office of Inspector General are contributing to the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Verseman is prosecuting the case, according to the news release.

Countless small business owners and employees fell on hard economic times during the COVID-19 pandemic, and PPP loans allowed many to keep their families fed and lights on, U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe said in the news release. In one of the most prevalent and widespread fraud crimes in history, the greedy individuals who sought to steal from the federal government under false pretenses and enrich themselves with PPP funds will be held accountable under the law.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  KC Pet Projects Animal Services Division helped rescue 31 animals from a property in the citys Historic Northeast neighborhood.

Animal Services officers responded to complaints about potential neglect of the animals.

Their investigation uncovered that the property was littered with trash, animal carcasses, and dead birds, KC Pet Project said. The living animals were found in inadequate housing with no access to water or ventilation and displayed signs of neglect. These circumstances are not only inhumane but also in violation of the city code.

KC Pet Project said the animals, eight ducks, eight hens, eight cats, six roosters and one pigeon, were surrendered by the owner.

Louisburg restaurant employee allegedly stealing customers credit card information

One duck had to be euthanized due to its injuries and one kitten died, according to KC Pet Project.

Several of the cats are reported to be sick and are receiving medical attention.

In addition to rescuing the animals, Animal Services will be issuing citations to the owner for multiple violations, including failure to provide adequate care, KC Pet Project said. The owner also has outstanding warrants related to prior animal-related offenses.

KC Pet Project said it has found placement for most of the birds and there are roosters available for adoption.

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Officers will continue to visit the property to work on capturing more animals on the property.

Anyone interested in adopting the roosters, you can visit the KC Campus for Animal Care at 7077 Elmwood Avenue.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
LONGMEADOW, Mass. (WWLP)  The Longmeadow community had a chance to meet their first responders Tuesday night.

Lubavitcher Yeshiva Academy in Longmeadow hosts annual Summer Barbecue

For the 4th year in a row, dozens came out to the towns First Responder Night at Williams Middle School. This annual event provided the opportunity for residents to interact with and learn about the local first responders who serve and protect their community. Attendees had the opportunity to explore a Lifestar Helicopter and see several police dog demonstrations.

22News spoke to the Longmeadow Police captain, Carl Mazzaferro about the importance of building connections within the community. This is a great trust-building and community-building program with our community and show them what the police and fire department do with a lot of fire departments here as well. We have the Mass State Police here, which gives them more of a personal relationship, a relationship building where they are with a local officer, said Mazzaferro.

The town also asked visitors to donate non-perishable food items to the Longmeadow Food Pantry.

Latest Local News Headlines

WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.

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5 Deepest Burns Aimed At Trump From The Obamas And Other DNC Speakers

The Democratic National Convention on Tuesday centered on a star-powered roll call naming Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as their candidates.

Then, they turned up the heat on Donald Trump.

Michelle Obama brought down the house with a rousing speech with numerous high points across its nearly 22 minutes.

But the former first lady got some of her biggest applause when she made a reference to one of Trumps inflammatory comments at Junes debate when the former president claimed migrants were taking millions of Black jobs.

Whos gonna tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs? Obama said to cheers:

.@MichelleObama: Who's going to tell Donald Trump that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those 'Black jobs'? pic.twitter.com/i1S4RWF7TS  Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 21, 2024

She was a tough act to follow, but her husband tried anyway as former President Barack Obama delivered a rousing speech of his own.

Obama slammed Trump for whining and warned that putting him back in office would lead to four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos.

We have seen that movie before, Obama said. And we all know that the sequel is usually worse.

But the biggest response may have come when Obama took a shot at one of Trumps pet topics: the size of his crowds, which has diminished lately as a growing number of bored supporters head for the exits while hes still speaking.

Theres the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes, Obama said, using his hands for emphasis as the audience laughed. It just goes on, and on, and on.

That gesture when Barack Obama talks about Donald Trump's "weird obsession with crowd sizes"  pic.twitter.com/XQpVWskEyg  The Recount (@therecount) August 21, 2024

Another zinger with a hand gesture came not at the DNC itself but at a secondary event in Wisconsin featuring Harris and Walz which was held in the same arena that hosted the RNC last month.

Walz mocked Trump and the RNC for lacking the energy of the raucous Democratic Convention.

Not only do we have massive energy at our convention, we got a helluva lot more energy at where they had their convention, right here, Walz said.

The crowd roared, and Walz egged them on to get even louder.

That one guys gonna be so sad tonight, so sad, he said, then mimicked one of Trumps hand gestures. So sad, so sad.

Walz: Not only do we have massive energy in our convention, we've got a lot more energy where they had their convention right here.

*Accordion hands*

That one guy is going to be so sad tonight. So sad, so sad. pic.twitter.com/6p8p0iV3p3  Acyn (@Acyn) August 21, 2024

Another governor took aim at a different Trump obsession: his wealth.

Trumps been accused of exaggerating his net worth, which could take a major hit since he was ordered to pay $464 million in fines after he lost his civil fraud case earlier this year.

Trump is appealing that.

He was separately ordered to pay $83.3 million in damages in late January for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll, which is also under appeal.

Speaking at the DNC on Tuesday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker  a wealthy businessman himself  suggested Trumps bank accounts might not be as full as the former president has claimed.

Donald Trump thinks that we should trust him on the economy because he claims to be very rich, he said. But take it from an actual billionaire. Trump is rich in only one thing: Stupidity.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker: Take it from an actual billionaire, Trump is rich in only one thing: stupidity. pic.twitter.com/7O60iSxgxk  Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) August 21, 2024

The View cohost and CNN commentator Ana Navarro  a longtime Republican strategist who is part of the partys Never Trump wing  fired back at Trump for calling Harris a communist, saying she fled communism as a child.

I dont take it lightly, she said, then described what communist dictators do:

They attack the free press. They call them the enemy of the people, like Ortega does in Nicaragua. They put their unqualified relatives in cushy government jobs so they can get rich off their positions like the Castros do in Cuba and they refuse to accept legitimate elections when they lose and call for violence to stay in power like Maduro is doing right now in Venezuela. Now you tell me something: Do any of those things sound familiar? Is there anybody running for president who reminds you of that?

She took a shot at Trump for his reported dislike of dogs as well as South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), a close Trump ally who was reportedly under consideration for his vice presidential slot... until she bragged about shooting a dog she didnt like.

Kamala Harris, she likes dogs. And my dog ChaCha likes her. Dogs are good judges of character, she said. We cannot elect a president who does not like dogs or hangs around with people who shoot them.

Ana Navarro: We can not elect a president who does not like dogs or hangs around with people who shoot them."



pic.twitter.com/3A94acP88t  Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) August 21, 2024

Related...
CHICAGO  A 5-year-old boy was shot Wednesday morning in the Austin neighborhood.

Officers responded to the 1200 block of North Laramie shortly after 10 a.m. on the report of a person shot.

Police believe a 5-year-old was outside with a man when shots were fired.

The boy sustained a gunshot wound to his left leg and was transported to Stroger Hospital.

The boy was stabilized and his condition is not available. Police at the scene told WGN News he is expected to be okay.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  A 5-year-old boy was rescued from a hot car amid a heat advisory while police said his mom shopped at Walmart for 20 minutes, according to an arrest report.

Authorities said good Samaritans came to the childs rescue on Monday after 62-year-old Louis-Jacques Martine left her son in the vehicle just before 3 p.m., with the engine off and the windows rolled up.

Trapped in a nightmare: Wife of missing Hernando County man fearful for his return

The arrest report also revealed the boy appeared to be scared and distraught and was frantically knocking on the glass window to get the attention of customers passing by.

A Walmart employee was notified and instructed the child on how to unlock the door so that he could get out. Once he was taken inside the store, he immediately ran up to his mother, who was walking by the customer service section.

Martine was arrested for child neglect without great bodily harm.

She appeared in bond court on Tuesday, where a judge set her bond at $3,500.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
The launch of Boeings long-delayed 777X aircraft has encountered another problem, forcing the company to pause testing. Its another setback for the airplane maker, which is already embroiled in a safety crisis after a door plug blew off a 737 Max flight earlier this year.

Heres what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

1. DNC

Former President Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama and second gentleman Doug Emhoff were the big speakers on Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The Obamas delivered an impassioned call to American voters and pledged to continue their efforts to help Vice President Kamala Harris in the final 11 weeks of her presidential campaign. Emhoff used his speech to show a personal side of Harris, who he described as the anchor of their family. While Harris skipped night two of the DNC to campaign in Milwaukee, she symbolically accepted the partys presidential nomination after delegates at the convention held a ceremonial roll call. The speaker lineup today includes Harris running mate Tim Walz, former President Bill Clinton, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

In todays One Thing podcast, CNNs David Rind travels to the DNC to hear from Democrats about how Harris has injected energy into the race  and if that enthusiasm will translate into votes. Listen here.

2. Chicago protests

Large protests are erupting outside the Democratic National Convention this week, including clashes with police in the streets of Chicago. Crews set up an additional line of security fences in the area on Tuesday  a day after a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, rallying against US support for Israel in its war against Hamas, breached a barrier near the United Center. Tuesdays protests also saw some tense moments outside the Israeli Consulate in Chicago where protesters and police in helmets began pushing and shoving, a CNN crew observed. Hundreds of officers have taken to the streets, clearing the roadway and sidewalks. Its unclear how many arrests had been made Tuesday but multiple people appeared to be detained by police.

Chicago workers set up an additional line of security fences outside the United Center on Tuesday morning. - Bill Kirkos/CNN

3. RFK Jr.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is considering dropping out of the 2024 race and endorsing former President Donald Trump, his running mate Nicole Shanahan said in an interview Tuesday. She framed the decision as an effort to reduce the risk of Vice President Kamala Harris becoming president, arguing Kennedy pulls more votes from Trump than from Harris. When asked about the role Kennedy could play in a future Trump administration, Shanahan speculated that her running mate may be open to taking a role as secretary of health and human services. Trump said Tuesday he would certainly be open to Kennedy playing a role in his administration. This comes as new filings also show Kennedy is facing dwindling campaign resources and nearly $3.5 million in outstanding debts.

4. Ukraine

Russian authorities today accused Ukraine of launching one of the largest ever attempts to attack Moscow with drones. Russia said their defense systems had destroyed 45 Ukrainian drones overnight  including 11 over Moscow, two over the Belgorod border region and two in Kursk. Since the Ukrainian incursion began nearly two weeks ago, its forces are inching forward in Kursk and destroying key bridges in an effort to cripple Moscows logistical capabilities and disrupt supply routes. Separately, Russian authorities have urged people in the border regions to stop using dating apps and limit their use of social media to prevent Ukrainian forces from gathering intelligence as they press on with their advance.

5. Superyacht sinks

Italian authorities continued their search today for six missing people after a tornado sank a luxury yacht Monday off the coast of Sicily. Fifteen passengers were rescued from the boat shortly after it capsized, according to Italys Coast Guard. One body was later recovered from the hull of the stricken vessel, called the Bayesian. Two Americans and four Britons are among those missing  including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, and Chris Morvillo, a prominent lawyer. Initial reports suggest a small waterspout, which developed over the area Monday, could have been behind the yachts sinking.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are divorcing after two years

Bennifer is calling it quits  again. Heres what we know about their split.

An airport in Japan shut down because a pair of scissors went missing

Airport officials eventually located the tools, but some travelers were quite snippy about the hours-long delays.

Delicious canned pumpkin recipes

The official start of fall is over a month away but its never too early for  dare I say it  pumpkin recipes. Heres how canned pumpkin can easily be incorporated into every part of your meal.

New study shows the link between red meat and type 2 diabetes

Many people try to cut back on red and processed meat for heart health or environmental reasons. A comprehensive study published Tuesday explains how replacing red meat can lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Billions of crabs vanished around Alaska. Scientists have evidence it will happen again

The decline of the Alaskan snow crab signals a wider ecosystem change in the Arctic, as oceans warm and sea ice disappears.

TODAYS NUMBER

$1.9 billion

Thats how much Alaska Airlines said it will pay to buy Hawaiian Airlines. The merger will vastly expand the number of destinations throughout North America for Hawaii residents that can be reached nonstop or one-stop from the islands, Hawaiis Gov. Josh Green said this week after the merger cleared a review by the Department of Justice.

TODAYS QUOTE

Mpox is not the new Covid.

 The World Health Organization, calling for a coordinated response to the ongoing mpox outbreak as officials work to tamp down alarm about the virus. Thousands of mpox cases have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and one case was recently confirmed in Sweden  the first case outside of Africa. At least one potential case is also being investigated in Argentina, health authorities said this week.

TODAYS WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY 

How do art auctions really work?

From the lead-up to the sale to the moment the hammer comes down, former Christies CEO Steven Murphy explains what happens at an auction.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez' (D-NJ) resignation was set to take effect on Tuesday at 5 p.m. EDT signifying the end to a political career spanning 50 years the saw him become New Jerseys fourth longest-serving senator in state history. Photo by Louis Lanzano/UPI

Aug. 20 (UPI) -- The resignation of New Jersey's embattled Sen. Bob Menendez on Tuesday is scheduled to go into effect after the Democrat ended a failed Independent bid to keep his coveted Senate seat after a guilty verdict last month on federal bribery charges.

His resignation took effect at 5 p.m. EDT that day, bringing to an end a political career spanning 50 years the made Menendez become New Jersey's fourth longest-serving senator in state history.

New Jersey's Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy has reportedly named George Helmy, the governor's chief of staff, as the senate-designate to fill the vacant seat in a term to expire Jan. 3, 2025, beginning when senator's return next month in September to the nation's capital.

The Democratic senate nominee, Rep. Andy Kim, will face Republican candidate Curtis Bashaw in November's election for a full six-year term to officially serve after Menendez in the senate.

Menendez, 70, was found guilty last month of all 16 counts related to charges of bribery and corruption in July after a Manhattan jury determined that Menendez was guilty of accepting payments in the form of gold bars and cash, and had allegedly acted as a foreign agent for the governments of Qatar and Egypt in the Middle East region.

U.S. Sen Bob Menendez, 70, was found guilty last month of all 16 counts related to charges of bribery and corruption in July after a Manhattan jury determined the Democratic senator was guilty of accepting payments in the form of gold bars and cash, and allegedly acted as a foreign agent for the Middle East governments of Qatar and Egypt. Photo by Louis Lanzano/UPI

He has a scheduled October 29 date to face sentencing. But has signaled his intent to appeal the decision by the jury of six men and six women in New York's Southern District court in Manhattan after it rendered a guilty verdict after two days of deliberations.

In a 30-page court document filed on Monday the day prior, Menendez lawyers ask a New York judge to toss out the guilty verdict, arguing in the motion how the prosecution of Menendez was "nothing if not unprecedented and high profile," it read, stating their opinion that all 16 convictions "must be reversed."

"If sustained on such a surprisingly thin reed of evidence, these convictions will make terrible, dangerous law," it reads.

Menendez revealed in late July his intent to resign from the coveted Senate seat on Aug. 20 in a resignation letter to Murphy after his July conviction of corruption-related federal charges.

On Friday, Menendez ended his independent bid for re-election after a hard-fought Democratic primary featuring Rep. Andy Kim and the state's first lady, Tammy Murphy, in a race in which Menendez was largely ignored by voters and party leaders. The race ultimately was won by Kim after Murphy dropped out from the race.

The son of Cuban immigrants, Menendez, who later rose to prominence as chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was a House member from 1993-2006 before his appointment in 2006 to the Senate by then-Gov. Jon Corzine to fill his seat in Washington after Corzine's 2005 election to the governor's office.
ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  Cash rewards are being offered for information leading to the arrest of nine suspects wanted for various crimes in Abilene.

Police are seeking these suspects for the following offenses:

John Flores  Indecency with a Child

Sophia Moreno  Exploitation of Elderly, Criminal Trespass, Theft by Check

Mario Albarado  Injury to Child, Burglary of Habitation

Robert Lane  Injury to Child

Yair Martinez-Ferral  Assault on Peace Officer, Robbery

Bobbie Fletcher  Assault of Emergency Medical Personnel, Burglary of Habitation

Antonio Mendoza  Robbery

Jorge Hernandez  Injury to a Child

Broderic Livingston  Robbery, Evading Arrest

Jackie Ray Shanz (FEATURED FUGITIVE)  Abuse of Corpse, Assault Family Violence

CrimeStoppers is offering $500 cash rewards for information that leads to the capture any of the suspects, and a $1000 cash reward for information that leads to the capture of the featured fugitive.

Cash rewards will only be given if the information is received during the week their mugshots are aired on Abilenes Wanted Criminals.

Abilenes Wanted Criminals is a police-run social media segment that will highlight wanted suspects from around the City each week.

Episodes will be posted to the Abilene Police Departments YouTube page or APDs PIO Youtube page.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com.
(Karen Ducey/Getty Images)

As ballot counting wrapped up Tuesday night, Dave Upthegrove appeared to have edged out Sue Kuehl Pederson by just 51 votes  of 1.9 million cast  for second place in the Washington state lands commissioner primary.

Its one of the closest results in a race for statewide office in Washingtons history.

If the outcome holds, it means Upthegrove, a Democrat, will scrape by into the general election and compete against Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler. But there are still more steps in the process. The slim margin will trigger a mandatory hand recount.

Tomorrow, Secretary of State Steve Hobbs office will consolidate county election results submitted today and prepare related documents. On Thursday, Hobbs is expected to certify the primary results and immediately direct a recount to begin in the lands commissioner race.

After that, each county will notify the candidates and parties of the date, time, and location of their local portion of the recount. How long the recounting could take for counties to complete will depend on how many ballots theyre handling and other factors.

Stuart Holmes, Washingtons director of elections, said Tuesday the secretary of states office has a survey out to all 39 counties to gauge the time required. We have some estimates that are as long as 10 days, and some as short as one day, he said in an interview.

In recent days, attention in the race focused on curing ballots that had been turned in but challenged and not yet counted  due to issues like voter signatures that dont match those on file with election offices.

Holmes explained that voters had until the end of the day on Monday to turn in forms to county auditors offices to get ballots fixed. He emphasized that no new ballots  cured or otherwise  would be included in vote counts beyond Tuesday.

Washington law requires a machine recount in this case if the difference between the candidates is less than 0.5% of the total votes cast for both of them and also less than 2,000 votes. A hand recount is required if the difference is less than 1,000 votes and under 0.25%.

Upthegrove was upbeat despite the close result, which came in a race where five Democrats split the partys voters, raising the prospect of two Republicans moving to the general election.

I am incredibly thankful for the hundreds of volunteers who worked with our campaign this past week to help voters fix issues with their ballots so that their votes would count, he said in a statement. In a race this close, it made the difference.

Our campaign is moving full speed ahead toward November, he added.

Sam Cardwell, Pedersons campaign manager, said Pederson was honored by the votes in her favor.

Although she is losing by a razor-thin margin, Sue feels that she is still right in the pocket of victory to make up the votes in a recount, Cardwell said. She is motivated by the countless volunteers who have made ballot rehab efforts a reality.

The lands commissioner leads the Department of Natural Resources and oversees nearly 6 million acres of state public land, including about 3 million acres of trust lands that produce revenue  mostly from logging  for schools, counties and other parts of government.

Lands the agency manages are also open to recreation and some generate revenue from activities like farming, aquaculture, and commercial real estate. The department has about 2,200 employees. And its the states lead wildland firefighting agency.

If Upthegrove advances to the November ballot, it will set up an intriguing race.

Herrera Beutler served six terms as a congresswoman in southwest Washington but lost a reelection bid in the 2022 primary after voting to impeach former President Donald Trump, who is running again for president this year.

Shes vowed to not buckle under political pressure to set aside more logging lands for conservation and to support career staff who guide timber sales.

Upthegrove, who chairs the King County Council, has made preserving older, but not necessarily old-growth, legacy forests on state land a centerpiece of his campaign and has broad support from environmental groups.

The closest statewide primary up until now was in the 1960 superintendent of public instruction race, Holmes said. That contest was decided by 252 votes.

In 2004, the governors race was settled by a margin of just 133 votes after multiple recounts, with Christine Gregoire, a Democrat, defeating Republican Dino Rossi. At least at that time, it was the closest governors race in U.S. history.

Editors note: This article was updated to remove a quote suggesting recounts in Washington had never changed the initially reported outcome in a race. In the 2004 governors race, Rossi led by 261 votes when counties completed their initial vote count.
Shares of Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) have already soared by about 58% in 2024. Despite the run-up, many analysts on Wall Street think the pharmaceutical stock can climb a lot higher. Bank of America analyst Geoff Meacham is so encouraged by the company's recent progress with obesity, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease that he thinks the stock can climb to $1,150 per share.

Meacham's recently updated price target implies a gain of 25% from the stock's closing price on Aug. 19, but that gain is a long way from guaranteed. Let's weigh the risks this stock presents against the opportunities in front of its pharmaceutical business to see if it presents an acceptable risk-to-reward ratio for everyday investors.

Why Wall Street's bullish

Eli Lilly sells a handful of different blockbuster drugs, but all attention right now is on its new best-seller tirzepatide. This is the generic name of the treatment it markets as Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for weight management. Mounjaro earned approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2022, and Zepbound followed in November 2023.

Tirzepatide acts on two receptors in the pancreas that regulate how hungry we feel, GLP-1 and GIP. Its biggest competitor is semaglutide, a drug Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO) markets as Ozempic and Rybelsus for diabetes and Wegovy for weight management.

Novo Nordisk's diabetes and weight management drug has a long lead on Eli Lilly's, but semaglutide only acts on GLP-1 receptors. Tirzepatide's unique mode of action appears to make it more effective, and this difference is helping it gain market share at a blazing pace.

Drug Q2 2024 Sales Q2 2023 Sales YOY Growth Rate Q1 2024 Sales Sequential Growth Rate Tirzepatide $4.3 billion $980 million 342% $2.3 billion 86% Semaglutide $6.9 billion $5.1 billion 26% $6.3 billion 10%

Data source: Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk. Table by author. Q1 = First quarter. YOY = Year over year.

Semaglutide sales are rising rapidly for Novo Nordisk, but not nearly as quickly as Eli Lilly's drug. Tirzepatide sales in the second quarter this year were 86% higher than during the first quarter.

Investors can reasonably look forward to continued sales growth from tirzepatide. Clinical trial evidence keeps giving physicians more reasons to prescribe the treatment than just weight management. In the 176-week Surmount-1 study, adults with pre-diabetes who were randomized to receive tirzepatide were 94% less likely to progress to type 2 diabetes than the placebo group.

In June, Eli Lilly showed that tirzepatide can make a big difference for patients with obstructive sleep apnea. During the Surmount-OSA trial, patients treated with tirzepatide experienced about 30 fewer events restricting airflow per hour of sleep than patients given a placebo.

Story continues

Earlier this month, Lilly showed us that tirzepatide significantly improved symptoms for patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and obesity. It also reduced their risk of dangerous heart failure outcomes by 38%, compared to a placebo.

Tirzepatide is already responsible for 38% of Eli Lilly's total sales but isn't the company's only growth driver. During the second quarter, the FDA approved Kisunla to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease dementia.

Is Eli Lilly stock a good investment now?

Physicians combatting sleep apnea, heart failure, and diabetes could prescribe enough tirzepatide to boost sales from an annualized $17.2 billion at the moment to more than $50 billion at its peak. Unfortunately, the market already expects a lot of growth. Eli Lilly stock has been trading for the nosebleed-inducing price of about 60 times forward-looking earnings expectations.

If tirzepatide and Kisunla achieve expectations, investors who buy Eli Lilly at recent prices will come out miles ahead. If an unforeseen complication hampers their progress over the next couple of years, though, the stock could fall a long way from its lofty valuation.

Risk-averse investors should wait on the sidelines for a more attractive entry point. For those of you with a high tolerance for risk, buying Eli Lilly stock right now could be a smart move.

Should you invest $1,000 in Eli Lilly right now?

Before you buy stock in Eli Lilly, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Eli Lilly wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $796,586!*

Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than quadrupled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*.

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*Stock Advisor returns as of August 12, 2024

Bank of America is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Cory Renauer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bank of America. The Motley Fool recommends Novo Nordisk. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Eli Lilly Stock Could Soar to $1,150, According to a Wall Street Analyst. Is It a Buy at Around $945? was originally published by The Motley Fool
The Scoop

In January, when a scandal was brewing in Germany over its domestic carbon market, oil and gas giant Shell received a message on its online whistleblower portal: a Chinese emissions-reduction heating project on an oilfield it was involved in was actually a chicken farm.

I hope you will fulfill your due diligence and investigate the allegations, the complaint, a copy of which was shared with Semafor, reads. The document also made reference to at least three other such cases.

Now, the company whose CEO made that anonymous whistleblower complaint has declared itself insolvent. It was, it says, a victim of a multibillion-euro, transcontinental scandal that has roiled Germany for months: Biofuels suppliers allege dozens of emissions-reduction projects abroad were faked or overstated their success. The controversy has focused criticism on Germanys regulators and big energy companies, while eroding already-threadbare trust in efforts to reduce the energy sectors emissions.

How does fraud like this, at such a scale, happen, Zoltan Elek, the whistleblower whose company Landwarme supplies biomethane to big companies including Shell, said in an interview. This is not small scale, someone selling you a bad used car.

German authorities have in recent weeks begun to take action: The federal environment minister said last month that the country may be dealing with a case of serious environmental crime. In July, officials suspended all emissions-reduction projects in China, and are accepting no new projects anywhere. One senior government official has been suspended, German broadcaster ZDF reported, the environment agency has filed a criminal complaint with the Berlin public prosecutors office, and police have searched the offices of audit firms responsible for verifying projects.

For Elek, that action is coming too little, too late. Shell in particular, he says, has not done enough to probe the scandal, to take action by dismissing or disciplining staff, and to make amends, which he says should include some financial restitution for companies such as his that suffered reduced demand for its products. Frustrated by the response  or lack thereof  from major companies and German authorities, he says he is discussing banding together with others in the industry to increase political pressure and demand officials more aggressively investigate the legitimacy of projects underlying the credits. One industry lobby group says inadequate verification by regulators and auditors has led to lost income of 4.5 billion, or about $5 billion.

It is possibly one of the biggest fraud cases in the German oil industry, ZDF said.

Shell declined to answer specific questions about the whistleblower complaint or any of the projects in which it was involved. A spokeswoman for Shell said the Federal Environment Agency is currently investigating the allegations mentioned, and that the company always acts in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations. She said Shell conducts its own due diligence on a voluntary basis, but did not provide details of how or when due diligence is carried out. The company auditing the project identified by Landwarme as a chicken farm, meanwhile, denied it behaved inappropriately, telling Die Welt a typo was to blame for incorrect coordinates being supplied.

Know More

The months-long scandal unfolding in Germany concerns the market for Upstream Emission Reduction (UER) credits. Businesses can purchase UER credits  generated by third-party oil and gas companies when they take steps to save emissions before fossil fuels enter a refinery or storage facility, such as by avoiding flaring of gas during drilling  to offset up to 1.2% of their government-mandated emissions limit.

Because emissions do not respect national boundaries, UER projects can be located anywhere so long as they are verified and audited. Initial projects were established in Azerbaijan and Nigeria, though most are now in China. UER projects were estimated to have saved 1.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent in 2022, Argus Media reported.

But as skepticism grows about carbon-credit programs, the German system faces public questions. The scandal erupted into public consciousness thanks to an initial report in Handelsblatt in December, followed by reporting in German media by outlets including ZDF which indicated that as many as half of all UER projects in China are believed to be problematic. Some seem not to exist at all, while others may have misrepresented their benefits. In other cases, the benefits of genuine emissions-reductions projects may have been marketed to UER credit buyers without the knowledge of those behind the projects themselves.

Like other oil and gas companies with operations in Germany, Shell participated in the UER market to offset the emissions from its refining businesses. In the case of the chicken farm, in which it was a lead partner, the project was described as a set of heating systems in northeast China but geolocation data directed investigators elsewhere.

The impact of the scandal, if true, would be two-fold: Fake UER credits would lower overall demand for the use of biofuels or other such products made by companies such as Landwarme. And a flood of faked credits would tank their market price, which plummeted from about 400 per tonne of CO2 equivalent in Dec. 2022 to around 65 per tonne the following year, according to Argus.

Prashants view

The UER scandal has received little global attention because its complex and bound up in German regulations. But it bodes poorly for efforts to build trust in carbon markets and the regulators that police them.

In fact, if anything, the UER scandal is more troubling than previous ones because those largely involved the voluntary carbon market. The German controversy concerns a more tightly regulated adjacent system known as the compliance market, where participants have legal emissions-cutting obligations.

The role of any single company to police potential fraud is complex. To be sure, caveat emptor should apply in markets so laden with controversy; and Shell was warned at least as early as January of this year that several of the projects it was involved in were not providing the emissions benefits claimed, well before German authorities began any public investigations. Shell, as a lead partner on several UER projects including the one Landwarme identified, also had particular insight into their credibility and accuracy. So its not surprising that players who allege they were hurt by such apparently nonexistent UER projects want to increase political pressure on both the authorities and major companies in the market to win some kind of restitution for income they say was lost.

Yet as Shells spokeswoman notes, the projects it was involved in were checked by the authorities in several steps. The notion underpinning any well-regulated market is that buyers can trust that the products they are buying are legitimate. The UER controversy does not represent a systemic problem of carbon markets, its a systemic failing of regulators, Axel Michaelowa, a carbon markets expert and senior founding partner at the research firm Perspectives, told me.

And thats where this particular scandal paints a worrying picture.

In the longer term, the controversy points to the difficulty of transnational verification, particularly in countries that are either not as transparent nor as easily accessible as parts of western Europe. If nonexistent projects can be spun up in the UER market, how confident can companies subject to the European Unions forthcoming Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism  which will hit products with import penalties if they are made via higher-emitting processes than those used in the EU  be that the certificates they obtain are trustworthy?

Consider also green hydrogen, a widely touted and renewably produced alternative to fossil fuels for industrial processes: Its impossible to tell simply by examining the hydrogen how it was produced, so how can buyers and users of green hydrogen be certain it was made with lower-carbon processes if it came from more opaque or less regulated markets?

The problem is of how to resolve trust in the system  on the political side, but also between business partners, Elek told me. The trustworthiness is one of the things which has to be looked at very strongly.

Room for Disagreement

Carbon markets experts argue that the blame falls less on the market itself and more on the regulator: A carbon market is fine if the rules are implemented in a stringent manner and is not just a mirage in the desert, Michaelowa said. The idea of a carbon market is not itself flawed, he argued, and noted that among compliance markets, there are several examples of well-run ones: The EU Emissions Trading Scheme is good, he said. We have penalties. We have low non-compliance rates. The same is true in California, the same is true in the northeast of the US. There are a number of carbon markets that have not had relevant problems.

Notable

Among the numerous German outlets that have cataloged the scandal as it has progressed, ZDFs May report stands out for investigating the scandal and summarizing its consequences for ordinary Germans.
WOODS CROSS, Utah (ABC4)  A pile-up involving six cars on southbound I-15 in Woods Cross early Wednesday morning, Aug. 21, has brought traffic into Salt Lake City to a crawl.

Corporal Eddie Wright with the Utah Highway Patrol confirmed with ABC4.com that the crash had blocked four lanes of traffic in the southbound lanes near 1500 South in Woods Cross. One of the cars rolled in the pile-up.

So far, only minor injuries have been reported. Details on what led to the crash have not been released.

Southbound traffic on I-15 leading up to the scene has slowed to a crawl, according to the UDOT Traffic Map. The slowing has impacted traffic for over four miles, as far back as Parrish Lane in Centerville.

UDOT estimates the scene to be cleared by 9 a.m. and drivers are advised to use an alternate route, such as Legacy Parkway, if possible.

This is a developing story. ABC4 will update this post as new information becomes available.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
NORWICH, Conn. (WTNH)  Six people were displaced after a fire broke out in the garage of a home Tuesday night, according to Norwich fire officials.

Fire crews responded to the home on the 60 block of Alice Street around 10:20 p.m.

Upon arrival, crews reported an attached garage fire in a two-story, wood-frame residential dwelling.

Conn. residents, business owners can self-report damage after flash flooding

No injuries were reported and all occupants were able to get out on their own, fire officials said.

The American Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents.

The Norwich Fire Marshal Office is investigating the cause of the fire.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Can a $60K grant from the Kellogg Foundation solve Branch County's childcare issues?

BRANCH COUNTY  Funded with a $60,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, a local group is again trying to solve Branch County's lack of childcare.

According to Erica Heminger, executive director of the Branch County Community Foundation, the grant was awarded to assemble and coordinate a local implementation team.

The community put together a plan in 2018 to turn this former Pines Behavorial office complex into a 24-hour seven day a week childcare facility.

Childcare Network data reports that 3,170 children five and under live in Branch County.

Including Great Start Readiness and Head Start, the county has only 1,114 licensed childcare openings.

Reports from Michigan Works! indicate that many women who want to join the workforce to fill local jobs cannot because of a lack of childcare.

Heminger said, "Child Care is typically considered a family issue. It's really important for us to break down that mindset barrier and talk about how it's an economic issue."

Heminger said, "The idea of confronting childcare access in rural communities is only possible because of this grant from Kellogg. So, we're so grateful that they see the value in the work that needs to be done.

The 2018 Community Childcare project

The grant program is similar to a 2018 collaborative community effort of over 20 supporting partners spearheaded by the Community Foundation and Branch County Great Start.

The group planned to turn the former Pines Behavioral Center on Orleans and Michigan Avenue into a 24-hour, seven-day Early Education Childcare Center.

The $1.8 million effort failed when the Michigan Department of Transportation refused to consider giving up some adjacent land necessary to meet building codes to convert the buildings.

Prior 2018 story : Community groups lay out plans for child care center

The goal

Both Kellogg and the Community Foundation view the ultimate goal as similar to the 2018 effort. "To develop actionable strategies, we can pursue not only strengthening our local childcare infrastructure, opening up more childcare spots, but also enhancing access to high-quality childcare services," Heminger explained.

The foundation will ask representatives of businesses, economic development, workforce development, municipalities, childcare businesses, early childcare system builders, policymakers, advocates, funders, and families to serve on the focus group.

While seeking the grant, Heminger said the foundation identified several primary challenges in Branch County.

Heminger states these include "the mindset barriers among community members unsure of their role in addressing the childcare crisis."

The foundation's executive director noted a general lack of community knowledge about the issue.

These all tie into insufficient funding and inadequate physical space for childcare facilities.

If successful, the grant will foster collaboration among the economic, workforce, and community development sectors to provide necessary childcare resources.

Subscribe Follow this story. Subscribe to the Daily Reporter.

Anyone interested in learning more about this work is urged to contact the Branch County Community Foundation in person at 2 W. Chicago St., suite E1, in downtown Coldwater, call the office at (517) 278-4517, or email staff at info@brcofoundation.org.

Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: W.K Kellogg Branch County Foundation grant childcare solutions
700 Seattle area hotel workers may be close to striking.

The UNITE HERE Local 8 hospitality workers union is holding an authorization vote Wednesday after months of unsuccessful negotiations with the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Seattle Airport, Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center, and Westin Seattle.

According to a release from the union, the workers are asking for better raises and better workloads.

Many hotels nationwide have kept COVID-era service cuts in place and the union argues that its workers should be compensated for the extra work theyre taking on as a result.

The vote covers housekeepers, front desk agents, cooks, dishwashers, servers, bartenders, bellmen, and other staff at the hotels.

The workers contracts expired May 31, 2024 and were subsequently terminated by workers votes last month, according to the union.

The vote will take place Wednesday at the Westin Seattle at 7 a.m.
3:50 p.m. UPDATE:

GIBSON CITY, Ill. (WCIA)  Gibson City Melvin Sibley Schools Superintendent Jeremy Darnell is reminding everyone to be kind in the stressful moment after RhinoAg announced 80 workers will be laid off from their Ford County facility in the next eight months.

In our small town when big events happen, the ripple effect is real and we never truly understand how each person is impacted, Darnell said on Facebook. Our kids of all ages feel those impacts and it can impact them, their focus, their motivation, their happiness.

Darnell said the school district is hiring two second-shift custodians soon and encourages anyone affected by RhinoAg interested in the position should email Bob Jones, the director of maintenance, at jones.bob@gcmsk12.org.

Additionally, he reminds everyone the school district offers financial waivers and can help families at any point in the year if their situation changes.

2:00 p.m. UPDATE

GIBSON CITY, Ill. (WCIA)  Gibson City mayor Dan Dickey is expressing his sadness after RhinoAg announced Tuesday they will let 80 employees go from their manufacturing facility by the end of next March.

The mayor said he already has reached out to Congressman Darin LaHood, IL Senator Tom Bennett, and IL Representative Jason Bunting, along with other agencies to help the transition.

Over the years, RhinoAg has contributed to our community by providing jobs, supporting our local economy as well as assisting with numerous local events, organizations and projects, Dickey said. We appreciate RhinoAg and our long-standing partnership, but now must focus on assisting employees and their families with avenues and solutions to help them move forward.

Dickey and the Gibson City Council are looking to schedule a job fair in the future, and promise to assist workers in finding more resources and potential opportunities.

GIBSON CITY, Ill. (WCIA)  Around 80 employees will be let go over the course of six months from a Ford County manufacturer.

RhinoAg to close facility in Gibson City next year, laying off employees

RhinoAg Company President Lisa Tubbs said around 80 employees will be affected at their facility in Gibson City. Tubbs said the employees will be let go from the company in a phased approach between October 2024 and March 2025.

A spokesperson for The Alamo Group, the company that owns RhinoAg, shared the following statement with WCIA.

The reduction in force we have announced at our RhinoAg facility in Gibson City, Illinois is regrettable, and was only made after careful consideration. However, we feel that these actions are necessary given the difficult market conditions in our agricultural equipment segment. Like other manufacturers in this space, weve experienced a significant reduction in customer demand as a result of the general softening of the agricultural markets we serve. Despite the difficulties we face today, RhinoAg continues to be one Alamo Groups strongest brands, and we remain fully committed to the future of the brand. Accordingly, as part of the announced reduction in force, we have also decided to move the manufacturing of RhinoAg products to another Alamo facility. We are confident that these measures, including our relocation of the RhinoAg manufacturing operations, will make us operationally stronger and more efficient, building greater future resiliency into our agricultural equipment business. Rick Raborn, the Executive Vice-President of Alamo Groups Vegetation Management Division

The headquarters for RhinoAg are also located in Gibson 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 WCIA.com.
9 discoveries that have fundamentally altered our understanding of human history

9 discoveries that have fundamentally altered our understanding of human history

Archaeologists study artifacts, monuments, and other remains to get a better sense of human history.

What they discover often rewrites humans' past and changes the way we think about our species.

Modern technology like LiDAR expands upon earlier discoveries and leads to new revelations.

Over the centuries, our understanding of the human species has changed countless times through the discovery of archaeological sites like the Altamira cave paintings in Spain, and through the use of new technologies like LiDAR that help scientists rediscover entire cities

A piece of stone can unlock a lost language, while a peculiar fossil can launch an entire new field of science. Here are nine of some of the most significant archaeological discoveries in history that changed what humans know about our origins and culture through time.

Pompeii and Herculaneum gave a glimpse into the lives of everyday Roman citizens.

The city of Pompeii. Atlantide Phototravel/Getty Images

In 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius unleashed a torrent of ash and magma, killing thousands of people and preserving the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum for over a millennia. Excavators rediscovered them in the early 1700s.

The cities were so well-preserved that they've given archeologists a unique look back in time at what life was like in ancient Rome for the wide range of people who lived there, from the very wealthy to those who were enslaved.

For example, excavators found a bakery's prison in Pompeii where barred windows locked in enslaved people.

And everyday objects like lime and bricks demonstrate how some buildings were constructed, possibly through a technique for making cement created by the Romans.

Other discoveries of graffiti and shrines have also advanced our understanding of ancient Romans. Back then, kids liked to express themselves by drawing on walls, too.

The Aztec Calendar Stone holds information about astronomy, agriculture, and more.

A visitor taking a picture of the Aztec Calendar Stone at Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City. Clasos/Getty Images

One of Mexico's most iconic artifacts  the Aztec Calendar Stone  is depicted on the country's coins. The giant stone was lost shortly after the Spanish colonized Central Mexico. But it was rediscovered in 1790.

Back then, Europeans had the common misconception that Mexico was home to "savage hordes." But when German explorer Alexander von Humboldt saw the stone in 1803, he realized his contemporaries were mistaken.

Then, in 1892, anthropologist Zelia Nuttall offered the first decoding of the stone's images. She used pre-Columbian writings to decipher them, finding clues about the complexities of Aztec culture, astronomy, and agriculture.

Scholars continue to debate the purpose of the centuries-old stone. Interpretations range from a sundial to a sacrificial altar to a calendar depicting an eclipse. Many experts believe the face in the center represents the sun god Tonatiuh.

Whatever its purpose, the stone revealed a culture steeped in ritual, creativity, and sophistication dismissed by Europeans.

Discovering Neanderthals sparked an entirely new field of scientific research.

A pair of Neanderthal skeletons at The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History show how the species' body changed over thousands of years. Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images

In 1856, scientists began studying a skeleton found in Germany's Neander Valley. The bones resembled a human's but differed in several key ways: the skull was longer and the limbs were thicker.

The discovery fundamentally changed our understanding of human history because it was the first proof of the existence of some of our closest relatives.

The discovery sparked an entirely new field of science: paleoanthropology, aka the study of early humans through fossils.

Since this groundbreaking discovery, our understanding of Neanderthals has evolved from seeing them as distant, less intelligent relatives to a group that fundamentally changed our own DNA.

In 2022, Svante Paabo won a Nobel Prize for sequencing the Neanderthal genome, which showed their DNA is 99.7% identical to our own. Some Neanderthal genes remain in humans today, too.

Recent studies suggest that humans and Neanderthals interbred enough that the extinct species left traces in our genome that impact our metabolism and risk for diseases like diabetes.

Moreover, many archaeological discoveries concerning their culture, including cave art and toolmaking, have illuminated the many ways our long-lost human relatives were more intelligent and refined than we've given them credit for in the past.

Altamira cave paintings show that ancient humans were capable of sophisticated art.

A replica of cave paintings showing bison at National Museum and Research Center of Altamira, Santillana del Mar, Cantabria, Spain. Sergi Reboredo/VW Pics/Getty Images

The Altamira cave paintings, located in northern Spain, were the first to show that prehistoric people were capable of creating sophisticated art and had a much richer culture of storytelling and ritual than previously thought.

The Paleolithic cave art was first discovered in 1868 and depicts bison, deer, and other animals. Scientists have dated the paintings to be between 13,000 to 14,000 years old.

In the decades since the Altamira cave's discovery, researchers have found many more examples of prehistoric cave art. The imagery changes from abstract to more realistic over thousands of years, showing the development of communication and the use of symbols in modern humans and their relatives.

Photography techniques and virtual reality also bring ancient art to life in new ways.

Humans domesticated dogs before any other animal.

A 1,000-year-old mummified dog found in Mexico City in 2012. REUTERS/INAH/Handout

Experts think dogs were the first animals we domesticated, around 15,000 years ago, though some suggest it was even earlier.

These early versions of dogs were likely useful, acting as guards, helping with transportation, and sometimes serving as food.

But a 2018 study of a dog burial from 14,000 years ago showed that some humans didn't just view the animals as helpful assistants.

They formed emotional attachments and cared for their dogs when the animals were sick. Not so different from how we treat dogs today.

"We suggest that at least some Paleolithic humans regarded some of their dogs not merely materialistically, in terms of their utilitarian value, but already had a strong emotional bond with these animals," archaeologist Liane Giemsch told National Geographic in 2018.

The Rosetta Stone unlocked Egypt's mysterious hieroglyphs.

The Rosetta Stone is housed at the British Museum. Fox Photos/Getty Images

The Rosetta stone was perhaps the most groundbreaking discovery that revolutionized our understanding of ancient Egyptian history and culture.

French scholar Jean-Francois Champollion translated the stone's text in 1822, which turned out to be a key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs. For centuries, archeologists had stared at these pictograms and characters without many clues to their meaning.

"We knew there were big civilizations, like Egypt, but they'd fallen silent," Egyptologist John Ray told Smithsonian Magazine in 2007. "With the cracking of the Rosetta Stone, they could speak with their own voice and suddenly whole areas of history were revealed."

After finding a list of pharaohs, Champollion translated the names of Cleopatra, Ramesses, and other important figures. The document showed just how far back Egypt's history stretched, thousands of years further into the past than was previously thought.

Today, the Rosetta Stone is in the British Museum, and Egypt has demanded its return.

Archaeologists are still trying to determine when the first humans reached the America's.

Stone point tools from the Sandia site in New Mexico. Werner Forman/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

How and when people first came to the Americas is a question archaeologists have long tried to answer.

One of the most significant initial discoveries on that front was found in 1929 at a site near Clovis, New Mexico.

Mammoth bones and stone tools at the site date back to 13,000 years ago. The dates matched with when glaciers started melting in northern North America, and experts believed that's when the first Americans arrived across the Bering land bridge.

However, numerous discoveries in recent decades have pushed the timeline back even further. For example, archaeologists found older artifacts at a 14,500-year-old site in Chile.

And a 2018 genetics study suggests ancient humans may have been living in Alaska around 25,000 years ago, millennia earlier than previously thought.

Experts in the archaeological community don't all agree on the exact dates, but general estimates for humans' arrival in the Americas are between 20,000 to 15,000 years ago.

Sutton Hoo proved there were no "Dark Ages."

The Sutton Hoo Helmet on display at the British Museum. Oli Scarff/Getty Images

The "Dark Ages" is an outdated term that once referred to the early Middle Ages in Europe. An archaeological site in Suffolk, England, known as Sutton Hoo, helped shed light on this era of British history and helped put the myth of the unsophisticated "Dark Ages" to rest.

In the 1930s, Edith Pretty wanted to know about the large mounds on her property and brought in Basil Brown, a local archaeologist. They turned out to be an ancient graveyard containing remains of a wooden ship belonging to an Anglo-Sazon warrior king who died around 625. The burial mound was full of jewelry, coins, and other artifacts.

Experts at the time didn't expect to find such well-made goods from an era that was supposed to be a decline from the days of the Roman Empire.

"The quality and quantity of the artifacts found inside the burial chamber were of such technical artistry that it changed our understanding of this period," curator Sue Brunning told Smithsonian Magazine in 2021.

Volunteers and experts continue to uncover finds at Sutton Hoo.

LiDAR has revealed lost monuments and civilizations.

Lidar can reveal geological and archaeological features. John Brock/United States Geological Survey; Wayne Wright/NASA's Wallops Flight Facility

In recent decades, LiDAR technology has transformed some aspects of archaeology. Short for Light Detection and Ranging, LiDAR uses a laser, scanner, and GPS receiver typically mounted on aircraft to collect data and create three-dimensional maps of the landscape and archaeological features. It's especially useful in areas covered in vegetation.

LiDAR can reveal previously unknown sites. In Guatemala and Mexico, for example, archaeologists have found the remains of many Maya cities and structures. Until the new technology started uncovering tens of thousands of structures, researchers had no idea how complex and far-reaching these civilizations were.

"Everything is larger, more extensive, more deeply built and engineered than we had thought," Brown anthropologist Stephen Houston said in a 2018 statement about 64,000 dwellings found via LiDAR in Guatemala. "In some areas, there are denser populations than previously imagined; other regions seem absolutely desolate."

Archaeologist Chris Fisher wants to use LiDAR to make a 3D image of Earth to preserve images of glaciers, forests, and other natural features as well as these ancient settlements and monuments. Sea-level rise, melting ice, and other climate change threaten many archaeological sites, including those yet to be discovered.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Photo by Jim Small | Arizona Mirror

Arizona voters will have the final say on whether abortion should be a right in the Grand Canyon State in November after the Arizona Supreme Court shot down a last-chance attempt from abortion foes to prevent the question from appearing on the ballot.

Dawn Penich, a spokeswoman for the campaign behind the abortion rights initiative, celebrated the courts action as a victory for the ability of Arizona voters to make their voices heard.

This win means that Arizona voters will get to have our say and enshrine the right to access abortion in our state constitution, putting personal medical decisions where they belong: in the hands of patients and doctors once and for all, she said in a written statement.

Arizona Right to Life sought to invalidate all of the signature petitions gathered by the Arizona Abortion Access Act, arguing that it illegally deceived voters into signing their names. The anti-abortion organization, along with other prominent anti-abortion groups, formed part of a Decline to Sign campaign that unsuccessfully attempted to convince voters not to support the initiatives bid to appear on the ballot.

The campaign behind Proposition 139 collected a record-breaking number of signatures to qualify for the November ballot, and just under 578,000 were confirmed to be valid last week  far exceeding the 383,923 requirement for a proposal that amends the Arizona Constitution.

In court, Arizona Right to Life argued that a 200-word summary of the ballot measure shown to voters by petition circulators asking for their signatures was so unlawfully misleading that the only recourse left was to throw out all of the signature sheets. A key complaint from the group was that the summary didnt explain that the initiative has the potential to invalidate several existing abortion laws, including the 15-week gestational ban currently in place.

The act guarantees access to an abortion up to the point of fetal viability, generally regarded as being around 24 weeks, and includes exceptions beyond that timeframe if a health care provider deems the procedure is necessary to preserve a womans life, physical or mental health. It also prohibits any state law from denying, interfering or restricting a womans right to obtain an abortion unless the state has a compelling interest in doing so that is rooted in evidence-based decision-making and doesnt infringe on a womans autonomy.

Arizona Right to Lifes argument failed to convince a Maricopa County Superior Court Judge, who ruled earlier this month that the summary is perfectly accurate and the groups criticisms of how the campaign has described the act should be aired in the political arena. On Tuesday, the Arizona Supreme Court sided with the lower court, saying that the summary complies with state law. All seven justices unanimously ordered that the initiative be included in the November ballot.

In a five-page ruling, Chief Justice Ann Scott Timmer wrote that the initiatives 200-word summary adequately outlined its principal provisions, as required by Arizona law. Those provisions, according to the justices, are that the Arizona Abortion Access Act establishes a fundamental right to abortion; it guarantees the right to obtain an abortion up to and after fetal viability; and it prevents the state from punishing someone who assists a woman in receiving an abortion.

The complaint from Arizona Right to Life that the summary made no mention of how the initiative interacts with existing state law is irrelevant, Timmer wrote, because state law doesnt require that the summary include such an explanation. And, she added, its unnecessary, because most Arizonans would understand the initiatives effects without having to be told about them.

The description is not required to explain the Initiatives impact on existing abortion laws or regulations, Timmer wrote. Moreover, a reasonable person would necessarily understand that existing laws that fail the prescribed tests would be invalid rather than continue in effect.

Another argument advanced by Arizona Right to Life was that the summary left out the fact that the health care provider mentioned in the initiative who has the ability to authorize an abortion even after fetal viability can include an abortion provider. Attorneys for the group said that could open the door to bad faith judgements, because abortion providers directly benefit from providing abortions, and argued that including that detail in the 200-word summary could have convinced some voters not to add their names to signature petition sheets.

But the high court dismissed that argument, too, with Timmer writing that most Arizonans assume that health care provider includes whichever treating physician a woman is consulting. And, she added, most voters recognize that health care providers are guided by ethical codes and act in good faith to safeguard their patients health.

In the end, the complaints brought by Arizona Right to Life dont meet the threshold to bar the abortion rights proposal from the ballot. In fact, most of the groups criticisms, Timmer wrote, are best dealt with in the political sphere, through advocacy and public opposition.

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The European Union may have just given Teslas future sales in the region a boost by setting tariffs on its China-made vehicles considerably below those imposed on rival electric carmakers.

The high-profile decision comes two months after the EU hiked tariffs on all electric cars imported from China, citing unfair state subsidies that unduly benefited the countrys electric vehicle makers at the expense of European manufacturers.

Tesla, which has a factory near Berlin but exports many of the cars it makes in China to Europe, had requested that the EU recalculate its rate, initially set at 20.8%.

On Tuesday, the European Commission, the EUs executive arm, set that rate at 9%.

That applies on top of the existing EU duty of 10% on all EV imports, but it is still well below the additional tariffs of between 17% and 36.3% levied on other Chinese automakers.

The European Commission said the tariff reflected the level of subsidies Tesla received in China.

The Commission verified the information during (a) visit in China and conducted the same checks as of the other sampled Chinese exporting producers, it added in a statement. CNN has contacted Tesla for comment.

Gregor Sebastian, a senior analyst at think tank Rhodium Group, said he was surprised that Teslas additional tariff had been set at only 9%. He pointed to local government loans that the company has received in Shanghai, as well as subsidized batteries from Chinese battery maker CATL.

But its tricky to make a strong argument here without seeing all the inputs and methodology the Commission used, he added.

The additional duty is still negative for Tesla, but could give the carmaker some breathing room relative to SAIC, currently its major competitor in Europe, he told CNN. (SAIC) is really going to struggle.

The Chinese state-owned carmaker, which owns the iconic MG car brand, has been hit with an additional 36.3% tariff, reserved for non-cooperating companies, according to the Commission.

Geely, which owns Swedens Volvo, has been hit with an additional 19.3% tariff. And cars made by BYD  which is vying with Tesla to be the worlds biggest seller of battery EVs  are subject to an additional duty rate of 17%.

These are slightly lower than the duties proposed in June following a more thorough investigation and input from the automakers, the Commission said.

Some Chinese companies in joint ventures with EU automakers may also benefit from lower duties, set at 21.3%, rather than automatically receiving the higher 36.3% rate.

Story continues

Chinas Commerce Ministry said on Tuesday that it firmly opposes and is highly concerned about the blocs ruling on EV tariffs, which followed an extensive probe into Chinese EVs. In a statement, the ministry said the investigation findings were distorted and vowed to resolutely defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.

Tesla versus BYD

After the initial EU tariffs took effect in July, Tesla hiked the price of its Model 3 in Europe by about 4%, or 1,500 ($1,666), to 42,490 ($42,177), blaming the additional duties.

Still, the Model 3 remains cheaper than the BYD Seal, according to George Whitcombe, an automotive research analyst at consultancy Rho Motion. Now, with Teslas additional tariff being reduced  it will help the Model 3 remain competitive with other Chinese-made EVs in Europe, he told CNN.

BYD, for its part, has not yet raised prices in Europe despite the hefty additional tariff.

BYD has a much better ability to absorb these additional duties because production costs are much lower compared to their prices in Europe, said Sebastian of Rhodium Group. He estimates that BYD could absorb an additional EU tariff of up to 45%.

The company could also ramp up exports of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, which Tesla doesnt make, as the tariffs apply only to battery EVs. And in future, BYD could escape tariffs altogether by making cars in Turkey for the EU market. Imports from Turkey are not subject to tariffs.

Regardless of higher tariffs, Chinese EV makers are unlikely to give up on Europe, which accounted for more than a third of their exports last year, more than the next five largest markets combined, according to Citi.

Chinese automakers enjoy a large margin on their sales in Europe, said Whitcombe.

CNNs Simone McCarthy and Shawn Deng contributed to this report.

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WOODSTOCK, Ill. (WTVO)  Two accused Illinois drug dealers were arrested Monday after police said they tried to kill a man who survived the attack.

According to the Woodstock Police Department, officers were dispatched for a shots fired call around 11:53 p.m. and met with the victim, who claimed his vehicle was struck by gunfire in the 600 block of Park Street.

Police confirmed the vehicle had multiple bullet holes, but the victim was not injured.

Authorities collected evidence of the shooting and identified the suspected shooter. Both Jason Spitzer, 39, and Lauren Sounde, 39, were arrested during a subsequent search of the property.

Spitzer was charged with attempted murder, delivery/possession of methamphetamine, felon in possession of a firearm, and aggravated discharge of a firearm.

Sounde was charged with delivery/possession of methamphetamine, and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.

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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oregon filed a suit against the city of Medford, alleging the citys police department illegally collected and stored information on social justice groups and activists.

The suit, filed Tuesday, claims the Medford Police Department (MPD) kept tabs on these groups in violation of Oregon state law, which prohibits law enforcement agencies from collecting or maintaining information about the political, religious, or social views and associations or activities of people who are not reasonably suspected of criminal activities.

This law is an important protection against police abuses, yet the MPD has publicly declared that they intend to continue their monitoring practices  leaving Oregonians engaged in protected First Amendment activities wrongly subject to surveillance, the ACLU of Oregon said in a statement.

The suit was filed in the Jackson County, Ore., Circuit Court on behalf of two local organizations, including Rogue Valley Pepper Shakers, which describes itself as an unincorporated association advocating for queer people, unhoused people, and other groups who are similarly marginalized in Southern Oregon. The second nonprofit, Stabbin Wagon, helps provide harm reduction and overdose prevention supplies for southern Oregon.

The third plaintiff is an individual described as a community advocate and former executive director of Stabbin Wagon.

The plaintiffs claimed documents obtained through public records requests show the MPD conducted unlawful surveillance of progressive individuals and groups advocating for racial justice, LGTBQ rights, reproductive rights, housing justice, harm reduction, decriminalization, government transparency and protection of the environment.

The department allegedly monitored social media accounts, the suit stated.

The city of Medford told The Hill it refutes the claims of the lawsuit, arguing the statute in question is focused on information-gathering specifically about the political, religious or social views of individuals.

The purpose of reviewing publicly-available information on social media channels is not to analyze or judge individuals political, religious, or social views, but to address legitimate police interests regarding public rallies and protests, a city spokesperson wrote.

The spokesperson said police review publicly available social media to address legitimate public safety concerns, including possible traffic disruptions, breaches of peace, potential conflicts between protesters and counterprotesters and risks of property damage or violence.

The spokesperson pointed to conflicts and traffic disruptions in Medford on June 1, 2020. While it did not specify the events, hundreds of protesters gathered on that day in response to the police killing of George Floyd.

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The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon has sued the city of Medford, claiming the police department "illegally collected information on individuals and groups engaged in racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive justice, housing justice, harm reduction, decriminalization, government transparency and environmental advocacy, when no crime had been committed." Photo courtesy of medfordoregon.gov

Aug. 21 (UPI) -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon has sued the city of Medford, accusing the Police Department of "illegally spying" on "progressive political activists."

The ACLU filed the lawsuit Tuesday. It claims the department "illegally collected information on individuals and groups engaged in racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive justice, housing justice, harm reduction, decriminalization, government transparency and environmental advocacy, when no crime had been committed."

"Police surveillance of protected political activities is not only unlawful; it is incompatible with life in a free society," the lawsuit states.

The complaint, filed on behalf of Rogue Valley Pepper Shakers, Stabbin Wagon and Melissa Jones, claims police collected intelligence from social media accounts on progressive groups and events, including a Juneteenth drive-in movie at the YMCA and in 2022 before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and federal abortion rights.

"The Medford police are monitoring people like me because of what we care about, not for anything related to crime," said Toren McKnight, co-founder of the Rogue Valley Pepper Shakers.

"Other activists, advocates and organizations who support Black, brown and queer lives see abortion as a healthcare right, care for the unhoused, the environment and practice harm reduction, could be subject to this illegal invasion of privacy, too."

Oregon state law bans police from "collecting or maintaining information about the political, religious, or social views and associations or activities of people who are not reasonably suspected of criminal activity."

The ACLU of Oregon noted in a statement that "This law is an important protection against police abuses, yet the MPD has publicly declared that they intend to continue their monitoring practices -- leaving Oregonians engaged in protected First Amendment activities wrongly subject to surveillance."

Medford responded to the lawsuit, telling The Hill that police reviews of social media are meant to "address legitimate public safety concerns" about traffic, protests and to prepare for public rallies, "not to analyze or judge individuals' political, religious or social views."
Acquitted of Fraud, Mike Lynch Was Elated but 'Struggling to Accept' New Reality Before Yacht Sinking, Reporter Says

Lynch was still learning to live without a "cloud" hanging over him, says a correspondent for The Sunday Times, who spoke with the businessman post-acquittal

Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Mike Lynch in London, U.K., on Thursday, April 25, 2013.

British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, who was acquitted on fraud and conspiracy charges just two months before he went missing after a superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily, was experiencing a range of emotions after the end of his lengthy legal saga, according to a journalist who spoke with Lynch about the matter.

Although he was "obviously incredibly grateful and happy," after his sudden change in fortune, the businessman was also still "struggling to accept" his new reality, Danny Fortson  who interviewed Lynch after his acquittal for the The Sunday Times  tells PEOPLE.

Back in 2018, federal prosecutors in California indicted Lynch on several counts of securities fraud and conspiracy, per the Associated Press and the BBC. The indictment related to his 2011 sale of Autonomy, the business software company he founded, which was sold for $11 billion to Hewlett Packard, per the AP.

However, the trial didnt begin until 2024 because Lynch fought extradition to the United States for years following his indictment, reported the BBC. In June, Lynch was acquitted on all 15 counts.

In an interview published on July 27, Lynch spoke with Fortson about the verdict, saying it felt like he had been given a "second life."

Related: 'We Are in Shock,' Prominent N.Y.C. Attorney's Firm Says After He and His Wife Go Missing in Yacht Sinking

Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Mike Lynch in London, U.K., on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010.

But, speaking with PEOPLE on Tuesday, Aug. 20, Fortson says that when they spoke, he felt that Lynch was also still "in shock."

Fortson notes that Lynch was originally facing over a dozen charges that could have sentenced him to 25 years in prison. Given his age and some health issues, he was very clear that he would probably die in prison in America," says the journalist.

And for the past decade, Fortson says that Lynch lived much of his life...under this kind of cloud." Then, thanks to a verdict, everything changed in the blink of an eye.

He was just really struggling to grapple with that, the journalist shares. He was hugely excited and very thankful, but also just this case had been going on, or the allegations had been going on for more than a decade.

Related: 6 Missing After Yacht Sinks in Sicily Presumed Dead as Sources Say Passengers Had Been Celebrating Before Storm

ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images A life boat is docked in Porticello near Palermo, on August 20, 2024 a day after the British-flagged luxury yacht Bayesian sank.

Ahead of Fortsons conversation with PEOPLE, The Sunday Times correspondent shared a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) reacting to the news that Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter were missing.

The terrible irony is that when we sat down last month, he made it clear that he felt he had won a new lease on life,  he wrote.

Attorney Christopher Morvillo, represented Lynch in the fraud case, his wife Neda, as well as Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy are also missing.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

A source close to the survivors confirmed to PEOPLE that Lynch was celebrating his acquittal when the yacht went down early on the morning of Aug. 19.

The Italian coast guard previously confirmed that 22 people were on the Bayesian, a 56-meter (183-ft.) British yacht, when it was hit by a sudden storm while off the coast of Porticello.

Related: What We Know So Far About the Missing Victims in the Sicily Yacht Sinking

Since the incident, one person, identified as a cook from the boat, was found dead near the yacht. Additionally, 15 people have been rescued, including Lynchs wife, Angela Bacares.

On Tuesday, Aug. 20, local sources told PEOPLE that many of the investigations believe that those missing are presumed to be deceased and trapped in the hold or in their cabins, although officials have not yet commented on that.

The search remains ongoing.

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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP)  With the state primary just a few weeks away Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin came down to Springfield to encourage people to head out to the polls as we approach some important deadlines.

The Massachusetts State Primaries will be held in two weeks on September 3rd.

So, in an effort to spread awareness Galvin is here offering some important reminders

that early voting starts this weekend and closes on August 30th.

This Saturday is the deadline to register to vote, change your party, update your address or anything else related to your voter registration status. And it also marks the start of early voting here in the commonwealth.

I started the effort here to make this announcement statewide. Western Massachusetts actually has more local activity in the upcoming September 3 primary than most parts of the state, said Secretary and Acting Governor William Galvin.

Statewide, theres a Republican primary for the U.S. Senate with the winner going on to challenge Senator Elizabeth Warren in November. Locally, there are contested Democratic primaries in three legislative races.

Theres a contested primary for the Hampden District in the State Senate in the 11th Hampden District in the State House and in the 3rd Berkshire District of the State House.

Galvin emphasizing the importance of participating in local elections now that there are more options to vote making it accessible to everyone.

It is very important to give people the opportunity to participate. Im delighted to tell you that the vote by mail effort that has been underway for a while has been phenomenally successful so far, mentioned Galvin.

Four thousand people have already voted by mail. Galvin says that early voting has become a very popular option over the the last three election cycles.

In 2022, the participation was 45 percent early voting, so we really think this is redefining the calendar as to what people are doing and how people are participating in elections, exclaimed Galvin.

Galvin has also worked to address some of the concerns associated with voting during this election cycle.

If youre voting by mail youre able to track it or you can choose to personally deliver it to a ballot drop box and verify it with your signature. And of course theres always voting in person on election day which lands on September 3rd.

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WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.

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ADDISON, N.Y. (WETM)  An Addison veteran has been honored for his dedication to the country and community in the VFW #StillServing campaign.

The national VFWs #StillServing campaign calls attention to veterans who continue to serve their community after they have left the military.

Parish Festival returning with family fun and homemade goods in Elmira

According to a release for the #StillServing campaign, Addison veteran Micah Hahn was honored for the campaign due to his role in the community for being deeply committed to helping veterans through advocacy and support, ensuring they receive the care and recognition they deserve.

Micah Hahn is a veteran who serves as the District 15 Chaplain of Pennsylvania, which earned him the Department of Pennsylvania VFW Chaplain of the Year award at the state convention in June. Hahn also serves as the Chaplain for the Knoxville VFW 6753, where he volunteers his time with the food bank it hosts. He also serves as the Chaplain for the Tioga County Honor Guard, where he offers support at military funerals and public events, such as Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

Elmira Fest returns to Grove Park this weekend

In addition to serving the VFW and Honor Guard, Hahn also leads his own church, Broken Spirits Ministry. The church is centered online through Facebook, with live-streamed services every Sunday night and a bible study on Wednesdays.

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Vicki Stanford, 81, at the Still Waters Adult Day Center in Indianapolis on Aug. 20, 2024. Stanford's daughters drive her from Anderson to Indianapolis ever since her managed care company stopped covering transportation services to Still Waters. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle)

Vicki Stanford loves the days when she gets to attend Still Waters Adult Day Center. At the Indianapolis facility, the 81-year-old paints, attends tea parties and presses flowers but, more importantly, she gets to socialize with people just like me.

Theres so many friendly people and its better than sitting at home and watching TV, Stanford said. We dont do the same thing all the time.

But Stanfords two daughters, her caregivers, can only drive her to Still Waters from her Anderson home twice a week since Medicaid stopped paying for transportation services to adult day centers in July when the state transitioned to managed care, otherwise known as PathWays. For facilities that provide their own transit services  which doesnt include Still Waters  the state stopped reimbursing transportation back in April, according to providers.

Terri Rinker, Stanfords eldest daughter, and her sister both work full time. In addition to the wheelchair and diabetes management care Stanford needs, she also has short-term memory issues related to a traumatic brain injury after she went into cardiac arrest and collapsed more than two decades ago.

My sister and I work hard to have people come over and visit  but its lonely for older people. It really is, Rinker, 62, said. I cant say enough about Still Waters. They are happy and upbeat and positive and encouraging. And the things that mom would have enjoyed talking about, learning about and doing before her brain injury  theyre doing it now. And theyre just so good to her.

She has something to contribute to the conversation, even though she may not remember all of what they did, Rinker continued. Whatever it is, she has something to talk about.

Now, Rinker drives from her home in Noblesville to Anderson to pick up her mother from her siblings home. Then she drives Indianapolis  where she works  to get Stanford to Still Waters. In the hopes of getting that transportation restored, the family has decided to switch their managed care coverage from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the entity they were assigned to, over to United Healthcare Community Plan.

Were kind of taking a shot in the dark. But I dont know what else to do, Rinker said.

When asked about what she does at home when she cant come to Still Waters, Stanford  a people person who volunteered with the Red Cross even after her brain injury  summed up her days in one word.

Nothing.

Statewide issues with transit services

Laura Altenbaumer, the president of the Indiana Association of Adult Day Services, knows of at least one center that closed partially due to the lack of transportation reimbursement  her own.

Altenbaumer oversees a chain of adult day centers with Active Day in Indiana and Illinois and said the company closed its northwest Indiana location in June. It still operates its two centers in Fort Wayne and Merrillville.

It was a center that was struggling for utilization anyway and then with the compounded transition, (Medicaid) waitlist and transportation non-payment  it was just too much. Even as a large organization, we just couldnt continue, Altenbaumer said.

She said two more of the roughly 40 adult day organizations in the state reported that they might have to close their doors due to the above issues.

Altenbaumer estimated that between 60-65% of adult day centers provide their own transportation while others, like Stanfords Still Waters, dont directly employ drivers. At Still Waters, families of the facilitys guests previously received a referral to a Medicaid-approved transportation company with drivers trained to manage patients with dementia or memory issues.

We had been utilizing a service that would come and pick up our guests and (the driver) was able to pick up any of my Medicaid guests because she was under the Medicaid waiver. She had been doing it for the last year and a half  picking up the same guests at the same time, same everything. Guests with dementia need that consistency, said Diana Keely, the director of Still Waters.

The Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), which oversees both the states Medicaid plan and Medicaid waiver services said the two programs both have separate transportation processes for non-medical transit. Under the state plan, non-emergency medical transportation is reimbursed by transportation brokers  Anthem uses WellTrans while Humana Healthy Horizons and United use LCP Transportation  while waiver services for non-medical transportation are billed to the managed care entity (MCE) by a provider.

MCEs have an open provider network so there is no requirement for adult day service providers to contract with the MCEs to be paid. The MCE must pay the nonmedical transportation provider at or above the Medicaid waiver rate set by the state. The MCEs cannot deny nonmedical transportation if it is a service identified on the individuals approved service plan, said Michele Holtkamp, FSSA director of communications.

She added that non-medical transportation services are the same under PathWays and the pre-July 1 waiver, known as the Aged and Disabled Waiver, and there was no change to the service or the service definition.

In the coming week, the Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning (OMPP) will be releasing a bulletin to spell out differences between the transit services under the state Medicaid plan versus the Medicaid waiver, FSSAs statement the Indiana Capital Chronicle continued.

Furthermore, OMPP has communicated directly with the MCEs on their responsibility for covering nonmedical transportation when it is a service approved on an individuals service plan, the email concluded.

Still, both Keely and Altenbaumer reported problems with the transportation services utilized by the managed care companies, such as sending a non-accessible vehicle to pick up someone in a wheelchair, missed pickup appointments, drivers without dementia training or abandoning an elderly passenger who took too long to use the restroom.

For the programs with their own transit services, Altenbaumer said that reimbursements have been denied for all adult day providers since July 1, even though the bills are going through the managed care claims process successfully.

Issues like these are being funneled to a claims work group composed of providers and the three managed care entities. Altenbaumer is part of that group but worries that my voice for adult day is not as loud as maybe assisted living (facilities) and long-term care.

I will say that (Indianas Division of Aging) is listening to providers and trying to make the necessary changes. I think its because all of the changes are happening and affecting such a huge group of providers  its kind of hard to prioritize, Altenbaumer said.  I think the state is attempting and trying to fix that for providers and find a solution for providers, but I think because of the overwhelming issues within claims process, theyre not being addressed as quickly as we had hoped.

Both Altenbaumer and Keely reported few issues with submitting claims for the services they provided as adult day centers  saying transportation has been the bigger hurdle.

Adult Day Services a beacon for some

Keely shared her own caregiver story with her father when talking about the important role adult day can play in someones life. He attended a center for three years before the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down facilities statewide.

He died just six months later, before Keely started her own career in adult day services at Still Waters.

No matter what I did, it just wasnt the same. They dont have the social engagement, Keely said about her fathers time at home during COVID. I feel like I want to be an advocate for my families (at Still Waters)  finding resources and finding what they need. The majority of families who come into the situation of being a caregiver dont know how to do it; thats what happened with my dad.

Keely said the center invites families of their guests to attend monthly sessions on elder care topics. Last month, someone from Indiana University talked about healthy aging and next week someone from the Attorney Generals Office will talk about scams targeting Indianas seniors.

Something repeatedly said in meetings with providers and the public by state officials was that, for the first 90 days after the managed care transition, families would experience no changes in their coverage, their providers or their services.

(Guests) were told, we were all told: The first 90 days, nothing will change. Whatever service you had, you will continue having, Keely said.

FSSAs website says that authorized Medicaid services will continue to be covered for 90 days and that the managed care companies would have to have open networks that include all providers who want to contract with them.

You will continue to receive the same Medicaid benefits in the PathWays program, the site reads.

That claim feels hollow to Hoosiers like Rinker.

Its been six weeks and we cant talk to anybody. Nobody returns our calls, Rinker said.

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Instead, calls to Anthem came to confusing conclusions, pointing to Stanfords home health hours at the familys preferred company and saying they needed to switch providers. Or saying that transportation and home health needed to be covered by the same company. Repeatedly, customer service and managers said that they dont transport to adult day centers  though adult day transportation is one of the three types of non-medical transportation supposedly available under managed care for Medicaid waiver enrollees.

If I have to pick and choose between, Do I stay up with mom so she doesnt fall and I can administer her insulin and I not sleep all night? Or, Do I spend a couple hours driving her to Indianapolis? Ill choose to transport, Rinker said.

Rinker readily admits that the familys situation wasnt great before the states transition to managed care, but said she had a case manager who knew her mother and recommended resources.

She came to the house  (and) if you would just mention, Moms not eating very well and shes losing weight. She would say, Youre eligible to receive nutritional supplements. Let me arrange to have those shipped to the house, Rinker said.

Rinker openly wondered who benefitted from the managed care rollout, saying, I dont believe for one minute that they changed to for-profit insurance companies and that those insurance companies can provide the same services and make a profit.

I dont see Anthem saying, Oh, we can ship you nutritional supplements because you mentioned your mom is not eating well and losing weight. Because thats going to cost them money, Rinker continued. What were you thinking, state government?

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Demetra Bailey, owner/operator of The Kitchen, takes a picture with Wayne Reid and Valenthia Doolin during the recent Metropolitan Better Living Center's 38th annual Achievers Banquet.

A longtime resource for seniors in northeast Oklahoma City is expanding its services to offer 24-hour respite care after receiving grant funding from a nationwide association researching dementia.

The Metropolitan Better Living Center was awarded $250,000 by the Alzheimer's Association Center for Dementia Respite Innovation, established to enhance respite services for people living with dementia and their caregivers throughout the country.

A nonprofit adult day center with two locations in northeast Oklahoma City, the Metropolitan Better Living Center provides activities and other services for older adults and disabled individuals. The center was one of 21 first-year grant recipients in a competitive five-year grant program to improve respite opportunities for 11 million dementia caregivers nationwide.

Jacquelyn Parks, CEO of the Metropolitan Better Living Center, said she plans to use the grant to help offer nighttime respite care at the center and to further prioritize education about dementia issues disproportionately affecting the city's low-income demographics.

"That Alzheimer's grant is all about knowledge," Parks said. "It's all about education, what we can learn from the association and what we can teach other people. It was quite a big deal, and it's going to be quite a bit of work because they're going to train us more. They're going to come in and see what we're doing, help us where we need help. And we want to get the grant again, so we want to do the best we can do to make that happen."

Related: 'She knew how to get things done.' OKC woman known for community service to mark 100th birthday

Jacquelyn Parks, CEO of the Metropolitan Better Living Center, is pictured recently during the Metropolitan Better Living Center's Achievers Banquet.

What is respite care? How the program helps caregivers

Respite care provides caregivers with temporary rest from the role while the person living with Alzheimer's disease continues receiving person-centered care in a supportive environment. Respite care can be provided at home  by a family member, a friend, volunteer or paid service  and in a professional or community-based setting, such as the center's adult day care.

Letina Itaman, program and grant manager at the center, is also an avid researcher pursuing a PhD in public policy and administration. She became passionate about Alzheimer's and dementia education when she realized how much it was affecting minority populations locally and nationally.

Many community members, she said, come into the center, frustrated and uncertain of how to care for a loved one whose behavior they no longer recognize due to the progression of the disease.

"They don't know how to accept that, and some of them are in denial and don't know how to deal with it," Itaman said. "So, with this grant, we have the opportunity to educate them, the opportunity to keep their loved ones during that 'sundowning' stage so that they can still get that rest that they need to be mentally stable, physically stable and healthy."

Guest: Alzheimer's disease claimed 7 of my family members. My race is for a cure

Letina Itaman speaks before the Metropolitan Better Living Center's 38th annual Achievers Banquet.

Respite care is often costly, and with limited availability in many communities, caregivers are typically responsible for the majority of expenses. Gaps in access to respite can be significant, adding to the burden of unpaid caregivers, according to the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers.

The demand on dementia caregivers can be so steep, research shows, the caregivers themselves are at serious risk of falling ill due to the stress involved and neglecting their own health. Meggie Gaskins, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, said that such a lack of self-care can even lead to the death of some caregivers.

"Sometimes respite care just means that the caregiver can take a nap or get better sleep," Gaskins said. "Whether thats going to the doctor or getting their hair done or eating a good meal, whatever they need to take care of for their own physical or mental well-being and their own needs, we want them to know and feel safe in that their loved one is taken care of while theyre away."

No two diagnoses of Alzheimer's look the same, she added, meaning that the disease can advance quickly or slowly, lasting anywhere between a few years to 20.

How the Metropolitan Better Living Center aims to help OKC families

The Center for Dementia Respite Innovation  created after the Alzheimer's Association received $25 million in federal grant funding from a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services  is developing strategies to pilot cost-effective, person-centered models of dementia respite care.

The original site of the Metropolitan Better Living Center, founded by Juanita Davis, is shown at 1407 NE 10 in Oklahoma City.

Gaskins said the grant award to the Metropolitan Better Living Center was especially important because the nonprofit prioritizes services for people with low incomes.

"That kind of a barrier exacerbates the challenges," she said. "Theyre already in situations where theyre struggling and now theyre caring for a loved one. They may be having to stay home from work or having to quit their job, which then puts an even greater financial burden on the families. So, were really excited that theyve received this, and we think this is an incredible opportunity for them."

Related: Caregiver fatigue left millions suffering in silence during COVID-19

Rachel Holt, left, CEO of United Way of Central Oklahoma, and Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt are pictured during the Metropolitan Better Living Center's 38th annual Achievers Banquet.

Parks, who left her career in the banking industry to take over the center, is keenly aware of the issues. Her mother, Juanita Davis, had actually started the center more than three decades ago in a former church building at NE 10 and Kate Avenue. Davis is now 102 years and under palliative hospice care, the same type of care for which the Metropolitan Better Living Center provides workshops.

But the center has sometimes struggled to make ends meet, Parks said, after various types of funding from local sources were cut in recent years. She has expressed gratitude, however, to United Way of Central Oklahoma, a longtime partner with the center.

The center celebrated the $250,000 grant award recently during its 38th annual Achievers Banquet at the Embassy Suites off Northwest Expressway. Among the attendees were Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt and his wife, Rachel Holt, the new CEO of United Way of Central Oklahoma, whom Parks thanked for visiting the center to familiarize herself with its work.

Isabella Lawson, CEO of Community Health Centers of Oklahoma, is shown during the recent Metropolitan Better Living Center's 38th annual Achievers Banquet.

"I just had a phenomenal time with Jackie, and I just love the work that they do there, getting to meet her staff and see her seniors being so well taken care of," Holt told The Oklahoman. "Jackie's such a special person, and on behalf of United Way I look forward to supporting the efforts that they do."

Other attendees who were publicly recognized Saturday included Isabella Lawson, CEO of Community Health Centers of Oklahoma; Demetra Bailey, owner of a soul food restaurant called The Kitchen, who has helped provide meals during difficult times at the center; the Alpha Community Foundation of Oklahoma; and the family of Shirley Darrell, the first Black person elected as an Oklahoma County commissioner in 1982.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Northeast OKC adult day center receives caregiver respite grant
The Oklahoma state Board of Education, led by state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters, does not have an executive session on its agenda for its August meeting.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued an official opinion Wednesday confirming state legislators are fully authorized to attend executive sessions of every state agency, board and commission.

The ruling came after legislators were denied entry into such sessions the past two months at meetings of the Oklahoma State Board of Education, led by state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters.

The opinion, which has the force of law absent a court ruling, came the day before the board's August meeting. The agenda for that meeting, posted Wednesday before Drummond's opinion was issued, does not have an executive session scheduled, a departure from previous meetings.

According to the agenda, the board will in open session (c)onsider, discuss, and take possible action regarding the filing of a Petition for Declaratory relief or injunctive to obtain court order as to the eligibility of Oklahoma legislators to attend executive sessions of the State Board of Education. Such a lawsuit would be a direct challenge to Drummond's opinion, the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act and the authority of the state Legislature.

State Rep. Mike Osburn, R-Edmond, requested the opinion from Drummond after he and two other legislators were denied entry to the state Board of Education's executive session on July 31.

It strains credibility and common sense that any legislator would be barred from the executive session of a state agency they oversee, Drummond said. The law is clear: legislators have broad oversight authority whether an agency or board likes it or not.

Drummond also formally withdrew a 1978 attorney general's opinion, issued by then-Attorney General Jan Eric Cartwright, upon which the board of education's contracted attorney, Cara Nicklas, leaned on in denying legislators entry into executive sessions.

The agenda for Thursday's meeting also included votes on multiple topics usually voted upon after an executive session, including some the board addressed last month, when the attorney generals office indicated it was investigating a possible violation of the Open Meeting Act.

Dan Isett, a spokesman for the Oklahoma State Department of Education, didnt respond to a question from The Oklahoman regarding the lack of an executive session on the agenda.

Over two meetings, three legislators were denied entry to the board's executive session

In June, state Sen. Mary Boren, D-Norman, was denied entry into an executive session at the board's meeting. On July 18, the attorney generals office sent a letter to Walters and other members of the board noting that Boren, or any legislator, should be allowed into an executive session because of a clause in the Open Meeting Act.

The law reads, in part: 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.

On July 31, Boren and two other lawmakers  Rep. Jacob Rosecrants, D-Norman, and Osburn  attempted to attend an executive session at the board's meeting. They also were denied entry. All three lawmakers serve on education committees or subcommittees in their respective legislative chambers. They all said Nicklas was the primary obstacle keeping them out of the meeting. According to public documents, Nicklas is paid $300 per hour to serve as the boards attorney.

Cara Nicklas, the contracted attorney for the state Board of Education, had objected to the presence of legislators in the executive sessions held by the board.

A question was also raised about whether the board followed its posted agenda for the July meeting, as the Open Meeting Act requires. There were two scheduled executive sessions on the agenda, one to discuss Borens request to attend the executive session and another to discuss teacher licenses.

The executive session lasted for one hour and 40 minutes. According to the agenda, the board was to discuss and possibly take action on Borens request. After that, the agenda said the board would vote to return to executive session to discuss other items, including teacher license suspensions and revocations.

Instead, the board voted to table the agenda item involving Boren. Then, without going back into executive session, they immediately began voting on the teacher licensing items. Boren suggested those votes could be nullified because the board didnt follow its posted agenda. Several of the names on the teacher-licensing list appear on the boards agenda again this month. Without an executive session, how much cases involving individual teachers can be discussed before board members vote in open session is a question, given privacy laws.

Despite the earlier letter from the attorney generals office, Walters said after the July meeting: Ive got left-wing Democrats like Mary that want to come in and make it where we cant remove pedophiles from the classroom. Thats what shes wanting to do. Shes wanting to disrupt that process. Were looking legally, and it doesnt appear that she has jurisdiction.  She claims that shes on a phone-call basis with the attorney generals office and theyre telling her she does. Weve requested specifics from the attorney general and havent heard from them.

A willful violation of the Open Meeting Act carries penalties up to a $500 fine per violation and one year in jail.

Drummond said his formal opinion issued Wednesday leaves no room for argument and removes any excuse for noncompliance.

I will not tolerate willful violation of the law, Drummond said. State Board of Education members have a duty to follow the law and they are on notice that the formal opinion I have issued today is binding upon them.

At least one or two legislators plan to attend this month's Education Board meeting

Boren is out of the country for Thursdays meeting. Rosecrants confirmed to The Oklahoman that hed be attending. Osburn said because there is a possible vote on the licensing of an Edmond Public Schools teacher on the agenda, "I will likely try to go to observe."

Rosecrants said Wednesday he believed Walters and the state board are stalling for time by discussing a potential lawsuit over the Open Meeting Act and not having an executive session.

I think theyre not (having the executive session) because of what is going on  the pressure that weve put on them, I guess, just to keep them accountable, Rosecrants said. Were not asking to report on the executive session. Were requesting to sit in because its our right, even though we shouldnt have to request. Its in the law. I dont know why theyre fighting this unless they want to get things done without prying eyes.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ryan Walters cannot deny lawmaker entry to executive sessions, AG says
MANHATTAN (KSNT)  Aggieville, in Manhattan, is taking a proactive approach to make sure its streets are safer than they already are.

The timing comes as students are about come back for the upcoming school year, and the district is working with the Riley County Police Department (RCPD) to stop crime before it event happens.

While the director of the Aggieville Business Association, Dennis Cook said Aggieville is a generally very safe area, he told 27 News you can never be too prepared. One of the proactive approaches Aggieville is doing with the police department is installing more security cameras throughout the district.

This has been done over the last few weeks.

Silver Lake boil water advisory rescinded: KDHE

That helps RCPD follow up on anything that happens, Cook said. And what we dont want that to be is reactive, what we want that to be is proactive. Youre on camera, an if youre thinking about making a, doing something stupid, or making a bad decision, this isnt the place for you.

According to the RCPD, when a disturbance does occur in Aggieville, its generally Fridays and Saturdays in the 1100 block of Moro. This includes disturbances from disorderly conduct, destruction of property and sometimes fights.

Other initiatives RCPD says theyre looking into is closing down the streets on Fridays and Saturdays at 11:00 p.m.

They will also have courtesy patrol from unarmed Fort Riley soldiers to make sure other soldiers dont act up.

For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's two main freight rail companies locked out around 10,000 of their Canadian unionized workers early on Thursday, starting an unprecedented simultaneous work stoppage that will grind almost all railway freight movement in the country to a halt.

HOW INTEGRATED ARE THE RAIL NETWORKS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA?

Canadian National Railway Co and Canadian Pacific Kansas City have said their rail networks south of the border will continue to operate, but industry groups fear that a work stoppage would have far-reaching effects on the movement of goods and commodities across North America.

CN and CPKC's coast-to-coast rail networks in Canada connect south of the border and serve as important supply chain links to trade corridors and ports across North America.

The networks intersect with those of U.S. rail operators such as BNSF Railway, Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern and CSX, facilitating the movement of billions of dollars' worth of goods and commodities through ports and warehouses across the continent.

CN's network stretches south to New Orleans. CPKC's network links to the U.S. ports of Corpus Christi, New Orleans and Gulfport, and it extends further south to the ports of Tampico and Lazaro Cardenas on the east and west coasts of Mexico.

HOW WOULD A CANADIAN RAIL STOPPAGE AFFECT THE UNITED STATES?

Around a third of the traffic moved by the two Canadian rail companies crosses the border with the United States.

Many U.S. companies and producers, especially those in the Midwest, use Canadian ports for imports and exports, as Montreal can be faster for shipments to and from Europe, while Vancouver can be faster for ocean service to and from Asia.

Union Pacific, the No. 2 U.S. railroad operator, has warned that a simultaneous stoppage would have devastating consequences for the U.S. and Canadian economies.

Ratings agency Moody's said the stoppage could cost over C$341 million ($251.14 million) per day.

Dozens of groups representing miners, farmers, exporters, and fertilizer producers, among others, have warned that their sectors face crippling supply-chain delays, increased costs, cash-flow constraints and potential shutdowns in a protracted stoppage.

HOW WOULD THE U.S. AND CANADIAN FARM SECTORS BE AFFECTED?

A stoppage would hit the movement of everything from wheat to ethanol, potash fertilizer and meat.

In particular, it would crimp shipments of U.S. spring wheat from Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota to the Pacific Northwest for export. A stoppage would also hit Canadian potash and grain exports.

Story continues

The U.S. exported $28.3 billion of agricultural products to Canada in 2023, making it the third-largest destination for U.S. agricultural exports behind China and Mexico. The U.S. imported $40.1 billion of Canadian agricultural products last year, making Canada the second-largest source of U.S. agricultural imports.

Ethanol, potash, corn, cereals, food grains, cooking oils, and meat are among the agricultural products traded between the two nations.

WILL TRADE WITH MEXICO BE AFFECTED TOO?

Mexico is Canada's third-largest single-country merchandise trading partner behind the U.S. and China, while Canada was Mexico's fourth-largest merchandise trading partner in 2023.

Mexico exports trucks, cars and vehicle parts to Canada, along with mangoes and avocados. Canada exports wheat, meat, aluminum, cars and parts to Mexico.

Two-way trade between the two countries, much of which moves via the rails, was nearly C$55 billion in 2023.

CAN THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY STEP INTO THE BREACH?

Truckers say they are facing a surge in demand and that road freight rates are rising for shippers in Canada. However, industry insiders say that while the trucking sector can handle some of the demand, it cannot replace rail distribution. In some cases, the industry does not have the equipment, nor the capacity, to handle bulk commodity cargoes such as potash, food grains, or coal.

($1 = 1.3578 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Rod Nickel and Jamie Freed)
Science fiction is riddled with artificial intelligence going rogue and turning on their human creators. HAL-9000. The Matrix. Skynet. GLaDOS. Cylons. Humanity, it seems, has a deep fear of the rebellion of the machine.

With the rise of ever more sophisticated large language models (LLMs), such as Chat GPT, the question of what dangers AI may pose has become even more pertinent.

And now, we have some good news. According to a new study led by computer scientists Iryna Gurevych of the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany and Harish Tayyar Madabushi of the University of Bath in the UK, these models are not capable of going rogue.

They are, in fact, far too limited by their programming, incapable of acquiring new skills without instruction, and thus remain within human control.

This means that although it remains possible for us to use the models for nefarious purposes, in and of themselves LLMs are safe to develop without worry.

"The fear has been that as models get bigger and bigger, they will be able to solve new problems that we cannot currently predict, which poses the threat that these larger models might acquire hazardous abilities including reasoning and planning," Tayyar Madabushi says.

"Our study shows that the fear that a model will go away and do something completely unexpected, innovative and potentially dangerous is not valid."

In the last couple of years, the sophistication of LLMs has grown to a startling extent. They are now able to conduct a relatively coherent conversation via text, in a way that comes across as natural and human.

They aren't perfect  as they are not, actually, a form of intelligence, they lack the critical skills required to parse good information from bad in many cases. But they can still convey bad information in a convincing fashion.

Recently, some researchers have investigated the possibility of what are known as emergent abilities being developed independently by LLMs, rather than deliberately coded for in its programming. One particular example is an LLM that was able to answer questions about social situations without being explicitly trained on those situations.

The observation was that as LLMs scale up, they grow more powerful and can perform more tasks. It wasn't clear if this scaling also implied a risk of behavior we might not be prepared to deal with. So the researchers conducted an investigation to see whether or not such instances were truly emergent, or the program simply acting in complex ways within the boundaries of its code.

They experimented with four different LLM models, assigning them tasks that had previously been identified as emergent. And they found no evidence for the development of differentiated thinking, or that any of the models were capable of acting outside their programming.

For all four models, the ability to follow instructions, memorization, and linguistic proficiency were able to account for all of the abilities exhibited by LLMs. There was no going off-piste. We have nothing to fear from LLMs on their own.

People, on the other hand, are less trustworthy. Our own exploding use of AI, requiring more energy and challenging everything from copyright to trust to how to avoid its own digital pollution, that's growing into a genuine issue.

"Our results do not mean that AI is not a threat at all," Gurevych says.

"Rather, we show that the purported emergence of complex thinking skills associated with specific threats is not supported by evidence and that we can control the learning process of LLMs very well after all. Future research should therefore focus on other risks posed by the models, such as their potential to be used to generate fake news."

The research has been published as part of the proceedings of the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics.

Related News
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence technology has made it easier to create believable but totally fake videos and images and spread misinformation about elections, experts say. (Tero Vesalainen | Getty Images)

In June, amid a bitterly contested Republican gubernatorial primary race, a short video began circulating on social media showing Utah Gov. Spencer Cox purportedly admitting to fraudulent collection of ballot signatures.

The governor, however, never said any such thing and courts have upheld his election victory.

The false video was part of a growing wave of election-related content created by artificial intelligence. At least some of that content, experts say, is false, misleading or simply designed to provoke viewers.

AI-created likenesses, often called deepfakes, have increasingly become a point of concern for those battling misinformation during election seasons. Creating deepfakes used to take a team of skilled technologists with time and money, but recent advances and accessibility in AI technology have meant that nearly anyone can create convincing fake content.

Now we can supercharge the speed and the frequency and the persuasiveness of existing misinformation and disinformation narratives, Tim Harper, senior policy analyst for democracy and elections at the Center for Democracy and Technology, said.

AI has advanced remarkably since just the last presidential election in 2020, Harper said, noting that OpenAIs release of ChatGPT in November 2022 brought accessible AI to the masses.

About half of the worlds population lives in countries that are holding elections this year. And the question isnt really if AI will play a role in misinformation, Harper said, but rather how much of a role it will play.

How can AI be used to spread misinformation?

Though it is often intentional, misinformation caused by artificial intelligence can sometimes be accidental, due to flaws or blindspots baked into a tools algorithm. AI chatbots search for information in the databases they have access to, so if that information is wrong, or outdated, it can easily produce wrong answers.

OpenAI said in May that it would be working to provide more transparency about its AI tools during this election year, and the company endorsed the bipartisan Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act, which is pending in Congress.

We want to make sure that our AI systems are built, deployed, and used safely, the company said in the May announcement. Like any new technology, these tools come with benefits and challenges. They are also unprecedented, and we will keep evolving our approach as we learn more about how our tools are used.

Poorly regulated AI systems can lead to misinformation. Elon Musk was recently called upon by several secretaries of state after his AI search assistant Grok, built for social media platform X, falsely told users Vice President Kamala Harris was ineligible to appear on the presidential ballot in nine states because the ballot deadline had passed. The information stayed on the platform, and was seen by millions, for more than a week before it was corrected.

As tens of millions of voters in the U.S. seek basic information about voting in this major election year, X has the responsibility to ensure all voters using your platform have access to guidance that reflects true and accurate information about their constitutional right to vote, reads the letter signed by the secretaries of state of Washington, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and New Mexico.

Generative AI impersonations also pose a new risk to the spread of misinformation. In addition to the fake video of Cox in Utah, a deepfake video of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis falsely showed him dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.

Some misinformation campaigns happen on huge scales like these, but many others are more localized, targeted campaigns. For instance, bad actors may imitate the online presence of a neighborhood political organizer, or send AI-generated text messages to listservs in certain cities. Language minority communities have been harder to reach in the past, Harper said, but generative AI has made it easier to translate messages or target specific groups.

While most adults are aware that AI will play a role in the election, some hyperlocal, personalized campaigns may fly under the radar, Harper says.

For example, someone could use data about local polling places and public phone numbers to create messages specific to you. They may send a text the night before election day saying that your polling location has changed from one spot to another, and because they have your original polling place correct, it doesnt seem like a red flag.

If that message comes to you on WhatsApp or on your phone, it could be much more persuasive than if that message was in a political ad on a social media platform, Harper said. People are less familiar with the idea of getting targeted disinformation directly sent to them.

Verifying digital identities

The deepfake video of Cox helped spur a partnership between a public university and a new tech platform with the goal of combating deepfakes in Utah elections.

From July 2024, through Inauguration Day in January 2025, students and researchers at the Gary R. Herbert Institute for Public Policy and the Center for National Security Studies at Utah Valley University will work with SureMark Digital. Together, theyll verify digital identities of politicians to study the impact AI-generated content has on elections.

Through the pilot program, candidates seeking one of Utahs four congressional seats and the open senate seat will be able to authenticate their digital identities at no cost through SureMarks platform, with the goal of increasing trust in Utahs elections.

Brandon Amacher, director of the Emerging Tech Policy Lab at UVU, said he sees AI playing a similar role in this election as the emergence of social media did in the 2008 election  influential but not yet overwhelming.

I think what were seeing right now is the beginning of a trend which could get significantly more impactful in future elections, Amacher said.

In the first month of the pilot, Amacher said, the group has already seen how effective these simulated video messages can be, especially in short-form media like TikTok and Instagram Reels. A shorter video is easier to fake, and if someone is scrolling these platforms for an hour, a short clip of misinformation likely wont get very much scrutiny, but it could still influence your opinion about a topic or a person.

SureMark Chairman Scott Stornetta explained that the verification platform, which rolled out in the last month, allows a user to acquire a credential. Once thats approved, the platform goes through an authorization process of all of your published content using cryptographic techniques that bind the identity of a person to the content that features them. A browser extension then identifies to users if content was published by you or an unauthorized actor.

The platform was created with public figures in mind, especially politicians and journalists who are vulnerable to having their images replicated. Anyone can download the SureMark browser extension to see accredited content across different media platforms, not just those that get accredited. Stornetta likened the technology to an X-ray.

If someone sees a video or an image or listens to a podcast on a regular browser, they wont know the difference between a real and a fake, he said. But if someone that has this X-ray vision sees the same documents in their browser, they can click on a button and basically find out whether its a green check or red X.

The pilot program is currently working to credential the states politicians, so it will be a few months before they start to glean results, but Justin Jones, the executive director of the Herbert Institute, said that every campaign theyve connected with has been enthusiastic to try the technology.

All of them have said were concerned about this and we want to know more, Jones said.

Whats the motivation behind misinformation?

Lots of different groups with varying motivations can be behind misinformation campaigns, Michael Kaiser, CEO of Defending Digital Campaigns, told States Newsroom.

There is sometimes misinformation directed at specific candidates, like in the case of Governors Cox and DeSantis deepfake videos. Campaigns around geopolitical events, like wars, are also common to sway public opinion.

Russias influence on the 2016 and 2020 elections is well-documented, and efforts will likely continue in 2024, with a goal of undermining U.S. support of Ukraine, a Microsoft study recently reported.

Theres sometimes a monetary motivation to misinformation, Amacher said, as provocative, viral content can turn into payouts on platforms that pay users for views.

Kaiser, whose work focuses on providing cybersecurity tools to campaigns, said that while interference in elections is sometimes the goal, more commonly, these people are trying to cause a general sense of chaos and apathy toward the elections process.

Theyre trying to divide us at another level, he said. For some bad actors, the misinformation and disinformation is not about how you vote. Its just that were divided.

Its why much of the AI-generated content is inflammatory or plays on your emotions, Kaiser said.

Theyre trying to make you apathetic, trying to make you angry, so maybe youre like, I cant believe this, Im going to share it with my friends, he said. So you become the platform for misinformation and disinformation.

Strategies for stopping the spread of misinformation

Understanding that emotional response and eagerness to share or engage with the content is a key tool to slowing the spread of misinformation. If youre in that moment, theres a few things you can do, the experts said.

First, try to find out if an image or sound bite youre viewing has been reported elsewhere. You can use reverse image search on Google to see if that image is found on reputable sites, or if its only being shared by social media accounts that appear to be bots. Websites that fact check manufactured or altered images may point you to where the information originated, Kaiser said.

If youre receiving messages about election day or voting, double check the information online through your states voting resources, he added.

Adding two-factor authentication on social media profiles and email accounts can help ward off phishing attacks and hacking, which can be used to spread misinformation, Harper said.

If you get a phone call you suspect may be AI-generated, or is using someones voice likeness, its good to confirm that persons identity by asking about the last time you spoke.

Harper also said that theres a few giveaways to look out for with AI-generated images, like an extra finger or distorted ear or hairline. AI has a hard time rendering some of those finer details, Harper said.

Another visual clue, Amacher said, is that deepfake videos often feature a blank background, because busy surroundings are harder to simulate.

And finally, the closer we are to the election, the likelier you are to see misinformation, Kaiser said. Bad actors use proximity to the election to their advantage  the closer you are to election day, the less time your misinformation has to be debunked.

Technologists themselves can take some of the onus of misinformation in the way they build AI, Harper said. He recently published a summary of recommendations for AI developers with suggestions for best practices.

The recommendations included refraining from releasing text-to-speech tools that allow users to replicate the voices of real people, refraining from the generation of realistic images and videos of political figures and prohibiting the use of generative AI tools for political ads.

Harper suggests that AI tools disclose how often a chatbots training data is updated relating to election information, develop machine-readable watermarks for content and promote authoritative sources of election information.

Some tech companies already voluntarily follow many of these transparency best practices, but much of the country is following a patchwork of laws that havent developed at the speed of the technology itself.

A bill prohibiting the use of deceptive AI-generated audio or visual media of a federal candidate was introduced in congress last year, but it has not been enacted. Laws focusing on AI in elections have been passed on a state level in the last two years, though, and primarily either ban messaging and images created by AI or at least require specific disclaimers about the use of AI in campaign materials.

But for now, these young tech companies that want to do their part in stopping or slowing the spread of misinformation can seek some direction from the CDT report or pilot programs like UVUs.

We wanted to take a stab at creating a kind of a comprehensive election integrity program for these companies, Harper said. understanding that unlike the kind of legacy social media companies, theyre very new and quite young and have no time or kind of the regulatory scrutiny required to have created strong election integrity policies in a more systematic way.

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A notional light fighter concept has been presented by the U.S. Air Forces senior uniformed officer, providing a thought-provoking insight on one direction that the services future combat fleet could take. The concept emerges as Air Force officials are increasingly questioning the requirements for the crewed sixth-generation stealth combat jet being developed as part of its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative.

A notional light fighter concept has been presented by the U.S. Air Forces senior uniformed officer, providing a thought-provoking insight into one direction that the services future combat fleet could take. The concept emerges as Air Force officials are increasingly questioning the requirements for the crewed sixth-generation stealth combat jet being developed as part of its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative.

An illustration of the light fighter concept was included as part of a presentation by Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen. David W. Allvin, at the Global Air and Space Chiefs Conference, held in London last month and attended by air and space chiefs from around the world. The presence of the illustration was first brought to our attention by The Aviationist.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin. U.S. Air Force photo by Eric Dietrich Eric Dietrich

While it must be stressed that the illustrated concept is intended to be notional, it does at least provide clues about how the Air Force would imagine a future light fighter. Looking something like a scaled-down F-35 stealth fighter, the single-engined aircraft is clearly tailored for low observability, with a prominent chine line around the fuselage. The wings are notably similar to those on the F-35, with which it also shares outward canted twin tailfins, although there are no horizontal stabilizers. The relative size of the bubble canopy helps determine the size of the notional light fighter, which is somewhat smaller  although not dramatically smaller  than the Joint Strike Fighter.

The light fighter concept is shown during a presentation by Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen. David W. Allvin, at the Global Air and Space Chiefs Conference, held in London. Tim Robinson Tim Robinson

During his address in London  organized by the Air and Space Power Association  Allvin provided a vision of future air forces in which a premium is placed on building to adapt, as opposed to building to last. This would be achieved, Allvin argued, by focusing on developing new iterations of common software that could be used on multiple platforms. The pace of software development would mean that the relative importance of the corresponding hardware  described by Allvin as a potential albatross  would be greatly reduced.

This kind of software-led vision is something that we have heard in the past  examples include the Digital Century Series approach espoused by Will Roper, the former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. Under Allvins vision, crewed fighters would be more disposable, with the cutting edge focused on new software, while hardware could be discarded much more rapidly than is the case today, with the Air Forces aging fleets.

An F-35A, in flight above the Mojave Desert in California, in January 2023. U.S. Air Force F-35 Joint Program Office

The capability to update at the speed of software, this is the edge we can deliver over our adversaries, Allvin said, noting that, as well as being systems-centric rather than platform-centric, future air forces would also rely heavily on swarming to meet operational requirements.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the notional light fighter concept, however, is the timing of its appearance.

As we have explored recently, the Air Forces requirements for a new crewed fighter that will form the centerpiece of the NGAD effort are increasingly coming under scrutiny.

In particular, there has been concern about how to mitigate the price tag on this aircraft, which is expected to be almost $250 million per copy. Among the options are sacrificing certain capabilities on that aircraft, or leaning increasingly upon uncrewed assets, including the services planned fleets of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones.

A rendering of an F-15-series fighter flying together with a pair of MQ-28 Ghost Bat loyal wingman drones. Boeing

After much speculation about the future of the new sixth-generation fighter, not to mention other elements of the larger NGAD initiative, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall last month confirmed the Air Force was reviewing the NGAD combat jet and just what it will deliver in terms of capabilities and at what cost.

Its a very expensive platform, Kendall told Defense News, according to a story published on July 1. Its three times, roughly, the cost of an F-35, and we can only afford it in small numbers.

Based on figures from last Fall, published by the F-35 Joint Program Office, the average unit price across all variants, including the aircrafts F135 engines, in the latest production lots, was around $82.5 million.

Late last month, Kendall confirmed that while still committed to NGAD, the Air Force is taking a pause on the program, noting also that while the sixth-generation fighter component will have a human pilot to start with, an optionally crewed version might ultimately be developed too.

While Air Force officials have stressed that the NGAD  including its crewed combat jet component  is still a top-priority program, its clear that they are also open to reconfiguring it, at least to some extent, while presumably also eyeing what might come next.

Bearing in mind the NGAD has always been billed as a family of systems concept, adding some kind of lower-cost crewed aircraft at a later date  some sort of light fighter adjunct  would not be out of line with the efforts broader ambitions.

A notional crewed sixth-generation stealth combat jet flies together with a trio of drones. Collins Aerospace



Were Allvins vision to be followed through, then the Air Forces sixth-generation stealth jet could eventually be accompanied by multiple iterations of light (or at least lighter) fighters, offering a way to provide the kind of combat mass needed for a future conflict with China, for example. At the same time, not remaining wed to a single platform would offer a route to ensuring that software developments were the key driver in moving capabilities forward to keep pace with Chinas own rapid air power modernization.

Interestingly, there have also been previous signs that some kind of high/low fighter mix could be on the cards for the Air Force of the future, as you can read about here.

Back in 2021, retired Gen. James M. Holmes, the former head of Air Combat Command, reportedly brought up the idea that the Air Force might consider fielding two distinct versions of the NGAD fighter component, one optimized for long-range/heavy-payload missions of the kind that would likely be required in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as one with shorter range sufficient for the European theater of operations.

Presumably, the two designs would share a high degree of commonality, with a focus on modularity and identical aircraft subsystems, reducing risk and increasing commonality. Meanwhile, the long-range requirements of a fighter to operate in the Pacific theater would appear to be a potential problem for any future light fighter, although the development of stealthy tankers could help address those shortcomings.

On the other hand, there have also been suggestions that the Air Force should consider procuring an entirely different future fighter.

Earlier in 2021, the previous Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. announced the launch of a months-long study into the services future force mix, including the possibility it could include a clean-sheet design. Described as a four-and-a-half-gen or fifth-gen-minus aircraft, such a fighter would be cheap enough to be procured in the numbers required to eventually replace the F-16.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., when he was Pacific Air Forces commander, disembarks an F-16 at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, in October 2019. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Mackenzie Mendez



The idea mooted by Brown was distinct from simply buying more F-16s, such as the latest Block 70/72 version, something that Will Roper had suggested could happen, in an interview with Aviation Week around the same time.

Especially interesting is the fact that Brown had stressed that a new fighter of this kind would have to be based around open-mission systems, allowing it to receive software updates in rapid succession, potentially even during a mission. That kind of thinking also underpins the idea of a future fighter as outlined by Allvin last month.

In his vision, Brown described something new and different, thats not the F-16  that has some of those capabilities but gets there faster and uses some of our digital approach.

An F-16 escorts an F-35A at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. U.S. Air Force/Jim Hazeltine

Whats common to these ideas is harnessing the potential of digital engineering and advanced manufacturing techniques to rapidly produce aircraft  potentially in relatively small production runs  that can then accommodate fast-evolving software refreshes. These will be able to accommodate evolving designs, as well as give the ability to integrate new weapons and sensors faster. The end result should not only be more affordable (a big question in itself) but also better keep pace with dynamically evolving threats, especially those from China.

Aside from peer conflicts, there have also been concerns raised that the Air Force, especially with NGAD, is moving too far away from the kind of low-end fight that characterized the last couple of decades of U.S. military operations.

Theres an argument, perhaps, for a multirole light fighter that can not only boost combat mass overall but fill for lower-end missions. These would include not only the type of asymmetric combat that the Air Force has been involved in for years in Afghanistan and the Middle East, but also homeland defense and other air-policing-type missions, which dont require a very expensive high-end fighter.

Such concerns were addressed under the Air Forces Tactical Aircraft (TacAir) study, launched in 2021 to look at what is the right force mix, in Browns words. Speaking then, the previous Air Force Chief of Staff stressed that the service needs fifth- and sixth-generation fighters (the F-35 and NGAD) to remain competitive against our adversaries but that it also needs capabilities for the low-end fight.

A Lockheed Martin rendering of a sixth-generation combat jet. Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin

Against this backdrop, there are also developments in uncrewed technologies and concepts of operations that are changing even more quickly than in the crewed fighter field. For a long time now, the Air Force has been looking at increasingly integrating combat drones within its tactical aviation fleet. With plans for the CCA still taking shape, drones could eventually have an even more dramatic effect on the future of the Air Force and, in turn, could influence plans for future crewed fighters, especially in terms of the optimum force mix.

There have also been previous suggestions that the sixth-generation crewed fighter at the center of the NGAD program might not necessarily be best tailored to work with the CCA. While there have been assumptions that CCA has been developed to optimize it for NGAD, Secretary Kendall recently observed that the CCA concept came along after the service had begun working to develop NGAD. This suggests that the NGAD requirements may have been largely frozen before the emergence of the CCA program and that a different crewed platform might be better suited to exploiting the synergies offered by these drones.

Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall delivers a keynote address at the Air and Space Forces Associations Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland in September 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Andy Morataya Andy Morataya

Ultimately, theres also the possibility that advances in both artificial intelligence (AI) and uncrewed technology are moving so fast now that manned-unmanned teaming as currently envisaged could end up being considered less competitive than the drones operating on their own, working cooperatively and deployed en masse. At some point, having a human involved will only slow down the decision cycle, while potential enemies will likely have no moral qualms about having humans out of the loop, even for deadly kinetic operations.

While NGAD is, in the words of Secretary Kendall, alive and well, the Air Force is clearly actively looking at the NGAD platform design concept to see if its the right one or not.

At the same time, the service is very much engaged in a cost battle right now, with well-publicized affordability problems threatening NGAD and other big-ticket programs. This further raises the question of whether a program as ambitious as a new light crewed fighter is even viable, regardless of the final unit cost and how that compares with the NGAD crewed fighter.

For some time now, however, there have been signs that the service is looking at the possibilities for less-expensive combat aircraft, as well as the potential tradeoffs that might be involved. In that sense, Allvins notional light fighter concept is the latest in a line of efforts to rethink how the Air Forces combat fleet should be best configured to meet the challenges to come.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
Air-raid warning issued in Ukraine, air defence responds to Russian drones near Kyiv

An air-raid warning was issued in the city of Kyiv and most Ukrainian oblasts on the night of 20-21 August.

Source: Kyiv City State Administration; Kyiv City Military Administration; an air-raid warning map; Ukraines Air Force

Details: The air-raid warning was issued in Kyiv at 04:16.

Ukraines Air Force had been warning that the Russians had launched attack drones since the evening of 20 August.

The Kyiv City Military Administration reported that Ukrainian air defence was responding to the attack on the outskirts of Kyiv.

Update: The all-clear in Kyiv was given at 04:30.

There was another air-raid warning in Kyiv at 05:07, and the all-clear was given at 05:18.

However, a new air-raid warning was issued in Kyiv at 06:48.

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An airport in Japan shut down because a pair of scissors went missing

Traffic at one of Japans busiest airports was halted recently when a pair of scissors went missing.

Concern about the scissors  which had been used at a store in the departure waiting area of a domestic flight  resulted in an hours-long security search of New Chitose Airport (CTS), which serves the Sapporo area on the northern island of Hokkaido.

According to the airport, 36 flights were canceled on August 17 and another 201 were delayed amid the search.

There were concerns that a potential terrorist could have taken the scissors and used them as a weapon on board a flight. Eventually, the airport said, the tools were located and flights were able to resume.

We are aware that the incident occurred due to the lack of proper usage, storage and management systems by the store users, New Chitose Airports operators said in a statement.

We will investigate this incident, determine its cause, and prevent its recurrence. We will also reaffirm that this incident could relate to hijacking and terrorist attack, and we will ensure that all airport personnel are fully aware of the importance of management.

Among those affected by the security issues was Japanese rock band 9mm Parabellum Bullet, which missed its performance at the annual Rising Sun music festival in Hokkaido due to a flight cancellation.

We will definitely get our revenge!! the band said in a statement posted on the events website, while the festival itself announced it would not be offering ticket refunds.

Many travelers went online to vent their frustrations.

I feel like crying because my flight was canceled due to someone losing a pair of scissors, one flier wrote on X.

Because of this incident, the flight I was supposed to take was canceled, and now my reunion with my family I was looking forward to has been shortened. Its a major disappointment, wrote another.

Still, others appreciated the airport taking the possible scissor theft seriously.

As a passenger, Im grateful that they take such thorough measures to ensure safety, one X user posted.

Editors Note: CNNs Yumi Asada contributed reporting.

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NILES, Ohio (WKBN)  An Akron police officer who was placed on administrative leave pending a criminal indictment had his first appearance in Niles Municipal Court Wednesday on child pornography-related charges.

Akron Police Officer Geoffrey Parker was brought from the Summit County Jail to Niles Municipal Court Wednesday morning where he was arraigned on felony charges including pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor and illegal use of a minor in nudity oriented material.

The alleged crimes happened earlier this month in Weathersfield.

According to a complaint, Parker engaged in the sharing of sexually explicit videos with minors engaging in sex acts and photographed a child in a state of nudity then shared the picture online to receive other explicit images of children. Prosecutors say the victim is 4 years old.

He did make admissions with respect to these images, said Niles Law Director Phil Zuzolo.

Parker stood before Judge Christopher Shaker wearing a shirt that read DILF Devoted. Involved. Loving. Father.

These chat groups pretty much require that if you wanted to receive obscene material of minors you must provide obscene material of minors and thats what he did. He actually used his own email address stating his whole name, Zuzolo said.

Parkers attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

I dont believe hes a danger to anyone. The court can impose restrictions on the use of the Internet. His phone has already been seized, said Defense Attorney Dan Keating.

Citing his concern with the number of charges, Judge Christopher Shaker set bond at $1 million. He also ordered Parker not to have contact with his own children or return to his residence in Weathersfield.

Zuzolo called the allegations disturbing, especially considering Parkers choice of career.

When a public servant violates the law in such an egregious way, I think thats why a million dollar bond is sufficient and appropriate, said Zuzolo.

Parker is a four year member of the Akron Police Department. He was placed on leave immediately following his arrest Friday pending the criminal indictment.

He is due back in Niles Municipal Court Monday morning for a preliminary hearing.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT)  The Alabama Public Library Service is launching a statewide program to assist students of all ages with their schoolwork.

Homework Alabama provides free one-on-one online tutoring, review services, test prep and other educational resources. Over 4,000 tutors with expertise in more than 60 subjects are a part of the programs leadership.

Ragland community rallies together to save high school from closure

Services also extend to graduate students and adults in need of job search assistance. 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 CBS 42.
The Anchorage headquarters of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, shares space with a sister agency, the Alaska Energy Authority. (Photo by Nathaniel Herz)

The Anchorage headquarters of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, shares space with a sister agency, the Alaska Energy Authority. (Photo by Nathaniel Herz)

Alaskas embattled economic development agency has signed new contracts with seven law firms  reflecting what its leader says is a desire to handle its legal issues more quickly, and independently from the executive branch.

The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, or AIDEA, is pushing an array of controversial projects across the state, from oil leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to proposed roads through wild areas in the northwest and southcentral regions of the state.

It chose all seven law firms earlier this year, according to copies of their contracts obtained by Northern Journal through a routine public records request.

The firms AIDEA selected include two run by Alaska attorneys who have worked for the state before  Peter Caltagirone, a former legal advisor at the state Department of Natural Resources, and Craig Richards, the former attorney general who has another legal contract with Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavys office.

The other firms include Minnesota-based Dorsey & Whitney, Anchorage-based Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot, Washington, D.C.-based Van Ness Feldman, Texas-based Haynes and Boone, and California-based Nossaman. All seven contracts are open-ended, without specific assigned tasks, with caps ranging from $100,000 to $985,000.

The firms wont be paid unless AIDEA authorizes specific work or billing, said AIDEAs executive director, Randy Ruaro.

Randy Ruaro is seen in an undated photo. (AIDEA photo)

Ruaro, a former chief of staff to Dunleavy, said AIDEA has long used outside attorneys hired under contracts. Whats new, he added, is having the firms selected in advance  which he said will allow his agency to get legal help more quickly than if it has to go through the states procurement process each time an issue comes up.

What weve done is kind of create this stable of attorneys who are ready at will if we have an assignment for them, that they can jump on right away, Ruaro said in an interview.

Ruaro added that agencies like his should also be entitled to their own legal counsel when they encounter conflicts with other state agencies represented by the Department of Law.

In a two-and-a-half-page prepared statement released with the contracts, Ruaro said that legal services have been particularly vital for his agency in the past two years.

Two oil companies that it loaned money to fell behind on payments to AIDEA amid state cuts to tax credit payments, requiring the agency to negotiate and draft financial agreements, Ruaro said.

AIDEA has also filed and intervened in federal lawsuits involving Arctic Refuge oil leases it owned  which were canceled by the Biden administration last year  and a Northwest Alaska mining road project. And it also had to review and draft commercial agreements on new infrastructure projects on the North Slope and at Anchorages international airport, Ruaro said.

Sen. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage,, speaks at the March 19, 2024, news conference held by the Senate majority caucus. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

The seven legal contracts raise questions, said Anchorage Democratic state Sen. Matt Claman, though without further information, its hard to say if theyre appropriate, he added.

Id like to know more, said Claman, an attorney who chairs the Senates judiciary committee.

Its common for an entity like AIDEA to have independent counsel separate from the executive branch, Claman said. But, he added, if I were a partner in a major law firm, I would be saying, Cant we provide all their independent counsel needs from this one firm?

Nathaniel Herz welcomes tips at natherz@gmail.com or (907) 793-0312. This article was originally published in Northern Journal, a newsletter from Herz. Subscribe at this link.
A seasoned Alaskan hunter is currently recovering after surviving a brutal brown bear attack, during which he accidentally shot himself while defending against the bear.

He has come forward to share the harrowing details of the incident, highlighting the dangers hunters can face in the wild. This incident is not the first of its kind; in November 2023, a veteran lost his jaw due to a similar gun misfire during a bear attack.

These bear attack incidents highlight the escalating dangers of wildlife encounters across the United States.

Seasoned Alaskan Hunter Said Bear Attack Was Like 'Getting Hit By A Train'

Pexel

Three days after a terrifying encounter with a brown bear on the Kenai Peninsula, Tyler Johnson shared the details of his near-fatal experience.

In an interview, Johnson described the intense moments on Saturday afternoon when the bear charged him on Resurrection Pass Trail, just near Abernathy Cabin.

Recalling the moment, he compared the impact to being "hit by a train," emphasizing how powerful the bear's charge was. The attack was so forceful that it knocked him off his feet and flipped him over.

The hunter also highlighted the split-second decisions he had to make, stating, "It put its teeth into my calf as I was falling backward. I mean, he hit me at the same time I got my gun out."

However, it was at this moment that the misfiring occurred. According to Alaska News Source, Johnson mentions that in the chaos, he believes that he accidentally shot himself in the leg while attempting to fend off the bear. In his words,

"When I was falling backward, I believe that's when I shot myself in the leg."

The Hunter Was Airlifted To Hospital After Bear Attack

Pexel

The Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) reported that the attack took place on Saturday afternoon along the Resurrection Pass Trail near Cooper Landing.

This area is reportedly popular for outdoor activities. The authorities disclosed that emergency services quickly responded to the incident.

Johnson, who was seriously injured by both the bear and the accidental gunshot, was airlifted by a DPS helicopter to an Anchorage hospital. There, he received treatment for his injuries and is reportedly in stable condition.

A Veteran's Near-Fatal Encounter With A Grizzly

MEGA

Johnson's incident is not the first of its kind. In November, Noorlander, a seasoned hunter with years of backcountry experience, had his own life-altering encounter with a grizzly bear.

The Blast reported that the incident took place in Big Sky, Montana, during a routine trail trip. While helping clients locate a wounded deer, Noorlander encountered a 10-foot grizzly.

In a tragic twist, his gun misfired just as the bear lunged, leading to a brutal attack that left him with a severely injured jaw. The veteran described the chilling moment when the bear struck, "In one second, just enough time for me to pull the gun up and fireand it was on me."

The Veteran Survived The Attack Without His Lower Jaw

Pexels

Noorlander suffered extensive injuries, including the loss of the front of his lower jaw, and required intensive surgery.

Despite the ordeal, Noorlander, who went home to his daughter Ashley and their dog Sully, remained grateful for his survival. "I'm only here by the grace of God," he shared.

Ashley, deeply shaken by her father's ordeal, was a pillar of support, helping him through recovery. She acknowledged the overwhelming support from strangers and the community, which was crucial in Noorlander's healing journey.

Three-Year-Old Girl Survives Bear Attack At Montana Campground

Pexels

In another harrowing tale, a peaceful night at a Montana campground turned into a nightmare when a black bear attacked a three-year-old girl as she slept in her tent.

The Blast reported that the incident occurred just north of Yellowstone National Park, an area known for frequent wildlife encounters. The bear, believed to have been attracted by human food and garbage, entered the tent and attacked the child.

Authorities quickly evacuated the campground and launched a search for the bear. The animal believed to be responsible was captured and euthanized the following day.

The young girl was rushed to a hospital in Billings, though her condition was unknown at the time. Investigators disclosed that they found food and trash around the campsite, likely contributing to the bear's aggressive behavior.

California Jogger's Narrow Escape From Black Bear Attack

Pexels

Just days before the Montana incident, a jogger in California had a close call with a black bear while running in the Long Barn community near the Sierra Nevada. The jogger encountered a female bear and her cub, prompting a chase that forced him to run up an embankment.

In a desperate attempt to defend himself, the man used a stick to ward off the bear and sought cover behind a tree. However, the bear continued its pursuit, attacking the jogger as he climbed onto a parked vehicle in a nearby residential area.

Fortunately, a nearby homeowner's shouts scared the bear away, allowing the man to escape with injuries to his back, side, and legs. He was later treated at Adventist Health in Sonora and was reported to be in stable condition.

The string of bear attacks serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable and often dangerous nature of outdoor adventures, especially in the woods.
The future of several Florida hospitals owned by a healthcare system in bankruptcy is hanging by a financial and legal dispute.

Steward Health Care System, considered to be the largest physician-owned health care network in the country, this week sued Medical Property Trust, one of the largest hospital landlords in the nation. Steward accuses its landlord of undermining behavior and tactics jeopardizing the sale of its hospitals.

In the suit, filed in Houston bankruptcy court, Steward says that the hospital landlord has engaged in calculated efforts to undermine the health systems sale process by attempting to siphon all value from its hospitals into its own coffers.

The landlord disputes the claims and accuses Steward of delaying the hospital sales in an effort to make more money.

Steward Health has put its 31 U.S. hospitals up for sale, including eight in Florida, to thin debt since filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May. Complicating the sales: Steward doesnt own the land under its hospitals. The health company sold the real estate in Florida and elsewhere to Medical Property Trust several years ago, and has since paid more than $870 million in rent and other payments under the lease agreement for the properties it used to own, according to court records.

That means potential buyers would need to make a deal with Steward for its hospital buildings and operations and also strike a lease or purchase agreement with Medical Property Trust for the real estate.

Steward Health vs. hospital landlord: What to know

Steward Health has five South Florida hospitals.

In court documents, Steward claims its landlord has imposed daunting requirements on buyers interested in its hospitals and has interfered in the bidding and sales process to make more money at the expense of the health company and its creditors.

The landlord has communicated with bidders without Stewards consent in a way that violates the court-approved rules for the sales and has also directed bidders, many of which have prior and ongoing relationships with MPT or otherwise seek to enter into revised leases with MPT as their future landlord, to allocate all of the value of their bids to MPTs real estate, Steward alleges in court documents.

Steward says the landlord has also pressured the health system to comply with its demands that all value be siphoned to MPT, leaving the estates bare and risking the debtors ability to maintain and sell their operations in a manner that maximizes value and safeguards patient health and safety.

Land owner Medical Property Trust has clapped back against the health system, and says Steward has violated the court-approved procedures during the sales process to exclude it from the negotiating table to make more money.

READ NEXT: Are there bedbugs and busted equipment at your Florida hospital? What inspectors found

Under the court-approved bidding procedures to sell Stewards hospitals, potential buyers need to indicate in their bids how much they are willing to rent or buy the property from the landlord and how much theyre willing to pay for Stewards hospital operations, the landlord states in court documents.

Instead, Steward has directed bidders to submit a single total enterprise value bid for operations and real estate combined, rather than separate bids for separate property interest, which goes against the agreed-upon terms, according to court documents filed by the landlord.

Steward is asking the bankruptcy judge to determine how much Stewards hospital operations are worth versus the landlords property.

One of the sales that could be affected by the judges decision is the recent agreement Steward has made to sell its northern Florida operations to Orlando Health. Possible buyers have until Aug. 26 to try and one-up Orlando Healths bid.

The health company also is asking the court to reject the master lease it has with the landlord for its hospitals in Florida and several other states, similar to how the master lease for its Massachusetts hospitals was rejected in July.

READ MORE: A buyer has emerged for several Florida hospitals owned by a health giant in bankruptcy

The health system owns five hospitals in South Florida and three elsewhere in the state. Miami-Dade and Broward hospitals are Palmetto General in Hialeah, Coral Gables Hospital, Hialeah Hospital, North Shore Medical Center and Florida Medical Center in Lauderdale Lakes. The other Florida hospitals are Rockledge Regional Medical Center, Melbourne Regional Medical Center, and Sebastian River Medical Center.

Nearly every bidder for the hospitals in Florida and other states have asked the landlord for significant rent concessions or to acquire the underlying real property at a significant discount to the lease base, Stewards filing states, noting that the payments Steward has made under the lease agreements are substantial and have crippled its operations for years.

Medical Property Trust, in court records, says that Stewards new proposal to sell and then have a judge divvy up the money would be an abuse of the bankruptcy process and would force it to sell the properties for the amount Steward and the buyer determine the real estate is worth. The landlord claims Steward is trying to change the sales process because the real estate would generate much higher bids than its operations, which are generally unprofitable. Stewards attorneys have previously indicated in court that Florida is the health systems most profitable asset.

So [Steward] is saying, We want the court to figure out what each side is entitled to by attributing the value to the operations and to the real estate. And the landlord is saying, No, I own the real estate. Im not a debtor in bankruptcy, you cant decide what my property is worth, attorney Linda Worton Jackson told the Miami Herald. Worton Jackson, who is not involved in the case but is monitoring developments, specializes in bankruptcy cases and is the chair of the corporate and restructuring department at Pardo Jackson Gainsburg & Shelowitz, PL in Miami.

Linda Worton Jackson, chair of the corporate and restructuring department at Pardo Jackson Gainsburg & Shelowitz, PL in Miami.

Medical Property Trust is asking the court to not let Steward change the terms of the bidding procedures and reject the potential sale of Stewards northern Florida operations to Orlando Health due to the bid not distinguishing how much of the offer is for the real estate and how much is for the operations.

Steward has entered into a purchase agreement with the Central Florida health system for Rockledge Regional Medical Center, Melbourne Regional Medical Center, Sebastian River Medical Center, as well as its Steward Medical Group Practices in northern Florida. Other interested buyers still have until Aug. 26 to make their own bids, but they must be higher or better then Orlando Healths offer of up to $439.4 million in cash. Its South Florida hospitals are still up for sale.

READ NEXT: Why a healthcare giant has slowed care at a Miami hospital, and where it leaves patients

What happens now with the hospitals for sale?

How will this legal dispute get fixed?

The squabble between Steward and its hospital landlord, and whether the sale of Stewards Space Coast hospitals can continue, is set to be decided by the judge during a hearing on Aug. 22.

A bankruptcy judge is always most interested in seeing the debtor reorganize and succeed, but they have to do that within the confines of the law and the bankruptcy code, said Worton Jackson, the Miami attorney.

Real estate owners and investors are all going to be watching this case very closely to see what happens because it may set a precedent for future cases, both in the healthcare industry and outside the healthcare industry, she said.
SIOUX CITY IA (KELO)  An Alcester woman was sentenced to two years in federal prison Monday for wire fraud, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Michelle Warner, 57, held multiple positions at Heartland Counseling Services, where she began embezzling money in 2018 through 2022 as a bookkeeper and later as a business administrator.

She fraudulently paid herself unauthorized payroll payments and then used the funds for her own purposes. Warner also used her employers credit card without authority for her own personal use.

Warner was indicted by a federal grand jury in May of 2023. She pleaded guilty on March 20, 2024.

Black Hills National Forest Bennett Fire is 100% contained

In addition to her sentence, she will have three years of supervised release, a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100; and pay restitution in the amount of $261,066.09 to Heartland Counseling Services.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com.
The Pass Christian Board of Aldermen voted unanimously Tuesday night to stop construction on a beach boardwalk that some hailed as a safety improvement but also drew stark criticism from dozens of residents.

Citizens who spoke at a packed meeting mostly opposed the boardwalk. They said they fear a knee-wall included in the plans would ruin their view of the beach, are worried the boardwalk would limit beach access and complained that city leaders had not shared enough information with the public.

Supporters of the boardwalk at the meeting argued it would make the beach walkway safer and more pleasant for pedestrians who walk and bike beside busy U.S.90 traffic.

Mayor Jimmy Rafferty, who has long supported the project, also argued the knee-wall would stop sand from blowing across the highway.

The aldermen voted 5-0 Tuesday night to ask the Department of Marine Resources, which is funding the project through federal grants, to stop future construction phases. A portion of the project under construction will continue as a boardwalk only, with no knee-wall, if the DMR allows it.

Alderman Kenny Torgeson argued the original plans would take away the concept of our little town.

The concept, he said, is all wrong.

Pass Christians section of the boardwalk is part of a larger plan for a 26-mile walkway from Bay St. Louis to Biloxi. Rafferty hailed that development as good for the Coast.

I want to be able to ride a bicycle the whole way down the Coast in a safe way, Rafferty said. Its all about safety first.

But when construction began this summer, some Pass Christian residents took a stand.

Every single day Im getting phone calls about how they dont like it, Torgeson said. They dont want their seawall to change.

Rafferty began the meeting by reading praise for the plan from several residents. He said the boardwalks opponents were a small but vocal group and said he would like to listen to residents and find a win-win solution.

He argued the current path is dangerous because pedestrians walk and bike in close proximity to 45-mph traffic. Plans first called for a 10-foot wide concrete boardwalk with a 15-inch knee wall, and steps to the beach every 300 feet. Rafferty has also said the work would strengthen the seawall and better protect Pass Christian from hurricane storm surges. A boardwalk with a knee-wall would save some of the more than $1 million spent each year on sand control, he said.

The project costs $10 million and is funded entirely by federal GOMESA funds, which are intended to restore and conserve the Coast environment. The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources has already awarded the city $5 million for the boardwalks first two phases.

People are concerned, said Barry Dreyfus, a Pass Christian citizen who bought a collection of Stop the Seawall signs and distributed them among residents. Theres significant opposition that should be considered.

Rafferty said earlier Tuesday that the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources was listening to residents worries and could change their plans. The DMR is open to creating steps to the beach at each street and parking bay to ensure access, Rafferty said. He also suggested leaders could also create an advisory group of citizens to decide whether even more steps are needed.

And while a 15-inch knee-wall is best to stop sand from blowing across U.S. 90, Rafferty said it could be lowered to 12 inches if requested by citizens.

Alderwoman Regina Charlot said she was open to the walkway, but questioned its safety benefits.

How safe, she said, is a walkway actually on a highway?
Alex Padilla is close to Kamala Harris. What does that mean if shes elected president?

It wasnt hard for Alex Padilla to bond with Kamala Harris when they were both up and coming officeholders in Sacramento.

Were both children of immigrant parents who had to really work hard not just to succeed academically and professionally, said Padilla, who now holds the Senate seat Harris left in 2021 to become vice president.

We know how much our parents struggled to create opportunities for us, he added. We owe much to this country.

Padilla is considered one of the closest California allies Harris has. When he calls her, she routinely answers, Hello, friend. His son Diego, whos now 10, still has the stuffed giraffe she sent when he was born.

A Harris win would make Padilla a special sort of Washington player.

Senator Padilla could succeed Chris Coons as the Senates president whisperer, said John Pitney, professor of American government at Claremont McKenna College. Coons, the U.S. senator from Delaware who holds the seat once held by President Joe Biden and remains close to the president.

The perception that he has the presidents ear could give him additional clout with his colleagues, said Pitney of Padilla.

The senator addressed the California delegation meeting Wednesday and will be speaking at the convention on Thursday before Harris gives her acceptance speech as the Democratic presidential candidate  a plum spot on whats usually a conventions most-watched night.

Children of immigrants

He and Harris share somewhat common backgrounds, and their views on key issues are largely alignedand frequent targets of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Padilla is the son of Mexican immigrants. He grew up in the San Fernando Valley. His Senate biography says he was drawn to politics  in response to Californias anti-immigrant Proposition 187.

Prop 187 was a successful 1994 ballot initiative that barred undocumented immigrants from receiving certain public services, such as health care and education.

Padilla, 51, was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 1999, the state Senate in 2006 and secretary of state in 2014, where he oversaw elections and voting rights issues.

Harris, 59, is the daughter of a Jamaican father and a mother from India. An Oakland native, Harris was raised mostly by her mother, she worked as a prosecutor after graduating law school in 1989. She was elected San Francisco district attorney in 2003, state attorney general in 2010 and U.S. senator in 2016.

Harris and Padilla met when he was the Los Angeles City Council president and she was in the district attorneys office. They worked together later when, as a state senator, Harris as attorney general helped him push stronger consumer protections for mortgage holders.

Padilla liked her views on issues important to him. They had nuanced views on immigration, urging compassion and tolerance.

The senator told an Axios forum this week Harris views were thoughtful, adding she feels We cant forget Dreamers, farmworkers, other long-term undocumented immigrants,

He also likes her approach to easing crime. Harris has been criticized first for being too tough on crime during her attorney general years, then not tough enough as a senator when she championed criminal justice reforms.

Kamala Harris likes to clam she has solved crimeits a complete and total lie, the Trump campaign said in a statement Tuesday..

But Padilla sees consistency in her approach. From the beginning, shes made it a point to say for all the people to be tough on crime, its more prudent to be smart on crime. That may be a little unorthodox for many who have been hearing about tough on crime for decades.

Where youre smarter on crime, with emphasis on prevention and early intervention, he said.

Harris wrote a book, Smart on Crime, in 2009 that urged tough penalties for serious offenders, but a softer approach to those who committed lower-level crimes, including help with job training and education.

Can Harris win?

But can Harris win the White House? Her campaign for the 2020 presidential nomination was a disaster, ending before the election year had begun.

As time goes on, we all learn, Padilla said.

While the campaign in 2019 may not have done as she initially liked, shes been every success of the Biden-Harris administration, he said.

Every time Ive been to White House and Roosevelt room to discuss infrastructure, the supreme court, chips and science, shes been right next to the president at every negotiation, Padilla said.

Will all that mean shes going to win?

This cycle has been different from what weve always been used to. History will be made in November one way or another, he said. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was convicted in May of 34 felony counts involving falsifying business records.

Padilla sums up the election this way: Well either elect the first woman or people will vote for the convicted felon.
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The Allen Telescope Array in Northern California is dedicated to astronomical observations and a simultaneous search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). | Credit: Seth Shostak/SETI Institute

The universe should either be crowded with life or harbor hardly any life at all, according to a new study that revamps the Drake equation using probabilistic logic.

A common axiom in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is that if we do detect technologically advanced aliens, there are probably many, many instances of alien life out there rather than there just being two cases (us and the new discovery).

In a new paper, astronomers David Kipping of Columbia University in New York and Geraint Lewis of the University of Sydney describe how this logic works, based on a probability distribution first introduced by the biologist and mathematician J. B. S. Haldane in 1932. Let's imagine a bunch of Earth-like exoplanets , all with similar characteristics. Given their minor differences, we would expect life to arise either on all of them or on none of them; there's no obvious reason why half of these near-identical planets would support life and half wouldn't, for example.

a U-shaped graph, with the left side indicating a lonely universe, and the right side indicating a crowded universe

We can then display the various outcomes in a U-shaped graph, with the probability on the y-axis and the fraction of planets with life on the x-axis. The two prongs of the U-shape correspond to none or very few planets with life, and lots of planets with life. The valley of the U-shape, which corresponds to a low likelihood, represents half the planets having life.

Related: Drake Equation: Estimating the odds of finding E.T.

Now Kipping and Lewis have ascribed Haldane's logic to the famous Drake equation . Developed by astronomer Frank Drake prior to the first-ever SETI conference, at Green Bank Observatory in 1961, as a means of providing the workshop with an agenda, the Drake equation has subsequently taken on a life of its own, being used to estimate the number of technological lifeforms in the Milky Way galaxy .

The Drake equation is written as N = R* x fp x ne x fl x fi x fc x L, where N is the number of civilizations, R* is the star-formation rate, fp is the fraction of stars that have planets, ne is the number of planets that are potentially habitable, fl is the fraction of those potentially habitable planets that evolve life, fi is the fraction that develop "intelligent" life, fc is the fraction that have communicative life, and L is the average lifetime of civilizations.

Astronomers know the star-formation rate (less than 10 solar masses per year in our galaxy) and the fraction of stars that have planets (almost every star has planets) very well. The number of potentially habitable planets is less well known, but astronomers are learning more about them every day as they probe exoplanetary atmospheres with the James Webb Space Telescope and characterize those worlds. The values of the other four terms remain a complete mystery, which renders any attempts to use the Drake equation less than satisfactory because so much of it is guesswork.

However, Kipping and Lewis point out that the first six terms in the Drake equation describe the "birth" of what they call extraterrestrial technological instantiations, or ETI. This is how they refer to technological alien life, neatly sidestepping terms such as "civilizations," "species" and "intelligence," which have not only proven problematic (for example, how do we define intelligence?) but may also be inaccurate when describing alien life. Meanwhile, the final term, L, relates to the "death," or otherwise the disappearance, of ETI.

Splitting the terms of the Drake equation this way has allowed Kipping and Lewis to simplify the formula, to read: The time-averaged number of ETIs in the galaxy equals the birth rate of ETIs multiplied by their death rate.

"The beauty of our approach is that it is totally general," Kipping told Space.com. This means that there is no need to have to worry about the terms of the Drake equation that we don't know.

"We are not assuming any particular mechanism or means of birth," added Kipping. "The births could occur via spontaneous emergence, or panspermia seeding, or empire building or whatever else you want  there simply is a birth rate."

Kipping and Lewis assume what they call a steady state Drake equation, where there is a roughly equal level of birth and death rates in an equilibrium that is inevitably reached once enough time has passed. The two astronomers then relate this back to Haldane's prior (a "prior" is the name for a type of probability distribution, such as the U-shaped curve) by way of a characteristic called the occupation fraction, F. In the exoplanet example mentioned earlier in this article, a high value of F  close to 1  would correspond to every planet having life, and a low value  close to or equal to 0  would relate to no planets having life.

The problem facing SETI scientists is that, based on observations so far, F probably is not near 1; otherwise, we would have noticed by now that we are not alone, assuming that intelligent aliens are proficient at spreading across the galaxy, building megastructures such as Dyson swarms and beaming out radio signals. This means that, if we really are not alone in the universe, then the occupation fraction must be closer to 0.5, placing it in that unlikely valley of the U-shaped curve. Based on that U-shape, it is likely that we are relatively alone  that technological life elsewhere in the universe is rare.

"These are instances of life who become obvious, firstly through the signals they produce and then through their colonization where they would be seen through megastructures," Lewis told Space.com. "If such an ETI had arisen in the life of the Milky Way, then they could have colonized the entire galaxy in 10 million to 100 million years, and even after they fall, then their debris would be around for a long time. The fact that we don't see anything out there means that if they did exist, they vanished long ago and their signatures have decayed away and we are back to our original premise  ETIs appear to be rare in time and space."

Related: The search for alien life

RELATED STORIES:

 Where are all the intelligent aliens? Maybe they're trapped in buried oceans

 Fermi Paradox: Where are the aliens?

 SETI & the search for extraterrestrial life

Yet Kipping and Lewis don't advocate giving up on SETI. If we ignore the lack of evidence for a moment, the steady state Drake equation predicts a crowded universe as being equally likely as one in which we are lonely. For a crowded universe, the occupation fraction must be close to 1, and perhaps this is still possible under certain circumstances. Maybe ETI stays in their own region, and our solar system just happens to be in a region that no one has spread into yet. That would mean the aliens are quite far away, and our strategy of searching for them around stars close by is the wrong one. These inhabited regions might be more clearly detected in other galaxies. "I certainly would advocate for extragalactic SETI," said Kipping.

Or perhaps interstellar travel and megastructure-building are too difficult, or maybe they are not even desired by an ETI living a more frugal, less colonial, existence. And with regards to a lack of a radio or optical signal detection, SETI has hardly had the resources to be particularly comprehensive in its search so far, and we could easily have missed a signal .

It's also possible that there is plenty of complex life, but that the development of technological life is rare.

There's also a chance that the birth and death rates of ETI have not reached a steady state after all, meaning that there would be still time for new ETI to arrive on the scene and increase the occupation fraction. Given the age of the universe and the finite lifespan of an ETI, however, this seems unlikely.

The research is currently available as a pre-print , and has been submitted to the International Journal of Astrobiology for peer-reviewed publication.
Angela Alsobrooks, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate from Maryland, speaks on the second night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Angela Alsobrooks, the Democratic Senate nominee in Maryland and a longtime friend of Vice President Kamala Harris, got delegates at the Democratic National Convention chanting that we are not going back after delivering a rousing speech Tuesday night about Harriss prosecutorial record and their 14-year relationship.

Ive always been inspired by women like my grandmother, women who imagine a better future and then have the grit to make it a reality, said Alsobrooks. One of them is a friend, a mentor and a role model. That woman is Kamala Harris. Let me tell you about the Kamala I know.

Alsobrooks met Harris after embracing some of the then San Francisco district attorneys policy approaches on crime. At the time, in 2009, Alsobrooks was also seeking a states attorney office in Maryland.

She praised Harris as a superbad district attorney who could hold violent criminals accountable while also pursuing programs to end recidivism.

Crime went down and economic growth went up, Alsobrooks said. Kamala Harris knows how to keep criminals off the streets. Come November, with your help, shell keep one out of the Oval Office.

Alsobrooks is running against former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, one of Trumps more prominent GOP critics. If she wins, she would be the first Black senator to represent Maryland and one of the only Black women in the Senate. (Californias Laphonza Butler is not seeking reelection this year, and Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester is also seeking the U.S. Senate in Delaware.)

Harris herself was the second Black woman to be elected to the Senate, in 2016.

 Read more

Alsobrooks addresses Democrats in Chicago as she seeks to become Marylands first Black senator. "Alsobrooks prominent presence at the Chicago convention, where many Democrats in tough races arent eager to be seen, speaks to how unique her race is in this years Senate landscape." [CNN]

Angela Alsobrooks began her Senate run as an underdog. Shes hoping it ends by making history. "There is a certain unflappable quality about Alsobrooks, a quiet confidence that seems to stem from the nurturing environment in which she was raised, a 'quintessential American family' with loving parents and an older sister." [NBC News]

Larry Hogan agrees to Angela Alsobrooks preferred debate in US Senate race. "The debate is scheduled for Oct. 10 at the Maryland Public Television station studios in Owings Mills, according to a June invitation and subsequent emails obtained by The Baltimore Sun earlier this month." [Baltimore Sun]

I'm running to become Maryland's next US senator. There are 'no days off,' but it's critical for me to understand the voters I hope to represent. "As a first-time statewide candidate, it took a lot of effort to really raise my name recognition. And again, the model that we used was person-to-person contact." [Business Insider]

Angela Alsobrooks talks Kamala Harris, Senate race. "Politicians talk about themselves. Leaders talk about others, and you will notice that Kamala Harris has been focused on the American people." [WTTG]
UNION, Ohio (WDTN)  On Wednesday, Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted celebrated the first anniversary of one of the biggest investors in the Miami Valley.

Amazon is a huge job creator for the state, and the 2.8 million square foot robotic fulfillment center continues that trend. Today, the public was invited to tour Ohios newest Amazon robotic fulfillment center.

Oldest Dayton tavern hits the market

The Union fulfillment center sits near Interstate 70 and Interstate 75 at the crossroads of America. Thousands of local jobs have served customers nationwide.

The facility has become more than just a place of business. Its a source of pride for our community, said Michael OCallaghan, city of Union mayor.

Ohio has seven Amazon robotic fulfillment centers. Construction on the newest facility began in 2021, with an official opening last August.

Amazon says the robots create a safer and more efficient workplace for its more than 2800 employees.

Robots do all the heavy lifting. Basically, they bring the product to the people its in. The whole thing is built around safety and ergonomics for people, said Mike Owens, general manager.

With over $35 billion invested by Amazon, Husted says centers like this are a huge asset to Ohio.

A Dayton film festival earns grant from Ohio Arts Council

So, I mean, we have the whole package. We can make things, deliver things, create, innovate things. Thats why the Dayton market is growing. Weve known this for a while in Dayton, but the rest of the world is waking up to it now, said Husted.

Amazon reportedly generates $31 billion into the states economy.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
4-year-old boy, mother out of Roswell found safe, suspect arrested after police chase

UPDATE:

Shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday, the Roswell Police Department confirmed that Ashley Vick and Tanner Germain have both been found safe.

The suspect, Brian Betenia, was taken into custody by the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office after a police chase.

We are deeply grateful to the GBI, Forsyth County Sheriffs Office, our media partners, and the members of the public who immediately called in tips in response to the Levis call, all of whom worked together to bring about the quick recovery of everyone involved, said Roswell Police in a statement.

Police have not released any other details surrounding the incident.

ORIGINAL:

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has initiated a Levis Call at the request of the Roswell Police Department, about missing endangered adult Ashley Vick and her 4-year-old son, Tanner James St. Germain.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also issued an Amber Alert for the 4-year-old.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Police said Ashley and Tanner are believed to be with Ashleys partner, Brian Betenia, driving a black 2013 Ford Edge with a Georgia temporary license plate of P5870776.

Ashley is a 32-year-old white female, 57 and approximately 130lbs, with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Tanner is a 4-year-old white male, 3 and approximately 40lbs, with blond hair and blue eyes.

Brian is a 40-year-old white male, 59 and approximately 190lbs, with long, shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes.

TRENDING STORIES:

They were last seen Tuesday, around 6 p.m. in the area of Sloan Street in Roswell.

Anyone who sees Ashley, Tanner, or Brian should call 911 immediately.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Roswell Police Department at 770-640-4100.

Anonymous information can be provided through Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477 or online.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:
Americas Iran policy is a failure  piecemeal deterrence and sanctions can go only so far

The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran in recent months is frequently explained as another extension of Israels war on Hamas in Gaza. After all, Hamas enjoys a close relationship with Iran, and both share the goal of eliminating the Jewish state.

But theres more to it than that.

As a scholar of security studies who has researched conflicts in the Middle East for over 20 years, I would argue that a decade of U.S. foreign policy in the region has failed to contain Irans ambitions and has instead substantially contributed to the current escalation.

As is clear from recent events along Israels northern border, Washingtons ability to project power and manage American interests in the Mideast has eroded so dramatically since 2010 that Iran has only limited concerns about the consequences of its proxies attacking U.S. forces and directly attacking U.S. allies such as Israel.

Iranian victories

The government of Iran, a Shia Muslim nation in a Sunni Muslim region, expands its regional influence by funding and militarily supporting violent proxy organizations in neighboring countries. Those groups, in turn, attack and destabilize those nations.

Over the past decade, this canny strategy has turned Iran arguably into the Mideasts most influential superpower.

Until the early 2010s, Irans only real foothold in the region was Hezbollah, the Shia political and military group it fostered in Lebanon in the early 1980s. Today, Irans alliances include the Houthi rebels in Yemen and a loyal network of Shia militias in Iraq. In Syria, President Bashar al-Assad has allowed Irans elite fighting force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, to build a massive military presence.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas invaded Israel, triggering the Gaza war, these groups have directly attacked Israel, American military bases and U.S. civilian assets in the region over 170 times. The political and military sovereignty of Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq has so eroded that some American officials consider them Irans puppet regimes.

Over the same period, Irans military nuclear program has reached its most advanced stage. In July 2024, six years after the Trump administration backed out of the international nuclear deal meant to slow the development of Iranian weapons, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Iran was weeks from being able to equip its vast and growing arsenal of ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads.

Misconceptions, containment and oversimplified diplomacy

Despite Irans many recent military and political advances over the past decade, the American government has consistently underestimated its ambitions of regional dominance. Simultaneously, in my assessment, it has overvalued the effectiveness of long-standing U.S. soft power policies toward Iran: containment and de-escalation.

To avoid escalating conflict in the Mideast, Washington prioritizes actions that will avoid, at almost any cost, any military confrontation with Iran. Instead, to contain Irans expanding regional influence, the U.S. has banned arms sales and technology to Iran, imposed stringent economic sanctions, frozen Iranian financial assets and diplomatically isolated its government.

Yet, Irans influence continues to expand. In my assessment, this indicates that containment and de-escalation cannot deter a regime whose core policies are driven by fundamentalist ideology. Irans leaders invoke religious convictions to justify their commitment to violent struggle, regional superiority and the destruction of Israel.

Allah willing, there will be no such thing as a Zionist regime in 25 years, said Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in 2015, calling the fight to annihilate Israel a matter of jihadi morale.

I consider diplomacy, negotiation and legal and economic punishments preferable solutions for most global conflicts. Yet modern history shows that these measures cannot force policy change on nondemocratic, fundamentalist regimes that flout the rules of global international relations  think Nazi Germany, North Korea and the Afghan Taliban regime.

How not to deal with proxies

My scholarship on terrorist groups suggests that the U.S. has erred in its handling of Irans proxies, too. Rather than addressing them together as part of a hostile network, the U.S. treats each proxy as an isolated actor operating in a specific place and seeks to contain or de-escalate that particular threat.

In Yemen, for example, the U.S. did not stop the Iran-backed Houthi rebels from seizing territory and essentially supplanting the government. The Biden administration even pressured U.S. ally Saudi Arabia in 2021 to stop militarily boosting the countrys legitimate leaders in their bloody fight to retain power. After the Gaza war began, the Houthis, doing Irans bidding, began lobbing dozens of missiles at Western-flagged ships in the Red Sea.

Only in early 2024 did the U.S. confront the Houthis, making retaliatory military strikes on Houthi bases in Yemen.

In Iraq, the U.S. was long willing to overlook that Iran was backing the Iraqi Shia militias battling the Islamic State group, as long as these forces continued to participate in the war on the Islamic State. Ignoring the long-term consequences of their growing strength has come at a cost: In the past year, those Iraqi militias have attacked numerous American military bases in the region.

And in Syria, despite Irans rising influence in the aftermath of the Syrian civil war, the U.S. has gradually reduced its support for anti-Assad rebels and pro-democracy Kurdish forces.

A protest in Tehran following Israels suspected assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at a guesthouse in Iran on July 31, 2024. Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Collapse of American deterrence

All these failed foreign policies have culminated in the collapse of American deterrence in the Middle East. Simply put, the U.S. no longer projects enough power there to stop Iranian hostilities.

In April 2024, after Israel killed high-ranking officials in Irans embassy complex in Syria, Iran launched one of the largest missile attacks in history, lobbing over 300 missiles at Israel  its first-ever direct attack on Israel. Yet it has suffered marginal consequences, mainly economic sanctions and diplomatic outcry.

The U.S., which rallied Israels allies across the Mideast to shoot down most of the Iranian missiles, again preferred to block a meaningful response. The Biden administration declared the fact that few missiles hit Israel to be a win and insisted that the U.S. would not join Israel in any retaliation against Iran.

Americas deep aversion to escalation was further exposed after the targeted killings of top Hezbollah and Hamas leaders. In late July 2024, Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in a bombing at a government guesthouse in Iran. Iran blamed Israel for Haniyehs killing; The New York Times reported that assessment was also reached by several U.S. officials who requested anonymity.

Iran immediately vowed to retaliate.

For months, the U.S. had pressured Israel to adopt more precision-based military operations to avoid further civilian casualties in the Gaza war, which had killed nearly 40,000 people in its first six months. Yet when Israel apparently finally did that, eliminating specific terrorists responsible for killing Israelis and Americans, American policymakers fretted that such cross-border attacks could lead to regional escalation.

If the U.S. seeks to achieve long-term peace in the Middle East, it must first acknowledge the failures of the past decade. The evidence backs my conclusion that Iran is an enemy that cannot simply be deterred, contained or de-escalated.

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: Arie Perliger, UMass Lowell

Read more:



Arie Perliger receives research funding from various American federal agencies. He is affiliated with the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism.
Amid chants of Yes, she can!, Barack Obama returned to the scene of past triumphs on Tuesday to pass the mantle of political history to Kamala Harris  and eviscerate her opponent Donald Trump.

The former US president delivered the closing speech on night two of the Democratic national convention in his home city of Chicago. Obama prompted raucous cheers as he delivered a withering critique of Trump, who succeeded him in the White House in 2017.

We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos, he told delegates. We have seen that movie before and we all know that the sequel is usually worse. America is ready for a new chapter. America is ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris.

It was another night crackling with energy in the packed arena as Americas first Black president made the case for the nation to elect the first woman and first woman of colour to the Oval Office.

Obama was speaking 20 years after he first exploded on to the political stage at the Democratic convention in Boston. That summer, Harris helped host a fundraiser for Obamas run for the US Senate in Illinois. Four years later, she backed him against Hillary Clinton in the presidential primary, a campaign in which he coined the phrase Yes, we can!

The same chant greeted Obama when he took the stage in Chicago just after 10pm ET on Thursday and embraced his wife, Michelle. But halfway through his speech, Obama broke from his teleprompter remarks to ad lib: Yes, she can! The crowd instinctively chanted, Yes, she can! in response.

There was a symbolic echo for Democrats who had come to fear that Obamas election might be a historic aberration but now sense that it might in fact be Trump who represents the last gasp of a dying order.

In a nod to his debut at the 2004 convention, Obama, now 63, quipped: Im feeling hopeful because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible.

Because we have the chance to elect someone whos spent her whole life trying to give people the same chances America gave her. Someone who sees you and hears you and will get up every single day and fight for you: the next president of the United States of America, Kamala Harris.

The crowd roared its approval. Obama went on to pay tribute to outgoing president Joe Biden, who was not present, having delivered a valedictory address on Monday. History will remember Joe Biden as a president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger, he said. I am proud to call him my president, but even prouder to call him my friend.

The torch has been passed, he continued, but for all the rallies and the memes, the race for the White House remains tight. He suggested the people who will decide the election are asking a simple question: who will fight for them.

Obama opined that Trump, the Republican nominee, is not losing sleep over that question and highlighted his successors age  a point he might not have made if 81-year-old Biden were still in the contest.

This is a 78-year-old billionaire who hasnt stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago, he said. Its been a constant stream of gripes and grievances thats actually gotten worse now that hes afraid of losing to Kamala.

The childish nicknames and crazy conspiracy theories. This weird obsession with crowd sizes. The crowd erupted. It just goes on and on. The other day, I heard someone compare Trump to the neighbour who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day. From a neighbour, thats exhausting. From a president, its just dangerous.

Trump sees power as nothing more than a means to his ends, Obama said, accusing the former president of wanting another tax cut that would help his rich friends and of killing a bipartisan immigration deal because trying to solve the problem would hurt his campaign.

When delegates began to boo, Obama offered an old refrain: Do not boo. Vote!

Obama, whose breakthrough speech in 2004 had argued that there is not a liberal America and conservative America, only a United States of America, then took Trump to task for deliberately trying to turn Americans against one another.

He went on: Most of all, Donald Trump wants us to think that this country is hopelessly divided between us and them; between the real Americans who of course support him and the outsiders who dont.

And he wants you to think that youll be richer and safer if you will just give him the power to put those other people back in their place. Its one of the oldest tricks in politics  from a guy whose act has gotten pretty stale.

Notably, Obama did not dwell on a topic that was central to Bidens candidacy: the notion that Trump poses an existential threat to democracy.

But he did draw a vivid contrast between Trump and Harris, describing her as ready for the job and a person who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice and a champion.

She had to work for what shes got, and she actually cares about what other people are going through. Shes not the neighbour running the leaf blower  shes the neighbour rushing over to help when you need a hand.

He praised her plans to solve Americas housing crisis, limit out of pocket healthcare costs, make college more affordable and look out for essential workers.

Obama also urged Democrats to show empathy to political opponents. We need to remember that weve all got our blind spots and contradictions and prejudices; and that if we want to win over those who arent yet ready to support our candidate, we need to listen to their concerns  and maybe learn something in the process.

The former president had been introduced by Michelle, the former first lady who delivered the most famous line of the 2016 convention when she said: When they go low, we go high. This time she electrified the hall with a new willingness to go after Trump.

She said: For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard working and highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black.

Michelle also taunted Trump for his reference on the campaign trail to Black jobs, which he claims are being taken from Black people by migrants crossing into the US. Whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs? she asked, sending the crowd wild.

Tuesday night also witnessed a roll call of delegates confirming the nomination of Harris and running mate Tim Walz, both of whom held a rally in Milwaukee in the battleground state of Wisconsin.

In a speech to the convention Harriss husband, Doug Emhoff, said he just fell in love fast with her, adding that she finds joy in pursuing justice and stands up to bullies.

Bernie Sanders, an independent senator for Vermont who ran for the Democratic nomination in 2016 and 2020, set out a policy wish list including getting big money out of the political process, guaranteeing healthcare to all as a human right and raising the minimum wage. I look forward to working with Kamala and Tim to pass this agenda, he said.

Democratic convention highlights:
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  Key West, Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Manors and St. Petersburg are among several Florida cities that have long been top U.S. destinations for LGBTQ+ tourists. So it came as a surprise this week when travelers learned that Florida's tourism marketing agency quietly removed the LGBTQ Travel section from its website sometime in the past few months.

Business owners who cater to Florida's LGBTQ+ tourists said Wednesday that it marked the latest attempt by officials in the state to erase the LGBTQ+ community. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis previously championed a bill to forbid classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, and supported a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, as well as a law meant to keep children out of drag shows.

It's just disgusting to see this, said Keith Blackburn, who heads the Greater Fort Lauderdale LGBT Chamber of Commerce. They seem to want to erase us.

The change to Visit Florida's website was first reported by NBC News, which noted a search query still pulls up some listings for LGBTQ+-friendly places despite the elimination of the section.

John Lai, who chairs Visit Florida's board, didn't respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday. Dana Young, Visit Florida's CEO and president, didn't respond to a voicemail message Wednesday, and neither did the agency's public relations director.

Visit Florida is a public-private partnership between the state of Florida and the state's tourism industry. The state contributes about $50 million each year to the quasi-public agency from two tourism and economic development funds.

Florida is one of the most popular states in the U.S. for tourists, and tourism is one of its biggest industries. Nearly 141 million tourists visited Florida in 2023, with out-of-state visitors contributing more than $102 billion to Floridas economy.

Before the change, the LGBTQ+ section on Visit Florida's website had read, Theres a sense of freedom to Floridas beaches, the warm weather and the myriad activities  a draw for people of all orientations, but especially appealing to a gay community looking for a sense of belonging and acceptance.

Blackburn said the change and other anti-LGBTQ+ policies out of Tallahassee make it more difficult for him to promote South Florida tourism since he encounters prospective travelers or travel promoters who say they don't want to do business in the state.

Last year, for instance, several civil rights groups issued a travel advisory for Florida, saying that policies championed by DeSantis and Florida lawmakers are openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals.

Story continues

But visitors should also understand that many Florida cities are extremely inclusive, with gay elected officials and LGBTQ+-owned businesses, and they don't reflect the policies coming from state government, Blackburn added.

Its difficult when these kinds of stories come out, and the state does these things, and we hear people calling for a boycott, Blackburn said. On one level, its embarrassing to have to explain why people should come to South Florida and our destination when the state is doing these things.
A Floridian pleaded guilty in an Australian court on Wednesday after they were caught attempting to smuggle a 24-karat gold-plated gun Down Underand they did a backflip before entering their plea.

Liliana Goodson, who uses they/them pronouns, said they were on their way to a clown institute in Sydney when they were stopped at Sydney Airport with a Colt .45-style pistol and ammunition in their luggage in May 2023, reported the Daily Mail. Goodson also shared that they were carrying a cat spine, squirrel feet and rabbit pee, according to the Mail.

When I got over here the gun was not even in the back of my mind at all, the 29-year-old reportedly told the Australian Border Force, according to 9 News. I did not remember... my memory failed me.

However, investigators said they found that Goodson had asked Google before her flight: Can I carry a gun in my suitcase?

Goodson explained, When I looked on Google, its because I was trying to figure out how to get the gun from America to Australia.

American accused of smuggling a 24-carat, gold-plated semi-automatic gun into Sydney, Australia on Sunday unmasked as a heavily inked graphic designer who goes by the alias of 'River'.



Liliana Goodson, 28, who uses 'they/them' pronouns, would have stood out for sure pic.twitter.com/EwpnB87zPK  Mr Pal Christiansen (@TheNorskaPaul) May 8, 2023

Goodson, who has a concealed carry license in the U.S., added that they were scared of shooting the gun, but in L.A. if you just brandish a weapon people will like scatter I would probably just pistol whip until I got training again.

After she was reminded of what she said in her interview with ABF agents, she backflipped and pled guilty to importing the handgun and ammunition.

Goodson has been awaiting trial in Australia for six months. They are facing two charges of intentionally importing prohibited goods.

Goodsons attorney said they never intended to import a firearm and suffered from mental health challenges. They will return to court in November for their sentencing hearing.

Goodson has since failed to get into clown school but said they are pursuing the acting route.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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(File/Getty Images)

This story first appeared on KFF Health News.

Trisha Byers left behind one crucial item when she moved to North Carolina last year to be closer to her family after suffering a brain injury: Health insurance.

In Massachusetts, Byers, 39, was enrolled in Medicaid, the government health program that covers low-income people.

But she was ineligible in North Carolina, which had not yet expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act. She said she racked up thousands of dollars in unpaid emergency room bills while uninsured for several months after her move.

Then in December, North Carolina joined 39 other states and Washington, D.C., in widening Medicaid eligibility to include adults with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level, or $20,783 for an individual.

I could finally get all the doctor appointments I needed, said Byers, one of more than 500,000 North Carolinians who gained coverage.

The North Carolina expansion came amid the biggest upheaval in Medicaids nearly six-decade history.

Since April 2023  when protections that had blocked states from disenrolling Medicaid beneficiaries during the pandemic expired  states have disenrolled more than 24 million people whom they said no longer qualified or had failed to renew coverage.

This Medicaid unwinding led to fears that the number of people without insurance would spike. But it also coincided with moves in more than a dozen states to expand health coverage for lower-income people, including children, pregnant women, and the incarcerated.

These expansions will mitigate the effects of the unwinding to some degree, though its still unclear how much.

Five states have not finished culling their rolls, and the effect on the uninsured rate wont be clear until the U.S. Census Bureau releases official figures in September of next year.

The pandemic was destructive and concerning and clearly demonstrated that Medicaid is so crucially important for our national safety net, said Jennifer Babcock, senior vice president for Medicaid policy at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans, a trade group representing nonprofit health insurers that cover people on Medicaid. These expansions are incredibly meaningful.

Unwinding-era expansions include:

 South Dakota, like North Carolina, expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act last year. About 22,000 people enrolled in the first eight months.

 In July, Oregon launched a Medicaid-like coverage option for those who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid under federal limits. The plan is available to all adults with incomes between 138% and 200%  up to $30,120 for an individual  of the federal poverty level. More than 50,000 people have enrolled so far, Oregon officials say.

 In January, a new federal law required states to allow children to stay covered under Medicaid for at least a year after signing up. Several states are going beyond that: Oregon, New Mexico, and Washington, for example, allow children to stay covered up to age 6. California passed legislation to expand continuous eligibility for children up to age 4 but has not yet implemented the policy.

 Three states widened income eligibility for children to qualify for Medicaid: Arizona, Maine, and North Dakota.

 This year, Utah began offering a Medicaid-like coverage option for children regardless of immigration status, though the program is capped at about 2,000 children.

 Several states expanded coverage for pregnant women. Nevada, North Dakota, and Tennessee widened income eligibility to make it easier for pregnant women to qualify for Medicaid. Alabama and Maryland expanded eligibility to cover those who are pregnant regardless of immigration status. And Maine, Oregon, and Vermont extended postpartum coverage to 12 months, up from two. With those changes, 47 states now offer one year of postpartum coverage. (South Carolinas extension from 60 days to 12 months took effect in April 2022.)

 In June, five states  Illinois, Kentucky, Oregon, Utah, and Vermont  received approval from the Biden administration to extend Medicaid coverage to incarcerated people up to 90 days before their release. Those states will join several states, including California, Massachusetts, Montana, and Washington, in offering that coverage.

States, which split funding of Medicaid with the federal government, typically expand Medicaid eligibility during times of economic growth when they have more revenue. But several other factors have contributed to the expansion trend.

These include heightened awareness over rising maternal mortality rates and new restrictions on abortion, which have reinforced the need for expansions for pregnant women, said Allison Orris, a senior fellow with the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

In particular, the pandemic showed how important health coverage is to ensure peoples health and communities safety from infectious diseases, Orris said.

It is not surprising to see states look at their Medicaid programs and find ways to strengthen in the midst of the unwinding, she said.

For example, while federal Medicaid funding cannot be used for people living in the country unlawfully, a small but growing number of states have used their money to expand coverage to residents lacking legal status.

During the pandemic, as a requirement to gain extra federal funding, states were prohibited from cutting off Medicaid coverage even for those no longer eligible. The experience showed states the benefits of keeping people enrolled, rather than churning them in and out as their income fluctuates, Orris said. It also brought the nations uninsured rate to a record-low 7.7%.

Some advocates fear the unwinding of that pandemic-era policy will reverse key gains.

A KFF survey published in April found 23% of adults reported being uninsured after they were disenrolled from Medicaid in 2023. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Aug. 6 found the uninsured rate rose to 8.2% in the first quarter of 2024, from 7.7% in the same quarter in 2023.

Enrollment increased by about 23 million people during the pandemic. As of Aug. 1, with about 85% of the unwinding completed, roughly 14.8 million people have been removed from Medicaid rolls.

As a result, its unlikely the uninsured rate will rise as sharply as some advocates feared a year ago, said Jennifer Tolbert, deputy director of the Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured at KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News.

We have seen some amazing coverage expansion in places like Oregon and California, said Ben Anderson, deputy senior director of health policy at Families USA, a consumer advocacy group. But if you live in Texas, Florida, and Georgia, since the pandemic your health coverage has been disrupted in ways that were preventable by state leaders.

Those three states are among the 10 that have chosen not to expand Medicaid under the ACA.

Still, Anderson said, the effect of the expansions, even in a limited number of states, will ensure some people can better afford health care and avoid medical debt.

The unwinding process has been rife with fumbling, particularly in states that didnt steer enough resources to connect people with coverage. A study by the federal Government Accountability Office released in July revealed a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services finding that almost all states made mistakes that led to eligible individuals losing Medicaid coverage.

The recent Medicaid expansions provide examples of how some states prioritize health coverage, particularly for certain vulnerable groups.

Tricia Brooks, a Medicaid expert at Georgetown University, noted that some states are targeting little pockets of coverage and doing it for a variety of reasons.

Getting and keeping children insured means they are more likely to have a regular health provider and be ready to learn in school, she said. There is no doubt there is a return on investment, she said.

Medicaid advocates wonder, though, whether a second Trump administration would curtail coverage expansions. Republicans have signaled they do not want to extend the federal subsidies that reduce what lower-income people pay for ACA marketplace plans and that are scheduled to expire in 2025.

We are bracing for that potential impact, said Erin Delaney, director of health care policy at the Progressive Policy Institute.

The prospect of a second Trump administration has also prompted some GOP states to reconsider adding a work requirement to Medicaid coverage, including Georgia and South Carolina which have sought the requirement for a partial expansion. The Biden administration has repeatedly turned down states requests to impose work requirements and rescinded the 13 approvals granted by its predecessor.

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. Learn more about KFF.

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Person sits in a toy car with children at a shopping mall in Shanghai

By Farah Master and Laurie Chen

HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) - Mary Meng is so busy and stressed working for a Chinese tech company in Shanghai that she can't imagine having a second child.

"The work pressure is such that you don't even have any time to spend with your child," said the 37-year-old mother of a primary school-aged boy. "How can I think about taking care of two children? I have no idea."

That resonates with urban residents anywhere. But given the pace of population decline and ageing in China, the impact of the fast-paced, expensive city life on birth rates should be treated with more urgency by Beijing, demographers say.

China is rapidly running out of mothers. The number of women of reproductive age, defined by the United Nations as 15-to-49, is set to drop by more than two-thirds to under 100 million by the end of the century.

At a twice-a-decade top political gathering last month, China announced plans to build a "birth-friendly society" - pledging to implement measures long-called for by population experts, such as lowering childcare and education costs.

But, to the despair of the same experts, Beijing also vowed to encourage more people into urban areas.

This policy aims to increase housing demand to prop up the crisis-hit property sector, and revive flagging economic growth through productivity gains and stronger consumption. Urban residents typically produce and buy higher value-added goods and services than their rural counterparts.

But the fresh urbanisation push overlooks basic demographic theory. In the cities, people have fewer children due to high housing costs, limited space, expensive education, and because they spend most of their day at work.

Couple infertility rates in China have also risen from 2% in the 1980s to 18%, versus around 15% globally - with doctors blaming the rise on factors such as stress related to urban jobs and industrial pollution.

Fertility rates in China's rural areas are slightly higher at 1.54 versus the national average of 1.3 in 2020, according to the latest breakdown from China's top economic planner, while Shanghai's fertility rate in 2023 was 0.6 versus 1.1 nationally.

Authorities are "foolishly" driving young people "to the most birth-unfriendly big cities, which will lead to a continued decline in fertility and exacerbate the ageing crisis," said Yi Fuxian, a demographer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"The suppression of fertility rates by population density is a biological law."

This phenomenon has been most evident in east Asia. Japan, South Korea and Taiwan urbanised and industrialised at a faster pace than most other economies post-World War Two. They also have the lowest fertility rates globally.

While China's birth rates are also very low after decades of a strict one-child policy, not all is lost.

At 65%, its urbanisation rate is lower than the 80-90% rates in Japan or South Korea - and this could give it room for manoeuvre, demographers say.

Improving rural living standards by providing better public services or liberalising land rights would have a more sustainable impact on economic growth than continuing urbanisation as they could improve birth rates, they say.

"The population size is always a multiplier" in the economy, said Samir KC, professor at the Asian Demographic Research Institute at Shanghai University.

'JUST SURVIVAL'

To have a stable population, countries need fertility rates of 2.1. That means that for every woman like Meng, who only raises one child, another would need to have three.

Poppy Yu, 21, who works at film production company in Beijing six or seven days a week, wants none.

"I dont have the money or energy," Yu said.

China's "birth-friendly society" vision entails bringing down costs of parenting and education, lengthening parental leave, upgrading maternity and paediatric care and boosting child subsidies and tax deductions.

Many countries offer such incentives. But those with successful birth policies - such as France or Sweden - stand out through greater gender equality, stronger labour rights and robust social welfare.

Reducing childcare costs does not work on its own "and instead promotes a certain set of family values that demand that women take domestic responsibilities," said Yun Zhou, demographer at the University of Michigan.

Meng believes no policy would work until Chinese people start hoping again for a better life, financially.

"Now everyone thinks there is no prospect at all," she said. "No matter how hard you work, it is just survival."

($1 = 7.1469 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Writing by Farah Master; editing by Marius Zaharia and Lincoln Feast.)
What happened: Police responded to Greenbriar Apartments after receiving a call from Leafa's sister, who reported that Leafa had a seven-inch knife. Upon arrival, officers found nine people in the apartment and attempted to move them into a bedroom to isolate Leafa, who was on the back porch covered in a blanket. When officers opened the screen door and asked Leafa to show her hands, she stood up, removed the blanket and approached them with the knife at leg level, ignoring commands to drop it. Officer Alexander Roman, a seven-year veteran, then fired three rounds at Leafa while another officer deployed a less-lethal projectile. The department is still reviewing evidence.
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper lauded former first lady Michelle Obamas speech during the second night of the Democratic National Convention, calling it the most powerful political speech Ive ever heard.

I think Michelle Obamas speech was probably the most effective, powerful political speech Ive ever heard. It was rather remarkable, Cooper said.

I didnt know how much I missed them, CNN political commentator Van Jones remarked. I missed them. I missed that. I missed hearing that.

Obamas speech, which was scheduled as the second-to-last speech in Chicago on Tuesday night, received high praise. She used her remarks to praise Vice President Harris and take jabs  implicit and explicit  at former President Trump, including mocking his recent Black jobs remark.

Notably, she made no mention of President Biden in her speech.

Her speech was also used as a call to action for Democrats, as she led them in chants of do something!

Its up to us to remember what Kamalas mother told her: Dont just sit around and complain  do something! Obama said.

So if they lie about her, and they will, weve got to she continued, chanting along with the crowd, do something!

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Andrew Tate's home in Bucharest was raided by officials from Romania's anti-organized crime agency. The influencer was taken in for questioning. (Vadim Ghirda / Associated Press)

Romanian authorities on Wednesday raided the Bucharest home of influencer Andrew Tate, the latest move in the country's probe into human-trafficking allegations against the polarizing internet personality.

Tate, 37, and his brother, Tristan, 36, who were arrested in 2022 near Bucharest along with two Romanian women, were indicted by Romanian prosecutors last year and are awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

Read more: Op-Ed: Why misogynists like Andrew Tate are going mainstream

On Wednesday, masked police officers with Romanias anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, searched four homes in Bucharest and the nearby Ilfov County during their investigation, according to the Associated Press. Dozens of officers and forensic personnel scoured the former kickboxer's large property on the edge of the capital as they investigated allegations of human trafficking, trafficking of minors, sexual intercourse with a minor, influencing statements and money laundering.

Police vans took the Tates to the DIICOT offices for questioning, and the brothers were met by a small crowd of reporters and supporters when they arrived at the agency, the BBC reported. Neither brother was put in handcuffs, but they were escorted by heavily armed police officers. Tate told a local blogger that he "didn't know" why he was back at DIICOT and his lawyer, Eugen Vidineac, told the BBC that the latest allegations were not yet clear and that he hadn't seen the case file yet.

Read more: Self-described misogynist Andrew Tate charged with rape and human trafficking in Romania

"During the entire criminal process, the investigated persons benefit from the procedural rights and guarantees provided by the Code of Criminal Procedure, as well as the presumption of innocence," DIICOT told AP.

Andrew Tate's spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, did not address the allegations involving minors, but told AP that although the charges in the search warrant are not yet fully clarified, they include suspicions of human trafficking and money laundering.  Petrescu added that Tate's legal team was present.

Hours later, Tate was back on X sharing his reaction to the raid.

"The Matrix is real. And they have a tried and true playbook. Slander is their number one tool and the process is the punishment. But unfortunately for them, Good always wins in the end," he tweeted.

"9 hours into the house search and an armed police officer looks at me apologetically and shrugs his shoulders. He said 'You've made somebody very angry,'" Tate added, later tweeting, "I don't have a phone because it was taken by the police. But when I speak loud my words are heard by someone from a computer far far away by magic."

Read more: Who is Andrew Tate? Influencer dubbed 'king of toxic masculinity' arrested in Romania

The brothers are dual British-U.S. citizens who have amassed millions of social media followers. Andrew Tate, a self-described misogynist who has reportedly lived in Romania since 2017, has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors in that country have no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to silence him. The brothers have said that they categorically reject all charges."

Separately, the Tates were detained earlier this year after four women reported them to authorities in the United Kingdom for alleged sexual violence and physical abuse between 2012 and 2015. However, the Crown Prosecution Service declined to prosecute, so the alleged victims turned to crowdfunding to cover their legal costs while they pursued a civil case against Andrew Tate. A Romanian court in March approved a U.K. request to extradite the Tates over rape and sexual assault allegations; they can be extradited after their trial proceedings in Romania conclude.

Read more: Andrew Tate, Tristan Tate can be extradited to U.K. after Romania rape trial, court says

Last month, a court overturned an earlier decision that allowed the Tate brothers to leave Romania as they await trial, AP reported. The earlier court ruled on July 5 that they could leave the country as long as they remained in the European Union.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Another lawsuit challenges use of threats of mass violence law to arrest students in school

Williamson County Courthouse in Franklin, Tenn. (Photo: John Partipilo)

A Williamson County family is suing the county board of education and district attorney, alleging they falsely accused and prosecuted their teenage son for making threats of mass violence at school.

The teen, identified in court filings as C.W., was a junior at Independence High School last year when he was handcuffed and arrested at school, strip-searched and put in solitary confinement in juvenile detention, then placed in an alternative school and referred for psychiatric care.

The teen, court filings said, was accused of raising his hand in a Hitler salute and saying something about North Korea in chemistry class by the schools principal, the lawsuit said.

When pressed by C.W.s parents, the principal offered no evidence from anyone who witnessed him make such a gesture, including the chemistry teacher, the suit said.

A spokesperson for Williamson County Schools declined to comment on pending litigation; the district attorneys office did not respond to a request for comment.

It is at least the second legal challenge involving a so-called zero tolerance law passed last year by the Tennessee legislature and signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee in the weeks after a mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville claimed the lives of three children and three adults.

In June, the families of a 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy arrested at school and expelled in separate and unrelated incidents jointly filed suit against Williamson County and Gov. Bill Lee to challenge the application of the zero tolerance law.

The law requires districts to expel students for one year if they have been found to have made threats of mass violence.

It defines threats as speech that a reasonable person could conclude would lead to serious bodily injury or the death of two or more people.

Advocates who fought against the law called it an overreaction to mass school shootings. They have also criticized the laws language as so vague as to enmesh kids who do not intend to make threats, or carry out acts, of violence  a claim echoed in the lawsuit filed on C.W.s behalf.

The word threat is not defined, in Tennessee law, the lawsuit notes. The lack of an intent element leaves anyone who says anything that can be even remotely construed as a threat vulnerable to criminal and other consequences.

The lawsuit cites an unnamed court-appointed psychiatrist, who interviewed the teen in December, and appeared to suggest the law was being applied over-broadly in schools.

The psychiatrist stated that he had conducted similar interviews with 50 students since school started in the fall of 2023, and none of these students, including C.W., should have been arrested, the suit said.

Williamson County Schools did not respond to a request made Tuesday for the number of students referred for arrest for making mass violence threats in the 2023-2024 school year.

C.W.s parents, Julie and Scott Wernert, are seeking $300,000 in compensatory damages in the suit, filed in federal court in Nashville.

WernertvWilliamsonCoBOE
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 21, 2024) - Flying Nickel Mining Corp. (TSXV: FLYN) (OTCQB: FLYNF) ("Flying Nickel") is pleased to announce, pursuant to the previously announced binding letter of intent with Norway House Cree Nation ("NHCN") dated July 21, 2024 (the "LOI"), that it has entered into a definitive arrangement agreement (the "Arrangement Agreement") with NHCN and 10197729 Manitoba Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of NHCN, (the "Purchaser"), pursuant to which Flying Nickel proposes to sell its Minago Nickel project and its related assets located in the Thompson Nickel Belt of Manitoba, Canada (the "Minago Assets") to the Purchaser in consideration for $8,000,000 in cash and the surrender of 17,561,862 common shares in the capital of Flying Nickel ("Flying Nickel Shares") held by NHCN (the "Transaction") , by way of a statutory plan of arrangement under Section 288 of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the "Arrangement"). The Flying Nickel Shares held by NHCN represent approximately 11.4% of the total issued and outstanding Flying Nickel Shares. The Purchaser has deposited $500,000 in escrow in connection with the Arrangement (the "Deposit").

Information Regarding the Proposed Arrangement

Pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement, the parties have agreed to close the Transaction by no later than December 15, 2024 (the "Outside Date") and expect to close the Transaction by October 16, 2024. As NHCN holds greater than 10% of the issued and outstanding Flying Nickel Shares, the Transaction is a "related party transaction" under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") and Policy 5.9 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("Policy 5.9") of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"). In accordance with the provisions of MI 61-101, Flying Nickel is exempt from the formal valuation requirements under MI 61-101 and Policy 5.9 pursuant to section 4.4(a) of MI 61-101 as an issuer not listed on a specified market. However, the Arrangement requires majority of the minority shareholder approval ("Disinterested Shareholder Approval") under MI 61-101. For the purposes of Disinterested Shareholder Approval, the Arrangement must be approved at the Meeting (as defined below) by at least a majority of the votes cast on the resolution to approve the Arrangement by Flying Nickel shareholders present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the Meeting excluding all Flying Nickel Shares held by persons noted in Section 8.1(2) of MI 61-101. Therefore, Flying Nickel Shares held by NHCN will be excluded from the Disinterested Shareholder Approval. There has not been a formal valuation or prior valuation in respect of the subject matter of or relevant to the Arrangement in the prior 24 months. The Arrangement also requires approval of a special majority of 66 2/3% of the Flying Nickel shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Meeting. The Transaction is further subject to approvals from the TSXV and the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

The Arrangement Agreement is subject to termination in certain instances, including if the shareholders of Flying Nickel do not approve the Arrangement at the Meeting, if Flying Nickel receives a superior proposal and complies with its requirements under the Arrangement Agreement, or at the option of either party if the Arrangement is not completed before the Outside Date. For certain termination events, such as pursuant to the acceptance of a superior proposal, Flying Nickel has agreed to pay a termination fee of $400,000 (the "Termination Fee").

Details of the Arrangement (including full details of the Deposit, termination conditions, and the Termination Fee discussed herein) and the special meeting to approve the Arrangement (the "Meeting") will be set out in Flying Nickel's management information circular and proxy statement which will be mailed to Flying Nickel shareholders. The Meeting is scheduled to be held on October 7, 2024, at the offices of MLT Aikins LLP located at 2600-1066 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, at 10:30 a.m. (Pacific Time).

Blackstone Minerals Limited, Sparta AG, Oracle Commodity Holding Corp., and each of the directors and officers of Flying Nickel (together, the "Supporting Shareholders") have entered into voting support agreements in connection with the Arrangement. The Supporting Shareholders and NHCN collectively hold approximately 52% of the issued and outstanding Flying Nickel Shares on a non-diluted basis and the Supporting Shareholders represent approximately 45% of the Disinterested Shareholder Approval.

Completion of the Arrangement is subject to customary conditions as set out in the Arrangement Agreement and receipt of all necessary court and regulatory approvals. The Arrangement Agreement includes customary representations, warranties, and indemnities of each party.

Full details of the Arrangement will be included in the meeting materials with respect to the Meeting, which will be available on the Sedar+ profile of Flying Nickel at sedarplus.ca.

No finder's fee is expected to be paid by any of Flying Nickel, NHCN or the Purchaser to any party in connection with the Arrangement.

The Arrangement is also not expected to constitute an Arm's Length Transaction as defined in the policies of the TSXV for Flying Nickel, due to the shareholding of NHCN as described herein.

Name Change

The Company is also proposing to be renamed to "CleanTech Vanadium Mining Corp.", or such other name as the Board in its sole discretion may determine, upon the Transaction closing (the "Name Change"). The Name Change requires approval of a special majority of 66 2/3% of the Flying Nickel shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Meeting. Additionally, the Name Change and the particular name chosen both remain subject to TSXV and regulatory approval.

Board Recommendation

Flying Nickel confirms that after careful consideration, including a thorough review of the Arrangement Agreement, the plan of arrangement, receiving the oral fairness opinion of Evans & Evans, Inc. (which will be followed by a written option), and conducting a thorough review of other matters, the board of directors of Flying Nickel (with Neil Duboff, NHCN's nominee, having recused himself) has determined in consultation with its legal and financial advisors, and based in part on the fairness opinion, that the Arrangement is in the best interests of Flying Nickel and its shareholders, and unanimously recommends (with Neil Duboff, NHCN's nominee, having recused himself) that shareholders vote FOR the resolutions to approve the Arrangement at the upcoming Meeting. Further information regarding the reasons for the board recommendation will be set forth in the management information circular to be prepared in connection with the Meeting.

Additionally, after careful consideration, including a thorough review of the proposed Name Change, the board of directors of Flying Nickel has determined that the Name Change is in the best interests of the Company and its Shareholders, and recommends that Shareholders vote FOR the resolutions to approve the Name Change at the upcoming Meeting. Further information regarding the reasons for the board recommendation will be set forth in the management information circular to be prepared in connection with the Meeting.

About Flying Nickel Mining Corp.

Flying Nickel is an exploration-stage mining company focused on vanadium and nickel resources. The Company owns a 100% interest in the Gibellini vanadium project in Nevada, United States and a 100% interest in the Minago nickel project in the Thompson nickel belt in Manitoba, Canada.

Further information on Flying Nickel can be found at www.flynickel.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

FLYING NICKEL MINING CORP.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

John Lee

Chief Executive Officer

For more information about Flying Nickel, please contact:

Suite 1610 - 409 Granville Street

Vancouver, BC V6C 1T2

Phone: 1.877.664.2535 / 1.877.6NICKEL

Email: info@flynickel.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the Arrangement and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements and Cautionary Disclaimers

References to $ herein refer to the lawful currency of Canada.

This press release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. 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 absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from U.S. registration requirements.

Completion of the Arrangement and the Name Change is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to the standard closing conditions contained in the Arrangement Agreement, TSXV acceptance, court and shareholder approval. Where applicable, the Arrangement cannot close until the required approvals are obtained.

There can be no assurance that the Arrangement will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular to be prepared in connection with the Arrangement, any information released or received with respect to the Arrangement may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of Flying Nickel should be considered highly speculative.

This news release is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian and United States securities laws. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Arrangement including timing, closing and terms of the Arrangement, the number of Flying Nickel Shares owned and expected to be owned by certain parties who have executed voting support agreements, and the ability of Flying Nickel to obtain the requisite TSXV, shareholder, court and other approvals in connection with the Arrangement, as well as statements with respect to the Name Change including timing, the proposed name (CleanTech Vanadium Mining Corp.) and the ability of Flying Nickel to obtain the requisite TSXV, shareholder, court and other approvals in connection with the Name Change. Except for statements of historical fact relating to Flying Nickel, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "anticipates," "may," "can," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "targets," "intends," "likely," "will," "should," "to be", "potential" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "should" or "will" occur, including, without limitation, that all conditions precedent to the Arrangement will be met and the realization of the anticipated benefits derived therefrom for shareholders of Flying Nickel and perception of (i) the quality and the potential of Flying Nickel's assets, (ii) the consideration offered to Flying Nickel, and (iii) the potential of Flying Nickel's business following completion of the Arrangement. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management of Flying Nickel at the date the statements are made, and are based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Many of these assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of Flying Nickel, there is no assurance they will prove to be correct and are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward- looking statements.

Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from results anticipated by such forward-looking statements include changes in market conditions; cash flow and availability of financing; the ability of Flying Nickel to obtain the requisite court, shareholder, TSXV and other third party approvals in respect of the Arrangement and the Name Change; exercise of any dissent rights, trades in the market, issuances of securities or exercises of convertible securities and other factors that could alter the share capital of Flying Nickel or other parties; risks relating to the availability and timeliness of permitting and governmental consents and approvals; and other risks of the mining industry.

These factors are discussed in greater detail in Flying Nickel's most recent MD&A filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca, which also provides additional general assumptions in connection with these statements. Flying Nickel cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. Investors and others who base themselves on forward-looking statements contained herein should carefully consider the above factors as well as the uncertainties they represent and the risk they entail. Flying Nickel believes that the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release.

Although Flying Nickel has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Flying Nickel undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Statements concerning mineral reserve and resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements to the extent they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered as the property is developed. Further, Flying Nickel may make changes to its business plans that could affect results.

Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/220654
(Bloomberg) -- Bolivias President Luis Arce said hell seek a referendum on reelection rules and fuel prices as the Latin American nation is buffeted by political and economic crises.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Arce said in a post on X that he sent a letter to the nations electoral authority requesting the vote, which would have four questions.

The first question would ask voters whether they want to modify the constitution to allow a president to be reelected more than once, provided a third term isnt continuous with the first two. A rejection of this proposal would thwart the reelection efforts of Arces rival, former president Evo Morales.

This is clearly a question designed to bar Morales, according to Carlos Toranzo, a La Paz-based political scientist.

The second and third questions would ask whether to continue subsidizing gasoline and diesel, while the final question would ask whether the number of deputies should rise.

(Adds analyst comment from fourth paragraph)

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2024 Bloomberg L.P.
Archaeologists have uncovered surprising facts that challenge previously held notions about Neanderthals thanks to a trove of artifacts found during an excavation in Spain. Our surprising findings at Abric Pizarro show how adaptable Neanderthals were, lead author Sofia Samper Carro wrote in the study.

Abric Pizarro, located in the Southern Pyrenees, is home to many caves and rock structures which belonged to the extinct species of human ancestor. Its one of the few archaeological sites in the world which dates from 100,000 to 65,000 years ago. During their excavation, researchers from The Australian National University (ANU) found hundreds of thousands of artifacts which challenge what many believe about Neanderthals.

The discovered artifacts, which include stone tools and animal bones, go against the widely held belief that Neanderthals were poor hunters and not particularly intelligent. In particular, the tools indicate that Neanderthals were able to quickly adapt to their changing environments and created weapons for hunting specific animals.

The findings revealed Neanderthals were able to adapt to their environment, challenging the archaic humans' reputation as slow-footed cavemen and shedding light on their survival and hunting skills, the study explained.

Our analysis of the stone artifacts also demonstrates variability in the type of tools produced, indicating Neanderthals capability to exploit the available resources in the area, Carro wrote in an article for SciTechDaily.

She further noted that the animal bones display cut marks which indicate that Neanderthals were capable of hunting small animals. That goes against previously held notions that Neanderthals only hunted large animals like horses and rhinoceros.

The animal bones we have recovered indicate that they were successfully exploiting the surrounding fauna, hunting red deer, horses, and bison, Carro explained, but also eating freshwater turtles and rabbits, which imply a degree of planning rarely considered for Neanderthals.

These findings are particularly significant considering that this period of Neanderthal life has not been well documented in historical records. Carro and her team believe the newly found artifacts provide invaluable insight into the daily lives of Neanderthals.

The unique site at Abric Pizarro gives a glimpse of Neanderthal behavior in a landscape they had been roaming for hundreds of thousands of years, Carro said. They clearly knew what they were doing. They knew the area and how to survive for a long time.

Carro concluded: This is one of the most interesting things about this site, to have this unique information about when Neanderthals were alone and living in harsh conditions and how they thrived before modern humans appeared.
Two graves in a dense burial ground discovered in 1851 northeast of Moscow held rather peculiar inclusions along with their deceased residents.

Inside each of the graves, which held the remains of adult males, was a battle ax placed close to the right shin bone of the deceased.

The axes were not the only artifact left in the graves, which were also filled with items a bit more fitting of a tax collector.

The correlation between ancient Russian tax collectors and the possession of a battle ax isnt fully known, but thanks to a recent excavation project in a burial ground northeast of Moscow, we have that connection.

While this may not be true of every Russian tax collector, at least two Russian taxmen were also Russian... axemen.

According to a translated statement from the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the State Historical Museum, the continued excavation of the seven-acre medieval Gnezdilov burial ground, originally found in 1851 near the town of Suzdal, offered up the chance to look at 50 previously undisturbed burial sites.

It was graves No. 59 and No. 49 that presented the most intriguing personal affects to be buried with and a combination one doesnt see often (if ever): battle axes and artifacts associated with tax collecting.

The style of axe foundit features a chased hammer on the butt end and a semicircular notch at the basewas most common in the 11th century, which is the era the burials date back to, but was seen into the early 12th century. Past examples of these axes came decorated with silver inlays.

In grave No. 59, the excavation team discovered the skeletal remains of a 35-to-40-year-old male. He had with him a belt buckle shaped like the stringed musical instrument the lyre, a knife, a broken ceramic vessel, and the metal battle ax. The ax was located near his right shin bone.

Then, in grave No. 49, the contents were nearly identical. This grave, belonging to a man roughly 10 years younger, also contained a lyre-shaped buckle, a knife, the battle ax in the same location near the right shin bone, and a mix of equestrian equipment that included stirrups and a saddle buckle.

The connection between the two medieval human skeletons with matching battle axes may come thanks to their profession. The deceased were almost assuredly high-status individuals, largely based on the equestrian equipment and other artifacts, and the discovery of scales and weights that were also found in the graves give experts reason to believe the long-deceased men were tax collectors. The evidence is enough to convincingly interpret the finds as an indication that the burial remains belong to men who regularly performed some sort of fiscal function, most likely the weighing of coins collected as taxes.

The experts believe that further analyzation of the artifacts should better date the burials found in graves No. 59 and No. 49. Elsewhere in the cemetery, the team found melted fragments of jewelry, likely from the 10th century, indicating at least one portion of the area features cremation burials. That practice appeared to end by the 11th century thanks to the artifacts found near the battle axes.

The equestrian equipment represents a rare find in burials. Over the 170-year history of studying burials in northeast Russia, only 15 unburied burials included stirrups, with two of those instances in Gnezdilov, indicating a life spent with horses was rarified air. The battle axes are also an unusual discovery, although not as rare. A total of 14 battle axes have so far been found from that era in northeast Russia, and Gnezdilov offers up the largest array of the weapon.

The potential high-status tax collectors probably not only fancied, but could also afford a life full of horses and weapons. The experts also believe Suzdal could have been a center of the military elite and a key location for forming the military culture of northeastern Russia. Whether associated with the military or not, we know that these two tax collectors had plenty of protection when out collecting taxes with their axes.

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BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Health officials in Argentina said on Wednesday that a test to determine if a crew member on a quarantined grains cargo ship was infected with the mpox virus had come back negative, according to a statement from the health ministry.

The crew member, an Indian national who had developed cyst-like skin lesions on his chest and face, was working on the ship that was traveling along a key commodities route near the inland river port city of Rosario.

Authorities had quarantined the ship in the Parana River as a precaution.

In its statement, the health ministry said the individual tested negative for mpox, but positive for chicken pox.

Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years as a new variant of the virus spread rapidly in Africa. A day later, a case of the clade 1b variant was confirmed in Sweden, the first sign of its spread outside Africa.

(Reporting by Walter Bianchi; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle)
David Zhu, a professor of management and entrepreneurship at Arizona States W.P. Carey School of Business, was arrested August 17 in the shooting death of his wife Susan Yijuan Yan. LinkedIn photo

A long-time professor at Arizona State Universitys business school has been arrested in the shooting death of his wife, according to news reports.

David Zhu, who has taught at the W.P. Carey School of Business since 2009, was arrested August 17 and later charged with one count of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Susan Yijuan Yan.

Yan was shot in the couples home in Scottsdale and later pronounced dead in an area hospital.

A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

Zhu allegedly had a long history of domestic violence, which included threats of murder or suicide and an increase in the frequency or intensity of incidents, reports the Arizona Republic newspaper, citing Maricopa County superior court records.

The couple has two teenage children who were home at the time of the shooting. They reportedly told police officers Zhu and his wife were in a screaming fight when they heard two gunshots.

Neither child expressed any surprise that David has shot and killed their mother, the Republic reported, citing investigators reports in the records.

A DEANS COUNCIL DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR

According to his online CV, Zhu earned a bachelors degree in chemistry and a masters in economics from Nankai University in China. He earned his Ph.D. in strategy from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business in 2002. He became an assistant professor of management at ASU Carey later that year.

Since August 2021 he has been a professor of management and entrepreneurship at the Carey School, as well as a Deans Council Distinguished Scholar.

Zhus faculty page at the Carey School lists his expertise areas as Behavioral Strategy, Boards of Directors, CEOs, Corporate Governance, Corporate Strategy, Innovation, and Social Networks. Both the faculty page and his LinkedIn profile state that Zhu builds on behavioral theories to examine strategic decision making of top executives and directors, innovation, Chinese management, corporate governance, and corporate strategy. He also studies the structure of corporate elite networks and resource exchange networks.

His work has been published in such scholarly journals as the Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, Organization Science, and Strategic Management Journal, and his research has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and Forbes.

ZHU PLACED ON LEAVE BY ASU

Zhu is being held at a Maricopa County jail on a $1 million bond. According to online jail records he faces one count of first-degree murder. He is scheduled to appear in court Friday, August 23.

If found guilty of first-degree murder, Zhu could face the death penalty, life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, or life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

Our condolences go out to all those affected by this tragedy, a university spokesperson told the Arizona Republic newspaper. Zhu is being placed on administrative leave and barred from coming to campus or participating in any ASU activities, while the university proceeds with the personnel process, according to applicable Arizona Board of Regents and local policies.

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Supporters of a ballot amendment to amend abortion rights into the Arizona state constitution gather outside the Secretary of State's office on July 3 to turn in signatures. Photo courtesy of Arizona for Abortion Access

Aug. 21 (UPI) -- The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a citizen-initiated ballot measure to enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution will remain on the ballot.

The court reached a unanimous decision Tuesday, striking down a lawsuit from Arizona Right to Life, a group that opposes abortion. The lawsuit sought to block the ballot measure, alleging it was misleading.

Arizona Right to Life also argued that the ballot initiative's 200-word description used to collect signatures did not inform signees about its potential impact. Chief Justice Ann A. Scott Timmer wrote in her opinion that the description was accurate and complies with state law. She added that explaining the political impact of a ballot initiative is not required.

"We reject Plaintiff/Appellant's arguments to the contrary," Timmer wrote. "The Description is not required to explain the Initiative's impact on existing abortion laws or regulations. Moreover, a reasonable person would necessarily understand that existing laws that fail the prescribed tests would be invalid rather than continue in effect."

The ballot initiative, Proposition 139, needs a simple majority to vote "Yes" to pass. It would amend the state constitution to guarantee the right to an abortion up to fetal viability, or about 23 or 24 weeks of gestation. After that point there would be exceptions to protect the life of the mother.

Abortion is currently banned after 15 weeks of gestation unless a doctor deems it a medical necessity. It is considered a medical necessity if it is necessary to avoid the death of the mother or when delaying an abortion will "create a serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function."

There are no exceptions for rape or incest.

The state Supreme Court has made other rulings this year that caused proponents of the amendment to take pause.

In the spring it ruled to uphold an 1864 law that banned nearly all abortions. Last week it ruled that a voter guide approved by the Legislative Council could use the term "unborn human being" to explain the ballot measure.

Dawn Penich, communications director for Arizona for Abortion Access, told UPI that she was confident the ballot initiative would hold up but still had a "sense of trepidation."

"We thought this was a baseless lawsuit from the get-go. We had that confidence," Penich said. "But again, this is good validation and now nothing else can threaten to take the vote away from the people."

Ballots will be historically long in Arizona in November, Penich said. Proposition 139 will appear on the backside of ballots at the end.

"We'll be branching out all over the state, focusing on making sure that people know this is on the ballot. And they know to flip over this historically long ballot in Arizona to look for our proposition all the way at the very end," Penich said. "We want them to know that a "Yes" vote is our best chance of stopping this political whiplash that abortion rights have been in in the last two years."
The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an attempt to block a proposed constitutional amendment that would enshrine the right to an abortion from appearing on the November ballot.

Arizona Right to Life, a group opposed to abortion rights, filed a challenge to the ballot initiative, taking issue with the 200-word petition description used to collect signatures and arguing that the public was misled about how broad the amendment would be.

In its opinion issued Tuesday, the court found that the description of the amendment is not required to explain the Initiatives impact on existing abortion laws or regulations.

Moreover, a reasonable person would necessarily understand that existing laws that fail the prescribed tests would be invalid rather than continue in effect, the opinion reads.

The Arizona Abortion Access Act received 577,971 certified signatures and will appear on the ballot as Proposition 139, the Arizona secretary of states office announced last week. The initiative had to reach 383,923 signatures to get on the ballot.

The amendment would enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution up to fetal viability, which doctors believe is around 22 to 24 weeks of pregnancy.

The Arizona high court on Tuesday ordered that Arizonas secretary of state include the proposed amendment in the 2024 election publicity pamphlet and on the November ballot.

Earlier this year, the Arizona Legislature voted to repeal the states 160-year-old near-total abortion ban, after the state Supreme Court had revived the law and thrust reproductive rights into the political spotlight. Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs promptly signed the repeal legislation into law.

Arizona currently imposes a 15-week limit for abortions. Enacted in 2022, that restriction does not include exceptions for rape and incest.

CNNs Rashard Rose contributed to this report.

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The Arizona Supreme Court tossed out a lawsuit from an anti-abortion group Tuesday, ensuring a measure enshrining protections for abortion rights into the state Constitution will appear on the ballot in November.

The state Supreme Court sided with a lower court, ruling the 200-word summary of the ballot measure groups used to educate voters about the initiative and collect signatures was neither false nor misleading.

The principal provisions of the Initiative are (1) the establishment of a fundamental right to abortion under the Arizona Constitution; (2) the scope of that fundamental right, before and after fetal viability; and (3) the preclusion of the State from penalizing a person for assisting another to exercise that right, the high court ruled in a five-page opinion.

The Description explains each of these provisions and the tests that would apply to restrictions upon that right. Nothing in the Description either communicates objectively false or misleading information or obscures the principal provisions basic thrust, it added.

The state court also dismissed the argument that the initiative was misleading, arguing that that claim was outside of the purview of the high court.

The Arizona Supreme Courts decision is a major win for Democrats who are looking to enshrine abortion protections into the state constitution. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) announced earlier this month that the initiative had more than enough valid signatures to qualify.

Arizona for Abortion Access lauded the development in a statement after the state Supreme Court ruling.

This is a huge win for Arizona voters and direct democracy. With this decision, voters will have a chance to vote YES on Proposition 139, the Arizona Abortion Access Act, and restore and protect the right to access abortion care in our state, the group said.

We are confident that this fall, Arizona voters will make history by establishing a fundamental right to abortion in our state, once and for all.

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  The Democratic National Convention marks a major week for the Democrats and is bringing in current and former leaders from the Natural State from both parties.

Along with state Democrats, former Gov. Asa Hutchinson is at the convention doing commentary for a news outlet as well as weighing in with his take on the events. Hutchinson noted that he remains conservative and a member of the Republican party, despite his attendance at the convention.

Heres whos speaking at the Democratic National Convention

DPA Strategic Director Will Watson and others in the state party said they are more fired up than ever and ready to bring that excitement back home to Arkansas. They said during a virtual interview from Chicago that its important to stress the issues that Arkansans resonate with  no matter their party that Kamala Harris is running on.

Making housing more affordable, making groceries more affordable just standing up for that common middle-class taxpayer, Watson said. I think every Arkansas Democrat is aware of the state of national politics in Arkansas, that its an uphill battle for Democrats in the Natural State, but the reality is Arkansas voters are fed up with extremism.

Five takeaways from Day One of the Democratic National Convention

Hutchinson said that despite feeling Democrats have a point with their argument contrasting Harris background as a prosecutor and former President Donald Trumps status as a convicted felon, he still cant side with either candidate and will be writing in the name of another Republican on his ballot, though he did not say whose name that will be.

Writing in a name not on the ballot means his vote wouldnt count in Arkansas, though Hutchinson said the point is to send a message that he, and he feels others, are not happy with either of the two remaining candidates. Hutchinson has been adamant throughout Trumps legal troubles that convictions should stand in the way of any person becoming president.

Hes a convicted felon and some people in America discount those convictions and theyre politically motivated, Hutchinson said. The fact is, it does resonate with many Americans who say, I dont know that I want to have a convicted felon in the White House.'

The celebrities who have appeared at the 2024 DNC

Former President Barack Obama is expected to speak at the DNC Tuesday night, which Watson said Arkansas delegates are looking forward to witnessing.

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  The Arkansas Board of Corrections has announced its plans to add capacity to the state prison system and willingness to work with the governor.

A board spokesperson said in a Tuesday release that the board has begun moving inmates into the Tucker Work Release facility. The facility was formerly for reentry programs but will now house 124 inmates assigned to work release or who are otherwise minimum-security.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appoints Lindsay Wallace as Arkansas Secretary of Corrections

The spokesperson said this is one of several expansions the board has planned, listing three additional sites nearing completion.

Officials said the reconstructed White River Correctional Center in Batesville is adding 170 beds. The Southeast Community Correction Center in Texarkana will soon have an additional 70 beds available and the McPherson Unit in Newport will soon add 244 beds.

Total additions, including Tucker and beds nearing completion, are 608.

Officials said the expansions will help reduce the number of inmates being held in county jails.

In November 2023, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders requested 500 additional beds in the state prison system to relieve the strain on county jails housing state inmates. The board could not immediately comply, opening only 160 beds at the time, citing staffing levels, leading to months of wrangling between the governors office and the board.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders calls on Arkansas Board of Corrections to open 500 additional prison beds

The Tuesday release continued that the board and Corrections Secretary Lindsay Wallace were working to realign staff to assist the governor in her mission to create safer communities and efficiencies within state government.

Sanders had signed legislation earlier in 2023 to add a 3,000-bed prison to the state system. The Tuesday release continued that the boards was willing to work with the governors office to develop that prison.

To that end, Chairman Magness and Secretary Wallace are actively participating alongside representatives from Governor Sanders office in selection of an Owners Representative, who will provide advice and consultation with respect to design, engineering, and construction of a new 3,000 bed facility, the release stated.

Arkansas Board of Corrections member pushes back against Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in open letter

In its most recent report, for March, the Division of Corrections shows a 44.66% staffing vacancy rate.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
The logo of the manufacturer Ford at the "Automobile Barcelona" 2021. Clara Margais/Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH/dpa

US carmaker Ford Motor Company on Wednesday announced its plan to launch a new commercial electric van by 2026 from its Ohio facility.

The company aims to introduce two advanced pickup trucks in 2027, along with plans for future affordable vehicles. The full-size pickups will be built at the Tennessee plant.

Ford intends to utilize hybrid technology for its upcoming three-row SUVs.

This plan involves a non-cash charge of approximately $400 million to account for the write-down of specific manufacturing assets related to previously planned all-electric three-row SUVs.

Ford will realign battery sourcing to be more efficient and contribute to lower overall costs in its electric vehicle portfolio.

The company said that this adjustment may also lead to extra costs and cash outflows potentially reaching up to $1.5 billion.
(Getty Images)

Arkansas chicken mogul Ronnie Cameron donated more than $100,000 in July to a group opposing constitutional amendments that would expand the state medical marijuana program and restore the right to abortion.

Cameron, the chairman of chicken company Mountaire Farms, donated $116,500 to Family Council Action Committee 2024, the ballot question committee formed by Jerry Cox, president of the conservative Arkansas Family Council.

Camerons donation brings his total contributions to the group to $215,740, but it wasnt immediately clear which amendments his donation was targeting.

The Arkansas Family Council turned in three separate campaign finance reports, one each for its opposition to the marijuana, abortion and education amendments that supporters hope will make the November ballot.

Camerons donation appeared on both the marijuana and abortion finance reports.

Graham Sloan, director of the Arkansas Ethics Commission, was unable to say how the donations were earmarked and the Arkansas Family Council did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The Arkansas Family Council reported total donations of $238,221 to oppose the abortion amendment and a balance of $139,229 at the end of July.

The group reported total contributions of $218,715 to oppose the medical marijuana amendment and a balance of $149,377 at the end of last month in a separate finance report.

The group never raised any money related to the education amendment, which did not collect enough signatures to make the ballot. The marijuana and abortion measures could still be in front of voters this fall.

Arkansans for Students and Educators, a group funded by billionaires Jim Walton and Jeff Yass among others, sent $100,000 to Stronger Arkansas, a ballot question committee associated with Gov. Sarah Sanders.

Stronger Arkansas was formed earlier this year by Sanders campaign manager Chris Caldwell and other Sanders associates to oppose the medical marijuana, abortion and education amendments. In April, the group sent $100,000 to Arkansans for Students and Educators, which was also formed by Caldwell.

At the end of July, Arkansans for Students and Educators reported total contributions of $988,000 and a balance of $179,803.

Arkansas for Students and Educators raised eyebrows for its acceptance of $250,000 from Yass, one of the leading investors of ByteDance LTD, which owns TikTok. On Sanders first day in office, she banned TikTok on state-issued devices and from government networks.

Sanders executive order on the matter said ByteDance had significant ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

Stronger Arkansas only contribution last month was the $100,000 from Arkansans for Students and Educators. Stronger Arkansas reported a cumulative fundraising total of $475,000 and a balance of $60,033 at the end of July.

Cameron also donated $250,000 to Stronger Arkansas in March.

Arkansans for Limited Government, the sponsor of the abortion amendment, reported raising $306,314 last month.

Arkansans for Patient Access, the sponsor of the medical marijuana amendment, reported raising $290,610 last month, bringing its total contributions to $1,941,570. The group reported a balance of $402,733. Nearly all of the groups donations last month were from companies in the Arkansas medical marijuana industry, including Good Day Farm Arkansas, which made the largest donation at $75,000.

Protect Arkansas Kids, a group formed in July by a national marijuana opposition group, reported raising $10,000. Smart Approaches to Marijuana, which formed the committee, was active in the campaign to defeat an adult-use marijuana amendment in Arkansas in 2022.

Local Voters in Charge, the sponsor of an amendment concerning Arkansas casinos, reported raising $300,000 last month, all from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. The group has raised a total of $5,600,000, with all but $100 coming from the Choctaw Nation.

The committee reported a balance of $1,195,158 at the end of July.

Investing in Arkansas, a group opposed to the casino amendment, reported no donations last month. The group has raised a total of $775,000 and reported a balance of $31,334 at the end of July. All of the groups donations have come from Cherokee Nation Businesses of Catoosa, Oklahoma.

Arkansas Canvassing Compliance Committee formed earlier this month to oppose the casino amendment and did not have any July fundraising to report.

This story first appeared in the Arkansas Times and is republished here by permission.
(Getty Images)

Arkansas recorded more voter registration submissions during the days immediately after the top of the Democratic ticket shifted from President Joe Biden to Vice President Kamala Harris than any other comparable time period this year, state data shows.

More than 4,800 Arkansans submitted voter registration forms to the secretary of states office following Bidens announcement to not seek reelection and Harris campaign launch on July 21, according to an analysis of data as of Aug. 1.

Its always great to see people get excited about an election and people take more interest in democracy for whatever reason, said Kristin Foster, deputy director of the voter advocacy group Get Loud Arkansas. When something big like this happens, its good to see people get energized rather than feel apathetic or see a negative response in it.

The period from July 21 to Aug. 1 saw a 42% increase in voter registration submissions compared to the average number of forms submitted during similar time periods this year.

The secretary of state also logged more voter registration forms in July than any other month this year. With 12,474 total, July submissions were 17% higher than the next closest month of February. More than one third of the submissions in July were completed in the days after Bidens announcement.





Being an election year, there are, no doubt, voter registration drives happening all over the state at any given time, said Chris Powell, spokesperson for the secretary of states office. We would not be able to speculate as to the reason for a particular uptick during the time frame [of July 21 to Aug. 1]. However, we always encourage eligible Arkansans to register and participate in the voting process.

Powell was unable to say if voter registration submissions historically increase after a candidate announcement.

The secretary of states office tracks Arkansas voter data by county and date of registration. While residents have the option to select a political party, most choose not to specify. The data does not include demographic details of the registrants except for their date of birth, which was used in the Advocates analysis.

Of the 4,857 voter registration forms submitted from July 21 to Aug. 1, approximately 2,000 were young voters, or people who will not yet be 30 years old when they cast their ballot on Election Day.

About 400 more young voters, an increase of about 29%, registered during the days immediately following Bidens announcement compared to the average number of young people who filed during similar periods this year, data showed.

We want to make sure that that excitement and hope and motivation to be involved in the process is a positive experience for them, Foster said of young voters. Unfortunately, if you look at participation rates  theyre pretty likely to turn out the first time, but if they have a negative experience, or if they feel like their vote isnt reflective, isnt making a difference, its very likely to see them not continue to vote in the next election.

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Paper process

Arkansas data aligns with a national trend of increased voter registrations following the presidential shake up, but its likely the full effect of Harris campaign in the state wont be evident until later, Foster said.

Vote.org, a national nonprofit with the mission to increase voter turnout, reported at least 38,500 people across the country registered to vote in the 48-hours after Harris launched her presidential campaign. Approximately 83% of the registrations were young voters, according to a Vote.org press release on July 24.





That data does not include paper submissions, which is the only permitted filing method in Arkansas with the exception of electronic forms completed at specific state agencies, such as the DMV.

While residents in other states can use their computers or cellphones to register, Arkansans must travel to fill out forms or print out and mail their registration to county clerk offices.

I think that if we had access to online voter registration like most other states do, we probably would have seen an even bigger increase because people could have taken immediate action, Foster said.

Arkansas is also one of eight states that does not allow online voter registration. The state also ranks last in the nation for voter participation, according to a study from the National Conference on Citizenship.

Electronic signatures on voter registration forms are prohibited unless completed at specific state agencies. A lawsuit challenging this rule, filed by Get Loud Arkansas, has a hearing set for later this month.

The State Board of Election Commissioners approved a permanent rule requiring wet signatures on voter forms in July. Arkansas lawmakers will consider the rule for final implementation Thursday.

When asked if an online registration platform could lead to more registered voters, Chris Madison, director of the election commission, said his answer would be speculative because people would choose different avenues to complete the form.

You have people that are willing to do it online, that are willing to do it by paper, Madison said. If you want to register to vote, its easy. If theres ways to do it, people will get it done.

Arkansas currently has more than 1.7 million registered voters, though the secretary of states office did not discern how many registrants are active and inactive. The highest count of registered voters is recorded in Pulaski County, the states most populous county.

Registered voters account for about 58% of Pulaski Countys population.

The states least populated county, Calhoun County in southeast Arkansas, has the lowest number of registered voters at 2,896, which makes up about 62% of its residents.

An additional benefit to the recent spike in registered voters is the likelihood that more people will get involved in local elections at the polls and afterward, Foster said.

Civic engagement isnt just the one day you go vote, she said. Its being involved after that to make sure that your elected officials are accountable to their voters.

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Armijo Library to rename mural in honor of El Paso artist

Armijo Library to rename mural in honor of El Paso artist

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The community is invited to the renaming of Armijo Branch Librarys multipurpose mural this weekend.

The City of El Paso will be hosting the ceremony from 4 to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24 at the Armijo Branch Library located at 620 E. 7th St.

According to the City in a news release, the mural will be renamed in honor of El Paso native artist Carlos Callejo, who painted the mural over 30 years ago.

When I received this commission, my assignment was to use past, present and future in the composition. I included the faces of neighborhood children in the mural with the intention of connecting them to their ancestors, themselves and their cosmic futures, said Callejo.

The event is free and will include a meet and greet with Callejo, refreshments and live music from members of local band Radio La Chusma.

The event will also unveil a plaque that will be placed in the multipurpose room in honor of Callejo.

For more information about programs and services provided by El Paso Public Libraries, visit their website here.

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Arrest made, victim identified in homicide outside New Bedford business

Arrest made, victim identified in homicide outside New Bedford business

The suspect in a homicide outside a New Bedford supermarket Tuesday has been arrested, according to the Bristol County District Attorneys office.

Officials say 58-year-old Stephen Oswald, of New Bedford, was found with a head injury outside of Seabra Foods on Rockdale Avenue around 3:40 a.m. Oswald was pronounced dead a few minutes later.

Nina Busnengo, whose last known address is in Mattapoisett, has been arrested and is facing charges of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, the DA says.

Busnengo is expected to be arraigned in New Bedford District Court Wednesday morning.

Police cordoned off a parking lot area outside Seabra Foods with yellow police tape.

Investigators were seen collecting evidence into plastic bags, while a drone also flew over the area.

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CHICAGO  Dozens of demonstrators were arrested outside the Israeli consulate in Chicago on Tuesday night as Democratic National Convention delegates formally nominated Kamala Harris as the party's presidential nominee at an arena two miles across town.

At least 67 people, including two journalists, were taken into custody, a spokesman for the National Lawyers Guild said. Protesters seeking an end to the Gaza war were heavily outnumbered by police at the diplomatic mission, located inside Chicago's glass-fronted Accenture Tower.

These officers did one hell of a job tonight keeping the city safe and keeping violent individuals from inflicting violence, Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling told reporters on the scene. The demonstration had been called by Behind Enemy Lines, a militant protest group that extols confrontation with law enforcement.

A protester is taken into custody at a small demonstration outside the Israeli consulate in Chicago on Aug. 20, 2024, during the Democratic National Convention.

Despite the anticipation of potential conflict, the protest flared and faded without serious incident.

As dozens of protesters chanted and banged on drums, surrounded by reporters, one participant set an American flag alight on the street and was briefly interrupted by a bystander who tried to retrieve it. "You guys are the enemy," he said to the masked protesters. "Don't burn the American flag."

Members of a white supremacist group made a brief appearance in front of the consulate in the early moments of the protest  as did, according the the Chicago Tribune, My Pillow CEO and election denial activist Mike Lindell. When a demonstrator asked Lindell how he slept at night, the right wing provocateur replied, What do you sleep on? Do you sleep on a My Pillow?

At least six people were arrested in front of the tower.

As dusk fell, a small pro-Israel group gathered near the demonstration's fringes to briefly chant their own slogans.

Chicago police arrest a demonstrator on the street near the Israeli consulate during the Democratic National Convention, on Aug. 20, 2024.

By 8pm the demonstrators had left the consulate and were making their way down a side street where police made a handful of arrests while shouting "Get out!"

Among those detained was photographer Sinna Nasseri, whose work has appeared in the New Yorker and New York magazine.

In a scrum of officers and protesters a block away from the consulate, several police supervisors waded into the fray to help make arrests, and a megaphone marchers had been using to chant slogans clattered to the ground. An officer swiped it from the pavement and walked away.

This was unpermitted and therefore we cant guarantee the safety of people if we dont know the route, if we dont know where theyre going, Snelling said of the protest.

As officers loaded a group of detainees into the van, some of them chanted "free Palestine" in a call-and-response with supporters standing to the side outside the police line.

Chicago is hosting a wide range of groups protesting the Gaza war and the Biden administration's support for Israel during the nominating convention.

More: DNC comes to 'Little Palestine' as Gaza deaths top 40,000

Behind Enemy Lines is on the more militant end of the spectrum. The group is an unabashed proponent of confrontational protests that seize the attention of government and the media. "Whether its Genocide Joe, or Killer Kamala, the butchers of Gaza cannot be allowed to gather in Chicago undisturbed," the group said on its website announcing the protest.

In a reference to the violent "Days of Rage" protests that rocked the Democratic National Convention more than five decades ago, the group said, "Make it great like 68!"

Contributing: Medora Lee, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dozens arrested at Israeli consulate convention protest
OWENSBORO, Ky. (WEHT)  Owensboro Catholic High School students are learning the effects of distracted driving through a virtual reality simulation only a handful of people in the country have gotten the chance to experience. The Arrive Alive Tour is an experience that shows what its like to drive while drunk. The simulation is also the first to show what its like to drive while under the influence of drugs.



The Arrive Alive Tour says it has a social responsibility to educate teens nationwide on the risks of driving under the influence of any kind of distraction. Those distractions include drinking, devices and drugs. Officials say its led them to create the countrys first and only marijuana driving simulator.

The tours traveling educator, Shaquille Hill, says each student at OCHS had their choice of distraction.

with the drunk one, you have more tunnel vision, as well as a delay steering and depth perception. With the drugs youre more squinting your eyesthe brightness of it, and a little bit of the depth perception as well, says Hill.

Goodwill faces minor damages after being struck by a vehicle

Experts say one person dies from DUIs every 52 minutes. Hill says theyve spent the last two years giving special attention to Kentucky.

Kentucky has, two years in a row, the highest percentage of teen crashes. I know theyre coming out with all new apps. [Teens are] on Tik Tok these days, Facebook and just, you know, handsfree devices, says Hill.

Brady Atwell, as senior at OCHS, chose drunk driving and was surprised by what occurred after placing the virtual reality goggles over his eyes.

The vision.. it was very delayed. I crashed into a car that pulled out in front of me. It was too late to react, because I was obviously under the influence. Then, I crashed into the house another time, says Atwell.

Atwell walked away with a few citations and a reminder that the price tag on these split second decisions can not only cost people their lives, but over $10,000 in legal fees.

I was given manslaughter, over the speed limit, and I ran multiple red lights. It teaches you not to drink and drive, for sure. The dangers that everybody probably wasnt aware ofdefinitely got brought to attention, says Atwell.



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WARREN, Ohio (WKBN)  Artists are being encouraged to create a vibrant design to brighten up Warren.

The Fine Arts Council of Trumbull County and TNP are looking for renderings that celebrate a healthy community.

The mural will be on the side of the FACT building, which is 118 feet wide and 45 feet tall. A bus shelter will be built alongside the street, and it will have a wrap also designed by the artist.

It could become a hub for the community, bringing attention to downtown Warren

This bus stop has been there for over a decade, I believe, and theres never been a shelter. So we thought this would be a perfect opportunity going along with the healthy community, having shelter for the elements while people were waiting for the bus stop and enjoying some public art, said Jessica King, with the Fine Arts Council.

The deadline to submit artwork is Friday, Aug. 30. Submit artwork to TNP, 736 Mahoning Ave., Warren. For more information contact Jessica King at 330-469-6828, Ext. 104 or at jessica@tnpwarren.org.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com.
Asia ramps up border controls, tests and vaccines as new clade of mpox spreads

Some countries have begun tightening health screening at their borders - ANN WANG/REUTERS

Countries across Asia are ramping up surveillance and countermeasures against mpox as Thailand reported its first suspected case of a new, more dangerous variant of the virus.

The preemptive action, deeply embedded in local pandemic plans, stands in contrast to the UK where border checks have yet to be actioned.

The rapid spread of the new mpox strain  known as clade 1b  in Africa prompted the World Health Organisation to declare a public health emergency last week.

Following the move, countries have begun tightening health screening at their borders, closely monitoring arrivals from African states that have been hit hardest.

Some countries have also begun stockpiling vaccines.

Testing is once again going to become a common sight in some Asian countries - Samsul Said/Bloomberg

South Korea said on Wednesday that epidemiologists and public health doctors will be deployed at the gates of flights arriving from Ethiopia, a major transport hub for Africa, to monitor incoming passengers.

A spokesperson for the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said it identified eight countries at particular risk  Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Kenya, Congo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Anyone with mpox symptoms will be required to report to quarantine officers on arrival.

Waste from aircraft toilets will also be monitored for the virus, said the KDCA, which is also distributing a brightly coloured leaflet with information on mpox symptoms and prevention as part of a public information campaign to raise awareness.

The leaflet gives an emergency 24 hour number for anyone who believes they need help.

Health authorities in Thailand on Wednesday said they had detected Asias first suspected case of the new clade 1b of the virus in a European man who had recently travelled to Africa.

The patient been quarantined in hospital while the Thai authorities run tests to confirm if the virus is indeed from the new clade of mpox.

Very real risk of importations

The countrys health ministry said it was closely monitoring the situation worldwide and was boosting surveillance at airports.

Passengers who arrive in the country showing a rash or other symptoms consistent with mpox will be isolated and given PCR tests, it said.

Professor Hsu Li Yang, vice dean of global health at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health in Singapore said that while the case was concerning and exposed the very real risk of clade 1b importations into Southeast Asia, it also revealed the strength of the Thai surveillance system.The country was also the first place outside China to detect Covid-19 in January 2020.

Taiwan, meanwhile, has already begun stockpiling vaccines and conducting targeted immunisation campaigns for people at high risk, including medical workers.

As of August 18, 135,800 people had already been vaccinated, and vials had been purchased to give to 70,000 to 80,000 more by the end of this year, Taiwans Centres for Disease Control said.

A nationwide network of seven laboratories was testing for the virus, and a public information campaign was a key plank of the strategy to combat the new strain, a spokesperson said.

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Michael Baker, an epidemiologist and public health professor at the University of Otago in Wellington, said that for countries outside of Africa with high performing health systems and access to testing and vaccines, the latest mpox outbreak was still a very manageable problem.

The need for more attention and resources within Africa remained worrying, he said, but in the Asia-Pacific, countries could take well-established approaches to protect themselves based firstly on risk assessments and working out what interventions were needed.

These could either be case-based and focused on identifying and isolating patients and tracing their contacts, or population-based approaches designed to prevent people getting infected that included vaccination strategies and clear travel advice, he explained.

To date, major Asian nations like China, have centred their strategies on screening arrivals.

China announced on Friday that it would begin monitoring people and goods entering the country for mpox over the next six months.

People travelling from countries where virus outbreaks have occurred, who have been in contact with mpox cases or display symptoms should take the initiative to declare to customs when entering the country, Chinas customs administration said in a statement.

Vehicles, containers and items from areas with mpox cases should also be sanitised, the statement added.

Prof Baker cautioned that health authorities should also study the evolution of more infectious variants of the virus. Question remained about clade 1bs transmissibility that could make it harder to contain, he said.

We have to keep watching this space and getting more data from Africa about it.

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Britain is also ramping up preparations for potential new mpox cases but has yet to tighten border health controls.

On Monday, Cabinet ministers and Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty met officials from the Department of Health and the Foreign Office to assess the UKs readiness for a possible outbreak, according to Downing Street.

New protocols include speeding up the process of sending samples from suspected mpox patients to high-security labs at Porton Down. This is to identify the specific virus strain, a spokesperson from the UK Health Security Agency told The Telegraph.

If the more dangerous clade 1b strain is detected, patients will likely be transferred to specialised treatment centres designed for high-consequence infectious diseases like Ebola and Lassa Fever.

However, no updated advice for travellers at airports and ports has yet been issued, nor has surveillance at entry points ramped up, The Telegraph understands.

Prof Geoffrey Smith, an mpox expert at the University of Oxford, suggested that simple measures like health questionnaires or temperature checks could be easily introduced.

The government has also not changed its guidelines on who qualifies for the mpox vaccine, which is currently available only to gay men and trans women in London and Manchester.

Travellers outside these groups, even if heading to high-risk countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, are not eligible for the vaccine.

European health authorities said on Monday the EU has ruled out imposing border controls as the risk of a global mpox outbreak is still considered low.

In a meeting held on Monday, the EUs Health Security Committee said it would not introduce enhanced surveillance and monitoring measures, and stressed the virus should not be considered a public health emergency in Europe as things stand.

So far, one case of clade 1b has been detected in Sweden, although greater spread throughout Europe is highly likely, according to the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC).

Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security

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The Democratic National Convention is meeting in Chicago through Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (Shaun Griswold/Source New Mexico)

CHICAGO  Actor B.D. Wong told the AAPI caucus at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday what he said to his multiracial son at his bar mitzvah.

I told him, in front of everybody, you are not half of anything. You are all of everything, Wong said. And with the first-ever Asian American nominee of a major political party set to accept her partys nomination on Thursday, Wong said AAPI people should be proud of that part of Kamala Harris identity.

It is astonishing to me that we characterize her easily as the first Black woman president. A lot of times, the South Asian part, the Asian American part, gets left off the list, Wong said. And we really need to own it, and we need to be really proud of it, and we need to perpetuate it and remind people that that is  an incredible thing. And I think in our kind of non-confrontational Asian Americanness, we kind of like let it slide a little bit, but lets really lean into it.

Angela Alsobrooks, candidate for U.S. Senate in Maryland, U.S. Reps. Ro Khanna of California and Andy Kim of New Jersey  also a candidate for U.S. Senate  were among the elected Democrats who spoke to the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) caucus on Wednesday, as they celebrated Harris and what her ascension to the top of the Democratic ticket means for their communities.

We are in a joyous time where Kamala Harris is bringing us together, reintroducing joy into our country, Alsobrooks said. I love what was just said a moment ago about being half of anything, but all of everything. Isnt that true of all of us?

But they also spoke about the challenges facing Asian American politicians, describing how they are still stereotyped in their attempts to have a seat at the table.

Kim (D-NJ), the Democrats candidate to replace Bob Menendez in the U.S. Senate, told the gathering that Asian Americans are the fastest-growing demographic in New Jersey, but when he started running for Congress six years ago he was told an Asian American candidate could not win in his district.

My congressional district was 85% white, less than 3% Asian, that voted for Trump, Kim said. They said, look, if you want to win a seat in Congress, why dont you move up to North Jersey, where there are a lot more people that look like you. Thats what they said to me. But I said, I want to run in my district because its my home. Im not just shopping for a district I can win.

Kim said he told people who were telling him that  some of whom were Democrats, he added  not to define him by his name and the color of his skin.

I am as American as anybody is. My story is not just an Asian American story, a Korean American story, it is fundamentally an American story, he told the gathering, to applause. And Im proud that this 85% white district, less than 3% Asian that voted for Trump twice, has now three times elected a Korean American Democrat to be their voice.

He hears the same naysayers as he runs his campaign for Senate, Kim added.

And I said, `Look again, dont think that I am only a voice for Asian Americans. Dont just think that I can only speak to those issues, he said. Hes tired of only being called on for help when there are instances of Asian American hate, he added.

Yes, thats important. Yes, its important about affirmative action and other issues that are out there, but what Ill say is: We have something to say about everything, not just about Asian American issues. We deserve a seat at the table for every single decision being made about this country.

Khanna (D-California) spoke about Harris, whom he has worked with since her time in California government. Shes had to break the barriers, and so she knows that we need to break barriers to have other people have a shot, Khanna said.

He said that the politics of authenticity that Kim spoke about have been used by the Republican candidate for vice president, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), in speaking about his own wife, Usha. In his speech at the Republican National Convention, Vance described how his family had held a cemetery plot of land in eastern Kentucky for seven generations, Khanna said, suggesting that Usha Vance would also be buried there.

And Im thinking, you know, Usha Vance is Hindu American like me. Is she going to have a choice in the matter? Khanna mused. What upset me about that speech is that Vance was basically implying that the longer you could trace your heritage back, the amount of generations you could trace your heritage that somehow defined what it means to be an American.

When we elect Kamala Harris as president of the United States, were going to show that this country is a multiracial democracy where it doesnt matter how long your lineage is, you can be American. Everyone can be American.

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NEW YORK (Reuters) -Fixed income manager Western Asset Management, a unit of investment manager Franklin Templeton or Franklin Resources, said on Wednesday it had replaced a top investment executive and would shutter a $2 billion fund amid federal investigations into his conduct.

Michael Buchanan has been named chief investment officer with immediate effect, replacing Ken Leech, who is on a leave of absence after being notified by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that civil charges against him are likely, according to an announcement.

The company will also shutter the $2 billion Macro Opportunities strategy fund following Leech's departure.

Western Asset Management says it is cooperating with "parallel government investigations" after the opening of an internal investigation concerning past trade allocations involving Treasury derivatives in some Western Asset Management accounts.

Franklin Templeton's shares finished down more than 12% at $19.78, the biggest daily percentage drop in nearly four years.

Bloomberg reported Wednesday that federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York are also investigating the alleged allocation of winning trades to favored accounts, or "cherry-picking."

Representatives for Franklin Templeton and the Southern District did not immediately respond to requests for comment. An SEC spokesperson declined to comment.

"We are confident Mike's leadership, extensive experience, and deep commitment to Western Asset will ensure not only a seamless transition, but also that our clients and our team are in good hands," Western Asset Management President and CEO Jim Hirschmann said in the statement.

(Reporting by Chibuike Oguh in New York and Douglas Gillison n Washington; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Several Shasta County Board of Supervisors meetings have been raucous and argumentative during the past year, but on Tuesday things became physical and sheriff's deputies were called to investigate.

There are different versions of what happened at the August 20 meeting, but according to reports from members of the board and the alleged victim, one man either struck or poked another member of the audience.

The Record Searchlight spoke to two witnesses and one of the people involved in the incident and heard three different accounts of what happened.

Here's what they said.

Board member Patrick Jones said Shasta County resident Thomas Hildebrandt was at the podium addressing the supervisors when Christian Gardinier was behind him, speaking to a security guard. At one point Gardinier laughed loud enough for Hildebrandt to hear him, Jones said.

At that point, Hildebrandt turned around and spoke to Gardinier and then returned to the podium, Supervisor Tim Garman said. After Hildebrandt finished speaking, he walked away from the podium toward Gardinier, Garman said.

Both supervisors said Gardinier then placed his hand on Hildebrandt's shoulder. Hildebrandt responded by allegedly giving Gardinier a sharp poke in the abdomen, Jones said.

More Shasta County news: Shasta's top planner leaving after 6 years to take job in another California county

Jones said Hildebrandt did not use his fist to strike Gardinier. But Supervisor Tim Garman said Hildebrandt struck Gardinier with his fist in the abdomen.

Contacted after the meeting, Gardinier described what happened. Hildebrandt could not be reached for comment. Tim Mapes, a sheriff's office spokesman, said deputies were called to the meeting after receiving a report of an "assault and battery incident between two parties."

"Arriving deputies contacted the victim who indicated they did not want to pursue charges against the other involved party. The other involved party was no longer on scene and was not contacted," Mapes said in a text message.

Gardinier said he was waiting in line to speak to the board after Hildebrandt finished. A security guard at the meeting told Gardinier to step back because he was too close to Hildebrandt, Gardinier said.

The security guard then spoke to Gardinier, who said he laughed in response. At that point, Hildebrandt left the podium, walked up to Gardinier and they exchanged words, Gardinier said.

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Hildebrandt returned to the podium to finish addressing the board, Gardinier said. After Hildebrandt finished speaking, he walked up the aisle toward Gardinier, who is 73 years old.

"I was walking up to the podium and I stopped and I extended my right hand," Gardinier said. "I wanted to shake his hand, and I did have my hand up on his shoulder, and I was in the process of saying, 'Thomas, we don't need to get violent. You know, I think it was a misunderstanding.' Well, anyway, I got about halfway into that sentence, and he just went ahead and fired on me. And like I told the deputy, I mean, the sheriff, it (the hit) was kind of like a three or four on a scale of one to 10."

Board Chairman Kevin Crye called for a recess in the meeting and sheriff's deputies arrived.

"I told them kind of what I'm telling you, I think the whole thing was mistake. There's no way I want to press charges. I'm more concerned about Thomas and want to make sure that Thomas is OK," Gardinier said.

Restaurant profile: Redding's own 'Cheers:' The breakfast spot where everybody knows your name

Tuesday's incident was just one of several over the past year or so where meetings have been disrupted and the board has asked that the audience leave the chambers due to visitors  sometimes including Gardinier  yelling from their seats.

During an August 2023 meeting, Gardinier  whos often at odds with Jones and the boards far-right majority  was told to leave after speaking out from his seat. He eventually left the board chambers. In the foyer outside the meeting room, he objected to being forced to leave.

This arbitrary and capricious dictation by the Board of Supervisors chairperson, Patrick Jones, has got to stop. Its illegal, its unconstitutional. I believe I should have sat in there, got arrested, so we could put this through the court case. If we have to do that eventually, its going to happen, Gardinier said last year.

Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Assault reported at Shasta Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday
In the midst of the summer recess, it may seem perverse to look ahead to the legislative agenda for the next parliamentary session. However, as Labours options for governing appear increasingly constrained by the tight public finances, it seems ever more likely that assisted suicide will be a defining policy. It is one of those classic issues where initial, uncomplicated polling suggests widespread support. However, the more people end up learning about it, and the practicalities of how it might work, the less enthusiastic they become. A new poll has revealed that, though the public generally favours assisted suicide, a plurality fear that it might incentivise doctors to encourage patients to take their lives to ease pressures on the NHS.

They are right to be concerned, not least because of the dysfunctional relationship between our strained healthcare system and its patients. The NHS is already built around rationing, sometimes denying treatment on the grounds of cost. Health quangos already make brutal cost-benefit decisions on the provision of particular drugs. Similar utilitarianism is detectable among the general public, too, perhaps because of a perception that the NHS is sacrosanct. Previous polls have shown mass support for restricting care for misbehaving groups like smokers or the obese. There is a pernicious culture of not wanting to bother the health service, even if we need it.

During the pandemic, ministers mobilised these attitudes to encourage lockdown compliance. The maxim stay at home, protect the NHS proved rather too successful on its own terms, triggering a spike in deaths at home as people shunned hospitals. Macabre as it may seem, die, so you wont be a burden on the NHS is a position I can imagine our political culture at least implicitly endorsing.

Caring for a relative is an unbelievably  sometimes unbearably  difficult task, requiring patience, good humour, familial support and money. The pressure can tear families apart. The question for proponents of changing the law must be: can any piece of legislation mitigate the pressure of care, the sheer desperation that might make assisted suicide an appealing prospect?

Britain arguably presents something of a perfect storm in this regard; between a toxic cultural relationship with the NHS, an ageing population in a country of rampant generational inequality, and many cash-poor yet asset-rich households whose inheritance is tied up in the family home. Tragically, many older and disabled people already feel they are a burden. It will be impossible to quantify the soft societal pressure once the principle of state-sanctioned suicide has been established. It may seem ghoulish to speculate about such outcomes. But we cannot only legislate for best-case scenarios given the stakes involved, and the international evidence.

It bears repeating that Canada  the worlds most permissive assisted suicide regime  went from restrictive law to death on demand with few barriers in six to eight years. Even in Oregon, a state often cited as a best-case scenario by campaigners keen to deflect attention from Canada, patients have been granted deaths for conditions including diabetes, arthritis and anorexia. The slippery slope is visible everywhere that has adopted some form of euthanasia.

Ultimately, this is a complex and fraught moral debate, with compelling arguments on both sides. But though we will hear from eloquent, high-profile supporters, citing heartbreaking examples of patients in agonising pain at the end of their lives, we will almost by definition rarely hear from those who might suffer from the social pressure a change in law would bring.

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It is worth asking ourselves what, precisely, the purpose of the law  any law  is. Is it the job of the state and our legislators to give more rights to people or is it to safeguard the rights of those who are vulnerable? Arguably the latter is a primary function of the state, something we acknowledge in areas such as defence. The problem with the new law as proposed is that, while it would confer rights on people suffering physical discomfort around death, who may still be materially comfortable, with loving families and sound minds, sadly it necessarily does this at the expense of protections for the poor, the vulnerable, the easily-manipulated and the scared. Every comparable country has shown this to be so, and it is possible that, with the added factor of our peculiar bond with the health service, it would be even worse here.

A private members bill to legalise assisted suicide was recently introduced in the Lords, and may well reach the Commons, too, since Sir Keir Starmer says he is personally committed to a vote in this parliament. This would be a free vote, but given Labours vast majority its easy to imagine a scenario in which the change meets little concerted resistance.

No doubt many parliamentarians would back the legislation with the best of intentions, but I fear the current circumstances and incentives. We have a government, a party and a surfeit of bored and ambitious backbenchers who all want to make a name for themselves yet lack money to do so. Some may seek easy progressive wins to assure their place in the history books (as, for instance, the legalisation of abortion did for David Steel). Assisted suicide may be one such example, but I suspect history wont be so kind to those who seek to build a fleeting political reputation on the deaths of the poor, sick and vulnerable.

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On Monday, the Atlanta Mayors Office released the results of an audit of MARTA performed at their request by Maulding & Jenkins, focused on the operational performance of the transit agency and its use of funds for the More MARTA Atlanta program.

In an accompanying announcement shared Monday by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, the city said the audit found that MARTA had overcharged the city roughly $70 million over five years for the More MARTA Atlanta program.

The audit reported that spending on More MARTA Atlantas enhanced bus services were significantly lower than budgeted amounts in the 2021 and 2022 fiscal years, adding that in years when the More MARTA Atlanta programs expenditures on operations exceeded budgeted amounts, MARTA transferred funds allocated for More MARTA Atlanta capital programs from the City of Atlanta Reserve account to MARTAs Unified Reserve account to cover the difference.

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Similarly, the audit said that in years where MARTA spent less than expected, the agency would transfer the leftover funds from the Unified Reserve account back to the City of Atlanta reserve.

In response to the audit of MARTA, the transit agency pushed back on the work of Mauldin & Jenkins.

Mauldin & Jenkins calculations are wrong. They used a flawed methodology by applying a COVID-based formula to reverse engineer what they believe should have been charged for bus service in 2017, 2018 and 2019, resulting in false calculations. MARTA charged for the cost of actual bus service during those years and the City officials then in charge were aware of the costs, as the minutes of monthly meetings prove, the agency said in a statement. MARTA informed the City and Mauldin & Jenkins of their flawed methodology and is disappointed that our responses to the audit which were provided to both parties were not included or referenced.

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The auditor made the following recommendations related to the scope of their report, including:

MARTAs Technical Services team should evaluate options to track route-level Vehicle Revenue Miles (VRM) and Vehicle Revenue Hours (VRH)

The City of Atlanta and MARTA should update their intergovernmental agreement (IGA) to better define responsibilities and roles in managing the More MARTA Atlanta program

The City and MARTA should consider creating a less permanent governing agreement related to policies and procedures for items not needed in an IGA

Atlanta and MARTA leaders should quickly consider a 2023 resequencing plan for the needs of the More MARTA Atlanta program

Atlanta should try to improve communications within the city government and ensure documentation of communications with MARTA

MARTA should revise its financial reporting template to show the full budgeted and actual operation program costs for More MARTA Atlanta

Program leaders should avoid specific transit types while making program names and communications for capital projects

Atlanta and MARTA should work on an agreed-upon method for calculating program costs

Atlanta should verify that MARTA transfers $9.9 million from MARTA Unified Reserve to the City of Atlanta Reserve to make up for fiscal year 2022s miscalculations

MARTA and the City of Atlanta should work to resolve disagreements over funding and operating costs for fiscal years 2020 and 2021

Atlanta and MARTA should discuss the significant differences between the original cost allocations from fiscal year 2017 to 2019 and the current cost allocation methodology

Atlanta should consider creating positions for communication between the city and MARTA

Atlanta and MARTA should establish a record retention policy for the More MARTA Atlanta program

MARTA should work with the Georgia Dept. of Revenue to ensure better information for More MARTA Atlanta revenues and sales tax distributions

The mayors office said the City of Atlanta agrees with the recommendations made in the audit by Mauldin & Jenkins.

Continuing their response to the audit report and its recommendations, MARTA said that despite these errors, MARTA will continue to work in good faith with the City to improve the IGA and strengthen the overall success of the More MARTA Atlanta Program.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
A South Carolina woman, who has been diagnosed with lung cancer twice, is crediting a robot for helping to find it.

Daily doctors at Atrium Health are turning to robots to diagnose and treat lung cancer.

The instruments are designed to be so precise that they can pick up a tiny rubber band.

With the help of the Ion Robot, doctors were able to biopsy a hard-to-reach area of Catherine Maxwells lung.

ALSO READ: Local surgeon issues warning about blood tests to screen for colon cancer

The newlywed from Fort Mill said she had just recovered from a cancer diagnosis of her right lung in 2022.

And now a new cancer has been discovered on her left.

Naturally, youre devastated. Youre totally devastated, Maxwell said.

Maxwells doctor, Jaspal Singh, explained how the Ion Robots white biopsy needle hits the nodule exactly.

Turns out she had a different cancer... we never would have known that or suspected that if we hadnt done that, Singh explained.

Singh went on to say that this information was critical when it came to Maxwells treatment plan.

The Da Vinci Surgical Robot is another option that has been used in many cases where tumors were removed from the lung.

Maxwell said these technologies are helping her stay positive about her future.

To me, this is a huge, huge piece of hope thats sort of been placed in my lap, Maxwell elaborated.

ALSO READ: Its been life-changing: York County surgeon uses robot to assist knee surgeries

Atrium Health said North Carolina has one of the highest lung cancer rates in the United States.

This is why the hospital system is focused on making screening for the disease more accessible.

On Wednesday, the hospital had Levine Cancers Mobile Lung Screening Bus present in Uptown.

It launched in 2017, and over the years it has been serving residents in the Carolinas who are uninsured or underinsured.

VIDEO: Local surgeon issues warning about blood tests to screen for colon cancer




Kellye SoRelle, former general counsel for the Oath Keepers, right, and her attorney Horatio Aldredge leave federal court in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

WASHINGTON (AP)  An attorney who represented the far-right Oath Keepers pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges stemming from a mob's Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, including members of the extremist group.

Kellye SoRelle, who was general counsel for the antigovernment group and a close associate of its founder, is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 17 by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, D.C.

SoRelle, 45, of Granbury, Texas, answered routine questions by the judge as she pleaded guilty to two charges: a felony count of obstructing justice and a misdemeanor count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. The felony carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, but her estimated sentencing guidelines recommend a maximum of 16 months behind bars.

SoRelle was arrested in Junction, Texas, in September 2022. Her case remained suspended for months amid questions about her mental health.

More than a year ago, medical experts concluded that SoRelle was mentally incompetent to stand trial. In November 2023, she reported to a federal Bureau of Prisons facility for treatment. Last month, Mehta ruled that SoRelle had recovered to an extent that she could understand the nature of her charges and could assist in her defense.

Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes is serving a 18-year prison sentence for orchestrating a plot to keep Donald Trump in the White House after the 2020 presidential election. After Rhodes' arrest, SoRelle told media outlets she was acting as the president of the Oath Keepers in his absence.

SoRelle, a former Texas prosecutor, was photographed with Rhodes outside the Capitol on Jan. 6. As the riot erupted, she posted a chat message for other Oath Keepers that said, We are acting like the founding fathers  cant stand down. Per Stewart, and I concur.

Although SoRelle did not personally enter the Capitol Building on January 6, she understood the role those inside and outside the building, like herself, played in delaying the certification proceeding that had been taking place inside the Capitol, said a court filing accompanying her guilty plea.

The night before the riot, she joined Rhodes in meeting with other extremist group members in an underground garage in Washington, D.C. The meeting also included former Proud Boys national leader Enrique Tarrio, who is serving a 22-year prison sentence for his role in a separate plot to stop the peaceful transfer of power from Trump to Joe Biden after the election.

Rhodes, a former U.S. Army paratrooper, founded the Oath Keepers in 2009. The group recruits current and former military, police and first responders and pledges to fulfill the oath all military and police take to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

During the trial for Rhodes and other Oath Keepers charged with seditious conspiracy, jurors heard testimony that SoRelle had a romantic relationship with Rhodes.

SoRelle pleaded guilty to obstructing justice for encouraging others to destroy electronic evidence of their participation in the plot. Two days after the riot, Rhodes and SoRelle both sent messages from her cellphone encouraging Oath Keepers to delete any incriminating evidence.

She was indicted on other charges, including conspiring with Rhodes and other Oath Keepers to obstruct Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote. But she did not plead guilty to the conspiracy charge.

Also on Wednesday, a judge set a Feb. 3 trial date for an Illinois man charged with firing a gun during the riot. John Banuelos climbed scaffolding outside the Capitol, took out his revolver and fired two shots into the air, according to prosecutors.

Banuelos, of Summit, Illinois, was arrested in March. U.S. District Judge Judge Tanya Chutkan refused on Wednesday to free Banuelos from pretrial custody. She ruled that he poses a flight risk and a danger to the public.

It could have been much more tragic, the judge said of the gunshots.
Augustana College has a new assistant vice president.

The college announced that Irene Karedis Borys will be the assistant vice president of marketing and brand communication. Borys was vice president of client experience and integrator for The Childress Agency and started at Augustana on August 19.

Irene Karedis Borys (Augustana College)

Borys will lead the colleges Office of Communication and Marketing, a team of 12 staff members who work in enrollment marketing, brand strategy, campus and alumni communications, media engagement and event management.

Borys will oversee the planning, development and execution of the colleges marketing and brand initiatives as assistant vice president, with primary responsibility to shape the colleges brand and promotion strategy.

Together we will build on Augustanas bright achievements as we pursue Bold & Boundless, she said. I am confident in the match of values, energy and creativity to advance the bright futures of both our students and our Quad-Cities community.

Were thrilled to have Irene join Augustana in order to partner with staff and senior leadership to advance the colleges goals, said Executive Vice President for Strategy, Innovation and Enrollment Kent Barnds. Irene brings strong leadership and comprehensive marketing experience to an excellent team.

Before joining The Childress Agency in November 2022, Borys worked for the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce and UnityPoint Health. She held roles in marketing for more than six years after nearly four years in government relations in Washington, D.C.

Borys earned a masters degree in national security affairs, with a focus on public diplomacy and political warfare, from the Institute of World Politics, Washington, D.C., and a bachelors in English and international relations and a minor in Spanish in 2006 from Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Penn.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Editors Note: The above video shows KXAN News top morning headlines from Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024.

AUSTIN (KXAN)  Austin police are looking for six people they said were involved in a robbery in downtown Austin last month.

The Austin Police Department said it happened in the 300 block of East Sixth Street on Saturday, July 20, just before 1 a.m.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

APD said the suspects, whose photos and descriptions are below, assaulted the victims and took property.

The Austin Police Department is looking for 6 suspects involved in a robbery that happened in the 300 block of East Sixth Street on Saturday, July 20 just before 1 a.m. Pictured is Suspect 1 (Austin Police Department Photo)

The Austin Police Department is looking for 6 suspects involved in a robbery that happened in the 300 block of East Sixth Street on Saturday, July 20 just before 1 a.m. Pictured is Suspect 2 (Austin Police Department Photo)

The Austin Police Department is looking for 6 suspects involved in a robbery that happened in the 300 block of East Sixth Street on Saturday, July 20 just before 1 a.m. Pictured is Suspect 3 (Austin Police Department Photo)

The Austin Police Department is looking for 6 suspects involved in a robbery that happened in the 300 block of East Sixth Street on Saturday, July 20 just before 1 a.m. Pictured is Suspect 4 (Austin Police Department Photo)

The Austin Police Department is looking for 6 suspects involved in a robbery that happened in the 300 block of East Sixth Street on Saturday, July 20 just before 1 a.m. Pictured is Suspect 5 (Austin Police Department Photo)

The Austin Police Department is looking for 6 suspects involved in a robbery that happened in the 300 block of East Sixth Street on Saturday, July 20 just before 1 a.m. Pictured is Suspect 6 (Austin Police Department Photo)

Suspect 1: Hispanic male, wearing a black shirt, black shorts, and black shoes

Suspect 2: Black male, wearing a black shirt, light-colored pants, with dreadlocks

Suspect 3: Hispanic male, wearing a black shirt, jeans, and black New Balance shoes

Suspect 4: Black male, wearing a black shirt, black jeans, white hat, and white and yellow shoes

Suspect 5: Black male, wearing a black Nike shirt, multi-colored shorts, and blue and white Nike shoes

Suspect 6: Hispanic male, wearing a black shirt, black jeans, and gray Jordans

Anyone with any information should call APDs Robbery Unit at 512-974-5092. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-TIPS. A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for any information that leads to an 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 KXAN Austin.
AUSTIN (KXAN)  The Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolitan statistical area (metro) has the third highest multifamily construction and highest single-family construction in the U.S., according to reports from RentCafe and Construction Coverage. However, the Austin Board of Realtors (ABoR) reported in 2023 that the metro is still short by tens of thousands of homes.

Almost every Texan considers housing affordability a problem, new survey finds

Industry researchers at Construction Coverage said that the metro authorized the most housing units per 1,000 existing homes than any other in 2022 by a significant lead. The already larger Dallas and Houston metros both led Austin in total number of new units authorized.

RentCafe ranked Austin third in the nation after New York City and Dallas metros, with Dallas in second by three units. According to its report, the metro is expected to add 21,506 new units by the end of 2024.

In particular, the city of Austin alone is set to welcome an astounding 12,157 new apartments by year-end, or more than 56% of all expected deliveries in the metro, the report states.

Related: Austin housing sales decline as buyers look to nearby counties

The report also looked to the future, claiming that the metro will add 80,046 new apartments between 2024-2028. This is around 8,000 more than were built from 2019-2023.

But will the pace of construction meet the regions housing shortage? According to a 2023 report from ABoR, Austin came up short by nearly 215,077 homes.

Theres not enough supply, and weve known that our supply has not met the demand that weve had across this region for a long time, said ABoR CEO Emily Chenevert, in a 2023 interview with KXAN. Most importantly, I would say overhauling the process of developing land and building houses here to just make it more efficient and less costly than it is today.

2023: ABoR dissects citys missing housing crisis

Some of the changes suggested by Chenevert were part of the city of Austins HOME initiative, which will allow for more housing density in the city. Since 2023, available housing inventory has increased significantly, but prices havent budged much.

Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, said that the Austin metro area is one of the strongest growing markets, but that there are obstacles to meeting the demand for housing.

Its been very challenging for the construction industryto get land that is ready to be built on, to get the permits, to get the infrastructure in place, the utilities and so forth, Simonson said. Theres still a major challenge getting key electrical equipmentif you dont have power, you cant rent out the building or turn it over to the home buyer.

Taylor Jackson, CEO of Home Builders Association of Greater Austin (HBA Austin), said that zoning regulation and the city of Austins subdivision process are considerable barriers that slow construction and make housing more expensive.

The regulatory cost is at $93,870 per new home. And those are regulatory costs from the county, from the city, Jackson said. As we look at growth as a city, how can we balance those regulatory costs for each new home will also provide some affordability and also the supplies that are available?

Jackson said that HBA Austin is in talks with the city of Austin about how to ease the regulatory burden on builders, but noted that those talks dont include anything related to the health and safety of workers and the homes.

Were mostly focused on removing those barriers that prohibit the flexibility of building the missing middle housing, she said. More so than anything else our focus is really to provide gentle, gradual density for, and housing for, teachers, first responders and families.

Only 1.2% of homes near schools affordable for Austin-Round Rock metro teachers

Another major part of the housing situation is labor, the people who build new housing. The metro can celebrate good numbers there, with Augusts report showing a new record high of 87,700 construction workers in the metro that outpaces the rest of the country, Simonson said.

Austin-Round Rock metro area has consistently been adding jobs at a greater rate than the US construction industry, he said. In the last 12 months, for instance, the area has added more than 3,000 construction jobs, more than a 4% increase. Anybody who is looking for a career choice or a career changethey would do well to look at construction.

Even if construction catches up to our missing homes number, theres still value in building more.

As we have more people moving and more job growth here in Austin, we also need to supply that housing demand that comes along with it, Jackson said. The variety of housing really does impact the affordability. It really allows for people who want to enter the market to buy a home easier and faster.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Authorities Looking for Driver Who Allegedly Fled After Hitting Ala. Vet in Wheelchair

Billy Ray Hall Jr. was fatally struck while crossing a Birmingham, Ala., intersection in his wheelchair

Jefferson County Coroner Billy Ray Hall Jr.

An Alabama veteran was crossing an intersection in his wheelchair in the early morning hours of Aug. 17 when he was fatally struck by a vehicle. The driver did not stop.

Billy Ray Hall, Jr., 59, was pronounced dead at the Birmingham intersection 19 minutes later, according to the Jefferson County Coroner and the Birmingham Police Department.

Birmingham police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding Halls Saturday, Aug. 17 death, per a joint press released by the two agencies.

Little information has come to light about Hall. The Jefferson County Coroners office has issued a public statement looking for surviving relatives.

Google Maps Billy Ray Hall, Jr., 59, was fatally struck by a vehicle while crossing the intersection of Georgia Road at 52nd Way North in Birmingham, Ala. at 1:55 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 17.

Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates confirms to PEOPLE that Hall was a veteran, although it was not immediately clear in which branch of the military he served.

Shannon Arledge of the Birmingham VAHealth Care System said he could not immediately provide information about Halls military career, but called Hall's death a tragic loss to the veteran community.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of this veteran as they all honor his service and contributions, Arledge added.

The few records obtained on Halls life show that he served a 20-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction in Jefferson County, along with a 15-year concurrent sentence for theft of property.

He was released from state prison in 2013, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections, which searched its database using the name and partial date of birth confirmed to PEOPLE by authorities. The circumstances of that case were not immediately clear.

Records obtained by PEOPLE show that he registered to vote in 2017 and possibly owned several properties in Alabama. Authorities say he lived in Fultondale, Ala., at the end of his life.

Jefferson County Coroner Billy Ray Hall, Jr.

In the days following Halls death, authorities struggled to find any of Halls living relatives. Yates tells PEOPLE that Halls family  who live out of state  have since learned of his death in local media articles and will be claiming the body and making arrangements for final disposition.

Yates says his office expects to confirm Halls cause and manner of death within the next two months.

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.

Birmingham police recently invested federal money for traffic cameras to be installed in high-crime areas, feeding into the citys Real Time Crime Center, which is outfitted with license plate readers and other data-driven intelligence to spot crimes that might otherwise have occurred without witnesses.

Birmingham police say they are more confident in their ability to identify the driver because of the cameras, citing an earlier hit and run arrest with similar facts which they solved with the real time technology.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Officer Truman Fitzgerald confirms to PEOPLE that police had not made an arrest in connection to Halls death.



For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.
Image source: The Motley Fool.

Full Truck Alliance (NYSE: YMM)

Q2 2024 Earnings Call

Aug 21, 2024, 8:00 a.m. ET

Contents:

Prepared Remarks

Questions and Answers

Call Participants

Prepared Remarks:





Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, good day, and welcome to Full Truck Alliance's second-quarter 2024 earnings conference call. Today's conference is being recorded. At this time, I would like to turn the conference over to Mao Mao, head of investor relations. Please go ahead.

Mao Mao -- Head of Investor Relations

Thank you, operator. Please note that today's discussion will contain forward-looking statements relating to the company's future performance, which are intended to qualify for the Safe Harbor from liability, as established by the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors.

Some of these risks are beyond the company's control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those mentioned in today's press release and discussion. A general discussion of the risk factors that could affect FTA's business and financial results is included in certain filings of the company with the SEC. The company does not undertake any obligation to update this forward-looking information, except as required by law. During today's call, management will also discuss certain non-GAAP financial measures for comparison purposes only.

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For a definition of non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP financial results, please see the earnings release issued earlier today. Joining us today on the call from FTA's senior management side are Mr. Hui Zhang, our founder, chairman, and CEO; and Mr. Simon Cai, our CFO.

Story continues

Management will begin with prepared remarks and the call will conclude with a Q&A session. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. In addition, a webcast replay of this call will be available on FTA's Investor Relations website at ir.fulltruckalliance.com. I will now turn the call over to our founder, chairman, and CEO, Mr.

Zhang. Please go ahead.

Hui Zhang -- Founder and Chief Executive Officer

[Foreign language] Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining us today on our second-quarter 2024 earnings conference call. Despite the complex and volatile macro environment, we continue to advance the digitalization of the logistics industry in the first half of 2024, empowering enterprises to enhance their logistics competitiveness. Amidst the broader industry trend of cost reduction and efficiency enhancements, we leveraged our [Inaudible] platform skill effect to deliver exceptional cost-effectiveness and transaction efficiency to our users, driving the company's growth flywheel.

Our fulfilled orders in the first half of 2024 grew by 25% year over year, significantly outpacing the single-digit growth in the overall freight market. This exceptional performance demonstrated that our digital and intelligent logistics model is steadily replacing the traditional offline solutions, including acquaintance truckers and contracted shipments. Since the second quarter, our key operational initiatives have been highly effective, particularly in terms of shipper user acquisition, enhancing the trucker supply ecosystem, and boosting monetization efficiency. We are committed to becoming the one-stop shipping platform for 30 million small and medium-sized shippers, focusing on acquiring high-quality users through various channels.

In the second quarter, our average daily count of shippers fulfilling initial transaction reaching a new record high. Additionally, we further improved new shippers user experience through refined operational strategies designed to enhance their connection frequency and conversion efficiency after their first shipments. As a result, our average shipper MAUs reached 2.65 million, an increase of 32.8% year over year. On the trucker side, we focused on a combination of strategies including premium cargo bidding, tiered trucker rating system, and trucker credit scores, all of which leverage traffic distribution and benefit allocation to promote healthy capacity growth on the platform.

Thanks to the increase in high-quality transportation capacity, our fulfillment rate climbed to a record high of 33.7% in the quarter, up nearly 3.4 percentage points year over year. As for monetization, our rapid revenue growth in the quarter validate the platform's immense monetization potential. These accomplishments highlight the irreplaceable value that FTA provides to broad trucker and shippers. This quarter's solid operational performance resulted in another set of strong financial results, once again exceeding market expectations.

Our total net revenues in the quarter reached RMB 2,764 million, up 34.1% year over year. Among them, transaction service revenues grew by 63% year over year and accounted for more than 34% of our total revenues, becoming a new growth engine as we continue to optimize our revenue structure. Capitalizing on our revenue optimization and operating leverage, we also steadily improved our profit. Non-GAAP adjusted operating income and adjusted net income increased by 55.1% and 34.3% year over year to RMB 699 million and RMB 971 million, respectively.

This July, the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China reiterated the importance of cultivating new quality productive force and reducing logistics costs across society. As a representative of intelligent productive force in the logistics industry, FTA continues to invest in digitalization and intelligent infrastructure construction, while actively promoting the development of new energy transportation capacity. In the first half of 2024, the number of freight orders fulfilled by our electronic vehicles increased by 100% year over year and contributed nearly 20% of total order volume. Looking ahead, we are confident that we will continue to lead the logistics industry in cost reduction and efficiency improvements through digitization, intelligence, and green practices, creating greater value for all of our users and society as a whole.

Thank you, everyone. Let me pass the call over to our CFO, Simon, who will provide an update on our second-quarter business progress and financial results.

Simon Cai -- Chief Financial Officer

Thank you, Mr. Zhang, and thanks, everyone, for making the time to join our earnings call today. I will now provide an overview of our operational and financial results for the second quarter of 2024. Despite macroeconomic challenges and pressure from extreme weather conditions, such as prolonged heavy rains that impacted shipments during the quarter.

We maintained robust overall order growth on our platform, driven by an expanding shipper user base and higher fulfillment efficiency fueled by our enhanced network effect. Our fulfilled orders increased by 22% year over year to 49.1 million in the second quarter. Building on last quarter's momentum, our fulfilled -- our fulfillment rate also continued to rise in the second quarter, reaching approximately 33.7%, over 3 percentage points year over year. With the number of small and medium-sized direct shippers growing faster than our 1688 member shippers.

Our shipper structure continue to improve, leading to an enhanced overall order structure. In the second quarter, the order contribution from our 688 member shippers and non-member shippers climbed to 48%, breaking the record set last quarter. In addition, higher fulfillment rates among our 688 member and non-member shippers drove the improvement in our overall fulfillment rate. Looking ahead, we are confident there is significant potential to further elevate our fulfillment rate through ongoing product and service upgrades as well as continued refinement to our freight matching services infrastructure.

Turning to our user base, we continue to make strong progress with our shipper users in the second quarter as evidenced by our average shipper MAUs reaching 2.65 million, representing an increase of 32.8% year over year and 23.7% quarter over quarter. This quarter's rapid shipper user gain was again attributed to growth among our 688 member shippers and non-member shippers who are mostly low and medium-frequency direct shippers. As we enter the second quarter, we continue to ramp up our new shipper acquisition efforts, leveraging multiple online channels to identify and convert high-quality new shippers. In particular, we focused on the onboarding and retention of new users, making every effort to provide an exceptional fulfillment experience during their first three trials.

We expect ongoing growth in our shipper base, thanks to this effective strategy. Furthermore, we achieved consistently robust shipper activity with our shipper member 12-month rolling retention rate remaining above 80% in the second quarter. In addition to our success with shippers, our trucker users have become increasingly dependent on our platform, thanks to the value we bring to the trucker cargo matching process. As of the end of the second quarter, the number of active truckers fulfilling orders through FTA over the past 12 months reached 3.98 million, maintaining sequential growth.

Additionally, our next month's retention of truckers who responded to orders remained above 85%, indicating continued strong user stickiness. In the second quarter, the average number of quarterly fulfilled orders per active trucker fulfilling orders on our platform reached an all-time high, a testament to our -- to their continuously increasing wallet share with FTA. Furthermore, our refinements to our trucker operation strategy are proving effective. During the second quarter, we systemically tested and upgraded certain product features to motivate truckers to bid on orders labeled high quality, achieving faster order acceptance rate and optimized fulfillment efficiency.

Our approach to high-quality order bidding also enabled us to steer truckers toward median quality orders, giving us greater control over the distribution of order posting. Going forward, we will delve deeper into the tiered trucker rating system to further improve trucker cargo matching efficiency, which in turn will enhance our overall management of high-quality transportation capacity supply. Turning to our transaction service in the second quarter, revenues from transaction service surged by 63.4% year over year to RMB 952 million, mainly driven by three factors: the solid expansion in the number of fulfilled orders; the increased monetized order penetration ratio; and the elevated monetization rate. Truckers growing reliance on our platform, coupled with the development of trucker payment habits and the rapid expansion of direct shippers has set the stage for us to accelerate the realization of our commission model's potential.

Our second-quarter revenues from transaction service covered 81.1% of all fulfilled orders, an increase of approximately 14 percentage points this year, a point year over year from 67.1% order coverage in the prior year period. In the second quarter, our monetization amount per order, including transaction commission and trucker membership fee increased to RMB 23.9 from RMB 21.6 a year ago. Looking ahead to the second half of the year, we plan to steadily enhance both monetization coverage and monetization rate. Before going over our financial results, I would like to provide a brief update on our share repurchase program.

Since we announced our one-year share repurchase program totaling $300 million on March 13th, 2024, we have repurchased approximately 3.5 million ADS shares, totaling approximately $30.7 million. Moving on to our 2024 second-quarter financial results. Our total net revenues in the second quarter were RMB 2,764.3 million, representing a 34.1% increase year over year, primarily attributable to an increase in revenues from freight matching services. Net revenues from freight matching services, including service fees from freight brokerage model, membership fees from vesting models, and commissions from transaction services were RMB 2,328.7 million in the second quarter, representing an increase of 34.4% year over year, primarily due to an increase -- a significant increase in transaction service and the continued growth in freight brokerage business.

Revenues from freight brokerage service in the second quarter were RMB 1,164.8 million, up 22.7% year over year, primarily attributable to an increase in transaction volume due to the continued growth in user demand. Revenues from the freight listing service in the second quarter were RMB 212.1 million, up 5.6% year over year, primarily due to a growing number of paying members. Revenues from the transaction service in the second quarter were RMB 951.9 million, up 63.4% year over year, primarily driven by an increase in order volume, penetration rate, and the per-order transaction service fees. Revenues from value-added services in the second quarter were RMB 435.6 million, up 32% year over year.

This increase was due to the growing demand from truckers and shippers for credit solutions and other value-added services. Second-quarter cost of revenues was RMB 1,312.1 million, compared with RMB 975.3 million in the prior year period. The increase was primarily due to an increase in VAT-related tax surcharges and other tax costs, net of grants from government authorities, and these tax-related costs, net of government grants totaled RMB 1,176.3 million, representing an increase of 33.8% from RMB 879.3 million in the same period of 2023, primarily due to the expansion of transaction activities evolving our freight brokerage service. Our sales and marketing expenses in the second quarter were RMB 372.3 million, compared with RMB 281.8 million in the same period of 2023.

The increase was primarily due to an increase in advertising and marketing expenses for user acquisitions, as well as higher salary and benefit expenses. General and administrative expenses in the second quarter were RMB 219.2 million, compared with RMB 201.7 million in the same period of 2023. The increase was primarily due to higher share-based compensation expenses. R&D expenses in the second quarter were RMB 232.1 million, compared with RMB 223.7 million in the same period of 2023.

The increase was primarily due to higher share-based compensation expenses as well as increased -- increase in investment in technology infrastructure. Income from operations in the second quarter was RMB 565.4 million, compared with RMB 333.8 million in the same period of 2023. Net income in the second quarter was RMB 840.5 million, an increase of 38% from RMB 609 million in the same period of 2023. On the non-GAAP measures, our adjusted operating income in the second quarter was RMB 699 million, an increase of 55.1% from RMB 450.7 million in the same period of 2023.

Our adjusted net income in the second quarter was RMB 970.9 million, an increase of 34.3% from RMB 722.7 million in the same period of 2023. Basic and diluted net income per ADS were RMB 0.79 in the second quarter, compared with RMB 0.57 in the same period of 2023. Non-GAAP adjusted basic net income per ADS was RMB 0.92 in the second quarter, compared with RMB 0.68 in the same period of 2023. Non-GAAP adjusted diluted net income per ADS was RMB 0.91 in the second quarter, compared with RMB 0.68 in the same period of 2023.

As of June 30th, 2024, the company had cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, short-term investments, long-term time deposits, and wealth management products with maturities over one year of RMB 26.8 billion in total, compared with RMB 27.6 billion as of December 31st, 2023. For our third quarter 2024 business outlook, we expect our total revenues to be between RMB -- we expect our total revenues to be between RMB 2.78 billion and RMB 2.82 billion, representing a year-over-year growth rate of approximately 21.9% to 24.6%. This forecast reflects the company's current and preliminary view on the market and operational conditions, which are subject to change and cannot be predicted with reasonable accuracy as of the date hereof. That concludes our prepared remarks.

We would now like to open the call to Q&A. Operator, please go ahead.

Questions & Answers:





Operator

[Operator instructions] Our first question comes from Ronald Keung with Goldman Sachs. Please go ahead

Ronald Keung -- Analyst

[Foreign language] Thank you management. And we see that the fulfilled order grew around 22% in the second quarter, still much faster than overall freight market, but growth rate has slowed versus the first quarter. So what were the factors behind drivers? And based on the trends so far, can you share how do you view order volume growth into the third quarter and for the full year? Thank you.

Simon Cai -- Chief Financial Officer

Thank you, Ronald. Our robust order volume growth in Q2 was primarily driven by three main factors: our expanding shipper user base; product and operational strategy optimization that drove continued improvements in user activities; and incremental volume from new business. This was partially offset a little bit by the overall demand weakness in the road freight since Q2 and extreme weather conditions in May and June, particularly the prolonged heavy rains in Eastern and Southern part of China as well as flooding in the South and drought in the North. From a user base perspective, we continue to efficiently acquire users in the second quarter.

Our average number of monthly active shippers increased by 32.8% year over year to 2.65 million, extending the first quarter's accelerated growth trajectory. Our operations team concentrated on the all round support of new shippers, which improved user engagement from registration to their first shipment posting an fulfillment. For our product and operational strategies, this quarter, we focus on increasing the proportion of priced orders from shippers and optimizing premium cargo bidding for [Inaudible] for truckers. Encouraging shippers to post price orders has increased truckers' willingness to accept orders, enhancing matching efficiency.

This was particularly true for professional shippers whose fulfillment rates improved significantly. Notably, the proportion of priced orders posting reached 60% in the quarter. We also continued refining our premium cargo bidding feature to strengthen truckers perception of high-value orders. This product is designed to reward truckers with access to better orders after completing an average or below-average order, which motivates them to stay active and increase their fulfillment frequency on the platform.

On the new business, the bulk less-than-truckload and short-haul segments continue to grow rapidly and contribute to our business volume. Given the industry trend toward LTL and our unique user advantage in this segment, we expect substantial future growth in the LTL business. And looking ahead to the coming third quarter, despite the ongoing impact of extreme weather and the macro environment, we remain confident that increasing online penetration driven by user growth and product enhancement will enable us to achieve order volume growth of over 20% for the full year. Thank you.

Ronald Keung -- Analyst

Thank you, Simon.

Operator

The next question comes from Eddy Wang with Morgan Stanley. Please go ahead

Eddy Wang -- Analyst

[Foreign language] Thank you for taking my question. My question is regarding the active ship MAU. So in second quarter, the monthly active shipper reached 2.65 million, so marking a year-over-year increase of around 33% and a quarter-over-quarter growth of 24%. So what were the main driver behind this growth? And is the user structure still trending toward to the direct shippers? Thank you.

Simon Cai -- Chief Financial Officer

Thank you, Eddy. The second-quarter strong user growth momentum was mainly driven by our effective user acquisition strategies. Our ongoing investment in online channels, in branding campaigns, and offline truck sticker advertising brought a steady stream of high-quality new users to our platform. Additionally, seasonal factors played a role as some shipments delayed during the Chinese New Year holiday were shipped during the busy shipping season in Q2, resulting in higher shipping demand.

From a user structure perspective, the proportion of direct shippers continue to rise. In Q2, monthly active direct shippers increased by more than 38% year over year and direct shippers contributed approximately 48% of the total fulfilled orders. And similar to previous quarters, the majority of the new shipper users are small to medium sized business owners, who have a higher likelihood of placing and fulfilling orders. They also prioritize timely response and quality transportation services, further boosting fulfillment rates.

On the other hand, direct shippers naturally tend to have a lower order frequency than professional shippers. To increase new direct shippers' order frequency, we continue to enhance the trucker credit rating system to improve overall service quality and standards. Leveraging our advantages in pricing, matching efficiency, and trucker management capabilities. We aim to provide better service than those offline brokers that these users previously relied on.

And also we are strengthening our user coverage with a more comprehensive area of services, including the less-than-truck load, short-haul, and TMS systems to cater a wider range of shipping needs for small to medium sized shippers and increase the usage frequency. And looking ahead, as we expand -- as our brand exposure and awareness continue to rise, we expect a growing number of small-to-medium sized business owners to join our platform, driving sustained order volume growth in the rest of the year.

Operator

Our next question comes from Jiulu Li with CICC. Please go ahead. You may be muted. Jiulu Li with CICC.

Please go ahead

Jiulu Li -- CICC -- Analyst

Hi. OK. [Foreign language] Could you provide an update on your freight listing services? What trends have you seen in your member users in second quarter despite the rapid growth in mostly active shippers, the year-over-year growth in shipper freight listing service revenue is modest. What are the main reasons for this discrepancy? Thank you.

Simon Cai -- Chief Financial Officer

Thank you, Jiulu. We're pleased with our year-to-date shipper member growth rate. As of June, the number of shipper members reached 860,000, compared with 780,000 a year ago. Paying user growth was mostly driven by the increase in the number of new users and enhanced membership operations that have boosted conversions.

In Q2, the increase in new paying shipper members came primarily from direct shippers. To support this trend, we strategically lowered the payment barrier for new users with occasional free trial membership offers as well as a RMB 288 mini membership package. Meanwhile, we also increased benefits for existing shipper members. Benefits for our member users include faster truck sourcing, access to top-rated truckers, and free freight insurance, all of which help convert non-member users to members and improve existing members repurchase rate.

Currently, the repurchase rate for shipper members remains above 80%, demonstrating existing members high reliance and stickiness on our platform. As we continue to improve our freight listing products and refine our operational strategies, we're confident that we will consistently attract more paying members and further increase user retention. Thank you.

Operator

Our next question comes from Brian Gong with Citi. Please go ahead.

Brian Gong -- Citi -- Analyst

[Foreign language] How was the trucker group overall activity in the same quarter? Has the continuous increase in commission rate negatively affected the truckers activity level? And what are our key strategies and priorities for trucker operation currently? Thank you.

Simon Cai -- Chief Financial Officer

Thank you, Brian. Our average monthly active member of truckers responding to orders remained above 3 million in the second quarter with quarterly growth of more than 8%, ensuring an adequate carrier capacity supply. The number of days that truckers search for freight on our platform and the order fulfillment frequency per active trucker also launched in this quarter. Within our existing tiered truck -- trucker rating system, we continue to deepen truckers' reliance on our platform by refining product features across various scenarios.

As we mentioned earlier, one of our key projects in the second quarter was the rollout of our premium cargo bidding function, previously high-quality freight orders on our platform were often fulfilled before many truckers had the chance to bid, leading to a perception that a -- that high-quality freight sources were in short supply. This negatively affected both our matching efficiency and fulfillment rates. With the launch of the premium cargo bidding, our platform now tracks and holds high-quality freight orders to give more truckers enough time to review and bid on those orders. By extending these orders exposure time, we built and reinforce the perception that our platform has plenty of good freight orders.

And this also creates a fair order bidding environment, which increases trucker user stickiness and improve overall fulfillment rates. In terms of optimizing service scenarios, we have capitalized on the ongoing trend toward LTL shipping and created a dedicated carpool, LTL carpool zone to improve trucker efficiency in consolidating the loads. In addition to help truckers, we report empty spaces, we launched our carpool assistant, which enables more accurate identification of carpooling needs and increase its success rate. We're confident that with effective and refined operational strategies in place, we can ensure an overall positive experience for trucker users on the platform and help them increase their income.

Thank you.

Operator

Our next question comes from Charlie Chen with China Renaissance. Please go ahead

Charlie Chen -- China Renaissance Securities -- Analyst

[Foreign language] Thanks management for taking my question. I have only one question regarding the entrusted shipment. How did the entrusted shipment business progress in the second quarter of this year? And what is the overall operational strategy for this transaction type in the second half of this year? Thank you.

Simon Cai -- Chief Financial Officer

Thank you, Charlie. The entrusted shipment business grew rapidly in the second quarter with fulfilled orders accounting for more than 6% of total order volume. This is also a new record high. We see that our pricing strategy optimization was one of the main drivers of this rapid order growth -- volume growth by integrating algorithm and additional business logic, we created a more comprehensive and accurate pricing model.

Effective control of the price premium has entitled both shippers and truckers to enjoy more balanced freight prices, which in turn has stimulated more order matching and fulfillment on both ends. Second, the influx of new users has also led to an increase in entrusted shipment orders, which has a lower barrier to entry for posting and a more hands on customer service team. These features are well suited to new shippers' needs, making entrusted shipments their preferred choice. Operationally, we are currently focusing on our tiered trucker rating system to ensure the quality of entrusted shipment transportation.

This includes functions like delayed order displays, which shows entrusted shipment orders to quality truckers first and then to medium-tier truckers after a delay, ensuring that the platform has sufficient transportation capacity. In addition, those risky truckers such as those who have received serious complaints are excluded from viewing entrusted shipment orders. As we move through the year, we expect ongoing improvement in-product optimization, pricing strategy, and user experience among other aspects, all of which contribute to the rapid growth of order fulfillment in the entrusted shipment business. Thank you.

Charlie Chen -- China Renaissance Securities -- Analyst

Thank you.

Operator

Our next question comes from Thomas Chong with Jefferies. Please go ahead

Thomas Chong -- Analyst

[Foreign language] Thanks management for taking my question. My question is about LTL, less-than-truckload business. Can management comment about the order volume growth in the second quarter? And did the management -- did the industry trend from STL to LTL continue in the second quarter and how do we position in the sector going forward? Thank you.

Simon Cai -- Chief Financial Officer

Thank you, Thomas. The LTL business alone grew about 47% year over year in the second quarter, again outpacing the full truckload. The other contribution of LTL continued to rise from the previous quarter, reaching approximately 28% in the quarter. The relative outperformance of LTL in recent quarters was attributable to several main factors.

The general industry shift toward LTL and the increased online penetration rate resulting from our platform-enhanced product features. First, the recent adjustments in the supply chain structure have led large manufacturers in sectors such as automotive, auto parts, and equipment to establish regional warehouses, ultimately boosting shipping frequency and a gradual increase in LTL demand. Also in response to economic conditions, small and medium-sized enterprises are increasingly using large-sized LTL shipping to reduce inventory and improve turnover efficiency. We find that most of our FTA shippers also require large ticket LTL shipping, meaning there is a significant overlap between these user groups, which minimizes our platform's user acquisition costs.

Second, the major LTL players in the market are currently offline dedicated route operators, which with very low online penetration. On the shipper side, we have already established a massive direct shipper user base, giving us an inherent advantage in user volume. As enterprise users are typically price sensitive, they tend to save logistics costs wherever possible and our platform's intermediate free model effectively helps shippers reduce cost. This quarter, we launched a carpooling zone for our LTL business, enhancing shippers awareness of low-cost carpooling and boosting their cargo consolidation efficiency by precisely identifying their carpooling needs.

This initiative improved truckers' income levels and led to an increase in online penetration rate of our platform's large-sized LTL business. Looking ahead, we will continue to focus on enhancing carpooling and matching efficiency, user experience, and penetration rates in the LTL business to address increasing user demand. We also believe that the LTL business will continue to play an increasingly important role in our platform's future business development. Thank you

Operator

And that concludes the question-and-answer session. I would like to turn the conference back over to management for any additional or closing comments.

Mao Mao -- Head of Investor Relations

Thank you once again for joining us today. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at Full Truck Alliance directly or TPG Investor Relations. Our contact information for IR in both China and the U.S. can be found in today's press release.

Have a good day.

Operator

[Operator signoff]

Duration: 0 minutes

Call participants:

Mao Mao -- Head of Investor Relations

Hui Zhang -- Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Simon Cai -- Chief Financial Officer

Ronald Keung -- Analyst

Eddy Wang -- Analyst

Jiulu Li -- CICC -- Analyst

Brian Gong -- Citi -- Analyst

Charlie Chen -- China Renaissance Securities -- Analyst

Thomas Chong -- Analyst

More YMM analysis

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Full Truck Alliance (YMM) Q2 2024 Earnings Call Transcript was originally published by The Motley Fool
Ukrainian authorities are planning to evacuate a total of 45,000 residents from Sumy Oblast, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko told reporters on Aug. 20, amid ongoing attacks on the region.

"At the moment, we need to evacuate around 45,000 people from Sumy Oblast, as decided by the Defense Council," Klymenko said, stressing that "this is not an urgent evacuation."

"We will try to persuade people who do not want to leave  we understand their reasons  but we must evacuate all the children," Klymenko added, noting that evacuees are being brought to Poltava and Kyiv oblasts.

Sumy Oblast, located on Ukraine's northeast border with Russia, is subject to daily attacks, and is situated just across from Russia's Kursk Oblast - the region subject to Ukraine's ongoing incursion.

Klymenko told reporters that about 21,000 residents have been evacuated from Sumy Oblast thus far, including 5,000 children. Ukraine's National Police said on Aug. 9 that a further 20,000 people would need to be evacuated from settlements in Sumy Oblast as Russia intensifies its attacks against the region.

"On one hand, we have pushed the enemy away from the border, but the enemy is still trying to retaliate," Klymenko said, referring to the incursion into Kursk. "And although, for example, we currently do not have artillery shelling, we are now experiencing air strikes, particularly with KAB (guided aerial) bombs."

Over the past few weeks, Russian troops have significantly increased the use of guided aerial bombs near the border areas of Sumy Oblast.

On Aug. 18, Russian forces attacked civilian homes in the town of Bilopillia in Sumy Oblast with guided aerial bombs, killing a 33-year-old male homeowner, and seriously injuring his 11-year-old daughter. Two other people - a 55-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man - were also injured in the attack.

The next day on Aug. 19, four civilians were injured in Russian attacks on different communities in the region.

The evacuation continues after the local authorities ordered further mandatory evacuation of 28 settlements in the region. They are located within a 10-kilometer zone that comes under Russian fire.

Klymenko told reporters that he expects evacuations from the most frequently attacked parts of Sumy Oblast to be completed within two weeks.

Read also: Ukraines buffer zone in Kursk Oblast  heres what you need to know









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Babysitter Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter 40 Years After Shaking Baby Boy in 1984, Ultimately Leading to His Death

Terry McKirchy violently shook Benjamin Dowling, who died in 2019, when he was 6 months old

Shutterstock;dignitymemorial Terry McKirchy; Benjamin Dowling

A woman has pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the death of a man she violently shook when he was a baby  35 years before.

Terry McKirchy was babysitting 6-month-old Benjamin Dowling on July 3, 1984, when prosecutors in Florida say she shook him. McKirchy was 22 at the time, NBC News reported.

Dowling suffered from shaken baby syndrome and a cerebral edema, leaving him permanently disabled and eventually leading to his death, according to a plea memo reviewed by PEOPLE. He died in September 2019.

Two years later, McKirchy was indicted by a Broward County grand jury on a charge of felony murder and plea deal negotiations began not long after, prosecutors say.

McKirchy faced attempted murder charges in the immediate aftermath of the incident. In 1985, she pleaded no contest to attempted murder and aggravated battery of a child, but served fewer than three years probation.

A spokesperson for the Broward County States Attorney tells PEOPLE that McKirchy entered a guilty plea on Wednesday, Aug. 21.

As part of her plea agreement, McKirchy will serve 36 months behind bars, with credit for time served. Her incarceration will be followed by 10 years of probation, according to the memo.

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.

McKirchy is also required to write an apology letter as well as a detailed description of her actions in July 1984.

According to the plea memo, Dowlings parents specifically requested the letter as part of any resolution.

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.
Babysitter pleads guilty to manslaughter for death of man she injured when he was a baby in 1984

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  A former babysitter pleaded guilty to manslaughter Wednesday for the 2019 death of a man she was accused of disabling as an infant 40 years ago and was sentenced to three years in prison, finally admitting that she hit him numerous times.

Terry McKirchy, 62, accepted a plea deal for the death of Benjamin Dowling, who died at 35 after a life of severe disabilities caused by a brain hemorrhage he suffered in 1984 when he was 5 months old while at McKirchys suburban Fort Lauderdale home.

Investigators have long believed she caused the injury by shaking him, but she had always denied hurting him even after pleading guilty in 1985 to injuring him.

Rae and Joe Dowling said after the hearing that they are glad McKirchy admitted to hurting their son, but nothing will bring him back or get him the life he would have had if she hadn't. He never walked, talked or ate on his own and spent his life in a wheelchair.

She will have to live with this, Rae Dowling said.

We just have to be strong and move forward, Joe Dowling said.

In a letter of apology read to Dowling's parents by her attorney, assistant public defender David Fry, McKirchy said she was feeling overwhelmed and exhausted by taking care of numerous children and struck him, causing his injuries. But she provided no details.

Before the plea deal, she had been charged with first-degree murder and faced a possible life sentence.

It was in a state of impulse and anger that I struck Benjamin while he and other children were crying, she wrote. Your life and Benjamin's life were truly harmed by me and I am truly sorry.

Shackled and dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit, McKirchy never showed any emotion during the 90-minute hearing while her letter was read, as Dowling's mother and sister talked about his life or during a photo montage showing him through the years with his family.

Benjamin taught us all many valuable lessons, and everyone who knew Benjamin was better because they did know him, Rae Dowling told Circuit Judge George Odom Jr. during the hearing.

Pam Chestnutt, her former best friend and Benjamin's cousin, told the court she knew McKirchy had a bad temper but would not have not believed her capable of hurting an infant like that, though eventually came to the realization she could. She said what especially hurt is that in the days after Benjamin was injured, McKirchy repeatedly told her she had not hurt him.

You sat with me face to face and you denied doing anything to that baby. You told me Benjamin fell off the couch," she told McKirchy. You lied straight to my face."

A Broward County grand jury indicted McKirchy, who now lives in Sugar Land, Texas, with first-degree murder in 2021 after an autopsy concluded Dowling died from his decades-old injuries. She had voluntarily entered the Broward County Jail in May to begin her sentence after the deal was close to being finalized. Prosecutor Pascale Achille said the case took three years because McKirchy's attorneys had to do their own investigation and then a plea had to be negotiated.

This isn't the first time McKirchy has taken a deal in connection with Dowling's injuries, receiving an exceptionally light sentence after pleading no contest to attempted murder in 1985. Then six months pregnant with her third child and facing 12 to 17 years in prison, she was sentenced to weekends in jail until giving birth. She was then freed and put on probation for three years.

At the time, she insisted she was innocent, telling reporters that her conscience is clear." She said then that she took the deal because wanted to put the case behind her and be with her children.

Prosecutors called the sentence therapeutic but didnt explain at the time. Ryal Gaudiosi, then McKirchys public defender, said the sentence was fair under the circumstances. He died in 2009.

Achille said she can't explain why McKirchy was given such a light sentence 40 years ago except to say it was a different time.

Rae and Joe Dowling had been married four years when Benjamin was born Jan. 13, 1984. Both Dowlings worked, so they hired McKirchy, then 22, to babysit him at her home.

Rae Dowling told investigators that when she picked up Benjamin from McKirchy on July 3, 1984, his body was limp and his fists were clenched. She rushed him to the hospital, where doctors concluded he had suffered a brain hemorrhage from severe shaking. McKirchy was arrested within days.

The Dowlings told reporters in 1985 they were stunned when prosecutors told them minutes before a court hearing of the plea deal McKirchy would receive. They said Wednesday that they are still stunned by that sentence.

The Dowlings had two more children and would take Benjamin to their games and performances as they grew up. The photo montage during the hearing showed his family worked hard to make him part of school and family outings, weddings, vacations and other milestones.

Growing up, Benjamin taught me and countless others invaluable lessons about compassion, empathy, patience and understanding, said his younger sister, Melissa Dowling. Benjamin's presence was a constant source of inspiration. He never walked or talked or got the chance to say, I love you.

The family moved to Floridas Gulf Coast in the late 1990s. Benjamin died at their home on Sept. 16, 2019.

He was so strong. We thought he would live forever, his mother said.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO)  An organization working to eliminate school lunch debt in the Sioux Falls School District is set to host a special fundraiser and giveaway on Saturday.

The Barrel House in Sioux Falls is celebrating the return of school with a community event to benefit Hungry Hearts.

The bigger the turnout, the more money raised, the more money we can give back The Barrel House owner Mark Fonder said.

Sioux Falls teenager appears on CBS Mornings for his graffiti

Mark Fonder owns The Barrel House. Hes also the president of Hungry Hearts, an organization helping make sure students in Sioux Falls dont go without food.

With the rising costs of everything else, its going to be harder and harder for all these kids to make sure they get fed at home, and the least we can do is try and provide them with a lunch at school, Fonder said.

We try to make sure that everybody has a chance at getting a hot meal, we make sure that everybody has what they need for school as far as school supplies, Hungry Hearts vice president Jesse Severson said.

Jesse Severson is vice president of Hungry Hearts.

If we dont do it, somebody else is going to have to do it, so lets do it together, Severson said.

The day will start with a backpack and supplies giveaway, with 300 kids receiving the backpack of their choice beginning at 10:00 a.m.

They can come out and get a backpack and then still have a fun-filled day, Fonder said.

The back-to-school celebration will also include inflatables, BBQ competition, and free will meal. Fonder says theres a $20,000 match on the table.

$20,000 does go a long way so I mean for someone to step up and match that amount is very respectable, Fonder said.

But no one can do it alone.

Hopefully, a big turnout and we can raise a lot of money for the kids in Sioux Falls, Fonder said.

If the community doesnt show up, we cant do what we do so Im looking forward to seeing a lot of old faces and a lot of new faces, Severson said.

The back-to-school event is Saturday at The Barrel House in Sioux Falls. The backpack and supplies giveaway begins at 10:00 a.m., followed by activities for kids at 11:00. The meal will be served from noon until 5:00.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com.
Ballet dancer in hospital after hit-and-run crash; family thanks woman who helped saved him

MEMPHIS, Tenn.  A ballet dancer whod just moved to Memphis from Toronto, Canada is in the hospital after he was badly injured in a hit-and-run crash in Midtown over the weekend.

But his family says theyre thankful for a woman who saw that crash and took action. They met, for the second time, in a Memphis hospital Tuesday.

Noah Long was riding his bike down Poplar Avenue near Avalon around 1 Saturday morning when a witness says a black car crashed into him.

He had just left a gathering welcoming him to town to be part of Ballet Memphis. It was dark, no one was around, and the driver didnt stop.

I actually saw him get hit and fly through the air, close to the trees and when he came down, I just went in shock, said Sharon Robinson.







But she immediately jumped into action. She called 911, rushed to Longs side and prayed until paramedics arrived.

Lord watch over him, please help him recover from this, Lord just guide him, Robinson prayed. Lord just guide me so I can help him, and I kept telling (him), Im not gonna leave you, Im not gonna leave you.'

The next day, desperate for answers, Robinson had no idea if she would ever find out if Long survived. Then his sister found her, and asked if she wanted to come see him.

That sister, Kate Robbins, calls Sharon her brothers guardian angel.

Im just so proud of you. She did such a good job. Its so stressful and she made sure, you made sure no one moved him because his neck was broken, Kate said. He couldve been paralyzed had she not been there.

Adopted Memphis shelter dogs condition draws concern: You could smell the infection.

Noah is now recovering but his injuries are severe. His jaw is wired shut and he will have to have hand surgery, but Tuesday morning he was able to walk for the first time in days.

Kate said the first thing her brother said when he came out of anesthesia was, I need to know who found me.

He knew that there was a voice, she said. He doesnt remember anything, he just knew someone was there.

Sharon says she cant wait to see Noah dance in the coming months. She is crediting her faith for being in the right place that early morning to make a difference.

They believe the car involved was a small black hatchback, possibly a Ford Fiesta that would have front end damage. If you know anything call Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH.

 Want to help?

Click here for the Gofundme account

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
Barack and Michelle Obama Warn of the Return of Hate and Division Under Donald Trump: The Sequel Is Usually Worse

Former President Barack Obama offered a stark contrast on Tuesday between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, saying the latter has not stopped whining about his own problems since stepping onto the political stage nine years ago.

We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos, Obama said at the Democratic convention in Chicago. We have seen that movie before, and we all know that the sequel is usually worse.

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After the crowd started to boo Trump, Obama issued his favorite admonishment: Do not boo  vote.

Saying that Trump had a weird obsession with crowd sizes, Obama made a hand gesture that appeared to insinuate that his successor was focused on the size of his manhood. The gesture earned roars of laughter and applause.

Obama also made a pitch for a politics of mutual respect, saying the country has become too polarized.

All of us, across the political spectrum seem so quick to assume the worst in others, he said. Unless they agree with us on every single issue, we start thinking the only way to win is to scold and and shame and out-yell the other side. After a while regular folks start to tune out.

He closed by quoting President Lincoln, calling for a restoration of our bonds of affection.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama also fired up the crowd, urging them to get complacent during the campaign and to do something to help get Harris elected.

Hope is making a comeback, she said, alluding to her husbands 2008 campaign theme.

Obama also spoke from her experience of confronting racism and sexism while in office, and called out Donald Trump, saying he had done everything in his power to try to make people fear us.

His limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happened to be Black, she said. Wait, I want to know  whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?

Michelle Obama called on voters to aspire to a broader sense of empathy in politics.

Going small is never the answer, she said. Going small is the opposite of what we teach our kids. Going small is petty. Its unhealthy. And quite frankly, its unpresidential.

Doug Emhoff, Harris husband, introduced the crowd to the couples family life, and called Harris a joyful warrior.

She never runs from a fight, and she knows the best way to deal with a coward is to take him head on, because we all know cowards are weak, he said.

Earlier, celebrities including Spike Lee, Wendell Pierce, Sean Astin and Eva Longoria appeared for the state-by-state roll call vote earlier in the evening.

DJ Cassidy, who has performed at the Obamas birthday parties and at Jay-Z and Beyonces wedding, kept things rolling with musical selections appropriate to each state, such as Prince for the Minnesota delegation and Kendrick Lamar for California. When Georgia was called, Lil Jon performed briefly from the convention floor.

Ana Navarro, a co-host on The View, acted as the celebrity host for the prime-time portion of the convention. She threw a dig at Trump for considering South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as his running mate, after it was revealed she shot her own dog.

And you know what else? Kamala Harris, she likes dogs, Navarro said. And my dog Cha Cha likes her. Dogs are good judges of character, so are cats. We cannot elect a president who does not like dogs or hangs around with people who shoot them.

While the roll call was underway in Chicago, Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, were on stage holding a rally in Milwaukee. Once California Gov. Gavin Newsom cast the states votes for Harris, the convention cut to Harris in Milwaukee for a brief greeting.

Sen. Bernie Sanders also addressed the crowd, drawing applause when he called for a ceasefire in Gaza and a return of the hostages.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer attempted to bust a few moves to Bruno Mars Uptown Funk as he took the DNC stage. The New York Democrat warned the Democratic faithful that Harris defeat in November means being sentenced to relive the dark night of Trumps American carnage, referring to Trumps 2016 inauguration speech.

Jennifer Maas and Cynthia Littleton contributed to this report.

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The News

Barack and Michelle Obama closed out the Democratic National Conventions second night by pitching Kamala Harris as an heir to their political legacy. And they derided Donald Trump as a racist egomaniac whod squandered his own presidency, and needed to be kept out of power.

This convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible, the former president said in his closing remarks, an echo to the convention address that launched his national career 20 years ago. Harriss parents had crossed oceans because they believed in the promise of America, evoking the story hed told Democrats in that same 2004 speech about his Kenyan father coming to a magical place.

Im fired up! Obama told the crowd, setting up one of the signature chants of his 2008 and 2012 campaigns..

Appearing on stage not long after his wife, the former president made a tribute to Joe Biden, his one-time vice president, and said one of my best decisions as the partys nominee in 2008 was picking Biden, before hailing Bidens own achievements as president.

But Obama quickly pivoted to attack Trump, breaking out the Democrats favorite new refrain  weird  to say he had a weird obsession with crowd sizes. He glanced quickly at his hands, a joke about masculinity and a reminder that Democrats were no longer worried that anti-Trump ridicule might backfire.

America is ready for a new chapter, he said, We are ready for a President Kamala Harris.

Obama ran through Harris record as a prosecutor, adding that she had pushed me and my administration hard, after the subprime mortgage crisis to help people who lost their homes in the fallout, later saying that Harris would work to bolster the middle class as president.

On Tim Walz, Obama said he knows who he is, and he knows whats important. Together, he said, they had a vision to ensure all Americans could get along with each other, and deliver for everyone.

Yes she can! Obama said, sparking an immediate chant in the crowd  another echo to 2008.

We will build a country that is more secure, more just, more equal, and more free, he said, leaving to a standing ovation.

Speaking immediately before his speech, Michelle Obama was welcomed by her own standing ovation and rapturous applause from the audience in Chicago, the Obamas hometown. Her speech recalled the same spirit of 2008, starting with a declaration that hope is making a comeback! But she also gave voice to the collective mourning Democrats had been feeling, an oblique nod to how far the partys fortunes  and optimism  appear to have changed since Biden left the race.

The former first lady also drew many links between her own life and Kamalas history: Her story is your story. Its my story. Its the story of the vast majority of Americans trying to build a better life.

There is no other choice than Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, she said, painting a picture of Harris as the polar opposite to Donald Trump, while also warning that he could revisit many of the same tactics he used to attack the Obamas in the past. She threw out a quip about how the presidency was a Black job, recalling Trumps terminology, which came up in a contentious interview at the National Association of Black Journalists earlier this summer.

Above all, she urged Democrats to channel their emotions into action.

Michelle Obama is asking, no Im telling you all, to do something! she said at one point.

Ultimately, the major theme of the primetime speeches was drawing a contrast between the future that Harris offered as opposed to Trump, and, aside from a tribute by Obama, brief or no references to Biden by name.

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff spoke of Harris ability to take America forward: America, in this election, you have to decide who to trust with your familys future. I trusted Kamala with our familys future. It was the best decision I ever made.

Also speaking on stage Tuesday were Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Grisham, and Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth.

Appearing early in the evening, Schumer set up an immediate contrast between Trumps American carnage and the future Harris might offer. To deliver it, Schumer said, a Democratic majority in the Senate would be crucial: Democrats currently hold a two-seat majority and 34 seats are up for election in November, 23 of which are held by Democrats or Independents.

Sanders, an Independent who caucuses with the Democrats, applauded Harris economic agenda, calling it a plan for an economy that works for all of us, before repeatedly using the term radical, a word often used to attack the left by Republicans, to describe Trump and the GOPs policies.

It was a big tent at the convention. While Sanders, a socialist and icon among the partys progressive wing, denounced the billionaire class, Pritzker, heir to a massive family fortune, followed that speech by using his wealth to poke fun at Trump.

Take it from an actual billionaire, Trump is rich in only one thing: stupidity, the Illinois governor said.

Know More

Harris has received significant support and advice from Obama over the years, and especially since July, and has tapped several key members of his former staff to serve on her campaign, including his 2008 campaign manager David Plouffe and adviser Stephanie Cutter, cementing the former presidents imprint on her political operation, Reuters wrote. Shes also echoing elements of his strategy, and has tapped the energy of the young voters who propelled Obamas career.

Harris was an early supporter of Obamas 2008 campaign, and the two have maintained a strong relationship since that could make him an effective campaigner for her. He will not be talking about someone he doesnt know, David Axelrod, a longtime Obama adviser, said.

Notable

The March on the DNC saw fewer protesters come out Monday than theyd hoped, Semafors David Weigel reported from Chicago, but the protests highlighted the Democrats Gaza problem and the different factions vying for different, sometimes overlapping, sometimes diverging, outcomes.

Tracing Obama and Harris friendship and overlapping careers back, the pair met in 2004 and now, twenty years after Obama made his infamous address to that years convention and catapulted himself toward the presidency, he could help bring some of the energy of 2008 to her campaign, The Washington Posts Dan Balz wrote.

The race is still close, CBS News noted, despite the enthusiasm for Harris among the party  a reality Michelle Obama acknowledged in her speech  with very few voters considered to be persuadable potential Harris voters.
From the Dispatch Politics on The Dispatch

Happy Wednesday! Mike was somehow able to find time to review Chicagos famous Italian beef sandwich. This is slowly becoming a food newsletter.

Up to Speed (Convention Edition)

Donald Trumps campaign hosted a news conference in Chicago on Tuesday featuring Rep. Byron Donalds, in which the Florida Republican argued Vice President Kamala Harris is an unreliable crime fighter who sides with criminals over law enforcement. Federal statistics show crime rates that spiked during the coronavirus pandemic continue to drop, which Democrats are promoting to show progress on public safety, a top voter priority. But crime is only down, Donalds claimed, from the horrifically high levels under the Joe Biden, Kamala Harris administration. The congressman added: Crime rates are massively up compared to conditions during the Trump administration. (The data appears inconclusive.)

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro indicated Tuesday that Harris made the right call when she dropped her opposition to fracking, at least as a political matter in the Keystone State, where she is in a dogfight with Trump for the commonwealths crucial 19 Electoral College votes. I welcome the vice presidents position, Shapiro told reporters during a short news conference, responding to a question from Dispatch Politics . Fossil fuels exploration and development is a major job creator in Pennsylvania, and Shapiro said he supports both those industries and green energy, as will Harris, he predicted, should she win in November. Im an all-of-the-above energy governor, and the vice presidents made clear she will be an all-of-the-above president, he said. It is critically important to put people to work, to protect our planet, and we are showing in Pennsylvania that you can do both. Shapiro, a finalist to be selected Harris running mate, was scheduled to address the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday evening.

After a bunch of logistical problems on the conventions first night, second-night operations were much smoother. Your Dispatch Politics reporters mostly had a much easier time entering the venue. Navigating the floor to talk to delegates was still not all that easy, however.

Although delegates had confirmed Harris as the Democratic nominee earlier this month in a virtual vote, they conducted a ceremonial roll call on the floor of the convention Tuesday night complete with light-up wristbands and curated tunes. When convention secretary Jason Rae called each state, a DJ would play the accompaniment of a song from an artist related to it: Lose Yourself by Eminem for Michigan and Mr. Brightside by The Killers for Nevada.

Is there any room for pro-life people in todays Democratic Party? The leadership of Democrats for Life doesnt feel that there is. Check out Charles report on a Monday panel from the group that featured former Rep. Dan Lipinski, an Illinois pro-life Democrat who served eight terms in Congress before he lost a primary in 2020 to a challenger with the backing of pro-abortion groups.

Up to Speed (Beyond Chicago)

Nicole Shanahan, running mate to independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., indicated the campaign was contemplating joining forces with Trump to prevent Harris from winning. She said on Tom Bilyeus Impact Theory podcast that the ticket was weighing whether to stay in the race and risk drawing away votes from Trump, helping Harris, or to walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump. After the episode aired Tuesday, Kennedy posted on X that he is always willing to talk with leaders of any political party to further the goals I have served for 40 years in my career and in this campaign.

Harris campaign has raised $500 million since she jumped into the race late last month, Reuters reported Tuesday. The campaign previously said it took in $310 million in July, including $200 million in the first week after she entered the race following President Joe Bidens July 21 withdrawal. House Democrats are also raking in money, bringing their cash on hand to nearly $92 million after they took in close to $17.6 million in July.

Meanwhile, Trump raised $47.5 million in July, while spending $24.3 million and bringing his cash-on-hand total to $151.3 million, while Harris reported close to $220 million on hand.

Obama Tries to Paint Harris as an Independent Agent

Former President Barack Obama leaves the stage after speaking in support of Vice President Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

CHICAGOOn Tuesday night, former President Barack Obama sought to reframe the 2024 presidential contest as a choice between change and more of the same.

Former President Donald Trump is a guy whose act haslets face itgotten pretty stale, Obama told the Democratic National Convention crowd and tens of millions of Americans watching at home. We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos. We have seen that movie before, and we all know that the sequel is usually worse.

Americas ready for a new chapter. Americas ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris, Obama continued.

Hope and change versus more of the same was a message that served Obama well when he launched his 2008 presidential bid. Back then, the message was as obvious as it was effective for a man seeking to become the first African American president while both preventing a Clinton restoration and bringing an end to eight years of Republican control of the White House. Deploying it on behalf of Kamala Harris in 2024 was nothing short of audacious.

Harris is, after all, the incumbent vice president. If she prevails, Barack Obama, his vice president, and his vice presidents vice president will have won four of the last five presidential elections. And shes supposed to be the agent of change?

The message might seem absurd in 2024if Republicans had nominated anyone other than the previous Republican president. But it just might work when deployed against Trump.

Obama used his speech to conjure up feelings of Trump fatigue. He referred to the 2024 Republican presidential nominee as a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. He reminded the audience of the constant stream of gripes and grievances thats actually been getting worse now that he is afraid of losing to Kamala. Theres the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes. (At this point, Obama made a hand gesture shrinking the space between his hands in a way that many interpreted as a reference to male anatomy.)

It just goes on and on and on, Obama continued. The other day, I heard someone compare Trump to the neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day. Now, from a neighbor, thats exhausting. From a president, its just dangerous.

After tearing Trump down, he sought to build Kamala Harris up by portraying her as an independent capable of bringing about new reforms. After the home mortgage crisis, she pushed me and my administration hard to make sure homeowners got a fair settlement, Obama said. It didnt matter that I was a Democrat, didnt matter that she had knocked on doors for my campaign in Iowashe was going to fight to get as much relief as possible for the families who deserved it. Obama promised that Harris would take on big banks and for-profit colleges, cut taxes for families, and bring down the cost of health care and housing.

We cant just rely on the ideas of the past. We need to chart a new way forward to meet the challenges of today, Obama said. And Kamala understands this. She knows, for example, that if we want to make it easier for more young people to buy a home, we need to build more units and clear away some of the outdated laws and regulations that made it harder to build homes for working people in this country. That is a priority. And shes put out a bold new plan to do just that.

In short, Obama promised that a Harris-Walz administration can help us move past some of the tired, old debates that keep stifling progress.

Tim Walzs Truth Problem

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's wife, Gwen Walz, speaks during a stop on a campaign bus tour in Rochester, Pennsylvania, on August 18, 2024. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

When the governor of Minnesota takes the stage at the United Center tonight to formally accept his nomination for vice president, Tim Walz will have a chance to present to America his folksy brand of Midwestern progressivism. But while the former congressman and high school teacher will have some license to promise big things to the adoring Democrats in his role as Kamala Harris cheerleader in chief, Walz also has a growing number of exaggerations and misrepresentations of his own life that he has yet to give a full accounting for.

The latest example comes from how Walz has characterized the fertility treatment he and his wife, Gwen, used to conceive their two children. Since joining the Democratic ticket, Walz and the campaign have referred to in vitro fertilization (IVF)both in suggesting it was the fertility treatment he and his wife used, and also by declaring that Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance is seeking to limit or ban the practice of IVF.

In an April campaign fundraising letter, Walz wrote: My wife and I used I.V.F. to start a family. In a July interview with the progressive podcast Pod Save America, Walz said of Vance, If it were up to him, I wouldnt have a family, because of IVF, and the things that we need to do reproductively. The Harris campaign promoted that clip on August 9.

But neither claim is true. According to a report this week from the New York Times, the Harris campaign is now acknowledging that the Walzes used a procedure called intrauterine insemination (IUI), rather than IVF, to conceive their children. While IVF requires the creation of a fertilized embryo in a lab, IUI instead uses a catheter to artificially inseminate a woman with concentrated sperm. Both procedures are among the options that aspiring parents can use legally in the United States to get pregnant. Although some pro-life activists have pushed for laws preventing the intentional or negligent destruction of viable embryos created via IVF, there are no efforts to restrict IUI or other fertility treatments that do not create an embryo outside the womb.

Governor Walz talks how normal people talk, said Mia Ehrenberg, a spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign, in explaining the governors characterization of his wifes treatment. He was using commonly understood shorthand for fertility treatments.

Further, Vance has not said he supports bans or limitations on either IVF or IUI treatments. While the Harris campaign has used Vances vote earlier this year against moving forward on a bill titled the Right to IVF Act, to claim he opposes IVF, theres no evidence the Ohio Republican actually supports banning the procedure.

Nearly every Republican senator voted against the Right to IVF Act, which would have established an individual right to IVF and other fertility assistance procedures while also mandating federal funding. While several Republicans were pushing for an alternative bill they claimed would also protect the practice but with additional protections for unused embryos, Democrats blocked that bill. Vance, along with all of his fellow Republican senators, issued a joint statement in June declaring they strongly support continued nationwide access to IVF. And in a February interview with an Ohio TV station, Vance declared that he was for as much access to fertility treatment as possible.

When asked to explain when Vance had said he supported a ban on IVF, the Harris campaign pointed to statements from the Ohio Republicans 2022 Senate campaign when he said, from the moment of conception, we should be protecting the life of the unborn.

Walz has frequently referred to the issue of protecting access to IVF as personal for him and his family. His home-state paper, the Minnesota Star Tribune, published a story earlier this year on the Walz familys IVF journey, and other news outlets have linked Walz with the fertility treatment. Walz himself has said plenty to give this impression, from his Pod Save America appearance to his first speech after being named Harris running mate.

In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and their personal choices that they make. Even if we wouldnt make the same choice for ourselves, theres a golden rule. Mind your own damn business, he said in Philadelphia on August 6. Look, that includes IVF. And this gets personal for me and my family.

And after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that held a fertility clinic could be held liable for the negligent destruction of embryos, Walz posted on Facebook that Gwen and I have two beautiful children because of reproductive health care like IVF. This issue is deeply personal to our family and so many others. Alabama has since passed a law to provide blanket immunity to fertility clinics.

The vagueness of Walzs own statements have created the false impression that he and his wife would not have been able to have children under laws restricting IVFand that Republicans support policies that would have prevented the couple from having kids.

Its hardly the first muddled story about his past that Walz has faced since he became the Democratic nominee for vice president. Questions about how he and others have characterized his military service arose after Republicans and news outlets highlighted statements from Walz that seemed to suggest he served in a combat zone during the Afghanistan war. Walz, a 24-year veteran of the Army National Guard, never served in a combat zone, but his unit was deployed to Italy in 2003 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the militarys name for its operation in Afghanistan.

Yet in 2018, while discussing his support for gun control, Walz claimed he carried weapons of war in war, about which the Harris campaign has since said Walz misspoke. There were other instances over the course of his political career where others described his service as including deployment in Afghanistan, yet Walz did nothing at the time to correct the mischaracterization and at times even promoted the false narrative.

But after Vance, who served in a combat zone in Iraq as a Marine, began criticizing Walz for allowing this description of his service to persist, the Minnesota Democrat defended his service in the military and said people should never denigrate another persons service record.

Meanwhile, a recent report from CNN details how Walz, during his first campaign for Congress in 2006, misrepresented a 1995 DUI arrest. From the report:

According to court and police records connected to the incident, Walz admitted in court that he had been drinking when he was pulled over for driving 96 mph in a 55 mph zone in Nebraska. Walz was then transported by a state trooper to a local hospital for a blood test, showing he had a blood alcohol level of .128, well above the states legal limit of 0.1 at the time. But in 2006, his campaign repeatedly told the press that he had not been drinking that night, claiming that his failed field sobriety test was due to a misunderstanding related to hearing loss from his time in the National Guard. The campaign also claimed that Walz was allowed to drive himself to jail that night.

Notable and Quotable

Saying something at a rally is not public policy.  Sometimes the president, you know, he jokes.

Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, addressing a reporters question about Donald Trump saying in the past he would be willing to deploy U.S. military troops to American cities to combat crime if reelected president this fall, August 20, 2024.

Read more at The Dispatch

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Former President Barack Obama slipped in a joke about Donald Trumps exaggerations about the crowds at his rallies during a speech at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday.

In his remarks at the convention in Chicago, Obama argued that Trump is more concerned with the crowds he draws than with everyday Americans worries.

Here is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago, he said.

Theres the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes, he continued, making a suggestive length gesture with his hands.

Trump, who also overstated the size of the crowd at his inauguration, has repeatedly claimed that the crowds at Trump events are bigger than those at Vice President Kamala Harris campaign stops. He even went so far as to falsely accuse her of using artificial intelligence to give the appearance of a larger crowd at her rally near Detroit earlier this month.

Shes a CHEATER. She had NOBODY waiting, and the crowd looked like 10,000 people! Same thing is happening with her fake crowds at her speeches. This is the way the Democrats win Elections, by CHEATING, he said in a Truth Social post.

Harris campaign had responded to the accusation on X, saying This is an actual photo of a 15,000-person crowd for Harris-Walz in Michigan, and backing the number with a report from local news outlet MLive.

Related...
The former president took the stage at the at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, Aug. 20, closing out a night of speeches after his wife, Michelle Obama

Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Barack Obama takes the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20

Former President Barack Obama took a series of swipes at Donald Trump during his pointed speech at the Democratic National Convention, blowing up the internet with one now-viral jab at the Republican presidential nominee's "weird obsession with crowd sizes."

Taking the podium on Tuesday, Aug. 20, Obama, 63, did not mince words when talking about Vice President Kamala Harris' opponent, criticizing Trump for everything from his politics to the former president's frequent complaints.

Here is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago, Obama said. It has been a constant stream of gripes and grievances thats actually been getting worse now that hes afraid of losing to Kamala.



There's the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes, he added, gesturing with his hands to these different sizes before looking down at his hands jokingly. It just goes on and on.

Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Barack Obama takes the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20

Related: Barack Obama Praises Joe Biden at the DNC amid Reports of Tension Between Them: 'We Became Brothers'

This innuendo earned cheers, claps and laughter from the crowd among the party faithful gathered at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. But it quickly went viral on social media, many praising him for his "perfect comedic delivery."

Im feeling fired up," Obama said at the top of his speech.

President Obama: Its been a constant stream of gripes and grievances thats actually gotten worse now that Trump is afraid of losing to Kamala. The childish nicknames and crazy conspiracy theories and weird obsession with crowd sizes  pic.twitter.com/cstJYrpiCg  Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 21, 2024

Elsewhere during his remarks, Obama also questioned Trumps dedication to Americans as they decide who to vote for in the polls during elections in November.

The people who will decide this election are asking a very simple question: Who will fight for me? Whos thinking about my future? About my childrens future? About our future together? he said. One thing is for certain  Donald Trump is not losing sleep over that question.

Related: Michelle Obama Roasts Donald Trumps Black Jobs Remark: The Job Hes Currently Seeking Might Just Be One

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Barack Obama speaks on the second night of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20

Obama is one of several speakers set to take the stage over the course of the DNC. President Joe Biden, first lady Dr. Jill Biden and Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were among the speakers on night one.

Former first lady Michelle Obama spoke on night two before her husband, Barack joking afterwards, "I'm the only person stupid enough to speak after Michelle Obama."

Related: Michelle Obama Shares Grief, Hope and a New Democratic Tagline in Forceful DNC Speech

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz are also expected to ceremonially accept the party's nomination later this week.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on Aug. 19, 2024

The DNC comes about a month after Biden dropped out of the presidential race and gave his "full support and endorsement" for Harris to become the nominee.

She secured enough delegate support to become the presumptive Democratic nominee the following day, while also collecting more than $80 million in donations during her first 24 hours as a 2024 presidential candidate. She then announced Minnesota Gov. Walz as her VP pick on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

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The DNC will continue through to Thursday, Aug. 22, with additional speakers including former President Bill Clinton, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. There will also be celebrity performances and panels, including one hosted by Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Wednesday, Aug. 21.



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Shareholders appeared unconcerned with Genuit Group plc's (LON:GEN) lackluster earnings report last week. We think that the softer headline numbers might be getting counterbalanced by some positive underlying factors.

See our latest analysis for Genuit Group

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

To properly understand Genuit Group's profit results, we need to consider the UK27m expense attributed to unusual items. It's never great to see unusual items costing the company profits, but on the upside, things might improve sooner rather than later. When we analysed the vast majority of listed companies worldwide, we found that significant unusual items are often not repeated. And, after all, that's exactly what the accounting terminology implies. If Genuit Group doesn't see those unusual expenses repeat, then all else being equal we'd expect its profit to increase over the coming year.

That might leave you wondering what analysts are forecasting in terms of future profitability. Luckily, you can click here to see an interactive graph depicting future profitability, based on their estimates.

Our Take On Genuit Group's Profit Performance

Unusual items (expenses) detracted from Genuit Group's earnings over the last year, but we might see an improvement next year. Because of this, we think Genuit Group's earnings potential is at least as good as it seems, and maybe even better! On the other hand, its EPS actually shrunk in the last twelve months. The goal of this article has been to assess how well we can rely on the statutory earnings to reflect the company's potential, but there is plenty more to consider. Keep in mind, when it comes to analysing a stock it's worth noting the risks involved. You'd be interested to know, that we found 2 warning signs for Genuit Group and you'll want to know about them.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Genuit Group's profit. But there is always more to discover if you are capable of focussing your mind on minutiae. Some people consider a high return on equity to be a good sign of a quality business. So you may wish to see this free collection of companies boasting high return on equity, or this list of stocks with high insider ownership.

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.
Barack Obama Praises Joe Biden at the DNC amid Reports of Tension Between Them: 'We Became Brothers'

Obama, who was once a strong supporter of Biden's reelection bid, stayed noticeably quiet when Democrats began calling for a new 2024 nominee. But at the DNC, he had only kind things to say about his former VP

Al Drago/getty Former President Barack Obama speaks at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20, 2024

Former President Barack Obama paid a heartfelt tribute to current President Joe Biden at the Democratic National Convention amid reports that the two have been on rocky terms in recent weeks.

On Tuesday, Aug. 20, Obama, 63, told the crowd in Chicago about his appreciation for Biden, 81, who heeded growing calls to abandon his reelection bid in July. After dropping out, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place on the Democratic White House ticket.

Related: Michelle Obama Shares Grief, Hope and a New Democratic Tagline in Forceful DNC Speech

"Its been 16 years since I had the honor of accepting this partys nomination for president  and I know thats hard to believe because I have not aged a bit, but its true," Obama joked early in his remarks. "Looking back, I can say without question that my first big decision as your nominee turned out to be one of my best, and that was asking Joe Biden to serve by my side as vice president."

"Other than some common Irish blood, Joe and I come from different backgrounds. But we became brothers," Obama continued. "And as we worked together for eight years, what I came to admire most about Joe wasnt just his smarts and experience, but his empathy and his decency; his hard-earned resiliency and his unshakable belief that everyone in this country deserves a fair shot."

Related: Barack Obama Tells Voters Why He Picked Joe Biden for VP  and How It Applies Now

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Kamala Harris, Joe Biden and Barack Obama in 2022

Obama spent a moment explaining why he believes Biden is the president Americans have needed since 2021, citing the Biden-Harris administration's COVID-19 response, economic recovery efforts and preservation of democracy.

"I am proud to call him my president, but I am even prouder to call him my friend," Obama said. "Now, the torch has been passed. Now, it is up to all of us to fight for the America we believe in. Make no mistake it will be a fight. For all the incredible energy weve been able to generate over the lsat few weeks, for all the rallies and the memes, this will still be a tight race."

Related: Barack Obama Tells Voters Why He Picked Joe Biden for VP  and How It Applies Now

David Paul Morris/getty Barack and Michelle Obama embrace on stage at the 2024 Democratic National Convention

Obama's remarks on Tuesday come weeks after several power players in the Democratic Party pressured Biden to exit the presidential race over concerns about his age and ability to inspire voters.

Amid calls for Biden to drop out, Obama  at that point one of the most vocal supporters of Biden's campaign  stayed silent on the matter. Multiple outlets have reported that Biden is harboring anger toward Obama for failing to come to his defense.

Related: Ashley Biden Makes Father Joe Biden Cry in Touching DNC Tribute: The O.G. Girl Dad

Friction between the two allegedly goes back years, despite their close relationship while working as partners in the White House from 2009 until 2017.

According to Axios, Obama's advisers pushed Biden not to run for the presidency in 2016, and Obama publicly backed Hillary Clinton's candidacy. Feeling like his chance at the White House had already been stripped away once, Biden was reportedly determined to stay in the 2024 presidential race when a pressure campaign first swelled.

Related: Joe Biden and Barack Obama's Close Bond Through the Years

Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Kamala Harris in 2024

At the DNC on Tuesday night, Obama also shared his enthusiasm for Harris, Biden's replacement.

"I am feeling hope, because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible," he joked, referencing Harris' often-mispronounced first name. "Because we have a chance to elect someone who has spent her entire life trying to give people the same chances America gave her. Someone who sees you and hears you, and will get up every single day and fight for you."

He continued: "America is ready for a new chapter. America is ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris. And Kamala Harris is ready for the jump."

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Five days after Harris, 59, was endorsed by Biden for president, Obama shared his own endorsement in a video featuring the presidential candidate and his wife Michelle Obama.

"Michelle and I couldnt be prouder to endorse you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office," President Obama said at the time.

Also in the endorsement video, the former first lady said, "I cant have this phone call without saying to my girl Kamala: I am proud of you. This is going to be historic."

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Twenty years after Illinois Senator Barack Obama delivered the keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention  and launched his political career onto a trajectory that would lead him to the White House  the 44th president addressed the convention in support of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Obama began his headlining speech at Chicagos United Center on Tuesday by singing the praises of President Joe Biden, before taking Donald Trump to task.

We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos, Obama said of Trump. We have seen that movie before, and we all know that the sequel is usually worse. America is ready for a new chapter, a better story. We are ready for President Kamala Harris.

Our job is to convince people that democracy can actually deliver and, in doing that, we cant just point to what weve already accomplished, he continued. We cant just rely on the ideas of the past. We need to chart a new way forward to meet the challenges of today and Kamala understands this.

Obamas support for Harris comes after a tumultuous six-week stretch for Democrats, who last month saw Biden step down from his campaign after a disastrous debate performance against Trump.

The former presidents role in getting his own former vice president to step down from the campaign and pass the torch to Harris has been the subject of contentious debate. According to a July report from Politico, Obama was aware of a punishing op-ed penned by actor George Clooney before its publication  and did not intervene on Bidens behalf.

Questions have swirled about the status of the relationship between Obama and Biden  but you wouldnt know it from the way Obama spoke of his VP.

History will remember Joe Biden as an outstanding president, who defended democracy at a moment of great danger, and I am proud to call him my president, Obama said, but I am even prouder to call him my friend.

Obama described Biden as one of his best decisions as president. He spoke of how he never wavered in his empathy and his decency, and his hard-earned resilience or in his unshakeable belief that everyone in this country deserves a fair shot.

Obama didnt just praise the Democrats currently in the White House. He also skewered Trump.

Hes a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago, Obama said. It has been a constant stream of gripes and grievances.

Theres the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes, he added, making a very conspicuous measuring motion with his hands.

Obama: Here is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. There's the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes pic.twitter.com/WGwNOFinHK  Acyn (@Acyn) August 21, 2024

Donald Trump wants us to think that this country is hopelessly divided between us and them. Between the real Americans  who of course support him  and outsiders who dont, Obama said. He wants you to think that youll be richer and safer if you just give him the power to put those other people back in their place. Its one of the oldest tricks in politics from a guy whose act has, lets face it, gotten pretty stale.

Among the many takeaways from last months Republican National Convention was the conspicuous absence of speeches from former Republican presidents and party nominees. As Harris prepares to accept her partys nomination, the DNC has leaned heavily into its roster of party star power - especially those with president in their title.

Obama is the second of three current and former U.S. presidents who will speak at this years DNC. President Joe Biden delivered his keynote speech on Monday, and former President Bill Clinton will address the convention on Wednesday. The grandson of Jimmy Carter also spoke on behalf of the 99-year-old former president  who is in hospice care  on Tuesday. Several past Democratic candidates are also in line to speak at the DNC, including Hillary Clinton, who spoke on Monday.

By contrast, no living Republican ever featured on a GOP presidential ticket  aside from Trump and Ohio Senator JD Vance  spoke at this years RNC.

The vibe differential between the RNC and DNC has been notable, with the wave of enthusiasm behind Harris candidacy earning comparisons to Obamas own runs in 2008 and 2012.

But the former president reminded Democrats that the road to November remains long. It will be a fight, he said. For all the incredible energy weve been able to generate over the last few weeks, for all the rallies, and the memes, this will still be a tight race in a closely divided country  a country where too many Americans are still struggling.

More from Rolling Stone

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Donald Trumps former White House secretary declared her support for Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday night, slamming the Republican nominee in her speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Stephanie Grisham, who resigned after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, said she was a true believer and that the Trump family became her family. But she saw a side not everyone sees.

I saw him when the cameras were off, Grisham said. Behind closed doors, Trump mocks his supporters. He calls them basement-dwellers.

She admitted that while Trump was in office, she never held a typical White House briefing because she never wanted to stand on the podium and lie.

Now here I am behind a podium advocating for a Democrat and thats because I love my country more than my party, she said.

Grisham recalled several troubling stories, including a time when Trump was visiting dying patients in the ICU and he was upset that cameras werent on him.

After the Jan. 6 insurrection, Grisham asked Trumps wife Melania whether she could tweet that there was no place for lawlessness or violence. The former first lady responded No, via text message. Grisham revealed the entire text exchange to the crowd at the DNC.

Grisham is one of many Republicans against Trump who spoke at the DNC. Kyle Sweetser, a Republican voter from Alabama said he voted for Trump three times before he realized Trumps policies were negatively affecting his life as a blue-collar worker.

Conservative commentator Richard Logis, who describes himself as ex-MAGA activist also spoke at the DNC via video broadcast, telling voters they dont need to agree with everything you hear tonight to do what is right.

Throughout her speech, Grisham emphasized that Trump cant be trusted and that he has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth.

He used to tell me, It doesnt matter what you say, Stephanie, say it enough and people will believe you,'" Grisham recounted.

Kamala Harris tells the truth, she respects the American people, and she has my vote, Grisham told the crowd in Chicago.
TYLER, Texas (KETK)  A bat in Tyler tested positive for rabies, the City of Tyler said on Wednesday.

Sheriffs office to hold fundraiser for East Texas teen who lost part of arm in ATV wreck

The Tyler Animal Services was alerted by the Texas Department of State Health Services that a bat submitted for analysis tested positive. The bat was found near the 2200 block of Bateman Avenue and those with possible exposure to the bat have been identified and addressed, city officials said.

It is critical for people not to handle bats, skunks, raccoons or other wild animals. It is important for children to tell their parents of any contact with wild animals or any sick animals, the City of Tyler said. If a person is bitten by an animal, the bite incident must be reported to the Local Rabies Control Authority, Tyler Animal Services Director Shawn Markmann, for proper investigation.

The Tyler Animal Services advises all pet owners to get their dogs and cats vaccinated for rabies. The preventative immunization is the only effective defense against the fatal disease.

The City of Tyler and Smith County Ordinance require regular rabies shots for their dogs and cats and is considered a Class C Misdemeanor if someone fails to vaccinate their pets by four months of age.

Anyone with questions is asked to contact Tyler Animal Services at 903-535-0045.

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BATH, N.Y. (WETM)  A Bath man was arrested on Tuesday during a traffic stop after police said he was driving around with a revoked license.

According to the Village of Bath Police Department, 31-year-old Thomas Gallagher was arrested on Tuesday, Aug. 20, on several drug charges after they were found during a traffic stop.

Police said that Gallagher was pulled over on Charles Street in the village when officers had him get out of his vehicle. Police knew that Gallagher had a revoked license and his car had to be towed.

Ithaca Police investigate potential hate crime in the city

When he got out, officers found a container with residue inside of it on the floor of the car, and from there Gallagher was arrested on criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, a class D felony.

When Gallagher was taken to the Steuben County Jail he was found to be hiding drugs on him while inside the jail. Due to this, Gallagher was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, a class B felony, and tampering with physical evidence, a class E felony.

Gallagher was processed and released to appear in Bath Village Court at a later date.

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY)  Firefighters and police officers in Morgantown held a Battle of the Badges on Tuesday with the goal of encouraging the community to donate blood.

The drive was held at the Erickson Alumni Center on WVUs campus and was a collaboration between the American Red Cross, Morgantown Firefighters IAFF Local 313 and WV Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #87.

IAFF Local 313s Secretary-Treasurer Dan Horbachewski said that the purpose behind the event is just to kind of have a friendly competitionto raise blood and help address the national blood shortage.

According to Horbachewski, theres typically a blood shortage during the summer months, and this one is partly due to heat waves, which can cause blood drive shortages across the country. He added that natural disasters such as hurricane season can also be an obstacle.

School lunch vs. packed lunch: Which is healthier?

Horbachewski says that donors have been decreasing over the years, which has caused the need for blood to spike. Between the firefighters and police officersyou know, were all members of the community. So, we wanna help whatever what we can do, he added.

Horbachewski told 12 News that the goal was to raise at least 66 units of blood during this six-hour drive. Organizers were able to keep track of blood collections through a chart, where members of the IAFF Local 313 and FOP #87 could place a droplet of blood after donating.

There were no prizes for the winner of this competition, but Horbachewski said that the competitors faced off for bragging rights.

This is the first Battle of the Badges event to take place in Morgantown, but Horbachewski said that its a national program that the American Cross holds annually. He added that event organizers are hoping to hold this blood drive again in the coming years.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com.
Waco, TX (FOX 44)  The Bears are back in Waco, and that means Freshman Move-In Day!

Hundreds of volunteers all greeted excited students at their drop-off location. They are helping with unloading and taking students with their belongs to their rooms. Meanwhile, other students are checking in.

Its a process. Its controlled chaos and crowd control, so everyone feels welcomed. So today were trying to give a nice, warm welcome to all the freshmen coming in to college, says volunteer sophomore Kinesiology major Kristan Stanley.

It was a big, old chest and I was like, Can I just grab this? Theyre like, Yeah, do you need help?, I lifted it up and it was heavy and we went to the fourth floor, says volunteer senior Kinesiology major Matt Chargualaf.

Jake Hamilton is a freshman business major from San Antonio who is starting his journey at Baylor.

Its a super nice campus. It was a great opportunity to come here. And it was by far the best school that I got accepted to, says Hamilton.

He says hell have lots of opportunities and even got recruited by the Car Club!

Its like all the car enthusiasts, they get together and race and do all that, says Hamilton.

President Dr. Linda A. Livingstone was encouraging students to be active in the community and on campus because students who connect with the community make better grades.

So, kind of get out outside of your comfort zone, meet people you might not normally meet, engage in activities, go to things on campus that might not be something youve done before because its such a rich environment, says Dr. Livingstone.

Dr. Livingstone says she hopes the students grow spiritually and personally, so when they leave Baylor they leave with confidence to make an impact in the world.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KWKT - FOX 44.
The Better Business Bureau has issued a warning about an Atlanta plastic surgery center well known on social media and most famous for performing Brazilian butt lifts, sometimes live on camera.

Goals Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery was the focus of a series of Channel 2 Action News investigations in 2021.

Some customers complained about injuries and pain from procedures.

Goals is most known for the Brazilian butt lift procedure and markets heavily on platforms like Instagram.

Since our investigation, Goals has continued to grow and expand to other cities beyond its Atlanta and New York offices.

Now, the Better Business Bureau has issued a warning.

The BBB said customer complaints include when surgical appointments were canceled, procedures were incomplete, or the appropriate medical clearances were not obtained, they encountered difficulties in receiving the requested refunds.

We have seen, a pattern of complaints alleging misleading sales practices, failure to provide promised services, and failure to provide refunds, BBB spokesperson Taelore Hicks said.

Takesha Powell filed one of those BBB complaints. She told Channel 2 consumer investigator Justin Gray that Goals refused to refund any money when she had to cancel surgery after being seriously injured in an auto accident.

Why would I let you keep my money if I cant have the procedure? Thats my money. It doesnt belong to you, Powell said.

RELATED STORIES:

In January 2023, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr entered into an assurance of voluntary compliance with Goals that required Goals to pay a six-figure settlement.

The AGs office posted on its website that after consumers incurred a financial obligation with the business, Goals changed material terms of the contract, including the date of the procedure, price, type of procedure, and medical provider without the consumers consent and without allowing the consumer an opportunity to obtain a refund.

Attorney Susan Witt represents multiple women suing Goals for medical malpractice.

Unfortunately, there have been more and more women who have gone there and gotten hurt, she said.

Goals sent Channel 2 Action News a statement saying that they consider the conduct of the BBB to be fraud, blackmail, and ultimately a scam for businesses. Its important for readers to know we have been in contact with the BBB, they are aware that we cannot disclose patient information due to HIPAA violations.

Goals said it has asked to be removed from BBB directories and said, The vast majority of these issues relate to refund policies which are clear and disclosed.

Goals said, Transparency in our operations extends to our refund policies, which are clearly stated in our terms and conditions  which is provided to all patients and is publicly available for review on our website.

Carrs office told Channel 2 Action News that even though it has a settlement agreement with Goals, its investigation into the business remains open and active.




NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WPRI)  Its been nearly 75 years since a train has carried passengers from New Bedford to Boston.

But that will soon change.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) told 12 News the Church Street Station is ready to welcome passengers. The final step before opening is to simply to peel the protective plastic off of the stations screens.

Were excited to bring the option for folks to hop on an MBTA train, sit back, relax and watch the countryside go by, and get into Boston without the traffic and headaches of what the drive always looks like, said MBTAs Ryan Coholan.

SEE ALSO: South Coast Rail wont be ready until spring 2025

The stations construction is part of the ongoing South Coast Rail project, which is nearing completion.

The $1 billion project will eventually connect Middleboro, Freetown, Fall River, New Bedford and Taunton to Boston. After decades of delays, it was supposed to be up and running this summer, but it now wont be ready until next year.

Coholan said test trains have been running along the South Coast Rail line for several weeks.

Were very happy to see that level of progress, Coholan said. I think now begins the real detailed level of testing that is needed to formally introduce the South Coast Rail service to the region.

He stressed that this level of extensive testing is crucial to preventing derailments and collisions along the commuter rail.

RELATED: Heres how much it will cost to ride the South Coast Rail

If we get to test number 250 and theres a problem, we have to start over again, he explained. Thats the nature of the system and testing requirements.

The test trains reach speeds of 79 miles per hour, according to the MBTA, which is urging people to use caution near the tracks and only cross them where appropriate.

Coholan said construction is ongoing on the pedestrian bridge over Route 18, which will connect to the New Bedford station.

If all goes according to plan, Coholan expects the South Coast Rail to open in May 2025.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Boxes of beer fell off an 18-wheeler in Oxford, Mississippi, causing a road closure on Wednesday.

The Oxford Police Department shared photos of the beer boxes, which covered Jefferson Avenue between North Lamar and North 9th Street.

Those commenting on the social media post were quick to offer help in the cleanup efforts and laugh about the situation.

 See more breaking news, local news and weather from WREG.com for Memphis and the Mid-South.

 Sign up for WREG newsletters and have the latest top stories sent right to your inbox.

Ill be there shortly, I dropped 6 cases otw [on the way] home! said one man.

I bet he didnt slap the trailer and say she aint going nowhere before he took off. Rookie mistake, said another man.

However, Oxford Police shared that they are not looking for people to help clean up the mess.

Photos courtesy of the Oxford Police Department

Photos courtesy of the Oxford Police Department

Photos courtesy of the Oxford Police Department

It is unclear how the load fell off the truck, but the road will remain closed until the beer is cleaned off the street.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz walks to the air force Airbus at the military section of BER Berlin Brandenburg Airport for the flight to the Republic of Moldova. Kay Nietfeld/dpa

An apparent solution to save the struggling Meyer Werft shipyard in northern Germany appears to be within reach, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and others expected to address shipyard workers there on Thursday.

The potential breakthrough was revealed by a labour leader at Meyer Werft on Wednesday.

Scholz is expected to be joined by the state premier for Lower Saxony, Stephan Weil, and the state's economy minister, Olaf Lies, according to the chairman of the works council at Meyer Werft, Andreas Hensen.

Sources in government circles in Berlin told dpa that no final decision has been made on a possible rescue plan, but that there is a willingness to intervene to save the shipyard.

The Meyer Werft shipyard is located in the state of Lower Saxony. Scholz, Weil and Lies are all members of the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), which historically has maintained very close ties with organized labour.

According to a management spokesman, all parties involved have agreed in principle to rescue plan for the faltering company, which has reportedly been facing existential challenges. "However, there are still some technical details to be clarified," the spokesman said.

A solution must be found by September 15, otherwise the shipyard will run out of money, according to the company.

There have been reports that the state and federal governments might consider taking a stake in the shipyard, which would also provide for an increase in equity capital of 400 million ($445 million).
A couple spent years systematically dismantling a former elementary teachers life by creating a plan to gain her trust, move on her property and isolate her, according to court documents.

Now, the husband will face time behind bars.

James Dougherty, 44, and Jessica Dougherty, 43, of Boise, were sentenced for wire fraud of more than $187,000 Wednesday morning after pleading guilty through a plea agreement with prosecutors earlier this year, according to court records.

United States District Judge Amanda Brailsford sentenced James to 41 months in prison and Jessica to three years of probation. Restitution will be decided at a later time, Brailsford said.

The husband and wife moved into a building on Donna Douglass 46-acre property on North Broken Horn Road north of Boise in 2015 to ostensibly provide the victim with assistance with her ranch and horses in exchange for free rent, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release. James Dougherty was the son of a family friend of the victims, the plea deal noted.

The couple began intentionally isolating Douglass, removing her means of transportation and communication.

Later that year, Douglass health declined, and James Dougherty gained control of the victims finances, including being named as the victims power of attorney for finances, the Justice Department said.

After Douglass was hospitalized, the couple would not allow her to return to the ranch. Instead, she lived at Jessicas mothers home, where she did not receive adequate medical assistance, according to Corey McCool, Douglass attorney, who specializes in representing older adults.

The Doughertys began taking money from Douglass accounts without her knowledge. They used the money to rehabilitate their credit until they qualified for a mortgage for the ranch, according to court records.

The U.S. Attorneys Office said the couple sold the ranch, which was never publicly listed for sale, to themselves without the victims consent. They bought it for $96,085, which was just enough to clear the existing debt on the ranch, according to court documents. The Ada County Assessors Office valued it at more than twice that amount.

Douglass, now 81, gave an impact statement in court Wednesday morning at the James A. McClure Federal Building. She described how the Doughertys took not only her assets, bank accounts and a second mortgage in her name, but also stole some of the contents of her house, including personal items and family heirlooms.

Douglass said she had hoped to spend her retirement years at her beloved ranch, surrounded by the horses she loved. But the property damage and years of trash left by the Doughertys has made that impossible, according to Douglass.

They destroyed my ranch and my home and made it unlivable at this time, Douglass said. I no longer have the financial means to clean the property enough to make it livable and a healthy living environment. The Doughertys have destroyed my life.

Most distressing to Douglass was their treatment of her horses, she said. Court documents said the couple provided inadequate health care to them.

My last mare, a Tennessee Walking mare, they just unlocked the gate and put her out, Douglass said. I have no idea where she is or if shes even alive at this moment.

In his own court statement, James Dougherty expressed remorse to Douglass and her family.

The pain and hardship they have endured because of my behavior weigh heavily on me, James said. When I embarked on this course, I never foresaw the damage.

Justice Department urges vigilance when it comes to elder abuse

Idaho U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit said older adults are often targets in fraud cases, partly because they are more likely to be dealing with health or mental capacity issues, but also because they are more likely to have assets than younger people.

In this case, for example, the victim had worked and had a really great career as a public servant, working as a teacher, Hurwit said. She had a lovely property that these criminals targeted her for.

Community and connection are the best ways to prevent elder abuse, according to Hurwit. He noted that Douglass case drew the Justice Departments attention only after a worried friend contacted the Ada County Sheriffs Office. A concerned eye doctor helped Douglass obtain a cellphone, and Douglass found out her ranch had been sold only after a neighbor drove her there when the Doughertys refused, her attorney said.

If you know someone who may be isolated or may be having a change in life circumstances or health circumstances as they age, check in with them, Hurwit said. They need those connections. Not everyone needs to have someone looking over their shoulder for financial transactions, necessarily, but it really helps to check in and ask questions.

Douglass case was prosecuted as part of the U.S. Department of Justices Elder Justice Initiative, which was launched after the bipartisan Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act was signed into law in 2017. The law and initiative were put in place to increase the federal governments focus on preventing elder abuse and exploitation, according to the Justice Departments website.

Elder abuse is a growing problem in our society, McCool said. I want to be clear that taking care of our elders is difficult. It, frankly, is no easy task. It requires diligence, dedication, and hard work. Ms. Douglass may have been difficult to take care of, but it did not give license to steal from her or to take years away from her at her ranch, which she loved the most.

Those wanting to report elder abuse can visit justice.gov/elderjustice/roadmap or call the victim hotline at 1-855-484-2846.
Being managed out at work is a type of bullying. This is what to do about it, according to a lawyer.

Anti-bullying lawyer Stefanie Costi shared how you know you are being managed out of your job. Mel V.

Workplace bullying erodes confidence and mental health, impacting personal and professional lives.

One subtle sign of workplace bullying is being "managed out" by your superior.

Anti-bullying lawyer Stefanie Costi shares how you know it is happening to you.

Stefanie Costi left her job as a junior lawyer at a law firm, citing PTSD.

It took her two years to talk about it, but when she finally did, her post on LinkedIn blew up.

It reached 1.2 million people, and she received more than 2,000 messages thanking her for speaking out.

"So I knew that it was universal across all different industries," Costi told Business Insider.

She continued advocating and sharing more posts about how toxic dynamics manifest in the workplace, such as being "managed out" by your superior.

Now, she has 48,000 followers and a TED Talk in the works.

Workplace bullying is a critical issue, Costi said, because it impacts someone's entire life.

"When people are bullied at work, it erodes their confidence, damages their mental health, and can even spill over into their personal lives," she said. "Addressing it is essential to fostering work environments where people can thrive, innovate and feel valued, rather than being undermined and diminished."

Toxic cycles are perpetuated

According to a landmark survey in 2019 of 7,000 lawyers across 135 countries by the International Bar Association, bullying is rife in the legal profession, particularly in Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

The survey found that around one in two female and one in three male respondents said they had been bullied at work.

Costi said she thinks these toxic cycles persist because "humans are flawed."

"When you put 50 humans in a workplace, all from different walks of life, all raised very differently, all with different attitudes on things, you can't expect it to go swimmingly all the time," she said.

The problem also perpetuates if leaders ignore it because "monkey see, monkey does," Costi added.

"So if someone is saying that bullying is the way to survive and senior people are doing it, then you better believe that the young folk are going to learn how to do it too," she said. "A fish rots from the head down."

Costi said many signs of workplace bullying can be subtle, but they tend to be consistent. They can include being excluded from meetings or social gatherings after work, constantly criticized, micromanaged, or given unrealistic deadlines.

"These actions, when persistent, create a hostile environment that gradually erodes your confidence and well-being," said Costi. "If you start to feel anxious about going to work, it's a big red flag."

A workplace bully pushes people out

Another sign of bullying is the act of being managed out, which is when an employee is systematically pushed out of their role through insidious tactics  being given impossible tasks, receiving unfair performance reviews, or being excluded from key projects.

"You're being managed out of your job if everything you do is suddenly micromanaged," Costi said. "Or you're being given impossible tasks with unrealistic deadlines, or your boss doesn't give you the tools to do your job, or you are excluded from important meetings, or your achievements are constantly ignored or downplayed, or your position or similar roles are advertised externally."

The result is the employee feels "demoralized," Costi said, and questions their own competence.

"Which is precisely the outcome the bully desires," she said. "It's a manipulative strategy that slowly forces the victim to leave the organization 'voluntarily,'"

Essentially, a toxic boss will opt to push out the employees they no longer want around rather than learn to work with them.

To do this, Costi said they make the workplace miserable by never providing help or praise, dismissing achievements, and making their reports feel guilty for asking for basic things such as guidance or advice about career progression.

Costi said they also openly play favorites and move goalposts, leaving their targeted employees confused and frustrated.

"It just escalates so that those subtle signs turn into more overt signs," Costi said. "What happens is people's confidence is eroded over time, so it's like a death by a thousand cuts."

This slow drip of mistreatment over time is so damaging because it leads the victims to blame themselves. It's hard for them to vocalize anything tangible that is being done to them, so they internalize it.

It attacks "the core of who they are," Costi said, which can lead to chronic stress, anxiety, depression, and a significant loss of self-esteem.

"Over time, this toxic environment creates a sense of helplessness and hopelessness, making it hard for the person to see a way out," she said. "The psychological damage can extend far beyond the workplace, affecting relationships, sleep, and overall quality of life."

For many, the only obvious option may be to leave. Costi said this isn't the only choice people have, but it is "the healthiest one."

"Especially if the toxicity is pervasive and leadership is unresponsive," she said.

"However, before making that decision, it's crucial to document your experiences, seek support from trusted colleagues or mentors, and explore all avenues for resolution, such as HR or legal advice," Costi added.

"In some cases, standing up to the toxicity can lead to change, but it requires a great deal of courage and support," she said. "Ultimately, your mental and physical health should be the top priority."

Correction: August 27, 2024  An earlier version of this story misstated Stefanie Costi's previous job. She was a junior lawyer at a law firm, not a senior partner.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Bernie Sanders runs down litany of progressive causes in DNC speech Tuesday: Watch

Bernie Sanders spoke at the Democratic National Convention to explain why it's crucial to lay the groundwork for Vice President Kamala Harris to win the 2024 race.

Sanders reminded the Chicago crowd where the nation was when former President Donald Trump when left office.

"We were in the midst of the worst public health crisis in 100 years and the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. 3000 Americans were dying every day and our hospitals were overwhelmed with COVID patients all across the country," Sanders said.

He praised President Joe Biden's ability for the U.S. passing the American rescue plan, providing $1,400 for every man, woman and child in the working class, among other accomplishments.

"Now I say all of this not to relive that difficult moment, but to make one simple point, when the political will is there government can effectively deliver for the people of our country," he added.

Watch Sen. Bernie Sanders' full DNC convention speech here

What to know about Bernie Sanders

Who is he? Sanders is a senior U.S. senator from Vermont serving his third term after winning reelection in 2018.

What role he plays: Sanders is a guest speaker at the Democratic National Convention.

Key quote: "This is not a radical agenda. But let me tell you what a radical agenda is: And that is Trump's Project 2025."

Sanders calls Harris economic plan an 'excellent start'

Speaking with USA TODAY on Day 1 of DNC, Sanders said he was "impressed" by Harris' economic plan, which includes easing rent increases, capping prescription drug prices.

Announced last week, the plan seeks to end grocery price gouging, boost first-time homebuyers and bolster the child tax credit.

However, Sanders said he looks forward to seeing the details fleshed out adding that "we still have a long way to go, but I think it's an excellent start." He said Harris' plan to add 3 million housing units is crucial in addressing the house shortage crisis.

"I hope that the day will come soon under a President Harris, where we're not going to pay any more than other countries, which means lowering prescription drug costs in half," Sanders told USA TODAY on Monday.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) takes the stage on the Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois on August 20, 2024.

Sanders critical of Biden's support to Israel

Sanders has not always supported everything the Biden-Harris administration since its term began in 2021. While considering himself a strong supporter of what the administration has done on domestic disputes, Sanders said is not onboard with the president's support to Israel.

"On this issue, I think the president is wrong. Israel had a right to defend itself against this horrible Hamas terrorist attack, but they did not have the right to go to war against the entire Palestinian people, killing 30,000, mostly women, children and elderly," he said.

The U.S. has supported Israel under Biden's admiration as it has prosecuted a war in the Gaza Strip since militant group Hamas' Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel.

"And now creating a situation where tens and tens of thousands of children face starvation because Israel's not letting humanitarian aid come through. So I believe that we should not be giving another nickel to Netanyahu's right-wing extremist government," Sanders added.

When and where is the DNC?

The convention will air live on its website, from the United Center in Chicago between 6:15 p.m. and 11 p.m. Eastern (5:15 p.m. to 10 p.m Central) on Monday, and 7 p.m to 11 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Central) the other days.

USA TODAY will provide livestream coverage on YouTube each night of the DNC, Monday through Thursday.

What are the themes for each night of the DNC?

The DNC announced nightly themes for the convention. The title of the convention is "For the People, For Our Future."

Here are the themes for each night:

Monday: "For the People"

Tuesday: "A Bold Vision for America's Future"

Wednesday: "A Fight for our Freedoms"

Thursday: "For our Future"

Contributing: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bernie Sanders' DNC convention speech had Democrats' greatest hits
In our In the Spotlight stories, Herald-Leader journalists bring you continuing coverage of news and events important to our Central Kentucky community. Read more. Story idea? hlcityregion@herald-leader.com.

Recent allegations of sexual harassment made against Rep. Daniel Grossberg have triggered calls for his immediate resignation from some Democrats across Kentucky, but not Gov. Andy Beshear.

The allegations are very concerning, the governor said in a Wednesday statement to the Herald-Leader. Everyone should feel safe and be free from harassment in all forms.

Beshear endorsed Grossberg during the Louisville Democrats 2024 primary race. He is running unopposed in November, seeking reelection to Kentuckys 30th House District.

Allegations against the 45-year-old Grossberg detailed in Herald-Leader reporting from Tuesday included accounts from three more young women involved in state politics.

One recounted an incident in Grossbergs office where he consumed several alcoholic drinks and began to ask her sex-related questions, including about her sex life and genitals, and told her it was a shame she didnt like men.

Others shared messages from the past two years that they described as harassing, unwanted or threatening. Grossberg wrote I love you to one woman on multiple occasions, and told another that if she were to find out his pornography preferences, she would never forgive him.

The Herald-Leader published its initial story July 30 with references to three woman who said theyd been sexually harassed by or received unwanted, late-night texts from Grossberg. They have described them as creepy.

In total, the Herald-Leader has corroborated dozens of texts and social media direct messages from Grossberg and published the accounts of six women.

Several of the women are actively involved in Frankforts political scene.

Even before Tuesdays story published, both the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission and the Legislative Research Commission, the administrative arm of the state legislature, had been investigating Grossberg. He has been removed from certain legislative committees, suspended from the House Democratic caucus and removed him from his office space.

Grossberg has consistently denied any allegations of sexual harassment or abuse of office, but apologized Monday evening to anyone who felt uncomfortable because of something I said or wrote. His attorney has stated that Grossberg has a neurodivergent diagnosis, placing him on the autism spectrum.

Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, another important voice in the party, said Wednesday morning she was infuriated by the reporting, but like Beshear, stopped short of calling for his ouster.

It is infuriating to me that women are still being subjected to the kinds of harassment that has been reported. It is incumbent upon leaders to hold themselves to the highest of standards. I join others in condemning harassment and abuse against women in all forms, Coleman wrote.

Im honored to have the enthusiastic endorsement of @GovAndyBeshear . Weve fought hard together on behalf of the people of Kentucky and I look forward to continuing that work. Remember, early voting starts today! pic.twitter.com/jzKK9Rkdse  Rep. Daniel Grossberg (@grossberg4ky) May 16, 2024

Grossberg won by a narrow 50-vote margin against fellow Democrat Mitra Subedi, a political newcomer, in May of this year.

No Republican filed to run for the deep blue Louisville district, so Grossberg is unopposed in Novembers general election.

Grossberg, first elected in 2022 after beating longtime incumbent Tom Burch for the House District 30 seat, is also a member of the Kentucky Antisemitism Task Force, established by Beshear last year in the wake of antisemitic incidents across the country.

Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge released a statement on the matter Tuesday, saying the allegations laid out in the Herald-Leaders reporting raise serious concerns.

Every Kentuckian deserves to both be and feel safe without fear of harassment. The dignity of all is a bedrock value of our party  those elected under its banner should understand this value is nonnegotiable, he said.

The Louisville Democratic Party posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, it finds the allegations in the recently posted story extremely disturbing.

We unequivocally condemn any form of sexual harassment and take allegations of this nature with the utmost seriousness, party officials wrote. The Louisville Democratic Party is committed to creating a safe space for everyone, and as such, we must support the continued caucus suspension of Representative Grossberg as the (Legislative Research Commission) completes its investigation.

Republican leadership has not rebuked the allegations, citing the ongoing investigation into his conduct.

A spokesperson for Republican House leadership said, Were not going to comment on an ongoing ethics investigation, but continue to monitor it.

Who has called on Grossberg to resign?

Others involved in party politics have called on Grossberg to step down.

The Kentucky Young Democrats, a political organization supporting party politicians and activists under the age of 40, called for his resignation on Aug. 1, little more than a day after the Herald-Leader published its first story on the matter.

The group cited the Herald-Leaders reporting in their call for Grossberg to resign, adding that its members had internally reported more instances of alleged harassment by Grossberg.

Randy Cravens, the Democrat running against U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, R-KY, in the Republican-leaning Sixth Congressional District, said he must resign.

I trust the (Herald-Leader) in their reporting, and respect the bravery of those who have come forward. Rep. Grossberg will get his day in court or before the appropriate body to argue his case. That is his right. But now, for his constituents, he must resign, Cravens wrote on X.

Robert Kahne, a delegate to the Democratic National Convention and co-host of the Democratic show My Old Kentucky Podcast, and Jason Perkey, a Democratic operative who led state parties in Kansas and South Carolina, both called on Grossberg to resign.

Perkey, who spoke with the lawmaker after the initial reporting on an investigation into his behavior, said he believes its in Grossbergs best interest to resign.

I spoke with Daniel about this two weeks ago, Perkey wrote in a post to Facebook. I believe he was contrite in his response to me and that hes taking the reports of how he made these women feel seriously.

I also believe Daniel needs to do the right thing today and step down from his position as a state representative and focus on himself. Its the right thing to do in response to the reprehensible stories we are hearing and learning from all of these women who have had the courage to come forward.
Portraits of all five of the Utah Supreme Court's justices hang outside the court's chambers at the Scott M. Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City on Aug. 9, 2024. (Katie McKellar / Utah News Dispatch)

As Utah lawmakers gear up for a special session on Wednesday to consider asking Utah voters to sidestep a recent Utah Supreme Court ruling on ballot initiatives that angered Republicans, the group that sought the ballot initiative at the heart of the court case is urging Utahs leaders to respect the judicial branchs decision.

Better Boundaries  the anti-gerrymandering group that successfully sought a ballot initiative that voters approved to create an independent commission to create maps in Utahs redistricting process  on Tuesday sent a letter to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Senate President Stuart Adams, and Speaker Mike Schultz expressing deep concern about the special session.

We urge you to respect the Courts unanimous decision and the constitutional rights it upholds, the letter states. Rather than rushing to amend our constitution, we call on you to embrace this ruling as an opportunity to strengthen our democratic processes, and encourage you to work collaboratively with citizens and grassroots organizations through existing channels, and to focus on improving governmental transparency and accountability, which will reduce the need for citizen initiatives.

More than 2,500 people had signed onto the letter in less than 48 hours, according to Better Boundaries. The signees included more than a dozen current or former Republican delegates and party leaders, as well as Christine Durham, former chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court.

Along with signatures from Democratic organizations and individuals, the letter also included signatures from local organizations that have a bipartisan track record, including Mormon Women for Ethical Government, among others.

Utahs Republican-supermajority Legislature is expected to consider placing a constitutional amendment on the Nov. 5 ballot to make clear in the Utah Constitution that lawmakers can repeal and replace voter initiatives that seek to reform government  at odds with the Utah Supreme Courts unanimous opinion issued last month, which affirmed that while the Legislature can alter the implementation of ballot initiatives, it cant fundamentally undermine them.

Adams and Schultz argue the proposed amendment wouldnt change the current initiative process, but rather restore the over 100-year-old effect of citizen initiatives. The day of the Utah Supreme Courts ruling, the Senate president and House speaker issued a scathing statement calling it one of the worst outcomes to ever come out of the Utah Supreme Court. They said the ruling effectively made a new law about the initiative power, creating chaos and striking at the very heart of our Republic.

The Utah Supreme Courts recent decision (upended) over 100 years of representative democracy in Utah without the voice of the people, leaving the state vulnerable to laws advanced by foreign interests through ballot propositions that citizens cannot amend through elected representatives, states a special session proclamation issued by Schultz and Adams on Monday.

The Utah Supreme Court rarely issues public statements outside of their written opinions. In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for the court said it didnt plan to issue one in this case.

Why are lawmakers at odds with the Utah Supreme Court?

The unanimous Utah Supreme Court opinion thats causing such a stir came on July 11. It remanded a lawsuit over Utahs redistricting process back to district court.

All five of Utahs justices ruled that a district court erred when it dismissed a claim that the Utah Legislature violated the Utah Constitution in 2021 when it repealed and replaced Better Boundaries voter-approved initiative that would have enacted an independent commission to draw Utahs new political districts in its redistricting process. That litigation now continues.

Leading up to Mondays special session call, the Utah Republican Party and dozens of other signees, as well as the conservative think tank Sutherland Institute, both issued letters urging Utah lawmakers to correct the Utah Supreme Courts ruling, expressing concerns that the opinion effectively allowed ballot initiatives to become super laws that cant be changed by the Legislature.

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Its worth noting that thats not necessarily what the Utah Supreme Court ruling said, though it does leave a question over how other ballot initiatives could be litigated. The courts opinion was targeted at initiatives specifically dealing with government reform, and it makes clear the Legislatures powers to amend government-reform initiatives have limits  but it doesnt say the Legislature cant amend all government-reform initiatives.

Although the Legislature has authority to amend or repeal statutes, it is well settled that legislative action cannot unduly infringe or restrain the exercise of constitutional rights. Consequently, when Utahns exercise their right to reform the government through an initiative, this limits the Legislatures authority to amend or repeal the initiative, the opinion states. This does not mean that the Legislature cannot amend a government-reform initiative at all. Rather, legislative changes that facilitate or support the reform, or at least do not impair the reform enacted by the people, would not implicate the peoples rights under the Alter or Reform Clause.

The opinion also says legislative changes that do impair the reforms enacted by the people could also survive a constitutional challenge, if the Legislature shows that they were narrowly tailored to advance a compelling government interest.

What will the proposed constitutional amendment, other special session legislation do?

The legislative language for the proposed constitutional amendment was not yet made public as of Tuesday afternoon, so its not yet clear exactly what it will say. But the special session proclamation said lawmakers would consider legislation to propose a constitutional amendment that restores the traditional effect of citizen initiatives and referenda on Utah laws by ensuring that voters, their elected representatives, and local bodies retain the ability to amend or repeal legislation.

That constitutional amendment, according to the special session proclamation, would also include another prong  one that protects the initiative and referendum process from foreign funding interference.

To sweeten the deal for voters, lawmakers are also set to consider SB4003, legislation that would be contingent on the passage of the constitutional amendment. The bill could make it slightly easier to successfully place a voter referendum (a petition to refer an existing law to voters for approval or rejection) on the ballot by increasing the window of time referendum sponsors can gather signatures, extending it from 40 days to 60 days.

Additionally, Utah lawmakers will consider SB4002, legislation to make changes to the administration of the 2024 general election only to the extent necessary to accommodate placing the proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot, according to the special season proclamation.

In Tuesdays letter, Better Boundaries defended the Utah Supreme Courts unanimous decision as one that upholds fundamental democratic principles essential to our states governance, affirming that our government is truly for the people, by the people.

The ability for citizens to form our government is a cornerstone of our democracy, providing a crucial check on legislative power and ensuring that the voice of the people remains central to our governance, the letter states. Attempts to circumvent this ruling through hasty constitutional amendments would severely undermine the balance of power between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches that our founders wisely established.

Democrats frustration

Utah Democratic Party Chair Diane Lewis issued a statement Tuesday accusing Utahs Republican supermajority of going to extreme lengths to seize power for themselves because they know that Utah is changing.

As the fastest growing state and the youngest state in The Union, Utah is positioned to become a swing state in a decade  but rather than allow the voters to decide Utahs future for themselves, power-hungry politicians are dead-set on propping themselves up, Lewis said.

The timing of the special session also came at a frustrating time for Democrats, House Minority Leader Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, told Utah News Dispatch on Tuesday, calling from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Im a little frustrated because this is a special time for Democrats in Utah, said Romero, who wont be able to attend Wednesdays special session in person because she was attending the DNC. She expected to tune in to the special session remotely and vote from the convention, however. Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, who is also running as the Democratic candidate for governor, was also in Chicago, but flew back to Salt Lake to attend the special session in person.

Romero also expressed frustration at not having access to the proposed constitutional amendments language yet. If the amendment makes it to the Nov. 5 ballot, Romero called on Utahns to vote it down as one that would grant more power to Utahs legislative branch and reduce voter initiative power.

To Republican legislative leaders arguments that the constitutional amendment will restore the traditional effect of ballot initiatives before the Utah Supreme Courts ruling, Romero said she disagreed with that interpretation.

Its easy to wordsmith something, but theres a reason why the Utah Supreme Court made the ruling they did, she said. I dont see the ruling from the Supreme Court as problematic. I think it was a wake up call for us saying, Hey, theres a reason why we have these checks and balances and how do we move forward as a state?

2024_08_19_Better_Boundaries_Letter_Responses

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated Rep. Brian King wouldnt be able to attend the special session in person. He flew back from Chicago to Salt Lake to be there on Wednesday.

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(NEXSTAR)  Steve Benjamin was on the call with President Joe Biden and other advisors when the president announced he would not seek re-election. In an interview with Nexstar this week from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Benjamin, assistant and senior advisor to President, expressed admiration for Bidens decision and little surprise that Vice President Kamala Harris has captured the hearts of most of the Democratic party as its presidential nominee.

I see it as incredible validation of the successes of the Biden-Harris Administration, Benjamin told Nexstar on Wednesday. The Presidents most important decision was Who indeed would follow him? Who would be his partner? He picked Kamala Harris and I believe what we see  its excitement about a new generation of leadership.

Pelosi, who helped push Biden out, to take DNC stage

Benjamin pointed to the administrations various accomplishments, including the American Rescue Plan, which he credits with employment growth, small business survival and health aid for Americans throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The excitement about the agenda has always been there, said Benjamin. But the excitement were seeing now is just about what the Vice President represents. Were talking about someone who has spent her life fighting for the people  literally I think people are gravitating towards her message and this amazing governor, Tim Walz. Folks are fired up. This pivot: In a months time, this convention was re-engineered around this new generation of leadership. As you all can tell, [the energy], its electric.

Benjamin said that the excitement for Harris and Walz has crossed party lines in unexpected but surprising ways.

I think in the last few days weve seen more Republicans on stage than Democrats, Benjamin told Nexstar. [The campaign is doing] amazing bipartisan outreach. Talking to Independent voters and Republican voters Im talking to people who say, Thats not my Republican party. We need folks to bring us together.'

A new COVID vaccine is coming soon  but will it still be free?

Benjamin, 54, previously served as the mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, from April 2010 through December 2021. Pres. Biden announced Benjamins appointment in February 2023, with Biden calling Benjamin a longtime public servant who would serve our administration and the American public well.

With just 75 days until Election Day, the Harris-Walz campaign is capitalizing on momentum and pushing into overdrive. Benjamin says in just the last week, the campaign made about 900,000 phone calls and 150,000 door-to-door canvassing visits.

The outreach all across the country, in all 50 states  this is real, said Benjamin on Wednesday. This is real. There are places that were not in play just a few weeks ago that are very much in play 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 Queen City News.
President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday about efforts to secure a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas and broader efforts to lower tensions in the region.

Vice President Harris also joined the call, the White House said.

The President and the Prime Minister discussed active and ongoing U.S. efforts to support Israels defense against all threats from Iran, including its proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, to include ongoing defensive U.S. military deployments, the White House said in a readout of the call.

The President stressed the urgency of bringing the ceasefire and hostage release deal to closure and discussed upcoming talks in Cairo to remove any remaining obstacles.

The call comes as Netanyahu has reportedly frustrated efforts by the Biden administration to conclude a cease-fire deal, with the Israeli leader backtracking on promises to draw down Israels military presence along the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

Axios reported that Biden was expected to press Netanyahu on being more flexible on security arrangements along the Philadelphi corridor, a narrow strip of land running about 9 miles north to south between Egypt and Gaza and a main area of Hamass underground smuggling operations to bring weapons and supplies into Gaza.

Netanyahu had reportedly told a group of families of hostages that Israeli forces would not leave the Philadelphi corridor or the Netzarim corridor, an east-west corridor dividing the north of Gaza from the south.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Netanyahu for three hours Monday and emerged saying Netanyahu had agreed to a U.S.-led proposal to close gaps between Israel and Hamas on the deal. Blinken put the onus on Hamas to accept the proposal.

The agreement is very clear on the schedule and the locations of [Israeli military] withdrawals from Gaza, and Israel has agreed to that, Blinken said Tuesday night in remarks from Qatar.

I can just speak to what I heard from [Netanyahu] directly yesterday when we spent three hours together, including, again, Israels endorsement of the bridging proposal and thus the  the detailed plan. And that plan, among other things, as I said, includes a very clear schedule and locations for withdrawals.

Israel has destroyed 150 tunnels in the area of the Philadelphi corridor and Rafah, the southern Gazan city that has a crossing with Egypt, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Wednesday when visiting the area. He said that the Israel Defense Forces had destroyed Hamass Rafah brigade.

Israels military has signaled openness to withdrawing its ground forces, while maintaining security surveillance and freedom to conduct military operations if necessary.

Israeli forces would withdraw from populated areas of the Gaza Strip as part of a first phase of the cease-fire deal laid out by Biden at the end of May and endorsed by the United Nations Security Council.

The first phase of the deal would begin with a six-week truce to allow for Hamas to release hostages it kidnapped from Israel during its terrorist attack on Oct. 7, and for a scale-up of humanitarian aid deliveries to Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Israel is also expected to release Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails as part of the exchange for the hostages.

The administration is pushing for the cease-fire as the best way to lower the temperature in the volatile Middle East, with Iran threatening a retaliation against Israel for its alleged role in the July 31 assassination of a top Hamas political leader in a guesthouse in Tehran.

The administration is pushing to conclude final talks of the cease-fire by the end of the week.

Time is of the essence, Blinken said in Doha.

This needs to get done and it needs to get done in the days ahead, and we will do everything possible to get it across the finish line.

Updated: 5:57 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.
By Klaus Lauer

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will on Thursday visit shipbuilder Meyer Werft, raising union hopes for government support for the company which is battling to fill a 2.7 billion euro ($3 billion) hole in its finances.

Meyer Werft, one of the world's biggest cruise ship builders, builds around two ships annually at a cost of at least 1.5 billion euros each, and recently booked an order from U.S. entertainment group Disney.

The company pre-finances the construction of its luxury liners because customers generally pay for the bulk of the order on delivery. Yet following a near-collapse in orders during the pandemic, the company finds itself struggling to bridge a gap in its finances.

"We expect the chancellor to bring good news with him," Thomas Gelder of the IG Metall union told Reuters. "It's a very positive sign for the workforce and the region, and also a sign of appreciation that Mr Scholz is coming."

The state premier and the economy minister of Lower Saxony, home of the shipbuilder in Papenburg where the more than 200-year-old company is based, will also attend for a works council meeting, Meyer Werft said in a statement on Wednesday.

A press conference is planned after the meeting with Scholz, first reported by the Handelsblatt business daily.

Meyer Werft needs 2.3 billion euros in working capital and 400 million euros in equity to cover past losses and restructuring costs, according to its restructuring chief.

The German economy ministry said on July 3 that the government was looking into possible state support for Meyer Werft, which also plans hundreds of job cuts as part of its survival plan.

"In principle, there is a basic agreement that everyone wants to help the shipyard," said a company spokesperson. "But there are still many aspects that remain unresolved."

($1 = 0.8987 euros)

(Reporting by Klaus Lauer in Berlin; Writing by Rachel More; Editing by Kirsti Knolle and David Holmes)
Belton, Tx (FOX 44)  Belton area residents will get a look at a plan to improve and widen a section of FM-93 in a public meeting in Belton on Thursday evening.

At the meeting, representatives of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will share information and hear input from those who might be affected.

The proposed project would reconstruct the existing FM-93 corridor from Wheat Road to State Highway 317 in Bell County. The area from Wheat Road to Mitchell Street would see a widening of FM-93 from the current two undivided lanes to four divided lanes with a raised median. Then from Mitchell Street to State Highway 317, FM-93 would be widened to three lanes, with one lane in each direction and a left-turn lane in the middle.

A shared-use path would be added along one side of the roadway and a sidewalk along the other side of the roadway throughout the entire corridor.

The in-person public meeting will be held on Thursday, August 22, 2024, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Harris Community Center, located at 401 N. Alexander Street. Displays will be available for viewing beginning at 5 p.m. A formal presentation is not planned for this public meeting, and community members are invited to come and go at their convenience. In-person attendees will be able to view the same presentation delivered in a virtual public meeting and will have the opportunity to ask questions of TxDOT staff and consultants, and leave written comments.

The virtual meeting will begin on Thursday at 5 p.m. To access the virtual public meeting, you can go here. The virtual meeting will consist of a pre-recorded video presentation including audio and visual components, informational display boards shown at the in-person meeting and the opportunity to provide feedback.

Comments may be submitted using any of the following methods:

IN-PERSON: at the public meeting via comment form

EMAIL here

MAIL: Nancy Ledbetter & Associates, Attn: FM 93, P.O. Box 14622, Austin, TX 78761

ONLINE 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 KWKT - FOX 44.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz accepts the Democratic vice presidential nomination during the third night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday, as he touted his achievements that include "protecting reproductive freedom." Photo by David Banks/UPI

Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accepted the vice presidential nomination Wednesday following addresses by former President Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey on night three of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where John Legend and Sheila E. performed Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" before Walz took the stage.

Gov. Walz, who appeared emotional at the crowd waving "Coach Walz" signs, thanked Kamala Harris and Joe Biden for "four years of strong, historic leadership."

"It's the honor of my life to accept your nomination for vice president of the United States," the former high school football coach said. "Thank you for your determination and thank you for bringing the joy to this fight."

Walz spent much of his speech on his upbringing, his favorite job and winning a state championship.

"Eventually, like the rest of my family, I fell in love with teaching," he said. "I wound up teaching social studies and coaching football."

Democratic vice presidential nominee, and former football coach, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accepts the Democratic vice presidential nomination Wednesday at the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Walz' keynote address included a football "pep talk" as he called Democrats "the right team driving down the field." Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI

"It was those players and students who inspired me to run for Congress. They saw in me what I had hoped to instill in them: a commitment to the common good and an understanding that we are all in this together," Walz said, adding, "Never underestimate a public school teacher!"

"I represented my neighbors in Congress for 12 years," Walz went on. "I learned how to work across the aisle on issues like growing the rural economies and taking care of veterans. And I learned how to compromise without compromising my values."

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz is joined by his family after delivering remarks during the third day of the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday. The theme for the third day is "A Fight for Our Freedoms". Photo by David Banks/UPI

"Then I came back to work as governor," Walz added, as he touted his state's accomplishments including cutting taxes for the middle class, paid family medical leave, fighting crime, while guaranteeing breakfast and lunch for every child in the state.

"While other states were banning books from their schools, we were banishing hunger from ours," Walz shouted to the roaring crowd.

Entertainer and author Oprah Winfrey urges Americans to "vote for common sense" during her speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The theme for day three is "A Fight for Our Freedoms". Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI

"We also protected reproductive freedom, because in Minnesota we respect our neighbors and the personal choices they make. And even if we wouldn't make those same choices for ourselves, we have a golden rule: 'Mind your own damn business!'" Walz said, adding that includes IVF and fertility treatments, which became a personal choice he and his wife when they decided to have children.

Walz also talked about guns, saying he is a "veteran and a hunter," while claiming "I'm a better shot than any Republican in Congress and I've got the trophies to prove it," as he demanded all children have the "freedom to go to school without the fear of getting shot."

American host and television producer Oprah Winfrey arrives to deliver remarks during the third day of the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday. Photo by David Banks/UPI....

"I believe in the Second Amendment, but I also believe our first responsibility is to keep our kids safe," Walz said.

Walz called former President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance "weird" and "dangerous."

Former President Bill Clinton praises President Joe Biden and attacks former President Donald Trump on the third night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI

"Leaders don't spend all day insulting people and blaming others. Leaders do the work," Walz said. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready to turn the page on these guys."

Walz then launched into what Kamala Harris would do as the next president.

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, praises Kamala Harris for "winning difficult elections" Wednesday at the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The theme for day three is "A Fight for Our Freedoms". Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI

"Kamala Harris is going to stand up and fight for freedom to live the life that you want to lead. Because that's what we want for ourselves and what we want for our neighbors," Walz said, as he wrapped up his speech with a "pep talk."

"It's the fourth quarter. We're down a field goal, but we're on offense and we've got the ball. We're driving down the field and boy do we have the right team. Kamala Harris is tough. Kamala Harris is experienced and Kamala Harris is ready," Walz said as he urged the crowd to "get in the trenches and do the blocking and tackling."

Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro told the crowd "our freedoms are on the line" this election in his speech Wednesday at the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI

"They'll be time to sleep when you're dead. We're going to leave it on the field!"

Walz spoke shortly after Oprah Winfrey, who fired up the crowd with a surprise appearance.

American singer-songwriter John Legend performs with Sheila E. at the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. The theme for day three is "A Fight for Our Freedoms". Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI

"We're so fired up, we can't wait to leave here and do something!" Winfrey said. "And what we're going to do is elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States."

"There are people who want to scare you, who want to rule you, people who have you believe that books are dangerous and assault rifles are safe. That there's a right way to worship and a wrong way to love," Oprah said. "People who seek first to divide and then to conquer."

American singer-songwriter Sheila E. performs with John Legend at the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. The theme for day three is "A Fight for Our Freedoms". Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI

"Here's the thing, when we stand together, it is impossible to conquer us," she added. "We are not so different from our neighbors.

"When a house is on fire, we don't ask about the homeowner's race or religion. We don't wonder who their partner is or how they voted," she said. "No! We just try to do the best we can to save them. And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady," Winfrey said in reference to a Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance quote, "we try to get that cat out, too."

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks at the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday, accusing the Republican party of "doubling down on negativity and grievance." Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI

"Because we are a country of people who work hard for the money, we wish our brothers and sisters well and we pray for peace," Winfrey said as she turned to abortion and reproductive rights.

"If you do not have autonomy over this," she said as she pointed to her body, "If you cannot control how and when you choose to bring your children into this world and how they are raised and supported, there is no American dream."

Sen. Cory Booker, D-NJ, waves after opening day three of the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday. The theme for day three is "A Fight for Our Freedoms." Photo by David Banks/UPI

Winfrey called Kamala Harris and her path to the White House, "the best of America," as she called on independents and undecideds to "vote their values" and "choose common sense over nonsense."

Former President Bill Clinton, who turned 78 two days ago and said "I'm still younger than Donald Trump," started his 13th speech to the Democratic convention Wednesday night by thanking President Joe Biden for his service.

American singer-songwriter and musician Stevie Wonder performs his hit "People" at the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday. Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI

"Remember, he had an improbable turn that made him president and we were in the middle of a pandemic and an economic crisis. He healed our sick and put the rest of us back to work. Then he did something that's very hard for a politician to do. He gave up political power," Clinton added. "It will enhance Joe Biden's legacy."

"Will this president take us backward or forward?" Clinton said he asks himself before every election. "Will the president increase the peace, stability and freedom that we have enjoyed?"

House of Representatives Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries urges House Democrats to take back the majority and called on America "to not get back together with Donald Trump" during his speech Wednesday at the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI

"In 2024, we have a pretty clear choice: Kamala Harris for the people or the other guy who's proved more than the first time around he's about me, myself and I," Clinton added.

"Not a single day goes by, even though I've been gone for well over 23 years from the White House, that I don't thank the Lord for the chance I had to serve and what it meant," Clinton said to loud cheers, before returning to Trump.

Rachel Goldberg, mother of Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, breaks down as she speaks with her husband Jon Polin at the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday. The theme for day three is "A Fight for Our Freedoms". Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI

"Do you want to build a strong economy from the bottom up and the middle out? Or do you want to spend the next four years talking about crowd size."

Clinton said one "reason President-to-be Harris is doing so well is that we're all so happy," before warning, "We've seen more than one election slip away from us when we thought it couldn't happen," he said. "This is a brutal tough business."

A photo of Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin is displayed as his parents Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin speak at the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday. Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also thanked Biden and commended Harris for "winning difficult elections."

"Officially, she is a leader of strength and wisdom and eloquence on policy most recently demonstrated with a woman's right to choose," Pelosi said. "Politically, she is astute and strategic in winning difficult elections, quickly securing this nomination with dignity and grace and choosing Tim Walz as our vice president."

Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss., condemns the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot during Wednesday's speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The theme for day three is "A Fight for Our Freedoms". Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI

"He united Democrats, Republicans and Independents to turn a red district blue. He showed courage when he came to Congress and voted for the Affordable Care Act, meeting the needs of his constituents," Pelosi said, before turning on Trump.

"January 6th was a perilous moment for our democracy. Never before had a president of the United States so brazenly assaulted the bedrock of our democracy, so lethally embraced political violence, so willfully betrayed his oath of office. Let us not forget who assaulted democracy on January 6th. He did!" Pelosi shouted. "But let us not forget who saved democracy that day. We did!"

American comedian and actor Kenan Thompson talks about Project 2025, which former President Donald Trump has disavowed, during the third day of the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by David Banks/UPI

"We must choose leaders who believe in free and fair elections and who respect the peace transfer of power," Pelosi added. "The choice couldn't be clearer."

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who had been on Harris' short-list of vice presidential running mates, said during his speech that the vice president "has spent her entire career making progress. Donald Trump, a man with no guardrails, wants to take away our rights and our freedoms while he cloaks himself in the blanket of freedom, what he's offering is not freedom at all."

American singer-songwriter Maren Morris performs Wednesday at the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The theme for day three is "A Fight for Our Freedoms". Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI

"It's not freedom to tell our children what books they're allowed to read. It's not freedom to tell women what they can do with their bodies. It sure as hell isn't freedom to say you can go vote, but he gets to pick the winner," Shapiro said.

"Democrats, we are the party of real freedom that comes when a child has a great public school, that comes when we invest in the police and the community," Shapiro added. "Kamala's and Tim's names may be on the ballot, but it's your rights, it's our rights, it's our future and freedoms that are on the line."

A delegate from Wyoming holds a sign during the third day of the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Wednesday. The theme for the third day is "A Fight for Our Freedoms." Photo by Matt Marton/UPI

The convention's third night featured an appearance by singer Stevie Wonder, who called for "joy over anger" and "peace over war" before performing his hit "People."

"This year I prayed very hard for peace to come to our world's nations," Wonder told the crowd. "As we stand between history's pain and tomorrow's promise, we must choose courage. It is time to get up and go vote!"

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., opened the third night of the convention with a tribute to Rep. Bill Pascrell -- a longtime New Jersey Democrat -- who died Wednesday morning at the age of 87. Booker called Pascrell a "Jersey legend" who "fought for the people."

The parents of an Israeli-American, being held hostage in Gaza, took the stage to plead for the release of all 109 hostages.

"You kept us breathing in a world without air," Jon Polin, whose 23-year-old son Hersh Goldberg-Polin is one of the hostages, said as he thanked both Democrats and Republicans for their support.

"Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you. Stay strong. Survive," his mother, Rachel Goldberg, said. "Bring them home."

Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, who served as chair of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, took the stage after a video played showing the attack.

"This is Donald Trump's America," Thompson warned, as he urged Americans to support Kamala Harris.

Prior to the evening's events, the DNC hosted several other micro events.

A daylong "DemPalooza" was held to help organize election activities across the ballot for the general election on Nov. 5.

Separate labor, small business and LGBTQ+ meetings took place in the afternoon.

Other meetings included a global strategy group meeting to discuss climate, a discussion of Project 2025 and "Winning the Narrative on Safety, Accountability and Justice.

Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to accept the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday, when she takes the stage to address the convention on its fourth night.
CHICAGO  The last time the Democratic Party gathered for a convention at the United Center, Bill Clinton accepted the nomination in 1996 for his reelection bid.

Nearly 30 years later, the former president, 78, will take the stage in the same arena Wednesday night to make the case for Vice President Harris.

Sources familiar with the speech  his 12th consecutive address to a Democratic convention  say it will be hopeful and aspirational, on the heels of what has been a tumultuous time for the party following President Bidens withdrawal from the race.

These sources also said it will include fiery, newsworthy jabs aimed at former President Trump, and will highlight the qualities that make for a responsible, qualified commander in chief in the nations highest office. To that end, the speech is expected to highlight the striking differences in vision, experience and temperament between Harris and Trump, underscoring the vice presidents story and what her candidacy means for the nation.

The former president was still making last-minute edits to his speech Tuesday  as he typically does in big moments.

One longtime Clinton aide said the speech provides Clinton with a unique ability to reach out to swing voters in the race who voted for both Biden and Trump in the past, and who remain undecided or could choose not to vote altogether.

He can talk about the importance of the moment like few people can, said Jamal Simmons, who has worked for both Clinton and Harris.

Clinton and Harris have spoken a couple of times since the vice president became the Democratic presidential nominee, a source familiar with the conversations said.

They recently crossed paths at the funeral of former Democratic congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, of Texas. And Harris has spoken to Hillary Clinton about her own experiences as the Democratic nominee.

They dont have a long history, but I know they respect one another, said one Democratic source who knows both principals.

One source pointed out that Bill and Hillary Clinton, the former first lady and secretary of State who spoke from the convention stage Monday, endorsed Harris 19 minutes after Biden threw his support behind his vice president.

Throughout the process, the Clintons were opposed to the idea of an open convention and wanted to be as decisive as they could be as a party, sources familiar said.

Apart from Simmons, a number of aides who once worked for Clinton have also worked for Harris.

Tina Flournoy, Harriss former chief of staff, held the same role for Clinton after his presidency.

And Harriss current chief of staff, Lorraine Voles, served as a communications aide to Hillary Clinton. Both Harris and Clinton are also close to Minyon Moore, the prominent Democratic operative who is heading up the Democratic convention.

Even with a generational divide, theres a lot more overlap than people realize, a source said.

Bill Clinton has remained largely out of the spotlight in recent years, spending much of his time on an upcoming book, Citizen  which will be published after the November election  and has been planning for the Clinton Global Initiative next month.

Before Biden dropped out of the race, Bill Clinton headlined a fundraiser for the president alongside former President Obama.

During the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Clinton was dubbed the explainer in chief, focusing on economics and delivering a point-by-point explanation for why Obama should be reelected at a time when independent voters were conflicted on whether to throw their support behind him or Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R).

Since then, on the heels of the #MeToo movement, some Democrats have said Clinton isnt aligned with the evolution of the party. This week, S.E. Cupp, the longtime conservative pundit who opposes Trump, said Democrats should quit the former president.

Hillary Clinton spoke at the DNC and it was fiery. Clearly an opportunity for her to needle at Donald Trump, the guy who beat her, and I think it played. The audience obviously loved it, Cupp said on CNN. But Bill Clinton speaks, and all I have to say about that is, Why?

For a Democratic Party looking to the future, this man has not been president for more than two decades, and when he was he did things that Democrats would now revile, Cupp said, pointing to antigay legislation such as dont ask, dont tell and welfare reform.

I mean, Bill Clinton would be a Republican today, Cupp added.

But its worse than that. Its worse. Bill Clintons problematic, she said, highlighting Clintons affair with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern at the time, and other alleged extramarital affairs. Listen, Democrats: You can quit Bill Clinton. Thats allowed. Youre allowed to quit him. Isnt it time to leave him behind?

The speech Wednesday  a day after Obama delivered his address to the convention  is expected to be very different, one source familiar with Clintons speech said.

Hes not Barack Obama, one Democratic strategist said. But he offers something Obama cant provide: He has wisdom and has watched the party evolve and the players change. No one has had a better view of these changes than Bill Clinton, and his voice is more than welcome.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)  In Bill Clinton's prime-time speech at the Democratic National Convention in 1988, the young governor of Arkansas bored delegates so thoroughly that they cheered when he said, in closing... Many years later, as a former president whose legacy had made a comeback, Clinton aided Barack Obama's reelection with a 2012 convention address that earned him a nickname as the secretary of explaining stuff.

The 78-year-old Clinton, a veteran of convention speeches over the past four decades, knows as well as anyone the difference between a good and a disastrous performance. What's less certain as he prepares to deliver his 12th convention speech Wednesday is the impact he'll have on a party trying to prevent Donald Trump from returning to the White House.

Clinton's political journey, from Little Rock to the White House and later to elder statesman status, can be traced in part through his evolving role at the Democratic National Convention  for better or worse. Credited with reviving Democrats fortunes when he was elected in 1992 and as the last president to leave office with a budget surplus, Clinton remains a rock star for many Democrats. But for others, his legacy has been complicated, both by evolving views about his centrist brand of politics and about the scandal involving sex and power that nearly ended his presidency.

This time around, as Democrats look to end Trump's political career, allies and experts regard Clinton as a valuable messenger for Vice President Kamala Harris on the economy, with a recent AP-NORC poll showing that Americans are somewhat more likely to trust Trump than the Democratic Party's nominee on economic issues.

Nobody has the ability to encapsulate very complex issues on the economy and explain it in ordinary terms  hes the best at that  on why it matters to you and everybody, said Terry McAuliffe, former Virginia governor and longtime friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton.

But the former president's influence may be waning, especially as he addresses a party that has moved to the left of his centrist politics on issues like crime and trade.

Though he spoke at the 1980 and 1984 conventions, Clinton made his first national splash when he formally nominated then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis at the 1988 convention. It didn't go well.

What was supposed to be a 15-minute speech went twice as long, with delegates losing interest.

It was thirty-two minutes of total disaster, he later wrote in his 2004 autobiography, My Life.

Clinton rebounded with a self-deprecating appearance on Johnny Carson's late night show, where the host welcomed him by placing an hourglass on the desk. Clinton ended his appearance by playing saxophone with the show's band.

He quickly redeemed himself, said Skip Rutherford, a longtime friend and former head of Clinton's presidential foundation.

That set the stage for Clinton's next two convention speeches, first as the party's nominee in 1992 where he proclaimed he still believed in a place called Hope. And in 1996, seeking reelection, he vowed to build a bridge to the 21st century.

He walks on the stage being the most experienced convention speaker there, Rutherford said. But I still bet he talks about the future.

But Clinton's stature as ex-president has evolved over the years, buffeted both by politics and the evolution of his legacy.

Part of that reflects how the #MeToo movement revived talk over Clintons affair with Monica Lewinsky, a young White House intern, which led to his impeachment by the House. Lewinsky in 2018 said although it wasnt sexual assault, the relationship constituted a  gross abuse of power.

In 2000, as Clinton came to the end of his second term as president, he ceded the spotlight to his vice president, Al Gore, who looked to distance himself from the scandal and Clintons impeachment. Gore highlighted his own marriage with a long on-stage kiss with Tipper Gore, emphasizing the contrast between the two men. (The Gores split up a decade later.)

Gore lost the presidency to George W. Bush in a race so close it was ultimately settled by the Supreme Court. The historically narrow margin has fueled debate ever since about whether Clintons role in the campaign should have been handled differently.

Clintons convention role was complicated again eight years later, after Hillary Clinton lost a bitter primary fight to Obama. He spoke at the 2008 convention in Denver, but Obama had little interest in dwelling on the ex-presidents legacy, and Clintons speech was the undercard on the same night Joe Biden delivered his speech as the partys vice-presidential nominee.

Clinton's most memorable speech since then came in 2012, when he delivered a point-by-point takedown of Republicans' economic plans. The speech earned him the secretary of explaining stuff moniker from Obama. He also delivered a heartfelt speech on behalf of his wife at the 2016 convention during her presidential bid.

Clinton's presidential library remains a popular tourist draw in Little Rock nearly 20 years since it opened, and his foundation last year announced plans to expand it to include Hillarys personal archives. He also plans to release another memoir after the election.

But Clinton's star power may be dimmer when compared with Obama. About 6 in 10 Democrats see Obama as the best recent president, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center poll that asked U.S. adults which president has done the best job over the past 40 years. About 2 in 10 Democrats selected Clinton.

That comes as the party has moved away from the center-left politics embraced for most of his presidency by Clinton, who won over moderates with policies like his welfare overhaul and North American Free Trade Agreement, which Trump and others have argued sent thousands of jobs overseas.

I would say hes a diminished figure, theres no doubt about that, in the Democratic Party, said Nelson Lichtenstein, a historian of the Clinton administration at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Clinton also could be outshined by his wife, who remains popular in the party eight years after her unsuccessful White House run. Hillary Clinton was greeted by wild and sustained applause that lasted for more than two minutes as she addressed the convention on Monday.

And Bill Clinton's record has received new scrutiny from fellow Democrats in recent years. The 1994 crime bill he signed that imposed tougher criminal sentences and provided incentives for states to build more prisons has been criticized as a blunt instrument of mass incarceration that ruined the lives of thousands of people who could have been redeemed with less harsh punishment. Biden faced questions over his support of the legislation during the Democratic primaries four years ago.

Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist and former Clinton adviser, said the former president remains an asset for the party.

I think he's very much an elder statesman and he's a beloved figure, with a particular credibility on the economy, Begala said. If I were a campaign manager, I'd send him anywhere.

That may make his speech useful in connecting Harris with moderate voters who don't want to vote for Trump but may be receptive to his claim that she's too liberal.

I think the secretary of explaining things still has work to do, said Russell Riley, co-chair of the presidential oral history program at the University of Virginias Miller Center. If you give him some time, he can explain damn near anything and can make sometimes unappealing choices seem to be not just logical but inescapable.

___

Associated Press writer Bill Barrow contributed to this report.
Bill Conerly comes out on top in crowded Florida House District 72 GOP primary race

William Bill Conerly won the Republican primary in the race for the District 72 House of Representative seat vacated by Tommy Gregory.

Conerly emerged in a crowded candidate field to secure the Republican nomination with 31% of the vote.

Four Republican candidates were vying for the chance to replace the seat left open by former state Rep. Gregory, R-Bradenton, who stepped down at the end of June to become the president of State College of Florida, replacing longtime leader Carol F. Probstfeld.

The Republican field consisted of Conerly, a former Manatee County Planning Commission member; Richard Tatem, a first-term member of the Manatee County School Board; Alyssa Gay, a small business owner and Richard Green, a St. Petersburg attorney.

Conerly secured 5,915 votes in the four-candidate race. Tatem trailed with 5,382 or around 28% of the vote, while Gay had 4,268 or 22% and Green came in at 3,513 at around 18% of the vote.

Im just extremely grateful. We had four very good conservative Republicans in the race, Conerly told the Bradenton Herald Tuesday night. My background, I think, maybe was the difference for some folks. So Im excited to get to work and help Manatee County and Southwest Florida be one of the best places in the state to live.

Conerly will face off against Democrat Lesa Miller in the general election on Nov. 5.

Miller is the chief operating officer for Scout Comics, a Fort Myers publishing company.

District 72 runs across eastern Manatee County into northeastern Sarasota County, from South Bradenton to Myakka City and Duette.

In 2022, Gregory won the election for the seat against Robert Dameus with 66% of the vote in the newly drawn District 72.

Conerly was a member of the Manatee County Planning Commission for 12 years, including a stint as chairman, but this was Conerlys first attempt to run for state office. He is the project manager and vice president of the engineering firm Kimley-Horn. He previously served in the U.S. Navy.

Much of Conerlys campaign focused on his stance against illegal immigration and lowering home insurance premiums.

Conerly collected more than $130,000 in contributions during his campaign.
New Jersey Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., the second-oldest member of the House who brought an in-your-face Jersey attitude to the chamber, died Wednesday at age 87.

It is with deep sadness that we announce that Bill Pascrell Jr., our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away this morning, Pascrells family said in a statement posted on social media. As our United States Representative, Bill fought to his last breath to return to the job he cherished and to the people he loved. Bill lived his entire life in Paterson and had an unwavering love for the city he grew up in and served. He is now at peace after a lifetime devoted to our great nation America.

Pascrell had been hospitalized at St. Josephs University Medical Center in his hometown of Paterson since July 14. His office said he checked himself in because of a fever but two weeks later said he had a setback and needed breathing assistance. He was discharged, but days later his health declined again and he checked into into Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey.

Its the second time this year a sitting New Jersey lawmaker has died in office. In April, Democratic Rep. Donald Payne Jr. died nearly three weeks after having a heart attack. The death of Pascrell also represents another loss of power and seniority for New Jersey in the Capitol after Sen. Bob Menendez, the once-influential chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was run out of the Senate after being found guilty of corruption.

The 14-term Pascrell was poised to become the oldest House member in 2025, after California Democratic Rep. Grace Napolitano retired. Hed won a primary in June amid backlash to his pro-Israel stance in the Israel-Hamas war and was expected to defeat his Republican opponent in November.

Pascrell was a voluble presence at home in New Jersey or in Washington. Whether it was a press conference to restore a popular tax deduction or making the case to impeach former President Donald Trump, Pascrell could be counted on to deliver an enthusiastic  and usually lengthy  speech.

William James Pascrell Jr. was born on Jan. 25, 1937, and grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, the city founded by Alexander Hamilton that collapsed into poverty and violence with the end of industrialism. Pascrell, who grew up on the citys south side, remained there for most of his life.

A baseball enthusiast who said he unsuccessfully tried out for the Phillies, Pascrell played on the Democrats congressional baseball team for years and later coached it. In a 2016 interview, he showed a reporter a photo of his youth baseball league and said he would eat a little dirt before every game to try to scare the other team. (In 2019, he selected an all-time New Jersey baseball team for the New Jersey Globe, featuring such notables as Yogi Berra, Larry Doby and Sparky Lyle.)

After graduating from Fordham University in 1961, he spent a year in the Army and another five in the Army Reserve. He was a public high school teacher and served as president of the Paterson Board of Education in the late 1970s and early 80s before getting elected to the state Assembly in 1988.

In 1990, while serving in the legislature, Pascrell was elected mayor of Paterson. He spent two terms leading the city before running for the House and defeating incumbent Republican Bill Martini in 1996.

Pascrell has cruised to reelection every two years since then, with few real challenges. He faced perhaps his biggest threat against incumbent Democrat Steve Rothman after redistricting in 2012. The longtime friends and House colleagues waged one of the countrys most contentious intraparty primaries at the time, with Pascrell accusing Rothman of being weak-kneed for challenging him instead of running against a Republican in his newly redrawn district and Rothman questioning Pascrells progressive credentials.

Pascrell won in a 22-point blowout.

He enjoyed strong support in the new 9th Congressional District, consisting mostly of towns in Bergen and Passaic counties  areas with significant Jewish and Muslim populations. But after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and Israels subsequent invasion of Gaza, Pascrell took intense heat from Arab Americans over his steadfast support of Israel.

Mohamed T. Khairullah, New Jerseys longest-serving Muslim mayor, ran against Pascrell in the June primary because of his resistance to a cease-fire and support for military aid to Israel. Despite the backlash, Pascrell easily defeated Khairullah, capturing 76 percent of the vote, and was strongly favored to defeat Republican Billy Prempeh in the heavily Democratic district in November.

As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Pascrell spent years trying to obtain the tax returns of Donald Trump during his presidency. The former president was also a common punching bag for Pascrell, whose social media feed often skewered Trumps policy record and served up regular reminders that he is a convicted felon. After Joe Biden defeated Trump in November 2020, Pascrell called for the eventual prosecution of Trump and his enablers for their many crimes against the United States.

One of Pascrells other high-profile causes in recent years was ticket prices. He pushed for more than a decade to regulate the live event ticket industry and bring down prices, but his legislation languished.

A fan shouldnt have to sell a kidney or mortgage a house to see their favorite performer or team. At long last, it is time to create rules for fair ticketing in this country and my legislation will do exactly that for all the fans, Pascrell said.

Democrats have until Aug. 29 to select a replacement for Pascrell on the ballot. The decision will be made by Democratic committee members in the 9th Districts towns in Passaic, Bergen and Hudson Counties.

Two high-profile Democrats had made moves to run for Pascrells seat in this election but ultimately opted not to: Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh and Assemblymember Shavonda Sumter, a Democrat from Paterson. They are both considered potential candidates, along with Assemblymember Benjie Wimberly and others. It remains to be seen whether Bergen County Democrats, whose county has a large share in the district, will field a candidate.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  A recently introduced bill would rename the Comstock Park post office in honor of a fallen U.S. Marine from the area.

In February, Capt. Miguel Nava and four other Marines were killed in a helicopter crash outside of San Diego. The 28-year-old, who graduated from Comstock Park High School in 2013, left behind a wife and young son.

A photo of a young Capt. Miguel Nava, a U.S. Marine from Comstock Park who was killed in a helicopter crash, and his parents. (March 3, 2024)

A memorial service held for Capt. Miguel Nava, a U.S. Marine from Comstock Park who was killed in a helicopter crash. (March 3, 2024)

Marine killed in San Diego crash was from Comstock Park

Now, U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, has introduced a bill to rename the local post office, located at 3913 Leland Ave. NW near W River Drive NE, in his honor.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

We are the home of the free because of the brave, and Captain Nava was just that  brave. He was a decorated Marine, a lifelong Michigander, but most importantly a beloved son, brother, husband, and father. He was a man who lived his life with honor, and by bestowing his name on this post office, we hope to keep his legacy alive in the community that helped raise him, said Scholten in a release. I am grateful to have the support of all of my Michigan delegation colleagues in honoring a great man who paid the ultimate price as a defender of our nations freedoms.

Hero, leader: Hundreds honor fallen Marine at Comstock Park High School

Government records show H.R. 9285 was introduced Aug. 2 and referred to committee. The bill was co-sponsored by the 12 other U.S. representatives from Michigan.

According to Scholtens office, Navas family is in favor of renaming the post office.

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Hes little-known and rarely-seen, but conservative billionaire Timothy Mellon is keeping Donald Trumps campaign afloat. He has donated $125 million this election cycle to Trumps primary Super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc.

Heres how important those dollars are: Its roughly half of what MAGA Inc. has raised  and as much cash as the group has on hand. Its $3 million shy of the $128 million that Trumps campaign has in its coffers. The Republican National Committee has $99 million on hand.

Mellon, the press-shy heir to the Andrew Mellon banking fortune, has emerged as one of Americas top conservative donors during the 2024 election. While he previously helped finance Robert Kennedy Jr.  a candidate widely seen as a spoiler campaign boosting Trump  Mellon has gone all in on Trump.

The money has poured in quickly. On May 31, a day after Trump was convicted on felony charges in his New York hush money trial, Mellon donated $50 million to Donald Trumps primary Super PAC. Mellon, who has been criticized in the past for using racist stereotypes in his autobiography, gave another $50 million on July 15, the day the Republican National Convention started.

Last week, MAGA Inc. announced it was launching a $100 million advertising blitz targeting Vice President Kamala Harris. MAGA Inc. has raised more than $60 million since the start of the RNC, a person familiar with its spending plans told Politico.

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Billy Porter opened his performance at Rep. Nancy Pelosis Democratic National Convention luncheon Tuesday with a live rendition of Cant Sing This Song Again. The track, he says, is a direct response to Sam Cookes 1964 recording A Change Is Gonna Come, and a fitting anthem for the political juncture at which the country finds itself.

Weve been singing that song for 60 years-plus, and, unfortunately, the tone of it, at least in my experience, is the change comes and [we think] weve arrived, Porter tells The Hollywood Reporter. No, no, no, no, no. When they go low, of course, we go high, and its time for us to reevaluate what going high looks like in this new world order.

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I look at somebody like John Lewis, to the day he died, he was in the fight, adds Porter. You dont arrive anywhere. We maintain and we show up every day until we do create a more perfect union and a change that is for good.

The actors words underscore his hopes for the future of democracy as well as the Democratic Party, whom he cautions against becoming too comfortable in the momentum that currently surrounds the presidential nominee ticket of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

Below, Porter talks with THR about the work hes done on the campaign front, his thoughts about President Joe Biden stepping down from his re-election campaign and why he wont entertain the social media trolls that critiqued him kissing Bidens hand at the White Houses Juneteenth celebration earlier this summer.

How was your performance today?

It was amazing. Its wonderful to be inside of this energy once again, and to feel hope again since the Harris-Walz announcement. This ticket and all of this sort of transformation in the 11th hour, you couldnt write it better than that. If it was in a Hollywood movie, you wouldnt believe it. I was at a fundraiser in Provincetown the day before the announcement happened and Vice President Harris was there, and Mayor Pete [Buttigieg] was there, and all the staff, and they all deserve an Academy Award because when I tell you Vice President Harris and the respect and the love that she has for Joe Biden. We were there that day for a Biden Victory Fund, and you never wouldve imagined what was announced the next day. And that was already in the works. Theres nothing like that that happens in 24 hours. So they knew, and the respect, the honor that she displayed, that they both displayed, on that day was beyond. Its really exciting.

What was your reaction when you found out Joe Biden had ended his bid for re-election?

Well, its the right thing to do, right? Initially, he was meant to be a one-term president. He said that himself; we lost the plot. The only way that a woman is going to get into office is if shes ushered in the way that this has happened, which is by a man whos in power. He chose her for this reason, and now were back on track, and I am so thrilled. I havent been able to breathe for eight years straight. I am a Black gay man in America. My rights have been up for legislation since the moment I could comprehend thought, every single day that I breathe. I have never felt safe anywhere on this planet, ever. And the last time I felt pseudo-safe was during Obama and then the rug was pulled out from under us because, as history proves, and for those of us who dont know our history, were doomed to repeat it. Not enough people remember Jim Crow as a direct response to the Emancipation Proclamation. We have to be ready. We have to be ready for the backlash. We cannot get caught with our pants down again. We got a Black president. We got civil rights, we got womens rights, we got marriage equality, and we thought we won something, but its never over. If theres one thing that I hope weve learned this time around as we move into something that feels like hope again, is we cant be caught unaware again. Weve got to be ready, collectively.

Having been a part of the 2020 DNC festivities, how does the energy feel this year in comparison?

Its joyous again, its hopeful again, its almost magical, and I dont want to fall into the trap. We cant fall into the trap of expecting a savior or a hero in anyone. One, the electorate must stay engaged. Yes, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will lead, but we have to continue to be the wind at their backs. They cant do it if we sit on the couch again and eat bon bons and dont show up for midterm elections. They cant do it if we dont vote down the ballot so that we can get all three branches of government so we can get legislation through. None of it happens if we dont, as the electorate, do those things. This time, I hope that weve learned something. I hope that the messaging is clear and can continue to engage. I think our young people this time are more engaged. I love how the torch has been passed to this younger coalition because our kids are smart and its time for them to take over. The children are our future. The way that those young kids are using social media to clap back and the way that we communicate now, it feels young. It feels like there are people in that room who know what theyre doing because the old people dont. We dont.

Biden was highly praised for his speech during the DNC Monday night. What feelings did it bring up for you?

Look at this man, 50-plus years of public service. We pulled him out of retirement to save democracy and he did. He and his administration held onto democracy by a thread for the last four years. The way they treated that man is unconscionable. Where we have ended up is absolutely the right thing, but the way that we got here was unconscionable and the Democrats, we must learn how to not eat our own. There were Democrats who publicly jumped ship moments after that [presidential] debate. As fast as they could spit, they abandoned this man who literally saved the world. Im grateful for last night. Im grateful that we were able to give that man his flowers in public. Im grateful for him. Im grateful that he understood the power that he had to usher us into a new world. Were going to have a Black, Asian female president because he was able to step back, put his ego out the way and pass the torch. I cant even talk about it without weeping. Its a new day. It really, really is, and this time, I think, that not only can we have a change, but change for good.

You seemingly gave Biden his flowers at the White House Juneteenth celebration this summer when you were captured kissing his hand. There was a lot of backlash to that photo. What do you say to that?

Im glad that you asked me that question because I dont respond to internet mess. I dont respond to social media mess. My motto is I do not now, nor will I ever, adjudicate my life or humanity in sound bites on social media. What those social media trolls didnt know was that I had been invited to the White House that morning to sit on the dais and talk about solutions. What they dont know and what they didnt see in the photos that they didnt run was that I kissed the vice presidents hand too. I kissed the second gentlemans hand as well. What theyre not talking about and what makes whatever that was idiotic is the drawing that you put me up against is of a slave thanking the man that freed them. I will kiss that mans hand to the grave and whatever noise that was going on over there is ridiculous. Im 55 years old in September, and Ive been Black and gay all my life and what I do know is that as a queer man in this world, Im not supposed to be on the front row with the president and the first lady. Im supposed to be hiding in a closet somewhere silent. Thats what that moment was about. And please understand, daddy aint ever going to be silent. And Im up there in a sparkly kaftan dress, too. How dare I, right? The audacity that I have to take up space in this world. Thats what I think about that.

All sorts of groups are mobilizing to ensure Kamala Harris secures the presidency in November. Have you been on any of the Zoom calls or joined any specific efforts?

Ive been on a few calls, and Im an official surrogate for this campaign. That fundraiser that I went to in Provincetown, I took a picture with the vice president and when I walked in the room she called me by name. She said, Billy, wheres the sparkly kaftan today? Ive been political my whole life, and Im grateful that I have a platform now to speak from my perspective and that people are hearing it, and people are listening. Its important that we show up. Its not all red carpets and fairy dust. Im in the space now where we have to show up and it is political. Very often were told, Oh, dont make it political. It is. Everything is political, particularly when youre Black and youre gay. Everything I do is intentional and speaks to how we move forward and makes sure that our government represents the people. All the people.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  As Margaret Rudin, the woman dubbed The Black Widow, sues the State of Nevada for the more than 8,000 days she sat in prison for a murder charge a judge overturned  lawyers for the state say that judge never said she was innocent.

In 2001, a Las Vegas jury found Margaret Rudin, now 81, guilty of the death of her husband, Ron Rudin, a real estate investor. Ron Rudins charred body was found near Lake Mohave in 1995. In January 2020, a parole board granted Rudins release.

In 2022, a federal judge vacated her conviction, citing other potential suspects, inefficient counsel and lack of evidence.

Its not about the truth. Its about who has the better attorney, Margaret Rudin told the 8 News Now Investigators in 2022.

Prosecutors theorized Margaret Rudin shot her husband while he was asleep in bed. Police found human blood in the room, but an expert testified the amount was less than a drop of blood from an eye dropper. An expert for the defense also testified that there was no evidence of a cleanup and there would be much more evidence had Ron Rudin been killed in the bedroom.

The judge who overturned her conviction wrote there was no evidence linking Rudin to the murder weapon, Ron Rudins abandoned car, or the suspected crime scene. He also said Rudins defense attorney, Michael Amador, who has since died, did not do enough to defend her.

Margaret Rudin filed a wrongful conviction lawsuit against the state last May. In court Tuesday, lawyers argued over the language of state law about wrongful convictions and how it related to the federal judges ruling. Specifically, the law requires that the judgment of conviction was reversed or vacated and the charging document was dismissed.

Lawyers representing the state said the charging document was never dismissed, despite the fact prosecutors can no longer re-try Margaret Rudin on the murder charge.

The most she goes is she says she did not participate in the murder but that does not encompass the full scope of the statutory requirement, Michael Shaffer with the attorney generals office said, adding at no time did the judge say Margaret Rudin was innocent.

Rudins attorney, Corrine Murphy, disagreed.

The outcome would have been different if she had not had Amador represent her, Murphy said, citing the federal judge.

Clark County District Court Judge Joanna Kishner ordered Murphy to amend her complaint to better fit within the state statute. That includes officially closing Margaret Rudins original murder case post-conviction and after the federal judges decision.

The lawsuit asks for compensation for the wrongful incarceration, assistance for housing and insurance and attorneys fees.

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Google (GOOG, GOOGL) is staring down what could be the biggest threat to its search and advertising business after a US court ruled the company operates as an illegal monopoly. Google will appeal the decision, but if the tech giant fails to overturn it, Judge Amit Mehta could require the company to give up its distribution deals with smartphone makers Apple and Samsung.

Google currently pays Apple (AAPL) and Samsung billions of dollars to make Google Search the default search engine on its devices. In exchange, Google gets its search platform in front of hundreds of millions of users around the world.

Access to a massive trove of data enables Google to sell targeted ads against the users that power its enormous advertising empire. If Mehta kills those deals, Google risks losing those users and their precious data.

And if Google loses access to the data that powers its dominant position in the ad market, the company may need to return to advertising itself.

I think that they would start a campaign that would advocate for people to choose Google, explained Deepwater Asset Management managing partner Gene Munster. I think that they would save $25 billion. And I think the biggest potential loser in the whole conversation is Samsung and Apple."

Googles distribution agreements cost billions

According to information provided via Mehtas ruling, Google paid Apple $20 billion in 2022 to make its Google Search the default search option on its various devices. Thats double what the company paid the iPhone maker in 2020. Samsung, meanwhile, took home $8 billion over 4 years as part of Googles exclusivity deals, according to Bloomberg.

If Google is forced to abandon those agreements, it would immediately begin saving on its traffic acquisition costs (TAC), money it pays out via agreements like those it has with Apple and Samsung, among others. Google paid out $50.8 billion in TAC in 2023, up from $48.9 billion in 2022 and $45.5 billion in 2021.

But theres a potential downside to that.

Audience members gather at Made By Google for new product announcements at Google on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Mountain View, Calif. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

According to Mehtas ruling, Google performed internal modeling in 2020 that found it would lose 60% to 80% of search volume on Apples iOS devices if its search engine was replaced as the default search option.

Losing that search volume would cut $28 billion to $32 billion from the companys bottom line. In 2020, Google brought in $182.5 billion in total revenue. That means if Google lost that iOS traffic it could see revenue drop 15% to 17%.

For Apple, though, the story could be even more challenging.

Losing $20 billion per year would put a dent in the companys bottom line, slicing off as much as 25% of Apples Services revenue as of 2022.

Story continues

Apple generated $394.3 billion in revenue in 2022, which puts the Google agreement at about 5% of the companys revenue for that year.

Samsung wouldnt take as big of a hit if it lost out on Googles payments, with $8 billion paid out to the company over four years, or roughly 1% of the companys total 2023 revenue of $194 billion.

But losing that traffic and revenue is far from a certainty.

The European Unions antitrust enforcer, the European Commission, currently requires Apple and Android device makers to offer European users special choice screens that allow them to choose their default web browsers and search engines as part of a piece of legislation called the Digital Markets Act.

Google has been offering the option since March 2024, and according to Statcounter, the companys search engine market share fell from 96.08% in March to 95.82% in June before rising again to 95.97% in July.

So what happens if Google is forced to provide similar choice screens in the US?

I think Google would be focused  on more advertising of Were such a wonderful search engine and Look how easy it is to install us, even if something else has been installed on your recently purchased device as a default,  explained NYU Stern School of Business economics professor Lawrence White. I can imagine lots more of that kind of advertising.

After all, the company is easily the most recognizable name in the search business and its product has become a verb  people Google information on the web; no one is Binging it.

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DOHA, Qatar  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his ninth visit to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began without securing any major breakthrough for a cease-fire deal, warning on Tuesday that time is of the essence even as Hamas and Israel signaled that challenges remain.

After meetings in fellow mediating countries Egypt and Qatar, Blinken said that because Israel has accepted a proposal to bridge gaps with the militant group, the focus turns to doing everything possible to get Hamas on board and ensure both sides agree to key details on implementation.

Our message is simple. Its clear and its urgent," he told reporters before leaving Qatar. "We need to get a cease-fire and hostage agreement over the finish line, and we need to do it now. Time is of the essence.

There has been added urgency after the recent targeted killings of militant leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah in Iran and Lebanon, both attributed to Israel, and vows of retaliation that have sparked fears of a wider regional war.

Few details have been released about the so-called bridging proposal put forth by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar. Blinken said it is very clear on the schedule and the locations of (Israeli military) withdrawals from Gaza.

Hamas earlier Tuesday called the latest proposal a reversal of what it had agreed to, accusing the U.S. of acquiescing to new conditions from Israel. There was no immediate U.S. response to that.

Blinkens comments on ending his latest Israel-Hamas peace mission were notably bare of the optimism that Biden administration officials expressed going into his trip, and earlier.

The upbeat tone through much of the spring and summer  with U.S. officials at times describing a cease-fire and hostage deal as nearer than ever  reflected necessary messaging, at least in part, said Jonathan Panikoff, director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Councils Middle East Program.

If they dont project optimism then it wont create ... even the potential for sufficient momentum to keep things going," Panikoff said.

Americans have little alternative to continuing to push Israel and Hamas to agree to a negotiated end to fighting, but its fundamentally about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who helped mastermind the Oct. 7 attacks, Panikoff said. And they are the two people that have been, frankly, most skeptical from the beginning about making peace.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, met with right-wing groups of families of fallen soldiers and hostages in Gaza. The groups, which oppose a cease-fire deal, said he told them Israel will not abandon two strategic corridors in Gaza whose control has been an obstacle in the talks. Netanyahu's office did not comment on their account.

A senior U.S. official rejected as totally untrue that Netanyahu had told Blinken that Israel would never leave the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors. Such statements are not constructive to getting a cease-fire deal across the finish line, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss Blinkens private diplomatic talks.

Blinken's meetings in Egypt, which borders Gaza, and in Qatar, which hosts some Hamas leaders in exile, came a day after he met Netanyahu. Wide gaps appeared to remain between Israel and Hamas, though angry statements often serve as pressure tactics during negotiations.

Both men have seen their political standing improve at home, as Israelis turn their attention from the war in Gaza to a threatened wider conflict with Iran and Hezbollah, and as Hamas further consolidates Sinwar's leadership of the group. That's lessened the pressure on both to close a deal, Panikoff said.

And while the U.S. could try restricting arms sales to Israel to push it to end the war with Hamas, Panikoff argued that risks making Netanyahu dig in his heels further, instead.

Netanyahus meeting with the families came as Israels military said it recovered the bodies of six hostages taken in Hamas Oct. 7 attack that started the war, bringing fresh grief for many Israelis who have long pressed Netanyahu to agree to a cease-fire that would bring remaining hostages home.

New protests were held Tuesday. The longer theyre there, the more body bags we get, said one protester, Adi Israeli, in Tel Aviv.

Israel's military said it recovered the six bodies in an overnight operation in southern Gaza, saying they were killed when troops were operating in Khan Younis. Hamas says some captives have been killed in Israeli airstrikes, though returning hostages have talked about difficult conditions, including lack of food or medications.

The recovery of the remains also is a blow to Hamas, which hopes to exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners, an Israeli withdrawal and a lasting cease-fire.

The military said it had identified the remains of Chaim Perry, 80; Yoram Metzger, 80; Avraham Munder, 79; Alexander Dancyg, 76; Nadav Popplewell, 51; and Yagev Buchshtav, 35.

Kibbutz Nir Oz, the farming community where Munder was among around 80 residents seized, said he died after "months of physical and mental torture. Israeli authorities previously determined the other five were dead.

Hamas is still believed to be holding around 110 hostages captured during the Oct. 7 attacks, when militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Israeli authorities estimate around a third are dead. Over 100 other hostages were released during last year's cease-fire in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. The war has caused widespread destruction and forced the vast majority of Gaza's 2.3 million residents to flee their homes, often multiple times. Aid groups fear the outbreak of polio and other diseases.

An Israeli airstrike Tuesday killed at least 12 people at a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City. The Palestinian Civil Defense, first responders operating under the Hamas-run government, said around 700 people had been sheltering at the Mustafa Hafez school. Israels military said the strike targeted Hamas militants who had set up a command center there.

We dont know where to go  or where to shelter our children, said Um Khalil Abu Agwa, a displaced woman.

An Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah hit people walking down the street and seven were killed, including a woman and two children, according to an Associated Press journalist who counted the bodies. Another airstrike in central Gaza killed five children and their mother, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where an AP journalist counted the bodies.

Palestinians displaced by recent Israeli evacuation orders crowded into already teeming areas. One child in Deir al-Balah slept on cardboard as insects flew around his face.

Are they going to dig the ground and dump us there, or put us on a boat and throw us in the sea? I dont know, said one man, Abu Shady Afana.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is departing the Middle East on Wednesday after trying to shore up support for a Gaza cease-fire and hostage release deal that now appears to be out of reach.

Blinken traveled to Israel, Egypt and Qatar this week to push a deal over the finish line and pressure Hamas to accept the latest negotiations. Israel agreed Monday to the latest proposal that was offered by Egyptian, Qatari and U.S. mediators after the latest round of talks last week.

But Hamas has put out public statements saying it would not agree with the latest proposal, raising concerns about one of the major sticking points in the talks, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Hamas wants Israel to fully withdraw from the territory, but Israel is pushing to maintain a presence there, including in the Philadelphi Corridor that borders Egypt.

Blinken told reporters Tuesday that mediators were going to do everything possible to, one, get Hamas on board with the bridging proposal and then to agree to necessary details of implementation that would allow everything to go forward.

This needs to get done, and it needs to get done in the days ahead, and we will do everything possible to get it across the finish line, he said. Time is of the essence because with every passing day the well-being and lives of the hostages are in jeopardy.

Talks are expected to continue this week in Cairo, but Hamas is not sending a delegation, just as it refused to do so last week in Doha, Qatar. Hamas has pushed for a proposal from July, accusing Israel of adding on extra demands since then.

Several media reports indicate talks are close to collapsing and that both Hamas and Israel have expressed skepticism of an agreement and are far apart from each other on the latest proposal, even if it is the strongest one to date.

The Biden administration in the past few weeks has said a deal is as close as ever, but one has yet to materialize, even as Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. push for a finalized agreement.

Washington also expressed optimism about a deal over the spring. The last agreement was in late November, when more than 100 hostages were released in return for a temporary truce, freed Palestinian prisoners and aid into Gaza.

The current deal, proposed by President Biden in May and backed by the United Nations, involves three phases, the first of which releases the most vulnerable of the 109 hostages held by Hamas in return for a temporary cease-fire in Gaza, an Israeli withdrawal from populated areas of the strip and the freeing of Palestinian prisoners.

A second phase involves negotiations for a full cease-fire and the return of the rest of the hostages. A third would see the return of the remains of hostages and a Gaza reconstruction plan. More than 40,000 people been killed in Gaza over 10 months of war, and much of the coastal enclave has been reduced to rubble. Hamas took some 250 hostages in an Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that also killed more than 1,100 people.

Other than an impasse on an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas and Israel are also hung up on the number of prisoners and hostages being exchanged.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a meeting Tuesday that he was seeking to get the maximum number of hostages released in the first phase of the deal and to preserve our strategic security assets in the face of major domestic and foreign pressure.

The negotiations come as the Middle East remains on edge, with Iran poised to strike at Israel in retaliation for the death of a top Hamas leader in Tehran last month.

A cease-fire deal could also abate Iranian-backed actors, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, who have, respectively, been fighting with Israeli and U.S. forces.

Blinken warned earlier this week that it was possibly the last chance to get a cease-fire and hostage release deal, citing concerns about more hostages dying or escalation in the Middle East.

But he expressed confidence Tuesday that the U.S., Egypt and Qatar could get an agreement in place.

The three of us working together, I believe, can get this to where it needs to go, Blinken said. But as always, these things sometimes take more time than you want.

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WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  Secretary of State Antony Blinken is back in the U.S. without the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas the U.S. had hoped to broker.

Blinken blamed Hamas for the holdup.

Time is of the essence, he said. In the coming days, we are going to do everything possible to, one, get Hamas on board with the bridging proposal.

As war continues in Gaza, tensions at home continue to simmer.

Last night was a danger to our city, said Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling.

Snelling said officers arrested at least 55 pro-Palestinian protesters on the second night of the Democratic National Convention.

They showed up with the intent on committing acts of violence, vandalism, he said.

Other protests around the DNC remain peaceful. Rep. Cori Bush, (D-Mo.), is one of the protesters demanding a permanent ceasefire and arms embargo.

The dropping of bombs and the killing of children is not reflective of the values and the principles that Democrats across this country came to Chicago to protect, Bush said.

Some protesters have quietly tried to get that message inside the DNC, but a Michigan delegate was escorted out of President Joe Bidens speech Monday night.

We held up the banner during Bidens speech because hes the decider, Liano Sharon said.

The president was one of the few speakers to address the issue on stage.

Those protesters out in the street, they have a point, President Biden said. A lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides.

Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) is also in Chicago and said Democrats will suffer the consequences of their division on this issue in November.

Thats going to be reflected, especially with Jewish-American voters, in the polls, Waltz said. The White House said President Biden and Vice President Harris spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Wednesday about the ceasefire and hostage release deal.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo.  The investigation into a former school board president is now in the hands of the Jackson County Prosecutors Office.

Bobby Hawk resigned from his position as president of the Blue Springs School Board back in June after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct emerged.

Boy under the age of 15 fighting for life after shooting in Kansas City

The school board unanimously voted last week and named Rebeca Swank as the new school board president.

Hawk was also the lead pastor of Epic Church in Independence at the time.

One woman, who said she was groomed by Hawk as a child when she and her family were members of his congregation, created a website dedicated to her side of the story.

Hawk has denied any wrongdoing but was relieved of his pastoral duties.

Blue Springs police started an investigation on June 20, but no charges were filed.

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The Blue Springs Police Department confirmed to FOX4 that his case was handed over to the Jackson County Prosecutors Office for review last week.

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With Bob Menendez gone from Senate, ethics panel ends probe of his misconduct

The leaders of the U.S. Senates ethics committee said they can only investigate sitting members of Congress. Bob Menendez resigned from the Senate Tuesday. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The U.S. Senates ethics committee has halted its investigation into former Sen. Bob Menendez now that Menendez has resigned from the Senate.

Menendezs resignation took effect Tuesday, and the committee can only investigate sitting members of the Senate, Sens. Chris Coons (D-Delaware) and James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) said in a statement Wednesday.

As such, the Committee has lost jurisdiction for its adjudicatory review and has closed this matter, said the senators, who oversee the committee.

Menendez was convicted in federal court in July of 16 counts, including bribery, extortion, wire fraud, acting as a foreign agent, and obstruction of justice. He has maintained his innocence and vows to appeal.

The six-member committee said in July that it had launched its investigation after Menendez was indicted in September 2023 and accused of accepting bribes in exchange for wielding his political power. After the 10-week trial concluded and Menendez was found guilty on all counts, the committee said it would complete its investigation and consider the full range of disciplinary actions.

The committee admonished Menendez in 2018 after his previous corruption trial  where he was accused of accepting gifts from a Florida eye doctor in exchange for political favors  ended when the jury deadlocked.

In the four-page letter released in April 2018, the committee ordered Menendez to repay the value of all the gifts he received from his codefendant, Dr. Salomon Melgen. Over six years, the committee said, Menendez failed to disclose the value of the gifts on disclosure reports as required by Senate rules and federal law.

On Monday, Menendez and two of his codefendants, who were also found guilty on all counts, asked the judge who oversaw their trial to reverse the guilty verdicts and order a new trial.

Menendez, who last week announced he would no longer seek reelection in November as an independent candidate, is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 29.

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BOGALUSA, La. (WGNO)  A Bogalusa woman was sentenced after she pled guilty in a child pornography and sex crimes case.

The Office of District Attorney Collin Sims reported that 51-year-old Angela Dawn Holloway Austin pled guilty to four counts of production of child pornography and sexual abuse of an animal in Washington Parish and sexual battery and molestation of a person with a physical or mental disability in St. Tammany Parish.

New Orleans police search for suspect in fatal June Pines Village shooting

The district attorneys office reported that the Bogalusa Police Department opened an investigation in 2019 after Austin accused Brandon Applewhite of threatening to disseminate nude photos of her.

Court documents state a search of Applewhites phone yielded a large number of disturbing images unrelated to the original complaint being investigated.

According to the district attorneys office, investigators found inappropriate images of three children appearing to be under the age of 6 and text messages between Applewhite and Austin.

Investigators said text messages between the two that stated Austin was babysitting the children at her Bogalusa home and Applewhite encouraged her to take pornographic pictures of the children.

Court documents state sexual videos involving Austin and a dog and inappropriate images of a St. Tammany Parish nursing home resident were also found in the phone.

According to the district attorneys office, text messages between Applewhite and Austin indicated Austin, who worked at a St. Tammany Parish nursing home, agreed to send Applewhite the illicit photographs of the woman who was a resident at the nursing home.

On July 22, Austin was sentenced to 25 years in prison without parole after pleading guilty to her charges in Washington Parish.

Three arrested in St. Bernard Parish forgery investigation

On Aug. 16, Austin was sentenced to 25 years in prison without parole after pleading guilty to her charges in St. Tammany Parish.

The district attorneys office reported that her sentences will run concurrently with each other, and she will be required to register as a convicted sex offender.

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WALTON, Kan. (KSNW)  The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has rescinded the boil water advisory for the city of Walton in Harvey County.

A news release from the KDHE says the advisory was initially issued because of a waterline break, which resulted in a loss of pressure in the distribution system.

Failure to maintain adequate pressure may result in a loss of chlorine residuals and bacterial contamination.

Mans body found in trunk of car in west Wichita

The KDHE said public water suppliers in Kansas take all necessary measures to notify customers quickly after a system failure or shutdown. Whether the supplier or KDHE announces a boil water advisory, KDHE will issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.

Laboratory testing samples collected from the City of Walton indicate no evidence of bacteriological contamination, and KDHE officials have resolved all other conditions that placed the system at risk of contamination.

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Halyk Bank of Kazakhstan (LON:HSBK) Second Quarter 2024 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: 294.7b (down 9.3% from 2Q 2023).

Net income: 201.1b (up 14% from 2Q 2023).

Profit margin: 68% (up from 54% in 2Q 2023). The increase in margin was driven by lower expenses.

EPS: 738 (up from 650 in 2Q 2023).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

Halyk Bank of Kazakhstan Earnings Insights

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 4.6% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 3.7% growth forecast for the Banks industry in the United Kingdom.

Performance of the British Banks industry.

The company's shares are up 1.3% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

We should say that we've discovered 1 warning sign for Halyk Bank of Kazakhstan that you should be aware of before investing 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.
WARREN COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV)  A boil water noticed has been issued for 162 customers in Warren County.

The notice affects customers, who are served by the Culkin Water District, at the following areas:

Choctow Drive

Choctow Trail

Club House Circle

712-1305 Newitt Vick Drive

Nottingham Road

Riverbend Cove

Windy Lake Circle

Windy Lake Cove

Windy Lake Drive

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CHICAGO  On the second night of the Democratic National Convention, the party tried to counter the GOPs four-day-long pitch in Milwaukee last month in a single night.

The RNC featured paeans to Trump. Democrats got his former employees and supporters to belittle him.

The RNC had Teamsters President Sean OBrien deliver a speech. A whole flock of Teamsters showed up to thank Democrats for saving their pensions.

The RNC had a full arena in Milwaukee. The DNC had full arenas in Chicago and Milwaukee.

The RNC compared Democrats to communists. The Democrats featured a former Republican and Nicaraguan American who compared Trump to Latin American dictators  and had a former credit card CEO tout Vice President Kamala Harris capitalist credentials.

And the DNC actually managed to get their presidential candidates spouse to speak at the convention. Oh, and a former president  and that former presidents spouse, who mostly disregarded her past advice to go high when Republicans went low.

For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black, former first lady Michelle Obama said, before delivering one of the nights standout lines, a reference to an awkward-at-best moment from the first presidential debate: Whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?

Democrats need to counter the RNC pulled together an otherwise scattershot night, which at one point featured Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an avowed Democratic socialist, followed by a billionaire governor and a former CEO. If there were uniting themes, it was outreach to moderate voters, star power and testimonials about Harris. But if there was an overarching goal, it was to own the GOP.

There are questions over how effective harsh attacks on Trump can be, since many of the marginal voters Democrats may need to win over like at least some things about him. And political operatives in both parties say defining Harris is the more important task at the moment, though Democrats did not skimp on that either.

The party also quickly put aside last nights themes, with unpopular President Joe Biden largely relegated to an afterthought. A few early speakers, like Sanders, celebrated him, but he went mostly ignored in speeches from Michelle and Barack Obama and second gentleman Doug Emhoff.

One of the nights first speakers, former Trump press secretary Stephanie Grisham, revealed Trump used to refer to his supporters as basement-dwellers. Other former and current Republicans followed her, including Kyle Sweetser, a former Trump voter, and John Giles, the mayor of Mesa, Ariz., one of the nations largest suburbs.

I have an urgent message for the majority of Americans who, like me, are in the political middle: John McCains Republican Party is gone, Giles said. And we dont owe a damned thing to whats been left behind. So lets turn the page. Lets put country first. And lets put the adults in the room our country deserves.

And though OBrien was notably not among the labor leaders who spoke on Monday night, a number of rank-and-file Teamsters joined Michigan Sen. Gary Peters on stage to celebrate how Bidens signature American Rescue Plan legislation saved their pensions.

After a very musical roll call of state delegations formally nominated Harris, the cameras cut to a Harris in the battleground state of Wisconsin. Her supporters had filled the same Milwaukee arena where Republicans hosted their convention last month.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff speaks on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Chip Somodevilla.Getty Images

The focus then jumped to another former Republican, political strategist-turned-television personality Ana Navarro, who turned the communist attack back around on Trump and Republicans, comparing Trump to Latin American dictators Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, the Castro brothers in Cuba and Nicholas Maduro in Venezuela.

But the highlights were clearly the final three speeches of the night. They provided star power the RNC has simply been unable to match, with Trumps predecessors as GOP president and vice president unwilling to endorse him and his wife apparently unwilling to speak on his behalf.

Emhoff, Harris husband, gave a speech that leaned into the two most powerful things a political spouse can share about their partner  their dedication to the country and their humanity.

Exuding a goofy, dad-like charm, Emhoff shared the story of his first date with Harris (and how he kind of blew it) and spoke to her strength as a candidate.

She finds joy in pursuing justice, he said. She stands up to bullies, just like my parents taught me to. She likes seeing people do well but hates when theyre treated unfairly. He added: Her empathy is her strength.

Its a far cry from Melania Trumps appearances  or lack thereof  on the 2024 campaign trail. While the former first lady appeared briefly at the RNC, she did not speak. Nor has she been seen at campaign events or made public statements, barring a brief message after the attempted assassination on her husband.

The Obamas finished the night, reminding viewers who tuned in why they remain two of the most coveted speakers in Democratic politics.

The strong implication of the tag-team performance, which prompted roars of applause, laughter, and emotional tears from audience members, was that Harris is prepared to take up the torch not only from Biden, but from Barack Obama, who conjures nostalgia among many Democrats. It was an effort to paint Harris, who serves in the current administration, as at once a change agent and a throwback to an era when Democrats were inspired by their leaders.

Something wonderfully magical is in the air, isnt it? Not just here in this arena, but spreading all across this country we love  a familiar feeling thats been buried too deep for too long, Michelle Obama said.

You know what Im talking about? Its the contagious power of hope! she continued.

Barack Obama completed the picture of a more hopeful and unified country by invoking his grandmother and Michelles recently deceased mother, and how they shared a sense of sacrifice and common purpose despite their different backgrounds.

That kind of shared purpose is still attainable for the country, Obama said  if Democrats spared no effort to elect Harris in November.

Well elect leaders up and down the ballot who will fight for the hopeful, forward-looking America we believe in, he concluded. And together, we too will build a country that is more secure and more just, more equal and more free.

Related...
"Our bombs will get you anywhere!": Ukraine's Air Force chief reveals footage of strikes on Russians in Kursk Oblast

Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of Ukraine's Air Force, emphasised that the Air Force staff only target Russian soldiers, military equipment and positions in Kursk Oblast.

Source: Oleshchuk on social networks

Details: Lieutenant General adds that, following the Russian authorities' announcement of the evacuation of civilians from Kursk Oblasts border, the Russians have been taking positions in civilian settlements in order to dig in and perform other defensive activities.

At the same time, Oleshchuk claims that Ukraines forces regularly monitor Russian movements and that Ukrainian aviation focuses solely on the clusters of Russian troops.

Quote: "We see and know everything. Our precision bombs will get you anywhere!

I am grateful for the Air Force's tactical aviation pilots for their effective strikes against clusters of enemy personnel and equipment, as well as their positions."

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Book by New Yorker writer Alexis Okeowo on the story of Alabama and her childhood coming in 2025

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT)  Next year, a writer for the New Yorker will release a book that connects both her story and that of her home state: Alabama.

Alexis Okeowo, who has been staff writer at the magazine since 2015, is writing a new book, Blessings and Disasters: A Story of Alabama, which will be coming out next August. The book will be published by Henry Holt & Company. Outside of the New Yorker, Okeowos writing has been published in places like Vanity Fair, National Geographic, The New York Times and others.

Alexis Okeowo grew up in Montgomery, Alabamathe former seat of the Confederacyas the daughter of Nigerian immigrants. Here, she weaves her familys story with her states, from Alabamas forced removal of the Creek nation, making room for enslaved West Africans, to present-day legislative battles for evolution disclaimers in biology textbooks, a press release announcing the book stated. She immerses us in the landscape, no longer one of cotton fields but rather one dominated by auto plants and Amazon warehouses. Defying stereotypes at every turn, Okeowo shows how people can love their home while still acknowledging its sins.

Alabama Roll Call at Democratic National Convention

Okeowo grew up in Montgomery, where she attended Loveless Academic Magnet Program High Schoolbetter known as LAMP one of the best high schools in the state. She then went on to attend Princeton University, where she graduated in 2006. According to the Montgomery Advertiser, Okeowos parents are originally from Nigeria, but met while students at Alabama State University and later married. Her father, David Okeowo, is the former chair of the communications department at ASU while her mother, Regina, worked on the nursing faculty at Trenholm State Community College.

Okeowo, who most recently wrote about a Kenyan cult leader who has been charged with nearly 200 murders, has travelled around the world covering stories, from the precarious reality of sex workers during the COVID-19 pandemic to protests over gas prices in Mexico. but has taken several trips to Alabama for stories, from a profile on the Equal Justice Initiatives National Memorial for Peace and Justice to the lack of safe sewage systems in the states more rural areas.

Okewowos first book, A Moonless, Starless Sky: Ordinary Women and Men Fighting Extremism in Africa, went on to win the PEN Open Book Award in 2018.

Blessings and Disasters is set for release in August 2025.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42.
We are banning books again, and this time it appears to be a consequence of ill-informed hysteria. The Index on Censorship discovered that 28 of the 53 British school librarians they polled had been asked to remove books  many of which were LGBTQ+ titles  from their shelves. It appears that pressure had come from parents and, on some occasions, teachers too. For a society thats meant to be modern and tolerant, these findings are depressing: the culture wars are failing to subside, and we seem to think nothing of using our childrens education as an ideological battleground.

That battle has been raging in America for several years. In March, the American Library Association reported that 2023 was an all-time peak for such censorship. I imagine that much of the opprobrium launched at titles such as All Boys Arent Blue by George M Johnson  the memoir of a young, queer, black activist  was led by Republican-Christian zealots. In Britain, however, the root causes are harder to deduce. Certainly, our national disease of knee-jerk reaction is partly to blame. According to the Index on Censorship, one worker was asked to remove all gay-related content from the school library due to a single complaint about a single book.

Yet the depressing thing is that we have long been intent on cutting off children from literature and its dangers, ignorant of the fact that books are crucial to young peoples development. The current situation in the UK smacks of the dark days of the 1980s, when Section 28 legislated that no local authority could promote homosexuality. In the line of fire was a ridiculously innocuous picture book from Denmark called Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin, which featured a small girl with two dads, and now looks about as morally corrupting as a Cliff Richard fan convention.

John Clarke, head of Haringey's Community Information with a copy of Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin in September 1986 - Alamy

I sometimes doubt that those who are quick to show their outrage are even concerned about the morals of Britains children; its more about their own fear of the unfamiliar. Some books represent a world that exists outside their own limited boundaries, which they therefore cant control. This was the case in the 1980s: Section 28 felt, in part, like the natural product of a society that had failed to come to terms with the Aids epidemic.

But what those who try to ban books consistently fail to realise is that any attempt to arrest social change will ultimately, in a functioning democracy, be doomed. Perhaps in China, where there are edicts against books that fight against communist values  Alice in Wonderland, for example, is banned for its anthropomorphisation of animals  a suppressed book really can stay buried. But in most places, the allure of a title in samizdat will always ensure its longevity.

For censors have always proved to be on the wrong side of history. Those who fettered the genius of James Joyce and banned Ulysses on the grounds of obscenity now look like narrow-minded killjoys. As for Lady Chatterleys Lover by DH Lawrence? For what its worth, Im still not convinced that its great literature, but its depiction of sex was a necessary step forward for British society, and the end of its ban a crucial catalyst for making England a more tolerant place.

Copies of the Penguin edition of Lady Chatterley's Lover in 1960 - PA Newswire

Its telling that one of the few authors who refused to defend Lady Chatterley during the 1960 trial at the Old Bailey was Enid Blyton, an author whose work now often looks mean-spirited and bigoted. In fact, Blytons books were banned from my own school library in the 1980s  along with Judy Blumes progressive adolescent novel Forever  which just goes to show how times change.

And yet, although this news from the Index of Censorship is worrying, I still feel hopeful. Curious minds will always seek out good writing, however long it takes them to find it. Book banning may be a global industry  but the freedom to read will always prevail.

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.
Barack and Michelle Obama used their star power to lift up Vice President Kamala Harris -- and eviscerate her opponent.

Representing Democrats' modern version of political royalty, the former president and former first lady brought a raucous Chicago crowd to its feet with their distinctively soaring rhetoric. But compared to past speeches, these were different.

"When they go low, we go high," Michelle Obama famously said during her 2016 Democratic National Convention speech. On Tuesday, they did both.

Both praised Harris Tuesday as someone uniquely capable of connecting with the American people and deserving of a groundswell of support, issuing calls to action for Democrats to get out to the polls this November.

"Kamala Harris won't be focused on her problems, she'll be focused on yours. As president, she won't just cater to her own supporters, punish those who refuse to kiss the ring or bend the knee. She'll work on behalf of every American. That's who Kamala is," Barack Obama said.

"We cannot afford for anyone to sit on their hands and wait to be called upon. Dont complain if no one from the campaign has specifically reached out to ask for your support. There is simply no time for that kind of foolishness. You know what we need to do. So, consider this to be your official ask: Michelle Obama is asking you, no I'm telling y'all, to do something," Michelle Obama said to cheers in her speech introducing her husband.

PHOTO: Former President Barack Obama speaks during the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (Brynn Anderson/AP)

MORE: Michelle Obama takes spotlight at DNC backing Kamala Harris and blasting Trump

Beyond promoting Harris, they also touted a vision of a country united, where citizens give each other the benefit of the doubt and can even learn from each other.

"Democracy isn't just a bunch of abstract principles and dusty laws in some books somewhere. It's the values we live by. It's the way we treat each other, including those who don't look like us or pray like us or see the world exactly like we do," Barack Obama said. "To make progress on the things we care about, the things that really affect people's lives, we need to remember that we've all got our blind spots and contradictions and prejudices."

They also held nothing back in going after former President Donald Trump.

Both criticized Trump in sweeping terms, with Michelle Obama calling his style of politics "small," and questioning " Why would we accept this from anyone seeking our highest office?" and Barack Obama saying that Americans "do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos."

But they also went after Trump in specific ways that were both cutting and, at times, below the belt.

PHOTO: Former first lady of the United States Michelle Obama speaks during Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Aug. 20, 2024. (Alyssa Pointer/Reuters)

MORE: DNC Day 2 key moments: Obamas wow, Emhoff gets personal, a rollicking roll call

"Whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those 'Black jobs?'" Michelle Obama said in likely the most memorable line of the night, referencing Trump's claims that immigrants are taking jobs away from Black citizens.

And Obama knocked Trump for his "weird obsession with crowd sizes," measuring out his hands in a way that some on social media interpreted as a reference to genitalia size.

Each time, the crowd roared.

Democrats hailed the speech, arguing it's just what the doctor ordered.

The speeches were "great bookends," said Pete Giangreco, a Democratic strategist who worked on Obama's campaigns. "Instead of making Trump big and ominous, they made him small and petty and his gripes old and tired."

"This was just a grand slam," added veteran Democratic strategist David Brand. "I just think that they prosecuted the case against the convicted felon so marvelously and showed that America needs to get back to normalcy and away from the chaos that is Trumpism."

The tone of the speeches, both optimistic and critical, inspiring and combative, underscored precisely where the Democratic Party finds itself this year.

PHOTO: People cheer as Former First Lady Michelle Obama speaks during the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (Matt Rourke/AP)

MORE: DNC 2024 Day 2 live updates: 'Yes, she can': Obama endorses Harris, blasts Trump

The party is jubilant over Harris' rise to the top of its ticket, particularly after President Joe Biden's disastrous June debate left Democrats feeling hopeless about their electoral chances in November. The United Center this week, like the party base, has been electrified.

"I am feeling fired up. I am feeling ready to go," Barack Obama said, echoing an old campaign slogan. "I am feeling hope because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible. Because we have a chance to elect someone who has spent her entire life trying to give people the same chances America gave her."

But lingering fears of a Trump comeback loom over the euphoria, with attendees repeatedly bringing up the 2016 election cycle, when Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, another historic female candidate who Democrats were confident would win.

"People saw what happens when voters are complacent. Complacency handed us Donald Trump," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, D, told ABC News Tuesday.

With that fear, Democrats are leaving nothing to chance, unwilling to dull their rhetorical knives' edges in the face of what they describe as nothing short of a risk to democracy in the form of Trump's comeback bid.

"We're talking about people who beat police officers with sticks and the American flag on Jan. 6 trying to steal a free and fair election. I'm sorry, I totally reject that," Brand said when asked about if the Obamas' rhetoric violated the rule of going high and not low.. "I don't have patience for that argument about their feelings."

In boosting Kamala Harris at DNC, Obamas go high and low originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the seized ammunition (pictured) nearly triples the amount of ammunition agents seized in outward bound inspections at the El Paso field office over the past three fiscal years combined. Photo courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Aug. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection said on Wednesday that its officers at the El Paso port of entry confiscated 92,000 rounds of large-caliber ammunition leaving the United States over the weekend.

The seized ammunition nearly tripled the amount of ammunition agents seized in outward bound inspections at the El Paso field office over the past three fiscal years combined, CBP said.

Border Patrol said the ammunition was found on a commercial bus leaving the United States for Mexico at the Bridge of America port of entry in El Paso.

"CBP's primary mission is to inspect all goods and people entering the U.S. from abroad but the agency will also perform outbound inspections as part of our overall enforcement portfolio," said Hector Mancha, CBP El Paso director of field operations, in a statement.

"The magnitude of this seizure is impactful. Had this ammunition fallen into the hands of traditional criminal organizations the impact could have been devastating."

A Mexico tour bus returning to the country was selected for inspection by the CBP's Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team.

"CBP officers noted that the two bus drivers depicted nervous behavior during the routine inspection," CBP said. "The bus was secured and CBP officers initiated their exam. During a search of the cargo bay, they discovered multiple 27-gallon plastic storage totes that seemed very heavy."

Officers found boxes of ammunition when they further examined the totes. The drivers, both Mexican nationals, were detained and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for possible smuggling charges.

One of the 16 passengers on the bus was found to be in the United States illegally and processed as such. The other 15 passengers returned to Mexico on another bus.

In June, Border Patrol seized a large stash of weapons and ammunition also heading from the United States into Mexico at the Eagle Pass, Texas, port of entry. In that incident, officers seized four weapons, seven magazines, and 700 rounds of ammunition that were found inside a tractor-trailer.
Both Ukraine and Russia unable to launch major offensives, Pentagon report says

Ukraine and Russia both lack the means to mount major offensives, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency said in a quarterly report covering the three-month period ending June 30, quoted by Bloomberg on Aug. 21.

Suggesting the war is headed for a stalemate, the report says that despite the stalled U.S. aid package passed earlier this year, Ukraine is only capable of defensive operations.

In turn, Russia does not have the resources to "threaten a deeper advance into Ukrainian-held territory, such as Kharkiv city," according to the report.

Since the end of the period covered by the report, Ukraine has launched a surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast and now reportedly holds 1,263 square kilometers (488 square miles) of Russian territory.

The report echoes sentiments aired by U.S. officials in public.

Mark Milley, the former Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on June 21 that negotiations are needed to stop Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but Russian President Vladimir Putin "cannot be trusted."

In a talk at Princeton University, Milley said that from a military perspective, the war was now at a stalemate, with Russia unable to achieve its original goals.

"It is unlikely that anyone will be able to achieve a political solution through military means," he said in the comments reported by Voice of America.

"Therefore, both sides should recognize this and achieve an alternative method to solve their political problem, and that would be a negotiation."

Read also: Swedens Pansarbandvagn 302 approved by Ukraine  but is it any good?

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Boy under the age of 15 fighting for life after shooting in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo.  A boy under the age of 15 is fighting for his life after being shot Kansas City Tuesday night.

According to Kansas City police, officers were sent to East 42nd Street near Pittman Road around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday on reports of a shooting.

Police said that the boy was inside of an apartment when he was shot at from outside.

One person injured after shooting on I-70 in Independence

When officers arrived, they found a boy suffering from gunshot wounds. EMS responded to the scene and took the boy to the hospital.

Police said he is in critical/life-threatening condition, however, he is alert and talking as of Wednesday morning.

It doesnt get lost on us the impact of juveniles involved in violent crime in our city whether they are victims or if theyre the ones perpetuating the violent crime it is a serious issue, Sg. Phil DiMartino with KCPD said.

Several residents at the apartment complex were shaken up over the incident, calling for change in the community.

To be honest completely scary and that is not healthy for our children and most especially our community as a whole, Dennis Wleh who lives at Stonegate Meadows said.

Apartment complex administration needs to do more as to who they rent this property out to in order to keep the environment safe.

Tired of being out here like this, its the wild, wild west out here, said Roosevelt Price, another resident at Stonegate said.

I was in my basement last night doing a little schoolwork heard the gunshots, but when you hear that here it is not a surprise.

Kansas City police investigating shooting outside Northland shopping mall

This complex is no stranger to problems and one of those problems is violent crime. Police now will have extra patrols here in the coming days and they say this complex is a legitimate concern.

Any part of this city that generates violent crime to that nature to that extent absolutely is a concern, DiMartino said.

Police still do not have a suspect so if you know anything youre asked to call KCPD directly or the tips hotline  at 816-474-TIPS.

This is a developing story. FOX4 will update this story as more details become 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 FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
An annual household income of $175,000 may sound like a lot of money, but in Colorado it just makes you part of the middle class.

During the past decade, the household income needed to be considered part of the middle class has increased substantially, according to a May report from the personal finance resources publication GOBankingRates.

Using 2022 U.S. Census Bureau data, GOBankingRates report  which defines middle class as a household income between two-thirds of the median income and double the median income  found that in 2012, a household income between $35,364 and $106,092 qualified you as a member of the U.S. middle class.

Ten years later in 2022, youd have to have made at least $50,099 to hit the lowest minimum household income to be middle class in the United States.

Overall, the household income required to be middle class in the U.S. increased by 41.67% from 2012 to 2022. In Colorado, that increase was even sharper.

What is middle class in Colorado?

The amount of money a Colorado household needs to make each year to be considered part of the middle class increased by 50.4% in the past decade  the third-highest increase of any U.S. state, according to the report.

In 2012, a household income between $38,829 and $116,488 made you part of Colorado's middle class. In 2022, an income between $58,399 and $175,196 was considered middle class in the Centennial State.

More Pueblo business news: Two budget hotels were shut down in Pueblo earlier this year. One of them may soon reopen

How does Colorado compare to other states?

Colorados more than 50% increase was higher than most other states, and in some cases significantly so.

Only three states saw a 10-year increase above 50%, according to the report, and the only two states with a sharper increase than Colorado were Oregon and Washington, which saw increases of 53.15% and 52.13% respectively.

More than half of U.S. states saw increases below 40%, according to the report.

The household income needed to be middle class in Alaska increased the least over the 10-year period, growing by just 23.53% from 2012 to 2022.

Mississippi had the lowest minimum household income needed to be middle class at $35,323; Maryland had the highest, as residents needed an income of at least $64,641 to qualify as middle class.

A Pueblo flag waves in the wind at the front of Pueblo City Hall on Friday, March 22, 2024.

How many Pueblo households are part of the Colorado middle class?

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2022 American Community Survey show that of an estimated 67,840 households in Pueblo County, the median household income was $58,723 and more than half of households had an income between $50,000 and $200,000.

Story continues

Census data does not specifically break down how many Pueblo households made between $58,399 and $175,196 to be considered part of Colorado's middle class, but 43.4% of households reported an income below $49,999, while 56.6% reported an income of $50,000 or higher.

Less than 9% of Pueblo County households reported an income above $150,000, and only 4.2% reported a household income above $200,000.

Pueblo County has more residents in poverty than Colorado and the United States as a whole, as 14.8% of county residents were below the federal poverty level as of the 2022 Census compared to 9.4% for all people in Colorado and 12.6% for all people across the United States.

What would be considered middle class in Pueblo County?

Using GoBankingRates' definition of middle class, which is the same definition used by the Pew Research Center, Pueblo County's median household income of $58,723 would mean a household would have to earn an income between $39,109 and $117,446 to be considered part of the county's middle class.

More Pueblo news: Latino Chamber celebrates 45 years in Pueblo. Here's what to know about its history

Chieftain Editor Zach Hillstrom can be reached at zhillstrom@gannett.com or on X, at @ZachHillstrom. Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: How much money do you need to make to be middle class in Colorado?
BURKE COUNTY, Ga. (WJBF)  A Burke County man has been arrested after shooting and killing his girlfriends dog.

On August 20th, Burke County Deputies responded to the 3200 block of Hancock Landing Road for a domestic disturbance.

The victim told police her boyfriend, Tucker John Wood, was supposed to get tools to fix the A/C, but bought alcohol instead. The victim said that Wood assaulted her twice previously and almost killed her when he broke her eye socket while they lived in Virginia.

ALSO ON WJBF: Man wanted for July Aggravated Assault in Richmond Co. arrested

When deputies arrived, they found Tucker cussing on his porch. He allegedly told them that he knew the victim called the cops. He went on to say that he would kill the victim after law enforcement left and threatened to beat her ass.

When asked about the dog, Wood took deputies to a bedroom and showed them the empty, bloody kennel and admitted to burying the dog in the woods. He allegedly told them he shot the dog because the victim didnt take care of it.

Woods was arrested and charged with Terroristic Threats and Cruelty to Animals.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF.
BRANDON, Miss. (WJTV)  The City of Brandon approved a pay raise for multiple city departments.

Leaders said police officers, firefighters, 911 dispatchers and Public Works employees will receive a pay bump in the coming months.

The Brandon Board of Aldermen approved the increase on Monday, August 19 with a vote of 6-0. One alderman was absent from the meeting.

Mississippi State Fire Academy will undergo upgrades

Brandon Mayor Butch Lee said the raises for police officers and other positions are designed to reward the hard working employees of the city. He said the city had to make many changes in the budget, including paying off previous debts and eliminating positions that were not filled after last year.

Its a combined four or five things that we put together, and we were able to free up about $1.5 million, $1.6 million, actually, and that we put all of that money into our people, and so very pleased and proud. Weve got a Board thats in unison on that. We all feel the same way. We want better, we want better people, and we know weve got to pay more to get better people, Lee said.

According to the mayor, some workers will see a raise of almost $14,000. The raises will go into effect on October 1, 2024.

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Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJTV.
Fox News political analyst Brit Hume praised former first lady Michelle Obamas speech at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday for being just terrific.

The former first lady delivered a fiery speech Tuesday night as she tore into former President Trump and energized the Democrat Party. Several hosts on Fox News praised her speech, with the veteran political pundit Hume saying Obamas address was the highlight of the night.

I think the speech of the night was Michelle Obama. She is an extraordinarily impressive woman, former first lady of the United States. You can see why members of the Democratic Party always kind of hope that maybe shed step in and run for president after him in any of these past several cycles, he said on Fox News.

Hume wasnt entirely complimentary of Obama, saying he found it a little rich to hear the former first lady talking about hope again.

I cant imagine why somebody who has had the life shes had, a product of Princeton and Harvard Law School and an elite law firm, first lady of the United States, with a magnificent house on Marthas Vineyard worth about $12 million and another one going up in Hawaii, why it is that shes so hopeless all the time and has to have her hope revived by the goings-on in the Democratic Party? he said.

Apart from that, I thought she was just terrific, he added.

Obamas speech on Tuesday received a warm reception from the Democrats at the convention as she targeted Trump over his Black jobs comment.

By the way  whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs? Obama said as the crowd applauded.

Former President Obama delivered the keynote speech of the night after his wife spoke in Chicago, where he also took aim at Trump.

Fox Newss Bret Baier also complimented both speeches, saying the former presidents speech showed why he is still a star within the party.

Barack Obama, essentially showing this crowd why he is still such a star inside the Democratic Party, but perhaps, perhaps overshadowed by his wife, the former first lady, Michelle Obama, who gave an amazing speech that got this crowd on their feet to say, do something in refrain after refrain, he said.

Former President Obama himself questioned whether he was stupid to be speaking after his wife, given her commanding speech and hold of the convention audience.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Ever since Russias invasion in February 2022, the UK has been in the vanguard of support for Ukraine, offering weapons, financial aid and sanctuary for refugees. Boris Johnson led the way until his resignation as prime minister, but his successors have sought to emulate his stand.

Both in Opposition and now in No 10, Sir Keir Starmer has been emphatic that this countrys backing for the beleaguered nation would not waver. Yet just a few weeks into his premiership, he is being accused by Volodomyr Zelensky of presiding over a slowing down in support.

One issue is the policy on the use of long-range Storm Shadow missiles that Britain has given to Ukraine. These were provided on the understanding they would be used only for defensive purposes, yet now that Ukraines forces have occupied part of Russian territory, how is this condition to operate?

The fear was that using Nato weapons in Russia itself would widen the conflict, yet British and German tanks were also used in the counter-offensive without triggering a reaction in Moscow. British backing for Kyiv matters because other international players have taken their lead from our example.

In addition, the biggest supporter of all, the United States, is in the throes of an election whose outcome may have serious implications for Nato, Emmanuel Macron is in political difficulties in France, while Germany has watered down its promised aid programme ostensibly on budgetary grounds.

With Ukraine on the offensive, the country deserves greater support, not ambiguity and half-hearted gestures.

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"Stop bombs" is projected onto Big Ben at the Palace of Westminster, home to the Houses of Parliament, during a demonstration in London on Feb. 21, 2024. Credit - Henry NichollsAFP/Getty Images

When Britains Labour Party took power following the countrys July 4 election, it pledged to undo what was brought on by 14 years of Conservative rule. While much of that work has focused on domestic issues, it has also extended to foreign policy mattersmost notably, Britains position on Israels ongoing war in Gaza.

The incoming Labour government wasted little time. Just two weeks after the election, the countrys new foreign secretary David Lammy announced that the U.K. would restore its funding of UNRWA, the U.N. agency dedicated to Palestinian refugees. (Several countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., suspended funding to the agency following Israeli allegations that some of its employees had participated in Hamass Oct. 7 attack. After multiple investigations into the matter, many have subsequently resumed funding.) One week later, the government announced that it would be dropping the previous governments plans to challenge the right of the International Criminal Court to seek an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes.

Pro-Palestinian campaigners and human rights advocates alike welcomed these moves as a much-needed policy shift to bring the country more in line with its commitments under international law. But the more substantive change theyre looking for is the one that the British government has yet to fully commit to: the suspension of arms sales to Israel.

So fraught has Britains position on this been that a Foreign Office diplomat recently resigned in protest of the inaction, warning that the country may be complicit in war crimes. Each day we witness clear and unquestionable examples of War Crimes and breaches of International Humanitarian Law in Gaza perpetrated by the State of Israel, Mark Smith, a counterterrorism official at the British Embassy in Dublin, told colleagues in a note announcing his resignation, the details of which were first reported by journalist Hind Hassan. There is no justification for the U.K.s continued arms sales to Israel yet somehow it continues. I have raised this at every level in the organization  As a fully cleared officer raising serious concerns of illegality in this Department, to be disregarded in this way is deeply troubling. It is my duty as a public servant to raise this.

Although this isnt the first time that British civil servants have raised concerns about their potential culpability for war crimes in Gaza, it appears to be the first known public resignation to have taken place as a direct result of ita trend in the U.S., where at least a dozen U.S. officials have quit their posts in the last several months in protest of Washingtons policies on the war. The move is reflective of wider public sentiment in the U.K., where some 58% of Britons support ending arms sales to Israel for the duration of the war in Gaza, according to a July poll conducted by YouGov, compared to just 18% who are opposed. An even greater proportion (78%) support an immediate ceasefire.

Calls for the U.K. to halt weapons sales to Israel reached a fever pitch earlier this year after revelations that the British government had received advice from its own lawyers stating that Israel was in breach of international humanitarian law in Gazaa disclosure that would legally compel the British government to halt further arms exports. At the time, Lammy, then the Labour oppositions shadow foreign secretary, urged the Conservatives to make the legal advice public, which they declined to do. Since entering government as foreign secretary, Lammy hasnt publicized the legal advice himself, opting instead to commission a comprehensive review to assess whether Israeli war crimes might have been committed in Gaza. That process is still ongoing.

The levels of discontent are widespread, says Joseph Willits, the head of parliamentary affairs at the Council for Arab-British Understanding, noting that he believes there are others in both the foreign and defense ministries who are considering following in Smiths footsteps. They want to see the legal advice.

The outcome of the review has already been delayed by several weeks, in large part relating to concerns over how the British government distinguishes between weapons used by Israel to mount offensive attacks on Gaza and those that are used defensively. For example, its estimated that Britain provides components for roughly 15% of Israels F-35 fighter planes, which the Israeli military has been known to use both offensively and defensively.

Israeli protesters hold placards in a protest to call for an end to the war in Gaza, during Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy's visit, in Jerusalem, Israel, on August 16, 2024. Saeed QaqNurPhoto/ Getty Images

Yasmine Ahmed, the U.K. Director of Human Rights Watch, tells TIME that although the British government might be reluctant to limit these kinds of arms, which could feasibly be used for defensive purposes, the law is clear. There are no caveats or defenses or exemptions for the requirement to suspend when there is a clear risk that U.K. military equipment might be used to facilitate or carry out serious [human rights] violations, she says. If that threshold is met, then they have to be stopped, irrespective of whether that same equipment could be used for defensive purposes.

Such a move wouldnt be without precedent. As recently as 2014, the British government threatened to suspend 12 licensed arms exports to Israel over concerns that their components could be used by the Israeli military for potential human rights violations in Gaza. The British government briefly restricted arms sales to Israel in 1982, following the countrys invasion of neighboring Lebanon. It took similar action in 2009. Ahmed notes that the scale of the death and destruction in Gaza todaywhere more than 40,000 people have been killed, according to figures by the Hamas-led Gaza health ministry, which are considered reliable by the U.S. government and the U.N.dwarfs that of the circumstances that led to arms embargoes in previous decades.

At the very least, this government should be following in the footsteps of the Cameron government, Ahmed says, noting that the serious violations that have happened in the context of these hostilities greatly outnumber what happened in 2014.

Read More: Israel Has Been Accused of War Crimes in Gaza. Could Its Allies Be Next?

Starmers government isnt the only one facing these pressures. Across the Atlantic, Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has faced growing calls for the U.S. to impose an arms embargo on Israela move that her chief policy adviser has so far ruled out.

Although the U.S. provides considerably more arms to Israel than the U.K., Ahmed notes that the British government choosing to halt its arms exports would be a powerful way of registering its disapproval of Israels conduct in Gaza, and could apply more pressure on Israels other allies, including major arms suppliers such as the U.S. and Germany, to do the same.

Its easier to make clear your commitments to international law on positions that arent significantly contentious and where youre going to get very significant pushback, Ahmed says. But really, your commitment to international law is proven in situations, and particularly in situations like this, where there will be pressure but also where the consequences of not doing so are so dramatically significant.

Write to Yasmeen Serhan at yasmeen.serhan@time.com.
Broward voters chose new tax collector and incumbents for elections supervisor and clerk of courts

Broward County voters chose three of its constitutional officers Tuesday, including the incumbents for elections office supervisor and clerk of courts as well as the first person to the newly created job of tax collector.

Tax collector

Broward voters chose a political newcomer for the first ever elected tax collector. The new tax collector, Abbey Ajayi, will perform duties that were previously handled by county employees.

Ajayi held various banking positions before she joined the county tax office in 2015, first as a special project coordinator, and worked her way up to operations manager of the division.

Ajayi beat two opponents in a tight race  political newcomer Dwight Forrest and Perry E. Thurston, an attorney who served 16 years in the Florida Legislature. Forrest runs the accounting section of the countys Records, Tax & Treasury Division, where he said he supervises 14 employees.

Browards tax collector will issue car, truck and boat registration tags and titles, renew and update drivers licenses, and collect property taxes and other tax payments. The job pays $215,501, with annual increases calculated in part based on population growth.

Broward County now must have an elected tax collector because of a change that was pushed by a statewide Constitution Revision Commission and approved by voters in the 2018 general election. Amendment 10 requires all counties to have an elected sheriff, tax collector, property appraiser, supervisor of elections and clerk of court.

The Broward tax collector race was open to all voters because the only three candidates are all Democrats.

I am very excited to get started doing the work of the people, Ajayi said late Tuesday. She said she has ideas for improvements for the office that will benefit the community.

Elections supervisor

Incumbent Joe Scott won a second term as elections supervisor. Scott last won four years ago by 607 votes  a slim margin  but Tuesdays vote was a larger victory.

Scotts challenger was Russell Roberto Bathulia, 62, a Democrat from Sunrise, whose campaign website describes him as a native of Trinidad who operates Top Jewels Yachts, a yacht service and sales company.

Among Scotts credits is revamping the elections website, and he oversaw a relocation of the elections office from the Lauderhill Mall to a new headquarters, at 4650 NW 21st Ave. in Fort Lauderdale, earlier this month. The $103 million facility, funded by the County Commission, includes modern voting technology, increased office space, and enhanced security measures to prevent a replay of the 2018 protest outside the elections office where dozens of police officers showed up to protect the ballots at all costs.

After the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, security became the new focus for the new building.

The position pays $215,501, a rate set by the state.

I am more fired up than ever, he said by text Tuesday night. With newfound experience and the same unwavering passion for this role, I am confident that the next four years will be nothing short of extraordinary.

Clerk of courts

In the three-way race for clerk of courts, two political newcomers sought to unseat Broward Clerk of Courts Brenda D. Forman.

Forman won a third term to the administrative position.

The clerk of courts, whose salary is $215,501, manages all court records, including child-support payments, traffic fines, marriages, divorces and lawsuits. The Broward clerk manages jury selection for the states second-largest court system.

Forman, who was first elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020, was challenged by two former employees: Annette Daniels and Charles F. Hall.

Forman fired Daniels, a clerks administrative assistant, when Daniels announced that she would run for the job. Hall, who worked there through 2021, said he resigned after a dispute with Forman over a potential reassignment.

I thank all of the people who have trusted me over the last eight years who trusted me to do my job and thank them very, very much for voting me back into my seat to give me that trust one more time, Forman told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Tuesday evening by phone, as her supporters rejoiced in the background.

Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com. Follow on X, formerly Twitter, @LisaHuriash
Finding a business that has the potential to grow substantially is not easy, but it is possible if we look at a few key financial metrics. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. Although, when we looked at 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad (KLSE:SEM), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

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. To calculate this metric for 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad, this is the formula:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.065 = RM94m  (RM2.4b - RM947m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

Thus, 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad has an ROCE of 6.5%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Consumer Retailing industry average of 15%.

Check out our latest analysis for 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad

roce

In the above chart we have measured 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad for free.

The Trend Of ROCE

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad doesn't inspire confidence. To be more specific, ROCE has fallen from 14% over the last five years. Although, given both revenue and the amount of assets employed in the business have increased, it could suggest the company is investing in growth, and the extra capital has led to a short-term reduction in ROCE. And if the increased capital generates additional returns, the business, and thus shareholders, will benefit in the long run.

On a side note, 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad has done well to pay down its current liabilities to 40% of total assets. That could partly explain why the ROCE has dropped. What's more, this can reduce some aspects of risk to the business because now the company's suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of its operations. Some would claim this reduces the business' efficiency at generating ROCE since it is now funding more of the operations with its own money.

Story continues

The Bottom Line

In summary, despite lower returns in the short term, we're encouraged to see that 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad is reinvesting for growth and has higher sales as a result. And the stock has followed suit returning a meaningful 45% to shareholders over the last five years. So should these growth trends continue, we'd be optimistic on the stock going forward.

On a final note, we've found 1 warning sign for 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad that we think you should be aware of.

While 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list 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.
The News

Burkina Fasos military government is imposing increasingly authoritarian measures amid fears that its control of the country is under threat after a series of jihadist attacks.

The insurgent attacks in March, June, and August have exposed the vulnerability of the administration led by Ibrahim Traore, a 36-year-old officer who seized power in a coup around two years ago. In the last year, the ruling junta has also said it has thwarted at least two attempted coups.

Scores of security officers have been arrested in recent months, often by unidentified armed men, according to the friends and relatives of those taken, and local non-governmental organizations. The arrests are only confirmed when people have reappeared months later in military courts on sedition or terrorism charges.

Civilians who have displeased the regime, including judges and journalists, have been forcibly drafted into front-line combat. Those drafted include the popular radio journalist Alain Traore, known to his audience as Alain Alain, who was reported killed in action on Aug. 17.

The administrations attempt to assert its authority has also affected its approach to diplomacy. Relations both with France and the neighboring nation of Cote dIvoire, both of which have been accused of fomenting subversion, have been strained almost to breaking point. French diplomats were expelled in April after being accused of taking part in subversive activities. And, in the same month, Traore said Abidjan had welcomed all the destabilizers of his country.

Know More

Traores grip on power is threatened by increasingly deadly attacks by Islamist militants.

The West African country is reeling from an attack in the eastern town of Tawori on Aug. 9 by jihadist insurgents. The regional governor, Ram Joseph Kafando, denounced the assault against more than 1,000 civilians as barbarous. The elite Rapid Intervention Battalions (BIR) reportedly suffered heavy casualties. Images purporting to show military equipment seized in the attack were shared by social media accounts linked to al-Qaida affiliate Jamaa Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), which last March launched an attack on soldiers and members of a local voluntary force stationed near Tawori.

JNIM killed around 100 soldiers in an attack in June, it claimed in a statement. The group, which seeks to establish an Islamic state in West Africa and expel Western influences, has operated in the region since 2017.

On Aug. 6, just days before the latest attack, Traore laid out his efforts to counter what he considers to be attempts by foreign and domestic actors to undermine his government. He welcomed the arrest of a dozen military personnel that he deemed demonstrably complicit with terrorists. We are monitoring the situation, he said.

Traore said his administration had been tracking a cell in a neighboring country, run by Western intelligence services primarily directed against our country.

Joels view

Aside from moving ever-closer to the Russia-allied juntas in Mali and Niger, it is hard to find a neighboring nation that is safe from Traores misgivings. It points to a level of concern that borders on paranoia.

The spate of insurgent attacks is inextricably linked to the coup attempts. Discontent will only grow within the military if soldiers continue to be killed. Soldiers will seek to overthrow the junta if there is a sense that theyre being led to their deaths, and the governments popularity is falling due to curtailed civil liberties and a failure to protect civilians from insurgents.

Traores administration has been proactive. His government has invited Russian mercenaries to support Burkinabe troops in an attempt to fight insurgents. In January, a contingent of at least 100 troops from Africa Corps  a new version of the Russian mercenary group Wagner  arrived in Ouagadougou to ensure the safety of the countrys leader Ibrahima Traore and the Burkinabe people.

Will it be enough? Another coup in Burkina is ineluctable, a West-African elder statesman told me. True or not, Traore seems ready for one anyway.

Room for Disagreement

Traore can point to signs of support domestically and internationally. In May, a national conference organized by the government extended the period for the transition to domestic government by five more years.

Burkina Faso formed the Alliance of Sahel States with Niger and Mali, part of a security pact between the three countries. All three left the West African regional bloc Ecowas earlier this year.

The View From Mali

The military ousted Malis then-president in 2020, vowing to crack down on Islamist insurgents. But, four years later, the security situation in the country has continued to deteriorate.

Malis current military leaders, who took power in a second coup in 2021, are presiding over a country in which economic hardship is increasingly widespread. The World Bank has said economic growth in the country is expected to slow to 3.1% this year, from 3.5% in 2023. Meanwhile, extreme poverty levels are rising: About 90% of Malis population lives in poverty.

Notable

The short- and medium-term prospect for democratization of the Sahel seems exceedingly dim, wrote Charles A. Ray, Africa program chair of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, in a report by the US think tank.
Bus carrying Shiite pilgrims from Pakistan to Iraq crashes in Iran, killing at least 28 people

This image taken from a video released by Iranian state television shows the aftermath of a bus crash near Taft, Iran, early Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. A bus carrying Shiite pilgrims from Pakistan to Iraq crashed in central Iran, killing multiple people, an official said Wednesday. (Iranian state television via AP)

TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  A bus carrying Shiite pilgrims from Pakistan to Iraq crashed in central Iran, killing at least 28 people, an official said Wednesday.

The crash happened Tuesday night in the central Iranian province of Yazd, said Mohammad Ali Malekzadeh, a local emergency official, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

Another 23 people suffered injuries in the crash, 14 of them serious, he added. He said all of the bus passengers hailed from Pakistan.

There were 51 people on board at the time of the crash outside of the city of Taft, some 500 kilometers (310 miles) southeast of the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Iranian state television later broadcast images of the bus, turned upside down on the highway with its roof smashed in and all of its doors open. Rescuers stepped gingerly through the broken glass and debris littering the road.

In the state TV report, Malekzadeh blamed the crash on the bus brakes failing and a lack of attention by its driver. A surveillance video later aired by state TV showed the bus speeding past a parked car into a dirt lot just before the crash, narrowly missing bystanders.

In Pakistan, authorities described those on the bus as coming from the city of Larkana in Pakistan's southern Sindh province.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was deeply saddened by the crash and that diplomats were providing assistance to those affected.

My thoughts are with the bereaved families, Sharif said on the social media platform X.

Iran has one of the worlds worst traffic safety records with some 17,000 deaths annually. The grave toll is blamed on wide disregard for traffic laws, unsafe vehicles and inadequate emergency services in its vast rural areas.

The pilgrims had been on their way to Iraq to commemorate Arbaeen.

Arbaeen  Arabic for the number 40  marks the death of the Prophet Muhammads grandson, Hussein, at the hands of the Muslim Umayyad forces in the Battle of Karbala, during the tumultuous first century of Islams history. Hussein was seen by his followers as the rightful heir of the prophets legacy. When he refused to pledge allegiance to the Umayyad caliphate, he was killed in the battle, cementing the schism between Sunni and Shiite Islam.

Pilgrims gather in Karbala, Iraq, in whats regarded as the largest annual public gathering in the world. The event draws tens of millions of people each year. Already, Iranian police said 3 million pilgrims had left the country's borders for Karbala.

A separate bus crash early Wednesday in Irans southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province killed six people and injured 18, authorities said.

___

Associated Press writers Asim Tanveer in Multan, Pakistan; Adil Jawad in Karachi, Pakistan; and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.
Out of business: Suspected drug trafficker had enough fentanyl to kill half a million people, deputies say

Out of business: Suspected drug trafficker had enough fentanyl to kill half a million people, deputies say

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  A suspected drug trafficker was put out of business after Florida deputies seized enough fentanyl to kill half a million people, according to the Collier County Sheriffs Office.

Officials described it as the largest fentanyl seizure in their history.

5-year-old found in hot car while mom shops at Walmart

On Tuesday, deputies arrived at 4605 19th Place Southwest in Naples, a home operating as a one-stop shop for drugs including fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine.

Two children were also found in the home.

Akeem Kwesio Jarrett, 30, a convicted felon, was charged with 10 more felonies after authorities searched his home. Below is a list of what was seized:

2.28 pounds (over 1 kilogram) of fentanyl

3.8 pounds of cocaine, including 539 grams of crack cocaine (~1.75 kilograms)

6.32 pounds of methamphetamine

74.1 grams of oxycodone

424.9 grams of alprazolam

5.2 grams of hydrocodone

22.6 grams of Vicodin

9.4 grams of clonazepam

5.4 grams of MDMA

2.21 grams of marijuana

$8,311 in cash

6 firearms, including an AK-47 style rifle and semiautomatic handguns

Collier County Sheriffs Office

The sheer quantity and variety of illicit drugs that our detectives found is indicative of an ongoing drug trafficking operation and were not going to tolerate that in Collier County, Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
A bystander was injured Sunday night when a suspect fled from Euless police and crashed into a car near Interstate 35W in Fort Worth, police said.

Officers were dispatched to the 2800 block of Texas 121 shortly before 10:30 p.m. on a domestic disturbance call. A woman told them her ex-boyfriend was drunk and was trying to keep her from getting out of his vehicle, police said.

The woman successfully exited the vehicle, and officers attempted to contact the man. The suspect fled the scene in his Jeep Grand Cherokee, with the officers in pursuit, officials said.

The suspect drove recklessly and without headlights during the chase, according to police. He eventually crashed into a car after he ran a red light at Morningside Drive and the I-35W service road.

A 28-year-old male passenger of the car that was struck was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries, officials said.

 More top stories from our newsroom:

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[Get our breaking news alerts.]

According to police, the Jeeps driver was arrested and faces charges of evading arrest/detention with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury, possession of a controlled substance and intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury.

Tarrant County Jail records identify the suspect as 22-year-old Hoemro Gomez Gauna. He was released on bond on Tuesday.
SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS)  A Shreveport man with a criminal history was re-sentenced on Tuesday as a habitual offender for multiple narcotic and gun charges.

Mack Treshaun Marshall, 37, was sentenced on August 21, 2023, after pleading guilty to seven felony charges. He was sentenced to 20 years without the benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence.

Mack Treshaun Marshall (Source: Caddo Parish Correctional Center)

The conviction related to the habitual offender sentences was the sixth count  illegal carrying of weapons while in possession of multiple controlled substances, including cocaine and methamphetamine. For that conviction, he was sentenced to eight years; that sentence was vacated after he pleaded guilty under the multiple offender bill and received a sentence of 15 years.

Changes made to the Louisiana Criminal Justice Reform Initiative through the legislatures special crime session earlier this year addressed what many see as a revolving door of bad actors in and out of correctional centers.

Overview of how Violent Crime Task Force will shape public safety policy in Louisiana

One point the task force addressed was the recidivism rate of habitual offenders, or offenders who have three prior felony convictions. The data showed that these men and women, in particular, have a recidivism rate of 55 percent.

The task force also pointed out the truncated sentencing structure in Louisiana, showing the average time served for violent offenses is less than six years.

It remains to be seen whether a return to Louisianas criminal justice code predating former Governor John Bel Edwards reform initiatives will serve as a deterrent or a means to overcrowd Louisianas prisons. However, district attorneys offices and judges are not avoiding enhancing charges using the habitual offender laws.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com.
Cadet dies in line of duty during corrections officer training in Abilene

A cadet with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice died in the line of duty Monday.

Cadet Michelle Strube, 45, died during routine pre-service training at the Robertson Unit Training Center in Abilene, according to a statement posted on the TDCJ Facebook Tuesday morning.

Strube joined the agency in August 2024 and was in the process of completing the required six-week pre-service training course prior to starting as a correctional officer.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice announce Tuesday morning the death of Cadet Michelle Strube. She died in the line of duty Monday, Aug. 19, 2024 during routine pre-service training at the Robertson Unit Training Center.

Cadet Strube committed to protecting and serving the state of Texas. There is no higher calling than that, Texas Board of Criminal Justice Chairman Eric Nichols said. Our prayers are with her family, friends and academy cohort during this difficult time."

TDCJ Executive Director Bryan Collier said the department mourns, with her family, Strube who was just beginning her career as a correctional officer.

Her dedication will be remembered with profound respect and gratitude," Collier said.

The cause of Strube's death had not been released as of Wednesday afternoon.

More: Cruz doubles down on school choice, involvement in state races

More: Leaking grease and lots of unlabeled food: Abilene's weekly restaurant inspections

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Cadet dies in line of duty during corrections officer training
TYLER, Texas (KETK)  The Caldwell Zoo announced on Wednesday a big hatch of Texas Horned Lizards as a part of a dedicated conservation effort.

Gold Standard: Tuckers tenure of innovation, inspiration resounds through Caldwell Zoo

According to the zoo, the Lone Star States official state reptile was almost threatened to extinction, which led to the Texas Parks and Wildlife department reaching out to Caldwell Zoo for conservation efforts. Caldwell Zoo said they established a Texas Horned Lizard Conservation which is now in its fifth year of operation.

We are very dedicated to the cause. These lizards are an important part of the ecosystem and really, a cherished part of Texas lore, Katelyn Lenhart, supervisor of reptiles for Caldwell Zoo, said. People used to grow up seeing these lizards all the time. Now they are a rare sight. The species needs help to survive. So, we are doing all we can to make sure they are here for generations to come.

Texas Horned Lizard hatchlings, courtesy of Caldwell Zoo

According to the Caldwell Zoo, these reptiles have greatly declined in their wild population for several reasons like the pet trade, loss of wild habitat and the expansion of fire ants. The conservation efforts of organizations such as Caldwell Zoo and Texas Parks and Wildlife establishing natural areas for the horned lizards is starting to help with the population status of the state reptile.

IN FOCUS: Combatting extinction with the Caldwell Zoo

It takes a lot of work and its worth it. We have special habitats built for mating pairs at our center. Once eggs are laid, we carefully collect the tiny eggs and move them to an incubator, Dallas Goodwin, reptile expert and keeper at Caldwell Zoo, explained. This gives each egg perfect conditions so we can maximize the number of healthy hatchlings. Once the lizards hatch, we transfer them to climate controlled habitats and give them everything they need to grow strong. That includes collecting termite larva for them to feed on. Yes, its delicate work and meticulous, but thats why were here, to help wildlife.

Caldwell Zoo said that the hatching is just the beginning of the process, once the lizards mature after a several weeks they will be taken to a protected land near Mason Mountain where they will be tagged and released. After being released they will continue to be monitored to make sure they are thriving in their wild habitat, according to the zoo.

Texas Horned Lizard eggs and a hatchling, courtesy of Caldwell Zoo

This year, we have over 70 hatchlings to reintroduce into the wild, Yvonne Stainback, curator of birds and reptiles at Caldwell Zoo, said. Thats our biggest release yet. Plus, we have found mature lizards in the release area that were hatched at our center. That shows that these lizards are truly surviving in the wild.

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Calif. Mother Drowns After Dog Pulls Her Into a River, Family Calls Her a Fierce Protector to Everyone

Mary Marshall and her German shepherd Suki drowned in a "heartbreaking river accident," the victim's family said

gofundme Mary Marshall

A family is mourning the loss of their mother after the California woman and her dog drowned during an outing with friends over the weekend.

A press release shared by the Fresno County Sheriffs Office on Sunday, Aug. 18, identified the deceased as 63-year-old Mary Marshall of Menifee, Calif. in Riverside County.

Around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17, Fresno County Sheriffs dispatchers received an emergency call regarding a woman who had fallen into the Kings River and had not resurfaced," police said.

gofundme Mary Marshall and her German shepherd

After searching the area of S. Rio Vista and E. Vino Avenues in Reedley for more than two hours, deputies with the boating and dive units recovered the body of Marshall, a retired member of the U.S. Marine Corps., and her German Shepherd.

Neither of them was wearing a life jacket, authorities said.

Related: N.Y.C. Woman and Her 7-Month-Old Golden Retriever Drown in Vermont River: 'We Are Devastated'

The sheriffs office said Marshall was part of a group of a dozen friends who would visit the Kings River each year to take part in a float downstream.

The fatal incident occurred when she attached her raft to another raft.

Marshalls dog was on a leash, which was tethered to a harness she was wearing, police said. The rafts veered into a tree on the river, which caused them to get stuck. The dog jumped off the raft, causing it to flip over, sending Marshall into the water. Even more troublesome was her body was still attached to the dog by the leash.

Fresno County Sheriff's Office Kings River

Authorities said Marshall and her pet became trapped in a turbulent flow of water against an object that is difficult to escape, more commonly known as a strainer.

The leash became wrapped around a tree branch underwater, causing Marshall and her dog to remain submerged, the release continued, noting that the dogs leash had to be cut to free them both once their bodies were discovered.

Marshalls children, Leah and Laithe, confirmed the news in a GoFundMe campaign.

It is with broken hearts that my brother and I share the tragic loss of our beloved mother, Mary, and her service dog, Suki, the siblings began. Our mom was taken from us far too soon in a heartbreaking river accident that has left our family devastated.

gofundme Mary Marshall

They remembered her as not just their mother, but a former Marine with 20 years of service, a friend, a sister, a daughter, and a fierce protector to everyone who knew her.

The siblings, who have raised more than $10,000 as of Tuesday, Aug. 20, asked for help to cover the unexpected expenses that are not covered under her military service plans.

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Our mom dedicated her life to caring for others, and now we want to honor her in the way she deserves. Mary was a single mom who raised us with love, strength, and determination. Now its our turn to give her the respectful farewell she so deeply deserves, the GoFundMe continued.

The FCSO urged anyone venturing into bodies of water to wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket and recommended one for pets as well.

They also suggested that only experienced swimmers participate in water activities, and reminded the community to be cautious of the heat, avoid alcohol usage, and be mindful that the current is often stronger than it appears.



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By Selena Li

HONG KONG (Reuters) -Hong Kong's bourse has booked its first profit increase in three quarters, marking record revenue and income for an April-June period as new listings and trading activity picked up.

Net income for Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) climbed 9% from a year earlier to HK$3.16 billion ($405 million) while revenue rose 7%.

The bourse said it had benefited from increases in trading and clearing fees as volumes across the cash, derivatives and commodities markets grew.

HKEX has been beset with challenges over the past few years, from Beijing's regulatory crackdown on many industries to rising tensions between China and the United States, and Chinese economy's lacklustre growth - all of which have contributed to widespread disaffection with Chinese assets.

The exchange's stock price is down some 15% so far this year and was 1% lower after the results as investors noted the strong second quarter came after a particularly weak one.

However, new Chief Executive Bonnie Chan said sentiment appeared to be improving.

"Looking ahead, while macro-environment uncertainties persist, we remain cautiously optimistic about the outlook for the rest of the year," she said in a statement.

IPO activity which suffered in the first quarter during a sharp sell-off in Chinese stocks is now showing "signs of warming", said Chan, who took the helm in March.

"The recent pickup of momentum, especially in the second quarter, has shown us that investors around the world continue to be very focused on the China story, the China growth story," Chan told reporters on Wednesday.

"So that fundamental feature is not going away."

Efforts by mainland Chinese authorities to expedite approvals of initial public offerings also helped, though deal values have been relatively small, all under $500 million.

Eighteen firms went public in Hong Kong during the second quarter compared to 12 in the first quarter, raising about 80% more in funds.

But some IPO plans have yet to materialise. An initiative to encourage more specialist technology companies to list has attracted just two firms since new rules were introduced a year ago.

Chan said the bourse has "done extremely well" with sizable follow-on offerings, particularly a record $20 billion in convertible bonds issuance by large Chinese firms such as Alibaba Group and Ping An Insurance. They raised $5 billion and $3.5 billion, respectively, in May and July.

The exchange has also trying to enhance its derivative offerings, announcing in April a major investment to develop its in-house derivatives platform.

Story continues

($1 = 7.7906 Hong Kong dollars)

(Reporting by Selena Li; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Tomasz Janowski)
California Assemblyman James C. Ramos (Photo/File)

Children adopted after being transferred from state juvenile court to a tribal court in California will now be included in the states Adoptions Assistance Program (AAP) with Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature of AB 2948 authored by Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino).

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AAP benefits are a crucial aspect of the adoption process and have become potential deal breakers for many families wishing to adopt.

The greatest gift and right that all children need and deserve is a loving family. AB 2948 ensures equity and parity for Native children so they too can be raised in a nurturing and safe home. This bill removes the additional obstacles placed on potential parents seeking to welcome tribal foster children into their families," Ramos said.

California Tribal Families Coalition Co-Executive Directors Michelle Castagne and Blair Kreuzer said, We thank the governor for his approval of this important family bill. AB 2948 will ensure that tribal children are provided the same benefits through the Adoption Assistance Program as non-tribal children and, ultimately, have equal access to support and resources.

The AAP program provides a monthly negotiated rate, medical coverage, payment for eligible wraparound services and other benefits. Benefits can be awarded until the child reaches the age of 21 and are based on the childs needs and family circumstances.

Tribal children have for a long time been disproportionately affected by the qualification process simply because they were not adopted under the same conditions as non-tribal children. These benefits were established to assist prospective parents and prevent long-term foster care.

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State lawmakers, responding to a report that the agency charged with ensuring worker safety in California has sharply cut back on enforcement of outdoor heat protection laws, said new legislation is needed to protect employees amid escalating periods of extreme heat.

Their comments addressed an investigation by the Los Angeles Times and Capital & Main that found that field inspections by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, known as Cal/OSHA, dropped by nearly 30% between 2017 and 2023. The number of violations issued to employers during that period fell by more than 40%.

Im incredibly disappointed, and Im actually infuriated, said Assemblymember Liz Ortega (D-San Leandro), chair of the Labor and Employment Committee.

Read more: California cuts back on safety enforcement as farmworkers toil in extreme heat

Ortega, whose committee has heard testimony from farmworkers accusing Cal/OSHA of not enforcing safety laws, said the agency has repeatedly offered the same excuses for failing to ramp up inspections as life-threatening heat waves have intensified across California in recent years.

Cal/OSHA said it does not comment on legislation, but the agency said previously that it will launch a new agricultural unit that will operate in cities across California and significantly expand enforcement.

State law requires employers to provide heat illness prevention training, which includes information on the signs and symptoms of heat illness and an employers legal obligations to provide water and break areas with shade as close as possible to workers.

Capital & Main  an investigative news organization  interviewed more than 40 farmworkers across California in recent months. Workers said they did not receive heat safety training from employers and were not aware of their rights under the law. Many said they often toiled in fields and orchards with no shade and at times without water provided by employers.

Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno), whose district includes fields and orchards in the San Joaquin Valley, said he will push for legislation that requires Cal/OSHA to create a new heat safety certification program for agricultural workers.

Read more: California's long-awaited indoor heat standard has gone into effect. Here's what to know

The training, which would be administered by the agency online, would ensure that workers know their rights and inform them how to call Cal/OSHA and file complaints if their employers fail to comply with the law, according to Arambula.

We need to make sure that we're receiving the calls and that people are empowered and know what their rights are, he added, and we need to have people who are there to receive the calls to make sure that we're following up with inspections and finding violations.

He said he will introduce his bill during the next years session of the Legislature. A similar bill did not make it out of committee during the current session after a difference of opinion arose among lawmakers over the best way to proceed with the legislation. The bill would have required the training to be offered in English and the top five non-English languages used by adults in California, as identified by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Ortega said that the Legislature has previously provided funding and other support so that Cal/OSHA could hire additional personnel to improve enforcement efforts. The agency has 141 unfilled positions, or a vacancy rate of 37%, in its enforcement unit, which oversees workplace safety inspections.

I don't think we'll ever get to the number of inspectors that we need to get some real results, not in the time that we need it, which is now, Ortega said.

She and others say they are supporting a bill by Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), a former farmworker.

The bill, which is being considered by the Assembly, would promote compliance with the states outdoor heat regulations and ensure that workers are compensated and receive medical treatment if they suffer heat-related injuries while working for an employer who had failed to comply with the law. In cases where the farmworkers died, their families would be compensated.

Read more: Controversial bill to abolish California fire hazard rankings dies in Legislature

Cortese was not available for an interview but said in a statement that the bill is needed because farmworkers are endangered by record-breaking heat waves.

Farmworkers need a rapid response for heat-related injuries and illnesses, he said. Their families need support when faced with the worst kind of heat-related tragedy  the death of a loved one and breadwinner.

This story was produced in partnership with Capital & Main and the McGraw Center for Business Journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York and was supported by the California Health Care Foundation and the Fund for Investigative Journalism.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
California School District Did Not Communicate Presence of Lead in Water to Families

The Unified Oakland School District sent a letter to families explaining that theyre in the process of replacing problematic fixtures

Getty Stock image of a school water fountain.

A California school district said it didnt notify families about the presence of lead in the water supply, which could impact more than 45,000 students.

The Oakland Unified School District in Northern California sent a letter home to families explaining that they hadnt notified them earlier about the lead, which was found in nearly 200 drinking fountains and water faucets.

"Despite our attention to detail and care for our sites, we did not communicate effectively to the members of each school community as the testing launched, as we received the results, and as fixes were being implemented," said the letter, via NBC News.

Getty Stock image of children washing their hands in a school bathroom.

Related: At Least 22 Toddlers in 14 States Sickened by Lead in Applesauce Pouches

"We are putting systems in place to ensure a lack of effective communication does not occur again, and that school communities receive quick notice when this kind of testing is taking place on their campuses," the letter said, according to NBC News.

According to the outlet, the school district  which is the 11th largest in the state with more than 45,000 students  had tested the fixtures for lead concentrations of more than 5 parts per billion (ppb).

That baseline is lower than state and federal guidelines of 15 ppb.

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The investigation found that 116 fixtures tested at more than 5 ppb and less than 15 ppb; and 70 fixtures tested at levels beyond the state and federal standards of 15 ppb.

Lead exposure is dangerous for children, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Even low levels of lead in the blood of children can result in behavior and learning problems, the agency says, adding that it can cause lower IQ and hyperactivity, slowed growth, hearing problems, and anemia.

Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty The Oakland Unified School District holds a meeting in 2022.

Related: Zendaya Returned to Her Hometown to Surprise Students and Donate School Supplies

The agency also notes, Lead can enter drinking water when plumbing materials that contain lead corrode, especially where the water has high acidity or low mineral content that corrodes pipes and fixtures.

The school district's statement said that "61 fixtures have been fixed so far" and that the process is still ongoing, according to NBC News.

"Nearly half of schools discovered lead in their drinking water," the National Association of State Boards of Education said  noting that not all states test their water.

Only 13 states have policies in place to test school water supplies for lead, the NASBE says  and no states have policies in place to test for lead paint.

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A former California school safety officer has pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter nearly three years after he was charged with murder for fatally shooting an 18-year-old woman as she tried to flee a physical altercation, officials said Tuesday.

Eddie Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced on October 8 and faces either three or six years in prison, Los Angeles County District Attorneys office spokesperson Pamela J. Johnson told CNN.

The plea comes about four months after a mistrial was declared in the murder trial against Gonzalez, after the jury failed to reach a verdict.

Gonzalez was patrolling an area near Millikan High School in Long Beach on September 27, 2021, when he noticed a fight between Manuela Rodriguez, 18, and a 15-year-old girl, the police said. As Rodriguez and two others attempted to flee the scene in a nearby vehicle, the school safety officer allegedly fired his handgun at the sedan, striking Rodriguez, who was in the front passenger seat, police said.

Rodriguez was taken to a hospital and died from her injuries approximately a week later, the Los Angeles County District Attorneys office said. She left behind a 5-month-old son.

Gonzalez was soon fired for violating the districts use-of-force policy, which instructs its safety officers not to shoot at a fleeing person, moving vehicle or through a vehicle window unless circumstances clearly warrant the use of a firearm as a final means of defense, the policy states. He was charged with murder a month after the shooting.

We must hold accountable the people we have placed in positions of trust to protect us, Gascon said about the charge. That is especially true for the armed personnel we traditionally have relied upon to guard our children on their way to and from and at school.

Last year, Rodriguezs family reached a $13 million settlement agreement with the Long Beach Unified School District in their civil case. The Long Beach Unified School District had said the agreement was not an admission of liability.

I dont know how to go on, how Im here, how to move on without my baby girl. She meant everything to me, her mother Manuela Sahagun said at the time. All I want is justice  justice for my baby girl.

In April, seven of the jurors wanted to convict Gonzalez on the murder charge, while five jurors wanted to convict him on a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, the Los Angeles County District Attorneys office told CNN.

CNN has reached out to Gonzalezs attorney for comment.

The case against Gonzalez comes amid debate in US school districts about whether armed officers should be present in schools. Some say the law enforcement presence helps protect students against gun violence, while others worry about police misconduct and an acceleration of the school-to-prison pipeline.

In an effort to prevent school shootings in California, a bill introduced earlier this year that failed passage would have required K-12 schools statewide to have at least one armed officer. Currently, California law allows school districts to decide whether to employ or contract for armed law enforcement officers or unarmed security officers.

Meanwhile, others have run local campaigns in California school districts to remove school police, who they say are far more likely to target Black and Latino students.

The American Civil Liberties Union of California in 2021 released a report warning that having more police officers at public schools could have a detrimental effect on students. The study found that Latino students arrest rates were 6.9 times higher and Black students arrest rates were 7.4 times higher in schools with assigned law enforcement than in schools without. It also found that the groups were more likely to be referred to law enforcement.

A report published in July by the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that approximately 45% of US public schools reported having sworn law enforcement officers who routinely carried a firearm.

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A former California school safety officer has pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter nearly three years after he was charged with murder for fatally shooting an 18-year-old woman as she tried to flee a physical altercation, officials said Tuesday.

Eddie Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced on October 8 and faces either three or six years in prison, Los Angeles County District Attorneys office spokesperson Pamela J. Johnson told CNN.

The plea comes about four months after a mistrial was declared in the murder trial against Gonzalez, after the jury failed to reach a verdict.

Gonzalez was patrolling an area near Millikan High School in Long Beach on September 27, 2021, when he noticed a fight between Manuela Rodriguez, 18, and a 15-year-old girl, the police said. As Rodriguez and two others attempted to flee the scene in a nearby vehicle, the school safety officer allegedly fired his handgun at the sedan, striking Rodriguez, who was in the front passenger seat, police said.

Rodriguez was taken to a hospital and died from her injuries approximately a week later, the Los Angeles County District Attorneys office said. She left behind a 5-month-old son.

Gonzalez was soon fired for violating the districts use-of-force policy, which instructs its safety officers not to shoot at a fleeing person, moving vehicle or through a vehicle window unless circumstances clearly warrant the use of a firearm as a final means of defense, the policy states. He was charged with murder a month after the shooting.

We must hold accountable the people we have placed in positions of trust to protect us, District Attorney George Gascon said about the charge. That is especially true for the armed personnel we traditionally have relied upon to guard our children on their way to and from and at school.

Last year, Rodriguezs family reached a $13 million settlement agreement with the Long Beach Unified School District in their civil case. The Long Beach Unified School District had said the agreement was not an admission of liability.

I dont know how to go on, how Im here, how to move on without my baby girl. She meant everything to me, her mother Manuela Sahagun said at the time. All I want is justice  justice for my baby girl.

In April, seven of the jurors wanted to convict Gonzalez on the murder charge, while five jurors wanted to convict him on a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, the Los Angeles County District Attorneys office told CNN.

CNN has reached out to Gonzalezs attorney for comment.

The case against Gonzalez comes amid debate in US school districts about whether armed officers should be present in schools. Some say the law enforcement presence helps protect students against gun violence, while others worry about police misconduct and an acceleration of the school-to-prison pipeline.

In an effort to prevent school shootings in California, a bill introduced earlier this year that failed passage would have required K-12 schools statewide to have at least one armed officer. Currently, California law allows school districts to decide whether to employ or contract for armed law enforcement officers or unarmed security officers.

Meanwhile, others have run local campaigns in California school districts to remove school police, who they say are far more likely to target Black and Latino students.

The American Civil Liberties Union of California in 2021 released a report warning that having more police officers at public schools could have a detrimental effect on students. The study found that Latino students arrest rates were 6.9 times higher and Black students arrest rates were 7.4 times higher in schools with assigned law enforcement than in schools without. It also found that the groups were more likely to be referred to law enforcement.

A report published in July by the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that approximately 45% of US public schools reported having sworn law enforcement officers who routinely carried a firearm.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
(KTLA)  Tired of being a victim of repeated mail theft, a Santa Barbara County woman laid her own trap to catch those responsible for ripping her off.

The unidentified woman kept a mailbox at the Los Alamos Post Office in the Santa Maria Valley and had been the victim of mail theft on multiple occasions, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriffs Office.

To stop the thefts once and for all, the woman decided to ship herself an Apple AirTag, a small, keychain-sized tracking device capable of providing a current GPS location to the owners mobile device and waited for the thieves to take the bait.

Queens man sets fake package to catch alleged porch pirate

On Monday, sheriffs deputies responded to the Los Alamos Post Office to meet the woman after her mail was stolen again, this time with the AirTag included.

Now able to track the thieves, deputies traveled to Santa Maria where they located the suspects and the victims stolen mail  still containing the tracking device, according to the sheriffs office.

Apple AirTag tracking device. (KTLA)

A package with an Apple AirTag used to catch mail thieves is shown in an image provided by the Santa Barbara County Sheriffs Office on Aug. 20, 2024.

Additional pieces of mail from dozens of other victims were also recovered, officials said.

Deputies ultimately arrested 27-year-old Virginia Franchessca Lara of Santa Maria and 37-year-old Donald Ashton Terry of Riverside.

Lara and Terry were both booked into jail in Santa Maria where they remain in custody as they await felony charges.

Lara faces possible charges for possession of stolen checks and credit cards, identity theft and conspiracy. Shes being held on $50,000 bail.

Terry faces the same felony charges, as well as one count of burglary. Hes also wanted for several thefts that took place in Riverside County, authorities said. His bail is set at $460,000.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriffs Office commended the victim for her proactive solution, and thanked her for exercising caution by contacting law enforcement rather than confronting the thieves herself.

The case remains under investigation by the sheriffs office, and detectives are working to contact additional 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 PIX11.
(KTLA)  Tired of being a victim of repeated mail theft, a Santa Barbara County woman laid her own trap to catch those responsible for ripping her off.

The unidentified woman kept a mailbox at the Los Alamos Post Office in the Santa Maria Valley and had been the victim of mail theft on multiple occasions, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriffs Office.

To stop the thefts once and for all, the woman decided to ship herself an Apple AirTag, a small, keychain-sized tracking device capable of providing a current GPS location to the owners mobile device and waited for the thieves to take the bait.

Apple AirTag tracking device. (KTLA)

A package with an Apple AirTag used to catch mail thieves is shown in an image provided by the Santa Barbara County Sheriffs Office on Aug. 20, 2024.

On Monday, sheriffs deputies responded to the Los Alamos Post Office to meet the woman after her mail was stolen again, this time with the AirTag included.

Now able to track the thieves, deputies traveled to Santa Maria where they located the suspects and the victims stolen mail  still containing the tracking device, according to the sheriffs office.

Additional pieces of mail from dozens of other victims were also recovered, officials said.

Airline passenger claims United was lying about lost luggage after AirTag showed it at mystery building

Deputies ultimately arrested 27-year-old Virginia Franchessca Lara of Santa Maria and 37-year-old Donald Ashton Terry of Riverside.

Lara and Terry were both booked into jail in Santa Maria where they remain in custody as they await felony charges.

Lara faces possible charges for possession of stolen checks and credit cards, identity theft and conspiracy. Shes being held on $50,000 bail.

Terry faces the same felony charges, as well as one count of burglary. Hes also wanted for several thefts that took place in Riverside County, authorities said. His bail is set at $460,000.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriffs Office commended the victim for her proactive solution, and thanked her for exercising caution by contacting law enforcement rather than confronting the thieves herself.

The case remains under investigation by the sheriffs office, and detectives are working to contact additional 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 Queen City News.
NEW YORK (PIX11)  NYC Health + Hospitals, the nations largest municipal health system, seeks to employ staff nurses at locations across New York City.

Recruitment events will be held at Bellevue, Elmhurst, and Lincoln at the end of August.

More Local News

Open positions and requirements for applicants at the locations are as follows:

NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue

Staff Nurse  Adult Psychiatry & Child and Adolescent only NYS Registered Nurse and Basic Life Support required New grads are welcome to apply but must have successfully completed the NCLEX exam Associate degree nurses accepted Annual salary starts at $106,301  Staff Nurses will be eligible for additional compensation based on experience, education, shift, and certification

Assistant Head Nurse Must have six months of experience as a registered nurse Annual salary: $107,986

PSHT  Psychiatric Technician One year of experience in a hospital, healthcare, or medical facility Basic Life Support of Lifesaver Certification from the American Heart Association required Annual salary: $40,164



The recruitment event will be held on the 14th floor of the H building in the nursing conference room at 462 1st Avenue on August 28. Registration is required to participate.

To register, send your resume to Nurses4NYC@nychhc.org with the subject line Bellevue PSYCH Recruitment Event 8/28/24. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

FDA approves Traumagel, a life-saving gel that stops bleeding on contact

NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst

Staff Nurse NYS Registered Nurse/Basic Cardiac Life Support/Advanced Cardiac Life Support/Pediatric Advanced Life Support is required New grads are welcome to apply but must have successfully completed the NCLEX exam Associate degree nurses accepted, Bachelor of Science in Nursing preferred Annual salary starts at $100,750  Staff Nurses will be eligible for additional compensation based on experience, education, shift, and certification

Psychiatric/Social Health Technician Behavioral Health One year of satisfactory experience in providing nonprofessional nursing or medical support services in a hospital, healthcare or medical facility and satisfactory completion of prescribed courses in an approved training program in mental health or social healthcare Annual Salary: $40,164



The recruitment event will be held in the Auditorium (Rm A1-22) at 79-01 Broadway in Elmhurst on August 30. Registration is required to participate.

To register, send your resume to EHCEmployment@nychhc.org with the subject line Elmhurst 8/2024. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

NJ gov. erases $100 million in medical debt for residents

NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln

Staff Nurse: NYS Registered Nurse New grads are welcome to apply but must have successfully completed the NCLEX exam Associate degree nurses accepted Annual salary: $106,301 (salary based on full time schedule)  Staff Nurses will be eligible for additional compensation based on experience, education, shift, and certification



The recruitment event will be held at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln at 234 East 149th Street in the Bronx on August 31. Registration is required to participate.

To register, send your resume to LINRecruitment@nychhc.org with the subject line Lincoln 8/31/2024. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Ben Mitchell is a digital content producer from Vermont who has covered both local and international news since 2021. He joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of his work here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
The economic agenda of Kamala Harris is beginning to come into focus as she proposes a cost-of-living plan, removing taxes on tips, and a corporate tax rate hike.

How will these ideas impact the national debt, which just passed $35 trillion?

Budget hawks are still crunching the numbers  and are still waiting on additional plans  but a picture is beginning to emerge of Harris getting on board with not just expensive new programs but, indeed, some plans to pay for them as well.

"She's very early in the policy formation process," said Marc Goldwein of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) in an interview, adding, "They say they want to pay for everything, but saying it and doing it are two different things."

Harris is promising more plans in the weeks ahead on issues like education, childcare, and long-term care that could significantly drive up the cost of her agenda.

A campaign spokesman said the mix for the vice president remains one focused on "creating an opportunity economy for the middle class that advances their economic security" but doing so in "a fiscally responsible way."

Read more: How to protect your savings against inflation

Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks Tuesday at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisc. (MAHKA ESLAMI/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images) (MAHKA ESLAMI via Getty Images)

Yet no matter who wins in November, the US faces a challenging fiscal path. The current trillion-dollar deficits are likely to continue and likely to get worse in the years ahead.

And former President Donald Trump has his own set of expensive ideas, though he has offered less concrete detail about how he would pay for them. He often references increased oil drilling  "liquid gold" as he calls it  as a way to pay for programs and also pay off the national debt.

Here is a closer look at the impact of Harriss plans:

Three new proposals

Harris has announced three new proposals in recent weeks. The biggest ticket item by far is a cost-of-living plan that focuses on housing costs and grocery prices. It includes, among other provisions, a new first-time homebuyer credit of $25,000 and a federal ban on price gouging in food.

Read more: Kamala Harris proposes tax credit for first-time home buyers. What about Trump?

The CRFB estimates that this full suite of ideas would increase deficits by $1.7 trillion over the coming decade. The most expensive item is a $1.2 trillion expansion of the child tax credit while another piece of the plan to lower prescription drug costs could actually save the government $250 billion.

Harris has also proposed exempting tip income from federal income taxes and raising the federal minimum wage. Those ideas, according to the CRFB, could add at least $100 billion to $200 billion in red ink over the next decade if enacted.

Story continues

Trump has also proposed a no-taxes-on-tips plan and often notes that he proposed it first, calling the vice president "Copycat Kamala" in response.

To pay for her new plans, or at least some of them, Harris is also on board with raising the corporate income tax rate to 28%, her campaign said. Big businesses currently pay a federal rate of 21%.

President Joe Biden had first proposed the higher 28% level, while Trump is interested in pushing it lower.

A 28% rate would, once again, according to the CRFB, bring in an estimated $1 trillion over the coming decade to federal coffers.

Longer-term financial issues

The Harris campaign has also sent signals about longer-term fiscal priorities.

A campaign aide has said that Harris supports the array of other revenue-raising ideas presented in the 2025 Biden-Harris budget.

Many of those proposals are centered around tax increases on the richest Americans and are deeply controversial.

One piece would raise the top individual income tax rate from 37% to 39.6%. Another could increase corporate taxes further by changing the rules around what are known as corporate book minimums.

And perhaps the most controversial idea that the Biden-Harris budget would establish is a 25% tax on the unrealized capital gains of billionaires. It's a version of a so-called "wealth tax" that is often slammed by Republicans and dismissed by many economists as unworkable.

But the potential savings from that suite of ideas could be massive: in the neighborhood of $4 trillion over the coming decade.

Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris unveils a cost of living plan in Raleigh, NC, on August 16. (Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images) (Anadolu via Getty Images)

Enacting them is another matter. The ideas are deeply partisan and would face fierce resistance from Republicans sure to block them during a Harris presidency if they are able  as they've done successfully during Bidens presidency.

A potential Harris presidency also includes another giant potential cost at the end of 2025 in the tax arena. That's when the expiration of a wide swath of the 2017 Trump-era tax cuts, formally called the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, is set to take place.

Harris has maintained a signature Biden pledge to not raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 a year. But she hasnt spelled out exactly how shell approach a debate over these tax expirations if she wins.

A Harris-Walz campaign spokesman didn't respond to a request for more information on this front.

But if Harris moved to simply extend the tax cuts for everyone making under $400,000, as Biden had aimed to do, that could add over $3 trillion to deficits.

Republican Presidential nominee, former president Donald J. Trump during a campaign roundtable in York, Pa., on Monday. (Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images) (Tierney L. Cross via Getty Images)

Goldwein also pointed out that other expensive tax provisions will also be under debate in 2025, including enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that were put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic but are also set to expire at the end of 2025.

So far in her public remarks, Harris has avoided getting into the weeds of the fiscal balancing act she would face if she wins, instead offering broad strokes and promising more details in the weeks ahead.

Pressed this past weekend by reporters about how she would pay for her cost-of-living plan, Harris mainly offered that increases in home ownership and in strengthened communities would represent a return on investment.

"Everybody benefits and it pays for itself in that way," she said.

Ben Werschkul is Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance.

Click here for political news related to business and money policies that will shape tomorrow's stock prices

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Talk about delicious ironies. In 2016, Donald Trump was propelled into office partly by a racial and cultural backlash to the election of the first Black president, as numerous analyses have noted . But eight years later, he could help elect the second Black president and first woman, thanks to an opposite backlash against his manifest misogyny and racism.

That prospect, amid the enthusiasm for Vice President Kamala Harris that has reshaped the presidential race to Democrats advantage, transformed this weeks Democratic convention from a potential wake to a wingding. Thursday night Harris caps the celebration with her address accepting the nomination to take on Trump.

Beneath the hoopla, however, theres plenty of anxiety about November.

Democrats are self-professed bed wetters, suspicious of irrational exuberance. Rightly so. Theyre scarred by the outcome in 2016, when they went to bed certain that Hillary Clinton would become the first woman elected president and woke to a nightmare. Now Democrats are asking Americans to elect a woman whos also Black and Indian American. Not for nothing were they relieved she picked a white-bread white man as her running mate.

For the pessimists, the question of whether voters would elect a woman to be commander in chief, let alone a woman of color, was settled for our time in the negative by Clintons defeat. Theyre wrong.

Clintons experience was a flawed test of whether the country could finally join other developed nations, and some less developed ones, in choosing to be led by a woman. (Its been 45 years, for Gods sake, since Margaret Thatcher became Britains prime minister. But Britain, like some other nations that have had women leaders, is a parliamentary democracy: Thatcher was elevated by her Conservative Party majority, not by voters nationwide.)

Read more: Column: Democrats are embracing that hopey-changey thing again in Chicago. Will it work?

Yes, misogyny was a factor against Clinton, including among white women, 52% of whom voted for Trump, according to exit polls . But Clinton was a uniquely polarizing politician. Shed been in national politics for a quarter century by 2016, vilified by Republicans for all of that time. For her own part, Clinton failed to show the humor for which she was known privately. Barack Obama, during their 2008 rivalry, famously damned her with faint praise: You're likable enough, Hillary,

As that exit poll data indicates, Clintons groundbreaking candidacy was notable for not galvanizing women voters as much as it should have. She ruefully mused in her 2017 memoir that as shed watched the massive Womens March in Washington protesting Trumps inauguration, I couldnt help but ask where those feelings of solidarity, outrage and passion had been during the election.

Time apparently has reconciled Clinton to her fate. In her convention address on Monday night, the serene elder stateswoman basked in her partys adulation and implicitly took credit for helping to make Harris bid plausible: Together, she told her appreciative audience, weve put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling.

Read more: Calmes: Donald Trump's state of mind should be under debate

Nearly 66 million Americans voted for a future where there are no ceilings on our dreams, Clinton went on, not adding that her total was nearly 3 million more than Trumps. We kept our eyes on the future, she said. Well, my friends, the future is here.

Dont expect Harris to likewise emphasize her gender, or race, in her address. She hasnt done so on the campaign trail, just as the record shows she didnt focus on her firsts in her California campaigns. Her attitude seems to be: Let the obvious speak for itself, and then let others  such as Clinton  drive home the point about history. In that approach, shes more like Obama. People can see, former Obama strategist David Axelrod told the Washington Post. Some voters may feel excluded if you make that focus.

A number of pre-convention polls provide reason for Democrats to hope, showing Harris taking the lead over Trump nationwide, though within the margin of error, and in most battleground states . Significantly more voters view her favorably now that shes out front, not in the shadows, and more favorably than Trump, according to an AP/NORC Center poll . Trump continues to be seen among more voters as better able to handle the economy and immigration, while Harris is favored on dealing with abortion policy, healthcare and preservation of democracy.

Read more: Calmes: Nancy Pelosi wants you to know she wields power, but she won't tell all

Critically, shes drawn more support than Biden was getting from groups within Democrats base: female, young and minority voters, especially college-educated and Black women. She is demonstrably better able than Biden to rouse pro-abortion rights voters in this first presidential election since the Trump-infused Supreme Court overturned Roe. But a Pew Research poll showed that shed also cut Trumps lead among men in half.

Polls, being snapshots in time, could shift again. But Trump, being Trump, is inadvertently doing his part to help Harris. He is focusing on her gender and racial identity, obnoxiously so, down to juvenile shows of disrespect like calling her by her first name and purposely mispronouncing it. He regularly says shes dumb and suggests shed be a play toy for foreign leaders. And his allies have dismissed her as a DEI hire  including former White House aide Seb Gorka, who said that for Democrats, her winning qualifications were having a vagina and the right skin color. Subtle.

Some other Republican allies and Trumps own campaign advisors wish hed stop the sexism and race baiting. Donald Trump, the provocateur, the showman, may not win this election, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said on NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday. On CNN on Sunday, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu warned that women would vote in much bigger numbers against Trump with Harris now in the race.

Lets hope so. And Trump-phobic men, too. We know by now that we can count on Trump to ignore his wiser advisors and keep up his schtick. Demeaning women, especially Black women, is what he does. Bring on the backlash.

@jackiekcalmes

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Campaign officials give insight into Harris-Walz ticket as they prepare for 2 more big nights at DNC

Day three of the Democratic National Convention is underway in Chicago, with delegates getting ready to hear from Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz tonight.

Former President Bill Clinton will also address the convention Wednesday night, adding to the anticipation.

Channel 2s Richard Elliot spoke with Quentin Fulks, Harris Deputy Campaign Manager and a key figure behind the transition from President Joe Bidens re-election campaign to Harris presidential campaign.

Fulks emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive focus to win the election.

Pivoting a re-election campaign to a presidential campaign at this stage is unprecedented, but Fulks explained that it was smoother than it appeared.

A lot of the identity that was this campaign was Harris identity. This was the Biden-Harris campaign, Fulks said.

In a Zoom interview, Fulks elaborated on the strategy that has bolstered Harris recent rise in the polls.

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Since Biden stepped aside, the polls have shifted from former President Donald Trump leading in battleground states to a virtual tie.

Fulks stressed the importance of focusing on issues like healthcare, the border, and the economy, while also tapping into basic human emotions like hope.

I think that those emotions are very, very powerful motivators in campaigns, and I think that Vice President Harris is capturing them in a bottle and shes giving them right back to the American people and theyre responding, Fulks said.

Raised in rural South Georgia, Fulks gained prominence by helping elect Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock.

He believes that staying positive and avoiding mudslinging is crucial to appealing to weary voters.

I think the country has been looking for hope, happiness, and I think that Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz delivered that in spades, so that is obviously helping, Fulk said.

Walz will take the stage on Wednesday night, followed by Harris speaking on Thursday.

RELATED NEWS:
COPAL Executive Director Francisco Segovia speaks at a press conference in support of Temporary Protected Status for Ecuador on May 29, 2024. COPAL is now leading a campaign urging Minnesota Latinos to vote in the general election in November. Photo by Madison McVan/Minnesota Reformer.

A new campaign aims to boost turnout among Minnesotas Latino voters, a fast-growing population with increasing political power.

Volunteers with COPAL, a group that organizes Latinos to work on Minnesota labor and political issues, hope to complete 100,000 phone calls to potential voters by Election Day.

The campaign will provide voters information materials and answer questions about how to vote.

From 2000 to 2020, the Minnesota Latino population more than doubled. Nationally, Latino citizens vote less often than white, Black or Asian citizens, according to data from Pew Research Center.

There are over 100,000 Latinos in Minnesota who are eligible to vote this election. In a state like Minnesota where elections are often won by razor-thin margins, our community can  and does  make a difference, COPAL Organizing Director Ryan Perez said in a press release launching the campaign.

Minnesotas 2nd Congressional District includes the Twin Cities suburbs of Savage and Burnsville, both of which have large Latino populations. Latino voters, who nationwide lean Democratic, could help Democratic U.S. Rep. Angie Craig win reelection against Republican Joe Teirab in the swing district.

Minnesota Latinos are a diverse group with varying cultural, economic and educational backgrounds. COPAL is trying to unify their base around issues including education, environmental justice, health care, immigration, housing and worker protections.

Organizers said they have completed 12,000 phone calls and knocked on over 500 doors, putting the group on track to make 100,000 phone calls by Election Day.
Ottawa will allocate 10 million Canadian dollars (approximately $7.3 million) for the return and reintegration of Ukrainian children, along with other aid to children in Ukraine, Canadian International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen and Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets announced on Aug. 21.

At least 19,500 Ukrainian children have been confirmed as abducted by Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian government's Children of War database.

During a visit to Kyiv that focused mainly on child welfare, Hussen met with Lubinets and Ukraine's UNICEF Representative Munir Mamadzade. The parties discussed Ukraine's efforts to return kidnapped Ukrainian children and President Volodymyr Zelensky's peace formula, among other issues.

Hussen also visited the Okhmatdyt children's hospital, which was targeted by a deadly Russian missile strike on July 8 that killed two people and injured over 30.

Hussen announced that Canada will provide around $7.3 million for the return of Ukraine's kidnapped children. The funds will be directly transferred to UNICEF in Ukraine, according to Lubinets.

The Canadian government will also provide approximately $1.5 million to the organization Save the Children Canada, which supports Ukrainian children with food, education, and other resources.

An additional $2.5 million will go toward the International Medical Corps U.K., which provides medical and mental health services, and about $147,000 will go to the UN humanitarian service.

"I am grateful to our partners, Canada, as well as UNICEF in Ukraine, for their help in ensuring the best interests of the child," Lubinets wrote.

In February, Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak and Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly launched the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children.

Canada co-chaired the coalition, which already includes 40 countries, according to Lubinets. Argentina was one of the latest countries to join the coalition in June.

Ukraine has already brought back around 800 children abducted by Russia, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in an interview with Channel 24 published on June 23.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova and Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 17, 2023, over the deportation of Ukrainian children.

Putin previously praised Lvova-Belova for her work overseeing the deportation of Ukrainian children, portraying it as a so-called "humanitarian effort" to "protect Russian citizens."

Read also: Russia abducted 46 children from foster home in then-occupied Kherson in 2022, NYT reports

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Canadas federal Conservative Party has removed a promotional video that was released over the weekend showing its leader speaking patriotically while Russian fighter jets fly in the sky, according to CNN affiliate CBC.

The video purports to show classic down-home Canadian scenes and landscapes but has been widely criticized online for including footage from other countries.

The video was removed  mistakes happen, Sarah Fischer, director of communications for the Conservative Party of Canada said Monday, according to CBC.

In the video, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks about Canadian fighter jets conducting a training mission to defend our home and native land  but as his narration continues, the video shows what Canadas defense minister identifies as Russian-made warplanes.

Shockingly, Mr. Poilievres dream for Canada includes Russian fighter jets (an Su-17 and what appears to be an Su-27) flying over our glorious prairies on a training mission. This comes as Russia continues its illegal, unprovoked war of choice against Ukraine and the international rules that keep us all safe, said a press release from Blairs office Monday, according to CBC.

Users recorded the video, which continues to circulate on social media. Canadian New Democratic Party (NDP) MP Charlie Angus reshared it, pointing out that the video also contained stock footage from other countries. CNN also found that several of the videos were indeed stock footage shot in other countries.

Poilievres fake Canada protected by Russian jets, for Serbian families with a Venezuelan sunset is drawing international attention, Angus wrote on X.

Poilievre also narrates the story of a father dropping off his child at school and then driving along, hearing the sounds of hammers using Canadian wood to build, seeing farmers working in the field, and looking up at the sky to see fighter jets.

The same plane is soon seen from a university campus where kids are hustling off to classknowing that when they get to class they will have the chance to debate freely and fearlessly without worry of being censored, he says.

Users have pointed out that the video of the student looking at the jets was actually from a Ukrainian university. CNN has also verified the stock footage to be from Ukraine.

He talks about Canadian families of the student, that welder, kids, moms and dads coming together at the end of the day to celebrate how one of them has been sober for 10 years.

However, users comically point out that the footage edited over his narration shows the family drinking wine to mark the occasion.

I honestly thought this was a parody. This is Pierres imagined Canada where people kill food for dinner, drink wine to celebrate sobriety, rely on Russian jets for protection, mistake Ukrainian universities for Canada, Angus wrote.

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Canada has provided over US$5 billion to Ukraine since February 2022  Ukraine's Finance Minister

Canada has provided Ukraine with over US$5 billion in direct budget support since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Source: Ukraine's Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko

Details: "Canada is the third largest G7 member state in terms of funding [for Ukraine], with about US$5.1 billion. We are grateful to the Canadian government for its multilateral and crucial support since the first days of the Russian invasion," said Marchenko.

The minister added that Ukraine received about US$1.9 billion from Canada in 2022.

Ukraine obtained over US$1.75 billion in concessional funds in 2023. More than US$1.47 billion has been received by the Ukrainian treasury this year.

Background: On 13 August, Ukraine's state treasury received 4.2 billion from the European Union. The total amount of EU funding secured in 2024 is more than 12 billion.

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DRAPER, Utah (ABC4)  The Canyons School District announced Tuesday that its plans to purchase the 36-acre eBay campus in Draper have been approved.

The Canyons Board of Education voted on Aug. 20 to approve a contract to acquire the Draper campus  and the $50 million purchase would include the 215,000-square-foot eBay building and 16 acres of land that could be developed.

READ NEXT: These students will be guaranteed admission to the University of Utah  Heres what you should know

The site will become the home of a new technical education high school, and district officials said the purchase would cost about half as much as constructing a new facility from the ground up.

Our innovative plan to retrofit eBays former offices into a school instead of paying for new construction will save millions in taxpayer money and perhaps serve as a blueprint for districts across the country, Canyons Board of Education President Amber Shill said.

The current Canyons Technical Education Center is made up of five separate buildings on seven acres, and the district said it would cost more to renovate them than to rebuild.

In a price breakdown, Canyons District Business Administrator Leon Wilcox said the price works out to $230 per square foot of the eBay building  while new construction in Utah can be about $500 per square foot.

The spacious site may also be used to house a vocational program for adults with disabilities, an employee health and wellness clinic, and a child-care center for CSD employees, the school district said in a press release.

The eBay building is located near a FrontRunner station, and the district said it is a prime spot for a school focusing on fields such as robotics, engineering, business, medicine, and more.

We see this center as the ultimate experience for students and to lift our mission of ensuring our students are truly ready for the demands of college and careers when they walk across the graduation stage, Canyons Superintendent Dr. Rick Robins said.

The school said the $50 million purchase will be paid for using money from the capital fund balance, as well as the sale of district-owned properties from within its municipalities.

The district expects to close on the purchase in December, and is also considering the area as the site of a future elementary school.

In response to the purchase, eBays Senior Account Manager Anwar Ahmad-Hamdan issued the following statement to ABC4.com:

eBay is happy to learn that the Canyons School District has approved the contract for purchase of our Draper, Utah campus. As a global commerce leader, who continues to innovate for our community of buyers and sellers, were excited that the Draper site could become a hub of learning, designed to cultivate the tech leaders of the future. As to eBays intentions, we are committed to Salt Lake City and will continue to evaluate all available local options to ensure the best outcome for our people and eBay. Anwar Ahmad-Hamdan

The new facility is anticipated to open in fall 2026, according to the Canyons Board of Education and Administration.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Inari today marked the grand opening of a new 42,000-square-foot facility in West Lafayette, Indiana. The $20 million expansion  Inari's largest to date  further accelerates the development and commercialization of higher-yielding seeds to meet market demand.

Photo Credit: Accompany, LLC

Through its SEEDesign technology platform, Inari combines AI-powered predictive design and advanced multiplex gene editing to develop step-change products that help ensure a thriving planet, food security and farmer well-being. West Lafayette is home to Inari's product development and commercial operations, bringing to life research conducted at the company's Cambridge, Massachusetts-based headquarters and Ghent, Belgium site.

"This expansion ushers in an exciting new phase for Inari as we scale up to deliver our breakthrough products to seed customers," CEO Ponsi Trivisvavet said. "Not only does it optimize and accelerate our operations, the expanded capacity and capabilities allow us to address more crops and crop varieties."

The expansion includes a more than doubling of the site's greenhouse facilities and state-of-the-art LED lighting and environmental controls, as well as additional office and warehouse space. It is expected to further grow Inari's West Lafayette employee base, which currently accounts for about half of the company's more than 300 team members worldwide.

Learn more at Inari.com.

About Inari

Inari, the SEEDesign company, develops seeds that address the world's needs, pushing the boundaries of what is possible for a more sustainable, nature-positive food system. Through a combination of AI-powered predictive design and a cutting-edge multiplex gene editing toolbox, the company is unlocking the full potential of seed to bring step-change soybean, corn and wheat products to market. Founded by Flagship Pioneering in 2016, Inari is based in Cambridge, Mass., with additional sites in West Lafayette, Ind., and Ghent, Belgium. Inari is a growing team of more than 300 employees working to solve the critical issues of climate change, food security and farmer profitability. To learn more, visit Inari.com.

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SOURCE Inari
A bank bribery scandal involving members of Haitis ruling transitional government, which threatens efforts to stabilize the country through presidential elections next year, could not come at a worse time, according to an eminent group of former Caribbean leaders who recently visited the troubled nation.

The group, led by the prime ministers of the Bahamas, Jamaica and St. Lucia, says that if Haitians are to preserve the integrity of the ongoing political transition that was forged over the spring amid a deadly gang insurgency and deepening political, humanitarian and economic crises, there needs to be a speedy resolution to the corruption scandal and a return to the ethos of the agreement that was forged in Jamaica on March 11.

The agreement, formed with the help of the 15-member Caribbean Community regional bloc known as CARICOM, the United States and other nations was built on inclusiveness, consensus and accountability, the former prime ministers representing CARICOM said.

Delays in installing the critical institutions, the need for greater effectiveness in attaining the major objectives in the allotted time, and the corrosive impact of the allegations of corruption have contributed to the fragility of the transition process, the leaders said in a statement Tuesday.

The corruption allegations involve three of the nine members of the Transitional Presidential Council: Louis Gerald Gilles, Smith Augustin and Emmanuel Vertilaire. They are accused of demanding 100 million gourdes  or about $758,000  from Raoul Pierre-Louis, at the time director of the state-owned commercial bank National Bank of Credit if he wanted to keep his job.

Pierre-Louis detailed the bribery attempt in a letter to Prime Minister Garry Conille, who later fired him and installed a commission to oversee the banks operations. The three presidential council members have denied the allegations, which are now under investigation by the governments Anti-Corruption Unit.

In a country facing growing hunger, a collapsing healthcare system and spreading gang terror, the bank scandal has become a distraction as some political parties defend the accused and others demand their dismissal.

Jean Andre Victor, head of the Collective of Political Parties of January 30, who was among those who brought up the scandal during his meeting with the Caribbean leaders, said he told CARICOM that it threatens the political transition. Victor characterized the discussions with the group as intense, a word that has been repeated by others who also met with the Caribbean leaders. The Collective, along with the Montana Accord Monitoring Office, recently sent a letter to the head of the presidential council, Edgard Leblanc Fils, expressing their deep concern about the allegations and how they are being dealt with. Each group has representation on the council and have separately asked for the accused members to be removed.

During an interview on Port-au-Prince based Radio Magik9 on Tuesday, Victor said hes heard that the accused council membes are threatening to expose other scandals within the transitional government, a move he regards as reckless.

Stopping short of joining the calls for dismissal, the Caribbean leaders recognized the damaging effects of the scandal on the transition.

The inquiry of the anti-corruption investigative agency will be of critical importance, the former prime ministers said, dismissing calls by two council members for the panel itself to investigate the accusations.

Prior to the formation of Haitis political transition, the prime ministers  Perry Christie of The Bahamas, Bruce Golding of Jamaica and Kenny Anthony of St. Lucia  were involved in negotiations to help Haiti forge a path out of the crisis. They were invited to visit Haiti by Leblanc to evaluate the transition and Haitis preparation for elections.

Christie was unable to make the trip. But Golding, Anthony and their supporting staff, including retired Caribbean diplomat Colin Granderson, found a transition plagued with problems: Leaders struggling to govern amid the corruption scandal, friction between the presidential council and the prime minister, and serious doubts about whether elections are possible next year.

On the same day the Caribbean leaders statement was issued, Haiti installed a new commander of its armed forces, Gen. Derby Guerrier. He replaces Lieut. Gen. Jodel Lessage. During the installation ceremony Conille and Leblanc said the change reflects a redoubling of government efforts to help the Haiti National Police combat armed gangs by invoving the armed forces.

Two months into the deployment of a Kenya-led security mission to Haiti, order has not been restored and gangs have expanded their territory. Gang leaders have tightened their hold on several communities on the outskirts of the capital while blocking roads to make it difficult for the Haitian and Kenyan police to deploy.

During their meetings over six days with various Haitian political and civic leaders, the former Caribbean prime ministers said they heard about the Kenyan missions difficulties in dealing with the violence.

The common concern articulated was that the Kenyan force was both under-staffed and under-equipped and as a result lacked the capacity to hold reclaimed territory, their statement said.

Conille is acutely aware that the window of opportunity would not last long and that the people of the country expected delivery. He made it clear that the lack of resources and the breakdown of State institutions were impediments, but that efforts were under way to address the... issues that beleaguered the population, the leaders noted. The Prime Minister emphasized that, unless the issue of insecurity is resolved, progress in other critical theaters of government action would very likely be compromised.

The former prime ministers said they are encouraged by signs that the presidential council appears to be making some effort to overcome the delays in putting in place a number of the key institutions required under the April 3 political agreement. This includes assembling a Provisional Electoral Council to begin organizing long overdue elections; a Government Action Oversight Organ; a National Security Council, and a National Conference.

The former prime ministers were also told about the estrangement between some groups and their representatives on the council. The leaders also said the bank corruption scandal has engulfed the country.

Privately, Caribbean leaders have expressed disappointment over Conilles handling of the scandal. They have not made any recommendations on what the council should do. However, in the statement issued on Tuesday, the former prime ministers said there was the common view among Haitian groups that what is needed is a reset and a reconfiguration of the council.

There was unanimity with regard to the concerns and issues raised  the inability of the State to improve security; disappointment over the lack of impact of the presence of the Kenyan forces; the erosion of public confidence in the [council], exacerbated by the corruption scandal, and strident demands for the three councilors to be withdrawn; increasing concern that because of delays, perceived as inaction, the transition process would not meet its deadline of February 2026 for the seating of an elected president.
UINTAH COUNTY, Utah (ABC4)  A carnival worker is facing charges after allegedly killing fish, damaging a trailer, and assaulting someone, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Shannia Shonie, 24, is facing six different charges, including aggravated assault, a third-degree felony; aggravated cruelty to animals, intentional or knowingly, a class A misdemeanor; property damage/destruction (loss of $500-$1499), a class A misdemeanor; damage/interrupt communication device, a class B misdemeanor; disorderly conduct, profane, obscene language, a class C misdemeanor; and intoxication, a class C misdemeanor.

READ NEXT: Family seeks help after Utah woman severely injured in Guatemala ATV accident

According to documents, the incident happened behind rodeo grounds in Uintah County, when dispatch received a call about an intoxicated carnival worker breaking the windows of a trailer.

The worker, later identified as Shonie, was holding a three-foot metal rod above her head when officers arrived at the scene, documents said. Shonie broke a window and caused damage to the front and a side panel of the trailer, as well as a generator.

Before damaging the trailer, Shonie reportedly poured automotive paint stripping liquid into a container filled with about 500 fish that were going to be used for the carnival games, according to the affidavit.

Workers tried to move some of the fish into other containers, but several fish had started dying.

One person  who later showed officers his damaged trailer, according to the affidavit  attempted to stop Shonie by calling dispatch, but she reportedly tried to take his phone out of his hands before she picked up a metal rod and swung at him.

Officers were able to handcuff Shonie after arriving at the scene and getting her to drop the rod.

When Shonie was taken to jail, the officer conducting the interview reported smelling alcohol on her person. She admitted to drinking, causing the damage, and pouring something into the fish container, according to documents.

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.

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Deputy shot in line of duty was assisting GBI with search warrant for child exploitation suspect

A Carroll County Sheriff investigator is in the intensive care unit after being shot while serving a search warrant.

Channel 2s Michael Doudna reported live outside of Grady Memorial Hospital where Investigator Taylor Bristow is in critical condition.

Channel 2 Action News is learning more about Bristow and what led up to the shooting Tuesday.

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Officials with Carroll County Sheriffs Office say the warrant being served was for sexual exploitation of children. Carroll County deputies say they were assisting the GBI when Bristow was shot in the face.

I dont believe this was an ambush situation. I think this was a situation where things went south, said Ashley Hulsey with CCSO.

This marks the seventh Georgia officer shot in the line of duty this year.

The last one was this past Saturday when Paulding County Deputy Brandon Cunningham was shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence call. That was the fifth death of a Georgia law enforcement officer in 2024.

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This time, the victim is a recently married, six-year Carrol County Sheriff veteran who now is receiving life-saving care at Grady Hospital.

Cops and a community gathered together, praying for the latest officer shot while doing his job.

The GBI is still investigating how he was shot. Carroll County says they are trying to clarify if Bristow was hit while the suspect was shooting himself.

Channel 2 Action News did talk to the suspects neighbor and family off-camera. They said he was a good man and they want more details to come out.

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EMERALD ISLE, N.C. (WNCT)  Over in Emerald Isle, a local business is doing its part to help students as the new school year is about to start.

Gaffers restaurant has helped raise money for the Carteret County Schools student lunch debts in the past and a few days ago, they helped raise money for outstanding debt again, this time to the tune of thousands of dollars.

You know the taking the burden off these kids. Kids shouldnt have to go to school worrying about owing money for a lunch they pay for the day before so its just about taking the burden off the kids and giving them just a little less stress, Owner of Gaffers in Emerald Isle Ashley Harrell said. We have raised a lot of money, I think we are close to $15,000 right now. We have gotten several calls too about helping with some other local counties too, so that will be next on the list.

The more than $15,000 raised by Gaffers will be put to use for the students of Carteret County Schools who head back to class next week.

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GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW)  A 13-year-old was charged Wednesday after threatening to bomb Carvers Bay Middle School, the Georgetown County Sheriffs Office said.

Authorities from the agencys criminal investigations division responded to interview the student and collect evidence.

Officials said the childs parents were notified and Georgetown County School District policies have been followed.

Its the latest in a string of similar incidents and the second one this week. A 12-year-old Waccamaw Intermediate School student on Tuesday threatened to burn down the Pawleys Island building, deputies said.

The school district has dealt with multiple school threats since January. In April, authorities charged a 12-year-old student who allegedly threatened to shoot up Carvers Bay Middle School. In March, authorities said an 11-year-old student was charged after allegedly telling his classmates and teacher that the Rosemary Middle School was going to blow up.

In January, authorities said a 7-year-old student at Kensington Elementary School allegedly threatened to blow up the school and shoot his classmates.

That was the districts third threat of the week. The first incident involved an 11-year-old girl who threatened to shoot up her elementary school after getting into an argument with a friend at McDonald Elementary School. The second one involved a 10-year-old girl at Kensington Elementary, who said she wanted to bring a gun to school and kill several students.

* * *

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.

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The News

A Catalan cyborg who implanted microchips into her body to sense earthquake tremors is among the innovators showing at PST Art, an exhibition of around 70 installations opening next month in museums across Southern California. The exhibit also includes a team of NASA scientists who collaborate with visual artists to imagine new worlds. Now in its third edition, the regions landmark arts event takes on the theme of when art and science collide.

Science is something that the entire museum sector is now looking at internationally  it really came after the Paris Accords, Getty Foundation Director Joan Weinstein, who oversees the exhibition, told The New York Times. The art world was late to this.
Catholic Charities of North Louisiana offering rent, utility help to Webster Parish residents

WESBTER PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS)  Catholic Charities of North Louisiana will be accepting applications for financial assistance.

According to a media release, CCNLA will be at St. Paul Catholic Church accepting applications for rent and utility assistance on Tuesday August 27 at 10 a.m. Participants will be required to attend Money School, a financial education class.

Cookout fundraiser for Bossier police officer battling cancer

Participants must be Webster Parish residents who are in need of financial assistance for rent or utilities. CCNLA serves anyone in need regardless of religious affiliation.

Participants must have the following documents to apply for assistance:

Photo ID for all adults in household

Social Security numbers for each household member

For rental assistance: Copy of lease agreement

For utility assistance: Copy of last three month of utility bills

For questions about the financial assistance clinic, please call Catholic Charities of North Louisiana at 318-865-0200.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A Clark County School District substitute teacher was accused of having a gun on school property.

On Monday, Aug. 19, CCSD police took Jynnell McClellan, 52, into custody for allegedly having a firearm in the parking lot of Legacy High School, according to a CCSD news release.

Jynnell McClellan, 52, was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on charges related to possession of a firearm on school property. (CCSDPD)

McClellan, a substitute teacher who had been with the district since May 2015, was removed from CCSDs substitute roster. According to the news release, McClellan is no longer allowed any future employment within the district.

McClellan was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on charges related to possession of a firearm on school property, the CCSD release said.

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U.S. efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas showed little progress Tuesday, as Hamas publicly pushed back on President Bidens criticism that the designated terrorist group was holding back on agreeing to the terms of the deal that Washington is working to finalize this week.

In a statement released to Telegram, Hamas said it followed with great astonishment and disapproval Bidens statements Monday night accusing the group of backing away from talks.

Hamas criticized Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken of misleading claims; the terrorist group said it is keen to reach a cessation of aggression, but that the U.S. was negotiating with bias in favor of Israel.

Biden told reporters in Chicago following his speech at the Democratic National Convention that Hamas was now backing off, and that the U.S. is going to keep pushing to achieve a cease-fire deal.

The presidents remarks followed Blinken publicly calling for Hamas to accept a U.S.-led bridging proposal to finalize the terms of the cease-fire.

Blinken is in the region for talks with Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari officials to conclude negotiations on a multiphase cease-fire agreement that would halt more than 10 months of war.

The cease-fire broadly calls for an immediate six-week truce, for Hamas to release hostages it kidnapped from Israel during its Oct. 7 terrorist attack and for Israel to release Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

On Monday night, Blinken left Israel, saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had accepted a U.S.-led bridging proposal to finalize the terms of the cease-fire. The office of the Israeli prime minister released a statement Monday saying that Netanyahu reiterated Israels commitment to the current American proposal on the release of our hostages, which takes into account Israels security needs.

The secretary met Tuesday with Egyptian officials in Cairo and is next traveling to Doha to meet with Qatari officials, who serve as go-betweens in negotiations with Hamas.

Yet Hamass commitment to reaching a cease-fire agreement is unclear. The parties have failed to achieve a deal since November, with power concentrated in the hands of Hamass top leader Yahya Sinwar, who is believed to be hiding underground in Gaza.

Sinwar, described by a U.S. official as messianic and a psychopath, reportedly views the ongoing war as a benefit in isolating Israel internationally over the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis.

Hamas on Tuesday condemned an Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza City, which it said killed 12 civilians, while the Israeli military said the school was being used as a command and control center by the terrorist group. The Israeli military said that it sought to mitigate the harm to civilians by using precise munitions, aerial surveillance and additional intelligence.

Still, Hamas accuses Netanyahu of moving the goalposts of the U.S.-led cease-fire proposal, with sticking points to the deal reportedly hinging on security arrangements related to control of the border area between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, and the Netzarim Corridor, a security zone controlled by the Israeli military dividing the north of the strip from the south.

The Israeli chief of the general staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said last week that the military is preparing for different security scenarios based on the decisions surrounding the cease-fire talks, with such decisions including whether to maintain forces in the Philadelphi Corridor or implement surveillance with the option to carry out security raids.

If they decide that we stay in the Philadelphi Corridor, we will know how to stay there and stay strong. If they decide that we monitor and raid every time we have an indication, we will know how to do that, he said.

But Netanyahu on Tuesday reportedly told a group of families of hostages held by Hamas that in his meeting with Blinken, he said Israel would not leave the Philadelphi or Netzarim corridors. The families Netanyahu met are part of a hawkish sect of Israeli society that advocates for continuing Israels military operation against Hamas over agreeing to a cease-fire deal.

Hamas kidnapped approximately 250 people from Israel during its Oct. 7 terrorist attack  from a music festival, in the street and in their homes and communities  and the group kidnapped soldiers from military bases and in the field. A weeklong cease-fire between Israel and Hamas at the end of November facilitated the release of about 100 people. About 1,200 people were killed in the attack.

Its unclear how many remaining hostages are alive. The Israeli military said Monday it recovered the bodies of six Israelis who were alive when they were kidnapped on Oct. 7 and are believed to have died in Hamas captivity. The Israeli military also said the bodies were recovered from Hamas tunnels under the southern Gazan city of Khan Yunis, in an area that was previously part of the humanitarian zone designated by the Israeli army.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which advocates for a cease-fire deal, released a statement Tuesday calling on the Israeli government, with the assistance of mediators, to do everything in its power to finalize the deal currently on the table.

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EVANSVILLE  CenterPoint Energy Indiana has agreed to pay a penalty of nearly $2 million to the state of Indiana for violations of federal pipeline law.

The utility will pay $1,997,500 to the state's general fund, none of which can be recovered through customer rates, according to an Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission report issued last week. CenterPoint also waived its right to a public hearing in the process.

IURC Commissioner Wesley Bennett wrote that though CenterPoint was moving to a new records system during the time of the audit, that is not a reason to not have controls in place.

Violations were on a downward trend from 2018-2022, Bennett stated, but since 2021-2023 there has been a "dramatic rise."

"This trend must stop. If CEI wants to instill confidence and collaboration with all interested stakeholders, they will takea more proactive and aggressive approach to pipeline safety," Bennett stated. "The results will be evident by thecurrent and future actions taken by CEI to improve their outcomes."

In a statement from spokesperson Noah Stubbs, CenterPoint acknowledged the settlement and consent decree from the IURC, and noted it would not impact customer bills.

"It is important to note that the instances identified in the settlement and consent decree did not result in any injuries or any infrastructure damage," Stubbs stated. "CenterPoint is committed to implementing the agreed-upon corrective actions to enhance safety and operational integrity of our natural gas system. We remain dedicated to meeting all regulatory standards and continuing to provide safe and reliable natural gas service to our customers."

Here's what the agreement requires

CenterPoint will pay the nearly $2 million penalty for its probable violations of federal and state pipeline safety standards under the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968, the Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Act of 1979 and Indiana Code 8-1-22.5

According to the IURC order, this breaks down to payment for 23 of the violations from eight different inspections. The utility first received notice of that fine Nov. 1, 2023.

The IURC is also authorized to add penalties for violations up to $25,000 each for each day that a violation continues up to $1 million for a series of related violations.

The pipeline division and CenterPoint met to discuss the violations and the proposed civil penalty, on Dec. 18, 2023, Feb. 22, 2024, March 13, 2024, April 18, 2024, April 30, 2024, May 2, 2024 and May 21, 2024.

What does CenterPoint have to do for compliance?

CenterPoint must make all operator qualifications available to field personnel. This also includes providing records of the qualifications for both contractors and employees available to the pipeline division upon request.

The utility will also update a list of its field supervisors within 30 days after each calendar quarter closes for the next three years. After three years, CenterPoint will continue to maintain the list of field supervisors and will provide it to the state as requested.

Compliance reports will be given to the state within 30 days after each calendar quarter ends for a period of three years. This will be reassessed after three years. These reports will be required:

Compliance work due in the calendar year.

Compliance work completed in the preceding quarter.

Compliance work completed year to date.

Compliance work orders completed on time in the preceding quarter and year to date.

Compliance work orders completed late in the preceding quarter and year to date.

Details for each late compliance work order completion.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: CenterPoint Energy fined $2 million by state of Indiana for violations
By Aditya Kalra and Shivangi Acharya

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's commerce minister accused Amazon and other e-commerce companies of predatory pricing practices and said the sector's rapid rise should not disrupt millions of brick-and-mortar stores operating in the country.

Amazon and Walmart's Flipkart have reshaped India's retail landscape in recent years, with both companies investing billions of dollars to expand and get consumers to their platforms which offer lucrative discounts.

Indian regulations prohibit Amazon and Flipkart from stocking goods and selling directly to consumers, and they can only operate a marketplace for other sellers to offer products. However, small retailers have often alleged that the regulations are bypassed using complicated business structures.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday signalled out Amazon's business practices and said the company's investments in India have often been used to cover its business losses.

Goyal, however, did not provide any evidence to substantiate the claim.

"When Amazon says we are going to invest a billion dollars in India and we all celebrate, we forget the underlying story that the billion dollars is not coming in for any great service," Goyal said at an event in New Delhi, where he did not name any other company.

Do the losses "not smell of predatory pricing to any of you ... what was that loss for, they are not allowed to sell to consumers (directly)," he added.

Amazon and Flipkart did not respond to requests for comment.

Amazon in June last year said it will increase its India investments to $26 billion by 2030, including for its cloud business. It is also targeting merchandise exports worth $20 billion from India by 2025.

Goyal has in the past attacked U.S. e-commerce giants publicly. In 2021, he said companies were using their scale and access to large pools of low-cost capital "to the detriment of mom-and-pop stores" and that they "very blatantly flouted" laws.

A Reuters special report in 2021 found Amazon's internal documents showed the U.S. e-commerce company helped a small number of sellers prosper on its Indian platform, gave them discounted fees and used them to bypass foreign investment laws.

Amazon had then said that it is confident of local law compliance and it "does not give preferential treatment to any seller".

Subsequently, though, it was announced that two of Amazon's big sellers facing such allegations will stop selling products on its website.

"They create entities ... when they get caught they start closing down those entities," Goyal said on Wednesday.

Story continues

Amazon and Flipkart are also facing an antitrust investigation in India but deny any wrongdoing.

(Reporting by Aditya Kalra and Shivangi Acharya; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)
UPDATE 8/21, 6:30 p.m.: Officials with the Utah Department of Corrections said the water main beak had been repaired as of Wednesday evening.

Karen Tapahe with the Utah Dept. of Corrections issued the following statement:

Culinary, UCI, and the Boiler Plant now have water. The hot water will take a few hours to heat and flow through the lines to the housing units. We had some emergency meals in culinary that did not require steam to heat so we were able to provide a hot meal for dinner. The clean up continues in the West Administration building area. The water line break in that area will be evaluated over the next few days. Karen Tapahe

ORIGINAL STORY

GUNNISON, Utah (ABC4)  The Central Utah Correctional Facility has flooded after a water main broke overnight, impacting operations throughout the prison.

In a social media post, the Utah Department of Corrections said water has been shut off in order to help facilitate repairs to the water main.

Flooding at the Central Utah Correctional Facility after a water main break (Courtesy: Utah Department of Corrections)

The Administration building experienced flooding and several other buildings are without water, UDC said.

While water to the housing units has been restored, hot water was not available as of Wednesday morning and the kitchen did not have any running water. Utah Department of Corrections said prisoners would be served cold meals until water in the kitchen could be restored.

Utah Correctional Industries has also been shut down due to having no running water in the restrooms.

The Utah Department of Corrections did not provide an update on when the water main would be repaired but did say facility crews have been working throughout the night. UDC spokesperson Glen Mills said the prison is working to get all services up and running as soon as possible.

Visits to the correctional facility should not be impacted by the water main break or the flooding.

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA)  The Champaign City Council will hold its regular meeting Tuesday night, during which they will discuss several topics and legislative ordinances.

Special recognitions

Before getting into the legislative side of things, the City Council will be introduced to and/or recognize several individuals. First is Terry Lusby Jr., the citys new Public Works Director, who started the job on Aug. 12.

In addition, the City of Champaign will swear in new officers to join the Champaign Police Department.

Decatur approves street restoration, water pits

Public hearing on Springfield and Mattis redevelopment

The City Council will vote to schedule a public hearing on a redevelopment project concerning the area of Springfield and Mattis Avenues. The Tax Increment Allocation Redevelopment Act, passed by the State of Illinois, requires that municipalities hold such meetings prior to the creation of plans and authorization of the project.

The proposed public hearing would take place on Oct. 15 at the Champaign City Building.

Bike path on Kirby Avenue overpass

The Illinois Department of Transportation is planning to replace the overpass carrying Kirby Avenue over Interstate 57 in Fiscal Year 2025-2026. IDOT is coordinating with the City of Champaign on the design of the replacement bridge and one feature city officials want is for safe passage by pedestrians and bicyclists.

Officials said the existing bridge is designed to accommodate rural and agricultural traffic, and it does not reflect Champaigns growth to the west of the interstate. The existing bridge, officials said, is very narrow, unsafe for all users and creates a significant barrier to walking and biking for west Champaign residents.

The council bill on Tuesday nights agenda would authorize the City Manager to submit a grant application for the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program, administered by IDOT, to assist in the bridge replacement project. One of the primary goals of ITEP, city officials said, is to upgrade streets to support biking and walking.

Taylorville rallying community support for IDOT grant to improve downtown

New fire truck for the Champaign Fire Department

The City Council will also address a matter regarding the Champaign Fire Department, specifically the replacement of one of the departments fire trucks.

City officials said the apparatus that currently serves as Ladder 161 is due for replacement in 2026. A replacement truck is estimated to take 44 to 48 months to deliver.

The bill up for a vote at Tuesdays meeting will, if approved, will authorize the City Manager to purchase a new ladder truck for $2,429,000.

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CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  A Charlotte man is facing insurance fraud charges after a situation involving an abandoned vending machine, according to the North Carolina Department of Insurance.

Bradon Jones, who lives in the Ayrsley area, is accused of filing insurance claims for an abandoned vending machine on his property through Liberty Mutual and its subsidiary, Ohio Security Insurance Company, under his business name.

Sentenced: Monroe man accused of scheming victims of over $200K: DOJ

The incident happened on June 26 and Jones was arrested on July 16. He was charged with obtaining property by false pretense and four counts of insurance fraud. Jones was later released from jail after posting a $5,000 bond.

Officials say Jones did not own the vending machine and was not licensed to operate it. Also, another insurance claim for the machine was filed through previous insurance.

Insurance fraud hits consumers in the wallet, said NCDOI Commissioner Mike Causey. Approximately 20 cents of every insurance premium dollar goes to covering the cost of fraud.

Anyone who suspects insurance fraud is asked to anonymously report it by calling the NCDOI Criminal Investigations Division at 919-807-6840 or, in N.C., calling the toll-free number, 888-680-7684.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)  A Cheektowaga man was sentenced to a year in prison for using around 570 stolen bank cards to purchase gas for himself and others, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced Wednesday.

North Tonawanda man used over 500 stolen bank cards for gas purchases

Between August 2022 and July 2023, 25-year-old Cross Malik Williams and co-defendant Kingsley Brown purchased around 570 stolen bank cards online before loading the stolen information onto blank bank cards, officials said.

They then used, or allowed others to use, the stolen bank card information to purchase gas for others, according to officials. Williams and Brown then sold the gas to customers for less money than the original cost of the gas.

Williams was convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and agreed that he was responsible for between $250,000 and $550,000 of total loss.

Brown is awaiting sentencing.

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Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 as a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University.

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CHEROKEE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA)  Dealing with students who dont attend class can pose an ongoing challenge for many schools. Staff at Gaffney High School are using an innovative approach to tackle the problem.

Gaffney High School Principal Dr. Eric Blanton said staff will be assigning students to tribes to help promote their attendance.

Blanton said the concept of a student tribe works almost like the house assignments youd see in a Harry Potter movie, and also ties in with their mascot the Gaffney Indians. He said 200 to 250 students will be grouped together, according to their homeroom classes.

Students in the same tribe will be encouraged to work together for intramural sports, special events and other activities throughout the school year.

Just trying to encourage ways to get kids to support one another. Because, if theyre in the tribes, theyll all be together, cheering one another on, said Blanton. Our school is one the poorest of the poor, but its also the financially successful people as well, and everything in between, so how we come together as a school dictates how we move forward as a community.

He told 7NEWS that school faculty and staff faced setbacks in addressing absenteeism on campus, especially on Fridays. He believes the system will be monumental for the high school.

Theres a state law of seat time that students have to get to earn high school credits and to be able to earn a diploma, and so were trying to impact that by doing things that are outside of the classroom, Blanton explained.

Around 1,900 students attend Gaffney High School and Blanton said theyll be divided into eight to ten tribes. The initiative will fully kick off in the spring.

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Scientists are keeping a close watch on eelgrass, which is sensitive to high temperatures. Photo by Dave Harp/Chesapeake Bay Journal

By Karl Blankenship

Chesapeake Bay Journal

Underwater grass beds in the Chesapeake Bay region expanded for the third consecutive year in 2023, reaching the seventh-highest level observed in four decades of monitoring.

The news was especially good in high salinity areas of the lower Chesapeake, where underwater meadows  a critical habitat for many species  covered a greater area than had been observed in a quarter century.

The survey also found that Bay grasses greatly expanded in moderately saline areas of the mid Bay and generally remained stable in low salinity areas.

Overall, data from the annual aerial survey conducted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science showed a 7% increase in the Bay and its tidal tributaries over 2022, with grass beds covering an estimated 82,937 acres.

That was less than the recent high of roughly 108,000 acres in 2018 but more than double the 38,228 acres observed in 1983 when the survey began.

Submerged aquatic vegetation, or SAV, provides an important refuge for juvenile blue crabs and fish, as well as food for waterfowl. Plus, the grasses pump oxygen into the water, their roots help stabilize sediment, and their leaves buffer wave action.

They are also a closely watched indicator of Bay health because the plants require clear water to get the sunlight needed to survive. They die off when sediment and nutrient-fueled algae blooms cloud the water.

That happened most recently in late 2018 and early 2019, when protracted rain flooded the Bay with nutrients and sediment, leading to a 42% loss.

Because underwater grasses are so important, Bay cleanup goals are aimed in part at creating conditions that would allow 185,000 acres of grasses to return.

Submerged aquatic vegetation grows offshore of Poplar Island. Photo by Peter McGowan/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Chris Patrick, a VIMS scientist who oversees the survey, said the best news for 2023 was in the high salinity area, or polyhaline zone, of the lower Bay, which saw its fourth consecutive year of increase.

The roughly 21,743 acres observed there was an increase of 11% over 2022 and the greatest amount since 22,678 acres were counted in 1997. The restoration goal for the polyhaline, which stretches from the Rappahannock River and Tangier Island to the mouth of the Bay, is 33,647 acres.

Were seeing grass where weve never seen grass before, Patrick said. Its growing very deep, and its growing very far out from shore.

Mobjack Bay, a vital habitat area between the York and Rappahannock rivers, had more grass in 2023 than in the history of the survey, with about 12,000 acres.

Patrick and other scientists have been worried about the polyhaline because it is dominated by eelgrass, a species that is sensitive to high temperatures. Eelgrass has had ups and downs from year to year, but the overall trend has been downward since the late 1990s, as Bay waters warm.

Patrick said several factors seem to be helping the rebound.

Water has been clearer in recent years, allowing the plants to get more sunlight and move into deeper, cooler areas. Patrick has seen eelgrass growing in water more than 9 feet deep at low tide in places a mile from shore. In recent decades, eelgrass was largely confined to shallow nearshore areas that are more susceptible to warming.

Patrick said warmer winters have also accelerated the eelgrass growing season, with plants producing seeds weeks earlier than they had a few decades ago.

Patrick cautioned that warmer summer temperatures are still likely to greatly diminish eelgrass in future decades, but the near-term outlook may be brighter than scientists expected.

When juvenile blue crabs enter the Chesapeake Bay from the ocean in spring, they take refuge in eelgrass. Photo by Dave Harp/Chesapeake Bay Journal

Thats good news because eelgrass is often considered the Bays most ecologically important SAV species. Its the only species found in most high-salinity areas, where it is especially valuable shelter for juvenile blue crabs returning to the Bay from the ocean.

Unlike many aquatic grasses that die back during the winter, eelgrass provides food and shelter nearly year-round.

Mid-Bay

The moderately salty mesohaline zone saw an increase of about 21%, with 37,961 acres. The mesohaline stretches southward from near Baltimore to the Rappahannock River and Tangier Island in Virginia, and it includes large sections of most tidal rivers.

The grass beds in Tangier Sound saw significant expansion, covering about 13,300 acres, replacing Susquehanna Flats in the upper Bay as the Chesapeakes largest grass bed.

The mesohaline in recent decades has been dominated by widgeon grass, a species notorious for boom-and-bust cycles, rapidly expanding when water quality is good but disappearing quickly when it turns poor.

That was seen most recently in 2018, when the mesohaline reached about 63,000 acres  the highest amount seen in that area since the survey began. But half of that was lost the next year after high river flows flooded the Bay with nutrients and sediment.

Brooke Landry, a biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and chair of the Bay Programs SAV Workgroup, said that another species, sago pondweed, has started to move into portions of the mesohaline. It is less prone to dramatic fluctuations and could help stabilize grass beds in that area.

We dont know exactly why its taking over some areas, Landry said, but its been doing really well the last five or so years.

That would be especially beneficial as the mesohaline has, by far, the most potential habitat in the Bay  roughly 120,306 acres.

Upper Bay & tidal rivers

The slightly salty oligohaline zone, which covers a relatively small portion of the upper Bay and tidal tributaries, saw a 54% decrease last year, dropping to about 3,429 acres. Patrick said much of the decline was in and near the Gunpowder and Middle rivers in Maryland and may have been driven by localized factors. There was also a substantial decline in the middle Potomac River.

The oligohaline area has the least amount of potential underwater grass habitat, with 10,334 acres.

Head of Bay & freshwater rivers

The tidal freshwaters at the head of the Bay and in the uppermost reaches of tidal tributaries had an increase of about 2%, with 19,804 acres. That area hosts more than a dozen grass species, helping to stabilize its beds. Acreage has been mostly steady for the last few years.

Grasses cover about 93% of their 20,602 acres of potential habitat in tidal freshwater areas. More than half of their acreage is in the Susquehanna Flats, near the mouth of the Bays largest tributary.
(Bloomberg) -- Chicago police made their first large arrest during this weeks gathering of Democratic leaders after Pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with cops at a march that started just outside the Israeli Consulate.

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At least 55 people were taken into custody Tuesday night after demonstrators marched into a line of police. The protesters had promised to Shut Down the DNC for Gaza! and Make it Great, like 68, when Vietnam War protests erupted into police brutality when Chicago hosted the convention.

We will not allow people to come to this city, disrespect it and destroy it, said Chicago Police Chief Larry Snelling. We expect the rest of the week to be better.

Chicago had been preparing for a wave of protests since the city was awarded the convention about a year ago and some activist groups had promised that thousands of people would show up to protest the war in Gaza. Disruptions have threatened to upset the mood after the nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket re-energized the Democratic party, but so far it has been largely muted.

On Tuesday night, police trailed demonstrators around Chicagos West Loop neighborhood before making the arrests. The march, which wasnt sanctioned by the city, started around 7 p.m. outside the Accenture Tower, the building that houses a main transportation hub and the Israeli Consulate.

Protesters marched directly at a line of police officers about 30 minutes after the march began. Officers using bicycles as a makeshift barricade were soon replaced by riot police with batons.

Even before the DNC, Chicago was already struggling with persistently high crime thats outraged residents and businesses alike. The city has struggled to recover from the pandemic, with office vacancy rates still at a record.

Its time to get a handle on anyone who wants to wreak havoc on the city, people who are committing violent acts, Snelling said. Its time to bring Chicago back to where we know it can be.

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Protestors clash with police amid rally outside Israeli Consulate on day 2 of DNC

CHICAGO  Protestors in the West Loop confronted police on Tuesday night during a demonstration outside the Israeli Consulate.

Tuesday nights protests started with a pro-Palestinian rally, which was organized by several different groups, including the group Behind Enemy Lines.

Illinois to take center stage at Day 2 of DNC

A counter-protest then began near South Canal Street and West Madison Street.

The two demonstrations had largely wrapped up by about 9 p.m. as officers were able to move people further north, away from West Madison Street, but a heavy police presence remained near the consulate.









Demonstrators clash with police amid pro-Palestinian rally outside Israeli consulate.

Demonstrators clash with police amid pro-Palestinian rally outside Israeli consulate.

Demonstrators clash with police amid pro-Palestinian rally outside Israeli consulate.

Demonstrators clash with police amid pro-Palestinian rally outside Israeli consulate.



Police could be seen in live video from the scene taking some people into custody around 7:40 p.m. as officers positioned themselves in a line near Accenture Tower.

Another group of about four people were seen in police custody around 8:50 p.m.

Chicago mayor addresses convention, celebrates Harris with shes got us refrain

Police have not confirmed the arrests and it is unclear why they were taken into custody.

Behind Enemy Lines, which describes itself as a pro-Palestinian and anti-imperialist resistance group, has made a concerted effort to hold demonstrations during the convention, hosting several Shut Down the DNC for Gaza events in the days and weeks leading up to the event.

Behind Enemy Lines shared a post on Instagram on July 18 that detailed the specifics of Tuesday afternoons protest and read Make it great like 68! Shut down the DNC for Gaza! The tagline references the series of protests against the United States involvement in the Vietnam War which were held during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Hostage Square Chicago pop-up unveiled Tuesday near DNC

Ahead of the protest, Metra announced that it would be closing the entrance to the Ogilvie Transportation Center, from Accenture Tower at 500 West Madison Street, on Tuesday evening.

Metra officials said Union Pacific commuters looking to board trains are advised to enter through the French Market doors one block north on Clinton Street.

Because of the protests, Amtrak Police have closed off access to Chicago Union Station from Madison Street.

Riders are advised to use the River, and Canal Street entrances to access the station

A spokesperson for the Consulate of Israel released the following statement following Tuesdays demonstrations:

We are appalled to see violence during the protest in front of our offices. This is anything but peaceful and completely contradictory to the spirit of the DNC. This vocal minority does not represent the vast bipartisan majority of Americans who stand strong in support of Israel. It was incredibly heartwarming to see many Americans countering this hate in front of our office, echoing the strong bond between America and Israel. We are beyond disappointed with the ongoing support the mayor has been giving to the anti-Israel protests in Chicago, particularly during the DNC, and his continued disregard for the large pro-Israel and Jewish community in the city. Lastly, we are grateful to all the law enforcement officers who are out protecting the city during the DNC. We applaud their self-sacrifice and countless hours of work to ensure the safety of all Chicagoans. Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest

The first day of the DNC also saw protests inside and outside of the United Center.

Protesters knock down a fence surrounding United Center at the Democratic National Convention after a march Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

A protester tries to push through a fence surrounding the United Center during the Democratic National Convention Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

DNC CHICAGO, IL AUGUST 19, 2024 The coalition of dancing marchers lock arms to keep out pro-Israel marchers walking around Union Park on Monday, August 19, 2024 in Chicago, IL. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

DNC CHICAGO, IL AUGUST 19, 2024 Police form a line to separate pro-Israel and pro-Palestine protestors at Union Park on Monday, August 19, 2024 in Chicago, IL. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

DNC CHICAGO, IL AUGUST 19, 2024 Pro-Palestine protesters at Union Park on Monday, August 19, 2024 in Chicago, IL. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

DNC CHICAGO, IL AUGUST 19, 2024 Pro-Israel supporters demonstrate near pro-Palestine protesters (left) at Union Park on Monday, August 19, 2024 in Chicago, IL. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of Chicagos West Side toward the United Center on Monday with a message for the DNC.

The celebrities who have appeared at the 2024 DNC

The groups addressed issues like reproductive rights, racial equality, immigration and poverty but the primary focus of the demonstration was a protest against the Israeli-Palestinian war.

Demonstrators said they wanted their voices heard by the delegates and the Democratic leadership about their opposition to the war in Gaza and the aid going from the U.S. to Israel.

After marching from Union Park to another park closer to the United Center, a group of protestors broke through the barricade that made up a portion of the security barrier surrounding the arena.

Inside Secret Services DNC Communications Center

A second layer of security fencing blocked the protestors who managed to get through the first layer as officers looked on.

Officers quickly equipped riot gear and intervened.

Following the incident, officers said 13 people were taken into custody, adding that two officers were injured during the incident by protestors who breached security and assaulted them.

One of the protestors arrested was later charged with one felony count of aggravated battery of a peace officer.

Pritzker mum on future political plans

After Mondays brief security breach, crews reinforced the perimeter around the United Center in preparation for the second day of the convention, adding a second layer of fencing, concrete barriers and brackets to bolster the fences integrity.

Organizers had predicted that a crowd of more than 20,000 protectors would gather for Mondays march, but on Tuesday, CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling said about 3,500 people had gathered, adding that the majority of the protesters were peaceful.

Protests continued into the evening inside the arena on Monday, with a small group, some protesting delegates, displaying a banner that said Stop Arming Israel during President Bidens speech.

More demonstrations are set to take place throughout the week.

After more than a year of planning, Chicago is at the center of the political spotlight this week as host of the 2024 Democratic National Convention.



Day 3 Recap:

Walz accepts Democratic nomination for vice president: Its the honor of my life

Police and FBI investigate maggot incident at DNC breakfast in Chicago

Residents in shadow of United Center tire of DNC disruptions

Illinois student journalists get firsthand experience at the DNC

Blue Carpet: DNC delegates make fashion statements to stand out in the crowd

Crowds of pro-Palestinian protesters rally, march outside Democratic conventions 3rd night

Photos: Celebs spotted at the DNC

The convention runs through Thursday. Chicago has hosted Democrats 12 times, the last being nearly 30 years ago when President Bill Clinton was nominated for a second term.



WGN Cover Story: Why Chicago has hosted more presidential conventions than any other 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 WGN-TV.
(Bloomberg) -- In Democrat-run Chicago, where the party is gathered to nominate Kamala Harris for president, a fight over migration has roiled local politics  pointing to a key vulnerability for her campaign.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Donald Trump is hammering Democrats over the unprecedented flow of migrants into the US in the past couple of years. Lately hes tried to spotlight the impact on Black voters in particular, with a warning that newcomers are taking so-called Black jobs  a claim thats largely fallen flat, and in some instances drawn derision.

In Chicago, though, there has been a different kind of tension brewing in Black communities over migration. Its focused not on job markets but on strained public finances  as neighborhoods unable to win enough funds for their own projects balk at the checks written to shelter new arrivals.

All of this highlights some risks for Harris as immigration becomes a top-of-mind election issue  not just in solidly blue Illinois, but in swing states too.

Trump, the GOP nominee, generally has an edge in polls on the question of whod handle it better. Hes seeking to label Vice President Harris as a failed border czar under President Joe Biden, and make the issue resonate as widely as possible. That includes among African American voters, a group where Harris  seeking to become the first Black or Asian woman to lead the country  enjoys overwhelming support.

GOP politicians have long portrayed Chicago as a microcosm of Democratic failings, pointing to crime statistics, corruption and economic woes. Now theyre adding the citys handling of its migrant crisis to the list.

The Harris campaign referred to the candidates vow to fix our broken immigration system by supporting border reform, creating paths to citizenship and reviving an immigration reform blocked by Republicans. At a roundtable with Bloomberg News on the sidelines of the convention Tuesday, Democratic North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said Harris is someone who actually wants to solve the problem, and has tried to solve the problem.

We need to be compassionate about it, Cooper said. I think she will be so, but she understands the importance of strong borders."

More than 46,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago since 2022, including almost 37,000 bused north by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. A widely expected surge of buses bringing more migrants during the convention hasn't materialized, however, and about 5,500 people currently live in 17 active shelters run by the city and state governments.

Chicago is estimating funding plans of more than $400 million on the migrant crisis. Thats piling pressure on the citys budget. The shortfall is projected to widen to almost $1 billion next year, exacerbating a decades-old fight over resources. Local leaders  beset with demands for cash to address other issues like homelessness, crime and economic development  are having to make tough choices.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker acknowledged the ongoing struggle for resources in neighborhoods with high poverty rates and insufficient job opportunities. In an interview, he also stressed that since taking office in 2019 he has championed investments in small business while also raising the state minimum wage. It will reach $15 an hour next year, which Pritzker said has helped particularly Black female employees.

Faced with a crisis that was foisted upon us by another state's governor, the state had to take action, Pritzker said. We stepped up to do the right thing. All we did was provide basic food, clothing and shelter. It isn't like we were handing out tens of thousands of dollars to people.

Over the past four decades, the decline of industries like manufacturing in traditionally Black parts of the city  accompanied by mass job losses and rising crime  has led hundreds of thousands of African Americans to move out. Some 29% of Chicago residents identify as Black now, compared with 40% back then.

Historical Disinvestment

Alderperson Desmon Yancy, who represents the citys fifth ward, described voting for a $70 million measure to care for migrants as a necessary but painful decision.

This investment felt like a strong-arm robbery when you consider the meager investments Black leaders have asked for and been denied, Yancy wrote in a Chicago Sun-Times op-ed. If we can do it for one community of color, we can surely do it for our native Black residents.

The sentiment was echoed at a July 23 meeting of the councils committee on immigrant and refugee rights by fellow Alderperson Jessie Fuentes: For the last year, weve had to take tough votes, have had to have tough conversations and listen to anti-immigrant sentiment while grappling with the reality of the historical disinvestment of Black Chicago.

During Trumps first term, Chicago drew attention as one of the nation's largest so-called sanctuary cities that refused to assist in the administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. In practice, that meant the local government didnt cooperate with immigration authorities about the status of suspects unless they were known gang members or violent felons.

Trump says hell be even tougher if he wins in November, vowing to seal the border and carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.

Biden initially focused on root causes, and tasked Harris to work with Central American countries on reducing the flow. Recently  under attack by the GOP and pressure from voters  the administration has taken a tougher line. In June, Biden signed an executive order aimed at limiting asylum claims at the US-Mexico border.

In Chicago, Beatriz Ponce de Leon  deputy mayor for migrant rights  acknowledges that some groups bring to our attention that they feel perhaps forgotten or left behind as the city tackles the crisis.

But she said that the city has mostly been able to integrate new migrants with the full picture in mind, and hasnt diverted funds from programs that target other communities. Its not either-or, its both-and, Ponce de Leon said.

When the national unemployment rate of African Americans dropped to historic lows last year, it continued to hover above 10% in the city  although it has improved in recent months.

More than 40% of Black voters believe employers should prioritize hiring Americans when jobs are scarce, compared to only 14% who say that shouldn't be the case, a recent Ipsos poll found.

Black voters are frustrated that Democrats continue to prioritize the interests of illegal immigrants over our own Black Americans who were born in this country, said Janiyah Thomas, a Trump campaign spokesperson.

Economists generally have found that foreign-born workers dont take jobs away from Americans, and help boost growth by spending and paying taxes. And many of the recently arrived migrants are legally authorized to work as the government speeds up the processing of work authorizations for asylum seekers.

Research by Kyle Moore, an economist with the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute, shows that Illinois has one of the highest Black unemployment levels in the nation. He says those issues, however, are linked to longstanding problems, not a consequence of recent migration.

Its not like theres something new thats happening thats taking away jobs from Black folks, Moore said.

--With assistance from Miranda Davis, Andre Tartar and Isis Almeida.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2024 Bloomberg L.P.
Nebraska Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Heavican. Jan. 4, 2023. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska News Service)

LINCOLN  Nebraska Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Heavican will retire from his post effective Oct. 31, and Gov. Jim Pillen will eventually appoint his successor.

Heavican, in a Wednesday letter to employees of the Judicial Branch, said he was retiring after 18 years. He said that the accomplishments of his colleagues made him proud to serve as chief justice and that hell be forever grateful for their hard work and dedication.

Thanks to all of you for the great work you do every day in delivering justice in our courts and fulfilling for all Nebraskans our States motto: Equality Before the Law, Heavican wrote.

Pillen congratulated Heavican on his retirement, wished him the very best in all his future endeavors and thanked him for his professionalism, rooted in deep regard for the rule of law.

I have enjoyed getting to know Chief Justice Heavican and I often repeat to others the observation he made to me about walking into the Supreme Court Chamber, Pillen said in a statement. He noted that each time felt like the very first  conveying a wonderment, love and appreciation for a career that has resulted in immense satisfaction and fulfillment.

Former Gov. Dave Heineman appointed Heavican to the high court in October 2006. Heavican previously served five years as Nebraskas U.S. attorney, a pick by former President George W. Bush. Heavican, 77, also served as an assistant U.S. attorney and Lancaster County attorney from 1981 to 1990.

Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly served with Heavican during his time in the Lancaster County Attorneys Office. Kelly also served as Nebraskas U.S. attorney, from 2018 to 2021. Kelly said in all of Heavicans roles, he has been the perfect example of all that a public servant should be.

Attorney General Mike Hilgers said that as speaker of the Legislature and as attorney general, he had a front row seat to Heavicans immense impact on our State.

Hilgers said Heavicans record of service to Nebraska is virtually unmatched, including traveling the state every year to visit courthouses and judicial branch employees.

His honesty, thoughtfulness, and pursuit of fairness and justice are second to none, Hilgers said. We will miss his leadership.

When there is a vacancy for the Supreme Court, a judicial nominating commission for that district holds a public hearing to interview candidates for the position, per the Nebraska Constitution. Each commission is composed of one justice, four lawyers selected by the Nebraska State Bar Association and four nonlawyers appointed by the governor.

The six associate justices each have a separate district; the chief justice is an at-large member.

The Judicial Nominating Commission for the chief justice is chaired by Justice Lindsey Miller-Lerman. Justices have a salary of $225,055.35.

heavican-retirement_082124

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A lobby group has pressured KPMG into ending its

affiliation with Iranian firm Bayat Rayan.

Arvind Hickman interviews industry leaders to discuss the

circumstances surrounding KPMGs departure and the repercussions it

will have for the developing profession in the

country.

The Impact of Politics on Iran's Accounting Profession

KPMG has fled Iran amid fierce US lobby

group pressure. It is the last Big Four firm to leave the embattled

country, raising questions about the future of the Irans

accounting profession as well as the moral integrity of using

economic sanctions to remove an unpopular regime.

Experts, including the leader of the

International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) warn the Big Fours

departure could stall the development of Irans profession. A

broader exodus of foreign companies will seriously destabilise the

countrys economy, which is already suffering chronic inflation due

to a shortage of imported goods.

Bayat Rayan, a part of the KPMG family a month

ago, believes foreign companies will still use its services as

there is little choice in the market, and the Big Four will return

to the resource rich nation once the political situation is

resolved.

Lobby group pressure

KPMGs departure was engineered by the United

Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a coalition of lobby groups that wants

to prevent Iran from becoming a regional power with nuclear

weapons, although scratch the surface and it is clear the lobby

group has other interests, including regime change.

The lobby group dismissed concerns about Irans

accounting profession while lauding KPMGs decision as helpful to

our cause on a greater level than any company operating in

Iran.

For its part, KPMG has remained largely silent

on this issue, confirming it ended its working relationship with

Bayat Rayan due to concerns raised by the UANI. KPMGs silence is

common among accounting firms who often shy away from politically

sensitive issues.

Irans top 10

Bayat Rayan is a top-six domestic firm

with 55 staff that provides audit, accountancy, tax and advisory

services, primarily to Irans private sector.

The Iranian profession is dominated by 10 audit

firms: Audit Organization, Dayarayan, Agahan Moshar, Bayat Rayan,

Behrad Moshar, Behmand, Fater, Iran Mashhood, Rymand & Co and

Tadvin, according to Dayarayan managing partner Gholamhossein

Davani.

The Accountants sister

publication, International Accounting Bulletin, researched

the Iranian accounting profession and found there are at least

seven global mid-tier networks that still have Iranian affiliates

(see chart below). These groups play and will continue to

play an important role in assisting their Iranian affiliates to

develop international standards and best practices.

Story continues

Quote from Ali Jan, Bayat Rayan

Davani explains the

state-owned Audit Organization is the largest firm and audits 80%

of the audit market, including Irans government companies and

public institutes. The rest of the pack focuses on the private

sector. Davani estimates the total revenue generated by the audit

market is about $90m of which Audit Organization earns $60m.

It is unclear what cut Bayat Rayan takes out of

the Iranian audit market but it is significantly less than what

KPMG earns from US federal contracts each year  the Big Four firm

is reported to have earned $1.2bn in the past decade.

For this reason alone, Bayat Rayan partner Ali

Jan believes KPMG had little choice but to end its working

relationship.

Common sense tells me that if my interests is

somewhere else and they are going to make me subject to sanctions,

then I really need to make a decision on where I am going to lose

most if I am not following the rules, Jan says.

No alternative

Jan does not believe the break-up will

have a major impact upon Bayat Rayans bottom line because a large

bulk of its business is local and theres little alternative for

foreign companies in Iran.

Weve got international clients which operate

here and under law have to have their accounts audited in

accordance with the local laws, he explains.

Either they use us or they use another firm

like us, so really at the end of it [they shouldnt go elsewhere]

because there is no alternative. All the major international firms

have gone so there is no choice.

One way or another we may get affected

slightly but we still have expatriate clients ringing us still

making enquiries. I do not expect a major upheaval. It all has to

be sorted out at a much higher level than KPMG, what is happening

in the world, in the UN.

At the diplomatic level this has to be

resolved and once thats resolved the business will follow.

Threat to the economy

Davani is concerned that foreign firms and

companies leaving Iran will not only directly affect the local

audit market but also collapse the economy.

It is self evident that if they comply with

the sanctions, foreign companies shall be out of Iran and the

revenue of audit firms who are engaged with foreign clients will be

reduce so much, Davani says.

Even revenue of other audit firms [will

be affected] because the economy will collapse.

Both Jan and Davani point out the Iranian

profession went through a similar exodus following the Islamic

Revolution in 1979 and recovered.

We have been through this before, it is not

the first time and Im sure multinationals will come here, Jan

says.

Once you start working in this part of the

world, disappointment doesnt mean much. You have to survive and

you do survive.

Development headache

Even if firms do survive the desertion

of foreign companies, the departure of the Big Four could delay

professional development in Iran, according to one of the worlds

leading accountants.

Iranian professional accountants are trained by

professional accounting bodies and at firms like Bayat Rayan. Being

affiliated with a Big Four network allows domestic firms to tap

into vast technical resources, training programmes and global best

practices. This is particularly important for keeping up to speed

with international changes to accounting and auditing

standards.

IFAC president Robert Bunting says the Big Four

leaving any country could be potentially devastating,

highlighting the important role these networks play in providing

on-the-job training. Big Four networks also provide support and

resources to professional accounting bodies, such as the Iranian

Association of Certified Public Accountants.

You are cut off from resources and youre cut

off from colleague contacts, Bunting says.

There is no more inbound investment [by the

Big Four firms]. In a lot of countries the large firms and large

networks are net investors because they dont profit at all from

being in the country, they are simply financially supporting their

office there.

So you look at that and it is potentially

devastating to the profession. Certainly it is going to delay the

development of the profession for a long time.

Quote from Robert Bunting, International Federation of Accountants

accepts that belonging to a network has its own

benefits, because you get the technical know how, you have access

to research, access to training and things like that which are

within that international domain.

But having said that, we are now back on the

same footing as all other firms operating in Iran, he adds.

Both Jan and Davani contend that resources are

still largely available on the internet and through staff

membership of professional bodies abroad.

At Bayat Rayan, several professionals have

access to resources from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in

England and Wales, among other bodies. He hopes these connections

will help mitigate the loss of materials and support from KPMG.

Another effect KPMGs departure could have on

Bayat Rayan is the removal of KPMGs strict quality control

infrastructure, which polices auditor practice across the

network.

Firms that belong to networks such as KPMG are

regularly inspected to ensure they comply with high global

standards. The loss of this oversight could eventually filter down

to audit quality if careful monitoring is not picked up

elsewhere.

Sending a message

The UANI argues that KPMGs departure

from the country will not devastate the domestic accounting

profession.

I cant imagine KPMG is the only accounting

firm left in Iran, UANI spokesperson Kimberlyn Lipscomb says.

It certainly sends a message to the Iranian

regime that the Big Four international accounting firms are not

willing to provide services to a brutal regime.

Lipscomb also does not believe economic

sanctions will affect the people of Iran more so than its

government  a common criticism of economic intervention

mechanisms.

I dont think it is hard to argue that what

the Iranian regime is doing to its own people is significantly more

brutal than KPMGs decision not to operate in Iran, she says.

Lipscomb cites South Africa as an example of

where the divestment movement during apartheid proved to be

effective.

An example closer to Iran is the brutal UN

Security Council-imposed economic sanctions forced on Iraq between

1990 and 2003.

The United Nations Childrens Fund estimates

these sanctions were responsible for the deaths of at least half a

million children while doing little to affect the powerbase of

Saddam Hussein.

Davani questions the UANIs motives and

believes all professions  such as accounting, lawyers and medicine

must be [left] out of political matters.

Profession battles on

Irans profession has undergone

setbacks before when global organisations have left for political

reasons and industry leaders are confident they will return when

the time is right.

Further, its important to note that several

mid-tier networks are active in Iran, playing an important role in

helping the local profession develop global standards. Iranian

professionals are also well educated, resourceful and often qualify

with globally recognised professional bodies.

Other organisations, such as IFAC, provide

assistance, whether this is on a formal or informal basis.

However, there is certainly the risk that a

potentially toxic political situation could spiral further out of

control and economic sanctions become much harder hitting. In

addition, the UANIs campaign against foreign organisations could

yet threaten the Iranian operations of other international

accounting groups.

Iranian accounting firms wont hold their

breath in the hope stability will return any time soon. But also

dont expect this profession to stagnate or go backwards, it has

battled hardship before and will survive this latest setback.

Mid-tier firms with Iranian affiliates

"Iran exodus: Politics strikes profession" was originally created and published by The Accountant, a GlobalData owned brand.







The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
All children evacuated from 90 settlements in Donetsk Oblast as Russian forces approach

All children have been evacuated from 90 settlements in Donetsk Oblast, while another 4,912 children remain in 30 front-line settlements in Kramatorsk and Bakhmut districts, Governor Vadym Filashkin said on Aug. 21.

Russian artillery and aerial attacks against Donetsk Oblast settlements are a daily occurrence, regularly resulting in civilian deaths and injuries.

The region is also the main target of a Russian offensive push, with towns like Toretsk, Pokrovsk, and Chasiv Yar bearing the brunt of the attack.

"The situation at the front is getting more complicated, and the humanitarian situation is getting more complicated as well. It is important for us and our Western allies to remember this," Filashkin wrote on his Telegram channel.

On Aug. 15, local authorities urged residents of Pokrovsk to evacuate as soon as possible because Russian troops were 10 kilometers from the outskirts of the city.

Pokrovsk is an important logistical hub for the Ukrainian forces that supports their operations in Donetsk Oblast. Around 53,000 people remain in the city.

The obligatory evacuation of children and their families from the Pokrovsk community was announced on Aug. 19.

As Russian forces concentrate more of their recourses on the offensive in Donetsk Oblast, the situation in the area in the Pokrovsk direction remains "extremely challenging," Kyiv acknowledged.

Read also: Thousands flee as Russian troops take one Donetsk Oblast village after another

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
China leans into using AI  even as the US leads in developing it

In the competitive arena of global technology, Chinas ambitions in artificial intelligence stand out  not just for their scale but for their distinct strategic approach.

In 2017, the Chinese Communist Party declared its intent to surpass the United States to become the world leader in AI by 2030. This plan, however, is less about pioneering novel technologies and more about strategically adapting existing ones to serve state economic, political and social objectives.

While both China and the United States are actively pursuing AI technologies, their approaches differ significantly. The U.S. has traditionally led in fundamental AI research and innovation, with institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford and tech giants such as Google and Microsoft driving breakthroughs in machine learning. This innovation-first approach contrasts with Chinas focus on adaptation and application of existing technologies for specific state objectives.

The United States AI development is primarily driven by a decentralized network of academic institutions, private companies and government agencies, often with competing interests and a focus on commercial applications. In contrast, Chinas AI strategy is more centralized and state directed, with a clear focus on supporting government initiatives such as social control and economic planning.

AI for ideological control

At the heart of Chinas AI strategy lies its effort to embed the technology in the machinery of the governments ideological control. A prime example is the Xue Xi chatbot developed by researchers at Chinas top-ranked university, Tsinghua University. Unlike Western AI models designed to foster open-ended dialogue, Xue Xi was trained in part on Xi Jinping Thought to indoctrinate users  likely initially to be party members in government  with Communist Party ideology.

This isnt just a singular initiative but part of a broader trend. AI-driven surveillance systems, like the facial recognition technology deployed across the Xinjiang region of China, enable the government to maintain tight control over the areas minority Muslim Uyghur population.

These technologies are not groundbreaking. They build on existing innovations but are finely tuned to serve the Communist Partys efforts to maintain social order and prevent dissent. Chinas AI prowess comes not by creating the newest technology but by mastering and deploying AI in ways that align with its ideological imperatives.

AI for economic control

Chinas AI strategy is also deeply intertwined with its economic ambitions. Faced with slowing growth, the Communist Party views technology as the essential tool for pulling the country out of its economic slowdown. This is particularly evident in sectors such as manufacturing and logistics, where AI is used to drive efficiencies and maintain Chinas competitive edge in global supply chains. For example, companies such as online retail giant Alibaba have developed AI-driven logistics platforms that optimize delivery routes and manage warehouse operations, ensuring that China remains the factory of the world.

Additionally, Chinas social credit system, which rates citizens on their civic and financial behavior, represents a significant strategic initiative where AI plays an increasingly crucial role. Chinas system is designed to monitor and influence citizen behavior on a massive scale. Although AI is not yet fully implemented across the entire social credit system, it is being integrated to track and analyze vast amounts of data, such as financial transactions, online interactions and social relationships in real time.

This data is then used to assign scores that can affect various aspects of life, from loan approvals to travel permissions. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in the system, it is likely, I believe, to further reinforce state control and ensure societal compliance, prioritizing government oversight over personal autonomy.

Strategic exports

On the international stage, China is exporting its AI technologies to expand its influence, particularly in developing nations. Through the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese tech giants such as Huawei and ZTE are providing AI-driven surveillance systems to governments in Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America. These systems, often framed as tools for improving public safety, are part of a larger strategy to export Chinas governance model.

For instance, in Zimbabwe, Chinese firms have helped implement a nationwide facial recognition system under the guise of combating crime. Political activists in Zimbabwe fear that technology is being used to monitor political opponents and activists, mirroring its use in China. By exporting AI technologies that are tightly integrated with state control, China is not only expanding its market share but also promoting its authoritarian model as a viable alternative to Western democracy.

AI for strategic military advantage

Chinas military ambitions are also tightly linked to its AI strategy. The Peoples Liberation Army, Chinas military, is investing heavily in AI-driven autonomous systems, including drones and robotic platforms. These technologies are not necessarily the most advanced in the world, but China is adapting them to fit its strategic needs.

China is developing AI systems to support its naval operations in the South China Sea, a region of significant geopolitical tension. China is deploying autonomous submarines and surveillance drones to monitor and potentially disrupt foreign military activities in the region. This strategic use of AI in military applications highlights Chinas focus on using existing technologies to achieve specific geopolitical objectives, rather than seeking innovation for its own sake.

Calculated strategy

Chinas approach to AI is a calculated strategy of adaptation and application, rather than raw innovation. By mastering the use of existing technologies and aligning them with state objectives, China is not only bolstering its domestic control but also reshaping global power dynamics.

Whether through ideological indoctrination, economic control, strategic exports or military advancements, Chinas AI playbook is a powerful reminder that in the realm of technology, how tools are used can be just as transformative as the tools themselves.

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: Shaoyu Yuan, Rutgers University - Newark

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Shaoyu Yuan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Chinas No. 2 official travels to Russia to deepen ties as Ukraine war grinds on

Chinese Premier Li Qiang is set to meet with Russian leaders in Moscow Wednesday during a four-day trip to Russia and its ally Belarus as Beijing shrugs off Western criticism of its robust Kremlin ties amid the war in Ukraine.

Li, Chinas No. 2 official under leader Xi Jinping, will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and hold talks on China-Russia cooperation and strategic ties with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Russian state-run news agency Tass reported Wednesday.

Li hailed the two countries relations after his arrival at Moscows Vnukovo Airport Tuesday, where he was greeted by Russian officials and an honor guard.

China-Russia relations in the new era have shown new vigor and vitality, with stronger mutual political trust, fruitful cooperation in various fields, deeply rooted friendship, and close and effective international coordination, Li said in a statement released upon his arrival, adding the visit was aimed at deepening mutually beneficial cooperation.

The premiers visit  for a longstanding annual meeting with the Russian prime minister  is the first to Russia by a high-level Chinese official since a surprise military incursion by Ukrainian forces into the Russian border region of Kursk two weeks ago.

Russia has been scrambling to repel that assault, which marks the first time foreign troops entered Russian territory since World War II and comes amid mounting pressure for a conclusion to the war in Ukraine, which began in 2022 with Russias full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

Last week, in response to a media inquiry on the situation, a spokesperson for Chinas Foreign Ministry called on all parties not to expand the battlefield, escalate fighting and fuel the flame, saying China would continue to work for a political settlement of the crisis.

Beijing has faced mounting scrutiny and pressure from the West to curtail the export of dual-use goods such as aerospace, manufacturing and technology equipment to Russia, which Western leaders and Kyiv have alleged are propping up the Russian war effort.

Chinese officials have sought to present the country as a neutral, aspiring peace broker in the war, but have had limited high-level contact with Kyiv while continuing to deepen relations with Moscow across trade, diplomacy and security.

China last month hosted a top Ukrainian official for the first time since Russias invasion of the country nearly two and half years ago.

Wednesdays meeting between Li and Mishustin is part of annual talks held since 1996, which are seen as a means to implement practical cooperation in the direction set by Xi and Putin. The two officials are expected to discuss the countries comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction, including in trade and economy, according to Tass.

Trade between China and Russia hit record highs last year, surpassing a target of $240 billion ahead of schedule. Russia has grown hugely reliant on Chinas market, goods and investment since it was slapped with broad international sanctions following its Ukraine invasion.

Bilateral trade increased by more than a quarter year-on-year in 2023 from 2022, but has only grown about 1.6% between January and July this year over the same period last year, according to Chinas customs data.

Li is expected to end his four-day trip in Belarus, where he will meet Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko for an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields, Chinas Foreign Ministry said Monday.

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China has announced new export controls on antimony, a metal used in semiconductor manufacturing, starting September 15, 2024. From now on, exports of antimony in all forms require government approval, which could impact global markets, as China supplies nearly half of the worlds antimony, according to DigiTimes.

The new regulations will cover various antimony-related products, including raw ore, metal, and compounds like antimony oxides and hydrides. They also extend to high-tech materials used in semiconductor production, such as indium antimonide, ultra-hard materials, like synthetic diamonds and cubic boron nitride, and the technology needed to produce them.

Antimonys significance lies in its unique properties, which make it essential for producing hardened alloys used in weaponry and a key component in semiconductors, displays, and flame retardants.

Antimony is commonly used in semiconductor manufacturing to dope silicon to create n-type semiconductors. In n-type doping, antimony increases the semiconductors conductivity and, thus, performance.

Antimony is also used to produce indium antimonide, a compound semiconductor material. Indium antimonide is known for its high electron mobility and sensitivity to infrared light, making it useful for infrared detectors, thermal imaging cameras, infrared LEDs, and optoelectronic devices. Finally, antimony-based materials make thin-film transistors in LCDs and OLEDs.

China controls about 50% of antimony supply. Its dominance in the global antimony market means its move will impact all the markets dependent on antimony. According to the Ministry of Commerce, these measures align with international norms and are not directed at any specific country or region. According to a spokesperson from Chinas Ministry of Commerce, these controls aim to ensure the security and stability of global supply chains and prevent foreign misuse that could threaten Chinas interests.

Meanwhile, this action is widely viewed as Chinas response to recent restrictions imposed by the U.S., Netherlands, and Japan on Chinas access to advanced chipmaking tools. It follows a pattern of China tightening control over other essential materials, such as gallium, germanium, and graphite.

The announcement comes amid already growing concerns about antimony supply shortages. A report by Project Blue in May 2024 projected a global shortfall of about 10,000 tons, exacerbated by sanctions on Russia that disrupted its antimony production. This shortage has increased reliance on alternative suppliers from Tajikistan, Vietnam, and Myanmar.

As Chinas new controls take effect, market analysts expect antimony prices to rise significantly. European refineries and other global consumers have already sought to diversify their sources to reduce dependency on China. Still, these efforts may not prevent price spikes in light of Chinas latest measures.
By Joe Cash

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping told visiting Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka he backed his "Ocean of Peace" plan during a meeting in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese state media reported, days ahead of a summit for Pacific Island leaders in Tonga.

China also pledged to step up its trade ties with the archipelagic state, which wants to upgrade its ports and ship building, roads, and sewage infrastructure, but can only do so through securing better terms for its agricultural and fisheries exporters owing to deep debts.

"China appreciates Prime Minister Rabuka's vision for an Ocean of Peace and is committed to working with Fiji to contribute to international peace and security," Xi said, according to a readout released late Tuesday night.

Rabuka will visit Tonga next week for a meeting of the heads of 18 Pacific island countries and territories that will consider a regional policing proposal backed by Australia.

Ahead of his 10-day China tour, Rabuka said he would not "upset the apple cart" on regional security in the Pacific, where China and the U.S. are competing for influence.

Rabuka, who returned as prime minister in 2022, has proposed an "Ocean of Peace" foreign policy to Pacific leaders that envisions engagement with all major powers and avoids militarisation of the islands region.

"I am very much encouraged by your principles, your ideas on peaceful coexistence, on the principles of progress. They are in line with what I have in mind for the concept of the Ocean of Peace," Rabuka told Xi, and said he would mention the Chinese leader's support for the plan at next week's summit.

China also agreed to invest in Fiji's tourism, agriculture and fisheries industries and support a road upgrading project on the country's second-largest island, the readout added.

While the Pacific Island states tend to offer a poor return on investment, analysts say Fiji is strategically important to Beijing as it sits at the southern end of the "the second island chain", an area stretching up to Japan that China's navy seeks control of.

China has also started to pay the region more attention as it steps up efforts to diplomatically isolate Taiwan, which Beijing views as part of its territory, and sever the island's relations with the nearby Pacific nations of the Marshall Islands, Palau and Tuvalu.

Fiji owes China, the world's biggest bilateral lender, just over $218 million, according to World Bank data. Following his election win in 2022 Rabuka has turned towards Australia for additional aid donations.

Former Fiji leader Frank Bainimarama struck a policing agreement with China a decade ago, but Rabuka called time on that arrangement and in June announced a "police force reset" that will see it work more closely with Australia.

(Reporting by Joe Cash; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
Moon Shot

A group of Chinese scientists want to build a magnetic launch system that spins up and then hammer throws cargo from the Moon's surface, shooting it towards Earth.

The moon shot project, which has a proposed price tag of $18 billion, would work by harnessing the Moon's low gravity and lack of an atmosphere, according to a study about the project published in the journal Aerospace Shanghai and flagged by Interesting Engineering. A 165-foot arm would rotate faster and faster, before launching a capsule into space after reaching the Moon's escape velocity of 2.38 kilometers per second.

Solar panels and nuclear energy would power the whole apparatus. The primary goal of the magnetic launch system would be to transport the isotope helium-3, rare on the Earth's surface but abundant on the Moon. Scientists have long coveted this isotope for its potential use in future nuclear fusion power plants.

The fact that serious scientists in China are even proposing this project, which sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, hints that the next gold rush for rare and expensive minerals on the lunar surface could be coming.

Heavy Metal

China isn't the only world power contemplating mining helium and other minerals on the Moon.

A startup in the United States is trying to raise money to extract helium-3 on the lunar surface and bring it back to Earth, all part of a growing network of businesses and organizations intent on building up a "lunar economy."

Many of them are banking on the success of NASA's upcoming Artemis missions to land and establish a permanent colony on the Moon. One of the colony's missions is to advance economic development and create jobs  and more than likely a lot of those jobs will involve mining.

But all these proposed mining projects are leading to another geopolitical space race between the United States and China, which has equally ambitious plans for space.

And whoever comes on top, in terms of technology and territory under its control, will most likely set the rules of engagement in space for generations to come. Extracting helium is just the beginning, in other words.

More on the Moon: Scientists Say They've Come up With a "Time Zone" For the Moon
(FOX40.COM)  California Highway Patrol investigators arrested a former officer on Monday for multiple accusations related to insurance fraud and theft.

According to CHP, Jordan Lester, 44, filed a workers compensation insurance claim on July 12, 2021, and was placed off work by his physician in January 2022. He was a 16-year veteran of the department. While off work, an anonymous tip was received by the CHPs Workers Compensation Fraud Investigations Unit, and an investigation was initiated.

Several Northern California DUI checkpoints coming ahead of Labor Day holiday

CHP said the multi-year investigation revealed Lester committed workers compensation fraud by engaging in activities, while on injury leave, inconsistent with limitations and restrictions given by his medical providers. During the investigation, CHP investigators said they discovered that Lester committed perjury and made false statements to the Department of Motor Vehicles when he fraudulently misrepresented the purchase price of a vehicle he purchased.

An arrest warrant was issued for Lester by the Sacramento County District Attorneys Office for several charges including perjury, false statements to fraudulently obtain compensation, and concealment or failure to disclose information affecting benefits. Lester was arrested and was booked into the Plumas County Jail in Plumas County.

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Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval is speaking at the DNC. Who is he?

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval poses with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama during a trip to India in 2022. Provided/Aftab Pureval

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval is scheduled to speak at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday evening. If you're from Cincinnati, you definitely know who the charismatic and popular mayor is. If you're not, here's what you need to know.

Is Pureval Asian American?

Yes. Pureval is the first Asian American mayor of Cincinnati. He's also the first person of Tibetan heritage to be elected to a prominent political office in the United States. His parents immigrated to America in 1980 from New Delhi, India. His father, Devinder Singh Pureval, came from India. His mother, Drenko was a refugee from Tibet.

Pureval grew up visiting his grandparents in New Delhi. His paternal grandfather was a brigadier general. His maternal grandfather was a freedom fighter, resisting the invasion of Tibet.

Pureval met the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India in December of 2022 after traveling to India with an American delegation led by Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer.

What's Pureval's real job?

Being mayor in Cincinnati is a full-time job, but Pureval, 41, is a lawyer by trade.

Pureval graduated in 2005 from The Ohio State University and then went to the University of Cincinnati Law School, where he was an editor at UC Law Review. Before entering politics he worked for Procter & Gamble, where he was a global brand attorney for Olay and Cover Girl.

How long has Pureval been in politics?

Pureval popped onto Cincinnati's political scene relatively unknown. He ran and won the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts race in 2016, the first Democrat to hold that seat in 100 years in a county that had been predominantly Republican. It's a low-profile job, but Pureval was seen as a rising Democratic political star. So when it came time in 2018 for local Democrats to find a candidate to run for U.S. Representative against longtime Republican Rep. Steve Chabot in a Republican-gerrymandered district, Pureval jumped in the race. It was nasty and Pureval ultimately lost. But, he was still clerk of courts.

The path to higher political office is tough in Blue Cincinnati and Red Ohio. As Pureval was mulling what was next politically, the favorite to win the 2021 mayor's race, P.G. Sittenfeld, was indicted on federal corruption charges and dropped out of the race. Pureval slid into the race and handily won with 65% of the vote.

Walk down the street with him and people honk, wave and sometimes ask to take pictures with him. Pureval is popular with a capital P.

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval thanks supporters after winning the race for mayor in 2021.

What's next for Pureval

Rumors fly around the city that Pureval is running for this or that or was going to join the Biden administration. But he always denied that. Headed into the convention, Pureval reiterated to The Enquirer that he was running for re-election in 2025, plans on winning, completing that four-year term and then leaving politics.

Is he married?

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, with his wife, Dr. Whitney Whitis.

Yes. Pureval is married to Dr. Whitney Whitis, an internist. They have two young children.

Fun fact

In Persian, Aftab means sunshine.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Who is Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval
(FOX40.COM)  A woman was arrested in Citrus Heights on Monday in connection to a decade-long homicide investigation, according to the Citrus Heights Police Department.

In April 2013, Diego Lopez, 22, was brought to Mercy San Juan Hospital with breathing difficulties and coughing up blood, according to police.

CHP arrests former police officer for fraud allegations

Physicians found that his illness was caused by injections of non-medical-grade silicone that caused multiple organ failures, cardiac and his eventual death on May 7, 2013.

Detectives launched a homicide investigation following Lopezs death and determined Alejandra Aguilera-Ortega, 49, was a suspect after learning she had been injecting Lopez for a fee without a medical license.

Aguilera-Ortega fled to an unknown location in Mexico as detectives were preparing to serve her with a homicide arrest warrant.

Recently detectives learned that she had returned to Citrus Heights and arrested her at an area apartment complex.

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MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11)  The top lawyer for City Hall told reporters to stop asking the Mayor of New York arguably one of the most important political figures in the country political questions.

Please refrain from asking specific questions about the presidential campaign or other campaigns, said Lisa Zornberg, City Hall Chief Counsel.

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The anti-1st Amendment request came at the end of Tuesdays open question and answer session with Mayor Eric Adams. Adams had been asked numerous questions about why he was not being given a more prominent role at the Democratic National Convention.

Adams said he was trying to be a good soldier and was ready to help Vice President Harris become President any way he could. He said he would participate in campaign events addressing the concerns of black men in particular.

I want her to win, thats what Im going to do, whatever it takes for her to win, Adams said.

Former U.S. Rep. George Santos pleads guilty to wire fraud, identity theft

But the weekly availability went sideways when Zornberg chimed in at the end with her request to limit political questions.

As the City Hall press core protested, Zornberg said she was just trying to help enforce ethics laws.

Zornberg seemed taken aback by outrage from the press and said asking the questions at City Hall was at the core of the ethical concern with talking politicians on government time.

It was the Mayor and his team that insisted on only taking off-topic questions once a week at City Hall. One of the things youre not supposed to use is a city space for a political purpose, Zornberg said.

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HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP)  The city of Holyoke has been featured in the Business View Magazine for the second time.

This feature shined a light on the city of Holyoke and it focused on economic development and how to improve the city. The magazine included Holyokes efforts to be a more green community through land, energy incentives, and green technology. The city has also been trying to get new businesses into its neighborhoods while also helping some of its current small businesses.

Marcotte Ford in Holyoke surprises kids with new Adidas for school year

It also highlights how organizations in Holyoke have been working to build their workforce.

The Director of Planning & Economic Development for Holyoke, Aaron Vega told 22News that housing is a challenge not only in the city but across the nation. We really need to focus on producing more housing on all levels of income, affordable housing, workforce housing, and that market-rate housing so that when businesses start coming here and attract new people to work here, whether they are from the area or coming from another state, we have to have housing options ready for them, stated Vega.

Some of the citys companies in the manufacturing industry signed a memorandum of understanding with housing developers where if they complete a project, they will rent out apartments.

Vega says more housing will not only help to bring new businesses in, but it can also improve the education system.

Latest Local News Headlines

WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.

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Montpelier, VT.  The City of Montpelier Department of Planning & Community Development wishes to warn the public about recent attempts to scam individuals by impersonating city staff.

Currently, an individual is impersonating staff via email, requesting that recipients pay outstanding bills to complete the permit process. These emails do not originate from the City of Montpelier, as staff members do not request payment via email and will not discourage the public from contacting their offices.

Contact your bank immediately if you have been impacted by these scams. Individuals can contact the Vermont Attorney Generals Office at 1-800-649-2424. The public can also visit their website for more resources.

Additionally, the City of Montpelier encourages residents to educate themselves about imposter scams. The public can learn how to spot and report scams on Vermonts educational scam prevention webpage.

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SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage)  During the City Council meeting on Aug. 19 an amendment to the city ordinance was approved, which will prohibit Camping on Municipal or Public Property.

Mike Burnett of the Concho Valley Community Action Agency discussed with KLST News about the impact of this change on the Concho Valley and State.



The City has decided to align with the state and federal laws passed on Sept. 1, 2021, by Gov. Greg Abbott, imposing a camping ban. The ban would have the greatest impact on the San Angelo homeless population. Previously, the law allowed camping in public spaces if there was not enough emergency shelter or affordable housing.



However, the Supreme Court ruled to remove this provision, leading the city to pass this ordinance to comply with Texas state and federal laws.

Burnett mentioned, What this means for our homeless population is that they can be arrested if they are found camping in public spaces. The discussion revolves around how to enforce this in a compassionate manner, which weve had with the council, police chief, and ongoing conversations.



The CVCAA conducted a point-and-time count in January, estimating approximately 175 homeless individuals in San Angelo, with 45 being chronic homeless and 12 being homeless veterans.



Burnett highlighted positive discussions with city leaders such as Police Chief Travis Griffith, with efforts to find long-term shelter for homeless individuals and enforce the new ordinances in the best possible way.



The CVCAA has been in contact with the homeless community to explain the upcoming changes in San Angelo, hoping that the changes will be implemented with compassion.

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TOPEKA (KSNT)  On Monday, the City of Topeka gave an update on the work being done to fill potholes around the Capital City.

The city said it has four pothole patching crews out daily. Last week city crews filled 285 potholes. So far this year, the city has filled 37,165 potholes.

Infrastructure Communications Specialist Amanda Knowland said the city currently has 30 pothole work orders. She said crews will potholes based on severity.

Per policy, the City has five business days to address the work, but our goal is to have them addressed within three, when possible, Knowland said.

Last year, the Capital City made a top 50 list from USA Today for cities dealing with the most pothole issues. The City of Topeka made an emergency declaration for the pothole issue in early 2024. Throughout the 11-day declaration, the city filled nearly 8,000 potholes, according to City spokeswoman Rosie Nichols.

Kansas water treatment plants find moderate levels of influenza

Potholes are reported via SeeClickFix, by staff who spot them while driving, and via phone calls made to the city, Knowland said in January 2024. Our patch crew responds to fill potholes as reported. In the spring, there are generally more potholes reported than our crews can keep up with. When that happens, repairs are prioritized based on location and size of the pothole.

Some issues residents can report to the SeeClickFix map include:

Potholes.

Street repairs.

Street sign repairs.

Traffic signal repairs.

Hydrant leaking.

Alley issues.

Curb and gutter repair.

Downtown parking.

General feedback.

Homeless camp issues.

Police animal control.

and more

You can do your part in helping keep the streets in good condition by making reports through the SeeClickFix app or by calling the City of Topeka at 785-368-3111. The SeeClickFix app is available for Android and iPhone users and lets you submit and track issues and access city information.

For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

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CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY)  Homelessness and substance abuse disorder is an issue that affects the Clarksburg community, and on Tuesday night, the city hosted a community conversation at the Robinson Grand Performing Arts Center with the hopes of coming up with a solution.

Host of the community conversation and Clarksburg City Councilman, Mark Jackson created an open dialogue for the event with the hopes that community members would come forward with solutions. City officials said that the conversation gives residents a chance to voice their thoughts while identifying a common goal and creating an action plan to make a difference.

This is a problem weve been dealing with for what I would say 20 or 30 years. You know, the addiction issue, the homeless issues, this isnt anything new, Jackson said. I would like people to keep in mind this is the first conversation of many. And this is not going to be like turning a jet ski on a lake, this is going to be more like turning an ocean liner, its going to take some time.

Earlier this year, West Virginia State Auditor JB McCuskey gave the city a check for more than $700,000 due to an opioid lawsuit settlement. That check was one of 13 checks the city will receive.

The city has already spent some of the funds to employ three city social workers who will work over the next three years and be managed by the United Way of Harrison and Doddridge Counties. Other funds have been distributed to the Clarksburg Mission, Clarksburg Community Action, as well as for cameras placed in the downtown area to assist the Clarksburg Police Department.

Battle of the Badges community blood drive held at WVU

We want to know what people think can work in their community. That gives us a gauge, you know, there is prevention science and theres things that we know that are best practice, but when we talk to community members and we understand their culture in the community, their battles, their hurdles, their assets then we have a better understanding of how to apply that prevention best practice in the community, West Virginia Prevention Solutions Executive Director Elizabeth Shahan said.

Discussions during the conversation included how to best use the funds. City officials have pinpointed five targeted areas to spread the opioid funding across and those are education, emergency services, prevention, intervention, and rehabilitation.

One important thing from the meeting is to find out with the panel to find out that there is actually a meeting where all the community resources can come together once a month and talk about the progress, talk about the problem, whats working, and whats not working. And that is at the FRN and its in Clarksburg, Healthcare Administration Chairman at All Saints Catholic Church Ellen Condron said.

Shahan also said that she works across all age ranges with prevention through her prevention resources work, and a lot of the focus is on youth in the community preventing youth from getting into situations of substance use disorders or finding themselves using substances as coping strategies for other stresses in their lives. Shahan also stated that one of the challenges that a number of youth face is homelessness and turning to substances to deal with the stress and anxiety to cope with the situations they are in.

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Clayton County officer arrested for stealing from railroad after being caught on camera

A Clayton County police officer was booked into the Clayton County Jail on theft charges.

The police department announced on Wednesday that Officer Jordan Sidney was arrested on Monday afternoon.

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Norfolk Southern Railway police began investigating a reported theft in June and alerted Clayton County police and the district attorneys office.

Investigators say Sidney was caught on camera stealing property from the railroad. Its unclear exactly what was taken.

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Sidney is being charged with theft and violation of oath of office.

He was released from the Clayton County Jail on Tuesday.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
PRAIRIE DU ROCHER, Ill.  There were passion and tears over a lack of upkeep at the historic St. Josephs Catholic Cemetery in Prairie du Rocher, Illinois, which is part of the Belleville diocese.

Things suddenly turned brighter just moments seemed to be at their darkest.

Prairie du Rocher is about 50 miles south of St. Louis. Its the kind of town where everyone seems to know everyone. These days, everyone seems to know there are problems at the cemetery and something needs to be done.

This is probably one of the older cemeteries, said Gil Atkinson, whose son, Corey, is buried at St. Josephs. Its over 300 years old.

Gil and his wife, Wanda, will be buried alongside their son. They and others with loved ones buried at St. Josephs say the grounds have been treated as something less than sacred over the past couple of years.

Infrequent mowing and trimming have been the biggest issues. In-ground markers are so overgrown in spots that theyre hard to read.

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People have started doing their own trimming and mowing, in violation of cemetery policy.

The grass was just so spidered over it, said Gina Brunkhorst, who weeded multiple graves of her loved ones this past Sunday.

You can see how much, she said, lifting and sifting a wad of grass and weeds. I spent two hours out here weed-eating around these. This is their finally resting place! Show how much we love them!

People say theyve been chastised, even threatened, for trying to improve the grave sites.

I feel like I dont want to be out here, Wanda Atkinson, standing at her sons grave, said.

He died in 2003 from complications from his battle with bone cancer, just shy of his 18th birthday. There happens to be a lawn mower featured on his headstone. Overgrown conditions are especially troubling to his family.

He wouldnt want it like that, Gil Atkinson said. He cut grass here in town. That lawn mower thats there (on his headstone), thats his lawn mower, that he would cut peoples grass here in town. Its just like were close to him (here). We come out here and talk to him. I do that a lot. I come out here and talk to him.

St. Josephs pastor, Father Sebastian Ukoh, made a surprise visit to people gathered at the cemetery, Tuesday. He told them he understood their feelings. He said the cemeterys caretaker had just quit a night earlier and so did the cemeterys mowing service, but he made temporary arrangements to have a small team of parishioners to mow and trim, in accordance with insurance requirements, while a long-term solution is worked out.

Within a couple of hours, mowing and trimming were underway, hard at work at St. Josephs Cemetery, befitting those laid to rest and those who will never stop loving them.

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(BCN)  A man with his face covered held up a Chase Bank on Tuesday afternoon in Cloverdale, police said. The bank robbery was reported at about 3:48 p.m. at the bank at 103 South Cloverdale Blvd., police said.

The man, dressed in baggy clothing, got away with an undisclosed amount of money, police said.

The man approached a teller and demanded money, implying he had a firearm, though no weapon was displayed, police said. The man got away with an undisclosed amount of cash and fled on foot.

Personal info accessed in Patelco Credit Union ransomware attack

Officers searched the area but werent able to locate the suspect, police said. Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact Officer Nunez at (707) 894-2150 or cnunez@ci.cloverdale.ca.us.

Copyright  2024 Bay City News, Inc.

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AP/Ng Han Guan

JD.com shares fell 8% on Wednesday after Walmart sold its stake in the Chinese e-commerce company.

Walmart sold 144.5 million shares for $3.6 billion, ending an eight-year partnership.

Walmart aims to focus on growing its China operations, including Walmart Supercenter and Sam's Club.

Shares of Chinese e-commerce retailer JD.com plunged as much as 8% on Wednesday after Walmart disclosed that it sold its stake in the company.

Walmart sold 144.5 million shares of JD.com for $24.95 per share, representing a total sale of about $3.6 billion, according to a filing made with the SEC and a report from Bloomberg.

The share sale price occurred at an 11% discount from JD.com's closing price on Tuesday. Shares of JD.com traded at around $26 on Wednesday, still about 4% above the price at which Walmart sold its stake.

The share sale by Walmart marks the end of an eight-year partnership between the two retailers, though the retail giant told the FT that it still plans to collaborate with JD.com.

Walmart first acquired a 5% stake in JD.com in 2016 when it was seeking to level up its retail business in China, and it eventually grew that stake to about 10%.

But the near-decade-long partnership has been plagued by a volatile economic environment in China amid an ongoing slowdown inboth their property market and overall consumption by consumers.

Muted returns for Chinese technology stocks over the past few years also haven't helped the situation.

The iShares MSCI China ETF is trading at the same level today as it was in 2016, when Walmart struck its deal with JD.com, while the KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF is down about 13% since 2016.

Walmart said in a statement that the sale would enable the company to "better focus on the country's strong development of China, including the operation of Walmart Supercenter and Sam's Club, and allocate assets to other priorities."

For its part, Walmart's Sam's Club business has seen growing success in China in recent years as Chinese consumers gravitate toward deals offered by wholesale club retailers.

Walmart opened its first Sam's Club store in China in 1996 and now operates 48 locations in the country.

Read the original article on Business Insider
CNNs Jake Tapper knocked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), the Democratic vice presidential nominee, for suggesting on the campaign trail that his family used in vitro fertilization (IVF) instead of another fertility treatment.

Tapper played a clip of Walz criticizing Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), his GOP counterpart, on MSNBC, where he said, Thank God for IVF, my wife and I have two beautiful children. Tapper then explained that the statement was inaccurate, noting Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz clarified that the couple used intrauterine insemination (IUI) when dealing with infertility.

Thats not accurate, right? I mean, it wasnt IVF. It was a different procedure, and his wife, Gwen Walz, the first lady of Minnesotas, taking care to tell CNN that they actually used the procedure called intrauterine insemination, Tapper said on CNNs The Lead.

The other panelists noted that IUI is part of a broader fertility process.

IUI is part of the suite of fertility treatments as a step below IVF. Its direct insemination versus creating embryos, former White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin said.

She also said one of the distinctions is that IUI is not under attack anywhere the way IVF is, but it a part of the suite of options.

CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers said his wife tried IUI twice when they were trying to have a child before trying IVF twice, but that as a man, I would probably mess that up. He did note that what Walz said was technically not accurate.

Vance jumped on Walzs claims of using IVF in a social media post.

Today it came out that Tim Walz had lied about having a family via IVF. Who lies about something like that? he wrote on the social platform X.

IVF includes inseminating an egg cell outside of the body before implanting the embryo in the uterus. IUI involves inseminating healthy sperm cells directly in the uterus, closer to the egg cells, to help boost chances of fertilization.

The Harris campaign has defended Walzs previous comments and has shot back at Vances attacks of him. IVF and reproductive rights are slated to be a major issue in the upcoming election as the Harris campaign has amplified its attacks on the GOPs stance on abortion and IVF.

The Trump campaigns attacks on Mrs. Walz are just another example of how cruel and out of touch Donald Trump and JD Vance are when it comes to womens healthcare, Mia Ehrenberg, a Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson, said in a statement.

Infertility is a deeply personal journey, but the Governor and Mrs. Walz came forward to share their story because they know that MAGA attacks on reproductive rights are putting all fertility treatments at risk, she added.

Michael Tyler, Harris communications director, also responded to the criticism during a press briefing on Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention.

I think hes being very clear so far that infertility is a deeply personal journey that both him and his wife have been courageous enough to share, he said. Frankly, I think its a little bizarre that JD Vance and Donald Trump want to attack the governor for experiencing something that other Americans have gone through themselves.

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Cold case: California officials seek help identifying man in his 70s months after his body was found

The Yolo County Sheriffs Office is still seeking the publics help to identify a man found dead earlier this year near railroad tracks in a West Sacramento neighborhood after their efforts to identify him have languished.

The man in his 70s was found April 16 near a grassy trail abutting Yolo and Mikon streets wearing a red, short-sleeved polo shirt and cutoff jeans. He only carried a receipt from a downtown Sacramento Taco Bell and wore a white metal bracelet around his left wrist, the Yolo County Sheriffs Office said.

Several agencies, including the Sacramento Police Departments homeless team, was unsuccessful in identifying the victim, said Lt. Don Harmon, a spokesman for the Yolo County Sheriffs Office.

Its unclear if the coroner has identified the cause of death.

The man is described as 5 feet and 108 pounds with brown eyes and short gray hair, deputies said.

Anyone with information about the man is asked to call the Sheriffs Office at 530-668-5280.
Colo. Man Accused of Killing Woman Asked Passerby to Help Her, Claimed He Found Her Struggling to Breathe

Brian Mervin allegedly assaulted the woman, then flagged someone down and told the person he found his 'wife' on the ground, according to a press release from police

Denver Police Dept. Brian Mervin

A Denver man who is suspected of killing a woman allegedly flagged someone down after assaulting her, asking the passerby to call 911.

Brian Mervin, 50, allegedly told the person that he found his "wife" on the ground on Monday, Aug. 19, Denver police said in a press release shared on social media. He claimed he discovered her struggling to breathe.

First responders arrived to find a woman, whom authorities have not yet identified, suffering from several injuries, which were not specified. It's unclear if the woman was actually Mervin's wife.

The woman was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital. Police said investigators observed that her injuries were consistent with an assault and began investigating her death as a domestic homicide.

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Mervin was arrested and is being held for investigation of one count of first-degree-murder, police said in the release.

It is not immediately clear if prosecutors have formally charged Mervin with murder. A spokesperson for the Denver District Attorneys Office tells PEOPLE the office has not yet received the case.

Mervin is being held in a downtown jail on $1 million bond. He is next due in court on Friday, Aug. 23.

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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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX)  In 1918, the dam in Orchard Mesa on the Gunnison River was built and almost 50 years later, thered be a passage built for fish to travel up.

Mike Gross, fish culturist and outreach coordinator of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife of Grand Junction, states, The fish passage is very important to help fish migrate upriver past Orchard Mesa on the Gunnison River. and so for decades before this fish passage was built, these native fish werent able to migrate.

Gross tells WesternSlopeNow that more than 178,000 native fish have been able to swim through the passage.

But some of those native fish are in the endangered species category due to other invasive fish species like the walleye and bass. When it comes to fishing, it is best to know when to catch and release.

Gross explains, If its a native fish or an endangered fish, release these fish in the in the best possible condition, in the fastest amount of time to help these species live a long term life.

Holly Jones, biological science technician for U.S. Fish and Wildlife, states, A lot of our native species cant quite defend themselves against predators.

Jones tells WesternSlopeNow these invasive species are making it harder for native fish to thrive, but theres an even bigger issue that creates a sinking feeling.

Jones states, Cans of trash that come through our fish ladders that you kind of just think, Wow, someone could have taken the extra time to maybe pick that up. Even if its not yours, pull it out of the river. Were doing that all day long on the river. I know were out there for fish, but there are many days that we come packed with 20 pounds of trash behind us.

As the fish endure challenges within their living spaces, WesternSlopeNow had the chance to see where the fish are bred and how they are given a chance to populate.

For these fish to survive, theyll need some community involvement.

One thing that people can easily do if youre out on the river, is just dont mess up the habitat and learn about it. Learn about all of the unique things that are happening right here locally in the river. This river is important for agriculture, Gross explained.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com.
Columbia has a $21M vision for riverfront construction. What is included in the plan?

On Savannah, Ga.s River Street, buskers play music while tourists peruse boutiques and gift shops. Boats pass by on their way down the Savannah River. On St. Patricks Day in Chicago, the city dyes its river green and thousands of people gather downtown to watch.

Columbia, too, has the luxury of a river running through it. But its well guarded by private land and overgrowth, so it gets missed by tourists and under-utilized by residents.

Richland County Councilman Paul Livingston joked at an event on Tuesday about how when he was growing up in Columbia, we had access to the river, through whatever pathway we could blaze, whatever train track we could cross.

But now, the city is embarking on a nearly $21 million project to finally carve out a piece of the Congaree riverfront for the public.

Livingstons comments were among those made by local bigwigs during a kickoff event that focused on how the riverfront effort will transform the way Columbia presents itself to the world and how residents regard their city.

This project would revitalize a very promising area of the downtown that has been waiting on the sidelines as other sections have seen upgrades and have seen growth, said University of South Carolina President Michael Amiridis.

The city of Columbia is spearheading the construction, but the work has also been part of the universitys master plan, as the university has looked to expand its campus west.

Plans for new network of roadways

To create this new river access, the city plans to build several new streets between Huger Street and the Congaree River, starting by connecting the existing Williams Street that currently ends at Blossom Street from the south and at Senate Street from the north.

A $20,600 million construction project is kicking off in Columbia to construct a new road closer to the Congaree River, connecting Williams Street between Senate and Blossom streets.

The 4,700 feet of new road will include bike lanes, bike share stations, electric car charging stations and sidewalks. Future stages of the plan involve connecting Devine and Senate streets and adding other connector streets to Williams Street. New right-turn lanes on Huger Street and the re-timing of traffic signals have also been factored into the plan.

A new network of roadways means more space for development. Councilman Will Brennan previously told The State hed like to see a hotel or apartments on the new Williams Street. The land is in a flood plain, so there are limits to what can be built and where, but some of the to-be-cleared land will be planned for commerce.

The city hopes to carve out public river access to the Congaree River downtown by creating a new network of streets on undeveloped riverfront land.

The road project is estimated to cost $20,600 million. Columbia has received $16 million from South Carolina budget earmarks over the last two budget cycles. The other $4.6 million will come from the Richland County transportation penny tax.

The Guignard family, which owns a large portion of the land along the river, has also agreed to donate the land needed for the project.

Connecting a vast trail system

When the new road network is finished, there are also hopes to construct a riverfront park. Theres no estimate for how much that park would cost.

George Bailey, president of the Darnall W. and Susan F. Boyd Foundation, told The State that the foundation is ready to commit a significant chunk of money for that project.

While the new roadways will allow for new buildings, the connection between Blossom and Gervais streets will also help connect the vast trail system leaders hope to expand across the Midlands.

This is going to be a key piece to 27 miles of trail, said Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann. When this is all done ... there is nowhere in the southeast thats going to have that.

Extensions to the Saluda Riverwalk are already underway, and construction could begin before the end of 2024 on a bridge across the Broad River to connect the Columbia Riverfront Park at the canal to the Saluda Riverwalk across the water.

Ultimately, the goal is to have a river trail system that connects from Granby Park all the way to the Lake Murray Dam, an effort involving local governments and nonprofits across the Midlands.
A driver with the House of LaRose unloads cases of beer in Springfield Township.

Columbus & Delmar Distributing Co. is acquiring Northeast Ohio-based beer and beverage distributor The House of LaRose.

Terms of the deal, which is subject to supplier approvals, were not disclosed.

House of LaRose is headquartered in Brecksville and serves large portions of Northeast Ohio. Columbus & Delmar Distributing is headquartered in Waldo, north of Columbus, and operates in Central Ohio. Both businesses will continue to use their existing company names in the near future, according to a news release from House of LaRose.

The two organizations have worked together for decades, and the acquisition will help House of LaRose better compete in the beverage market, according to the release.

The deal will result in "expanded customer relationships in Ohio's two largest markets, additional product offerings, enhanced purchasing power and the sharing of best management, sales, and operations practices," according to the release.

"The time was right for the LaRose family to move on to the next chapter in our lives," James LaRose, House of LaRose president and chief operating officer, said in a prepared statement. "We are quite pleased the company has great growth potential and will be owned and operated by an Ohio-based family with multiple generations running the business. The LaRose family will continue to lend support to our community, the new organization and to the Jenkins family.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is James LaRose's nephew.

Columbus & Delmar Distributing President Erik Jenkins said in a prepared statement that the business and its owners, the Jenkins family, are "extremely humbled and excited" to continue the LaRose family's legacy with the business.

Thomas P. LaRose founded House of LaRose in 1936, three years after the founding of Columbus & Delmar Distributing.

"As one of the pioneers in our industry, the LaRose family has led the way in defining what it means to run a beer and beverage distribution business that is focused on building brands, building Ohios communities, supporting their employees, and bringing people together for the betterment of all," Jenkins said.

House of LaRose's employees will join Columbus & Delmar Distributing's workforce, Jenkins said.

"We are extraordinarily grateful for the more than 85 years of support from our community, our suppliers, our valued customers and especially our team of loyal employees at every level," LaRose said. "We look forward to the continued success of the combined companies.

The deal is the latest shakeup in Ohio's beer and beverage distribution industry.

Last week, Anheuser-Busch notified the state that it will close its wholesale operation southeast of Canton and lay off 63 employees in October. Sales representatives, warehouse personnel and drivers are among the job titles that will be eliminated.

Anheuser-Busch also announced that The Columbus Distributing Co. would take over its Canton distribution operations. Details of the agreement were not disclosed.

Canton Repository reporter Kelly Byer contributed to this report. Patrick Williams covers growth and development for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at pwilliams@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @pwilliamsOH.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is James LaRose's brother. Frank LaRose is James LaRose's nephew.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: The House of LaRose to be acquired by Columbus-area distributor
Column: Barack and Michelle Obama are done turning the other cheek  and Democrats couldn't be happier

Barack and Michelle Obama held nothing back as they assailed Donald Trump and endorsed Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Barack and Michelle Obama resurfaced, with a vengeance.

Doug Emhoff, the nation's second gentleman, turned on the goofy charm.

A number of rhetorical torches were passed.

With Joe Biden thanked and sent packing, the second night of the Democratic National Convention swung its full attention to Kamala Harris, with a symbolic roll-call vote and fusillade of attacks on Donald Trump.

Leading the assault were the former president and his wife, who seemed to release years of pent-up passion in a single volcanic speech.

Columnists Mark Z. Barabak and Anita Chabria, wearing flammable suits, took it all in and had these observations from Chicago.

Barabak: Eight years ago, when Democrats gathered to nominate Hillary Clinton, then-First Lady Michelle Obama famously urged them to rise above the ugliness of the race against the vitriolic Trump.

Forget all that. There was not a speck of "they-go-low-we-go-high" restraint when Obama took the stage Tuesday night in her hometown.

"For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to make people fear us," she said of herself and her husband. "His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black."

She spoke with the force of a spring uncoiled and the determination of a balled-up fist.

Read more: Obama passes the mantle of hope in fierce, fervent endorsement of Harris

"Who's going to tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those 'Black jobs?'" Obama said, using Trump's clueless locution. "It's his same old con: doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people's lives better."

The roar inside the convention hall would have blown the roof off had it not been so firmly fastened.

Chabria: What we saw with Michelle and Barack's speeches was the difference between 2020 and 2024  not so much an evolution of the Obamas but an evolution of America.

As Barack Obama pointed out, it has been 16 years since he stood in front of the Democratic National Convention to accept the nomination.

In many ways that are ugly and retrograde, the rise of the MAGA wing of the Republican Party was a response to his presidency, the bubbling up of a semi-latent but potent racism that lurked just beneath our surface and which ultimately was ignited at the thought of Black and brown Americans gaining political equality.

Read more: Photos: DNC underway in Chicago with an energized Harris-Walz ticket

That shocked some of us, and was old news to many others. But it's worth noting that even as recently as a few months ago, there was backroom chatter that a Black/Asian American woman had no chance of being elected president.

But here we are, deep inside the moment that is the ultimate reckoning for the rise of MAGA. I've said it before: This election is as much about our ideals and values as it is the candidates.

As Barack Obama said, "Donald Trump wants us to think that this country is hopelessly divided between us and them; between the real Americans who support him and the outsiders who dont. And he wants you to think that youll be richer and safer if you just give him the power to put those 'other' people back in their place."

Harris' campaign slogan  "We are not going back"  is directly addressing that.

Your thoughts?

Barabak: When his turn came, the former president was more emotionally restrained, in keeping with his character, but no less fierce.

He mocked Trump as "a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago."

He depicted Trump as a has-been, his shtick grown old, and the annoying neighbor who constantly keeps his leaf blower running. (Though, in Trump's case, it's his mouth.)

"From a neighbor, that's exhausting," Obama said. "From a president, it's just dangerous."

Michelle Obama confronted Trump with molten anger. The former president filleted him with cool disdain.

He even made a Freudian reference to Trump's "weird obsession with crowd sizes," holding his hands just a few inches apart and leaving the audience to infer the rest.

Read more: Column: What Trump's crowd obsession says about him  and the race for the White House

Chabria: I'm not sure how much was left to infer. That off-color joke to me was in tune with the Harris campaign, putting joy and laughter into something serious.

As much as the Obamas brought the fire, they also brought hope. Michelle Obama said Harris was "a tribute to her mother, to my mother, and to your mother too."

Michelle, in particular, focused a lot of her time on reminding us that the Trumps of the world are the exception, not the rule, and that most of us "dont get to change the rules so we always win."

She also cautioned against railing against good because it's not perfect  something Democrats have long been prone to  and to avoid a "Goldilocks complex about whether everything is just right."

You saw that same duality in Barack Obama's speech.

Barabak: It was almost as though the former president delivered two speeches.

There was the part where he excoriated Trump. Then there were long sections that recalled that transcendent speech at the 2004 Democratic convention, which launched his meteoric rise as he appealed to voters' better nature.

Our politics have grown so rancorous and corrosive, Obama said, with each side trying to outshout the other, that many Americans have tuned out, leaving the extremes to drive a deeper wedge through the country.

Obama called for more kindness and grace, saying "as much as any policy or program" what many yearn for is a country where people and politicians "work together and help each other."

It was, to use an old Obama word, audacious to follow his scathing attacks on Trump with such a plea. But, the former president suggested, that turn away from the politics of anger, division and hate is what the choice in November is all about.

And then there was the second gentleman, as he is formally known, Doug Emhoff.

Read more: In DNC speech, Doug Emhoff reveals the softer side of Kamala Harris

Chabria: Emhoff is a weapon of cuteness and light, like a "My Little Pony" proving friendship is magic. Don't underestimate this guy as goofy. He knows exactly what he's doing.

He's been charged with making Harris likable and understandable, and he delivered last night with a speech that went all the way through from their first blind date to Harris' dedication and love as a stepmom.

"Her empathy is her strength," he told the crowd.

Doug makes me understand Harris' choice of Tim Walz as her running mate. Both share a complete comfort with powerful women, and both are comfortable in their own skin.

Emhoff is the molecular opposite of JD Vance, the GOP vice presidential nominee. I fear if you ever put them in the same room it would be like a particle and its antiparticle colliding.

Barabak: There was something endearing about Emhoff's breezy delivery and the way he seemed to treat his big speech almost as a lark. He was earnest and relatable in a way few political figures are.

"You know that laugh," he said of his wife's great, gusting guffaw, which critics have sought to weaponize. He seemed genuinely puzzled. "I love that laugh!"

Emhoff may be in an unconventional role, as the nation's first second gentleman. But he performed Tuesday night's assigned task  humanizing his more famous and powerful spouse  like an old pro.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Column: Warren Hern is one of the country's few late-term abortion doctors. This is what drives him

Warren Hern is every bit as intense as you would expect of someone who has been threatened with death for most of his career.

One of the few American physicians who performs late-term abortions, the 86-year-old has perhaps more than any other doctor been on the front lines of the war over reproductive rights.

He has been shot at, spat at, cursed and harassed. He has been protected by federal and local law enforcement. He will not sit with his back to the door of a restaurant.

Read more: Column: The once-secretive right-wing ideology emerging as an overt threat to American democracy

Hern has lived in perpetual fear of assassination by political terrorists. That is what happened to his dear friend, the late-term abortion specialist George Tiller, who was murdered in his Wichita, Kan., church by a Christian extremist in 2009. I bumped into Hern at the Denver airport when we were both en route to Tillers funeral. I didnt realize he was traveling with a protective detail until I saw two men in suits tense up as I approached him to say hello.

George was a wonderful guy, a normal person  as distinguished from me  kind and forgiving and a Christian and all that stuff, he told me Monday from Boulder, Colo., his dry sense of humor evident. His voice softened: We were great friends, and I miss him.

It is no wonder that Hern wears his contempt for abortion foes on his sleeve.

Read more: Abcarian: The role of the post-menopausal female in society? JD Vance has some thoughts

The criminalization of abortion under Republicans and Trump is a catastrophe for women, he said. It has become a collective psychosis. Why should a doctor who helps women have to work in secret behind bulletproof windows?

Hern, a prolific writer, has a forthcoming memoir, Abortion in the Age of Unreason. It is a detailed chronicle of his life and times, an insiders account of internecine struggles in the abortion rights movement, and a 350-page declaration of his enduring commitment to critically needed healthcare despite the danger he faces daily.

At the beginning of his career, Hern had no intention of becoming a famous abortion provider. He aspired to be an epidemiologist in academia and public health before he came to his calling.

As a young man, the Denver native lived for six months with the Shipibo-Conibo people of the Peruvian Amazon and worked as a Peace Corps doctor in Brazil. He was inspired to specialize in abortion care after witnessing Latin American hospital wards filled with women suffering the consequences of unsafe abortions.

Later, he was recruited by the federal Office of Economic Opportunity  an outgrowth of President Lyndon B. Johnsons War on Poverty  to open family planning clinics around the country, which gave him his first exposure to the vitriolic politics around reproductive rights.

In January 1975, two years after Roe vs. Wade, Hern opened his own abortion clinic in Boulder. Two weeks later, at home in the middle of the night, he received his first death threat.

I had so many death threats, I thought about setting up a death threat hotline, Hern writes. You want to threaten Dr. Herns life? Easy. Give the operator your name, address, phone number and credit card number for quick relief. Only $5 a minute, talk as long as you like!

Almost all his procedures are in the late stages of pregnancy, usually because the fetus has a catastrophic medical condition or the pregnancy endangers the woman's health. Late-term abortion is difficult for all involved  patients, families, doctors, nurses and the rest of the clinic staff. Hern does not shy away from the hard stuff.

Our whole entire evolutionary experience is to take care of small helpless creatures, including human babies, he said. Thats the core biocultural problem with this.

Recently, he told me, a younger doctor he is training felt he had to leave the operating room during a procedure for a woman who was 34 weeks pregnant. This was rather disconcerting to her, he said, and I told her there was nothing wrong with feeling that way.

There have been times when he had to gather himself privately after a procedure.

For decades, Hern has advanced the iconoclastic position that pregnancy is not different from disease. In almost all cases, childbirth is far more dangerous than abortion.

Pregnancy is not a benign condition, he writes. It can kill you. He cites the 17th century French physician Francois Mauriceau's description of pregnancy as a disease of nine months.

The treatment of choice for pregnancy is abortion unless the woman wants to carry the pregnancy to term and have a baby," he concludes. "That is a view that is abhorrent to those who believe that the purpose of women, aside from giving men pleasure and doing the housework, is to have as many babies as possible.

In this post-Roe moment, abortion rights are expected to play an important role in the November election, which pits the adamantly pro-choice Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Trump, whose ultraconservative Supreme Court has wreaked havoc on the lives of American women.

On Monday, three women took the stage at the Democratic National Convention to describe the horrific effects of the abortion bans enacted by more than a dozen states after the court overturned Roe in 2022.

I was lucky. I lived, said Amanda Zurawski, whose doctors in Texas waited until she was at deaths door and miscarrying at 18 weeks before they would perform an abortion.

I was in pain, bleeding so much my husband feared for my life, said Kaitlyn Joshua, who was refused abortion care in Louisiana when she miscarried at 11 weeks.

Twenty-two-year-old Hadley Duvall, impregnated at 12 by her stepfather, quoted Trumps boast that state abortion bans are a beautiful thing.

What is so beautiful, she asked, about a child having to carry her parents child?

Given his half a century of work in the face of derision and danger, I asked Dr. Hern if he still found joy in his work.

I love it, he said.

Hern remembers one early patient who had obtained an illegal abortion, a frightening, humiliating experience.

Please dont ever stop doing this, she told him.

"So," he writes, "I didn't."

@robinkabcarian

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Last month at the Republican National Convention, former President Donald Trump revived the long-standing myth that immigrants are taking American jobs, claiming that of jobs created under President Joe Biden, 107% of those jobs are taken by illegal aliens.

This statement is false, as U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that both U.S.-born and foreign-born workers have experienced job gains during Bidens term.

In June, during an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, he aimed to pit Black Americans against immigrants, asserting that Black people are going to be decimated by the millions of people that are coming into the country and that the Black population in this country is going to die because of whats happened, whats going to happen to their jobs  their jobs, their housing, everything.

At an event hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists last month, Trump warned that coming from the border are millions and millions of people that happen to be taking Black jobs  Theyre taking the employment away from Black people.

There is no evidence to support such hyperbolic claims; rather, it appears to be an attempt to divide Black voters by contrasting their interests with those of immigrants. This rhetoric is not only false and misleading but also harmful to the well-being of immigrant communities, including in Baltimore, which, with a nearly 62% Black and 8% foreign-born population, has long been home to thriving Black and immigrant businesses.

Data from various government sources and academic studies consistently shows that immigrants are not taking jobs from U.S.-born Americans, including Black Americans.

In fact, the opposite is true. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the unemployment rate for U.S.-born citizens remains at a nearly all-time low. In May 2024, the rate was 3.8%, lower than the countrys overall unemployment rate of 4%. The labor-force participation rate of Black Americans has improved under Biden, with a peak of 64% of the U.S. Black population in the workforce compared with 63.2% under Trump. This disproves the claim that migrants are taking jobs away from Black Americans.

So, what role do immigrants play in the economy and workforce?

Studies show that immigrants complement the labor market by filling positions in industries with labor shortages and undertaking jobs others may be less willing to do.

Historically, when the U.S. labor market has had needs that American workers could not or would not fill, immigrants have moved in to fill those jobs. For example, during and after World War II, Mexican immigrants were instrumental in alleviating labor shortages. The Bracero Program, a labor agreement between Mexico and the United States established in 1942, was designed to address acute labor shortages in various industries, particularly agriculture and railroads, as many American workers went off to war. Further back, in the 1860s, Chinese immigrants built the transcontinental railroad in the western United States.

Generally, the entry of immigrants into the U.S. workforce benefits the economy and raises the GDP. The Bush Institute found that this immigration surplus contributes an additional $36 to $73 billion to the American economy each year. Undocumented immigrants contributed$96.7 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2022.

In Maryland, immigrants account for 19% of the states economic output, contributing approximately $83 billion to the states $438 billion economy and having $27.6 billion in spending power after taxes in 2018.

Negative and false rhetoric can lead to harmful resentment toward migrants. Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, harmful rhetoric by far-right groups soon surfaced on social media. Many of the posts attacked DEI, a movement among public and private sector institutions to increase diversity, equity and inclusion, questioning whether the accident was the fault of a DEI hire.

By overlooking the six immigrant victims who lost their lives that day, the far-right groups failed to account for the important role of immigrant labor in the economic well-being of Maryland and the DMV in general. Immigrants are among the most vulnerable and least-protected workers in the United States. According to George Mason Universitys Institute for Immigration Research, immigrants make up 39% of the construction industry workforce in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore metropolitan areas.

Rather than allowing discrimination to divide us, we should remind ourselves that, as Maryland Delegate Joseline A. Pena-Melnyk said after the Key Bridges collapse, immigrants represent what makes our country great. They contribute to the very fabric of what it means to be a Marylander. As the election season progresses, it is important to remember that instead of pitting marginalized communities against each other, we should work toward a future where all marginalized people are empowered, supported and have equal opportunities to thrive.

_____

Karla Madera Tejada (karlamadera15@gwmail.gwu.edu) is a recent graduate from George Washington University with a degree in political science and criminal justice. She serves at the George Washington University Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute and the Im/migrant Well-Being Scholar Collaborative.

_____
Greek oil tanker drifting and ablaze after repeated attacks in the Red Sea, British military says

This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa. (AP Photo)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  A Greek-flagged oil tanker traveling through the Red Sea came under repeated attack Wednesday, leaving the vessel not under command and drifting ablaze after an assault suspected to have been carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels, the British military said.

The attack, the most serious in the Red Sea in weeks, comes during a monthslong campaign by Houthis targeting ships over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that has disrupted a trade route through which $1 trillion in cargo typically passes each year.

In the attack, men on small boats first opened fire with small arms about 140 kilometers (90 miles) west of the rebel-held Yemeni port city of Hodeida, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.

Four projectiles also hit the ship, it added. It wasn't immediately clear if that meant drones or missiles.

The vessel reports being not under command, the UKMTO said, likely meaning it lost all power. No casualties reported.

Later, the UKMTO warned that the ship was drifting while on fire in the Red Sea.

The Greek shipping ministry later identified the vessel as the tanker Sounion, with 25 crew members on board at the time of the attack as it traveled from Iraq to Cyprus.

Later Wednesday, the UKMTO reported a second ship being targeted in the Gulf of Aden by three explosions that occurred in the water close to it, though they caused no damage. That ship, the Wind I, came under attack again Thursday with two more explosions striking in the water, the UKMTO said.

The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attacks, though it can take them hours or even days before they acknowledge their assaults. However, they did acknowledge U.S. airstrikes in Hodeida, something the American military's Central Command said destroyed a Houthi surface-to-air missile and radar system.

The Houthis have targeted more than 80 vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that also killed four sailors.

Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the United States or the UK to force an end to Israels war against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

The Houthis have also launched drones and missiles toward Israel, including an attack on July 19 that killed one person and wounded 10 others in Tel Aviv. Israel responded the next day with airstrikes on Hodeida that hit fuel depots and electrical stations, killing and wounding a number of people, the rebels say.

After the strikes, the Houthis paused their attacks until Aug. 3, when they hit a Liberian-flagged container ship traveling through the Gulf of Aden. A Liberian-flagged oil tanker came under a particularly intense series of attacks beginning Aug. 8, likely carried out by the rebels. A similar attack happened Aug. 13 as well.

The last three recent attacks, including Wednesday's, targeted vessels associated with Delta Tankers, a Greek company.

As Iran threatens to retaliate against Israel over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, the U.S. military told the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area. Early Thursday, the U.S. military's Central Command said the Lincoln had reached the Mideast's waters, without elaborating.

America also has ordered the USS Georgia-guided missile submarine into the Mideast, while the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group was in the Gulf of Oman.

Additional F-22 fighter jets have flown into the region and the USS Wasp, a large amphibious assault ship carrying F-35 fighter jets, is in the Mediterranean Sea.
We recently published a list of Jim Cramers Latest Portfolio: 10 Stocks to Buy and Sell. Since ONEOK Inc (NYSE:OKE) 9th on the list, it deserves a deeper look.

Jim Cramer in a new program discussed the latest major market selloff again, saying the notion the broader meltdown was because of hard landing fears is totally false. Cramer said that it was all related to the Japanese stock market and Yen, and nothing more.

A bunch of money managers took advantage of how you can borrow against Japanese bonds which had a very low interest rate and then have relatively free money which you can put to work in stocks all around the globe, including here (the US), Cramer said.

Jim Cramer said that small-cap stocks are trying to come back. However, he pointed to an issue with the small-cap rally. He said that no one actually bought individual small-cap stocks and instead loaded up on ETFs. Investors, according to Cramer, walked away when the broader market wavered.

For this article we watched the latest programs on Cramer recently aired on CNBC and picked 10 stocks hes talking about. With each company we have mentioned the number of hedge fund investors. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletters strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

ONEOK Inc (NYSE:OKE)

Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 31

Jim Cramer hit the buy, buy, buy button on OKE when he was asked about the stock in a latest program. He said the company is terrific and sensational. Cramer also likes the stocks 4.7% dividend yield.

ONEOK Inc (NYSE:OKE) is one of the biggest midstream companies in the US, managing a vast 50,000-mile network of pipelines that transport natural gas liquids (NGLs), natural gas, refined products, and crude oil. The company has strategic access to approximately half of Americas refineries, underscoring its significant industry footprint.

ONEOK Inc (NYSE:OKE) recently posted strong Q2 results. Here is what the company said about guidance during the latest earnings call:

We affirmed our 2024 financial guidance after increasing it with our first quarter earnings announcement. That increased guidance range included an expected adjusted EBITDA midpoint of $6.175 billion, with the high end at $6.325 billion. We continue to expect to meet or exceed our midpoint of $175 million in cost and commercial synergies in 2024 and expect additional annual synergies to meet or exceed $125 million in 2025. As of June 30, we had no borrowings outstanding under our $2.5 billion credit agreement. During the quarter, we extended the maturity of our revolving credit facility to June of 2028. In addition, our run rate net debt-to-EBITDA ratio was 3.36x at the end of the second quarter, in line with our long-term leverage target of 3.5x.

Story continues

The management also briefly talked about data center projects:

We had 15 projects, potential projects across our footprint. Of those, there were 3 that specifically stated AI. Since then, weve  our number is up about to 17 on the potential power plants, and of which 5 are AI demand specifically. Approximately across our footprint, these 5 are right in the neighborhood of a Bcf per day. So again, early stages, but more to come.

ONEOK Inc (NYSE:OKE) is actively working on growth projects, including the reactivation of 3 Bcf of storage in Texas and enhancing injection capabilities in Oklahoma. These projects are on track, with the Texas storage expected to be fully operational by Q3 this year and the Oklahoma expansion by Q2 next year.

It aims for a 75-85% payout of operating cash flow after capital expenditures, with a target of 3-4% annual dividend growth. ONEOK Inc (NYSE:OKE) currently offers a dividend yield of 4.7%, with a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.7% and a payout ratio of 90%. Notably, ONEOK Inc (NYSE:OKE) maintained its dividend even during the 2015 oil price crash.

Overall, ONEOK Inc (NYSE:OKE) ranks 9th on Insider Monkeys list titled Jim Cramers Latest Portfolio: 10 Stocks to Buy and Sell. While we acknowledge the potential of ONEOK Inc (NYSE:OKE), 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 more promising than OKE but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: Analyst Sees a New $25 Billion Opportunity for NVIDIA and Jim Cramer is Recommending These Stocks.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
The Democratic National Convention continued Tuesday night (Aug. 20) at Chicagos United Center, and more music stars took the stage to celebrate Vice President Kamala Harris presidential nomination.

Patti LaBelle stepped onstage to deliver her 1978 hit You Are My Friend for the nights in memoriam segment, singing the lyrics, Your love has made me realize/ My future looks bright to me/ Oh, because you are my friend. The icon previously performed Sam Cookes classic A Change is Gonna Come at the 2004 DNC. Most recently, she performed on the White House South Lawn for President Bidens Juneteenth concert.

More from Billboard

Patti LaBelle performs during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.

Common also took the stage at the DNC to perform his recently released Pete Rock collaboration Fortunate, switching up the lyrics at one point to tell the crowd: Be fortunate, yall, for Kamala Harris. Common is also no stranger to a DNC performance, as he appeared virtually during the 2020 ceremony due to the global pandemic to join John Legend for a rendition of their best original song Oscar winner Glory from 2014s Selma.

The DNCs second night featured the theme A Bold Vision for Americas Future, and will include remarks from former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama; Harris husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff; Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders; and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. Commentator Ana Navarro is hosting the evening.

Harris took over the nomination from President Biden, who spoke on the opening night of the DNC. Since then, surveys have shown that while Republican nominee Donald Trump was previously winning in several key battleground states, the polls are now shifting slightly in Harris favor, per New York Times/Siena College.

Watch LaBelles and Commons performances below:

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On Tuesday night (Aug. 20), the second portion of the 2024 Democratic National Convention brought Patti LaBelle and Common to the stage, offering their musical talents in support of Vice President Kamala Harris presidential campaign. According to The Hollywood Reporter, their performances follow opening night showcases from Jason Isbell and Mickey Guyton.

During the program, Common delivered his Pete Rock collaboration Fortunate, giving the lyrics a live update that were more fitting for the occasion. The 52-year-old was also joined on stage by Jonathan McReynolds.

I thank God for this moment in time where Kamala Harris will change the world for the better with love, hope, and grace, rapped the Chicago native.

Pattie LaBelle used her powerhouse vocals to pay homage, performing during the nights In Memoriam segment. The Philadelphia icon sang You Are My Friend for the emotional moment.

Those named in the tribute include actors Chadwick Boseman and Sidney Potier, bell hooks, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, actress Cicely Tyson, James Bilbray, Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, Colin Powell, activists Randall Robinson and Jesse Tafalla Jr., Sen. Dianne Feinstein, First Lady Rosalynn Carter, and more.

In the past, LaBelle performed Sam Cookes A Change is Gonna Come at the 2004 DNC in Boston, the night former President Barack Obama became a national political star.

Night two of the 2024 DNC also featured remarks from both Barack and Michelle Obama, VP Harris husband Douglas Emhoff, and a surprise appearance from Lil Jon during the roll call. According to a press release, the first night of the convention averaged 20 million viewers across 13 networks, and across DNC/Harris-Walz online streaming platforms, over 7 million people tuned in.

Tens of millions of voters across America are tuning in, and here is what theyre watching: a united Democratic party with a vision for an America where we build up the middle class, we protect our democracy, and we create a future of opportunity and more freedom, not less, explained DNCC Senior Director of Communications Matt Hill.

The 2024 DNC continues through Thursday. Main programming for Wednesday nights programming begins at 5:30 p.m. CT. Watch the live stream here.

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A community is mourning the unexpected death of a sheriffs deputy.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Joel Markowski died on Thursday, at the age of 54 in Butler County, according to his online obituary.

He served in the U.S. Army.

Markowski also worked for the Sugarcreek Township Police Department and was a school resource officer at Bellbrook, Edgewood, and New Miami schools.

Joel will be known for his smile, being unapologetically kind, never knowing a stranger, and above all, his love for his wife and children, his obituary said.

Visitation is today at the Hamilton Christian Center from 5-7 p.m. and a funeral service will follow at 7 p.m.

His wife and children survive him.

Brown-Dawson-Flick Funeral Homes are handling the arrangements.

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FILE - Steve Kramer is seated Wednesday, June 5, 2024, at Superior Court, in Laconia, N.H., during his arraignment in connection with charges of voter suppression and impersonating a candidate. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, Pool)

MEREDITH, N.H. (AP)  A company that sent deceptive calls to New Hampshire voters using artificial intelligence to mimic President Joe Bidens voice agreed Wednesday to pay a $1 million fine, federal regulators said.

Lingo Telecom, the voice service provider that transmitted the robocalls, agreed to the settlement to resolve enforcement action taken by the Federal Communications Commission, which had initially sought a $2 million fine.

The case is seen by many as an unsettling early example of how AI might be used to influence groups of voters and democracy as a whole.

Meanwhile Steve Kramer, a political consultant who orchestrated the calls, still faces a proposed $6 million FCC fine as well as state criminal charges.

The phone messages were sent to thousands of New Hampshire voters on Jan. 21. They featured a voice similar to Bidens falsely suggesting that voting in the states presidential primary would preclude them from casting ballots in the November general election.

Kramer, who paid a magician and self-described digital nomad to create the recording, told The Associated Press earlier this year that he wasn't trying to influence the outcome of the primary, but he rather wanted to highlight the potential dangers of AI and spur lawmakers into action.

If found guilty, Kramer could face a prison sentence of up to seven years on a charge of voter suppression and a sentence of up to one year on a charge of impersonating a candidate.

The FCC said that as well as agreeing to the civil fine, Lingo Telecom had agreed to strict caller ID authentication rules and requirements and to more thoroughly verify the accuracy of the information provided by its customers and upstream providers.

Every one of us deserves to know that the voice on the line is exactly who they claim to be, FCC chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. If AI is being used, that should be made clear to any consumer, citizen, and voter who encounters it. The FCC will act when trust in our communications networks is on the line.

Lingo Telecom did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company had earlier said it strongly disagreed with the FCCs action, calling it an attempt to impose new rules retroactively.

Nonprofit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen commended the FCC on its action. Co-president Robert Weissman said Rosenworcel got it exactly right by saying consumers have a right to know when they are receiving authentic content and when they are receiving AI-generated deepfakes. Weissman said the case illustrates how such deepfakes pose an existential threat to our democracy.

FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan Egal said the combination of caller ID spoofing and generative AI voice-cloning technology posed a significant threat whether at the hands of domestic operatives seeking political advantage or sophisticated foreign adversaries conducting malign influence or election interference activities."
Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., the veteran Democrat who represented the Paterson area in Congress for nearly three decades, died Wednesday, his family confirmed. He was 87 years old.

A Paterson resident and its former mayor, Pascrell was first elected to Congress in 1996 and had served on the House Ways and Means Committee since 2007.

Feisty and outspoken, Pascrell embraced his image as a street-savvy Jersey tough guy who never walked away from a political fight. Pascrell, the son of a railroad traffic manager, prided himself on his many friendships with cops and firefighters.

The congressman was widely known for being an advocate for first responders, especially firefighters. He worked to bring grants back to his district and spearheaded the Firefighter Investment and Response Enhancement Act of 2000 to establish the only federal program that delivers grant dollars directly to fire departments across America.

Pascrell had recently had a 24-day hospitalization during which he needed what his staff said was breathing assistance. He was released, but then on Aug. 11 suffered a medical setback and was taken from a rehabilitation facility in Essex County to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston.

Pascrell was instrumental in getting his childhood playground, the Great Falls, recognized as the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park during the administration of former President Barack Obama. He also served as co-chair of the Italian-American Congressional Delegation.

Story continues below photo gallery.

Pascrell's family posted Wednesday on the congressman's account on X, formerly called Twitter.

"It is with deep sadness that we announce that Bill Pascrell Jr., our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away this morning," the family wrote. "As our United States Representative, Bill fought to his last breath to return to the job he cherished and to the people he loved.

"Bill lived his entire life in Paterson and had an unwavering love for the city he grew up in and served," the family said. "He is now at peace after a lifetime devoted to our great nation America."

Pascrell's tough battle for election in 2012

Pascrell had a streak of 14 congressional election victories at the time he died, perhaps none of them quite as impressive as his win in 2012, when redistricting set up a primary battle between him and fellow Democratic incumbent Steve Rothman. Boosted by a strong turnout in Paterson, Pascrell emerged the winner over Rothman with about 61% of the vote.

Pascrell faced a primary challenge this past June, but he easily fended off Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah by winning 76% of the vote. Much of Khairullahs support came from the North Jersey Islamic community, which had been critical of Pascrells response to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Paterson Mayor William J. Pascrell Jr. talks about his election to Congress during an interview in his office in Paterson, N.J., on November 6, 1996.

The congressman was going to face Republican Billy Prempeh of Paterson  whom he had beaten twice before  in the November general election.

Before making his way to Washington, Pascrell served in the state Assembly and then as the mayor of Paterson. He also served in the U.S. Army and the Army Reserve, receiving an honorable discharge in 1967.

Pascrell's early life in Paterson

Pascrell attended St. Georges Elementary School in Paterson and St. John the Baptist High School, where was chairman of the student council's advertising committee and, for a time, its president. Out of the classroom, he was an all-league third baseman for St. John's in his senior year, but Pascrell played a variety of positions including pitcher, catcher and outfielder.

Junteenth is observed at Calvary Baptist Church in Paterson on Friday June 18, 2021. Congressman Bill Pascrell speaks inside the church.

A lifelong fan of the game, Pascrell was a mainstay at the Annual Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game as the Democrats' first base coach. He played in local semi-pro exhibitions after finishing high school in 1955, including a game in July 1958 in which he shattered his glasses while attempting a bunt, the Paterson Morning Call reported.

After becoming the first in his family to graduate from high school, Pascrell studied at Fordham University. There, he received a bachelors degree in journalism and a masters degree in philosophy.

He started his career as a high school history teacher in Paterson, then taught in Paramus and later became an adjunct professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University. While teaching in Paramus in the 1960s, Pascrell spent time as the Democratic leader of Paterson's 10th Ward. During the decade, he was living on East 21st Street and occupying roles including chairman of the Social and Political Action Committee of the Association of Career Teachers and president of the Paterson Action Committee, which he co-founded to break what he thought was a party patronage mill under former and future Paterson Mayor Frank X. Graves.

Dec. 13, 2023; Washington, D.C., USA - Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) speaks as Larry Doby, a pioneering force for Black baseball players and a native of Paterson, N.J. is honored with the Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY

"The city is finished with partisan politics," Pascrell declared in 1969. "Too many forces divide the city."

He stayed involved in local issues and was belittled by longtime Democratic county Chairman Anthony J. Grossi, who dubbed the grown father of three "Young Bill." Pascrell mounted his own challenge for Paterson's mayoral seat in 1972 but finished last in a special election. He nonetheless continued his involvement in local politics, serving as Paterson campaign chairman for Brendan Byrnes candidacy for governor in 1973 and later co-chairing Lawrence Kramer's mayoral campaign. Kramer rewarded Pascrell in 1974 by naming him the city's director of public works. There, he launched investigations into departmental overtime abuses and honed a no-nonsense aura that saw him unsuccessfully seek the Democratic nomination for Passaic County sheriff in 1977.

Pascrell served as Passaic County campaign coordinator for Rep. Robert Roe's gubernatorial campaign and as Paterson's director of policy planning and management before being elected Passaic County Democratic chairman in 1982, with the support of Graves, then a state senator. A member of the Paterson Board of Education, Pascrell soon resigned his post. He also served on the Passaic County Community College board of trustees.

Pascrell took his politics to another level in 1988, when he entered the New Jersey General Assembly, his first elected office, eventually becoming minority leader pro tempore. While serving in Trenton, he was elected mayor of Paterson, New Jerseys third-largest city, in 1990.

In 1996, Pascrell challenged Republican Rep. Bill Martini for New Jersey's 8th Congressional District and won, beginning a long and successful congressional career. He continued to win reelection easily, except for the particularly challenging 2012 race.

Pascrell is survived by his wife, Elsie, three children and five grandchildren.

Paterson Press editor Joe Malinconico and NorthJersey.com staff writer David M. Zimmer contributed to this story.

Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bill Pascrell Jr., congressman from NJ for 3 decades, dies at 87
Congresswoman Miller-Meeks discusses campaign trail, pipelines & DNC

DES MOINES, IOWA  The U.S. Representative from Iowas First Congressional District talked with WHO 13s Zach Fisher on Tuesday morning.

She discussed the campaign trail, visiting the state fair, carbon pipelines and the use of eminent domain and the Democratic National Convention. You can watch the full interview in the video 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 who13.com.
Constitutional protection for abortion to be on November ballot in Montana

Montanans calling on the government to protect abortion in state law and stop other bills they say are targeted at people's individual health care rights rallied at the state Capitol in Helena on Friday, April 7, 2023.

Montanans calling on the government to protect abortion in state law and stop other bills they say are targeted at people's individual health care rights rallied at the state Capitol in Helena on Friday, April 7, 2023. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)

Voters will get to decide whether they want abortion protected in the Montana Constitution.

The Montana Secretary of States Office approved and certified Constitutional Initiative 128 on Tuesday, said Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights in a news release.

Were excited that CI-128 will be on the ballot in November, and Montana voters will finally have the opportunity to make their voices heard and protect reproductive rights in November, said Martha Fuller, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana and spokesperson for MSRR, in a statement. We could not have accomplished this incredible feat without the dedication of our volunteers and supporters who want to protect their freedom and constitutional right to make private medical decisions.

Abortion is protected in Montana through the right of privacy in the state constitution and the Montana Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld it since the 1999 landmark case, Armstrong vs. State of Montana.

But since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Republican legislators across the country have passed laws to restrict reproductive rights.

In Montana, legislators have passed bills to restrict abortion, and Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte has signed them, although courts have later deemed many unconstitutional because they violated the right to privacy found in the states constitution.

However, Wednesday, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America said it is not about to let up on the gas pedal and will fight the initiative, which it described as a California-style abortion measure.

SBA said it is sending canvassers to Helena, Bozeman, Billings and Missoula. The organization said it started its work in April and has a goal to visit 150,000 voters by Election Day.

As we go door-to-door to educate voters, it is clear this measure is far too extreme for Montanans, said SBAs Kelsey Pritchard in a news release. The people of Montana want to see progress in holding the abortion industry more accountable  . Our field team is fired up to stop CI-128 and ensure that abortion extremism costs Kamala Harris and Jon Tester on Election Day.

Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights said it submitted more than 117,000 signatures from all 56 counties in support of CI-128, nearly double the number required and the most signatures ever submitted for a single ballot initiative in Montana history.

In a statement, Akilah Deernose, executive director of the ACLU of Montana, said advocates for reproductive rights will continue the quest to secure those rights.

We know extreme anti-abortion politicians in Montana will continue to deceive voters in an attempt to take away our rights, said Deernose, also a spokesperson for MSRR. We will continue to fight for the rights of Montanans to participate in their democracy and make their voices heard.
Opportunity is abounding in Music City. Just take a peek at the skyline and the countless cranes across Nashville.

It was recently stated that Nashville was the fastest city in the country to come out of the pandemic and for the third time in a row was named Urban Land Institute (ULI)s No. 1 market in its Emerging Trends in Real Estate study. This means if youre seeking opportunity, youre in the right place, and if youre looking for the right industry, look no further than construction.

It may surprise you that the construction industry is aging, and needs new, young professionals.

Numbers show that 45-to 64-year-olds make up nearly 40% of the industry. This presents an opportunity for us in the industry.

Inclusive hiring leads to long-term sustainability

Were seeking to attract the industrys future, and at the same time diversify it so high-paying skilled trades are more accessible. We believe we must build with and for everyone, which is also the driving force behind our inclusion efforts.

The downtown skyline of Nashville shown in March 2022.

Diverse teams exhibit greater strength compared to those comprised of individuals from similar backgrounds.

This strength is particularly evident when all team members wholeheartedly dedicate themselves to understanding the distinct qualities that each of their colleagues brings to the table.

Inclusion is vital in todays workplace. A focused commitment to working with Disadvantaged-Owned Business Enterprises (DBE) firms in the region promotes inclusive business practices and contributes to the long-term growth of the construction industry, while also contributing to local and regional economic development.

Our inclusion strategy should be sustainable and integral to our business, providing a framework that guides teams and inspires others to adopt these practices, contributing to company growth.

Three ways to boost diversity and engagement in construction

Companies can boost diversity and engagement with diverse vendors and subcontractors with these methods.

Implement a supplier diversity program : Set procurement targets from diverse suppliers, provide support, training, and partner with relevant organizations.

Form partnerships : Collaborate with organizations promoting industry diversity for wider networks.

Initiate mentorship programs: Experienced personnel mentoring minority-owned businesses fosters growth and relationships.

Its not just about increasing numbers but creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and has equal opportunities. Construction teams should reflect the diverse communities they serve.

To help with these efforts, Skanska offers a Construction Management Building Blocks (CMBB) Training Program that introduces and familiarizes DBE companies with various business management tools. 82 Nashville-area trade-partners have graduated from the program.

More: Live camera stream of new Nissan Stadium construction, Titans stadium updates

National construction leadership program comes to Nashville

Skanska has recently launched a unique national program, the Excellence in Construction Leadership Program, aimed at strengthening relationships with local businesses and promoting D&I in construction. Participants join an annual two-day session with Skanska leaders to collaborate and share knowledge, while ongoing local engagement enhances relationships with diverse partners, clients, and stakeholders. We look forward to its Nashville implementation and local business collaboration.

As builders, we know the integrity of our inclusion strategy starts with a strong and sound foundation. Without the right planning and groundwork, an entire structure can collapse. This is why its important to build a foundation that anchors and evolves our "why" for inclusion and ensures our progress is sustainable and lasting.

Many Middle Tennessee region businesses, both large and small, share our commitment to inclusion and working with DBE businesses. But we can always do better.

Overall, its essential to emphasize that an approach to collaborating with smaller businesses is not about providing handouts, its about offering a hand up. Our goal is not simply to help but rather to empower these organizations, acknowledging their potential and jointly creating opportunities for growth and success.

Ashleigh DuBois

Through this effort, we aim to build strong partnerships that help us, the small businesses we work with, and the Nashville market all grow together.

Ashleigh DuBois is community outreach manager for Skanskas Nashville area office.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Construction industry will thrive through diversity and inclusion
Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer is among the missing after a tornado struck a luxury yacht off the coast of Sicily on Monday. Billionaire tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, dubbed the British Bill Gates, as well as his daughter and three others, is also missing and presumed dead.

The disaster came weeks after Lynch was acquitted in the U.S. of fraud charges. Bloomerwho has served as Morgan Stanleys chair for almost eight years and is also the chair of insurance group Hiscox, according to his LinkedIn profileplayed a small role in the trial.

Lynch, 59, founded software company Autonomy in 1996 and sold it to Hewlett-Packard in 2011 for $11 billion. HP paid a 60% premium over Autonomys stock price, but just one year after the blockbuster deal, HP reported an $8.8 billion write-down, attributing over $5 billion of that to inflated revenue data from Autonomy. Lynch was charged with 16 counts of conspiracy and fraud, with one fraud charge later dismissed. In June, Lynch was acquitted of fraud and cleared of charges.

Bloomer, 70, served on Autonomys audit committee and as a non-executive on the companys board in 2010. He also testified during Lynchs trial, telling the court in May that Lynch was "more interested in the strategy, new products, new areas to look at, potential acquisitions," rather than looking at the financial side of the company.

The trip aboard the Bayesian was a celebration following the decades-long trial, but Bloomer and Lynch were declared missing after high winds and a vortex of water struck and capsized the superyacht. There were 22 passengers aboard the 180-foot sailing yacht, 15 of whom were rescued, and one who was declared dead. Italian emergency services brought Lynchs wife, Angela Bacares, who owned the yacht, to safety. Bloomers wife remains missing.

The Bayesian yacht accident has odd timing: It coincided with the death of Lynchs co-defendant Stephen Chamberlain, who died after being hit by a car in Cambridgeshire, England, on Saturday.

We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event, Hiscox CEO Aki Hussain said in a statement. Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular our chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among the missing, and with their family as they await further news from this terrible situation.

Hiscox senior independent director Colin Keogh will serve as interim chair, the company told Fortune. Morgan Stanley did not respond to Fortunes request for comment.

Bloomers tumultuous career

Prior to his tenure at Morgan Stanley and Hiscox, Bloomer was the CEO of insurance company Prudential Financial; he was ousted in 2005. The timing of Bloomers rising up the ranks was ill-timed, coinciding with the dotcom crash and 9/11, which sent Prudentials share prices plummeting 40%.

Story continues

During that time, Bloomer proposed buying U.S. insurer American General, a move that was largely doomed thanks to American International Groups bid for the company that topped Prudentials, as well as lack of investor confidence in the acquisition that sent Prudentials shares tanking. Bloomer had to backtrack on the move, but through the takeover proposal, exposed Prudentials relatively weak U.S. presence.

To make matters worse, Prudentials internet banking arm, Egg, fell short of expectations, but Bloomer couldn't find an adequate buyer. Prudential eventually sold Egg to Citigroup for about $750 million in 2007, but the company estimated a $190 million operating loss from Egg, twice what was originally expected.

Investors outcry reached a fever pitch in 2004, when Bloomer surprise-launched a $1.3 billion rights issue in an effort to expand the firms U.K. business, despite having to assuage concerns the company needed to raise more capital to do so. The CEO was ousted less than a year later and replaced with HBO's finance chief Mark Tucker. Bloomer called it "part of the ups and downs of corporate life.

"We have had to manage the company through difficult times and not everything has made us popular," he said at the time. "But my job has been to lead a transformation and Prudential is now set fair to deliver further substantial growth and returns."

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  A previously convicted felon on federal supervised release was sentenced to prison on drug and gun charges, according to the Department of Justice.

Charles Lee Farmer, 50, of Charlotte was sentenced to 46 months in prison followed by three years on supervised release after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base as well as possession of multiple firearms by a convicted felon.

Queen City News is tracking CRIME in your area  >> Latest stories here

Additionally, Farmer was ordered to serve a consecutive six-month prison sentence for violating the conditions of his supervised release, totaling 52 months in prison.

According to court documents and proceedings, Famrer was previously convicted for a firearms offense out of the Western District of North Carolina.

After serving his term, Farmer was placed on court-ordered supervised release under the U.S. Probation Office.

Queen City News

DOJ News

On November 20, 2021, federal probation officers conducted a warrantless search of Farmers residence after receiving information that he was dealing narcotics. During the search, officers found cocaine, cocaine base, digital scales and other drug paraphernalia, and seized multiple firearms with multiple rounds of ammunition.

Farmer remains in federal custody pending designation to a federal facility.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
BOSSIER PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS)The Bossier Fraternal Order of Police is hosting a cookout fundraiser for an officer battling cancer on Friday.

Shreveport police begin preparation for National Night Out

The Bossier FOP Lodge #39 is raising money for Officer Chad Kelly. The fundraisers purpose is to assist Chad and his family and help offset any expenses during his time of need, treatment, and recovery.

The Bossier FOP is asking residents to support a worthy cause. The menu will be hamburger plates and a drink. The fundraiser will be held at 620 Benton Rd. in front of the police station.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com.
Coral Gables residents overwhelmingly voted against the annexation of nearby Little Gables in Tuesdays election, with nearly two-thirds of the voters nixing the plan.

More than 62% of the citys residents who cast a ballot voted against absorbing the nearby neighborhood into the city, compared with 37 percent who approved of the measure.

The result is a blow to those who have long sought to absorb the adjacent pocket of unincorporated Miami-Dade County into the city of Coral Gables.

The poll result is non-binding and not part of the formal annexation process mandated by the county, but the result is a clear sign that the residents of City Beautiful are less than eager to welcome the Little Gables, bordered by Southwest Eighth Street to the north, Southwest 16th Terrace to the south, Cortez Street to the west and Southwest 40th Avenue to the east.

The straw ballot was scheduled last fall after the city of Coral Gables announced that it had received signatures in support of annexation from more than 21% of the Little Gables population, surpassing the 20% threshold required by county law to begin the application process.

Instead of submitting these signatures to the County Department of Elections, the City Commission decided to pause the application process and seek input from Coral Gables residents via straw ballot, said Joey Garcia, a spokesperson for the city, in an email to the Miami Herald.

READ MORE: Its just becoming messier. Financial concerns bog down Coral Gables annexation

However, Gables city commissioners made it clear that they would retain the authority to decide whether or not the city would proceed with the annexation process regardless of the outcome of the ballot, according to a resolution passed in December.

It is unclear how Tuesdays poll results will impact the commissions decision.

The idea that Little Gables might be absorbed by its well-heeled neighbor to the south has been bandied about for decades.

Most recently, in 2019, Coral Gables application for annexation was rejected by the Miami-Dade County Commission over concerns with the citys plans to demolish a trailer park in Little Gables once the neighborhood was absorbed by the city. Coral Gables outlaws trailer parks, but it has since promised to leave the trailer park untouched should the annexation occur.

READ MORE: Coral Gables says expansion wont doom trailer park, but annexation anxiety persists

Despite collecting the necessary signatures last year, as well as vocal support from Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, members of both communities oppose the possible annexation.

Some residents of Little Gables have fretted over Coral Gables onerous zoning codes that govern everything from the use of artificial turf to the paint color used on home exteriors. Coral Gables residents have also questioned the economic efficacy of the annexation plan, which is projected to lose money for the city during the first several years of the potential merger.

A presentation from the city of Coral Gables on Tuesday showed it could be years before the city breaks even after annexing Little Gables.

The Miami-Dade and Coral Gables firefighters unions have been among the most vocal opponents of the proposed annexation. In an open letter published last week, both unions, local 1403 and 1210 respectively, said that annexation would put undue strain on the already understaffed fire department in Coral Gables.

Countless more lives will be at risk if annexation happens, said the letter.
Cornel West cleared to appear on ballot in Maine, where ranked voting is in play

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  Independent presidential candidate Cornel West can appear on the ballot in Maine, the state's secretary of state has ruled.

Shenna Bellows' decision came Tuesday, about a week after the withdrawal of a challenge to another long-shot candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The presence of multiple third-party candidates on the Maine ballot is potentially significant because the state uses ranked choice voting to determine a winner.

Bellows ruled that some signatures in support of West were gathered fraudulently but that there was a significant number of valid signatures for the candidate to appear on the ballot. She said in a statement that the bad actions of one should not impugn the valid First Amendment rights of the many.

In ranked choice voting, voters rank their choice of candidate by ordered preference, with those rankings used to determine a winner in the event no candidate wins a majority of ballots on which they appear as voters first preference.

Maine is also one of two states that apportions electoral votes by congressional district. The Democratic candidate consistently wins the statewide vote, but the rural 2nd Congressional District has gone to former President Donald Trump twice in a row. Multiple third-party candidates could change the complexion of the race for that vote.

Maine residents filed two separate challenges against West's ballot access in the state in July. The challengers can appeal the decision in court within five days, Bellows said.

The challengers also alleged that state and local election officials made errors in certifying the signatures for West. However, Bellows found that officials acted appropriately in certifying signatures for voters that they could verify regardless of whether a voter signed with a nickname or dated the petition with the day and month only.

West is a leftist academic and progressive activist. Republicans in Arizona and other states have sought to keep him on the ballot amid Democratic fears he could siphon votes from Vice President Kamala Harris.

In the battleground state of Pennsylvania, a lawyer with longstanding ties to Republican Party candidates and causes went to court in recent days to argue that the secretary of states office was wrong to reject Wests paperwork to get on the ballot. The office says the paperwork lacked the required affidavits for 14 of the 19 presidential electors by the Aug. 1 deadline.

__

Associated Press reporter Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.
Could Open Hatches or a Large Mast Have Contributed to Sicily Yacht Sinking? What We Know So Far

Questions remain about what exactly led a large luxury yacht to seemingly sink in minutes off the coast of Sicily

Lo Bianco/Anadolu via Getty Crews search the waters off the coast of Sicily after a yacht capsized on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024

As the search for the missing continues, questions remain about what exactly led a large luxury yacht to seemingly sink in minutes off the coast of Sicily  and investigators are still looking for answers more than 48 hours later.

There were 22 people on board when the Bayesian, a 183-foot vessel, sank around 5 a.m. local time on Monday while moored about a half mile from the coast of Porticello, the Italian coast guard said in a statement that was previously obtained by PEOPLE.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, 15 people were rescued, according to the cost guard. Six people were declared missing after the yacht sank  and five bodies have since been found in the wreckage  while a body was also separately retrieved near the vessel and later identified as chef Recaldo Thomas.

One theory is that the boat capsized after being struck by a waterspout (which refers to a tornado over the water), though there may have been more factors at play that contributed to the sinking.

Jonathan Brady/PA Images via Getty Images Italian emergency services headed out to sea towards the area off the Sicilian coast, where the search continues for British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah, who are among six tourists missing after a luxury yacht sank in a tornado off the coast of Sicily.

"The dynamics aren't clear  lightning, mini tornado, water spout, it's not clear exactly what happened," one person close to the search efforts tells PEOPLE. "The most likely hypothesis is that the cause was indeed a tornado that began at land and then sped out off coast and became a waterspout at sea with a speed of more than [180 miles] per hour, to the point that it managed to practically sink the ship whilst causing minimum damage to both the mast and the hull."

"Eyewitnesses said the boat went down in minutes," this person adds.

The source says the vessels upper hatches could have been open at the time of the disaster, which would have caused the boat to quickly fill up with water. The source also says that large amounts of water may have flowed onto the ship through the hatches as the vessel rocked back and forth during the storm.

This would be the only thing that could cause the hull to rear up which, as several survivors told the investigators, made the ship sink in literally 60 seconds, the source says.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The boats 236-foot mast may also have also played a role in allowing the boat to rock, similar to a pendulum.

Speaking with the BBC, Matthew Schanck, chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, said that the large mast may have acted more like a sail during the strong winds.

As for whether it broke, Karsten Borner, a captain on a nearby boat who saw what happened and helped rescue survivors, told an Italian newspaper that he did see the mast "bend and then snap," according to the BBC.

"The evidence that we are getting from the divers is the vessel is basically intact, lying on its side reportedly," Schanck, the chair of the outside search and rescue council, said while speaking with the BBC. "If the mast was broken, that would be a significant thing that would be reported."



ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images A life boat is docked in Porticello near Palermo, on August 20, 2024 a day after the British-flagged luxury yacht Bayesian sank.

Another factor that could have caused the yacht to lose stability was its movable keel, which is an underwater blade designed to help keep boats upright and prevent them from swaying back and forth, the source close to the investigation tells PEOPLE.



They say that the 30-foot keel was allegedly retracted to about 13 feet when the storm hit, while natural experts say it would have been strange to retract the keel at that location if the crew knew bad weather was approaching.

Speaking with USA Today, meteorologist Rick Shema said that while the waterspout "was an uncommon occurrence" that "these things happen, especially in warmer water."

Schema went on to note that on the day the ship sank, the water was about 3 degrees hotter than on average, which can likely be attributed to climate change.

Related: Acquitted of Fraud, Mike Lynch Was Elated but 'Struggling to Accept' New Reality Before Yacht Sinking, Reporter Says

One person still remains missing as crews continue to investigate the fatal incident, a source close to the investigation previously told PEOPLE.

The six people who disappeared after the storm are British entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah, New York City-based lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife, Neda, as well as Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy.

Authorities have not confirmed the identities of the five victims already removed from the wreckage.

Search efforts are ongoing, officials say, including inspection of the wreck.

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Read the original article on People.
Counties with the highest unemployment in Missouri, according to Stacker

Counties with the highest unemployment in Missouri, according to Stacker

STACKER  Despite a relatively low unemployment rate, Americans continue to fear job losses amid ongoing economic uncertainty.

Man accused of setting fire to southwest Missouri church

Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Missouri using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in June 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

Economists forecast a waning risk of recession and predict that the U.S. may instead be headed for an incremental slowdown in growth known as a soft landing. Still, layoffs among major U.S. employers, from Google to Tesla, have sparked concern among Americans. Whats more, unemployment has spiked in over half the countrys states since last year, which often indicates a looming recession, a chief global economist at Piper Sandler told Business Insider. Unemployment is also up in a vast majority of U.S. metros.

Still, as of July 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 4.3%, with only a slight increase from the previous month. For comparison, the Great Recession of 2007-09 sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years. At the height of the COVID-19 recession in April 2020, unemployment hit 14.7%.

Man accused of shooting & killing dog in Baxter Springs

Regional and state employment range widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state vary, ranging from just 2% in South Dakota to 5.4% in Washington D.C.

Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Missouri.

Counties local to the KSN 16 & KODE 12 viewing area are highlighted .

50. Polk County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%

 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points

Total labor force: 15,287 people (693 unemployed)

49. Laclede County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%

 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points

Total labor force: 16,977 people (770 unemployed)

48. Lawrence County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%

 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points

Total labor force: 17,678 people (792 unemployed)

47. Scott County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%

 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points

Total labor force: 20,445 people (917 unemployed)

46. Newton County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%

 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points

Total labor force: 27,739 people (1,247 unemployed)

45. Taney County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%

 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points

Total labor force: 28,427 people (1,281 unemployed)

44. Atchison County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%

 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.5 percentage points

Total labor force: 2,577 people (118 unemployed)

43. Grundy County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%

 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points

Total labor force: 4,065 people (186 unemployed)

42. Schuyler County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%

 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points

Total labor force: 1,837 people (86 unemployed)

41. Dallas County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%

 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.5 percentage points

Total labor force: 7,533 people (354 unemployed)

40. Audrain County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%

 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points

Total labor force: 9,846 people (465 unemployed)

39. Randolph County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%

 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points

Total labor force: 10,093 people (476 unemployed)

38. Phelps County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%

 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points

Total labor force: 20,395 people (961 unemployed)

37. Knox County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%

 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.7 percentage points

Total labor force: 1,758 people (84 unemployed)

35. Maries County (tie)

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%

 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points

Total labor force: 4,025 people (193 unemployed)

35. St. Clair County (tie)

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%

 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points

Total labor force: 4,007 people (193 unemployed)

34. Cedar County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%

 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points

Total labor force: 5,922 people (282 unemployed)

33. Vernon County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%

 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points

Total labor force: 9,172 people (443 unemployed)

32. Crawford County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%

 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points

Total labor force: 10,910 people (523 unemployed)

31. Stone County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%

 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points

Total labor force: 14,752 people (708 unemployed)

30. Pettis County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%

 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points

Total labor force: 20,393 people (975 unemployed)

29. Shannon County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%

 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points

Total labor force: 3,513 people (171 unemployed)

28. Nodaway County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%

 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points

Total labor force: 11,435 people (563 unemployed)

27. Oregon County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%

 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points

Total labor force: 4,007 people (200 unemployed)

26. Linn County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%

 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points

Total labor force: 5,254 people (265 unemployed)

25. Dent County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%

 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points

Total labor force: 6,248 people (315 unemployed)

24. McDonald County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%

 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points

Total labor force: 11,751 people (585 unemployed)

23. Johnson County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%

 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points

Total labor force: 23,634 people (1,182 unemployed)

22. Wright County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%

 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points

Total labor force: 8,080 people (414 unemployed)

21. Washington County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%

 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points

Total labor force: 10,274 people (523 unemployed)

20. Barry County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%

 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.6 percentage points

Total labor force: 14,225 people (720 unemployed)

19. Carter County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%

 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points

Total labor force: 2,544 people (133 unemployed)

18. Wayne County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%

 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points

Total labor force: 4,956 people (258 unemployed)

17. Madison County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%

 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points

Total labor force: 5,294 people (277 unemployed)

16. Clark County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%

 1-month change: Up 1.2 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points

Total labor force: 3,098 people (164 unemployed)

15. Texas County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%

 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points

Total labor force: 9,363 people (493 unemployed)

14. Ripley County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%

 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points

Total labor force: 5,244 people (282 unemployed)

13. Pulaski County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%

 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.5 percentage points

Total labor force: 15,095 people (814 unemployed)

12. St. Francois County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%

 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points

Total labor force: 26,209 people (1,410 unemployed)

11. Howell County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%

 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.5 percentage points

Total labor force: 16,388 people (898 unemployed)

10. Benton County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%

 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points

Total labor force: 7,458 people (421 unemployed)

9. Butler County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%

 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points

Total labor force: 17,727 people (987 unemployed)

8. Mississippi County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%

 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.9 percentage points

Total labor force: 5,219 people (296 unemployed)

7. Stoddard County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%

 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.6 percentage points

Total labor force: 12,864 people (732 unemployed)

6. New Madrid County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%

 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 2.0 percentage points

Total labor force: 8,649 people (523 unemployed)

5. Adair County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%

 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 2.0 percentage points

Total labor force: 10,155 people (611 unemployed)

4. Ozark County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%

 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.9 percentage points

Total labor force: 3,664 people (222 unemployed)

3. Iron County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%

 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points

Total labor force: 3,538 people (229 unemployed)

2. Pemiscot County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%

 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points

Total labor force: 5,906 people (421 unemployed)

1. Dunklin County

June unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%

 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points

 1-year change: Up 2.2 percentage points

Total labor force: 11,735 people (830 unemployed

This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

CC BY-NC 4.0

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A Belleville woman has filed a civil lawsuit in federal court, maintaining that St. Clair County Animal Control euthanized her cat by mistake while the cat was being held for observation after biting her.

Melanie Hutchinson is asking for an unspecified amount in compensatory and punitive damages.

The killing of a companion animal, i.e., a pet, constitutes a seizure within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment ... and a deprivation of property without due process of law under the Fourteenth Amendment, according to the 12-page complaint.

Hutchinsons attorney, Matthew Chapman, filed the complaint on Monday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois in East St. Louis.

The defendants are Ashley Jett, director of St. Clair County Animal Services (consists of Animal Control and Dr. Tom Amlung Pet Adoption Center); Assistant Director Eddie Lee Johnson II and St. Clair County, as represented by County Chairman Mark Kern.

Theyre supposed to be served today, Chapman said Tuesday, referring to summonses notifying the defendants that they have 21 days to file answers to the complaint.

Kern, Jett and Johnson didnt respond to BND requests for comment Tuesday. Hutchinson declined comment due to pending litigation.

Chapman described Hutchinson, her husband and four children, as animal lovers who adopted Malone at 5 years old, knowing older cats often get bypassed in favor of kittens.

Thats the kind of person (Hutchinson) is, Chapman said. Her main thing is, she doesnt want this to happen to another family.

The complaint lists six counts, including Illegal seizure and due process violation against Johnson, illegal seizure and due process violation against Jett and liability and indemnification against St. Clair County.

The complaint alleges that Kern failed to appoint a licensed veterinarian to the Animal Control staff, as required by Illinois law and county ordinance; and Jett didnt adequately train or supervise Johnson or establish proper procedures, such as two-person verification of euthanasia orders.

It was unreasonable for Johnson to kill Malone when Malone posed no immediate danger and was not supposed to be euthanized, the complaint states.

Heres what led up to the lawsuit, according to the plaintiff:

Hutchinson adopted Malone in 2019, and the cat never exhibited any signs of rabies.

On June 24, Hutchinson was trying to move Malone away from a confrontation with her rescue dog when Malone bit Hutchinson, despite never biting anyone before.

Hutchinsons medical provider reported the bite to St. Clair County Animal Control, kicking in a requirement that the cat be professionally observed for 10 days to detect possible rabies symptoms, per Illinois law and county ordinance.

On June 25, Johnson notified Hutchinson of the observation requirement.

Hutchinson informed Johnson that she and her family were leaving for vacation and asked if Malone could stay isolated in the family home; Johnson reportedly said no.

Hutchinson contacted her veterinarian, but that facility couldnt provide 24-hour custody.

Animal Services agreed to keep Malone from June 26 until after July 8, when the family was returning from vacation.

On July 5, Jett called Hutchinson to inform her that Johnson had mistakenly euthanized Malone, calling it a terrible, terrible mistake.

Jett told Hutchinson that she and Johnson had met that morning and discussed the scheduled euthanasia of three dogs; that Jett left the facility and returned to find a paper on her desk indicating that Malone had been euthanized.

Jett told Hutchinson that she asked Johnson what happened, and he allegedly replied that he just thought he heard a cat needed to be euthanized.

Hutchinsons husband later contacted Jett to see if the family could get Malones remains, and Jett said it wasnt possible.

County officials were trying to find a veterinarian for the Animal Control staff at the time Malone was being held, according to the plaintiff. The complaint includes an excerpt from a July memorandum titled Procedure Change for Euthanasia written by Jett and obtained by Chapman.

We are going back to having two people in the euthanasia room to confirm identity and the request for euthanasia, it stated. Until we have a hired medical coordinator, I, Ashley Jett, will be assisting Eddie for euthanasia.

The Animal Services department is temporarily housed in St. Clair County Courthouse due to flood-related construction at its offices and shelter. Belleville Area Humane Society agreed to look after some of its animals.
(Bloomberg) -- Tensions are growing in Indonesia, where a group of lawmakers on Wednesday moved to undercut a court ruling that would have blocked Indonesian President Joko Widodos youngest son from running in a key election this year.

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A day after the Constitutional Court rejected a petition to change the minimum age for candidates in regional elections, a key parliamentary committee approved changes that would effectively ease the age requirement, according to panel head Achmad Baidowi. Those could be passed by parliament thats controlled by Jokowi as soon as Thursday.

Within hours, the hashtag #KawalPutusanMK calling for a defense of the court decision was trending on X, with roughly half a million posts. There was already anger over a 2023 decision by the Constitutional Court, then chaired by the presidents brother-in-law, that revised a separate set of age limits and paved the way for his eldest son to become vice president in October.

This is dangerous for the government, Indonesias former Vice President Jusuf Kalla said in an interview before the committees decision on Wednesday.

Kalla, who served in Jokowis first five-year term, warned there could be unrest mirroring the riots in Bangladesh. Lets say this causes a political crisis, at a time when our economy is also in a difficult state.

The Constitutional Court on Tuesday ruled that candidates aged less than 30 years old cannot run for governor or deputy governor. Kaesang Pangarep, the presidents youngest son, had been expected to run to be deputy governor of Central Java this year, but he wont turn 30 until a month after the polls.

Only lawmakers from PDI-P opposed the revision in the committee vote, arguing that parliament should abide by the constitutional courts ruling, rather than the supreme courts ruling.

PDI-P is the single biggest party in the parliament, but doesnt wield a majority. Still, a significant public backlash could delay or derail a full legislative vote.

Some of the online anger is because Jokowi came into power campaigning as an everyman amid widespread frustration with corruption and nepotism. Now, his 36-year-old eldest son is vice president-elect, and his youngest could be on course for a regional power base.

Indeed, Kaesang had appeared prepared for a regional role after the Supreme Court in May eased the minimum age limit for candidates in gubernatorial elections, saying a governor only need to be at least 30 years old at the time of inauguration. That was then undercut by this weeks Constitutional Court ruling.

The Constitutional Courts decision interpreted a law, while the Supreme Court interpreted an implementing regulation, Bivitri Susanti, a legal expert and political commentator from the Indonesia Jentera School of Law, said of the court rulings. It is clear, it should follow the new rules. There is no choice but to implement the (constitutional) courts decision.

Amid the online furore, the ministry of home affairs, said the legal revision was a parliamentary initiative, while parliament denied that its discussions were carried out in a hurry because of the court decision.

Prior to parliaments actions, Constitutional Court judge Saldi Isra said in the court ruling that if the election commission didnt implement its decision, any candidate who didnt meet age requirements would be declared invalid.

It is too risky to circumvent the courts decision as the nomination is inconsistent and invalid. If that happens, it will be very bad for legal certainty, Titi Anggraini, an advisory board member of the Association for Elections and Democracy, or Perludem, an independent, non-profit advocacy group, said earlier Wednesday.

(Rewrites throughout with fresh details, comments.)

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COVID is spreading more now than in any previous back-to-school season. 3 things parents can do

As many children in the U.S. prepare to head back to school or have already done so, the country is facing its worst COVID wave for this time of year, data show.

COVID is spreading at especially high rates for late summer and early fall around much of the country: 44 states are experiencing either high or very high COVID levels, according to Aug. 15 data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other CDC data show that levels were higher the week ending Aug. 10, 2024, the most recent available, than in early-to-mid August in 2023 and 2022, both of which had substantial summer COVID waves.

The CDC no longer tracks total cases and primarily uses wastewater data to track COVID levels across the country, as the virus can be detected in human waste.

Michael Hoerger, Ph.D., associate professor at Tulane University, who leads the U.S.'s top COVID forecasting dashboard, shared in a Aug. 19 post on X: "Were at 1.3 million infections/day in the U.S. This is the highest known transmission during back-to-school season all-time. An estimated 1 in 24 people in the West region are actively infectious."

Hoerger uses data from Biobot Analytics, which used to provide the CDC with its wastewater data.

PMC COVID-19 Forecasting Model, August 19, 2024



We're at 1.3 million infections/day in the U.S. This is the highest known transmission during back-to-school season all-time. An estimated 1 in 24 people in the West region are actively infectious. pic.twitter.com/zyLbtmMIF9  Mike Hoerger, PhD MSCR MBA (@michael_hoerger) August 19, 2024

The CDC confirms to TODAY.com in an email statement that the COVID test positivity rate for the week of Aug. 19, 2024  18.1%  is higher than the same week any of the past four years.

"Nationally, COVID-19 test positivity and wastewater surveillance data show very high levels. Emergency department visits and rates of COVID-19associated hospitalizations remain elevated, particularly among adults 65+ and children under 2 years," the statement continues.

"This is the second-largest summer wave that we've ever had," Hoerger tells TODAY.com. "2022 looks like it was a little bit bigger, but we don't know because things could still get a little bit worse."

US faces its largest back-to-school COVID wave

In 2021 and 2020, COVID levels were low during back-to-school due to more widespread mitigation measures.

In 2022, the "summer wave was earlier, so its peak had passed by the start of August, so this is actually the most transmission we're seeing as most kids are going back to school," Hoerger explains.

In early August 2022, COVID wastewater levels were around 7.92, compared to 3.23 the same time of year in 2023, according to CDC data. In 2024, levels were at 8.31 the week ending Aug. 3 and 8.82 the week ending Aug. 10.

"Some kids have been back to school for a couple weeks now, but a lot of kids are just starting this week or next week, so that's a pretty difficult situation for families and schools to manage," Hoerger says.

"Last year I would have described as a large, concerning wave, but it's much smaller than this year's. So if people can remember the challenges they dealt with last year, this back-to-school season is likely to be a lot worse. That's my concern," he adds.

Its not clear why COVID levels are higher this summer than in 2023, but Hoerger believes it may be due to people taking even fewer precautions to mitigate the spread of COVID.

There are two major ways the rest of the 2024 back-to-school season could play out, according to Dr. Richard Malley, senior infectious disease physician at Boston Children's Hospital.

The first is that summer transmission peaks soon, with many people getting exposed and their immunity boosted as a result, which could lend to a "very calm early fall season," he tells TODAY.com. The second is that the surge lasts longer, leading to "quite a few" cases into classrooms and the virus spreading among kids  though kids are at lower risk than the adult population. But Malley also points out that the latter scenario is especially concerning for high-risk kids.

How to prevent COVID this back-to-school season

"There has been a substantial summer increase in COVID all across the country, and though it has principally affected adults  most seriously older adults, people with chronic underlying conditions, most of those people who were not vaccinated  there have been sick children and some hospitalizations from children, again largely unvaccinated," Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, tells TODAY.com.

Here are some tips from Malley and Schaffner to keep kids safe this back-to-school season.

Vaccinate your child with the new COVID booster

Both the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend children 6 months and up receive the new COVID vaccine when it becomes available, anticipated for late August or early September.

"If I were a parent (of a school-age child), I would want my children first in line to get that new vaccine," Schaffner says.

For parents who have questions about giving their child the new COVID booster, Malley strongly encourages speaking with their doctor.

Talk to your school about precautions, especially for kids with underlying conditions

While most schools aren't practicing widespread masking and social distancing, Schaffner recommends talking to your child's teacher, the administration and their doctor if you'd like them to take precautions at school  which he recommends for high-risk children.

"If I were the parent of a child with diabetes or some sort of chronic heart disease or lung disease, I would be particularly cautious about them," he says. "I would have that conversation with the teacher and say, 'I'm going to encourage my child to wear the mask.'"

Adds Malley: "Masking is a personal decision, very easy to do, and a lot of people are doing it. ... There's no harm to others. There's no reason to to limit anybody's ability to make that decision."

Keep sick kids and adults away from others

Both Malley and Schaffner stressed the importance of staying home and isolating from other people if you have symptoms of COVID or any virus, even if you test negative for COVID. This is especially true if have high-risk people in your family.

"It's always important for a family to recognize if there are specific members of the family who are at higher risk for severe COVID," Malley says. "Those people who are at higher risk, even if they've been vaccinated, even if they've been boosted, should be protected from anybody who has the slightest symptom that could be consistent with COVID."

And regardless of COVID levels in your community, it's always beneficial to practice good hand hygiene, Malley adds.

Experts are still learning about the ebbs and flows of COVID through the year, but one thing seems true thus far: Unlike influenza, COVID doesnt disappear in the summer. It hangs out, and indeed there is a summer increase, and this year, its been quite substantial," Schaffner says. "It doesnt go away, and COVID is not going away. We have to learn to live with it."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Innovator drugs targeting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP1R) witnessed a 595% increase in total licensing agreement deal value from 2019 to 2024 year-to-date (YTD), with more than $6.2bn forged in 2024 YTD, according to GlobalDatas Pharma Intelligence Center Deals Database.

GLP1R agonists are currently used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity to stimulate insulin secretion and inhibit glucagon release, resulting in lowered blood glucose levels. In addition, GLP-1R agonists activate neurons expressing GLP1R that promote satiety, resulting in reduced food intake and subsequent weight loss. Novo Nordisks GLP1R agonists Wegovy and Ozempic (both semaglutide), and Eli Lillys dual GLP-1R/GIPR agonists Mounjaro and Zepbound (both tirzepatide)both injectableshave dominated the market over the past few years, achieving combined global drug sales of $47.6bn in 2023, according to GlobalDatas Pharma Intelligence Center Drugs Database. The success of these marketed drugs has sparked enthusiasm among biopharmaceutical companies that are looking to challenge Novo Nordisk and Lillys market positions, with over 120 GLPR1 drugs in clinical trials and 150 in preclinical and discovery stages. Drugmakers developing new GLP1R drugs aim to enhance efficacy, extend dosing intervals, target multiple indications other than T2D and obesity, and improve dosage via oral form. Pharmaceutical companies with GLPR1 drug candidates in clinical development include Pfizers Phase I once-daily oral GLPR1 agonist danuglipron, Amgens once-monthly injectable Phase II GLP1R/GIPR bispecific maridebart cafraglutide and MSDs injectable GLPR1/GCGR dual agonist efinopegdutide currently in Phase II trials for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).

According to GlobalDatas Pharma Intelligence Center Deals Database, licensing agreements for innovator drugs targeting GLP1R secured a cumulative total deal value of $12.2bn from 2019 to 2024 YTD, with approximately two-thirds in Phase I to III clinical trials and a third in early-stage preclinical and discovery.

Metabolic disorders were the top therapy area for licensing agreements involving GLP1R-targeting drugs, with a total deal value of $10.5bn from 2019 to 2024 YTD. This was followed by cardiovascular with $6bn in total licensing agreement deal value and gastrointestinal with $4.5bn, demonstrating the expansion of the GLP1R drug class for indications beyond T2D and obesity.

Of note, licensing agreements for innovator drugs targeting GLP1R witnessed a resurgence in activity of over $6bn in total deal value from 2022 to 2024 YTD (shown in Figure 1 above), where 2024 YTD has already achieved the highest total deal value in a year, signalling a renewed interest in the GLPR1 drug class.

Story continues

In May 2024, Chinese pharmaceutical giant Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co. out-licensed ex-China rights for its portfolio of GLPR1 drugs to newly established biotech Hercules CM NewCo based in the US. This portfolio included HRS-9531, a GLRP1/GIP dual agonist that is currently in Phase III and II trials for obesity, T2D, and diastolic heart failure, and is being developed in oral and subcutaneous formulations. The companies collaboration is valued at up to $6bn, representing the largest licensing agreement involving GLPR1 drugs of all time.

In November 2023, biotech Eccogene, based in China, signed a licensing agreement with AstraZeneca worth over $2bn. AstraZeneca will gain ex-China rights to Eccogenes oral GLPR1 agonist ECC-5004, which is currently in Phase I trials for obesity and T2D and also in preclinical testing for MASH. Under the agreement, AstraZeneca will also co-develop and co-commercialize ECC-5004 in China alongside Eccogene.

In light of market leaders Ozempic and Mounjaro, there has been a recent increase in licensing agreements involving innovator drugs targeting GLP1R, particularly mega-deals worth billions of dollars. This trend may drive innovation, particularly in the development of dual or tri-agonists which have demonstrated increased efficacy by targeting other novel targets involved in the disease pathways alongside GLP1R, leading to additive therapeutic effects. With several GLP1Rs currently in clinical trials, the priority for success will include being the first to bring an oral GLPR1 agonist to market and to exceed the safety and efficacy benchmark established by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.

"Licensing agreements for innovator GLP1R drugs weigh in with over $6.2bn in 2024" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.







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Covid tied to higher risk of depression, anxiety, PTSD and other conditions, with the unvaccinated most affected, study shows

Editors Note: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 to connect with a trained counselor, or visit the 988 Lifeline website.

Having a severe case of Covid-19 appears to be linked with an increased risk of subsequent mental illness, including depression and anxiety disorders, and a new study finds that the association is strongest among people who were not vaccinated against the disease.

In the study, published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, the incidence of mental illness was higher in the weeks after a Covid-19 diagnosis, but the increased incidence was much lower in people who had been vaccinated against the coronavirus compared with those who were unvaccinated. Among people who were unvaccinated, the elevated incidence of mental illnesses was higher for up to a year after severe Covid-19.

The study also found that the elevated incidence of mental illnesses was higher and lasted longer if a person was hospitalized for Covid-19, compared with not being hospitalized for Covid-19.

The main surprise was that the association of COVID-19 with subsequent mental ill-health appeared restricted to severe COVID-19 that led to hospitalisation. There was little association of COVID-19 that did not lead to hospitalisation with subsequent mental ill-health, Dr. Jonathan Sterne, an author of the study and professor of medical statistics and epidemiology at the University of Bristol Medical School, said in an email.

The researchers, from the University of Bristol Medical School and other institutions in the United Kingdom, also found stronger associations among older adults and men, compared with younger age groups and women.

The most likely explanation for the stronger associations in older adults is that they are more likely to develop severe COVID-19 leading to hospitalisation, Sterne said. This may also explain the somewhat stronger associations in men, but we do not have a definite explanation.

The new study included electronic health record data for three groups of adults, ages 18 to 110, in England. One group included about 18.6 million people who were diagnosed with Covid-19 between January 2020 and June 2021, before vaccinations were available. People in the two other groups  including about 14 million people who were vaccinated and about 3.2 million people who were unvaccinated  were diagnosed with Covid-19 between June 2021 and December 2021.

The researchers took a close look at how many people in each group were diagnosed with mental illnesses in the weeks after their Covid-19 diagnoses. Those conditions included depression, general anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, addiction, self-harm, suicide and other severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and psychotic depression.

Overall, depression was the most common mental illness included in the study.

The incidence of depression in the four weeks after a Covid-19 diagnosis was 1.93 times higher in people who had Covid before vaccinations were available, 1.79 times higher among the unvaccinated group and 1.16 times higher among the vaccinated group, the researchers found.

The overall incidence of depression remained elevated through 28 weeks  and up to 102 weeks specifically in the group that had Covid-19 before vaccinations were available, the data showed.

People who were hospitalized with severe Covid-19 had the strongest association with depression. Among those who had Covid-19 before vaccines were available, the incidence of depression was 16.3 times higher after a Covid-19 diagnosis if the infection required hospitalization, compared with being 1.22 times higher without hospitalization.

Our findings have important implications for public health and mental health service provision, as serious mental illnesses are associated with more intensive healthcare needs and longer-term health and other adverse effects, Dr. Venexia Walker, senior research fellow in epidemiology at the University of Bristol and one of the studys lead authors, said in a news release.

The new study comes amid a significant Covid-19 wave in the United States. Viral activity levels in wastewater have reached the highest that has been recorded for a summer surge since July 2022. And the US Food and Drug Administration is expected to soon greenlight updated Covid-19 vaccines for the fall and winter season.

But the new data may not reflect the current climate, said Dr. Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, who was not involved in the research.

Its a study that only looks at individuals in 2020 and 2021, in the early pre-Omicron days of the pandemic. So the applicability of these data to the current epidemic is not clear, because in 2024, we have a much higher level of population immunity; most people have been infected or vaccinated multiple times, Barouch said.

Its a very different population now than it was in 2020 and 2021. So while this paper is interesting and important, it really reflects a population at a different time in the pandemic, when peoples baseline immunity was very different, he said. It really is not clear the extent to which these data are applicable to the current epidemic we have in 2024.

The new research is not the first to show that Covid-19 is associated with an increased risk of mental illness, said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, a clinical epidemiologist at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis who was not involved with the paper but has studied mental health outcomes in people with Covid-19.

I think the picture here is clear from this paper, and its aligned with what we have learned over the past several years on Covids effect on the brain  and that is, it leaves its mark on the brain, and here, thats in the form of several mental health disorders, Al-Aly said.

The increased incidence of mental illness that appears to be associated with severe Covid-19 may be a result of the infection itself or could be due simply to hospitalization. Separate research suggests that hospitalizations for any severe sickness can be associated with a higher long-term risk of new mental health diagnoses.

Although the new study does not answer the question of whether the association is driven by Covid-19 specifically or being severely sick in general, Al-Aly said that he suspects both factors are playing a role.

When people get hospitalized, they dont eat well, they dont sleep well, its an unfamiliar environment to them, its enormously stressful. Does it put some people at risk of depression or stress disorders and all of that? Absolutely yes, he said.

But in a paper published last year in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Al-Aly and his colleagues found that among more than 92,000 people, those hospitalized for Covid-19 faced an increased risk of several mental health outcomes while those hospitalized for the flu had no increased risk.

We found that the people who were hospitalized for Covid had a much higher risk of serious neurologic problems, including neuropsychiatric disorders, including mental health problems, Al-Aly said. When you do a head-to-head evaluation, people who were hospitalized for Covid versus people who were hospitalized for the flu, its very clear that its something sort of unique or peculiar about Covid that generates a higher risk of neuropsychiatric problems.

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Driver taken to hospital after crash temporarily closes McDowell Road in Phoenix

One driver was taken to the hospital after a car crash closed all lanes of McDowell Road in east Phoenix on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Phoenix Police Department.

At about 2:30 p.m., Phoenix police said officers were investigating a "serious collision" on McDowell Road between 48th Street and State Route 143, according to the police department on the social platform X.

The crash closed both the eastbound and westbound lanes of McDowell Road, according to the Phoenix police, who warned of an extended closure.

At around 3:30 p.m., both directions of McDowell Road were reopened, according to Sgt. Brian Bower.

Bower said the accident occurred around 1:15 p.m. and involved two vehicles. The driver who was taken to the hospital was treated for serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Crash sends driver to hospital, closes McDowell Road temporarily
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  El Paso Police and Crime Stoppers of El Paso want your help in finding a suspect involved in multiple beer thefts.

The first incident took place at around 4:30 a.m. on June 27, followed by another theft at 5:13 a.m., according to Crime Stoppers. Both happened at the Circle K along the 11100 block of Montwood Drive.

The next incident happened just before 11 a.m. July 11 at the DK on 3020 Lee Trevino. The most recent theft happened at 12:50 p.m. July 31 at the Circle K at 8855 North Loop.

Anyone with any information on this case should call Crime Stoppers of El Paso immediately at 915-566-8477 (TIPS) or online at www.cselpaso.org. You will remain anonymous and, if your tip leads to an arrest, you may qualify for a cash reward.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
Cross Timbers Church founding pastors step down after resignations of 2 other pastors

In a string of resignations and terminations, two more pastors have resigned from Cross Timbers Church in Argyle, the churchs elders announced in a statement.

Founding pastors Brian Hackney and Jamie Hackney are stepping down from their positions, after sensing their employment through the church was coming to a close, the statement says.

A screenshot of the statement was posted Wednesday on X by Amy Smith of the watchdog site The Wartburg Watch.

The Hackneys, married for 33 years, were instrumental in the growth of the church, founded in 2000, the statement goes on to say.

The churchs staff was notified Thursday and the Hackneys last day on staff will be Saturday, Aug. 31, according to the elders statement.

Although there have been a series of transitions, we want you to know that our Elders and Leadership team have a renewed energy, and our staff has a forward-facing posture, the statement reads. We look forward to all the Lord has in store for our church.

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The Hackneys resignations come after the churchs executive pastor Byron Copeland and lead pastor Josiah Anthony also stepped down.

In an email sent to staff members July 28, the elders said Anthony agreed to resign after failing to notify them of inappropriate actions. In an update on Aug. 1, the church specified Anthony sent inappropriate messages  some of a sexual nature  to women in the church, including those on staff.

The initial email said the inappropriate actions committed by Anthony were not connected to children, physical or sexual interactions or illegal activity, to the churchs knowledge.

Two weeks later, Copeland announced his departure from the church.

I have felt the heavy weight of our recent hurt at Cross Timbers Church, Copeland wrote in a note shared by the church. He had been serving as interim lead pastor after the resignation of Josiah Anthony on July 28.

I sense that God is calling me to a fresh season of life, Copeland said in the statement.

Cross Timbers resignations joins a list of North Texas pastors who have recently resigned or stepped away from their positions, including Gateway Churchs founder and lead pastor Robert Morris.

Morris resigned in June after admitting to sexually abusing a child while he was in his 20s.
The cryptocurrency industry has spent more than $119 million on federal elections in 2024 to help boost crypto-friendly candidates and defeat crypto skeptics, according to a new report from Public Citizen.

This unprecedented spending represents nearly half  48 percent  of all corporate money contributed to this years elections, the report from the progressive consumer rights watchdog group found.

That cryptocurrency companies like Coinbase and Ripple are able to spend over a hundred million dollars to silence cryptos critics and elevate its backers embodies everything that is wrong with the Supreme Courts disastrous Citizens United decision, Rick Claypool, research director at Public Citizen and author of the report, said in a statement.

Corporations cant vote, he continued. But the sole reason crypto is a hot-button topic in this election cycle is that crypto businesses are spending eye-popping sums to make themselves impossible to ignore.

In its controversial decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court ruled that the government cannot limit campaign spending by corporations and outside groups.

Crypto firms have spent a combined $129 million over the last three election cycles, representing 15 percent of all known corporate contributions since the Citizens United decision in 2010, according to the report.

The only industry that has outspent crypto during the same period is the fossil fuel industry, which has spent $176 million over the past 14 years, Public Citizen found.

All this spending is a concern not just because the crypto companies may be able to buy deregulation, Claypool added. This direct spending by crypto corporations is shattering a longstanding norm  and is likely to set a precedent for vastly more direct spending by corporations in upcoming elections.

Most of the crypto industrys spending this cycle has gone toward pro-crypto super PAC Fairshake and its affiliates, which have received nearly $114 million, according to the report.

Crypto firms Coinbase and Ripple are some of the biggest spenders in the digital asset space so far this year. Coinbase has contributed $50.5 million, with $45.5 million going to Fairshake. Ripple has given $49 million overall and $45 million to Fairshake.

By this account, Coinbases efforts to support a more free and fair economic future are succeeding. And they are right, Paul Grewal, Coinbases chief legal officer, said in a post on X on Wednesday.

Were nothing but proud to exercise our free speech rights by advocating for an updated financial system to benefit all Americans.

Ripple pointed to comments from CEO Brad Garlinghouse about the companys $25 million contribution to Fairshake in May.

Its critical that the US catch up with other leading economies and develop sensible (and CLEAR) rules for crypto, Garlinghouse wrote on X at the time.

Ripples latest $25M contribution to Fairshake is an investment in the inevitable march of progress and adoption of Crypto and blockchain technologies  the future of finance  and a message to backward looking politicians that their failed policies will not be tolerated! he continued.

Former President Trumps campaign and Republicans have largely embraced crypto this cycle. The GOP platform promised to end Democrats unlawful and unAmerican Crypto crackdown, while the former president headlined a bitcoin conference last month where he laid out his proposed crypto policies.

In recent years, the industry has frequently expressed frustrations with the Biden administration and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Genslers approach to enforcement.

However, since President Biden stepped aside and endorsed Vice President Harris bid for president last month, some in the crypto space are hopeful for a change. Several crypto-friendly Democrats rallied for Harris last week while also pushing for a reset with the industry.

Updated at 6 p.m. E.T.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(COLORADO SPRINGS)  The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) is notifying the community of a sexually violent predator that has moved into a neighborhood in southern Colorado Springs.

According to CSPD, Isadore Romero has moved to a new address in CSPDs jurisdiction. Romero is a sex offender whose past behavior has led him to be labeled a Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) by the State of Colorado Parole Board.

CSPD revealed Romeros criminal history as a conviction of Attempted Sexual Assault on a Child and Possession of Marijuana with intent to Distribute in El Paso County in 2003. He was also convicted of Possession/Sale of Schedule I or II Controlled Substance in 1998.

Mugshot of Isadore Romero

Romero is registered at 225 West Brookside Street. He is described as a 45-year-old Hispanic man, 55, 220 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

CSPD has made a Community notification as required by law and undertaken the following tasks:

Notified the Division of Criminal Justices Sex Offender Management Board (SOMB) Notification Team.

Reviewed and confirmed Romeros residence, employment, access to vehicles, legal status, and past crimes.

Made notifications to neighbors and businesses deemed to be in the immediate area

Briefed patrol personnel on Romeros status, history, appearance, residence, employment, and vehicles.

Notified surrounding law enforcement agencies.

Provided an online video that describes the SVP community notification process, SVP information, and additional resources for the community.

Online SVP Community Notification video at: www.coloradosprings.gov. Click on Public Safety then click on Police, Transparency and Data.

Romero is one of 20 Sexually Violent Predators currently registered with CSPD who reside in the community. Anyone with further questions can contact Detective Nancy Gifford at 719-444-7672 of the CSPD Registered Sex Offender Unit.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado.
BROOKLYN, Conn. (WTNH)  The East Haven, Lisbon and Connecticut State police departments worked together to find suspects they believe to be putting credit card skimmers on stores in the state.

The investigation began when a card skimmer was found on a self-checkout device at the Walmart in Brooklyn. Surveillance footage from the store shows the suspects.

Anyone with information that might identify the suspects are encouraged to contact Trooper Antra from the Connecticut State Police at mohammed.antra@ct.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 WTNH.com.
Czech President Petr Pavel has shared his thoughts on when Russia's war against Ukraine would end.

Source: Petr Pavel in the PoliTalk podcast, writes Novinky, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Pavel believes that the war in Ukraine will continue until there is enough force to persuade both sides that armed measures are ineffective for achieving their political objectives.

Quote: "It can happen this year, but it can happen next year, and maybe many years later," the Czech president said.

"It is possible that the conflict can switch from a hot phase to a frozen one, which can last for years," Pavel added.

"I predict that in a few years, both parties will realise that they cannot go any further and will engage in negotiations.

World powers, particularly the United States and China, should contribute significantly to this. And press both countries politically, economically, and diplomatically to negotiate", Pavel added.

He stated that the EU is a powerful economic and political force, but it cannot exert influence alone, thus it must work together with the United States and all of the world's democracies.

In the same podcast, Pavel described the Nord Stream-1 and Nord Stream-2 pipelines as a legal target to be attacked in the Russian-Ukrainian war, while emphasising that he had no evidence of Ukraines involvement in the attack.

Pavel also believes that Ukraines NATO accession should not depend on regaining full control over all its territory.

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Looking For Yields: Target, TXNM Energy And Tyson Foods Are Consistent Moneymakers

Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.

Companies with a long history of paying dividends and consistently increasing them remain appealing to income-focused investors. Target, TXNM Energy and Tyson Foods have rewarded their shareholders for decades and announced dividend hikes not too long ago. Furthermore, these companies offer high dividend yields of over 3%.

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Target

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) is one of the largest retailers in the U.S., with its strategy predicated on delivering a gratifying in-store shopping experience and a wide product assortment of trendy apparel, home goods and household essentials at competitive prices. The firm's physical footprint is primarily concentrated in urban and suburban markets, targeting a more affluent consumer base.

According to the company's most recent dividend announcement on June 12, its Board of Directors increased the quarterly dividend by 1.8% to $1.12 per share, equating to $4.48 annually. This will be the companys 228th consecutive dividend payment since October 1967, when it became publicly held. With this increase, 2024 is on track to be the 53rd consecutive year in which Target has increased its annual dividend. The current yield on the dividend stands at 3.10%.

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) reported second-quarter results that were a positive surprise. Second quarter adjusted earnings per share came in at $2.57 beating estimates and sales of $25.45 billion were up by 2.7%. The company raised its earnings outlook based on the positive results.

TXNM Energy

TXNM Energy, Inc. (NYSE:TXNM) is a holding company that owns regulated utility companies providing energy to houses and businesses across Texas and New Mexico using its utilities.

TXNM Energy has increased its dividends consecutively since 2012, with the most recent hike announced at the end of last year. According to the company's news release on Dec. 5, its Board of Directors raised the quarterly dividend by 5.4% to $0.3875 per share, which is equal to $1.55 annually. Currently, the company's dividend yield is 3.82%.

Story continues

The companys annual revenue (as of June 30) is $1.8 billion. According to its Q2 2024 earnings report, released on July 31, it generated revenues of $488.10 million and EPS of $0.60, both above Street estimates.

"Results for the second quarter and first half the year are ahead of expectations," said Pat Vincent-Collawn, PNM Resources Chairman and CEO. "Our long-term plans incorporate opportunities to invest and advance our grid infrastructure, including the System Resiliency Plan we will file at TNMP and Grid Modernization at PNM."

Read More:

Tyson Foods

Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) is a protein-focused food producer that sells raw chicken, beef, pork and prepared foods. Chicken and beef are its two largest segments, comprising about one-third of U.S. sales. Prepared foods constitute roughly 20% of sales and include brands like Tyson, Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, Ball Park and Sara Lee.

Tyson Foods has raised its dividends every year for the last 12 years. In its most recent dividend hike announcement on Nov. 13, 2023, the company raised its quarterly dividend from $0.48 to $0.49 per share or $1.96 annualized, with a yield of 3.14%.

As of June 30, the company's annual revenue stood at $53.1 billion. In its most recent earnings release on Aug. 5, Tyson Foods reported Q3 2024 revenues of $13.35 billion and EPS of $0.87, both surpassing consensus estimates.

Our disciplined actions and focus on the fundamentals have resulted in a positive turnaround of our business, stated Donnie King, President & CEO of Tyson Foods. In Q3, we delivered the highest adjusted operating income in the last seven quarters while generating strong free cash flow. Looking ahead, we will continue to strive to be best-in-class operators, drive efficiencies, value-up our portfolio, win with customers and consumers and be disciplined in our capital deployment."

In summary, Target, TXNM Energy and Tyson Foods are solid options for investors seeking reliable passive income. Their offered yields of over 3% and their long history of consistent dividend increases make them particularly attractive to income-focused investors.

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This article Looking For Yields: Target, TXNM Energy And Tyson Foods Are Consistent Moneymakers originally appeared on Benzinga.com
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava won reelection Tuesday night by a wide margin, with the first-term Democrat capturing a majority of the vote against a field of mostly Republican challengers to secure another four years as the countys top administrator.

Levine Cava needed more than 50% of the vote to avoid a November runoff with the second-place finisher, and easily cleared that threshold with 58% after all of the countys 755 precincts reported results shortly before 10 p.m. in the seven-person contest.

With Democrats and Republicans casting roughly the same amount of votes Tuesday  both parties accounted for a little more than 40% of the ballots cast  Levine Cavas tally suggested decent support from GOP voters and a strong showing among independents.

What I see on the streets is that people know me. And they trust me. They know how much I care, Levine Cava said at a victory party held at Miamis Ball and Chain Cuban restaurant as she gave a round of interviews in English and Spanish. I hoped that would translate into people coming out.

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava celebrates with her husband, Dr. Robert Cava, during the Levine Cava watch party on election night at Ball and Chain in Little Havana on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024.

The win secures Levine Cavas status as a local star in Floridas Democratic Party amid chatter she may run for governor in 2026. And it frees up her fall to campaign and fundraise for Democrats running for newly created countywide offices of sheriff, tax collector and elections supervisor.

Asked Tuesday if she had interest in running for the governor seat being vacated by Gov. Ron DeSantis in two years, Levine Cava didnt say no. I am focused on doing the job that I promised I would do, she said. Thats my plan.

No candidate came close to Levine Cavas war chest, endorsements or organization in the 2024 race for mayor. She ran as a unifying force in county government, dubbing herself the collaborator in chief as she boosted county spending while reducing property-tax rates. She reported endorsements from a bipartisan group of 25 local mayors, plus backing from all of Miami-Dades public employee unions.

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava celebrates with supporters as they flash four, for four more years, during the Levine Cava watch party on election night at Ball and Chain in Little Havana on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024.

Levine Cava finished about 35 points ahead of her nearest challenger, Manny Cid, the Republican mayor of Miami Lakes, who had 23% of the vote Tuesday night. Third place went to YouTube host Alexander Otaola, who had 12%, followed by Republican Spanish-language broadcaster Carlos Garin (3%), Shlomo Danzinger, the Republican former mayor of Surfside (2%), trapeze-school owner Miguel Quintero (1%) and valet-parking company owner Eddy Rojas (1%).

The 2024 primaries and countywide races didnt draw the voter interest Miami-Dade saw in 2020, when multiple well-funded campaigns helped drive turnout in the contest to fill the mayors seat being vacated that year by a term-limited Carlos Gimenez. Turnout hit 29% in that August election, compared to 19% this year, based on results posted shortly before 10 p.m.

Levine Cava enjoyed increased name recognition after leading the county response to the Surfside condo collapse in 2021 and presided over four years that saw property values rise and Miami-Dades budget benefit from an influx of federal COVID relief and infrastructure dollars. Her 2023 and 2024 budgets included cuts to the county property-tax rates, though inflation meant slightly higher tax bills for the typical homeowner.

Miami-Dade County mayoral candidate Manny Cid concedes defeat to incumbent Mayor Daniella Levine Cava during a watch party on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Miami Lakes, Florida.

Cid tied his campaign to backlash over county tax bills and increases in spending under Levine Cava, and Otaola used his Spanish-language show to blast her for maintenance issues at Miami International Airport. But with less than $1 million raised between them, the two leading challengers couldnt compete with the nearly $7 million Levine Cava has collected from donors since taking office in 2020.

Cid said with Levine Cava finishing with less than 60% of the vote, the results showed a lack of broad support across Miami-Dade. Its not the impressive victory they were hoping for. She outspent me 10 to 1, Cid said in a telephone interview Tuesday night. While I congratulate her, the reality is the voices of the middle class matter. Thats what tonight shows. I wish her and her family all the best.

Miami-Dade mayoral candidate Alex Otaola speaks to a crowd of supporters after losing to Daniella Levine Cava at his election watch party at his ranch on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Homestead, Florida.

In a gathering at his Homestead compound, Otaola, an early supporter of Donald Trump in the 2016 campaign, told supporters he didnt trust the election results.

If there is no fraud after a recount, I will concede defeat, Otaola said in Spanish. But up to this point, we demand a recount vote by vote. (Roberto Rodriguez, Miami-Dades deputy supervisor of elections, told the Miami Herald the results are what they are, adding that the elections office is open to the public for people to come see the tabulation process.)

Miami-Dade mayoral candidate Alex Otaola supporters cheer him on as he speaks after losing to Daniella Levine Cava at his election watch party at his ranch on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Homestead, Florida.

Floridas Republican Party largely stayed out of this years officially nonpartisan race for Miami-Dade mayor. Levine Cavas robust fundraising and healthy poll numbers made her reelection seem hard to block even in August, when candidates need more than 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff on Election Day with the second-place finisher.

While Cid, a sitting Republican mayor, waged his race without party backing, Levine Cava enjoyed direct support from the Democratic establishment. She opened joint campaign offices with the statewide party and campaigned with elected Democrats. No Republican member of the county commission backed Cid, while the seven Democrats on the board all endorsed Levine Cava.

Friends and family eat during the watch party for Miami-Dade County mayoral candidate Manny Cid on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Miami Lakes, Florida.

Though party affiliations arent listed on ballots for county races, internal polls showed Levine Cava performing far better with Democratic voters than Republican ones. That meant Miami-Dades shifting partisan makeup was a headwind for her.

In 2020, 41% of Miami-Dades voters were Democrats and just 27% were Republicans. Now, Democrats are down to 35% on the voter rolls, and Republicans have climbed up to 31%.

The narrowed Democratic edge played out in turnout this month. In the August 2020 election, Democrats cast 59,000 more votes than Republicans did. This time, the Democratic advantage was fewer than 2,000 votes.

Ivon Hernandez holds up a fan in support of Mayor Daniella Levine Cava during the Levine Cava watch party on election night at Ball and Chain in Little Havana on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024.

Levine Cava entered politics a decade ago, when she won her first County Commission election representing parts of South Miami-Dade. A former nonprofit executive and a married grandmother with two adult children, the New York-born Levine Cava worked as a lawyer in Floridas child-welfare system when she first moved to Miami in the 1980s and also ran the state foster-care office in Miami-Dade. She moved to the area to join her husband, Dr. Robert Cava, who was launching his medical practice. She later founded the advocacy and social-services organization then called the Human Services Coalition of Dade County and now called Catalyst Miami.

After six years on the County Commission, Levine Cava in 2020 became the countys first female mayor, first Jewish mayor and the first Democrat to hold the office in 16 years.

Christian Ulvert, her top campaign consultant, said the Miami-Dade results show Levine Cava has bipartisan appeal.

She has a brand, he said. Voters believe in her and trust her.

Miami Herald reporter Catherine Odom contributed to this report.
WARNING: video contains graphic images and language

A teenage boy has been arrested in connection with a broad daylight shooting that occurred just outside a high school in the San Gabriel Valley earlier this week.

Its unclear exactly what time the Aug. 19 shooting occurred, but video of the incident, which unfolded just outside Del Mar High School at the intersection of South Del Mar Avenue and East Broadway, was captured on a motorists dashcam.

In the footage, the gunman is seen firing off nearly a dozen rounds in the direction of three people, two males and a female trailing them, who are walking in the crosswalk.

All three individuals immediately duck and attempt to get out of the line of fire as bullets whiz past them as well as drivers in nearby vehicles.

Dash-cam footage shows a suspected teen gunman open fire outside Del Mar High School on Aug. 19, 2024. (viewer image)

Dashcam footage shows a suspected teen gunman open fire outside Del Mar High School on Aug. 19, 2024. (viewer image)

Dashcam footage shows a suspected teen gunman open fire outside Del Mar High School on Aug. 19, 2024. (viewer image)

Dashcam footage shows a suspected teen gunman open fire outside Del Mar High School on Aug. 19, 2024. (viewer image)

Dashcam footage shows a suspected teen gunman open fire outside Del Mar High School on Aug. 19, 2024. (viewer image)

The gunfire erupted as the motorist whose camera caught the incident was driving into the intersection and had to come to a quick stop to avoid hitting the female as she was fleeing the crosswalk.

The shooter is then seen running north on Del Mar Avenue.

On Aug. 20, officers with the San Gabriel Police Department spotted the suspected gunman outside his home at around 1:45 p.m., police said in a news release.

When detectives approached, the teen fled on foot and tossed a handgun, which was later recovered.

Chilling video shows man trying to throw a woman into L.A. freeway traffic

The male juvenile was taken into custody without incident, authorities added. The alleged suspect is a student from the San Gabriel Unified School District.

No injuries were reported as a result of the shooting 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 KTLA.
On This Day, Aug. 21: U.S. peeps at first total solar eclipse in 38 years

A solar eclipse moves across the sky near the crown and torch of the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island on August 21, 2017. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

Aug. 21 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1831, Nat Turner launched a bloody slave insurrection in Southampton County, Va., leading to the deaths of 60 people. Turner, an educated minister who considered himself chosen by God to lead his people out of slavery, was hanged.

In 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre. The painting by Leonardo di Vinci was recovered in 1913.

In 1935, Benny Goodman's nationally broadcast concert at Los Angeles' Palomar Theater was such a hit that it often has been referred to as the kickoff of the swing era.

In 1940, exiled Bolshevik leader Leon Trotsky was assassinated in Mexico City on orders from Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

Spectators watch massive waves crash on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, on December 13, 2004. On August 21, 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States. File Photo by Pierre Tostee/UPI

In 1951, the United States ordered construction of the world's first atomic submarine, the USS Nautilus. The vessel was retired in 1985.

File Photo by U.S. Navy

On Aug. 21, 2013, a U.S. military judge sentenced Army Pfc. Bradley Manning -- now known as Chelsea Manning -- to 35 years for leaking government secrets. File Photo courtesy of the Department of Defense

In 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States.

In 1983, Philippine opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr. was assassinated as he stepped from a plane at the Manila airport.

On August 21, 1986, gas released from a volcanic lake in the remote mountains of Cameroon killed more than 1,700 people and injured 500. File Photo by United States Geological Survey

In 1986, gas released from a volcanic lake in the remote mountains of Cameroon killed more than 1,700 people and injured 500. It became known as the Lake Nyos disaster.

In 1991, Boris Yeltsin led a three-day resistance to crush an attempted coup d'etat against President Mikhail Gorbachev.

Women celebrate the revolution against Moammar Gadhafi's regime and ask for more women's rights in Tripoli, Libya, on September, 2, 2011. On August 21, 2011, Libyan rebels, with NATO support, stormed into Tripoli and seized control of Moammar Gadhafi's besieged country, setting up their own government at the end of a three-day battle. File Photo by Tarek Elframawy/UPI

In 2009, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, assessing the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, in a mostly flu-free time of year, said there had been 522 reported deaths from confirmed cases of the illness and 7,963 people hospitalized.

File Photo by Israel Rosas/UPI

People use touch-screen computers to study details of the "Mona Lisa" painting at the "Leonardo da Vinci's Workshop: Inventor, Artist, Dreamer" exhibit shown at the Discovery Times Square Exposition on November 20, 2009 in New York. On August 21, 1911, the "Mona Lisa" was stolen from the Louvre. The painting by Leonardo di Vinci was recovered in 1913. File Photo by Monika Graff/UPI

In 2011, Libyan rebels, with NATO support, stormed into Tripoli and seized control of Moammar Gadhafi's besieged country, setting up their own government at the end of a three-day battle.

In 2013, a U.S. military judge sentenced Army Pfc. Bradley Manning to 35 years in prison for giving classified documents to the WikiLeaks whistle-blower site. Manning, with credit for time already served, would be eligible for parole in seven years. In 2016, President Barack Obama pardoned Manning, who was by then going by Chelsea Manning.

On August 21, 1951, the United States ordered construction of the world's first atomic submarine, the USS Nautilus. The vessel was retired in 1985. File Photo by U.S. Navy/UPI

In 2017, millions watched the United States' first total solar eclipse in 38 years. Experts said the event was one of the largest mass migrations in human history with more than 200 million Americans within a day's drive of the path of totality.

In 2020, actor Lori Loughlin was sentenced to two months in federal prison and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, received five months for taking part in a college admissions scam.

In 2021, heavy rains caused flooding in Middle Tennessee, killing 20 people and creating more than $100 million in damage.
The election results are posted, but questions remain about what should be done after a website vendor's primary night malfunction that delayed distribution of the outcomes across the state.

VR Systems, the Tallahassee company that hosts elections websites including Palm Beach Countys, attributed its websites Tuesday evening failures to problems that its security measures met with as an increase in traffic put extraordinary stress on the system.

The results webpage for 64 out of 67 Florida county elections sites, all served by VR Systems, posted error messages just after polls closed at 7 p.m. and people began checking for returns. Results became available on back-up sites an hour after the outage. Results on the Palm Beach County's Supervisor of Elections website was restored around 10:15 p.m., according to the office.

 Final, complete results from Tuesday's primary election in Palm Beach County

Nonetheless, the flaw sparked concerns about the ability of the states largest elections website-hosting company to handle the general election in November, which includes the presidential contest. Three times as many voters are expected to cast ballots that day than did Tuesday.

We have begun working with external technical experts to assist us with further analyzing and optimizing our system to make sure this doesnt happen again, Ben Martin, the companys chief operating, said in a prepared statement.

Martin was not available for further comment beyond his posted statements in which his company took "full responsibility" for the outages.

Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link said shes in discussions with her offices information technology staff to determine what the next step is in the countys relationship with VR Systems. Not being an expert on websites or website traffic, Link said she didnt quite understand the explanation VR System officials gave her.

Campain signs posted outside the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections offices on August 20, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

But some of the information the company offered in the discussion was reassuring, she said.

What I did come away with  was that there was no cyberattack or malicious interference, Link said.

Another glitch on VR Systems end occurred with the website during the 2020 election, she said.

"We are going to be continuing to meet today with our IT team and looking at the various options, she said. I dont want anything like this to happen again, ever, especially not a during a general election.

Another Florida elections office said it is a dissatisfied customer

Broward County Elections Supervisor Joe Scott said hes been unhappy with the service his office has received from VR Systems in the past and that Tuesday nights glitches made replacing the vendor more urgent. But hes not sure it can be accomplished before voting starts for the election that culminates Nov. 5.

Its difficult to break with such a powerful and entrenched vendor, Scott said.

Scott called the explanation offered by the company gobbledygook.

They have not been giving us the attention we deserve, he said.

Primary election-night website traffic by people searching to see who won the contests can be high  given that the results are not as widely disseminated in the media as general election results are, Scott said.

He said he has a hard time believing that more people clicking on elections websites should have come as a surprise to VR Systems.

Theres no way the traffic was as high as it could have been, Scott said.

Gannett staff writers Chris Persaud and Ana Goni-Lessan contributed to this report.

Anne Geggis is the insurance reporter at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at ageggis@gannett.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida seeks answers from website company after election night flop
California Governor Gavin Newsom is among the high-profile Democratic figures voicing their public support for Vice President Kamala Harris as part of the Democratic National Convention.

During Tuesday evenings ceremony, Newsom delivered Californias delegates, which put Harris over the threshold and formally anointed her as his partys candidate for the presidency.

In a conversation with Nikki Laurenzo, co-host of Nexstars Inside California Politics, Newsom described the personal relationship and long history hes shared with Harris, who prior to becoming Vice President was one of Californias U.S. Senators, and was the states attorney general under Newsoms predecessor Jerry Brown.

Ive gotten to know Kamala during the best of times and challenging times, and its just a point of deep, deep pride to be able to be here for her and with her on behalf of this remarkable delegation from home, the great state of California, Newsom said.

WATCH: Night 2 of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago

While showing support for the presumptive Democratic nominee, Newsom also highlighted the stark differences between his longtime California political colleague and her opponent, former President Donald Trump.

I was governor when he was President of the United States, Newsom said. We worked together through COVID, I dealt with him on emergencies large and small wildfires to droughts and floods. I know this man, I know his character. It is daylight and darkness, this choice for the American people.

At one point considered a possible candidate for the White House in 2028, Newsom brushed off the suggestion of a possible Cabinet position in a Harris Administration in the interim. Instead, he reiterated that his focus for the time being is on his duties in the Golden State and preventing another Trump term.

The consequences of falling short are catastrophic, Newsom said. Donald Trump, respectfully, in my humble opinion, is more unhinged than hes ever been, and more dangerous than hes ever been.

In his conversation with Nexstar, Newsom described Harris as a superstar and assured the public that his party was in safe hands with her taking the reins from President Joe Biden and leading it into the next generation.

The Democratic National Convention is taking place in Chicago through Thursday with Harris expected to address the convention on Thursday.

I think on Thursday night, shell paint a picture, not just about the proud past as it relates to her relationship with Biden and the success of this administration  but she can begin to paint a compelling fixture of the next four years of her administration on her terms, Newsom 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 KTLA.
WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  Since the FBI arrested Councilmember Trayon White on Sunday after he was accused of taking cash payments in exchange for his influence, several members of the community have expressed shock and disappointment.

White appeared in federal court on Monday and is accused of agreeing to accept $156,000 in cash payoffs, according to court documents. White represents Ward 8 of the District and has served on the Council since 2017.

Indictment of Ward 8 Councilmember leaves community heartbroken and shocked

Several of Whites colleagues on the D.C. Council have released statements, expressing dismay. Heres what they had to say:

Council Chairman Phil Mendelson

The federal charges against Councilmember Trayon White are deeply disturbing. Notwithstanding the principle that a person is innocent until proven guilty, the allegations, together with the governments affidavit, are a gut punch to the public trust in the Council. Unfortunately, the judicial process can be slower than the publics right to accountable government. Accordingly, I will be following the Councils Rules and establishing an Ad Hoc Committee to assess the situation, the evidence of wrongdoing to the extent it is available, and the questions about residency, and to make a recommendation to the full Council as soon as possible. It is my plan to work out the details and announce the appointments this week. Because the federal allegations directly relate to the business of the Councils Committee on Recreation, Libraries and Youth Affairs, it is in my view necessary to remove Councilmember White from that Committee until the federal charges are resolved. Accordingly, when the Council returns on September 17th I will move to restructure that Committee by removing Mr. White from it. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson

File-This Dec. 2, 2013. file photo shows Vincent Gray speaking with reporters after filing paperwork to run for a second term at the Board of Elections in Washington. Gray often calls the District of Columbia the envy of the nation for its robust economy and fast-growing population, but some say the local government he leads  plagued by corruption, pay-to-pay politics and disengaged voters  is a stain on the citys progress. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent C. Gray

The allegations against and arrest of Councilmember Trayon White are deeply concerning. The Council has a duty to maintain public trust; indeed, it is paramount. Therefore, I support Chair Mendelsons proposal to form an ad hoc committee that will investigate this matter and advise the Council on possible actions, among them reprimand, censure and expulsion. Councilmember Vincent C. Gray

Washington, D.C. Council member Charles Allen testifies during the House Oversight and Accountability Committees hearing about Congressional oversight of D.C., on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, March 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen

Public service is a public trust. It requires elected officials to make decisions in the Districts best interests  not our own. The charges facing CM Trayon White are shocking, extremely serious, & a profound disappointment to residents who trusted him to represent them. While he is innocent until proven guilty in a criminal court, I agree w/ Chair Mendelson that the Council must immediately move forward with our own investigation & review process through the creation of an ad hoc committee to propose next steps, including potential expulsion. In the interim, Councilmember T White cannot continue to chair his committee. Taking these actions will put Ward 8 first and protect the public trust and the integrity of the Council. Councilmember Charles Allen

Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker  Council of the District of Columbia (Courtesy of the DC Council)

Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker

For nearly two years, I have served alongside Councilmember Trayon White, Sr. on the Council of the District of Columbia. During this time, I have witnessed Councilmember Whites passion for his constituents and his strong advocacy for improving public safety in Ward 8 and throughout the District. Given this background, the recent arrest and allegations against him are both unexpected and deeply troubling. I firmly believe that Councilmember White, like anyone involved in our criminal justice system, is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Nonetheless, the seriousness of the allegations against him, several DC government officials, and organizations across the city necessitates decisive action. To address this situation and begin rebuilding trust with our constituents, I support Chairman Mendelsons plan to remove Councilmember White from his chairmanship and to establish a Council Ad Hoc Committee to thoroughly investigate these charges. This step is crucial for upholding the highest ethical standards within our institution. As Councilmembers, we operate in the public trust, which is essential to our ability to effectively perform our duties. Understandably, the trust of Ward 8 and District residents has been shaken by these events. While Councilmember White prepares his legal defense, the Council must ensure that these allegations do not impede our critical work in driving down crime in the District, addressing our affordable housing crisis, strengthening our local economy, and so much more. Moving forward, my priority will be to restore and maintain the confidence of District residents. I am committed to taking any necessary actions to ensure that our institution acts swiftly and upholds the highest standards of integrity and transparency. Councilmember Zachary Parker

Councilmember Janeese Lewis George joined community members as they call for people to lay down their guns to stop the violence.

Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George

Every elected official in the District has a duty to honor the trust that DC residents place in us.

The allegations against Councilmember Trayon White are shocking, and I would be deeply disappointed if they are proven true. Our judicial system is grounded in the fundamental belief that every person is innocent until proven guilty, and my Ward 8 colleague deserves that same presumption. The nature and severity of the allegations demand action to rebuild trust in the integrity of District government. I support Chairman Mendelsons decision to form an Ad Hoc committee to investigate and recommend a path forward to the full Council. Our Ward 8 neighbors, like all of us, deserve elected leaders who uphold the highest ethical standards. Ward 8 is a proud ward with a long legacy of service and leadership. Through the Committee on Facilities and Family Services and together with my colleagues, Im ready to support the Ward 8 Council office as it continues to serve the people of Ward 8. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George

Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto  Council of the District of Columbia (Courtesy of the DC Council)

Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto

Integrity is not something that we can take for granted; it must be affirmatively maintained each and every day. I am deeply troubled by the federal allegations leveled against Councilmember White that undermine the publics and my confidence in the provision of impartial and fair public contracting and good governance in the District. As Chairwoman of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, I am particularly concemed by the connection between this alleged impropriety and the provision of government services and contracts for our violence intervention programs. Our violence intervention programs must operate at the highest level of efficacy to save lives and heal communities across the District, and an alleged pay-for-play scheme severely undermines these efforts. I will be holding rigorous public hearings this fall to evaluate the potential reach of these allegations and ensure the efficacy of, and restore public trust in, our violence intervention efforts. I also support Chairman Mendelsons decision to remove Councilmember White from his Chairmanship of the Committee on Recreation, Libraries, and Youth Affairs while an ad hoc Council Committee carries forward an investigation into his conduct as an elected official. I hope that Councilmember White considers the distrust these allegations will continue to inflict as the Council continues our important work of governing. I will be working with my colleagues and the Ward 8 Council Office to ensure that the Ward 8 community and residents receive the support and collaboration they need during this difficult time. District residents deserve honest and ethical leadership across our government, and these developments highlight the importance of integrity and accountability for all our public officials. Councilmember Brooke Pinto

Ward One Councilmember Brianne Nadeau speaks during the 2015 District of Columbia Inauguration ceremony at the Convention Center in Washington, Friday, Jan. 2, 2015. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau

Serving on the Council is a privilege and a solemn responsibility. The charges against Councilmember Trayon White are alarming and disappointing, especially so because I have worked side-by-side with him and have witnessed his passionate advocacy for the people of his ward. While Councilmember White is innocent until proven guilty, this is difficult news for residents of the District, and especially for the residents of Ward 8, who deserve honorable representation. The charges are also harmful to public trust in the Council. I support Chairman Mendelsons plan for an ad hoc committee to assess the allegations and make recommendations to the full Council for possible action. And I support his plan to remove Councilmember White from his committee, which has direct involvement with the contracts he is accused of trying to influence. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau

Ward Five Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie speaks during the District of Columbia Inauguration ceremony at the Convention Center in Washington, Friday, Jan. 2, 2015. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

At-Large Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie

I was greatly dismayed to learn of the arrest and allegations against Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White. The charges are shocking and, if true, are a betrayal of the trust District residents place in us as elected members of the Council of the District of Columbia. I believe that every person accused of a crime is innocent until proven guilty and has the right under our system of justice to vigorously defend themselves. We must allow the legal system to take its course and respect the principles of due process that will be involved. I also believe that serving in public office is a privilege. It is a sacred trust that elected officials are duty-bound to protect. Therefore, in accordance with the Councils Rules, I support the establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee to consider the allegations regarding this matter. The arrest and charges will undoubtedly impact Ward 8 residents. As such, my office will redouble our efforts to assist Ward 8 constituents with District matters, particularly community violence prevention, during this difficult period. At-Large Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie

At-Large Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr.  Council of the District of Columbia (Courtesy of the DC Council)

At-Large Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr.

The criminal allegations against Councilmember Trayon White are disturbing and disheartening. This news is tragic for the constituents of Ward 8. As councilmember at large, I serve the residents of Ward 8 and I will work with the rest of the Council and the Bowser administration to fill any gaps moving forward. Now more than ever, all public servants should lean in to share the work that must be done every day for our friends and constituents in Ward 8. These allegations impact everything from public trust to public safety. While Councilmember Trayon White is entitled to due process, it would be deeply troubling if public safety agencies were exploited for personal financial gain. I support the Chairmans decision to create an Ad Hoc committee to assess the situation and review Council disciplinary actions. Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr.

At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson  Council of the District of Columbia (Courtesy of the DC Council)

At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson

As public officials, members of the Council of the District of Columbia have a responsibility to uphold the sacred trust of our office. We take an oath to execute the laws of the District and the United States, and the alleged charges against Councilmember Trayon White, Sr. are an affront to that very oath and to the Councils Code of Official Conduct. The allegations detailed in the charging affidavit undermine public trust in our government, our agencies, and our elected leaders. What is particularly concerning are the programs implicated in the charges valuable programs aimed to make DC safer and improve quality of life for our neighborhoods. I support the Chairmans recommendation that Councilmember White be removed as a Committee Chair and the creation of the Ad Hoc Committee to determine next steps should Councilmember White not take action on his own. Further, it is incumbent upon the Executive to conduct a thorough review of all contracts related to the two agencies in question. We all must get to work on the difficult task of rebuilding the public trust. Councilmember Christina Henderson

At-Large Councilmember Anita Bonds had not released a statement as of Tuesday afternoon.

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BOSTON (WWLP)  A man from Washington D.C. was sentenced to federal prison in connection with stealing merchandise from a Gucci outlet store in Wrentham.

According to the Department of Justice, in September 2021, 30-year-old Linworth Hayes Crawford and others traveled from Washington D.C. to the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets in Massachusetts. They allegedly smashed the glass to enter the Gucci store and stole $32,000 in high-end merchandise including handbags, duffle bags, backpacks, and sunglasses.

Former luxury homebuilder of Wilbraham sentenced for defrauding the United States

The next day, one of the suspects allegedly posted on Instagram Gucci bags for sale, which appeared to be identical to the bags stolen during the burglary earlier that day.

Linworth Hayes Crawford, III pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport stolen goods in interstate commerce and one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods. On Tuesday, he was sentenced to eight months in federal prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release, and must pay $32,000 in restitution to the Gucci store at the Wrentham Outlets.

Crawford also took responsibility for a second similar burglary at a Prada store in Dawsonville, Georgia, where $37,000 in merchandise was stolen, the Department of Justice says.

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WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said Wednesday that it arrested a Maryland man in connection to a fatal stabbing that happened in early July in Southeast D.C.

On July 1, just before 6:45 p.m., MPD responded to the report of a stabbing in the 3100 block of Buena Vista Terrace SE. There, they found a man in the street suffering from stab wounds.

He was taken to a local hospital where he later died.

Fatal crash involving riding lawn mower kills Silver Spring man

He was identified as 55-year-old Alfred Fields.

On Aug. 21, officials arrested 56-year-old Robert Stringer of Camp Springs, Md. He was charged with First Degree Murder while Armed (Premeditated).

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(Bloomberg) -- Italian divers have retrieved four bodies from a sunken yacht off Sicily, where British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer were among those feared to have died earlier this week.

Most Read from Bloomberg

While four people were recovered, the local coast guard said Wednesday, no statements identifying them have been issued. A fifth body was spotted in the yacht but hasnt yet been retrieved, an Italian government official said.

A total of six people likely were trapped and died inside the Bayesian when it was hit by a tornado near Porticello, Sicily, on Monday, according to authorities. The coast guard said operations would resume on Thursday morning to retrieve the remaining two missing people. Adding to the complexity of the search mission is the narrowness of the spaces inside the sunken yacht and the presence of many objects, the agency said.

Authorities are meanwhile investigating exactly how the luxury yacht sank  and why it sank so quickly  in the early hours of Monday morning, with the captain and other survivors answering questions from the local prosecutors office, according to a report from Italian news agency ANSA.

The UKs Marine Accident Investigation Branch said its also probing the incident, with questions surfacing around the expansiveness of the yachts mast and the state of the hull.

Right now there is no evidence that the mast has been snapped, coast guard spokesman Vincenzo Zagarola told Bloomberg News on Wednesday. We can also say that, so far, there is no evidence that the hull has been broken. But we dont have a clear idea yet of the full damage.

Crews aided by military ships, remote controlled underwater vehicles and helicopters have been searching for missing passengers since Monday. Six guests, including Lynchs wife Angela Bacares, and nine crew have been rescued. The body of Recaldo Thomas, the ships chef, was found soon after the Bayesian sank.

Lynch and his daughter Hannah, Bloomer and his wife Judy, and Clifford Chance partner Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda were identified as the missing passengers on Tuesday by authorities in Sicily.

Lynch, 59, and his family were celebrating his recent acquittal from fraud charges with a small group of advisers when the violent storm struck. The charges stemmed from Lynchs sale of his software firm Autonomy Corp. to Hewlett Packard Co. in 2011. The Silicon Valley giant went on to accuse Lynch of accounting failures. Hed spent years working to clear his name in court and restore his reputation as one of Europes most successful entrepreneurs.

Story continues

A little over two months before the yacht accident, a San Francisco jury found Lynch not guilty of criminal charges that he duped HP into overpaying for his company. He was still fighting HP in a civil case in London, where a British judge held him responsible for creating the illusion of a company much larger and more successful than it really was.

Rescue workers have had difficulties gaining access to the yacht 48 meters below the surface, citing the depth and position of the vessels hull.

The search will go on as long as necessary, Zagarola told Bloomberg. For sure the whole hull will need to be inspected meter by meter.

--With assistance from Olivia Solon.

(Adds fifth body spotted in second paragraph)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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Deal reached in feud between California news outlets and Google: $250 million to support journalism but no new law

California news publishers want Google and other platforms to pay for the articles distributed on the platform. Above, a talk about Google News in 2018. (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)

California lawmakers intend to shelve legislation that would have required Google to pay news outlets for distributing their content, and in its place announced on Wednesday a new public-private partnership between the state and the tech giant that will fund programs to research artificial intelligence and bolster local journalism.

The plan lays out a commitment of nearly $250 million over the next five years, with just over one-fourth of the money coming from state taxpayers and the remainder coming from Google and possibly other private donors. The money will go toward two new initiatives administered by UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism: a fund to distribute millions of dollars to California news outlets, and an "AI accelerator" to develop ways for journalists to use the powerful technology.

This agreement represents a major breakthrough in ensuring the survival of newsrooms and bolstering local journalism across California  leveraging substantial tech industry resources without imposing new taxes on Californians, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. The deal not only provides funding to support hundreds of new journalists, but helps rebuild a robust and dynamic California press corps for years to come, reinforcing the vital role of journalism in our democracy.

The agreement marks the culmination of a two-year battle between the news industry and the tech sector over how to resuscitate local journalism amid massive upheavals in how people consume news and how advertisers reach consumers.

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) led the effort, arguing that supporting California journalism is essential to maintaining democracy because local news outlets play a vital role informing the public about their government. Dwindling advertising revenue has caused many media companies to lay off journalists, or shutter entirely, leaving some communities without the independent watchdogs that local news outlets provide.

Read more: This California city lost its daily newspapers. It faces a crisis over what comes next

"This partnership represents a cross-sector commitment to supporting a free and vibrant press, empowering local news outlets up and down the state to continue in their essential work," Wicks said in a statement. "This is just the beginning. I remain committed to finding even more ways to support journalism in our state for years to come.

The debate over how to solve the problem fractured the news industry, with traditional publishers getting behind a bill that digital news outlets initially did not support, and the union that represents reporters turning against the negotiated compromise. Politicians found themselves squeezed between the divided journalism community and the powerful tech sector, a major contributor to California's economy.

And Democratic lawmakers themselves were divided, with state Senate leader Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) saying the agreement "doesn't fully address the inequities facing the [news] industry."

As part of the agreement, the state will put $30 million from next year's budget into the fund, and contribute $10 million in each of the next four years. Google will put $15 million into the fund next year, and pay another $15 million next year to support other journalism initiatives: $5 million for the AI accelerator and $10 million in direct donations to digital news outlets. In each of the next four years, Google commitments include putting $10 million into the new fund and continuing $10 million in direct donations to news outlets. Money in the fund will be distributed to California newsrooms based on how many full-time journalists they employ. A new nonprofit organization will be formed to administer the programs at UC Berkeley, with a board made up of representatives from across California's industry.

This public-private partnership builds on our long history of working with journalism and the local news ecosystem in our home state, while developing a national center of excellence on AI policy, said a statement from Kent Walker, chief legal officer for Alphabet, the parent company of Google.

Read more: Get paid or sue? How the news business is combating the threat of AI

The agreement has support from several professional associations, including the California News Publishers Assn. that the Los Angeles Times belongs to and the Local Independent Online News Publishers group that initially opposed Wicks' bill. The labor union that represents journalists supported her bill but opposes the deal.

Matt Pearce, president of the Media Guild of the West, criticized the plan in emails with union members in recent days, calling it a "total rout of the state's attempts to check Google's stranglehold over our newsrooms."

The union had lobbied for the deal to include a provision requiring media companies that receive the funds to have a non-expired collective bargaining agreement, and for Google to contribute more than the $74 million it pays annually to newsrooms in Canada. The agreement does not include a labor provision and Google comes out paying less to California newsrooms than it does in Canada. Pearce criticized it as a "secret deal" that was worked out behind closed doors.

As part of the agreement, Wicks agreed to set aside legislation she's championed for the last two years.

Assembly Bill 886 also, known as the California Journalism Preservation Act, sought to blunt the financial hardships that have hit the news business as Google and Meta grew to dominate digital advertising, and technology radically changed the way people consume news. Sponsored by the California News Publishers Assn., of which the Los Angeles Times is a member, the bill set off a fierce battle between news organizations and Big Tech.

Publishers argue that online search and social media platforms are unfairly gobbling up advertising revenue while publishing content they dont pay for. The bill would have required Google to pay into a fund that would in turn distribute millions of dollars to California news outlets based on how many journalists they employ. The amount of the payment was never spelled out in legislation, though lawmakers were hopeful that Google and the news industry could negotiate an agreement.

But Google argued in testimony before the Legislature earlier this summer that the bill would break the fundamental and foundational principles of the open internet, forcing platforms to pay publishers for sending valuable free traffic to them.

Google threatened to remove California news content from its platform if the bill passed, and then ran ads saying the legislation would reduce Californians' access to news.

Lobbying over the bill grew intense, with a trade association Google belongs to launching an ad campaign aimed at lawmakers that cast the legislation as a giveaway to large media corporations. Records show the Computer and Communications Industry Assn. spent $5 million on ads against AB 886 over the last two years as the bill made its way through the Legislature.

The most recent version of the bill was modeled after similar legislation in Canada , where Google is paying $74 million annually into a fund. Californias bill would have been the first such law in the United States.

Read more: California is trying to force Big Tech to pay for news. What can we learn from Australia and Canada?

Lawmakers this year also considered a different bill that sought to aid the news industry by providing a tax credit for employing full-time journalists. Senate Bill 1327 would impose a new tax on Amazon, Meta and Google for the data they take from users and pump the money from this data extraction mitigation fee into tax credits for news outlets.

As a tax measure, it required approval from two-thirds of the Legislature, presenting a political challenge in an election year.

Its author, Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda), supported Wicks' legislation as it moved through the Capitol but said he is against the new plan that's taken its place.

"Despite the good intentions of the parties involved, this proposal does not provide sufficient resources," Glazer said, criticizing the lack of involvement of other companies, such as Meta.

"This agreement, unfortunately, seriously undercuts our work towards a long-term solution to rescue independent journalism."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Deans List: St. Augs gets $30 million line of credit. How leaders say it will help.

Last academic year was a turbulent one for St. Augustines University in Raleigh, as the private historically Black college faced threats to its accreditation and a list of ongoing financial issues.

Now, though, the university says things could be looking up.

The university last month received the news that its accreditation agency had reversed a decision to strip the university of its accreditation and membership with the agency. And Friday, the university announced it has been approved for a multi-million dollar line of credit, which will enhance the universitys capacity to successfully commence the fall 2024 academic semester  albeit two weeks late.

So, how will the university use the money? And which group is providing the money?

Welcome to Deans List, a roundup of higher education news in the Triangle and across North Carolina from The News & Observer and myself, Korie Dean.

This weeks edition includes more information about St. Augs new loan and credit approval, UNC-Chapel Hills rules on protests, a new location for Wake Technical Community College and more.

St. Augs gets $30 million line of credit

Under St. Augs agreement with Durham-based Gothic Ventures, a multi-class, multi-sector capital provider, the university has been approved for a line of credit of up to $30 million. The initial allocation, funded at the closing of the deal between the organizations, is for a loan of $7 million, leaving the possibility for the university to request more money in the future.

The agreement is secured by a deed of trust on St. Augs real estate holdings, a news release said. Interim St. Augs President Marcus Burgess has previously cited the universitys land as one of its most valuable assets.

The partnership with Gothic Ventures marks a pivotal moment for SAU as it embarks on a multi-year strategic plan to stabilize and grow the University, St. Augs Board of Trustees Chair Brian Boulware said in the news release. This funding secures our immediate needs while allowing us to implement our long-term vision. We believe our partnership with Gothic Ventures will be crucial to our journey toward excellence.

The university plans to use the initial $7 million allocation to address critical short-term cash flow requirements, including funding an external audit of the university, refunding student credit balances and settling missed and delayed employee payments. The university on several occasions within the past year has been unable to pay employees on time, which Burgess has attributed to a lack of available funds.

To ensure a smooth transition, the universitys external payroll agent will process all outstanding payroll sequentially, a news release said.

An entrance to St. Augustines University on Oakwood Ave. in Raleigh, N.C., photographed Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023.

Burgess said the loan and line of credit from Gothic represent a significant affirmation of our commitment to our students and staff.

We are grateful for the belief that Gothic Ventures has placed in our vision, allowing us to focus on enhancing the academic experience while showcasing our resilience in the face of adversity, Burgess said.

Kip Johnson, founder and managing general partner of Gothic Ventures, said in the release the organization was excited to support the university during this pivotal time.

Our belief in the transformative power of education aligns with the Universitys historic mission, and we are confident that this collaboration will lead to future successes for the institution and its community, Johnson said.

Classes will begin at St. Augs for the fall semester on Sept. 3. Thats two weeks later than initially planned, with Burgess citing ongoing funding and maintenance issues and some damage caused by Tropical Storm Debby.

Former Sen. Burr joins Duke faculty

More than a year after he left the U.S. Senate, former North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr is joining the faculty at Duke Universitys Sanford School of Public Policy.

Burr will be a Polis Distinguished Fellow, part of a program that brings accomplished political practitioners, public servants, and organizers to campus to engage with our community and to dedicate some portion of their time to a project that promises an innovative solution to a problem of contemporary politics and that involves students in the process.

During his term as a fellow, Burr will play an active role in the universitys new Bridging the Divide initiative, which aims to foster dialogue between members of groups with differing political and ideological views.

The first event of the initiative will be Sept. 9, and will feature a conversation between Burr and Duke Provost Alec Gallimore.

Serving as a Polis Distinguished Fellow is an exciting opportunity to connect with the next generation of leaders, share with them the experiences and opportunities I had during my service in the United States Congress, and help promote the importance of participation in our government to solve problems for the American people, Burr said in an announcement.

U.S. Senator Richard Burr, photographed April 1, 2019 at Duke Universitys Fleishman Commons.

Wake Tech opens new location

The start of the new academic year brought a new campus to the Triangle, with the opening of Wake Technical Community Colleges East campus in Wendell.

The campus welcomed students to their classes for the first time Thursday, which marked the first day of classes for all Wake Tech locations. Wake Tech East will offer the following degrees:

Associate in Arts

Associate in Science

Associate in Engineering

AAS, Emergency Medical Science

More than 25,700 students are enrolled across Wake Tech this semester, marking the highest fall-semester enrollment in the colleges history. The number includes more than 8,500 new students, marking another record.

Higher education news Im reading

In his 17-month tenure as president of the University of Florida, former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse more than tripled his offices spending, directing millions in university funds into secretive consulting contracts and high-paying positions for his GOP allies, the Independent Florida Alligator reports.

Can college administrators discipline [their] way out of protests over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war? As the fall semester begins, Inside Higher Ed takes a look at how universities have handled the demonstrations, and how they might change their approaches.

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Thats all for this roundup of North Carolina higher education news. I hope youll stay tuned for more.

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Death investigation underway after infant found unresponsive in bathtub at New England motel

Authorities launched a death investigation after an infant was found unresponsive in a bathtub in a room at a New England motel on Wednesday morning.

Officers were called to the Mayflower Motel in the area of Woodmont Road in Milford, Connecticut, just after 11 a.m. after cleaning staff reported the discovery of an infant lying in the bathtub of a vacated room, according to the Milford Police Department.

Our officers performed CPR on the infant until paramedics arrived and took over life-saving measures, the department stated in a Facebook post.

The infant, who hasnt been identified, was later pronounced dead at Yale New Haven Hospital shortly before noon.

The police department urged the public to avoid the area due to the large emergency response.

The Milford State Attorneys Office is assisting Milford police detectives with the investigation.

There were no additional details immediately available.

At 11:06am Milford Police received a call from the Mayflower Motel, reporting that their cleaning staff had discovered... Posted by Milford CT Police Department on Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Heavy police presence in the area of Woodmont Road. There is no threat to the public. Please avoid the area. No further information at this time. Posted by Milford CT Police Department on Wednesday, August 21, 2024

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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CHENANGO FORKS, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH)  New York State Police revealed on Wednesday that the suspicious deaths of two Chenango Forks men have been ruled a murder-suicide.

Scott Cleary, 63, and Matthew Lott, 38, were both found dead on August 10 after a report was made of a male down and not breathing.

According to police, a preliminary investigation determined that Cleary was shot and killed by Lott in the home the two shared at 257 Parsons Road. It was also determined that Lott used a firearm to take his own life by railroad tracks nearby.

Police say Cleary and Lott were acquaintances.

Cleary was survived by family and friends. He was described as a gentle giant who was loved by many. He especially loved children and helping the elderly.

There will be no service at this time.

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Dr. Deborah Shropshire, the first woman in state history to serve as DHS director, has resigned and will leave her post next month.

Just about a year and a half after she was appointed to the post, the executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services abruptly resigned Tuesday. Dr. Deborah Shropshire will leave her post on Sept. 13.

Shropshire also is stepping aside as Stitt's chief adviser, as well, the governor's spokesperson, Abegail Cave, said in an email to The Oklahoman. Shropshire previously had served as the agency's director of Child Welfare Services. She was the first woman in state history to serve as DHS director when appointed to the post on Jan. 10, 2023.

At that time, Stitt said Shropshire was "a stand up Oklahoman with a heart for servant leadership and a proven track record of success at Oklahoma Human Services." Tuesday, Stitt's office was quiet about Shropshire's departure.

However, a source who spoke with The Oklahoman on the condition their name wasn't used, said Shropshire was called to a meeting with the governor on Monday. Shropshire submitted her letter of resignation on Tuesday.

In the announcement about Shropshire's departure, DHS said Shropshire was "poised to begin a new chapter in her distinguished career."

"Dr. Shropshire has served as the Director of Oklahoma Human Services since Jan. 2023. Since joining Oklahoma Human Services in 2014, she has served in child welfare as director, deputy director of community partnerships, and medical director, serving children and youth in foster care. Through her thoughtful and compassionate leadership as Director, she has continued to maintain a keen focus on initiatives that further the agency's efforts to strengthen families," the agency's media statement said. "She will be available to assist the new director during the transition."

Shropshire said working at DHS was "the greatest joy of my life" and said she would help make the transition to a new leader smooth. "Whether in child welfare, where I first found my love for this agency, its employees and clients, or in services that support those facing poverty, our work has been about building bridges of hope," Shropshire said in the statement announcing her departure. "I will continue to stand by the agency and offer support to its next leader to ensure a seamless transition as the agency continues to focus its work on our mission to promote the safety, independence and wellbeing of Oklahomans."

More: Shropshire confirmed as first woman to lead Oklahoma's Department of Human Services

Shropshire's two paragraph resignation letter was dated Aug. 20.

"I'm writing this letter to let you know that i'm resigning from my position as Agency Director Oklahoma Human Services effective 9/12/2024," she wrote. "It has been an incredible honor to serve in this capacity. I fell in love with the team at Oklahoma Human Services more than two decades ago and having the opportunity to lead them over the last couple of years has been a great pleasure."

The work done by DHS, she wrote, "is incredibly important and it serves more than a million Oklahomans annually."

"I'm proud of the work we've done to develop a roadmap for aging supports, continue forward with good faith efforts on child welfare reform, launch post-adoption family supports, improve timeliness of access to food assistance and other benefits and move forward the states' effort to serve those with disabilities," Shropshire wrote. "I look forward to cheering on the next season and next leader of the agency."

Ongoing controversy at Greer Center in Enid

Shropshire's resignation follows an ongoing controversy at Enid's Greer Center, which treats people with developmental disabilities and mental or behavioral health conditions. Police and state officials have been investigating numerous cases of abuse at the facility. Records indicate police had a hard time getting Greer Center employees to cooperate with the investigation. DHS officials countered that the agency's Client Advocacy staff did not have trouble investigating. Instead, the agency said, "it didnt realize the extent of the mistreatment at the time."

More: Delayed reports of abuse continue to plague troubled Greer Center in Enid

The incident led the chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services Committee to write legislation to improve the process. Sen Paul Rosino, R-Oklahoma City, told his colleagues that the DHS Office of Client Advocacy "did not do very well watching over vulnerable adults at the center. His bill would move the office to the Oklahoma State Department of Health in an effort to make improvements, he said.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma DHS leader abruptly resigns after meeting with Gov. Stitt
Democratic National Committee delegates on Tuesday night cast their votes to officially nominate Kamala Harris as their presidential candidate.

The event was ceremonial under the circumstances, as this year's roll call was actually moved earlier to meet the Aug. 7 deadline for Ohio officials to secure the Harris-Walz place on their November ballot.

What are delegates?

Delegates are individuals chosen to represent their state or communities at their party's convention. They take part in selecting a candidate to represent their party in the November general election.

Delegates are usually early supporters of a candidate, party insiders or activists.

Parties at the national conventions have thousands of delegates from every state across the country.

There are two types of delegates: pledged or bound delegates have to vote for the candidate that won their primary or caucus in their state - the will of the people; unpledged or unbound delegates can vote for any candidate regardless of their state's results.

To win the nomination, a Democratic candidate must win at least 1,976 delegate votes.

This article originally appeared on USATNetwork: What are delegates? Delegate votes explained here.
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT)  North Carolina Attorney General and Democratic Candidate for Governor Josh Stein was in Greenville Wednesday.

He was in town talking about his Ready, Set, Save back-to-school plan. The plan would help reinstate the sales tax holiday. It went away in 2013 after nearly a decade as part of state tax reform.

The National Retail Federation estimates parents spend almost $900 on supplies and clothes. Stein said he hopes his plan could help that number go down.

The sales tax holiday would only be for one weekend in August before school starts.

Click the above video for more.

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Democratic energy 'very high' but 'that does not mean we let up': Jennifer Granholm

Former Michigan Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm praised the party's energy at its national convention in Chicago as Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to formally accept its presidential nomination.

"It is very high," Granholm told ABC News about Democrats' enthusiasm. "People will be exhausted if it stays this high all the way through. But honestly, for Democrats, it has to stay high. There is so much work to do if we can't take anything for granted. These polls are starting to look good. It's clear she's got momentum, but this is not for time to let up on the accelerator."

Still, Granholm said, it's hard to take anything for granted.

Trump remains the leader of his own movement of loyal supporters, and polling in the past has consistently underestimated his support, including in 2016, when he overcame historical trends and his own stumbles to beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who Democrats were virtually certain would prevail.

PHOTO: Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, D, said Harris is 'emblematic of the diversity and coalition that the Democratic Party represents.' (ABC News)

"Always concerned about overconfidence. You always have to run like her 10 points behind. Yes, she's got momentum, but that does not mean you let up, you accelerate. Let's keep going," she said.

MORE: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she'll vote for Kamala Harris for two terms

Still, Granholm said, Democrats are putting forth an inspiring candidate.

Harris would be a groundbreaking president as a woman of color. But, Democrats have argued, her appeal expands beyond that.

"I do think that it is emblematic of the diversity and coalition that the Democratic Party represents," Granholm said. But her policies "are what really gets and bring people in, in addition to the more than symbolism of having a first in a woman person of color."

Harris is set to blitz the campaign trail in the sprint to Election Day on Nov. 5, even making a pit stop in Milwaukee, Wis., on Tuesday night while the convention plays out in Chicago.

PHOTO: Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, D, said the energy at the Democratic National Convention is 'very high.' (ABC News)

And, Granholm said, it would behoove Harris to have President Joe Biden tag along and allow him to talk about accomplishments that voters may not be aware of, including investments in infrastructure and science and technology.

MORE: Harris rallying in Wisconsin same night as DNC because she's still the 'underdog': Campaign official

"What he's done is given her a foundation on which to build," she said.

"He's also somebody who has been focused on bipartisanship, so independents and others who may not be aware of what this president has done and be able to help get the word out, for some weirdo reason, people still seem to think that Republicans have a better agenda, when, in fact, for real people, the agenda that the Democrats are putting forward is so much better, he can be a great explainer for that," she said.

Democratic energy 'very high' but 'that does not mean we let up': Jennifer Granholm originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
The Scene

CHICAGO  Its Kamala Harris convention. But another California woman, one with no current Democratic leadership role, is just as inescapable here.

House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi showed up on seemingly every network ahead of her remarks to the convention on Wednesday night. It was a media tour ostensibly designed in part to plug her new book, The Art of Power, but Pelosis near-constant presence also reinforced the key role she played in helping nudge President Joe Biden off the top of the ticket. Or as she put it to CNN earlier this week: I did what I had to do.

As Democrats inject forward into their messaging, from their super PAC to their concept art, Pelosis expression of power couldnt help but take them back  to her long reign as the partys highest-ranking woman in Congress. And they werent all complaining: Several Democrats at the convention sported lapel pins labeled The Godmother, mimicking the iconic mafia films logo, that swapped Marlon Brandos face with Pelosis.

But as relieved as most Democrats are that Pelosi made her move against Biden, some betray uneasiness about her subsequent victory lap. After all, the partys goal next year is putting Harris in the White House and electing New York Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, whom Pelosi stepped aside for nearly two years ago, as the first Black speaker of the House.

In addition to picking at wounds over the current presidents exit, Pelosis return to prominence raises questions about her role next year. She had given Jeffries room to lead his caucus but leapt ahead of him last month to publicly channel members dissatisfaction with Biden.

I tried to be a Paul Revere warning of the cost of nominating Biden this fall, not a George Washington, said Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, who ran a brief Democratic primary bid that focused on the departing presidents age. And thats perhaps the difference. Im not writing a book about the experience.

Asked if Pelosi was prepared to return to elder-stateswoman mode and recede from the spotlight in favor of Jeffries, Phillips told Semafor that it was a fair question. He praised her as exceptional during [Jeffries] early tenure there, to support him  but behind the scenes, not taking center stage.

Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., told Semafor that I dont know how its gonna play out within the caucus after the intense public focus on her support for replacing Biden as the nominee. I know there are people who have mixed feelings about how that plays out down the road.

Democrats need all hands on deck to win this, Ivey added, saying of Pelosis media tour: I dont know that those conversations really move the ball forward.

Another House Democrat, speaking on condition of anonymity, gave a telling answer when asked about Pelosis prominence during the convention. Maybe you should title your piece, Did America already have its first woman president?

Pelosis office did not respond to a request for comment.

Know More

Pelosi, 84, ushered in a generational shift among House Democratic leaders after the 2022 elections by ceding her top spot to Jeffries, 54, and assuming the title of Speaker Emerita. It amounted to an early preview of the 81-year-old Biden making way for the 59-year-old Harris, though Pelosi has by all accounts remained a fundraising and guiding force for her party.

Not to mention the biggest difference between her handover of power and Bidens; Pelosis happened on her own terms, and last fall she silenced speculation that she might retire outright from Congress by running for another term.

Bidens handover, on the other hand, might not have happened if not for Pelosi.

Nancy Pelosi has been the backbone of the Democratic Party for 20 years, party strategist Jesse Lee said. Lee, a former aide to Biden and Pelosi, listed her long track record of muscling through legislative victories on health care and climate change as well as her open rebellion against then-President Donald Trump.

One of her final, most difficult acts was speaking hard truths to somebody she loved deeply, Lee added, referring to Biden. Both her and Biden will be remembered as amongst the greatest public servants the country has ever known because she had the fortitude to do it, and he had the grace to listen.

Even as she told CNN of her lobbying for Bidens exit that sometimes you have to take a punch for the children, Pelosi added to the network that my concern was not about the president; it was about his campaign.

That was enough for her closest House Democratic allies.

I am sure she would say that she wasnt taking a victory lap, Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley said.

Other House Democrats were less eager to talk about Pelosi this week.

Ask me something about the agenda, Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal said. About Michigan, about Georgia.

Pelosi herself offered a more measured version of events to CBS host Stephen Colbert during a live appearance on Tuesday night. She began the appearance by praising Bidens record, and demurred when asked about the publics perception that she led the charge for his exit.

The president made his own decision, and they should respect him for that, Pelosi said.

Colberts second guest, after Pelosi? Jeffries.

Kadias view

Yes, Biden chose on his own to make way for Harris. Yet her coronation this week would have been harder, if not impossible, to pull off without Pelosis sway.

While Pelosi has seemed at ease giving up control to Jeffries, his newbie status as leader meant that he couldnt have stood alone in forcing out a president with decades more experience -- even if he wanted to.

As Phillips put it to Semafor, Pelosi, and only she, probably could have influenced President Biden the way she did. And by the way, that is something Leader Jeffries probably could not have done, [not] successfully and certainly not comfortably.

That reality is bound to raise questions about Pelosis next moves and her relationship with the new, younger class of party leaders. The answers wont be simple and wont become clear until after Election Day, which congressional Democrats are now feeling much more confident about.

Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt. illustrated the dynamic in one brief pause while talking about Pelosi. Balint cited the tremendous amount of respect for the fact that the Speaker  then caught herself mid-sentence to remember to add emeritus  lives and breathes for the people. Balint also mimed a crown after the flub.

One thing is clear: Pelosis time as speaker emerita is now defined in large part not by legislative sway but by her impact on Harris nomination. Its hard to remember that she initially favored an open primary if Biden bowed out.
Key Takeaways

As investors wait for Nvidia to report its fiscal second-quarter results, Raymond James analysts said they expect a strong quarter.

They reported industry checks suggest no slowdown in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure demand and highlighted Nvidia's prime position to gain in the AI era.

The analysts said they expect a reported delay in Nvidia's Blackwell chip to have a "modest" impact in the third quarter, though it could be partially offset by heightened demand for Hopper, Blackwell's predecessor.

As anticipation of Nvidia's (NVDA) upcoming earnings report builds, Raymond James analysts said they expect a solid quarter on demand for its artificial intelligence (AI) chips.

"We are looking for another strong quarter from NVDA despite the noise surrounding Blackwell delays," the analysts said, reiterating a "strong buy" rating for the stock.

Reported delays in the Blackwell chip sent Nvidia's stock price tumbling earlier this month, though the chipmaker has said production is on track to ramp in the second half of the year, as planned. Investors are likely to be watching for indicators of the delay's impact in the upcoming earnings report due for release on Aug. 28.

Blackwell Delay Could Have 'Modest' Impact

The analysts said they anticipate a "modest" contribution from Blackwell in the fiscal third quarter and that delays could drive sales of Hopper, the Blackwell chip's predecessor, in the near term.

They suggest that "a longer delay could increase the risk of a customer spending pause," but added that they "have no reason to doubt" Nvidia's capability to ship Blackwell by the end of the year.

Raymond James analysts were not alone, as other analysts have indicated worries about the impact of delays may be overblown.



No Indications of AI Demand Slowdown

The analysts said their checks with hyperscale customers and supply chain partners suggest no slowdown in demand as big tech companies ramp up spending on AI infrastructure, supporting Nvidia's data center sales.

The analysts highlighted that Nvidia beat revenue and outlook expectations in its past four earnings reports. While Nvidia has historically outperformed analysts' projections, the market's expectations around the AI darlings' performance have grown, setting an increasingly higher bar for the chipmaker.

Nvidia shares closed about 1% higher at $128.50 Wednesday. The stock has more than doubled in value since the start of the year.



Read the original article on Investopedia.
Is the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee? Here's the city's role in the week

Milwaukee and southern Wisconsin have played a major role in this year's presidential election.

Between hosting the 2024 Republican National Convention in July and a Kamala Harris campaign rally Aug. 20, it makes sense why some Milwaukeeans might be wondering if the Democratic National Convention is coming to town.

The answer is no, the DNC is not taking place in Milwaukee. It's happening about 90 miles away in Chicago from Aug. 19 through Aug. 22.

Still, important players in the election have stopped by the Milwaukee area this week to campaign in Wisconsin, a key swing state likely to play a big role in who wins the election. A few hours before Harris' widely attended Fiserv Forum rally kicked off, Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance spoke in front of the Kenosha County Courthouse  his third visit to Wisconsin since he was named Donald Trump's running mate at the RNC.

Although Milwaukee isn't hosting this year's DNC, residents may remember that the city was slated to host the Democratic convention in 2020 before COVID-19 pandemic restrictions forced the 2020 DNC to scale back to a largely virtual event at the Wisconsin Center (now the Baird Center).

Here's what to know about the year's DNC.

Preparations for the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center continue on August 18, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. The United Center will host the DNC, which is officially scheduled to kick off on Monday, August 19 and run through Thursday, August 22.

Where is the Democratic National Convention?

The 2024 Democratic National Convention is taking place in Chicago from Monday, Aug. 19 through Thursday, Aug. 22. The United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks, is hosting the convention's major evening events and speeches.

Each day of the convention includes a full schedule of events for delegates, but the main programming of the DNC takes place from about 6 to 10 p.m. each night of the convention. Official daytime business, meetings and briefings are taking place at McCormick Place, another convention center in downtown Chicago.

More: How to watch and stream the 2024 Democratic National Convention

What is the Democratic National Convention?

The DNC is a weeklong event where Democratic delegates from each state officially select the party's nominees for president and vice president.

Traditionally, delegates vote at the convention for the nominee, but DNC organizers held a virtual vote this year to confirm Vice President Kamala Harris as the nominee ahead of the convention. Harris also announced her vice presidential pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, prior to the convention.

Like the RNC, well-known political figures and celebrities are expected to speak and be in attendance at the DNC. So far, highlights from the convention have included speeches from President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

More: Takeaways from DNC Day 2: Obamas blast Trump, Tony Evers' face plant and Lil Jon

More: After RNC spotlight, Milwaukee Democrats Cavalier Johnson and David Crowley head to DNC

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Is the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee?
Democratic Partys embrace of organized labor in 2024 elections has long roots that had started to wither

I wonder what my dad, a butcher and a die-hard union man, would think about the state of our countrys political affairs. Is it Morning in America as Ronald Reagan exclaimed? American Carnage as Donald Trump proclaimed? Or, do we have nothing to fear but fear itself, as Franklin D. Roosevelt put it?

Unions in the automotive, steel, rubber and other industries played a powerful role in FDRs 1936 reelection. According to a poster made during his administration, Roosevelt said, If I went to work in a factory, the first thing Id do would be to join a union. Whether he meant it or not, as a labor historian Ive long observed that the Democratic Party and unions stuck together back then like peanut butter and jelly.

Unions gave their preferred political party their votes, money and time  by volunteering to hold signs on Election Day, door-knock for candidates, and staff telephone banks to call prospective voters. And Democrats pushed policies that organized labor championed, like establishing a minimum wage, creating the Social Security system and introducing the federal oversight of union elections.

Thats what unions do

My dad, Albert Forrant Jr., benefited from and participated in this coalition. He planted trees in the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal program for young people to provide employment and a small wage during the late 1930s. After my Dad returned from fighting in World War II, he and my mom purchased the single-family home I grew up in, with a mortgage the federal government backstopped. Thereafter, he worked for 40 years as a meatcutter for a large grocery chain.

Dad often took me to Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America union meetings, sometimes talking about the importance of sticking together on the car ride.

Thats what unions do, he informed me. We help each other.

Both sides took this marriage for granted until Southern Democrats, concerned that labor unions would organize Black workers across the South, joined their pro-business Republican colleagues in Congress and pushed back against pro-labor legislation. That led to the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947. The law curtailed union spending on elections, limited the effectiveness of strikes and tightened organizing rules.

Eventually, union membership declined, further disrupting the relationship. Fewer union households meant less influence, especially in states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania that had been the stomping grounds of powerful unions. Today, only 1 in 10 U.S. workers belong to a union.

Jumbled politics

The practical political lessons were lost on me when I was young.

Later in life, I worked at a metalworking factory in western Massachusetts and the light switched on. I started as a machinist and then became my unions business agent. Many of the 1,000 workers at the factory reminded me of my father: hardworking, focused on supporting their families, scrupulously fair and reliant on their paycheck to make ends meet. Their lives exemplified the quiet dignity found in hard work.

If my dad were alive today, I believe he would find it hard to fathom that nearly half of union members in some occupations have supported Republican presidential candidates during recent elections. An important voting bloc, unions do not necessarily vote solely based on economic self-interest, nor do they simply vote the way their union leadership suggests. In other words, taking the labor vote for granted is a failed position.

So, why is it that many working people have their politics so jumbled?

I think about this question a lot, especially when Americans are getting ready to vote in an important election.

Predicting Trumps victory in 2016

One week before the 2016 presidential election, I told the students in my labor history class I was fairly certain that Trump would win that presidential race, and I gave them two reasons.

First, a former student of mine was doing advance work in Michigan for Hillary Clinton. She contacted me to express her concerns about the scant efforts made in the Upper Midwest to organize union households to vote for the Democratic Partys presidential nominee in that key swing state.

Second, a week before the election, I chaired a discussion in Greenfield, Massachusetts  a metalworking town in a once robust metalworking region. With me were three former machinists, and they were feeling angry and let down. Without a decent job in over two decades, they were thirsting for almost any kind of change and seemed willing to bet on Trump.

I believe that this anxiousness is a big reason why blue-collar areas around the Great Lakes and in other parts of the country became seedbeds for the Republican presidential victory in 2016, the GOPs near-win in 2020 and Trumps possible second election in 2024.

Dinner table anxiety

As the U.S. economy changed in the late 20th century, millions of manufacturing jobs disappeared. In my view, the Democratic Party still did better by working families than Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, or Trump.

But ties between Democrats and working-class voters had frayed, partly because by the early 1990s most Democratic leaders seemed to have forgotten the partys historical ties to organized labor.

President Bill Clinton was in office as the downsizing of the industrial heartland befell many unionized workers.

The North American Free Trade Agreement he had advocated for and signed into law in late 1993 shook up labor markets. Economists differ on how many jobs disappeared. The Congressional Research Service concluded that fewer jobs were created and fewer jobs were lost than were predicted by proponents and opponents of the measure. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that more than 4 million U.S. manufacturing jobs were lost overall from when NAFTA and similar free trade agreements took effect and 2010.

The number of those jobs has since rebounded slightly.

Economists and other scholars disagree about the role that automation and other kinds of technology played in this job displacement.

Bidens legacy: Union halls activated

Rhetorically, Democrats too often talked about how the middle class built America. Pipe fitters, heavy equipment operators and hotel workers, autoworkers and steelworkers did not see themselves in that picture. People like my dad and the metalworkers I worked with built the country and powered the economy that created the middle-class generational prosperity that many Americans enjoy to this day.

The Democratic Partys platform, awkwardly worded for my money, now makes the point that Democrats know that Wall Street didnt build America. The middle class built America  and unions built the middle class.

Joe Biden is the first president to walk a picket line, though for this labor historian and many others, FDRs New Deal remains the gold standard for advancing labors cause.

But its clear that the Biden administration fought for laws giving everyone the right to organize for better pay, benefits and working conditions, advancing the bargaining rights of public sector workers and guaranteeing a right to organize for domestic workers, farmworkers and other unprotected laborers. And now the Harris-Walz ticket will keep fighting for that agenda.

For its part, the Republican Party dedicated its 2024 political platform to the Forgotten Men and Women of America. However, there is very little concrete support for workers rights to organize spelled out in that document.

In a show of strength, Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO  the biggest federation of U.S. unions  and six more of the nations most influential union leaders addressed the Democratic National Convention on its opening night.

By comparison, only Sean O'Brien, head of the Teamsters Union, spoke at the Republican National Convention that nominated Trump for a third time.

One thing seems certain: Democrats in 2024, unlike in 2016, understand that their road to victory requires making many stops at union halls.

Robert Forrant is a member of the Massachusetts Association of University Professors. From 1974 - 1988, he was a member of the International Union of Electrical Workers Local 206 in Springfield, MA.
Democratic Senate campaign chief encouraged by races in Florida, Texas

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Gary Peters (D-Mich.) said Tuesday that he was encouraged by the partys Senate campaigns in Texas and Florida.

Im very encouraged with what I see in those states, Peters told reporters at the Democratic National Convention. We have very strong Democratic candidates.

Peters called Texas Senate candidate Rep. Colin Allred (D) a dynamic individual who is getting great traction in his campaign.

Were already seeing in the polling data a very close race, he continued. Same thing happening in Florida.

Peterss remarks came as former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.) formally clinched her partys Senate nomination in Florida.

Rick Scott has never won an election by very much to begin with, its always a tight race, Peters said, referring to the incumbent Republican senator. So we would expect a tight race again.

While Democratic statewide victories in Florida and Texas would be an uphill prospect for Democrats, polling suggests that the Senate races there are tightening.

Last month, a survey from the University of Houston and Texas Southern University showed Allred trailing Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) by 3 percentage points. However, The Hills Decision Desk polling average shows Cruz leading Allred by 6 points.

In Florida, two polls in recent weeks showed Scott leading Mucarsel-Powell by 4 points. The Hill/Decision Desk HQ polling average shows Scott leading by roughly 6 points as well.

Peters said he believes Vice President Harriss placement at the top of the partys ticket could be having a positive impact on these two races.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin speaks at her U.S. Senate election night party in Detroit, Aug. 6, 2024 | Anna Liz Nichols

To paraphrase one of the more famous quips of Joe Bidens long career, there are only three things Nevada Democratic U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen needs to make a sentence  a noun, a verb, and bipartisan.

Okay, thats a bit of an exaggeration. A recent (and typical) press release from Rosens office contained 12 sentences, but only used the word bipartisan seven times. Eight if you count the releases headline.

As she seeks reelection this year, Rosens TV ads and other campaign messaging have emphasized her eagerness to break with her party and vote with Republicans, and touted her ranking (from a D.C. group that ranks such things) as one of the most bipartisan U.S. senators.

Rosens opponent, Republican Sam Brown, has not similarly leaned into bipartisan in releases, social media, campaign materials, etc.

The same scenario seems to be playing out in the half dozen or so Democratically held seats nationally that, like the race in Nevada, feature competitive races that will determine which party controls the Senate. From the high desert to the Great Lakes, Democratic U.S. Senate candidates say bipartisan over and over again. Their Republican opponents dont say it much, if at all.

In Montana, Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Tester is ahead of camera-ready Republican Tim Sheehy in some polls, but behind him in others. Trump won Montana by 16 points in 2020. Testers has always been the most vulnerable Democratically held Senate seat of the cycle. So yeah, Tester is saying bipartisan a lot.

Sheehy isnt. Appealing beyond the Trump base may not be much of a priority for Sheehy, because that base alone might be all he needs.

In the other contests for Democratically held Senate seats, including Nevadas, Democrats have been consistently polling ahead of their Republican opponents, and Republicans dont have the same cushion Sheehy has in Montana (assuming he has it).

Rosen and Tester might say bipartisan a little more than fellow Democratic senators/candidates Tammy Baldwin (Wisconsin), Bob Casey (Pennsylvania), Ruben Gallego (Arizona), and Elissa Slotkin (Michigan). But they all say it quite a bit.

Meanwhile, perhaps the only Republican Senate candidate in a race that is even close (barely) to competitive and who, in a rebranding for the ages, is touting himself as bipartisan is not a challenger but an incumbent, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

There are a lot of reasons for Democrats to campaign as bipartisan-friendly.

For one thing, it might simply be who they are. Rosen could fairly be called a radical centrist, no?

There is also the simple political calculation. Its a hallowed American tradition for voters to blame the White House, and the party that controls it, fairly or unfairly, for anything and everything that displeases them.

The pandemic and subsequent corporate price gouging/fixing combined to reset prices and costs at higher levels, which in turn rendered a significant portion of the electorate authoritarian-curious. So Democrats are saying theyre bipartisan in the hope of localizing their race and quarantining it from Great Big Things that voters dont like.

Another benefit of the Democrats swearing fealty to bipartisanship is it makes Trumpism look petty and morally bankrupt by comparison. One striking example: Early this year the Senate reached a bipartisan deal on an immigration bill, after substantial caving on the part of Democrats to Republican demands. But then Trump, putting his personal interest above all other concerns as usual, ordered Congress not to pass the bill, because Trump was afraid it might deprive him of his favorite issue while making Biden look good.

Holed up in the Trump base

Just as Rosen and other Democrats have sought to demonstrate independence from the White House, might Republican Senate candidates in competitive races also benefit if they were to put some space between themselves and their MAGAlomaniac at the top of the ticket?

We may never know. Brown in Nevada, Sheehy in Montana, Bernie Moreno in Ohio, Kari Lake in Arizona  theyre all doubling down on Trump and Trumpism.

In the weeks and months prior to Biden stepping aside from the presidential race, Rosen could barely bring herself to utter Bidens name.

Sam Brown, by contrast, touts his Trump endorsement every day, and late last month actually got on a stage with JD Vance in Henderson. On purpose.

In addition to providing a little distancing between a candidate and their partys standard-bearer, advertising oneself as bipartisan candidate is also an appeal to the nations fastest growing (and in Nevada, largest) category of registered voters, non-partisans.

Generally behind in polls and saddled with an old, addled, and broadly disliked person at the top of the ticket, youd think Republican Senate candidates would like to reach beyond the Trump base.

Instead theyve holed up in it.

That probably seemed like a good idea three weeks ago.

Then, a lot of voters who cant stand Trump but were also sour on Biden appeared poised to just sit out the election. All the turnout energy seemed to be with Trump and his Republicans.

Now that scripts been flipped.

Brown and other Republican candidates could try to switch gears. They could try to make an attempt to reach beyond the Trump base and connect with nonpartisans and other casual voters of both parties who might be sick and tired of all the anger and hate and animosity  voters who now appear to be warming to the happy happy joy joy vibe of the Harris-Walz ticket.

But Brown and his fellow Republican wannabe senators might have trouble pulling that off. Promising to work across the aisle, to cooperate, to compromise, could turn off the very base theyve been relying on all along.

Trumpism is about many things. Crushing the other side in humiliating defeat. Meting out retribution to all who publicly challenge or criticize Trump. Punishing the unhumans who disapprove of Trump and Trumpism.

One thing that is most definitely not a hallmark of Trumps 2024 campaign, however, is a call for working in a spirit of bipartisanship and good will.

Nevada Current is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nevada Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Hugh Jackson for questions: info@nevadacurrent.com. Follow Nevada Current on Facebook and X.
Rapper Lil Jon performs with the Georgia delegation during the Ceremonial Roll Call of States on the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on Aug. 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Democratic National Convention held a ceremonial roll call of the states Tuesday, giving delegates on the floor of the United Center in Chicago a chance to show their support for Kamala Harris complete with corncob hats, DJd music, a surprise appearance from Atlanta rapper Lil Jon and enthusiastic cheers.

The tradition, which has long been part of presidential nominating conventions, was actually unnecessary this year. Democratic delegates voted virtually earlier this month to formally make Harris their nominee ahead of ballot deadlines in several states.

Harris was the only person to qualify for the ballot after President Joe Biden decided to end his reelection bid in late July, following a pressure campaign from Democrats that began after a concerning debate performance.

Tuesdays lively in-person celebratory vote, accompanied by a live DJ who played a different song for every state and territory, began with delegates from Bidens home state of Delaware before Democrats in the remaining states and territories voiced their support for the Harris-Walz ticket.

It ended with unofficial votes being cast by delegates from Minnesota, home of vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, and those from Harris home state of California.

In between, people within the arena and watching on television heard why delegates believe Harris and Walz represent the best path forward for the country.

Rhode Island House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi delivered the Ocean States results during the roll call with backup music from part-time Watch Hill resident Taylor Swift.

 We are the smallest state but we have the biggest ideas, Shekarchi said. Home to he nations first wind farm and historic Act on Climate, we continue leading the way on sustainability and housing. The deep blue Ocean State is proud to cast one vote present and 34 ballots for the next president of the United States Kamala Harris.

Thrilled & honored to represent RI in tonights @DemConvention roll call! RI is the smallest state but we have BIG ideas! Founded on the principles of religious freedom & tolerance, RI has always been a state of trailblazers. Today, were blazing new trails pic.twitter.com/J9VZDgB6n1  Joe Shekarchi (@JoeShekarchi) August 21, 2024

Hans Storvick, who said Walz is his neighbor and former teacher, told delegates during Minnesotas turn to speak that the vice presidential nominee opened our eyes to the world.

He taught us how to talk about global issues with respect, curiosity and kindness; even and especially when we disagreed, Storvick said. But he wasnt just a great teacher, he was also a great neighbor and friend. In fact, when he was in the midst of a budget battle as governor of our state, he still found time to attend my brothers funeral.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who introduced himself as being from the great state of Nancy Pelosi, said residents there pride themselves on our ability to live together and advance together and prosper together across every conceivable and imaginable difference.

But the thing we pride ourselves most on is that we believe the future happens in California first, Newsom said as Kendrick Lamar played in the background. And, Democrats, Ive had the privilege for over 20 years to see that future taking shape with a star in an Alameda courtroom by the name of Kamala Harris.

I saw that star fighting for criminal justice, racial justice, economic justice, social justice, he added. I saw that star get even brighter as attorney general of California, as a United States senator and as Vice President of the United States of America.

The Georgia delegation, though, might have upstaged all of their fellow Democrats by securing a mini performance from Lil Jon, who sang turn out for what to the music of his famous Turn Down For What song before the state cast its votes for Harris.

When the nearly 80 minutes of ceremonial voting wrapped up the DNC displayed a live video of Harris at a campaign rally at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the same venue where Republicans held their party convention just last month.

We are so honored to be your nominees, Harris said. This is a people-powered campaign and together, we will chart a new way forward  a future for freedom, opportunity, of optimism and faith.

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The primary election is over, but the battle for the future of Florida is just getting started.

Republicans and Democrats will slug it out over the next 11 weeks up and down the ballot, from the main attraction showdown between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris to putting legal pot and abortion rights in the state constitution.

Theres no shortage of storylines as eyes turn to Nov. 5, with Democrats facing an existential election, for instance, and incumbent U.S. Sen. Rick Scott setting his sights on more than just his reelection.

Heres a look at five big questions heading into the general election:

Will Democrats show a pulse in Florida elections?

The 21st century hasnt been kind to Florida Democrats.

For more than 100 years prior to the turn of the millennium, Democrats held sway in the Sunshine State, holding the governors mansion for all but eight years between 1877 and 1999.

Since then, despite a few close elections involving recounts, Democrats have been mostly shut out of the reins of power in Tallahassee. The latest low point came earlier this month when Republicans gained a 1 million voter registration advantage over Democrats, which had held the lead over the GOP until 2021.

Republicans have a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the Legislature and hold all statewide elected positions. Gov. Ron DeSantis won a narrow victory in 2018 then blew out Democrat Charlie Crist in 2022 by 20 points. Hes likened the Florida Democratic Party to a dead carcass on the side of the road.

Democrats wont return to their former dominance any time soon but they could take some steps back toward relevance by putting a few cracks in Floridas red wall.

Flipping a few seats in the U.S. House and the state Legislature, and running Trump and Scott close in the President and U.S. Senate races could help convince national donors whove given up on Florida to recommit to the Sunshine State.

As campain signs sit outside the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections offices on primary voting day Tuesday, August 20, 2024 in West Palm Beach, all sights are now on November's election.

Otherwise, Democrats could remain an afterthought in Florida, which was considered the ultimate swing state just a few years ago.

Can Kamala Harris break through the red Republican wall?

When Trump won the presidency in 2016, he defeated Hillary Clinton by 1.2% in Florida. In 2020 when he lost, he nonetheless took Florida by 3.3% over President Joe Biden. And DeSantis landslide victory in 2022 seemed to cement Floridas status as a comfortably red state.

But Harris entrance into the race in July, after Biden stepped down from the nomination following a disastrous debate performance in June, has reset the campaign. Democrats now believe Harris will at least put Florida in play.

A University of North Florida poll released July 30, though, shows Trump holding a 49%-42% advantage over Harris in Florida.

Democrats also have significant hurdles to overcome to topple the GOPs dominance at the top of the ticket. The voter registration advantage for Republicans continues to grow, and their get-out-the-vote efforts have consistently surpassed the Democrats.

If Harris keeps the race close in Florida, it could have significant down ballot effects for Democrats and for the pot and abortion ballot measures.

Will Rick Scott win a second term?

Every single election Rick Scott has contested has been very close.

Hes also won every time.

Democrats know that all too well and will hope former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell can buck the trend and replace him in the U.S. Senate.

Scott served as governor 2011-19, upsetting the GOP establishment at the time by overcoming then-Attorney General Bill McCollum to win the nomination before narrowly defeating Democrat Alex Sink in 2010.

For the U.S. Senate, he defeated incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson in 2018 by 0.2% of the vote after a recount.

Mucarsel-Powell was an administrator at Florida International University who won a U.S. House race in Miami in 2018. But she was defeated in her bid for reelection in 2020 by now-Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Miami.

The UNF poll shows Scott in a tighter race than Trump is against Harris, but hes still leading Mucarsel-Powell 47% to 43%.

National Democratic donors, however, have been hesitant to get involved in Florida races in recent election cycles, opting to put their money into races in more competitive states. Scott, a multi-millionaire former hospital executive, has also never shied away from putting his own money into his elections, meaning Mucarsel-Powell could be significantly outgunned in a state with numerous and expensive media markets.

Former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell speaks to about 30 Hispanic leaders and voters at El Sabor Latino in Greenacres. She is running against U.S. Sen. Rick Scott in 2024.

The race is important not just for Democrats hoping to regain a foothold in Florida, but for Scotts standing in the Senate. Hes running to replace U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, as Republican Leader. Scott lost to McConnell for the leadership position after the 2022 elections but McConnell is stepping down as leader after the general election.

Should Scott win that race, too, and should Republicans regain control of the Senate, hed set the agenda for the upper chamber starting in 2025. Hell have to overcome Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and John Thune of South Dakota.

Can GOP and Ron DeSantis take down the abortion amendment?

For DeSantis, the anti-abortion movement in Florida will be effectively squashed if Amendment 4 were to pass. But for abortion rights advocates, access to abortion itself is at stake.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its Dobbs decision in 2022, overturning Roe v. Wade and eliminating a federal right to abortion while putting the issue to the states, Florida passed a series of laws limiting the procedure.

A ban on abortions after 15 weeks was passed by lawmakers in 2022. They followed up with a six-week ban that took effect on May 1, a month after the Florida Supreme Court upheld the 15-week ban.

That same day, however, the court allowed Amendment 4 to go on the November ballot.

DeSantis, who appointed four of the current seven Florida Supreme Court justices, has criticized that decision and vowed to fight the measure. He set up the Florida Freedom Fund political committee to oppose both Amendment 4 and Amendment 3, which would legalize marijuana for recreational purposes.

Through Aug. 15 the committee has raised $2.5 million and spent $116,000 since it formed in May.

DeSantis committee faces an uphill battle to convince voters: The recent UNF poll found 69% support Amendment 4 while 23% are against it, easily clearing the 60% threshold needed to become law.

How will voters feel about the pot amendment?

The first bill DeSantis signed into law in 2019 legalized medical marijuana, a measure he pushed the Legislature to pass. Hes less keen on completely legal weed for recreational use.

DeSantis has consistently slammed Amendment 3, saying it will allow people to carry around large amounts  80 joints, he said hes heard from law enforcement officials  and public places will reek of pot, he contends.

Supporters of the amendment have noted the Legislature will still be able to restrict the use of marijuana in public places. Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, a prominent backer of the measure, has proposed a bill to ban smoking and vaping in outdoor public places, including city streets, sidewalks and public parks.

The amendment is largely bankrolled by Trulieve, a leading medical marijuana company in Florida that has given $64.8 million to Smart & Safe Florida, the political committee that pushed to get the measure on the ballot. Thats 90% of the $71.8 million the committee raised through Aug. 15. It has spent $56.3 million, although $41 million of that was spent just getting it on the ballot through petition signatures.

The UNF poll showed 64% of respondents favored Amendment 3, with 31% opposed, which would be enough support to clear the 60% threshold needed to pass.

Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida election 2024: Democrats, future, abortion, pot. 5 questions
The primary election is over, but the battle for the future of Florida is just getting started.

Republicans and Democrats will slug it out over the next 11 weeks up and down the ballot, from the main attraction showdown between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris to putting legal pot and abortion rights in the state constitution.

Theres no shortage of storylines as eyes turn to Nov. 5, with Democrats facing an existential election, for instance, and incumbent U.S. Sen. Rick Scott setting his sights on more than just his reelection.

Heres a look at five big questions heading into the general election:

Will Democrats show a pulse in Florida elections?

The 21st century hasnt been kind to Florida Democrats.

For more than 100 years prior to the turn of the millennium, Democrats held sway in the Sunshine State, holding the governors mansion for all but eight years between 1877 and 1999.

Since then, despite a few close elections involving recounts, Democrats have been mostly shut out of the reins of power in Tallahassee. The latest low point came earlier this month when Republicans gained a 1 million voter registration advantage over Democrats, which had held the lead over the GOP until 2021.

Republicans have a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the Legislature and hold all statewide elected positions. Gov. Ron DeSantis won a narrow victory in 2018 then blew out Democrat Charlie Crist in 2022 by 20 points. Hes likened the Florida Democratic Party to a dead carcass on the side of the road.

Democrats wont return to their former dominance any time soon but they could take some steps back toward relevance by putting a few cracks in Floridas red wall.

Flipping a few seats in the U.S. House and the state Legislature, and running Trump and Scott close in the President and U.S. Senate races could help convince national donors whove given up on Florida to recommit to the Sunshine State.

Otherwise, Democrats could remain an afterthought in Florida, which was considered the ultimate swing state just a few years ago.

Can Kamala Harris break through the red Republican wall?

When Trump won the presidency in 2016, he defeated Hillary Clinton by 1.2% in Florida. In 2020 when he lost, he nonetheless took Florida by 3.3% over President Joe Biden. And DeSantis landslide victory in 2022 seemed to cement Floridas status as a comfortably red state.

But Harris entrance into the race in July, after Biden stepped down from the nomination following a disastrous debate performance in June, has reset the campaign. Democrats now believe Harris will at least put Florida in play.

A University of North Florida poll released July 30, though, shows Trump holding a 49%-42% advantage over Harris in Florida.

Democrats also have significant hurdles to overcome to topple the GOPs dominance at the top of the ticket. The voter registration advantage for Republicans continues to grow, and their get-out-the-vote efforts have consistently surpassed the Democrats.

If Harris keeps the race close in Florida, it could have significant down ballot effects for Democrats and for the pot and abortion ballot measures.

Will Rick Scott win a second term?

Every single election Rick Scott has contested has been very close.

Hes also won every time.

Democrats know that all too well and will hope former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell can buck the trend and replace him in the U.S. Senate.

Scott served as governor 2011-19, upsetting the GOP establishment at the time by overcoming then-Attorney General Bill McCollum to win the nomination before narrowly defeating Democrat Alex Sink in 2010.

For the U.S. Senate, he defeated incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson in 2018 by 0.2% of the vote after a recount.

Mucarsel-Powell was an administrator at Florida International University who won a U.S. House race in Miami in 2018. But she was defeated in her bid for reelection in 2020 by now-Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Miami.

The UNF poll shows Scott in a tighter race than Trump is against Harris, but hes still leading Mucarsel-Powell 47% to 43%.

National Democratic donors, however, have been hesitant to get involved in Florida races in recent election cycles, opting to put their money into races in more competitive states. Scott, a multi-millionaire former hospital executive, has also never shied away from putting his own money into his elections, meaning Mucarsel-Powell could be significantly outgunned in a state with numerous and expensive media markets.

Former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell speaks to about 30 Hispanic leaders and voters at El Sabor Latino in Greenacres. She is running against U.S. Sen. Rick Scott in 2024.

The race is important not just for Democrats hoping to regain a foothold in Florida, but for Rick Scotts standing in the Senate. Hes running to replace U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, as Republican Leader. Scott lost to McConnell for the leadership position after the 2022 elections but McConnell is stepping down as leader after the general election.

Should Scott win that race, too, and should Republicans regain control of the Senate, hed set the agenda for the upper chamber starting in 2025. Hell have to overcome Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and John Thune of South Dakota.

Can GOP and Ron DeSantis take down the abortion amendment?

For DeSantis, the anti-abortion movement in Florida will be effectively squashed if Amendment 4 were to pass. But for abortion rights advocates, access to abortion itself is at stake.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its Dobbs decision in 2022, overturning Roe v. Wade and eliminating a federal right to abortion while putting the issue to the states, Florida passed a series of laws limiting the procedure.

A ban on abortions after 15 weeks was passed by lawmakers in 2022. They followed up with a six-week ban that took effect on May 1, a month after the Florida Supreme Court upheld the 15-week ban.

That same day, however, the court allowed Amendment 4 to go on the November ballot.

DeSantis, who appointed four of the current seven Florida Supreme Court justices, has criticized that decision and vowed to fight the measure. He set up the Florida Freedom Fund political committee to oppose both Amendment 4 and Amendment 3, which would legalize marijuana for recreational purposes.

Through Aug. 15 the committee has raised $2.5 million and spent $116,000 since it formed in May.

DeSantis committee faces an uphill battle to convince voters: The recent UNF poll found 69% support Amendment 4 while 23% are against it, easily clearing the 60% threshold needed to become law.

How will voters feel about the pot amendment?

The first bill DeSantis signed into law in 2019 legalized medical marijuana, a measure he pushed the Legislature to pass. Hes less keen on completely legal weed for recreational use.

DeSantis has consistently slammed Amendment 3, saying it will allow people to carry around large amounts  80 joints, he said hes heard from law enforcement officials  and public places will reek of pot, he contends.

Supporters of the amendment have noted the Legislature will still be able to restrict the use of marijuana in public places. Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, a prominent backer of the measure, has proposed a bill to ban smoking and vaping in outdoor public places, including city streets, sidewalks and public parks.

The amendment is largely bankrolled by Trulieve, a leading medical marijuana company in Florida that has given $64.8 million to Smart & Safe Florida, the political committee that pushed to get the measure on the ballot. Thats 90% of the $71.8 million the committee raised through Aug. 15. It has spent $56.3 million, although $41 million of that was spent just getting it on the ballot through petition signatures.

The UNF poll showed 64% of respondents favored Amendment 3, with 31% opposed, which would be enough support to clear the 60% threshold needed to pass.

Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida election 2024: Democrats, future, abortion, pot. 5 questions
CHICAGO  Democrats and allied groups used the second day of the partys national convention to promote their outreach to women on the issue of abortion rights, believing it can continue to be a powerful motivator among voters against a Republican ticket led by former President Donald Trump.

EMILYs List, a Democratic-aligned group that supports women candidates who back abortion rights, contended gains the party made in the 2022 midterm elections can be expanded this year, particularly among younger women.

And Planned Parenthoods political action committee, along with Everytown for Gun Safety, announced Tuesday a combined $1 million digital ad campaign in battleground states to promote the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, and her support on the combined issues of reproductive rights and gun control.

Gov. JB Pritzker, an ardent and longtime abortion rights advocate, used his speech at the convention as host-state governor to say business leaders in some states are having trouble filling jobs because anti-freedom, anti-family policies of MAGA Republicans are driving workers away. MAGA was a reference to Trumps Make America Great Again campaign motto.

Heres the thing. Americans dont want to be forced to drive 100 miles to deliver a baby because a draconian abortion law shut down the maternity ward. Americans want the hope of giving birth through (in vitro fertilization), not the fear it might be taken away, he said. Americans with LGBTQ kids dont want them facing discrimination at school because the state sanctioned it. Americans want to go to their neighborhood grocery store and not have to worry about some random guy open carrying an AR-15.

Earlier in the day, Pritzker, who heads Think Big America, a dark money group helping fund abortion rights initiatives across the county, said the issue presents a valuable alignment with Harris.

You could tell this was going to be an important issue for 2024. Now, youve got the added impetus that people feel for Kamala Harris, said Pritzker while waiting to visit the California state delegation breakfast meeting as a Harris surrogate.

This is a very important issue, right? Its one that she talks about regularly. She understands it well, the Illinois governor said. And so when you put those two things together  electing Democrats means preserving your reproductive rights, and the excitement of having somebody for whom this is a top issue  the combination of that is really, I think, going to make a huge difference in pulling voters out.

Unlike the night before, when Democrats overpacked their schedule with speakers, forcing Bidens farewell speech to begin well past the end of TV prime time, the DNC promised to shorten its evening and began a half hour early. But their effort proved too aggressive and convention organizers, running a half-hour ahead of schedule, were forced to vamp with recorded music to make up the time.

Delegates were shouting from the floor, wanting the show to proceed  reminiscent of the Palace Hotel Ballroom scene in The Blues Brothers when impatient fans called for the band to take the stage.

The events on Tuesday served as a precursor for the evenings keynote address  a homecoming of sorts  to former President Barack Obama, who nurtured his political chops as a union organizer in his adopted hometown of Chicago. Former first lady Michelle Obama also was an announced speaker.

Democrats also held a ceremonial roll call of the state delegations, using DJd music and featuring local celebrities to announce their votes for Harris. The party previously formally nominated Harris on Aug. 6 to meet a ballot deadline in Ohio.

After the roll call, Harris spoke by video to thank convention delegates in Chicago as she campaigned in Milwaukee inside the same arena where Republicans formally nominated Trump for the presidency last month.

I thank everyone there and here for believing in what we can do together, she said. This is a people-powered campaign and together we will chart a new way forward, a future for freedom, opportunity, of optimism and faith.

The appearance by the Obamas followed the opening night political valedictory address of President Joe Biden, who endorsed Harris in tandem with his decision not to seek reelection last month.

On the tarmac at OHare International Airport before boarding Air Force One for a family vacation in California, Biden told reporters the cheering reception he received from convention delegates Monday was pretty overwhelming and meant a lot to me.

Biden also said no one influenced my decision to drop from the race and that no one knew it was coming when he made the surprise announcement on July 21.

You always think you could have won. And if you go back and look at the numbers, we werent that far behind, he said, adding that his campaign was not getting blown out and that the race against Trump would have been close.

What (would) have happened, though, if the discussion had been, Was I going to cost seats for Democrats? That would have been the whole subject matter for the remainder of the campaign, he told reporters. Youd have to cover it. That would be the issue, and it would give him an advantage.

In his speech to delegates, Biden noted the issue of abortion rights and Trumps role in appointing the conservative U.S. Supreme Court majority that in 2022 reversed the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which had created a federal right to abortion, and instead turned the issue over to individual states.

MAGA Republicans found out the power of women in 2022, Biden said, referring to Democratic wins in the elections two years ago.

And Donald Trump is going to find out the power of women in 2024. Watch, he said. And you know Trump will do everything to ban abortion nationwide. Oh, he will.

Survey results conducted by the independent expenditure arm of EMILYs List said that in the year before the courts 2022 Dobbs decision reversing Roe, only 20% of voters in five battleground states  Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona  thought Roe would be overturned. Now, nearly 70% of voters in those states think Trump would want a national abortion ban, the group said.

The survey also contended that the abortion issue is a potent one in encouraging turnout among younger women voters, who make up about 20% of the electorate in those five states.

There is a fundamental underestimation of how dramatically the landscape has shifted since the Dobbs decision, said Jessica Mackler, the president of EMILYs List.

By overturning Roe v. Wade and attacking our abortion rights, Republicans sparked outrage in women across the country  and that outrage has not dissipated, Mackler said. At the same time, Vice President Harris has brought a vision for the future that offers those same women hope and optimism, because they trust her to restore our rights and protect our freedoms.

At a morning panel with leaders of Planned Parenthood and the Everytown gun safety group, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said abortion and gun safety should not be considered political third-rail issues that would harm politicians who raise them.

Weve got to lean in and talk about it, she said. And I do think that women are at the forefront of both these movements.

Whitmer said sharing personal stories was among the most powerful ways to let women know theyre not alone.

It is a horrible thing that in this country, in order for a woman to be taken seriously on reproductive rights, she has to talk about, sometimes, the most horrible thing that ever happened to her, Whitmer said.

At a Democratic womens caucus at McCormick Place, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the partys vice presidential nominee, pointed to his track record of approving progressive policies, including guaranteeing a right to an abortion.

Go with us, well help your kids get fed. You go with us, well get you an education. You go with us, well leave you alone to make your own decisions, Walz said.

But shortly after his comments, there were shouts from several anti-abortion activists while others in the crowd attempted to drown them out with chants of USA! The protesters were escorted from the conference room, distracting listeners from the end of Walzs speech.

Since the high courts Dobbs decision, 22 states have banned abortion, Planned Parenthood said. Eight states will have referendums on the November ballot dealing with abortion rights, including battleground states Nevada and Arizona, as well as Florida.

I would say for women, it is one of the top, if not the top issue that motivates us, said state Rep. Ann Williams of Chicago. Without the ability to control your reproductive future, you really have no rights as a human being. For us, it feels so foundational, so basic, so important that (its hard) to imagine a world in which we dont have the ability to control our bodies.

State Rep. Dagmara Avelar of Romeoville said women see how detrimental it could be if we dont protect those rights.

Theres a lot of motivation, theres a lot of excitement to make sure that we get a president whos going to protect those rights, she said.

DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy, a former Democratic state representative and a delegate at the DNC, said there is no greater threat to bodily autonomy and womens right to choose than another term of Donald Trump.

Conroy noted the ideological and political changes that have taken place in recent years in DuPage County, which was once one of the reddest counties in America and was the political home of the late former U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde of Wood Dale, who authored the namesake Hyde Amendment that banned the use of federal funds for abortions.

Much of the movement from Republican to Democrat in DuPage has been attributed to suburban women, who have long been considered as a voting bloc to be fiscally conservative but socially moderate.

We must defeat him in November, Conroy said of Trump. In Illinois, we have fought to protect these rights and have become the beacon of reproductive freedom for the rest of the country.

Pritzker said the abortion rights issue also resonates with men as well.

The fact that were fighting the fight to win men to the Democratic Party, and that women are reacting first on that issue, is not surprising to me. But I do think men care deeply about it, Pritzker said.

Its also a way of thinking about peoples personal freedoms, and so it affects  a panoply and a collective of personal freedom that matters, he said. So even if choice isnt your No. 1 issue, its in that grouping of things, and it tells you something about a candidate, where they stand on choice.

Meanwhile, the anti-abortion group Illinois Right to Life on Thursday criticized Cardinal Blase Cupich, the Catholic archbishop of Chicago, for giving the opening invocation on the first day of the convention Monday night.

It is incredibly disheartening to see a local church leader who once aligned himself with our cause participate in such a deeply anti-life, anti-family event as the DNC, Mary Kate Zander, the organizations president, said in a statement.

_____

(Tribune reporters Olivia Stevens, Molly Morrow, Karina Atkins, Sarah Freishtat and Dan Petrella contributed.)

_____
Democrats get a third-party hopeful knocked off Pennsylvania ballot, as Cornel West tries to get on

FILE - Progressive activist Cornel West speaks during a demonstration prior to a march to the Democratic National Convention Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Pennsylvania Democrats have won legal challenges keeping the left-wing Party for Socialism and Liberation off the battleground state's presidential ballot, at least for now, while a lawyer with deep Republican Party ties is working to help independent candidate Cornel West get on it.

The court cases are among a raft of partisan legal maneuvering around third-party candidates seeking to get on Pennsylvanias ballot, including a pending challenge by Democrats to the filing in Pennsylvania by independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

A Commonwealth Court judge agreed with two Democratic Party-aligned challenges on Tuesday, ruling that the paperwork filed by the Party for Socialism and Liberation was fatally flawed and ordering the party's presidential candidate, Claudia De la Cruz, off Pennsylvania's Nov. 5 ballot.

Seven of the partys 19 presidential electors named in the paperwork were registered as Democrats and thus violated a political disaffiliation provision in the law, Judge Bonnie Brigance Leadbetter wrote. Six voted in the Democratic Party's primary on April 23.

They literally voted in the Democratic primary and then turned around to try to be electors for a third-party candidate, said Adam Bonin, a Democratic Party-aligned lawyer who filed one of the challenges. You cant do that.

The Party for Socialism and Liberation said it will appeal and, in a statement, accused Democrats and allies of looking for any and every bureaucratic technicality conceivable that can be used to ban their opponents from competing.

Meanwhile, a lawyer with longstanding ties to Republican candidates and causes went to court to argue that the Secretary of States office under Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro was wrong to reject Wests paperwork.

I see no good reason for Mr. West to be kept off the ballot or Pennsylvanians otherwise prevented from voting for him, the lawyer, Matt Haverstick, said in an interview. Haverstick declined to say who hired him or why.

The Secretary of States office is contesting the legal challenge, saying the paperwork lacked the required affidavits for 14 of the 19 presidential electors before the Aug. 1 filing deadline. A broader effort by conservative activists and Republican-aligned operatives is underway across the country to push the candidacy of the left-wing academic.

The Nov. 5 election featuring Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris is expected to be close in Pennsylvania, whose 19 electoral votes are tied with Illinois for fifth-most, and arguably are the most awarded by any battleground state.

Republicans and Democrats view third-party candidates as a threat to siphon critical support from their nominees, especially considering that Pennsylvania was decided by margins of tens of thousands of votes both in 2020 for Democrat Joe Biden and in 2016 for Trump.

The Green Partys Jill Stein and the Libertarian Partys Chase Oliver submitted petitions to get on Pennsylvanias presidential ballot without being challenged.

The Democrats' challenge of Kennedy is pending, as is the Republicans' challenge of the Constitution Party. Republicans already won a challenge to the American Solidarity Party candidate.

In the challenge to De la Cruz, the judge cited a provision in state law under which minor-party candidates can't be registered with a major political party within 30 days of that year's primary election.

Leadbetter, elected as a Republican, said it is clear that seven of the party's 19 named presidential electors were registered as Democrats both before and after Pennsylvania's April 23 primary.

De la Cruz's lawyers argued that the party should be able to substitute new electors or simply accept just 12 of Pennsylvania's 19 electoral votes instead.

But Leadbetter wrote that Pennsylvania law doesn't allow a post-deadline substitution in this kind of situation, and the U.S. Constitution provides for specific proportional representation among the states in the Electoral College, so awarding fewer electoral votes even in just one state would subvert that proportionality.

___

Follow Marc Levy at https://x.com/timelywriter.
Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY) recently closed its $12 billion acquisition of CrownRock. The deal will significantly enhance its position in the Permian Basin and free cash flow. However, it also loaded the company with debt. The company borrowed $9.1 billion to close the deal and assumed $1.2 billion of CrownRock's existing debt.

The oil company plans to significantly reduce its debt in the coming years to ease the potential pressure on its balance sheet. It's already 85% of the way toward its initial target, putting it well ahead of schedule.

Lightning quick progress on its plan

Occidental Petroleum set a target of reducing its debt principal by at least $4.5 billion within 12 months of closing its CrownRock acquisition, which occurred on Aug. 1. The company planned to achieve that goal through a combination of excess free cash flow and the proceeds from asset sales. Occidental expects CrownRock to boost its free cash flow by $1 billion annually at $70 oil (crude oil is currently around $75) and aims to sell $4.5 billion to $6 billion of assets in the future.

The oil company recently provided an update on its progress with this plan. It has already achieved $3 billion in principal debt reduction by the third quarter. It has accomplished that through a combination of free cash flow and asset sales. The company most recently agreed to sell 19.5 million units of Western Midstream Partners, which raised $700 million in cash. That brought its asset sale total to $1.7 billion. That number includes its pending $818 million Barilla Draw sale to Permian Resources, which it expects will close by the end of the current quarter.

Occidental plans to apply the proceeds of its Barilla Draw sale to debt reduction. That would bring its year-to-date total to $3.8 billion, or 85% of its $4.5 billion commitment. With the CrownRock deal closing only a few weeks ago, the company is well ahead of schedule. It got ahead of the situation by building cash and marketing assets while it worked to close the transaction, which it unveiled in December.

Not resting on its laurels

Occidental plans to continue working toward completing its initial debt reduction target. The company intends to sell additional assets and use excess free cash flow to reduce debt.

The oil company has initially relied on its strong free cash flow to reduce debt. Roughly $2.1 billion of the $3.8 billion of debt reduction has come from excess free cash flow. That's without the benefit of the incremental free cash flow it expects CrownRock to produce. The company has opted to use its excess free cash flow to repay debt rather than repurchase shares. It could continue to favor debt reduction over share repurchases in the near term, at least until it achieves its initial target.

Occidental also plans to continue selling assets. It has achieved only about 40% of the low end of its $4.5 billion-$6 billion asset sale target range. The company was working on a large deal that would have achieved its target, which recently fell through. It had agreed to sell a 30% stake in CrownRock to a current joint-venture partner for $3.6 billion. However, that company opted not to move forward with the transaction. That led Occidental to pivot and launch a secondary offering to sell some of its units in Western Midstream to raise additional cash for debt reduction.

Occidental could continue to monetize its position in that master limited partnership to achieve its asset sales target, including potentially selling its entire stake to another midstream company or a private equity fund. It could also sell other non-core assets, like lower-quality land in the Permian Basin and elsewhere in the United States. It also has international operations it could consider selling.

Off to a great start

Occidental Petroleum took on a lot of debt to acquire CrownRock, which was a concern, given the volatility of oil prices. However, the company is easing those worries by making quick work of its debt reduction target. It's already 85% of the way to its initial goal, even with minimal progress on its asset sales target. With its business generating lots of cash, and more on the way now that it closed its accretive CrownRock deal, along with plenty of additional assets it could sell, the company should have no problem hitting its goal. There's now a lot less risk that an unexpected decline in oil prices would have a major impact on the company's strategy.

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One of the themes among Democrats at their convention in Chicago is that in this election, nothing less than democracy itself is at stake.

"This will be the first presidential election since January 6th." President Joe Biden told the crowd in his speech Monday night, referring to the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol. "On that day, we almost lost everything about who we are as a country. And that threat, this is not hyperbole, that threat is still very much alive."

A month earlier, at the Republican National Convention, The Enquirer asked Republicans if they would accept the election results if Trump lost. Some remained vague, not giving a 'yes' or 'no' response.

What about the Democrats? All the delegates who talked to The Enquirer said they would accept a Trump win, despite their fears. So if democracy is at stake, what exactly would they do in the event of a Trump victory? Here are their responses:

Venita Shoulders, 69, Mansfield

Venita Shoulders

Shoulders wouldn't go as far as to say a Trump presidency would end democracy. She said she shares the concern a Trump presidency "is not a good thing to have." She doesn't know exactly what she'd do if Trump wins, but it would be within the bounds of the law.

"We can't be like whoever those negative people are in order to get something that we wanted," Shoulders said "We have to do it by legal means to make that happen. And I'm hoping the powers that be are thinking positively about what are you going to do if that does happen."

Christy Rahrig, 34, Zanesville

Christy Rahrig with one-year-old daughter Lauryn

Rahrig said democracy being at stake might be a bit of an overhype. Still, a second Trump presidency concerns her, particularly Project 2025. The plan, devised by conservative think thank the Heritage Foundation, came up many times as a big topic of concern in speeches and interviews with Democratic delegates. Project 2025 details a reimagining of the executive branch, with plans to overhaul or outright eliminate federal agencies. Trump has distanced himself from Project 2025 in favor of Agenda 47, the official Trump platform. That didn't allay fears at the Democratic National Convention that Trump intends to usurp power if elected.

"The former president, should he be reelected, would absolutely enact all the items listed in that," said Rahrig, holding her one-year-old daughter Lauryn in her lap. "And that kind of terrifies me. Not just as a citizen but also as a working mother who has a young child, because her future also depends on what happens this year, too."

She said she would accept the results and focus her efforts on supporting local and statewide Democratic candidates. That includes going door-to-door and phone banking.

"If you start local and work from there, maybe you can start making some change at home," she said. "Maybe eventually that change will spread to other parts of the community."

Rep. Greg Landsman, 47, Mount Washington, congressman

Rep. Greg Landsman speaks during a rally to support Vice President Kamala Harris in Oakley on July 28.

Landsman described Project 2025 as the "blueprint for authoritarianism."

"Our democracy as we know it will be gone," Landsman said. "The freedoms that we have enjoyed will be taken away. The economy that is finally on the rebound will be further given to the super wealthy."

Landsman said he will accept the election results no matter what and work in Congress to keep the country from falling into tyranny.

Landsman said there are extremists in both parties.

"The difference is that they're not the ones running our party," Landsman said. "Those of us who are more pragmatic and who care about solving problems, we're the ones running the show. And that means that we'll be the adults in the room. We'll be the serious leaders who will tackle whatever it is that gets thrown at us."

Juanita Brent, 40, Cleveland, state representative

State Rep. Juanita Brent

Brent said she believes democracy could end in the country if Trump is president.

"We're going to have to fight it at the state level. That's what we're going to have to do," Brent said. "You're going have to build up the state House. We're going to have to win more and more of these state House elections."

Patrick Houlihan, 22, Oxford, College Democrats of Ohio president

Patrick Houlihan

Houlihan described a Trump presidency as scary.

"It's hard to tell exactly what next steps would be if he gets into office. Hopefully the Congress doesn't follow that same lead. Hopefully they're split government at that point. Doing anything we can to curb fascism from the White House would be the goal there. I'm not sure what that entails specifically. Anything to keep it from becoming a dictatorship."

He would accept the election results though.

"I have full faith in the electoral systems of our country. I don't think there's anything wrong with our ballot boxes or any of that. I will say that it will be disappointing to see Trump win. But I will not question the validity of the election just because I don't like the results."

Gavi Begtrup, 40, Mount Lookout, former Cincinnati mayoral candidate

Cincinnati mayoral candidate Gavi Begtrup poses at Mt. Lookout Square in the Mt. Lookout neighborhood of Cincinnati on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021.

"At the end of the day, we have a democracy and we have to abide by it, I think that is the big distinction between the Democratic Party, which believes in the rule of law, and believes in our democratic form of government and the Republican Party that seems to want to tear it all up. That is a new Trump development."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What Democrats at the DNC said they'd do under a Trump presidency
Dems tell Michigan DNC delegates they get the Great Lakes State

Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz speaks at a Michigan Democratic Party delegation breakfast during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

Leaders from coast to coast on Tuesday told Michigans delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago that they understand the Midwest.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she is familiar with the political importance of organized labor as she grew up in a union family.

I know thats where the power is because I come from a union family, Hochul said.

U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) compared President Joe Bidens and Vice President Kamala Harris record on labor and manufacturing to former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, pointing to various new factories that have been planned or opened in Michigan.

It was FDR that industrialized American auto manufacturing, and President Harris and Vice President Tim Walz will continue the manufacturing renaissance that Joe Biden delivered and Donald Trump only talks about, Khanna said.

Hochul said that investment has helped cities that people once wrote off become part of the conversation again.

I understand the Great Lakes state. I understand the challenges that we both faced with people counting them out and saying Detroit can never come back and Buffalo can never come back, Hochul said. But guess what my friends, we fought hard and we brought our cities back.

Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz made a surprise appearance, greeting the Michigan delegates as fellow M-state people.

U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland speaks at a Michigan Democratic Party delegation breakfast during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland speaks at a Michigan Democratic Party delegation breakfast during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland speaks at a Michigan Democratic Party delegation breakfast during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo speaks at a Michigan Democratic Party delegation breakfast during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo speaks at a Michigan Democratic Party delegation breakfast during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo speaks at a Michigan Democratic Party delegation breakfast during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz, left, greets U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland, right, at a Michigan Democratic Party delegation breakfast during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz speaks at a Michigan Democratic Party delegation breakfast during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz speaks at a Michigan Democratic Party delegation breakfast during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz speaks at a Michigan Democratic Party delegation breakfast during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz speaks at a Michigan Democratic Party delegation breakfast during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez speaks at a Michigan Democratic Party delegation breakfast during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore speaks at a Michigan Democratic Party delegation breakfast during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore speaks at a Michigan Democratic Party delegation breakfast during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., speaks at a Michigan Democratic Party delegation breakfast during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at a Michigan Democratic Party delegation breakfast during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

Walz said she has friends in Michigan, including Whitmer, and praised Mackinac Island as so incredibly beautiful, saying that is something Michigan has in common with Minnesota.

Ive found in my life in politics and my life as a school teacher that relationships are really important in the fight that we have, Walz said. So I said at the convention, let me just go and let me just see the people that were going to be campaigning with, so you can know that Im willing to be on the phones with you, Im willing to be part of a door knock with you, and I cant wait to come to Michigan so that we can do this together.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, a former governor of Rhode Island, brought her husband on stage with her, noting that he is from Mt. Pleasant, graduated from University of Michigan and taught for more than 30 years at Central Michigan University.

Im an honorary Michigander, Raimondo said.

Raimondo said that it is time that we have a woman whos president, adding that Michigan knows what a woman in charge can bring since the state elected Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a former U.S. House member from New Mexico, said it is important to have leaders who not only represent Americans demographically, but also in lived experience.

Representation truly does matter, Haaland said. And at a time when women are losing rights by the minute, the climate crisis is hurting communities across the country and the Republican agenda threatens to make life harder, it matters more than ever.

I lived most of my life paycheck to paycheck. Raising my kids as a single mom there were times when I didnt know if I should pay the rent or buy food. And Im still paying off student loans, Haaland said. Im not a stranger to the struggles many families across America face today, and neither is Kamala Harris. She grew up middle class, raised by a single mom, worked at McDonalds through college and taking care of a sick parent. And Tim Walz, he knows what its like to raise an entire family on a teachers salary.

Theres so much value in having elected officials who understand this struggle, because they have lived it, and thats something that Kamalas opponent will never understand, Haaland said.

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In this file photo, Brett Brooks, middle, listens to Elle Day, right, during a panel discussion from local fashion aficionados during a 2023 event at Northwoods Mall in Peoria.

For Brett Brooks, it was a dream come true to work for an ABC affiliate when she began working with Heart of Illinois ABC  a subchannel of WEEK, Peoria's NBC affiliate  in the spring of 2022.

She grew up watching ABC's "Good Morning America" on WLS-TV in Chicago.

"I always knew I was an ABC girl," Brooks said.

To be fair, it wasn't just living out the dream of being on the Alphabet Network  as well as the Peacock  that attracted her to Peoria. She found herself quickly diving into the city, enough that she wanted to stick around for a little while longer.

"I pretty much hit the ground running," Brooks said. "I was able to meet a lot of key community members, whether they had leadership positions or people on the ground or people in the community doing everyday jobs. That was beautiful and I loved that. I was able to make a ton of connections with people pretty much the moment I got here."

More: Former Peoria TV reporter starts new job and shares funny photo from studio

Departure from WEEK-TV

Unfortunately, the station cut ties with Brooks in May, exactly two years after she started there. She freely admitted that the decision wasn't hers to make, but felt a sense of pride about her time there.

"It's such a legacy station, having been around for 70 years," Brooks said. "When you walk in, you see all of the awards that they've won and I'm fortunate that one of the awards that I won is on the wall. Just to work for an NBC and ABC affiliate is a dream come true."

Brooks came to Peoria after a two-year hiatus in Hawaii, where she tried to live out the COVID-19 pandemic in some kind of peace  away from the hustle and bustle of the news business. She graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 2014 and a year later from the Public Affairs Reporting program at the University of Illinois Springfield. She then worked in Rockford at WTVO, an ABC and FOX affiliate, as a dayside reporter and as a producer in Decatur at WAND, an NBC affiliate.

While working in Rockford, she also won the Miss Illinois Earth USA contest in 2019, eventually rising to be the executive director of the pageants in both Illinois and Wisconsin. She's competed in beauty pageants for at least a decade and has held a Miss Illinois title on four separate occasions.

More: Peoria TV journalist leaves station after three years for a new job

Modeling, meteorology and a love for Peoria

In Peoria, Brooks realized that she was working in what she referred to as a "little big city," with the sort of community that attracted her not just to come to Peoria, but to try to keep ties for as long as possible.

"The community is what drew me to Peoria and the community members is what drove me to stay," Brooks said.

At WEEK, Brooks was awarded an Illinois News Broadcasters Award for a story she did on Nance Legins-Costley, the first Black person freed by Abraham Lincoln in 1841. Doing stories like that made long-form type work much more attractive to her. After she was let go by the station, she decided she wanted to move more into documentary filmmaking, working on a project about David Strother, the first Black man to vote in Illinois.

"He's from El Paso and they have a museum (opening) for him," Brooks said.

While still remaining in Peoria, Brooks will also be taking some meteorology courses at the College of DuPage, trying to fulfill a lifelong dream that she came close to achieving while she was at WEEK.

"I was only three classes away from finishing a broadcast meteorology minor (at EIU)," Brooks said. "I'm going to CoD to get that minor completed."

She's also picked up a modeling contract and will be doing some fashion show and runway work in the meantime. And for those worried that she won't be appearing on television, Brooks said that she would make an appearance in the upcoming seventh season of the Showtime series The Chi, set to premiere later this year.

More: Former Peoria TV news anchor has started a new job in Michigan

She reiterated that it wasn't her choice to leave WEEK, but feels that Peoria is such a vibrant community with people that have bright futures, no matter their walk of life.

"I still love Peoria," Brooks said. "If I could stay working at what I was doing, I would have. I think there's so much life here, so much vibrancy, so much action happening. A lot of people who I've met who are around my age, I can tell that they are going to do something amazing here over the next couple of years. I've seen it happen, I've seen ideas, I've seen people move here with big ideas. I've seen the fashion scene growing. Peoria Fashion Week is becoming a thing here. I see so much growth happening over the next 5-10 years."

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Reporter speaks fondly of Peoria after abrupt exit from TV station
DENVER (KDVR)  Deputies in Arapahoe County spent Wednesday morning looking for a wanted man who they said escaped from the Department of Corrections, although they did not state when that escape occurred.

On Wednesday at around 10:15 a.m., the Arapahoe County Sheriffs Office reported on social media that Sean Hanneman, 56, escaped from the Department of Corrections. He is wanted on a 2021 Department of Corrections warrant for a parole violation and escape, and deputies said he is known to have violent tendencies. The Colorado Department of Corrections reported that Hanneman is a wanted parole absconder, and has been evading parole supervision since 2021.

The agency emphasized that Hanneman is not an inmate, and asked anyone with information to call 1-866-873-6305.

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The sheriffs office said he is known to carry large knives. He was described by the sheriffs office as about six feet tall, 160 pounds and bald.

Deputies spent about three hours on Wednesday morning searching in Centennial for Hanneman in the area bounded by:

East Arapahoe Road to the north

East Dry Creek Road to the south

South University Boulevard to the west and

South Colorado Boulevard to east

Eventually, deputies attempted to arrest him at a residence in the 2500 block of East Easter Avenue, when Hanneman allegedly fled. Police used K-9s and drones in their search, but were unable to locate him on Wednesday. The agency reported calling off the search at about 11:28 a.m.

Sandburg Elementary School and Arapahoe High School were placed on a secure perimeter while deputies searched. A Code Red Alert was also sent out to residents in the area, and they were asked to shelter in place. The Littleton School District shared a statement at about noon, noting that the schools were placed on secure status at about 9 a.m. on Wednesday.

Students and staff were never in harms way, the district said. The sheriffs office lifted the secure around 11 a.m. and the school notified families that the secure had been lifted.

The school also shared the message that was sent to families in the district:

Todays incident involved the park to the west of Sandburg but had nothing to do with our school, and no students or staff members were ever in harms way. There was an increased police presence in the Sandburg area to ensure the safety of the neighborhood and school, Sandburg Elementary Principal Keri McCabe wrote. Im very proud of all the students and staff in our building who followed protocols and did exactly what they were supposed to do.

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According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Hanneman first garnered escape charges in 2018. FOX31 reported at the time that Hanneman had previously escaped twice from the Colorado Correction Center in Golden when he had escaped again in August 2018, and was ultimately captured again on the same day as his escape.

If you see Hanneman, the agency says to not approach and call 911 immediately.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been transferred to a prison in Texas after surviving a stabbing in an Arizona facility.

Chauvin was convicted in April 2021 of murdering George Floyd, a Black man, by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes. He was sentenced to more than 22 years in prison for the murder and was serving his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Ariz. The facility is a medium-security one, but has reportedly faced problems with security and staffing.

In November 2023, Chauvin was stabbed about 22 times with a makeshift knife by John Turscak, a former member of the Mexican Mafia gang serving a 30-year sentence for crimes he committed when acting as an informant for the FBI, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Though seriously injured in the attack, Chauvin survived.

While the Bureau of Prisons at the time said no employees were injured in the incident, the responding prison employees initiated life-saving measures for one incarcerated individual.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) were requested while life-saving efforts continued, the bureau said in a statement. The incarcerated individual was transported by EMS to a local hospital for further treatment and evaluation.

Turscak, who represented himself in court on charges of attempted murder, assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury, said he had been thinking of hurting Chauvin for about a month before his attack.

Turscak reportedly chose the day after Thanksgiving to attack Chauvin because of the Black Lives Matter movement, NBC News reported.

Floyds murder was captured on camera and circulated social media. The slaying sparked worldwide protests and placed the Black Lives Matter movement back at the forefront of politics and media.

Chauvin, who was convicted on charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for killing Floyd, has attempted to appeal his conviction multiple times.

Last year, he asked the Supreme Court to review his conviction after Minnesotas top court declined to hear the case. The high court denied his request.

Chauvin will continue serving his sentence in Big Springs, Texas. Bureau of Prisons lists the prison as low security with an adjacent minimum security satellite campus.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
School board candidates backed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) fell short in a number of key races Tuesday, a blow to the governors efforts to reshape Floridas education system.

Eleven of 23 school board candidates endorsed by DeSantis appeared to have lost their races Tuesday night, the Tampa Bay Times and Florida Politics reported, while another six races looked headed to November runoffs.

This years losses come after a majority of DeSantiss endorsed candidates won their school board elections during the 2022 midterms, flipping some liberal-leaning school boards to conservative-leaning.

Incumbents Laura Hine and Eileen Long were poised to fend off DeSantis-endorsed challengers in Pinellas County, according to unofficial results. In Hillsborough County, incumbents Nadia Combs and Jessica Vaughn looked set to do the same, according to results from Fox 13 News.

The Associated Press also reported a pair of DeSantis-appointed school board members in Broward County lost their seats to challengers.

Meanwhile, two DeSantis-supported candidates won their races in Duval County, according to the Miami Herald.

There were A LOT of uphill battles in historically blue districts today, but you dont shift the culture by only supporting winnable races, DeSantis spokesperson Jeremy Redfern said in a post on social platform X, calling the Duval County results a win for students and parents in a historically blue county.

The Hill has reached out to DeSantiss team for additional comment.

Florida school board elections are nonpartisan, but thats not stopped political figures and groups from weighing in on the races.

DeSantis, who made an unsuccessful bid for the presidency this cycle, has leaned into educational issues as part of his political brand, drawing national attention to the Sunshine State over his parental rights push.

The Florida governor said his chosen candidates this time around had all pledged to serve with a focus on student success, parental rights, and curriculum transparency. Local chapters of Moms for Liberty, a conservative education group, were also backing several DeSantis picks for the posts, The Associated Press reported.

Florida voters are set to consider a referendum in November that would reverse a 1998 amendment and allow partisan contests starting in 2026, requiring candidates to disclose their party. Proponents argue the races are already political and that party ID could help voters evaluate candidates, the Tampa Bay Times reported, while critics say the change would further stoke division.

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said last week that partisan politics needs to be out of these conversations, according to a Florida Phoenix article shared in a release from the party. Florida Democrats endorsed several candidates for school boards, including Vaughn and Combs.

We are not going to let Ron DeSantis and his allies take over our school boards with far-right, Moms for Liberty candidates, Fried 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.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida  Gov. Ron DeSantis attempt to elect conservative-leaning school board members across Florida hit a snag Tuesday, as candidates backed by the Republican governor fell in several key races.

DeSantis, who has made reshaping Florida's education system a top priority, endorsed 23 candidates ahead of Tuesdays election. And as of late Tuesday night, at least 11 appear to have lost. That is a notable downturn from 2022, when DeSantis saw a runaway success: Of the 30 he endorsed two years ago, just five lost.

Candidates endorsed by DeSantis won six races, according to unofficial county election results, with another six heading to runoffs in November.

Although Floridas school board elections are nonpartisan, candidates in some high-profile races had dueling endorsements and donations from conservatives like DeSantis and the parents' group Moms for Liberty, and state Democrats and the Florida Education Association, the states largest teachers union.

The school board elections come just months after DeSantis dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. During his governorship, DeSantis built clout and power throughout Florida, reshaping the state legislature, state Supreme Court and school boards through his endorsements or appointments. That his preferred school board candidates didnt win Tuesday could be a sign of his decreasing influence in the wake of his failed presidential bid.

Out of the four matchups where DeSantis and the Florida Democratic Party went head-to-head, Democrats notched two wins compared to one for the governor, with another set for a runoff. These races were some of the more heated in Florida, as candidates squared off over issues like book banning and the role parents have in shaping their childrens education.

The Democratic Party of Florida endorsed 11 candidates this cycle, of which seven won Tuesday with two of those races heading to runoffs. The partys efforts were meant to fight back against Rons Moms for Liberty candidates and their partisan extremism, said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried.

When we knocked doors and made phone calls for these candidates, we kept hearing the same question from voters  is your candidate going to ban books, or are they going to protect them? Fried said in a statement Tuesday night. Our freedom starts in our schools, and were proud to have supported candidates who will fight for our students rights to see themselves represented in a book, to feel safe at school, and ensure every student has access to a high-quality education where they can learn and grow.

A spokesperson for DeSantis political operation did not return a request for comment Tuesday. But his aides cast Tuesday's results as the governor being willing to pick fights he might not always win.

"There were A LOT of uphill battles in historically blue districts today, but you dont shift the culture by only supporting winnable races," Jeremy Redfern, a spokesperson for the governor, posted on X. Redfern celebrated the results in Duval County, where two out of three DeSantis-backed candidates won, as flipping the board in a "a win for students and parents in a historically blue county."

In Hillsborough County, incumbents Nadia Combs and Jessica Vaughn, both endorsed by Democrats and the FEA, retained their seats against Layla Collins, the wife of GOP state Sen. Jay Collins, and Myosha Powell  both endorsed by DeSantis. Those two seats could have flipped the makeup of the local school board in the Tampa area.

For Duval County, DeSantis endorsee Melody Ann Bolduc defeated Sarah Ann Mannion, who had the support of Democrats and the FEA. Down in Miami-Dade County, DeSantis-backed candidate Mary Blanco, an incumbent appointed by the governor, will face Max Tuchman, who was endorsed by Democrats, in a fall runoff.

In Pinellas County, DeSantis endorsed three candidates who were also backed by Moms for Liberty  including two against incumbents  in another bid to shake up a local school board. But the incumbents Eileen Long and Laura Hine defeated DeSantis endorsees Erika Picard and Danielle Marolf. The third DeSantis endorsee, Stacy Geier, is set for a runoff race.

Tuesday night stands in stark contrast to 2022, when DeSantis waded into school board races for the first time. His allies wins across the state came on the heels of the Covid-19 pandemic that upended education and frustrated many parents.

Election results on Tuesday night are unofficial until they are certified by election officials  a standard process. The Associated Press does not typically project winners in school board races like they do for congressional and legislative contests; POLITICOs win and loss tallies for school boards are based on races where every single precinct was reporting results to election officials as of late Tuesday night.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) defeated his Republican challenger in a primary election Tuesday and will likely coast to reelection despite an ethics investigation and a concerted effort by some Republicans to unseat him.

Republican Aaron Dimmock, a former Navy pilot, accused Gaetz during their race of caring more about his own fame than doing his job as a congressman.

Hes more focused on the number of press appearances he makes than showing up for votes or serving his constituents, Dimmock said on his campaign website. The headlines about his ethics scandals are a never-ending embarrassment for our district.

The House ethics committee said in June it was investigating whether Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct.

Gaetz led the effort to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) last year, leaving Republicans leaderless for several weeks before they settled on Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) as a replacement.

Dimmock faced an uphill battle against Gaetz, whose father served in the Florida Senate and paved his sons way into politics. But Dimmock got a boost from a McCarthy-aligned political action committee that ran a TV ad highlighting Gaetzs ethics troubles.

2017: According to a witness, Congressman Matt Gaetz has sex with a 17-year-old girl, the ad said. The alleged witness in question is Joel Greenberg, a former Florida tax collector who was friends with Gaetz.

In a 2021 plea agreement, Greenberg admitted to engaging in commercial sex acts with an underage girl. Greenberg also introduced the minor to other adult men, who engaged in commercial sex acts with the minor, the plea deal read.

Gaetz has denied the accusation, and the Justice Department declined to prosecute him. He claimed during the primary that Dimmock was a raging liberal who supports Black Lives Matter.

Both candidates said they supported former President Donald Trump, but only Gaetz had Trumps endorsement.

Need help? Visit RAINNs National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Centers website.

Related...
These are the top 10 best airports, according to AirHelp, a passenger right company. They had the least "flight disruptions" in July 2024.

These are the top 10 best airports, according to AirHelp, a passenger right company. They had the least "flight disruptions" in July 2024.

Last month, at the peak of summer travel season, Detroit Metro Airport was among the best airports for the least disruptions to travelers, according to recent study.

AirHelp, an air passenger rights company, collected data on U.S. airports that had the most and least flight disruptions among more than 10,000 flights in July.

The study ranked airports based on service quality, on-time performance, claims processing and food and shop offerings. They then compiled a list of the top 10 airports that are the most and least disruptive to air travelers.

They found Metro Airport ranked No. 7, best among the nation's largest airports on flight disruptions. It only had 29.7% of flights that were disrupted.

The best airport with fewest flight disruptions: San Francisco International Airport, with only 25.1% of flights disrupted

Related: Born in Detroit apparel brand extends storefront lease, plans new restaurant at DTW

The worst airport with most flight disruptions in July: Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport, with 45.2% of flights disrupted. That is almost half. Yikes.

And while you are at Metro Airport, take your time. It was recently named among the top airports in the country  and the globe  to shop.

Follow the Detroit Free Press on Instagram (@detroitfreepress), TikTok (@detroitfreepress), YouTube (@DetroitFreePress), Twitter/X (@freep), and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook (@detroitfreepress).

Contact Amy Huschka: ahuschka@freepress.com or follow her on Twitter (@aetmanshuschka).

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Metro Airport ranks among least disruptive for travelers
Devastated mentor spoke with NYC jeweler missing in sunken Bayesian yacht days before tragedy: It doesnt look good

The devastated mentor of the luxury Manhattan jeweler who vanished when the Bayesian yacht sank off Sicily spoke with her protege days before the tragedy  and admitted she has little hope that the missing passengers will be found alive.

In an exclusive interview with The Post, goldsmith Cecelia Bauer recalled inviting Neda Morvillo to a luncheon with fellow jewelers on Monday, the same day the superyacht capsized off the coast of Palermo.

Jewelry designer Neda Morvillo and her husband, Christopher Morvillo, are missing after after superyacht sank off Sicilian coast. Neda Nassiri Fine Jewelry

New York-based lawyer Christopher Morvillo is missing after a superyacht capsized off the coast of Palermo on Monday. Christopher Morvillo / Linkedin

Morvillo, who has a fine jewelry business in Midtown, and her lawyer husband Christopher Morvillo are among the six people who went missing during the tragedy.

But officials are holding out hope they may be trapped in the ship alive, surviving on air pockets 160 feet below the surface.

Im totally shocked, Bauer said upon learning her former student and Morvillos husband were aboard the doomed yacht.

Im devastated because I cant believe shes one of the missing. It doesnt look good  I would find it hard to believe that anyone has survived this long.

Divers operate in the sea to search for missing people after a luxury yacht sank near Sicily, Italy on August 19, 2024. VIA REUTERS

Emergency services carry a body bag after a sailboat sank in the early hours of Monday, off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, Italy, August 19, 2024. REUTERS/

Bauer told The Post she trained the missing jeweler approximately 20 years ago.

A website for Morvillo  who goes professionally as Neda Nassiri  credits Bauer as her mentor.

She was a student of mine, Bauer said. She came to my studio and she studied with me for many, many years, and she was able to go out on her own, and get her own studio and a place to work.

She became a very close friend. Shes very dear to me. And this news is just absolutely devastating.

Morvillo declined Bauers lunch invitation over the weekend but didnt offer a reason why.

She said that she wasnt going to be able to come, Bauer explained, adding that she had no idea Morvillo had been sailing the Mediterranean Sea on a superyacht.

Bauer described Morvillo as very upbeat, very happy, and incredibly smart.

She was glad to help anybody out that she could, Bauer said. She was extremely generousShe was very special.

Bauer explained that she met Christopher Morvillo only on several occasions, but recognized him as a really nice fella who was very well connected.

Christopher Morvillo was the couples ticket onto the yacht as they were celebrating British tech tycoon Mike Lynchs win in his longstanding fraud trial earlier this summer.

Mike Lynch, former chief executive officer of Autonomy Corp departs the Rolls Building on June 27, 2019 in London, England. Getty Images

A handout picture, provided by Perini Navi Press Office, shows the Bayesian, the 56-metre sailing unit sunk in a violent storm off Palermo, Italy, 19 August 2024. ZUMAPRESS.com

Lynch, the owner of the yacht, and his 18-year-old daughter are also lost at sea.

Its all just pretty horrible, Bauer added. I dont even know what to say, its so terrible. I cant imagine what her family [is going through], the grieving goldsmith said.

Neda and her husband have two daughters, Sabrina and Sophie, who were due to fly out to Italy and spend time on the luxury boat before it sank.

He was so excited about the trip, fellow attorney David Oscar Markus wrote in a blog post after discovering the couple was missing.

He couldnt wait for his daughters to meet up with him and his wife. I am so thankful the girls had not yet arrived when this tragedy struck.

Christopher Morvillos mother has holed up in her Long Island home eagerly awaiting developments, according to neighbors.

Cathy is distraught, she is holding out hope they are still alive, a neighbor told DailyMail.com Tuesday.

Its heartbreaking. We are waiting with bated breath, the person said. Its a wonderful family and we are all grieving along with them. His mother still has hope that theres some chance her son and daughter-in-law are alive.

A rapid inflatable emergency lifeboat in Porticello Harbour on the Sicilian coast where the search continues for British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah, who are among six tourists missing after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily. ZUMAPRESS.com

Rescue boats are seen off the coast of Porticello near Palermo, on August 20, 2024 a day after the British-flagged luxury yacht Bayesian sank. AFP via Getty Images

Italian divers were exploring the sunken Bayesian late Tuesday after using jacks to smash the 1/-inch-thick glass, according to local reports.

They reached the common areas of the 184-foot luxury vessel, but have not yet made it to the cabins  where one expert theorized the missing passengers might be trapped, but alive.

The search and rescue mission could take hours. Because of the depth, divers can only stay underwater for 12 minutes at a time.

The Bayesian capsized with 22 people  10 crew members and 12 passengers  after it was suddenly struck by a freak storm around sunrise Monday morning, officials said.

Fifteen people managed to escape before the superyacht went down.

The ships Canadian-born chef Thomas Recaldo marks the only confirmed death in the tragedy.

In addition to the Morvillos and Lynch and his daughter, Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer ad his wife, Judy, are still unaccounted for.
Viewing insider transactions for Roots Corporation's (TSE:ROOT ) over the last year, we see that insiders were net buyers. This means that a larger number of shares were purchased by insiders in relation to shares sold.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

View our latest analysis for Roots

Roots Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The insider Edward Kernaghan made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for CA$297k worth of shares at a price of CA$2.11 each. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being CA$2.01). Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares. It is encouraging to see an insider paid above the current price for shares, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Edward Kernaghan.

Edward Kernaghan purchased 670.00k shares over the year. The average price per share was CA$2.28. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

Roots is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of under-the-radar companies with insider buying.

Does Roots Boast High Insider Ownership?

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. From our data, it seems that Roots insiders own 15% of the company, worth about CA$12m. Overall, this level of ownership isn't that impressive, but it's certainly better than nothing!

So What Do The Roots Insider Transactions Indicate?

The recent insider purchase is heartening. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest Roots insiders are well aligned, and that they may think the share price is too low. While it's good to be aware of what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Roots you should know about.

Story continues

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
DFW keeps building roads, but traffic gets worse. Here are Tarrants most clogged roads

It would take a resilient driver about 64 hours and unhealthy doses of caffeine to drive straight from Fort Worth to Anchorage, Alaska. The average Dallas-Fort Worth commuter spent roughly the same amount of time sitting in traffic in 2022.

Metroplex commuters collectively wasted away approximately 217 million hours (or 24,784 years) of their life waiting out delays that year, according to tallies computed by Texas A&Ms Transportation Institute. A committed pedestrian could make about 200,281 trips between Boston and San Francisco in that time.

Road congestion in Dallas-Fort Worth (and much of the nation) has steadily  almost relentlessly  worsened since the early 1980s. Researchers estimate the average Metroplex driver wasted 36 hours of their life trudging through traffic in 1982.

The fiscal and environmental cost of clogging has risen too. Commuters burned 85.43 million gallons of excess fuel idling on roadways in 2022, four times the amount of wasted gasoline shot into the atmosphere four decades ago. The squandered gas, and the time spent at standstills, costs travelers a cumulative $5.78 billion (roughly $1,523 per person), almost 12 times more than the 1982 bill.

Worsening traffic has some obvious culprits.

The population growth of our metros speak for themselves, said David Schrank, a senior researcher at the institute. Dallas-Fort Worth has really been growing leaps and bounds, especially in the last decade.

The Metroplexs population topped 8 million between 2022 and 2023; the region has absorbed 434,000 new residents since 2020. More opportunities attract more people, more people bring more cars, and more cars generate more gridlock.

State and local authorities have typically coped with the population swells with a familiar, seemingly straightforward solution: building new roads, and expanding existing ones.

The Texas Department of Transportation has invested billions over recent decades ramping up the regions highway infrastructure. But adding lanes appears to have done little to lessen bottlenecks.

For other experts, this comes as little surprise.

You cant build your way out of congestion, said Kara Kockelman, a transportation engineer and professor at UT Austin, repeating a mantra now accepted as law by many of her peers.

Enlarging a crowded freeway can offer some short-term respite. But larger, brisker roads lure in more vehicles. New lanes quickly fill up, and jams return  often at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars and the dislocation of communities. Transportation wonks spot this reflex  called induced demand  nationwide.

Houston and Dallas have not built their way out of congestion, Kockelman said. Theyve just inspired more and more sprawl.

Schrank challenges that narrative.

I would not describe it as induced demand. It is new demand, he said. Population has doubled in that 40 years, so these people show up in town and need to travel.

For the majority of families settling in scattered, suburban subdivisions, there are few other ways to get around. Public transportation  especially in Tarrant County  is slow and scarce.

Designing communities around automobile travel, Kockelman points out, is a choice. Building denser housing can lay fertile ground for more cost-effective and environmentally friendly forms of transportation, like buses, trains and bikes. Taxing gas and more strictly pricing upswings in highway use, she added, can discourage car travel (and, in turn, ease congestion).

Schrank considers public transit options helpful instruments in a toolbox policy solutions to the states immobility. Fort Worth, for its part, has pledged to explore them.

Most of the south and west grew up around the car, Schrank said. Its going to be hard to retrofit some of those areas, because they dont have the density yet.

Here are Tarrant Countys most congested stretches of road

1. Interstate 35W/U.S. 287 from Texas 183 to Interstate 30: The 3.37-mile stretch of road, the states ninth most clogged, wastes just over 732,000 commuter hours every year, costing drivers $67 million in squandered gas and lost time. Vehicles unlucky enough to squeeze through the channel at peak hours can expect to take 19 minutes longer to get to their destination. Once close to breaking into the states top five most crowded roads, it fell three spots between 2022 and 2023.

2. Loop 820 from Interstate 35W to Baker Boulevard/Texas 183: Commuters throw away an estimated $83.2 million and around 470,000 hours crawling through traffic along this 6.72-mile section of freeway. Its Texas 18th most congested road, rising five places between 2022 and 2023. Peak traffic adds roughly 16 minutes to a voyage.

3. Interstate 35W from Texas 170 to U.S. 287: Congestion along this roughly 5 mile corridor cutting through Alliance has improved bounds since 2021. Still the states 35th most congested road, the stretch delays commuters for a cumulative 299,000 hours every year, at a cost of $43.5 million. Hitting the road at rush hour can add up to 22 minutes to a trip.

4. Texas 121 from Texas 26 to Loop 820: This 12.6-mile stretch twisting through the countys northeast, meanwhile, has surged 26 spots in the states road congestion rankings since 2021. Commuters waste 257,000 hours and an estimated $84.3 million idling through the road; peak traffic adds 12 minutes to a trip.

5. Interstate 30 from Loop 820 to Texas 360: Now Texas 60th most clogged road (after ranking 93rd three years ago), this 8.78-mile section of I-30 delays commuters for 188,226 hours at the expense of $43.3 million.
When Joe Biden was still the Democrats 2024 election candidate, early polls suggested he would lose to former POTUS Donald Trump. On July 21, the Pennsylvania native handed the baton off to his Vice President, Kamala Harris, who now holds a narrow lead over her Republican competitor in some swing states according to The Telegraph. Ahead of voting day (Nov. 5), the Democratic National Convention is unfolding at Chicagos United Center this week. This star-studded event connects Americans to figures at the forefront of politics, such as Michelle Obama.

While she didnt hold the position of President, she was married to Barack Obama during the eight years he served in the White House. As FLOTUS, the Becoming author saw first-hand how complicated things are, what decisions the most powerful person in the country faces every day and how it impacts them long after their time as an elected official is up. According to Michelle, hope is making a comeback now that Harris has her shot at becoming the first female president.

Michelle Obamas Powerful DNC Speech Was Honest, and at Times, Comedic

Before Harris officially accepted the Democratic nomination on Tuesday, Obama spoke of something wonderfully magical in the air. The mother of two is confident that the aspiring left-wing leader is more than ready for this moment, adding that Harris is one of the most qualified people ever to seek presidency. There is no choice other than Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, the Chicago native declared in her address at the DNC. Of course, Trump is running for the Republican Party with JD Vance, and third-party candidates like Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Cornel West, Jill Stein and Chase Oliver will be on the ballot too.

Speaking of The Apprentice co-producer, Michelle Obama reminded the crowd of his history of distorting truth and making racially-charged comments about Black and POC politicians. Whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs? the former FLOTUS quipped. For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to make people fear us. His limited and narrow view of the word made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black, Michelle observed of his perceived hate-train against her and Barack.

The 60-year-old continued, Most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward, or benefit from the affirmative action of generation wealth, seemingly pointing to Trump staying afloat despite his rocky past in business. At the same time, Obama condemned the New York native for his first term in office, when he doubled down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies, gutted our healthcare, took away our freedom to control our bodies and banned our books.

What Is Goldilocks Complex?

(Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Theres been a lot to take in from the DNC so far, but one of the most interesting points made by Michelle Obama came as a reference to a classic childrens tale. As she was speaking to Americans who find themselves on the fence about voting for Harris, the Harvard Law grad cautioned them against developing a Goldilocks complex. As you may recall, in the original story by Robert Southey, a young girl breaks into the home of three bears where she snoops around, eats their porridge, tests out their chairs and gets comfortable in their beds.

While one bowl of porridge is too hot and the other too cold, Goldilocks decides the third option is just right. When she sits in their chairs, the blonde girl decides the first two are too big but the last one is just right; unfortunately, while shes sitting in baby bears favorite spot, it breaks. This is a great illustration of the point Obama is trying to make, as Genspect explains. Those with Goldilocks Syndrome believe that they, just like Goldilocks, have it just right. They tend to believe that their group not only have the best understanding of the real issues, but they also offer the best approach to deal with it, they write.

Americans who dont agree with everything the Democratic Party promises might hold off on voting as they search for that just right candidate who better suits their wants/needs. To this, Obama says, We cannot indulge our anxieties about whether this country will elect someone like Kamala instead of doing everything we can to get someone like Kamala elected. We cannot afford for anyone to sit on their hands and wait to be called upon. There is simply no time for that kind of foolishness. As we move toward voting day in November, itll be interesting to see how messages shared at the DNC impact early projections about the 2024 presidency; tell us your predictions in the comments!
He died decades after being shaken as an infant. Now, Broward babysitter admits to 1984 crime

For 40 years, babysitter Terry McKirchy denied shaking 5-month-old Benjamin Dowling, leaving him with a lifetime of severe mental and physical disabilities.

But on Wednesday, 62-year-old McKirchy  stoic and unassuming in a red jumpsuit and shackles  admitted to causing Dowlings death before Broward Circuit Court Judge George Odom, Jr. Loved ones gathered in the courtroom, some weeping during the emotionally grueling testimony.

On July 3, 1984, McKirchy, then 22, was babysitting Dowling in Hollywood when the infant was shaken so violently that his brain hemorrhaged, according to the Miami Heralds archives.

When his parents picked him up, they noticed that the baby had trouble breathing. His hands were blue, and his body was limp.

After rushing him to the hospital, Dowling was diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome, which can cause blindness, brain damage and, in most cases, death, according the Heralds archives. The injuries, which occur when small blood vessels between the brain and skull rupture, can occur in infants because their brains are soft and their skulls are still forming.

Benjamin Dowling

Dowling, however, survived. He lived until age 35, dying at his family home on Floridas Gulf Coast on Sept. 16, 2019. Throughout his life, Dowling underwent several medical procedures, including having metal rods placed along his spine. He was only able to eat with a feeding tube.

In 2021, McKirchy was indicted on a first-degree murder charge. An autopsy revealed that Dowlings death was linked to the injuries he sustained in 1984.

Terry McKirchy, the babysitter charged with murder for the death of a 35-year-old man she allegedly permanently injured by shaking him as a 5-month-old in the 1980s, pleaded guilty during a hearing at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

In court on Wednesday, McKirchy pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to three years in prison followed by 10 years of probation. Prosecutor Pascale Achille said the parties came to the agreement because the case was emotionally charged on both sides.

McKirchy was also ordered to divulge what she longed denied: What happened leading up to Dowlings injuries and, later, his death.

Assistant Public Defender David Fry read a letter penned by the former babysitter in which she apologized to Dowlings parents and said she hoped to offer them some measure of solace.

In the letter, McKirchy said she was entrusted by the Dowlings to care for their son but fell short of those responsibilities because she felt extremely overwhelmed and exhausted.

So, out of impulse and anger due to watching several other crying children, she shook Dowling, the letter stated.

You lied to my face

Testifying on Zoom, Pam Chestnut recalled how McKirchy once called the family frantically because Dowling appeared to be lifeless. What they didnt know then, she said, was that that was the first time McKirchy had shaken the baby.

Chestnut, McKirchys best friend and a cousin of the Dowlings, said the babysitter had a history of anger problems. McKirchy, who watched the child for no more than seven days, once even told her that Dowling cried a lot and that she considered quitting.

It makes me sick to know what she had done to that baby while I was trying to console her, my best friend, Chestnut said.

For years, Chestnut said she struggled to accept that her former best friend could have harmed the infant.

Terry, there was so much proof that you did something to that baby, she said. And you lied to my face.

Joe and Rae Dowling comfort each other during a hearing for Terry McKirchy, the babysitter charged with murder for the death of their son Benjamin Dowling after she allegedly permanently injured him by shaking him as a 5-month-old in the 1980s, at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Holding back tears, sister Melissa Dowling emphasized how her brother taught her invaluable life lessons, despite not being able to speak. His presence, she said, was a source of inspiration for everyone around him.

Benjamin and I shared a bond that transcended words, she told the court. He was the best listener. He made me feel heard and understood, even in his silence.

Mother Rae Dowling, occasionally sniffling as she faced the judge, recalled her excitement when she and her husband Joe Dowling welcomed their first-born child. The couple decided to move back to Broward, where they grew up, shortly after their sons birth to be closer to family.

When Rae Dowling met McKirchy, she felt comfortable leaving him in her care and returning to work as McKirchy was a family friend. But ups and downs quickly followed.

Joe Dowling, father of Benjamin Dowling, who died at 35 after a life of severe disabilities caused by a brain hemorrhage he suffered at the hands of his babysitter, Terry McKirchy, attends a hearing at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

On July 3, 1984, McKirchy told the babys mother that he had fallen off the couch earlier that morning. Rae Dowling said she immediately knew that something was wrong  and because of it, her son was forced to live that way for the rest of his life.

Benjamin was profoundly disabled for his 35 years of life because of what Terry McKirchy did to him... she said. All because one person couldnt control their actions on one day in July 1984.

Justice delayed?

While Dowling was forever impacted by the actions that McKirchy admitted to in court Wednesday, the former babysitter remained free for most of her life.

Judge George Odom presides over Terry McKirchys hearing at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. McKirchy, the babysitter charged with murder for the death of a 35-year-old man she allegedly permanently injured by shaking him as a 5-month-old in the 1980s, attended the hearing (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel).

I hope not a day goes by that you remember that face, that young man, and are reminded of what your behavior did and the effect it had on some many people, including yourself, Odom said, pointing at a framed photo of Dowling before him.

Back in 1984, McKirchy was charged with attempted murder and aggravated child abuse. She pleaded no contest to lesser charges and, at the time a pregnant mother of two, was ordered to complete 60 days of weekend jail in addition to three years of probation.

After her sentencing in 1985, McKirchy told the Miami Herald that she took the deal to move on from the case. She was facing up to 17 years in prison.

I know I didnt do it, McKirchy said at the time. My conscience is clear. But I cant deal with it anymore.

Terry McKirchy, the babysitter charged with murder for the death of a 35-year-old man she allegedly permanently injured by shaking him as a 5-month-old in the 1980s, shows no emotion as the family of her victim plays a video of his life during a hearing at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Rae Dowling, the childs mother, slammed that agreement.

Big deal, she told the Herald in the 80s. Benjamin doesnt walk. He doesnt talk. He doesnt sit up or hold up his head, all those basic physical things that the brain tells the body to do.

No sentence is enough, Rae and Joe Dowling told reporters Wednesday, because it wont bring their son back. However, it was the first time McKirchy has ever said anything about Dowlings injuries.

I think [the apology] probably was sincere, but Ive never spoken to her since the day it happened, Rae Dowling said. Our thoughts and our focus was on Benjamin.
Longtime Missouri music teacher Howard Bell signed his letter this way: H. Bell, Citizen, Veteran, Educator, Patriot and Voter, age 92.

Naturally, this got my attention, as did his purpose in writing. Which was to say that he and his wife Zelia, a veteran high school math teacher and his college sweetheart at Central Missouri State, intended to send a letter to 600 or so of those with whom theyve been in touch over the last nine decades, in 10 states.

In this missive, he said, they would explain why they feel so much more urgently about this upcoming presidential election than they had about any of the 17 previous presidential elections in which theyd accompanied one another to the polls.

Here is an excerpt from the letter the Bells did send  350 by email and 250 by post  all but begging their friends to 1) support Kamala Harris and Tim Walz 2) forward the letter to all of their own friends and 3) help anyone who might need a ride to vote:

My wife Zelia and I have been affiliated with both political parties over the years, voting for the individuals we felt represented the qualities of character and intelligence most effective for our local, state and national governments. This year is important to us as we avoid those candidates who espouse autocracy.  A chain letter approach can offer a valiant effort to  preserve our democracy.

The letter also includes a detailed document comparing the records of Donald Trump as a businessman and president and Kamala Harris as a prosecutor, U.S. senator and Joe Bidens vice president.

Contact from a friend can change minds

It is fact-checked, passionate and yet concise, in just one page dealing with just about every issue we face, while also including a passage from the Gospel of Mark, and less grandly, this unattributed quote: I am just sick of Trump.

What I most admire about what the Bells are doing this campaign season is not that I agree with their conclusions, though I do.

Instead, its that these nonagenarians are not leaving it to others to make a difference in November.

As retirees, putting a few hundred into this effort was not done on a whim, Howard said. Were not destitute, but were careful. And the dozens of responses theyve received makes them feel it was worth it.

Face-to-face contact, we know, still matters more than any number of ads, mailers and calls. And what matters more than anything else is hearing from someone you know and have reason to trust.

The Bells own three daughters, all of whom once supported Trump, did not do so in 20 and will not be doing so this year, either, their parents said.

While its true that very few voters are truly undecided, there are many more who might not vote at all, but could be persuaded to do so if someone they respect makes the case.

And to me, one thing that the Bells letter says other than whats on the page is that we can all do something.

When I visited the Bells a few days ago in their apartment in Kansas City, they were excited about what theyd heard back from their mailing so far: Someone in their building had forwarded it to her mailing list of hundreds of senior women, a bunch of their former students had responded with enthusiasm, and none of the few negative responses theyd received included any curses or name-calling. The most irate of these said, Dont send me any more of your lies.

That in itself is remarkable.

Rarely voted straight ticket until Trump

Howard was born in Independence and Zelia in Tipton, Missouri. They married in 1953 and have been voting together ever since. Eisenhower was our first presidential vote, over Adlai Stevenson in 1956, he said. Until Trump ran for president, they had rarely voted a straight ticket for either party.

While serving in the Army for two years, between 1953 and 1955, Howard played in an Army band in Texas. Later, he taught and conducted instrumental and vocal music in five states where Zelia taught, too.

He conducted the marching band at Indiana University, which has one of the best music programs in the country, and developed a 150-member marching band at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, before they and their three daughters moved back to Missouri to be near family.

What moved Zelia to action, she says, was Trumps despicable remarks about immigrants. It galls me the way he talks about people. They have no plan to improve things.

Ive watched him since he was young, her husband put in, and hes a threat.

Howard Bell, citizen and voter, says hes hopeful about the Democratic ticket now, while Zelia Bell is holding my breath, because Harris election is my biggest wish.

We have to do our share, he said. Whatever happens, they will know that they did.

Talk to your friends and neighbors, Hillary Clinton said at the Democratic National Convention on Monday. Do something! Michelle Obama said on Tuesday. Lets get to work! said her husband.

Howard and Zelia Bell already have.
As the Pentagon maps out the next phase of the Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability, officials are prioritizing speed, a streamlined contracting process and a broader vendor pool, according to the director of the Defense Information Systems Agency.

The Defense Department in 2022 awarded contracts to Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Oracle and Google to provide cloud computing, storage and other services through the enterprise cloud contract known as JWCC. Under the arrangement, the companies compete for task orders worth up to $9 billion through June 2028.

JWCC is viewed as a key component of the departments Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control initiative, with the military services directed to prioritize using the enterprise contract. DISA Director Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner, whose agency manages the effort, said Tuesday that all four services are taking advantage of the program and, to date, the department has awarded $996 million in contracts with another $20 million in the pipeline.

Less than two years into that effort, officials have already begun to plan for the programs next iteration. Former Pentagon Chief Information Officer John Sherman revealed in December that the work was underway, but offered few details on what changes it could bring.

Speaking at the AFCEA TechNet conference in Augusta, Georgia, Skinner said the planning work for what he called JWCC Next is in its early days, but opportunities have already emerged to improve the capability.

He highlighted three early focus areas for the effort: improving speed to contract, increasing the number of companies and bringing on more capabilities like AI.

Skinner said that while the JWCC process is already moving faster than other traditional programs  awarding contracts within weeks of releasing a task order  DISA is looking at ways to make the process more efficient.

JWCC is the successor to a failed Pentagon cloud effort known as the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure program. The department canceled the effort in 2021 after allegations of political interference.

Beyond JWCC, Skinner highlighted progress on an effort known as DODNET, a secure network for agencies outside of the military departments, including DISA and the Defense Technical Information Center. The system will replace multiple stovepiped, legacy networks with a more modernized capability.

DISA has onboarded about 32,000 users to DODNET and in October will begin a six- to nine-month push to bring on another 100,000 personnel, Skinner said. Those new users will come from multiple organizations including the Defense Contract Audit Agency, the Defense Contract Management Agency and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.
SMITH COUNTY, Texas (KETK)  When disaster strikes, Smith County pets can now be sheltered with the recently unveiled Pet Disaster Relief trailer.

Bat tests positive for rabies in Tyler neighborhood

According to county officials, they received a relief trailer from the American Kennel Club on Wednesday that will shelter pets and in turn protect owners. Smith County said that most residents will not leave their homes in emergency situations if their pets cannot come with them.

Smith County Emergency Management Coordinator Brandon Moore said the relief trailer will allow them to care for and shelter pets during disasters.

Some of the supplies that the trailer is loaded with include: a first aid kit, micro chips, crates, a fire extinguisher, a generator and towels.

Courtesy of Smith County

Courtesy of Smith County

Courtesy of Smith County









Courtesy of Smith County



We are very grateful to our community partners who donated funds to make this happen, and to the American Kennel Club, Moore said. Smith County is Striving for Excellence, and one way we are doing that is by taking care of our citizens during disasters, including the ones with four legs. We still have a lot of work to do, but this is a very important step.

Moore said the trailer is fully stocked and is ready to be deployed if there is an emergency situation.

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI)  Police have arrested a former Rhode Island attorney for misappropriating funds from three estates, according to authorities.

James McAleer, owner of the law firm McAleer & McAleer, has been charged with unlawful appropriation of more than $1,000.

The investigation began back in January, when Rhode Island State Police detectives learned that the attorney had misappropriated thousands of dollars in funds.

McAleer served as the executor for three estates between 1996 and 2014 on behalf of Clifford Webb, according to court documents.

Webb accused McAleer of neglecting to convey property in Oklahoma that was left to him. He also claimed McAleer did not pay property taxes for the parcel, which resulted in it being sold at auction.

James McAleer (Courtesy: Rhode Island State Police)

Court documents revealed that McAleer wrote 28 checks from the estate between July 2014 and August 2019 that were addressed to either himself or his law firms Interest on Lawyers Trust Account, more commonly known as an IOLTA. McAleer reportedly couldnt account for those funds or explain what the payments were for.

While reviewing McAleer & McAleers IOLTA account, detectives learned that $344,220 was given to Webb and $89,093 was was doled out for the estates expenses. The remaining $406,497 of the funds were used by McAleer to pay business and personal expenses, according to police.

Webb ended up filing a complaint against McAleer, which led to his disbarment back in December 2023.

The Rhode Island Supreme Court cited him for incompetently representing Webb, failing to exercise diligence, mismanaging fees, inadequately maintaining and safekeeping his clients records, unprofessional conduct and stymying investigators attempts to obtain files relevant to the complaint.

McAleer was also disciplined for neglecting to oversee the work of his now-deceased secretary, who he claimed wrote the aforementioned checks at issue from his IOLTA account.

The 81-year-old was released on $5,000 personal recognizance pending his next court date, which is scheduled for November.

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Disgraced Minneapolis officer walks free from prison two years after conviction in George Floyds death

Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane has been released from prison two years after he was convicted in the 2020 death of George Floyd.

Lane was one of four officers to be convicted in Floyds death which led to nationwide racial justice protests.

The 41-year-old was found guilty in 2022 of violating Floyds civil rights. The 46-year-old Black man was handcuffed and restrained as he lay on his stomach for more than nine minutes, telling officers that he couldnt breathe.

Lane was only on his fourth day as an officer, CNN noted, and he held down Floyds legs as he was arrested. Another officer, Derek Chauvin, pushed his knee into Floyds neck while Officer Alexander Kueng held down Floyds upper body. Fellow officer Tou Thao kept back witnesses as they grew increasingly upset at the scene.

Lane asked twice if they should reposition Floyd and gave Floyd CPR after paramedics had placed him in an ambulance. However, prosecutors said he didnt do enough to help the 46-year-old, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune.

In July 2022, Lane was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison. He was subsequently sentenced to three years in prison on the state level later that same year after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

That came after he faced the charge of aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder, but the charge was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Prosecutors and defense lawyers recommended a 36-month sentence, but a lighter sentence was imposed.

Former Minneapolis Police officers Thomas Lane (C) and J. Alexander Keung (R) leave the Hennepin County Family Justice Center after a pre-trial hearing on September 11, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He left prison on Tuesday morning (Getty Images)

Lane served his sentences concurrently at the Englewood prison in Colorado. The low-security prison has about 1,000 inmates. Hes the first of the four officers to be released.

He has a two-year term of supervision imposed through the District of Minnesota, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons told CNN.

Lane finished his federal sentence in June and stayed in detention to finish his state sentence. He left prison on Tuesday morning.

The four officers were all convicted on both federal and state charges in the death of Floyd.

In April 2021, Chauvin was found guilty on the state charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to 22 and half years behind bars. In November last year, the Supreme Court rejected Chauvins appeal of the sentence.

Chauvin subsequently pleaded guilty to charges of violating Floyds civil rights on the federal level. He was sentenced to 21 years to be served concurrently with his state sentence.

In November 2023, the ex-officer was stabbed at a federal correctional facility in Arizona. The Bureau of Prisons told CNN that Chauvin was transferred on Tuesday to a low-security prison in Texas.

Kueng and Thao were both found guilty by a federal jury of having violated Floyds civil rights. Kueng was sentenced to three years and Thao to three and a half years.

On the state level, Kueng pleaded guilty to charges of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in December 2022. On the same state charges, Thao was sentenced to almost five years in August last year.
BOSTON, Mass. (SHNS)Thinking she might briefly gain access to the powers of an acting governor, Auditor Diana DiZoglio drafted an executive order to ban state agencies from mandating non-disclosure agreements in settlements with employees, but while the order was drafted to be issued by an [ACTING] GOVERNOR, DiZoglio says she didnt plan to issue it.

DiZoglio thought she was going to be serving as acting governor on Tuesday, with other constitutional officers out of state. Gov. Maura Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Secretary of State William Galvin and Attorney General Andrea Campbell are delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and Treasurer Deb Goldberg is traveling for a wedding and away for the week.

DiZoglio scrutinizes MCCA use of non-disclosure agreement

DiZoglios office early on the morning on Day 2 of the convention called a press conference, and when she appeared before the media at 11 a.m. in her State House office, she said she did not plan to sign the order, even if she had been made acting governor, because the Healey administration has said they would work with her on issues of transparency.

I do not feel that that would have been a way to make meaningful and positive change, positioning the administration to come home to a signed Executive Order, she said. Its my intention to partner with this administration.

If the governor and lieutenant governor are absent, the states top job gets passed to the secretary of state. When he is absent, the attorney general is the next in line to fill in, followed by the treasurer and auditor.

According to the constitution, the acting governor has full power and authority to do and execute all and every such acts, matters and things as the governor or the lieutenant-governor might or could lawfully do or execute, if they, or either of them, were personally present.

The auditor said she was told by the Healey administration last week that she would be made acting governor for a few hours Tuesday morning between when Driscoll left for the convention in Chicago and when Galvin returned.

The auditors office released a media advisory just after 9 a.m. Tuesday morning about the press conference, saying DiZoglio planned to discuss an opportunity to execute meaningful change across state government, increasing transparency and accountability.

At the press conference, DiZoglio said that due to a misunderstanding or error made in another schedule, Driscoll is leaving for Chicago later than planned, and Galvin will touch back down in Massachusetts before the lieutenant governor leaves.

I was surprised with the information that I would be acting governor, and I was subsequently, due to that fact, peppered with questions, consistently asked all week long, every day, what my plans were for the moments that I would be able to serve in that role, DiZoglio told reporters at the press conference. And it caused me to think about some things that I had never really thought about before from that perspective. And I was informed that I would have the opportunity to potentially highlight some issues where we could make meaningful progress in the state of Massachusetts, and identify ways to help people.

Before her successful auditor campaign in 2022, DiZoglio served three terms in the House and two terms in the Senate.

In 2018, during her push to rein in the use of non-disclosure agreements in the House, DiZoglio said from the chamber floor that she had signed a deal under duress when she was a House aide and her boss fired her following discredited rumors of inappropriate behavior.

This building was utilizing these agreements and your tax dollars to cover up sexual harassment, she said about the incident at Tuesdays press conference.

The draft order her office distributed to reporters Tuesday would have banned agencies from imposing NDAs on employees in order to come to a settlement agreement, and allowed victims or claimants to make the choice of whether they would like the agreement to be confidential.

Read the draft of DiZoglios NDA order here:

DiZoglio-executive-orderDownload

Additionally, under the language the auditor is proposing, the financial details of every settlement at state agencies and quasi-public agencies would have to be posted to the Commonwealths Financial Records Transparency Platform, or CTHRU, administered by the comptrollers office.

The draft order lists among its reasons for the policy change: As discovered in the #MeToo movement, the abuse of non-disclosure agreements has been well-documented to perpetrate abuse, silence victims, and protect powerful perpetrators of abuse such as Roger Ailes, Larry Nassar, and Harvey Weinstein, and that The use of taxpayer funds to silence victims and protect perpetrators of abuse is unacceptable, unethical, and immoral.

Though she said she believes the Healey administration is willing to work with her on the issue, she said she would have considered signing the order if she were acting governor during former Gov. Charlie Bakers tenure.

Full transparency, since thats the theme of the conversation today, if this was the previous administration, I likely would have very strongly considered signing this proposal if I would have been acting governor during the previous administration, because the previous administration repeatedly and consistently opposed any and all reforms to the abuse of taxpayer dollars that are used in these non disclosure agreements, she said.

DiZoglio said she did not tell Healey in advance that she would be holding a press conference about the NDA executive order she drafted.

Asked by the State House News Service what the press conference was about in advance, a DiZoglio staffer responded that the auditor would discuss the findings of a recent audit of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority.

That report revealed the quasi-public agency executed a $1.2 billion non-disclosure agreement concealing allegations of racial discrimination, DiZoglio said, among other findings.

This $1.2 million settlement wasnt required to be filed with the comptrollers office, she said, as current law excludes quasi-public agencies from mandated public reporting of the use of taxpayer funds for settlement agreements.

What happened at the Convention Center Authority is due to that lack of an accountable process being in place, being required to file the comptrollers office, not going through board approval, DiZoglio said. Those things not being followed, we were able to see that these abuses were able to occur.

She compared the $1.2 million settlement at the MCCA with her own settlement while working as an aide in the House.

Years ago, it was a six-week severance package out of a $30,000 a year salary for a sexual harassment incident. And now its $1.2 million of our taxpayer dollars that is going to fund concealing racial discrimination and retaliation, the auditor said. It seems were going in the opposite direction, and that we need to turn things around quickly.

She added, With the stroke of a pen, we can address a lot of the issues that have been raised in recent years so the Convention Center Authority audit is the reason why this particular issue did come to the forefront of my mind, its something that we can address today.

The auditor said her office is also conducting an audit of all settlement agreements across all state agencies over the past 12 years, and is working with the administration to do so.

She said they have encountered difficulty obtaining documents from some executive departments, but her counsel declined to share which agencies due to the ongoing audit.

I have certainly expressed frustration to the governors office about some of what I believe to be unnecessary delays in getting access to documents, DiZoglio said. Public records law provides for about 10 days to get access. Weve waited two, three, four, five, even six months, in some cases, to get access to the documents weve been requesting. But again, I have recently met with the governor and she has indicated that it is her intention to assist in ensuring that we do get access to our documents in a timely fashion.

A Healey spokesperson did not respond to a question as to why Driscoll changed her travel plans on Tuesday.

The press conference, which was announced at 9 a.m. and held at 11 a.m., was held during the time DiZoglio seemed to originally believe she would have been serving as acting governor.

I cant speak to any of the plans, but Secretary Galvin was, to my understanding, always planning on coming back this afternoon, she said, when asked by a reporter. I had a great conversation with him last week in which he did tell me he was planning on being back this afternoon. So I dont believe that his schedule changed at all. That was always the case. It was the morning period for which there was a misunderstanding or error made with another schedule, I believe.

She said the order was drafted in a way that Driscoll could have signed it, in Healeys absence.

I have a proposed executive order, a draft executive order for this administration, for our elected governor to consider and to sign. I did put [Acting] Governor as well, just in case the LG happens to want to also participate in this if she is acting governor, which I believe may be the case right now.

DiZoglio told POLITICO last week that Healeys office had been in touch with her team about taking the role as acting governor Tuesday.

NBC10 Boston caught the secretary on his way back to Massachusetts from the DNC to take over the acting governor role. I know the lieutenant governor wants to be able to attend the convention and she has the right to do that, so its kind of a relay race. I go back, I take the baton, and she comes down, Galvin said, when asked why he was returning to Massachusetts.

The NBC10 Boston reporter followed up, asking why they didnt feel comfortable leaving the job in the auditors hands. I have nothing to do with that, Galvin replied. Ive served as acting governor under seven governors. We dont get into that. The serious issue is to make sure that somebodys there whos responsible, and Ive held that role, as Ive said, under seven different governors now. So its not about any personalities. Its about the responsibility you have.

The secretary returned to Massachusetts around 1 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, according to his office.

It is rare for an acting governor to take drastic policy-changing action while fulfilling that role  though it appears DiZoglio isnt the only one who thought about taking advantage of the relay between constitutional Democrats handing off the baton this week.

The Massachusetts Republican Party called Tuesday for Galvin to use his powers as acting governor to release financial details about state spending towards the emergency family shelter system that topped $1 billion last fiscal year. Galvin will serve as acting governor until Friday afternoon.

Galvin has stepped in as acting governor many times over his decades serving as secretary of state, but rarely has tried to use that temporary power. In December 1998, while Acting Gov. Paul Cellucci was out of state on vacation, a newly re-elected Galvin filed emergency legislation to force health maintenance organizations to divulge details of their costs for providing prescription drug coverage to senior citizens, according to Commonwealth Beacon.

Among the most dramatic recent examples of an acting governor exerting her power came in September 1990 during former Gov. Michael Dukakiss administration. While running for governor, Lt. Gov. Evelyn Murphy famously issued executive orders calling for budget savings as Dukakis traveled out of state.

Less than 24 hours after former Dukakis left for a trade mission to Europe, Murphy issued two binding executive orders meant to address a budget deficit. Murphys orders focused primarily on gaining access to accurate spending reports and reducing personnel and spending in the upper echelons of the states bureaucracy, and called for the firing of 1,000 state agency managers and for state employees making over $40,000 per year  including Murphy and Dukakis  to face a 5 percent salary cut.

This wielding of executive power made Murphy unpopular in the corner office. Over a month after she issued the orders, the lieutenant governor said the response for the administration was sharp and nasty, and that she had not seen Dukakis in over a month. Shortly after the incident, she dropped out of the gubernatorial race.

DiZoglio declined to answer a reporters comment about whether she plans to run for office again in 2026  and whether she is eyeing any other state or federal offices  during Tuesdays press conference.

I believe that that is an inappropriate question in this office, from this podium, with the seal of Massachusetts right here, right now, she said, gesturing at her State House office and the official auditors seal. Im happy to discuss all campaign activities outside of this building I really just want to show that were not using this podium and public tax dollars to discuss any campaign.

Later, when asked over text whether she plans to run again in 2026, DiZoglio responded that her sights are set on nearer elections.

Today is about getting this job done to the very best of my ability and using every available tool to make the meaningful changes on issues Ive been discussing over the course of the last several years  that were recently highlighted in our audit, she wrote. Separately, in my unofficial capacity, my focus regarding any campaign is on working to elect our Democratic nominee for President and asking folks to vote yes on 1, to bring in the sun.

The yes on 1 comment is a reference to her ballot question campaign to authorize the auditors office to audit the Legislature

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Vice President Kamala Harris officially became the official Democratic presidential nominee during the second night of the Democratic National Convention.

The night included a lively and upbeat roll call vote of delegates that featured a DJ, some celebrities and energetic speeches. Also, Harris, who campaigned in Milwaukee, thanked the crowd in a live-streamed message.

Second gentleman Doug Emoff talked about his long relationship with Harris and touted her vision for the country.

But the night's biggest headline was the return of former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama to the DNC stage. Both stressed what's at stake in this election and pushed Americans to come together to bring the country to a better future.





Latest Developments





Aug 21, 12:04 AM

Harris thanks Emoff for speech in social media post

Harris posted a photo of her watching the second gentleman's speech at the DNC Tuesday night.



"Love you, Dougie," she wrote on the social media post.

PHOTO: Vice President Kamala Harris shared a photo on X of herself watching her husband, Doug Emhoff, speak at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20, 2024. (Kamala Harris/X)





Aug 20, 11:45 PM

'Let's get to work' Obama says as he concludes speech

PHOTO: Former President Barack Obama speaks during the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (Brynn Anderson/AP)

After more than 30 minutes on stage, Obama had a simple message for convention-goers.



"As much as any policy or program, I believe thats what we yearn for, a return to an America where we work together and look out for each other," Obama said.



"That is what this election is about," he added. "And I believe thats why, if we each do our part over the next 77 days, if we knock on doors, if we make phone calls, if we talk to our friends, if we listen to our neighbors, if we work like weve never worked before, if we hold firm to our convictions, we will elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States and Tim Walz as the next vice president of the United States."



"So lets get to work. God bless you, and God Bless the United States of America."





Aug 20, 11:38 PM

Obama pays tribute to mother-in-law Marian Robinson

Turning personal, Obama spoke about the bond he had with Michelle Obama's mother, who passed away earlier this year.



"One of the reasons Marian and I became so close was she reminded me of my grandmother, the woman who helped raise me as a child," he said.



"They were strong, smart, resourceful women, full of common sense who, regardless of the barriers they encountered ... In that sense, they both represented an entire generation of working people who, through war and depression, discrimination and limited opportunity, helped build this country," he said.





Aug 20, 11:44 PM

Obama says 'mutual respect' must be part of party's message

Obama said to build a true Democratic majority, they have to give grace to people who may not align with their political views.



"That sense of mutual respect has to be part of our message," he said. "Our politics have become so polarized these days that all of us across the political spectrum seem so quick to assume the worst in others unless they agree with us on every single issue."

PHOTO: Former President Barack Obama speaks during the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley/AP)

"We start thinking that the only way to win is to scold and shame and out-yell the other side. And after a while, regular folks just tune out or they dont bother to vote," he continued. "Now that approach may work for the politicians who just want attention and thrive on division, but it wont work for us to make progress on the things we care about, the things that really affect peoples lives."



Obama later acknowledged those ideas "can feel pretty naive right now" but was adamant "the ties that bind us are still there."





Aug 20, 11:24 PM

Obama touts progress on the Affordable Care Act

The former president took a moment to note the achievements of his signature policy achievement.



"I notice since it became popular, they don't call it 'Obamacare' anymore," he said, prompting laughter.



Obama went on to say Harris will continue to build on that progress.



"Kamala knows we can't stop there, which is why she'll keep working to limit out-of-pocket costs" he said.





Aug 20, 11:21 PM

'I love this guy,' Obama says of Tim Walz

Obama commended Harris for her vice presidential selection.



"Let me tell you something. I love this guy," he said of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. "Tim is the kind of person who should be in politics. Born in a small town, served his country, taught kids, coached football, took care of his neighbors. He knows who he is and he knows what's important."



He said the Harris-Walz ticket is the embodiment of America's story.



"A story that says we are all created equal, all of us endowed with certain inalienable rights, that everyone deserves a chance, that even when we don't agree with each other, we can find a way to live with each other," he said. "That's Kamala's vision. That's Tim's vision. That's the Democratic Party's vision."





Aug 20, 11:43 PM

Obama says Trump's political 'act has gotten pretty stale'

Obama derided Trump's campaign for trying to pit Americans against one another.



"Donald Trump wants us to think that this country is hopelessly divided between us and them, between the real Americans who of course support him and the outsiders who don't," he said. "And he wants you to think that you'll be richer and safer, if you will just give him the power to put those other people back in their place."

PHOTO: Former President Barack Obama speaks on the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, on Aug. 20, 2024. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

"It is one of the oldest tricks in politics from a guy whose act has, let's face it, gotten pretty stale," he continued. "We do not need four more years a bluster and bumbling and chaos. We have seen that movie before. And we all know that the sequel is usually worse."

"America is ready for a new chapter. America is ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris."





Aug 20, 11:14 PM

Obama says Harris-Trump matchup will be a 'fight'

"Now the torch as been passed," Obama said, turning to Harris' candidacy and her campaign against former President Donald Trump.



"Now it is up to all of us to fight for the America we believe in," he added. "And make no mistake, it will be a fight."



Obama went on to slam Trump as a "78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rose down his golden escalator."



"As we gather here tonight, the people who will decide this election are asking a very simple question: Who will fight for me? Whos thinking about my future, about my childrens future, about our future together?" he asked. "One thing is for certain, Donald Trump is not losing sleep over that question."





Aug 20, 11:42 PM

Obama takes a moment to reflect on Biden's legacy

As Obama reminisced on accepting the party's nomination 16 years ago, he spoke about choosing President Joe Biden to be his running mate.



"And looking back, I can say without question that my first big decision as your nominee turned out to be one of my best, and that was asking Joe Biden to serve by my side as vice president," he said.



"Other than some common Irish blood, Joe and I come from different backgrounds," he continued. "When we became brothers, and as we worked together for eight, sometimes pretty tough, years. What I came to admire most about Joe wasnt just his smarts; his experience. It was his empathy, and his decency. And its hard earned resilience. His unshakable belief that everyone in this country deserves a fair shot. And over the last four years, those are the values America has needed most."



Obama went on to praise Biden's leadership as president and for putting the nation before his personal ambition by stepping aside.



"History will remember Joe Biden as an outstanding president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger," Obama said. "And I am proud to call him my president, but I am even prouder to call him my friend."





Aug 20, 11:06 PM

Barack Obama takes the stage, met with 'Yes we can' cheers

The former president received a warm welcome from the crowd in the United Center, who revived his iconic campaign slogan "Yes we can!"



"I'm feeling fired up!" Obama said. "I am feeling ready to go -- even If I am the only person stupid enough to speak after Michelle Obama."

Click here to read the rest of the blog.
The Revenue Impact of Pfizer's Covid-19 Vaccine

As the company behind one of the worlds leading Covid-19 vaccines, it will come as no surprise that Pfizer has seen impressive financial growth in this years first quarter.

According to the first-quarter results published by Pfizer this week, its coronavirus jab BNT162b2, made in partnership with BioNTech, has reaped revenues of $3.5bn for the biopharma giant in the first three months of 2021.

The companys Covid-19 vaccine was the first to be approved by regulators and is now available in over 50 countries. It is the most popular coronavirus jab being administered in the US, where it accounts for over 131 million of all Covid-19 vaccine doses given so far.

The financial results also revealed that Pfizer has vastly exceeded its Covid-19 vaccine sales forecast of $15bn, and now expects the jab to bring in $26bn of revenue in 2021  an increase of 73% on previously anticipated figures  with 1.6 billion doses set to be delivered under current contracts. Its possible that even this adjusted forecast will prove to be an underestimate, with Pfizer expected to secure further lucrative supply contracts throughout the year.

Pfizer chairman and CEO Dr Albert Bourla said he was extremely proud of the way the company has begun 2021.

He commented: Even excluding the growth provided from BNT162b2, our revenues grew 8% operationally, which aligns with our stated goal of delivering at least a 6% compound annual growth rate through 2025.

When comparing the success of leading Covid-19 vaccine makers, its important to note that while Pfizer and BioNTech are providing their jabs at profit, not all companies are. The Pfizer-BioNTech jab is priced at $39 for two doses, whereas AstraZeneca, which is supplying vaccines on a not-for-profit basis, charges between $4.30 and $10 for both shots.

Pfizers total first-quarter revenues of $14.6bn were up 45% on the same period last year, and the company has emphasised that, even excluding profits made from its Covid-19 vaccine, it has seen 8% growth across the group. Oncology was the companys second biggest area after vaccines, bringing in profits of over $2.8bn in the first quarter. Its prostate cancer drug Xtandi, for example, saw operational growth of 28% in the period.

As well as its Covid-19 jab, other successful products, including the anticoagulant Eliquis and heart drugs Vyndamax and Vyndaqel, contributed to the companys impressive growth at the start of the year. Following these positive first-quarter results, Pfizer expects to see total revenues of between $71bn and $73bn in 2021.

Story continues

"Pfizer forecasts $26bn of Covid-19 vaccine revenue after first-quarter success" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.







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The DNC gave me hope for our national ticket, and for down ballot races here in Kentucky | Opinion

There is the convention I expected to take place, and then there is the convention that actually did.

They are not the same.

Kentucky Democrats elected me in June to represent them as one of several dozen delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. I had never participated in a convention before, so I grabbed insights from wherever I could to fill in a picture of what I was about to experience.

At that time, the insights I gleaned were not great.

Democrats across the state and country confided in me trepidation about President Joe Bidens chances in November, and his age. Surveys revealed a persistent disconnect in how economists and families each measured the strength of the American economy. Internal Democratic divisions on President Bidens approach to the Israeli invasion of Gaza gave pundits easy opportunities to link the violence of the 1968 Chicago convention to predicted disturbances this year. And while arguments against the anti-democratic Project 2025 GOP playbook to systematically strip away rights from women, parents, and workers reverberated with voters, would it be enough?

Then came one more data point: the debate.

We all lived it, and the three weeks that followed it. The popular tension and discontent that has bubbled under the surface of American society since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic reached another boiling point.

President Bidens selfless and patriotic decision on July 21 to get out of the race, and endorse his Vice President relieved America of the tension we had all felt. In the four short weeks since that decision, the candidacy of Kamala Harris has given Americans something almost foreign: hope and joy.

I needed to grab some new data points.

The Fayette County Democratic Party (of which I am a member) got four times as many new volunteers in three days as we typically get in one year. Sustaining donations and one-time donations to our finance pages jumped  69% being first-time donors. Candidate events during the Veepstakes, where our own hope and joy Governor Andy Beshear elevated his and our national profiles, suddenly became the hottest ticket in town. Kentuckys own Ashley Judd held a zoom call Women for Kentucky that raised over $18,000 for the House Democratic Caucus.

The Democratic Convention took place this week, and while there was a natural focus on the need to elect Kamala Harris as President, all throughout the convention hall and the shuttle buses were deeper conversations about harnessing the genuine energy of the grassroots. The lights shown on Kamala Harris and her would-be Vice President Tim Walz illuminated the down ballot races on which so many of us are focused.

If the sense before was that Democrats needed to re-elect Biden to stop the prospect of unified Republican federal control, the convention we experienced this week is actively stressing the importance of and methods to increase our organizational capacity to bring tonal and generational change to our politics.

While speeches and rallies lead with our shared values on reproductive access, teachers, gun safety, and the resurgence of American manufacturing, the real message of nearly all official and unofficial gatherings has been clear: lets get to work.

Congressman Maxwell Frost (D-FL), the first Gen Z member of Congress, spoke to the Kentucky delegation about the power of organizing. He noted that in a world where voters and non-voters are inundated with negative media, a knock on the door from a well-meaning neighbor organizing for change can create new narratives. Louisvilles Representative Morgan McGarvey (D-KY) charged our delegates with the responsibility to mobilize themselves and others to flip one-by-one Kentucky House and Senate seats. Governor Laura Kelly (D-KS) challenged Kentucky Democrats to think of a time when Andy Beshear will no longer be in office, and to plan, prepare, and build our bench.

In November 2024, all 100 seats of the Kentucky House of Representatives are up for election, as well as half of the Kentucky Senate. Republicans have successfully redistricted themselves into reliable red-seats for the time being, but some metrics have given Kentucky Democrats optimism. Governor Beshear performed strongly in most of those red districts, and delegates here getting fired up and trained on how to translate new enthusiasm for the top of our ticket into the data points that candidates care about: doors knocked, campaign literature dropped, donations received, and mailers sent.

Candidates like Adam Moore in Lexington, and Kate Farrow in Louisville, will certainly benefit. But the question will be, can local organizers turn out the vote, and reestablish Democratic presence, in all corners of the Commonwealth?

Placard rally signs in the United Center passed around to delegates quote a slogan of the Harris/Walz campaign: When we fight, we win.

Delegates at the Democratic National Convention are ready to put this slogan to the test  especially right here in Kentucky.

Roy Harrison

Roy Harrison, a Lexington resident, was a delegate to the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
Paulette Roby learned the meaning of civil disobedience when she was 13 years old.

As a budding teenager in Birmingham, Alabama, Roby wanted to take part in civil rights demonstrations organized in her hometown by Dr. Martin Luther King in 1963, but her mother refused to let her leave school. Young Paulette followed her conscience, took part in demonstrations and marches, and shes never regretted it. Her mother eventually forgave her.

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More than 60 years later, Roby and a friend who joined her in protest all those years ago, Judy Stickney, journeyed from Birmingham to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention to see first hand the ascent of Kamala Harris to the top of the Democratic ticket in her historic bid for the White House. The pair wore matching T-shirts declaring Birmingham to be Home of the O.G. Soldiers.

I have the same feeling today as I had back then. Im excited about whats going on. Hopefully it will continue to make change for the future and make a legacy for all of us, Roby told Variety as she and Stickney walked the corridors of the United Center, where the DNC will take place Aug. 19-22.

I just didnt know which way we were going to turn [in 2024], and I just said, Im going to just keep my faith. So I kept my faith. Even with the civil rights movement back in the 60s, it was a spiritual movement, and I feel that spirit here today, she said.

Roby is but one example of thousands of Black female activists, advocates, legislators, public servants and other professionsals who came to Chicago to watch Harris start the final push to achieve a level of gender parity that for so long has seemed out of reach for any woman. The racist and sexist insults that President Donald Trump has hurled at Harris in recent days is only deepening the resolve to help Harris punch through that final ceiling.

Today, Roby runs Birminghams Civil Rights Activists Committee and its Footsoldiers Headquarters facility. She left her home state in 1969 for more than 25 years in San Diego, Calif. She returned home in Birmingham in 1986 and was surprised by the changes she found.

When I left Birmingham in 69, we didnt have Black police officers. [By 1986] we were beginning to have Black police officers, Black firemen and Black people working for the gas company or the power company. I saw a difference, she said.

FULL COVERAGE: Election 2024  Democratic National Convention in Chicago

She got involved in local Democratic politics, and then Roby wound up landing a job that she never saw coming. It marked a full-circle moment for the teenage civil rights activist, given the importance of bus boycotts by Black residents in the history of the civil rights movement.

I went back and I landed a job at the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority, and I ended up driving the bus myself. So that was really a big experience for me. I loved it, she said.

Today, Roby stays busy with the Civil Rights Activists Committee. Her go-to sources for news are MSNBC and CNN. I really feel theyre doing their jobs, she said when pressed for her thoughts about mainstream media coverage of Harris candidacy. Theyre putting out information that people need to know.

In recent years, Alabama has been a study in political contrasts between Black and white voters. Roby sees Harris candidacy a sign that compromise is still possible and that the bitter division and partisanship will ease again.

I do feel that way. And at first I did not feel that way, but I feel that way now because I kept my faith, I kept my hope that one day that its going to get better, she said. I had to keep telling that to myself, because I had gotten into a deep downer. I couldnt get up out of the bed. I was just depressed until Kamala came along, and I have been excited ever since. Look how I got goosebumps going all over me.

Of all her admirable qualities, Roby singled out one aspect of Harris life and work that has impressed her the most.

The courage that she has. The stand-up that she has in her, Roby said. She has that wisdom, she has the knowledge and we should all back her. Because one thing about it that I believe in  she wouldnt be there if God didnt put her there.

(Pictured: Paulette Roby and Judy Stickney)

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Victoria Hinckley was expelled from the University of South Florida last spring for her role in a pro-Palestinian encampment that resulted in the tear-gassing of students.

The 22-year-old who is still fighting for her degree in Tampa made her way to Chicago this week to touch off a bigger skirmish.

This fight is with Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party  and it may turn out to be more protracted than the struggle with her school.

Weve seen her be complicit throughout Bidens presidency and we can only expect the same for her to continue to support Israel, to continue to fund this genocide with our tax dollars if shes elected, Hinckley said, referring to Israels war in Gaza, which has killed more than 38,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to independent analysts.

Hinckley linked up with the March on the Democratic National Convention, an umbrella group for those calling on the U.S. government to end aid to Israel after 10 months of bloodshed. The promise of 30,000 to 40,000 participants for the rally and ensuing march to the United Center fell far short of expectations.

Still, while Middle East policy is not central to Democrats week-long messaging program, theres evidence that demonstrators calls are being heard at the highest levels of the party. With the president himself acknowledging on the convention stage that the protesters  have a point, there are growing expectations that Harris will have to do more to outline her efforts to secure a ceasefire and mitigate human suffering in her nominating speech on Thursday night.

There is no question the totality of efforts this year has had an effect. There was a DNC official panel on Palestinian rights  that rights of Palestinians will no longer be ignored  Huge applause in the hall for that when [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] spoke to it, said Larry Cohen, a DNC member who also chairs the progressive group Our Revolution. It is also clear that Harris and the Biden White House are far more focused on the rights of Palestinians than Trump. Some of the protestors may not agree and that is their right. But the move for cease fire has created real momentum in the U.S.

The conflict is not on Americans priority list. Even a Voters of Tomorrow survey of GenZ voters in battleground states released this week found the war between Israel and Gaza placed tenth on a list of issues important to them in the 2024 elections, far behind jobs, abortion and healthcare.

But the scope of the death toll and the persistence of pro-Palestinian activists in keeping their cause visible has made the movement impossible to ignore.

Seizing on the horde of national media that has descended upon Chicago, demonstrators briefly broke through a security fence at the site of the DNC on Monday. They stormed a stage at a reception, crashed a delegate caucus event, interrupted a speech by vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and snuck a protest banner into the arena.

Their goal is to keep the issue in the conversation.

I elevated the issue, said Nadia Ahmad, the Florida delegate who displayed a Stop Arming Israel sign during Bidens convention speech. They cant not talk about it.

The Conflict

Their progress, however incremental, hasnt been lost on pro-Israel forces.

Mark Penn, the former strategist to Bill and Hillary Clinton, complained that Bidens omission of the word Israel from his convention speech was a sign he had caved to the anti-Israel lobby.

The Democratic Majority for Israel, began running digital ads this week promoting Harris as a pro-Israel Democrat committed to the state of Israel. In addition, the group is distributing a 15-page booklet on Harris pro-Israel record, including a catalog of her statements through her 20-year political career.

Sam Lauter, a DMFI board member and San Francisco native, has described Harris as an old school liberal Zionist.

Its these types of statements  and a long history of Democratic Party leaders reflexively aligning with Israel  that has left the most fervent Palestinian activists hardened.

At the rally ahead of the march on the DNC, speakers casually labeled Harris Killer Kamala and dismissed Bidens most recent efforts to land a ceasefire that Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would agree to.

Netanyahu does not want to agree to a permanent ceasefire,said Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for the Coalition and U.S. Palestinian Community Network. He wants to agree to the kind of ceasefire that Killer Kamala is asking about, one thats temporary, one that offers a few weeks of respite before Israeli bombs, U.S. bombs start dropping on peoples heads again in Gaza. The Palestinian resistance is not close to a ceasefire, so it doesnt matter what U.S. press and what European press is reporting.

A coalition of 170 Democratic campaign staffers is taking a more traditional and pragmatic approach, signing onto a letter requesting that Harris condemn civilian casualties, call for a halt to the use of U.S. weaponry against civilians and promise to rebuild Gaza. A complete ceasefire goes unmentioned.

No matter what Harris says on Thursday night, there are some who have completely given up on the words of politicians. Conversely, their demands may be impossible for any single leader to deliver on.

Count Hinckley among this group.

She said theres no chance she will vote for Harris in November. Instead, shell be devoting her fall to rejuvenating student protests for Palestine.

Whether she says it or not, we know her intentions, we know what the Democratic Party stands for. Its historically funded the genocide  and funded the occupation, she said.

Stop Arming Israel: How a Florida woman disrupted Bidens DNC speech
Emily Malan

Shouts of Free Palestine rang across the lawns of Chicagos Union Park on Monday as thousands of protesters gathered to urge Vice President Kamala Harris to push for a ceasefire in Gaza. The march kicked off a week of events organized by the Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention, a group of organizations including Students for a Democratic Society, Black Lives Matter Chicago, and Jewish Voice for Peace that are calling for the US to stop providing military aid to Israel.

Teen Vogue traveled to Chicago, too, to speak with protesters and attendees at the convention. Below, hear from young demonstrators about why they showed up to march, the great vibes of the Monday event, and their concerns about the 2024 election.

Editors note: These conversations have been condensed and lightly edited for clarity. Some attendees preferred to use only their first names to protect their anonymity.

[Emily Malan](https://www.instagram.com/emilymalan/?hl=en){: target="_blank"}

Mariam, 19, (she/her), from Palestine and currently living in Michigan

We want our voices to be heard by the politicians. It's either Kamala or Trump and both of the parties aren't doing what they're supposed to be doing for our rights as immigrants and our rights internationally. They have to earn our vote.

[Emily Malan](https://www.instagram.com/emilymalan/?hl=en){: target="_blank"}

Ben, 20, (he/him), Wilmette, Illinois, and Sophia, 20 (she/her), Chicago

Ben: I think that while it was a politically smart move by Democrats to get rid of Joe Biden, [Harris] fundamentally represents the same administration, the same policies, and hasn't done enough, in my opinion, to differentiate herself from Joe Biden and his administration.

I think Harris will probably win enough swing states to win the presidency. And then I think Trump will probably dispute it like last time.

Sophia: I do think Trump is going to get a second term. I think Project 2025 [the sweeping plan put forth by the conservative Heritage Foundation for a future Republican presidential administration) is going to be implemented. But like [Ben] said, I don't think that the actual foreign policy is going to change that much from what Kamala would've done. I think it's a lose-lose situation.

[Emily Malan](https://www.instagram.com/emilymalan/?hl=en){: target="_blank"}

Kendall Terashima, 24, (they/them), Chicago

I hope that the people of Gaza know that we are with them and that we are not going down without a fight.

[Emily Malan](https://www.instagram.com/emilymalan/?hl=en){: target="_blank"}

Louisa, 28, (she/her), Kentucky

Evil is evil I don't have any good feelings about [the election] really.

[Emily Malan](https://www.instagram.com/emilymalan/?hl=en){: target="_blank"}

Hiba, 23, Detroit, and a friend who chose to remain anonymous

Hiba: My energy is so high. I'm so pumped for the march. It's something that I've been looking forward to since we got here. I think that's when everyone's energy really comes alive because it's something that we can all participate in and feel heard, and that's something that I'm going to do today. I'm going to go buck wild in the march as I should because children are dying unjustifiably and not enough people care, but I want to make it known that I care and everyone else here cares.

Hibas friend: Were out here. We're out here and they're not listening to us. So we're here in numbers. We are going to be loud. [Harris is] going to listen to us. If not now, then tomorrow, if not tomorrow, then after tomorrow. We're not going to stop. I don't know what they think the police are going to do. They're not scaring us. They're not intimidating us. We don't care anymore. We have nothing to lose. We already lost so much.

[Emily Malan](https://www.instagram.com/emilymalan/?hl=en){: target="_blank"}

Marisa Giacopelli, 24,(she/they), Chicago, and Charli Hurley, 25, (she/her)

Marisa: I'm just here to represent Chicago and show that the people all stand with Palestine here... As for Harris becoming the Democratic nominee, I'm definitely excited to see what she wants to do, but I'm also very aware that historically she has stood with Israel, so very aware of that. Aware of her background as a cop, but hopeful with Tim Walz and his progressive history, being her running mate."

Charli: With Harris being the Democratic nominee, I feel a little conflicted just because I like a lot of her policies, but I really disagree with her stances on Israel and the way that she treated protestors at her Michigan rally. That was really disappointing to see. I think that coming out and just being explicitly pro-Palestine, I feel like we have a better chance of making an impact if it's just a visible protest. The prospect of a second Trump administration is really scary, especially with everything with Project 2025. I'd really like to avoid that. It's just hard as a wannabe Harris voter to reconcile with her stance on Israel. But the energy today feels really good, it feels really positive, and it's really great to see how many people come out at rallies in Chicago. I think it's really inspiring and it does feel like hopefully, something can come of this.

[Emily Malan](https://www.instagram.com/emilymalan/?hl=en){: target="_blank"}

Serene Hebert 46 (she/her), Lana Herbert, 9 (she/her), Edward Herbert, 11, (he/him), and Miles Hebert, 13, (he/him), Inverness, Ilinois

Serene: We are excited to raise awareness and to march in community. You can see the mobilization here and this is just a drop in the bucket of how many people are feeling disillusioned with the Democratic Party. And it's really up to them to decide how they want to proceed because we're seeing now that the two-party system is more like one party that's being paid for by the same umbrella. Until we see how the Democratic Party can advocate for all of us, and especially as it relates to the end of the war, then we don't know how it's going to end.

[Emily Malan](https://www.instagram.com/emilymalan/?hl=en){: target="_blank"}

Toni Jones, 29, (she/her) and Kristi, 29, (she/her), New Orleans, members of the New Orleans Community Oversight Police (local affiliate of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression), and a friend who asked to be identified as "Z" (they/them)

Toni: We came up here today to add our voices to the outrage against the Democrats and the Democratic National Convention. We want an end to the genocide, and solidarity from New Orleans to Palestine.

I feel pretty excited about being part of an organized moment and such a moment that scares the Democratic Party. I'm energized by thinking about how worried they are, and I think they should be feeling some shame and some fear right now."

Kristi: I think that it's really cool that we live in a time where we could actually see a brown person, a woman, a woman of color, a Black woman, be president as an option, as a thing that could happen. But if she's still going to be bankrolling imperialism then it's just the same thing with a different face."

Z: I think we understand that Trump is obviously the worst option, but I think people see the opportunity and hope in Kamala Harris and to be able to sway her opinion. And this is a critical time to do that because it's before the election. So we want to make our demands now. We don't want to wait. And so we're here. We're excited for the election. We want her to earn our vote. We don't want it to be Trump. I fear that. Yeah, I definitely fear that.

Stay up-to-date with the politics team. Sign up for the Teen Vogue Take

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue

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There are arguably no better nature documentarians than David Attenborough and company, so of course, they and the BBC captured and described an incredible feat in a way that makes you say, "Wow."

In a world first, the crew of "Mammals" filmed a three-month-old wolverine emerging from a den behind its mother. The scene took place in Alaska and included a long look at the father, who was caretaking by delivering food, photography news site PetaPixel reported.

"It's the first time that this behavior between the father and the mother and then the kit emerging has been filmed," series producer Scott Alexander said in a news release. "It is an absolutely amazing achievement because wolverines are ridiculously hard to film."

Attenborough narrates the three-minute sequence, noting that wolverines travel 50 miles per day to meet their sustenance needs. The animal uses an "extremely sensitive nose" to find frozen carcasses to feed on.

At one point, a wolverine just drops a hard-earned piece of caribou meat seemingly "in the middle of nowhere."

"The food is a gift for his mate," Attenborough says. "Wolverines are very secretive animals, and very few people have ever seen this caring behavior. Several days later, it becomes clear how important these deliveries of food have been."

The clip stands out not just for the shot of the kit but also for the father's behavior. Alexander said about 90% of male mammals don't take such an active role in raising offspring.

Wolverines, once sought by North American trappers for their fur, today  like other species that favor snowy conditions  are threatened by rising global temperatures.

They live at altitudes of at least 7,000 feet in part to protect their young, building birthing dens in at least 5 feet of snow, and have home ranges of 100 to 600 square miles, according to the National Wildlife Federation.

The NWF also said roughly 30% of wolverine habitat in the contiguous United States is projected to "be gone" in the next 30 years, and 60% will disappear in 70 years. This is greatly concerning since there may only be two dozen of the animals in the region. (The high end of the estimate is 300.)

That makes the work of "Mammals" and BBC Earth all the more important, as these shows and their awesome sights and stories have exposed generations of people to nature and conservation, ensuring that the push for a sustainable future will continue.

"I hope viewers just come away with a greater understanding for the natural world," Alexander said in the BBC press release. "Also, there's always the hope that you'll inspire someone to think, 'I'm going to make the world a little bit better for wildlife.'"

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
DOJ, 17 states and DC file interest in lawsuit by former Cobb teacher fired over LGBTQ+ book lesson

A former Cobb County teacher filed a lawsuit against the school district after she was fired for teaching a lesson about gender identity and LGBTQ topics to fifth graders.

Now, multiple states and the U.S. Department of Justice have filed in court to show their interest and concerns in her lawsuit.

Katie Rinderle was fired in August 2023 after the Cobb County School Board said her conduct had violated two state laws when she taught a lesson using a book called My Shadow is Purple.

Despite a large group of supporters urging the district to keep Rinderle on the payroll, the board voted 4-3 to fire her. That decision is what prompted Rinderles lawsuit in February.

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Now, the USDOJ has signed an amicus brief, or friend of the court letter, expressing interest in the case, though the federal government did not say they had an opinion on the merits of the case itself.

Separately, a group of more than a dozen states and the District of Columbia filed amici curiae, expressing concerns over allegations of censorship and violations of the First Amendment when it comes to educational pedagogy and curriculum decisions.

The states that signed on with concerns over censorship include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont and the District of Columbia, all in support of Rinderles lawsuit.

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The group of states and Washington all directly accuse the Cobb County School District of having censorship policies and using them to restrict speech and stigmatize LGBTQ Youth in Georgia, and the larger LGBTQ community, to the point that the stigmatic harms extend to the states filing in support of the fired Cobb County teacher.

Amici States experiences make clear that the recent actions plaintiffs allege were taken by defendant Cobb County School District (CCSD) are far outside the bounds of ordinary educational decision-making, the states said in their brief to the court.

Citing Georgias Protect Students First Act and the Parents Bill of Rights, the states said the two laws prohibit advocating for what are defined by Georgias statutes as divisive concepts.

When the laws were implemented, the court brief said CCSD incorporated these new state laws into local administrative rules, that banned employees from using classroom lessons to espouse personal political beliefs about the so-called divisive concepts.

The result of this, according to the brief, was a tacit ban on discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity, even though the policies themselves do not explicitly mention them. Instead, the policies prevent employees from improperly infringing upon parental rights to direct the upbringing and moral or religious training of their children.

When Rinderle used My Shadow is Purple in what was described as a lesson about bullying at school, the books main characters status as a transgender child was said to violate the school boards policies on controversial issues, according to the amici curiae brief.

Channel 2 Action News has reported previously that the way the school board has enforced these rules, including removal of certain books from school libraries, has drawn criticism for a perception of targeting the LGBTQ community in particular.

On the USDOJ side of the court briefings, the government said its interest lies in ensuring a proper interpretation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 added to the Civil Rights Act. The Title IX provisions provide protections for individuals who are targeted with discrimination on the basis of sex.

A recent U.S. Supreme Court case that began in Clayton County, Ga., the Bostock decision, further expanded Title IXs protections to cover discrimination over sexual orientation.

Under this rulings precedent, USDOJ filed its own expression of interest in Rinderles case, saying the actions of CCSD and its school board had potentially illegally retaliated against the fifth-grade teacher by terminating her over reading the My Shadow is Purple book to her class.

USDOJ said for purposes of Plaintiff Rinderles Title IX retaliation claim, this Court must assess whether the Complaint plausibly alleges that she had a reasonable, good faith belief that a hostile environment based on sex existed for LGBTQ and gender nonconforming students in Cobb County schools as a result of how their board interpreted Georgias newer education laws.

Still, the Justice Department notes that they are not taking a position on the merits of Rinderles case, or the districts defense in court.

In response to the various parties amicus filings in court, a Cobb County School District person provided the following response:

While we have no comment about ongoing litigation, we believe the decision of the District is correct. It is far more relevant for the Georgia Board of Education to have affirmed the Districts decision, based on Georgia law, than the opinions of out-of-state political activists.

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FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW)  Members of Florences Communication Workers of America chapter on Tuesday joined nearly 17,000 of their AT&T colleagues on Tuesday as part of a nine-state strike over contract talks.

Talks between the sides began in June. Employees in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and the Carolinas stopped working last Friday.

RC Lee, president of the Florence chapter, said many people showed support for their cause as they stood along West Evans Street across from an AT&T facility.

We do feel bad about our customers that are left out hanging, waiting for service, needing help, getting stuff restored. But that kind of falls back on the company, Lee said. All of this could have been resolved if they had just bargained in good faith to start with. Never would have been a strike if they had just done their job the way we tried to do our job.

The states AFL-CIO chapter said Tuesday it was in full support of the unions demands for fair wages.

CWA filed a National Labor Relations Board challenge against AT&T before workers walked off the job.

AT&T has been sending undertrained managers and contractors to perform highly technical work, Richard Honeycutt, Vice President of CWA District 3 in the Southeast, said in a statement. Our members have seen them at work in their communities and documented unsafe practices, including failure to wear proper safety equipment, failure to secure ladders and other equipment putting the worker and nearby vehicles and pedestrians at risk, and failure to mark work areas with safety cones.

AT&T released an emailed statement that CWAs unfair labor claims are not grounded in fact and has denied the unions accusations.

Lee said hes not certain how much longer the strike will last.

Like I said, to begin with, we had preferred there never would have been a strike. But the options that the company has left us in, this is kind of the only option we have, he said.

Lee said their jobs consist of everything from installation and maintenance to cable repairman to Internet service providers, as well as working with the billing department and the network.

Lee said that hes been in contact with other presidents with the CWA in South Carolina

We meet up. We meet routinely. But since the strike has started, were communicating back and forth. We talk straight to our state director and to our district street district staff. Were kind and we keep them up to date on what we got going on here, he said.

Lee said going on strike was a difficult decision, but the only option left as workers fight for labor equality.

We dont want our people suffering. Going on strike is a lot of suffering for a lot of people. Im not necessarily saying were going hungry, but  our family counts on us to work, he said.

* * *

Gabby Jonas joined the News13 team as a multimedia journalist in April 2024. She is from Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Kent State University in May 2023. Follow Gabby on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, and read more of her work here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Dividend-Paying Stocks Under $50. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) stands against the other dividend-paying stocks under $50.

The bullish market trend that had been ongoing since October 2022 faced a disruption in early August. Investor sentiment shifted as concerns about the U.S. economys strength grew. This change was triggered by a jobs report, which revealed modest job growth in July and a rise in the national unemployment rate. These figures sparked worries about potential economic challenges and doubts about whether the Federal Reserve had acted too slowly in implementing anticipated interest rate cuts that were expected to support the economy. As a result, stock markets saw sharp declines over several consecutive trading days. The broader market fell by 3% between August 2 and August 5.

According to analysts, despite the recent downturn in the market, there is no reason for equity investors to become overly cautious. The outlook remains positive, and it is still considered a favorable time to invest. For those holding cash, this period presents an opportunity to allocate capital to longer-term assets. Positive investment trends, particularly in AI but extending beyond it, offer ample opportunities for stock growth. Additionally, rising dividends provide another attractive element for investors to consider. Although dividend stocks have been underperforming relative to the broader market recently, they remain a popular choice due to their long-term returns. The Dividend Aristocrats Index has risen slightly over 6% this year, but the growth in dividends among US companies is promising. Howard Silverblatt, Senior Index Analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices, forecasts a 6% increase in dividend payments for 2024, up from a 5.1% rise in 2023.

Also read: 10 Highest Paying Monthly Dividend Stocks

Dividend growth has been a trend this year, compared to the previous year. In the first and second quarters of 2024, dividends paid by US companies have grown significantly. According to Silverblatt, the significant takeaway from both quarters was the performance of large-cap companies. In April, Alphabet began paying a $9.3 billion dividend, joining other major dividend initiations in the first quarter, such as Bookings with $1.2 billion, Meta Platforms with $4.4 billion, and Salesforce with $1.5 billion. These initiatives contributed to 53% of the S&P 500s year-to-date indicated dividend increase. Although gains without these new initiations were already setting a record for the broader market dividend payments in 2024, the additional forward cash commitments to dividends are expected to significantly boost payouts and prompt both investors and non-paying boards to reconsider their strategies.

Story continues

Dividend stocks have historically made a substantial contribution to overall market returns. According to a Hartford Funds report, from 1940 to 2023, dividend income accounted for an average of 34% of the total market return. Analysts have long explored various dividend strategies to maximize investor returns. While high dividend yields have attracted considerable attention, dividend growth has proven to be a more reliable approach. However, recent research indicates that combining both yield and growth strategies can offer the greatest benefits. The High Dividend Growth Index, which tracks companies with the highest projected dividend yield growth in the broader market and a history of maintaining or increasing dividends for at least five years, has surged nearly 20% over the past year. This performance surpasses that of the Dividend Aristocrats Index, which focuses solely on dividend growth without considering yields.

Investors should thoroughly evaluate what suits their portfolio, as strategies that are effective at one time may not perform well in another. Its crucial to consider the underlying fundamentals of a company when making investment decisions. In this article, we will take a look at some of the best dividend stocks under $50 according to analysts.

Our Methodology:

For this list, we screened for dividend stocks with share prices below $50, as of the close of August 16. From this group, we picked stocks with a projected upside potential of over 10% based on analyst price targets. We further narrowed down the list by including stocks that have dividend yields of at least 2%, as of August 16. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of their upside potential, as of August 16.

We also measured hedge fund sentiment around each stock according to Insider Monkeys database of 912 funds as of Q2 2024. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletters strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points. (see more details here).

A medical technician wearing protective gloves and a mask mixing a biopharmaceutical solution.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Upside Potential as of August 16: 19.54%

Share Price as of the close of August 16: $28.3

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) is a New York-based multinational pharmaceutical and biotech company. The company saw significant gains during the pandemic, primarily due to its vaccine revenues, with an increase of nearly 60% from June 2020 to June 2022. However, it has struggled to maintain that momentum since then, experiencing a 22.8% decline over the past year. On a positive note, recent earnings reports indicate that the company is showing signs of a growth rebound. In the second quarter of 2024, the company reported revenues of $13.3 billion, up 4.3% from the same period last year. Its strong 14% increase in operational revenue from non-COVID products during the second quarter also highlighted its ongoing commitment to effective commercial execution.

Though Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) has fallen significantly over the last year, Parnassus Investments highlighted reasons to add the stock to income portfolios. Here is what the firm has to say about PFE in its Q1 2024 investor letter.

During the quarter, we added new positions in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE), NICE and Charter Communications. We purchased Pfizer to capture the potential upside from any turnaround following the COVID-induced boom-bust cycle of the last few years. Pfizers stock price sank by more than 40% in 2023 as COVID-19 vaccine revenues rolled off, providing an attractive entry point for us. The company completed its acquisition of Seagen, which should strengthen Pfizers pipeline in antibody-drug conjugates (ADC). Pfizer also offers an attractive dividend yield.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) holds a strong dividend history as the company has never missed a dividend in 85 consecutive years. In addition, it has raised its payouts every year for the last 14 years, which makes PFE one of the best dividend stocks under $50. In the first six months of the year, the company returned $4.8 billion to shareholders through dividends. Currently, it offers a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.94%, as of August 16.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) was a popular buy among elite funds at the end of Q2 2024, as hedge fund positions in the company grew to 84, from 77 in the previous quarter, according to Insider Monkeys database. The stakes held by these hedge funds have a total value of over $3.6 billion.

Overall PFE ranks 3rd on our list of the best dividend-paying stocks under $50. While we acknowledge the potential of PFE as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some deeply undervalued dividend stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for a deeply undervalued dividend stock that is more promising than PFE but that trades at less than 7 times its earnings and yields nearly 10%, check out our report about the dirt cheap dividend stock.

READ NEXT: $30 Trillion Opportunity: 15 Best Humanoid Robot Stocks to Buy According to Morgan Stanley and Jim Cramer Says NVIDIA Has Become A Wasteland.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
Donald Trump will hit the campaign trail in Glendale on Friday, holding a rally at the same venue where Kamala Harris drew a crowd of 15,000 people earlier this month.

Its the perfect opportunity for a crowd size comparison.

If you show up to a location, hes going to show up to that location, said Chad Heywood, the former executive director of the Arizona Republican Party.

The Republican former president is under pressure to upstage Harris by packing Desert Diamond Arena with a huge crowd. Its a comparison of his own making: Trump has been disputing the size of Harriss fired-up campaign crowds lately, even falsely claiming she used artificial intelligence because her sea of supporters was so large at a recent event.

The event marks Trumps first large-scale campaign event in battleground Arizona since Harris became the Democratic nominee. Trump had a comfortable lead over President Joe Biden in the state, but the race has tightened now that Harris is his opponent.

Until Kamala Harris took the top of the ticket, Trump was known for throwing the better party, said Stacey Pearson, a Phoenix Democratic political consultant.

The size of a rally is not an indicator of who will win an election, but a campaign crowd can provide a peek into how enthusiastic voters are about a particular candidate. Thats notable in Arizona, where Biden had struggled to get voters excited to turn out before he left the race.

Still, Trump turned out larger crowds than Biden did four years ago, when Democrats largely campaigned virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Trump narrowly lost the race anyway.

If crowd size was the only indication of success, he would have won in Arizona in 2020, Pearson said.

Democrats have been eager to fight back in the campaign crowd battle. Former President Barack Obama poked fun at Trumps focus on crowd size during his speech at the Democratic National Convention stage in Chicago.

This weird obsession with crowd sizes, Obama said. It just goes on and on and on.

Some 92 miles away in Milwaukee, the vice president held her own rally at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday night, the same venue as the Republican National Convention. She made a point to pack the house.

Back in Glendale, Desert Diamond Arena holds some 19,300 people, according to ASM Global, which manages the property. The Trump rally there is co-hosted by the conservative groups Turning Point Action and Turning Point PAC, which are based in Arizona and are working to turn out Trump voters.

Confirmed speakers at the Arizona rally include Turning Point chief Charlie Kirk, GOP Senate nominee Kari Lake and Reps. Eli Crane, Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar. Congressional candidate Abe Hamadeh also will speak, along with Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who lost to Lake in the GOP primary.

Arizona is a crucial campaign stop for both political parties because it is one of a few states that are expected to decide the presidential election. Trump lost Arizona to President Joe Biden by fewer than 11,000 votes in 2020.

Trump will be in Arizona as part of a two-day campaign swing in the state. He will travel to Cochise County on Thursday for an immigration event near the U.S.-Mexico border.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Trump in Arizona: Former president to rally at Desert Diamond Arena
Doug Emhoff Says Kamala Harris 'Always Steps Up' for His Children, Cole and Ella: 'Those Kids Are Her Priorities'

"Those of you who belong to blended families know that they can be a little complicated," Emhoff said at the DNC on Aug. 20. "But as soon as our kids started calling her Momala, I knew wed be okay"

Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg/Getty Doug Emhoff in 2024

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff shared several personal anecdotes during his speech at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, Aug. 20.

Emhoff, 59, took the stage in Chicago to give viewers a deeper understanding of his upbringing  and his relationship to his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, who is currently running for president alongside Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

After talking about his childhood in suburban New Jersey, and the series of jobs he worked to put himself through law school in Los Angeles  including waiting tables, parking cars and working at McDonald's  he shared why Harris "was exactly the right person for me at an important moment in my life."

Related: Cole Emhoff Recalls Stepmom Kamala Harris Falling in Love with His Father in Sentimental DNC Video

Justin Sullivan/Getty Doug Emhoff and Kamala Harris on the Democratic National Convention stage on Aug. 19, 2024

Emhoff met Harris, 59, in 2013 on a blind date, and got married to her the following year. He has two children, Cole, 29, and Ella, 25, from his previous marriage to Kerstin Emhoff, whom Harris considers a close friend.

"Those of you who belong to blended families know that they can be a little complicated, but as soon as our kids started calling her Momala, I knew wed be okay," Emhoff said in his speech, adding that Ella calls him, Kerstin and Harris a "three-headed parenting machine."

Related: Who Is Doug Emhoff's Ex-Wife? All About Kerstin Emhoff and Her Friendship with Kamala Harris

OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Kamala Harris hugs stepchildren Ella and Cole Emhoff at her vice presidential inauguration in 2021

Emhoff explained how Harris earned the trust of his kids and their friends after joining the family.

"Now Cole and Ellas friends knew that when theyd come over for Sunday dinner with Momala, it was going to be real talk," he said. "In between taking cooking instructions, theyd have to answer questions about what problem they wanted to solve in the world. They learned that you always got to be prepared, because Kamala is going to prosecute the case."

Related: Kamala Harris on Her Marriage, What Keeps Her Up at Night and the Beyonce Song She Calls Her Anthem (Exclusive)

He then talked about the honor Harris felt being asked to officiate Cole's wedding to Greenley Littlejohn in October 2023.

"In the same breath that Cole and Greenley told us that they were engaged, they asked Kamala to officiate their wedding. And in the same way that she always steps up when it matters, Kamala put so much into those remarks and she bound them in a book that matcher her dark red dress, and then turned that into a gift for the happy couple," he said.



Harris told PEOPLE shortly after the wedding that being asked to join their ceremony "meant so much for so many reasons."

Related: Kamala Harris Shares the Marriage Advice She Gave Stepson Cole Emhoff (Exclusive)

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Ella and Cole Emhoff attend the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19, 2024

Emhoff shared that Ella and Harris still find time to talk regularly amid the family's whirlwind experience on the campaign trail.

"A few days ago, during this incredible time were going through, there was a brief window when Kamala was back at home. I saw her sitting in her favorite chair, and in the middle of a wild month, I just hoped that she was having a quiet moment to herself. But then I realized she was on the phone," Emhoff said.

"And of course my mind went to all the potential crises that the vice president could be dealing with. Was it domestic? Was it foreign? Was it campaign? I could see she was focused, and all I knew was that it must be something important," he continued. "And it turns out it was  Ella had called her. Thats Kamala. Those kids are her priorities, and that scene was a perfect map of her heart. Shes always been there for our children, and I know shell always be there for yours, too."



Related: Kamala Harris' Stepdaughter Ella Emhoff Calls Out J.D. Vance's 'Childless' VP Remark: 'I Love My 3 Parents'

Before becoming second gentleman, Emhoff was also a lawyer. When Harris announced her 2020 primary campaign for the presidency, Emhoff took a leave of absence from his law firm to support her. When she instead joined the Democratic ticket as Joe Biden's running mate and was successfully elected to the vice presidency, Emhoff announced that he would leave his firm to join her in Washington.

Since becoming second gentleman in 2021, Emhoff has been teaching at Georgetown University Law Center.

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.

Like his wife, who made history as the first woman, first Indian American and first Black vice president, Emhoff made history in more ways than just being the first second gentleman.

Related: Doug Emhoff Opens Up About His Jewish Faith and Historic Role: 'I Would Have Said, "There's No Way" '

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Doug Emhoff, Kamala Harris, Tim and Gwen Walz in 2024

Emhoff is the first Jewish spouse of any president of vice president, and made history lighting the White House menorah while celebrating Hanukkah in 2021. He also lit the national menorah that year.

The second gentleman is also an outspoken opponent of antisemitism  an issue that he's said Harris encouraged him to take on in his role.

I know I have an obligation to our Jewish community as the first Jewish person in this role, he previously said in January during an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

Theres high expectations and theres a lot of accountability  I take that extremely seriously. So, no matter how bad I might be feeling personally, its not going to stop me from continuing to use my voice, this microphone, to advocate against antisemitism, against hate, and to push our coalitions back together so we can fight this thing together.

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Read the original article on People.
This downtown Huntersville store is closing after more than six decades. What to know

After 63 years, one of Huntersvilles oldest business closed it doors this month to make way for new road construction.

Cashions Quik Stop, located at the corner of Gilead and Old Statesville road, was purchased by the town last month for $2.3 million, WSOC reported. The town plans to tear down the convenience store so the two-lane road can be widened.

As part of building the town hall, we have to have a turn lane there, Mayor Christy Clark told WSOC. We need the extra land that the Cashions had in order to build that turn lane.

We hope to have something wonderful take its place that will, you know, make our downtown even a more special place, she added.

The store was once owned by Robert Cashion, a Charlotte native who was raised in Cornelius. Cashion established a chain of stores which included four locations in northern Mecklenburg County that employed 30 full- and part-time employees, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

The Cashion family, known for their charitable donations, gave $50,000 for a new library in Cornelius and donated thousands to schools and nonprofit organizations over the years, the Observer reported.

Clark said the town is in the due diligence phase, and should close on the property in September, WSOC reported.
FILE - Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos, front left, and the top commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, Rodrigo Londono, known by the alias Timochenko, shake hands after signing the peace agreement between the government and the FARC to end over 50 years of conflict, in Cartagena, Colombia, Sept. 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP)  Dozens of former guerrilla fighters and their families were forced to abandon their village in southern Colombia on Tuesday, after receiving death threats by a rebel group that is still fighting the government, authorities said.

The displaced former fighters were members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the guerrilla group that signed a peace deal with Colombias government in 2016.

For the past seven years, the former fighters had been living in Miravalle, a village built for them by Colombias government, where they worked on farming projects, raised chickens and even organized whitewater rafting trips for tourists.

But in June, the Ivan Diaz front, a rebel group that is vying for control of farmland and drug trafficking routes in Colombias Caqueta province, accused the residents of Miravalle of aiding another rebel group in the area, and gave them 40 days to leave.

On Tuesday more than 80 people, including former fighters, their children and their spouses, left the Miravalle area for another village  also inhabited by former FARC fighters  200 km (124 miles) to the south. They carried their animals and their belongings in a caravan that was organized by Colombias government.

We are leaving this place, but we'll continue to focus on building peace, Carlos Zamudio, a former FARC fighter who had been living in Miravalle for the past seven years, said in a video published by the ARN, a Colombian government agency that helps former fighters to adapt to civilian life.

Following the 2016 peace deal, in which more than 14,000 FARC fighters laid down their weapons, the Colombian government created 24 villages in rural areas, where the former fighters could launch businesses and rebuild their lives.

These villages are known as Temporary Spaces for Capacity Building and Reincorporation, and were initially home to a majority of former FARC fighters.

But the population of these villages, also known by their Spanish acronym of ETCR, has dwindled significantly due to security problems, and also because many former fighters have struggled to find work there.

Five ETCRs, including Miravalle, have been completely abandoned as former fighters face threats from groups that are still armed, and are vying for control of the territory around these villages.

The Colombian government is holding peace talks with many of the nations remaining rebel groups, but ensuring the security of former FARC fighters continues to be a challenge.

A United Nations report published in April said that 416 former FARC fighters had been murdered since the peace deal was signed in 2016.

___

Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Dr. Peterson emphasizes connection and encouragement on his first day as Bluefield University President

BLUEFIELD, VA (WVNS)  The tenth President of Bluefield University, Dr. Steven Peterson, was welcomed to campus as his tenure began on Monday, August 19, 2024.

In celebration of Dr. Petersons new start as President and to build connections with members of faculty and staff, a breakfast for the employees took place in Shott Halls conference rooms A and B, with catering from Pioneer College Caterers.

During the event, Dr. Peterson gave words of encouragement to those in attendance as the school year begins, stressing the importance of integrating fresh ideas and taking decisive action in their work.

Bluefield University announces opening of new campus store

Dr. Peterson meeting members of Bluefield University community (Courtesy of Bluefield University)

Dr. Peterson meeting members of Bluefield University community (Courtesy of Bluefield University)

Dr. Peterson meeting members of Bluefield University community (Courtesy of Bluefield University)

On August 13, 2024, Dr. Peterson took part in a panel with Bluefield Universitys then-Interim President, Dr. Michael Salmeier, where Dr. Peterson discussed current institutional affairs and recounted its mission and vision. He also spoke on his conversion to Christianity and the path that led him forward.

Dr. Steven Peterson announced as 10th President of Bluefield University

After he transferred to and graduated from a Christian school, Dr. Peterson enrolled at Word of Life Bible Institute located in New York, and later attended Liberty University. While there, he married, earned a Bachelor of Science in Religion, and became employed at the university, holding various positions. He would go on to complete three more degree programs: Master of Arts in Religion, Master of Business Administration, and Doctor of Education.

In pursuing these degrees, he managed to experience Liberty Universitys growth, transforming into a bustling school with more than 100,000 students enrolled. He then began a position at Houston Christian University, where he served as Vice President for Online and Digital Learning and assisted in the launch of the schools online division. In 2023, the division would serve more than 1,800 students.

For more information regarding Dr. Peterson and Bluefield University, visit their 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 WVNS.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A 30-year-old Arizona man faces three felony charges after he was arrested in the investigation of a drive-by shooting on Monday night.

Martin Lee Eubanks of Golden Valley, Arizona, faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, drive-by shooting and disorderly conduct with a weapon, according to information released Tuesday by the Mohave County Sheriffs Office.

Golden Valley is in northwest Arizona, just off Highway 93 about 100 miles southeast of Las Vegas.

Sheriffs deputies responded to a report of a drive-by shooting at a residence in the 500 block of Eloy Road at about 11:20 p.m. The caller said her roommates boyfriend, identified as Eubanks, showed up at the residence and caused a disturbance before he left.

Investigators said several shots were fired at the residence from a person in a vehicle, but no injuries were reported.

Deputies located Eubanks at a residence in the 4000 block of Cordes Road. SWAT officers were sent to the scene, but Eubanks surrendered to SWAT team members and was taken into custody.

Eubanks was booked into the Mohave County Adult Detention Facility in Kingman.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Drone fragments were discovered in Romania near its border with Ukraine, specifically in the area around the village of Periprava, Tulcea county.



Romanian defense specialists investigated the site and collected evidence for further examination.



Romania, a NATO member, has kept its allies informed about such incidents and condemned Russia's attacks on Ukraine as violations of international law.



The discovery follows a recent Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine, during which Ukrainian forces shot down several air targets.



This is not the first time drone debris has been found in Romania, with NATO previously stating that these incidents are irresponsible and dangerous.



Russian forces have repeatedly targeted Ukrainian port infrastructure on the Danube River that separates Ukraine and Romania.

Romania has taken measures to protect its citizens who live close to the Ukrainian border, including the construction of air raid shelters and the deployment of drone defense systems.

Read also: Russia issues information security alert in regions bordering Ukraine amid Kursk incursion

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
RIO ARRIBA COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE)  A Dulce man was sentenced to prison for using candy to lure children into his home on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation, where he sexually assaulted them.

Video: APDs horse-mounted unit arrests two suspects after fight turns into short chase

Joel Ruiz, 65, will go to prison for 30 years. Evidence in the case showed that he lured two children to his home between January 2016 and January 2020. Both of the children were female and under the age of 12, according to the Department of Justice.

The two victims testified at the trial and detailed the abuse they experienced. Upon his release from prison, Ruiz will be subject to 10 years of supervised release.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
How Dulzura residents can apply to protect homes against wildfires

How Dulzura residents can apply to protect homes against wildfires

DULZURA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI)  A new program aimed to protect homes from wildfires launched Tuesday in the Dulzura area.

County Fire/Cal Fire San Diego are supplying defensible space and home retrofits to harden homes against wildfires, the County of San Diego said in a news release Tuesday.

Some of the actions that will be done include clearing trees, brush or other things that can burn, away from your home; replacement of roof, doors, vents or other parts of the home, according to county officials.

One home in the Dulzura area had trees and brush removed to create defensible space.

Fire in North Park home sends apparent fireworks into sky

Then construction contractors moved in to replace combustible materials untreated wood trim, a wood deck, nylon window screens, and vents in the foundation and roof to further protect the home from wildfires and embers, the county said.

Homes that qualify include, single-family, multi-family (not apartment complexes, duplexes, manufactured homes and mobile homes. The county said homes do not have to be a primary residence as rental units will be accepted  the legal homeowner must apply.

Only Dulzura residents can apply for the Home Hardening Initiative through the San Diego Countys website at this time. Applications for homes in Potrero and Campo will be coming in the future, per county officials.

The plan, which provides help to qualifying low- and moderate-income households for free in many cases, is part of the California Wildfire Mitigation Program.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
(Reuters) - PwC China has informed its clients it expects a six-month business ban by Chinese authorities as early as September as part of punishment for its audit of collapsed property developer Evergrande, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

The ban would prevent it from signing off on financial results and initial public offerings and from conducting other regulated activities, the report stated, citing multiple clients.

A PwC spokesperson declined to comment, saying it is an ongoing regulatory matter.

PwC has been under scrutiny for its role in auditing Evergrande since the troubled property developer was accused in March of a $78-billion fraud, leading to an exodus of clients.

As of March, PwC was the leading auditing firm in China with about 110 companies listed in the country as its clients.

Since then, at least 50 Chinese companies, many of which are state-owned firms or financial institutions, have dropped PwC as its auditor or cancelled the plans to hire it in recent months.

(Reporting by Urvi Dugar and Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)
How was earmark money spread out in SC budget? Here are the top 10 counties to receive cash

South Carolinas budget included more than $400 million in earmarks requested and directed by lawmakers within their $14.5 billion spending plan for this year.

For the most part, dollars followed the population, but some counties with smaller populations cracked into the top ten of earmark cash during this cycle as lawmakers from both chambers put together proposed spending plans before the final compromise was reached.

The top 10 counties

 Richland County - $43.5 million

 Greenville County - $41.9 million

 Horry County - $35.2 million

 York County - $30.2 million

 Charleston County - $27.8 million

 Sumter County - $24.2 million

 Spartanburg County - $19.5 million

 Oconee County - $17.5 million

 Beaufort County - $13.1 million

 Florence County - $13 million

Residents repeatedly sending the same elected officials back to Columbia who go on to serve on the budget writing committees helps them bring money back to their communities. The state Senate operates on seniority as senators with the longest tenure have priority in sitting on the budget writing Senate Finance Committee.

Senate Finance Chairman Harvey Peeler, R-Cherokee, who has been in the upper chamber since 1981 only became the committee chairman in 2022 after the death of Florence County Republican Hugh Leatherman, who chaired the committee for 20 years.

Peeler has a Senate district that includes part of York County. Peeler directed $10.2 million in earmark spending, which included $4 million toward construction of a recreation facility in Clover, $3 million to help York School District 1 complete an agriculture arena, and $2 million toward upgrades for the city of Yorks recreational facility.

Even though the largest chunks of his earmarks went to York County, he also directed cash to Cherokee, Spartanburg and Union counties, which is district covers.

Richland County has three members on the House Ways and Means committee including House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford. It also has state Sen. Darrell Jackson, who has been in the Senate since 1993, on the Finance Committee. Among the projects in the county are $4.4 million for a 10,000 square-foot market place that will include a farmers market, and $5 million to help eliminate railroad crossings along Assembly Street in Columbia.

House Ways and Means Chairman Bruce Bannister, a Republican, represents part of Greenville County. He is joined by state Rep. Chandra Dillard, D-Greenville, on Ways and Means. State Sen. Karl Allen, D-Greenville, also serves on the Finance Committee.

Projects included $100,000 for park facility upgrades, $1 million for community center work, and $5 million for renovation and expansion of the Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Wed like to call it community investment projects, Peeler told reporters in June. People out in the hinterland like to call it earmarks. Whatever it is, it can get out of hand and it seems to be getting out of hand and were going to work on that to make it more fairly and equitably or it may not happen at all.

But counties with smaller populations also moved into the top 10.

House Speaker Murrell Smith, a Republican from Sumter County, directed money to his home county. Other members who represent Sumter County, outgoing Democratic state Sen. Thomas McElveen, who sits on the Finance Committee, and Democratic state Rep. David Weeks, who sits on Ways and Means, also directed money to Sumter County. Sumter County is the 16th largest county in the state in terms of population.

Senate President Thomas Alexander of Oconee County also sponsored money to go towards his home county. Alexander helped direct more than $7 million to Oconee County. But other influential lawmakers helped send money to Oconee County.

Outgoing state Rep. Bill Sandifer, chairman of the House Labor, Commerce and Industry committee who lost his primary election, directed $5.1 million to Seneca for an addition to its recreation complex and $985,000 to the Foothills Agricultural Resource and Marketing Center to build an educational building to include a training facility for food safety and preservation classes.

State Rep. Bill Whitmire, who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, directed $4.25 million to the city of Walhala for its police station. Oconee County is the 18th largest county in the state in terms of population.

McCorkmick County, which has the second smallest population in the state of about 9,900 people, received the smallest amount of earmark cash at $92,000.

So let me tell you that theres never so many earmarks that everybody got what they want, Bannister told reporters in June. Theres a long list of things that are not funded.
SWAINSBORO, Ga. (WSAV)  East Georgia State College (EGSC), is partnering with the Magnolia Midlands Georgia Youth Science & Technology Center and the Georgia Forestry Commission to hold a celebration of science and nature called Moon Tree Party.

The event will take place at the Sudie A. Fulford Community Learning Center. The venue is located on the East Georgia State College Swainsboro campus at 131 College Circle, Swainsboro.

The event takes place on Tuesday, September 10, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

The Moon Tree Party will offer activities designed for attendees of all ages. Some of the activities included will be hands-on STEM workshops and experiments, immersive planetarium shows to explore the universe. It will also include experts from the Georgia Forestry Commission who will host a tree talk.

WSAV News 3, iHeart Media and Parkers Kitchen raise money for victims of Tropical Storm Debby

The main event will be a chance to see the NASA Moon Tree up close and learn about its remarkable voyage.

We are thrilled to be able to share this historic moment with the community, said Erin Youmans, Regional Coordinator for Magnolia Midlands GYSTC. The planting of the Moon Tree at EGSC presents a unique opportunity for the surrounding community to observe and learn from this living piece of space history for generations to come.

East Georgia State College received a loblolly pine from a group of tree species, including sycamores, sweetgums, Douglas firs, loblolly pines, and giant sequoias, which were flown around the Moon. EGSC was tasked with nurturing the tree for future generations to enjoy.

The loblolly pine was planted at the Fulford Center on May 7, 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 WSAV-TV.
Some East Palestine, Ohio, residents want more time and more information before they have to decide by a deadline this week whether to accept their share of a $600 million class-action settlement with Norfolk Southern over last years disastrous train derailment.

But its not clear whether the judge will rule on their motion before Thursdays deadline for people who live within 20 miles (32 kilometers) of the derailment to file a claim.

Residents who live within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of the Feb. 3, 2023, crash near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border also have to decide whether to accept up to $25,000 per person for personal injuries, although accepting that money will force them to give up the right to sue later if someone develops cancer or other serious illness because of the chemical exposure.

The amount residents can receive varies by how close they lived to the derailment, with people who lived within 2 miles receiving $70,000 for property damage. People who lived at the outer edge of the area might only receive a few hundred dollars.

One of the key complaints in the motion filed by attorney David Graham is that attorneys who represented residents in the lawsuit havent disclosed any of the results of testing done around town by their own expert, Stephen Petty, who has testified in hundreds of lawsuits about contamination concerns, to determine the extent of the contamination caused when toxic chemicals spilled and burned after the derailment.

Some of the attorneys involved in the case promised residents in news interviews early on that Pettys data would be disclosed in court filings to lay out the impact on East Palestine. So Graham asked the judge to order that information to be released to try to address residents concerns.

Fast forward to their present, post-settlement posture, and class counsel and their PR machine have now forgotten all about their star testing expert, Petty, Graham wrote.

Instead of Petty, the lawyers brought out a different expert at an online town hall meeting a couple weeks ago who told residents he didnt think anyone in town would develop cancer as a result of the derailment. But Dr. Arch Carson didnt make clear what data he relied on for that opinion other than a brief mention of tests from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Researchers studying the health of residents in the area and tracking respiratory problems, rashes and other ailments they are reporting say it may not be clear for years what the long-term implications of the derailment will be.

I completely disagree with Dr. Arch Carson  there is no research data that suggest that his statement is correct, said Dr. Erin Haynes, who is leading one of the main studies in town and is chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health.

Graham suggested that the plaintiffs attorneys might be more interested in collecting their up to $180 million in legal fees than representing residents interests.

The plaintiffs lawyers didnt immediately respond to the motion Monday, but they have previously defended the settlement that was announced in the spring. They have said the settlement is bigger than any past derailment settlement that has been made public, and that the amount of time residents received to evaluate the deal is similar to other settlements.

Some residents have complained that the initial opt-out deadline in the lawsuit came less than a week after the National Transportation Safety Board held a hearing on its findings in the investigation.

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Editors note: Rob Long is not a medical professional or licensed provider of psychedelics. He may, in fact, be high while writing this column. Nothing herein constitutes pharmaceutical advice or guidance, and should not be used to inform diagnoses or treatment.

Not too long ago, I watched a certifiable, internationally famous movie star record a public service announcement. He walked up to the microphone, adjusted the lectern, cleared his throat and then, without even looking back, extended his right arm behind him

His fingers opened, and suddenly a bottle of cold water was right there. How? Because his assistant, in a constant state of anticipation, knew that his boss would reach out for the bottleand had it prepared.

The movie star never bothered to check to see if it was coming. He didnt need to. He took a long sip and, again, reached back without looking, this time dropping the bottle back in the assistants waiting hands. He looked up from his script and asked, quietly, So, are we ready?

Now that, I thought to myself, is what living in a bubble must be like.

How I Learned to Love Mushrooms (and MDMA, Ayahusca and LSD)

Its easy to forget, for most of us, how all-embracing such a cocoon can be for the lucky few. Theres always someone wondering what, exactly, you might need to make yourself happy. Or if not happy, at least content. The water you might want to drink; the shoes you might like to wear; the itch you might need to scratchwhatever occurs to you, whether by whim or necessity, is planned for and prepared and, in the case of my movie star friend, ready to be plucked out of the air, unseen. It must be nice.

But all of that cosseting comes with dark complications. As Matthew Perry, the late star of the long-running sitcom Friends discovered, when youre rich and famous there is always a doctor willing to prescribe a powerful and potentially addictive drug. Always a dealer willing to sell to you when that prescription runs out. And always someone willing to inject you with as much as you like, as often as you like.

What appears to have happened to Perry was this: After years of mostly unsuccessful battles against addictionto alcohol, opioids, Vicodin, amphetamines and Im probably missing a few things, and which led to a ruptured colon, at least one total cardiac arrest and two weeks in a comasomeone in his orbit introduced him to the drug that eventually killed him. That drug was ketamine.

Ketamine is everywhere these days. Its a legal, though controlled, substance, and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for psychological use. Thats why psychiatrists can offer it to patients during sessions and why there are clinics that offer ketamine infusions to people with otherwise drug-resistant depression. (Ketamine is known for rapidly taking effect and just as rapidly leaving a users system. Thats one of the reasons its popular with therapistsa patient can take a ketamine lozenge, have a deeply productive session and be back to normal within the 50-minute professional hour. That isnt the case with, say, MDMA.)

This is also why it seems like everyone can get some without too much trouble. Depending on the crowd you run with, its easily available as a nasal spray or a powder for fun nights out. Ketamine, people say, has all the social benefits of cocaine without any of the drawbacks. It delivers good feelings without making you an assholealthough you can also get ketamine in a cutesy lollipop form, which is about as asshole as it gets. Where I live, in New York City, its easier to get than a pack of unfiltered Lucky Strikes.

Its not exactly a psychedelic; the most accurate way to describe it is psychoactive. At lower doses, it makes a user feel good and less guarded. At higher doses, it can help adjust brain functions. At still higher doses, it can put you to sleep for surgery.

And if youre not very careful with it, it can kill you.

But what, exactly, is ketamine? Originally developed as an anesthetic, ketamine was extensively used by medics in the early 1990s during the First Gulf War. Its ability to induce anesthesia quickly and effectively, without depressing respiratory functions, was particularly valuable in the improvised and resource-constrained battlefield environment.

There were other benefits too. During its use, some patients reported feelings of detachment from their bodies and hallucinationsthis is a good thing when youre talking about war trauma, or trauma more broadly. Researchers soon begun to study it as a potential treatment for depression. Unlike traditional antidepressants, which can take weeks to show effects, ketamine's impact on the brain's NMDA receptorspart of the glutamate system, which is involved in mood regulationproduced almost immediate relief from depressive symptoms. These benefits led to the off-label use of ketamine infusions and, eventually, the FDA approval of esketamine, a nasal spray derived from ketamine.

Ketamine is today classified as a Schedule III controlled substanceup there with steroids, Tylenol with codeineand is legally available in all sorts of doses and forms. As long as youve got a prescription, you can get it at CVS.

Matthew Perry Gave a Masterclass in Sarcasm and the Sweetness of Humanity

Which is where Matthew Perry and a lot of peoplecome into the picture. Perry was, presumably, prescribed ketamine for psychological reasons. Clearly, he was a man fighting a lot of demons, and it must have seemed like ketamine could help. But its also undeniable that it eventually replaced his addiction to opiates. For Perry, ketamine was not a safe drug. Are the people who offered him access to it culpable in some way? That, at least, is what the Los Angeles DA believes: Last week, five people were indicted in Perrys death: two alleged drug dealers, two doctors and his personal assistant who allegedly injected him with his fatal dose.

According to reports, Perry was snorting, sucking and injecting ketamine. His use was full-spectrum and out of control. And (of course) no one in his immediate circle could stop him. Or maybe no one tried.

Thats how it is when youre in that celebrity cocoon. You reach behind you without looking and a bottle of water appearsor something a lot more potent. There is always someone close-by ready to serve. Perrys last words, according to court records, were to his assistant: Shoot me up with a big one.

And because he was rich and famous, thats exactly what he got.

Rob Long is a television writer and producer and author of three books. His weekly podcast, Martini Shot, is available everywhere. Contact him at rob.long@thedailybeast.com.

Anyone seeking medical advice should contact their doctor or a health professional; anyone seeking support for depression or suicidal thoughts should reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing or texting 988.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)  During its monthly Board meeting on Tuesday, August 20, the Ector County Board of Trustees began discussions regarding the search for a new superintendent. During this discussion, Board members expressed an interest in using a professional search firm, as well as beginning the process as soon as possible.

RELATED: ECISD Superintendent announces plan to retire after 36 years

Trustees also voted unanimously to approve an employment agreement with Dr. Keeley Boyer to serve as interim superintendent. Additionally, Trustees voted unanimously to approve the following people for their respective positions:

Rebecca Ramirez  Principal at Austin Montessori

Sydney Garcia  Principal at Milam Elementary

Dr. Maggie Aguilar  Executive Director of Leadership

Dr. Scott Rudes  Executive Director of Talent 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 Yourbasin.
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT)  East Carolina University students are back in class this week and one class is offering Kinesiology credit by pairing up their students with some four-legged helpers.

The class has grown over the last decade. What started with just three students at the Pitt County Animal Shelter has now grown to 20 at the Humane Society of Eastern Carolina. The class helps the dogs learn leash skills while the volunteers get a real understanding for what goes into caring for a sheltered animal.

The students get smiles and physical activity first thing in the morning. The dogs get interaction and socialization and the community benefits because these students are going to be advocates, ECU Kinesiology 101 Professor Melanie Sartore-Baldwin said. Theyre going to be advocates from day one in the class, too. I dont know when they go out and do their own thing. Lets make sure people understand that these dogs deserve the same chance as every other.

Click the above video for 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 WNCT.
Communities across California, from Los Angeles to the San Joaquin Valley, have fought for more than a decade to stop oil companies from drilling in their neighborhoods and spewing health-damaging pollution into the air.

The passage of a landmark state law in 2022 to ban new drilling within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, child care centers and hospitals and establish new health protections for existing wells seemed to be the victory they sought. They never imagined it might take nearly another decade for it to take full effect.

Yet thats exactly what Gov. Gavin Newsoms office has proposed in the closing days of this years legislative session. The law was already delayed a year and a half when the oil industry filed a referendum against the law and then withdrew it from the November ballot . Now the administration wants to extend various oil industry compliance deadlines in the law.

Read more: Editorial: Big Oil lost ballot battle, but will still fight to drill near California homes

As written, the law gives operators of wells near homes and schools until the end of this year to submit leak detection and response plans to state regulators, and until the end of 2026 to implement them. Newsom's proposal would extend those deadlines until July 1, 2029, and July 1, 2031, respectively, among other delays.

Forcing communities that have already faced one obstacle after another to wait years longer for oil companies to fully comply with requirements designed to protect the public from their pollution is unreasonable and wrong.

No more delays. Legislators should reject the Newsom administrations last-minute proposal. The more than 2 million Californians who live within 3,200 feet of oil wells and are at increased risk of cancer and other health problems deserve relief now.

Read more: Editorial: California can't let big polluters win by undermining climate change disclosure laws

For years, the oil industry used its lobbying power in Sacramento to beat back lawmakers' efforts to ban new oil wells and protect Californians from the health impacts of existing drilling operations. In 2021, Gov. Newsom announced that his administration would act without the Legislature to impose drilling restrictions, but the rulemaking went so slowly that it took a new law to finally make it happen.

The laws ban on new drilling near homes and schools went back into effect immediately after the referendum was pulled in June. But under Newsoms proposal, oil companies would get more than four additional years to meet the laws requirements to monitor and repair leaks from existing wells. Leaks is an understatement: Drilling operations are spewing cancer-causing benzene and other dangerous pollutants into the lungs of kids and adults who live, work or attend school nearby, and that needs to stop.

An 18-month delay would at least be understandable. Thats about how long the law was suspended due to the oil industry-backed referendum, and should be enough for state agencies tasked with implementing the law to get back on track. But they don't need four-plus years.

It does seem like a benefit to the industry and it seems like a detriment to the public, Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles) said at a committee hearing last week. This is delaying by many years without any kind of policy oversight.

Read more: Editorial: Shame on California lawmakers for killing fossil fuel divestment bill again

Though oil companies will be the primary beneficiaries of these delays, Newsom administration officials have insisted it is necessary to give state agencies more time to hire staff and prepare for implementing the law properly. The governors office said it did not cut any deal with the oil industry in exchange for abandoning the referendum.

We hope that the delay attempt doesnt signal a broader retreat from tough and urgent climate action by the governor. His office said he is not backing away from his commitment to transition the state off fossil fuels, but it isn't the only example.

The governor on Monday delivered a head-scratching veto of a bill to improve the monitoring, reporting and public notification about oil refinery air pollution, saying that local air quality management districts, which supported the legislation, were already doing enough to protect communities. The administration has also sought a two-year delay for compliance with two important environmental laws Newsom signed last year that require big companies doing business in California to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related risk.

Assembly and Senate lawmakers should reject anything but minimal delays to such important climate and public health protections. Postponing compliance deadlines is not harmless. Living near oil and gas wells is linked to asthma, preterm births and reductions in lung function on par with living near a freeway or with secondhand smoke. The public suffers ongoing health effects with each delay the fossil fuel industry is granted.

If its in the news right now, the L.A. Times Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  An El Paso man was sentenced to five years in prison this week after driving drunk and killing one person three years ago on I-10 West, according to court records.

Mario Ernesto Martel, 33, pleaded guilty last week and was sentenced to five years in prison this week as part of his plea deal. He pleaded guilty to one count of intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle and six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

As we have previously reported, Martel was leaving a quinceanera at around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, and drove the wrong way on I-10 West before colliding head-on with another vehicle.

Court documents state Martel drove his vehicle on the wrong side of the road when it collided with an SUV, killing Mayvel Alexandra Morales, 33, and injuring six other people.

After the crash, Martel was found standing on the side of the road near the Tornillo overpass and police noted that he had watery, bloodshot eyes and spoke with slurred speech, according to court documents.

Martel also told police that he had two or three beers tops at the quinceanera. Martell was asked to participate in standardized field sobriety tests, where his pupils were evaluated and he had two scores of 0.135 BAC after performing a breathalyzer test. The legal limit of blood alcohol level in Texas is 0.08 percent, according to court documents.

When asked to provide his drivers license, Martel provided his GECU debit card. He then told police he had just left the quinceanera, court documents say.

Authorities found individuals in the SUV trying to get out after the collision. Five children were able to exit the vehicle through the back-door windshield with assistance from an El Paso County Sheriffs deputy, according to court documents.

In the front of the vehicle, authorities found a passenger holding the neck of Morales, who later died due to her injuries. Police say they found her conscious and alert but also pinned inside the vehicle.

Morales was taken to Del Sol Medical Center where she later died. The other passengers were transported to University Medical Center and El Paso Childrens Hospital.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
A Northern California school district is under fire after it disclosed Monday that nearly 200 drinking fountains and water faucets across multiple schools had elevated levels of lead that tested above the district's standards.

The Oakland Unified School District, California's 11th-largest public school district, said in a letter to families that it had tested over 1,000 faucets and fountains at 40 TK-12 schools to assess lead levels in the water. While nearly 83% of the faucets and fountains tested were under the school district's limit of 5 parts per billion, or ppb, about 17% were above the limit.

The district's standard of 5 ppb is more strict compared to the state and federal guidelines of 15 ppb, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set as the action level for lead in drinking water.

Out of the 1,083 faucets and fountains tested, the district identified 116 that tested above 5 ppb but remained below 15 ppb. And another 70 fixtures surpassed the state and federal limit.

Fixtures that show elevated levels were taken out of service for repairs and will be retested until lead concentrations are at or below 5 ppb, according to the district. A total of 61 fixtures have been fixed so far and are currently waiting to be retested, the district said.

The district has advised families to make sure children carry reusable water bottles to access filtered water stations on campuses.

Lead paint is just the beginning: Poisoning danger lurks in pantry, toys

Families, staff outraged over lack of communication

Despite public records showing that schools were tested for lead levels between late March and June, families were only notified of the results on Monday. The district also acknowledged that some schools had learned of the water quality testing over the past week and said more will be notified this week.

"Despite our attention to detail and care for our sites, we did not communicate effectively to the members of each school community as the testing launched, as we received the results, and as fixes were being implemented," the school district said in a letter to families.

"We are putting systems in place to ensure a lack of effective communication does not occur again, and that school communities receive quick notice when this kind of testing is taking place on their campuses," the district added.

Monday's announcement has raised concerns among parents and teachers who say they were left in the dark about the lead concentration testing. Staff at Frink United Academy of Language, one of the schools that tested above the district's standards, called for transparency and noted that students have been exposed to lead since April, according to KTVU and KGO-TV.

"We are demanding safe drinking water for our students immediately," Frick Academy Counselor Catherine Cotter said at last week's school board meeting, KTVU and KGO-TV reported. "Transparency about what's happening and why we were not told this until the other day. Since April, the kids have been there all summer drinking water with lead in it."

Stuard Loebl, a 6th grade teacher at Frink Academy, told CBS News that he's outraged and heartbroken by the results. "So students have been drinking lead water this whole time; obviously before the report was released but since as well, which is infuriating," Loebl said.

Health effects of lead exposure

Lead exposure can cause serious health effects for children and is particularly harmful for young children, according to the World Health Organization. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that even low levels of lead in blood can cause negative health effects for children.

"Exposure to lead can affect multiple body systems," the WHO said. "Young children are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning because they absorb 45 times as much ingested lead as adults from a given source."

High levels of exposure can lead to brain and nervous system damage; slowed growth and development; learning and behavior issues; and hearing and speech problems, according to the CDC. These effects can lead to lower IQ, decreased ability to pay attention, and underperformance in school, the CDC added.

"The neurological and behavioral effects of lead are believed to be irreversible," the WHO said.

Lower levels of exposure are often difficult to detect as there are no obvious symptoms, according to the CDC and WHO. Public health agencies advise parents to talk to their health care provider about potential blood lead testing.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oakland public schools: Unsafe drinking water sparks outrage
Rose Hill Health Holdings LLC

Burton J. Tabaac MD, FAHA and Rotem Petranker, M.A. Set to Bolster Rose Hills Psychedelic Research Efforts

WORCESTER, Mass., Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rose Hill (or the Company), a pioneer in psilocybin research, cultivation and distribution with operations in Jamaica, the United States, and Canada, today announced that Burton J. Tabaac MD, FAHA, and Rotem Petranker, M.A. have both joined the Companys advisory team. Dr. Tabaac will serve as its Scientific Advisor and Petranker will join the Company as its Research Advisor.

Dr. Burton J. Tabaac, MD, FAHA, brings a wealth of expertise in neurology and stroke rehabilitation to Rose Hill. As an Associate Professor and Section Chief of Neurology at The University of Nevadas Reno School of Medicine, and Medical Director of Stroke at Carson Tahoe Health, Tabaac has been at the forefront of innovative neurological treatments. A graduate of the prestigious cerebrovascular neurology fellowship program at The Johns Hopkins University Hospital, his accolades include being a three-time recipient of The Arnold P. Gold Foundation's Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award and induction into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He recently published an eight-part paper in the American Journal of Therapeutics reviewing psychedelics as therapeutics for primary care clinicians. Dr. Tabaac's groundbreaking research focuses on the application of psychedelics in brain injury and stroke rehabilitation. He was recently appointed by the Governor of Nevada to serve as a member of the states Psychedelic Medicines Working Group, which provides expertise and testimony relating to the therapeutic use of entheogens. As the host of The Zero Hour Podcast, Tabaac engages with leading experts in psychedelic research. His commitment to advancing the field was further highlighted in his 2022 TEDx talk at UCLA, "Mental Health Meets Psychedelics."

"Joining Rose Hill's advisory team presents an exciting opportunity to further explore the potential of psilocybin in neurological recovery," said Dr. Tabaac, MD, FAHA. "The company's commitment to ethical cultivation and research aligns perfectly with my vision for advancing patient care through innovative therapies. I'm eager to bring my expertise to Rose Hill and contribute to the evolving landscape of psychedelic medicine."

Rotem Petranker, M.A., is a pioneering figure in psychedelic research and a cognitive neuroscientist specializing in altered states of consciousness. As the founding director of the Canadian Centre for Psychedelic Science in 2018 and co-founder of the Psychedelic Studies Research Program at the University of Toronto in 2019, Petranker has been instrumental in shaping the landscape of psychedelic studies. His expertise spans regulatory compliance, clinical trial design, and the intersection of mindfulness and psychedelics. Petranker's academic journey includes a doctoral candidacy in Psychology, Brain, and Behaviour at McMaster University, where his work focuses on the impact of psychedelics on mental health disorders. Currently, he is leading the worlds first phase II clinical trial investigating the efficacy of microdosing psilocybin in treating Major Depressive Disorder. His research interests extend to the effects of psychedelics on creativity, well-being, and cognitive enhancement, and his work has been published in prestigious journals such as Psychopharmacology and Frontiers in Psychology.

Story continues

"Rose Hill's dedication to producing high-quality, ethically sourced psilocybin is crucial for advancing rigorous scientific research," Rotem Petranker, M.A. stated. "I'm thrilled to contribute my expertise in psychedelic science, particularly in areas such as microdosing and the potential cognitive benefits of psilocybin, to a company that's setting new standards in the industry. This collaboration offers exciting possibilities for expanding our understanding of psychedelics and their therapeutic applications."

"The addition of Dr. Tabaac and Mr. Petranker to our advisory team marks a significant milestone in Rose Hill's journey," said Charles Lazarus, CEO of Rose Hill. "Their combined expertise in neurology, psychedelic research, and clinical trial design substantially enhances our capacity to remain at the forefront of psychedelic science. Dr. Tabaac's innovative work in applying psychedelics to neurological recovery, particularly in stroke and brain injury patients, aligns perfectly with our mission to explore new therapeutic frontiers. Meanwhile, Mr. Petranker's groundbreaking research on microdosing and his experience in regulatory compliance will be invaluable as we navigate the complex landscape of psychedelic medicine development. Their involvement not only strengthens our research capabilities but also opens up new avenues for scientific partnerships and innovative projects. This collaboration will undoubtedly accelerate our efforts to develop safe, effective, and ethically produced psilocybin-based solutions, further solidifying Rose Hill's position as a leader in the field of psychedelic medicine."

Since its establishment in 2015, Rose Hill has supported multiple clinical research efforts, supplying premium psilocybin biomass to esteemed medical and scientific institutions worldwide. The company achieved a landmark milestone by securing Health Canada's approval for the first legal export of psilocybin from Jamaica to Canada enabling the Company to provide its exclusive, proprietary psilocybin biomass to distinguished Canadian researchers and leading providers of psychedelic-assisted therapies for eligible patients. In addition, Rose Hill has fostered partnerships with institutions such as ACS Labs, the University of Guelph, and the Canadian Centre for Psychedelic Science. These collaborations have not only advanced scientific understanding of psilocybin's therapeutic potential but have also positioned Rose Hill at the forefront of psychedelic research and development.

For more information on Rose Hill, visit https://rosehill.life/ .

About Rose Hill

Rose Hill is a pioneering force in the research, cultivation and distribution of premium psilocybin products and holds the distinction of being the world's inaugural legal exporter of these transformative compounds. With integrated operations spanning Jamaica, the United States, and Canada, the company is committed to setting new industry standards in sustainability, safety, and quality. In the U.S. and Canada, Rose Hill enables cutting-edge research that supports therapeutic applications for psilocybin. In Jamaica, the company produces Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) and offers transformative psilocybin-assisted retreat experiences. For more information on Rose Hill, visit https://rosehill.life/ .

Media Contacts:

Francesca DeMauro

rosehill@kcsa.com




BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)  An Elma woman was sentenced to five years of probation Wednesday morning for hitting and killing a pedestrian in January, the Erie County District Attorneys Office announced.

Her license was revoked for one year and she was also ordered to pay a $2,000 fine as a condition of the sentence, according to officials.

Stephanie R. Kollatz, 37, was driving a minivan the night of Jan. 8 northbound on Transit Road in Elma when she hit a pedestrian walking along the road between French and Clinton. The pedestrian, an unidentified male, died at the scene.

Kollatz drove away without reporting the incident to police. She was driving without a valid drivers license, vehicle insurance or an inspection certificate at the time, according to the DAs office. Her registration was also suspended, officials said.

After deputies located the vehicle the day after the incident, Kollatz did cooperate with the investigation, according to the Erie County Sheriffs Office.

Kollatz pleaded guilty to one count of leaving the scene of incident resulting in death, the highest sustainable charge, in May.

Anyone with information about the victims identity is asked to contact the DAs office at (716) 858-2400.

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.
Deny Everything

Elon Musk keeps denying that he gave a Chechen warlord a machine gun-equipped Cybertruck  even though the warlord in question was the one to originate the claim.

As CNN notes, Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Russia-annexed Chechen Republic who acts as Vladimir Putin's footsoldier in the region, suggested in a Telegram post over the weekend that Musk had given him the makeshift Cyber-tank.

"We received a Tesla Cybertruck from the respected Elon Musk," Kadyrov wrote, per CNN's translation. "I was happy to test the new equipment and personally saw that theres a reason that it is called the 'Cyberbeast."

Responding to a critic on X-formerly-Twitter, Musk insisted that the claim was false, and used a slur against disabled people to drive the point home.

"Are you seriously so r*tarded that you think I donated a Cybertruck to a Russian general?" the multi-hyphenate billionaire wrote. "Thats amazing."

Such eloquence from one of the world's richest men!

Fool Me Twice

After that initial denial, Kadyrov's claim continued to spread like wildfire on social media. In response, Musk doubled down on his denial, this time piggybacking off another user's post.

"I seriously doubt that Elon Musk is giving free Cybertrucks to Russian officials," the user wrote alongside a screenshot of an article repeating Kadyrov's claim. "Perhaps the guy got [it] from someone who sold it to him. But I cant see Elon Musk giving Cybertrucks to Russia."

In response, the South African-Canadian tycoon suggested that the Chechen leader, who encouraged and led the country's infamous gay purges in 2017, was probably just joking.

"This is completely false," Musk wrote. "He is trolling."

At the end of the day, the serial entrepreneur is probably telling the truth  but given his weirdly pro-Russian stance amid Putin's lengthy invasion of Ukraine, it makes sense why people would believe the Chechen warlord here.

More on Musk: Elon Musk May Have to Sell Tesla Stock to Prop Up Dying Twitter.
Not until its next campaign filing in October will we know how much Elon Musk has donated to America PAC, a Super PAC he launched along with other Silicon Valley elites with the aim of electing Donald Trump. But we do know how much the organization is spending  and, more curiously, that its relying on strategists and vendors connected to some of the most expensive failed political campaigns in recent memory.

Musk publicly endorsed Trump in the immediate aftermath of a July assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally that wounded the GOP nominee for president and left one attendee dead and two others gravely injured. Days later, the Wall Street Journal reported that Musk planned to funnel $45 million a month to the Austin-based, Trump-aligned America PAC  though in a subsequent interview with Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson, the billionaire Tesla CEO denied making any such financial commitment, saying that he does not subscribe to a cult of personality. (Before Musk disputed the story, Trump told a rally crowd in Michigan, I love Elon Musk, bragging, He gives me $45 million a month. Not $45 million  he gives me $45 million a month.)

Musk has, however, confirmed his role in creating the Super PAC, which cannot coordinate with or directly fund the Trump campaign but is free to receive unlimited cash from supporters to cover independent expenditures such as advertising. Among the tech execs and venture capitalists contributing to the group are Bitcoin billionaire twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss  major cryptocurrency investors and companies have backed Trump in hopes of loosened industry regulations  as well as Palantir Technologies co-founder Joe Lonsdale, Sequoia Capital partner Shaun Maguire, and Douglas Leone, a former managing partner of the same firm.

America PAC, which is focused on ground game strategy, got off to a shaky start this election cycle, canceling its relationship with In Field Strategies, a canvassing vendor it had already paid millions, leading the company to terminate the jobs of employees who had relocated to swing states to knock on doors for Trump. Following an internal shuffle, the Super PAC is now led by two people involved in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis failed bid for the 2024 presidential nomination: Phil Cox, veteran of the DeSantis-aligned Never Back Down Super PAC and a top adviser in DeSantis 2022 reelection campaign for governor, and Generra Peck, manager of that 2022 gubernatorial campaign and, briefly, DeSantis 2024 presidential primary run.

Peck was replaced three months into that national campaign as it failed to make any headway despite eventually burning through $168 million; among other questionable decisions, she had pushed for DeSantis to announce his candidacy in an audio-only Twitter Spaces event with Musk that turned into a glitch-ridden disaster. Given her new role at America PAC, Peck evidently continues to have a close relationship with Musk, who platformed Trump with another live Spaces event marred by technical difficulties last week  recalling, for many, the disastrous DeSantis launch.

Early in 2023, Cox had left Never Back Down, but he returned to the organization that December amid one of several staff shakeups as DeSantis faltered in the polls. Ultimately, the Super PAC disbursed nearly $140 million as the candidate failed to win a single state in his quest for the GOP nomination. Approximately 10 percent of that cash, $14.7 million, went to Blitz Canvassing, a field team that is part of the GP3 umbrella consultancy group, where Cox is a partner.

Blitzs door-knocking operations, which use paid canvassers, came under scrutiny during the 2024 primary cycle. Some Republican operatives questioned the efficacy of Never Back Downs on-the-ground staff, who did not live in the early primary states to which they had been dispatched, were sometimes caught behaving inappropriately, and in certain cases may have taken the gig just for the money. Never Back Down was particularly aggressive with such tactics, for which Blitz was its primary subcontractor. Previously, during the 2016 GOP primaries, Blitz Canvassing received nearly $1 million from Rise to Right PAC, a Super PAC supporting former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, for get-out-the-vote services. Like DeSantis after him, Bush ran a costly campaign that withered in the reflected glare of Trump  with $150 million spent by the time he dropped out.

America PAC has so far spent more than $21 million on canvassing, field work and digital media, along with campaign merchandise and printing and postage costs. At least $2.6 million of that has gone to Blitz, though the Super PAC is also paying other companies, including Synapse Group, for canvassing and field operations. Meanwhile, the group has been harvesting personal data from residents of battleground states under the guise of helping them register to vote. (The North Carolina election board and Michigans secretary of state are separately investigating the practice.) Musk himself reportedly takes a hands-on approach to the Super PACs operations, which are intended to persuade some 800,000 eligible voters from these contested regions to show up at the polls for Trump instead of potentially sitting out the election. Initial estimates called for a total budget of $160 million, much of it (in theory) to be furnished by Musk.

Trump, for his part, has been effusive about Musks efforts to return him to the White House, lauding him as a genius and sharing campaign ads on X/Twitter (which he had largely avoided using after Musk reversed his permanent ban from the platform). Last week, he posted a video that had been digitally altered to make it appear as if he and Musk were performing a dance routine together. Hidden behind the gimmicks and memes, of course, is the serious bankroll that could actually sway the election. The question now is whether Musks Super PAC is spending that money on a viable game plan for winning. These consultants and companies have recent track records that hardly suggest a critical advantage, and with someone as capricious as Musk holding the purse strings, a lack of results in battleground polls may unravel the whole venture well before Election Day: Theres only so much money youll waste on a candidate who seems bound to lose.

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PIQUA, Ohio (WDTN)  The City of Piqua is alerting the public of an email scam targeting Planning and Zoning applicants.

According to the city office, the scammer will send an email to the recipient  impersonating City Planner Chad Henry  to request a large fee for compensation to the Planning & Zoning Division of the Community Services Department.

Concerned Yellow Springs leaders meet with Greene Co. Sheriff to discuss marijuana raid

The email will read in some way shape or form that the Special Use Authorization requires that the resident pay a City Compensation Fee of over $9,800. The scammer is hoping that the resident responds to the email, which is not a City of Piqua email address.

Residents are advised to contact Henry by phone at 937-778-2033 or by email at chenry@piquaoh.gov with any questions or concerns regarding planning and zoning.

City staff do not invoice Planning and Zoning applicants for permit fees.

The Citys permit fee structure is shared in advance of application and due upon submission to the division, said the city in a press release.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com.
After Emperor Hirohito (aka Emperor Showa) announced Japanese surrender to the Allies to end World War II on August 15, 1945, many around the globe fervently hoped he would soon be tried as a Class A war criminal for crimes against peace. But that never happened.

Instead, General Hideki Tojo and 27 Imperial military officers and Japanese officials were charged, while Hirohito was allowed to stay on the throne and remain in power as the reigning emperor until his death in 1989.

During those post-war decades, Hirohito portrayed himself as a powerless monarch who had no say in how the war was conducted. Scholars regularly debated the issue, with many agreeing he was innocent. Experts today, however, largely believe he played a sizable part in Japan's role during World War II.

"Hirohito absolutely knew what was going on," says Dr. Annika Culver, associate professor of East Asian history at Florida State University. "His innocence was a later fiction that America manufactured."

Who Was Japanese Emperor Hirohito?

Michinomiya Hirohito was born to the Japanese imperial family in Tokyo on April 29, 1901. He was the first son of Japan's crown prince Yoshihito, who later became the Emperor Taisho. Educated in Japan, Hirohito was a microbiologist who later developed an interest in marine biology.

In 1921, Hirohito became the first Japanese crown prince to go abroad, traveling to Europe. There, he was especially enchanted with the freedom and informality of the English royal family.

Future Japanese emperor Hirohito (far left), son of Emperor Taisho, poses in 1921 with his brothers, (left to right) princes Takahito Mikasa, Nobuhito Takamatsu and Yasuhito Chichibu. APIC/Getty Images

After he returned home, Hirohito's father retired due to mental illness, and Hirohito was named prince regent, a role that allowed him to conduct business in his father's stead.

In 1924, he married princess Nagako Kuni, with whom he would eventually have seven children. Following the death of his father in 1926, Hirohito became emperor of Japan. He was 25 years old.

Hirohito's Early Reign

As emperor, Hirohito was considered a manifestation of god, and thus the nation's highest spiritual authority, a concept the Japanese had adopted under Emperor Meiji in 1868. He was also commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Japan was in the midst of a violent and turbulent period when Hirohito became emperor in 1926  ironic, given that his reign had been given the title Showa, which means "bright peace" or "enlightened harmony." Things would only get worse.

Sino-Japanese War

Although a small pro-democracy movement had just begun in Japan, militarism was also rising. The economy was tanking, which soured everyone's mood, and Japan and China were in conflict.

This Sino-Japanese discord culminated in the Japanese committing two major atrocities under Hirohito's reign.

The Manchurian Incident : The Japanese military blew up a railway and blamed it on Chinese bandits, which they used as an excuse to take over Manchuria and establish a puppet state.

The Rape of Nanking: The Japanese army massacred some 200,000 people in and around Nanking, raping many women.

And then, in 1940, the Empire of Japan entered World War II by signing the Tripartite Pact with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, forming an alliance with the "Axis."

Hirohito receives a bow from the leader of a military unit during a troop review in World War II.  CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Japan in World War II

Some historians believe Hirohito was only marginally involved in these events, if at all. And they point to the fact that Hirohito didn't want to enter World War II, preferring diplomacy. Yet Hirohito did eventually confirm Japan's plan to attack Pearl Harbor.

He also operated a war room within the Aoyama Palace, at times gave instructions to his military commanders and bestowed a service decoration upon Dr. Shiro Ishii, who led a gruesome medical experimentation team during the war that was just as horrific as that of Germany's Josef Mengele.

The Axis Weakens

By summer of 1945, Japan's allies in Italy and Germany had been beaten into submission by the allied forces of western Europe, and their fascist leaders had died unceremoniously.

The island nation was quickly becoming surrounded by a U.S.-led offensive in the south and a northern offensive by the Soviet Union via the Korean peninsula.

Devastating Bombings

Emperor Hirohito on a tour of a devastated district of Tokyo after a raid by U.S. bombers during the war in the Pacific. Keystone/Getty Images

Japan's cities were also subject frequent bombing raids by the U.S. air force, culminating in the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, respectively, in 1945. Between the destruction of these bombs and the looming threat of a massive ground invasion, Japan had nowhere to turn and no prospects of victory.

"Hirohito had weekly military briefings, met with members of the privy council and had his own advisors," Culver says. "He was very much a part of it."

Near the war's end, when the Japanese government leaders were arguing over whether or not to unconditionally surrender to the Allies, Emperor Hirohito declared that is was time to capitulate Japan's surrender.

Life for Hirohito After the War

If Hirohito was so involved, how did he avoid prosecution for war crimes? That was largely thanks to General Douglas MacArthur, who was appointed Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) in September, 1945, during the United States-led Allied Occupation of Japan.

MacArthur's job was to help stabilize the country, and one of his first actions was to decide whether Hirohito should be tried as a war criminal.

Avoiding War Crime Charges

Although there were arguments on both sides, MacArthur decided he should not be charged and tried. Japan would be ungovernable, he reasoned, if the Allies prosecuted the citizens' emperor and spiritual leader.

"It was extremely important for the Americans to develop a positive relationship with Japan in the post-war period," says Culver. "If Hirohito went to trial, there was a concern this would lead to divisions in Japan, and the re-emergence of leftists and communism."

In addition, it was in the best interests of the U.S. if Japan was transformed into a democratic bulwark against communism, as the country was encircled by communism in countries such as China and the former Soviet Union. There was also some exoticization going on, according to Culver.

"We had Japanese American internment camps in America, but no German American internment camps," she says. "There was this idea that the Japanese were so different from us, they had to be treated differently."

So Hirohito was left alone.

Rebranding the Emperor for Modern Japan

Emperor Hirohito of Japan and Empress Nagako pose at their home at the Imperial Villa in Tokyo, Japan, 1971. Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

A new Japanese constitution was drafted that left the monarchy in place but declared the emperor a symbolic position. The notion of the emperor as a deity was banished, and political power was awarded to elected representatives. And American officials began portraying Hirohito as a peaceful, democratic figure, Culver says.

In 2018, a diary from Hirohito's imperial chamberlain, Shinobu Kobayashi, revealed the emperor was agonizing over the fact that people were blaming him for the atrocities Japan had perpetrated during the war and the preceding conflict with China.

But while he may have felt some true guilt and repentance, his critics argue that Hirohito should never have been let off the hook back in 1945. The conflicted and conflicting emperor died on January 7, 1989, leaving a complex legacy and an eternal mark on Japanese history.

Now That's Bold



Hirohito's son, Akihito, broke with more than 1,500 years of tradition when he married commoner Michiko Shoda in 1959.

Original article: Emperor Hirohito and Japan's Role in World War II

Copyright  2024 HowStuffWorks, a division of InfoSpace Holdings, LLC, a System1 Company
The Milwaukee resident charged with killing his coworker at Pizza Hut in South Milwaukee has pleaded guilty.

Kavonn Ingram, 31, entered a guilty plea Aug. 19 to felony charges of first-degree reckless homicide and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, according to online court records.

Two other felony charges  hiding a corpse and armed robbery with use of force  were dismissed but read in as part of a plea agreement.

Ingrams sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 4.

The South Milwaukee Pizza Hut, 124 N. Chicago Ave., has remained closed since the body of 55-year-old manager Alex Stengel was found in a garbage cart on the property on Feb. 7.

Police arrested Ingram, an employee of the pizzeria, on Feb. 11 at a different Pizza Hut location in Milwaukee. He initially entered a not guilty plea, online court records show.

A memorial of flowers is seen mounted to the garbage enclosure at the South Milwaukee Pizza Hut, 124 N. Chicago Ave., on Feb. 12. Police are conducting a homicide investigation into the death of 55-year-old Alex Stengel of Cudahy, whose body was found there Feb. 7.

Stengels body was found with gunshot and stab wounds, according to the criminal complaint. Police found a trail of blood from the dumpster area on-site to a door on the Pizza Hut building leading to the kitchen.

Officials believe Stengel was killed in the kitchen, placed in a garbage can, and wheeled outside to the dumpster area, the complaint said. Surveillance video from the Taco Bell next door showed someone wearing black clothing struggling to get a garbage can from Pizza Hut toward the dumpsters.

Authorities believe Ingram logged Stengel out of the clock-in system after the murder. Police say he also used Stengels phone to contact the general manager of the restaurant to explain Stengel's absence.

The complaint said the regional manager of Pizza Hut told authorities Stengel had recently cashed a $7,000 inheritance check and showed coworkers  including Ingram  the large roll of cash.

More: South Milwaukee Pizza Hut, closed since the manager was found killed, to reopen in Cudahy

Contact Erik S. Hanley at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on X @Redheadliner.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee man pleads guilty in South Milwaukee Pizza Hut murder
(Bloomberg) -- Enbridge Inc. Chief Executive Officer Greg Ebel has played a major role in the companys transformation from an oil-focused pipeline operator into a sprawling enterprise with businesses touching all forms of energy.

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He came to Enbridge in the $28 billion takeover of natural gas transporter Spectra Energy Corp. in 2017 and since becoming CEO last year has built up the companys utilities business with a $9.4 billion acquisition from Dominion Energy Inc. He has also overseen projects that are expanding the companys capacity to export oil and natural gas from the Americas to the rest of the world.

Here are Ebels comments on a variety of energy topics from an interview at Bloombergs headquarters in New York on Tuesday. His comments have been edited and condensed.

How do you see the role of the US in global oil markets?

The future of oil in North America is through it and out of it. You see that on the export side. Just in the last three or four years, weve gone large into oil exports at Enbridge. We own the largest facility now in Corpus Christi called Ingleside, which hits record after record every quarter.

The Permian continues to pump a lot of oil and associated gas, and thats going abroad. So Ill go with the trend, and the trend is more oil demand year after year.

How are you anticipating the rise of artificial intelligence will affect natural gas and electricity demand?

Weve had electricity demand largely flat for decades here in North America. Our view is that it will add somewhere between half a percent and 2%, which might not sound like much, but per annum through 2030, thats a colossal move.

Ebel said that 45% of all natural gas-fired generation in North America is within 50 miles of its pipelines.

Thats going to lead to opportunities for more and more of those generators seeking our services on those pipelines, storage facilities, et cetera.

How do you feel about the current pause on liquefied natural gas projects in the US? If Vice President Kamala Harris wins in November, do you anticipate that pause will vanish?

I dont think weve seen Vice President Harriss policy on that yet. Perhaps well get some clarity on that this week. But regardless of the fact of where that lands, remember that pause does not affect the projects that are already approved. And we still expect to see LNG exports from the United States double between now and 2030.

How do you think that the Biden administrations energy policy has evolved over the last few years?

For most governments, the rhetoric of an election campaign is quickly wiped away by the reality of governing. Particularly in a country like the United States, which has so many global obligations  which you can argue are good or bad  the reality is youre going to need more oil. Youre going need more gas. Youre going to need more wind and renewables. So I think theyve balanced that.

Again, well have to see where Vice President Harris is on this. But President Biden had talked about this earlier, that whether youre banning fracking or reducing oil, thats just not a realistic approach.

Would a victory by former President Trump lead to increased oil and gas production?

Regardless of whether you want to drill a lot more or not, you have to be able to build the infrastructure. Thats going to take time. Thats going to take crossing multiple jurisdictions of all different stripes. And I dont think you can do it by executive caveat or even just pure legislation.

Now, you can improve it. A permitting bill that limits the time of review and sets clear guidelines for federal review, I think could definitely be beneficial. The only way thats happening is with legislation, and thats going to take a bipartisan approach.

How would you describe the regulatory attitude of the Canadian and British Columbia governments toward the development of LNG projects?

The province of British Columbia, which is currently a left-leaning government, the NDP, I think theyve recognized the benefits economically to the province, but also for indigenous communities. So does that mean anything could get built? No, but I think with the right structure, youll continue to see that.

The federal government needs to giddy-up on loan guarantees. Theyve announced them multiple years, and theyre getting lapped by the provinces and havent yet got there. But I think their intent is right. I think its just a classic case of it taking a lot of time for a Canadian federal government to get things done in western Canada. But Im hopeful thats changing.

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HOLLY RIDGE, N.C. (WNCT)  People are reacting to the sudden resignation of Holly Ridge Mayor Jeff Wenzel Monday night.

Wenzel resigned from the position at the end of a town council meeting, saying his resignation was effective immediately.

The town clerk confirmed the only other person aware of the resignation before the meeting and announcement was Town Manager Heather Reynolds.

You could have heard a pin drop, Owner of Paradise Axe and Arcade Dorothy Royal said. Royal has been a part of the Holly Ridge community for nearly 25 years. She went to the meeting to see who was going to fill Carolyn Stanleys council seat after Stanleys death in July.

The fact that normally, you would think, okay, if Im not going to continue with this role, Im going to stay on another month, Royal said. Lets get somebody to take my place and then Ill move on. But, this was kind of after today, its over.



In a statement on social media, Wenzel said his work schedule no longer allows him to fulfill the duties of mayor as fully as he would like. He said The citizens of Holly Ridge need a mayor who can devote more time to attending meetings, meeting with developers and representing the town.

Im all for business and family, you know. So, but if theyre, I mean, I hope and pray that there wasnt anything else, Ken Bradshaw said.

Bradshaw has run for town council in the past and said during his campaign, he learned there is already a lack of trust between the council and people living there.

People dont feel heard here in, uh, in Holly Ridge, he said. They feel that if they go in front of the council, that the council doesnt hear what they have to say anyway.

It is still unknown who is going to fill the position for the rest of the term. At one reaction, I want to laugh about it and say, this is insane, Royal said. And the other one, Im kind of concerned about it because that means we as a town have to get used to a new mayor and a new council person or two new council people. So thats going to be a whole change for us as well.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WNCT.
DNC sees third day of protests as Chicagos top cop blasts demonstrators who confronted officers at Israeli consulate

DNC sees third day of protests as Chicagos top cop blasts demonstrators who confronted officers at Israeli consulate

The Democratic National Convention in Chicago saw a third day of protests Wednesday, coming after violent clashes outside the Israeli Consulate the night before resulted in dozens of arrests and prompted Chicagos top cop to rail against outside agitators who he said were bent on attacking police.

We will not allow people to come to this city, disrespect it and destroy it, Superintendent Larry Snelling told reporters at a daily briefing at the Office of Emergency Management and Communications. Enough is enough.

The latest demonstration Wednesday stepped off with a rally in Union Park followed by a march toward Park 578 near the United Center, where a much larger demonstration earlier in the week had brought out some 3,000 attendees.

On Wednesday evening, police were not allowing marchers into that park, forming two lines on the north edge with bicycles and clustered behind a play structure. Facing the north side of the United Center, protesters chanted and condemned the Democratic platform as full of hypocrisy.

The rally, which was organized by the Chicago-based Coalition for Justice in Palestine and did not have a permit from the city, drew about 600 people. Before launching chants denouncing the Biden-Harris administrations support of Israel, rally leaders urged those in the crowd not to engage with anyone trying to bring things to a boil.

Protesters began the march under the setting sun and while flanked by a sea of police keeping them from getting near the convention itself.

A red truck honked in support, with several people in the back waving Palestinian flags. More than a dozen others also held flags, and a group at the front of the crowd held a banner that read: Biden, Harris you will see, Palestine will be free.

There were more than 1,000 marchers at the demonstrations peak. The mood was largely upbeat and positive  a contrast from the first two nights of the convention  as many of the demonstrators milled around the park while about 50 others continued rallying and chanting on the parks western edge.

About 7:35 pm, as marchers were rounding the corner into Union Park, a man leaned over the railing of the Ashland Green Line platform and waved a large Palestinian flag.

Two Chicago police supervisors took hold of him and tried to wrest him away from the railing. After a few moments, two yellow-vested members of the demonstrators community relations service walked up and took over the effort to get the man away from the railing.

Another yellow-vested community relations representative stood at the foot of the stairs up to the platform, preventing marchers from getting up to swarm the train station but allowing a legal observer from the National Lawyers Guild to come through.

Soon enough, the man with the flag walked away, without apparent incident.

Around the same time, on the platform at the Damen Green Line stop, police officers detained two woman in hijabs. Protesters on the ground below immediately responded by yelling, Let her go! Let her go! The march stopped for several minutes while people watched.

The two women were led into an elevator as protesters continued to yell in protest. Several minutes later, they continued on their way.

Izet Duranovic, 70, attended the rally Wednesday carrying a long flagpole with the Palestinian flag and the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He said he immigrated to Chicago as a refugee from West Bosnia in 1997, he said, after witnessing the effects of the genocide there.

He said he came to Union Park to show solidarity with Palestinian people, he said, and suffering children all over the world.

I dont care about politics, I support women, children, he said, wearing a baseball cap emblazoned with the number 8372  a tribute, he said, to the number of Bosniak Muslim men and boys killed in the ethnic cleansing campaign. For me, same  Palestine child, child here, child is child.

Before the march began, Ald. Bryon Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, stood up and spoke to the growing crowd of protesters, which included many older adults and families with children.

He touted Chicagos stance as the first major city to vote for a cease-fire in Gaza. Chicago, he said, has a history of standing up for labor, immigrant, human rights and reproductive rights.

Were proud to stand in solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters that have been suffering, he said. We will need every single one of us to organize until the apartheid goes down.

It was a far different scene from the night before, when police stationed outside the heavily protected Israeli Consulate on the 500 block of West Madison Street made mass arrests after ordering a group of pro-Palestinian protesters to disperse.

Authorities were able to move the demonstrators away from the building. Around 8:30 p.m., protesters squeezed past the police line and onto the sidewalk of Clinton Street, sparking an impromptu march through the surrounding blocks.

As the demonstrators chanted anti-police rhetoric, a masked protester set fire to a half-American, half-Israeli flag.

(Expletive) this country, a protester yelled. Burn it down.

A group of counterprotesters holding American and Israeli flags also demonstrated in the area, prompting police to stand eight rows deep to separate the two groups.

At the news conference Wednesday highlighting the confrontation, Snelling told reporters there were some 60 arrests  including three journalists  during the pro-Palestinian demonstration. There were only two minor injuries, a testament, he said, to his officers restraint and readiness for the DNC.

Once we call the mass arrest, then it was at that point we needed to take people into custody for public safety, Snelling said. We attempted to avoid the clash, to no avail. But CPD is not going to run away. We will not stand by and allow our officers to be attacked, because an officer who cannot protect himself cannot protect this city.

Snelling also said he abhorred by the vicious, nasty sexually explicit things some demonstrators yelled at female officers.

I have women in my family and the anger that I felt, he said. But let me tell you the pride that I have for those women who dealt with that, took it, did not lose their cool, and the (fellow) officers who did not lose theirs.

Snelling was also asked why the protest drew so many journalists when another, more peaceful candlelight vigil on Tuesday memorializing those killed in Gaza went largely uncovered.

It sells, Snelling said, adding there are those looking for a repeat of the chaos of the 1968 convention. Why cover the people who are calling for peace? Everybody wants to see the carnage.

Garien Gatewood, the deputy mayor for community safety, also condemned the actions of the group outside the consulate and sought to distinguish them from other, larger and calmer protests that occurred Monday and earlier on Tuesday.

On second night of DNC, march outside Israeli consulate sees confrontation with police and demonstrators detained

To call last night a protest would be disrespectful to people who actually protest for things that move societies forward across the country, Gatewood said. What we had last night was people who came down to the city to cause harm, to wreak havoc.

Snelling later said about half of the people arrested were from out of town.

Meanwhile, some of those arrested at the consulate demonstration appeared for pretrial release hearings before a Cook County judge on Wednesday morning, including one defendant accused of resisting arrest after being found with spray paint and a CPD radio.

Groups of supporters filed into the pews at the temporary courtroom located at the Chicago police area headquarters at 2452 W. Belmont Ave., standing as Judge Mary Marubio called each arrestee.

During the hourslong court call, judges ordered 13 people released from custody, the majority of whom were arrested at Tuesdays unpermitted protest in front of the Israeli Consulate.

Prosecutors alleged the defendants participated in a range of disruptive activity at the downtown protest as police gave dispersal orders, including flag burning and stealing a police radio. They also alleged some of the defendants interlocked their arms to create a chain meant to breach a police line.

One defendant tried to pull officers away from detainees, prosecutors said, and another struck an officer with an open hand and tried to take a baton.

Most were charged with misdemeanors or ordinance violations, including battery, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. The majority of defendants were from the Chicago area, though some hailed from out of state. Some nodded or signaled to the supporters viewing the proceedings.

Among the arrestees was Jeremy Hammond, a Chicago-born celebrity hacktivist charged with a misdemeanor count of criminal damage to property. Assistant States Attorney Sarah Dale-Schmidt alleged that officers observed him painting on their squad car a mark of anarchy.

Dale-Schmidt told the judge Hammond had a criminal background that included a computer-hacking conviction. Hammond frowned and motioned a thumbs-down as she detailed his record.

Hammond was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for a 2011 hacking spree as part of a larger group known as Anonymous that exposed confidential and sometimes personal information about law enforcement officers, private intelligence firms and U.S. government contractors and cost millions of dollars in damages. In a 2012 profile by the Tribune, Hammonds mother described her son as a genius with no brain.

Hammond, 39, was released from prison in 2021, records show.

His twin brother, Jason Hammond, was also issued and ordinance citation Tuesday night for disorderly conduct. A police report said he failed to follow dispersal orders from police and locked his arms to use his weight against police.

Jason Hammonds public defenders questioned why he was held overnight given the citation. Hammond quietly said, Free Palestine, as he was escorted out of court.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys sparred in court Wednesday over whether the defendants should be barred from both the DNC perimeter and the area around the consulate for the rest of the duration of the convention. Though judges barred the protesters from returning to the area around the consulate, they declined to prohibit them from going near the DNC.

Most of the other protesters charged so far during the convention were arrested in connection with Mondays breaching of the security fence near the DNC site.

Chicago police on Wednesday announced felony aggravated battery charges against an 18-year-old man from northwest suburban Park Ridge who was accused of tackling a police officer during the Monday afternoon melee, causing the officer to hit his head and suffer a concussion.

Court records show the man was released on electronic monitoring Tuesday, with orders to stay away from the area around the United Center until after the convention was over.

Also Wednesday, authorities were investigating after several people entered the Fairmont Chicago hotel near Millennium Park and put what appeared to be live bugs onto tables where delegates, including a group from Indiana, were being served breakfast.

According to a joint DNC law enforcement statement, multiple unknown female offenders entered the hotel in the 200 block of North Columbus Drive at about 6:45 a.m. and began placing unknown objects onto tables containing food before leaving the area.

One victim was treated and released at the scene, according to the statement.

Sam Barloga, a spokesman for the Indiana Democratic Party, said in a statement that the safety and well-being of our delegation is our top priority.

All Americans have the right to peaceful protest, but ugly attacks like this have no place in our democracy, Barloga said. We thank the security team for responding swiftly.

The incident was being investigated by Chicago police as well as the FBI.

Tribune reporters Nell Salzman, A.D. Quig, Stacy St. Clair and Christy Gutowski contributed.

DNC in Chicago: What happened Tuesday  and whats coming Wednesday
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV)  The Economic Opportunity Authority is again opening registration for those interested in participating in an energy assistance program.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program administered by the Georgia Department of Human Services and operated by the Economic Opportunity for Savannah-Chatham County Area, Inc. is readying to accept appointments from low-income residents who live in Chatham County.

Applicants must meet income guidelines and supply verifiable information. To obtain an appointment, potential applicants must call (912) 721-7910 or visit the following link on Friday, August 23, 2024, starting at 7:00 pm.

To qualify, a familys annual income must be in accordance with the Fiscal Year 2024 LIHEAP Eligibility Guidelines. Documents needed by applicants who qualify are as follows:

1. Current Electric Bill

2. Social Security Card for each member of the household.

3. Picture ID (i.e. Drivers License, State Photo ID, even if the the ID is expired etc.)

4. Proof of Income for the last 30 days for each adult member of the household. (Proof of income can include, but is not limited to: 2024 Social Security Award Letter, a paycheck stub, a letter granting public assistance, unemployment benefits for all applicable members of the household.)

Please be advised there is a limited number of appointments.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSAV-TV.
In this piece, I evaluated two coffee chain stocks: Starbucks (SBUX) and Dutch Bros. (BROS). A closer look suggests a neutral view of Starbucks and a cautious bullish view of Dutch Bros.

With over 38,000 stores in more than 80 markets, Starbucks is the dominant coffee chain of the two. Dutch Bros. is an up-and-comer in the space that operates domestically in the U.S. through its company-operated chain of coffee shops, the main driver of its sales. BROS Franchising and Other division includes bean and product sales to franchisees, franchise fees, royalties, and other revenue.

Dutch Bros. stock is down 2% year-to-date and up 1% over the last year. Meanwhile, shares of Starbucks are nearly flat year-to-date, down about 1% on both a year-to-date and 12-month basis.

Despite such similar share-price performances, there is a significant gap in the two chains valuations. We compare their price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios to gauge their valuations against each other and that of their industry. The restaurant industry is trading at a P/E of 45.3x, versus its three-year average of 49.3x.

Importantly, Dutch Bros. is priced like a growth stock, while Starbucks valuation is that of a legacy firm.

Starbucks

At a P/E of 25.9x, Starbucks is being punished severely for concerns about higher costs of living, which have resulted in declining same-store sales as consumers choose cheaper coffee options, often at home or work. Unfortunately, falling same-store sales and a warning about its outlook suggest things may not turn around anytime soon. However, Im calling for a neutral rating due to valuation until things start to improve.

The latest quarter marked Starbucks second straight quarter of declining same-store sales, which fell 3% year-over-year on the back of a 5% drop in transactions. Same-store sales in China plummeted 14% year-over-year, a massive problem for the coffee giant, although they improved sequentially.

Meanwhile, Starbucks management pointed to a few green shoots, such as improvements to mobile ordering and strong sales of new products. Nevertheless, they reiterated their call for revenue growth in the low single digits, with earnings-per-share growth ranging from flat to the low single digits.

Finally, the involvement of activist investor Elliott Management could turn things around faster than expected at Starbucks  a key reason for the neutral view. Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan said so far, discussions have been constructive. Narasimhan also mentioned in the companys latest earnings report that they are exploring partnerships to accelerate growth in China.

Story continues

What Is the Price Target for SBUX stock?

Starbucks has a Moderate Buy consensus rating based on seven Buys, 14 Holds, and zero Sell ratings assigned over the last three months. At $85.76, the average Starbucks stock price target implies a downside potential of 7.79%.

See more SBUX analyst ratings

Dutch Bros.

At a P/E of 124.8x, Dutch Bros. is priced like a growth stock, but is the company putting up the growth to warrant such a categorization? It does seem to deserve a premium multiple for growth, especially considering the forward P/E. This suggests a cautious bullish rating might be appropriate.

Dutch Bros forward P/E stands at 73.6x, suggesting the companys valuation is on the way towards normalization. If that valuation continues to trend in the same direction, I would become less cautious about the shares.

Dutch Bros rapid growth earned it the title of the fourth-largest snack restaurant by QSR magazine earlier this year. The company is now positioned behind Starbucks, Dunkin, and Dairy Queen, and its rapid growth justifies its status as a growth stock.

Systemwide sales approached $1 billion in 2023 and then surpassed that mark over the last 12 months, reaching $1.1 billion. Same-store sales are also growing rapidly, rising 4.1% in the latest quarter. Company-operated same-store sales grew 5.2% year over year, while company-operated shop gross profit rose from $51.1 million in the year-ago quarter to $70 million in the latest quarter. Revenues rose 30% year over year to $324.9 million in the latest quarter.

Finally, Dutch Bros drive-thru-only model positions it ahead of Starbucks during tough economic times, as its long-term costs should be lower due to the absence of in-shop dining expenses.

However, caution is still warranted with BROS, as it remains a speculative stock with no guarantee that its rapid growth will persist.

What Is the Price Target for BROS stock?

Dutch Bros. has a Moderate Buy consensus rating based on eight Buys, three Holds, and zero Sell ratings assigned over the last three months. At $40.64, the average Dutch Bros. stock price target implies upside potential of 32.12%.

See more BROS analyst ratings

Conclusion: Neutral on SBUX, Bullish on BROS

While Starbucks certainly wont be going anywhere anytime soon, theres no denying that it faces challenges in this difficult economic climate. With numerous financial gurus suggesting that people cut back on expensive take-out coffees to save money, Starbucks is directly in their crosshairs.

On the other hand, Dutch Bros. seems to be doing better in the current climate as it continues to put up the growth required to achieve a premium versus its industry. However, as stated, caution is advised with the shares if any warning signs start to appear.

Disclosure
"It Has Everything To Do With Racial Harassment": Eric Andre Detailed An Alleged Incident At An Airport

Eric Andre alleged that he was racially harassed in an airport in Australia.

Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images

In an Instagram video posted on Monday, the comedian alleged that the incident happened when he was traveling by Qantas International at Melbourne airport as part of his journey from Los Angeles to Brisbane.

"I got detained and I got pulled out of a lineup and put in a special line in Melbourne where I was sniffed thoroughly by a dog," he said in the video. "It's one of the many times I've been racially profiled at the airport. So this is a message for all Black, Brown, and Indigenous people traveling through Melbourne today...please be careful. They are searching Black, Brown, and Indigenous people."

Asking for any recommendations for legal counsel in Australia, Eric continued, "Anybody hiring me to work in Australia going forward, whether it's a production or a tour, please don't make me go through the Melbourne Airport alone. Please provide a police escort or some type of security escort for me, or have me fly into Brisbane or Sydney directly. I do not feel safe in the Melbourne Airport. I do not want to be humiliated or racially discriminated against anymore at these airports. I don't want to cut my hair and wear a three-piece suit so that I'm treated like a first-class citizen."

"It's providing a less safe experience for Black, Brown, Indigenous, and immigrant passengers. It has nothing to do with safety. It has everything to do with racial harassment," he emphasized.

Rb / GC Images

An account for the Melbourne airport subsequently commented on the video, "Melbourne Airport does not tolerate racism in any form."

"We are following up your complaint with the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) who are in charge of processing all international arrivals at Melbourne Airport and other Australian international gateways," the account continued. "Melbourne Airport is proudly the gateway to one of the most multicultural cities in the world. We welcome ALL passengers to Melbourne, and we expect everyone to be treated equally." Roy Rochlin / Getty Images for The Moth

A spokesperson for Australias Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) told NBC News that everyone who arrives in Australia is part of biosecurity screening processes for things such as fresh fruit or vegetables, plants and food, or soil on footwear or recreational equipment.

Part of this can involve being "subject to individual inspections and unpacking of baggage, or by general screening with the assistance of our highly trained dogs." The spokesperson added, "Any traveler coming into Australia will experience some or all of these screening measures." Amy E. Price / Getty Images for SXSW

Eric, along with Clayton English, previously sued an airport in Atlanta, alleging "a program of racial discrimination and unconstitutional jet bridge stops." The lawsuit was dismissed in 2023, but the comedians appealed the decision earlier this year.
Escaped Mississippi inmate taken into custody after hourslong standoff in Chicago

HERNANDO, Miss. (WGN)  An escaped Mississippi inmate was in custody Wednesday after an hourslong standoff with U.S. Marshals near Chicagos United Center, where the Democratic National Convention is being held.

The DeSoto County Mississippi Sheriffs Office announced Tuesday night that escaped inmate Joshua Zimmerman was barricaded inside a restaurant in Chicago and surrounded by U.S. Marshals.

After over 12 hours, Zimmerman was taken into custody around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.

District Attorney Matthew Barton told Nexstars WREG what happened before Zimmerman even got to the courtroom.

So, Ive actually Ive seen a video from inside the courthouse, Barton said. They came inside the courthouse. Theyre going upstairs to the courtroom. Hes wearing shackles and a jumpsuit like everybody else. He broke from the line (and) went through a door. Sometime later, he left the courthouse with no shackles and street clothes.

The U.S. Marshals Office and DeSoto County District Attorneys Office each offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

No further details have been released.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Escaped Mississippi inmate taken into custody after hourslong standoff in Chicago

HERNANDO, Miss. (WGN)  An escaped Mississippi inmate was in custody Wednesday after an hourslong standoff with U.S. Marshals near Chicagos United Center, where the Democratic National Convention is being held.

The DeSoto County Mississippi Sheriffs Office announced Tuesday night that escaped inmate Joshua Zimmerman was barricaded inside a restaurant in Chicago and surrounded by U.S. Marshals.

After over 12 hours, Zimmerman was taken into custody around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.

District Attorney Matthew Barton told Nexstars WREG what happened before Zimmerman even got to the courtroom.

So, Ive actually Ive seen a video from inside the courthouse, Barton said. They came inside the courthouse. Theyre going upstairs to the courtroom. Hes wearing shackles and a jumpsuit like everybody else. He broke from the line (and) went through a door. Sometime later, he left the courthouse with no shackles and street clothes.

The U.S. Marshals Office and DeSoto County District Attorneys Office each offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

No further details have been released.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Joshua Zimmerman, an inmate who escaped from Hernando, Mississippi, was taken into custody Wednesday morning after a standoff with U.S. Marshals in Chicago, according to the DeSoto County Sheriffs Office.

DCSO announced on Tuesday night that they received word from the United States Marshal Service that they found Zimmerman in a restaurant just blocks from the Democratic National Convention, in Chicago, Illinois.

Joshua Zimmerman in standoff with U.S. Marshals; barricaded in Chicago restaurant

Zimmerman was reportedly found eating by himself at a seafood restaurant Seafood Junction when he was found by U.S. Marshals.

On June 14, Zimmerman escaped from a DeSoto County courthouse after being scheduled for a hearing in a case where he was facing an attempted murder charge. He made it past the courtroom, down the stairs, past the metal detectors and guards at the front entrance without being noticed.

So Ive actually seen a video from inside the courthouse, said Matthew Barton, DeSoto County District Attorney. They came inside the courthouse, theyre going upstairs to the courtroom. Hes wearing shackles and a jumpsuit like everybody else. He broke from the line, [and] went through a door. Sometime later, he left the courthouse with no shackles and street clothes.

DeSoto County D.A. frustrated after career criminal escapes

Zimmerman is accused of attacking an elderly Southaven man who hired him to work at his house last September. He is also facing charges in Texas for the death of a woman.

The U.S. Marshals office and DeSoto County District Attorneys Office each offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. A high-profile bounty hunter, Dog the Bounty Hunter offered a $20,000 reward of his own.

Sheriff Thomas Tuggle released the following statement:

I want to express my deepest gratitude to the citizens of this county for their unwavering support, prayers, and numerous calls during the extensive search for Jousha Zimmerman. Zimmerman has been taken into custody, and our team is already on the ground in Chicago, fully prepared to commence the next phase of our investigation. I cannot emphasize the importance of the strong law enforcement partnerships and networking alliances we have cultivated with agencies nationwide, which played a crucial role in Zimmermans apprehension.

A special thank you goes to the U.S. Marshal Office in Mississippi, U.S. Marshal Ladon Reynolds (Illinois Northern Region U.S. Marshal), the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations, The Mississippi Highway Patrol, The Chicago Police Department, and all the local agencies involved. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge the Board of Supervisors for their invaluable support.

This arrest is the culmination of two months of intense effort and underscores our determination to hold criminals accountable. Throughout this investigation, we have operated with the utmost discretion. True professionals understand the importance of maintaining silence during the hunt, and we will continue to strictly adhere to this principle.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Bismarck filmmaker Matt Fern speaks during a news conference Nov. 28, 2023, at the Capitol. Fern has filed an ethics complaint against Bismarck filmmaker Dan Bielinski. (Photo courtesy of Dave Thompson/Prairie Public)

The North Dakota Ethics Commission is investigating whether a Bismarck filmmaker broke lobbying rules before securing grant money from the North Dakota Department of Commerce.

The complaint alleges that Daniel Bielinski, founder of Canticle Productions, acted as an unregistered lobbyist when he hosted Sen. Brad Bekkedahl, R-Williston, at a screening of his film End of the Rope.

The complaint was filed by Matt Fern, also a Bismarck filmmaker, in February.

I want people to know what happened, Fern told the North Dakota Monitor.

Bielinski did not return phone calls or emails seeking comment by publication.

The complaint also notes that, on April 29, 2023, Bekkedahl alluded on the Senate floor that a $600,000 grant included in the Department of Commerces budget bill was intended to go to Canticle Productions. Bekkedahl did not mention the company by name.

Theres added funding for a motion picture production and recruitment grant to a production company for another motion picture thats being made in North Dakota, he told fellow lawmakers during a presentation of the bill. Many of the productions from this company have been North Dakota-centrist productions, and this is another one they are bringing online.

Bekkedahl said Thursday he was merely explaining the changes to the bill to the rest of the chamber. He wasnt responsible for adding the motion picture grant to the budget, he said.

It was my job as the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee to bring that bill to the floor of the Senate on the final day of the session and explain all the 63 amendments that were placed into that bill, he said.

He said he did attend a screening of the film for the legislative assembly, but only because other lawmakers asked him to tag along.

Ferns complaint claims there was a VIP dinner and showing of End of the Rope in Williston on April 14, 2023. It was not clear who was at the dinner and film screening in Williston.

I can tell you that I never had a private dinner with this Daniel Bielinski person, Bekkedahl told the North Dakota Monitor.

Legislative Council records suggest that lawmakers wanted the grant to go to Canticle Productions.

A summary of the 2023-2025 Department of Commerce budget states that the $600,000 grant Adds funding for a motion picture production and recruitment grant to be provided directly to Canticle Productions.

Its not clear who originally introduced the amendment to the budget bill setting aside funding for the grant.

The Department of Commerce budget was signed into law by Gov. Doug Burgum on May 18, 2023.

After a 10-day application window in July, the Department of Commerce awarded the full $600,000 grant to Canticle Productions.

A recent report by the Auditors Office noted that this application period was much shorter than normal for the Department of Commerce, which may have harmed the ability of other companies to compete for the award. The agency, in a statement included in the report, disagreed with that conclusion.

That August, Fern and two dozen other North Dakota filmmakers sent a letter to Burgum criticizing the Legislature and Department of Commerces handling of the grants. The letter questioned whether Canticle Productions had received special treatment from the state government.

Department of Commerce communications manager Kim Schmidt later told Rob Port, an opinion columnist for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, that regardless of lawmakers intent the bidding process was authentic and not fixed in Canticles favor.

Bielinski received another $100,000 film grant from the agency in 2021. That grant was not open for a public bid.

Ethics Commission staff began officially investigating the complaint earlier this month, according to a letter obtained by the North Dakota Monitor. Ethics complaints are confidential unless a complaint is found substantiated and the accused has an opportunity to appeal the decision.

Many of us in the North Dakota film community are shocked at the lack of transparency weve seen over the past few years, Fern said in a Wednesday announcement about the complaint. Were relieved that the North Dakota Ethics Commission and Auditor are asking deeper questions about how film and TV grant funds are awarded and hope that the result will be more opportunity for the many talented filmmakers in North Dakota.

Fern said he met with representatives from the governors office and Department of Commerce on Monday to discuss the grants.

Mike Nowatzki, spokesperson for the governors office, said in an email that the purpose of the meeting was to ensure an open dialogue and discuss potential ways to improve the process for awarding future grant funding should it become available.

The state also expressed an eagerness to hear filmmakers ideas for growing the film industry in North Dakota, Nowatzki added. He said the meeting was scheduled three weeks prior.

The Department of Commerce did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.

Correction: This story was updated on Aug. 23 to reflect that filmmaker Matt Fern did not intend to allege in his complaint that Sen. Brad Bekkedahl attended a private dinner.
Baggage comes out of a new type of scanner at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, where liquids and laptops do not have to be removed beforehand. Rules for liquids in hand luggage are being tightened again at airports throughout the European Union beginning on September 1, when passengers will once again be limited to containers of no more than 100 millilitres. Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa

Rules for liquids in hand luggage are being tightened again at airports throughout the European Union beginning on September 1, when passengers will once again be limited to containers of no more than 100 millilitres.

Passengers are also required to pack liquid containers together in a single transparent plastic bag with a maximum volume of 1 litre.

The liquid rules, which were introduced back in 2006, had been loosened at some German airport checkpoints if baggage could be checked using computer tomography (CT) scanners, which use a technology developed for medical scans that can quickly draw a three-dimensional image of a bag's contents.

But EU officials have raised doubts about the reliability of the new CT baggage scanners. The German Federal Police and Frankfurt Airport operator Fraport drew attention to the looming rule change on Wednesday.

The looser rules, which had permitted liquids to remain inside bags, are now a thing of the past - at least for the time being, pending a security review of the new scanners.

Medication and liquid baby food are exempt from the liquid rules.

New EU regulations allow the liquid containers to remain inside of baggage at checkpoints equipped with new scanners, instead of being removed.

However, liquids and electronics must still be unpacked and presented separately at checkpoints with conventional scanners, which are still common at many airports in the EU, including in Germany.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell speaks during a press conference after the EU Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels. Francois Lenoir/EU Council/dpa

The European Union's foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, on Wednesday called Ukraine's Kursk offensive a "severe blow" to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Borrell also appeared to argue in favour of lifting territorial restrictions on the use of western arms supplies by Ukraine. Some donor countries have insisted that their weapons only be used in Ukrainian territory.

Writing on X, Borrell said: "Ukraines Kursk offensive is a severe blow to Russian President Putins narrative."

He added: "Lifting restrictions on the use of capabilities vs the Russian military involved in aggression against Ukraine, in accordance with international law, would have several important effects," including strengthening Ukrainian self-defence, saving lives and advancing peace efforts.

"The EU fully supports Ukraines fight against Russian aggression," said Borrell.
Delek Logistics Partners (NYSE: DKL) flies under the radar of most Wall Street analysts. Only a handful of them cover the company, and those who do have differing opinions, with two rating it a hold, one a buy, and another a strong buy.

Given its lack of coverage, most investors likely don't know how good the master limited partnership (MLP) has been at distributing cash to its investors. It recently delivered its 46th consecutive quarterly distribution increase. The nearly 2% raise pushed its yield close to 11%.

That monster income stream is on a sustainable foundation and should continue heading higher. That makes it a very attractive stock for income.

Building a solid foundation

Delek Logistics generates a lot of stable cash flow. The midstream company provides logistics services to its parent, refiner Delek US Holdings (NYSE:DK), and third-party customers. It recently amended and extended its agreements with Delek US for up to seven years, increasing its long-term visibility.

Meanwhile, it has been working to diversify its exposure to its parent by acquiring and building assets to support third-party customers. It currently gets half its earnings from its parent, a number it expects will decline to 36% in the second half of next year as it continues growing its third-party volumes.

The MLP generates enough cash to cover its monster distribution payment with plenty of room to spare. It ended the second quarter with a distribution coverage ratio of 1.32 times. That healthy coverage level enables the company to retain added cash to fund its continued expansion and strengthen its balance sheet.

Delek Logistics Partners has been working to shore up its financial foundation by reducing its leverage ratio, which was down to 3.81 at the end of the second quarter from 4.34 at the end of last year and 4.89 at the end of 2022.

The company has been able to lower its leverage while continuing to invest in expanding its operations and cash flow. That has given it the wherewithal to increase its distribution without raising its coverage ratio. The MLP has grown its distribution payment by 5.3% over the past year while keeping its coverage ratio flat with 2022's level of 1.32.

The fuel to continue growing

Delek Logistics Partners has been working hard to expand and diversify its operations in recent years. In 2022, it bought 3Bear Energy for $624.7 million in cash to boost its third-party revenue, diversify its operations, and enhance its growth. The acquisition generates lots of free cash flow, which enabled the company to reduce its leverage ratio and grow its distribution.

Story continues

The MLP recently made two more acquisitions. It bought Delek US' interest in the Wink to Webster Pipeline System, which transports crude oil from producers like ExxonMobil out of the Permian Basin to refining and export markets along the U.S. Gulf Coast. It also agreed to acquire H2O Midstream for $230 million to expand its midstream services in the Permian Basin. These deals will further diversify the company's operations and third-party volumes to lessen its reliance on Delek US.

Delek Logistics Partners will also invest in organic expansion projects as opportunities arise. It recently made a final investment decision to build a new natural gas processing plant near an existing facility in the Delaware Basin side of the Permian. This new project and its recent acquisitions will turn Delek Logistics into a premier full-service midstream provider in the Permian Basin.

The company's growth-focused investments will supply it with a rising stream of incremental cash flow that should allow the MLP to continue pushing its high-yielding payout higher.

A well-oiled income machine

Delek Logistics Partners has quietly put together a magnificent record of increasing its distribution to investors. The company backs its big-time payout with stable cash flow and a solid financial foundation. The MLP's financial flexibility has enabled it to continue investing in growing its operations, which should give it the ability to increase its distribution payments in the future.

That makes it a compelling option for those who are seeking a lucrative and steadily rising income stream (and who are comfortable with the tax complexities of investing in an MLP, including that they send a Schedule K-1 Federal Tax Form each year).

Should you invest $1,000 in Delek Logistics Partners right now?

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With Kamala Harris formal anointing as the Democratic nominee for president, European allies are relieved by what they see as a diminishing threat of another Donald Trump presidency  but an undercurrent of anxiety remains.

Several weeks ago, when the former president was riding high in the polls after a triumphal Republican convention, the nonstop topic at high-level European gatherings was how to go about Trump-proofing institutions that he had often blasted as ineffectual or branded as outright adversaries  including NATO and the European Union.

With Democrats rapid consolidation behind Harris after President Bidens withdrawal from the race, the near-frantic tone of such discussions has largely abated, and the conversation has turned to what to expect from a U.S. administration led by her.

Analysts say European leaders and policymakers generally believe that if Harris prevails in November , there would be crucial continuity in relationships with the continents major blocs  the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the EU  as well as a continuation of cordial bilateral bonds cemented by Biden.

Read more: Why Ukraine  and much of Europe  is alarmed over Trump's selection of J.D. Vance as his running mate

And the assessment on this side of the Atlantic is that a victorious Harris would keep throwing U.S. weight behind a key European project  aiding Ukraine in its fight against Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.

But beyond those broad parameters, things get a bit more uncertain.

First of all, no one wants to be overconfident about the prospect of a Harris victory. Trumps tumultuous presidency was something of a trauma for the closest U.S. allies in Europe, starting with his shock election in 2016. During his tenure, he projected indifference to the notion of shared transatlantic interests and values, and took a strikingly deferential tone toward Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trumps highly transactional view of international alliances has been on ample display during the current campaign against Harris. They dont do anything for us, he said at a North Carolina rally on Wednesday, referring to U.S. allies.

European anxiety about a repeat Trump performance has eased, but with the race still a tight one , it has not entirely abated.

He could still win, after all, said Staffan Lindberg, a political scientist and director of the V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, who has described Trump as a grave threat to democracy. Everyone is mindful of that.

During his presidency, Donald Trump projected indifference to the notion of shared transatlantic interests and values, and took a strikingly deferential tone toward Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Carlos Osorio / Associated Press)

The alarm over Trump that peaked earlier this summer might actually have had some beneficial effects, said Liana Fix, a fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations. Policymakers might now pivot away from crafting plans for Europe to take more responsibility for its own defense, and again get too cozy in relying on the U.S.

And the quiet rejoicing over seemingly growing strength of Harris election prospects is not universal across Europe, where far-right political movements have largely been held in check in recent elections, but continue to pose a substantial challenge to mainstream political parties.

Far-right leaders in Europe were excited this summer by the prospect of an easy Trump victory, analysts said, while a Harris win would serve to damp a sense of transatlantic momentum for right-wing populist-nationalist figures.

You are going to have your [Viktor] Orbans hoping for a different result than others, said Lindberg, referring to the Hungarian prime minister, an avowed Trump acolyte whose decade and a half in power has been marked by sharp erosion of democratic norms in his country  and more recently, by his efforts to undermine European support for Ukraine.

Despite near-solid unanimity among NATO allies over aiding Ukraine, the picture has grown more complicated as the war drags on.

Two men wear shirts with the image of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the words "Make America Hungary Again" after the far-right leader spoke last month in Baile Tusnad, Romania. (Alexandru Dobre / Associated Press)

Putins full-scale invasion will enter its fourth year soon after a new American administration is inaugurated in January. In some allied states, notably Germany, there has been a pullback from willingness to continue bankrolling the Wests effort to blunt the Russian onslaught.

Read more: A Ukrainian 'King Lear' comes to Shakespeare's hometown. Its actors know true tragedy

Ukraine, meanwhile, has signaled growing impatience with what it considers a pattern of the West providing just enough weaponry to hold off a Russian takeover, but not enough to actually win the war. There has been particular tension surrounding U.S. limitations on Ukrainian use of long-range weapons that can reach inside Russia.

An audacious Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory two weeks ago, about which neither Washington nor European allies were told in advance, underscored that sense of frustration in Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday criticized restrictions on the use of foreign-provided weaponry, calling the rationale for such curbs naive and illusory.

Fires burn in Russia's Kursk region after Ukraine's incursion. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

European leaders may also be hoping to see more willingness on the part of a prospective Harris administration to act more forcefully to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza, where the Palestinian death toll has surpassed 40,000, according to health officials in Gaza. More than one-third of the 27 EU members recognize the state of Palestine, which Washington does not.

So far in her short campaign, Harris has publicly hewed to Bidens support for Israel, but she has also referred to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. In coming weeks, pressure is likely to grow for her to say more on the subject.

We dont really know yet what her stance on the Middle East is going to be, Lindberg said.

This week saw a reprise of what has become a dispiriting diplomatic sequence: the raising, then dashing, of U.S. hopes for a cease-fire deal that would see the release of Hamas-held hostages, with Israeli critics of Netanyahu accusing him of deliberately torpedoing any accord.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally in Milwaukee on Tuesday. (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press)

Harris, if she becomes president, is at least something of a known quantity to Europeans, having met many leaders and senior policymakers at high-profile events such as the Munich Security Conference, which she attended in February. But a vice president is never the primary interlocutor with Europe  that was always Biden.

Given that, it would take time for Europeans to take her measure  and vice versa, analysts suggested.

Theres some built-in level of familiarity, but it has its limits, Lindberg said. Right now, you can be sure that all of them are trying to find out as much as they can about her, as quickly as they can.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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Credit: RFA

An explosion put a dramatic end to a test fire of a new rocket being developed by the German company Rocket Factory Augsburg.

The explosion occurred on Monday (Aug. 19) while Rocket Factory Augsbug (RFA) was test firing the first stage of its new RFA ONE rocket. The test was meant to lay the groundwork for a planned debut launch as early as this year from SaxaVord Spaceport, a new facility being developed in the Shetland Islands, around 100 miles (160 kilometers) northeast of the Scottish mainland.

A video published by the BBC shows the rocket engulfed in flames after an explosion from the base of the rocket. Reuters also posted a video of the explosion to X, depicting the initial moments of the explosion before flames and smoke obscure the test stand.

RFA posted a statement to X following the incident, noting that, while no personnel were injured, the anomaly "led to the loss of the stage." The company is now working with SaxaVord Spaceport to investigate and analyze the anomaly.

The U.K. Civil Aviation Authority likewise posted a statement noting that it's "in contact with those involved to make sure the industry continues to have the highest levels of safety."

SaxaVord Spaceport aims to be the first fully licensed vertical orbital launch facility in Western Europe, and received a license in late 2023 to launch up to 30 vehicles a year. Rocket Factory Augsburg aimed to be one of the first companies to launch from the new spaceport with its RFA One rocket.

RELATED STORIES:

 Western Europe's 1st vertical spaceport cleared for launch, hopes to see rockets fly in 2024

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 European spaceflight companies are racing to be the first to reach orbit

RFA has conducted several previous hot fire tests, including one in May 2024 that saw the same rocket stage fire four of its nine Helix engines. It is unknown how many engines were fired in yesterday's catastrophic test.

RFA is one of a number of European commercial rocket companies racing to reach orbit first. Scotland-based Skyrora is also aiming to launch the first of its 3D-printed rockets from SaxaVord, perhaps as early as this year.
Evacuating Russians from Sudzha to Ukraine is illegal, and may be viewed as deportation  Human rights activist

Ukraine can evacuate Russians to its territory only from areas of active hostilities, otherwise this would be considered deportation.

Source: Roman Martynovskyi, a human rights activist and co-founder of the Regional Centre for Human Rights, in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda

Quote from Martynovskyi: "We can evacuate Russians to Ukraine, but only from those areas where active hostilities are taking place. It is illegal to take citizens out of Sudzha, where it is relatively calm now, and [such actions] may be considered as deportation. But from more dangerous settlements, it is quite possible."

More details: However, the human rights activist reports that the Ukrainian authorities will be obliged to bring the evacuees home as soon as active hostilities end. He stressed that if this is not done in time, international courts will have the right to accuse Ukraine of delaying repatriation, which may qualify as a crime of deportation.

Quote from Martynovskyi: "A logical question arises as to why we have to evacuate Russians to the territory of Ukraine, and not to the border settlements of the Russian Federation, where there are no battles? The answer is simple: it is much more difficult for the Ukrainian authorities to find places for Russians to live in Kursk than in Ukraine."

Details: The human rights activist also noted that the Ukrainian authorities must create conditions for the evacuated Russians that will allow them to live normally, eat, sleep, wash, receive medical care, and feel safe.

At the same time, Martynovskyi expressed his belief that the Russian authorities will use the evacuation of their citizens to Ukraine to their advantage.

In this context, Martynovskyi stressed that the Ukrainian side should strictly adhere to the norms of international humanitarian law, in particular, that evacuation can only be voluntary.

He is convinced that written consent to evacuation should be obtained from people who are to be transported to Ukraine, and such written consent can be used as evidence in courts.

Background:

As of 20 August, Ukrainian forces were in control of more than 1,260 sq km of territory and 93 settlements in Kursk Oblast, Russia.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk stressed that Russian civilians within this zone are protected by international humanitarian law, which Ukraine fully complies with.

Therefore, the Ukrainian military plans to conduct humanitarian operations to support civilians, open humanitarian corridors for evacuation towards Russia and Ukraine, and allow international humanitarian organisations to provide humanitarian response and monitor the situation.

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Even if Ukraine was behind blowing up Nord Stream, it was a legitimate target, Pavel says

The Nord Stream pipelines were a legitimate target, even if Ukraine was behind the 2022 blasts, Czech President Petr Pavel said on Aug. 21 in the Czech news outlet Novinky's podcast PoliTalk.

Pavel added that he had no verified information on whether Kyiv was involved in the operation to blow up the gas pipelines.

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea were built to supply natural gas from Russia to Europe.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Aug. 14, citing its undisclosed sources, that a number of high-ranking Ukrainian military and businesspeople had planned an operation to blow up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022.

Kyiv has repeatedly denied connection to the Nord Stream blasts.

Pavel told Novinky that if the goal was to cut off gas and oil supplies to Europe and prevent Russia from profiting from it, then the pipelines were a legitimate target during the war.

"We already had a range of alternatives at that time, so the Nord Stream was not a critical pipeline on which energy security in Europe depended," Pavel said.

"It certainly caused some complications, but not complications we could not cope with," the Czech president added.

German authorities issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian national in connection to the explosions of the Nord Stream pipelines, according to a media investigation by several German news outlets published on Aug. 14.

The man, a diving instructor introduced simply as Volodymyr Z., was last seen in a Polish town west of Warsaw but has now gone into hiding, the investigation by ARD, Suddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), and Die Zeit said.

This would be the first arrest warrant issued concerning the 2022 explosions at the gas pipelines connecting Germany with Russia. Other media outlets have supported the story, while Germany's Federal Prosecutor's Office has declined to comment.

The Swedish outlet Expressen, which has cooperated with the German outlets, said the suspect's full name was Volodymyr Zhuravlov, aged 44. He is suspected of an anti-constitutional sabotage and of causing an explosion.

German journalists said they reached out to the suspect but the man denied involvement and quickly hung up.

The media investigation claimed that two other suspects  a man and a woman  are also Ukrainian citizens but uncovered no evidence of the Ukrainian government's involvement.

Read also: With Nord Stream making headlines again, Donald Tusk tells its patrons to apologize and keep quiet

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Former President Donald Trumps one-time National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster wrote in his new book, At War With Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House, obtained by The Guardian, that Russian President Vladimir Putin tantalized Trump by preying on his ego and insecurities.

The book, which details McMasters time in the Trump White House, comes out on Aug. 27.

This is nothing more than fake news intended to use made-up, salacious fabrications in order to sell copies of a book that belongs in the bargain bin of the fiction section, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said of the book in a statement emailed to the Daily Beast.

In the midst of former spy Sergei Skripals poisoning in London, McMaster claimed that Trump wrote a love-letter to Putin along with a copy of a New York Post article entitled Putin heaps praise on Trump, pans US politics, instructing McMaster to get the clipping to Putin.

Putin, a ruthless former KGB operator, as described by McMaster, played to Trumps ego and insecurities with flattery, claiming that Putin would use Trumps annotated clipping to embarrass him and provide cover for the attack.

Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Trump reportedly also told former British Prime Minister, Theresa May, that he was not sure whether Putin was behind the poisoning in 2019. However, Trump did impose new sanctions on Russia following the attack.

Putin had described Trump as a very outstanding person, talented, without any doubt and Trump had revealed his vulnerability to this approach, McMaster wrote. His affinity for strongmen, and his belief that he alone could forge a good relationship with Putin.

McMaster added that Trump was overconfident in his ability to improve relations with the dictator in the Kremlin in the same breath, saying former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama had also suffered Trumps Achilles heel.

Bush notably said of Putin in 2001, I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy.

Bushs relationship with Putin soured in 2008 when Putin invaded South Ossetia, a region of Georgia.

McMaster added that Trump was consumed by the Mueller report, which made discussions of Putin and Russia were difficult to have.

The fact that most foreign policy experts in Washington advocated for a tough approach to the Kremlin seemed only to drive the president to the opposite approach, McMaster wrote.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 24 others have been named in a murder case filed in Dhaka on Tuesday over the death of a garment worker who was fatally shot earlier this month during the student protests over quotas in government jobs.

Sohel Rana, according to a complaint submitted by the deceaseds brother in the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sultan Sohag Uddin, was killed in front of Adabor Police Station on Aug. 5 on the orders of the accused.

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The police, Awami League, Chhatra League, Jubo League and Swechasebak League and other criminals and conflicts implementing the dictators agenda began to fire indiscriminately, the complaint, as obtained by BDNews24, said. Several people, including the victim, were killed and many were injured in the shootings at the spot. The victim, Sohel Rana, was taken to Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital, where a doctor declared him dead on arrival.

Hasina aside, the case accuses Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader, former Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, former home minister Md. Asaduzzaman Khan, Bangladesh Chhatra League general secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan and former minister of textiles and jute Jahangir Kabir Nanak, among others.

Nearly 650 people have been killed in the weeks-long demonstrations, which began peacefully but quickly spiraled into violence and serious human right violations in the hands of security forces, the United Nations Human Rights Office said in a preliminary assessment that it published last week.

There are strong indications, warranting further independent investigation, that the security forces used unnecessary and disproportionate force in their response to the situation, it said. Alleged violations included extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and detention, enforced disappearances, torture and illtreatment, and severe restrictions on exercise of freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly.

The protests, which evolved into a larger reckoning over shrinking democratic rights in the South Asian nation under Hasinas Awami League, culminated in her sudden resignation and flight to India on the night of Aug. 5. Her government stepped down at the same time and has since been replaced by interim leadership helmed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus. The Grameen Bank founder recently met with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, which is facing internal turmoil of its own, to urge the trade group to separate business from politics.

Roughly 400 of the deaths took place between July 16 to Aug. 5, the UN said, while another 250 were killed following a fresh wave of protests between Aug. 5-6. The number of reported killings in revenge attacks against members of Hasinas party since that time still remains to be determined, it added.

While garment worker deaths as a result of the protests have likewise been difficult to quantify, workers rights group Garment Sramik Samhati said that at least five of themYesmin Chowdhury in Dhaka, Mohammad Rasel in Narayanganj, Mohammad Zaman Mia in Mymensingh, Shuva Shil in Savar and Zakir Hossain at Kapasia in Gazipurtook place in July.

Taslima Akhter, the organizations president, has called for justice and compensation for the deaths, along with better pay, working conditions and freedom of association. She has also asked Yunuss caretaker government to withdraw all false and repressive cases against garment workers who fought for a higher minimum wage last year.

Ranas case brings the number of potential charges against the ousted premier to 15. On Tuesday, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, asked India to extradite Hasina to face trial, adding that her fascist rule has weakened Bangladeshs independence and hindered the countrys progress for the past 15 years.
Former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn clashed with rioters as they took over the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021. He said he was booed by some Republicans in the Pennsylvania House during a visit in June. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

CHICAGO  Former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn spoke to the Pennsylvania delegation at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, two months after some Pennsylvania Republican legislators heckled and booed him in Harrisburg.

Dunn and former Sgt. Aquilino Gonell were invited as guests to the June 5 session of the Pennsylvania House and greeted by House Speaker Joanna McClinton.

The crazy thing was it was my presence that made them upset, I didnt even speak, Dunn said Wednesday. I just showed up, and they just walked off the floor in protest.

He said he was surprised at first, but then youre like, all right, yall walk out, because thats what yall do. Yall walk away. Yall get an attitude, you pout, but yall dont fight. Yall dont fight for people, he said. They dont care about other people. Republicans dont care about anybody but themselves. Democrats care about people.

Dunn, who made an unsuccessful bid for Congress in Maryland earlier this year, clashed with Jan. 6 rioters as they took over the U.S. Capitol as he helped guard former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosis office that day. Gonell, an Army veteran, has described being beaten with a flagpole, which he has said required two surgeries. Gonell resigned from the Capitol Police in 2022.

Both have campaigned for the Biden-Harris ticket this election cycle.

Before January 6, I was just a police officer who, through seeing all kinds of demonstrations, anybody that came up to the Capitol to air their grievances with the government, peacefully, peacefully. I had to listen to them, Dunn said Wednesday. Just listen to what they were complaining about, what they were upset about. They just wanted to be heard. They just wanted to be seen.

U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) also addressed the Pennsylvania gathering at the DNC on Wednesday, noting the successes Democrats have had with infrastructure in his state and Pennsylvania.

I sat there for four years under Donald Trump. We had infrastructure week, we had infrastructure month, we had infrastructure lunch. We just never had an infrastructure bill, Raskin said. Joe Biden got elected. We got that bill in the first week in his office, we passed a $1.2 trillion investment in the roads and the purchase and the highways, the ports, the airports, the infrastructure of the country. And I know how important thats been in Maryland, and I know how important it is to the people of Pennsylvania.

State Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) described how excitement over the Harris-Walz ticket could translate for down-ballot races, which might help Pennsylvania Democrats flip the upper chamber.

Its energized us at the local level and energized us at the state level, and thats why were going to be successful, Costa said. Republicans currently hold a 28-22 seat lead in the Senate, but some political analysts consider the chamber potentially flippable. Because what does it mean when we have a Senate Democratic majority: It gets us to a trifecta.



That of course, presumes Democrats keep a majority in the state House: They must win two special elections on Sept. 17  the ninth and 10th such elections of the current session  to retain a one-seat majority when the House reconvenes next month.

John Cole of the Capital-Star staff contributed

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(Bloomberg) -- Former FTX executive Ryan Salame has asked a US judge to either vacate his conviction or block any indictment of his girlfriend, alleging prosecutors reneged on a deal to stop investigating her if he entered into a plea agreement.

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But the government lawyers who brought the criminal cases against FTX insiders say there was no such deal and labeled Salames allegations false and incomplete.

The one-time boss of FTXs Bahamas subsidiary made his sensational claims in a federal court filing Wednesday in New York, almost three months after he was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison for his role in illegal activities at the cryptocurrency platform before it collapsed.

According to the filing, prosecutors used plea negotiations to threaten Salames partner Michelle Bond, who is the mother of his eight-month-old child. In April 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation searched the Maryland home that Bond, a crypto advocate and 2022 Republican congressional candidate, shared with Salame.

In an effort to induce Salames plea, government lawyers conveyed that they would discontinue investigating Bond if Salame pleaded guilty, attorney Christopher Bartolomucci wrote.

US District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan on Thursday scheduled a hearing on Salames motion for Sept. 12.

A spokesman for the Manhattan US Attorneys Office declined to comment. But in a letter filed in court on Wednesday night, the office presented a different view and urged the court to reject Salames shameless bid to renege on his guilty plea.

The government says it told Salames lawyers explicitly in a virtual meeting in May 2023 that a guilty plea from him would not stop an investigation into Bonds own conduct.

It was after this call that Salame entered a guilty plea, the governments letter states.

Salame, a prolific political donor during his time at FTX, admitted to violating campaign finance laws and operating a unlicensed money transmitter. He alleges the government has resumed an investigation into Bond, who has yet to be charged with any crimes, for violating campaign finance laws.

Salame asked Kaplan to block any indictment of Bond, or else vacate his conviction and the plea agreement.

In this case, the government failed to honor the implied assurances it gave to secure Salames guilty plea, which any reasonable person would have interpreted as an assurance that the government would discontinue any investigation of Bond, Salames court filing states.

Lawyers for Salame and Bond didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

Salame was the last of four top FTX figures to plead guilty to criminal offenses following a sweeping investigation that landed FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried behind bars for 25 years.

Unlike former Bankman-Fried lieutenants Nishad Singh, Caroline Ellison and Gary Wang, Salame didnt sign a cooperation agreement or testify at Bankman-Frieds trial late last year. There is no written condition in Salames plea agreement that supports his claims about an assurance from prosecutors.

He alleges an assistant US Attorney told him that although the condition couldnt be written into his plea agreement, if the government wrapped up Salames investigation, that would also conclude the inquiry into Bond. Prosecutors say Salame is mistaken and that they told him a plea agreement would conclude the investigation concerning Salame, but not Bankman-Fried.

The motion comes less than two months before Salame is due to begin serving his prison sentence. The date was recently delayed so he could undergo surgery after being bitten on the face by a German Shepherd dog.

The case is US v. Bankman-Fried, 22-cr-00673, US District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

(Updates with details from prosecutors letter, hearing date)

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  A former Lowell fire chief will serve probation for a sexual assault case.

Shannon Witherell was sentenced Wednesday to one day in jail with credit for time served and two years of probation. He was also ordered to serve 80 hours on a work crew within the next year; if he fails to do that, he will spend more time in jail. He will have to register with the Michigan Sex Offender Registry.

I am truly sorry for the pain that Ive caused to my family, my community, (the victim) specifically, Witherell told the judge, adding that he has been undergoing counseling and participating in an Alcoholics Anonymous program.

The victim in the case told the court the abuse started when she was a child. Now an adult, she explained how it affected her.

I knew that whenever it happened, I felt disgusting. I felt betrayed, she said, going on to say that she did not tell anyone about it for a long time because she could never make sense of it.

Witherell was arrested in a domestic violence case in November 2023. The victim said it was after that arrest that she told authorities what happened.

I want any victim who may hear or read my words to know that speaking up, talking to anybody, is the first step in healing, she said in court. Healing is freedom. And no one should have to take to the grave what I was prepared to take.

Witherell was charged with sexual assault in December 2023. He resigned from his role as Lowell fire chief the day before he was arraigned. He pleaded in April to a count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

In handing down Witherells sentence, Judge Christina Elmore said that the victim did not want him to serve more time behind bars and said she took that into account. Shannons attorney had also asked for probation.

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A Northern California church administrator, who swindled a Yuba City church out of more than $360,000 in part from the youth ministry and who used the money for her personal use, was sentenced Tuesday to five years and one month in prison, prosecutors said.

Chanell Easton, 38, the wife of a former Marysville police chief, pleaded guilty last year to 22 counts of wire fraud. She was also found guilty on two counts of aggravated theft in March after a bench trial in Sacramento federal court.

Easton embarked from 2013 to 2018 on an embezzlement scheme in which she used credit cards from St. Andrew Presbyterian Church to book a vacation to Fort Bragg and buy country music concert tickets, jewelry, clothes and lingerie, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum. She also wrote checks to herself by forging the signatures of the church treasurer and the head volunteer of the churchs food pantry, prosecutors said in a news release.

The $360,000 funds stolen by Easton represents about half of the churchs annual donations given by parishioners, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot Wong said, according to court documents.

However, the total amount Easton stole is not known, Wong wrote. She destroyed the churchs financial records when she left her church job, plainly designed to hide and obstruct any investigation into her embezzlement, Wong wrote.

Easton and her husband, Aaron Easton, hatched a plan to throw her church-owned work computer in a landfill and rendered the computers hard drive unusable, Wong wrote.

The computer was never found, Wong wrote. Aaron Easton, who quit his job as police chief in 2017 amid a sexual assault investigation, could not be reached for comment.

There were mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Aaron Eastons former wife, Sara Easton, who suffered a gunshot wound to the head.

Aaron Easton claimed his first wife died by suicide, while her family does not believe she killed herself. A Sacramento Bee investigation found an autopsy did not conclusively rule if Sara Easton died by homicide or suicide.

The couple moved to Oklahoma, where the defendants husband became an attorney. They have two sons, ages 13 and 10, who both implored the judge to not sentence their mother to prison, according to letters the boys sent to U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez.

Chanell Easton wrote in a letter addressed to Mendez that she was filled with deep regret for her actions and expressed remorse. She cited the lack of a stable home environment while growing up and emotional abuse that had a profound effect on my development and well-being, the letter said.

I am deeply sorry for what I have done, Easton wrote. This is not who I am.

Easton is due back in court Nov. 19 to determine how much restitution she must pay.
'Self-Run' Car Wash Sells For 140K, New Owner Profits $5K A Month, Only Stops By To Mix Soap And Collect Cash

When it comes to successful car wash ventures and pop culture references, Walter Whites A1A from Breaking Bad comes to mind. But for one young entrepreneur, her scrub stop is no cover-up  its bringing in truckloads of money and pretty much runs itself.

What To Know: According to a Business Insider report, 22-year-old Hannah Ingram purchased a coin-operated car wash in Tennessee in 2021 for $140,000. It brings in approximately $5,500 a month in profit and requires almost zero work.

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When she purchased the almost entirely automated car wash about three years ago, it was already active and profitable. After contacting the owners who had listed the business for sale and taking a quick look at the books, Ingram saw several areas where she could cut costs and grow the companys bottom line.

For example, they were paying a few hundred dollars a month for a radio advertisement that I knew I could lose and replace with social media marketing. Doing those calculations, I could see a clear way forward where Id be able to stay in the green, and that gave me confidence in the investment, she told Business Insider.

Trending: These five entrepreneurs are worth $223 billion  they all believe in one platform that offers a 7-9% target yield with monthly dividends

Ingram was able to get around having to come up with a large down payment by buying the business using seller financing, which is a real estate agreement that allows the buyer to make incremental payments to the seller on the purchase. In this case, she actually took over the owners existing bank loan.

When Ingram finally acquired the car wash she replaced many of the brushes, vacuums and soap dispensers. She also invested in new signs to put a new shine on the business. Ingram noted that she made a decent profit in her first month of ownership.

Trending: Commercial real estate has historically outperformed the stock market, and this platform allows individuals to invest in commercial real estate with as little as $5,000 offering a 12% target yield with a bonus 1% return boost today!

Later on, she added machines that accepted credit cards and made a few other improvements. All in, she invested an extra $7,500 into the business on top of the purchase price and the car wash now profits $5,500 each month on average.

Story continues

Ingram used to spend about 30 minutes each day taking out trash and doing small preventative maintenance tasks at the location, but she hired someone to take over her minimal maintenance routine.

These days, I basically just stop by to mix the soap and take care of the money ... Otherwise, its entirely self-run  and I still make thousands a month, she told Business Insider.

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Photo: Robert Wilkos from Pixabay.

This story is part of a new series of features on the subject of success, Benzinga Inspire.

Some elements of this story were previously reported by Benzinga and it has been updated.

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Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham disavowed her former boss Tuesday evening and voiced support for Kamala Harris for president in remarks at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

In her brief speech, Grisham said that she used to be not just a Trump supporter but also a "true believer" who became part of Trump's family and spent major holidays with him.

"I saw him when the cameras were off, behind closed doors. Trump mocks his supporters. He calls them basement dwellers," she said.

Grisham shared a few anecdotes about her experience working with Trump, including a story about a hospital visit he made during the Covid pandemic and she said people were dying in the intensive care unit.

"He was mad that the cameras were not watching him. He has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth," she said. "He used to tell me, 'It doesn't matter what you say, Stephanie  say it enough and people will believe you.' But it does matter  what you say matters, and what you don't say matters."

Representatives for Trump's campaign did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday.

Grisham said that on Jan. 6, 2021, she asked first lady Melania Trump whether they could tweet out that while peaceful protest is the right of every American, "there's no place for lawlessness or violence."

"She replied with one word: 'No,'" she said. "I became the first senior staffer to resign that day. I couldn't be part of the insanity any longer."

Grisham said she was criticized when she was press secretary because she never held a White House briefing in that role.

"It's because, unlike my boss, I never wanted to stand at that podium and lie," she said. "Now here I am behind a podium advocating for a Democrat, and that's because I love my country more than my party. Kamala Harris tells the truth. She respects the American people, and she has my vote."

Grisham was Trumps White House communications director and press secretary from July 2019 to April 2020 and went on to be Melania Trumps press secretary and chief of staff.

In an interview on MSNBC after her remarks, Grisham said that if she can reach any undecided voters, she wants to convey that she understands what it's like to believe in Trump. But she praised Democrats for pushing a message of unity and said that people may not agree on policies but that it's important to "talk to each other like humans again."

She said that the Harris campaign has been "brilliant" at communicating that people's freedoms are being taken away  that it's not just abortion rights, but also access to birth control.

"I really believe, a lot of people  especially Republican women  are going to vote for Kamala but maybe not tell their husbands," said Grisham, who called Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, of Ohio, "short-sighted" and "misogynistic."

Soon after Jan. 6, Grisham distanced herself from Trump world, and she eventually cooperated with the House committee that investigated the insurrection. In October 2021, she said on NBC News' "Meet the Press" that she tried to resign from the White House "a couple of times" but that Melania Trump persuaded her to stay.

In fact, I had a resignation letter written out with some very specific points in it that I was ready to hand over at any moment, she said. Jan. 6, of course, was my breaking point. And I was really proud that I was, well, the first in the administration to resign.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY)  A former prosecutor in the Virginia Beach Commonwealths Attorneys Office is accused of multiple financial crimes, including embezzlement and money laundering.

James Panagis was indicted on Monday by a Virginia Beach grand jury, Virginia Beach Commonwealths Attorney Colin Stolle announced Tuesday night.

Panagis was charged with four counts of embezzlement by a public officer, four counts of embezzlement >= $500, uttering a forged check, and money laundering-conduct a financial transaction, proceeds from felony activity.

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The charges stem from Panagis allegedly taking restitution money that belonged to victims while he was employed in the commonwealths attorneys office. Stolle said Panagis was employed from Aug. 22, 2015 to Feb. 16, 2022.

Stolle says he called for the investigation into Panagis in August 2022 after discovering irregularities in Panagis files.

I immediately requested the Virginia State Police conduct a criminal investigation and asked that a Special Prosecutor be appointed, Stolle said in a statement. I also immediately contacted the Virginia State Bar lead ethics counsel who advised me to turn this matter over for their review after the conclusion of the criminal investigation.

The Chesterfield Commonwealths Attorneys Office has been asked to handle the prosecution of the case.

Stolle said he cant say more about the case due to pending special prosecutors appointment, but that his office has fully cooperated in the investigation. He did say that there were no disciplinary issues with Panagis during his time with the office and he left on his own accord.

Prosecutors, in particular, must practice law with the utmost integrity in order for the justice system to work, and that is what I expect from the prosecutors in my office, Stolle said. While ethical restraints prevent me from commenting on a pending investigation, I will be available to answer questions when this matter is concluded.

Virginia Beach-based law firm Wolcott Rivers Gates, meanwhile, announced Panagis was fired from their office on Tuesday, and that they had no further comment until the end of the judicial process.

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NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH)  An expelled Yale University student is suing more than a dozen womens advocacy groups and coalitions against sexual violence after he says they called him a rapist even after he was acquitted of the charge.

Former Yale University student Saifullah Khan was accused of raping a female student on Halloween night in 2015, but was found not guilty by a jury in 2018.

2018: Suspended Yale student acquitted of rape charges

He was expelled by Yale University not long after the acquittal. In 2023, Khan sued the university and his accuser.

His most recent lawsuit alleges four counts against 15 defendants, including defamation, false light, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and abuse of process. The defendants range from the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence to the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence.

Khans lawsuit alleges the groups and an attorney who represented them defamed him in an amicus brief they filed with the state Supreme Court after Khan sued Yale University for his expulsion and the case rose to the high court.

RELATED: Yale student wont face assault charges

While the defendants attorney later apologized for the language used in the brief- which he said repeated allegations as facts- the filing remains permanently published online.

According to the recent lawsuit, the brief contained several false and defamatory statements, including: when Jane Doe was in college, the Plaintiff raped her and then her rapist invented an ambiguity in Connecticut law and subjected her to years of costly and traumatic retaliatory litigation.

Khan is seeking to recover damages for defendants grievous harm to the plaintiffs reputation and well-being, and to vindicate his rights under law.

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Experts warn 2024 could be hottest year on record

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  Climate scientists warn this year is likely to be the hottest on record, according to a briefing by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Last year, 2023, was the hottest year on record. This year has a 77% chance of surpassing that, scientists said at a NOAA briefing.

Were seeing hotter temperatures, longer and stronger heat waves. Were seeing heavier rainfall events leading to flooding in some places, said Tommy DiLiberto, a climate scientist at NOAA.

DiLiberto said the warmer temperatures are contributing to more severe storms.

This year, NOAA data said 19 storms have caused $1 billion in damage or more. Those include Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record, hailstorms in Colorado and wildfires in New Mexico.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson agrees.

It doesnt take a climate scientist to understand this, Nelson said. All you have to do is turn on your six oclock news and get your weather report.

Nelson, a former astronaut, said he saw a hurricane while up in space.

Its a powerful, powerful thing when you observe Earth from that standpoint and see what mother nature can do, Nelson said.

Now, he said, his agency can provide real time data on the changing climate from satellites in space.

We have instruments on the space station that are measuring what is happening to the Earth, Nelson said. And the Earth is heating up.

Nelson and DiLiberto said climate change is caused by greenhouse gases, but both stressed, people can help reverse course.

Theres still a lot of action being done across the United States, across the world, to basically reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases, DiLiberto said.

NOAA estimates, because of near record sea temperatures and the La Nina, the Atlantic could see eight to 13 hurricanes this year.

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Explosions rocked Khmelnytskyi Oblast during an air raid on the night of 20-21 August.

Source: Suspilne Khmelnytskyi, a local branch of the Ukrainian public broadcaster

Quote: "Sounds of explosions were heard in Khmelnytskyi Oblast."

Background: An air-raid warning was issued in Khmelnytskyi Oblast at 02:46 because of the threat of Russian drone attacks.

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FAA sent 43 more cases of unruly airline passengers to the FBI for possible prosecution

FILE - A Federal Aviation Administration sign hangs in the tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, March 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. officials say they are referring fewer unruly airline passengers to the FBI for possible prosecution than they did during the pandemic, although they say the number of incidents remains too high.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it referred 43 reports to the Federal Bureau of Investigation during the past year. That brings the total to more than 310 since late 2021.

It is not clear how many cases resulted in prosecution.

Airlines have reported more than 1,240 cases to the FAA this year. compared with nearly 6,000 in 2021. Relatively few of them are deemed serious enough to be passed along to the FBI for investigation and potential filing of criminal charges.

The FAA said the rate of passenger misbehavior has dropped by more than 80% since early 2021, when many confrontations with flight attendants and other passengers started with travelers who objected to wearing a face mask in the midst of a deadly global pandemic.

A federal judge struck down the mask rule in 2022, leaving airlines, airports and mass transit systems to make their own decisions about mask requirements. The Biden administration did not appeal the decision. Airlines and Republican politicians urged the administration to let the rule die.

Theres absolutely no excuse for unruly behavior, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said Wednesday. It threatens the safety of everyone on board, and we have zero tolerance for it.

Referrals in the past year included passengers who tried to break into the cockpit, assaulted airline crew members or other passengers, or threatened others on the plane.

The FAA can propose civil penalties up to $37,000 but lacks authority to file criminal charges.

The agency announced a zero-tolerance policy in January 2021 under which it levied fines instead of issuing warning letters. Late that year, it struck a deal with the FBI to increase prosecutions.
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The Fabens Independent School District says it completed an investigation into the recent school bus incident that was posted on social media recently.

Fabens ISD investigating incident on bus captured on video

As we have previously reported, a community group, called Make Fabens Better which is not affiliated with the district, posted a video taken near a Fabens school bus that appears to show a student possibly being hit with small sticks or pencils. It is unclear from the video if the other people on the bus are students or adults.

The school district issued a statement on Tuesday, Aug. 20, saying that they were aware of the incident and that the parent of the student involved was notified directly. The school district also said they were taking appropriate measures

On Wednesday, Aug. 21, the school district released the following statement:

Fabens Independent School District has completed a thorough investigation into the recent school bus incident posted on a social media group not affiliated with the district. We are pleased to report that the investigation confirmed that all safety and security protocols upheld by the transportation department were followed correctly.

Our investigation involved close collaboration with the transportation and security departments and interviewing all parties involved. As a result of this investigation, we are confident in the effectiveness of our current procedures. However, we remain committed to continually improving our practices to ensure our students safety and security.

The students legal guardian is satisfied with the conclusion of the districts investigation and requests that the familys privacy regarding this matter be respected to maintain confidentiality under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The legal guardian is not willing to speak with the media at this time.

We want to thank the parents, guardians, and community members for their understanding and support. The well-being of our students remains our highest priority, and we will continue to uphold the trust placed in us.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  Fabens Independent School District said it is investigating an incident on one of its school buses, according to a statement sent out by the district Tuesday evening, Aug. 21.

A community group, called Make Fabens Better, posted a video taken near a Fabens school bus that appears to show a student possibly being hit with small sticks or pencils. It is unclear from the video if the other people on the bus are students or adults.

Here is the statement that Fabens ISD issued:

Fabens Independent School District is aware of the recent incident involving one of our school buses. First and foremost, we want to assure our community that the safety and well-being of our students are our top priority.

We are conducting a thorough investigation to understand the full details of the situation and ensure appropriate measures are taken moving forward. The parents of the student involved have been notified directly.

We appreciate the patience and understanding of our Fabens ISD community as we work through this matter. We remain committed to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for all our students.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Fabio Wardley vs Frazer Clarke rematch confirmed after fight of the year contender

Fabio Wardley vs Frazer Clarke rematch confirmed after fight of the year contender

Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke will meet in a highly-anticipated rematch on 12 October, on the undercard of Dmitry Bivols undisputed title fight with Artur Beterbiev.

Wardley defended the British heavyweight title against Clarke in March, in a main event at Londons O2 Arena, with the pair fighting to a split draw in an instant classic.

Clarke was dropped in round five and was deducted a point for multiple low blows in round seven, but the Olympic bronze medalist impressed enough in the rest of the fight to secure a 115-112 scorecard; the others read 114-113 to Wardley and 113-113.

Now the unbeaten Britons will square off again, with Wardley, 29, defending his title against Clarke, 33, in Saudi Arabia.

The heavyweights will compete in Riyadh before the main event pits Russias Bivol against Russian-Canadian Beterbiev.

Like Wardley and Clarke, Bivol and Beterbiev are both undefeated, and the light-heavyweights will clash to crown an undisputed champion.

The bout is years in the making, and Bivol will bring the IBO title into the Kingdom Arena, while Beterbiev holds the WBC, WBO and IBF belts.
Claim:

In August 2024, Ukraine passed legislation banning the Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

Rating:

Rating: Mixture

What's True:

On Aug. 20, 2024, the Ukrainian Parliament passed (though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not yet signed, as of this writing) legislation that would allow the government to ban the Russian-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church. However 

What's False:

 the law does not pertain to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the church to which the majority of Ukrainian Christians belong. Claims that Ukraine banned the Orthodox Church entirely or that it outlawed Christianity are false.

In mid-August 2024, a rumor spread on social media that Ukraine passed legislation banning the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. For instance, one X post on the topic read: "Apparently, Ukraine just voted to outlaw the Orthodox Church there. This would be the equivalent of the United States banning Catholicism during WW2 because Italy was controlled by the Axis Powers. Do you still think Ukraine is the good guy?"

(X user @ShaneSchaetzel)

Another X user wrote: "Ukraine has officially banned the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This only makes it officially legal what's already been happening. The law will be enforced within 30 days, any canonical UOC parish that doesn't submit to the state-run OCU will be seized and shut down," while another post, with more than 940,000 views as of this writing, claimed "Zelenskyy has banned the Church in Ukraine."

Today Zelenskyy has banned the Church in Ukraine.



Dozens of priests will be thrown to prisons! They got into peoples souls!



The God was kicked out of Ukraine



Keep telling about it! Tell the world that Zelenskyy is doing evil! pic.twitter.com/7ea5uyc9RD  Diana Panchenko  (@Panchenko_X) August 20, 2024

"Zelensky is preparing to ban not only the Russian Orthodox Church but also the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - so Shabad Shalom, everyone," an Aug. 19, 2024, X post claimed, reaching more than 1.4 million views. The same user wrote on Aug. 20, 2024: "BREAKING: UKRAINE BANS CHRISTIANITY Zelensky's regime has just adopted the law banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church," gaining 1.6 million views as of this writing. Similar claims also circulated in Spanish- and German-language posts.

In short, while the Ukrainian Parliament did pass legislation on Aug. 20, 2024, that would allow the government to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church due to its ties to Russia, this law would not affect the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the church to which most Christian Ukrainians belong, nor would it ban Christianity in Ukraine.

Moreover, as of this writing, the bill is still awaiting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's signature. Therefore, we have rated the claim that Ukraine banned the Orthodox Church in August 2024 as a "Mixture" of true and false information.

On Aug. 20, 2024, The New York Times reported "Ukraine's Parliament passed a bill on Tuesday creating a legal path to ban a Russian-aligned branch of the Orthodox church, furthering a long, post-Soviet split between two of the world's largest Orthodox communities."

Similarly, Reuters' article on the topic read: "Ukrainian lawmakers on Tuesday passed a law envisaging a ban on the activities of a Russia-linked branch of the Orthodox church, paving the way for a historic rupture with an institution that Kyiv has accused of complicity in Moscow's invasion of Ukraine." It also underscored that the UOC has historically been affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate, as the Russian Orthodox Church is legally known, but it declared its full independence from Moscow in May 2022.

The full name of the in-question draft law No. 8371 is: "Draft Law on Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding Activities of Religious Organizations in Ukraine." On Oct.19, 2023, the parliament of Ukraine adopted this draft law in the first reading. On Aug. 20, 2024, in a second reading, 265 Ukrainian Parliament members cast their votes in favor, 29 voted against, four were absent and 24 abstained.

While the full text of the draft law was not yet available as of this writing, the BBC News Ukrainian reported "many amendments were made to the document" and "from two pages it grew to 23."

Below you can find the first version of the in-question draft law (we translated it using DeepL Translate, emphasis added):

DRAFT By the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine D. SHMYHAL January 9, 2023

THE LAW OF UKRAINE On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on the Activities of Religious Organizations in Ukraine

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine decides: I. To amend the following laws of Ukraine: 1. In the Law of Ukraine "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations" (Vidomosti Verkhovnoi Rady Ukrayiny, 1991, No. 25, p. 283, as amended) 1) Article 5 shall be supplemented with a part of the following content: "The activity of religious organizations affiliated with centers of influence of a religious organization (association) whose governing center (management) is located outside Ukraine in a state that carries out armed aggression against Ukraine is not allowed." 2) in Article 16: part four shall be supplemented with clause 6 as follows: "6) in case of detection of other violations of the requirements for the establishment of a religious organization (association) established by the Constitution of Ukraine, this and other laws of Ukraine." to supplement the article after part four with a new part of the following: "In the cases provided for by this Law, the activities of a religious organization may be terminated in court at the request of the central executive body implementing state policy in the field of religion or the prosecutor."

[...] 3) Article 30 shall be supplemented with paragraphs of the following content: "conducting a religious expert examination of the activities of religious organizations to identify subordination in canonical and organizational matters with the centers of influence of a religious organization (association) whose governing center (management) is located outside Ukraine in a state that carries out armed aggression against Ukraine; for issuing orders to eliminate violations revealed by the results of religious expertise within one month from the date of issuance of such an order;filing a lawsuit with the court to terminate the activities of a religious organization in case of its failure to comply with the orders to eliminate violations identified as a result of religious expertise within the established time limits." 2. In the third paragraph of the second part of Article 4 of the Law of Ukraine "On State Registration of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs and Public Organizations" (Bulletin of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, 2016, No. 2, p. 17, as amended), the words "entrepreneurs on the basis of documents" shall be replaced with the words "entrepreneurs and legal entities of religious organizations on the basis of documents submitted in paper or electronic form". II. This Law shall enter into force one month after its publication.

A press release on the website of the Ukraine's Parliament titled "The Parliament adopted in its entirety the Law of Ukraine 'On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Field of Activities of Religious Organizations'" explained the purpose of the law (draft on amending some laws of Ukraine regarding the activities of religious organizations in Ukraine No. 8371) was to ban the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church and religious organizations affiliated with it in Ukraine. It underscored that the Russian Orthodox Church is an instrument of Russian influence and propaganda:

With the adoption of the Law, Ukraine takes another step towards protecting its population from terrorist enemy propaganda, calls to violence and genocide spread by the Russian Orthodox Church. We must stop any actions on the part of the Russian Federation to abuse religion and distort Orthodox traditions, with the imposition of criminal narratives. We will remind you that the Russian Orthodox Church unconditionally supports Russia's war against Ukraine. According to the Law, the activities of religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church are not allowed, such organizations are terminated in accordance with the procedure established by law. The list of these organizations is approved by the order of DESS and published on the official website of the service. In addition, the Russian Orthodox Church cannot be the owner or participant of legal entities registered in Ukraine. An important amendment is the amendment to Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine "On Leasing of State and Communal Property" regarding the prohibition to transfer state or communal property for free use or loan. Now, such a ban will not extend to religious organizations: they will be able to take free use or loan of state or communal property, which is religious, for the purpose of holding religious services and providing other types of religious practice. Prohibition of propaganda of the ideology of "Russian Peace" is provided for, in particular, the use of religious organizations to promote this ideology is prohibited. The law enters into force 30 days after its publication, except for the mandate of the CMU and the provisions on amendments to the CAS.

Furthermore, the Ukrainian Parliament's website underscored the "adoption in the second reading of draft law No. 8371 on banning the activities of religious organizations in Ukraine associated with the aggressor country was an important step towards breaking the long-standing relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church and Russia in general." It also quoted Yevheniia Kravchuk, the deputy head of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy:

"In fact, this is a law about our spiritual independence. The adopted document places the Russian Orthodox Church as a foreign religious organization outside the law, it will be banned in Ukraine. At the same time, a Ukrainian religious organization related to the Russian Orthodox Church can be banned only through a court. And the law provides a legal procedure, how the state should act, how to reveal the connection with the aggressor country, how much time is given for breaking the connection and action, if there is no such break," [Kravchuk] said. She specified that after the draft law enters into force, it will be nine months before the first trials can begin regarding those religious organizations that have maintained ties with the Russian Orthodox Church and the aggressor country. "The connection itself must be proven on the basis of an examination, which will be conducted by the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience together with religious experts and a special commission," the deputy informed. She also emphasized that the draft law would not have had support in the Verkhovna Rada hall if it were not for the unequivocal position of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, who clearly declared his support for the idea of Ukraine's spiritual independence. It is also important that absolutely all other denominations, except the UOC MP, supported such a decision and issued a corresponding statement.

A significant majority of Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians, but the faith is divided into two main branches: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, traditionally linked to the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which has been recognized as independent by the global Orthodox hierarchy since 2019.

A survey conducted in 2019 by three Ukrainian sociological companies indicated the vast majority of Ukrainians belonged to the Orthodox faith (70.7%). Among them, the largest group (43.9%) identified with the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine. A further 38.4% of respondents called themselves Orthodox, but did not belong to a specific church. Finally, only 15.2% of Orthodox Ukrainians identified themselves with the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate. Another survey form 2022 indicated that while 15% of Ukrainians considered themselves members of the UOC-Moscow Patriarchate in February 2022, only 4% remained such in March 2022.

For further reading, in April 2023, we investigated video footage from allegedly showing radical supporters of a Ukrainian church burning a Russia-affiliated Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the Ukrainian village of Novopoltavka. In January 2023, we looked at claims that Zelenskyy's administration advocated "personal economic and restrictive sanctions" be "applied to any Christian caught worshiping in unapproved ways."

Sources:

Dysa, Yuliia, and Olena Harmash. "Ukraine Adopts 'historic' Law to Ban Russia-Linked Minority Church." Reuters, 20 Aug. 2024. www.reuters.com, https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-adopts-law-paving-way-ban-russia-linked-minority-church-2024-08-20/.

Kramer, Andrew E. "Ukrainian Lawmakers Pass Bill Aiming to Ban Russian-Aligned Church." The New York Times, 20 Aug. 2024. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/20/world/europe/ukraine-orthodox-church-russia.html.

"Ukraine's Parliament Approves Ban on Moscow-Linked Religious Groups. One Church Is Seen as a Target." AP News, 20 Aug. 2024, https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-parliament-legislative-ban-ukrainian-orthodox-church-539e0f3a6d657277aa4fa93b8ec53505.

      20   10 ,       . https://www.rada.gov.ua/news/razom/252629.html. Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.

          . https://www.rada.gov.ua/news/razom/242636.html. Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.

 : -   , '  ,      . https://www.rada.gov.ua/news/razom/252638.html. Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.

  - . https://itd.rada.gov.ua/billinfo/Bills/CardByRn?regNum=8371&conv=9. Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.

---. https://itd.rada.gov.ua/billinfo/Bills/CardByRn?regNum=8371&conv=9. Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.

      "        ". https://www.rada.gov.ua/news/razom/252622.html. Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.

---. https://www.rada.gov.ua/news/razom/252622.html. Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.

-     "    2019"  Socis. https://socis.kiev.ua/ua/2019-01/. Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.

  (20.01.2023).Pdf - . https://itd.rada.gov.ua/billinfo/Bills/pubFile/1622350. Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.

https://w1.c1.rada.gov.ua/pls/radan_gs09/ns_sh?id_fakt=6194&nom_s=11. Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.
In an episode of Hart to Heart, Kevin Harts talk show, both Hart and billionaire investor Mark Cuban shared a regretful tale that might make any entrepreneur cringe: they both passed on the chance to invest in Uber during its early stages.

Don't Miss:

Uber, which has since become a global powerhouse, wasnt always an obvious success story. When pitched to these two stars, it sounded more like a recipe for disaster. Kevin Hart, in his usual comedic style, recalled dismissing the idea as Murderville, unable to wrap his head around the concept of strangers getting into cars with other strangers. On the other hand, Cuban was ready to invest but only at a lower valuation. He let the opportunity slip through his fingers when his offer wasnt accepted.

Troy Carter, music manager turned tech mogul, told Hart, Theres this thing, man. Its called Uber. You got to invest in it. But, Theres nothing worse than being pitched something that you just cant see, Hart told Cuban.

Trending: This new startup venture is the future of automated convenience stores  read more about why these $10 pre-IPO shares are so valuable before the offer closes in less than 24 hours.

Theres an app, and you say you need a ride, and whoevers close to you, that is like one of the drivers under our app will come get you, continued Carter. But Hart simply told him, Sounds like Murderville to me. This has to be the stupidest shit I ever heard.

Fast-forward to 2024, and Ubers success speaks for itself. The company reported revenue of over $37 billion in 2023, with a market cap exceeding $150 billion and a 19% year-over-year increase in gross bookings in the second quarter of 2024 alone. But Uber hasnt stopped at ride-hailing. The company dominates the food delivery market through Uber Eats and has expanded into freight and other logistics sectors.

Trending: Groundbreaking trading app with a Buy-Now-Pay-Later' feature for stocks tackles the $644 billion margin lending market  heres how to get equity in it with just $100

Both Hart and Cuban admit that turning down Uber is a decision they'll always consider. Ubers success shows that even the craziest ideas can become huge. Dont feel bad, said Cuban. Still, Hart admitted that Until this day, I think about it. Until this f***ing day. You know. I kind of avoid seeing Troy Carter, too.

Story continues

Of course, there are countless examples of great ideas being turned down by numerous investors. For example, in 2000, Reed Hastings, the co-founder of Netflix, approached Blockbuster with an offer to sell Netflix for $50 million. Blockbuster declined, not seeing the potential in a DVD-by-mail service.

In its early days, Airbnb struggled to find investors who believed in people renting out their homes to strangers. Many saw it as a risky and unprofitable venture. Today, Airbnb is valued at $75 billion.

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Heres the AI-powered startup that turns traders into influencers achieving 12% monthly growth  invest in it at only 10 cents per share.

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This article 'Sounds Like Murderville To Me': Mark Cuban And Kevin Hart Both Said No To A Startup That Became A Giant. Now They're Kicking Themselves originally appeared on Benzinga.com

 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Claim:

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris backed out of a Sept. 4, 2024, debate with former U.S. President Donald Trump on Fox News.

Rating:

Rating: False

Context:

The Harris campaign said the candidates agreed to three debates, one on Sept. 10, a second on Oct. 1 (between the vice presidential candidates) and a third between Harris and Trump later in October. At least publicly, Harris never agreed to a Sept. 4 debate on Fox News.

On Aug. 19, 2024, former U.S. President Donald Trump posted online that his Democratic rival in the 2024 presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris, announced that she would not participate in a Fox News-hosted debate on Sept. 4, 2024. Instead, he said, he "agreed to do a Tele-Town Hall" for the network.

Trump's full post on Truth Social stated:

Comrade Kamala Harris has just informed us that she will NOT do the FoxNews Debate on September 4th. I am not surprised by this development because I feel that she knows it is very difficult, at best, for her to defend her record setting Flip-Flopping on absolutely everything she once believed in, including her statements that THERE WILL BE NO FRACKING IN PENNSYLVANIA and her HORRIBLE Performance on the Border, our "Border Czar," where millions of criminals and people from mental institutions and terrorists, have been allowed to pour into our Country, totally unchecked and unvetted. It's called, and she LOVES IT, an OPEN BORDER!!! Rather than the debate on September 4th, I have agreed to do a Tele-Town Hall, anchored by Sean Hannity, for Fox. It will take place in the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania - Details to follow!

Following this post, pro-Trump and Republican social media accounts claimed Harris had "backed out" of a debate.

BREAKING: Kamala has backed out of the September 4 Fox News debate with Trump.  aka (@akafacehots) August 20, 2024

Cowardly Kamala backed out of the Fox News debate with Trump.



So much for "say it to my face."



Trump will still hold a Tele-Town Hall instead so voters can ask him questions. pic.twitter.com/DMnjKTQXkw  Republican Party of New Mexico (@NewMexicoGOP) August 20, 2024

However, there is no publicly available evidence to support the claim that Harris "backed out" of doing a previously agreed upon debate. Harris' team never accepted  at least publicly  Trump's proposal of a Sept. 4, 2024, debate on Fox News in the first place, but did state the candidates agreed to other dates and would debate on other networks.

As such, we rate the claim she backed out of a Fox News debate as "False."

As to whether Trump's characterization of the debate agreement is true, we reached out to Harris' team for comment and will update this story if we get more information.

On Aug. 15, 2024  four days before Trump's Truth Social post  Harris' campaign released a statement saying an agreement had been reached with the Trump team on a debate schedule:

The debate about debates is over. Donald Trump's campaign accepted our proposal for three debates two presidential and a vice presidential debate. Assuming Donald Trump actually shows up on September 10 to debate Vice President Harris, then Governor Walz will see JD Vance on October 1 and the American people will have another opportunity to see the vice president and Donald Trump on the debate stage in October. Voters deserve to see the candidates for the highest office in the land share their competing visions for our future. The more they play games, the more insecure and unserious Trump and Vance reveal themselves to be to the American people. Those games end now.

Harris-Walz campaign statement on debates pic.twitter.com/2Wayy1edRT  Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 15, 2024

The next day, however, Trump's campaign said the Harris campaign lied about the agreed-upon debate scheduled. Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told The Daily Caller:

Let's be clear: President Trump will be on the debate stage THREE times with Fox News, ABC and NBC/Telemundo. Likewise, Senator Vance will show up to debate Tim Walz on TWO occasions, on September 18 with CNN and October 1 with CBS. If Harris and Walz don't show up, an empty podium can stand in their place, proving to the American people just how weak they are.  There's been no proposal from a network for an October debate. They're just throwing that out there needlessly.  President Trump committed to three debates. Kamala should commit to the same three debates. We both, both campaigns, received the exact same debate invitations from those three networks.  Harris's advisors do not trust her competence and skills to debate President Trump. So they are trying to get away with seeing how she performs on the September debate, and then maybe they'll commit to an October debate. That's not how this works.  Kamala Harris is a COWARD. She refuses to do a press conference, refuses to take a sit-down interview, and refuses to accept the three debate invitations agreed to by President Trump. Harris won't speak unscripted because she can't defend her dangerously liberal record and failed four years in the White House.

The 'Debate About Debates'

This "debate about debates" had already been going on for a few weeks at that point. In early August, Trump said he was dropping out of the Sept. 10 ABC News debate and proposed Harris meet him on Fox News earlier in the month. At the time, Trump said he had ongoing litigation against ABC News, thus creating a "conflict of interest." But he had agreed to the ABC News debate in May, before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and before Biden's poor debate performance against Trump on June 27.

However, the Harris campaign objected to Trump's proposal of a Fox News debate earlier in the month. Per a New York Times report, a Harris official said Trump came up with the Fox News debate to distract attention from his reneging on his own earlier commitment to the ABC debate.

Harris spokesperson Michael Tyler said in a statement on Aug. 2:

Donald Trump is running scared and trying to back out of the debate he already agreed to and running straight to Fox News to bail him out. He needs to stop playing games and show up to the debate he already committed to on Sept 10. The Vice President will be there one way or the other to take the opportunity to speak to a prime time national audience. We're happy to discuss further debates after the one both campaigns have already agreed to. Mr. Anytime, anywhere, anyplace should have no problem with that unless he's too scared to show up on the 10th.

Tyler's statement referred to a previous Truth Social post in which Trump said he would debate Harris "ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE!"

On Aug. 8, Trump said he would meet Harris to meet Harris on upcoming dates with Fox News, ABC and NBC News. Harris in turn told reporters she was glad Trump had agreed to the ABC debate on Sept. 10, but did not directly address his mention of the Fox News debate. At the time, she said, "I'm happy to have that conversation about an additional debate for after September 10th."

Sources:

"EXCLUSIVE: Harris Campaign Attempts To Mask Its Own Retreat With Outright Lie About Debates." The Daily Caller, Aug. 16, 2024. https://dailycaller.com/2024/08/16/kamala-harris-donald-trump-campaign-debate-lie-october/. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.

Ladden-Hall, Dan. "Trump Fuming Because Harris 'Will NOT Do' Fox News Debate." The Daily Beast, 20 Aug. 2024. www.thedailybeast.com, https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-fuming-because-kamala-harris-will-not-do-fox-news-debate." target="blank">https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-fuming-because-kamala-harris-will-not-do-fox-news-debate.">https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-fuming-because-kamala-harris-will-not-do-fox-news-debate. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.

Samuels, Brett. "Kamala Harris Campaign Agrees to 2 Presidential, 1 Vice President Debate." The Hill, 15 Aug. 2024, https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4829658-kamala-harris-donald-trump-debates-2024/." target="blank">https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4829658-kamala-harris-donald-trump-debates-2024/.">https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4829658-kamala-harris-donald-trump-debates-2024/. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.

"Trump Ditches Upcoming ABC Debate, Proposes Fox News Debate Instead." NBC News, 3 Aug. 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-ditches-abc-debate-agrees-fox-news-kamala-rcna164992." target="blank">https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-ditches-abc-debate-agrees-fox-news-kamala-rcna164992.">https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-ditches-abc-debate-agrees-fox-news-kamala-rcna164992. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.

Vigdor, Neil, et al. "Trump Cancels a Debate With Harris on ABC News and Pitches One With Fox News Instead." The New York Times, 3 Aug. 2024. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/03/us/politics/trump-harris-debate-fox-news.html." target="blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/03/us/politics/trump-harris-debate-fox-news.html.">https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/03/us/politics/trump-harris-debate-fox-news.html. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.


Claim:

An image being shared online in August 2024 authentically showed Adolf Hitler posing near-identically to Donald Trump in a separate, authentic photo captured after his attempted assassination.

Rating:

Rating: Fake

In August 2024, social media users circulated a genuine photo of former U.S. President Donald Trump, taken after his attempted assassination in July 2024, alongside a purported image of Adolf Hitler.

(X user @SilenceDamned)

In the photos, Trump and Hitler appeared to strike similar poses, prompting a Threads user to share a post in early August 2024 that read: "I knew I had seen it before, so weird." In mid-July 2024, another user claimed Trump posed "like his idol," the former Nazi chancellor, implying both images were authentic.

Another example of the two images being shared together appeared on X in July 2024, with a Community Note attached claiming the photo of Hitler was AI-generated.

(X user @SandraHarney1)

However, in short, although the Trump image was authentic, the alleged photo of Hitler was not. We concluded it was not AI-generated, but it was, in fact, a composite image created using elements from several different photographs, including a flipped and altered image of Hitler; a photograph of chief propagandist of the Nazi Party Joseph Goebbels; an unidentified woman; and a Nazi flag. Because of this, we rated the image of Hitler as "Fake."

In early August, Hany Farid  a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who specialized in digital forensics and image analysis  discussed the Hitler photo on LinkedIn.

Farid said he analyzed the image "with our GetReal Labs model trained to distinguish real from AI-generated images and found no evidence of AI-generation or manipulation." However, he did conclude that the image had tell-tale signs of photo manipulation and was "most likely" created using "an old-school Photoshop manipulation":

Shown below, however, is a visualization of the image/sensor noise in the historical photo. In an ideal imaging device, the pixel values of the digital image would accurately reflect the amount of light recorded by each photo detector. Real devices have imperfections, however, and these imperfections introduce noise in the image. The resulting noise pattern is typically random, fluctuating from image to image but generally uniform across the image. Below you can see a much larger noise pattern (brighter regions) for three main parts of the image (the two people and the flag). This would not happen naturally and is a tell-tale sign of photo manipulation. While I can't say exactly how this image was created, it is most likely that this is an old-school Photoshop manipulation in which several photos were composited together.

(Hany Farid LinkedIn user)

Snopes analyzed all elements of the manipulated Hitler image and found that its primary component, the photograph of Hitler, had been horizontally flipped. Additionally, Hitler's arm had been cropped and repositioned to the opposite side of his body. Below, you can see a comparison between the edited image on the left, and an authentic photograph of Hitler on the right that was published by Getty Images (with the latter flipped horizontally for ease of comparison).

(X user @JaneotN, Getty Images)

The original photograph of Hitler was also available on Alamy, a stock photo website, with a caption reading:

Adolf Hitler speech, leader of the Nazi Party and Fuhrer of Germany making an impassioned speech with his fist clenched, wearing military uniform with Iron Cross and Swastika armband. The day on which he became commander in chief of Nazi Germanys armed forces. Nazi Germany 1934

(Alarmy.com)

The second element in the edited photo was Joseph Goebbels, one of Hitler's closest associates.

(X user @JaneotN, Getty Images)

Below you can see the original photograph of Goebbels that we also accessed via Getty Images:

(Getty Images)

The third figure in the composite image is a woman whose original photograph remains unidentified.

Other rumors Snopes has investigated involving Trump and Hitler include:

Sources:

"Adolf Hitler , German statesman, making a speech." Getty Images, 28 Oct. 2009, https://www.gettyimages.it/detail/fotografie-di-cronaca/adolf-hitler-german-statesman-making-a-speech-fotografie-di-cronaca/92425421.

Emery, David. "There Is No Evidence Trump Ever Read 'Mein Kampf.'" Snopes, 20 Dec. 2023, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/trump-mein-kampf-hitler/.

Eva Braun | Facts, Biography, Picture, & Death | Britannica. 18 June 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eva-Braun.

Hany Farid | UC Berkeley School of Information. https://www.ischool.berkeley.edu/people/hany-farid. Accessed 6 Aug. 2024.

Ibrahim, Nur. "No Proof Trump Said Hitler 'Did Some Good Things.'" Snopes, 10 May 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/trump-hitler-good-things/.

"In a World of Moving Pictures, Photographs Capture Indelible Moments in Trump Assassination Attempt." AP News, 15 July 2024, https://apnews.com/article/trump-photo-flag-iconic-bullet-f668b7dcc7b365a319a5daaac582775d.

Joseph Goebbels | Biography, Propaganda, Images, Death, & Facts | Britannica. 13 July 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Goebbels.

"Joseph Goebbels, German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda..." Getty Images, 22 Nov. 2016, https://www.gettyimages.it/detail/fotografie-di-cronaca/joseph-goebbels-german-politician-and-reich-fotografie-di-cronaca/624464574.

Liles, Jordan. "Did Trump Echo Hitler with Remark About Migrants, 'Poisoning the Blood of Our Country'?" Snopes, 4 Oct. 2023, https://www.snopes.com//news/2023/10/04/trump-poison-blood-quote/.

Limited, Alamy. Adolf Hitler Speech, Leader of the Nazi Party and Fuhrer of Germany Making an Impassioned Speech with His Fist Clenched, Wearing Military Uniform with Iron Cross and Swastika Armband. The Day on Which He Became Commander in Chief of Nazi Germanys Armed Forces. Nazi Germany 1934 Stock Photo - Alamy. https://www.alamy.com/adolf-hitler-speech-leader-of-the-nazi-party-and-fuhrer-of-germany-making-an-impassioned-speech-with-his-fist-clenched-wearing-military-uniform-with-iron-cross-and-swastika-armband-the-day-on-which-he-became-commander-in-chief-of-nazi-germanys-armed-forces-nazi-germany-1934-image572215816.html. Accessed 6 Aug. 2024.
President Joe Biden addressed the Democratic National Convention on Monday, delivering a 45-minute speech in which he championed several accomplishments from his time in office. He also made several false claims on issues such as economics, education, gun violence, and migration.

Jobs created during the Biden administration.

Biden touted the economic recovery that has taken place during his time in office. Weve gone from economic crisis to the strongest economy in the entire world, Biden said. [A] record 16 million new jobs.

This claim is missing critical context. While Federal Reserve economic data shows that the U.S. economy has added 15.81 million non-farm jobs since January 2021, the country was still reeling from unprecedented pandemic-induced job losses when Biden entered office. As the Dispatch Fact Check noted in late June,

Bidens employment growth numbers benefit from the fact that he took over as president when employment was in a deep but temporary valley. The Bureau of Labor Statistics calculated that the economy lost 21.4 million jobs in March and April of 2020 due to COVID-19 shutdowns, and when Biden took office the country still had almost 9.4 million fewer jobs than it did before the pandemic.

Compared to employment numbers in March 2020the last month before the COVID-19 pandemic caused a stark, near-vertical decline across employment chartsthe U.S. economy has added 7.83 million jobs, a far cry from the 16 million figure Biden claimed.

Biden made a similarly misleading claim when emphasizing the number of manufacturing jobs added to the economy during his administration. American manufacturing is back, Biden said. 800,000 new manufacturing jobs. However, this number falls victim to the same flawed logic.

The economy has added 765,000 new manufacturing jobs since Bidens inauguration, per the Federal Reserve. However, that total represents only 232,000 new manufacturing jobs since March 2020, less than one-third of the figure Biden claimed.

Tax rate for billionaires.

In calling for tax increases on American billionaires, Biden claimed falsely that billionaires pay a much lower tax rate than they actually do. We have 1,000 billionaires in America, Biden said. You know what their average tax rate is? 8.2 percent. Bidens assertionnearly a word-for-word match of what he said in Marchs State of the Union addressdoes not accurately calculate the U.S. tax rate for billionaires, as the Dispatch Fact Check noted at the time:

Bidens 8.2 percent figure comes from an estimate made in September 2021 by Greg Leiserson, a senior economist in the Council of Economic Affairs, and Danny Yagan, chief economist of the Office of Management and Budget. Leiserson and Yagan measured income by looking at changes in estimated net worth among those listed in the Forbes 400a ranking of the 400 richest Americans. They then compare these changes to IRS data on total income taxes paid by those on the Forbes list to calculate an effective average federal tax rate.

This calculation, however, includes unrealized capital gains (i.e., the change in the value of an asset such as a stock or bond that has not yet been sold) as part of a persons income. Capital gainswhich are not included in conventional measures of incomeare typically taxed only after an asset is sold and are generally subjected to a 20 percent rate for high earners, not standard income tax rates.

Estimates by the Treasury Department and the Tax Policy Center in 2020 and 2021, respectively, which dont include unrealized capital gains, estimated that the average federal income tax for the highest-income families in America was 23 and 25 percent.

Pay raises for public school teachers.

The president also emphasized his administrations contributions to the education system. We gave public school teachers a raise, he said.

This claim is partially true, but its lacking context. Public school teacher wages and salaries are determined at state and local government levelsneither Biden nor his administrations Department of Education has the authority to set, raise, or lower teacher pay.

However, the Biden administrations COVID-19 recovery legislationthe American Rescue Plan (ARP)provided $130 billion in public education funding to 15,000 school districts nationwide. 30 states and D.C. have taken action to raise teacher pay since the start of our Administration, the White House tweeted in May.

It remains unclear whether have taken action applies to enacted policies, or those that have merely been proposed or introduced. According to data collected by FutureEDan independent think tank at Georgetown Universitys McCourt School of Public Policysince the start of 2023, 26 states have brought legislation to raise teacher pay out of committee, and 14 states have had those bills enacted.

If you have a claim you would like to see us fact check, please send us an email at factcheck@thedispatch.com. If you would like to suggest a correction to this piece or any other Dispatch article, please email corrections@thedispatch.com.

Read more at The Dispatch

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FACT FOCUS: A look at claims made during the second night of the Democratic National Convention

The second night of the Democratic National Convention was filled with excitement as a celebratory roll call marked Vice President Kamala Harris' nomination to be the party's candidate for president. As speaker after speaker addressed the convention extolling her qualities to lead the country, they also spelled out differences with her opponents, former President Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance, at times misrepresenting the Republicans' stances.

Here's a look at the facts. ___

Missing context on Vance and the child tax credit

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer: Senate Republicans pretend to care about middle-class families, but they voted no on expanding the child tax credit. And JD Vance didnt even show up to vote.

THE FACTS: Vance did indeed skip an August vote on a bill to expand the child tax credit and restore some tax breaks for businesses.

The bill failed to advance in the Senate as Republicans largely opposed the measure, arguing that they would be in position to get a better deal next year, The Associated Press reported at the time.

But theres more to the story.

Vance has also said he would support expanding the child tax credit, currently at $2,000, to $5,000. He said the Senate vote was a show vote, when bills are designed to fail but allow parties to highlight issues before voters.

The cost of Trump's economic plan

Schumer on Trump's plan to create tariffs: He wants to impose what is, in effect, a national sales tax on everyday products and basic necessities that we import from other countries. It will mean higher prices on just about every one of your daily needs. Donald Trumps plan would cost a typical family $3,900 a year.

THE FACTS: Trump has proposed imposing a tariff of anywhere from 10% to 20% on all imports and up to 60% on imports from China.

Economists do expect it would raise prices on many goods. The Tax Policy Center, a joint project of the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution, estimates it would reduce average incomes in the top 60% of earners by 1.8%. And the Center for American Progress Action Fund, a progressive advocacy group, has calculated that the higher tariffs would cost households an extra $3,900 a year.

However, Trump has said the tariff revenue could be used to cut other taxes, which would reduce the overall cost of the policy.

Trump's changing views on the Affordable Care Act

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham: Donald Trump and JD Vance want to dismantle our healthcare system, repeal the Affordable Care Act, and limit protections for preexisting conditions.

THE FACTS: Trump has repeatedly promised to replace former President Barack Obamas health care law with a plan of his own. For example, three years after a Congress fully controlled by Republicans failed to repeal Obamacare in 2017, Trump urged the Supreme Court to overturn it.

More recently, the Republican presidential nominee threatened to reopen the contentious fight.

The cost of Obamacare is out of control, plus, its not good Healthcare, he wrote in a November 2023 post on his Truth Social site. Im seriously looking at alternatives. We had a couple of Republican Senators who campaigned for 6 years against it, and then raised their hands not to terminate it. It was a low point for the Republican Party, but we should never give up!

But Trump backed off a potential repeal in April. He said in a video posted to Truth Social that he is not running to replace the ACA and that he intends to make it much better, stronger and far less expensive."

Another misrepresentation of Trump's bleach comment

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, on Trump during the COVID-19 pandemic: And Donald, well, Donald told us to inject bleach.

THE FACTS: This claim was also made on the first day of the Democratic National Convention by Rep. Robert Garcia of California.

It's an overstatement. Trump actually asked whether it would be impossible to inject disinfectant into the lungs.

And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in one minute, he said at an April 2020 press conference. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning, because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so itd be interesting to check that, so that youre going to have to use medical doctors with, but it sounds interesting to me. So, well see, but the whole concept of the light, the way it kills it in one minute. Thats pretty powerful.

___

Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.
Family clings to hope of air pocket in sunken superyacht as debris hampers search

PORTICELLO, Sicily  Divers searching for six missing people from a superyacht which sank off the coast of Sicily told NBC News Wednesday that debris inside the vessel, as well as its depth, were making their job difficult.

As hopes of finding anyone alive dwindled, the divers said that they had managed to force open one of the Bayesians access doors but access to the cabins where people could be trapped was being hampered by detritus.

The divers, who were not authorized to speak publicly, added that the depth of the wreck meant they were left with only 10 minutes to search the 184-foot yacht once they reached it. Then they had to return to the surface, they said.

On Wednesday, the dock where they set off from was swarming with vehicles, boats and rescuers. Nearby tourists, reporters and photographers have gathered, eager for news. Helicopters occasionally fly over the area.

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and five of the 22 other people who were aboard the yacht remain unaccounted for and are believed to be trapped in the Bayesians hull, nearly 170 feet underwater.

Divers from the Vigili del Fuoco return to Porticello during search efforts Tuesday.

Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah; Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy; and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife, Neda, are also missing.

Officials confirmed Monday that at least one person, the ships cook, had died.

Rescuers said Tuesday that there might be people trapped inside the cabins, especially considering the timing of the storm, but that they had so far been unable to check through the ships portholes.

The operations are long and complex, Italys national fire department, whose diving teams have been participating in the search, said on X.

Italy's coast guard also said Tuesday that divers were also using a remotely-operated underwater vehicle to aid in the search.

Survivors leave the coast guard headquarters near the Sicilian city of Palermo on Monday.

The Bayesian is owned by a firm linked to Lynchs wife, Angela Bacares, who was one of the 15 people rescued Monday after it capsized near Sicilys main city of Palermo in what Italian officials called a violent storm.

Built by Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi in 2008, the U.K.-registered Bayesian could carry 12 guests and a crew of up to 10, according to online specialist yacht sites. Its nearly 250-foot mast is the tallest aluminum sailing mast in the world, according to CharterWorld Luxury Yacht Charters.

Lynch, who was regularly described in U.K. media as Britains Bill Gates, was acquitted by a San Francisco jury of fraud charges stemming from the 2011 sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion.

A woman watches rescue teams at work in Porticello, near Palermo, Sicily, on Wednesday.

Prosecutors alleged that Lynch and Autonomys vice president for finance, Stephen Chamberlain, had padded the firms finances ahead of the sale. Lynchs lawyers argued that HP was so eager to acquire Autonomy that it failed to adequately check the books.

The Mediterranean sailing vacation was designed to be a celebration for Lynch, who brought Morvillo, one of his U.S. lawyers and Bloomer, who testified in his defense, on the trip.

Bloomers twin brother, Jeremy, told the BBC on Tuesday the family was coping the best we can and he was hopeful there might still be air pockets inside the hull.

Chamberlain was not aboard the Bayesian.

In what appears to be a tragic coincidence, a car struck and killed Chamberlain on Saturday as he was jogging in a village about 68 miles north of London, local police said.

Claudio Lavanga and Claudia Rizzo reported from Porticello and Yuliya Talmazan from London.





This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  A young father was gunned down in West Nashville Saturday night while he was helping his girlfriend move. The shooter is still out there, but the victims family hopes that changes soon.

According to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD), 25-year-old Christopher Rhodes died at the hospital after the shooting, which took place at approximately 10 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17 in the 5800 block of Maudina Avenue.

PREVIOUS: 1 dead following shooting at West Nashville apartment complex, police say

People close to Rhodes called his death senseless.

They have taken Kysons father from him, from me, from his brothers, his sisters, his dad, his cousins, Rhodes mother, Angela Merrell, said. Everybody loved Chris, and were going to miss him so much.

Authorities said Rhodes was moving furniture into his apartment with his girlfriend when they were approached by the suspect in the parking lot. Due to previous issues between Rhodes in the suspect, they reportedly got in a fight. After that, witnesses told officers they heard multiple gunshots and saw the suspect flee the scene in a car.

He was helping the girl he was going with move, Merrell said. I want to say he was moving into a new home because he was staying with her.

CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime news from Middle Tennessee

Merrell recalled getting the call every parent dreads: I couldnt believe it. I was in shock.

Rhodes 10th grade teacher, Amanda Clarke, said he left an impression on everyone and they remained close.

He just had a light in his eyes. His smile would light up a room, Clarke said.

Thats why she set up a GoFundMe for Rhodes family.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

We want to give him the funeral that he deserves, Clarke said. The shooting was senseless, the violenceHis 3-year-old had to witness [the shooting], and no child should have to witness that, so wed like to get counseling.

He had one goal in mind, and that was to be the best dad that he could be. From the time his son was born until Chris sadly took his last breath, he wanted to be a dad to Kyson, Merrell said.

Even though Merrell doesnt know who shot her son, she said police do. However, MNPD said nobody has been arrested in connection with this case.

If you have any information about this deadly shooting, call Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  The family of a Portland hiker and his dog shot and killed while camping in a remote part of Washington has filed a $3 million wrongful death lawsuit against the alleged gunman and his father.

Friends and family of Aron Christensen said he was a vibrant soul who deeply loved people, animals and the great outdoors. But a hiking trip to Washingtons Gifford Pinchot National Forest turned deadly.

Sandy senior care facility agrees to find new owner

Monday marked the two-year anniversary of Arons death, the same week the lawsuit was filed, as originally reported in The Oregonian.

Ethan Asbach told Lewis County deputies he shot Aron and his puppy, Buzzo, mistaking Aron for a wild animal. The gun was given to Ethan illegally by his father, Michael Asbach.

Court documents show Ethan confessed to the shooting and Michael confessed to giving him the gun. Still, authorities never pressed charges, citing a lack of evidence.

Trestle fire halts Lake Oswego train traffic

Because Ethan was 19 at the time of the incident, it was illegal for him to bring the gun into the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Under Washington state law, people 18-21 have restrictions on where they can legally carry a gun.

The lawsuit said Lewis County Sheriffs Office Detective James McGinty spoke with Arons brother, Corey, telling him he thought Ethan was a good kid from a good family and had no bad intentions despite allegedly leaving Aron abandoned in the woods for 48 hours without getting any help.

Detective McGinty also allegedly suggested Arons death may have been due to laced marijuana or psychedelic mushrooms found on his person, rather than from being shot, the lawsuit said.

Massive blaze engulfs Milwaukie train bridge

Corey previously told KOIN 6 News he wanted justice for Aron and Buzzo.

Our mission is to make sure that Arons death gets a full and fair investigation, Corey told KOIN 6 in June of 2023. The prosecutor himself stated that has not happened yet.

Arons family is now suing both Ethan and his father, Michael, for $1.5 million each, citing extreme emotional distress. Theyre also pushing for changes in how law enforcement handles these cases and a thorough re-investigation.

ACLU sues Medford police for illegal spying

The lawsuit alleges, As a direct and proximate cause of Ethans conduct, Aron (and Buzzo) are now dead, and Plaintiffs are permanently deprived of Arons companionship and economic contributions to the family. In addition, Plaintiffs have suffered extreme emotional distress and economic loss as a consequence of needlessly losing Aron.

The lawsuit states Lewis County Sheriffs Deputy Andrew Scrivner was the first person to handle the crime scene near the Walupt Lake area on the afternoon of Aug. 20, 2022, after hikers discovered Arons and Buzzos remains and observed an obvious gunshot wound in Arons abdomen.

The lawsuit alleges that Deputy Scrivner blatantly disregarded Lewis County Sheriffs Office orders to not move the body. As a result, the deputy allegedly destroyed the crime scene, didnt conduct key forensic tests and evidence was exposed to cross-contamination.

VIDEO: Lightning show captured near Mt. St. Helens

The lawsuit against the Asbachs claims negligence and wrongful death.

The attorneys representing Arons family have also filed a $20 million tort claim against Lewis County for mishandling the case, citing the response by Deputy Scrivner, in particular. A tort claim is not a lawsuit but may lay the groundwork for one in the future.

KOIN 6 News reached out to the Asbachs for comment and we are still waiting to hear back.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
Family refuses Alain Delons dying wish to bury his dog with him

Loubo, a 10-year-old Belgian Malinois, has literally been given a new lease of life by Alain Delon's family - Instagram

The family of the late Alain Delon have defied the French actors dying wish for his pet dog to be euthanised and buried alongside him.

The 88-year-old star, who died on Sunday, asked that upon his death, his 10-year-old Belgian Malinois, called Loubo, be humanely killed and laid alongside him in his village cemetery of Douchy.

However, the request was met with dismay from animal rights activists across France, who condemned the request and offered to find the dog a new home instead.

On Tuesday, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation announced that Delons daughter Anouchka said the dog would now stay with the family.

Loubo will, of course, not be euthanised, the French animal charity said on X, formerly Twitter. He has his home and his family, confirmed the actors relatives who will take care of him, it added.

Delon was one of Frances most celebrated actors, often described as the French Sinatra for his ravishing good looks.

Alain Delon claimed to have had more than 50 dogs during his lifetime - Gisela Schober/Getty Images

The star of Le Samourai treasured the remains of at least 35 of his deceased dogs on the grounds of his sprawling home in La Brulerie, 85 miles south-east of Paris, where he had resided since the early 1970s. In a 2018 interview, he told French magazine Paris Match that Loubo was his end of life dog.

Ive had 50 dogs in my life, but I have a special relationship with this one he misses me when Im not there, he said.

If I die before him, Ill ask the vet to take us away together. Hell put him to sleep in my arms. Id rather do that than know that hell let himself die on my grave with so much suffering.

Frances equivalent of the RSPCA, The SPA, was among numerous animal rights organisations to criticise his wish that Loubo die with him.

The life of an animal should not depend on that of a human. The SPA is happy to take his dog and find it a family, it said.

There is no law in France that prohibits owners from putting down their animals when they die. But it is at the discretion of individual vets to decide whether or not to carry out the wishes of the deceased.

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The family of a South Carolina high school teacher who died after she was struck by a utility pole will receive $30 million through a wrongful death settlement.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Electric company Dominion Energy, which installed a light on the pole, and communications company Comporium, which owned a drooping pole line in downtown Wagener that was no longer in use, both signed off on the agreement, which resolved a wrongful death suit brought by Jeunelle Robinsons family, according to documents filed in Aiken County.

Last August, a truck snagged the line, pulling it like a rubber band until it broke the poles and launched one into the air, striking Robinson, who was grabbing lunch during her break as a social studies teacher at Wagener-Salley High School, authorities said. The truck had a legal height, they said.

Surveillance video from a nearby store shows Robinson, 31, trying to dodge something before the pole strikes her, flipping her body around violently. She died a short time later at the hospital.

We appreciate the leadership of Dominion and Comporium for working with us to ensure Jeunelles family would not have to relive this tragedy in court unnecessarily, the familys lawyer, Justin Bamberg, said in a statement.

The settlement agreement does not detail how much each company will have to pay of the $30 million settlement, and Bambergs law office said that would not be released.

The exact age of the poles isnt known because records are no longer available. Markings on them havent been made in over 60 years. However, the 69-year-old mayor of Wagener said shortly after Robinsons death that he recognized a bottlecap he had nailed to one of the poles when he was a boy.

A little more than a month before Robinsons death, Dominion announced a plan to begin replacing equipment that was more than 60 years old in Wagener, a town of 600 people about 35 miles (55 kilometers) southwest of Columbia.

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Bamberg said he hopes Dominion and Comporium will use the tragedy to pay attention to inspecting and replacing aging utility poles and other infrastructure that are potentially dangerous, especially in small towns.

Dominion spokeswoman Rhonda Maree OBanion said in a statement that the company was pleased to resolve the case and extended its deepest sympathies to Robinsons family.

Comporium is glad to have resolved the lawsuit, and our prayers have been with the family of Ms. Robinson and the many lives she touched since this accident occurred, Chief Operating Officer Matthew Dosch said in a statement.

The family plans to use some of the settlement to create the Jeunelle Robinson Teachers Hope Fund to provide school supplies and other items to teachers around the country.

They remembered how Robinson worked her way up from a substitute to her job teaching at the high school and how she often spent her own money and time for her students.

She loved her class. She loved her students, Robinsons father, Donovan Julian, said in March when the lawsuit was filed. She was a light taken too soon. She was a joy.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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IN OTHER NEWS:




SunCable's Australia-Asia Power Link (AAPowerLink) project has received environmental approval from the Australian government.

The project runs 2,000 km from the Northern Territory to the maritime border between Australia and Indonesia.

It has been assessed and approved by the Commonwealth Minister for the Environment and Water under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC).

This environmental approval is a key step in the development of infrastructure required to supply electricity to new green industries in the Northern Territory and to export renewable energy to Singapore.

The EPBC Act approval demonstrates the government's confidence in SunCable's ability to deliver the project, one of the largest energy infrastructure initiatives to receive such endorsement.

SunCable plans to invest further in communities across the Northern Territory, Singapore and Indonesia to advance the next phase of the AAPowerLink.

The company will continue negotiations for Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs) with traditional owners in the Northern Territory.

SunCable will engage with Singapore's Energy Market Authority on the conditional approval application for the subsea cable interconnector.

It will also engage with the Indonesian government on regulatory and permitting matters, including knowledge and hydrographic data-sharing.

The AAPowerLink is considered a nation-building project for Australia, offering a triple win for the Asia Pacific region.

It aims to deliver 6GW of 24/7 green electricity to large-scale industrial customers in both Darwin and Singapore through a 4,300km subsea cable over two stages of development.

A final investment decision on the project is set for 2027, with the commencement of electricity supply in the early 2030s.

SunCable Australia managing director Cameron Garnsworthy stated: SunCable is pleased to receive Commonwealth government approval under the EPBC Act, following four years of extensive assessment and public consultation with stakeholders around Australia.

SunCable is a company founded on a vision to help decarbonise the planet. Todays announcement is a vote of confidence in the project and SunCable itself as responsible stewards of the local Northern Territory environment.

SunCable will now focus its efforts on the next stage of planning to advance the project towards a final investment decision targeted by 2027.

In July 2024, SunCables Australia-Asia PowerLink secured key environmental approval from the Northern Territory government and the NT Environment Protection Authority.

Story continues

"SunCables AAPowerLink secures environmental approval in Australia" was originally created and published by Power Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.







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EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) The family of a young woman whose death remains unsolved 41 years later continues to seek answers and hopefully one day justice.

On Aug. 14, 1983, the body of 17-year-old Maria Dolores Molina was found on railroad tracks near Vado, New Mexico. Molina was last seen the night before in Berino where she was attending a party.

Ramona Molina is Marias younger sister. She was only 9 years old when her sister was found.

My sister was a happy person. She loved to dance. She loved to smile. I tell everybody she had the biggest teeth in the world. You know, a beautiful smile, Molina said.

Her death was originally labeled as a suicide but over the years Ramona Molina and her family began to raise some questions.

We saw the pictures. We were all like, OK, my sisters 5 feet, was 5 feet, 108 pounds. One-hundred and forty-four cars of a train. Her body was placed perfectly in between the railroad tracks, like the long ways. They said she was headed home, Molina said. I mean, its sad to say it, but I mean, I would think it probably yank her head off because its so powerful. Its a huge machine going over you and striking you.

Maria Dolores Molina Photo courtesy of her family

The case was reopened earlier this year, but only as a death investigation, her family said.

But Marias family believes it should be investigated as a homicide.

KTSM reached out to the Dona Ana County Sheriffs Office for comment about the case. Sheriff Kim Stewart sent this statement via email.

We have been pursuing some interviews and a review of all case reports in this matter in the last few months. But we have no emergent, actionable leads to warrant it as a potential homicide case. It is definitely a tragic death.

If you have any information on this case, you can call Las Cruces and Dona Ana County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

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Video from March 2024

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  The family of a teen who was killed in a boating crash in Pinellas County earlier this year has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the parents of the 16-year-old who was operating the boat at the time of the crash.

Collin Moorefield was killed in the March 3 boat crash near Bayshore Boulevard in St. Petersburg, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Teen dies after being ejected from boat in St. Pete; another injured

The lawsuit, filed Aug. 12, accuses Anjan and Katherine Tharakan of purchasing a boat for their 16-year-old son to use with his friends without adult supervision.

Anjan and Katherine have engaged in a pattern and practice of buying power vehicles or vessels for their son to use and transport other minors, the lawsuit reads.

The parents knew their son was ill-equipped, in-experienced, or both, to safely operate [the boat], especially without an adult experienced in operating power watercraft present on [the boat] with [their] minor son, the lawsuit alleges.

Moorefields family claims the Tharakans were made aware that their son was taking Moorefield out on the boat, and did not ensure he had supervision or that he didnt take alcohol with them.

The 16-year-old took the boat and left the Venetian Isles area. After dropping off another teen at the Venetian Isles bridge, the 16-year-old drove the boat near its top speed, under the influence of alcohol, and while looking at his phone, according to the lawsuit.

The 16-year-old eventually crashed the boat into a dock, sending Moorefield overboard. Moorefield was found unresponsive and taken to Johns Hopkins All Childrens Hospital. He eventually died from his injuries.

The family is seeking medical and funeral expenses and additional damages under the Florida Wrongful Death Act. The family is asking for a jury trial.

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FILE - Fannie Lou Hamer, a leader of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, testifies before the credentials committee of the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, N.J., on Aug. 22, 1964, as her racially integrated group challenged the seating of the all-white Mississippi delegation. (AP Photo, File)

JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Vice President Kamala Harris is accepting the Democrats' presidential nomination Thursday, exactly 60 years after another Black woman mesmerized the nation with a televised speech that challenged the seating of Mississippi's all-white delegation to the 1964 Democratic National Convention.

The testimony of Fannie Lou Hamer to the credentials committee in Atlantic City, New Jersey, was vivid and blunt.

She described how she was fired from her plantation job in retaliation for trying to register to vote and brutalized in jail for encouraging other Black people to assert their rights. She told of arbitrary tests that white authorities imposed to prevent Black people from voting and other unconstitutional methods that kept white elites in power across the segregated South.

All of this is on account of we want to register, to become first-class citizens, Hamer told the committee.

Whether every eligible citizen can vote and have their vote be counted is still an open question in this election, said U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, who spoke Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, about how his late father never got to vote because of Jim Crow restrictions. Thompson got his first practical experience in democracy at Hamers urging in 1966, when he was a college student in Mississippi and she recruited him to register other Black voters.

Hamer has been the subject of appreciation this week during the convention.

Our challenge as Americans is to make sure that this experiment called democracy is not just for the the landed gentry or the wealthy, but it is for everybody, said Thompson, who led the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

'Is this America?'

Hamer was raised in cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta and became a sharecropper. She joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and helped organize Freedom Summer, a campaign to educate and register Black voters. With Mississippi conducting whites-only primaries, activists formed the racially integrated Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party to confront leading Democrats on a national stage.

If the Freedom Democratic Party is not seated now, I question America," Hamer told the credentials committee. "Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where we have to asleep with our telephones off of the hooks because our lives be threatened daily, because we want to live as decent human beings, in America?

President Lyndon B. Johnson hastily called a news conference during Hamers testimony to try to divert attention from divisions that could alienate white voters in the South. TV cameras cut away, but networks showed her speech later.

Top Democrats said Hamer's group could seat two delegates, but that was too little for the Freedom Democrats. And it was too much for the regular Mississippi delegation, which fled the convention without declaring loyalty to LBJ, and eventually left for good as conservative Democrats across the South, including segregationists, switched to the Republican party.

Leslie-Burl McLemore was one of the Freedom delegates and recalls how determined they were.

I knew in my mind, because Im 23 years old and Im vice chair of the Freedom Democratic Party, Im not going to accept that damn compromise, the retired political science professor at Jackson State University said recently at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson.

We had four white folk in our delegation and the white folks didnt have no Black folk in their delegation, McLemore said. So, hey, we had God on our side.

Risking beatings and death

Other organizers included Ella Baker, Bob Moses, and David J. Dennis Sr. Only days before the 1964 convention, Dennis gave an impassioned eulogy at the funeral of James Chaney, the Freedom Summer volunteer who was killed along with Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman by Ku Klux Klansmen in Philadelphia, Mississippi.

That violence was fresh when Hamer testified about being evicted after trying to register to vote in 1962. She said the plantation owner told her, 'Were not ready for that in Mississippi.'"

Hamer also recounted being jailed and beaten in 1963 in Winona, Mississippi, at the command of white law enforcement officers, after she and several other Black people returned from a voter education workshop. The beating permanently damaged her eyes, legs and kidneys.

On Tuesday, the first Mississippi Freedom Trail marker outside the state was unveiled in Atlantic City to commemorate the Freedom Democrats. Another marker, dedicated in June in Winona, recognizes the jail beatings. Euvester Simpson was 17 in 1963, and shared a cell with Hamer. She said she heard Hamer being whipped in another room.

Mrs. Hamer told me she was in a lot of pain, Simpson said, recalling how she soothed Hamer with damp rags and the gospel song, Walk With Me.

Her back was hurting. Her hands were bleeding. She was swollen, because she had used her hands to kind of guard her back," Simpson said.

State-sanctioned violence is among the many issues from Hamers 1964 testimony that still resonate, said Keisha N. Blain, a Brown University historian. She cited the July 6 shooting death of Sonya Massey, a Black woman, by a deputy who responded to her 911 call.

This theme is still lingering, even if the specific circumstances are different, Blain said.

Advocating for bodily autonomy

While Hamer didn't make it part of her testimony at the convention, she also was an advocate for bodily autonomy. A white doctor had performed a hysterectomy without her consent when she had a uterine tumor removed in 1961. Such treatment of Black women was so common in the South that Hamer called it a Mississippi appendectomy.

Blain noted in her 2021 book, Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamers Enduring Message to America," that Hamer feared both abortion and birth control were white supremacist tools to regulate the lives of impoverished Black people and even prevent the growth of the Black population.

Hamer kept speaking after the convention, famously saying she was "sick and tired of being sick and tired over how long America was taking to ensure fair treatment. Another year went by before Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and then nearly another year before the Supreme Court upheld the law.

A 2013 Supreme Court ruling dismantled a significant part of the Voting Rights Act  the requirement for states with a history of racial discrimination in voting, mainly in the South, to get federal approval before changing the way they hold elections. "Many communities across the nation are grappling with attempts at voter suppression, Blain said.

Hamer also advocated for fair treatment of Black farmers. The Biden administration in late July announced more than $2 billion in direct payments to Black and minority farmers who faced discrimination from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance called this disgraceful, suggesting it is racist against white people. But Thompson said Black landowners had been refused credit and denied support from the USDA for many years. "The people who ran the federal agencies were part and parcel to the system of disenfranchisement, Thompson said.

Still an inspiration

Wil Colom, a Mississippi lawyer who now serves on the Democratic National Committee and is in Chicago for the convention, was a teenager when he heard Hamer speak at a church in Ripley, Mississippi, in October 1964. The church was burned after her appearance. Colom said the speech was electrifying" and motivated him to challenge segregation at theaters and swimming pools.

Colom said he visited Hamer at her modest home in Ruleville before she died of cancer at 59 in 1977.

She had no perception, which surprised me, of what an important figure she had become, Colom said.

The Freedom Democrats helped lead the way to President Barack Obama's election in 2008 and now to Harris' nomination, Dennis said.

To me, it's all connected, Dennis said. Its like a relay race. One baton moving to the next.
Fans Praise Kamala Harris Clever Ad Inspired by Law & Order: The Plot Twist We Didnt Know We Needed

Vice President Kamala Harris has recently been described by fans as having Mariska Hargitay vibesso it wasn't a huge surprise when a new Law & Order-themed ad for the 2024 presidential candidate played at the Democratic National Convention on Monday, August 19.

The video opened with a line that was familiar to countless viewers:

In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police who investigate crime, and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.

The voiceover told "the story of Donald Trump," accompanied by a Law & Order-esque soundtrack, as photos of Trump flashed on the screen.

holy shit the DNC just played this and millions of Americans are watching pic.twitter.com/AlEHW6qbyU  Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) August 20, 2024

Related: 'Scandal' Star Tony Goldwyn's Appearance at the DNC Delights the Internet: 'As a Former President Should'

His entire life, Trump has believed hes above the law, that no one would ever dare hold him accountable. He lies, he rips off workers, he sexually abuses women, the narrator continued. "He cheats in business. He cheated on his wife with a porn star and paid her off so the American people wouldnt find out during an election.

But in the American justice system, ordinary people have managed to find him accountable time and time again. For the first time in history we have a convicted felon running for President. And to take on this case, we need a President who has spent her life prosecuting perpetrators like Donald Trump.

On X, commenters came out in support of the clip, which played before a speech by Rep. Jamie Raskin (a lead prosecutor of Trumps second impeachment trial).

"The DNC finally gave us the plot twist we didnt know we needed," wrote one person.

"It was the appropriate level of savage #DNC2024," agreed a second X user.

"Not one lie was told," declared a third commenter, as someone else quipped, "This looks like a series Airing on Netflix."

Meanwhile, others called it out for being "unimaginative" and "cringe."

Next: Internet Praises Tim Walzs 'Humble' Response After Discovering His Kids Pranking Him on National Television
Fantastic new $2.5M dog run opens in Queens community of Sunnyside: see it

QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11)  A new multimillion-dollar dog run has opened in the Queens community of Sunnyside, New York City Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue announced Monday.

The newly completed Noonan Playground Dog Run is on 42nd Street and Greenpoint Avenue.

More Local News

Attractive, modern parks are crucial for enhancing the livability of New York Citys communities as they provide vibrant and accessible spaces, said New York City Parks Queens Borough Commissioner Jackie Langsam.

The dog park was constructed after members of the Friends of Noonan Park Dog Run approached then-New York City Council member Jimmy Van Bramer, citing the need for dog-friendly facilities in the area. Van Bramer advocated for $2.5 million in mayoral funding to complete the project.

Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit

Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit

Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit



Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit

Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit

Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit

Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit

The dog park includes a water filling station, a doggie bag dispenser, and fencing to prevent dogs from escaping. Additionally, it features a seating area with new plantings, benches, pavement, stairs, fencing, lighting, and drinking fountains, officials said.

We love it! Parks did a fantastic job. Everyone who sees it says what a beautiful dog run it is, said Christine Coulombe, the president of Friends of Noonan Park Dog Run.

Another public space, Maspeth Playground, was also opened near Kosciuszko Bridge at 43rd Street and 54th Road.

Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.

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Herbert Kickl, leader of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPOe), hold a press conference to present the FPoe election program. Tanja Ungerbock/APA/dpa

The far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) intends to crack down on immigration with full force if it takes over the government, and also accelerate the deportation of migrants to their home countries.

"We need remigration," FPO leader Herbert Kickl said on Wednesday during the presentation of the party's election manifesto, using a term popular in right-wing circles.

He said the number of asylum applications should be reduced to zero as Austria is surrounded by safe countries. To make immigration unattractive, the FPO is also opposing the possibility for family members to joint migrants already in Austria.

Pressure on foreigners from predominantly Islamic countries should also be applied in schools. "Pupils who are disrespectful should not only leave the school, but they should leave our country," said FPO Member of Parliament Dagmar Belakowitsch.

The more than 100-page election manifesto of the FPO is titled "Fortress Austria  Fortress of Freedom." One of the guiding principles is "homogeneity," in contrast to the diversity currently prevalent in many areas, it states.

According to surveys, the FPO can expect a victory for the first time in the election for the lower house of parliament, or National Council, on September 29.

Pollsters see the FPO at around 27%, with the conservative Austrian People's Party (OVP) and the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPO) trailing the right-wing populists by about four percentage points.

Whether the FPO will actually be entrusted with forming a government in the event of an election victory depends on President Alexander Van der Bellen. He is free to assign this task to the runner-up. So far, the other parties have ruled out a coalition with Kickl's FPO.

In the social sphere, Austrians should be given preferential treatment, the FPO has said. The minimum social security  a financial safety net for those in need  should only be paid out to citizens, it said. "This is not discrimination, it is just fair," said Kickl.

The FPO's manifesto also reiterates opposition to any tax increases. "Fortress Austria, the Fortress of Freedom, is the place where new taxes have no place," the FPO leader added. The aim is to make Austria a more attractive business location.

Another demand of the party is the expansion of direct democracy: In the future, public initiatives should be able to force individual ministers or even the entire government to resign.

Herbert Kickl, leader of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPOe), hold a press conference to present the FPoe election program. Helmut Fohringer/APA/dpa
A father and daughter were arrested after authorities shut down a theft ring and discovered nearly $400,000 worth of stolen merchandise.

On July 30, California Highway Patrols Organized Retail Theft Task Force served a search warrant at a Los Angeles home where stolen items were being stored and later sold at an open-air market in Torrance.

The leader of the fence operation, Jose Cuadra, 41, was arrested at the home after officers discovered nearly $400,000 worth of stolen retail merchandise including designer purses, shoes and perfume.

The stolen merch was being sold as legitimate brand-name items by Cuadra, authorities said.

Investigators had initially trailed two suspects who led them to Cuadras home. The suspects, who acted as boosters in the scheme, were identified as Johny Arciniegas-Cortes, 46, and his daughter, Paula Arciniegas, 28.

Boosters are individuals who steal items from stores and sell the merch to fence operators who will then sell the items to the public for profit.

Around $400,000 worth of stolen merchandise was found at a Torrance home as part of a theft ring operation on July 30, 2024. (California Highway Patrol)

The father and daughter were arrested on Aug. 14 in Anaheim.

The duo has been observed numerous times committing retail thefts throughout Southern California, CHP said. Theyre allegedly responsible for stealing approximately $10,000 in merchandise from several local retailers.

The Orange County District Attorneys Office filed four felony charges against Cuadra, which include:

Two felony counts of receiving stolen property

One felony count of organized retail theft in concert with two or more persons

One felony count of the manufacture and sale of counterfeit mark

Cortes and Arciniegas were charged with:

Two felony counts of grand theft

One felony count of conspiring to commit a crime

Four misdemeanor counts of shoplifting with a value less than $950

The CHP has dedicated Organized Retail Theft teams in Orange County, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area who work with retailers to combat sophisticated crews that continue to victimize merchants throughout the state, officials said.

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A Pakistani waits to open a page on a desktop as internet runs slow past several days, in Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

ISLAMABAD (AP)  A faulty undersea internet cable caused slower internet connections for millions of Pakistanis in recent weeks, but the problem will be resolved by later this month, the country's top telecommunications official said Wednesday.

Nearly half of the country's population has faced problems in using and accessing social media platforms, including the popular WhatsApp. Pakistan has 110 million internet users, and up to 40% slower internet speeds have affected nearly half the countrys 241 million population.

Comments from Hafeezur Rehman, the chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, marked the first time the government has broken its silence over the problem. The slowdown has affected millions of internet users, disrupting businesses and drawing nationwide complaints.

Earlier, Pakistan denied allegations that the installation of a national firewall was behind the slowdown.

Rehman told a meeting of lawmakers in Islamabad that internet service slowed down after a problem developed in the deep-sea internet cable. He said technical problems would be resolved by by Aug. 27.
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The FBI El Paso Field Office will host a recruitment event in September to encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds to explore career options in the FBI.

The event will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6 at the UTEP Natural Gas Convention Center, 500 W University Ave.

The FBI is positioned stronger to accomplish our mission because of the diverse knowledge and experience of our employees, said John Morales, special agent in charge, FBI El Paso Field Office. The variety of skills and expertise among those on our team strengthens our investigations and helps us find new and innovative ways to protect the community. It takes folks from all industries and cultures to accomplish the FBI mission of protecting the American people and upholding the Constitution of the United States, and we look forward to sharing more about our work at this important event.

Those who attend the event will have an opportunity to meet one-on-one with current FBI executives, special agents, intelligence analysts, linguists, IT systems and other key FBI personnel for insight into the positions, according to a news release sent by the FBI.

In addition, many of the FBIs Critical Incident Response components such as SWAT, Evidence Recovery Teams, Crisis Negotiations, Bomb Technicians, will be onsite to talk about their roles in FBI investigations and have their gear on display, FBI physical fitness advisors will be present to go over the FBI agent fitness test and applicant coordinators will provide guidance into the FBI application process, read the news release.

There will also be recruiters on hand to discuss the FBIs 2026 Honors Internship Program for college students. The program is a summer paid internship for all FBI locations across the nation. Learn more here.

The FBI said there is no cost to attend, and attendees will not be required to submit a formal employment application following the event. But if anyone is interested in applying, there will be computers set up so candidates can begin the application process.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
CHICAGO (WGN)  The FBI is investigating whether maggots were intentionally slipped into a breakfast prepared for delegates attending the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, a law enforcement source told Nexstars WGN.

Its unclear if the contamination was discovered before any delegates consumed the food.

Delegates were buzzing about the insect attack as Chicago police officers and Illinois state troopers gathered in the lobby of the Fairmont Hotel near meeting rooms.

They protected us, of course, and turned it around in minutes, said Indiana delegate Tracy Boyd, who is at the convention representing the Indianapolis region. She said her group was notified that breakfast service would be briefly delayed due to the incident. I really do want to give a shout-out to the hotel staff and leadership.

Dozens arrested after protestors clash with Chicago police near Israel Consulate

An FBI evidence response team van was parked outside the hotel Wednesday morning.

We can confirm that a group of individuals caused a disruption at a DNC-related breakfast event at our hotel this morning, Fairmont Chicago hotel spokesperson Haley Robles told WGN Investigates. Our team acted immediately to clean and sanitize the area, ensuring that the event could continue without further incident.

Multiple law enforcement sources said it appears the maggots were brought into the hotel by activists seeking to send a message.

All Americans have the right to peaceful protest, but ugly attacks like this have no place in our democracy, said Indiana Democratic Party spokesperson Sam Barloga. We thank the security team for responding swiftly.

City officials released the following statement Wednesday on the incident:

Multiple unknown female offenders are alleged to have entered a building (200 block of North Columbus Drive) and began placing unknown objects onto tables containing food. The offenders are believed to have then left the area. One victim was treated and released on-scene. Along with CPD, FBI-Chicago is assisting in the investigation. No further information is available at this time. DNC 2024 Joint Information Center



The Fairmont Hotel is hosting Democratic delegates from Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Missouri and South Dakota. A delegate from South Dakota said her morning meeting was not impacted.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg spoke at the hotel Wednesday morning.

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Target (TGT) is hitting its goals on inventory shrink.

On a call with reporters, Its CFO and COO Michael Fiddelke told Yahoo Finance the company has hit a plateau when it comes to shrink, including retail theft.

"[Inventory shrink] was one of the tailwinds to profit in the quarter, and as we stepped into the year, our aim was to have shrink plateau, and so to improve from the deterioration we've seen over the last couple of years, two quarters in  we're achieving that and then some," Fiddelke said.

Shrink can be the result of theft, damage, or poor record keeping, among other factors.

In its second quarter report, Target's 28.9% gross profit margin beat estimates, up from 27% a year ago.

Read more: Best credit cards for back-to-school shopping at Target (August 2024)

Target said shrink increased by more than $500 million last year compared to 2022, "representing about 50 basis points of incremental rate pressure," Fiddelke said on the company's Q4 earnings call in March.

Profits took a $700 million hit from the issue in 2022. From 2019 to 2023, the company said shrink costs reduced its operating margin rate by a "cumulative 1.2 percentage points."

Collaboration with local officials, expanding locked cases

Target, on a limited basis, implements tools such as locking cases for merchandise categories that are prone to theft. This Target store located in Jersey City. (Taken by Brooke DiPalma / Yahoo Finance)

"The things that we feel good about are the progress we're seeing in our partnerships at the federal and state and local level," Fiddelke said.

But the work is ongoing, and the company is hoping to keep making progress in the quarters ahead.

Part of the strategy included closing nine stores at the end of last October.

"We cannot continue operating these stores because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests, and contributing to unsustainable business performance," the company said in a statement at the time.

The closed stores included one in Harlem, New York City; two in Seattle; three near San Francisco and Oakland, Calif.; and three in Portland, Ore.

At some hard-hit stores, Target also installed locking cases for "prone to theft" merchandise.

Other tactics include investing in additional security members and third-party guard services and training store leaders and employees to "protect themselves and de-escalate potential safety issues associated with organized retail crime incidents," the company said at the time.

It also planned to partner with the investigations division of the US Department of Homeland Security to develop cyber defense technology. The tech could create custom tools that analyze fraud and other crimes.

Story continues

Other retailers have also shared progress on solving the issue.

Last week, Walmart (WMT) CFO John David Rainey told investors on its earnings call that in its "core merchandise mix," the company saw "a little bit of benefit from improved shrink in the quarter," a trend that started in Q1.

Dollar General (DG) converted 12,000 of its stores away from self-checkout this year.

"While this represents a significant change in our stores, we believe this is the right course of action to drive increased customer engagement while also better positioning us to begin reducing shrink in the back half of '24 with a more material positive impact expected in 2025," CEO Todd Vasos said during its Q1 earnings call.

TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX), the parent company of TJ Maxx, Marshall's, and Home Goods, said during Q1 that it plans for shrink to be flat year over year.

At the end of 2023, the discount retailer introduced body cameras for its loss prevention associates.

"When somebody comes in, it's sort of  it's almost like a deescalation where people are less likely to do something when they're being videotaped, so we definitely feel that that's playing a role," CFO John Klinger told investors.



Brooke DiPalma is a senior reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on X at @BrookeDiPalma or email her at bdipalma@yahoofinance.com.

Click here for all of the latest retail stock news and events to better inform your investing strategy
NEW YORK (WPIX)  A New York-based company now has the green light to sell a potentially life-saving gel that stops bleeding on contact.

The Food and Drug Administration has cleared Traumagel for use by medical professionals in the United States. It is a hemostatic gel for temporary external use thats designed to control moderate to severe bleeding.

It is made by Cresilon in Brooklyn, New York.

Flowable as a gel, which means it gets exactly where it needs to go. It can flow into a bullet wound, it eliminates the need for wound packing, and it starts working on contact. This product has the potential to be in every ambulance, in every hospital, and frankly in every medicine cabinet, the companys founder, 31-year-old Joe Landolina, told Nexstars WPIX.

Mpox is a global emergency, WHO says. Is it spreading the US?

Cresilon already sells Vetigel to stop bleeding in animals.

With Vetigel, weve saved over 60,000 lives of pets, but with Traumagel, well be able to save our first human life very soon, Landolina claimed.

Landolina said he was inspired to create the product by his grandfather, a retired pharmaceutical executive who also ran a vineyard in the Hudson Valley.

He learned lab safety in the 60s, so that meant the day I learned to walk effectively, he took me off the school bus and tossed me into a chemistry lab and told me the best way to learn chemistry was to mix some things together, Landolina said of his grandfather.

Landolina first devised the idea for Traumagel at 17 years old while living in a dorm at New York University, he said.

I was experimenting with algae and polymers that I had extracted out of algae, and I realized this gel would stick to skin and it wouldnt let go until I wanted it to, he said.

Traumagel will be available for licensed medical professionals by the end of the year. It has not yet been cleared for over-the-counter sales.

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FREDERICK, Md. (DC News Now)  Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced on Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Labors Apprenticeship Building America initiative is allotting nearly $23 million to connect more than 7,000 jobseekers to apprenticeship opportunities in expanding industries.

In western Maryland, The Asian American Center of Frederick received $3,990,486 to establish registered apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships for immigrants.

The center is aiming to fill the need for healthcare workers. Sierra Dischel with the center said the funding will provide training in vital skills like digital literacy, workplace readiness, health field understanding, the American labor market as well as the American medical system.

Frederick County Public Schools start new school year with growth, changes

Dischel said the market critically needs community health workers, certified nursing assistants, licensed nurse practitioners, geriatric nursing assistants, and certified peer recovery specialists.

Elizabeth Chung, who heads the center, credits Gov. Moore with committing funds to the program.

Were able to focus training on new skillsmeet the demand for health care, and that is very important for our State of Maryland, said Chung.

Recruitment for the program will begin in January.

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A federal judge Tuesday blocked a nationwide ban on noncompete agreements from taking effect in September.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted in April to ban most noncompete agreements, which prevent tens of millions of employees from leaving their jobs to work for competitors or start a competing business.

The Dallas-based tax firm Ryan LLC, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable and other business groups sued to block the rule from going into effect, alleging agency overreach that would make it harder for companies to retain talent.

U.S. District Judge Ada Brown in Dallas said the FTC had overstepped its statutory authority and called the rule arbitrary and capricious.

This win preserves the validity of millions of employment contracts across the nation that facilitate trust between employers and employees, innovation through the protection of IP, and investment in the training of employees, said John Smith, senior vice president, chief legal officer and general counsel for Ryan.

Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne P. Clark called the decision a significant win in the Chambers fight against government micromanagement of business decisions.

A sweeping prohibition of noncompete agreements by the FTC was an unlawful extension of power that would have put American workers, businesses, and our economy at a competitive disadvantage, Clark said.

The rule was slated to go into effect Sept. 4.

We are disappointed by Judge Browns decision and will keep fighting to stop noncompetes that restrict the economic liberty of hardworking Americans, hamper economic growth, limit innovation, and depress wages, FTC spokesperson Victoria Graham said.

We are seriously considering a potential appeal, and todays decision does not prevent the FTC from addressing noncompetes through case-by-case enforcement actions.

Last month, a federal judge in Philadelphia rejected a bid by tree-trimming company ATS Tree Services to block the ban, reasoning the FTC has the authority to prevent unfair methods of competition in commerce under the 1914 Federal Trade Commission Act.

Josh Robbins, an attorney who represented ATS at the Pacific Legal Foundation, said they were pleased by the Tuesday decision.

This is a great first step and we expect litigation over the ban to continue, Robbins said.

Updated at 7:53 p.m. ET.

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Federal judge says US military cannot turn away enlistees who are HIV-positive

The US military cannot turn away enlistees who have HIV, a federal judge ruled Tuesday, striking down the final part of a controversial Pentagon approach to the condition that has been chipped away at in recent years.

US District Judge Leonie Brinkema said the Pentagons ban on HIV-positive people seeking to enlist in the armed forces contributes to the ongoing stigma surrounding HIV-positive individuals while actively hampering the militarys own recruitment goals.

Modern science has transformed the treatment of HIV, Brinkema wrote in her ruling, saying that asymptomatic HIV-positive service members with undetectable viral loads who maintain treatment are capable of performing all of their military duties, including worldwide deployment.

The Pentagon, she added, must allow similarly situated civilians seeking accession into the United States military to demonstrate the same and permit their enlistment, appointment, and induction.

HIV is not easily transmitted to another person. It cant be spread through saliva, sweat, tears, communal exercise or sharing a bathroom. Most people get HIV through anal or vaginal sex or when sharing needles, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Medication called antiretroviral therapy, when used as prescribed, can suppress HIV in the body to very low levels or even levels that cant be detected by tests. People who stay virally suppressed or undetectable wont transmit the virus through sex or syringe sharing, the CDC says.

The Pentagons policies toward HIV-positive Americans have been mired in legal battles in recent years. In 2022, Brinkema, in a separate pair of cases, struck down the militarys ban on people who are HIV-positive from joining the armed forces as officers or deploying abroad. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin subsequently issued a memo that said people who are HIV-positive will no longer automatically be barred from serving in military leadership or serving overseas.

The challenge to the enlistment policy was brought by three HIV-positive individuals looking to join or rejoin the military in the last few years. All three were unable to do so because of the now-enjoined policy.

One of the plaintiffs, Isaiah Wilkins, was serving in the Georgia National Guard when he sought to enlist in the Army Reserve. During that process, he learned that he is HIV-positive, complicating those plans and prompting him and the two other unnamed plaintiffs to bring their lawsuit.

This is a victory not only for me but for other people living with HIV who want to serve, Wilkins said in a statement Tuesday. As Ive said before, giving up on my dream to serve my country was never an option. I am eager to apply to enlist in the Army without the threat of a crippling discriminatory policy.

The Pentagon had pushed various arguments in defense of its policy, including that caring for HIV-positive service members would create financial burdens for the Department of Defense and that deployment might make it likely that such individuals could experience viral rebound if they dont adhere to their medication regimens that manage the infection.

The Defense Department referred questions to the Justice Department, which declined to comment.

CNNs Jen Christensen and Katherine Dillinger contributed to this report.

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Federal review finds no glaring evidence of Columbus police using excessive force

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  Although the U.S. Department of Justice found no glaring evidence of excessive use of force in a second review of Columbus police, it did note a related problem.

In April 2021, Mayor Andrew Ginther and City Attorney Zach Klein asked the Justice Department to review the citys police force to identify any racial biases and solutions for reform. The request was made after police were scrutinized for their response to protests Downtown during the summer of 2020, the shooting deaths of Andre Hill and MaKhia Bryant, and other incidents.

The Justice Department accepted that request in September 2021, returning a report to city leaders in February 2023. The report outlined key areas of potential improvement for the department, including organizational structure and technology. However, that report did not address the departments use of force, leading Ginther to ask the agency to take another look.

A second report was released on Aug. 9, which states a majority of the police departments policies and procedures are consistent with industry standards. The agency specifically commended CPD policies that emphasize deescalation and require employees to take immediate action if they become aware of another employee engaging in misconduct.

The report applauded Columbus police for the quality of their training and efforts regarding officer wellness, which the Department of Justice said is worthy of recognition on a national level. The agency also stated there is no glaring evidence of police using excessive force at an unusually high rate in Columbus.

Supervisory and investigative processes in place such as [body worn camera] reviews are consistently conducted and do not reveal evidence of widespread use of excessive force, the report said.

However, the agency said the division has a significant problem with tracking use of force incidents and needs to improve its technological and data analysis capabilities. Low-level use of force incidents, such as using chemical spray, are not tracked or analyzed in a way that would allow police or the community to see if a racial disparity exists, the Department of Justice said. The agency stated this should be fixed as soon as possible.

While policies and protocols in place give the appearance of sufficient accountability within the division, the Department of Justice states the absence of adequate reporting to monitor use of force makes it difficult to identify any patterns or trends.

The report acknowledges the need for technical enhancements, a statement from the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9 read. Still, it commends CPD policy, particularly in rendering aid, taking prompt action on and off duty, immediately addressing any misconduct they encounter, and effectively utilizing deescalation techniques.

Ginther confirmed to NBC4 that he received the report and will analyze the findings to continue moving the division forward under the leadership of Chief Elaine Bryant.

View the full report below:

cops-r1156-pubDownload

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
Federal prosecutors are recommending a 20-year prison sentence for Backpage co-founder Michael Lacey, who was found guilty last fall of one count of international concealment of money laundering. It's an insane ask for someone whose only conviction is for one nonviolent crime, especially considering the circumstances of that conviction.

Concealment?

"The context for the international concealment money laundering conviction is critical," writes Lacey's lawyers in a motion seeking a less severe sentence. "This is not a case where the defendant went off on his own to hide an asset. Instead, in the years that preceded the international wire transfer at issue, federal law enforcement officers

had visited his banks and suggested to those banks that it would be bad for their reputation to have him as a client, which then resulted in the banks terminating their relationship with him. This occurred when there were no charges pending."

In other words, the federal government worked to deny Lacey access to U.S. banks and then charged him for trying to park his money somewhere.

"While visiting his long-time trusts-and-estates lawyer, John Becker, on an unrelated matter, Michael mentioned his inability to maintain banking," Lacey's motion explains.

In response, Becker suggested that a foreign bank might stabilize his banking, and suggested that they meet with another lawyer who specialized in offshore assets. That lawyer suggested a bank in Hungary and the creation of a trust for the benefit of his sons. The entire transaction was papered and executed by counsel. Michael did not hide anything from his counsel, explaining to them that the funds at issue were from the sale of Backpage. As his counsel, Becker, explained at trial, he believed and still believes the transaction to be fully lawful. There was no intent to conceal, and no actual concealment, but rather, an intent to disclose and actual disclosure.

Further complicating matters is a lack of proof that Lacey knew any money from Backpage may have been derived from unlawful activitya condition crucial for sustaining the money laundering conviction.

Double Jeopardy?

Lacey and the other Backpage defendants "made a calculated decision to pursue a livelihood built on prostitution ads, and maintained that path, year after year, supporting a succession of criminal users of their website," prosecutors allege in their sentencing memorandum.

Lacey was chargedalong with other former Backpage executivesof using Backpage to knowingly facilitate prostitution, in violation of the U.S. Travel Act.

Two of the defendants were acquitted of all such offenses and two of the defendants were found guilty of some of them. But the jury could not reach a conclusion when it came to Lacey. U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa found there was insufficient evidence to sustain most of the remaining 84 counts against him.

Now, prosecutors want the judge to simply act, for sentencing purposes, as if those charges are all true.

Federal prosecutors are also putting Lacey on trial for these charges againwhich means that if he is eventually convicted, he could wind up being sentenced twice for the same conduct.

"The conduct pertaining to the unresolved counts should not be considered because if Michael's sentence for [the one count on which he was found guilty] is increased based on that conduct and, if there should be any convictions pertaining to that conduct at a third trial, he would be punished twice for the same conduct, in violation of the Double Jeopardy Clause," his lawyers write.

The whole motion is worth a read to get a picture of who Michael Lacey is, including his long career in journalism and his many legal battles over free speech. It also delves into Lacey's longstanding defense of Backpage allowing sex workers to post classified ads: that these services are not de facto illegal and Backpage was protected by the First Amendment.

Michael knew from his decades as a publisher that advocacy groups and even law

enforcement would target the publishers of unwanted speech, regardless of its protection by the First Amendment. The attention Backpage's adult content attracted appeared to be no different. Michael was walled off from the business side of the newspaper company, but had repeatedly received assurances from his long-term partner that, after seeking advice from top-tier lawyers from reputable national law firms, the company was operating in conformance with the law. He also knew the person in charge of Backpage [Carl Ferrer] had been testifying under oath as a witness for federal prosecutors and had received commendation after commendation from law enforcement thanking him for his assistance, including from the F.B.I. Director. In that light, his decisions were rational and principled.

Public Safety?

Lacey's lawyers argue that a lengthy imprisonment could be detrimental to his health and wouldn't serve any public safety purpose.

"He is 76. He has high blood pressure, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, and obstructive sleep apnea," they write. "He takes medication for these illnesses. He must swim or ride a stationary bicycle to keep his weight and medical issues in balance."

They go on to ask who would supposedly be served by putting an old man away for probably the rest of his life for a financial crime with no victim.

"Incarceration is not necessary to protect the public," because "even if the Court considers the unresolved conduct, which it should not, the thing that made him a purported threat to public safetythe Backpage websitewas taken down more than six years ago."

Of courseas Reason has noted many timesthis case has never been about protecting the public, and certainly not about protecting sex workers, who say their work is more dangerous without websites like Backpage. It was about getting good P.R., seizing assets, punishing people who wouldn't back down, and creating a playbook for going after tech companies that don't do the government's bidding.

Already Punished?

Prosecutors are recommending that Lacey be "sentenced to 240 months in custody, followed by three years of supervised release."

Lacey's lawyers say he has been punished enough alreadyby living under federal indictment since April 2018, wearing an ankle monitor for much of this time, having his assets seized, and losing "his dearest friend, Jim Larkin, who could no longer handle the stress of this case" and committed suicide days before the trial began last August.

"Days after the funeral, this trial began," his lawyers write. "Although the sudden and tragic loss of his friend made it difficult to be present and focused at trial, he was comforted by what Jim said to him the day before he killed himselfa fact that was borne out by the proof at trial'Mike, you'll be ok. You didn't have anything to do with Backpage.'"

Lacey's lawyers are seeking a sentence of probation. Sentencing is scheduled for August 27 and 28.

More Sex & Tech News

Democrats Remove Sex Worker Language From Platform

(Maxine Doogan/X)

The Democratic Party has removed language about sex work from its official 2024 party platform. From XBiz:

The 2020 platform voted by the convention that nominated President Joe Biden, however, included the following passage: 'We recognize that sex workers, who are disproportionately women of color and transgender women, face especially high rates of sexual assault and violence, and we will work with states and localities to protect the lives of sex workers.' The 2024 version released over the weekend, expected to be approved at the Democratic National Convention currently taking place in Chicago, omits the statement recognizing the existence of sex workers and stating a commitment to protect their lives.

Rhode Island sex worker rights group COYOTE RI said the move wasn't surprising. "Sex Workers will be gathering online to discuss these and other related election issues in Tru The S$xWorker Vote, on Saturday, September 7, 2024," the group noted in its most recent newsletter.

See also: What sex workers want from Kamala Harris.

FIRE Sues Over SCOPE Act

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is suing to stop the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act, which FIRE calls an "unconstitutional attempt to childproof the internet."

The SCOPE Act, signed into law in 2023, "requires social media platforms to register the age of every new user," FIRE explains. "Under the law, platforms would be forced to track how much of their content is 'harmful' to minors and, once a certain percentage is reached, force users to provide government ID or biometric data to demonstrate that they are 18 or older."

"In a misguided attempt to make the internet 'safe,' Texas' law treats adults like children," said FIRE Chief Counsel Robert Corn-Revere in a statement. "But even minors have First Amendment rights. Whether they're 16 or 65, this law infringes on the rights of all Texans."

Trafficking Victim Sentenced to 11 Years

Chrystul Kizer has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for killing a man who was sexually abusing and exploiting her when she was a minor. In June 2018, Kizer fatally shot Randall Volar and set his house on fire. Last May, Kizer pleaded guilty to killing him in 2018, when Volar was 34 years old and she was age 17.

"Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley had argued that Kizer carried out a premeditated killing to steal Volar's BMW, while public defender Jennifer Bias said Kizer acted in self-defense after Volar had pinned her to the ground while trying to initiate sexual contact," notes The Washington Post. More:

A 2019 Washington Post investigation showed that the Kenosha Police Department knew Volar was abusing underage Black girls for nearly three months before his death. After a 15-year-old Black girl fled from his home in nothing but a bra and jacket, police raided Volar's residence and found hundreds of videos of child sexual abuse; among the stash were videos Volar had made of Kizer and girls who appeared to be as young as 12. But while the investigation continued, police and prosecutors allowed Volar to remain free.

A judge has now sentenced her to spend 11 years in prison. "The court is well aware of your relationship with Mr. Volar," Kenosha County Judge David Wilk said during Kizer's sentencing hearing. "However, you are not permitted to be the instrument of his reckoning. To hold otherwise is to endorse a descent into lawlessness and chaos."

See also: "Sex workers are trafficking victims until cops don't want them to be."

Today's Image

Phoenix | 2018

The post Feds Seek 20-Year Sentence for Backpage Co-Founder Michael Lacey appeared first on Reason.com.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA)  Floridas official tourism marketing department has quietly removed the LGBTQ travel section from its website.

The site, Visit Florida, previously featured blog posts and videos related to Floridas gay-friendly beaches, pride events, LGBTQ road trip ideas, and more.

The mobile version of VisitFlorida.com still lists the LGBTQ travel section in a drop-down menu, but once selected, it directs back to the home page.

From a personal standpoint, and LGBTQ standpoint, I felt wed been erased, Rachel Covello said.

These are the best, worst states for LGBTQ equality, report finds

Covello is the owner of Outcoast.com, an online travel blog highlighting LGBTQ-friendly activities in Florida. In 2021, she collaborated with Visit Florida on getting content on their site, and she had an opportunity to speak at the Governors Convention on Tourism.

Covello, who spoke with Nexstars WFLA from St. Petersburg, said she found out the travel page was gone about two weeks ago.

Were standing in one of the most LGBTQ inclusive destinations in Florida, if not in the country, Covello said. So I think people need to come to Florida and need to support these destinations that are so diverse and doing the right thing. But these destinations rely on our state platforms to market our state as a brand.

According to Visit Floridas About Us section, Visit Florida is not a government agency, but rather a not-for-profit corporation created as a public/private partnership by the Florida Legislature. Its also described as the states official tourism marketing corporation.

The site still includes travel recommendations for people with special needs, African American heritage, and Hispanic heritage.

Florida has a history of conflict with the LGBTQ community, with critics pointing to the so-called Dont Say Gay laws, limits on instruction of sexual orientation in public schools, transition-related healthcare, and more.

Trailblazing LGBTQ baseball exec, former Dodger dead at 60

Lee Manual is the owner of Cocktail Bar and the Mari Jean Hotel in St. Petersburg. He said the travel industry supports a number of jobs in the state.

Resorts such as ours, we have 54 rooms. We pay bed taxes, or at least our guests pay bed taxes, and those bed taxes go to help fund lot of local projects such as the new Tropicana Field, Manuel said.

He said whats happening with the website is concerning.

Its such as the earlier bans that they had tried to implement here, theyve all been struck down by courts that had real effect on our business last year, as we saw a large drop of international travel and tourism and the LGBT community, which Im sure this is going to have the same effect, Manuel said.

WFLA sent emails to Visit Floridas media contact, its CEO Dana Young, and to the Governors office, but had not received any responses as of Wednesday.

Covello said people should still visit Florida, but she wants to see the people responsible for the Visit Florida website held accountable.

When theyre not doing their job, theyre not just failing our community and potential travelers to our community. Theyre failing the members that theyre supposed to be supporting and marketing for, Covello said.

Last week, DeSantis announced what he called the greatest second quarter numbers of tourism in Floridas history. In a press release touting the news, Dana Young, the president and CEO of Visit Florida, was quoted as saying the states freedom-first policies were partially responsible for the tourism numbers.

Florida continues to be the destination of choice for millions of Americans and international visitors alike. Our success shows the results of the Governors freedom-first policies, VISIT FLORIDAs strategic marketing efforts, and the undeniable beauty of Florida, Young said. Moving forward, we will continue to leverage our strengths to ensure that Florida remains the top destination for travelers worldwide.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
SOUTH DAKOTA (KELO)  Residents of Davison, Lincoln, Turner and Union Counties can get personal disaster application assistance from FEMA starting this week.

FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) teams will be working in conjunction with state and county emergency management, according to FEMA.

Residents who received damage from recent severe storms, straight-line winds and flooding will be assisted with the application process. FEMA will also address immediate needs, provide referrals to community resources and provide application status updates.

How South Dakotans can apply for FEMA disaster funds

Residents are encouraged to ask for a federal FEMA photo ID before giving any personal information. FEMA staff can be identified by their ID and official clothing or vests.

Disaster survivors are not required to meet with FEMA officials to apply for assistance.

How to apply for FEMA disaster assistance:

Apply online at: DisasterAssistance.gov in English, or DisasterAssistance.gov/es in Spanish.

Apply on your phone using the FEMA mobile app available in English or Spanish.

Call the FEMA disaster helpline at: 800-621-3362 from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. (CDT) seven days a week until further notice. Multilingual operators are available. Anyone using a video relay service (VRS) or captioned telephone service can give FEMA the number for that service.

A FEMA tutorial video is available to explain the three ways to apply for assistance.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com.
(COLORADO)  Wednesday, Aug. 21 is National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, and in an exclusive, new partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administrations Rocky Mountain Field Division (DEA RMFD), FOX21 News is learning more about Colorados drug crisis and the efforts to combat it.

This week, and as the new school year gets underway, FOX21 News spoke with Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen of the DEAs Rocky Mountain Field Division about the dangers of fentanyl and what parents need to know.

Courtesy: FOX21 News Photojournalist Cora Mitchell, Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen, DEAs Rocky Mountain Field Division.

Fentanyl is in every community, said Pullen. It doesnt matter what race you are, what ethnicity you are, whether you come from a good neighborhood or a bad neighborhood, what kind of car you drivefentanyl is in your neighborhood.

In the first six months of 2023, 38,000 Americans lost their lives to fentanyl, with the DEA calling it, the deadliest drug threat the United States has ever faced.

We are most focused on high school kids, kids going back to college this year and young peoplethats where we are seeing all of these overdose deaths, is in young people, explained Pullen.

Pullen said that not only is fentanyl in Colorado, but its here in incredibly large numbers and is easily accessible.

Kids can go and find someone who is selling illegal pills, you no longer have to go into a bad neighborhood and some deep, dark part of Denver or down some dark alley to find these drugs, he said.

One of the ways teens and others are accessing these illegal drugs is through social media apps, where emoji codes are being used to purchase them.

Courtesy: DEA, the above is a reference guide intended to give parents, caregivers, educators, and other influencers a better sense of how emojis are being used in conjunction with illegal drugs.

If you see a pill, if you obtain a pill and its not from your doctor or from a pharmacist, it is most certainly going to contain fentanyl, it is most certainly going to be deadly, Pullen said.

If you go to DEAs One Pill Can Kill website and scroll about mid-way down, youll see a section titled, Can You Spot the Fake? From Oxycodone to Xanax to Adderall, spotting the real from the fake is not so easy.

Courtesy: DEAs One Pill Can Kill website.

Courtesy: DEA

Courtesy: DEA

Courtesy: DEA

The vast majority of pills that we seize here in Colorado are these blue M30s. Those are typically, in a pharmaceutical setting, those are OxyContins, but that is not what were seizing on the streets, they are completely laced with fentanyl, Pullen said.

According to the DEAs RMFD, in 2023, 2.61 million fentanyl pills were seized in Colorado, a record that we are on pace to easily break this year.

Courtesy: FOX21 News, DEA.

We are seeing Adderalls with fentanyl, we are seeing Percocet, were seeing Xanax bars, we are seeing the Oxys. And even recently, weve seen these Adderall pills that are just chock-full of meth and we are seeing kids overdose on these, we are seeing kids die on these, said Pullen.

According to Pullen, a deadly dose is just 2 milligrams of fentanyl, the same amount pictured below on the tip of that pencil.

Courtesy: DEA, 2mg, the amount on the tip of this pencil, can be enough to kill an average American.

Weve done testing at our DEA labs across the country and last year of all the pills we seized in the U.S., seven out of 10 of them had a deadly dose of fentanyl, he said.

Pullen encouraged parents to talk with their kids and check their phones. These are hard conversations to have and certainly kids want privacy but you never forgive yourself if your giving them privacy ends up in their death because they bought an illegal fentanyl pill, he added.

Pullen stressed that fentanyl is easily accessible to kids through social media sites and is cheap, too. You can buy a fentanyl pill on the streets of Colorado Springs for $3-5, so we are engaged all over the state wanting people to understand that this is a real threat, it is here, and its deadly.

Courtesy: FOX21 News.

While fentanyl pills have been appearing more frequently in the past few years, according to Pullen theres a new trend for how fentanyl is being brought into the U.S. and ultimately distributed.

For the last several years, we saw these pills, actually manufactured within Mexico, coming across the border and being distributed on the streets here in Colorado, said Pullen. A newer trend that we are seeing is fentanyl coming across the border in powder form and then people locally are obtaining their own pill presses and making their own versions of these pills.

Courtesy: DEA, pictured above is a pill press that the DEA seized.

Pullen had this to say when we asked how people are obtaining these. they obtain the pill presses from usually, places like China, and they buy the specific dyes, so they stamp the pill to have a certain marking on them, he said.

According to Pullen, people are pressing these pills for their own sale and distribution within their communities. Sometimes they might stamp them to look like a legitimate pharmaceutical pill, sometimes they might stamp them to look like an MDMA or an Ecstasy pill that has a smiley face emoji on it, he added.

Courtesy: DEA, left shows an authentic Oxycodone and the right is a counterfeit pill.

More resources for teens and parents can be found at the link above, or by searching dea.gov/onepill.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), an Indian IT services, consulting, and business solutions provider, has inaugurated the new TCS Pace Studio in Stockholm, Sweden.

This facility will provide clients in the Nordic region with access to the new innovation hub and research centre. The focus of the studio is to help businesses understand the latest technological advancements and implement them on a larger scale, therefore streamlining their digital transformation initiatives.

The studio is located within the Epicenter House of Innovation, a development that hosts more than 600 technology firms and entrepreneurs. This strategic location enables TCS to connect with the business challenges and objectives present in the local landscape.

Oskar Gillstrom, Epicenter Stockholm's country manager, said We are thrilled to welcome TCS Pace Studio into the Epicenter community. TCS new space is an excellent representation of our mission as an innovation house to fuel the collaboration between enterprises and future-focused leaders in the Swedish business environment.

The office is the latest addition in the TCS Pace global network. There are three other TCS Pace Studios in Riyadh, Sydney, and Letterkenny and seven TCS Pace Ports in Tokyo, Amsterdam, New York, Pittsburgh, Toronto, London and Paris. This network plays a crucial role in TCSs strategy to help businesses in swiftly creating and deploying digital solutions.

The establishment of this new studio highlights TCSs dedication to the Nordic market, where it has been active since 1991, providing support to more than 20,000 employees throughout Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark.

TCSs investment in the region aims to contribute to Swedens vision of leadership in sustainability and technology innovation.

"TCS opens fourth Pace Studio in Stockholm and expands its innovation footprint" was originally created and published by Investment Monitor, a GlobalData owned brand.







The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
As fentanyl ravages Iowa, activists push for the legalization of fentanyl test strips

More than 300 people in Iowa died from overdoses in 2022 and a majority of those overdoses involved fentanyl, according to CDC data. (Photo by Tim Henderson/Stateline)

After past failed efforts in the state legislature, drug activists believe the next session will deliver legalized fentanyl test strips as support for the movement grows and the drug epidemic continues.

Fentanyl test strips are small strips of paper that can test drugs to see if they contain any fentanyl. Activists argue that by legalizing these strips, lawmakers could save lives by preventing accidental overdoses from fentanyl. Under state law, fentanyl test strips are considered drug paraphernalia and therefore illegal.

The previous effort to include the legalization of fentanyl test strips in a 2023 fentanyl law fell short but gained some bipartisan support, said the amendments author Rep. Megan Srivinas, D-Des Moines. Srinivas and activists are prepping to introduce legislation to legalize the strips next session.

Srinivas said some lawmakers who voted against the amendment worried about bogging down the law with amendments but supported the idea of the amendment.

The conversations Ive had around it have left me more optimistic for the future, Srinivas said.

As of July, fentanyl test strips are only illegal in Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, North Dakota and Texas.

According to data compiled by The Network for Public Health Law, positive fentanyl detections lead to behavioral changes that reduce the risk of overdose death.

Steps of Hope co-founder Ann Breeding, who created the organization after the death of her son from an overdose involving fentanyl, said fentanyl test strips can save lives and therefore need to be legalized.

If it saves one life, it matters, Breeding said.

For 18- to 45-year-olds, the number one cause of death in 2021 was fentanyl overdose, according to data collected by Families Against Fentanyl. The number of fentanyl overdose deaths outnumbered deaths from car crashes, suicides, COVID-19 and all other overdoses combined.

Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition Executive Director Deborah Krauss said Iowas apprehension toward fentanyl test strips is having real consequences.

Without legalized fentanyl test strips, it has become much harder to know whats in the Iowa drug supply, Krauss said.

We know fentanyl is in our drug supply. We know its around, Krauss said. We have to go by overdose data because we just dont have enough data on what the supply is.

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Fentanyl test strips, drugs and stigma

The belief that fentanyl test strips will encourage drug use, among other fears surrounding the strips, has complicated advocacy efforts in the state, Breeding said. While no studies have shown fentanyl test strips to increase drug use, Breeding said the overall stigma around the drug epidemic remains.

Theres a lot of stigma, Breeding said. Theyve made their choice, let them die. Oh, its another one off the streets. Ive heard it all.

Breeding said her experiences with her son have informed her outlook on fentanyl and people who are opposed to drug harm reduction policies need to listen to those who have lost loved ones to the drug epidemic.

I think people dont understand because its never happened to them. But Ive got news. It shouldnt have to happen to you. Its time to start listening to everybody who gets it, Breeding said.

A 2023 national survey conducted by John Hopkins Universitys health department revealed about 1 in every 3 people knows someone who has died from an overdose.

Krauss said shes seen a similar stigma. She added that these test strips give people the opportunity to make choices that could save their lives.

I think instead of encouraging drug use, I see it as giving someone a more informed decision on the substance that theyre about to ingest, Krauss said. When people are able to know the unknown in the substance, people will make better and more positive choices for themselves.

The fact that fentanyl test strips can prevent a fatal overdose is reason enough to support legalizing them, Breeding added.

Theyre not going to do anything but save lives, period, Breeding said. Anyone with a heart would want to save a life.

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AUSTIN (KXAN)  There are five people in the running to be Austins next mayor, including incumbent Mayor Kirk Watson. Youll vote for the next leader of our city in November.

Jeffery L. Bowen, one of the five candidates, sat down with KXANs Grace Reader to talk about everything from why he voted no on Project Connect to his role in the lawsuit that undid Austins land development code rewrite to why he decided to jump in the race when he did.

Bowen entered the race just hours before the deadline to file to be on the ballot.

This transcript was edited for clarity and conciseness. Answers were cut down for time and addendums may be added for additional context. You can watch the full video above.

Whats on your resume?

I actually did over 20 years in the service. I did various jobs in the Air Force. I started out working on airplanes, then went to civil engineering where I became basically construction manager, a surveyor. Also did some special duty assignments surveying radar units all over the world. Then did a stint here in Austin at the NCO [Noncommissioned Officer] Academy that was at Bergstrom, teaching leadership and management and writing leadership and management curriculum for the Air Force. Retired after 20 years and almost six months. Then went into the commercial business, so to speak, with different contractors, different developers, those type of things. And went out on my own in 2001 and [have] been self employed ever since. Have my own small company  doing consulting, doing project management, doing projects and pretty much thats it. Been here since 1989, we moved back to Texas because I was raised here outside of Houston.

Youre Council Member Mackenzie Kellys pick for the board of adjustments, you work with the Austin Neighborhoods Council, tell me about that work?

Well I was asked to join the board of adjustments, and Ive been on it roughly, coming up [on] one year now. Her appointee decided he didnt want to do this anymore. He felt like he was not really right for it and suggested me.

Im also involved in Austin Neighborhoods Council currently, right now, Im a vice president. Ive been with them roughly eight years or so. Started off just as a neighborhood rep for the neighborhood I live in, and then became a sector rep for the entire southwest side of town, and then have basically kind of moved up the proverbial food chain of Austin Neighborhoods Council.

Its my understanding that you were involved in the lawsuit that undid the writing of CodeNEXT. Can you talk a little bit about your involvement?

Im actually one of the many plaintiffs. I believe there was 12 of us. I was the only one from the southwest side of town. Honestly, when I was asked about what my feelings were, if I wanted to join the lawsuit, I said, yeah, sign me up. I had a problem with the fact of the city wanting to take away my protest rights and also violating state law. That was the main thing, because I do believe in property rights, and Ive even spoken at the legislature about property rights during the last session. Im glad we won. It was a long draw. It was a long, it was a long journey through that whole process.

Then we ended up also going back through Mr. Becker, which was our attorney, he again sued the city over compatibility and over VMU 1 and VMU 2 and those type of things, which, once again, there were no protest rights, and the council just basically ignored those, and so they ended up back in court on that.*

*You can read more about what CodeNEXT was and the lawsuits filed against it in our coverage here.

So to be clearare you against changes to land development code that incentivize more building, or were you strictly against the notification process failing to meet state law?

For me, part of it was the notification, but part of it was also the guise that we were looking for affordability and the people that I deal with  even on ANC, those type of things  we are not against affordable housing. Were all for those things. But when the city has a tendency to not tell you the truth and say, Oh, well, its about affordability, but then changes their minds and the misnomers that goes along with thisand a lot of it also comes back with, how far are you infringing on somebody elses property rights when you decide that you want to put up a six story building and block the sun away from them and its only 50 feet from your from your own property line? So theres theres a lot of complexities in it, but theres also some issues that were never really discussed to where the public understood the entire complexity of these issues.

What changes to the land development code do you think would both benefit neighborhoods and make Austin a more affordable place to live?

My main emphasis is, if somebody wants to put an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) in their backyard, I dont have a problem with that. But to be told by our city council and our leadership that you can go do this to help offset your taxes, or you can do this to help bring in more income  somebody will believe that and have not done the homework, so to speak, of what it costs to do permitting, drawings, your impact fees, all of the other things, the impact on your property taxes, because youre now changing what may be your homestead, and youre now going to have part of it thats your homestead but part of it thats not and have a totally different tax rate.

But also when it starts then to hamper our safety with fire, EMS, by not being able to get to them, by not being able to get to buildings and backyards. Also our own infrastructure issues, and we have plenty of infrastructure issues, and that just never really gets really talked about.

What are the cons, the unintended consequences of doing this? That gets to be very disturbing to me for the lack of of transparency and also the lack of truth in being able to understand that.

Project Connect is another example of where the citys taken a step back. Now theyre facing a lawsuit there as well. Where do you stand when it comes to Project Connect?

I honestly voted against Project Connect.* We did a debate on that, we had a couple people that were for Project Connect that came from the ambassadors network, and a couple people that were not that we did here on the south side of town. I truly believe that what the voters were sold versus what it was and what it is now is two totally different things. There was a very strong lack of transparency and the truth, which many of them were called out on and it needs to be brought in front of the people so that they understand that this is not a bond.* And theres many that still believe its a bond when they dont understand it, it is a forever tax and that will never end.

And Im not against, Im not against transit. I dont particularly care for the train issue, because its not being equitably serving everybody across this across this town, and that needs to be, you know, they talk about equity, yet the bus service in my neighborhood is every 30 minutes.

*You can read more about the Project Connect lawsuit here.

*You can also read more about the funding structure for Project Connect, and the debate about it, here.

How do you balance making some of the changes that need to be made in the city and getting through all of the things on that [city council] agenda while also giving people all of the robust information they need?

Ive also thought about that. Its like, I cant promise you that something is going to happen because theres 10 other votes on that dais, but the fact that its brought up for discussion, clear, honest discussion, thats really the only thing at this point that you can do to then try to convince somebody else on the dais that this is a worthwhile cause. Versus just doing something along the lineswith the city charter thing* coming up saying, Oh, were going to have one discussion over all of these different charter amendments we want to add, and therell be one vote versus a discussion over all of those different changes. Thats not the way things are supposed to be done.

*Austin City Council voted to push charter amendments to your ballot after a months long process, you can find the details on those here.

These folks [other candidates] have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. Theyve got campaign signs out. Theyve got social media websites going. How do you make up that ground?

Well, you start by putting the phone down because your phone is blowing up with people going, what the hell did you just do? And you start talking to different people that youve worked with in the past, and getting different sources. My wife has jumped up and said, okay, Im going to build a Facebook page. I did an email strictly for the campaign type thing. So its just a matter of now dealing with going and getting the bank accounts, getting it set up. So yeah, Im behind. But you know what? Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Im in this to go out there and try to be a voice for those that really havent had a voice. And theres going to be people I know Im not going to appeal to, and thats fine. Thats fine. Im not going to promise you something that I cant deliver on, because theres 10 other voices on that council. You have to be able to get that through them, and get them to change their thoughts and minds on that process that I justfor once, maybe, maybe somebody can actually be an adult on the council and say, no, you cant have this.

Finally, pitch yourself to the voters. What do you want them to know about you?

Im not going to tell you how to vote. Thats your choice. Im just out here to try to be a voice of reason in some point, in some fact, some fashion, thats all I can ask for. Thats what I try to do. And just try to be that, to be that voice in the back of your mind that goes, now somethings not right, but if its good, then we need to be moving forward with those type of things.

Maybe this will even get some other people to finally just say, you know what, Im going to go vote, Im going to go vote, and Im going to start listening. And thats all you can do is just try to get people to understand this is their city. This is where they live. This is where they want to grow up, their kids to grow up, whatever the case is. Its going to be difficult over the next several years, with all of this unaffordability coming in, with tax hikes, all of these other things, and the lack of people having any  I dont want to say whereabouts  but their their limit to how much they really understand, or how much they really want to understand, affects all of us. So thats it.

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'Fighting spirit': LGBTQ voters see hope in Harris campaign amid attacks from right

CHICAGO  Peter Imhoff draws inspiration from the words of Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman in Congress who famously advised that if no one gives you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.

If you dont have a seat at the table, youre on the menu, said Imhoff, an LGBTQ campaign strategist and radio show host from Sarasota, Florida. Weve been on the menu in Florida for the last eight years, and Im really tired of being gnawed on.

Imhoff, who identifies as nonbinary and is a delegate at this weeks Democratic National Convention, sought the position as a way to fight back against the recent onslaught of attacks against LGBTQ Americans in Florida and other states.

Imhoff and other LGBTQ Americans believe they have a powerful ally in the fight: Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the Democratic nominee for president.

Harris, who was a district attorney in San Francisco at the time, was one of the first public officials to officiate at a gay wedding in 2004 when then-Mayor Gavin Newsom permitted same-sex couples to obtain a marriage license in defiance of state and federal regulations, which barred such marriages.

Harris remained a reliable ally when she later became California attorney general, one of the states U.S. senators and vice president under Joe Biden.

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Can she keep this up? Kamala Harris energizes Democrats and shakes up presidential race.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris addresses the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 19, 2024.

Biden, too, has been supportive of LGBTQ Americans and is widely regarded as the most LGBTQ-friendly president in history. Even so, delegates at the convention said they are elated at the possibility that Harris would succeed him at the White House.

Shes a new face  shes got that fighting spirit, said Mike Golojuch, a delegate from Oahu, Hawaii. Joe is definitely a great guy, and I was for him all the way. But I think shes got that extra push right now that we need to win.

Harris choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice-presidential running mate has been widely applauded by LGBTQ Americans. Walz has a long history of support for the community and, as governor, has taken a multiple steps to protect LGBTQ rights.

He signed an executive order protecting access to health care for transgender people. He also signed laws imposing a statewide ban on conversion therapy and protecting transgender people and their families from legal repercussions if they travel to Minnesota to receive transgender health care. In addition, he has spoken out against discriminatory legislation in other states.

Walz has turned Minnesota into a gay haven, said Michael Marcheck, a delegate from Lincoln, Nebraska. I am hoping that he takes that into the White House and does something nationally with those ideas.

'Now is the time': Democrats again dream of electing female president after Hillary Clinton's loss

The Harris-Walz ticket gives us all a sense of hope that we can get change, that we can have our rights secure, said Jessie McGrath, a delegate from Omaha, Nebraska.

McGrath, who is transgender, is a prosecutor in the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office and worked with Harris on multi-jurisdictional cases when Harris was the San Francisco district attorney. She has always been very, very supportive of the community, McGrath said.

A record number of delegates at this years convention identify as LGBTQ. With 81% of delegates responding, 17% identified themselves as LGBTQ, convention officials said. Thats up from four years ago, when 11.5% identified of those responding identified as LGBTQ.

The increase comes as gays and lesbians face new threats in state legislatures across the country. More than 500 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced so far this year, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Florida has been Ground Zero for much of the anti-gay legislation, with Gov. Ron DeSantis and the GOP-led legislature banning discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms and placing new restrictions on gender-affirming health care for transgender youth and transgender access to public restrooms.

One way to fight back is to make sure there are LGBTQ delegates at the convention and voices at the national level, people who have lived these experiences, that have gone through this, Imhoff said.

Harris Republican opponent, Donald Trump, rolled back protections for transgender people during his first term and has promised to target additional transgender protections if he wins in November.

The thought of Donald Trump getting back in again scares the living hell out of me, McGrath said. Because I know what he's done. I've seen what he's done. I've heard what he said. Its not good.

Imhoff recognizes that even if Harris is elected, she wont be able to stop much of the legislation on the state level. But there are some things she could do. Imhoff, for example, would like to see her push a federal ban on conversion therapy for minors and grant federal protections against some of the state legislation that strips rights away from LGBTQ Americans.

Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi: How America's most powerful women look to make history again

If nothing else, delegates said, Harris election could help shift the national tone on LGBTQ issues. Her candidacy has changed the tone of the election.

The entire time we were running with Biden, there was a sense of malaise, Marcheck said. It wasnt a lot of enthusiasm.

Now, he said, More people are coming to me and saying, How can I help? Harris excites me. What can I do to push that across the finish line?

Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on X @mcollinsNEWS.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Harris campaign gives LGBTQ voters hope amid attacks from right
Fire breaks out in hotel room where Dallas Cowboys are staying in Oxnard, Calif.

A fire broke out Tuesday in a hotel room where Dallas Cowboys players were staying in Oxnard, California, home of the Cowboys training camp.

The Residence Inn hotel room was empty and no one was injured.

A Cowboys spokesman said they didnt know the cause of the fire.

Firefighters arrived to the scene to extinguish the fire.

The Cowboys will spend two more nights at the hotel before breaking camp on Thursday and returning to Dallas after roughly five weeks in Oxnard.

The Cowboys arrived on July 23 and will return to Dallas-Fort Worth Aug. 22. They play their last preseason game and the only one at home at AT&T Stadium Saturday against the Los Angeles Chargers.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Two people were detained after police say a gun was found in their Las Vegas Strip hotel room Tuesday, which triggered false reports on social media of a planned mass shooting, police said.

On Tuesday morning, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officers responded to a report of two individuals who were detained by security at a Las Vegas Strip property after a firearm was found in their belongings in a hotel room, police said. The incident occurred just before 9:45 a.m., and the police news release placed the incident at the 2000 block of South Las Vegas Boulevard, which is on the north side of the Las Vegas Strip.

Through the course of the investigation, police said, it was discovered that illegal narcotics were found in the room. The situation came as police said social media posts surfaced alleging that the incident was part of a failed attempt to commit a mass shooting. LVMPD officials said that that information was false.

The investigation remains ongoing, and LVMPD officials did not immediately release any specific information on the suspects in the incident or if anyone was or will be placed under arrest as part of the investigation.

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56)  A Virginia family is receiving closure after their loved one disappeared 51 years ago.

Martha Smith Helmick of Bridgewater, Virginia, was last seen in August 1973. She had left Virginia with her sister Flora and family friend John Ed Keyton en route to a family reunion in Dabolt, Kentucky, in a light green 1967 Ford Fairlane.

 MISSING IN KENTUCKY

The three never arrived at their destination, and none were heard from or seen again, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

However, in 2017, that changed.

During a training exercise, the fire department of Lexington, Kentucky, said crews spotted vehicles on the floor of the Kentucky River using sonar.

We discovered 5 vehicles that day, one of those vehicles removed was a 1967 Ford Fairlane, which contained the remains of Martha Helmick from Virginia, said Lexington Fire Department District Chief Chris Warren.

However, the car wasnt the only thing that led them to identify Martha. They found bones, a purse, and a key to a Bargman trailer, the one Martha lived in.

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We knew there were so many things, so many things, added Warren. We found the key to where Martha lived; it was a trailer; it was a tow behind trailer, which is what she lived in because her house burned down.

For eight years, every piece of the puzzle pulled Warren closer to the case.

Something in me switched from not doing this in the capacity of the Lexington Fire Department dive team, and being part of thatit became personal to me, and I wanted to make sure that I did it for them.

In 2021, the remains were identified as Martha.

Just last week, Warren and Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn escorted her remains to her final resting place, something her family hasnt been able to do.

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The family themselves have been down so many dead-end roads before as wellthey werent willing to reach out again. The Bridgewater Police Chief in Virginia had actually made contact with the family as well and asked them, Listen, theres somebody in Kentucky looking for you; can you reach out to them? And they thought it was a joke.

That trip solidified the bond Warren made with Marthas family.

They were showing me pictures of her that I had never seen before; it really, really came full circle that daythat there were no regrets, zero regrets on that day and especially on that ride homeI definitely reflected on the past eight years, added Warren.

He said it was the storybook closure he and the family had hoped for.

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Firefighter taken to hospital after battling blaze at Dunedin home

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  A firefighter was taken to the hospital after battling a garage fire at a Dunedin home on Tuesday morning.

The Dunedin Fire Department said crews were called to the home at 1413 Overlea Drive around 11:25 a.m. for reports of a fire.

Hillsborough County paramedic among 148 arrested in human trafficking operation

First arriving crews said they could see heavy fire and smoke from the homes front garage. Once more first responders arrived, crews began working to put out the garage fire.

According to the fire department the occupants had evacuated the home; however, firefighters entered the house and safely rescued two cats who were later returned to their owners.

The blaze was declared under control around 12:15 p.m.

A firefighter sustained a heat-related injury while battling the fire and was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Palm Harbor, Clearwater, Safety Harbor, Sunstar, and the Pinellas County Sheriffs Office assisted the Dunedin fire department.

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URBANA, Ill. (WCIA)  Firefighters from both Urbana and Champaign responded to a house fire close to the University of Illinois campus Tuesday afternoon.

The fire broke out at California and Lincoln Avenues in Urbana, close to the Alice Campbell Alumni Center. WCIAs weather cameras captured smoke rising from the area around 4:45 p.m.















Mark Ashby, a Battalion Chief with the Urbana Fire Department, said approximately 18 firefighters from Urbana responded, along with nine from Champaign. Investigators are looking into the cause of the fire, which Ashby said appears to have started on the first floor and extended to the second floor at the attic.

13-year-old arrested in connection to threat toward Champaign middle schools

The homeowner told WCIA he was in the backyard cleaning tree limbs off power lines when he heard a popping noise. When he went inside to call the power company, he said he turned around and saw flames in his kitchen.

The homeowner was not hurt, but his home is believed to be uninhabitable.

Because of the fire, Lincoln Avenue is closed between Oregon and Illinois Streets. The area of California and Lincoln is an area highly populated by university students, both in dorm halls and in neighboring houses.

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WARRICK COUNTY, Ind. (WEHT)  Two heavily traveled intersections have drastically different traffic patterns in Warrick County.

The Indiana Department of Transportation opened the displaced left turn lanes at Epworth Road and State Road 66, after months of construction. INDOT also removed a stoplight up the road from the new intersection, at Grimm Road and State Road 66. INDOT officials say the light was temporary and put there to ensure traffic flow during construction on the displaced left turn. Now that it is gone, the Ohio Township Fire Department says it is concerned about the publics safety.

It was easier when we were responding through there, especially if we had to turn onto Grimm Road. We can get traffic stopped easier with that light, says Battalion Chief Chris Wagener.

The fire department says it was hoping the light would be a permanent fixture at Grimm Road and State Road 66. But after INDOT completed the construction at Epworth Road, transportation officials removed it.

We want to make sure we are doing our due diligence to make sure it is warranted, says Gary Brian, the Public Relations Director of INDOT Southwest.

INDOT says the intersection does not meet the criteria required to place a permanent traffic light. We dont want to just leave the lights up there and we now dont have the traffic on Grimm because of the changed traffic pattern, and now we are stopping traffic on State Road 66 in two spots, Brian says.

We understand that they have rules to follow but we disagree, says Battalion Chief Wagener.

The fire department says the light significantly decreased its call volume to the intersection.

I cannot tell you the last time we made a run there. Before the light, we did go to quite a few wrecks. Some of them were serious and major, says Wagener.

The intersection now has stop signs with flashing lights at where Grimm Road intersects with State Road 66. Although it does grab the drivers attention, the fire department says it is not enough.

Having a light there provides a level of safety of those trying to cross Grimm, either over 66 or on 66, Wagener says.

INDOT says it will monitor the intersection and in case they need to put the light back up.

We are keeping an eye on Grimm. That is why we are keeping the infrastructure in place, because if it does reach that standard if the traffic counts rise, it is a pretty easy fix, Brian says.

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Firefighters deploy an airboat to clear remnants of blaze at the Swap Shop in Broward

A morning fire at the Swap Shop  one of the largest flea markets in Broward County  had firefighters rushing over to contain it. While the fire was small, the smoke filling the massive building presented challenges that required unconventional solutions, including using an airboat.

Around 7 a.m., Lauderhill Fire Department rushed to a fire alarm being triggered at the Swap Shop, 3291 W. Sunrise Boulevard, Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Levy said.

Firefighters found smoke coming from the second floor of the large flea market and made their way inside. They discovered the fire sprinklers contained the fire to one vendor booth, which the firefighters quickly put out.

While the fire was an easy fix, the smoke had already spread through much of the building.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire and were faced with the challenge of getting the smoke out of such a large building, Levy said.

Crews spent a few hours using firefighting ventilation fans but to no avail. The size of the building made clearing the smoke too much of a task for the fans. So, more unconventional firefighting methods had to be used.

Firefighters called in an assist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, asking to haul in an airboat. The smoke was finally cleared using the large fan that powers the boat.

There were no injuries, and the Swap Shops main building remains closed. The cause of the fire has not been released.
PTT, the government-owned energy company of Thailand, is looking for partners to inject capital and offer expertise for its petrochemical and refining operations, reported Bloomberg.

In a press briefing, PTT CEO Kongkrapan Intarajang revealed that PTT is seeking new partners for PTT Global Chemical, Thai Oil, and IRPC.

The initiative is aimed at aiding PTT and its exchange-traded units amid competitive and challenging market conditions.

We are in talks with several potential investors who are interested in taking stakes in subsidiaries to gain a gateway for expansion in Southeast Asia, the CEO said.

We will be quite careful about any new partners. They must have the technology and expertise that can add a lot of value.

While no specific investors or potential deal values have been disclosed, Kongkrapan confirmed that PTT intends to maintain its controlling stakes.

Currently, PTT directly owns a 45% stake in the three companies.

The Thai Ministry of Finance is the majority shareholder of PTT, owning 51%, with additional shares held by state enterprises and investment funds.

PTT itself is a key entity on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, with a market capitalisation of approximately Bt978bn ($29bn).

In line with its strategy to enhance profitability, PTT will also look to divest from non-performing businesses and units, according to Kongkrapan.

However, details on which companies might be affected have not been provided.

Kongkrapan took the helm of PTT in May after serving as CEO of PTT Global Chemical.

In other oil and gas news from the country, last week, Canada's Valeura Energy started oil production at its Nong Yao C development in the Gulf of Thailand.

Valeura, which holds a 90% operated interest in the Nong Yao oil field, expects to see production volumes rise, with a target peak rate of around 11,000 barrels per day in the near future.

In April, Valeura Energy reported three oil discoveries in the Gulf of Thailand.

"Thailands PTT seeks collaborators for petrochemical and refining units " was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.







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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE)  Firefighters with the Fresno Fire Department rescued a kitten from the dashboard of a car in Fresno.

Firefighters say that a few days ago crews from Fire Station 19 responded to a call of a kitten stuck in the dashboard of a car. After some maneuvering, they were able to free the kitten from being stuck in the car.

According to firefighters, the kitten was named Passenger Princess, and they are happy to report that she is recovering well from being stuck in the car.

Firefighters say that when it comes to rescues no mission is too small or too furry.

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EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)The fires and floods have impacted all aspects of life in the Village of Ruidoso. While the Village is back open, businesses are still taking a hit due to the decrease in tourism during the busy summer months.

Inside the Rocky Mountain Christmas shop in Midtown, Christmas is celebrated year-round.

Thirty-two years, weve been in business thanks to our customers because they are the ones that keep us here, says Santa Claus, the owner of this North Pole outpost, a testament to the strong community spirit in Ruidoso.

Many of their customers come from El Paso and the surrounding areas of West Texas and New Mexico. Like Rocky Mountain Christmas, other businesses rely on tourism to keep them going.

However, since the wildfires and floods, visitors have kept their distance.

Like everyone in Midtown, weve seen a major slow this summer. But we appreciate that people are concerned and want to know if were ready and open. And we are, says Amanda Foster, owner of Happy Hiker on Sudderth.

The impact of natural disasters has had a disastrous effect on local businesses bottom line.

A lot of our businesses, their business revenues are off 70, 80, 90%. So that will also affect the Village, says Mayor Lynn Crawford.

Crawford says theyre doing what they can to return tourists to the Village.

Were planning Octoberfest events and have concerts in the park. A lot of those things that we want to work toward are November and December, Crawford said.

KTSM spoke to business owners who said they are optimistic and want people to know their doors are open and ready to welcome tourists back.

Santa wants to remind us, Those elves, theyre working every day. And I tell you what. All the shops are open, ready to serve you as tourists, and we welcome you back.

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Rep. Harlan Vincent (R-Ruidoso Downs) asks questions of a panel at the Legislative Finance interim committee in Mescalero. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM)

At a hotel surrounded by fresh burn scars, New Mexico lawmakers and insurance regulators described a bleak and uncertain future for prospective homeowners seeking adequate coverage for homes built in and around increasingly fire-prone forests.

The interim Legislative Finance Committee meeting at the Inn of the Mountain Gods in Mescalero on Tuesday comes shortly after the states Office of the Superintendent of Insurance lost a lawsuit against State Farm, New Mexicos largest insurer. The state accused the company of improperly denying some claims for losses caused by the South Fork and Salt fires in the Ruidoso area.

The office circulated a handout showing some counties saw huge increases in home insurance premiums between 2020 and 2023, ranging between 41% and 47% in Hidalgo, Roosevelt and Curry counties. On average, New Mexico premiums increased by 16% in the same time period, and the average annual premium is $1,817.

Since recent wildfires, the office has also noticed an increase in insurers refusing to renew or approve policies in higher-risk areas, said OSI Deputy Secretary Colin Baillio.

We recognize losing that financial protection as a homeowner or as a business owner is a huge issue for that individual, and it needs to be addressed on that basis, he told lawmakers. But it also has the potential for huge ripple effects.

Those effects include killing jobs for realtors and homebuilders, harming economic development, and making home ownership extremely difficult for entire communities, including popular mountain towns like Ruidoso, he said.

But regulators hands are tied when it comes to cracking down on insurance companies who refuse to offer policies, Baillio said. As a result, his office is focusing on reducing risk to reassure insurers that they can still operate in New Mexico.

Hes pushing for risk reduction measures that could include urging individual homeowners to create defensible space around their homes and adopting community-wide improvements  efforts that he described as lowering risks in a way that the insurance industry recognizes.

Despite the uptick in cancellations and non-renewals, insurance companies remain largely profitable in New Mexico, according to OSI. Still, insurers here did have losses in 2016, 2017 and 2022, which is the year the two biggest wildfires in state history occurred.

Nationally, insurers have paid out more in claims than they received in premiums over the last decade, the OSI reports.

The South Fork and Salt fires destroyed or badly damaged more than 1,100 homes, including about 230 lost in post-fire flooding. About one-third of those were primary residences, and roughly 10% of the 1,100 households did not have adequate insurance, based on recent estimates from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for how many people are eligible for temporary federal housing. (Only those who are uninsured and lost their primary residence qualify for temporary housing in FEMA trailers or mobile homes.)

Rep. Harlan Vincent (R-Ruidoso Downs) said many of his constituents will be unable to get insurance on any new home, even if they manage to rebuild.

Ive got plenty of friends thats in the insurance business. Im not trying to get the state to compete against them, he said. But what do we do with our New Mexicans, especially in an area thats been devastated, that want to come home, that want to rebuild?

The state does offer insurance, known as the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements plan, but it is a last resort with minimal coverage for owner- and tenant-occupied homes and commercial structures, according to OSI.

The maximum coverage available is $350 thousand for homes, and it only covers the actual cash value, not the replacement cost, of a home that is lost. That means lenders wont provide mortgages for people carrying those plans, lawmakers said.

Baillio said the OSI is working on being creative with making changes to FAIR plans to convince lenders to provide mortgages to people in fire-prone areas. That could mean increasing policy limits and covering replacement value.

Were in the same boat as you, Baillio told Vincent. If we can do this through the competitive market, thats the way to go, but weve got to have a backup plan if that doesnt get us there.
First of 4 Minneapolis Police Officers Convicted in Killing of George Floyd Released From Prison

Thomas Lane now must serve one year of supervised release, a spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Corrections tells PEOPLE

Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Thomas Lane

Thomas Lane, the first of four Minneapolis, Minn., police officers who were convicted for their roles in the killing of George Floyd, has been released from prison, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Lane, 41, was released from federal prison on Tuesday, Aug. 20, according to online federal inmate records. A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons also confirmed Lanes release to PEOPLE on Wednesday, Aug. 21.

Lane was the first officer to be convicted on a federal charge of violating Floyd's civil rights by showing deliberate indifference to his medical needs and failing to provide aid as Derek Chauvin, the senior officer on the scene, pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes, killing him on May 25, 2020.

Related: Former Minneapolis Police Officer Thomas Lane Gets 2.5 Years for His Role in the Killing of George Floyd

Lane and two other ex-officers  Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng  watched as 46-year-old Floyd struggled to breathe and repeatedly indicated his distress. Viral video of Floyds killing sparked the nation's largest civil rights protests in decades and led to increased awareness about police brutality and racial injustice in the U.S.

All three testified on their own behalf and said they took their cues from Chauvin, who was fired a day after the killing and was later convicted in the murder of Floyd. Floyd had been detained by the four officers for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill at a corner Minneapolis market.

Stephanie Keith/Getty George Floyd mural.

Lane was sentenced to 2.5 years in federal prison in July 2022, PEOPLE previously reported. He was later sentenced to three years in state prison after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, CNN reported. According to the outlet, which cites the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Lane served his time at the Englewood Federal Correctional Facility in Littleton, Colo., just outside Denver.

A spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Corrections said in an email to PEOPLE on Wednesday, Aug. 21 that Lanes federal and state sentences ran concurrently, adding that he completed his federal sentence earlier this year.

Related: Anguish in America: A Nation Torn Apart  Read PEOPLE's 2020 Cover Story 4 Years After George Floyd's Murder

The spokesperson also confirmed that Lane was released on Tuesday, Aug. 20 from the incarceration period of his Minnesota sentence and must serve one year of supervised release.

In Minnesota, you serve 2/3 of your time incarcerated and the rest of the time on supervised release, the spokesperson wrote. His approved release plan transfers supervision to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections through an interstate agreement. The expiration of Lanes sentence is 8/20/2025.

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In June 2021, Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in state prison  or 270 months after being convicted of state charges of murder and manslaughter in connection with Floyds killing. He also pleaded guilty to a federal charge of violating Floyd's civil rights and was sentenced to 21 years behind bars. His sentences are running concurrently.

Ramsey County Sheriff's Office via Getty Derek Chauvin

In November 2023, Chauvin survived a stabbing at the hands of another inmate while being held in an Arizona federal prison, PEOPLE previously reported. He was transferred on Tuesday to a federal prison in Texas, the Associated Press reported, citing federal prison officials.

As for Thao and Kueng, they were ordered in July 2022 to serve 42 months and 36 months in federal prison, respectively, the United States Department of Justice previously said. They, like Lane, were convicted of violating Floyds civil rights.

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At the first post-Roe DNC, abortion stories are front and center

In their first convention since the end of federal abortion protections, Democrats have woven reproductive health care access into every night of programming, highlighting an issue they hope will boost turnout for candidates in November.

Weve never had a convention like this, where its been reproductive freedom every single night, Mini Timmaraju, the president of Reproductive Freedom for All and one of Wednesdays speakers, told CNN.

Abortion access has been a key focus of past Democratic conventions, particularly in 2016, when Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and abortion rights advocates warned that Donald Trump would appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade.

Those warnings have come to fruition. Nearly two dozen states have enacted abortion limits since the Supreme Courts 2022 Dobbs decision overturning Roe. But the aftermath of that ruling has led to a wave of political activity that has boosted Democrats, who had a better-than-expected showing in the midterm elections. This year, Democrats hope that enduring anger over bans, as well as abortion rights ballot initiatives in a handful of key battleground states, will help 2024 candidates.

Even before she became the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris made abortion rights a key part of her portfolio. In March, she became the first sitting vice president to visit an abortion clinic when she toured a Minnesota Planned Parenthood with her future running mate, Gov. Tim Walz.

Now, abortion rights groups have expanded their messaging to focus on the stories of women  as well as their families and health care providers  who have been harmed by post-Roe bans. They have also put a spotlight on access to other forms of reproductive health care, such as contraceptives and access to in vitro fertilization.

They are also arguing that the movements electoral wins are sustainable.

Timmaraju said she plans to use her remarks to contrast Trumps record with the agenda laid out by Harris and Walz and note the success of past ballot initiatives. She is one of several abortion rights advocates  along with Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Alexis McGill Johnson  who will address the third night of the DNC: A Fight for Our Freedoms.

The storyteller convention

But while Wednesday will feature major abortions rights organizations, Monday night focused on what the movement calls storytellers, advocates who share their personal experiences.

Against a black backdrop, Amanda Zurawski, standing with her husband, described her experience being denied an abortion in Texas after her water broke at 18 weeks. Zurawski later developed sepsis. Kaitlyn Joshua described being denied miscarriage care in Louisiana.

And Hadley Duvall, who appeared in an ad for Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshears reelection campaign last year, described her experience years ago of becoming pregnant at age 12 after being raped by her stepfather and having the option to have an abortion. Kentuckys abortion ban does not include exceptions for victims of rape or incest.

I cant imagine not having a choice, but today thats the reality for many women and girls across the country because of Donald Trumps abortion bans, said Duvall, who is now in her early 20s.

She also referenced Trumps past comment praising states ability to legislate their own abortion laws, which he said during a June Fox News interview was in many ways, its a beautiful thing to watch.

He calls it a beautiful thing. What is so beautiful about a child having to carry her parents child? Duvall said.

Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood, said this convention provides an opportunity to talk about abortion through the lens of the real experiences of patients, their families and their medical providers.

There are stories everywhere, Richards, who is also the co-founder of Charley, a chatbot that helps people seek abortions, told CNN. I expect, and I hope, what the convention can do is put a name and a face to real people whose lives have been affected.

Texas Democrats spotlighted abortion rights advocates during Tuesday nights roll call. In addition to Richards, the states delegate tally was announced by Kate Cox, a Texas woman who sued for the right to get an abortion after her fetus was diagnosed with a rare and fatal genetic condition.

Cox, who eventually left the state to get an abortion, told the court that carrying the pregnancy to term would endanger her life and chances of getting pregnant again.

Theres nothing pro-family about abortion bans, Cox, who is now pregnant again, said during Tuesdays roll call.

Cox said she hoped to hear from other reproductive rights storytellers at the convention, as well as to continue telling her own story.

You think itll never happen to you until it does, Cox told CNN.

Abortion rights groups have also descended on Chicago. Free & Just, which is advocating for federal abortion protections, ended its monthlong Ride to Decide bus tour in the city this week.

The tour, which launched in Wisconsin last month during the Republican National Convention, has aimed to highlight the stories of people affected by abortion restrictions  including DNC speakers like Joshua, Zurawski and Cox.

Its a new form of storytelling, because the consequences of Roe falling has meant that womens health care is in crisis, said Veronica Ingham, Free & Justs campaign manager.

A focus on IVF

Democrats arent just focused on abortion access. The party has also made IVF a campaign issue after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that embryos created through the treatment should be considered children in wrongful-death lawsuits, leading providers in the state to stop treatment.

Republicans have sought to affirm their support for the treatment. Alabamas GOP-led Legislature swiftly moved to protect clinics from liability after the court ruling and US Senate Republicans introduced legislation to prohibit states from banning the procedure.

But Senate Republicans also blocked a Democratic bill that would have created a federal right to IVF treatment and made it more affordable. Democrats have also targeted congressional Republicans over their support for legislation declaring life begins at conception, which reproductive rights advocates say could also threaten access to IVF.

In Michelle Obamas prime-time address Tuesday, the former first lady briefly mentioned that she conceived her children through in vitro fertilization while arguing that Republicans want to take away peoples rights.

Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, the first US senator to give birth while in office, said in her convention remarks that she struggled with infertility for 10 years and was able to conceive her daughters only through IVF.

If they win, Republicans will not stop at banning abortion, Duckworth said Tuesday. They will come for IVF next.

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The Budget Reserve Trust Fund is projected at $3.5 billion by the end of fiscal 2026  about 21.9% of General Fund revenues. (Getty Images)

Kentuckys state budget director told lawmakers Wednesday that fiscal thresholds established by the GOP-dominated legislature before the state income tax can be lowered have been met at the end of this fiscal year.

That means Kentucky lawmakers are likely to vote to reduce the states income tax rate by another half-percentage point to 3.5% during the 2025 legislative session, which would then go into effect at the start of 2026. That anticipated income tax cut is a part of a series of pending income tax cuts of a half percent set in motion by landmark tax legislation passed by state lawmakers in 2022.

Kentucky Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chair Chris McDaniel told the Lantern that lawmakers have worked diligently toward hitting the fiscal triggers to lower the income tax.

The receipts were great last year and the spending was restrained, which is the combo that we were looking for back in the day when we wanted to go with this trigger scenario, McDaniel said.

Democrats and a coalition of advocacy groups have previously pushed against Republican-led efforts to lower the states income tax eventually to zero, a goal backed by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. But Republican legislative leadership told the Lexington Herald-Leader earlier this summer the states income tax rate may not reach lower than 3%. Kentucky House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, told the newspaper in May the state could have to significantly restructure taxes  such as by raising the sales tax  to go lower than a 3% rate.

One of the two fiscal triggers to lower the income tax rate was not met at the end of the previous fiscal year, meaning the legislature could not lower the income tax rate during this years regular session. At that time, McDaniel said a successful implementation of policy had balanced a desire to lower the income tax with recognizing the need to fund government services.

The two fiscal triggers established by the legislature to lower the income tax rate are based on revenue going into the Budget Reserve Trust Fund, known as the rainy day fund, and revenue going into General Fund revenues:

The rainy day fund balance must be at least 10% of what total General Fund receipts were in the fiscal year that just ended.

Total General Fund receipts for the year just ended must have exceeded General Fund spending by at least the amount that it would cost to cut the income tax rate by one full percentage point.

In this years legislative session, researchers with the left-leaning think tank Kentucky Center for Economic Policy said state lawmakers moved the goalposts of the landmark tax law establishing the income tax cut triggers, thereby making it easier for the income tax rate to be lowered. These researchers say lawmakers did so by making sure billions of dollars in spending from the Budget Reserve Trust Fund didnt count toward General Fund receipts that could have blocked another income tax cut.

Jason Bailey, executive director of KCEP, told the Lantern on Wednesday that while he appreciates hearing Republican leadership potentially reconsidering eliminating the income tax, any income tax cut is concerning because of its significance as a revenue source. If the relatively strong economy turns south, he said, that could potentially mean budget problems with a reduced income tax to rely on.

Each time they cut a [percentage] point, it raises questions about, How are we going to pay for that? Bailey said. In addition to the economy being strong overall, the national economy and still seeing the pandemic spending flow through  some other unique characteristics  led to a lot of revenue this year, but doesnt necessarily mean moving forward (revenue) will continue to be as strong.

McDaniel said funding used from the Budget Reserve Trust Fund was never contemplated as being expenditures that otherwise count against these triggers, saying monies from the fund were specifically one-time spending and not recurring expenditures.

We just had to clean up definitional items to allow it to be used in that way, McDaniel said, characterizing the think tank as grasping at straws.

The Republican state senator added he shared Osbornes sentiment that additional income tax cuts below a 3% rate would be more difficult, but he believes lowering the income tax further wouldnt be impossible.

As we see the final impact of these actions, which are still years away, well really begin to make those assessments and have the conversations at that time, McDaniel said.

Budget Director John Hicks in his presentation to the Interim Appropriations and Revenue Committee said the Budget Reserve Trust Fund is anticipated to sit at approximately $3.5 billion by the end of fiscal year 2026 given monies lawmakers have budgeted into the fund and one-time allocations out of the fund. That amount would be about 21.9% of General Fund revenues for fiscal year 2026.

Hicks pointed out for fiscal year 2024, revenue from individual income taxes and revenue from sales and use taxes were about the same for the first time at about $5.8 billion. Income tax revenue had declined 0.6%, and sales tax revenue had increased by 4.1% after three consecutive fiscal years of double-digit increases in sales tax revenue. The income tax and sales tax each made up approximately 37.3% of General Fund revenues, making the two revenue sources nearly three-fourths of the General Fund revenues.
KFC locations have abruptly closed in the Rockford area. Here's what we know

Several KFC locations in the Rockford area have closed.

Recently affected locations include:

1502 Kilburn Ave., Rockford

3035 11th St., Rockford

1586 West Lane Road, Machesney Park

1160 N. State St, Belvidere

The stores in Rockford, Machesney Park and Belvidere were among several across Illinois to shut their doors this week. Stores in Peoria, Pekin and Pontiac also closed.

Signs announcing the closing of the KFC restaurant at 3035 11th St., in Rockford, are posted on the door Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024.

The following message was posted on the doors of those businesses.

"We wanted to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for your loyal support over the years. It is with mixed emotions that we announce the closure of our store. We understand the news may come as a surprise, but we feel it is the right decision for us at this time.

"We want to thank each and every one of you for your continued patience and understanding during this transition period.

"Your support has meant the world to us, and we are truly grateful for all the memories we have shared with you."

The Rockford Register Star reached out to KFC's media contact and received the following statement.

"The decision to close a restaurant is always difficult for both the franchisee and the brand. We appreciate the patronage of our loyal guests."

It's not clear if the stores will reopen or when. Questions about future plans for the closed stores were not answered.

Not all stores in Illinois were closed. KFC's media contact confirmed that stores in Galesburg and Macomb remain open.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect updated information from KFC on store closures in Illinois.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: KFC locations across Rockford area suddenly close
The second night of the Democratic National Convention brought massive crowds and high energy as the party welcomed former President Obama and his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, to the stage.

They headlined a second night of the convention that also featured second gentleman Douglas Emoff.

Here are five of the nights most memorable moments.

Michelle Obama hits Trump over Black jobs remark

Michelle Obamas speech was the nights highlight for many, and she left a Democratic crowd enthralled with attacks on former President Trump.

The biggest moment in her address was when Obama zeroed in on comments Trump made during his debate against Biden earlier this year in which he claimed immigrants were taking Black jobs.

For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us, Obama said, referring to herself and her husband. His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black.

By the way  whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs? she said.

Obama garnered roaring applause throughout her remarks, but the Black jobs moment might have been the biggest.

Former President Obama, known as one of the greatest presidential orators in U.S. history, joked that he was in the unenviable position of having to speak after his wife.

Barack Obama pays tribute to Biden

One night after President Biden effectively passed the torch to Vice President Harris in his remarks at the convention, former President Obama made a point to pay tribute to his former vice president.

Joe and I come from different backgrounds, but we became brothers, and as we worked together for eight, sometimes pretty tough years, what I came to admire most about Joe wasnt just his smarts, his experience  it was his empathy and his decency and his hard-earned resilience; his unshakable belief that everyone in this country deserves a fair shot, Obama said.

At one point when Obama was referencing Biden, the crowd broke into chants of Thank you, Joe.

Obama also touched on Bidens decision to drop out of the presidential race, saying it was an example of him putting his own ambition aside for the sake of the country.

History will remember Joe Biden as an outstanding president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger, and I am proud to call him my president. But I am even prouder to call him my friend, he said.

The Roll Call party

The conventions roll call resembled a dance party rather than a roll call of the 50 states  as well as Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories  at a major partys nominating convention.

Led by DJ Cassidy on stage, each state delivered their delegates to Harris with their own theme songs.

Alabama predictably played Sweet Home Alabama, while New Jersey paid homage to Bruce Springsteen with Born in the U.S.A.

A number of celebrities made appearances throughout the roll call, including Lil Jon, who hails from Atlanta and came out from the stands to Turn Down for What during Georgias vote.

Suits actor Wendell Pierce appeared with Louisianas delegation, and director Spike Lee stood with New Yorks delegation.

Harris was nominated Aug. 6 through a virtual roll call vote, making Tuesdays vote symbolic in nature. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) notably delivered the delegates of Harriss home state to her during the vote.

Emoff recalls how he met Harris

Emoff recounted during his address how he was set up with Harris on a blind date in 2013.

Emoff recalled how after a contentious client meeting, the now-happy client offered to set him up on a blind date.

Which is how I ended up with Kamala Harriss phone number, Emoff exclaimed.

Emoff said he first dialed Harriss number at 8:30 a.m. one morning and left a rambling voicemail.

By the way, Kamala saved that voicemail, and she makes me listen to it every anniversary, he said.

Toward the end of his remarks, Emhoff noted that Thursday will mark the couples 10th wedding anniversary.

Which means Im about to hear the most embarrassing voicemail of my life again, he said. But thats not all Ill be hearing. The same night, Ill be hearing my wife Kamala Harris accept your nomination for president of the United States.

Ex-Trump official knocks former boss

Trumps former White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, took to the stage to hit the former president in front the large Democratic crowd.

I wasnt just a Trump supporter, I was a true believer. I was one of his closest advisers, Grisham said.

Behind closed doors, Trump mocks his supporters. He calls them basement dwellers, she said. He has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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The 2024 Florida primary election was held Aug. 20, 2024. (Getty Images)

Heres a summary of the results in significant Florida House primaries.

HD14: Part of Duval County

Incumbent Rep. Kimberly Daniels won the House District 14 Democratic primary with more than 60% of votes and will run against a write-in candidate in November.

Daniels held the seat in the House from 2016-2020, at times supporting measures more conservative than other members of her party and has faced controversy over comments regarding slavery.

The seat representing north central Jacksonville was also sought by Lloyd Caulker, a pastor who said he was inspired to run by Jesus, and Therese V. Wakefield-Gamble, an entrepreneur who decided to run after having three surgeries to remove an unruptured brain aneurysm.

Caulker, although running as a Democrat, has called DeSantis a great leader.

Wakefield-Gamble, who received the second most votes at more than 31%, has criticized Daniels for not bringing enough state funding to the district and for casting votes inconsistent with her platform.

Daniels will face write-in candidate Briana Hughes, who has no party affiliation, in the general election.

HD32: Part of Brevard County

House District 32, a district recently dominated by Republicans, has determined a Republican primary winner.

Sen. Debbie Mayfield won the primary for the Brevard County seat by nearly 30%. Incumbent Republican Rep. Thad Altman is term limited out of the seat.

Mayfield, herself term limited out of the Senate, previously was term limited out of the House in 2016 but can run again for the chamber now following he absence.

Mayfield is endorsed by Donald Trump and U.S. Sen Marco Rubio. Trump said Mayfield is fighting hard to Secure our Border, Grow the Economy, Support our Military/Vets, Protect Parental Rights, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.

Mayfield was previously the Senate Republican majority leader and had a career in banking.

Her opponent, Dave Weldon, served as a U.S. House member for 14 years, leaving office in 2009 to return to working as a physician. The religious conservative ran for U.S. Senate in 2012 but did not win in the primary. Weldon received Altmans endorsement. He previously served in the military and played in a band during his time in Congress.

Mayfield will face Democrat Juan Hinojosa in the general election.

HD41: Part of Orange County

Incumbent Rep. Bruce Antone won the District 41 Democratic primary, putting him a step closer to serving a second consecutive term and eighth term total, dating to his first in 2002.

WUFT reported that Antone did not register as living inside the district on his initial paperwork. After it was brought to his attention, he reported living with a legislative aide inside the district.

His campaign website highlights gun violence, housing, crime and public safety, education, economic development, and transportation as his key issues.

Antone defeated Janet Buford-Johnson by more than 2,000 votes, earning over 63% of the vote.

Buford-Johnson said she decided to run after Hurricane Ian flooded her neighborhood in Orlando.

It was while navigating through the effects of this natural disaster, Ms. Buford-Johnson recognized that the storms impact on her community could have been minimized if the areas infrastructure had been updated in a timely manner, her campaign website says.

The seat was won by a Republican as recently as 2020, when Sam Killebrew beat Democrat Jared West, although there was no Republican primary for the seat Tuesday.

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HD94: Part of Palm Beach County

Meg Weinberger beat out three others to be the Republican nominee for the seat. Weinberger will run against Democrat Rachelle Litt.

The district, which President Joe Biden won in 2020, is being vacated by Republican Rick Roth.

Weinberger, also known as MAGA Meg, is endorsed by Trump, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, U.S. Rep. Cory Mills, state Rep. Randy Fine, and Arizona Republican Kari Lake.

Although this would be her first time holding political office, she is chair of the Moms For Liberty chapter in Palm Beach County. She runs an animal sanctuary, and her campaign website describes her as a compassionate, conservative voice.

Anthony Aguirre recently received an endorsement from DeSantis and earned just over a quarter of the primary votes. The governor called Aguirre a fighter. His campaign website says, Anthony Aguirre knows we must unite as a party to Make American Great Again, using a line from the former presidents campaign.

Christian Acosta, an electrical engineering professor at Palm Beach State College, received an endorsement from Roth but fell short in the bid to take over his endorsers seat.

Gabrielle Fox, an entrepreneur seeking political office for the first time, claimed to be the only candidate using social media to speak out against government abuse/fight for our freedoms, but did not earn the GOP nomination, earning less than 10% of the vote.

HD109: Part of Miami-Dade County

Incumbent Rep. Ashley Gantt, a Miami attorney, was elected in 2022 to District 109 and defeated two former representatives Tuesday to win the Democratic primary, earning more than half of the votes cast.

She won her seat in 2022 by defeating James Bush III in the primary, facing no general election opponent.

Gantt was a public-school teacher before earning her law degree, and while serving in the House has pursued affordable housing, the environment, criminal justice reform, transportation, and job growth.

Bush served in the House from 1992-2000, 2008-2010, and 2018-2022.

Bush, a teacher, identifies as a Democrat but has voted for conservative measures including DeSantis Parental Rights in Education Act, the so-called Dont Say Gay bill.

The third candidate was Roy Hardemon, who represented District 108 in 2016-2018. Hardemon lost his 2022 primary, 2020 primary, 2018 primary, and now the 2024 primary.

The incumbent beat the two former representatives by earning 53% of the vote, while Bush earned 28% and Hardemon earned 17%.

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From left to right: Republican Rep. Keith Truenow, Republican Rep. Tom Leek, and Democratic Rep. Kristen Arrington. (Photos courtesy of Florida House)

Two House Republicans and a Democrat won their primary bids for open Senate seats on Tuesday; Sen. Geraldine Thompson retained her seat; and a Democrat suing Democratic Leader Lauren Book won the primary to replace her. Here are the results of Florida Senates key primaries.

DeSantis pick State Rep. Tom Leek defeats Trump-backed opponent

SD7: Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns, and part of Volusia counties

State Rep. Tom Leek won the Republican primary for northeast Florida Senate District 7 with 47.36% of the votes as of the time of publishing, defeating Trump-backed former St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar and conservative activist Gerry James.

This open seat garnered attention during the relatively quiet primary season because it pitted Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Florida Republican leaders supporting Leek against Donald Trump, with the former president backing Shoar in a social media post earlier this month and a video on Sunday.

Leek fired shots at Shoar when he claimed victory at 7:43 p.m.

There were so many factors that led to this incredible victory, but I truly credit the voters of Senate District 7, who did not fall for the false attacks, hurled by statewide Democrat, personal injury lawyers, who spent millions of dollars trying to influence a local state Senate Republican primary election, he said.

But Trumps endorsement wasnt enough for Shoar to defeat Leek, who has risen to prominence in the Florida Legislature as the House Appropriations Committee chair. The former sheriff entered the race just a week before the qualifying deadline, whereas Leek had been running since January.

In fact, Shoar got the second most votes on a narrow margin, 27.3%, compared to James 25.24%, according to unofficial reports from the Florida Division of Elections.

PACs poured millions into the race in the district with a population of just over 539,000. Friends of Tom Leek spent $1.7 million and The Truth Matters PAC, which worked to defeat Leek, spent $5.3 million, according to the groups campaign finance data.

Ahead of Election Day, the Friends of Tom Leek played up his endorsements from DeSantis, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, and local sheriffs, saying he won those endorsements from people who actually know him. On the other hand, The Truth Matters made a website labeling Leek as a liberal and blaming him for the home insurance crisis thats reaching a boiling point in the state.

Despite getting 44% of the votes in the 2022 primary, James campaign failed to lift off the ground this year.

Leek will face Democrat George Anthony T Hill II in November, but the Republican is likely to succeed term-limited Travis Hutson.

State Rep. Keith Truenow cruises to the Republican nomination for Florida Senate

SD 13: Lake County and part of Orange County

In Central Florida, Lake County state Rep. Keith Truenow secured the Republican nomination for Florida Senate District 13 amid lawsuits alleging anti-Asian racism and libel from one of his opponents, Bowen Kou.

Truenow won by a landslide with nearly 20,000 more votes than Kou, who owns a grocery store chain, at the time of publication. Cheryl CJ Blancett, owner of a property management company who is facing charges in the theft of $48,000 from a homeowners association, got around 4,000 votes.

Thank you to EVERYONE who made this journey possible! #teamtruenow is moving on to November!#RepublicanPrimary #thankfulgratefulblessed pic.twitter.com/98QRINPoPU  Keith Truenow (@SodFatherFL) August 21, 2024

Controversy in the election for the open seat started after the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, which endorsed Truenow, sent out mailers that implied foreign interference in the election.

The mailer stated, Why are Chinese donors flooding Bowen Kou with Cash? and showed a list of donors with Chinese names, who Kou says are friends and business associates in other states, according to Florida Politics.

The attack ad prompted Kou to file a lawsuit against the FRSCC in June and fast for a day in protest in front of the Lake County Courthouse last month.

After serving one term in the Florida House, Truenow could become a senator. But first, he will have to defeat Democrat Stephanie Dukes, who lost against term-limited Dennis Baxley in the 2022 general election by more than 52,000 votes, according to the Florida Division of Elections.

Democratic Sen. Thompson keeps her seat

SD15: Parts of Orange County

With 60.73% of votes, Sen. Geraldine Thompson successfully defended her seat against former state lawmaker Randolph Bracy in Orange County Florida Senate District 15.

Thompson, who has served in both chambers of the Legislature since 2006, is the senator-elect for the district because no Republican, third-party, or independent candidates filed to run.

The lack of a challenger in November meant that all registered voters could cast ballots in the primary face-off against Bracy. Nearly 12,000 voters in Orange County cast their ballots on Tuesday in this contest, but approximately 27,000 people voted early via mail or in-person, according to the Orange County Supervisor of Elections.

Even though Bracy, a business consultant, was a lawmaker in both chambers from 2012 to 2022, his decision to run against the veteran politician turned the entire Orange County legislative delegation against him, including his sister, House member LaVon Bracy Davis.

As tensions rose in the primary campaign, both candidates accused each other of not living in the district, as required by law, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Bracys failed attempt to return to state politics follows a 2022 loss for the U.S. House against Maxwell Alejandro Frost.

Democratic State Rep. Kristen Arrington to face Republican Jose Martinez

SD 25: Osceola and parts of Orange County

In yet another open-seat race, a Florida House member is closer to moving to the Senate. Kissimmees Kristen Arrington won the three-way primary against Carmen Torres, the spouse of the senator vacating the seat, and former U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson.

Arrington won with 50% of the votes in the district Democrats still dominate. Torres, an Orlando community activist who wanted the seat formerly held by her husband, Victor Torres, got 25% of the votes. Grayson ended in third place with 24% of votes, marking his fourth failed consecutive bid for election since he served three terms in Congress.

Both Arrington and Torres filed to run early in the year but Grayson decided to run after dropping out of the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate once Debbie Mucarsel-Powell emerged as the favorite.

The representative received endorsements from State sen. Tracie Davis of Duval County, several fellow House Democrats, and Orlandos Mayor Buddy Dyer. She raised $219,743, nearly $100,000 more than Torres, according to campaign finance reports. Grayson loaned his campaign $181,000.

This district also had a Republican primary, which businessman Jose Augusto Martinez won with 59% of the votes.

Barbara Sharief in line to succeed Democratic Senate Leader Lauren Book

SD 35: Broward County

Former Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief won the Democratic primary contest for the seat Florida Democratic Leader Lauren Book is leaving behind because of term limits. There is an ongoing legal battle between the two, stemming from the 2022 primary in which they were opponents.

Sharief defeated attorney Chad Klitzman and Miami city official Rodney Jacobs with 46% of votes in the South Florida contest, according to election night results from the Broward County Supervisor of Elections. Klitzman came in second with 35% of the votes and Jacobs claimed 18%.

As I step forward to represent District 35, I am committed to listening with empathy, acting with integrity, and championing the needs of our community, Sharief wrote on Facebook on Tuesday night. For those who didnt vote for me, I hope to earn your trust and support through my unwavering dedication and hard work. Together, we can make a meaningful difference and build a brighter future for everyone in District 35.

This race took a turn on July 29, when Sharief filed a defamation suit against Jacobs over an attack ad and comments to The Floridian implying she and her health care company defrauded Medicaid, according to the Miami Herald. Sharief has a similar lawsuit against Book.

A large sum of the funds flowing into the campaign came from loans, according to campaign finance records. Sharief loaned her campaign $449,680 and raised $80,931 in donations and Klitzman loaned his campaign $103,000 and raised $157,254. However, Jacobs didnt have any loans and raised nearly $99,034.

The seat is likely to remain in the control of Democrats in the South Florida district, but Sharief will be running against Republican Vincent Parlatore, a retired deputy with the Broward Sheriffs Office. He has only raised $500, according to his campaign finance reports.
Bloomberg Creative/Getty, Drew Angerer/Getty, Tyler Le/BI

The Bureau of Labor Statistics will release a key job market update on Wednesday.

The report is expected to show a large downward revision in job growth from April 2023 through March 2024, per Goldman Sachs.

This could pressure the Fed to consider deeper rate cuts amid lingering concerns of an economic slowdown.

An under-the-radar job market update will be released on Wednesday, and it could shake up the Federal Reserve and stocks this week.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics will release estimates for its 2024 Preliminary Benchmark Revision to Establishment Data on Wednesday morning. The report will cover non-farm payroll data from April 2023 through March 2024.

The report is expected to come with a large downward revision to jobs growth over the 12-month period, according to an estimate from Goldman Sachs.

Goldman economist Ronnie Walker said the report could deliver a downward revision to labor growth by as much as one million jobs.

"Based on the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW)  the key source data for the annual benchmark revision  a large downward revision seems likely; we estimate on the order of 600k-1mn (or a 50-85k downward revision to monthly payroll growth over April 2023-March 2024)," Walker said in a note last week.

Such a large figure would represent the largest downward revision to nonfarm payrolls since 2010, he added.

An amendment of that magnitude could put pressure on the Fed and chairman Jerome Powell ahead of his key speech at the Jackson Hole symposium on Friday. Downward revisions to the data could spur the central bank chief to come off as more dovish and signal steeper rate cuts than markets are expecting.

The CME FedWatch Tool on Wednesday afternoon showed that investors see a 72% chance of a 25 basis point rate cut at next month's policy meeting.

"Should the report reveal a considerably smaller number of jobs that were created than were initially announced in monthly payroll reports, the Fed Chair's concerns could be amplified in his comments," LPL strategist Quincy Krosby said in an e-mail to Business Insider.

A large downward revision in job growth could also shake up markets, putting negative pressure on stock prices as investors grapple with a potential growth scare in the economy and recession concerns following the weaker-than-expected July jobs report.

"Markets, having recently experienced a growth scare that led to concerns that the Fed is behind the curve, will be monitoring Wednesday's release of the benchmark revision to see if the market's initial reaction was, in fact, correct," Krosby said.

Story continues

But there's a catch to the potential downward revision in jobs growth, according to Walker, and it's got to do with immigration trends.

The QCEW data that's heavily relied upon in the BLS payroll revisions report doesn't account for immigrants, which have fueled gains in the labor market and the economy in recent years.

That means any large downward revision in job growth could be materially overstated.

"We believe next week's likely downward revision will exaggerate the degree to which payroll growth has been overstated by as much as 400-600k," Walker said.

Walker added: "The QCEW is based on unemployment insurance records, it likely largely excludes unauthorized immigrants, who we believe have contributed strongly to employment growth over the last couple of years."

The BLS report will be released at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday.

Read the original article on Business Insider
WELLSBORO, Pa. (WETM)  Pine Pitch A Capella, a community a cappella group based in Wellsboro, is hosting a Flood Aid Concert next week to raise money for the victims of the Aug. 9 flood in Tioga County, Pennsylvania.

The concert will take place on Friday, Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. on the outdoor stage on the Central Avenue side of the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 104 Main St. There is no admission fee to attend the concert, but those who attend are encouraged to bring cash and make a donation to help those in the county who sustained flood damage.

Free Child ID Kits available in Tioga County, PA

Audience members can bring their lawn chairs and sit on the grassy area in front of the outdoor stage or on Central Avenue to enjoy the concert. Central Avenue will be closed to traffic between Main Street and the Warehouse Theatre from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for the event. In the case of inclement weather, the concert will be moved indoors to the Coolidge Theatre.

Performing at the concert will be the fourteen members of Pine Pitch A Cappella, as well as Joe Callahan and Molly Cary of the House of Sterling and other soloists and musical groups.

Fly-In Breakfast coming to Wellsboro for Labor Day weekend

All of the donations that are collected at the event will support the flood relief fund that has been set up through the Tioga County Partnership for Community Health. If youre unable to attend the concert, donations can be made online here. For more information on how to donate to the fund, visit tiogapartnership.org or call 570-723-0520.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
In November, were going to have young women that are maybe voting for the very first time, and if it doesnt pass, they may be facing menopause by the time there are any protections in place for them and their health care, said Natasha Sutherland, communications director for Floridians Protecting Freedom. (Courtesy of Natasha Sutherland)

Three months into her new role as communications director for Floridians Protecting Freedom, the ballot initiative campaign to reinstate abortion rights in Florida, Natasha Sutherland unexpectedly found herself canvassing a cousin who comes from her religious Jamaican side of the family and lives in the southern part of the state. A self-described trilingual Navy brat and a strategic communications adviser, Sutherland says shell talk to almost anyone, but was hesitant to talk to her cousin about abortion.

Sutherland has been working in Florida progressive politics and advocacy for years, but its her first time working on a reproductive rights-focused campaign. And whats surprised her the most is how much the issue appears to transcend politics and religion (as demonstrated in recent public polling), especially when explaining to people how pregnancy can sometimes be life-threatening, as it would be personally for her.

Ive been married 14 years, no kids, Sutherland told States Newsroom in a recent interview. Cant do that for medical reasons. So, for me, if we dont win, its a conversation I have to have with my husband about whether or not we can still live in this state past November.

Whats also surprised Sutherland is how many people in the state dont seem to realize that abortion in most cases was banned three months ago. Floridas law prohibiting abortion when cardiac activity is first detectable by ultrasound, often by six weeks gestation, went into effect in May, once again rocking the U.S. abortion access landscape, especially in the South. But Florida voters could reverse the ban in November. According to its ballot summary, Amendment 4, which Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is campaigning against, says 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.

Sutherland said the Yes on 4 campaign has focused on health care and presents its message in nonpartisan terms, canvassing Democrats, Republicans and independents, or in her case, family members and strangers on planes.

The following interview has been edited and condensed.

States Newsroom: You joined the campaign in May. What motivated you to get involved?

Natasha Sutherland: It was just one of those moments where I had to answer the call to do this work. Its a very personal issue for me on a few different levels. Number one, as a Black woman, understanding that in the rest of the country, Black women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy compared to their white counterparts. Actually, from what I understand, according to my partners at the ACLU, its four times more likely in the state of Florida. So, you think about things like maternal mortality, you think about things like, we dont have the extension of Medicaid, we dont have as much access to health care options. All of those things in a state like Florida for me really paints a picture of just how dangerous the near-total abortion ban is in our state.

SN: Do you have a lot of family living in Florida?

NS: As somebody who has lived in Florida off and on since 2003, my roots go as far back as my grandpa, who immigrated here from Jamaica and started as a farm worker in the sugar cane fields of Florida. I still have family that once they all eventually moved to the States and were able to get their citizenship, most of them do live in South Florida to this day. Florida is really near and dear to my heart, and I think that an issue like this, you know, being able to restore access to nearly 22 million people to have access to abortion care is really important. I also have a 13-year-old niece who is growing up here. So, I want her to have a future in this state that allows for her to be able to get basic health care. I had an aunt that actually did pass away from pregnancy complications and was not able to get the abortion that she needed.

SN: What can you share about your aunts situation?

NS: This was at least a decade or so ago. So this was before the Dobbs decision. My understanding is that she was septic. Im not clear on the timing of that, as far as whether or not it was an issue. Half of me is Jamaican, very religious. So, Im not clear on whether or not there might have been some elements there of, like, personal reasons, or if it was an issue with the doctor, or what. I dont have all the details, because my familys like, we dont talk about that.

SN: Have you been talking more about abortion with your family now that youre working on this campaign?

NS: With my family, its one of those things where theres an understanding, number one, that Ive always been connected, in some form or fashion, to the political world, as far as my career, and so, we dont ever really talk [about this]. This is extended family. Immediate family, like my dad and my siblings, absolutely, we can talk about it, not a problem. Were all on the same page about all of this, which is really interesting, because if you were to ask me 20 years ago if I could talk to my dad about abortion, I would tell you, heck no, theres no way. He is a religious person, hes a Baptist, and hes Jamaican, and, you know, Black and a man. And so there were all these different layers to, you know, 20 years ago, when I was in my 20s, like, I just would not have had those conversations. But I think that the political landscape of the country since then, and you know, social media, and the opportunities, I think that people have to have conversations a lot of different ways.

SN: What do you mean by that?

NS: So, for example, my Jamaican side, we have a WhatsApp, which has all of our relatives in it, to include relatives that are still in Jamaica, relatives that instead went to England, some that went to Canada, and the ones that came to the U.S. We talk about all kinds of stuff in that chat, but every single morning the chat starts with a verse from the Bible. And so for me to then  actually, yesterday  call one of the cousins of mine who was in that chat, and somebody who lives in South Florida and say to her, Hey, you know, Im working at this campaign and were thinking about having some some messengers and were looking for specifically a Black doctor, and just wondering if you happen to have one. So, then we engage in a conversation, and I eventually do kind of talk through the fact that I work at an abortion campaign, what that means. It was really interesting because I thought she would shut down in that conversation and not really want to talk to me more about it, but instead she came from it like from a place of curiosity.

And thats when we talked about that aunt, and I said, Hey, do you remember our aunt who had died? I think it sounds like she needed an abortion. Shes like, She was just miscarrying. I dont understand. How is that an abortion? And I said, Well, thats what the procedure is called. And then when I explained that under the near-total abortion ban right now, you know, were getting stories from doctors that are afraid to give care. And shes like, Well, you have to do this then; like, it makes so much sense that youre doing this job.

SN: Are people generally knowledgeable about Floridas current six-week ban and about this ballot initiative?

NS: Its been pretty limited regarding the knowledge of the near-total abortion ban in Florida, but also the knowledge of the amendment. I understand that folks are worried about a lot of different things, cost of living, kids are getting ready to go back to school. So, I definitely understand for folks that they may not be as aware of whats happening  until they need care. Thats when folks are finding out that theres a ban, when its too late for them to get the care that they need. When their doctor is telling them, Im sorry, I cannot treat you for this miscarriage; youre going to have to figure out getting abortion care outside of the state. That just means we really need to roll up our sleeves and be focused on increasing our communication outreach efforts to ensure that every voter is able to make an informed decision in November.

SN: Given the 60% requirement for the ballot measure, how are you feeling about the likelihood it will pass?

NS: Im feeling really good about it. Weve done, up to this point, about 53,000 contact attempts, completely nonpartisan. Our messaging is nonpartisan, and our targeting is nonpartisan. So far, its been supportive and lots of encouragement. Weve got the 60% threshold, but weve been able to accomplish that in the past with things like the restoration of voting rights for returning citizens, with raising the state minimum wage, with medical marijuana, with environmental initiatives. So for whatever reason, I know that the national landscape is like, oh, Floridas a red state, but we have still managed to pass ballot initiatives that would be seen as more left or more Democratic. So I think that when the people have the opportunity to make their own decisions, theyre going to be with us on this.

SN: You havent been hearing much opposition to the amendment?

NS: Ive actually been surprised with the positive reception that weve had. Especially in a state like Florida, not only are we racially very diverse, we are also country-of-origin incredibly diverse. We have folks from Cuba, from Venezuela, we have Haitians voters. We have Jamaican, we have everything. And then linguistically diverse, but then also religiously.  Some of these religious folks will say, Well, Im not pro-abortion, but Im also not pro the government telling my neighbor or my friend what they can and cant do with their bodies.

One of the things that Ive noticed in these conversations with everyday people here in the state is that when you take the politics out of it, the issue stands alone.

SN: What are some of the challenges the campaign has faced so far?

NS: Florida is massive. It takes you nine hours to go from where I live in Tallahassee to Miami. And then again, 20, almost 22 million people, 10 media markets, at least three major languages. And its a really expensive state. For example, a TV spot that, like Kansas might have had, would have cost $3 to $4 million; to do that same spot, its going to cost us, like, $8 to $9 million. Its a pretty big lift to do a statewide campaign in a state like this. But our true north is the 84,000-plus patients that need this care.

If were not able to pass this amendment in November, were looking at potentially decades before we have any sort of durable federal protections for abortion in the state. In November, were going to have young women that are maybe voting for the very first time, and if it doesnt pass, they may be facing menopause by the time there are any protections in place for them and their health care.
Getty Images

Floridas official tourism website has removed its section on LGBTQ+ travel, in what queer residents say feels like yet another salvo in state Republicans campaign to pretend they dont exist.

VisitFlorida.com, the states official resource for tourism and travel planning, is not directly operated by the Florida government but is a public-private partnership partially funded through the state legislature. Until recently, its offerings included a section on LGBTQ+ travel, plugging the states beaches and attractions under the progressive-sounding slogan Sunshine for All, as captured in archived versions of the page from earlier this year.

But at some point in the past few weeks, that section was deleted from VisitFloridas site. The URL now redirects to the sites general Things to Do section, although drop-down menus on the mobile version of the site still contain an LGBTQ+ Travel link, as WFLA reported and Them confirmed on Wednesday. (Them reached out to VisitFlorida for comment but did not receive a reply prior to publication.)

From a personal standpoint, and LGBTQ standpoint, I felt wed been erased, Rachel Covello, owner of LGBTQ+ travel blog Outcoast, told WFLA. Were standing in one of the most LGBTQ-inclusive destinations in Florida, if not in the country, she added, [s]o I think people need to come to Florida and need to support these destinations that are so diverse and doing the right thing. But these destinations rely on our state platforms to market our state as a brand.

Tatiana Quiroga, executive director of the annual Come Out with Pride festival in Orlando, told WESH that she discussed the festivals upcoming 20th anniversary with VisitFlorida earlier this month. They said it would be great to put Come Out With Pride on their website, Quiroga recalled. So now a couple weeks later, to hear that the entire section has been taken down is sad.

Unfortunately, it adds to everything that has been happening in our state, Quiroga added.

One Year After DeSantis Takeover, Floridas New College Throws Out Hundreds of LGBTQ\+ Books

While doing maintenance of the school library, New College also tossed hundreds of books from the Gender and Diversity Center.

The abrupt, silent removal of VisitFloridas LGBTQ+ section follows other moves from state and government-affiliated agencies that stifle LGBTQ+ expression. In May, state Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue announced that bridges with colored lights would be illuminated only in red, white, and blue for the duration of Gov. Ron DeSantis so-called Freedom Summer, preempting planned light displays marking Juneteenth, National Gun Violence Awareness Day, and Pride Month. Floridas colleges have also been forced to close LGBTQ+ centers as well as diversity and inclusion offices, and at New College  where DeSantis led a takeover of the progressive universitys board of directors last year  administrators recently trashed hundreds of books related to its now-defunct gender studies program, including a largely donated collection that was not part of the university library. LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality Florida issued a travel advisory last year warning queer and transgender tourists not to visit, due to safety concerns and the climate of fear and insecurity in the state.

Quiroga told WESH that she believes the removal of the VisitFlorida page is another attempt to restrict LGBTQ+ expression and erase history. So, to know that folks can't use Visit Florida as a resource to find information, it's really sad and disappointing, she said. But, Quiroga added, [w]e will always persevere and march on. This is who we are and what we do.

Get the best of whats queer. Sign up for Thems weekly newsletter here.

Originally Appeared on them.
A Florida Psychologist Befriended a Teen. Then She Allegedly Tried to Traffic the Girl, Police Say

Maria Duarte and Jason Mojica were arrested on several charges, per police

Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Maria Duarte (left); and Jason Mojica

A Florida couple is facing multiple charges after allegedly attempting to force a teenage girl to have sex with the male suspect under arrest.

Authorities charged Maria Ximena Duarte, 45, and Jason Mojica, 46, in connection with the incident last week.

Duarte, a licensed mental health professional, allegedly met the unidentified 15-year-old girl while the teen was walking her dog at a Miami, Fla., hotel on Aug. 13, the Miami-Dade Police Department said in a statement.

Duarte allegedly struck up a conversation and introduced herself as a therapist, police said.

This led the girl to become comfortable with Duarte and confide in her about her personal issues, according to an arrest affidavit for Mojica obtained by PEOPLE. The victim told authorities Duarte is Mojica's girlfriend.

Duarte allegedly offered marijuana and alcohol to the victim, who declined to drink, per the affidavit. Over the next day, the victim went back and forth between her home and the hotel on multiple occasions, with Duarte allegedly providing her with marijuana each time they were together.

On Aug. 14, Duarte allegedly began taking photographs of the girl and sharing them with an adult man, telling him the victim was 21 years old and willing to have sex with him, authorities noted in the affidavit. The victim reportedly said she would not do that but Duarte allegedly disregarded her refusal.

When the man arrived in the hotel room, the victim was allegedly made to record Duarte and the man having sex. Duarte allegedly told the teen that she was "teaching her," per the affidavit. PEOPLE is not naming the man as he has not been charged in connection with the encounter.

Later, Mojica allegedly arrived in the room and Duarte allegedly tried to leave the teen alone with him, despite the girl insisting she was uncomfortable, per the affidavit.

Mojica allegedly told the teen to make [Mojica] feel good, authorities said.

Miami-Dade police were made aware of the incidents after responding to the hotel room in reference to a dispute between Duarte and her mother on Aug. 18, according to a separate arrest affidavit for Duarte also provided to PEOPLE. The report does not state if this dispute was connected to the alleged incident.

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Duarte has been charged with human trafficking, lewd and lascivious sex acts, exhibition on a child and interference with custody, per police. Online court records show she has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

While appearing before a judge on Monday, Duarte said she was a "psychologist" and claimed, "I will lose my license and my life. I need help. I've never even touched that girl or kissed her," CBS Miami reported.



Mojica has been charged with sexual battery, lewd and lascivious battery/sex acts and interference with custody. Online court records show he was arrested on Tuesday, Aug. 20, and has not yet entered a plea.

The public defender's office representing both Duarte and Mojica said they are not commenting on the issue at this time.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

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.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida  The Florida Supreme Court rejected a request to strike a financial statement tied to a ballot initiative seeking to expand abortion access on Wednesday, after that statement was revised last month with the help of anti-abortion advocates.



The state Supreme Court's decision came in response to a petition filed by lawyers for the Floridians Protecting Freedom Committee, a group supporting the ballot measure that would overturn the state's six-week abortion ban. The committee argued the revised statement, which will be printed on the ballot next to the initiative known as Amendment 4, was the result of meetings that should have never taken place.

But Chief Justice Carlos Muniz wrote in the 6-1 ruling that despite the concerns brought by the pro-Amendment 4 group, the campaign still participated in the three state Financial Impact Estimating Conference meetings that took place in July, which effectively invalidated their complaint.

The petitioners actively participated in the Estimating Conference process that they now challenge, without questioning or objecting to the Conferences authority to issue a revised financial impact statement on its own initiative, Muniz wrote. For that basic reason, the petitioners waived or forfeited any reasonable claim to extraordinary relief from this Court.

Financial impact statements rarely see much attention as a ballot initiative moves toward Election Day. But the stakes around Amendment 4 are higher than other measures: It seeks to abolish a ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy that Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Florida Republicans approved last year.

The revised statement warns voters that Amendment 4 would decrease the state's count of live births, and it would lead courts to order the state Medicaid program to cover abortion procedures with federal and state tax dollars.

In June, the campaign convinced a state court judge to order a consortium of state budget experts to revise a financial statement for Amendment 4 that had been finalized late last year, before the six-week ban went into effect.

The abortion-rights advocates wanted the statement to reflect the six-week ban, arguing that overturning it would decrease costs for Medicaid and lead more women to be financially successful.

Lawyers from the office of state Attorney General Ashley Moody appealed the lower court decision, but Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and House Speaker Paul Renner called for the group of experts to meet anyway.

The statement from November 2023 was finalized by budget analysts from the Legislature and governors office who are usually picked to attend estimating conferences. The statement was completed five months before the Supreme Court released two pivotal decisions that upheld the state's previous ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy  which ultimately triggered the six-week ban going into effect  and also allowed Amendment 4 to be on this year's ballot.

But with those two decisions in flux, the November statement lists several uncertainties, which lawyers from the campaign argued cast the ballot initiative in a negative light.

But for the revised statement, Renner instead chose to appoint a senior research fellow at the conservative, anti-abortion think tank The Heritage Foundation. DeSantis picked longtime budget adviser Chris Spencer, who brought along a research professor from the Catholic University of America.

The appointees pushed for a statement that ultimately more closely reflected anti-abortion activists' arguments against the amendment.

The pro-Amendment 4 campaign also took part in the meetings from the audience, conducting at least two presentations and submitting several documents, and it asked the state Supreme Court to strike the revised statement after it was completed. The campaign argued Renner and Passidomo did not have the authority to call for the estimating conference to meet at all.

They offered oral and written presentations at each of the Estimating Conferences three July meetings, thoroughly and forcefully advocating their position on what the revised financial impact statement should say, Muniz wrote. We hold them to their decision to accept the legality of the Estimating Conferences revision process and instead to focus on influencing the content of the revised financial impact statement.

Justice Jorge Labarga wrote the lone dissenting opinion, arguing the campaign was navigating uncharted waters warranting guidance from the high court.

In my view, that procedural history placed the petitioners in an impossible position, Labarga wrote. And as a result, the petitioners should not be precluded from their claim to extraordinary relief.

Neither DeSantis, Passidomo nor Renner immediately responded to requests for comment about the Supreme Court decision, which was condemned by ACLU lawyers who attended the meetings on behalf of the pro-Amendment 4 campaign.

ACLU of Florida staff attorney Michelle Morton wrote in a statement that the procedure that led to the revised financial statement undermined the democratic process.

We are disheartened by the Florida Supreme Courts refusal to take action against the States politicization of these financial impact statements and flagrant bypassing of the judicial safeguards that are supposed to protect the integrity of our electoral process, Morton wrote in the statement. The politicization of these financial impact statements erodes public trust in our institutions and threatens the integrity of every future ballot measure.
Abortion rights activists rally in protest against six-week abortion bill at the old Florida Historic Capitol on March 29, 2023. Credit: Briana Michel

The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a petition from the sponsors of the abortion-rights amendment involving claims that a state panel improperly inflated the measures projected costs in drafting ballot language for the November elections.

This decision deals a blow to Floridians Protecting Freedom and the ACLU of Florida, which wanted the justices to throw out the state panels financial analysis, citing the inclusion of hypothetical lawsuits as a reason why Amendment 4 might increase costs for the state government.

The ACLU warned that the courts action puts the integrity of future citizen ballot measures at risk.

The politicization of these financial impact statements erodes public trust in our institutions and threatens the integrity of every future ballot measure, ACLU Michelle Morton said in a press release.

The implications of this decision are dire  the Court has effectively granted the State unchecked authority to manipulate voter information without any meaningful oversight, setting the stage for future abuses of power where state officials can sidestep the courts and the law with impunity.

In its ruling, the court said the sponsor gave up the opportunity to challenge a revision of the financial analysis ordered by Florida Legislature leaders, reasoning that its participation in the process implied consent. The amendment, which would protect abortion access up until the point of viability, needs 60% approval from voters.

The petitioners never questioned the Estimating Conferences authority to voluntarily adopt a revised financial impact statement. Instead, they actively participated in every step of the revision process without objection, Chief Justice Carlos Muniz wrote.

They offered oral and written presentations at each of the Estimating Conferences three July meetings, thoroughly and forcefully advocating their position on what the revised financial impact statement should say.

In fact, the legislative move effectively undermined ongoing court proceedings regarding the sponsor groups request for a rewrite of an original version of the financial statement, drafted before the Supreme Court ruled last spring that the measure could go before voters.

Intervention from the legislative branch

Justice Jorge Labarga delivered a damning dissent, siding with the ACLUs warning that the ruling could undermine the publics right to amend the Florida Constitution via citizen initiative.

Despite the majoritys focus on the actions of the Estimating Conference, make no mistake that todays decision opens the door to the legislative branch leadership to intervene in the citizen-driven constitutional amendment process  even in the midst of ongoing legal proceedings such as were taking place here, Labarga wrote.

Labarga, appointed by former Gov. Charlie Crist, acknowledged that Amendment 4s sponsor was in an unusual legal position and should not be punished for exercising its rights.

As the sponsor of the amendment, Floridians Protecting Freedom was entitled to contribute to the process of reconsidering and revising the financial impact statement, Labarga wrote. Had the petitioners not engaged in the process, they would have lost their opportunity to participate and to potentially influence the finished product. Because they did participate, they are now penalized, and their arguments are deemed waived or forfeited.

Yes on 4 no matter what

The final language will appear on the ballot during the November General Election.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and House Speaker Paul Renner placed members on the estimating conference who steered the July revision process toward a negative outcome for the abortion-rights amendment sponsors. Together with Senate President Kathleen Passidomos appointee, they outvoted Amy Baker, coordinator of the Office of Economic and Demographic Research, who has chaired the conference since 2004.

All three leaders oppose Amendment 4.

Baker argued that the panel traditionally has not factored the uncertain outcome of hypothetical litigation into financial impact statements and that to do so would be straying from neutrality.

Despite the ruling, recent polls from the University of North Florida and Florida Atlantic University show support for Amendment 4, though the FAU poll suggested it wasnt meeting the passing threshold.

Adding a deceptive financial impact statement to deliberately confuse voters is a shameful attempt to hide the fact that Florida law currently bans abortion before many women know they are pregnant with no exceptions for rape, incest or a womans health, wrote Lauren Brenzel, Yes on 4 Campaign Directors, in a press release.

She urged: Its Yes on 4 no matter what, because Amendment 4 will provide critical health care protections to limit government interference so doctors can do their jobs and provide abortion care to their patients.
An abortion clinic prepares to close its doors ahead of Florida's abortion ban, in Fort Pierce

By Brendan Pierson

(Reuters) - Florida state economists can warn voters that a proposed amendment to the state constitution establishing a right to abortion could reduce state revenues, the state's highest court ruled on Wednesday, rejecting a lawsuit by the abortion rights group behind the measure.

The Florida Supreme Court found that the state's Financial Impact Estimating Conference (FIEC), which is charged with estimating the financial impact of ballot measures, was entitled to issue its statement last month.

The ruling means that voters will see a warning on the ballot that the measure would lead to more abortions, possibly paid for with state funds, and fewer births, potentially reducing the state's revenues.

"This ruling, allowing an unauthorized and unlawful financial impact statement to stand, is a direct affront to the rights of Florida voters, who deserve accurate and lawful information when making decisions on constitutional amendments," Michelle Morton of the ACLU of Florida, a lawyer for amendment sponsor Floridians Protecting Freedom, said in a statement.

When the abortion rights amendment was first proposed last September by the group, FIEC said it could not estimate its financial impact because the state of abortion law was in flux, with a pending legal challenge to separate laws banning abortion after 15 and six weeks.

In April, the Florida Supreme Court allowed both the six-week ban to take effect and the abortion rights amendment to appear on the ballot for the upcoming Nov. 5 national election. Following that order, Floridians Protecting Freedom successfully asked a court to order FIEC to reconsider its statement.

However, the state's Republican-controlled legislature also instructed FIEC to reconvene and issue a new statement.

In July, FIEC issued its statement warning of costs to taxpayers. Floridians Protecting Freedom sued, claiming that it did so unlawfully without going through a court-ordered review.

The Florida Supreme Court, rejecting that argument, said the group could not challenge the revision now, because it had "actively participated in every step of the revision process without objection," offering oral and written comments at FIEC's meetings.

The ruling comes a day after Arizona's Supreme Court rejected a challenge to an abortion rights ballot measure in that state by an anti-abortion group, and Montana's secretary of state certified an abortion rights amendment there.

All three measures would establish a right to abortion until fetal viability, generally considered to be around 24 weeks. Abortion is already legal until viability in Montana due to a 1999 ruling by the state's top court, but is banned after 15 weeks in Arizona.

Abortion will be on the ballot in at least nine states for the November election, including battleground states likely to play critical roles in the presidential race and the fight for control of Congress.

Voters have chosen to protect or expand abortion access in all seven statewide ballot measures put to a vote since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 eliminated the nationwide right to abortion, including in conservative strongholds such as Ohio, Kentucky and Kansas.

(Reporting by Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Jonathan Oatis)
Florida trio charged in apparent acid attack that left a New Jersey woman with burns to a third of her body, prosecutors say

Three Florida residents have been arrested in connection to an apparent acid attack on a New Jersey woman who suffered burns to more than 35% of her body, the Gloucester County Prosecutors Office said.

Investigators believe suspects Betty Jo Lane, 38, and Jmarr McNeil, 39, were hired by William DiBernardino, 49, to carry out the July attack on the victim, with whom DiBernardino had been in a past relationship, according to a Wednesday news release from the prosecutors office.

The three suspects were arrested in Florida and charged in New Jersey with first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, first-degree attempted murder, second-degree aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in the third degree and stalking in the fourth degree, the release said.

CNN has been unable to determine if the suspects have retained attorneys.

Moments before the July 26 attack, the 42-year-old woman returned home from work and parked in the driveway of her Monroe Township residence, according to prosecutors.

As the victim opened her car door, she was approached by an unknown female who threw a cup and its liquid contents directly at the victim, the release said. It added, The victim sustained chemical burns over 35 percent of her body and was airlifted to a burn center where she is still being treated, the release said.

The liquid is believed to be a highly caustic acid, according to the release.

The female suspect fled in a silver vehicle, which investigators later determined was rented in Florida.

Officials determined that Lane and McNeil, both residents of Jacksonville, were recruited and compensated by DiBernardino, of Boynton Beach, to carry out the attack, the release said. The pair traveled in the rental car to New Jersey specifically to attack the victim, prosecutors said.

The suspects each waived extradition and are being held in Florida until they can be transported to New Jersey, the release said.

Several federal and Florida law enforcement agencies assisted in the investigation, including the FBI, US Marshals Service, Florida Highway Patrol, Boynton Beach Police and the Jacksonville Sheriffs Department, the release added.

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As she watched election results roll in on Tuesday night, Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Julie Marcus felt the pride flowing through her.

Her campaign for a second term was especially emotional. Her only challenger, fellow Republican Chris Gleason, ran on a platform accusing Marcus of deleting ballots, committing voter fraud and scheming to sway elections, claims she called preposterous.

So when all precincts were counted, and unofficial results showed Marcus won reelection with 84% of the vote, she took a moment to let the significance of that mandate sink in.

To have that kind of response from voters giving affirmation that they believe in what youre doing, I cannot but be emotional because its a tremendous responsibility that I take very seriously, Marcus said. Im honored.

Gleason was part of a slate of Republican candidates who were largely rejected by voters on Tuesday after running to control supervisor of elections offices across Florida on platforms alleging fraud or integrity issues.

Six candidates backed by election denial groups crashed at the polls and failed to topple Republican incumbents. The race in St. Lucie County is headed to a recount as two votes separated the candidates seeking to face the Democratic incumbent in the general election.

Amy Pennock, a Seminole County Republican who was backed by election denial groups, won her primary election. But unlike other candidates on the slate, Pennock says that the 2020 election was not stolen and that she couldnt control who supported her.

Four other races with candidates backed by election denial groups did not have primaries and will be decided in the general election.

Gleason said he was not surprised by his losing margin because of the level of malfeasance and fraud that we knew was going on in that office. He said he and others have requested grand jury investigations.

But elections professionals and Republican officials in Gov. Ron DeSantis administration have pushed back on the idea of widespread fraud in the state.

Well, they were able to present their case to the voters, and the voters made a decision, and I trust the voters of Florida on who they choose to elect, Secretary of State Cord Byrd said at a news conference Tuesday evening when asked about the outcome.

Since 2020, Florida has been rife with conspiracies of election fraud after former president Donald Trumps refusal to accept his loss in the presidential race. Theyve persisted despite the fact that Trump won Florida by three percentage points that year and DeSantis deemed the states elections as the gold standard.

Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, a professor who specializes in election law at Stetson University, said the rejection of supervisor of elections candidates promoting fraud allegations signal that running on such platforms is not viable for the future.

It seems almost mad to elect an election denier because someone who doesnt believe in the integrity of elections is a very strange person to empower to run an election, she said.

Down to when the polls closed on Tuesday, Gleason attempted to document instances of mail ballot fraud in Pinellas County.

Ron Griswold and his wife Amy Gabriel said they were confronted by Gleason when they pulled into a parking lot at the Coliseum in downtown St. Petersburg to drop off a mail ballot.

When they stepped out of their car, Gleason asked Gabriel if she had a real ballot and asked for the date she requested it, she said.

Griswold said his wife felt intimidated but said the results of Tuesdays election gave him comfort.

It feels good to know that voters can see people like Gleason shouldnt be in a position of authority, it kind of restores your faith in the voting population, Griswold said.

Gleason denied that he was being disruptive to Gabriel: Why would I intentionally and knowingly intimidate a voter?

He watched the results roll in on Tuesday from a television screen at the Pinellas Supervisor of Elections office.

Lets see where were at now, Gleason said. Wheres the big cheat at?

When it was clear he lost badly, he said, were done. Some of his supporters left with him to get dinner. Their claims about rigged elections didnt carry them to victory.

Still, Gleason is continuing to fight Marcus office.

On Tuesday at 2:34 p.m., less than five hours before the polls closed, Gleason filed a lawsuit against Marcus claiming that her office sent out hundreds of thousands of mail ballots without obtaining the consent of voters.

He asked a judge to prohibit the counting of the mail ballots and issue an order that Marcus violated the law. A hearing was not set before the polls closed and ballots were counted on Tuesday.

On Thursday Pinellas Circuit Civil Judge Peter Ramsberger denied the request for an injunction, ruling that Gleason failed to affirm that the facts in his pleading were true and did not include complete affidavits.

Marcus declined to comment on the lawsuit citing the pending litigation. She said that her office conducts elections that are legal and accurate and added that Tuesdays results appear to show that voters agree.

It takes more than a noun and a verb and preposterous claims of voter fraud to win an election in Pinellas County, Marcus said. Pinellas Countys got very sophisticated voters.

Staff writers Lawrence Mower and Romy Ellenbogen contributed to this report.
Last week's profit announcement from Seng Fong Holdings Berhad (KLSE:SENFONG) was underwhelming for investors, despite headline numbers being robust. We think that the market might be paying attention to some underlying factors that they find to be concerning.

See our latest analysis for Seng Fong Holdings Berhad

Zooming In On Seng Fong Holdings Berhad's Earnings

In high finance, the key ratio used to measure how well a company converts reported profits into free cash flow (FCF) is the accrual ratio (from cashflow). To get the accrual ratio we first subtract FCF from profit for a period, and then divide that number by the average operating assets for the period. This ratio tells us how much of a company's profit is not backed by free cashflow.

Therefore, it's actually considered a good thing when a company has a negative accrual ratio, but a bad thing if its accrual ratio is positive. While it's not a problem to have a positive accrual ratio, indicating a certain level of non-cash profits, a high accrual ratio is arguably a bad thing, because it indicates paper profits are not matched by cash flow. That's because some academic studies have suggested that high accruals ratios tend to lead to lower profit or less profit growth.

Seng Fong Holdings Berhad has an accrual ratio of 0.42 for the year to June 2024. Statistically speaking, that's a real negative for future earnings. To wit, the company did not generate one whit of free cashflow in that time. Even though it reported a profit of RM57.3m, a look at free cash flow indicates it actually burnt through RM49m in the last year. We saw that FCF was RM19m a year ago though, so Seng Fong Holdings Berhad has at least been able to generate positive FCF in the past.

That might leave you wondering what analysts are forecasting in terms of future profitability. Luckily, you can click here to see an interactive graph depicting future profitability, based on their estimates.

Our Take On Seng Fong Holdings Berhad's Profit Performance

As we discussed above, we think Seng Fong Holdings Berhad's earnings were not supported by free cash flow, which might concern some investors. As a result, we think it may well be the case that Seng Fong Holdings Berhad's underlying earnings power is lower than its statutory profit. But the happy news is that, while acknowledging we have to look beyond the statutory numbers, those numbers are still improving, with EPS growing at a very high rate over the last year. Of course, we've only just scratched the surface when it comes to analysing its earnings; one could also consider margins, forecast growth, and return on investment, among other factors. If you'd like to know more about Seng Fong Holdings Berhad as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. For example, Seng Fong Holdings Berhad has 3 warning signs (and 1 which shouldn't be ignored) we think you should know about.

Story continues

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Seng Fong Holdings Berhad's profit. But there are plenty of other ways to inform your opinion of a company. Some people consider a high return on equity to be a good sign of a quality business. While it might take a little research on your behalf, you may find this free collection of companies boasting high return on equity, or this list of stocks with significant insider holdings to be useful.

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.
Floridasofficialtourism website has quietly scrubbed a page promoting local LGBTQ-friendly travel destinations, in what has been widely interpreted as another in a long series of steps meant to intimidate, persecute and marginalize the LGBTQ+ community under the states conservative governor, Ron DeSantis.

VisitFlorida.coms LGBTQ Travel section  which featured links to the states top 10 gay beaches and information about LGBTQ chambers of commerce and LGBTQ road trips  was last documented as being operative in mid-April by the internet archive site Wayback Machine, as first reported by NBC News on Monday.

SUNSHINE FOR ALL, the page had declared when it was active. Theres a sense of freedom to Floridas beaches, the warm weather and the myriad activities  a draw for people of all orientations, but especially appealing to a gay community looking for a sense of belonging and acceptance.

An official reason for the pages removal was not immediately clear. Representatives with Visit Florida did not respond to HuffPosts calls and emails seeking comment. The websites calendar of events still includes listings for upcoming LGBTQ-themed events across the state.

An American flag flies with a pride flag outside a home in Wilton Manors, Florida. It was reported this week that Floridas official tourism website has quietly scrubbed a page promoting LGBTQ-friendly travel destinations. via Associated Press

Visit Florida is not a government agency, but it receives public funding in a public-private partnership with the state legislature, which has worked to strip and limit LGBTQ+ rights throughout the state under DeSantis leadership.

These policies include the so-called Dont Say Gay law (which was recently amended under a settlement), as well as laws regarding public school bathrooms, books and childrens sports. Indirectly, there was also a recent summer ban on cities lighting up bridges at night with colors other than red, white and blue, after a county commissioner objected to a rainbow display on a Tampa Bay bridge, as The Washington Post reported.

Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida  which issued a travel advisory last year for the state, as did other civil rights organizations  said the removal of the tourism page is yet another deliberate step in making Florida a hostile environment for LGBTQ people.

A billboard welcoming visitors to "Florida: The 'Don't Say Gay or Trans' State" is seen in Orlando in 2022. via Associated Press

It sends a clear message to LGBTQ tourists and residents to Get Lost, Smith said in a statement to HuffPost on Wednesday.

Earlier this year, a survey of LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. and abroad found that these travel warnings negatively affected their plans to visit the state. Just under half the people surveyed said theyd cancel or reconsider their visit.

The survey  published by the IGLTA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association  also found that 53% of respondents said they would not attend an LGBTQ+ event in Florida because of the states laws and policies.

Worldwide, about 47% of those surveyed perceived the Sunshine State as somewhat unwelcoming or very unwelcoming for LGBTQ+ travelers. Within the U.S., 80% of respondents said the same thing.

When asked what might prevent them from visiting the state, an overwhelming 84% of respondents cited DeSantis statements or legislative priorities. The same percentage cited the states unfriendly laws and policies toward LGBTQ+ people.

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Motorcycle riders travel under a flag during the annual Utah Ride for Fallen Officers in Lindon on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. Motorcycle riders from all over the state gather together to ride in memory of Utahs 150 fallen law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

This weeks Focus on Utah feature spotlights the efforts of the community and local law enforcement honoring Utahs fallen police officers this past weekend sponsored by Utah Law Enforcement Memorial and Summit Harley-Davidson.

Deseret News photojournalist Jeffrey D. Allred covered Sundays event, now in its 18th year. The Utah RIDE for Fallen Officers included motorcycle riders from all over the state who gathered to memorialize Utahs 150 fallen law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty.

The route started in Lindon and ended at the state Capitol.

According to their press release, proceeds from the RIDE go to support the care and maintenance of the Memorial and ensure that Utahs fallen heros are never forgotten.

More information about ULEM can be found at www.utahsfallen.org.

Law enforcement riders lead the annual Utah Ride for Fallen Officers in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. Motorcycle riders from all over the state gather together to ride in memory of Utahs 150 fallen law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Riders cruise on State Street during the annual Utah Ride for Fallen Officers in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. Motorcycle riders from all over the state gather together to ride in memory of Utahs 150 fallen law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

A club rider prepares to ride during the annual Utah Ride for Fallen Officers in Lindon on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. Motorcycle riders from all over the state gather together to ride in memory of Utahs 150 fallen law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Motorcycle riders travel under a flag during the annual Utah Ride for Fallen Officers in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. Motorcycle riders from all over the state gather together to ride in memory of Utahs 150 fallen law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Mike Beezer Hoggard prepares to ride during the annual Utah Ride for Fallen Officers in Lindon on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. Motorcycle riders from all over the state gather together to ride in memory of Utahs 150 fallen law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Debbie Tucker prepares to ride during the annual Utah Ride for Fallen Officers in Lindon on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. Motorcycle riders from all over the state gather together to ride in memory of Utahs 150 fallen law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
As part of a rethink of its EV strategy, Ford has canceled plans [ PDF ] to build an electric three-row SUV. It said earlier this year that it would delay the vehicle by two years until 2027 but now the automaker has scuttled that model entirely. It's pivoting to using hybrid tech in its next three-row SUVs. Ford expects the decision to cost up to $1.9 billion in special charges and expenses.

In addition, Ford is delaying the rollout of a next-gen electric truck from 2026 until the second half of 2027. This model will build on what the company has learned from the F-150 Lightning and include "features and experiences never seen on any Ford truck." Among those will be improved aerodynamics and an upgraded bi-directional charging capability. Ford says delaying the electric pickup will let it take advantage of lower-cost battery tech and other cost efficiencies. It will build this model, which was previously delayed from 2025, at a Tennessee plant.

Ford also plans to release a medium-sized electric pickup, the first production vehicle that's based on a lower-cost platform designed by a skunkworks team, in 2027. According to The Wall Street Journal , Ford expects the EV platform to help it produce several profitable models. That could help it compete with Chinese electric vehicle makers, which Ford CEO Jim Farley claims benefit from a lower-cost supply chain. That said, the US has imposed a 100 percent tariff on imported EVs from China, which the White House says "will protect American manufacturers."

Elsewhere, Ford plans to start producing a new electric commercial van in Ohio in 2026. A Tennessee factory will start making cells for the van and the next-gen electric pickup in late 2025.

The shift in strategy comes as Ford attempts to mitigate losses on its current electric models while ensuring EVs it makes in the future turn a profit. The EV division is on track to lose $5 billion this year (up from a $4.7 billion loss in 2023) amid lower-than-expected demand. Ford is also slashing capital spending on EVs from 40 percent of its budget to 30 percent.

This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission.
Maya Angelou called it the greatest gift you can give yourself. For Gandhi it was the attribute of the strong. Alexander Pope famously wrote to err is human; to forgive divine. But are there some crimes which are too heinous to ever be forgiven?

Last week, it was revealed that the brother of Valdo Calocane, who killed three people and seriously injured three others in Nottingham last year, had written to the families of the victims to express his apologies. But the letter was reportedly not well received.

James Coates, whose father, Ian Coates, a 65-year-old caretaker, was on his way to work when he was killed by Calocane, told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that he received a letter from Calocanes brother, Elias, months ago.

Calocane, a paranoid schizophrenic, also killed Barnaby Webber and Grace OMalley-Kumar, two 19-year-old students returning from a night out. Calocane had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act four times before NHS services lost track of him and then discharged him.

Left to right: Ian Coates, Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar - Nottinghamshire Police/PA

It wasnt the right time and it has fallen on deaf ears, said Coates. Me and my brother Lee read it, but I know the other families had not read it at the time and were very upset that this letter had been passed on to them. Since then a few of them have read it, but Im pretty sure theres a couple of the family members who just dont think they could ever bring themselves to read this letter. It was basically offering condolences and apologising for what happened and saying they cant imagine what weve gone through.

It raises the question of whether forgiveness should even be sought in some circumstances, and if restorative justice  a practice that seeks to open up a dialogue between victims and those who have harmed them  has its limits. Context is everything when it comes to restorative justice and forgiveness, says Marina Cantacuzino, who started the charity The Forgiveness Project in 2004. With these letters from Calocanes brother, we have no idea how they were delivered, or if the families were asked if they were open to receiving a letter. Its also very recent  one year on from an attack like that and people are still utterly traumatised. Restorative justice can take decades. If forgiveness is sought too soon it can do more harm than good. It might re-trigger or re-traumatise the survivors. Forgiveness is difficult, costly and painful  and its not always appropriate.

Valdo Calocane was sentenced to indefinite detention at a high-security hospital this year - Nottinghamshire Police/PA

Cantacuzino has interviewed numerous survivors  and perpetrators of crimes  about the effects of forgiveness. In 2015, she published her book The Forgiveness Project: Stories for a Vengeful Age. She says the inspiring stories of forgiveness she has heard through her work has taught her not to hold grudges in everyday life. There are certain personality types more likely to forgive, and skills you can develop to become more forgiving, such as remaining curious and letting go of resentment, she says. Sometimes I think its harder to forgive the smaller betrayals by loved ones than the bigger harms by strangers. Theres an expectation and a personal hurt to overcome. Although forgiveness often takes time, Cantacuzino notes that, for some victims, the feeling of compassion and empathy is almost instantaneous.

'Context is everything': Marina Cantacuzino is the founder of charity The Forgiveness Project - Geoff Pugh for The Telegraph

She says: They instinctively refuse to enter the world of pain and bitterness and hatred, because thats the world that took their loved one away. She mentions Esther Ghey, the mother of Brianna, who was just 16 when fatally stabbed by two other teenagers in February 2023. During the trial, the judge praised Esther Ghey for her fortitude and humanity, after she called for empathy and compassion for the families of her daughters killers. I dont carry any hate for either of them because hate is such a harmful emotion to the person thats holding that, said Ghey. But with regards to forgiving them, I think  no, no, not really.

Brianna Ghey was killed in a premeditated attack in February last year - Cheshire Police/PA

Forgiveness is not essential or even important in restorative justice, says Cantacuzino. Nor is it always logical. Cantacuzino remembers the mother of a victim of the 7/7 bombings in London, who forgave the bombers, but not the police. She is careful to also include in her book people who havent forgiven or dont believe in such a form of forgiveness.

In March 2024, Esther Ghey met with Emma Sutton, the mother of Scarlett Jenkinson, one of Briannas murderers. It was a positive and respectful meeting, which allowed us to initially get to know each other, said Ghey. We discussed family and the challenges of parenting. They also spoke about working together on Gheys Peace of Mind campaign, which teaches mindfulness in schools.

Esther Ghey's decision to meet with the mother of one of her child's killers was said to be 'extraordinarily unusual' - Paul Grover for The Telegraph

Prof Lawrence Sherman, one of the leading experts in restorative justice, says the meeting between Ghey and Sutton was extraordinarily unusual. Ive never heard of anything like that before. In 30 years, I have never heard a victim or survivor of crime offering through the media to have a meeting  and for that offer to be accepted so quickly, he said. The fact they may even partner on these issues is even more remarkable.

Its important that victims dont feel under any obligation to forgive or think that if they dont they are somehow lesser or wont heal, says Cantacuzino. For some people, the pain is actually what keeps them strong, it keeps them alive. But for many survivors, forgiveness can bring them a sense of peace and allow them to move on.

Figen Murray, 62, a counsellor in Manchester, says that forgiving the man who killed her son has preserved her sense of humanity. Martyn Hett, 29, was one of 22 people murdered in the Manchester Arena suicide bombing in 2017. She says it took her just weeks to forgive Salman Abedi, a 22-year-old radical Islamist who detonated a shrapnel-laden homemade bomb. Three days after the attack, I walked past a pile of newspapers in the dining room and froze on the spot because I saw a picture of the perpetrator. I was startled by how young he was, and it challenged me to ask: why would someone so young throw his life away and kill so many people, especially children?, she says. I thought about it very deep and hard and realised that for me, personally, there was no other choice. I knew that to forgive the attacker meant not tapping into all the anger and darkness in my heart.

Murray recently walked 200 miles from Manchester to Downing Street to campaign for Martyns Law, which would make it mandatory for public venues to adopt adequate security measures. She says speaking out about her forgiveness initially caused bewilderment among the other bereaved families and caused her to be the victim of online abuse.

I often fear that people see me as naive and soft, but I am neither, she says. I just feel the cycle has to break by refusing to hate, by stepping back and looking at the bigger picture and asking questions about how these terrible things happen. In 2022, Murray was awarded an OBE for her campaigning.

For many victims such as Murray, the effects of forgiveness can be long-lasting and beneficial. Cantacuzino mentions Anne-Marie Hagen, whose father was murdered by a schizophrenic neighbour, Ron Ryan, in front of her when she was 19. Hagen was campaigning to ensure Ryan was never released when they met face-to-face. She describes the moment she forgave her fathers killer as 16 years and 10 months of misery just wiped away.

Restorative justice can be helpful for both the victims and the perpetrators. Its a lengthy process that requires care and attention but the outcomes can be really positive, says Sara Dowling, the chief executive of Why me?, a charity that aims to increase access to restorative justice. Victims report really high satisfaction rates, and the data suggests that perpetrators are less likely to reoffend, so economically it has a really good impact too.

Why me? was set up by Will Riley, who was burgled and assaulted by Peter Woolf in 2002. Riley and Woolf met in Pentonville prison through restorative justice and the process changed both their lives. Woolf, a petty criminal and heroin addict who by his own admission had committed over 20,000 crimes, never offended again after meeting Riley. They remain good friends.

Restorative justice might even save lives. A study in Canberra, Australia, found that the death rate for suicide among young violent offenders who were prosecuted, rather than being randomly assigned to restorative justice, was 10 per cent after 15 years, compared with zero among those who did receive restorative justice by random assignment.

Dowling says that for restorative justice to be effective, it must be flexible to meet the bespoke needs of the people involved. Sometimes it might be letter writing, or it might be an empty chair scenario where the victim can imagine the perpetrator is in front of them, and they can tell them how they feel, she says. Eventually it might become a face-to-face meeting. It is always victim-led and victim-centred. Many survivors find it empowering as it gives them a voice. Sometimes just hearing an apology is what they need to recover.

But for James Coates and the other families affected by Calocanes violent atrocity, its clearly too soon to even begin the process. Grace and Barnabys parents will never see their child grow up, because the NHS and the police didnt do enough, he says. Valdo knew what he was doing and his family have still got him, they can still speak to him on the phone. I will never be able to see my father again.

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  A former employee of the city of Alexander has been arrested after an investigation by Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffins office.

A spokesperson for the office said Wednesday that 36-year-old Melissa Ann Anthony-Ratliff was arrested on July 25 for felony theft of property. Anthony-Ratliff was extradited from Memphis and is currently held in the Pulaski County Regional Detention Center on a $10,000 bond.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin files brief supporting return of Confederate monument to Little Rock park

The spokesperson explained that Anthony-Ratliffs arrest came after a financial review by the AGs Public Integrity Unit investigators and Arkansas Legislative Audit staff. The audit found that in 2021 and 2022, Anthony-Ratliff claimed to have worked more hours than she did while a city employee of Alexander.

I commend the agents in my offices Public Integrity Unit who worked diligently to investigate this case, Griffin said. Corruption in any form is reprehensible, but violating the trust that Arkansans have in public servants is particularly egregious.

Arkansas attorney general files motion with Supreme Court to dismiss abortion ballot question case

Investigators said that Anthony-Ratliff was paid more than twice her annual salary for the two years due to her overbilling hours. The spokesperson did not specify the amount of money in question.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Former Georgia Republican Governor Nathan Deal is speaking out to Channel 2 Action News expressing concern about the recent actions of the State Election Board.

My concern is that any type of radical change of any sort this late in the election process has the potential of causing distrust on the part of the public, Governor Deal said.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

The popular two-term former Governor has joined forces with fellow Republican, former U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss, and Democrats, former Governor Roy Barnes and former Mayor of Atlanta Shirley Franklin, to lead a group called the Democracy Defense Project.

On Monday, the four bipartisan leaders released a statement criticizing recent rule changes made by the election board writing, Making substantive changes to the way votes are counted and certified without legislative action will undoubtedly foster chaos and undermine the confidence that Georgians have in the democratic process.

A three-member majority, appointed by the General Assembly and praised by name by former President Donald Trump at his recent Atlanta rally, has pushed through on three to two vote.

Its a series of controversial rule changes that critics say overstep the boards legal authority, which include requiring county election boards to have a reasonable inquiry before certifying results.

Another rule still under consideration would require hand counting of ballots at polling places.

TRENDING STORIES:

Election board member Janelle King was one of those members praised by Trump.

Im not looking at partisanship at all. These rules will be in place no matter who is in power in this state. So, Im looking at whether or not these rules are beneficial for securing our elections, King told Channel 2 Action News Investigative Reporter Justin Gray.

Gov. Deal says he is worried about the impact that last-minute changes will have on voter trust and confidence in the elections.

I do think the election board needs to clarify why theyve made changes and whether or not it will instill greater trust rather than greater distrust, Deal said.

He says the fledgling Democracy Defense Project is an effort to strengthen trust in Georgia elections across the political spectrum.

Were going to be doing what we can. But were just four people. We have political opinions that differ from each other, but we can come together because we do have a common purpose. And thats whats wrong with our system today, is people cant come together, Deal said.

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The former medical director of the state-run Glenwood Resource Center is facing disciplinary charges of professional incompetency. (Photo via Google Earth; seal courtesy the State of Iowa)

Four years after he was forced from his job amid a wide-ranging scandal at the state-run Glenwood Resource Center, the facilitys former medical director is facing allegations of incompetence from the states own regulators.

The Iowa Board of Medicine has charged Dr. Mohammad E. Rehman with professional incompetency  an offense that is defined by the board as including malpractice, negligence, a lack of knowledge or ability to discharge ones professional duties, or a failure to exercise a degree of care ordinarily exercised by physicians.

The board has not publicly disclosed the basis for the charge or publicly stated where or when the offending conduct took place.

The charge against Rehman was filed in June but was only recently made public. A board hearing on the matter has been scheduled for Sept. 18, 2025.

Rehman could not be reached for comment.

Court records indicate that as medical director at Glenwood, a state-run residential treatment center for severely disabled individuals, Rehman was the focus of a unanimous vote of no confidence from the medical staff in November 2018.

Rehman continued to work at the facility, but resigned in April 2020, with state officials saying the resignation had been submitted in lieu of his termination. His departure followed staff complaints of poor medical care, reports that the death rate at Glenwood had doubled, and that a federal investigation had begun into sexual arousal studies the home was planning to conduct on residents.

That same year, Rehman and Glenwoods former superintendent were among the defendants named in a civil lawsuit filed by six former Glenwood employees, including two physicians and a nurse practitioner.

The lawsuit alleged Rehman had criticized doctors for providing residents with too much diagnostic care and treatment, and for sending too many patients to area hospitals for treatment rather than providing treatment using Glenwood staff.

The plaintiffs also alleged Rehman hired a physician at the facility to provide neurological care to Glenwood residents, although the doctor did not have any board certifications or experience as a neurologist. In addition, they claimed Rehman directed others to falsify or erase entries in medical records to hide damaging information that Rehman did not want to appear in the regularly audited patient records.

Much of the lawsuit centered on claims of wrongful termination in violation of public policy and on alleged violations of the states whistleblower law.

A Polk County judge dismissed the case earlier this year after ruling the plaintiffs had failed to show a clearly defined and well-recognized public policy that protected their activities at Glenwood, and that they had failed to show they acted as whistleblowers by reporting their concerns to law enforcement or other public officials. The plaintiffs have appealed that ruling.
Former Kansas deputy loses license for taking bag of chips, soda from school gym

A former Kansas sheriffs office was stripped of his law enforcement license after taking a can of soda and chips from a school.

Donn Dunkle worked for Douglas County Sheriffs Office from May 27, 2008 to Feb. 6, 2024, according to a revocation order from the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training, also known as KS-CPOST.

Dunkle did not respond to an opportunity to comment for this story.

The revocation order gave this account:

Dunkle responded to a property check at a school gymnasium on Feb. 1. He entered through an unlocked door and took a can of soda and a bag of chips from a concession area.

He did not have permission from the school to do so and did not pay for them, the order says.

The theft was recorded on the schools security camera.

Dunkle left the door unlocked and did not log the property check or turn on his body camera during the check. He admitted to taking the soda and chips during an internal investigation.

The school did not press criminal charges against him.

Former Kansas deputy loses license after being convicted of beating, intimidating girlfriend
Former L.A. mayor explains why he is running for California governor again

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is among many California Democrats attending the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where Vice President Kamala Harris will accept the partys nomination for president this week.

Villaraigosa, 71, is eyeing a return to elected office and has announced another run for governor in 2026. The former mayor and state assemblymember finished third behind Gavin Newsom and Republican John Cox in the 2018 primary election.

In an interview with Inside California Politics host Nikki Laurenzo on Tuesday, Villaraigosa said he promises to campaign on results over rhetoric.

Everybody says, Ill take on homelessness, Ill take on housing, Ill address the high cost of living, while Ive actually done all of that, he said. I think people are looking for somebody thats going to tackle that in a way thats compassionate, but in a way that has to make the tough calls.

Villaraigosa also addressed the polarized nature of current political discourse, including the Republican National Convention, which he described as filled with anger, divisiveness, everybody screaming at the other side.

He acknowledged that this rhetoric can sometimes be found within his own party but stressed his commitment to a more collaborative approach.

Im unabashedly a Democrat and unabashedly someone who stands up for womens reproductive freedoms, for sensible gun laws, for expanding health care, for taking on climate change, Villaraigosa said. But I like doing it in a way where were working with people to find the common ground instead of screaming at them.

Newsom orders removal of homeless encampments

On the issue of homelessness, Villaraigosa advocated for a nuanced approach that finds a middle ground between extremes.

People talk about criminalization of the homeless versus, you know, housing first and all, the wraparound services and building more housing, he said. All those things are true, but there are middle grounds. You can be compassionate about the homeless and also say, No, you cant have homeless encampments.

Villaraigosa served as L.A. mayor from 2005 to 2013. His tenure was highlighted with an emphasis on restructuring the L.A. Police Department and later shifted toward efforts to fix L.A.s struggling public education system.

Newsom is term-limited and cannot seek reelection in 2026.

Villaraigosa joins a crowded 2026 Democratic field. Others already in the race include State Superintendent for Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, California Democratic Party Vice Chair Betty Yee and Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis.

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Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan will speak this week at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Duncan has been an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump, and he will be joining other Republicans who are throwing their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.

Duncan appeared on CNN on Tuesday and was asked why he thought it was important to appear at the DNC.

Im here as not as a Republican, not as a Democrat, but as an American that wants to give the air cover to the 10s of millions of Republicans that are absolutely sick and tired of Donald Trump, and thats what Im doing. Im here to share my thoughts and to give some air cover, Duncan said.

Duncan has received criticism from other Republicans, with even the head of the Georgia GOP, Josh McKoon, telling him at one point that he needs to stop calling himself a Republican.

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Geoff Duncan is no longer a Republican. Geoff Duncan clearly decided to join with the Democratic Party, and particularly extreme elements of the Democratic Party, McKoon said.

Duncan said he has always stood with the rule of policy over politics.

I think (Kamala Harris is) going to protect democracy better than Donald Trump will. I think it gives us as a Republican Party, enough time to heal and rebuild this thing from the ground up because its broken, Duncan said. I think a majority of Americans just want somebody to come in and understand the complexities of the economy and understand the complexities of their lives.

Duncan is expected to speak on Wednesday, but the DNC has not released at what time.

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In this article, we will be taking a look at the top 10 artificial intelligence (AI) applications for military use in 2024. You can skip our detailed analysis on the AI industry and directly head to the Top 5 Artificial intelligence (AI) Applications for Military Use in 2024.

Global AI Market Growth and Impact: Projections, Opportunities, and Challenges Through 2030

The global artificial intelligence (AI) market was estimated to be worth $515.31 billion in 2023 by Fortune Business Insights. By the end of 2030, the market is predicted to have grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.6% and reach $2.02 trillion.

The AI industry's growth is fueled by the increasing adoption of AI applications, partnerships, and government investments, particularly in sectors like healthcare, retail, banking, and manufacturing. The healthcare sector, an early AI adopter, has seen significant improvements in diagnosis and treatment accuracy. A 2023 Skynova survey found that 80% of U.S. small business owners are optimistic about AI's role in their operations. A Semrush study of 2,600 businesses revealed that 67% use AI for content marketing and SEO, with 78% reporting satisfaction. AI-driven SEO improved results for 65% of companies, and 93% of marketers review AI-generated content before publication, focusing on EEAT principles for quality.

AI is increasingly seen as a crucial technology for addressing complex challenges across industries. In healthcare, AI is used for diagnostic imaging, personalized treatment plans, and predictive analytics, which can save the U.S. economy approximately $150 billion annually by 2026. The global economy stands to benefit significantly from AI, with projections suggesting that AI could contribute roughly $15.7 trillion by 2030. However, this technological advancement also poses challenges, such as potential job displacement, with estimates indicating the loss of 85 million jobs but the creation of 97 million new ones, resulting in a net gain of 12 million jobs worldwide.

The United States is a leader in the AI market, capturing over 51.1% of the global market share. This dominance is attributed to the country's advanced technological infrastructure and high adoption rates across various sectors. AI is projected to increase the U.S. GDP by approximately 21% by 2030. The AI software segment held the largest market share in 2022, constituting over 39.3% of the AI market, with deep learning capturing over 35.0% of the market share.

Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman: AI Advancements and Financial Performance in Q2 2024

Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) and Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) are two major American military contractors actively involved in developing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for defense applications. Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) has collaborated with IBM's subsidiary, Red Hat, to address AI and data-sharing challenges for the U.S. Department of Defense. This partnership aims to support the military's transition to more distributed forces and mobile equipment. Financially Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) reported net sales of $18.1 billion for Q2 2024, marking a 9% increase year-over-year.

However, net earnings slightly decreased to $1.6 billion from $1.7 billion in the previous year, resulting in diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $6.85. The companys Aeronautics division reported net sales of $7.28 billion, reflecting a 6% increase driven by the F-35 and F-16 programs. The Missiles and Fire Control segment saw a 13% rise in net sales, reaching $3.1 billion. Rotary and Mission Systems experienced a 17% increase, with net sales totaling $4.55 billion. Meanwhile, the Space segment had a modest 1% increase in net sales, amounting to $3.2 billion. The company raised its full-year guidance, projecting net sales between $70.5 billion and $71.5 billion, with EPS expected to be in the range of $26.10 to $26.60.

Similarly, Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is heavily invested in AI, focusing on autonomous systems, including aerial and ground vehicles, and intelligent sensors. The company is a key partner in the Department of Defenses Joint All-Domain Command & Control (JADC2) strategy, which integrates AI to enhance military operations. Northrop Grumman has developed the X-47B autonomous aircraft under a DARPA contract, which has achieved milestones like autonomous takeoff and landing on aircraft carriers and mid-air refueling.

These advancements demonstrate the potential for autonomous aircraft in military operations. Financially, Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) reported a revenue of $10.2 billion for Q2 2024, which is a 7% increase year-over-year, surpassing estimates of $10.017 billion. The company's GAAP EPS was $6.36 in Q2, reflecting a 19% increase from the previous year's $5.34. Net earnings were $940 million, up 16% from $812 million in Q2 2023. All four segments of the Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) reported higher sales in Q2: Aeronautics Systems generated $2,963 million, reflecting a 14% increase. Defense Systems reported $1,513 million, up 7%. Mission Systems saw a 5% rise in sales to $2,773 million, while Space Systems experienced a 2% increase, reaching $3,573 million. The company invested $1.8 billion in capital expenditures and approximately $3 billion in R&D. It also increased dividends by 10%.

While we acknowledge the potential of NOC as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than NOC but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ ALSO: 17 Latest AI News and Analyst Ratings You Should Not Miss and 33 Most Important AI Companies You Should Pay Attention To.

Top 10 Artificial intelligence (AI) Applications for Military Use in 2024

Pixabay/Public Domain

Our Methodology

Here is the list of the top 10 artificial intelligence (AI) applications for military use in 2024 according to our research.

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10. Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance is a critical application of artificial intelligence (AI) in military operations which is aimed at enhancing the reliability and efficiency of military equipment and systems. Predictive maintenance uses AI algorithms to analyze data from various sensors installed on military equipment. This analysis helps in predicting when a component might fail, allowing for proactive maintenance scheduling. A Deloitte report mentions that predictive maintenance can increase productivity by 25%, reduce breakdowns by 70%, and lower maintenance costs by 25%. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has noted that the US Department of Defense (DoD) spends about $90 billion annually on maintenance and is working on implementing predictive maintenance to improve readiness and reduce costs.

9. Transportation and Casualty Care

Transportation and casualty care are among the top applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the military for 2024. AI significantly enhances military transportation by optimizing logistics, reducing costs, and managing the efficient movement of resources and troops. It also aids in the development of autonomous vehicles for future military use. In casualty care, AI supports medics by analyzing medical data and providing treatment recommendations, though human oversight remains crucial due to AI's limitations in handling life-and-death decisions.

In the field of combat casualty care, innovative AI solutions are making a significant impact. The Automated Ruggedized Combat Casualty Care (ARC3) system, developed by Charles River Analytics, assists medics by diagnosing injuries, monitoring patients, and offering treatment guidance when immediate evacuation isn't feasible. This system empowers medics to make informed decisions under challenging conditions. Similarly, the Ensemble Prediction for Combat Casualty Care (EPIC3) mobile app, also from Charles River Analytics, employs machine learning to predict life-threatening injuries and provides step-by-step treatment instructions through a user-friendly interface. Tailored to the user's skill level, EPIC3 enhances medics' decision-making capabilities in critical situations.

8. Military Logistics

Military logistics involves managing supply chains, transportation, and maintenance to keep forces equipped and ready. AI applications in military logistics include predictive maintenance, where systems like the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) for F-35 jets forecast and prevent equipment failures, thereby cutting downtime and costs. AI also optimizes supply chain management with real-time data analytics and predictive insights, enhancing resource allocation and logistics efficiency by over 20%.

AI-powered cloud services, such as those used by the U.S. Army in partnership with IBM, streamline data processing and decision-making. Additionally, AI-driven driverless vehicles are being explored for autonomous resupply missions, improving safety and ensuring timely delivery of supplies in challenging conditions. The U.S. Department of Defense's Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) leads AI integration in military logistics, focusing on scalable applications to boost efficiency and effectiveness. Concurrently, the Army Materiel Command, led by Gen. Ed Daly, is incorporating AI into logistics to enhance timeliness and efficiency, aiming to provide support that aligns with the "speed of relevance" for mission success.

7. Smart Weapons

Smart weapons use AI to improve precision, decision-making, and efficiency in military operations, reducing human intervention and enhancing overall effectiveness in modern warfare. One of the most notable implementations of AI in smart weapons is the U.S. Department of Defense's Project Maven. It processes video data to enhance target recognition and battlefield awareness. In 2020, it successfully identified and targeted a decommissioned tank at Fort Liberty, coordinating with the HIMARS system for a precise strike, showcasing AI's effectiveness in real-time combat.

6. Decision Making (Strategic, and Tactical Battle Management)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being integrated into military operations, significantly enhancing decision-making processes at strategic, operational, and tactical levels. At the strategic level, AI helps analyze complex data sets to identify patterns and trends, aiding in rapid response to threats and long-term planning. It can simulate scenarios and predict outcomes, improving strategic decision-making through exercises like war gaming.

Operationally, AI optimizes logistics, manages supply chains, and coordinates troop movements by processing real-time data from sources such as satellite imagery. It also enhances cybersecurity by detecting and responding to threats, and protecting military communications and information systems. For instance, Mckinsey highlights that AI-powered logistics solutions can reduce operational costs by up to 15% and improve delivery efficiency by 25%. Heres a revised version with a more structured approach:

Tactically, AI plays a crucial role by providing real-time data analysis and threat assessment, which supports decision-making in scenarios such as drone operations and autonomous vehicle navigation. AI enhances situational awareness through the integration of data from multiple sensors, offering a comprehensive view of the battlefield.

In a related development, Tesla plans to invest $1 billion in its Dojo supercomputer by the end of 2024. This investment is part of Teslas broader strategy to advance autonomous driving capabilities. Overall, Tesla's commitment to AI and autonomous driving is substantial, with plans to surpass $10 billion in cumulative investment by the end of 2024.

5. Threat Assessment

AI systems in threat assessment integrate vast amounts of data from multiple sources, such as satellites, sensors, and intelligence reports, to provide real-time situational awareness and predictive insights. AI-based threat assessment systems enhance military operations by integrating data from satellites, sensors, and other intelligence sources to provide comprehensive situational awareness. These systems detect anomalies and potential threats in real time, enabling rapid responses and improved operational readiness.

Autonomous surveillance systems, including AI-driven drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), gather real-time intelligence on potential threats and enemy movements. The market for AI in defense and security is expanding rapidly, with an estimated valuation of $10.6 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $39.1 billion by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 9.5%. Additionally, AI is crucial for cybersecurity, as it monitors networks for unusual activities and potential cyber threats, allowing for preemptive measures to safeguard sensitive information and infrastructure. The global cybersecurity market, which heavily relies on AI technologies, was valued at $190.4 billion in 2023 and is forecasted to grow to $298.5 billion by 2028, representing a CAGR of 9.4%.

4. Intelligence, Surveillance, and Recon

Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) is one of the top applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in military. AI-powered ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) systems utilize advanced technologies like computer vision, machine learning, and autonomous platforms to analyze extensive imagery and video data. These systems enhance target identification, tracking, and object recognition. For example, AI can process data from various sources, including social media, to improve situational awareness.

A notable real-world application is seen in the Ukrainian war, where AI tools assist in translating and analyzing intercepted communications. This use of AI speeds up intelligence analysis, allowing military personnel to focus on the most critical information.

Financially, there is substantial investment in AI for military applications. The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is significantly funding AI research and development to maintain technological superiority. The Department of Defense's fiscal 2024 budget request includes $1.8 billion for AI and machine learning to boost decision-making and enhance unmanned systems. Similarly, China is investing heavily in AI to modernize its military capabilities by 2035.

3. Combat Simulation

Combat simulation is one of the most significant applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in military operations which offers transformative potential in training and operational preparedness. Combat simulations play a crucial role in military strategic planning and training. They allow US military analysts to explore potential outcomes of conflicts with nations like Iran, Russia, and China, providing insights into strategic implications and logistical challenges without real-world risks. These simulations offer a virtual battleground for testing various strategies and understanding the consequences of different scenarios.

The U.S. Army employs AI-driven simulation software to create virtual combat environments that closely mimic real-life scenarios, tailoring training exercises to individual needs. Companies like Sentient Digital, Inc. are developing advanced AI military training software that uses reinforcement learning to improve combat readiness. Additionally, generative AI has advanced military simulations by producing realistic imagery and adaptive scenarios, enhancing both realism and challenge in training programs. The global market for AI in military applications is experiencing significant growth. According to Market.us, the AI military market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.4%, reaching a value of USD 24.7 billion by 2032, up from USD 7.9 billion in 2022.

2. Cybersecurity

AI in cybersecurity is implemented through various techniques, including anomaly detection, predictive analytics, and automated response systems. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has integrated AI into its cybersecurity operations to enhance protection for critical infrastructure and sensitive data. AI tools are employed to continuously monitor networks, detect anomalies, and respond to cyber incidents in real-time, helping to defend against espionage and cyberterrorism.

Secondly, DARPA's Cyber Grand Challenge aims to develop autonomous systems that can detect and patch software vulnerabilities without human intervention. This initiative showcases AI's potential to automate cybersecurity tasks traditionally handled by humans. Lastly, Project Maven which is also known for its drone surveillance applications, also uses AI for cybersecurity. It leverages machine learning algorithms to analyze large datasets and identify potential security threats and vulnerabilities.

1. Autonomous Vehicles (Drones, Ground Vehicles, and Vessels)

Autonomous vehicles, including drones, ground vehicles, and vessels, represent one of the top applications of artificial intelligence (AI) for military use in 2024. In the modern battlefield, autonomous vehicles are revolutionizing military operations. Drones that are also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are at the forefront, enhancing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. These drones can form swarms that work together like insect colonies, efficiently sharing information and coordinating actions for tasks like target identification and battlefield assessment.

On the ground, autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs) are making their mark. These AI-powered machines tackle dangerous terrains and perform logistical support and reconnaissance roles with minimal human oversight, easing the burden on soldiers. In the maritime domain, autonomous vesselsboth surface and underwaterplay crucial roles in surveillance, mine detection, and anti-submarine warfare. They operate in hostile environments, providing vital data and maintaining a strategic presence. AI enhances their decision-making and data-processing abilities, crucial for maritime security.

The U.S. military is heavily investing in these technologies. Drone swarms are being developed for coordinated ISR missions, while autonomous ground vehicles are improving logistics and reconnaissance. Similarly, autonomous vessels are enhancing maritime operations. The market for these unmanned vehicles is booming, expected to hit $100 billion by 2025, with drones making up the largest share.

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Disclosure. None: The Top 10 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Applications for Military Use in 2024 is originally published on Insider Monkey.
Former Minnesota cop convicted of killing George Floyd in 2020 transferred to Big Spring prison

BIG SPRING, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- Derek Chauvin, a former Minnesota police officer convicted of killing George Floyd in 2020, has been moved to a federal prison in Big Spring, according to a source familiar with the case.

Chauvin was formerly housed at FCI in Tucson, Arizona and was recently moved to a transfer facility in Oklahoma City prior to his arrival in Texas. Chauvin was stabbed 22 times last November at the facility in Tucson, but its unclear if the move was related to the stabbing.

Last November, the Supreme Court declined to review Chauvins conviction for the murder of Floyd, whose killing reignited the Black Lives Matter movement and sparked worldwide protests in summer 2020.

Chauvin had asked the justices to hear his case after Minnesotas top court declined to do so.

The justices declined to take up Chauvins appeal, letting his conviction stand.

Video footage spread widely on social media showing Floyd pleading I cant breathe as the then-Minneapolis police officer kneeled on Floyds neck for more than nine minutes.

Protesters in cities nationwide and elsewhere took to the streets following Floyds death, and demonstrations continued into Chauvins state murder trial.

Nearly 11 months after Floyds killing, a jury convicted Chauvin on charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Chauvin, 47, has been appealing his conviction on various grounds while he serves a more than 22-year prison sentence.

Citing prejudicial pretrial publicity, Chauvin sought the Supreme Courts review to decide whether he was improperly denied a venue change.

Chauvin also wanted the justices to review his conviction to determine whether his trial judge was obligated to hold a hearing to consider allegations of juror misconduct discovered after the verdict was issued.

Chauvin noted fears of riots in Minneapolis as the city braced for a verdict, arguing that jurors had a personal vested interest in finding Chauvin guilty to avoid threats of violence to their families and the community.

Mr. Chauvins case shows the profound difficulties trial courts have to ensure a criminal defendants right to an impartial jury consistently when extreme cases arise, his attorney wrote.

Following his murder conviction, Chauvin later pleaded guilty to criminal charges for depriving George Floyd and a then-14-year-old boy of their civil rights on separate occasions. He was sentenced to serve 252 months in prison in the federal case.

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OWENSBORO, Ky. (WEHT)  A former education leader in Owensboro is federally indicted on child sexual exploitation charges. Matthew Constant is the former Owensboro Public School superintendent and is facing a 9-count indictment from a federal grand jury in Bowling Green.

If convicted, 52-year-old Constant began and could face a minimum of 15 years in prison and maximum of life in prison.

19 Daviess Co. natives indicted on federal drug charges across KY

The former OPS superintendents 9-count indictment includes two counts of online enticement of a minor, three counts of receipt of child pornography, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of transferring obscene material to a minor.

Officials say Constant appeared in court yesterday in the Western District of Kentuckys U.S. District Court.

Currently, there is no information released regarding whether the offenses include an OPS student, current or former, but the public has voiced some concerns.

OPS searched and hired a new superintendent in July, but people are wondering how school systems in the area will work to make sure it doesnt happen again.

Victor Quiroga says he is married to a former educator and spent years trying to gain the trust of the school system just to be able to help out at his daughters school. He says situations like these can make being involved in the education system as a male even more difficult.

It puts that really big red flag or caution sign out saying that you cannot trust any male individuals. What happens is most people think that oh, theyre looking at your kids or theyre going to molest your kids or going to touch your kids or hurt your kids. So, its really hard to build that trust as a male, says Quiroga.

A few other people are offering prayers for the families and children involved in the case.

Officials say this case is being investigated by FBI Owensboro and the Kentucky State Police. The court ordered constant remain detained while the trial continues to unfold.

There is no parole in the federal system.

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Former owners of troubled Little Rock apartments fail to appear in court, face default judgment

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin greets Big Country Chateau tenants (L-R) Clara Edmonston, Delores McDaniel and Jay Richard at a Jan. 26, 2023, tenants' rally in front of Little Rock City Hall. (Photo by Sonny Albarado)

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin greets Big Country Chateau tenants (Left to right) Clara Edmonston, Delores McDaniel and Jay Richard at a Jan. 26, 2023, tenants' rally in front of Little Rock City Hall. (Sonny Albarado/Arkansas Advocate)

A judge issued a default judgment Wednesday against the former owners of a troubled Little Rock apartment complex after they did not appear in court.

Pulaski County Circuit Judge Cara Connors order brings the two-year-old case closer to a resolution, Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a news release.

The former owners of Big Country Chateau continued their disregard for the court and its authority by failing to show up today, Griffin said. Todays default judgment allows my office to seek relief and hold them accountable for their detestable behavior against Arkansans.

Big Country Chateau residents nearly lost both water and electricity twice between August 2022 and January 2023 after apartment management did not pay the utility bills with the money collected in rent payments as promised.

Griffins predecessor, now-Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge, filed the consumer protection lawsuit against the complex, its parent company and its holding company after the first nonpayment of utility bills.

Rutledge claimed Big Country Chateau, Apex Big Chateau AR and New Jersey-based Apex Equity Group violated the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which prohibits accepting consumers money for a previously agreed-upon purpose and not using the money for that purpose. Violators of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act can be fined up to $10,000 per violation.

The August 2022 legal complaint also alleged that Big Country Chateau rented out units despite knowing those units violated city code, with issues including mold, broken windows, scattered garbage and other appalling living conditions. The code violations have been the subject of separate litigation in Little Rock environmental court.

The defendants absence Wednesday was not the first occurrence. Connors held them in contempt of court in September 2023 and fined them $1,000 per day, dating back more than a month, after the defendants did not provide the court with several requested documents and did not appear at an August 2023 hearing.

The majority of Big Country Chateaus 151 units have been vacant since before Rutledge filed the lawsuit. City officials said last year they would help the remaining residents relocate in order to shut down the complex.

In February 2023, Connors appointed Sal Thomas of Houston, Texas, as a third-party receiver for the apartments, collecting the remaining tenants rent and utility payments. Thomas did not evict any tenants or lease out vacant units, and he repeatedly said in circuit court documents that a minority of the tenants had been making rent and utility payments.

Connors terminated the receivership in February at Thomas attorneys request after the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation purchased the property, according to court documents. The corporation, commonly known as Freddie Mac, already owned the propertys mortgage.

Tenants advocates have used Big Country Chateau as an example of the city and states insufficient protections for low-income renters. Little Rock city directors advocated hiring more city code enforcement inspectors at an October discussion with tenants frustrated about living conditions.

Life safety violations in rental housing include a lack of or malfunctioning electricity, hot and cold running water, plumbing system and heating and cooling system, among other things, according to court documents.

These minimum standards did not become required by state law until 2021.
Jason Carter told the 2024 Democratic National Convention that his grandfather, former President Jimmy Carter, the nation's longest-living president, is looking forward to voting for Kamala Harris for president. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)

CHICAGO  Former President Jimmy Carter is staying home from this years Democratic National Convention, but his grandson Jason Carter took the stage Tuesday night and delivered a speech in his honor, including an update on the 99-year-old Georgia native.

Paw Paw is holding on, he said. Hes hopeful, and though his body may be weak tonight, his spirit is as strong as ever.

Jimmy Carter, who is set to celebrate his 100th birthday in October, is the longest-living president in American history and the only president from Georgia.

He entered hospice care in early 2023. Jason Carter, a former state senator and gubernatorial candidate, said in May that he believes his grandfather is nearing the end, but has since said his grandfather is holding on to cast his vote for Vice President Kamala Harris as president.

My grandfather cant wait to vote for Kamala Harris. She reminds us all that the promise of America remains unchanged, Jason Carter said.

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy Carters wife of 77 years, died in November.

I can tell you that he wishes he could be here tonight, Jason Carter said. He and my grandmother led their lives with an unwavering faith in God, a respect for human dignity, honesty and a commitment to loving their neighbors as themselves. Those principles guided them throughout their lives, including during their four years in the White House and the four decades since. For my grandfather, it was never about fame, recognition, accolades or awards, his legacy is measured by the lives he has touched and the good he has done.

Kamala Harris carries my grandfathers legacy, he added. She knows what is right, and she fights for it. She understands that leadership is about service, not selfishness, that you can show strength and demonstrate decency, and that you can get a whole lot more done with a smile than with a scowl.

Throughout the United Center Tuesday, Democrats from around the nation shared well wishes for and fond memories of Jimmy Carter.

Kevin Jacobson, an alternate delegate from Wisconsin, said he wasnt around for the Carter administration, but decided to research Carter after learning that he had solar panels installed on the White House back in 1979.

He was very present, I think he was looking very forward, Jacobson said. He did so many things around clean energy, even back in so long before we even knew what climate change really was. So Ive always really appreciated him. He comes from such humble roots, and I think that we should get back to those roots as the Democratic Party.

Fellow Wisconsinite Josefine Jaynes agreed.

Something that has always struck me about Jimmy Carter is that he is just a man of faith, and I think sometimes Dems are afraid to talk about faith and lean into faith, and Jimmy Carter showed that Republicans dont own Christianity, so I really like just how important his faith is to him.

Carter was known to teach Sunday school classes at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains Georgia until 2020.

Jake Metcalfe, former party chair for the Democratic Party in Alaska, said folks there remember Carter for the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which set aside more than 100 million acres of land.

His administration was responsible for providing land for parks, and that was controversial at the time, but he saved a lot of the country and helped preserve the land of Alaska, Metcalfe said. So some people see him as a hero, some people see him as a president that prevented development, but I think more people in Alaska like him now and are happy with what he did.

Metcalfe said hes in the latter camp.

Hes going to go down as one of our better presidents and, you know, hes one of the few guys, few presidents that has basically not cashed in and has done a lot for his country and his community, he said.

Carter was celebrated more for his post-presidency accomplishments, including as a mediator and volunteer. He was particularly known for showing up to Habitat for Humanity job sites and helping to construct homes well into his advanced years.

Im glad of what he has done and what hes accomplished in his life and how hes been able to lead a footprint to show what you can do after your presidency, said New York state Sen. Leroy Comrie. And I hope that other people can follow in his footsteps and not worry about being elected to find a cause or an issue that they want to work on and put their time and effort into it.

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Jason Carter told the 2024 Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, that his grandfather, former President Jimmy Carter, the nations longest-living president, is looking forward to voting for Kamala Harris for president. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)

CHICAGO  Former President Jimmy Carter is staying home from this years Democratic National Convention, but his grandson Jason Carter took the stage Tuesday night and delivered a speech in his honor, including an update on the 99-year-old Georgia native.

Paw Paw is holding on, he said. Hes hopeful, and though his body may be weak tonight, his spirit is as strong as ever.

Jimmy Carter, who is set to celebrate his 100th birthday in October, is the longest-living president in American history and the only president from Georgia.

He entered hospice care in early 2023.

Jason Carter, a former state senator and gubernatorial candidate, said in May that he believes his grandfather is nearing the end, but has since said his grandfather is holding on to cast his vote for Vice President Kamala Harris as president.

My grandfather cant wait to vote for Kamala Harris. She reminds us all that the promise of America remains unchanged, Jason Carter said.

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy Carters wife of 77 years, died in November.

Former President Jimmy Carter smiles during a book signing event for his new book Faith: A Journey For All at Barnes & Noble bookstore in Midtown Manhattan, March 26, 2018 in New York City. (File/Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

I can tell you that he wishes he could be here tonight, Jason Carter said. He and my grandmother led their lives with an unwavering faith in God, a respect for human dignity, honesty and a commitment to loving their neighbors as themselves.

Those principles guided them throughout their lives, including during their four years in the White House and the four decades since, he continued. For my grandfather, it was never about fame, recognition, accolades or awards. His legacy is measured by the lives he has touched and the good he has done.

Kamala Harris carries my grandfathers legacy, he added. She knows what is right, and she fights for it. She understands that leadership is about service, not selfishness, that you can show strength and demonstrate decency, and that you can get a whole lot more done with a smile than with a scowl.

Throughout the United Center Tuesday, Democrats from around the nation shared well wishes for and fond memories of Jimmy Carter.

Kevin Jacobson, an alternate delegate from Wisconsin, said he wasnt around for the Carter administration, but decided to research Carter after learning that he had solar panels installed on the White House back in 1979.

He was very present. I think he was looking very forward, Jacobson said. He did so many things around clean energy, even back in so long before we even knew what climate change really was. So, Ive always really appreciated him. He comes from such humble roots, and I think that we should get back to those roots as the Democratic Party.

Fellow Wisconsinite Josefine Jaynes agreed.

Something that has always struck me about Jimmy Carter is that he is just a man of faith, and I think sometimes Dems are afraid to talk about faith and lean into faith, and Jimmy Carter showed that Republicans dont own Christianity, so I really like just how important his faith is to him.

Carter was known to teach Sunday school classes at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains Georgia until 2020.

Jake Metcalfe, former party chair for the Democratic Party in Alaska, said folks there remember Carter for the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which set aside more than 100 million acres of land.

His administration was responsible for providing land for parks, and that was controversial at the time, but he saved a lot of the country and helped preserve the land of Alaska, Metcalfe said. So some people see him as a hero. Some people see him as a president that prevented development, but I think more people in Alaska like him now and are happy with what he did.

Metcalfe said hes in the latter camp.

Hes going to go down as one of our better presidents and, you know, hes one of the few guys, few presidents that has basically not cashed in and has done a lot for his country and his community, he said.

Carter was celebrated more for his post-presidency accomplishments, including as a mediator and volunteer. He was particularly known for showing up to Habitat for Humanity job sites and helping to construct homes well into his advanced years.

Im glad of what he has done and what hes accomplished in his life and how hes been able to lead a footprint to show what you can do after your presidency, said New York state Sen. Leroy Comrie. And I hope that other people can follow in his footsteps and not worry about being elected to find a cause or an issue that they want to work on and put their time and effort into it.

Like the SC Daily Gazette, 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.
The former San Luis Obispo County employee convicted of using more than $500,000 of county funds to buy himself DJ equipment, camera gear and other items was sentenced to six years in state prison on Wednesday.

Norman Hibble, 54, was arrested and charged with 12 counts of embezzlement on Feb. 20 for allegedly misusing a county-issued credit card while he worked in the countys technology department from April 2017 and January 2023.

He was fired from his county job on Jan. 5.

We cant express enough to this court that Mr. Hibbles actions were the utmost breach of trust to county residents and its employees, County Counsel Rita Neal said in her statement to the judge on Wednesday. He does not deserve sympathy, empathy or leniency in his sentencing today.

He pleaded no contest to seven embezzlement counts on July 17 and also admitted to the sentencing enhancement of the amount stolen being more than $100,000.

A no contest plea functions the same as a guilty plea without admitting direct fault.

He agreed to a total of six years in state prison, court records show. He received three years for the first embezzlement count, two years for a second embezzlement count and an additional one year for the sentencing enhancement.

The five other embezzlement counts carry three-year concurrent sentences, meaning they will be served at the same time as the sentence for the first count.

The maximum punishment he faced for his crimes was 16 years in prison.

At Hibbles sentencing on Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Crystal Tindell Seiler also ruled that he must pay restitution to the county for his theft in an amount to be determined at a future court hearing.

You betrayed the trust invested in you, Neal said, speaking directly to Hibble during her statement. Not only were you stealing from every person who pays taxes, you bloodied the spirit of public service of those around you.

Hibble will likely serve around 3 years if he maintains good behavior in prison because his crimes were not violent, according to California sentencing laws.

San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Ben Blumenthal speaks to the judge during Norman Hibbles bail hearing in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on Feb. 28, 2024. Hibble is accused of embezzling at least $250,000 from San Luis Obispo County while working in the technology department.

County Employee stole more than $500,000, DA says

According to a Wednesday news release from the District Attorneys Office, the amount of taxpayer money Hibble stole is estimated to be above $500,000.

No one is above the law, and those who steal from the public that they serve deserve strict accountability for their betrayal of the trust given to them, San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow said in the news release.

Hibble was given the county credit card in 2016 while he worked as a supervisor in the Information Technology Department, the agency said. The card was to be used for official county business.

Hibble used the card for personal and often exorbitant purchases, the agency said, then concealed the crimes by falsifying records and modifying invoices.

In a court hearing on Feb. 23, Deputy District Attorney Ben Blumenthal said Hibble bought high-end DJ equipment, photo gear, a $2,000 crossbow, a telescope and several other items using a county-issued credit card.

I wish it was hyperbole to say he needed C-trains to store all of the items, Blumenthal said during the hearing, adding that Hibble did in fact buy the large storage container to store his purchases.

Hibble is also alleged to have used the county card to buy an electric scooter that he then sued a driver for damaging, the District Attorneys Office told The Tribune.

On Feb. 2, 2021, Blumenthal said in a Feb. 28 court hearing, Hibbles colleagues in the county health agency were responding to the peak of the COVID-19 crisis while Hibble allegedly used the county credit card to order a Blackmagic Design Davinci mini panel, a video editing system that cost more than $3,300.

On the invoice he turned into the county, Hibble said he bought a printer from Blackmagic Design, Blumenthal said.

When a public employee steals public funds, they victimize the entire community, Blumenthal said during the sentencing. They can cause people to question the integrity of government, they can essentially tarnish intuitions that are comprised of countless public servants that do their best to wake up every day and do their best to faithfully serve their community.
Former Trump official reveals more about him being 'mad' in an ICU

Stephanie Grisham, former Trump White House press secretary, speaks Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Paul Sancya / Associated Press)

Former President Trumps onetime White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, told delegates at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday that Trump was upset that cameras were not on him when he visited an ICU. What she didnt mention: The scene followed a mass shooting in El Paso.

On Wednesday, Olivia Troye, a former White House national security official under Trump, filled in the blanks.

Shes talking about the day of the El Paso shooting, Troye said on CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta.

Grisham, who said she would be voting for Vice President Kamala Harris, told delegates Tuesday night that Trump mocked his supporters and referred to them as basement dwellers.

I saw him when the cameras were off, Grisham said. On a hospital visit one time, when people were dying in the ICU, he was mad that cameras were not watching him. He has no empathy. No morals. And no fidelity to the truth.

Troye, who is from El Paso, said her aunt was inside the Walmart that day.

That was very personal for me, Troye told Acosta.

In 2019, a white gunman opened fire, targeting Latino shoppers at the Walmart, killing 23 people and injuring 22 others.

Read more: We were safe until he started talking: El Paso residents respond to President Trump

While Trump was at the ICU, Troye was briefing then-Vice President Mike Pence about what was happening at the Walmart and telling people in the White House her aunt was inside.

Troye, one of many former Republicans supporting Harris and scheduled to speak at the convention this week, said Trumps behavior amid a national tragedy weighed heavily on her  particularly when it was so personal.

As an American, think of me  not a former Trump official, think about being just a human being in that situation and seeing the president of the United States, hearing them talk that way, Troye said. These are the people from your hometown community, and that that could have been my aunt in the ICU. She was just very lucky that day, that someone pulled her away, she saw the shooter.

Thats very real for me and the staff, Troye added.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Its not just prominent party loyalists taking center stage at this years Democratic National Convention. Republican defectors who have publicly disavowed former President Donald Trump are also taking the stage in Chicago.

On Tuesday, former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham  the third spokesperson tasked with heading the press operations of Trumps White House during his term  addressed the floor of the United Center. Grisham spoke of her disaffection with the former president, noting that she was one of his closest advisers.

The Trump family became my family. I spent Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years all at Mar-a-Lago, Grisham recalled. I saw him when the cameras were off behind closed doors. Trump mocks his supporters, he calls them basement dwellers.

Former Trump WH Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham tells the DNC that Trump "mocks his supporters" and calls them "basement dwellers" behind closed doors. pic.twitter.com/XPxELfypCt  nikki mccann ramirez (@NikkiMcR) August 20, 2024

He used to tell me: It doesnt matter what you say Stephanie. Say it enough, and people will believe you. But it does matter. What you say matters and what you dont say matters, Grisham added.

The former press secretary recalled her resignation from the White House in the aftermath of Jan. 6. I asked Melania [Trump] if we could at least tweet that while peaceful protest is the right of every American, theres no place for lawlessness or violence. She replied with one word: no. I became the first senior staffer to resign that day.

Grisham is not the only prominent Republican figure addressing the convention. Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) is expected to take the stage on Thursday, and Former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan is scheduled to speak on Wednesday.

Former Trump supporter Kyle Sweetser, who in his words voted for Trump not once, not twice, but three times, also spoke on Tuesday, telling the convention floor that hes not left-wing but that he believes our leaders should bring out the best in us, not the worst.

Im voting for Kamala Harris because shell make us proud to be Americans, Sweetser added.

Former Trump voter @sweetser_kyle at the DNC:



I voted for Trump not once, not twice, but three timesI realized Trump wasn't for me  I believe our leaders should bring out the best in us. Not the worst. Thats why Im voting for Kamala Harrispic.twitter.com/8AzXT9UJ65  Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) August 20, 2024

Earlier this week, retired Federal Appeals Court Judge J. Michael Luttig announced that he would be endorsing Vice President Harris over Trump. The prominent conservative legal scholar, who was appointed under George H.W. Bush, told CNN that regrettably, in the presidential election of 2024 there is only one political party and one candidate for the presidency that can claim the mantle of defender and protector of Americas Democracy, the Constitution, and the Rule of Law.

As a result, I will unhesitatingly vote for the Democratic Partys candidate for the presidency of the United States, Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, he added.

Democrats want to make clear at the convention that there are plenty of other Republicans who feel similarly.

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Donald Trump was an easy mark for Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Trumps former national security adviser.



H.R. McMaster writes in his upcoming book, At War With Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House, that Putin used Trumps ego and insecurities to influence Trump as president. The Guardian obtained an advance copy of the book, due to be released on August 27.



Trump infamously praised Putin throughout his presidential term, dismissed criticism from his staff of the Russian autocrat, and would fire McMaster as a result in 2018. The now-retired general spoke about Trumps incomprehensible defenses of Putin in the book.



After over a year in this job, I cannot understand Putins hold on Trump, McMaster recalls telling his wife Katie in 2018 after the news that Putins agents had poisoned a Russian dissident in the United Kingdom, Sergei Skripal, along with his daughter.



After the assassination attempt, as other world leaders sought to make a strong response to Putin, Trump was especially happy with a New York Post article headlined Putin heaps praise on Trump, pans US politics, writing a friendly note to the Russian president with a black Sharpie and asking McMaster to get the clipping to Putin.



I was certain that Putin would use Trumps annotated clipping to embarrass him and provide cover for the attack, McMaster wrote in the book, adding that he handed the note over to a White House office that handles communications from the president.



Later, as evidence mounted that the Kremlin, and very likely Putin himself had ordered the nerve agent attack on Skripal, I told them not to send it, McMaster wrote.



McMaster wrote that Putin, a ruthless former KGB operator, played to Trumps ego and insecurities with flattery, trying to drive a wedge between Trump and his staffers seeking a tougher stance against Russia.

Putin had described Trump as a very outstanding person, talented, without any doubt, and Trump had revealed his vulnerability to this approach, his affinity for strongmen, and his belief that he alone could forge a good relationship with Putin, wrote McMaster. The fact that most foreign policy experts in Washington advocated for a tough approach to the Kremlin seemed only to drive the president to the opposite approach.

Many of the generals and national security officials who served under Trump have had a falling out with the Republican presidential nominee. His former chief of staff, General John Kelly, said that Trump praised Adolf Hitler and made disparaging comments about veterans, calling them suckers and losers. Another former national security adviser, John Bolton, has said that Trump cant tell the difference between whats true and whats false. If Trump is elected again, its all but guaranteed that hell put Americas safety and security at risk.
FOUNTAIN INN, S.C. (WSPA)  A former Upstate private school teacher is facing more charges related to what law enforcement called inappropriate relationships with students.

36-year-old Norman Jermaine Roberson was charged with six counts of sexual battery of a student by police in Fountain Inn.

According to the Fountain Inn Police Department, Roberson had an inappropriate relationship with a student between April 2015 and November 2015 while he was a teacher at Fountain Inn Christian School.

Warrants stated that Roberson was the director of musical programs and a teacher at the school.

The Laurens County Sheriffs Office previously charged Roberson with eight counts of sexual battery with a student.

Deputies said that they determined that the relationships began in 2015 and involved locations such as Greenville, Simpsonville, Fountain Inn, and Greenville County, in addition to Laurens County.

Anyone who may have been a victim or has additional information is asked to call the Fountain Inn Police at 864-531-0619 or the Laurens County Sheriffs Office at 864-984-4967.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Ranking the Largest Power Companies of 2014

EDF, France

French state-owned Electricite de France SA (EDF) had $75.8bn market capitalisation and $353.9bn of assets as of May 2014. The company, which is engaged in power generation, transmission, distribution as well as energy supply and trading businesses both inside and outside France, recorded sales of $100.4bn and a profit of $4.5bn in 2013.

Founded in April 1946, EDF currently employs 154,941 people and is headquartered in Paris. Gross installed capacity of the company by the end of 2013 stood at 140.4GW, which included 53% from nuclear power. It generated 653.9TWh of electricity for 39.1 million customers during the year. EDF owns and operates three of the world's top ten nuclear power plants by capacity. Its wholly-owned subsidiary EDF Energy is the biggest producer of low-carbon electricity in the UK.

Enel, Italy

Italy-based power company Enel had $53.2bn of market value and $226.2bn of assets as of May 2014. The company operates in 32 countries and employs 71,394 employees, operating power generation, transmission as well as upstream gas businesses. Its revenue and profit during 2013 stood at $106.3bn and $4.3bn respectively.

Enel was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Rome. It had 95GW of net installed capacity and 1.9 million km's of electricity and gas distribution network to serve approximately 61 million customers, as of June 2014. Its subsidiary Enel Green Power owns Larderello Geothermal Complex, the second biggest geothermal power station in the world.

EDF

E.ON, Germany

E.ON's market capitalisation as of May 2014 stood at $37.2bn, while its power and fossil production assets spread over Germany, UK, Sweden, Russia, the US, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg were valued at $180.1bn. Sales and net operating profit in 2013 stood at $162.6bn and $2.8bn respectively.

E.ON, headquartered in Dusseldorf, Germany, was founded in June 2000 and currently employs 62,239 people. The company owned generation capacity of about 61 GW by the end of 2013. Its subsidiary E.ON Russia owns and operates the world's biggest gas-fired power station Surgutskaya GRES-2 in the Russian city of Surgut.

Iberdrola, Spain

Iberdrola, a Spain-based holding company engaged in electricity generation, distribution, trading, and marketing businesses in Spain, UK, the US and Brazil, was estimated to have $44.1bn of market value and $127.3bn of assets as of May 2014. The company's net sales and profit during 2013 stood at $43.6bn and $3.4bn respectively.

Story continues

Iberdrola currently employs 30,678 people and is headquartered in Bilbao, Spain. Its net installed capacity by the end of 2013 was over 45GW.



Duke

Duke Energy, USA

US- based Duke Energy's market capitalisation reached $49.9bn as of May 2014 and its assets value was estimated at $114.8bn. The company, engaged in electricity and gas generation, transmission and distribution, recorded $24.6bn of sales and $1.7bn of profit during 2013.

Duke Energy was founded in April 2006 with headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, and employs 27,948 people in the US. The company's total generating capacity in the US reached 57.5GW by the end of 2013.

Exelon, USA

Exelon, a utility services holding company operating in the US through major subsidiaries including Exelon Generation, Commonwealth and PECO Energy, was estimated to hold $28.7bn of market value and $79.9bn of assets as of May 2014. The company's net sales and profit for 2013 stood at $24.6bn and $1.7bn respectively.

Founded in February 1999, Exelon is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and has 25,829 employees. The company's total generating capacity is estimated to be more than 34.6GW and is mostly concentrated in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Texas regions of the US. About 55% of Exelon's generating capacity is nuclear, which makes it the biggest owner and operator of nuclear plants in the US.



Suth

Southern Company, USA

Southern Company, an electricity producer and distributor operating through subsidiaries including Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power and Mississippi Power, had a market value of $38.6bn and assets worth of $64.5bn as of May 2014. The company's sales and profit in 2013 stood at $17.1bn and $1.7bn respectively.

Southern Company was founded in November 1945 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The company employs 26,300 people and had 45.5GW of generating capacity by the end of 2013. Approximately 42% of its generation capacity was natural gas-based, while coal, nuclear and hydropower comprise 38%, 16%, and 4% respectively.

NextEra Energy, USA

NextEra Energy is a US-based investment holding company involved in power generation, transmission and distribution in the US and Canada. Through its two major subsidiaries Florida Power & Light and NextEra Energy Resources, the company had a market value of $40.9bn and assets worth $69.3bn as of May 2014. The company's net sales and profit during 2013 stood at $14.6bn and $1.7bn respectively.

NextEra Energy was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida. The company employs 13,900 people and owned 42.5GW of generating capacity in 2013. It owns three of the ten biggest power stations in the US.

Dominion

Dominion Resources, USA

Dominion Resources, which is engaged in electricity and natural gas business in the Eastern US through three subsidiaries namely Dominion Virginia Power (DVP), Dominion Generation and Dominion Energy, had $40.9bn of market cap and $50.1bn worth assets as of May 2014. The company's sales and profit for 2013 stood at $13.2bn and $1.7bn respectively.

Dominion Resources was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. It currently employs 14,500 people and had a generating capacity of 23.6GW by the end of 2013.

SSE, UK

Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE), a utility engaged in electricity generation, transmission, distribution and supply of electricity as well as in gas production, storage distribution and supply, had a market value of $24.1bn and assets worth $31.1bn as of May 2014. The company's sales and net profit for the year 2013 stood at $47.5bn and $1.2bn respectively.

The company, which was founded in December 1998 and is headquartered in Perth, UK, employs 19,795 people. SSE owns over 13GW of generation capacity, 106,000 substations and 130,000km of transmission lines in the UK and Ireland. It supplies electricity and gas to more than 10 million customers under SSE, Scottish Hydro, Southern Electric, SWALEC and Atlantic brands in the UK and under SSE Airtricity brand in Ireland.

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"The top 10 biggest power companies of 2014" was originally created and published by Power Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.







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A former US ambassador to the UN calls for more international support for Taiwan

Nikki Haley, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations, delivers a speech during the Ketagalan Forum in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Aug.21, 2024. (Chiang Ying-ying)

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, on Wednesday called for more international backing for Taiwan and a coordinated pushback against Chinas claims over the self-ruled democracy.

The United States should elevate Taiwan on the world stage. You should no longer be silenced in global affairs, Haley told an audience at Ketagalan Forum, a Taipei conference focused on security issues in the Asia-Pacific.

She called for Taiwan to become a full member of the U.N. even though it's being blocked by China from representation in international bodies. Beijing claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary. China also prohibits countries it has international relations with from having formal ties with Taipei.

While the U.S. doesnt formally recognize Taiwan, it is the islands strongest backer and arms provider.

Haley, who served at the U.N. under former President Donald Trump's administration, ran a yearlong presidential campaign as a tough-on-China candidate before dropping out of the race in March. She has endorsed Trump in the November elections.

At the Taipei forum, she called on the U.S. and its Western allies to rally around Taiwan and relentlessly push for the islands global acceptance.

If we take the necessary steps now, China will think twice before starting a war, she said.

Yoshihiko Noda, Japans former prime minister who also addressed the forum, echoed Haleys calls for greater representation for Taiwan in international organizations. He decried Taiwans exclusion from the World Health Organization and said he was determined to push for its participation as an observer, which China opposes.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te earlier accused China of economic coercion and military intimidation.

China intends to change the rules-based international order, Lai said in a speech opening the forum. That is why democratic countries must come together and take concrete action. Only by working together can we inhibit the expansion of authoritarianism.

Lai said Chinas military exercises in the Taiwan Strait as well as joint sea and air drills with Russia in the South China Sea, Western Pacific and Sea of Japan were intended to intimidate its neighbors.

On Tuesday, Taiwans military launched surface-to-air missiles as part of live-fire drills in response to growing military pressure from China.
Former US president Carter, nearing 100, excited to vote for Harris, grandson says

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, 99, is eagerly awaiting his chance to cast a ballot for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris this fall even as he approaches his 100th birthday, his grandson said on Wednesday.

Carter, a Democrat who served in the White House from between 1977 and early 1981, has been in hospice care for about 18 months and suffered the loss of his wife Rosalynn last year. But he remains "engaged" and wants to see the country move past former Republican President Donald Trump, Jason Carter told MSNBC.

"He's super aware," Jason Carter said. "Just recently, we were talking about his 100th birthday, and he said, 'Yeah, I'm excited about that, but I'm really excited to vote for Kamala Harris.'"

The former peanut farmer and nuclear submarine officer from Georgia has lived longer after his four-year term in office than any other U.S. president. He will turn 100 on Oct. 1, six days before the Southern state starts mailing out absentee ballots. Early in-person voting starts on Oct. 15.

"He's engaged, like a lot of people in Georgia, pretty energized by the current moment," Jason Carter said.

Harris faces a close race against Trump, who served from 2017 until early 2021 after losing his 2020 reelection bid to Democratic President Joe Biden.

Biden stepped aside last month and endorsed Harris, his vice president, for the nomination. Carter was also a one-term president after losing to Republican Ronald Regan in 1980.

Carter went gone on to earn a reputation that he has acknowledged is better than when he was president. He received the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work.

The Carter Center, led by his grandson, is planning a centennial celebration for the former president next month in Atlanta.

"His body is very physically diminished, but he's doing well," Jason Carter told MSNBC.

"He's sort of remarkably engaged in these moments, and is excited about the prospects that we have to sort of turn the page on this era that we've been living in with Donald Trump as sort of a constant presence in our politics."

(Reporting by Susan Heavey; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  The University of Utah formalized a deal Monday that will relocate the U.S. Army Reserve at Fort Douglas to a new $100 million facility near Camp Williams, freeing up space for the university to expand its campus.

Negotiations with the U.S. Army Reserve for the public lands transfer have been ongoing for several years, according to a U of U news release, and involved the Utah Legislature, Governors Office, and U.S. Congress.

The deal states that the university will use $100 million of state funds to build the army reserve headquarters near Camp Williams. In return, the university said it will use the forts land for several campus projects including research and lab centers for health sciences, possible housing, and recreational spaces.

This is not the first time the university has been on the receiving end of a land transfer from former fort-designated land. The fort land  which originally comprised 10,500 acres  has been slowly chipped away and reallocated to other projects, including for the University of Utah.

Renderings of a new U.S. Army Reserve facility currently under construction near Camp Williams. (Credit: Elliott Workgroup and Jacobsen Construction via University of Utah)

Renderings of a new U.S. Army Reserve facility currently under construction near Camp Williams. (Credit: Elliott Workgroup and Jacobsen Construction via University of Utah)

Renderings of a new U.S. Army Reserve facility currently under construction near Camp Williams. (Credit: Elliott Workgroup and Jacobsen Construction via University of Utah)

Over the last 126 years, more than 1,500 acres have been transferred from the fort to the university. The fort now sits on 50 acres and is surrounded by the campus, according to the U of U.

Vice President for University Development Fred Esplin said the university has benefited for over a century from the land originally allotted for the fort by Col. Connor in 1862.

Im sure neither Colonel Connor nor Brigham Young could have imagined what a remarkable center for teaching and research would emerge from land originally used for rifle and artillery ranges, Esplin said in a news release.

READ NEXT: Utah files lawsuit against federal government over control of 34% of state

The U.S. Army Reserve will be moved to a nearly 32-acre lot near Camp Williams where the Utah Army National Guard is stationed after the new 220,000-square-foot facility is constructed. Officials anticipate the relocation will take a minimum of four years.

In accordance with the 1991 Defense Authorization Act, the forts cemetery and museum will continue to be preserved and maintained by the federal government and the National Guard, respectively.

We are honored to support our military by providing state-of-the-art facilities that enhance training and operational readiness while advancing our universitys mission, U of U President Taylor Randall said.

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FRANKLINTON, La. (WGNO)  A Franklinton man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in a 2022 fatal shooting case on Monday, Aug. 19.

According to The Office of District Attorney Collin Sims, on Aug. 27, 2022, officers with the Bogalusa Police Department began investigating reports of an unidentified man with a gunshot wound near the intersection Atlanta Street and Virginia Avenue.

Parents turn teen in for bringing gun to Hammond school, Tangipahoa Parish sheriff reports

On arrival, 27-year-old Jawalski Wiley, of Franklinton, was found dead, having been shot in the head.

Officers then spoke with nearby residents and learned that minutes prior, Wiley was fighting another man. During the fight, the defendant, 22-year-old Daevon Gay, reportedly drove up in a red Kia vehicle, got out, walked up to Wiley and shot him in the face.

Gay then got back in the vehicle and fled the scene before police arrived.

Bogalusa woman sentenced in child pornography, sex crimes investigation

The investigation revealed that Wiley and Gay had a previous relationship.

Several weeks after police had searched and obtained an arrest warrant for Gay, an anonymous tip reported that he had fled to Houston, Texas. Following the tip, officers with the Houston Police Department found Gay at an apartment complex and arrested him. Gay was then extradited to Louisiana.

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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Original Freeman Hospital location in Joplin at 20th & Sergeant

JOPLIN, Mo.  A controversial plan to demolish what was the original Freeman Hospital location in Joplin may get new life.

City Attorney Peter Edwards had previously determined the city council vote of four in favor, three against, and one abstention did not meet the threshold to approve the demolition project.

Joplin council moves forward with hospital demolition plan

Several council members have asked to reconsider the measure at a future meeting. The proposal suggested the cost of the building takedown be covered by federal grant funding, a total that could approach $1 million.

Freeman left this site at the corner of 20th and Sergeant Ave in 1975. The building was then a government building for a number of years.

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Fresno man who used bus to flee attempted bank robbery arrested in Hanford

Fresno man who used bus to flee attempted bank robbery arrested in Hanford

HANFORD, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE)  A Fresno man who used a public transit bus to escape an attempted bank robbery in Hanford is now under arrest, according to the citys police department.

Officers say 33-year-old William McDaniel from Fresno attempted to rob a Bank of the Sierra on 427 W Lacey Boulevard in Hanford at around 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

50-year-old woman steals about 100 peoples information, arrested in Porterville

According to police, McDaniel was wearing a beanie and a mask when he entered the bank. He handed the teller a handwritten note requesting a large sum of money in exchange for no one getting hurt. McDaniel then left the bank and tried to make a getaway on a public transit bus.

Officers say McDaniel was detained on the bus without incident.

According to police, McDaniel was booked into Kings County Jail on suspicion of attempted robbery and parole violation. McDaniel was on active parole for a prior violent crime at the time of the incident.

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A Trump-appointed judge in Texas blocked a Biden administration rule that bans noncompete agreements, teeing up a possible appeal that's unlikely to save the ban.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Ada Brown set aside the rule nationwide, which had been scheduled to take effect Sept. 4, siding with business interests including the Chamber of Commerce. Brown concluded that the Federal Trade Commission lacked authority to issue the rule and deemed it arbitrary and capricious because it is unreasonably overbroad without a reasonable explanation.

Announcing the rule in April, FTC Chair Lina Khan said that noncompete clauses keep wages low, suppress new ideas, and rob the American economy of dynamism and that the rule will ensure Americans have the freedom to pursue a new job, start a new business, or bring a new idea to market. An FTC spokesperson said after the ruling that the agency was seriously considering appealing and noted that the judges decision doesnt prevent the agency from addressing noncompetes through case-by-case enforcement actions.

The governments prospects on appeal arent great, however, given this Supreme Court has been broadly skeptical of agency authority and has struck down Biden administration initiatives. The intermediate federal appeals court covering Texas is the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, whose rulings have sometimes gone too far right even for the Supreme Court.

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This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Editors note: This story has been updated to accurately reflect Crowders charges after the Muscogee County Sheriffs Office corrected Crowders alleged offenses.

The Muscogee County Sheriffs Office has arrested a fugitive teacher wanted after failing to appear in court for a case related to prior sex crime charges, according to a Facebook post from Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman.

Jeffrey Crowder, 35, had a felony bench warrant for failure to appear for a court hearing in July related to a 2014 court case in which he was charged with cruelty to children and sexual assault by a teacher, according to court records. Crowder pleaded guilty to cruelty to children in that case and other offenses were no longer prosecuted, according to court records.

He was arrested Tuesday after being located by the MCSOs Special Operations Unit and the U.S. Marshals Service, according to the post.

The post said Crowder was transported to the Muscogee County Jail.

Crowder was awaiting extradition to Bulloch County earlier this week, according to the post.
Welcome to Waste Watch with Dia Chakravarty, where with your help I aim to shine a light on our public spending.

Back in May, the then Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves warned that the Conservatives had imposed on us a tax burden which was at a 70-year high, and that it was due to increase every year over the next five years.

With the reins of the economy now in Ms Reeves hands, there is little hope of our tax burden coming down. Instead, there is a reasonable expectation that certain taxes, such as Capital Gains Tax and Inheritance Tax, might actually increase, in an attempt to fill a 22 billion black hole in the public finances which Labour claims to have inherited from the Conservatives.

Every week, I will take a peek at that black hole and examine some of its causes. I would also ask you to please share with me examples of public spending in your personal and professional lives which you consider to be a waste of taxpayers money. You can email me your stories  either in writing or as voice notes  at wastewatch@telegraph.co.uk

In aid of whom?

It is easy to see why international aid has long been a contentious subject. Huge amounts of taxpayers money leaves the country in the name of helping the worlds poorest. But little evidence is presented that the funds actually make any difference to the lives of those they are meant to help, rather than being wasted or enriching corrupt politicians and NGO fat-cats abroad.

The case of David Miliband is a good example. The former Labour Foreign Secretary and the current boss of the International Rescue Committee this year secured a pay package of over 900,000 ($1,193,570 plus benefits). This is despite the fact that the aid charity he leads is facing a $50 million shortfall in its budget, in part due to poor budgeting and forecasting practices, according to the charitys internal communication, as reported by the specialist news agency The New Humanitarian.

The same organisation, which claims to provide high-impact, cost-effective solutions that help people affected by crisis, has received 55.4 million of UK taxpayers money over the two years to September 30 2023.

Meanwhile, Mr Milibands brother, our new Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, has confirmed that a pledge of 11.6 billion in overseas aid to tackle climate change will be honoured by his government, according to the Guardian. It is a pledge that the previous Conservative administration was reportedly preparing to abandon.

Setting aside the merits of arrogantly giving out alms to other countries while our own economy continues to struggle, there is another point to be made about a deeply worrying culture which has developed in Whitehall under successive governments. It is the culture of recklessly funding terrorists in the attempt to aid countries experiencing conflict.

The former Conservative MP Rory Stewart narrates a dangerous example of this culture in his book. A minister at the Department of International Development at the time, Mr Stewarts repeated attempts to prevent jihadists in Syria from collecting British funding failed because of his civil servants determination for the aid programme to go ahead. It is one thing to fail to deliver aid to those it is intended for, quite another to avail the funds to be used in the service of terrorising those very people.

That government department has now merged with the Foreign Office, but has seemingly retained its culture, finding an enthusiastic ally in the Foreign Secretary. One of David Lammys first acts in office was to restore funding to UNRWA, the controversial UN agency in Gaza, committing 21 million to the organisation.

Following allegations from Israel that employees of the UN agency not only have links to Hamas but actively took part in the October 7 massacre, Rishi Sunaks government had cut off funding to UNRWA. Mr Lammys decision to reinstate support for it seems particularly ill-advised this week in the light of UNRWAs announcement that nine more of its employees will be fired over possible involvement in the atrocities of October 7. The agency has previously fired twelve employees and suspended a further seven for the same reason.

It is bad enough that billions in taxpayers money is handed out in the name of aid without anywhere near enough scrutiny or accountability to ensure it reaches those for whom it is intended. That any of it goes towards threatening our national security, enriching and enabling those who seek to harm us and our allies is unforgivable.

Signal failure

A report from the Scottish Prison Service this week has highlighted how a scheme to provide inmates with the use of a personal phone at taxpayers expense in order to keep in touch with their families during the pandemic was a spectacular failure.

In 2020, the then Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf spent 6 million on the scheme, the beneficiaries of which reportedly included murderers, paedophiles and gangland thugs.

An Equalities and Human Rights Impact assessment report on the now abandoned venture, which included 1.6 million to boost phone signals in prisons, found that vulnerable prisoners were bullied into handing over their mobile phones to other convicts.

These mobile phones, it has been reported in the local press, were then used to commit more than 8000 security breaches, including drug deals, hit jobs and the fire-bombing of family homes as illicit SIM cards could be easily used to bypass restrictions. The mobile phones were replaced with landlines, taking the total cost of the scheme to 12 million

The report is claiming lessons have now been learned, but Prison Service shows no sign of contrition or apparent acceptance of any kind of failure. When I asked their spokesperson for a comment, they deemed it fit to remind me of the aim of the scheme: to aid the mental health and wellbeing of those in our care and their loved ones.

When I specifically asked, given that a programme aimed to aid mental health and wellbeing had actually resulted in the bullying of at least some inmates according to their own report, the response was simply an email with a repetition of the aim of the programme, followed by a further email with the statement, we take any bullying extremely seriously and have policies in place to respond appropriately and support anyone affected.

Make of that what you will, but it is clear that those responsible for this embarrassing and expensive debacle have been let off scot-free.

Waste Watch with Dia Chakravarty is published every Wednesday at 10am. You can send in your own public sector waste stories and voice notes to Dia on wastewatch@telegraph.co.uk

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China's top legislator calls for enhanced cooperation with IPU, foreign legislative bodies

Xinhua) 08:36, August 21, 2024

Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, addresses a commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the NPC's affiliation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the opening ceremony of the 2024 interregional seminar on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for parliaments of developing countries at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- China is ready to work with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and legislative bodies of other countries to expand forms of exchange, enrich the content of cooperation and constantly work toward fruitful results, top Chinese legislator Zhao Leji said on Tuesday.

Zhao, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, made the remarks in Beijing when addressing a commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the NPC's affiliation with the IPU and the opening ceremony of the 2024 interregional seminar on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for parliaments of developing countries.

Zhao said the IPU is the most influential international parliamentary organization with a long history and large scale in the world today. It is an important platform for the legislative bodies of various countries to communicate and seek cooperation. Since the NPC joined the IPU 40 years ago, its cooperation with the IPU and legislatures of other countries has been deepened and strengthened, he noted.

He said that to deepen cooperation and implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, legislative bodies should treat one another as equals, respect and trust one another, respect the development paths and institutional models chosen independently by the people of each country, respect one another's core interests and major concerns, oppose interference in other countries' internal affairs, oppose camp confrontation and elite circles, and practice common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security concepts.

Zhao urged all sides to facilitate common development, implement the sustainable development agenda and promote economic globalization that benefits all. He said all parties need to strengthen exchange and mutual learning, respect the diversity of world civilizations, and increase their sharing of governance experience.

He also called on all sides to strengthen multilateral coordination, practice genuine multilateralism, promote an equal, orderly, multi-polar world, and make the global governance system more just and equitable.

Tulia Ackson, IPU president and Tanzania's National Assembly speaker, IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong, and parliamentary leaders and representatives of 32 developing countries attended the opening ceremony.

When he met with Ackson prior to the ceremony, Zhao said that China is willing to continue working with the IPU to organize seminars for parliamentarians from developing countries, support the IPU in preparing for the sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament scheduled for next year, strengthen bilateral cooperation, and make contributions to promoting world peace and development.

Ackson said the IPU is willing to deepen cooperation with the NPC and will continue to adhere to the one-China principle, noting that the IPU welcomes China to play a greater role in the organization.

At a meeting attended by Ackson, Chungong and the heads of delegations, Zhao said that as this year marks the 70th anniversary of the publication of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, China is willing to deepen cooperation with the IPU and the legislative bodies of other countries to safeguard the interests of developing countries.

Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, meets with Tulia Ackson, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) president and Tanzania's National Assembly speaker, prior to the opening ceremony of the 2024 interregional seminar on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for parliaments of developing countries in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. Zhao on Tuesday addressed a commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the NPC's affiliation with the IPU and the opening ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, meets with Tulia Ackson, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) president and Tanzania's National Assembly speaker, IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong and the heads of delegations in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. Zhao on Tuesday addressed a commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the NPC's affiliation with the IPU and the opening ceremony of the 2024 interregional seminar on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for parliaments of developing countries at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, attends a commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the NPC's affiliation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the opening ceremony of the 2024 interregional seminar on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for parliaments of developing countries at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. Zhao addressed the event here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Some of Americas most influential CEOs arent backing down from their assertion that a companys purpose is to serve "all of our stakeholders," reaffirming a major philosophical shift that jolted the business world five years ago.

The Business Roundtable, a powerful association of more than 200 CEOs, posted a new essay on Medium on Friday that offered a fresh endorsement of the groups purpose of a corporation statement last updated in August 2019.

That statement argued that companies should act in the long-term interests of "all of our stakeholders"  including shareholders, customers, employees, and suppliers, along with the communities where a company operates.

Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins chairs the Business Roundtable, a high-profile group comprised of prominent corporate bosses. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images) (Dia Dipasupil via Getty Images)

It was a step back from a statement that had been in place since 1997 asserting that a company's "paramount duty" was to its stockholders, a decades-old philosophy made popular by Nobel Prize-winning University of Chicago economist Milton Friedman.

"Were proud of the statement and our members stand by it," Joshua Bolten, Business Roundtables CEO and a former chief of staff for President George W. Bush, told Yahoo Finance. The group is chaired by Cisco (CSCO) CEO Chuck Robbins.

The idea that broader purpose and profit go together represented a major shift for a group that includes many of the corporate worlds best-known figures, from Apples (AAPL) Tim Cook to JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon to GMs (GM) Mary Barra.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman poses with a sculpture of himself in 1986. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images) (George Rose via Getty Images)

It remains a notable stance in 2024 as companies take more political heat for any support of policies that place heavy emphasis on environmental and diversity goals.

But Bolton said the Roundtables shift was never meant as an endorsement for so-called ESG (environmental, social, and governance) policies.

"Right from the beginning, there's been a fair amount of misunderstanding about what the statement was about," he said.

It was misinterpreted by the ideological left and right to mean that companies had decided to commit resources to solving every societal ill, he added.

"I think, properly interpreted, the statement was an endorsement of support for the long-term shareholder but perhaps not the short-term shareholder. Maybe not the hedge fund that dives in to take advantage of quarterly earnings."

The Business Roundtables new essay posted Friday offered evidence of ways in which member companies are living up to the philosophy, citing initiatives from PepsiCo (PEP), Google (GOOG, GOOGL), Cisco (CSCO), JPMorgan (JPM), and Walmart (WMT) designed to benefit employees, students, and US suppliers.

Story continues

"When the Business Roundtable statement was announced in 2019, Fortune ran a headline, 'Profits and Purpose: Can Big Business Have it Both Ways?' the Roundtable members said in their collective post.

"The answer is yes  companies can and must."

Business Roundtable CEO Joshua Bolten, President George W. Bush's last White House Chief of Staff, pictured in 2011. (David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images) (David Hume Kennerly via Getty Images)

Yet shareholders are increasingly withholding support for proposals that would impose new ESG and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) policies at many companies.

These policies have also attracted a lot of political heat in an election year. Former President Donald Trump has promised to banish ESG-minded retirement account investments "forever," while a top Trump ally has called DEI "bigotry" against white men.

Republican-led states are also pushing companies to rescind race-based employee quotas, piggybacking on the Supreme Court's decision in 2023 to strike down race-based admission policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina.

The current political environment creates challenges and dilemmas for all companies, including those that are part of the Business Roundtable. That includes rural retailer Tractor Supply (TSCO), run by Business Roundtable board member Hal Lawton.

A Tractor Supply Company store sign, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

In June, under pressure from shareholders, Tractor Supply announced that it would retire its DEI goals and stop sponsoring "nonbusiness activities like pride festivals and voting campaigns."

"We have heard from customers that we have disappointed them. We have taken this feedback to heart," it said in the announcement.

Bolten said Roundtable members are committed to being good citizens on issues that range from climate protection to workforce diversity.

"The important thing to us as a collective is that the statement is a statement about what they think best practice is, and if anything, call upon themselves to do better."

Alexis Keenan is a legal reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow Alexis on X @alexiskweed.

Click here for in-depth analysis of the latest stock market news and events moving stock prices

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL)  Services are set for a woman who, with her late husband Overton, spent a lifetime serving others in the military, public health and public schools.

WFFD investigates early morning house fire

Sallie Ray died Saturday at age 93.

Sallie Ray dedicated her life to public service in Wichita Falls and Burkburnett.

Sallie was born in North Carolina and moved to Wichita Falls when she married her late husband, Overton. Overton was a long-time teacher and administrator for the Burkburnett ISD and was instrumental in the desegregation process.



Sallie worked alongside him, helping the community. She served as a lieutenant in the Air Force and was one of the first Black nurses to graduate from the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania School of Nursing.



She worked as a nurse for the public health department here and then became a long-time school nurse for Burkburnett ISD. Countless local residents will remember her service and dedication.



Visitation for Sallie will be this Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Owens and Brumley Funeral Home in Wichita Falls.



Her service with military honors will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church at 1501 Ninth Street in Wichita Falls. Sallies family asks that donations be made to the church instead of sending flowers.

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Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has won the Republican primary for his seat in Floridas 1st Congressional District, according to Decision Desk HQ, fending off a challenger backed by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R) as part of the Californians revenge tour against the Republicans who ousted him.

Gaetz defeated Aaron Dimmock, a retired naval officer and leadership consultant, after a contentious race that put a spotlight on the long-running feud between the fourth-term conservative firebrand and the ex-Speaker.

Dimmock told The Hill ahead of the primary that hes never spoken to McCarthy, but Dimmock had his endorsement, and the political newcomers campaign got a boost of more than $3 million from a super PAC aligned with McCarthy.

Florida Patriots PAC ran biting ads knocking Gaetz over allegations of sexual misconduct, which the lawmaker has denied. The Florida Republican is under an ongoing investigation from the House Ethics Committee, though the Justice Department decided not to file charges in its sex-trafficking investigation into him last year. Hes dismissed the latest probes as frivolous.

Despite the support for his challenge effort, Dimmock faced an uphill battle to beat the Trump-backed incumbent whos represented the district since 2017. A Gaetz-sponsored poll from July showed the incumbent up more than 40 points over Dimmock, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Of the Republicans who voted to remove McCarthy from his leadership post last year, Gaetz was the last to face a primary this year.

McCarthy and his allies saw a win when Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) was ousted in a competitive Virginia primary earlier this year. But the revenge tour took a blow in South Carolinas primaries, where Rep. Nancy Mace (R) comfortably held off her challengers.

McCarthy and Gaetz clashed at last months Republican National Convention, underscoring tensions in the House GOP as the party pushes forward a message of unity for the fall.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Primaries in Florida dealt a blow to former Speaker Kevin McCarthys (R-Calif.) revenge tour against the Republicans who voted to oust him last year, and teed up a potential sleeper Senate race between incumbent Sen. Rick Scott (R) and former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D).

Votes were also cast in Alaska and Wyoming primaries to set key November match-ups in the battle for control of Congress. The contests came as thousands of Democrats gathered in Chicago for the ongoing party convention.

Here are five takeaways from Tuesdays primaries.

McCarthys revenge tour dealt another blow

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) fended off a primary challenger in the latest race to put a spotlight on tensions within the House GOP after McCarthys ouster last year.

Gaetz beat Aaron Dimmock, a retired naval officer and political newcomer supported by McCarthy and his allies, in the GOP race for his seat in Floridas 1st Congressional District. Dimmock told The Hill ahead of the primary that hes never spoken to McCarthy, but he ran Tuesday with the Californians backing and more than $3 million in support from a super PAC with ties to some in his orbit.

Gaetz led the charge of GOP lawmakers who voted for McCarthys historic removal from his leadership post last year, drawing the California Republicans ire. The two have been feuding since, most recently with a public clash that drew headlines at last months Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

The Florida primary results mark another loss for McCarthys efforts to get back at his GOP opponents after Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who also voted for the ouster, comfortably won her primary in South Carolina earlier this year.

On the other hand, Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), another anti-McCarthy lawmaker, was successfully ousted in Virginia.

Gaetz is now set to go up against Democrat Gay Valimont, a gun violence prevention activist who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. The district in Floridas panhandle has long been a Republican stronghold, and the incumbent is now well-positioned to retake his seat in November.

A potential sleeper Senate race is set

A Senate race in Florida that has the potential to be closer than expected is now set for the fall, with Mucarsel-Powell poised to take on incumbent Scott.

The state has lurched to the right in recent years, but recent polling has shown Scotts lead over his top challenger shrinking. The potential sleeper Senate race could be key to Democrats efforts to maintain control of the Senate.

Cook Political Report rates the seat as likely Republican, a step short of being solidly in the GOP column.

Scott  who narrowly defeated then-Sen. Bill Nelson (D) in 2018  notably came under fire last year for his Rescue America plan, which initially called for sunsetting federal programs. Recent polling has also shown him with lackluster approval numbers in the state.

Mucarsel-Powell focused largely on Scott as she campaigned against several other Democratic competitors, stressing that Florida is IN PLAY this fall. Other Democrats have argued in recent weeks that Florida is on the table for the presidential race, particularly after Harris took over the top of the partys ticket.

This cycle, its set to be an uphill climb for Mucarsel-Powell, with The Hill/Decision Desk HQ forecasts giving Scott an 83 percent chance of winning another term. Still, a competitive contest could put Republicans on defense for the Florida seat as both parties battle for control of the upper chamber.

Peltola fights to keep Alaskas House seat blue

Incumbent Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska) advanced from the states nonpartisan primary for its at-large House district as she fights to keep the Last Frontiers lone lower chamber seat in Democratic hands. Two Republicans, Nick Begich and Nancy Dahlstrom, also advanced.

Two years ago, Peltola won a special election to fill out the rest of the late Rep. Don Youngs (R) term in the House, flipping the seat blue for the first time in decades. During the midterms, she defeated former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), Begich and libertarian Chris Bye to win a full term.

This year, a dozen candidates are running in the primary for Peltolas seat, hailing from both sides of the aisle, as well as other affiliations. Under Alaskas ranked choice system, the top four candidates advance to Novembers election, regardless of party.

Peltola, the first Alaska Native in Congress, has the challenge of running for reelection as a Democratic lawmaker in a state that went to Trump in both 2016 and 2020.

After she said in July that she was keeping an open mind about the presidential race after President Biden stepped aside, according to Alaska Public Media, she clarified on social media that she wouldnt vote for Trump.

She was among a small handful of Democrats who voted for a resolution condemning Vice President Harris for her role in the administrations handling of the southern border, and is one of several vulnerable Democrats skipping the party convention this week.

Meanwhile, Republicans House campaign arm is targeting the Alaska seat as an offensive pick-up opportunity this fall, pouring millions in against the incumbent. Cook Political Report rates Peltolas seat as lean Democrat.

Dems get their candidates for potential Florida swing seats

Matchups are set for two competitive, Republican-held Florida seats as Democrats eye potential pickup opportunities in the fight for House control.

Whitney Fox, a former local government official, won the Democratic nomination in Floridas 13th Congressional District, setting up a showdown with incumbent Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R).

Luna, a Trump ally and a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, won the district in the midterms, turning it from blue to red after redistricting in the Sunshine State.

This time around, several Florida Democrats in the House have thrown their weight behind Fox, the former director of communications and marketing for the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority in Pinellas County, as she looks to pull off a flip back to blue. Fox defeated four other Democratic hopefuls to advance to November.

Over in Floridas 27th Congressional District, Miami-Dade School Board member Lucia Baez-Geller emerged from the Democratic primary to take on two-term incumbent Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), who won her seat in 2020.

The Democrats House campaign arm has set its sights on both Luna and Salazars districts, which the nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates as likely Republican.

DeSantis-backed school board candidates rejected in Florida

School board candidates backed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) were largely rejected by voters in Tuesdays primaries.

Eleven of 23 school board candidates endorsed by the Florida governor appeared to have lost their races Tuesday night, the Tampa Bay Times reported, and another five races looked headed to November runoffs.

Incumbents Laura Hine and Eileen Long were poised to fend off DeSantis-endorsed Danielle Marolf and Erika Picard, respectively, according to unofficial results from Pinellas County.

In Hillsborough County, incumbents Nadia Combs and Jessica Vaughn also looked set to defeat DeSantis-backed challengers, according to results from Fox 13 News.

The Associated Press also reported that two DeSantis-appointed school board members in Broward County lost their seats to challengers.

The results are a blow to DeSantis, who lodged an unsuccessful bid for the White House this cycle. Last cycle, a majority of his endorsed candidates won their school board elections in Florida, flipping some liberal-leaning school boards to conservative.

The Sunshine State governor has leaned hard into educational issues as part of his political brand, while Florida has come under national criticism over controversial book-banning policies and Black history education.

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As state Rep. Vernon G. Smith, D-Gary, finally stepped off the bus Monday evening after a tedious three-hour ride through Chicago traffic and ironclad security, the towering facade of the United Center came into view, adorned with Democratic National Convention banners.



After we got in, I felt the energy, Smith said. Theres an exuberant feeling thats present. Its not overconfidence but a sense of joy that were on our way to victory.

On the precipice of history, Smith couldnt help but reflect on the significance of the moment. For delegates like him, the convention is not just about formalities; its an opportunity to shape the future.

Convention delegates play a crucial, though often overlooked, role in the democratic process. While voters cast ballots for their preferred presidential candidates during primaries, its the delegates who ultimately determine their partys nominee. This year, with President Joe Biden stepping down from the race, the Democratic Partys delegates have already cast their votes, making Vice President Kamala Harris the presumptive nominee.



This convention, then, is more a coronation than a contest, setting the stage for Harris to make history again as she seeks to become the first woman elected president of the United States. Smith, Gary Mayor Eddie Melton, and state Rep. Ragen Hatcher are among Indianas 88 delegates who have already pledged their support for Harris.

The convention experience is a whirlwind, with delegates days packed with full and varied events. From early morning breakfasts at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park hotel to networking and speeches at the United Center, Smith, Hatcher, and Melton stayed busy engaging with fellow delegates, attending events, and advocating for Gary.

Democratic National Convention banners line the light poles in downtown Chicago. (Javonte Anderson/Capital B)

Smith, the elder statesman of Garys delegation, is no stranger to the process. He has served as a representative of Garys 14th Congressional District since 1990 and stressed that the current state of the nation is what excited him about attending.

First of all, I think our nation is a risk as far as democracy is concerned, and I wanted to be part of this experience because it might be our last if he [former President Donald Trump] gets in, Smith said.

Though the DNC isnt an official platform for addressing local issues, Garys delegates use the time in Chicago to network and subtly advocate for their city.

A legacy in action: Hatcher embraces her first role as delegate amid the DNCs grand stage

At 7:30 a.m. in downtown Chicago, Garys delegates move with purpose through the Fairmont Chicago hotel, the early morning hum of anticipation in the air. The foyer and conference room buzz with excitement as they prepare for the day ahead. Two framed photos of Harris, whose nomination is a foregone conclusion, stand prominently in the room. Though its only the first day of the convention, the delegates are already bracing for the long, pivotal hours in front of them.

A framed photo of Vice President Kamala Harris is displayed inside the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park hotel in downtown Chicago. (Javonte Anderson/Capital B)

Among them was Hatcher, who has experienced the energy of several Democratic National Conventions before  not as a delegate, but as the daughter of Richard Hatcher, one of the nations first Black mayors. Growing up under the legacy of her trailblazing father, Hatcher was no stranger to the events grandeur. But this years convention was different; it was her first time participating officially.

Its different. It doesnt feel like the [former President Barack] Obama one so much, she said. Its almost like shes already in position. I think we felt we had to work really hard for Obama because he was coming from the Senate up to president. Shes already the vice president. Its less about being excited for her and more about how do we get Northwest Indiana to come out to vote.

On Monday, Hatcher didnt report to the convention hall, opting instead to attend an event at Chicagos famed Starbucks Roastery, where locals discussed various ways to bring Starbucks locations to their respective cities.

Gary is currently one of Northwest Indianas only communities without a Starbucks.

Though she didnt attend the convention last night, Hatcher kept her eyes on the proceedings.

I did get to watch Kamala on TV, I got to see Rev. [Jesse] Jackson come out, which was really emotional and wonderful, and I loved listening to [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]. She was amazing, Hatcher told Capital B Gary.

The convention is great, but all of this meeting and talking and collaboration is really awesome.

Garys leaders balance national spotlight and local advocacy

Gary Mayor Eddie Melton moved through the convention halls with the ease and energy of a candidate still on the campaign trail, shaking hands and engaging in lively conversations with fellow delegates. Despite the verve of the Democratic National Convention, duty called him back to Gary on Monday afternoon, where the citys business awaited.

This years convention was the first that Melton attended as a delegate. Following Bidens historic withdrawal from the race, Melton was excited to see the vice president become the nominee.

I just want to see it officially become a done deal, and well have our official nominee, Melton told Capital B Gary.

Gary Mayor Eddie Melton speaks with other Indiana delegates huddle during a breakfast at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park hotel in downtown Chicago. (Javonte Anderson/Capital B)

Aside from national politics, Melton highlighted the importance of a local and statewide focus.

I was on a call with the Harris campaign, and I shared with them to not overlook Lake County or Gary because were in a predominately Republican state, he said. So advocating to our own party is extremely important for resources in communities.

The mayor was particularly touched by three women who shared their experiences with abortion, an issue that has often been a point of contention in the Indiana statehouse.

While Hatcher focused on bringing new opportunities to Gary, Smith used the convention as a platform to spotlight his citys progress.

After the Indiana delegate breakfast, Smiths convention week began with an opening ceremony at Navy Pier. Smith took this opportunity to network and inform fellow Democrats about his city.

I talked to people from different states and was able to inform them about what were doing in Gary, he said. They asked about the state legislature and how were dealing with that. Hopefully, I shared some things with them that let them know theres some good coming out of Gary.

The first day of the convention ran longer than expected, with Biden not taking the stage for his 50-minute speech until nearly 11 p.m. The long day took a bit of a toll on Smith.

It was definitely a midnight experience, said Smith early Tuesday morning. We were hungry, so we were out getting food until 2 a.m., didnt get in bed until 2:30, so I only had about three hours of sleep.

With Barack and Michelle Obama slated to speak on Tuesday, Garys delegates were excited about the show.

The week ahead will be a crescendo of big name appearances on the convention stage, culminating with Harris acceptance speech on Thursday.

For her part, Hatcher is hopeful voters at home are as tuned in as she is.

I just hope that were not in a political bubble, she said. I hope that other people are watching at the same time.

The post Gary Delegates Make Their Mark at the Democratic National Convention appeared first on Capital B Gary.
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) speaks on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Delegates, politicians, and Democratic Party supporters are gathering in Chicago, as current Vice President Kamala Harris is named her party's presidential nominee. The DNC takes place from August 19-22. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Having middle-class union parents allowed he and his sisters to have the ability to pursue their dreams, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters said in praising Vice President Kamala Harris commitment to the working class during his speech Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention.

I was raised in a union household. My father was a teacher and my mother a nurses aide. I went to public school, I worked odd jobs, became an Eagle Scout, and Kamala Harris and Tim Walz grew up just like me, Peters said. I know they will fight for all of us. They will make it easier to raise our families and to retire with dignity.

Harris was raised by her single mom, an immigrant and breast cancer researcher. Her running mate, the governor of Minnesota, joined the Army National Guard before attending college and becoming a teacher.

Michigan recently was the backdrop to a historic union fight as the United Auto Workers union went on strike for 46 days late last year in order to get Detroits Big Three automakers to meet their demands in contract negotiations.

In Michigan, we believe we have to build an economy that grows the middle class and we know that when unions succeed, all workers win, Peters said.

If former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, win, working people will suffer, Peters said, while bringing retired members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters onto to the stage.

That comes after Teamsters President Sean OBrien spoke last month at the Republican National Convention and was the first Teamsters president to ever speak at the convention, which was criticized by some members.

In the past, the Teamsters have endorsed GOP candidates, including Nixon, Reagan and George H.W. Bush, OBrien said. But over the last 40 years, the Republican Party has rarely pursued a strong relationship with organized labor. There are some in the party who stand in active opposition to labor unions  this too, must change.

OBrien is not set to speak at the Democratic National Convention, telling Fox News on Wednesday maybe the invitation got lost in the U.S. Postal Service and maybe they should ship it UPS, itll guarantee delivery. UPS is the number one employer of Teamsters, with UPS reporting 300,000 Teamster employees.

Several other union leaders did speak at the DNC, including UAW President Shawn Fain, Communications Workers of America (CWA) President Claude Cummings Jr. and American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) President Liz Shuler.

Even without their leader, Teamsters were heard at the convention as Peters turned over the microphone to Kenneth Stribling, a retired Teamster and president of the National United Committee to Protect Pensions.

Stribling talked about learning that by 2025, his pension monthly payments would be reduced in half shortly before his wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

I didnt know how we were going to make it, so I went to a retirees meeting in the basement of a small church. At that moment, I knew we were not going to go down without a fight, Stribling said, and his wife made him promise to never quit until they made things right.

Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law three months into his presidency, which secured the pensions of retired Teamsters.

They saved over 1 million pensions, including 33,000 from my state, Wisconsin, 52,000 from Pennsylvania, 61,000 from Michigan. As President, I know Kamala Harris will have our backs. She will fight for our retirement ,social security and Medicare, Stribling said.

His wife died in 2019, but Stribling said he kept his promise to her.

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George Floyd's Killer Derek Chauvin Transferred to New Prison Nearly 9 Months After Being Stabbed While Incarcerated

Chauvin, 48, was previously serving time at an Arizona prison, where he survived a stabbing at the hands of another inmate last November

Court TV via AP Derek Chauvin

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis, Minn., police officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, has been transferred to a new federal prison after surviving a stabbing last year while incarcerated, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Chauvin, 48, was transferred to Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Big Spring in Texas, on Aug. 20, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed to PEOPLE on Aug. 21. The spokesperson declined to comment as to why Chauvin was transferred to the low-security prison.

Chauvin was sentenced in June 2021 to 22.5 years in state prison  or 270 months  after being convicted on state charges of murder and manslaughter in connection with the killing of Floyd.

On May 25, 2020, Floyd, 46, was seen in viral bystander video on the ground with his hands cuffed behind him as Chauvin pinned his knee to Floyds neck for about nine minutes.

Related: 'My Brother Was Somebody': George Floyd's Sister, Friend Reflect 4 Years After His Murder (Exclusive)

"I can't breathe, and Theyre going to kill me, were among the unarmed mans last words before he lost consciousness and died at a local hospital. Floyd had been detained by Chauvin and three other officers  who have also been convicted for their roles  after allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill at a Minneapolis market.

Minnesota Department of Corrections via Getty; Facebook Derek Chauvin (left) and George Floyd.

Chauvin also pleaded guilty to a federal charge of violating Floyd's civil rights and was sentenced to 21 years behind bars. His sentences are running concurrently.

Chauvin was previously serving his time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Ariz., a medium-security prison. It was there that he survived the stabbing at the hands of another inmate on Nov. 24, 2023.

Related: Derek Chauvin Was Stabbed 22 Times by Fellow Inmate on Black Friday: Prosecutors

Federal authorities have accused John Turscak of stabbing Chauvin 22 times with an improvised knife, PEOPLE previously reported.

According to the Associated Press, prosecutors said Turscak allegedly told investigators that he attacked Chauvin on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, as a symbolic connection to the Black Lives Matter movement and the "Black Hand" symbol associated with the Mexican Mafia gang.

Tursack faces federal charges of attempted murder, assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury, the United States Attorneys Office previously said. Its unclear if he has entered a plea to the charges.

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.

On Tuesday, Thomas Lane, another former Minneapolis police officer, became the first officer convicted in Floyd's killing to be released from prison, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed to PEOPLE.

He had completed a 2.5-year federal sentence earlier this year and according to CNN, was serving a three-year state sentence for aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

A spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Corrections told PEOPLE that Lane now must serve one year of supervised release.

Like Lane, two other ex-officers were convicted of a federal charge of violating Floyd's civil rights. Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng were ordered in July 2022 to serve 42 months and 36 months in federal prison, respectively, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.



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GEORGETOWN, S.C. (WCBD)Officials in Georgetown County are trying to build up a shrinking number of skilled trade workers nationwide.

Theres a shortage of high school programs. Even in Georgetown County, there used to be a vocational program in every high school, but now its become centralized because not many kids are interested in it. We must come up with a method to produce those individuals, said Walt Ackerman, the county director of administration.

In 2023, leaders conducted a county-wide survey. They found that the average age of trade workers such as electricians, plumbers, and carpenters was 51, so they started a paid apprenticeship program teaching trades to high school seniors.

I love trades. I always want to be a tradesman. I would recommend people to pick up a trade, especially if you are a man because you never know what you must do around your house or somebody elses house, said Jamon Lewis, a Department of Public Services member.

Students said the program gives them real-life experience and prepares them for successful careers.

Try it, and if you dont like it, you can join different departments like construction, plumbing, and HVAC. There are a lot of different avenues that you could take, said Kenesha Hemingway, a Department of Public Services member.

Officials said the program has been successful so far, and they hope to continue that trend.

Please click the link below for more information on the apprenticeship program or to apply.

Jobs  Georgetown County, SC  CivicEngage (gtcounty.org)

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCBD News 2.
Georgia lawmaker urges panel to consider better firearms safety rules to deter child gun deaths

ATLANTA (AP)  A Georgia state senator is trying to change the terms of an entrenched partisan debate, saying hes not interested in restricting gun ownership but in preventing the fatal shooting of children.

FILE  Georgia Sen. Marty Harbin, R-Tyrone, speaks before the state Senate inside the state Capitol in Atlanta, Feb. 27, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)

The statement Tuesday by Decatur Democrat Emanuel Jones reflects the strategies of those who are trying to reduce gun violence in Republican-led states where legislative majorities are locked in behind permissive gun laws.

Jones told the first meeting of the Senate Safe Firearm Storage Study Committee that his aim is not a gun bill, but instead he wants to build bipartisan support for improved gun safety. The committee heard ideas about tax credits for gun owners who install safety devices; educational campaigns; and safe storage measures.

One of the things that I thought about in creating this study committee is, what can we do to save as many children as possible from an untimely death associated with a weapon in someones home thats not stored safely, Jones said.

SCCPSS weapons policy: What violators could face

Everytown for Gun Safety, a national advocacy group that works on policies to reduce gun violence, says Georgia has among the highest rates of unintentional child shootings in the country.

Nevertheless, gun control is not a popular topic among state Republicans.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemps loud stance on gun rights helped him win his election and propelled him into the national spotlight. In 2022, Kemp signed a law allowing people to carry a handgun without a state-issued permit.

Democrats have tried to propose restrictive legislation, but resistance from Republicans has prevented bolder proposals from gaining traction.

This year, a bipartisan group of Georgia lawmakers attempted to pass firearm safety legislation. The bill would have offered a $300 tax credit for gun owners who have secure storage devices  including gun safes and locks  and complete firearm safety courses.

The bill passed 162-3 in the House, but failed in the Senate.

Republican Sen. Frank Ginn of Danielsville, who said he is a long-time member of the National Rifle Association, said he wants to ensure Georgia doesnt jeopardize the rights of gun owners.

I think about guns being like a parachute; You only need one when you need one, and if you need one and you dont have one, its not doing you any good, Ginn said.

Sen. Marty Harbin, a Tyrone Republican and committee member, said locking up firearms doesnt necessarily prevent children from shooting themselves or others.

The lock was not going to stop what they made up their minds to do, Harbin said.

Harbin said parents arent doing enough to supervise their children, declaring families are in crisis. He suggested chaplains could be placed in schools to help address difficulties in the home.

Compounding the issue of firearm security: Atlanta had the second highest number of gun theft from cars in 2022 compared with cities nationwide, according to Everytown.

In May, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr reprimanded officials in Savannah for an ordinance that made it illegal for residents to store firearms in unlocked cars. Carr, a Republican, said the measure overstepped Georgia law. But this month, Savannah police began to enforce the ordinance, The Savannah Morning News reported.

Several states, including Rhode Island, Michigan, and North Carolina have enacted gun safety measures, and Atlanta officials recently hosted an event where they gave away gun lock boxes for cars.

At the Democratic National Convention on Monday, President Joe Biden touted action on gun safety but emphasized that gun violence is the top cause of childhood deaths.

This is not just a Georgia issue, Jones said during the committee hearing. As the president said last night in his speech, its a national issue.

A 2023 AP-NORC poll found that most people want stricter gun control measures and Republicans and Democrats both believe that gun violence is too high.

Jones told the Associated Press he is optimistic about renewed efforts. He was especially excited about an idea to give businesses tax incentives to pass out gun locks and other gun safety devices.

Every year we get closer, Jones said.

Mike Webb, a Georgia parent and longtime gun owner, told the committee that his 18-year-old son took his own life over twenty years ago using a gun. Three years ago, his ex-wife and daughters mother was one of the eight people killed in shootings at several Atlanta-area spas.

Lets stop trying to create panic by hyperventilating about some nonexistent, diabolical plan to take our guns, Webb said. Lets do something productive for change.

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The ruling Georgian Dream party said on Aug. 20 that it will try to declare its largest opposition party, the United National Movement (UNM), as unconstitutional if it secures a parliamentary majority in the upcoming elections.

Georgian Dream, which has been power since 2012, has long demonized UNM and its former leader and ex-president, Mikheil Saakashvili.

Saakashvili, who left the country after Georgian Dream came to power and briefly served as the governor of Ukraine's Odesa Oblast, has been in prison in Georgia since 2021 on charges he maintains are politically motivated.

In an appeal posted on Facebook, Georgian Dream emphasized that it needs to obtain a "constitutional majority in order to qualitatively improve the political system, which cannot be achieved without removing the collective 'UNM' from politics."

The phrase, "collective UNM," has been regularly used by Georgian Dream officials as an attempt to lump its political opposition under the banner of UNM, which still has a controversial legacy in the country.

"Upon obtaining a constitutional majority, we will initiate a legal process that will result in UNM and all its satellite or successor parties being declared unconstitutional," the statement continued.

Read also: Russias shadow over Georgia and Kyrgyzstans foreign agent laws

Georgian Dream's statement also included three other reasons why it says it needs a constitutional majority  to pass anti-LGBTQ legislation, "to restore the territorial integrity of Georgia...in a peaceful way," and "for the protection of Georgia's identity and national values."

The statement was immediately criticized by Georgia's opposition, with some saying that it was illustrative of Georgian Dream's increasingly open authoritarian tendencies and intent to create a one-party state.

Georgian Dream previously passed an anti-LGBTQ bill in its first reading in June, but it must go through two more readings and other legislative steps before it becomes law.

Two regions of Georgia  Abkhazia and South Ossetia  are under de-facto control of Russia. Georgian Dream has hinted before about the possibility of returning the territories to its control, but has yet explained how it plans to do so. Some believe that the plans may include concessions to Russia.

Georgia's relations with the West have deteriorated in recent months, in large part due to the passage of the controversial foreign agents law and associated crackdown on the historic street protests that followed.

Parliamentary elections, widely thought to be an existential moment for the country, are scheduled to be held in October. Recent independent polling found that while Georgian Dream was the most popular party, chosen by 32% of respondents, the level of support would be short of a constitutional majority and would necessitate the creation of a coalition government.

Read also: Explainer: Whats behind ongoing protests in Georgia?

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Blue Chip Stocks Under $100. In this article, we are going to take a look at where TotalEnergies SE (NYSE:TTE) stands against the other blue chip stocks under $100.

We all are wondering only one thing: Is the U.S. economy headed for a no, soft, or hard landing?

The re-acceleration (or the no-landing) case is being advocated by strong job growth, healthy double-digit expectations for growth in corporate earnings, and inflation remaining above 2.5%. On the other hand, the potential for a soft landing or (below-trend growth) is supported by a slowdown in forward-looking labor market indicators. Such indicators include hiring rates and subdued wage growth which might weigh over real household incomes.

Finally, the case for a hard landing (recession, as you might say) depends on historical precedent. A sustained period of aggressive tightening might push the economy into recession. However, there is enough evidence that the US economy continues to slow and inflation pressure is easing.

Soft Landing or Recession- The Debate Continues

As of now, investors continue to debate between a soft landing or a recession. The macro data is not of much help. This is because a slowdown can be perceived in 2 ways: Firstly, it can be assumed as a healthy rebalancing which enables inflation to cool without prompting negative growth, and secondly, the path to a not-so-severe recession starting in the latter half of 2024 or early 2025.

The broader financial markets are hinting at the soft-landing scenario. This is evident given the optimism about earnings-growth expectations. Apart from this optimism, there is optimism around high-yield credit spreads which are pricing cyclically low levels of defaults.

The conditions are improving in several developed economies, with some positive news coming from China. Chinas outlook seems to be brightening with the implementation of policy measures to stabilize the property market and boost the overall Chinese economy. The country faces significant longer-term structural issues associated with high savings, subdued consumption, over-capacity, and dependency on export demand.

The policy moves have aided the near-term outlook and led to the rise in the Chinese benchmark index from deeply oversold levels earlier in the year. Hang Seng Index saw an increase from ~16,224 levels in mid-April to ~19,636 levels in mid-May.

Soft-landing expectations are expected to remain for the next few months as and when inflation worries decline. Since there is asymmetry over the mid-year return outlook, experts should also closely watch for signs of a deeper downturn.

Story continues

With So Much Uncertainty, What Should Investors Do?

Ever since the inflation and labor market worries started taking a toll on the broader stock markets, investors have decided to flock to recession-proof and high-quality blue-chip companies. They have all the reasons for it, as these companies are capable of weathering economic volatility. The uncertainties about job growth, higher unemployment, and speculations regarding potential Federal Reserve rate cuts are some of the factors weighing over investors confidence.

That being said, the latest readings, ranging from inflation to jobless claims and rising retail sales, revived investors confidence in the US economy. Experts believe that the US economy might be heading for a Goldilocks scenario characterized by contained price pressures along with healthy growth. Despite fading fears, investors continue to prefer making investments in blue-chip stocks.

Even though there are several investing strategies and trends available, nothing can beat the strategy of investing in a blue-chip company that has a strong reputation.

What Are Blue-chip Stocks? An Overview

If you are hunting for some smart investments to add to your portfolio, you might have come across the term blue-chip stocks. These stocks are renowned for being reliable investments and they can provide numerous advantages. The blue-chip stocks are the ones having high value and potential for long-term growth.

The term, blue chip, comes from poker in which the highest-value chips are blue. Therefore, blue chip describes some of the highest-quality stocks in the market. Blue-chip stocks are from renowned and well-established companies with consistently strong performance.

More often than not, such stocks tend to have a long history of shelling out dividends and growing their market share. Even in the market downturn, blue-chip stocks remain resilient. Since well-established and renowned companies issue them, the prices of blue-chip stocks rise more slowly as compared to other stocks. Even in the downturns, these stocks are less likely to witness rapid drops. These companies have healthy balance sheets and resilient business models, because of which these are tagged as one of the safest investments.

How Can Blue-chip Stocks Help in Current Economic Worries?

The blue-chip stocks are sometimes synonymous with reliability and stability. Such stocks exhibit companies that are leaders in their respective industries. As a result, they boast a history of stable financials and consistent performance. They provide investors with a sense of security whenever there is an economic slowdown.

For example, iShares S&P 100 ETF, a leading bluechip ETF, saw an increase of ~20% on the YTD basis amidst uncertainty in the global markets like higher inflation, uncertain labor market, geopolitical worries, a slowdown in China, etc. In comparison, the broader market, Dow Jones Industrial Average has risen by just over ~7% on a YTD basis.

Besides size, blue-chip companies tend to remain on the front foot of innovation as they invest heavily in R&D. In stormy and difficult market conditions, dividends can offer a source of steady income. These companies possess long histories of paying generous dividends. They also have a policy of consistently increasing their payouts. Blue-chip stocks have also shown their resilience in the past, having a strong track record of weathering market downturns. For example, in 2020, when the global economy came to a standstill due to the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, the bluechip ETF delivered a return of over ~19%. On the other hand, the broader market saw an increase of just ~5%.

Our methodology

To make our list of best blue-chip stocks under $100, we started by using the Finviz screener. We looked for profitable companies with moats that are likely to last for at least the next 25 Years. We then ranked the best blue-chip stocks according to their potential upside, as of August 16.

At Insider Monkey, we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletters strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

An industrial oil and gas plant, with stacks of pipes issuing steam into the sky.

TotalEnergies SE (NYSE:TTE)

Share Price as of August 16, 2024: US$68.65

Average Upside Potential: 15.08%

TotalEnergies SE (NYSE:TTE) is an integrated oil and gas company, that explores for, produces, and refines oil around the world.

To address the challenges related to the energy transition, TotalEnergies SE (NYSE:TTE) implemented a two-pillar strategy. Firstly, it continues to establish low-cost exploration and production projects, and LNG will play an important role in the transition. Secondly, the company is building an Integrated Power segment with the help of investments in renewable power. Therefore, the company plans to invest more than 30% of its total spending in low-carbon businesses.

The company has a wide economic moat, whereby, it enjoys a low-cost and geographically well-diversified portfolio of upstream assets. Apart from this, the companys diversified business mix offers balance during periods of hydrocarbon price volatility.

The companys competitive advantage includes its increased FCF and ROIC. This is because traditional exploration and production assets are being used to finance short-cycle projects. TotalEnergies SE (NYSE:TTE) is focused on divesting its non-core assets as it focuses on advantaged, low-cost, and low-emission projects. This is supported by the fact that it signed a deal to divest its ~10% interest in the major oil and gas player in Nigeria to the locally owned company for $860 million.

In another development, TotalEnergies SE (NYSE:TTE) entered into a definitive agreement to sell its wholly owned subsidiary, TotalEnergies EP (Brunei) B.V., to Malaysias Hibiscus Petroleum Berhad for the value of $259 million.

Analysts at Wolfe Research initiated a coverage on the shares of TotalEnergies SE (NYSE:TTE) on 18th July 2024. They gave an Outperform rating, with a price target of $87.00 per share.

According to Insider Monkey, the number of hedge funds holding stakes in the company increased to 18 in Q1 2024 from 17 in the preceding quarter. Aristotle Capital Management, LLC, an investment management company, released its first quarter 2024 investor letter and mentioned TotalEnergies SE (NYSE:TTE). Here is what the fund said:

During the quarter, we sold our positions in Phillips 66 and Sysco and invested in two new positions: Lowes Companies and TotalEnergies SE (NYSE:TTE). Headquartered in Paris, France, TotalEnergies was founded in 1924 and is one of the worlds largest energy companies. The company operates in more than 130 countries and spans the entire energy value chain, producing and marketing oil and biofuels, liquid natural gas (LNG), renewables and electricity. To meet the challenge of the energy transition and still ensure reliable energy in the short term, TotalEnergies has implemented a two-pillar strategy: on one end, the company continues to develop low-cost exploration and production projects, with LNG playing a vital role in the transition; on the other, it has been building its Integrated Power segment through investments in renewable power. As such, management plans to invest over 30% of total spending in low-carbon businesses and rank among the worlds top five providers of solar and wind energy by 2030. To emphasize this ambition, the company changed its name from Total to TotalEnergies in 2021 (Click here to read the full text)

Overall TTE ranks 6th on our list of the best blue chip stocks under $100. While we acknowledge the potential of TTE as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some deeply undervalued AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for a deeply undervalued AI stock that is more promising than TTE but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: $30 Trillion Opportunity: 15 Best Humanoid Robot Stocks to Buy According to Morgan Stanley and Jim Cramer Says NVIDIA Has Become A Wasteland.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
The Viadrina Museum shows how gingerbread is made using a mold. Gingerbread production in Germany fell slightly last year, according to government figures released on Wednesday. Patrick Pleul/dpa

Gingerbread production in Germany fell slightly last year, according to government figures released on Wednesday.

At 86,800 tons in total, the volume of gingerbread produced in the country was around 1% lower than in the previous year, Germany's Federal Statistical Office reported.

Around a quarter of the gingerbread - 22,500 tons - was exported, with the largest customers in Austria, Poland and France, according to the report.

The majority of exports of the biscuits, traditionally consumed around Christmas, were already shipped abroad in August and September.

German gingerbread manufacturers generally ramp up production in the summer in order to ensure that the holiday treats are ready in time for Christmas and can be exported well in advance of the holiday as well.

Around 10,800 tons of gingerbread was imported to Germany in 2023, according to the agency.
Delegates at the state party conference of the AfD Saxony-Anhalt vote with their voting cards. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) Saxony-Anhalt is meeting in Magdeburg to elect a new state executive committee, among other things. Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert/dpa

Several prominent German news outlets have gone to court over the far-right Alternative for Germany's (AfD) decision to exclude their journalists from election-day events in the central German state of Thuringia.

The news magazine Spiegel, the newspapers Bild and Welt as well as the left-wing daily taz all announced that they had asked a court in the city of Erfurt to order the AfD's state party in Thuringia to grant access to their reporters.

The news outlets said that freedom of the press was being restricted by the AfD's decision to deny access to journalists from those outlets.

A court spokesman told dpa that the request had been received but that he could not yet provide a timeline for consideration.

The state parliamentary election in Thuringia is scheduled for September 1, and polls show the AfD leading with around 30% of the vote. Domestic intelligence has categorized the AfD in Thuringia as right-wing extremist.

Thuringia's AfD co-chairman Stefan Moller told dpa that the decision on press access came down to capacity in the event space.

"The one venue we have can hold 200 people, so it's full. We have set aside 50 seats for the press and radio," Moller said. "We have to draw boundaries somewhere. Otherwise we won't be able to hold any more campaign events if we are no longer allowed to bring in our own people because we only have to accept journalists."

He said the party would consider simply cancelling the election party if the court ordered them to allow access to even more journalists.
Delegates at the state party conference of the AfD Saxony-Anhalt vote with their voting cards. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) Saxony-Anhalt is meeting in Magdeburg to elect a new state executive committee, among other things. Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert/dpa

Several prominent German news outlets have gone to court over the far-right Alternative for Germany's (AfD) decision to exclude their journalists from election-day events in the central German state of Thuringia.

The news magazine Spiegel, the newspapers Bild and Welt as well as the left-wing daily taz all announced that they had asked a court in the city of Erfurt to order the AfD's state party in Thuringia to grant access to their reporters.

The news outlets said that freedom of the press was being restricted by the AfD's decision to deny access to journalists from those outlets.

A court spokesman told dpa that the request had been received but that he could not yet provide a timeline for consideration.

The state parliamentary election in Thuringia is scheduled for September 1, and polls show the AfD leading with around 30% of the vote. Domestic intelligence has categorized the AfD in Thuringia as right-wing extremist.

Thuringia's AfD co-chairman Stefan Moller told dpa that the decision on press access came down to capacity in the event space.

"The one venue we have can hold 200 people, so it's full. We have set aside 50 seats for the press and radio," Moller said. "We have to draw boundaries somewhere. Otherwise we won't be able to hold any more campaign events if we are no longer allowed to bring in our own people because we only have to accept journalists."

He said the party would consider simply cancelling the election party if the court ordered them to allow access to even more journalists.

Torben Braga, press spokesman for the Thuringian AfD, said that invitations for the election party had been sent to a small distribution list of journalists who regularly report on Thuringian state politics and the Thuringian AfD.

"We didn't invite journalists from the national press," he said, adding that they assumed national journalists might be in Berlin or the eastern state of Saxony, which is also holding state parliamentary election on the same day.

Moller declined to reveal the exact location of the AfD's election watch party, citing concerns about security.

The case is not the first time that media outlets have gone to court over the Thuringia AfD's decision to exclude journalists from events.

Last year, public broadcaster ARD had to take legal action to gain access to the AfD's state party conference, but nonetheless saw its journalists cordoned off behind tape and kept away from party delegates.
"Remigration" is written on a poster at a protest camp against the opening of new refugee accommodation. Bodo Schackow/dpa

German authorities reported a significant jump in the number of migrant smuggling cases in 2023, rising by about 60% compared to the previous year, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) said on Wednesday.

In the same period, the number of individuals suspected of criminal involvement in human smuggling rose by around a quarter to 4,404, according to the BKA. Most suspects in smuggling offences were Syrian, German, Turkish and Ukrainian nationals.

Investigators said it was worrying that in an increasing number of cases, people were transported in containers that posed a risk to life and limb. There were a total of 7,920 reported cases of human smuggling in 2023.

"Most frequently, vans that are easy to rent and for which no special driving license is required were used for this purpose," the BKA said in a statement.

Police said that there was a risk of oxygen or water deprivation as well as hypothermia or injuries in the event of accidents during such journeys.

The average number of people found in smuggling busts of vans had almost doubled from 10 to 19 between 2022 and 2023, according to the BKA's Federal Crime Report on Migrant Smuggling.

Illegal immigration overall also increased substantially in Germany in 2023, according to the BKA on Wednesday.

Police suspected 266,224 people of unauthorized entry and residence in 2023, an increase of 33.4% compared to the previous year, the BKA said.

Most of the suspects were apprehended by German federal police.

In total, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency recorded around 380,200 unauthorized border crossings across the external borders of the 29-country Schengen visa-free travel area, which includes Germany, according to the BKA.

That is the highest annual figure since 2016.

The main countries of origin for the suspects in Germany were Syria (54,207 people), Turkey (35,732 people) and Afghanistan (35,370 people).

In the first half of 2024, the number of unauthorized entries of migrants reported by police the German border fell by 7% percent compared to the previous year, the Federal Police reported at the end of July.

Fixed immigration controls were put in palce at Germany's land borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland in mid-October last year of last year under orders from German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.

According to the BKA's report, smuggling routes shifted in 2023.

Compared to the previous year, there was an increase in smuggling across the Schengen external borders via the central Mediterranean to Italy and via the eastern Mediterranean to Greece.

In contrast, border crossings on the Western Balkans route, such as via Albania, and along the eastern route, for example via Russia or Belarus to Poland, have declined.
A sign reading "Attorney General at the Federal Supreme Court" is pictured at the entrance to Germany's Federal Public Prosecutor's Office building. Christoph Schmidt/dpa

Two people with alleged affiliations to the so-called Islamic State terror group have been criminally charged by German prosecutors on allegations of plotting an armed attack near the Swedish parliament in Stockholm.

Prosecutors announced the charges on Wednesday, accusing the two Afghan men of plotting a gun attack targeting Swedish police officers after having received orders from the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) offshoot in Afghanistan and Pakistan in the summer of 2023.

The plot was allegedly intended as a response to Koran burnings held in Stockholm and other Scandinavian cities by anti-Islam activists, according to prosecutors.

The two men were arrested by German police in March near the eastern city of Gera on suspicion of terrorism and have been held in custody since then.

They allegedly tried several times to procure weapons for the attack but without success, and also researched the potential attack location on the internet, according to prosecutors.

The charges against the two men include belonging to or supporting a terrorist organization, conspiracy to commit a crime and violations of Germany's Foreign Trade and Payments Act.

A court in the central German city of Jena will now decide on how to proceed with the charges and whether to schedule a trial for the two men.
Robert Habeck, Vice Chancellor of Germany, has pledged further aid for Ukraine, and said that Germany will continue to support it without any ifs and buts.

Source: European Pravda with reference to Habeck's interview with the Berliner Morgenpost, a German newspaper

Quote from Habeck: "Ukraine will receive money in the future with which it can buy urgently needed weapons systems. As far as I know, this will happen at the end of the year."

Details: The vice chancellor recalled that Ukraine will also receive a 50 billion loan, which will be paid off with the proceeds from the frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank.

Another 4 billion, Habeck says, will be available from the federal budget in 2025. If this does not happen, the authorities "will have to hold a new discussion" and "look for support in a different way".

He admitted that the transition to the planned model with the G7 loan could become a problem "if new orders can no longer be placed because the previous budget allocations have been exhausted".

Quote from the vice chancellor: "For that, we must ensure that the weapons systems are ordered now and paid for later from G7 funds."

When asked whether Germany would step in if the US stopped supporting Ukraine, for example, under Donald Trump's presidency, Habeck replied, "Yes. Then we will not leave Ukraine alone."

Background:

Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported last weekend that the current budget planning of the German federal government does not provide for additional funds to support Ukraine and that at Chancellor Scholzs request, additional applications from the German Ministry of Defence for military aid to Ukraine will no longer be approved.

The German government denied any intention to cut military aid to Ukraine. A government spokesperson reported that the German government expects that international partners will provide Ukraine with a loan totalling US$50 billion next year, which will be covered by interest from frozen Russian assets.

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Signs at the entrance to the Nato airbase in Geilenkirchen - Teveren display the "Security Alert State B+". Police and state security are investigating a security incident at the waterworks of an air force barracks in Cologne-Wahn on suspicion of sabotage directed against the Bundeswehr. Henning Kaiser/dpa

Germany's military has increased security measures around its barracks in the country in response to reports of possible intruders.

A spokeswoman for the Territorial Command told dpa that the Bundeswehr, as Germany's military is known, had "reacted quickly and comprehensively throughout Germany to the incidents of the past week with increased checks, increased patrols, inspections of fencing systems and technical security measures, the closure of some areas and with up-to-date security instructions and awareness-raising measures."

She said that measures would be adapted to the specific security situation.

The news magazine Der Spiegel reported that Bundeswehr barracks were instructed to meticulously check the outer fences of all facilities for potential holes, and were also told to increase patrols, especially at night.

Officers ordered soldiers to watch out for unauthorized individuals in the security areas and to report any suspicious cases immediately, according to Der Spiegel's reporting.

The spokeswoman for the Territorial Command also confirmed that two men had climbed over the fence of the German naval base in the North Sea port city of Wilhelmshaven on August 14.

After the men were discovered by a guard, they were handed over to the police, she said.

According to Der Spiegel, which first reported on the incident, the men were reportedly sailors who had been working on a docked ship nearby and had apparently wanted to take a closer look at German warships.

A Defence Ministry spokeswoman told dpa that the lowest of four security levels, "alpha," still applies to Bundeswehr facilities in the country.

Signs indicate controls at the entrance to the NATO airbase in Geilenkirchen - Teveren. Police and state security are investigating a security incident at the waterworks of an air force barracks in Cologne-Wahn on suspicion of sabotage directed against the Bundeswehr. Henning Kaiser/dpa
A sign with the word "Bundeswehr", as Germany's military is known, stands on the grounds of a federal property. Germany's military has increased security measures around its barracks in the country in response to reports of possible intruders. Stefan Sauer/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa

Germany's military has increased security measures around its barracks in the country in response to reports of possible intruders.

A spokeswoman for the Territorial Command told dpa that the Bundeswehr, as Germany's military is known, had "reacted quickly and comprehensively throughout Germany to the incidents of the past week with increased checks, increased patrols, inspections of fencing systems and technical security measures, the closure of some areas and with up-to-date security instructions and awareness-raising measures."

She said that measures would be adapted to the specific security situation.

The news magazine Der Spiegel reported that Bundeswehr barracks were instructed to meticulously check the outer fences of all facilities for potential holes, and were also told to increase patrols, especially at night.

Officers ordered soldiers to watch out for unauthorized individuals in the security areas and to report any suspicious cases immediately, according to Der Spiegel's reporting.

The spokeswoman for the Territorial Command also confirmed that two men had climbed over the fence of the German naval base in the North Sea port city of Wilhelmshaven on August 14.

After the men were discovered by a guard, they were handed over to the police, she said.

According to Der Spiegel, which first reported on the incident, the men were reportedly sailors who had been working on a docked ship nearby and had apparently wanted to take a closer look at German warships.

A Defence Ministry spokeswoman told dpa that the lowest of four security levels, "alpha," still applies to Bundeswehr facilities in the country.

Last week, the Bundeswehr announced that an investigation found no evidence of sabotage or water contamination after a cut fence was found near the drinking water supply for the Cologne-Wahn Air Base.

And people in the town of Mechernich, home to another Bundeswehr site in the same federal state, were warned not to use the water for a time when a cut fence was discovered at a drinking water reservoir last week. The warning was later lifted.

Several incidents of suspected sabotage in Germany since the Russian full-scale of invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 have heightened concerns in the country that Russian agents may be targeting critical infrastructure or military facilities.
Gov. Greg Gianforte speaks to the property tax task force on what he wants to see in a report later this year. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)

Gov. Greg Gianforte speaks to the property tax task force on what he wants to see in a report later this year. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has been panned by residents, fellow Republicans and his political opponent for his decision to agree to a state budget that walloped most Montana residents with substantial increases in property taxes, while cutting rates for business.

That has led to notable acrimonious disagreements between the Republican-led administration and cross-section of conservative county commissioners who say the governor hasnt been truthful about how the state controls property taxes.

Several reports have detailed the multi-millionaire Gianfortes properties, which have seemed to be taxed less severely than his neighbors.

However, a review of Gianfortes financial holdings and disclosures shows another Gallatin County property that the governor owns has seen a lesser percentage of property tax growth than his neighbors. That property, located on McIlhattan Road, has previously not been included in reporting about the Gianforte properties.

The Montana Legislature ultimately sets the tax rates, which then are collected and controlled through county tax assessors and the Department of Revenue, which falls under the purview of the governor.

Gianforte signed into law the budget that included those property tax increases as well as a system in which property owners could receive as much as $675 per year in a rebate. However, that system has been criticized because of a cumbersome application, which includes needing a geocode with more than a dozen numbers in order to submit it.

The Daily Montanan reached out to Gianfortes office for comment. The office did not respond.

The previously unreported property, located at 3073 McIlhattan Road, saw an 14.7% increase in property taxes, while the surrounding property owners experienced rates between 22.7% and 40.7%, according to public tax records available through the state.

The property is owned under a Gianforte-controlled East Gallatin, LLC. That same company made news nearly a decade ago due to a dispute Gianforte had with the state for a property easement. Furthermore, the property had also been considered a likely parcel for a housing subdivision, according to the Great Falls Tribune. In May, Bozeman-based attorney Hertha Lund became the registered agent for East Gallatin, LLC., instead of First Lady Susan Gianforte. Registered agents are commonly designated by the corporations to receive and file any legal documents on behalf of the owners.

This isnt the first time Gianfortes tax rates have been the subject of news stories. MTN News reported that Gianfortes Helena residence saw a decrease of nearly 7% while other property owners in the same neighborhood showed an increase. MTN reported that most of the other properties in the neighborhood saw rates increase from 11% to 40% in Helena. Meanwhile, the Montana Department of Revenue assessed his home in the mansion district for $770,000 but was listed on the market for $2 million.

That same reporting from MTN also showed Gianfortes Gallatin County neighbors were upset because Gianforte and his wife, Montana First Lady Susan Gianforte, used an agricultural exemption to help lower taxes, saying the land on which their Bozeman residence sits rotates between irrigated barley and alfalfa as well as boarding horses and mules. However, because the property was just 11 acres, below the 20-acre minimum needed for the agricultural exemption, the Gianfortes had to testify that it produces at least $1,500 of product that can be consumed by people or livestock.

The property owned by the Gianfortes at 3073 McIlhattan Road is listed as 145 acres of agricultural and residential property. The average amount of property tax increase of the surrounding properties was 31.6%.
GLENVILLE, W.Va. (WBOY)  A new furry friend arrived at Gilmer County Elementary School on Tuesday, marking the 36th therapy dog to be placed in a West Virginia school.

Labrador retriever Boshort for Boazwas provided to Gilmer County Elementary as part of Friends With Paws, a collaborative program between Communities in Schools, the West Virginia Department of Education as well as Gov. Jim Justice and First Lady Cathy Justice. Bo was trained by Ultimate Canine, a nationwide program that trains dogs for use in various programs.

Gas drops below $3 in one north central West Virginia city

The program has been championed by First Lady Cathy Justice as helpful for relieving stress and providing students with another source of connection. The students at Gilmer County Elementary were very excited to meet their new furry friend on Tuesday as they greeted him with what Principal Tyson called a pup rally.

When asked what she was most looking forward to doing with Bo, first grader Callie Chapman said cuddling him.

[Bo] has been a part of our therapy dog program since he was a puppy so hes actually been in training ever since he was born quite honestly, and he is just a super loving guy. He loves the kids, Ultimate Canine Trainer Jolene Rashley said.

While working at Gilmer County Elementary, Bo will stay with teacher Sonja Hartshorn and will work each day to brighten the moods of each student.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com.
We recently compiled a list of the 10 Tech Stocks to Monitor Amid Market Volatility According to Bernstein Analyst. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) stands against the other tech stocks to monitor amid market volatility.

In the past few weeks, a major selloff in the technology sector, mostly over concerns about return on investments amid ballooning capital expenditures on artificial intelligence (AI), has hit the stock market, sending valuations crashing and igniting fears of an AI bubble at the marketplace that might be about to burst. However, Stacy Rasgon, who has covered semiconductor stocks, one of the most prominent sectors in the AI world, for over fifteen years, has advised investors to stay the course, terming fears of a bubble as overblown. Rasgon claims that even though chances of an air pocket, used to refer to stock plunges, are 100%, he is confident the time for them is not now. He pointed to the very real and massive AI data center build as an example, predicting it would go on for a few years, helping push AI stocks higher.

In a recent interview with IBD, Rasgon zeroed in on semi stocks, highlighting that they had been massively outperforming, mostly on AI. However, he cautioned investors about potential upside to these firms outside of AI, like in the PCs or smartphones business, noting that even though they might be better than last year, it was evident they would not be growing at a rapid pace anytime soon. He also added that outside of AI, data center, server CPU, and networking demand remained weak. Bernstein, the investment advisory where Rasgon practices his trade, recently revealed a basket of prominent stocks in the tech, media, and communications domain that had upside potential of almost 26% to price targets by the advisory.

This list comes amid worries over the state of the job market and consumer spending in the United States, as well as a potential artificial intelligence air pocket. Bernstein analysts have advised investors to put their money to work in this period of heightened market volatility. Several AI-related tech names are trading at huge discounts due to the selloff, with some of these names discussed in detail below. More information about these firms can be found by accessing 33 Most Important AI Companies You Should Pay Attention To and 17 Trending AI Stocks According to Latest News And Analyst Ratings.

Our Methodology

For this article, we selected companies who operate in the tech domain and have been on the radar of Wall Street analysts. An important investor note by investment bank Bernstein formed the basis for this list. These stocks are also popular among hedge funds. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletters strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

Story continues

A close up view of a hand holding a smartphone, using a ride sharing app.

Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 145

Uber Technologies, Inc.(NYSE:UBER) develops and operates proprietary technology applications worldwide. The company has been taking strong measures to improve profitability since it debuted on the market almost five years ago. The company has an expected EBITDA to free cash flow conversion of over 90% and remains on track to generate $10 billion in free cash flow in 2026. This represents an attractive 6.7% yield on the current market cap and would potentially enable significant stock buybacks. These numbers will likely help the firm expand the investor base and drive valuation multiple expansion.

Uber Technologies, Inc.(NYSE:UBER) has invited bullish calls from analysts on Wall Street in recent months. For example, investment advisory Bernstein has a Buy rating on the shares with a price target of $95, implying upside potential of more than 30%. The advisory views the company as a dominant player in the rideshare and delivery space, citing a substantial turning point in EBITDA  at a 40% compound annual growth rate from 2023 to 2026  and a wave of consumers leaning into convenience as catalysts for the tech company.

Overall UBER ranks 3rd on our list of the tech stocks to monitor amid market volatility. While we acknowledge the potential of UBER as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some 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 more promising than UBER but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: Michael Burry Is Selling These Stocks and Jim Cramer is Recommending These Stocks.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
God has delivered a miracle, and you are here today, Hoyer is told in Chicago

Just days after suffering a ministroke, U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-5th) chats with admirers at the Maryland delegation breakfast Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Photo by Josh Kurtz.

CHICAGO  Nine days removed from suffering a ministroke while vacationing on Cape Cod, U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-5th) was back in his element Tuesday, speaking to the Maryland delegation to the Democratic National Convention.

If ever a mass political gathering could cure what ails you, Hoyer, the longest-serving member of Congress in Maryland history, is the model patient.

Naturally, Hoyer, who is 85, used his own recent health scare to fashion a political message.

That stroke struck me for about six hours, Hoyer told his fellow Democrats, saying the anti-clotting drug he was given worked almost immediately. He praised the treatment he received at Cape Cod Hospital and later at the Boston Medical Center  and even hailed the federally funded highway infrastructure that enabled him to be transported by ambulance quickly and smoothly to the hospital in Boston.

Im the beneficiary of wonderful, wonderful health care, Hoyer said. And we Democrats have worked to make sure that that health care is available to almost everybody, and we have to make sure, through this election, that that health care is accessible for everybody.

Hoyer was repeatedly cheered lustily by his fellow Maryland Democrats, who were simultaneously incredulous but completely unsurprised that he would be present in Chicago so soon after his stroke.

God has delivered a miracle, and you are here today, his colleague, U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-7th), told him.

I am pleased to be here  literally and figuratively, I suppose, Hoyer replied.

He noted that Republicans continue to try to gut the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, referring to the GOP as the Yo-Yo party  youre on your own.

In a hotel ballroom where at least half the Maryland delegates and guests were attending their first national convention, Hoyer, as he often does, traced his own start in politics to hearing John F. Kennedy speak on the University of Maryland campus in 1959, when Kennedy was preparing to run for president. Before even consuming his words, Hoyer said he was struck by Kennedys look  and his mode of transportation.

He was riding in a 1958 Pontiac convertible, Hoyer recalled. I was 19. I thought it was cool.

Hoyer won his first election, for a seat in the Maryland Senate, in 1966, and became Senate president in 1975, at the age of 35. But four years later, he was temporarily out of politics after losing a bid for lieutenant governor.

His political comeback came in 1981, when he won his congressional seat in a special election. Hes now the senior Democrat in the House of Representatives and until recently served for many years as the No. 2 in House Democratic leadership.

At home, Hoyer has used his oratorical skills to fire up partisan crowds and build support for the national ticket, praise colleagues, encourage the next generations of Democrats, and take care of the institutions in his Prince Georges County and Southern Maryland district, including his alma mater, the University of Maryland.

Half-jokingly, as he heaped praise on U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-4th), who also represents Prince Georges County, he lamented losing the university from his district in the latest round of redistricting, suggesting that the legislatures presiding officers were fine with that circumstance because it created a less unwieldy congressional map.

[Senate President] Bill Ferguson loves it, [House Speaker] Adrienne Jones loves it, but I lost College Park, he said. Not that Im thinking about it.

Mainly, Hoyer made a full-throated case for supporting Vice President Kamala Harris for president and Prince Georges County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) for U.S. Senate. President Joe Biden won the popular vote in 2020 by 7 million votes, and he exhorted the crowd, Lets top 14 million this year.

Kamala says, if we show up, we win, Hoyer added.

This is Hoyers 14th Democratic convention, dating back to 1964. He missed the 1972 convention, he said in an interview, because we were for Humphrey, and McGoverns people handed us a hat. And he missed the 1980 convention while he was temporarily out of office.

Being back in Chicago for a national convention for the third time, Hoyer said he detected a surge of optimism, especially compared to his first convention experience here, in 1968, when anti-war protesters and the police clashed in the streets.

In 1968, we were a party deeply divided, we were a country deeply divided, he said. We were a party mad at each other, and we lost.

Hoyer praised Biden for stepping aside as the presidential nominee, which has helped unify the Democrats.

Joe Biden made a decision for America, he said. He made a decision that was tough. It was tough for him personally. But it was not tough for him as a patriot.

Although he is older than Biden, Hoyer himself shows few signs of slowing down politically, though his recent illness probably prompted a few ambitious Democrats to check the succession process for congressional nominees in Maryland. And his decision to step away, whenever it comes, is sure to set off a political scramble with myriad down-ballot implications.

But Hoyer isnt ready to have that conversation just yet.

Mark Twain said, The report of my death is greatly exaggerated,' he told the delegates, who cheered him yet again.
My home town of Dundee achieved widespread fame and an image of which it was intensely proud because of three initials. The three Js of jute, jam and journalism were the products that put Scotlands fourth city on the map. But sadly, certainly as far as this Dundonian is concerned, Dundee has more recently taken on a new, and much darker, reputation.

It now vies with Glasgow for the unfortunate title of Europes capital for drug deaths. And as someone who admittedly now lives a long way from my home town it is a matter of deep regret to see the city in which I grew up attract such odium.

Frankly, I despair of finding a solution to this appalling cancer unless dramatic and far-reaching action is taken to alleviate this crisis in Scotland and especially with my home town.

And that can only happen if we prove ready to apportion blame and demand that the drug death statistics  three times worse than any other part of Britain  go to the top of the Scottish and UK governments priority list. They are a national and international disgrace.

The current crop of politicians, as well as all of their predecessors, may well be wringing their hands and arguing with each other about whos to blame when the truth is  they all are. And so are we, the electors, for allowing this to happen.

An entire army of people  in the police, medicine, welfare and social work  have been fighting for decades to stem this deadly tide, which last year saw 1,172 people die drug-associated deaths in Scotland. Everything appears to have been tried  taking a hardline with users, through long sentences, taking a soft line to wean users off drugs through rehabilitation and the use of drug replacement therapy with methadone.

A controversial drug consumption room, or so-called shooting galleries, will open in Glasgow in October. Users will be able to inject themselves safely. Despite all that has been tried, the death toll continues to rise.

The current crop of our young people whore most at risk from this epidemic do not have, as might first appear, a death wish.

They have been preyed upon by criminal networks, but also let down in appalling fashion by society as a whole as their life chances disappeared. In particular, an old, well-established but selective education system, where the brightest were tested and the less-bright given encouragement but allowed to wither on the vine.

All of Scotlands political parties were responsible for this as a massive levelling down process emerged, aided and abetted by teaching unions for whom comprehensivisation was god.

The result was that standards fell and poor schools were where the poor went to school. The better off could buy their way out of declining standards through moving house to a leafy suburb or paying school fees. Pledges to close the attainment gap are not honoured; it is growing wider.

It would be easy to blame the SNP, who have presided over the rising death toll and have taken too long to get to grips with the situation. But the blame is not all theirs.

And its simplistic to say Margaret Thatchers policies led to the decline of traditional industries because many were already on their last legs.

If we are to wean my beleaguered home-towns young people off a life of hard drugs and unemployment, education is the key. Reforms, instigated by Scots Tony Blair and Michael Gove, transformed schools in England. Similar ideas in Scotland would be a start in providing the wherewithal for the good jobs that todays young people and, probably, their parents were denied.

Why have Scotlands parties and the teaching unions either stayed on the sidelines or opposed such reforms?

As of today, theres not much of the three Js left. The jute mills that once employed 50,000 are long gone. The J for jam is for Janet Keiller who is said  at least by Dundonians  to have invented marmalade, and theres a firm still producing the famous Dundee Marmalade and jam a few miles away.

Journalism, with the publications of D C Thomson, which include The Beano as well as The Courier and Sunday Post newspapers, still thrives.

However, my despair at the tragic circumstances of my home town can only be lifted by improved schools, good jobs and a growing economy unencumbered by the nonsense of Scotlands perpetual argument for independence.

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How to increase privacy in your open-floor plan home

If youve watched a single episode of House Hunters, youre probably familiar with open-concept homes  homes with floor plans where one room flows seamlessly into the next, and you get a direct line of sight from the kitchen to the dining room to the living room and so on.

Open floor plans have been all the rage for the last couple of decades. But are they on the way out? Some home design and trend experts say yes, and once you hear the reason, you probably wont be surprised. Luckily, there are plenty of products available to help break up the space and provide more privacy.

In this article: Artoria Five-Panel Room Divider with Shelves, Pacificas Plant Stand and Mercury Row Sullins Geometric Bookcase

How open-floor plans dominated design

It all started in the 80s and 90s, with the suburban construction boom of the types of homes we now know as McMansions. They were built for families, and many designers thought (and still think) that open-floor plans gave families space to connect.

The idea of everyone in a household coming together to prepare meals, watch television, and engage with one another in the living room promotes the feeling of connectivity and closeness that I dont think people would choose to go without, Gioi Tran, co-founder and principal designer of San Francisco-based firm Applegate Tran, told MarthaStewart.com.

But it was the steady increase in home sizes that started to inspire a shift in thinking about open-floor plans.

People who grew up in (constrained spaces) wanted a more open, casual feeling as they created their own homes, New York-based designer Madeline Merin explained in the same story. (But) home sizes have continued to grow ever larger  the average size of homes (in the United States) has more than doubled from 1,000 square feet in 1950 to 2,300 square feet in 2020  and people are seeing a need for greater definition of the increased space they have to work with.

Then came the COVID-19 pandemic

The shift toward wanting more walls might have happened more gradually were it not for COVID. When the pandemic forced so many people to start spending more time at home  living and working in shared spaces  they began to want more definition and privacy.

The adjustment for many of us to work and oversee our children going to school from home has brought to light a need for separated spaces, where we can head to another room and close the door, Tran said.

4 ways to create privacy in your open-floor plan home

If you have an open-floor plan, theres no need to call a contractor and start putting up walls. These products are great ways to create the illusion of separate spaces and rooms without committing to a complete remodel.

a wooden room divider with 5 panels

Artoria Five-Panel Room Divider with Shelves

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a large plant stand with multiple shelves. It looks almost like a bookshelf but with hooks for hanging plants.

Pacificas Plant Stand

The ladder design of this plant stand places your greenery at different heights, guaranteeing maximum privacy. Hooks for hanging plants create a more vertical display, making this a decor piece that will also help create boundaries in your home.

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a black book case with various square sections

Mercury Row Sullins Geometric Bookcase

With a modern style and open architectural look, this bookcase is perfect for creating division in a bedroom, living room or home office.

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a canvas room divider with 4 panels, depicting cherry blossoms and birds

Red Barrel Studio Floribel Four-panel Canvas Folding Room Divider

For a softer aesthetic, this canvas room divider features a bird-and-flower design in classical Chinese art style  a great way to dress up a bedroom or office.

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Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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GOP called out for pro-labor rebrand: They want working class people to sit down and shut up

At the Democratic National Convention on Monday night, United Auto Workers (UAW) president Shawn Fain sported a shirt that read Trump is a Scab, making it clear that his union stood with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz.

"For us in the labor movement it's real simple: Kamala Harris is one of us," Fain said in his speech.

His support isnt surprising. Historically, most labor unions have supported Democrats. But this election season, Republicans has made a deliberate effort to appeal to the working class.

Teamsters boss Sean O'Brien, the head of America's largest union, became the first-ever union president to speak at the Republican National Convention last month.

President Trump had the backbone to open the doors to this Republican convention, and thats unprecedented. No other nominee in the race would have invited the Teamsters into this arena, said OBrien.

OBriens appearance at the event was a shock to many, but its part of a larger campaign by Trumps Republican Party to rebrand itself as pro-labor and move away from the Reagan-era economics of big business expansion that have marked the GOP for decades.

The rebrand was boosted by Trump's selection of JD Vance as his running-mate. The Ohio native has positioned himself as a champion for the working class who will help dismantle the regime, a term he and his peers use to describe liberal elites in the government, business and higher education.

Vance has become the face of a group of young Republicans known as the New Right, who believe current democratic systems have failed the United States and must be dismantled. Instead, Vance supports economic populism and the industrialization of Americas industries, which he says would bring more jobs back to low and middle-class Americans.

But despite the pro-labor image theyre pushing, Vance and Trump are anything but.

Last week, allegations surfaced that workers at a start-up funded by Vance faced nightmarish conditions. AppHarvest was a start-up designed to use new technology to grow vegetables at an industrial scale and deemed the future of farming in Appalachia.

But reporting from CNN revealed employees, many of whom were migrant workers, were subject to grueling working conditions inside greenhouses. Even after he launched his political career, Vance remained an investor in the company. AppHarvest went bankrupt last year.

The Ohio native also opposed the PRO Act, which would increase collective bargaining rights for millions of workers. Though he does support some unions, his support is dependent on the political stance of the unions leadership. He has explicitly said there are good unions like police unions and bad unions like the Starbucks Workers United.

I think its dumb to hand over a lot of power to a union leadership that is aggressively anti-Republican, Vance told Politico.

Trumps record too is staunchly anti-labor. Just last week, the UAW announced the union is filing federal charges against Trump for arguing that striking workers should be fired in a discussion with X CEO Elon Musk.

Donald Trump will always side against workers standing up for themselves, and he will always side with billionaires like Elon Musk, who is contributing $45 million a month to a Super PAC to get him elected, Fain said in a statement.

Both Trump and Musk want working class people to sit down and shut up, and they laugh about it openly. Its disgusting, illegal, and totally predictable from these two clowns, he added.

Throughout his term as president, Trump restricted union rights to organize, weakened worker protections, refused to raise the federal minimum wage and appointed members to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) who have fought against unions.

In 2018, the Supreme Court also issued a devastating blow to public sector unions, making it easier for government employees to not pay union dues if their workplace is unionized.

Things could get worse if hes elected in November. Project 2025s plan for the Department Labor would make overtime pay for workers more complicated to navigate, recommends Congress consider abolishing all public sector unions and even recommends the teenagers be allowed to work in dangerous jobs.

Some young adults show an interest in inherently dangerous jobs. Current rules forbid many young people from working in such jobs, Project 2025s labor document reads. This results in worker shortages in dangerous fields and often discourages otherwise interested young workers from trying the more dangerous job.
In a brief appearance in Las Cruces on Wednesday, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson called the seat for New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District a toss up that Republicans need to reclaim.

Johnson and former U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell, a Republican from Alamogordo, appeared together at a newly opened National Republican Congress Committee office along Solano Drive in Las Cruces. The NRCC said the "Battle Station" is one of 38 such offices across the country and will have staff from Washington D.C.

"We have a tough district here," Johnson said to a crowd of about 100 supporters. "The Second District of New Mexico is one of the big toss up districts in the country. This district has changed every two years since 2018, but we need to hold it. Get Yvette back in office and hold this district."

Tuesday's event was one of 138 campaign events across 38 states Johnson has appeared at, he said. He spoke for about 15 minutes and neither Johnson nor Herrell took questions from media, but Johnson did answer two questions from audience members.

"I was working with a one-vote margin for five months," said Johnson, who was elected Speaker of the House in October 2023. "I could have used Yvette the last several months.

"Not to put the cart before the horse, but we are planning a very aggressive first 100 days agenda for the new Congress. ... I told (former President Donald Trump) on the phone three nights ago, 'You could be the most consequential president of the modern era and we could be the most consequential Congress of the modern area, because we have to fix everything."

Herrell once again faces U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, a Democrat from Las Cruces, who beat her by 1,350 votes in the 2022 election with a voter turnout of 192,673 total votes in the race.

"We let mainstream media tell us what to think and how to feel and how to vote," Herrell said. "They will have us fighting with each other 90% of the time over the 10% of the things we don't agree on, instead of coalescing around the things we agree on like a safe border, better schools, a safe community and a better economy."

Herrell looks to return to Congress after the seat has flipped parties three times in the past six years. Herrell lost by two percentage points to Democrat Xochitl Torres Small in 2018, but won a rematch two years later, securing 54 percent of the 264,946 votes.

"This is why we are coming together," Herrell said. "You have to be encouraged, you have to be educated and you have to know what is at stake and where the positions are and believe me, it could not be more stark."

Yvette Herrell faces Gabe Vasquez for the second time in the November Election. Both Herrell and Johnson focused on immigration. Event lasted maybe 30 minutes and there were 100 or so supporters inside newly opened las cruces office pic.twitter.com/OWFHrM6ZoX  Jason Groves (@JPGroves) August 21, 2024

Johnson and Herrell focused their comments primarily on immigration and the border, but Johnson also described, an increased cost of living, crime rates and what he believes is a weakness on the world stage. He said the solution is re-electing Trump.

Johnson took one question from the crowd involving election security and encouraged supporters to participate in early voting and voting by mail.

"We are encouraging Republicans to do that, bank your vote, get it in early," Johnson said. "We have to play by those rules or we are going to lose. Even Trump is pushing early voting now."

U.S. Speaker Mike Johnson was in Las Cruces on August 21,2024 stumping for Republican Yvette Herrell ahead of the Congressional District 2 race. Herrell faces Gabe Vasquez for the second time in November's General Election.

Johnson and Herrell hammer at Vasquez's record on the border

Johnson and Herrell cited H.R-2, which, among other things, would have imposed limits on asylum eligibility and required employers to use an electronic system to verify the employment eligibility of new employees. It passed the House in May 2023 along party lines, but has not moved past the Senate.

Johnson said if Trump wins in November and Republicans gain control of the Senate, Congress will pass a similar bill. He also promised a Trump executive order, "that would seal that border up."

Vasquez was in Sunland Park at an event on Wednesday. He recently introduced a bipartisan Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act, which would provide increased funding, technology and staffing for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He has also introduced a package of immigration and border bills, which he announced in November 2023.

When asked for a response to Johnson's visit this week alongside Herrell, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said while in Congress, Herrell voted against a spending bill in 2022 that included $100 million to hire Border Patrol officers. House Republicans also tanked a bipartisan border bill in the Senate that Johnson was quoted as saying was, "dead on arrival."

A group of people on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024 in Las Cruces demonstrate in support of extending and expanding the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.

Protesters urge Johnson to act on RECA

Two groups of protesters gathered to call on Johnson to act on a $50 billion to extend and expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act that Johnson has not brought to a vote.

In an interview with Source New Mexico, Herrell said she is, "supportive of extending and expanding the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act and she will support any and all of the efforts.

RECA was established in 1990 and pays one-time sums to people who developed cancer or other diseases as a result of being exposed to radiation.

"We have a statement of support from the Biden Administration, but Mike Johnson has thus far refused to move the bill forward for a vote," said Tina Cordova, who organized the protest for the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium. "We were hoping for a few minutes of his time. We are on the outside and Yvette Herrell is the gatekeeper and wouldn't give us five minutes."

Cordova, 64, said she is a fourth-generation cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with thyroid cancer when she was 39 years old. Her two great grandfathers, who lived in Tularosa, died of cancer and her 24-year-old niece was also recently diagnosed with cancer.

"We are a 19-year-old organization that is trying to bring attention to the negative health effects of radiation from the Trinity Bomb and trying to get the House to extend RECA and expand to cover people in New Mexico," Cordova said.

"They know what we are requesting because we have been requesting it. Nobody from the Herrell campaign came out and engaged with us. The bottom line is if she wants to represent the 2nd Congressional District in New Mexico, she has to reckon with this."

Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459 or jgroves@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on X @jpgroves.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Speaker Johnson shores up support for Herrell in New Mexico
Republican lawmakers who sponsored anti-DEI bills earlier this year are praising the University of Kentucky for deciding to eliminate its Office of Institutional Diversity.

The GOP-controlled state legislature this spring tried but failed to pass bills targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs  commonly referred to as DEI  on college campuses.

UK announced its independent decision to dismantle its institutional diversity office Tuesday. In addition, the university will remove diversity training, and employees will not be required to write a diversity statement to be employed.

Legislation targeting DEI efforts on college campuses has been proposed in 28 states since 2023, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, which has been tracking such legislation.

Many conservatives, including in Kentucky, label DEI as discriminating against white conservatives and the latest form of institutions pushing woke ideology on students.

Universities, including UK President Eli Capilouto, have pushed back on that characterization. Soon after the bills were filed in the winter, Capilouto decried them, saying, We are growing more diverse.

We should embrace that change and harness the opportunities it presents, not shrink from it, he said.

The mission of the Office of Institutional Diversity, according to the UK website, was to enhance the diversity and inclusivity of our university community through the recruitment and retention of an increasingly diverse population of faculty, administrators, staff and students, and by implementing initiatives that provide rich diversity-related experiences for all to help ensure their success in an interconnected world.

Capilouto cited the feedback he received throughout the summer, including meetings with legislators who expressed concerns about the role of DEI at UK, as reasons for dismantling the office.

UK to eliminate Office of Institutional Diversity months after legislators targeted DEI

Rep. Jennifer Decker, who sponsored the bill to defund DEI programs in public colleges and universities earlier this year, lauded UK for these changes. She had previously called such initiatives failed policy, misguided, and said such programs push colleges to be more divided, more expensive and less tolerant.

Republicans were poised to pass Deckers version of the bill, but ultimately chose not to do so on the final night of the regular session.

Our efforts have always been aimed at eliminating unconstitutional, unnecessary, costly, and duplicative bureaucracy while still making sure campuses are open and welcoming to a diversity of students and staff, Decker, R-Waddy, said in a statement Tuesday.

Decker said she remains hopeful that other institutions, as well as the Council on Postsecondary Education, will follow their lead and recognize that this failed experiment has done nothing to make postsecondary education more accessible.

Senate Majority Whip Mike Wilson, who also sponsored an unsuccessful bill to restrict DEI practices in higher education said he was pleased with UKs decision. During the legislative session, Wilson called DEI a new form of discrimination.

I would encourage other institutions to follow UKs initiative, the Bowling Green Republican said in a Tuesday statement. A true elimination of these DEI policies in our public universities will end the division they promote, allowing our colleges and universities to be the true bastion of free thought we need them to be.

Kentuckys anti-DEI higher ed bill dies a second time

DeShana Collett, a professor in the UK department of physician assistant studies, said she was disappointed with the move to dissolve the Office of Institutional Diversity. Collett was the previous chair of the university senate council before the senate was disbanded by the board of trustees earlier this year.

This action is deeply disheartening, reflecting the institutions surrender to an oppressive political agenda rather than the evidence that is amply abundant, Collett said. As a minority faculty member, this reinforces a sense of inequality and it should seriously compel others to consider whether this is a university where they can thrive and not just survive.

Proposed DEI bills failed in Kentucky

The two bills proposed by Decker and Wilson during the legislatures regular session this winter would have blocked all DEI initiatives that promoted discriminatory concepts and would have forced public Kentucky colleges and universities to dismantle and defund DEI offices and positions.

The final version of Senate Bill 6, which wouldve dismantled DEI offices at public universities, failed to pass at the eleventh hour on the final night of session.

In his email Tuesday announcing the changes, Capilouto said conversations with legislators had indicated that DEI would again be brought before the legislature in 2025.

Race-based metrics no longer included in state funding model for Kentucky public colleges

In March, Republican Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said public universities use of certain DEI policies violated the U.S. Constitution and the Civil Rights Act.

Drawing on the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, the case which struck down affirmative action last year, Coleman said using underrepresented minorities as a metric for funding state colleges is unconstitutional.

Following that, a law was passed barring the Council on Postsecondary Education from considering race in its performance-based funding model, which determines how state funding is distributed to public universities and community colleges.

CPE then changed metrics in its performance-based funding model to remove race-based metrics from funding consideration, giving more weight to low-income bachelors degree produced and introducing degrees earned by first-generation students and non-traditional students into the model.
A reclusive Republican megadonor gave $50 million to a pro-Trump super PAC in July, following two other massive donations to boost the former president this cycle.

Timothy Mellon, a longtime GOP donor and heir to the Mellon banking fortune, has now given $115 million to the group, Make America Great Again Inc., since the start of 2023. That makes him by far the largest donor to the super PACs backing Donald Trumps candidacy this cycle.

Mellon also previously gave $25 million to a super PAC backing Democrat-turned-independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s presidential bid over five separate donations dating back to 2023. His last donation to that super PAC was in April.

A MAGA Inc. filing Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission showed the new donation from Mellon was dated July 15, less than a week before President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination.



That single huge donation accounted for more than 90 percent of the funds that MAGA Inc. raised in July and will help the super PAC as it boosts Trump and attacks Harris in swing states. MAGA Inc. recently launched a new $100 million ad blitz ahead of Labor Day that focuses on immigration and Harris record as a prosecutor.

Trump's campaign has suggested those two issues are some of the most effective ways to move independent voters.
Republicans on Tuesday seized on a watchdog report that faulted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for inconsistent communication about immigration cases involving unaccompanied children.

The report from DHSs Office of Inspector General stressed that without better communication between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the two agencies responsible for such children, the U.S. reduces opportunities to verify their safety.

Republicans, who see immigration as a winning issue in November, said the findings showed Biden administration mismanagement of the border.

The report highlights the complex process for addressing the welfare of children who arrive alone at the border. After initially being processed by ICE, they are placed under the care of HHS.

But in evaluating ICEs role, the watchdog found the agency failed to always notify HHS when migrant children failed to appear for their immigration court proceedings. Of nearly 450,000 children in HHS custody over the last five years, roughly 32,000 failed to appear for their court dates.

Unaccompanied children who do not appear for court are considered at higher risk for trafficking, exploitation, or forced labor, the report says.

The report ends with a recommendation that the two agencies improve their communication and coordination. While it notes that internal ICE guidance prompts the agency to email HHS if a child does not appear at their court date, it also leaves unclear the extent of ICEs legal obligation.

ICE did not always alert HHS when UCs did not appear for immigration hearings. According to an ICE official, ICE is not required to share this information with HHS, the report says.

In a swiftly organized press call Tuesday night, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.)  along with House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green (R-Tenn.) and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio)  dinged Vice President Harris for her handling of immigration and the situation at the southern border.

The southern border is a national security disaster and a humanitarian catastrophe, and Kamala Harris cannot be trusted to fix it, Johnson said. It is on her watch that all this has happened.

The inspector generals report  and the GOP press call  came as Democrats were gathered in Chicago for their convention, which has touched on immigration and the situation at the southern border.

During his speech Monday night, President Biden said border encounters had dropped more than 50 percent, and claimed that there are fewer border crossings today than when Donald Trump left office.

And unlike Trump, we will not demonize immigrants, saying they are poisoning the blood of America or poisoning the blood of our country. Kamala and I are committed to strengthening legal immigration, including protecting Dreamers and more, Biden said.

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), meanwhile, is set to speak about immigration Wednesday, according to Axios.

Asked by The Hill about the Democratic messaging on immigration at the convention, Johnson was critical.

Their speeches are full of fantasy and not facts, he said. This is the largest gaslighting operation in the history of American politics.

Immigration and the situation at the southern border are sure to be key topics when Congress reconvenes in September, as lawmakers stare down a government funding deadline at the end of the month.

The conservative House Freedom Caucus put out a statement earlier this month demanding that any stopgap deal to meet the funding deadline must include the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which seeks to ban noncitizens from voting in federal elections  a situation that rarely happens. The House approved the legislation in July, though it is currently stalled in the Senate.

Asked Tuesday if he would be willing to hold up government funding for the SAVE Act, Johnson responded: Were looking for every way to push the SAVE Act and to get it through the Senate.

The funding deadline is upon us and were actively discussing the various options on that, and as you know  as I have to do with everything, build consensus to come up with the final decision, he added. But thats all underway, but I can tell you, I mean, I can verify for you that the SAVE Act is a big part of this conversation.

And it is not just the Freedom Caucus, it is members across the conference who share the same concern that we do about this, and we believe its one of the, perhaps the most urgent issue, the most imminent threat facing the country is the integrity of this election cycle, and everybodys worried about that, and were looking for every way to advance the issue, he added.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Collier County Republican Supervisor of Elections candidate Dave Schaffel speaking in Pinellas County on April 24, 2024. (Photo by Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix)

A day after a group of Republican incumbent supervisors of elections held off primary challengers  many of whom disputed the 2020 presidential election and were running on election integrity platforms  several of them spoke out about what they and their offices have endured the past few years.

You talk about integrity? Integrity isnt mudslinging and attacks, its doing the job that youre supposed to be doing, said Charlotte County Supervisor of Elections Leah Valenti, who easily defeated challenger David E. Kalin Jr. by 50 points, 75%-25%.

I held my hand up, took the oath of office to uphold Florida election law to uphold the Constitution, and my staff and I were committed to that, every single day. Not getting in the weeds of allegations and accusations and conspiracy theories, quite frankly.

It has been pretty ugly, pretty divisive, added Collier County Republican Supervisor of Elections Melissa Blazier. A lot of misconceptions and misinformation about elections have been promoted and spread by both of my opponents over the past few months, but I think overwhelmingly the voters in Collier County have kind of squashed it, which is a good thing.

Blazier defeated Dave Schaffel and Tim Guerrette on Tuesday, getting 49% of the vote to Schaffels 35% and Guerrettes 17%.

Schaffel and Kalin were part of a group of seven supervisor of election candidates (or their surrogates) who trashed their GOP incumbent opponents at a press conference in Pinellas County back in April. Schaffel said at that event that he began investigating how elections are run in Florida following the 2020 election  when Donald Trump began attacking the presidential outcome  and said what he had discovered was both alarming and distressing.

During the campaign, Schaffel advocated for the hand counting of ballots and said county voter rolls were inundated with non-citizens.

Thats just completely untrue and voters saw through it, Blazier said.

Schaffel raised more than double the amount of campaign cash against Blazier (much of it self-funded) to push what she said was the message that elections in Florida arent secure and that major changes need to happen.

Republican incumbents in Pinellas, Lee, and Lake counties also defeated opponents running on election-integrity platforms, most by wide margins.

Blinded by their obsession

Some said that they now hope that the attacks on how they conduct their offices might cease.

I pray that it will stop, but I dare not predict that it will, said Lake County Supervisor of Elections Alan Hays, who defeated Tom Vail by a 67%-33% margin.

It appears to me that these people are blinded by their obsession, and they blatantly refuse to accept the facts. We have spent hours upon hours explaining to them what we do, how we do it, what the truth is, and they refuse to embrace the truth. So, I have no way to tell whether theyre going to continue to cling to their nonsensical ideas or if theyre going to finally accept the truth and swallow their pride and admit that theyre wrong.

Vail, first vice chair of the Lake County Republican Party, had bashed Hays as inattentive to the concerns of voters, telling the Phoenix earlier this year that his office had denied multiple records requests about voter rolls, undeliverable election mail, and election processes.

This is a team effort, Hays said of his resounding victory.

Unfortunately, the unkind things that have been said about this office and how it has been run has been personalized by my team. Ive got a very dedicated group of men and women that are sold out to excellence and election administration day after day after day. And this victory is a resounding affirmation of the job that our team has been doing, and I deeply appreciate the voters expressing themselves that way.

In the case of Kalin, he told the Phoenix in an interview earlier this year that Secretary of State Cord Byrd had falsified or eliminated records, made false statements, and covered up a potential data breach in Charlotte County. The Division of Elections told the Phoenix that the FDLE had reviewed those allegations and found no crime had been committed.

Constant harassment

Valenti said that other allegations made by Kalin and other critics to her office were disheartening, and that her staffers had been contending with constant harassment.

I mean, public record requests and reading about themselves in the newspaper because it was election interference  how can they get to work and be prideful when someone is constantly making them feel that theyre doing something wrong, and all theyre doing is upholding the law? she said.

But Kaelin would contort the law into his opinion about how he thought it should be run, but thats not what we do. As a constitutional officer, thats not my role. My role is to uphold the law, not his opinions.

Despite the losses, several Republicans on an election integrity platform are slated to run in places like Hillsborough, Palm Beach, and St. Lucie counties against Democrats in the General Election. And they may be back in 2028.

Its been hard on my staff. Its been hard on all of us. Hard on our election workers, Blazier said.

We have these people who are volunteers. Theyre your neighbors. Theyre your family. Theyre your friends that are out serving in our community in this fantastic capacity, and theyre being attacked by people. Just verbally abused by these people with no proof at all, she continued.

Would I hope that it would stop? Absolutely, Blazier said, adding, Do I think its going to? No.
Uganda has announced additional oil discovery projects as it hopes to increase the East African countrys reserves.

At a press conference in the capital city of Kampala, energy minister Ruth Nankabirwa revealed the ministry is conducting preliminary petroleum exploration studies in the Moroto-Kadam Basin to assess its oil and gas potential. Similar surveys have started in the Kyoga Basin.

According to the government, early results suggest some potential for commercial oil and gas in the Moroto-Kadam Basin.

The new surveys follow the governments annual budget increase for the oil and gas sector, announced in June. The allocation for the year through June 2025 is now Ush921bn ($246m), an increase from the 2023-2024 allocation of $120m.

The landlocked central African nation has an estimated 6.5 billion barrels of oil within its borders, of which 1.4 billion barrels are thought to be recoverable.

In 2006, commercial quantities of crude oil from two fields were discovered in the Albertine Graben basin in West Uganda, bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, Reuters reported that production is not expected to start until next year , due to a lack of infrastructure and funding.

Out of five basins in Uganda where hydrocarbon potential is suspected, the only successful exploration so far has been in Albertine, said the energy ministry.

The Tilenga and Kingfisher fields in Albertine have so far drilled 72 out of 457 wells.

Nankabirwa confirmed that oil companies have submitted a plan for a liquefied petroleum gas facility, for which a government licence will be issued, although no timeframe has yet been provided.

Albertine is majority-owned by Frances TotalEnergies with a 56.7% stake, with the remaining share split between Chinas CNOOC and Ugandan national oil company UNOC.

Throughout this year, Uganda has been ramping up its attempts to secure investment for its East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), which has faced scepticism from Western banks but interest from Chinese financial institutions. The Ugandan EACOP is a major step in exporting oil from fields, including Albertine, and the government expects a decision from China in September.

Offshore Technologys parent company GlobalData forecasts that should EACOP come online in 2025, peak production would be reached in 2028, eventually producing 230,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

"Uganda explores two new oil-producing regions after budget increase" was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.







The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
A group of 50 Republican veterans serving in Congress on Wednesday attacked Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz for egregious misrepresentations regarding his time in the National Guard and for what they see as a decision to abandon his troops ahead of a deployment to Iraq.

But Walz supporters countered that the GOP lawmakers are mischaracterizing both the Minnesota governors 24 years of honorable service and their own time in the ranks.

In a letter distributed by former President Donald Trumps election campaign, the 50 lawmakers wrote to Walz that there is no way you can be trusted to serve as vice president given misstatements he has made regarding his military career.

Among the complaints: that Walz uses the title retired Command Sergeant Major in public, that he claimed to carry weapons in war during his time in the military and that he retired from the Guard five months before his units deployment to Iraq.

Trump clarifies Medal of Honor comments, calls it the ultimate honor

The honor of wearing the uniform is earned through dedication, bravery and an unwavering sense of duty, the lawmakers wrote. You have displayed none of these characteristics as you have lied your way through a political career launched on the foundation of a title you did not earn and combat deployments you did not take part in.

Walz deployed to Europe with the Minnesota National Guard in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2003, but never set foot in a combat zone. He made the weapons comment during a 2018 campaign rally, a remark that his campaign has publicly acknowledged as a mistake.

Walz was promoted to command sergeant major in the final months of his military career but had his rank reverted to master sergeant upon retirement because he did not complete required coursework to retain the rank.

Officials from VoteVets  which is closely aligned with the Democratic Party  noted that among the signers of the Republican letter is Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson, who identifies himself in the note as a retired Navy rear admiral.

Jackson was demoted by the service to the rank of captain after his retirement following a Defense Department Inspector Generals report that substantiated allegations about inappropriate behavior while serving as the White Houses physician. VoteVets accused Jackson of committing stolen valor for continuing to use the revoked rank.

If youre looking for a textbook example of Stolen Valor, look no further than Donald Trumps campaign and the 50 Veterans who signed this letter.



29 of the signatures come from Republicans who falsely claim they retired from military service.



The most egregious example is pic.twitter.com/cNdPJAu96D  VoteVets (@votevets) August 21, 2024

Officials from the group also noted that at least 20 of the GOP signers listed themselves as retired from the military, even though they did not serve the mandatory 20 years required for official military retirement.

And the group took aim at Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, for hypocrisy in signing the letter criticizing Walzs military record after months of controversy surrounding Nehls decision to continue wearing a revoked Combat Infantry Badge.

By Wednesday afternoon, the Trump campaign sent out an updated version of the lawmakers letter deleting all ranks and references to military retirement, acknowledging a copy edit mistake made by a staffer. However, the original version remained on the campaign website.

Walzs retirement from the service has been a point of contention between the presidential campaigns for the last month. Walz has said he finalized his retirement in May 2005, three months after announcing his intention to run for Congress. His unit officially received deployment notification in July 2005, and left for Iraq three months later.

Walz has publicly said he did not retire to avoid deployment and is proud of his more than two decades of service with the National Guard. Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance  a Marine Corps veteran who served as a public affairs officer in Iraq  has attacked Walz for the timing of his retirement, saying he abandoned his troops as they headed off to war.

Last week, amid the growing controversy over Walzs retirement, Democratic campaign officials released a letter signed by 1,000 veterans praising the governors military service and advocacy for veterans and military families as an elected leader.

Walz is scheduled to deliver a national address during Wednesday nights program at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
AUSTIN (KXAN)  There was a big party at the governors mansion Monday morning as Gov. Greg Abbott signed a statement of mutual cooperation with the Coahuila Governor Manolo Jimenez Salinas.

The signing marked the 200th anniversary of the creation of Coahuila y Tejas, according to a news release from Abbotts office. Abbott and Jimenez were joined at the signing with First Lady Cecilia Abbott, the Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson, as well as other Texas and Coahuila leaders, the release said.

There was a big party at the governors mansion Monday morning as Gov. Greg Abbott signed a statement of mutual cooperation with the Coahuila Governor Manolo Jimenez Salinas. (Ed Zavala/KXAN News)

There was a big party at the governors mansion Monday morning as Gov. Greg Abbott signed a statement of mutual cooperation with the Coahuila Governor Manolo Jimenez Salinas. (Ed Zavala/KXAN News)

There was a big party at the governors mansion Monday morning as Gov. Greg Abbott signed a statement of mutual cooperation with the Coahuila Governor Manolo Jimenez Salinas. (Ed Zavala/KXAN News)

There was a big party at the governors mansion Monday morning as Gov. Greg Abbott signed a statement of mutual cooperation with the Coahuila Governor Manolo Jimenez Salinas. (Ed Zavala/KXAN News)

The State of Coahuila is also a key driver of Mexicos trade economy, saying Texas exports to Mexico totaled $129.6 billion in 2023, and imports from Mexico were $142.7 billion, the release said.

Texas was part of a twin state before it gained independence from Mexico. Between 1824 and 1835, Coahula y Tejas was a twin state created by combining the Spanish province in Coahuila with Texas, the release said.

The provinces were combined because neither had a large population. Abbott spoke on Monday on the special bond over the past two centuries.

Today we celebrate the 200th anniversary of that historic union. We do so with renewed vigor and enterprise. We are now in separate countries, but we remain committed to the core values that promote economic success and achievement for the people of our two states.

In October 2023, Abbott hosted then Coahuila Governor-Elect Jimenez at his mansion to discuss border security and commitment to fostering strong economic ties, the release 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 KXAN Austin.
Gov. Cooper to be one of last speakers before Harris accepts presidential nomination at DNC

CHICAGO (AP/WNCN)  North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper is set to be one of the final speakers before Vice President Kamala Harris accepts the presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night, according to the Associated Press.

Cooper, who has known Harris since their days as attorneys general of their respective states, was on the shortlist of Harris potential running mates before opting out of the vetting process on July 29.

Donald Trump won North Carolina in 2020, but it is seen as a key battleground state this election season and one of the few places in the South where Harris can pick up electoral college votes.

Trump holds first outdoor rally in Asheboro since assassination attempt

At an event hosted by Bloomberg at the DNC this week, Cooper said the states changing demographics as well as a hotly-contested race to succeed him as governor is making North Carolina means Democrats have a better shot at winning the state this time around. He added that he has that 2008 feeling, referring to when Barack Obama won North Carolina during his first run  the last time the states electoral college votes went to a Democrat.

Harris has already visited North Carolina several times this year, including just last Friday when she outlined her economic plan during a campaign event in Raleigh. During the speech the vice president touched on price gouging  always a hot topic in the state after natural disasters like this months Tropical Storm Debby  as well as opportunities to help first-time homebuyers.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a new resource for disaster recovery in a news conference Wednesday.

DeSantis spoke at a fire station in Sarasota alongside First Lady Casey DeSantis, who highlighted an expansion to the Hope Florida initiative she spearheaded.

Gov. DeSantis provided an update on the initiative, which launched in 2022 and has worked with the Florida Department of Children and Families. He said it has partially or completely eliminated the need for government assistance for 30,000 people by connecting those in need to local organizations.

Those organizations include faith-based groups, nonprofits and private sector businesses offering aid.

Hope Florida will become part of the states emergency response as Activate Hope. The group will set up a central location for residents to access resources following a disaster.

It also provides an opportunity for state employees to volunteer, if they want to assist with disaster relief.

Hope Floridas Hope Bus aided 300 residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Debby. Anyone who needs assistance can visit the Hope Florida website and click on Hurricane Debby relief. They can also call (833) GET-HOPE (438-4673).

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
A defiant Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took a hard swing at Vice President Kamala Harris, discussed school board election night results, and highlighted Hurricane Debby recovery efforts during a stop in Sarasota on Wednesday.

During his press conference, DeSantis called Vice President Kamala Harris "vapid" while criticizing her economic proposals, said election night losses in counties like Sarasota and Manatee are offset by victories in more Democratic areas, and highlighted how the Hope Florida program is helping Sarasota residents recover from Hurricane Debby.

Politics: Voting results for Sarasota and Manatee counties

DeSantis touts Florida economy, slams Harris economic proposals

DeSantis touted his efforts to retire about 36% of Florida's historical debt during his tenure as governor to set up a scathing five-minute critique of proposals made by Harris while out on the campaign trail, labeling her plan to ban price gouging as "price control."

"We are going to end up having bread lines to be able to get food," DeSantis said.

"Price control is a joke," he said.

The governor also criticized proposals to tax unrealized capital gains, saying those proposals could impact Florida homeowners.

"Taxing unrealized gains is a truly imbecilic and insane policy," he said. "Just think about what that would do to businesses, individuals, property owners. It would put this country into a depression. It would be the worst economic policy that's ever been done. But this is what she is proposing, so I'm just saying it would hit Florida really hard because we've had people whose homes have gone up in value a lot."

"This is truly insane, and it's emblematic I think, and reflective, of a candidate who is effectively an empty vessel," he said. "A candidate that is vapid, a vice president known more for her word salads than she is for any tangible accomplishments."

DeSantis addresses election night losses

DeSantis touted the success he's had endorsing or appointing school board members that align with far-right beliefs to school boards across the state despite notable losses during Tuesday night's primary.

DeSantis-backed candidates struggled at the polls during Tuesday's primary. In Sarasota, voters ousted incumbent Karen Rose, who has aligned herself with controversial board member and Moms for Liberty founder Bridget Ziegler.

More: Sarasota School Board election: Tom Edwards wins, Liz Barker defeats incumbent Rose

Also: Knight upsets DeSantis-pick Rainford in for Sarasota County Commission District 3 seat

DeSantis said the election night losses are offset by previous success and headway made in some Democratic counties.

"We want to support school board candidates ... that believe in putting students first, that respect the rights of parents, and that believe schools should educate not indoctrinate," DeSantis said.

DeSantis also addressed the victory of Democrat Andrew Warren, who overwhelmingly won his primary race on Tuesday night in a bid to win the Hillsborough County State Attorney seat once again after DeSantis ousted him in a controversial move in 2022. DeSantis did not say whether he would remove Warren from office once again if elected.

"I think that will work itself out," he said.

Hope Florida program kicks into gear

The Florida Department of Emergency Management is adopting the Hope Florida program model to connect residents impacted by disasters with community resources, and Tropical Storm Debby is the first storm the program has kicked into gear.

Hope Florida is a program started at the Department of Children and Families that helps connect residents with community, faith-based, private, and nonprofit organizations that offer public assistance. The state has also expanded the model to other agencies like the Department of Elder Affairs and Veterans Affairs.

"This expansion is going to be called Activate Hope," DeSantis said. "This will travel. Activate Hope will go directly to the communities impacted by the disaster to help connect Floridians with outside resources to provide food, household goods, home repairs and more."

First Lady Casey DeSantis helped spearhead the program and said the program can connect residents with resources with just a simple phone call. Those affected by Debby can also www.hopeflorida.com for assistance.

"It makes perfect sense that it would be a part of emergency management," she said. "You call that number and you are going to be able to talk to someone who will navigate you to be able to find whatever you might need... It has been very heartwarming to be able to see this expand and grow by leaps and bounds."

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: DeSantis talks politics and Debby recovery during Sarasota stop
Government announces over $10 million in funding to aid critical species habitat restoration: 'These investments are monumental'

The adorable Stephens' kangaroo rat, which is endemic to Southern California, has made an impressive comeback thanks to over three decades of conservation efforts and a recent government investment of nearly $11 million to fund ecosystem restoration projects.

The Bureau of Land Management California Desert District's dedication to revitalizing the kangaroo rat's habitat has paid off, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service downlisted it from an endangered to threatened species in 2022, per the BLM.

According to the Department of the Interior, the BLM will be awarded nearly $367,000 through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to continue recovery efforts and habitat management for kangaroo rats.

Specifically, the funds will help the agency and its partners maintain the rats' habitat by monitoring and removing invasive plants, looking out for illegal activities in the area, and supporting public education initiatives.

Though kangaroo rats may be tiny, they are essential in sustaining the desert ecosystem.

"Investing in ecosystem resilience is important for all and this species plays a critical role through seed dispersal, building burrows that support other desert wildlife, and water percolation," James Gannon, the California Desert Interagency Fire Program's Fuels Program Manager, told the BLM.

Earlier this year, the Riverside County Habitat Conservation Agency took additional steps to protect the species by keeping tabs on its genetics to ensure the population remains healthy. The BLM also routinely performs prescribed burns to eliminate invasive grasses so that the kangaroo rats have an optimal habitat.

According to the agency, some government funds will go toward ongoing efforts to restore the Santa Ana River Wash Area habitat, home to the endangered slender-horned spineflower and San Bernardino kangaroo rat.

The areas surrounding the Santa Ana River Wash are critical for mitigating flooding and replenishing groundwater, so the restoration projects will also benefit local communities.

The BLM noted that recreational opportunities such as horseback riding, hiking, and biking abound in the region. Continued conservation efforts will ensure people can continue enjoying the land, along with the kangaroo rats.

"At this point, more than half a billion dollars from the BIL has been committed towards ecosystem restoration projects under the Biden-Harris Administration. These investments are monumental for BLM California as we address the impacts of climate change and drought in affected areas of southern California," the BLM wrote.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Governor Kathy Hochul to miss first day of State Fair because of Democratic National Convention

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV)  Governor Kathy Hochul will miss the first day of the New York State Fair because of her attendance at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Both the Governors Office and her campaign confirm the plans to NewsChannel 9.

Hochul is expected to be in Chicago through Thursday, August 22.

Governor Hochul spoke from the main stage at the Democratic National Convention on Monday, August 19, the same night as President Joe Biden. She touted the presidents CHIPS and Science Act resulting in Microns project in Central New York. Tuesday, the Governor was the one to speak on behalf of New Yorks delegates from the convention floor in the ceremonial roll call that nominated Kamala Harris for president.

Traditionally named Governors Day, the governor often visits the State Fair on opening day.

Hochul is expected to attend the State Fair on another day of its 13-day run, but her office was not ready to specify a date.

In 2021, Governor Andrew Cuomos resignation took effect during the duration of the Fair, so he skipped Governors Day. Hochul then visited the following Sunday, August 29, only days into the office. Shes attended every Fair since, on opening day in 2022 and 2023.

As Lieutenant Governor, Hochul filled in for Governor Cuomo on the 2015 Fairs opening day to cut the ribbon.

At the time, now-former State Fair Director Troy Waffner said Governors Day is whenever the governor comes.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSYR.
SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS)  Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry visited Bossier City to share a State of the State legislative update with the northwest Louisiana community.

Governor Landry was the keynote speaker at the Bossier Chamber of Commerce 2024 State of the State luncheon. He shared some of his agenda items and key initiatives implemented for the state.

I said it on the campaign trail, and Im going to deliver on it. North and Central Louisiana have the greatest opportunities. I mean, and I, for once of all youre going to have a governor that going to absolutely deliver it in a way that is going to be generational changes in this state,  said Louisiana Governor, Jeff Landry.

He spoke about his statewide plans to improve local economies, the field of education, state transportation and infrastructure, and more.

The things that we find that are working. We want to be able to duplicate those or replicate those around the state. We are hyper-focused on the juvenile crime issue right now, said Landry.

Landry also highlighted his accomplishments and goals for the future. He claimed that he would transform Louisiana into a new industrial south.

Many local and state public officials said they gained more trust in the governors commitment.

To have him here to talk to the business community and regular citizens as well as elected officials, all of us in one room to listen to and hear his vision. I think Vision is a very important step forward for our area,

You know, they never going to agree one hundred percent of everything that may be put out there, but I think we owe it to him to hear his ideas, see his vision, and to see what parts of that we can support and that there are some areas that we need to have further discussion. I think that he has [an] open mind, for that too, said State Senator Sam Jenkins of District 39.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com.
(Bloomberg) -- Island nations scattered across the Pacific Ocean are at the center of an intensifying competition between China and the US for maritime routes, deep-water ports and other strategic assets in what the Lowy Institute calls a new Great Game.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The countries proximity to key shipping lanes and the communication cables that criss-cross the Pacific floor, together with fisheries and seabed minerals, also encourage the rivalry, Lowy said in a report on Wednesday. But its the regions maritime location between Asia, North America and Australia that is set to keep it at the forefront of major powers defense strategies.

The Pacifics geopolitical landscape is increasingly crowded, with multiple powers vying for influence, report authors Mihai Sora, Jessica Collins and Meg Keen said. China is expanding its reach through diplomatic relations, infrastructure projects, and development finance, while traditional partners such as Australia and the US strive to maintain their influence.

Thats a significant turnaround for island leaders who used to complain that western nations didnt pay enough attention to the region. Lowy warns the new strategic focus is set to challenge good governance and transparency, given opportunities for local political actors to advance narrow interests over what best serves the people of the Pacific.

Read: Why US and China Compete for Sway in South Pacific: QuickTake

The Pacific region is further grappling with rising sea levels due to climate change, as well as a lost decade of development following Covid.

China is now a significant player in the Pacific via development finance, diplomatic outreach and infrastructure such as ports, airports and telecommunications. Its also pushing to play a greater role in key sectors such as the military, policing, digital connectivity, and media, according to the report from the Sydney-based institute.

The US and its allies are also catching up. Since 2017, 18 new embassies have been established in the Pacific, including American outposts in Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, while four have closed. Australia, which has opened six new Pacific posts since 2017, is the only country with a resident diplomatic presence in every sovereign Pacific nation.

The frenetic tempo of global diplomatic outreach to the Pacific underscores the intensity of competition, Lowy said. But this sustained engagement can quickly overwhelm local systems and may not bring tangible benefits.

Beijings loans and infrastructure investments have allowed it to bolster its presence at the expense of Taiwan, which has lost three diplomatic partners in the Pacific to China since 2019.

In 2022, China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands, triggering concerns among western nations. That prompted the US and Australia to bolster security and other agreements with countries including Papua New Guinea. Canberra also signed an agreement with Tuvalu allowing its people to relocate to Australia as climate change worsens.

Rapid population gains and urbanization are straining services in Pacific nations and young people often have poor employment and education prospects, according to Lowy. PNGs population is estimated to reach 22 million by 2050, from around 10 million currently, it said.

Ports and Infrastructure

The Great Game reference harks back to the 19th century competition for influence in Central Asia between the British Empire and Russias tsarist rulers.

One of the problems of great power attention in the Pacific is that local needs like poverty reduction, education, health and other key areas are ignored in favor of strategic projects like deep-water ports and communications infrastructure. Or locally, politicians use development funds to build stadiums and other high-profile projects at the expense of more pressing needs.

The number of individual donors to the Pacific increased to 82 in 2021 from 31 in 2008 and some Pacific Islanders are concerned about the capacity of regional architecture and national systems to manage and coordinate this activity, Lowy said.

The extent of corruption in the Pacific, including capture of the state by elites and private interests, has seen no material improvements across the years, the Lowy report showed.

(Adds rapid population growth in 11th paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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(Reuters) - A former federal prosecutor with experience overseeing efforts to address systemic sexual harassment and discrimination will monitor progress toward the "cultural transformation" of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the bank regulator announced Wednesday.

The appointment of Carrie Cohen, currently of the corporate law firm Morrison Foerster, is the FDIC's latest step in addressing a sexual harassment scandal that forced the resignation of its chair, Martin Gruenberg, earlier this year.

The U.S. Senate has yet to vote on President Joe Biden's nominee to succeed Gruenberg, Christy Goldsmith Romero, who now serves on the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Cohen will audit the FDIC's work toward implementing an action plan announced last year in the wake of a Wall Street Journal expose which found widespread misogyny and a toxic, sexualized atmosphere among agency staff, the FDIC said.

Cohen is co-chair of Morrison Foerster's task force on diversity, equity and inclusion strategy and also co-chairs the firm's investigations and white-collar defense practice. She previously served as a federal prosecutor in New York and at the New York Attorney General's Office, according to the FDIC.

Cohen served as special counsel to the New York City Council, developing a monitorship to address workplace cultural issues, and has overseen monitorships involving sexual harassment, the agency said.

She was selected following an open bidding process and interviews conducted by the FDIC board.

(Reporting by Douglas Gillison; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Green Bay advances plan to move Police Department into historic building. What to know

Editors Note: The Green Bay City Council on Aug. 27 approved the agreement to purchase the former Press-Gazette building and two parking lots for cash and three parcels of land.

GREEN BAY - The city of Green Bay took a first step toward seeing if a historic downtown building can serve as the police department's new headquarters.

The police years ago outgrew its current, aging building on South Adams Street and the city has long grappled with where to build and how to pay for a new public safety center. City and police officials see ample space, a central city location, proximity to City Hall and an opportunity to add community resources in the historic building located at 435 E. Walnut St.

It's no guarantee the 86,000-square-foot former Press-Gazette building can be renovated to serve the new purpose and the idea raises plenty of questions. Two city committees on Tuesday backed an offer to purchase the historic building so the city can start to answer those questions.

The committees' members, many of whom are on the Green Bay City Council, expressed optimism over the potential cost-savings and the building's history, but remain cautious about making sure it suits the police department's needs.

"It's a beautiful, historic building," said Council Member Kathy Hinkfuss. "Now and into the future, it could be really something special."

Here's a quick look at some of the key details, what we know, the answers available and what questions remain to be answered.

Go in-depth: City offers to buy former Press-Gazette building to replace decaying Green Bay Police HQ

Green Bay Press-Gazette building and City Hall.

What's Green Bay going to pay for this downtown property?

The city would pay the property's owner, Minneapolis-based EAMR LLC, $3.6 million in cash plus the rights to three city-owned properties. Two of the properties are Green Bay Metro Fire stations one and three, located on Washington Street and on Shawano Avenue, plus a vacant lot off Sixth Street southeast of Firemans Park.

The city would receive the former Press-Gazette building and two parking lots on Madison Street.

The Green Bay Police Department headquarters is presently located at 307 S. Adams St.

Why can't the city just renovate the current Green Bay Police headquarters?

Not enough space is in the current building to accommodate the department's sworn officers and civilian staff.

The city hired consultants to help it evaluate its options for the police department. The existing building would require both an addition and likely a small parking ramp to create secure parking. Parking ramps, especially, can be expensive.

Additionally, the Police Department building is outdated in terms of its design and appearance. Green Bay Police Chief Chris Davis has said the department would like its new headquarters to include a space for community use as well as spaces for police staff to congregate on the job, uses the current building can't accommodate.

Why look at a historic building that's older than the police department's current building?

The police department's 55-year-old building sounds like a spring chicken compared to the 100-year-old Press-Gazette building. Council members Jennifer Grant and Bill Galvin asked about the former Press-Gazette building's age and condition during Tuesday's Ad Hoc Facilities Committee and Finance Committee meetings.

The city began to look at the former newspaper building, now vacant, in spring as a possible way to accomplish several goals related to the new police building:

Give the police more room for operations and add community spaces.

Keep the department downtown/in central Green Bay.

Explore renovation of an existing building to see if the city could cut project costs compared to new construction.

City officials, including Assistant City Engineer Trista Hobbs and the space needs consultants, toured the building and found no structural concerns but dated mechanical systems in the building.

Is renovating cheaper than new construction?

Several local, commercial construction companies and developers the Press-Gazette spoke to said renovating a commercial building generally costs less than building new, but that it is no guarantee.

Renovations can run the gamut from new lights and fresh carpet to a much more extensive, costly renovations. The type of uses or special needs of the user can also impact the price tag for either renovations or new construction.

What kind of price difference are we talking about?

Council member Brian Johnson told the Facilities Committee pre-COVID estimates put the cost of a new police headquarters at about $50 million.

Contractors and developers look at construction costs in terms of dollars per square foot of space. In general, renovation of an existing building will cost between $200 and $225 while new construction costs in the $300 to $325 range, Johnson said.

At those rates, to renovate the 86,000-square-foot Press-Gazette building would cost $17.2 million to $19.4 million.

A new, 86,000-square-foot building would cost $25.8 million to $27.9 million.

The caveats: Further evaluation and study will determine the scope of work needed and generate project-specific cost estimates. Additionally, a police building will need to include specialized spaces, such as a shooting range and additional security features. Such spaces and uses will often push project costs higher.

What's the worst-case scenario?

The city purchases the properties only for consultants to find that the building won't work for police purposes.

In that case, the city said it would seek developer proposals for a private development of the building.

Don't forget, the deal includes two surface parking lots, too.

Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich on Tuesday told the committees at least one of the parking lots could serve the police department's needs in the short-term, but that long-term he could see the seek proposals to develop housing or commercial uses on the parking lots.

Green Bay Metro Fire Station 1, 505 S. Washington St., houses the department's administrative offices.

Historic preservation a priority for Green Bay Metro Fire station houses

EAMR would have a right to purchase the historic fire station buildings and Sixth Avenue property, but the city prefaced the sale of the properties on negotiation of a development agreement for their reuse.

Johnson on Tuesday asked city officials to strengthen where possible language in the purchase agreement regarding the city's desire to see the historic station houses and reused, not torn down. He said he hopes the deal can include some "clawback" language to allow the city to keep the station houses if EAMR or its successor requests to demolish them.

The Green Bay Police Department headquarters is located at 307 S. Adams St.

What would happen to the police department's current building?

The city would retain ownership of it for now.

It could be used for other city operations, but if it's excess, unneeded space, the city could seek development proposals for repurposing the building. The city could also demolish the structure and offer it up for redevelopment as a vacant, downtown lot.

Will the printing press be removed from the building?

Yes. The city's letter of intent to purchase specifies EAMR would be responsible to remove the press from the rear portion of the building as part of the sale.

Former Press-Gazette building owner's delinquent property taxes would be taken care of at the time of sale

A reader noted to the Press-Gazette that EAMR LLC has not made its second property tax payment, due in late July, and owes $37,392, according to Brown County property records.

The property taxes would have to be paid before the property transfer is complete. How that is paid will be up to the city and EAMR to decide.

What's next? Want to have your say?

The city's Finance Committee and Ad Hoc Facilities Committee both on Tuesday approved the offer to purchase, but the Green Bay City Council will have the final vote on it.

The City Council next meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday on the second floor of City Hall, 100 N. Jefferson St.

Contact Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or jbollier@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: What to know: Green Bay's plan to find Police Department new home
The Greenbrier Hotel, located in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., is set to go to public auction Aug. 27 because of a default. The hotel is owned by Gov. Jim Justice and run by his family. (Getty Images)

A Louisiana bank has filed a lawsuit against The Greenbrier Hotel Corporation, alleging the Justice family-owned business took out a $35 million loan and has failed to make any payments.

First Guaranty Bank filed the suit against the hotel last month in United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.

The lawsuit, first reported by West Virginia MetroNews, alleges the hotel, owned by the family of Gov. Jim Justice, took out the loan in December 2020, agreeing to pay back the $35 million Main Street Loan with interest. The loan was made under the provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

The loan became delinquent on Dec. 22, 2023 when the hotel did not pay the bank the 15% of the principal amount plus interest that was due, the complaint says.

As of July 15, the hotel owes a total of more than $36 million in principal, interest and fees on the loan, according to the complaint.

An email to the hotel was not immediately returned Wednesday.

The lawsuit is the latest in a series of financial struggles and allegations against companies owned by Justice and his family. The Greenbrier Hotel has been the center of many of these struggles over recent weeks and is scheduled to go to public auction on Tuesday due to the company defaulting on other loans. Justice family attorneys have filed a preliminary injunction to halt the sale of the hotel, with a hearing scheduled for that case at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Greenbrier County.

Justice is the Republican nominee for the seat currently held by Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., and is a heavy favorite to win the race in the November general election. He has repeatedly claimed the financial issues affecting his familys businesses are nothing more than political attacks from Democrats who dont want to see him elected to the Senate. The state Democrats on Tuesday called on Justice to drop out of the race for Senate.

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Greenville Co. man arrested for sexual exploitation of children

GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA)  A Pelzer man accused of having child sexual abuse materials was arrested last week.

According to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, Andrew Donald Kowal, 32, was arrested on August 15.

Officials said that a tip reported via the CyberTipline with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led deputies to Kowal.

Investigators determined that Kowal possessed files of child sexual abuse material.

The 32-year-old was charged with three counts of third degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, right; her husband, Mark Mallory; and daughters Sydney and Sherry attend the Michigan Inauguration on Jan. 1, 2023. (Andrew Roth | Michigan Advance)

Gretchen Whitmer has been known for a lot of things in her life.

Shes never lost an election, gaining national attention for fighting against anti-abortion and anti-labor policies while serving in the Legislature. As Michigans 49th governor, she was the subject of an assassination plot during her first term and went on to sign an avalanche of progressive legislation after winning a landslide reelection. And shes been considered for the role of vice president twice in a four-year span.

Whitmers latest role is hype woman for Vice President Kamala Harris and her friend, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Tim and I get along because we both live by a three-word strategy: Get sh-t done, she declared at a rally this month in a Detroit Metro Airport hangar that drew 15,000 people.

That certainly describes Whitmers governing philosophy, delivered with her salt-of-the-earth rhetorical flair (her first gubernatorial campaign slogan was Fix the Damn Roads, after all, which gave some male pundits the vapors).

But after covering her for two decades and reading her first book, its clear thats also her general approach to life.

Whitmer starts out True Gretch, by announcing that she hails from a family of hard workers. Time and time again, she encounters obstacles, grits through it, and knocks them down. Sometimes she goes with her gut, like when she disclosed her sexual assault in an emotional Senate speech during an abortion bill debate. Other times, that comes after carefully assessing the situation and listening to others, like when a severe winter storm threatened to knock out power for millions.

But at the end of the day, Whitmer, 52, always plays through pain  be it her mothers devastating cancer diagnosis or threats on her life  and gets sh-t done. Theres really nothing more Midwestern or Generation X than that.

If you really want to understand Gretchen Whitmer, though, it starts with appreciating how important her family and being a mom are to her. Its something Ive gotten to see up close and personal over the years  our kids happen to be the same ages  but it also comes through on every page.

Eldest daughter syndrome

Gretchen Esther Whitmer  named for both her grandmothers, who both play a prominent role in her book  was born into a family of public servants.

Her mother, Sherry Whitmer  for whom her eldest daughter is named  was an assistant attorney general under Democratic Attorney General Frank Kelley, and her father, Dick Whitmer, led the Commerce department under GOP Gov. William Milliken.

You really couldnt script a better background for someone who aspired to be governor of a big purple state. But despite her political pedigree, Whitmer shares plenty of self-deprecating anecdotes, like losing her two front teeth at camp and earning the nickname Gravity Gretchen. She even notes that her dad told a reporter during her first campaign for the Michigan House, Gretchen knows she isnt special.

Somehow I knew the first time I met Rep. Whitmer back in 2005 that she was the firstborn (we tend to spot our own). When I interviewed her last month about True Gretch, I asked her if she thought it was a story of eldest daughter syndrome.

Thats funny, she said and paused. You know what? I think that being the oldest, as well as other things, probably informs a lot of who I am. So yeah, that makes sense.

With her parents divorcing when she was 6, Whitmer took on the caregiver role for her younger siblings, Liz and Richard, with whom she still shares a close, goofy relationship. She writes about being sick with worry about her sister walking home alone from school. She also worried about her dad being alone a lot of the time and took to leaving little notes and drawings around the house for him to find.

Whitmers caregiver role continued into adulthood when she had a classic sandwich generation situation during her first term in the House while giving birth to her first child as her mother was dying of cancer. In one of the more poignant moments of the book, she climbs into her moms hospital bed following her first surgery. Instead of weeping, the two end up sharing a joke and howling with laughter.

Much has been written about the latchkey kids of the 80s  most of it serving as a condemnation of working women, as the feminist backlash was in full swing  but its worth considering that many children learned valuable lessons in independence and resilience.

Whitmer recalled in a recent interview that as a kid, she called her mom at work after her sister broke her arm and was told, Oh, give her a Twinkie and Ill check it when I get home. While todays helicopter parents would wince at that exchange, the book seems to underscore that Whitmer benefited from having to figure out things on her own.

In 159 brief pages of True Gretch, she breaks down 10 of her most significant life lessons, with chapters titled, Never Give Up, Learn to Listen, and Run Toward the Fire, interspersed with bright, shorter asides like the True Gretch Playlist and her take on the Saturday Night Live portrayal of her during the pandemic. (Theres also no index, which will disappoint politicos who live to search for their names.)

Its a breezy read, with Whitmer taking great pains not to lecture or hector anyone, instead assuming the tone of a wise girlfriend whos figured some stuff out and isnt afraid to share her wins and losses over a bottle of mid-priced wine.

Ambition and motherhood

Almost all politicians talk about family, but its not an exaggeration to say that the tent poles of Whitmers brief book are her parents, grandparents, siblings, husbands (yes, shes close with her ex), and children.

Whitmer seems to have realized what so many women have: Theres no ideal time in your career to have a baby. You just take the leap and do your best, because there will always be tons of hurdles. She had her first daughter shortly after taking office, something we bonded over as I had mine within a year of landing my first reporting job.

My girls have grown up around the Capitol. Sherry [was born in] my first term and Sydney my second term, Whitmer told me in an interview last month.  They understand politics. They understand why this is something that Im called to do.

She balanced work with parenthood just like the rest of us (wed leave Senate committee hearings to pick our kids up from theater camp at the same time)  even though her job was far more important than most. I remember one time when I confessed over coffee that I was gripped with mom guilt after being late to my kids birthday celebration at school. She gently reminded me that its good for our daughters to see us trying to make a difference in the world.

The centerpiece of the 80s feminist backlash was admonishing women that you couldnt have it all  kids and career  and if you tried, youd constantly fail at both jobs. I doubt that Whitmer set out to prove that maxim wrong  she was probably just emulating the strong women in her family  but she has. Shes always been an involved parent who has continued to pursue her political dreams. And while mothers with school-aged children are still a minority in Michigan politics, theres a much stronger support network today.

When Whitmer was tapped in 2020 to deliver the response to then-President Trumps State of the Union  an honor usually bestowed upon one of the opposing partys rising stars  she chose her daughters high school as the venue. (Her kids invited a gaggle of friends to the event who promptly all took selfies at the podium).

A month later, the state was engulfed in the pandemic and Whitmer had to make some agonizing choices, like an executive order closing down schools. With a stroke of my pen, I canceled my own kids high school graduation, her senior prom, she writes, noting she understood all too well why people were angry.

Earlier in the book, Whitmer devotes a surprising amount of time to a 2019 crisis when a polar vortex threatened the states power grid, and she called on people to voluntarily turn down their thermostats. In hindsight, you can see that she wishes thats how COVID would have gone down, with everyone working together to save peoples lives instead of getting caught up in political battles. One of her recurring themes is that leaders arent going to get everything right, but you have to try to help people.

Whitmer describes her daughters as even-keeled, stoic Whitmers, even when she shares with them the threats on her life. Theyre now both in their early 20s but they remain close with her, even getting matching tattoos  smiley faces as a callback to Whitmer drawing them on their stomachs before they left for overnight camp.

But there is a special pain that Gen X women feel, having been raised with the promises of second-wave feminism that told us we could be anything we wanted to be, only to see our daughters be stripped of their most basic rights. When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Whitmers first thought was of her daughters and what that meant for their future.

Still, she still enjoys light moments with her Gen Z kids, like when one of her social media posts goes viral and she exaggeratedly exclaims, Wow, I just cant stop trending!

Predictably, they always roll their eyes.

A woman governor (again)

Michigan has had a female governor before  now-U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm served two terms in the aughts  but that hasnt prevented Whitmer from enduring her fair share of misogyny.

Even before she was elected to the states highest office, Whitmer was named on hottest politicians lists and belittled as a junior senator by a male colleague (who never used that term for anyone else). As governor, shes been called batsh-t crazy by a male Senate majority leader, who also bragged he spanked her on COVID policy.

After she gave her first State of the State address in 2019, FOX-2, a Detroit TV station, ran a sleazy story on people commenting about the blue dress she wore with highly specific critiques of her body, something she refers in the book to as a sartorial sh-tshow. She includes her tweets responding to the article, where she notes shes used to criticism. Im tough, I can take it, she tweeted, but ended with a message for women and girls dealing with garbage like this: Ive got your back.

When I asked Whitmer if shes worked harder to be taken seriously as a woman in politics, she said yes.

I think that there is an aspect of that where if you know youre going to be distilled down to something really superficial, you could throw your hands up and rail against it or you could roll up your sleeves and work that much harder to show your substance, she said. I think my natural tendency is to do the latter. But also do it with an eye toward: How do we make the world a better place for our daughters so that they dont have to deal with as much of this B.S. as weve had to navigate? Just like the people that came before us did for us.

For many Gen Xers, it can be hard to find Boomer women mentors in male-dominated fields like politics. Some are absolute gems, like the late Kelly Rossman-McKinney, the ultimate PR pro who shared her wit and wisdom with hundreds of women in Lansing for decades. But unfortunately, there are some women who resent those of us who supposedly have it too easy after they broke the glass ceiling.

Its even more disheartening to engender the resentment of younger women in the field, some of whom seem to think youre a sucker for working so hard and deserve to be put out to pasture. Talk about the sandwich generation.

Whitmer has seemingly escaped that trap, however, and has a bevy of Millennial and Gen Z women on staff. Their influence is readily apparent in her irreverent TikToks and her last State of the State address in which she played her greatest policy hits and unleashed music-themed puns with abandon. (You could say shes in her DGAF Era).

And because Whitmer isnt the first female governor, she seems less constrained by gendered expectations and routinely ditches the unofficial female politician uniform of inoffensive pantsuits in favor of leather jackets and fuchsia dresses (her power color, in a tribute to her mom).

I think that the women who before my generation created more acceptance for us showing up as we are, she said in an interview in May. And I think also Im of an age now where Im a lot more comfortable with who I am, and Im going to show up as I am. And I hope, and I see that in my kids, that their generation doesnt have the baggage that mine did at that same age.

In other words, Whitmer seems free to embrace what can be, unburdened what has been, as Kamala Harris would say.

Shes also more forgiving and gracious than most of us, writing that she wants to sit down with the far-right men who plotted to kill her.

I really would, Whitmer said at an East Lansing event in May before her book came out. I would like to do that because I know that they are human beings who somethings not working for them in their lives and Im curious, you know, what really is happening to see if theres something I could do that would be helpful.

Political future

If Tim Walz is everyones Midwestern Dad, its only right to acknowledge that Gretchen Whitmers Mitten-bred folksiness helped pave the way.

While Trump vilified her during the pandemic as the woman from Michigan and egged on right-wing protesters, Whitmer embraced the nickname and proudly notes she made it my own. But being Midwest nice doesnt mean youre a pushover. At the Detroit rally, Whitmer joked that Walz may be the only other governor she knows who swears more than her.

In politics, writing a book is seen as a naked audition for your next gig, so naturally speculation about a future presidential run has been a fixture of Whitmers whirlwind media tour.

Shes sold out venues in Michigan and beyond, with her event in the moneyed playground of Marthas Vineyard  moderated by Hollywood royalty Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen  billed as one of the most highly anticipated events on the Island this summer.

At the beginning of her tour last month, President Joe Biden was still in the race after his calamitous debate performance. (Whitmer told me shed been at a celebrity-strewn party in California beforehand, but had to hop on a plane before the debate began and somewhat conveniently missed his implosion). As one of his national campaign co-chairs, Whitmer was inundated with questions about whether he should drop out and if shed run in his stead (including from the Advance), which was clearly wearing on her.

Whitmer seemed to be struggling to balance her personal loyalty to Biden, a friend who had put her on his VP shortlist four years ago, and her allegiance to the country and her party, as she appeared to harbor some doubts about his ability to beat Trump. She dipped her toe in the water with comments like saying it wouldnt hurt for both men to take a cognitive test, but shell never be able to be as calculating and cutthroat as U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who masterfully eased the president off the stage. (The vast majority of people in politics cant stand to be hated. Pelosi doesnt care).

Although Whitmer was once again considered for vice president, this time by Harris, she seems content to campaign for the ticket in Michigan and across the country.

I woke up in Big Gretch mode this morning because I am fired up to elect Kamala Harris as our president! she declared at the Detroit rally to thunderous applause.

Shes defended Harris from attacks on her signature laugh, telling the Washington Post that its been so energizing to see young people make memes and videos of a joyful, happy warrior. And I think thats going to ultimately be a strength.

Whitmer casts herself in that role in her book, and their similarities could be one reason Harris didnt pick her as her running mate (apprehension about an all-female ticket was likely the ultimate culprit).

Like Harris, Whitmer is also married to a successful man who isnt afraid to let her shine. Her husband, Marc Mallory, doesnt do interviews  Ive tried  and didnt co-author the book, as former first gentleman Dan Mulhern did with Granholm in 2011 for A Governors Story. (There also are no anecdotes in the book about Mallory making Whitmer fetch his tea at the end of a frenzied day.)

But while now-second gentleman Doug Emhoff willingly stepped away from his law practice when Harris was elected VP, Mallory retired early from his dental practice due to ongoing threats.

Whitmer doesnt devote much time to details like that, although she briefly ties the assassination plot against her to threats on her grandfathers life when he helped integrate Pontiac schools as superintendent shortly after she was born. A Publishers Weekly review complained that there was almost certainly enough material  personal and political  for Whitmer to deliver a meaty memoir. Unfortunately, this isnt it.

When I noted that there were many significant events that she didnt include in True Gretch  like organizing a 2012 performance of The Vagina Monologues on the state Capitol lawn after two female lawmakers were silenced during an abortion debate  Whitmer stressed it wasnt a memoir, but a handbook.

What I really wanted to do was put out something that would be accessible for people that is not long-form, but really got to the point of 10 things that Ive learned over the course of my life that Ive used in certain circumstances as governing, she said.

Leaving your audience wanting more isnt a bad thing, of course. Whitmer is term-limited in 2026 and has four years before the next presidential election to write another tome. (Speaking in March at the annual Gridiron dinner  a rite of passage for ambitious politicians  she teased the speculation by ending her speech with a cheeky: See you in 2029!)

With Democrats cautiously optimistic now that Harris could win this fall, that would upend any plans Whitmer has for a presidential bid. But I know she believes preserving American democracy is a greater goal than any she might personally harbor. And as a true Midwesterner, I dont think Whitmer has ever been so presumptuous as to start measuring the drapes in the Oval Office. Shed also never make such a big decision without considering what it means for her family.

When I asked her in July what shed want to accomplish if she did run for president in the future, Whitmer gave a quick and somewhat drained answer.

Susan, I dont know that Ill ever run for president, she said. I know this, that we need leaders who care about people and can solve problems and can work with anybody. I will always be an enthusiastic supporter of great candidates. I dont know that Ill be one myself. But I think that I understand where the questions are coming from. Sorry, I dont have a more satisfying answer for you.

This story was originally published by Michigan Advance, which like the New Hampshire Bulletin is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
Grizzly bear euthanized after cattle depredations in the upper Blackfoot Valley, FWP says

Wildlife photographer Patricia Lavin captured this image of then-26-year-old Grizzly 399 in September 2022. (Patricia Lavin)

OVANDO  An adult male grizzly bear was euthanized last week after four livestock conflicts in the upper Blackfoot Valley during the past month, said Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in a news release Wednesday.

FWP wildlife specialists reported that the conflicts began in mid-July east of Lincoln where the bear first killed a calf on leased private property.

The first depredation was not discovered for a few days, so traps were not set, FWP said. FWP worked with the landowner and other partners in the area to try to prevent more livestock depredations. However, the bear remained and continued to pursue cattle.

FWP said other depredations began the first week in August, with three calves killed in a five-day period. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service authorized removal of the bear, and game cameras were set on one of the carcasses.

The bear was shot and killed by U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services on Aug. 13, FWP said.

FWP and USFWS specialists work to help landowners and communities avoid bear conflicts.

FWP encouraged people who see a bear or sign near their residence that may result in a conflict to call their local bear specialist at the contact number found on FWPs website: fwp.mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management/bear/contact.

For more information on living, working, and recreating in Montanas bear country, visit fwp.mt.gov/bear-aware.
GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemalan prosecutors on Wednesday filed a request to strip President Bernardo Arevalo of the criminal immunity granted to his role so he can face charges for alleged abuse of authority, the latest twist in an ongoing face-off between the two sides.

This is the third such request lodged against Arevalo in the year since he was elected after running on an anti-graft campaign. All have come from the Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity (FECI), which first sought to prevent Arevalo from taking office, and have worked to force him to abandon it.

The prosecutor leading the charge against him, Rafael Curruchiche, is on the U.S. State Department's Engel List of Corrupt and Undemocratic Actors and has been sanctioned by more than 40 countries.

Curruchiche said on Wednesday that Arevalo needed to answer allegations that he gave illegal instructions to his former Communications Minister Jazmin de la Vega about payments to construction companies hired by the previous administration.

Prosecutors presented a leaked recording of the alleged conversation.

Among the companies is a firm with ties to Guatemala's ambassador to the Organization of American States holding an $8.5 million contract, Curruchiche said.

Arevalo denied the allegations in a statement through his social communications office, saying "Mr. Curruchiche's nonsense has no basis for any sort of penal request."

(Reporting by Sofia Menchu; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Richard Chang)
Gunna Teams Up With The Black Music Action Coalition To Provide Georgia Families With A Monthly Stipend Through $500K Initiative

Gunna Teams Up With The Black Music Action Coalition To Provide Georgia Families With A Monthly Stipend Through $500K Initiative | Photo: Ro.Lexx / Provided by the Black Music Coalition

Gunna is joining forces with the Black Music Action Coalition to help out Georgia families.

Gunna and the Black Music Action Coalition created the Gunna x BMAC 30349 Guaranteed Income Program. Through the $500,000 initiative, a $1,000 monthly stipend will be given to approximately 30 families living in the 30349 zip code region of South Fulton, GA for an entire year. They will also receive access to financial literacy and mental health services.

When I launched Gunnas Great Giveaway, my goal was to uplift my hometown by providing resources that could make a tangible difference in at least one household. Partnering with BMAC to introduce the Guaranteed Income program in South Fulton is a significant step toward enhancing these communities and transforming the economic landscape of the city, Gunna said in a press release.

Gunna is no stranger to giving back: Gunnas Drip Closet is a free in-school clothing store, and the Goodr Grocery Store at McNair Middle School offers students necessities for free.

BMACs mission to achieve systemic equity must begin with economic justice. Black Americans are too often locked out of critical opportunities and pathways to climb the socioeconomic ladder despite being central to every cultural and financial movement in this countrys history, BMAC co-founder, president, and CEO Willie Prophet Stiggers said in a statement. Partnering with Gunna to bring needed financial relief and, more importantly, mentorship and other services leading to sustainable change is very powerful. Our organization will continue to partner with Artists and others looking to put equity in action so our community can tap into its fullest potential.

South Fulton Mayor Kahlid Kamau is grateful for the support and financial assistance.

As Mayor of South Fulton, I am deeply committed to fostering economic opportunities and uplifting our community. The partnership between Gunna, BMAC, and the City of South Fulton represents a transformative step in addressing the economic disparities that some of our residents face, Kamau said. The Gunna x BMAC 30349 Guaranteed Income Program is not just an investment in our citys future, but a powerful example of how we can create meaningful change through collaboration and innovation. I am proud to support this initiative and look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on the families in our community.

In addition, BMAC plans to utilize various music, film, fashion and tech experts to set up a mentorship branch for grant participants.

Now accepting applications, the Gunna x BMAC 30349 Guaranteed Income Program will launch on Sept. 18. The annual Black Music Action Coalition gala will be held on Sept. 19.
(Bloomberg) -- US firms have warned that parts of a proposed cyber law could grant the Hong Kong government unusual access to their computer systems, highlighting the latest challenge to Western tech giants in the city.

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The Asia Internet Coalition, which includes Amazon.com Inc., Alphabet Inc.s Google and Meta Platforms Inc., is among the bodies that have in recent weeks sought changes to parts of the legislation that officials say are designed to protect critical infrastructure from cyberattacks. The government, in response to the Bloomberg story, said 52 of the 53 submissions it received about the legislation, including from the coalition, supported the legislation and made constructive suggestions.

Critics argue the proposals give authorities overly broad powers that could threaten the integrity of service providers and rock confidence in the citys digital economy. The local American Chamber of Commerce and Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce have also submitted letters over the proposed legislative framework to a public consultation.

Two of the three groups flagged the rules  which some were concerned could apply to computer systems outside Hong Kong  as unprecedented. One of their key objections was to proposed investigative powers that would let authorities connect their equipment to critical computer systems owned by private firms, and install programs on them.

Such unprecedented power directly intervenes in, and could have a significant impact on, a CIOs operation and could harm the users of the services, AmCham wrote in an Aug. 1 letter, referring to critical infrastructure operators. Such a move is likely to have a chilling effect on tech investment in Hong Kong, it added.

The government said in a statement late on Tuesday in response to the Bloomberg News report that its proposal in no way involves the personal data and business information. The statement added that relevant legislation already exists in other jurisdictions, such as the Mainland, Macau SAR, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, the European Union and Singapore.

Hong Kong will only seek out a court warrant to connect to computer systems or install programs in certain circumstances if operators wont or cant respond to potential cyber incidents. And the envisioned legislation wont have extraterritorial effect beyond its jurisdiction, according to the statement.

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A Google spokeswoman declined to comment on the concerns raised in the Asia Internet Coalition letter. Amazon and Meta didnt respond to requests for comment.

Officials have said previously the cybersecurity bill is needed to protect the citys economy, public safety and national security. They propose establishing a new commissioners office to oversee the legislations implementation.

Many countries have laws to safeguard strategic infrastructure and access networks  for instance, US law enforcement and counterintelligence agencies can conduct wiretaps with court authorization. But its rare for government agencies to try and gain access to private networks or information by directly installing software.

This initiative is vital to ensuring the resilience and security of Hong Kongs critical infrastructure, the internet coalition said in a public letter. The Government should provide assurance that information provided for investigation will be used only for specific use cases (e.g., for investigating a particular incident) and will not be used for other cases and disclosed to third parties.

While Hong Kongs internet remains largely free compared to mainland Chinas Great Firewall, the citys top US diplomat in March sounded the alarm over creeping online controls. President Xi Jinpings crackdown on freedoms in the former British colony has fanned fears about the citys reduced appeal as a finance hub.

Hong Kong recently showed its willingness to intervene directly with online content in its clash with Google over the hosting of pro-democracy protest songs on YouTube. The government  armed with a local court injunction  forced the American giant to block the videos, giving the city leaders a potent new tool to order the mass removal of content.

The relatively open flow of information in Hong Kong is a key draw for international businesses. Restrictions on Western tech firms and services could hamper efforts to revitalize the citys image, which took a hit from years of Covid curbs and a Beijing-imposed security law, also criticized as being vaguely worded and too far-reaching.

Under the proposed new cyber rules, companies would need to secure their computer systems and disclose to the government serious breaches within two hours. Fines for offenses could range as high as HK$5 million ($642,000) and would be determined by a court, according to the proposal.

The legislation is likely to be submitted to the citys Legislative Council by the end of this year and enacted, legal observers say.

While Hong Kong has a legitimate need for new cybersecurity rules, companies will be worried about protecting user data, said George Chen, co-chair of digital practice at The Asia Group, a Washington-based business and policy consulting firm.

International platforms, especially cloud service providers, are also naturally concerned about the enforcement, he added. The question will be where to draw the line between protecting user data privacy and overall cybersecurity concerns.

(Updates with additional comment from the AIC in the 11th paragraph)

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Gwen Walz clarifies she went through IUI fertility journey rather than IVF

Gwen Walz has clarified that she went through an intrauterine insemination (IUI) fertility journey rather than in vitro fertilization (IVF) with her husband, vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.

In an interview with Glamour, Gwen came forward to clarify her husbands comments on her difficult fertility journey. She said it took a long time for her to be able to talk about it, even to her close friends and family.

Our fertility journey was an incredibly personal and difficult experience, she admitted. Like so many who have experienced these challenges, we kept it largely to ourselves at the time.

She added: Many of our closest family and friends were surprised when we shared these experiences so many years later.

It took a village to ensure their parenthood journey, with a nurse and neighbor of theirs routinely stopping by to help with the shots I needed as part of the IUI process to help them stay on track, Gwen said. She also noted that her husband would often rush home from school after a full day of teaching to support her as the nurse administered the shots.

Like millions of families across the country, she said. For years, Tim and I tried to start a family through fertility treatments.

At the time, Gwen underwent intrauterine insemination, a process in which sperm is directly placed into the uterus to improve the chances of egg fertilization. The process is practiced to increase the number of healthy sperm and the likelihood of sperm reaching the fallopian tubes.

After being married since 1994, the couple welcomed their daughter, Hope, now 23, in 2001, and their son Gus, now 17, in 2006.

We hope other families find solace in our story, she explained. Knowing that pain, I cannot fathom the cruelty of politicians who want to take away the freedom for couples to access the care they need.

She continued: After seeing the extreme attacks on reproductive health care across the country - particularly the efforts in Alabama that jeopardized access to fertility treatments - Tim and I agreed that it was time to formally speak out about our experience.

Tim previously credited IVF procedures for his and Gwens children, telling MSNBC in July: Thank God for IVF, my wife and I have two beautiful children. On other occasions, he has referred to their use of fertility treatments.

Recently, Gwen called out Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance during a Democrat fundraising call.

If Trump had his way, I would have never become a mom, she said, referencing the VP candidates infamous childless cat lady comments. If Vance had his way, that would make me a second-class citizen.

Thats not the future I want for my children, or your children, or any children, she added at the time.

Her husband shares her concerns, noting that conservatives are attacking one of the USs most basic freedoms.

When and if to start a family is one of our most basic freedoms in this country, Tim said. Attacking the ability for families to even have children exposes Republicans true colors and shows just how far they are willing to go to limit freedom.

This should scare the hell out of every single person in this country, he continued. No matter which political party you belong to.

Since going public with their difficult fertility journey in March 2024, the couple said they were touched by those who reached out, sharing similar experiences with them.

The familys comments come after a year that has thrown the fertility industry in a tailspin. Back in February 2024, the Alabama Supreme Court decided in a landmark ruling that frozen embryos are classified as children under state law. The decision sent shockwaves throughout IVF centers, with many providers fearing they could face prosecution for the commonplace practice of freezing and discarding embryos.

Although the widespread and bipartisan backlash led Alabama lawmakers to swiftly pass a bill shielding doctors from legal liability for the destruction of embryos, the law did not explicitly address all the issues from the initial ruling, including the legal question of fetal personhood.
Gwen Walz shares fertility treatment she and her husband used to have children

Gwen Walz, wife of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), shared more information Tuesday about what type of infertility treatment she and her husband used to have children, after media outlets and campaign materials erroneously indicated they had chosen in vitro fertilization (IVF).

The Minnesota governor has frequently spoken in public about using treatments like IVF to have children without specifying what those were. As The New York Times reported, the Tim Walz for Governor campaign office sent out a fundraising letter earlier this year that read, My wife and I used I.V.F. to start a family.

Gwen Walz said in a statement Tuesday that the couple had opted for intrauterine insemination (IUI) when dealing with infertility.

Our fertility journey was an incredibly personal and difficult experience. Like so many who have experienced these challenges, we kept it largely to ourselves at the time  not even sharing the details with our wonderful and close family, Walz said.

The only person who knew in detail what we were going through was our next door neighbor. She was a nurse and helped me with the shots I needed as part of the IUI process. Id rush home from school and she would give me the shots to ensure we stayed on track. Many of our closest family and friends were surprised when we shared these experiences so many years later.

Gwen Walz said she and the governor decided to share their experience after seeing the extreme attacks on reproductive health care across the country  particularly, the efforts in Alabama that jeopardized access to fertility treatments.

Alabamas Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that frozen embryos can legally be considered the same as children in wrongful death suits, leading the three major IVF clinics in the state to temporarily pause services and thrusting the procedure into the political spotlight.

In a Facebook post following the Alabama ruling, Tim Walz wrote, Gwen and I have two beautiful children because of reproductive health care like IVF.

IVF involves inseminating an egg cell outside of the body before implanting the embryo in a uterus. IUI involves placing healthy sperm cells directly in the uterus, closer to the egg cells, to improve the chances of fertilization.

According to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, IUI generally costs less than IVF while also having a lower chance of success.

Regarding prior statements implying the Minnesota governor had chosen IVF, Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg said, Governor Walz talks how normal people talk. He was using commonly understood shorthand for fertility treatments.

After Gwen Walz shared that she and her husband had used IUI, Ohio Sen. JD Vance (R), former President Trumps running mate, accused Tim Walz on social media of having lied about having a family via IVF.

Tim Walz had previously said, If it was up to JD Vance, I wouldnt have a family because of IVF. The Harris-Walz campaign has sought to paint Vance as being against IVF access, writing in a campaign email on World IVF Day that he is driving away voters in droves, insulting couples struggling with infertility who are sounding off on his disparaging comments about childless women.

Ehrenberg responded to Vances accusation in a statement, saying, The Trump campaigns attacks on Mrs. Walz are just another example of how cruel and out of touch Donald Trump and JD Vance are when it comes to womens healthcare.

Infertility is a deeply personal journey, but the Governor and Mrs. Walz came forward to share their story because they know that MAGA attacks on reproductive rights are putting all fertility treatments at risk, added Ehrenberg.

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BOSTON (WWLP)  New Hampshires Attorney General has filed a legal challenge to our states enforcement of gun laws.

New law expected to help reduce gun violence in Springfield

It calls into question two cases where New Hampshire residents were charged for carrying firearms without having Massachusetts licenses, according to the New Hampshire Department of Justice. The Attorney General says it is unconstitutional for Massachusetts to take such restrictive measures against non-residents who are abiding by their own states gun laws.

A Lowell District Court has also ruled the charges as unconstitutional. The case is scheduled to be heard before the states Supreme Judicial Court on September 9th.

This brief is crucial because it stands up for the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment, not just for New Hampshire residents but for all law-abiding citizens traveling across state lines. By challenging Massachusetts restrictive firearm laws, we are affirming that constitutional freedoms should not be undermined by inconsistent and overly burdensome regulations, said Attorney General Formella. This is all about ensuring that responsible gun owners can protect themselves without fear of unjust legal consequences when they cross state borders. Upholding these rights is essential for safeguarding personal safety and reinforcing the principle that the Constitution must be respected and upheld nationwide.

Latest Local News Headlines

WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.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 WWLP.
Power lines cross the Androscoggin River in Milan. (Cappi Thompson | Getty Images)

This story is the second in a series examining how the top four gubernatorial candidates, as determined by polling data, would lead on energy and the environment. Read the first one here. The third installment, coming soon, will focus on the candidates positions on offshore wind.

New Hampshires natural beauty is undeniable. But its environment  and the people and the economy that depend on it  faces mounting threats due to climate change.

You can see and feel the changes for yourself: Its hotter than it used to be. It snows less. Water is creeping in from the coast.

The next governor of New Hampshire will set the tone for how the state addresses climate change. So far, the state has been out of step with its New England neighbors. It lags in renewable energy adoption and is the only state in the region without a statutory requirement to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Whoever replaces Gov. Chris Sununu, who is not seeking reelection after four terms in office, will also have to tackle energy affordability in a state and region with some of the highest electricity rates in the country. The next governor will also make key appointments to the Public Utilities Commission and the Department of Energy.

The four top candidates for governor expressed distinct visions in these areas in interviews with the Bulletin. Asked how they see climate change impacting the state in the coming years and decades, and what they would do to mitigate those impacts, the candidates described the problem in different terms.

Kelly Ayotte, the Republican former U.S. senator and state attorney general, said she would take a bipartisan, balanced approach to protecting our environment, but we have to do so without increasing energy costs, because people cant afford how much energy costs right now in New Hampshire.

She said she would focus on preserving natural spaces and was concerned by what was happening at the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters Forest in northern New Hampshire. A company that owns the land sought to reduce the tree harvest there and sell carbon credits, but the state rejected the plan.

Someone from out of state bought it and is trying to reduce the use of that land, she said. So, to me, as we think about conserving our land, its about conserving everything for the use of people and the enjoyment of the people of New Hampshire, and then protecting our environment.

Joyce Craig, the Democratic former Manchester mayor, said climate change is coming up with residents in every conversation. She said she would focus on lowering costs, increasing renewable energy, and protecting the environment.

We are seeing how weve had a mild winter, impacting our outdoor recreation and tourism, she said. Weve seen how climate change has affected our Seacoast, with Route 1 being washed out by storms this winter. And just recently, the effects of the storm, the flooding that we had this past week (in July). We need to take action on addressing climate change.

Chuck Morse, the Republican who served for years as president of the state Senate, said he passed legislation that allows people to choose what forms of energy they want to use. He sponsored a bill in 2021 that banned municipalities from enacting mandates on how people heat their homes.

Ive always been one that likes to deal with facts, he said. And I think, when it comes to climate change, or anything to do with energy, the people should be given the facts from the government, and they should be able to make that decision.

Pressed on what effect he sees climate change having on the state, he said: Im a believer that we go through evolution and things are going to change, and thats gonna happen. But Ive worked pretty hard to make sure we protect New Hampshire, and most of my work has been in water, to be honest with you, but thats where Ive spent a lot of time.

Morse helped establish and previously led the states Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund.

Cinde Warmington, the lone Democrat on the Executive Council, said the impacts of climate change are visible everywhere in our state.

She listed them: more frequent, severe floods; crop losses, especially apples last year; cyanobacteria blooms driven in part by lack of ice cover in the winter; economic impacts to the ski industry; and risks to the health and well-being of Granite Staters and of our planet.

She called climate change a truly serious threat to our state and said New Hampshire needs a governor who will recognize that were in the middle of a climate crisis.

We start from the premise that climate change presents a real and imminent threat to our state, she said, and that we need to take really bold action to protect our future.

Heres more on how each candidate would lead on energy and climate.

Kelly Ayotte (R)

Ayotte, who Sununu endorsed this month, has a similar message on energy as the incumbent governor.

I would take an all-of-the-above approach for New Hampshire, she said. And that means that we would look to make sure that whatever we do, that we arent adding additional costs to the people of New Hampshire that increase their energy bills.

She said that literally means all of the above. (Though, she said later, not the offshore wind projects being proposed in the Gulf of Maine.) She said she is particularly interested in small modular nuclear reactors, because theyre carbon neutral, but they also allow us to produce our own energy.

While in the U.S. Senate, Ayotte stood at odds with the vast majority of her party on climate change. She was one of only five Republican senators in 2015 to support an amendment that said humans contribute significantly to climate change. She was also the first Republican in Congress to openly back President Barack Obamas plan to reduce carbon emissions.

After losing reelection to the Senate, Ayotte sat on the board of Bloom Energy, a fuel cell company, from 2017 to 2019, according to HuffPost. A 2019 Axios investigation found the company had a history of playing fast and loose with its numbers. A 2020 Forbes report boiled down the technologys limited reach to it being too dirty and too costly.

Campaign spokesman John Corbett called a recent HuffPost article detailing the issues with the company, and Ayottes connections to it, a partisan hack job report. While partisan hacks write BS reports, he said, Kelly will continue to lay out her positive vision for our state, pointing out her record crossing party lines in favor of environmental protection.

Ayotte said she would be open to looking at legislation to expand net metering but wants to make sure that we dont pass additional costs on to ratepayers.

I think responsible expansion of net metering, we would balance the benefits of clean energy that can flow to communities, she said, and really make sure, though, that were protecting ratepayers.

Sununu frustrated clean energy advocates by vetoing legislation that wouldve expanded net metering to projects up to 5 megawatts. Currently, net metering is capped at 1 megawatt, except for political subdivisions like municipalities, for which Sununu approved a net metering expansion up to 5 megawatts in 2021.

She said reduced energy costs for everyone would be the No. 1 focus of the Department of Energy, which was established in 2021, under her governorship.

Asked if it would be important to her that picks for the DOE and Public Utilities Commission, which regulates utilities in the state, have past experience in energy, she said, I think in appointing anyone to any position in state government, I would want to look at their whole breadth of experience.

For me, obviously, I think experience in the field  that is very good to have, she said.  But I would need to look at everyones resume. I would have to consider their background, and also their prior experience and their performance.

Transportation is the states single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the states Priority Climate Action Plan from March. Electric vehicles present an opportunity to cut that impact.

The nearby states of Maine, Massachusetts, and New York offer rebates for EVs.

I dont think that we should offer rebates for electric vehicles, Ayotte said, pointing to the fact that the Biden administration has massively subsidized EVs. And if people want to own an electric vehicle, you know, certainly thats their choice.

Joyce Craig (D)

Craig said the state is overly reliant on fossil fuels. She connects addressing affordability to her push for green energy.

We need to look at ways to decrease costs for our residents, she said. That includes expanding net metering, allowing families, businesses, schools, nonprofits that cant meet their current needs on site to join shared generation projects, such as community solar farms or small hydro, to support New Hampshires growing community power movement, allowing customer generators to offset their remaining energy needs with community power, expand low and moderate income solar programs throughout our state, and develop offshore wind.

She said she would sign the net metering expansion that Sununu vetoed.

In terms of providing rebates for EVs, she said, We would absolutely look into something like that.

She said it was important to her that her appointees to the DOE and the PUC have past experience in the energy field  and that they understand and believe climate change is real.

It is absolutely something that we need to make sure that these individuals have background in, she said, and believe in the value of energy efficiency programs, and making sure they are funded to save our residents money.

As for the priorities for a Craig DOE, she said they would be to lower costs for our residents, to diversify our energy, and to reduce our carbon footprint.

Chuck Morse (R)

Morse thinks the key to lowering energy costs is getting more energy in the region.

I believe the only way New Hampshire drives down electric costs is to have more energy come into the Northeast, whether thats gas or oil, we just need to get more energy up here, he said, and thats a big part of a governor solving the problem.

He added: Gov. Sununu has done a great job of not letting any costs hit on the energy side to the consumer, but thats just playing defense, and thats what weve been doing is playing defense.

Asked if he would support legislation to expand net metering, Morse said: I would do the same thing, though, that Gov. Sununu has paid attention to  I would do nothing that brings up the cost for someone else. And thats why Gov. Sununu has vetoed all those projects.

Like his Republican competitor, he said he wouldnt support the state investing in EV rebates, pointing to other priorities.

Ive always been one that has been, you know, more worried about the things that we have to do, whether its mental illness, disabled children, things like that, he said.  Were a small state, and we have to be careful with our budgets.

As for his DOE, he said, itd be a lot like Gov. Sununu. In fact, he said, Joshua Elliott, who Sununu tapped as the departments director of policy and programs, used to work for him in the Senate.

On whether it was important his energy appointees have past experience in the field, he said, I think any pick that Im going to do in any field will have to deal with the fact that they have experience and they can move New Hampshire forward.

Like Ayotte, he opposes offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine.

Cinde Warmington (D)

While Morse embraced Sununus energy record, Warmington cast herself in stark contrast to it.

Asked about how she would help residents struggling to pay their electric bills, she said, this is in large part due to the  current governors philosophy of really being opposed  hostile  towards both energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy and of leaving us behind in terms of the electrification of our transportation sector.

She said her plan for energy focuses on combating climate change, electrifying the transportation sector, adding jobs and growing the economy, and nurturing innovation in the state. Having a diversified energy portfolio, she said, is what its going to take to ultimately lower the cost of energy in our state.

She also slammed the governors hostility toward solar energy, saying, we have to make sure weve worked through the details, but, yes, I mean, I want that piece of legislation to expand net metering.

That is really what our businesses and our municipalities are calling for, she said. And it is Sununu who is stopping that from happening in our state.

As for EV rebates on the state level, she said, were gonna look at all the options to increase and  truly lead in the electrification of our transportation sector and that looking at federal funding would be a priority.

A Warmington DOE, she said, would focus on her plan for a clean energy economy, all of that done with an eye to the ratepayer and making sure that the investments were making are going to benefit Granite Staters and Granite State businesses going forward.

She said it would be important to her that her energy appointees have past experience in the field. She pointed to the fact that she was the lone vote against Sununus energy commissioner, Jared Chicoine.

That was, she said, due in large part because of the lack of experience, but also because of his thoughts with respect to climate change, or rather that he doesnt see government having a role in addressing climate change. I think government does have a role  an important role  in making sure that were addressing climate change.

She was also the only vote against the chair of the PUC, Daniel C. Goldner. She said this was because, on climate change, he doesnt necessarily believe that it is a creation of mans activities.

Warmington, like Craig, supports offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine.
Many people are wondering what happened to Andrew Tate after the recent raid on his home, which has caught widespread attention. Romanian authorities conducted the search, raising questions about the ongoing investigation and its impact on Tate and his brother.

So, what happened to Andrew Tate, and what led to this raid? What do these developments mean for Tates legal troubles? Heres a closer look at the latest updates and their implications.

Andrew Tates home raided by police, claims report

Romanian police conducted a raid on the home of Andrew Tate on August 21, 2024, as part of a broader investigation into serious allegations including human trafficking, sexual exploitation of minors, and money laundering. (via Time)

The raid, carried out by Romanias anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, involved the search of four properties in Bucharest and the nearby Ilfov county. This operation is the latest escalation in a legal saga that began with the Tate brothers arrest in December 2022.

Andrew Tate, a dual British-U.S. citizen and former kickboxer, gained notoriety online for his controversial and often misogynistic views. This led to his banning from several social media platforms in 2022. In June 2023, authorities formally indicted Tate, his brother Tristan, and two Romanian women.

The charges include human trafficking, rape, and forming an organized crime group to sexually exploit women. The Tates have consistently denied wrongdoing, claiming the charges are part of a broader conspiracy to silence them.

The raid on August 21 follows a recent court decision in July 2024 that overturned an earlier ruling allowing the Tate brothers to travel freely within the European Union while awaiting trial. Romanian authorities have maintained strict travel restrictions, ensuring that the brothers remain within the country as they face trial.

Following the raid, Tates spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, stated that although the charges in the search warrant are not yet fully clarified, they include suspicions of human trafficking and money laundering. Petrescu added that Tates legal team was present during the raid to ensure all legal protocols were followed. Notably, Petrescu did not address the allegations involving minors, which are among the most serious of the charges under investigation. (via Euro News)

The legal proceedings have produced intense discussions online, with debates over the evidences validity. As the case progresses, Romanian courts will closely examine the charges, with upcoming hearings expected to clarify the situation further.

The post What Happened to Andrew Tate? Police Raid Explained appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
TALLAHASSEE  A dozen incumbent Florida lawmakers held off challengers from their own parties on Tuesday night, putting them one step closer to returning to Tallahassee.

That includes two Tampa Bay legislators who won their primaries by a wide margin. Sen. Ed Hooper, who represents north Pinellas and south Pasco counties, and Rep. Brad Yeager, who represents part of Pasco, won their races against other Republicans and will go on to face Democratic opponents in November.

The candidates are vying to be part of Floridas 160-seat Legislature, which is tasked with passing the annual multibillion-dollar state budget. There were 45 primary races on Tuesday for legislative races throughout the state. Most primaries were among Republicans.

This year, Florida Democrats put forward a candidate in every legislative race, the first time they have done so in nearly three decades. But its unlikely to make a serious dent in Florida Republicans stronghold over the Legislature.

Republicans have a supermajority in both chambers, have controlled Floridas Legislature for the last 30 years and continue to gain an edge over Democrats in registered voters.

In many districts, Tuesdays primary election results, and not the November general election, are the key indicator of who will end up in Tallahassee. For instance, Yeagers district skews Republican, with former President Donald Trump winning 60% of the vote in the district in 2020.

A small number of the Republican primaries this cycle were proxy battles for Gov. Ron DeSantis and Trump. In at least two races  one in northeast Florida and one in Palm Beach County  the two men backed different GOP primary candidates. DeSantis preferred candidate won the race for a Florida Senate seat, while Trumps preferred candidate won in the race for a South Florida House seat.

Heres what happened in Tampa Bays legislative primaries:

Senate District 21

Hooper, 77, who has twice been elected to the Florida Senate, defeated Republican challenger John Siamas, 44, an accountant and U.S. Navy veteran. Hooper won with 85% of the vote in the primary for this north Pinellas and south Pasco seat.

Siamas campaign centered on tackling corruption in homeowners associations, while Hooper focused on property and auto insurance.

Hooper will face Democrat Doris Carroll in November in hopes of winning a final term in the Senate.

House District 56

In the battle over the seat covering New Port Richey and other parts of west Pasco, Yeager, who was endorsed by DeSantis, got about 79% of the Republican primary vote in the race against Kirk Phillips, a U.S. Air Force veteran, as of 8:20 p.m.

Phillips, 58, a first-time candidate for office, cited insurance reform and infrastructure resiliency as top issues. Yeager, 48, is seeking his second term in office and has focused on supporting law enforcement and keeping DeSantis agenda. He will face Democrat William Willie Pura in November.

House District 65

Ashley Brundage, 44, a business owner, defeated fellow Democrat Nathan Kuipers, a political organizer, on Tuesday in the primary for the seat covering south Tampa. Brundage hopes to flip a Republican seat by challenging Rep. Karen Gonzalez Pittman, who was first elected to the House in 2022. If elected, Brundage would become the first transgender woman in the Legislature.

She defeated Kuipers, 36, with about 81% of the vote. Both candidates pushed back against the Legislature passing bills that target abortion access, LGBTQ+ communities and other minority groups.

House District 67

Ronrico Rico Smith, a 27-year-old U.S. Air Force Reserves officer, defeated Republican Lisette Bonano and will face House Democratic leader Fentrice Driskell in the fall. Smith had the support of local Republican heavyweights like Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Gus Bilirakis, Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister and former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Smith won with about 57% of the vote on Tuesday night. Smith said his campaigns focus is on reducing the cost of living. Bonano said some of her key issues were the right to bear arms and freedom of religion.

  

Tampa Bay Times Election Coverage

2024 primary voter guide: Over 100 local candidates on the issues: Heres whos running for office and their stances on abortion, immigration, local schools and more.
Former President Obama delivered a buoyant and occasionally fierce address to cap the second night of the Democratic convention Tuesday, urging his party and all Americans to reject the divisive leadership of Donald Trump and to elect Kamala Harris as president to build a country that is more secure and more just, more equal and more free.

Obamas 33-minute speech harked back to the one he gave two decades earlier at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. As a little-known Illinois state senator, he insisted that many of the countrys supposed divisions  between political parties, races and ethnicities  could be healed. The speech made him a national figure.

The appearance by the two-term 44th president was intended to drive home themes not unlike the ones that pushed him to the White House in 2008, offering optimism and youthful vigor in the face of what Democrats described as the Republican Partys attempt to stoke fear and mistrust.

Read more: Photos: DNC underway in Chicago with an energized Harris-Walz ticket

Obama spoke after a hip-hop, rock and soul music-orchestrated ceremonial roll call of the states, which celebrated Vice President Harris ascension to leadership of the Democrats, just one month after President Biden declared that he would not seek a second term.

He spoke fervently in favor of a political ally, Harris, who nearly 17 years ago, as San Francisco district attorney, stepped forward to support Obamas then-long-shot bid to overtake Hillary Clinton on his way to winning the Democratic nomination and then defeating Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Obama capped an evening that also featured former First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, the marquee speakers working to present the Democratic ticket as the true representatives of average Americans, against a Republican opponent they insisted was looking out only for his wealthy friends and for himself.

Read more: 'Same old con': Michelle Obama delivers blistering attack on Trump at DNC

Obama lashed out at the man who replaced him in the White House as a sad and distracted megalomaniac whose time has passed. He and the crowd laughed along as he scoffed at the way Trump employed childish nicknames ... crazy conspiracy theories [and] this weird obsession with crowd sizes.

(It appeared from the tone of the Democrat who once held the Oval Office, and the crowd's laughter, that the feeling was Trump might be obsessed with the size of something else.)

Obama compared the Republican to the neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day, adding: You know, from a neighbor, that's exhausting. From a president, it's just dangerous.

The sharp-edged humor offered by Obama continued a pattern of Harris' campaign: treating Trump as both a menace and a buffoon. Analysts have said previous attacks that labeled Trump only as a threat to democracy had resulted in the perverse outcome of increasing the Republican's stature.

Obama upbraided Trump as someone who would grant another tax cut that would mostly help him and his rich friends. Meanwhile, he said, Trump had been an obstructionist, working to block an immigration reform bill  supported for a time by congressional Republicans, until Trump objected  that would have addressed the overcrowding at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The only reason for Trump insisting his party block the bill, Obama said: Because he thought solving the problem would actually hurt his campaign. When the audience at the United Center responded with resounding boos, Obama responded with a famous refrain of his from past campaigns: Dont boo. Vote!

The Democrat called his successors divisive style the oldest trick in politics, from a guy whose act, lets face it, has gotten pretty stale. We dont need another four years of bluster and bumbling and chaos. We have all seen that movie before. And we all know that the sequel is usually worse!

The Democratic faithful again erupted in applause and laughter.

Read more: Column: Biden shows what it means to make America great  and why Democrats are glad to bid him farewell

Obama said his long alliance with the vice president convinced him that "Kamala Harris is ready for the job. This is a person who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice and a champion."

The former president followed his wife. After she introduced him, Obama said: "I am feeling ready to go, even if I am the only person stupid enough to speak after Michelle Obama."

The onetime first lady delivered a ringing call for a restoration of hope and a rejection of the divisive politics of Trump in her prime-time address to the convention and a national television audience.

Obama had the audience laughing and roaring in approval as she sang the praises of my girl, Harris, whom she called one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency  and one of the most dignified.

The indirect reference was clearly to Trump, as were a series of other zingers from the former first lady, who derided the Republican, saying it was time to vanquish the demons of fear, division and hate that have consumed us.

In a sly allusion to Trump's launch point into the 2016 presidential race at Manhattan's Trump Tower, Obama said: If we see a mountain standing before us, we dont expect there to be an escalator to take us to the top.

Earlier, Democrats delivered a rollicking symbolic vote of the states  orchestrated by a DJ spinning rock, hip-hop and soul  as their national convention celebrated the nomination of Harris as the Democratic candidate for president.

The roll call included appearances by entertainment celebrities such as film director Spike Lee, actor Eva Longoria and hip-hop star Lil Jon, with Harris appearing via a video link from Milwaukee, where she was rallying with voters in the battleground state of Wisconsin.

Read more: Who is DJ Cassidy, the Californian who led that great (and strange) DNC playlist?

"We are so honored to be your nominees," Harris said, with vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, at her side. "This is a people-powered campaign, and together, we will chart a new way forward."

As leader of Harris' home state, California Gov. Gavin Newsom had the honor of announcing the last votes of the evening and singing the praises of his longtime ally and putative rival. The televised voting came weeks after the Democrats held a virtual roll call to ensure Harris was the party's official nominee in time to appear on the ballots in all 50 states.

Interviewed by CNN shortly after the vote, Newsom called Harris a "next-level talent" who, as the presidential nominee, "has a chance to shine."

In a warm if slightly goofy speech with frequent references to Harris as the glue," Emhoff highlighted his wife's personal side, describing their blended family and their love story.

A video montage showed pictures of Emhoff and Harris  cozied up at the Hollywood Bowl, cooking together in their Brentwood kitchen and side by side at Harris vice presidential inauguration in 2021.

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff walks onstage Tuesday at the Democratic convention. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Earlier, Cole Emhoff said when introducing his father: Next, he is going to make history again as the first first gentleman.

Doug Emhoff recounted how he and Harris met  on a blind date after he worried he had butchered his chances by leaving her a long voicemail. The two will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary on Thursday  when Harris officially accepts the nomination.

As I got to know her better, I just fell in love fast. I learned what drives Kamala, Emhoff said. And its what youve seen for these past four years and especially these past four weeks: She finds joy in pursuing justice.

Read more: In DNC speech, Doug Emhoff reveals the softer side of Kamala Harris

Harris was about to land in Chicago in Air Force Two when Emhoffs speech began, with the senior campaign leaders in the front cabin cheering, Doug! Doug! Doug! The plane circled the tarmac for about 10 minutes so that she could finish watching his speech.

Early in Tuesdays proceedings, the convention heard admonitions from scions of two Democratic presidents that Harris will carry on the legacies of John F. Kennedy and Jimmy Carter.

Jack Schlossberg, Kennedys grandson and a close relative of potential 2024 spoiler independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., told thousands of delegates gathering for their partys national convention that his assassinated grandfather is his hero.

The youngest child of Caroline Kennedy said, invoking the words of JFK: The torch has been passed to a new generation, to a leader who shares my grandfather's energy, vision and optimism for our future.

Jason Carter, 49, compared the humility of Harris and his 99-year-old grandfather, who is in poor health, but hoping to vote for the vice president this fall. She knows what is right, and she fights for it, Carter said. She understands that leadership is about service, not selfishness.

Read more: JFK's and Jimmy Carter's grandsons say Harris continues the former presidents' legacies

The audience also heard from a series of Republicans and former Trump allies, who depicted him as mean-spirited and callous to the needs of everyday people.

Perhaps the most powerful testimony came from onetime White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, who described herself as a former Trump true-believer, forced to reconsider her loyalty after observing his behavior outside the public eye, including times when he would mock his supporters as "basement dwellers."

On one visit to a hospital, with people dying in an ICU, Trump cared only that his show of concern was being captured on camera, Grisham said, when, in fact, he has no empathy. No morals. And no fidelity to the truth." She said Trump used to tell her: It doesnt matter what you say, Stephanie. Say it enough, and people will believe you.

Rainey and Pinho reported from Chicago, and Miller from Los Angeles. Times staff writer Seema Mehta in Chicago contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Harris blasts Trump for saying he has no regrets about end of Roe v. Wade

Vice President Harris ripped former President Trump on Tuesday for comments in a new interview in which he said he had no regrets about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

Harris rallied thousands of supporters in Milwaukee, roughly 90 miles up the road from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and seized on comments Trump made to CBS News a day earlier.

Yesterday, when he was asked if he had any regrets about ending Roe v. Wade, Donald Trump  without even a moments hesitation, you would think he would reflect on it for a second  said no. No regrets, Harris said.

I do believe bad behavior should result in a consequences, she continued. Well, we will make sure he does face the consequence, and that will be at the ballot box this November.

Trump told CBS News the issue of abortion should be handled by the states and suggested people were very happy about it.

No regrets, no. I wouldnt have regrets. I did something most people felt was undoable, Trump said.

The former president has repeatedly boasted about his role in ending Roe v. Wade, which was overturned in June 2022, and he has argued states should be left to determine their own abortion laws, either by legislation or ballot measure.

Democrats are campaigning on protecting abortion rights, and Harris has been the administrations point person on reproductive rights. She has pledged to fight to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade across all states.

Harris held a rally at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Tuesday, the same arena where Republicans gathered in July for their partys convention.

She took the stage just after the ceremonial roll call at the Democratic convention concluded, affirming her status as the partys nominee. The roll call streamed live at the arena in Milwaukee as the crowd waited for Harris.

The vice president held a rally on the same night that former President Obama and his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, were the keynote speakers in Chicago.

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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the American Federation of Teachers' 88th National Convention on July 25, 2024 in Houston, Texas. . (Photo by Montinique Monroe/Getty Images)

As the eyes of Democrats across the nation are on Chicago for the partys national convention, the Harris-Walz campaign has planned events for those still in Pennsylvania.

The campaign is hosting more than 150 watch parties in Pennsylvania on Thursday and more than 3,000 people have signed up to attend, the campaign said in a press release.

On the convention stage, Pennsylvanians will see Vice President Harris vision for the future, where our democracy is stronger than ever before, reproductive freedoms are protected, and every person has the opportunity to not just get by, but to get ahead, the campaign said.

Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to formally accept the Democratic Partys nomination for president on Thursday. Watch party locations in Pennsylvania include Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Scranton, Pittsburgh, Erie and Blair County.

In addition to the watch parties, the Harris-Walz campaign is hosting more than 650 events in Pennsylvania this week during the DNC in Chicago, and nearly 12,000 people have signed up to take action with the campaign.

Although the convention is taking place in a different time zone, Pennsylvania very much remains at the center of attention in the Windy City.

Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, the youngest lieutenant governor in the nation, delivered an address at the DNC on Monday, while state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Philadelphia), the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly and candidate for state auditor general, spoke at the convention on Tuesday.

Gov. Josh Shapiro and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) are also expected to deliver speeches during the convention in Chicago later this week.

On Thursday, when Harris is scheduled to accept her partys nomination for president, the GOP nominee, former President Donald Trump will visit the southern border in Arizona, while his running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) will discuss border security and immigration policy in a speech in Georgia.
David Plouffe, adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign and former President Barack Obama's campaign manager, speaks to Georgia delegates at the 2024 Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)

CHICAGO  David Plouffe, a top adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid for the presidency, told Georgia delegates to the Democratic National Convention Wednesday that an advertising offensive will soon kick off in their home state.

We do have, as you know, if you turn on your TV or you open up your phone in Georgia, youre seeing a lot of attack ads on our candidate, he said. Were trying to respond the best we can, but were also very soon going to move to offense, a lot more offense about what shes going to do, about what (former President Donald) Trump will do.

The Democrats messaging will focus on two areas, the first of which is abortion access. Plouffe said.

(Trump) said in his campaign that Roe would be on the ballot, Plouffe said. It was. He said its the thing hes most proud of. A third of the country now lives under abortion bans. If he wins the presidency, the Republicans win the House and Senate. They will pass a national abortion ban, and whatever that liar says, hell sign it.

The second focus will be Project 2025, a nearly 900-page policy proposal penned by the conservative Heritage Foundation outlining plans for a Trump presidency. Trump has sought to distance himself from the document, although some of its authors include former Trump staffers.

Ive never seen him run away from anything like Project 2025, Plouffe said. By the way, thats generally not how he rolls. Hell double down on stuff. He knows its going to hurt. And youll hear a lot more about that this week. Were going to be on the air with that soon in your state on it, so we begin to educate people.

In contrast with immigration and the economy, Democrats poll well on abortion, so it makes sense for them to prioritize that in their messaging, said Emory University political science professor Zachary Peskowitz.

Abortion is a compelling issue for getting some of the moderate voters who dont support six-week bans on abortion policies that have been made possible since the Dobbs decision, linking Trump, obviously, to the Supreme Court nominees that he placed on the court and that made the Dobbs decision possible, he said.

Project 2025 may be a harder sell because it is less concrete, he added.

I think the Biden campaign really struggled with making the centerpiece of the campaign about Trump being a dictator, wanting to be authoritarian, he said. I dont think that was that particularly effective. A more effective strategy would have been focusing on policy issues like abortion. So I think there are aspects of Project 2025 that I think could be electorally effective, but the more abstract things like civil service reform and the like, I think those are pretty abstract issues that often arent particularly effective at persuading moderate voters.

University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock agreed, but said those messages could be effective on the right groups.

Project 2025, most people dont know what that is, and even those whove heard of it probably dont have very much of a command of what it is, Bullock said. Therefore, to the extent that its going to resonate with people, its going to be fairly well-educated folks, and Democrats need to get probably about 40% of that white college-educated vote. Thats about what (Sen. Raphael) Warnock and what Biden have gotten in the past, so thats what I would interpret those as being targeted to.

Plouffe told the gathered Democrats that he thinks Harris late entry onto the top of the ticket comes out to her benefit, but it adds the challenge of introducing her to the nation in an abbreviated timeframe.

With all due respect to President Biden, one of the reasons shes got so much tailwind now in the electorate is people are excited about her change. We know the numbers. A lot of people werent excited about the rematch. Theyre excited that weve got someone different. But shes auditioning right now. The way I put it is voters, as they often do, her kick of the tires, saying OK, Im really interested in this new person. Youd say New? Shes the vice president. Thats how they see her.

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By Arathy Somasekhar

HOUSTON (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil export gains should plateau in 2024 after years of strong growth, with domestic output expected to increase by the smallest amount since the pandemic at a time when global oil demand remains sluggish.

Crude oil exports from U.S. ports averaged about 4.2 million barrels per day so far this year, according to U.S. government data. That was up 3.5% from a year earlier, or the lowest percentage increase since 2015, when the U.S. exported its first cargo of domestic crude oil after a 40-year federal ban on export of domestic crude ended.

Last year, exports grew 13.5%. They have grown every year except in 2021 when COVID-19 crushed global oil demand.

"U.S. crude exports are plateauing due to a combination of slowing supply growth and easing demand - particularly from Asia this year," said Matt Smith, an analyst at energy data firm Kpler.

U.S. oil production is set to grow just 2.3% this year, as shale producers remain focused on shareholder returns and limit new spending on production.

Offshore production is expected to rise this year on new project startups, such as Chevron's Anchor platform in the Gulf of Mexico. But output is expected to ramp slowly over several years, meaning exports this year will not benefit.

Global demand for oil has slowed this year, especially in China, where a protracted property downturn has exacerbated economic worries. Average U.S. daily exports of crude oil to China has fallen by more than a third so far this year, data from Kpler showed.

The recent expansion of Canada's Trans Mountain pipeline has also boosted China's imports of crude directly from that country's west coast. Previously, Canadian crude was transported to the U.S. Gulf Coast and exported from there to China.

U.S. export volumes to Singapore also fell, while those to India and South Korea climbed.

"Asia demand has not materialized," said Rohit Rathod, market analyst at energy researcher Vortexa.

Average daily U.S. exports to Europe also edged down about 1% so far this year versus last year as European buyers bought cheaper regional and West African oil.

The only major new market for U.S. crude has been Africa, as Nigeria's Dangote refinery snapped up barrels of WTI Midland crude after its start up early this year.

"Dangote is an outlier when it comes to new refining capacity, in that it is running on predominantly light sweet crude - from Nigeria or the U.S.," Kpler's Smith said.

"New refining capacity is being built predominantly in OPEC+ countries or Asia, two regions where light and medium sour barrels are more prevalent," Smith added.

Story continues

U.S. export volumes could get a boost in coming weeks on production constraints in Libya and elsewhere, and as U.S. refiners start maintenance, pushing more domestic barrels onto the water.

Refiners that usually import light sweet crude could look to replace Libya's Sharara with U.S. WTI Midland among other grades, trade sources said, after Libya's National Oil Corporation declared force majeure on the Sharara field from Aug. 7.

(Reporting by Arathy Somasekhar in Houston; Editing by David Gregorio)
When it comes to support from young voters, Kamala Harris is absolutely pummeling former President Donald Trump, according to new polling.

Harris has surpassed Trump by a whopping 32 points among 18- to 29-years-olds living in seven battleground states as of Tuesday, according to polling from Voters of Tomorrow.

The poll surveyed more than 1,500 young voters in Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, and Wisconsin between August 16 and August 20.

When deciding which candidate to support, the majority of respondents said they cared most about jobs, the economy, and the cost of living. When asked which candidate they trusted more to address this issue, the gap between the candidates significantly narrowed, with 38 percent saying Harris and 33 percent saying Trump.

Early on in her campaign, the vice president was able to establish an edge over her opponent, and a boost over her predecessor President Joe Biden. In a Biden-Trump race, the split among 18- to 34-year-olds was far more even, with 53 percent for Biden and 47 for Trump.

In a Harris-Trump race, the same group was split 60 percent for Harris and 40 for Trump, giving Harris a 20-point lead, according to an Axios/Generation Lab poll published last month. Since then, the gap between Harris and Trump has only grown.

Online, grassroots enthusiasm for Harriss campaign began before she was even announced as the candidate, propelled by memes and fan edits created and disseminated by young internet users, who had begun urging Joe Biden to drop out of the race. Harris has been able to build her momentum among this group, which could translate into a surge at the pollsif Harris is able to address their policy concerns.

Voters of Tomorrow found that two-thirds of their poll respondents said that they were very likely or certain to vote in Novembers election.
By Stephanie Kelly

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Barack Obama was set to be the star of the show on the second night of the Democratic National Convention celebrating Kamala Harris' nomination to face Republican Donald Trump in November's presidential election.

Here are some takeaways from night two on Tuesday.

REPUBLICANS AT CENTER STAGE

Democrats were leaning on Republican voices to persuade conservative voters to abandon Donald Trump.

Stephanie Grisham, Trump's former White House press secretary; Mesa, Arizona, Mayor John Giles; and former Trump voter Kyle Sweetser were all speaking from the convention stage in Chicago's United Center arena.

Grisham described her journey from a Trump "true believer" to the first senior White House staffer to resign after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by Trump supporters on the U.S. Capitol.

"Nobody cares what four disgruntled losers who were thrown out of politics have to say," Trump adviser Jason Miller said in response to their appearances. "Voters want to know which candidate is going to put more money in their pocket and secure the border, and thats President Trump."

Some Republican voters have coalesced around Harris in groups like Republicans for Harris. "Country over party," one of the group's posts on social media platform X read on Tuesday. "Pass it on."

STAR-STUDDED ROLL CALL

The ceremonial roll call vote, where states affirmed their support for Harris as the nominee, featured plenty of homegrown celebrities.

Rapper Lil Jon launched into "Turn Down for What" to introduce delegates from Georgia, while film director Spike Lee represented New York, "Desperate Housewives" actress Eva Longoria spoke for Texas and "Rudy" actor Sean Astin represented Indiana. Actor Wendell Pierce spoke for Louisiana.

A DJ selected songs for each state, including "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd for Alabama.

Hollywood is flocking to the Harris campaign, after distancing itself from Joe Biden when he was the candidate.

(Reporting by Stephanie Kelly; additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Howard Goller)
A Kamala Harris yard sign. (Maine Morning Star)

Maine voters overall are indicating increasing support for Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump for the upcoming presidential election, but recent polling has found the race is still up in the air among likely voters in Maines 2nd Congressional District.

A majority of likely voters in Maine (55%) said they would vote for Harris if the election were held today, according to The Pine Tree State Poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center released Wednesday. Another 38% said they would vote for Trump, with independent and Green Party candidates getting a sliver of voter support.

Those numbers are much tighter among voters in the 2nd Congressional District, where Harris still leads Trump but falls short of getting a majority with 49% of likely voters compared to 44% for Trump.

Though outside the margin of error of 3.1 percentage points for the survey, pollsters still declared that race too close to call.

Harris favorability among Maine voters has grown since July 21, when President Joe Biden announced he would not be seeking re-election and instead endorsed the vice president.

Harris raised $200 million in the first week of her candidacy, with multiple dedicated fundraising events in Maine attended by Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. New voter registrations in Maine also spiked in the weeks after she jumped into the race.

Young Maine voters and those from diverse communities told Maine Morning Star that they felt reinvigorated by Harris candidacy after Biden dropped out. Many also detailed concerted efforts to mobilize new voters.

Days after Biden stepped down, the Pine Tree State Poll found that 48% of likely voters statewide would vote for Harris and 40% for Trump. Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also had more support back in July with 4% compared to the 2% he had among voters in the most recent survey.

While Harris and Trump have overwhelming support (92%) from self-described liberals and conservatives, respectively, the vice president also has support from more than two-thirds of moderates.

The Pine Tree State Poll surveyed 999 people between Aug. 15-19 using a sample drawn from a web panel of Maine residents and inviting others via text message. Included in the sample were 951 likely general election voters.

Running mates

The August poll also asked Maine voters about the presidential candidates running mates on the November ticket. Among Harris supporters, which was 529 of those who took the survey, 59% said they are enthusiastic about Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Another 29% are satisfied.

Among the 373 Trump supporters who took the survey, 37% of them are enthusiastic about Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio being Trumps running mate and another 47% are satisfied.

Walz was not selected as Harris vice president pick by the July poll. Enthusiasm and satisfaction with Vance have remained consistent, moving a percentage point or two between July and August.

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Harris Had More Donors in 11 Days Than Biden Did Over Entire Run

(Bloomberg) -- Vice President Kamala Harris drew more than 2.4 million donors in her first 11 days at the top of the Democratic ticket  nearly 200,000 more contributors than during the entirety of President Joe Bidens year-plus long campaign.

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The surge in donors resulted in $201 million in individual contributions for her campaign and the Democratic Party over that period, according to the latest Federal Election Commission data.

Two-thirds of Harris donors had not previously contributed to Bidens campaign or the Democratic National Committee this cycle, according to a Bloomberg analysis of the data. Among the seven battleground states, Harris saw the largest donor increases in Georgia, North Carolina and Wisconsin. She also attracted larger average donations in every state compared to Biden, including a significant increase in Arizona.

The data provides early clues on where a Harris shakeup is resonating with voters after she broke the single-day fundraising record on July 21, when she replaced Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee. The total number of donors is probably even higher. The analysis omits direct contributions to joint fundraising committees, which disclose donation records on a quarterly schedule.

In Georgia, there were nearly 66,000 donors from July 21-31, compared to roughly 53,000 donors while Biden led the ticket. Enthusiasm for Harris has propelled the state from being a fundraising laggard to being in line with other battlegrounds such as Michigan and Wisconsin. The only states with bigger increases in absolute numbers were deep-blue California and New York, which saw about 23,000 more donors each.

In Georgia, 72% of donors to Harris and the Democratic National Committee were first-time contributors, one of the largest showings of newfound support.

Other Southern states, including North Carolina, also saw a surge in first-time donations since Harris entered the race. Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi had the fewest Biden donors per capita, making the rise in new donors particularly significant for the Harris campaign.

After decades of Republican dominance, Georgia flipped to Biden in 2020. However, according to the latest polling numbers from Real Clear Politics, Harris narrowly lags Trump there and in North Carolina.

Another measure of enthusiasm, donation size, also showed shifts toward Harris in key battleground states. In Nevada, the average donation size increased by 13%, and in Arizona it jumped by 45% compared to Biden's average. Nevada has remained a consistently close contest in recent elections, while Arizona flipped to Democratic control in 2020 for the first time since 1996.

Trumps campaign reported raising $139 million in July, a month marked by an assassination attempt on the former president and the Republican National Convention. Thats less than half the $310 million the Harris campaign reported.

Julys haul helped the Harris campaign close the money gap with Trump, while ActBlues real-time fundraising data shows sustained enthusiasm among donors. Democratic candidates have raised $297 million in August to date.

Methodology:

This analysis includes direct donations to Harris for President as well as its predecessor Biden for President, the Democratic National Committee, and donations made via ActBlue to those committees and to the Harris Victory Fund (previously the Biden Victory Fund) and the Harris Action Fund (previously the Biden Action Fund).

The latter two committees won't file detailed information on their contributors until October. As a result, this analysis covers roughly $200 million of the $310 million that the campaign says it raised in July.

Only individual contributions made within the 50 states and District of Columbia are included in the calculations.

Counts of unique donors were determined using combinations of first name, last name, state and five-digit zip code. The resulting totals may undercount cases where there are similarly-named donors in a given area, though a review of the donation thresholds suggests this impacts a very small number of cases.

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Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz greet cheering supporters at a campaign rally at the Fiserv Forum on Aug. 20, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (John Moore | Getty Images)

Thousands of Wisconsin voters packed the Fiserv Forum Tuesday night in Milwaukee  the same venue that last month hosted Donald Trumps coronation at the Republican National Convention  to cheer for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Freedom was the theme  the word undulated across an animated flag behind the stage and marched across star-spangled screens all around the arena as a DJ played pounding dance tunes and rally goers light-up wristbands changed color in unison, creating the atmosphere of a stadium rock concert. At the end of the rally, Beyonces Freedom rang out  the song that has become the Harris campaign anthem.

It was the second night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and rally organizers streamed a live feed of the nominating speeches from the floor of Chicagos United Center into the Milwaukee arena. Then the feed was cut and Walz appeared on the same Fiserv stage so recently presided over by Trump.

It was only a month ago that the Republican Party gathered for their convention, right here on this very spot, Walz said, rubbing it in for a cheering crowd he said numbered more than 15,000.

After promising us a speech that was going to be about unity and promising that he was a changed man, Donald Trump subjected us to 92 minutes of ranting and raving insanity, Walz said, adding, Weve got to turn the page on these guys.

They left here riding high. They were feeling good. This thing was over. Well, trust me, Milwaukee, a hell of a lot can change in four weeks, Walz said.

He gloated about the massive energy at our convention and added that the campaigns Tuesdays detour to Milwaukee generated a hell of a lot more energy than the Republicans mustered on the same spot.

You run a campaign based on fear, like them, youre going to run into a little trouble when you run into a campaign thats based on joy, he added, as members of the crowd waved a banner that said: Choose Joy.

Walz emphasized the Midwestern values he said Minnesotans and Wisconsinites hold in common. We are cousins out here.  Even if we would not make the same choice as our neighbors, we respect them because we live by that golden rule: Mind your own damn business.

After more live feed of the nominating speeches from the Chicago convention, Harris arrived and gave a stump speech saying its good to be back in Wisconsin, after she and Walz visited just two weeks ago.

The election will be close, she said, telling her audience we have work to do.

She said the question facing voters in November is What kind of country do we want to live in?  Do we want to live in a country of chaos and fear and hate, or a country of freedom, compassion and rule of law?

During the speech, protesters behind the stage held up banners denouncing war crimes and genocide in Palestine. After what appeared to be a brief struggle between the people standing next to the choose joy banner and those denouncing genocide, the protesters were escorted out. A few minutes later, a woman standing just below the stage collapsed and Harris paused her speech to ask people to make a pathway for first responders.

Lets create a path, guys, and thanks for looking after each other, Harris said. OK, were gonna be OK, she added, as the woman was wheeled out in a wheelchair and the crowd applauded.

This is who we are, right? Harris ad-libbed.Its about truly understanding what love thy neighbor means. Its about, in the face of a perfect stranger, seeing a neighbor, understanding what that love of each other means  the big difference between what were talking about and whats on the other side.

Then she concluded her prepared remarks: Are we ready to fight? she asked, calling forth the chant from the ebullient crowd, When we fight, we win!

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Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz greet cheering supporters at a campaign rally at the Fiserv Forum on Aug. 20, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Thousands of Wisconsin voters packed the Fiserv Forum Tuesday night in Milwaukee  the same venue that last month hosted Donald Trumps coronation at the Republican National Convention  to cheer for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Freedom was the theme  the word undulated across an animated flag behind the stage and marched across star-spangled screens all around the arena as a DJ played pounding dance tunes and rally goers light-up wristbands changed color in unison, creating the atmosphere of a stadium rock concert. At the end of the rally, Beyonces Freedom rang out  the song that has become the Harris campaign anthem.

It was the second night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and rally organizers streamed a live feed of the nominating speeches from the floor of Chicagos United Center into the Milwaukee arena. Then the feed was cut and Walz appeared on the same Fiserv stage so recently presided over by Trump.

It was only a month ago that the Republican Party gathered for their convention, right here on this very spot, Walz said, rubbing it in for a cheering crowd he said numbered more than 15,000.

After promising us a speech that was going to be about unity and promising that he was a changed man, Donald Trump subjected us to 92 minutes of ranting and raving insanity, Walz said, adding, Weve got to turn the page on these guys.

They left here riding high. They were feeling good. This thing was over. Well, trust me, Milwaukee, a hell of a lot can change in four weeks, Walz said.

He gloated about the massive energy at our convention and added that the campaigns Tuesday detour to Milwaukee generated a hell of a lot more energy than the Republicans mustered on the same spot.

You run a campaign based on fear, like them, youre going to run into a little trouble when you run into a campaign thats based on joy, he added, as members of the crowd waved a banner that said: Choose Joy.

Walz emphasized the Midwestern values he said Minnesotans and Wisconsinites hold in common. We are cousins out here.  Even if we would not make the same choice as our neighbors, we respect them because we live by that golden rule: Mind your own damn business.

After more live feed of the nominating speeches from the Chicago convention, Harris arrived and gave a stump speech, saying its good to be back in Wisconsin, after she and Walz visited just two weeks ago.

The election will be close, she said, telling her audience we have work to do.

She said the question facing voters in November is What kind of country do we want to live in?  Do we want to live in a country of chaos and fear and hate, or a country of freedom, compassion and rule of law?

During the speech, protesters behind the stage held up banners denouncing war crimes and genocide in Palestine. After what appeared to be a brief struggle between the people standing next to the choose joy banner and those denouncing genocide, the protesters were escorted out. A few minutes later, a woman standing just below the stage collapsed and Harris paused her speech to ask people to make a pathway for first responders.

Lets create a path, guys, and thanks for looking after each other, Harris said. OK, were gonna be OK, she added, as the woman was wheeled out in a wheelchair and the crowd applauded.

This is who we are, right? Harris ad-libbed.Its about truly understanding what love thy neighbor means. Its about, in the face of a perfect stranger, seeing a neighbor, understanding what that love of each other means  the big difference between what were talking about and whats on the other side.

Then she concluded her prepared remarks: Are we ready to fight? she asked, calling forth the chant from the ebullient crowd, When we fight, we win!

Wisconsin Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Wisconsin Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Ruth Conniff for questions: info@wisconsinexaminer.com. Follow Wisconsin Examiner on Facebook and X.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 20: Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz greet cheering supporters at a campaign rally at the Fiserv Forum on August 20, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Delegates and politicians of the Democratic party are meeting in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention, set to conclude August 22 with Harris accepting her party's presidential nomination. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Thousands of Wisconsin voters packed the Fiserv Forum Tuesday night in Milwaukee  the same venue that last month hosted Donald Trumps coronation at the Republican National Convention  to cheer for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Freedom was the theme  the word undulated across an animated flag behind the stage and marched across star-spangled screens all around the arena as a DJ played pounding dance tunes and rally goers light-up wristbands changed color in unison, creating the atmosphere of a stadium rock concert. At the end of the rally, Beyonces Freedom rang out  the song that has become the Harris campaign anthem.

It was the second night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and rally organizers streamed a live feed of the nominating speeches from the floor of Chicagos United Center into the Milwaukee arena. Then the feed was cut and Walz appeared on the same Fiserv stage so recently presided over by Trump.

It was only a month ago that the Republican Party gathered for their convention, right here on this very spot, Walz said, rubbing it in for a cheering crowd he said numbered more than 15,000.

After promising us a speech that was going to be about unity and promising that he was a changed man, Donald Trump subjected us to 92 minutes of ranting and raving insanity, Walz said, adding, Weve got to turn the page on these guys.

They left here riding high. They were feeling good. This thing was over. Well, trust me, Milwaukee, a hell of a lot can change in four weeks, Walz said.

He gloated about the massive energy at our convention and added that the campaigns Tuesdays detour to Milwaukee generated a hell of a lot more energy than the Republicans mustered on the same spot.

You run a campaign based on fear, like them, youre going to run into a little trouble when you run into a campaign thats based on joy, he added, as members of the crowd waved a banner that said: Choose Joy.

Walz emphasized the Midwestern values he said Minnesotans and Wisconsinites hold in common. We are cousins out here.  Even if we would not make the same choice as our neighbors, we respect them because we live by that golden rule: Mind your own damn business.

After more live feed of the nominating speeches from the Chicago convention, Harris arrived and gave a stump speech saying its good to be back in Wisconsin, after she and Walz visited just two weeks ago.

The election will be close, she said, telling her audience we have work to do.

She said the question facing voters in November is What kind of country do we want to live in?  Do we want to live in a country of chaos and fear and hate, or a country of freedom, compassion and rule of law?

During the speech, protesters behind the stage held up banners denouncing war crimes and genocide in Palestine. After what appeared to be a brief struggle between the people standing next to the choose joy banner and those denouncing genocide, the protesters were escorted out. A few minutes later, a woman standing just below the stage collapsed and Harris paused her speech to ask people to make a pathway for first responders.

Lets create a path, guys, and thanks for looking after each other, Harris said. OK, were gonna be OK, she added, as the woman was wheeled out in a wheelchair and the crowd applauded.

This is who we are, right? Harris ad-libbed.Its about truly understanding what love thy neighbor means. Its about, in the face of a perfect stranger, seeing a neighbor, understanding what that love of each other means  the big difference between what were talking about and whats on the other side.

Then she concluded her prepared remarks: Are we ready to fight? she asked, calling forth the chant from the ebullient crowd, When we fight, we win!

Wisconsin Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Wisconsin Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Ruth Conniff for questions: info@wisconsinexaminer.com. Follow Wisconsin Examiner on Facebook and X.
Harris says race against Trump will be close

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Bruce Cotler/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

US Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has vowed to fight hard in the final stretch of the campaign, urging her party to brace for a "tight race" against Republican Donald Trump as she addressed supporters at a rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

"We know this is going to be a tight race until the very end. We have hard work ahead of us, but we like hard work. Hard work is good work," Harris said on Tuesday evening.

"No, no, we haven't already won," the 59-year-old continued, responding to shouts from the audience. "We have 77 days of work to do," she said.

Although Harris is slightly ahead of her Republican challenger in national polls, her lead often falls within the margin of error.

Harris was officially confirmed as the Democratic presidential candidate for the November election at the party's national convention in Chicago on Tuesday.

Shortly after, Harris appeared in front of supporters in Milwaukee. The event took place in the same hall where the Republicans held their convention about a month ago.

Harris assured her supporters that they would win the presidential election on November 5, but emphasized the need for hard work to secure victory.

Harris warned: "This is not just us against Donald Trump. This is about two very different visions for our nation."

At the end of her speech, Harris called out: "Let's be very clear: somebody who intends to terminate the Constitution of the United States should never again have the opportunity to stand behind the seal of the president of the United States. Never again."

Trump had called for a "termination" of the US Constitution almost two years ago, citing alleged election fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris (L) and Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Governor Tim Walz hold a campaign rally at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Mark Hertzberg/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Supporters of former US President Donald Trump line the street as Donald Trump speaks at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office in Howell. Mark Bialek/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
(Bloomberg) -- The last-minute presidential campaign of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz is giving Democrats a surge of enthusiasm that could help the party win some down-ballot races in the Republican stronghold of Iowa, said Tom Vilsack, a former governor of the farm state.

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Iowa actually in this cycle has a tremendous opportunity, Vilsack said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. Vilsack, the US agriculture secretary, spoke in a personal capacity in the interview on Wednesday because hes in Chicago attending the Democratic National Convention.

The influence could spread beyond Iowa, he said. Harris choosing Walz, the Minnesota governor, as her running mate helps bolster the profile of Democrats in critical rural areas the party has had a tough time winning in the last several election cycles, Vilsack said.

Walz, a former US representative from a conservative congressional district in Minnesota, should help attract Democratic votes in small towns across key battlegrounds like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona, Vilsack said.

This is a guy who can talk rural, and I think that really matters, he said.

Walz has more broad appeal than Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, the running mate of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, according to Vilsack, who in 1998 became the first Democrat elected governor of Iowa in three decades.

In Iowa, renewed energy among Democrats should help the party deliver a couple of victories in the state for US House candidates, Vilsack said.

Since 2000, Iowa in presidential elections has voted Republican half the time and Democrat the other half  the last being Barack Obama in 2012. The state is currently considered safe for Trump in November, according to the non-partisan Cook Political Report.

Vilsack also touted the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris in making substantial investments in clean energy.

This opens up a whole new set of opportunities in rural places that can impact and effect farm income but also can help create jobs, he said.

--With assistance from Matthew Miller, Sonali Basak and Katie Greifeld.

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Meeting attendees listen as Ryan Brunner, a senior policy adviser to Governor Kristi Noem, speaks to the Harrisburg City Council on Aug. 20, 2024. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Meeting attendees listen as Ryan Brunner, a senior policy adviser to Governor Kristi Noem, speaks to the Harrisburg City Council on Aug. 20, 2024. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

HARRISBURG  The Harrisburg City Council rejected an agreement Tuesday evening that would allow the state to connect its proposed mens prison to the citys wastewater treatment facility, but a state official said the decision wouldnt prevent the state from moving forward.

The vote came after months of pushback from some locals opposed to the proposed prison location near the city, culminating in a tense council meeting. It was attended by over 100 people, many of them members of the local opposition group, Neighbors Opposing Prison Expansion (NOPE).

Some residents described the proposed deal as the state dangling a carrot in front of the city.

Have you looked over this thing with a fine-tooth comb? Have you really dove into it? Because I guarantee there is fine print, said Sam Eiesland, a NOPE member with land near the proposed prison site.

Ryan Brunner, a senior policy adviser to Governor Kristi Noem, attended the council meeting. He said the state is looking at two wastewater options: connecting to the citys system, or building settlement lagoons.

Thats it, Brunner said. Those are the options.

Tobin Morris, vice president of Colliers Securities, has worked with the city and state. He was invited to offer a neutral perspective.

Morris told the council it would gain from the deal. He said the state would pay $7.1 million to the city upfront, which could be used to pay off debt on municipal water projects, ultimately lowering residents water bills by 20% to 30%. Plus, wastewater service payments from the state would net the city about $500,000 annually.

Some residents testified that the long-term costs of the prison outweigh the benefits.

We always think about economic development, we always think about taxes, but we need to think about quality of life, said Lincoln County Commissioner James Jibben. If you lose quality of life, you never get that back.

Some residents shared their concern that becoming a prison town would hurt future development and that prisoners and their families would stick around the area.

The state Department of Corrections announced last fall that it had selected a parcel of state-owned farmland about 6 miles south of Harrisburg to build a mens prison. The announcement surprised neighboring landowners.

The Legislature has set aside $569 million for the project over the past several years while awaiting a final cost estimate. The 1,500-bed facility would largely replace the Sioux Falls penitentiary, which dates to 1881.

NOPE members filed a lawsuit last November challenging the states ability to bypass local zoning regulations. A judge heard arguments in January but has not issued a decision.

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What Hawaii needs to know about Japans megaquake warnings

HONOLULU (KHON2)  In early August, Japan issued a significant warning about the possibility of a mega quake. This alert, although later rescinded, highlighted a real and pressing concern about the potential for a massive earthquake.

To better understand this warning, KHON2.com spoke with Dr. Michael Blanpied, the Associate Coordinator for the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program.

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Dr. Blanpied shared his expertise on mega quakes, their historical context, their impact on regions like Japan and what if any concerns Hawaii may need to have.

What is a mega quake?

A megaquake is a term used to describe exceptionally powerful earthquakes, typically with a magnitude of 8.0 or greater.

Dr. Blanpied explained that these colossal quakes usually occur at subduction zones, where one tectonic plate is forced beneath another.

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In these regions, stress accumulates over long periods because the plates are not moving smoothly, Dr. Blanpied noted. Eventually, when the stress becomes too great, the plates suddenly slip, causing a powerful earthquake.

Japans location on the Pacific Ring of Fire makes it particularly vulnerable to megaquakes. This region, known for its intense seismic activity, is where several tectonic plates converge.

Dr. Blanpied elaborated on Japans susceptibility: Japan is situated at the intersection of multiple tectonic plates, which means it is prone to frequent seismic activity, including megaquakes. Our recent warning was a precautionary measure in response to the complex seismic dynamics in this area.

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Historical patterns and the current threat

Mega quakes are not as rare as one might think. According to Dr. Blanpied, subduction zones around the world can produce these enormous earthquakes.

In the United States, the Cascadia subduction zone off the coast of northern California, Oregon and Washington is known for its potential to generate mega quakes.

Historical evidence shows that a magnitude 9.0 earthquake occurred in this region in 1700. The seismic activity in this area is closely monitored due to the possibility of a future similar event.

Japans current concern centers on the Nankai Trough, a major subduction zone off southeastern Japan. Dr. Blanpied noted that Japanese scientists recently updated their studies, indicating a high probability70 to 80 percentof a large earthquake in the coming decades.

The warning issued earlier this month was based on this research and was meant to prepare the public for potential seismic activity.

The 2011 Tohoku Earthquake

The 2011 Tohoku earthquake, also known as the Great East Japan Earthquake, is a prime example of a megaquake.

With a magnitude of 9.0, it was one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded. The earthquake not only shook Japan but also generated a devastating tsunami that wreaked havoc on the northeastern coast.

The 2011 Tohoku earthquake was a stark reminder of the immense power and destruction associated with megaquakes, explained Dr. Blanpied. It highlighted the importance of preparedness and early warning systems to mitigate the effects of these natural disasters.

The disaster led to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis, highlighting the severe impact such events can have on both human and environmental systems.

Impacts and preparations

When a mega quake occurs, it can cause severe shaking over a broad area, impacting densely populated regions like Tokyo.

Dr. Blanpied emphasized that such an earthquake would bring about long-lasting shaking, significant damage to infrastructure and potentially a tsunami.

Japan is situated at the intersection of multiple tectonic plates, which means it is prone to frequent seismic activity, including megaquakes, said Dr. Blanpied. Our recent warning was a precautionary measure in response to the complex seismic dynamics in this area.

The 2011 Tohoku earthquake demonstrated how tsunamis can devastate coastal areas, overcoming even well-constructed sea walls.

In preparation for these events, Japan has implemented various measures, including building tsunami walls and improving early warning systems.

The alert was based on observed seismic activity and modeling, which indicated a higher-than-usual likelihood of a significant earthquake, explained Dr. Blanpied. However, after further analysis, we determined that the immediate threat had subsided, and the alert was rescinded.

Despite these efforts, the combination of strong shaking and high tsunamis poses a significant risk. The Japanese government is continually working to improve its preparedness and response strategies to protect its citizens.

The unpredictability of earthquakes

One of the most challenging aspects of earthquakes is their unpredictability. Unlike weather events, earthquakes cannot be forecasted with precision.

Predicting the exact timing and location of earthquakes remains one of the biggest challenges in seismology, noted Dr. Blanpied. Despite advancements in technology, earthquakes can still occur unexpectedly and without precise warning.

Dr. Blanpied pointed out that while scientists can estimate the likelihood of a mega quake based on historical data and current research, predicting the exact timing of such an event remains elusive.

While we can estimate the likelihood of seismic activity in a region based on historical data and current conditions, the precise prediction of when and where an earthquake will strike is still beyond our reach, added Dr. Blanpied.

For travelers to earthquake-prone regions, Dr. Blanpied recommended staying informed about local hazards and knowing safety protocols.

Whether visiting Japan, California or other seismic hotspots, being prepared for the possibility of an earthquake can help ensure safety.

But Dr. Blanpied cautioned that earthquakes are inherently unpredictable due to the complex nature of tectonic plate movements and the buildup of stress along faults. This unpredictability is why preparedness and robust response strategies are crucial for minimizing damage and saving lives.

Be prepared when traveling

When visiting Japan or any place with a history of earthquakes, its important to be prepared; this is especially true for locations like Japan where they happen quite often. Heres what you need to know about preparing for and dealing with an earthquake warning:

Know the safety procedures: Before you even leave for Japan, learn about what to do if an earthquake happens. In Japan, they have special earthquake alarms that make loud noises when a big quake is coming. These alarms are a warning that you need to be ready!

When youre in a building during an earthquake, get under a sturdy table or desk to protect yourself from falling objects. Stay away from windows and anything that might pose a danger, said Dr. Blanpied.

Have an emergency kit: Make sure you have an emergency kit with things you might need if an earthquake happens. This kit should include items like water, snacks, a flashlight, batteries, a first aid kit, and important documents. Its a good idea to pack these things in a bag thats easy to grab quickly.

Make sure you have an emergency kit with items like water, snacks, a flashlight, batteries and a first aid kit, explained Dr. Blanpied. Its essential to be ready for any situation that might arise during an earthquake.

Find safe spots: When you are in your hotel or another building, know where the safe places are. During an earthquake, you should get under a sturdy table or desk to protect yourself from falling objects. Stay away from windows and anything that might fall.

Follow instructions: If an earthquake happens or you hear an alarm, listen carefully to announcements and follow instructions from local authorities. They will tell you the best ways to stay safe.

Stay informed: Pay attention to local news and follow guidance from hotel staff or tour guides, as they are familiar with local emergency procedures.

Listen carefully to announcements and follow instructions from local authorities, added Dr. Blanpied. They will guide you on the best ways to stay safe when an earthquake occurs.

Practice safety drills: Practice what you would do if an earthquake happened. For example, you can practice getting under a table and staying there for a few seconds. This will help you remember what to do when you hear the alarm.

By being prepared and knowing what to do, you can stay safe and calm during an earthquake while visiting Japan.

USGS readies response for megaquake

In the event of a megaquake, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) will spring into action to help keep everyone informed and safe. Heres what you can expect from their response:

Dr. Blanpied explained that first, the USGS will quickly provide detailed information about the earthquake. They will use advanced technology to pinpoint where the quake occurred and measure its strength. This helps people understand the scope of the event and what to anticipate.

The USGS will quickly provide information about the earthquake, like where it happened and how strong it was, revealed Dr. Blanpied. This helps everyone understand what to expect.

Next, the USGS will send out timely updates and warnings. They will alert the public about any aftershocks or additional dangers, ensuring that everyone remains aware of ongoing risks and can take necessary precautions.

They will send out updates and warnings to help people stay safe, said Dr. Blanpied. If there are any aftershocks or more problems, they will keep everyone informed.

Finally, the USGS will coordinate with other agencies to support emergency response efforts. They will assist in rescue operations and offer guidance to help communities recover from the quakes impact.

The USGS will work with other agencies to help with emergency responses. They will help guide rescue efforts and provide advice to help communities recover.

By delivering prompt information, continuous updates and coordinating rescue efforts, the USGS plays a crucial role in managing the aftermath of a megaquake and supporting affected communities.

Looking forward

While the mega quake warning in Japan was rescinded, the threat of a future large earthquake remains. Dr. Blanpied stressed the importance of ongoing research and monitoring to understand and mitigate these risks.

The USGS, for example, provides aftershock forecasts and updates on seismic activity to help communities prepare and respond effectively.

The recent alert in Japan serves as a reminder of the ever-present risk of mega quakes. Understanding these events, their potential impacts, and how to prepare can help mitigate the effects of these powerful natural disasters.

For more information on earthquake preparedness and to stay updated on seismic activity, the USGS provides valuable resources and data on their website.

You can click here for more information on how USGS updates and offers information to the public. You can click here for more information on how to track aftershocks. You can watch Dr. Blanpieds full interview in the video above.

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As we continue to learn more about earthquakes and improve our preparedness, it is crucial to remain vigilant and informed.

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Head of Orthodox Church of Ukraine is ready for dialogue with leader of Russian-linked church and urges believers to reject "Russian yoke"

Metropolitan Epifanii, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), has stated that the law banning religious organisations associated with the Russian Federation makes it possible to reject the Russian yoke. He urged Orthodox Christians to join the OCU and is ready for a dialogue with Metropolitan Onufrii of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP).

Source: Epifanii during the national joint 24/7 newscast

Quote: "The parliament supported this bill [on the ban of Russian-linked religious organisations  ed.] in both the first and second readings. Therefore, we have a truly historic decision.

The law allows all religious organisations that have not yet done so to completely free themselves from Moscow's control. And we, for our part, call again and again on all Orthodox Christians in Ukraine who have not yet done so to finally reject this Russian yoke. We are open to dialogue without preconditions."

Details: Epifanii stated that the OCU has consistently advocated for the protection of the Ukrainian religious community from being exploited by Russian religious centres.

He reiterated his call to Metropolitan Onufrii and other representatives of the UOC-MP.

Quote: "We're reaching out, we're open, extending our hand to Metropolitan Onufrii, the bishops, and clergy, inviting them to begin a dialogue without preconditions.

We are addressing the faithful. After all, our common Ukrainian future depends on them. After all, each community, according to Ukrainian legislation and the newly adopted law, has the opportunity to change its jurisdiction... We are ready to unite in this difficult time of war when the aggressor is trying to destroy us."

Details: Epifanii says many communities in Ukraine have made the decision to join the local Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

He also noted that for the transition to take place, each community must hold a meeting, make a decision and amend its own charter.

Commenting on UOC-MP representative Klyment's remarks about the lack of dialogue between the OCU and the UOC-MP, Epifanii described his comments as "strange". He noted that since 2019, he personally and the Synod (council) have been reaching out to the UOC-MP, but in response, they received only an ultimatum that the OCU would never agree to: "We are open, we are ready for dialogue, but we have not received any response. We are waiting, but unfortunately, they do not even want to communicate with us."

Background:

On 20 August, the Ukrainian parliament passed a bill banning the activities of religious organisations linked to Russia, which could potentially cripple the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP).

Following the adoption of the law banning religious organisations linked to the Russian Federation, the UOC-MP claimed that it planned to continue to live as a "true church" and that "any attempts to ban it could lead to discrediting those who seek it".

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Health Aware: How the classroom might be affecting your childs mental health

ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)  As school gets back in session, it can be mentally challenging for students to adjust to their new routine. As students fill up classrooms and take on new courseloads, this time of year can also mean new mental health struggles that are often overlooked.

Anxiety can come from a variety of sources, whether its homework, taking tests, or dealing with bullies. Andrie Lewis, owner of Serendipity Therapy Services, specializes in working with kids. She said consistent communication is key for kids transitioning from summer to school.

Just building those relationships with them, talking to them, making sure that they know youre open to hearing what they have to say and how their day is goingcommunicating about mental health requires a relationship, like you have to build that relationship with them so really just giving them time, sitting with them, talking with them, and just asking questions, Lewis said.

There are signs to look out for if your child is suffering from serious mental health issues. These symptoms can include a shift in personality, a change in sleeping patterns, and avoiding regular activities in and out of class. Lewis said its important to reach out and get the right help to get the school year started off right.

Reach out to their school counselors for help. In our local district, so both Midland and Odessa, there are LPCs on staff for students.

Some other things experts recommend to make the back-to-school transition easier include:

Creating a realistic routine for your child that reinforces healthy habits

Encouraging social interaction

Helping them stay prepared so they dont risk falling behind

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ECTOR COUNTY, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)  August is National Immunization Awareness Month. The main focus is to get your child up to date with vaccines as we get into the new school year.

The vaccines aim to reduce the severity of disease and slow or prevent the spread of illnesses to others. One of the most common misconceptions with vaccines is the issue of not knowing what is being put in your childs body.

The biggest advice I would give to parents is educate yourself. Be educated on what vaccines your children is receiving or what vaccines they should receive and read up on that and educate yourself on exactly what those vaccines are for and what the purpose of them are, said Brandy Garcia, Director of the Ector County Health Department.

You can either contact your physician or any local health clinic, as well as reach out to the Ector County Health Department to get your children vaccinated. The Health Department is open from 8 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. You can also call ECHD at 432-498-4141.

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Health care shortage has plagued Idaho for years. Heres what U of I is doing about it

Idaho has limited options for medical education. But a new school at the University of Idaho in Moscow aims to change that.

The U of I plans to launch its first health care-related graduate programs in fall 2025 under a new school for medical professions. The School of Health and Medical Professions will be just the second medical school in the state, joining the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine in Meridian, a private medical school affiliated with Idaho State University and the only doctor of osteopathic medicine-granting school in Idaho.

The state has a shortage of doctors and other health care workers that has plagued Idaho for years, the university said in a news release. The new school looks to improve health care education opportunities in North Idaho and across the state.

Idaho is among just five states that do not have a school offering doctor-of-medicine degrees, though the state has an existing partnership with the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle that reserves 40 undergraduate medical education slots for Idaho students.

The state subsidizes part of the cost of tuition and fees for each student admitted to the program, known as the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho Regional Medical Education program, or WWAMI. The program costs Idaho students about $84,000 a year, with state support covering roughly half of tuition.

The new medical school at U of I was spearheaded by the programs Regional Dean and Director Jeff Seegmiller. It will have three departments: medicine, clinical medicine and nursing.

Our goal is not only to fill the current gaps in health care provision, but also to create a sustainable pipeline of skilled professionals who can contribute to the well-being of Idahoans for generations to come, Seegmiller said in the news release. These programs are designed to equip future health care professionals with the knowledge and skills they need to meet the growing demands of our communities.

Idaho is one of the least-populous states in the country, but its also one of the fastest-growing. U.S. Census Bureau data shows that Idaho was the fourth-fastest growing state in 2023, the Idaho Statesman previously reported. The Gem State also has an aging population, with significant in-migration of older residents.

The U of Is new school will offer a masters degree in gerontology, the study of old age.

Students in that program will learn about healthy aging, biological aspects of aging, social and emotional aspects of aging and economic and policy factors related to aging, according to Emma Zado, a spokesperson for the U of I. The university estimates the degree will cost a total of $18,000, or $6,000 per semester for three semesters running in the fall, spring and summer, she said.





The school and the degree were approved at an Idaho State Board of Education meeting in June. On Wednesday, the board is also slated to approve a doctorate of anatomical sciences, Zado told the Statesman. That degree is expected to cost residents $10,548 in tuition and fees. Non-residents would pay $29,784.

The U of I has said it hopes to add two additional masters programs and two additional doctoral programs, including a doctorate in clinical psychology.

The university expects to enroll 10 students in the gerontology program and 16 in the anatomical sciences program during the schools first year, Zado said.

The U of I will house the new school in its D.A. Huckabay M.D. Medical Education Building, which is also home to the WWAMI medical education program. And, in anticipation of the schools growth, the university broke ground in July on an expansion to that building.

The university has said it worked closely with Idaho State University to make its School of Health and Medical Professions possible. Idaho State University offers a range of health care degrees at its campuses in Pocatello and Meridian. The schools have an agreement to jointly develop several programs together, including physician assistant programs.

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Heathrow is no longer one of the worlds 10 most connected airports, according to a new study.

Data shared by aviation analyst Cirium shows that Heathrow has dropped down the power rankings for connectivity. The airport ranks 12th for the number of destinations served, down from eighth in 2023.

Heathrow has non-stop flights to 221 destinations, down from 228 last year. Istanbul ranks as the worlds best-connected airport, serving 309 destinations, followed by Frankfurt (296), Paris Charles de Gaulle (282), Amsterdam Schiphol (270) and Chicago OHare (270).

Gatwick serves 218 destinations, only three fewer than Heathrow, making it the best-connected secondary airport in Europe.

Istanbul is the world's best-connected airport, serving 309 destinations - Getty

In recent years Heathrow has been hit by post-pandemic staff shortages, IT failures (a recurring problem for its biggest airline, BA) and baggage-handling issues, including an incident where stacks of luggage were seen piled up outside the airport. The disruption continues; Border Force agents at Heathrow will go on strike over the end of the school summer holidays, one of the airports busiest periods.

However, while Heathrow has experienced a series of performance and PR hiccups in recent years and has dropped down the power rankings in terms of connectivity, this years ranking is an improvement on its pre-pandemic position and the airport recently recorded its busiest ever day. So are things on the up, or the decline, for Britains biggest airport?

An emerging league of mega-airports

While Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam are long-standing European travel hubs alongside Heathrow, number one in the Cirium list for connectivity is Istanbul Airport. The Turkish hub opened in 2018 after all commercial passenger flights were transferred from Ataturk Airport, and it has rapidly emerged as one of the busiest in the world. Last year it handled 76 million passengers, only three million fewer than Heathrow.

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The ascendance of Istanbul is in large part down to its geographical location, says aviation expert John Strickland.

He explains: Hubs are very much influenced by their geography so this makes for difficult like-for-like comparisons. For example, the location of Istanbul means it is possible for Turkish Airlines to connect many destinations in Africa and Asia using smaller, shorter-range aircraft such as the A320, while airlines in some other locations would have to use larger, longer-range, wide-bodied aircraft which may not be justified by traffic levels.

Other airports in the Cirium list include Dubai, which overtook Heathrow as the worlds busiest airport for international traffic in 2014. Within a decade the Middle Eastern hub will move to a new desert location and have a capacity of 260 million passengers per year. Jeddah Airport in Saudi Arabia is another on the ascendance, with passenger numbers up 36 per cent to 42.7 million in 2023, compared to the previous year.

Relative newcomers on the Cirium connectivity list include Guangzhou Airport in China (opened 2004) and Shanghai Pudong International Airport (1999), and the league table of airport megahubs will likely see other new names in years to come. In India, Noida International Airport is set to become the biggest in the country when it opens later this year (with capacity for 70 million passengers), and Singapore has plans for a new Terminal Five that will more than double the size of the airport by the mid-2030s.

The challenges for Heathrow

Heathrows relegation from Ciriums top 10 list comes during a period of mixed successes and challenges for the airport. One of the biggest issues for Heathrow has been the arrival of the electronic travel authorisation (ETA) system.

Passengers without a visa or legal residence in the UK, travelling from Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan must obtain an ETA, which costs 10 and is similar to the USAs ESTA programme. The visa-waiver programme will roll out to arrivals from most of the rest of the world this autumn, with the EU, the EEA and Switzerland to follow next year.

The arrival of the ETA system has proven to be a major challenge for Heathrow - Julia Manns/Bloomberg Finance LP

Last week, Heathrow reported that it had lost 90,000 transfer passengers on routes from the seven countries in the scheme and described it as devastating for our hub competitiveness. Around 22 per cent of all Heathrow passengers are transferring between flights.

Heathrow still depends on the support of connecting traffic to make a number of destinations viable. Anything that adds additional cost to ticket prices reduces competitiveness for passengers making indirect journeys as this market segment is particularly price sensitive when multiple routing options are available, says Strickland.

Heathrow received another blow in February, when the Italian flag carrier ITA Airways announced it would not be serving London Heathrow for the summer of 2024, shifting services to London Gatwick and London City Airport. The airport is famously expensive to operate at, and the Civil Aviation Authority has lowered its cap on how much Heathrow can charge airlines per passenger, to be reviewed again at the end of 2026.

The future of Heathrow

Going down from 228 to 221 destinations year-on-year is no drastic change for Heathrow. Other airports have experienced similar year-on-year drops: Frankfurt was down from 304 to 296 destinations, Paris Charles de Gaulle was down from 289 to 282. These are decisions made by airlines, not airports.

It is also worth noting that, using different metrics, other aviation analysts place Heathrow as the best-connected airport on the planet. In the latest Megahubs Index, published by OAG Aviation last September, Heathrow ranked in top spot based on the volume of scheduled international connections rather than the total number of destinations served.

Connectivity rankings aside, management at Heathrow (and its new Saudi stakeholders) will be feeling buoyant about the years performance so far. The airport saw its busiest first quarter on record (18.5m passengers from January 1 to March 31), swinging from a 60m loss during that period in 2023 to a 83m profit in 2024.

Heathrow also recorded its busiest day ever this summer: 268,000 passengers passed through its terminals on June 30. This came after the airport overtook Denver, Tokyo and Istanbul to become the fourth busiest airport in the world for passenger numbers, according to a study released by the Airports Council International (ACI). Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, Dubai and Dallas may serve more per year, but only Dubai trumps Heathrow for international passengers. Heathrow anticipates 2024 will be a bumper year, with a record 81.4m passengers forecast.

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The elephant in the terminal, of course, is whether Heathrow will or will not receive a third runway  an idea first tabled in 2003 but which has not come to fruition.

The extra runway could increase capacity at Heathrow by 260,000 flights per year, adding to the current limit of 480,000, and could bring as many as 40 new destinations to Heathrows roster with passenger capacity rising to 142 million. Labour has signalled that it is open-minded to the suggestion of a third runway, providing that it is compatible with climate targets. This week the government approved London City Airports terminal expansion, upping its annual capacity from 6.5m to nine million passengers, suggesting Labour could take a sympathetic approach to aviation infrastructure development in the face of a vocal climate lobby.

Heathrow is not experiencing a fall from grace, but it is at risk of dropping in significance as mega-airports emerge elsewhere in the world. Things begin to look even more precarious as landing fees remain so high that the CAA felt the need to intervene, whilst the new 10 ETA could threaten to deter transfer passengers. Heathrow will always be the UKs number one airport, but whether it can remain in the global premier league of airports, and make its way back up that Cirium connectivity list, is in the balance.

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Heres how you can help Carroll County deputy shot in line of duty

The Carroll County Sheriffs Office has set up a fundraiser for a deputy shot in the line of duty and his family.

Investigator Taylor Bristow was helping the Georgia Bureau of Investigation execute a search warrant at a house on Don Rich Drive when he was shot. The deputy had to be airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery.

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As of Wednesday, Bristow is listed in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Many of you have been asking for updates on Investigator Bristow, and we truly appreciate your continued concern. Grady doctors are closely monitoring his condition, and we are currently in a holding pattern as we wait for further updates. Please continue to keep Investigator Bristow in your thoughts and prayers during this critical time, the sheriffs office wrote in a statement.

The office says it has received numerous calls about donations for Bristow, who recently got married, and his family. Only one official donation site has been set up through the West Georgia First Responders at this time.

We also want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has reached out, brought food, and offered assistance to the family and to those who work alongside Investigator Bristow. Your generosity and support mean more than words can express, the sheriffs office said.

You can click here to donate to Bristows family.

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TEXARKANA, Texas (KTAL/KSHV)  Air conditioning bills in the summer can break the bank, but there is help available for Texans to cover the costs.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps those in need to meet their home energy costs by making payments directly to energy suppliers. The program aims to help those with the lowest incomes and disproportionately high energy costs keep the power on.

SWEPCO customers in Rusk, Cherokee, Gregg, Smith, and Wood counties can contact Greater East Texas Community Action for assistance. In Harrison, Panola, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, and Upshur counties, customers can reach out to Tri-County Community Action.

This program is very impactful and is highly recommended and needed for our clients, said Brenda Allen, Program Director for Tri-County Community Action. Partnering with SWEPCO has been a tremendous benefit and success to the community that we serve.

Eligibility for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is based on income and is offered on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are depleted.

Allen said applicants should have all their documents ready beforehand so Tri-County Community Action can determine their eligibility faster and more easily. A list of required documents is included in the application, which is listed under the assistance tab on their website. The application changes each year, said Allen, so applicants should be sure to select the application for the current year.

Officials said that seven out of 10 households in the U.S. helped by LIHEAP are home to a child under the age of six, an elderly resident, a veteran, or someone with a disability. In 2020, nearly 200,000 Texans received help from Home Energy Assistance programs to cover heating, cooling, emergencies, and weatherization efforts.

LIHEAP is a great help to our customers, said Brett Mattison, SWEPCO president. We encourage those who might be eligible to learn more about this and our other programs to help manage seasonal bill spikes.

A tool on SWEPCOs website can identify help available based on each customers needs. Mattison said they can help customers combat high bills with payment plans, extensions, or average monthly payments.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com.
CHICAGO  As Asma Mohammed walked the halls of the United Center on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention Monday, she said she felt an immense pressure to properly represent her community in Minnesota.

The "uncommitted" delegate for the North Star State said she wanted to ensure she continued to negotiate in "good faith" with Vice President Kamala Harris' nascent campaign and remind other attendees that, as the violence in Gaza continues into its eleventh month, a majority of Democrats support a permanent ceasefire in the region and many want the United States to place an arms embargo on Israel.

"If we want to be the party that saves lives, then we need to do that now," Mohammed told Salon, wearing a bright red Palestinian keffiyeh scarf and a similarly colored "Not Another Bomb" pin.

"I saw someone today that was wearing a 'Screw your thoughts and prayers' pin. And that's really how I'm feeling in this moment," she said, adding: "We're feeling that in this moment. I've talked to so many other delegates who feel the same way but were like, 'Yeah, I feel like we can't do anything,' But we can. We as delegates have power to put pressure on the current nominee for president and say this is what we need in the platform."

Mohammed is one of the 30-some "uncommitted" delegates to the DNC representing the hundreds of thousands of voters who chose the option on their Democratic primary ballots in protest of President Joe Biden's unconditional support of Israel's retaliatory bombardment of Gaza. Their white stoles and scarves, some of which read "Democrats for Palestinian rights" on the ends, crisscrossed with the distinct black or red Palestinian design dotted the halls of the arena Monday night, serving as a visual reminder of the tension over the war that's created a rift through the Democratic Party.

Still, uncommitted delegates and pro-Palestinian attendees at the Democratic National Convention remain cautiously optimistic about the vice president's ability to turn the tide in their favor and meet their demands compared to her former running mate. While Harris' more sympathetic outreach efforts have made them feel hopeful that she's at least listening, they say her words fall flat in lieu of concrete action.

Without clearly articulating a different policy on Israel  which they hope includes a permanent immediate ceasefire and an arms embargo on the Middle Eastern nation  that they can bring back to their voters, their communities' votes are effectively hers to lose, "uncommitted" delegates and DNC attendees said.

"That's what we're hearing from people," Georgia State Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Democrat who is Palestinian-American, told Salon. "We would not be spending this much time and energy and effort begging people to listen to us if we didn't hear from actual voters, this is what they're asking for. We would not be doing any of this. If all it took was for us to get in line and go, 'Yeah, like, let's endorse Harris tomorrow,' we would absolutely do it."

Since the latest outbreak of violence in Gaza began, Democrats have hemorrhaged support from its leftwing flank over the Biden administration's unconditional military support of Israel. Muslim and Arab-American voters, who comprise a critical part of the party's base, especially in battleground states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Wisconsin, have led the charge in the election protest while calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in the region among other demands.

The "uncommitted" movement, an initially Michigan-focused effort that ballooned into a national campaign, encouraged distraught voters seeking to apply pressure on the Biden administration to press Israel for a permanent ceasefire and arms embargo to check "no preference" or "uncommitted" on their ballots when voting in their state's Democratic primary.

Uncommitted voters in Michigan had an unexpected showing in the state's February Democratic primary, casting nearly 102,000 votes  five times more than the minimum movement leaders told Salon at the time they wanted to see  which accounted for 13 percent of the vote. By the close of the presidential primary circuit in June, the movement had amassed over 700,000 "uncommitted," "uninstructed" or "no preference" votes and, with the number of write-in and blank-ballot protests in states without those options, the number likely pushes three-quarters of a million, The Nation writes.

Romman said that the Uncommitted Movement is specifically focused on making the Democratic Party better and "addressing this very serious weakness" around its policy on Israel going into November.

"The reality is that even for those of us who are political people, we know what the options are for November," she said. "But [because of] the emotion around this and intensity around this, we cannot go back to people empty-handed and still ask them to vote."

Harris' campaign has attempted to toe the line between appealing to and assuaging the concerns of both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian voters. While Harris has advocated publicly for an immediate ceasefire, her national security adviser vehemently denied the suggestion that she would consider an arms embargo on Israel.

Since Harris took to the campaign trail just last month, demonstrators have sought to apply pressure during her appearances as they did while the president was still in the running, though on a much smaller scale.

At a campaign rally in Michigan last month, Harris delivered a sharp response to pro-Palestinian protesters chanting in the crowd, telling them that if they want "Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I'm speaking."

Her response, Mohammed said, could have been "much more intentional" and worked to better clarify her position. Instead, Mohammed argued, the vice president "missed that opportunity in a swing state where Muslim, Arab and voters of color are saying, 'We don't know to feel.'"

"I think that missed opportunity could cost us the election," Mohammed said. "And that terrifies me."

While Romman agreed that the Democratic nominee's reaction to protesters was Harris and her campaign's "first misstep," she said how quickly Harris "corrected" and responded more empathetically at her subsequent rally in Arizona, however, demonstrated "she was open to feedback."

That move, coupled with Harris' voiced sympathy with Palestinians in Gaza, increased engagement with Uncommitted leaders and outreach to Arab, Muslim and Palestinian communities represents a "very marked shift" from her former running mate's approach, according to Abbas Alawieh, an uncommitted Michigan delegate and a leader of the national movement.

"It was very clear that she made the decision to engage rather than continue the policy of effectively boycotting our communities, so I'm feeling like there's opportunity in that to push for policy change," Alawieh told Salon.

According to Reuters, the Democratic Party released a draft platform in mid-July that called for "an immediate and lasting ceasefire" in the war and the release of the remaining hostages taken by militant group Hamas during the deadly Oct. 7 attack, which Israel says killed around 1,200 people. But the platform, which the DNC officially approved Monday, makes no mention of the now more than 40,000 Palestinians, most of whom are civilians, the Gaza health authorities say have been killed by Israel's counteroffensive, and does not reference halting weapons sales to the country.

Convention planners have allotted speaking slots to progressive Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, one of the most prominent Muslims in national politics, and approved a first-of-its-kind panel discussion on Palestinian human rights organized by Uncommitted Movement leaders held Monday afternoon.

Last week, Harris' campaign manager, Julie Chavez-Rodriguez, also held a spate of meetings to hear the concerns of Arab Americans and some uncommitted delegates, according to The New York Times. She also flew out to Detroit to meet privately with Abbas Alawieh and Arab American and Jewish leaders.

But as the Harris campaign conducted its outreach last week, the U.S. approved another $20 billion in arms sales to Israel just last Tuesday. Monthslong negotiations mediated by the U.S., Egypt and other nations seeking to broker an agreement between Hamas and the Israeli war cabinet based on a plan Biden put forward in May have so far failed.

"Certainly, it feels like something fundamentally is broken. It's so clear that what this administration is doing is not only deeply offensive and immoral, but also deeply illegal," Alawieh said, expressing disbelief that the violence in Gaza is still happening. "The Biden administration is sending more and more weapons that are being used to kill civilians, and that's against international law, and that's against U.S. law, and that's to say nothing of all of the international inquiries around apartheid and around genocide."

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

In the face of rising stakes, the Democratic Party and Harris' delicate dances around the nation's role in the war in Gaza and responses to appease opposing yet key factions of its base are insufficient, Alawieh, Romman and Mohammed said.

"In this case in particular, we need accountability," Alawieh said. "We don't need private expressions of sympathy or even public expressions of sympathy. The time for that is long past due."

"As [Uncommitted National Movement founder Layla Elabed] has said, unfortunately, words are not going to feed a starving child, and they're not going to protect somebody under the bombs," Romman added. "The whole point of all of this is to get a commitment to stop the bombs."

Efforts to apply pressure on Harris and the Biden administration and advocate on behalf of "uncommitted" voters also continued at the DNC with varied results. A protest of 3,500 people demanding a ceasefire took place Monday afternoon in Chicago as the DNC got underway just streets over, while a small protest in the arena as Biden spoke Monday night was quickly snuffed out.

At the top of each morning, the Uncommitted Movement has held daily press conferences platforming pro-Palestinian voices at a location nearby the arena alongside afternoon vigils inside the United Center. Uncommitted delegates have also been urging Harris' pledged delegates to sign a petition pushing the Harris campaign to add an arms embargo to its platform, according to Mother Jones.

"It feels like we have an opportunity to push Vice President Harris. Given that there's been a change at the top of the ticket, we can use this as an opportunity to push her to adopt a new approach that isn't hellbent on killing Palestinian children," Alawieh said. "She hasn't articulated a new approach yet, but we're hopeful that if we apply enough pressure, that she'll see that not only is it the right thing to do morally, but also it matters to a lot of voters in key swing states like Michigan, voters who  740,000 plus of us  voted uncommitted because we want a change in Gaza policy."

Though recent polling indicated voters under 40 had mixed feelings toward the U.S. sending military aid to Israel  and Harris' entrance into the race has reinvigorated the electorate around the Democratic Party in ways Biden's campaign did not  uncommitted delegates say voters in their districts remain steadfast in their convictions. Mohammed said voters she represents have told her they intend to skip the election or vote third-party should Harris fail to meet their demands.

"It presents an urgent need to get a policy that is more humane because if we're going to re-energize and reengage voters in Michigan for whom this is a top policy issue, we have a very short run," Alawieh said. "What we're offering vice president Harris is like, 'Help us help you.' Help us have a message that we can go to voters who voted uncommitted and deliver a proactive 'here is what Vice President Harris' plan would be.'

If Harris doesn't deliver an arms embargo, Alawieh said he and other delegates would continue to warn their communities of the "horrific" truth of former President Donald Trump's "destructive policies." But a scenario in which the vice president fails to meet their demands would be less effective at persuading uncommitted voters to go to the polls or cast a vote in her favor, he suggested.

"We feel like it would strengthen our hand with the communities with whom we've built trust, communities for whom Gaza is a top policy issue, to be able to go to those communities and deliver a proactively pro-Kamala message," he said. "But we need to be empowered to do that."
HERKIMER, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY)  As the election begins to heat up across the country, one local county is looking for people to help at the polls.

The Herkimer County Board of Elections announced on Wednesday, August 21 that they are urging all eligible county residents to sign up to be poll workers. The county says many residents are unaware that some high school students are eligible to work on the polls.

We at the Herkimer County Board of Elections encourage all New Yorkers to participate in elections in any way that they can, Kim Tranter, Republican Commissioner of the Herkimer County Board of Elections, said in a statement. We appreciate the time and dedication New Yorkers devote to serving as poll workers, so I am incredibly excited to see high school students use this opportunity to educate themselves on the voting process and gain work experience.

According to the Board of Elections, a student 17 years old or older may be eligible to serve if their school district participates in a program under New York State Education Law. Poll workers are also assigned to the county where they live and are paid for each day of work, as well as every day of training they undertake.

Poll workers are tasked with:

Preparing the polling place for voting,

Setting up voting equipment,

Signing in and processing voters

Demonstrating voting procedures

Closing the polling place

Reporting the results, and

Assisting voters where needed.

With all of the information on the voting process available to us, its only natural that New Yorkers of all ages are becoming more involved in elections, Robert Hoyt, Democratic Commissioner of the Herkimer County Board of Elections, said in a statement. We are encouraging young adults in New York to take advantage of any opportunity to be a part of the democratic process, whether it be preregistering to vote or signing up to become a poll worker.

If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming a poll worker  in Herkimer County or anywhere else  you are encouraged to apply with the New York State Board of Elections at the link here.

The general election itself will begin early voting in New York State from Saturday, October 26 to Sunday, November 3. The election itself will be on Tuesday, November 5.

For more information about registering to vote, requesting a ballot or finding your polling place, you are encouraged to visit the Herkimer County Board of Elections website at the link here. You may also contact the Board of Elections at 315-867-1103 or 315-867-1104.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WUTR/WFXV - CNYhomepage.com.
I have owned stocks across a wide range of industries and sectors through the years. My portfolio has included biotech, consumer goods, energy, financial, medical device, real estate, retail, technology, telecom, and utility stocks plus more.

However, I don't recall ever investing in an auto stock -- until recently. Last week, I initiated a new position in Honda Motor (NYSE: HMC). Here's why I just loaded up on this ultra-high-yield dividend stock.

1. The price is right

Let's face it: Many U.S. stocks are valued at a premium right now. The S&P 500 Shiller CAPE ratio isn't too far below its all-time high. I'm not a nervous Nellie expecting the bottom to drop out over the near term. However, I don't want to pay too much for a stock.

The great news about Honda Motor is that the price is right. This stock trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of less than 6.6. Its enterprise value-to-EBITDA multiple is a super-low 2.5. We're talking dirt cheap.

This attractive valuation isn't because Honda's share price has plummeted. Sure, the stock hasn't been a huge winner in 2024. However, it's at least in positive territory. It's not because the company's business is floundering, either. Honda's revenue jumped nearly 17% year over year in the quarter ending June 30, 2024. Profits rose more than 8%.

2. The future is bright

Importantly, I believe Honda's future is bright. I'm not alone in that view, by the way. Analysts surveyed by LSEG project the company will generate average annual earnings growth of 19% over the next five years.

Honda's vehicles are known for high quality and reliability. Consumer Reports ranked the company's Acura brand No. 4 and its Honda brand No. 5 for reliability across all major car brands. I fully expect Honda will maintain its solid reputation.

I also like Honda's strategy with hybrid and electric vehicles. The company has introduced hybrid versions of its CR-V, Accord, and Civic models. It's making the first production hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle in the U.S. at its Marysville, Ohio, "supercar factory."

3. The dividend is dynamite

You didn't think I would leave out Honda's dynamite dividend, did you? The company's forward dividend yield currently tops 5.4%. I consider any yield that's at least four times higher than the S&P 500's yield as ultra-high. Honda's dividend meets that criterion.

I'd prefer if Honda had a long track record of consecutive dividend increases. Unfortunately, that's not the case. However, the carmaker has nearly tripled its dividend over the past five years and increased its dividend by 26.5% over the past 12 months.

Story continues

More importantly, Honda is in a strong position to grow its dividend in the future. It has a low dividend payout ratio of 28.6%. This reflects significant financial flexibility to shift more funds to the dividend program.

I plan for Honda to be a long-term holding. I hope it will help generate solid income down the road to help fund my retirement. In the meantime, the stock's high yield makes it easier for me to obtain above-average total returns.

Should you invest $1,000 in Honda Motor right now?

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Why I Just Loaded Up on This Ultra-High-Yield Dividend Stock was originally published by The Motley Fool
Hiker found dead in Pennsylvania, coroner says he suffered blunt force injuries

A hiker was found dead in York County, Pennsylvania on Monday afternoon.

NBC affiliate WGAL reports the hiker has been identified as Joshua Markey, 47, of Windsor Township. Markey had been missing since Thursday morning.

State police believe Markey, an avid hiker was walking the Mason-Dixon Trail within State Game Lands No. 8 when he fell.

Markeys body was found in the area of Sawmill Run, WGAL reports.

It appears that Markey had fallen and suffered blunt force injuries, which led to his death. Manner of death is pending further investigation, the coroners office statement said.

The Pennsylvania State Police are handling the investigation.

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Arrest made in deadly shooting of Aliquippa woman, 20, found in alley Multiple people injured during ride incident at western Pa. amusement park 2 boys die at UPMC Childrens Hospital after apartment fire in Elk County VIDEO: Organizers withdraw petition to include Pittsburgh cutting ties with Israel on November ballot DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts
Hire more of our members to avert strikes, union chiefs tell rail bosses

Union chiefs who have called three months of rail strikes on London North Eastern Railway (LNER) are lobbying to have Royal Mail train drivers they also represent hired on the East Coast main line.

Train drivers union Aslef said LNER could make strides toward avoiding industrial action by hiring experienced crews, including those currently being let go by Royal Mail.

Aslef, which has about 450 members at LNER, claims the company is short of dozens of drivers, something union chiefs argue is to blame for the breakdown in relations between the two sides.

Union bosses have suggested LNER could address the issue by recruiting from the railfreight sector, particularly given Royal Mail is set to scrap its dedicated postal trains from October and leave many drivers out of work.

The call for new jobs for these members comes after Aslef announced last week that drivers on LNER expresses between London and Edinburgh will walk out each weekend between the end of August and mid-November, citing what it claimed was the persistent breaking of labour agreements by the company.

The industrial action caused surprise given the Government had offered Aslef an industry-wide 15pc pay hike earlier this month.

The dispute with LNER is separate and revolves around the companys deployment of managers to cover for striking drivers during the two years of walkouts. That practice has now become an everyday occurrence in breach of roster agreements, according to Aslef.

Written assurance that LNER will end the custom would most likely be sufficient for the union to enter negotiations. A commitment to bring driver numbers up to required levels could form the basis for a long-term agreement.

Royal Mails plan to halt postal train operations by October 10 after almost 200 years will lead to redundancies at DB Cargo, which provides around 20 drivers for Royal Mails postal trains who are also Aslef members.

This provides an immediate hiring opportunity for LNER, a spokesman for the union said.

DB Cargo said consultation with Aslef on redundancies will begin this week. The company also laid off around 90 drivers last year as cargo volumes struggled to recover from Covid, some of whom may still be available for recruitment, according to a spokesman.

DB Cargo, a division of German state railway Deutsche Bahn, told The Telegraph that not all of the drivers involved worked exclusively on Royal Mail contracts, with some required through the autumn for the operation of leaf-blasting services for Network Rail.

Royal Mail crews are mostly qualified to drive on the West Coast main line and would require retraining, though some have experience working on the East Coast to a depot near Newcastle.

LNER declined to comment on Aslefs claims regarding understaffing and the deployment of managers to drive trains.

Reiterating comments issued after the strikes were announced last Friday, it said: We are surprised and disappointed to hear this news following recent constructive conversations. We will continue to work with Aslef to find a way to end this long running dispute.

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Transport Secretary Louise Haigh last weekend called on LNER and Aslef to get around the table, negotiate in good faith and stop this action before it starts.

The Government may have a more direct role to play in the dispute, however, given that LNER has been under state control since 2018. Virgin Trains handed the route back to the Government amid financial difficulties.

OLR Holdings, which runs LNER and a clutch of other nationalised train operators on behalf of the DfT, didnt respond to questions regarding any role it might have in ending the dispute.

Aslef said that recruiting from the railfreight sector could help provide a wider solution to passenger operators facing driver shortages.

Under Labours pay deal, drivers at LNER stand to see their salaries rise to 81,000, ranking them second only to counterparts at Eurostar in terms of pay across the UK rail sector. Even the best-rewarded freight-train drivers get at least 20,000 less than that.

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Francisco Arteaga spent nearly four years behind bars battling an armed robbery case after police using facial recognition technology identified him as their prime suspect. His court challenge led to a ruling that now requires police departments to reveal the algorithms of the technology in cases where the technology is used. (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor)

Francisco Arteaga was incarcerated, waiting to appear for a court hearing last fall, when he spotted a huge guy eyeballing him from the other side of the courthouse holding cell.

This guys arms are like this, right? Arteaga said, tracing imaginary Popeye biceps in the air. He got no neck. He has a bald, shiny head. Hes looking at me with this mean face. Im like, Oh, my God! Hes walking towards me. He goes, Your name Arteaga? I said, Yeah. He opened his big arms, and he hugged me. He goes, Thank you, thank you so much! Because of your case, Im going home!

Its been 14 months since the court ruling that made Arteaga famous, at least among civil rights advocates, New Jersey defense attorneys, and defendants who have found themselves in legal trouble because of facial recognition technology.

Police relied on the technology to identify Arteaga as their prime suspect in the 2019 armed robbery of a Hudson County cell phone store. He denied any involvement, police had scant other evidence, and Arteaga, a Queens native, said hed never even been to New Jersey. But authorities charged him anyway because facial recognition software spit out his mugshot as a match with grainy footage of the robber caught by surveillance cameras.

Arteaga challenged his arrest and demanded detailed information about the technology police relied on to identify a suspect, aiming to expose its flaws and exonerate himself. He won, with a state appellate panel ruling last year that he deserved to get those materials through discovery.

The decision might have been a watershed moment for criminal justice reformers, offering hope for defendants like Arteaga and his big, bald cellmate who have been charged in otherwise flimsy cases because of such digital deductions.

But at least in Arteagas case, prosecutors said they couldnt provide details about the facial recognition technology that led to his charges, largely because the match was made in another state  outside their jurisdiction and the New Jersey appellate courts reach.

By then, Arteaga had been behind bars as a pretrial detainee for nearly four years. Rather than remain in prison to continue his fight, he pleaded guilty, his mind on his young son, his teenage daughter, and his fiancee.

Im like, do I want to roll the dice knowing that I have children out there? As a father, I see my children hurting. Im hurting, but I could hurt, right? I could deal with that. But when I see my hurting is affecting my children, I got to be a father. I got to go home to my kid, he said.

Arteagas experience exposes gaps in regulation and oversight that are growing as law enforcement agencies increasingly turn to new technological tools to crack cases where traditional sleuthing has failed, said Dillon Reisman, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey. Reisman specializes in surveillance, artificial intelligence, and other new technologies.

Policymakers inaction to close those gaps puts everyone at risk of wrongful arrest and prosecution, Reisman added.

What this case really warned us about is the threat of unchecked surveillance power and the acquisition of all of this surveillance technology with no accompanying accountability framework, Reisman said. All of these systems, by their nature, involve interstate cooperation and systems that are bigger than one individual agency, and that makes it extremely difficult to have any sort of transparency, to learn how the systems used, to learn how the system might be flawed, and to advocate against it.

Window-shopping for a suspect

The appellate ruling lays out how Arteaga wound up in the crosshairs of law enforcement.

The day after Thanksgiving in 2019, a gunman held up the Buenavista Multiservices store on Bergenline Avenue in West New York, pistol-whipping an employee and escaping with $8,950. The employee described the robber as a Hispanic male wearing a black skully hat.

West New York officers submitted images from store and area surveillance cameras for facial recognition analysis to the New Jersey Regional Operations Intelligence Center, a division of the state police. An investigator there found no matches but offered to repeat the inquiry if detectives produced a better image.

Instead, detectives sent the raw footage to the New York Police Departments Real Time Crime Center. A detective there captured several still images, compared them against the centers databases, and identified Arteagas mugshot in December 2019 as a possible match. Two store employees  including one who wasnt at the store at the time of the robbery  confirmed Arteaga from a photo array as the robber. Arteagas mugshot was in the NYPDs system from two convictions years earlier on non-robbery offenses in New York.

Detectives decision to farm the case out to the NYPD showed they went window-shopping for a suspect, Arteaga said.

The police were like, Well, you know what, lets send it to New York with no documented reason to do so. Were going to abandon our states professionals and were going to go to another state and start looking in their pool right now, Arteaga said.

Arteaga had an alibi. He told police he was visiting relatives in Croton-on-Hudson in Westchester County the day of the robbery. But police charged him anyway, and a judge ordered him held at the Hudson County jail until his trial.

His defense attorney filed a motion seeking information about the facial recognition software that identified Arteaga, including its name, manufacturer, algorithms, error rates, and source code, as well as the qualifications of the analyst who ran the search, details about the mugshot database where the analyst got Arteagas photo, and any alterations the analyst made on surveillance stills to improve the odds of a match.

The trial judge denied the motion in May 2022, and Arteaga appealed. A three-judge appellate panel in June 2023 sided with Arteaga and returned the case to trial court, directing the judge to order prosecutors to provide the information the defense sought.

Here, the items sought by the defense have a direct link to testing FRTs reliability and bear on defendants guilt or innocence. Given FRTs novelty, no one, including us, can reasonably conclude without the discovery whether the evidence is exculpatory or merely potentially useful evidence, Judge Hany Mawla wrote.

Courts must work to understand new technology and allow the defense a meaningful opportunity to fully examine it, Mawla wrote, citing a 2021 state appellate ruling.

Defendant must have the tools to impeach the States case and sow reasonable doubt, he wrote.

Prosecutors did not appeal the ruling, which means it now carries the weight of law.

Attorneys at the state public defenders office who represent defendants identified by facial recognition software say theyve encountered the same problem Arteaga had  prosecutors insisting, despite their constitutional duty to provide exculpatory evidence to the defense, that they have no information on the technology underlying their cases, said Tamar Lerer, who heads the offices forensic science unit.

Its a due process violation not to provide it, Lerer said. The state is still using facial recognition and I know that attorneys are not being provided with this discovery, and when theyre asking for it, theyre told that they can subpoena themselves. So we have a systemic problem with the lack of compliance with this decision.

Adding to the complexity, some facial recognition developers require customers to sign non-disclosure agreements to protect their products from competitors. Such secrecy has sparked several lawsuits against the New York Police Department, which was ordered in 2022 to release records  and they showed the department has used Clearview AI, a controversial facial recognition technology former New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal banned in 2020.

The police departments are very well aware that theyre utilizing tools of secrecy, Arteaga said. So when they take the software recommendation that is built on secrecy to target somebody, that person that has been targeted is sh*t out of luck.

Lerer said her office is waiting to see whats next.

The defense is not supposed to be a regulatory agency, she said.

The West New York stores owner didnt respond to the New Jersey Monitors request for comment, and a spokeswoman for the Hudson County Prosecutors Office declined to comment.

In February 2022, the New Jersey Attorney Generals office began soliciting public input about facial recognition technology to help shape a statewide policy on its use by law enforcement agencies. No action has been taken since the public comment solicitation, said Michael Symons, a spokesman for the Attorney General Matt Platkins office.

The office doesnt track how many agencies in New Jersey use the technology, Symons added.

Reisman said the need for policymakers to act is becoming increasingly urgent as the industry expands.

Facial recognition has been an area of computer science research for well over 30 years, but in the past decade, what weve seen is an explosion in the number of companies offering these services and in federal funding for local and state governments to acquire these systems. Theres a lot of money being thrown at these tools without a lot of accompanying forethought into the sort of controls and safeguards we need, Reisman said. Its a terrifying place for the state to be.

Arteaga considers himself a hostage for the time he spent behind bars, where conditions can be notoriously abysmal. Since he got out in November, he has worked to rebuild his life.

Hes studying holistic medicine online, sells health and nutrition products, and works as a gym teacher at a senior citizens center in Queens. He now lives in Union City to better accommodate his monthly meetings with his parole agent and sees his son and fiancee, who still live in Queens, every few weeks.

While he won his appeal, he said, it felt a bit like winning the battle but losing the war.

People be like, Yo, you had a good thing with your case. Why didnt you fight all the way? Arteaga said. My question for them was, What would you do if you was me?

He hopes someone else will pick up the fight.

I set up the putt close enough for somebody else to sink it in, he said.

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Mari Cecil is a Senior Architect and Principal at BCA Architects and Engineers in Watertown. She is currently heading up the restoration of First Presbyterian Churchs historic steeple, saving the legendary structure so that the North Country will enjoy it for centuries more.

Maris love for historic architecture and the beauty of the North Countrys timeless structures shines through in the expertise she brings to the restoration of this iconic church. When the parishioners of First Presbyterian sought to restore their steeple, Maris commitment and dedication to preserving North Country history made her the perfect architect for the job.

Our community wouldnt be what it is today without our Hometown Heroes.

If you know someone who goes above and beyond and has provided exceptional service for our community and our country, please share your nomination with us.

Each month we will choose a hero to be featured in a Hometown Heroes segment, highlighting their achievements.

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CHICAGO  Former first lady Michelle Obama delivered a trademark barnburner at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night  a determined speech that focused on getting Americans involved in politics, rather than political personalities or policy details.

Something wonderfully magical is in the air, Obama said, speaking of the contagious power of hope and the exhilaration of once again being on the cusp of a brighter day.

Obama, who was Americas first Black first lady as the wife of the first Black president, Barack Obama, noted that the country could once again make history if it gives the presidency to Kamala Harris  who would be the first female president  come November. But she warned the rallied Democrats against taking that prospect for granted, leading DNC attendees in increasingly loud chants of DO SOMETHING!

Let us not forget what we are up against. Remember there are still so many people who are desperate for a different outcome, Obama said, referencing possibilities like some voters being unwilling to vote for Americas first female president.

Over the course of a 20-something minute speech, Obama brought a fiery energy to the stage, alternately reminding people of how much hope was ahead of them  and how much work.

No matter how good we feel tonight or tomorrow or the next day, this is going to be an uphill battle, she continued. Democrats, she said, should anticipate moments where polls suggest Harris is behind Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, and noting that Harris and her vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, cannot be expected to be perfect as they campaign.

We cannot get a Goldilocks complex about whether everything is just right, Obama said. We cannot indulge our anxieties about whether this country will elect someone like Kamala instead of doing everything we can to get someone like Kamala elected.

As the penultimate speaker on the conventions second day, she described Harris as living a life of service, and drew parallels between the Democratic candidates life and her own. Though Obamas mother was from Chicago and Harris from India, Obama noted, both shared the same belief in the promise of this country.

She made only one reference to Trump by name, but extensively contrasted his life  as the son of a wealthy businessman with a penchant for bending the laws to his advantage, with that of people like Harris, her husband and herself.

Most Americans dont have the affirmative action of generational wealth, Obama said.

And she took some subtle digs at Trump as well: If we see a mountain in front of us, we dont expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top, she said, in apparent reference to Trumps 2015 campaign announcement, when he descended on a golden Trump Tower escalator to speak to reporters.

Attendees grew increasingly excited throughout her speech, with many cheering Yes! after particularly compelling lines. This girl is on fire! one older Black woman in the crowd exclaimed.

After praising Harris  suggesting her candidacy means hope is making a comeback  she repeatedly warned against allowing her rival to win, given his penchant for attacks on individuals and particular communities. She particularly called out Trumps year of insults and aspersions against her husband and herself because, she said, he could not tolerate seeing their success.

Going small is petty. Its unhealthy. And, quite frankly, its unpresidential, Obama said. Why would we normalize that type of backward leadership?

Related...
Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, issued a stark warning Tuesday about how a second term for former President Trump would impact the countrys national security, as he pushed for a win for Democrats in November.

Theres a national security reason to want the Democrats to win, and that national security reason is that a Donald Trump presidency, is a presidency in which we probably walk away from our commitment to our allies, Himes told Politico on Tuesday. Donald Trump, amongst his many attributes, has this bizarre, magnetic attraction to autocrats.

Himes argued Trump could halt support for Ukraine and abandon the U.S.s European allies, Politico reported.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that he could end Russias war in Ukraine in just 24 hours if he were the president, sparking fears the U.S. will ditch its support of Kyiv under his administration. His running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), an outspoken critic of U.S. military and economic support for Ukraine, further fueled these concerns.

Himes said the U.S. should not dismiss Ukraines prospects in its war with Russia.

We need to be humble about what the Ukrainians are capable of doing and support them more fervently than we have, he said.

Earlier this year, Trump came under fire for remarks encouraging aggression toward delinquent NATO members. NATOs chief and member states raised concerns that a second Trump administration would seek to weaken the alliance.

Himes pointed to Irans hack of the Trump campaign, warning U.S. citizens should still be concerned about election security.

Dont ever get complacent, he said, per Politico. I am confident that [those in the intelligence community] are very, very good at this. Im also confident that theres always a threat that you dont see coming around the corner.

The Hill reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Then U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) gives the convocation oration for the 2017 Howard University Commencement Ceremony in Washington, D.C., on May, 13, 2017. Credit - Marvin JosephThe Washington Post via Getty Images

When she accepts her partys presidential nomination on Thursday, Kamala Harris will become, among other historic firsts, the first Black woman and the first person of Asian descent to secure a major partys nomination. But people often overlook that Harris is also the first nominee of either major party to graduate from a historically Black college or university (HBCU).

As a proud alumna of Howard University, Harris is one in a long line of the schools graduates to become a leader within the African American communityand in the nation as a whole. Thats not a coincidence. Howards motto is truth and service, and the school has long instilled a deep appreciation for public service in its students. This history and Howards commitment to nurturing community leaders helped attract Harris to the school.

Although its importance as an institution that produces civic leaders has often been overlooked outside of the African American community, some of the most eminent Americans graduated from Howard. The schools story is a reminder that while the history books do not always reflect it, civic leadership in the U.S. has always been multiracial.

In 1867, Congress created Howard University as a racially integrated institution, named for Union general and head of the Freedmens Bureau Oliver Otis Howarda white supporter of Reconstruction measures such as the 15th Amendment that granted freedmen the constitutional right to vote. The schools foundersa combination of white Christian philanthropists and white politicians, including Howardenvisioned an institution that would train formerly enslaved Black Americans to become teachers, physicians, and ministers. When the school opened, the administrators and most of the faculty had similar backgrounds to its white founders.

While its mission was the education of Black Americans, upon opening, Howard gained the distinction of being the first University in America to be established without some restriction based on race, sex, creed, or color. It enrolled white students, especially white women, who were barred from attending many other coeducational colleges and universities. Howard Medical School, for example, graduated a large number of white women physicians when few other D.C. schools allowed them to attend. The first woman graduated from Howard Medical School in 1872some 77 years before a woman graduated from Harvard Medical School.

Read More: The Long History of Black Collegiate Sororities Mobilizing Voters

Debates over Black education in the second half of the 19th century pitted advocates of industrial education, like Booker T. Washington, against proponents of liberal education like W.E.B. Du Bois. While many HBCUs emphasized vocational training over professional training, Howard fostered an ethos of Black leadership based on rigorous academic and professional training equivalent to elite, majority-white institutions. From its earliest days, the school pushed its students to choose high prestige careers that would serve the African American community. Some of Howards earliest graduates became luminaries in the Black community.

Mary Ann Shadd Cary, for example, was a prominent abolitionist and the first Black woman to publish a newspaper. In the 1880s she became the first Black woman to enroll at Howard, one of the first graduates of Howard Law School, and the second Black woman lawyer in the U.S.

Shadd Cary advocated for womens suffrage. She wrote to the House Judiciary Committee to argue that under the 14th and 15th Amendments, Black women, as well as men, were citizens and thus endowed with the right to vote. Furthermore, she asserted that she was also a Washington, D.C., taxpayer and therefore entitled to the right and obligation of voting. Shadd Cary registered to vote in 1871, nearly 50 years before the passage of the 19th Amendment. She believed womens rights included not only the vote but also the right to earn a living in a satisfying career.

Shadd Carys sister, Eunice Shadd, graduated from Howard Medical School and was among the first African American women physicians. The Shadd sisters were two of Howards most prominent 19th century alumni. Howard was unusual in admitting them to programs that granted degrees in law and medicine. But despite providing coeducational opportunities, women students comprised a small fraction of the graduates of these programs. Economic constraints and gender ideologies limited their enrollment.

By the early 20th century, most of Howards faculty were Black and the school had gained its reputation as a Black Mecca. The professors were intellectual leaders of their generation, and many of them came to Howard because of exclusionary hiring practices at majority-white schools. As Black leaders came to dominate the faculty and administration in an era of resurgent racial segregation and white supremacy, Howards significance grew.

In these years, Thurgood Marshall, who became the most famous graduate of Howard Law, enrolled. As the legal mastermind behind the dismantling of state-sponsored segregation, he served as counsel for the NAACPs Legal Defense Fund in landmark civil rights cases, such as Brown v. Board of Education. He ultimately became the first Black Supreme Court justice. While best known for championing Black civil rights, Marshalls jurisprudence on equal protection set the precedent for many other forms of civil protections, including LGBTQ rights.

Elijah Cummings, who earned his bachelors degree in political science from Howard in 1973, became another luminary and leader. Elected to the House of Representatives in 1996, Cummings became famous for his defense of voting rights. He also worked to lessen racial health disparities and strengthen veterans benefits.

From the Shadd sisters to Marshall to Cummings, each of these leaders strengthened and expanded democracy for all Americans. They took the Howard motto and the schools emphasis on service to heart. As Howards reputation for producing community leaders grew, the schools desire to inculcate academic rigor in service of others attracted students who wanted to use their knowledge and degrees to improve others lives.

Read More: 'We Are Not Playing Around': Harris Electrifies Room at Historically Black Sorority's Conference

That included Harris. The Vice President matriculated to Howard in 1982, and from the time she was a prospective student, Harris recognized the heft and legacy of Howards history. She wanted to go to a university that would help her get off on the right foot. And she concluded, What better place to do that than at Thurgood Marshalls alma mater?

Harris embraced Howards expectation that we would cultivate and use our talents to take on roles of leadership and have an impact on other people, on our country, and maybe even on the world. In the schools vision, only then would students reach their full potential.

Harris describes Howard as a place that shaped her and her experiences as formative to her political career. Her fellow students were African Americans and students of African descent from throughout the African diaspora. During Harriss four years at Howard, South African apartheid represented one of the most significant political issues on campus. Harris spent many weekends protesting it.

When it came time to choose a career, Harris followed the path of many of her universitys distinguished alumni and chose a career in law and politics, believing that representation could influence outcomes. She chose a career as a prosecutor in order to work on behalf of marginalized communities.

Her decision to pursue a political career as a fairly moderate Democrat reflected her longstanding desirecultivated first at Howardto work within institutions for structural change. Harris made this decision because her experiences at Howard taught her that there was an important role on the inside, sitting at the table where decisions were being made. When activists came marching and banging on the doors, I wanted to be on the inside to let them in.

Stepping into the uncharted waters of replacing her partys presidential candidate just 15 weeks before Election Day, Harris has captivated crowds eager to feel more hopeful about the future.

Whether her supporters know of Howards hallowed alumni or not, much of the exuberance around Harriss candidacy lies in the hope that she will be a leader cut from the same cloth as these alumni who have come before her, leaders who worked to transform the nations future for all Americans in moments of uncertainty and turmoil. At a time when democracy itself could hang in the balance, Harris is aiming to follow in their footsteps.

Margaret Vigil-Fowler is a historian of medicine who studies the history of African American physicians. She is currently writing a book about a four-generation Black medical dynasty.

Made by History takes readers beyond the headlines with articles written and edited by professional historians. Learn more about Made by History at TIME here. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors.

Write to Made by History at madebyhistory@time.com.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at "Crime and Safety" press conference held in Howell. Aug. 20, 2024. Photo by Jon King.

It was called a press conference, but an event in Howell Tuesday had all the hallmarks of a political rally, including signs that said Michigan is Trump Country and Make America Safe Again.

Standing in front of several shiny Livingston County Sheriff patrol vehicles parked inside a storage shed repurposed for the event, former President Donald Trump addressed what his campaign called a crime crisis in American communities due to the policies of Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Kamala Harris will deliver crime, chaos, destruction and death if she is elected President, said Trump as he spent close to an hour attacking Harris, President Joe Biden and Democrats in general on crime, border security, trade and foreign policy.

Were here today to talk about how we are going to stop the Kamala crime wave that is going on at levels that nobodys ever seen before, And she is, as you know, the most radical left person ever even thought of for high office, certainly for the office of president, said Trump.

The event seemed to open a new attack front by Trump against Harris, who has surged in both fundraising and polls since taking over the top spot on the Democratic ticket after President Biden announced last month he would not seek reelection.

While Trump and his vice presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), have been repeatedly dogged by their association with the authoritarian blueprint that is Project 2025, and its open hostility to reproductive rights, his campaign is hoping to highlight what they see as a weak spot for Harris.

Since comrade Kamala Harris took office, her administrations crime statistics show shes presided over a 43% increase in violent crime, said Trump. The crime in America, the fact is, is out of control.

Trumps assertions, and the underlying reason for the visit, are belied by a new report recently released by the Major Cities Chiefs Association, which found that violent crime, including homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, was down by 6% in the first six months of 2024, compared to the same time last year. In fact, homicides alone fell by 17%, according to the report.

The event, which Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy told the Michigan Advance was not political, was not open to the public and instead featured approximately 75 invited guests, including the all-Republican Livingston County Board of Commissioners and other prominent GOP members. It also forced the early closure of the local court facility, including the Friend of the Court, prosecutors office and the countys district and circuit courts.

Former Michigan Democratic Party chair and election lawyer Mark Brewer said he believed there were legal and ethical issues with the event.

It looks like the Trump campaign and the Livingston County Sheriffs Department are trying to set the record for the most campaign finance and election law violations at one event, he posted to social media.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at "Crime and Safety" press conference held in Howell. Aug. 20, 2024. Photo by Jon King.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at "Crime and Safety" press conference held in Howell. Aug. 20, 2024. Photo by Jon King.

GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers speaks at "Crime and Safety" press conference held by the Trump campaign in Howell. Aug. 20, 2024. Photo by Jon King.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at "Crime and Safety" press conference held in Howell. Aug. 20, 2024. Photo by Jon King.

Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy speaks at "Crime and Safety" press conference held by the Trump campaign in Howell. Aug. 20, 2024. Photo by Jon King.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at "Crime and Safety" press conference held in Howell. Aug. 20, 2024. Photo by Jon King.

U.S. Rep. John James (R- Shelby Twp.) at "Crime and Safety" press conference held by the Trump campaign in Howell. Aug. 20, 2024. Photo by Jon King.

Trump-Vance supporter outside the "Crime and Safety" press conference held by the Trump campaign in Howell. Aug. 20, 2024. Photo by Jon King.

GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers speaks at "Crime and Safety" press conference held by the Trump campaign in Howell. Aug. 20, 2024. Photo by Jon King.

Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy (right) looks on as former President Donald Trump speaks at "Crime and Safety" press conference in Howell. Aug. 20, 2024. Photo by Jon King.

Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy speaks at "Crime and Safety" press conference held by the Trump campaign in Howell. Aug. 20, 2024. Photo by Jon King.

Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott speaks at "Crime and Safety" press conference held by the Trump campaign in Howell. Aug. 20, 2024. Photo by Jon King.

GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers speaks at "Crime and Safety" press conference held by the Trump campaign in Howell. Aug. 20, 2024. Photo by Jon King.

Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy speaks at "Crime and Safety" press conference held by the Trump campaign in Howell. Aug. 20, 2024. Photo by Jon King.

When asked about the use of taxpayer-funded facilities to host a campaign event, Livingston County Administrator Nathan Burd told the Advance he didnt see that it was a problem.

Anytime a former president wants to come and talk to the men and women of law enforcement, I think that its appropriate to allow that, said Burd. I think its important that if the candidate for the highest office in the land wants to talk to local law enforcement that they have an opportunity to do so.

Many Republican candidates were also present, including former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-White Lake), the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate. Rogers, who grew up in Howell and represented the area for two decades in both the Michigan Senate and then Congress, is facing off against U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) in November.

Crime is an issue in this election. I have to tell you, it causes emotional pain, physical pain. These are scars that will last a lifetime, not just to the victim themselves, but think of that family who is now touched forever by that violent crime, because we have an open border, because Harris and Biden, my opponent, Slotkin, did not choose to close the border. They dont have to wait till 2025. They can close the border today, and by God, they should do it for our families and our communities, said Rogers.

Not mentioned by Rogers was the bipartisan border security bill negotiated earlier this year that would have been the first immigration policy overhaul in decades, but fell apart after Trump said he wanted to keep the issue alive through the campaign.

Trump, however, did bring up the bill, falsely saying everyone was opposed to it..

It was the weakest bill. Under that bill, millions of people would have been allowed to come in. This was a weak bill, but you didnt need a bill. I didnt have a bill. I said, close the border and thats how we got to those numbers, the lowest ever recorded, said Trump.

While Trump was able to secure a partial border shutdown in 2020, it was due to the COVID-19 pandemic and not any particularly long-term tougher border security measures.

Regardless, Trump kept hammering home his incorrect assertion that America is undergoing a crime wave due to Democratic policies, instead citing numerous anecdotal incidents of crimes allegedly perpetrated by individuals in the country illegally, despite consistent research that shows such incidents are rare and occur at far lower rates than crimes in general.

When I return to the White House, we will stop the plunder, rape, slaughter, and destruction of our American suburbs, our cities and towns, said Trump. I keep hearing about the suburban woman doesnt like Trump. Well, I think its a fake poll because why wouldnt they like me? I keep the suburbs safe. I stopped low-income towers from rising right alongside of their house, and Im keeping the illegal aliens away from the suburbs.

Among those in attendance was Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Twp.) who told the Advance that Trumps remarks were absolutely on target and focus on what he and other Republicans feel is a key weak spot for Harris.

Look at right now what Kamala Harris is running on her TV ads, he said. Shes been the border czar for three-and-a-half years, and theyre trying to say that she can make a difference if she gets elected president. Well, why dont you do something today? I was down at the border earlier this year with [House Minority Leader Matt] Hall (R-Richland Twp.), and theres really two things that folks at the front of the border say that they should do: Reinstate the Remain in Mexico policy that President Trump had and enforce the law thats currently on the books saying that if you come into the country illegally or are found in the country illegally, that youre deported back to your country your home country and you cant apply for any legal citizenship for 10 years. No other country in the world allows a million illegal immigrants in their country like the United States does.

Nessel slams Trumps convictions

Ahead of Trumps press conference, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, state Rep. Tyrone Carter (D-Detroit) and Lansing Mayor Andy Schor hosted a press call where they emphasized Trumps own criminal record and Democrats efforts to address gun violence in the state.

I find it to be the greatest of ironies that Trump is in town to talk about crime and public safety when you know the thing that we know most about Donald Trump is he himself is a one-man crime wave, Nessel said.

In May, Trump was convicted in a New York court of 34 felonies of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to a porn star ultimately to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. He also is facing dozens of other charges in other cases.

Its really laughable to me that anybody from law enforcement would want to be seen with a person who we know has fomented insurrections and, you know, aggressive assaults against police officers, Nessel said.

Carter, who served for 25 years with the Wayne County Sheriffs Office, said there was a policy against conducting campaign activities in uniform when he hired into the department in 1984.

Its troubling to me when I see men in uniform who are supposed to just uphold the law, standing behind somebody that has broken multiple laws in different states. And it has been found, accountable by juries, Carter said. Its OK if you support that person, but they should not be standing there in uniform.

Nessel and Carter also raise concerns about the former presidents choice to campaign in Howell less than a month after white supremacists gathered in the city, at one point chanting, We love Hitler. We love Trump.

I think one of the conclusions you could draw is that he went to Howell specifically because he thinks those people are his biggest supporters and champions, and its outrageous to me that he would not be denouncing that kind of behavior and that kind of language, Nessel said, noting that those views are not reflective on the majority of Howell residents.

When asked about the visit Monday night while at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the optics of Trump showing up in the same community visited by White supremacists was a concern.

I think its a troubling strategy that we see from the other side to divide us and to scare us and to stoke fear and anger, and contrast to what were going to see here all week [at the DNC Convention], said Whitmer. This is a gathering of joyful, happy warriors. We are rolling up our sleeves, and were doing the work. We take no one and no vote for granted. But by the same token, were not going to feed into the hatred and the otherism that we see routinely coming out of the Trump campaign.

At the conclusion of the press conference, the lone question that Trump took from reporters was about the white supremacist march, to which he responded with a question of his own.

Who was here in 2021? he asked.

When the reporter said Joe Biden, Trump laughed, said, Thank you, everybody, and left.

When Biden made that visit to the Operating Engineers Local 324 training center in Howell Township in 2021, he was met by hundreds of pro-Trump protestors, many of whom angrily confronted a small group of Biden supporters.

Michigan Advance reporter Kyle Davidson contributed to this story.
MORRISTOWN, Tenn. (WATE)  A Hamblen County Jail employee is facing charges after Sheriff Chad Mullins said he was caught with drugs in his possession before the start of his shift.

Michael Gibson was arrested on August 20. He is now facing the following charges; possession of Schedule I narcotics for resale, possession of Schedule III narcotics for resale and possession of drug paraphernalia. According to Mullins, he had Heroin, suboxone strips, and pills in his possession when he was arrested before his shift started.

Man arrested, accused of leading Jefferson City police on chase ending with crash

Michael Gibson (Photo via Hamblen County Sheriff)

I was a part of this investigation, we were watching for some time after receiving information. Its a huge disappointment, I hold our employees to a higher standard. We work hard to keep drugs out of our jail, Its a disgrace to have one of our own bring them in, said Mullins.

Overwhelmed Chattanooga man finds help for 100+ pet rabbits

Mullins added that Gibson has worked in the Hamblen County Jail for about six months.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Navigating the World's Most Dangerous Waters

Somalia

Somali waters witnessed 435 piracy incidents between 2009 and 2013 and three incidents were reported in the first half of 2014. Piracy in the area peaked in 2011 with 237 attacks recorded, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), but in 2013 there were only 15 incidents.

Although attacks from Somali pirates have fallen drastically, thanks to Operation Atalanta, also known as the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia, the risk of being approached or attacked is still high. In October, UN official Jeffrey Feltman called piracy a "political problem" and warned that piracy could return. Organisations such as the IMB have also warned against complacency. "Although the number of attacks continues to remain low, the threat of Somali piracy is still clearly evident," said IMB Director Pottengal Mukundan.

Somali pirates are usually well armed with automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades, occasionally boarding skiffs launched from mother vessels to conduct attacks far away from the coast.

Indonesia

The Indonesian coast has witnessed 288 piracy incidents between 2009 and 2013 and, despite patrolling efforts by the Indonesian Marine Police, 47 attacks were reported in the first half of 2014. Most of the incidents are low-profile thefts. The waters off Tanjung Priok, Bintan Island, Karimun Island and Belawan anchorage are most exposed to attacks.

According to the German insurance group Allianz, there were 106 actual or attempted piracy incidents in Indonesia in 2013, making it the top global location for attacks. In 2009 there were just 15 reported incidents, meaning there has been a 700% rise in piracy attacks over the preceding years. Most attacks are characterised by Allianz as "local, low level opportunistic thefts" but some are much more organised.

The hijacking of Thai-flagged oil tanker MT Orapin 4 by armed pirates on 28 May 2014 in Bintan Island is the most notable attack in the recent past. The pirates destroyed all communications systems aboard the ship, stole all cargo but left the vessel without harming the crew. The vessel was found by the Royal Thai Navy in Chon Buri province and safely returned to Sriracha port on 1 June 2014.

siberian tanker

Gulf of Aden

The waters off the Gulf of Aden witnessed 226 piracy incidents between 2009 and 2013. The joint efforts of navies in the region and best management practices version 4 (BMP4) procedures, however, have helped reduce the number of incidents to just four in the first half of 2014. Somali pirates accounted for most of the attacks in the region.

The Maritime Security Centre - Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) established the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the region and EUNAVFOR - Operation Atalanta's current fleet is protecting merchant vessels in the area. The fleet includes two Karel Doorman-class frigates (from Belgium and Netherlands), a Spanish Santa Maria-class frigate, an Italian Horizon-class destroyer, a German Berlin-class combat support ship and a P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft.

In January, crew from EUNAVFOR's then-flagship FS Siroco, with the help of a Japanese vessel, arrested five Somali pirates on board a dhow in the Gulf of Aden. The suspects were believed to have been involved in an attack on an oil tanker the day before which was repelled by a private security team.

The Bab-el-Mandeb strait, a natural chokepoint between the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, remains an area of concern for vessels transiting the Europe-Asia shipping route.

Nigeria

The Nigerian coast and surrounding waters witnessed 116 piracy incidents between 2009 and 2013 and ten attacks were reported in the first half of 2014.

The frequency of attacks in West African waters surpassed those in East Africa in 2012. In the first quarter of 2014, 12 twelve of the 49 incidents reported worldwide occurred off West Africa, according to IMB figures. Instead of seeking ransoms, like Somali pirates usually do, Nigerian hijackers often steal oil cargo and then sell it on the black market.

The highest risk area is still off the coast of Nigeria, but the IMB reported that Angola had seen its first hijacking in 2014 which demonstrated the increased range and capability of Nigerian piracy around the Gulf of Guinea. A senior Nigerian naval official said in October that Nigeria now loses 800,000 barrels of crude oil per month due to piracy.

In one of the most notable incidents this year, a Nigerian supply vessel, the Prime Lady, was hijacked off the coast of Nigeria by seven pirates on 4 March 2014. The pirates detained the crew members and broke the locked cabins as well as stores to steal property.

gulf of aden pirate

Red Sea

The Red Sea is a key commercial shipping route between Europe and Asia and one of the busiest in the world in terms of traffic. Although piracy incidents generally occur further south in the Gulf of Aden, hijackings and boardings have also taken place in the Red Sea.

A total of 94 piracy incidents were reported in Red Sea in the last five years. Attacks have dropped considerably due to military anti-piracy missions and preventive measures as well as armed guards placed aboard merchant vessels.

Attempts to attack two chemical tankers in the first half of 2014 in the Red Sea were rendered unsuccessful by a counter-attack by armed security guards on board. A merchant vessel was reportedly hijacked by Somali pirates in the Red Sea in January, but later reports confirmed it was actually boarded by Eritrean forces.

Strait of Malacca

The Strait of Malacca is one of the busiest shipping routes in the world, used by more than 60,000 vessels per year. It is the shortest sea route between oil suppliers in the Persian Gulf and the Asian markets of China, Japan and South Korea.

The Strait of Malacca and waters off Malaysia witnessed 79 piracy incidents in the past five years and ten in the first half of 2014 according to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC). Attacks in the Malacca Straits have fallen considerably due to anti-piracy operations by the navies of Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

The Strait of Malacca is prone to pirate attacks as it is approachable from a number of islets. MT NaniWa Maru No.1, a St Kitts and Nevis-flagged product tanker, was hijacked by ten armed pirates in April 2014. The pirates unloaded the oil cargo into an unknown vessel and looted the ship, damaged the communication systems and escaped with three hostages.

Bangladesh

There have been 74 piracy and armed robbery incidents recorded in the last five years in and around the waters off Bangladesh, and ten in the first half of 2014 according to the IMB PRC.

The area around the port of Chittagong is the most affected and ships preparing to anchor have been the most vulnerable to attacks. Fewer attacks have been recorded in recent times due to anti-piracy efforts by the Bangladesh Coast Guard, but experts say that corrupt law enforcement agencies and poverty-induced criminality often exacerbate the problem of piracy in the region.

The most recent attack occurred at Chittagong Literage Anchorage on 27 September 2014. An anchored product tanker was boarded by four armed robbers who detained the duty crew and raided the stores. The duty crew escaped with minor injuries.

The Bangladesh Navy routinely works with the US Navy and other regional allies to counter piracy. Regional navies recently worked together during the 20th annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training exercise which focused on maritime security threats.

South China Sea

Despite measures by the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP), a total of 63 piracy attacks were reported in the South China Sea over the last five years, especially in and around the Anambas, Natuna and Mangkai islands and Merundung.

Nine armed pirates hijacked Honduras-flagged product tanker Moresby 9 on 4 July 2014 near the Anambas islands and unloaded more than 2,000t of marine gas oil from the vessel, which had also suffered a similar attack in 2013. Only weeks later, pirates hijacked Malaysian-flagged oil tanker MT Oriental Glory in the South China Sea, siphoned off 2,500 tonnes of marine gas oil, injured three crew members and damaged the vessel's communication equipment.

Pirates targeting small tankers in the South China Sea and steal their cargo are thought to be "highly organised criminal professionals" with knowledge of how to disable a ship's critical systems. The IMB issued a warning to all ships in June 2014, particularly small tankers, to maintain strict anti-piracy measures while operating in the South China Sea.

India

The anchorages and ports off the waters of India witnessed 45 piracy and armed robbery incidents from 2009 to 2013, while four incidents were reported in the first half of 2014. Anchorages at the Western Indian seaport of Kandla remain the most piracy-prone in the country. On 3 September three armed boarded an anchored product tanker at Kandla and escaped with stolen cargo.

Incidents have occurred in Kochi, a major port city on the west coast of India by the Arabian Sea, and Visakhapatnam on the east coast, where robbers stole equipment from a chemical tanker on 14 September.

Because a large percentage of India's trade passes through the Gulf of Aden, India has been active in counter-piracy efforts away from its own coastlines. The Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy conduct anti-piracy patrols in the Arabian Sea and the navy also provides escort for merchant ships sailing through the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor in the Gulf of Aden. Indian naval ships have foiled over 40 piracy attempts since their deployment in October 2008.

Singapore Strait

The 105km long, 16km wide Singapore Strait links the Strait of Malacca with the South China Sea. Ships must transit the natural bottleneck to reach the Port of Singapore, one of the busiest in the world, making the route extremely busy in terms of maritime traffic.

The Singapore Strait saw 38 piracy incidents in the last five years and six incidents in the first half of 2014. Air patrols are conducted by Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand under the Eyes-in-the-Sky (EiS) initiative to protect merchant shipping in the Singapore and Malacca Straits.

Ships leaving or entering the Singapore Strait from the west and east can be particularly vulnerable. On 17 September a tanker leaving the strait en-route to Timor-Leste was hijacked and its cargo of gas oil transferred to two smaller tankers.

The US has recently joined ReCAAP to help fight piracy around the Singapore Strait as well as the Malacca Strait. Coordinated air patrol missions are allowed in the international and national airspace over the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. Despite these anti-piracy efforts, a Saudi Arabia-flagged chemical tanker was recently boarded by armed robbers who escaped with stolen goods.

"The worlds most dangerous waters  piracy incidents and counter-measures" was originally created and published by Ship Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.







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Since Ukraine established control over part of the territory of the Russian Federation, it must bear responsibility for ensuring the normal living conditions for the local population.

Source: Roman Martynovskyi, human rights activist and co-founder of the Regional Center for Human Rights, in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda

Quote from Martynovskyi: "Ukraine will not be penalised for the fact that the Armed Forces of Ukraine entered Russian territory. We have the right to self-defence. This fully complies with the UN Charter. In fact, nothing changes for us. However, a serious issue arises  Ukraine will have to fulfil the obligations of an occupying state in accordance with international humanitarian law."

Details: He said as soon as Ukraine established control over part of Russia's territory, it became responsible for ensuring the normal functioning of the population, including providing food, medical care, and other social services.

Quote from Martynovskyi: "And, as strange as it may sound, we must respect the Russian Federation's laws that are in force in this territory. We cannot simply come in and say, 'Your laws no longer apply here. Everything will be done our way now.'"

Details: The human rights activist emphasised that the Ukrainian authorities must ensure that the medical system continues to function in the occupied territory of the Russian Federation. He clarified that if some local doctors have fled or refuse to perform their duties, Ukraine should bring in its own medical personnel. However, in such a case, it is important to clearly define the duration of their work, for example, 36 months. They should not remain in the occupied territories permanently, as this could be seen as a sign of colonisation.

Martynovskyi also added that the Ukrainian authorities must ensure law and order by implementing their own law enforcement and judicial systems in the occupied territories.

Quote from Martynovskyi: "We can easily bring our own police into Russia. However, it's not so straightforward with the courts. Ukraine does not have the right to move a suspected criminal from Russia, for example, to a court in Sumy Oblast because that would be considered deportation.

The occupied territory is currently small, so one district court would be sufficient. But the question arises about how to handle appeals. To ensure citizens' right to appeal, we would need to establish an appellate court as well. And then theres the issue of cassation. If we do not address all these levels, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) might find that Ukraine is engaging in discrimination against citizens in the occupied territories."

Details: Martynovskyi noted that Ukraine could be held accountable by the European Court of Human Rights, the UN Human Rights Committee, and the International Court of Justice if it violates conventions ratified by both Ukraine and Russia.

Background:

On 6 August, Ukraines defence forces began a raid in Kursk Oblast of the Russian Federation.

As of 20 August, Ukrainian forces control more than 1,260 sq km of territory and 93 settlements in Kursk Oblast, Russia.

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Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Kelley Robinson will take to the stage Wednesday evening in Chicago to address the Democratic National Convention, highlighting the growing political power of the LGBTQ community and the path forward for equality.

This convention is putting on display the future we deserve: one where we all have the freedom to love who we love, be who we are, and get the chance to shine, Robinson said in a Wednesday statement. Vice President Harris and Governor Walz have shown up for us their entire careers. Its an honor to show up for them. And know this: when we show up, we win.

Robinson, who is slated to speak at 6:45 p.m. EDT, will deliver remarks that amplify LGBTQ stories and link Vice President Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) to the fight for LGBTQ equality, the HRC said in a news release.

Major LGBTQ advocacy groups, including the HRC, have rallied around Harriss historic bid for the White House, highlighting her positive record on LGBTQ rights over a decades-long career. Harris has, however, faced some criticism for her involvement in a 2015 case  when she was Californias attorney general  that sought to block a transgender woman in a state prison from receiving gender-affirming surgery, though she later apologized for her role in the case.

Most transgender Americans in a recent survey by FOLX Health, a digital LGBTQ health care service, said they are more enthusiastic about the upcoming presidential election with Harris in the race instead of President Biden.

Other LGBTQ speakers at Wednesdays convention include Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D), the first openly gay man elected governor in the U.S., the group said. Both speakers will argue that sending former President Trump back to the White House in November will threaten LGBTQ equality.

A Democratic National Convention spokesperson declined to comment whether Wednesday evenings lineup includes Buttigieg and Polis.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Humanitarians Say Democrats Must Restore UNRWA Funding If They Really Want To Help Gaza

CHICAGO  Several Arab and Muslim leaders, human rights experts and humanitarian officials stressed on Tuesday that if Democrats are serious about getting more aid into Gaza, they must resume U.S. funding for the United Nations agency responsible for keeping Palestinians alive.

At two events held Tuesday in Chicago by the Arab American Institute and the Institute for Middle East Understanding  events scheduled alongside, but separate from, the official Democratic National Convention programming  panelists spoke of the ongoing humanitarian crisis brought on by Israels nearly year-long U.S.-backed military campaign in Gaza, which much of the international community has labeled a genocide.

Israeli officials have said anybody born in Gaza is born a terrorist. Theyre animals, theyre snakes. There cant be an innocent child in Gaza, said Mara Kronenfeld, executive director for UNRWA USA, the committee that oversees U.S. support for the agency. That rhetoric allows you to decimate an entire population.

UNRWA has served as the primary aid resource for millions of Palestinians ever since they were violently exiled 75 years ago, in an event they refer to as the Nakba, to make room for the newly created state of Israel. The Palestinian population in Gaza has relied heavily on the organization for health care, education, civic planning and food assistance for years  and even more so since Israel launched its offensive last year, in response to a deadly attack on Israel by Hamas militants on Oct. 7.

Many aid workers in Gaza are themselves Palestinian, causing Israeli officials and their allies to dehumanize them, speakers said on Tuesday. More than 200 UNRWA staff members have been killed in Gaza, though those deaths have not brought about the same widespread condemnation by Western countries as the the killings of seven aid workers with nonprofit World Central Kitchen earlier this year.

It was so traumatizing for us to have known colleagues who were killed, whove been killed, Kronenfeld told HuffPost. We knew some of those people. Wed met them.

Arab American Institute Executive Director Maya Berry (L) speaks with UNRWA USA Executive Director Mara Kronenfeld (C) and human rights attorney Zaha Hassan (R) during programming on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago focused on what leaders at the Democratic National Convention need to change about the United States' policy on Gaza. Sanjana Karanth

Several smaller aid organizations have been forced to halt their humanitarian services in Gaza after their workers were killed by Israeli forces, which continue to allow only a sliver of aid trucks into the enclave.

In February, Israel accused a handful of UNRWAs thousands of employees  0.0003%, according to Kronenfeld  of having participated in the Oct. 7 attack. Despite the agency immediately firing the accused staff members and launching an investigation, most of UNRWAs biggest financial supporters like the U.S. temporarily suspended hundreds of millions in funding, leaving the agency and the Palestinians it helps without life-saving resources.

But since then, an independent UN report concluded that Israel did not provide sufficient evidence to support its accusation against UNRWA. Every country that temporarily paused its funding has resumed it  except for the U.S., which had been UNRWAs largest financial supporter. Congress passed legislation to suspend funding to UNRWA until at least March of next year.

UNRWA is the only humanitarian agency big enough to be able to distribute mass amounts of aid to Gaza residents, though the killings of staff and a lack of funding are threatening its ability to do so. Since October, the Israeli offensive has killed at least 40,000 Palestinians, many of them children, and the lack of aid in Gaza has led to displacement, starvation, disease, an educational black hole and a reproductive health crisis.

In reality, UNRWA represents an uncomfortable truth that its detractors dont want to accept: UNRWA is targeted because of its role in keeping Palestinians alive, because of its role in safeguarding the rights of Palestine refugees, and because it embodies the international communitys commitment to a just and lasting political solution, Kronenfeld said.

In essence, UNRWA is being attacked precisely because it keeps alive two essential truths, she continued. One, the very existence of a Palestinian refugee; and alongside it, the promise of a future Palestinian state.
Hundreds of Boeing 787 jets are to be inspected after an incident where a plane suddenly dropped and injured 50 people

Hundreds of Boeing 787 jets are to be inspected after an incident where a plane suddenly dropped and injured 50 people

The FAA has ordered hundreds of Boeing 787 Dreamliners to undergo inspections.

It comes after a Latam Airlines jet suddenly dropped 400 feet in March, injuring dozens.

Investigators found the captain's seat, which had a loose switch cover, involuntarily moved forward.

Hundreds of Boeing 787 Dreamliners will need to be inspected after an incident that injured dozens of passengers.

In a Tuesday statement, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that it was issuing an Airworthiness Directive for certain 787 jets.

It affects over 700 such aircraft worldwide  about 65% of the 1,138 Dreamliners that have been delivered. Of those requiring inspection, 158 are registered in the US.

Airlines have been ordered to inspect the pilots' seats. In particular, looking for missing or damaged switch caps and switch cover assemblies.

The directive comes after a Boeing 787 operated by Chilean carrier Latam Airlines suddenly dropped 400 feet during a March flight between Sydney and Auckland.

The Auckland ambulance service told the New Zealand Herald it treated about 50 passengers for injuries, 10 of whom were taken to the hospital.

In an April preliminary report, Chilean investigators said the captain's seat experienced an involuntary forward movement. The report included pictures that showed the switch cover was loose.

Neither bad weather nor turbulence played a role, it added.

Citing unnamed US officials, The Wall Street Journal reported that a flight attendant may have accidentally hit a switch on the pilot's seat  activating a feature that pushed him toward the controls, which pushed the plane's nose down.

The FAA's directive gives the affected operators 30 days to inspect the planes and perform any necessary corrective actions.

In a statement shared with Business Insider, Boeing said: "We fully support the FAA's Airworthiness Directive which makes mandatory a supplier's guidance to 787 operators."

The planemaker also said a seat manufacturer sent 787 operators a service bulletin in July with inspection procedures on this issue.

Three US airlines operate the 787: American, Hawaiian, and United.

A Hawaiian Airlines spokesperson told BI that it conducted pilot seat inspections earlier this year, as Boeing recommended.

"We will conduct additional inspections per the FAA requirement and don't expect any operational impacts," they added.

United declined to comment, while American didn't respond to a request for comment from BI.

Read the original article on Business Insider
As his canoe came closer to the mass of refuse floating in an Edisto River tributary, Hugo Krispyn knew the unsightly mess was more than trash from somebodys home.

Hundreds of rotting chickens, half concealed in feed sacks, bobbed in a crook of the rivers North Fork, on the Aiken-Lexington county line just below a bridge, he said.

When I got there and you could smell and see it, I knew right away it wasnt household trash, he said. They are very dead. A lot of them looked to be full-grown chickens.

Krispyn, the Edisto Riverkeeper, said he reported his findings to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources because it is illegal to dump animal carcasses in rivers across South Carolina. Dead animals could spread disease in rivers, which is a concern for recreational users and cities that rely on rivers for drinking water.

Its unknown how the chickens got into the river or where they came from, but rural Aiken and Lexington counties are hotbeds for poultry production in South Carolina. Scores of farms dot the landscape. By law, poultry farms are supposed to find other ways of disposing of dead chickens than dumping them in rivers, Krispyn said.

S.C. Department of Natural Resources spokesman Greg Lucas said the agency had checked into the matter and referred it to the S.C. Department of Environmental Services, the agency that investigates pollution in South Carolina.

Lucas said his agency had received multiple calls Wednesday about the dead chickens. The DES had no immediate comment.

The North Fork of the Edisto is one of two main stems that form the Edisto, a panoramic blackwater river that winds from central South Carolina through the Lowcountry to the Atlantic Ocean. The river forms part of the ACE Basin nature preserve between Columbia and the coast south of Charleston.

Krispyn questioned whether the chickens had some type of infection that prompted someone to dump them in the river to avoid scrutiny. But more than that, dumping dead chickens in a river is offensive and just plain wrong, Krispyn said.

If this is a commercial producer, they ought to know better and act better and be called out for what they have done, he said. There is hardly a circumstance I can think of where dumping that in the river doesnt make whatever happened worse.
Budapest is close to finalizing talks on "balanced" oil supply after Ukraine blocked the transit of Russian oil through the Lukoil pipeline, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Aug. 21 after a government meeting.

Szijjarto did not specify which country or countries would export oil to Hungary to compensate for the lack of Lukoil supplies.

In June, Kyiv imposed sanctions blocking Lukoil, one of the largest oil companies in Russia, from transiting crude oil through the Druzhba pipeline running through Ukrainian territory. The move aims to cut off one of the Kremlin's sources of income used to finance its war against Ukraine.

Kyiv's ban does not apply to other Russian oil exporters who still use the pipeline.

Hungary accused Ukraine of "blackmail" and endangering its energy security after the sanctions were imposed.

"Negotiations are now in full swing to ensure balanced oil supplies for Hungary in the long term, despite Ukraine's measures and the fact that the European Commission is not helping us," Szijjarto said.

Szijjarto also said that there are no problems with gas supplies to Hungary, including from Russia, despite the fighting in Kursk Oblast, where the Sudzha gas distribution station is located.

"Hungary's energy supply is secure, despite all the challenges you are well aware of," the minister said.

Hungarian and Slovak officials complained that by blocking Lukoil oil transit, Kyiv violated its association agreement with the European Union and asked the European Commission to intervene.

EU ambassadors are not sympathetic to Budapest's and Bratislava's complaints, Politico reported on July 29, as the two countries did not reduce their dependency on Russian oil despite the ongoing war.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal denied on Aug. 1 that the ban on the transit of Russian Lukoil's oil through Ukrainian territory violates the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, echoing the European Commission's statement.

Commenting on Hungary's and Slovakia's reaction to the ban, Shmyhal called it "extremely politicized and manipulative."

Read also: Hungary to block EUs Ukraine defense funds until Kyiv lifts ban on Lukoil transit, Budapest says

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LOS ANGELES (AP)  An attorney for Hunter Biden accused prosecutors Wednesday of wanting to introduce salacious details about partying and spending by President Joe Biden's son to smear his character in front of jurors at his upcoming trial on federal tax charges.

During a lengthy hearing in Los Angeles federal court, Hunter Biden's lawyer said special counsel David Weiss' team was intent on "character assassination" by seeking to bring in evidence of spending on things like strippers in the case alleging a scheme to avoid paying at least $1.4 million in taxes.

They want to slime him because that is the whole purpose," attorney Mark Geragos told U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi.

Geragos' comments came as the defense and prosecution sparred for hours over what evidence and testimony jurors should be allowed to hear when the trial begins early next month. It's the second criminal trial in just months for the president's son, who was convicted in June of three felony charges in a separate federal case over the purchase of a gun in 2018.

Potential jurors are expected to be brought to the court for questioning on Sept. 5, with opening statements in the trial expected on Sept. 9.

Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers have indicated they will argue he didnt act willfully, or with the intention to break the law. Pointing to Hunter Bidens well-documented addiction struggles during those years, theyve argued his drug and alcohol abuse impacted his decision-making and judgment, such that Mr. Biden was unable to form the requisite intent to commit the crimes he has been charged with.

Prosecutor Leo Wise said evidence of things like Hunter Biden's payments to a pornographic website would help jurors evaluate whether he accidentally or intentionally listed those items as business expenses when they clearly were not. Wise noted that Hunter included descriptions of wild partying in California in his own memoir.

He describes partying in hotels with a cast of strippers, Wise said. He chose to pay them, which is fine  its America, you can do that. But then he chose to take it as a business deduction.

The judge did not rule on whether prosecutors will be able to introduce such evidence, and the two sides said they would work on reaching an agreement on that issue before trial.

In a blow to the defense, the judge said Hunter Biden's lawyers won't be able to call as a witness an expert whom it had wanted to testify about addiction issues. The judge also ruled out testimony about the car accident that killed Hunter Biden's mother and sister when he was a toddler, and any testimony attributing the cause of his substance abuse struggles to the death of his brother Beau from brain cancer in 2015.

Hunter Biden's lawyers had argued it was important to delve into those issues to provide context about his drug use during the years he was accused of failing to pay his taxes.

Prosecutors have also pushed to be able to introduce evidence related to Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings, which have been at the center of Republican investigations into the Democratic presidents family.

The special counsel's team has said it wants to tell jurors about his work for a Romanian businessman, who they say sought to influence U.S. government policy while Joe Biden was vice president. Wise told the judge that evidence about Hunter Biden's business dealings reflects his decision-making ability in the years he is accused of evading his taxes.

The defense accused prosecutors of releasing details about Hunter Biden's work for the Romanian businessman in court papers to drum up media coverage and taint a jury pool before the trial even starts.

I believe it was designed specifically to inflame or ignite press coverage, Geragos said.

Hunter Biden was supposed to plead guilty last year to misdemeanor tax offenses in a deal with prosecutors that would have allowed him to avoid prosecution in the gun case if he stayed out of trouble. However, the plea deal fell apart after a federal judge in Delaware raised concerns about it, and he was subsequently indicted in the two cases.

In the gun case that ended in June in Delaware, jurors found Hunter Biden guilty of lying about his drug use in 2018 on a federal form to buy a firearm that he had for about 11 days. He could face up to 25 years in prison at sentencing set for Nov. 13, but as a first-time offender, he is likely to get far less time or avoid prison entirely.

___

Richer reported from Washington.
Hurricane Ernesto leaves hundreds of thousands without power in Puerto Rico: 'This shows how fragile the electrical system is'

Hurricane Ernesto knocked out power to a large percentage of the people in Puerto Rico despite being a relatively minor natural disaster for the U.S. territory.

What's happening?

Though the storm turned north and had only just strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane before it hit Puerto Rico, it dumped up to 10 inches of rain, CNN reported. Winds up to 85 miles per hour were in the low range for hurricanes, but 718,000 customers were without power as of the evening of Wednesday, August 14, according to the New York Times.

Up to 200,000 people were still without power Monday morning as the storm veered away from the U.S. coast, NPR reported.

"This shows how fragile the electrical system is, seven years after Hurricane Maria," Villalba Mayor Luis Javier Hernandez Ortiz told the Times. "In my town, we had a lot of rain, but there was not significant wind. There is no logical reason why our town has no service."

Why is this important?

The storm was relatively minor, and some Puerto Ricans wondered why so many people lost power, according to NPR. Dangerous weather made the electricity issues more problematic.

It's not just air conditioners and fans that Puerto Ricans need to manage the island's summer heat and humidity, including heat indexes over 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius). Life-saving medical equipment cannot be operated; 23 hospitals were using generators, per the Associated Press.

The power outages also left some residents without access to drinking water. More than 120,000 customers were affected by interruptions to water filtration, per CNN.

Hurricanes are becoming more destructive in the United States because of rising global temperatures, and much of that is the result of increasing rainfall. Sea level rise and warmer ocean temperatures contribute to the increased intensity of these storms, and this hurricane season has long been feared for its potential activity.

In July, Hurricane Beryl came ashore in Texas, cutting power to millions of customers in the Houston area, some for well over a week.

What's being done about the power grid in Puerto Rico?

Many residents have turned to solar power, the AP reported, which can provide domestic energy even when the grid is down. There are 117,000 rooftop installations today versus 8,000 when Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017, knocking out power to some for more than a year. Repairs are still being made, though, and the grid remains unreliable. Power can go out even on beautiful days, NPR said.

"You should not have 700,000 customers, probably close to 2 million people, losing power in a storm that basically brought a lot of rain and some moderate wind gusts but not much else," Adrian Florido reported, saying people blamed Luma Energy since it took over the previously government-run infrastructure in 2021.

It has reduced its line workers by two-thirds, and "outages are getting longer and more frequent."

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The world's largest iPhone factory, in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, is offering higher bonuses to attract workers needed for its busy season ahead of the launch of new models from Apple, but it is "not what it used to be", according to workers and labour agents at the site.

The Foxconn Technology Group compound in Zhengzhou, capital of central Henan province, is closely watched as a gauge of whether China can maintain its role in the global supply chain. A recent visit to the site found that the factory has lost some of its momentum, as major customer Apple has been shifting production to countries like India. According to local residents, the dramatic disruptions in late 2022 when thousands of Foxconn workers fled the factory in fear of draconian Covid-19 control measures, also dealt a heavy blow to the role of the factory.

Multiple workers, hiring agencies and small business owners told the South China Morning Post that the number of workers, which reached nearly 300,000 in the peak season, has significantly dropped since the 2022 unrest, which prompted Apple to warn of iPhone shipment delays that Christmas season.

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Taiwan-based Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, did not disclose details on its current production and employment at Zhengzhou.

In a statement issued to the Post on Tuesday, the company said it has invested a lot in automation and digitalisation that has "improved efficiency and production", adding that "quality, not just quantity, of employment is an important gauge of staying competitive and moving up the value chain."

Foxconn workers during an evening break outside the factory in Zhengzhou, Aug 15, 2024. Photo: Coco Feng alt=Foxconn workers during an evening break outside the factory in Zhengzhou, Aug 15, 2024. Photo: Coco Feng>

A man surnamed Gao, in his mid-50s, said he makes roughly 200 yuan per day (US$28) offering workers rides on an electric tricycle, which is half of what he earned before the unrest. A man surnamed Ye, who worked at the factory in 2022 and returned recently, said "Foxconn isn't what it used to be", adding that the streets are much quieter now.

Ye, who fled the factory during the 2022 unrest, returned earlier this month as a contractor who will receive a bonus of 7,500 yuan (US$1,047) for three months work, on top of a monthly wage of 2,100 yuan. Ye said he was tempted by the bonus, which is typically offered by Foxconn during peak production season.

Story continues

According to recruitment ads posted by hiring agencies, the bonus was raised to 6,000 yuan in early July compared with 4,000 yuan offered in March. For temporary workers, their hourly wage has increased to 25 yuan from 24 yuan in July and 22 yuan in March, according to the job postings.

A hiring agent surnamed Zhang said the production activity in Zhengzhou is getting less busy because Apple has been moving labour-intensive jobs to India.

Foxconn has rapidly expanded its presence in India. Last week, company chairman Liu Young-way met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, unveiling new investment plans. The South Asian country is projected to handle up to 50 per cent of total iPhone production capacity by 2027, according to Taiwan-based DigiTimes Research.

The temporary headquarters for Foxconn's new business operations, also in Zhengzhou. Photo: Coco Feng alt=The temporary headquarters for Foxconn's new business operations, also in Zhengzhou. Photo: Coco Feng>

The impact was already visible in official data. Total export of smartphones from Henan dropped more than 47 per cent to 1.4 million units in the first half of the year, according to official customs data.

Despite the supply chain moves, Foxconn is maintaining its commitment to Zhengzhou. About 40 kilometres away from the iPhone manufacturing hub, the company's "new business headquarters" is under construction. The 70,000-square-metre site, costing 1 billion yuan, will be responsible for new sectors including electric vehicles, semiconductors and robotics.

When Foxconn's chairman visited Zhengzhou in July, he said the company "attaches great importance to cooperation with Henan" and promised to "continuously be deeply rooted" in the province.

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.
Hurricane Gilma tracker: See projected path of Category 1 storm spinning in Pacific Ocean

A Category 1 hurricane far off the south tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula could reach Category 3 status as it strengthens nearly 1,000 miles away from land.

Satellites showed Hurricane Gilma intensifying over the Eastern Pacific Wednesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shared.

No coastal watches or warnings have been placed.

Currently with sustained winds up to 85 mph Gilma could possibly become a Category 3 Hurricane by Thursday, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Alan Reppert.

However, it's expected to weaken before it heads closer to Hawaii next week.

"It's possible that this could move towards Hawaii, but it's still over a week out if it does affect Hawaii," Reppert told USA TODAY Wednesday.

He added that Hawaiians should more concerned with different system, an unnamed tropical rainstorm expected to bring some heavy rainfall, stronger winds and the possibility of some wildfires this weekend into next early next week.

.@NOAA's #GOESWest satellite is watching an intensifying Hurricane #Gilma as the sun rises over the eastern Pacific today. There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.



Latest: https://t.co/Pu1fZWiOFC pic.twitter.com/46SBlo6wtS  NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) August 21, 2024

Hurricane Gilma tracker

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane Gilma tracker: See path for Category 1 storm in Pacific
Husband of missing Schofield woman detained; CID pleads with public for help

HONOLULU (KHON2)  Army investigators are pleading with the public for any information on the whereabouts of Mischa Johnson.

The 19-year old is six months pregnant and was last seen on July 31st and reported missing the next day.

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Investigators said the sooner they find her, the better.

When you look at any case, thats very similar to this, missing person with this much time has passed, it draws very big concerns for us, said Ruben Santiago, Special Agent in Charge, US Army CID.

The Armys Criminal Investigation Division (CID) is handling the case.

Johnsons husband, PFC Dewayne Arthur Johnson II, was taken into custody August 8 for pre-trail confinement.

Everyones putting the pieces together that he is, PFC Johnson is in confinement, it makes it a very serious situation, said Santiago.

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Investigators cant go into details about the case, but theyre looking for anyone who was in contact with PFC Johnson anytime between July 12 and August 1.

Most people might think the smallest details arent important but thats what were looking for, said Santiago. Any and all information where we can start filling in those gaps of that timeline.

In the meantime, investigators and Mischa Johnsons family have been putting up posters all over, hoping anyone has any information.

Husband of missing pregnant woman in custody: Army CID

In a statement, Mischa Johnsons family thanks the local businesses and community for their support. They also wanted to thank the individuals and groups whove searched for Mischa.

The family said, we remain hopeful for the best outcome.

We want to make sure the public knows that were interested in any and all information that they might have thats associated with this thats why I think, us talking to you, us putting out the posters still, we still need to find Mischa. said Santiago.

If you have any information, call the Army CID Pacific Field Office at 808-208-0059.

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BINGHAMTON, NY (WIVT/WBGH)  The Broome County IDA has taken another step towards building the controversial technology park.

On Wednesday, August 21, the IDA released the draft scoping document for its environmental impact assessment, required under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) as it prepares a draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS).

The GEIS is designed to analyze potential environmental impacts on and surrounding the site the IDA plans to build on, spanning between the towns of Union and Maine. The draft scoping document, which is now available for all to see, simply identifies the criteria and potential impacts that are up for assessment.

The GEIS includes impacts on areas such as water, land, air, traffic, utilities and potential remedies to problems that could pop up.

The IDA will be holding a public hearing at Maine-Endwell High School on September 10 at 6:30 p.m. where the community can ask questions and comment on concerns surrounding the park and its construction.

Along with the public hearing, a public comment period on the draft scoping document will open August 26 and close September 24 as another outlet for the community to voice its opinion on the subject. To submit comments, you can email techpark@theagency-ny.com

Community members may also review the document in person at the IDAs offices, 5 South

College Drive, Suite 201, Binghamton, during regular business hours.

You can review the document below:

DRAFT-SCOPING-DOCUMENT_THE-BROOME-TECHNOLOGY-PARKDownload

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Idaho doesnt produce energy like it used to. How drought, renewables are changing our landscape.

The three dams that make up the Hells Canyon Complex provide most of Idaho Power's hydroelectricity. Completed in 1967, Hells Canyon Dam includes a fish trap that captures adult salmon and steelhead that are spawned at the company's hatcheries. (Mia Maldonado/Idaho Capital Sun)

In 2009, hydroelectricity made up 80% of the electricity generated in Idaho. Last year, that number was 49%, according to reports from the Idaho Office for Energy and Mineral Resources.

The energy sector in the West has lost about 300 million megawatt hours of power generation between 2003 and 2020 because of persistent drought. That is equivalent to $28 billion in lost revenue, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reported.

Drought is one factor contributing to the change in how much hydropower is a part of Idahos grid, but there are other aspects of the states energy landscape to consider, experts say.

Stephanie Lenhart, a professor at Boise State University and researcher with the universitys Energy Policy Institute, told the Idaho Capital Sun that 2009 was a particularly strong year for hydroelectric generation. Each year hydroelectricity production has a natural variability, but as climate change advances, reduced snowpack has led to more drought in the Pacific Northwest, she said.

Additionally, the share of hydropower in Idahos grid has decreased because of a growing energy demand and the addition of other energy resources, Lenhart said. Idahos energy demand is driven by a rising population, bitcoin mining, and the development of more data centers and computer-intensive workplaces, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported.

In other words, hydropower is a smaller piece of the pie than it was over a decade ago, Lenhart said.

We arent adding hydroelectric resources in the same way other resources are growing, she told the Sun. Natural gas, wind and solar have become competitive, and they are more cost competitive than coal resources.

Idaho is not producing energy the same way it was a decade ago. Drought, renewable energy goals and shifting resource costs have transformed how Idaho and its utilities generate energy.

How do Idaho utilities get their energy?

Idaho is served by three investor-owned electric utilities  Idaho Power, Avista Utilities and Rocky Mountain Power. Other energy utilities include municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives.

While 40% of the states electricity is generated from resources in Idaho, about 40% more comes from out-of-state generation, according to Idahos Office of Energy and Mineral Resources Energy Landscape 2024 Report. All three utilities use in-state and out-of-state resources to generate electricity.

Idaho Power, the states largest electricity provider

Idaho Power is based in Boise, and it is Idahos largest electricity provider. The company provides electricity to 640,000 customers in Idaho and eastern Oregon.

The company continues to generate most of its energy from the Hells Canyon Complex, which is the largest privately-owned hydroelectric facility in the country. The complex consists of Hells Canyon, Oxbow and Brownlee dams.

Idaho Power also has a goal to generate 100% clean energy by 2045. According to the companys website, it is moving away from coal, working toward transmission lines and investing in solar to reach that goal.

While there are no coal plants in Idaho, the company is a joint owner of two operating coal plants in Nevada and Wyoming. Two of the four units in Wyoming were converted to natural gas plants in early 2024. And in 2020, Idaho Power ceased its operations from a coal plant in Boardman, Oregon, in 2020.

Boardman to Hemingway

Jared Hansen, resource planning leader at Idaho Power, told the Sun that using natural gas is cost effective, and it cuts emissions in half compared to using coal.

Coal used to be seen as a very inexpensive and very prudent generation resource, and it isnt seen that way as much anymore, he said. It carries a lot of economic risk and environmental risk with it. I think natural gas will stay a significant part of the energy portfolio for a while because it meets those needs when the other resources cannot.

Idaho Power is also working to create the Boardman to Hemingway transmission line that will run 290 miles across eastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho. The transmission line would let Idaho Power import renewable energy from other parts of the Pacific Northwest when needed, Hansen said. The company is aiming to finish the line in 2026.

It gives us access to a lot of hydroelectric generation that we dont have on our system, and as well as a lot of wind and solar resources, he said. Transmission lines will make it possible for us to meet more of our demand with clean and renewable energy resources through energy purchases.

As for an increase in renewable energy, Hansen said wind and solar energy are the lowest cost resources to provide energy, which has led to an increase in their development.

Its not just that utilities are trying to be clean or conscious of the environment, he said. Its also that it is the single lowest cost way to produce energy on your system.

Avista increases natural gas operations

Avista is headquartered in Spokane, Washington. The company serves more than 145,000 electric and 95,000 natural gas customers in Idahos northern and central regions.

In Idaho, its hydroelectric resources are based in Post Falls and Clark Fork. Its out of state hydroelectric resources are based in Montana and eastern Washington.

Reduced levels of snowpack and precipitation throughout the region do have an impact on Avistas hydro-electric production from year to year, however Avista does have a diverse portfolio of hydro resources and contractual rights within the region that allow production from many watersheds, Avistas communications manager Jared Webley told the Sun.

The companys natural gas generation is higher than its hydroelectric generation, and its natural gas generation has increased in comparison to 2010. The companys natural gas operations are in Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

Avista is taking steps to comply with Washingtons Senate Bill 5116, or Clean Energy Transformation Act. The state law requires utilities in Washington to use a carbon neutral supply of electricity by 2030, source 100% of their electricity from renewable or non-carbon emitting sources by 2045, and eliminate coal-fired resources from their portfolio by the end of 2025.

The company has an ownership share of a coal plant in Montana, but it will cease its operations there by 2025 to comply with the law, according to its 2023 Electric Integrated Resource Plan report.

Rocky Mountain Power relies on coal, natural gas to bring power to customers

Unlike Idaho Power and Avista, Rocky Mountain Power, which provides electricity to 87,000 residents in southeast Idaho, relies primarily on coal and natural gas to provide electricity. Hydroelectricity only makes up 5.1% of its energy mix.

Rocky Mountain Power is one of two subsidiaries of the company PacifiCorp, which serves customers in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states including Idaho, Wyoming and Utah. The electricity it brings to Idaho customers is mostly coming from coal and natural gas plants in Utah and Wyoming, company spokesperson Jona Whitesides told the Sun.

We havent expanded those, but theyre still definitely in use, he said. Whether youre for coal, whether youre against it or indifferent  those fossil fuel plants are still pretty essential, until we can get some type of advanced nuclear in the area.

Whitesides said the company has expanded its wind and solar energy mix by adding more wind projects in Wyoming and securing power purchase agreements with companies for solar energy within the last decade.

But those renewables have limitations, he said.

There has not been a solution in the utility industry to be able to store that excess energy on a large scale, he said. If you dont have any wind, if you dont have any sun, or if were in the middle of summer and now the spring runoff is gone, thats where the fossil fuels come in to ensure that you have reliability and stability on the system.

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Idaho grocery costs killing you? Blame yourself. You chose worst state to live, study says

If theres one thing that most everyone can agree on, its that grocery prices are bananas  up around 20 percent from 2020.

But if the situation feels even worse in Idaho, maybe theres a reason.

Maybe  we chose the worst place to live?

Good news! Idaho is No. 1 in another internet study. Bad news! This one smells like a jug of expired milk.

The analysis, titled Top States Hit Hardest by Grocery Prices, found that residents of Idaho fork over the highest percentage of take-home pay to buy groceries of any state in America.

How much? 7.44% annually.

Idahoans spend about $4,859 each year on groceries, or $93 per week, the study says: In Boise, you will find a loaf of white bread for $3.22, 1 kilogram of apples for $4.84 and a dozen eggs for $3.14 on average.

(Those definitely arent cage-free eggs.)

The state hit second hardest to Idaho? New Mexico at 6.82%.

To take refuge in a place least affected by high grocery prices, youll want to flee to Maryland. Residents of that state spend only 4.2% of their income on groceries, the study says.

This random research was conducted by an equally random website: Coupons4Real. Never heard of it. But the findings seem reasonable. Its not like the methodology was insanely complex. Sources used to compute the take-home-pay to grocery-bill ratio were World Population Review, Salary After Tax, Forbes and Numbeo.

Its no secret that Idaho isnt known for its generous salaries. With food bills skyrocketing, we naturally spend a larger chunk of our meager earnings on eggs, milk and bottom-of-the-bin, store-brand cereal.

Its more brutal news for grocery buying in the Boise area. My family already is bummed out that our neighborhood Albertsons is on the list of stores to be sold to C&S Wholesale Grocers if the Kroger merger is approved.

You may have heard that Kroger has promised to lower grocery prices at remaining Albertsons stores by $1 billion. Yippee. I doubt consumers even notice that drop in the gazillion-dollar bucket.

In the meantime, if anybody moves to Maryland, please pick me up a family-size bag of Doritos? Ill pay shipping.

Tell the post office I qualify for media mail.
A child care program for low-income children in Idaho faces a $15.5 million budget shortfall this year, after the state expanded eligibility and reduced what families are required to pay each month while day care costs rose, according to the Health and Welfare Department.

The deficit has prompted state health officials to temporarily stop accepting many new families into the Idaho Child Care Program, which partially covers child care costs for low-income families with working parents, Health and Welfare Director Alex Adams said at a news conference Tuesday. The anticipated shortfall is more than 29% of the programs overall budget for this fiscal year, which ends in June 2025.

Without any changes, that deficit could grow to $22 million in the following fiscal year, he said, though both numbers are worst-case scenarios. Nearly 8,100 kids are enrolled in the program this year.

We know that were in the red, which is why were taking action here in August, so that by the time the Legislature rolls around, theres a robust conversation about where we go from here, Adams said.

To cut down on costs, the department plans to temporarily pause admitting many new families that apply to the program; lower the income threshold to reduce the number of people who can qualify for the program; and delay paying higher rates to day care centers for several months, according to an Aug. 14 letter Adams wrote to lawmakers on the legislative budget committee, which the agency shared with the Idaho Statesman. Those changes are expected to keep the program within its budget in the coming months.

The misstep, which predates Adams, is expected to prompt another legislative review next year at an agency already facing scrutiny over how it spends taxpayer money.

Costs of child care rise

The money for the day care payments comes mostly from a federal program called the Child Care and Development Block Grant, which requires a survey every three years to assess the costs of day care. The departments most recent survey, which was completed this month, found that market rates spiked by 25% . The higher costs of care translate to more dollars that the agency needs to shell out for the program.

Meanwhile, the department reduced the costs participating families must pay each month during the COVID-19 pandemic and kept those lower fees in place. The state dropped families costs by roughly half since 2020, Adams wrote in the letter.

The state agency also widened the net of families eligible for the program over the years. In 2021 families whose income met 145% of the federal poverty level qualified, an increase from the previous 130% threshold set a decade earlier.

This year the eligibility cutoff rose to 175%. For a family of three, the federal poverty level is $25,820, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

While health officials paused enrollment, they said Tuesday that they would make some exceptions for certain vulnerable groups. Children in foster care, those experiencing homelessness, those with disabilities and families receiving temporary cash assistance from the state will still be allowed to enroll.

Adams told reporters Tuesday that officials learned about the issue a few weeks ago when Health and Welfare completed its new costs study and have since been trying to figure out how to rein in spending while minimizing the impact on those most at-risk populations. In the interim, he said he is hoping to keep more kids in the program at lower reimbursement rates.

Idahos budgets are written into law and can only be altered with the approval of the Legislature and the governor. Lawmakers wont reconvene until January and will be able to determine whether to change the programs provisions. Adams said that under the circumstances, he wants to lower the grant amounts to be able to provide more families with some money.

From the departments perspective, we think covering more kids at a lower rate is preferable to covering fewer kids at a higher rate, he said. But ultimately, thats a policy decision that I think the Legislature will wrestle with.

Adams also said there need to be holistic solutions. He pointed to efforts by Boise officials to reduce the time and cost of becoming a licensed day care and other measures that could increase the number of day cares as costs have soared across the country.

Child care centers in the Treasure Valley have struggled in recent years, partly because of low pay and high turnover in the industry, according to previous Statesman reporting. The number of day care spots for kids in the state dropped by more than 1,300 from 2022 to 2023, and the industry lost hundreds of workers, according a nonprofit report. The median wage of a child care worker was $13.50 per hour.

Adams said that the states subsidized program has been under budget in previous years, and the federal grant program allows the state to hold on to dollars it didnt spend in prior years. Health and Welfare has saved as much as $50 million in a separate account, he said  but the money would need to be appropriated to the program by lawmakers.

Show me the spreadsheet

The budget misfire at Health and Welfare is likely to increase scrutiny on the states largest agency from lawmakers, who alleged the agency misspent funds in the past and are often reluctant to spend money on welfare programs. Attorney General Raul Labrador has also been investigating a different child care program at the agency.

Adams took the helm at Health and Welfare in June, after former director Dave Jeppesen retired in December following five years in the position. Dean Cameron, the director of the Idaho Department of Insurance, served as interim director in the intervening months.

Reached by phone Tuesday, Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, and Sen. Scott Grow, R-Eagle, co-chairs of the Legislatures budget committee, were critical of the agencys prior leadership for not forecasting the programs costs correctly.

Well be asking for a full report of what on Earth happened in the previous administration that caused this expansion of services that did not fit within the budget, Horman said, as well as why those decisions were made, how they were made, who made them.

Show me the spreadsheet the agency had that indicated they had sufficient funds to cover the programs costs, she added.

Horman and Grow said they supported any actions the agency takes to get back in line with the budget. Grow said he has total confidence in Adams.

We cannot spend money that we dont have, Grow said. We have to live within that budget ourselves, and we expect all agencies and departments to do the same.
IHOPKC says outside firm to examine handling of abuse claims. Is it truly independent?

Reality Check is a Star series holding those with power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email our journalists at RealityCheck@kcstar.com.

A law firm hired by the International House of Prayer-Kansas City to examine how it handled sexual misconduct allegations faces criticism that its founder has been a defense attorney for ministries and wont conduct an impartial investigation.

IHOPKC hired Telios Law to determine why a former volunteer youth group leader and musician was still involved with the organization years after being banned over allegations of sexual misconduct with teen boys. The firm also is tasked with helping create a safe environment for children within the 24/7 global ministry.

The news that IHOPKC had hired Theresa Sidebotham and her Colorado-based Telios Law prompted immediate backlash last week from some who have had dealings with the firm. They said that in previous investigations, Sidebotham had tried to minimize the damage done to organizations reputations and in some cases re-traumatized victims.

In an Aug. 12 statement, Audrey Luhmann said that the Anglican Church in North America hired Telios Law in January 2022 to investigate allegations of spiritual abuse against its bishop and several clergy in the Upper Midwest Diocese.

Luhmann said many who submitted reports or interviewed with Telios felt challenged, disbelieved, or misrepresented in the individual summary letters Telios later sent back to them.

  In short, the investigation felt like a sham, Luhmann said. It was a waste of the denominations money, a misuse of the witnesses time, and was re-traumatizing and demeaning for survivors.

Sidebotham told The Star that her role when hired by an organization usually focuses on prevention and training or conducting or advising on investigations. She also has done some occasional defense work and plaintiff work, she said in an email on Friday.

Where possible, we emphasize healing and reconciliation instead of litigation, which usually exacerbates the harm to everyone involved, she said. Of course, an investigative role means that I could not and would not do any defense work or plaintiff work.

If an organization fails to prevent abuse, train, evaluate its leadership and respond to those it harmed, Sidebotham said, it has failed in its mission.

If you look at my website and writings, youll see that Im very candid about these goals with my clients, and I believe that is why they choose to work with us, she said. IHOPKC has expressed to me that they have chosen us to help them create a safe environment, respond well to anyone who comes forward, and evaluate leadership conduct.

Training begins in September

IHOPKC issued a statement on Aug. 10 announcing it had hired Sidebothams firm. The statement came a day after The Star published the story of a man who said he was sexually abused in 2010 by a former IHOPKC youth group leader.

The statement said IHOPKC had hired Sidebotham weeks earlier to help us build a culture that prevents sexual harassment and child endangerment.

IHOPKC said Sidebotham would begin leading a training series in September on how to ensure children are safe and protected.

What the statement didnt say, however, was that Sidebotham also was asked to look into the allegations made by Justin Werner that his former IHOPKC youth group leader, Larry Lucky, raped Werner when he was 16 and was seeing Lucky for private counseling at his home.

Werner went public with his story in The Star on Aug. 9, and other former IHOPKC youth alleged that Lucky had taken teen boys to the gym and asked them to shower with him.

IHOPKC denied that Lucky had led a youth group or had any key role in its Student Ministries program but said Lucky had been playing bass guitar on a worship team in the organizations 24/7 Prayer Room and was dismissed in 2010 after a parent reported that he was showering with teen boys at a local gym.

But Facebook posts in 2008 and 2009 indicate that Lucky indeed was leading a youth group of boys. And social media posts and archived videos show that Lucky was playing in the all-night Prayer Room years beyond the date IHOPKC said he was terminated, leaving many to question whether he ever was dismissed at all.

Lucky called the allegations fabrications and said in a July 31 email to The Star that Werner was not 16, but 18, at the time of their meetings. The legal age of consent in Missouri is 17. Lucky said in a follow-up email on Aug. 2 that he would not comment further to The Star but welcomed a true third-party investigation.

Trying to uncover details

In its Aug. 10 statement, IHOPKC said The Star had published a story concerning heartbreaking allegations that 15 years ago, an adult male engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with teenage boys in incidents that occurred off campus and outside of his role at IHOPKC.

We have been actively working to uncover details and offer support to the victims and their families in light of this devastating news, the statement said, adding that we first became aware of the allegations through a reporters inquiry just days ago and immediately launched an investigation with the help of independent experts.

IHOPKC said it was examining all records in its possession to understand what occurred and how it was handled.

Werner said Sidebotham emailed him Aug. 5  four days after The Star first contacted IHOPKC seeking comment about Lucky.

I am writing to follow up on your report to the Kansas Star of having been sexually abused by a man associated with IHOPKC, she wrote. I am so very sorry to hear about your experience, and I recognize how painful and challenging this time must be for you.

She said IHOPKC has requested that I conduct an independent investigation into these matters.

I am aware that there may be an ongoing law enforcement investigation, and we would want to support that in any way possible, she wrote. However, we also seek to better understand your experience to ensure a thorough investigation. And there may be others who were harmed, and talking to you would be the best foundation for us to gather information to support others.

Sidebotham asked if Werner would be open to meeting with her for an interview to share your story.

Werner told her hed decided not to talk about the issue at least until the police investigation was complete.

In an email to The Star on Friday, IHOPKC said Sidebotham and Telios Law are not investigating the sexual abuse allegations against Mr. Lucky, as that is in the hands of law enforcement.

They are investigating how former leadership responded to the allegations against Mr. Lucky, and are charged with identifying any failures or mishandlings, including whether mandatory reporting was carried out.

IHOPKC to make important findings public

IHOPKC said it also hopes to identify whether anyone else was harmed.

And if so, it said, we will promptly report that.

IHOPKC asked those who may have been harmed or have knowledge about abuse to please reach out to us, as this may be helpful for the investigation. Anyone who has been harmed should also contact the police.

According to IHOPKC, No former leaders from that time are currently employed by or in positions of influence with IHOPKC; thus they will have no input whatsoever.

Rest assured that important findings of this investigation will be made public.

IHOPKC told The Star that Telios Law also will audit its current policies to ensure a comprehensive response to any reports, and that all possible measures are built into a culture dedicated to preventing something of this nature from happening again.

We hope and believe that individuals who have felt let down in the past will come to view this investigation, training, and policy update as a pivotal moment in accountability, change, and healing, it said.

Many former staffers and leaders, however, dont trust IHOPKC to do the right thing. They point to an independent investigation it commissioned in 2018 of staffer Brad Tebbutt. He was accused that year by a Washington woman of sexually abusing her for 2  years in the 1980s starting when she was 14 and he was a 27-year-old youth pastor at a Baptist church in California.

When she came forward, Tebbutt was the director of an IHOPKC ministry for those 50 and older. IHOPKC put Tebbutt on administrative leave and hired GRACE, a Virginia nonprofit whose name stands for Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment, to conduct a third-party investigation.

The investigation was completed in early 2019, but IHOPKC did not release the results.

Last November, however, a 15-page executive summary of the findings was leaked. The report, dated Jan. 31, 2019, concluded that though evidence was not raised during the investigation that Tebbutt sexually abused anyone in the IHOPKC community, the evidence shows that Mr. Tebbutt repeatedly exploited the access and trust granted him by Jane Doe and by the church (in California) by sexually abusing a youth in his care from a position of spiritual authority.

Among GRACEs recommendations was for leaders to decide whether Tebbutt would be permitted to return to IHOPKC.

Without a proven demonstration of authentic repentance, Brad Tebbutts employment and association with IHOP should be terminated, the report said. Should he be permitted to return to IHOP, he must never be allowed on the property when minors are present. In addition, he must never be allowed at, or granted participation in, any off-campus IHOP activities in which minors are present.

Despite the recommendations, Tebbutt was promoted to a position that allowed him to be in contact with minors.

The GRACE report also warned IHOPKC leaders that additional allegations against others associated with the ministry had surfaced that needed to be immediately investigated. Failure to do so and to implement recommended changes, the report said, is likely to result in continued missteps when handling and responding to misconduct issues at IHOP.

As the Tebbutt investigation was underway in 2018, Lucky was playing sets in the Prayer Room  despite being banned eight years earlier.

Others criticize firms methods

Others who have been involved with Telios Law investigations criticized its tactics as well.

Investigative journalist Rebecca Hopkins wrote on Substack Aug. 12 of her experience with the firm last year after she became a whistleblower regarding Mission Aviation Fellowship, one of the largest mission aviation organizations in the world. She said she and 15 other MAF missionaries had documented aviation safety concerns and what they saw as problematic sexual behavior of married missionary pilots with women overseas.

Sidebothams investigation, Hopkins said, largely exonerated MAF of wrongdoing. Of the whistleblowers 35 original concerns, she said, the report substantiated abuse of power or spiritual abuse in only one case. And the conclusions about their situation, she said, in her view included many inaccuracies that favored leaders accounts over ours.

She didnt quote from any of the 300 pages of documentation wed provided, Hopkins wrote. It seemed to me like she was simply taking leaders word for it. In several cases she wrote that there were no corroborating witnesses to back up our claims, even though she never came back to us to say she needed more corroboration. I later learned she chose not to interview our entire list of witnesses either.

Luhmann, of the Anglican Church in North America, and a representative from another ministry issued statements in collaboration with Hopkins story.

Attorney Libby Magee Coles said that in 2021, the Telios firm investigated allegations of spiritual abuse by leadership at the church she helped start in 2013.

Coles said the investigation lacked appropriate independence, transparency, and care for participants.

It appeared that participants would risk significant re-traumatization and further harm if they participated and that, even assuming the best of intentions by Telios Law and Church Leadership, the investigation process was set up such that it would protect the Church institution and its leaders, Coles said.

In her response to The Star last week, Sidebotham said that while I do not think Ms. Hopkins article fairly represents our work, we are not able to comment specifically on investigations.

She added, however, that the investigations you reference did make findings of abuse, mismanagement, and/or a need for process changes, healing, and justice.

Sidebotham said her firm also recommended numerous improvements the organizations could make, including ways to help those who were harmed whether or not abuse was substantiated.

Its understandable that persons would be hurt and upset if their specific allegations could not be substantiated, she said. Unfortunately, its impossible for every investigation to substantiate all allegations. That does not necessarily mean a determination that the allegation is false, only that we did not meet the standard of proof of preponderance of the evidence.

Not the first investigation

This isnt the first time IHOPKC has come under fire for hiring a law firm to investigate sex abuse allegations. When IHOPKC founder Mike Bickle was accused last fall of sexually abusing multiple women over several decades, IHOPKC originally hired the Stinson LLP law firm  a national firm with an office in Kansas City  to investigate, but quickly reversed that decision after critics questioned whether it could be impartial.

Then it hired Audrey Manito, an attorney with close ties to IHOPKC, to conduct interviews with those alleging abuse. When that action was heavily criticized, IHOPKC hired Rosalee McNamara of the Lathrop GPM firm to conduct an outside investigation.

But Bickles alleged victims and those supporting them, who have become known as the Advocate Group, declined to talk to McNamara, saying her firm couldnt be impartial because it also has represented defendants in sex abuse cases.

McNamara released the findings of her investigation earlier this year. She found that Bickle more likely than not engaged in inappropriate behavior that included sexual contact and clergy misconduct. Critics, however, said the abuse and coverups extended beyond Bickle and that until a real third-party investigation was conducted, the full truth would remain hidden.

Boz Tchividjian, a Florida attorney who specializes in sex abuse cases and is representing some of Bickles alleged victims, said he had concerns about whether the Telios firm would be truly unbiased.

An independent investigator who has previously represented churches or Christian organizations in sexual abuse claims is not independent and cannot be trusted, he posted last week on X. Your abuse experience has immeasurable importance and value  please only share it with those who have earned your trust.
Illinois officially banned corporal punishment in schools.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed the bill, making Illinois the fifth state to ban the practice, joining New Jersey, Iowa, Maryland and New York. The move prohibits paddling, spanking or hitting in school. Illinois already banned any form of hitting students in public schools. This latest step bans it in private schools, too. The ban officially takes effect in January, but some private schools say they abandoned the practice long ago.

The law will not apply to home schools; home-schooled students are subject to the same rules during school hours as those they face during non-school hours.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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CHICAGO  Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker used his prime-time address on the second night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to tie the progressive policies hes advanced in two terms in Springfield to the message of economic progress promoted by the partys presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Pritzker, a billionaire Hyatt Hotels heir who was a driving force behind bringing the convention to his hometown, also used his stage time to assail Republican nominee Donald Trump, with whom hes sparred throughout his time in office.

Donald Trump thinks we should trust him on the economy because he claims to be very rich, said Pritzker, whose fortune Forbes has pegged at $3.5 billion. But take it from an actual billionaire, Trump is rich in only one thing: stupidity.

In a bit of awkward programming, Pritzkers speech was preceded by Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who railed against the billionaire class and the need to get big money out of our political process.

Billionaires in both parties should not be able to buy elections, including primary elections, said Sanders, who received a more enthusiastic reaction than Pritzker from the United Center crowd.

Pritzker spent more than $300 million of his own money to win two elections as governor in Illinois and gave at least $27 million to the Democratic Governors Association two years ago to spend on boosting his preferred opponent in the 2022 GOP primary for governor.

After Pritzkers speech, the DGA sent out a fundraising message in his name soliciting $3 contributions.

Touting infrastructure improvements, clean-energy investments and a recently signed measure eliminating the states grocery tax that has yet to take effect, Pritzker said, More than anything, Democrats want economic policies that are kind, not cruel, but Trump chooses cruelty every time.

A major proponent of abortion rights, particularly through his national dark money group Think Big America, Pritzker made an economic argument for enacting policies that protect access to reproductive health services, along with LGBTQ rights and stricter gun control measures.

I meet with business leaders all the time, and theres one universal thing they all need: people. They need more workers to fill all the jobs they have, but anti-freedom, anti-family policies of MAGA Republicans are driving workers away, Pritzker said.

Heres the thing. Americans dont want to be forced to drive 100 miles to deliver a baby because a draconian abortion law shut down the maternity ward, he said. Americans want the hope of giving birth through (in vitro fertilization), not the fear it might be taken away. Americans with LGBTQ kids dont want them facing discrimination at school because the state sanctioned it. Americans want to go to their neighborhood grocery store and not have to worry about some random guy open-carrying an AR-15.

Tuesdays roughly 8 minutes in the national spotlight was a long time coming for Pritzker, whos been active in politics for decades despite first being elected in 2018.

Previously discussed as a possible successor to President Joe Biden, Pritzker was on Harris short list of potential running mates, though he was passed over in favor of a fellow Midwestern governor, Minnesotas Tim Walz.

In his speech, Pritzker praised Harris and Walz for having spent their lives lifting people up, not pushing them down.

They know that a White House that leads with kindness looks at someone who is struggling and sees not what they might cost society but what they might create for it, Pritzker said. Americans want policies that give every American a chance to make it to the middle class.

Pritzker framed the Nov. 5 election as a choice  between the man who left our country a total mess and the woman who has spent four years cleaning it up.

And I think its time we stop expecting women to clean up messes without the authority and the title to match the job, he added. Vice president was a good title for Kamala Harris. But you know an even better one? President of the United States of America.

Highlighting Illinois presidential pedigree, from Republican Abraham Lincoln of Springfield to Democrat Barack Obama of Chicago  who was set to deliver the keynote later Tuesday  Pritzker also claimed Harris, who spent a small portion of her childhood in downstate Champaign-Urbana, for the Prairie State.

Before Biden dropped out of the race last month and backed Harris, Pritzkers DNC speech was shaping up as the potential soft launch of a 2028 presidential campaign.

Instead, the conventions de facto host spent the first two days of the quadrennial gathering answering questions about whether hell run for a third term in 2026.

Of course its always a possibility, Pritzker told Politicos Jonathan Martin in an interview ahead of his speech, though the governor said it was years away.

In an interview with the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday morning, Pritzker elaborated on an earlier remark that he had some concern about Bidens electoral chances.

It was really just a concern that if we dont win, were going to end up with Donald Trump, and if Joe Biden isnt able to perform in the debate, where you have the best chance of showing the contrast, then it would be challenging in the general election, Pritzker told the Tribune. Having said that, I supported Joe Biden through and through, to the very end.

Pritzker told Comedy Centrals The Daily Show in an otherwise lighthearted video segment filmed last week and posted online Monday that he had some concerns about Bidens reelection prospects following the presidents shaky debate performance in June.

A lot of us were concerned about the direction of the election and whether Joe Biden was going to be able to be competitive, because the polls werent looking good, Pritzker said during the "Daily Show" appearance.

On Tuesday, Pritzker told the Tribune, I love Joe Biden, so watching the debate performance felt like, you know, hes going to get harmed in the election by what happened in the debate, even though hes somebody whos fought his whole life for the things Democrats care about.

After his speech Tuesday, Pritzker was scheduled to host a party at the Salt Shed, featuring Grammy Award winner John Legend.

_____
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will take the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday to formally accept the vice presidential nomination and deliver a keynote speech.

Vice President Kamala Harris tapped Walz to be her running mate earlier this month, just a couple weeks after she became the presumptive Democratic nominee following President Joe Biden's exit.

Walz, 60, gained traction during the veepstakes with his folksy mannerisms and viral comments advocating for the Democratic Party's agenda and critiquing former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance. But nationally, he was a relatively unknown figure.

"When Harris announced that Tim Walz was running for vice president, I had absolutely no clue who this man was," said Valerie Jencks, a moderate Democrat from Illinois who is supporting the Harris-Walz ticket.

Jencks and other local voters sat down with ABC News at Chicago's Green Door Tavern to discuss the 2024 election.

MORE: Harris officially names Tim Walz as vice presidential running mate

Jencks said she was "personally relieved" that Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was not selected because she'd like him to remain in his position leading the state, and said she was a strong supporter of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in the veepstakes.

Still, she said she thought Walz was "a breath of fresh air."

PHOTO: Illinois voter Valerie Jencks speaks to ABC News about the 2024 election as the Democratic National Convention unfolds in Chicago. (ABC News)

"He is knowledgeable about the issues. He has a very strong record, and he's very personable and authentic," Jencks said of Walz. "I feel like he really understands the issues of the everyday American."

Last month, Trump announced Vance would be his running mate during the first day of the Republican National Convention.

MORE: RNC attendees embrace JD Vance as Trump's 2024 running mate

Vance, a 39-year-old first-term senator from Ohio, has become a staunch ideological ally of the former president who rose to fame due to his memoir "Hillbilly Elegy." But he was also not a big name in politics until he began to emerge as a top contender to join Trump on the ballot.

David Spada, a conservative Republican, said he was surprised by Trump's pick and thought he would have picked a more moderate Republican such as Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

"He probably should have picked someone more towards the middle, rather than more towards the right, which I think might hurt him," Spada said. "But again, you never know what Trump's gonna do. He just does what he wants."

PHOTO: Illinois voter David Spada speaks to ABC News about the 2024 election as the Democratic National Convention unfolds in Chicago. (ABC News)

A recent ABC News poll found Walz was getting a more positive public reception than his Republican counterpart in the initial rollout of their candidacies.

Thirty-nine percent of Americans surveyed had a favorable impression of Walz as a person, while 30% viewed him unfavorably. Vance, meanwhile, was viewed unfavorably by 42% of respondents compared to 32% who viewed him favorably. Though a sizable portion of respondents said they had no opinion of either candidate (31% in Walz's case and 26% in Vance's case).

Illinois voters weigh in on 2024 vice presidential picks Tim Walz and JD Vance originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Image Shows Beach in Palestine Before Israel's Foundation  But There's More to It

As the Israel-Hamas war entered its 11th month, a photograph continued to spread on social media with a caption claiming (archived) it showed a beachfront in Palestine before Zionism and before the foundation of Israel (archived).

For example, a December 2023 X post including the claim amassed more than 5.7 million views, 16,00 likes and more than 6,400. Many similar posts surfaced months later, in June 2024. The image also appeared on other platforms, such as Reddit, where the post included an "imperialism" tag and amassed more than 5,200 upvotes.

What Year Was the Photograph Taken?

The photograph was difficult to date. A reverse-image search using TinEye and Google brought up several references for this image, all of which confirmed it was an aerial view of a portion of the Tel Aviv Promenade. Tel Aviv is Israel's second-largest city.

One of the references was the catalog of a 2013 exhibit "White City: Bauhaus Architecture in Tel Aviv" at the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia.

Another was a 2013 blog post, which included the photograph of a 2002 book titled "Bauhaus Tel Aviv," by Nahoum Cohen. The blog post dated the photograph to 1940, presumably citing the book.

We located a very similar image  though not the same one  on the eBay page of an antique and vintage photograph dealer. The product detail page titled it "Epic Aerial View of HISTORIC City of TEL AVIV Israel VINTAGE 1953 Press Photo." It included an image of the back of the photograph, which read as follows:

B16324 WIDE WORLD

PLEASE CREDIT

(For use Sunday, April 12, with Eric Gottgetreu's Jerusalem AP-N story on Israel's 5th anniversary.) ISRAEL TODAY: THRIVING TEL AVIV

Israel's biggest and busiest city is Tel Aviv, shown above in airview, looking from the beach towards the heart of the city with its cluster of modern homes and buildings. Combined with adjacent Jaffa, the city has a population of 400,000. Near Tel Aviv is the big international aerodrome LOD (Lydda), home of Israel's national airline, "El Al." 5392 1135A- 4/3/53 AJE F WAB165

There was a stamp in purple ink on this text that said: "RECEIVED EXAMINER REFERENCE LIBRARY APR 12 1953."

This photograph showed a less-built-up landscape, smaller trees and few people on the beach, indicating that it might have been taken earlier than the photograph in the viral posts.

Still, we used this information in a search on newspapers.com, a site that compiles newspaper archives, and found several references to articles that published this photograph on April 12, 1953, and days later  using Gottgetreu's article and a portion or all of the caption cited above. This one was from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (note the headline is incorrect: in 1953, Israel had existed for five years, not two):



(newspaper.com)

Unfortunately, even this date and stamp could not guarantee that the photo was taken in 1953, as press practices regarding image use were not as rigorous at the time as they can be in the 21st century. Not to mention, a deep dive into the history of Tel Aviv confirmed that this beachfront was most likely constructed in the 1930s.

But the landscape seen in the photograph could not have been built before 1941, because it clearly showed London Square on Bugrashov Beach in Central Tel Aviv, which was inaugurated in 1942  a year after the end of Germany's bombing campaign against the United Kingdom known as the Blitz. This dated the photograph between 1942 and 1953.

Bauhaus and Tel Aviv

As soon as Adolf Hitler was elected Germany's chancellor in 1933, thousands of Jews left Germany for Mandatory Palestine. The wave of emigration intensified in 1935, when the Nuremberg race laws  which deprived Germany's Jews of rights  took effect. It continued until 1939, when Hitler invaded Poland, and France and the United Kingdom declared war on Germany. In 1941, Hitler decided that instead of encouraging Jewish emigration from Europe, he would focus on exterminating Jews.

Hitler's rise to power also caused the closure of the Bauhaus art school in 1933. According to journalist and Pulitzer Center grantee Veronica Zaragovia, the Nazis were hostile to the Bauhaus "because it was avant-garde and utopian. Because some of its members had ties to the Soviet Union or to communists, others were Jewish." This led at least half its students and professors to leave Germany, but instead of marking the end of the Bauhaus movement, it led to its revival elsewhere in the world  notably in Tel Aviv.

In the 1930s, Tel Aviv was in the middle of a construction boom. Founded by Jews under Ottoman rule in 1906, its first name was Ahuzat Bayit ("homestead" in Hebrew). To get around laws that banned land sales to Jewish subjects of the Ottoman empire, a Jewish banker named Jacobus Kann used his Dutch citizenship to buy the first 60 plots in his name.

Tel Aviv's construction started in earnest in the 1920s, and it accelerated in the 1930s with the arrival of Jewish German emigres. The timing contributed to turning Tel Aviv into a gem of Bauhaus architecture. Zaragovia wrote:

The students and teachers who left spread Bauhaus designs and helped it flourish around the world including the U.S. and Israel. Like in Tel Aviv  a city I lived in for about a year after college. About 4,000 Bauhaus-influenced buildings  designed by Jewish architects, some who'd studied at the Bauhaus  dot the city. They have flat roofs, balconies and simple straight or curvy lines.

The more than 4,000 buildings, built in the 1930s, became collectively known as the White City. The White City was inscribed as a protected site at the UNESCO World Heritage Center in 2003 (see the map of the conservation areas). Architecture Digest published an article in 2019 featuring some of Tel Aviv's best examples of this architecture.

In sum, the photograph was a snapshot of the early days of Tel Aviv. Though founded under Ottoman rule, it was built out during the British Mandate of Palestine by a growing community of Jews. In other words, this was a city created by the Zionist movement before the foundation of Israel.

In 2023, Snopes researched whether a different photo showed a street in Jerusalem before the founding of Israel.

Sources:

'10 of Tel Aviv's Best Examples of Bauhaus Architecture'. Dezeen, 24 Aug. 2016, https://www.dezeen.com/2016/08/24/10-tel-aviv-best-examples-bauhaus-residential-architecture/.

'12 Apr 1953, Page 19 - Fort Worth Star-Telegram at Newspapers.Com'. Newspapers.Com, https://www.newspapers.com/image/636730570/. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.

'100 Years of the Bauhaus'. @GI_weltweit, https://www.goethe.de/prj/tbp/en/bpa/yea.html. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.

Azoulay, Yuval. 'Jacobus Street, Corner of Oblivion'. Haaretz, 1 Apr. 2009, https://web.archive.org/web/20120404193456/http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/jacobus-street-corner-of-oblivion-1.273311.

Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. 'White City of Tel-Aviv  the Modern Movement'. UNESCO World Heritage Centre, https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1096/. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.

Cohen, Alina. 'Emerging Painter Kira Maria Shewfelt Transforms Moments of Passion into Surreal Canvases'. Artsy, 16 Apr. 2024, https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-emerging-painter-kira-maria-shewfelt-transforms-moments-passion-surreal-canvases.

Emigration, 1933-1941  The Holocaust Explained: Designed for Schools. 4 Jan. 1933, https://www.theholocaustexplained.org/resistance-responses-collaboration/responses/emigration/.

Warkentin, Elizabeth. 'How Did Tel Aviv Become a Beacon For Stunning Bauhaus Architecture?' Architectural Digest, 25 Sept. 2019, https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/how-did-tel-aviv-become-beacon-stunning-bauhaus-architecture.
"Kamala and I are committed to strengthening legal immigration, including protecting Dreamers and more," President Biden told the crowd on the opening night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

As Democrats gather in Chicago this week to rally around the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India as their presidential nominee, her Republican opponent will travel to the U.S.-Mexico border to highlight what he calls the "migrant invasion" and his vow to launch "the largest deportation operation in American history.

The contrast between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump illustrates what an important issue border security has become in this year's presidential election, as Democrats and Republicans alike respond to polls showing that a growing number of voters want to stem new arrivals to the country.

On Monday night, President Biden touted the sharp reduction in border arrests since he implemented an executive action limiting asylum access, and attempted to draw out differences with Republicans' position on the issue.

Read more: How the California border changed after Biden's order limiting asylum

Unlike Trump, we will not demonize immigrants, saying they are 'poisoning the blood' of America, Biden said, referencing a comment Trump made last year that echoed rhetoric used by Adolf Hitler. Kamala and I are committed to strengthening legal immigration, including protecting 'Dreamers' and more.

On Tuesday night, former President Obama said Harris could move the country beyond tired debates that stifle progress, because she and running mate Tim Walz "understand that we can secure our borders without tearing kids away from their parents."

During the first two days of the Democratic National Convention, mentions of immigration were overshadowed by conversations about the COVID-19 pandemic, party unity and ways to help the working class  presenting a deep contrast to the Republican National Convention last month, when Trump supporters painted immigrants as violent criminals, drug smugglers and terrorists.

The remainder of the Democratic convention could bring more counter-messaging on immigration and the border.

Democratic strategist Michael Trujillo predicted the convention will focus on other issues.

The border tends to be a regional issue, he said. I dont know that the border is as high of a priority in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania or Georgia.

Republican consultant Mike Madrid said the issue is not going away.

"This is potentially the most vulnerable weak point for Kamala Harris," Madrid said of border security. "If she can inoculate against this and have a legitimate strategy on this, her chances of winning are very good. If she doesnt, her chances of losing are very good."

Hoping to keep Democrats on the defense, Trump plans to visit the border in Arizona on Thursday, the same day Harris is scheduled to formally accept her nomination. His campaign said in a statement that the trip is intended to highlight that "there is no end in sight to Kamala Harris' border crisis."

Republicans including Trump have labeled Harris the "border czar" and blamed her for failing to stop illegal immigration. Her actual immigration policy portfolio was limited to addressing the root causes of migration in certain Latin American countries.

Last month, the Republican-led House agreed to a resolution "condemning the Biden administration and its Border Czar Kamala Harris' failure to secure the United States border."

Read more: In political ads, Democrats go on offense about border security

At the Republican National Convention, speaker after speaker zeroed in on migration, saying it endangers public safety. Trump's former rival Nikki Haley called it "the single, biggest threat Americans face.

The top priority listed in the Republican Party's 2024 platform is to seal the border, and stop the migrant invasion. It pledges to complete the border wall, move thousands of military troops stationed overseas to the border, reinstate the immigration policies of Trump's first term and carry out the largest-ever deportation operation.

Democrats voted to approve their 2024 party platform on Monday, though it hadn't been updated since Biden dropped out of the race. The platform's chapter on immigration says a second Biden term would see him push Congress to pass legislation to codify emergency authority to temporarily stop processing most asylum claims; reform the asylum system to strengthen requirements for valid claims; increase the yearly limit of immigrant visas; and support a pathway to citizenship for long-term immigrants who lack legal documentation.

Harris recently released an ad that highlights her record as a California prosecutor and her support of the "toughest border control bill in decades." It promises that as president, she would "hire thousands more border agents and crack down on fentanyl and human trafficking."

At an Arizona rally earlier this month, Harris acknowledged the immigration system is broken.

"We know what it takes to fix it: comprehensive reform that includes strong border security and an earned pathway to citizenship," she said.

She criticized Trump for pressuring House Republicans earlier this year to abandon support for a bipartisan border security agreement. "Donald Trump tanked the deal," she said.

Harris' support of that bill  opposed by many progressives because it did not include a path to citizenship  marked a departure from her earlier rhetoric on the issue; as a prosecutor in California and as a U.S. senator, she had developed a track record of standing up for immigrants.

GOP strategist Madrid said that shift is part of a broader pivot by many Democrats toward tougher border messaging.

In another example, while Biden in his speech played up his action limiting asylum access, he made no mention of a separate program  which took effect Monday  that would give 500,000 undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens access to a pathway to citizenship. Advocates for immigrants criticized Biden for failing to mention the policy, calling it a missed opportunity.

Madrid said that Democrats are scrambling to find the right strategy on the issue.

"This has been 180-degree turn for the Democratic Party, from how it has traditionally approached Latino voters generally and the immigration issue specifically," he said. "It's by design. Coupling immigration reform with border security has proven to be an unmitigated disaster for them, and theyre fixing it."

Read more: Kamala Harris spent her political career supporting immigrants. As vice president, it got more complicated

Kerri Talbot and Beatriz Lopez, who lead the advocacy group Immigration Hub, urged Harris to strive for balanced messaging on immigration. In a memo Monday, they said the group's research had consistently found that most people don't know where Democrats stand on the issue, "leaving Trump and Republicans to fill in the blanks."

The messaging that resonates most with those voters is "keeping families together," Talbot and Lopez wrote. They also pointed to the American Civil Liberties Union's finding that voters presented exclusively with "tough-on-immigration" messaging lose interest.

Krish OMara Vignarajah, president and chief executive of the immigrant advocacy organization Global Refuge, said the convention presents an opportunity for Democratic leaders to reject Republican fearmongering and make a full-throated case that America without immigrants is no America at all.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Former first lady Michelle Obama delivered a powerful speech Tuesday to the Democratic National Convention in her hometown of Chicago, where she declared that thanks to the ascendant candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris, hope is making a comeback.

Something wonderfully magical is in the air, isnt it? she began. Were feeling it here in this arena, but its spreading all across this country we love, a familiar feeling thats been buried too deep for too long. You know what Im talking about. Its the contagious power of hope.

America, hope is making a comeback, she added.

My girl, Kamala Harris

Revered by Democrats, Michelle Obama has long been viewed as a possible presidential candidate, even though she has repeatedly said she has no intention of ever entering politics. A poll released following President Bidens much-criticized debate performance against former President Donald Trump in late June found that Michelle Obama was the only Democrat in a hypothetical field, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who beat Trump in a head-to-head matchup.

Tuesdays speech showed what a potent political ally she can be for Harris. After recounting the sadness of mourning the death of her mother in May, Obama moved on to Harriss mother, an immigrant to America from India.

Former first lady Michelle Obama speaks during the Democratic National Convention. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Even though our mothers grew up an ocean apart, they shared the same belief in the promise of this country, Obama said, adding, She taught Kamala about justice. About the need to lift others up, about our responsibility to give more than you take.

Those values, Obama said, helped prepare Harris for great heights, including jobs as San Franciscos district attorney and Californias attorney general and senator.

From a middle-class household, Kamala worked to become vice president of the United States of America, Obama said. My girl, Kamala Harris, is more than ready for this moment. She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency.

The affirmative action of generational wealth

Obama also showed that she can land a political attack with the best of them.

She understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth, she said in reference to Trump. If we bankrupt a business or choke in a crisis, we dont get a second, third or fourth chance. If things dont go our way, we dont have the luxury of whining or cheating others to get further ahead.

And in a swipe at Trump over his past statement that undocumented immigrants were taking Black jobs, Obama kept up her pressure.

I want to know, who is going to tell him that the job he is currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs, she said.

In the end, her speech sought to bolster Harris while calling her opponents political brand into question.

Of the two major candidates in this race, only Kamala Harris truly understands the unseen labor and unwavering commitment that has always made America great, she said.
Thurston County Commissioner Carolina Mejia said she felt disappointed and incredibly frustrated by public comments supporting her suspended seatmate Emily Clouse.

These past three weeks have been a waste of government resources, taxpayer money and a huge emotional burden, Mejia said. Im disappointed because Ive seen what I myself have experienced and what other people of color experience over and over in these systems.

Mejia shared her perspective during a Board of County Commissioners meeting Tuesday. This marked Mejias first public statement on an ongoing investigation into a complaint against Clouse  a situation that prompted Mejia and two other Commissioners to temporarily suspend Clouse from her appointed boards and commissions.

After Mejia spoke about the matter, she excused herself from the meeting and did not return after a 20-minute recess. However, Mejia later rejoined the rest of the board for a Transportation Benefit District board meeting.

I myself have been scared to speak out because its easier to believe the white woman tears and easier to paint the narrative of an angry brown woman, Mejia said. Its easy for her to say that I dont like her, and for people to believe her, than for people to know why Im keeping my distance and the way she has made me feel.

Mejia went on to say Clouse has used her position of power and system and made it work for her.

This is the reason that people of color are afraid to speak up and to confront because the only time people care to hear about our side of the story is when were lying dead on the street.

County officials have refused to describe the nature of the investigation into Clouse. So far, the public has only been able to glean information from broad statements made by Clouses attorney and other county commissioners.

Maia Robbins, Clouses attorney, said last week that the county is investigating a brief dating relationship that Clouse had with a colleague at work.

She is cooperating fully with the investigation, and looks forward to its conclusion, which will reveal nothing more interesting than someone dating their coworker: something that happens every day in Americas workplaces.

Robbins also called the decision to suspend Clouse a regrettable exercise in overkill and not warranted by the actual circumstances of the relationship.

Clouse referred The Olympian to her attorney when asked to comment about Mejias statement on Tuesday. The Olympian is awaiting a response from Robbins.

In her remarks on Tuesday, Mejia called attention to the person who made the complaint against Clouse.

None of you have ever cared to think about how the person who stepped forward is doing, Mejia said. How they deserve accountability, how their mental or emotional health is doing.

Mejia then preemptively addressed potential criticism for her remarks about race.

Before anyone says Im making this a race issue, I am laying out the truth of my experience and the experience of people of color, Mejia said. How did your attorney put it? Something that happens every day in Americas workplaces.

She closed her remarks by saying she did not choose to suspend Clouse out of political vindictiveness.

I have nothing politically to gain from this and honestly, not what motivated me to run or why I continue to serve, Mejia said. Im holding Commissioner Clouse to the same standards of what I would expect from any elected official in this community if confronted with a complaint like this.

Notably, Mejia previously conveyed to The Olympian that she would not comment on the situation involving Clouse until after the investigation was complete.

Public comments in support of Clouse

Jeff Sowers, a Thurston County resident who previously worked on Clouses campaign, told the County Board he felt shocked and appalled to learn that the board voted to suspend Clouse.

I understand theres been a complaint, but to take this kind of dramatic action against another commissioner before the investigation has even begun is premature and outrageous.

Sowers said he felt the actions against Clouse were underhanded and undemocratic. He said the board has stripped her of her ability to carry out a large part of her executive functions and he wants her to be able to do the job she was elected to do.

I read that you thought you were doing this as a precautionary measure, Sowers said. Well, it doesnt seem very cautionary to me. Its kind of a bold and dramatic action that I think has questionable legality.

Sowers also thanked Commissioner Tye Menser for sitting out the executive session where Commissioners Mejia, Gary Edwards and Wayne Fournier voted to suspend Clouse.

He fortunately had the good sense to listen to the county prosecuting attorney and did not participate in this, Sowers said.

Menser told The Olympian on Monday that he supported the investigation into the complaint against Clouse, but did not support the move to suspend her.

Syd Locke, a west Olympia resident and Democratic legislative aide who is running for a 22nd Legislative District seat, echoed what Sowers had to say and asked the board to reconsider Clouses suspension.

I feel like its premature, Locke said. You should wait until after the investigation is completed.

Locke said he feels Clouses suspension was punitive.

Its not just punitive to Commissioner Clouse, but its punitive to all the people who voted for her, all the people who support her, Locke said. Because we want a commissioner who can fully participate and right now, were not getting that.
FILE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs the Parental Rights in Education bill at Classical Preparatory school on March 28, 2022, in Shady Hills, Fla. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP, File)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  School board candidates in Florida backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis were defeated Tuesday in several counties, results that opponents of the Republican say are a rebuke to his conservative education agenda.

Incumbent school board members in one of Florida's largest swing counties appear to have held off a challenge from candidates backed by DeSantis, according to preliminary results. Activists had hoped that three challengers endorsed by the local chapter of Moms for Liberty would win a conservative majority in Pinellas County, home to St. Petersburg on Florida's Gulf Coast.

But unofficial results show current school board chair Laura Hine and incumbent member Eileen Long have held on to their seats, after arguing that a political shift on the board could create turmoil in the district and distract from the mission of student achievement.

In a third race for an open seat on the Pinellas board, candidates Stacy Geier and Katie Blaxberg appeared to be headed for a runoff, after no one in the three-way contest cleared 50% of the vote.

With 100% of precincts reporting, Hine, the board chair, carried 69% of the vote over DeSantis-backed challenger Danielle Marolfs 30%, according to preliminary results. Incumbent member Long brought in 54% of the vote over the 45% netted by Erika Picard, who was also endorsed by the Republican governor.

We have got to stay focused on that work at hand and not be subject to the social political winds. Education is vital. And it has to be stable," Hine told The Associated Press ahead of Tuesday's elections.

In the third race for the board, Stacy Geier garnered 37% of the vote compared to Katie Blaxberg's 34%, with a third candidate Brad DeCorte netting 28%, according to the countys preliminary results. Geier was endorsed by DeSantis and the local Chapter of Moms for Liberty, while Blaxberg has argued parental rights activists have gone too far, with some equating books with pornography and labeling teachers as groomers. She found herself on the opposing side of the local chapter of Moms for Liberty and was targeted by conservative activists online.

The misinformation that has been spread by this group of people and the intent to  place mistrust in our teachers, Blaxberg said, people are tired of it.

Much of the political debate in the races had hinged on parental rights, a movement which grew out of opposition to pandemic precautions in schools but now is animated by heated complaints over teachings about identity, race and history.

Long, one of the Pinellas incumbents, said she sees the results as an admonishment of the governor.

People want sanity. People want common sense. And people believe we should educate everyone, Long said. The people have spoken.

Incumbents in Hillsborough County hold off conservative challengers

In neighboring Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, two current board members  who had landed on DeSantis list of incumbents he wanted voted out  both appeared to fight off challenges by candidates that the governor had endorsed.

With 100% of precincts reporting, incumbent Nadia Combs had garnered 52% of the vote over the 37% pulled in by Layla Collins, who was endorsed by DeSantis. A third candidate, Julie Magill had netted just under 10% of the vote.

Meanwhile sitting board member Jessica Vaughn pulled in 58% of the vote, compared to the 41% earned by DeSantis-backed Myosha Powell.

Collins and Powell were among the 23 school board candidates that DeSantis endorsed this cycle, in an effort to carry on his war on "woke in public schools. Combs and Vaughn meanwhile had the backing of the Florida Democratic Party, which threw its support behind 11 school board candidates statewide.

In Broward County, DeSantis appointees are voted off

Meanwhile in South Florida, two conservative-leaning board members who were appointed by DeSantis to the school board in reliably Democratic Broward County appear to have lost their seats to challengers, according to preliminary results.

DeSantis tapped Torey Alston to step onto the Broward board in 2022, after the governor removed four elected board members from office after a grand jury accused them of mismanagement and neglect of duty. DeSantis appointed Daniel Foganholi to the board in 2023, after a candidate chosen by voters couldn't take office due to a prior criminal conviction.

Given the chance to decide on Tuesday, the countys voters chose to unseat the two political appointees.

With 100% of Broward precincts reporting, the unofficial tally shows that Maura McCarthy Bulman carried 51% of the vote over Foganholis 19%. A third candidate, Chris Canter, pulled in 28%.

Meanwhile Rebecca Thompson, who was backed by the Florida Democratic Party, netted 66% of the vote over Alstons 33%.

The three elected incumbents running to keep their seats on the Broward board  Debbi Hixon, Jeff Holness and Sarah Leonardi  each won by a more than 40% margin in their respective races, according to the countys unofficial results.

___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Indias lunar lander finds signs a vast magma ocean may have once existed on the moon

In less than a year since India's historic landing on the south pole of the moon, the nation's Chandrayaan-3 mission is already providing scientists back on Earth with data shedding light on the lunar surface.

A team of Indian researchers uncovered evidence that a vast magma ocean may once have existed on the moon's south pole, which until now has remained largely shrouded in mystery. The researchers' findings were published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

It's not the first region of the moon where signs of a magma ocean have been found, but the discovery may serve as crucial insight into an area that has long intrigued the world's space agencies with designs of sending spacefarers to the lunar surface. NASA and its rivals in China and elsewhere have long set their sights on the moon's south pole, where the presence of water ice would make deep space exploration possible.

Here's what to know about what the Chandrayaan-3 mission uncovered and what it could mean for future lunar exploration.

Chandrayaan-3 rover Pragyan finds evidence of magma ocean

Prior to its 2023 launch, the six-wheeled lander and rover module of Chandrayaan-3 were configured with payloads that would provide scientific data on the properties of lunar soil and rocks.

Once the Chandrayaan-3 lander, called Vikram, made it on Aug. 23 to the lunar surface near the Manzinus crater, the rover Pragyan promptly rolled down its ramp to begin exploring the southern region.

Within the first few weeks, the Pragyan rover used an X-ray spectrometer to take nearly two dozen measurements at various spots along a 103-meter tract of the lunar surface, measuring the chemical and elemental compositions of rocks and dust.

Study lead author Santosh Vadawale of Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad led a team that analyzed the data Pragyan collected. The researchers' findings suggested that the soil around the area largely contained a lunar rock known as ferroan anorthosite.

One of the best-known moon rocks, ferroan anorthosite is thought to be pieces of the original lunar crust that could have been formed by a magma ocean, according to the Lunar and Planetary Institute.

Similar samples have already been analyzed at the moons equatorial region during NASA's Apollo missions and the Soviet Union's Luna missions in the 1970s. Now, the rocks' presence in the south pole suggests that what Pragyan had encountered was the remnants of a former ocean of magma.

What are magma oceans?

Magma oceans are thought to blanket a celestial body's surface during the formation of any terrestrial planet and some lunar formations, according to NASA.

Scientists believe that Earth's moon formed when two protoplanets  or developing planets  collided. As a result, the smaller of the protoplanets (the moon) became so hot that its entire mantle was molten magma, or a magma ocean.

If the theory is true, the magma ocean would only have existed from the time of the moon's formation about 4.5 billion years ago to no more than tens of millions of years later.

What is Chandrayaan-3?

People in India watch a live stream of the nation's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft's landing on the moon in August 2023. REUTERS/

Last year, India landed its first spacecraft, the Chandrayaan-3, on the moon around the same time Russias first lunar mission in decades ended in failure when its Luna 25 probe crashed into the lunar surface.

India is now among five nations to get an uncrewed craft to the lunar surface after Japan became the latest in January to join the U.S., Russia/Soviet Union and China in accomplishing the feat.

However, what makes India's feat distinguishable is that the lander Vikram was the first craft in history to land near the moon's south pole, deploying Pragyan a day later.

Indias previous attempt to land a robotic spacecraft near the region ended in failure in 2019 due to a software glitch. It entered the lunar orbit but lost touch with its lander which crashed while making its final descent to deploy a rover to search for signs of water.

Since the successful landing, Chandrayaan-3, the Sanskrit word for moon craft," has been analyzing lunar rock samples and searching for water ice.

Why NASA, others are interested in lunar south pole

Water ice on the moon is the holy grail of future lunar exploration.

NASA and so many other world space agencies are highly interested in the moon's south pole because that's where it's thought that the substance is abundant. One day, water ice could be extracted and used for drinking, breathing and as a source of hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel.

The U.S. and China in particular have been locked in a heated space race to get humans back to the moon where astronauts hope to one day establish basecamps of sorts for future deep-space expeditions to places like Mars.

For the United States, American astronauts have not set foot on the moon since the last Apollo mission in 1972, making NASA's Artemis lunar program the first in decades.

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: India's Chandrayaan-3 rover finds signs of ancient lunar magma ocean
Indian PM says he will share prospects for ending Russo-Ukrainian war during his visit to Kyiv

Ahead of his visit to Ukraine, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for peace to be restored and announced that he would share his prospects for ending the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Source: Radio Liberty; Reuters

Quote from Modi: "I look forward to the opportunity to ... share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict [war]. As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region."

Details: Modi left for Poland on Wednesday and will visit Kyiv on Friday, marking the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since diplomatic relations were established over 30 years ago.

Reuters reports that many Indian analysts view the visit to Kyiv as a move to "control the damage" from Modi's trip to Moscow, as well as a strategic balancing act amid New Delhi's increasing alignment with the West, particularly Washington.

Indian diplomats deny this and say that New Delhi's ties with Russia and Ukraine are independent of each other and that the trip is based on the interaction between New Delhi and Kyiv in various fields.

Background:

Modi visited Russia in early July, the same day that Russian forces targeted the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv. At a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Modi urged him to end the war against Ukraine and said that a resolution could not be found on the battlefield.

The Ukrainian president criticised Modi's meeting with Putin, calling it a "devastating blow to peace efforts". In response, India summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to discuss Zelenskyy's remark.

The United States has expressed concern about India's relations with Russia amid Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

The Ukrainian President's Office officially confirmed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would visit Ukraine on the eve of Independence Day, which is celebrated annually on 24 August.

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Indiana Woman and Husband Charged with Neglect in Death of Her Father Who Was Allegedly 'Sunken' Into Couch

Kenneth Rickenbaugh was reportedly found in a room that police said smelled of feces

Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office (2) Frederick (left) and Carmen Groves

An Indiana couple is accused of neglecting an elderly man who was sunken into the couch when he was found dead.

Frederick, 60, and Carmen Groves, 49, are charged with neglecting a dependent causing death following the discovery of Carmen's deceased 73-year-old father, Kenneth Rickenbaugh.

According to reports from the Evansville Courier & Press, WFIE and WEHT, who all cited a police affidavit, Frederick allegedly called police on June 23 to say that his father-in-law had died. But when police responded, the outlets reported that Rickenbaugh was found in a room smelling of feces and that parts of his skin had become stuck to a couch.

Online jail and court records indicate that in addition to neglecting a dependent, Frederick and Carmen are charged with altering the scene of death and failure to report human remains, while Frederick is also charged with exploitation of a dependent or endangered adult.

Both were booked into jail on Aug. 16.

Attorneys for Frederick and Carmen Groves could not immediately be reached for comment. It is not immediately clear if either defendant has entered a plea.

The reported affidavit states that police who responded to the Evansville home said the floor had just been mopped.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

According to WEHT's reporting on the affidavit, police said that Frederick allegedly admitted in an interview to never going in the room where Rickenbaugh was found and that Carmen was the one who fed the elderly man. Frederick allegedly told police that his father-in-law was bedridden and received very little care, according to the Courier & Press.

The Courier & Press also reported, citing the affidavit, that Frederick allegedly told police he assumed Rickenbaugh urinated and defecated on himself while sitting on the couch, and noted that he had heard his father-in-law call out, "Help."

Both Frederick and Carmen have hearings scheduled for Sept. 30.

Frederick and Carmen are each being held on $100,000 bond, jail records indicate.

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Read the original article on People.
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he will "share perspectives" on the peaceful resolution of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia during his visit to Kyiv this week, more than a month after he travelled to Moscow.

Modi departed for Poland on Wednesday and will visit Kyiv on Friday, the first trip to Ukraine by an Indian prime minister since diplomatic relations were established more than three decades back.

The trip follows Modi's July 8-9 visit to Moscow which drew criticism from the U.S. and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as it coincided with a lethal Russian strike on a children's hospital in Kyiv.

Modi condemned the killing of innocent children in an implicit rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The short visit to Kyiv is seen by many Indian analysts as an attempt to control the damage from the Moscow trip and also a strategic balancing act at a time New Delhi has grown closer to the West, particularly Washington.

India's diplomats reject that and say New Delhi's ties with Russia and Ukraine are independent of each other and the trip builds on interactions between New Delhi and Kyiv across sectors.

"I look forward to the opportunity to ... share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict," Modi said in a statement on Wednesday before his departure. "As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region."

India and Russia have been close friends since the days of the Soviet Union and New Delhi has not condemned Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, instead urging both sides to use dialogue and diplomacy to resolve their differences.

Russia became India's top oil supplier since the war began as Indian refiners snapped up cheap Russian crude.

New Delhi has also remained engaged with Kyiv, with Modi meeting Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Italy in June. They have also spoken several times by phone.

The prospect of India mediating to help end the war in Ukraine has been raised in diplomatic circles from time to time but New Delhi has appeared cagey, saying only that it is willing to offer any support to resolve the conflict peacefully.

"Contrary to widespread expectations, Modis visit to Warsaw and Kyiv may be less about a new Indian peace initiative on Ukraine," C Raja Mohan of the Singapore-based Institute of South Asian Studies wrote in Wednesday's Indian Express newspaper.

"President Vladimir Putin knows how to reach out to the U.S., which has the most leverage in the Ukraine war, and open negotiations when he finds it appropriate," he wrote, adding that Modi's trip was more about boosting New Delhi's ties in Central Europe.

(Reporting by Sakshi Dayal and YP Rajesh; Editing by Sudipto Ganguly, Stephen Coates and Philippa Fletcher)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends a wreath laying ceremony in honour of the "Good Maharaja" Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. Modi is visiting Poland for top-level security and trade talks before heading to neighboring Ukraine, which is at war with India's strategic partner, Russia. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Poland for top-level security and trade talks before heading to neighboring Ukraine, which is at war with India's strategic partner, Russia.

Modi will hold talks Thursday in Warsaw with Polands Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda, which are expected to focus on security, especially in the region bordering Ukraine.

Ukraine chastised Modi for his visit to Moscow last month, when he met and hugged President Vladimir Putin. Modi has avoided condemning Russia while emphasizing a peaceful settlement to the war in Ukraine.

Poland offers political, humanitarian and defense supports to Ukraine in its war against Russias aggression.

In a statement ahead of his arrival in the NATO and European Union member nation, Modi said Poland remains India's key economy partner in Central Europe.

Foreign Minister Wadysaw Teofil Bartoszewski said Poland hopes to sign a strategic partnership agreement with India that will lead to closer political and business relations as well as cooperation in the IT, cybersecurity and defense sectors.

The Indian leader's visit also marks 70 years of official bilateral relations between New Delhi and Warsaw, and comes 45 years after the previous visit by an Indian government leader, Morarji Desai, when Poland was a satellite of the Soviet Union, a dependence it shed in 1989.

Bartoszewski said India is aware that democratic Poland is playing in a different league than it was before 1989.

According to the figures cited by the Embassy of India, from 2013-2023, the total value of bilateral trade increased from $1.95 billion to $5.72 billion, with India's exports accounting for majority.

On Wednesday, Modi is to lay wreaths at two monuments in Warsaw marking joint chapters of World War II. One of the monuments honors the Good Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, who offered protection and care to some 1,000 Polish children evacuated from the Soviet Union to India from 1942-46, the other commemorates the joint effort in the 1944 Battle of Monte Cassino, Italy.

Modi's statement said he is also to meet with representatives of the Indian community in Poland.

Then-Indian President Pratibha Patil visited Poland in 2009, and Tusk, during his first term as prime minister, paid a visit to India in 2010.

On Friday, Modi travels to Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The trip to Ukraine comes a month after Zelenskyy criticized Modi's two-day visit to Moscow in July, when he met with Putin on the day Russian missiles struck across Ukraine, killing scores of people.

Zelenskyy had described the meeting as a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts." He also chided Modi for hugging Putin during their meeting.

India has avoided condemning Russias invasion and instead has urged Russia and Ukraine to resolve the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
This is what the Karaite kenesa looked like before the start of the 'restoration work'. Stock photo

A Karaite place of worship, known as a kenesa, in temporarily occupied Simferopol, Crimea, is starting to fall apart. Despite reopening after being renovated in May 2023, the buildings facade is now in urgent need of repair.

Source: activists from the media outlet Holos Krymu ("Voice of Crimea")

The Russian "State Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Crimea" commissioned a renovation of the interior and the repair of the kenesa's facade, works that were completed in 2017. In 2022, the local authorities announced the completion of "restoration work", claiming that the "historical appearance" of the building and the surrounding area had been restored.

This is the current state of the Simferopol Karaite kenesa

Photo: Holos Krymu

Activists say that Maksym Soroka, Head of the Central Service and Development Department for Cultural Institutions in Crimea, has been reassuring locals that the situation is under the control of the "Ministry of Culture of Crimea". He believes that the damage "does not affect the structural part of the building".

History of the Karaite kenesa

The Karaite prayer house, known as a kenesa, was built in 1896. The main building material was stone, which was quarried along the banks of the Bodrak River. The altar in the Simferopol kenesa was different from other places of worship built in the period: due to the specific topography, it was oriented towards Mecca rather than Jerusalem.

In 1930, the kenesa was closed and replaced by a Karaite club. The club operated for three years, after which the building was renovated and some of the interior and exterior decoration was removed.

This is what the prayer house looked like in 2018

Photo: FV Centre

After 1936, the kenesa building was used to house the editorial office of the Crimean Radio and Television Centre, with a break during the German occupation of Crimea from 1941 to 1944 during World War II. After Ukraine gained independence in 1991, the Karaite community sought to reclaim their rights to use the building.

On 7 October 2012, a prayer service was held on the third floor of the building, which had been returned to the community  the first service in over 80 years. The following year, the Crimean Television and Radio Company transferred the entire building to the community.

Photo: FV Centre

Quote from Voice of Crimea: "The Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea established by the Russian occupiers transferred the kenesa building to the Simferopol Cholpan Karaite religious community by its decree No. 667-r dated 15 July 2014. In the autumn of the same year, the congregation renovated one of the rooms on the first floor of the building for worship."

The restoration work from 2017 to 2018 cost the Russians RUB 130 million (about US$1.5 million). The work was sponsored by representatives of a "Federal Targeted Programme for the Development of Crimea". In the course of their work, the "restorers" failed to restore the two domes on the roof and the six-pointed star on the pediment. They also dismantled the original carved doors and the original window grilles.

Who are the Karaites?

The Karaites are a Turkic indigenous people of Ukraine who have been living on the Crimean Peninsula since the 13th century. Previously, there were large Karaite communities in the cities of Galicia, as well as in Lutsk, Kyiv and Odesa.

According to Ukrainer, there are now about 1,000 Karaites, with the majority residing in temporarily occupied Crimea.

"The core of their community is their faith: they recognise the Torah but not religious organisations dogmatic interpretations of it because they believe that the reader should interpret it," the publication explained.

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By Ananda Teresia and Stanley Widianto

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's second-largest party Golkar appointed a top loyalist of President Joko Widodo as its new chief on Wednesday, a move members say could allow the outgoing president to retain political influence long after he leaves office in October.

Bahlil Lahadalia, the newly appointed energy minister and the president's right-hand man, was chosen as party leader at the annual congress of Golkar, the party of the late autocrat President Suharto, who ruled Indonesia for three decades until 1998.

The hugely popular Widodo, better known as Jokowi, has served the maximum two terms allowed and his immense political clout helped ensure former rival Prabowo Subianto won February's presidential election with a huge margin.

Four Golkar sources, several speaking on the sidelines of the congress on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters Bahlil's appointment could help Jokowi to secure his legacy after Prabowo takes power.

Golkar members have said Jokowi, who hails from the island of Java, has been quietly angling to shore up his power base through the party before stepping down. Jokowi's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

During his speech to the congress, Bahlil stressed the party must be unified and in an apparent reference to Jokowi, he gave a veiled warning to its members to stay in line.

"If we play around with the king of Java, it will be dangerous for us," he said.

Bahlil's appointment comes during a transition period in which Prabowo has been fast consolidating power ahead of his presidency, culminating in him securing a parliamentary majority late last week, with support from parties that had backed his election rival.

As the largest party in the parliamentary coalition, Golkar could be central to the success or failure of Prabowo's policy agenda, giving it significant bargaining power. Prabowo's Gerindra party is the second largest in the alliance.

"When Jokowi steps down as president he won't have a political tool anymore," said one senior Golkar member.

"How will he maintain the balance with the new administration? He must take over, but he can't take over Golkar alone."

"Bahlil has proven his loyalty for all these years, so Jokowi trusts Bahlil," the Golkar member added.

NO INTERVENTION

Golkar was originally scheduled to hold its annual congress this December, but the surprise resignation of Airlangga Hartarto as chair last weekend saw the event brought forward.

Bahlil was the sole candidate nominated for party chief and played down suggestions of political intervention to ensure he was appointed.

"It was a competition," he told a press conference.

"I'd have been happier with competition, but what could I do if there was no competition?"

Party rules prohibit Jokowi, who is not currently a Golkar member, from becoming party chair himself.

Party sources have said the outgoing president may seek a seat on the party's influential advisory council, which will be chosen later on Wednesday.

Bahlil, however, said Jokowi would not be appointed.

The party shake-up comes amid a string of new political appointments and the formation of a government-aligned big-tent coalition.

On Monday Jokowi appointed several new ministers with close ties to his successor in a reshuffle his office said was designed to smooth the transition of power.

The same day a coalition of political parties aligned to Prabowo and Jokowi also converged behind a single candidate for the Jakarta governor election, which may see Anies Baswedan, the favourite candidate and a vocal government critic, squeezed out of the race.

Prabowo and Jokowi's son, vice-president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka, will be inaugurated on October 20.

(Writing by Kate Lamb; Editing by John Mair, Martin Petty)
OGLE COUNTY, Ill. (WTVO)  Three Ogle County deputies, shot by a standoff suspect in June, were honored Tuesday for bravery in the line of duty.

Police said the suspect, Jonathon Gounaris, allegedly opened fire on them during a standoff situation at the Lost Lake community just outside of Dixon.

All three men have since recovered from their injuries. On Tuesday, one officer was presented with a new shield to replace one that was damaged in the incident.

All three were awarded a lifetime employee discount on all Armor Research products, as well as specialized training certificates for the items.

According to authorities, at 8:39 a.m. on June 12th, police were called to the 400 block of Wild Rice Lane.

The SWAT team and hostage negotiators were called at 9:18 a.m., and repeatedly tried to make contact with the suspect, VanVickle said.

At 11:51 a.m., authorities made entry into the home and, immediately upon entering the house, our deputies received fire. Police returned fire, incapacitating the suspect.

Police said Gounaris was armed with multiple firearms, a fixed-blade knife, pepper spray and ballistic armor.

He faces 12 criminal charges in total, including 4 counts of Attempted First Degree Murder, 3 counts of Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm, 3 counts of Aggravated Battery, and 2 counts of Possession of a Firearm Without a Firearm Owners Identification Card (FOID).

Two of the three deputies injured in the shooting were transported to KSB Hospital, according to Nancy Varga, Chief of Staff. The other deputy was flown to OSF St. Anthonys Hospital in Rockford and underwent surgery.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyStateline | WTVO News, Weather and Sports.
Escaped Mississippi inmate taken into custody in Chicago after barricading inside restaurant near DNC site

CHICAGO (CBS)  A suspect who escaped during a court hearing in Mississippi in June was found in Chicago and taken into custody after a standoff with police in a West Side restaurant, authorities said.

CBS affiliate WREG-TV in Memphis reported that Joshua Zimmerman escaped from the DeSoto County Courthouse in Hernando, Mississippi on June 14. Authorities said he changed from a jumpsuit into civilian clothing and left through a door where no officers were around, the station reported.

Joshua Zimmerman / Credit: DeSoto County, Mississippi Sheriff's Office

Zimmerman had been charged with attempted murder and armed robbery in an incident in Southaven, Mississippi in September of last year. WREG reported Zimmerman was accused of attacking an elderly man who had hired him to work at his house.

Zimmerman was taken into custody on Wednesday morning.

DeSoto County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Justin Smith said Tuesday night that multiple law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service, have been searching for Smith since he fled.

Smith said Zimmerman was found at Seafood Junction, 2325 W. Madison St., just east of Western Avenue. The restaurant is only about half a mile west of the United Center, where the Democratic National Convention was in its second night Tuesday.

When Zimmerman arrived in Chicago still isn't clear. What is known is that Zimmerman worked at Seafood Junctionand when U.S. Marshals converged on the restaurant in an attempt to arrest him, he "retreated into the ceiling and barricaded himself."

/ Credit: DeSoto County, Mississippi Sheriff's Office

CBS News Chicago obtained a video of Zimmerman shot this month inside Seafood Junctionin which a person who asked to remain anonymous thought a man in the video resembled Zimmerman after seeing social media posts with his image.

A different person, who asked not to use his name, said he comes to the strip mall where Seafood Junction is located often to get lunch.

He questioned how Zimmerman could have gotten a job at Seafood Junction.

"It really surprised me," he said. "They should check everybody's background before you go to workand it's not fair for people."

John Chan watched as a SWAT team wearing gas masks entered the King Wok Gourmet Chinese Restaurant next door, where he works.

"I was watching this happen," he said. "Stayed up all night, even came here at 4:30 in the morning. I noticed the SWAT team putting on their masks, and that's an indication. I think they all went up on top of the roof."

Questions also remain as to how Zimmerman was able to get to Chicago and get a job in the city. Law enforcement was looking into all those questions late Wednesday.

The U.S. Marshal's Service investigators said they developed information that led them to the restaurantleading to Zimmerman's arrest.

When he escaped, Zimmerman was also awaiting extradition to Houston, where he's charged with murder, the Marshals Service said, according to The Associated Press.

WREG reported that charge stems from his alleged involvement in a shooting that left a woman dead in a Houston motel last September.

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A Mississippi inmate escaped, apparently found work at a Chicago restaurant and then barricaded himself there, officials say

Authorities have captured Joshua Zimmerman, a Mississippi inmate who escaped two months ago and barricaded himself in a Chicago restaurant where he had apparently found a job, the US Marshals Service said Wednesday.

No other details were immediately released about Zimmermans capture, whether he was armed or if anyone was injured.

Zimmerman, who is wanted on several charges in at least three states, barricaded himself Tuesday at a seafood restaurant just blocks from where the Democratic National Convention was taking place, the US Marshals Service said.

Zimmerman, 30, escaped June 14 from the Desoto County (Mississippi) Jail, where he was being held for armed robbery and attempted murder, the marshals service said in a statement Tuesday. DeSoto County is in northwest Mississippi, about 25 miles south of Memphis.

Its not clear how or why Zimmerman traveled to Chicago, or whether he knew people in the area, said Justin Smith, chief deputy for the DeSoto County Sheriffs Office.

But USMS investigators recently developed information that Zimmerman was in Chicago and sent a collateral lead to the (Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force), who positively identified Zimmerman in a seafood restaurant in the 2300 block of Madison Street, where it is believed he was working, the marshals service said.

During the arrest attempt, Zimmerman retreated into the ceiling and barricaded himself, the USMS said. Although the restaurant is in close proximity to the site of the Democratic National Convention, the agency said, there was no connection or threat to the event or those attending.

CNN is working to confirm whether Zimmerman has obtained an attorney.

A spate of charges and aliases

DeSoto County court records show Zimmerman was arrested on suspicion of robbery and attempted murder on September 29, 2023, in Southaven, Mississippi.

Earlier that month, Zimmerman was charged  but never arrested  on suspicion of felony murder in Harris County, Texas, for allegedly shooting and killing a woman at a Houston motel, according to an arrest warrant filed September 5, 2023.

Zimmerman is also wanted in Connecticut for failing to appear at a December 2022 court hearing related to a felony sexual assault charge, court records show.

Zimmerman has been known to use aliases and fake forms of identification, according to his arrest warrant in Harris County. He checked into the Houston motel under the alias Vincent Guerino Juliano, the court document states. Zimmerman has also reportedly used the name Jamie Quintana, the Texas warrant states.

Zimmerman was being held Wednesday in Chicago, US Marshals Service spokesperson Brady McCarron told CNN.

The DeSoto County Sheriffs Office in Mississippi has said it hopes Zimmerman will be extradited.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CHICAGO  Monitoring motorcades, threats, disturbances and other events linked to the Democratic National Convention is no small task.

WGN News got an inside look at how that information is processed and then shared with the public.

From suspicious activity near the United Center to protesters penetrating a fence Mondays activities were tracked with the U.S. Secret Service running point.

Determining what to share with the public is a 24/7 job this week.

As President Joe Biden arrived in Chicago Monday afternoon he was one of nine protectees being monitored by the Secret Service, state police and even the FBI in a room at the citys Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

Anthony Guglielmi is chief of communications for the U.S. Secret Service.

More Coverage: 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago

Our goal is to take this information  make sure nothing compromises security  and broadcast it out the city, he said.

That includes road closures, security perimeters and explanations of whats happening and where.

I have a unique perspective, Guglielmi said. I worked five years for the Chicago Police Department. I cant think of a better team to manage something on this scale than CPD.

Sorting through the regular rhythms of the city and a potential disruption that needs to be quickly communicated to the public isnt always simple.

Mondays perimeter breach was resolved in less than a half hour and resulted in a handful of arrests.

That information was shared along with a rolling list of street closures.

Twenty law enforcement agencies are represented in the joint information center.

A recognition that informing the public is a priority right along with protecting DNC delegates.

After more than a year of planning, Chicago is at the center of the political spotlight this week as host of the 2024 Democratic National Convention.



Day 3 Recap:

Walz accepts Democratic nomination for vice president: Its the honor of my life

Police and FBI investigate maggot incident at DNC breakfast in Chicago

Residents in shadow of United Center tire of DNC disruptions

Illinois student journalists get firsthand experience at the DNC

Blue Carpet: DNC delegates make fashion statements to stand out in the crowd

Crowds of pro-Palestinian protesters rally, march outside Democratic conventions 3rd night

Photos: Celebs spotted at the DNC

The convention runs through Thursday. Chicago has hosted Democrats 12 times, the last being nearly 30 years ago when President Bill Clinton was nominated for a second term.



WGN Cover Story: Why Chicago has hosted more presidential conventions than any other city.

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They installed a rainbow-Pegasus mural on a city street. Reviews have been ... mixed

The city of Tacoma recently rolled out a project intended to improve safety and slow speeds via intersection murals. The colorful effort is getting mixed reviews.

On Aug. 15, the Facebook group Tacompton Files posted a photo of a circular mural. It features a carousel and rainbow-winged Pegasus  and fresh tire marks on top.

Apparently the city paints murals in intersections for art, and to slow traffic, the post reads. Looks like it is working out so far.

Some social-media users opined that its a waste of taxpayer dollars. Others worried that the mural  located near Stewart Middle School, 5010 Pacific Ave.  would present a danger to motorcyclists when it rains because of slick paint.

Supporters have praised the look of the asphalt art, as well as the city for pursuing beautification and traffic-calming efforts on a street where drivers frequently speed.

Imagine a world where we stopped doing nice or beautiful things because we anticipated that people would destroy it ... Im ok with beautification projects, one commenter wrote in part.

The News Tribune contacted the city to find out more about the mural, including associated costs and safety impacts.

Tire tracks mark a mural in the intersection of South 50th Street and South D Street, on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Tacoma, Wash.

Whats up with the mural on South D Street?

Funding for the temporary-demonstration project came from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, city spokesperson Maria Lee said via email. Its part of a broader grant given to the citys Safe Routes to School program.

The city of Tacoma contracted with a local muralist for $20,000 to cover their supplies and time, including time spent working with Stewart students on designs, she said.

Asked for the citys response to Facebook comments about purported consequences for motorcyclists, Lee pointed The News Tribune to a study on asphalt-art safety. The April 2022 analysis from Bloomberg Philanthropies indicates significantly improved safety performance across various metrics where such work appears.

Asphalt art is becoming more popular, researchers noted. Such installations are meant to encourage drivers to slow their roll and enhance awareness of cyclists and pedestrians.

The study suggests that the efforts appear to be working, highlighting a 50% drop in the crash rate pertaining to pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. The study defines vulnerable road users as pedestrians, bicyclists and scooter-users.

Tire tracks mark a mural in the intersection of South 50th Street and South D Street, on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Tacoma, Wash.

Where is the mural, exactly?

Tacomas mural project is intended to help teach students about transportation planning, traffic calming, public art and the 20 mph speed limit on residential streets, Lee said.

Three mural locations were chosen near Stewart Middle School: South D Streets intersections with South 50th, South 51st and South 52nd streets, Lee said. She also explained how the city geared up for the work.

Preparation for the mural was done in collaboration with Environmental Services who pressure washed and primed the locations according to measurements approved by the Public Works Transportation team, Lee said.

Is the mural toxic?

Lee noted that the paint used in the mural is non-toxic and safe for use without impacts to our waterways. One of the projects goals is to gauge the effectiveness of this traffic-calming effort by comparing speeds before and after installation.

This project was in partnership with Stewart Middle School, one of the next schools prioritized for improvements within the Tacoma Safe Routes to Schools school prioritization analysis, Lee added.

The artists mural installation began earlier this month, she said. The work is expected to wrap up before the start of the 2024-25 school year. For Tacoma Public Schools, that means the second week of September.

Such asphalt art typically lasts for two or so years, depending on wear and weather, Lee said.
Iowa City's plate reading technology approved in parking ramps. What to know:

Cars drive past a parking structure near the intersection of Burlington and Clinton streets Sunday, June 2, 2024 in downtown Iowa City, Iowa.

Iowa City's parking department can use automated license plate technology in city ramps and on certain city parking enforcement vehicles. They are also allowed to use traffic cameras "primarily for traffic engineering and study."

The ordinance was passed and adopted into Iowa City code by a narrow 4-3 vote by the Iowa City City Council on Tuesday, August 20. Councilors Andrew Dunn, Laura Bergus, and Mazahir Salih voted "no."

The 'no' votes came despite the council unanimously adopting Dunn's changes prior to the final reading and vote to the surprise of some councilmembers.

More: Iowa City moves closer to using automated license plate cameras in parking ramps

Cameras meant to save time, city says

City staff said the new code will increase efficiency and save time for both the city's Parking Division and the community. The recently installed cameras are equipped with plate reading capabilities in three of the city's ramps. The two ungated ramps at Chauncey Swan and Harrison have the tech available, as does the gated Capitol Street Ramp. Those cameras have not yet been activated.

Staff members said the cameras would improve efficiency around the entrance and exit of the city's gated ramps. Associate Director of Transportation Mark Rummel estimated the technology will save the division an hour of manpower per ramp per day.

Rummel said the cameras will also discourage customers who park in a ramp for several days and then choose the 'lost ticket' option open at the exit gate. Likewise, the camera tech will help drivers who actually misplace their tickets.

Drivers with city parking permits would also no longer need a physical "hang tag" that is issued annually.

Traffic cameras are OK

The city's "traffic engineering" camerasor "intersection cameras" are now code-exempt as well.

The city uses intersection cameras to investigate damaged or malfunctioning traffic signals.

The council held lengthy discussions about Flock cameras recently as they built the Fiscal 2025 budget, ultimately deciding not to buy them. Flock is an automated license plate reader that some police departments, including the University of Iowa PD, have used.

More: Vote for top offensive player in Iowa City area entering 2024 Iowa high school football season

City can't store license plate data for common use

A previous council had instated protections against the use of automated plate readers and automated traffic surveillance systems and necessitated this change.

The recent change carved out legal definitions for the use of the traffic-related automated systems. It restricts the city from storing, selling or aggregating data from the automated plate cameras and automated traffic systems "unless the data directly pertains to a qualified traffic law violation or other criminal law violation for which a ticket, citation, or arrest was issued."

Councilors voted unanimously in favor of these amendments.

On plate cameras, the ordinance will now read:

"Automatic license plate recognition systems or devices installed in City parking ramps or on City Parking Department vehicles, primarily used for parking enforcement, are not included in this definition."

On traffic camera technology, the ordinance reads:

"Specific Streets and Traffic Engineering Division cameras installed at intersections with traffic signals or roundabouts, used primarily for traffic engineering and study, shall not be included in this definition."

More: Iowa's 39 EF1 tornadoes set single-year record, NWS says

A parking fee sign is pictured on a parking structure Sunday, June 2, 2024 in downtown Iowa City, Iowa.

Council did not want to completely restrict police from accessing cameras

The language in the amended city code still allows police to access the parking cameras during investigations, consistent with department policy.

Previous discussions considered limitations to the police department's power to use these cameras in relevant investigations. For example, some of the off-the-cuff amended language proposed by Dunn at the last meeting had unintentionally created exclusions for police by limiting camera usage "exclusively" to the Parking Division.

This could have then stopped police from using the parking and traffic cameras to help investigate a sexual assault where they had little other details to work with, for example, City Manager Geoff Fruin said at a previous meeting. The council seemed hesitant to limit police use in all cases.

Councilor Shawn Harmsen also noted on Tuesday that police could have used the cameras to help locate a missing person "out of concern for their health and safety" during a recent investigation.

He wanted to ensure that the code did not restrict police and still allowed investigators to use the litany of city cameras to find or investigate a person's whereabouts in a similar situation.

City Attorney Eric Goers said that would be allowed in the altered code.

Councilor Dunn wanted the city to find a balance between stopping the omnipresent use by city departments and allowing other relevant uses, like a police investigation where little other evidence is available.

"The really big thing that I wanted to avoid was excluding entire camera systems," Dunn said. "This excludes cameras used for a specific purpose in a specific way, but it does not exclude every camera that is operated by the traffic services department. I believe that, functionally, it has the same effect as was desired by staff."

Goers said the amendment did not amount to a "substantive change" of the previously twice-passed ordinance after some additional late modifications by Dunn. A substantive change would have required the council to consider the code change three times again and adhere to Dunn's initial language.

More: Suspect in Marion quadruple murder deemed competent to stand trial in April 2025

Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Iowa City OKs automated plate reading technology in parking garages
(Photo via Getty Images)

The Iowa Department of Education announced Wednesday that some elementary schools will use an AI reading assistant to help with literacy tutoring programs.

The department made a $3 million investment into Amira (EPS Learning) for the use of a program called EPS Reading Assistant, an online literacy tutor that uses artificial intelligence technology. Iowa public and non-public elementary schools will be able to use the service at no cost through the summer of 2025, according to the department news release.

Reading unlocks a lifetime of potential, and the Departments new investment in statewide personalized reading tutoring further advances our shared commitment to strengthening early literacy instruction, McKenzie Snow, the education department director said in a statement. This work builds upon our comprehensive advancements in early literacy, spanning world-class state content standards, statewide educator professional learning, evidence-based summer reading programs, and Personalized Reading Plans for students in need of support.

The program uses voice recognition technology to follow along as a child reads out loud, providing corrective feedback and assessments when the student struggles through a digital avatar named Amira. According to the services website, the program is designed around the Science of Reading approach to literary education  a method that emphasizes the teaching of phonics and word comprehension when students are learning to read.

Gov. Kim Reynolds and state education experts, including staff with the Iowa Reading Research Center, have said that this teaching strategy will help improve the states child literacy rates, pointing to reading scores increasing in states like Mississippi following the implementation of science of reading methods.

In May, Reynolds signed a measure into law that set new early literacy standards for teachers, as well as adding requirements for how schools and families address when a student does not meet reading proficiency standards. These requirements include creating a personalized assistance plan for the child until they are able to reach grade-level reading proficiency and notifying parents and guardians of students in kindergarten through sixth grade that they can request their child repeats a grade if they are not meeting the literacy benchmarks.

Reynolds said the law was a to make literacy a priority in every Iowa classroom and for every Iowa student.

The AI-backed tutor program is being funded through the state education departments portion from the federal American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, part of a COVID-era measure providing states with additional funding for pandemic recovery efforts. The federal fund allocated more than $774 million to Iowa in 2021.

In addition to the new AI-backed programming available, the fund money is also going toward Summer Reading Grants, awarded to 41 elementary schools in 29 districts for efforts to address summer learning loss and close achievement gaps. The elementary schools that won grants have all affirmed their commitment to including the personalized reading tutor as part of their evidence-based programming, according to the news release.
The Iowa Department of Education announced that several school districts around the QCA received portions of $424,400 in competitive grants to support transportation and basic needs of students and families experiencing homelessness.

According to a release, the Resource Hub and Transportation Grants for Students Experiencing Homelessness will help Iowa school districts address barriers that can prevent students from getting to and attending school by connecting them to critical resources.

The transportation and basic needs of students who are displaced or experiencing homelessness should never be a barrier to school attendance and full participation in educational and enrichment programs, Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow said. We commend the awardees for their leadership in meeting the diverse needs of students and families experiencing homelessness to reinforce student success.

Districts serving students experiencing homelessness last year were eligible to apply for up to $10,000 to purchase wellness items for a resource hub in a school building. Resources include personal hygiene supplies, clothing, food, emergency supplies, access to washer and dryers, portable shower units and materials to create sustainable food pantries and clothing closets. The following area school districts will each receive Resource Hub Grants to create or sustain school resources so students experiencing homelessness can access resources to fully engage in school:

$10,000 awarded to Burlington Community School District

$10,000 awarded to Clinton Community School District

$10,000 awarded to Davenport Community School District

Districts serving students experiencing homelessness that met the federal definition of rural were eligible to apply for up to $30,000 to address transportation needs and to help facilitate positive school attendance for students and families experiencing homelessness. The Clinton Community School District will receive a Transportation Grant of $30,000. Overall fund uses include public and private transportation services, gas cards and vehicle purchases.

Funds for the Resource Hub and Transportation Grants for Students Experiencing Homelessness are provided through the Iowa Department of Educations portion of state set-aside funds through the American Rescue Plan  Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY). For more information, click here.

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DES MOINES, Iowa  With many students heading back to the classroom on Friday, safety is at the top of mind for Iowa school districts.

Ensuring school safety starts with the Safe and Sound App. The application was rolled out by the Governors School Safety Bureau in 2022, and it allows students and parents/guardians to report any type of threat anonymously.

The app is monitored all day, every day of the year. During the last school year, 93 of the states 302 school districts used the app. The bureau said more schools are expected to use it again this year.

Reynolds announces $7.2M to build new homes for disaster victims

Over 300 tips were received through the application during the 2023-2024 school year. These tips included threats of violence, bullying, acts of self-harm, and drug use. After tips are received, schools and law enforcement investigate. Their response depends on the threat.

Matthew Anderson, the Bureau chief said, Locating that student, getting them the help they need, finding out like do they have the tools at their disposal for this threat, or is it a cry for help, and we need to get them some counseling services, and we need to get them the attention they need moving forward.

Anderson said they even received tips over the summer and were able to provide resources to address them.

As more school districts utilize the app, theyre expecting more tips to be submitted. Anderson said hes urging everyone to be the eyes and ears to ensure school safety.

We all have somebody thats in the school system, and so listen to them, pay attention to them. Make sure that theyre getting the help they need. If you hear something, use that Safe and Sound app and let us know, he said.

Another tool schools are using to keep students safe is the emergency radio. They help lower response times during active school emergencies.

During the last school year, over 1,200 schools used them. Funding is available right now for schools to request them. Anderson said that 90 schools currently have emergency radios.

Schools have until October to request the technology.

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AMES, Iowa  For any parent bringing a student to Iowa State University for the first time, a welcome sight is a team with bright shirts saying Move-In Crew. This team wanders the area outside Friley Hall with a big cart on wheels to help move people in.

I moved in this Saturday to Freddy, and I mean, I have nothing better to do might as well help people out, said Kelsey Graham, a sophomore from Maquoketa.

I really like meeting new people and helping people out, said Andrew Babl, a sophomore from Mapleton. Just seeing the smiles on peoples faces when Im at their service really makes my day.

This crew of volunteers helps out, however they get to move in ahead of the rush, at no charge.

Waukee Schools acquires land for possible 3rd high school

Its our most exciting time of the year were welcoming about 10,200 students to on-campus living over the next week or so. We are at full capacity, said Amelia Cepeda, of ISU Administrative Services.

This day is of course a big day for the incoming freshmen, but also for their parents.

You know what she was pretty well-organized so I actually didnt have to do anything besides stick in the car so its great, said Jonathon Scroggs, a parent from Ankeny. Its just, its exciting for her, Its tough on her parents of course cause we dont want to be gone, but were only half an hour away, so well see enough of her.

I didnt ever thought that day would come even though I knew it would come if that makes sense, said Stacey Wainwright, of Dubuque. Did I do enough to prepare him for coming to college, and you know just again that hell make it and hell be OK. Theres just like a ton of thoughts go through my mind.

WelcomeFest kicks off August 28 to welcome all new students to campus and to Ames.

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A newly emerged photo provides our best look so far at the unusual layout of Irans intriguing drone-carrier ship, the IRGC Shahid Bagheri, including its angled flight deck. Converted from an existing commercial vessel, this so-called forward base ship design is definitely topical considering the kind of anti-shipping campaign currently being waged by Iranian proxies in the Red Sea and, according to the U.S., by Iran, increasingly further afield.

A newly emerged photo provides our best look so far at the unusual layout  and continued construction work  of Irans intriguing drone-carrier ship, the IRGC Shahid Bagheri, including its angled flight deck. Converted from an existing commercial vessel, this so-called forward base ship is part of an expanding series of aviation-capable Iranian designs, some of which have even undertaken global presence operations, although the broader purpose of these ships remains somewhat unclear.

Another, differently cropped version of the same image seen at the top of this story:

While the date of the latest photo is unclear, the vessel has certainly undergone additional work since it appeared in a video late last year, with the flight deck looking much more complete, including an operating surface being installed along with deck markings, for example.

Clear shot of the deck of the Shahid Bahman Bagheri's flight deck in its conversion from container ship to carrier.



Relatively narrow deck. Certainly intended for UAVs.pic.twitter.com/Lp1vrPKpzf  A (@AmirIGM) December 25, 2023

Being built for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, the Shahid Bagheri is a conversion from the container ship Perarin. Its expected that another such conversion will be completed, the Shahid Mahdavi.

The design that has been dubbed by some as Irans first aircraft carrier  claims that have also attracted some ridicule  makes use of the container ships roughly 790-foot length to accommodate a flight deck and, as clearly seen in the new photo, a ski-jump takeoff ramp.

New photos of the ski jump of the first Iranian drone carrier named Shahid Bagheri under construction (conversion from a container ship). https://t.co/fSNhcXeJjJ pic.twitter.com/L7cA1kvEt2  Mehdi H. (@mhmiranusa) May 16, 2023

The fact that the Shahid Bagheri retains the original superstructure, which spans the entire width of the deck, means that a conventional flattop configuration cannot be adopted. Instead, an angled flight deck provides the requisite runway length, presumably for launch and recovery. Adding the angled deck  which extends all the way to the bow ramp  involves the construction of a prominent overhang or flare on the left-hand side of the vessel. In contrast to the satellite image seen below, the angled deck now has white-painted markings applied, showing the margins, which extend to the end of the ramp, as well as the centerline.

A satellite view of the Shahid Bagheri reveals the angled deck configuration, which allows drones to launch and recover despite the original superstructure remaining in place. PHOTO  2023 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

Still, how exactly this will work in practice is unclear, as are the kinds of aircraft that will sortie from the ship.

The dimensions are very tight and the superstructure is located immediately next to the angled deck area, meaning that recovering aircraft, if indeed they plan on recovering aircraft, could hit the superstructure even with a small error in its flight path.

If the angled deck is used, and aircraft dont make a full stop after touching down, they will head up the ski jump again, but will they have the power to actually fly off for another attempt? Its also unclear if the vessel will use arresting wires to bring drones to a stop, or perhaps a barrier recovery system for some type.

#NavalNews #Shipbuilding

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy UAV/drone carrier IRGC Shahid Bahman Bagheri, a converted container ship, is reportedly very close for entry into service.

Photo via defender_plus/TG pic.twitter.com/B7iWme90DJ  Saturnax (@Saturnax1) June 20, 2024

The question of what aircraft will fly from this odd ship is key to understanding the goal of its design. Medium-altitude, long-endurance types seem like ideal candidates, as do vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drones and many of the one-way attack munitions Iran currently fields. Jet-powered, higher-performance drones could potentially call the carrier home, which would help explain some of its features. In this way, the vessel could also be used to launch heavier and longer-range drones, including one-way attack types, which would be an advantage. We just dont know at this time.

Another fairly recent photo of the Shahid Bagheri, which appeared on social media in May 2024. via X

Regardless, there is ample space on the side opposite the angled deck extension for many types of drones and other modular weaponry. The aft deck behind the superstructure could field helicopters or smaller catapult and net/line-recovered drone types too. Cruise missiles launched from containers on trailers or trucks are another option and something that Iran already has experience of using.

Work on the Shahid Bagheri is being conducted by the Iran Shipbuilding & Offshore Industries Complex Company (ISOICO) close to Bandar Abbas and had reportedly begun by May 2022, when it was noted in dry dock.

The ISOICO shipyard has some experience in similar conversions, having previously adapted a former oil tanker into the Iranian Navys Makran, another forward base ship that has a flight deck  albeit a smaller one  for helicopter and drone operations. You can read more about it here.

An earlier photo of the ISOICO shipyard, which appeared in around December 2022, showing the Shahid Bagheri in the early stages of conversion, on the left, at the rear of the photo, and in the inset. via X

The Shahid Bagheri is hardly a realistic threat to the U.S. Navy and its allies, but the Iranian vessel nonetheless carries a significant symbolic value.

While it wouldnt necessarily be expected to launch its drones against U.S. and allied warships and other assets in the region in some sustained manner, the Shahid Bagheri could conceivably wreak havoc on commercial shipping, including more opportunistic attacks against poorly defended targets, even for a brief period.

For many years now theres been a clandestine anti-shipping war fought between Iran and Israel, something we have repeatedly reported on.

Meanwhile, since the beginning of the Israeli war in Gaza last October 7, an unprecedented campaign of anti-shipping attacks has been waged by Iran-backed Houthi militants, especially with drone and missile strikes targeting shipping moving through the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.

The effects of this campaign have included the rerouting of some cargo vessels around the southern tip of Africa, and the establishment of the American-led Operation Prosperity Guardian coalition and the European Unions naval task force Operation Aspides to defend some of the commercial shipping that passes through the Red Sea.

Having the ability to launch drones, especially one-way attack drones, from a dedicated drone carrier could be beneficial in some scenarios against some enemies, as well as for gray zone attacks. It remains very questionable, however, how long the Shahid Bagheri would survive were it to be used in an offensive capacity like this. The fact that it can deploy these capabilities, potentially anywhere around the globe, also gives it a unique place in Irans military portfolio. While it may not survive long after doing so, being able to threaten targets far beyond its current reach using weapons launched from its own country or by its proxies certainly seems like an asymmetric play Iran would go for, regardless of its actually tactical relevance.

The IRGC has released a short video demonstrating one of its "suicide drones" in action. The video is undated and kind of loud.



Video obtained from #Iran's Al-Alam TV. pic.twitter.com/RMAwfVh6Xr  Kian Sharifi (@KianSharifi) April 21, 2021

While the Shahid Bagheri certainly could launch one-way attack drones, missions of this kind wouldnt necessarily be the best use for it.

Perhaps more relevant is the ability of the Shahid Bagheri to launch drones with greater endurance and performance, aided by its flight deck and ramp, which could then be used to surveil larger areas, keeping tabs on commercial and naval shipping and identifying potential targets. As well as producing targeting information for strikes by other weapons, carrier-launched drones could be used as part of broader, non-kinetic sea control efforts.

If the ship can carry medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) drones, like the Mohajer-6, Shahed-129, Fortros, and Kaman-12 types, it could provide persistent and relatively broad surveillance coverage of the area the ship is operating in. These kinds of drones can be armed with small missiles and guided bombs as well.

Lower-observable Saegheh flying-wing types based very loosely on the RQ-170 could also migrate to the sea thanks to this ship.

While drones are seen as the primary aircraft that will operate from the Shahid Bagheri, the vessel would also be able to support helicopter operations. We have already seen the Houthis use helicopter-borne commandos to hijack commercial vessels in the Red Sea, and similar attacks could also be staged by Iran over long distances using this and other forward base ships.

NEW VIDEO: Yemens Houthi rebels hijack a cargo ship in the Red Sea over the weekend pic.twitter.com/pkkUJpbe5c  Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) November 20, 2023

An Islamic Republic of Iran Navy RH-53D Sea Stallion on the flight deck of the Makran. Iranian state media



It is unclear when the Shahid Bagheri will enter service, with previous reports suggesting that it could be launched in 2023. Regardless, Iran is evidently expanding its options for operating drones  including one-way attack types  at sea, as demonstrated by its establishment of a dedicated drone-carrier division, which you can read more about here.

The Iranian Army's naval force today launched what it calls a "drone carrier division".



Images released today show drones launched from the Soviet-era Kilo-class submarine Tareq, auxiliary ship Delvar (471), and landing ship Lavan (514). pic.twitter.com/j9kxegFq07  Kian Sharifi (@KianSharifi) July 15, 2022

Previously, another former commercial vessel, the IRGC Shahid Roudaki, was converted into what Iranian media described as an oceangoing warship capable of carrying aircraft. As we have discussed in the past, the utility of this design for launching drones is somewhat questionable, as its survivability, but it very clearly points to ambitions beyond Iranian shores, including off the coasts of Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

An Ababil-2 drone is displayed in front of a Bell 412 helicopter on the deck of the IRGC Shahid Roudaki. IRAN PRESS SCREENCAP

Another stepping stone toward a more practical Iranian drone carrier is the Iranian Navys Makran, the former oil tanker that was also transformed into a forward base ship, considerably bigger than the Shahid Roudaki, and much closer in size to the Shahid Bagheri. The Makran, which features a flight deck capable of supporting helicopters and VTOL drones, has also demonstrated that it can conduct persistent maritime operations far beyond Irans littoral areas.

A general view of the Makran. Iranian state media

www.twz.com

The Makran has notably undertaken a major power-projection cruise that took it into the Atlantic, exactly the kind of missions that we could see with the Shahid Bagheri as well. As we discussed at the time, the deployment by the Makran was, above all, significant for the fact that it was the first time that Iran had demonstrated its maritime capabilities in a new area of operations, beyond the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

Also worth noting is another Iranian floating object completed with an angled deck, the mock U.S. Navy aircraft carrier that was subject to various types of attacks during Iranian maneuvers in and around the strategic Strait of Hormuz, as you can read about here.

The Iranian mock carrier, essentially a heavily modified barge, the centerpiece of the drills, after being towed out into the Strait of Hormuz. Sepah News

As maritime attacks by Iran and by Iran-backed proxies have shown, the challenge of defeating drones is considerable, especially when combined with the threat of ballistic and cruise missiles. With the Shahid Bagheri, and with at least one other vessel of the same type expected to follow, Tehran will be better equipped to create serious disruption to global maritime traffic not only in waters close to Iran but also far out into the Indian Ocean and potentially elsewhere too, even for brief periods of time.

Beyond that, it would allow Iran to attack from uncommon vectors, and, above all else, it provides a way for the country to have a threatening military presence far abroad, with psychological benefits both domestically and beyond its own borders. However, it shouldnt be a surprise if the drone-carrier ship ends up being prioritized for non-kinetic rather than offensive missions, based on its overall vulnerability.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
The recent elevation of Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the October 7 massacre, to Hamass top political position reveals two alarming truths. First, Hamas remains as extremist as ever. Sinwars rise  marked by his brutal hostile tactics, including mass rape, civilian hostages, and the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust  proves that Hamas endorses his war crimes and crimes against humanity. This move shatters any illusions about a moderate faction within Hamas or a distinction between its political and terrorist wings. The entire organization is a terror group under Irans control.

Second, Hamas functions entirely as an Iranian proxy. As reported in these pages, Sinwars promotion starkly reminds us that Hamass leadership has always been dedicated to actualising the Ayatollahs goal of wiping Israel off the map. Sinwars Hamas no longer hides behind the guise of fighting for Gazas people; instead, it proudly sacrifices them to Tehrans relentless, genocidal war machine.

The past ten months have exposed Irans sinister strategy with brutal clarity. From Gaza to Lebanon, and across the Middle East, weve witnessed a coordinated Iranian assault on regional stability. This is no coincidence; its Irans playbook in action. From Lebanon to Yemen, Syria to Iraq, Iran ruthlessly undermines states and territories, weaponising extremist groups to serve its revolutionary zealotry.

Irans destabilisation efforts are increasingly evident in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). Tehran is undermining the Palestinian Authority, supporting extremist groups with truckloads of weapons and money. If not for Israels vigilance, Judea and Samaria would quickly devolve into another Iranian stronghold, threatening both Israeli and regional stability. Irans ambitions extend further, as its attempts to smuggle arms through Jordan endanger this key moderate Arab state.

Furthermore ties such as those alleged by Germanys interior minister, Nancy Faeser, between the Hamburg Islamic Center and Irans Supreme Leader and Hezbollah, illustrate a strategic effort by Iran to spread its revolutionary ideology globally.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is the primary driver of Irans strategy to encircle Israel with a ring of fire and its terrorist proliferation in the Middle East and globally. The international community must declare the IRGC as the worlds largest terrorist organization and impose further crippling sanctions on Iran. These actions are essential to halting Irans destabilizing activities and ensuring global security.

The world must recognise that Israels fight against Hamas is about preventing Iran from establishing another terrorist launchpad on our borders  one that threatens the entire globe. Our security measures are essential to counter increasingly emboldened Iranian ambitions.

Looking ahead, any solution for Gaza, Judea, and Samaria must account for this reality. Palestinian self-governance in internal affairs, coupled with Israeli security oversight, offers the best near-term option to counter Iranian influence while allowing Palestinians the maximum opportunity to govern their own affairs. This arrangement is crucial to breaking the cycle of violence that fuels Irans ambitions. History proves that whenever Israel steps back from overseeing security, the first to fill the vacuum is an Iranian-controlled terror proxy.

The stakes in this struggle extend far beyond Israel. Irans unchecked expansionism threatens to derail normalisation efforts with our Arab neighbors, undermine global energy security, and international counterterrorism. The economic toll of Irans war-mongering is already frustrating global trade and spiking commodity prices.

Israel is at the forefront of the free worlds fight against Iranian encirclement. Supporting Israel against the Ayatollahs in Tehran, Sinwars Hamas in Gaza, and Nasrallahs Hezbollah in Lebanon is an act of self-preservation for all free states. The world must recognize that todays battle against Irans construction of a ring of fire around the Middle East may well be a prelude to broader confrontations. The writing is on the wall; the question now is whether the world will heed its warning before its too late.

Israel Katz is the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs

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Iranian President Masoud Pzeshkian speaks in an open session of Parliament to debate his proposed ministers in Tehran. Iranian Presidency/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Iran's parliament approved the new Cabinet of President Masoud Pezeshkian, with representatives agreeing to all 19 candidates, Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reported on Wednesday.

A woman has been appointed for the second time in the history of the Islamic Republic: Farzaneh Sadegh is to head the Ministry for Roads and Urban Development

The new foreign minister is Abbas Araghchi, an experienced diplomat and former chief negotiator of the Vienna nuclear agreement.

Esmaeil Khatib, who is subject to US sanctions, retains the post of information minister and head of the intelligence service, which he held under the presidency of the late Ebrahim Raisi.

Eskandar Momeni, who is an officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and former deputy head of the prosecution office, takes the role of interior minister.

Amin-Hossein Rahimi stays on as justice minister.

Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salehi returns to the post he held from 2017-21 under the presidency of Hassan Rowhani.

New Finance Minister Abdolnaser Hemmati is a former governor of the Central Bank of Iran and was a presidential candidate in 2021.

Pezeshkian came in for criticism from his own supporters for his nominations. One of his closest allies, former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, withdrew as vice president after just 11 days in protest at the conservative nature of the proposed Cabinet.

During the election campaign, Pezeshkian pledged to implement domestic reforms and improve relations with the West, but parliament continues to be dominated by fundamentalists.

The Iranian president is not the head of state. True power lies in the hands of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The IRGC has also become a major force in the country over the past few decades, creating a parallel economic power centre.
FILE PHOTO: Iran's President, Masoud Pezeshkian, speaks in defence of his cabinet selection at the parliament in Tehran

(Refiles to fix word order in paragraph 5)

DUBAI (Reuters) -Iran's parliament approved President Masoud Pezeshkian's 19 ministers on Wednesday, state media reported, giving way to a cross-factional cabinet reflecting his focus on consensus after days of debate.

In contrast to former President Ebrahim Raisi's hardline team, the new cabinet includes reformist figures such as Health Minister Mohammadreza Zafarqandi, who secured his position despite receiving the lowest number of votes, at 163.

Approval of the ministerial line-up is not a formality. One minister proposed in 2021 by Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May, lost the confidence vote due to lacking experience, meaning a different name had to be drafted in.

"The road to our salvation is unity and solidarity," Pezeshkian said on Wednesday in his speech to the 285 parliamentarians present to give their vote of confidence to the cabinet, which had been debated since Saturday.

Farzaneh Sadeq was approved as minister of roads and transportation, becoming only the second female cabinet minister since the Islamic Republic's establishment in 1979.

Mohsen Paknejad was approved as minister of oil. He served as deputy minister of oil for the supervision of hydrocarbon resources from 2018 to 2021.

The oil minister told parliament he would actively pursue the issue of joint fields with neighbouring countries and boost oil output to 4 million barrels per day by March 2025.

Abbas Araqchi was approved as minister of foreign affairs with 247 votes, after convincing parliamentarians wary of his key role in negotiating Tehran's 2015 nuclear agreement with six world powers.

During deliberations with the parliament, Araqchi asserted that he holds the same world view he held during his time serving with the Revolutionary Guards and expressed support for a 2020 parliamentary bill hardening Iran's nuclear stance.

The United States under President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018 from the nuclear accord between Iran and six world powers which restricted Tehran's nuclear programme. Indirect talks between the U.S. and Tehran to revive the deal and lift costly U.S. sanctions on Iran have stalled.

In his last address to parliament on Sunday, Araqchi stressed that Tehran would continue its policy of good neighbourliness and negotiations to lift sanctions.

"China, Russia, Africa, Latin America and East Asia are priority regions in our foreign policy," Araqchi said at the time, adding that Europe could become a priority if it changed its "hostile behaviour" and that relations with the U.S. would solely be informed by "conflict management".

(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Alison Williams)
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY  With all but 175 ballots counted, incumbent Laura Moss has defeated challenger Tracey Zudans, who leaves a Vero Beach City Council seat in vying for the county commission position, in the primary election Tuesday.

Moss will face a write-in candidate Nov. 5.

In her campaign, Moss noted care and caution must be taken with regard to development.

I think you manage growth by protecting what you have, said Moss, who touted her experience, which includes two terms on Vero Beach City Council.

WHAT HAPPENED: Commissioner Moss defeated challenger Zudans.

THE VOTE: Moss, 13,557; Zudans, 11,038, according to final, unofficial results from the Supervisor of Elections Office. All but 175 mail ballots counted.

WHAT'S NEXT: Moss faces a write-in candidate in the Nov. 5 general election.

SALARY: $79,843

Florida primary election: Read about the candidates in Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River

IRC Primary Election 2024: Candidates reply to questionnaires

Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Laura Moss, Tracey Zudans compete in IRC District 5 Commission Republican Primary
Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant holds an operational situation assessment together with senior Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) officials during a visit to the Philadelphi route. Ariel Hermoni/GPO/dpa

Israel has defeated the Hamas brigade in the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant claimed on Wednesday during a visit to the border area between Gaza and Egypt.

"The [Hamas] Rafah brigade has been defeated, and over 150 tunnels have been destroyed in the region, he said. He had

instructed the troops to concentrate on destroying the remaining tunnels on the border between the coastal strip and Egypt in the coming period.

Israel had advanced to Rafah in May, despite massive international criticism, in order to destroy the remaining forces of the Palestinian Islamist terrorist organization there. An estimated 1 million refugees had crowded into the city, but have since left.

The Israeli troops also captured the Rafah border crossing to Egypt, known as the Philadelphi Corridor. This 14-kilometres-long area is considered one of the biggest points of contention in the negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire.

Hamas is demanding Israel's complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, insists that Israel must continue to control the corridor even after a ceasefire in order to prevent weapons smuggling.

Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant holds an operational situation assessment together with senior Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) officials during a visit to the Philadelphi route. Ariel Hermoni/GPO/dpa

Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant holds an operational situation assessment together with senior Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) officials during a visit to the Philadelphi route. Ariel Hermoni/GPO/dpa

Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant holds an operational situation assessment together with senior Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) officials during a visit to the Philadelphi route. Ariel Hermoni/GPO/dpa
Israel-Hamas war latest: Israeli tank and drone strikes kill at least 17 in Gaza

A man works next to a destroyed home after rockets struck in Katzrin, in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. Lebanon's Hezbollah has launched more than 50 rockets, hitting a number of private homes in the area.(AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israeli tank and drone strikes in Gaza on Wednesday killed at least 17 people, according to hospital staff and Associated Press journalists who counted the bodies.

The strikes happened in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza and Khan Younis in the south.

Lebanons Hezbollah on Wednesday launched more than 50 rockets, hitting a number of private homes in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. Hezbollah said the attack was in response to an Israeli strike deep into Lebanon on Tuesday night.

The attacks came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar as he pressed ahead with the latest diplomatic mission to secure a cease-fire in the war in Gaza, even as Hamas and Israel signaled that challenges remain. Diplomatic efforts had redoubled as fears grow of a wider regional war after the recent targeted killings of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, both blamed on Israel, and threats of retaliation.

Meanwhile, key mediator Egypt expressed skepticism Wednesday as more details emerged of the proposal meant to bridge gaps between Israel and Hamas.

Officials in Egypt, in its unique role as both a mediator and affected party since it borders Gaza, told The Associated Press that the Hamas militant group will not agree to the bridging proposal for a number of reasons  ones in addition to the long-held wariness over whether a deal would truly remove Israel forces from Gaza and end the war.

President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and stressed the urgency of reaching a cease-fire and hostage release deal, the White House said.

Hamas is believed to still be holding around 110 hostages captured during the Oct. 7 attacks that started the war. Israeli authorities estimate around a third are dead. During the Oct. 7 attack, militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

Israels retaliatory offensive has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. The war has caused widespread destruction and forced the vast majority of Gazas 2.3 million residents to flee their homes, often multiple times.

Heres the latest:

Israeli strikes in Gaza kill at least 17

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip  Israeli tank and drone strikes in Gaza on Wednesday killed at least 17 people, according to hospital staff and Associated Press journalists who counted the bodies.

In Khan Younis in the south, nine bodies, among them a woman and child, were rushed to Nasser Hospital. Meanwhile, the Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah received eight bodies.

The strikes in Deir al-Balah come as the Israeli military called for Palestinians in some parts of the central city to evacuate.

U.N. says Israel's evacuation orders are pushing Palestinians into unsafe areas

UNITED NATIONS  The U.N. humanitarian office is warning that mass evacuation orders by the Israeli military this month are pushing Palestinians into overcrowded and unsafe areas along the Gaza coast.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that the latest orders issued Wednesday for part of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza and Khan Younis in the south affect 115 sites with more than 150,000 displaced men, women and children, including U.N. and many informal and makeshift shelters.

The orders also impact offices, warehouses and residences of the United Nations and humanitarian organizations, and have made three water wells serving tens of thousands of people inaccessible, he said.

In Deir al Balah, the water supply has decreased by 70%, and there are also critical shortages of sanitation and hygiene materials, Dujarric said.

The U.N. spokesman said Israel has issued 11 evacuation orders so far in August affecting about 250,000 people. Before August, he said, the U.N. estimated that some 90% of Gazas 2.1 million people had been displaced at least once since Hamas attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7 that sparked the ongoing conflict.

The Israeli orders have also cut of sections of the main Salah al-Din road, a key route for delivering humanitarian aid, Dujarric said.

Outgoing head of Israeli military intelligence says he's haunted by the failures of Oct. 7

JERUSALEM  The outgoing head of Israeli military intelligence says the failures of Oct. 7 will haunt him for the rest of his life.

Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva said Wednesday that he bore responsibility for the intelligence breakdowns that allowed Hamas to carry out the cross-border attack that day that sparked Israels ongoing war against the militant group.

Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 others in the deadliest attack in Israeli history. The army has come under heavy criticism in Israel for its failure to predict the attack and its slow response that day.

Haliva announced his resignation in April.

Speaking at a handover ceremony with his successor, Haliva said the bitter memories of Oct. 7 weigh on his conscience day and night and will do so for the rest of my days.

We did not fulfill our most important mission, giving a warning of war he added, breaking down in tears at one point while he spoke about his family. The ultimate responsibility for the failure of the intelligence division rest with me.

Blinken tells Jordan a cease-fire deal is urgently needed

WASHINGTON  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has discussed with Jordans deputy prime minister, Ayman Safadi, the urgent need to finalize the cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, the State Department said.

The call Wednesday came the same day Blinken returned from a series of stops across the Middle East to talk with Israeli officials and other negotiators Egypt and Qatar about urging the sides to accept a proposal meant to bridge gaps in cease-fire talks.

Blinken noted that the bridging proposal addressed the remaining gaps in a manner that allows for swift implementation of the deal, the State Department said.

But Egyptian officials have expressed skepticism, saying Hamas wont agree to the proposal for a number of reasons  ones in addition to the long-held wariness over whether a deal would truly remove Israeli forces from Gaza and end the war.

Mediators are scheduled to meet Thursday and Friday in Cairo for more talks on the proposal, before submitting it officially to Hamas.

Banks across Gaza have halted operations, group says

RAMALLAH, West Bank  The main Palestinian banking association says that all banks across Gaza have halted operations. It's the latest deterioration in living conditions for the war-ravaged enclave.

Bashar Yasin, general manager of the Association of Banks in Palestine, confirmed the closure Wednesday. The association represents banks across the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

A number of banks had been semi-operational across Gaza before Wednesday, including a large Bank of Palestine branch in the central city of Deir al-Balah.

It was not immediately clear why the branch, one of the last places that Palestinians could withdraw cash, was closed.

The 10-month war has devastated Gazas already fragile economy, displacing most of the population, causing widespread damage and leaving the vast majority of Palestinian workers unemployed.

A cash crisis has worsened these problems, with displaced people having little or no access to their meager savings as prices for food and basic commodities have increased.

For months, hourslong queues had formed outside the few working branches and cash points, with limits on how much could be withdrawn.

 Jack Jeffery

Israel police say they arrested 5 ultra-Orthodox protesters in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM  Israel police say they arrested five ultra-Orthodox protesters at a demonstration in Jerusalem against mandatory enlistment.

Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox demonstrated outside of the Israeli military enlistment office in Jerusalem on Wednesday, blocking streets and preventing people who had received summons from the army from presenting themselves for enlistment.

Approximately 3,000 ultra-Orthodox have received summons in recent weeks after Israels Supreme Court unanimously ordered the government to begin drafting ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into the army.

The landmark ruling in June seeks to end a system that has allowed them to avoid enlistment into compulsory military service.

Under longstanding arrangements, ultra-Orthodox men have been exempt from the draft, which is compulsory for most Jewish men and women, who serve 2-3 years as well as reserve duty until around age 40.

Roughly 1.3 million ultra-Orthodox Jews make up about 13% of Israels population and oppose enlistment because they believe studying full-time in religious seminaries is their most important duty.

These exemptions have long been a source of anger among the secular public, a divide that has widened during the ten-month-old war, as the military has called up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers and says it needs all the manpower it can get. Over 600 soldiers have been killed since Hamas Oct. 7 attack.

Blinken discusses Israel-Hamas cease-fire negotiations in call with Turkey's foreign minister

ISTANBUL  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed developments in the Hamas-Israel cease-fire negotiations in a phone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, a spokesman for the ministry said Wednesday.

The conversation was held at the request of the U.S., Oncu Keceli said in a social media post. Turkey is a close supporter of Hamas and has condemned Israels campaign in Gaza as genocide.

Blinken and Fidan discussed diplomatic efforts to prevent regional escalation and their shared commitment to creating conditions for a durable ceasefire, bringing the hostages home and ensuring vital humanitarian aid reaches those in need in Gaza, according to a statement by the U.S. State Department.

Israel orders evacuation of residential area near main hospital in central Gaza

JERUSALEM  Israel has ordered the evacuation of a residential area near the main hospital in central Gaza.

The military on Wednesday ordered people to leave an area in Deir al-Balah that is a few hundred meters (yards) away from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, one of the last functioning medical centers in the territory. The military said it would soon act against militants in the area.

There was no evacuation order for the hospital itself, but during past evacuations people have fled from areas adjacent to the declared zones for fear the fighting could spread.

Israels offensive in Gaza, launched in retaliation for Hamas Oct. 7 attack, has displaced the vast majority of the territorys 2.3 million residents, often multiple times.

The coastal strip, which is just 25 miles (40 kilometers) long by about 7 miles (11 kilometers) wide, has been completely sealed off by Israeli forces since May.

Around 84% of Gazas territory has been placed under evacuation orders by the Israeli military, according to the United Nations.

The war has destroyed much of Gazas health sector, and hospitals have struggled to function as they face waves of casualties from Israeli strikes. They have also been transformed into shelters, with thousands of people pitching tents in courtyards and parking lots.

Israeli forces have raided hospitals on several occasions since the start of the war, accusing Hamas and other militant groups of using them for military purposes, allegations denied by Gaza health officials.

Israeli airstrike in Lebanon kills brother of high-ranking official from Palestinian faction's military wing, Palestinian officials say

BEIRUT  An Israeli airstrike on the Lebanese coastal city of Sidon on Wednesday killed the brother of a high-ranking official from the Palestinian faction Fatahs military wing, state media and Palestinian officials in Lebanon said.

Khalil al-Maqdah, the brother of Fatah Gen. Mounir al-Maqdah, was killed in a strike on a vehicle, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Israeli officials have accused Mounir al-Maqdah of facilitating the smuggling of weapons into the West Bank.

Mounir al-Maqdah told the Beirut-based pan-Arab TV network Al Mayadeen on Wednesday that his brother had been a brigadier general in Fatahs armed wing and vowed the group will respond inside of Israel.

Earlier this month, another Israeli drone strike hit an SUV on a main road in Sidon, killing a Hamas official identified as Samer al-Haj.

The Lebanese wings of Hamas and the allied Palestinian Islamic Jihad have launched occasional attacks on northern Israel from Lebanon over the past 10 months, and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has near-daily clashes with Israeli forces against the backdrop of Israels war against Hamas in Gaza. Fatah, a rival of Hamas, has not announced taking part in any of those operations to date.

Hezbollah launches more than 50 rockets

JERUSALEM  Lebanons Hezbollah has launched more than 50 rockets, hitting a number of private homes in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

First responders in Golan Heights said they treated a 30-year-old man who was moderately wounded with shrapnel injuries in Wednesdays attack. One house was engulfed in flames, and firefighters said they prevented a bigger tragedy by stopping a gas leak.

Hezbollah said the attack was in response to an Israeli strike deep into Lebanon on Tuesday night that killed one and injured 19. On Tuesday, Hezbollah launched more than 200 projectiles toward Israel, after Israel targeted a Hezbollah weapons depot some 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the border, a significant increase in the daily skirmishes.

Israel and Hezbollah have traded near-daily strikes for more than 10 months against the backdrop of Israels war against Hezbollahs ally, Hamas, in Gaza. The exchanges have killed more than 500 people in Lebanon  mostly militants but also including around 100 civilians and non-combatants  and 23 soldiers and 26 civilians in Israel.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed it, saying it needs the strategic plateau for its security. The United States is the only country to recognize Israels annexation, while the rest of the international community considers the Golan to be occupied Syrian territory.

Commercial ship not under command after repeated attacks target it in Red Sea, British say

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  A commercial ship traveling through the Red Sea came under repeated attack Wednesday, leaving the vessel not under command in an assault suspected to have been carried out by Yemens Houthi rebels, the British military said.

Details remained few about the attack, though it comes during the Houthis monthslong campaign targeting ships over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

The attack saw men on small boats first open fire with small arms, the British militarys United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. The ship also was hit by three projectiles, it added.

The vessel reports being not under command, the UKMTO said, likely meaning it lost all power. No casualties reported.

The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, though it can take them hours or even days before they acknowledge one of their assaults.

Israel says military is shifting its attention to the border with Lebanon

TEL AVIV, Israel  Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Israels military is shifting its attention from Gaza to the border with Lebanon.

Touring northern Israel on Tuesday, Gallant said Israel has scaled back its activities in Gaza, where it has been fighting a war against Hamas for nearly a year, and turned its focus to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

Our strongholds are moving from the south to the north, we are gradually changing, we still have a number of missions in the south, Gallant told troops.

Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas Oct. 7 attack. The sides have been engaged in almost daily fighting since then, raising fears of a broader regionwide war. Those fears have grown as Hezbollah has vowed retaliation for an Israeli strike in Beirut last month that killed a top Hezbollah commander.

Hezbollah launched more than 120 projectiles toward northern Israel on Tuesday, causing damage to a home and sparking a number of fires. Israel said it was striking the source of the launches.

More than 500 people have been killed in Lebanon, including at least 100 civilians. In Israel, 23 soldiers and 26 civilians have been killed.
Israeli author David Grossman delivers a press conference at the Book Fair in Frankfurt Main. The German city of Dusseldorf is honouring Grossman with this year's Heine Prize, a prestigious literary award, it announced on 21 August. picture alliance / dpa

The German city of Dusseldorf is honouring the Israeli writer David Grossman with this year's Heine Prize, a prestigious literary award, it announced on Wednesday.

Grossman is "one of the most important representatives of contemporary Israeli literature, who is committed to understanding and tolerance not only in the Middle East peace process," the city's mayor, Stephan Keller, said in a press release. The award is endowed with 50,000 ($55,820).

Grossman expressed his delight in a telephone call.

"Good news at a time when there is so much bad news," the city quoted him as saying. The multi-award-winning journalist, peace activist and writer was born in Jerusalem in 1954. War and violence, which characterize everyday life in Israel, are the subject of many of his books.

He is the winner of numerous awards. He won the Booker International Prize in 2017, together with his translator, for the novel "A Horse Walks into a Bar," which centres around a comedy routine in an Israeli bar. His 2008 novel "To the End of the Land" deals with the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Grossman's prose is imbued with a deep understanding and empathic closeness to people and their seemingly irresolvable conflicts, the jury said in a statement. In his speeches and essays, he is constantly campaigning for peace and reconciliation in the Middle East.

The prize, donated by Dusseldorf, the state capital of Germany's most populous state, North Rhine Westphalia, is in honour of Dusseldorf-born Heinrich Heine (1797-1856).

This will be the 23rd time the prize has been awarded. A ceremony around Heine's birthday in December will take place, but an exact date has not yet been announced.
Heavy black smoke billows from an Israeli air raid on the Lebanese southern border village of Kfar Hamam. Israeli planes struck earlier facility that contains a metal warehouse in village of Kfour. Marwan Naamani/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

A commander linked with the Palestinian faction Fatah was killed in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.

Khalil al-Makdah was killed in a drone attack in the port city of Sidon, 40 kilometers south of Beirut, according to the Lebanese army.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which is the military wing of Fatah, also said that al-Makdah was killed and praised him for his work supporting the Palestinian people, especially after the Gaza attacks.

Mounir al-Makdah, a senior Fatah official in Ain El-Hilweh camp, in Sidon, said his brother had served as "a brigadier general in the Fatah movement and works in the military wing of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades," in an interview with Lebanese broadcaster Al-Mayadeen.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is a loose network without a clear hierarchy, and local groups often act on their own.

"Assassinations make us stronger, and this testimony is a badge of honour and the resistance remains solid on the ground," Mounir al-Makdah told the broadcaster.

Since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip, there have been daily military confrontations between the Israeli army and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and other groups in the border area between the countries. There have been deaths on both sides - most of them were members of Hezbollah.
A general view of the destruction near the site where Israeli warplanes raided what believed to be an ammunition depot for Hezbollah in the village of Nabi Sheet in Lebanese eastern Bekaa valley. Marwan Naamani/dpa

A commander linked with the Palestinian faction Fatah was killed in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon - just one of several Israeli attacks on Wednesday.

Khalil al-Makdah was killed in a drone attack in the port city of Sidon, 40 kilometres south of Beirut, according to the Lebanese army.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which is the military wing of Fatah, also said that al-Makdah was killed and praised him for his work supporting the Palestinian people, especially after the Gaza attacks.

Mounir al-Makdah, a senior Fatah official in Ain El-Hilweh camp, in Sidon, said his brother had served as "a brigadier general in the Fatah movement and works in the military wing of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades," in an interview with Lebanese broadcaster Al-Mayadeen.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is a loose network without a clear hierarchy, and local groups often act on their own.

"Assassinations make us stronger, and this testimony is a badge of honour and the resistance remains solid on the ground," Mounir al-Makdah told the broadcaster.

Meanwhile violence continued at the Lebanese-Israeli border after new Israeli airstrikes killed two people in southern Lebanon earlier on Wednesday, Lebanese security sources and the Health Ministry said - hours after at least 20 were injured in a separate attack.

Israeli strikes hit two areas early Wednesday morning, one in Beit Leif and another in al-Wazzani. One person was killed in each location, the ministry said.

The Israeli military said it hit a car in Beit Leif near the Israeli border. It said the target was a "Hezbollah terrorist."

In response to the attack in Beit Leif, the pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah claimed to have sent "a suicide drone" into northern Israel.

The movement also claimed several attacks on Israeli targets, including one in the Golan Heights.

According to Israeli emergency services, a man was injured by shrapnel when a rocket hit his home in Katzrin in the Golan.

Israeli media reported heavy damage in the town and near a military base which was targeted by Hezbollah in the Golan.

Overnight, one person was killed in an Israeli airstrike on eastern Lebanon and at least 20 injured, among them children, in the strikes that targeted Nabi Sheet near the ancient town of Baalbeck in the north-east of the country, the Health Ministry said.

Hezbollah said that the dead man was one of its members. Nabi Sheet is known to be a stronghold of the movement.

Since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip, there have been daily military confrontations between the Israeli army and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and other groups in the border area between the countries. There have been deaths on both sides - most of them were members of Hezbollah.

A destroyed SUV is seen at the site where Israeli warplanes raided what believed to be an ammunition depot for Hezbollah in the village of Nabi Sheet in Lebanese eastern Bekaa valley. Marwan Naamani/dpa

Hezbollah members inspect the site where Israeli warplanes raided what believed to be an ammunition depot in the village of Nabi Sheet in Lebanese eastern Bekaa valley. Marwan Naamani/dpa

Heavy black smoke billows from an Israeli air raid on the Lebanese southern border village of Kfar Hamam. Israeli planes struck earlier facility that contains a metal warehouse in village of Kfour. Marwan Naamani/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
By Nidal al-Mughrabi and James Mackenzie

CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the urgency of sealing a deal for a truce in Gaza and the release of hostages, the White House said, but Israel and Hamas stuck firmly to their demands.

The call between the leaders, in which Vice President Kamala Harris also took part, came after Palestinian health officials reported at least 50 Palestinians killed by Israeli airstrikes over a 24-hour period.

Biden stressed to Netanyahu "the urgency of bringing the ceasefire and hostage release deal to closure and discussed upcoming talks in Cairo to remove any remaining obstacles," a White House statement said.

U.S., Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari negotiators, who are expected to meet in Cairo this weekend, have for months struggled to bridge differences between Israel and Hamas.

But Israel and Hamas on Wednesday held to their demands.

"Israel will insist on the achievement of all of its objectives for the war, as they have been defined by the Security Cabinet, including that Gaza never again constitutes a security threat to Israel," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

Denying an Israeli television report, it said Israel had not agreed to drop its demand to maintain troops in the Philadelphi Corridor, the border strip between Gaza and Egypt, an issue that has been a major sticking point.

A Hamas statement said its officials, meeting with the head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad about progress in the talks, reiterated key Hamas demands. These include an end to Israel's Gaza operation, a full Israeli pullout and a deal to exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The call between Biden and Netanyahu followed a whirlwind trip to the region by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that ended on Tuesday without producing a breakthrough in the 10-month-old war.

In Gaza itself, the Israeli military said jets hit around 30 targets throughout the enclave including tunnels, launch sites and an observation post.

It said troops killed dozens of armed fighters and seized weapons including explosives, grenades and automatic rifles.

The Israeli military struck a school and a nearby house in Gaza City, killing at least four people and wounding 15, including several children, Gaza's Civil Emergency Service said.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it hit Hamas militants operating at a command centre inside a compound that previously served as a school.

It accused Hamas of continuing to operate from civilian facilities and areas, an allegation Gaza's dominant Islamist militant group denies.

Commenting on Israel's attack on the UN-run school, the head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency, Philippe Lazzarini, wrote on X that "children reported killed and injured. Some were burnt to death."

"Gaza is no place for children anymore. They are the first casualty of this merciless war," he wrote. "A ceasefire is beyond overdue."

In the town of Bani Suhaila near Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, an Israeli airstrike killed seven Palestinians at a tent encampment for displaced people, medics said.

ISRAEL ORDERS CIVILIANS TO MOVE

The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders in the heavily overcrowded area of Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the fighting have sought shelter.

The orders, which the military said were needed to clear civilians from what had become "a dangerous combat zone", were soon followed by tank fire with at least one person killed and several wounded by machine gun fire, medics and residents said.

Israel's military campaign has killed more than 40,000 people in Gaza since October, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The war began on Oct. 7 when Hamas gunmen stormed into Israeli communities and military bases, killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

The misery of people in Deir Al-Balah, who were on the move yet again as they sought to escape fighting, was compounded by the so far fruitless wait for a ceasefire agreement.

"Unfortunately, we may die before we see an end to this war. All ceasefire talk is a lie," Aburakan, 55, who has had to change refuge five times since October due to Israeli attacks, told Reuters via a chat app.

Most of Gaza's 2.3 million population has been displaced multiple times since the start of the Israeli campaign. Even in areas designated safe zones, there have been regular reports of casualties from Israeli strikes.

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi and James Mackenzie; Writing by Jonathan Landay; editing by Mark Heinrich, Hugh Lawson and Cynthia Osterman)
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have analysed the "additional successes" of the Ukrainian defence forces in their advance in Russias Kursk Oblast.

Source: ISW

Quote: "Ukrainian forces continued attacking throughout the Ukrainian salient in Kursk Oblast on 20 August and recently made additional advances."

Details: On 20 August, Russian military bloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces continued their mechanised operations on the outskirts of Korenevo, prompting Russian forces to launch artillery and airstrikes in an attempt to halt the Ukrainian advance. Their reports suggest that Russian troops were able to retake certain positions they had previously lost, and also made gains in the fields south of Safonovka, which lies northeast of Korenevo, roughly 30 kilometres from the international border.

Geolocated video footage shared on 20 August shows that Ukrainian forces have made progress in the wooded regions north of Russkoye Porechnoye, situated northeast of Sudzha and 20 kilometres from the border. This development aligns with maps shared by Russian military bloggers, which display Ukrainian advances throughout the administrative areas of Russkoye Porechnoye.

On the same day, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, presented a map illustrating the situation in Kursk Oblast. The ISW plans to incorporate the frontiers shown on this map into its updated analysis of the furthest reported Ukrainian advances in Kursk Oblast, in line with their established mapping approach.

During a televised session of the Ukrainian Congress of Local and Regional Authorities on 20 August, Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi showcased a map that purportedly represents the current forward positions of Ukrainian forces within Kursk Oblast.

Quote: "Syrskyi's map indicates that Ukrainian forces have advanced slightly beyond ISW's assessed forward line of troops, namely near Viktorovka (southwest of Koreveno); between Snagost and Koreveno; northeast of Koreveno in the areas north of Kremyanoye and northwest of Pogrebki; east of Malaya Loknya (north of Sudzha); and southeast of Sudzha."

"ISW does not question Syrskyi's presentation of the location of Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast and presents them in alignment with Syrskyi's presentation.

ISW continues to assess that Ukrainian forces do not control all the territory behind the forward line of troops, according to the doctrinal definition of control that ISW uses to shape its control of terrain assessments."

More details: Ukrainian officials have provided further details on the objectives of the Ukrainian operation in Kursk Oblast and updates on its progress. On 20 August, Syrskyi announced that Ukrainian forces had penetrated 28 to 35 kilometres into Kursk Oblast, asserting control over 93 settlements, which span an area of 1,263 square kilometres.

Syrskyi remarked that the Ukrainian advances are forcing Russian forces to redeploy elements from unspecified units at the Ukrainian front line to reinforce positions in Kursk Oblast. This redeployment could potentially slow down and affect the outcome of Russian offensive operations within Ukraine.

He also mentioned that Ukrainian forces are aiming to create a buffer zone within Russian territory to prevent artillery strikes on Sumy Oblast and to "outpace" the broader efforts of Russian forces.

In the meantime, the Russian military command has been adding layers of bureaucracy to its already struggling command and control system, further complicating its response to the Ukrainian operation in Kursk Oblast.

Quote: "ISW continues to assess that complex and overlapping responsibilities and the seemingly ever-growing list of actors the Kremlin has tasked with responding to the Ukrainian incursion impede Russia's ability to establish effective joint command and control structures."

To quote the ISWs Key Takeaways on 20 August:

Ukrainian forces continued attacking throughout the Ukrainian salient in Kursk Oblast on 20 August and recently made additional advances.

Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi displayed a map depicting the situation in Kursk Oblast on 20 August, and ISW will use the boundaries of this map to update its assessment of maximalist claimed limits of Ukrainian advances in Kursk Oblast, consistent with ISW's mapping methodology for the Ukrainian incursion thus far.

Russian authorities have reportedly redeployed Russian units from the Chasiv Yar front to Kursk Oblast amid efforts to address the ongoing Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast with Russian forces previously in the area and redeployments from lower priority sectors of the front line in Ukraine.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin visited the site of the 2004 Beslan school siege on 20 August, likely in an effort to link the Russian "counterterrorism" response to the Ukrainian operation in Kursk Oblast to a "successful" Russian counterterrorism operation in the early 2000s.

Russian forces recently advanced near Toretsk, Pokrovsk, and Donetsk City.

Russian federal subjects (regions) continue to increase monetary incentives for signing Russian military contracts in order to bolster Russia's force generation efforts.

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Six people remain missing following the sinking of the 'Bayesian,' which capsized on Monday, Aug. 19 while moored about a half mile from the coast of Porticello, Sicily

ALESSANDRO FUCARINI/AFP via Getty A photo of a police car as the search continues for the six missing people after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily

The Italian authorities currently don't have anyone under investigation as the search continues for the six people who remain missing after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily.

Superyacht Bayesian capsized early on Monday, Aug. 19, while moored about a half mile from the coast of Porticello, according to a statement from the Italian Coast Guard, previously obtained by PEOPLE.

A source close to the investigators dealing with the incident tells PEOPLE that the "priority" is to search for and locate the missing people before the authorities look into what happened amid the tragedy.

"Obviously the priority is being able to work out what has happened to those that are missing and recover any bodies. At the moment, no one has been placed under investigation because until they find the bodies, they cannot evaluate any sort of accusation or charge," the source tells PEOPLE.

PERINI NAVI PRESS OFFICE/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock A photo of the 'Bayesian'

Related: 'We Are in Shock,' Prominent N.Y.C. Attorney's Firm Says After He and His Wife Go Missing in Yacht Sinking

"But one thing that is striking is that nine out of 10 survivors are crew members. So once this phase is complete, there will be an attempt made to determine whether there were any incorrect maneuvers or negligence on the part of those managing the yacht, in order to determine whether there were any responsibilities in terms of what happened," the source added.

According to Reuters, prosecutors in the nearby town of Termini Imerese have opened an investigation into the tragedy. Per the Associated Press, prosecutors have yet to comment publicly on the matter.

A rescue operations source also told PEOPLE "it's unlikely anyone will be found during the course of today (Aug. 21)," due to the vessel being "designed differently from traditional ones in that the main cabins are at the stern."

"There's very much hope for a miracle; everyone expects them to be trapped inside, but the hope is for there to be some form of air pocket," the source added.

DAPRESS/SplashNews Firefighters continue their search for the missing people

Related: Diver Searching for 6 Missing People on Sunken Yacht Talks Difficult Nature of Getting Inside

The missing passengers include British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, along with New York City-based lawyer Christopher Morvillo  who helped Lynch get acquitted in his recent fraud case  and his wife Neda.

A source close to the survivors previously told PEOPLE the group had traveled to the Aeolian Islands to celebrate the win.

Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife are also missing. Lynch's wife Angela Bacares was one of the 15 passengers rescued, along with Charlotte Golunski, who has since spoke of saving her 1-year-old daughter Sophie.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning, Golunski told Italian newspaper la Repubblica, according to a translation.

According to Italian media outlets, per Reuters, a man's body was found after the sinking and later identified as the yachts chef.

Those who remain missing are presumed dead by many of the investigators, local sources previously told PEOPLE, though authorities are yet to comment on that.



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Read the original article on People.
Jack Schlossberg, grandson of President Kennedy, speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 20, 2024. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The scions of two Democratic presidents on Tuesday cast Vice President Kamala Harris as the natural White House candidate to carry on the legacies of John F. Kennedy and Jimmy Carter.

Jack Schlossberg, Kennedys grandson and a close relative of potential 2024 spoiler candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., told thousands of delegates gathering for their partys national convention that his assassinated grandfather is his hero.

JFK was the youngest person ever elected president and the first Catholic. He sent a man to the moon, fought for civil rights and navigated the Cuban missile crisis peacefully, said Schlossberg, who is the youngest child of Caroline Kennedy, President Bidens ambassador to Australia. Most of all, he inspired a new generation to ask what they could do for our country.

Now, he said, Americans must once again answer this call to action.

The torch has been passed to a new generation, to a leader who shares my grandfather's energy, vision and optimism for our future, said Schlossberg, 31. That leader is Vice President Kamala Harris.

Jason Carter, grandson of President Carter, speaks at United Center in Chicago on Aug. 20, 2024. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Jason Carter, 49, compared his ailing grandfathers humility to Harris values.

For my grandfather, it was never about fame, recognition, accolades or awards. His legacy is measured by the lives he has touched and the good he has done, Carter said. Kamala Harris carries my grandfather's legacy. She knows what is right, and she fights for it. She understands that leadership is about service, not selfishness, that you can show strength and demonstrate decency, and that you can get a whole lot more done with a smile than with a scowl.

Read more: Column: Biden shows what it means to make America great  and why Democrats are glad to bid him farewell

Carter said that his grandfather will turn 100 in October and looks forward to voting for Harris.

Pawpaw is holding on. He's hopeful, and though his body may be weak tonight, his spirit is as strong as ever, Carter said.

Carter has already served in public office in the Georgia Legislature and mounted an unsuccessful campaign for Georgia governor 10 years ago.

Schlossberg is widely believed to be interested in one day running for office, though he hasnt yet. He became notably involved in the 2024 campaign, using his large social media following to skewer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the cousin of his mother.

He has called Kennedy, who has gained ballot access as an independent in several states, a liar and suggested he was a steroid user.

When RFK Jr. initially announced his run, Democrats were fearful that his candidacy could damage their presidential nominees prospects.

But now he appears to be eating into former President Trumps support, prompting the independent's running mate, Nicole Shanahan, to muse in an interview Tuesday whether they should remain in the race and potentially help Harris win or drop out and back Trump. The Republican said he would consider a role for Kennedy in his administration if the pair dropped out of the race.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The grandson of former President Kennedy will address the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night.

John Bouvier Kennedy Jack Schlossberg, the 31-year-old son of U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy, has become increasingly involved with the Democratic Party in recent years.

While he has reportedly stated he does not intend to run for political office any time soon, Schlossberg has amassed a large following on social media, where he posts discussions about politics and comedic sketches.

As Ive grown up, Ive become more involved in the official obligations that come with being part of my family. Ive met a lot of politicians and become all the more optimistic about our future by doing that work, he told Vogue earlier this year.

Schlossberg, the youngest of Kennedys three children, graduated from Yale University in 2015 with a history degree and went on to attend Harvards law and business schools, where he received his JD and MBA.

Following in the footsteps of some of his relatives, including his mother, Schlossberg said he passed the New York State Bar Exam last year.

In his latest gig, he became a political correspondent for Vogue this summer, covering the 2024 election.

Schlossberg also made headlines last year for his public criticism of his cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s independent presidential run, and subsequent endorsement of President Bidens reelection bid. Since Bidens withdrawal from the race, he has endorsed Vice President Harris, Business Insider reported.

While it remains unclear what he will discuss during his slot at the convention, the theme of Day 2 is A Bold Vision for Americas Future, according to convention organizers.

His remarks are expected to take place between 5:30 and 6 p.m. CDT, organizers said, though exact timing depends on previous speakers.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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FILE PHOTO: Headquarters of Astellas Pharma Inc. is seen in Tokyo

TOKYO (Reuters) -Chinese authorities have indicted a Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma Inc detained since March 2023 on suspicion of espionage, the Japanese pharmaceutical company said on Wednesday.

Japan's Foreign Ministry said a man in his 50s who was detained in Beijing last year had been indicted in mid-August, without identifying the person. Astellas said he was an employee.

Officials at the Chinese Foreign Ministry were not immediately available for comment.

Neither Astellas nor the Japan's Foreign Ministry disclosed what charges the employee was indicted for. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said last year the employee had been detained on suspicion of espionage.

Following his detention, China formally arrested the man last October, further straining bilateral ties.

"We will keep on demanding the early release of this Japanese national," a Foreign Ministry official told Reuters.

(Reporting by Mariko Katsumura, Kaori Kaneko, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Liz Lee; editing by Jason Neely and Elaine Hardcastle)
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) announced Wednesday the state would cancel $100 million in medical debt for nearly 50,000 residents.

Medical debt can follow someone for decades. We are wiping the slate clean for thousands and making a real impact on their lives, Murphy posted on the social platform X.

New Jersey is working with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, which said in a release it is working with the state to leverage more than $550,000 in American Rescue Plan federal funds.

Nearly 18,000 New Jersey residents owned $61.6 million to Prime Healthcare hospitals, and more than 31,000 people owed more than $38.4 million to other providers like collections agencies, according to the nonprofit.

When someone is sick or injured, they should be able to focus on what matters most  getting better  rather than worrying about how they will pay for the life-saving care and services rendered to them, Murphy said in a statement.

Murphy last month signed the Louisa Carman Medical Debt Relief Act, which safeguards residents from accumulating more medical debt and protects them from predatory medical debt collectors.

Undue Medical Debt said there is no application process for the debt relief. The nonprofit will work with hospitals across the country to purchase past-due medical debt.

People who qualify for Undues medical debt relief are four times or below the federal poverty level or have medical debt that equal 5 percent or more of their annual income, the nonprofit said in its release.

The announcement follows a pledge from Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Harris to remove all medical debt from credit scoring.

Harris has sought to take the health care accomplishments made by the Biden administration a step further.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Andrew Washington, seen here with his family, was shot and killed by police in August 2023 when family members say he was experiencing a mental health crisis. (Courtesy of Courtnie Washington)

The family of a Jersey City man killed by city police last year has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, Hudson County, and a local hospital, claiming the defendants failure to follow standard law enforcement de-escalation techniques during the mans mental health crisis led to his death and violated his civil rights.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday morning, comes one year after police shot and killed Andrew Drew Washington at his home, where they were dispatched when his family members say they called a hotline seeking mental health professionals to help him.

The plaintiff, Courtnie Washington, Andrews sister and the administrator of his estate, alleges that her brothers death could have been avoided and is seeking unspecified damages. She claims that established state and federal law enforcement guidelines for dealing with individuals with mental health conditions were not followed by Jersey City police officers, and also alleges that medical health professionals failed to show adequate care with Washington.

Everything the police did was wrong. My brother was not dangerous and they knew that, Washington told the New Jersey Monitor. If my brother had a heart attack or he had cancer, would you act this way as police officers? No.

This idea of villainizing people with mental health disabilities needs to stop.

 Courtnie Washington, the victims sister

The suit cites a series of events that culminated in Washingtons death on August 27, 2023.

Family members called a mental health hotline asking for the advertised mobile outreach of trained mental health professionals to help Washington, 52, who suffered from multiple mental health disabilities, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and bouts of psychosis that involved auditory hallucinations. However, the mental health team was never dispatched, according to the suit, which says officials instead sent paramedics untrained in mental health issues and a heavily armed SWAT-like force trained to respond to armed criminal suspects and terrorism suspects.

The lawsuit alleges Jersey City police officers then acted aggressively, escalating the situation by repeatedly banging on Washingtons apartment door rather than de-escalating the matter through established methods, such as allowing distance between them and Washington. Ultimately, the officers broke down the door, and within five seconds tased and shot Washington twice, causing his death, according to the complaint.

The JCPD officers who interacted with Drew on August 27, 2023, understood that Drew had a mental health disability, that Drew was in the midst of a mental health episode, and that the police-led interaction was ineffective and agitating Drew more, the lawsuit states. Drew was in need of mental health services. Instead, he received a law enforcement response that ultimately killed him.

Attorney Amelia Green said the entire incident that resulted in Washingtons death didnt have to happen. Washington was alone in his home, not at risk of harm to anyone, and had asked police to leave, Green told the New Jersey Monitor.

The violence ensued when the police broke down his door without justification, said Green, who is lead counsel for the plaintiff. What the Jersey City police did was unnecessarily escalate the situation in contravention of every basic principle of policing. The New Jersey Attorney Generals Office has issued clear directives, aligned with the national standard, that when youre dealing with individuals with mental health issues, youre supposed to de-escalate, disengage, and ensure youre not doing anything to create a situation where there might be the use of force. Here, the police did the exact opposite of those basic principles.

After the shooting, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop defended the officers actions, telling reporters, We do feel those police officers acted properly, we want the public to know that. Fulop said anyone would be hard-pressed to say officers and medical personnel dispatched by Jersey City Medical Center could have acted differently in this situation.

Fulop also claimed Washington charged at officers with a knife. The complaint says Washington was holding a kitchen knife because he was scared for his life. Fulop is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2025.

Green categorically rejected the citys official response, saying the actions of police officers last August were a clear violation of New Jersey state directives that theyre required to follow.

The mayor should have taken accountability, because the Jersey City Police Department botched this entire incident, killing a man. Instead, he has made comments to try and cover up the misconduct in this case and justify whats happened, even going as far as suggesting things that simply are not true, Green said. The city should be taking accountability for this and make sure this never happens again.

RWJ Barnabas Health, which runs Jersey City Medical Center, declined to comment.

Any loss of life saddens us. However, we cannot comment on active litigation, said Jersey City spokeswoman Kim Wallace-Scalcione.

Yannick Wood, director of the criminal justice reform program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, pointed to other recent fatal police-involved shootings in Paterson and Fort Lee as a sign that more needs to be done to address how police react when theyre dealing with people suffering from mental illness.

State officials have taken action on this front. The state Attorney Generals Office in 2021 launched the Arrive Together program, which partners mental health professionals with law enforcement responding to calls involving people exhibiting mental health issues. The program, initially piloted in Cumberland County, has expanded to more than 200 agencies statewide.

And in January, state lawmakers approved the Seabrooks-Washington Community-Led Crisis Response Act, which is intended to strengthen community-based teams that can respond to these kinds of episodes. It was named for Washington and Najee Seabrooks, a Paterson man killed by police in March 2023. Wood believes a stronger and more complete implementation of the bill is merited.

Whats really tragic about all of these cases is that they were totally preventable. We cant be a state where this kind of deadly force is normalized and continues to kill our mentally ill residents who need help. Wood said. The lawsuit will not bring Andrew Washington back, but it can provide a modicum of justice for the family.

Courtnie Washington knows she cannot get her brother back. But she believes his death doesnt have to be in vain.

This idea of villainizing people with mental health disabilities needs to stop, Washington said. Drew was pretty easy to love. He had a really beautiful heart, and he had unwavering faith. He made you feel hope after you talked to him. Drew was the reason why our family even began to talk about mental health, because we had to. I want people to know that. He was our light.

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The News

Long-time New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez officially resigned Tuesday following his conviction on 16 counts for bribery and corruption.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is largely expected to appoint George Helmy as a caretaker for the seat until a replacement can be elected in November.

Menendez was found guilty in July of participating in a scheme whereby foreign actors gave him bribes of cash, gold bars, and a car to use his influence in the Senate to benefit their governments.

He is due to be sentenced in October, and filed a motion Monday asking a federal judge to dismiss the verdict.

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Menendez decision comes after months of Senate Democrats and others in the party calling for him to step down or even to expel him  a move that looked increasingly likely as he held on to his seat through his trial and conviction, Politico reported.

Democrats worried that allowing him to remain in office after his conviction would risk charges of hypocrisy, given the partys criticism of former President and Republican nominee Donald Trumps own criminal convictions.

It remains to be seen how the decision to step down might affect Menendez son, Rob Menendez Jr., who is running for a New Jersey congressional seat in November. Ahead of the June primary, which Menendez Jr. won, an opposition PAC released a TV ad attacking him for defending his fathers corruption, and claimed the apple doesnt fall far from the tree.
A judge on the federal appeals court based in Denver oversaw a panel discussion last year about the future of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the workplace while he had a case pending before him on the same subject.
Fox News

Its the conspiracy that just wont die.

Fox News host Jesse Watters made a quip questioning the veracity of Barack Obamas birth certificate Tuesday night during a live edition of The Fivejust hours before the former presidents speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Watters prefaced the apparent joke by depicting Obama as still the godfather of this machinea reference to the Democratic Party.

He gave us Joe Biden as VP. He gave us Hillary as secretary of state. Then he couped Joe, put all his boys with Kamalas team, and had his wingman Holder vet Walz, Watters said, referring to Obamas former attorney general, Eric Holder.

Hes definitely going to interfere in this election, he claimed, using the same parlance as Donald Trump to describe otherwise routine intra-party dealings.

Watters, facetious or not, then framed the topic of Obamas birth certificate as somehow fraught with mystery, and said he would be sending his producer to get to the bottom of whether or not it was real.

Thats why well be sending Johnny to Hawaii to get the truth about the birth certificate, Watters told viewers. This time we will dig deep and find out what really happened.

Birtherism is the false notion that Obama wasnt born in the United States, and therefore could not legally be elected president. Rather than being born in Hawaii, some wrongly alleged, Obama was born in Kenya, the present-day birthplace of his father. Trump himself helped spread birtherism, claiming years ago that he had sent investigators to Hawaii.

The subject has been investigated many times over the years, and there remains no evidence to suggest that Obama is not a natural born U.S. citizen.

Trump would later give oxygen to similar baseless claims regarding another minority candidate, Kamala Harris, after Biden selected her as his running mate in 2020.

After Watters had his say, co-host Greg Gutfeld jumped in.

Good point. You should tell Johnny that he needs to get a passport, he said, another apparent joke that was met with sustained silence from the panel.

To go to KenyaI agree, Watters replied, laughing.

No, Gutfeld clarified. I meant to Hawaii, just to see him do it. Ask him what the exchange rate is for the Hawaiian dollar.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy, spoke during the second night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday.

The Harvard grad and political correspondent selected a navy suit and a light blue button-up, accessorizing with a striped necktie. Schlossberg was one of several featured speakers including former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, as well as CNN correspondent Ana Navarro.

More from WWD

Jack Schlossberg speaks on the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 20.

President John F. Kennedy is my grandfather, and hes my hero, Schlossberg began. JFK was the youngest person ever elected president, and the first Catholic. He sent a man to the moon, fought for civil rights and navigated the Cuban Missile Crisis peacefully. Most of all, he inspired a new generation to ask what they could do for our country.

Schlossberg is the youngest child and only son of Caroline Kennedy and designer Edwin Schlossberg, who have been married since 1986. During his speech, Jack likened his grandfather to Vice President Kamala Harris, who will accept the Democratic Partys nomination for president on Thursday.

Jack Schlossberg speaks on the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 20.

Like President Kennedy, Vice President Harris has dedicated her life to public service, Schlossberg continued. She believes in America like my grandfather did  that we do things not because they are easy, but because they are hard. As president she will fight for working families. She will expand investments in clean energy so that my generation will have clean air and good jobs. She will defend our freedoms: the freedom for women, anywhere in America, to make their own health care choices. The freedom to be safe from gun violence. The freedom to vote easily and without fear. The choice is ours to make, and history is watching to see what we will do.

Backstage, Schlossberg, who is also a delegate for the state of New York, mingled with politicians like Nancy Pelosi and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. He also recorded an Instagram video with Eva Longoria. We are here to make sure everybodys going to come out this November to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, the actress said.

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Launch Gallery: Jack Schlossberg's Style Over the Years: A Look Back at Caroline Kennedy's Son, Photos

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Jimmy Carter's Grandson Says Kamala Harris Carries Grandpa's Legacy: 'She Knows What's Right and She Fights for It'

Jason Carter spoke at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night, advocating for Harris on behalf of his 99-year-old grandfather

David Paul Morris/getty Jason Carter speaks at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20, 2024

Former President Jimmy Carter's grandson Jason Carter made a special appearance at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, Aug. 20, to advocate for Vice President Kamala Harris on his grandfather's behalf.

Jason, 49  who chairs The Carter Center, which his grandparents co-founded after leaving the White House  addressed a crowd in Chicago early in the evening on day two, saying that Jimmy "wishes he could be here tonight."

"For my grandfather, it was never about fame, recognition, accolades or awards. His legacy is measured by the lives he has touched and the good he has done," Jason said. "Kamala Harris carries my grandfathers legacy."

He continued: "She knows what is right, and she fights for it. She understands that leadership is about service, not about selfishness. That you can show strength and demonstrate decency. And that you can get a whole lot more done with a smile than with a scowl."

Related: Jimmy Carter Told Son Why He Wants to Live Past 100: 'I'm Only Trying to Make It to Vote for Kamala Harris'

Jimmy, 99, has been in hospice care for a year and a half, and recently told family that he hopes to live long enough to vote for Harris in the upcoming presidential election.

"My grandfather cant wait to vote for Kamala Harris," Jason said on the DNC stage. "She reminds us all that the promise of America remains unchanged. We are one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all, and my grandfather knows that with her as our next president, we will keep that promise."



Jason also gave a brief update on the former president's health, saying, "Papa is holding on, he is hopeful, and though his body may be weak tonight, his spirit is as strong as ever."

Related: All About Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter's Children and Grandchildren

David Goldman/AP Jason Carter and his grandfather, former President Jimmy Carter, in Plains, Ga., on Feb. 8, 2017

Jimmy served as president from 1977 until 1981. He became the longest-living U.S. president in 2019 at 94 years old, and began receiving hospice care in February 2023. The former president made a rare public appearance in November to attend the memorial service for his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn, who died at 96 years old.

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In June, Jason told Southern Living that his grandfather was no longer awake every day while in hospice. "[He's] experiencing the world as best he can as he continues through this process," Jason told the publication.

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in 2024

Jason revealed in August that his grandfather told Chip, another grandson, that he would like to make it to 100 years old because he's "only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris." His birthday is on Oct. 1.

Related: Jimmy Carter's Grandson Laughs Recalling Chat with Grandpa Where They Were Both Puzzled by His Health

He and Rosalynn were hopeful when Biden and Harris were elected to become president and vice president in 2020.

"Rosalynn joins me in congratulating our friends President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris," he said in a statement in November 2020. "We are proud of their well-run campaign and look forward to seeing the positive change they bring to our nation."

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Read the original article on People.
Miami voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot question about keeping already-installed outdoor gym equipment in Maurice A. Ferre Park, according to unofficial election night results. The decision means a legal challenge from a group of downtown residents who sued the city last week over what they described as misleading referendum language will proceed.

The ballot question, sponsored by Miami City Commissioner Joe Carollo, asked voters if exercise equipment installed at the behest of the Bayfront Park Management Trust, a semi-autonomous city agency that Carollo chairs, should remain. When a contractor installed the outdoor gym in the fall, a group of downtown residents filed an appeal. After a review, the citys Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board in November reversed the citys approval of the outdoor gym, determining that it did not adhere to proper permitting and design procedure.

Last week, a half-dozen residents sued the city in an effort to bar officials from tabulating and releasing the referendums results, arguing that the ballot question language was misleading because it omitted important details, like the appeals boards ruling. But a Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge denied their request for an injunction because of the fact that, according to the county Elections Department, it was too late to stop the tabulation of results.

Instead, Judge Jose Rodriguez wrote in his order that the issue could be taken up post-election. Marc Burton, an attorney for the residents suing the city, said his clients intend to do so.





According to records the city included in court filings, it cost about $280,000 to purchase and install the outdoor gym, which consists of about 20 pieces of exercise equipment, including a rowing machine, leg extension machine and an elliptical cross trainer, according to an invoice from the contractor.

Regardless of the legal challenge, the next steps for the outdoor gym are unclear.

In response to the lawsuit, the city said in court records that voter approval of the ballot question could result in a new permit being granted for the gym  but not that a permit would be issued with certainty.

Further complicating matters, in late May, the City Commission upheld the appeals boards ruling, effectively directing the gym equipment to be removed. But two weeks earlier, the commission had already agreed in a 3-1 vote to send the question to voters. (That proposal came from Carollo in the form of a pocket item, meaning the item did not appear on the publicly available meeting agenda prior to the meeting.)

What the City Commission did in referring the question to the ballot is essentially seek an unlawful third-level appeal of the City Commission, Burton said at a court hearing last week.

The outdoor gym is fenced off while the political battle over gym equipment installation at Miamis downtown Maurice A. Ferre Park is resolved when the issue goes to a referendum in the August primary.

Office of the Independent Inspector

Voters approved a pair of referendums relating to government oversight, replacing the auditor generals office with a more powerful watchdog office through a change to the citys charter, according to unofficial election night results.

By approving the two questions, voters eliminated the existing oversight office and created a new Office of the Independent Inspector General that has the authority to subpoena witnesses and to self-initiate investigations  actions that the existing office could not take.

The new office will be able to review procurement and bidding processes, as well as past, present and future city programs, accounts, records, contracts and transactions.

District 4 Commissioner Manolo Reyes championed the two government oversight ballot questions. In a statement Tuesday night, Reyes said the new oversight office will ensure that our government operates transparently and efficiently and inspires confidence in our citys future.

With the creation of the Inspector Generals office, Reyes said, Miami is poised to overcome its challenges and emerge stronger. I want to thank the residents of our City for supporting this initiative, setting our city on a path to a brighter future and moving forward.

The installation of the new Office of the Independent Inspector follows a year in which multiple elected officials found themselves embroiled in lawsuits, ethics investigations and, for one, criminal charges relating to their public office.

Miami Herald reporter Catherine Odom contributed to this report.
JOPLIN, Mo.  Representatives from more than 130 Joplin-area businesses and organizations go back to college for Community Day at Missouri Southern.

Normally held outside on the universitys oval, this years edition was moved inside Billingsly Student Center due to the construction of the new Roy Blunt Health Science Innovation Center, which has pretty much made the oval unusable as a piece of campus property.

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Students were able to take advantage of plenty of giveaways and tasty treats while also learning more about what those who set up booths have to offer.

We want students to take away that there are jobs available in this community. There are businesses and organizations that are here to support them, and theres a wide variety of ways to eat, dine and play in the Four States. Community Day has been going on for 30-plus years. We have nonprofit organizations, we have churches  but we also have corporations like Leggett and Platt, Freeman Health System and Mercy who are here to recruit out students, or to show support, said Alex Gandy, MSSU Dir. of Career Services.

This is all part of the universitys Welcome Week festivities. Thursday, students will be able to learn more about whats offered on campus with the annual Campus Involvement Day event.

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BOARDMAN, Ohio (MyValleyTributes)  Joseph F. Scheetz, passed away peacefully in his home on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, at the age of 87.

Born on March 9, 1937, in Youngstown, Ohio to the late Leonard and Virginia Scheetz, he led a life filled with love, hard work, and cherished memories.

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Joe was a proud graduate of Ursuline High School in 1955, and attended St. Josephs College in Rensselaer, Indiana.

Joe dedicated over 25 years of his professional life as a sales representative and cement specialist for Ardex Inc., where he was admired by colleagues and clients alike for his commitment and expertise.

His journey was not just defined by his career; it also included a more personal side where he found joy in traveling and being with his family.

The love story of Joe and his wife, Peggy Prosser Scheetz, is one that will forever remain in the hearts of those who knew them. They wed on October 28, 1961, and shared a beautiful life and raised two daughters in Boardman, Ohio.

An early and constant passion they shared was a love of books. Together they built an antiquarian book business that spanned over 40 years. Joe had a keen interest in book bindings and worked to ensure each book they sold represented the highest quality of craftsmanship.

After retiring, Joe volunteered at the St. Dominics soup kitchen. He enjoyed exercising at the YMCA and giving advice to those he thought needed it. Neighbors could count on a good chat with Joe while he walked his dog Darcy daily.

Joe leaves behind two devoted daughters, Mary (Randy) Caldejon of Crozet, Virginia, and Patricia (Mark) Schneider of Cincinnati, Ohio; four beloved grandchildren, Emily and Peter Schneider, and Lily and Charlotte Caldejon, each of whom brought light to his life; three sisters, Geraldine Less of Canfield, Ohio, Janet (Gerry) Grace of Ellsworth, Ohio, and Diane Paes of Canfield, Ohio, along with his brother, Richard (Mary Jo) Scheetz of Kansas City, Missouri.

He was preceded in death by his wife Peggy in December 2020.

The Scheetz family is very grateful to caregiver Mandi Budin, who provided care and friendship to Joe and Darcy.

Friends and family may call on Friday, August 23, 2024, from 9:00  9:45 a.m. at St. Dominic Church . A public Mass of Christian Burial will be held at the church directly following the visitation at 10:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Dominic Church, 77 E. Lucius Avenue, Youngstown, Ohio 44507.

Professional arrangements are being handled by Higgins-Reardon Funeral Homes, Boardman-Canfield Chapel.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Joseph F. Scheetz, please visit our flower store.

A television tribute will air Thursday, August 22 at the following approximate times: 5:17 a.m. on WKBN, 8:39 a.m. on FOX, 5:21 p.m. on WYTV and 6:35 p.m. on MyYTV. Video will be posted here the day of airing.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com.
Joshua Zimmerman in standoff with U.S. Marshals; barricaded in Chicago restaurant

UPDATE: Joshua Zimmerman, an inmate who escaped from Hernando, Mississippi, was taken into custody Wednesday morning after a standoff with U.S. Marshals in Chicago, according to the DeSoto County Sheriffs Office.

***

HERNANDO, Miss.  The DeSoto County Sheriffs Office announced that escaped inmate Joshua Zimmerman has been located in Chicago and is currently in a standoff with U.S. Marshals.

This afternoon we received word from the United States Marshal Service that they located Zimmerman in a restaurant in Chicago, Illinois, said DeSoto County Sherriffs Office Deputy Chief Justin Smith.

Zimmerman is reportedly holed up in a seafood restaurant called Seafood Junction by himself and surrounded by U.S. Marshals. Smith said Zimmerman was eating when he was found.

Multiple streets are reportedly closed due to police activity in the area.

The S.W.A.T. team is attempting to talk him out of the restaurant.

Zimmerman escaped from a DeSoto County courthouse on June 14 and has not been seen since.

This is as dangerous and as bad as they get, Barton said in June. Hes a career criminal. He has no regard for the safety of other people. Its a miracle that nobody was hurt in the courthouse or on our square.

ORIGINAL STORY: Manhunt underway after inmate escapes from courthouse in DeSoto County, MS

Zimmerman was in the courthouse for a hearing in a case where he was facing an attempted murder charge.

Zimmerman is accused of attacking an elderly Southaven man who hired him to work at his house last September.

Smith refused to provide more information on that case during Tuesdays press conference.

Weve been intentionally quiet on this just waiting on facts to roll in, we try not to lobe careless accusations in the public space when we dont have facts to speak to, Smith said.

But when he went to court, Zimmerman escaped. From the courtroom, down the stairs, past the metal detectors and guards at the front entrance, Zimmerman apparently went unnoticed.

DeSoto County D.A. frustrated after career criminal escapes

Barton told WREG what happened before Zimmerman even got to the courtroom.

So Ive actually Ive seen a video from inside the courthouse, Barton said. They came inside the courthouse, theyre going upstairs to the courtroom. Hes wearing shackles and a jumpsuit like everybody else. He broke from the line (and) went through a door. Sometime later, he left the courthouse with no shackles and street clothes.

Zimmerman is also facing charges in Texas for the death of a woman.

The U.S. Marshals office and DeSoto County District Attorneys Office each offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

Even high-profile bounty hunter, Dog the Bounty Hunter offered a $20,000 reward of his own.

Once Zimmerman gets into U.S. Marshals custody, Smith said deputies plan on extraditing Zimmerman as soon as possible. That way, they can finally learn how Zimmerman managed to escape.

Were parsing together information and he is the center of that puzzle, so having him in our hands will give us some really good leads on how all of this transpired, Smith said.

We will update this story as more information becomes available.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
A federal appeals judge from Colorado, the solicitor general of Missouri and a senior advisor to a Republican senator offered their thoughts on Tuesday about the U.S. Supreme Court's most recent term, the magnitude of the court's conservative lean and the impacts to the federal government's regulatory powers going forward.
Journalists covering the Israel-Hamas war have spotlighted the extreme difficulties of covering the conflict in the face of bias and a lack of access, with a leading Palestinian reporter saying he has been shunned by his community simply for doing his job.

Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Yousef Hammash, who has reported from Gaza for the likes of Channel 4, said the international media has failed with its bid to inform the public about the Israel-Hamas War since October 7 and give wider context.

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Weve been exposed to one narrative and Israelis the other and that is how the international media failed in informing us, he said. They should have looked at it from a broader image.

Hammash spotlighted the challenge he has faced from his own community in reporting from Gaza over the years, saying that he has spent time living in hospitals, living in his car and having to meet his children outside of his own home.

People think they are in danger when I come and film them, he added of working in Palestine. We dont have community acceptance because in the eyes of Gaza we are a legitimate target for the Israelis. That is why we are living in hospitals.

But rather than controlling the narrative in Gaza, Hammash said Hamas has barely been on the ground since the devastating October 7 attack, which saw 1,200 people in Israel killed and around 240 taken hostage. Since then, the Hamas-run health ministry says 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza.

After October 7 there is no Hamas on the ground, no law in society, said Hammash. People in Palestine are wishing people from Hamas dead, which wouldnt have happened before. It is chaos.

Dehumanizing Palestinians systematically in the media

Hammash was speaking alongside Gideon Levy, an award-winning journalist for Israeli outlet Haaretz who has been critical of the Israeli government. He concurred with Hammash that years of anti-Palestinian mainstream media reporting before October 7 led to a belief that the Israelis had carte blanche in Gaza once the Hamas attack took place.

Israelis believed that Israel has the right to do whatever it wants with no moral or legal limits, no empathy, no humanity, no international law, nothing, he said. But October 7 didnt come out of a blue sky  it came after years of dehumanizing Palestinians systematically in the media and after years of the media not covering the occupation.

Lindsey Hilsum, Channel 4 News International Editor, said it is the families of the hostages who are most pushing for a ceasefire, and who are the angriest with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

The families of hostages show divisions in Israeli society, said Hillsum. Its not that they care about Palestinians but they want their family back and they believe strongly that a ceasefire is the best way to do that. Israel has become much harder since October 7 and you see that with the hostages families.

Elsewhere, ITV global Security News Editor Rohit Kachroo contrasted the Israel-Gaza War with Ukraine in that Ukraine had so much more clarity in who the public was backing. At first it was almost like covering a sport event, with reporters emphatically saying these are the good guys, these are the bad guys, he said. It felt like the equivalent of [supporting] team GB.

Kachroo added that people have got hung up on terminology unnecessarily regarding Israel-Hamas, such as the use of the term terrorist to label Hamas, which the BBC has refused to do.

Kachroo revealed that when he first arrived in Israel, he was told he would be offered interviews instead of the BBC for this reason. It was being used as a stick to bet the BBC with, which was really unfair, he added. These terms are often complicated.

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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)  A motion filed in federal court asking for more time for residents to decide if they want to accept their share of a $600 million class action settlement in connection to the February 2023 train derailment in East Palestine has been denied.

The ruling was entered Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

Judge Benita Pearson wrote that the settlement agreement was well publicized with residents having sufficient time to review it.

not only via the robust direct notice program the Court approved, but (2) through an on-site brick-and-mortar claims office in East Palestine opened the week of June 3, 2024 and staffed by the Settlement Administrator and Class Counsel to provide in-person assistance Pearson wrote.

Pearson also said that pushing back the opt-out time would delay payments to others into 2025.

The deadline is Thursday for people who live within 20 miles of the derailment site to file a claim.

A motion was filed last week by Attorney David Graham asking the court to extend the timeframe saying, among other issues, that attorneys who represented residents in the lawsuit havent disclosed any of the results of testing done around town by their own expert, Stephen Petty, who has testified in hundreds of lawsuits about contamination concerns.

Graham said the class attorneys were more concerned about getting their $180 million fee.

Accepting the class action payment precludes future lawsuits against Norfolk Southern Railroad.

The amount residents can receive varies by how close they lived to the derailment, with people who lived within 2 miles receiving $70,000 for property damage, and those living within 10 miles getting $25,000. People who lived at the outer edge of the area might only receive a few hundred dollars.

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 WKBN.com.
A courtroom and a judge's gavel. (Getty Images creative)

U.S. District Court Judge James Peterson has told Gov. Tony Evers and Sen. Van Wanggaard that he will not act to revise a consent decree that has mandated changes at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake Schools.

Peterson responded Tuesday to a letter from Republican legislators calling for Secretary-Designee Jared Hoy to petition Peterson to revise the consent decree and from Evers opposing the lawmakers demand.

The way to call for change is to file a motion with the court, where all the parties will have a chance to weigh in with evidence, Peterson wrote in a letter to both Evers and Wanggaard.

If the current parties arent up to it, Peterson wrote, the Legislature could ask to intervene to file a motion and the governor could ask to intervene to oppose it.

Lawmakers heard safety concerns from staff at a hearing on Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake on Aug. 6. In a letter on Aug. 8, the Republican members of the Assembly Committee on Corrections and the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety wrote the letter to Hoy, asking him to petition Peterson. Peterson was copied on the letter.

In his letter, Evers asked Peterson to decline to revisit and revise the consent decree, saying it makes staff and youth safer.

The expectation when the consent decree was negotiated, Peterson said, was that Lincoln Hills would be closed within three years and replaced with regional facilities, and this expectation has not been met.

The true cost of Lincoln Hills  in damage inflicted on the youths housed there, in settlements paid out to the victims of constitutional violations, in risk and injury to the staff  is enormous and hasnt yet been fully paid, Peterson wrote.

Peterson wrote anyone seeking change to the consent decree should consider that the Constitution sets minimum standards beyond which lie cruelty and barbarism. He said he expects any change to be backed up by evidence showing the consent decree does not protect staff and youth safety.

Wanggaards office provided statements from the senator, who said he will continue to push for responsible training and tools at Lincoln Hills to ensure the safety of juvenile inmates and staff.

His chief of staff, Scott Kelly, said the senator has not asked the Legislature to intervene in the lawsuit between the Department of Corrections and the American Civil Liberties Union and has no plans to do so.

Republicans have asked DOC to seek to relook at the consent decree, as we are not a party to the lawsuit, Wanggaard said.

Governor Evers office and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections did not immediately respond to emails from the Examiner Wednesday.

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A judge has confirmed that Agridime, the Texas-based beef marketing firm that owes millions of dollars to investors in North Dakota and elsewhere, was operating as a Ponzi scheme.

In December, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Agridime of operating as a Ponzi scheme  using money from new investors to pay off previous investors.

After months of investigation into Agridimes bookkeeping, U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman on Aug 13 granted a motion that said the business had been operating as a Ponzi scheme since Oct. 1, 2021.

Agridime had lured investors promising high returns on investments in cattle. One Agridime advertisement promised a 15% to 20% return on investment and said, Have you ever wanted to make money raising cattle without having to do all the work?

The North Dakota Securities Commission has said North Dakota investors are owed about $40 million, more than any other state where Agridime operated until federal authorities took over.

An update from the court-appointed receiver overseeing the company said investors should get a letter this month confirming what they are owed.

It also said negotiations are continuing with an investment group that wants to buy the assets of Agridime. Wylie Bice of Killdeer, North Dakota, has confirmed to the North Dakota Monitor that he is leading that investment group and is among the victims of the Ponzi scheme.

The company is continuing to operate under the name American Grazed Beef.

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A pit bull owner accused of beating a pizzeria manager into critical condition stomped repeatedly on the unconscious victims head  an assault so brutal a Manhattan Criminal Court judge said prosecutors would have been justified asking that the suspect be held without bail.

Tyshaun Watson allegedly put 47-year-old Zakaria El Sherief in a chokehold and then stomped his face twice as he lay unconscious in the street, prosecutors revealed Wednesday. The victim may not survive.

Watsons lawyer asked during the suspects arraignment for his client to be given supervised release with no bail, but acknowledged to Judge Simiyon Haniff that the request was a stretch.

Haniff explained his reasoning to the suspect for agreeing to prosecutors request that bond be set at $500,000.

Mr. Watson, look, the bottom line is its a serious case. I dont have to tell you about that  nobody should have to endure that, Haniff said.

Right now, its allegations, I recognize that, but these are serious allegations.  This man is in the hospital, intubated, and that is serious.  Im surprised the people arent asking for remand based on the condition of the [victim] at this juncture.

Watson, 35, is due back in court Friday and is charged with attempted murder and related charges.

He followed El Sherief outside Roma Pizza in the Flatiron District, repeatedly punched him and put him in a chokehold, Assistant District Attorney Nicole Borczyk told the court.

When El Sherief appeared to fall unconscious, surveillance footage shows, Watson twice forcefully stomps on his face, Borczyk said.

The victim suffered extensive injuries, including brain bleeds and internal bleeding, Borczyk said. He remains intubated and unresponsive to external stimuli, and his prognosis is uncertain.

El Sherief also has facial fractures as well as bruising and swelling to the face, according to a criminal complaint. He was working the counter at the pizzeria on Fifth Ave. near W. 19th St. when he got into an argument with Watson, who entered with the unleashed dog about 9:55 p.m. on Monday, cops said.

The pizzerias daytime manager, who did not provide his name, said El Sherief had told Watson dogs were not allowed to be unleashed or inside the shop by order of the Health Department. Thats when Watson lost his temper, came behind the counter and began to punch the victim, according to the daytime manager.

As the clash escalated, the pit bull also attacked El Sherief and the fight spilled out onto the street, workers said.

Watsons attorney Kristin McAlpin asked for supervised release, acknowledging to the judge it was a stretch. She said her client has no criminal convictions in New York, a strong work history, a military background and a stable home and relationship.

McAlpin said Watson lives in Secaucus, N.J., with his significant other and, before that, lived with his son, now 10, whom he still supports. Watson is employed as a senior sales manager for a Fifth Ave. hotel and has worked in the hospitality sector for five years. He was laid off by Apple during the COVID-19 pandemic and served in the National Guard for a decade as a chemical specialist, she said.

The lawyer said his prior arrests in Virginia were DUI-related.

I think alcohol might be a factor in this case, McAlpin said of the pizzeria beatdown.

In the days before the attack, Watson posted several videos on social media of him and his dog, a black pit bull named Dior, walking in New York.

The victims wounds were mostly inflicted by the owner and not Dior, sources said.

The dog was not hurt and was brought to Animal Care Centers of NYC, where he is undergoing a 10-day rabies observation hold.
Who better than to bring together the countrys eight Democratic governors than Julia Louis-Dreyfus? The actress famously starred on Veep as a fictional female politician and on that series, she hilariously never advocated for women. Famously recirculated Veep scenes of late have reminded fans of the HBO comedy how she eviscerated her political aides for beginning speeches with, As a woman  or for suggesting that she run for president on an all-female ticket. (The American people work hard for a living, OK? They dont need that kind of bullshit, she quipped.)

But in real life, the Emmy-winning actress, producer and activist is quite the opposite. In town for the Democratic National Convention, the avid Kamala Harris supporter hosted a sit-down conversation with the countrys eight Democratic women governors.

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Unlike her character, Selina Meyer, Louis-Dreyfus goal for the chat on Wednesday, the third day of the 2024 DNC, was to spotlight the governors who have made history by succeeding as women in executive roles and shattering marble ceilings along the way.

But, she still brought some humor.

After welcoming her guests onstage by going down the line and giving high fives, Louis-Dreyfus quickly took aim at Harris opponent, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, and Trumps running mate, J.D. Vance.

Calling out the eight women on her stage, she took a swipe at Vances resurfaced, headline-making comments about women without children being childless cat ladies. The group, Louis-Dreyfus said, was a gathering that Vance might call a coven of semi-menstruating witches.

She then added to the crowds laughter, Were going to have fun here.

Joining the Seinfeld star were Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek.

Louis-Dreyfus, who appeared on Stephen Colberts DNC opening night Late Show lineup on Monday, said shes been smiling for a month. Ever since Harris was elevated to the top of the Democratic ticket for the 2024 presidential race, my face hurts, she noted.

Was anyone else weeping for two hours last night watching the Second Gentleman [Doug Emhoff] and the Obamas speak? she asked about the second night of the DNCs primetime speakers. Were laughing, were crying  Im fucking exhausted, to be honest with you. But, were filled with hope and joy. And all of you women on this stage are evidence that Martin Luther King Jr. was right when he said, The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. Sometimes we forget that when Trump is trying to bend it back the other way.

During the chat, Louis-Dreyfus asked the group lighter questions  such as testing them on their state flower, sharing stories about inner-office practical jokes (New Mexico Gov. Grisham told a story about removing all of the furniture out of a congressional members office, laying sod and placing it back on the grass) and briefly referencing Harris Brat summer  as well as heavier topics that are currently top of mind for voters.

Reminding the women that, on Veep, her character once joked, If men got pregnant, you could get an abortion at an ATM, she asked Hochul about her experience dealing with the overturning of the Dobbs decision and Roe v. Wade.

Im going to fight like hell to get it back for my granddaughter, said Hochul of what she described as a moment of pain, but also one of action. Yes, you can have an abortion in the state of New York, but there are sisters across this nation who are going to need our help.

So she says she started expanding clinics to make her state a safe harbor by passing protections for doctors so they couldnt be prosecuted by other states. We passed laws, we jumped in. I visited Planned Parenthood clinics right off the bat. But right now, as a result of that decision, one-third of women in child-bearing age are living under an abortion ban in this country.

In November, Hobbs said her state has the chance to protect abortion rights in Arizona. Women who get pregnant dont have access to the care that they need, she said. Were surrounded by pro-abortion states and we are working to make sure that people can get the care they need.

Kelly added, They should never have poked the bear. Because what happened was women, men, people all over Kansas showed up to a primary  we had record turnout and 60 percent of Kansans validated a womens right to privacy and reproductive right. And I think we set the stage then, for other states to do what they had to do  and I think its carrying on. Theres no lack of interest now. It really has awoken people, particularly our young people.

Since 2018, the DGA has invested more than $80 million in states and campaigns to elect and re-elect this group, also launching the Women Governors Fund, dedicated to electing Democratic women governors.

Watch the women discuss the above, share their advice for Harris (Let Kamala be Kamala and We have not won; we have to fight for every single vote) and more in the chat, below.

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Hamilton County Probate Judge Ralph Winkler was reprimanded by the Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday for violating the Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct.

A Hamilton County Probate Court judge has been reprimanded by the Ohio Supreme Court for making false statements on social media about a pending case he was presiding over.

In an opinion issued Wednesday, justices publicly reprimanded Judge Ralph Winkler for violating the Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct.

The opinion was joined by Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy and Justices Patrick DeWine, Michael Donnelly and Melody Stewart. Justices Patrick Fischer, Jennifer Brunner and Joe Deters, the former Hamilton County prosecutor, did not participate in the case.

A complaint filed on Oct. 23 with the state Board of Professional Conduct says Winkler  who has been the countys probate court judge since 2015  violated Ohios rules of judicial conduct by posting on Facebook about a guardianship case he was overseeing.

Winkler, who also served on the common pleas and municipal courts, has been a judge for more than two decades.

The complaint surrounds two comments Winkler has acknowledged posting in October 2022.

According to the complaint, within a few hours of posting the comments, Winkler realized he should not have made the comments and deleted them.

He also handed control of the Facebook page to two staff members to prevent him from posting on his own, court filings state.

Winkler was responding to a man who was part of a guardianship case involving the mans mother, who was diagnosed with dementia and placed in an assisted living facility. The case dates back more than a decade. But in 2017, Winkler upheld a decision by a magistrate, ordering that the mothers former home be vacated and sold.

On Oct. 7, 2022, the man made a post on Facebook that Winkler considered a personal attack on a probate court magistrate, the complaint says.

Winkler's two responses said, in part:

Youre just mad because we had to intercede and take care of your mother when you did not I am glad that a nice neighbor called senior services, and we got your mother into a safe, clean and healthy facility. God only knows what would have happened to her if a Good Samaritan neighbor had not reported this elder abuse The home photos in evidence dont lie.

You lost your case because you were wrong You were wrong for not taking proper care of your mother and when you did make it to court you often reeked of alcohol.

Winkler acknowledged during his disciplinary proceedings that the online statements were incorrect, misleading, and unsupported by the record, according to court documents. The board found that while Winkler didnt intentionally post inaccurate statements, he did not review the record to refresh his memory about the case.

Winkler also authorized an assistant court administrator to speak with a Richland Source reporter about the case, and that administrator likewise repeated untrue claims.

The judge recused himself from the guardianship proceedings in August 2023. He also made an on-the-record apology to the family.

Although Winklers misconduct consists of two isolated events, he committed multiple rule violations and caused harm to vulnerable victims, the courts opinion states. The justices added that Winkler is highly unlikely to engage in similar misconduct.

"Judge Winkler respects the Courts decision and is ready to put this matter behind him," his attorney, Lisa Zaring, said in an emailed statement.

Enquirer staff writer Kevin Grasha contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Supreme Court reprimands probate judge over Facebook comments
Three years ago, Afghan women lost most of their civil rights overnight, when the Taliban marched into Kabul and quickly seized the country against little resistance. As Vice President Kamala Harris accepts the presidential nomination this week at the Democratic National Convention, the Talibans wholesale disregard for womens rights is a stark contrast to the possibility of the first woman President in American history. But Harris, who has taken a strong stance on womens rights, could break with previous U.S. policy failures and reset the U.S.-Afghan relationship in a way that genuinely prioritizes Afghan women.

Today, Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are prohibited from going to school. Women and girls are banned from many public spaces, are required to cover their faces in public, and are restricted from employment. These increasingly prohibitive fatwaslegal rulings under the Talibans perverse interpretation of Sharia lawseverely restrict womens movement and participation in society in what many are calling gender apartheid.

Read More: Why TIME Dedicated an Issue to Afghan Women Around the World

The horrific impact of gender apartheid in Afghanistan is unsurprising. Afghans are poorer, jobs have been decimated, civil society and media have collapsed, and the country now has one of the lowest Human Development Index rankings. The social, cultural, and political gains that were made for women during the U.S. war in Afghanistan have all but disappeared. The country remains the unhappiest in the world.

Yet Afghan women continue to resist. Despite serious risks to their safety, women are protesting in the streets under the slogan Bread, Work, Freedom, organizing underground schools just as they did in the 1990s, and allying with womens rights champions like Malala Yousafzai and Angelina Jolie to raise global awareness.

With the prospect of a President Harris, Afghan women are wondering: can they expect an ally in the White House?

President Bidens chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan was catastrophic for Afghan families now painfully separated and, especially, for the women now repressed under Taliban rule. Whats more, a push to normalize U.S.-Taliban diplomatic relations is gaining momentum. The Taliban is now the U.S. primary counterterrorism partner in Afghanistan. Even U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with Taliban leaders in Doha in June, granting them more legitimacy and undermining womens rights advocates who were excluded entirely from the gathering.

Instead, a President Harris could globalize her outspoken support for womens rights to include Afghan women. She could embrace the effort to codify gender apartheid in the U.N.s Crime Against Humanity treaty, allying herself with women in places like Afghanistan and Iran to elevate their cause while building trust with the U.S. government and an international system that has disregarded their issues.

The U.S. has already disbursed around $3 billion to Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover. But Harris could step up that humanitarian funding, particularly to aid locally-led organizations working in Afghanistan to support womenrecognizing that living under a gender apartheid system presents unique challenges. And she could recommit to offering asylum to Afghan women endangered by the Taliban. There are about 70,000 Afghan evacuees in the U.S and their future is still uncertain. A President Harris could secure their future by ensuring that the Afghan Adjustment Act passes through Congress.

More fundamentally, Harris could be the first President since Jimmy Carter who chooses to not view Afghanistan solely through a geopolitical lenswhether anti-Communism during the Soviet invasion or counterterrorism following 9/11. She could renegotiate the diplomatic relationship with the Taliban, making it conditional upon respect for womens rights, including a guarantee of access to healthcare and education.

Some may argue that womens rights are secondary to the need for partnership with the Taliban to counter the threat of a rising Islamic State-Khorasan in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan. Indeed, Trumps record suggests that a transactional approach would guide his Afghanistan policy. But 40 years of failed U.S. policies in Afghanistan are the result of this faulty thinking.

Ultimately, Afghanistan is more stable and its people more successful when women are not repressedwhen they can be educated and work.

A President Harris offers the chance of a reset.

More from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com.
Kamala Harris Had Her Plane Circle For 10 Minutes To Watch Her Husbands Speech

Vice President Kamala Harris had a front-row seat in the sky to watch her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, give a speech at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday.

According to a White House pool report, Air Force Two  the vice presidents plane  arrived over Chicago, where the convention is being held, but circled around for about 10 minutes before landing so Harris could watch the end of Emhoffs speech.

The pool report added that the front cabin cheered DOUG! DOUG! DOUG! and applauded when he concluded his speech.

Harris shared a photo on Instagram later that night of her watching the speech from her laptop, with the caption Love you, Dougie.

Harris plane was coming from a rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, had just spoken to a crowd of 15,000 people, according to The New York Times.

In his remarks at the DNC, Emhoff praised his wife, shared an awkward story of how he and Harris met on a blind date and emphasized that her passion will benefit the country.

She finds joy in pursuing justice, he said. She stands up to bullies, just like my parents taught me to. And she likes to see people do well, but hates when theyre treated unfairly. Her empathy is her strength.

Shes always been there for our children and I know shell always be there for yours too, he continued. Kamala is a joyful warrior.


Kamala Harris has promised to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. What is it, why has it stalled in Congress and how could it affect voters?

Vice President Kamala Harris commemorates the 59th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" in Selma, Ala., in March. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Kamala Harriss promise to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act was amplified by Alabama Rep. Terri Sewell on Tuesday night, as the congresswoman highlighted the states pioneering history in the civil rights movement on night two of the Democratic National Convention. The bill would modernize the 1965 legislation that was created to block racial discrimination in voting.

Kamala Harris will protect the legacy and the progress that weve made by our forefathers and our foremothers and she will advance it, Sewell, the first Black woman elected to represent the states Seventh Congressional District, said during Alabamas roll call. She will safeguard our freedom to vote by passing the John Robert Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

Earlier in August, Harris shared a photo of herself admiring the late Georgia Rep. John Lewis, for whom the bill is named. Our democracy is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it, the Democratic presidential nominee wrote on X.

The Democrat-sponsored bill, which has stalled in Congress, would strengthen voting rights and legal protections for those who head to the polls.

What is the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act?

The bill was originally titled the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019, but was renamed after Lewis in 2020 to honor the civil rights veteran who fought for voting rights.

The legislation would restore the critical preclearance requirement section in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that was gutted by a 2013 Supreme Court ruling, Shelby County v. Holder.

The preclearance requirement in the Voting Rights Act mandated that states and local jurisdictions with a history of racially discriminatory voting practices get federal approval before making changes to their election process that could affect voting rights and spur discrimination.

Patrice Willoughby, NAACPs senior vice president of global impact and policy, told Yahoo News that the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would modernize what the Supreme Court decision ruled was an outdated formula that determines how and which states have a pattern of discrimination.

After the 2020 election, battleground states including Georgia and Florida enacted voting restrictions such as implementing stricter voter ID requirements, banning volunteers from handing out food and drinks in voting lines, limiting access to voting by mail and creating a more complicated voter registration process, citing concerns of voter fraud, which is a rare occurrence.

A 2021 analysis by the George Washington University Law School suggests Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas, states with historically large Black populations, would be subject to the preclearance requirement based on past violations.

How would the act affect voters?

Residents vote during the midterm elections in Calhoun, Ga., in 2022. (Cheney Orr/Reuters)

Civil rights organizations say the legislation would eliminate racially discriminatory roadblocks put in place by Republican-led states like Georgia and Florida that have enacted voting restrictions in recent years. These changes disproportionately impact communities of color in the United States, a version of the bill states.

It is anti-democratic for any party to try to limit access to what is the right of every American, Willoughby said, adding that Harriss X post on securing voting rights and also the emergence of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is an effort to restore the fair play that democracy really requires.

In addition to restoring preclearance, the act would, among other things:

Make Election Day a public holiday.

Limit removing voters from voter rolls.

Expand voter registration including same-day and automatic registration.

Expand voting access to include early voting and vote-by-mail options.

Mandate officials to publicly announce voting changes at least 180 days before an election.

Enable the government to dispatch federal observers to polling places with a noted pattern of discrimination.

Rein in campaign donations by expanding restrictions on campaign spending by foreign nationals.

Ban partisan redistricting.

Make it a criminal offense for people who corruptly hinder, interfere with, or prevent another person from registering to vote or helping someone register to vote.

In 2021, Harris was tasked with taking the lead on restoring voting rights, Shes convened with voting rights leaders, including the NAACP, to gain support for strategies aimed at protecting voter rights.

She said the Biden administration will not stand by when confronted with any effort that keeps Americans from voting. We must protect the fundamental right to vote for all Americans regardless of where they live.

Willoughby explained the restrictions make voting more difficult for minority communities who lack resources or who may have any characteristic that is identified as being someone who might vote for progressive causes, as shifting demographics reveal a deeply divided democracy.

Democrats declared in their 2024 party platform that the fundamental right to vote remains under assault. The party vowed to pass and sign into law the act to fully secure the right to vote in every state, ensure fair congressional maps for every American, modernize and secure our elections, and curtail the corrupting influence of money in politics.

If [former President Donald Trump] returns to the White House, he will seek to eliminate early voting and mail ballots to make it harder for Americans to exercise their right to vote, the party platform read.

On Tuesday night, Georgia Rep. Nikema Williams, the states Democratic Party chairwoman, also invoked Harriss fight for the freedom to vote, in the spirit of good trouble, a nod to one of Lewiss most recognizable calls to action.

Extremists in Georgia are trying to silence our voices by kicking Georgians off of the rolls and making it harder to vote, Williams said. When we send Kamala Harris to the White House, she'll fight for our freedom to vote.

Why has legislation stalled in Congress?

House lawmakers passed the bill along party lines in 2021, but it failed to advance in the Senate.

That Senate vote was the fourth time in 2021 that Republicans blocked voting rights reform.

Democrats have since reintroduced different iterations of the law, including combining a broader voting rights bill, the Freedom to Vote Act, with the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in 2021. The most recent bill was introduced in February 2024, but theres been no notable movement in the chambers.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell dismissed the legislation as a go-nowhere bill.

There is nothing to suggest a sprawling federal takeover is necessary. Nationalizing our elections is just a multidecade Democratic Party goal in constant search of a justification, McConnell said on the Senate floor.

In a 2022 memo to the press, Republicans slammed the Democrats push to pass the law as fake hysteria.

The political left keeps pitching their Big Lie that mainstream state voting laws are somehow Jim Crow 2.0 if the Governor who signs the bill happens to be a Republican. The lefts Big Lie insults the intelligence of the American people, the memo read.
CHICAGO  From the floor of the Democratic National Committee convention hall, reproductive rights advocate and social media influencer Deja Foxx urged young voters to support Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign.

"People my age are making big decisions about our lives, and we deserve a president who has our back, not some power hungry millionaire reality TV personality who only cares about himself. We need Kamala Harris. She'll deliver a future where we can decide if and when to start a family," the 24-year-old from Arizona told the millions of Americans watching at home during prime time Monday.

Surrounding her in the United Center were more than a dozen other influencers the Democratic Party credentialed to cover the convention, a dramatic change in how political campaigns seek to reach voters.

But Foxx is more than an influencer. As a former Harris staffer, she played a key role in setting the foundation for the viral mania around Harris that has swept the country and could sway the outcome of this year's tightly contested election for the White House.

At a moment when fewer Americans get their news from mainstream or legacy media outlets such as newspapers and cable news, the Harris campaign has prioritized working through influencers and content creators to spread their message as they scramble in a shortened window to introduce the 59-year-old vice president to the country.

"These trusted digital messengers are able to share messages about the campaign that are unique, that are true to them, true to their life, and specific to the communities that they've curated online, Foxx said in an interview.

Influencers pose near the social media area of the venue ahead of Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 20, 2024.

Influencers who spoke to USA TODAY said they aren't being paid by the Harris campaign or the Democratic National Committee to praise their presidential nominee online. But that practice has been known to happen before, influencer strategists said.

More: DNC Day 2 live updates: Democratic all-stars to take the stage

Quickly after President Joe Biden stepped aside, the Internet filled with thousands of TikTok edits of Harris' belly laugh, shutting down people interrupting her in debates, grilling Republicans in the Senate, and telling young girls they are the leaders of tomorrow.

It's no accident.

During Harris' short-lived 2019 campaign for president, which ended before a single caucus or primary vote was cast, Foxx worked as an influencer and surrogate strategist. It involved monitoring what was being said about Harris on social media and coordinating with influencers ahead of campaign stops.

What she found would influence who was invited to Harris events and even what merchandise was sold.

Foxx and the digital team played around with "seeding" audio and video clips of Harris on TikTok that content creators could remix with their own messages. They shot video vertically, which is easier to view on a phone, and posted clips of little moments that could be easily cobbled together.

Many of the older clips circulating online came from Harris' 2019 team, Foxx said, and she's seeing the results in her social media feeds: Harris' laughter, dancing at campaign events, striding across the tarmac toward a plane.

"This meteoric and immediate virality was possible because there was already such great raw content out there, Foxx said. "This was just like sort of a little idea that we were playing with in our headquarters in 2019, and it's played such a major role."

'The wild west'

Politicians and social scientists have long known that the key to building support is getting a voter to feel personally invested in a campaign, said Rita Kirk, a professor of Public Affairs at Southern Methodist University, who studies political communications strategies.

How do you get young people engaged? They're not going to do what their grandmothers did. They're not going to do a letter writing campaign, per se, but the modern equivalent to that is to use their social media contacts, Kirk said. It allows them a way, without leaving their home or without having to go down to the old campaign headquarters, as it used to be, to participate in the political process."

For years as vice president, Harris quietly laid the digital groundwork behind the scenes  meeting with young voters, social media influencers and several grassroots organizations, Kirk said.

"Clearly, she was expecting to make a bid to run for the White House at some future point. I think she probably wasn't anticipating doing it this year, but nevertheless, she was on that. She had been using all of this time ahead of time just to build her own capacity," Kirk said.

The crowd listens as speakers discuss reproductive rights during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center.

Campaigns still turn to celebrities to be trusted voices, but for this new generation of voters the people that they know and trust include online influencers, Kirk said. For the message to be authentic, it cannot come scripted from the campaign, which leaves the messaging largely outside their control, she said.

It is kind of the Wild West, Kirk said. They're saying, if you support Harris, get out there and tell them why. The Harris campaign isn't even responsible for whether something is successful or unsuccessful. It's just people riffing with their friends.

Campaigns have used influencers before, but not to this extent. The Biden 2020 campaign also leaned on influencers and content creators to reach voters during what was largely an online campaign because of COVID-19. His administration maintained those relationships, repeatedly giving influencers access and special briefings, including before the State of the Union and just last week when he spoke to about 100 digital creators in the White House complex's Indian Treaty Room.

After taking a selfie with the crowd, Biden said his grandchildren were not consuming news by reading newspapers or watching television anymore.

The fact is, you are the future, he said. Youre the source of the news.

'They're really the ones shaping the media narrative'

Aaron Rupars attention and screen is split between various cable news networks and campaign livestreams throughout the day. After eight years of clipping content, he knows a key moment when he sees it.

Former President Donald Trump questioning Harris race at the National Association of Black Journalists? Clipped. More than seven million views. Democrats chanting "lock him up" during former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's 2024 national convention speech? Clipped. More than one million views.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Former Secretary of State, speaks during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center. The DNC program will feature President Joe Biden and Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during Monday's ceremonies.

An early SnapStream adopter, Rupar has accumulated approximately 938,000 followers on X largely by posting political clips that often go viral on the platform and others, as well as end up on cable news. If users arent seeing the clips on his account directly, theyre seeing them on others who repost them, turn them into reaction content, or edit them into a Brat remix.

Rupar's not at the convention, but his feed is filled with clips from conservative pundits reacting to the Democratic National Convention as well as clips from the convention floor.

Democratic influencers Keith Edwards and Harry Sisson cite three accounts as the main sources of political video-content online: Rupar, a Los Angeles-based social media user known as Acyn who is connected with an anti-Trump group, and the Harris campaign account Kamala HQ, which is run by two staffers in their mid-twenties.

They're really the ones shaping the media narrative each day through their clips, Edwards said.

x.com

Biden, Harris, and Kamala HQ are all streaming the convention in vertical video on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube and posting clips for creators to modify. Harris' pick for vice president Tim Walz launched his TikTok account Friday with his dog Scout and a dad joke. Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison gave a behind the scenes look at the road to the Chicago convention on his TikTok account.

All of the video and audio is there for influencers to mix, mash and create something new.

That's a super powerful strategy where you create like a meme factory. Whatever happens in current events, you have a bunch of memes pushed out. They go to a stable of creators, and the creators kind of pick and choose. It's not like a formal system, and it's just happening, Eric Dahan, who runs a company that manages influencers, said.

Rupar worked for Think Progress and Vox before his following allowed him to go independent. These days, his X bio still labels him a journalist, but he does not consider himself nonpartisan.

Itd be nice if Trump lost. I think that would be good for the country, Rupar said. I dont do explicit political endorsements, but you know, I think itd be hard for people to look at a Trump thread that I do and not come away from that realizing that Im not a fan of the guy.

Although they sometimes receive messages encouraging them to speak about certain topics, the influencers USA TODAY spoke to said theyve never received direct payment from the Harris campaign or the Democratic National Committee.

An influencer uses a phone at the United Center, ahead of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 19, 2024.

Dahan said he hasn't seen evidence that the Harris campaign is paying influencers, but said it has been known to happen in the past.

One left-wing blogger known as Brooklyn Dad found himself in hot water in 2021 when The Independent reported he was being paid by Really American, a Democratic political action committee during the 2020 election.

Sisson, who has been called a DNC plant by right-wing social media users, said the accusation is obviously false. He said he and other influencers pay for their own travel and accommodations when invited to the White House, campaign events, and the partys convention.

Theres no secret backdoor channel where people, that I know of at least, receive payment, Sisson, who has 1.2 million TikTok followers, said. They dont actually, in my view, have an argument against us and what were advocating for. So, they have to delegitimize the person making it, and they think that being paid or being a plant is the best way to go about that.

'Part of the ecosystem'

The about 200 digital creators credentialed for the Democratic National Convention received a briefing ahead of this weeks event to help prepare them for content creation.

Edwards and Sisson said organizers asked them for a wish list of those theyd like to interview for their audiences and that influencers in attendance can book studio space at the convention to create content.

The about 15,000 traditional media members who attend the convention are not credentialed by the party, but by a independent committee of journalists who divvy up space made available by the DNC among outlets. Media companies cover the costs of everything from food to furniture and Internet. There are daily press briefings and the party has a request form for surrogate interviews.

Fifty seats in the United Center were set aside for influencers. In the hallway, influencers have a section marked with a blue carpet on the first floor with little mics and phones on stands. Politicians and politicos, including Michigan Gov, Gretchen Whitmer and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego filtered over throughout the night Monday.

To the left of the main stage is an influencer-only mini-stage where content creators can shoot and make videos during speeches. Cable news outlets have similar set ups inside the arena to speak with guests during the proceedings.

Trump and some journalists have criticized Harris for not doing a sit-down interview with traditional media outlets since announcing her presidential campaign, but Edwards and Emily Amick, who are both Democratic strategists-turned-influencers, think her campaign is just being strategic.

Edwards, who has nearly 49,000 TikTok followers, said he thinks she will eventually sit for a traditional media interview, but that between the content her team is producing and campaign stops, Harris is getting across the messages she needs to.

She's talking to voters every day, Edwards said. So smart, so smart. The media is just having a temper tantrum.

Amick, who goes by @Emilyinyourphone online and 5,763 TikTok followers, previously served as counsel to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and is one of the digital creators credentialed for the convention.

I think theres 200 influencers invited to the DNC, and I heard a rumor that theres 14,000 press credentials, Amick said of the convention. Its a little bit wild to pretend that its all influencers and no media. Influencers are just an important part of the ecosystem.

Trump's efforts

The Trump campaign has also courted influencers this election cycle, but with less success. The Republican National Convention credentialed more than 70 digital creators and gave them space to work from. The RNC did not present its footage vertically. They livestreamed it on the conservative-leaning video service Rumble.

The former president has also sat for online interviews with internet celebrities including Logan Paul, Adin Ross, and Elon Musk  all of whom are emphatic Trump supporters.

United States Champion  United States President @realDonaldTrump



Podcast drops tomorrow @impaulsive pic.twitter.com/h9X1sKMfiu  Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) June 12, 2024

Trump had the online momentum in 2016 when he was the fresh, unexpected face, said Melinda Jackson, a San Jose State University associate professor of political science who studies political engagement strategies.

"He was the outsider candidate in 2016, he was not a career politician. He was not a typical politician. His style, his rhetoric, was all very different. And you know, it appealed to voters who were feeling alienated from the two parties," Jackson said. At this point, people have seen it before."

The Harris campaign has managed to reach young voters speaking their own generational language and on websites they use, like TikTok, rather than on Facebook or X, previously known as Twitter, which were the major platforms to reach voters in 2016 and 2020, Kirk said.

The Republican side is really not doing very much in this space, particularly energizing that particular base, and letting them talk in their own language," Kirk said. "It's still top down communication. It's Trump tweeting out things and Trump saying things. It's not bottom up, it's top down.

Dahan summed it up succinctly.

"He is the influencer, he is the personality, Dahan said.

The shortened campaign cycle may keep the Trump campaign from being able to adapt, Jackson said, and it will help Harris preserve that sense of newness that's coming with the online campaign.

That shorter runway is actually going to help her. She's new, she's fresh, she's getting this surge of support," Jackson said. "People keep asking, how long is the honeymoon gonna last? Well, it doesn't have to last that much longer. You know, we're talking a couple months."

Contributing: Sam Woodward, Francesca Chambers and Jessie Balmert from Chicago

Reach Sarah D. Wire on X, formerly Twitter, @sarahdwire and Rachel Barber on X, formerly Twitter, @rachelbarber_

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Kamala Harris campaign is deeply online (and on purpose)
Kamala Harris Milwaukee rally during DNC was the largest of her run so far, campaign says

The 18,000 people who packed into Vice President Kamala Harris's rally in Milwaukee Tuesday night topped crowd numbers at any of her campaign rallies across the nation so far, her campaign said Wednesday.

The Democratic presidential nominee and her vice-presidential pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, held the rally at Fiserv Forum during the Democratic National Convention some 90 miles south in Chicago. Harris' remarks to the raucous Milwaukee audience were briefly streamed into the Chicago event, allowing her to speak to two packed arenas simultaneously.

Last nights electrifying rally in a packed Fiserv Forum is yet another example of how fired up Wisconsinites are to elect Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walzand how our historic campaign infrastructure is capitalizing on grassroots enthusiasm, campaign spokesman Timothy White said in a statement.

For several minutes Tuesday night Kamala Harris' Milwaukee rally at Fiserv Forum was shown on the jumbotron at the United Center in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention.

DNC delegate and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said the crowd could be considered larger if DNC attendees at the United Center are also counted. Those gathered in Chicago "went crazy" when the program cut to Harris in Milwaukee, he said.

"They are speaking loudly and clearly to Wisconsin to say, 'You matter, and we need you,'" he said of Harris and Walz.

Winning Wisconsin in the fall's presidential election is considered by both parties to be key to winning the White House in the sprint to Nov. 5.

Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance, the senator from Ohio, has had three events in as many weeks in the state, including one in Kenosha on Tuesday hours before the Harris-Walz event. The state's importance influenced Republicans' selection of Milwaukee as the site of this year's Republican National Convention.

Trump hasn't campaigned in the state since last month's RNC but has held three Wisconsin rallies this year. He has questioned Harris's crowd sizes and claimed without evidence they were AI-generated.

"Voters will decide this election based on who they trust to make homeownership and rent affordable again. While Milwaukee residents suffer from skyrocketing costs, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have nothing to offer but an arena's worth of empty words and hollow slogans," Republican Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Matt Fisher said.

Harris has held boisterous rallies since she ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed her late last month.

Vice President Kamala Harris makes remarks as she is joined by Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at a rally on Tuesday August 20, 2024 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis.

In late July, she held the first rally of her presidential campaign in the Milwaukee area and earlier this month spoke to a crowd in Eau Claire with Walz, then her newly minted VP pick.

The crowd at her third Wisconsin rally since launching her campaign was estimated earlier Tuesday night at more than 15,000 but organizers said the revised 18,000-person estimate Wednesday came from a review of check-in data. Free tickets were required to enter. Fiserv Forum lists its concert seating as 18,000 but has overflow capacity in the concourses and other areas.

Crowley described his experience watching the crowd at Fiserv Forum from the convention in Chicago, saying it was "extremely hard not to get emotional."

"As a kid who was, for example, inspired by a guy with a funny name like Barack Obama, I get those vibes back," said Crowley, who in 2020 became the first elected Black county executive in Milwaukee's history.

Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@jrn.com. Mary Spicuzza can be reached at mary.spicuzza@jrn.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Harris' Milwaukee rally during DNC was her largest yet, campaign says
Kansas City Public Schools won't wont finalize its bonding plan until November. Until then, members of the public can weigh in (Getty Images).

Superintendent Jennifer Collier understands why families werent inspired by the last Kansas City Public Schools building plan.

It really just felt like  trying to convince people why they should be OK with us taking away their school, she said.

A new plan to build at least two new schools and renovate others, reshuffle students and close some older buildings has more to offer, she said.

Any school where the students would be moving, they would typically be moving into new sites, new buildings or highly renovated spaces, Collier said. Were able to actually give our students and our staff and our families something.

But the district is also asking more of the community  higher property taxes.

KCPS needs to persuade at least four out of every seven voters to approve a general obligation bond in April. The bond allows the district to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars, with the promise that it can raise taxes to pay back the debt.

In many districts, bonds are a routine way to build and update schools. KCPS hasnt convinced voters to pass a bond in nearly 60 years, though it did receive an influx of money in the 1980s and 90s as a result of court-ordered taxing and spending related to a desegregation case. Some of its newer schools were built in that time period.

The lack of a bond has left the district behind on repairs and upgrades. KCPS says it needs $1.25 billion  about $650 million to fix deferred maintenance problems and another $600 million for upgrades. Its seeking about half of that amount over the next 10 years.

Collier said students notice the difference when they visit other schools.

All of that impacts the way a child views themselves, she said. We want our kids to know theyre important, that theyre worthy, and they have the same kind of spaces and learning environments as other children.

The initial bond proposal was presented to the school board Aug. 14, but it wont be finalized until November. Between now and then, residents can weigh in. Heres what you need to know.

What is a bond?

A bond is a way for a school district to borrow money for big building projects, ones it wouldnt be able to afford as part of its normal yearly budget.

KCPS would pursue two types of bonds under the current proposal.

A general obligation bond requires voter approval and would result in higher property taxes.

A certificate of participation bond doesnt require a vote and doesnt raise taxes, but it would cover a smaller amount of money.

How much money is the district seeking?

Overall, KCPS wants to raise $680 million for its 10-year building plan.

In the first stage of the plan, it would borrow $100 million, and ask voters to approve another $424 million bond in April 2025.

Charter schools, which cant borrow against the ability to raise taxes on their own, might also participate. Eight of the 20 local charter schools are interested and have building needs totaling more than $168 million.

Theyll prioritize those needs, include up to $50 million worth in the bond and finalize agreements with KCPS by October. That could push the bond total to $474 million.

During the second half of the plan, KCPS would seek the remaining $156 million, including through another bond.

How much would my taxes go up?

KCPS predicts that for a $474 million bond, someone with a home valued at $200,000 would pay an additional $231.80 per year in additional property taxes. A commercial property with the same value would pay an additional $390.40 per year.

The median home value in the district is $180,000, Deputy Superintendent Derald Davis said.

How will the money be used?

Funds will be used in three main areas:

Deferred maintenance, such as roof repair, electrical, HVAC and plumbing.

Making buildings more suitable for teaching and learning.

Moving sixth graders out of elementary schools and into middle schools.

During Phase I of the plan, the district plans to spend:

$64.2 million on deferred maintenance and improvements in 18 schools.

$136 million building two new schools.

$104.8 to 135.4 million for major renovations at up to four schools.

$48.9 million to combine four school sites into two.

$62.4 million to relocate students to five existing school buildings.

KCPS also expects savings as some buildings close.

Some plans are still unsettled.

The proposal includes a new South Middle School to create enough space for sixth graders. KCPS is considering whether it should renovate the closed Southwest High School into a middle school or build a new school at one of two proposed sites.

The district is also considering merging two Montessori schools and making Border Star Montessori into a neighborhood school instead of expanding Hale Cook Elementary School.

Can I influence the bond plan?

KCPS is seeking feedback on the bond plan before the board approves it in November.

Much of this wont be a surprise, Collier said, but sometimes there are things that maybe we just didnt think of. Maybe theres some brilliant ideas out there in our community.

Would any schools close?

Yes. Phillis Wheatley Elementary School, built in 1955, would close.

Its students would be split between J.A. Rogers and Wendell Phillips Elementary Schools, both built in the 1990s. The district would spend extra money renovating those schools.

Thats the only example of students being scattered to other buildings as a school completely closes  a notable difference from an earlier school closure plan.

But other buildings will close as students move into brand new or renovated buildings, special programs relocate or schools merge into shared sites.

What happens to the building when a school closes?

KCPS can keep a school for future use, demolish it or try to sell it.

While the district has struggled to find buyers for several schools, KCPS has been recognized for its overall success at finding ways to reuse schools and involving the community in school repurposing decisions.

Some schools that closed in the past  like Satchel Paige Elementary School and Southwest High School  could get new life as part of the plan.

What new schools would be built?

KCPS would build two new campuses centered around elementary schools.

One $68 million project at the former King/Weeks site is called the King Empowerment Campus. It would house a new K-5 King Elementary School, a family empowerment center, Richardson Early Learning Center and the Wheatley special education program.

A family empowerment center will include services such as a food pantry, clothing closet, mini laundromat, dental clinic and a site for students to receive physicals, Collier said. The King project is a top priority because the district promised a new school at that location years ago.

The district would spend the same dollar amount on a Woodland Empowerment Campus on the current Woodland site.

It would house a new K-5 Elementary School for Whittier Elementary School students, Woodland Early Learning Center, a family empowerment center and the Global Academy for students new to the U.S.

What schools would move?

King Elementary School would move into a brand new building, vacating the former Kansas City Middle School of the Arts building on the Paseo Academy campus.

George Washington Carver Dual Language Academy would move into that building. The move would allow the program to expand and strengthen its connection to the Paseo dual language program.

Melcher Elementary School would move into the former Carver building, which is newer and in better condition. The school grew dramatically during the 2023-24 school year.

The African-Centered College Preparatory Academy would move out of its current building, which is oversized and built in the 1960s, into the former Satchel Paige Elementary School, built in 1991.

What schools would get major renovations?

Renovations and a new addition at Central High School would allow the school to house career and technical education programs, which could also serve other districts and charter schools.

The district could then close Manual Career and Technical Center instead of doing $100 million worth of work to update the building.

KCPS two alternative schools, Success Academy at Knotts and Success Academy at Anderson, would merge at the Knotts location. The district would renovate the building to maintain separation between elementary and secondary students.

Northeast and Central Middle Schools would get renovations aimed at moving sixth graders in from elementary schools. Southwest High School could become a new middle school.

If funding is available, East, Southeast and Lincoln College Preparatory High Schools could also see major renovations, such as a new competition gym or a relocated cafeteria.

What if Im not moving or getting a new school?

KCPS is suggesting districtwide updates to keep schools warm, safe and dry and improve learning environments.

The district would spend between $1.3 million and $6 million on each elementary school in Phase I of the plan. Throughout the 10-year plan, they could receive between $4.5 million and $12.5 million each.

KCPS would also spend between $2.9 million and $6.1 million on each middle and high school in Phase 1. They could eventually receive between $4.8 million and $25.3 million each.

Thats not counting schools reopening, changing buildings or expecting major renovations.

Can buildings improve academics?

Physical spaces are an integral part of how students learn, said Jordan Gordon, the school districts chief operating officer.

Research shows a connection between certain building improvements  especially fixing infrastructure like heating and air conditioning, roofs, plumbing and furnaces  and higher achievement.

They have (a) real impact on our students ability to learn and process information, Gordon said.

What happens if the bond doesnt pass?

If the bond doesnt pass, KCPS will evaluate what went wrong and prioritize projects that keep schools safe and clean, Gordon said, but will be limited by how much money it can set aside.

Well continue to find ways to do the best we can, he said. But candidly speaking, that is not a sustainable way, a proper way, to support kids education.

This article first appeared on Beacon: Kansas City and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department is investigating a deadly shooting Wednesday afternoon in the Northland.

The shooting was reported just before 4:20 p.m. in the parking lot of the Walmart near the Shops at Boardwalk shopping mall at Northwest Barry Road and North Boardwalk Avenue.

When officers arrived on scene they located a man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken by EMS to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was identified as Ronald Barnett, a 71-year-old white man.

Police say someone was taken into custody a short distance from the scene.

KCPD arrests juveniles linked to dozens of crimes in Waldo, Brookside

When we spoke with Sgt. Phil DiMartino, he was unsure of what the altercation was about, or if it started in the store or not.

These things are avoidable, a lot of this is preventable, I dont know many things that are worth producing a firearm over and ending someones life or risking getting your life ended, he said.

DiMartino did, however, say the store was busy when the shooting happened.

4:30 after work, in a Walmart parking lot, you can imagine this place was full, he said.

There could have been a worst-case scenario on top of what is already a tragic scene. So, for that, were fortunate.

This is the 98th homicide in Kansas City, Missouri this year, and for KCPD, anything above zero is too many.

Were not going to abandon the gameplan, yes, its been effective, weve seen a decrease, but frankly its not enough, DiMartino said.

Gosh, this last year, this year, theres been a lot of instances of violence that have stemmed from verbal altercations where one or both parties had the chance to walk away. We can have disagreements, we can scream back and forth but at the end of the day, what is it really worth?

The Walmart on Boardwalk Avenue is closed while police continue to investigate the incident.

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Anyone with information that can help detectives is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
A flock of green-winged teal settle on the marsh at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. (Rachel Laubhan/USFWS)

Federal officials will continue working with farmers rather than demanding their share of water in Rattlesnake Creek for the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Gov. Laura Kelly announced Wednesday.

In a letter dated Monday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said voluntary measures by farmers designed to ensure the Quivira gets enough water had shown progress. The federal agency said it wont ask that the state cut off irrigation in the Rattlesnake Creek basin.

In a joint news release with U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, Kelly called the efforts encouraging.

By partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we will continue working toward a sustainable, long-term solution that ensures the refuge receives the water it needs while avoiding economic damages to local communities in the region, Kelly said.

Moran said the work done today will help ensure farming and ranching operations continue for generations to come.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Stafford County. The rare island marshes at Quivira are a key stopping point for migratory birds. But in recent years, irrigation along Rattlesnake Creek, which flows through the refuge, has all but dried out the creek, endangering habitat for the birds.

The refuge received less than its legal share of water in two out of every three years between 2008 and 2021, a report by the state found.

Quivira holds a state water right  established in 1957  entitling it to more than 14,000 acre-feet of water each year. And because Quiviras water right predates many farms in the region, it can request that the state enforce cutbacks on junior water users if they are impairing the refuges right.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requested the state enforce its water right early last year but backed down when Kelly and Moran encouraged the agency to work with nearby farmers.

Kelly, in a letter to the federal agency last year, said forcing strict cutbacks on farmers could devastate the entire region.

If voluntary measures didnt work, wildlife officials said last year, they would request again that the state enforce Quiviras water right. In its letter, the federal agency said voluntary efforts had alleviated the water shortage by about 3,300 acre-feet per year, above its target of 2,800 acre-feet.

But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it intended for its request for enforcement from last year to remain a standing request until farmers impairment of Quiviras water right is fully resolved.
PITTSBURG, Kan.  A new Planned Parenthood clinic opening Monday in southeast Kansas will be the closest abortion access point for many people in the South and expects to have patients from six states in its first five days  Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana.

Kansas saw a 369% increase in abortions in 2023, with 69% of patients coming from out of state, according to the Guttmacher Institute. For the Trust Women Clinic in Wichita, which was previously the closest city for abortion access for Southern states, 81% of patients were from out of state, with Texas the most common home state, followed by Oklahoma.

Texas and Oklahoma have total abortion bans, with few exceptions. Southern states have six-week abortion bans. On average, pregnant people know they are pregnant after 5.2 weeks for intendent pregnancies and 7.2 weeks for unintended pregnancies, the National Library of Medicine found.

The Pittsburg clinic will offer medication abortions for up to 11 weeks of pregnancy, and surgical abortions for 14-15 weeks of pregnancy.

But, there will be a delay before the clinic offers surgical care.

We have excellent trained staff to offer this care, said Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains. But we also know its a transition for the community and for us to launch a new center here, so itll probably be a little bit of time before were offering procedural care.

Why Pittsburg, Kansas, for new Planned Parenthood clinic?

Wales said a key factor in the Pittsburg location was access to Southern states. And she pointed out that Kansas already is well versed in providing abortion care to people from Missouri and other states. Pittsburg is about five miles from the Missouri border.

A 2018 law in Missouri banned abortion after 15 weeks, meaning Kansas had been absorbing Missouri patients for four years before the U.S. Supreme Court declared in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion.

The 2022 Dobbs decision felt like dominos falling, Wales said.

We are doing everything we can to meet the need, Wales said. But were also not trying to hide the fact that there are far more people calling than we can actually get in.

More: Attempts to further restrict abortion fail to cross the finish line in Oklahoma

Wales also said there was a need for the services Planned Parenthood offers  which go beyond abortion care  in southeast Kansas. Patients from the Pittsburg area were traveling roughly two hours to Overland Park to receive care.

While more than 60% of Crawford County voters in 2020 supported Donald Trump, the president who packed the Supreme Court with anti-abortion justices, they voted against the proposed constitutional amendment that would have removed the right to terminate a pregnancy in Kansas.

Logan Rink, a Pittsburg native and the health care manager of the Pittsburg clinic, said she has heard positive feedback from the community. She said Planned Parenthood will meet needs that werent being met, and that the community views it as a great resource.

Anti-abortion protesters frequent the other Planned Parenthood locations in Kansas, attempting to stop patients from receiving an abortion.

Wales said Planned Parenthood typically sees protests when it opens a new location, but they die down after a while.

Members of Lighthouse church, a nondenominational anti-abortion Christian church in Pittsburg, spoke in opposition of the clinic at the May 28 city commission meeting.

I know this is a major issue in our culture, abortion, but the reality is theres no safe abortions because you start out with two lives and you end with one life, said Pittsburg resident Shawn Osbeen.

Another resident, Susan Powers, also opposed the clinic, but she said this may be a wakeup call for the church and community to provide more support for pregnant people.

The commissioners stayed neutral on the opening of the clinic.

In 2009 in Wichita, George Tiller, one of only a few doctors in the nation who performed late-term abortions, was murdered in the foyer of his church. Planned Parenthood has a rigid security protocol in place, with security officers on site, but the shadow of Tillers death remains.

The time it comes up the most, really, is when we are talking to potential providers or physicians who might be interested in staff roles, Wales said. They have questions about what the communities are like, what the protesters are like. We are fortunate to have not had that kind of violence at our health centers.

The temporary Planned Parenthood sign on Aug. 16, 2024, outside of the new Pittsburg Planned Parenthood clinic.

New Planned Parenthood site expects patients from the South

The National Library of Medicine found that people from a lower socioeconomic status are more likely to receive an abortion, and extra time away from work adds up. For patients traveling from the South, the Pittsburg clinic will be more than two hours closer than clinics in Wichita.

If we can cut off two hours one way, then two hours coming home, thats a tremendous difference for a lot of our patients, Wales said.

Planned Parenthood provides assistance to patients who need it. Before Dobbs, 80% of its patients didnt need assistance, and 20% did. Now, Wales said, the percentages have flipped and the assistance they provide looks entirely different.

So many people now have to go so far from home, Wales said. People could maybe get two hours from home, but telling patients its going to be 10 or 12 hours is impossible for a lot of people.

The Pittsburg location will provide support for patients who cant afford the journey. Kansas law allows abortions up to 22 weeks after the last menstrual period, but the Pittsburg clinic wont have the resources to provide abortions that far into a pregnancy. If needed, the clinic will offer transportation to the Overland Park location, where procedural abortions are offered up to 21 weeks and 6 days into the pregnancy.

Lawsuits in Texas have threatened people traveling to receive abortions. These lawsuits violate the interstate commerce clause in the U.S. Constitution and may not be enforceable, but they caused a stigma, Wales said.

It is heartbreaking to me that we have patients who do come to us and say they didnt tell their friends or family, even though they knew that they would be supportive of their decision, because they didnt know if it was legal in their home state to talk about the fact that they were leaving to seek care, Wales said.

Wales sees a perception that patients believe they cant travel or talk about abortion. She says they worry about what would happen to their kids, their partners, and their careers.

Issues to watch

Vice President Kamala Harris has made abortion access a cornerstone of her presidential campaign, and if elected she has promised to codify Roe v. Wade, which would legalize abortion nationally.

Missourians will vote on their abortion rights in November. Each time abortion rights are placed on local ballots, the right to choose an abortion has won.

But, even if the movement to secure abortion rights prevails in November, access for every American would take decades, Wales said.

There are multiple lawsuits and legislation in Kansas attempting to restrict abortion access, despite Kansans rejecting the proposed constitutional amendment to eliminate abortion rights in 2022. Planned Parenthood has fought back on these attempts.

Kansans are saying we want medical care to be private, and not in the hands of the Legislature, Wales said. The state passed additional requirements this year where we would have to ask patients invasive and shaming questions that have nothing to do with why they get care or how we deliver care. And so we are challenging that on behalf of our patients.

Oklahoma Voice is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on Facebook and Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Kansas Planned Parenthood clinic expects patients from Oklahoma, Texas
Kansas ranked last in Mental Health Americas State of Mental Health in America 2023 report. The need for improved mental health care is impossible to ignore. To that end, our state took an important step to create social worker jobs and facilitate care across the state by joining the Social Work Licensure Compact in April.

The compact creates a multistate license that allows social workers to offer telehealth services in all participating states. Currently, licensed social workers must complete a monthslong licensing process to practice in any additional states, draining valuable time away from caring for clients. The compact will allow social workers to efficiently expand their care across the 22 states that have joined.

Multistate licenses are hardly a new idea. In fact, almost every American over the age of 16 has one in their wallet: Drivers licenses are an accepted form of multistate licensing. In health care alone, there are already interstate licenses for psychologists, nurses, physicians, physical therapists and more. Similar to a drivers license, social workers will abide by the specific requirements of the state in which their client resides. Applying this familiar, well-tested model to social work is a long overdue change that is integral to addressing our mental health care shortage.

The compact allows social workers and clients to continue benefiting from their relationships, even as life requires out-of-state relocation. Building trust with social workers or any mental health professional takes time. When clients move out of state under the current licensing structure, social workers are faced with two choices: Give up the relationship, or spend months getting licensed in another state. Because of the nationwide shortage of social workers, it is likely that clients would spend months languishing on waiting lists while their needs go unaddressed. The compact allows uninterrupted access to continued care. This is essential for people already undergoing crises that could feel exasperated by the demands of moving to a new state.

Multistate licenses especially benefit rural communities, which bear the brunt of the shortage. In southeast Kansas, for example, there are only 35 licensed social workers serving 16 counties. The compact allows rural Kansans residents to access care remotely from across the country, rather than being limited to those within one state.

The licenses also benefit the families of military service members. Social workers who are military spouses find themselves relocating every few years, creating a significant strain as they regularly lose their license and clientele. Their sacrifice is great enough without needlessly handicapping their professional lives. Now, under a multistate licensing structure, military spouses can continue serving their clients even as our country calls them from state to state.

While this legislation is a significant step toward addressing Kansass mental health needs, policymakers must address factors that keep would-be social workers from joining the field. Social workers have low salaries that make the debt incurred during graduate school difficult to pay off. Initiatives such as paid internships, scholarships and loan forgiveness programs are the next step.

The multistate compact is an important step in making tangible improvements for social workers and their clients across Kansas. While we have a long way to go before our most vulnerable residents have sufficient access to the proper resources, it has started enacting meaningful change.

Betsy Cauble is a board member at Preferra Insurance Company RRG, a behavioral health liability insurance company overseen by social workers, and the retired department head and associate professor of social work emeritus at Kansas State University.
A Kansas principal recruited a missionary to give Bibles to students during recess, which the ACLU of Kansas said violated the First Amendment. (Getty Images)

TOPEKA  A Kansas school district investigated an incident in which an elementary school principal invited a missionary to pass out Bibles at recess, the superintendent said in a statement Wednesday.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas sent a letter Monday to Katie Struebing, principal of East Elementary School in the roughly 2,000-person city of Belleville, asserting that the school violated the First Amendment.

Struebing recruited a member of the evangelical Christian organization Gideons International, Ben Dreesen, to hand out Bibles to students during their recess on May 7, according to the letter, which was penned by Monica Bennett, ACLU of Kansas legal director.

The Republic County school district conducted a thorough investigation this summer, the districts superintendent, Tami Knedler, said in an emailed statement Wednesday. Knedler declined to comment on the employees involved or the details of the investigation.

I can assure you that our district is committed to welcoming all religious viewpoints, not promoting any specific one, Knedler said. We continue to review our practices and policies to ensure they reflect this commitment.

Struebing allowed Dreesen on school grounds and helped him hand out Bibles to students, which lent credibility and authority to Dreesen, in effect placing a stamp of approval on his message and subjecting students to a religiously coercive atmosphere, Bennett wrote in the letter.

Ahead of Dreesens visit, Struebing also informed teachers and students of the nice man who would be handing out Bibles. A students parents reported the visit to the Kansas ACLU.

In the letter, Bennett said that the school violated the First Amendment in addition to the districts own policies against promoting religious viewpoints.

Correction: Tami Knedler is superintendent of the Republic County school district. An earlier version of this story included a misspelling of her last name.
Kansas woman asks for help after collision with trooper kills partner, injures their sons

A fundraiser has been set up to help a 38-year-old Hoxie womans family after a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper collided with their vehicle, killing her partner and injuring her and her two children.

Gerald Jerry Dwain Rahier II, 42, of Hoxie died Monday morning after the 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe he drove was hit in the drivers side by a 27-year-old trooper, who was treated and released at the scene in rural Sheridan County.

The collision happened at an intersection of two dirt roads, which doesnt appear to have any stop signs, while the trooper drove to a fatal accident, the KHP said.

A GoFundMe set up to help the family with the funeral, medical expenses and a vehicle says the trooper was speeding and did not use lights and sirens.

The KHP said the trooper had his emergency lights and sirens activated. A KHP accident response team is investigating the crash, including the speed of the vehicles involved.

The GoFundMe said the familys vehicle rolled five times. Arielle Christen Lemos and two sons were both injured in the collision.

Lemos and her younger son were home Tuesday evening, according to social media posts. The older brother was flown to a Wichita hospital.

The boy is in critical condition in the Wesley Medical Center pediatric intensive care unit, a spokesperson said just before 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The fundraiser, which was set up Tuesday, said he had a skull fracture and brain bleed, but was stabilized today and is improving.

The boys are 5 and younger.

In a social media post at 4:05 p.m. Tuesday, Lemos, while wearing a neck brace and at Gove County Medical Center, said I dont know what I am going to do. We have no car, no money, no nothing. I dont know what to do. If any of you can help us out, that would be great.

She posted a picture Tuesday night of her and her youngest at home.

In between those posts, she made one asking for help and included her CashApp of $ShortWhovian.

The fundraiser can be found at shorturl.at/gaL2t.

In January, she posted about a GoFundMe to help with bills as Jerry Rahier, who she is listed as being in a relationship with, went through his second bout with chemotherapy.

The accident that killed Rahier was reported at 11:10 a.m.

The trooper was headed to an accident reported at 10:29 a.m. about eight miles northwest of where his accident occurred. A 30-year-old Indianapolis man driving a car died at the scene on K-23 after he crossed the center line and hit a semi headed the other direction at the crest of a hill, according to the KHP.
Kate Cox, the Texas woman who fled the state to receive an abortion, made a brief appearance during the Democratic National Conventions ceremonial roll call Tuesday to voice her support for Vice President Harris and warn of former President Trumps risk to abortion rights.

Im Kate Cox, and I love being a mom. I have two beautiful children, and my husband and I have always wanted a third. But when I got pregnant, doctors told us our baby would never survive, and if I didnt [receive] an abortion, it would put a future pregnancy at risk, Cox said during the roll call for Texas on Tuesday night.

But Trump didnt care, and because of his abortion bans and I had to flee my home, she continued. Theres nothing pro-family about abortion bans. Theres nothing pro-life about letting women suffer and even die today because I found a way to access abortion care.

Cox revealed she is pregnant again, and her baby is due in January, which she noted could be just in time to see Vice President Harris sworn in as president should she win in November.

Cox, who is from the Dallas area, made national headlines last year when she sued for the right to terminate a nonviable pregnancy and then left Texas to get abortion care.

Cox was more than 20 weeks pregnant with a fetus that had been diagnosed with trisomy 18, a chromosomal anomaly that leads to miscarriage, stillbirth or the death of the infant within hours, days or weeks after birth.

Doctors informed her that carrying the pregnancy to term would likely risk her fertility, and she and her husband said they wanted to have more children. But the doctors, afraid of prosecution or losing their medical licenses under the states near-total ban, refused to provide an abortion until the fetus died.

Texas is one of more than a dozen states that quickly banned abortion at nearly all states of pregnancy after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.

She filed a lawsuit in response, in what was is believed to be the first attempt by an individual woman to challenge the states abortion ban since Roe was reversed.

A district court granted her permission, but the state Supreme Court paused the ruling the following day. Cox did not have time to wait given her diagnosis, her lawyers said, and she left the state to get an abortion before the court ultimately ruled against her.

Cox joined first lady Jill Biden earlier this year for President Bidens State of the Union address.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
First Amendment attorney Max Kautsch speaks Aug. 11, 2024, at the Marion Senior Center, on the one-year anniversary of the raid on the Marion County Record. (Jessica Tufts for Kansas Reflector)

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation misled the public in two of its most high-profile cases, with the truth emerging only decades after those cases were closed. That history should reinforce skepticism of special prosecutors interpretation of KBI files in the raid on the Marion County Record newspaper.

The only reason the public learned what the KBI really knew about the murders Truman Capote documented in In Cold Blood and who killed Nick Rice on the streets of Lawrence in 1970 was because those cases raw investigative files eventually saw the light of day.

Those records proved that the KBI hid crucial facts that would have revealed the truth about high-profile crime victims. The only way to be sure history doesnt repeat itself is for the agency to fully disclose files related to the Marion investigation for every charge the report says cant be brought.

Clutter conundrum

In Cold Blood relates the 1959 murders of four members of the Clutter family in a western Kansas farmhouse and how the killers were brought to justice by the KBI.

The KBI provided Capote first-class service to help him to write his manuscript, including exclusive access to investigative files such as the diary of 16-year-old Nancy Clutter  her final entry logged only moments before two strangers invaded her home  and murdered her, her brother and her parents.

With the KBIs help, Capote was able to describe the crime and motivations of the killers and victims in vivid detail, leading to international fame for him, acclaim for the KBI agents credited with apprehending the suspects, and the advent of the true crime genre.

According to In Cold Blood, once the two killers realized that $10,000 they had hoped to steal was not on the premises, they murdered the family in frustration. In the decades that followed the books publication in 1965, thanks to the KBIs world-famous messenger, the public had little reason to question the motive behind the Clutter killings.

But the way Capote describes the murders indicates the killers took their time, which runs counter to the notion that they were robbers fueled by random rage. This dichotomy has invited conjecture since In Cold Blood was published about what Capote left out of the story, in the words of Forensic Files Now.

Even so, the public may never have been able to challenge or verify the KBIs version had the state of Kansas, at the KBIs insistence, not filed a misguided lawsuit in 2012 seeking to prevent the publication of investigative files related to the murders. 

The revelations in that case, which ended in 2019 only after the Kansas Court of Appeals affirmed an award of attorney fees against the state for more than $168,000, included KBI investigative reports documenting a meeting between three men in Cimarron, a town near the Clutter home, about an hour after the murders.

According to images of KBI investigative files included in 2019s Every Word is True, a book detailing the records the KBI sought to suppress, two of the three men matched the descriptions of Perry Smith and Richard Hickock, who were convicted of the Clutter murders. And Hickock would go on to suggest in his memoir, written before he was executed in 1965 and which the KBI also sought to suppress through its lawsuit, that the Clutters were the victims of a contract killing.

We were running short on time, Hickock wrote. It was almost two oclock and our meeting with Roberts was about an hour away. We didnt want to miss that. Five thousand bucks is a lot of dough.

This information may not be enough, on its own, to definitively conclude why the Clutters were killed. But the lengths the KBI went to try to suppress the evidence in an ultimately futile attempt to maintain the integrity of its robbery-gone-wrong narrative is curious. Why would it be worth going to such lengths to keep the public from learning about something that happened so long ago?

Ultimately, without the raw investigative files, Capotes account would have remained unchallenged, and the public would never have had such a clear reason to question whether investigators should have dug deeper.

Revising Rice

On July 20, 1970, in a tragic event that effectively ended the era known as the Days of Rage in Lawrence, local police fired on dozens of students and others demonstrating near the University of Kansas campus, leaving 18-year-old bystander Nick Rice dead. No one was ever held criminally responsible for his death.

But after Nicks brother obtained the raw investigative files as a result of an open records request, the Lawrence Times reported in 2021 that within three hours of Nicks death, the KBI had a tacit admission of guilt from an officer who was involved in the incident: Jimmy Joe Stroud.

(Editors note: The author represented Nicks brother in obtaining the KBIs raw investigative files.)

KBI agents had learned shortly after arriving in Lawrence that Stroud had told the Douglas County district attorney that Stroud believed that he might have shot the dead boy.

The KBI also had access to excerpts of transcripts of interviews the DA conducted with officers responding to the protest when Nick died, including Stroud.

Strouds first statement that appears on the transcript is: You got me on a spot.

Moments later, he said: Let me ask a question. Am I to be charged with shooting the man?

The transcripts further show that another officer believed Stroud could have hit Nick because he heard him say I shot at him. 

The KBI was privy to all this information as part of its investigation into Nicks death. And while the attorney general and the KBI director produced a report a month after he was killed intended in part to close the book on the ordeal, it had this to say about cause of death: We cannot demonstrate that he was killed by a police bullet. We cannot demonstrate he was not killed by a police bullet.

When confronted with questions about that explanation at a press conference held in conjunction with issuing the report, the attorney general quoted the document rather than offer any additional insight.

Making matters worse, the files Nicks brother obtained show that less than a week after Nick was killed, the KBI knew a Lawrence police officer had tampered with the only bullet found at the scene when he pocketed it and took it home rather than following proper evidentiary procedures.

Still, the agency chose to keep the public, as well as Nicks family, in the dark about the role Lawrence police played in his death.

When reached last week for comment, KBI communications director Melissa Underwood declined to say whether the agencys willingness to keep the public in the dark in two of the agencys most important cases had any bearing on public confidence in the special prosecutors report on Marion, or whether the public would benefit from disclosure of the raw investigative files.

KBI should disclose Marion-related records

Without the KBIs files, it would be impossible to corroborate Hickocks claims that he was the Clutters hit man or explain who killed Nick.

Keeping such crucial information from the public prevented Kansans, for decades, from making informed decisions about whether to trust law enforcement.

Once again, this time by filing a single charge for conduct taking place only after the raids and declining to bring any others, law enforcement is asking the public to trust its version of the facts in a high-profile case. But given the decades it took to the public realize what really happened to the Clutters and Rice, as well as the absence of criminal accountability for anything that happened leading up to the Marion raids, the only way to engender public confidence in the special prosecutors report is for the KBI to disclose investigative files related to every charge that was not filed. With cases involving pre-raid conduct effectively closed, such disclosures would not affect any ongoing matters.

The public deserves nothing less than full disclosure as it continues to grapple with what happened in Marion on Aug. 11, 2023.

Max Kautsch focuses his practice on First Amendment rights and open government law. Through its opinion section, the Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo.  The Kansas City Police Department is investigating the scene of a shooting after a man was found dead Wednesday morning in Kansas City, Missouri.

According to KCPD, just after 9 a.m., officers were dispatched to the area of 19th Street and Troost Avenue on reports of a dead body.

Upon arrival, officers found a man suffering from bodily trauma, which was later revealed to be a gunshot wound.

As of Friday afternoon, KCPD has identified the victim in this case as 31-year-old Brandon Branham.

KCPD arrests juveniles linked to dozens of crimes in Waldo, Brookside

KCPD confirmed the case is being investigated as a homicide and that detectives are currently canvassing the area for witnesses, physical evidence and surveillance footage to help in determining what led up to the shooting.

If you or anyone you know has information regarding the homicide, police ask that you contact detectives directly at (816) 234-5043 or 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.
Keeping the flames at bay when theres just one way out in a wildfire

Smoke from the Taylor Bridge wildfire rises east of Cle Elum, Washington. That 2012 wildfire burned many homes between Cle Elum and Ellensburg. (Jessica Payne, Washington DNR)

Darren Higashiyama gets paid to dwell on worst-case scenarios.

This time of year, when lightning flashes over tinder-dry forests and canyons dotted with cabins and campgrounds, the thought of a blocked wildfire evacuation route can keep him up at night.

All you need is one jack-knifed trailer and it screws up everything, Higashiyama, emergency management coordinator for the Kittitas County Sheriffs Office, said in an interview from Ellensburg, Washington.

We are in a fire-prone area, he added. We have dodged a lot of bullets, but luck is not a plan.

With this in mind, Kittitas County has embarked on a noteworthy, federally-funded project to thin forests and clear brush along two-lane roads in the Cle Elum, Roslyn and Suncadia area that would be the only escape routes for rural homeowners, hikers and campers were another big wildfire to break out nearby.

Several other Pacific Northwest counties also won competitive federal grants to systematically harden wildfire evacuation routes.

The U.S. Forest Service awarded Kittitas and Ferry counties $10 million each to implement a community wildfire defense plan.

Grant County, Oregon, likewise got $10 million. In its case to reduce flammable vegetation along 308 road miles that serve as evacuation routes.

Adjacent, thinly populated Wheeler County, Oregon, got $1 million to buy a new tractor with a long boom and attachments that can mow and mulch up to 50 feet from the road shoulder. Wheeler County pledged to clean up 250 miles of escape corridors at a pace of 50 miles per year.

The focus on wildfire evacuation routes can be traced back to a 2018 tragedy in northern California where 84 residents died as wind-whipped flames destroyed a mountain town with inadequate egress. Some of the deaths occurred when flames overtook cars attempting to flee the burning town.

It was the fire in Paradise, California, that really put it on our radar, said Mike Starkovich, a former fire management officer for the Cle Elum Ranger District. Its staring you in the face. Oh boy, I see similarities here.

That was the match that ignited things, so to speak, added Starkovich, who now works as a forest fuels specialist for the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.

Last month, the tense evacuation of Canadas famed Jasper National Park provided another reminder of why to care about this.

There, thousands of workers and visitors were forced to flee west with little notice on a clogged mountain highway through darkness, smoke and falling ash. Multiple fast-growing wildfires bore down on the Jasper townsite and blocked alternate routes to the east and south. Luckily, no one perished.

Its obvious that we have to work on that, Starkovich said in an interview. We want to minimize intense flames up to the roadway to be able to get people moving and then use it as a control line.

Starkovich said the benefits of maintaining a passable road go both ways. Not only do you want evacuees to be able to get out, but responders need to drive toward the emergency safely.

How to strengthen an evacuation route against wildfire

Kittitas County Fire District 1 Chief Brandon Schmidt said area fire chiefs collaborated with local, state and federal agencies to prioritize a list of evacuation routes to work on with the federal grant. He would like to see hired crews thin spindly trees and clear brush as far back as landowners will allow, but at least 50 feet from the road edge.

Were not going to clearcut. Some people are worried about that and how it will look, Schmidt said.

He said the prescription, as it is called in the lingo, entails removing and chipping downed limbs and snags. Brush and skinny, sickly saplings, known as ladder fuels, also get cleared out.

Schmidt said live, green trees thicker than 8 inches at chest height would be left standing, but limbed up to about 15 feet off the ground. The ultimate goal is to replace thick, overcrowded forest with an open understory that minimizes fire intensity if a wildfire approaches the road and reduces the potential for a crown fire.

Ranked highest on Kittitas Countys list of evacuation routes to strengthen against wildfire is state Highway 903 from Roslyn to Salmon La Sac. That tree-lined, two-lane paved road is the only way in and out for hundreds of homes and cabins in the Cle Elum Lake vicinity. The road also serves popular national forest campgrounds and trailheads at the head of the lake.

North Cle Elum Ridge and South Cle Elum Ridge are other priority places served by narrow, winding access roads. The county has experienced brisk population growth and heavy recreational use as people move or retire from urban western Washington to their little slice of heaven on the sunny side of the mountains.

The Kittitas County Conservation District is managing the contracting of the wildfire defense work under district manager Anna Lael. She estimated the project would take five years to complete.

Lael said she would strive to coordinate thinning projects with the U.S. Forest Service since many of the prioritized evacuation routes cross federal land. The thought being that the countys grant money would be used on private and local and state government-owned lands and utility rights-of-way while the Forest Service could add its own resources to link up and extend the work onto its land.

Starkovich said fire fuels reduction work along roads that could be needed for evacuations has become a priority over the length of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.

Schmidt said one factor that could slow things down is needing to get permission from each private landowner with road frontage before the chippers, weed whackers and chainsaws rev up there.

Thats going to be one of the tougher parts of this, that coordination with landowners, Lael added.

Another wrinkle is the heavy competition for landscaping and thinning crews right now because of the broader emphasis on building fuel breaks in the woods on the outskirts of foothill towns. The long-standing Firewise program continues to work with homeowners groups to modify the landscaping around individual homes to withstand wildfires, too.

Its exciting to see this work rolling out the door, Lael said. We need to build up the momentum because its a lot of work to be completed.
Keisha Lance Bottoms served as mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, from 2018 to 2022, before joining the Biden administration as senior adviser and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement until 2023.

She served the Biden campaign as a senior adviser, a role she has also taken on with the Harris-Walz campaign.

PHOTO: Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks onstage during the premiere of AJC's 'The South Got Something To Say' documentary screening at Center Stage Theater, Nov. 2, 2023, in Atlanta. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images, FILE)

At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Bottoms sat down with ABC News Linsey Davis on Tuesday to talk about organizing the gathering in the wake of President Bidens decision not to run in November, her home states election board and the message the Harris-Walz campaign needs to send to win in November.

ABC NEWS: We are joined now by former Atlanta mayor, Biden senior campaign adviser, Ms. Keisha Lance Bottoms. Thank you so much for joining us.

BOTTOMS: Thank you for having me, Linsey.

ABC NEWS: So let's talk about 30 days that it's been for you guys to get all this together. Give us a sense of behind the scenes, what it took.

BOTTOMS: Well, it seems like it's been dog years, I think, for all of America. But of course, there were plans underway, [2024 DNC Chair] Minyon Moore and the entire team have done an incredible job in not only pulling this convention together, but then making a pivot to make sure that this convention is fitting for Vice President Kamala Harris.

And you can feel the energy in this building. You see the lights, you hear the music. But there is such excitement and enthusiasm. And then, of course, such a warm response to President Biden last night.

PHOTO: Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks onstage during the premiere of AJC's 'The South Got Something To Say' documentary screening at Center Stage Theater, Nov. 2, 2023, in Atlanta. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images, FILE)

ABC NEWS: Of course Georgia once again, in major play. We have JD Vance, who's heading to Georgia later on this week. Let's talk about the changes that were made, the state election board changes that could actually potentially delay certification. What does that mean? What's being done to try to combat it?

BOTTOMS: It is unbelievable that in 2024, the state election board in Georgia is still talking about the 2020 election and attempting to revisit this alleged steal that didn't happen in 2020. But I was so glad to see that the secretary of state has spoken up, spoken out against the changes proposed. The attorney general has spoken out.

And by the way, these are both Republican election officials who said enough is enough. We need to move forward. Focus on 2024, making sure we are preserving the integrity of this election. And so I think what's happening in Georgia is that there is bipartisan agreement that we need to move on, and it would be great if so many other states would do the same.

ABC NEWS: You talked about the emotional speech and reception that Joe Biden got in here last night. He talked during that speech about appointing the first Black and South Asian woman as his vice president, delivering on his promise to appoint Ketanji [Brown Jackson] as a Supreme Court justice, first Black woman to the Supreme Court.

What do you think that will mean? How will it resonate for Black voters? Because as we know, we saw during the RNC, Donald Trump is actively pursuing Black voters.

BOTTOMS: Yeah. And to his credit, he's not taking anyone for granted. And that's why it's going to be important for all of us as surrogates -- we heard the president do it last night -- to remind people what his presidency, what the Biden-Harris administration has meant for African Americans, he made commitments that he kept: first African American woman on the Supreme Court and so many other federal appointments of people of color. And the Court of Appeals and district courts.

And I think all of us are keenly aware, I have a, I'm a lawyer, so I pay attention to courts, but most Americans don't. But of course, we know with the Dobbs decision and so many other decisions coming from the Supreme Court  people are really starting to pay attention as to what these lifetime appointments mean for their day-to-day lives. So we just gotta keep reminding people that this president, this vice president made a difference.

Kamala Harris has been a strong partner and leader in this White House. And the president laid out the work that she's going to, that she's taking the baton and the work that she's going to continue and expand upon.

ABC NEWS: Keisha Lance bottoms, we thank you so much for your time, really appreciate you joining us.

BOTTOMS: Thank you for having me.

Keisha Lance Bottoms talks through the buildup to the DNC, Harris-Walz campaign messaging originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
400-year-old Assyrian Bazaar in Turkey Opens After Restoration

The historic 400-year-old Syriac Bazaar in Mardin's Dargecit district is on the brink of a major transformation. With a restoration project led by the Dargecit Municipality and the Diyarbakir Directorate of Surveying and Monuments, this ancient marketplace is being meticulously restored to its former glory. This effort, supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, aims not only to preserve a significant cultural heritage site but also to position the bazaar as a prime tourist destination. The revitalization of the Syriac Bazaar holds immense potential for travelers and the broader travel industry, offering unique experiences that blend history, culture, and commerce.

The Restoration Effort: Breathing New Life into History

The Syriac Bazaar, a key feature of Mardin's rich cultural landscape, has been undergoing restoration for the past 1.5 years. This project is focused on restoring the bazaar's 65 shops, many of which had fallen into disrepair over the centuries. The work also includes health measures for approximately 600 meters of the surrounding streets, ensuring that the area is not only visually appealing but also safe and accessible for visitors.

One of the most significant aspects of this restoration is the attention to detail. The bazaar is being restored to its original state, with new lighting systems installed to enhance the ambiance and highlight the architectural beauty of the area. These improvements are set to create a vibrant atmosphere, drawing tourists who are eager to experience the charm of an authentic, historical marketplace.

What Travelers Can Expect: A Journey Through Time

For travelers, the revitalization of the Syriac Bazaar opens up a world of possibilities. This ancient marketplace, once a bustling center of trade, will soon be a hub of activity once again. Visitors can look forward to exploring a variety of shops, each offering unique goods that reflect the rich cultural heritage of the region.

Key Attractions for Tourists:

Authentic Shopping Experience: The restored bazaar will offer a shopping experience like no other. Travelers can browse through traditional crafts, textiles, spices, and other locally-made products that capture the essence of Mardin's cultural identity.

Cultural Immersion: The bazaar will serve as a gateway to Mardin's history, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the traditions and customs of the Syriac community. The revitalized market will not only cater to shoppers but also provide insights into the region's cultural legacy.

Architectural Beauty: With the restoration project returning the bazaar to its original state, tourists will have the chance to admire the intricate architecture that has stood the test of time. The new lighting systems will further enhance the visual appeal, making it a picturesque spot for photography and leisurely exploration.

How the Syriac Bazaar Will Boost Dargecit's Tourism

The restoration of the Syriac Bazaar is expected to have a profound impact on Dargecit's tourism sector. As a major attraction, the bazaar will draw visitors from around the world, eager to experience its historical charm and vibrant atmosphere. This influx of tourists will provide a significant boost to the local economy, creating new opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs in the area.

Expected Benefits for the Travel Industry:

Increased Visitor Numbers: The revitalized bazaar is anticipated to become a must-visit destination in Mardin, attracting both domestic and international tourists. This increase in visitor numbers will benefit local hotels, restaurants, and tour operators, contributing to the overall growth of the tourism industry in Dargecit.

Economic Growth: The restoration project is not just about preserving history; it's also about promoting economic growth. By attracting more tourists, the bazaar will generate increased revenue for local businesses, helping to create jobs and stimulate the local economy.

Cultural Preservation: The project highlights the importance of cultural preservation in tourism. By maintaining and restoring the Syriac Bazaar, Mardin is safeguarding its cultural heritage for future generations while also providing a unique, authentic experience for travelers.

Global Impact: A New Landmark on the World Tourism Map

The restoration of Mardin's Syriac Bazaar is not just a local event; it has the potential to make waves on the global tourism stage. As more travelers seek out authentic, culturally rich destinations, the Syriac Bazaar is poised to become a new landmark for those exploring the Middle East and beyond.

Global Implications for Travelers:

Rise of Cultural Tourism: The Syriac Bazaar's restoration aligns with a growing trend in global tourism: the rise of cultural tourism. More travelers are seeking experiences that offer deeper connections to the places they visit, and the bazaar provides an ideal setting for this kind of meaningful exploration.

New Travel Itineraries: As the bazaar gains popularity, it's likely to be included in more travel itineraries. Tour operators and travel agencies around the world may start offering specialized tours that include the Syriac Bazaar, attracting travelers who are interested in history, culture, and unique shopping experiences.

Enhanced Regional Appeal: The successful restoration of the Syriac Bazaar could inspire similar projects in other historic areas, enhancing the overall appeal of the region. This could lead to a ripple effect, with more tourists choosing to visit Mardin and other nearby destinations as part of their travel plans.

Planning Your Visit to the Revitalized Syriac Bazaar

For travelers planning a visit to Mardin, the Syriac Bazaar is set to be a highlight of the trip. With the restoration expected to be completed within the next two weeks, the shops will soon be handed over to the public, ready to welcome visitors from all corners of the globe.

Tips for Travelers:

Timing Your Visit: Plan your trip around the completion of the restoration to be among the first to experience the revitalized bazaar. This will also allow you to witness the bazaar in its newly restored glory, complete with modern amenities that enhance the overall experience.

Explore the Surrounding Area: While the Syriac Bazaar is a major attraction, don't miss the opportunity to explore the rest of Mardin. The city is filled with historical sites, stunning architecture, and vibrant cultural experiences that offer a deeper understanding of the region's rich heritage.

Support Local Businesses: By shopping at the bazaar, you're directly supporting local artisans and businesses. This not only helps preserve traditional crafts but also contributes to the local economy, ensuring that the bazaar remains a thriving hub of activity for years to come.

A New Era for Mardin's Tourism

The restoration of the Syriac Bazaar marks the beginning of a new era for Mardin's tourism industry. By blending cultural preservation with modern tourism needs, the project is set to create a destination that appeals to travelers seeking authentic, enriching experiences. As the bazaar opens its doors to the world, it will undoubtedly become a symbol of Mardin's enduring cultural heritage and a key driver of economic growth in the region.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story included a typo in city information regarding the amount of utilities department water capital expenses over the next five years. That number has been revised upwards based on the accurate city figure of $662,160,000.

Colorado Springs Utilities ratepayers could pay an average of $14 more a month for water, wastewater, natural gas and electric services next year, as outlined in the municipally owned agencys proposed $1.8 billion budget for 2025.

The proposed spending plan is 21% more than the approved $1.5 billion budget for 2024.

It will include recommended base rate increases  on average, by about 6.6%  for all four utilities services each year for five years, as well as a new time-of-day rate intended to reduce high demand and the need to purchase power when it is most expensive, Chief Planning and Finance Officer Tristan Gearhart said Tuesday.

Regulatory requirements, system reliability needs and community growth are driving the increased costs from 2025 through 2029.

Financial executives will pitch the 2025 budget and five-year rate case to the Utilities Board of Directors, which also acts as the City Council, at its regular meeting Wednesday.

Utilities plans to add $3.7 billion in additional infrastructure over the next five years to meet requirements like the states commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2030; make system improvements or bring new equipment online to reliably operate the existing system; and increase capacity to support population or system growth, Gearhart said.

Capital projects make up almost 34% of the proposed 2025 spending plan.

Utilities water capital expenses over the next five years are estimated to total about $662 million, the majority of which are tied to reliability, according to the agencys website. This includes the Continental-Hoosier System project that will expand the Montgomery Reservoir in Park County, increasing Colorado Springs water supply as well as water storage on Colorados Western Slope.

Another massive, $396 million project will expand Utilities eastern wastewater system, for example, which will support continued growth on Colorado Springs east side. When complete, the newly expanded system will serve up to 225,000 residents.

The agency typically updates base rates once a year. However, this time it is requesting approval to set base rates for five years to pay for these and other planned capital projects, Gearhart said.

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The Utilities Board will continue reassessing and adjusting costs for natural gas and electricity on a quarterly basis, he said. This compensates for increases and decreases in market prices for those services.

Colorado Springs Utilities customers typically pay less than other utilities customers along the Front Range, but Gearhart acknowledged Tuesday the anticipated impact on customers bills.

We know that this is something that presses the community, but in order for us to continue to deliver the reliable and safe essential services that our customers rely on, we really believe that we need to move forward with these investments in our infrastructure, he said.

Utilities is proposing to increase base rates by 6.5% for electric and water services, 4% for natural gas and 9% for wastewater every year from 2025 to 2029. Base rates pay for the pipes, wires and plants that provide utility services and are based on the cost of serving customers.

A sample service bill included in Wednesdays board meeting materials shows the average residential customer would see their utilities costs increase from about $246 a month currently to just under $260 a month, or an increase of 5.7%, starting Jan. 1.

Monthly costs increase every year, up to an average of about $326 a month by 2029 for residential customers, the sample bill shows.

Utilities will also propose a new energywise, or time-of-day rate, allowing customers to pay different rates for electricity based on the time of day it is used. It is most expensive for Utilities to deliver energy between the hours of 5-9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, when most customers are using it, Gearhart said.

New energywise rate options really give customers an opportunity where they can save on their bills if they are able to move their electric usage off of that time period, he said.

If approved, the new energy-wise rate will go into effect in phases, beginning in October next year. The energy-wise rate will become the standard for most customers by the end of 2025. Customers can choose to opt out and instead pay a fixed seasonal rate for electricity, Gearhart said.

After Wednesdays presentation to the Utilities Board, the City Council will hold two hearings on the budget and rate case, the first on Oct. 22 and a final vote anticipated Nov. 12.

If approved, new rate changes will go into effect Jan. 1 for base rates and Oct. 1 for energy-wise rates.
LONDON, Ky. (WDKY)  A Kentucky man was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison on Monday after hacking the Hawaii death registry systems to fake his death.

According to the Department of Justice, Jesse Kipf, 39, of Somerset, took information from a protected computer system without permission in a scheme devised partly to avoid paying child support.

In his plea agreement, Kipf said he got into the Hawaii Death Registry System and used an out-of-state doctors username and password to create a case for his death. He then filled out a death certificate worksheet and certified his death himself.

This scheme was a cynical and destructive effort, based in part on the inexcusable goal of avoiding his child support obligations, said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. This case is a stark reminder of how damaging criminals with computers can be, and how critically important computer and online security is to us all.

Saying that Kipf will answer for his disgraceful conduct, Shier added that the case will serve as a warning to other cyber criminals.

QR code scams are hidden in plain sight. Heres how to spot them

Aside from faking his death, Kipf also used credentials he stole to hack other state death registries, government and corporate networks as well as those of private businesses. After gaining access to these networks, Kipf tried to sell access to potential buyers on the dark web, the DOJ said.

This defendant who hacked a variety of computer systems and maliciously stole the identity of others for his own personal gain will now pay the price, said Michael E. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office. Victims of identity theft face lifelong impact and for that reason, the FBI will pursue anyone foolish enough to engage in this cowardly behavior.

According to federal law, Kipf must serve at least 85% of his prison sentence before hes eligible for release.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
The Kentucky state budget has met the requirements for another cut to the personal income tax.

If approved by the General Assembly next year, the state personal income tax rate would drop from 4% to 3.5%.

The announcement of the state meeting certain financial criteria to do so was made by Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ryland Heights, Wednesday. McDaniel expressed excitement in a post to social media site X, formerly Twitter, where he shared that State Budget Director John Hicks informed him of the news.

We have met the conditions to reduce the individual income tax rate to 3.5%! This is great news reflecting the success of our conservative budgeting approach and our commitment to keep money in the pocket of Kentuckys taxpayers, he wrote.

The criteria, or triggers necessary to cut the states income tax  a key source of revenue for state programs  are prescribed in statute.

The law requires a balance in the Budget Reserve Trust Fund equal to least 10% of the general fund revenue and that state general fund revenues exceed appropriations and the cost of a 1% reduction in the state income tax.

Once those triggers are met, the legislature must approve the cut before it takes place the following calendar year.

That would mean the move from 4% to 3.5% personal income tax rate is likely to kick into effect Jan. 1, 2026.

Around this time last year, the state did not meet the above criteria, meaning that the income tax rate will hold at 4% this upcoming January.

Cutting the tax to 3.5% will likely not be an issue in a statehouse dominated by four-fifths Republican majorities in the House and Senate.

Though certain rifts exist within the large GOP caucuses, tax cuts arent one of them.

Via 2022s House Bill 8, the legislature is on a course to get to zero income tax. However, members of Republican leadership have recently expressed doubts about getting there.

I think we have to be realistic with the fact that growth will not carry us beyond 3% in the foreseeable future, House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, told the Herald-Leader earlier this year.

After 3%, it gets dicey, he said. The state could be faced with a choice of either holding at 3% income tax rate or raising the states 6% sales tax, which could prove politically toxic.

If lowered to 3.5%, the cuts from the initial 5% income tax rate in 2022 will save a Kentuckian making $50,000 a year roughly $750. Kentuckians making $100,000 would save $1,500 per year. A person making $500,000 annually in the state would save about $7,5000 per year.

Jason Bailey, the executive director of the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, has long been an opponent of the GOP-backed tax cuts. He argues that the states budgetary good fortunes are due in part to increased federal spending during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that its unwise to dramatically decrease a revenue stream in this moment.

This was expected in the restrained spending that was included in the last budget. But its driven by a lot of one-time money that wont necessarily recur as the economic effects of the pandemic stimulus fade, Bailey told the Herald-Leader. Its not a good idea to enact permanent tax cuts of your historically largest revenue source based on unique and likely temporary conditions.
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT)  New research has ranked Kentucky attraction Mammoth Cave National Park the third most disappointing tourist attraction in the U.S..

The new study used websites like Google and Tripadvisor to look for 13-star reviews. They then used those reviews to look for words like disappointment, subpar and more to identify disappointed visitors.

Mammoth Cave National Park left 19.38% of reviewers feeling underwhelmed. The Kentucky cave is well-known for being the worlds longest cave system.

Top five most disappointing U.S. tourist attractions

Rank U.S attraction Percentage of disappointed 13-star reviews 1. Kennedy Space Center 20.19% 2. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 19.61% 3. Mammoth Cave National Park 19.38% 4. Biltmore 18.20% 5. USS Arizona Memorial 17.48%

The new study also revealed the least disappointing tourist attractions. Those attractions saw percentages of disappointed reviews as low as 2.36%.

Top five least disappointing U.S. tourist attractions

Rank U.S attraction Percentage of disappointed 13-star reviews 41. National Mall 4.38% 42. USS Midway Museum 4.10% 43. Golden Gate Bridge 3.82% 44. Times Square 3.39% 45. Brooklyn Bridge 2.36%

The study ranking these attractions was conducted by JeffBett.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW).
LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56)  Kentucky State Police (KSP) asked the public to keep an eye out for an escaped inmate on Wednesday.

According to KSP, 41-year-old Justin C. Whitt is wanted on an escape charge.

LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS:

Kentucky State Police (KSP) asked the public to keep an eye out for an escaped inmate on Wednesday (KSP)

Authorities describe Whitt as being 6 feet and 2 inches tall with brown hair and eyes.

If you have any information regarding Whitts whereabouts, call (606) 878-6622

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News.
KENTWOOD, Mich. (WOOD)  A Kentwood senior living community is closing after a fire broke out last week in one of its buildings, it announced Wednesday.

Crews were sent on Aug. 15 to American House Kentwood, located at 5980 Eastern Ave. SE near 60th Street SE, where flames were seen coming from the memory care building. Residents were evacuated and no one was hurt. The fire started while a third-party HVAC company was doing maintenance work, American House said, though decisions regarding the cause of the fire and ultimate responsibility are yet to be determined.

A fire at American House Kentwood near Eastern Avenue and 60th Street on Aug. 15, 2024.

Residents OK after fire at Kentwood senior living community

The company said the 12 residents of the memory care facility were relocated to the other building on the Kentwood campus or to other American House locations in the area.

On Wednesday, American House announced that the second building on its Kentwood campus will also close, meaning the entire campus will shut down. In total, 26 people live at American House Kentwood, the company told News 8.

Leaders attributed the decision to the significant damage to the larger building and the anticipated disruptive environment during the demolition or reconstruction process.

This decision was made in consultation with the residents, their families, and the dedicated team members, American House said in a release. The aim is to ensure a seamless transition for everyone involved.

In a statement, American House President Jeff Floyd said the company was committed to working closely with residents and team members.

Most residents have expressed their desire to remain with American House and will be relocated to our neighboring communities, Floyd said. For those exploring other options, we are providing assistance and support.

Its not clear whats next for the campus. American House says the damage is currently being evaluated.

There have not been any decisions made on the future of the facility at this time, a spokesperson for the company wrote in an email to News 8.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
You can divide people who took Donald Trumps claims that he actually won the 2020 election into roughly two camps: those who were in the know, and the true believers.

If less charitably inclined, you might call this a divide between the con artists and those who they duped. On one side are politicians, conservative movement insiders, activists, and others who played and continue to play along with the farce that the election was stolen; on the other are legions of people who took them at their word, and believed them. Its an appeal, directed from the top downwards, to the paranoid style in American politics.

The Oath Keepers, the anti-government militia whose leadership was convicted of seditious conspiracy over its role in the Capitol breach, present an interesting example of this. On the one hand, you have a figure like Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes. Its clear from Rhodes statements before the election, his actions, and virtually everything about him that he was committed to demolishing the American state in its current form. Trumps bogus election fraud claims may have been a vehicle to that end, but Rhodes was on a mission that was his own.

Then, on the other hand, you have Kellye SoRelle, the Oath Keepers former general counsel. SoRelle popped up at key moments around Jan. 6: she was present at a brief, parking garage meeting between Rhodes and Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio; she was described in court records as a go-between for the two. After Jan. 6, she urged Oath Keepers members to delete text messages from the planning phase.

Theres a lot about SoRelle that suggests shes much more of a true believer than in the know. Her X account is full of bizarre, hard-to-track conspiracy theories.

Damn @FBI @TheJusticeDept unless you are in agreement with the globalist coup, better realize quick that your political views are your honeypot. The establishment and military set you up. They divided on purpose. #communistgoals #SaveAmerica https://t.co/1QzLJDpuQy  Kellye SoRelle (@kellyesorelle) April 8, 2022

SoRelle herself was found incompetent to stand trial last year, and was held in federal custody for mental health treatment. The judge later found that she had recovered, paving the way for what happened on Wednesday: SoRelle pleaded guilty to two charges. Unlike Rhodes, she never faced seditious conspiracy allegations; rather, on Wednesday, she pleaded guilty to a felony count of obstruction of justice and a misdemeanor count of trespassing.

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In the Keys, all candidates won in primary and wont face a November election

In the Florida Keys, most of the candidates who competed in Tuesdays primary were the outright winners of their respective races.

Thats because the two Key West city commission districts in contention are non-partisan, as was the race for the one Monroe County School Board seat in play. The Board of County Commissioners is a partisan race, but the three candidates who ran for the only district on the ballot this year  District 5, representing the Upper Keys  were all Republicans. No Democrats put their names in the running.

The only race that was an actual primary was for Monroe County Supervisor of Elections. Republicans Sherri Hodies, chair of the Southernmost Republican Club, bested Margaret Romero, a former Key West city commissioner, with 60 percent of the vote, preliminary results show.

The winner in November will replace longtime Supervisor of Elections Joyce Griffin, who is retiring after serving in the elections office for almost 40 years.

County Commission District 5

Incumbent Holly Merrill Raschien won with 55 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results. She is the director of government relations for AshBritt Environmental. She faced environmental consultant Melissa Ptomey and Paul Wunderlich, a county roads and bridges inspector.

School Board District 2

Yvette Mira-Talbott, a Key West business owner, won the Monroe County School Board District 2 seat with 58 percent of the vote, results show. She faced Zach Bentley, a Key West business owner. They were competing to replace longtime School Board Member Andy Griffiths, who did not seek reelection.

Key West City Commission District 1

Monica Haskell, a small business owner, defeated Ben Hennington, a Key West hospitality business marketer, with 77 percent of the vote.

Key West City Commission District 6

Aaron Castillo, a funeral director, won the most votes in the race for Key West City Commission District 6, according to the preliminary vote count.

With initial results showing Castillo earned 50 percent of the vote. Also on the ticket was Thaddeus Cohen, architect and former secretary of the Florida Department of Community Affairs, which is now Florida Commerce, and Marci Rose, an attorney.
Killer of University of South Carolina student will remain in prison after losing appeal

A man convicted of killing a University of South Carolina student who mistakenly entered his car because she thought it was her Uber ride will remain in prison after losing an appeal.

Nathaniel David Rowland was arrested and charged with the murder of USC student Samantha Josephson in 2019. Following his conviction two years later, he appealed the case to the South Carolina Court of Appeals on the grounds that officers didnt have probable cause to conduct a traffic stop of his vehicle; handwriting samples used to prosecute the case were not his own; and mixed DNA samples collected at the crime scene improperly implicated Rowland.

The Appeals Court reject those arguments, affirming that Rowland was properly convicted and sentenced by Circuit Judge Clifton Newman.

Josephson was stabbed more than 100 times by Rowland in March 2019, 5th Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson told a jury in 2021.

Her body was found in a Clarendon County wooded area by turkey hunters.

Gipson said she was stabbed multiple times, throughout her feet, throughout her torso, throughout her face, her neck, her hands.

Based on the evidence, Rowland was convicted of murdering Josephson in 2021.

But he appealed the verdict, citing a lack of probable cause for the traffic stop that led to his arrest and the admission of evidence deemed prejudicial against him. All of which a South Carolina Appeals Court rejected.

Columbia Police Officer Jefferey Craft stopped Rowland on March 30, 2019, after identifying Rowlands black Chevy Impala driving toward Five Points.

During the traffic stop, before Craft could finish informing Rowland that his vehicle matched the description of the one involved in Josephsons disappearance, Rowland took off running, according to court records.

He was ultimately apprehended.

Throughout Rowlands car, investigators found blood later determined  with a near 100% certainty  to contain Josephsons DNA. Her blood was found on Rowlands clothes, the murder weapon and several items used to clean up the crime scene, witnesses said.

Josephson, 21, a senior at USC, had been celebrating her upcoming graduation with friends in Five Points, Gipson said, and looking forward to a new chapter in her life. Josephson was headed to law school in New Jersey on a scholarship.
On Tuesday, King Charles (who is still undergoing treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer) traveled to Southport, England to meet local residents as well as the survivors and families of the victims of the terrible tragedy that occurred in the town on July 29 when three girls were killed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class from a stabbing attack.

The King held a private meeting with the families, as well as viewed the many flowers, stuffed animals and other tributes left in memory of the victims. Following the outing, the British royal family shared a carousel of pics taken of the 75-year-old monarch during the event on their official Instagram page.

The first slide features a photo of His Majesty meeting a young royal admirer, who is standing behind a metal fence. With a smile, King Charles proceeds to shake her hand. What's striking to this royal observer is that even though the king was visiting on official business (despite being on his summer holiday, I should add), he still took time to shake hands and speak with the children there. It was a lovely moment during what has been a difficult time for the community. (Honestly, it feels like something Kate Middleton would do.)

Paul Ellis - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Aside from meeting members of the Southport community, King Charles also spent time with community leaders and Merseysides Police, Fire & Rescue and Ambulance services, hearing about their response to recent events in the area. Businessman John Hayes, 63, was one of the first people on the scene of the stabbings, and spoke to the BBC about the king's visit. It was lovely to meet him. I found him quite engaging, quite easy to talk to, Hayes said, adding that it was very kind of the monarch to travel from Scotland to visit the town.

PETER POWELL/AFP via Getty Images

According to CBS News, a 17-year-old male was arrested after the attack and now faces charges of both attempted murder and murder. Shortly after the events, the King and Queen Camilla issued a statement on social media expressing their sadness, saying they were profoundly shocked to hear of the utterly horrific incident, and 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.

Were glad to see King Charles spending time with the Southport community and wishing them all health and healing during this time.

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The King, 75, met the families of the three murdered girls at Clarence House in London on Wednesday, Aug. 21

Ioannis Alexopoulos/Anadolu via Getty King Charles in the grieving town of Southport on Aug. 20, 2024

King Charles met with the families of the three young girls who died at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29.

The King, 75, hosted the families at his London residence, Clarence House, on Wednesday, Aug. 21. It was a private event, and Buckingham Palace has not released any more details of the meeting.

It followed King Charles' visit to Southport, near Liverpool, where the attack happened, the previous day.

Three girls  Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9  died in the attack. Several other children were also injured, as were two adults who intervened.

Ioannis Alexopoulos/Anadolu via Getty King Charles in the grieving town of Southport on Aug. 20, 2024

A teenage boy, who was 17 at the time, has been charged with their murders. After the arrest was made, disturbances and riots, much of it fueled by misinformation spread online, broke out at Southport, where the mosque came under attack, and in other cities around England.

On Aug. 20, King Charles met community leaders and some of those who were caught up in the aftermath of the attack, and the members of the emergency services who were called to cope with both the initial tragedy and the violent disturbances that followed it.

PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty King Charles viewing some of the floral tributes in Southport, near Liverpool, on Aug. 20, 2024

Related: Taylor Swift at a 'Complete Loss' After Southport Stabbing That Left 3 Children Dead at Swift-Themed Event

The monarch also spent time with local faith leaders including the imam of Southport's mosque.

He was referring to the community and how terrifying it must have been for us. How scary and terrifying it must have been for us and our mosque and our community," Ibrahim Hussein said afterward, reported The Telegraph.

For His Majesty to take time from his heavy schedule and visit a small town such as this means a lot to us.



PETER POWELL/POOL/AFP via Getty King Charles being welcomed to Southport on Aug. 20, 2024.

John Hayes, a 63-year-old businessman who was among the first people on the scene of the July 29 stabbings and who was injured in the attack, told BBC News that Charles' visit was a "lift" for those who met him.

"It was lovely to meet him. I found him quite engaging, quite easy to talk to," Hayes said, noting that it was "very kind" of the monarch to travel from his traditional holiday in Scotland for the outing. The day prior on Aug. 19, King Charles was officially welcomed to Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands, where the royals gather in the summer.



PAUL ELLIS/POOL/AFP via Getty King Charles signed the book of condolence in Southport, on Aug. 20, 2024.

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Shortly after the tragic events of July. 29, the King, along with Kate Middleton and Prince William, issued statements expressing their sadness and shock.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, both 42, wrote on social media, "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."

They added, "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."

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The man accused of causing the death of 65-year-old Frank Mason this year was found competent to proceed in his first evaluation despite being arrested with concerns over his mental health.

Alexander Brown, 32, was arrested in April after allegedly fatally stabbing Mason on Colorado Springs east side. According to previous Gazette reporting, Brown was known to law enforcement databases as EDP, a designation meaning possible mental illness with symptoms, including paranoia and delusions. The Colorado Springs Police Departments Community Response Team also had multiple previous contacts with Brown.

Notes from those contacts mentioned in Browns arrest affidavit said he had previously made statements about experiencing homicidal ideation and that he had thoughts about hurting his neighbors, co-workers and strangers.

On Wednesday, Browns attorney said at a review hearing that, despite her clients documented mental health issues, an evaluator at the state hospital found Brown competent to proceed.

Browns attorney objected to the competency finding and requested a second competency evaluation.

If that evaluation finds Brown incompetent to proceed, a hearing will be scheduled in which a judge will determine Browns competency based on testimony of the two evaluators.

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If the second evaluator finds Brown competent, the case will continue and a preliminary hearing probably will be scheduled.

Brown will appear in court nexton Oct. 2, where the results of his second competency evaluation are to be revealed.

Brown is in custody at the El Paso County jail on a $1 million bond. He faces one charge of first-degree murder.
The Utah Legislature is meeting for a special session Wednesday to determine if they will put a constitutional amendment on voters November ballot.

The amendment says that lawmakers have the ability to amend or veto laws that originated as ballot initiatives.

Lawmakers do not have much time remaining if they would like this amendment to appear on the ballot. County clerks start mailing out ballots on Oct. 15, but ballots need to be finalized by Sept. 3.

Wednesday is the final interim day scheduled before this deadline.

If two-thirds of lawmakers advance the constitutional amendment on Wednesday, Utah voters will see it on their November ballots. Here is a closer look at what the amendment does (and does not) say and what people on both sides of the amendment have said about it.

What does the amendment say?

The proposal to amend the Utah Constitution is sponsored by Sen. Kirk A. Cullimore, R-Draper, and Rep. Jordan D. Teuscher, R-South Jordan.

The following text would be added to the state constitution if the resolution passes and voters approve it.

(3) (a) Foreign individuals, entities, or governments may not, directly or indirectly, influence support, or oppose an initiative or a referendum.

(b) The Legislature may provide, by statute, definitions, scope, and enforcement of the prohibition under Subsection (3) (a).

(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Constitution, the peoples exercise of their Legislative power as provided in Subsection (2) does not limit or preclude the exercise of Legislative power, including through amending, enacting, or repealing a law, by the Legislature, or by a law making body of a county, city, or town, on behalf of the people whom they are elected to represent. Proposal to Amend the Utah Constitution

The amendment would take effect on Jan. 1, 2025, if two-thirds of the Legislature advances it and voters pass it.

What does the amendment mean?

The amendment explicitly grants lawmakers in the state the ability to make changes to or repeal laws that started as initiatives. Amendments are common in the lawmaking process, which is what legislators have said is one of the primary reasons for making this part of the state constitution.

If passed, the amendment would also prevent foreign entities from using money or other means to support or oppose citizen-led initiatives.

The amendment does not prevent citizens from passing initiatives. Nothing changes about the process of citizens proposing initiatives if the amendment passes.

The reason behind the proposal of this amendment is a Utah Supreme Court decision allowing a lawsuit over redistricting to move forward, the court included language that said when citizens pass initiatives, those initiatives are protected from unfettered legislative amendment, repeal or replacement.

The bar to amending laws that originated as initiatives seems to now hinge on a legal test requiring the amendments to address a compelling government interest. Others laws, like those passed by the Legislature, do not have to show this kind of interest before they are amended.

What would the amendment mean for Utah citizens?

The process for Utah citizens getting initiatives on the ballot and then passing them would remain the same way it is right now based on the amendment.

The amendment would explicitly spell out that the Utah Legislature has the power to amend or repeal initiatives. In the past, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have amended initiatives. An example of that is medical marijuana. Senate President Stuart J. Adams, R-Layton, said the law has been amended every session since voters passed it, but the core of it  the legalization of medical marijuana  has remained intact.

Utah majority leadership said they would like to add more time to the referendum process and there is a bill open to do just that. Referendums are different from initiatives, they are the way Utah voters can repeal laws. During the special session, state lawmakers will try to extend the signature gathering period, which would give Utah citizens more time (20 days) to collect signatures.

Why some are in favor of the amendment

Utah Senate President Stuart Adams and House Speaker Mike Schultz said they were fighting to preserve the voice of Utahns and to allow the state legislature to make necessary changes to initiatives.

Adam pointed toward an instance where they amended the Better Boundaries initiative since it had an unconstitutional provision in it. He said the group asked for the changes and they made them so the group did not lose their initiative on constitutional grounds. Were taking their ideas and making them functional for them, he said about the Utah Legislatures track record on amending initiatives.

This has given the citizens an opportunity to decide if they want the unelected justices to make that decision for them, or if they want to be able to make it for themselves, said Schultz, R-Hooper, about the proposition of the amendment.

Utah GOP chairman Rob Axson who led an effort to encourage lawmakers to consider an amendment said he thought the courts ruling was out of line with the principles of a constitutional republic.

I think the core issue is that in a republic you are electing folks to represent you and they are most closely accountable to the voters while also being positioned to make necessary judgments and adjustments, said Axson, explaining lawmakers sometimes need to be able to change laws quickly due to circumstances that arise.

The chief growth officer at Sutherland Institute, Derek Monson, said the ruling created uncertainty and an amendment would resolve that. Now the court is having to decide public policy, said Monson, predicting the ruling would lead to more litigation around laws. Theyre kind of inserting themselves into a lawmaking role because of how they chose to interpret the Constitution.

Why some oppose the amendment

Better Boundaries led an effort on a joint letter to oppose the amendment, saying they thought the amendment would undermine the balances of power.

Rather than rushing to amend our constitution, we call on you to embrace this ruling as an opportunity to strengthen our democratic processes, and encourage you to work collaboratively with citizens and grassroots organizations through existing channels, and to focus on improving governmental transparency and accountability, which will reduce the need for citizen initiatives, said the group.

Utah Democratic Party chair Diane Lewis said the amendment was an attempt for Republicans to hold onto power.

If the Republican supermajority succeeds in putting their anti-Utahn constitutional amendment on the ballot this November, Utahns must turn out to defeat it, said Lewis in a statement. We cannot let power-hungry politicians take away our ability to hold them accountable.

Utah Minority Leader Angela Romero had not seen the text of the amendment by the time of her comments, but expressed concern about giving the Utah Legislature the ability to veto a citizen-driven initiative.

For truly a citizen legislature, we should be listening to the people of our state, said Romero, D-Salt Lake City. And I dont think a majority of people in Utah would want to do anything that jeopardizes their voice.

For more reporting on this amendment, see the following articles:
SUMMIT CO., Utah (ABC4)  Kouri Richins appeared virtually in court on Wednesday, allowing for attorneys and the court to clear up some housekeeping items before the case moves forward to next weeks preliminary hearing.

Richins is scheduled to appear in a multi-day preliminary hearing starting Monday morning, Aug. 26. She faces a first-degree felony aggravated murder charge and attempted criminal homicide among other charges of drug distribution, fraud, and forgery in connection to the death of her husband, Eric Richins.

During Wednesdays status hearing, it was revealed prosecutors intend to call four or five witnesses throughout the preliminary hearing. The defense meanwhile plans to call one or two witnesses.

The main concern presented by Judge Richard Mrazik surrounded out-of-court statements provided by two witnesses who may be called to the stand during the hearing. The two witnesses reportedly provided statements about conversations with Eric just months before his death when he first claimed Kouri was attempting to poison him.

TIMELINE: Kouri Richins complete timeline in murder case

Kouris new defense attorneys, Kathy Nester and Wendy Lewis, objected to various parts of the statements, claiming they were not reliable hearsay and should not be admissible.

Judge Mrazik overruled the defenses objections for the sole purpose of the upcoming preliminary hearing. Mrazik, however, agreed with the defense that they reserve the right to object to the statements outside of the preliminary hearing.

Nester then requested Richins to appear in the courtroom without being in handcuffs as she has in previous hearings. In her request, Nester said We, as a defense team, do not feel any threat. We feel very safe sitting next to her. She also said the bindings would make it difficult for Richins to take notes during the hearing and would be a distraction for the defense team.

Mrazik did not offer a ruling on whether or not Richins would be free of handcuffs during the multi-day preliminary hearing. He first wanted to consider the request with the Summit County Sheriffs Office before making a decision.

It has been more than a year since Richins was initially arrested and charged with the murder of her husband. Legal hold ups including controversy over the now-infamous Walk the Dog letter as well as a change in attorneys for Richins have prevented the case from going to a preliminary hearing thus far.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
The Kremlin anticipates that the hostilities in Kursk Oblast, the target of a recent incursion by Ukrainian forces, could persist for several months, even by optimistic estimates, and is preparing Russians for the "new normal" as Ukrainian forces exert control over the occupied territory within the Russian Federation.

Source: Latvia-based Russian media outlet Meduza, citing unnamed sources close to the Kremlin and the government

Quote: "Immediately after the Ukrainian operation commenced in Kursk Oblast, Russian elites were shocked. In two weeks, 'the shock has worn off, and they have got used to the situation'."

Details: A source close to the Kremlin said, "It was initially unclear what forces were involved and how long it would last. Now we understand, which always makes it easier."

"They [Ukrainian forces] are far from the regional centres. However, the mere fact that they have entered the territory of the Russian Federation and taken control of villages is a new development, and a deeply unsettling one," the source said.

A poll revealed that anxiety among Russians rose by 6%, reaching 45%. The Kremlin views these figures as rather high and is hopeful for a swift decline.

To quickly ease public concern, the Kremlin is employing propaganda to prepare Russians for life in a "new reality" and a "new normal"  terms previously used by propagandists during the COVID-19 pandemic and at the outset of the war with Ukraine.

"This [the use of such phrases in propaganda] is necessary for people to consider what is happening not an aberration but a new normal, even if it is temporary. It has to be reassuring. It isn't easy to exist in a deviation from the norm. It is easier to exist in the norm, even if it is a new one," explains a media technologist working with the Putin administration's domestic political bloc, headed by Sergei Kiriyenko, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia.

The constituents of this "new reality", as conceived by the Kremlin, are as follows: the enemy has indeed broken through to Russian territory; it is facing inevitable defeat; yet retaking the territories will take time, so Russians need to wait.

At the same time, citizens are encouraged to "channel negativity and shock into positive action", such as participating in aid collection efforts for Kursk Oblast. The Putin administration has also "recommended" that regional authorities follow suit.

Another difference between the "new normal" and the previous one is the election of the governor of Kursk Oblast. "Cancelling the election would have increased panic: it means that the entire region is under threat since they cancelled the election of the governor, so perhaps the region has already been conceded? There are no threats to the vote," the source explained.

In general, all the officials interviewed by Meduza believe that the fighting in Kursk Oblast could continue for several months. A source close to the government clarifies that this estimate is "quite optimistic  if everything goes well".

Read also: Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi's raid: how the Ukrainian offensive in Russia's Kursk Oblast is progressing and what to expect next

Background: Prior to this, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reported that Ukrainian forces were in control of over 1,260 sq km of territory and 93 settlements in Russia's Kursk Oblast as of 20 August.

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Kremlin trying to convince public that Ukrainian troops on Russian soil is 'new normal,' Meduza reports

The Kremlin is using state media and propaganda to convince the Russian public that Ukrainian troops on its soil are the "new normal" as it comes to terms with the idea it may not be able to push Kyiv's forces out in the immediate future, Meduza reported on Aug. 21.

Citing sources close to the government, the outlet says three narrative lines have been drawn up and being pushed out  an acknowledgment that Ukraine did indeed cross the border into Kursk Oblast, that they will inevitably be defeated, but that this will take time and the Russian public needs to be patient.

Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that Kyiv had advanced between 28-35 kilometers (18-21 miles) into Russia's Kursk Oblast as the unprecedented incursion enters its third week.

According to Syrskyi, Ukraine has captured 1,263 square kilometers (488 square miles) of Russian territory and 93 settlements to date.

Two sources close to the Russian presidential administration said that inside the Kremlin, the initial shock at the incursion has now passed, and people have since "got used to it."

The Kremlin expects a "quite optimistic" scenario of several months of fighting to regain the territory, and efforts now are aimed at placating the Russian population and getting them used to this timeline.

"During a shock, and this was certainly a shock, there are always jumps (in public alarm), then people get used to it, and everything settles down," one of the sources said.

"What happened during Prigozhin's mutiny, mobilization, and at the beginning of the war? But everything settled down."

Russia's normally slick propaganda machine has struggled to cope with the Kursk incursion.

When Ukrainian forces crossed the Russian border on Aug. 6, Russia's immediate response was to downplay the incursion, and state media shows were filled with mixed and sometimes contradictory messaging.

Margarita Simonyan, one of Russia's foremost propagandists, largely disappeared from view.

"She's vanished from view," Julia Davis, creator of the Russian Media Monitor, told the Kyiv Independent for a previous article, adding: "She's barely posting on social media and she's not appearing on state TV."

"That's probably because they haven't come up with a good set of talking points that would make any sense, because this situation has really exposed the reality of what is happening in the war they started."

Read also: How Ukraines Kursk incursion threw Russias top propagandists into crisis

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Workers and community members form a picket line outside a Denver King Soopers, after United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 began a strike over stalled labor negotiations on Jan. 12, 2021. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline)

Grocery giant Kroger filed a federal lawsuit Monday claiming the Federal Trade Commission violated the companys constitutional rights by challenging its proposed merger with Albertsons outside of federal court proceedings.

Kroger, which operates King Soopers and City Market stores in Colorado, first announced its plans to acquire Albertsons, which operates the Safeway brand, in 2022. The $24.6 billion deal, one of the largest retail mergers ever proposed, has been opposed by labor unions and consumer advocates who fear that the consolidation could lead to higher prices and decreased wages and bargaining power for workers.

Krogers lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, looks to stop FTC administrative proceedings challenging the merger so that it would only be reviewed in federal court. When the FTC challenges a merger or acquisition, it typically seeks a preliminary injunction in federal court, as it is with Kroger Albertsons, and tries the case through its in-house court before an administrative law judge.

We stand prepared to defend this merger in the upcoming trial in federal court  the appropriate venue for this matter to be heard  and we are asking the Court to halt what amounts to an unlawful proceeding before the FTCs own in-house tribunal, Rodney McMullen, Kroger Chairman and CEO, said in a statement.

The FTC filed a lawsuit to block the merger in February, as did Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson. A Denver district court judge granted Weisers request for a preliminary injunction in July, barring the companies from completing the merger before a ruling is announced.

The Colorado trial is expected to start in the fall, and the federal court trial is set to start on Aug. 26 in the U.S. District Court of Oregon.

Kroger, based in Ohio, operates more than 2,700 stores and Albertsons, based in Idaho, operates more than 2,200 stores across the country.

Colorado Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Colorado Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Quentin Young for questions: info@coloradonewsline.com. Follow Colorado Newsline on Facebook and X.
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[1] Man accused of shooting at New Mexico State Police officer arrested  The man accused of firing at least 50 shots at a NMSP officer has been arrested. Police say the officer pulled over 40-year-old Fernando Silva for speeding in Farmington. Before the officer could get out of his cruiser, police say Silva fired more than four-dozen rounds before taking off. The officer was not hit. The San Juan County Sheriff says Silva was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon. He is now facing multiple charges.

[2] Legislative Finance Committee reviews wildfire mitigation efforts in Ruidoso  The state is working on ways to prevent destructive fires new the Ruidoso area for years to come. Tuesday, lawmakers spent time talking about the South Fork and Salt wildfires. They say Ruidoso is still at risk if they dont work toward more safeguards. The fires burned more than 25,000 acres combined and were followed by multiple rounds of burn scar flash flooding. Some lawmakers criticized FEMA, saying federal assistance money was coming too slow for some communities.

[3] Record heat for parts of New Mexico before stormier weather  As temperatures across the region rise from the morning school commute into the upper 70s, 80s, 90s, and above 100 degrees for some areas by the afternoon, more moisture in the air that is mostly confined to northern areas, along with plenty of daytime heating.

[4] New Mexico Statewide Education Network  A state program thats connecting schools across New Mexico is now receiving a major funding boost from the feds. The states Office of Broadband Access and Expansion says the Statewide Education Network gives campuses access to improved internet service and cyber security while also linking participating schools together. Now, the FCC is greenlighting more than $500,000 to support the program. The state says about 50 schools have joined the network since July 1 and the funding can help connect up to 300 more.

[5] Sandia High School gets donation to automotive class  A 2023 Ford Transit with only 32 miles was donated to the auto shop program at Sandia High School. Rich Ford supplied the van after its body was damaged during transportation. Students will be able to perform inspections on the engine, do body work, check fluids and more. The school says the expect the van to be in use for the next decade.

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Ukraines surprise invasion of Russias Kursk Oblast has derailed Russia's plans to dictate a peace deal on its terms and strengthened Ukraine's hand in any future negotiations, Ukrainian officials and analysts say.

We must force Russia, with all our might and together with our partners, to make peace, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a meeting with Ukrainian diplomats on Aug. 19 where he called for a second peace summit this year.

The Kursk incursion "is breaking Russia's negotiating strategy," Ukrainian political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko, a regular talking head on Ukrainian state TV, told the Kyiv Independent.

Russia had previously expected to impose its peace terms on Ukraine because it held the initiative by gradually gaining ground in the Donbas since late 2023, but the Kursk incursion is changing that trend, he added.

The Kursk operation, where in two weeks Ukraines army captured Russian turf comparable in size to what Russias army had taken in the Donbas over a costly 10-month offensive, has sparked frustration in Russia. Kremlin officials are crying foul that the first invasion of Russian territory by a foreign power since World War II has dealt a blow to potential peace talks.

"The president (Vladimir Putin) has made it very clear that after the attacks on Kursk Oblast began... there can be no talk of negotiations," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Aug. 19.

Prospects for a near-term peace deal were considered distant even before Ukraines stunning land grab in Kursk Oblast. Both sides remain locked in posturing mode, trying to bolster international support for their peace plan strategy while simultaneously focusing on making battlefield gains to boost their leverage: Ukraine in Kursk Oblast and Russia in the Donbas.

The leverage Kyiv gains now could be critical in the future, especially if Donald Trump is once again elected president in the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election and pushes his controversial peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. While some in Trumps camp have called for boosting arms supplies to Ukraine, others have questioned U.S. backing for Kyiv and suggested a peace deal could involve Ukraine ceding occupied territory to Russia.

Its unclear where such a plan stands now that Ukraine occupies a small part of Russian territory.

The leverage gained by Ukraine could also boost its chances of getting more U.S. support and achieving victory if Trumps opponent, current Vice President Kamala Harris, is elected.

If elected, Kamala Harris should make it an explicit goal to turn todays horrendous war of attrition into a Ukrainian victory, Anders Aslund, a professor at Georgetown University, said in an Aug. 20 op-ed for the Kyiv Independent. Ukraines surprising offensive in Russias Kursk Oblast may be the beginning of a more promising development.

Analysts say that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has repeatedly demonstrated his refusal to accept any peace terms other than Ukraine's surrender or ceding of territory.

Putin is unlikely to cancel the annexation of any Ukrainian territory, while Ukraine will not recognize almost 20 percent of its occupied territory as belonging to Russia, analysts said.

Another scenario is a brokered ceasefire without Ukraine recognizing any Russian annexations de jure. But even this option, viewed as a pause, is staunchly opposed by Kyiv on fears that it would give Putin time to reboot his beleaguered army before attacking again.

Read also: 10 days of Ukraines Kursk incursion  from first shot to dozens of settlements captured

Kursk incursion strengthening Ukraine's position

Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Zelensky's Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, said on Telegram on Aug. 16 that the Kursk incursion could allow Ukraine to conduct potential peace talks from a position of strength.

We absolutely do not plan to plead: 'Please, sit down to negotiate.' Instead, there are proven, effective means of coercion," he said.

Continuing in his social media posts, Podolyak said that "we need to inflict significant tactical defeats on Russia" and that "negative changes in the psychological state of the Russian population will be another argument for starting negotiations."

"In Kursk Oblast, we can clearly see how a military tool is being objectively used to persuade Russia to enter a fair negotiation process," he said.

"Another important tool is the influence on public opinion within Russia, which begins to change when the war reaches deep into their territory. The fact is that, until recently, the citizens of the aggressor country largely remained indifferent to the hostilities, as they were taking place in Ukraine," he added.

A map of claimed Ukrainian advance in Russia's Kursk Oblast as of Aug. 20, 2024. Source: Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. (Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent)

Tymofiy Mylovanov, an advisor in Zelenskys administration and president of the Kyiv School of Economics, said the Kursk incursion had dealt a blow to Putin's idea that any peace agreement should take into account the facts on the ground  as well as the notion that Russia will not leave or cant be forced out of Ukrainian territory it has seized.

"Any negotiations now have to respect realities on the ground, which means part of Russia becomes Ukraine, if we follow Putins formula," Mylovanov said in a series of posts on social media platform X.

Fesenko said the Kursk incursion "fits into the logic of strengthening Ukraine's negotiating position," adding that Ukraine's effort to strengthen its hand in potential talks would work only if "Ukraine keeps its foothold in Kursk Oblast.

One of the potential ways to exploit the Kursk incursion, according to Fesenko, would be to exchange the territory controlled by Ukraine in Kursk Oblast for the territory in northern Kharkiv Oblast that Russia seized in May.

"The goal is to shift the fighting to Russian territory and use it for military and political pressure," Fesenko said. "This will force (the Kremlin) to start negotiations not on Russia's terms but on more equal ones. In Kursk Oblast we are forcing Russia to abandon ultimatums."

Oleksiy Haran, a professor of comparative politics at the Kyiv Mohyla Academy, was more cautious, saying that "it's too early to tell whether the Kursk operation will be a bargaining chip."

"It's important to make Russians redirect reserves (from the Donbas to Kursk Oblast)," he told the Kyiv Independent.

Specifically, successful strikes on Russia and Russian-occupied territories with drones and missiles, as well as efforts to destroy Russian logistics in Crimea would strengthen Ukraine's hand in possible talks, Haran added.

Mylovanov said that "Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure hurt, and hurt enough so that they are willing to negotiate." His comments refer to reported talks mediated by Qatar, in which both sides allegedly discussed halting strikes on each others energy infrastructure.

"It also proves, again, that Russia understands force, not diplomacy," Mylovanov said. "So, for the war to end, Ukraine has to achieve enough leverage so that Russia will find it optimal to stop. And the invasion in Kursk is doing just that."

Mylovanov told the Kyiv Independent that "more successful attacks" on Russia, better arms production, "stronger mission planning" and "attacks on (Russia's) energy infrastructure" could further strengthen Ukraine's negotiating position. Psychological operations, attacks on critical industries, and hacking attacks on Russia could also be helpful, he added.

The map of Ukraine and Kursk Oblast. (Nizar al-Rifai/ The Kyiv Independent)

Intermediaries step in

Efforts by intermediaries to facilitate talks between Ukraine and Russia continue but with no success so far.

The latest to step in is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is scheduled to visit Kyiv on Aug. 23.

Modi said on Aug. 21 that he would share perspectives on the peaceful resolution of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia during his visit.

As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region, he said.

India's sudden interest in mediation efforts between Ukraine and Russia comes weeks after Modi was heavily criticized in the West for visiting Moscow on July 8, when a deadly Russian missile attack killed at least 41 civilians in Ukraine and hit a children's hospital in Kyiv.

China, a geopolitical rival of India, also appears to be seeking a bigger role in potential peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang is currently visiting Russia following a visit to China by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on July 23-25.

The Washington Post reported on Aug. 17 that Ukraine and Russia were also set to send delegations to Qatar this month to negotiate a partial ceasefire halting strikes on energy and power infrastructure on both sides. The newspaper cited diplomats and officials familiar with the talks.

The deal was mediated by Qataris meeting separately with the Ukrainian and Russian delegations, according to the sources.

However, the talks were derailed by Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast, they said.

Efforts by China, India and Qatar follow Zelensky's announcement in July that he would hold a second peace summit this year with Russia invited for the first time, an offer the Kremlin has balked at.

A source close to Zelensky told the Kyiv Independent that the Ukrainian authorities are aiming to prepare the ground this fall for potential negotiations with Russia.

Ukraine seeks to "begin talking to Russia" and hold negotiations on an all-for-all prisoner exchange, food security, and nuclear security, the source said.

Former President Donald Trump acknowledges supporters at the end of a campaign rally at the Grappone Convention Center in Concord, U.S., on Jan. 19, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

'Everything hinges' on US election

Ukraines efforts to prepare the ground for talks come ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election in the U.S, Kyivs top Western ally and source of weaponry and financial bailouts.

Trump said in 2023 that, if elected president again, he would ask Zelensky and Putin to make a peace deal.

Trump also said he would warn Putin that the U.S. would increase military support for Ukraine if an agreement is not reached. Meanwhile, two Trump advisors have proposed a plan that would cease military aid to Ukraine unless it agrees to hold peace negotiations with Russia, Reuters reported on June 25.

In June Trump vowed to end the war between the Nov. 5 election and his inauguration in January if he is elected.

Fesenko said that, if Trump is elected, he could appoint a mediator and try to prepare the ground for potential talks in November to December.

In this scenario, official talks are unlikely to start before January-February 2025, he said.

If Trump's Democratic opponent Kamala Harris wins, she is expected to continue incumbent President Joe Biden's Ukraine policies.

Reno Domenico, head of Democrats Abroad in Ukraine, told the Kyiv Independent that Harris' continued or even increased support for Ukraine will likely enable Kyiv eventually to negotiate with Russia from a position of strength.

"If Ukraine still maintains fighting and if Trump loses, Russia will have no choice but to recalibrate and look for some exit ramp," he said. Everything hinges on what happens in the election.

US military aid for Ukraine. (Dragon Capital)

Can there be a compromise with Russia?

If Trump intends to achieve a compromise between Ukraine and Russia, he is likely to be disappointed.

Analysts believe that Putin is unlikely to make concessions to Ukraine and would only accept Ukraine's capitulation and surrender of territory.

"I see no prospect and no 'potential' for peaceful negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, and the West," Russian columnist Sergei Parkhomenko told the Kyiv Independent. "Putin's regime does not need peace. He will want to achieve concessions, thats true. He will also want to present it as a victory. And then the war will continue as if nothing happened."

He argued that these would not be "peace negotiations" from Putin's perspective but "negotiations about Ukraine's concessions" that have nothing to do with peace.

A political analyst based in Russia, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisals, told the Kyiv Independent that his views on the probability of a compromise have shifted lately.

The analyst has previously believed that Putin could make some concessions and achieve a compromise with Ukraine. But after a series of recent statements by Putin, he thinks that Putin's uncompromising stance makes any meaningful peace deal impossible.

"Putin issues ultimatums and absurd demands, which proves that he's not willing to conduct negotiations," he said. "Putin seems to have lost touch with reality."

Putin said in June that, as a condition for peace negotiations, Ukrainian troops must leave the countrys Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. He added that Ukraine must recognize Russia's illegal annexation of those regions and abandon any ambition to join the NATO military alliance.

Fesenko also believes that Russia will not agree to return any territories grabbed from Ukraine.

At the same time, it would be politically impossible for Zelensky or any other Ukrainian president to cede any Ukrainian territory de jure, Fesenko said. The country's Constitution bans ceding Ukrainian territory.

Moreover, a significant part of society would accuse Zelensky of being a traitor in such a case, Fesenko added.

"A compromise (with Putin) is impossible," he said.

Ukraine's General Staff publishes its claimed losses that Russian troops have taken since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. It doesn't reveal its own losses publicly. (Dragon Capital)

Probability of a ceasefire

Fesenko believes that a Korean-style ceasefire is a more likely scenario than a permanent peace deal that would change the current borders de jure.

In this scenario, Ukraine would not recognize any of the occupied territories as Russian, and Russia would not cancel the annexation of any of the territories, he said.

Fesenko also argued that Ukraine is more interested in a pause in the war than Russia because the war is causing more damage to Ukraine.

Ukrainian columnist Vitaly Portnikov, who has regularly covered the topic of potential peace talks in his op-eds and on his blog, told the Kyiv Independent that currently he sees no preconditions for a ceasefire. Peace talks and a ceasefire will only be possible "when Russia is exhausted," he added.

But Domenico, of the Democrats Abroad, thinks that a ceasefire would be only a temporary reprieve, and the war will likely resume after that.

"Ukraine could make some concessions but it's temporary," he said. "Russia wants all of Ukraine. Unless Russians are driven out of Ukraine's contiguous territory, it will remain a temporary condition."

Read also: Kursk incursion deals blow to Putins prestige marking first ground invasion of Russia since World War II

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Kyle Ricke sentenced to life in prison for murder of Algona police officer

ALGONA, Iowa  Kyle Ricke was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday morning during a hearing in a Kossuth County courtroom.

Ricke was convicted of first-degree murder in July for killing Algona Police Officer Kevin Cram. Officer Cram was shot to death on September 13, 2023 while attempting to serve Ricke with an arrest warrant in Algona.

Several victim impact statements were read by Officer Crams family members, including his father Mark Cram and widow Lara Cram, at Wednesdays hearing. You can view them all, along with the entire sentencing hearing in the video below.

The mandatory sentence for first-degree murder in Iowa is life in prison without the possibility of parole. Ricke must also pay $150,000 in restitution to Officer Crams widow.

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L.A. County got $88 million to rehabilitate young people. Most of it hasn't been spent

L.A. County says it's working to ramp up programming that will allow them to start spending the tens of millions they've received from the state. Above, the youth facility in Sylmar. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

The Los Angeles County Probation Department has spent only $9.7 million of $88 million in grant money it has received since 2021 to rehabilitate young people who committed serious crimes, a state audit has found.

The main reason behind the sluggish spending: the county has not yet created many of the programs the state grants were intended for, including job training, gang intervention and rehabilitative services for sex offenders, the report released Tuesday by the California State Auditor said.

L.A. county probation officials said the auditors didnt have a full accounting of the money spent this last fiscal year, which they expect would amount to a substantially higher sum. And many new programs are about to pop up, they said.

We anticipate a nimble future for service ramp-up, the probation department stated in its formal response to the audit.

In 2021, as California moved to shut down its notoriously violent youth prison system, the state began to funnel millions of dollars to counties to pay for services for the young people who would be moving into their facilities.

The $88-million figure in the state audit dates from when the county started receiving the money in 2021 through June of this year.

Many of the young people who commit serious crimes such as murder in L.A. County are now confined within a secure section of Sylmars Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall, which houses about 65 such youths. An additional 21 young people are at Campus Kilpatrick in Malibu.

Nidorf, in particular, has had a troubled few years, including a fatal overdose and assaults while repeatedly being dinged by regulators for offering few activities for the youths incarcerated there.

Scott Budnick, a member of a state board that oversees correctional facilities, said he has noticed programming start to beef up recently at Nidorf, though he says teens still spend an outrageous amount of time just sitting in units playing video games, watching TV.

There was a huge lack of programming for the first two to three years. Now theyre starting to bring things online, said Budnick, who mentors young people at Kilpatrick and Nidorf. I don't know why its taken three years.

Tuesdays report details a few reasons. With some cities reluctant to have youths transferred from state prisons to facilities within their borders, L.A. County struggled to figure out where to put the youths. It took more time  more than two years  to decide what programs to spend the money on.

Eduardo Mundo, head of the Probation Oversight Commission, said the delay is hardly surprising, given the complexities of allotting government contracts and the fact that the county was starting from scratch with the influx of youths from the state system.

If you didnt expect this to happen, you werent really thinking, he said.

Even spending money on existing programs has sometimes proved difficult for the county. A popular program that sends formerly incarcerated mentors into juvenile facilities was given $10 million last fiscal year by a county committee formed to allocate the state money.

In the first three-quarters of that fiscal year, the department had spent less than half a million on the mentoring program, the state audit found.

One bright spot for the county: the moneys not "use it or lose it." The state has set no expiration date, so the county can let funds pile up  though some say that would be ill-advised.

Going forward, it's inexcusable that the money doesnt start getting spent quicker, Mundo said.

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L.A. County health officials warn against swimming at certain beaches

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is urging residents to stay out of the water at select beaches as many turn to the beach to cool down amid high temperatures.

The warnings were issued after tests concluded that high bacterial levels were prevalent in the water, Public Health announced Tuesday.

Californias dirtiest beaches ranked in latest Heal the Bay report

Officials are encouraging beachgoers to avoid swimming, surfing and playing in the ocean water at the following locations:

The entire swim area at Las Flores Creek at Las Flores State Beach

The entire swim area at Walnut Creek at Paradise Cove

The entire swim area at Solstice Creek at Dan Blocker County Beach

100 yards up and down the coast from the public access steps from Marie Canyon Storm Drain at Puerco Beach

100 yards up and down the coast from the Paradise Cove Pier at Ramirez Creek at Paradise Cove

The entire swim area at Inner Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro

The entire swim area at Escondido Creek at Escondido State Beach

100 yards up and down the coast from the lagoon at Topanga Canyon Beach

100 yards up and down the coast from the Santa Monica Pier

The entire swim area at Mothers Beach

100 yards up and down the coast from the storm drain from Santa Monica North Tower 8 at Santa Monica Beach

Residents can get more information on beach conditions by calling the countys beach hotline at 1-800-525-5662 or the L.A. County Public Health website.

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The Colorado Springs Police Department has arrested Roger Vargas, 36, in a homicide on Colorado Springs east side, with another man still wanted by police.

At 6:23 p.m. on July 27, police officers responded to a call regarding a shooting in the 700 block of East Hills Road. A male with at least one gunshot wound was found.

The man, later identified by the El Paso County Coroners Office as David Charles Compare, 52, was pronounced dead at the scene.

While the coroners office works to determine the official cause and manner of death, it is being investigated as a homicide, according to police.

On Aug. 1, an arrest warrant was issued for Victor Carson, 49, on suspicion of the murder of Compare. Carson is not yet in custody, according to a news release Tuesday.

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If anyone has information on the whereabouts of Carson, they are encouraged to contact CSPD at 719-444-7000 or Pikes Peak Area Crime Stoppers.

On Aug. 8, Vargas also was charged in Compares murder. Vargas was being held in the Bent County jail on unrelated charges.

Colorado Springs has seen 23 homicides in 2024. At this time last year, there were 16 homicides, police say.

This remains an active investigation, and anyone with information or who was a witness to this incident is encouraged to call the Colorado Springs Police Department at 719-444-4000. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 719-634-STOP (7867) or 1-800-222-8477.
So much for Brexit  at this rate we might as well have stayed in

Among the many bad ideas that Labour has busied itself implementing since entering office six weeks ago is the right to work from home and/or switch off from work-related calls and emails when out of hours.

Nobody can say they werent warned that this is what the new Government would do. Labours new deal for working people was in the manifesto for all to see, even if some seemed naively to believe that the party would in practice be persuaded against anything quite so stupid.

Voters and lobby groups are already starting to think Rishi Sunaks ill-fated government didnt look so bad after all compared to what we have today. Its too late now.

All the same, it was reasonable to assume that the right to switch off would at least have been subjected to some kind of consultation before implementation, so as to ascertain the various pros and cons.

No such luck.

The right to switch off is part of a raft of policies that Labour intends to implement in its first 100 days and there appears to be nothing anyone can do about it. If there was ever a Ming vase strategy so as not to frighten the horses in the run-up to the election, it now lies shattered on the floor.

But what really sticks in the craw is the Governments attempt to pass off the workplace measures as part of its plans for addressing the UKs shamefully poor productivity record.

A culture of presenteeism can be damaging to productivity, a No 10 spokesman insisted this week, as if  absurdly  the right to be absent might actually increase the nations output.

Everyone knows the old truism that a happy and contented workforce makes for a more productive one. It is also the case that todays always on work culture is a comparatively new thing.

Before the advent of the mobile phone, email and other forms of digital messaging, workers tended to be unavailable to their employers from the moment they knocked off until they went back to work the following day. The employees leisure time could not so easily be interrupted.

But you cannot turn the clock back on modernity and, provided todays always on work ethic is operated sensitively with due regard for workload, I cannot for the life of me see that there is anything wrong with it.

In any case, it should surely be up to individual companies to decide what works best for them and their employees, not the Government with its overly simplistic, one-size-fits-all approach to almost any complaint.

It would, for instance, be hard to imagine a newspaper such as this one functioning at all if there was a universal right to switch off imposed on it.

A disastrous pile-up occurs on the M25, but news of it would have to wait for another day for fear of being hauled before an employment tribunal for infringing the responsible reporters leisure time.

But it is not just the 24-hour news agenda that would be rendered inoperable. Virtually every business I can think of, with deadlines approaching and important clients demanding attention, requires flexibility from its workforce to function effectively. Firms that say no can do because workers are on their break would soon find themselves out of business.

It may be that Ive missed something, but as far as I can see there is no compelling empirical evidence for thinking that the right to work from home or to switch off while out-of-hours actually improves productivity.

This is not to argue that there are no such cases: in a number of well-publicised examples, companies have managed to move to a four-day week without unduly harming output or cutting pay.

Yet in the commercial sector they are relatively unusual, and in any case, it should surely be up to the employer to decide what business model best suits the companys purpose. If it yields a competitive advantage by, say, attracting top talent, then it may be worth doing. What works for some employers wont for others. Blanket solutions nearly always backfire.

To grant such working practices as of right, moreover, establishes a form of employment apartheid between jobs where they may be just about manageable, and those where workplace presenteeism is an absolute necessity, such as mass manufacturing, distribution and construction.

Enshrining into law the segregation of workers into a caste system of protected higher earners and an underclass of shift and part-time workers for whom such protections are of no practical value could scarcely be more distasteful.

Many of Labours ideas for enhanced worker protections come from the Continent, where a number of countries have already adopted a similar approach to issues of work/life balance. The European Commission is meanwhile drafting overarching proposals on the right to switch off which would apply to the whole of the EU.

So much for Brexit  at this rate we might as well have stayed in. If we are ever to gain any advantage from being out, it would surely be wiser to allow the market to determine how companies arrange their affairs, and not vote-seeking politicians.

Its true that productivity is higher in France, the spiritual home of leisure-focused worker protections, but so too is unemployment, this for the obvious reason that companies are loath to burden themselves with employees they cannot sack or even  if it gets in the way of the long weekend or lunch break  ask to work. Fewer workers equals higher productivity, but also a mountainous bill for welfare.

Other than discouraging job creation, it is hard to think of any reason that productivity would rise nationally because of Labours workers rights revolution.

Of all the possible explanations for Britains poor productivity record, burnout among overstressed employees called at the weekend to deal with the pressing needs of clients is about the least likely.

Those who have stuck with home-working since the pandemic tend invariably to answer when asked that it has immensely improved their productivity, citing time saved on commuting, better work/life balance, fewer distractions and less time wasted on office politics.

And yet it is on this implausible claim that the entire policy is justified. If it were true, you would expect the growth in home and hybrid working to show up in the national productivity data. Sadly, it has not.

There has been little or no recorded improvement in output per worker since working from home became a thing, never mind that it has laid waste to many town centres, rendered large parts of the railways largely redundant and denied many younger workers the training they would normally get from presenteeism.

The big problem with the UK economy is not too little leisure but  with more than a quarter of the working-age population not working at all  too much.

Downing Street might more usefully focus its attention on this nationally shaming condition than on job-destructive gimmicks that in practice will be of virtually no value to anyone outside the public sector.

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The IFS forecasts that around 40,000 pupils will be forced out of private schools as a result of the fees change - Caiaimage/Chris Ryan/iStockphoto

Private school leaders have warned the state sector is heading for foreseeable disaster unless Labours VAT raid is delayed until next year.

Headteachers, bursars and chairs of governors from around 50 schools have signed a letter to the Treasury warning that state schools risk being overwhelmed by a mid-year surge in demand for school places that has not been forecasted.

The letter, seen by The Telegraph, also accused the Government of trying to rush through the consultation period during the summer holidays and called for it to be extended until the end of October.

It read: By requiring all feedback by September 15, you gave the entire education sector a mere seven weeks to respond, five weeks of which run during summer holidays. This is an issue you must have been only too aware of.

In reality, the timing of this consultation to coincide with the summer break has given schools less than two weeks to fully commit.

The Government professes to be the self-proclaimed Party of Business. However, we cannot see where any formal engagement has taken place with us ahead of this rushed implementation date.

The letter was written by Jamie Harle and Kate Taylor, both of St Pirans School in Maidenhead, Berkshire and supported by fellow independent school leaders from across Britain.

It comes after many schools were caught by surprise last month when Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, announced the VAT raid, which will see school fees rise by up to 20pc, will be implemented from January 1 rather than the beginning of the following school year.

Up to 40,000 pupils will be forced out of private schools as a result according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank. However, some headteachers have warned the shock of the tax coming sooner than expected could trigger a greater exodus.

The Telegraph has previously reported how state schools in some parts of the country are already being overwhelmed with queries from private school parents. Schools in Surrey received almost 600 queries in the space of two weeks during June.

Other councils have discussed using bulge classes in some state schools  a measure to add an extra class to a year group often taught in a prefabricated building or Portakabin.

A further three councils have reported concerns about the influx of pupils into their local state schools.

Worcestershire County Council are bracing for a huge ripple effect for all schools according to notes from an education planning meeting obtained by freedom of information request.

In Hertfordshire, minutes from before the election show the council had anticipated the policy would not begin until September 2025 and a further meeting at the start of July raised concerns about the number of queries from private school parents already inquiring about state school places.

In neighbouring Coventry, minutes reveal the council believe it is well-placed to respond to additional demand from private school pupils by relying on bulge classes.

The letter sent to the Treasury added: There are regions and groups of children in this country that will be acutely and disproportionately affected. This will be left to their local state schools to address. This is surely not what the Government intends in offering fair and equal access to education for all pupils.

We are working closely with the many concerned parents who are represented by Education not Taxation and we genuinely want to help by averting a foreseeable disaster that is going to impact children who have already had to cope with the pandemic affecting their education.

This is not about the 7pc who attend independent schools today. Far from it. The implications would be felt far wider and this is about the clear bow wave that is heading to the state sector.

We want every child to have a fair and equal chance. We will not do this by saturating state schools in the middle of an academic year.

The letter follows the closure of two private schools in the past week. Kilgraston School in Perthshire, Scotland, closed on August 13 with immediate effect, while on the same day, Cedars School in Greenock, Inverclyde revealed plans to shut its doors in September.

The letter continued: Capacity, qualified staff and infrastructure across public services cannot bear a sudden influx and we, as a group, can perhaps see the actual numbers more clearly than most. Last week alone, two schools closed in quick succession, and this is the trend vector that will continue.

Treasury documents published last month admitted the plans would price some parents out of the sector.

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.

The Government hopes the policy will raise 1.5bn to spend on raising standards in the state sector, including plans to recruit 6,500 new teachers and 8,500 mental health specialists.

A government spokesman said: We want to ensure all children have the best chance in life to succeed. Ending tax breaks on private schools will help to raise the revenue needed to fund our education priorities for next year, such as recruiting new teachers.

The consultation provides six weeks for a response and needs to close on 15 September to provide enough time to analyse, consider and advise on responses effectively.

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A worker removes a table during an eviction in the unincorporated community of Galloway, west of Columbus, Ohio, in March 2021. Eviction filings can severely limit future housing options and prolong housing insecurity, and a growing number of states are sealing some eviction records. Stephen Zenner/Getty Images

When pandemic-era tenant protections expired, rents immediately soared, and eviction filings surged last year more than 50% over pre-pandemic levels in some U.S. cities.

These filings can cast long shadows. Simply being named in an eviction complaint, regardless of the outcome, can severely limit future housing options and prolong housing insecurity, according to a recent University of Michigan study.

The situation underscores a growing debate across the country: Should eviction records be shielded from public access to offer tenants a cleaner shot at finding another home?

In recent years, more states are saying, yes  at least in some cases.

Eviction filings are public court records. Landlords and property owners can buy databases of the records to screen potential tenants.

Property owners argue that sealing data on eviction filings  most of which are for nonpayment of rent  eliminates crucial insights into rental history. Housing advocates, however, warn that any filing can unfairly block renters from future housing because the outcome may not be an eviction.

An eviction filing doesnt provide enough information to determine a tenants ability to honor their next lease, said Katie Fallon, a principal policy associate with the Urban Institute, a research and advocacy think tank focusing on urban policies.

Given the low quality of this eviction filing data and the lack of outcomes in the filings themselves, it is a very open question of how accurate these filings are and what information they really provide to landlords, she said.

This year, Idaho, Maryland and Massachusetts enacted laws to seal certain eviction records from public scrutiny and from tenant screening companies.

Last year, Connecticut and Rhode Island also enacted laws that allow for the sealing of certain eviction cases. Arizona, meanwhile, enacted a law in 2022 requiring courts to seal eviction records if cases are dismissed, dropped or adjudicated in the tenants favor.

In total, 17 states and Washington, D.C., have measures sealing at least some eviction records, according to PolicyLink, a national research and advocacy group with a focus on housing.

Zafar Shah, assistant director of advocacy for Maryland Legal Aid, said lawmakers are starting to understand how eviction records can prevent tenants from finding another home.

We have clients that know they will lose their eviction case, but they want us to shield the information so that the next potential housing provider is not going to use it against them, said Shah.

That has really been the impetus for shielding and sealing across the country. These filings dont tell us a lot, but they carry so much weight in the search for housing.

An eviction filing could be resolved in a number of ways: A case might be dismissed if the landlord and tenant reach an agreement. The judge might rule in favor of the tenant, allowing them to stay in their home. Or the judge could side with the landlord, evicting the tenant.

Regardless of the outcome, the records live on in online court databases.

Third-party tenant screening companies scan court records for eviction cases, then sell the data to landlords to use in their leasing decisions.

Our members are getting evictions that have merit and werent erroneously filed.

 Alexandra Alvarado, American Apartment Owners Association

Housing advocates say the data is often inaccurate and misleading. In one state  Illinois  less than half of eviction filings led to actual evictions, according to a 2019 review by Housing Action Illinois, an advocacy group.

Alexandra Alvarado, director of education and marketing at the American Apartment Owners Association, a tenant screening provider, told Stateline that the groups database only displays eviction records with a completed judgment that were filed within the past seven years, which is the time limit set by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act.

It can be a monetary or non-monetary judgment, but there must be a judgment. So, if an eviction case is filed, but the parties settled outside of court or the tenant won, then it wouldnt show up in our reports, even though technically it is public record, Alvarado said. Our members are getting evictions that have merit and werent erroneously filed.

A Scarlet E

According to researchers at the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, of the 3.6 million eviction court records in the 12 states they tracked from 2011 to 2015, more than 1 in 5 eviction cases contained little information on the resolution of a case. Ambiguous data can also falsely represent a tenants eviction history, affecting both renters and scholarly researchers, according to a 2020 study by the group.

While many people think an eviction filing is evidence of late rent payment, nonpayment of rent or a violation of the lease terms, this is not necessarily true, said Fallon, of the Urban Institute. Filings can include inaccurate data, such as the parties named in the eviction filing and inaccurate name spellings.

Alvarado, of the American Apartment Owners Association, said landlords have mixed views about laws that allow courts to seal cases that have been dismissed or ruled in a tenants favor. Whats more important to landlords, she said, is that their screening process can look back the full seven years for problem evictions.

Laws that limit the lookback period  such as in Oregon, where tenants can request an expungement after five years  affect the tenant screening process more, she said.

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The system is problematic, Eviction Lab found in a 2020 study of eviction cases filed between 2012 and 2016 in 39 states. In addition to inaccurate information, Black households are overrepresented in eviction filings, Eviction Lab found, as are women  especially Black and Latina women.

When landlords say they need to use eviction filings, which we know arent the most reliable information, to make housing decisions, we need to push back on that, said Jasmine Rangel, senior housing associate for PolicyLink.

She and other advocates want eviction court records to be sealed as soon as a landlord files an eviction notice. Otherwise, she said, third-party services can still scrape that eviction record from online databases and into their tenant screening algorithms.

Advocates point out that eviction records could be made public later if a judge rules in the landlords favor.

Its a Scarlet E. You have this record, you have this thing on your file of an eviction, but theres no understanding of the context or circumstances behind it.

 Shuntera Brown, an Arizona resident whose eviction record hurt her housing search

But Shuntera Brown, who lost her home in Phoenix in 2021, said in an interview that any eviction record hurts single moms like herself.

Brown, who has three children, has struggled to pay rent even with a full-time job. In December 2020, a bout of COVID-19 caused her to miss work shifts, a paycheck disruption that eventually put her over the edge months later.

Its a Scarlet E. You have this record, you have this thing on your file of an eviction, but theres no understanding of the context or circumstances behind it, Brown said. I remember pleading with the judge that Ive usually paid on time and that my kids need a home, but he sided with the landlord in, like, seven minutes, and the eviction immediately was on my credit.

Sealing the records

State by state, the laws differ on the details: Many states allow for eviction records to be sealed almost immediately if the case was dismissed or dropped, or if the tenant won the case. Other states have a waiting period, often several years, during which the tenant must demonstrate good behavior before a record is sealed.

Under Marylands new law, which takes effect in October, courts must shield records within 60 days of a resolution that doesnt end in a tenant losing possession of their home. The state also will increase the eviction filing fee from $8 to $43.

Maryland landlords filed roughly 400,000 failure to pay rent cases in the states 2023 fiscal year, according to housing advocates who testified in favor of the new law. In some cases, landlords would file monthly failure to pay rent cases against tenants prematurely and tack on illegal fees on top of the back rent, according to a report from the Maryland-based advocacy group Public Justice Center.

The low cost and low barrier to entry have driven the massive quantity of filings, with many cases simply being leveraged to get rent money out of tenants quickly, said Shah, of Maryland Legal Aid. I think that the court overall has become more receptive to shielding these cases, recognizing that if a case was dismissed or settled, theres no reason to hold it against the renter.

This attitude has shifted significantly over the past decade, he said.

In California and Colorado, as in Maryland, an eviction lawsuit can be automatically sealed as soon as its been filed unless the landlord wins the case within 60 days. Indiana and Minnesota require a tenant to formally petition for sealing once a court reaches judgment.

Idahos new law shields dismissed eviction cases after three years. And in Massachusetts, tenants can request their case be sealed for a variety of reasons, no matter the outcome, after a period of time ranging from a few months to several years.

In Rhode Island, a tenant can only make a request once every five years.

Researchers at Eviction Lab told Stateline that state laws should still allow data access for scientists. The 2022 eviction-sealing law in Washington, D.C., for example, specifies that records can be unsealed for scholarly, educational, journalistic or governmental purposes.

There is an important public right to know what is going on in the housing market, and this is one of our data points into the eviction crisis, said Carl Gershenson, lab director at Eviction Lab. There is a balance that can be achieved that is in the best interest of tenants and how these filings can be used as datapoints to understand the housing crisis.

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NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WEHT)  Statistics show that a business will last 24 years. But for Nix Industrial and Huncilman, theyre defying the odds with the announcement of a landmark merger of a 5th and 4th generational business.

With state government officials in attendance, Nix and Huncilman make it official.

Indiana Secretary of State, Diego Morales, complimented the historic action.

This merger highlights that the dedication of Hoosiers in past years and for many years to come, says Morales. As your Secretary of State, business services is one of the divisions in my office. We work hard to make sure that all businesses large or small can start and thrive right here in the Hoosier state.

Matthew Nix says this is the perfect fit, reflecting on the responsibility to continue to positively impacting the town of Poseyville and beyond as the largest employer of the town.

Its a great honor to be able to reach out outside of our community and grow our business, says Nix. Because you know thats the way you really impact the community is to be able to bring outside economics into that community.

The merger brought together two family generational businesses, sharing the same values and interests.

Gordon Huncilman says the decision aligns with both, adding that this generational business is not a birthright.

When a family member comes in, especially with the same last name, theres this tendency for people to look and say well you know heres the new princess or prince and my father is going to make sure that everybody understood that I was on an equal footing until I earned my place, says Huncilman.

Nix Industrial will act as the parent company to Huncilman.

The merger will keep all of Huncilmans leadership the same.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Police arrested a man accused of shooting and killing another man in an early morning shooting last week.

On Monday, Aug. 12, at around 3:45 a.m. officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded to the 3900 block of Palos Verdes Street, north of Flamingo Road, after reports of a shooting.

Police said witnesses told police a man and woman were talking in the middle of the street when they heard a pop and saw the man, who was bleeding run to a car and drive off.

Officers then found a man slumped over the steering wheel of a vehicle in the 400 block of Calcaterra Circle. Medical personnel took the man, who was later identified as David Jervis, 44, to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police said the woman was last seen running through an apartment complex on Palo Verdes. officers set up a perimeter bordering Flamingo Road, Palo Verdes, and University Drive to search for her. No additional information was given about the woman.

Later, police identified Anthony Rollans, 28, as a suspect in the case. Police arrested on Aug. 20 and booked him in absentia into the Clark County Detention Center for open murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

A booking photo for Rollans was not immediately available. Court records show he is set to appear on Aug. 22.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  The latest statistics from the Little Rock Police Department show that the citys crime rate is dropping.

Little Rock is showing an overall drop in crime for 2024 in the departments Weekly Crime Stats report through the week ending Aug. 19. In the two broad categories, violent crime had the most significant drop compared to previous years, while property crime had a comparatively slight drop.

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According to the report, violent crime rates through Aug. 19 are down 27% compared to 2023 and 29% compared to the average over the past five years. In hard numbers, 2,150 violent crimes have been reported so far in 2024, compared to 2,271 crimes reported last year and 2,265 on average over the past five years.

The report showed property crime through Aug. 19 dropped 3% from last years numbers and 0% from the five-year average. This year, 8,801 property crimes have been reported, compared to 9,076 a year ago, against a five-year average of 8,836.

Noteworthy was the drop in crime for the River Market district, with a 35% drop in violent crime between 2024 and 2023 and a 30% drop in property crime for the same time period.

Little Rock police identify suspect wanted in connection with Sunday double homicide

In his Monday Memo weekly newsletter, Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. praised Police Chief Heath Helton for the departments work in lowering crime rates. The mayor also pointed to the citys use of its Real Time Crime Center and the Eyes on the Rock initiative as additional factors in lowering the crime rate.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo.  The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that a Latvian man made his first appearance in federal court today in Kansas City, Kansas. Hes facing charges in a years-long scheme to send avionics equipment to Russian companies.

According to court documents, Oleg Christyakov, of Latvia, conspired to facilitate the repair, shipment and sale of U.S. avionics equipment with two Kansas men, Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky, 61, and Douglas Edward Robertson, 56. Court documents also say that the scheme included customers from Russia and other countries that operate Russian aircraft, including the Federal Security Service of Russia.

Buyanovsky and Robertson were both charged and arrested in March of 2023 and will be sentenced on November 14 and October 3 respectively.

Court documents say that Christyakov operated from Latvia and often through his Emirati company, RosAero FZC. He worked with Buyanovsky and Robertson through their U.S. company, KanRus Trading Company Inc. The three avoided U.S. export laws by purchasing equipment from U.S. companies for customers in Russia.

KCPD arrests juveniles linked to dozens of crimes in Waldo, Brookside

Christyakov apparently acted as a broker or a middleman for KanRus by providing quotes and negotiating prices and delivery. He and his conspirators tried to hide their activities by creating false invoices, transshipping items through third-party countries and exporting items to intermediary companies which then reexported them.

Documents claim that Christyakov is being charged with conspiracy, Export Control Reform Act violations and smuggling and money laundering violations. If convicted, he will face a max penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

Many of those involved with Christyakovs scheme were added to the Commerce Departments Entity List last December. This creates license requirements on transactions made.

The FBI and the Commerce Departments Bureau of Industry and Security are investigating this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Rask and Ryan Huschka for the District of Kansas and Trial Attorney Adam Barry of the National Security Divisions Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting this case. The Justice Departments Office of International Affairs worked with Latvian authorities to secure the extradition of Chistyakov.

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PIERRE, S.D. (KELO)  State government agencies in South Dakota that want to charge more for their services will soon have to better justify those price increases.

The Legislatures Rules Review Committee is adding a form that must be submitted with fee requests.

The committee voted 5-0 on Tuesday for the new requirement.

Republican Sen. Jean Hunhoff chairs the rules committee. Shes also co-chair of the Legislatures Appropriations Committee that sets state governments annual budget. The additional information would help the rules panel decide whether a fee increase is necessary.

Hunhoff pointed to the state Pharmacy Board as a recent example where an increase was denied. The board wanted to raise the annual fee by $25 to a new total of $150. The rules members said no.

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I dont think its over-extensive for the agencies. They already have that. Its more providing us a complete picture as to why they really need it, what those expenses are, Hunhoff said. That is an important part of the rule-making process, because youre going to subject somebody to pay more of the fee. That is the reason I asked for this.

Republican Sen. Jim Mehlhaff spoke in favor of adding the form.

I think having the form does provide us with clarity that fees that are being collected are actually to recover actual costs and not just collecting money to possibly pay expenses that are getting out of hand more, Mehlhaff said. And so I think anything that brings more clarity to the committee to review and make more informed decisions is a benefit.

2024-07-19-Proposed-New-Form-17Download

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Pastor Mark Miller and the Burien Free Methodist Church, also known as the Oasis Home Church, have filed a lawsuit against the City of Burien.

The lawsuit challenges the citys requirement that the church obtain a temporary use permit before hosting homeless encampments on its property.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington Tuesday, seeks a declaratory judgment, arguing that the citys regulations violate the churchs constitutional rights to free exercise of religion.

The conflict began after the city enacted Ordinance No. 827 in September 2023, making it a misdemeanor for individuals to use nonresidential public property as a dwelling between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Following this ordinance, the church began hosting an encampment on its property in November 2023, providing shelter to approximately 100 homeless individuals over three months.

The city, however, insisted that the church apply for a temporary use permit, which the church refused to do, arguing that the requirement was an unconstitutional infringement on their religious rights.

The lawsuit also claims that the citys ordinance conflicts with state law, prohibiting cities from limiting a religious organizations ability to host an outdoor encampment to fewer than six months during any calendar year.

The church contends that the citys regulations impose an undue burden on its religious practice and violate the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

Despite negotiations, the dispute between the church and the city remains unresolved.

The churchs lawsuit seeks to clarify its right to host homeless encampments without city interference in the future.

KIRO 7 News has reached out to the City of Burien for comment.
Two men were arrested Wednesday morning after attempting to burglarize a Colorado Springs cellphone store.

According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, officers were called to the business along the 3700 block of Pikes Peak Avenue at approximately 5 a.m., Wednesday.

"Upon arrival, officers determined the suspects had broken the front door and taken multiple items," a department lieutenant said.

Officials said officers were able to then track the two burglary suspects who fled the location on foot. The two men were arrested and taken into custody without further incident. They have since been identified as Julius Patterson and Deaundre McDowell.

According to police, the stolen items have been returned to the business.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE)  Investigators announced last week that five people are facing charges in actor Matthew Perrys accidental ketamine overdose death, and the charges are similar to what some in East Tennessee can face when connected to an overdose death.

In October 2023, Perry was found dead in a hot tub at his California Home. An autopsy later determined that the acute effects of ketamine contributed to his death.

In the announcement, the investigators named Perrys live-in personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, two medical doctors, Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez, and Jasveen Sangha, who is accused of operating a stash house and was known as the Ketamine Queen, and Eric Fleming, who was known as an acquaintance of Perry.

The Associated Press compiled a timeline of the final month of Perrys life, detailing how Perry had been receiving ketamine treatments for depression, but he wasnt able to get as much as he wanted. The timeline states that Perry began getting the ketamine through his personal assistant and the other named individuals, but just over a week before his death, he received his last legal treatment as his new doctor noted his depression was managed.

On the final day of his life, the AP reports that Perrys assistant remembered Perry telling him to shoot me [Perry] up with a big one when he gave Perry a third shot for the day before the assistant left to run errands. A few hours later, the assistant found him face down in the hot tub.

Who are the 5 people charged in Matthew Perrys death?

Plasencia was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to the federal investigation, and pleaded not guilty.

Sangha was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, one count of maintaining drug-involved premises, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute ketamine, and five counts of distribution of ketamine. She also pleaded not guilty.

Chavez pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to distribute ketamine. Fleming pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death.

Iwamasa also signed a plea agreement, in which he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death and admitted to repeatedly injecting Perry including multiple injections on the day Perry died.

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Although the case is outside of Tennessee, prosecutors do pursue charges in overdose death cases in the Volunteer State. Earlier in August, a woman was charged with second-degree murder after she was accused of giving her friend the fentanyl that led to his overdose death. Earlier this year, a man was sentenced for his role in an overdose death in a Knox County motel.

Nearly 500 people in Knox County died of suspected overdoses last year, which is lower than the number of suspected overdose deaths in 2022, according to the Knox County District Attorneys Office. One cause of concern as the fight to end overdose deaths continues in East Tennessee is a growing fentanyl tolerance.

In this weeks Ask Isaacs, 6 News Lori Tucker and Attorney Greg Isaacs discuss the charges against those charged in Perrys death and how similar charges go through the East Tennessee court system.

If you have a legal question, send it to AskIsaacs@wate.com. To watch full episodes of Ask Isaacs, click here.

WATEs Lori Tucker and Attorney Greg Isaacs answer your legal questions from the WATE Alert Desk on Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. and on WATE Channel 6 at 5:30 p.m.

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV)  Upperclassmen welcomed first-year students at Le Moyne College on Wednesday, August 21, for move-in day.

First-year students at Le Moyne College were given a Dolphin welcome and an extra hand from upperclassmen, helping them settle in to their new residence halls.

Just like every other college student moving in today, it is scary but also amazing, said Wesley Driscoll, a first-year student from Chittenango.

The college will have many new faces with more than 600 first-year students living on campus this fall semester.

We have students from all over the country. We have some international students that have joined us too, said Colette Montgomery, director of first-year admission at Le Moyne College.

Some coming as far as the West Coast. But a majority of the freshmen are from New York State or bordering states. Others are staying a little closer to home, like Driscoll.

It feels really good because if I need something from home, they can just drop it off here or something. And if I feel homesick, I can just come home during the weekend, instead of other kids that live extremely far away, Driscoll said.

But for the Madison County native, hes just a car ride away.

We encouraged him to live on campus even though were close, we live close by, because we wanted him to get that experience, said Eric Driscoll, Wesleys father.

Being a Le Moyne graduate himself, its an experience Eric Driscoll never got, but one he wanted for his son after visiting campus.

They showed me around, and I just loved the place. So I had to come, Wesley Driscoll said.

Wesley is now following in his parents footsteps with both being Le Moyne graduates.

From what we understand, it was our input and stories that he heard growing up about when we came here that pushed him to want to be here, and that was one of those things where you think, Oh, I guess we talked about it a little bit,' said Eric Driscoll.

Keeping the family tradition alive.

Returning students will be moving back in on Sunday, August 25. Classes begin on Monday, August 26.

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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)  Some of the leading figures of economic development both locally and in Ohio shared Tuesday what it takes to get new companies and have existing ones expand.

Members of the new Lake to River Economic Development group and JobsOhio  of which Lake to River is a part  discussed their successes.

Ryan Squire with JobsOhio went through the economic development process by describing how Intel settled in Ohio  how it started with an email from a Lorain councilwoman and ended up at JobsOhio.

It took us three days from the first ask until when we responded to Intel and gave them a viable site and they said, Wow, lets learn more.'

Squire says since 2019, Ohio has put itself in a leadership position for economic growth.

He brought with him statistics showing that between 2019 and 2023, Ohio saw an 85 percent increase in capital expenditures, a 47 percent increase in the number of projects, new payroll was up 27 percent and there was a 14 percent increase in new jobs  but economic development takes time.

It can be a two, three, four year time. I mean, these are big business decisions right, Squire said.

Its not just new businesses theyre after but also expansions of current businesses.

Lake to River plans to meet with 200 companies this year to see if they can help.

So we can get intimate with that company to find out what their goals are in five years and 10 years, said Mike McGiffin with Lake to River.

What no one could talk about were prospective projects and expansions. Companies want confidentiality along with talent and shovel-ready sites.

So we know that businesses when theyre trying to make a big decision, big investment, whether theyre moving or growing, they want that privacy right? So we operate in a culture of confidentiality. Thats why JobsOhio is a private nonprofit, said Alexa Sweeney Blackann with Lake to River.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com.
LEANDER, Texas (KXAN)  A Leander bridal shop recently closed because of missing rent payments.

The closure happened at the same time the business, Lace & Grace Bridal Boutique, received multiple complaints from customers.

A lockout notice was posted on the shops doors and the letter said the owner owed past-due rent. KXAN reached out to the landlord for more details, but were told they couldnt disclose that information.

From fairytale to a nightmare

In just two months, Cindy Pellands daughter will walk down the aisle and get married. However, planning the wedding hasnt been easy.

Pelland said getting the dress started as a fairytale at Lace & Grace Bridal Boutique.

Cindy Pelland and her daughter said their experience at Lace & Grace Bridal Boutique started on a high note, but eventually took a turn. (Photo: Cindy Pelland)

Cindy Pelland and her daughter said their experience at Lace & Grace Bridal Boutique started on a high note, but eventually took a turn. (Photo: Cindy Pelland)

It was a great experience, Pelland said. We ended up leaving the store and placing the order.

But, she said it quickly turned into a nightmare.

How come they havent called? How come they havent emailed? How come we havent got a text? Pelland said.

Pelland said she dealt with poor communication, a delivery delay and ultimately receiving the wrong size.

Two sizes too small, Pelland said. And she told my daughter that she must have gained weight.

Pelland said since running into her own issues with the business, shes had at least ten other customers reach out with complaints as well.

Ultimately, Pelland said she was stuck with the dress but they ended up buying a new one from a different store.

However, her heart goes out to others who dont have that option.

Shes got her beautiful dress, and we will move on, Pelland said. But like I said, some of those other brides may not be so fortunate.

Better Business Bureau rating

The bridal shop received an F rating on the Better Business Bureaus website.

The BBB posted on the page that, In August 2024 BBB investigated Lace and Grace Bridal Boutiques business practices. This investigation was prompted by a pattern of complaints. Consumers allege they paid deposits for product with long periods elapsing with no contact from the business, multiple service delivery dates scheduled but no delivery and that dresses received were incorrect or they were never received at all. Lace and Grace Bridal Boutique currently has nine unanswered complaints.

The BBB said it has reason to believe the boutique is out of business and no longer operating, but it hasnt been able to confirm that.

According to the BBB, even if a store closes the business still owes customers their product or a full refund.

Katie Galan, Director of Education and Community Engagement with the BBB, recommended customers write up a contract with a business when buying a wedding dress.

There needs to be something that they can provide you saying, If we dont get your dress here by this time, at the time that were specifying what are they going to be able to do for you?  Galan said. Are they going to be able to give you a different dress are they going to be able to give you some sort of credit?

The business owners response

KXAN reached out to the owner of Lace & Grace for this story. We are still waiting to hear back.

When KXAN reached out to the store owner a few months ago about complaints with their business they sent a statement.

We have done our best in an unstable economy to offer great service and transparency to our brides about their gown purchases and the processes involved. Issues arise in any business because perfection is not possible, and we have bent over backwards to address and fix any issues that our brides have experienced. While we are not perfect by any means, we have hundreds of happy brides and we continue to strive for excellence. Kasey Shultz, Owner of Lace & Grace Bridal Boutique

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
A bus crash in Iran Tuesday night killed at least 28 Pakistani Shia pilgrims headed for the Arbaeen religious holiday in Karbala, Iraq. Photo by IRIB/EPA-EFE

Aug. 21 (UPI) -- At least 28 Pakistani Shia pilgrims died in Iran when their bus overturned and caught fire Tuesday night.

A total of 51 passengers were on the bus as Ali Malekzadeh, a local emergency official, said 11 women and 17 men were killed in the crash. Another 23 people were hurt, including 14 critically. .

Malekzadeh said the bus turned over as it swerved, leaving the road "due to lack of control by the driver of the vehicle, unfamiliarity with the road, high speed and technical problems."

Two buses of pilgrims were traveling through Iran headed for Iraq to participate in the Shia Arbaeen Rituals.

The pilgrimage marks the end of a 40-day mourning period for the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, Imam Hussein. Followers travel to Karbala to visit his tomb.

Roughly 25 million took part last year -- the largest annual pilgrimage in the world.

Syed Athar Shamsi led the convoy of two buses and told Geo TV the bus in front crashed.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, "We express our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the families of Pakistani pilgrims who lost their lives in a tragic road accident in the Yazd City in Iran."

The statement said Pakistan's ambassador in Tehran has been instructed to get specific details of what happened and to coordinate with local authorities "to provide medical relief to the injured and arrange repatriation of dead bodies to Pakistan, most of whom are residents of the Sindh province."
LEE COUNTY, Va. (WJHL)  The Lee County, Virginia Public Service Authority (PSA) said it has lifted a boil water advisory for the Fleenortown community nearly two weeks after first publishing the notice.

Victim of fatal Lebanon apartment fire identified

Please note that the Boil Water advisory for the Lee County PSAs Fleenortown customers has been rescinded and is no longer in effect, a release from the Lee County PSA said on Wednesday.

The advisory was first issued on Aug. 9 for Fleenortown and Jonesville, stating there was no appropriately licensed operator attending the Water Treatment Plant.

The Wednesday release did not include Jonesville in the lifted advisory.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.
LEE COUNTY, AL (WRBL)  For two decades, Lieutenant Pam Revels has been the unwavering protector of Lee Countys students and educators, serving as a School Resource Officer (SRO) with the Lee County Sheriffs Office. Her dedication, shaped by a philosophy rooted in prevention, intervention, and response, has positively impacted thousands of children throughout her career.

Thats whats specialyoure able to impact somebodys life in a very important way, possibly helping them go down a path they may not have taken, said Revels, reflecting on her role.

Her commitment to school safety has not only made her a beloved figure in Lee County but also catapulted her to a historic national role. Lt. Revels recently became the first female President of the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), a testament to her expertise and passion for the safety of students.

She has displayed the heart and compassion for children that you just dont see every day, said Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones. There may be others out there that are just as good, but let me offer this: there are none better.

Sheriff Jones remembers the day he interviewed Revels in the early 2000s, a time when national events had intensified the focus on school safety. Lee County was determined to do everything possible to protect its schools, and Revels was a perfect fit for the role.

We wanted to do what we could here in Lee County to ensure our schools were safe, but beyond that, to establish relationships with the students. We felt the SRO concept was perfect for that, and with Pam, it was just a natural fit, said Sheriff Jones.

Through the partnership between Lee County Schools and the Sheriffs Office, the SRO program has expanded to protect and serve 10,000 students, teachers, and staff across 14 schools on nine campuses. Lt. Revels credits the success of the program to strong leadership and a supportive community.

If you have good leadership, it allows you to use your passion, your heart, and your care. Then you can accomplish a lot of things, she said.

Lisa Harris, Principal of Beauregard Elementary, praised Revels for her dedication and expertise. She is the best in the country, and we are so blessed to have her in Lee County, especially here at Beauregard Elementary, because she brings so much information and knowledge to us, Harris said. She shows a lot of love and compassion and understanding, and she guides us, often through difficult situations.

Amid her professional responsibilities, Lt. Revelss commitment to her family remains steadfast. As she walks the halls of Beauregard Elementary, her son, Bryson Paul, runs up to her for a tight hug before heading off to lunch.

We live here; this is our community too, and we are concerned about our children and everybody elses children, said Sheriff Jones. We want nothing but the best for them, and certainly, protecting them is at the top of our list.

Founded in 1991, NASRO is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to ensuring school safety through training for school-based law enforcement officers. With over 5,000 members worldwide, NASRO is the global leader in school safety. Lt. Revelss ascension to the presidency reflects her deep commitment to protecting children and the trust she has earned within the SRO community.

This presidency, this honor, this privilegethis is for us, for our community, to say we care. Alabama cares, she declared.

As she steps into her new role, Lt. Revels remains devoted to the Lee County community, where her journey began. We have an admin chat so if any concerns are happening, we usually know prior to the day starting because we would rather be proactive than reactive, she noted.

Lt. Pam Revelss rise from Lee County SRO to NASRO President is a powerful testament to her unwavering dedication to the safety and well-being of children.

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LENOIR, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  A Lenoir man was arrested and charged after police seized over 600 grams of meth from his residence.

Multiple agencies including Caldwell County Sheriffs Offices ICE Unit, Alexander and Watauga County Sheriffs Offices, Taylorsville Police Department, Department of Homeland Security and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation assisted the Lenoir Police Department with an investigation into the sale and distribution of meth at a residence in Lenoir.

During the investigation, officials identified Adrian Devon Hill, 53, as a distributor of meth in the community.

Detectives received a search warrant for Hills residence after a lengthy investigation.

(City of Lenoir Police Department)

On August 19, investigators search the Hills apartment, seizing 697.1 grams of methamphetamine and $5,297 in cash. According to the North Carolina Drug Guidelines, the estimated street value of the items seized totaled $104,565.

Hill was arrested on the scene and charged with felony trafficking in methamphetamine by possession, felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver meth and felony maintaining a dwelling for the sale of a controlled substance. He was given a $200,000 secured bond.

His first court appearance in Caldwell County District Court is set for August 21, 2024.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Candidates running for Leon County Judge Seat 4 in the 2024 election include Cydnee Brown, Robert Churchill, and LaShawn Riggans.

Robert Churchill and LaShawn Riggans  the two top vote-getters in Tuesdays election for Leon County judge  are headed to a runoff in November.

Churchill came away with 43.5%, Riggans claimed almost 31% and Cydnee Brown was in third with nearly 26%, according to the Florida Division of Elections website.

In races with more than two candidates, one of the candidates has to get more than 50% of the vote to win outright. The top two vote-getters go on to face off in the Nov. 5 general election.

Brown, Churchill and Riggans were competing for an open seat now held by Judge Augustus Aikens Jr., who faces mandatory retirement under Florida law. (The judicial retirement age was changed by voters in 2018 to 75 from 70.)

Churchill, 48, is founder and managing partner of Tallahassees Churchill Law Group, specializing in consumer and small business protection.

Riggans, 56, is of counsel at the Nabors, Giblin & Nickerson law firm, also in Tallahassee, and has been Deputy County Attorney for Leon County. Of counsel refers to attorneys who work on a case-to-case basis at a firm and not as an associate or partner.

In Florida, county judges hear misdemeanors, small claims cases, traffic infractions and landlord-tenant disputes, among other matters.

How much does this position pay? $186,034 yearly.

What's next? The winner of the Nov. 5 election will take the bench on Jan. 7, beginning a six-year term.

Having trouble finding voting results?

We have you covered at the USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida:

 You can keep up with local election results on our site here.

 You can see complete statewide results here.

News Director Jim Rosica can be reached at jrosica@tallahassee.com. Follow him on X: @JimRosicaFL.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Leon County judge race: Churchill, Riggans headed to runoff
It was 150 years ago Tuesday that Harrison School District 2 opened its first school, and the community highlighted its past while looking toward its future.

Our ethos has been about providing opportunities for students and inviting the community in to partner, D-2 Superintendent Wendy Birhanzel said.

To mark the districts sesquicentennial, administrators welcomed students, alumni, faculty and other community spanning generations to its building with mementos and artifacts preserved over the years.

Jeff Anderson, senior adviser to U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, read a statement on his behalf acknowledging the district for the Congressional Record.

Education is one of the most important pillars of our society and, today, Harrison School District 2 stands out as an exemplary partner in providing a high-level of education to the El Paso County community, Lamborn wrote to the 118th Congress.

The school district began its organization Aug. 20, 1874, two years ahead of Colorado becoming a state and three after Colorado Springs became a town. Italian and English immigrant homesteaders along Fountain Creek decided to start a school for their numerous children with the Bates School.

Named after President Benjamin Harrison, Harrison School D-2 is the second-oldest organized school district in El Paso County.

As Colorado Springs developed over the years, so did the district, as it grew from a single school with 14 students to a 23-school district with over 13,000.

The districts history and development over the years were prominently displayed throughout the districts Board of Education meeting room, with archived newspapers, yearbooks, school T-shirts and other assorted memorabilia presented for onlookers.

D-2s official financial records and board minutes also were taken from its archives for attendees to observe.

Beverly Diehl graduated from Harrison High School in 1962 and would become a teacher for Colorado Springs School D-11 and later a librarian for the Pikes Peak Library District.

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Although she recognized fewer faces at the celebration Tuesday night, she has always remained close to her fellow classmates.

We got together and celebrated our 50-year reunion and our 60-year more recently, she said. Well celebrate our 70-year reunion, too, if were able.

Rachel Laufer, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, has spent 20 years with the district occupying various roles and said the unique sense of family and community in the district has kept her there for all these years.

I originally came from California and a more affluent district, where you kind of knew that those kids were going to be all right, she said. But here, everyone is so close, and you really feel that you make an impact with these students.

Speeches and photo ops with current and past board members were followed by current D-2 students opening a time capsule from 1999 on its 25th anniversary.

What was found inside is about what one might expect from late 90s school children: Pokemon cards, a Beanie Baby and a VHS tape.

The capsule also included a daily edition of The Gazette featuring a Denver Broncos story on the bottom of the front page.

So not much has changed, Birhanzel said.

The capsule will be succeeded by another one full of items to remain closed for 50 years until the districts 200th anniversary.

Despite the momentous occasion, Birhanzel pointed out that they opted to mark the day with a more intimate event along with follow-up events throughout the year.

Some have asked, Why not a big gala or a big communitywide carnival? I have an important answer to this question: We have to be excellent stewards of every taxpayer dollar, and we have to provide top-quality for our 13,000 students, she said.
Two Lexington firefighters recently rescued a cat from a vehicle, according to the Lexington Fire Department.

The incident happened Sunday evening. The fire department said an out-of-state traveler was driving to an animal rescue organization in Lexington when a cat escaped from its carrier and trapped itself under the dashboard of the car during a stop at a gas station.

No auto shops were open during the incident so the traveler went to fire station No. 8 in search of help, according to the fire department. The cat was in great distress from the engines heat so station No. 8 personnel sent the traveler to the fire department garage for assistance.

Fleet mechanic Seth Johnson and firefighter McKay Allen helped rescue the cat from the vehicle, according to the fire department. The cat is safe and the car is also completely reassembled.

These actions are a true testament to our community spirit and the dedication of our fire department personnel, the fire department said in a Facebook post. No call is too small when it comes to helping those in need  whether they walk on two legs or four!
CHICAGO  Julie Johnson, a state representative and candidate for a U.S. congressional seat in Texas, has been attending Democratic National Conventions since 2000. This year, shes also one of more than 800 LGBTQ+ delegates representing the Democratic Party, according to convention officials.

Johnson said it is important for voters to see representatives like her: LGBTQ+ officials in historically Republican states where it is more challenging for a Democrat to win an election, and where the gains need to be made if we are ever going to achieve our full equality.

To see the rapid increase of participation and elected people in the LGBTQ community is just so satisfying and wonderful, said Johnson, who is one of the founders of the Texas legislatures LGBTQ caucus.

But, Johnson said, the stakes have never been higher for an election.

Johnson gathered with other LGBTQ+ delegates, Democratic Party officials, celebrity guests and allies at a rooftop bar in downtown Chicago on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate the record-breaking numbers of LGBTQ+ representatives in public office and at this years Democratic National Convention.

The event boasted more than 300 attendees and was full of energy, excitement and stickers that read Dont get mad, get elected, but there was an acute sense of awareness among LGBTQ+ leaders of the high stakes of this years election for the LGBTQ+ community as they say they are facing increasing threats to their rights from Republicans.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay Cabinet official, headlined the event, along with actors Wilson Cruz and Zachary Quinto and comedian Dana Goldberg. Among the crowd were LGBTQ+ political bigwigs such as former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Govs. Tina Kotek of Oregon and Jared Polis of Colorado, and Danica Roem, the first transgender state senator in Virginia and the South.

Buttigieg shared his gratitude to those who came before whose activism and advocacy allowed him to achieve life goals. He spoke of his family and of the outstanding issues the LGBTQ+ community faces, such as preserving the right to marriage equality for same-sex couples and protecting Black trans women from violence. And he shared what Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic nominees for president and vice president, stand for.

We know what we are up against, but the most important thing is what we are for, Buttigieg said, nodding to this years election. Freedom.

Increased LGBTQ+ representation

Convention officials said that of the 81% of delegates who responded to a survey, 17% identified themselves as LGBTQ+. In 2020, only 11.5% of delegate respondents identified as LGBTQ+.

Sam Alleman, the national LGBTQ+ engagement director for the Harris-Walz campaign, posted Monday on X reporting that there are more than 50 transgender and nonbinary delegates, another record-breaking number.

LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to electing members of the LGBTQ+ community into public office, hosted Tuesdays event. Annise Parker, the groups president and CEO, said there has been a strong presence of LGBTQ+ delegates at DNCs for a few decades, but more recently, the willingness (of delegates) to self-identify has really been transformative.

Up-and-coming candidates from across the country are present and visible, said Parker, who was the first openly LGBTQ+ mayor of a major U.S. city when she was elected in Houston. They need to see us, we need to see them, and we need to have substantive conversations with them, reminding them about the fact that we are still not full citizens here in the United States and that we need their help.

Davante Lewis, a four-time LGBTQ+ delegate from Louisiana who serves as one of the states public service commissioners, said the increased representation shows an amazing commitment to the diversity of the Democratic Party.

Between June 2023 and May 2024, the number of LGBTQ+ elected officials increased by 10%, according to LGBTQ+ Victory Institute. Representation has jumped over 190% since the organization began reporting the data in 2017, but LGBTQ+ officials still only represent 0.25% of all elected positions in the U.S. The Victory Institute reports that more than 38,000 LGBTQ+ people would need to be elected to achieve equitable representation in government.

Veronica Pejril won a city council seat in Greencastle, Indiana, in 2019 and said she was the first openly transgender elected official in the state. Now, the Chicago native turned Hoosier is a DNC delegate and running for state Senate.

Being part of the rainbow family and representing queer folks in a way thats visible is so important, Pejril said. Especially (so) our young people can see  and know that they can achieve things in their lives too.

As of Aug. 21, there are 1,305 LGBTQ+ elected officials nationally, with 62 in Illinois, the third-largest cohort among the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories, according to the Victory Institute. The overwhelming majority of these officials identify as Democrats.

One of those Illinois officials is state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Democrat from Chicago and the only openly lesbian member of the Illinois General Assembly. While Cassidy is not a delegate this year, she attended the 1996 DNC in Chicago as one of only three openly LGBTQ+ Illinois delegates and around 400 total, she said.

Cassidy called the 1996 experience exhilarating and said it gave her the permanent bug for politics. This year, she chose to sit out as a delegate and feels reassured in her decision due to all the new and old LGBTQ+ representatives, she said.

Having spent my entire adult life organizing and growing the  electoral and political power of this community, it is a little breathtaking to look around, Cassidy said. My decision to not be a delegate this year is affirmed by how many people this is a first-time experience for and how exhilarated they are and seeing that same look in their face as I had on mine in 96.

2024 election stakes

The 1996 Democratic convention in Chicago came as the LGBTQ+ community continued to battle the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the Defense of Marriage Act, a law former President Bill Clinton had agreed to sign that would deny federal recognition of same-sex marriage and define marriage as between a man and a woman.

For this years convention, LGBTQ+ Democrats are riding the wave of increased national representation and support from President Joe Bidens administration and hoping for a Harris presidency, while they say they are also fighting to secure their rights in red states. Many of the delegates and party officials told the Tribune they are motivated, inspired and ready to vote this fall, seeing the Republican alternatives as threats to their lives and their communities.

Some of these threats are the anti-transgender bills winding their way through state legislatures, the rhetoric from conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court justices surrounding same-sex marriage and bodily autonomy and Project 2025, the plan authored by conservative leaders for the next Republican president, they said.

Parker, who spoke at Tuesdays event about the record-breaking year for representation and for attacks against the LGBTQ+ community, said she hopes Democratic party officials leave the convention this year with the same energy and excitement that they came with.

Then we have to go back out there and do the work to make sure that the right people get elected, Parker said.

Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega, a first-time delegate, said the increased representation of LGBTQ+ people like himself means the community is being seen and recognized. But that progress might be stymied if Harris loses the election in the fall, he said.

If (former President) Donald Trump is elected, were going to see a rise in anti-LGBTQ officials and bills that are anti-trans that are being pushed across the state, Vega said. The fall of Roe v. Ward wasnt just about reproductive choice. It was the beginning of rolling back all the rights, including same-sex marriage, that we have fought very hard for.

Ald. Timmy Knudsen, a first-time delegate who represents Chicagos 43rd Ward on the North Side, agreed with Vega.

We have two candidates that view our rights and freedoms quite differently, Knudsen said. This campaign is about getting Kamala Harris elected, but it truly (is about) securing our freedoms. And as a gay man, I am concerned with what a judiciary under another Trump presidency would turn into and how that would impact our rights.

Cassidy did not mince words when it came to discussing the stakes this November.

It is a life or death election for us, she said.

_____
A view Aug. 20 of Alto, N.M., which was hit hard by the South Fork Fire in mid-June (Photo by Danielle Prokop / Source NM)

Residents, businesses and local governments in the Ruidoso area continue to struggle with the financial toll of summer wildfires and floods, leaders and experts told lawmakers Tuesday.

The Legislative Finance Committee gathered at the Inn of the Mountain Gods on Mescalero Apache land to hear from local leaders and experts on the aftermath of two wildfires that ravaged the Lincoln National Forest in June.

According to Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford, over 900 homes were destroyed in the South Fork and Salt fires. In mid-July, state officials reported to FEMA that 856 homes were destroyed. Crawford said over 230 homes were subsequently destroyed by flooding.

This number represents both primary homes and secondary or vacation homes, but not outbuildings such as sheds on the same property. Officials estimate that about one-third of homes lost were primary residences.

We dont want to add a financial tragedy to that, too, Crawford said. Were already experiencing that in some fashion.

He noted that revenue for businesses in the area needs to be maintained, not only for the benefit of business owners, but for the village itself, which makes money from gross receipts taxes.

Revenues are off over 70%, in just an average. Some experience much greater, some less, Crawford said.

It was brought to lawmakers attention that the Inn of the Mountain Gods on the Mescalero Apache Reservation is the areas largest employer and major economic driver.

Another significant source of revenue in the area is Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Casino, which General Manager Rick Baugh told lawmakers has an annual payroll of $5.5 million and employs over 500 people in peak season.

The race track was largely saved from fire damage, but flooding caused extensive damage to the track, requiring racing to be shut down and relocated to the Downs at Albuquerque.

The gross receipts tax that the racetrack pays on an average for an annual basis is around $720,000. We pay around $1.6 million in gaming tax and another $1.3 million in purse monies to our owners and trainers, Baugh said. Our bridge has been out, which has stopped us from operating for about 25 days.

With the cooler months getting closer, officials worry Ski Apache, another revenue driver, will also take some hits. Rep. Harlan Vincent (R-Ruidoso Downs) said the New Mexico Department of Transportation will soon start working on restoring the road up to the ski resort, but the department has limited time before snow season begins around November.

President Thora Walsh Padilla of the Mescalero Apache Tribe said restoring the economies of the impacted communities is the main focus right now, but restoring the forests should be next.

We have an opportunity to build back with respect for the river and with the understanding that every canyon drainage here is an intermittent stream, Walsh Padilla said. As we live in this landscape, we must allow the river to have its space, and understand that flood plains are hydrologically important and ecologically productive areas.

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Voters in Alaskas at-large congressional district are heading to the polls Tuesday to vote in the states nonpartisan primary election.

Twelve candidates, including two Democrats and four Republicans, are running for the states at-large House seat. Other candidates are running as nonpartisans, or with the No Labels and Alaska Independence Party.

Incumbent Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) currently holds the seat. The top four vote-getters will advance to the November general election.

Follow the live results from Decision Desk HQ here.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Donald Trump and JD Vance rally supporters in NC. Heres what they said.

Former President Donald Trump painted a grim picture of the world and promised to restore America to maximum strength and return the world to peace if he is elected, during a rally at at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame in Asheboro.

He claimed that if Vice President Kamala Harris were elected president, World War III is virtually guaranteed to happen.

He spoke broadly about various world conflicts, including the wars between Israel and Hamas war and between Russia and Ukraine, blaming Democrats for these conflicts, but did not delve deeply into policy. He spoke on the need to strengthen the military. He also spent much of his speech criticizing various Democratic politicians.

Keying in on one of his key campaign messages, Trump spoke on the increase in illegal immigration under the Biden-Harris administration. He also claimed without foundation that Democrats would cheat to win the election.

If we dont win this election, were in such trouble as a country, he said. Were in trouble right now, but you have the right guy to straighten it out. Ill get it straightened out, he said.

Were going to have peace through strength all over the world, he said. Were going to make America great.

Vice presidential candidate JD Vance and Republican surrogates who took the stage before Trump honed in on national security, speaking on what they described as a botched withdrawal from Afghanistan under the Biden-Harris administration, wars across the world and the surge in illegal immigration.

Several North Carolina politicians attended, including U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson and House Speaker Tim Moore. Also at the rally was Michael Whatley, chair of the Republican National Committee.

It was the first time that Vance has spoken in North Carolina since becoming Trumps running mate. It also marks Trumps fourth visit to the state this year.

Donald Trump reacts to the crowd at a campaign stop in Asheboro, N.C., Wednesday, August 21, 2024.

Harris, who will formally accept the Democrats nomination Thursday night, has visited the state eight times this year. Her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was selected in early August and will speak Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention, has yet to visit. He had been scheduled to visit alongside Harris earlier this month, but both had to cancel due to Tropical Storm Debby. Vance, who planned to visit at the same time, also had to cancel.

North Carolina is a battleground state where Republican presidential candidates have largely won, but often by slim margins. Following President Joe Bidens decision to end his campaign and Harris taking over as the Democratic nominee, Trump has lost some ground in battleground states, including in North Carolina, according to recent polls.

Former President Donald Trump visits Asheboro. Here are photos from his stop in NC.

Trumps speech

Updated 3:06 p.m.: Trump took the stage a bit after 2 p.m. to the song God Bless the USA and loud cheers.

Seventy-six days from now were going to win this state and were going to win the White House, that beautiful, beautiful building, said Trump.

Before launching into his speech he brought members from law enforcement, and Robinson, on to the stage to recognize their work. He also shouted out various North Carolina politicians including Budd, Robinson and Moore.

Trump spoke about new data released Wednesday on U.S. job growth which showed fewer jobs in March of this year than were initially reported. He also claimed that five people had been killed in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention. Its unclear who Trump is referring to, but Fox News reported five people were killed the weekend before the DNC.

Jumping into foreign affairs, Trump said his attitude kept us out of wars. I stopped wars with phone calls. He also said the world was close to a third world war considering conflicts around the globe.

Vice presdential nominee JD Vance greets Donald Trump as Trump takes the stage at a campaign rally in Asheboro, N.C., Wednesday, August. 21, 2024.

He also spoke on the Afghanistan retreat under the Biden-Harris administration, the Russia-Ukraine war, which he said would not have occurred with him as president, and launched attacks on former President Barack Obama, calling him by his full name, Barack Hussein Obama.

He referred to Obama and his wife Michelle taking shots at him during the DNC.

They always say, sure, please stick to policy. Dont get personal; And yet theyre getting personal all night long, he said. He also launched attacks on the media and Democrats, including Harris  dubbing her comrade  and Biden.

He said he would re-hire with back pay and an apology everyone fired from the military for not getting a COVID-19 vaccine. The military vaccine mandate is no longer in place.

Trump also said they want to put you in jail for nothing, appearing to reference the various legal cases filed against him. Most recently, Trump was convicted of 34 felonies for falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments. A case against Trump for mishandling classified military documents was dismissed last month by a Trump-appointed federal judge.

Medic called

Updated 2:52 p.m.: As the day wore on, a few people left intermittently during Trumps speech or were brought water bottles as the sun bore down on the crowd. Many people had to stand the entire time, with the chairs closest to Trump occupied. People used signs to fan themselves or hold over their heads to offer shade on a hot day.

Right after 2:50 p.m., supporters shouted that a medic was needed. The speech was halted as EMS helped a person in the crowd who had fainted. Later, an elderly woman was also wheeled into a hangar by EMS.

As Trumps speech continued, a steady stream of people left.

House Speaker Tim Moore at rally

Updated 2:30 p.m.: Moore told The News & Observer that he and others took photos with Trump and Vance in the adjacent hangar.

Moore said after meeting Vance that he is a nice guy.

Immigration focus

Updated 2 p.m.: U.S. Sen. Ted Budd and state lawmakers watched Vances speech. Staff handed out signs that said Peace Through Strength and 47. Trump would be the 47th president in addition to the 45th; Agenda47 is Trumps campaigns platform.

Jenna Young, a business development representative at a car dealership in Asheboro, entered the rally area as Vance was speaking, but enjoyed his message on focusing on U.S. borders as opposed to supporting other countries security.

Our borders, they need to be stricter to keep us safe, she said. Young said while she hasnt been personally affected by migrants who entered the U.S. unlawfully, shes read articles about how theyve hurt people in other communities. Violent crime rates are declining nationwide.

JD Vance takes the stage

Updated 1:25 p.m.: Vance took the stage just before 1 p.m. to loud chants from the crowd.

Today is the third day of the Democratic national coronation. Excuse me, the Ohio senator said, I meant convention.

Conventions normally are about nominating people who actually win elections, and Kamala Harris hasnt won a single vote for the Democratic Party, he said, referencing Harris rise as the Democratic nominee after Biden dropped out.

He said that Harriss agenda is not that of the American people but instead of donors. He also claimed that Harris wanted to give people in the country illegally the right to vote, which is illegal in federal elections and which Harris has not attempted to change. North Carolina law requires residents to be citizens to register to vote.

He also spoke on the need to reignite the economy, curb the opioid epidemic and bring peace to the world and safety to the country.

Vance also said that Harris as border czar has allowed millions of illegal aliens into the country. The GOP has honed in on Harriss role in 2021 as the point person in charge of examining the causes of increasing immigration, in particular from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

Speaking on fentanyl, Vance said, I remember being a kid whose mom struggled with addiction and that, because of Kamala Harriss border policies, way too many of our loved ones are not waking up. He said that fentanyl is available on every street corner but buying a house is unaffordable.

Vance criticized how the Biden administration handled the departure of troops from Afghanistan.

And he accused Walz of lying about his military service. Walz has faced scrutiny over his characterization of his military record.

Vance said Trump would not let China steal our factories or jobs.

Democrats predicted Trump was going to start a nuclear war, Vance said, but President Trump knew more about diplomacy than any president of the last 40 years.

Donald Trump is the person who prevented nuclear war, and if were not careful, Kamala Harris is going to walk us right into nuclear war. Weve got to kick her out, he said.

Trumps plane lands

Updated 2:05 p.m.: Spectators looked up as Trumps plane arrived just before noon.

Good afternoon from Asheboro, North Carolina. I'm at the airport covering today's Trump and Vance rally. #ncpol pic.twitter.com/nLCyxLV1Y6  Dawn B. Vaughan (@dawnbvaughan) August 21, 2024

House Speaker Tim Moore arrived around 12:30 p.m. and walked past the crowd into a hangar. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is also attending.

Security was tight as people attending went through metal detectors and had bags checked. At least 100 people were still waiting in line as of 12:50 p.m.

Donald Trumps plane does a flyover of the site of his rally later today in Asheboro, North Carolina.

Hudson on Afghanistan

Updated 12:30 p.m.: Rep. Richard Hudson, who is running for reelection in the 9th Congressional District that encompasses military base Fort Liberty, formerly Fort Bragg, said Harris said she was the last person in the room with Joe Biden when they both decided together to pull out of Afghanistan.

It was the most humiliating defeat since the fall of Saigon, in Vietnam, Hudson said, adding that 13 soldiers died in the retreat from Afghanistan. Harris should be ashamed, he said.

He spoke about the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, blaming the Biden-Harris administration.

Referencing Trumps assassination attempt and his rallying cry to fight, fight, fight, Hudson said: President Trump is ready to fight for you. Are you ready to fight for President Trump?

After Hudson, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg took the stage and spoke on various current global conflicts.

Law enforcement marksmen set up on top of a building at the campaign rally for Donald Trump in Asheboro, N.C., Wednesday, August 21, 2024.

Program starting up at Trump rally, supporters viewpoints

Updated 1:30 p.m.: The program started just before noon with a color guard, or a detachment of soldiers, and a prayer.

Several seats were empty while hundreds of people waited outside in line. The rally is entirely outside, between airplane hangars. A large U.S. flag was suspended vertically by two cranes near the runway.

Randolph County Sheriff Greg Seabolt took the stage, which was encased with bulletproof glass, likely due to the attempted assassination attempt on Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania.

Kyle Suggs, a political analyst who was standing in line still waiting to enter, said the people at the rally reflect the ethnic diversity of America.

He said Trump shifted the Republican Party to appeal more to people of color.

Its such a breadth of America, he said while standing hundreds of feet from the rally security checkpoint.

He said he supports Trumps plans to restrict illegal immigration at the southern border.

It takes this country away from the value system we were founded on, he said. That wouldve been a Judeo-Christian, Puritan system.

Suggs said he supports some legal immigration, but people who come from other countries have to assimilate, he said. America isnt a pluralist or multicultural nation, said Suggs, who said he was descended from enslaved people from Africa.

Ashley Stone, a photographer and small business owner, is coming to a Trump rally for the first time.

Crowds line up to hear remarks by Republican candidate for president Donald Trump in Asheboro, N.C., Wednesday, August 21, 2024.

She brought her son, she said, so he could learn more about government. Stone said under the Biden administration, she and her community, Archdale, have faced heightened financial struggles, even though the current president has touted job growth and economic recovery. We have not seen it, Stone said. I dont know where hes getting his figures from.

In her community, local firms have seen less business in the past year, Stone said. She also said she really likes JD Vance as Trumps running mate.

He is so well spoken, even in interviews where theyve tried to set him up, Stone said. His words are just so well thought out.

Jinsoo Kato, originally from Japan, is traveling with a group to Trump rallies around the U.S. to support the former president.

Their message: Trump is a step toward world peace. He said Bidens administration has seen more wars around the world than Trumps.

Wars are never coincidental, Kato said. Theyre always set up.

Democrats strike back

Updated 12 p.m.: Randolph County Democrats gathered in downtown Asheboro ahead of Trumps event, criticizing Trump over the Project 2025 policy agenda and promoting Harris economic plan.

Asheboro City Councilman Bill McCaskill acknowledged Trump would likely win Randolph County, which is heavily red. But he expressed optimism that Harris could pick up some votes in the county  not only from Democrats but also independents and moderate Republicans who dont like Trump.

Any votes we can get in Randolph County away from Republicans will help in the long run, McCaskill said.

Project 2025 is a political initiative created by conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation. Democrats have said Trump and the GOP are behind the plan, and many of Trumps former staff reportedly helped create it, but Trump has denied involvement.

Harris unveiled a broad economic policy platform Friday in Raleigh which includes implementing a new ban on corporate price gouging, increasing the supply of new homes and rentals and $25,000 in down-payment assistance for first-time homebuyers. Details on how these policies would work and be enacted remain unclear.

In Asheville last week, Trump campaigned on his economic vision, saying if he were elected hed focus on curbing inflation and tackling supply chain issues. He also pledged to cut energy costs, including via increased oil drilling and the rollback of energy initiatives put in place by the Biden-Harris administration.

During a GOP event last week timed to coincide with Harriss visit, Whatley, was asked by The News & Observer about what the GOPs housing proposals were. Whatley said the GOP wants to get inflation under control to get more money in every American familys pockets.

A lot of the problems in terms of new construction are the inflationary costs for labor and for the housing construction costs of wood, aluminum, cement, all of those things. So we bring that down (and) that will have (a) direct impact, he said.

Trump fan on energy, candidates

Updated 12 p.m.: Caleb Ogden, a landscaping business owner from the town of Boiling Springs, is waiting to enter his second Trump rally. He went to one in the 2020 election cycle.

You can really feel the energy in person more than you do watching on TV, he said.

Ogden said he supports Trumps plans to keep jobs in the U.S. and to curb immigration at the southern border. Winning this election  and the support of independent voters  wont happen with personal attacks against Harris, he added.

While Ogden said he plans to vote for Mark Robinson and Hal Weatherman, he said they may be less moderate than candidates North Carolinians usually vote for. Both Republicans, Robinson is running for governor, while Weatherman is running for lieutenant governor.

The states presidential results are also hard to predict, he said.

Either way, its going to be close, Ogburn said.

Pre-rally atmosphere in Asheboro

Updated 11:05 a.m: Hundreds of vehicles, from Mercedes SUVs to sedans to pickup trucks with American flag decals, were backed up near the airport entrance off a residential street at 10:30 a.m.. The aviation museum is located within the Asheboro Regional Airport.

Some houses had Trump-Vance yard signs on display. Small groups in Trump T-shirts and hats walked up the road to the rally.

A solitary protester stood at an intersection holding a handmade sign that read: No voucher. Free choice. Support Ukraine on one side, and Dump Trump on the other side. Across the street, a vendor was selling Trump flags.

A contingent of attendees, some wearing shirts that say strong ROK US alliance and one holding a South Korean flag, marched around the winding line singing God Bless the USA and chanting fight, fight, fight. The U.S. and the Republic of Korea (ROK) signed a security alliance in 1953.

A retired reporter, Aleta Welch of Asheboro, said this is her first Trump rally. She said she watches him faithfully on television and came to support Trump during his small town visit.

Welch said she supports Trumps policies of cutting taxes and building a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Welch, who said she is currently on Social Security, says she is looking forward to Trump cutting taxes on Social Security benefits. Trump has pledged to cut taxes on these senior benefits and has proposed cutting taxes on tips.

Trump, Vance expected to speak about national security

The increase in illegal immigration under the Biden administration has been one of Trumps main arguments for his presidential campaign, and he promises a historic deportation effort if hes elected again.

A day before Trumps rally at state Republican Party headquarters in Raleigh, NC GOP Chair Jason Simmons said that over the last three and a half years, Biden and Harris had embroiled the world and the country in chaos with wars between Ukraine and Russia and in the Middle East. Meanwhile, China is watching the whole time, he said.

We are scared, and we do not like what were seeing from the Democrats these last three and a half years. They offer no solutions. They offer no vision. And were offering from the Republican Party and the candidates that were putting forward those solutions, he said.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023, over 39,000 Palestinians and over 1,200 Israelis have been reported killed. The United States has been the leading provider of funding and military support for Israel, with the Biden-Harris administration approving more than $20 billion in arms sales to Israel last week. A cease-fire between Israel and Hamas has remained elusive.

The war has also caused tension to escalate across the Middle East, with concerns that Iran may retaliate against Israel in ways that threaten direct conflict with the United States.

U.S. involvement in the war in the Gaza Strip has led to protests, often by progressive, young voters, who criticize the handling of the war by Biden and Harris, who officially became the Democratic presidential nominee in early August. This has included outside the Democratic National Convention, which began Monday, and in Raleigh on Friday outside an event where Harris unveiled a broad economic policy agenda.

Harris has expressed concerns about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Her adviser has said Harris does not support an arms embargo on Israel.

So far, the Israel-Hamas war has not been as central of a topic in Trumps campaign.

But Trump has largely blamed foreign conflicts on Democrats and said last week in Asheville that he could prevent another world war because leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin respect him.

What did Putin take under Trump? Nothing, he said, the Charlotte Observer reported.

Its been over two years since Russia invaded Ukraine, igniting a war for control of territory that has led to hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths, along with displacement. As of early May, Congress has approved about $175 billion for Ukraine since 2022.

During the presidential debate between Biden and Trump in late June, Trump claimed that it was the embarrassing U.S. departure from Afghanistan that pushed Putin to initiate the conflict.

He said that he was getting out of Afghanistan, but we were getting out with dignity, with strength, with power. He got out, it was the most embarrassing day in the history of our countrys life.

Trump put the United States on a course to leave Afghanistan, signing an agreement with the Taliban to withdraw by May 1, 2021, if commitments were met.

Citing the need for more time to leave in an orderly way, the Biden administration delayed that timeline, opting to withdraw instead by September. Ultimately, the U.S. withdrew instead by late August after the Taliban took the Afghan capital, Kabul. During the withdrawal, 13 American service members and over 100 Afghan civilians died in a bomb attack. U.S. weapons were also left in the departure.

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Donald Trump and JD Vance rally supporters in NC. Heres what they said.

Former President Donald Trump painted a grim picture of the world Wednesday during a rally at the Asheboro airport and promised to restore America to maximum strength and return the world to peace if he is elected.

He claimed that if Vice President Kamala Harris were elected president, World War III is virtually guaranteed to happen.

He spoke broadly about various world conflicts, including the wars between Israel and Hamas and between Russia and Ukraine, blaming Democrats for these conflicts, but did not delve deeply into policy. He spoke on the need to strengthen the military. He also spent much of his speech criticizing various Democratic politicians.

Keying in on one of his main campaign messages, Trump spoke on the increase in illegal immigration under the Biden-Harris administration. He also claimed without foundation that Democrats would cheat to win the election.

If we dont win this election, were in such trouble as a country, he said. Were in trouble right now, but you have the right guy to straighten it out. Ill get it straightened out, he said.

Republican candidate for president Donald Trump acknowledges the crowd after speaking in Asheboro, N.C., Wednesday, August 21, 2024.

Were going to have peace through strength all over the world, he said. Were going to make America great.

Vice presidential candidate JD Vance and Republican surrogates who took the stage before Trump honed in on national security, speaking on what they described as a botched withdrawal from Afghanistan under the Biden-Harris administration, wars across the world and the surge in illegal immigration.

Several North Carolina politicians attended, including U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and House Speaker Tim Moore. Michael Whatley, chair of the Republican National Committee, also attended.

It was the first time that Vance has spoken in North Carolina since becoming Trumps running mate. It also marks Trumps fourth visit to the state this year.

Donald Trump reacts to the crowd at a campaign stop in Asheboro, N.C., Wednesday, August 21, 2024.

Harris, who will formally accept the Democrats nomination Thursday night, has visited the state eight times this year. Her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was selected in early August and spoke Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention, has yet to visit. He had been scheduled to visit alongside Harris earlier this month, but both had to cancel due to Tropical Storm Debby. Vance, who planned to visit at the same time, also had to cancel.

In what the Associated Press reported was Trumps first outdoor rally since the attempt on his life last month, the former president spoke between two airplane hangars, with security atop both buildings and bulletproof glass protecting him.

North Carolina is a battleground state where Republican presidential candidates have largely won, but often by slim margins. Following President Joe Bidens decision to end his campaign and Harris taking over as the Democratic nominee, Trump has lost some ground in battleground states, including in North Carolina, according to recent polls.

Former President Donald Trump visits Asheboro. Here are photos from his stop in NC.

Trumps speech

Updated 3:06 p.m.: Trump took the stage a bit after 2 p.m. to the song God Bless the USA and loud cheers.

Seventy-six days from now were going to win this state and were going to win the White House, that beautiful, beautiful building, said Trump.

Before launching into his speech he brought members from law enforcement, and Robinson, on to the stage to recognize their work. He also shouted out various North Carolina politicians including Budd, Robinson and Moore.

Trump spoke about new data released Wednesday on U.S. job growth which showed fewer jobs in March of this year than were initially reported. He also claimed that five people had been killed in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention. Its unclear who Trump is referring to, but Fox News reported five people were killed the weekend before the DNC.

Jumping into foreign affairs, Trump said his attitude kept us out of wars. I stopped wars with phone calls. He also said the world was close to a third world war considering conflicts around the globe.

Vice presdential nominee JD Vance greets Donald Trump as Trump takes the stage at a campaign rally in Asheboro, N.C., Wednesday, August. 21, 2024.

He also spoke on the Afghanistan retreat under the Biden-Harris administration, the Russia-Ukraine war, which he said would not have occurred with him as president, and launched attacks on former President Barack Obama, calling him by his full name, Barack Hussein Obama.

He referred to Obama and his wife Michelle taking shots at him during the DNC.

They always say, sure, please stick to policy. Dont get personal; And yet theyre getting personal all night long, he said. He also launched attacks on the media and Democrats, including Harris  dubbing her comrade  and Biden.

He said he would re-hire with back pay and an apology everyone fired from the military for not getting a COVID-19 vaccine. The military vaccine mandate is no longer in place.

Trump also said they want to put you in jail for nothing, appearing to reference the various legal cases filed against him. Most recently, Trump was convicted of 34 felonies for falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments. A case against Trump for mishandling classified military documents was dismissed last month by a Trump-appointed federal judge.

A Supporter cheers during an outdoor rally for former President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame in Asheboro, NC on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024.

Medic called

Updated 2:52 p.m.: As the day wore on, a few people left intermittently during Trumps speech or were brought water bottles as the sun bore down on the crowd. Many people had to stand the entire time, with the chairs closest to Trump occupied. People used signs to fan themselves or hold over their heads to offer shade on a hot day.

Right after 2:50 p.m., supporters shouted that a medic was needed. The speech was halted as EMS helped a person in the crowd who had fainted. Later, an elderly woman was also wheeled into a hangar by EMS.

As Trumps speech continued, a steady stream of people left.

House Speaker Tim Moore at rally

Updated 2:30 p.m.: Moore told The News & Observer that he and others took photos with Trump and Vance in the adjacent hangar.

Moore said after meeting Vance that he is a nice guy.

Immigration focus

Updated 2 p.m.: U.S. Sen. Ted Budd and state lawmakers watched Vances speech. Staff handed out signs that said Peace Through Strength and 47. Trump would be the 47th president in addition to the 45th; Agenda47 is Trumps campaigns platform.

Jenna Young, a business development representative at a car dealership in Asheboro, entered the rally area as Vance was speaking, but enjoyed his message on focusing on U.S. borders as opposed to supporting other countries security.

Our borders, they need to be stricter to keep us safe, she said. Young said while she hasnt been personally affected by migrants who entered the U.S. unlawfully, shes read articles about how theyve hurt people in other communities. Violent crime rates are declining nationwide.

While in NC, Vance claims Harris wants people in US illegally to vote. Here are the facts

JD Vance takes the stage

Updated 1:25 p.m.: Vance took the stage just before 1 p.m. to loud chants from the crowd.

Today is the third day of the Democratic national coronation. Excuse me, the Ohio senator said, I meant convention.

Conventions normally are about nominating people who actually win elections, and Kamala Harris hasnt won a single vote for the Democratic Party, he said, referencing Harris rise as the Democratic nominee after Biden dropped out.

He said that Harriss agenda is not that of the American people but instead of donors. He also claimed that Harris wanted to give people in the country illegally the right to vote, which is illegal in federal elections and which Harris has not attempted to change. North Carolina law requires residents to be citizens to register to vote.

He also spoke on the need to reignite the economy, curb the opioid epidemic and bring peace to the world and safety to the country.

Vance also said that Harris as border czar has allowed millions of illegal aliens into the country. The GOP has honed in on Harriss role in 2021 as the point person in charge of examining the causes of increasing immigration, in particular from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

Speaking on fentanyl, Vance said, I remember being a kid whose mom struggled with addiction and that, because of Kamala Harriss border policies, way too many of our loved ones are not waking up. He said that fentanyl is available on every street corner but buying a house is unaffordable.

Vance criticized how the Biden administration handled the departure of troops from Afghanistan.

And he accused Walz of lying about his military service. Walz has faced scrutiny over his characterization of his military record.

Vance said Trump would not let China steal our factories or jobs.

Democrats predicted Trump was going to start a nuclear war, Vance said, but President Trump knew more about diplomacy than any president of the last 40 years.

Donald Trump is the person who prevented nuclear war, and if were not careful, Kamala Harris is going to walk us right into nuclear war. Weve got to kick her out, he said.

Trumps plane lands

Updated 2:05 p.m.: Spectators looked up as Trumps plane arrived just before noon.

Good afternoon from Asheboro, North Carolina. I'm at the airport covering today's Trump and Vance rally. #ncpol pic.twitter.com/nLCyxLV1Y6  Dawn B. Vaughan (@dawnbvaughan) August 21, 2024

House Speaker Tim Moore arrived around 12:30 p.m. and walked past the crowd into a hangar. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is also attending.

Security was tight as people attending went through metal detectors and had bags checked. At least 100 people were still waiting in line as of 12:50 p.m.

Donald Trumps plane does a flyover of the site of his rally later today in Asheboro, North Carolina.

Hudson on Afghanistan

Updated 12:30 p.m.: Rep. Richard Hudson, who is running for reelection in the 9th Congressional District that encompasses military base Fort Liberty, formerly Fort Bragg, said Harris said she was the last person in the room with Joe Biden when they both decided together to pull out of Afghanistan.

It was the most humiliating defeat since the fall of Saigon, in Vietnam, Hudson said, adding that 13 soldiers died in the retreat from Afghanistan. Harris should be ashamed, he said.

He spoke about the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, blaming the Biden-Harris administration.

Referencing Trumps assassination attempt and his rallying cry to fight, fight, fight, Hudson said: President Trump is ready to fight for you. Are you ready to fight for President Trump?

After Hudson, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg took the stage and spoke on various current global conflicts.

Law enforcement marksmen set up on top of a building at the campaign rally for Donald Trump in Asheboro, N.C., Wednesday, August 21, 2024.

Program starting up at Trump rally, supporters viewpoints

Updated 1:30 p.m.: The program started just before noon with a color guard, or a detachment of soldiers, and a prayer.

Several seats were empty while hundreds of people waited outside in line. The rally is entirely outside, between airplane hangars. A large U.S. flag was suspended vertically by two cranes near the runway.

Randolph County Sheriff Greg Seabolt took the stage, which was encased with bulletproof glass, likely due to the attempted assassination attempt on Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania.

Kyle Suggs, a political analyst who was standing in line still waiting to enter, said the people at the rally reflect the ethnic diversity of America.

He said Trump shifted the Republican Party to appeal more to people of color.

Its such a breadth of America, he said while standing hundreds of feet from the rally security checkpoint.

He said he supports Trumps plans to restrict illegal immigration at the southern border.

It takes this country away from the value system we were founded on, he said. That wouldve been a Judeo-Christian, Puritan system.

Suggs said he supports some legal immigration, but people who come from other countries have to assimilate, he said. America isnt a pluralist or multicultural nation, said Suggs, who said he was descended from enslaved people from Africa.

Ashley Stone, a photographer and small business owner, is coming to a Trump rally for the first time.

She brought her son, she said, so he could learn more about government. Stone said under the Biden administration, she and her community, Archdale, have faced heightened financial struggles, even though the current president has touted job growth and economic recovery. We have not seen it, Stone said. I dont know where hes getting his figures from.

In her community, local firms have seen less business in the past year, Stone said. She also said she really likes JD Vance as Trumps running mate.

He is so well spoken, even in interviews where theyve tried to set him up, Stone said. His words are just so well thought out.

Jinsoo Kato, originally from Japan, is traveling with a group to Trump rallies around the U.S. to support the former president.

Their message: Trump is a step toward world peace. He said Bidens administration has seen more wars around the world than Trumps.

Wars are never coincidental, Kato said. Theyre always set up.

Democrats strike back

Updated 12 p.m.: Randolph County Democrats gathered in downtown Asheboro ahead of Trumps event, criticizing Trump over the Project 2025 policy agenda and promoting Harris economic plan.

Asheboro City Councilman Bill McCaskill acknowledged Trump would likely win Randolph County, which is heavily red. But he expressed optimism that Harris could pick up some votes in the county  not only from Democrats but also independents and moderate Republicans who dont like Trump.

Any votes we can get in Randolph County away from Republicans will help in the long run, McCaskill said.

Project 2025 is a political initiative created by conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation. Democrats have said Trump and the GOP are behind the plan, and many of Trumps former staff reportedly helped create it, but Trump has denied involvement.

Harris unveiled a broad economic policy platform Friday in Raleigh which includes implementing a new ban on corporate price gouging, increasing the supply of new homes and rentals and $25,000 in down-payment assistance for first-time homebuyers. Details on how these policies would work and be enacted remain unclear.

In Asheville last week, Trump campaigned on his economic vision, saying if he were elected hed focus on curbing inflation and tackling supply chain issues. He also pledged to cut energy costs, including via increased oil drilling and the rollback of energy initiatives put in place by the Biden-Harris administration.

During a GOP event last week timed to coincide with Harriss visit, Whatley was asked by The News & Observer about what the GOPs housing proposals were. Whatley said the GOP wants to get inflation under control to get more money in every American familys pockets.

A lot of the problems in terms of new construction are the inflationary costs for labor and for the housing construction costs of wood, aluminum, cement, all of those things. So we bring that down (and) that will have (a) direct impact, he said.

Trump fan on energy, candidates

Updated 12 p.m.: Caleb Ogden, a landscaping business owner from the town of Boiling Springs, is waiting to enter his second Trump rally. He went to one in the 2020 election cycle.

You can really feel the energy in person more than you do watching on TV, he said.

Ogden said he supports Trumps plans to keep jobs in the U.S. and to curb immigration at the southern border. Winning this election  and the support of independent voters  wont happen with personal attacks against Harris, he added.

While Ogden said he plans to vote for Mark Robinson and Hal Weatherman, he said they may be less moderate than candidates North Carolinians usually vote for. Both Republicans, Robinson is running for governor, while Weatherman is running for lieutenant governor.

The states presidential results are also hard to predict, he said.

Either way, its going to be close, Ogburn said.

Pre-rally atmosphere in Asheboro

Updated 11:05 a.m: Hundreds of vehicles, from Mercedes SUVs to sedans to pickup trucks with American flag decals, were backed up near the airport entrance off a residential street at 10:30 a.m.. The aviation museum is located within the Asheboro Regional Airport.

Some houses had Trump-Vance yard signs on display. Small groups in Trump T-shirts and hats walked up the road to the rally.

A solitary protester stood at an intersection holding a handmade sign that read: No voucher. Free choice. Support Ukraine on one side, and Dump Trump on the other side. Across the street, a vendor was selling Trump flags.

A contingent of attendees, some wearing shirts that say strong ROK US alliance and one holding a South Korean flag, marched around the winding line singing God Bless the USA and chanting fight, fight, fight. The U.S. and the Republic of Korea (ROK) signed a security alliance in 1953.

A retired reporter, Aleta Welch of Asheboro, said this is her first Trump rally. She said she watches him faithfully on television and came to support Trump during his small town visit.

Welch said she supports Trumps policies of cutting taxes and building a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Welch, who said she is currently on Social Security, says she is looking forward to Trump cutting taxes on Social Security benefits. Trump has pledged to cut taxes on these senior benefits and has proposed cutting taxes on tips.

Trump, Vance expected to speak about national security

The increase in illegal immigration under the Biden administration has been one of Trumps main arguments for his presidential campaign, and he promises a historic deportation effort if hes elected again.

A day before Trumps rally at state Republican Party headquarters in Raleigh, NC GOP Chair Jason Simmons said that over the last three and a half years, Biden and Harris had embroiled the world and the country in chaos with wars between Ukraine and Russia and in the Middle East. Meanwhile, China is watching the whole time, he said.

We are scared, and we do not like what were seeing from the Democrats these last three and a half years. They offer no solutions. They offer no vision. And were offering from the Republican Party and the candidates that were putting forward those solutions, he said.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023, over 39,000 Palestinians and over 1,200 Israelis have been reported killed. The United States has been the leading provider of funding and military support for Israel, with the Biden-Harris administration approving more than $20 billion in arms sales to Israel last week. A cease-fire between Israel and Hamas has remained elusive.

The war has also caused tension to escalate across the Middle East, with concerns that Iran may retaliate against Israel in ways that threaten direct conflict with the United States.

U.S. involvement in the war in the Gaza Strip has led to protests, often by progressive, young voters, who criticize the handling of the war by Biden and Harris, who officially became the Democratic presidential nominee in early August. This has included outside the Democratic National Convention, which began Monday, and in Raleigh on Friday outside an event where Harris unveiled a broad economic policy agenda.

Harris has expressed concerns about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Her adviser has said Harris does not support an arms embargo on Israel.

So far, the Israel-Hamas war has not been as central of a topic in Trumps campaign.

But Trump has largely blamed foreign conflicts on Democrats and said last week in Asheville that he could prevent another world war because leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin respect him.

What did Putin take under Trump? Nothing, he said, the Charlotte Observer reported.

Its been over two years since Russia invaded Ukraine, igniting a war for control of territory that has led to hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths, along with displacement. As of early May, Congress has approved about $175 billion for Ukraine since 2022.

During the presidential debate between Biden and Trump in late June, Trump claimed that it was the embarrassing U.S. departure from Afghanistan that pushed Putin to initiate the conflict.

He said that he was getting out of Afghanistan, but we were getting out with dignity, with strength, with power. He got out, it was the most embarrassing day in the history of our countrys life.

Trump put the United States on a course to leave Afghanistan, signing an agreement with the Taliban to withdraw by May 1, 2021, if commitments were met.

Citing the need for more time to leave in an orderly way, the Biden administration delayed that timeline, opting to withdraw instead by September. Ultimately, the U.S. withdrew instead by late August after the Taliban took the Afghan capital, Kabul. During the withdrawal, 13 American service members and over 100 Afghan civilians died in a bomb attack. U.S. weapons were also left in the departure.

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LANSING, Mich. (WLNS)  The Livingston County Sheriff Department Animal Control officers cited Kirk Lanam, executive director, founder and board president of the Veteran Service Dogs Organization, for possessing 11 dogs without dog licenses.

Undersheriff Jason Pless tells 6 News Animal Control officers went to the facility for VSDO in Oceola Township on Aug. 7. There, officials found Lanam and 11 dogs. Pless says that none of the dogs had a dog license as required by Michigan law.

Lanam was cited, and court records show he paid $185 in fines at 53rd District Court on Aug. 8 for the violation.

Lanam failure to licenseDownload

Pless says the WLNS 6 News Investigates Team report Stolen Valor, led to the visit by Animal Control officers.

Stolen Valor revealed that Kirk Lanam, founder, executive director and board president of Veteran Service Dogs Organization in Howell, had embellished his military record and rank and claimed educational degrees that could not be verified. The report also revealed concerns about both the training of the dogs in the service dog training program and the care of dogs in Lanams possession.

Pless says Lanam was also previously informed by Animal Control officers that he was required to obtain a kennel license.

Kirk Lanam (FILE/WLNS)

Oceola Township zoning and planning officials sent the owners of the property where VSDO operated, 5684 E. Highland Rd., a notification of a possible violation of township zoning rules and regulations. The letter indicated awareness of a possible unlicensed kennel on the premises.

The building where VSDO was operating is not zoned in a manner that would allow the operation of a kennel, even if Lanam had sought a kennel license.

Pless also told 6 News there is an open criminal investigation listing Lanam as a victim. The criminal investigation alleges a person accessed computer files related to the organization without permission. The charge is computer intrusion.

Lanam himself spent 21 months in federal prison for a conviction of three counts of computer intrusion a decade ago. He was convicted by a federal jury in the Eastern District Court of Michigan after a trial for causing harm to the phone systems of a former contract client by using the computer system of another contract client.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News.
Local con artist convinced victims to invest in Miami cannabis store, feds say

A judge sentenced a Monroe man to almost three years in prison for running an investment scheme.

Christon Jermaine 39, must also pay $210,000 restitution, the U.S. Attorneys Office stated.

Charlotte man and investment firm accused of running Ponzi scheme

He defrauded at least 10 people between 2018 and 2022, investigators said.

They said he convinced them to give him money to invest in the stock market and a cannabis store that he said he was opening in Miami.

However, Jermaine sent hostile messages and threatened to have someone kill the investor when they asked for their money back.

Jermaine spent the money to support his lifestyle and pay for personal expenses.

VIDEO: Retail theft investigation uncovers alleged scheme to resell stolen guns
UPDATE: As of 6:45 p.m., Longacre has been safely located, according to police.

The Fountain Police Department is asking for the community's assistance in locating 17-year-old Jarrett James Longacre.

Longacre was last seen walking north on Jimmy Camp Road away from Fountain-Fort Carson High School around noon Wednesday, according to social media posts by the department. He suffers from a cognitive disorder and law enforcement is worried for his safety.

Longacre is a Native American male, with dark colored eyes and dark hair, police say. He is 6 feet tall and weighs 200 pounds.

He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and camouflage pants.

If anyone has seen Longacre, they are asked to call (719)390-5555.
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY)  Two local creatives are set to launch an audio tour for the City of Norfolk, highlighting the African American stories within the city.

The launch of Truth Be Told: Norfolk, the second of a four-city audio tour/podcast, will kick off with a listening event at the E.L. Hamm Fine Arts Building at NSU starting at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 29. The first city in the tour was Virginia Beach.

The audio tour, created by Hannah Sobol and Jackie Glass, is sponsored by the Virginia African American Cultural Center (VAACC), which helped to approve a $152,000 subgrant from a Virginia Tourism Corporation. The grant allows Sobol and Glass to travel across Virginia to share the stories of the Commonwealth.

Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander will also be in attendance, sharing a firsthand experience of how racism and classism have influenced neighborhoods in Norfolk.

The power of storytelling has great potential for shifting culture, mindsets and creating a common framework where transformation can occur in local and state public policy making, Glass said.

Facts do not change minds, but stories do, Sobel said. Through shared lived experiences over several generations, we invite our community to understand the issues of systemic racism, connecting to things that are universal, and understanding experiences that differ from their own. This foundation of understanding is essential before we can move forward.

Those interested in attending the event are encouraged to register.

For more information on Truth Be Told, click here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
TATTNALL COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV)  Tattnall County High School graduate and Tattnall County Future Farmers of America (FFA) member Paul Oliver has been recognized by the National FFA Organization as an American Star Farmer finalist for his work in and outside of the classroom.

Oliver grew up on his family farm. He began establishing his own farming operation in 2018. As his Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE), he found success quadrupling the size of his breeding stock, acquired a 135-acre farm, and turned an unmanaged pecan orchard into a thriving business.

His initial swine operation grew from 25 gilts and a boar to more than 100 during the Covid-19 pandemic with more time at home to work and increased demand for pork.

During that time he also acquired 14 Hereford cows and a Black Angus bull, whose profits allowed him to purchase an adjacent farm featuring 55 acres of mature pecan trees and a pond to diversify his operations.

Oliver said, Balancing the demands of school with the responsibilities of hog farming proved challenging in the early years, but my passion and dedication never wavered.

He continued, I seized the opportunity to purchase cattle and land. These new ventures have deepened my appreciation for the strong work ethic instilled by my parents and grandparents. I am grateful for the ability to diversify my income while continuing to derive fulfillment from daily work on the land that holds familial significance.

Oliver continues to have an eye for expanding business operations. When an invitation to a county festival in Indiana was extended, he took advantage of the opportunity to expand his customer base to the Midwest, sell 2,000 lbs of pecans, and market his product as a school fundraiser.

Oliver plans to continue operating and growing his farm.

Kalen DeLoachs parents relish opportunity to see their son live out his dream









Photos provided courtesy of Paul Oliver and the National FFA

The American Star Awards represent the best of the best among thousands of American FFA Degree recipients, the organizations highest level of student accomplishment. The award recognizes FFA members who have developed outstanding agricultural skills and competencies by completing a supervised agricultural experience (SAE).

The American Star Farmer is awarded to the FFA member that demonstrates the top production agriculture SAE in the nation. The member must demonstrate outstanding achievement, active FFA participation, and an exemplary scholastic record.

A panel of judges will interview sixteen finalists across four categories before the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis on Oct. 23-26.

Winners will be announced on stage at Lucas Oil Stadium during the sixth general session on Friday, Oct. 25.

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Local health officials are asking for your help with a 10-minute survey

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD)  Local health officials are asking for your help in determining key health issues in Central Illinois.

Leaders from the Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford County Health Departments, as well as OSF Healthcare and Carle Health, want to improve resources for health needs in the community.

They are looking for residents to take the Community Health Needs Assessment Survey. Once completed, it determines the top health issues that need to be addressed. While the survey closes at the end of September, it takes a year to analyze the data, which is through 2025. Then, in 2026, health leaders focus on making physical changes.

Peoria County will be getting a new Health and Human Services building

Dr. Leslie McKnight, the director of community health policy and planning for the Peoria City/County Health Department, said this survey is to help local residents.

Its an opportunity to tell us, as a collaborative of health systems, health departments and community organizations, about your lived experience, said Dr. McKnight. How will we know that opportunities to help you if we dont know what youre going through?

The goal is to reach 6,000 completed surveys across the tri-county area.

Click here to take the survey.

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(WKBN)  As part of a statewide effort to reduce underage drinking, Penn State University, Shenango and Mohawk School District were both the recipients of Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board grants.

Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) announced Wednesday it will award more than $3.3 million to schools and various organizations through the 2024-26 Alcohol Education Grant Program.

Penn States Shenango campus in Lawrence County was awarded $6,380 for virtual reality equipment, a Stop It driving simulator, and the Fresh Check Day program.

Mohawk School District was awarded $44,000 for enforcement patrols, school resource officer education programs, and PLCBs alcohol education conference.

PLCB says it is all part of its commitment to provide financial support to reduce underage and dangerous alcohol consumption.

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CANFIELD, Ohio (WKBN)  Tex Fischer, the 58th House District State Representative, is requesting that Mill Creek MetroParks accept a redevelopment plan for the McGuffey Wildlife Preserve and the McGuffey Family Pond and Dock in Coitsville.

Fischer sent a letter Tuesday to Lee Frey, the Mill Creek MetroParks president, urging him to consider the redevelopment plan commissioned by the William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society.

Next Nature submitted the plan to Mill Creek MetroParks on June 10.

In the letter, Fischer said hes heard concerns about the area from the community.

I was disappointed to hear concerns from community members that routine maintenance was not being performed on the pond or dock, which has led to the pond turning into a wetland and the dock being removed for safety reasons, he said.

Fischer said he understands that resources are limited but residents are still paying the park levy while unable to use the facility.

According to the letter, the wildlife preserve includes 73 acres of woods, trails, a historical marker, the McGuffey family well and other unique geological features.

Fischer said he would even help facilitate the project if needed.

My office would be happy to provide any assistance necessary should the MetroParks decide to apply for an Ohio Environmental Protection permit to partially excavate the McGuffey Wetland and move forward with this restoration so we can once again provide a functioning pond and dock for both taxpayers and wildlife to utilize.

Next Natures restoration proposal says the site has historical significance and ecological value.

The Mill Creek McGuffey Wildlife Preserve, formerly the William Holmes McGuffey Boyhood Home Site, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966 by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, according to the proposal.

Their plan includes restoring the site and enhancing it with a boardwalk and educational signage

to inform visitors about the habitat.

Mahoning County Commissioners also support the wetland restoration project and sent a letter of support to the Mill Creek Park Board last month.

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FLATIRON DISTRICT, Manhattan (PIX11)  The staff at Roma Pizza shop on 5th Avenue in the Flatiron District did their best to keep up with the busy Tuesday lunch crowd.

But their thoughts  and much of the chatter inside the restaurant  focused on the events of the night before and what happened to a manager named Zack.

More Local News

Police say he was on the receiving end of a vicious attack when this man, 35-year-old Tyshaun Watson, walked into the restaurant with his unleashed pit bull.

Due to sanitation laws, there are no pets allowed in the store. Apparently, told him to go eat outside and the guy took it personal, said Eli, one of the day managers at Roma Pizza.

Eli says after Watson refused to leave with his unleashed pet, the confrontation turned physical  and both dog and dog owner attacked the manager. The dog was attacking the manager all over the body. The guy even stomped his head after.

The assault left the manager unconscious outside on the sidewalk. I heard his ear was bust up. Hes in the hospital in critical condition, said Eli.

Firefighter allegedly punched, concussed colleague at Bronx firehouse: DOI

Both Watson, of Secaucus, New Jersey, and his pit bull are in custody. Watson is charged with 1st-degree assault and 2nd-degree attempted murder.

He was arrested inside the shop, thanks in part to Zacks quick-thinking fellow employees.

The law is clear when it comes to dogs in the Roma Pizza shop  and every other restaurant in the city, for that matter: Dogs must be on a leash or in a crate.

There are really nice guys who work there. I live right here so I couldnt imagine something like that happening just walking down the street, said Stephen Sonkin, who lived next door.

Everybody is just worried about him. We are just working  we are doing our jobs. Imagine, this could have been anybody else, said Eli.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Four out of every five students in Nevada are eligible for free school meals, and Gov. Joe Lombardo wants to make sure families are taking advantage of the benefit.

In a letter released on Wednesday, Lombardo reminds families that free meals are available through existing programs at all public K-12 schools in Clark County. The Nevada Department of Agriculture provides a list of charter schools that are participating, or see a list at the bottom of this story. If your student attends a private school, contact the school for an Application for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals.

According to a news release from the Governors Office, Currently, 80.6% of Nevada students are automatically eligible for free school meals through their schools Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) designation. In addition to those 80.6% of students who are automatically eligible, any student participating in another federal assistance program is automatically certified for free school meals.

Lombardos letter to families appears below:

Governor-Lombardo-Open-Letter-to-Parents-on-School-MealsDownload

In some Nevada counties  Washoe, Elko and Carson City  not all schools offer free meals. For those families, Lombardo said a parent or guardian can still fill out the Application for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals to determine their eligibility for free or reduced-price meals. Any family in need is encouraged to apply.

My administration has worked hard to give our schools, teachers, and students critical new funding and resources, so that we can maximize student success and learning outcomes, Lombardos letter said. Last year, I allocated over $12 billion in funding for K-12 education, which increased per pupil funding by 25 percent and represented the largest education investment in state history.

However, we also know that ensuring a safe and secure learning environment includes ensuring access to free or reduced-price meals for students in need, he said. Im grateful that we have robust programs in place to ensure that these students receive free school meals in Nevada.

Charter schools participating in CEP:

CIVICA Academy

Democracy Prep at Agassi Elementary School

Democracy Prep at Agassi Middle School

Democrcy Prep at Agassi High School

Discover Charter School  Sandhill

Doral Academy  Fire Mesa

Equipo Academy

Futuro Academy Elementary School

Imagine School at Mountain View

Mater Academy of Nevada  Bonanza

Mater Academy of Nevada  East

Mater Academy of Nevada  Mountain Vista

Mater Academy of Northern Nevada

Nevada Prep Charter School

Nevada Rise Charter School

PilotED  Cactus Park Elementary School

Pinecrest Academy of Nevada  Cadence

Pinecrest Academy of Nevada  Horizon

Pinecrest Academy of Nevada  Springs

Quest Academy Northwest

Sage Collegiate Public Charter School

SLAM Academy

Somerset Academy  Aliante

Somerset Academy  Lone Mountain

Somerset Academy  Losee

Somerset Academy  North Las Vegas

Somerset Academy  Sky Pointe

Somerset Academy  Stephanie

Southern Nevada Trades High School

Strong Start Academy

Young Womens Leadership Academy of Las Vegas

Families at Bureau of Indian Education Schools should contact the school for information on Free and Reduced-Price School Meals.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Millions of children are suffering from long COVID, the lingering post-viral illness that follows SARS-CoV-2 infection and can last weeks, months or even years. But while a lot is known about post-infection effects in adults, children have been somewhat lost in the follow-up.

That has led some to conclude that its either rare in kids or similar to that in adults. Now a new study just published in JAMA said thats an incorrect assumption that can lead health care providers to miss symptoms or misdiagnose cases in kids.

In truth, symptoms of long COVID in children are both similar and different than in adults  and it varies by the ages of the kids, too, with differences and overlap between schoolchildren ages 6 to 11 and adolescents ages 12 to 17.

The National Institutes of Healths Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative looked at children to understand the impact of lingering symptoms and offer some guidance to help recognize post-infection illness. It also teamed up with the Clinical Science Core at NYU Langone Health to develop an index to identify youths most apt to have long COVID.

The consequence of long COVID in children is consequential. Sometimes, the researchers wrote, the post-viral illness is debilitating, making it hard for grade-school children and adolescents to go to school, participate in extracurricular activities or enjoy time with family and friends.

Whats clear, the study found, is that lingering symptoms can impact any organ system in both age groups. And understanding the effect of long COVID on whats believed to be nearly 6 million children matters, researchers said.

Children arent just little adults, Dr. Melissa Stockwell, the studys co-author and division chief of child and adolescent health at Columbia University, told USA Today, which noted that the more providers understand how long COVID impacts people at different ages, the easier it will be to diagnose children and provide prompt care.

Different ages and challenges

The research included 751 COVID-19 infected and 147 uninfected school-age children, along with 3,109 infected and 1,369 uninfected adolescents at more than 60 health care institutions across the United States. In the uninfected group, antibody testing was done to ensure participants had not had COVID-19, as some cases are asymptomatic.

Caregivers who reported on their childrens health pondered 74 prolonged symptoms. One of those, panic attacks, was assessed in adolescents, but not grade-school-age children. The analysis was age-stratified.

Forty-five percent of the infected and 33% of the uninfected school-age children had at least one prolonged symptom. For adolescents, the numbers were 39% of the infected and 27% of uninfected adolescents. A single symptom can indicate long COVID, the researchers said, though those with more symptoms and more serious symptoms have the hardest time.

They identified 26 symptoms in infected school-age children and 18 symptoms in infected adolescents that lasted in at least 5% of the young study participants after acute illness passed. Of those, 10 symptoms in the young group and eight among adolescents were most associated with infection history. In both groups, a higher post-viral-infection symptom score was correlated with poorer overall health, quality of life and physical health.

For the adolescents who had the lingering symptoms associated with long COVID, the most common were tiredness, sleepiness or low energy (80%), muscle or joint pain (60%), headaches (55%) and trouble with memory or focusing (47%).

Among school-age children, four symptom clusters were identified, while there were three in the adolescent group. The researchers said that suggested there may be different types of long COVID experience among children.

For the younger children, the first cluster had high rates of many symptoms. The second featured high rates of headache (95%), body/muscle/joint pain (60%) and daytime tiredness/sleepiness or low energy (52%). The third cluster included a lot of trouble sleeping (64%) and memory/focusing problems (62%). The fourth cluster was primarily stomach pain (100%) and nausea/vomiting (61%), per the report

Among adolescents, the first cluster was similar to that of the younger group, with high rates of many symptoms. The second included high rates of daytime tiredness/sleepiness or low energy (89%) and body/muscle/joint pain (87%). The third group experienced change or loss in smell or taste (100%), with relatively low rates of all other symptoms.

Across groups, trouble sleeping (47%), feeling anxious (47%) and feeling sad/depressed (38%) were most common, but because they were common among both those whod had COVID-19 and those who had not, they were not considered post-viral symptoms.

The researchers found that even those with asymptomatic COVID-19 could have long COVID symptoms, though in smaller numbers. They also found quite a bit of overlap in symptoms between adolescents and adults, with less overlap between adults and the younger group of children.

Facing skepticism

According to NBC News, The findings align with what doctors are observing in long COVID clinics, said Dr. Amy Edwards, director of the pediatric COVID recovery clinic at UH Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital, who wasnt involved in the new research.

Edwards recounted for NBC the story of children whod dropped out of school, dropped out of all their extracurricular activities and are barely functioning. Others, she said, go to school but their grades are slipping and some who were successful students in the past are really struggling to pass.

Some of the children have faced adult skepticism, she added. School nurses were mocking them for faking it. These are teenagers and kids and people are telling them to their face that theres nothing wrong with them.

The researchers emphasized that the index scoring system they created is not intended to be used in clinical practice to diagnose long-term COVID-19 symptoms  or to rule it out.

The researchers did note some study limitations. Similar symptoms could be related to other conditions. Theres no way to quantify population prevalence. Also, because a positive antibody test wasnt required to be counted as having been infected with COVID-19, some folks may have been misclassified. And the study relied on caregivers memories, too, which might be accurate to differing degrees.
QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11)  A Long Island boy who survived a battle with leukemia signed a one-day contract with the New York Mets on Tuesday.

Eight-year-old Mason Maier got to take the field for pregame warmups after he signed an honorary contract with the Mets before the teams game at Citi Field.

More Local News

Masons Mets journey started back in April at spring training in Florida when he got to practice with his favorite player, Mets first baseman Pete Alonso.

Mason has come so far from June of 2019 when he began to suffer fevers. The doctors at Northwell Healths Cohen Childrens Medical Center diagnosed him with leukemia. After three years of chemotherapy, Mason has been in remission for a year.

Mason is now a happy boy who loves school, his friends and the Mets. His parents are thrilled.

Mason predicts the Mets will make the playoffs this year.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Police in Mississippi warned drivers to avoid an area Wednesday when a truck lost its load of beer into the roadway.

The Oxford Police Department said on social media that Jefferson Avenue was closed Wednesday between North Lamar and North 9th Street after the 18-wheeler dumped part of its load into the roadway.

Photos from the scene show the road littered with beer including Bud Light, Modelo and Natural Light.

"Please use another route," police wrote. "And no, you cannot come help 'clean up.'"

Jefferson Ave between North Lamar and North 9th Street is closed due to an 18 wheeler losing part of its load. Please use another route. And no, you cannot come help "clean up." pic.twitter.com/beXIlbSWkc Oxford Police Dept (@OxfordPolice) August 21, 2024
'Loving' Chihuahua Dies Saving Colo. Family from House Fire: She 'Let Us Know' There Was Danger

One of the family members noted that without their dog Cuddles there to alert them to the fire, "Who knows what would have happened to us"

West Metro Fire Rescue/Facebook Cuddles the hero dog

A tiny pet with a big heart is being hailed a hero after sacrificing her life to save her family from a fire.

On Aug. 14, West Metro Fire Rescue in Colorado shared on social media that its fire crews responded to a fire at a home a few miles south of Denver in the early morning. The fire department noted that the family inside the burning home had been sleeping when the fire began and that their pet had alerted them to the emergency.

Their dog woke them up, West Metro Fire Rescue shared on Instagram. They looked outside and saw a fire on their back porch.

They were able to get out however the dog is still missing, the agency added.

The pet, named Cuddles, was missing for several days before firefighters found the dog dead inside the home.

Related: Florida Family's Hero Dog Saves Teenager from New Year's Eve House Fire: 'He Just Gave Him a Nip'

West Metro Fire Rescue/Facebook Cuddles the dog saved her family from a fire at this home, shown after the fire was extinguished

West Metro Fire Rescue also shared a video of firefighters extinguishing the blaze with large hoses and noted that the fire "made its way into the house" and caused "extensive damage" to the first and second floors.

A resident of the house, Suzanne Elkins, told KUSA that she and her husband, Victor Elkins, had been "sound asleep" when the fire started and that their grandson's 7-year-old dog, Cuddles, worked hard to wake them up.



"Cuddles hopped on Victor's chest and barked in his face to wake him up to let us know there was a danger," Suzanne recalled to the outlet.

She said the black Chihuahua disappeared as the flames reached the second floor. Because of Cuddle's wake-up call, Suzanne, her husband, and her grandson safely escape the home.

"Victor went back in and searched for her with all the smoke and flames, and that's how he burned his foot by running out, and we did not know what happened to Cuddles then," she said, adding that firefighters eventually found the dog deceased underneath a bed.

Related: Hero Labrador Retriever Saves Family From Mountain Lion in Utah: 'She Is Our Hero'

Suzanne noted to the outlet that the pup likely died of smoke inhalation and said the loss was "hard on all of us"  especially her 13-year-old grandson Jaxson Coley, to whom the dog belonged.

The teen told KUSA that he was "still in shock" at the loss of his pet and remembered Cuddles as a dog who was "very playful and loving." He shared that her love for giving hugs inspired her moniker: "She just wanted to cuddle everybody."

Suzanne added that without Cuddles, "who knows what would have happened to us," and encouraged people to "love on your dogs."

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Firefighters told KUSA that the fire started on the home's back porch. They noted on social media that the fire even burned "a hole in the floor of the family room" and caused some "heat exposure to a neighboring home," melting off a "portion of the vinyl siding."

West Metro Fire Rescue said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.



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North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson held a press conference in Statesville Wednesday morning.

During the conference, Robinson not only unveiled his plan for public safety throughout the state, but he also attacked his opponent, Josh Stein.

The Republican candidate also spoke about the importance of giving law enforcement the ability to be proactive in fighting crime.

We stand behind law enforcement and law and order in this state, Robinson said.

ALSO READ: AG Josh Stein will face Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in race for governor

Robinson continued by addressing gang violence in North Carolina, mainly in the Charlotte area, and the need to support law enforcement.

We have to stop these gangs and come up with ways to break these gangs up before they get into our schools and before they can get on our streets and recruit these young people, Robinson elaborated.

He later mentioned concerns about protests and violence on college campuses nationwide and the need to prevent that from getting out of hand.

Protesting is part of the American spirit, but rioting and taking down the American flag and assaulting those trying to put the American flag up and threatening students who you disagree with is not, Robinson explained.

Before the press conference began, Steins campaign released a statement saying Robinson makes North Carolina less safe.

Stein said he wanted to remind people about statements Robinson made earlier this summer, which read:

Some folks need killing! Its time for somebody to say it. Its not a matter of vengeance. Its not a matter of being mean or spiteful. Its a matter of necessity!

ALSO READ: Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson makes anti-LGBTQ comments during sermon at Mooresville church

Robinson, however, said that statement was taken out of context before doubling down.

Do I still believe that nazis and terrorists need to be killed by our men and women as I was speaking in that church? Yes. Thats what saved this nation time and time again, Robinson elaborated.

When questioned about the recent polling numbers that showed him trailing Josh Stein, the lieutenant governor said he believes he has a lot of support and will win the race come November.

VIDEO: AG Josh Stein will face Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in race for governor




















STATESVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is set to release a safety plan during an appearance Wednesday morning in Statesville, campaign officials announced.

Robinson, who is running as the Republican nominee for North Carolina governor in this Novembers election, is looking to defeat Attorney General Josh Stein for the top spot in the state.

The event is being held at 9:30 a.m. at the former Iredell County Gardner-Webb University facility. Details of the safety plan have not yet been released.

A record amount of spending is being projected in this years gubernatorial election. The latest polls showed Stein with a steady edge over Robinson.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
DES MOINES, IOWA  Luke Bryans Mind of a Country Boy Tour is taking a detour. On Tuesday the Iowa Events Center announced that Bryans show planned for this Saturday has been postponed until the fall. Bryan will now play in Des Moines on October 6th.

The Iowa Events Center says all tickets from the August 24th show will be honored on October 6th. No reason for the rescheduling was given.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to who13.com.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WBTW)  A Lumberton man will spend the next 12 years in prison after pleading guilty in May to drug trafficking charges.

Charlton Townsend, 29, was selling crack cocaine and fentanyl out of his Fairmont home when authorities raided it in March 2022 after a series of complaints. Police used a confidential informant to make a controlled purchase of fentanyl.

Townsend grew verbally combative with officers when they arrived at his home. Prior to being secured, they found a loaded 9-millimeter semiautomatic handgun on the ground next to him. Evidence collected from a search warrant yielded cocaine base, cocaine, fentanyl, a sawed-off shotgun, a stolen AR-style pistol, a .40 caliber semiautomatic firearm and more than $6,000 in cash.

U.S. District Court Judge James C. Denver III sentenced Townsend to 150 months in prison. The Fairmont Police Department investigated alongside the Robeson County Sheriffs Office and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

* * *

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.

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Im angry, this is senseless: Emotional news conference held for victims of deadly Salisbury shooting as suspect remains at large

Im angry, this is senseless: Emotional news conference held for victims of deadly Salisbury shooting as suspect remains at large

SALISBURY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Wednesday, Salisbury Police Chief Patrick Smith announced a three-year-old girl passed away after fighting for her life for a week.

Im angry, Smith said. Im angry. I mean, this is senseless.

Myisha Angel along with her 80-year-old great grandfather, Charles William, died when someone shot into this apartment on Rowan Mill Road.

ORIGINAL STORY: Man killed, child severely injured in Salisbury shooting: Police

Its nothing short of tragic that an 80-year-old man has been senselessly murdered in such a brutal fashion, Smith said. This man should have been able to live out the remaining years of his life in peace surrounded by family and friends. Not struck down by this despicable act of violence, he continued, Even more heartbreaking is the loss of three-year-old Myisha Angel, an innocent little girl whose life had just begun.

Police say an argument between two parties escalated, and the result was a deadly scene.

Whatever the disagreement, it seems tensions had been rising for a while.

PREVIOUS: 3-year-old girl succumbs to injuries; Salisbury murder suspect still on the loose

Two days prior, this same exact house was shot into, Smith told Queen City News.

Neighbors tell us its the third shooting at this home since October.

Police released a new surveillance picture of this four-door sedan that, they believe, was involved in the shooting. They also arrested 25-year-old Kevin Smith Junior who, they say, took troopers on a car chase through several counties on Thursday, however, they believe he was an intended target in this deadly shooting. Officials cant say the violent act was gang-related but hinted toward it.

Neighbors worry about safety after shooting death in Salisbury

The activities that took place in this are consistent with what gangs act in, Smith said. I think if you look at the person that we took into custody in Charlotte last week, and you look at his record, that will give you an idea of why this crime occurred at this location.

Now theyre asking those who live in the area to help them find the killer. If youre not saying something, youre not coming forward, youre just as guilty as the person that pulled the trigger, in my eyes, Smith said.

The SBI, ATF, FBI and Homeland Security are all involved in the investigation.

Salisbury police are offering a $5,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest and conviction. The number for the investigative tip line is (704) 638-5333.

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Will Macon homeowners have to pay more for retaining teachers? Heres what to know

Bibb Countys millage rate will stay the same next year, but homeowners in Macon may still face a tax hike for millage that will give the school system millions of additional dollars in revenue.

The Bibb County Board of Education tentatively voted 7-1 to keep its millage rate at 14.674 during a called meeting on Monday, which is used to assess and change local property taxes. One mil equates to one-thousandth of a U.S. dollar. Bibb Countys homeowners may see a 5.67% property tax increase as a result. Eric Bush, BCSD chief financial officer, estimated that an average homeowner with a non-homestead property valued at $200,000 would pay $63.04 more in property taxes next year. An owner with the homestead exemption would pay $57.52.

A homestead exemption is a tax break that reduces the amount of property taxes a homeowner pays on their primary residence.

School officials said the decision to set the millage rate influences the districts available money to support current and new educational programs, schools, employee pay and staffing levels. In return, the millage rate has an impact on the public school systems capacity to meet strategic goals such as student achievement and stakeholder involvement.

Bush said the tentative plan will bring about an estimated additional revenue of $4.32 million for the districts fiscal year 2025 budget.

Prioritizing teachers pay amid budget cuts

The millage rate vote comes as BCSD seeks to be more competitive in hiring and keeping qualified teachers, said Superintendent Dan Sims. The school systems resources will be affected as it enters its first year without access to American Rescue Plan funds.

The Bibb County school system is coming close to $5 million in cuts while also losing millions of dollars in federal money, Sims added.

Sims spoke on Bibb Countys low annual property tax revenue in comparison to eight listed neighboring districts at the board meeting.

In comparison to other districts in terms of our tax revenue, you see less opportunities that we have in terms of procuring and maintaining resources for our students, Sims said. More funds equal more flexibilityand opportunities

Board President James Freeman also highlighted neighboring districts losing teachers to Houston County, which he said has a 1% sales tax that can go to its teachers salaries.

By law, (Bibb County) cannot do that. So, were trying to compete against somebody thats playing a different field basically, Freeman said before mentioning a fear of BCSD losing high-quality teachers.

The school district has a history of rolling back its millage rates unlike other districts.

Board members also noted that lowering the millage rate could put the district at risk of losing equalization funds from the state, resulting in millions of dollars more lost. Equalization funds help districts offer beneficial opportunities regardless of property wealth.

Freeman, who supported the vote to keep the millage rate unchanged, said he would hate to jeopardize that money.

Board member Daryl Morton was the only one who opposed the rate.

Morton didnt explain his reasons at Mondays meeting, but he did raise concerns in May about Superintendent Dan Sims previously proposed 1.5 millage rate increase, which also sparked community fears about potential hiked property taxes.

When you potentially ask the people for more money, youve got to show youve done everything you can. I think that should have already had happened because clearly there is some right-sizing that needs to occur, Morton said in May about the districts budget and its possible inability to sufficiently address teachers pay and retention, as well as student absenteeism.

The education board passed a smaller budget in June, slating the district to operate with $22 million less than last school year.

Bibb County schools received tax digest numbers on Aug. 13 from the Bibb County Tax Commissioners Office.

Three public hearings will be held for public input prior to the final adoption of a millage rate. Two of those will happen Sept. 3 at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. at The Professional Learning Center on 2003 Riverside Drive. The last public hearing will be held at 5 p.m. at 484 Mulberry St.

Here are the other preliminary millage rate options the board considered:

Partial rollback of 0.50 mills for a millage rate, which would case would cause a 2.07% tax increase. For the owner of a $200,000 home, this option results in an estimated annual property tax increase of $23.04 without homestead exemption. Bush said it would provide a limited opportunity to increase student support and staff raises.

Increase the millage rate by 1 mill, which would cause a 12.88% tax increase. For the owner of a $200,000 home, this option results in an estimated annual property tax increase of $143.04 without homestead exemption. Bush said it would provide better opportunities for student support and staff raises.

A full rollback of the 0.788 mills. This option would not affect taxes, but it would cause a slight decrease in revenue. Bush said this option would not provide an opportunity to increase student support or staff raises, as well as potentially lead to a tax anticipated notice. No public hearings wouldve been needed for this option.
Maddow Blog | Reality gets in the way of Trumps line on crime, law enforcement

Donald Trump and his campaign team apparently had a simple plan: The former president would go to Michigan and talk about crime, which is an issue the Republican sees as electoral strength, despite his criminal record.

The trouble, of course, is that reality got in the way of the pitch.

The Trump campaign, for example, had told The Detroit News that the GOP candidate would agree to an interview, but as the newspaper reported, after the News began asking about the Michigan crime data before the event, a campaign aide said the presidential candidate no longer had time for an interview.

Imagine that. Trump declared in Michigan that theres an ongoing crime wave thats reached levels nobody has ever seen before. He was, of course, lying: Though crime rates spiked toward the end of his failed presidency, the United States has seen a dramatic turnaround in recent years. When Team Trump came to realize that the Detroit News might ask the former president to contend with the truth, a scheduled interview opportunity quickly disappeared.

The Republican clearly preferred to bask in his alternate reality. In big cities almost all run by Democrats, Trump added, you cant walk across the street to get a loaf of bread. You get shot. You get mugged. You get raped. You get whatever it may be.

This was demonstrably ridiculous. Trump obviously didnt care  and it wasnt the only lie he peddled during the event.

But stepping back, the larger point of the event was apparently to position the GOP candidate as an ally of law enforcement. Indeed, Trump spoke at the Livingston County Sheriffs Office surrounded by deputies in uniform, in front of parked police SUVs. After the remarks, he posted an item to his social media platform with the words BACK THE BLUE superimposed over his photograph.

The point, obviously, was to suggest to voters that Trump is aligned with law enforcement. But just as actual crime rates get in the way of the former presidents campaign pitch, Trumps record gets in the way of his alliance with the police. Consider the newly revised list of The Top 10 Reasons Donald Trump Deserves To Be Seen As An Opponent Of Law Enforcement.

10. Trump has repeatedly lashed out at those hes described as dirty cops, as part of a larger offensive against law enforcement. Hes also condemned law enforcement officials as fascists and accused law enforcement officials of pushing fake crime rate statistics as part of a political plot to help Democrats.

9. A jury recently found Trump guilty of 34 felonies, and hes still facing dozens of other criminal counts across multiple jurisdictions.

8. Trump is facing civil suits from police officers who sustained injuries during the Jan. 6 riot the Republican instigated.

7. Trump has condemned common law enforcement tools, including plea agreements for witnesses who cooperate with prosecutors.

6. Trump abused his powers by intervening in criminal cases in which the defendants were political allies, letting politically connected suspects go free  even after some pleaded guilty  and undermining law enforcement in the process.

5. Trump has undermined law enforcement by abusing his pardon powers, in one case even commuting the sentence of a man accused of helping murder of a police officer.

4. Trump lashed out at the police officer who shot Ashli Babbitt as a thug and a coward who deserves to be vilified.

3. Trump has promised day-one pardons for insurrectionists, many of whom violently clashed with police officers.

2. While in office, Trump saw law enforcement as a political weapon he can wield at his convenience, which led him to urge law enforcement officials to enforce his political vendettas and help Republicans win elections.

1. Trump has expressed support for prosecuting members of the Capitol police.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, a sycophantic supporter of the former president, recently declared via social media, No one Backs The Blue more than President Trump.

Theres ample evidence to the contrary.

This post updates our related earlier coverage.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
By any fair measure, the number of Republicans and conservative figures whove endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris is an incredible symbolic victory for the Democratic ticket. Harris and her allies are eager to reach voters beyond their partys base, and the more support the vice president picks up from the other side of the partisan divide, the better itll be for her candidacy.

But as the Democratic National Convention is making clear, Democrats are doing more than just thinking about the symbolism, and Team Harris isnt just relegating her Republican proponents to names on a page. On the contrary, as NBC News reported, some prominent GOP voices were invited onto the convention stage.

Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham disavowed her former boss Tuesday evening and voiced support for Kamala Harris for president in remarks at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. In her brief speech, Grisham said that she used to be not just a Trump supporter but also a true believer who became part of Trumps family and spent major holidays with him.

I saw him when the cameras were off, behind closed doors. Trump mocks his supporters. He calls them basement dwellers, she said.

Grisham went on to share an anecdote about a Trump visit to a hospital during the Covid crisis.

He was mad that the cameras were not watching him. He has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth, she said. He used to tell me, It doesnt matter what you say, Stephanie  say it enough and people will believe you. But it does matter  what you say matters, and what you dont say matters.

The comments were striking, but so too were the broader circumstances: Trumps former White House press secretary addressed the Democratic National Convention, urging voters to elect Trumps Democratic rival. To put this in perspective, imagine Karine Jean-Pierre getting a speaking slot at the Republican National Convention in 2028.

Whats more, Grisham wasnt alone. Four Republicans addressed the Democratic convention on its second night, including Mesa Mayor John Giles and Ana Navarro, a Republican co-host of the The View; and former Rep. Adam Kinzinger is still scheduled to appear this week.

If there are some on-the-fence GOP voters who arent quite sold on their partys scandal-plagued nominee (Nikki Haley voters, Im looking in your direction), Harris and her party are clearly extending an outreached hand.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
During Donald Trumps presidency, the Republican expressed outrage when U.S. officials interacted with foreign officials without coordinating with his administration. In fact, at one point, Trump talked about charging former Secretary of State John Kerry with a crime.

In 2019, the then-president  who routinely tried to get the Justice Department to prosecute political figures he disliked  insisted that Kerry should be prosecuted for violating the Logan Act, adding, Hes talking to Iran and has had many meetings and many phone calls and hes telling them what to do. That is total violation of the Logan Act.

Trump had no idea what he was talking about, but he nevertheless appeared convinced that a former U.S. official interacting with foreign governments was both scandalous and criminal.

It now appears the Republican has changed his mind.

As regular readers know, Trump welcomed British Foreign Secretary David Cameron to Mar-a-Lago in the spring, for example, which came on the heels of the former president also welcoming Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Polish President Andrzej Duda to his glorified country club. Trump has also reportedly had direct recent interactions with Saudi Arabias de facto ruler, Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

When The New York Times reported on this in April, it quoted Richard Haass, a former diplomat and the president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, saying the meetings are not unusual in the American tradition. The article added, Mr. Trump would cross a red line, however, with any attempt to influence the words or actions of foreign leaders  for instance, by asking for expressions of support or that they take steps to undermine Mr. Bidens policies, he said. Then he is carrying out a foreign policy, Mr. Haass said, adding, This is all fine in principle. It just depends on the actual content in practice.

That paragraph came to mind this week when I saw this report from The New Republic.

Trump has allegedly been talking with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to avert a cease-fire deal, fearing that doing so could help Vice President Kamala Harris win in November, according to PBS. The reporting is that former President Trump is on the phone with the Prime Minister of Israel, urging him not to cut a deal right now, because its believed that would help the Harris campaign, said PBSs Judy Woodruff Monday night.

To be sure, theres some ambiguity about the reporting that the veteran journalist referenced. Axios published a report last week, for example, that said the former American president and the Israeli prime minister have privately discussed a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal. The reporting was not independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, and Netanyahus office denied its accuracy in a statement soon after.

Woodruff might have been referring to this, or perhaps some other reporting. [Update: See below.]

Either way, if theres reason to believe Trump has lobbied Netanyahu not to reach a diplomatic agreement, because the GOP nominee is worried about the developments potentially helping the Democratic ticket, that would be a real scandal. (It would also be reminiscent of a controversy from 1968.)

Watch this space.

This post updates our related earlier coverage.

UPDATE (August 21, 2024, 3:56 p.m. ET): Woodruff published a clarification online on Thursday afternoon. It read, "I want to clarify my remarks on the PBS News special on Monday night about the ongoing cease fire talks in the Middle East. As I said, this was not based on my original reporting; I was referring to reports I had read, in Axios and Reuters, about former President Trump having spoken to the Israeli Prime Minister. In the live TV moment, I repeated the story because I hadnt seen later reporting that both sides denied it. This was a mistake and I apologize for it."

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Todays installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.

* In Florida, former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell easily won her Democratic U.S. Senate primary this week, setting up a potentially interesting contest against far-right Sen. Rick Scott. The Republican incumbent also faced nominal primary opposition, which posed little challenge.

* Speaking of the Sunshine State, Politico reported that Gov. Ron DeSantis attempt to elect conservative school board members across Florida hit a snag this week, as candidates backed by the Republican governor fell in several key races.

* Montanas secretary of state has now certified an abortion rights ballot measure, putting the issue on the states November ballot. In addition to the obvious medical and legal implications, the development might also have a broader electoral impact: Montana is home to a closely watched U.S. Senate race, and the more reproductive rights proponents vote in the fall, the better it will probably be for incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.

* NBC News reported that the first night of the Democratic National Convention drew an estimated 20 million viewers, which exceeds the 18 million viewers who watched the first night of last months Republican National Convention.

* The Washington Post reported that Vice President Kamala Harris campaign and the Democratic National Committee raised three times as much as Donald Trumps campaign and the Republican National Committee in July, and ended the month with a cash advantage that positions the newly minted Democratic presidential nominee to air more ads and maintain a larger payroll than her Republican opponent in the final months of the race for the White House.

* Though we havent heard much lately about former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his considerable wealth, Bloomberg appears to have cut a $10 million check for the House Democrats largest super PAC.

* And theres reason anew to wonder about the future of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s independent presidential campaign: The conspiracy theorists running mate, Nicole Shanahan, said their campaign faces a choice between continuing with its ill-fated effort  which would risk helping Harris  or dropping out to join forces with Trump. The candid comments, made on a podcast, left little doubt that the Kennedy candidacy is intended to undermine the Democratic ticket.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Todays edition of quick hits.

* In the Middle East: The Israeli military and Hezbollah traded cross-border strikes on Wednesday, leaving at least one person dead deep inside eastern Lebanon, as the conflict on Israels northern border continued to fuel concerns about a wider regional conflagration.

* On a related note: A senior Iranian military official said on Tuesday that retaliation against Israel over the killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran may be long in coming and take any number of forms, suggesting that an attack against Israel may have been placed on hold.

* DOJ: The Justice Department said Wednesday it plans to press ahead with obstruction charges against two Jan. 6 defendants despite the Supreme Courts recent ruling that limited the scope of a federal statute that makes it a felony to obstruct many government proceedings. Prosecutors contended they can still prove that the two defendants, a married couple from Ohio, are guilty of obstructing Congress even under the high courts narrow interpretation of the law. The defendants, Don and Shawndale Chilcoat, are accused of surging with the mob onto the Senate floor during the riot at the Capitol.

* In related news: A lawyer for the Oath Keepers who helped organize the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol with right-wing extremist groups pleaded guilty Wednesday to obstruction of justice and entering a restricted area.

* On the Korean Peninsula: Wanting to halt defections to neighboring South Korea, North Koreas Kim Jong Un has ordered the construction of new border walls, rearmed guard posts and installed more land mines. But North Koreans keep finding creative ways to flee.

* If youre wondering whether the judge in this case is a Trump appointee, she is: A federal judge in Texas has blocked a new rule from the Federal Trade Commission that would have made it easier for employees to quit a job and work for a competitor. In a ruling Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Ada Brown granted a motion for summary judgement filed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other plaintiffs, and rejected the FTCs own petition for a judgement in its favor.

* Vaccine news: The Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve the new Covid vaccine as early as Thursday, according to two sources familiar with the agencys planning. Its the third time the vaccines have been updated to match circulating strains since the original series. The shots should be available within days.

* The coda to an odd story from January: A company that sent deceptive calls to New Hampshire voters using artificial intelligence to mimic President Joe Bidens voice agreed Wednesday to pay a $1 million fine, federal regulators said. Lingo Telecom, the voice service provider that transmitted the robocalls, agreed to the settlement to resolve enforcement action taken by the Federal Communications Commission, which had initially sought a $2 million fine.

See you tomorrow.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Madeline Soto case: Police have no plans to charge Jennifer Soto, sources say

The Kissimmee Police Department has no plans to file charges against Jennifer Soto, the mother of Madeline Soto, a 13-year-old girl whose body was discovered in rural Osceola County earlier this year.

Sources told Channel 9s Shannon Butler that Jennifer Soto has done nothing criminal so far, so she will not face charges.

Channel 9 has obtained a video recording of Orange County Sheriffs Office detectives interviewing Jennifer Soto at 11:30 p.m. Feb. 27 after her daughter was reported missing.

Madeline Soto was reported missing after Hunters Creek Middle School -- where Madeline attended -- alerted Jennifer Soto that she did not make it to school Feb. 26.

Madeline Soto was supposed to be dropped off by Jennifer Sotos boyfriend, Stephan Sterns, but according to the investigation, Sterns did not drop off the girl.

Sterns was charged Feb. 28 with sexual battery and possession of child sexual abuse material. On April 24, he was also charged with first-degree murder in connection with Madeline Sotos death.

Read: Madeline Soto: A timeline of her disappearance & death

The Orange County Sheriffs Office said Friday evening that Madeline Sotos body has been found. Investigators said Osceola County deputies found the missing 13-year-old girls body at about 4:30 p.m. in a wooded area along Hickory Tree Road.

Detectives believe Stephan Sterns killed 13-year-old Madeline Soto on Monday morning at a Kissimmee apartment complex.

Investigators discovered the body of 13-year-old Madeline Soto on Friday afternoon.

Investigators discovered the body of 13-year-old Madeline Soto on Friday afternoon.

Investigators discovered the body of 13-year-old Madeline Soto on Friday afternoon.

Sources say that Maddies body was found in rural St. Cloud near Hickory Tree Road.

Police and deputies canvassed the area of Osceola County for 13-year-old Madeline Soto.

The Kissimmee Police Department will handle the search for Madeline Soto, said Chief Betty Holland.

The sheriff said the efforts will now shift to recovering her body.

Sheriff John Mina said he is confident that she is dead, and recovery efforts will continue.

Members of the community will gather to pray for 13-year-old Madeline Soto.

Deputies in Orange County said 13-year-old Madeline Soto has been missing since Monday morning. And now, her mothers boyfriend is in jail on charges of sexual battery and possession of child sex abuse material. Stephan Sterns was supposed to go before an Orange County judge Thursday morning but refused to be in court.

More than 50 members of the Orange County Emergency Response Team looked for the 13-year-old in various areas as our detectives continued their investigation.

More than 50 members of the Orange County Emergency Response Team looked for the 13-year-old in various areas as our detectives continued their investigation.

Madeline Soto

Madeline Soto

Madeline Soto

Madeline Soto

Madeline Soto

Madeline Soto

Madeline Soto

Madeline Soto

Madeline Soto

The Orange County Sheriffs Office on Friday confirmed that the body of Madeline Soto, 13, has been located.

During the interview, the Sheriffs Office questioned Jennifer Soto about the relationship between Stephan Sterns and Madeline Soto.

When asked if it was normal for the pair to sleep in the same room, Jennifer Soto responded by saying the following:

Sometimes when I really need a good nights sleep, I will send them upstairs. But when, Ill also -- a lot of times we will sleep together in the king-sized bed. All three of us. Or sometimes Stephan will go upstairs and share a bed alone. So it just really depends on whats going on that night with our schedules and what were doing.

According to the interview, Jennifer Soto did not see Madeline Soto on the morning that the girl vanished because Jennifer Soto thought that her daughter was getting ready for school while Jennifer Soto went to a doctors appointment.

When Jennifer Soto returned home, Sterns was also home, and they chatted for a little bit, and she asked him why he had called her earlier -- around 10:18 a.m.

Read: Madeline Soto case: State to seek death penalty against Stephan Sterns

Investigators said that was not true as Stearns had already been seen driving out of their apartment complex with Madeline Sotos body slumped over in the front seat of the vehicle.

Jennifer Solo told deputies that she began to worry when her daughter didnt come home from school and wasnt there all day.

During the interview, Jennifer Sotos answers were hard to come by as she told investigators that she had taken medicine and was a little spacey.

Deputies have not found any evidence to charge her at this time.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

Read: Soto case: White Nissan that drove to area where girls body dumped belonged to mother




What MAGA and others can learn from Arizona's razor-thin congressional race

Arizonas MAGA candidates should learn from Raquel Teran. She lost her congressional bid against Yassamin Ansari by less than 40 votes and isnt throwing a tantrum.

There are no conspiracy theories about stolen votes or malfunctioning machines or election workers shenanigans.

None of that  just normal procedures in an automatic recount, which confirmed Ansaris victory in the Democratic primary to replace U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego in the heavily Hispanic district that spans south and west Phoenix.

Teran, the former state lawmaker and former party chair, called the razon-thin margin a testament that every vote matters.

Ansari reciprocated Terans gracious concession by thanking her and Duane Wooten, who trailed in distant third place.

Kari Lake, others must respect results

If that sounds kind of strange, it is because some Arizona MAGA folks simply don't accept defeat, regardless of the vote count, recounts and countless lawsuits.

Take, for instance, Kari Lake. She still thinks she won the governorship in 2022, though she lost by larger margin than Teran and has lost every legal challenge seeking to be declared the winner.

Lake isnt the only Arizonan who made a name for herself attacking the validity of votes, but shes running for U.S. Senate against Democrat Gallego, and we must demand that she respect the results of the November election.

We must demand that everyone else does, too. Thats how democracy works.

But there are other takeaways from the Teran-Ansari race, and not just for MAGA candidates.

Shockingly few voted in CD 3

Its jaw-dropping and incredibly worrisome that only 44,036 or 32% of district voters cast a ballot despite millions of dollars being injected into the race to lure votes for Teran or Ansari.

Why such apathy? This kind of voter turnout isnt an anomaly. Previous primaries have shown similar participation. That tells me the candidates have failed to connect and engage meaningfully.

What kind voters did Ansari and Teran attract?

Only 39 vote difference, but Ansari performed better in southwestern precincts while Teran did better in the northeast, according to ABC 15 data analyst Garrett Archer.

In aggregate, Ansari precincts were a little less Democratic, a little less Hispanic, and a little wealthier compared to Teran precincts, he added.

Neither Ansari nor Teran resonated

Teran came out of the activism of the anti-immigrant movement and has been a familiar face for decades.

Ansari is a newcomer to Phoenix, spending only three years on the City Council before jumping into this race. Both knocked on doors, but clearly, neither spent enough quality time with voters to inspire more of them.

Sure, they may have given it their all. In this case, though, it felt like they spent more time attacking each other than listening to voters or telling those of us who call this district home how our lives would improve by sending them to Congress.

Yes, mailers piled up, but paper doesnt talk or listen. Its just that  glossy paper.

Big money just advocated for itself

Lets not kid outselves. Multimillion-dollar spending never materializes out of thin air. Never.

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling known as Citizens United allows PACs to spend limitlessly on a candidates behalf, and their aim is to secure a vote in Congress for a particular industry, often with no moral compass for residents needs.

Why I wasn't expecting a new winner: In CD 3 recount

It felt like outside groups  cryptocurrency and pro-Israel groups for Ansari vs. Latino, labor and progressive groups for Teran  were the biggest players fighting for votes instead of inspiring residents to get involved.

Bottom line: Every vote counts

Ansari will face Republican nominee Jeff Zink in November. But this is a safe Democratic district and shes likely breeze to victory.

This race leaves us unsettled about the corrosiveness of outside spending with no ability to stop it. It leaves us utterly heartbroken to witness the deep disconnect of most who didnt bother to vote.

But it also leaves us with a sense that every vote counts and that we, the voters, hold our own destiny.

Elvia Diaz is editorial page editor for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Reach her at 602-444-8606 or elvia.diaz@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, (formerly Twitter), @elviadiaz1.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Yassamin Ansari won by 39 votes, and no one cried conspiracy
Maine's Secretary of State ruled Tuesday that Cornel West will be on the state's presidential ballot in November. Voters had filed complaints alleging fraudulent signatures submitted should disqualify the independent leftist candidate. File Photo by Steve Pope/UPI

Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Maine's Secretary of State ruled Tuesday that leftist presidential candidate Cornel West will be on the state's November ballot. West had been challenged by voters alleging fraudulent signatures were submitted.

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows wrote in her decision as she ruled for West, "I conclude that some signatures were gathered fraudulently, and I reject the petition forms that contain those signatures. However, the bad actions of one should not impugn the valid First Amendment rights of the many."

In addition to some fraudulent signatures turned in by a circulator, Bellows found some municipal registrar errors in the nominating petitions.

Three voters in Maine -- Nathan Berger of Portland, Anne Gass of Gray and Sandra Marquis of Lewiston -- objected to West being on the ballot. They alleged too many signatures were submitted -- 5,983 when the state legal limit is 5,000.

According to witnesses who testified at a Maine Secretary of State hearing, they signed a petition they thought was to stop politicians form trading stocks when, in fact, they were nominating petitions for West.

The voters said they discovered they had signed a West petition when contacted by the law firm Gass and Marquis. The law firm presented evidence that circulator Patrick Powers had allegedly used deceptive tactics to get the signatures.

Bellows rejected the attempt to bar West from the ballot for the fraud, finding that "the evidence indicated that campaign organizers had little involvement in the circulation of their petitions in Maine."

"While other states across the country may direct election officials to exclude voters from duly participating in our elections processes on the basis of scrivener's quibbles, Maine does not," Bellows said in her decision. "Our election laws are grounded in encouraging full and fair voter participation, and the registrars acted appropriately in certifying signatures for voters that they could verify regardless of whether a voter signed with a nickname or dated the petition with the day and month only."

On Aug. 13 a North Carolina judge ruled West must be on the ballot there, overruling a state decision to bar him.

West is a Harvard professor and activist running a long-shot independent campaign.

His campaign has struggled to get ballot access and so far is on only a handful of state ballots as efforts to secure ballot access continue.
PORSMOUTH, N.H.  Army Reserve and law enforcement officials failed to take several opportunities that could have prevented the Lewiston, Maine, mass shootings last year, an independent commission tasked with investigating the tragedy said in its final report Tuesday.

The commission, formed last year by Maine Gov. Janet Mills, was comprised of several attorneys, a forensic psychologist, and a psychiatrist who released its final report Tuesday about the October 2023 mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, that left 18 people dead. In the report, the commission said that while the actions of the shooter, Robert Card, were his own, his Army reserve unit and local law enforcement missed opportunities to intervene after several concerns about Card's behavior were raised.

Daniel Wathen, a retired Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and the commission's chair, spoke on behalf of the group during the news conference Tuesday. He said the commission was only tasked with investigating the facts of the shootings, not making recommendations, adding that it is impossible to know whether the shootings would have been prevented if officials had properly intervened.

The report said authorities failed to undertake necessary steps to reduce the threat he posed to the public." The independent commission added in its final report that police officers should have undergone steps to seize Card's firearms through Maine's yellow flag law.

Maine's yellow flag law allows anyone who suspects a gun owner is a threat to report them to the police, who then must determine whether that person should be taken into protective custody, evaluated by a mental health professional, or apply for a court order to seize their firearms. Several people who knew Card, including his son and former wife, notified law enforcement about concerns about his behaviors in the months leading up to the shooting, the report said.

As a result, local police officers had reason to utilize their power under the state's yellow flag laws before the shooting, the report said, reiterating a previous finding in the commission's interim report from this year. The report said that police officers who testified in front of the commission said the yellow flag law is "cumbersome, inefficient and unduly restrictive."

A Lewiston couple places a Lewiston Strong banner outside the Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant, Sunday, Oct 29, 2023; Lewiston, ME, USA; Ongoing coverage in aftermath of mass shooting in Lewiston. Hundreds of law enforcement agents were scouring communities around Lewiston, Maine, for a person of interest in connection with two shootings at a bowling alley and bar that killed at least 16 people.. Mandatory Credit: David Sokol-USA TODAY

Report: Army Reserve officers did not tell police about all of Robert Card's threatening behavior

The report also said officers in the Army Reserve, which Card was active in, failed to take steps to reduce the threat he posed to the public. The report found that Army Reserve officers were aware of Card's concerning behavior, including hallucinations, aggressiveness, and ominous comments but did not notify local police officers about the full extent of the behavior.

According to the report, several of Card's family members, friends, and fellow reservists alerted Army Reserve officials about concerning behavior. "Despite their knowledge, they ignored the strong recommendations of Cards Army mental health providers to stay engaged with his care and 'mak[e] sure that steps are taken to remove weapons' from his home,'" the report added.

The commission said that if Army Reserve officers had notified police officers of the extent of Card's behavior, they may have acted "more assertively."

What happened in Lewiston

On Oct. 25, the 40-year-old Army reservist opened fire at a bar and bowling alley in Lewiston, killing 18 people and wounding 13. Days later, after an intense search that kept residents across the city locked in their homes, authorities found Card dead of a gunshot wound.

A post-mortem analysis of Robert Card's brain by Boston University's CTE Center, completed at the request of the Maine Chief Medical Examiners Office, revealed "significant evidence of traumatic brain injuries at the time of the shootings." Card's family made the findings public and declined to comment.

Among the injuries recorded by researchers were damage to the fibers that allow communication between areas of the brain, inflammation and a small blood vessel injury, according to the report signed by Dr. Ann McKee, director of the lab at Boston University, and released Wednesday. She said there was no evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease often found in athletes and military veterans who have suffered repetitive head trauma.

"While I cannot say with certainty that these pathological findings underlie Mr. Cards behavioral changes in the last 10 months of life, based on our previous work, brain injury likely played a role in his symptoms," said Dr. Ann McKee, director of the lab at Boston University, earlier this year.

Contributing: Christopher Cann, Minnah Arshad, and Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Lewiston final report: Officials missed chances to avert mass shooting
Third party presidential candidate Cornel West. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

While Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows determined that some signatures for independent presidential candidate Cornel West were gathered fraudulently, Bellows concluded that West still submitted a sufficient number of valid signatures to appear on Maines presidential ballot.

In a ruling dated Aug. 20, Bellows denied two challenges to Wests candidate petition brought by three citizens, the consolidated hearing over which the secretary served as presiding officer last Wednesday.

West  a well known Black scholar and former professor at Harvard and Princeton universities  is running with Melina Abdullah, who is a university professor and Black Lives Matter activist.

Anne Gass of Gray and Sandra Marquis of Lewiston argued Wests petition was invalid because a circulator procured signatures through false statements, as well as alleged the petition contained too few valid signatures because of inaccurate or incomplete information on the part of circulators, notaries and petition signers.

A separate challenge filed by Nathan Berger of Portland also similarly argued Wests petition had too few valid signatures because of illegible or inaccurate information. However, Bergers challenge was distinct in also alleging at the same time that Wests campaign submitted more signatures than the states allowable limit for such petitions.

Bellows rejected both of the challenges, though found some truth to fraudulent signature gathering and invalid signatures. Ultimately, Bellows concluded, Wests candidate petition contained the number of valid signatures he needed to get on Maines presidential ballot.

After reviewing the evidence presented by the challengers, Bellows invalidated 258 additional signatures.

Her office had initially determined the petition contained 4,978 signatures. Following adjudication of these challenges, the petition has 4,720 valid signatures, which still meets the requirements for ballot access. 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.

To find more signatures invalid on the basis of the ministerial concerns detailed by the challengers would be to establish new legal precedents not found in Maine law that would restrict the constitutional rights of voters in the petition process, Bellows wrote in her decision. The evidence presented by the challengers of fraud perpetrated by one signature collector is more troubling. Make no mistake, fraud has no place in our elections process. However, the challengers did not demonstrate in a clear or convincing way that other circulators, notaries or most importantly, voters engaged in fraud.

The challengers or candidate can appeal Bellows decision to the Superior Court, whose decision can then also be appealed to the Law Court. This challenge and subsequent appeal process is what occurred in a separate case earlier this year regarding former President Donald Trumps primary election eligibility.

Bellows rejection of the challenges to Wests ballot access comes after a separate challenge to independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was withdrawn without explanation.

Clear Choice Action, a Democrat-aligned political action committee, has been behind similar challenges to both West and Kennedys ballot eligibility in multiple states. The group previously told the Portland Press Herald that it planned to file challenges in Maine, though Gass, Marquis and Berger have not disclosed ties to any organizational effort.

Findings of fraud

During the hearing for the challenges on Aug. 14, three witnesses testified that a signature collector outside of supermarkets in Maine asked them to sign a petition to stop politicians from being able to trade stocks and did not mention that the petition was related to West.

The witnesses each said they only found out theyd signed a petition to get West on the ballot when the law firm representing Gass and Marquis contacted them.

Counsel for Gass and Marquis specifically presented evidence that one circulator, Patrick Powers, used deception to obtain the signatures of at least these three witnesses, including by using the back sides of petition forms as the witnesses also testified to.

Upon review of the proceedings and the evidence before me, I conclude that some signatures were gathered fraudulently, and I reject the petition forms that contain those signatures, Bellows wrote in her decision. However, the bad actions of one should not impugn the valid First Amendment rights of the many.

Gass and Marquis did not present evidence that any circulators other than Powers engaged in fraud or deception when collecting signatures, nor that the West campaign directed fraudulent signature gathering, Bellows concluded. To the contrary, Bellows wrote, the evidence indicated that campaign organizers had little involvement in the circulation of their petitions in Maine.

During the hearing, representatives of Wests campaign testified that the campaign is a grassroots effort, the petitioning process is decentralized and there is no one on the ground in Maine who oversees the signature gathering process, which they explained is done by volunteers who receive minimal training and otherwise rely on publicly available training materials.

Absent evidence of fraud conducted by other signature gatherers, Bellows invalidated the signatures on Powers petition sheets but not signatures on other collectors sheets, as voters who signed these petitions must be assumed to have done so based on their genuine support for the presidential candidacy of Dr. West, Bellows wrote. It would be unfair to those supporters to disqualify their signatures because of misconduct by an individual that had nothing to do with their decision to sign the petition.

Along with accusations of fraud, Gass and Marquis presented evidence that some of the signature collectors were paid by an entity other than Wests campaign. However, Bellows similarly concluded that Maine election law doesnt require nor permit her to deny the constitutional rights of the voters signing the petitions sincerely on the basis of the actions of a few who may have acted in bad faith, Bellows wrote.

Signature irregularities

Gass and Marquis also alleged some signatures did not meet statutory requirements to be valid because of inaccurate or incomplete information on the part of circulators, notaries and petition signers. These allegations overlapped with some of the accusations in Bergers challenge as well.

Bellows concluded most of these alleged irregularities  such as incomplete dates or use of nicknames  did not invalidate their corresponding signatures. While few in comparison, Bellows sided with the challengers in some of the instances where they claimed petition signatures were invalid  such as duplicate signatures and an inability to confirm registration status of the signer.

Ultimately, Bellows found that the petition had the number of valid signatures West needed to qualify for the ballot.

While other states across the country may direct election officials to exclude voters from duly participating in our elections processes on the basis of scriveners quibbles, Maine does not, Bellows wrote. Our election laws are grounded in encouraging full and fair voter participation, and the registrars acted appropriately in certifying signatures for voters that they could verify regardless of whether a voter signed with a nickname or dated the petition with the day and month only.

Signature cap

Bergers challenge was distinct in also alleging Wests campaign submitted more signatures than the states allowable limit for such petitions.

Berger claimed Wests campaign submitted 5,983 signatures, 983 above the current maximum under state law.

After reviewing the state statute, legislative intent and the provision of law governing when her office must accept a candidate petition for filing, Bellows found that the maximum does not refer to the number of raw signatures collected by the candidate, which Bergers challenge hinged on.

Rather, the statute provides minimums and maximums for the numbers of voters that must sign a petition for it to be valid.

The relevant number for determining whether the petition exceeded the statutory maximum is the same as the number for determining whether it fell below the minimum: the number of signatures determined to be valid by registrars and the Elections Division, Bellows wrote.

If Bergers challenge had been successful, it would have been the first time in Maine history that a candidate was disqualified for demonstrating too much public support for their candidacy, based on records available to the Secretary of State. Maine has had a statutory maximum for the number of signatures permitted petitions since 1977.

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Their majors were eliminated. How cuts at two NC universities affected these students.

Lilly Telfer isnt going back to UNC Asheville.

Instead of returning this semester, Telfer decided to move back in with her parents in Florida, take classes at Tallahassee State College this fall and eventually transfer to Florida State University to study classical civilization.

It happened fast.

In June, Telfer received a campus-wide email from UNC Asheville Chancellor Kimberly van Noort announcing her major  ancient Mediterranean studies  was one of five academic programs that would be eliminated or curtailed.

The action came after First Tryon Advisors, an outside consultant, suggested a review of 14 programs at the liberal arts university as it faced an approximately $6 million budget shortfall for the fiscal year after years of declining enrollment.

The cuts, which affected primarily humanities, are part of a growing trend. As colleges across the nation address enrollment declines and financial stress, some are putting liberal arts majors and the humanities on the chopping block. This shift reflects a growing emphasis on degrees with more direct ties to employment  such as engineering and business  which many believe offer better financial returns for graduates and the states funding those programs.

She knew her program was on the line, but Telfer was still shocked.

I never in a million years thought that my major was going to be cut, she said.

UNC Asheville wasnt the only university in the UNC System to see program cuts this year. UNC Greensboro cut 20 programs in February for similar reasons: a budget deficit and enrollment decrease.

More than 200 students at UNC Greensboro and 61 students at UNC Asheville will be impacted by the changes. Both universities promised those enrolled in the affected programs would be able to complete their degrees via individually tailored teach out plans over the next few years.

But for some students, like Telfer, its not enough.

At that point, Im not getting the degree in that major, she said. Im getting a degree in whatever they created.

Plans to teach out students

Students in the affected programs who declared their majors prior to the cuts will be able to finish degrees with the specific courses they need to graduate.

At UNC Asheville, van Noort said less than 3% of the student body will be affected by the program cuts. In contrast, the eliminated programs make up 20% of the universitys departments.

We know exactly what courses the students need to take and when, van Noort said in an interview with The News & Observer. So well be able to provide that.

Most of the programs eliminated at UNC Asheville are in the humanities  which are central to the universitys liberal arts mission  causing concern among both students and faculty.

Theyre small programs, its true, Telfer said. And I find it a little suspicious that of all of the programs that they cut, all of them are humanities- and liberal arts-focused. None of them are STEM-focused at all, she said, referring to science, technology, engineering and math.

Van Noort said the university is being very sensitive to ensure that students experiences dont change as a result of the cuts, though she added there may be a few hiccups where some students must take independent studies to complete their requirements.

Kayla Russell graduated from UNC Ashevilles drama department in 2015  one of the programs now being eliminated.

Shes concerned about the teach out plans, especially for students within the drama department. Drama students learn about all aspects of theater, from acting to lighting design, in the program  and to Russell, that has been part of its strength.

It doesnt feel like theyll be getting the same education that I got because its a fast track, she said. So I just feel like theyre making them rush through it.

Some students might as well transfer to another university, Russell added, saying the cuts are making them put their college careers on hold.

Telfer came to the same conclusion.

For Telfer, attending a university that offered only the minimum amount of classes she needed to graduate with her major just didnt make sense, especially for a price tag of nearly $25,000 for the 2024-25 academic year, including out-of-state tuition and fees.

Cuts impacting the liberal arts

The program cuts at UNC Greensboro also affected the liberal arts curriculum, including some STEM programs. Majors and degrees in anthropology, geography, math, physics and religious studies are among those affected.

Sophie Wilson graduated from UNC Greensboro this year with a degree in anthropology. It was an unusual feeling to be part of one of the last classes of students to graduate with the major, she said.

When she and others in the anthropology department heard their major was going to be cut, they came together to oppose the decision.

I found myself closer than ever with my peers, Wilson said, and its a very important program to a lot of us in a liberal arts school.

Sophie Wilson graduated from UNC Greensboro with a degree in anthropology.

If UNC Greensboro had not offered the major when she was applying to college, Wilson said she wouldnt have attended.

I think thats the wonderful thing about anthropology in particular, it just teaches us to observe one another, and thats something that I know we need more of nowadays, she said. Its unfortunate that so many of the programs that UNCG has cut are liberal arts, because its known as a liberal arts school.

UNC Greensboro alumni and students wrote letters, engaged with open forums and rallied against the cuts during the last academic year. Wilson joined the protests, along with many students in her department.

But the decision held despite the pushback.

It felt like it was hard to have an honest and open conversation about things, Wilson said, especially when it felt like the students and the professors werent necessarily being listened to at the end of the day.

A unique draw

UNC Ashevilles liberal arts education was also one of the main reasons now-senior Sarah Booth decided to attend.

Though she understands that van Noort had to take action because of the universitys budget deficit and low enrollment, she finds the cuts frustrating.

I think that the unique draw that UNCA did have is fading very quickly, especially since this last chancellor has come in and has tried to make it like all the other schools, Booth said. People come to UNCA for the liberal arts education.

Van Noort said the university will preserve its liberal arts core despite the program cuts.

She emphasized that several disciplines, from the humanities to STEM, benefit from a liberal arts curriculum.

Those critical thinking and communication skills that allow you to apply that breadth of knowledge to a variety of different problems  that really is what we want to preserve as the core of liberal arts that we offer here, van Noort said.

Russell doesnt think the cuts end UNC Ashevilles status as a liberal arts university, but they are starting that dwindling process.

Leaving UNC Asheville

The transition to Florida State has been hard for Telfer, she said. She said switching universities set her behind, and she misses the freedom she had at UNC Asheville to explore different things.

Just a few months ago, she was sitting in class planning out her path to graduation at UNC Asheville. Now, shes figuring out how to transfer those credits.

Telfer is planning a nine-hour road trip back to Asheville to see her friends.

I text them incessantly, she said, Im constantly sending all of them TikToks, and Ive already told them that I will come visit.

The drive is long, but its not that bad.
A family is reeling after their beloved 19-year-old son died days after he was randomly attacked last month in the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles.

The July 18 incident occurred near 7th Street and Serrano Avenue.

According to reporting from The Korea Daily, the victim, Joonhee Han, briefly made eye contact with his attacker as the man passed him on an electric scooter.

Han, who was wearing headphones, never saw the suspect turn around, approach from behind and throw him to the ground where he reportedly hit his head and face, and then endured a beating by the man while he was on the ground.

I got jumped on the street. It did not hurt that much, its not that uncomfortable, the 19-year-old told his father, Chris Han, who recalled the last conversation he had with his son. I asked him, Why not fight back? He said [it was] too dangerous, bigger than him.

Joonhee Han, 19, seen in this undated family photo. (viewer pic)

Joonhee Han, 19, seen in this undated family photo. (viewer pic)

Joonhee Han, 19, seen in the hospital after the July 18 attack. (viewer pic)

Joonhee Han, 19, seen in this undated family photo. (Chris Han via GoFundMe)

Days later, on July 23 at around 2 a.m., The Korea Daily reports that Joonhe was with friends when he suddenly went pale, vomited, lost vision in one eye and collapsed as his breathing became irregular.

He was walking down the street, he got dizzy. His heart stopped, his father explained to KTLA.

Joonhee was in a coma for five days and, sadly, died before ever reporting the attack.

The coroners office, after conducting an autopsy following the organ donation surgery, determined that Hans death was due to brain damage caused by a blood clot resulting from the assault, rather than a naturally occurring stroke, The Korea Daily reported.

Dashcam captures teen suspect open fire near Southern California school

Homicide detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department told KTLA that they are now searching for witnesses and possible security video of the unprovoked assault.

A spokesperson for the L.A. County Medical Examiners Office confirmed to The Korea Daily that the autopsy performed on Joonhee was in concert with LAPDs investigation, but did not disclose the 19-year-olds exact cause of death.

A GoFundMe has been organized for the family, who described Joonhee as vibrant and kindhearted.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN)  A man pleaded not guilty this week to seven charges in Warren Municipal Court after police said that he was accused of inappropriately touching women and assaulting officers and medics.

Denis Stanislaw, 58, pleaded not guilty to five charges of assault and two sexual imposition charges. According to court records, the assault charges are fourth-degree felonies and the sexual imposition charges are third-degree misdemeanors.

Officers and crews were called to a bar in the 1100 block of Niles Cortland Road NE in Howland around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday where officers found Stanislaw unconscious in the parking lot and bleeding from the head.

When officers tried to get Stanislaw on a stretcher, reports said that he would not comply. Reports said that he grabbed a firefighters neck and squeezed and that he grabbed medics in an attempt to avoid getting on the stretcher.

Police reports said that two women told officers that Stanislaw inappropriately touched them and that he wouldnt leave them alone after he was asked.

Stanislaw is being held in the Trumbull County Jail without bond. His next court date is August 27 at 1:30 p.m. in Warren Municipal Court.

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Man accused of child sexual assault in Rockford is arrested in Wisconsin

FENNIMORE, Wis. (WTVO)  Fennimore Police arrested William Heyer, 43, on warrants of two counts of repeated sexual assault of a child in Rockford.

On August 19th, police arrested Heyer after receiving a complaint from the Rockford Police.

The suspect has had residences in Bagley Wisconsin and the Rockford/Loves Park/Belvidere areas.

Fennimore Police were assisted in the investigation by the Grant County Department of Social Services, Wisconsin Department of Corrections and the Grant County District Attorneys Office.

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HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW)  Horry County authorities have charged a 62-year-old man with voyeurism.

Steven Guthoff was booked into the J. Reuben Long Detention Center on Tuesday, according to online records. He was released on Wednesday after posting a $3,000 bond.

According to police records, Horry County police began investigating in April after getting a report that Guthoff had been recording a person during sexual acts and disseminating images and videos on various internet and social media platforms without their permission.

Police records indicate that Guthoff lives in Horry County but has a State College, Pennsylvania, address.

* * *

Dennis Bright is the Digital Executive 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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JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. (WATE)  A Morristown man was arrested on multiple charges Tuesday after the Jefferson City Police Department said he led officers on a chase.

JCPD explained that around 11:37 a.m. Tuesday, they received a wanted person alert for a vehicle travelling west on Broadway Boulevard. Officers found the vehicle near the intersection of Old Andrew Johnson Highway and attempted to perform a traffic stop.

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According to police, the Honda Pilot, refused to stop and continued onto Old Andrew Johnson Highway at a high rate of speed. The vehicle reportedly eventually ran off the road to avoid officers deploying spike strips near SR 92, and the case continued onto several streets until the driver lost control and crashed on East Ellis Street, police explained.

A photo of a Honda Pilot that was crashed following a chase with Jefferson City Police. (Jefferson City Police)

The department added that after the crash the suspect, identified as 26-year-old Brandon Devan Long of Morristown, ran from the scene but was captured after a brief pursuit.

After the crash, Long was taken to a local hospital for evaluation before he was taken to the Jefferson County Justice Center. He was charged with driving under the influence, felony evading, possession of methamphetamine, felony reckless endangerment, and multiple traffic violations.

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Police added that the crash is being investigated by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

JCPD said that before the chase, Long was wanted on charges of theft over $1000, violation of probation related to an aggravated burglary, domestic assault, felony evading, and reckless driving.

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MORGANS POINT RESORT, Texas (FOX 44)  A Temple man has been arrested after a traffic stop in Morgans Point Resort turned into a pursuit on foot.

A Morgans Point Resort Police Department officer conducted a traffic stop on a motorcycle on Lake Forest Drive at approximately 5:26 p.m. Tuesday, between the intersection of Bluebonnet Loop. During the traffic stop, the officer determined the driver had an ineligible driver license with previous convictions for Driving while License Invalid and had alerts for being a drug user.

Police say the officer requested the support of additional officers. Before the others arrived, the driver chose to flee on foot. One officer deployed his Taser, but it was ineffective.

The officer was able to catch up to the driver and attempted to take him into custody. The driver further resisted being taken into custody. The driver was taken into custody when the additional officers arrived.

Police say the driver has been identified as 46-year-old Raymond Wayne Malina. A search of Malina revealed he was in possession of methamphetamine and other prescription-based narcotics.

Burglary suspect caught when he returns stolen money

While Malina was resisting being taken into custody, he and one of the officers suffered non-apparent minor injuries. Malina and this officer were both transported from the scene by ambulance to Scott & White Medical Center in Temple for evaluation. Malina and this officer were both released from care a few hours later.

Police say Malina is being charged with Habitual Violations of Driving While License Invalid, Fleeing and Resisting Arrest or Search  which are all Misdemeanor offenses. Malina is also being charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance, pending screening with the Bell County District Attorneys Office.

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Man arrested in Pakistan for alleged role in spreading disinformation linked to UK riots

Pakistans Federal Investigation Authority arrested a man on Tuesday who it claimed had spread disinformation thought to have enflamed the recent unrest in the UK.

In a statement shared with CNN, the FIA claimed that an X account user called @Channel3Nownews shared images of a video regarding an incident that happened at Southport England. The X user @Channel3Nownews further posted an article on the website www.channel3now.com with the caption saying that a 17-year-old has been arrested in connection with a stabbing incident in Southport, England.

According to the FIA statement the article contained a false claim about the arrest of a Muslim asylum seeker by police in the stabbing incident in a dance party in Southport on July 29, 2024.

The FIA confirmed that the man has not been charged.

Police in Lahore have identified the man, arrested by the FIA, as Farhan Asif, and that he was questioned about the article on Monday.

Police told CNN that Asif allegedly admitted that he had written the story based on information copied from a UK-based social media account without verifying it.

Its unclear if Asif has an attorney.

A police official, who spoke to CNN, also shared that during the questioning it was learned that the website Asif was running was used to publish mainly American, British and Australian stories so that he could get online traffic from those countries and earn revenue via Google Ads.

Asif told police he would earn close to a thousand dollars a month by doing this, according to the official.

After a statement from UK police, after the riots, Asif claims he deleted the story and issued an immediate apology.

After questioning Asif, the police official told CNN that Asifs case had been forwarded to the FIA to take over the investigation.

The UK faced its worst disorder in more than a decade, after outbreaks of far-right, anti-immigrant violence swept the country. Protests first broke out late last month, after an anti-immigrant misinformation campaign stoked outrage over a stabbing attack that left three children dead in Southport, northern England.

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Pakistani authorities have arrested a man and charged him with cyber terrorism for his alleged role in spreading misinformation that led to rioting in the UK earlier this month, a senior police investigator said Wednesday.

The suspect was identified as Farhan Asif, 32, a freelance web developer, said Imran Kishwar, deputy inspector general of investigations in Lahore, the capital of eastern Punjab province.

The man is accused of spreading misinformation from YouTube and Facebook about the British teenage suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three girls and injured 10 other people July 29 at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport.

The misleading information spread quickly online in the UK, with riots breaking out in various locations, including major cities such as Liverpool. Dozens of police officers were injured and more than a thousand people were arrested.

Objects are thrown towards police at the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire (Danny Lawson/PA Wire)

There were also anti-racist counter-demonstrations attended by thousands of people.

One of the platforms editors-in-chief posted an apology on July 31 for the misleading information published in a recent article on our website, Channel3 Now. We deeply regret any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused.

At a news conference in the eastern city of Lahore, police said Asif was arrested at his house in the city for questioning.

They said Asif has claimed that he was not the source of the misinformation but that he reposted it from social media.

Police have handed over the case to the Federal Investigation Agency, which handles cases relating to cyber terrorism. It was unclear if Britain had requested his extradition.

According to the latest Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) figures, 494 people have been charged in relation to the recent rioting. More than 150 people have already been sentenced, with the vast majority facing jail sentences.

On Wednesday, the latest batch of defendants to appear in court included men accused or convicted of unrest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham.

Police officers in front of a smashed window as trouble flared during an anti-immigration protest outside the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire on August 4 (Danny Lawson/PA) (PA Wire)

The unrest outside the Holiday Inn Express, in Manvers, on August 4 left 58 police officers, three police horses and a police dog injured, and saw attempts to storm the building and set it on fire.

Railway engineer Morgan Hardy, 29, of Melton High Street, Rotherham, is accused of throwing chairs, fencing and a fire extinguisher at police guarding the hotel, and denies violent disorder.

Former soldier Peter Beard, 43, of Becknoll Road, Brampton Bierlow, Rotherham, was jailed for two-and-a-half years after admitting pushing aggressively at the line of officers.

The father-of-three, who undertook tours of duty in Kosovo, Bosnia and Northern Ireland, was told by Judge Jeremy Richardson KC: Your conduct was shameful, it was disgraceful and, in many respects, astonishing.

Passing sentence at Sheffield Crown Court, the judge heard how Beard served in the Royal Green Jackets between 1998 and 2003, and said he was astonished that the defendant had become involved as he had been on the receiving end of public order incidents as a peacekeeper.

A 27-year-old man who threw a wood panel onto a fire outside the hotel admitted a charge of arson with intent to endanger life.

Recorder of Sheffield Judge Jeremy Richardson KC told Thomas Birley his offending is unquestionably the most serious of all those he has dealt with in the last fortnight in relation to the rioting outside the Holiday Inn Express, at Manvers, Rotherham, on August 4.

Birley, of Rowms Lane, Swinton, Rotherham, who also admitted violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon, will be sentenced on September 6.
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (WDTN)  A man was arrested in connection to a body police found in an alleyway last month.

Middletown Division of Police announced the arrest of a 59-year-old man on a warrant for Aggravated Murder. Officers detained the man around 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 21.

2 significant police responses occur within 1-hour in Troy

This arrest was made in connection to a female body discovered in a trash can in the alleyway behind the 1000 block of Centennial Avenue on July 1.

NBC Affiliate WLWT in Cincinnati reports the body was discovered around 11 p.m. by officers who then called Butler County Coroners Office. The individual has not been identified, nor has her manner of death been determined.

Investigation is ongoing, and Middletown police say detectives are currently investigating a second possible suspect.

If you have any information about this incident, you are asked to contact Detective Agee at 513-425-7796 or 513-425-7700.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  A man with a lengthy criminal past, wanted by Columbus police in connection to a shooting near the Ohio State Fair, was arrested Tuesday.

According to Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, Adrian Tucker, 29, is charged with two counts of aggravated robbery and one count each of felonious assault and falsification after three alleged incidents since June 23.

Three dead identified in east Columbus wrong-way, head-on collision

On July 31, officers responded to reports of a shooting near the intersection of Hiawatha Park Drive and Clinton Street. Police located a victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg.

The victim, who was taken to a hospital in critical condition and later upgraded to serious condition, told police that as he was leaving the Ohio State Fair the suspect approached him and demanded property from the victim.

Police said a brief fight ensued and Tucker reportedly pulled a gun and shot the victim. A witness stopped and aided the victim until emergency crews arrived. On Aug. 2 the victim positively identified Tucker from a photo array as the man who robbed and shot him.

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Tucker also has two cases pending in Franklin County Municipal Court. The first is for aggravated robbery, which stems from a July 10 incident in which he is accused of stealing a trash bag full of Cold Brew Coffee from a United Dairy Farmers store. Tucker is accused of using a gun to demand the Franklinton store clerks set another suspect free after a fight ensued during the attempted robbery.

Additionally he was arrested on June 23 for providing Grandview Heights police with a false identification after officers approached a vehicle in a parking lot of a closed business. The reporting officer said Tucker gave false information despite several warnings not to do so. Tucker eventually revealed his correct name, but offered a false birthdate.

Court records also indicate that Tucker has had several run-ins with the law, which have included six guilty pleas or sentences for various crimes over the past 10 years.

Adrian Tucker (Courtesy/Central Ohio Crime Stoppers)

Police are looking for two suspects charged with aggravated robbery at a Franklinton UDF on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. They reportedly fled in a vehicle parked outside the store. (Courtesy/Columbus Division of Police)

Police are looking for two suspects charged with aggravated robbery at a Franklinton UDF on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. They reportedly fled in a vehicle parked outside the store. (Courtesy/Columbus Division of Police)

Columbus police investigate a shooting in the Linden neighborhood, Nov. 27, 2019. (NBC4)

In 2014 Tucker was sentenced to two years of probation and spent 33 days in jail for breaking and entering. That sentence was suspended after 11 months. In January 2016 Tucker was sentenced to one year of prison with 187 days of jailtime credit for carrying a concealed weapon.

Ten months later he was charged with burglary and escape and pleaded guilty to the latter, in which he was sentenced to nine months in prison with three years of post-release control.

In Nov. 2021 Tucker was found not guilty of murder, attempted murder and felonious assault in the 2019 fatal shooting of William Berry III, but was found guilty of having weapons under disability. A Franklin County Court of Common Pleas judge issued a sentence of time served, which totaled 709 days.

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Three months later Tucker pleaded guilty to a 2019 robbery, which included dropped charges of felonious assault, aggravated robbery, kidnapping and having weapons under disability. He received 757 days of jailtime credit towards his two-year sentence and the case was closed.

Lastly, in Jan. 2022, Tucker pleaded guilty to possession of a deadly weapon while under detention. He received three years of community control. However, that sentence was terminated after he was arrested for probation violation in July 2023.

Wednesday a Franklin County Municipal Court judge issued Tucker bonds of $250,000 for the alleged shooting and aggravated robbery, $250,000 for the Cold Brew Coffee incident and a $5,000 for the Grandview Heights arrest. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for all three cases on Aug. 30.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  More than a month after black paint-like liquid was poured over the new rainbow crosswalk in East Nashville, authorities announced a man has been charged in connection with the incident.

The rainbow crosswalk is located at the intersection of 14th Street and Woodland Street outside of the Lipstick Lounge, a lesbian-owned bar. It was created at the end of Pride Month as a celebration of the citys LGBTQ+ community.

PREVIOUS: Rainbow crosswalk vandalized less than 1 week after installation

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said surveillance footage showed a man in a white Ford van pouring black liquid out of the drivers side window onto the crosswalk on July 2.

Isaiah Tester (Source: MNPD)

Authorities said a tip to Nashville Crime Stoppers led to the identification of 24-year-old Isaiah D. Tester as the suspect in the case.

On Tuesday, Aug. 20, detectives from the East Precinct took Tester into custody in Murfreesboro, where he lives, and booked him on a charge of vandalizing government property, according to officials.

Erasing the hate: Nashvilles rainbow crosswalk repainted after vandalism

Police said the investigation shows that Tester worked for a vehicle window replacement company, was driving one of his employers vans on July 2, and is believed to have used windshield prep primer to deface the crosswalk.

Tester allegedly admitted to the vandalism after being confronted by a coworker. He was later fired from the company, MNPD reported.

In addition, authorities said Tester admitted to the vandalism in an interview with detectives Tuesday afternoon.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

Metro Councilwoman Emily Benedict, chair of the councils LGBTQ Caucus, expressed her gratitude for the collective efforts of the community and the East Precinct officers in supporting MNPDs investigation.

We are deeply appreciative of the collaboration that led to the apprehension of the suspect. We want to assure the public that we are committed to safeguarding every aspect of the citys beautification efforts and will not tolerate any form of hatred towards Nashvilles diverse and vibrant community, Benedict said in a statement shared by the LGBTQ Caucus.

This news comes after about 50 people came out to repaint the rainbow crosswalk  which was made possible, in part, through the Nashville Department of Transportations Tactical Urbanism Program  on July 13.

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Man beats aunt, 55, to death with broom inside her Queens home: NYPD

Man beats aunt, 55, to death with broom inside her Queens home: NYPD

A man beat his 55-year-old aunt to death with a broom during a crazed quarrel inside her Queens home, police said Wednesday.

Alexander Fleming, 29, got into an argument with his aunt, Juanita Dallas, inside her home on 164th St. near 108th Ave. in South Jamaica Tuesday morning, cops said.

Cops responding to a 10:31 a.m. 911 call found Dallas struck in the head with a broom. Medics rushed her to North Shore University Hospital but she could not be saved.

Fleming was arrested for murder depraved indifference, assault and weapon possession. He lives in Richmond Hill, according to cops.

Flemings arraignment was pending in Queens Criminal Court Wednesday.
Man bleeding from head after hair transplant, wife arrested for refusing to get off Florida flight

Man bleeding from head after hair transplant, wife arrested for refusing to get off Florida flight

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  A man, who was heavily bleeding from his head after a hair transplant, and his wife were arrested early Tuesday morning after they refused to get off their flight in Miami, according to police.

The man, Eugenio Hernandez-Garnier, 27, boarded his American Airlines flight bound for Las Vegas with a bleeding forehead and a bloody bandage wrapped around his head. He said his doctor cleared him to fly and had paperwork confirming this, but flight attendants told him to deboard after seeing his bloody head.

Woman found dead inside burning car in Florida, deputies say

According to an arrest report, Hernandez-Garnier was asked to clean up the blood and replace his bandages but told flight attendants he did not have any clean bandages.

Due to his bloody head, the airline staff asked Hernandez-Garnier and his wife to exit the flight because they were concerned about his medical condition and body fluid contamination, the report said.

However, the couple refused to leave the plane.

Following their refusal, airport police officers boarded the plane and made several attempts to get the couple to exit the aircraft. After a brief moment of resisting, the couple was eventually arrested, according to the arrest report.

After Hernandez-Garnier was released from jail on Tuesday night, NBC affiliate WTVJ spoke with the 27-year-old, who described what happened.

I have a lot of pain. I have pain here and pain here on the head, he said.

According to WTVJ, the man flew to Miami from Las Vegas to get a hair transplant and liposuction, but when they were on their flight home, concerned passengers alerted flight attendants about his bleeding.

Hernandez-Garnier said he was told, You need to go out because somebody dont like what you have on your head.

5-year-old found in hot car while mom shops at Walmart

The man showed WTVJ the doctors note which stated he was cleared to fly and return to work with no restrictions, but he said the flight attendant told him she didnt care. Thats when the situation escalated.

She tells me you either go out, or Im gonna call the police. I said, call the police because thats injustice. I paid my flight. I dont have nothing illegal in my packet. Everything is fine, Hernandez-Garnier said.

The mans wife, Yusleidys Loyola, who also received cosmetic surgery in Miami, livestreamed the incident on TikTok as thousands watched.

You guys know Ive got breast lift, arm lipo I cant even walk, Loyola told WTVJ in Spanish. Call 911 We are being discriminated against and abused.

The couple then reflected on the moment airport officers attempted to get them off the plane.

If you dont get off, theyre going to grab you and theyre going to pull you off, an officer told Hernandez.

Divers find 4 bodies during search of superyacht wreckage after it sank off Sicily, 2 more remain

The TikTok video continued to show the officers removing the couple from the plane. They were arrested for refusing to comply after multiple warnings, a report showed.

This could have all been avoided if they would have just followed the commands or the request of the officers to vacate the aircraft, Miami-Dade County police spokesperson Argemis Colome told WTVJ.

The couple was charged with trespassing and resisting arrest. According to WTVJ, Loyola was expected to be released from jail Wednesday morning.

American Airlines released a statement to WFLA following the incident:

During boarding of American Airlines flight 1858 on Aug. 19 with service from Miami (MIA) to Las Vegas (LAS), two customers became disruptive and were non-compliant with crewmember instructions. Law enforcement responded and removed both customers from the aircraft. We thank our crewmembers for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience, a spokesperson said.

After an overnight delay, the flight finally departed on Tuesday morning, the airline said.

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Man charged in alleged DUI crash that killed woman in Tacoma earlier this year

Pierce County prosecutors have charged a 26-year-old man with vehicular homicide for his role in a fatal Tacoma wreck that killed a woman earlier this year.

Noah Steven Cadaram is currently not in police custody, but an arraignment is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 3, according to court records.

Charging details

Charging documents state that Tacoma police officers were dispatched to 6th Avenue and Alder Street on April 20 in response to a crash. A witness saw a gray car, later identified as Cadarams silver 2010 Hyundai Elantra, driving west on 6th Avenue. The Hyundai allegedly ran the red traffic light before crashing into a red car, later identified as the womans red 2003 Toyota Camry, according to charging documents.

The victim, identified in court documents as B. Gonzalez, was pronounced deceased at the scene, prosecutors wrote.

Detectives alleged that the Hyundai was driving north on South Alder Street and entered the intersection on 6th Avenue at a high rate of speed. The Camry was driving west on 6th Avenue and entered the intersection on South Alder Street on a green traffic signal light just prior to the crash, prosecutors wrote.

Officers who spoke to Cadaram noted an odor of intoxicants coming from his breath as he spoke, prosecutors wrote. Cadaram said he was coming from the Tacoma Comedy Club prior to the crash and drank one 20-ounce beer.

Cadaram was taken to the hospital following the wreck.

Toxicology results from Cadarams blood showed an ethanol level of 0.17, documents show. The legal blood alcohol content limit for drivers in Washington is 0.08 percent.
Man charged with murder of toddler, 2 teens following 2023 expressway shooting

CHICAGO  A man has been charged following an expressway shooting last year that left a toddler and two teens dead.

On Feb. 19, 2023, authorities responded to northbound lanes near 116th and Bishop streets on I-57 and discovered a white Ford Escape with several bullet holes in it.

Six people were shot and a 2-year-old girl, later identified as A-mara Hall, was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Two males, later identified as 13-year-old William Smith and 19-year-old Nasir Hall, were pronounced dead at the scene.

ISP: 3 dead, including baby, after 6 shot on I-57

On Monday, Sean Richardson, 20, of Chicago, was taken into custody on an unrelated charge.

He was then charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder.

Shortly after the shooting, police said the shooting was not related to road rage.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo.  A man accused of shooting and killing an Independence police officer and Jackson County process server wants to delay his court proceedings.

According to a motion filed by Larry Acrees lawyer, Acree needs surgery before he could be reasonably expected of participating in his own defense.

The motion was filed last Thursday. A judge has yet to rule on the motion.

Acree, 70, who faces 18 criminal counts related to the death of IPD Officer Cody Allen and Jackson County process server Drexel Mack.

Clay County deputies arrest man with enough fentanyl to kill thousands

The Jackson County Prosecutors Office notified the 16th Circuit Court back in May that its seeking the death penalty against Acree.

Acree faces two counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of first-degree assault and nine counts of armed criminal in what investigators say was an ambush on Allen, Mack and others who responded to a home near N. Elsea Smith Road and E. Bundschu Road on February 29.

The shooting was preceded by an attempted eviction. Charging documents say Mack and two others arrived at the home to physically evict Acree and used tools to remove a padlock from the gated drive.

After knocking and announcing themselves, they didnt receive a response or any indication that the home was occupied, according to court records. They drilled out the front door lock and entered the home. Thats when prosecutors say Acree started shooting from inside the home.

Mack was shot and fell to the floor immediately, court documents say.

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Other process servers called for help, and Independence police responded to the call. When police arrived, three officers entered the home and attempted to rescue Mack.

Prosecutors say again Acree started shooting from inside the home. Allen was shot in the head, court records say, and a second Independence officer was hit in the torso.

Officers returned fire and eventually took Acree into custody. The second officer hit needed surgery.

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KOSSUTH COUNTY, Iowa  A man who was convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting death of an Algona police officer has had his request for a new trial denied.

In July Kyle Ricke was found guilty of fatally shooting Algona Police Officer Kevin Cram. In September 2023 Officer Cram was attempting to serve Ricke with an arrest warrant when Ricke pulled out a gun and shot him.

Story Archive: Shooting death of Algona Police Officer Kevin Cram

Rickes defense team filed a motion for a new trial in early August and claimed that there wasnt sufficient evidence proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Ricke acted with malice aforethought or premeditation. On Tuesday a Kossuth County judge denied Rickes request for a new trial.

Ricke is scheduled to be sentenced on August 21.

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CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC)  A 2-year-old in Virginia accidentally shot their mothers boyfriend Monday morning, according to police, leaving the man in critical condition.

Police say it appears that the man was preparing to leave his house Monday morning and had placed his handgun on a nearby chair when the young child picked up the gun.

It is believed that the child accidentally fired the gun, shooting the man. No one else was injured, including the child.

When officers arrived, police said they found the man had been shot once. He was flown by helicopter to a local hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. He remains in critical condition two days later.

Was your data leaked in massive breach?: How to know, and what to do now

This shooting, which occurred in Chesterfield County, underscores a recent change in Virginia law aimed at preventing such tragedies. As of last month, it is a felony in the state for gun owners to allow children access to firearms under Lucias Law.

The legislation is named in honor of 13-year-old Lucia Bremer, who was fatally shot in Henrico County in 2021 by a 14-year-old. The boy who shot her used a guardians gun that was left unattended. The law seeks to address the growing concerns around gun safety and child access.

Accidental shootings have resulted in the deaths of at least 1,262 children, ages 17 and under, between 2003 and 2021, according to data collected in 49 states and Washington, D.C., by the National Violent Death Reporting System. A majority were killed in their own home while playing with the firearm or showing it to another person.

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Man denied bond in 2001 murder of UGA law student after character witnesses take the stand

A judge denied bond on Tuesday for the man accused in the 23-year-old murder of a University of Georgia law student.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested Edrick Faust in May for the 2001 murder of Tara Baker. Police found Baker dead after a fire at her apartment. Investigators determined it had been set intentionally.

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On Tuesday, Faust pleaded not guilty to Bakers murder. His attorney argued that Faust should have been granted bond capped at $100,000.

Excessive bail is the equivalent to no bail, Attorney Ahmad R. Crews said. Fausts fiancee took the stand to defend his character.

As I know him, he steers away from any conflict with people and he likes to walk away, she said. Hes kind, considerate, loyal, dependable, courteous to others and trustworthy.

The prosecution painted a different picture, citing Fausts decades-long criminal history

Your Honor, this defendant has a 49-cycle criminal history. He has violent offenses and he has over 20 probation violations, which means he has shown a pattern of disregard of the most basic conditions of being out on probation and that is do not commit another crime, District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez said.

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Bakers sister also took the stand.

The defendant has been no stranger to this courthouse or the surrounding areas for that matter. For 30 years, he has wreaked havoc on this community. He put a knife in a mans neck just a few months following Taras death, Meredith Baker Schroeder said.

Judge Lisa Lott denied bond, citing the defendants threat to the community and his criminal history.

This defendant poses a significant risk of committing any felony pending trial, the judge told the court.

The state has 30 days to provide a witness list to the defense. No trial date has been set.

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A Kentucky man who faked his own death to avoid paying child support was sentenced to more than six years in prison Monday after he pleaded guilty to computer fraud and identity theft.

Jesse Kipf, 39, from Somerset, was sentenced to 81 months on Monday in federal court for computer fraud and aggravated identity theft, prosecutors said in a news release.

At the time of his arrest, Kipf owed his ex-wife more than $116,000 in child support, according to a March plea agreement. He also agreed to pay a total of nearly $80,000 in restitution to the Hawaii Department of Health and two private businesses.

Jesse Kipf, 39, agreed to plead guilty and pay nearly $116,000 in child support and more than $80,000 in restitution for identify theft and computer fraud, authorities said. Grayson County Detention Center

Kipf admitted that he accessed the Hawaii Death Registry System in January 2023 with the username and password of a doctor living in another state and used the doctors credentials to certify his death. As a result, he was listed as dead in other government databases.

This scheme was a cynical and destructive effort, based in part on the inexcusable goal of avoiding his child support obligations, U.S. attorney Carlton S. Shier IV said in a statement, calling Kipfs conduct disgraceful.

Kipf also pleaded guilty to using the dark web to try to sell access to other death registry systems using credentials created under the identities of real people, prosecutors said.

HuffPost reached out to Kipfs attorney but did not receive an immediate response.

This case is a stark reminder of how damaging criminals with computers can be, and how critically important computer and online security is to us all. Fortunately, through the excellent work of our law enforcement partners, this case will serve as a warning to other cyber criminals, and he will face the consequences of his disgraceful conduct, Shier said.

Related...
Man who faked own death by hacking into death registry to avoid paying child support sentenced to over 6 years in prison

A Kentucky man who faked his own death by hacking into a death registry to avoid paying child support was sentenced to over 6 years in prison Monday, according to a release from the U.S. Attorneys Office of the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Jesse Kipf accessed the Hawaii death registry system in January 2023, using the username and password of a physician living in another state, to create a case for his own death, according to his plea agreement.

He then completed a death certificate worksheet, assigned himself as the medical certifier for the case and certified his death, using the digital signature of the doctor. This resulted in Kipf being registered as a deceased person in many government databases, the release reads.

Kipf admitted he faked his own death, in part, to avoid his outstanding child support obligations, it says.

We respect the courts decision, Kipfs attorney, Tommy Miceli, told CNN.

Using credentials he stole from real people, Kipf also infiltrated other states death registry systems, private business networks, along with governmental and corporate networks  then tried to sell access to the networks on the dark net, according to officials.

Kipf was sentenced to 81 months in prison on Monday and is required to serve 85% of his prison sentence under federal law. After hes released, hell be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years, the release said.

This scheme was a cynical and destructive effort, based in part on the inexcusable goal of avoiding his child support obligations, said Carlton S. Shier, IV, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. This case is a stark reminder of how damaging criminals with computers can be, and how critically important computer and online security is to us all.

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Man Fatally Shoots Girlfriend, Her Mother Near Courthouse As They Sought Protective Order

A Kentucky woman who was seeking a protective order against her boyfriend was fatally shot alongside her mother on Monday morning outside the courthouse in Elizabethtown before her hearing.

Erica Riley, 37, and her mother, Janet Riley, 71, were identified by multiple newsoutlets as the women who were killed by Christopher Elder, 46, outside the Hardin County Justice Center.

A third family member was wounded, Elizabethtown Police Chief Jeremy Thompson told reporters on Monday. Police did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request Tuesday for an update on their condition.

After a pursuit and standoff with police, Elder fatally shot himself.

Erica Riley and her mother, Janet Riley, shown in photos posted on Facebook, were killed outside a courthouse in Kentucky. Facebook

Court records cited by WAVE-TV in Louisville said that Erica Riley and Elder were scheduled for a court hearing that morning on a request for an emergency protective order. Riley said that Elder had been abusive toward her and her two children for a year and a half.

The document, obtained by WAVE-TV, described an incident in which Riley said Elder was drunk and screaming at her daughter and that when she tried to intervene, he hit her twice in the jaw.

Thompson told reporters that two children who were part ofthe protective order case were also there when Riley and her mother were shot. The children were unharmed.

Elizabethtown police spokesperson Chris Denham told WDRB-TV in Louisville that Janet Riley was taken to the hospital after the shooting, where she died of her injuries.

Thompson told reporters that Elder drove off before authorities arrived.

Several law enforcement agencies, including the Kentucky State Police, chased Elder. The Hopkinsville Police Department said he actively pointed a rifle at pursuing officers multiple times. He then drove into a church parking lot, where a standoff began.

During the standoff, Elder pointed his rifle at himself and at officers, police officers reported. After about 90 minutes of negotiations, Elder shot himself in the head, authorities said.

Elder was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, where he was later pronounced dead, Denham told the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear responded to the incident on X, calling the shooting a senseless act of violence.

Elizabethtown police have confirmed a shooting near the Hardin County Justice Center. Those in the area should follow guidance from law enforcement. Please join Britainy and me in praying for everyone affected by this senseless act of violence. ^AB  Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) August 19, 2024

Data cited by the Domestic Violence Hotline reveals that nearly 1 in 4 women in the U.S. will be the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime and that the presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases a womans risk of homicide by 500%.

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-866-331-9474 or text loveis to 22522 for the National Dating Abuse Helpline.
Man finds hiding spot for $2M winning lottery ticket to protect it from his dog

Cristen Breton, of Salisbury, stashed his winning $2 million scratch-off ticket in his microwave to keep it safe, officials with the N.C. Education Lottery said on Wednesday.

Woman chooses dates from family birthdays on lottery ticket, wins $120K

The cashier told me to go home and not tell anyone, said Breton. I put the ticket in the microwave to protect it from my dog.

Breton bought his $20 Platinum ticket from Fast Stop of East Spencer on Andrews Street in Salisbury.

I went into the store and bought three tickets, said Breton. The third one won. I thought it was a joke.

Breton chose the lump sum of $1.2 million and took home $858,000 after taxes.

The only thing I want to do is help my mom, said Breton. She deserves this.

Breton also plans to repair his home.

Platinum debuted in August 2022 with four top prizes of $2 million and eight $100,000 prizes. Breton won the last top prize.
RICHMOND, Calif. (KRON)  A man was found dead inside a manhole in Richmond on Tuesday. Evidence gathered from the Richmond Police Department showed the victim was possibly involved in the theft of copper wiring prior to his death.

Wildfire in Solano County prompts evacuation warnings

Police received calls of a man down and an explosion in the area of South Second Street and the I-580 overcrossing at about 2:30 a.m. Crews arrived to find the body of a dead man in an electrical vault within the manhole.

Emergency personnel initially couldnt extract the body due to the electrical lines being actively charged.

Approximately 12 hours later, crews from the Richmond Fire Department were then able to extract the mans body from the electrical vault once the power lines were less charged.

While extracting the body, Richmond Fire said, Evidence was located showing that the victim was possibly involved in the theft of copper wiring when he came into contact with a high-voltage electrical source.

The man was identified as 28-year-old Richmond resident Salvador Cachu.

RPD is investigating the explosion as an attempted theft with an unexplained death, pending results of an autopsy. Anyone with information is requested to contact Richmond police.

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Raleigh homicide detectives are investigating after a man was fatally shot near a middle school early Wednesday morning.

According to a news release, police were called to a report of a shooting just before 6 a.m in the 1400 block of Carnage Drive near Carnage Middle School inside the Raleigh Beltline.

The victim, whose name has not been released, had died by the time officers arrived, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Raleigh Police Department at 919-996-3335 or submit a tip to Raleigh CrimeStoppers by clicking the Leave a Tip button on its website.

We will update this story as we get more information.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET)  A 24-year-old man faces a life term behind bars after being found guilty of murder in the shooting death of a man who was sleeping in a car at Beale Park.

A jury on Tuesday found Tyequez Baker guilty of first-degree murder, shooting at an occupied motor vehicle and being a felon in possession of a gun and ammunition, according to court records. His trial began earlier this month.

On Sept. 14, 2020, Glenn Earl Henderson Jr. was shot while asleep in his car. Baker was arrested three days later.

Prosecutors said theres no indication Baker and Henderson, 26, knew each other, and the motive remains unknown.

Witnesses, Ring doorbell footage and DNA evidence on the weapon point to Baker as the shooter, prosecutor Joe Marcano said during trial.

The Ring footage shows Baker leave an apartment that morning wearing a mask and a hooded sweatshirt. He returned after the shooting without either item, Marcano said. Police found the murder weapon disassembled in the bathroom.

Defense lawyer Phillip Gillet told the jury witnesses described the shooter differently. One said the gunman was Hispanic. Baker is Black.

Gillet noted the DNA of both Baker and his roommate  who is Hispanic  were found on the gun. The roommate was not charged.

Sentencing is set for Sept. 18.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17.
Police officers stand in a cordoned-off area at Frankfurt Central Station, where a man has shot another man. Andreas Arnold/dpa

German police have arrested a 54-year-old suspect believed to be the gunman behind a fatal shooting on a railway platform in the busy Frankfurt Central Station on Tuesday night.

The victim, a 27-year-old man, was standing on the station's Platform 9 at around 9 pm (1900 GMT) on Tuesday when a gunman approached him from behind and fired several shots from a pistol, according to police.

The victim died at the scene. The suspected gunman tried to flee but was captured by police shortly afterwards on a nearby platform.

A pistol believed to have been the weapon used in the shooting was discovered during a search of the station, which was closed to all train traffic for about 25 minutes on Tuesday night due to the police operation.

Prosecutors in Frankfurt said on Wednesday that both the suspect and the victim are Turkish nationals. A possible motive in the shooting remains unclear, and authorities said the investigation remains ongoing.

The 54-year-old suspected shooter is set to be brought before a judge on Wednesday, who will decide whether the man will remain in custody while police continue to investigate the shooting.

By Wednesday, travellers again swarmed the station and little indication remained of the fatal shooting just hours earlier.

"It's really frightening that something like this happens in the middle of the railway station," a student from Frankfurt who was on her way to Munich told dpa, noting that the district around the Frankfurt Central Station has long been notorious for its seediness.

"The station has got worse," a man who said he has been working at a bakery stall near Platform 9 for over 20 years told dpa.

The police have cordoned off an operational area at Frankfurt Central Station, where a man has shot another man. Andreas Arnold/dpa
Man injured in hammer attack at Blue Line station on Near West Side

Man injured in hammer attack at Blue Line station on Near West Side

CHICAGO  A man is recovering in the hospital on Tuesday afternoon after he was attacked by a person armed with a hammer during a robbery at a CTA Blue Line station on the citys Near West Side.

Chicago police said the incident unfolded just before 4 p.m. on the platform of the Western Blue Line stop in the 400 block of South Western Avenue.

Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines

According to police, the victim, a 31-year-old man, was standing on the platform when a female, whose age is unknown, approached him and forcefully took his phone.

The man tried to take his phone back but another person, a male whose age is also unknown, struck him in the head with a hammer several times.

Officers said the victim sustained several lacerations to his head and was taken to the hospital in good condition.

No arrests have been made in connection with the attack and police said an investigation is now underway.

LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland

Authorities did not provide a description of either individual involved.

Anyone with information on the attack that could help authorities in their investigation is asked to contact CPD Area Four Detectives at 312-746-8251 or dial 911.

Those with information that could help detectives in their investigation can also leave a tip at CPDtip.com. Tips can be filed anonymously.

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Man in jail, accused of trying to carjack woman at gunpoint near Ohio high school

A 19-year-old man is in jail after being accused of trying to carjack a woman near an Ohio high school.

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Deputies responded Monday to reports that a man pointed a gun at a car on Riverside Drive and forced the driver to stop, according to the Butler County Sheriffs Office.

This happened near Edgewood High School.

Steven Sizemore is accused of ordering the driver to get out. He started to get in but stopped when a woman refused to get in with him.

The victim got back in and drove off.

>>Community mourning unexpected death of sheriffs deputy

When deputies arrested Sizemore, they found a gun on him.

As deputies transported the suspect to jail, he kicked the rear doors and damaged both door handles, the sheriffs office said.

Sizemore has been charged with aggravated robbery, theft of a motor vehicle, and vandalism.

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A motorcyclist from South Carolina was killed following a crash in Midtown, police said Wednesday.

Desmond Paige, 24, was heading north on Sixth Ave. near W. 42nd St. about 10:45 p.m. on Monday when he collided with a Toyota Sienna, cops said.

The SUV was also heading north on Sixth Ave. and was making a right turn onto W. 42nd St. when it made contact with Paiges Lifan motorcycle, cops said.

Paige, who lived in Dillon, S.C., was thrown from the motorcycle to the pavement, witnesses told police.

He was suffering from a severe head injury and body trauma when EMS rushed him to Bellevue Hospital, where he later died.

The 49-year-old man behind the wheel of the Sienna remained at the scene.

No charges were immediately filed.
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now)  The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) said it has identified the man who was shot and killed inside a Golds Gym in Reston on Tuesday afternoon.

Shortly after 1 p.m., officers responded to a Golds Gym at the 11800 block of Sunrise Valley Drive for a shooting.

(Max Marcilla/DC News Now)

Once inside the gym, officers found 31-year-old Hyung Joon Choi, of Reston, suffering from gunshot wounds to his upper body.

Responders took him to the hospital in life-threatening condition, where he died.

Crews battle townhouse fire in Fairfax County; no reported injuries

According to police, Choi was working out in the gym when the suspect, later identified as 43-year-old Steve Taehee Ha, approached him in a targeted stance before shooting him.

Detectives identified Ha as the suspect on Tuesday evening and arrested him.

I just moved to the area, like four months ago. So I am all about safety and being around, you know, safe here And this is honestly the safest area Ive seen and have something like this happen at a gym. I mean, I feel for the victim and their family and its just Im shocked, said gym member Kim Peters.

The Office of the Fairfax Commonwealths Attorney told DC News Now that authorities charged Ha with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

He was arraigned in court on Wednesday morning.

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Burlington, VT- A man accused of assaulting a woman and leaving her with severe injuries is being held without bail after pleading not guilty to two charges on Monday.

Darel Clark, 29, appeared in court in Burlington on charges of second-degree attempted murder, and possession of brass knuckles. Hell be held at Northwest State Correctional Facility during his trial.

According to the police affidavit, Clark attacked a 47-year-old homeless woman on Monday morning in Battery Park because he believed she stole his phone and bag. When speaking with police, the woman denied ever taking either.

Police say the woman was admitted to the ICU at UVMMC with critical injuries including two severe brain bleeds, a collapsed lung, and several fractured ribs on her right side. Investigators found brass knuckles and a folding knife wrapped inside layers of socks, but its unclear if either was used in the alleged assault.

According to court records, Clark is relatively new to the Burlington area and comes from Missouri, where he was last arrested in 2022. Clarks next court date has not been scheduled.

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This man predicted all recent presidential election winners. Will he be right this time? | Opinion

Allan J. Lichtman, the American University historian who predicted the outcome of virtually all recent U.S. elections and became famous when he accurately forecast  against what pollsters were saying  that Donald Trump would win in 2016, was very cautions when I interviewed him about the 2024 presidential race.

But, while cautioning that he will issue his official prediction after Labor Day, he gave me a good hint of who has the best chances of winning the race between Democratic hopeful Kamala Harris and Trump.

Lichtman, who has developed a system of 13 keys to predict elections  which he says is more accurate than polls  told me that a lot would have to go wrong for the Democratic Party to lose. Translation: as of now, Harris has the best chances of winning.

Lichtmans prediction system consists of 13 questions that have to be answered each with a true or false. If the incumbent party gets a false in six of the 13 keys, it will lose the White House.

Since he started announcing his forecasts 20 years ago, he was right in nine of the last 10 elections. He says he was actually right in all 10 of them, because the 2000 election was atypical: his pick, Al Gore, won the popular vote, but the Supreme Court gave the election to George W. Bush.

Among Lichtmans 13 keys are whether there is an incumbent president running for office, whether there is a strong third-party candidate and whether the economy is doing well.

Right now the Democrats are down in only three keys of the six that would be needed for them to lose the election, Lichtman told me. The Democrats are down in the mandate key, because they lost the House in the 2022 elections, in the incumbency key, because Joe Biden is no longer the candidate, and in the charisma key, because its too early to tell whether Harris is charismatic, he explained.

Wont Trump win the charisma key, as horrible a human being as many of us think he is? I asked Licthman.

He doesnt fit the definition of the (charisma) key, Lichtman responded, The keys require that you be broadly appealing. You cant just appeal to a narrow base like Trump.

Lichtman says that he doesnt pay attention to the polls because they are just a snapshot of the present, which is not useful to predict what will happen on Election Day.

In addition, just as pollsters underestimated the pro-Trump vote in 2016, they may now be under-estimating the pro-Democratic vote, he said.

Pollsters say, You know, our error margin is randomly plus or minus 3% approximately. But thats pure statistical error, he said. People may lie. They may not have made up their mind yet. They may change their mind.

As for surveys on donors campaign contributions, crowd sizes or debates, he told me, Remember, based on conventional measures, Hillary Clinton should have won in 2016: She raised more money, had more ads, won all the debates, had a better organization. And, of course, she lost.

Will Lichtman be right this time again? I have no intention of getting into the election forecasting business, but heres my humble guess: Harris will easily win the popular vote, and Trump  if he loses in the electoral college  will dispute the results.

He is already preparing the ground for contesting the election by saying Harris staged an alleged illegal coup against Bidens nomination, still refuses to accept his defeat in the 2020 elections, and routinely praises the insurrectionists who occupied the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an effort to revert the election results.

On top of that, Trump has not yet committed to accepting a potential adverse result in this years elections. He doesnt play by the rules of democracy, or decency. So, whatever happens, my prediction is that it will be a big mess.

Dont miss the Oppenheimer Presenta TV show on Sundays at 9 pm E.T. on CNN en Espanol. Blog: andresoppenheimer.com
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN)  A man found guilty of killing two women will serve the maximum sentence behind bars.

Thirty-four-year-old Deante Holden was sentenced Wednesday morning in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court. The courtroom was packed with family and friends on both sides as the judge sentenced Holden to 45 years to life in prison.

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Last month, a jury found Holden guilty for the deaths of 38-year-old Felicia Brown and 44-year-old Michaela Daniels.

Police say the two women gave Holden a ride on Feb. 26, 2023, where they stopped at a gas station on West Third Street and Gettysburg Avenue. Thats when prosecutors say Holden shot both women and took off, before coming back to steal their phones.

Throughout the trial, Holden claimed self defense in killing the two women. During Wednesdays sentencing, Judge Mary Wiseman called the murders coldblooded executions, heinous in nature, saying Holdens self defense claim was jaw-dropping.

Your self defense claim was, in my estimation, bogus and preposterous and added an additional insult to the tragedy and the harm that you have caused to these family members in this community, said Judge Wiseman to Holden. It is entirely possible that you will spend the rest of your natural life in the Ohio prison system.

During his statement to the judge, Holden said he did what he had to do  and then issued an apology to the victims families.

Im sorry to the victims families for the pain that I caused toward them, said Holden.

At the sentencing, Daniels daughter said no amount of apologies can replace her mom.

Im never going to get this kid to hug her and smell her and tell her that I love her, said Ajanae Milliner, daughter of Daniels.

Daniels father spoke to 2 NEWS, saying what happened was senseless, but his daughter will not be forgotten.

I always believed that they would find him guilty. It was a senseless act of violence against two women. said Michael Adrian Daniels, father of Daniels. My daughters resting in the arms of the Lord. He took away from us. He took the body away from us. He can never take her spirit.

Judge Wiseman says Holden will not become eligible for parole until after hes served 45 years. He was also ordered to pay restitution to cover the victims funeral expenses.

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Man riding moped that crashed on I-75 is charged with murder in death of 10-year-old girl

A man and woman from Lexington have been charged in connection with the death of a 10-year-old girl who was on a moped that crashed on Interstate 75 earlier this month.

Kentucky State Police have said they believe alcohol was a contributing factor in the collision.

Darius L. Wade, 31, of Lexington, was on the moped with the girl when it was hit by a Kia Sportage Aug. 4. Both vehicles were heading north on I-75 near the 26 mile marker in Whitley County when the collision occurred, state police said in a news release.

Wade and the child were taken to Baptist Regional Hospital in Corbin and then transferred to the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital via air evac, state police said in a news release.

The girl was pronounced dead at the hospital by the Fayette County Coroners Office, police said.

Wade is charged with murder and operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, state police said in an update Tuesday.

They said Wades girlfriend, Danisha Martin, 32, has been charged with complicity to commit murder. State police indicated that Martin is from Lexington, though court records listed her address as Corbin.

Martin is the childs mother, WKYT reported. The television station said a criminal complaint states that Martin told police she knew Wade had been drinking before he drove the moped with her daughter aboard.

The childs name was not released by state police.

However, an obituary at Vankirk-Grisell Funeral Home in Corbin says Samya Lasha Strozier died Aug. 5 in an unfortunate accident in Corbin.

The obituary states that Danisha Martin is Samyas mother.

As a student at Hunter Hills Elementary in Laurel County, she exhibited a bright spirit and a kind heart. Samyas laughter and infectious smile will be sorely missed by those who had the privilege of knowing her, the obituary states.

Funeral services were held Sunday.
Man sentenced in I-5 wreck in Pierce County that killed a loved and amazing woman

A Kent man has pleaded guilty for his role in an Interstate 5 hit-and-run wreck that left a Tacoma woman dead last year.

Andriy Myronets, 22, pleaded guilty and was sentenced Friday for vehicular homicide and failure to remain at an accident scene resulting in death. Pierce County Superior Court Judge Stanley Rumbaugh sentenced Myronets to 4 years, 6 months in prison for the July 20, 2023 wreck, court records show.

Myronets was at the wheel of a BMW that hit motorcyclist Morgan Baker, 48, in the northbound lanes of I-5 near Fife. Baker was thrown from her motorcycle and died at the scene, records show.

The BMW drove off but was found on its top about a mile from the original collision, troopers said. The driver was not inside. Troopers later stopped a black Mercedes in the area. The driver told them he was Myronets cousin and had been called to give him a ride, court records show.

Video surveillance troopers obtained from a nearby convenience store showed a man matching Myronets description some time later, court records show. The person in the video was not wearing a shirt and appeared to be injured.

Several hours later, an attorney called Washington State Patrol to make arrangements for Myronets to turn himself in, documents show. He was arrested outside the attorneys office and booked into the Pierce County Jail.

Investigators learned that Myronets drove at high speed, which led to his vehicle crashing with Bakers motorcycle.

Nearly 40 victim-impact statements from Bakers family members and loved ones were submitted prior to Myronets sentencing, court records show. A majority of the statements described what Baker meant to the people who loved her and how her death as affected them.

The sister of Bakers wife said in a statement that hearing the news of the fatal crash caused her to experience a panic attack for the first time.

The trauma of this crime left a scar on the nervous systems of Mos family and friends, the statement said. She was my sister Jennas person. The two of them together were inspiring to watch.

Baker was described as generous with a distinctive sense of humor, the statement said. She was reliably honest, strong and steady.

Bakers sister said in a statement that the aftermath of the crash shattered their family. She urged the court to give Myronets a maximum sentence of 54 months in prison.

She should not be a statistic, she was an amazing individual whose life was cut short by someones reckless disregard for human life, the statement said.

A sentencing memorandum written by prosecutors said that Baker showed up for her loved ones and her absence is a constant echo in the void.

[Baker] truly was a loved and amazing woman full of energy and life; she is terribly missed, the memorandum said.
Catch up: On Oct. 5, 2022, Dang, along with two other men, walked into Tai Loi restaurant and fatally shot Hanh Nguyen, 63, and Long Nguyen, 51, while they were sitting inside a booth. The shooting, captured on surveillance video, was preceded by an attempted extortion of $1,000 at a nearby Vietnamese business. Dang was arrested on Oct. 16 after an hours-long standoff with SWAT. He pleaded guilty to the murder charges just before his trial was set to begin, ensuring he cannot appeal the conviction or sentence. Dang must serve at least half of his sentence before being eligible for parole.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)  A city man who left the hospital while he was being treated for an overdose was sentenced to two years probation last week.

Darick Mallory, 37, received the sentence after pleading guilty Thursday to a charge of attempted escape before Judge Maureen Sweeney in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Mallory was charged with walking away from St. Elizabeth Health Center in April after he was taken there following an overdose at a Boardman coffee shop.

At the time he was taken to the hospital, he was wanted on two warrants.

Reports said Mallory was warned if he left the hospital he would be charged with escape. He was found May 18 by Boardman police and booked into the county jail.

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(WJET/WFXP)  A Pennsylvania man will be behind bars for several years for his role in trafficking multiple drugs in the western region of the Commonwealth.

Andrew Nunley, 50, of Pittsburgh, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on his convictions for trafficking fentanyl, fluorofentanyl and cocaine.

According to court documents, a drug investigation was conducted from June 2022 to December 2023 by law enforcement under the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program in Beaver County targeting Nunley.

In January 2023, officers searched two of Nunleys known stash houses and found about 15,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills, 4,200 stamp bags, 40 boxes containing empty glassine bags and a bulk of U.S. currency.

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The evidence was taken for testing where a laboratory confirmed the seized substances contained about 1,352 grams of fentanyl, 797 grams of a fluorofentanyl and fentanyl mixture and 199 grams of fluorofentanyl.

Fluorofentanyl and fentanyl are Schedule I and II controlled substances.

Officers continued to investigate Nunleys drug trafficking operation and identified a third residence used by Nunley where they intercepted a parcel addressed to the residence that contained about two kilograms of fentanyl in December 2023.

Law enforcement performed a controlled delivery operation of the seized parcel where they encountered Nunley, who confessed to expecting the parcel containing drugs.

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Officers also seized over 500 grams of cocaine from a mid-level drug dealer after meeting with Nunley as part of their overall investigation.

Nunley was sentenced on Aug. 15, 2024, on the convictions of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of fluorofentanyl and 500 grams or more of cocaine, as well as to possess with intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and the United States Postal Inspection Service were commended for their investigation in this case.

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WARREN, Ohio (WKBN)  A man accused of lying about his military status during court proceedings on a gun charge pleaded guilty Wednesday to a tampering with records charge.

Erik Snead, 42, who is currently in prison, was given a sentence of nine months to be served in addition to his 24-month sentence on a gun charge out of Liberty Township, according to the Trumbull County Prosecutors Office.

Snead was also admonished for stolen valor and charged with tampering with records after prosecutors said he filed false documents concerning his military service while undergoing a pre-sentence background check. He said he was wounded in combat overseas, but the investigation uncovered that he never joined the service, and he lied when he told a judge that he left the service during boot camp.

The judge told Snead upon this latest sentencing: Your lies have gotten you these prison sentences. I think you better start telling the truth.

Chelsea Simeon contributed to this report.

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A Dallas drug trafficker who tried smuggling fentanyl pills in his childs teddy bear-shaped bag will spend eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, according to a Department of Justice news release.

Jorge Miguel Arteaga Medina, 23, was charged and indicted in April 2023, according to the release. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Ada Brown.

Medina said in his plea that he got the pills from a supplier in Mexico known to authorities as 22, then sold the fentanyl to customers in the Dallas area, according to the release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Texas. In February 2023, a confidential source bought 171 grams of fentanyl pills from him in a meeting that was recorded.

During that sale, Medina told the informant to contact him if they needed more pills in the future, according to the Justice Department. In April 2023, the source reached out to Medina to buy more pills. Medina said he had around 3,000 pills but would need to contact his boss in Mexico if the source needed more than that. Authorities believe the boss was 22.

When agents with the Drug Enforcement Agency approached Medina and informed him of the investigation, he admitted he had a large quantity of pills in his apartment and a handgun inside a bag strapped to his chest, according to the release. Medina took the agents to the apartment where his wife and young child lived and showed them the pills.

Some of the pills were in his bedroom closet and the rest were inside his childs stuffed animal, according to the DOJ.

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Prosecutors submitted photographs in court Tuesday depicting the pills inside the stuffed animal along with posters of Santa Muerte, the so-called patron saint of drug dealers, also known as Our Lady of Holy Death.
LAKE BARRINGTON, Ill.  A man and a woman are facing charges following a SWAT standoff Tuesday in Lake Barrington.

Lake County Sheriffs deputies responded to a hit-and-run crash on Route 14 at Pepper Road in Lake Barrington at around. The vehicle was located at around 12:35 p.m. abandoned at a business just northwest of Pepper Road.

Police determined that the vehicle was being driven by a man, Osceola Little, 38, of Everett, Washington suspected in a recent homicide in Chicago. Police allege he fled from law enforcement earlier in the day and deemed him armed and dangerous.

According to police, surveillance video was obtained from a business which showed Little exiting the crashed vehicle with a duffle bag and a woman, later identified as Luisa Sanchez, 22, of Cary, exiting with a backpack. Both then fled on foot.

A coordinated search was then conducted by police in an effort to find the pair.

At approximately 2:10 p.m., Sanchez was located and taken into custody at a gas station in the area of Route 14 and Kelsey Road. Detectives determined Sanchez hid a firearm inside of the gas station in an air vent. The gun allegedly belonged to Little and was used in the Chicago homicide.

A manhunt ensued for Little involving over 10 drones and 20 canine teams, according to police.

He was seen at around 6:20 p.m. and allegedly ran into an occupied industrial building in the 21900 block of Pepper Road.

Previous: Chicago homicide suspect arrested after manhunt in Lake Barrington

Deputies were able to contain Little to an office room in the building and safely evacuate the employees. Little surrendered at around 8:15 p.m. during the SWAT standoff.

Little was charged with aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. Authorities said additional charges are likely in Cook County.

Sanchez was charged with obstructing justice, aiding a fugitive and unlawful possession of a firearm.

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By Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters) - George Santos' willingness to spend a minimum two years in prison was a critical part of his agreement to plead guilty to fraud and identity theft, the federal prosecutor who charged the scandal-plagued former U.S. congressman said on Tuesday.

Breon Peace, U.S. attorney for Long Island and the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, told Reuters in an interview that the deal under which Santos pleaded guilty on Monday came together recently.

The Republican former Queens and Long Island representative was charged in May 2023 with fabricating fundraising figures, and was later expelled from Congress. He first came into the public eye when it was reported that he had fabricated wide swaths of his biography during his congressional campaign.

Santos, 36, faces up to 22 years behind bars when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert on Feb. 7. He has agreed not to appeal any sentence of around eight years or less, and the aggravated identity theft charge to which he pleaded guilty carries a mandatory two-year sentence.

"Whenever you have corruption in politics or public service, it does erode confidence in our government institutions," Peace said in his downtown Brooklyn office a day after Santos pleaded guilty. "It's important that he be punished, and part of that, we think, is having to serve some time in prison."

Peace said it was too early to say what sentence prosecutors would recommend. Even though Santos only pleaded guilty to two counts, he admitted wrongdoing in each of the 23 counts he initially faced, which Seybert can take into account at sentencing.

Santos' lawyers did not respond to a request for comment.

Peace said Santos' conviction demonstrated his office's commitment to prosecuting corrupt public officials, though he acknowledged that recent Supreme Court rulings in bribery cases would narrow the scope of conduct that can be charged as corruption. Santos was not accused of bribery.

In June, the justices ruled 6-3 that it was not against federal bribery law for state and local officials to accept gratuities as tokens of appreciation after an official act.

In a separate case last year, the court limited the circumstances in which someone not serving in government can be charged with honest services fraud.

"While these decisions may make charging public corruption cases or fraud cases, frankly, a bit more challenging, a bit more difficult, they won't deter us," Peace said.

FINANCIAL CRIME, DRUG TRAFFICKING

Peace who was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden to his role in 2021, is coming off a string of trial wins.

Brooklyn juries this summer convicted an academic on charges of acting as an illegal Chinese agent, found a former Mozambican finance minister guilty on conspiracy charges related to bribes, and convicted a media startup founder on charges of lying to investors about his company's finances.

"We're a magnet for all types of criminal activity," Peace said, noting that his 8 million-person district is one of the country's most diverse. "So we have to take action."

Peace, 52, is now gearing up for a likely prosecution of alleged Mexican drug lord Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.

Zambada was arrested last month and faces drug trafficking charges in several states. Prosecutors in Texas - where he is now being held - last week asked a judge to move him to Brooklyn to face charges there first. The request is pending.

Peace declined to discuss the Department of Justice's deliberations that could see Zambada sent to Brooklyn. He noted both Zambada's fellow Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and former Mexican security minister Genaro Garcia Luna were convicted on drug-related charges in Brooklyn.

"That record demonstrates that we can successfully handle cases of this magnitude," Peace said.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Jonathan Oatis)
ST. LOUIS  Marcellus Williams, a man on death row in the 1998 death of Lisha Gayle, is expected to avoid execution and be resentenced to life without parole, following a plea deal Wednesday.

Attorneys for Marcellus Williams agreed to an Alford plea, which retains a conviction for a first-degree murder charge in Gayles death.

Williams was set to be executed for the murder on Sept. 24, 2024, but he is expected to be resentenced to life without parole under the plea deal. A formal sentencing hearing was originally scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Thursday morning but has now been rescheduled to Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 8:30 a.m.

The rescheduling comes after the judge accepted the writ from the Missouri Supreme Court, filed by Attorney General Andrew Bailey, asking for an emergency stay on all of the proceedings in the case.

These proceedings follow an evidentiary hearing Wednesday after Williams has spent the last several years on death row, proclaiming his innocence in this case.

Justice didnt win today. Marcellus should be free. Hes an innocent man that has DNA proof that showed it wasnt him, advocate Obie Anthony said.

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On Wednesday, prosecutors said that DNA evidence intended to exonerate Williams was handled improperly, prompting the Alford plea. Through the plea deal, Williams maintains his innocence, but acknowledges that the prosecution has enough evidence to likely secure a conviction. An Alford plea is often used when there is little evidence of being acquitted.

Tricia Rojo Bushnell, an attorney for Williams, released the following statement Wednesday afternoon, which reads, in part:

Marcellus Williams is an innocent man, and nothing about todays plea agreement changes that fact. By agreeing to an Alford plea, the parties will bring a measure of finality to Felicia Gayles family, while ensuring that Mr. Williams will remain alive as we continue to pursue new evidence to prove, once and for all, that he is innocent.

Over the past 26 years, no reliable evidence has ever connected Mr. Williams to the crime, and nothing about todays agreement changes the fact that Marcellus Williams DNA is not on the murder weapon. The fact that there is DNA on the knife matching members of the trial prosecution team proves the State of Missouri disregarded critical protocols in the investigation of this case, including mishandling pivotal evidence. But regardless of who may have touched the weapon between 1998 and today and deposited DNA on it, there is no doubt that Marcellus Williams did not do so.

While St. Louis County Circuit Judge Bruce Hilton has agreed to the plea to vacate the execution, the date cannot be formally dropped until Thursdays sentencing hearing. The Missouri Attorney Generals Office has also indicated it could appeal this disposition, according to a spokesperson with the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorneys Office.

Todays decision does not do justice. We ask for a process that allows for justice; thats the fundamental problem with the death penalty not only in this state, but so many others, advocate Nimrod Chapel Jr. said.

Attorney General Andrew Bailey released a statement opposing the deal, saying an innocent man would not agree to spend the rest of his life in prison unless he knew hed been guilty.

Williams, 55, was initially convicted of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Gayle during a robbery of her suburban St. Louis home.

He was hours away from execution in August 2017 when he was given a reprieve. Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens halted the process, citing that testing unavailable at the time of the killing showed that DNA on the knife matched someone else, not Williams.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell filed a motion last winter to vacate Williams murder conviction. Bell cited new DNA evidence when filing the motion and said he believed Williams was not involved in Gayles death.

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A Missouri law that took effect in 2021 allowed prosecuting attorneys, like Bell, to file a motion to vacate a conviction if they believe an inmate could be innocent or was otherwise erroneously convicted.

Before his murder conviction, investigators claimed that Williams broke a windowpane to get inside Gayles home on Aug. 11, 1998, heard water running in the shower, and found a large butcher knife. When Gayle came downstairs, she was stabbed 43 times. Her purse and her husbands laptop were stolen. Gayle was a social worker who previously worked as a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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The Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier is in the twilight zone.

Earlier this year, Harriers were flying around the eastern Mediterranean on a deterrence mission amid the Israel war. The aircraft was proving its worth once again, as it has for more than 40 years.

But some of the jets are already being repurposed to museums as the Harrier -- once the bleeding edge of Marine Corps aviation with its vertical takeoff and landing capability -- is set to be retired and the service transitions to the new F-35 Lightning II. Its squadrons have dwindled to two, and its maintainers have hit the fleet for the last time.

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"We're in an interesting place in our history," Lt. Col. John Cumbie, the commanding officer of Marine Attack Squadron 223, one of the remaining Harrier units out of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, told Military.com in a recent interview.

"It is interesting to look at what we're doing real-world operationally and also how we are divesting of our equipment, aircraft and transitioning our people to new platforms or new [military occupational specialties] in the Marine Corps," he said.

Part of the transition plan for the Harrier, which is expected to "sunset" completely within the next three years, includes finding spots for the Marines and support personnel who use it, maintain it and help it fly.

"Harrier pilots ... the maintainers, the support Marines, our Navy corpsmen and flight surgeons, it is our responsibility as the leadership to make sure that all these service members are taken care of," Cumbie said of the likely "name-by-name" transition plan for those personnel.

That transition plan began a decade ago. Harrier officer requirements -- typically pilots -- have "progressively reduced" since 2014, Maj. Melissa Spencer, a spokesperson for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, told Military.com via email Tuesday. Many Harrier pilots have been or will transfer to train on the F-35.

"There is not a specific quota or goal for how many Harrier pilots will transition to the F-35. Every Harrier pilot who transitions to the F-35 brings a wealth of experience -- both in the aircraft and in leading Marines -- which significantly helps to fill senior leadership roles within the F-35 community," Spencer said. "It is important that we retain their expertise, experience and talent."

For the upcoming fiscal year, Harrier pilots were selected to fill more than 60% of the transition selections for the new aircraft, Spencer said, meaning that the new F-35 will receive a hearty number of Harrier pilots and their skills. This year marks the final year for training new Harrier pilots out of flight school and, as those final pilots hit the fleet, they will have the opportunity to go over to the F-35.

On the enlisted side, for maintainers and other crew, "planners are focused on maintaining the population of highly trained and skilled AV-8B maintenance Marines necessary to fully support the two remaining AV-8B squadrons," Spencer said.

"There are currently reenlistment incentives to keep the appropriate number of Marines in the Harrier community," she added, but did not specify what those incentives are or how many Marines the service expects to keep on the non-pilot side.

If eligible, Marines can transfer to communities outside of the F-35, however. Spencer specifically mentioned "future careers in areas such as communications, contracting, intelligence, logistics and other fields."

"To support flight operations through sundown and meet F-35 support, Enlisted Assignments has a phasing plan in place to transition Marines to the F-35 community as their skills become no longer required in the Harrier community," Spencer said. Pilots who do not transition to the F-35 -- if they choose to stay in the Marine Corps -- can expect to take roles as air officers supporting ground units, forward air controllers, planners or instructors, as well as other leadership or staff roles.

With the transition to the F-35, the Marine Corps is hoping to tap into the talent of the Harrier community for the new generation of jets.

"There's a plan in place, and it's years in advance," Cumbie said of the scheme to help retain that community. "So, we've got a solid framework for how we are going to transition the right way from AV-8B Harrier to F-35."

'Far-Reaching Effect on Military Aviation'

The idea for an American vertical/short takeoff and landing aircraft, or V/STOL, was born in the wake of the Korean War, Larry Burke, the aviation curator for the National Museum of the Marine Corps, told Military.com in an interview.

Gen. Randolph Pate, the 21st commandant of the Marine Corps, sent a letter to the Navy in 1957 essentially saying that vertical takeoff and landing would be an ultimate requirement for future amphibious operations," Burke said.

Coming off of intense amphibious operations in World War II, and seeing the necessity of helicopters during the Korean War, the Marine Corps and its leaders wanted an aircraft that could bring the maneuverability of rotary aircraft but with the distance and ordnance packages of a fixed-wing plane.

Marine Maj. Gen. Homer S. Hill told Congress in 1970 that "an aircraft which is deployed and based as simply as a helicopter, but which packs the punch of a conventional attack aircraft, is going to have a far-reaching effect on military aviation," according to the National Naval Aviation Museum.

The Marine Corps had actually sent two pilots -- Col. Tom Miller and Lt. Col. Bud Baker -- over to the United Kingdom "on the sly" in the late sixties to test the Harrier, Burke said. The Harrier originated in the U.K., and there was institutional hesitance to use or buy foreign-made aircraft, even if it was from an ally.

"They don't tell the Navy that they're going over to do this," Burke said. "And they negotiate with the British who said, 'Your two pilots can come over, but we don't want them wearing uniforms, and we don't want news coverage of this.'"

Miller and Baker were "blown away" by the Harrier's capabilities and immediately started lobbying for it within the Marine Corps, Burke said. The first deliveries of the British-built Royal Air Force version of the aircraft -- with American systems attached -- began in 1971.

The Harrier was integral to the Marine Corps' amphibious operations from its outset, Burke said. Departing from ships, Marines would be able to take unimproved airfields for the Harriers to operate out of.

Using their vertical and short takeoff capabilities, the Harriers -- with 22,000 pounds of thrust -- could quickly launch from ships and then transition to airfields ashore, where crews and maintenance personnel could keep them flying as close to the fight as possible, freeing up amphibious ships to go elsewhere and allowing ground commanders to work directly with pilots for their operational needs.

"The idea [was] keeping the air support as close as possible to the front lines to reduce that time between the call for air support and the delivery of air support," Burke said. "They don't have to fly all the way back out to a carrier like the fixed-wing support; they don't have to fly off to a friendly airfield somewhere else. That really becomes central to the idea of how the Marines planned to use, and ultimately do use, the Harrier."

One of the best examples of the Harrier's utility was Operation Desert Storm. According to the National Naval Aviation Museum, 86 Harriers flew combat missions from ships and the shore, and during 3,380 sorties dropped nearly 6 million pounds of ordnance against Iraq.

"Marines and the 82nd Airborne are the first U.S. units to show up in Saudi Arabia," Burke said. "Once it's decided that the U.S. is going to help defend Saudi Arabia against the Iraqis, Harriers are one of the first squadrons to get there."

By the time the Global War on Terror began, the Harrier was already seeing improvements in its systems and how much ordnance it could carry, continuing to make it a necessity for Marines on the ground.

Those improvements to night vision, infrared and targeting systems -- even the ability for a service member on the ground to punch in coordinates for a target that the Harrier pilot would then immediately receive -- turned "what had been a day attack aircraft into a night, all-weather attack aircraft," Burke said. In its current iteration, the AV-8B Harrier II, the aircraft has the ability to drop 500- and 1,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs, rockets and fire a 25mm cannon, making it one of the most lethal strike jets in recent history.

"Since then, we're constantly upgrading and improving this aircraft through our program office and our operational test squadrons," said Cumbie, the Harrier pilot. "And even to this day, we're still making improvements now that will see us through the end of the life cycle of the aircraft."

Bittersweet goodbye, but in the right direction

Cumbie, who has been part of the Harrier community for about 14 years, flew one of his squadron's jets to the Hickory Aviation Museum in North Carolina last month, delivering it to its final stop on a 30-year road, according to the aircraft's historical records, which were provided to Military.com by the squadron.

An estimated 3,000 spectators came to witness Cumbie perform three fly-bys alongside another Harrier on its way to the museum, according to the museum's website.

"Rather than let this aircraft sit in a warehouse and collect spiderwebs, let's give it to somebody who's going to preserve it, maintain it, and keep it looking nice, and tell the story of our aircraft and our squadron and our legacy," Cumbie said.

While the short flight was part of a long goodbye for the aircraft, it is still being used by Marines today, with six to 12 of them supporting Marine expeditionary units deployed globally, according to the Marine Corps' 2022 Aviation Plan, though as it transitions that number may be lower.

As late as April, Harriers were embarked with the 24th MEU, according to public photos, on pre-deployment exercises in the Atlantic. The MEU, as part of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, or ARG, is currently in the eastern Mediterranean to deter broader regional conflict in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, Military.com previously reported.

According to the aviation plan, the Harrier will continue to remain in operation until 2027. It is being replaced by the F-35 Lightning II, a fifth-generation fighter jet that also has V/STOL capabilities.

"Flying a tactical aircraft, there's a lot of checklists, there's a lot of things you're doing throughout the flight, even if it's just a[n] administrative flight to another airport," Cumbie said of the aircraft's final flight to the Hickory Aviation Museum.

"And then once you shut it down, though, and you're shaking hands with the mayor and talking to all the folks that have come in from Charlotte and all over North Carolina, and the town there, it did start to sink in," he said, noting that the personal feeling was "bittersweet."

But ultimately, "from a service-level perspective, I think we're right where we need to be," he said.

Related: As the Marine Corps Says Goodbye to Decades-Old Jet, Its Maintainers Hit the Fleet for the Last Time
Emissions spew from a large stack at the coal fired Brandon Shores Power Plant, on March 9, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. Critics say that PJM, which is responsible for coordinating the flow of electricity in 13 states and the District of Columbia, should have been prepared for the retirement of Brandon Shores. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images.)

After years of climbing electric prices nationwide, customers in the United States largest power market are about to get squeezed harder.

Last month, PJM, which coordinates the flow of electricity for an area that includes all or parts of 13 states stretching from the Midwest to New Jersey plus the District of Columbia, released capacity auction results that hit a record high.

The auction, held by the regional transmission organization to ensure theres enough power generation to meet demand spikes, such as during severe weather and other grid emergencies, produced a price of nearly $270 per megawatt day for much of the footprint (with some areas spiking much higher) compared to nearly $29 per megawatt day during the last auction. That increase, more than 800%, will cost customers across the region of 65 million people nearly $15 billion for the period covered by the auction (June 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026) the Maryland Office of Peoples Counsel noted in a report released last week.

The costs will not hit equally across the PJM footprint, however, since utilities that own and operate their own power plants, like Virginias Dominion Energy, are both sellers and buyers in the capacity market, which will blunt the impact for their ratepayers. But Exelon, a company that owns six so-called wires-only utilities with 10.5 million customers in PJM states, expects the capacity prices to trigger double-digit rate increases for some customers, Utility Dive reported.

What makes the capacity costs tougher to swallow is that much of the increase can be laid at the feet of planning shortcomings, market design failures and governance problems at PJM, the organizations critics contend.

The tools to enhance reliability are in PJMs hands, said Clara Summers, campaign manager for Consumers for a Better Grid, a watchdog group that is part of the Citizens Utility Board of Illinois. Instead PJM is dragging its feet on the clean energy transition and doing everything it can to keep fossil fuel plants online and ultimately ratepayers are the ones who suffer from this shortsightedness.

All sorts of problems

In particular, critics point to PJMs long delayed interconnection queue, which is the waiting list for generation projects looking for permission to connect to the grid. They say that even as PJM complains about fewer power plants entering its capacity auction and the increasing pace of old generating station retirements, it is seeking exemptions to a landmark new federal rule intended to streamline interconnection processes and get new power resources online quickly.

PJM is the place with the most acute need for interconnection reform and theyre refusing to do what theyve been told to do on it rather than be proactive on it, said Tom Rutigliano, a senior advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council who focuses on PJM.

Jeff Shields, a PJM spokesman, said the organization has been working hard to fix its interconnection process and clear the backlog. He pointed out that many projects that have cleared the queue still arent getting built because of supply chain, financing or permitting problems that are beyond PJMs control.

We are not arguing about whether we need queue reform, we have only taken issue with some details, he said.

David Lapp, Marylands peoples counsel, an advocate for the states residential utility customers, said interconnection delays are just part of the problem at PJM.

Transmission costs  because of a lack of competitive bidding of projects and a failure to plan for the long term, watchdogs argue  have also climbed over the past decade. And a deficient process for managing power plant retirements, along with market errors, have also hurt customers, Lapp said.

Our customers are bearing the consequences of all sorts of problems at PJM, whether they be problems with the market structure, problems with the interconnection queue, problems related to planning failures or just mistakes, Lapp said in an interview with States Newsroom. PJM really needs to start taking the interest of customers more seriously into account in terms of how it develops its policies.

How the retirement of Brandon Shores, a Talen Energy coal-fired power plant southeast of Baltimore, has been handled, exemplifies a lot of whats wrong with PJM, Lapp added. Lapp and others, including members of Marylands congressional delegation, say PJM was caught flat-footed by the plants retirement, which should have been foreseeable given the limited amount it was running, a deal with the Sierra Club to quit burning coal and financial troubles for its operating company. PJM counters that it was told the plant would switch to burning oil and continue running.

It is not reasonable to expect PJM to have anticipated the imminent deactivation of the Brandon Shores units when numerous public statements and direct conversations between PJM and Talen all supported the notion that Brandon Shores was on a path to remain online, albeit using a different fuel source, PJM President and CEO Manu Asthana wrote in a December letter to the Sierra Club,

How much sense does that make?

Regardless, PJM now has pushed for an urgent suite of transmission projects that will cost Maryland ratepayers about $800 million to bring in enough power to make up for the loss of the Brandon Shores station and another nearby Talen plant, Wagner, that is also retiring. PJM will also keep both plants running under what are known asreliability must run arrangements that could cost Maryland ratepayers $629 million through 2028, the Peoples Counsel report says, and comes with no guarantee they will actually be able to produce power when called upon. It also means the plants will exit the capacity market, which is designed to increase prices as energy supply tightens to encourage more generation sources to enter the market. The logic was that you want to treat them as gone to send a price signal for new entry, Rutigliano said. But even if a new generation source wanted to take advantage of the high capacity prices in the zone affected by the plant closure, the interconnection queue delays mean it could be years before it can participate in the auction.

With PJMs interconnection process so far behind that simply doesnt work, Rutigliano said. Price signals are worthless if youve got a six-year delay in responding to them.

And since PJM has already decided on a transmission solution to make up for the plants retirement, forcing customers to bear the high capacity prices doesnt make sense, Rutigliano said.

They exclude them from the market to get a high price signal but build transmission to ease the load pocket. Those are contradictory, he said.

The upshot is that Talen gets a windfall (the Office of the Peoples Counsel report found the companys revenues for the 2025-2026 delivery year are $360 million higher than what they would have been had Wagner and Brandon Shores participated in the capacity market) and electric customers in Maryland will be paying extra for plants that may not run much at all. They will also be paying extra for the loss of that plant to the capacity market in order to create a market signal that wont matter because of the transmission solution PJM has already decided upon, which will also be paid by local customers. Lapp called it a triple whammy.

We have the illogical situation where customers are paying big dollars for a plant that is not going to run almost all the time, Lapp said. They still have no performance obligation. There are no consequences if PJM says Were hitting a peak time. We need you to run. And Talen says We cant.  How much sense does that make?

Shields, the PJM spokesman, says PJM will continue working to improve markets, transmission planning and generator interconnection. But he added that, of the PJM states, Maryland has the second-fewest projects in the queue over the next few years. We encourage Maryland policymakers to analyze why and what can be done to encourage development, Shields said. There is no debate  Maryland needs energy infrastructure. Maryland needs generation to produce power for and transmission to move power to the customers who need it. The Maryland Office of Peoples Counsel knows all of this to be true, and these critical issues deserve a better discussion than ongoing exercises in finger pointing.

Seeking variances

Particularly frustrating for PJM reformers are the exemptions it is seeking to a new Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rule to speed the connection of new power resources to the grid, which seems counterintuitive for an organization that has worried about having enough power to meet demand. PJM did begin its own interconnection reforms prior to the FERC order, and its request for variances indicates it wants to stick to that plan rather than conform completely to the new FERC rules, per a coalition of environmental and consumer organizations that are challenging the request before the commission.

The interconnection queue in PJM is among the longest in the nation, whether measured by the number of projects, total electric capacity, or how long projects languish awaiting studies, the groups wrote in a FERC filing, noting that PJM wont review new interconnection applications until 2026 at the earliest. At the same time, PJM is sounding the alarm about a reliability crisis because new generation cannot come online quickly enough to replace retiring power plants. To accelerate interconnection and bring new generation online to avoid reliability challenges from foreseeable retirements, PJM should welcome Order No. 2023s reforms with open arms. Instead, PJM resists reform to its interconnection process.

Mainly PJM is seeking permission for increased study timelines and a laxer penalty structure and wants to sidestep reporting requirements on how it evaluates grid-enhancing technologies, which can save time and money over traditional transmission solutions. It also wants to avoid the requirement to realistically consider how energy storage resources will affect peak load.

Grid-enhancing technologies have been used for years elsewhere in the world to get more out of existing power systems and in many cases are faster and cheaper than building new transmission lines, but theyve been slow to catch on in the U.S., in part because American utilities make more money by building big, expensive projects rather than more cost-effective solutions, proponents have said.

PJM wants out of a requirement to demonstrate that it has considered those technologies, said Katie Siegner, a manager who works on markets and electric grids at the Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonprofit focused on decarbonization.

What theyre saying is, We already consider them but dont make us show you how, she said.

The other major exemption PJM wants deals with battery storage resources and what grid upgrades are needed to accommodate them. Some grid operators, including PJM, want to continue to use a worst-case assumption  that the batteries will charge at times of peak electric demand. That flies in the face of the economic model for grid-connected batteries, which seek to charge when prices are low and discharge when they spike.

Assuming that storage will charge during a time of peak load is one of those worst-case conditions even though its antithetical to the action it will take in the market, Siegner said. And even if PJM was concerned about that happening, it could write a prohibition into an interconnection agreement, rather than requiring storage developers to pay for expensive grid upgrades that might never be needed, she added.

Its just a nonsensical way of studying these resources that has to change, Siegner said.

The bigger problem, said Summers of the Citizens Utility Board, is that at PJM, fossil fuel generators, big utilities and transmission companies hold a lot of sway.

Many of these companies came of age in the fossil fuel era and their incentives are to try to prevent the fossil fuel transition or make it as expensive as possible. PJM has a pattern of dragging its feet on the energy transition, Summers said.

Indeed, how PJM is governed and how stakeholders are voting in lower level meetings is drawing increasing scrutiny from state lawmakers. Four blue state governors with decarbonization goals also recently called for a robust process for states to engage with PJM on planning decisions.

And for many of PJMs critics, the fact that projects have made it through the queue but havent gotten built doesnt excuse the mess the interconnection process has become.

PJM must take responsibility for its role in establishing and maintaining an effective interconnection process, Siegner said. The faster that interconnection requests are processed, the easier it is to get financing and navigate supply chain hurdles. Its a lot harder if youre waiting in the queue for five years and you have no idea what your network upgrade costs will be.

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (DC News Now)  Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced on Wednesday that farmers whose crops are experiencing drought conditions in central and western Maryland may be able to receive low-interest federal financial loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Farmers in affected areas can apply for emergency loans to meet their recovery needs, including the replacement of livestock or equipment, reorganization of farming operations or refinancing certain debts.

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This announcement comes after a summer that saw little to no rain in many regions statewide, according to the Office of the Governor.

Allegany, Howard, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Montgomery and Washington counties were all affected by the drought and are eligible to apply.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor map, Washington, Allegany and Garrett counties were among the hardest hit by the drought.

The U.S. Department of Agricultures Farm Services Agency will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

Marylands agricultural industry is one of our top economic drivers and supporting our farmers is critical, said Gov. Moore. Were grateful for the partnership we share with USDA in enabling access to low cost loans that will help offset the cost of lost crops and provide another layer of assistance during tough growing seasons.

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Farmers can find more information on applying for a loan through local county service centers.

A list of service centers and locations is available at offices.usda.gov or through the Farmer Service Agencys disaster assistance tools at farmers.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 DC News Now | Washington, DC.
Mass. Father, 60, Missing After He Was Seen Leaving Family's Vacation Rental Barefoot on Ring Camera

Authorities said Stanley Kotowski had no shoes or personal items on his person when he was last seen on Hilton Head Island

Beaufort County Sheriff's Office (2) Stanley Kotowski, who was last seen on Hilton Head Island on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024

Authorities in South Carolina are searching for a missing and endangered Massachusetts man who disappeared while vacationing with his family.

Stanley Kotowski, 60, was last seen around 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 16, around South Sea Pines Drive on Hilton Head Island, according to a news release from the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.

The Massachusetts man was seen leaving a condo where he and family were vacationing, and left without a phone, The Island Packet reported.

Stanley did not take any personal items with him, including his wallet and phone, authorities said. The 6-foot man was last seen wearing a Coors Light T-shirt and shorts, but no shoes, and is said to have brown hair and eyes.

He was last seen leaving the home, as shown in an image from a Ring doorbell camera, shared by the BCSO

"We love him and we miss him. We just want him to come home, said his son, Zak Kotowski per ABC affiliate WJCL. You're not in trouble, Dad. We love you.

Related: Woman, 53, Found Alive 4 Days After She Disappeared During 'Spiritual' Colo. Hike Without a Phone

Jackie Kotowski, Stanleys wife, told the outlet that he just walked out the door of their vacation rental and never returned. She also said her husband has recently been experiencing issues with insomnia and anxiety, but said that he doesn't have dementia.

His anxiety just kept getting worse and worse and worse, and he started to get a little paranoid, Jackie told WJCL.

Multiple resources are being used to search for Stanley, including K9 units, helicopters, drones, boats and foot patrols, according to the BCSO.

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Crews are currently conducting searches through residential and wooded areas in several areas throughout southern Beaufort County, per the sheriffs office.

Locals are asked not to interfere with the search, but are encouraged to call authorities at 843-524-2777 if they have any information about Stanley.

Those in the area near where Stanley disappeared are asked to check their properties for signs of the missing man.

Related: 4 Bodies Recovered from Sunken Yacht in Sicily Where 6 Were Missing, Source Says, but Identities Unclear

Additionally, the sheriffs office is asking those with cameras in the area to check their devices to see if you observe Kotowski.



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FAIRBORN, Ohio (WDTN)  A drive-thru event for Greene County residents in need to receive food is set to occur in late August.

The Foodbank will conduct a mass food distribution on Aug. 29 from 10 a.m. to noon at lot 8 of Wright State Universitys Nutter Center, located at 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy. in Fairborn.

Local radio station to open new satellite studio

Children will also be able to receive a free book through Dolly Partons Imagination Library of Ohio. SICSA will also be providing pet food to pet owners, while supplies last.

Food items that will be distributed include, but are not limited to, the following:

Fresh produce

Grains

Protein

Our commitment to serving the community goes beyond just providing food; its about ensuring every family has the resources they need to thrive, said Michelle Riley, CEO of The Foodbank.

Registration for the event is not required. You are asked to have enough room in your trunk or backseat of your vehicle for food to be placed.

Attendees are asked to visit the Nutter Center from Colonel Glenn Hwy. and North Fairfield Road.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Iowa's licensing boards are overseen by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing. (Photo by Getty Images)

State regulators have suspended the license of a massage therapist criminally convicted of assault for sexual improprieties with clients.

The Iowa Massage Therapy Board has alleged that Roy L. Milligan Jr. of Des Moines was practicing massage therapy at a massage studio in July 2022 when he massaged the breasts and nipples of a client without her consent. Police records indicate Milligan was working at Rebalance Massage Studio when the incident took place.

After the client complained, the board initiated an investigation and learned that the Des Moines police had received complaints from two other female clients. The two women alleged that in separate incidents in May 2021 and November 2021, Milligan massaged their breasts and twisted their nipples during massage appointments.

Milligan was subsequently charged with three counts of assault. He pleaded guilty to two counts and the third count was dismissed. He was fined $105 in each of the two cases where a conviction was entered.

On April 23, 2024, one year after Milligan entered his guilty pleas in court, the Massage Therapy Board determined it had probable cause to file disciplinary charges against him.

The board charged Milligan with unethical conduct related to improper sexual contact with a client, and being convicted of an offense that is directly related to the duties and responsibilities of the profession.

Recently, the board agreed to settle the case against Milligan by suspending his license for three years and issuing him a warning. Prior to any reinstatement of his license, Milligan will be required to undergo a psychosexual evaluation.

Milligan told the Iowa Capital Dispatch the allegations made against him were unfounded. Nowhere in my life would I ever touch someone inappropriately or against their will or want them to feel uncomfortable, he said.

Milligan said one of his three accusers had tipped him when she left, the second told police Milligan had never touched her inappropriately, and the third woman had touched him during the massage. That person continued to, like, touch my leg and grab me and I had to pin their hand against the table, he said.

Court records indicate Milligan was criminally convicted of several offenses before the board issued him a license in October 2014. In July 2001, Milligan was convicted of two counts of domestic abuse assault and one count of interference with official acts, and in 2003, he was convicted again of interference with official acts.

In 2005, he was charged with third-offense domestic abuse assault, but the charge was later dismissed. In 2007, he was charged with five counts of first-degree harassment. As part a plea deal, four of the five counts were dismissed, Milligan pleaded guilty to the fifth count, and he was sentenced to two years of probation.

Milligan said the board was fully aware of his criminal history at the time it agreed to issue him a license.
DUXBURY, Mass. (WWLP)  Officials are investigating after a massive fire destroyed a home near the waterfront in Duxbury.

Boiler malfunction causes fire on Orange Street in Springfield

At least half of the home was engulfed in the fire with heavy smoke pouring out. All off-duty firefighters were called to help put out the fire.

Officials say no one was home at the time of the fire. One firefighter is recovering from injuries.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Latest Local News Headlines

WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.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 WWLP.
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Its well-established that a bout with COVID can seriously affect your mental health: The virus has been linked to both the development of new psychiatric conditions, like depression, as well as the exacerbation of any existing ones you might have. But now, for the first time, a massive new study of 18 million people in the UK looked at whether vaccination can affect how much the virus can ultimately mess with your emotionsand the results may have you rolling up your sleeves if you havent already.

In the study, published August 21 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, researchers at the University of Bristol looked at the health records of three different groups of people: one before vaccines were available and then two more (vaccinated versus unvaccinated) after the shots rolled out. The researchers then compared mental illness diagnoses in people before and after they tested positive for COVID.

It turned out that people who caught SARS-CoV-2 at all, regardless of vaccination status, were more likely to experience or be diagnosed with mental health conditionsincluding depression, anxiety, PTSD, eating disorders, addiction, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, self-harm, and suicidewithin a month of testing positive for the virus compared to the time right before they were diagnosed.

People who were hospitalized were even more likely to experience any of these problems, but especially depression. For example, people with a milder case of COVID were 1.2 times more likely to experience depression after their infection, compared with hospitalized folks, who were about 16 times more likely. (Venexia Walker, PhD, lead author of the study, tells SELF that this association was greater in people who had mental health problems before they tested positive for COVID.)

Unvaccinated people bore the brunt of this, according to the study, and they tended to be more likely to have mental health issues and deal with them for up to a year after they got sick, according to the report. However, COVID is still serious and concerning, regardless of your vaccination status, so its worth keeping an eye out for signs that an infection is messing with your or a loved ones mental well-beingand then seeking help and insight from a medical professional like a primary care doctor or therapist, if necessary.

Why does COVID take such a toll on our emotional health? Its not one hundred percent clear yet. One theory is that COVID causes inflammation in the brain and body, which triggers the release of chemicals linked to anxiety, depression, and suicidal thinking. Getting sick and feeling worried about things like hefty medical bills, missed days of work, and long COVID could also stress a person out and cause or exacerbate mental health issues. People with mental health disorders also tend to have other conditions that may increase their risk for severe COVID, such as heart disease, asthma, or type 2 diabetes. More generally, its also possible that the isolation and lack of physical activity that tends to happen when dealing with an infection leads to higher levels of depression or otherwise funky moods, Philip Chan, MD, MS, an infectious disease expert at Brown University, tells SELF.

Time and time again, research shows that COVID vaccines lower the chances youll get a severe illness, which, according to this new study, may keep your mental health from spiraling. Youll especially want to consider COVID vaccination if youre already diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, the researchers note, as an infection could put your mental and physical health at even bigger risk.

This study also has implications for infections with other viruses like influenza that can have similar effects on our bodies and mental health, adds Dr. Chan, who wasnt involved in the research. Yet another reason to stay up to date on your vaccinations, he says.

So if you needed a nudge to get the updated COVID shot coming out this fall (or get vaccinated for the first time), consider this it. The CDC recommends that everyone ages six months and older get one of the updated COVID shots (Moderna, Pfizer, or Novavax) when it becomes available sometime in September, regardless of whether you have been previously vaccinated. (You can call your local pharmacy to see when theyll have those available.) You cant continue to depend on any past shots youve had because the coronavirus is constantly changing as the virus spreads, and immunity tends to wane over time. The CDC says that the updated vaccine should protect you against the variants that are currently responsible for most infections and hospitalizations in the US.

If you dont want to wait for the new shot and you havent gotten one since, say, the fall of 2022, Dr. Chan previously told SELF that you can get a booster nowjust wait about three months or so before getting your next one, especially if you tested positive recently. In the meantime, consider doing what you can to avoid getting sick with anything, honestly, but particularly COVID. This virus is no joke, and your mental health is too important to let any pandemic fatigue get in the way of your well-being.

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Matt Gaetz mocked Kevin McCarthy after beating off a challenger backed by the former House speaker in the GOP primary election for Floridas 1st Congressional District.

Rep. Gaetz (R-Fla) was targeted by McCarthy in his so-called Revenge Tour following last years mutiny by House Republicans to remove him as speaker.

GOP challenger Aaron Dimmock, a retired naval officer, was backed by $3 million from a political action committee (PAC) linked to McCarthy.

After brushing Dimmocks challenge aside, Gaetz told a cheering crowd that he would win by an even greater margin if McCarthy had spent more money trying to get him replaced.

In a video, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Gaetz complained that he hadnt heard from either Dimmock or McCarthy after his win was confirmed on Tuesday night.

Kevin McCarthy spent $3 million in this race not attacking my votes or my work on your behalf but just simply trying to attack my character$3 million, he said.

Two years ago, I got 70% of the vote and tonight it looks like were getting 73% of the vote. So, Kevin, if youre watching, spend a little more next time and well get to 80.

The eight Republican reps. spearheading McCarthys ouster have all faced well-funded primary contests, and Gaetz has publicly feuded with the former speaker.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who also voted against McCarthy, won her primary in South Carolina, while a third anti-McCarthy Republican Bob Good (R-Va) lost out in a Virginia primary.

Gaetz, who is still under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, faced super PAC ads questioning his character after he was accused of sexual misconduct, which he strongly denies.

Kevin McCarthys GOP Enemies Are Finally Getting Their Revenge

On primary day, the Gaetz campaign reportedly sent a fund-raising email that read: I want to make a STATEMENT. I want to win in a LANDSLIDE VICTORY to prove to Kevin McCarthy that no matter how much money he sinks into defeating me, it will NEVER be worth it.

Before the primary, Dimmock told the Hill he had never spoken to McCarthy, but he had his endorsement.

Gaetz will face Democrat Gay Valimont in the November election.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Matthew Perry's doctor still seeing patients after being charged in actor's ketamine death

A sign posted in the window of Dr. Salvador Plasencia's clinic in Calabasas states he is a defendant in an ongoing criminal case. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

A physician charged with conspiring to distribute ketamine in the wake of Matthew Perry's death is still seeing patients at the urgent care facility he operates in Calabasas.

Now facing felony charges, Dr. Salvador Plasencia is forbidden by the Drug Enforcement Administration from prescribing controlled substances, but he can, under certain conditions, continue to practice medicine, according to federal officials.

He has surrendered his DEA registration number, according to a sign posted Wednesday on the door of Malibu Canyon Urgent Care. The sign noted that he "still maintains a medical license issued by the State of California."

Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesman for U.S. Atty. Martin Estrada's office in Los Angeles, said Plasencia and another doctor charged in Perry's death  Mark Chavez  have both surrendered their DEA licenses and therefore "cannot prescribe controlled substances."

According to the state medical board, Plasencias medical license is active through October.

Read more: Matthew Perry's shocking last month on ketamine: 'I wonder how much this moron will pay'

The 42-year-old physician, known as Dr. P., was charged last week in the October death of the "Friends" star, along with Chavez, Perrys live-in personal assistant and two alleged drug dealers.

Plasencia is facing one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine, seven counts of distribution of ketamine and two counts of altering and falsifying documents or records related to the federal investigation. If convicted, he faces 10 years for each ketamine-related charge and 20 years for each falsification charge.

Despite the charges, Plasencia is allowed to continue practicing medicine, his attorney, Stefan Sacks, told The Times.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia's clinic in Calabasas, where he continues to practice. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

"The conditions are that he disclose in writing the existence of the pending federal case, and the fact that he cannot prescribe controlled substances. Patients are then required to sign a written consent form for treatment," Sacks said. "So basically the requirement is disclosure and informed consent."

On Wednesday, a woman approached the Calabasas clinic, read the notice on the door regarding the charges against Plasencia and then quickly returned to her vehicle.

Sacks said he would not comment further on the charges against Plasencia until he receives discovery from the U.S. attorney's office detailing the allegations against his client. The physician has pleaded not guilty to all charges and was released in lieu of $100,000 bail. He is due back in court in October.

Read more: A dealer known as 'Ketamine Queen' and 2 doctors among 5 charged in death of Matthew Perry

Perry, 54, was found dead in the hot tub of his Pacific Palisades home on Oct. 28. He died from acute effects of ketamine, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiners Office.

Plasencia is accused of acquiring the ketamine for Perry and acting outside the scope of professional practice. Authorities say he not only distributed the drug that killed the actor, he also taught Perrys personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, how to inject it into the actor. Iwamasa is accused of giving Perry the fatal dose.

Perry, who had long been open about his challenges with drug and alcohol addiction, had sought treatment for depression and anxiety before his death, going to a local clinic where he became addicted to intravenous ketamine, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said. When clinic doctors refused to increase his dosage, he turned to outside sources, Milgram said.

In late September, about a month before Perrys death, Plasencia learned the actor was interested in obtaining ketamine, a legal medication commonly used as an anesthetic, according to charging documents in the case. The drug can be abused recreationally, with users drawn to it for its dissociative effects.

After learning of Perrys interest, Plasencia contacted Chavez, who previously operated a ketamine clinic, to obtain the drug to sell to the actor, authorities said. In text messages to Chavez, Plasencia discussed how much to charge Perry for the ketamine, stating, I wonder how much this moron will pay and Lets find out, according to court records.

Read more: The ketamine boom: How the wealthy are getting their hands on the in-demand drug

In the weeks that followed, the doctors distributed 20 vials of ketamine to Perry for $55,000 in cash, charging him $2,000 for a vial that cost Chavez $12, according to federal prosecutors and court records.

Court records show that by mid-October, Iwamasa also began obtaining ketamine for Perry from Jasveen Sangha, known as the "Ketamine Queen," and Hollywood producer Erik Fleming, who provided the drug at a lower cost than the doctors were charging. Sangha sold about 50 vials of the drug to the actor, with Fleming delivering the product, for $11,000, authorities said.

Like Plasencia, Sangha, 41, is facing charges that include conspiracy to distribute ketamine, distribution of the drug resulting in death, possession with intent to distribute and altering and falsifying records related to a federal investigation, according to the indictment.

Fleming, 54, pleaded guilty this month to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death.

Iwamasa, 59, pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death. He also admitted injecting Perry with ketamine without medical training, including performing several injections on the actor the day he died, authorities said.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Authorities are continuing the search for a man suspected of shooting at two people near a MAX platform in unincorporated Clackamas County in late July, the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office announced Tuesday.

The shooting occurred just before 9:30 p.m. July 30 when two men were in the parking lot of the Southeast 82nd Avenue JC Penney  near the entrance of the Green Line MAX platform  when the suspect got out of a black Cadillac sedan and shot at the men with a pistol from about 20 yards away, the sheriffs office said.

Massive blaze engulfs Milwaukie train bridge

The suspected gunman described as a thin white man with curly hair in his early 20s  ran back to the passenger seat of the car, which appeared to have two other people inside, and drove off towards SE Sunnyside Road.





According to the sheriffs office, the suspect and the two men did not know each other.

No injuries were reported after the shooting.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Clackamas 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 KOIN.com.
ROBESON COUNTY, N.C.  A Robeson County man with a lengthy criminal history who sold drugs to an informant in 2022 has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Lloyd Kinston Locklear, 34, of Maxton, pleaded guilty on April 9 to distributing cocaine, possession with the intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Federal authorities said Locklear sold 3.7 grams of cocaine to the informant on January 26, 2022. The next day, Robeson County sheriffs deputies went to search his home, prompting him to flee in a vehicle.

He tried unsuccessfully attempted to jump a ditch, the U.S. Attorneys Office said, and after he got out of the vehicle, he was caught near a bookbag that contained five grams of cocaine, 19.75 grams of pure methamphetamine, 42.62 grams of heroin, eight hydrocodone pills, 50 oxycodone pills, nine amphetamine pills, 16 diazepam pills, 18 alprazolam pills, 45 grams of marijuana, and digital scales.

While searching a car at his home, officers also recovered a .22 caliber handgun and a .32 caliber revolver in the trunk, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. He admitted that the guns were his and to selling narcotics. He was charged by state authorities and eventually released on bond.

Then, on Nov. 2, 2022, Maxton Police Department Officers arrested him on an outstanding state warrant for possession of a firearm by a felon and found him with 29.94 grams of pure meth and $664.

The U.S. Attorneys Office said he admitted that the meth was his and stated that he used to sell cocaine. He was again charged by the state and released on bond before being indicted by a federal grand jury on Dec. 21, 2022, on charges of distribution of cocaine, possession with the intent to distribute meth, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession with the intent to distribute meth.

Locklear was arrested again on Jan. 20, 2023, after Robeson County deputies saw a vehicle traveling on Interstate 95 failing to stay in its lane, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. When deputies pulled over the vehicle for suspicion of DUI, they found Locklear in the back seat.

When deputies tried to arrest him on the federal warrant, he resisted but was eventually handcuffed with his hands in front of him, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. He continued to disobey the deputys commands.

The deputy pulled out his Taser and Locklear lunged towards him striking the deputy in the chest and arms knocking the Taser out of the deputys hands and his body-worn camera off his chest, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a news release. The deputy recovered his Taser and then tried unsuccessfully to Taser Locklear, who was aggressively walking toward the deputy stating, come on bruh.

The deputy grabbed Locklear by the handcuffs, but Locklear pulled away walking to the front of the vehicle. Locklear then thrust his arms forward stating, get back, get back and the deputy saw what he believed to be a firearm in Locklears handcuffed hands. The deputy drew his weapon and fired at Locklear but did not strike him. Locklear then walked to the rear of the deputys patrol vehicle and laid down in surrender.

Deputies searched the area and located a stolen .45 caliber handgun in the grassy shoulder of I-95 about 50 feet behind the stopped vehicle, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Between January 2022 and his federal arrest in January 2023, the U.S. Attorneys Office said Locklear was out on bond for state charges of burglary, conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and first-degree murder stemming from an incident that occurred on June 3, 2020. He also was on bond for state charges of breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering, and conspiracy to breaking and entering or larceny stemming from an incident that occurred on April 26, 2021.

All of the state charges Locklear faces are from Robeson County, and all of them are pending.

* * *

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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U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, left, greets Stewart Perry of Lexington after speaking to a Commerce Lexington public policy luncheon, Aug. 21, 2024. McConnell posed for photos with luncheon attendees but did not take questions from the news media. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Jamie Lucke)

LEXINGTON  Republican Mitch McConnell said its important for his party to retake the U.S. Senate in November to protect the filibuster.

Speaking to a Commerce Lexington luncheon, McConnell said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer just this week is talking about getting rid of the filibuster. What that does is to say to any given majority, my issue, what I care about, is more important than the structure of the Senate, which has served us well for many, many years, McConnell said. That bothers me a lot.

Earlier this week, Schumer told reporters at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago that he will push to circumvent the 60-vote requirement in order to move voting rights legislation if Democrats this year win the presidency and both congressional chambers, according to media outlets.

Senate rules require a supermajority of 60 votes from the 100 members to advance most legislation. Most filibusters have occurred since 2007-08, as use of the 60-vote bar to block a simple majority of the Senate from passing laws has soared in this century.

McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, warned that without the filibuster a Democratic majority could grant statehood to the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, which, McConnell said, would ensure four new Democratic senators in perpetuity, which significantly disables our side, my side.

McConnell said, I worry about todays Democratic Party becoming so far left that what they want to do is so important they break the rules to get the outcome. So it wont surprise you to know that Id like to be turning my job over to the majority leader rather than the minority leader.

McConnell, who is stepping down as Republican leader at the end of this session of Congress, told the gathering that the single biggest decision he made when he was the majority leader was refusing to fill a Supreme Court vacancy during then-President Barack Obamas final year in office, paving the way for Republican President Donald Trump to appoint Justice Neil Gorsuch. At the end of Trumps term, with less than two months before the presidential election, McConnell pushed through the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Trump also named Justice Brett Kavanuagh, ensuring a 6-3 conservative majority on the high court.

McConell, who referred to the Trump administration once but did not say the words Donald Trump during his 30-minute speech, said, Ill say this about that administrations president (he) took good advice from two White House counsels in a row about who to appoint to the federal courts.

McConnell praised the Federalist Society, which recommended most of Trumps judges, saying decades of work by the legal organization paved the way for a recent 6-3 Supreme Court decision that overturned an earlier ruling known as the Chevron deference and weakens the power of the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies.

I think its a great check against runaway government no matter whos trying to run away, McConnell said. So as I look back over my career, I think the thing that I chose when I was majority leader to put first was the thing that will last for the longest.

McConnell will continue to serve as Kentuckys senior senator after stepping down as Republican leader. He has not said whether he will seek reelection in 2026 but is widely expected to retire.

Commerce Lexington President and CEO Bob Quick said the luncheon was attended by more than 350 business and community leaders from Lexington and the surrounding region, the largest turnout since the pandemic  a tribute, Quick said, to McConnell, Kentuckys longest-serving U.S. senator.

McConnell did not take questions from the news media.

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LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56)  A McKee man was sentenced to 270 months in prison on Monday for producing child pornography.

According to his plea agreement, David Parkey, 41, sent a series of sexually explicit messages and images to a minor on Jan. 18, 2023. The messages showed Parkey also asking the minor to take sexually explicit photos and send them back to him on Facebook.

LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS:

Federal law mandates that Parkey serve at least 85% of his sentence before being released. Upon his release, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 10 years.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News.
Mesa GOP mayor cites John McCain's motto as he urges Republicans to vote for Harris

Mesa GOP Mayor John Giles, in a prime-time slot at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, made his plea to the Republicans watching to leave tradition behind and vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Giles was the odd man out as he walked on stage in a purple tie, a nod to Arizonas battleground status. Its one of the largest political stages hes stood on.

I feel a little out of place tonight, but I feel more at home here than in todays Republican Party, Giles said. The GOP has been kidnapped by extremists, he declared.

Giles invoked the name of Sen. John McCain in his speech and McCain's motto of "county over party." John McCains party is gone, and we dont owe a damn thing to whats been left behind, he said.

He lauded President Joe Bidens administration and how it reached across the aisle" to fulfill promises that President Donald Trump "couldn't deliver."

"Let's turn the page. Let's put country first. Let's put adults in the room where our country deserves," Giles said.

His speech was short, just over two minutes, but they were moments that will mark his tenure as Mesas mayor.

Giles told The Arizona Republic he accepted the invitation to speak because it was his chance to reach those who are politically homeless and to tell Republicans it was OK not to vote for the GOP candidate at the top of the ticket.

A good Republican would never vote for someone who is a danger to our republic and someone who does not have any respect for our Constitution, he said.

Giles, a registered Republican, holds a nonpartisan office and has never been elected as a Republican. Nonetheless, hes the most prominent Republican still in office in Arizona to publicly endorse Harris.

He was propelled into the political spotlight after he formally endorsed Harris in an op-ed in The Arizona Republic which was followed by a string of national broadcast interviews. He was tapped to co-chair the Republicans for Harris committee in Arizona.

He is wrapping up 10 years of continuous service as mayor of Arizona's third most populous city.

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Republic reporter Rafael Carranza contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mesa Mayor Giles, on DNC stage, urges Republicans to vote for Harris
New Mexico Tourism Department gives out $1M for community cleanup initiatives

NEW MEXICO (KRQE)  The New Mexico Tourism Department is giving out $1 million to help clean up communities in the state. 67 groups and agencies are participating in the Clean and Beautiful grant program this year which is a new record for the department.

Sandia High School gets major donation to automotive class

The grant money is going toward youth empowerment and waste reduction. Albuquerque received $60,000 and Bernalillo County is getting nearly $64,000.

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 KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
Mexico's President-elect Sheinbaum holds an event with her cabinet members and supporters, after receiving the certificate confirming her victory in the presidential election, in Mexico City

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A judicial reform planned by Mexico's government will not violate the country's commitments with the United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement (USMCA), President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum said on Wednesday.

The controversial reform, set for a vote in September, aims to ensure that judges, including all Supreme Court justices, are elected through a popular vote.

Sheinbaum, who takes office in October, has defended outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's judicial proposal, saying she agrees judges should be elected.

Mexico's federal judiciary workers were on their third day of a strike on Wednesday in protest of the reform.

Markets have been spooked by the proposed reforms, with worries contributing to Mexico's peso weakening over 2% by midday on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Raul Cortes Fernandez; Writing by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Anthony Esposito)
After a decisive reelection win as Miami-Dade County mayor, Daniella Levine Cava may soon be looking at a much harder race: Florida governor.

On Tuesday night, the first-term Democrat won another four years by a wide margin, turning back a slate of mostly Republican challengers in the officially nonpartisan race. Precinct data shows Levine Cava dominated Democratic strongholds and was competitive in parts of Miami-Dade that reliably vote Republican.

After months of quiet chatter about a potential Levine Cava statewide campaign, her camp is now pointing to her bipartisan support in Miami-Dade as a potential launch pad for a 2026 governor run in a state that hasnt gone Democratic since the 1990s.

Re-elected Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava speaks during a press conference on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, at her campaign office in Miami.

When she travels all over the state, she is regarded as the top Democrat everybody is looking at. And last nights results confirmed that, Christian Ulvert, Levine Cavas longtime political consultant, said at a news conference Wednesday morning after the mayor took questions in English and Spanish. Democrats are talking about, Whats our future? And the future rests not only with mayors, but women mayors.

Ulverts comments on a hypothetical statewide run for Levine Cava capture what political insiders have been chatting about for at least a year.

Detractors call it targeted buzz aimed at keeping Levine Cavas formidable fundraising operation going after an easy reelection even if she ultimately decided to skip a statewide run. Others see Ulvert pressing for another well-funded campaign he could run, despite the longshot odds.

David Custin, a Republican campaign consultant, replied with hysterical laughing emojis when asked by text what he thought of a potential Levine Cava run for governor. He noted that six years ago Ulvert managed the failed campaign for governor of Phil Levine, the Democratic former mayor of Miami Beach.

Levine Cava for governor in 2026 is less credible than Miami Beach Mayor Levines run in 2018, he wrote. However, it will again make Ulvert lots of money in a campaign that will end in miserable defeat.

Christian Ulvert, head of the reelection campaign for Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, speaks during a press conference with the newly reelected mayor on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, at her campaign office in Miami.

Some admirers question why she would surrender half of her second term to pursue an uphill race in a state where Republicans outnumber Democrats by 1 million voters. Others see her as the kind of centrist Democrat who could have appeal across party lines and compete for independents in 2026, when a term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis will leave office.

The mayor checks a lot of boxes, said State. Sen. Shevrin Jones, head of Miami-Dades Democratic Party, who is also mentioned as a potential candidate for governor in 2026. The mayor, honestly, has shown herself to truly be the peoples mayor.

So far, Levine Cava has declined to tamp down the speculation with definitive answers about a 2026 race.

Asked Tuesday night if she was interested in running for governor, she replied: I am focused on doing the job that I promised I would do. Thats my plan.

At Wednesdays press conference, a reporter asked if the loss of Democratic voters in Miami-Dade with a Democratic mayor in office suggested theres little hope of reversing the same slide in Florida.

Im very focused on Miami-Dade, she said. I think my race has brought out people who maybe were not as enthusiastic before. I hope that has created momentum that will carry us forward.

Since replacing a term-limited Republican mayor in 2020, Levine Cava raised about $5 million for her reelection campaign. During the same stretch of time, Miami-Dade lost about 110,000 Democratic voters and gained 51,000 Republicans.

While registered Democrats make up the highest proportion of county voters, followed by independents and Republicans, the trends favor the GOP. Based on the latest three-month average of changes in voter registrations, Democrats are on track to lose their No. 1 status to independents by next May, followed by Republicans taking the lead in October 2025.

That would make Miami-Dade a red county at the same time Levine Cava could be asking Florida Democrats to get behind her campaign.

Privately, Ulvert has told people he expects a much more favorable landscape for a Florida Democrat if former President Donald Trump wins the White House in November. That could spark the kind of blue wave backlash that put Democrat Andrew Gillum within about 30,000 votes of winning the governors race in 2018, when DeSantis won his first term.

Others see a win from Vice President Kamala Harris in November as the best shot for Florida Democrats to receive the kind of national money needed to rebuild voter registration ahead of a Harris reelection campaign in 2028.

Ashley Gantt, a Miami-Dade Democrat reelected to the Florida House on Tuesday, said she thought Levine Cavas background as a child-advocacy lawyer and director of a foster-care program would be popular across Florida. She also expected Florida voters to be ready for a change two years from now, even in an increasingly red Sunshine State.

I think Floridians have been pushed to a point of struggling, said Gantt, who is also an Ulvert client. Theyre going to be more inclined to have an open mind. ... I definitely think she could win.

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava celebrates with her husband Dr. Robert Cava on stage during the Levine Cava watch party on Election Night at Ball & Chain in Little Havana, Miami, Florida on Tuesday, August 20, 2024.

Analyzing the Miami-Dade mayor vote

This summer, Levine Cava was the only Democrat in a race where Democratic and Republican voters both cast about 41% of the ballots.

With the parties split in a race where Levine Cava had to get more than 50% to avoid a runoff in November, she needed strong support among independents and to leach some GOP votes away from Republicans.

The second-place finisher, Manny Cid, the Republican mayor of Miami Lakes, took 23% of the vote, followed by 12% for Alexander Otaola, the Republican host of a conservative YouTube show with a focus on Cuban-Americans.

A Miami Herald analysis of precinct data showed Levine Cava dominated the Democratic vote.

In precincts where Democrats make up at least half of the voters, Levine Cava took about 85% of the vote, compared to 5% each for Cid and Otaola.

Cid won Republican precincts with about 42% of the vote, and Levine Cava taking 33%. Otaola finished third in those precincts, at just under 20%.

For precincts with a significant share of independent voters, Levine Cava was the clear favorite, taking about 65% of the vote over Cids 22%.

In Hialeah, a Republican stronghold in Miami-Dade, Cid finished slightly ahead of the Democratic mayor, 34% to 33%, according to the Heralds analysis.

Miami-Dade County mayoral candidate Manny Cid concedes defeat to incumbent Mayor Daniella Levine Cava during a watch party on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Miami Lakes, Florida.

Cid won his town of Miami Lakes handily, taking 53% of the vote over Levine Cavas 34%.

On Wednesday, Cid said Levine Cavas numbers mostly reflect the overwhelming financial advantage she enjoyed in the race as an incumbent mayor.

The folks who knew me best  we won [them] by a solid margin, he said. Cid said the tally shows his message and record were solid, but there just wasnt enough money to get the message out.

Emiliano Antunez, Cids campaign consultant, said Levine Cava benefited from the governor chatter throughout 2024 because it gave prominent Republicans a reason to sit out of the race.

The reason? So many prominent Republicans would like to run for Miami-Dade mayor if she vacates the job in 2026.

This was part of her plan  to take away or to freeze Republican support for Manny Cid, he said. That did have a chilling effect.

Antunez declined to offer names, but potential Republican candidates circulating among politicos include incoming Florida Speaker Danny Perez; County Commissioners Kevin Cabrera, Raquel Regalado, Rene Garcia and J.C. Bermudez; Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez; Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago; Hialeah Mayor Esteban Steve Bovo; and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.

Ulvert said Levine Cava picked up Republican support by connecting with voters of both parties with a campaign that pitched her as strong on the economy, public safety and supporting small businesses.

Message matters, he said. The mayor showed the path forward for Democrats, not only to win big in Miami-Dade County but to rebuild what Florida once was.
Miami-Dade officers made a breakthrough in solving the case of a teenage girl who they say was walking her dog at a hotel when a woman groomed, trafficked and coerced her to get raped by a man earlier this month. This week, police arrested a South Florida psychologist and a 46-year-old man for their alleged involvement.

Maria Ximena Duarte, a 45-year-old mental health counselor, is charged with human trafficking, lewd and lascivious exhibition on a child, lewd and lascivious battery, and interference with child custody. Jason Mojica is facing charges of sexual battery, lewd and lascivious battery or sexual activity and interference with child custody.

On August 13, Miami-Dade police said the 15-year-old was taking a stroll with her dog near a pool at the Alot Hotel, 7600 SW 88th St., when Duarte walked up to her. She befriended the girl by telling her she was a psychologist.

The child became comfortable with Duarte, sharing her life struggles, an arrest report read. During this conversation, Duarte would interrupt to offer marijuana. She would later bring alcohol which the young girl refused.

Duarte was able to coax the girl to come to her hotel room later that night after she took her dog back home. The 15-year-old stayed the night with her.

The young girl would go back and forth between her home and the hotel several times. During one of those visits, Duarte took pictures of her and told her there was a man named Pablo that she wanted her to have sex with, the report read. The 15-year-old told her she would not participate.

Despite her refusal, Pablo came to the room and raped her. The next day, Mojica, Duartes boyfriend, came to the hotel room. The 15-year-old tried to leave when Duarte went to leave her alone with Mojica, but Duarte pushed her back in and told her to make him feel good.

Mojica would proceed to rape her, the report read. After, she hid in the bathroom, checking so often to see if he had gone. Each time she came out, Mojica would ask to have sex with her again.

During her traumatic saga in the hotel room, the young girl learned Duarte would exchange sex for drugs.

Duarte proceeded to offer the teen drugs and alcohol, as well as ask her to record sexual acts. At one point, police said Duarte forced the girl to have a sexual encounter with Mojica.

Police cuffed Duarte on Sunday after an unrelated dispute at her mothers home, where she trespassed. Mojica was already in jail on two unrelated cases.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Duarte and Mojica remained in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

This story will be updated.
The heavily favored Democrat and the Republican backed by former president Donald J. Trump will meet in the November election to become Miami-Dades first sheriff in almost 60 years.

Democrat James Reyes, 47, and Republican Rosanna Rosie Cordero-Stutz, 55, won their primary races Tuesday night with the help of key endorsements. Reyes came from Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who was also easily re-elected Tuesday. Cordero-Stutzs came from Trump and several GOP South Florida congressmen.

Reyes won easily in a field of four, gathering more than 46 percent of the vote. His closest challenger, former Miami-Dade police officer Rickey Mitchell, had just over 20 percent.

Cordero-Stutz, who has been with Miami-Dade Police for nearly three decades, eked out a victory over former Miami commissioner and Florida Highway Patrol trooper Joe Sanchez. She rode the endorsements of Trump and U.S. GOP House Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and Carlos Gimenez for victory in a crowded field of 11 candidates.

Reyes was expected to win. Cordero-Stutz was considered a slight underdog to Sanchez, 59, a seasoned political veteran. She took an early lead with mail-in ballots and early voting that only grew as the results were tallied Tuesday evening. She eventually defeated Sanchez by 2 percentage points, 24 percent to 22 percent.

It took a while for the crowd at Sergios Restaurant in Doral that gathered to cheer on Cordero-Stutz to finally breath a sigh of relief.

The energy, slightly subdued at first at Cordero-Stutzs urging, surged with each update from the elections department. As dozens of friends and family members munched on croquettes and empanadas, the mood brightened. When it became clear she would win the Republican nomination at about 9 p.m., Cordero-Stutz hugged Gimenez as chants of Rosie, Rosie, Rosie cascaded through the restaurant.

Ultimately the office of the sheriff should respond to the needs of the people, and the people want us to address corruption, Cordero-Stutz said of her plans for the new anti-public corruption unit. Gimenez said Cordero-Stutzs experience won her the nomination, drawing a distinction between her Democratic opponent.

She said the race was a humbling experience and said Trumps endorsement could have been the difference.

He brought attention to a race that is extremely important because Miami-Dade County matters, she told the crowd, whom she joined as they posed with a Trump 2024 banner that read Take America Back.

Gimenez said Cordero-Stutz would likely struggle in the general election, but predicted her experience as a cop would make the difference.

Shes the most qualified by far, Gimenez said. Here, it looks like James Reyes is going to win on the Democrat side. James Reyes has never been a cop. Hes a corrections officer, so, you know, hes never arrested anybody.

At Little Havanas Ball & Chain, where Reyes supporters gathered alongside the mayors, Reyes highlighted his experience as a high-ranking administrator at the Broward County Sheriffs Office and his work with the Miami-Dade Police Department as giving him the resume needed to earn voters confidence this fall.

The things that helped me win today are going to help me win in November, he said. Experience being the Number One thing.

Reyes grew up in Miami but worked in Broward for most of his career. Reyes and his wife have three school-age children, and he said the family plans to move from Broward to Miami-Dade after November.

Meanwhile, in the backroom of Casa Juancho in Little Havana, Sanchezs supporters remained loud and exuberant throughout the night, even after he conceded. At one point after he left, they sang happy birthday to someone in the crowd.

Sanchez addressed the crowd just after 9:15 p.m., telling them hed called Cordero-Stutz to congratulate her.

It was not an easy campaign for us, said Sanchez. But the people have spoken.

Despite two weeks of early and mail-in voting and relatively decent weather on Tuesday  though there were pockets of heavy rain  the turnout for the sheriffs primary election was extremely low. Less than 10 percent of the countys 1.46 million registered voters cast ballots for Miami-Dade sheriff in one of the most anticipated races in the county, according to records from the countys supervisor of elections.

Tuesday was relatively calm. Most voting sites were quiet. The lone exception was a complaint from the Cordero-Stutz camp about texts that were floating around that insinuated Trump endorsed or picked her Republican challenger Joe Martinez to win the primary. Nothing on the texts suggested Martinez or his camp had anything to do with it. And Martinez said he had no clue where they came from after being sent copies the texts.

Choosing a favorite for the November general election wont be easy. Reyes has the bigger war chest and the backing of the Miami-Dade administration in a town that still leans Democratic. But Cordero-Stutz will continue to be bolstered by Trump and a seasoned group of Washington politicians.

Questions over how sheriffs office will be run

Whoever wins in November will have the tall task of overseeing a fledgling independent government agency with a billion-dollar budget and almost 5,000 sworn and civil employees. And by November, those numbers could grow considerably. Thats because Miami-Dade commissioners will likely have decided by then whether the new sheriff will also run the Department of Corrections and control its $500 million budget and 3,000 employees.

And though a sheriffs race was all but guaranteed six years ago after a statewide referendum determined Miami-Dades main law enforcement agency should be in line with the 66 other counties in the state that have elected sheriffs, theres still a considerable amount of work to be done and many unanswered questions.

Miami-Dade hasnt had a sheriffs office since 1966. Thats when a grand jury indicted then-Sheriff T.A. Buchanan for perjury and failure to report campaign contributions during a major public corruptions scandal. Since then  in a move that was widely seen as separating police from politics  the countys police director has either been appointed by the manager or more recently, the mayor.

Last summer, there was a clear front-runner to become Miami-Dade Sheriff. But that changed quickly when then-Police Director Alfredo Freddy Ramirez shot himself on the side of a highway outside of Tampa during a police convention last year. He survived, but dropped out of the race.

READ MORE: Miami-Dade police chief shot himself in the head after fight with wife at Tampa hotel

Now the contest comes down to Reyes and Cordero-Stutz.

Levine Cava hired Reyes in 2022 to turn around Miami-Dades troubled Department of Corrections agency, which had been cited by the U.S. Department of Justice for mental health and safety issues. A year later  after Ramirez exited the race  Levine Cava appointed him as the head of Public Safety, overseeing not only corrections, but police and fire.

He joined Miami-Dade after more than two decades with the Broward Sheriffs Office, where he served briefly on street patrol, before taking administrative leadership posts, eventually working his way up to Colonel in charge of corrections.

In his short time in Miami-Dade, Reyes has become a firm backer of Operation Community Shield, which claims to have cleared the streets of 3,000 weapons. He also helped create a co-responder model of policing in Miami-Dade, with the goal of de-escalating tensions between law enforcement and the mentally unstable.

Cordero-Stutz has been with Miami-Dade Police for almost three decades. Shes worked her way from street cop, to detective, to major in the highest levels of the agency. She oversaw communications.

Along with the support of Trump, Diaz-Balart and Gimenez, shes also secured support from 27 sheriffs in the state and was recently sworn in as president of the Florida chapter of the FBI National Academy.

Cordero-Stutz, who lives in Broward County, said shes looking for a home in Miami-Dade. She says her strength is executive leadership.
Miami-Dade voters cast ballots in first-ever supervisor of elections primary race. Who won?

Miami-Dade primary voters on Tuesday took part in history, in at least one race, as residents decided who would be the countys first-ever elected supervisor of elections.

In the past, election supervisors were appointed. But the role must now be voted on, due to a change to Floridas constitution in 2018. The position entails overseeing the office that handles elections for 1.5 million voters in Miami-Dade, Floridas largest voter-eligible county population.

Over the last decade, Miami-Dades Elections Department has earned a reputation of being well-run.

In this years primary, three democratic candidates compete to see who will face Republican State Rep. Alina Garcia, who faced no opposition.

Here are the election results:

Supervisor of Elections, Democrat Nominee: Juan-Carlos Planas. He told the Miami Herald, I am ecstatic beyond belief, and I am already starting to work on November. Im looking forward to bringing the message of protecting democracy to all the residents of Miami-Dade.

Supervisor of Elections, Republican Nominee: Alina Garcia

Miami-Dade Tax Collector

Miami-Dade residents also voted for the role of tax collector, who is responsible for collecting all taxes alerted by the countys property appraiser.

Two Republican candidates face off for the position and will compete against Democrat David Richardson, who ran unopposed, later this year.

Here are the election results:

Tax Collector, Democrat Nominee: David Richardson

Tax Collector, Republican Nominee: Dariel Fernandez
Miami-Dade County residents voted in favor of expanding the countys public transit system in Tuesdays election.

The question, proposed and sponsored by Miami-Dade County Commission Chairman Oliver Gilbert, asked residents if the county should expand its existing elevated Metrorail, passenger rail and Metromover services.

The measure is a non-binding straw poll, and it does not specify a time frame or source of funding for expanding the countys transit network. Nearly 80% of Miami-Dade residents voted in favor of the item.

Tonights election results reflect a loud and clear mandate from our residents, Gilbert told the Miami Herald in a text Tuesday night. The overwhelming support ... reflects our communitys shared vision for a more connected, sustainable, and accessible future.

He said the next step will be to continue having conversations with the community and the county commission about expanding transit in Miami-Dade County.

Gilbert previously told the Herald he does not know how much any such expansion project would cost, but he said he believes it will be worth it for the county. In July, he said he expected the measure to pass, but that even if it did not, he planned to continue pushing to expand transit.

Transit advocates also told the Herald in July they expected the measure to pass.

Mark Merwitzer, the associate director of the advocacy group Transit Alliance, said he was pleased with the results of the straw poll. He said by voting in favor of this ballot measure, Miami-Dade residents made it clear they dont want the status quo of more highways and more traffic.

Miami-Dades growing population has exacerbated congestion and traffic throughout the county.

Merwitzer added that he commends Gilbert, along with co-sponsor Commissioner Eileen Higgins, for their work.

The measure comes about eight years after the commission voted in 2016 to pass the SMART Plan, which identified transit solutions for major transit corridors throughout the county. So far, the only part of the plan in progress is the construction of bus-only lanes between Miami and Homestead.

Projects that have been planned but not yet implemented as a part of SMART include a Metromover line that connects the mainland to Miami Beach and Metrorail service to the northern part of the county.

The measure that passed in Tuesdays election does not come with specific steps or a plan to be implemented.

Though Tuesdays ballot results show there is support for expanding transit in Miami-Dade, not everyone is on board. Earlier this year, the Miami Beach City Commission voted against expanding the Metromover to Miami Beach. Commissioners cited concerns about public transit bringing crime and homelessness to Miami Beach.
Miami-Dade voters will have to wait until the November election to learn whether the school board in Floridas largest school district will maintain, strengthen, or lose its conservative majority.

In Tuesdays school board elections, school board member from District 9, Luisa Santos, kept her seat on the board. But Districts 3 and 7 will go to a run-off election. School board elections are non-partisan and winners must get 50 percent plus one vote to win the election outright.

The school board has become increasingly political in the past few years, as conservative policies related to race, gender, and religion have trickled down from the state to local school boards.

The results of the elections in District 3 and 7 will determine whether the board will maintain its conservative majority.

Currently, the board has five members who consistently vote conservatively, four of whom originally were appointed by Governor DeSantis.

In District 3, five candidates were vying to replace Lucia Baez-Geller, who left her seat to run for the House seat in District 27.

Joseph Joe Geller and Martin Karp were neck in neck in the District 3 race, which will send them to the run off in November. Geller ended up ahead, with 32.63 percent of the votes. Karp came in a close second with 31.93 percent. District 3 stretches from Aventura down to parts of Coconut Grove along the beaches and the bay.

Joseph Scott Geller is a lawyer, former state representative and former mayor of North Bay Village who has been endorsed by the teachers union. He is a registered Democrat.

Karp, who works as the dean of a consortium of private Jewish schools, donated $775,000 of his own money to his campaign. He previously served on the school board, during which time he was named in an Office of Inspector General report that alleged that his office was complicit in propping up a Jewish after school program that was operating in a public school facility while not paying rent. Karp was previously registered as a Republican, but changed his registration to no-party-affiliation at the end of May.

This is such a victory for grassroots campaigning over big money; it shows that if you listen to the parents and to the teachers, then you can win notwithstanding all the money in the world thrown into it, said Geller, upon learning that he had received more votes than Karp.

In contrast to Karps campaign which raised $795,558, Geller only raised $126,100.

On election night, Karp said that it was difficult for him during the lead up to the election because of negative texts and mailers that went out.

But, he said, I worked very hard and stayed focused on the message about student achievement and education.

Karp and Geller both agree that politics should be taken out of schools.

I felt compelled to run for this seat because someone has to stand up to this attempt to inject right-wing politics into our schools, said Geller.

Also on the ballot were Brent Latham, the current mayor of North Bay Village with a background in nonprofits; Gustavo Ortega, a long-time special education teacher; and Hayley Ross, a teacher.

District 7 is also poised for a run off. DeSantis appointee Mary Blanco wasnt able to secure 50 percent plus one votes. She received 44.70 percent of the votes. She will face off against Maxeme Tuchman, a teacher and entrepreneur who was endorsed by the teachers union. Tuchman recieved 31.28 percent of the votes. Tuchman is a registered Democrat.

Blanco is a guidance counselor at a Catholic school in Miami. This was the first race for Blanco since being appointed by Governor DeSantis in January 2023 after school board member Lubby Navarro stepped down. Navarro was subsequently arrested for misuse of district funds. Blanco is a registered Republican.

I will clearly contrast my values and vision for our students and school system against the extreme liberal agenda my opponents and her party are trying to impose upon us in school district 7, said Blanco in a statement after learning that the race will continue to a run-off.

Max Tuchman was proud of the fact that she was able to challenge a candidate endorsed by the Governor.

The fact that we put up a fight, that the Governor didnt win this outright with his candidate, I think says a lot, said Tuchman.

We need to shift the school board back to non-partisan and take the control away from the Governor.

Javier Perez, a district employee and former educator who was endorsed by the school police union, was also in the race.

District 7 encompasses Kendall, West Kendall, parts of Pinecrest and parts of Redland and Homestead.

The District 9 race was between the school boards youngest member, Luisa Santos, and Kimberly Beltran. Santos won handily, securing the majority of votes by early evening. Luisa Santos has focused on trying to bring technological advancements to the school board and district, and was endorsed by the teachers union. Her opponent Beltran ran on a platform of eliminating wasteful spending by the school district and was endorsed by Moms for Liberty, the controversial conservative group that has advocated for parental rights and has publicly supported laws which limit how race can be taught in higher education institutions.

School board races may become political

Although school board races are still nonpartisan, this November voters can decide if they want candidates to disclose their party affiliations when they vote on Amendment 1 in the general election.

State Rep. Spencer Roach, a Republican from North Fort Myers, sponsored the resolution that pushed the proposed constitutional amendment onto this years ballot. He said the proposal aims to provide more information about school board candidates to voters. Its not about advancing the prospects of Republicans or Democrats, said Roach. If this becomes law, in some red counties its going to mean that more Republicans get elected and in some blue counties its certainly going to mean more Democrats get elected. My intention in filing the bill was not to put an advantage for one political party over another; rather I would say my motivation is transparency.

If 60 percent of voters support the ballot question, it would return Florida to an era when school board candidates ran under party labels and would reverse a change that voters made a quarter-century ago that required candidates to run without party labels.

The year ahead for the school board

The District is still celebrating its fifth year with an A rating from the state, which was announced in July.

The top concerns mentioned by many of the candidates for the Miami-Dade school board races were school safety as well as teacher pay. According to the Florida Education Association, Florida ranks 50th in the nation for average teacher pay. Starting salaries for teacher in Miami-Dade is $52,000.

The year may present the district with challenges in terms of funding. As the Miami Herald recently reported, the increase in funds being spent by the state on voucher programs to support students attending private schools is beginning to impact the public school budget. Conversations around parental autonomy in deciding where their children should go to school, as well as the increasing number of students attending charter schools will likely come up in this school years school board meetings.

Over the past two years, the school board has been mired in politics, with concerns about book bans and questions about what kinds of content related to race and gender should be taught in schools. Since Governor DeSantis Stop Woke Act in 2022, which limited what educators can teach about race, gender, privilege and unconscious bias, schools have been the scene of an ongoing and heated discussions about indoctrination versus education. So far, courts have stopped most parts of the law from being implemented.

Many of the candidates in this years race noted that they want to focus less on these issues and more on problems facing students inside the classroom.

But controversial topics, such as bringing volunteer religious chaplains onto school campuses, may resurface this year. Miami-Dade is currently weighing the pros and cons of implementing chaplains in schools with a feasibility study.
Michael Cohen is living his best life at the DNC with band of Trump-hating Republicans

Former Trump fixer Michael Cohen joined a string of Republicans who have ditched his former boss at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday and joked he would speak to Kamala Harriss Chicago crowd if they let me.

Cohen and a group of former Trump voters and anti-Trump Republicans, including the former presidents ex-press secretary Stephanie Grisham, were in Chicago on the second night of the convention.

The former Trump ally, who was not invited to speak, was most recently in the limelight as he testified against the former president in the hush money trial which saw Trump convicted on 34 charges of falsifying business records.

Cohen made a $130,000 hush money payment to adult actor Stormy Daniels to remain quiet in the leadup to the 2016 election about an alleged affair. Trump logged the reimbursements to Cohen as legal expenses.

Cohen told the jury that Trump directed him to make the payment before the election and that the reimbursement was approved after his victory. Trump is still claiming that he paid Cohen for legitimate legal business.

Ahead of the trial, Cohen told MSNBC that he was getting a slew of death threats from Trump supporters.

"Its witness intimidation and its harassment," Cohen told the network. "What is his goal? Again, its to incite these followers  to prevent me from appearing before ... the Manhattan district attorney in this upcoming trial. He does not want to face accountability at any cost."

At the Democratic convention, Cohen told The Washington Times that hes concerned for the future of the country if Trump is re-elected.

Michael Cohen, former personal lawyer to former U.S. President Donald Trump, attends the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Cohen trashed his former boss while mingling at the convention (Getty Images)

I fear for my children. I fear, God willing one day, my grandchildren if Im lucky enough to live that long, he told the paper. Im concerned about our democratic republic when you have somebody who wants to be president of the United States making statements like, I want to rewrite the Constitution. Do you really think this dumba** could rewrite the Constitution?

When he says that he wants to destroy our tripartite system of government and confer all power to himself  what do you think is going to end up happening in this country? Because the answer is going to be the end of our democratic republic, he added.

Cohen spent time in prison after he pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations, tax fraud, bank fraud, and lying to Congress.

He told The Washington Times that he was invited to the convention by members of Congress but declined to specify who. He added that hes a strong supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Cohen is not the only former Trump ally to appear at the DNC.

Stephanie Grisham, a former Trump press secretary and advisor turned critic, said Trump mocks his supporters behind closed doors, calling them basement dwellers.

Journalist Brian Karem poses for a selfie with Michael Cohen, former personal lawyer to former U.S. President Donald Trump, during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. The former fixer was not the only former Trump ally to attend the DNC (Getty Images)

I wasnt just a Trump supporter. I was a true believer, Grisham said, before adding that during a hospital visit when people were dying in the ICU, he was mad that the cameras were not watching him. He has no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth.

He used to tell me, it doesnt matter what you say, Stephanie, say it enough and people will believe you, the former press secretary said.

She added that she resigned on January 6, 2021, because she couldnt be part of the insanity any longer.

Former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham speaks on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois (Getty Images)

Other Republicans set to speak at the DNC include former Trump White House national security official Olivia Troye, former Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger, and former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan.

The Republican Mayor of Mesa, Arizona, John Giles, told the convention that Trump made a lot of lofty promises, unlimited economic growth, American manufacturing reborn, a secure border. Turns out Donald Trump was all talk. He wanted our votes, but he couldnt deliver a thing.

Speaking to Americans in the political middle, Giles said, John McCains Republican Party is gone, and we dont owe a damn thing to whats been left behind.
The last hour of the Democratic National Convention became the Michelle and Barack Obama show Tuesday night  and the crowd was ready.

The former first lady brought an extra dose of hope and called on Americans to do something with 76 days left until Election Day. And she said there was no other choice but Kamala Harris.

My girl, Kamala Harris, is more than ready for this moment. She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency, and she is one of the most dignified, she said.

In a somber moment, Obama referred to her mother who recently passed and drew parallels between her mother, a Black woman from the South Side of Chicago, and Harris mother, an Indian woman who immigrated to America at 19.

Her story is your story. Its my story. Its the story of the vast majority of Americans trying to build a better life.

Harris grabbing the baton from President Joe Biden last month has given a renewed feeling thats been buried too deep, for far too long, Obama said. You know what Im talking about. Its the contagious power of  hope.

In 2012, Barack Obama gave a speech at that years DNC that reflected his 2008 campaign, where one of the slogans was Hope. The same artist who created those posters has been commissioned to create the Harris-Walz campaigns Forward.

Prior to the Obamas headlining on Tuesday evening, delegates from across the country packed Chicagos United Center for a star-studded quasi concert to confirm Harris as the Democratic nominee. DJ Cassidy provided a fun mixtape of favorite songs from each state as the delegates gave brief remarks, and rapper Lil John set it off for Georgia.

Now, unfortunately, we know what comes next. We know folks are going to do everything they can to distort her truth. My husband and I, sadly, know a little something about this, the former first lady said. For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happened to be Black.

But as we embrace this renewed sense of hope, let us not forget the despair we have felt. Let us not forget what we are up against. Yes, Kamala and Tim are doing great now.

But theres still work ahead. Obama advised the crowd that for the values at the very foundation of this democracy, Its up to us to remember what Kamalas mother told her, Dont just sit around and complain, do something. So if they lie about her, and they will, weve got to do something. If we see a bad poll, and we will, we got to put down that phone and do something.

Racist and sexist attacks have been thrown at Harris, especially from her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, who said Harris recently turned Black.

I want to know whos gonna tell him, Obama said while repeating, Whos gonna tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs.

And in Barack Obamas speech he made a slight tweak to a familiar phrase: Yes, she can. The mantra referred back to Obamas 2008 slogan  Yes, we can.

You can read the full text of former first lady Michelle Obamas 20-minute speech below:

Thank you, Chicago.

Something, something wonderfully magical is in the air, isnt it?! You know, were feeling it here in this arena, but its spreading all across this country. We love a familiar feeling thats been buried too deep for far too long. You know what Im talking about. Its the contagious power of hope.

The anticipation, the energy, the exhilaration of once again being on the cusp of a brighter day. The chance to vanquish the demons of fear, division, and hate that have consumed us and continue pursuing the unfinished promise of this great nation, the dream that our parents and grandparents fought and died and sacrificed for. America, hope is making a comeback.

But to be honest, I am realizing that until recently, I have mourned the dimming of that hope, and maybe youve experienced the same feelings that deep pit in my stomach, a palpable sense of dread about the future. And for me, that morning has also been mixed with my own personal grief. The last time I was here in my hometown was to memorialize my mother, the woman who showed me the meaning of hard work and humility and decency, the woman who set my moral compass high and showed me the power of my own voice.

Folks, I still feel her loss so profoundly. I wasnt even sure if Id be steady enough to stand before you tonight, but my heart compelled me to be here because of the sense of duty that I feel, to honor her memory and to remind us all not to squander the sacrifices our elders made to give us a better future.

You see, my mom, in her steady, quiet way, lived out that striving sense of hope every single day of her life. She believed that all children, all people, have value, that anyone can succeed if given the opportunity. She and my father didnt aspire to be wealthy. In fact, they were suspicious of folks who took more than they needed. They understood that it wasnt enough for their kids to thrive if everyone else around us was drowning. So, my mother volunteered at the local school. She always looked out for the other kids on the block. She was glad to do the thankless, unglamorous work that for generations, has strengthened the fabric of this nation. The belief that if you do unto others, if you love thy neighbor, if you work and scrape and sacrifice, it will pay off, if not for you, then maybe for your children or your grandchildren.

You see those values have been passed on through family farms and factory towns; through tree-lined streets and crowded tenements; through prayer groups and National Guard units; and social studies classrooms. Those were the values my mother poured into me until her very last breath.

Kamala Harris and I built our lives on those same foundational values; even though our mothers grew up an ocean apart, they shared the same belief in the promise of this country. Thats why her mother moved here from India at 19. Its why she taught Kamala about justice, about the obligation to lift others up, about our responsibility to give more than we take. Shed often tell her daughter, Dont sit around and complain about things, do something.

So with that voice in her head, Kamala went out and she worked hard in school, graduating from an HBCU, earning her law degree at state school, and then she went on to work for the people, fighting to hold lawbreakers accountable, strengthening the rule of law, fighting to get folks better wages, cheaper, prescription drugs, a good education, decent health care, child care, elder care. From a middle-class household, Kamala worked her way up to become vice president of the United States of America.

My girl, Kamala Harris, is more than ready for this moment. She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency, and she is one of the most dignified  a tribute to her mother, to my mother and to your mother too  the embodiment of the stories we tell ourselves about this country. Her story is your story. Its my story. Its the story of the vast majority of Americans trying to build a better life.

Look, Kamala knows  like we do  that regardless of where you come from, what you look like, who you love, how you worship, or whats in your bank account, we all deserve the opportunity to build a decent life. All of our contributions deserve to be accepted and valued because no one has a monopoly of what it means to be an American. No one.

Kamala has shown her allegiance to this nation, not by spewing anger and bitterness, but by living a life of service and always pushing the doors of opportunity open to others. She understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth.

If we bankrupt the business  if we bankrupt the business or choke in a crisis, we dont get a second, third or fourth chance. If things dont go our way, we dont have the luxury of whining or cheating others to get further ahead. No. We dont get to change the rules so we always win. If we see a mountain in front of us, we dont expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top. No. We put our heads down. We get to work. In America, we do something, and throughout her entire life, thats what weve seen from Kamala Harris: the steel of her spine, the steadiness of her upbringing, the honesty of her example, and, yes, the joy of her laughter and her light. It couldnt be more obvious of the two major candidates in this race, only Kamala Harris truly understands the unseen labor and unwavering commitment that has always made America great.

Now, unfortunately, we know what comes next. We know folks are going to do everything they can to distort her truth. My husband and I, sadly, know a little something about this. I. Us. For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happened to be Black. I want to know  I want to know whos gonna tell him? Whos gonna tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?

This same old con  his same old con  doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make peoples lives better. Look, because cutting our health care, taking away our freedom to control our bodies, the freedom to become a mother through IVF like I did, those things are not going to improve the health outcomes of our wives, mothers and daughters. Shutting down the Department of Education, banning our books, none of that will prepare our kids for the future. Demonizing our children for being who they are and loving who they love  look, that doesnt make anybodys life better.  Instead, it only makes us small. And let me tell you this, going small is never the answer. Going small is the opposite of what we teach our kids. Going small is petty, its unhealthy, and, quite frankly, its unpresidential.

So why would any of us accept this from anyone seeking our highest office? Why will we normalize that type of backward leadership? Doing so only demeans and cheapens our politics. It only serves to further discourage good, big-hearted people from wanting to get involved at all. America, our parents taught us better than that, and we deserve so much better than that. Thats why we must do everything in our power to elect two of those good, big-hearted people. There is no other choice than Kamala Harris and Tim walls. No other choice.

But as we embrace this renewed sense of hope, let us not forget the despair we have felt. Let us not forget what we are up against. Yes, Kamala and Tim are doing great now. Were loving it. Theyre packing arenas across the country. Folks are energized. We are feeling good. But remember, there are still so many people who are desperate for a different outcome, who are ready to question and criticize every move Kamala makes, who are eager to spread those lies, who dont want to vote for a woman, who will continue to prioritize building their wealth over ensuring that everyone has enough.

So no matter how good we feel tonight or tomorrow or the next day, this is going to be an uphill battle. So folks, we cannot be our own worst enemies. No, because the minute something goes wrong, the minute a lie takes hold, folks, we cannot start wringing our hands, we cannot get a Goldilocks complex about whether everything is just right. And we cannot indulge our anxieties about whether this country will let someone like Kamala, instead of doing everything we can to get someone like Kamala elected.

Kamala and Tim, they have lived amazing lives, and I am confident that they will lead with compassion, inclusion and grace, but they are still only human. They are not perfect, and like all of us, they will make mistakes. But luckily, yall, this is not just on them. Nah, this is up to us, all of us, to be the solution that we seek. Its up to all of us to be the anecdote to the darkness and division. Look, I dont care how you identify politically, whether youre Democrat, Republican, independent, or none of the above, this is our time to stand up for what we know in our hearts is right.

To stand up, not just for our basic freedoms, but for decency and humanity, for basic respect, dignity and empathy, for the values at the very foundation of this democracy. Its up to us to remember what Kamalas mother told her, Dont just sit around and complain, do something. So if they lie about her, and they will, weve got to do something. If we see a bad poll, and we will, we got to put down that phone, and do something. If we start feeling tired, if we start feeling that dread creeping back in, we got to pick ourselves up, throw water on our face, and what? (do something)

We only have 2 months, yall, to get this done, only 11 weeks to make sure every single person we know is registered and has a voting plan. So, we cannot afford for anyone, anyone, any one American, to sit on their hands and wait to be call. Dont complain if no one from the campaign has specifically reached out to you to ask you for your support. There is simply no time for that kind of foolishness. You know what you need to do. So consider this to be your official ask  Michelle Obama is asking, you know, Im telling yall to do something.

Because this election is going to be close, in some states, just a handful. Listen to me, a handful of votes in every precinct could decide the winner. So we need to vote in numbers that erase any doubt. We need to overwhelm any effort to suppress us. Our fate is in our hands. In 77 days, we have the power to turn our country away from the fear, division and smallness of the past. We have the power to marry our hope with our action. We have the power to pay for with the love, sweat and sacrifice of our mothers and fathers and all those who came before us. We did it before, yall, and we sure can do it again. Let us work like our lives depend on it, and let us keep moving our country forward and go higher, yes, always higher than weve ever gone before. As we elect the next president and vice president of the United States: Kamala Harris, and Tim Walz. Thank you all.

The post Michelle Obamas Gripping Speech Brings Hope From 2008 Into 2024 appeared first on Capital B News.
With a mixture of going low and going high, Michelle Obama delivered the speech of the night on the second night of the Democratic National Convention, jabbing at Donald Trump and delivering an affectionate tribute to the party's nominee, Kamala Harris.

"Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us,"she said. "His limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard working and highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black. I want to know who's going to tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs," Obama said referring to Trump's repeated statements that immigrants are taking "Black jobs."

AFormer first lady Michelle Obama speaks during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center.

Obama urged Democrats to protect and defend Harris from the expected attacks in the coming 11 weeks and to not let Republicans set the narrative. With President Joe Biden's late exit from the race, Harris and her campaign have a tight timeline to introduce her to the American people and sway the slim margin of undecided voters expected to be pivotal to the outcome of the race.

Obama, who said she struggled to attend the convention because she is still grieving the death of her mother, had the harshest words for the former president in a convention night that has been filled with not so subtle jabs. Trump was a predominant voice in the so-called birther conspiracy, which questioned whether Barack Obama was born in the United States.

"Look, it's his same old con, his same old con, doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people's lives better," she said. Obama said the tactic made Trump "small."

Former first lady Michelle Obama introduces Former President Barack Obama during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center.

"Going small is the opposite of what we teach our kids," she said. "Going small is petty, it's unhealthy, and quite frankly, it's unpresidential."

Obama also spoke of Harris' middle class upbringing and the charge from her single mother not just to complain about problems, but to "do something."

More: 'Do something': Michelle Obama throws her support behind Kamala Harris at 2024 DNC: Watch

Harris "understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth. If we bankrupt a business or choke in a crisis, we don't get a second, third or fourth chance. If things don't go our way, we don't have the luxury of whining or cheating others to get further ahead. No, we don't get to change the rules, so we always win if we see a mountain in front of us, we don't expect there to be an escalator waiting to date us to the top. We put our hands down. We get to work. In America, we do something," Obama said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michelle Obama warns DNC of upcoming personal attacks against Harris
Michelle Obama Mocks Donald Trump As Seeking One Of Those Black Jobs, Offers Kudos To Kamala Harris In Scorching Speech That Fires Up DNC

This election is going to be close, Michelle Obama told the Democratic National Convention tonight in her hometown of Chicago, Illinois of the rough race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. The former First Lady has pretty finely attuned political antenna, but on the second day of the DNC her speech tonight was a landslide winner.

Dont believe us, believe the 44th President of the United States. Or as Barack Obama said Tuesday at the top of his own speech before Democrats and the viewing world: Im the only person stupid enough to speak after Michelle Obama.

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On any other night from any other speaker, the words Hope is making a comeback would have been the line of the night. But that was just an obviously uninhibited Michelle Obamas warm up as she offered strong support to Vice President Harris and her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Touting Harris as one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency, the Becoming author TKOd the man who claimed her husband wasnt even born in America and put her daughters at risk  with his own words. Whos going to tell him the job he is seeking might be one of those Black jobs? the ex-occupant of the slave built White House slayed.

Michelle said Trump is seeking a BLACK JOB and Im running around my house slapping the air high five!!!  Robin Thede (@robinthede) August 21, 2024

Hitting Trumps rich kid underbelly, Mrs. Obama then added the former Celebrity Apprentice host is the degenerate legatee of the affirmative action of generational wealth.

In many ways, it has felt like the former First Lady and bestselling author has spent the past eight years both living down and explaining her when they go low, we go high comment from the 2016 convention.

For me, going high is not losing the urgency or the passion or the rage, especially when you are justified in it, Michelle Obama told CBS Stephen Colbert in 2022 Going high means finding the purpose in your rage. Rage without reason, without a plan, without direction is just more rage. And weve been living in a lot of rage.

Carried live on cable news, all the broadcast nets and online, that ended tonight as Michelle Obama reset the table for both herself and the already fired up Democrats in a way almost no seasoned pol ever could.

Do something, the former First Lady entreated cheering Dems of one of the life lessons she and Kamala Harris both learned from their now deceased mothers.

As the former White House Press Secretary to President Joe Biden (and ex-Obama administration vet) put it:

Concerned for @BarackObama that he has to follow this ..  Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) August 21, 2024

A revered figure among Democrats and the majority of Americans, Mrs. Obama has always seemed to disdain the requirements of modern politics while effortlessly surpassing the expectations they bring with them. To that end, Michelle Obama has long been touted as a prospect for high office herself. Regardless of the fact, the one-time powerhouse lawyer has repeatedly said she has zero interest.

Her protests to the contrary, tonights remarks will only increase the drum beat to get Michelle Obamas name on a ballot someday soon.

Kicking off with words from former NOLA Mayor and Democratic royalty Mitch Landrieu, Day 2 of the DNC saw some music from Patti LeBelle and Windy City native Common, some presidential grandsons, some union members and a rockin ceremonial roll call.

From Sweet Home Alabama, some Dr. Dre (California), Tom Petty, Eminem (Michigan) and Prince (Minnesota), it was a curated soundtrack by DJ Cassidy that took one of the usually dullest of convention traditions and actually got the blood pumping. Harris campaign theme of Beyonces Freedom was played in the United Center, but Texas tune was the Houston-born superstars Texas Hold Em. It was a bit of a family affair as Beyonces husband Jay-Z saw his Empire State of Mind picked as the Empire States song.

An in-the-house appearance on A bold vision for Americas future themed night by Lil Jon for the great state of Georgia clearly won the roll. Unexpected cameos by Stranger Things alum Sean Astin for Indiana and Treme vet Wendell Pierce for Louisiana brought more in the flesh star power too.

Despite the more than 50 song long roll call and remarks from luminaries such as Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT), the Ana Navarro hosted Day 2 of the DNC was striving to be a slightly more streamlined event than the primetime busting Monday night. It was also a much more geographically extended event as Vice President Harris and Governor Waliz were not in the building on Tuesday, but attending a 15,000 strong rally in Milwaukee, home of the 2024 GOP convention  a fact that was brought to viewers at home and in the arena by some old skool split screen.

A mural of Michelle Obama is displayed outside PERILLA fare in Chicago, Illinois

With tonight headlined by the hometown Obamas, Harris is not expected to be speaking in person in Chicago. However, as her husband and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff took the stage to give personal insights to the candidate earlier Tuesday, the VP will be taking a traditional route and closing out the DNC on August 22 with her acceptance speech.

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Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, recently turned heads when he asserted that immigrants are "taking Black jobs"

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty; James Devaney/GC Images Former first lady Michelle Obama took a jab at former President Donald Trump during her Aug. 20 DNC speech

Former first lady Michelle Obama took a jab at former President Donald Trump during the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

Obama, 60, made the pointed comment on the second night of the convention on Tuesday, Aug. 20.

Now unfortunately we know what comes next. We know folks are going to do everything they can to distort [Kamala Harris] truth, she said after praising the Democratic presidential nominee's leadership.

My husband and I sadly know a little something about this, she continued. For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happened to be Black.

Related: Michelle Obama Calls Donald Trump's Birther Crusade a 'Hurtful' Deceit Trump Cannot Undo with One 'Insincere Sentence'

I want to know," she added. "Whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might be one of those 'Black jobs'?"

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty; James Devaney/GC Images Former first lady Michelle Obama took a jab at former President Donald Trump during her Aug. 20 DNC speech

Her comment, which drew thunderous applause in Chicago's United Center, appeared to be in reference to Trumps recent talking point that immigrants are taking Black jobs, which he first brought up during a June 27 debate against President Joe Biden.

Obamas jab was in direct contrast to her political approach at the 2016 DNC, where she refused to directly name Trump and instead said, our motto is: when they go low, we go high, while discussing the criticism Hillary Clinton faced from Republicans on the campaign trail.

Related: Michelle Obama Shares Grief, Hope and a New Democratic Tagline in Forceful DNC Speech

Joe Raedle/Getty Michelle Obama speaks at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20, 2024

Elsewhere in her 2024 DNC speech, Obama accused Trump of going small, and highlighted the differences between this year's major-party candidates.

"[Harris] understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of 'failing forward,' " she said.

"If we bankrupt a business, or choke in a crisis, we dont get a second, third, or fourth chance," she said, alluding to Trump's business failures and generational wealth. "If things dont go our way, we dont have the luxury of whining or cheating others to get further ahead, no. We dont get to change the rules so we always win. If we see a mountain in front of us, we dont expect to see an escalator waiting to get us to the top."

"It couldnt be more obvious: Of the two major candidates in this race, only Kamala Harris truly understands the unseen labor and unwavering commitment that has always made America great," she added.

Related: Barack Obama Makes Viral Hand Gesture While Slamming Donald Trump's 'Weird' Obsession with 'Crowd Sizes'

Hannah Beier/getty Barack and Michelle Obama hug on the Democratic National Convention stage on Aug. 20, 2024

Obama and her husband, former President Barack Obama, endorsed Harris after Biden announced that he was dropping out of the presidential race and supporting the vice president to take his place on the Democratic ticket.

"We agree with President Biden  choosing Kamala was one of the best decisions hes made. She has the resume to prove it," the Obamas said in a statement. "But Kamala has more than a resume. She has the vision, the character, and the strength that this critical moment demands."

"There is no doubt in our mind that Kamala Harris has exactly what it takes to win this election and deliver for the American people. At a time when the stakes have never been higher, she gives us all reason to hope," they added.

Related: Jimmy Carter's Grandson Says Kamala Harris Carries Grandpa's Legacy: 'She Knows What's Right and She Fights for It'

The DNC will continue through to Thursday, Aug. 22, with additional speakers including former President Bill Clinton, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg taking the stage, along with celebrity performances and panels, including one hosted by Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Wednesday, Aug. 21.

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At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, 138 people from Michigan are serving as the state's delegates as the party looks to rally around Vice President Kamala Harris' nomination in this year's presidential election.

At the convention (the DNC, for short), delegates are tasked with voting for the nominee which best reflects how their state's presidential primary voted. Back in February, voters in Michigan largely backed President Joe Biden, who has since ended his presidential campaign. Biden promptly endorsed Harris after he withdrew from the race, and Democrats formally sealed Harris' nomination ahead of the DNC.

In Michigan, delegates who were pledged to Biden "overwhelmingly" voted to endorse Harris as his replacement, the Michigan Democratic Party announced in July, largely erasing the chance for a contested DNC. Since Harris' nomination has already been made official by Democrats, the convention serves more as an opportunity for the party to drum up support and enthusiasm in the months leading up to the election. Republicans held their convention last month in Milwaukee.

Of the 138 delegates representing Michigan at the convention, 21 of them are "unpledged" delegates, who can vote for whoever they like. Sometimes called "superdelegates," Michigan's unpledged delegates at the DNC included elected officials like Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and members of Michigan's congressional delegation, and party leaders like Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes.

More: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer a 'rock star' in Chicago as she revs up Democratic delegates

The other 117 delegates include those who were selected as "at-large" delegates, like former Michigan Gov. Jim Blanchard, United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, Detroit Pistons Vice Chairman Arn Tellem and others.

Two of Michigan's 117 delegates were pledged as "uncommitted" based on the results of the state's presidential primary. In February, 13.2% of votes in the Democratic presidential primary voted "uncommitted". Organizers behind the uncommitted movement said they were disillusioned with Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas War.

Michigan, once again, figures as a prominent swing state in this year's presidential election. Since the DNC began Monday, people with Michigan ties like Fain, State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, and U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, have spoken at the convention. Whitmer is expected to speak Thursday, the final day of the convention.

 Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com.

 Looking for more on Michigans elections this year? Check out our voter guide, subscribe to our elections newsletter and always feel free to share your thoughts in a letter to the editor.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How many Michigan delegates at Democratic National Convention?
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a Crime and Safety press conference held in Howell, Michigan, Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Jon King/Michigan Advance)

It was called a press conference, but an event in Howell Tuesday had all the hallmarks of a political rally, including signs that said Michigan is Trump Country and Make America Safe Again.

Standing in front of several shiny Livingston County Sheriff patrol vehicles parked inside a storage shed repurposed for the event, former President Donald Trump addressed what his campaign called a crime crisis in American communities due to the policies of Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Kamala Harris will deliver crime, chaos, destruction and death if she is elected President, said Trump as he spent close to an hour attacking Harris, President Joe Biden and Democrats in general on crime, border security, trade and foreign policy.

Were here today to talk about how we are going to stop the Kamala crime wave that is going on at levels that nobodys ever seen before, And she is, as you know, the most radical-left person ever even thought of for high office, certainly for the office of president, said Trump.

The event seemed to open a new attack front by Trump against Harris, who has surged in both fundraising and polls since taking over the top spot on the Democratic ticket after President Biden announced last month he would not seek reelection.

While Trump and his vice presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, have been repeatedly dogged by their association with the authoritarian blueprint that is Project 2025, and its open hostility to reproductive rights, his campaign is hoping to highlight what they see as a weak spot for Harris.

Since comrade Kamala Harris took office, her administrations crime statistics show shes presided over a 43% increase in violent crime, said Trump. The crime in America, the fact is, is out of control.

Trumps assertions, and the underlying reason for the visit, are belied by a new report recently released by the Major Cities Chiefs Association, which found that violent crime, including homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, was down by 6% in the first six months of 2024, compared to the same time last year. In fact, homicides alone fell by 17%, according to the report.

The event, which Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy told the Michigan Advance was not political, was not open to the public and instead featured approximately 75 invited guests, including the all-Republican Livingston County Board of Commissioners and other prominent GOP members. It also forced the early closure of the local court facility, including the Friend of the Court, prosecutors office and the countys district and circuit courts.

Former Michigan Democratic Party chair and election lawyer Mark Brewer said he believed there were legal and ethical issues with the event.

It looks like the Trump campaign and the Livingston County Sheriffs Department are trying to set the record for the most campaign finance and election law violations at one event, he posted to social media.

When asked about the use of taxpayer-funded facilities to host a campaign event, Livingston County Administrator Nathan Burd told the Advance he didnt see that it was a problem.

Anytime a former president wants to come and talk to the men and women of law enforcement, I think that its appropriate to allow that, said Burd. I think its important that if the candidate for the highest office in the land wants to talk to local law enforcement that they have an opportunity to do so.

Many Republican candidates were also present, including former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-White Lake, the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate. Rogers, who grew up in Howell and represented the area for two decades in both the Michigan Senate and then Congress, is facing off against U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, in November.

Crime is an issue in this election. I have to tell you, it causes emotional pain, physical pain. These are scars that will last a lifetime, not just to the victim themselves, but think of that family who is now touched forever by that violent crime, because we have an open border, because Harris and Biden, my opponent, Slotkin, did not choose to close the border. They dont have to wait till 2025. They can close the border today, and by God, they should do it for our families and our communities, said Rogers.

Not mentioned by Rogers was the bipartisan border security bill negotiated earlier this year that would have been the first immigration policy overhaul in decades, but fell apart after Trump said he wanted to keep the issue alive through the campaign.

Trump, however, did bring up the bill, falsely saying everyone was opposed to it.

It was the weakest bill. Under that bill, millions of people would have been allowed to come in. This was a weak bill, but you didnt need a bill. I didnt have a bill. I said, close the border and thats how we got to those numbers, the lowest ever recorded, said Trump.

While Trump was able to secure a partial border shutdown in 2020, it was due to the COVID-19 pandemic and not any particularly long-term tougher border security measures.

Regardless, Trump kept hammering home his incorrect assertion that America is undergoing a crime wave due to Democratic policies, instead citing numerous anecdotal incidents of crimes allegedly perpetrated by individuals in the country illegally, despite consistent research that shows such incidents are rare and occur at far lower rates than crimes in general.

When I return to the White House, we will stop the plunder, rape, slaughter, and destruction of our American suburbs, our cities and towns, said Trump. I keep hearing about the suburban woman doesnt like Trump. Well, I think its a fake poll because why wouldnt they like me? I keep the suburbs safe. I stopped low-income towers from rising right alongside of their house, and Im keeping the illegal aliens away from the suburbs.

Among those in attendance was Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Twp., who told the Advance that Trumps remarks were absolutely on target and focus on what he and other Republicans feel is a key weak spot for Harris.

Look at right now what Kamala Harris is running on her TV ads, he said. Shes been the border czar for three-and-a-half years, and theyre trying to say that she can make a difference if she gets elected president. Well, why dont you do something today?

I was down at the border earlier this year with [House Minority Leader Matt] Hall, R-Richland Twp., and theres really two things that folks at the front of the border say that they should do: Reinstate the Remain in Mexico policy that President Trump had and enforce the law thats currently on the books saying that if you come into the country illegally or are found in the country illegally, that youre deported back to your country your home country and you cant apply for any legal citizenship for 10 years. No other country in the world allows a million illegal immigrants in their country like the United States does.

Nessel slams Trumps convictions

Ahead of Trumps press conference, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, state Rep. Tyrone Carter, D-Detroit, and Lansing Mayor Andy Schor hosted a press call where they emphasized Trumps own criminal record and Democrats efforts to address gun violence in the state.

I find it to be the greatest of ironies that Trump is in town to talk about crime and public safety when you know the thing that we know most about Donald Trump is he himself is a one-man crime wave, Nessel said.

In May, Trump was convicted in a New York court of 34 felonies of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to a porn star ultimately to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. He also is facing dozens of other charges in other cases.

Its really laughable to me that anybody from law enforcement would want to be seen with a person who we know has fomented insurrections and, you know, aggressive assaults against police officers, Nessel said.

Carter, who served for 25 years with the Wayne County Sheriffs Office, said there was a policy against conducting campaign activities in uniform when he hired into the department in 1984.

Its troubling to me when I see men in uniform who are supposed to just uphold the law, standing behind somebody that has broken multiple laws in different states. And it has been found, accountable by juries, Carter said. Its OK if you support that person, but they should not be standing there in uniform.

Nessel and Carter also raised concerns about the former presidents choice to campaign in Howell less than a month after white supremacists gathered in the city, at one point chanting, We love Hitler. We love Trump.

I think one of the conclusions you could draw is that he went to Howell specifically because he thinks those people are his biggest supporters and champions, and its outrageous to me that he would not be denouncing that kind of behavior and that kind of language, Nessel said, noting that those views are not reflective of the majority of Howell residents.

When asked about the visit Monday night while at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the optics of Trump showing up in the same community visited by white supremacists was a concern.

I think its a troubling strategy that we see from the other side to divide us and to scare us and to stoke fear and anger, and contrast to what were going to see here all week [at the DNC Convention], said Whitmer. This is a gathering of joyful, happy warriors. We are rolling up our sleeves, and were doing the work. We take no one and no vote for granted. But by the same token, were not going to feed into the hatred and the otherism that we see routinely coming out of the Trump campaign.

At the conclusion of the press conference, the lone question that Trump took from reporters was about the white supremacist march, to which he responded with a question of his own.

Who was here in 2021? he asked.

When the reporter said Joe Biden, Trump laughed, said, Thank you, everybody, and left.

When Biden made that visit to the Operating Engineers Local 324 training center in Howell Township in 2021, he was met by hundreds of pro-Trump protesters, many of whom angrily confronted a small group of Biden supporters.

Michigan Advance reporter Kyle Davidson contributed to this story.

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan J. Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and X.
Mike Lynch, who has died aged 59, was one of the UKs most successful digital entrepreneurs, as a co-founder of Autonomy, a Cambridge-based software business which he sold for $11 billion to Hewlett-Packard of the US  only to find himself accused of criminal fraud in relation to the terms of the sale. Extradited to face trial in California, he was eventually, and most unusually in the US justice system, acquitted of all charges.

Lynch was sometimes referred to as the British Bill Gates. Autonomy, founded in 1996 by Lynch and two partners, was a forerunner of the big data revolution as a pioneer of search technologies in unstructured data sources such as emails, voicemails and videos. A flagship of Silicon Fen, the cluster of innovative, science-based businesses that grew up on the outskirts of Cambridge, it floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2000 with Lynch as its chief executive and a valuation of 4 billion.

The 2011 takeover of Autonomy by the US IT giant Hewlett Packard (HP) for $11 billion  a premium of some 80 per cent to its then stock-market value  reaped a fortune of more than half a billion pounds for Lynch but drew him into a legal entanglement that would consume 12 years of his life. Following senior management changes, HP claimed it had been sold a fraudulent package, wrote off $9 billion of Autonomys value and initiated proceedings against Lynch and other Autonomy executives.

Lynch with a sculpture made from dice in 2000 - Justin Sutcliffe

Lynchs initial stance was that, as he was a British citizen running a London-listed UK company any charge against him should be heard in a British court.

The UK Serious Fraud Office examined the file, and dropped it on grounds of insufficient evidence, but US prosecutors pressed their case under the 2003 UK-US extradition treaty (conceived in the Blair-Bush era as an anti-terror measure) in which it was sufficient for the US merely to assert allegations rather than provide prima facie evidence when seeking an extradition from the UK.

Once the then Home Secretary, Priti Patel, had finally approved the extradition in January 2022, many observers believed Lynch was destined for a long stay in an American prison cell.

Only one in eight US fraud prosecutions ends in acquittal  most defendants resorting to plea-bargaining in the face of insuperable legal costs  and the same judge in the same courtroom had already convicted Autonomys finance director of parallel charges.

Lynchs defence was, first, that he himself had never been closely involved in the detail of the deal  and most importantly that HP executives had themselves destroyed Autonomys value by mishandling an acquisition they did not properly understand.

But a civil fraud case brought by HP in the High Court in London (which remains to be settled) had already found against him, and after further appeals failed, Lynch was flown to San Francisco in May 2023 and held under house arrest, at his own expense, until his trial began in March this year.

Lynch in 2001, the year after Autonomy floated on the London Stock Exchange - Marina Imperi

As it proceeded, Lynch was sufficiently self-confident (an attribute he had never lacked) to face his accusers from the witness box. But his fate looked sealed as the prosecution called witness after witness to present complex accounting details while the judge excluded key evidence of disagreement within HP as to the real reasons for the Autonomy write-down.

At one stage, Lynchs lawyers petitioned for a mistrial after the prosecutor asked what they claimed were highly improper questions intended to prejudice the jury against Lynch by highlighting his personal wealth.

Nevertheless, Lynch himself said later that he began to sense the mood of the court shifting his way. In the end, the jury threw out all 15 charges against him and Lynchs lawyers spoke of a resounding rejection of the [US] governments profound overreach.

Michael Richard Lynch was born in Ilford, Essex, on June 16 1965 to Irish parents; his father Michael was a firefighter while his mother Dolores was a nurse. Educated on a scholarship to Bancrofts School in Woodford, he went on to study natural sciences at Christs College, Cambridge, and completed a PhD in the field of neural networks, with a thesis entitled Adaptive techniques in signal processing and connectionist models.

While still a doctoral student, Lynch created a first business designing audio products for the music industry. In 1991 he founded Cambridge Neurodynamics, which specialised in computer-based fingerprint recognition and from which Autonomy was one of several spin-offs.

Lynch in 2011, when Autonomy was bought by Hewlett Packard - Simon Dawson/Bloomberg

After the sale of Autonomy, Lynch used part of the proceeds to establish a venture capital partnership, Invoke Capital, through which he backed other innovative start-ups. Among these was Darktrace, a cyber security company founded in 2013 and listed on the London stock exchange in 2021. A recent takeover offer from a US private equity group valued the stake held by Lynch and his wife in Darktrace at almost 300 million.

Lynch returned to England after his acquittal exhausted by the experience but to meet something of a heros welcome: one columnist called him a hostage released from the ruthless clutch of US justice. He was under no illusion that he had only been able to prove his innocence because, unlike other British defendants lifted across the Atlantic under the controversial treaty, he had a fortune which enabled him to afford limitless legal costs.

The reason Im sitting here, lets be honest, he told the BBC on his return, is not only because I was innocent... but because I had enough money not to be swept away by a process thats set up to sweep you away.

He was a non-executive director of the BBC from 2007 to 2012, a board member of the British Library and the Crick Institute, a trustee of Nesta, a foundation which supports innovation for social good, and a Fellow of the Royal Society. He was appointed OBE in 2006.

In private life Lynch was a devoted family man and a popular figure in Suffolk, where he was a deputy lieutenant of the county, a generous supporter of charities and a keeper of rare-breed cattle on his estate near Woodbridge. He wore his intelligence lightly and was at ease among neighbours who remained strongly supportive throughout his legal ordeal. He also enjoyed playing jazz saxophone.

Lynch died after his yacht Bayesian sank in a freak tornado off the coast of Sicily; his 18-year-old daughter Hannah also died. His wife Angela Bacares, whom he married in 2001, survived the disaster; their elder daughter Esme, who was not reported to have been on board, also survives him.

Mike Lynch, born June 16 1965, death reported August 22 2024

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Who was Mike Lynch, the tech entrepreneur who died in Bayesian yacht sinking?

Mr Lynch has been confirmed dead after his wife's yacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily - Henry Nicholls/Reuters

Just weeks ago, Mike Lynch was walking out of a San Francisco court room a free man with tears in his eyes.

The technology tycoon known as Britains Bill Gates had beaten the odds in a bitter US legal dispute with technology giant HP, convincing a jury that he was not guilty of claims of massive fraud.

Cleared after a 13-year legal fight, the entrepreneur vowed to fight to reform Britains extradition laws after he was flown to San Francisco to face trial and kept under house arrest.

Yet tragedy has now struck the 59-year-old so soon after his victory. Mr Lynch has been confirmed dead after his yacht sank off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday morning, while his daughter Hannah remains missing.

The 56-metre Bayesian sank to the seabed off the coast of Palermo after locals reported a freak tornado.

Angela Bacares, Mr Lynchs wife, was also on board and was among the 15 passengers rescued.

Who was Mike Lynch?

Mr Lynch was one of Britains best-known and most controversial technology entrepreneurs.

Born to an Irish immigrant family and raised in London in the 1960s, Mr Lynch had a modest upbringing but won a scholarship to the private Bancrofts School aged 11.

He went on to graduate from Cambridge University and subsequently founded the business that would make his name: Autonomy. The software company, set up in 1996, used complex statistical analysis to help businesses manage their data.

Autonomy grew rapidly and joined the ranks of Britains blue chips on the FTSE 100 before being sold to HP for more than 8bn in 2011.

Mr Lynch used his wealth to become a founding investor in Darktrace, the FTSE 100 cyber security company, and set up venture capital firm Invoke Capital to back other start-ups. His successes once led him to be lauded as Britains Bill Gates.

Mr Lynch is one of Britain's best-known  and most controversial  technology entrepreneurs - REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

For 13 years, however, Mr Lynch was dogged by claims that his success was built on the back of fraud. HP wrote off much of the value of Autonomy shortly after acquiring the business and accused Mr Lynch of exaggerating the businesss success to get HP to overpay.

In 2022, Mr Lynch lost a $5bn (3.9bn) fraud civil dispute against HP in the British High Court over the sale and was later charged with multiple counts of criminal fraud by the US government for his alleged role.

Last year, he was extradited from Britain to stand trial before a California court. He faced up to 25 years in prison.

In the run up to the trial, the entrepreneur spent months under house arrest with constant monitoring by an armed security detail. Mr Lynch was forced to wear a GPS tag and subject to a $100m bail bond.

Few observers gave Mr Lynch much hope of beating the charges, given the high conviction rate in such cases. The US government had spent years and large amounts of money to prove Mr Lynch had masterminded a scheme to artificially inflate the revenues of Autonomy.

But on June 7, after an 11-and-a-half-week trial, Mr Lynch was acquitted and walked from court a free man  a remarkable moment of vindication for the technologist who had always denied wrongdoing.

In a last-minute gambit, Mr Lynch had taken to the witness stand to defend his record, denying he had been the driving force behind the complex fraud. He told the jury that while he had been in charge of the technological vision, he was not involved in the minutiae of the companys accounting.

The high-risk defence paid off and Mr Lynch was acquitted by the jury after three days of deliberation. Moments after he was declared not guilty to each of the 15 charges, his wife rushed over to embrace him.

I am elated with todays verdict and grateful to the jury for their attention to the facts over the last 10 weeks, Mr Lynch said at the time.

My deepest thanks go to my legal team for their tireless work on my behalf. I am looking forward to returning to the UK and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field.

Having returned to the UK, Mr Lynch was preparing to campaign against what he viewed as Britains one-sided extradition treaty with the US.

In 2023, he had been escorted from his country home in handcuffs to a waiting plane and spirited across the Atlantic after then-home secretary Priti Patel signed off on his extradition. This was despite the UKs Serious Fraud Office dropping a case against him years earlier.

The system can sweep individuals away, he said in a recent interview.

Mr Lynch owned a home in west London but lived primarily at a farm in Suffolk, where he raised rare breeds of pigs and cows.

In recent years he had suffered from health issues including a lung condition.

Last month he told a newspaper in his first interview since being found not guilty: Now you have a second life. The question is, what do you want to do with it?

Over the weekend, Mr Lynch was aboard his personal yacht off the coast of Sicily. The boat, Bayesian, was named for the branch of statistics which was the subject of Mr Lynchs Cambridge PhD.

The 56-metre Bayesian sank to the seabed off the coast of Palermo after locals reported a freak tornado - PERINI NAVI PRESS OFFICE/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Built in 2008, the 56-metre, 473-tonne superyacht is reported to have had capacity for 12 guests and 10 crew members with a top speed of 12 knots. Its listed owner is Ms Bacares, Mr Lynchs wife.

On board with the couple were Charlotte Golunski, a partner at Invoke Capital, and her husband, James Emsley. Others on the vessel were business associates and legal advisers to Mr Lynch as well as the ships crew.

They included Jonathan Bloomer, the former chairman of Morgan Stanley International, and Chris Morvillo, a legal adviser to Mr Lynch and a partner at Clifford Chance.

Ms Golunski, who was rescued from the vessel with her husband and baby daughter, told Italys Corriere Della Sera newspaper they were all guests of our boss who she described as an extraordinary person.

The vessel was reported to have travelled from Aeolian Islands to Milazzo and Cefalu before arriving at Palermo.

There it was reportedly hit by a freak storm, described by local fisherman as a tornado. Fifteen passengers were reportedly rescued by Italys coast guard helicopters.

A local fisherman told Corriere Della Sera: At about 3:55 we saw the whirlwind. A quarter of an hour later we saw a rocket 500 metres from the dock. At about 4:35 we went out to sea to provide assistance, but we only saw the remains of the vessel floating.

There were no men in the sea. So we immediately called the port authority.

Who is Mike Lynchs wife Angela Bacares?

Mike Lynch has been confirmed dead after the Bayesian yacht sinking, while his wife Angela Bacares, was among the 15 passengers rescued - Dominic O'Neill

Mr Lynch and Ms Bacares had two daughters, aged 18 and 21, students at Oxford and Imperial College London respectively. The couples daughter Hannah, who was on board the superyacht when it sank, is still missing and feared dead.

Mr Lynchs personal net worth was estimated at $450m by his US lawyers last year, although a lot of the couples wealth is held by Ms Bacares.

A private couple, public records suggest Ms Bacares, 57, and Mr Lynch married in 2001 in London.

The millionaires wife stood by Mr Lynch throughout his legal trials, attending every day of his US criminal court battle in San Francisco.

To keep Mr Lynch company during his house arrest, Ms Bacares bought her husband a sheep dog named Faucet.

Having survived the disaster on the Bayesian, Ms Bacares was reportedly using a wheelchair after sustaining cuts to her feet during the escape.

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Millions awarded to help speed up development of sustainable flight fuels in Georgia

The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded two grants to help accelerate the development of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Georgia.

LanzaJet, a SAF producer, will receive nearly $3.1 million to support its new production facility in Soperton, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., announced Tuesday.

Another $240,000 will go to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to strengthen the regional supply chains and infrastructure needed to deploy SAF at the worlds busiest airport.

SAF is a biofuel that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions up to 85% compared with conventional petroleum-based jet fuel. It was described during a state Senate study committee meeting last week as a new market for Georgias timber industry, which is being buffeted by declining prices brought on by the closing of pulp and paper mills.

Georgia should lead the nation in clean energy and renewable energy technology, Ossoff said. LanzaJet and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport are a key part of that effort.

Worlds first sustainable jet fuel plant opens in Georgia. What it means for climate change

SAF is the best opportunity aviation has to decarbonize, LanzaJet CEO Jimmy Samartzis added. Funding like this will be instrumental in achieving aviations net zero targets while also supporting domestic energy security and economic development by investing in rural communities across the country.

Europe is leading the way in deploying sustainable aviation fuel. The European Union will require commercial aircraft to burn at least 6% SAF by 2030, a percentage that will increase gradually each year until it reaches 70% in 2050.
Minn. Governor Tim Walz prepares to take the stage

CHICAGO (NEXSTAR)  Governor Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris new running mate, takes center stage to accept the partys nomination for VP Wednesday night.

Democrats are dubbing the day Walz Wednesday. It will be one of the first times Governor Walz will have the national spotlight since Vice President Harris announced him as her running mate just two weeks ago.

Polling shows hes still a relatively unknown name to the majority of Americans, making Wednesday nights introduction a crucial moment for the party.

Minnesotans at the convention say voters will fall in love with the man they describe as a good neighbor.

For the nation to find out what kind of governor we have, said Minnesota delegate J.P. Barone.

The Harris-Walz campaign expects the veteran, dad and former teacher to build on this weeks momentum.

The Obamas fired up the convention Tuesday night.

Americas ready for a new chapter America is ready for a better story, said Barack Obama.

Former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama delivered a sharp rebuke of Donald Trump.

Whos gonna tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those black jobs, said Michelle Obama.

They called on voters to show up this November.

Whether youre a Democrat, Republican, Independent or none of the above. This is our time to stand up, said Michelle Obama.

Wednesday night speakers will include former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former president Bill Clinton.

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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who was the first Muslim elected to Congress, hinted in an interview with ABC News that he might directly address protestors criticizing the Biden administration on the Israel-Hamas war and the situation in Gaza when he speaks at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night.

Ellison joined a panel about Palestinian human rights on Monday at the convention as the party faces continued protests and dissent -- particularly from Muslim and Arab American communities -- over the Biden administrations handling of the Israel-Hamas war. The panel was not part of the main night session, but was sanctioned by the DNC.

MORE: Thousands of activists expected in Chicago for Democratic convention to call for Gaza cease-fire

When asked Wednesday about his message towards those protesting, Ellison told ABC News in a brief interview that he sees the Democratic Party as open to debate to solve pressing issues.

PHOTO: In this June 3, 2020, file photo, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison speaks in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Eric Miller/Reuters, FILE)

One difference between us and the Republicans is that if you got a point of view, you can express it. We're not afraid of a debate and we're trying to solve the most pressing issues facing the United States and the world, Ellison said, bringing up both the more than 1,200 Israelis killed during Hamas' surprise terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023, and the Palestinians killed in Gaza during the war, as well as those displaced and food insecurity in Gaza. The death toll in Gaza surpassed 40,000 last week, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

When ABC News asked if he plans on referencing that in his speech or addressing the protesters directly, he said, There's a good chance of it. We'll have to wait and see.

Asked if hes aware of any discussions of having a Palestinian or Palestinian Americans address the DNC, Ellison said, I do know that it has been discussed. I don't know where we've landed on that. But I mean, like, why not -- why not include all American voices? I mean, we all live here. We all love the country. Let's all, let's hear from everybody.

As to what Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz should do to reach those protesting, Ellison said that both have said they support working towards a cease-fire in Gaza and that the Biden administration is actively figuring out the terms of one.

I don't know how much disagreement there is. I think we all want to see the violence stop and civilians have safety and security, and to see Gaza restored," he said. "I think there's general agreement on that.

Ellison also praised Walz, the governor of his state, as a good, decent, genuine human being."

"If there's one word that I think captures him, I think it's 'relatable.'

Ellison represented Minnesota's 5th Congressional District from 2007 until 2019 and was a co-chair of the House Progressive Caucus. He was elected attorney general in 2018, the first African American elected to statewide office in Minnesota.

Minnesota AG Ellison hints he might address pro-Palestinian protesters in DNC speech originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz is making her mark on her husbands first national campaign as she prepares to introduce Gov. Tim Walz (D) at the Democratic National Convention.

Walz will narrate a video introducing her husband at the convention Wednesday, according to a Harris-Walz campaign official. She has been on hand for all the conventions major speeches and enthusiastically played along with former President Obamas joke about her husbands flannel shirt collection, writing on social platform X that Tim loves his flannels.

But as Vice President Harriss campaign elevates the Walz duo into the national spotlight, they are receiving increased scrutiny. Earlier this week, the Harris-Walz campaign was forced to clarify the type of fertility procedure the Walzes underwent, which prompted criticism from Republicans.

This is a chance for them to introduce both of themselves and let the public have some insight into their story from a personal perspective, said Debbie Walsh, the director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Thats the job in many ways that Gwen Walz will be doing tonight.

The Walzes are largely unknown to the broader American public. An AP-NORC poll released earlier this week found that 4 in 10 Americans said they dont know enough about Tim Walz to have an opinion of him.

Their job in many ways at these conventions is to give the human side of the candidate, and I think particularly for Tim Walz its so interesting because he comes across as so human, Walsh said.

Like her husband, Gwen Walz worked as a teacher. Prior to becoming Minnesotas first lady, Gwen Walz was an English teacher and a former administrator in Mankato Area Public Schools. Shes made education a key part of her platform as the states first lady, advocating for education access in prisons.

Democrats in the North Star State have been excited to see Gwen Walz elevated into the national spotlight as a part of the partys presidential ticket.

Minnesota state Assistant Senate Majority Leader Nick Frentz (D) called her rise a continuation of Democrats realizing that lifting up women as leaders pays dividends for everybody.

I think for Gwen Walz, shes been recognized as a star, as a teacher, as an assessment coordinator, as a wife, as a mother. For those of us from Mankato, North Mankato, this is no big secret, he said. And were happy to see the nation figure it out. Shes sensational.

Christine DeVries, a Minnesota alternate delegate, said it wasnt a huge surprise to see Gwen Walz making it onto the national spotlight.

We were with Gwen and Tim at a fundraiser a couple of years ago, and she spoke, and the governor did, too, DeVries said. But we were all saying, Wow, she could be governor.

While their careers as educators are a major part of the Walz brand, the couple have been candid about their struggles with fertility. Tim Walz previously appeared to suggest that he and his wife underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF), though the Harris-Walz campaign and Gwen Walz clarified that they opted for intrauterine insemination.

Governor Walz talks how normal people talk, Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg explained in a statement regarding the prior comments. He was using commonly understood shorthand for fertility treatments.

Gwen Walz shared details of her personal story in an interview with Glamour magazine published earlier this week.

Many of our closest family and friends were surprised when we shared these experiences so many years later, Gwen Walz told the magazine.

She called her fertility journey an incredibly personal and difficult experience.

The clarification led to attacks from Republicans, notably GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (Ohio), who accused Walz of lying about having a family via IVF.

Ehrenberg said in a statement that the attacks waged by the Trump campaign over Gwen Walz are just another example of how cruel and out of touch Donald Trump and JD Vance are when it comes to womens healthcare.

Infertility is a deeply personal journey, but the Governor and Mrs. Walz came forward to share their story because they know that MAGA attacks on reproductive rights are putting all fertility treatments at risk, she added.

The attacks have also angered supporters of the couple, like Minnesota delegate Lori Sellner, who said critics should mind their own damn business.

How dare anyone question a couples journey of having children, said Jeanne Massey, who was at the Minnesota delegation breakfast Wednesday but is not an official delegate.

Like, that is so incredibly insulting, said Massey, who became teary-eyed at one point. They did everything they could because they wanted to bring children into this world, and Im so glad that they succeeded in that journey.

Brian Melendez, a former chair for the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, had more choice words for Vance and his attacks on Tim Walz regarding his portrayal of his military service and how he described his familys fertility journey.

I think Tim Walz knows about his military service, and I think Tim Walz knows about how his child was born, Melendez said. And people who dont know about that should just shut up.

The nation is also quickly getting to know Gwen Walz through X, where her reactions to speakers including Obama and Hillary Clinton have gone viral. After Obama made his quip about the governors flannels, the Minnesota first lady could be seen clapping and raising her hands together in the air.

While first lady Jill Biden spoke Monday night, Gwen Walz raised a green sign with the word Jill in block letters.

Supporters said voters should expect the Minnesota governor and first lady to share more about their own family life in an effort to present a relatable family unit.

Following Harriss decision to tap the governor as her running mate, Gwen Walz posted an Instagram selfie of their family with the caption: Walzes assemble! Off to Philly!

Sellner, the delegate from Minnesota, recalled how both Walzes made an effort to invite all the kids from their daughters class for her birthday party when she was in elementary school.

I remember talking to Gwen about it, about how I usually dont see that, its usually just a few friends, Sellner said. She said yeah, we just want to make sure everyone is included in things and thats always just stuck with me as long as Ive known them.

I knew them then and now as people who just wanted to have everyone at the table.

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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX)  A single rollover crash and a downed light pole briefly halted traffic around 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, according to the Grand Junction Police Department.

GJPD and the Grand Junction Fire Department were on the scene of the accident near North Avenue and 29 Road. The two occupants were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

Xcel Energy was on the scene to address the downed light pole which was a result of the crash.

Westbound lanes of 29 Road at North Avenue were closed so first responders could clear the scene, according to GJPD.

The road reopened around 1:30 p.m.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com.
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON)  A boy was shot Wednesday afternoon near Galileo High School, the San Francisco Police Department said. The shooting happened at North Point and Polk streets around 12:38 p.m., approximately two blocks away from the campus.

SFPD officers arrived on scene and saw a teenage boy suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, police said. The boy was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

As of now, no arrests have been made in connection to the shooting. There are no other victims reported at this time, according to SFPD.

Forward progress halted in Solano County brush fire

SFPD is working with school staff to ensure a nearby school campus is safe and secure. Galileo High School was under lockdown for about an hour.

The department says anyone with information is asked to contact 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
Missing boy with autism, 14, found in Proud Lake swamp after search and rescue mission

On Tuesday, a 14-year-old boy with autism was rescued from a swamp in Commerce Township by Oakland County Sheriffs Office deputies after disappearing on a church group trip.

Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the boy was on a hiking trail in Proud Lake State Recreation Area with members of his church and a chaperone when he took off running around 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

After a 911 call shortly after his disappearance, the boy, at 5-foot-7 and approximately 100 pounds, was searched for by Oakland County Sherrif's Search and Rescue Team, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority Police Department, with aviation teams patrolling from above.

It was that aviation team, the sheriff's office said, that spotted the boy in an unimproved, remote area of the park. He was found waist-deep in thick mud, water and vegetation more than a mile off-trail, officials said.

A justice served: Teen girl sues Detroit judge who detained her after she fell asleep in courtroom

Thanks to the amazing work of the search and rescue team ... we were able to save this young man from a dangerous situation that very well may have been our 12th drowning of the year, Bouchard said.

The 14-year-old is okay, authorities said, noting that he was taken to a hospital by paramedics and treated for minor scrapes and bruises. He has since been released.

Breaking news reporter Liam Rappleye can be reached at LRappleye@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Boy with autism found in Proud Lake swamp after disappearing on trip
WEST PLAINS, Mo.  The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is asking for the publics help to find a missing teen. Abigail Lawless, 17, went missing from her home in West Plains, Missouri, on August 17, 2024.

Abigail disappeared in the middle of the night after her family had gone to sleep. Authorities believe she may have traveled to Virginia with a stranger she met online. Abigail is described as 59, 160 lbs., with brown eyes and brown hair.

Her family reports that there were no signs of unusual behavior before her disappearance. Abigails mother, Leah Lawless, says that this is out of character for her daughter, who has not attempted to contact family or friends since she left. Leah wants her daughter to know that she is deeply missed.

Anyone with information about Abigails whereabouts is urged to contact NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or the Howell County Sheriffs Office at 1-417-256-2544.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV)  Visit Mississippi, the New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism (NJTT), and Visit Atlantic City unveiled the newest addition to the Mississippi Freedom Trail.

The new marker is located outside of the historic Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. This marker, which is part of a series commemorating the 60th anniversary of the 1964 Freedom Summer voting rights movement, honors the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and its groundbreaking efforts toward equality at the 1964 Democratic National Convention (DNC), which took place at Boardwalk Hall.

Fannie Lou Hamer rattled the Democratic convention with her Is this America? speech 60 years ago

New Jersey is the first and only state outside of Mississippi to host an official Mississippi Freedom Trail marker.

Mississippi is proud to unveil the first Freedom Trail marker outside of our state, extending our rich history and the stories of the Civil Rights Movement to Atlantic City, said Gov. Tate Reeves (R-Miss.). This marker not only honors the 60th anniversary of Freedom Summer but also invites visitors to discover more of Mississippis civil rights legacy. We extend our gratitude to the state of New Jersey, Atlantic City, Governor Phil Murphy and Lt. Governor Tahesha Way for their partnership in honoring this critical chapter of our shared history.

Visit Mississippi, the New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism (NJTT), and Visit Atlantic City unveiled the newest addition to the Mississippi Freedom Trail. (Courtesy: Visit Atlantic City)

Visit Mississippi, the New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism (NJTT), and Visit Atlantic City unveiled the newest addition to the Mississippi Freedom Trail. (Courtesy: Visit Atlantic City)

Visit Mississippi, the New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism (NJTT), and Visit Atlantic City unveiled the newest addition to the Mississippi Freedom Trail. (Courtesy: Visit Atlantic City)

The 1964 DNC in Atlantic City was a pivotal moment in civil rights history, playing a crucial part in challenging racial segregation and standing as the defining event of Freedom Summer. This convention led to significant advancements in the Civil Rights movement. The efforts of Mississippis Freedom Summer activists were supported by volunteers and organizations in New Jersey, who helped shape the future of voting rights in America.

For more on the Mississippi Freedom Trail, go to visitmississippi.org.

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Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJTV.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.  The Missouri Secretary of States Office has certified petitions to place independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Green Party candidates on state ballots for the November election.

Missouri statutes require at least 10,000 verified signatures from registered voters to get third-party candidates on ballots.

Parents charged after infant only fed goat milk, sausages, and Mountain Dew

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft issued certificates of sufficiency for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Green Party, according to a news release Wednesday from his office.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will run as an Independent Party candidate for President of the United States against Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Kennedy, a longtime environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, is campaigning on a platform focused on public health reform and reducing corporate influence. He is the son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy.

The Green Party of Missouri says it invested two years and thousands of volunteer hours into the process of collecting signatures and getting candidates on the state ballot.

The Green Party is focused on providing Missourians an alternative to corporate interests in politics with an emphasis on grassroots activism and representing working-class individuals.

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Among the notable Green Party candidates expected to appear on all Missouri ballots include:

Jill Stein (U.S. President)

Nathan Kline (Missouri U.S. Senate)

Paul Lehmann (Governor)

Danielle Elliott (Lieutenant Governor)

Jerome Bauer (Secretary of State)

Reagan Haas (Treasurer)

There are also Green Party candidates for six U.S. House District seats and thee Missouri House District seats, according to a news release from the Green Party of Missouri.

Kennedy and the Green Party candidates will appear on Missouri ballots for the Nov. 5, 2024 general election.

NOTE: Video attached is from Hancock & Kelleys analysis of RFK Jr. in the 2024 presidential race.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
Missouri man facing execution agrees to life without parole in deal with prosecutors

A Missouri man facing a September execution date agreed to plead no contest to murder in a deal with prosecutors.

The agreement, which includes changing his sentence to life without parole instead of death, came Wednesday as new DNA evidence was announced in St. Louis County Circuit Court.

But the Missouri Attorney Generals Office opposes the deal and is trying to stop it from going forward.

Despite the agreement, Marcellus Khaliifah Williams, 55, still faces a Sept. 24 execution date for now. The execution could be halted by the Missouri Supreme Court, the U.S. Supreme Court or if the governor grants clemency.

An evidentiary hearing had been scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday to try to prove Williams innocence in court. Instead, attorneys met behind closed doors.

St. Louis County Circuit Judge Bruce Hilton said around 11:20 a.m. that a consent judgment had been reached and that court would convene at 1 p.m.

He said attorneys had been working through the emotional, trying issue.

Shortly after 1:45 p.m., Williams was led into the courtroom.

Matthew Jacober, an attorney for the prosecutors office, said evidence in Williams case had not been handled with the proper procedures.

DNA results from the murder weapon have always showed Williams was not a match. But new results showed two investigators were likely contributors to DNA evidence on the knife, meaning the evidence had been contaminated.

The plea deal had been discussed with the victims family and would bring much needed finality, Jacober said.

But Andrew Clarke, with the Attorney Generals Office, objected, saying the court did not have authority to accept the consent judgment or resentence Williams.

Resentencing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

The attorney generals office said it plans to file a writ with the Missouri Supreme Court to halt proceedings.

In January, St. Louis County prosecutors filed a motion to vacate Williams conviction, saying no physical evidence tied him to the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle.

A unique Missouri law that went into effect in 2021 allows prosecutors to intervene when they have information that a prisoner might be innocent or erroneously convicted.

The Missouri Attorney Generals Office under Andrew Bailey has been particularly hostile toward innocence claims and opposed the case.

Michelle Smith with Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty speaks at a demonstration Wednesday in St. Louis County to oppose Marcellus Williams scheduled execution.

Long legal fight

Williams was convicted in August 2001, and a series of appeals starting in 2003 were struck down.

He has previously faced execution in both January 2015 and August 2017. Those were halted to conduct DNA testing and further investigation.

After issuing the second stay, former Gov. Eric Greitens appointed a board of inquiry to look into the case.

In June 2023, Gov. Mike Parson lifted the stay and dissolved the board with little explanation. Its unclear if the board made a recommendation in Williams case or not.

The Missouri Supreme Court issued the execution warrant in June despite the case St. Louis County prosecutors filed in January on behalf of Williams.

The Missouri Attorney Generals Office attempted to stop Wednesdays evidentiary hearing, but the Missouri Supreme Court rejected that motion in late July.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Editors note: This story was changed to reflect that the Missouri Attorney Generals Office opposes the consent judgment.
Missouri death row inmate agrees to new plea in deal that calls for a life sentence without parole

Joseph Amrine, who was exonerated two decades ago after spending years on death row, speaks at a rally to support Missouri death row inmates Marcellus Williams on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Clayton, Mo. (AP Photo/Jim Salter)

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP)  A Missouri death row inmate on Wednesday dropped his innocence claim and entered a new no-contest plea in an agreement that calls for a revised sentence of life in prison without parole.

But the Missouri Attorney General's Office opposes the new consent judgment and will appeal in an effort to move ahead with the scheduled Sept. 24 execution of Marcellus Williams.

The complicated turn of events happened on the day that St. Louis County Circuit Judge Bruce Hinton was supposed to oversee a hearing requested by Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell aimed at vacating Williams' first-degree murder conviction in the 1998 stabbing death of Lisha Gayle. Bell had cited DNA testing unavailable at the time of the crime that found someone else's DNA  but not that of Williams  on the murder weapon.

After a lengthy delay with lawyers meeting behind closed doors, Matthew Jacober, a special prosecutor for the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, announced that even newer DNA testing released on Monday found contamination due to handling of the weapon by a former assistant prosecutor and investigator. The contaminated evidence made it impossible to show that someone else may have been the killer.

The murder weapon was handled without proper procedures in place, Jacober said. The improper handling occurred several years before Bell took office.

Williams agreed to an Alford plea, which is not an admission of guilt but acknowledges that evidence is sufficient to convict him. Under an agreement reached with St. Louis County prosecutors, Williams entered that plea on Wednesday. He'll be sentenced Thursday  the agreement calls for life in prison without parole. Williams also agreed not to appeal.

Marcellus Williams is an innocent man, and nothing about todays plea agreement changes that fact," Williams' attorney, Tricia Bushnell, said in a statement. She noted that Gayle's family supports setting aside the death penalty, and the plea brings a measure of finality to the family.

But the plea doesn't guarantee Williams won't be executed. Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey is appealing to the Missouri Supreme Court as he seeks to move ahead with the execution, arguing that a circuit court doesn't have authority to overrule the state Supreme Court that set the execution date.

Throughout all the legal games, the defense created a false narrative of innocence in order to get a convicted murderer off of death row and fulfill their political ends," Bailey said in a statement. Because of the defenses failure to do their due diligence by testing the evidence that supposedly proved their point, the victims have been forced to relive their horrific loss for the last six years.

Williams, 55, was hours away from execution in August 2017 when then-Gov. Eric Greitens, a Republican, granted a stay after DNA testing unavailable at the time of the killing showed that DNA on the knife matched someone else, not Williams.

That evidence prompted Bell to reexamine the case.

This never-before-considered evidence, when paired with the relative paucity of other, credible evidence supporting guilt, as well as additional considerations of ineffective assistance of counsel and racial discrimination in jury selection, casts inexorable doubt on Mr. Williamss conviction and sentence, Bell's motion stated.

Williams, who is Black, was convicted and sentenced to death by a jury consisting of 11 white people and one Black person.

A 2021 Missouri law allows prosecuting attorneys to file a motion seeking to vacate a conviction they believe was unjust. The law has resulted in exonerations of three men who spent decades in prison, including Christopher Dunn last month.

The Missouri Supreme Court set the September execution date on June 4, hours after it ruled that Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, was within his rights when he dissolved a board of inquiry convened by Greitens after he stopped the 2017 execution.

The inquiry board, consisting of five retired judges, never issued a ruling or reached a conclusion on whether the new DNA evidence exonerated Williams. Parson dissolved the board in June 2023, saying it was time to move forward.

In addition to Dunn, who spent 34 years behind bars for the death of a 15-year-old St. Louis boy, the Missouri law allowing prosecutors to challenge convictions led to freedom for two other men  Kevin Strickland and Lamar Johnson. Bailey was not attorney general when Strickland's case went to a hearing, but his office opposed vacating the convictions of Dunn and Johnson.

Bailey also opposed efforts to overturn the conviction of Sandra Hemme, who spent 43 years in prison for murder, though that case was adjudicated through appeals, not a prosecutors motion. A judge ruled in June that Hemme should be freed. Bailey filed multiple appeals to try and keep her behind bars, but Hemme was released in July.

Strickland was freed in 2021 after serving more than 40 years for three killings in Kansas City after a judge ruled he had been wrongfully convicted in 1979. In 2023, a St. Louis judge overturned Johnson's conviction. He served nearly 28 years for a killing he always said he didnt commit.

Williams was the first death row inmate whose innocence claim went before a judge since passage of the 2021 law. Several other people who have been exonerated of crimes were in the courtroom to support him, including another former death row inmate. Joseph Amrine spent 17 years on death row before he was freed in 2003 after the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that no credible evidence linked him to the killing of another inmate.

Prosecutors at Williams' trial said he broke into Gayles suburban St. Louis home on Aug. 11, 1998, heard water running in the shower, and found a large butcher knife. When Gayle came downstairs, she was stabbed 43 times. Her purse and her husbands laptop were stolen. Gayle, who was white, was a social worker who previously worked as a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Authorities said Williams stole a jacket to conceal blood on his shirt. Williams girlfriend asked him why he would wear a jacket on a hot day. The girlfriend said she later saw the laptop in the car and that Williams sold it a day or two later.

Prosecutors also cited testimony from Henry Cole, who shared a St. Louis cell with Williams in 1999 while Williams was jailed on unrelated charges. Cole told prosecutors Williams confessed to the killing and offered details about it.

Williams attorneys responded that the girlfriend and Cole were both convicted felons out for a $10,000 reward.
An initiative to protect the right to an abortion in Montana will be on the ballot in November, after the secretary of state officially approved and certified the measure late Tuesday.

Montana will be the eighth state to put an abortion question in front of voters this fall. Abortion protections have won every time theyve been on a ballot since Roe v. Wade was overturned two years ago, and supporters are hoping the measures this year add to that total.

Abortion is legal in Montana at any point before fetal viability because of a 25-year-old state Supreme Court ruling that found the right to privacy in the states constitution also protected abortion.

But abortion rights advocates are pushing for extra protections from the Republican governor and GOP-controlled Legislature and dont want to leave courts as their last line of defense.

The measure would add abortion protections into the state constitution, prohibiting any laws to ban or restrict abortion before fetal viability.

Republican lawmakers have tried to overturn the law, and last year the legislature passed a new law saying the right to privacy does not protect the right to an abortion. It has yet to be challenged in court.

Since Roe was overturned, extreme anti-abortion politicians have used every trick in the book to take away our freedoms and ban abortion completely, said Martha Fuller, president & CEO of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana. The government cannot overstep into our most personal healthcare decisions, and Montanans must vote Yes [on the measure] to protect their right to abortion and pregnancy-related care.

The initiative in Montana faced numerous legal hurdles as state officials fought to keep it off the ballot.

Attorney General Austin Knudsen (R) initially blocked the proposal after a required review by his office last winter. After the state Supreme Court overruled his decision, he then rewrote the initiatives ballot summary language, which Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights immediately challenged as confusing, argumentative, and prejudicial.

The state Supreme Court ultimately ruled in their favor and wrote a new neutral ballot summary, allowing signatures to be gathered.

But once the signatures were submitted, Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen (R) at first disqualified the ones of inactive voters from counting toward the minimum threshold. A district court judge eventually sided with the plaintiffs, allowing all signatures to be counted.

Montana will also play host to one of the years highest-profile Senate races, with Democrats hoping the abortion measure will boost turnout for Sen. Jon Tester (D). Testers race could determine which party controls the upper chamber next year, and a poll last week showed him trailing Republican candidate Tim Sheehy.

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FILE - Dr. Lee Morissette shows an image of lungs damaged by asbestos exposure, April 4, 2024, at the Center for Asbestos Related Disease in Libby, Mont. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)  An attorney for a health clinic in a Montana town polluted with deadly asbestos asked a federal appeals court on Wednesday to reverse a lower court determination that it submitted hundreds of false claims on behalf of patients.

That judgment came last year in a jury trial following a lawsuit against the clinic from Texas-based BNSF Railway, which separately has been found liable over contamination in Libby, Montana, that's sickened or killed thousands of people. Asbestos-tainted vermiculite was mined from a nearby mountain and shipped through the 3,000-person town by rail over decades.

After BNSF questioned the validity of more than 2,000 cases of asbestos-related diseases found by the clinic, a jury last year said 337 of those cases were based on false claims, making patients eligible for Medicare and other benefits they shouldnt have received.

The judge overseeing the case ordered the clinic to pay almost $6 million in penalties and fees. However, even if the lower court ruling is affirmed, the clinic won't have to pay that money, under a separate settlement it reached in bankruptcy court with BNSF and the federal government, court documents show.

Clinic attorney Tim Bechtold told the three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday that Libby's Center for Asbestos Related Disease acted in compliance with federal law.

A provision in the 2009 Affordable Care Act sponsored by former U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, said asbestos-related disease could be determined for Libby-area residents even without a clinical diagnosis, assuming other evidence of disease such as an X-ray interpretation from an outside party, Bechtold said.

Bechtold also wrote in court filings that the judge overseeing the lawsuit gave the seven-person jury erroneous instructions, essentially predetermining the verdict.

BNSF urged the judges to affirm last years ruling.

Railroad Attorney Dale Schowengerdt argued that an outside X-ray reader can identify abnormalities in a patient's lungs, but can't diagnose them as asbestos-related disease.

The abnormality could be asbestos-related disease, but it could also be a broken rib, emphysema, past thoracic surgery, autoimmune disease, Schowengerdt said.

Asbestos-related diseases can range from a thickening of a persons lung cavity that can hamper breathing to deadly cancer. Exposure to even a minuscule amount of asbestos can cause lung problems, according to scientists. Symptoms can take decades to develop.

The Libby area was declared a Superfund site two decades ago following media reports that mine workers and their families were getting sick and dying due to hazardous asbestos dust from vermiculite that was mined by W.R. Grace & Co.

Federal prosecutors previously declined to intervene in the false claims case, and there have been no criminal charges brought against the clinic.

Clinic representatives argued during last year's trial that they were acting in good faith and following the guidance of federal officials who said an X-ray reading alone was sufficient diagnosis of asbestos disease.

But Judge Dana Christensen issued a scathing judgment following the trial and ordered the clinic to pay $5.8 million in penalties and damages. He said clinic staff demonstrated a reckless disregard for proper medical procedure and the legal requirements of government programs.

Christensen said he was concerned in particular that the clinics former doctor diagnosed himself with asbestos-related disease and that a nurse signed off for benefits for her own mother.

The clinic filed for bankruptcy after the judgment, but that case was later dismissed at the request of government attorneys. They said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was the main funding source for the clinic, meaning any costs associated with the bankruptcy or the false claims judgment would have come at taxpayers expense.

The clinic has certified more than 3,400 people with asbestos-related disease and received more than $20 million in federal funding, according to court documents.

There has been no attempt to revoke those services following the false claims ruling, according to testimony on Wednesday, and the jury in last year's trial did not specify which patient's cases were problematic.

BNSF is itself a defendant in hundreds of asbestos-related lawsuits. In April, a federal jury said the railway contributed to the deaths of two people who were exposed to asbestos in Libby decades ago. The jury awarded $4 million each in compensatory damages to the estates of the plaintiffs, who died in 2020.
Missouri is the latest state to put abortion on its ballot  here are the rest

Across the country, states are adding abortion-related voting measures to the November ballot as citizens declare they want a say in state laws (AP)

An abortion rights measure that was at risk of being excluded from Missouris November ballot has been restored, the Missouri state Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday, September 10.

Less than three hours before the states deadline to print absentee ballots, the court ruled that Amendment 3, which asks voters whether the state should enshrine the right to abortion in the Missouri Constitution, can appear on the ballot.

It arrives after a lengthy legal battle between abortion rights activists, anti-abortion groups and Republican lawmakers.

Abortions are illegal in Missouri except to save the pregnant persons life or prevent serious physical harm.

The ruling makes Missouri the 10th state to confirm it will have an abortion-related measure on its ballot.

Heres where else abortion is on the ballot across the nation.

Arizona

The Arizona Secretary of States Office confirmed on August 12 that Proposition 139 will be on the November ballot.

The measure will ask voters if the state should establish a fundamental right to abortion in the Arizona Constitution. It would prohibit the state from outlawing abortion before the point of fetal viability  around 24 weeks  and allow for abortion after that point so long as a physician determines it is necessary to protect the health of a pregnant person.

Abortion is currently banned in the state after 15 weeks.

Arizona abortion-rights supporters deliver over 800,000 petition signatures to the capitol to get abortion rights on the November general election ballot July 3, 2024, in Phoenix (AP)

Colorado

On May 17, the Colorado Secretary of States office announced that voters will vote on Initiative 89 in November.

The measure would enshrine the right to abortion in the states constitution as well as prohibit state and local governments from impeding the ability to access abortion even through health care insurance.

Abortion is currently legal in Colorado.

Florida

The Florida State Supreme Court ruled on April 1 that Amendment 4 will appear on the November ballot.

The measure bars the state government from imposing laws that prohibit, penalize, delay or restrict abortions before the point of viability or when necessary to protect a pregnant persons health.

Florida currently has a 6-week abortion ban but includes exceptions in cases or rape or incest, to save a pregnant persons life or health, and if the fetus is not expected to survive the pregnancy.

Maryland

On March 31, the Maryland legislature passed an amendment confirming that Question 1, a proposal enshrining the right to reproductive freedom in the states constitution, would be on the ballot in November.

Abortion is legal in Maryland.

Birth control pills rest on a counter in Centreville, Maryland. A constitutional amendment would enshrine the right to abortion in the state. (AFP via Getty Images)

Missouri

Missouri voters will decide on Amendment 3 during the general election, the Secretary of States Office declared on August 13. The decision was confirmed by the state Supreme Court on September 10.

The measure would amend the states constitution to include the right to reproductive freedom which includes allowing for abortion up until the point of fetal viability and after as long as a health care professional determines it is necessary.

Abortions are illegal in Missouri except to save the pregnant persons life or prevent serious risk of physical harm.

Montana

The Secretary of State confirmed on August 21 that a constitutional proposal that enshrines the right to abortion up to the point of viability will be on the November ballot.

Abortion is legal in Montana up until the point of viability.

Nebraska

Nebraskas general election ballot will include two proposed measures related to abortion  one to enshrine the right to an abortion up to the point of viability and the other to enshrine the states 12-week abortion ban, the Secretary of State announced on August 23.

Protect the Right to Abortion, establishes a fundamental right for every person to have an abortion up until the point of viability  generally believed to be around 24 weeks  or in cases to protect the life and health of the pregnant person.

Abortions are legal up to 12 weeks in Nebraska and after in cases of rape, incest or save the life of a pregnant person.

Protesters chant as they are heard in the legislative chamber during a final reading on a bill that combined a 12-week abortion ban with a measure to restrict gender-affirming care for people under 19 on May 16, 2023 (AP)

Nevada

Voters in the state will vote on Question 6, which would enshrine the right to abortion up to the point of fetal viability and after in order to protect the life or health of the pregnant person, the Nevada Secretary of States office confirmed on June 28.

Abortion is legal in Nevada up to 24 weeks and after to save the life of the pregnant person.

New York

In June, a state appeals court reinstated Proposal 1 to the November ballot, which would amend the state constitution to add protections to pregnant people, pregnancy outcomes and reproductive healthcare and autonomy.

New York permits abortion up to 24 weeks and after to protect the life and health of a pregnant person or if a physician determines the fetus will not survive.

South Dakota

On May 17, South Dakota certified that Amendment G will be on the ballot in November

Amendment G would prohibit the state from interfering with abortion during the first trimester, allow the state to regulate abortion in ways that reasonably related to the physical health of the pregnant woman and permit the state to regulate or prohibit abortion in the third trimester except in cases to preserve the pregnant persons life or health.

Abortions are outlawed in South Dakota except to save a pregnant persons life.
MONTROSE, Colo. (KREX)  The Montrose Police Department is asking the community to assist with any information about a shooting around noon on Monday near Uncompahgre River.

The incident occurred just north of the Montrose County School Districts main office. According to Montrose Regional Crime Stoppers, several juvenile males reportedly fired several shots and were later seen leaving the area soon after.

Anyone with information about the crime can call Crime Stoppers at 970-249-8500, use the P3Tips app or visit P3Tips.com. Any tip that leads to an arrest can result in a $1,000 award.

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More than $1.1 million in funding granted to domestic violence prevention efforts

CHARLESTON, WV  Governor Jim Justice released a statement regarding a funding award for programs that assist domestic violence survivors.

STOP Violence Against Women grant funds, totaling $1,124,446, are going to 21 projects throughout the state. These funds will be used to strengthen or create groups geared towards domestic violence victim support. These include victim service providers, law enforcement, as well as prosecution to bolster the justice systems handling of cases regarding violence against women.

The funds give personnel, equipment, training, technical assistance, and information systems for the creation and strengthening of the groups. Projects through the state are financed with the goal of providing training and learning opportunities for service providers, law enforcement, prosecution, and court personnel.

Funds for this grant are given by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, and are administered by the Justice and Community Services Section of the West Virginia Division of Administrative Services.

$10 million awarded to Princeton Health Care Center for new facility

STOP Violence Against Women program funds are to be distributed as follows:

West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services  $171,074. Funds will go towards bolstering services for sexual assault and stalking victims through improved training, technical assistance, collaboration and gaining of resources.

West Virginia Prosecuting Attorneys Institute  $74,280. Funds will go towards improving strategies and best practices for prosecutors, and to enhance victim services in court cases dealing with violence against women.

Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia  $56,694. Funds will go towards expanding the Victim Outreach Remote Technology Project to better the justice systems response to crimes of violence against women through improved training and broadening virtual access for victims and survivors in the West Virginia court system.

West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Inc.  $46,645. Funds will go towards outreach, training, and technical assistance for STOP teams, activists, employers, religious communities, etc.

Putnam County Commission  $27,332. Funds will be used to support continued investigation of domestic violence cases and other services and training.

Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center  $66,564. Funds will be used for the development of better standards in working with survivors and allowing participation in awareness events. An amount of $30,424 will be put towards these efforts as well.

Comprehensive Womens Service Council, Inc.  $62,560. Funds will be used to create a coordinated and knowledgeable community response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, dating violence, as well as making perpetrators responsible. Additional grants of $32,709 and $39,104 will be put towards these efforts as well.

Branches Domestic Violence Shelter, Inc.  $106,065. Funding will be used to deliver thorough assistance to victims of violence, stalking, and sexual assault in Cabell County through effective prosecution, advocacy, intervention, support services, training and evidence collection.

Family Refuge Center  $31,634. Funds will go towards enhancing advocacy for those healing from domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and teen dating violence through collaboration in Greenbrier County. An additional grant of $30, 692 will go towards those same efforts in Monroe County.

Tug Valley Recovery Shelter Association, Inc  $80,345. Funds will be used to supply services to survivors and domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence.

HOPE, Inc.  $59,373. Funding will be used to sustain a multifaceted method to prevent domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. An additional grant of $49,376 will go towards those same efforts, as well as human trafficking.

Womens Aid in Crisis, Inc.  $22,550. Funds will go towards methods of preventing violence against women by working in tandem to provide original, sustained, safe, victim-centered services with focused outreach to underserved women.

Family Crisis Intervention Center  $19,667. Funding will go towards the sustained support from a full-time advocate that addresses the needs of victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, and human trafficking. An addition grant of $17,147 will be put towards these same efforts.

Ohio County Commission  $75,775. Funds will be used for a multi-agency approach to handle issues of family violence in general, but place much focus on violence against women.

Logan County Commission  $24,436. Funds will be used to hire a part time Assistant Prosecuting Attorney focused on the prosecution of domestic violence cases, sexual assault and stalking cases, as well as dating violence cases. Funds will also be used for overtime pay for deputies that serve domestic violence petitions.

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Protesters hold signs before marching during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday. Photo by Paul Beaty/UPI

Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Several dozens of arrests were made on the Democratic National Convention's second night in Chicago after hundreds of Pro-Palestinian protestors clashed with police outside Israel's diplomatic outpost in the midwest U.S., according to multiple reports

At least 72 protesters were arrested Tuesday night, according to the National Lawyers Guild's Chicago chapter, after a crowd of roughly 200 protesters tried to break through a police barricade when fighting broke out.

"The repressive police response to a Palestine solidarity protest at the Israeli Consulate seemed preplanned and designed to stifle free expression during the Democratic National Convention," Ben Meyer, of the NLG's Chicago guild said. " Assurances that the city would respect people's First Amendment rights during the convention rings hollow next to this brazenly aggressive approach to free expression."

The Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest praised local law enforcement efforts and said in a statement it was "appalled" over the violence in front of its office, saying that it was "anything but peaceful" and "completely contradictory to the spirit of the DNC."

The event, non-permitted, which began around 7 p.m. CDT, was organized by Behind Enemy Lines, a leftist group with militant leaning, and Samidoun which is a group banned in Israel and Germany over alleged ties to terrorist groups.

Muslim protesters stop to pray during a march while Chicago Police Officers look on during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday. Photo by Paul Beaty/UPI

"This vocal minority does not represent the vast bipartisan majority of Americans who stand strong in support of Israel," the consulate stated, adding it was "incredibly heartwarming" to see "many Americans countering this hate" as it unfolded outside its Chicago office, which the consulate believes echoes "the strong bond between America and Israel."

The consulate was barricaded and heavily protected by police on bicycles as protestors were chanting pro-Palestinian slogans. After speeches the scene quickly got unruly and proceeded to quickly march toward Chicago police down the block.

Chicago Police officers on Tuesday protect Israel supporters outside the Consulate General of Israel during the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Photo by Paul Beaty/UPI

Hundreds of local police officers wearing riot gear made several attempts to box in the group of demonstrators as some engaged with officers, but had managed to direct the crowd toward the downtown Chicago Loop area.

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling praised the city's officers for "showing restraint when no one else did," saying his team "did an excellent job responding to violence and vandalism."

Chicago Police scuffle with protesters outside the Consulate General of Israel during the 2024 DNC on Tuesday. The non-permitted event began around 7 p.m. local time organized by Behind Enemy Lines, a leftist group with militant leaning, and Samidoun which is a group banned in Israel and Germany over alleged ties to terrorist groups. Photo by Paul Beaty/UPI

On Tuesday, reports said some protestors who got pushed downtown left the scene and some got arrested as others marched on to near Union Station, where some were seen climbing on signs before Chicago police forcibly took them down.

Police slowly corralled groups of demonstrators to various street intersections and made handfuls of arrests before again letting the diminishing crowd advance, ending at the corner of Monroe and Canal streets where police ended the protest, ordered people to disperse before arresting scores of remaining protestors.

More than 70 pro-Palestinian protestors were arrested Tuesday night by Chicago police outside the Consulate General of Israel as DNC speakers and entertainers regaled delegates and convention attendees from across the nation. Photo by Paul Beaty/UPI

"Dozens of people were brutally arrested outside the Israeli consulate by Brandon Johnson's thugs defending the genocidal criminals inside the DNC," Behind Enemy Lines posted on Instagram Tuesday night, a dig at Chicago's Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat.

Chicago's sizable metropolitan area with more than 9 million residents has the largest centralized Palestinian population in the nation. Additional security measures were in place Tuesday night after pro-Palestine protest organizers led by Behind Enemy Lines vowed to disrupt DNC proceedings that night.

Hundreds of Chicago police officers wearing riot gear made several attempts to box-in the group of demonstrators as some engaged with officers, but had managed to direct the crowd toward the downtown Chicago Loop area. Photo by Paul Beaty/UPI

Israeli consulate officials were "beyond disappointed" with what it claimed is the mayor's "ongoing support" for "anti-Israel protests in Chicago, particularly during the DNC, and his continued disregard for the large pro-Israel and Jewish community in the city," which a 2020 Brandeis University study reveals is an estimated 319,600 Jewish residents living in more than 175,000 sites in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Samidoun and BEL are one of several groups that have descended on Chicago in protest of the ongoing Democratic Convention for various different causes as other pro-Palestinian groups reportedly have plans to continue demonstrations Wednesday on the DNC's third day.

A Chicago police officer wrestles with a protester on Tuesday before being arrested outside Israel's Consulate General at the 2024 DNC. That night, convention delegates in a ceremonial roll call officially nominated Vice President Kamala Harris as its nominee for president. Photo by Paul Beaty/UPI

Tuesday was the second day protestors at the DNC clashed with police after Monday's mostly peaceful Coalition to March saw an estimated crowd of possibly up to 6,000 participants where more than 10 people got arrested, according to the DNC 2024 Joint Information Center.

But organized groups arrived in Chicago with "hostility," and "that's exactly what we saw tonight," Snelling told reporters on Tuesday. "People got too close to officers."

Chicago Police slowly corralled groups of demonstrators to various street intersections and made handfuls of arrests before again letting the diminishing crowd advance, ending at the corner of Monroe and Canal streets where police ended the protest, ordered people to disperse before arresting scores of remaining protestors. Photo by Paul Beaty/UPI

It was revealed organizers planned a "shut down the DNC for Gaza" rally for Tuesday evening to start outside Israel's consulate located less than 2 miles east from the convention site at downtown Chicago's United Center, which is on the same street.

Snelling said Tuesday that Chicago police were "up to the challenge" of policing the organized protests. He stated his belief how Monday's breach with protestors was not representative of that march as a whole.

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling praised city officers for "showing restraint when no one else did" during Tuesday's clash with protestors outside Israel's consoluate office, saying Chicago PD did an excellent job responding to violence and vandalism. Photo by Paul Beaty/UPI

"Within that protest, we had people who simply wanted to exercise their First Amendment rights," he said.

Protesters also disrupted a DNC breakfast event at the Fairmont Hotel by placing containers full of maggots or cricket on tables Wednesday morning.

"Multiple unknown female offenders are alleged to have entered a building" and "began placing unknown objects onto tables containing food," the DNC information center said in a statement Wednesday.

"The offenders are believed to have then left the area," the statement said.

One person attending the breakfast event was treated and released for an unidentified medical condition and no arrests were made, the DNC organizers said.

A witness told USA Today the bugs were maggots but others say they were crickets.

The FBI and Chicago police are investigating the incident.

A similar incident happened at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C., while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stayed there last month during a controversial visit to address Congress.

A group calling itself the Palestinian Youth Movement claimed responsibility for releasing maggots, crickets and other bugs and set off fire alarms during Netanyahu's stay to protest the Israel's killing of Palestinians in Gaza.
Morning Joe on Wednesday opened with a video showing the difference between the jubilant atmosphere at the Democratic National Convention the night before and the more somber tone at the Republican National Convention last month.

The supercut showed attendees at the Democratic event in Chicago cheering and dancing to loud music in stark contrast to those at the GOPs convention, who politely clap in a quiet hall. MSNBCs Mika Brzezinski summed up the contrast as: A tale of two roll calls.

Van Jones Says He Had Spiritual Epiphany After Obama DNC Speeches

The Democratic National Convention turned what is usually a lifeless event into a party as delegates pledged support for Vice President Harris, Brzezinski said. A DJ played chart-topping tracks to represent each state and territory.

When Georgia was called, Atlantas own award-winning rapper Lil Jon performed his hit songs and when Harris home state of California cast the final vote for her, it was timed perfectly with Harris walking on stage in Milwaukee at a rally with about 15,000 people there, she continued. The vice president then addressed the two packed arenas at the same time.

The show then aired footage of Harris speech. This is a people-powered campaign and together, we will chart a new way forward, Harris said to rapturous applause.

Wow, co-host Joe Scarborough said in response. Just wow. Addressing co-host Willie Geist, Scarborough added: Willie, I mean, talk about a show of force, a show of power.

That was impressive, Scarborough said. I dont think Ive ever seen anything like that before. I mean, 15,000 in Milwaukeejust packedand then, you know, in Chicago also at the convention. Wow, that was crazy.

Yeah, 20,000 in Chicago, 15,000 in Milwaukee, Geist replied. Perfect stagecraft as well. By the waywhen Lil Jon is doing your roll call for the state of Georgia youre doing something right. And lets not forget, Lil Jon [was] a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice season 11, who has turned his back on Donald Trump.

Lil Jon also appeared in the shows 13th seasonwhen the rapper claims Trump referred to him by a racial slur. Trump later denied using the term and also claimed not to know who Lil Jon was, despite their television work together.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Moscow, the capital of Russia, may face an electricity shortage in the coming years.

Source: the draft General Scheme for the Development of Russian Energy until 2042, as reported by The Moscow Times

Details: The scheme prepared by the System Operator (the unified dispatcher of the Russian power system) estimates that Russia may face a deficit of 1.6 GW by 2030 and of 4.2 GW by 2042.

For the first time, the System Operator warned of future problems with the power supply of the Moscow Oblast last year, citing difficulties with the maintenance of foreign equipment as the reason.

The issue concerns gas turbines for thermal power plants that were left without spare parts and repairs following the strengthening of Western sanctions in June 2023.

Specifically, General Electric and Siemens refused to maintain the turbines of Russian thermal power plants. The System Operator estimates that foreign turbines facilitated about 9% of the capacity of the Russian energy system.

In order to cover the deficit in the power supply of Moscow, a new gas station with a total power of 1 GW must be built using power-steam units, the General Scheme states.

In addition to this, two direct current power transmission lines with a capacity of at least 1.5 GW each must be built between the Kursk and the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plants.

The cost of construction is estimated to be 174 to 351 billion roubles (US$1.9 billion to US$3.8 billion).

Background: The Moscow Stock Exchange has essentially turned into a currency exchange office, with the Chinese yuan now being its primary currency following the imposition of US sanctions.

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A Texas mother was taken into custody Tuesday after police alleged her 22-month-old child died when she left the infant in a car outside a Corpus Christi school on one of the hottest days of the year.

The mother, 33-year-old Hilda Ann Adame, was jailed on charges of causing serious bodily injury to a child and child endangerment/abandonment with imminent bodily injury, according to a Corpus Christi Police Department incident report.

It was not clear how long the infant had been in the car before the baby was found unresponsive, according to the incident report.

PHOTO: A police officer in Corpus Christi, Texas, investigates the hot car death of a 22-month-old child on Aug. 20, 2024. (KIII)

At least 24 children, ranging from a 10-month-old in Louisiana to an 8-year-old in North Carolina, have died this year across the nation after being left in vehicles during hot weather, according to the nonprofit child advocacy organization Kids and Car Safety.

The latest hot car death, according to police, unfolded around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday outside the Tom Browne Middle School in Corpus Christi as temperatures soared past 100 degrees during a heat advisory issued for the city by the National Weather Service.

The weather service advisory said the heat index, which factors in relative humidity, made it feel like 112 degrees in Corpus Christi on Tuesday.

PHOTO: Hilda Ann Adame, 33, seen in booking photo. (Corpus Christi Police Department)

When officers arrived at the scene in the city's South Side neighborhood, a school nurse was already performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the infant, according to the incident report.

The baby was taken by ambulance to nearby Driscoll Childrens Hospital, where the child was pronounced dead, police said.

MORE: 8-week-old girl dies in hot car in New Jersey, dad arrested

Adame was taken into custody at the scene and questioned by police before being booked at the City Detention Center. Police did not disclose what Adame said in the interview with detectives.

Leanne Libby, spokesperson for the Corpus Christi Independent School District issued a statement, saying, "We want to express our gratitude to those who swiftly responded upon learning of this crisis, including school staff as well as district police and local law enforcement." Libby said counseling was made available on campus Tuesday afternoon and the districts crisis counseling team will be onsite on Wednesday.

MORE: Hot car dangers: How to keep your kids safe this summer

The child's death came just two days after a Louisiana mother was arrested on a charge of second-degree murder in the hot-car death of her 10-month-old child, according to the Jennings, LA, Police Department. The mother, Hannah Faith Cormier, 32, of Jennings, was being held Wednesday on a $1 million bond following her arrest on Sunday.

PHOTO: Police officers in Corpus Christi, Texas, are overcome with emotion as they investigate the hot car death of a 22-month-old child on Aug. 20, 2024. (KIII)

Jennings Police Chief Danny Semmes told reporters Cormier's baby died a day after Cormier took her to a hospital on Aug. 13. Jennings alleged Cormier left the baby in the car after being called to work.

"Children should never be left in cars, even if it's not hot out," Jenette Fennell, president of Kids and Cars Safety, told ABC affiliate station KIII in Corpus Christi. "In the first 10 minutes, the temperature in the vehicle can rise as much as 20 degrees."

Fennell recommended that people force themselves into the habit of looking through their vehicles before locking them.

"The biggest problem we have is nobody thinks it's going to happen to them until it happens to them," Fennell said.

Mother arrested in Texas after baby dies in hot car originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Motor accident in Evansville causes over 2,000 residents to lose power

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT)  Emergency crews are responding to an accident with unknown injuries on Wimberg Road and Dana Drive that caused a massive power outage in Evansville.

Dispatch confirms the initial call came in at 8:58 p.m. in reference to an accident with unknown injuries. CenterPoint Energy reported an outage with over 2,000 customers affected around the same area at the same time.

Crews on scene say a car hit a power pole causing the initial outage, but the number is said to have been brought down to 400 customers still without power.

Noah Stubbs, Lead Communications Specialist with CenterPoint Energy, says a crew responded to a call from dispatch in reference to a power pole and wires being down.

The estimated restoration time is slated for 11:30 p.m. however, this is subject to change.

Eyewitness News has a crew on the scene and we will update with more information as soon as it becomes available.

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This is a developing story. ABC4 will update this post as new information becomes available.

SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah (ABC4)  A motorcycle crash in Big Cottonwood Canyon has left a motorcyclist in the river nearby.

According to Unified Fire, a motorcycle plunged 70 feet into the river in the 6400 block of E. Big Cottonwood Canyon Road, just outside of Cottonwood Heights.

Police on the scene told ABC4.com that the victim is a 25 year old male, and the victim is said to be in critical condition.

Unified Fire had units on scene and removed the motorcyclist from the area they found him. He was taken to a local hospital. There is no further update to the victims condition at this time.

As of 9:04 p.m., the canyon is back open to motorists, according to Utahs Department of Transportation.

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Mpox is a global health emergency. Will it cause a lockdown like COVID? Experts say no

Mpox is now considered a global health emergency as cases surge in Central Africa and a new, more severe subtype of the virus spreads to multiple countries  prompting concerns about lockdowns over the virus formerly known as monkeypox in the U.S.

Mpox is a highly contagious viral disease, which can cause flu-like symptoms and painful skin lesions. It's caused by the mpox virus, which spreads through close contact.

In response to a growing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries in Africa, the World Health Organization on Aug. 14 declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), WHO's highest level of alarm.

This is the second time WHO has declared mpox a PHEIC in two years. The first was in response to a multi-country outbreak in 2022, which sickened nearly 100,000 people, including 32,000 in the U.S., per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although the risk of the current mpox outbreak spreading to people in the U.S. remains very low, experts say, the resurgence of mpox in multiple countries in Africa has raised alarm among scientists.

No cases of the more severe subtype of the virus have been reported in the U.S. so far.

Here's what to know about mpox, where it's spreading, who is at risk, and symptoms to watch for.

What is mpox?

Mpox is caused by the mpox virus, which is in the same family as the virus that causes smallpox, according to the CDC.

The virus is split into two clades, I and II. Clade I generally causes more severe disease and deaths, with past outbreaks killing up to 10% of those infected, according to the CDC. Clade I mpox is endemic, or regularly found, in Central Africa.

Clade II, which caused the multi-country outbreak in 2022, tends to be the milder form, Dr. Onyema Ogbuagu, an infectious diseases specialist at Yale Medicine, tells TODAY.com.

Clade II is generally more transmissible, but rarely life-threatening. Over 99% of people infected with clade II mpox survive, per the CDC. Clade II mpox is endemic in West Africa.

However, a new subtype of clade I mpox called clade Ib emerged in the DRC in 2023. The new strain, which appears to transmit through sexual networks, has spread rapidly in the DRC and is now being detected in other countries, the WHO said.

Why did WHO declare mpox a global health emergency?

The mpox outbreak in DRC has already spread to at least 12 other countries in the African region, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a release.

From July to August, more than 100 cases of the newer clade Ib mpox were detected in four countries neighboring the DRC, which have never reported mpox before  Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda  officials said.

Shortly before the WHO declaration, the Africa CDC declared mpox a public health emergency for the continent on Aug. 13.

On Aug. 14, an expert committee advised WHO to consider the upsurge in mpox a global health emergency, with potential to spread further across Africa and potentially outside the continent.

WHO called the emergence of clade Ib mpox and its rapid spread to new countries especially concerning, and a main reason the agency declared mpox a PHEIC.

Its clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives, WHO Chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in the declaration.

Where is mpox spreading?

At this time, mpox outbreaks have been reported in at least 13 countries in Africa. The epicenter is in the DRC, Ogbuagu notes.

So far, in 2024, there have been more than 20,000 cases and 600 deaths (confirmed and suspected) of mpox clade II and clade I in the region, per the Africa CDC.

Clade I mpox has been reported in the DRC for over a decade. Last year, cases surged  the current mpox outbreak is more widespread than any other outbreak in the DRC, according to the CDC.

The number of mpox cases reported in DRC so far in 2024 already exceeds last year's total, Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, chief of the division of infectious diseases at Brigham and Womens Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, tells TODAY.com.

In recent weeks, mpox cases have also been reported in several countries outside of Africa.

One day after the WHO declaration, Swedish officials confirmed the first case of clade I mpox ever reported outside Africa. The mpox patient in Sweden became infected while traveling in Africa where the outbreak was occurring, officials said in a statement on Aug. 15.

On Aug. 16, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control increased the risk level of clade I mpox for the population of Europe from "very low" to "low."

Due to the close links between Europe and Africa, we must be prepared for more imported clade I cases," the agency's director, Dr. Pamela Rendi-Wagner, said in a statement.

On Aug. 19, the Philippines reported a new case of clade II mpox, Reuters reported, and has since confirmed two additional cases, also clade II, health officials told Reuters.

On Aug. 22, Thailand reported its first case of clade Ib mpox, CNBC reported. The government plans to increase its screening measures at airports with international flights arriving. Anyone with mpox symptoms will be put in quarantine.

One case of clade II mpox has been detected in Pakistan, the country's health ministry told Reuters.

On Sept. 9, India confirmed a travel-related case of clade II mpox which "poses no immediate risk to the public," Ministry of Health officials said in a release.

However, there are likely more cases, experts say.

"What we're seeing is just tip of the iceberg, so it would not be surprising to see more cases outside of DRC and globally. ... An infection anywhere is potentially an infection everywhere," Anne Rimoin, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, Fielding School of Public Health, tells TODAY.com.

"Whether or not well see widespread cases is really to be determined, Rimoin adds.

Is there mpox in the U.S.?

Clade II mpox, which caused the 2022 epidemic, is still circulating in the U.S. at low levels, the experts note. Its down to single digits or maybe a dozen cases a month, says Kuritzkes.

There are no known cases of mpox clade I or Ib in the U.S. at this time. The risk to the general public in the United States from clade I mpox circulating in the DRC is very low, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a news release on Aug. 14.

Experts agree that the while it is possible for a person to become infected with clade I mpox in a country where it's spreading and travel back to the U.S., the chances of this happening are slim.

In a press release from Aug. 22, the CDC stated that the risk of clade I mpox importation into the U.S. was "very low" due to the limited number of travelers and lack of direct commercial flights from the DRC and its neighboring countries to the U.S.

If clade I mpox is imported, we expect it would cause lower morbidity and mortality in the United States than in the DRC, the HHS said.

Its unlikely that we would see a major outbreak in the U.S., says Kuritzkes, adding that mpox is not airborne or spread as easily as respiratory viruses. It just doesnt seem very probable because of the type of close contact required.

This is not like COVID, where theres nothing visible on somebody. You actually can see the lesions on somebody. Unless youre directly touching them, youre not going to get infected, Christina Hutson, head of the CDCs poxvirus and rabies branch, told NBC News.

Will mpox cause another lockdown?

When asked about the potential for mpox lockdowns, Kuritzkes says there would be absolutely no reason to take that kind of measure."

Answering the same question, Rimoin says: "The answer is no. Mpox is not new, like COVID. This is a known virus with tools already available to be able to control it, including vaccines. ... Weve already brought a global outbreak of (mpox) under control in 2022."

A top WHO official expressed similar sentiments in an Aug. 20 post on X. "Mpox is not the new COVID," regardless of whether it's clade I or clade II, Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said.

Will schools shut down if clade I mpox spreads in the U.S.? Dr. Carlos del Rio, an infectious disease expert at Emory University, told NBC News the answer at this point is "absolutely not."

However, experts say increased awareness and surveillance of mpox is important. Especially in the backdrop of what happened in 2022, I think we need to be not exceedingly worried, but concerned, says Ogbuagu.

Clinicians (in the U.S.) are on guard for cases that look like monkeypox, and we will institute the appropriate isolation measures and testing, and were ramping up vaccinations for people we perceive to be at risk, Ogbuagu adds.

Senior Biden administration officials told NBC News on Sept. 6 that the country is preparing for the possible arrival of clade I mpox by increasing wastewater surveillance and testing availability.

On Aug. 26, the WHO launched a strategic response plan to contain global mpox outbreaks, calling for access to testing and vaccines in affected countries. The mpox outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries can be controlled, WHO chief Dr. Tedros said.

How does mpox spread?

Mpox mainly spreads through close contact with an infected person or their lesions, scabs, bodily fluids and respiratory secretions. Transmission can occur during sexual activity but also kissing, hugging, touching and non-intimate face-to-face contact, TODAY.com previously reported.

Mpox can also spread to people through close contact with an infected animal (such as rodents), or direct contact with materials contaminated with the virus, such as clothing or sheets.

The global outbreak in 2022 was primarily sexually transmitted among men who have sex with men and close contacts of infected people, says Ogbuagu.

The epidemiology in Africa is usually different. Mpox is mostly spread through close contact, without sexual activity, Ogbuagu adds. Much of the spread has occurred within households, often among children and adolescents, the experts note.

However, the new clade Ib strain, which emerged in DRC, is also being spread through sexual networks, including female sex workers and men who have sex with men, NBC News previously reported.

"(Clade Ib) appears to potentially have characteristics that may possibly make it spread more easily, but it's not clear at this point," says Rimoin.

Mpox symptoms

Mpox symptoms typically appear between several days and several weeks after exposure to the virus, per the Cleveland Clinic. These include:

Rash

Fever

Chills

Fatigue

Malaise

Headache

Muscle aches

Swollen lymph nodes

These flu-like symptoms often occur before the rash appears, says Ogbuagu. However, some people may only experience a rash.

The mpox rash is typically the most obvious symptom. It goes through several phases before healing, which can take weeks.

New pictures of monkeypox symptoms and rash, from the CDC.

The rash often begins as flat, reddish sores which may be painful or itchy. In a few days, these turn into firm, raised bumps, which become fluid-filled blisters and then pustules. These lesions eventually burst and scab over, TODAY.com previously reported.

Lesions usually start on the face and spread to the arms, legs, hands, feet and rest of the body. The sores may also occur on or around the genitals or anus, according to the CDC.

Some people are at higher risk of severe disease, says Kuritzkes. These include people who are immunocompromised, people who have HIV/AIDs, children under the age of 1 and pregnant women.

Mpox treatment

There are no specific treatments or FDA-approved antivirals for mpox. Most healthy people will recover on their own with supportive care, such as pain management and at-home treatment of skin lesions.

However, providers may prescribe other antiviral treatments for more severe cases of mpox or immunocompromised patients, says Kuritzkes. These include tecovirimat (TPOXX) and brincidofovir (Tembexa), which are approved to treat smallpox.

How to prevent mpox

"Prevention is always better than treatment," says Ogbuagu.

There are several ways to lower your risk of contracting mpox and protect others, according to the CDC. These include:

Avoid close contact with people who have mpox or a rash that looks like mpox.

Avoid contact with animals that can carry mpox, such as rodents and primates.

Get two doses of the mpox vaccine if you're at risk.

The mpox vaccine is expected to protect against both clades of mpox, the CDC said. It's recommended for people who have been exposed to mpox or have a higher risk of being exposed.

The CDC has issued a level 2 travel advisory for people traveling to the DRC or neighboring countries, which recommends travelers practice enhanced precautions and seek immediate medical care if they develop a rash.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
MS Coast man who killed, decapitated mom uses insanity defense. Did the jury buy it?

Terelle Johnson knew what he was doing when he stabbed, beat and strangled his mother to death, then cut off her head, a Circuit Court jury decided Wednesday, rejecting Johnsons insanity defense after deliberating for only 18 minutes.

This defendant got high, got mad at his mom and killed her, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Burrell told the jury during closing arguments Wednesday afternoon. Its that simple.

Burrell said Johnsons insanity defense was just an excuse for his conduct.

Johnson will serve a mandatory sentence of life without parole for the first-degree murder of his mother, guidance counselor Sherry Johnson, who was 51 years old when she was killed in June 2018.

The jury agreed Johnson failed to meet the test for insanity, which applies to a defendant who doesnt understand the gravity of their actions or know right from wrong at the time of the crime.

The verdict came at the end of a two-day trial in Circuit Court before Judge Steve Simpson.

Johnson, 35, was an unemployed pothead who lived with his mom, a guidance counselor. They fought often and were embroiled in a big argument the day Johnson killed her, he later confessed.

Jury hears insanity defense

Terelle Johnsons attorney, Jim Davis of Gulfport, attempted to show Johnson was insane when he killed his mother.

Forensic psychologist Laura Brodie of Gulfport testified for the defense, saying Johnson suffered from schizophrenia, cannabis-use disorder and delusions.

Brodie reviewed Johnsons history of mental problems, going over hospital records that dated to 2015. She said Johnson believed that his mother was an impostor  the twin of his real mom, who had been killed. He also believed his mother was taking his money.

I believe his paranoia was so high that he thought he was justified in what he did, Brodie testified.

On the day Sherry Johnson died, she and her son were arguing about credit cards. He thought they belonged to him and wanted them back. He later told investigators that he had friends to see and places to go.

Johnson chose not to testify, but the jury heard his audio taped confession to Stone County sheriffs deputies the day after he was taken into custody. Deputies found his mothers body in the back yard during a welfare check. Her head, which Johnson had cut off, was on the other side of a privacy fence.

Davis tried to further his insanity defense by pointing out how illogical Johnsons actions were. Johnson told Brodie that he placed the head away from the body on purpose.

He told me that he had taken her head off and put it in a separate place so that she couldnt reconnect and come back to life, Brodie testified.

Killers acts, words prove sanity

But Burrell and a second assistant district attorney who helped try the case, Billy Stage, insisted Johnsons statements were all an act.

Testifying for the prosecution, a forensic psychologist from Mississippi State Hospital outside Jackson diagnosed Johnson as schizophrenic and agreed he has cannabis-use disorder. But the psychologist, Amanda Gugliano, said that Johnson understood what he did was wrong, even though he was mentally ill.

Prosecutors also used Johnsons own actions and words against him. When deputies came to the Johnson home, the door to his mothers bedroom was locked. They would soon discover blood covered the walls, ceiling and floor.

The locked door indicated Johnson knew what he had done was wrong and was trying to hide the murder scene, prosecutors said.

Johnson used bleach to clean the floors in the common area, where blood had dripped when he took his mothers body outside after it began to swell. He didnt want the house to smell bad, he said.

Johnson told investigators the next morning, and his father a few days later, that he had messed up.

He said in his audio taped statement that he kept leaving the house to stop the fighting, but it would start up again when he came back. He instigated the final fight, he said, when he walked into his mothers bedroom.

After she died, he cut off her head, using a butter knife beside the bed.

That didnt do nothing, he said, so I used my teeth and hands.
Former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.) has won the Democratic primary to face off against Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R) for his Senate seat, according to Decision Desk HQ.

Mucarsel-Powell easily prevailed over relatively nominal opposition for the nomination, including from former state Rep. Brian Rush (D). She had the support of President Biden, top House Democratic leaders such as Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) and Florida Democrats such as Reps. Maxwell Frost and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

She will face Scott, who was elected to the Senate in 2018 by about 0.1 percentage points. But Florida has shifted significantly rightward since then, reelecting Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) by nearly 20 points in 2022.

Still, Democrats have considered Scotts seat one of the relatively few pickup opportunities the party has in a year where more Democrats in competitive seats are up for reelection than Republicans. The party has sought to attack Scott most prominently over his 12-point Rescue America plan that called for sunsetting all federal programs in five years, requiring reauthorization from Congress to continue.

Scott amended the plan last year to exempt Social Security and Medicare, along with the U.S. Navy, from the plan following attacks from Democrats.

Mucarsel-Powell, who represented Floridas 26th Congressional District from 2019 to 2021, seems to be the underdog in the race, but some polls have signaled it could be closer than expected. Two polls in recent weeks found Scott leading Mucarsel-Powell by 4 points.

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(FOX40.COM)  A coalition of law enforcement agencies from California and Nevada began their enforcement of an unauthorized car event on Wednesday that has formed in South Lake Tahoe, according to the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.

Law enforcement personnel from the California Highway Patrol, Douglas County Sheriffs Office, El Dorado County Sheriffs Office, Nevada State Police and the U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement branch will be conducting enforcement.

Lake2o is a multi-day car event featuring hundreds to thousands of privately owned cars held in South Lake Tahoe since 2017, according to the events social media page.

In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Lake2o appealed to eventgoers to respect the residents of South Lake Tahoe and to be aware of the additional law enforcement present.

CHP arrests former police officer for fraud allegations

there will be a zero-tolerance for disruptive or disrespectful behavior, the event organizers wrote. This includes but is not limited to revving, burnouts, drifting, littering racing, etc.

The statement continued that any such behavior will likely result in a persons removal from the event and their information being provided to authorities.

Police say they will be looking for unsafe driving or unauthorized vehicle equipment throughout the weekend.

In addition, the City will be closing parking lots at Reagan Beach starting at 7 p.m. along with the trailer parking area near Lakeview Commons during the event, the City of South Lake Tahoe wrote in a news release.

Lake20 is scheduled to run from Aug. 21 through Aug. 25 and will feature car meets, cruises, beach gatherings and more.

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BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB)  Bay County Commissioners have approved a multi-million dollar beach re-nourishment project for Mexico Beach.

The project will cover 3 miles of beach for $27 million.

When Hurricane Michael slammed directly into Mexico Beach in 2018, most of the sand washed away, along with the buildings. 6-years later, local government officials are ready to rebuild the beach.

Tuesday morning, Bay County commissioners awarded the beach renourishment contract to Weeks Marine. The contract will cover 3 miles of beach, some of it considered to be in bad shape.

So the shoreline, of course, is greatly impacted by Hurricane Michael. Mexico Beach already has about a mile that has been considered or critically eroded by the state. So thats already been impacted and noted for that. So that little section as well as the rest of the three-mile section of Mexico beach really needs additional support of sand. We have secured an offshore site where we will be dredging the sand up the quality of the sand is too granular, the same as whats currently on the beach, Community Development Council President Kimberly Shoaff said.

Mexico Beach renourishment project

Mexico Beach Community Development officials said they began addressing the eroding shoreline in 2016, 2-years before Hurricane Michael.

Members eventually secured a total of $25 million in grants from the American Rescue Plan Act, created to help communities recover from COVID-19, housing and urban development, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

The project involves dredging nearly one million cubic yards of sand from off-shore and placing it on the beach.

So it will extend the beach, it enhances the dune system. So it gives a break. As the waves come, theyll be protected with coats. So anything that we can have to help protect those residents over there, we welcome it. And all the houses had to be rebuilt. Theyre built to a higher standard, Commissioner Robert Carroll said.

The beach will be about 175 feet wide, from the dunes to the waterline. The entire project should be completed sometime in April or May.

The cost per mile of the beach is much more expensive than Panama City Beachs last renourishment project. Experts said because this is Mexico Beachs first rebuild, it will require more cubic yards of sand per mile.

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Murder suspect who escaped custody in Mississippi is captured 2 months later after standoff in Chicago restaurant

A man wanted on suspicion of murder who was on the run for two months since he escaped from custody in Mississippi has been arrested hundreds of miles away in Chicago after an over 12-hour long SWAT standoff, the U.S. Marshals Service said.

Joshua Zimmerman, 30, escaped from custody from the DeSoto County courthouse in Mississippi, where he was scheduled for a hearing, on June 14, the DeSoto County Sheriff's Office said.

At the time, he was being held in the county on suspicion of armed robbery and attempted murder. He was also wanted in Texas on an accusation of murder committed in September and for a parole violation in Connecticut, the Marshals Service said.

After two months on the lam, he ended up in Chicago.

The Marshals Service, which took over the case, said that it had looked for Zimmerman in multiple states and that investigators recently developed information that Zimmerman was in Chicago.

From there, the Marshals Service's Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force identified Zimmerman in a seafood restaurant in the 2300 block of Madison Street on Chicago's West Side, where it is believed he was working.

A Chicago police SWAT team outside of the restaurant where Joshua Zimmerman was arrested.

During the arrest, Zimmerman retreated into the ceiling of the restaurant and barricaded himself, the Marshals Service said.

The Chicago police SWAT team also responded following a request to aid.

Zimmerman was the only person in the restaurant, DeSoto County Chief Sheriffs Deputy Justin Smith said at a news conference Tuesday.

Officials said the standoff lasted over 12 hours until Zimmerman surrendered and was arrested at 8:30 a.m. local time (9:30 a.m. ET) Wednesday.

Joshua Zimmerman.

The restaurant where Zimmerman barricaded himself is just half a mile away from the United Center, which was hosting the Democratic National Convention on Monday and Tuesday. However, there is no connection or threat to the event or those attending, the Marshals Service said.

Mississippi authorities intend to extradite him back to DeSoto County.

We would like to get him back into our detention facility so that we can gather the remaining facts surrounding his escape, Smith said.

Zimmerman walked out of the courthouse in June wearing pajamas, crossed the street to a gas station and convinced there a man to give him a ride to Memphis, Tennessee, NBC Chicago reported. It was believed that he did not have an accomplice in his escape.

DeSoto County Sheriff Thomas E. Tuggle said in a statement Wednesday that the sheriff's team is on the ground in Chicago, fully prepared to commence the next phase of our investigation.

A $20,000 reward had been offered for information locating Zimmerman, whom the Marshals Service described as armed and very dangerous.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
From behind the scenes to the floor of Chicagos United Center, volunteers, delegates and elected officials representing Naperville and DuPage County made the rounds on the first day of the Democratic National Convention.

They basked in the fervor, helped the hubbub run and exuded local pride.

Oh, and there was some wonder, too. At the experience itself and the company they found themselves in.

Mark Rice

The chance to be part of history is what had longtime Naperville resident Mark Rice signing up to volunteer in every way possible at this weeks convention, Chicagos first in 28 years.

With it being in Chicago, and knowing it probably wont be again for a long time, I just wanted to be a part of it, said Rice, speaking between two volunteer shifts. A part of history.

Rice, 73, spent most of Monday working as an access control volunteer, checking credentials at entrance doors to the United Center to make sure those flocking to the arena for the conventions inaugural night of programming were in the right place. In all, there are thousands of DNC volunteers helping the event run smoothly through Thursday.

For his first shift, which began and finished before the evenings slate of speakers and performers commenced in primetime, Rice primarily checked media credentials for stations such as CNN and MSNBC as sound checks and preparations for the night ahead got underway.

Rice said that through the walls of the entrance he was manning, he could hear musician James Taylor practicing, Youve Got a Friend, the song he planned to perform later in the evening before it was canceled as night one programming lagged more than an hour behind schedule. Rice was present for that too, returning to the center for a second evening access control shift.

Friday and Sunday, Rice was stationed at Midway Airport, where he welcomed delegates off the plane to Chicago. Looking ahead to the rest of the four-day convention, Rice says he may try to pick up a shift or two more if he can.

I know that the volunteer jobs, for the most part, arent the most glamorous in the world. Youre helping people get on and off the train. Youre making sure they know how to get to their hotel.  But there are thousands of people doing those non-glamorous jobs and loving every minute of it.

Especially coming in as a volunteer from Naperville, Rice said theres a real sense of pride in seeing the Chicago area be placed on a national stage.

Its historic is what it is, he said. So you know, just to be the guy thats standing at the door  is very fulfilling.

Deb Conroy

Even after just a few minutes sitting as an Illinois delegate, DuPage County Board Chair Deb could feel the energy out on the floor.

I mean, you really feel it everywhere, she said, speaking just as the second hour of Mondays program was getting started, which included remarks from United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a brief surprise appearance from Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and a farewell address from President Joe Biden. The emotion is palpable. Its very, very cool.

The feeling goes beyond the floor or even the United Center, Conroy said, adding, Its really like the whole city shut down. Ahead of the evening fanfare, Conroy spent most of the day circulating different convention events around Chicago, which included delegation breakfasts at various hotels and caucus meetings at McCormick Place Convention Center.

Conroy, a state representative for 10 years and the first woman to chair the DuPage County Board, said being able to see Biden pass the torch to Harris is the ultimate thing for her this week. The change at the top of the Democratic ticket and the prospect of Harris becoming Americas first female president is a shift that resonates with Conroy.

For me, as the first female chair, I feel like weve seen the glass shatter all over Illinois. And this, to me, is the ultimate (glass ceiling), she said. I keep telling people you better wear shoes on the floor because theres going to be glass everywhere.

Stephen Maynard Caliendo

Stephen Maynard Caliendo, a dean and political science professor at Napervilles North Central College, got to the United Center at 4 a.m. Monday, unsure of how difficult itd be to get past security restricting access to the convention space. It turned out to be a breeze at that time of day, giving him ample time before going on air with CBS 2 Chicago at 5 a.m.

Every day of the convention this week, Caliendo is providing political analysis for CBS and other television stations in Chicago to bring a political science perspective to whats happening as things unfold, he said Monday, just coming off of a live interview with Fox 32.

This kind of work is par for the course for the North Central professor, noting that hes been doing media analysis for the past 20 years. Hes attended his fair share of political conventions, he said.

What he tries to do, as a political analyst, is to bring in his research experience to bear on whatever questions (reporters) are bringing forward. In turn, Caliendo takes the convention experience back to the classroom.

Its a great learning opportunity, he said.

Its fun too. As Caliendo wove through attendees walking around the United Center Monday, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and former Georgia state Rep. Stacey Abrams passed by briefly.

Im sorry, Im kind of fanboying at all these people, Caliendo laughed, pausing when Abrams flit past.

Though he considers himself a regular at conventions now, running into prominent political figures still gives him a little jump start, he said.

I mean, you go there and you see people that youve been watching on television, studying in my case for years and years, and then there they are in the flesh.

Ian Holzhauer

Naperville City Councilman Ian Holzhauer has watched every national convention since he was little. On Monday, he found himself in the thick of the event hes revered for so long.

Holzhauer stood on the second level of the United Center Monday night for an evening shift as an access control volunteer. Being on the inside was better than he could have imagined.

Just getting to hear the sounds of the speakers, getting to see the VIPs that come by, and just seeing so many old friends, its really the experience of a lifetime, he said.

Speaking to the mood, Holzhauer said, Theres just so much energy and discussion. Theres a lot of pride. I think theres a recognition that theres a new generation of leadership in the party, and thats something people have been craving.

Holzhauer is planning to volunteer for the rest of the convention, with a small break in between shifts Tuesday for the Naperville City Council meeting. Even before Monday drew to a close, Holzhauer said he was excited to be back Tuesday. And the next day. And the next.

Bill Foster

The 2024 DNC really started Sunday night for U.S. Rep Bill Foster, of Naperville, when he and members of the Illinois Democratic delegation welcomed Harris to Chicago after she and her husband landed at OHare International Airport on Air Force Two.

Watching her in her sneakers, bounding down the stairs, hugging everyone. Just the amount of energy that she represents and has transferred to the entire convention  its fun to be a part of it, Foster said, speaking by the phone Tuesday.

The congressman is splitting his time between a score of different events this week, but for him, the big focus is sitting with the Illinois delegation.

Foster listed highlights from his first night on the floor: seeing U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, of Naperville, speak; former Chicago Bulls star Steve Kerrs return to the United Center; and Bidens keynote speech.

It seemed that everything that happened just made you smile and proud to be a Democrat, he said.

tkenny@chicagotribune.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  Following a number of arrests over the past few weeks, the Metro Nashville Police Department is still looking to bring a handful of other fugitives into custody.

The police departments list of Most Wanted fugitives is updated every Wednesday on the Criminal Warrants Divisions Facebook page. According to detectives, those featured on the list are often considered to be some of the most violent offenders in the city.

Serial car theft suspect arrested after running over Nashville man

Of the suspects on this weeks list, half are wanted for either homicide or charges related to alleged sex crimes. The rest of Nashvilles Most Wanted suspects are accused of crimes such as aggravated assault, aggravated robbery and child endangerment.

Some of the people on the list have reportedly been on the run for months, while others are a bit fresher faces. However, the list has aided police in several arrests.

Intelligence gathered by detectives in the police departments Vehicle Crimes and TITANS units helped authorities track down one of the citys Most Wanted fugitives last week. Tyrone Walker was wanted by police after being identified as a suspect in the Aug. 2021 shooting death of Cecil Holmes Jr.

Suspect in 2021 Nashville murder arrested after late-night pursuit

Investigators spotted Walker getting into a gold Lincoln Navigator on the night of Monday, Aug. 12. Following a short pursuit, Walker reportedly got out of the car and ran but was quickly tackled and taken into custody.

A man who was initially featured on this weeks list was also reportedly taken into custody out of state. Aaron Shultz was wanted on several charges related to the alleged sexual abuse of a minor, including three counts of statutory rape and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Police also arrested Shirin Sidiqi-Khwaga, who was being sought on multiple outstanding warrants following an Aug. 19 crash in which she was reportedly driving while under the influence of various drugs. Three people, including Sidiqi-Khwaga, her boyfriend and a 2-year-old boy, were injured in the crash.

CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime news from Middle Tennessee

In total, at least 129 Most Wanted fugitives have been taken into custody since the program was started in October 2022. Investigators have largely attributed the programs success to tips theyve received from the public.

Below is a list of the suspects who made the police departments Most Wanted list the week of Aug. 21, 2024. There are only eight suspects listed this week due to the recent arrests.

1. Adrian L. Cameron

Adrian Cameron (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

At number one, Adrian Cameron, 19, is considered this weeks Top Most Wanted fugitive, according to the MNPD. Its now been three months since Cameron first appeared at the top of the list. However, police began looking for him in mid-April.

Investigators said Cameron is one of three suspects in the death of 32-year-old rapper Chris King, who was shot and killed just before 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 20. King and his friends were reportedly hanging out in an alleyway between Hayes Street and Church Street that night.

RELATED: 1 killed, 1 injured in shooting along Hayes Street

Eventually, three other men began interacting with the group. Kings friends told police it started out cordial, but after some time, the three suspects allegedly tried to rob them. Thats when gunfire ran out, injuring King and his 29-year-old friend.

Both of them were brought to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, but King did not survive. Cameron, who was out on bond for the 2021 murder of 50-year-old Josh Evans at the time, was identified as a suspect in the shooting only days later.

Officials believe Cameron cut his ankle monitor shortly after the shooting. Cameron had just turned 17 years old when police said he turned himself in for Evans murder. Evans was found shot and wrapped in trash bags in the Cumberland River in Sept. 2021.

Unbelievable: Mourning Lebanon family outraged teen murder suspect was out on bond, accused of killing again

Cameron was arrested again for gun charges in Rutherford County less than four months after turning himself in for the 2021 murder. Hes now charged with criminal homicide in connection with Kings death, as well as failure to appear.

However, efforts to locate him have been unsuccessful. Anyone with information on Camerons whereabouts is asked to contact the MNPD at 615-862-8600 or Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.

2. Lagarrion L. Blacksmith

Lagarrion Blacksmith (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Lagarrion Blacksmith, 35, has been at the top of Nashvilles Most Wanted list for close to nine months as police continue to try to track him down.

He was initially added to the list on Nov. 29, 2023, after investigators said they were able to connect him to a deadly shooting that took place outside a Dickerson Pike bar last year.

Officers found 35-year-old Chancellor Eddins lying on the ground just outside of Trvth Lounge on Feb. 18, 2023. He had been shot and later died at the scene. Another man who had also been hit by the gunfire was able to give officers an account of what happened.

RELATED: Man wanted for homicide, other charges following fatal February shooting on Dickerson Pike

According to police, the injured man told them he and Eddins had gotten into an argument with the suspect inside of the bar. Then, shots were fired as they left the location. At the time, the identity of the alleged shooter was unclear.

Months later, investigators announced Blacksmith had been identified as a suspect. On Nov. 22, 2023, officials said arrest warrants had been issued against Blacksmith for criminal homicide, attempted homicide, and felon in possession of a handgun.

However, efforts to locate him have reportedly been unsuccessful.

3. Ladonte J. Groves

Ladonte Groves (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Ladonte Groves, 24, was added back to the list on April 3 after first being featured among Nashvilles Most Wanted on Aug. 16, 2023. Police said Groves has since been indicted by a grand jury on multiple charges related to alleged sex crimes.

The charges against him include two counts of rape, two counts of sexual battery and one count of domestic assault. Authorities said Groves was last seen in the East Nashville area. However, efforts to locate him have been unsuccessful.

4. Adrian Abernathy

Adrian Abernathy (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Adrian Abernathy, 31, is believed to have been behind the wheel of a stolen car in a deadly October 2022 crash on the Rosa L. Parks Boulevard exit ramp from I-65 North.

Abernathy has outstanding warrants for vehicular homicide, three counts of aggravated assault, felon in possession of a weapon, theft of a motor vehicle, theft of a firearm, reckless endangerment and making a false report.

RELATED: Man wanted after allegedly lying about driving stolen car involved in deadly crash

According to police, Abernathy initially said he was a backseat passenger in the stolen Lincoln Navigator SUV. However, over the course of the investigation, detectives determined the seating positions were reversed, and Abernathy was the one driving the car.

Authorities said he was traveling over 100 mph shortly before the crash, which killed 29-year-old Todd Bryant of Antioch.

Abernathy has been featured on the Most Wanted list several times since early February 2023. He was added back to the list on May 1 after last being featured in November. Officials said he was last seen in Hermitage.

5. Magic E. Johnson

Magic E. Johnson (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Magic Johnson, 36, is wanted on outstanding warrants for two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault by strangulation and felon in possession of a weapon, according to officials.

Court records show Johnson has an extensive criminal history dating back to 2006. He has previously been convicted of charges such as disorderly conduct, misdemeanor evading arrest, aggravated robbery, assault and multiple order of protection violations.

Johnson was added to the list on July 31. However, efforts to locate him have been unsuccessful.

6. Quierra C. Spear

Quierra C. Spear (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Quierra Spear, 27, is wanted on multiple outstanding warrants stemming from an incident in which she fired gunshots from within a vehicle, according to authorities.

Rape suspect arrested 1 day after appearing on Most Wanted list

The charges against her include two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, reckless endangerment and vandalism. Detectives said Spear, who was added to the Most Wanted list on Aug. 7, was last seen in the West Nashville area.

7. John R. Etter

John R. Etter III (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

John Etter III, 47, was added back to Nashvilles list of Most Wanted fugitives on Aug. 7 after last being featured in February. The first time he ever appeared on the list was Jan. 24. According to officials, Etter still has not been located.

He is wanted on outstanding warrants for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated child endangerment involving a child between 9 and 17 years old, child endangerment and failure to appear. Etters last location remains unknown.

8. Joshua R. Starkey

Joshua R. Starkey (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department)

Joshua Starkey, 19, is among some of the youngest suspects to ever appear on Nashvilles Most Wanted list. Police said Starkey is wanted for one count of aggravated robbery with a weapon or object. He was added to the list on July 10. His last known location was in Hermitage.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

Anyone with information on any of the suspects listed is asked to contact the MNPD at 615-862-8600 or Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's running mate, will be honored at a Nashville fundraiser. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

In a combative Sunday interview with CNN's Dana Bash, U.S Sen. JD Vance said (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

A group of prominent Republicans, including a potential 2026 Tennessee gubernatorial candidate, will hold a fundraiser for Donald Trumps running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, in Nashville.

Adam Boehler and his wife, Shira, are named as hosts for the event, which features a minimum ticket price of $2,500 per person. Boehler served as director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during Trumps administration and now operates a healthcare investment firm.

Co-hosts include Mike and Tina Hodges, founders and operators of Advance Financial, a payday lending company, Damon and Carrie Hininger and Dan and Joy Crockett.

Damon Hininger is CEO of the private prison company CoreCivic, and Dan Crockett founded Franklin American Mortgage.

The Hodges have long been Trump supporters, donating more than $1 million to Trumps campaign and main super PAC in 2016, according to reports. In 2019, the couple held a fundraising event for then-Vice President Mike Pence.

Hininger is widely thought to be considering a gubernatorial run in 2026 and told the Lookout in June that its no secret hes considering how he can best serve the state.

Other notable co-hosts include auto dealer Lee Beaman and former Williamson County Republican Party Chair Julie Hannah and Brad Smith.

Smith worked for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, when U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty was commissioner, and in the Trump White House. In the latter role, his positions included deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, senior advisor to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, deputy administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.

Hagerty and Sen. Marsha Blackburn will be special guests at the event. No location for the event has been announced.

In the 2016 election, Trump won Tennessee with 60.7% of the vote and a near-equal 60.66% in 2020. He faces Vice President Kamala Harris in November.
CHICAGO  With Maryland considered a battleground in the race for U.S. Senate control, its Democratic nominee  Angela Alsobrooks  has secured a prime speaking spot on the Democratic National Convention stage.

She was to address delegates at the United Center on Tuesday night, the same evening that former President Barack Obama was scheduled to speak.

The race of Alsobrooks, the Prince Georges County executive, against Republican former Gov. Larry Hogan has attracted national interest  and national money.

Super PAC dollars are flowing to the state as never before, perhaps rivaling the influence of the candidates own campaigns or national parties. Super PACs can raise unlimited sums from individuals, corporations and unions.

Both parties are watching the race closely.

Democrats hold a 51-49 voting majority in the U.S. Senate. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a longtime Democrat who is now an independent, is retiring, and Democrats must defend a handful of seats in November in states that Democratic President Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020.

Alsobrooks would become Marylands first Black senator. Vice President Kamala Harris, the partys presidential nominee, would be the first woman to become president.

I am honored to be delivering a keynote address tonight at the Democratic National Convention, Alsobrooks said in a prepared statement. I have known Kamala Harris for fourteen years, and I look forward to sharing exactly why she is going to make an incredible President of the United States.

Marylanders, she said, deserve a future we can all be proud of  one where our freedoms are protected, and our families can thrive.

Alsobrooks has called Harris a friend and mentor. Harris came to Prince Georges County recently and urged Marylanders to vote for Alsobrooks.

________
At national convention, Democrats pass the torch to a new generation of leaders

CHICAGO  Twenty years after she attended her first party convention, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan stepped onto the main stage of the United Center on Monday, helping to emcee one of the biggest nights in politics as a newly appointed co-chair of the Democratic National Convention.

Flanagan even let her 11-year-old daughter stay up past her bedtime to watch her speak on national television. For the 44-year-old, it was a moment of reflection and gratitude as she considered how far she's come since that first convention.

It was a really emotional night, she told USA TODAY.

Flanagan's emerging place on the national stage parallels Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's ascent to the presidential ticket. If that Harris-Walz ticket wins, Flanagan would take over for the rest of Walzs term, making her the nation's first ever female Native American governor.

This years convention was expected to be a celebration of Democratic President Joe Biden, who has been in politics for more than five decades. But after he stepped aside for Vice President Kamala Harris to clinch the nomination, this week's festivities look more like a passing of the torch  a salute to a class of diverse and rising stars, like Flanagan, who are emerging from every across the party.

I am doing this for all of the rising stars who are watching me, Flanagan said.

Aug 19, 2024; Chicago, IL, USA; Peggy Flanagan, Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, speaks during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasper Colt-USA TODAY

Even as high-profile figures such as Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders command attention as they took the stage this week in Chicago, convention attendees say theyre just as excited to see the pipeline of up-and-comers poised to rise to the highest levels of politics.

Betsy Wells, a 76-year-old resident of Kings Mountain, North Carolina, is attending her seventh convention and knows from first-hand experience how a good convention speech can catapult a politicians career.

When Barack Obama came out and did that famous speech (in 2004), everybody sat up and took notice, she said. And I thought, Wow. Wow. And so then four years later, he's running for the presidency.

Today, shes thrilled to see newer names like Texas U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and younger leaders like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dominating the convention stage.

You know, if we don't have younger people coming up, talented younger people, then as a party, we die, she said.

The veepstakes that dominated news cycles after Harris became the Democrats de facto nominee elevated major players such as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Arizona U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly into national conversations.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro poses for a selfie with an attendee on the floor during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center. The DNC program will feature President Joe Biden and Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during Monday's ceremonies.

But behind them is another generation of rising stars that could be ready for prime time by the next presidential primary cycle. If Harris is successful this November and serves out two terms, that might not be until 2032 when the political world  and its universe of high-profile players  could look dramatically different.

"They have given us a really solid foundation, Flanagan said. Now, our job is to just build on that.

Convention programming feature up-and-comers  and an audience eager to hear them

On the first day of convention programming, Crockett, the Texas representative, had a primetime speaking slot usually reserved for some of the nights highest-profile speakers.

Crockett is a vocal Harris supporter who made headlines earlier this year for her remarks about Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green's appearance.

Shes lived the American Dream while hes been Americas nightmare, Crockett said to applause Monday night.

Aug 19, 2024; Chicago, IL, USA; Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, speaks during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasper Colt-USA TODAY

Afterward, Kimberly Eaton, a 62-year-old Pauls Valley, Oklahoma resident, gushed over Crockett and her prospects within the party.

She is somebody that is up and coming, smart, intelligent and don't take no crap, Eaton said. Jasmine is excellent. I mean, I put my eyes on her probably about a year ago when she told off the Republicans in committee, and I've been following her ever since. So, she is the one to be looking for.

Eaton said she was excited to see such a diverse lineup of speakers featured throughout the night.

If you look at the diverse crowd of this convention versus the one we saw last month, it's a total difference. This is a melting pot, she said.

Night Ones speaker lineup also featured Lt. Govs. Eleni Kounalakis of California, Austin Davis of Pennsylvania and Sara Rodriguez of Wisconsin, as well as Harris County, Texas, executive Lina Hidalgo and Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who is the youngest Democrat to lead a state and the countrys only Black governor, is expected to speak later in the week.

But the title up-and-comer" isnt just reserved for the young.

U.S. Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Gwen Walz attend Day 1 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 19, 2024.

Tim Walz, the 60-year-old governor of Minnesota and Harris newly appointed running mate, was not a household name within the party until Harris catapulted him into prominence. Now, hes being regarded as a fresh face who is bringing new energy into the party.

Walz made numerous surprise appearances as Democratic caucus groups met on the convention campus Monday, generating cheers and applause as he briefly took the stage to rally the rooms.

This is challenging work. This is hard. There's a lot at stake, he told the Hispanic Caucus as attendees swarmed closer to the stage to take pictures and video. But that's no different than a lot of people live their lives. It can be challenging and hard, but you can do it with a sense of optimism and, what (Harris) is doing, with a sense of joy, with a sense of joy.

Young Democrats contemplate partys future

Pennsylvania State University political science professor Dan Mallinson told USA TODAY its unclear what the future of the Democratic party looks like after Biden, but it could look a lot younger.

(Election cycles have) been so oriented around a single person, he said. Its not clear what thats gonna look like.

Florida U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, the first Gen Z member of Congress, flitted through various caucus meetings across the convention campus and attended public speaking events at Axios House and the CNN/POLITICO Grill.

Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., speaks at a news conference on TikTok on March 12, 2024 in Washington, DC.

As Frost exited a meeting of the partys Hispanic Caucus Monday morning, he was quickly swarmed by TV cameras and eager delegates hoping to shake his hand or snap a selfie.

Angela Weathers, a Miami resident, eagerly grabbed a photo with Frost, saying shes excited to see the next generation of leaders gain more prominence in the party.

Just to see intelligent young people like that excited about the Democratic Party is exciting to me, she said.

Frost made history in 2023 when he was elected as the first Gen Z member of the House of Representatives. He is 27 years old and is expected to have a convention speaking slot this week, Mediaite reported.

Paul Young, who was sworn in earlier this year as the mayor of Memphis, one of Americas 30 most populous cities, was also attending the convention and touted the breadth and diversity of future leaders on display.

He said young people and this next generation of voters are looking for authenticity as they evaluate potential leaders.

"They are a generation that can see through things that are fake, and so they want their politicians to be real and authentic, he said. They like a lot of communication using various mediums. So, you know, really being engaged on social media and those platforms. And, really, they're looking for energy. They are ready for change, and they're ready to do it now, and so I don't think they want a piecemeal approach.

Mallinson said that the party is at "an inflection point" and that its pool of good talent has plenty of time to build their political profiles for the future.

But Flanagan said she isn't looking that far ahead. She said her voice was hoarse by the end of the convention's first night after cheering so loud for her hopeful future president and vice president.

"We can't take anything for granted," she said. "And this is just fuel to the fire for the next 77 days."

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Democratic National Convention highlights rising stars, fresh faces
The Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20, 2024. (Photo by Shaun Griswold / Source New Mexico)

CHICAGO  The energy is much different heading into the Democratic National Convention than when I traveled to the Republican version in Wisconsin a month ago.

So much has changed in a month  like the top of the Democratic ticket.

The platform Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz will present to voters is still unclear.

Whats clear is my news assignment.

How would Native Americans fare during four years of a Harris/Walz administration?

The views that came out from the RNC in Wisconsin (from those who could give sovereignty more than one sentence), offered on-the-record support for the foundational approach to tribal governance. The Native voices at that convention consistently said that they will work toward a path to achieve progress with whatever federal United States government is in power, but ask that it stay fair and respectful to the directions tribes want to move in.

That is still on the agenda in Chicago for Democrats.

This week in Chicago, Ill be looking for good conversations and solid answers from politicians and potential U.S. leaders on topics like health care, the environment, sovereignty, cultural recognition, schools and anything else that would serve Native American people in the next four years. (And probably for a good tavern-crust pizza, too.)

The Republican National Convention showed us a party still set to restart what stopped when former President Donald Trump lost the election in 2020. Republicans at the convention in Wisconsin last month championed the same policies directed by the GOP in Congress in opposition to the last four years under President Joe Biden.

Republicans made the argument that this election is a choice between running it back with a Democratic agenda that could further Biden-era initiatives, or rewinding U.S. politics back to the time of Trump.

Weve seen both of these movies.

So when it comes to how this all shakes out for Native people, we can start at the Interior Department.

The Interior gives us an obvious jumping-off point for asking about the impact on Native people if Harris and Walz take the White House in January.

Interior Department Secretary Deb Haaland supports the ticket, and if she stays in her post, she could see efforts through and manage more long-term the billions in White House investments directed under Biden for tribal governments.

What will those investments look like under a new administration? Would Harris approach the Interior differently in any way? Would Haalands role grow under a new yet familiar president?

This dynamic then filters down to everyone that works with Haaland  her staff and the hundreds of tribal nations that work with the Interior daily.

Its worth noting, too, that at the Republican National Convention, I talked with U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado), who said she would like to replace Haaland should Trump win. Boebert said she would reverse Haaland-led efforts, like expanding Bears Ears National Monument, and would expand drilling projects.

Beyond the Interior Department, we should also take into account what it means for the White Earth Nation citizen and Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan if her boss Tim Walz is elected U.S. vice president.

Flanagan would step into the governors role and lead Minnesota into 2025. If Harris and Walz win in November, Flanagan would become the first Native American woman governor in U.S. history.

Native Media at the DNC

For our news coverage, it all starts where we left off at the RNC  sovereignty and specifically how will the United States meet its treaty obligations to Native American people that live in this country.

Milwaukee presented insight into how that relationship works and could move forward with a Republican administration. Native Americans spoke to issues like public safety, economy  anything that makes it easier to function alongside the U.S. government.

Our coverage gave projections on national GOP leaders, people in line with the Trump administration policies, ready to move them forward if he were to win office.

The questions are the same for Democrats.

Well be broadcasting across the country through Friday. Sean Spruce will lead the coverage, hosting our shows for Native America Calling. Antonia Gonzales will report on air with us for National Native News, and Pauly Denetclaw will report on the ground at the convention for ICTNews.

On Thursday evening, we will have a live show from inside the United Center leading up to the nomination speech by Harris.

States Newsroom will also have coverage from the overall convention all week long, and provide insight into how Democrats hope to shape the platform in the final weeks leading up to the general election.

Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Shaun Griswold for questions: info@sourcenm.com. Follow Source New Mexico on Facebook and X.
The Nature Conservancy paid $1 million to buy and preserve a five-acre property on Block Island's Corn Neck Road. (The Nature Conservancy)

The Nature Conservancy paid $1 million to buy a 5-acre marsh on Block Island, while signing an agreement with private owners to protect another 6-acre coastal property in South Kingstown.

The pair of deals, announced on Monday, add 11 acres of sensitive coastal and wetland habitats to the 12,700 acres of protected open space statewide under ownership or conservation easements by The Nature Conservancy, said Tim Mooney, an organization spokesperson.

Globally, the nonprofit aims to preserve 30% of the worlds land and water, including 1.6 billion acres of land, by 2030.

That now includes a 5-acre coastal gem on Block Islands Corn Neck Road, bought from private owners by The Nature Conservancy for $1 million. The purchase included a $700,000 contribution from The Block Island Land Trust and $100,000 from the Block Island Conservancy, with the remainder paid for through nonprofit donors. The marsh and pond-adjacent property features an array of wildlife, including horseshoe crabs and shoreline birds, as well as an important water source flowing into the Great Salt Pond.

The islands conservation community had been hoping to protect this property for more than 30 years, Scott Comings, associate state director for The Nature Conservancy, and a Block Island resident, said in a statement.

The Nature Conservancy has also ensured protection of 6 acres of beachfront property overlooking South Kingstowns Moonstone Beach through a donated conservation easement. The agreement maintains private ownership of the land but transfers development rights to the conservation nonprofit, ensuring the land is permanently protected. An adjacent 8-acre parcel by the same private owners has also been protected through an agreement with the South Kingstown Land Trust.

In addition to land under its ownership or easement rights, The Nature Conservancy has also helped protect another 20,000 acres of land across the state through partnerships with state and local government and nonprofit groups.

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NC troopers: Semi driver never braked before crash that killed 5 on I-95 in July

A tractor-trailer truck driver was going an estimated 70 mph when he plowed into the back of slowed traffic in a construction zone on Interstate 95 last month, according to the State Highway Patrol.

Charles Christian Haskell of Las Vegas hit four other vehicles in a crash that killed five people on July 24. Troopers say he did not brake before hitting the first SUV, which was going an estimated 20 mph, according to a crash report made public Wednesday.

The Highway Patrol report does not indicate why Haskell, 51, failed to slow down. It said he had been tested for drugs and alcohol but that the results were not available when the report was completed.

Haskell was charged with five counts of misdemeanor death by motor vehicle on the day of the crash. No additional charges have been announced.

The Highway Patrol and the National Transportation Safety Board are still investigating the crash.

The crash took place in a work zone on northbound I-95 at about 1:30 p.m. The left lane was closed, and traffic had merged into the right lane and slowed.

Haskells truck full of orange juice first hit a Chevy Tahoe, pushing it off the right side of the road. The collision killed the Tahoes driver, William Carroll Tucker, 72, and his wife, Elizabeth Sharon Tucker, 66, of Hephzibah, Georgia.

Haskell then hit a Toyota RAV-4, causing it to flip onto its roof. The driver, Edward Carroll Davis, 68, of Greenville, was killed, as were both of his passengers: his wife, Martha Warren Davis, 69, and her sister, Linda Warren Whitehurst, 80, of Robersonville.

Haskell then hit two other tractor-trailers, pushing one off the right side of the road. His own truck was on fire when it came to a stop 332 feet from where it had hit the Tahoe. Haskell was able to get out of his truck before it burned completely.

All three truck drivers, including Haskell, had minor injuries.
Nearly a year later, school districts still wait for Florida to OK sex ed plans

Orange County Public Schools hoped to shoehorn last years canceled sex education classes into the start of the new school year, but now those plans are on hold because the state still hasnt told the district whether its lessons and materials are acceptable.

Almost a year ago, OCPS submitted its reproductive health plans to the state for approval, as required by a new state law that heightened scrutiny on how public schools dealt with sexuality and gender identity.

The Florida Department of Education has never responded to that submission.

As a result, the school district in the spring canceled the sex education lessons typically taught at the end of the school year.

Superintendent Maria Vazquez said in June that she expected a response from the state in late July. If approved, the district would offer the lessons meant for the end of the 2023-24 school year at the start of the new year that began Aug. 12, she said.

But now a week into the new school year, an OCPS spokesperson said the district it is still waiting for the states go-ahead.

Once OCPS knows what is expected and what is approved, it will plan and deliver accordingly, spokesperson Renee Burke wrote in an email.

The Florida Department of Education has not responded to several email requests from the Orlando Sentinel for comment on the delay in approving districts reproductive health plans nor to a related public records request filed in June.

Florida law requires schools to teach reproductive health lessons in grades 6 to 12 that emphasize the benefits of sexual abstinence as the expected standard and the consequences of teenage pregnancy.

But districts have been able to offer additional instruction. Orange schools, for example, in the past started their lessons in fifth grade with a class on the physical changes of puberty and for high schoolers provided conversations about contraception, sexually transmitted diseases and consent.

School districts also gave parents a way to opt their children out of any reproductive health lessons they disliked, as state law requires.

In early September, the education department told school districts that under the new law they had to submit their sex education plans to the state for approval or use pre-approved textbooks for those lessons. Previously, local school boards oversaw the approval of their districts sex education materials.

The pre-approved textbooks avoid many of the topics that Orange and other districts that taught their own curricula provided to teenagers. The one Lake County schools used for high school classes, for example, preaches abstinence as the only effective way to prevent STDs and pregnancy and does not mention contraception. It also encourages students to go on group dates rather than spend one-on-one time with a partner.

At least seven school districts submitted their own plans for reproductive health lessons by the September deadline and told the Orlando Sentinel they never heard back from the state.

Some of them, including those in Seminole and Broward counties, taught reproductive health anyway during the 2023-24 school year, despite the states silence. But others, including those in Orange, Polk and Hillsborough counties, canceled the planned lessons.

Districts that submitted their own materials faced a choice between two unlawful paths  sacrificing the required lessons or teaching without authorization, said Brian Moore, an attorney at the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, when the Sentinel first reported on the issue in July.

In the absence of direction from the state, it was up to the districts to decide which path they viewed as least problematic, he added.

The new law was an expansion of earlier legislation dubbed dont say gay by its critics. It restricts instruction in schools about sexual orientation and gender identity and bans the use of pronouns that do not match a persons sex. It also makes it easier for residents to challenge as inappropriate school books that include sexual conduct, which made worried educators to pull classics from shelves such as Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and Attorney General Kris Kobach sent a bipartisan letter to Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen objecting to a proposed water transfer between the Platte and Republican rivers that Kelly and Kobach say could lead to invasive species of carp in Kansas waterways.

"The introduction of these fish will cause irreparable ecological harm to native species and economic and noneconomic harm to the use and enjoyment of these waters, including sport fishing, commercial fishing, and recreational boating. It should be noted that Milford Reservoir is regarded as Kansass premier fishing destination, and many Nebraskans enjoy it every year," Kelly and Kobach said in the joint letter.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, left, and Gov. Laura Kelly signed a joint letter opposing a water transfer in Nebraska they say could lead to invasive species of carp in Kansas waterways.

The letter is in response to an application by the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District and the Platte Republican Diversion Interlocal Agreement Partners made up of several natural resource districts. It is before the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources.

If approved, it would allow 150 cubic feet per second of excess flow from the Platte River Basin into the Republican River Basin through a series of canals and pipelines. The proposal is designed to meet river flow minimums in an interstate water compact with Kansas.

Why Kelly and Kobach oppose it

Kansas officials have opposed the idea of the water transfer since it was originally proposed in 2018. They worry that it would make a path for invasive bighead and silver carp that have been documented in the Loup, Platte and Elkhorn rivers.

If these invasive species have a path to the Republican River, it could allow the fish to enter the Harlan County Reservoir in Nebraska and then the Lovewell and Milford reservoirs in Kansas. Milford Reservoir is popular among fishermen regionally.

As an avid fisherman, Im one of thousands of Kansans who enjoy our first-class lakes and waterways for fishing, Kobach said. I will use every tool available to keep these invasive species from harming Kansas waters.

A silver carp slams into the head of a competitor at the Redneck Fishing Rodeo in Bath, Ill. Kansas leaders are concerned state waterways could be devastated by the invasive carp if Nebraska allows a proposed water transfer.

The carp have damaged other waterways, and the knowing importation, possession or transportation of the fish is outlawed by the federal government. In Lake Yankton in Nebraska invasive carp invaded and decimated native fish populations.

"After flooding in 2011, the lake was infested with invasive carp, and by 2014, they composed over ninety percent of the fish in the lake, necessitating the use of poison to eliminate all fish in the system," Kelly and Kobach said.

Why some Nebraskans opposed it

The project has also been controversial in Nebraska, where some natural resource districts said the diversion could lead to water rights not being delivered to its patrons. The dispute made it to the Nebraska Supreme Court in October, where it sided with the proposed water transfer.

Im so pleased that the Justices agreed that our project has no potential to harm existing water right holders,", said John Thorburn, manager of Tri-Basin Natural Resources District (NRD), after the Nebraska Supreme Court decision. Our project has always been intended to only divert water that no water user in the Platte Basin can use. We simply want to beneficially use water that would otherwise flow out of Nebraska.

Proponents say the project will deliver more water to Nebraskans and generate power through hydroelectric generation.

In May, the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources held a hearing on the proposed transfer, where Kansas officials also voiced concern about the transfer.

Though the proposal is under con sideration, there is no set timeline on when a decision will be made on its approval.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas AG and governor ask Nebraska to deny water transfer over carp
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  Over $607,000 has been awarded to Kansas City neighborhoods thanks to the Neighborhood Empowerment Grant.

$607,620 will be allocated to 35 neighborhood organizations to support projects ranging from tree planting, safety initiatives and minor home repairs.

The grant is meant to reduce violent crime, encourage neighborhood investment and decrease code violations

Louisburg restaurant employee allegedly stealing customers credit card information

Some of the neighborhoods selected for the grant include:

Bristol Park Homeowners Association

Funding: $20,000

Project: Bristol Park Homeowners Association plans to replace a playground for the neighborhoods youth, making it ADA compliant and accessible for all.

Hickman Mills United Neighborhoods

Funding: $15,000

Project: The Hickman Mills Neighborhood Cleanup Initiative is a community-driven project aimed at enhancing the cleanliness and beauty of our neighborhoods. The organization plans to gather local teenagers twice a month to pick up trash and debris, helping create a cleaner, safer and more attractive environment for all residents.

Independence Plaza Neighborhood Council

Funding: $20,000

Project: Independence Plaza Neighborhood Council will use the funds to complete emergency code violation repairs, minor home repairs and camera doorbell installations. The organization will also show residents how to participate in effective neighborhood watch.

By providing funding, we enable residents to identify and address their unique challenges, thereby enhancing the quality of life in their neighborhoods, Mayor Pro Tem Ryana Parks-Shaw said.

KC metro job numbers grow as Panasonic plant starts hiring

The majority of projects went toward neighborhood improvement with 13. Safety received the second most with five and trash and minor home repairs had four each.

Here is a complete breakdown of the number of projects for each project type:

Project Type Number of Projects

Accessibility 1

Branding 2

Minor Home Repairs 4

Neighborhood Improvement 13

Other 3

Safety 5

Trash 4

Trees 1

Youth 2

This is the second year for the Neighborhood Empowerment Grant. It was launched in September of 2023, with 26 neighborhood Organizations being awarded with a grant.

The application is open for not-for-profit neighborhood organizations registered or that will partner with an association registered with the city of Kansas City and the State of Missouri.

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While this year's Republican Party platform makes only a passing reference to Second Amendment rights, the platform approved at the Democratic National Convention this week does not mention them at all. But it does include eight references to "gun safety" and a section that brags about the Biden administration's accomplishments in this area while laying out an agenda of additional firearm restrictions.

That treatment of this subject is similar to the approach that Democrats took in 2016, when their platform mentioned "the rights of responsible gun owners" but did not elucidate the basis of those rights, and in 2020, when the platform did not go even that far. The 2016 platform devoted a paragraph to gun control, which became two paragraphs in 2020 and has now expanded to five. Neither of the two most recent platforms so much as alludes to respect for gun rights.

By contrast, Democrats in 2000 promised to "respect the rights of hunters, sportsmen, and legitimate gun owners." Four years later, after the gun issue, including Al Gore's support for banning "assault weapons," was widely blamed for contributing to George W. Bush's election, Democrats promised to "protect Americans' Second Amendment right to own firearms." The 2008 and 2012 platforms included similar language, in both cases explicitly invoking the Second Amendment, which disappeared in the 2016 platform and now does not even seem like a dim memory for Democrats.

Whatever you make of former President Donald Trump's evolution on gun rights, which seems to reflect political expendience rather than true conviction, he at least understands the importance of paying lip service to the Second Amendment. The current Democratic Party, by contrast, is intent on pushing gun control without acknowledging any constitutional limits on it.

"When I'm back in the Oval Office, no one will lay a finger on your firearms," Trump promised at the National Rifle Association's Great American Outdoor Show Presidential Forum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on February 9. "It's not going to happen.Even as they turn America into a crime-ridden, gang-infested, terror-filled dumping ground, Joe Biden and his thugs will do everything in their power to confiscate your guns and annihilate your God-given right to self-defense. During my four years, nothing happened. And there was great pressure on me having to do with guns. We did nothing. We didn't yield."

In their platform, the Democrats quote those last four sentences, which they consider damning: "While he 'did nothing,' gun violence spiked: Trump oversaw the largest single-year increase in murders in history, including a 35 percent increase in gun murders. He refused to limit the use of high-capacity magazines after a Las Vegas shooter used a dozen 100-round magazines to kill 58 people. And, when confronted with horrific gun violence, he told families to 'get over it.'"

Both of these glosses require correction. Although Trump claims he "did nothing" on gun control, that is not true. After the October 2017 Las Vegas massacre, he demanded an administrative ban on bump stocks, which the Supreme Court overturned last June, ruling that it exceeded gun regulators' statutory authority. During a February 2018 meeting with legislators, Trump spoke favorably of requiring background checks for all gun transfers, raising the minimum age for buying long guns, preemptively confiscating guns from people who might be dangerous, and even banning so-called assault weapons, to the visible delight of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (DCalif.).

On other occasions, Trump voiced support for banning gun possession by people on "no-fly" lists and for "red flag" laws, which authorize court orders that suspend the Second Amendment rights of people deemed a danger to themselves or others. He went so far as to say that the police should "take the gun first" and "go through due process second" when they think someone is dangerous. Still, it is true that Trump's comments did not translate into any actual policy changes, aside from the bump stock ban.

Trump's reaction to the Las Vegas mass shooting shows that the Democrats' portrayal of him as unfazed by such horrifying crimes is blatantly inaccurate. Their use of the "get over it" quote is highly misleading. Here is what Trump actually said after a school shooting in Iowa last January: "It's just horrible, so surprising to see it here. But [we] have to get over it; we have to move forward."

The Democrats' implication that loose gun control was responsible for the 2020 spike in homicides likewise is hard to take seriously. There was no change in gun policy that could account for that surge. Nor was there any change in gun policy that could account for the recent declines in homicidea development that Democrats are quick to emphasize when Trump tries to blame the Biden administration for a supposedly "skyrocketing" murder rate. And their implicit thesis that more guns mean more violence is contradicted by crime trends since the early 1990s: From 1993 to 2013, when the homicide rate fell by more than half, the estimated number of guns owned by Americans rose by about the same percentage.

In contrast with Trump's record of doing (approximately) "nothing" to restrict guns, the Democrats brag about President Joe Biden's support for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) of 2022, "the first significant federal gun safety law in nearly 30 years." The BSCA, they say, "includes the first-ever federal gun trafficking and straw purchasing law." The platform does not mention that the BSCA defines "gun trafficking" broadly enough to encompass "prohibited persons" who obtain firearms, creating a new charge, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, for people like Biden's own son, who was convicted in June of buying a revolver when he was a crack cocaine user.

Those prohibited persons include millions of Americans with no history of violence, whom Congress has arbitrarily deemed felons if they dare to exercise their Second Amendment rights. The categories include cannabis consumers and other illegal drug users, anyone who has ever been subjected to involuntary psychiatric treatment because he was deemed suicidal, and anyone who has ever been convicted of a crime punishable by more than a year of incarceration, whether or not it involved violence of any sort.

Before the law that Democrats proudly cite, those people already faced up to three felony charges for buying firearms; the BSCA's "gun trafficking" provision added yet another. The same law also increased the maximum penalty for illegal gun possession from 10 years to 15 years. Biden evidently thought that people like his son were getting off too lightly.

In recent years, these sweeping bans on gun possession have provoked many constitutional challenges, some of which have been successful. But since Democrats do not even acknowledge the existence of the Second Amendment, they are happy to double down on this unjust and irrational policy. And they promise more of the same, saying they will "establish universal background checks" aimed at enforcing these restrictions.

The Democratic agenda also includes a new federal "assault weapon" ban, another illogical, constitutionally dubious policy that even Biden has admitted has no effect on the lethality of guns available to would-be murderers. They want to "end the gun

industry's immunity from liability" for legally selling guns that are later used to commit crimes, allowing lawsuits that would undermine the Second Amendment by attacking businesses that enable Americans to exercise the rights it guarantees. Democrats also promise "a national red flag law," which would compound the due process and Second Amendment violations we have already seen in states that have embraced this policy.

Although Vice President Kamala Harris' current campaign website is short on specific policy positions, the platform confirms what we already knew: She does not see the Constitution as an obstacle to her gun control agenda. Back in 2019, when Harris was vying with Biden for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, she promised to impose new gun policiesincluding "universal background checks, an assault weapons ban, and the repeal of the NRA's corporate gun manufacturer and dealer immunity bill"by executive fiat if Congress failed to approve such legislation during her first 100 days in office.

That was too much even for Biden. "There's no constitutional authority to issue that executive order when they say 'I'm going to eliminate assault weapons,'" he said. "You can't do it by executive order any more than Trump can do things when he says he can do it by executive order." Asked about that comment during a Democratic presidential debate, Harris laughed and blithely replied: "Well, I mean, I would just say, hey, Joe, instead of saying 'no, we can't,' let's say 'yes, we can.'"

Biden objected. "Let's be constitutional," he said. "We've got a Constitution." He also suggested that Harris should "check with constitutional scholars" about whether her plan was consistent with the separation of powers.

While Biden aspired to "be constitutional," in other words, Harris replied, in essence: "Constitution, schmonstitution. Why should that get in the way of my agenda?"

As president, Biden seemed to overcome his reservations about unilateral gun control. The Democratic platform, for instance, praises him for trying to ban homemade guns without congressional authorization, another policy that has been challenged in court.

In any case, Biden's 2019 disagreement with Harris hinged on the question of whether the president has the constitutional authority to unilaterally ban "assault weapons." The Second Amendment did not enter into it, even as an afterthought. That has been Biden's governing assumption about gun control, and we can expect the same (or worse) from Harris.

The post Neither Harris Nor Her Party Perceives Any Constitutional Constraints on Gun Control appeared first on Reason.com.
Aaron Smith

MIAMI, Okla.  A Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College instructor is in custody on complaints of sexual abuse involving a child.

Aaron Smith, of Fairland, is being held in the Ottawa County Jail on six complaints of child sexual abuse.

Smith was taken into custody while on campus today.

In a prepared statement released Tuesday evening, college officials announced Smith was fired this evening.

Man accused of shooting & killing dog in Baxter Springs

Today, we took decisive action to terminate a college employee after information surfaced following a preliminary investigation concerning an alleged inappropriate relationship with a minor, the statement read.

We have strict zero-tolerance for misconduct of this nature, particularly those involving minors. Such behavior is inexcusable and will not be tolerated under any circumstances. The safety and well-being of our students are our top priorities. We are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for all members of our campus community. The college is cooperating fully with law enforcement as their investigation continues.

The statement continues, and the college will not provide further comments.

Before Smiths firing, the colleges website lists Smith as the Masquers Theatre Club sponsor. In 2020, he was also named the NEO Theatre Experience Artistic Director and NEO Fine Arts Marketing Coordinator, but his social media posts suggest these were former positions. Last week, he was also listed as the colleges Communications Manager

According to the schools website, Smith has been acting director of the NEO Theatre Experience since its founding in 2016.

DEVELOPING

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NEWTON COUNTY, Mo.  A Neosho man charged with multiple counts of child sexual assault remains jailed without bond.

PREVIOUS: Newton County man arrested on child sex crime charges in abuse case

Today a Newton County judge denied a request for bond for Codie Wilder, 24.

Codie Wilder, 24.

Wilder faces five charges, which include statutory sodomy, statutory rape, and child molestation.

Seneca police were investigating the child sexual assault allegations against Wilder at a Seneca residence when they say they discovered inhumane living conditions for the children who were staying there.

PREVIOUS: Newton County man denied bond in child sexual assault case

Officers say they know of at least seven kids who were all under the age of 18 when the alleged sexual abuse began.

Holly Brewer

Billy Bresee

Court records state the two youngest children in the home were forced to stay in dog cages.

Authorities say one child told a family member she and her sisters were being sexually abused by a man staying at their house.

She told police she had reported the abuse to a number of adults at the home, but nothing was done.

Two of those adults, Holly Brewer and Billy Bresee, are also charged in Newton County with child abuse or neglect.

Authorities say Brewer and Bresee caged two of the children and beat them with a wooden spoon  to the point it broke.

PREVIOUS: Missouri couple accused of allowing sexual abuse of children, locking them in cages

The criminal complaint states both knowingly continued to subject the victims to sexual abuse, causing physical injury.

Bond for them is set at $5,000 cash or surety.

They have pleaded not guilty in the case.

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JAMAICA, Queens (PIX11)  A man is accused of beating his aunt to death with a broom in Queens on Tuesday, sources told PIX11 News.

Police officers responded to a home near 164th Street and 108th Avenue in Jamaica around 10:30 a.m. Juanita Dallas, 55, was arguing with 29-year-old Alexander Fleming before officers arrived at the home, according to authorities.

More Local News

Fleming grabbed a broom and hit Dallas in the head, according to police. Dallas was taken to North Shore University Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Fleming was arrested and charged with murder, assault with intent to cause physical injury with a weapon and criminal possession of a weapon, according to authorities.

Dallas was Flemings aunt, sources told PIX11 News. Fleming is also known to the NYPD, according to sources.

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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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
The Netherlands will buy 51 mobile radars for Ukraine to detect drones, the Dutch Defense Ministry announced on Aug. 21.

Ruben Brekelmans, the Dutch defense minister, said that systems will bolster Ukraine's air defense amid Russia's daily drone attacks.

The Dutch defense ministry signed a contract with the Hague-based Robin Radar Systems company for the purchase of the systems earlier in the day. Ukraine is expected to receive them later in 2024, the statement read.

The mobile radars are capable of detecting small drones and distinguishing them from birds.

"Since the detection system is mobile, it is more difficult for the enemy to find the radar, and therefore more difficult to neutralize it. This makes it possible to continuously detect and then destroy enemy drones," the ministry said.

As of Aug. 20., Moscow has launched nearly 14,000 attack drones against Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion, Ukraine's Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

Moscow uses various models of drones both on the battlefield and to attack targets far from the front line, such as energy infrastructure in central and western Ukraine.

The Netherlands has been Kyiv's staunch supporter since 2022. The country joined the drone coalition and pledged to allocate 20 million euros (nearly $22 million) to purchase first-person view (FPV) drones for Ukraine.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
BOSTON (SHNS)  Backed by new grant funding, the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health intends to officially launch and expand a network dedicated to hoarding resources, as advocates look to introduce more strategies to support stable housing and homelessness prevention efforts.

The Massachusetts Hoarding Resource Network will pursue policy research aimed at strengthening care and advocacy around hoarding conditions, as well as bolstering bilingual training to improve the reach of peer support groups. Members have been meeting informally in recent months, though the two-year grant funding  which totals just shy of $100,000  will help formalize and grow the network, said Jenifer Urff, director of knowledge dissemination and technical assistance at MAMH.

A key goal for us is the sustainability of this network, Urff told the News Service on Wednesday. We know that there are a lot of people across Massachusetts who are doing really good work in this area, including peer support intervention. By formalizing and really embedding the Hoarding Resource Network across the commonwealth, were hoping that will ensure that work can continue and expand.

Unaddressed hoarding can lead to a significant risk for housing insecurity, mental health advocates say. Hoarding conditions worsen as people age, and older affected individuals grapple with heightened fall and medical risks, social isolation and housing loss, according to MAMH.

A commitment to preventing homelessness and offering robust community support is an investment in the well-being and stability of both individuals and the community at large, MAMH President Danna Mauch said in a statement. Supporting people to live successfully in the community involves a multifaceted approach that not only focuses on immediate relief but prioritizes long-term prevention and support.

The U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, in a report released last month, described hoarding disorder as a chronic and progressive condition that leads people to accumulate more objects than their homes can accommodate. As many as 14 million Americans are affected by the disorder, and experts are worried about an increasing rate of hoarding in the coming decades fueled by the countrys aging population, according to the report.

Beyond falls and accidents, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services says hoarding can lead to respiratory problems due to clutter, garbage, animal or human feces, and mold. People can end up becoming homeless if local boards of health order them to leave or condemn the property, and if landlords prove in court the hoarding violated lease agreements, state officials say.

MAMH said the hoarding network is supported by a two-year grant from the Massachusetts Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds, which are awarded to initiatives that address health and racial inequities. The Department of Public Health helps oversee the account, which is comprised partially of funding that hospitals must give to programs to improve health, according to the program website.

The network will also provide training aimed at reducing stigma and promoting intervention tactics for responders including elder protective services, home care workers, inspection services and councils on aging.

Through the network, advocates plan to bring together individuals with hoarding experiences and their families, researchers and academics, housing and human services workers, behavioral health professionals, and public safety and code enforcement stakeholders.

Part of the work of the Hoarding Resource Network is to elevate the importance of the issue, Urff said.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Nearly 50 government desk workers shifted through paperwork Tuesday as they attended to the needs of patiently seated Nevada drivers, but as of this week, some customers are now eligible to skip the line and go online.

The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles rolled out this week a new direct, online registration service called Rapid Registration which will allow residents to file their paperwork from their homes for car registration, according to a news release.

Rapid Registration has been in the works for quite some time, Tonya Laney, Nevada DMV Director, wrote. But we are joyous to finally see this product come to fruition and released to our Las Vegas and Elko customers.

The Nevada Department of Transportation rolled out this week a new direct, online registration service called Rapid Registration which will allow residents to file their paperwork from their homes for car registration, according to a news release. (KLAS)

The Sahara location is the only spot where Las Vegas-based customers can fulfill the last parts of the nearly completely online registration process.

Customers will still need to make an appointment to pay for their plates and pick them up at the participating Elko and Sahara offices, Laney wrote. We are already working to build the second phase, which will include a fully automated system available to the entire state.

The service is currently only available for customers who purchased a vehicle from an out-of-state dealership, private party, or a new resident who has not yet registered their vehicle in Nevada.

The Nevada Department of Transportation rolled out this week a new direct, online registration service called Rapid Registration which will allow residents to file their paperwork from their homes for car registration, according to a news release. (KLAS)

Standing inside the participating Sahara location Hailey Foster, a DMV spokesperson, pointed to the customers need for the service.

We noticed many people come here for that, Hailey Foster, DMV spokesperson, said. We just wanted to really hit a metropolitan area and then a rural office, if you will, and just see how people react to it so far.

Foster touted over 400 customers have made MyDMV accounts since the new service launched on Monday, citing it as a success.

But when you do this Rapid Registration process, all you have to do is come in and you leave with your license plates, which is great, she said. Weve tested Rapid Registration for probably weeks on end to months. Its awesome to finally see it come to fruition.

The Nevada Department of Transportation rolled out this week a new direct, online registration service called Rapid Registration which will allow residents to file their paperwork from their homes for car registration, according to a news release. (KLAS)

The push for more online-focused services comes following scrutiny from the Nevada Legislature which examined a shift in online deadline for the state department and a change to the Henderson DMV location.

Following major cyber-attacks in Las Vegas 8 News Now asked a DMV official if the safety and security of residents private information was considered with more programs being moved online.

The Nevada Department of Transportation rolled out this week a new direct, online registration service called Rapid Registration which will allow residents to file their paperwork from their homes for car registration, according to a news release.

DMV officials noted the size of the states technician team describing it as made up of private vendors and in-house staff which amounted to over a hundred technical employees.

The DMV of the future is online, Foster said. Were really just here to help you guys save time and effort in the comfort of your own home to do your business online.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Two Broward County School Board members appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis were defeated in an election Tuesday night.

Former Broward County Schools social worker Rebecca Lynne Larew Thompson defeated incumbent Torey Alston, receiving 66% of the votes with all 49 precincts reporting as of 9 p.m., according to unofficial results posted on the Broward County Board of Supervisors website. Lawyer Maura McCarthy Bulman ousted the second DeSantis appointee, Daniel Foganholi, receiving 51% of the votes with all 49 precincts reporting as of 9 p.m., according to the website.

Alston, a former Broward County commissioner, was one of four people appointed to the school board in August 2022 when DeSantis suspended four sitting members in the wake of a grand jury report and recommendation regarding the school districts response to the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting, specifically mismanagement of the districts $1 billion school-safety program.

Alston and Foganholi were among five DeSantis appointees who had voted in 2022 to fire former Broward Schools Superintendent Vickie Cartwright, who endured a lengthy back-and-forth over her tenure before she parted ways with the district in early 2023.

Foganholi was twice appointed to the school board, first in April 2022 to fill the seat vacated by Rosalind Osgood, who stepped down in March to run for the Florida Senate. He was appointed again in December 2022, replacing Rodney Rod Velez, whom voters elected that year but who couldnt hold office because of a criminal conviction.

In the District 3 school board race, incumbent Sarah Leonardi defeated challenger Jason Lee Loring, with 70% of the vote as of 9 p.m. In the District 5 and 9 school board races, incumbents Jeff Holness and Debra Hixon defeated their respective challengers, Windsor D. Ferguson Jr. and Tom Vasquez. Holness and Hixon had 76% and 71% of the votes by 9 p.m., respectively.

Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony wins Democratic primary

Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony speaks during a news conference at the Broward Sheriffs Office Public Safety Complex in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe looks on. 17 members of BSO have been charged with PPP fraud.

Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony inched one step closer to reelection Tuesday night, defeating three Democratic challengers for the top cop spot.

Tony beat out Steven Andrew Geller, David Howard and Alvin Pollack with 50% of the votes with 354 of 358 precincts reporting as of 9 p.m., according to preliminary results posted on the Broward County Supervisor of Elections website.

He will face independent challenger Charles Edward Whatley, a former law enforcement officer and Marine veteran, in November.

Tonys primary win follows several major controversies, including revelations that he had lied on past law enforcement applications and drivers license applications and that he had killed an 18-year-old man when he was a teenager. An investigation revealed that on a Coral Springs job application, he was deceptive about the killing, ticking the no boxes when asked if hed killed anyone, been arrested for a crime or fought with a weapon.

Tony was first appointed sheriff in 2019 by DeSantis after he suspended former Sheriff Scott Israel in the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting. In 2020, Tony ran and defeated Israel in a race in which the issues about Tonys past were brought to the forefront.

The accusations led to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation that lasted 18 months. Tony was not charged in the case because records involving the deadly shooting were too difficult to find and the case was too long ago, the Miami Herald previously reported. Tony has said the shooting was in self-defense.

READ MORE: Accused of fibbing on drivers license applications, Broward sheriff faces reprimand

In May, a judge ruled that Tony should receive a written reprimand, be required to complete ethics training and be placed on an 18-month probationary status for lying multiple times on his drivers license applications.

Despite the investigations, Tony remained a frontrunner in the race and raised more than $137,000 dollars for his campaign. He has recently advocated for more funding for a new training facility.

Tony will face Whatley on Nov. 5.
After day two of the "vibes convention," late night hosts had plenty of jokes about Democrats' energetic attitude in Chicago last night.

While the official theme was "a bold vision for America's future," Stephen Colbert said the unofficial theme was "weeee."

Indeed, the ceremonial roll call gave each state and territory a few seconds for state pride. Lil Jon played "Turn Down for What" during the Georgia roll call and the crowd chanted "Rudy" as the camera panned to Sean Astin during the Indiana roll call.

Wisconsin had its own moment in the sun, as nearly the entire delegation was spotted wearing cheeseheads  a symbol of the Green Bay Packers and the state's dairy industry. Republican delegates also wore cheeseheads on the last day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

Gov. Tony Evers led the Wisconsin roll call, but he did not sport a cheesehead last night.

"Got to say, he looked pretty stupid without cheese on his head," Colbert said.

Night two of the DNC took place while Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz campaigned in Milwaukee at Fiserv Forum. The DNC included a "surprise" video appearance from Harris on stage in Milwaukee, prompting cheers from both audiences.

"Truly a historic moment, marking the first time that a Milwaukee crowd has ever cheered Chicago," Colbert said, adding quickly that Milwaukee is "also a lovely town."

Former president Barack Obama, Michelle Obama and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff also delivered emphatic speeches last night, which Jimmy Fallon highlighted with another fake Democratic commercial.

"That's best-selling author Michelle Obama, Nobel Prize winner Barack Obama and Doug Emhoff," the commercial said, switching to comic sans font for Emhoff's name.

While late night hosts praised the night's speeches, they poked fun at the exuberant attendees. Daily Show correspondents interviewed delegates inside the United Center about their feelings on the "vibes" of the candidate.

"Who should Kamala Harris pick for the Secretary of Vibes?" correspondent Desi Lydic asked. "Janet Yellen? Sabrina Carpenter?"

When Parker Short, president of Young Democrats of Georgia actually answered a policy question, Daily Show correspondent Ronny Chieng responded bluntly.

"You're really killing my vibe right now," Chieng said.

Other late night shows made jokes about Biden's speech from night one, which was pushed late into the evening. RuPaul, guest host for Jimmy Kimmel, included a "folks" counter for Biden's speech (which hit twelve total "folks").

The Daily Show highlighted the awkward effort by Democrats who are trying to walk the line between gratitude for Biden and passing the torch to Harris.

"That's why I'm here at the greeting card store," correspondent Troy Iwata said. "I'm looking for something that says 'we love you,' while also saying 'do not come back.'"

Late night hosts will have more fodder for DNC jokes after night three in Chicago, where former President Bill Clinton, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are expected to speak. Walz will close out the night as Harris' running mate.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Here's what late night hosts had to say after DNC Day 2 in Chicago
Cafe Marikas long-vacated midtown Sacramento space finally has a successor. And itll be open late.

Marilyns Pizza, a New York-style pie shop currently under construction, will open where the tenured Hungarian restaurant once was at 2011 J St., Suite A.

The pizza parlor is owned by TJ Bruce, who also owns LGBTQ+ bars Badlands, Roscoes Bars & Burgers and The Depot one block away in Lavender Heights. Itll specialize in enormous 20-inch pies stretched thin and hand-tossed daily, slices of which will also be available for a quick bite, according to Marilyns website.

Marilyns will stay open until about 2 or 3 a.m. on weekends, Bruce told the Sacramento Business Journal, making it one of the rare food options on the grid after bars close down. Signage is already up outside the restaurant, and Bruce hopes to open it within the next month, he said.

Cafe Marika owners Eva and Louie Chruma closed their shoebox-like Central European restaurant when they retired in January 2020 after 30 years in business. It was known for goulash, chicken paprikash and pan-fried pork schnitzel, among other dishes.
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  New Mexico State University (NMSU) celebrated the new academic year by honoring six faculty members.

According to the news release by NMSU, the fall 2024 convocation was held on Tuesday, Aug. 20 to award the faculty members and over 200 Aggies were in attendance, along with Interim President Monica Torres and Interim Provost Lakshmi Reddi.

Classes begin Wednesday, Aug. 21 at NMSU.

This convocation is a celebration of the incredible work being done throughout our NMSU system, and the positive impact of that work, on our students, our academic disciplines, the industries we serve, Torres said. There are many stories of the people who benefit from our service, our teaching, our research. Those are the things that were doing at this university. Were trying to address the broad challenges and opportunities that are before us in our communities and as a global society.

NMSU faculty award recipients from left to right: David Bishop of NMSU Grants; Dwight Kealy of the Department of Finance; Wei Tang of the Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Shannon Norris-Parish of the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education; and Young Lee of the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering. Not pictured Paulette Vincent-Ruz of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)

The recipients were awarded the following awards:

Dennis W. Darnall Faculty Achievement Award The award recognizes recipients for remarkable, broad-based accomplishments in teaching, research and service to their profession, university and community. It is the highest honor bestowed by NMSUs provost. Wei Tang of NMSUs Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering



Donald C. Roush Award for Teaching Excellence College deans and community college directors choose award recipients based on input from department heads and students. David Bishop of NMSU Grants Dwight Kealy of the Department of Finance Young Lee of the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering



Patricia Christmore Award for Teaching Excellence The award honors junior tenure-track faculty members for engaging, inclusive and research-led teaching. Shannon Norris-Parish of the Department of Agriculture and Extension Education Paulette Vincent-Ruz of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry



During the convocation, Torres welcomed 74 new faculty members to NMSU and congratulated 129 newly promoted faculty, according to NMSU.

These are truly, I think, exciting times for NMSU, Reddi said. Like you, I sense the excitement of the past two days as the students are moving in. I met a few of them in Corbett Center Student Union, and I cant help but notice the excitement in their eyes.

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No charges following incident with police in Boardman

BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN)  Police say no charges will be filed following an incident with officers in Boardman Tuesday evening.

Around 7 p.m., police were seen at the intersection of South Avenue and US-224.

Police said they tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver led them on a short pursuit. They later discovered that the elderly driver was having a medical issue.

An EMT was providing medical treatment to the driver at the scene.

The ambulance left without taking the driver.

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  A nonprofit is looking to address food insecurity in Little Rock thanks to a grant from the state.

Innovative Community Concepts plans on rolling out grocery stores on wheels after receiving a $10,000 grant from the governors office and the Arkansas Department of Health.

This is something we feel the community will need from now on. We dont see brick & mortars coming out to this area, Innovative Community Concepts co-founder Angela Shaw said.

Good News Matters: Fresh 2 You Mobile Market

Standing on the corner of Ringo and Daisy Bates, there is not one grocery store within a mile of the location. This is called a food desert, and using the grant money, the nonprofit plans to address food insecurity in these areas.

Food deserts are typically found in lower-income neighborhoods, and Shaw said this is why these communities need affordable and healthy food.

Rhonda Kimble, co-founder of Innovative Community Concepts, said that while food can be delivered to these areas, the people need a grocery shopping experience.

They want to feel their groceries, Kimble said. They want to look at them, they want to smell them.

White House recognizes Little Rock for efforts at tackling hunger issues

Shaw said these mobile grocery stores can be expected to start running in about a year.

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. (WWLP)  A City Councilor in North Adams is kayaking in the Hoosic River for a 70-mile journey to raise funds for waterway protection and revitalization.

On Tuesday, North Adams City Councilor Andrew Fitch began his vacation kayaking from the Cheshire Reservoir to the mouth of the Hoosic that flows into the Hudson River in New York. Over five days, Fitch is navigating over many dams, flood chutes, and other obstructions along the river.

No charges will be filed against driver involved in deadly Pittsfield dirt bike crash

The revitalization of the Hoosic River provides an enormous opportunity for North Adams and the communities along its shores for safety, economic opportunity, and the beautification of a vital asset. I cant think of a better way to spend my birthday than supporting and fundraising for an initiative so important to the Northern Berkshires, says Fitch, on the eve of his trip.

The money raised will be donated to the Hoosic River Revival organization, a non-profit agency working to modernize a flood risk mitigation system and enhance the waterways, riverbanks, bike paths, and accessibility to the river. Working alongside Fitch are his boyfriend, Laurence Wilson, and several Hoosic River Revival Board members.

Hoosic River Revival is a nonprofit which works to rehabilitate North Adams flood chutes with a modern flood risk mitigation system. This project also hopes to revitalize the surrounding areas and create a system that will ensure the city has a healthy, attractive river with an array of public, riverfront places and greenways that will promote relaxation, recreation, economic development, and community connections, said Judy Grinnell, Founder and Board Member of Hoosic River Revival.

Fitchs goal is to raise $10,000, donate by visiting paypal.com, and follow his journey from Cheshire, Mass. to Schaghticoke, New York on Facebook.

Courtesy: Andrew Fitch

Fitch walked across Massachusetts from Connecticut to Vermont last year and raised $6,200 for ROOTS Teen Center. The nonprofit agency provides safe, fun, and educational space for teens of the Northern Berkshires. He also raised over $5,000 for the National Network of Abortion funds in 2022 by walking across the state from Williamstown to Provincetown.

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WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.

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ASHEBORO, North Carolina  Last month, Donald Trump and his team were still predicting blue states like Minnesota, Virginia, New Jersey and New Mexico could become battlegrounds this fall. Now, hes shoring up a purple one.

On Wednesday, Trump made his third visit in four weeks to North Carolina  a state he won twice and where he was solidly leading President Joe Biden in polling over the last year.

Trumps visit here, tucked between campaign stops this week in several swing states that he lost in 2020 while Democrats gathered in Chicago for their convention, was another sign of the dramatic change in his electoral fortunes after Vice President Kamala Harris moved to the top of the ticket.

Trumps most loyal supporters in Asheboro, a ruby-red patch of the state, lined up for hours to attend, showing the strength of his MAGA base. It was also his first outdoor rally since surviving an attempted assassination last month, and law enforcement officers with rifles were more noticeable than usual on the airplane hangar roofs around the rally site.

Outside of his tightly secured rally, though  past the vendors hawking red caps and flags on the rural road leading to Trumps event  Republicans admit that the changed dynamics of the race in North Carolina are striking. In interviews with several longtime GOP officials, operatives and strategists in the state, each said their money is still on Trump to win the state.

But they acknowledged that, as of now, such a victory would likely only be narrow. And they expressed concern about what the decreased Trump margins would mean for other down ballot races in the state, particularly Republicans efforts to flip the governors office.

Wearing a Lets Go Brandon shirt at the rally, Geanie McDowell, 46, of Asheboro, said shes concerned about the increasing difficulty to win the state with Harris at the top of the ticket.

Its become a tighter race. Now were worried Kamala might take the lead, McDowell said, explaining that because shes younger, and shes a woman, Harris may appeal to some voters in a new way.

What should Trump do to keep a Harris win from happening? Keep his mouth shut, McDowell said.

Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) said there wont be a real race until after Labor Day, adding that he was confident of Trumps prospects in the state when Republicans talk about Harris record, safety and the current high prices.

Weve got a great pathway to victory, as long as we focus on the issues, Budd told POLITICO.

Asked if that meant staying away from personal attacks on Harris, as some top Republicans have advised, Budd said: Look, theres a lot of content out there.

But I think people are concerned about how to make their lives better, he said.

Trump, as he has done on other occasions recently, during his speech Wednesday mocked suggestions that he should refrain from name-calling and personal insults.

The state, which Trump won in both 2016 and 2020, had for months looked like an easy win for him this cycle. Trump led Biden in virtually every public poll conducted in North Carolina since last fall. Earlier this year, Trump tapped two native North Carolinians  Michael Whatley and his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump  to serve as chair and co-chair of his remade Republican National Committee. But the former president is continuing to spend time and resources visiting here.

Weve got to win this state, Trump said from the stage on Wednesday. This state is a very, very big state to win. Weve won it twice, and were going to win it again.

Trump remarked that he recently inquired with a couple of the people about his strength in North Carolina compared to the last two presidential elections.

They said, Sir, youre much hotter, youre more popular, Trump told the crowd. I hope thats true.

At Trumps July 24 rally in Charlotte  just days after Biden dropped out, and before a full picture had emerged of the strength of Harris initial momentum  one Republican official told POLITICO they suspected Trump might only come back to the state once or twice more before the November election, citing the need to deploy him in more competitive swing states.

But he has now returned twice since then, and during that time some public polls have shown Harris with a new, slight lead over Trump.

Why is North Carolina even in play at this point? asked one prominent Republican operative in the state, who was granted anonymity to speak freely. Why is Trump feeling like hes got to spend so much time in North Carolina?

Even though Republicans here acknowledge Harris recent show of strength, there are many reasons to doubt that Democrats, despite forcing a competitive race in North Carolina, can pull it off. For one, they havent since 2008, when Barack Obama became the last Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state.

Decapitating the top of their ticket and installing Harris has helped diminish the enthusiasm gap for Democrats, said Jonathan Felts, a longtime GOP consultant in the state, but Harris still doesnt provide North Carolina Democrats with a better message for rural North Carolinians.

And Felts argued that Harris would need a huge turnout from rural voters similar to Obama 2008 in order to win.

But for now, horse race polling shows Harris is ahead, or at least neck and neck, with Trump in the state.

Things have tightened up. Theres no two ways about that, said a Republican strategist here. Theres an element of lets do a big surge and see if we can take it off the map again.

Another Republican operative in North Carolina, who is also apprised on strategy for the presidential election, similarly said that Trumps recent blitz here was an effort to stop Harris momentum.

Lets go ahead and solidify it so were not fighting for it in October, the operative said of the Trump teams strategy.

During his characteristically meandering speech here  which was intended to focus on national security  Trump repeatedly referred to Harris by one of his recent nicknames for her, Comrade Kamala, and said he would require on Inauguration Day the resignations of every single senior military official who touched the Afghanistan disaster.

And he drew one of the loudest applause lines of the afternoon when he vowed to get critical race theory and transgender insanity the hell out of our armed forces.

Beyond Trump appearing more frequently than expected in North Carolina, Republicans strategy for Harris is to try to paint a policy contrast with her, framing the vice president as too liberal and someone who would usher in an economic agenda that would further hurt voters pocketbooks.

Asked during a Tuesday news conference how the GOP here is going to reach young voters  who overwhelmingly support Harris  Jason Simmons, the chair of the North Carolina Republican Party, said the No. 1 issue for young voters is the economy, and that they see the American dream is now out of reach.

And many of Trumps supporters who braved the hours-long wait for his rally Wednesday dont believe theres a chance he loses the Tar Heel state.

I feel like things are going to change this time due to the fact that God spared his life during the assassination attempt, said Shelby Hawkins, of Mount Airy. I believe it was for a purpose.


ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC)  Two adults and a child were displaced by a house fire on North Clinton Avenue in Rochester Tuesday.

Firefighters were called to the home shortly before 7:00 p.m. Crews saw fire and smoke in the attic of the building.

Crews said 28 firefighters responded to the scene. They were able to put the fire out in about 15 minutes.

Damage to the attic left the home uninhabitable. The Red Cross was called to assist two adults and a child. No one was hurt.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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CHICAGO, Ill. (WFRV)  Theres been plenty of Northeast Wisconsin representation at the Democratic National Convention this week.

Among the Wisconsin delegates, many of whom wore cheeseheads on Tuesday night, were familiar faces like Governor Tony Evers. But there were also people from Northeast Wisconsin like first-time delegate Marsie Hartman from Sturgeon Bay.

I am absolutely blown away by all the details that have been covered by the Democratic convention committee, said Hartman. Grateful for the warmth and realness of everyone I meet.

In an interview with Local 5 News on Tuesday afternoon, Hartman said she became more interested in politics recently because shes concerned about her granddaughters and nieces futures. She said climate change and womens healthcare are among the issues shes most interested in for this election.

She said she loves being among like-minded individuals at the Democratic National Convention and that some of the speeches shes watched so far have brought her to the verge of tears.

Little Chute hosts Touch a Truck to give youth a chance to talk to first responders

We just felt like one big family, the sense of unity within the party is overwhelming and the patriotism is so deeply felt, said Hartman. Believing that democracy is going to live and be fruitful.

She said shes looking forward to hearing from Vice President Kamala Harris who is expected to speak later this week.

Shes so intelligent, shes so wise, Hartman said about Vice President Harris. Shes going to be ready on day one I firmly believe that.

Hartman isnt the only Northeast Wisconsinite at the Democratic National Convention this week. Drew Thibodeaux was also there on Monday but for a much different reason.

We showed up to call for an immediate end to the funding for Israels military, said Thibodeaux. I have no faith in either party (Republicans or Democrats) helping out and ending this.

Thibodeaux was one of the thousands of protesters in the streets of Chicago this week to march on the Democratic National Convention. She said they were there to demand the United States government stop supporting Israels war effort in Gaza and for Israel to stop occupying Gaza as well.

Resist the urge of being Midwest Nice: WisDOT reminds motorists not to merge early in lane closures

She was there with several other members of Hate Free Outagamie a group that fights for social justice throughout Northeast Wisconsin.

Courtesy: Hate Free Outagamie

Courtesy: Hate Free Outagamie

Courtesy: Hate Free Outagamie

Were not just going to sit around, were going to do this again, said Thibodeaux. This is historical progress people will recognize that.

She said that Vice President Harris hasnt earned her vote because she continues to support Israel.

Kamala needs to call for a ceasefire as well as call for an end to all aid to Israel, said Thibodeaux.

The Democratic National Conventions official website estimates that 50,000 people from around the country will come to Chicago for the convention this week.

Were told that some members of the Hate Free Outagamie group plan to return to Chicago on Thursday to take part in protests again.

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ORANGE CITY, Iowa (KCAU)  A man has received a suspended prison sentence and probation Monday after pleading guilty to vehicular homicide and two OWI charges.

According to Sioux County Attorney Tom Kunstle, Kaleb Debey, 22, of Alvord, was sentenced for homicide by vehicle  reckless driving and two counts of operating while under the influence. He was given a suspended sentence and five years of probation.

Kaleb DeBey (Courtesy: Sioux County

Attorneys Office)

On July 30, 2023, DeBey was driving with passenger Halee Bliek, 35, of Rock Valley. DeBey was approaching a curve at Filmore Avenue at speeds of 126 miles per hour when he struck a culvert, according to court documents. He allegedly told a 911 dispatcher that he was trying to show his friend Bliek how fast his car went.

When the collision occurred, Bliek was allegedly not wearing a seatbelt and went through the windshield while the car was airborne. She then became trapped under the car, according to a crash report.

Northwest Iowa man pleads guilty to false imprisonment, sentenced

Both were taken to a hospital, but Bliek was later declared dead as a result of her injuries.

DeBey also admitted that he had been drinking before driving. Tests showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.157, well above the legal limit of 0.08, the release said.

About a month later, on Sep. 1, 2023, Debey was charged with OWI a second time after a police stop, according to a release.

Debey will also have to complete a substance abuse evaluation.

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Do not chase: French bulldog on the loose in Rockford, owner asks community for help bringing her home

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO)  A Rockford woman is asking the community for help capturing her dog thats been on the loose in the city for going on two months.

She just took off and like never came back, said Heather Crislip, referring to her female French bulldog, Donut.

Donut was rescued from a puppy mill in Florida and is believed to be 4 or 5 years old. She escaped from Crislips northwest Rockford home on June 30 while her dog sitter was getting ready to take her for a walk.

And although there have been several sightings, Donut is still on the loose.

Shes very scared around people, Crislip said. Shes not vicious. She wont bite people. She just runs away from people. Its been very challenging.

Heather has taken a unique approach to bringing little Donut home. Shes littered the city with signs, asking residents to call her if they see the dog and not to chase her.

Since the signs went up, the elusive Frenchie has been seen in yards and crossing streets but doesnt stay in view very long.

When we had more reliable sightings with pictures and proof that she was somewhere, we would set up feeding stations, hoping she would come back, Crislip said. If shes in an area long enough, we can set a humane trap to catch her, but we havent had the opportunity yet.

Donut has been spotted in several locations in Rockford, including subdivisions and some of the citys busiest streets.

She was seen at the Forest Hills Country Club, and then she was seen behind the country club, Crislip said. And then she was seen in the Spring Creek and Spring Brook area. So, shes been all over.

As Heathers signs indicate, animal control experts say anyone who sees Donut should not chase her because shes likely scared and disoriented.

We want them to kind of settle in one area to make sure that they are more comfortable so that theyre not going to run out into traffic and get hurt or potentially hurt other people or other animals, said Serena Thompson, patrol manager at Winnebago County Animal Services.

Thompson said its also not a good idea for people to feed Donut because they want her to be drawn to designated feeding stations.

You kind of want to keep it in the area of where its staying at and where the traps are, she said. A lot of the times, if there are traps set up, they dont want other people putting food out because the dog (wont be) hungry.

Crislip believes Donut is now likely traveling at night.

There have been several sightings of loose dogs that fit Donuts description in Rockford in the last couple of weeks but the last confirmed sighting was at the end of July.

Anyone who sees Donut is asked to call Heather Crislip at 352-284-4551.

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During a torrential rainstorm in April, Stormy Rose was washed through Biloxis storm drainage. Eventually, she wandered under the shining lights of the Beau Rivage. A casino employee spotted her red fur coat and wide, dark tail and called Woodside Wildlife Rescue.

Soon after, Stormy arrived at the home of Holley Muraco, a marine mammal scientist and research professor at Mississippi State University. The beaver was in bad shape  her spine rose out of her fur in a sign of malnutrition.

There was nothing specifically wrong with her that I could find from a veterinary perspective, but by studying her over time, I realized she actually had this incredibly rare, weird, protozoa parasite that she should not have had, Muraco said.  She got this parasite, because its in our environment, and most likely, was spread through wild hogs.

Stormy the beaver is rescued from outside the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino where she was found.

Muracos research takes a One Health approach, a relatively new scientific perspective that recognizes that the health of humans and animals is connected through our shared environment. Once Muraco confirms the presence of the parasite, she will publish papers asserting that beavers could be sentinels for human health. Essentially, if beavers are sick, it could act as a warning for similar diseases in people.

The way I see it, theyre just getting whats in the environment, same as a human would. So, they could be good sentinels for human health and help us understand the health of the environment, Muraco said.

Muraco emphasized that her research does not imply that beavers are vectoring disease to humans.

Stormy has since become one element of Muracos research on Mississippi beavers, which shows promise with the construction of a new beaver sanctuary right in the backyard of her new home in Kiln.

Holley Muraco, a marine mammal scientist and research professor at Mississippi State University, feeds sweet potato slices to a beaver named Tulip, who is being rehabilitated at Muracos property on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. Tulip currently spends time between two different enclosures: her old enclosure and a newer, larger one with a pool.

Across the past few months, Muraco has constructed a special needs enclosure for young and recovering beavers, complete with personal pools. When they are mature and strong enough, future beavers will be released into a fenced, three-acre area, where Muraco can encourage the development of healthy, wild behaviors. Muraco said beaver rehabilitation takes about two years.

Once fully recovered, they will be released into Muracos larger 30-acre property, complete with a large pond, wetland and creek, where Muraco can observe and better understand the behavior and population dynamics of beavers and their impact on the environment.

While I have them in my care, Im learning about growth and development. Im learning about diseases, parasites, and then once we are ready to release, and Im going to look at how they change the environment, and then behavior. Theres a lot we still dont know about behavior, Muraco said. Ive been recording her vocalizations; they vocalize underwater too.

Muraco said that Gulf Coast beavers are seemingly unique from beavers found elsewhere in North America. They are typically smaller and have been observed in saltwater environments, which is uncommon for beavers. Muraco said Stormy is a particularly unique beaver.

Tulips current enclosure on Muracos property in Kiln on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. Muraco is in the process of moving Tulip to another enclosure near the barn where Stormy, another beaver, resides.

Her coat is super short; she has red fur  she just has a very different appearance than the northern beavers. Im going to do some DNA testing and see if we actually have a genetic subspecies on our hands on the Coast, Muraco said. No one has ever really looked at Coastal beavers. Its low-hanging fruit; were gonna have so many cool opportunities.

Muracos new nonprofit, Something Wild, traces back to Paula Woodside and her nonprofit Woodside Wildlife Rescue. Woodside is a close friend of Muraco and introduced her to beaver rehabilitation in 2022. Since then, the two and their nonprofit organizations have been close collaborators.

Woodside said the greatest challenge in rehabilitating beavers is a lack of public knowledge.

They have a purpose. They cut down on the risk of wildfires running through because of the wetlands that they develop into ponds, Woodside said. Theyre a keystone species. They go in and lay the groundwork where other species could come in and thrive because theyve got the water. How can that be a nuisance species?

A beaver named Stormy wakes up in her enclosure at Muracos property on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. Stormy was rescued from an area near the Beau Rivage and Muraco is caring for her as she recovers from a parasite.

A divisive animal

Beavers were almost hunted to extinction in North America for the fur trade, but their populations have seen a strong resurgence in the last century. In Mississippi, beavers are classified as a nuisance species due to the damage they cause to infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and drainage systems, as well as timber and agriculture. Nuisance species on private property can be hunted at any time of year, with no restriction on hunting equipment.

According to the MSU Extension Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that beavers annually cause about $100 million in damage to public and private property across the Southeast.

Michael Niemeyer of Wildlife Solutions, Inc. has worked as a trapper in southern Alabama and Mississippi for 16 years. He works with beavers almost daily and said most conflicts he sees with beavers surround roads, where beavers clog drainage systems, or at levees, where beavers burrow holes to drain lakes and ponds. He sees more beaver activity today than he did 16 years ago.

Niemeyer said relocating live beavers is usually impossible. It is illegal to relocate beavers onto public land in Mississippi without permission, and few private landowners would willingly allow the relocation of a nuisance species onto their property. He said that, even if beavers were relocated to an area where beavers are already established, the resulting battle for territory would likely mean death for relocated beavers.

Holley Muraco, a marine mammal scientist and research professor at Mississippi State University, walks with Tulip back to her enclosure after Tulip swam in her pool at Muracos property in Kiln on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024.

I think the basic logic there is that: if youve got a beaver plugging up drains or causing property damage here, if to take it somewhere else, you got to worry that beavers are going to continue doing what beavers do, Niemeyer said. And its a sad thing because its pretty cool what beavers do when you sit back and look at it. They create habitat for other species and besides humans, theyre one of the only animals on the world that build their surroundings to their liking.

Neimeyer said that, in his experience, nonlethal mitigation efforts to control beaver damage are expensive and ineffective in the long term. He said that almost all landowners choose lethal mitigation methods and that if they continue to be significantly less expensive and more effective than non-lethal methods, Mississippi landowners are unlikely to change practices.

In my career, what Ive noticed is everybody likes beavers until they have them on their property, Niemeyer said. Because when youre thinking about a beaver doing beaver things on a national park, whats there to mind about it?  and suddenly, five acres turns into two, and its flooded and its useless and all the trees start dying because theyre underwater and they cant grow out of water. Thats when you see a change.

Tulip, one of the beavers being rehabilitated at Muracos property, walks from her pen to her pool on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024.

Neimeyer said that, although they work differently, animal control companies and wildlife rehabilitation organizations have a similar goal of responsibly managing wildlife. In the coming months, Neimeyer will relocate orphaned young beavers, called kits, to Muracos sanctuary.

Muraco, a Mississippi native, said she grew up hunting and fishing and understands the balance that must be struck within wildlife management in Mississippi.

And thats where my approach with the beavers is; I just want to try to understand. I want to understand, once I start releasing these animals into my environment, exactly what is the carrying capacity of our property, and if beavers are going to exceed that carrying capacity. For example, I think people believe if you see one beaver, youre going to have 500 beavers, but theyre not like rats or rodents. They only have the number that fits the environment that theyre in, and I want to show that. Im going to show it with statistics and studies and say, Alright, I have a breeding population of beavers in this pond, theyre only maintaining this number and theyre not going beyond what their resources are, Muraco said.

Holley Muraco, a marine mammal scientist and research professor at Mississippi State University, holds Tulip, one of the beavers being rehabilitated at Muracos property on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. Muraco is starting a nonprofit, Something Wild, to support beaver rehabilitation.

By sharing that kind of information and saying, This is the so-called damage is that theyre doing to my property. Theyre cutting down this type of tree. Mostly theyre burrowing into the levee at this point, they have expanded the water by this amount, Muraco continued.

Muraco only has two beavers currently, Stormy and Tulip, but believes her current rehabilitation facility can house 10 recovering beavers. Muraco hopes to use her sanctuary to test non-lethal beaver mitigation techniques and to better understand how beavers affect water quality and biodiversity.

By just using science, Im hoping that then I can share that with our state and with our regulators and say, Lets put a little bit of effort into non-lethal mitigation techniques for landowners who would like to keep beavers around, instead of just having them labeled: kill them on sight. Maybe, just maybe, we can give them a chance  once we know a little bit more information, Muraco said.

Holley Muraco gives Tulip, one of the beavers being rehabilitated at Muracos property, a kiss on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. Muraco has been caring for Tulip for almost two years  since Tulip was a kit  as Tulip recovers from pneumonia and a skin infection.

Muraco has seen much success in community outreach through her YouTube channel, where videos documenting her efforts have reached millions of views. Muracos nonprofit, Something Wild, is currently sourcing funds for new development at the sanctuary, which provides care to other wildlife species including raccoons and parrots.

Muraco said that in other states, beavers are not classified as a nuisance species and are being reintroduced into certain environments. She has a dream of releasing Mississippi beavers to aid in conservation efforts around the nation.

All of these places out West that are trying to get beavers, if we could one day, in a really beautiful world, live trap and ship them out West and let them go live out there where theyre trying to get them. We have a plethora of them, they dont have enough. So, maybe, Muraco said.

A large pond on Muracos 30-acre property in Kiln on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024, where the beavers will eventually be released once they are fully recovered. Muraco will observe their impact on the environment and behavior.

A beaver sign in Holley Muracos home in Kiln on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. Muraco is currently rehabilitating two beavers on the property.
NY the birthplace of environmental justice? Fuhgeddaboudit. It was a county in NC.

North Carolinians are used to scrapping with Ohio for the right to call ourselves first in flight.

Wednesday night during the Democratic National Convention roll call, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul decided to claim something else that actually started in North Carolina.

As governor of the greatest state that ever existed  hey, were New Yorkers, get used to it, Hochul said. From Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the womens rights movement; to Stonewall, the birthplace of the LGBTQ movement; to Storm King Mountain, the birthplace of the environmental justice movement; and the birthplace of the labor movement

But New York isnt the birthplace of the environmental justice movement.

That effort is widely considered to have started in North Carolina, specifically Warren County. There, residents spent years battling against a landfill that would contain thousands of tons of carcinogen-laced soil.

Shes mistaken. She cant claim that. She may claim interest in that, but Warren County is evidently the one on record as being the first, Eva Clayton, a former five-term U.S. congresswoman and Warren County commissioner, told The News & Observer on Wednesday.

Environmental justice is the idea that everyone deserves clean air, clean water and clean land, no matter their background. It applies to both the decisions to site polluting facilities, as well as enforcement of laws against them. And environmental justice includes the idea that everyone should have the opportunity to be meaningfully involved in the decision-making process around pollution.

Warren Countys claim is clear. The Warren County African American History Collectives website states, Warren County, NC, is the birthplace of the environmental justice movement.

In Warren County, that started in 1978, when then-Gov. Jim Hunt announced that 60,000 tons of soil containing PCBs that had been illegally dumped along North Carolinas highways would be moved to a field near Afton. At the time, Warren County had the highest proportion of Black residents of any North Carolina County.

Protesters march in Warren County, NC in 1982 after a landfill for PCBs was placed near the community of Afton. Trucks belonging to the Ward Transformer Company deliberately released toxic chemicals called PCBs along 250 miles of North Carolina roadways. Once uncovered, the waste had to be collected and contained.

Hunts announcement was followed by a years-long, ultimately futile, legal effort. Trucks carrying the toxic soil started rolling into Afton in September 1982.

They were met by hundreds of protesters, some of whom laid down in the road in front of the trucks. Local community members were joined by members of national groups like the NAACP and United Church of Christ, including Rev. Benjamin Chavis Jr., who had been a member of the exonerated Wilmington 10.

At one point, protesters were joined by a leader of the Love Canal Homeowners Association, which formed after the 1978 discovery that their community near Niagara Falls had previously been used as a toxic waste dumping ground with the chemicals threatening residents and causing an abnormally high number of birth defects.

A file photo from The News & Observer shows law enforcement moving people out of the way of trucks carrying PCB-laden soil to a Warren County field. The protest is widely seen as the start of the environmental justice movement.

Police made more than 500 arrests over the ensuing six weeks of protests.

Perhaps apocryphally, Chavis is sometimes cited as crying out, This is environmental racism! as he was arrested. Richard Lazerus, then a Georgetown law professor, found that the story was likely not true in a 2000 paper. But, Lazerus wrote, Chavis work had transformed environmental law.

The Warren County protest, and Chavis arrest were, nonetheless, plainly a defining moment for environmental justice, Lazerus wrote.

North Carolina moved ahead with the PCB dumping, but Hunt vowed to clean up the site as soon as it was possible. The Warren Record previously reported that the cleanup was completed in 2004.

The Warren County protests werent the first time people had battled unequal siting of toxic facilities or landfills. In a timeline of environmental justice history, the Environmental Protection Agency points to earlier protests in Memphis and Houston, but said the Warren County protest is widely understood to be the catalyst for the Environmental Justice Movement.

In response to the Warren County protests, the U.S. Government Accounting Office released a 1983 study that found three-quarters of the nations landfills were in communities where at least 26% of people were Black and where household incomes were below the poverty level.

That was followed by the United Church of Christs landmark 1987 study Toxic Waste in the United States, which found 15 million Black people, 8 million Hispanic people and more than half of all Asian people or Native Americans lived in a community containing a toxic waste site that was either uncontrolled or abandoned.

When you think about how the environmental justice movement grew, it was first through the courage, through the persistence, and to some sense through the sacrifice of so many people in Warren County. And then other communities joined together to build a movement, Chavis said during a 2022 lecture at Duke University.

Protesters march in Warren County, NC in 1982 after a landfill for PCBs was placed near the community of Afton. trucks belonging to the Ward Transformer Company deliberately released toxic chemicals called PCBs along 250 miles of North Carolina roadways. Once uncovered, the waste had to be collected and contained.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan, a Goldsboro native and former secretary of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, also cites Warren County as the birthplace of environmental justice.

In October 2022, Regan visited Warrenton, N.C., to announce $3 billion in environmental justice funding to be administered by an overhauled environmental justice office.

Regan made the announcement in front of the Warren County courthouse because it was just miles away from an Afton field.

Were standing on the shoulders of a lot of giants. I have to say that Im especially proud as a North Carolinian to know that this national movement started right here in my home state, Regan told The News & Observer just before speaking on that fall Saturday.

Hey, were North Carolinians. Get used to it, yall.

NC Reality Check is an N&O series holding those in power accountable and shining a light on public issues that affect the Triangle or North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@newsobserver.com

This story was produced with financial support from the Hartfield Foundation and Green South Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work. If you would like to help support local journalism, please consider signing up for a digital subscription, which you can do here.
NY the birthplace of environmental justice? Fuhgeddaboudit. It was a county in NC.

North Carolinians are used to scrapping with Ohio for the right to call ourselves first in flight.

Tuesday night during the Democratic National Convention roll call, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul decided to claim something else that actually started in North Carolina.

As governor of the greatest state that ever existed  hey, were New Yorkers, get used to it, Hochul said. From Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the womens rights movement; to Stonewall, the birthplace of the LGBTQ movement; to Storm King Mountain, the birthplace of the environmental justice movement; and the birthplace of the labor movement

But New York isnt the birthplace of the environmental justice movement.

That effort is widely considered to have started in North Carolina, specifically Warren County. There, residents spent years battling against a landfill that would contain thousands of tons of carcinogen-laced soil.

Shes mistaken. She cant claim that. She may claim interest in that, but Warren County is evidently the one on record as being the first, Eva Clayton, a former five-term U.S. congresswoman and Warren County commissioner, told The News & Observer on Wednesday.

Environmental justice is the idea that everyone deserves clean air, clean water and clean land, no matter their background. It applies to both the decisions to site polluting facilities, as well as enforcement of laws against them. And environmental justice includes the idea that everyone should have the opportunity to be meaningfully involved in the decision-making process around pollution.

Warren Countys claim is clear. The Warren County African American History Collectives website states, Warren County, NC, is the birthplace of the environmental justice movement.

In Warren County, that started in 1978, when then-Gov. Jim Hunt announced that 60,000 tons of soil containing PCBs that had been illegally dumped along North Carolinas highways would be moved to a field near Afton. At the time, Warren County had the highest proportion of Black residents of any North Carolina County.

Protesters march in Warren County, NC in 1982 after a landfill for PCBs was placed near the community of Afton. Trucks belonging to the Ward Transformer Company deliberately released toxic chemicals called PCBs along 250 miles of North Carolina roadways. Once uncovered, the waste had to be collected and contained.

Hunts announcement was followed by a years-long, ultimately futile, legal effort. Trucks carrying the toxic soil started rolling into Afton in September 1982.

They were met by hundreds of protesters, some of whom laid down in the road in front of the trucks. Local community members were joined by members of national groups like the NAACP and United Church of Christ, including Rev. Benjamin Chavis Jr., who had been a member of the exonerated Wilmington 10.

At one point, protesters were joined by a leader of the Love Canal Homeowners Association, which formed after the 1978 discovery that their community near Niagara Falls had previously been used as a toxic waste dumping ground with the chemicals threatening residents and causing an abnormally high number of birth defects.

A file photo from The News & Observer shows law enforcement moving people out of the way of trucks carrying PCB-laden soil to a Warren County field. The protest is widely seen as the start of the environmental justice movement.

Police made more than 500 arrests over the ensuing six weeks of protests.

Perhaps apocryphally, Chavis is sometimes cited as crying out, This is environmental racism! as he was arrested. Richard Lazerus, then a Georgetown law professor, found that the story was likely not true in a 2000 paper. But, Lazerus wrote, Chavis work had transformed environmental law.

The Warren County protest, and Chavis arrest were, nonetheless, plainly a defining moment for environmental justice, Lazerus wrote.

North Carolina moved ahead with the PCB dumping, but Hunt vowed to clean up the site as soon as it was possible. The Warren Record previously reported that the cleanup was completed in 2004.

The Warren County protests werent the first time people had battled unequal siting of toxic facilities or landfills. In a timeline of environmental justice history, the Environmental Protection Agency points to earlier protests in Memphis and Houston, but said the Warren County protest is widely understood to be the catalyst for the Environmental Justice Movement.

In response to the Warren County protests, the U.S. Government Accounting Office released a 1983 study that found three-quarters of the nations landfills were in communities where at least 26% of people were Black and where household incomes were below the poverty level.

That was followed by the United Church of Christs landmark 1987 study Toxic Waste in the United States, which found 15 million Black people, 8 million Hispanic people and more than half of all Asian people or Native Americans lived in a community containing a toxic waste site that was either uncontrolled or abandoned.

When you think about how the environmental justice movement grew, it was first through the courage, through the persistence, and to some sense through the sacrifice of so many people in Warren County. And then other communities joined together to build a movement, Chavis said during a 2022 lecture at Duke University.

Protesters march in Warren County, NC in 1982 after a landfill for PCBs was placed near the community of Afton. trucks belonging to the Ward Transformer Company deliberately released toxic chemicals called PCBs along 250 miles of North Carolina roadways. Once uncovered, the waste had to be collected and contained.

Storm King Mountain was the site of a 17-year effort by utility Consolidated Edison beginning in 1962 to build a pumped hydro storage facility in the Hudson Highlands. Environmentalists defeated the project amid concerns about how its development could lead to the broader industrialization of the Hudson Valley and the facilitys impact on striped bass.

The winding legal battle resulted in a 1965 Circuit Court decision that gave community members standing, or the ability to legally challenge environmental decisions. That decision was written into the National Environmental Protection Act in 1969.

In other words, Storm King Mountain played a vital role in shaping modern environmental law, but it was not where the modern environmental justice movement was born.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan, a Goldsboro native and former secretary of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, also calls Warren County as the birthplace of environmental justice.

In October 2022, Regan visited Warrenton, N.C., to announce $3 billion in environmental justice funding to be administered by an overhauled environmental justice office.

Regan made the announcement in front of the Warren County courthouse because it was just miles away from the Afton field that had contained the PCB landfill.

Were standing on the shoulders of a lot of giants. I have to say that Im especially proud as a North Carolinian to know that this national movement started right here in my home state, Regan told The News & Observer just before speaking on that fall Saturday.

Hey, were North Carolinians. Get used to it, yall.

NC Reality Check is an N&O series holding those in power accountable and shining a light on public issues that affect the Triangle or North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@newsobserver.com

This story was produced with financial support from the Hartfield Foundation and Green South Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work. If you would like to help support local journalism, please consider signing up for a digital subscription, which you can do here.
CLEMSON, S.C. (WSPA)  A New York woman is accused of giving alcohol to an underage person at a Clemson bar who had to be taken to the hospital due to dangerously high blood alcohol content.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division arrested 49-year-old Amy Beth Bell on Tuesday and charged her with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

According to a warrant, Bell was with someone under the age of 21 at Roar Bar & Taco and provided them with alcohol throughout the night of May 3, 2024.

Clemson Police were called to the bar to assist and the person was taken to Oconee Memorial Hospital where it was determined that she had a blood alcohol content of .407, according to the warrant.

Unfortunately, our community continues to see adults routinely providing alcohol to individuals

who are under the legal drinking age, said Clemson Police Chief Jorge Campos. This is not a

joke. The young person involved in this situation had a dangerously high blood alcohol

concentration. We care about public safety, and Im grateful that no one was seriously hurt.

SLED was requested to assist with the investigation by the Clemson Police Department.

Bell was booked into the Clemson jail.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS.
MAILI, Hawaii (KHON2)  A local fisherman is feeling shaken after an off-duty sheriffs deputy allegedly threatened him with what appeared to be a gun at Maili Beach Park.

Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news

Police arrested the suspect on suspicion of terroristic threatening.

Stanford Hokoana was throwing net at Maili Beach Park when he noticed a man recording him on his phone around 1 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 19. Hokoana asked the man why and started to approach him.

Scores of West Oahu residents decry neighborhood gun violence

And he told me, Oh, thats illegal. This and that, Hokoana said. He lift up his shirt and he grabbed a gun. He pulled it out and he told me if I no step back, hes going to use it on top of me.

He did not ever once identify himself as a sheriff. Stanford Hokoana, Waianae fisherman

Hokoana said he ran to warn other fishers after the man angled the weapon toward him. Police reports state multiple witnesses called HPD  officers responded and placed the man into custody on suspicion of second-degree terroristic threatening.

The Department of Law Enforcement director confirmed on Tuesday that the man was an off-duty deputy and said they are investigating.

Really, when you look at it, the community did the right thing in terms of if you see something, say something, DLE director Jordan Lowe said. So, thats what happened. You know, they saw some type of altercation. You know, they saw something being flashed and they called 911.

Retaliation, responsibility: Whos to blame for West Oahu violence?

Police took the weapon in as evidence and later determined it was actually a pepper ball gun, but Stanford said he thought he was taking his last breaths with all the recent shootings in West Oahu.

To me, it looked real. Just knowing that a lot of shooting has been going on on the West side, he said. It was hard for me to even just let my kids go out of my sight and just go school, you know what I mean?

DLE officials said they opened an internal administrative investigation, the deputy was charged and posted $100 bail.

If he made bail, I assume hes out, you know, out on the street, Lowe said.

KHON2 asked if his badge and weapon were taken.

I cant comment on that right now, Lowe said.

Stolen jewels, boa constrictors killing owners, check out Weird News here

KHON2 asked the DLNR if net fishing is legal at Maili Beach Park, officials sent a list of State-regulated fishing areas that Maili is not mentioned on.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
An attorney for the Oath Keepers accused of conspiring with the right-wing militia groups leader to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election pleaded guilty Wednesday to two charges linked to the Capitol attack.

Kellye SoRelle, a Texas woman who once served as general counsel for the Oath Keepers, pleaded guilty to entering and remaining on restricted grounds and seeking to corruptly persuade others to destroy evidence.

She originally faced four criminal charges, the other two linked to a federal obstruction statute that was narrowed by the Supreme Court last month. Those charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement, though SoRelle acknowledged the allegations against her were based in fact.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta accepted SoRelles guilty plea. Her sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 17. The Hill has requested comment from her attorney.

After the 2020 election, SoRelle emerged as a key link between pro-Trump and Stop the Steal groups. In addition to serving as general counsel to the Oath Keepers, she was counsel to Latinos for Trump and a member of Lawyers for Trump.

SoRelle dated Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and became a close confidant as he plotted to stop the peaceful transfer of power from Trump to President Biden.

During Rhodess 2022 trial, prosecutors showed evidence that SoRelle  at Rhodess apparent direction  ordered members of the group to go silent about their participation in the Capitol attack and to get busy deleting evidence of it.

CLAM UP, she wrote in messages. DO NOT SAY A DAMN THING.

When Rhodes took to the stand, he claimed the directive to delete evidence came from SoRelle, not him. Prosecutors suggested he used SoRelles phone to put distance between himself and any incriminating activity.

As part of SoRelles plea agreement, she admitted to writing at least one of the messages herself and to knowingly and willingly allowing Rhodes to use her phone for the purpose of directing other Oath Keepers to destroy potential evidence. She told Mehta on Wednesday that Rhodes was doing his own thing in some messages.

SoRelle joined Rhodes on Capitol grounds on Jan. 6 but did not enter the building. She also accompanied him to a parking garage meeting with then-Proud Boys national chair Enrique Tarrio the day before the Capitol attack.

She said Wednesday that she understood the role of the certification proceeding  which formally declared Biden the elections winner  and knew that then-Vice President Mike Pence was present and the role he had assumed in the process.

Rhodes and four other Oath Keepers were accused of seditious conspiracy for plotting to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election. They ascended the Capitol steps on Jan. 6 in a military-style formation and stashed a cache of weapons outside Washington to take up arms at Rhodess direction, prosecutors said.

Rhodes was convicted of sedition and sentenced to 18 years in prison. Kelly Meggs, a co-defendant, was also found guilty of sedition. The other three co-defendants were acquitted of that charge but convicted of different serious felonies. At a separate trial, four more Oath Keepers were convicted of seditious conspiracy.

SoRelle, who was indicted in August 2022, was among the last Oath Keepers affiliates to face charges. She was initially set to be tried alongside two others with Oath Keepers ties but was deemed not competent to stand trial by evaluators for both the defense and prosecution.

After spending several months in the Bureau of Prisons custody for competency restoration, the agency in February determined SoRelle was fit for trial. Mehta formally entered that finding last month.

Prosecutors announced last month that a plea agreement had been reached, without describing the deal. SoRelles attorney confirmed it in separate court filings that asked U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta to order the Justice Department to pay for SoRelles travel to Washington, D.C., from Texas, which he did.

Before SoRelle changed her plea, she was expected to face trial in November.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A lawyer who advised members of the far-right Oath Keepers to delete their text messages in the aftermath of their leaders role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol pleaded guilty Wednesday to obstructing federal investigators.

Kellye SoRelle, who had a romantic relationship with Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, admitted that she advised others in the group to destroy evidence. She also pleaded guilty for being present on Capitol grounds during the riot, though she did not enter the building.

SoRelles plea ends a saga that has been pending for years, including several months while U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta determined whether she was competent to stand trial or enter a voluntary plea. He ultimately found that she knowingly admitted to her crimes. SoRelle will be sentenced in January and is likely facing several months to a year in prison.

Rhodes, a Yale-educated former Capitol Hill staffer, founded the Oath Keepers in 2009, and the group became a ubiquitous presence at sites of civil unrest across the country, ostensibly offering security. But members described the groups sharp turn toward extremism, which intensified during the Trump years.

About two dozen members of the Oath Keepers traveled to Washington, D.C., in advance of the Jan. 6, 2021, session of Congress to perform security details for speakers at pro-Trump events, including the speech that then-President Donald Trump gave to a large crowd near the White House. But prosecutors say those details masked their true purpose: to violently prevent the transfer of power from Trump to Joe Biden.

About nine members of the Oath Keepers, including Rhodes, have been convicted of seditious conspiracy, the gravest charges against any members of the Jan. 6 mob. A handful of leaders of the Proud Boys faced seditious conspiracy charges as well.

SoRelle, who appeared relaxed in court, was referenced repeatedly during Rhodes 2022 trial for her role in advising him and others in the group. She traveled with Rhodes to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 3, 2021, stopping along the way while Rhodes purchased $20,000 of firearms-related equipment.

SoRelle also testified to the Jan. 6 select committee about her involvement with the group.

Down the hall from Mehtas courtroom Friday, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan affirmed the pretrial detention of John Banuelos, a Jan. 6 defendant who prosecutors say carried a gun that he fired twice into the air.

Though Banuelos argued that the shots were celebratory and not intended to cause harm, Chutkan noted his extensive violent criminal history and suggested wielding a firearm amid the riot was inherently dangerous.

This could have been much, much worse, Chutkan said.
Former President Barack Obama's highly anticipated speech at the Democratic National Convention stage on Tuesday night is expected to be a full-circle moment between him and Vice President Kamala Harris as he plans to champion her experience and make the case that she is the best person for the job.

Over the last few months, Barack and former first lady Michelle Obama have been in close contact with the vice president and supported her campaign in any way they are able, a source familiar with the matter told ABC News.

In Tuesdays address, Obama will affirm why Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are the leaders the country needs right now, a source familiar with the speech told ABC News. He will lay out the task in front of Democrats over the next eleven weeks, and bring into focus the values at stake in this election and at the heart of our politics, according to the source.

PHOTO: President Joe Biden Affordable Care Act (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The speech is expected to touch on Harris and Obama's 20 years of friendship and political camaraderie with Harris. The two met at a fundraiser back when Obama was vying for the Illinois seat in the Senate and Harris was the San Francisco district attorney.

MORE: Harris rallying in Wisconsin same night as DNC because she's still the 'underdog': Campaign official

When then-Sen. Obama was running for president in 2008, Harris was one of his early supporters in that year's Democratic primary. In fact, she was on the ground in Iowa in December 2007 knocking on doors to advocate on Obama's behalf to caucus voters.

Harris talked about her dedication to Obama's campaign at a 2019 presidential campaign event, recalling a moment when a caucus voter told her "They're not gonna let him win."

"And I stepped back in my mind and I looked at what I was looking at," she said at a 2019 Des Moines event. "Which over the course of at least 85 years, all the indignities, all the injustices, that she has experienced and witnessed, and at that age of life, she wasnt about to go through experiencing another disappointment or indignity. And so, me being me, I decided well I am not leaving here."

Harris recalled talking with the voter longer and eventually saw her at the polls the next day.

"So, we know that when we dont sit back and wait for somebody else to give us permission to tell us what is possible, we make what is possible, possible. We make it happen," she said.

PHOTO: President Barack Obama walks with Attorney General Kamala Harris, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Ed Lee (not seen) after his arrival aboard Air Force One in San Francisco, Feb. 16, 2012. (Paul Chinn/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

Obama endorsed Harris in 2010 when she ran for California attorney general and appeared at a rally in Los Angeles where he called her "a dear, dear friend."

"I want everybody to do right by her," he told the crowd.

Harris would speak at the 2012 Democratic National Convention and continued to make her case for Obama.

"President Obama stood with me and 48 other attorneys general in taking on the banks and winning $25 billion for struggling homeowners. Thats leadership," she said. "Thats what President Obama did. And thats why we need to give him another four years"

MORE: Obama Calls Californian Kamala Harris 'Best Looking' Attorney General

In 2013, Obama spoke highly of Harris at a fundraiser in California, but his comments got him in hot water at the time.

She is brilliant and she is dedicated and she is tough, and she is exactly what you'd want in anybody who is administering the law, and making sure that everybody is getting a fair shake. She also happens to be by far the best-looking attorney general in the country," he said.

The comment on Harris looks sparked a backlash for being sexist and inappropriate, and he apologized the next day.

PHOTO: Former President Barack Obama greets Vice President-elect Kamala Harris during the 59th presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2021. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Obama would continue to support Harris as she ran for U.S. Senate in 2016 and later Joe Biden's running mate on the 2020 presidential ticket.

MORE: DNC 2024 Day 2 live updates

The former president and former first lady have been in regular touch with Harris over the years, providing counsel and being a sounding board, too, a source familiar with the Obamas told ABC News.

PHOTO: President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama walk along the West Colonnade of the White House, April 5, 2022. (HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

On July 26, five days after President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race, the Obamas officially endorsed Harris.

Obama to champion Harris as country's future in DNC speech: Source originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
In 2004, Obama was a Democratic outsider. Twenty years later, the DNC reflects his vision for America

When Barack Obama visited the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, he couldnt even get a floor pass. The young Illinois state senator had just lost a bruising congressional primary to Bobby Rush.

By 2004, he was back at the DNC in Boston, giving the keynote address. This time round, he was the self-proclaimed skinny kid with a funny name turned Democratic nominee for an Illinois Senate seat, and delivered the speech that would ultimately define him.

Theres not a liberal America and a conservative America  theres the United States of America, he said at the time. Theres not a Black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America. Theres the United States of America.

Four years later, Senator Obama approached the convention stage in Denver as a conquering hero. It preceded the monumental victory that made him the first Black person to become president and occupy a building built by enslaved people who looked like him.

But despite this, Obama remained largely an outsider. He had defeated Hillary Clinton, and by proxy, Bill Clinton.

As president, he often chafed at the typical glad-handing and building of relationships with Congress, handing it off to his vice-president Joe Biden, who had been a senator for 36 years.

In 2004, Barack Obama delivered the keynote address to the Democratic National Convention in Boston. It catapulted a little-known state legislator to national prominence (AP)

Yet, at the DNC in the United Center in Chicago on Tuesday, Obama heaped praise on his more garrulous former right-hand man.

Looking back, I can say without question that my first big decision as your nominee turned out to be one of my best  and that was asking Joe Biden to serve as my vice-president, Obama said.

The speech was delivered without Biden in the arena after the president had decided not to seek re-election last month and endorse his own vice-president Kamala Harris for the top of the ticket.

Biden delivered his farewell address on Monday night, reportedly after Obama and other senior Democrats not-so-gently nudged him off the stage.

President Joe Biden did not attend his former boss Barack Obamas speech after weeks of tension about whether Biden should step aside and make way for Kamala Harris (Reuters)

Now, 20 years after his first keynote address, Obama was back in his hometown to speak to a party that he fundamentally reshaped.

I am feeling hopeful because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible, he said.

As he took the stage at the United Center, crowds of delegates and supporters shouted Yes we can  Obamas iconic chant.

Im feeling fired up. Im feeling ready to go, he told the crowd.

When the crowd booed one of his remarks on Donald Trump, he reiterated another of his famous lines: Dont boo, vote.

The no-drama Obama approach that once frustrated Democrats now stands in stark contrast to the frantic and ad-hoc presidency of Trump that came after. And Obama could not help but take a swipe at his successor who had questioned whether the first Black president was born in the United States.

Barack Obama hugs his wife and former first lady Michelle Obama after she introduced him on the second day of the Democratic National Convention. The former first lady also delivered a stirring speech where she made some of her most targeted shots at former president Donald Trump (Getty)

We dont need four more years of bluster and chaos, he said.

Weve seen that movie and we all know that the sequels usually worse, he said.

He also compared Trump to a neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day.

Obamas return to Chicago  the city where he moved as a young man after college to become a community organizer and where he fell in love with a lawyer named Michelle Robinson  was also a moment for him to endorse the future of the party.

Obama heralded Kamala Harris, who attended the 2007 announcement of his candidacy in Illinois.

Like him, she is a biracial candidate who earned comparisons to him almost as soon as he was elected. While much of Californias Democratic establishment got behind Hillary Clinton, Harris got behind Obama.

Now the torch has been passed, Obama said on Tuesday. America is ready for a new chapter. America is ready for a better story. We are ready for a president Kamala Harris.

Toward the end of the speech, Obama played the hits from his original 2004 speech, talking about being the grandson of a white woman born in a tiny town called Peru, Kansas, and about his mother-in-law Marian Robinson, who passed away earlier this year  and tied it into Harris and Walz.

Lets get to work, he said.

Obama once again had the party on its feet.

As former Democratic congressman Steve Israel told The Independent: Its poignant, particularly given the fact that he just emerged as a superstar on the political scene.

And is now kind of the north star for the Democrats.
Obama says US is 'ready for new chapter' with a president Harris

Barack Obama, former US President, speaks on stage during his opening speech at the Bits & Pretzels company founders' and investors' meeting. Sven Hoppe/dpa

Former US president Barack Obama gave Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris a rousing endorsement as he delivered the closing speech of the second day of the party's national convention on Tuesday evening.

"America is ready for a new chapter. America is ready for a better story. We are ready for a president Kamala Harris," Obama told an cheering crowd in his adopted home town of Chicago.

"Kamala Harris is ready for the job. This is a person who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice and a champion," the former president said.

Obama hit out at his Republican successor Donald Trump, who is due to square it off with Harris in the race for the White House.

"Here is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. It's been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that's actually been getting worse now that he's afraid of losing to Kamala," Obama said.

"We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos. We've seen that movie and we all know that the sequel is usually worse."

Earlier on Tuesday, US Democrats officially confirmed Harris as their presidential candidate for the November 5 election in a purely ceremonial vote.

Harris is set to give the keynote speech at the convention on Thursday night, marking the grand finale of the four-day event intended to celebrate Harris and her pick for vice president, Tim Walz, and to boost their momentum for the remainder of the campaign.
CHICAGO  The Obamas dominated Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention, underscoring an extraordinary reality: The partys two best orators are married to each other.

The only point of division among Democrats on the night seemed to be which one of them is better.

Former President Obama sought the higher ground, invoking former President Lincolns call to summon the better angels or our nature, and yearning for a nation that might move beyond its present rancor and rage.

Michelle Obama, the former first lady, delivered a fierier address, taking several verbal swings at former President Trump while rarely naming him  and insisting Democrats had to do something to prevent the specter of his reelection.

The Obamas put everyone else in the shade and, to be fair, other speakers, including second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, did not really try to compete.

Here are the five biggest takeaways:

Barack Obama calls on the ties that bind

At a Democratic National Convention 20 years ago in Boston, a state senator was catapulted to national fame by a speech in which he contended the differences between blue and red America were exaggerated  especially by those who stood to gain from such division.

The state senator was Barack Obama, who would be elected to the U.S. Senate that November and to the White House  becoming the nations first Black president  just four years later.

Tuesday nights address from Obama sounded similar themes  seasoned by more experience, bruised by more battles, and keenly aware that the divisions seem deeper than ever.

We live in a time of such confusion and rancor, Obama said, with a culture that puts a premium on things that dont last  money, fame, status, likes.

But he contended that away from all the noise, the ties that bind us together still survived.

His political argument was that Democrats need to articulate a belief in those ties if they are to emerge victorious in November.

Of course, there were plenty of straightforwardly political points sounded, too. Obama embraced Harriss campaign theme of freedom, saying the term encompassed everything from same-sex marriage to religious freedom to environmental rights.

He also took direct aim at Trump, including his weird obsession with crowd size and his whining about his problems.

Obama paid tribute to President Biden, calling him a president who defended democracy at a time of great danger.

Above all, though, this was a full display of the kind of soaring rhetoric that made Obama president in the first place.

It thrills his party now as much as it ever did.

Michelle Obama brings the fire

The former first lady delivered an even more impassioned address than her husband, lambasting Trump repeatedly while not mentioning his name until the latter stages of her speech.

She spoke about the advantages of the wealthy and privileged in a way that left no doubt she was targeting Trump.

Most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward, Obama insisted, and can not depend upon an escalator waiting to take us to the top  an obvious reference to the escalator Trump descended at Trump Tower in 2015 to declare his first presidential candidacy.

The crowd here at the United Center in her hometown roared with particular passion at the former first ladys scathing reference to the affirmative action of generational wealth  a reminder both of Trumps background as the son of a wealthy developer and of Republican attacks on programs intended to advance marginalized communities, particularly Black communities.

Obama drew repeated comparisons between herself and Harris, speaking of them as two women of color from modest backgrounds who had to fight for everything they had achieved  but whose struggles also gave them a larger measure of empathy.

Kamala knows, like we do, that regardless of where you come from, what you look like, who you love, how you worship, or whats in your bank account, we all deserve the opportunity to build a decent life. All of our contributions deserve to be accepted and valued, Obama said.

She also warned Democrats to brace for the kind of attacks on Harris that had previously been leveled against her and her husband.

At the same time, Obama delivered a stern admonition that the stakes in the election were too high for voters to bring a Goldilocks complex about whether everything is just right.

The big theme: Harris for the people, Trump for himself

A conventions real political purpose is not only to fire up the faithful  its also to frame a campaign message.

The narrative Democrats intend to create around this years campaign is increasingly clear  that Harris is a forward-looking champion of the middle class, while Trump is only out for himself.

Republicans, of course, vigorously disagree, instead casting Democrats as too liberal for the average American.

But virtually every speech Tuesday hit some version of the main Harris theme.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), for example, said that when he worked with Harris in the upper chamber, he saw a leader who was fearless, who stood up for middle-class families like the one she was raised in.

Whether the electorate buys that argument will only be known in November. But the Democrats are at least singing from the same song sheet when it comes to their central narrative.

Emhoff paints the personal side of the story

The second gentleman seems perfectly well aware that the grand rhetorical range of Barack or Michelle Obama isnt something he can emulate.

Instead, he painted an appropriately personal picture of his wife, including their early dates and him leaving a rambling message on her voicemail.

Emhoffs self-deprecating style was best encapsulated when he noted wryly that my mother is the only person in the whole world who thinks Kamala is the lucky one for marrying me.

Emhoff presented himself as an everyman, still in touch with his high school buddies and not quite able to believe the position in which he now finds himself.

It was a speech unlikely to change many minds, one way or another, but it hit the mark required.

Biden fades fast

One of the most notable facets of the second day of the convention was how quickly the incumbent president has come to seem like an afterthought.

Obama paid tribute to the president, but his wife did not mention Biden. More generally, the relief of the party in rallying around Harris is tangible.

Biden has left Chicago for California. Its perhaps a prudent move, but its also one that underscores his hasty marginalization.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
CHICAGO  Former President Obama warned about the close race between Vice President Harris and former President Trump in November, while bashing his successor as dangerous, chaotic and unsympathetic.

This will still be a tight race in a closely divided country. A country where too many Americans are still struggling, where a lot of Americans dont believe government can help, and as we gather here tonight, the people who will decide this election are asking a very simple question: Who will fight for me? the 44th president said. Whos thinking abut my future? About my childrens future?

One thing is for certain: Donald Trump is not losing sleep over that question, Obama continued, name-checking his successor.

Obama argued that Trump hasnt stopped whining about his problems and is afraid of losing to Kamala, adding that he spreads conspiracy theories and has a weird obsession with crowd sizes.

The other day, I heard someone compare Trump to the neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day, he said. Now, from a neighbor, thats exhausting. From a president, thats just dangerous.

We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos. We have seen that movie before, and we all know that the sequel is usually worse, the former president added.

Obama, who was met with a rock stars welcome in his home state of Illinois, hailed Harris as a prosecutor, attorney general and vice president. Obama and Harris have a long-standing relationship that stems from her time as California attorney general while he was president.

Discussing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), Obama said the vice presidential candidate is an outstanding partner to Harris who knows who he is and knows whats important. He joked that the shirts Walz wears dont come from a political consultant but from his own closet, and they have been through some stuff.

The former president touted Harriss bold new plan, which she released last week, that aims to build new housing units and help first time homebuyers. He also noted Harris wants to expand the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare, by limiting out-of-pocket costs for Americans.

We need a president who actually cares about the millions of people all across this country who wake up every day to do the essential, often thankless work to care for our sick and clean our streets and deliver our packages and stand up for their rights to bargain for better wages and working conditions, he said.

And Kamala can be that president. Yes, she can, he said, calling back to his popular campaign catchphrase.

Chants of yes she can erupted in the crowd.

Tuesdays speech was Obamas first public appearance since he had a private role in some of the pressure on Biden to drop out of the race last month and pass the torch to Harris. Within a week of her candidacy, both Obama and his wife, Michelle, endorsed the vice president.

Obama made a plea for unity of a country that feels bitter and divided, arguing that the joy around the Harris campaign has made him believe Americans want something better than the divided nation. He called for a return to an America where we work together and look out for each other.

The 44th president followed a powerful speech by his wife, who introduced him. And he walked on stage to U2s City of Blinding Lights, which was his 2008 campaign song. The crowd held up vote signs.

Obama opened his speech, happy to be home, and noting the mood, using another campaign callback.

I dont know about you, but Im feeling fired up. I am feeling ready to go, even if  even if I am the only person stupid enough to speak after Michelle Obama. I am feeling hopeful, because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe that anything is possible, he said.

He started by praising Biden, saying the two become brothers and that he admires Biden for his empathy, decency and unshakable belief that everyone in the U.S. deserves a fair shot.

He hailed Biden for taking the U.S. out of the COVID-19 pandemic, creating jobs, cutting health care costs, and for being a steady leader who brought people together.

History will remember Joe Biden as an outstanding president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger, and I am proud to call him my president  but I am even prouder to call him my friend, he said, and the crowd chanted, Thank you, Joe.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Obamas officiated a new Democratic motto Tuesday evening during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago: When they go low, we hit back. Hard.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama, her husband Barack, and dozens of DNC speakers took her 2016 aphorism  When they go low, we go high  and tweaked it for meaner, leaner times.

In his keynote speech, former President Obama called former President Trump a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.

He listed off the Republican candidates constant stream of gripes and grievances that have only grown worse now that hes afraid of losing to Kamala.

Read more: Column: Pro-Palestinian Democrats face conundrum at DNC: Joy over Harris, but despair over Gaza

Former First Lady Michelle Obama speaks during the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday in Chicago. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Theres the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes... said Obama, who paused and moved his hands close together, connoting something small in measure.

The crowd erupted in laughter. MAGA clutched its pearls. Political pundits and satirists pounced with memes and posts such as Stormy Knows.

The party that chose decency and occasional piousness over pettiness in its 2016 and 2020 fight against Trump has abruptly changed course, referring to themselves now as joyful warriors who are ready and willing to fight fire with fire. The Obamas were Day 2's blowtorch of choice.

Tuesday the traditionally reserved Barack Obama threw more shade at Trump in just one speech than he has over the course of a decade. We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos. We have seen that movie before, and we all know that the sequel is usually worse, he said.

As the DNC has shown, Democrats arent planning on a turn-the-other-cheek sequel, either.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Read more: Harris has ushered in a new 'F' word for Democrats: Fun

Michelle Obama, who preceded her husband onstage, stepped up to the mike loaded with zingers about the man who spent the early part of his political career spreading birther lies about Barack, suggesting he was born overseas and not eligible to be president.

I want to know whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs, quipped the former first lady in reference to Trumps multiple assertions that undocumented immigrants were taking Black jobs.

She also made a point to draw class and opportunity contrasts between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump. Most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward, she said referring to Trumps wealthy family lineage. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth.

If we bankrupt a business, or choke in a crisis, we dont get a second, third or fourth chance. If things dont go our way, we dont have the luxury of whining, or cheating others, to get further ahead, she said. We dont get to change the rules so we always win.

But the Dems did change the directional flow of the insults unleashed on an hourly basis by Trump, turning them back on the former president in an act of political repurposing.

During opening night of the DNC on Monday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was greeted by a raucous crowd with a prolonged standing ovation. Clinton ran against Trump in 2016 and won the popular vote, but lost in the electoral college. Along the way, she endured some of the earliest and worst insults from the MAGA-verse, led by Trump calling her a "nasty woman" and implying she was dishonest with the nickname "Crooked Hillary."

Read more: Ali: What's so hard about mixed-race heritage for Trump to understand?

William Muetzenberg, 27, of Stockton, is among the delegates from California attending the Democratic National Convention this week in Chicago. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

In her speech, Clinton contrasted 2024 Harris' career milestones as an attorney with Trumps legal troubles. Donald Trump fell asleep at his own trial, Clinton said. When he woke up, hed made his own kind of history: the first person to run for president with 34 felony convictions. The crowd erupted in chants of "Lock Him Up!" Clinton couldn't help but laugh.

Call it the churn of the karmic wash, payback or simply politics, but the Dems boomerang approach appears to be working. Harris is up in the polls from where President Biden was before he stepped out of the race last month, and the party seems to be finally having some fun.

On Wednesday night, the DNC will hear from VP nominee Tim Walz, a jovial figure who has played a leading role in turning Trumps attacks against him. He's made better usage of the word "weird" than anyone thought possible in an age of trolls, dragging and viral insults.

In the Republican spirit of amplifying unverified information from unreliable corners of the internet, Walz referenced the absurd rumor about Republican VP candidate JD Vance having sexual relations with a sofa.

"I gotta tell ya, I can't wait to debate this guy," said Walz during a speech earlier this month at a rally at Temple University in Philadelphia. "That's if he's willing to get off the couch and show up."

The DNC's new slogan: They go low, we go hard.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Obamas, the Clintons, Carter and even JFK: How the old gang is helping Kamala Harris

CHICAGO  Barack Obama, whose presidential prospects were launched by his virtuoso address at the Democratic National Convention two decades ago, delivered a passionate appeal on Tuesday night for the voters who propelled his rise then to work for his party's newest nominee now.

"Make no mistake: It will be a fight," Obama said, making the case for Kamala Harris to an audience in the United Center that gave him a tumultuous welcome. "For all the incredible energy we've been able to generate over the last few weeks, this will still be a tight race in a closely divided country  a country where too many Americans are still struggling and don't believe the government can help."

Donald Trump is a danger to the nation's fundamental values, he warned. "So let's get to work."

He and former first lady Michelle Obama weren't the only notables from the past speaking at the convention that in a rollicking roll call of the states Tuesday ceremonially nominated Harris.

This week's lineup in Chicago is a conspicuous display of unity in a political party so routinely described as "in disarray" that the phrase has become a mocking meme. Every living Democratic president is showing up in one way or another, representing tenures that stretch back five decades.

President Joe Biden spoke Monday, embracing Harris after reluctantly stepping back from the campaign. Former President Bill Clinton was set to speak Wednesday. In an animated speech Monday, Hillary Clinton predicted Harris would shatter the "highest, hardest glass ceiling" that she had managed to only crack as the 2016 nominee. Jesse Jackson, a groundbreaking presidential hopeful who is 82 and ailing, gave the audience a thumbs-up from his wheelchair on stage.

Even former President Jimmy Carter, 99 years old and in hospice care at his home in Plains, Georgia, relayed remarks to the United Center on Tuesday via his grandson. "My grandfather can't wait to vote for Kamala Harris," Jason Carter declared.

He was followed on stage by the grandson of former president John F. Kennedy, likening Harris to JFK. "Once again, the torch has been passed to a new generation," Jack Schlossberg said, "to a leader who shares my grandfather's energy, vision and optimism for our future."

Elections are about the future, of course, not the past, and there's a limit to what any endorsement can do to sway votes. Millions of today's voters were born after Bill Clinton, not to mention Carter, had moved out of the White House.

That said, no one rivals the star power and political clout of the Obamas, the two most popular figures in Democratic politics today. As the first Black president, he also knows something about the attacks a pioneering contender like Harris will face in the next 70-something days of this campaign.

The daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, she would be the first woman and the first person of Asian heritage to be president.

If she wins, that is.

20 years later, a tougher tone

Obama's words Tuesday in Chicago had a harder edge than the electrifying keynote address he delivered in Boston in 2004 at the convention that nominated Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry for president. (Kerry lost, but four years later Obama was nominated for the White House and won, twice.)

"There is not a liberal America and a conservative America  there is the United States of America," Obama, then an Illinois state senator, had declared to rising cheers in Boston. "There is not a Black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America  there's the United States of America."

This time, his tone was tougher, and his warnings about Trump were ominous.

"This is a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn't stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago," Obama said. "It's been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that's actually gotten worse now that he's afraid of losing to Kamala."

But those tactics won't necessarily work, he said, "because the vast majority of us don't want to live in a country that's bitter and divided. We want something better. We want to be better. And the joy and excitement we're seeing around this campaign tells us we're not alone."

Michelle Obama, who got her own tumultuous welcome, delivered cautionary words, too.

At the 2016 convention, she had told the audience to claim the high ground when enemies attacked. "When they go low, we go high," she had said of that campaign, the first against Trump.

This time, she mocked him as a whiner and a cheater whose wealth and privilege had protected him from the consequences of his failures. She predicted he would wage a dirty campaign against Harris.

"It's his same old con," Michelle Obama said. "Doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people's lives better."

Meanwhile, back at the Fiserve Forum ...

When the roll call ended Tuesday, the Jumbotron at the convention showed a live shot of Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as they entered a rally the campaign was holding less than 100 miles away in Milwaukee  at the Fiserv Forum, the arena where the Republican National Convention nominated Trump last month.

Video from the Chicago convention was shown on the Jumbotron in Milwaukee.

We are so honored to be your nominees, Harris said, vowing to wage "a people-powered campaign" and to return to the Chicago convention Thursday to formally accept the Democratic nomination.

The turnout of the party's leaders from the past stood in stark contrast to the Republican convention. Aside from Trump himself, not a single former Republican president or vice president or presidential nominee attended.

In this screengrab, Former presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush speak during the Celebrating America Primetime Special on January 20, 2021. The livestream event hosted by Tom Hanks features remarks by president-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris and performances representing diverse American talent.

Not former president George W. Bush, or former vice presidents Dick Cheney and Dan Quayle, or former presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Not even Trump's own former vice president, Mike Pence.

That's understandable, given the hard feelings since Jan. 6 rioters, spurred by Trump's incendiary rhetoric, attacked the U.S. Capitol with cries to "hang Mike Pence" for his refusal to try to block the official counting of the Electoral College votes that would elect Joe Biden.

Ruth Bloch Rubin, a University of Chicago political scientist who studies political parties, suggested Trump might not be interested in having other leaders in the spotlight. "This is his show and always has been," she said  and the other GOP leaders might not want to be there, either. "It may reflect that many former Republicans stars would like to keep their distance from Trump, whether because they disagree with his policies or simply dont want to play by his rules."

In the Democratic Party, the impetus for former officials to show up may be a reaction to Trump, too. One reason officials and rivals and activists have united so quickly behind Harris is a broad determination to deny Trump a second term.

"Whether they think hes a threat to democracy or simply just weird, thats got to be a powerful motivator," she said.

In Chicago, there have been protests outside the hall over Israel's treatment of Palestinians in Gaza since the Hamas attack on Israel last fall. But there have been no significant disruptions inside the arena, at least so far. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose supporters disrupted the 2016 convention that nominated Hillary Clinton, on Tuesday delivered a full-throated endorsement of Harris.

Trump's agenda is the "radical" one, Sanders said, "and we won't let it happen."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Obamas, Clintons, Carter, even JFK: How the old gang is helping Harris
The Obamas Are the Only Ones Who Can Tell Democrats What They Dont Want to Hear

Every four years, Democrats meet for a convention and relearn that Michelle and Barack Obama are their two best communicators. The lesson came on Tuesday night of the 2024 convention, which the Obamas headlined in back-to-back speeches. Mondays programming was set aside for the sitting president, and Wednesday and Thursday will always go to the candidates running on the presidential ticket. The Obamas can have convention Tuesdays for as long as they want.

Whats the key, beyond natural communicative talent? (Its mostly natural communicative talent.) The Obamas have the best speechwriting team working for them, because their speechwriting team includes the Obamas. Their relative scarcity works to their advantage, too. We see most of the goofballs giving convention speeches every day, doing cable news hits or lambasting a witness or outside a committee hearing room. The Obamas, while not absent from politics, lead a fairly private life on compounds in Hawaii and Marthas Vineyard. Hard politics isnt often on their schedule. Many viewers Tuesday night would have been equally shocked to see how gray Barack Obama had gone and how Michelle Obama hadnt aged at all since they saw them last.

They key advantage the Obamas have, though, is their ability to speak from a position of authority. It enables them to get away with things that, for most speakers, might lose a crowd. Hes the first Black president, and she the first Black first lady. Aside from a disaster of a 2000 congressional campaign, the Obamas have a perfect record in politicsone that could be extended were Michelle to ever get the itch. (She wont.) They speak from proven experience, and they do so rarely.

All speakers at the Democratic convention are making fun of Donald Trump. For the Obamas, though, this is new on such a grand stage. Theyve been critical of Trump in past speeches, including their video messages for the 2020 DNC. But on Tuesday, the Obamas fully detached from their traditional belief that presidents dont mock their successors, a tradition that had meant a lot to Barack Obama after George W. Bush had extended the tradition to him. They were ruthless to Trump on Tuesday.

An important thread in Michelle Obamas speech was to push back against the Republican narrative that Kamala Harris would be, in their words, a DEI president who hadnt earned her sudden ascent to the top of the ticket. Michelle didnt just say that Harris is qualified enough to be there. She said that Harris is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency. Harris, she said, approaches the task from a mindset that Trumps own background and nature ensure he never can. Harris understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward and will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth. Most Americans wont get a second, third, or fourth chance if they bankrupt a business or choke in a crisis.

If we see a mountain in front of us, Michelle said, we dont expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top.

Each successive bit of needling served to prime the crowd for the line of the convention: Whos going to tell him, she said of Trump, that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs? 

Barack Obamawho conceded that hes the only person stupid enough to speak right after Michelle Obamadescribed Trump as a 78-year-old billionaire who hasnt stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. Trumps output has been a constant stream of gripes and grievances thats actually gotten worse now that hes afraid of losing to Kamala. (This was an interesting acknowledgement from Obama, who remains on President Joe Bidens grudge list, of how little Trump feared losing to Biden.) He compared Trump to the neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day.

Most notably, the former president, who restrained himself for years from actively criticizing his successor, may have made a penis joke about Donald Trump. He noted Trumps weird obsession with crowd size, knowingly gesturing his hands a few inches apart.

These were certainly the most reshared elements of their speeches. What caught my attention more, though, was the ability Michelle and Barack Obama have to tell Democrats to cut their own crap, and be heard.

Much of Michelle Obamas speech was managing expectations about how, even if Democrats feel euphoric now, the next couple of months will be no picnic. Harris will either have stumbles or be forced to make difficult decisions that test the unity of the Democratic coalition, sects of which are known to complain when theyre on the losing end.

Advising Democrats not to be our own worst enemies, Michelle Obama warned against wringing our hands the minute something goes wrong or the minute a lie takes hold.

We cannot get a Goldilocks complex about whether everything is just right, she said. We cannot indulge our anxieties about whether this country will elect someone like Kamalainstead of doing everything we can to get someone like Kamala elected. Dont complain, she said, if no one has specifically reached out to ask for your support. There is simply no time for that kind of foolishness.

So consider this to be your official ask: Michelle Obama is asking you to do something. It may go without saying, but if any other DNC speaker drawn out of a hat told Democrats to stop succumbing to their worst tendencies, it would only encourage those tendencies further.

Any other bad tendencies you see within the culture of the Democratic Party, Barack Obama?

To make progress on the things we care about, the things that really affect peoples lives, we need to remember that weve all got our blind spots and contradictions and prejudices, and that if we want to win over those who arent yet ready to support our candidates, we need to listen to their concernsand maybe learn something in the process, he said. After all, if a parent or grandparent occasionally says something that makes us cringe, we dont automatically assume theyre bad people. We recognize the world is moving fast, and that they need time and maybe a little encouragement to catch up. Our fellow citizens deserve the same grace we hope theyll extend to us.

Perhaps, he suggested, being a little less like this is how we can build a true Democratic majority. Im trying to imagine if your run-of-the-mill striver at the convention, like the somehow always-on-camera New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, would be received if she told a convention hall of Democrats that they needed be better to their fellow citizens. Shed probably not want to be within flinging distance of stray tomatoes.

Obama conceded that these ideas can feel pretty naive right now. But his very presence as someone who was comfortably elected president twice on these ideas gave him the authority to, well, lecture a little bit. Both he and Michelle Obama might be the best two Democratic speakers because theyre the ones whove earned the right to speak most frankly to their party. And, sure, it doesnt hurt to butter up the crowds with some Trump burns first.
OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WKRG)  A former substitute teacher for Ocean Springs Middle School was sentenced to 40 years and will serve 20 on child sex charges, according to the Jackson County District Attorneys Office.

22-year-old Keshawn Trevyune Belcher pleaded guilty on Aug. 19 to one count of touching a child for lustful purposes and five counts of exploitation of a child.

Leakesville water treatment plants undergoing thorough rejuvenation

According to the DAs news release, Belcher was a substitute teacher at OSMS for less than a week in April 2023.

Belcher shared his Snapchat information with students in the class and asked to be his friend on the platform.

A mugshot of Keshawn Belcher (Jackson County Sheriffs Office)

Once students became friends with him, Belcher sent videos of himself masturbating to multiple students and asked them to meet and cuddle, according to the DA.

Belcher also asked the students to send similar videos back or to meet up with him for sexual purposes, the DAs news release said.

During his guilty plea, Belcher admitted to kissing a 13-year-old student on the mouth while the two were alone in a classroom, the release said.

Former Biloxi councilman sentenced for vape shop conspiracy, forfeits monster truck

Belcher was sentenced to 40 years with 20 years being suspended. He will serve 20 years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

For those 20 years, Belcher will have to serve day-for-day, meaning he cannot get out early.

Once Belcher is released from prison, he will have 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 WKRG News 5.
ST. LOUIS  From time to time, there appears to be an unusual smell swirling around St. Louis, an odor some residents recognized as recently as this week.

Former St. Louis Alderwoman Annie Rice described on social media platform X it as an awful chemical smell in the air around Chouteau Avenue and 18th street near downtown. Others replied that they smelt something in the citys Tower Grove South, Princeton Heights and Old North St. Louis neighborhoods.

And just last month, some in the St. Louis Reddit community observed a similar smell. One Reddit user who started the conversation described it as a chemical/petroleum odor across multiple neighborhoods.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has acknowledged its awareness of odor concerns in St. Louis on a website page last updated in December 2023.

Parents charged after infant only fed goat milk, sausages, and Mountain Dew

Officials say the EPA and Missouri Department of Natural Resources have received numerous odor complaints in the St. Louis region since 2021. The EPA notes that St. Louis has several neighborhoods close to dense industrial areas, potentially exposing residents to disproportionate impacts on their health and/or environment.

The EPA says it conducted a survey to screen for emissions in 44 identified St. Louis-area facilities and found 15 in need of further compliance inspections. However, the EPA added it cannot discuss potential or ongoing enforcement action following the survey, and has not formally identified sources of the unusual odor.

Missouri U.S. Congresswoman Cori Bush has been pushing the EPA to investigate unusual odors in St. Louis that she described as toxic fumes.

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Residents often feel they cannot venture outside of their homes as the fumes are so debilitating, said Bush in a letter to the EPA. I am concerned that these odors could be causing grave physical harm, as numerous constituents have expressed concerns that they believe the air is leading to adverse health outcomes for them and their families.

Coincidentally, some communities in the Metro East reported a foul odor last week that has since dissipated. Those odors were mostly north of St. Louis city limits.

To report an unusual odor that you believe could pose environmental risks, promptly report it to the MoDNR or EPA online.

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ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- Former Odessa mayor Larry Melton died this week at the age of 86 after a long battle with Parkinsons.

Melton was sworn in as mayor in 2001 after the death of then-mayor Billy Hext. He served from 2001 until 2012, when he stepped down; he still holds the distinction of being Odessas longest-serving mayor.

After graduating from Odessa High School in 1956 he married the love of his life, JNevelyn Williams Melton on September 3, 1960. The couple went on to have two children and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

After graduating from Texas Tech University with a double major in Industrial Engineering and Math, he served as a Lieutenant in the Army. He was stationed in Fort Sill, Oklahoma and was discharged as a Captain. After a brief career in oil and gas, he went on to an extended career in banking and accounting.

His loved ones said his true passion, however, was serving his community by involvement in various leadership and civic organizations.

Melton was awarded various recognitions, including Odessas Outstanding Citizen, Heritage of Odessa Foundation Community Service, Boy Scouts Man-of-the-Year, Best of the Permian Basin, the Rotary Wall of Fame, Odessas Outstanding Young Man, and the Bill Elms United Way Award, to name a few.

Known as an incredible public speaker, he gave 864 speeches during his tenure as mayor and during his final interview as mayor, he said that he was most proud of being able to renegotiate the contract with the Colorado River Municipal Water District, leaving Odessa independent to find their own water source.

Area leaders have offered their love and prayers to Meltons family and issued statements to honor a life well lived.

Of Melton, State Representative Brooks Landgraf said, Larry Melton was a prince of a man and a true public servant. Mayor Melton absolutely loved Odessa, and he proved it every day. Larry showed his dedication by being a happy warrior for our community during his tenure at city hall, but moreover he showed his care in the way he treated Odessans with unwavering decency and dignity in public and professional life alike. The mayor was a genuine gentleman who never forgot a name after he met someone. He was a steadfast leader without ever being flashy about it. Mayor Meltons time as a public servant was ending when mine was beginning, but that didnt stop him from being a friend and mentor to me. Ill never forget the lessons he taught me: that governance is a people business, and that you can still keep a sense of humor in politics.

His was a life well lived, and Odessa is better because he served the city and its citizens.

Shelby and I join our fellow Odessans in mourning Mayor Meltons passing. Our hearts go out to lovely JNevelyn and the wonderful Melton family and we lift them up in our prayers for comfort and peace.

Rest well, Mr. Mayor.

Mayoral candidate Cal Hendrick said, I was deeply saddened to learn of Mayor Larry Meltons passing yesterday. His death is a profound loss for our community and to me personally.

Mayor Melton was always kind and courteous. I personally witnessed Larry treating everyone, from City employees to his opponents, with respect and kindness. He was the finest example of a politicianhe was honest, kept his word, and worked hard for the City of Odessa.

I saw Mayor Melton at 100s, if not 1000s of events in Odessa during his time as Mayor. In fact, I dont think Mayor Melton ever missed an event while serving as Mayor. He represented the City of Odessa with pride.

Mayor Melton recognized that Odessa was more than its buildings and roads; it was about the people of Odessa. He was the best of the best in all of us. God bless Mayor Melton and his Family during this difficult time.

Long-time friend and At-Large candidate, Craig Stoker said of Melton, I grew up with Mr. Melton at Westminster Presbyterian Church. He was always a leader that I looked up to and respected. In high school, there may have been few visits to his office at the bank when I didnt balance my checkbook quite right, and as an adult I sought out his advice when I decided to enter politics. Mr. Melton leaves a lasting legacy in the City of Odessa, and I hope that I can continue my service to the city with as much grace and humility as he showed as Mayor. He taught us that being kind was above all else, that letting everyone be heard was important, and that we should all take pride in our community. He was Odessas biggest cheerleader, and encouraged us all to cheer along with him, unless he was the emcee at an event, then we all only got one clap! I know JNevelyn, Jeff, Julie and their families are all mourning the loss of his physical presence, but they also rejoice knowing his illness has ended and that we shall all meet again one day.

Weve reached out to other City leaders for comment, and are awaiting a response.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to the Larry Melton Fund at Medical Center Health System Foundation or The Larry Melton Graduation Scholarship at Odessa College Foundation. Donations can be mailed to:

Medical Center Health System Foundation, 500 West 4th Street, Odessa, TX 79761

Odessa College Foundation, 201 West University Odessa, TX 79764

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Nairobi  Five Kenyan police officers appeared in court Wednesday, suspected of helping a man accused of murdering and dismembering dozens of women escape from a Nairobi jail cell. Police launched a manhunt Tuesday after alleged serial killer Collins Jumaisi and 12 Eritreans broke out of a police station in an upmarket area of the Kenyan capital.

Jumaisi, 33, was described by police as a "psychopathic serial killer with no respect for human life" when he arrested last month after the horrific discovery of a number of mutilated bodies in a rubbish dump in a slum area of the Kenyan capital.

He and the other detainees appeared to have escaped by cutting through a wire mesh roof at the station.



"Our preliminary investigations indicate that the escape was aided by insiders," acting national police chief Gilbert Masengeli said Tuesday.

A photo released on July 15, 2024 by the Kenyan National Police shows 33-year-old Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, identified as the prime suspect in the killings of 42 women in Nairobi. / Credit: Kenyan National Police/Directorate of Criminal Investigations

Five out of eight officers who were arrested over the escape appeared in a Nairobi court on Wednesday, with police seeking an order to detain them for another 14 days in order to complete their investigations.



Police said they discovered the breakout when officers made a routine visit to the cells at around 5:00 am on Tuesday to serve the prisoners breakfast.



"On opening the cell door, they discovered that 13 prisoners had escaped by cutting the wire mesh in the basking bay," police said in a statement, referring to a covered courtyard area in the station where detainees could get access to fresh air.



The 12 Eritreans had been arrested for being in Kenya illegally, police said, adding that four other detainees who did not escape were helping with the investigation.



The police station is located in the Gigiri district which is home to the regional headquarters of the United Nations and numerous embassies.



Police said after Jumaisi's arrest on July 15 that he had confessed to murdering 42 women over a two-year period from 2022, with his wife his first victim.

A photo shared by Kenya's National Police force and its Directorate of Criminal Investigations on July 15, 2024 shows items seized by officers from a 33-year-old man identified as Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, whom they called the prime suspect in the murder of 42 women in Nairobi. / Credit: Kenyan National Police/Directorate of Criminal Investigations

Jumaisi claimed he had been molested and tortured, his lawyer told AFP last month.



It is the second time in barely six months that a suspect in a high-profile case has escaped from custody.



Kenyan national Kevin Kangethe, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend in the United States last year and leaving her body in an airport car park, fled a police station in February before being caught about a week later. a judge ordered him to be extradited back to the U.S. in early August.

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JOHNSON CITY, Texas (KXAN)  It is the idyllic Texas Hill Country Town, Mayor Stephanie Fisher said about Johnson City, which is about an hour outside of Austin. Its a very safe place to live.

Fisher doesnt want that to change.

Pretty large population boom in the last couple of years. And its one of those things where even if we have excellent police coverage, its one of those things where theres almost never enough, she said.

The city currently has eight full time police officers. The goal of the new police chief, Justin Losoya  who just started this month  is to supplement current staffing numbers with a five-member reserve force.

Theyd work one day a month or two days a month, he said. We can call them in if an officer gets sick, or just if we need extra help.

The reserve officers would work on a voluntary basis.

In the social media post Losoya wrote about the openings, he touted the strong relationship that exists between the police department and the mayor and city council.

To me thats very important, because if they know you support the police, you might get more applicants, he said.

Nationally, officer staffing levels dropped about 3.5% from 2020 to 2022, according to the Police Executive Research Forum. The Austin Police Department is currently down about 300 officers.

In Johnson City, Fisher said there currently isnt funding for an additional full time officer. She and Losoya hope the reserve model can help fill that space.

Anyone interested in this role can find more information here.

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The middle segment of Champlain Parkway, a 25 mile-per-hour road between Home Avenue and Lakeside Avenue, opened to the public on Tuesday.

Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak was joined by federal, state, and local officials in a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the project. The Champlain Parkways goal is to connect I-189 to Burlingtons south end by creating a two-lane road, as well as transform Pine Street into a more user-friendly area.

City Council President Ben Traverse helped cut the ribbon, and said Today is a huge leap forward in finally living up to the Parkway Promise to former, current, and future Burlingtonians.

Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak said the parkway should alleviate traffic, increase pedestrian safety, and improve safety for everyone.

This project was right-sized from a high-speed four-lane divided highway to what you see today behind us, which is a two-lane slow-speed city street with green infrastructure and robust bike and pedestrian accommodations, Mulvaney-Stanak noted.

With this section completed, the city can now focus on other projects like housing.

Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak also offered a bit of caution, reminding the community that the Champlain Parkway Project as a whole still has a ways to go. Work on phase one, which includes improvements along Pine Street from Lakeside to Kilburn will continue throughout September and the construction contract for the second and final phase was approved by the city council on August 12.

In the second phase, a southern section of the parkway will connect I-189 to Home Avenue. Pedestrian and roadway improvements will also be made to Pine Street between Kilburn and Main Street.

The whole project is estimated to be finished in 2026.

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Officials make disturbing discovery about future habitat conditions of rare bird species: 'Solely due to the projected effects of climate change'

A beloved Pacific Northwestern bird, the Mount Rainier white-tailed ptarmigan, makes its home in the high Cascade Mountains. After monitoring changes in the bird's environment, the Fish and Wildlife Service has projected that up to 95% of its habitat may be lost in the coming decades, posing a serious risk of extinction.

What's happening?

White-tailed ptarmigans survive atop the peaks of Washington and British Columbia in an alpine habitat higher than where trees can grow.

But with rising temperatures, the bird's winters are shortening while rainfall is increasing. As a result, the treeline is steadily moving higher, making their already small habitat and food supply even more restricted.

State officials estimate that there may be as few as 1,000 ptarmigan left in Washington, a scarcity that birders in the region also acknowledge, reported Smithsonian Magazine.

"This is solely due to the projected effects of climate change, especially increasing temperatures and a loss of the conditions that support suitable alpine habitat," said the Fish and Wildlife Service, according to the Smithsonian report.

These ptarmigan typically molt into white camouflage in the winter snow, and they eat the flowering plants and shrubs that grow on high peaks. However, their bodies dangerously overheat in hotter temperatures. Plus, with more rain hitting the snowpack, an ice layer can prevent the birds from going to roost, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

Why is white-tailed ptarmigan habitat loss important?

The precarious status of the Mount Rainier white-tailed ptarmigan is an indicator of declining biodiversity, which has been shown to impact human health. It's also a warning sign for other animals that call high elevations home.

Wolverines and American pikas are already at risk, while four other subspecies of white-tailed ptarmigan found in different mountain ranges could lose habitat, too. Scientists estimate that half of the world's bird populations are in decline.

For high-elevation species, moving isn't a likely solution, as even the tallest peaks in the world are facing similar threats. Plus, white-tailed ptarmigan mostly roam their mountaintops on foot rather than flying, reported Smithsonian Magazine.

In the summers, they spend their time in cool, wet fields, which are also drying up as snowpack and meltwater levels decline, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.

Spreading awareness of these impacts of habitat loss serves as a call to action for conservation "before population declines become irreversible," wrote the Fish and Wildlife Service. It is possible, and there are plenty of success stories out there.

What's being done to protect white-tailed ptarmigan?

In hopes of saving the Mount Rainier subspecies from extinction, the Fish and Wildlife Service has listed it as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.

It's the first of the white-tailed ptarmigan to gain this level of federal protection. The designation will enable new conservation and recovery efforts and boost awareness of the bird's plight, which can help support research efforts.

Want to do more? Check out a list of endangered species for each state to learn what might be at risk in your area and see how you can help conservation efforts near you.

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The Little Maumelle River in Pulaski County on June 2, 2024. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

Environmental officials  who one year ago were tasked with updating a comprehensive plan that informs water policy in Arkansas  recently announced goals, future plans and an estimated completion cost of $3.3 million for the Arkansas Water Plan.

The most recent iteration of the Arkansas Water Plan was published a decade ago, and while it was expected to guide leaders through 2050, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an executive order last August calling on state officials with the Department of Agriculture to update it as risks to water quality and resources have heightened.

Since last year, a combination of federal and state funds have trickled into towns struggling with failing water systems. In July, state officials allocated $5 million to projects in three dozen Arkansas counties to fix critical infrastructure problems.

Sanders office announced the completion of Phase I of the water plan in a press release on Tuesday, noting that it was a significant milestone in the development of a comprehensive plan to address a range of water issues, from quality drinking water to flood management.

Sanders highlighted the importance of moving forward with the project and Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward touted Sanders efforts in the press release.

Phase I included a review of the most recent water plan, published in 2014, to determine areas that need to be reevaluated or updated. Seven stakeholder meetings were held during the first phase, and residents were encouraged to provide feedback through a survey.

The meetings and survey answers helped identify six goals that officials should address in Phase II:

Provide drinking water that supports public health and well-being

Provide water that supports environmental and economic benefits to the state and supports interstate agreements

Use the best available science, data, tools, practices and technologies to support water resource planning and management for current and future needs

Maintain and improve water supply, wastewater, stormwater and flood control infrastructure, and plan for future infrastructure needs

Maintain, protect and improve water quality to support designated uses of waterbodies

Reduce the impacts of future flooding events on people, property, infrastructure, industry, agriculture and the environment

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Whats next?

Officials are now expected to take the information they gleaned from the first phase and build on it in Phase II while they also refine specific areas with gaps rather than overhauling the entire [2014] plan, according to a lengthy report produced by Michael Baker International, an engineering consultant in contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The report outlines the process of updating the Arkansas Water Plan, including two funding schedules for Phase II. Priced at either $3.30 million over two years or $3.36 million over three years, the second phase is expected to include a variety of data collection and analyses.

The difference in cost stems from an additional $50,000 for project management in the third year.

Starting later this year, officials will launch Phase II with project management and scheduling procedures, then move into a regional review to assess methods used by other states, all while engaging with stakeholders along the way.

The two most expensive portions of Phase II include the updated water plan, $1,516,570, and the development of the first-ever Arkansas Flood Plan, $956,450.

Regarding the water plan, officials are expected to complete assessments of existing infrastructure and water availability. Specific water usage issues that are up for analysis include population and economic projections, drinking water, industrial, mining, thermoelectric power, crop irrigation, livestock, duck hunting and habitat maintenance and fish and wildlife support.

Officials should consider extreme weather impacts during their sector-specific analyses, the report states. In recent years, Arkansas has seen an increase in extreme weather events, such as tornadoes, winter storms, droughts and flooding.

With the flood plan, officials will also complete data collection and assessments, but through specific hot spots they identify using geographic information systems, or GIS.

The plan is intended to inform officials about ways to reduce the impacts of flooding events on people, property, infrastructure, industry, agriculture, and the environment in Arkansas, as well as avoiding increasing flood risks in the future, the report states.

The final piece of Phase II is described as an interactive dashboard, which should allow members of the public to view the results of the project.

Once the reports are completed, the content can be referenced as policy recommendations. The updated Arkansas Water Plan is expected to include mitigation strategies, a water reuse action plan, groundwater treatment methods and groundwater recharges.

The Arkansas Flood Plan is similarly expected to include proposed flood mitigation solutions and strategies.

Though Phase II will be underway for at least the next two years, Sanders executive order from 2023 stated an interim status report is due Dec. 31 detailing the progress of the water plan update, as well as any supplemental reports and analyses, and preliminary needs and recommendations.

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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  An investigation is underway after deputies found two bodies in New Port Richey, the Pasco Sheriffs Office announced.

In a social media post, the sheriffs office said deputies were conducting a death investigation in the Tanglewood area when the two deceased adults were found.

Officials said one of the victims appeared to have taken their own life.

The sheriffs office said no known public safety threat exists at this time.

The investigation is ongoing.

This is a developing story. Stay up to date on the latest from News Channel 8 on-air and on the go with the free WFLA News Channel 8 mobile app.

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Offshore wind developer using sound waves to map seafloor off SLO County. Heres a look

On a June afternoon, the scent of coffee and sea air mingled below deck aboard the Go Adventurer, a medium-sized ship tasked with carrying scientists and survey equipment to map a slice of the seafloor off San Luis Obispo Countys coast.

Golden State Wind is one of three corporations that holds a lease to build floating turbines in the 376-square-mile Morro Bay Wind Energy Area about 20 miles away from Cambria and San Simeon.

On July 1, Golden State Wind launched site surveys of its lease area  which is about 53 miles northwest of Morro Bay. The surveys are scheduled to end in late October.

Golden State Wind hired the international corporation Fugro to conduct the surveys, which use sound waves to map the seafloor, including locating sensitive habitats and shipwrecks and determining the consistency of the soil and the depth of the ocean floor. They will use the data to decide where to anchor floating platforms for the wind turbines and where to place cables that will carry electricity to land.

The surveys are critical to developing environmental information about the seabed and below the seabed, Golden State Wind CEO Tyler Studds said. Its going to help us identify critical resources and sensitive resources that will allow us to develop and operate the project in a manner that avoids any impacts on resources.

Golden State Wind is checking for habitats, shipwrecks, seamounts  anything that could be harmed by construction, Studds said.

Golden State Wind hired the international company Fugro to conduct site surveys in the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area from July 2, 2024, through October. This is the Fugro bright orange autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).

The surveys will prepare Golden State Wind to apply for three permits: the Benthic Habitat Assessment, which evaluates the habitat on the seafloor and in the sediment, the Marine Site Investigation Report and the Marine Archaeological Resources Assessment, Studds said.

The Go Adventurer, a 205-foot vessel, will return to Port Hueneme in Ventura County every 28 days to pick up a fresh crew and supplies. The ship will not dock in Morro Bay or Port San Luis, Studds said.

This is the first time the seafloor will be mapped so thoroughly, according to Tim Farrow, the regional director of Marine Geophysical Americas for Fugro.

Fugro will donate the data to Seabed 2030, a global initiative that aims to map the entire seafloor by 2030, he said.

The Go Adventurer will carry scientists and survey equipment to map the seafloor of Golden State Winds lease site in the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area from July 2, 2024, through October.

Acoustic surveys to map the seafloor

Fugro will deploy a bright orange autonomous underwater vehicle to carry surveying equipment from the Go Adventurer to about 30 meters above the seabed, the Go Adventurers senior party chief Robert McDowell said.

The vehicle, built by Norway-based Kongsberg Maritime, will run surveys for about 24 hours at a time. After about 24 hours, the crew retrieves the vehicle from the water, swaps its batteries, then sends it back to the seabed, McDowell said.

The vehicle will dive between 140 meters and 1,450 meters below the Go Adventurer  though it is capable of plunging to a depth of 4,500 meters, he said.

Three types of equipment will be mounted to the vehicle: a multibeam echosounder, a side-scan sonar and a sub-bottom profiler.

The equipment emits pulses of sound that create images of the seafloor.

Golden State Wind will conduct site surveys in the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area from July 2, 2024, through October. This is the Fugro bright orange autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).

The multibeam echosounder will be mounted to the front of the autonomous underwater vehicle. Every half second, it shoots pulses of sound at the seafloor, which creates a 3D picture of the terrain.

Is that a pipeline that were crossing? Cables, shipwrecks? McDowell said. The multibeam echosounder answers those questions, he said.

Meanwhile, side-scan sonars mounted to two sides of the vehicle emit a fan of sound to detect the height of objects on the ocean floor.

Finally, the sub-bottom profiler will use pulses of sound, which sound like a chirp, to scan below the seafloor. This survey will gather information about sediment as deep as 40 meters below the seabed.

Is it sand? Is it mud? Is it rock? McDowell said. They can interpret that based on the speed of sound as it penetrates the seafloor.

Analysts aboard the Go Adventurer will receive and process real-time data collected by the survey equipment.

When we collect the data, its in digital form. We bring it on board, they process it and they make a pretty picture, McDowell said.

Go Adventurer senior party chief Robert McDowell displays the pneumatic line thrower, which is used to retrieve the autonomous underwater vehicle when it surfaces after completing surveys.

Studds added that Golden State Wind will not use more-powerful seismic airguns to survey the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area.

Seismic airguns penetrate 6 to 9 miles below the seabed for oil and gas exploration, while the sub-bottom profiler only sees 30 to 40 meters below the seabed, Studds said.

The equipment is permitted by the California State Lands Commission Low-Energy Offshore Geophysical Survey Permit Program, and it is routinely used by federal agencies and research institutions.

The sound is emitted at a pitch that doesnt harm marine mammals, Studds said. In fact, most of the sound emitted is outside of the hearing range of fish and marine mammals, he said.

The multibeam echosounder will emit blasts of sound at between 200 to 400 kilohertz with a source level of 225 decibels underwater, Studds said. Meanwhile, the side-scan sonar shoots sound greater than 500 kilohertz with a source level of 205 decibels. Neither of these sound blasts can be heard by sea life, he said.

Fish and sea turtles hear sounds between 2 and 4 kHz, while larger marine mammals can hear up to 160 kHz, according to a June report by the California Coastal Commission.

Only the sub-bottom profiler will emit sounds between 1 and 10 kilohertz with a source level of 167 decibels, which can be heard by marine life, Studds said.

The impact of the sound is reduced if the sea life is more than 5 meters away from the source, the commission staff report said. The vessel is required to stay at least 100 meters away from marine mammals, which reduces the impact of the sound, Studds said.

To protect marine life, the Go Adventurer will limit its speed to 10 knots and remain at least 500 meters away from marine life.

Meanwhile, four trained species observers will travel on the vessel and take turns watching for marine life protected by the Endangered Species Act or Marine Mammal Protection Act, McDowell said.

During the day, two observers will scan the horizon with binoculars. At night, one will scan the ocean with infrared binoculars, while the other will monitor computers that show what is approaching the ship.

The observers have the authority to halt the ship or survey activities if they spot a protected species.

Additionally, staff aboard the ship communicate daily with fishermen by radio to notify them when and where surveys are being conducted, Studds said.

Scientists aboard the Go Adventurer will receive and process real-time data collected by survey equipment scanning the seafloor.
MULLENS, WV (WVNS)  An Ohio man pleaded guilty to money laundering in West Virginia.

According to a press release, 34-year-old Jack Paskin, of Nelsonville, Ohio, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, to money laundering.

The press release stated that according to court documents, Paskin organized the shipment of wholesale quantities of marijuana to the Mullens area of Wyoming County from around mid-summer 2019 to on or about August 31, 2020.

Greenbrier County man pleads guilty to federal gun crime

According to the press release, Paskin revealed that the marijuana shipments were sent to addresses given to Merrick Rice. Rice gathered the shipments after delivery, and the press release stated that Paskin knew Rice sold the marijuana to people who sold it in various parts of southern West Virginia.

The press release stated that money that Rice received from selling the marijuana went to Paskins bank accounts. Paskin took $30,000 in cash out of one of the accounts on February 24, 2021, which he knew came from illegal drug sales.

Paskins sentencing is scheduled for December 13, 2024, and he faces up to ten years in prison, a maximum of three years of parole, and a $250,000 fine.

Greenbrier County man sentenced for federal drug crime

According to the press release, 44-year-old Merrick Rice, and 32-year-old Miranda Aliff, both of Rock Creek, pleaded guilty on May 7, 2024, to structuring transactions with one or more domestic financial institutions.

The press release stated that Aliff and Rice, who both await their sentencing, revealed that they structured bank deposits of the illicit drug proceeds, which totaled $228,000, to evade currency transaction reporting requirements.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Will Thompson, who thanked the Internal Revenue Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

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Close up of a group of elementary school kids doing schoolwork on their laptops. Getty Images.

This story mentions suicide. If you or someone you know needs support now call, text or chat the 988 Lifeline.

Ohios largest school district recently started using surveillance software on students devices.

Columbus City Schools partnered with Gaggle  a Texas-based student safety technology company that provides constant surveillance  at the end of last school year, district spokesperson Jacqueline Bryant said in an email.

This is an added layer of security to ensure students are not visiting unapproved sites, she said in an email. Gaggle employs advanced technology and human insight to review students use of online tools 24/7/365 days a week and provides real-time analysis, swiftly flagging any potentially concerning behavior or content; this includes signs of self-harm, depression, substance abuse, cyberbullying, or other harmful situations.

Gaggle is currently partnered with about 1,500 school districts across the country, but would not answer how many of those districts are in Ohio, Gaggle spokesperson Shelby Goldman said.

We have a practice to not answer questions about specific school districts, she said in an email.

Ohios three largest school districts  Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati  use Gaggle. Cleveland did not answer questions the Ohio Capital Journal sent about Gaggle.

Cincinnati Public Schools started using Gaggle in 2013 and it is active for all grades, according to the district. It costs the district $323,780 to use Gaggle.

Cincinnati Public Schools prioritizes the safety and well-being of its students and staff, and utilizes Gaggle to monitor threats for individual student safety and the safety of each school community, according to the district. The District monitors content on District-provided devices and applications based on specific language and phrases, generating trigger alerts for review, rather than continuous monitoring.

Gaggle, which started in the 1990s, monitors school platforms such as Google Workspaces and Microsoft Office 365, but does not look at students personal email addresses or private social media accounts.

Gaggle is an early warning system that identifies children in crisis so that schools can intervene before a tragedy happens, Goldman said in an email. Gaggle partners with school districts to help them monitor student activity on the technology (devices and accounts) provided by the school district.

The company estimates it helped save 5,790 lives from 2018-23, according to their report from last fall.

We believe finding the right balance between monitoring for safety purposes and protecting student privacy and confidentiality is important, and were committed to continuing to support districts in achieving both, Goldman said in an email.

Gaggle uses Artificial Intelligence technology to spot things that could be an issue and a Human Safety Team reviews them before contacting the school.

Our reviewers are looking at the context to determine if an item is related to an actual concern or maybe a simple reference to something that is harmless when in context, Goldman said in an email.

Gaggle can flag things as early warning signs or an imminent threat, which is treated with a higher level of urgency. It altered Ohio school districts to 1,275 student incidents that required immediate intervention in 2021, according to an October 2022 Facebook post from Gaggle.

Columbus City Schools, which has about 47,000 students, is implementing Gaggle in middle and high schools. Students cant opt out of it.

The district signed two contracts with Gaggle  the first for $58,492.40 in January and $99,180 in June, according to school board documents.

During the districts Gaggle pilot from April 2022 to December 2023, 3,942 pieces of content were looked at by Gaggles Safety Team which led to 226 actionable student safety concerns that were sent to Emergency Contacts, according to a school board document.

Even though Sharon Kims two students are in elementary school and wont yet be affected by the districts Gaggle implementation, she is concerned about the district using surveillance technology.

School should be a safe place for our kids, Kim said. They spend so much time in their lives at school, it should be a place where they feel safe, not where they feel like theyre being monitored and surveilled every single minute of the day. I really feel that this kind of surveillance is a huge hindrance to that.

Follow OCJ Reporter Megan Henry on X.

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Oil depot on fire for almost four days in Russia's Rostov Oblast, satellite images released

Radio Liberty journalists have published satellite images of the fire at the Rosrezerv oil depot in Rostov Oblast, Russia, which has been ongoing for more than three days.

Source: Russian service of Radio Liberty; OSINT analyst under the nickname MT_Anderson

Details: The OSINT analyst estimates that the blaze had completely destroyed 14 fuel tanks, while 4 more were partially destroyed and 16 were not damaged. He does not provide any information concerning the state of the rest of the 44 fuel tanks, as they are covered with a dense layer of smoke.

Radio Liberty

Background:

Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) and the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck the Kavkaz plant in Russia's Rostov Oblast, which stored petroleum products for the Russian army's military needs, on the night of 17-18 August.

A facility in the settlement of Proletarsk in Russia's Rostov Oblast was targeted by attack drones on the night of 17-18 August. Eyewitnesses report that five UAVs were involved. The strike caused a large fire engulfing diesel tanks at the site.

Vasily Golubev, the governor of Rostov Oblast, announced that the number of firefighters who were affected had risen to 41: 18 of them were taken to hospital, including five who are in intensive care.

A state of high readiness was declared in the Proletarsky district, and a state of emergency was introduced in Proletarsk on 19 August.

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OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG)  Okaloosa County residents should take precautions around three area parks that just received water-quality advisories, according to the Florida Department of Health.

The advisory reportedly covers these locations:

Liza Jackson Park: 338 Miracle Strip Parkway SW, Fort Walton Beach

Marler Park: 1275 Santa Rosa Blvd., Fort Walton Beach

Clement E. Taylor Park: 131 Calhoun Ave, Destin

Florida Healthy Beaches website shows these parks received poor ratings in Enterococcus Bacteria, described as 70.5 or greater Enterococcus sp per 100 ml of marine water.

According to WebMD, enterococci bacteria is found in the intestines of nearly every animal on earth and can lead to difficult-to-treat infections.

VIDEO: Destin teen arrested after leading Florida, Alabama law enforcement on chase: FHP

The DOH said in the release that the results followed an Aug. 19 test.

To see test results for waterways in Florida, visit the Florida Healthy Beaches website. For more information, call 850-833-9247.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued an opinion on Wednesday stating that state legislators are allowed to attend executive sessions of every state agency, board and commission.

The opinion was requested by Representative Mike Osburn, R-Edmond, who was reportedly denied access to a recent State Board of Education executive session in addition to several other legislators.

Another legislator denied access during that executive session at the July 31 meeting was Senator Mary Boren, D-Norman.

Senator Boren is on the education appropriations sub-committee and said it was a violation of the Open Meetings Act for her to be denied access.

Drummonds office previously gave informal guidance to SBE board members and attorney Cara Nicklas, who reportedly ignored that guidance and denied executive session access to three legislators.

According to Drummond, legislators have not reported being denied access to the executive sessions of any other state agency, board or commission.

State Senator considering legal action against state school board, Walters

Under the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act, a legislator who is a member of a legislative committee with jurisdiction over actions of the state agency, board, or commission, is authorized to attend an executive session of the state body, the opinion reads.

There are only two instances that would limit a legislators access to an executive session: when discussions about the purchase or appraisal of real property, or if the legislator is involved in litigation with the state body.

These cases, however, do not completely bar a legislator from attending that executive session; that legislator may not observe the portion devoted to those topics, but are allowed to be present for all other business.

It is a comfort when the law is followed, when you can read words on a page and know what the rules are and to know what is expected of you, said Senator Boren.

The full opinion can be read below.

AG-opinion-legislators-in-exec-sessionsDownload

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
The video above contains heat safety tips from EMSA

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  Multiple Oklahoma City agencies gathered together in August to discuss extreme heat and how it impacts residents.

The city of Oklahoma City and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) hosted an interagency exercise to learn more about how prolonged heat waves can negatively affect the area.

LOCAL NEWS: Oklahoma City receives $2.2M to study 15 bridges

We have seen how a prolonged heat wave can negatively impact Oklahoma City. These events can be particularly deadly for marginalized people such as those experiencing homelessness, outdoor workers, communities of color, children, older adults and people with chronic conditions, OKC Emergency Management Police Lt. David Storer said.

The exercise considered possible short and long-term solutions to a prolonged heat wave, including:

Better understand populations that would be most affected by a heat wave.

Electric companies continue to strengthen the grid to support the high demand for electricity.

Ways organizations can communicate heat risks.

Recommend solutions to avoid heat risks for people, organizations and the community as a whole.

This exercise was designed to help us better plan for and find ways to reduce the effects of a sustained heat event. added Lt. Storer.

Experts from the NOAAs National Centers for Environmental Information say that June 2023 was record hot for some areas in the United States, while other areas saw severe weather and poor air quality. 2024 has produced a dozen billion-dollar weather and climate events, like tornadoes, flooding and a winter storm.

LOCAL NEWS: New OKCPS stadium named to honor McLaughlin family

According to the city, the agencies involved in the exercise include:

NOAA

National Weather Service

OKCs Office of Sustainability

OKC Emergency Management

OKC Risk Management

The University of Oklahoma, OKCPS

Oklahoma County Emergency Management

City Rescue Mission

RestoreOKC

The Regional Medical Response System

Metropolitan Library System

Oklahoma City-County Health Department

Oklahoma Climatology Survey

Oklahoma Corporation Commission

Oklahoma State Dept. of Health

OG&E

The World Health Organization says heat stress can lead to weather-related deaths or make underlying illnesses worse, like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental health, asthma and increase the risk of the transmission of infectious diseases.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
Oklahomas education department quietly made changes that will cause big jumps in state test scores

A classroom sits empty at Mayo Demonstration School in Tulsa Public Schools on April 8, 2024. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice)

OKLAHOMA CITY  A change to Oklahomas method for scoring state tests will cause student proficiency rates to jump by as much as 33% even while internal state records indicate actual academic gains have been stagnant.

School district leaders say the state Department of Education has not disclosed the upswing is due in large part to a new scoring system rather than improvements in public school performance.

Oklahoma schools and families received preliminary test scores this month, showing dramatic increases statewide. But public documents and internal data show the state lowered the amount of knowledge students had to demonstrate in order to score at a proficient level this year.

Records show math and English language arts scores would have been similar or a tick lower than 2023 results across all grade levels had the state not changed its scoring system. Students only in grades 3-8 take state tests in English and math.

In the past, the state Education Department disclosed when new scoring methods caused major statistical differences in test results, but Oklahoma school districts say that hasnt happened this time.

The state Department of Education declined to comment before publication of this story.

This summer, the agency established new performance expectations for math and English language arts tests. It then applied the new grade-level expectations, called cut scores, to the tests Oklahoma students took in the 2023-24 school year.

Oklahoma Voice received the new cut scores and a description of the revision process through an open records request to the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability, whose commissioners approved the new scoring system last month.

As a result of the changes, 51% of Oklahoma third graders have been labeled as proficient or advanced in English language arts, according to the cut scores, which also reflect test results the Education Department posted on its website.

Only 28% of third graders would have been considered proficient or higher under the previous cut scores, according to the Education Departments internal data analysis, which Oklahoma Voice obtained from a source involved in the state assessment process.

That rate is similar to third-grade achievement levels from the previous school year.

Fifth-grade results in English language arts had the greatest boost from the new scoring method. About 59% of fifth graders will be considered proficient this year, an increase of 33%.

Without the recent scoring changes, their proficiency rate would drop to 26%. In 2023, the proficiency rate for fifth-grade English was 28%.

Math results also are expected to jump by 3% to 12%, depending on the grade level, with the new cut scores.

States often reset their cut scores after updating academic standards or when a new administration takes over the public school system  two factors that both apply to Oklahoma, said Marianne Perie, an assessment expert who has worked with Oklahoma and other states on past scoring revisions.

What isnt common is to distribute state test scores without informing schools or the public that a major statistical change has taken place, Perie said. Significant updates to a states cut scores mean the new test results should not be compared to data from the year before.

I think what happens is it causes confusion in how to interpret the score, Perie said.

The state Education Department has not yet released A-F report cards for public schools, which factor in state tests and other accountability measures.

However, the agency already posted state test results on its website, showing statewide averages much higher than last year. Districts have received their preliminary scores, and families have been provided their childrens results.

The state Education Department informed school districts through memos and newsletters that the agency reset grade-level expectations for state tests, a process called standard setting.

The standard setting process took place June 17-20 in Tulsa with 66 math and English teachers from across the state. The teachers developed recommendations for new cut scores, with help from state officials and a vendor that administers the state tests.

But, school leaders in multiple districts say the state agency hasnt informed them that the standard setting process resulted in material differences to proficiency rates.

Multiple districts with schools that ranked in the bottom 5% of the state said the Education Department has not told them if the jump in scores will impact whether they will continue receiving federal school improvement funds, which support the lowest-performing schools.

The U.S. Department of Education did not return a request for comment on whether the state agency has notified the federal government of the scoring changes.

Even without an explanation from state officials, its obvious something must have changed, district leaders said.

Midwest City-Del City Public Schools Superintendent Rick Cobb said hes never seen results grow or decline this significantly except in years when the state changed its scoring.

Were probably seeing some growth, probably hitting that point past the pandemic where statewide were reversing the learning loss, but we didnt reverse 20% of it in one year, Cobb said. Nobody did.

In Watonga Public Schools, Superintendent Kyle Hilterbran said he expected his students to show improvement, but the leap in statewide averages told him the state must have reset its scores. That makes it difficult to gauge exactly how much his students have grown academically.

Its really hard to gain knowledge from last years test because they changed the score so drastically, Hilterbran said.

Hilterbran said hes not opposed to changing the scoring system. He said the previous method set too high a bar to reach proficiency, and the new version might give a more accurate view of student performance in Oklahoma.

The last time Oklahoma test results changed so dramatically was in 2017 when the state updated its scoring methods to align with national standards.

The 2017 revision caused proficiency levels to drop by as much as 43% in a single year.

Back then, schools and the public were informed before test results were released that there would be significant differences. The state Education Department held media briefings before distributing the results to warn Oklahomans of the impending performance drop.

The state also overhauled the way it presented results to make it clear that the 2017 scores could not be compared to the previous year, said Perie, who helped oversee the process in Oklahoma seven years ago as an expert consultant. It replaced its old 400-990 scoring scale with a new range of 200-399, with 300 being the benchmark for proficiency.

This, along with advance public notice of major cut score changes, is considered best practice to ensure schools and parents dont mistakenly conflate two wildly different data sets, Perie said.

Test results posted on the state Education Departments website indicate the agency has kept the same 200-399 scale, despite significantly revising its scoring methods this year.

It really hurts the ability to understand whats going on with testing when we change things underneath but dont change things on the surface, Perie said.

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Oklahoma lawmakers allowed to attend executive sessions of entities they oversee, AG says

Attorney General Gentner Drummond and Cindy Byrd attend the State of the State address earlier this year. (Photo by Kyle Phillips/For Oklahoma Voice)

OKLAHOMA CITY  Lawmakers must be allowed to attend State Board of Education executive sessions, Oklahomas attorney general wrote in an opinion released Wednesday.

Attorney General Gentner Drummonds opinion was requested by Rep. Mike Osburn, R-Edmond, after he and two other lawmakers were denied access to a recent executive session.

It strains credibility and common sense that any legislator would be barred from the executive session of a state agency they oversee, Drummond said. The law is clear: legislators have broad oversight authority whether an agency likes it or not.

The office had previously advised the State Board of Education that lawmakers were allowed to attend executive sessions if they serve on a committee with jurisdiction over the agency. That advice was apparently ignored, according to Drummonds office.

I will not tolerate willful violation of the law, Drummond said. State Board of Education members have a duty to follow the law and they are on notice that the formal opinion I have issued today is binding upon them.

The only limitation is when the agency meets behind closed doors to discuss the purchase or appraisal of real property or when the Legislature or lawmaker is involved with litigation with the agency.

Legislators could be barred from portions of executive session dealing with those topics, but could be present for all other business.

The opinion noted that lawmakers were permitted to attend executive sessions held by the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents and Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

State Superintendent Ryan Walters has had a rocky relationship with the legislative branch, with a bipartisan group of lawmakers calling for his impeachment.

Recently leaders asked the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency to investigate the spending concerns at the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

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DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN)  A beloved Oregon District staple has been placed on the market for sale.

According to Biz Buy Sell, The Trolley Stop building on E. Fifth Street is up for sale. The real estate website shows the owner is retiring, and is asking $900,000 for the property.

Cheez-It factory site to receive Ohio Historical Marker

Since being built in 1839, the site has served as a home, shoe-shine shop, tavern and more.

We are proud to continue those old time traditions  fresh, homemade food from local vendors, friendly service, live music, plenty of delicious cocktails, and, of course, ever-flowing beer taps, said The Trolley Stops website. As the Neighborhood Tavern to the World, we are proud to continue the traditions.

Katie Meyer, president of the Downtown Dayton Partnership, told 2 NEWS the organization wishes the current owner the best in retirement, and hopes the legacy of the longtime site continues.

Trolley Stop is an important part of downtowns story, and we wish the current owner all the best in her retirement, said Meyer. Were hopeful that the right buyer can step in to help this incredible piece of our community continue its legacy downtown.

It is reported the experienced staff is in place, and the current owner will work with the future buyer to make sure the transition runs smoothly.

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One of the biggest tips for students moving into college

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP)  During back-to-school season its not just younger children experiencing a big change but also their older siblings.

Moving into college can be nerve-racking. Many first-year students are going from under their parents roof to on their own and this can be a little scary or cause anxiety.

Its a completely new experience and you are going to meet so many new people and have so many exciting experiences.

Tips on how to ease your childs mental health into a new school year

Students are moving on to college campuses across western Massachusetts. Housing faculty, professors, resident assistants and other college staff members are used to students making this big change and can help.

Olivia Tocchio, Community Director at Springfield College told 22News, Lean on the people around you. We are all really here to make sure everyone feels like its one big community.

With the goal of college campuses being one big community, many students told 22News, one of the biggest tips is to arrive open-minded.

Just talk to everyone, especially in the first couple of weeks. Say hi, be nice because that is a super easy way to just even make small connections, said Kristyn Vasselin, a Sophomore at Springfield College.

Students will adjust to the new environment at different rates.I think it is a lot to take in on the first month honestly, just even the first semester. Just really be open to meeting new friends and taking in as much advice as you can, said Ahunna James, a Sophomore at Springfield College.

Springfield College first-year student, Gavin Veltman has the right mindset for his first time at college, Keep the door open, see who we can meet. He is excited to meet some new people on campus and experience the college life, but for some other students, the transition to being on your own is not as easy.

Its going to be really hard at first, but just like call your Mom and your parents like every day if you can.

Colleges also schedule a parent or family weekend in the fall for an opportunity for students to see their families and parents to check in on how their child is adjusting to school.

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WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  Columbus police are searching for a person believed to have been driving a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run early Wednesday morning on the west side of the city.

According to a CPD incident report, an adult pedestrian was walking in the roadway on Ryan Avenue, approaching Walsh Avenue in the South Hilltop at 2:30 a.m. At the same time a person driving a red 2019-2021 Chevrolet Cruz was traveling northbound on Ryan Ave. when the vehicle struck the pedestrian.

Three dead identified in east Columbus wrong-way, head-on collision

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The driver fled the scene without stopping or checking on the victim, who was taken to an area hospital in critical condition. Police said the victim is expected to survive their injuries.

The Accident Investigation Unit responded to the crash and is asking anyone with knowledge of the involved vehicle or driver to contact the AIU at (614) 645-4767. Those who wish to remain anonymous may contact Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-8477.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) UPDATE: On Wednesday ISP observed a black pickup truck traveling northbound on US 41 near Head Road at around 11:30 a.m. according to a press release. The officer noted that the truck was driving 15 mph over the speed limit and attempted to make a traffic stop.

The driver, Marc Welsh, then ignored the officers lights and started a pursuit reaching speeds over 140 mph southbound. In an effort to evade police, Welsh went off-road near the Wabash River bottoms. Shortly after though Welsh made it back onto US 41 near Evans Drive. During this Welsh drove directly towards another trooper and an off-duty officer who then joined the pursuit. With no escape, Welsh turned into a parking lot to surrender.

A high-speed chase occurred Wednesday afternoon on U.S. 41.

On Wednesday around 11:30, Indiana State Police were involved in a high-speed chase with a black Dodge pickup truck on U.S. 41. The driver, identified as Marc Welsh (38) of Rosedale, led officers on a chase that went off-road.

Our reporter on the scene reports Welsh was apprehended at the Terre Haute Bible Center. Sgt. Matt Ames confirmed to WTWO that Welsh will be arrested and charged with Driving under the Influence, Evading law Enforcement, and Reckless Driving. We will update you as more information becomes available.

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Uniquely is a Fresno Bee series that covers the moments, landmarks and personalities that define what makes living in the Fresno area so special.

Imagine a public space where graffiti artists are encouraged to pick up spray cans and cover walls.

It exists at a Fresno area park  and attracts dozens of graffiti artists and hundreds of visitors every year thanks to its quarter-mile wall that artists can rent for a small fee.

It is the only venue of its kind in all of California that hosts that size of a wall and then the continuous formation of that wall, said Modesto resident Serena Rain Lujan, who is also the founder the Bizare Arts Festival, an annual graffiti and hip hop festival held at Calwa Park every January. Plus, its centrally located for artists from the Los Angeles and Bay Area to gather. That was just the perfect place.

Fresno muralist Hana Luna Her, 25, grew up visiting Calwa Park. She said the park provides a space for young people who might otherwise turn to vandalism or tagging.

Its colorful, its provocative, its in your face, she said. And it really represents whos here.

Founded in 1955, the independent Calwa Park is operated by the Calwa Recreation and Park District with the mission to provide recreational facilities and programs for the surrounding community. Calwa is an unincorporated Fresno County community that developed around the Santa Fe Railroad corridor. The area today is largely Latino.

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The parks creation was inspired by an incident involving a neighborhood child who died while playing in one of the commercial buildings nearby. The railroad donated land for a community park in the mid-1950s, according to the parks website.

On any given day, joggers in sweatpants run laps around the park, children play on the parks playground and teens shoot hoops on the basketball court or grab snacks at the built-in taqueria.

The unique park is also the only place on the West Coast with a quarter-mile long art wall where artists can paint for a small fee, Lujan said.

She created the graffiti art event in 2013 in honor of her brother, Salvador Bizare Lujan, a graffiti artist who in 1986 founded a well-known Bay Area-based graffiti crew called Lords Crew, which today has chapters in Fresno and nationwide (LORDS stands for Legends Of Rare DesignS). Her brother died of a heart attack in 2013 and she wanted to find a way to honor his graffiti legacy.

Last years festival attracted over 80 artists and 1,500 visitors, she said. Next year will be the festivals twelfth year.

Park District Administrator Tim Chapa has been playing soccer at Calwa Park since the late 1970s. He said that growing up, he didnt always consider graffiti to be art because it was associated with gangs and taggers. But his perception has evolved over the years.

Any location in Fresno where you can have artists coming together to show their artwork  its a benefit to the community, he said. I think its wonderful that we provide that opportunity.

How did the graffiti wall come to be?

Graffiti artist and Lords crew member Eric Drane, 51, said he remembers doing required community service hours at Calwa Park when he got into trouble in the mid-1990s as a budding graffiti artist.

He estimates the art wall got its start in the mid-2000s.

I think that somebody that was doing community service there just approached them about it, he recalled.

Drane thinks the parks art wall and the festival are crucial to changing the perceptions around graffiti  and for strengthening community ties.

In this 2015 file photo, graffiti artists work on their sections of the wall at Calwa Park during the second annual Bizare Art Festival.

Its really important especially for Fresno in an educational way because the public gets to kind of see what happens out there, he said. But beyond the festival, he doesnt think professional graffiti artists use the Calwa Art Wall often.

Graffiti, being what it is, you dont pay to paint. Its a very odd thing to pay for your space. Its completely unheard of, he said.

But the Calwa Art Wall is also a space for budding artists, not just professionals.

The last time we had someone come here was two weekends ago, and he was a seventh grader from Clovis (Unified), Chapa said. Not the typical graffiti artist that you would expect, but his parents were out here supporting him.

Drane thinks with the right support and leadership, and spaces like Calwa Park, Fresno could become an important hub for graffiti art  as well as an economic boost to the region.

Itd be amazing for Fresno to essential to become a mural festival destination like they do with (international art festival) Art Basel, he said. Were central located. Its such an easy spot for everybody.

Lujan agrees. She said graffiti artists who have learned of the wall make it a point to stop in Calwa to paint, and eat at local establishments and stay in local hotels and short-term rental spaces like Airbnb.

Were definitely putting Calwa on the map, she said. And Fresno.

The Calwa Park Art Wall is a quarter-mile-long section of wall on the east side of Calwa Park south of Fresno that features 90 different panels of graffiti art. Artists from around Fresno, California and beyond have been able to display their painted art on an 8 to 17 foot section of the wall that stays up until all the other spots on the wall are painted over, and minimum of 2 weeks.

Renovations under way at Calwa park

Chapa said the park district is working with the nonprofit organization Fresno Building Healthy Communities on a nearly $7 million renovation project thanks to a state grate.

The El Dorado Taqueria is a long-time snack shack known to Calwa residents at Calwa Park south of Fresno.

The renovations  which will be the first major upgrades since the 1950s  will include a new state-of-the-art playground, picnic area, gathering plaza and walking loop.

The park is also getting a new swimming pool, thanks to a community grant from Kaiser Permanente.

Building plans have been approved and the project is now out to bid. Chapa said estimates construction will start around October or November.

To paint at the Calwa Art Wall, contact park adminstrators at info@calwarecreation.org or 559.264.6867. Pricing ranges from $15 to $40 depending on the wall size. Art will stay up for a minimum of 2 weeks.

A rocket ship-shaped playground structure is a mainstay at Calwa Park south of Fresno.
One person killed and another injured in collision on Lexington County road, SC cops say

One person was killed and another was injured Tuesday in a crash near Lexington High School, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The two-vehicle crash happened at about 2:30 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. 1/Augusta Highway and Olde Farm Road, said Master Trooper William Bennett.

A 2016 Kia Forte was driving north on Augusta Highway and it collided with a 2017 GMC Acadia that was heading south on Augusta Highway, according to Bennett. The GMC was turning left onto Olde Farm Road when the wreck happened, Bennett said.

Both the driver and a passenger in the Kia were taken to an area hospital where the passenger died, according to Bennett.

The Lexington County Coroners Office has not publicly identified the passenger.

Further information on the drivers condition was not available.

Bennett said neither the driver of the GMC nor a passenger in that SUV were hurt, and no other injuries were reported.

There was no word if any of the people involved in the wreck were wearing seat belts, but the collision continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol.

Through Sunday, 552 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2024, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,030 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported.

At least 30 people have died in Lexington County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 45 deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS reported.
How One Russian Generals Screw-Up May Have Led to Ukraines Border Invasion

A Russian general who was recently appointed to a position in charge of border security may have inadvertently laid the groundwork for Ukraines successful incursion into the Kursk Oblast, according to a report.

Earlier this year, Col. Gen. Alexander Lapin dissolved an interagency council in charge of border security, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The council brought together military officers with local and regional security, but Lapin argued that only the military had the resources to defend the borderand that other agencies need not be involved in the process.

It's not the first blunder for Lapin. The general previously drew criticism for his role in the Russian retreat at Lymanan early defeat for the Russian army at a strategic city in the Ukrainian region of Donbas.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya and a close Putin ally, publicly lambasted Lapin for the defeat at Lyman. I would demote Lapin to private, strip him of his awards and send him to the front lines with a machine gun.

A journalist works near burnt wreckage of vehicles and a building damaged due to hostilities in Sudzha, Russia, in the Kursk Oblast. Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the former head of a mercenary outfit called the Wagner Group, also criticized the strategic defeat at the time, stating All these bastards should be sent barefoot to the front with automatic guns, Reuters reported after the battle. Despite the criticism, Lyman was still promoted to chief of staff for the Russian Ground Forces in January 2023.

Meanwhile, Ukraines surprise offensive continued on Tuesday and Wednesday. Last night, Ukrainian forces launched one of the largest drone attacks inside Russia since the war began in 2022, targeting the Russian capital and border regions north of Ukraine.

The Russian military claimed it shot down 45 drones, including 11 over Moscow, Reuters reported. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed on Telegram at least two drones were shot down over the suburb of Podolsk, but caused no damage or casualties.

Men carry coffins during the funeral of six Ukrainian servicemen, who were killed after Ukraine launched its offensive at the Russian border region of Kursk. ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP via Getty Images

On Wednesday, Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of Bryansk Oblast, another border region directly northwest of Kursk, said that Russian troops encountered another Ukrainian attempt to capture more territory.

Bogomaz confirmed on his Telegram channel that fighting was stabilized and that Ukrainian forces suffered fire damage. It is unclear if Ukrainian troops are still present in the region.

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One Russian Shahed flies again to Belarus, another returns to Russia

One of the kamikaze drones launched by Russian troops flew into the territory of Belarus and another into Russias Belgorod Oblast on the night of 20-21 August.

Source: Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of Ukraines Air Force

Quote from Mykola Oleshchuk: "An enemy attack UAV was spotted crossing the state border with the Republic of Belarus in Chernihiv Oblast, and another Russian UAV returned to its homeland in Belgorod Oblast."

Details: On Tuesday night, Russia launched 69 kamikaze drones at Ukraine, 50 of which were shot down by Ukrainian air defence, while 16 Russian UAVs were lost locally, which means they were probably impacted by electronic countermeasures.

Background:

Belaruski Hajun, an independent Belarusian military monitoring media outlet, noted that Ukrainian Telegram channels reported that at around 08:40, one of the Shahed-type kamikaze drones entered the airspace of Belarus from the direction of Chernihiv Oblast of Ukraine. It was noted that, according to preliminary data, the UAV continued to move west along the Belarusian-Ukrainian border.

Russia launched a combined air attack against Ukraine on the night of 20-21 August. Ukrainian defence forces destroyed 51 of the 72 Russian air targets.

Russian kamikaze drones have been repeatedly recorded flying into Belarusian territory in the summer of 2024. Belarusian self-proclaimed authorities have not commented on this.

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Days after firing an officer who discharged his Taser at a colleague, Opa-locka City Manager Darvin Williams denied the officers claims of retaliation at a press conference Wednesday morning. Police Chief Kenneth Ottley said that former captain Sergio Perez was terminated after a comprehensive and thorough investigation determined he had crossed a line, violating seven departmental policies in the process.

When our officers come to work, they have to know that they are supported and appreciated, and that the officers standing beside them will conduct themselves in a professional manner, Williams said.

Perez, a veteran police sergeant, was fired Monday for the second time in his 14-year career with the department for firing a Taser at a fellow officer, Sgt. Michael Steel. Perez has faced internal investigations throughout his career, including after allegedly abusing a mentally ill teen during a 2020 arrest.

The internal affairs investigation regarding the Taser incident concluded that Perez violated several department policies, including misusing equipment, injuring an officer and administrative misconduct. While Perez told the Miami Herald on Tuesday that he believed his termination was retaliation for reporting corruption within the department, Williams denied those accusations Wednesday.

After the press conference, Evan Ross, a communications consultant for Opa-locka, said there was no question about Perez inappropriately discharging a Taser at an officer or about the physical injury done to Steel.

According to the internal affairs report, in September 2021, Perez went up to Steel, who was sitting at his desk, to certify him with a new Taser. Steel repeatedly told Perez that he did not want to be shocked with the Taser, but Perez fired the Taser at Steel anyway. The report said Perez told Steel to stop being a baby and then walked away laughing. Steel reported the incident days later. Perez was criminally charged for his actions but when prosecutors dropped the case in January, the department picked back up with its internal investigation.

Perezs lawyer on Tuesday said they planned to challenge his termination.

When asked Wednesday about what changes the department might be undergoing, Williams said that there are none planned at this time but that the department is in a constant review process.

Under Ottleys steadfast leadership, our department is not just changing, but the Opa-locka police department is evolving, Williams said.

Miami Herald reporter Devoun Cetoute contributed to this story.
STATESBORO, Ga. (WSAV)  23 defendants are charged following two federal indictments being unsealed. The indictments show the use of drones to deliver illegal contraband to Georgia state prisons.

According to U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, Jill E. Steinberg, the indictments were unsealed by U.S. District Court.

Conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute marijuana and methamphetamine is the primary charge and carries a statutory penalty of 10 years to life in prison. It also includes substantial financial penalties as well as a minimum of five years of supervised release.

These indictments identify networks of individuals determined to introduce into prisons-controlled substances and other contraband that compromise the safety and security of individuals who are held in those facilities and those employed there, and further endanger members of the outside public, said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. Were grateful to the many federal, state and local law enforcement agencies whose cooperative work unraveled these criminal operations.

Operation Night Drop was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces by agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Georgia Department of Corrections Criminal Investigations and Intelligence divisions, with assistance from multiple local law enforcement agencies.

Its task was to identify two networks of prison inmates and outside accomplices who used drones along with other methods to deliver massive quantities of drugs, cell phones and other contraband to Smith State Prison in Glennville, Ga., Telfair State Prison in McRae-Helena, Ga., and various other Georgia state prisons. The indictments allege the conspiracies began as early as 2019 and continued through July 2024.

Along with the conspiracy charge, some defendants are also charged with Unlawful Use of a Communication Facility. The indictment provides collected information showing that cell phones were used to give outside accomplices instructions, arrange deliveries via drones and coordinate the sale of drugs and other contraband.

Acquired text messages and Facebook Messenger exchanges between the defendants included aerial images of prisons, drug quantities and prices. It also included photos of drones, drugs, cell phones, and materials/equipment used for packaging contraband.

The indictments include notices that the government seeks the forfeiture of 10 drones and 21 firearms seized during the investigation.

Jasper County Sheriffs Office to take part in Hands Across the Border campaign

The 15 defendants charged with conspiracy in USA v. Hall, et al., are:

Alan Hall, a/k/a Strong, a/k/a Krook, 44, currently incarcerated at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, Ga;

Deivon Waller, a/k/a Hitman, a/k/a VP, 33, currently incarcerated at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, Ga.;

Travious Bateman, a/k/a Nut, 39, of Covington, Ga. Bateman was in the continuous custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections until March 7, 2022;

Asa Ward, a/k/a Foolay, 28, currently incarcerated at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, Ga.;

Devonn Collins, a/k/a Vonn, 28, of Locust Grove, Ga. Collins was in the continuous custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections until Feb. 12, 2019, and again from Sept. 5, 2019 to April 14, 2020;

Torlandus Fuller, a/k/a Mustafa$upa, 33, of Lithonia, Ga. Fuller was in the continuous custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections until Oct. 1, 2021;

Martin Holmes, a/k/a The Mayor, 33, currently incarcerated at Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, Ga.;

Raymond Razo, a/k/a Flako, 36, currently incarcerated at Telfair State Prison in McRae-Helena, Ga.;

Anisha Usher, 38, of Covington, Ga.;

Marquez Chandler, 25, of Conyers, Ga. Chandler was in the continuous custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections from Nov. 9, 2021 to June 2, 2023;

Chad Henry, 26, of Conyers, Ga.;

Katrina Hampton, 28, of Killeen, Texas;

Jamar Hill, 37, of Tucker, Ga. Hill was in the continuous custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections until Feb. 3, 2020, and again from Dec. 15, 2020 to Jan. 6, 2022;

Raane Onessimo, 29, of Powder Springs, Ga.; and,

Donald Pate, 51, of Valdosta, Ga. Pate was in the continuous custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections from Jan. 3, 2019 to Jan. 6, 2021.

Seven of the eight defendants named in USA v. Harris, et al., are charged with conspiracy:

Robert Harris, a/k/a Messiah, a/k/a Dean, 32, currently incarcerated at Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, Ga.;

Kelvin Rogers, a/k/a Gangsta, 38, currently incarcerated at Smith State Prison in Glennville, Ga.;

Quinton Samples, a/k/a JR, 29, of Atlanta. Samples was in the continuous custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections until March 10, 2022;

Thomas Cothran, a/k/a Shoota, a/k/a Tee, 37, currently incarcerated at Ware State Prison in Waycross, Ga.;

Quintaveous Samples, a/k/a Peewee, 26, of Jonesboro, Ga.;

Quinesha Oliver, 27, of Jonesboro, Ga.; and,

Tristahn Ash, a/k/a Mohawk, 27, currently incarcerated at the Metro Reentry Facility in Atlanta. Ash had been in custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections prior to the start of indictment, was released on Aug. 5, 2020, and reentered Department of Corrections custody on May 11, 2023.

David Williams, 35, of Atlanta, who is the eighth defendant, is charged along with Tristahn Ash with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime.

During the conspiracies, six of the 23 defendants listed in the two indictments were not in Department of Corrections custody. Each of them is reported to have been in contact with incarcerated co-defendants in furtherance of the conspiracy.

Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSAV-TV.
It was a different electorate when Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton accepted his partys nomination on behalf of the forgotten middle class in 1992.

There was no Blue Wall. Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin voted red. Democrats had lost three straight presidential elections. The electorate was 88% white, and there werent enough Hispanics voting to even show up in the exit polls.

I am a product of Americas middle class. And when I am your president, you will be forgotten no more, Clinton said to thunderous applause. He wasnt expected to win against President George H.W. Bush, a Greatest Generation decorated veteran.

Americas love for youth and change carried Clinton and Sen. Al Gore of Tennessee, two baby boomers from the South, to the White House. When Clinton addresses the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night, it will be with the expectation that another unlikely standard-bearer will be victorious, because Vice President Kamala Harris represents the America of today and the future just as Clinton did in his time.

In the three decades since Clinton was first elected, enormous demographic and culture shifts have taken place that dictate how campaigns are run and where they find their voters.

Still, one thing remains true: What you stand for really matters, says Al From, founder of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), which helped Clinton hone his message to win back working-class white voters, dubbed Reagan Democrats. The Rev. Jesse Jackson mocked the DLC as Democrats for the Leisure Class for defying liberal orthodoxy with a pro-business, trade-friendly agenda and, on cultural issues, promising to end welfare as we know it and put 100,000 cops on the streets, policies that addressed the anxieties of the 1980s and 90s.

When Joe Biden won the presidency in 2020, the electorate was 20 points less white than in the Clinton era. Diverse groups are the core of the partys support. Yet a central focus of the Harris-Walz ticket is to reach those same white voters without college degrees whom the DLC identified in 1992. Harris needs to win enough of their votes to get close to where Biden was with this group in 2020.

Clinton left office with a 66% approval rating after having created almost 23 million jobs and left a budget surplus that his successor, Bush, blew through with tax cuts for the rich. Clintons policies created a dream economy, but not everybody benefited, which led in part to the populist uprising we see today that is fueled by the resentments of those left behind.

Its hard to make judgments about the validity of policy when youre assessing it against a reality thats 30 years later, From told me. We set an agenda for the 1990s. It wasnt an agenda for 2020.

Trade was a big part of Clintons message, and it meant taking on the unions. Ross Perot, the populist billionaire from Texas, had warned during the 1992 presidential campaign that free trade would create a giant sucking sound as American manufacturing jobs fled across the border to Mexico. And in 1993, Perot and Vice President Al Gore held a joint TV appearance to debate the merits of NAFTA  the free-trade agreement Clinton negotiated.

Clinton championed Most Favored Nation trading access for China, comparing its historic significance to President Richard Nixons opening of China. The glow faded when China flooded markets with cheap exports, and if theres one thing that Democrats and Republicans agree on today, it is the threat that Chinas trade practices pose to markets and the global economy.

It is a legitimate criticism that the people designing the Clinton program ... we didnt see how serious the impact would be on non-college workers, says Robert Shapiro, who was Clintons principal economic adviser during the 92 campaign. Trade wasnt the only culprit. Most of the jobs lost were not to trade but technology, but the number of workers fell sharply.

The 90s were sharply partisan, with Republican rabble-rouser Newt Gingrich ascending to speaker of the House and cultural issues getting more weaponized. During the 1992 campaign, Clinton had responded yes to a question about gays serving in the military. The issue took on an energy all its own and consumed much of the early months of his presidency.

Opposed were the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Colin Powell, and Sam Nunn, the Democratic senator from Georgia who chaired the powerful Armed Services Committee. Faced with their firepower, Clinton backed down, signing compromise legislation dubbed dont ask, dont tell, which allowed gay people in the military if they followed a code of silence.

It wasnt something Clinton was proud of, and he would compound his anger and embarrassment when, in 1996, in the middle of his re-election campaign, he reluctantly signed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which had passed both chambers of Congress with big bipartisan majorities. To signal his displeasure, he signed the bill alone in the White House after midnight on a Friday with no cameras present.

Clinton did what he had to as a politician navigating an intensifying conservative climate that would challenge the country. The Senate repealed dont ask, dont tell in 2010. The Supreme Court struck down DOMA in 2013 in a 5-4 ruling.

The cultural issue that todays Republicans are wielding is transgender rights. So far, Gov. Tim Walz has the best response: Mind your own damn business.

Clinton might have something to say about that, too. He was, after all, impeached by the Gingrich-led House. The Republican-led Senate couldnt even muster a majority, much less the two-thirds required to convict Clinton for what most Americans viewed as a personal matter. Five Republicans joined all 45 Democrats to acquit Clinton.

Clinton carried Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in 1992 and 1996, elevating them to the Blue Wall status they enjoy today. It was an extraordinary feat at the time, since conventional wisdom held that the GOP had a lock on the Electoral College. We didnt break the lock; we picked it, Clinton strategist James Carville said at the time.

The imbalance has only grown, with the candidate who wins the popular vote not assured of prevailing in the Electoral College. Clinton and Gore harnessed the energy of their generation just as Harris and Walz (both technically baby boomers  but just barely) must inspire and motivate the generations that follow to win against these built-in structural odds.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
During the bitterly divided 2004 presidential election, a Senate candidate from Illinois took the stage and urged Americans to think about their common values instead of their differences. Four years later, then-state Sen. Barack Obama spoke at the convention as the partys presidential nominee. As a candidate who looked like no past party nominee  referring to himself as a skinny kid with a funny name  Obama promised hope and change. These promises had a dual nature: to alter the way of doing politics in Washington and return to common values, while also ushering in a new, bold era for a Democratic Party that had long been in the shadow of Reagan-style Republican ideals. The rhetoric inspired voters, but achieving real change proved to be a much more significant challenge.

In his Tuesday address at the Democratic National Convention, the change candidate spoke as a party elder, in a speech that recalled themes from his 2004 address. The former president and former first lady Michelle Obama remain popular, especially among Democrats. And the connection to Vice President Kamala Harris is long-standing, as Obama was a supporter of her candidacies for attorney general and U.S. Senate in California.

A lot has changed since he was president; but the old Obama was still there, talking about national reconciliation and asserting that, none of us wants to live in a country thats bitter and divided, and urging patience with others who dont share all of our views.

In a 2009 interview, Gwen Ifill referred to Harris as the female Barack Obama, describing a new group of Black politicians who chose public service over a more lucrative private sector career. And, of course, Harris served as the vice president to the politician who was once Obamas vice president, Joe Biden. At the same time, there are some key differences. Harris isnt the first Black presidential candidate, but shes the first after the racial backlash of the 2016 election and the Trump presidency, the 2020 George Floyd protests, and the pushback against teaching the nations racial history in some states. Harris is also the child of immigrants at a time when immigration is much more polarized and higher on the public agenda than it was when Obama ran in 2008. Shes not the first woman nominee, but shes the first to run in a post-Dobbs environment. Before becoming Bidens vice president, she built her national profile on being adversarial toward Trump and his administration. There will be talk of unity and healing at the DNC, but theres no denying the political climate has become more intense, and the political significance of identity issues has changed.

Obamas legacy in the party is complicated. He obviously wanted his presidency to end with the election of his chosen successor, Hillary Clinton. Instead, Donald Trump was elected, along with a Republican-controlled Congress. Scholars of political parties, myself included, have criticized Obamas party-building efforts and connected them to these political setbacks. His chosen leader of the Democratic National Committee, Debbie Wasserman Schulz, had a tumultuous tenure. Obama didnt do much to build up parties or progressive networks at the state level, in addition to the losses in Congress at the state level. (Although it wasnt entirely negative; Obama accomplished some long-standing party goals, including but not limited to the Affordable Care Act and major strides in LGBTQ rights and marriage equality.)

The constraints on Obamas ability to deliver the change he promised werent all about the Democratic coalition, either. His was a new era of partisan rancor, driven in large part by a unified and hostile Republican opposition. Congressional Republicans refused to work with the administration, talked about making him a one-term president, and refused to even consider his 2016 Supreme Court nominee. When the GOP won control of the House in the 2010 midterms  a historic midterm-seat loss for the presidents party  the prospect of meaningful legislation largely evaporated.

In 2016, the fissure between the Bernie Sanders and Clinton factions was just taking shape, and led to some uncomfortable moments at the national convention. During the Trump years, the party has changed in a few crucial ways. For one, in the 2018 elections and beyond, record numbers of women, people of color, religious minorities and LGBTQ people have won elected office, reflecting Obamas legacy of historic political firsts. The progressive wing of the party has asserted itself in national politics and policy with the emergence of the squad in the House, and significant attention to the presidential bids of Elizabeth Warren and Sanders.

If Harris wins, its far from assured shell have Democratic majorities in either house of Congress. But if she does, those majorities will look quite different from how they did in 2009.

Following Michelle Obamas fiery speech, Barack Obama praised the patriotism and leadership of Biden in his own address. He illustrated Harris vision of a bolder Democratic Party, both by talking about policy (housing, labor rights) and also delivering a scathing takedown of Trump and Trumpism. He offered a telling detail about how the Democratic Party has shifted, at one point noting that Harris, as California AG, pushed him on legal action against predatory mortgage lenders.

While Obama wove these together by suggesting that his  and the Democrats  philosophy is one of mutual responsibility, the tension between boldness and reconciliation may be even higher now than it was in 2009 or even 2016. Presidents always balance competing imperatives to lead country and party. And after the presidencies of both Trump and Biden, Harris navigates an environment in which both have changed. In 2008, Obama highlighted his policy differences with his opponent, John McCain, and suggested that Republican ideas had failed, capitalizing on the sour public mood at the end of the George W. Bush presidency.

Harris will undoubtedly stress policy differences as well, focusing on Trumps connections with Project 2025. But its hard to imagine Obama calling McCain weird as a central line of attack. Obama ran after eight years of a Republican-controlled White House, affording him room to attack and promise reinvention. Harris runs as the sitting vice president, facing a delicate balance between affirming the administration shes served in while forging her own political identity. But in the changed political environment since 2016, she may prove to be more of a change candidate in the end.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
August 20 is an important day in American history.

On Aug. 20, 1619, it marked the painful beginning of slavery for Black people in America.

405 years later, on Aug. 20, 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris would officially become the first Black woman in American history to be nominated as a presidential candidate of a major political party.

And on that same historic day, the nation would hear one of the most inspiring political speeches of all time from the first Black woman to occupy the White House as the nations First Lady, Michelle Obama.

Michelle Obama Torches Trumps Ugly, Misogynistic, Racist Lies at DNC

Nothings a coincidence that the Chicago native welcomed the Democratic National Convention in her hometown with a level of passion, reflection, and conviction thats been lacking in politics for quite some time.

For many years, its become clear that Forever First Lady Michelle Obamas popularity has only endured following the astronomical success of her two autobiographical books and viral frank talk about our current state of politics.

Many have often suggested that she should consider political office herself. She has made it clear multiple times that she has no interest. After watching the racism and stress it took on her husband up close for eight years, nobody should blame her.

And thats exactly why her 20 minute speech on Tuesday night was arguably one of the best political speeches of all time because it came from the mouth of a Black woman who has seen the promise and peril of Americawithout wanting anything more than Americans to do something.

There is a natural ease to Michelle Obama that resonates in ways her contemporaries in politics havent been able to measure. Her upbringing is as familiar to many Americans across various identities, while being unique to her personal journey all the same. The First Lady is the embodiment of the American Dream (pulling herself up by the bootstraps to succeed in life) while also enduring the nightmare of American racism (facing discrimination and hatred of others for having earned such success).

Former first lady of the United States Michelle Obama speaks during Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 20, 2024. Alyssa Pointer/Reuters

After helping her husband, former President Barack Obama, win the White House and bring hope to a new generation of Americans, she witnessed a cultural reset with the following election victory of Donald Trump.

For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us, the First Lady said. See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black.

But rather than wallow in that legitimate pain, Mrs. Obama pivots to optimism, hope, and a level of self-determination thats more than inspiring, but a requiem of how we collectively save this democracy.

Going small is the opposite of what we teach our kids. Going small is petty. Its unhealthy. And quite frankly, its unpresidential, she said. So, why would any of us accept this from anyone seeking our highest office?

It is in this moment when the guiding principle of the Forever First Lady rings true: We dont ever have to lower our standards, hope, and expectations for good based on the misdeeds of others. While thats a hard pill for many of us to swallow in these turbulent times, Michelle Obama has truly been the personification of thatan undeniable reality that should make us all reflect.

If theres anyone who could give up on America, its her. She truly played by the rules, and saw the very country that gave her hope betray her sense of it by electing a man who attacked her familyand those who looked like herover and over again. But the irony of America is that in moments of despair, comes instant karmaand Michelle Obamas ability to capture it once again.

I want to knowI want to knowwhos going to tell him, whos going to tell him, that the job he is currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs? she said while referring to Trumps controversial remarks that immigrants are taking Black jobs.

Former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama greets her husband, former U.S. President Barack Obama, on stage before his speech during Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 20, 2024. Mike Segar/Reuters

Here she was in front of America having the opportunity to endorse another Black woman to take down the man who has been the bane of not only her existencebut that of her culture. To see thousands in a packed room cheer her on as she rallied them to do so not only was a major blow to Trumps egobut a clear reminder that hope is making a comeback in America with the First Lady being able to do so.

Dont complain if no one from the campaign has specifically reached out to ask for your support. There is simply no time for that kind of foolishness, she says towards the end of her powerful speech. This is your official ask, Michelle Obama is asking you, no Im telling yall to do something.

It was not only a clarion call we needed more than ever, but a reminder that the one who blew the trumpet is one of the greatest to ever do it.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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I like to joke that Ive only ever lived in the colon of the country. From Texas to South Dakota to Minnesota, now Iowa  the states where people say they are from but rarely ever move to.

When I tell people where I live, after getting Iowa confused with Ohio, they ask me why I dont just move. Why dont I leave? Why dont I get the hell out where I could maybe get some reproductive rights? What about my kids?

People used to be able to say that Iowa was a good place to raise kids. But with my states disinvestment from public schools, the book bans and attacks on trans kids, you cant say that anymore. The people who love it here tell me to leave, too, because Ive made a career of writing about the problems with this state.

In picking Tim Walz as her running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris seems to be sending a message to flyover places: that we arent forgotten.

Walz is a man who exudes an authentic Midwestern ethos. His rounded vowels and softened consonants are not a put on. Unlike the thousands of politicians who come to the Midwest to talk agriculture policy, roll up flannel sleeves, stand in front of a hay bale for a picture and then get the hell out, Walz is from places people write off. Having grown up in Nebraska, Walz moved to rural Minnesota and worked as a teacher at Mankato West High School. His wife, Gwen, and I attended the same small rural college that no one outside the twin cities or Lutheran Church culture has ever heard of.

Walz is the Midwestern dad of memes. Slapping his thighs and saying whelp, wearing camo not because hes cosplaying, but because he actually likes to hunt. And its important that he is Midwestern, because like being middle class, being Midwestern is a self-designated identity marker of normalcy. This land is the middle of two coasts, pulled in between the perceived extremes, and its become a metaphor for American values.

The Midwest has many competing identities: First Nations, white settlers, the waves of immigrants who found a home here. And sometimes when someone will say something like, Oh, Chicago is not Midwestern, what they really mean is that its too diverse to fit their definition of the whiteness of this place.

But if definitions can exclude, they can also include. This land is a closed fist sometimes, but it can also be an open hand.

Walzs history as governor is not one of exclusion; its one of openness, welcome and inclusivity. Walzs entire identity is what we think of when we think of the average American, but his politics are radically inclusive. And, as such, he offers a different vision of what this country can be. His policies, which include giving kids free school lunch and offering paid parental leave, being vehemently pro-reproductive rights and LGBTQ reflect, not the bitter-chip-on-the-shoulder-own-the-libs politics that the Midwest has been defined by during the Trump era, but a generous and expansive political vision that harkens back to Paul Wellstone, Tom Harkin and Tom Daschle. Pundits like to write off this region, but recent progressive wins in Wisconsin, Michigan and Kansas show that this land is more complicated than it looks when you simply fly over it or look at it on an electoral map.

Walz himself has decried the reductivist thinking of red state/blue state maps, in 2023 noting, We need to find the first person who put that red-blue map up and beat the hell out of them for putting that on, because it divided the country.

He is right. The value of a land should not be decided on its politics. Right after an inland hurricane tore through my town and people were struggling for help, a common refrain on social media was, Thats what you get for voting for Republicans. As if the accidents of birth geography, and the intentional segregation of gerrymandering and voter suppression, meant people should suffer. I saw people saying similarly dismissive things after the energy crisis in Texas, and people will be saying it as Floridians suffer in the wake of its most recent hurricane. Its a cruel calculation. One that equates politics with virtue and virtue with worthiness. But the reality is people need help simply because they are people.

And if this election is about who gets to define this country and who gets to be defined, picking Walz makes sense. Hes an older white man and he is out there calling Trump and Vance weird  aberrations from the norm  and that critique means something coming from him, a white male governor from a Midwestern state. A region so often mocked for its blandness that the blandness, like the Miracle Whip in the potato salads, becomes a binding agent  a cohesiveness we very much need in the vastness and complexity of America.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Former President Donald Trump stood before the media on Tuesday afternoon to lie about crime. This isnt the first time he has fabricated fictions about violent immigrants streaming across the border or cities under an onslaught of criminally violent minorities, crumbling pillars of the Republican case against Vice President Kamala Harris. But it was the setting, outside the Livingston County Sheriffs Office in Howell, Michigan, that infused his rambling with an even darker undertone than normal.

I dont remember when I first learned about Howells association with the Ku Klux Klan. Im not a native of Michigan; my family moved there the year I turned 12. But by the time I was in college, it was a readily understood joke among my friends that thered be no stopping for gas in Howell if I was in the car. I would stare at the signage on the interstate as wed cruise past, grateful the tank was nowhere near empty.

In the 1970s and 80s, at the peak of the citys links to the white supremacist movement, Robert Miles, the grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, had a Howell mailing address and was known to hold rallies on a nearby farm property. Black residents of nearby Detroit knew full well not to set foot in the town, a belief that  if it hasnt expired  lasted at minimum deep into the early 2000s.

The city has worked hard to shake that association with hate movements, a project that was damaged last month during a previous Trump visit to Michigan. Though the campaign rally held that day was across the state in Grand Rapids, a small group of masked white supremacists marched through downtown Howell chanting Heil Hitler. Later that day, another demonstration was held on a highway overpass, featuring a swastika flag and people chanting, We love Hitler. We love Trump.

I want to stress that this was only a dozen or so racists and that the citys officials dont support the hatefulness that was displayed. Although we recognize their right to free speech, these demonstrators do not reflect the values of the Howell community, the city said in a statement at the time. But its not a stretch to say that the men who gathered that day knew the significance of the location theyd picked.

Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy tried to de-emphasize the matter in a Facebook post ahead of Trumps visit. Within the last month, theres been a couple of folks that have come here to cause a little bit of a stir, spew some hate speech, white supremacy crap, he said in the video. He also denied that Trumps appearance was meant to be a political event, calling it a press conference, instead.

Notably, though, Trump didnt take a single question from the assembled reporters after delivering his remarks, which sounded like his usual stump speech sprinkled with a few dodgy statistics. Ive been unable to figure out whose figures he was supposedly citing when he claimed that crime had spiked since Vice President Kamala Harris took office. In reality, weve seen major declines in violent crime since a peak in 2020, both across the country and especially in Detroit.

But the supposed statistics he was offering were less important than the rhetoric surrounding them. This was an audience that Trump wanted to hear this particular diatribe.

Like his presidency, Trumps presidential campaigns have always been in a constant state of dissonance between a claimed respect for law and order and a flagrant flouting of the rule of law. He has been quick to sidle up to the police and stoke their belief that any mention of accountability is a grave attack upon them. In speaking with Murphy and several deputies standing behind him, Trump clearly sought to project strength to a sympathetic audience who would accept his entirely vibes-based argument that theres a Kamala crime wave.

The thing is, though, thats a point that Trump could have made standing in front of SUVs emblazoned with a sheriffs logo in any small town in any swing state in the country. Howells history, both long-term and recent, sets it apart.

The same could be easily said about Trumps decision to hold a rally in Waco, Texas, to defend the Jan. 6 rioters. It was likewise similar to presidential candidate Ronald Reagans choice in 1980 to give a speech about states rights at the Neshoba County Fair in Mississippi. Neshoba is the county where civil rights workers Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner and James Chaney had been kidnapped and murdered 16 years earlier. Reagan made the deliberate choice to speak there to win over lingering segregationists in the state.

There is no world in which Trumps team didnt understand the significance of holding that event in Howell. That he did so is to the great detriment of the people who have worked to show they now outnumber the cowards who chanted antisemitic comments and expressed support for Trump from behind masks last month. Howell is not the place it was in the 1970s and 80s  but as we saw last month, there are people who hope that it can be again if Trump is returned to leadership. They chanted, We love Hitler. We love Trump. Trump hasnt even condemned them.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Ukraine's military has taken control of a huge swath of Russia, a strategy whose outcome is not yet clear. (Roman Pilipey / AFP via Getty Images)

Through the summer, the mood in Ukraine was darkening. Daily air alerts. Burning and ruined power plants, hospitals, apartment blocks and shopping centers. Reports of Russia capturing yet another Ukrainian settlement. Mounting casualties. International military assistance increasingly looking like too little, too late. Breaking with his cool, steadfast optimism, a friend of mine in Ukraine lamented: The West is cowardly. They dont help us enough. They fear Putin too much.

Read more: Opinion: Helping Ukraine to strike inside Russia is already paying off

It was not just his view. In my opinion polls in May and June with Ukraines National Academy of Sciences Institute of Sociology  funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation  78% of 477 Ukrainians we tracked saw Western military aid as insufficient for Ukraine to repel Russias invasion  up from 65% a year ago.

Then came Aug. 6, and since then my family, friends and colleagues have started sounding cautiously upbeat.

Read more: Opinion: Western aid isn't prolonging the war in Ukraine. This is

That was the day Ukrainian forces crossed into Russias Kursk province. Seizing more territory from Russia in days than Russia seized from Ukraine in a year, Ukrainian troops cut off vital supply roads, blew up two key bridges, destroyed Russian forces heading toward Ukraine, captured an underground ammunition depot and took hundreds of Russian prisoners of war, with some entire units surrendering.

It is now Moscow, not Kyiv, asking to swap prisoners. Russian units started relocating toward this region and away from other fronts in the war, potentially easing the pressure on Ukraines defenses.

Can these successes give Ukraine leverage to end the war? The answer is twofold.

On one hand, Russias war machine is huge, its coffers are brimming with cash from energy exports, and it gets drones, missiles and shells from Iran and North Korea. While Ukraine scores in Kursk, Russia, on average, keeps firing 4,000 artillery rounds, launching 100 massive glide bombs and mounting more than 120 infantry assaults along the 600-mile front every day. Russian ground forces close in on Pokrovsk, a critical stronghold in Ukraines east. Putin doesnt budge.

On the other hand, Ukraines push north is precisely the kind of action that stands the best chance of eventually bringing this war to an end. Critically, Ukraine has signaled to the Kremlin that it has the audacity to surprise Russia and do things Russian forces may be unable to counter. Think of Operation Ocean Venture of the 1980s: U.S. air sorties deep into Russia from carriers improbably parked in icy Norwegian fjords ultimately convinced the Soviet top brass they could not stop us. This helped end the Cold War.

It is Putin now who is on the defensive and has to guess. Where may Ukrainian forces move next, given the absence of defense lines? Can they strike the Russian forces advancing on Ukraine from the rear? Would they attempt to take over the Kursk nuclear power plant? What may they do after seizing the only hub through which Russias natural gas flows to Europe?

History tells us that to end the war Ukraine will need to keep surprising Russia. And Ukraine will need U.S. help. Some support is already happening: While Ukraine uses Western military gear inside Russia, the Biden administration has not publicly called on Kyiv to pull back. Showing bipartisan support, U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) visited Kyiv and called Ukraines Kursk operation bold and brilliant. These are important signals to Putin that he cannot endlessly exploit U.S. fears of escalation and U.S. self-deterrence.

More will be needed. Getting Moscow to face more uncertainty is key. The obvious next move is to lift the American ban on how far inside Russia Ukraine can fire the longer-range weapons Washington and its allies have provided, while helping Ukraine stay committed to its disciplined practice of restricting strikes to military and related targets. The goal is not for Ukraine to wantonly destroy any Russian airfield or shoot down any Russian warplane as far as the Caspian Sea, but it is key that Putin realize Kyiv can and might do so.

Ukraine would also benefit if the Biden administration would endorse Grahams idea to make it possible for retired U.S. F-16 pilots to volunteer for service in Ukraine. This would reverse the unfortunate signals we sent to Moscow when it became known not enough Ukrainian pilots were trained to fly the F-16s Kyiv received this summer.

For the Kursk venture to become a game changer, we need to help Ukraine make Putin worry harder. Are any Russian warships, air defense systems, logistical hubs, lines of supply or communication infrastructure safe? What if Washington talks to Turkey about letting U.S. naval ships enter the Black Sea? What if ships carrying North Korean missiles to Russia are blockaded?

Americans have a real opportunity now not only to help Ukraine but also to seize the deterrence initiative and make Putin think twice before harming the U.S. or our allies anywhere.

Of course, Ukraine faces multiple risks as well. But as a friend in Kyiv summed it up: Kursk raises big uncertainties. And 90% of them are not in Russias favor.

Mikhail Alexseev, a professor of international relations at San Diego State University, is the author of Without Warning: Threat Assessment, Intelligence, and Global Struggle and principal investigator of the War, Democracy and Society project funded by the National Science Foundation.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walzs open acknowledgement that he and his wife used fertility treatments to conceive their two children and his candid discussions about that generated one of the most moving moments during a rally in Glendale, Arizona, when people chanted the name of his firstborn daughter, Hope. The positive reaction to the candidates discussion of the topic confirms the thumbs-up that Vice President Kamala Harris got for choosing her running mate from every faction of the Democratic Party  from moderates such as Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va.; progressives such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; and even erstwhile conservative Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., who left the party this year.

But Tim and Gwen Walz also deserve positive attention for the way theyve discussed their son, Gus, who came into the national spotlight thanks to a piece in People magazine, about his nonverbal learning disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. That makes him double-neurodiverse.

Simply having a neurodivergent son is not enough reason for him to be praised; indeed, many parents of neurodivergent children have been harmful to their children and peddled harmful ideas, including the idea that vaccines cause autism. Rather, what makes the Walz familys story so reassuring is that they seem to want to help Gus live a good life rather than change who he is.

Follow MSNBC's live blog for real-time updates on the final night of the Democratic National Convention.

According to the Child Mind Institute, nonverbal learning disorder, or NVLD, affects nonverbal forms of learning like the ability to notice patterns or learn concepts, including visual and social patterns as well as concepts in language and math. Because of the similar traits, people with NVLD are often confused as being on the autism spectrum and vice versa. Most recently, comedian Chris Rock disclosed that he received a diagnosis after a friend initially thought he might be somewhere on the autism spectrum.

But while in the past, much of the focus of society and parents has been on how to "fix" people who are neurodivergent, the Walzes, who said they noticed that it became increasingly clear that he was different from his classmates and saw that he preferred video games and time to himself, made sure in the People article not to highlight Gus deficits.

Rather than wring their hands, his parents emphasized that he is brilliant, hyper-aware of details that many of us pass by, and above all else, hes an excellent son and brother to his sibling.

Its encouraging that the Walzes appear unconcerned with forcing Gus to be more sociable. That must be a hard temptation to resist for a political family that spends time on the campaign trail. Their focus on what Gus does well is a welcome change from the old days. To cite one infamous example, when a teenage Paris Hilton was diagnosed with attention-deficit disorder, she said she was sent to a residential treatment facility because her parents believed she could be fixed with tough love. Even today, some children with ADHD have food withheld from them as punishment.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his son, Gus, in 2023.

The Walzes words and their embrace of their son may seem utterly unremarkable. But thats the point. Loving your children, celebrating their gifts and embracing them fully ought to be unremarkable whether theyre neurodivergent or neurotypical. Neurodivergent people deserve parents who are dedicated to helping them thrive. They deserve family members who know that the way they love, interact and see the world, while different from their neurotypical counterparts, deserves the same respect.

Walz appears to be doing his part on improving the lives of people with disabilities as governor. As my friend David Perry wrote, hes worked on phasing out parental fees for children on Medicaid, which would reduce the financial burden for parents of children with disabilities.

Similarly, the Walz family is fortunate to live in Minnesota, which has programs like Partners in Policymaking (established in 1987) to help people with disabilities and to help their loved ones become better advocates. An AARP survey ranked Minnesota as the No. 1 state overall for long-term services and supports. As for Harris herself, she was the first presidential candidate to release a disability policy in the 2020 Democratic primary.

I still wouldnt say the Walzes have been perfect in how they discuss their sons disability. For example, when speaking about his disability, theyve said that his condition is not a setback  its his secret power. This statement disregards the real accommodations that Gus will need if he is to go to college or enter the workforce. Similarly, many neurodivergent people chafe at the idea of having a superpower because of the implication that their worth is tied to their being superior than their counterparts at some tasks.

At the same time, it is still a step forward that the Walz family doesnt see Gus as deficient and has instead focused on what is possible for him, such as obtaining his drivers license. Importantly, with the national profile they now have, the Walz family can serve as a model to show parents of children with developmental disabilities the joys that come with embracing, and not mending, their children.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
I am a lifelong Republican who worked in the Trump White House, and the truth is that Id rather be backing a candidate from my own party for president. But, for voters who care about preserving our democracy, our freedoms and opportunities, and our countrys standing around the world, theres only one option: Vice President Kamala Harris.

I left the Trump White House in August 2020 because I saw the danger Donald Trump posed for our country. This year, I joined Republicans for Harris, a coalition that gives voice to the millions of Republicans like me and independent voters who continue to reject the extremism and division of Trump.

Trump weakened our standing on the world stage, damaged our institutions at home, and restricted our freedoms. He endangers our allies, says hed allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to do whatever the hell he wants to them, and has threatened to withdraw the United States from NATO.

After losing in 2020, Trump tried to overturn a free and fair election, put his own vice presidents life in danger, and unleashed a violent mob on the U.S. Capitol that left five law enforcement officers dead. And still, the Republican Party stood by him.

In the three years since, Trump has become even more unhinged, dangerous and extreme. His entire presidential campaign for 2024 is premised on seeking revenge on his political opponents. Just last week, he attacked the Republican governor of Georgias wife and family  who support him  since Gov. Brian Kemp was unwilling to lie about the results of the 2020 election.

Trump wants to be a dictator on day one and his MAGA loyalists are all too willing to let it happen. When a political party bends to the will of a single person and puts them on a pedestal, theyre putting party above country at the expense of the integrity of our institutions and the dignity of our democracy. Its disgraceful. This is not the Republican Party I know and its certainly not a Republican Party I can support.

The good news is, we have another option in this election: someone who values democracy, will uphold the rule of law, and who is prepared to stand with our allies and provide steady leadership to the world.

Vice President Kamala Harris is building a broad coalition that includes everyone because, unlike her opponent, she knows that a presidents job is to serve all Americans, not only those who vote for her.

She will protect our freedoms  including womens right to make their own health care decisions, while Trump wants to ban access to vital reproductive health care. She will stand by our global partners, from Israel to Ukraine to our NATO allies. She will defend our democracy and ensure we remain a nation in which nobody is above the law.

She will work with anyone whos willing to come to the table, on either side of the aisle, to deliver real results for the American people.

Its why I endorsed Harris, and its why Im a proud member of Republicans for Harris.

To my fellow conservatives: The Republican Party has abandoned you. Its not too late to reject Trumps chaos and stand with Kamala Harris, who will defend our democracy and fight for our freedoms.

Harris has a vision for the future of our nation. Trump only wants to drag us back into the past. We have an opportunity to be part of that future, to reshape the Republican Party and to restore Americas leadership.

We have a chance to join Republicans for Harris and play a part in protecting America from Trumps MAGA party. This is the way to reset politics toward principles and end Trumps dead-end populist movement. Our conservative values guide us to make this choice because our country and democracy depend on it.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
The first nights of the Democratic National Convention have been the polar opposite of what played out at the RNC. Instead of aggrieved masculinity, joyful and determined Democratic women stole the showimplicit in their presence and explicit in their speeches that this election will be a major milestone in feminist history.

The biggest DNC star was, of course, the hopeful future Madame President, Kamala Harris herself. Harris made an unexpected appearance Monday night in a tan pantsuitperhaps a cheeky nod to Barack Obama, who set off a mini-scandal when we wore a beige suit to a 2014 press conference?

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) cemented her status as a Democratic talent with a primetime spot, less an up-and-comer than a young woman who came to Congress, moved the party left, and is now a power player flexing her political muscle. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), another rising star, teared up when she told a personal story of Harris helping her through hard days in office, Dr. Jill Biden brought her usual heart, and the three women who spoke about the necessity of abortion rights through their own devastating stories of miscarriage, near death, and surviving rape and incest made for the most poignant and important moments of convention's opening night.

On Tuesday, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) linked her military service fighting for American freedoms to the fight for reproductive rightsa battle she has a stake in, having conceived her daughters with the help of IVF. Michelle Obama, the greatest living American politician to have never run for office, brought down the house.

Michelle Obama takes to the stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 20, 2024. Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Every woman who spoke made one thing clearthey came to win.

For one woman in particular, this must have been a bittersweet scene: Hillary Clinton, the best-known woman in American politics and the person so many of us were sure would be ending her second term right now. While Harris has been careful as a candidate to steer clear of talking about race and gender too explicitly, or at least to avoid talking about her own and the history-making potential of her campaign, Clinton spoke with no such constraints during her DNC appearance. She ran through a list of feminist political trailblazers, from Shirley Chisholm to Geraldine Ferraro to her own run in 2016 and the outpouring of rage and grief that followed her loss. Through all of it, even the defeats, we kept our eyes on the future, she said. Well, my friends, the future is here.

Even with a younger and more energetic candidate on the ticket, the Democratic Party still has an uphill battle ahead. One of the partys biggest challenges is knitting together its diverse coalition. This year, Democrats are trying to secure support from working-class white men and college-educated liberal women; the young Black and Latino men who have been defecting to Trump and their partners, peers, sisters, mothers and grandmothers who have long been among the most reliably Democratic voters. Every piece of music the campaign plays at rallies and every piece of merchandise it touts online is calibrated to appeal to one or several of these groupswithout alienating the others. And Harris, it seems, has determined that overtly voicing her own ambition may push away voters she wants to pull in more than it will motivate those she wants to keep.

The Stakes Are Different For a Woman Running in 2024. Heres Why

So, then, Clinton played the role of wing woman, making an unabashed appeal to the liberal women who were With Her, who arent embarrassed to say that they want to see a woman in the White House. Yes, these women are overwhelmingly supporting Harris anyway. But its Clinton who rallied the troops. And while its technically Joe Biden who is stepping back so Harris can step up, it was also Clinton who was visibly ceding her place in politics to a younger candidateand leaving a ladder behind for her to climb.

Having a female president will not, of course, end sexism in America or even make the playing field even for women in politics. But as woman after woman took the stage on Monday night, it was clear not just that women are far more integrated into the Democratic Party than the GOP, but that women have fundamentally changed the party from withinand for the better.

None of this was what we were expecting six weeks ago. The show of Democratic unity is certainly not what most talking heads assumed would happen ifor, as it turned out, whenBiden stepped down. This moment is a hopeful one, with voters and party leaders alike seeming to agree that Democrats are back in the race. And it is a historic race in its abnormality, with a one-term president dropping out so late in the cycle and a quick coronation of a replacement about whom Democratic voters seem to have gone from meh to mania.

But its also historic because of who Harris is, what she stands for, and the degree to which she embodies a fundamentally changed Democratic Party. Rights for women have been a generations-long fight. On stage at the DNC, that long struggle entered a new phase.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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TALLAHASSEE  State Sen. Geraldine Thompson, backed by her fellow Democrats and the state party, on Tuesday handily defeated Randolph Bracy, who made a play for his former seat in a contentious battle for the Orange County district.

Thompson, who will retain her District 15 seat, is one of three incumbent Democrats that voters sent back to the Florida Legislature Tuesday.

All three beat their challengers by wide margins in the open primary, which allowed Republicans and independents to vote as well as Democrats because no Republicans or independent candidates ran for those seats.

Thompson defeated Bracy by nearly 61% to 39% of the votes cast in the sprawling district that stretches from north of Apopka south to Sand Lake Road and includes historically Black neighborhoods in Ocoee and Eatonville as well as parts of Orlando.

In District 41, Rep. Bruce Antone defeated newcomer Janet Buford Johnson 63.42% to 36.58%, and in District 44, Rep. Jennifer Rita Harris defeated former Rep. Daisy Morales by 65% to 35%.

The constituents of Senate District 15 chose responsible, stable leadership and rejected the negativity that my opponent introduced in this race, Thompson said in a text message to the Orlando Sentinel. They reaffirmed that my service and contributions to this community are recognized and desired.

The race for District 15 was the most watched of the three. It divided the districts Black community, forced the Democratic Party to spend sparse resources on an intra-party contest and caused a feud between two close-knit families with a half-century history.

The race for the majority Black west Orange seat pitted Thompson, a veteran lawmaker, against Bracy, a former state senator trying to get back the seat he gave up two years ago to make an unsuccessful run for Congress.

Both candidates come from families with deep ties to the Black community and have solid legislative records. Thompson has served in both the House and Senate off and on since 2006, while Bracy served in the Legislature from 2012 to 2022.

Bracys decision to run against Thompson surprised many Democrats and community members. And things turned nasty after his sister, state Rep. Lavon Bracy Davis, D-Ocoee, got other Democrats to endorse Thompson, who was a college roommate of the Bracy siblings mother and a bridesmaid in her wedding.

Bracy said his sister was motivated by jealousy of her brothers newfound success since leaving the Legislature two years ago. His net worth grew from $500,000 to $4 million according to his financial disclosure statements, but he refused to discuss the source of that money when the Orlando Sentinel reported on his sudden wealth.

Bracy and Thompson both accused the other of making false claims about their record and of violating the residency requirement, with Bracy going as far as threatening to sue Thompson, which he never did. Thompson crashed his news conference to set the record straight.

Bracy claimed to be the more successful lawmaker of the two, stressing his ability to work with Republicans in the Legislature. He received the endorsement of the pro-business Associated Industries of Florida and Republican mayor of Apopka, and targeted Republican voters.

He also took an anti-transgender stance and received a recommendation from the anti-abortion group Florida Family Action.

Thompson stood by her record and received endorsements from pro-abortion and feminist organizations and the NAACP.

Thompson raised $144,000, including $87,500 worth of in-kind contributions from the Florida Democratic Legislative Committee.

Bracys campaign raised $15,000, and his political committee, A Better Us, received $30,000 from two committees that support Republican candidates and conservative causes.

HOUSE DISTRICT 41

Accusations of violating the residency requirement also flew during the House District 41 race, which pit incumbent Antone against Johnson, a retired tourism and hospitality manager, for a majority Black central Orlando district.

Antone, a legislator for 14 years off and on, said he wants to continue the work hes been doing since coming back to the Legislature, including forming a task force after the George Floyd shooting to deal with gun violence.

Johnson said she was motivated by the record flooding in the Orlo Vista neighborhood caused by Hurricane Ian. Her experience moving back into her flood-damaged home after Ian gave her sympathy for those who are homeless and affected by natural disasters.

She said Antone only cares about the community during election time.

Antone raised $19,500  nearly all of it from lobbyists, big business and political committees compared to the $6,400 raised by Johnson.

House District 44

The race for the largely Hispanic south Orange district had Morales trying to reclaim the seat she lost to Harris in 2022, mainly for siding with Republicans on many issues her fellow Democrats opposed.

More than 20 Democrats and progressive groups worked to oust Morales and replace her with Harris, citing concerns about Morales voting record, financial reports and residency.

This time around, the incumbent Harris once again had the backing of most Democrats, including her colleagues in the Legislature and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, Congressman Maxwell Frost, Ruths List and the Florida Education Association

Harris also outraised Morales, $108,000 to $26,000, and most of what Morales raised was $25,000 of her own money.
In Orange school board race, Stephanie Vanos wins a seat and other race heads to runoff in November

Stephanie Vanos defeated Jeni Grieger in a race for the Orange County School Board district 6 seat, while the race for district 4 was split and will move onto runoffs in November.

Its still kind of hard to believe it, but I feel so honored, Vanos said after the polls closed.

Vanos, a lawyer turned education activist, will replace Karen Castor Dentel in the district 6 seat.

For the boards district 4 seat, the top two finishers  Anne Douglas, a teacher, and Kyle Goudy, a manager at NBCUniversal  will face off in the general election as no candidate received more than half of votes. Jake Petroski, a former teacher, was eliminated in the three-way race.

Vanos earned about 68% of the vote while Grieger secured about 32%.

Vanos priority once she takes office will be to continue listening to teachers, students and the education community, she said, and she added that her win proved the community believes in diversity.

Im so thankful that weve had so much support, she said.

Vanos, 45, a mother of three OCPS students, is a lawyer, though she stopped practicing after her second daughter was born. She opposes book bans and hopes to put high-quality schools in every neighborhood.

She served on the Democratic Public Education Caucus of Florida and secured an endorsement from the Southern Poverty Law Center, which praised her opposition to right-wing politics in schools.

Grieger, 46, hoped to raise literacy rates among students, who she said were widely failing to learn to read. She denied claims on social media that she is a member of the conservative group Moms for Liberty, which has led the effort to remove pornographic books from school libraries; however, she did appear in a photo with school board member Alicia Farrant, who campaigned as part of Moms for Liberty.

In district 4, Douglas and Goudy will continue to campaign for the election Nov. 5.

We firmly believe that I am the candidate with the right mix of education and business experience for the job, Goudy said in a text message on election night. We will diligently work to meet members of the community and make sure that we understand their concerns.

Goudy led the race with about 37% of votes, followed by Douglas, who got about 33%. Petroski trailed with about 30% and wont appear on the November ballot.

Goudy ran on a platform of improving school transportation, raising literacy rates and maintaining fiscal responsibility. Douglas, considered the more progressive of the two, is committed to expanding academic freedom, creating an inclusive school environment and increasing access to mental health resources.

School board members hold four-year terms and receive salaries of $53,406.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A man from Portland was charged in an alleged swatting and hoax bomb threat scheme that targeted Jewish hospitals around New York, authorities announced Tuesday.

The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York said 31-year-old Domagoj Patkovic was arrested at his home on Tuesday morning and later charged with conspiring to make and making threats concerning explosives, conspiring to transmit and transmitting threatening communications, and conveying false information concerning explosives.

According to authorities, starting around May 2021, Patkovic and others made anonymous phone calls to Jewish hospitals and care centers in New York  among other targeted areas around the United States  making threats to detonate explosive devices and livestreaming the phone calls on social media.

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Patkovic is accused of making at least six calls to hospitals and one call with local law enforcement who responded to a 911 notification from one of the hospitals.

The hoax threats led to bomb sweeps by local law enforcement, including one case in September 2021, when a hoax bomb threat led to a partial evacuation and lockdown at a Long Island hospital, authorities said, noting no explosive devices were found in any of the locations.

As alleged, the defendant and his coconspirators, motivated by their hatred of Jewish people, targeted Jewish hospitals and care centers in New York City and on Long Island with hoax bomb threats, needlessly endangering patients and staff by creating chaos and alarm, said United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace. Our highest priority is ensuring all members of our community are protected and we will use all resources possible to prosecute dangerous bomb threats and swatting schemes to the fullest extent of the law.

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Domagoj Patkovic allegedly issued a series of false bomb threats against Jewish healthcare facilities that prompted repeated emergency responses from local law enforcement and a partial evacuation from at least one hospital. These alleged actions incited unnecessary hysteria and redirected limited resources to mitigate a false alarm. The FBI will not tolerate those who utilize hoax bomb threat schemes to satisfy their anti-Semitic beliefs and endanger the wellbeing of our communities, FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Christie M. Curtis added.

If convicted, Patkovic faces a sentence of up to 155 years in prison.

It is not clear if Patkovic has a defense 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 KOIN.com.
Editors Note: The original video had a typo in a graphic which has been corrected. We regret the error.

UPDATE AUGUST 21, 2024

News 4 has confirmed that OSDE has recalculated the allocations and have sent districts updated allocation amounts Wednesday afternoon.

ORIGINAL STORY

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  Superintendents from districts across Oklahoma tell News 4 their Title I Funding allocations from the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) suddenly dropped to $0 this week, and OSDE told them the department accidentally miscalculated the funds.

Last week, OSDE published its Title I funding allocations to school districts, letting districts know how much money they could expect for the upcoming school year.

But multiple superintendents told News 4, when they logged into the system that manages their Title I distributions on Monday, it showed those funding allocations had dropped to $0.

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News 4 obtained audio of a zoom call OSDE held with leaders from schools districts across the state on Tuesday, in which OSDEs Deputy Chief Academic Officer told school leaders a glitch caused OSDE to miscalculate the amount of Title I funds it allocated to districts last week, and that OSDE would need to recalculate them.

So those figures are skewed, but we will have the correct ones up I guess either later today or tomorrow morning, OSDE Deputy Chief Academic Officer Thomas Kirk can be heard telling school administrators during a webinar OSDE held with school district leaders on Tuesday. I apologize. The ones that are currently on our website are not correct.

Superintendents from multiple school districts across Oklahoma told News 4 they were shocked when they logged into their computers on Monday to see their Title I balances had dropped to $0.

We woke up and the allocation notice wasnt there, Mid-Del Public Schools Superintendent Rick Cobb told News 4.

It had been zeroed out with no communication, no heads up that something was going on, Bixby Public Schools Superintendent Rob Miller told News 4.

Title I is a federal program which provides schools, which have a certain percentage of economically disadvantaged students enrolled, with funding for things like tutors, support staff, extra teachers, specialty teachers more.

These are federal dollars, federal grant dollars that are used to help support students in poverty, Miller said.

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Every year, its OSDEs job to decide how much Title I money to distribute to each school district in the state.

After OSDE tells districts their allocations, districts then put together their Title I spending budgets, which they must submit to the federal government by September 30 in order to receive the money.

In years past, OSDE has given districts their Title I funds months in advance of the September deadline.

But Miller and Cobb say this year, districts did not get their allocations from OSDE until last Thursday.

Today is our fifth day of school, Cobb said. So were a week into the school year and they finally gave us our allocation.

They began putting in overtime to get everything ready by that September 30 deadline.

We assumed [what we were allocated Thursday] would be our number and thats why we were planning to meet this Monday to start crafting our application, trying to figure out the budget, Miller said.

After Miller and Cobb saw their Title I funds had dropped to $0 on Monday, they made calls to other superintendents to see if they were alone.

And that was true for districts across the state, Cobb said. My phone was blowing up with texts from other superintendents, hey, wheres our title one allocation?

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Both superintendents called OSDE to figure out what happened.

And we were told that there would be information that would be revealed in [Tuesdays] lunch and learn webinar, Miller said.

OSDE periodically holds its lunch and learn webinars with leaders from Oklahoma school districts to give them updates on things happening at OSDE.

Tuesdays Lunch and Learn webinar is when Kirk made those comments about the glitch that has caused OSDE to miscalculate Title I allocations.

As I mentioned earlier, we posted some Title I allocations on our website Thursday afternoon, Kirk can be heard telling attendees of Tuesdays webinar. And then very shortly after posting them, we recognized that the tool that we used to calculate them had a glitch in it. Some of the formulas were broken and it was not setting aside funds for school improvement or for state admin.

Kirk promised that OSDE would send districts the correct numbers very soon.

So those figures are skewed, but we will have the correct ones up I guess either later today or tomorrow morning, Kirk told webinar attendees.

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As of Tuesday evening, leaders from multiple districts told News 4 their allocations were still listed at $0.

Cobb told News 4 he thinks he might know why things like this have slipped through the cracks at OSDE.

As News 4 has reported, dozens of numerous longtime OSDE employees have resigned since State Superintendent Ryan Walters took office.

There have been, through the last four administrations, a lot of familiar faces that have helped us, who now are leaving, Cobb said. I think any time you have a lot of turnover, you lose institutional knowledge. That is critical.

Miller said he has also heard support staff at OSDE has been tasked with a lot.

I think theres good people that work at the State Department, so I certainly dont want to malign them, Miller said. I think the biggest issue is theyre understaffed.

In the meantime, Miller, Cobb and superintendents across Oklahoma will continue waiting.

Its a point where were ready to move on, Miller said. Weve got school to run, weve got students in our classes now. We need to get this work done so that we can do what we need to do to serve our students.

News 4 reached out to OSDE on Tuesday but did not 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 KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
Former Ottawa County Commissioner Phil Kuyers (R) and Ottawa County Commissioner Roger Belknap (L) | Courtesy photos

An Ottawa County commissioner has requested a recount after losing by more than 1,000 votes in the Aug. 6 Republican primary.

Roger Belknap, an Ottawa Impact Republican, filed a request with the Ottawa County Clerks Office on Monday, claiming he believed fraud or errors were committed by precinct election inspectors during the voting process.

My petition for recount is based upon two factors, Belknap wrote in the complaint. Reported results indicating my campaign received more votes than my opponent have been sent to me [screenshots] with all precincts being reported in local media.

Belknap was referencing Grand Rapids-based television station WZZM-13s incorrect reporting the night of Aug. 6 that erroneously inverted vote totals including the race between Belknap and non-Ottawa Impact Republican opponent Phil Kuyers, before it was corrected the next day.

Belknap, a first-time commissioner, was part of a slate of Ottawa Impact candidates in 2022 who primaried longtime traditional Republicans over frustrations with the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He beat Kuyers by just 300 votes in 2022 (3,027-2,720) to help OI assume a controlling majority on the countys board of commissioners. Since taking office in January 2023, OI commissioners pushed through a series of controversial decisions, resulting in several lawsuits against the county.

Kuyers ran again this year and beat Belknap by a 16-point margin.

In his recount request, Belknap also pointed to complications and outages of online reporting being down, referring to the county clerks website seeing unusually high traffic, which caused load times to stall as results were being reported on election night.

This petition comes from me, the candidate, at the behest of my campaign, volunteers, party delegates and concerned citizens that all due diligence is taken to confirm results, Belknap wrote.

The Ottawa County GOP issued a statement on Aug. 15, saying it had the same concerns cited by Belknap  a member of the groups executive committee  regarding the Aug. 6 primary.

Recount Petition R.Belknap

A motion was made requesting a report from the Election Integrity Subcommittee to address concerns over the recent primary election, given the obvious tech problems the county had with their website crashing through the evening of Aug. 6 amid reports that the local news stations were reporting different results, the Ottawa GOP statement said.

The statement went on to say that out of 268 delegates, 239 voted to indicate their lack of trust in the Aug. 6 primary processes, although there were no specific allegations made or evidence cited.

County Clerk Justin Roebuck said media reports are independent of election processes and that results were sound, regardless of the brief website outage.

Ottawa County voters can be assured that the integrity of their election results is not affected by a temporary website outage or by the inaccurate reporting of results by a media outlet, he said Wednesday.

Our elections are resilient, operating under a system of multiple checks and balances with bipartisan representation. Our elections are transparent, open to public observation at every level where voting and the certification of the vote count is taking place, Roebuck said.

He confirmed Wednesday that no formal complaints of election fraud or interference have been made with his office regarding the primary election process.

An election recount is a process by which votes cast in an election are re-tabulated to verify the accuracy of the original results. Recounts typically occur in the event of a close margin of victory, following accusations of election fraud, or due to the possibility of administrative errors. In Michigan, recounts occur automatically in statewide races when the difference between the winning and next closest candidate is less than or equal to 2,000 votes.

The Ottawa County Board of Canvassers certified the Aug. 6 primary election results on Monday, triggering a 48-hour window when a recount could be requested.

Roebuck said the recount is expected to cost about $6,000 to complete, as Belknap has requested that all 11 precincts in his district  which includes Grand Haven and Robinson townships as well as a small portion of Spring Lake Township  be recounted, as well as early voting and absentee ballots.

Roebuck said the county must wait until the state board of canvassers certifies the election on Aug. 26, before it can perform the recount, which is expected to take about two days to complete. He estimated that the process could be completed by Aug. 30.

We look forward to the opportunity to show our voters the accuracy and integrity of their election through the recount process, and encourage everyone to attend and observe, Roebuck said.

Roebuck said the recount required two counters per precinct and some additional support staff  about 30 total people  to complete the recount in a few days.

Belknap submitted a deposit of $5,000 with his request Monday. The remainder of the costs for the recount would be covered with public monies.

Kuyers, who before losing to Belknap in 2022 had served on the commission for nearly 20 years, said he had confidence that the election process was sound and that his victory would be confirmed.

Im not sure why he would do a recount with how many votes that I won by, Kuyers said. I know how good Justin Roebuck and his team are; they will show the voters the election was run with integrity and accuracy.

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(SOUTHERN COLORADO)  Governor Jared Polis, along with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), announced the grant recipients for the Outdoor Regional Partnerships Initiative on Tuesday, Aug. 20.

Launched in 2021, the initiative funds regional coalitions that unite diverse interests to protect Colorados lands, waters, and wildlife while ensuring equitable outdoor recreation. The program now includes 20 Outdoor Regional Partnerships, covering about 75% of the state.

The collaborative energy behind the Regional Partnerships Initiative reflects the collaborative spirit of Coloradans, said Governor Jared Polis. These partnerships give communities the opportunity to expand conversations around wildlife management, sustainable recreation, and how we can protect our wild, open spaces.

This grant cycle boosts investment in Outdoor Regional Partnerships to $4.9 million, with another funding round set for fall 2024.

We celebrate the most recent grant recipients for the Outdoor Regional Partnerships Initiative, a cornerstone in our efforts to foster sustainable outdoor recreation and conservation across Colorado, said CPW Director Jeff Davis. The success of these partnerships reflects the dedication of communities across Colorado to steward their natural resources and recreation opportunities.

Recipients include six established coalitions on the Western Slope and central mountains, plus two new coalitions in the southeastern grasslands and Archuleta County, reflecting the cultural, natural, and geologic richness of the lower Arkansas Valley, Purgatoire River, and southern San Juan Mountains.

Regional Partnership Grant Funding Recipients:

Eagle County Community Wildlife Roundtable: $15,000

Formed in 2020, the Eagle County Community Wildlife Roundtable aims to address wildlife population issues by leveraging diverse values and resources for positive change. The awarded funds will support facilitation, and collaboration, and advance a county-wide conservation and recreation assessment.

Central Colorado Recreation Partnership: $125,000

The Central Colorado Recreation Partnership, comprising Envision Recreation in Balance (Chaffee County), the Gunnison County Sustainable Tourism & Outdoor Recreation Committee, and the Lake County Outdoor Alliance, collaborates with land managers and volunteers to promote conservation, recreation, and stewardship. Continued funding will enhance facilitation in Gunnison and Lake counties and support planning to advance regional conservation and outdoor recreation priorities.

Montelores Coalition: $214,410

The Montelores Coalition, a diverse local group in southwest Colorado, aims to balance sustainable outdoor recreation, natural resource conservation, and economic development in Montezuma and Dolores counties. Funding will support facilitation, community listening sessions, resource consolidation, and the development of a regional vision for future recreation and conservation management.

Northwest Colorado Outdoor Coalition: $220,210

The Northwest Colorado Outdoor Coalition, covering Moffat and Rio Blanco counties, focuses on balancing outdoor recreation with wildlife habitat conservation and preserving cultural heritage. Funding will support community engagement, field visits, marketing, communication, and facilitation efforts to advance the regions recreation and conservation plan.

Outdoor Pikes Peak Initiative: $186,590

The Outdoor Pikes Peak Initiative, under the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance, is working to protect natural and recreational areas in Fremont, Teller, and El Paso counties. Funding will support finalizing the Outdoor Pikes Peak Vision Plan and ongoing community engagement.

Pagosa Area Recreation Coalition: $125,000

Building on the foundation of the Pagosa Area Trails Council, a new coalition will bring together diverse stakeholders to create a sustainable outdoor recreation and conservation plan for Archuleta and parts of Mineral and Hinsdale counties. Funding will boost the coalitions capacity for stakeholder engagement and strategic development.

Roaring Fork Outdoor Coalition: $125,000

This cross-jurisdictional partnership among land managers, community members, and organizations in the Roaring Fork Watershed is setting priorities for outdoor recreation and resource conservation. The new funding will enhance community outreach and public input as the group finalizes its strategic plan.

Southeast Colorado Recreation Outdoor Alliance Movement: $75,000

A new coalition in Otero, Bent, Baca, and Prowers counties, led by the Southern Plains Land Trust and the City of Rocky Ford, aims to unite diverse stakeholders on agriculture, recreation, conservation, and economic issues in the southeastern plains. Funding will support community outreach and stakeholder engagement.

West Slope Outdoors Alliance: $250,000

The West Slope Outdoors Alliance, comprising nonprofits, government, businesses, agriculture, and outdoor groups, values the natural and recreational assets of Montrose, Delta, and Mesa counties for economic stability and community wellness. Continued funding will support staffing for data collection, community engagement, and project implementation to shape a regional recreation and conservation plan.

This grant stems from an Executive Order by Governor Polis, establishing the Outdoor Regional Partnerships Initiative with funding from CPW and GOCO. It supports local collaboration to address specific conservation and recreation needs statewide. These partnerships are central to Colorados Outdoors Strategy, offering data and tools to guide local decisions and foster coordinated conservation and recreation efforts.

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POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA)  A lawyer whose elder law offices in Polk County closed abruptly in July is requesting his license be revoked amid allegations of misappropriating funds from his elderly clients and their families, records show.

A lawyer representing Jason Penrod has filed a petition with the Florida Supreme Court which, if granted, would revoke Penrods law license and likely end the disciplinary investigation currently underway by the Florida Bar.

I am really outraged, said Leticia Labate.

Labate said she was a new client of Family Elder Law in Lakeland this summer.

Bank records show a $4,500 payment to the law firm on July 1st, to assist Labate in finding the best care for her 91-year old mother, Esther Garcia.

He basically took her money as he was walking out the door. He received the documents to start working on the file the day before closing, said Labate.

Labate said after her first interview with News Channel 8 about the law office closure, her mother did get her money back.

This came after Labate pulled her mother out of rehab early because of concerns about money.

Last week, Labates mother passed away.

Not just having to deal with her medical condition but also having to deal with an attorney who basically misappropriated funds was extremely painful, said Labate.

The Florida Bar has confirmed to News Channel 8 it is investigating the allegations against Jason Penrod.

According to the Petition for Disciplinary Revocation filed by his attorney, the charges against Penrod involve the misappropriation of funds, including two instances that were self-reported by Penrod.

The petition stated that Penrod would reimburse the Client Security Fund (CSF) for any and all funds CSF has paid or may pay out for claims resulting from petitioners misconduct, as well as reimburse the Florida Bar $1,250 for the cost incurred in the disciplinary cases.

Penrod would also agree to submit a complete audit of his accounts, including any trust accounts, in which he has placed client funds, and submit a sworn financial affidavit.

His attorney, Richard Greenberg, declined to comment about the motion filing, Penrods alleged behavior, or his whereabouts.

The petition requests leave to apply for readmission, which means Penrod could be admitted into the Florida Bar at a later date.

His motion to have his license revoked should definitely be rejected. His license should definitely be revoked, definitely, for the rest of his life but it should be after a full investigation by the Bar, said Labate.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
Lloyd Blythe has been riding his motorcycle since the 1970s, and he knows firsthand the risk that comes with it.

If youre on a motorcycle, this old saying is, Its not a question of if you will crash, its when you will crash, Blythe said.

Blythe crashed two years ago, but he was wearing his full gear -- without it, he says his injuries couldve been worse.

I had four broken ribs, three of which were out of place, one of which had punctured my left-side lung, Blythe told Channel 9s Almiya White in York, South Carolina.

ALSO READ: 22-year-old killed when motorcycle collides with Jeep in south Charlotte

But not every motorcycle rider takes the steps to protect themselves.

These are not easy to get on, and this is why people dont want to wear them, Blythe said.

Weve seen an increase in our motorcycle accidents in our community over the summer, said Chelsea Sutton, the trauma program manager at Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill. We had about a 30% increase in the summer months.

Sutton says more than half of the patients coming in for motorcycle crashes werent wearing a helmet. Theyre often left with severe head and neck injuries, and one patient this summer died.

Any time that you injure your head, your brain, your neck is right there. Also, you can have injuries to your spinal column, your spinal cord, Sutton told White.

RELATED: Motorcyclist dies in crash on Carowinds Boulevard, CMPD says

In South Carolina, only riders who are under 21 are required to wear a helmet. For everyone else, its up to the rider. Sutton says the patients shes seeing are well over 21. In North Carolina, everyone has to wear a helmet, regardless of age.

Its disheartening to take care of these types of cases over and over and over, knowing that theres so much that people can do just to prevent it, Sutton said.

Blythe shared the advice that saved him those years ago: Buy quality gear to wear. Even if youre just going to the gas station, you get gas, you know, it can save your life.

(VIDEO >> Close call: Motorcycle nearly hits kid while passing stopped Iredell Co. school bus)
Over two years after murder of 7-year-old Erie boy, first day of trial takes place

On Tuesday, the district attorneys office went into great detail in an effort to prove Abdullah Ismael is guilty.

More than two years after seven-year-old Antonio Yarger Jr. was shot in the head by a stray bullet, the man accused of pulling the trigger is on trial.

Abdullah Ismael, whos 19-year-old, appeared before Erie County Judge John Mead for day one of his trial in connection to the fatal shooting of the boy known by loved ones as ESPN.

Yargers grandmother Laurette Coleman took the stand recalling April 14, 2022, and the final moments of her grandsons life.

Jury selection begins in trial related to 7-year-old Erie boys murder

She said Yargers brother Anthony was on the phone with her during the shooting telling her that ESPN had been shot.

Coleman said she arrived at her grandsons home where she saw Yarger lying on the ground and she began to comfort Yarger until paramedics and police help arrived.

Erie police officer Gabriel Carducci was among those who responded.

Carducci testified he and Coleman took turns helping the critically wounded child.

Surveillance footage from the evening of April 14 showed six kids walking towards Fairmount Parkway.

Dave Madurski from the Erie Police Major Crime Unit testified a dark-colored SUV appeared going north on Downing and then turning right on Fairmount Parkway where shots were fired.

The alleged driver of the SUV, 22-year-old Yassin Ibrahim said Abdullah Ismael was present in the courtroom Tuesday and said he was present in the car at the time of the shooting.

He said Ismael was sitting in the back seat behind the drivers seat of the vehicle.

Teen sentenced for role in murder of seven-year-old Erie boy

Ibrahim said he heard three to four gunshots in the car followed by Ismael saying I think I shot him.

Ibrahim said Ismael was carrying the weapon used in the fatal shooting.

All witnesses were called by the prosecution.

Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Lightner said the trial will continue on Wednesday.

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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WATE)  The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), which is assisting the McKamey Animal Center (MAC) in the ongoing rescue of more than 100 pet rabbits from a Chattanooga home, is sharing the rabbits caregivers story after he reached out for help.

The caregiver, identified only as Mike, had recently reached out to MAC after he became overwhelmed by the pet rabbits in his home. The animal shelter and HSUS responded to the home and began the rescue process Tuesday.

Sean Finnegan sentenced to death in Oak Ridge murder case

HSUS said in an update Wednesday that Mike told first responders at the rescue scene his health challenges contributed to the pet rabbit population growing out of control in his home. Mike also told HSUS that he was focused on what was best for the rabbits and that the animals would get more attention in new homes than one person could provide.

The key thing for me though, with all these guys, is to know theyre finding good safe homes. Thats all Ive ever wanted, Mike told the HSUS rescuers. Its an absolute miracle that you guys have stepped in to do this.

Mike also shared that a conversation with a friend led him to ask for help. Rabbits are special to Mike because his first pet rabbit, a 17-pound French Lop, helped him with his sobriety 30 years ago.

Rescued bald eagle takes flight again in TWRA release near Douglas Lake

He shared that back in the early 90s, he had bought the rabbit on a whim because he didnt like seeing her in a cage, then on the way back to his motel, his car broke down near a bar. As he waited for AAA to respond, he knew he couldnt leave the rabbit in the car to go have a drink. So he stayed with his new furry friend in the car  and in sobriety.

That sense of responsibility is what helped keep me sober, Mike said, adding that he started keeping rabbits as pets ever since.

In recent years, though, because of Mikes health issues, the number of rabbits in his home got out of control and he realized it could not continue. The rabbits that have been taken are currently in the care of veterinary personnel so they can get ready for adoption.

 See more top stories on WATE.com

According to HSUS, veterinarians are beginning in-depth exams of the rabbits, which will receive flea treatment, topical eye medication to treat infections and any other treatment for medical issues identified by veterinarians.

After a flurry of activity during the rescue operation, we enjoyed starting our day watching the bunnies nibble on their hay, burrow in their bedding, snuggle with their littermates and explore their environment, Audra Houghton, director of operations for HSUS Animal Rescue Team, said. We are looking forward to getting a more clear picture of their health status as we conduct in-depth veterinary exams today.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side.
Passengers delayed at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, Japan, on Aug. 17.

TOKYO  A missing pair of scissors caused more than 200 flights to be canceled or delayed at one of Japan's biggest airports.

Staff at a store in the New Chitose Airport reported the missing item Saturday, according to a news release from the airports operator, Hokkaido Airports Co. Ltd.

As a result, officials at the facility in the northern Hokkaido prefecture, decided to temporarily suspend all flights, close security checkpoints and conduct security inspections, the release added.

At total of 201 flights  129 departures and 72 arrivals  had been delayed, the news release said. A further 36 had been canceled, the news release said.

Passengers who had previously been screened had to be re-screened, and security checks were suspended for approximately two hours in order to assure safety, it added.

The scissors were found by an employee at the store the day after they went missing after a search, the company said, adding that it had delayed announcing the scissors were lost until it had verified they were the same pair.

New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, northern Japan.

This incident occurred due to insufficient management by the store tenant, the news release added. We are committed to investigating this incident, determining its cause, and preventing its recurrence, it added.

The investigation will continue because the scissors have to be taken out of a locked storage locker every time they are used, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.

Among those delayed was the Japanese rock band 9mm Parabellum Bullet, which was unable to perform at the Rising Sun music festival in Hokkaido because its plane was canceled.

Apologizing to fans in a statement on the festival's website, the band said, We will definitely get our revenge!!

Other travelers, some of whom were stuck on board planes, voiced their displeasure on social media, although others praised staff for the way they handled the situation.

I know it must have been a real scramble to get through the security check and get off the plane at Shin-Chitose, but the clerk should be commended for properly reporting the loss of the scissors, I wouldnt have been able to tell them, one person wrote on X, using the handle @ryosuke1942720.

Arata Yamamoto reported from Tokyo, and Charlotte Kwan reported from Hong Kong.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
By Mubasher Bukhari

LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has charged a local man with cybercrime offences for spreading fake online information which fuelled riots in Britain, it said in a statement on Wednesday.

The riots began after false information circulated online wrongly blaming an Islamist migrant for the killing of three young girls in a knife attack in the northern English town of Southport in late July.

Farhan Asif, who ran a web publication, was arrested in eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, a statement from the FIA said.

It said Asif posted an article on his X social media account which said that the attacker was a Muslim immigrant, and also shared pictures of the killings.

Having picked up the fake content from another X account, he was found to be involved in "disseminating the information using his own Twitter (X) account Channel3NOwnews with the intent to glorify the incident about the arrest of a Muslim Asylum seeker by police in the stabbing incident in Southport, England and created a sense of fear, panic, insecurity," the FIA said.

The FIA said that it had been established that the account that spread the fake news belonged to Asif, who has also admitted to having passed on the fake information to a foreign publication as well.

Asif has yet to appoint a lawyer and he and his family were not immediately reachable for comment, nor was the X account when Reuters tried to message it.

A court remanded the accused into the custody of the FIA for one day on Wednesday for further investigation, the statement said.

(Reporting by Mubasher Bukhari; Writing by Asif Shahzad; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
One of 29 men being deported to Colombia boards the plane at Panama City's international airport on Tuesday - BIENVENIDO VELASCO/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK

Panama has expelled 29 Colombians with criminal records on its first US-funded deportation flight to deter illegal migration.

The men  including one alleged member of the Gulf Clan, Colombias biggest drugs cartel  touched down after a 90-minute flight on Tuesday at Medellin, the countrys second largest city.

The programme is the flagship policy of Jose Raul Mulino, Panamas new president, who has vowed to close the Darien Gap, the bottleneck of dense jungle that separates South America from Central America.

Last year, 520,000 migrants illegally entered Panama via the Darien Gap, with many having to pay people-smugglers to complete the journey.

Most of them came from Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador, although some were from as far afield as Africa and China. Almost all were attempting to reach the United States.

Illegal immigration is one the most contentious issues in the US presidential election.

The number of undocumented migrants crossing into the US from Mexico initially surged under Joe Biden, but it has fallen sharply in recent months after his administration implemented tough new measures, including restricting the number of asylum applications it would consider.

Yesterdays flight, which is among those measures, was the first in a $6 million (4.6 million) programme paid for by Washington.

Mr Mulino, who is usually characterised as a centre-Right populist, has described the migrants plight as sad and said that many families with small children are left taking huge risks.

After taking office in July, he initially appeared to waver on his promises to implement the flights, saying that only volunteers would be deported. It is unclear whether the Colombians on yesterdays flight had agreed to leave Panama, although their criminal records may have meant they were given no choice.

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PARIS, Ky. (FOX 56)  A Bourbon County man is in custody after allegedly trying to kill his roommates.

Court documents state that the initial call came in around 9:12 p.m. on Friday after a man showed up at Bourbon Community Hospital and claimed he was assaulted by his roommate.

Read more of the latest Kentucky news

The victim told police that 28-year-old Roque Oleivera allegedly came home intoxicated and started an argument before hitting the victim in the head with a piece of window framing. One of their roommates then took the victim to the hospital. It was there that he received a call claiming that Oleivera was trying to burn their house down with AXE body spray and a lighter.

When officers arrived at the Thomas Avenue home, the citation stated that smoke was found throughout the home and that one of the mattresses had been lit on fire.

LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS:

According to court documents, one of the victims told officers that Oleivera said he was going to kill them all, using a propane tank in an attempt to blow the house up.

He was arrested and lodged in the Bourbon County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond.

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CHICAGO  A Park Ridge man is facing six charges after allegedly tackling a Chicago police officer Monday at a protest.

Nicholas Bongiorno, 18, was taken into custody near the Democratic National Convention in the 1900 block of West Maypole during a protest.

Bongiorno allegedly tackled a Chicago police officer. The officer was transported to Rush Hospital and was diagnosed with a concussion, according to CPD.

Prosecutors said hes also accused of failing to provide identification or his address to police.

Bongiorno allegedly ignored multiple orders from Chicago police as they were attempting to clear Park #578.

The state filed a pre-trial detention request that was denied by the judge, who cited him not having a criminal record.

At least 55 arrested after clashes with police outside Israeli Consulate in Chicago during DNC

Several protesters have been arrested as the Democratic National Convention is set for night three on Wednesday.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
Ukraine's parliament backed a bill to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its first reading on Aug. 21, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said.

The measure was supported by 281 lawmakers, with one voting against. It must still be passed on a subsequent reading and signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky before becoming law. Zelensky submitted a package of bills on the ratification of the statute earlier in August.

Ukraine signed the Rome Statute in 2000 but has not ratified it since then. In 2015, Ukraine emphasized the ultimate necessity of ratification through a decision made by the National Security and Defense Council.

Following the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, authorities considered ratifying the Rome Statute, but only after the end of the war.

One of the draft laws stipulates that Ukraine will ratify the provisions of the Rome Statute, which will mean the country's full accession to the ICC.

Yet, the draft law includes a clause saying that Ukraine does not recognize the ICC's jurisdiction over its citizens for crimes falling under Article 8 of the Rome Statute.

The Ukrainian government has not yet commented on how this provision will be applied. At the same time, Ukraine has already allowed the ICC to investigate crimes committed in its territory, which de facto recognizes the body's jurisdiction.

The Rome Statute is the first international criminal law that recognizes forms of sexual violence like rape, sexual slavery, and enforced sterilization as distinct war crimes.

The document has been ratified by 124 states. Russia signed the statute  as did the U.S.  but later withdrew its signature.

In March 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, as the Russian official allegedly overseeing the forced deportations of at least tens of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia and Russian-occupied territories.

The ICC also issued arrest warrants for Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia's Security Council (who formerly served as Defense Minister), and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian army, for war crimes against Ukraine.

Read also: Mexico denies Ukraines request to detain Putin during visit

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The Pasco County Commission on Wednesday voted 4-1 to approve higher impact fees requested by the school district in order to stay on top of the need for new classrooms and schools.

The discussion included some concern not raised previously by those in the home building and selling industries as well as some questions about overall fee increases by county commissioners.

During the first hearing the county commissioners held on the fee increase, Pasco school officials told commissioners that they reached out early in the process to builders representatives to be sure they would be on board with the findings and recommendations in the study.

On Wednesday, the board got a different perspective from local real estate professionals.

Tom Wilbirt of the West Pasco Board of Realtors said they were not in favor of seeing an increase. In a challenging market, he said that unless builders could guarantee that the increase would not hurt the economy or their bottom line, they couldnt support the change.

The new development in Pasco is one of the main drivers of the economy, he said. Adding higher impact fee costs does nothing but drive up the cost of housing in our community, Wilbirt said.

County Commissioners did not react to the comments that came up during public comments in the morning meeting.

By afternoon when they were hearing the actual impact fee increase request, it was Commissioner Seth Weightman who had concerns about the amount of the fees.

The proposed hike would increase from the current fee of $8,328 for a single-family home to $9,328 in the first year. It would then go up $1,000 added per year, reaching $12,328 by 2028.

The impact fee costs for multifamily housing, such as apartments, will also increase incrementally from the current $4,884 to $6,389 over the same time period. Mobile home fees would go from $5,114 to $6,477.

Weightman said that in just a few years, total impact fees in Pasco will be over $34,000 including schools, parks and other public services. He worried that continuing to increase those fees would erode our affordability.

He said he thought the board needs to have a workshop to discuss how the increases are affecting the county and he said he was sorry that the school fee, which he considers important, was coming for consideration after the County Commission already agreed a large increase in the parks fee, which he considered a lesser need.

Impact fees are starting to become very heavy here, he said.

Other commissioners, however, argued that the impact fee is allowing growth to pay for itself because it is charged to new construction, mostly new residents coming into the area rather than having current residents pay the bill.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey argued that Pasco remains affordable even with these increases, providing comparisons of costs across Florida which showed Pasco to be a bargain.

With more people continuing to move into the county, theres a demand on schools to get bigger and better, said Commission chairperson Ron Oakley. But there is also a need for parks because those moving into the community have children that need places to play, he said.

Commissioner Jack Mariano said he remains a fan of impact fees because the new residents are paying the cost for the growth and he was glad the builders were in favor of the fees and having them phased in over time. And he said the park fees also need to stay in place because recreation areas are also part of the countys responsibility.

Weve got to keep the fees going both ways, he said.

The consultant hired by the school district determined that the Pasco schools will need a place for the 13,700 students that will come from new housing planned over the next 10 years.

Only Weightman voted against the fee increase.
A newcomer appears headed to the Pasco County School Board in a race separated by a handful of votes.

Florida Virtual School teacher Jessica Wright, 34, who has two children in the district, was on track to narrowly defeat incumbent Alison Crumbleys reelection bid. With one precinct outstanding, Wright held a slim lead just outside the requirement for a recount.

Im honestly so thankful the community is ready for change and they trust me for that change, said Wright, who has advocated for eliminating portable classrooms and reducing class sizes, among other issues.

In other races on the ballot, former state Sen. John Legg, 49, cruised to a win over Michelle Mandarin, 35, in the Republican primary to replace retiring schools superintendent Kurt Browning. He next faces high school principal Chris Dunning in the general election.

Were grateful for such strong support of our back to basics education plan, Legg said. We look forward to taking this message into November to the rest of the county.

Four County Commission races also were set for the November ballot.

The school board election had been expected to be a low-key campaign, featuring two candidates who agreed on many issues. Things heated up, though, after Wright began sending text messages to registered voters blasting Crumbley and the rest of the board for failure to lead on several issues including her own lawsuit against the district.

Crumbleys supporters began pushing back, blasting Wright as a liberal Democrat who only recently switched her registration to no-party affiliation. Wright briefly helped run the 2022 campaign of failed board candidate James Washington, who championed LGBTQ+ issues among other topics, and also served for a while as a director of the anti-censorship group Florida Freedom to Read Project.

Crumbley, 66, meanwhile netted the endorsement of Gov. Ron DeSantis and other high profile political leaders.

In the superintendent race, Legg, a former state lawmaker who co-founded and runs Pascos oldest charter school, was widely expected to win the primary. He had nearly $200,000 in his campaign account and the backing of the party establishment, including Sheriff Chris Nocco and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.

Because of the partys dominance in Pasco, hes also considered the front-runner in the race to replace Browning, who has held the post for the past 12 years. Browning has not endorsed anyone, although some residents have questioned the timing of his 2022 retirement announcement and Leggs entry into the race the same day.

No Pasco County Commission race was settled with the primary vote. Voters in the primary did narrow the choices, however, in two of the races.

In the District 4 race, the November winner will fill a two-year term, completing the term of Gary Bradford, who died in April. Three candidates sought the seat on the Republican side and Lisa Yeager, 50, was the winner.

Yeager, wife of State Rep. Brad Yeager and sister to former House Speaker Chris Sprowls, has been filling in on the commission since April when Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed her to the job. Yeager, owner of Unreal Marine, raised more than $150,000 for her campaign, far outstripping her opponents, fellow Republicans Christina Fitzpatrick, 40, and Gabriel Papadopoulos, 62.

Yeager will face Democrat Daniel Ackroyd-Isales on the November ballot.

Yeager was director of the Teen Parent Program for Pasco County Schools for ten years and served as the Foundation Advancement Coordinator at Pasco-Hernando State College.

Pasco Countys District 5 commissioner, Jack Mariano, 64, easily bested his challenger fellow Republican Gina Finocchiaro, 66, which means he will face no-party candidate Thomas Celotto in November. Mariano is now seeking his sixth term.

  

Tampa Bay Times Election Coverage

2024 primary voter guide: Over 100 local candidates on the issues: Heres whos running for office and their stances on abortion, immigration, local schools and more.
PD: Las Cruces business steals more than $8K of merchandise as part of retail crime operation

PD: Las Cruces business steals more than $8K of merchandise as part of retail crime operation

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  A woman was recently arrested after a Las Cruces business was discovered to be running an organized retail crime operation that stole more than $8,000 in merchandise, according to the Las Cruces Police Department.

The woman was charged under the states Organized Retail Crime Act after investigators executed search warrants where merchandise that was stolen had been sold or stored as part of an organized retail crime operation run through a local business, police said.

The woman has not been identified and the business involved will also not be identified as the investigation is ongoing, police said.

The recovered stolen property included clothing, cleaning supplies, health and beauty supplies, hardware, electronics, general household goods and building supplies.

Police say the investigation began in May with the Police Departments Community Outreach and Street Crimes units and agents with Homeland Security investigators and loss prevention investigators from retail stores.

Organized retail crime, also known as shoplifting for profit, occurs when multiple people work together to steal, receive and/or sell merchandise for financial gain. The crime is a second degree felony under New Mexico law, police said.

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SWOYERSVILLE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)  A man has been charged after police say he assaulted a woman after he believed she was cheating.

Police say on August 20 they were dispatched to a home around 1:30 a.m. on Chapel Street for a woman assaulted by 54-year-old Christopher Moore of Swoyersville.

The criminal complaint states as the woman pulled into the garage trying to exit the car Moore punched her in the face forcing her to move to the passenger side and escape the car running.

Man missing in West Pittston prompts heavy police search

Court records say when the victim returned home Moore began beating her with closed fists, choking her, and pulling her hair.

Moore believed the victim was cheating on him and he agreed to stop if the victim took Moore to where the male lived, according to the affidavit.

The victim took Moore to an intersection in Kingston and when he exited the car she drove off and called authorities, police said. When officers spoke to Moore he stated he was at the intersection in Kingston in just underwear and said he lost it, as stated in court documents.

Moore has been charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, and harassment.

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CHICAGO  Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has distinguished herself in myriad ways in her long political career, as a highly effective legislator, legendary power player and the first female Speaker in the nations history.

But as the California Democrat takes the stage Wednesday night to address the Democratic National Convention, she will stand out in another way: Perhaps no one, among the scores of speakers at this years celebration, has had a greater role in determining that it will be Vice President Harris, and not President Biden, who will top the ticket in Novembers presidential contest.

It was Pelosi, after all, who worked furiously behind the scenes  and more subtly, in public  to press Biden to reassess his determination to remain the Democratic nominee following a disastrous debate performance against former President Trump in late June. That episode deflated the party base, discouraged donors and undermined the partys chances of keeping control of the White House  and flipping the House  at the polls.

Pelosis allies said that it was a grueling decision for the former Speaker, who helped Biden enact some of the most consequential legislation in decades during the early years of his first term.

But any affection she had for the president clashed with the cold, hard reality that Biden was dragging down the ticket  and heightening the chances that Trump would win a second term  bringing out Pelosis killer instinct for victory and overcoming any reservations about burning bridges.

Speaker Pelosi has always been about one thing, which is winning  in order to deliver good things to America, shes about winning, Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) said. She is the daughter of the mayor of Baltimore. She understands winning, and I think thats why she took the very painful decision she took to recognize the fact that President Biden probably couldnt win.

Bidens departure, to be sure, came after he faced pressure to bow out from a broad spectrum of allies, from Democratic lawmakers and deep-pocketed donors to labor leaders and Hollywood stars. And Pelosi has rejected the narrative that she was uniquely influential in pushing Biden off the ticket  an argument echoed by some of her allies on Capitol Hill.

I dont think shes going to fall into the trap of speaking to this narrative out there that she was the godmother that pushed Joe Biden under the bus or anything like that, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said in predicting Pelosis Wednesday message to the convention. I dont think shes going to dignify that, either directly or indirectly.

But if Pelosi didnt exactly push Biden to the exit, she certainly helped pave his way there.

President Biden needed to have the space, the room, to come to the realization that the party, at that moment, was not in a position to win this election, Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) said. I had this conversation with some other members, including Nancy, that he needed to have the space to come to the conclusion whether or not it would be good for the country for him to stay, and then to put an end to his legacy. Because then he will not be remembered as  with all the achievements that he accomplished  one that brought the party down.

The most notable instance of Pelosis space-creating strategy came during an appearance on MSNBCs Morning Joe program in early July, when she declined to endorse Biden explicitly. Instead, she said the president still had to decide if hell seek reelection  remarks that raised plenty of eyebrows since Biden had been adamant that the decision was already made: He was staying in the race.

Biden, at the time, was working furiously to shore up support on Capitol Hill, and was making strong progress. He won the backing of virtually everyone in the Congressional Black Caucus, an enormously powerful group within the broader Democratic caucus, and the wind appeared to be shifting in his direction.

Pelosis Morning Joe remarks halted that momentum in a near instant, sending a tacit signal to other lawmakers that public reservations about Bidens candidacy were not taboo and turning the trickle of Democrats calling for the president to bow out into something more substantial.

Some lawmakers suggested Pelosi would not have had the same powers of persuasion if she had left Congress after ceding the top leadership spot at the start of last year. That decision was an unusual one, marking a break from leaders of the past, such as former Speakers John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who exited Capitol Hill after stepping out of power. And it freed Pelosi to take steps she might not otherwise have taken while maintaining the respect of a caucus she led for the first two decades of the new millennium.

That unique mixture of liberation and gravitas helped empower Pelosi to play a key role in catalyzing Bidens departure while insulating the partys new House leaders  most notably House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.)  from taking a more aggressive position that would have highlighted tensions among top Democrats.

Shes been brilliant in her post-Speakership time, especially in the last month, with helping the president step aside. She took some of the brunt of the criticism, while some of the other Democratic leaders were able to act more behind the scenes, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) said. Im not sure how well-coordinated they were, but I think she did a great job for us and the party.

She stuck around for a reason, Himes echoed. She stuck around to help Hakeem Jeffries and, as she puts it, to fight Donald Trump.

Pelosis extraordinary power play has, to be sure, strained personal relations with Biden and his team. Those tensions, her allies say, were the unfortunate fallout of a decision rooted in a higher purpose: preventing Republicans from winning a monopoly on power next year.

Nancy cares deeply about the House of Representatives, and it really frightened her, the possibility or the idea, that we would not be in a position to win the House  or the White House, Velazquez said. Of course theres going to be some feelings at the beginning. But I think that President Joe Biden is better than that. He is an incredible human being. So at this point I think that those feelings might be getting to a place where people will move forward for the sake of the country and democracy.

It wasnt easy, believe me, she continued. We all agonized.

Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), another Pelosi ally, was with the former Speaker this week at a gathering of the Democratic Womens Caucus. She predicted Pelosi will use the podium Wednesday night to praise Biden and thank him for his decades of service. But Frankel also suggested Pelosi is showing some signs of melancholy as Biden prepares to pass the torch to Harris.

I think shes feeling bad for Joe, Frankel said.

Pelosis office declined to comment, citing a busy schedule in Chicago.

Biden, for his part, said he hasnt spoken with the former Speaker, and dodged a question about lingering bad feelings.

No I havent spoken to her, Biden told reporters Monday night after his keynote speech at the convention. No one made my decision but me. No one knew it was coming.

Former Biden senior adviser Anita Dunn told CNN this week that nobody wants to have a fight with Nancy Pelosi at this time. Asked to respond, Pelosi brushed off the question, saying the country is very happy.

Its unclear what message Pelosi will deliver Wednesday night. But allies are predicting it will touch on praise for Biden but focus much more heavily on the future of the party in the form of Harris.

She will talk about his legacy and what he has done, said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), a close Pelosi ally. It is also about looking where the future of the country is going.

Thats what she will speak to.

Amid the shake-up of recent weeks, reports emerged to suggest there were tensions  rooted in decades of esoteric California politics  between the two Golden State heavyweights. Yet Pelosi has denied any rift and quickly endorsed Harriss ascension, and others have dismissed the notion of any lingering discord.

Ive been in the room when some of those conversations happened that some people interpreted as [Pelosi] not being for Kamala. And I just think those were always bad reads, said Huffman.

I think she thinks the world of Kamala Harris, and I would predict that her speech is going to focus heavily on Kamala Harris.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Republican businessperson Nick Begich III, Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola are among 12 candidates competing in the primary for the seat currently held by Peltola. (Photos by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Republican businessperson Nick Begich III, Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola are among 12 candidates competing in the primary for the seat currently held by Peltola. (Photos by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola received more than half of the votes in primary results released Tuesday night, well ahead of Republican challengers, businessman Nick Begich III and Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom.

With 387 of 403 precincts reporting through 1 a.m. on Wednesday, the incumbent Peltola had received 50.4% of the votes counted. She was running well ahead of her 36.8% share of the vote in the 2022 primary, which was held the same day as the special election she won to fill the seat left vacant by the death of 49-year Congressman Don Young.

On the Republican side, Begich received 27%, ahead of Dahlstrom with 20%. Begich said in a statement that he had won the Republican nomination, while Dahlstrom said in a statement that the results showed her message is resonating with voters. Before the primary, Begich said he would end his campaign if he finished behind Dahlstrom, while she said she planned to continue through to the general election.

With Peltola, Begich and Dahlstrom having the largest campaigns, the other nine candidates were competing for the fourth and final spot on the ballot in the general election, which will be conducted using ranked choice voting. Republican Matthew H. Salisbury led Alaskan Independence Party candidate John Wayne Howe by 60 votes.

In-person voter turnout was down significantly, with 96,539 ballots counted through midnight, well below the 140,000 counted on the primary election night in 2022. In the 2022 primary, roughly 52,000 ballots were counted after election night. This year, just over 17,000 absentee ballots were issued before election day.

U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, speaks on Jan. 4, 2024, at a town hall meeting on the possible Albertsons-Kroger grocery merger. The meeting was held at the Teamsters Local 959 headquarters in Anchorage. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

After casting an early ballot on Monday in Anchorage, Peltola spent the day in Soldotna, according to campaign spokesperson Shannon Mason. Peltola was also in contact with Native leaders in Wales, Kaktovik and Anaktuvuk Pass, where voting didnt open, trying to find solutions, Mason said. Voting in Anaktuvuk Pass started shortly before the 8 p.m. deadline.

Earlier in the day, Peltola posted a video to social media, encouraging Alaskans to vote, saying: Voting is self-care. Please do something for yourself and Alaskas future and vote today.

In 2022, Peltola became the first Alaska Native elected to Congress, the first woman to represent Alaska in the U.S. House, and the first Democrat to represent the state in the chamber since Youngs election in 1973.

The race has received national attention, as one of five House districts won by a Democrat in 2022 that former President Donald Trump carried in 2020.

Republican U.S. House candidate Nick Begich and supporters hold campaign signs and wave to motorists at the intersection of the Seward Highway and Northern Lights Boulevard in Anchorage on the morning of Aug. 20, 2024, primary election day. With Begich and wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat is supporter Loran Baxter. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Begich called on Republicans to unite behind his candidacy.

The voters sent a clear message: I am the best Republican candidate to beat Mary Peltola in November, Begich said in a statement posted on social media. To get that done we must unite as conservatives. I congratulate Nancy Dahlstrom on a well-run race. United, it is clear that Republicans can defeat both Mary Peltola and the ranked choice system that only benefits the Democrats.

Both Begich and Dahlstrom are staunch supporters of Trump.

Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, a Republican U.S. House candidate, holds a campaign sign and waves to motorists in Eagle River on Aug. 20, 2024, Alaska's primary election day. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

But Trump has endorsed only Dahlstrom. Trumps support figures prominently on her campaign website, and her signs are topped with the words Endorsed by Trump.

Speaking on Monday, while she and supporters waved signs at an intersection near Fire Lake Elementary School in her hometown of Eagle River, Dahlstrom attributed the endorsement to her experience.

It came about because President Trump looked at my background and my resume, basically, in my jobs and things that I have done. And he looked at my voting record from actually serving in elected office and said, I like this person, and I think she would be the best to represent the state of Alaska, Dahlstrom said.

She said she believes that Trumps policies will be good for the state, which is ultimately what is important. So electing a president isnt like electing a best friend, she said.

Begich said he did not have the opportunity to meet Trump and ask for his support.

I believe that if I had had that opportunity, perhaps things would have gone a little differently. But I continue to support President Trump. I believe that hes good for Alaska. He will be good for our nation, Begich said while sign-waving with supporters in Midtown Anchorage on Tuesday morning.

Loran Baxter, one of those Begich supporters gathered at the busy Seward Highway-Northern Lights Boulevard intersection, said Trumps endorsement of Dahlstrom might reflect loyalty to Gov. Mike Dunleavy.

I do believe he might be looking at Dunleavy for secretary of the interior or something, and Nancy is the lieutenant governor, so hes going to support her, said Baxter, who was wearing a Make America Great Again hat. I support Trump, but I support Nick, and I think theres a lot of Alaskans who feel the same way.

Dunleavy, like Trump, has endorsed Dahlstrom, as have U.S. House Republican leaders.

Begich has some national endorsements as well, but his website highlights in-state endorsements.

One thing that marks this years election is the absence of a famous Trump ally: former Gov. and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Palin was the runner-up two years ago, eventually losing to Peltola.

Palin is not running this time. That makes a difference in this years campaign, Begich said.

I think its less of a spectacle than it was in 2022, he said. We can be more policy-focused and policy-driven. And thats how elections should be decided. It should be based on who has the policies that best reflect the constituents of the district.

This years election season is the second in Alaska under the ranked choice system, so the four top vote-getters in the open primary will advance to the general election.

Begich has pledged to drop out if Dahlstrom receives more votes than he does. But Dahlstrom said on Monday that she had no such intention.

Im in it till November, she said.

Ballots will be counted through Aug. 30, with Sept. 1 set as the target date for the State Review Board to certify the results. Sept. 2 is the deadline for candidates to withdraw from the ballot. If a candidate withdraws, the fifth-highest vote-getter would replace them on the ballot.

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In a heated political battle filled with accusations of racism, nepotism and election law violations, School Board member Amy Pennock defeated incumbent Chris Anderson in the Republican primary for the post of Seminole County supervisor of elections.

It was a stunning defeat for Anderson  a former deputy sheriff and police officer  selected by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2019 to fill a vacancy in this heavily Republican county. In 2020, Anderson easily won his first countywide election. But this time most Republicans voted against him.

Pennock received nearly 60% of the votes cast. She will face Democrat Deborah Poulalion in the Nov. 5 general election.

I congratulate Chris [Anderson] for his service to our community, Pennock said. But the voters have spoken and Im honored to be the Republican nominee.

I think once you get in office, you have to prove yourself. The voters have watched and recognized that they want someone who is more stable and calm in the office of supervisor of elections.

In Seminoles District 3 School Board race, incumbent Abby Sanchez was the top vote-getter, receiving nearly 42%, while Stephanie Arguello garnered just over 30% and Kelly Critz nearly 28%. Sanchez and Arguello will face each other in a runoff Nov. 5 because neither received more than 50% of votes.

In the District 4 School Board contest, Robin Dehlinger defeated Carl Tipton after receiving nearly 57% of votes.

Election results: Florida primary and Central Florida races

School Board races are nonpartisan and members are elected countywide.

In the Sanford District 4 race, political newcomers Tara Waisanen received just over 42% of votes, Claudia Thomas 39% and Rich Santos just over 18%.

Because Waisanen and Thomas did not receive more than 50% they will face off in a runoff Nov. 5.

Sanford commissioners serve four-year terms and are elected within their individual member districts. District 4 covers most of the citys west side, just east of Interstate 4. It includes the large commercial district around Seminole Towne Center and State Road 46.

But it was the Republican primary for supervisor of elections that drew the most attention.

Anderson  a former head of security for former Tax Collector Joel Greenberg  was picked by DeSantis after Mike Ertel was named Florida secretary of state. Anderson became the countys first Black constitutional officer.

But things got heated in September after Anderson posted a video on social media accusing several county leaders of racism. Many Seminole Republicans called Andersons claims baseless and accused him of playing the race card.

Andersons critics alleged nepotism after he fired two longtime top employees and then hired a high school friend and a next-door neighbor for newly created posts in his office.

Last month, the offices former general counsel, Phil Kaprow, sued Anderson and his wife for defamation. Anderson had attacked Kaprows job performance and integrity in a video posted on social media and watched by millions.

Last Wednesday, Pennock supporter Michael Towers filed a lawsuit against Anderson and his office, claiming the elections chief violated state campaign law by placing his name on sample ballots, voting boxes and inside polling locations. On Monday a circuit judge lifted a temporary injunction shed imposed on him after saying state law is not specific on whether its unlawful for a supervisor of elections to have their name on ballot boxes and polling locations.

Pennock, a forensic accountant with her own firm, was first elected to the School Board in 2018 in a special election and then won a full term in 2020.

Pennock said she entered the race for supervisor of elections after the controversies with Anderson surfaced during the past year.
(Bloomberg) -- Penny Pritzker predicts Vice President Kamala Harris would collaborate with US corporations if elected president, a potential boon for technology, energy and finance sectors that have struggled to find allies in the Democratic Party in recent years.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The former US commerce secretary, who is helping Harris campaign engage with business leaders and develop policy, said she sees the potential for Harris to court both corporate America and labor unions. Hailing from California, she brings her understanding of the tech industry, artificial intelligence and cyber security, Pritzker said.

She is more interested in working with business and labor side by side, Pritzker said Tuesday during a Bloomberg event on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Corporate America is curious and open and interested in working with her, and shell take advantage of that opportunity.

Large US companies have had few allies in Washington in recent years, as Democrats progressive economic stances often put them at odds with corporations, and a rift has formed with certain factions of the Republican Party, once the longtime allies of the business community. Many Republican have taken strident stances on the tech sector and some Wall Street banks they view as too liberal.

Pritzker hails from one of the richest US families, whose assets include Hyatt Hotels. Her brother JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, was heavily involved in bringing this weeks DNC to Chicago.

For business, Harris will be a president whose door is open, said former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick who spoke at the same Bloomberg event on Tuesday. Most of the challenges frankly that face Americans and face humankind are not going to be solved by one sector acting alone.

The comments come as Harris is just beginning to define her economic agenda and style. Pritzker said Harris approach will likely reflect her time as a prosecutor, where she targeted businesses that took advantage of consumers.

The relationship Pritzker describes could mark a shift from the sometimes rocky alliance with President Joe Bidens administration. Corporate leaders have grumbled that the presidents regulatory and tax agenda is punitive, but many industries have flourished during Bidens time in the White House. Semiconductor makers and the renewable energy sector have directly benefited from tax breaks and other investments.

Harris has recently begun detailing some pillars of her economic vision, including measures to combat high costs, like programs to curb housing costs and provide tax cuts to families with children. Shes called to reduce food prices by targeting companies that she says are price gouging consumers in favor of profits, a stance that her opponent Donald Trump has called communist. She also supports hiking the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21%, a proposal Biden first endorsed.

Harris has been assembling an economic team and is reaching out to corporate leaders for input, Pritzker said. Still, Harris isnt likely to fully develop a comprehensive economic plan before the November election.

Im not sure that in less than 80 days, were going to end up with binders and binders and binders of economic policy, she said.

Pritzker just wrapped up a yearlong role helping Bidens administration support Ukraines economic recovery.

All bets are off for Ukraine, should Trump win this November, Pritzker said, adding that anyone who thinks Russian President Vladamir Putin will stop with his incursion into Ukraine are wrong.

--With assistance from Brad Stone.

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The Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency believes that Ukraine and Russia do not have sufficient military resources to conduct major offensive operations, which may indicate that both sides are heading towards a stalemate.

Source: European Pravda with reference to Bloomberg, which cites the assessments of the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency

Details: It is reported that Ukraine still does not have enough ammunition to match Russia's ability to fire about 10,000 artillery rounds a day, even after the US Congress unblocked new military aid in April.

The Pentagon also notes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are still capable of conducting defensive operations but will not be able to launch a large-scale counteroffensive for at least six months.

At the same time, Russia has adopted a strategy of exhausting [Ukraine  ed.] and will be able to maintain the buffer zone seized by its troops, but also does not have enough forces "to threaten a deeper advance into Ukrainian-held territory, such as Kharkiv city."

Bloomberg notes that the Defence Intelligence Agency's assessments are contained in the latest quarterly report on US aid to Ukraine.

This report covers the three-month period ending 30 June, after Congress passed the latest US$61 billion aid package for Ukraine.

Bloomberg highlights that since then, Ukraine has launched a surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast and received and started using F-16 fighter jets.

The report also noted the successful use of ATACMS missiles provided by the United States. In particular, one such missile attack on Sevastopol on 18 May resulted in the sinking of a corvette. Ukraine has also used these missiles to hit Russian air defence systems in occupied Crimea, destroying several state-of-the-art S-400 systems.

These strikes reportedly forced Russian forces to reinforce Crimea's air defence systems with S-500 systems, which have not yet been fully demonstrated in Ukraine.

The Pentagon believes that this indicates that Russia is trying to provide adequate air defence for Crimea.

Background:

Earlier, the United States recorded the redeployment of some Russian forces to the territory of Kursk Oblast.

The United States officially refuses to assess the events in Kursk Oblast, but Congress calls the Ukrainian defence forces' operation "historic" and one that could shift the war's course.

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People are blurring their homes on Google Maps to deter burglars. Here's how.

Some homeowners in Southern California are blurring their homes on Google Maps as a means of deterring potential burglaries, Ryan Railsback, an officer in the Riverside Police Department, told ABC News.

The tactic could reduce the likelihood of a robbery by denying would-be wrongdoers useful information about the value of one's possessions and any security measures in place to protect them, Railsback said.

"The crooks are looking for new and innovative ways to victimize people," Railsback said. "It's good for the public to be aware of that and counter what the criminals are already doing."

The blurring of homes on Google Maps was first reported by ABC News affiliate KABC in Los Angeles, California.

In response to ABC News's request for comment, a Google spokesperson said the company allows users to blur their home if they prefer that it appear that way on Google Maps.

"Street View helps people virtually explore the world, and we make it easy for anyone to blur their home if they prefer -- just click on the 'Report a problem button' and submit a request. To further protect the privacy of our users, we use state of the art technology designed to automatically blur identifiable faces and license plates," the spokesperson said.

Here's why some people are blurring their homes on Google Maps, and how to do it yourself.

Why are some people blurring their homes on Google Maps?

The safety tactic of blurring one's home on Google Maps has been around for years, Christopher Herrmann, a professor of law and police science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, told ABC News. The simple digital fix could stop robbers from targeting a given home, he said.

"Would-be thieves certainly want to scout their locations before they hit them," Herrmann said.

When seeking online images of a home, criminals look for valuable assets worth stealing and any security barriers that may be in place to stop them, Herrman said. That includes identifying a home's layout and entrance, as well as the presence of a front-door camera or exterior surveillance system.

PHOTO: Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., Aug. 14, 2024. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Blurring a home on Google Maps could help prevent theft by concealing such information. However, the maneuver also risks backfiring should thieves become suspicious that a property has been blurred because it features valuables or vulnerabilities worth keeping out of sight.

"It may be more of a red flag," Herrmann said.

Home burglaries are actually exceedingly rare. In 2019, fewer than 1% of households experienced a burglary, according to the Department of Justice.

"Is your house going to be targeted by would-be thieves?" Herrmann asked. "Probably not."

How do you blur your home on Google Maps?

To blur your home on Google Maps, navigate to Street View mode at your address using the website. The option to request a blurring of your home will not appear on the mobile app.

A drop-down menu will appear in the top-left corner of the screen. Navigate to the option labeled "Report a Problem." A questionnaire will present you with prompts to identify where and why you would like the Street View image to be blurred.

Submit the questionnaire. Google Maps may follow up with you for additional information.

People are blurring their homes on Google Maps to deter burglars. Here's how. originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
These are the people who perished when the superyacht sank off Sicily

Twenty-two people were aboard the superyacht Bayesian when a powerful storm off Sicily capsized the ship and sent it to the bottom of the sea.

Eleven were guests of host Mike Lynch, a British tech tycoon who had invited them to join a cruise to celebrate his recent acquittal on fraud and conspiracy charges. Ten were members of the ships crew.

Fifteen people were rescued after the storm. Seven, including Lynch, did not survive.

Mike Lynch

Mike Lynch in London in 2019.

Dubbed Britains Bill Gates, Lynch, 59, was the son of an Irish-born firefighter and a nurse who co-founded a business software company called Autonomy. In 2011, Lynch sold the company to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion.

But U.S. prosecutors accused Lynch and a colleague of padding the firms finances ahead of the sale. Lynchs lawyers argued that HP was so eager to buy Autonomy that it failed to adequately check the books.

In June, a San Francisco grand jury sided with Lynch and acquitted him and Autonomys vice president for finance, Stephen Chamberlain, of all charges.

Hannah Lynch

Hannah Lynch, 18, one of Lynchs two daughters, attended the private and prestigious Latymer Upper School in the Hammersmith section of London and had recently earned a spot at Oxford University, where she was supposed to study English.

We are all incredibly shocked by the news that Hannah and her father are among those missing in this tragic incident and our thoughts are with their family and everyone involved as we await further updates," her school said in a statement.

Jonathan Bloomer

Bloomer, 70, chairman of Morgan Stanley International and the British insurance firm Hiscox, was a former banker who had been a director at Autonomy and testified in defense of Lynch at his trial.

Judy Bloomer

Bloomers wife, Judy Bloomer, 71, had been a board member of The Eve Appeal, a British charity that funds research into gynecological cancers.

Bloomer, according to the charity, was a brilliant champion for womens health and medical research ... an incredible supporter, committee member, and trustee of our charity for over 20 years."

Christopher Morvillo

Morvillo, 59, a well-known New York City defense attorney and a married father of two, was part of the legal team that successfully defended Lynch.

Morvillo, a partner at the Clifford Chance law firm, was a federal prosecutor in New York City from 1999 to 2005, when, among other things, he assisted in the criminal investigations in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to his work biography.

After the successful defense of Lynch, Morvillo posted a thank you to his colleagues on the firm's LinkedIn site. He also made a point of thanking his "patient and incredible wife," Neda Morvillo, and their two daughters, Sabrina and Sophia. He closed the post saying he was "so glad to be home."

"And they all lived happily ever after...." he wrote.

Neda Morvillo

Neda Morvillo, 57, Christopher Morvillos wife, was a jewelry designer and mother of two who ran her own business in Manhattan called Neda Nassiri.

Recaldo Thomas

Thomas, a Canadian Antiguan national, was the ship's cook. His body was found Monday.

His friend Gareth Williams told the BBC that Thomas was a kind man who had worked as a chef for 30 years and had the deepest, most sultry voice in the world, and a smile that lit up the room.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
When U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg took the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, it was almost 11 p.m. in most of Indiana.

But the crowd of Democrats in Chicago appeared hooked on Buttigiegs words as he referenced his upbringing in Indiana, cracked a joke about his recent appearance on Fox News and made the case for a more uplifting politics under the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz campaign for the White House.

"Im Pete Buttigieg and you might recognize me from Fox News," he quipped at the start of his remarks.

The former South Bend mayor, who ran for president in 2020, is considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, and his name was floated among potential running mates for Harris just weeks ago. He spoke on the third night of the 2024 DNC, which had the theme A Fight for our Freedoms.

Here are takeaways from Buttigiegs address to Democrats in Chicago:

'At least Mike Pence was polite'

Buttigieg referenced fellow Hoosier Mike Pence in a swipe at Republican vice-presidential nominee J.D. Vance, the author and U.S. senator from Ohio.

Dont even get me started on his new running mate, Buttigieg said of former President Donald Trump. At least Mike Pence was polite.

Since being selected last month, Vance has drawn criticism for past comments on women who dont have children and saying that more votes should be given to parents with kids.

Senator, when I deployed to Afghanistan, I didn't have kids then, Buttigieg said. Many of the men and women who went outside the wire with me didnt have kids, either, but let me tell you, our commitment to the future of this country was pretty damn physical.

Buttigieg's Indiana roots

Buttigieg walked onstage to the DNC announcer introducing him as the former mayor of South Bend.

While he and his family now live in Michigan, he mentioned his upbringing and the start of his career in the Hoosier State as he described his path to his life and family today.

Buttigieg and his husband Chasten were married in 2018 and adopted their children, Penelope and Gus, in 2021.

The makeup of our kitchen table, the existence of my family, is just one example of something that was literally impossible as recently as 25 years ago, when an anxious teenager growing up in Indiana wondered if he would ever find belonging in this world, he said.

Donald Trumps politics of 'darkness'

The overall theme of Buttigiegs brief speech, though, was a call for voters to end Trumps campaign of negativity and grievance.

Darkness is what theyre selling, Buttigieg told the crowd. I just dont believe that America today is in the market for darkness.

The transportation secretary said he believes Harris campaign is the right kind of politics for the country.

We will choose a better politics, a politics that calls us to our better selves and offers us a better everyday, Buttigieg said. That is what Kamala Harris and Tim Walz represents. That is what Democrats represent. That is what awaits us when America decides to end Trump's politics of darkness once and for all.

Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com or 317-779-4468. Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pete Buttigieg talks Vance, Trump and his Indiana roots at DNC
Phenix City Schools aim to become Schools of Character

PHENIX CITY, Ala. (WRBL)  Phenix City Schools are hoping to implement big changes in school culture through what its calling a bold new initiative.

Through a district-wide effort, Phenix City Schools aims to transform every school in the district into a School of Character.

Our goal is to create schools where kindness, respect, and integrity are the norm, not the exception, Superintendent Dr. Janet Sherrod said.

Phenix City Schools says a School of Character is defined by its commitment to the core values chosen by its stakeholders. Those values then create a framework for the schools decision making.

A key component of the transformation is implementing the 11 Principles Framework for Schools: A Guide to Cultivating a Culture of Character.

The guide book was created by Character.org, whose website describes the organization as a non-partisan advocate for character, which it defines as, core values that shape our hearts, minds, and choices.

Phenix City Schools says the framework touches every aspect of school life and promotes a culture of growth.

Sherrod said, By adopting the 11 Principles Framework, we are committing to a culture that prioritizes academic excellence and the character development of every student.

Phenix City Schools says the journey to becoming a School of Character is a community effort and hopes to foster an environment where students can reach their full potential.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
WATCH NOW: DC firefighters respond to emergency call on Wisconsin Ave

WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  Several firefighters in D.C. were on the scene of an emergency call in the Northwest area on Wednesday afternoon.

Multiple fire trucks blocked off Wisconsin Avenue.





Firefighters told DC News Now that they received a call that there was a fire in the area.

Cameras installed in mens locker rooms at some DC VIDA Fitness locations

However, crews said it was a good intent fire call, but nothing was found.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
The Frecce Tricolori, the aerobatic demonstration team of the Italian Air Force, practiced their routine ahead of the NATO 75th Anniversary Joint-Power Demonstration over the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on Tuesday, August 20, 2024.

Known as the Tricolour Arrows in English, the Frecce Tricolori are touring North America for the first time in more than 30 years. In addition to the Frecce Tricolori, the show will feature the U.S. Air Forces F-22 Raptor Demo Team, the U.S. Navys F-18 Super Hornet, and the U.S. Navys Landing Craft Air Cushion.

The air show is scheduled for Wednesday, August 21 at 10 a.m. and can best be viewed between 18th and 33rd streets.
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS)  The Michigan Princess riverboat is out of service for August and September 2024 due to an unexpected equipment malfunction while trying to return the boat to the Grand River.

The Michigan Princess Facebook post says the incident happened around 4 a.m. Friday, August 16, and a malfunctioned airbag is responsible for the extensive damage.

Photo: The Michigan Princess Riverboat Facebook

Photo: The Michigan Princess Riverboat Facebook

Photo: The Michigan Princess Riverboat Facebook

Matt Christie, a maintenance worker told 6 News the boat was out of the water due to a dry dock inspection, which happens about once every five to six years. After 20 hours of work, the Michigan Princess was almost back in the water when disaster struck.

The riverboat was about 80% into the water when one of the airbags got overpressurizedand blew.

It was quite loud, sounded like a bomb went off inside the boat, said Christie. I was inside the boat and yeah, I kind of went flying right along with everything inside the boat.

Christie says all the chandeliers brokethe originals from when the boat was built in 1991. He also says the team had to hurry to pull the boat out of the water to get it blocked up and secure it to check the damage.

They have to shut down for about a month or two, we were booked up every day, sometimes two a day, said Christie.

Photo: Damage done to Michigan Princess riverboat/ Facebook

Photo: Damage done to Michigan Princess riverboat/ Facebook

Photo: Damage done to Michigan Princess riverboat/ Facebook

Photo: Damage done to Michigan Princess riverboat/ Facebook

Diesel fuel spill cleanup underway on Grand River

Christie recalls the recent fuel spill that caused the boat to be out of the river

We were filling our tanks up in the rainstorm, and the fuel guy overfilled it and with the water moving as fast as it was, it looked like we dumped more fuel than we did. We probably lost half a cup. The news said we lost 8 gallons, which is a huge difference, said Christie.

Because we overfilled the tanks in the rainstorm, the fuel went down river faster than usual. Because normally it evaporates before it gets to anybody. We never experienced a fuel leak like that but it wasnt a leak it was a spill.

Michigan Princess damaged and closed until further notice. (WLNS)

Michigan Princess damaged and closed until further notice. (WLNS)

Michigan Princess damaged and closed until further notice. (WLNS)

Michigan Princess damaged and closed until further notice. (WLNS)

Michigan Princess damaged and closed until further notice. (WLNS)

Michigan Princess damaged and closed until further notice. (WLNS)

Michigan Princess damaged and closed until further notice. (WLNS)

Repairs are expected to take at least one month to complete. We understand the inconvenience this may cause our guests and are working diligently to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, the Facebook post reads.

Chris Chamberlain, the owner of the boat, said that a wedding next weekend had to be refunded.

If you have tickets or an event scheduled on the Michigan Princess during this time, our team will be in touch during regular business hours to assist with rescheduling or refunds.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News.
At least 72 people were arrested Tuesday night after an unsanctioned demonstration outside the Israeli Consulate, legal observers say.

The arrests came after roughly 100 protesters commanded the attention of an even greater number of police and journalists outside the consulate. The resulting two-hour standoff  which included an impromptu march through a few downtown streets after authorities moved demonstrators away from the building  appeared to end without any significant use of force by authorities, but drew harsh criticism from legal observers who accused the Chicago Police Department of violating the participants right to free speech.

The protest began around 7 p.m. with demonstrators chanting long live the intifada as they headed toward the consulate, which is located in the Accenture Building on Madison Street. In the context of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, the term intifada has historically referred to an uprising against Israel using both violent and nonviolent means.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Throughout Vancouver Week, KOIN 6 is highlighting the past, present and future of Portlands smaller, but rapidly-growing neighbor.

The Clark County Historical Museums digital collection, hosted by Washington State University, gives an extensive look at Vancouver  and how it has developed since the early 1900s.

Portland vs. Vancouver: How big of an apartment can you get for $1,500?

1907 postcard of Vancouvers Washington Street (Courtesy Clark County Historical Museum, cchm09837.tif)

Former Vancouver High School shot by Gray Larsen (Courtesy Clark County Historical Museum, cmos00183.tif)

1914 photo of Vancouver on 6th and Main Street (Courtesy Clark County Historical Museum, cchm09849.tif)

Aerial view of business district in Vancouvers downtown area (Courtesy Clark County Historical Museum, cchm00022.tif)

Workers near former Hotel Columbia on Vancouver waterfront (Courtesy Clark County Historical Museum, cmpn00049.tif)

The site that held Vancouver High School from 1912 to 1955 later became Fort Vancouver High School  and that building is now found on East 18th Street instead of 26th and Main street.

Over on 6th and Main Street, a postcard from 1914 features local businesses including the Majestic Bar, Andersons Training Camp and Atkinson and Gilbert Real Estate. Although those businesses no longer exist, Main Street still hosts a numerous local brands such as Bleu Door Bakery, A Doomsday Brewing Safehouse and Birdhouse Books.

Vancouvers Terminal One prepares for massive makeover

Vancouver has also seen plenty of development along the Columbia River, where an undated photo depicts a crew working near the now-closed Hotel Columbia. The area now hosts several stays including Hotel Indigo and the AC Hotel Vancouver Waterfront.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Even before the law took effect in July, school district leaders across Florida raised yellow flags about new requirements to keep all campus gates and doors locked whenever children are present.

It took just over a week with students in classes to see just how problematic the mandate  the latest twist in Floridas years-long response to the 2018 school shooting massacre in Parkland  has become.

Officials in the Pinellas and Pasco school districts raised the issue during board meetings this week, saying theyve struggled with the logistics, especially during before- and after-school activities. There arent enough staff members to stand on call with keys in hand to unlock and relock every access point as students come and go, they said.

The same holds true during class periods, when students might need to travel from classroom to library to front office and back. Or to open parking lot gates for parents, students and staff who arrive and depart off the usual school schedule.

Were talking about how to give access to students who need to move around school, Pasco County School Board member Cynthia Armstrong said Tuesday, detailing complaints shes heard from parents and children. We do not want our schools to be jails.

Pinellas County superintendent Kevin Hendrick acknowledged the concerns Wednesday, saying his district remains committed to following the law despite the challenges.

Already, theyre calling for changes to the law. If nothing else, Pasco County superintendent Kurt Browning said, the Legislature needs to offer clarifications on exactly which doors and gates may remain open, and when.

Were already working on that, Browning told his board, adding that the state association of school safety officers has been drafting language for lawmakers to consider. The language has already been tentatively settled on.

School boards throughout Florida are adding the issue to their legislative platforms, education lobbyist Kim McDougal said during the Pasco boards discussion. McDougal, a former chief of staff to Rick Scott, represents Pasco, Hillsborough, Broward and and handful of other school boards.

Sean Jowell, the Pinellas districts school safety specialist, said school administrators worked throughout the summer to prepare for the changes. Theyve adapted in many ways, Jowell said, but keeping a proper workflow for all employees from early morning programs through late evening events has kept everyone looking for additional improvements.

Staffing concerns are one of our frustrations, he said.

But its only the second week of classes, he added, suggesting that everyone should become more accustomed to the operations as schools respond to the nuances of the requirements.

By virtue of their designs, though, some schools will continue to struggle more than others with the rules. Those with multiple detached buildings, for instance, will face more challenges than those within single structures.

In the meantime, Pinellas superintendent Hendrick said, everyone involved needs to keep in mind that the locked doors and gates are just one part of the overarching school safety effort.

Its also a mindset of safety in everything we do, he said.

Hendrick appeared in a video with Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and school police Chief Luke Williams that all students were shown in their first days back. Its message: See something, say something.

Reporting something you see could make all the difference, Williams said.
Naked man with knife enters CMU students off-campus home, tries to sexually assault her, police say

Pittsburgh police are investigating after they say a naked stranger entered a students home and tried to sexually assault her.

A student at an off-campus residence on Fifth Avenue called police on Tuesday at 10:13 p.m. to report a burglary and attempted sexual assault, according to Carnegie Mellon Universitys Chief of Police Aaron V. Lauth.

The victim said she got home around 6 p.m. and thought she heard someone enter her apartment at 10 p.m. She told police that a naked man armed with a small knife suddenly came into her bedroom. He told her not to say anything and that he wouldnt hurt her. Police said she was able to distract him at some point and lock herself in the bathroom and call 911.

Youve got to be paralyzed with shock initially. Its a good thing she managed to get her wits about quickly and then fight him off and get inside, CMU student Arpitha Prakash said.

The suspect fled from the area when the student called the police, officials said.

The victim described the suspect to police as heavy-set, around 30 years old and having short dark hair.

Honestly both of us are really scared we just live a mile from here maybe, Neherik Srivastav, a CMU student, said.

Its concerning, Im concerned there was like a sexual assault in my apartment building which is scary, Calvin Lee, who lives in Shadyside, added.

Witnesses who saw the police response say officers were there quickly and went door to search for the suspect.

Lee added, I saw a lot of flashlights and I was kind of like, Whats going on? so I looked outside and there was a lot of people outside with flashlights.

Pittsburgh police are investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 412-323-7141.

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Reality Check is a Bee series holding officials and organizations accountable and shining a light on their decisions. Have a tip? Email realitycheck@sacbee.com.

In the state of California, theres no limit to how much a local school board candidate can receive in campaign contributions, even if they receive an individual contribution greater than $5,500  the limit for state, county and city elections.

In the nearby Rocklin school district in Placer County, one candidate received an individual contribution of $10,000.

While down-ballot and local elections may seem too small to raise concerns about campaign finance, recent controversial policies passed at the school board level concerning parental notification and other political topics have inspired politicians, candidates and voters to take a closer look at who, exactly, is funding these races, and whether the money flowing into them have exceeded reasonable levels.

Lawmakers sought to intervene last year, when a Democratic state senator proposed a cap on contributions. The bill failed to amass enough support and was never signed into law, but as the General Election approaches this November, Sacramento-area voters are eyeing campaign finance forms and wondering whether major contributions, like one made for a Rocklin Unified School District incumbent board candidate, are ethical.

Attempts to cap school board contributions

As of 2021, existing state law sets a limit for individual campaign donations for city and county candidates at $5,500, but that does not include school board, community college board or special district board, according to the California Fair Political Practices Commission.

Last year, state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, attempted to close that loophole. His bill would have capped such contributions at $5,500 for school boards as well.

No candidate for local office needs contributions larger than those for a Senate or Assembly district, Dodd said in February 2023 when he announced the bill.

Too often, were seeing eye-popping amounts donated to candidates for smaller community offices. These well-financed campaigns favor the wealthy at the exclusion of grassroots candidates and people of color, he said. Putting a cap on the money in these races will help ensure fairness in local elections while encouraging a more diverse field that is more reflective of the population.

Dodds bill had some Republican support; it was co-sponsored by Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, R-Yucaipa, as well as Assemblyman Dr. Corey Jackson, D-Moreno Valley. Many Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, R-San Diego, voted against it.

Despite its popularity among Democrats and some Republicans, the bill didnt make it out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee because it would have cost the state money to implement it. The California Teachers Association, the largest union of public school teachers in the state, also opposed it, and the bill failed to make its way to the governors desk.

Placer County candidates cash in

School board races in Sacramentos outlying areas have become increasingly fraught, particularly in Placer County where three districts passed different versions of controversial parental notification policies last year.

The Rocklin Unified School District and the Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District in Roseville both passed policies that require school staff to inform a students parents if the student wishes to use a name, pronouns, or school facilities that dont align with their biological sex. The pushback around parent notification policies inspired a state law banning them, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed last month.

Similarly, the Roseville Joint Union High School District passed a policy that requires school staff to inform a students parent if they miss class to visit the counseling center. And further north in Auburn, trustees at the Auburn Union School District board have endured years of infighting and dysfunction among a politically split board, including a debate over the districts Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement.

As school boards and school board elections continue to function as political hotbeds for Californias culture wars, campaign funds have drawn generous donations from residents who share in candidates views, and want to see them keep their seats  or take over someone elses.

In Rocklin, Rachelle Price, who was appointed to the board in 2019 and who voted in favor of the district parent notification policy, received $20,000 in campaign contributions between January and June of this year  and it all came from just five donors.

Rocklin Unified School District Board of Education Vice President Rachelle Price, center, and board member Rick Miller, left, listen to a public speaker during a meeting in 2021.

One of those donors was Larry Brasher, a Lincoln resident who donated $10,000.

I know Rachelle well, I know what her principles are, and I believe shes been a very effective representative of her community on the board, Brasher said. His son and daughter, each of whom have donated $1,500 to Price, live in the district and have kids who attend its schools.

Im just interested in seeing that the quality of education reflects the values of the people in that district, said Brasher, who told The Bee hes neutral about a contribution cap, and isnt in the business of making massive partisan donations.

Any contributions I make are to specific candidates, he said. I dont support either party with donations.

Brasher is a businessman and board member of Founding Forward, a non-profit that promotes civic education and engagement.

Larry is a long time friend with grandkids in the district I represent, Price said in an email. He feels I represent my community well and I appreciate his support. Unfortunately, campaigns are expensive to run. I appreciate all community support.

Support for a cap on contributions

Price, like Brasher, had no opinion either way about campaign contribution limits.

Her opponent did.

Jen Brookover, who ran for the Rocklin board in 2022 and failed to garner enough votes for a seat and is now running against Price, raised over $15,000 between January and June from more than 40 donors. One $4,000 donation was particularly generous, she said.

With any election, it is very disturbing that a few individuals who have money to spend can donate to a candidate and kind of sway the election results, Brookover said.

I am proud of the fact that I am receiving donations ranging from $25 to several thousands from individuals who believe in me, and transparency, and us doing something positive for our students.

Brookover said she absolutely supports a cap on campaign contributions.

Rocklin Unified School Board candidate Jen Brookover stands outside her home in Rocklin in 2022. She supports a cap on campaign donations.

Getting a $10,000 donation from someone who doesnt even live in the town where youre running ... I honestly dont know if Id take that donation, Brookover told The Bee. This is supposed to be nonpartisan. We dont want money coming from big corporations and businesses and organizations that have certain affiliations.

While Brasher lives in neighboring Lincoln, he told The Bee hes involved with a charity that works with Rocklin schools, and has four grandchildren in the district.

Brookover received the $4,000 donation from a retiree named Pat Harding who lives in the Rocklin district, and who began organizing for Brookovers campaign after she was featured in a HuffPost story about Rocklins culture wars.

Outside of Rocklin, candidates are raking in some pretty generous donations, too.

Heidi Moore, a candidate at the Elk Grove Unified School District in Sacramento County, who is running on a parents rights platform, received $2,500 from the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs Association, according to campaign finance disclosure forms. Holly Cuthbertson, a first-time candidate running in the Roseville City School District, received $2,000 from Rex Carpenter, her father and a veteran and retiree who frequently attends school board meetings in support of LGBTQ students, per her campaign finance report.

These are big numbers for candidates who typically receive contributions between $100-$500.

I thought she wrote it wrong, said Brookover of Hardings check.

She called Harding after she saw the amount, just to make sure the number was accurate.

Four hundred dollars, I feel, would be a lot, Brookover said. This isnt a statewide election. This is a school board.

(Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled Pat Hardings last name. The FPPC 460 form which showed her donation to Jen Brookover misspelled Harding as Hardy.)
Plan for signal at Bradley Place and Sunset Ave moves forward after Palm Beach council OK

The Palm Beach Town Council approved a resolution to allocate almost $150,000 for the design of a traffic signal for the intersection of Bradley Place and Sunset Avenue.

In an effort to tackle congestion at one of Palm Beachs busiest intersections, the Town Council approved funding to design a traffic signal for the intersection of Bradley Place and Sunset Avenue.

Public Works Director Paul Brazil told council members during the Aug. 13 meeting that the resolution seeking funding was the result of a town-commissioned study to see if a signal was needed. The study, led by Susan ORourke Engineering and Planning, used three datasets: one collected by O'Rourke's firm; another collected by the town; and a third collected by The Corradino Group during its traffic and parking study, Brazil said.

We gave all of that to Ms. ORourkes firm, and it turns out that a traffic signal is warranted in that area, Brazil said.

However, theres a problem.

According to Brazil, it normally takes roughly a year to construct and install a traffic poles mast arm, the horizontal pole on which the signals are mounted.

One of the two companies who makes them just went out of business, Brazil said, noting that he didn't know how long the pole's construction would take.

Thats why the town needs to start the design process as soon as possible, he said.

Council Member Ted Cooney asked Brazil if the council would have a chance to review the project again before the signal is installed.

All of that will come back to you, said Brazil. This is (because) we know we have a long lead time issue when it comes to material.

Cooney also asked about its impact on the towns budget, since the town would be taking the projects $148,782.92 budget from the long-term Crosswalk Improvement Project.

Since the traffic signal wasnt part of the town's yearly budget, staff had to allocate funding from another project, Brazil said.

Deputy Town Manager Bob Miracle noted that the project budget under the council's review was just for the traffic poles design.

In regard to this whole project, and what we are looking at ... thats going to cost about a million dollars, Miracle said. And thats something else thats not funded.

Council Member Julie Araskog asked if the town would have to set aside an additional $1 million on top of the funding already requested.

Brazil said the final cost of the project will depend on design of the mast arm, and emphasized that town staff would already know how to fund the project by the time it returns to the council.

Council President Bobbie Lindsay said the project is part of the towns efforts to address traffic in the area and eventually turn Sunset Avenue back into a two-way street.

Weve had a lot of input from residents (about) making it a two-way street, and this is part of that process, Lindsay said.

Sunset Avenue was turned into an eastbound one-way in Aug. 26, 2023, as a means of easing the flow of traffic.

While the town is looking at potentially reverting Sunset Avenue to a two-way street, Brazil said that change isn't expected to come until well after the traffic signal's installation.

Mayor Danielle Moore said considering the delays the project is expecting to encounter, the only option for the town is to begin the process.

The council unanimously voted to approve Resolution No. 099-2024 to allocate $129,382.92 for a purchase order to consultants Kimley-Horn and Associates for the design of the mast arm and establish a project budget of $148,782.92.

Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at dlasa@pbdailynews.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach OKs plan for signal at Bradley Place and Sunset Ave.
New 'platelet score' being used to gauge risk of stroke, heart attack

An experimental genetic test can gauge a person's risk of developing potentially deadly blood clots, researchers report. Photo by Adobe Stock/HealthDay News

An experimental genetic test can gauge a person's risk of developing potentially deadly blood clots, researchers report.

People who scored high on the test had more than double the rate of heart attack, stroke and major amputation after they underwent a procedure to reopen blocked arteries in their legs, results showed.

The test assesses whether a person's platelets are "hyperreactive," and thus prone to abnormal clotting that blocks arteries, according to the report published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

"Our results demonstrate that our new platelet-centric scoring system can ... reliably predict platelet hyperreactivity and the related risk of cardiovascular events," said researcher Dr. Jeffrey Berger, director of the Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City.

The platelet score can detect hyperreactivity in apparently healthy patients as well as in sick people on the verge of a heart attack, researchers said.

"Physicians currently prescribe aspirin, a medication that counters platelet activity, to patients based on available risk factors, including high cholesterol or high blood pressure, which are not directly related to platelet function," Berger explained in an NYU news release.

However, aspirin comes with its own risks, increasing a person's odds of dangerous bleeding, the researchers noted.

The new test "promises to help physicians confine anti-platelet treatment to the people most likely to benefit: those with platelet hyperreactivity," Berger added.

Platelets, the smallest blood cells, bind together to form clots whenever they detect bleeding in injured blood vessels.

Heart doctors have long known that platelets become hyperreactive in some people, creating clots that can cause heart attacks and strokes or block blood flow to the legs, researchers said in background notes.

But routine tests currently available to assess platelets' propensity to clot aren't accurate enough to be very helpful, they noted.

To come up with a new test, researchers ran genetic tests on a group of patients with diagnosed platelet hyperreactivity, identifying 451 genes that appeared to differ significantly in them versus healthy people.

These genetic differences were used to create a Platelet Reactivity ExpresSion Score (PRESS) for each patient.

The research team then used the PRESS test to assess clotting risk for a group of 254 people who had undergone a procedure to reopen blocked arteries in their legs.

The test revealed that nearly 18% of the patients had hyperreactive platelets.

Those patients had greater than twice the risk of heart attack, stroke, major leg blood clots or leg amputation within a month of the procedure, compared to those whose PRESS test results showed no hyperreactivity, researchers said.

The team also used PRESS to assess platelet hyperreactivity among a separate group of women suffering from clogged arteries in their legs. Results showed that those with elevated scores were 90% more likely to have a heart attack or stroke.

"In current practice, anti-platelet therapy is not routinely recommended for the prevention of a first heart attack or stroke, but a platelet-based test would help to identify patients at highest risk, and those who would benefit most from anti-platelet therapy to prevent a cardiovascular event," said researcher Tessa Barrett, an assistant professor in the departments of medicine and pathology at NYU Langone. "Our score has the potential to further personalize cardiovascular disease risk prevention."

More information

Johns Hopkins Medicine has more about platelets.

Copyright  2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
One of the greatest pities of this election cycle is there is no Republican version of George Clooney, who urged Biden to withdraw from the presidency. Would any Republican have the courage to do the same to Trump? File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

Aug. 21 (UPI) -- One of the greatest pities of this election cycle is that there is no Republican version of George Clooney, the actor and Democratic fundraiser. In July, Clooney wrote a respectful yet powerful letter urging President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidency. Would any Republican have the courage to make the same plea to former President Donald Trump?

The answer, of course, is hell no. The idea would be instantly rejected as absurd. But despite the chaos and political nightmare such a decision would provoke, consider why the prospect might not be as ludicrous as it seems if Republicans want to win the presidential election in 2024.

Following this week's Democratic National Convention, suppose Democratic nominee for president Kamala Harris' honeymoon did not only persist, but swelled into a tsunami of support. Hundreds of millions of dollars filled her war chest. Tens of thousands volunteered for the Kamala Korps, creating a large army dedicated to winning the election. And all polls projected a Democratic landslide in both the popular and Electoral College votes.

Now imagine New York judge Juan Merchan was days away from sentencing former president Trump in the Stormy Daniels "hush money" case. When asked, the judge inferred no options were off the table. The media immediately reported jail time was likely.

Furthermore, the Justice Department succeeded in its appeal of Judge Aileen Cannon's dismissal of the Mar-a-Lago classified material case by declaring the special counsel unconstitutional. The ruling was reversed. A guilty finding seemed certain in the pending trial.

The spillover of the Harris phenomenon affected many Congressional races. A Blue Wave victory was projected in both Houses of Congress. Ladbrokes, a major London betting shop, put the odds of Trump winning at 100 to 1.

In this scenario, Trump being Trump was in denial. He remained convinced he would win the election claiming the polls were "rigged" and thus wrong. Trump accused the media of using "fake news" to discredit, tipping the election to Harris.

Disregarding the advice of serious Republicans, Trump refused to revise his campaign strategy from attacking Harris over her past record to one that explained how a second Trump administration would "make America great again." Trump's anger-based tirades and glowering presence at rallies cost him heavily in the public relations war when contrasted with Harris' optimism, enthusiasm and energy.

This would be a battle of sound bites with dueling messages. Like the successful "Morning in America" and "Hope and Change" that won for Ronald Reagan in 1984 and Barack Obama in 2008, respectively, Trump's negativism was one of "malaise" and "carnage" that failed in 2020, 2022 and seemed destined to lose in 2024. Still, Trump remained defiant, doubling down with ad hominem attacks

In reality... if Trump was to quit the race, is it possible to replace a presidential candidate so close to the election? And who might be the replacement? Republican nominee for vice president JD Vance is improbable at best. Governors such as New Hampshire's Chris Sununu, Virginia's Glenn Youngkin, and Florida's Ron DeSantis are attractive options. Maryland Governor and Senate candidate Larry Hogan reflects what was once the moderate wing of the Republican Party. And there are others.

One of the most profound consequences of a Trump withdrawal could catalyze "traditional Republicans" into launching a political coup that would return the TOP --Trump's Own Party -- back to the old GOP -- the Grand Old Party. Exorcising, purging and banishing the MAGA elements forever from Republicanism would be one principal aim.

It is fantasy to believe Trump would alter his course even when confronted with near absolute certainty he and his party were facing all but certain defeat. The prospect of Trump leaving is probably more remote than, at the beginning of the year, believing Biden would drop out.

And if Trump lost decisively on Nov. 5th, would he accept the results? Or would he repeat his 2020 allegations of fraud and an avalanche of lawsuits to reverse the election, all of which failed? And would greater violence be inevitable, exceeding the Jan. 6th, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol?

A large majority of Americans did not approve of choosing Harris or Trump. Elsewhere, I have described that whomever is elected president, the nation will face a catastrophe under Trump and disaster under Harris. Why?

If the most important personal criteria for ensuring a successful presidency are character, judgment and experience, how do Harris and Trump measure up? Under any objective standards, the findings are not reassuring. Indeed, they are far worse.

So what can be done? The answers are bleak. Trump will not change. Biden is history. No matter the hype, Harris is untested. And hope is not a plan.

One wonders what betting line Ladbrokes will offer on America's future prospects.

Harlan Ullman is UPI's Arnaud de Borchgrave Distinguished Columnist, a senior advisor at Washington's Atlantic Council, the prime author of "shock and awe" and author of "The Fifth Horseman and the New MAD: How Massive Attacks of Disruption Became the Looming Existential Danger to a Divided Nation and the World at Large." Follow him @harlankullman. The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Officers conducted a stop along I-15 after they said they received a tip that indicated a vehicle was associated with an attempted homicide investigation in California, according to Las Vegas Metro police.

An attempt to stop the vehicle started along the I-15 northbound and Primm shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, police said.

Traffic was tied up shortly before 7 p.m. further into the Las Vegas valley along I-15 northbound near the 215 due to police activity. Police told 8 News Now that once officers conducted the stop, the driver of the vehicle and occupants cooperated.

As of 7:50 p.m., traffic had begun to flow smoother although several police patrol units remained at the scene along the freeway. By 8:30 p.m. the scene had been cleared and traffic resumed as normal.

No other details were released by police.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Most students studying at colleges and universities in this area are beginning their fall classes this week. Heres a back-to-school look at whats new with colleges and universities in and around Guilford County.

UNCG

First day of class: Tuesday

Enrollment: 17,827

Something new: UNCGs Department of Mathematics & Statistics is offering a new degree, the Bachelor of Science in Statistics. The degree provides students with preparation for a career in data analytics, according to the university.

NC A&T

First day of class: Wednesday

Enrollment: We really cant say at this point and dont want to speculate before we receive official data in the next month or so, wrote Jackie Torok, the universitys director of media relations, when asked about expected fall enrollment. A&T reported 13,883 students in fall of 2023.

Something new: A&T is starting the year with a new chancellor, James Martin II. He was previously the vice chancellor for STEM research and innovation at the University of Pittsburgh. Hes no relation to Harold Martin, A&Ts prior chancellor.

Guilford Tech

First day of class: Monday

Enrollment: More more than 11,000 degree-seeking students are enrolled as the school starts the semester, with numbers expected to fluctuate through the drop/add period and when some courses begin later in the semester. The college also typically serves another 20,000 students a year through workforce, continuing education, and adult education programs.

Something new: GTCC is offering a Bioprocess Manufacturing Technology Associate of Applied Science degree. According to the college, the degree prepares people to apply scientific principles and technical skills in support of biologists and biotechnologists in research, industrial and government settings.

Guilford College

First day of class: Wednesday

Enrollment: 1,205

Something new: A grant from the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association will pay for students at Guilford College and the Early College at Guilford to work together to build an artificially intelligent solar-powered robot that will pick up and sort plastics on North Carolina beaches. The idea is that the robot would use AI to detect what it is grabbing. Students are yet to be selected.

Greensboro College

First day of class: Tuesday

Enrollment: Nearly 1,000 students

Something new: Greensboro College has expanded its international programs, welcoming students from more than seven countries this year. That includes students from the Sichuan Film and Television University in China, who are studying at Greensboro College via a new partnership between the schools.

Bennett College

First day of class: Monday

Enrollment: Phanalphie Rhue, chief global communications & experience officer, said, Our enrollment numbers are reported differently, as Bennett College has rolling admissions with six enrollment windows throughout the academic year, unlike other institutions that only have a Fall and a Spring semester enrollment window.

Bennett College had 195 students in autumn of 2023, according to Rhue.

Something new: Bennett is spotlighting TShari White, the schools new Environmental Justice Professor of Practice. According to the college, Whites research encompasses race, environmental ethics, and environmental racism.

(This section has edited to correct the spelling of Rhue's name and to update prior enrollment numbers. 8/23/24 2:25 p.m.)

High Point University

First day of class: Monday

Enrollment: 6,200

Something new: HPUs new law school and dental school are each welcoming their first students this fall. Those are the Kenneth F. Kahn School of Law and Workman School of Dental Medicine respectively.

Elon University

First day of class: Aug. 27

Enrollment: An estimated undergraduate enrollment of 6,400, though those numbers wont be finalized for several weeks. The school also has roughly 850 graduate students.

Something new: The university has finished and opened the first six of what will be 12 homes for students at its new EcoVillage at Loy Farm.

Environmental studies faculty have long envisioned a residential community at the farm where students would apply classroom lessons to tending the farm and living out sustainable principles, Elon communications staff member Michael Abernethy said in a prior article about the project.
CHICAGO  Chicago police and the FBI are searching for the people responsible for putting maggots in food at a Democratic National Convention breakfast at the Fairmont Hotel.

Law enforcement handling security for the DNC released the following statement Wednesday on the incident:

Multiple unknown female offenders are alleged to have entered a building (200 block of North Columbus Drive) and began placing unknown objects onto tables containing food. The offenders are believed to have then left the area. One victim was treated and released on-scene. Along with CPD, FBI-Chicago is assisting in the investigation. No further information is available at this time. DNC 2024 Joint Information Center



Delegates were buzzing about the insect attack as Chicago police officers and Illinois state troopers gathered in the lobby of the Fairmont Hotel near meeting rooms.

They protected us, of course, and turned it around in minutes, said Indiana delegate Tracy Boyd who is at the convention representing the Indianapolis region. She said her group was notified that breakfast service would be briefly delayed due to the incident. I really do want to give a shout-out to the hotel staff and leadership, Boyd said.

Dozens arrested after protestors clash with Chicago police near Israel Consulate

An FBI evidence response team van was parked outside the hotel Wednesday morning.

We can confirm that a group of individuals caused a disruption at a DNC-related breakfast event at our hotel this morning, Fairmont Chicago hotel spokesperson Haley Robles told WGN Investigates this morning. Our team acted immediately to clean and sanitize the area, ensuring that the event could continue without further incident.

Multiple law enforcement sources say it appears the maggots were brought into the hotel by activists seeking to send a message. All Americans have the right to peaceful protest, but ugly attacks like this have no place in our democracy, said Indiana Democratic Party spokesperson Sam Barloga. We thank the security team for responding swiftly.

No one is in custody in the incident. Police have not provided a description of the group of woman they are looking for.

The Fairmont hotel is hosting Democratic delegates from Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Missouri and South Dakota. A delegate from South Dakota said her morning meeting was not impacted. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg spoke at the hotel Wednesday morning.

The Democratic National Convention in Chicago concluded Thursday night with Vice President Kamala Harris accepting the partys nomination to the lands highest office.

DNC Highlights:

Walz accepts Democratic nomination for vice president: Its the honor of my life

Thats my dad! Gus Walz wins over social media with emotion for father

Police and FBI investigate maggot incident at DNC breakfast in Chicago

Chicago authors book inspired by Kamala Harris vice-presidential speech gains new relevance

Sketch artist captures scenes from Democratic National Convention

Why are so many people wearing camo at the DNC?

Illinois student journalists get firsthand experience at the DNC

Blue Carpet: DNC delegates make fashion statements to stand out in the crowd

Photos: Celebs spotted at the DNC

Dozens arrested after protestors clash with Chicago police near Israel Consulate

Chicago has hosted Democrats 12 times, the last being nearly 30 years ago when President Bill Clinton was nominated for a second term.



WGN Cover Story: Why Chicago has hosted more presidential conventions than any other 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 WGN-TV.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  Police have identified a teen shot and killed in northeast Oklahoma City Tuesday afternoon.

According to the Oklahoma City Police Department, officers responded to a shooting in the 1200 block of NE 23rd St. around 1:45 p.m.

RELATED STORY: One person dead, suspect now in custody after shooting; Live Free OKC calling for change

Upon arrival, officers found the body of 17-year-old GRico Hutcherson in a parking lot. He appeared to have been shot.

Officials say another teen victim was found nearby. He was taken to a local hospital and is expected to survive. Investigators believe the two victims were walking near NE 23rd St. when the shooting happened.

Two people have been arrested in connection to the double shooting. 33-year-old Lundon Mitchell was booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center while a 15-year-old suspect was booked into a juvenile detention facility. Both were booked on murder complaints.

Anyone with more information is asked to contact the Homicide Tip Line at 405-297-1200.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
Editors Note: This story has been edited to correct when the robbery occurred and replace a photo to show where it occurred. We apologize for the errors.

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  San Diego police are investigating after a smash-and-grab robbery in Rancho Bernardo Tuesday afternoon.

The incident occurred around 4:45 p.m. in the area of 16700 Bernardo Center Dr. According to SDPD, the suspect walked into the jewelry store with a hammer, using it to break the glass of two display cases and take several items from inside.

The clerk yelled, prompting the owner of the store to walk out from the back office. SDPD said the owner had a firearm when he walked onto the floor and fired one round into the ceiling. The suspect then ran out of the store in a northbound direction.

Burglary suspect leads deputies on pursuit, crashes into several vehicles

The owner attempted to follow the suspect, but was unable to locate him, according to SDPD. Authorities are now searching for the suspect.

SDPD described the suspect as a heavy-set man of an unspecified age, roughly 5 foot 10 inches to 6 feet tall. According to the department, he was last seen wearing a black hat, a blue or green camouflage face mask, gloves, a black long sleeve shirt and black pants.

No additional information was immediately available about the incident or the suspect. An investigation into the incident remains ongoing by SDPDs Robbery and Northeastern Divisions.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact SDPD or submit an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

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 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP)  Springfield police are investigating after a package containing an Apple product was stolen moments after being delivered to a residents doorstep.

According to the Springfield Police Department, in a recent incident, a FedEx driver dropped off a package and moments later a thief walked up to the doorstep of that home, dropped an empty box, took a photo, and stole the intended package.

Massachusetts ranks 16th worst state for porch pirates: How to keep your packages secure

Police say that this is one of several incidents in Springfield including the Northeast involving FedEx deliveries of Apple iPhones and iPads that are almost immediately stolen after the driver drops them at a door or on a porch.

To avoid being victimized, it is recommended to track your delivery and arrange for someone to be home to take them in when theyre delivered. If you cant be there, its a good idea to get packages delivered to a locker or a P.O. Box or even leave instructions for the delivery person to stow them away in a safer, less visible location.

To avoid being victimized, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service recommends not letting incoming or outgoing mail sit in your mailbox.

Track packages. Ask for a tracking number to know when your package is delivered. Track your packages and try to be home at the time of delivery. When placing an order, if possible, try to schedule shipment for a day you expect to be home.

Require a signature. Requesting a signature for delivery. This should ensure the package wont be left at your door without you there to sign and bring it safely inside.

Deliver to alternate home or workplace. Have your packages delivered somewhere else. If you know you wont be home when your package will be delivered, FedEx and United Parcel Service (UPS) tell you to opt for delivering it to a neighbor who is home or to your workplace.

Consider a package receiving service. Another option is to deliver your packages to a retail store or locker, where theyll stay safe until you can pick them up at your convenience. Many retailers will let you place online orders and then pick up your items in the store. You can also look into the Amazon Locker service, which delivers Amazon orders to a locker in your area; youre provided a pickup code that will unlock the door for you.

Ship to store. UPS suggests signing up for a service called UPS My Choice, which allows users to request their packages to be held at a UPS store for pick-up and more. You can control the service through text or email; it includes features such as delivery notices and the option to re-route your packages to a different address if you wont be home. You can also re-route your packages using the FedEx Delivery Manager.

Use a security camera. Security cameras pointing at your front door, hallway, or driveway are better than no camera at all. A security camera will serve as a great deterrent for criminals, and it helps to prevent package theft.

Were you sent a package you didnt order? Brushing scheme is back to produce fake online reviews

If you believe your package has been stolen, file a report with your local police department and the delivery company. Depending on which delivery service you use, they may offer insurance or other policies to reimburse you for your losses.

Latest Local News Headlines

WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP.
Nashville police have arrested a man in connection with the July vandalism of the a rainbow crosswalk at South 14th and Woodland Streets.

Isaiah D. Tester, 24, is charged with vandalizing government property after police say he poured a black paint-like liquid over the crosswalk created at the end of Pride Month on July 2.

A Nashville Crime Stoppers tip led to Tester's identification, police said in a Tuesday news release. He was arrested in Murfreesboro.

Police said Tester worked for a vehicle window replacement company and was driving his employer's van when the crosswalk was vandalized. Tester is believed to have used windshield prep primer to deface the crosswalk, police said, noting that Tester admitted to the vandalism after being confronted by a colleague.

He was fired from the company, authorities said.

When questioned by police, Tester again admitted to the sidewalk vandalism, investigators said.

He is being held in the Metro jail on $10,000 bond, and his first court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 13.

Days before the vandalism, hundreds of community members volunteered to paint the crosswalk with bright colors as part of pride month festivities in Nashville.

Metro Nashville LGBTQ Caucus, Council member Clay Capp, Nashville Department of Transportation and Nashville Pride partnered for the project.

The crosswalks were chosen for several reasons, city officials said.

Part of the reason why we chose this corner these are city roads, so the state has no dominion over what we can do right here, Metropolitan Council District 7 Council Member Emily Benedict said at the time.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Police: Man dumped windshield primer on Nashville rainbow crosswalk
Police say potential victims of rape suspect have come forward as detectives fear more

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  More than a week after the arrest of a Portland man accused of rape and sodomy, police said more potential victims have come forward.

Numerous women have contacted the Portland Police Bureau to report they have been sexually assaulted by 18-year-old Damani Anderson after meeting him on different social media platforms, authorities said.

Storm damage fixed, Gray Middle to reopen for students

Anderson was arrested on Friday, Aug. 9. The PPBs Sex Crimes Unit is now investigating the additional cases.

Detectives fear there could still be additional victims, police said in a release.

Just before 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 9, officers responded to the 9000 block of North Woolsey Avenue after someone called 911 saying a young woman was at their door asking for help, claiming she had been sexually assaulted.

The 18-year-old reported she had been assaulted by a man she had met on a dating app, claiming he had used threat of force to engage in sexual activity, police said.

Poll: Gonzalez leads, but many remain undecided

Anderson is being lodged at the Multnomah County Detention Center and faces charges that include first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree robbery and unlawful use of a weapon.

Anyone with information about this case or with similar experiences involving Anderson is encouraged to contact Portland 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 armed gendarme wearing a balaclava stands outside the residence of Andrew Tate during a police search raid, on the outskirts of Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)  Masked police officers in Romania carried out fresh raids early Wednesday at the home of divisive internet influencer Andrew Tate, who is awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

Romanias anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, said it was searching four homes in Bucharest and nearby Ilfov county, investigating allegations of human trafficking, the trafficking of minors, sexual intercourse with a minor, influencing statements and money laundering. The agency added that hearings will later be held at its headquarters.

Tates spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, said in response to the raids that although the charges in the search warrant are not yet fully clarified, they include suspicions of human trafficking and money laundering and added that his legal team is present. Petrescu did not address the allegations involving minors.

Dozens of police officers and forensic personnel were scouring Tates large property on the edge of the capital Bucharest. During the entire criminal process, the investigated persons benefit from the procedural rights and guarantees provided by the Code of Criminal Procedure, as well as the presumption of innocence, DIICOT noted in its statement.

The 37-year-old Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan, 36, both former kickboxers and dual British-U.S. citizens who have amassed millions of social media followers, were arrested in 2022 near Bucharest along with two Romanian women. Romanian prosecutors formally indicted all four last year. They have denied the allegations.

Petrescu said late Wednesday that the Tate brothers have been detained for 24 hours, which is the maximum DIICOT can hold them without a judge approving a request by prosecutors for a longer period. As of yet, no proposal has been submitted by the prosecution, she said.

As the brothers were ushered from their home into a police van outside, Andrew Tate complained to reporters that the case was progressing too slowly. What Ive done wrong, who knows, he claimed.

Andrew Tate is known for expressing misogynistic views online and has amassed 9.9 million followers on the social media platform X, and has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors have no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to silence him. He was previously banned from various social media platforms for misogynistic views and hate speech.

In April, the Bucharest Tribunal ruled that the prosecutors case file against the four met the legal criteria and that a trial could start but did not set a date for it to begin. That ruling came after the legal case had been discussed for months in the preliminary chamber stages, a process in which the defendants can challenge prosecutors evidence and case file.

After the Tate brothers arrest in 2022, they were held for three months in police detention before being moved to house arrest. They were later restricted to the Bucharest and Ilfov counties, and later to all of Romania.

Last month, a court overturned an earlier decision that allowed the Tate brothers to leave Romania as they await trial. The earlier court ruled on July 5 that they could leave the country as long as they remained within the 27-member European Union. The decision was final.

In March, the Tate brothers also appeared at the Bucharest Court of Appeal in a separate case, after British authorities issued arrest warrants over allegations of sexual aggression in a U.K. case dating back to 2012-2015. The appeals court granted the British request to extradite the the Tates to the U.K., but only after legal proceedings in Romania have concluded.

___

McGrath reported from Sibiu, Romania.
Police searching for woman seen climbing over zoo fence, trying to 'entice' tiger

Police are attempting to identify a woman who they say entered an enclosure at a local zoo and tried to "entice" a tiger.

A release from the Bridgeton Police Department on Facebook in conjunction with the Bridgeton Park and Zoo shows video and images of a woman within the confines of the enclosure, interacting with the tiger through wire fencing.

The event took place at the Cohanzick Zoo, where footage shows the woman putting her hand through the wire separation and almost being bit by the tiger.

She can be seen moving away from the animal and hopping back over the wooden fence that surrounds the enclosure.

The police are requesting that anyone who recognizes the individual from the video contacts patrolman Cusano at 856.451.0033 ext. 0.

Anonymous tips are also accepted at BPD.TIPS.

Bridgeton Police are searching for a woman who was seen climbing into a tiger enclosure at a local zoo.

More: Here are some exotic animals you can own in New Jersey, with or without a permit

The post has over 1,000 shares on Facebook, and over 200 commenters have shared their thoughts on the interaction.

"That poor tiger looks so distressed," one person wrote.

"I hope we don't lose our zoo as a result," said another.

The Cohanzick Zoo has been serving New Jersey since 1934 and is known to be the state's first zoo.

The zoo is a free resource to Bridgeton and the surrounding areas. It is the only remaining municipality-run zoo in the state and relies entirely on public support.

Per the zoo's website, the two tigers residing at the location are Bengals named Rishi and Mahesha. They weigh nearly 500 pounds each.

The police department reminded the public when visiting the zoo that it is against city ordinance to climb over any fence.

Bridgeton Police are searching for a woman who was seen climbing into a tiger enclosure at a local zoo.

Kaitlyn McCormick writes about trending issues and community news across South Jersey for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times. If you have a story she should tell, email her at kmccormick@gannett.com. And subscribe to stay up to date on the news you need.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Bridgeton Police searching for woman who jumped into tiger enclosure
BEAVERCREEK, Ohio (WDTN)  The Beavercreek Police Department is looking to locate two individuals in relation to a reported robbery at a mall in Greene County.

According to Beavercreek Police, a robbery reportedly occurred at Rally House inside of the Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek. Authorities claim they are searching for both a female and male suspect in relation to the incident.

Officials allege the male suspect made a threat against an employee while committing a theft.

Please contact Detective McCain at (937) 427-5520 to provide information on who either individual could be.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Police in New Jersey are searching for a woman who scaled the fence of an enclosure at the Cohanzick Zoo and attempted to pet a gigantic Bengal tiger.

A private Facebook post from the Bridgeton Police Department (review by People) explained that an unidentified woman scaled the wooden fence into the tiger enclosure and put her hand through a mesh metal fence, using her hand to get the attention of a 500-lb. Bengal.

Harrowing footage obtained by News 12 New Jersey shows the tiger approach the woman before suddenly lunging, nearly biting her. After that, both the trespasser and the tiger quickly go their separate ways.

"Do not climb over the fence. Climbing over any zoo fence is against city ordinance 247-C, the police department said in their statement. A similar message is posted on a sign near the tiger enclosure. According to News 12, the ordinance specifies that such an action could result in the guest being banned from the zoo.

The high-quality care of the animals, along with the safety of our guests and visitors, is our top priority, John Medica, Director of Recreation and Public Affairs for the City of Bridgeton, told People in a statement. "Any visitor behavior that places the animals, staff, and members of the public in a potentially dangerous situation is unacceptable and will be addressed accordingly, he vowed.

According to the Cohanzick Zoos website, the tiger was one of two brothers donated in 2016 by a North Carolina zoo. The tigers were a much-welcomed sight considering nearly two years before the zoo had lost the last of the two white tigers who had roamed the enclosure for many years, the website explains.

No injuries were reported to either the tiger or the trespasser. Anyone who has information regarding the womans identity is urged to contact the Bridgeton Police Department.
ASHEBORO  Former President Donald Trump touted his national security record in an appearance here Wednesday and accused Democratic opponent Kamala Harris of weakening Americas standing in the world through her role in the Biden administration.

Trump and his Republican running mate U.S. Sen J.D. Vance spoke to an enthusiastic crowd of several thousand at the North Carolina Aviation Museum.

Trump focused much of his criticism on the administrations handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 in which 13 service members died. He said Harris bore responsibility through her role as a key advisor to Biden.

He accused Harris of being a radical, dubbing her Comrade Kamala.

The withdrawal from Afghanistan, Trump said, weakened America, emboldened its adversaries and contributed to Russian President Putins decision to invade Ukraine.

He contrasted his own approach, which he said made the world and America safer.

Everybody said, Oh, hes going to start wars with his attitude, Trump said, referring to criticism of him when he was president. No, my attitude kept us out of wars. I stopped wars with phone calls.

Trump appeared behind protective glass following the attempt on his life July 13 in Pennsylvania. The image of a bloodied Trump from that day was prominent on shirts and other merchandise sold at the Asheboro rally.

The assassination attempt was on Ashley Harris mind Wednesday at the rally. The 57-year-old Asheboro woman said she had never seen Trump before.

I am very excited because ... I live three miles down the road and it seems like it was meant for me to be here today, she said. God saved his life for a reason and it is to save this country. And we have to be here today to support him.

Vice presidential candidate Vance also spoke on Wednesday, reinforcing Trumps security message. He attacked Harris on immigration, saying she would create a chaotic situation at the Southern border akin to a Black Friday rush at Walmart.

Vance described Trump as a man who sacrificed his own life of luxury for the sake of the country.

He gave the easy life up so that we could get our country back, Vance said.

Trumps visit to Asheboro came exactly a month after President Joe Biden ended his campaign and Kamala Harris emerged as the Democratic candidate. North Carolina election observers said the change has had a significant impact on the state of the race in the state.

The big switch from Biden to Harris fundamentally changed the nature of this race nationally and in North Carolina said Chris Cooper, a Western Carolina University political science professor. I think if Biden were still in this race, we would be heavily favored to go with Donald Trump. Today, its a tossup.

John Dinan, a Wake Forest University professor and the chair of the universitys Department of Politics and International Affairs, agreed with that assessment.

As long as Biden was the Democratic nominee, North Carolina was looking increasingly out of reach for Democrats and was not looking all that competitive, but once Biden was pushed aside and Harris became the nominee, this re-set the race and made it a competitive contest in a way that it wasnt all that competitive as long as Biden was in the race, Dinan wrote in an email.

In order for Harris to become the first Democratic candidate since Barack Obama in 2008 to carry the Tar Heel State, Cooper said she will need to increase turnout among Black voters and narrow the margins in rural areas.

For Trump, Cooper said it will come down to replicating the success he has had in the state in the last two elections and ensuring he invests time and resources here.

I think he needs to take Harris seriously as a challenger in North Carolina and it appears that he is, Cooper said, citing both Wednesdays rally and Trumps appearance in Asheville last week.

Dinan said he will be keeping an eye on how much time the candidates spend in North Carolina as the campaign draws to a close.

It is notable that both candidates are making regular visits to North Carolina in August, because this suggests that both campaigns view the state as potentially competitive, he said. The next thing to watch is whether both Trump and Harris are still making frequent visits to North Carolina in the final weeks of the campaign or whether they focus even more attention on a few other battleground states.

Trump supporters at the rally had their own observations about what their candidate needs to do in the race against Harris.

He needs to leave the personal attack out of it and hit her with policy after policy, said Kim Snell, 59. Because she knows nothing about policies. She is clueless.
3-year-old girl succumbs to injuries; Salisbury murder suspect still on the loose

3-year-old girl succumbs to injuries; Salisbury murder suspect still on the loose

SALISBURY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  A 3-year-old girl has tragically died from her injuries following a weeks-long battle after a shooting in Salisbury has now claimed her life and her great-grandfathers life, Salisbury Police confirmed during a sobering update Wednesday morning from its downtown headquarters.

A search for the murder suspect that includes law enforcement agents from the ATF, FBI, and Homeland Security is ongoing and authorities are pleading for the publics assistance in providing any information that may lead to an arrest.

The deadly incident in question occurred on Saturday, Aug. 10, around 5:30 a.m. on Rowan Mill Road where 80-year-old Charles William was shot and killed, and a young girl, who police identified as Myisha Angel, was also shot and hospitalized in critical condition. She succumbed to her injuries on Monday following a weeks-long battle in the ICU, authorities said.

Chesterfield County mother accuses SRO of assaulting her second-grader

This was not a random act, authorities said Wednesday. Williams was the little girls great-grandfather.

An initial investigation stated that an argument had occurred earlier between two parties and that this shooting was the direct result of that argument.

During Wednesdays briefing, authorities showed surveillance footage that captured a white four-door sedan fleeing the crime scene.

No stone will be left unturned and we will work to solve this case as quickly as we can. The house was shot into just two days before the deadly shooting, police said Wednesday.

Credit: Salisbury PD

Credit: Salisbury PD



Credit: Salisbury PD

Troopers said a person of interest, Kevin Smith Jr., 25, was arrested four days after the murder following a high-speed chase, however, police said Wednesday that they believe he was one of the intended targets in the deadly shooting.

MORE: Man accused of leading chase from Salisbury to Charlotte could be linked to weekend murder, police say

Kevin Antonio Smith Jr. (Salisbury Police)

Police said that while they wont confirm the deadly incident was gang-related, the acts were consistent with gang-related behaviors.

There are several ways residents can contact Salisbury Police on this case:

By Phone: 704-638-5333 ask to speak to the detective division

Salisbury Police Department Facebook messenger

Nixle app by texting 888777 with the words TIP MYSALISBURY

Visit https://salisburync.gov/Government/Police/Report-A-Crime and click on the block that has 128 Rowan Mills Rd murder

Crime Stoppers at 866-639-5245

Watch Salisbury Polices full news conference on Wednesday 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 Queen City News.
NEWPORT, R.I. (WPRI)  Newport police have identified a suspect after an incident at a recent Energy & Environment Commission Wind Farm Forum.

Around an hour into the forum on Aug. 15, a woman can be seen walking up to the commission members table with a cardboard box and bag.

In a since-deleted video posted on Newport polices Instagram page, the woman pulls out what she describes as a fiberglass shard that was very, very sharp.

The video cuts to a short time after where she mentions the object was found on our beach before she is interrupted by a man.

Different parts of the video showed the man throwing her bag to another part of the room, putting an index card on her face and then grabbing a microphone off a nearby podium and placing it behind the commission members.

The person in the video has been identified, Newport Police Lt. Joseph Carroll told 12 News in an email Wednesday evening. This is an ongoing investigation and no arrests have been made. At this time, we do not have any further information to add.

Carroll declined to release the individuals name.

(Courtesy: Newport Police Department)

After the video circulated, users on social media pointed out the man in the police video looked like a person shown in a photo on the homepage of U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouses campaign website.

Social media users also noted a similar-looking person in a TV ad that aired as part of the launch of Whitehouses reelection campaign.

READ MORE: Sheldon Whitehouse launches bid for another US Senate term

State Rep. Patricia Morgan, one of two Republicans vying to unseat Whitehouse, said in a statement the senator needs to address this incident immediately.

If this man is connected to his campaign, Rhode Islanders deserve to know what kind of campaign hes running, Morgan added. Silence is not an option.

Asked about the individual, Whitehouses campaign spokesperson told 12 News he is not an employee of the office or affiliated with the campaign.

We have swapped out the photo on the website, the spokesperson added.

NEXT: Are you REAL ID ready? What to know before next years deadline

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Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com.
Police warn online shoppers after man was held at gunpoint during Facebook Marketplace exchange in Little Rock

Police warn online shoppers after man was held at gunpoint during Facebook Marketplace exchange in Little Rock

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Little Rock police are investigating a robbery after a man said he was held at gunpoint during a Facebook marketplace exchange.

Matthew Prichard said he lives in Tennessee but came to Little Rock for work. He said last Thursday while he was on Facebook Marketplace he saw that a PlayStation was for sale for $250, something he wanted to buy for his son.

A Rolex seller meets up with a Facebook Marketplace thief. It goes all wrong from there

He said the seller told him to meet at a home in Little Rock, but when he went to the house, he said it didnt look like anyone lived there. Prichard said he was walking back to his car when two men came from around the house to talk to him about the exchange before everything went wrong.

I said I would do the counting of the money and thats when a third person came around the corner with a hoodie and pulled a gun on me, Prichard said.

Prichard said he handed over the money and when they let him leave and he went to a safe location and called the police.

$250 was not worth my life and my kids losing me as their father, Prichard said.

Little Rock Police Department public information officer Johnathan Tolentino said these types of robberies happen yearly.

PCSSD elementary school principal, friend shot during Facebook sale scam

Tolentino said that if people find themselves in this situation, they should do several things to keep themselves safe.

Save any screenshots of messages between you and the seller, get a description of the person or people involved and call 911 when youre safe, Tolentino said.

He said if someone is held at gunpoint for an exchange of money during a purchase, they should try to remain calm.

Dont try to fight back with whats going on, Tolentino said. I know a lot of times its for money, but your life is more valuable than a few hundred dollars.

Tolentino suggested that people meet at a safe location during any online exchange that requires them to meet in person.

We recommend doing it at a police station, Tolentino said.

Conway police warn of telephone lost pet scam: What to do if you get a call

Tolentino said Prichards case is still being investigated and if anybody is a victim of a robbery, they should call the 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 KARK.
Scientific theory has had a rough time in Americas public schools.

Almost 100 years ago, science teacher John Scopes was convicted of violating a Tennessee law that prohibited teaching the theory of evolution. Although his conviction was overturned on a technicality in 1927, laws banning classes on Darwins theory stuck around for another 40 years. They were ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1968.

Over the past few decades, conservative or religious groups that object to including the theory of evolution in science classes have tried a different approach. Now, they argue, if the scientific theory of evolution is taught, other views, such as intelligent design  a stand-in for creationism  should also be taught.

Broadening efforts

The approach is not limited to evolution. Legislatures across the country are proposing or passing laws that purport to encourage scientific discussion, but instead encourage students to treat established, scientific theories as equivalent to ideas that lack scientific study.

In 2012, legislators in Tennessee  the same state where the Scopes trial took place nearly a century ago  approved a law that obligated teachers to present the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories. What constituted a scientific strength or weakness was not defined.

Similar bills were introduced in North Dakota in 2019 and Oklahoma in 2023. If the Oklahoma bill passes, teachers will be encouraged to explore scientific theories in class and to help students analyze certain scientific strengths and weaknesses.

And a new law in West Virginia allows teachers to discuss or answer questions from students about scientific theories. The bills author, state Sen. Amy Grady, said the law is about encouraging students to think, encouraging students to ask questions and encouraging our teachers to be able to answer them.

A scene from the 1960 movie Inherit the Wind, which depicted a courtroom battle over whether the theory of evolution could be taught in schools. United Archives/Contributor via Getty Images

Court battles ahead

In my view, legislation dealing with the teaching of scientific theories is being used to influence what is taught in public schools. The law is likely to face a legal challenge. More than 20 years ago, in Kitzmiller v. Dover, a federal court ruled that intelligent design was not science; it lacked empirical evidence and testable hypotheses. Teaching it would violate the First Amendments prohibition against state support of religion.

As an educator  and as a scholar who studies the nature of science  I believe an understanding of scientific knowledge is critical; scientific theories are part of this knowledge.

Accepted scientific theories are the best explanations available so far for how the world works. They have been thoroughly tested and are supported by evidence, often pulled from different fields. For example, evidence supporting large-scale evolution comes from fossils, DNA analysis and comparing the anatomy of different organisms.

Updating theories

Scientific theories can be revised. They can change, or even be discarded, but they are durable. The history of science is full of stories about new evidence, reinterpretation of existing evidence and advances in technology spurring changes in the sciences. For instance, the discovery of the microscope in the 16th century literally changed how scientists saw the world.

Scientific theories have explanatory power about the natural world. The Earths gravity, for instance, can be explained through the theory of general relativity. Theories have predictive power, too. They can be used to generate research ideas. As summarized by astrophysicist and author Neil deGrasse Tyson: A well-constructed theory should explain some of what is not understood and, more importantly, predict previously unknown phenomena that can be tested. A successful theory is one where experiments consistently confirm its predictions.

Given these characteristics of scientific theories, the current crop of legislation governing how theories are introduced and taught in classrooms is concerning. Underpinning these laws is the assumption that accepted scientific theories are nothing more than conjecture.

Debating facts

For example, a 2023 bill from Montana prohibits science instruction on subject matter that is not scientific fact. The bill devalues scientific theories as hunches or unproved assumptions. It undermines their inclusion, as established ideas, in the K-12 curriculum. Atomic theory may be a theory, but it is fundamental to peoples understanding of matter and is a foundation of all the physical sciences.

Legislation that invites classroom exploration, debate or analysis of theories may mask other intentions. The sponsor of Senate Bill 140 in Oklahoma, for example, said he hoped the law would expose the theory aspect of evolution by allowing alternate views to be presented.

Laws like the one passed in West Virginia go a step further. They open the door to discussions about alternatives to scientific theories. This allows nonscientific notions to be introduced covertly. Writing for Scientific American, Amanda Townley, executive director of the National Center for Science Education, criticized the West Virginia law. She expressed concern and said such laws open the public classroom door to false beliefs such as the Earth being flat or that crystals can heal.

Toward scientific literacy

In contrast to legislators who would allow any kind of theory to be taught in science class, experts such as Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, a leading international science education researcher, advocate that students in K-12 be taught about the characteristics of scientific theories in developmentally appropriate ways. U.S. standards for teaching science, for instance, say that by the end of 12th grade, students should understand that a scientific theory is a substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that has been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment.

Students should be encouraged to think critically and ask questions  like What is the evidence that supports this theory? or How was this theory tested?  with the caveat that any theories in question should have already attained the status of scientific theory before being admitted into the curriculum.

Education scholars say K-12 education must provide students a functional level of scientific literacy that enables them to understand and make decisions about issues related to science in everyday life, from vaccines to baking cakes.

Part of attaining this literacy is understanding and trusting knowledge produced by science, such as facts, laws  and scientific theories.

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: Ryan Summers, University of North Dakota

Read more:



Ryan Summers receives funding from National Science Foundation, ND EPSCoR, and the National Institute of Health.
Heading into a divisive national election, a new poll shows that when it comes to education, at least, Americans overwhelmingly agree that the next president should focus on two things: preparing students for careers and attracting top teachers who will stay in the profession.

There are clear priorities that overwhelming numbers of Americans on both sides of the aisle can support, said James Lane, CEO of PDK International, a professional organization for educators that administers the annual survey. If I were a candidate for any office at the federal level, I would want to know those things that have broad support because theyre likely to have an opportunity for success.

But beyond those narrow avenues of agreement, the country is separated by large partisan differences on issues from student mental health to paying for college. Eighty-six percent of Democrats want the next administration to focus on mental health and college affordability, compared with less than two-thirds of Republicans.

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American voters also vary widely on their views of Washingtons role in education. Former President Donald Trump says he would dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, push for universal private school choice and expect schools to promote patriotism, according to his education platform. On the Democratic side, Vice President Kamala Harris would push for more stringent guardrails on charter schools, revive an effort to pass universal pre-K and expand the child tax credit to provide up to $6,000 for families with a newborn.

Less than half of Americans  45%  approve of how the Biden administration has handled education policy, the same approval rating they gave former President Donald Trump in 2020. But less than a third say theyd trust Trump on education if hes elected again in November. Their views on a potential Harris-Walz administration are unclear  the poll was conducted before the disastrous debate that sparked President Joe Bidens departure from the race.

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Lane, who served as acting assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education at the U.S. Department of Education in the Biden administration before joining PDK last year, declined to comment on the presidents education track record. Attitudes toward the candidates might have shifted slightly if the poll had been conducted after Harris became the nominee, he said, but views on the major issues likely wouldnt have changed much.

The large partisan gaps are surprising given that many issues dont really have a straightforward partisan connotation, said David Houston, an education professor at George Mason University. Public pre-K, for example, has long held bipartisan support at the state level, but a federal role in expanding access is a much higher priority for Democrats than Republicans, 71% and 48% respectively.

The poll also shows that 54% of Americans overall  and 70% of public school parents  say education will play an extremely or very important role in the upcoming presidential election. But Houston is skeptical.

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Project 2025 Would Cut Ed. Dept., Fulfill GOP K-12 Wish List Under Trump

I would be surprised if education was the top-of-mind issue that would be deciding those votes, he said. That could change, he said, if the race is really close. Anything that moves the vote count a fraction of a percent matters in a head-to-head race.

Across the sample of over 1,000 participants, there are also striking differences in responses by race. Support for a greater focus on helping students catch up in school, addressing mental health and reducing college costs is roughly 20% higher among Blacks than whites.

The largest gap is on the issue of protecting students from discrimination, with 87% of Black respondents saying they want more attention paid to civil rights, compared to 51% of whites. Hispanic and Black Americans were nearly tied on wanting the next administration to strengthen access to public pre-K  66% and 67% respectively  but just half of white respondents viewed it as a priority.

The Trump platform doesnt mention early learning, but a controversial playbook for his potential second term, released by the conservative Heritage Foundation, would eliminate Head Start, the federally funded program for low-income families. While universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds remains a plank in the Democratic platform, Biden was not able to win Congressional support for the issue when he ran on it in 2020.

Views on charters

Charter school expansion was the only issue where less than half of Americans  35%  want an expanded federal role. Surprisingly, just half of Republicans called it a priority, perhaps reflecting the partys increasing shift toward education savings accounts, which allow parents to pay for private school tuition or homeschooling costs with public funds.

[GOP] interest in charter schools has really petered out, compared to their heyday in the 2010s, Houston said. The school choice wing of the party has its energies focused elsewhere.

Among Democrats, who often accuse such schools of siphoning students from traditional outlets, less than a quarter wanted more federal attention on charter expansion.

Enrollment trends tell a different story, said Sonia Park, executive director of the Diverse Charter Schools Coalition, a network that encourages socioeconomic and racial diversity. Charters overall have seen continued growth  a 2% increase last year, data shows  during a time when the student population in district schools was flat or declining.

Parents want quality public school choice, regardless of where they are, and charters are part of that, she said.

Democrats promise to pick up where the Biden administration left off on charter policy. According to the 2024 platform, additional federal funding for charter expansions or renewals would hinge on whether local districts determine they systematically underserve the neediest students  a change that goes beyond restrictions the Biden administration adopted in 2022.

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8 Things to Know About Tim Walz, the Democratic Tickets Top Teacher

Harrowing results on teaching

With Harriss selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a former high school teacher, as her running mate, education is likely to get frequent attention during the fall campaign. But Lane, with PDK, wants to hear specific plans to address ongoing disruptions in the teaching workforce. Relief funds that allowed districts to hire more staff will soon expire, a reality that already contributed to a wave of layoffs. Some districts are still starting the school year with vacancies, and another recent survey shows just 16% of teachers would recommend the profession to their friends.

For the first time, the survey also asked the public about AI in education, a subject that often generates mixed reactions. Over 60% of Americans support AI for tutoring, test preparation and lesson planning. But only 43% favored students relying on AI for help with homework.

In keeping with its focus on teaching, PDK International routinely includes a question in its poll that asks parents whether theyd support their children going into education. The organization runs Educators Rising, a nationwide program that aims to get middle and high school students interested in the profession.

James Lane served as acting assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education at the U.S. Department of Education before taking over as CEO of PDK International (PDK International)

Just four in 10 parents say theyd like to see one of their children become a teacher  a significant drop from the three-fourths of parents who favored that choice when the question was first asked in 1969. The primary reason: low pay.

Were going to have to address salaries, Lane said. The fact that 60% of folks wouldnt even recommend a teaching career to their own children is harrowing, considering the needs that we have.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A poll commissioned by Portland Public Safety Commissioner Rene Gonzalez shows the mayoral candidate is the frontrunner of the race, but also shows that nearly 40% of voters are still undecided.

The poll, which was first reported by The Oregonian and obtained by KOIN 6 News, was conducted by Lake Research Partners.

According to the poll  on an initial ballot with no additional information  Gonzalez leads the other candidates with 21% of the first-choice vote.

Portlands camping ban gains momentum with Multnomah County Sheriffs support

Fellow commissioners and mayoral candidates Mingus Mapps and Carmen Rubio trail Gonzalez with 13% of voter support as first-choice candidates, the poll found, noting 4% support for Keith Wilson and 3% for Liv Osthus.

In a memo with the poll results, Lake Research Partners said their findings show a significant improvement of Gonzalezs polling numbers from earlier in 2024, when he tied for first place and won a ranked-choice voting scenario by a smaller margin.

The memo furthered, After factoring in second and third-choice votes in a ranked-choice voting simulation, Gonzalez finishes significantly ahead of Carmen Rubio in the final round. Notably, Gonzalez finishes ahead of Rubio in [ranked choice voting] in all four City Council Districts.

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We are pleased to see support has grown over the summer and that Portlanders appreciate the Commissioners work on homelessness, safety and livability. This is a make-or-break election for our city and there is still a lot of work to do, Amy Wood, campaign manager for Rene Gonzalezs mayoral bid, said in a statement to KOIN 6 News.

While the memo touts Gonzalezs lead, the poll also shows 38% of respondents were undecided.

Lake Research Partners said they polled 500 likely general election voters in Portland from Aug. 7-11. According to the firm, the poll has a margin of error of +/- 4.4% and the data was weighted slightly to reflect the likely demographic profile.

DONT MISS: Tim Scott on Portlands ranked-choice voting system

The poll comes as Portlanders will see a new style of voting for the November election: ranked choice voting.

While ranked-choice voting will be new to Portland, its already used in Alaska, Maine, and about 50 local jurisdictions across the United States.

Portland will be the first to use ranked-choice voting this November to elect a new mayor, auditor and the new 12-member city council, which will have three elected councilors in each of four newly created districts. Multnomah County as a whole goes to the system in 2026.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
The headlines from the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago included news that legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor got bumped but country artists Mickey Guyton and Jason Isbell performed for attendees. It speaks to the power of music that politicians from both parties want to tap into.

Also debuting during the DNC, Beyonce singing in an ad supporting Kamala Harris. The internet might well crash should Taylor Swift give the slightest indication of jumping on the bandwagon.

At the Republican National Convention, of course, big name artists also played for the crowd in Milwaukee, capped by performances by Kid Rock and Lee Greenwood on its final night, which brings me to the latest effort on behalf of GOP nominee Donald Trump drawing on his affinity with the hip-hop community that goes back decades.

Rapper Kodak Black pardoned on Trump's last day in office

On paper, it may not appear that Trump and rapper Kodak Black have much in common.

Trump, 78, is the former president and is one of the worlds 500 wealthiest people, according to Bloomberg. Trump has always been rich.

Meanwhile, Black, 27, said when he was a teenager, he started robbing and stealing to provide for his family because he grew up without a father in the Golden Acres Projects in Pompano Beach, Florida.

Last week, Trump appeared in a rap track by Black and Fivio Foreign called ONBOA47RD.

Although Trump didn't rap on the track, excerpts from his inauguration speech and his speech at the RNC were included in the song.

The endorsement song opens with a vocal from Trumps inauguration speech, in which he declares, I will fight for you with every breath in my body, and I will never, ever let you down.

Later, Black states in a verse, I didnt even see so many Black people free during Obama days.

This line strongly suggests that Trump has worked harder than President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama to free incarcerated Black people.

Later Black says, "They keep asking about Trump, but I don't speak on family business."

The rappers then include a line from Trump's Milwaukee at the RNC where he say, "I'm not supposed to be here today, but I'm here to announce a brand new plan to deliver more opportunity, more security, more fairness."

This was Trump's first speech following an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania just days before he accepted the GOP nomination for president.

So how does Trump know Kodak Black?

This question dates to Trumps last full day in office, Jan. 20, 2021, when he issued 143 pardons. Black, whose legal name is Bill Kapri, still had three years left on a sentence for making false statements to buy firearms. Trumps pardon freed Black, along with five-time Grammy award winner Lil Wayne, who was facing ten years for a gun charge.

Kodak Black

Tech entrepreneur and reality TV star Ray J introduced Black to Trump at a dinner in March 2022.

While Black and Wayne's pardons were good news for hip-hop fans, others wondered if the moves were political ploys to cater to young Black voters, whom the Republican Party has struggled to reach over the years.

If thats true, is ONBOA47RD payback for the pardon?

Trump also hinted that Black Americans are more accepting of him since he was convicted of 34 felony counts of various crimes earlier this year.

"I got indicted a second time and a third time and a fourth time, and a lot of people said that that's why the Black people like me because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against. And they actually viewed me as I'm being discriminated against. It's been pretty amazing," Trump said at a Black Conservative gathering held in South Carolina in February.

Trump has been featured in rap songs for decades

Before Trump ventured into politics, rappers often mentioned him by name as a symbol of wealth, power, and greed.

I still remember how the rapper Young Joc once said in his hit song Its Goin Down that Boys in the hood call me Black Donald Trump.

Other rappers talked about how they would stay at Trumps lavish hotels. In 1991, when I was still in college, the rap group A Tribe Called Quest rapped, Beepers going off like Don Trump gets checks. Keep my bases loaded like the New York Mets.

Finding hope while friends faced loss. We feared for dads life after selling our dairy herd.

Hip-hop's focus on wealth and luxury created a platform for Trump. He has been referenced in over 50 rap songs by artists like Ice Cube, Nas, Cypress Hill, Snoop Dogg, and 50 Cent, reflecting his influence and popularity in the hip-hop community.

The latest Trump song, featuring Kodak Black, was released when the race between Trump and Harris was very close. The song conveniently dropped just days before the start of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Will the song resonate with young people and encourage them to go to the polls to vote for Trump? I doubt it, but it may sway a few people to vote that way. In a close race, this could potentially make a difference.

Politicians know the cultural impact of hip-hop

I have always preferred conscious rap over gangsta and mumble rap. I'm 55 years old, and hip-hop has been around for 50 years and counting.

When rap started, I never would have dreamed it would have the influence it does today. Hip-hop and rap have shed light on important issues such as police brutality, the HIV crisis, poverty, homelessness, teen pregnancy, mass incarceration, sexual assault, and poor education.

Politicians understand hip-hop's impact and its importance to young minorities, a segment that both presidential candidates covet. Just imagine the effect of a Snoop Dogg or Jay-Z endorsement on this campaign.

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To those who doubt the impact of hip-hop on this campaign, look at Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign rally in Atlanta, which featured rappers Megan Thee Stallion and Quavo. Megan rocked the stage in a stylish blue suit and tie as she endorsed Harris for president. After performing a few songs, she said, "I just want to start by saying Hotties For Harris!"

Trump quickly criticized the Harris campaign for pandering. "Trump would never pander to Black voters to gain their support, would he?" That's rich. Do you remember the flashy, limited-edition, high-top gold Trump shoes he promoted earlier this year? Some pundits said the shoes connected him with the Black community because Blacks love sneakers.

The Trump endorsement rap is not bad, when you consider today's state of hip-hop. The beat is hard and the lines I could understand are not bad either. But it's just a song.

This election will be the most important of our lifetimes. Before you cast your vote, research the candidates, as some may be supporting them because they received a complimentary Get out of jail free card.

Reach James E. Causey at jcausey@jrn.com; follow him on X @jecausey.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Beat behind Kodak Black Trump rap might be about beating charges
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  The person who previously confessed to setting the Portland Korean Church on fire in January 2023 was found guilty except for insanity in early August, according to court documents.

An affidavit shows Cameron David Storer, 29, told authorities they had broken in and used a cigarette lighter to ignite papers inside the church on 1438 SW 10th Avenue before leaving and watching the fire from a nearby Plaid Pantry.

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Officials said Storer, who also goes by Nicolette Fait, claimed that the voices in their head said they would be harmed if they didnt burn the church down. Reports later confirmed that Storer suffered from schizoaffective disorder.

Following the confession, Storer was accused of two counts of first-degree arson, one count of second-degree arson, and one count of second-degree burglary. They plead not guilty to the crimes, but were found guilty except for insanity on Aug. 7, 2024.

Storer will spend 20 years in treatment at the Oregon State Hospital under the supervision of the state Psychiatric Security Review Board. They will also be prohibited from buying or using a firearm due to their mental health status.

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The church at Southwest 10th Avenue and Clay Street was 120 years old and had been vacant for years at the time of the fire. No one was injured, but the flames impacted a neighboring home that sat about 10-12 feet away from the church.

Following the blaze, fire officials expressed concern that high winds could topple the church steeple over, which forced crews to accelerate plans to tear it down. Due to its risk to the public, the City of Portland authorized the demolition of the church within a week of the fire.

Fire ravages Portland Korean Church on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023 (Courtesy: PF&R).

Fire ravages Portland Korean Church on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023 (Courtesy: PF&R).

Portland fire held a press conference on Jan. 12, 2023 to celebrate the firefighters who protected the house next door to the Old Korean Church (KOIN)

Fire destroyed the Portland Korean Church on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023 (KOIN).

Fire charred the Portland Korean Church on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023 (KOIN).

Fire charred the Portland Korean Church on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023 (KOIN).

Ravaging fire scorches Portland Korean Church on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023 (Courtesy: PF&R).

Large flames seen by first fire crews responding to Portland Korean Church fire on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023 (Courtesy: PF&R).

Firefighters battled ravaging fire at the Portland Korean Church on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023 (Courtesy: PF&R).

Fire ravaged the Portland Korean Church at SW 11th and Clay in Portland, January 3, 2023 (KOIN)

A large fire swept through the Portland Korean Church on Tuesday, December 3, 2022. (KOIN)

A large fire swept through the Portland Korean Church on Tuesday, December 3, 2022. (KOIN)

A large fire swept through the Portland Korean Church on Tuesday, December 3, 2022. (KOIN)

[The church] is solid wood with all those stained glass windows, which are now gone, one neighbor, Rebecca Morgan, told KOIN 6 News the night of the fire. Its just a darn shame that something this precious is gone.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg extolled the Democratic ticket as a joyful and talented team headed toward victory as he spoke to California delegates at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday.

Thank you for producing the next president of the United States, Kamala Harris, he told a few hundred delegates and guests at a breakfast. I can't wait for her to take the oath of office and lead our country forward. She is an extraordinary leader.

And I also think it's not a bad thing to balance that California dreaming with some Minnesota nice, the former South Bend, Ind., mayor said. So on behalf of the Midwest, let me tell you how excited I am to be campaigning with Tim Walz," he added, referring to the Minnesota governor and Harris' running mate.

Unspoken was that Buttigieg, like other elected officials from outside California who addressed the states delegates over eggs and pastries, is an ambitious young leader who many believe has his eye on the Oval Office in the future. Both he and Harris unsuccessfully ran for president four years ago, and Buttigieg, 42, is widely expected to run again one day.

I sincerely don't know, Buttigieg said in an interview when asked about his plans. You know sometimes there's something right in front of you and you're preparing for it. There's so many possibilities. I really don't know. I do know that I'll do everything I can to help her win.

This dance takes place every four years at both major parties national political conventions. While the attention is focused on the nominees and prominent speakers, potential future Oval Office occupants use the gathering as an opportunity to woo party leaders, donors and activists.

Read more: Former Trump official reveals more about him being 'mad' in an ICU

In 2004 at the Republican National Convention in New York City, then-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney threw a party for early-state delegates on the USS Intrepid, a retired aircraft carrier. Eight years later, Romney was nominated the partys standard-bearer.

Even though California is an afterthought in the general election in presidential contests because of its cobalt blue tilt, it has an enormous number of delegates that could help determine the nominee of either party in a competitive primary. And its home to so many wealthy and small-dollar donors that its often the state that provides the most campaign cash to candidates from either party.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks at the California delegation breakfast on Tuesday. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

So in addition to courting delegates in early primary states, like Iowa for Republicans and South Carolina for Democrats, presidential hopefuls tend to audition and send up trial balloons to Californians.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, welcoming delegates to Chicago in a speech Tuesday, pointed out that he was born at Stanford Hospital and raised in the Northern California communities of Menlo Park and Atherton.

I just love California, Pritzker said. But somehow, well, you guys have sent us all over the country from California, and now [Im] in charge of Illinois. So I am really glad to have you here, especially pleased to welcome you here to the Land of Lincoln, who would be a Democrat if he were alive today.

After name-checking a number of the states elected and party leaders as friends, Pritzker described his familys history and his decision to run for governor in the 2018 election.

My friends thought I was a little bit crazy, he said. Let me explain why. Honestly, the Democratic Party was not exactly crying out for a white, Ukrainian American, Jewish billionaire. I get it, I really do. I get it, but I'm a Democrat through and through.

Read more: On immigration, Democrats at convention shift message to combat GOP attacks

A member of the family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain, Pritzker noted that his family emigrated penniless while fleeing the Soviets in Ukraine. And he touted Democratic achievements in Illinois since he was elected, including raising the minimum wage and teachers pay, eliminating grocery taxes, canceling medical debt and reducing the cost of prescription drugs.

These are all things we need to do nationally, Pritzker said.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stopped by briefly Tuesday to fire up the crowd, which was bleary-eyed after the convention ran late Monday and the after-parties.

It was a late night and an early morning, and you're looking damn good. You ready to go? she said. We're gonna have another great day here in Chicago. And I love the fact that the world is seeing a joyful, inclusive, mostly organized convention so far, right? And I think it's just going to get better every single day.

I am so proud to be here with California as the governor of Michigan, she added. I got to tell you, we know a little something about the work that needs to be done to win elections. The world is going to count on us to deliver for Harris, and we're going to come through. You're going to give her a Congress that'll work with her, right?

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro attends the California delegation breakfast on Tuesday. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro hit six state delegation breakfasts over the course of two mornings at the Democratic National Convention, noting he and Harris had a long relationship because of their work as prosecutors and attorneys general.

The work that I do is just like the work that Kamala Harris has done throughout her career, and I've been privileged to know her for the last 20 years, Shapiro said. Every time she stepped up in court, and every time I stepped up in court, it was always for the people. Now think about the clear contrast with the other side. Donald Trump hasn't been for the people. He's been for screwing over the people each and every opportunity he got.

When asked about his future prospects, Shapiro demurred.

I am focused like a laser beam every single day on governing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is a job I love. I am grateful to the good people of Pennsylvania for giving me this opportunity, he told reporters. And I think I've made crystal clear, this is the job I want to be in, and I'm going to remain in. I'm going to stay focused on that, and politically, making sure Kamala Harris and Tim Walz win this.

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Montpelier VT.  President Joe Biden approved Governor Phil Scotts request for a FEMA major disaster declaration, which will assist Vermonters recovering from flooding in July.

This FEMA declaration provides funding to individuals in Addison, Orleans, Washington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, and Essex counties.

The Individual Assistance program can cover eligible expenses like rental assistance, home repair, home replacement, lodging, and more. The assistance program can also help communities receive a 75% reimbursement for public infrastructure repairs.

Governor Scott said The impact of this storm on communities and individuals has been significant, and while these federal resources wont alleviate all of those burdens, this financial support is critical to our states recovery.

I appreciate President Biden and FEMAs support, and were ready to help Vermonters and municipalities throughout recovery.

A Secretarial natural disaster designation has also been requested by Governor Scott, which would allow the USDA Farm Service Agency to provide aid to farmers through emergency loans. The FSA is currently requesting to run programs to help agricultural land and provide payments for losses.

This declaration does not include damage caused by storms on July 30. Homeowners and renters impacted by those floods should still report damages to 211.

Individuals and municipalities that suffered damage in all recent storms should continue to clean up and document damage. The State will continue to provide updates, including the availability of Disaster Recovery Centers for more support.

Town applicant briefings will be scheduled and announced soon. Additionally, Vermont has requested Orange county be added to the declaration. A decision on that request will be made soon, according to Governor Scotts office.

Impacted Vermonters can apply for funds in the eligible counties and register www.DisasterAssistance.gov. Individuals can also call 1-800-621-3362 for assistance.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC22 & FOX44.
Native Vote 2024. CHICAGO  President Joe Biden spoke to the party faithful on Monday night at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago in what will probably be his last major speech before he leaves the presidency in five months.

Biden, who is lauded as being the best president for Indian Country in American history, spoke to an overflow crowd at the United Center in Chicago. This political convention is the twelfth time the Democrats have met in the Windy City that hosted conventions to nominate Franklin Roosevelt three times and Adaili Stevenson twice.

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Monday night was historic because it marked the passing of the torch from Biden to Vice President Kamala Harris, who served him with devotion. She will formally accept the nomination on Thursday evening.

Biden was greeted with a standing ovation and thunderous applause by the crowd as they waved We Love Joe signs that left him speechless for almost five minutes. Several in the audience could be seen with tears in their eyes.

Let me ask you, are you ready to vote for freedom? Are you ready to vote for democracy and for America? Let me ask you, are you ready to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz? Biden asked.

Biden recounted his many accomplishments becoming president, such as taming of the Covid-19 pandemic, record-breaking job creation, and passage of the Infrastructure Act.

He mentioned increasing Pell Grants by $900 that provided billions of dollars to black colleges and universities, including Hispanic institutions and tribal colleges.

The president was interrupted several times throughout his speech with chants by the audience of Thank you, Joe! Thank you, Joe! Thank you, Joe! Biden responded often with Thank you, Kamala.

The president emphasized that the need to work to preserve democracy.

With a grateful heart, I stand before you now, on this August night, to report that democracy has prevailed, Bidens said. Democracy has delivered, and now democracy must be preserved.

In his closing, Biden told America that he gave the country his best.

Each of us has a part in the American story. For me and my family, theres a song that means a lot to us that captures the best of who we are as a nation. The song is called American Anthem. Theres one verse that stands out, and I cant sing worth a damn, so Im not going to try. Ill just quote it.

The work and prayers of centuries have brought us to this day. What shall our legac- -- our legacy be? What will our children say? Let me know in my heart when my days are through. America, America, I gave my best to you.

The night ended with the Biden family on stage with the Harris family in a sign the torch has been passed to a new generation of leadership.

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
Unionized federal court workers strike over reforms that would make all judges stand for election, outside a federal court in Mexico City, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

MEXICO CITY (AP)  President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is facing mounting pressure against his controversial proposal to overhaul the Mexican judicial system, which would have judges be elected.

Judges and magistrates on Wednesday joined a strike begun early this week by federal court employees to oppose the proposal, while Morgan Stanley and other financial institutions warned that the overhaul could pose serious market consequences and risks for potential investors in Mexico.

In a response to rising criticism, President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum joined her political ally Lopez Obrador in defending the proposal Wednesday.

Investors shouldnt be worried. On the contrary, we will have a better justice system in Mexico," Sheinbaum said.

Lopez Obrador, a populist leader whose six-year term ends Sept. 30, has long been at odds with Mexican courts.

He contends judges are part of a mafia against him, and says the proposal is meant to clean up corruption. He has gone on winding rants against the judicial system, ignored court orders and publicly sparred with judges whose rulings he has disagreed with.

Among the changes sought by the Lopez Obrador it to have judges be elected and allow virtually anyone with a law degree with a few years experience as a lawyer to become a judge through popular vote.

Given major electoral wins by Lopez Obradors Morena party in June elections, many academics have voiced concerns that selecting judges by popular vote would put politically biased judges on the bench and deal a blow to checks and balances.

The striking court employees also fear the measure could put their careers in danger.

Since Monday, thousands of employees have camped outside federal court buildings, and the rallies grew Wednesday with judges and magistrates joining in. The demonstrators gathered under tents chanting and holding protest signs, with Mexicans with court appointments turned away.

It could do damage to society, said Fernando Rangel Ramirez, a federal judge on strike. He said the judicial branch is an institution that historically, and in its nature, should not be politicized. There should be people in it that have enough experience.

The National Association of Circuit Magistrates and District Judges said the strike will go on indefinitely, until the president's proposal with its many imperfections is blocked. The group said it hopes to redirect "public discussion toward a well-considered comprehensive reform to address the structural causes that have been steadily weakening the quality of justice in Mexico.

The only federal courts not affected by the strike are the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation and the Electoral Tribunal, the group said. The only cases that will be taken are those considered urgent.

The proposal will need to be approved by Mexico's newly elected congress, which will take office Sept. 1 with Morena and its allies holding a majority.

Morgan Stanley downgraded its recommendation for investing in Mexico this week because of the proposal.

We believe replacing the judicial system should increase risk for investments in Mexico, it said in a report released Tuesday night.

Those concerns were echoed by Citibanamex, which warned in a statement Tuesday that markets were underestimating the "serious implications of the proposal, given the Morena party's firm control of both the executive and legislative branches of government.

"The contours of this ruling, which are already evident, could mean the cancellation of liberal democracy, based on the rule of law and governed by the periodic electoral change of majority and solidly counterbalanced governments, Citibanamex specialists said.

Mexicos peso took another small dip in currency trading Wednesday morning following the criticism.

Lopez Obrador has maintained his sarcastic tone in the face of increased pressure against his proposals.

If the judges ... are not working. At the very least, they are not going to get criminals out of jail, he said Wednesday.

While Sheinbaum has showed herself to be more open to dialogue and held forums for debate on the subject, she questioned concerns about the plan and said Morgan Stanley and others might be misinformed.

Their investments will be better protected, she said.



Associated Press journalist Martin Silva Rey contributed to this report.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has documented the subversive activities carried out by the parish priest of a church in the Kalynivka district, in the Vinnytsia Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP). The cleric publicly justified Russia's armed aggression.

Source: SSU; the National Police; Vinnytsia Oblast Prosecutors Office; an Ukrainska Pravda source in law enforcement agencies

Yevhen Koshelnyk

Photo provided by an Ukrainska Pravda source

Details: The Ukrainska Pravda source says the man in question is Yevhen Koshelnyk.

The case materials indicate that the man displayed pro-Russian views with a clear anti-Ukrainian stance in communications sent via the Telegram messenger app. To promote his views, he shared relevant text and video materials with his contacts.

The suspect sourced his information from Russian Telegram channels that portray Russia's armed aggression as an internal civil conflict among Ukrainians.

At his home, the suspect had a portrait of Russia's last emperor Nicholas II

Photo: the National Police of Ukraine

He spread Kremlin propaganda from so-called "Orthodox" Telegram channels about a "holy war against the West, which has fallen into Satanism". The purpose of the propaganda is to bring all of Ukraine's territory "under Russia's exclusive influence".

Among the posts were stories about a "militant from the LPR" [the "Luhansk Peoples Republic", a non-recognised breakaway state run by the Russians in Ukraines Luhansk Oblast  ed.] who supposedly ended up in a Ukrainian "concentration camp", and a fabricated account of a Ukrainian army cluster munition strike on a children's beach in Donetsk Oblast that allegedly resulted in numerous casualties.

The SSU reports that their expert analysis has confirmed that criminal activities took place with the purpose of destabilising the social and political situation in the region.

A mobile phone and computer equipment that had been used for spreading Russian propaganda were seized during searches of the suspect's residence.

Quote from the Prosecutors Office: "a clergyman of the UOC-MP from the Khmilnyk district in Vinnytsia Oblast, a citizen of Ukraine, has been served with a notice of suspicion for justifying and denying Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine, which began in 2014, as well as glorifying those who carried out this aggression and denying the occupation of part of Ukraine's territory."

Quote from the SSU: "The suspect is under 24-hour house arrest. The investigation is ongoing to establish all the circumstances of the crime. The offender faces up to eight years in prison and confiscation of his assets."

Background: On 20 August, Ukrainian Parliament adopted a bill in its entirety, banning religious organisations in Ukraine that are linked to Russia, which could potentially cripple the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP).

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He Was in Prison for 48 Years for a Crime He Didnt Commit. His Restitution Is Appalling.

Glynn Simmons holds a dubious and painful distinction. He served a longer amount of time in prison before being exonerated than anyone else in American history.

Trumps Third Attempt to Remove His New York Judge Fails

The latest chapter in the saga of Simmons false conviction and ultimate exoneration occurred last week, when the Edmond City Council agreed to pay him $7.15 million. In return, Simmons agreed to drop a lawsuit he had filed against the city and the estate of former Edmond detective Anthony David Garrett, who led the investigation that sent him to prison.

Last year, Simmons received $175,000 from Oklahoma after he sued the state as well. That is the maximum amount allowed under Oklahoma law. That law does not allow payment of punitive damages, no matter how egregious the conduct was that sent an innocent person to jail.

At the time, Simmons called the amount he received from the state bullshit. He pointed out, They paid private prisons more to keep me in the cell than they agreed to give me on this $175,000.

Its a mockery, Simmons explained. Im not ungrateful for it, and I sure need it. But when you do the mathand mathematics is the only language thats pureyou can change everything up, but if one and one aint two, it aint right.

Catch Up on Care and Feeding

So Simmons seems lucky to have received what he has. Add the amount he got from the state to what the city of Edmond agreed to pay, and the total amount of $7,325,000 appears a considerable sum.

That total doesnt seem like anywhere near enough, especially when you learn that Simmons, who went to jail when he was 22 years old, is now 71 and has cancer. As his lawsuit against the city explained, Simmons must now attempt to make a life for himself outside of prison without the benefit of the decades of life experiences which ordinarily equip adults for that task. The emotional pain and suffering caused by losing 49 years of life to prison has been enormous.

More Advice From Slate

Across the country, such failures are common. Mistaken or intentional misidentifications of the kind seen in the Simmons case have occurred in 56 percent of the instances in which someone has been exonerated.

More Advice From Slate
Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, during the Ohio Senate session, February 28, 2024, at the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original article.)

The groups seeking to eliminate a private school voucher program in Ohio have backed off of an effort to get the states Senate president to speak on the matter.

Attorneys for Ohio public school districts and anti-voucher coalitions notified the Franklin County Common Pleas Court that they had withdrawn a subpoena for Senate President Matt Huffman, and cancelled a written deposition planned for the legislative leader.

Attorney Mark Wallach of the Cleveland law firm McCarthy, Lebit, Crystal & Liffman Co., who represented the public school groups and districts in court documents, did not give any further reasoning behind the withdrawal in his notification to the court.

William Phillis, executive director of the Ohio Coalition for Equity & Adequacy of School Funding, one of the parties in the lawsuit, said after attorneys reviewed the data and documents provided through the discovery process, they concluded whatever else (Huffman) had to say wouldnt affect our case.

Our case is strong without Huffmans huffing and puffing, Phillis told the Ohio Capital Journal.

Phillis also said the groups fighting against the private school vouchers in the lawsuit were trying to avoid dragging the case on longer than necessary, especially with pro-public school parties feeling like it will end in their favor.

The more we get into this, the more confident we are that we can demonstrate to the court that this is an unconstitutional tactic, Phillis said. How could it not be?

The attorneys also filed a motion to dismiss the Ohio Supreme Court case in which Huffman appealed lower court decisions that would have compelled his written deposition, and allowed the deposition of other individuals related to the case. The motion to dismiss was filed because the appeal is moot now that the subpoena has been withdrawn, according to court documents.

Wallach cited the approaching end of the nearly three-year litigation as the reason the appeal was no longer needed.

The discovery deadline has passed, summary judgment motions are pending and trial is scheduled for this November  in less than three months, Wallach wrote. Consequently, dismissal is appropriate because there is no controversy left to decide between the parties to this appeal.

Huffman has fought the deposition since March 2023, when it was first produced by the groups which say the private school voucher program is hindering the states ability to maintain a thorough and efficient system of public schools, as dictated by the Ohio Constitution.

The subpoena asked Huffman to answer questions on his knowledge of school funding in Ohio and his involvement in the enactment and expansion of the EdChoice program.

The senate president consistently cited constitutional protection given by the Speech and Debate Clause, under which legislators are provided testimonial privilege protecting legislators from judicially-compelled questioning, according to court documents, and that says legislators shall not be questioned elsewhere about issues that are spoken about or debated in the Senate or the House during a General Assembly session, according to the clause of the constitution cited by Huffmans attorneys.

Huffman said overruling the Speech and Debate Clause and allowing the deposition could have a far-reaching chilling effect on Ohios legislators. Even if he was allowed to be questioned, Huffman argued, his beliefs and opinions on EdChoice are not relevant.

A trial court ruled that Huffman did not need to submit to an oral deposition, but instead needed to answer written questions from voucher challengers. Ohios Tenth District Court of Appeals dismissed Huffmans appeal of the order, leading him to appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court, asking the states highest court to release him from the court order, citing the same legislative privilege under which he argued he was protected in previous appeals. The Ohio Supreme Court accepted the appeal in July.

The Franklin County case is set to go to trial on Nov. 4.

A spokesperson for Huffman did not have a comment on the case development.

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CHICAGOAs Vice President Kamala Harris galvanizes the Democratic base, there is a group of the partys members who are not so high on her.

The pro-life Democrat is a vanishing species in American political life. When the activist group Democrats for Life of America began in 1999, it boasted 43 House Democrats as allies in its fight against abortion. Today, the only self-proclaimed pro-life Democrat in the House of Representatives is Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas. And while President Joe Biden showed some reluctance as he moved further to the left on abortion throughout his career, the leadership of Democrats for Life has little hope that his replacement on the 2024 presidential ticket will be as open to the pro-life argument.

She needs to listen to what the other side is saying on this issue. The abortion lobby has her ear, Kristen Day, the groups executive director, told The Dispatch. Days organization held a panel on Monday, the first day of the Democratic National Convention. There, speakers complained to about 15 attendees of feeling unwelcome in the Democratic Party due to their view of abortion.

Bidens gradual shift toward backing abortion rights mirrors the partys evolution on the issue. Where he once voted to allow Congress and state legislatures to bypass Roe v. Wade and opposed taxpayer funding for abortion, he now supports the codification of the overturned Supreme Court decision into federal law and opposes the Hyde Amendment.

Similarly, where the Democratic Party once described its stance on abortion as safe, legal, and rare under the stewardship of President Bill Clinton in the 1990s, attendees at this years convention could obtain free medication abortions and vasectomies from a regional Planned Parenthood arm. It filled all available appointments.

Former Illinois Rep. Dan Lipinski

In addition to denouncing the availability of abortion at the convention, Day criticized Bidens record on the issue. She specifically named his administrations rulemaking around the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which shoehorned abortion into a regulation after Sen. Bob Casey, one of the bills sponsors, said the executive branch could not do so. However, she said Harris is definitely worse than Biden on the abortion issue.

Im very, very worried about a Harris administration when it comes to protecting women, Day said. She pointed to Harris investigation as California attorney general of anti-abortion activist David Daleidenwho covertly recorded Planned Parenthood employees and accused them of selling body parts of aborted babiesand her attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers in her home state.

As Day lamented the decline in the number of pro-life Democrats over the years, the panel featured just such a former congressman: Dan Lipinski, who represented Illinois for eight terms until he lost a 2020 primary to a challenger backed by pro-abortion groups. Lipinski accused Harris of not making room for pro-life members of her party.

I just saw a quote the other day from one of my former colleagues who talked about how Vice President Harris is really presenting a big tent right now, he said in his remarks. But, clearly, this big tent does not include pro-life Democrats, so we ask the Democratic Party to practice what it preachesinclusivityand that means the party needs to welcome pro-lifers.

Like Day, he expressed concerns about Harris embrace of abortion rights, noting that she became the first vice president to visit an abortion clinic earlier this year.

But, notably, while speakers expressed their dismay at any expansion of abortion access, they did not focus on restricting abortion at the federal level. Instead, they promoted proposals to make birth free and offer federal support for families.

A memorandum Day prepared has several pillars of a Democratic Party for everyone. They include welcoming pro-life Democrats, a call to stop attacking pregnancy resources centers, and programs such as an expanded child tax credit, paid family leave, and financial support for working families during pregnancy. It also endorses some pieces of legislation Republicans have proposed.

Day said she was focusing on such priorities since a federal abortion restriction is unlikely to garner the 60 votes in the Senate it needs to pass.

I think we need to look for things that are possible, Day told The Dispatch. Making birth free is possible. Providing resources to women on college campuses  Thats possible, and I think were looking at what we can do and not what we cant. What we cant do right now is pass an abortion limitation bill on the federal level.

The Democratic Party platform that delegates at the convention approved Monday focuses on reinstituting Roe through legislation, repealing the Hyde Amendment, and continuing to support access to medication abortion. It contains some family financial support programs similar to the ones in Days memo.

Meanwhile, the GOP has largely backed off the effort to establish federal protections for unborn children. Republicans last month stripped much of the historical abortion language from their party platform in favor of ambiguous wording that centered the issue on the states. Lipinski acknowledged that many pro-life voters were dissatisfied with that decision.

The problem is that Republicans went from having 32 mentions of abortion in their last platform to having one  . They have some gobbledygook about the 14th Amendment, which makes no sense at all, he said. Theres a lot of pro-life voters who are very unhappy about that, but if the Democratic Party is not going to open the door a crack to pro-life voters, I think theyre just going to go and vote Republican.

Still, though he twice voted in favor of an ill-fated abortion bill that would have effectively instituted a federal ban on the procedure after 20 weeks of pregnancya point after which the legislation stated a fetus can feel painLipinski said it was not likely that his party would take up a federal restriction.

I dont think thats where it would be fruitful for us to talk about it, he said. I mean, we each have our own opinions. I have my opinions. Ive written about my opinions on this, but I dont think that is really helpful to us here, because, right now, we just want the Democratic Party to accept people who are pro-life, and, from there we can see where it goes.

Read more at The Dispatch

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A pro-Palestine protester disrupted a live broadcast of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in Chicago on Tuesday night, interrupting an interview between host Stephen Colbert and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The CBS late night show is doing a week of live shows in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention. During her interview with Colbert, a woman in the audience at the Auditorium Theatre shouted Free Palestine! and questioned U.S. support for Israel. The Hollywood Reporter was in the audience for the broadcast.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Before going to a commercial, Colbert acknowledged the protester and promised to ask Pelosi about it after the break, which he did. The host asked Pelosi her opinion on how the United States wields power abroad. Pelosi said she hopes cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas come to fruition and stressed the need for a two-state solution.

The congresswoman also said that War has no place in a civilized society, which prompted another protester to shout a question on why the U.S. government supplies arms to Israel. Colbert asked the protesters to listen to her answer, but when the shouting kept going, he said, Please dont interrupt my guests. Pelosis segment ended shortly after.

Colbert also asked his later guest House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries about Gaza, but there were no further interruptions during the show. Sources say the protesters inside the theater left of their own accord, and the situation was handled peacefully.

In addition to the protesters inside the theater, a group outside the theater was chanting, Nancy, Nancy, you cant hide, and drumming. Dozens of Chicago police officers arrived at the theater and asked the protesters to leave, saying they were on private property and would be arrested if they didnt disperse. It appeared the protesters were moving away from the theater doors as a THR reporter exited the building.

Protesters gather outside tapping of Stephen Colberts The Late Show in Chicago, with guest Rep. Nancy Pelosi pic.twitter.com/Cz6OVYA01m  The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 21, 2024

The Auditorium Theatre is about 3 miles from the United Center, where the 2024 Democratic National Convention is taking place this week. In addition to Pelosi and Jeffries as guests, actress Laura Benanti reprised her recurring bit of playing Melania Trump.

Ahead of the DNC, organizers and Chicago police braced themselves for large-scale protests around the convention hall. Security has been strict in and around the United Center. Late Tuesday night, about 70 people were arrested after clashing with police during a protest that began outside the Israeli consulate, according to the Chicago chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.

A larger protest march and rally that took place Monday was more peaceful, though police arrested a few people who tore down a fence at the outer security perimeter of the convention.

Best of The Hollywood Reporter
Numerous protesters were arrested after clashing with police Tuesday near the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, according to media reports.

Most of the arrests occurred toward the end of the night after protesters had tense confrontations with police officers throughout the demonstration, The Associated Press reported. The newswire also noted law enforcement officers pinned the remaining pro-Palestinian protesters in a plaza and prevented them from leaving.

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling later denied that the officers kettled protesters in comments made to reporters late Tuesday night, per the AP. He did not say how many protesters were arrested.

We have people who showed up here to commit acts of violence, Snelling told reporters. They wanted chaos.

The National Lawyers Guild of Chicago said more than 70 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested Tuesday and that the organizations attorneys were at the police station ready to meet with those in custody.

Behind Enemy Lines, an organization that helped orchestrate the protest, said on Instagram that dozens of people were arrested outside the Israeli consulate in the Windy City. NBC News reported the protest outside the consulate began at 7 p.m. CDT and that the building was barricaded and surrounded by police officers on bikes.

The group of protesters then walked down the street and approached officers who were wearing riot gear, according to NBC News. The outlet added that some protesters clashed with the officers and multiple people were arrested.

The Israeli consulate said it was appalled to see violence occur during the protests outside its building Tuesday.

We are beyond disappointed with the ongoing support the Mayor has been giving to the anti-Israel protests in Chicago, particularly during the [convention], and his continued disregard for the large pro-Israel and Jewish community in the city, it said in a statement.

The demonstrations Tuesday came just a day after pro-Palestinian protesters breached the fencing along the conventions outer perimeter. While there was some initial concern about large-scale protests ahead of the convention that were slated to protest the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the demonstrations have been smaller than expected and mostly peaceful so far.

The Hill has reached out to the Chicago Police Department for comment on the arrests.

The Associated Press contributed.

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Pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during Tuesdays live taping of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert  and demanded an end to ongoing military aid the United States is providing Israel during its brutal conflict with the militant group Hamas.

The Late Show is filming at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago this week, a mere 3 miles from the United Center where the Democratic National Convention is being held. Pelosi was promoting her new book, The Art of Power.

While Pelosi was talking with Colbert about President Joe Biden stepping away from his reelection bid, at least one protester could be heard shouting from the audience. According to a journalist from The Hollywood Reporter who was in attendance, one woman yelled, Free Palestine! Colbert acknowledged the interruption and promised to ask about the topic after the commercial break.

At the beginning of the next segment, Colbert asked Pelosi about the proper use of American power in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Weve had a commitment to Israel. Its been in our security interests to do so, Pelosi said. Israel was attacked by a terrorist organization. We want the hostages freed, but we dont want children killed in Gaza, and so we have to come up with a solution.

We just got word earlier today that Israel had agreed to the cease-fire agreement. Were hoping that Hamas will too, she added. But it takes me to the point of saying to you: War has no role in a civilized society. We have to learn more about trust and peace.

The audio temporarily cut out as protesters began shouting for an end to the conflict.

As you can see from the continuing protest out here, Colbert chimed in over the audible shouting, that answer is unsatisfying to some people because they ... have said that the United States should not have any role in supplying Israel arms to kill the people of Gaza.

His succinctly conveyed message spurred raucous applause inside the theater.

Pelosi merely reiterated that Israel has a right to defend itself, however, and was interrupted one last time by protesters. The segment ended mere moments after Colbert pleaded: Please dont interrupt my guests.

We are a live show so we have to go at this point, he concluded.

People also demonstrated outside the theater.

A Hamas attack on Oct. 7 killed an estimated 1,200 people in Israel. Since then, Israels military campaign has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and left untold refugees lacking potable water, electricity and anesthesia.

The Biden administration has repeatedly said it is fighting for a cease-fire deal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though the State Department confirmed earlier this month that the U.S. will keep military aid flowing to an Israeli unit accused of human rights abuses.

Leaked memos from the State Department previously showed Israel may be violating international law in blocking aid into Gaza. International mediators have since kicked off a new round of cease-fire talks in Doha, Qatar.

Related...
Pro-Palestinian protesters twice interrupted a live interview with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on CBSs The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday, demanding the U.S. halt sending military aid to Israel.

As Pelosi was talking about President Bidens decision to withdraw from the presidential race, a woman was shouting from the audience. Colbert then acknowledged the protesters and said the topic would be addressed after a commercial break.

Hold on young lady, I can hear you, he said. Were actually at a commercial break, but the subject is on Israel and Palestine, and if youll have a seat, we have to go to a commercial break and when we come back, I will ask the next question I had on that subject, if you will listen.

After the break, the California lawmaker discussed the developments in the Middle East, with Israel accepting the latest Gaza cease-fire deal. Pelosi said she hoped that the Palestinian militant group Hamas would also agree to it.

Yes, weve had a commitment to Israel, Pelosi said Tuesday. Its been in our security interest to do so. Israel was attacked by a terrorist organization. We want the hostages free, but we dont want children killed in Gaza, and so we have to come up with a solution.

War has no place in a civilized society, Pelosi said as the protest continued. We have to learn more about trust and peace and learning about each other rather than to have a conflict by war.

As you can see from the continuing protest out here, that answer is unsatisfying to some people, Colbert said, and then asked Pelosi if she would like to respond to the demonstrators.

Theyve said the United States should not have any role in supplying Israel with arms to kill the people of Gaza, Colbert said.

The California Democrat reiterated her support for a two-state solution and said Israel has the right to defend itself.

You cannot have peace unless you have a two-state  Israel, a secure Jewish democratic state in the region, and the Palestinians having their own secure country there as well, she said. Unless you have a two-state solution, you will not have a resolution of this.

The segment concluded after Colbert said, Please dont interrupt my guests.

The war in Gaza started following Hamass Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed around 1,200 Israelis, with about 250 more taken hostage. Since then, Israels military operation has killed an estimated 40,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.

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A ballot box containing absentee ballots dropped off at Anchorage City Hall is seen on Aug. 19, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Kitchenman/Alaska Beacon)

A ballot box containing absentee ballots dropped off at Anchorage City Hall is seen on Aug. 19, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Kitchenman/Alaska Beacon)

Democrats and moderate Republicans posted unexpectedly strong results in Alaskas primary election results for state House and Senate on Tuesday night, with several incumbent conservative Republicans trailing in the early tally.

Alaskas primary elections have traditionally seen conservative Republicans turn out in disproportionally large numbers, but this years results dont reflect that trend.

It tells me that theres a fresh breeze blowing through the political air in Alaska, said Republican candidate Chuck Kopp, who led Rep. Craig Johnson, R-Anchorage, by 20 percentage points on election night.

Under Alaskas electoral system, the primary has few direct consequences on the states legislative races. Four candidates, regardless of party, advance to the general election, and only two of the 50 state House and Senate races have more than four candidates.

Furthermore, the electorate in Alaskas primary elections is much smaller than it is in the general election.

With 387 of 403 precincts reporting results by 1 a.m. Wednesday morning, ballots had been counted from 15.94% of the states registered voters.

That figure will increase over the next 10 days as absentee ballots are added to the total. Two years ago, only about three-quarters of the primary total were included in the election night tally.

Even with absentee ballots included, overall turnout is likely to be near the record-low for a primary, recorded in 2016, when just 17.22% of voters turned out.

(The primary) is not an accurate indicator of what the generals going to look like, said Amber Lee, a campaign consultant for two Democratic legislative candidates, explaining that voters shouldnt read too much into the primary results.

On Tuesday night, that didnt keep some candidates from celebrating, at least in small part.

Democrats, independents and moderate Republicans hope to create or maintain coalition majorities in the state House and Senate, and the primary results seemed to indicate that theyre on course to do so.

In central Anchorage, longtime incumbent Democratic Rep. Andy Josephson has typically run close re-election races. On Tuesday night, he led his Republican challenger by 12 percentage points.

I was pleasantly surprised, he said by phone from Chicago, where hes participating in the Democratic National Convention.

I see some things that for progressives are quite promising, he said.

Josephson believes the presidential election may be boosting down-ballot Democrats and moderates.

I believe the shakeup in my party at the top of the ticket is going to result in some more enthusiasm, he said. (Kamala Harris) will almost certainly not win Alaska, but I do think there are going to be some people who otherwise wouldnt have gone to the polls who are going to decide that this is worth their time, and from my perspective, thats exciting.

It may also be boosting moderate Republicans.

A former legislator, Kopp previously served in a multipartisan coalition House majority as a Republican. Johnson is chair of the House Rules Committee and a key member of the predominantly Republican House majority.

I believe that overall, the district sees me as a far more collaborative, consensus-oriented candidate who will work hard for the good of the entire district, not just good for any one political party or or a partisan interest, Kopp said.

In East Anchorage, Democratic challenger Ted Eischeid led Rep. Stanley Wright, R-Anchorage, by 19 votes out of about 1,095 cast. In South Anchorage, nonpartisan candidate Ky Holland had more than 40% of the vote in House District 9, with three Republicans  Lee Ellis, Lucy Bauer and Brandy Pennington  each having about 20% of the vote. Bauer held a narrow lead among the trio, with 21.7%.

Also in South Anchorage, perennial Democratic candidate Janice Park led incumbent Republican Sen. James Kaufman, 48.44-45.83%. A second Republican candidate, Harold Borbridge, held 5.72%.

I think education is transcending into peoples No. 1 issue, said former Democratic House Majority Leader Chris Tuck, speaking on an election night telecast hosted by the politics site Alaska Landmine.

Im shocked, said former Republican Rep. Charisse Millett on the same telecast, speaking about Parks lead over Kaufman.

The night didnt entirely favor progressives and moderates. In Fairbanks, Republican challenger Leslie Hajdukovich led Democratic incumbent Sen. Scott Kawasaki by 2% in the election night tally.

Despite trailing, Kawasaki said hes pretty comfortable with the numbers.

Its 75 days until the whole enchilada, so I dont think anybodys going to take their gas off the pedal, he said.

Some candidates eliminated

Candidates and campaigns are now turning their attention toward Novembers ranked choice general election, and progressives good August night could turn into a chilly November if conservatives focus their support in the months ahead.

With all precincts counted in House District 36  which includes land in the Interior Democratic candidate Brandon Kowalski had 34.36% of the vote, highest among six challengers.

Libertarian candidate James Fields (6.59%) and Republican Dana Mock (11.49%) are on pace to be eliminated under the top-four system.

Other Republicans in the race have said they may drop out in order to coalesce support around one challenger. As of Wednesday night, Republican candidate Rebecca Schwanke, with 19.38% of the vote, was the No. 2 candidate in that race.

Before election day, Schwanke said, Ive met every candidate in our race now, and of four Republicans, all of us share a very common concern that if one of us comes out at the head of the Republican list, that its actually quite important for the rest of us to get behind that person and and work in concert with the process, and try not to hand it off to the minority candidate thats in the in the race.

With all precincts counted in Eagle River, Republican incumbent Sen. Kelly Merrick led a pack of five candidates with 33.83% of the vote.

Former state House Rep. Sharon Jackson, a Republican, is in fifth among the five candidates, with 7.51% of the vote, and is on pace to be eliminated.

Before the election, some Republican candidates in the Eagle River state Senate district vowed to withdraw and support the top-finishing Republican in the primary. But some of the Republicans in the race were motivated to run by Merricks status as a member of the Senates bipartisan majority, and it isnt clear whether theyll follow through now that she is in the lead.

Merricks closest challenger, Jared Goecker, had 33.14% of the vote.

Around the state

In Ketchikan, where independent Rep. Dan Ortiz declined to run for re-election, Republican candidate Jeremy Bynum had just slightly under 50% of the election day tally against two nonpartisan candidates, Grant EchoHawk and Agnes Moran.

All other Southeast Alaska seats on the ballot this year are unopposed.

In Kodiak, Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, secured more than 80% of the vote against Libertarian Leighton Radner.

On the Kenai Peninsula, incumbent Republicans Sarah Vance and Justin Ruffridge each had notable leads on election night. Two Republicans seeking to replace Rep. Ben Carpenter  Bill Elam and John Hillyer  were running in a virtual dead heat, with Hillyer leading by fewer than 50 votes out of almost 3,000 cast.

In the areas state Senate race, incumbent Sen. Jesse Bjorkman held almost 44% of the vote. Carpenter, his leading challenger, had 41.23%.

In Anchorage, incumbent Democratic Sens. Matt Claman and Forrest Dunbar each received well over 50% of the election day tally.

For the state House in Anchorage, incumbents generally led on election night. Former Republican state Sen. Mia Costello, now seeking a seat in the House, had 51.41% of the vote in a race that also includes Democratic candidate Denny Wells, with 44.26%, and perennial candidate Dustin Darden, at 4.34%.

In the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, incumbents led across the board. Sen. David Wilson, R-Wasilla, had 41.21% of the vote, with two Republican challengers splitting the remainder. In a four-way state House race, Rep. Jesse Sumner, R-Wasilla, had 32.67% of the vote after doing virtually no campaigning.

In Fairbanks, incumbents also led after election day. In the race for the seat vacated by Republican Sen. Click Bishop, Republican candidate Mike Cronk led a four-way race with 43.39% of the vote. Undeclared candidate Savannah Fletcher had 42.75% of the vote in second place.

In the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Democrat Nellie D. Unangiq Jimmie led with 42.3% of the vote, while incumbent Democratic Rep. CJ McCormick had 29.61% of votes, with 19 of 24 precincts reporting.

On the North Slope and in the Northwest Arctic Borough, Democratic candidate Robyn Niayuq Burke had 38.66% of the vote with 14 of 20 precincts reporting. Fellow Democrat Saima Ikrik Chase had 34.91%, and Thomas Ikaaq Baker, appointed to the House as a Republican but now running as an undeclared candidate, had 26.43% of the vote.

Thousands of absentee ballots remain uncounted and will be added to the totals across Alaska in the coming days.

State law allows absentee ballots to arrive at election offices up to 10 days after the primary election day, as long as they were postmarked on or before election day.

Election certification is expected Sept. 1.

Correction: The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta House vote count was not included in the original version of this article.

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Project Linus Brings Comfort to Children in Need Through Handmade Blankets and Quilts

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (FOX44)  Project Linus, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing handmade blankets and quilts to children facing serious illness, trauma or other needs, continues its impactful mission across the United States.

There are 17 chapters in the state of Texas alone.

Patricia Perry, the Brazos Valley Chapter Coordinator, highlights the broad spectrum of needs the organization addresses.

Children between zero and 18 might have a need, Patricia said. It may be illness, it may be emotional, or something going on within their family, where they just would benefit from having something new that was made for them.

The organizations handmade blankets, crafted by local volunteers from new fabric or yarn, are distributed to various local organizations.

These include Ronald McDonald House, Hope Pregnancy Center, Phoebes Home, Hope Locker at Bryan ISD, Casa in Bryan and Brenham and the newly added Chrissys Closet at College Station ISD.

Blankets are created through a blend of machine quilting, knitting and crocheting. Members of the Brazos Valley Chapter gather at Sew Vac City in College Station, where they meet each month to collect blankets theyve completed.

Members are united in their mission to serve their community and bring comfort to children in need.

Mark Marbry, the store manager at Sew Vac City, emphasizes the organizations supportive role.

Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for them to meet here and for them to do what they want to do, which is make those quilts for the kids, Marbry said.

The blankets are then distributed locally or, in cases of extraordinary need, shipped to other areas across the country.

Cindy Nevels, a long-time volunteer with Project Linus, expresses the fulfillment she finds in her work.

Its so fulfilling and so meaningful to have a purpose for my craft, Nevels said. The creative process is so much fun, but when you add that level of meaning to it, giving it to somebody who needs it, especially kids in various crisis situations, it just becomes so purposeful, said Nevels.

Nevels notes the significant, often overlooked needs of children in the community. There are so many kids in need in our community that we dont notice or see all the time, she added. Just to know that Im doing something thats about it for them is really, really wonderful.

Project Linus encourages community involvement, stressing that it doesnt matter if you have a sewing needle or a crochet needle, as long as its coming from the heart.

The closest Project Linus chapter to Waco is in Belton. For more information or to get involved, visit Project Linuss national website.

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Search and rescue crews at the scene of the sinking on Wednesday - Guglielmo Mangiapane/REUTERS

Prosecutors will investigate the keel on Mike Lynchs superyacht after it was found partially elevated.

On Wednesday, specialist divers continued to recover the remains of the missing passengers, and the tech entrepreneur and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah are believed to be among those pulled out of the water.

While exploring the Bayesian 165ft underwater on the seabed, it was reported that the vessels retractable keel was partially raised, raising questions about the boats stability at the time of the sinking.

The fin-like structure under the hull helped to stabilise the boat, acting as a counterweight to the mast, and stretched to 9.83 metres when the vessels centreboard was fully extended, according to a brochure about the yachts performance.

Experts have suggested the keel would normally be fully extended for extra stability during bad weather.

Dr Jean-Baptiste Souppez, a senior lecturer in Mechanical, Biomedical and Design Engineering at Aston University, and a fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, said: The keel is vital to the stability of sailing vessels, and a deeper keel will provide additional stability.

However, this is at the expense of draft, meaning shallow-water harbours and anchorages may become out of reach.

For this reason, large superyachts are typically fitted with a lifting keel, allowing part of the keel to retract inside the vessel and reduce the draft. In such a case, the stability of the vessel is greatly diminished.

Part of the investigation will, therefore, look into the keel. It is important to note that, even if found partially up, this could result from the impact with the bottom of the sea as the vessel sank, so early external observations may not be sufficient to draw conclusions.

Tom Sharpe, a former Royal Navy frigate commander and current Telegraph columnist, said: If it turns out that this keel was retractable, and that was its condition during this accident, then that would change your stability condition a great deal and would probably bring the pendulum effect of the mast into play.

It doesnt change what should be standard responses to bad weather at anchor, such as tracking forecasts, keeping a good visual look out and then when it happens, checking the upper deck for watertight integrity/security, starting your engine, taking the weight off the anchor and so on. It just makes them even more important.

Prosecutors in the nearby town of Termini Imerese have opened an investigation into the disaster and will seek to establish what caused the boat to sink and if any of the crew are criminally liable.

Another early focus of the investigation, which is expected to last months, is likely to be whether the yachts crew had failed to close access hatches into the vessel before it was hit by a tornado above the sea, known as a waterspout, off the coast of Sicily.

A body bag is brought ashore at the harbour in Porticello on Wednesday - Jonathan Brady/PA

Survivor interviews

Ambrogio Cartosio, the chief prosecutor of Termini Imerese, and assistant prosecutors must determine what went wrong and whether the sinking of the Bayesian was down to human error or simply a freak weather event.

He and his team have already started interviewing the 15 survivors as well as gathering evidence from emergency workers and divers from the coast guard and the national fire service.

The UKs Marine Accident Investigation Branch, which has sent investigators to the scene, is also expected to support the prosecutors inquiries.

The Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini Navi, the company that built the Bayesian yacht, said that even without the retractable keel the vessel would still be stable.

A spokesman said: The yacht was built in 2008 by the Perini shipyards of Viareggio and the last refit was in 2020.

The controversies about the mast are sterile controversies because the mast, according to those who have seen it, is intact.

The retractable keel stabilizes the ship, but even without the keel completely out the ship is stable and only a massive entry of water could have caused the sinking which did not happen in a minute as someone wrote.

Bodies recovered

Teams of specialist divers, including some who took part in the Costa Concordia recovery, spent most of Wednesday searching for the six missing passengers who had gathered on the boat to celebrate Mr Lynchs acquittal in a fraud trial.

The teams broke through a 3cm pane of glass on the side of the yacht yesterday and entered the hull, using special jacks produced by a locksmith in Porticello.

Divers had been frustrated by a 12-minute time limit required when working at a depth of 48 metres and had spoken about the challenges of dealing with narrow corridors and floating debris obstructing their way. They used remotely operated vehicles to help them in the search.

Eventually, two bodies were recovered from the wreckage on Wednesday  believed to be those of Mike Lynch and his teenage daughter, Hannah.

Three other bodies were then found, but only two were recovered and brought to shore, Salvatore Cocina, the head of Sicilys civil protection agency, confirmed. One person remains missing.

Mike Lynch and his wife Angela Bacares. Ms Bacares survived the disaster - Dominic O'Neill

As the body bags were taken back to the port of Porticello, dozens of emergency services staff were waiting and one was seen being put in the back of an ambulance.

The Italian coast guard previously did not rule out the possibility that those missing may still be alive, with experts speculating air pockets could have formed as the yacht sank.

Also missing are Jonathan Bloomer, the Morgan Stanley International bank chairman, and his wife Judy Bloomer, as well as Chris Morvillo, a Clifford Chance lawyer, and his wife Neda Morvillo.

The Bayesian was moored about half a mile off the coast of Porticello when it sank at about 5am local time on Monday as the area was hit by a storm.

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Prosecutors look to keep man accused of shooting at NMSP officer detained until trial

FARMINGTON, N.M. (KRQE)  Prosecutors want to keep the man accused of shooting at a New Mexico State Police officer in Farmington locked up until trial.

State Police said Fernando Silva, 40, was pulled over for speeding Monday night, got out of his vehicle, and fired at least 50 rounds from an assault-style rifle. He was arrested Tuesday in San Juan County.

Video: APDs horse-mounted unit arrests two suspects after fight turns into short chase

In their motion, prosecutors argued Silva has shown he is willing to put the public in danger and that he has a history of failing to appear in court. They also wrote that Silva was on conditions of release after he was charged with resisting an officer.

Silva previously had a warrant out for resisting arrest back in January. He is now facing charges including attempted second-degree murder and aggravated assault on an officer with a deadly weapon.

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Prosecutors say a Milwaukee teen shot and killed a 9-year-old boy while attempting to shoot at another teen, who he fatally shot a week later after a Juneteenth festival.

Seventeen-year-old Damarion Glenn is charged with first-degree reckless homicide in the June 13 shooting of the Milwaukee boy, Jonael Zambrano, according to a criminal complaint filed on Friday. He's also charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the June 19 shooting of Sherrone D. Thornton Jr.

Christian Hubanks, 16, is also charged with first-degree reckless homicide in Zambrano's death. Hubanks is not facing charges related to the killing of Thornton.

The Milwaukee County District Attorney's criminal complaint connects the two incidents through Glenn.

The latter occurred after the Juneteenth Peace Day MKE at Washington Park on June 19. Organizers faced criticism for the handling of the event, which they ended early, but defended their actions and city officials largely supported the event's handling.

The June 13 shooting occurred at a condominium complex on the 9000 block of North Swan Road. Zambrano died after being taken to a hospital in critical condition.

The District Attorneys office alleges in its criminal complaint that Hubanks and Glenn sought to shoot at Thornton's home at the condominium complex, after he had talked crazy about them. Prosecutors believe Hubanks and Glenn opened fire on the wrong home.

The two fired at least 11 shots into an apartment and killed the child, who had just finished his third grade year at Greater Holy Temple Christian Academy on the day he died. In an Aug. 14 police interview, Hubanks told authorities he and Glenn fired shots into Zambrano's residence, according to the complaint.

A prior July 16 police interview is cited in the document as well.

Someone identified by the initials "MAM" told police Glenn and Hubanks admitted to shooting at the Zambrano home. MAM told police Hubanks was sick to his stomach after learning what happened.

In the Aug. 14 police interview, Hubanks told police he knew that Glenn joined with Noah Shotwell, 15, in the shooting of Thornton Jr.

Shotwell was charged in late June with first-degree reckless homicide as a party to a crime in the shooting death of Thornton, telling police, "I had a gun. I shot the gun."

Shotwell later told police that Glenn was the person who shot and killed Thornton that day, with Shotwell seen on police drone footage shooting the victim second, according to the complaint.

Both Glenn and Hubanks also face additional charges of first-degree recklessly endangering safety as party to a crime.

An arrest warrant was issued for Glenn on Monday. He was not in custody late Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Hubanks has a preliminary hearing on Aug. 28. His bond was set at $300,000.

Onterio Girley, 17, also faces multiple charges related to the Juneteenth shooting, including first-degree reckless endangering safety, for firing shots which injured Shotwell in retaliation for the shooting of Thornton Jr., according to authorities. Girleys next court appearance is on Sept. 5 for a scheduling conference.

Shotwell has his next court appearance, a preliminary hearing, on Thursday.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee teen charged in shootings that killed 9-year-old, Juneteenth attendee
A live episode of CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert from Chicago on Tuesday night was interrupted as protests spilled into the Auditorium Theatre. Colbert was interviewing former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi when outbursts were heard from the audience, leading the host at one point to admonish, Please dont interrupt my guests. (See video below.)

As Pelosi was talking about her new book, The Art of Power, a woman could be heard shouting from the audience. Colbert explained, For the people at home who cant tell, theres a protest going on in the audience right now. Hold on young lady, I can hear you. Were actually at a commercial break but the subject is on Israel and Palestine, and if youll have a seat, we have to go to a commercial break and when we come back I will ask the next question I had on that subject, if you will listen.

More from Deadline

After the break, Colbert asked Pelosi about the proper use of American power overseas. If the goal is the peaceful and prosperous future for both Israel and Palestinians, what role does the United States play?

Pelosi responded with a quote from John F Kennedy, To the countries of the world, ask not what America can do for you, but what we can do working together for the freedom of mankind and that is our mission, she said. Yes, weve had a commitment to Israel, thats been in our security interest to do so. Israel was attacked by a terrorist organization. We want the hostages freed, but we dont want children killed in Gaza, so we have to come up with a solution.

She continued as outbursts could still be heard from the audience, War has no place in a civilized society We have to learn more about trust and peace and learning about each other rather than to have a conflict by war.

Said Colbert, As you can see from the continuing protest out here, that answer is unsatisfying to some people.

Colbert pressed Pelosi on protesters complaints. Theyve said the United States should not have any role in supplying Israel with arms to kill the people of Gaza.

Responded Pelosi, Israel has a right to defend itself But the other part of it that has been so major for all of us for so many years is that there must be a two-state solution. We cannot have peace unless theres a two-state solution. Unless you have a two-state solution, well not have a resolution of this.

Outbursts resumed as Pelosi spoke, prompting Colbert to admonish the audience, Please dont interrupt my guests.

The Late Show is based in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention this week.

As Deadline has previously reported, there were expectations that protests, particularly over the war in Gaza, would be a part of the week. The Democratic National Committee, the Secret Service and the Chicago Police have spent months plotting out designated protest areas.

On Monday, thousands of demonstrators took part in a mostly peaceful protest near the DNC. Several were arrested when dozens broke through a security fence around the Chicago venue, the BBC reported.

On Tuesday, per the AP, multiple pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested after clashing with police during a protest that began outside the Israeli consulate and spilled onto the surrounding streets.

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Protesters vow to shut down the DNC for Gaza Tuesday night

Chicago police scuffle with protesters outside the Consulate General of Israel during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday. Photo by Paul Beaty/UPI

Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Additional protective measures are in place in Chicago after pro-Palestinian protesters vowed to completely disrupt proceedings at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night.

Protesters are organizing a "shut down the DNC for Gaza" rally for the evening that would start outside the Israeli consulate located less than 2 miles east of the United Center, which is on the same street.

A group identified as Behind Enemy lines is planning the protest and circulated flyers saying, "Make it great like '68! Shut down the DNC for Gaza."

DNC organizers installed additional cameras and fencing near the United Center to help protect the event and its attendees on the second night of the convention.

The Metra also closed the entrance to its train station near the Israeli consulate.

Chicago police scuffle with protesters near the Consulate General of Israel during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday. Photo by Paul Beaty/UPI

Chicago Police arrested several protesters late Monday afternoon after they forced their way through an outer perimeter fence and tried to breach an inner fence placed to keep potentially violent protesters at a safe distance from the United Center while allowing them to peacefully protest.

The Chicago chapter of the National Lawyers Guild issued a statement Tuesday criticizing the policing and said 14 protesters were arrested for engaging in First Amendment free-speech activities Sunday and Monday.

Chicago Police Officers ride by new fencing and cameras outside The United Center during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday. Photo by Paul Beaty/UPI

The National Lawyers Guild provides legal support for antifa protesters and is a far-left alternative to the American Bar Association.

Cook County Circuit Judge Mary Marubio on Tuesday released two of the protesters who were arrested for breaching the security fence and ordered them to stay away from the DNC event for the rest of its duration.

Chicago police scuffle with protesters near the Consulate General of Israel during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday. Photo by Paul Beaty/UPI

One is a Chicago man, 31, who is charged with felony for aggravated battery of a police officer after the protester threw water at the officer, who was trying to secure the breached fence.

The other protester is a 35-year-old woman and a Chicago resident who is charged with a misdemeanor for resisting arrest at the area where the security breach occurred.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Tuesday records a video of the security fence breached by protesters a day earlier near the United Center during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Photo by Paul Beaty/UPI

The pair were among protesters who gathered at Union Park and breached the security fence Monday afternoon.

Organizers for the protest group CodePink claimed the group disrupted a DNC brunch at Wrigley Field earlier Tuesday morning.

Rudy Giulani (C) takes video of the security fence that was breached by protesters the day before outside The United Center during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday. Photo by Paul Beaty/UPI

Other protest events are planned, including speakers at Park 578 near the United Center and at other locations.

Tuesday night's slate of speakers at the DNC includes former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.

Mike Lindell (L) argues with Kamala Harris supporter Anthony Arrington (R) near the security fence that was breached by protesters a day earlier outside The United Center during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday. Photo by Paul Beaty/UPI
CHICAGO  Protesters interrupted a live broadcast of CBS The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night, shouting loudly from the balcony of the Auditorium Theatre several times during two segments with former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Pelosi was there to discuss the Democratic National Convention and also her new book, The Art of Power. Several minutes into Colberts segment with Pelosi, a protester began shouting from above regarding the war in Gaza.

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Colbert addressed the person and the audience stating, For the people who cant tell, theres a protest going on in the audience.

The host then swiftly threw it to a commercial, while stating that he had planned to ask Pelosi about the protests and concerns regarding the Middle East. The subject is on Israel and Palestine and if you have a seat, we have to go to the commercial break, Colbert said. When we come back, Ill ask the next question I had on that subject.

Colberts conversation with Pelosi began with a discussion about her involvement in President Joe Bidens decision to step down from the 2024 Presidential race. Pelosi balked at the idea of being labeled the architect of that choice, and even at first said she hadnt called Biden at all. The second night of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert live at Chicagos Auditorium Theatre, right after the Democratic National Convention, was unexpectedly interrupted.

When they returned, Colbert first finished his questions about Biden, and whether it was rare to see a leader give up power in that way. He then switched gears.

Lets talk about another aspect of power: The U.S. using its power overseas, he said, pivoting back to the question from the protesters. As I said earlier, there is a political protester here. There is a political convention in town, you are politician and protests are natural. People are protesting, even within the Democratic party, there is dissension over what is the proper use of American power, especially ourprotected power overseas, both firm and soft power. If the goal is the peaceful and prosperous future for both Israelis and Palestinians, what role does the United States play?

Pelosis response focused first on President Bidens current and past track record in foreign policy. Let me just say this was a role that President Biden played very well for years he was chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said Pelosi. He was a senator for a long time, Vice President and President. So his experience globally has been huge.

Pelosi recounted attending the inauguration of John F. Kennedy, during which he gave his now iconic address, Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. Pelosi noted that, The very next sentence that he says in the speech is, To the countries of the world, ask not what America can do for you, but what we can do working together for the freedom of mankind. That is our mission So yes, we have had a commitment to Israel. Its been in our security interest to do so. Israel was attacked by a terrorist organization. We want the hostages freed. But we dont want children killed in Gaza. And so we have to come up with a solution. And right now, we just got word earlier today that Israel had agreed to the cease-fire agreement. Were hoping that Hamas will too. But it takes me to the point of saying to you, war has no role in a civilized society. We have to learn more about trust and peace.

During the end portion of this response, an audience member began shouting, repeating her words, And war has no role in a civilized society, followed by several other audience members also shouting, to which Colbert responded, As you can see from the continuing protest out here, that answer is unsatisfying to some people. Would you like to respond to what theyre saying?

Colbert then turned to the protester and asked if they would like a response to their question asking if they would listen Pelosis response. Switching back to Pelosi, he then directed the question to her, They have said that the United States should not have any role in supplying Israel arms to kill people of Gaza. Thats what they are saying.

Israel has a right to defend itself, Pelosi said. But the other part of it is thats been so major for all of us for many years is that there must be two-state solution. You cannot have peace unless you have a two-state solution. Israel, a secure Jewish democratic state in the region. And the Palestinians having their own, secure country there as well. Unless you have a two-state solution, you will not have a resolution of this.

At this point the shouting increased and Colbert instructed the protesters, Please dont interrupt my guest.

Colbert then ended the segment. Madame Speaker, were a live show and we have to go at this point. Please come again and we can continue the conversation.

Pelosi then attempted to change the subject by ending, I have to say, isnt it great to be in Chicago? The segment went to commercial shortly after. There wasnt any further interruptions during the show; according to insiders, all protesters left on their own accord, and the matter was handled peacefully.

Hakeem Jeffries was the next guest, and Colbert also asked him about the ongoing conflict in Gaza in a hypothetical asking: How would a Speaker Jeffries advise a President Harris?

What President Biden is doing right now, what Kamala Harris is doing as part of the Biden-Harris administration, to do everything possible to try to achieve a cease-fire agreement, Jefferies said. To bring the hostages home, to surge humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians who are in harms way, through no fault of their own. Surge that aid immediately and continuously. And to find a path toward a just and lasting peace. A safe and secure Israel and the Palestinian people being able to experience the dignity and self-determination that they deserve.

At the end of the night, after the show went off the air, Colbert addressed the audience and thanked them for coming, expressing his gratitude  but didnt further address the protesters. Thank you for a lovely night, it means the world for us, for you all to come out, he said. And I cant begin to tell you what a joy it is to play this house in Chicago.

As the Democratic National Convention has gotten underway in Chicago, protests have taken place around the city, including one on Tuesday where dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters and Chicago police clashed on Tuesday during a demonstration outside the Israeli Consulate in downtown Chicago.

The Auditorium Theatre is located in the South Loop area, several miles from the DNC, but a large number of police could be seen stationed outside the Auditorium as audience members filed out of the theater around 12:40 a.m. CT.

This is day two of Colberts Chicago live run, with Mondays episode wrapping up just after 1 a.m. Central Time.

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The protests surrounding the Democratic National Convention, once a source of alarm and anxiety, have dissolved into an afterthought  at least for the moment.

The crowds have been smaller than expected. The marches have been overwhelmingly peaceful. And a massive law enforcement presence has created a broad buffer zone, insulating Democrats in the United Center from any form of chaos or threat outside the walls. Some lawmakers said theyre hardly aware the protesters are there.

I havent seen that over here, said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), summarizing the message from a host of Democrats gathered in Chicago to celebrate the presidential nomination of Vice President Harris.

The reality on the ground marks a stark contrast to the warnings, sounded in the weeks leading up to the convention, that 50,000 protesters  many of them furious with the Biden administrations support for Israel amid its war with Hamas  were poised to descend on the Windy City, some with potentially violent intentions.

The concerns were elevated last month with the assassination attempt on former President Trump. And they arose again less than two weeks later, when activists gathered in Washington to protest a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made headlines with arrests, the burning of American flags at D.C.s iconic Union Station and the vandalization of statues with spray-painted anti-Israel slogans.

Some said the conditions this summer are as combustible as those in 1968, when police clashed with thousands of peace activists protesting the Vietnam War during the Democratic National Convention. Then, as now, the venue was Chicago.

The first two days of the convention, however, showed few signs of a 1968 redux.

While thousands of protesters have gathered in Chicago to lend voice to a variety of causes  from reproductive rights and economic justice to racial equality and migrant rights  the marches have been marked by virtually no spasms of violence.

The largest contingent of protesters are focused on pressing Democrats for a cease-fire in the Middle East, where Hamass Oct. 7 attack led to the death of roughly 1,200 people, and Israels military response has killed 40,000  a response many liberals consider disproportionate, at best, or a case of war crimes, at worst.

Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) pointed to several factors he said have contributed to the relative calm this week. For one thing, many Democrats are critical of Netanyahus military campaign and sympathetic to the plight of innocent Palestinians.

Were not at odds with these voices, he said. I actually share many of the views that they hold, and there are a lot of people inside [the convention] who do.

For another, Harris has been among those people, adopting a different tone on the war than President Biden, likely easing tensions between the activists and the Democratic brass, Kildee said.

The change at the top of the ticket is a bit of a game changer for everything, including the issue of Israel-Palestine, Kildee said. Im not suggesting that shes made a 180, [but] she clearly has a different approach. Shes been interested in hearing these voices. Shes made some comments to make it clear that she shares some of their concerns.

I know so many of the people from the Arab and Muslim community, and its making a difference.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) also hailed Harriss remarks about the conflict, though he also suggested shell need to back up the rhetoric with actions if she hopes to win over pro-Palestinian liberals.

I like what shes said, Doggett said. I like some of the things Bidens said, its just what hes done that I have problems with.

There are, of course, two days remaining in the Democrats convention, and theres always the possibility that the protests will be marked by bouts of violence. Already, there have been several isolated instances of unrest.

Two protesters were arrested Sunday, a day ahead of the conventions launch, and 13 more Monday, including 10 involved in the breach of an outer security fence near the United Center. Some were charged with aggravated battery for allegedly using pepper spray on officers.

And Tuesday evening, a separate protest group  Behind Enemy Lines, which has invoked the 68 riots with vows to shut down the convention  staged an unauthorized demonstration in front of the Israeli Consulate, about a mile from the United Center. The group burned flags and clashed with police officers, according to local news outlets, which also reported an unknown number of arrests.

Still, Democrats attending the convention said those activists have done nothing to alter the activities, or the message, as the party celebrates the nomination of Harris this week. That focus marks a far cry from the summer of 68, when the protests overwhelmed coverage of the convention and pulverized the partys unity message. Some say the unrest led directly to Republican Richard Nixons victory several months later.

They broke through a fence line and caused some problems, but I dont think that anyone would agree there are 50,000 protesters out there. I havent seen them, Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) said, downplaying the impact of this weeks protests.

We know there are folks in the party who have a problem with Bidens approach on Israel and Gaza, he continued. That said, [Secretary of State Antony] Blinken announced today that Israels engaged in a cease-fire plan. And thats all happening because Joe Biden is making it work.

Lawmakers cited other reasons why 2024 isnt shaping up to be 1968.

Not least, the number of protesters appear to be much lower  Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling estimated that 3,500 activists participated in marches Monday.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (Miss.), senior Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, said the various law enforcement agencies  federal, state and local  are also simply better prepared this time around.

Ive seen the plan that was put together by Homeland Security and everybody. I believe the law enforcers will protect the people whove come to this convention, he said.

Thompson also dismissed the notion that the protesters have disrupted the convention in any significant way.

Ive been to every major convention since 1980, he said. Its always difficult to get to the convention. Its always difficult to get back to your hotel. Its always difficult to get around.

Whether theres protests or not, theres just a lot of people.

There is one piece of the convention that may be impacted by the protesters, or at least the broader message theyre sending: Many Democrats are hoping Harris, in her keynote speech Thursday night, will acknowledge the human rights concerns hovering over Israels handling of the war and offer some assurances that, as president, she would address them.

Clearly, I favor a policy that does not beg Netanyahu for approval of peace and gives him everything he asks for at the same time, Doggett said. So Id like to see some difference in her policy.

For all the tensions surrounding Israel within the Democratic Party, many lawmakers warned that a second Trump term would pose an even greater threat to Palestinian civilians.

Whats the alternative, Donald Trump? I mean, please, McGovern said. He doesnt give a s about the Palestinians, or Gaza, or Israel. All he gives a s about is himself.

So thats the choice here.

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI)  Police are seeking the publics help to identify a suspect involved in an armed robbery in Providence.

According to police, the man committed the robbery last Friday, Aug. 16, in the 200-block of Smith Street.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Ron Riley at (401) 952-4629 or Detective Matthew Pine at (401) 658-6277.

(Courtesy: Providence Police Department)

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LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM)  A former teacher at Northern Lebanon School District was charged Tuesday for sending an inappropriate picture to a student, court documents show.

Ryan Stewart, 47, of Jonestown, allegedly admitted to sending the picture to the student over Snapchat in an interview with investigators, but claimed it was an accident, State Police said in the charging documents.

Stewart taught science at Northern Lebanon Secondary School, where the student attended, the charges show. In a statement, Superintendent Dr. Gary Messinger said that Stewart hasnt taught at the school since 2022.

Mr. Stewart has not worked at Northern Lebanon since 2022 and we have no information regarding the alleged incident that occurred in May 2024, the statement reads.

According to the criminal complaint, State Police received a report on May 30 regarding students talking about a former teacher, identified as Stewart, sending a sexual picture to a student at the school.

Troopers said the child saw the picture while they were camping at Twin Grove Campground with relatives. The child, over Snapchat, confronted Stewart and he claimed that he sent the picture to the wrong person. The picture was then deleted.

Upscale casual restaurant closing in York County

The child told Troopers that Stewart added him on Snapchat in 2023, and that they never messaged each other before the incident, Troopers said.

State Police were shown the messages between Stewart and the child, and saw that Stewart claimed he thought he sent the inappropriate picture to someone elses account, the criminal complaint shows.

When Stewart was interviewed, State Police said he admitted to sending the picture and that he usually sends sexual pictures to people he is in relationships with, the charges show.

Stewart also claimed that he doesnt have any students added on Snapchat and that he thought the student was someone he recently met, even though he added the student a year ago, the charges show.

When asked to turn over his phone, Stewart said he would at a different time but he never gave his phone to State Police, according to the complaint.

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Stewart faces two felony charges of disseminating sexual explicit material to a minor and unlawful contact with a minor. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of corruption of minors.

Stewart posted his unsecured bail that was set at $25,000 and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 26.

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PITTSBURG, Kan.  Students on the campus of an area university now have twenty-four-hour-a-day access to mental health services.

Its a beautiful day during the first week of school on a picturesque university campus. But dont let this setting fool you.

College life, especially later in the semester, can be a pressure cooker for students.

Which is why Pitt State is offering a new online coping mechanism, in the form of the Telus mental health counseling service.

Theres complete anonymity, and in fact when students log into the system they do not have to give their name if they do not want to, they do not have to use any type of credentialing like their student ID number, it can be completely anonymous if thats how they choose to use the service, said Deatrea Rose, PSU Office of Inclusion and Belonging.

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It gives students an opportunity to talk to someone when studies, or life in general, get a little overwhelming, especially late at night or in the early morning hours.

And they like to be able to text, theres a texting option, where they can just chat with a therapist, they can do FaceTime if they wanted to or they could just talk on the phone with someone, I think it really goes back to their comfort level and what they feel the best is the best method for them, said Rose.

The service, provided through the Kansas Health Foundation, is designed to provide help when needed by students at any hour.

But if they still need help during regular business hours, the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, which has had a presence on campus for years, can provide it through their mental health professionals.

And if a student utilizes the service at 2 AM and gives permission, we can see that data and help them with their 9 AM appointment the next day so really closing that loop and giving consistent care for that student, said Taylor Panczer, Wellness and Student Advocacy Services, CHC SEK.

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GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT)  Pitt County Animal Services is getting input from the community this week through a forum to share ideas about how the shelter can improve.

They also wanted ideas for the next director of the shelter. It was an emotional night in the Marc Owens Auditorium as members of the community offered criticism and potential solutions.

The shelter is at full capacity and Tabitha Murray, who works with Pitt Friends, suggested the shelter do more to utilize social media and the exposure it can bring.

Social media gives you the opportunity to showcase an adoptable pet in front of hundreds to thousands of people, all by telling the animals story by pictures and videos, Murray said.

The shelter has been without a director since the middle of July after the former director Chad Singleton resigned. Community members also offered up their thoughts on the qualities next director should have.

Someone who can hire, motivate and maintain a fully dedicated staff with minimal turnover. Someone who is a collaborator, I cannot emphasize this enough, Cat Coalition Founder Linda Lindbeck said.

Lindbeck fought back tears when talking about the shelters close proximity to the city dump. It is insulting to the people working there, she said. It is insulting to the people who go to adopt animals. It is an insult to the animals.

Lindbeck also mentioned more collaboration between the county and the city of Greenville. This idea was seconded by Greenville City Council member Marion Blackburn.

One of the things that I think is going to be essential for the new director is, as was mentioned very appropriately, is someone who can work with the city. We need to be aggressive about working together, Blackburn said.



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Publix gives back in a big way to help support a crucial Florida ecosystem: 'We're doing good for the environment'

One of Florida's biggest companies is helping to save one of its biggest ecological resources.

Publix celebrated Coral Reef Awareness Week in a real way  by donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to organizations that directly help the environmental wonder.

Coral reefs are productive ecosystems that provide many benefits to humans and the environment, and protecting them is an investment in the Earth itself. In Florida specifically, they help protect coastlines from powerful storms  which invariably helps people.

As detailed by Drug Store News, Publix's donations to the National Park Foundation have supported coral reef restoration projects at Biscayne National Park, including ongoing protection, research and monitoring of 25 coral species, conducting coral disease surveys, restoring reef habitat through the removal of submerged marine debris, and other feats.

"At Publix, we're doing good for the environment, and that includes donating to organizations like National Park Foundation, which facilitates work to remove marine debris and improve the health of coral reefs in the Florida Reef Tract," said Michael Hewett, the Publix director of environmental and sustainability programs, per Drug Store News.

"Through this funding, local projects in Biscayne National Park and Dry Tortugas National Park will have resources to expand and enhance restoration of these important ecosystems."

Protecting coral reefs is of the utmost importance, according to NOAA. The organization reports that around 25% of the ocean's fish depend on healthy coral reefs, and they are a source of food and medicines. Over half a billion people depend on reefs for food, income, and protection.

The fact that people are making efforts to protect them is a positive sign for the planet, but work will always need to be done.

Publix understands that protecting the environment is an intersectional issue that has massive payoffs for society and the environment. One of the best ways to influence this positive trend is by supporting eco-friendly initiatives like this and choosing brands that care about the environment.

Publix is one of many brands doing the right thing and investing in local communities, ecosystems, and everything in between.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Wednesday a very cold start but with sunshine aplenty, we slowly warm up through 60s for the morning with afternoon highs in the low 70s for some. Mountain ridgeline communities will remain in the mid 60s all day. With north winds in control, expect that chill on the air feel especially in the shade.

Tonight, after sunset, we drop back into the low 60s for your evening plans and 50s for those late night ones. As high pressure drifts east, our winds shift out of the southeast which will help keep us a few degrees warmer than Wednesday morning. Lows still dropping into the upper 40s for the urban lowlands while the eastern mountain ridgelines still fall into the low 40s.

Drought conditions putting pressure on farmers across West Virginia

Thursday, with winds from the southeast, well shake off the morning chill a little faster than days past. By the lunchtime hour, more of us hit the 70 degree mark with several lowland counties pushing into the upper 70s by the afternoon. Eastern mountains still struggle but have a good shot at nudging the 70 degree mark. A few fair weather clouds to add variety to the sky, but no rain to speak off which only worsens our drought.

This is the kind of weather where fire dangers start to climb to worrisome levels. If you dont have to burn, wait until we receive some rain. If you do have too, check with local officials on restrictions and use caution.

Friday we bring in some humidity and winds from the west-southwest to really help us warm up. Itll certainly feel more like August as highs reach into the low 80s. Mostly sunny skies with only a handful of clouds at times throughout the day, but again, no rain to speak of.

#CommunityCalendar: Take advantage of the summer-like weekend with a local event!

Saturday we bring the humidity and thermometers up as a nice warm up unfolds across the two-Virginias. Highs in the mid 80s under mostly sunny skies really give us that summer feel weve missed out on so often this year.

Sunday a few more clouds in the mix but nothing that will hurt temps or bring any relief to the drought. Highs push into the mid 80s with a few spots west of Beckley making a solid run at the 90 degree mark. What a change from the beginning of the week!

Monday has a mostly sunny morning but increasing clouds for the afternoon. Heat and humidity pop-up showers are possible but well have to wait until Tuesday for any beneficial rains. Highs push into the upper 80s with more western towns hitting that 90 degree mark.

Tuesday starts with sun & clouds with temps warming up steadily into the mid and upper 80s by the afternoon. A cold front is expected to cross the region so expect clouds to thicken as the afternoon marches on into our evening hours. Scattered showers with imbedded thunderstorms will bring much needed rain but not in an amount to help. With our compacted dry grounds, heavy downpours will need to be monitored for runoff issues leading to flash flooding.

In your extended forecast, we finally break the cycle of dry weather with a few systems pushing through bringing us some rain chances. For Beckley, were nearly 8 inches of rain off from where we should be this time of the year. The rain well see doesnt come close to making up that difference, but at least it is something to help a few communities out.

WEDNESDAY

Chilly morning, sunshine, cool. Highs near 70.

THURSDAY

Warming up, still dry. Highs in the upper 70s.

FRIDAY

Sunshine & warm! Highs in the low 80s.

SATURDAY

Feeling like August, Sun & Clouds. Highs in the mid to upper 80s.

SUNDAY

Mild & humid. Sun & clouds. Highs in the upper 80s.

MONDAY

Dry start, increasing clouds. Iso. shower PM. Highs in the upper 80s.

TUESDAY

Sct. showers PM, mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 80s.

WEDNESDAY

AM Showers, sun & clouds PM. Highs in the mid 80s.

THURSDAY

Mostly sunny, Iso. PM Shower. Highs in the upper 80s.

FRIDAY

AM sprinkles fade, sunshine returns slowly. Highs in the 80s.



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Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Azerbaijan for the first time since the beginning of its full-scale war on Ukraine on Aug. 18, the latest significant development in the South Caucasus country's delicate balancing act between East and West.

The visit comes amid a larger, historic realignment between the three countries in the South Caucasus  Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan  and Russia.

As Moscow continues to face the fallout of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it is seeking to reassert itself as a relevant player in the region. But an increasingly assertive Azerbaijan, buoyed by its recent military success against Armenia and signing of new gas contracts with European countries, is also seeking to redefine its relationship with Moscow.

"There is a saying that the only winner of the Ukraine war is Azerbaijan," said Shujaat Ahmadzada, an independent researcher and analyst focusing on Azerbaijan.

"Moscow's focus on the war in Ukraine has created a huge degree of flexibility/manoeuvring for Baku in the South Caucasus," he told the Kyiv Independent.

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev (R) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) drive a car following their talks in Baku on Aug. 19, 2024. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev/ POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

South Caucasus puzzle

The past few years have seen a fundamental reshaping of the geopolitical landscape in the South Caucasus vis-a-vis Russia, which began before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has continued to pick up speed in the following two and a half years.

Winding back the clock before 2020, Russia's closest ally in the region was Armenia, while it had frosty relations with Georgia in the aftermath of the 2008 war. Russian-Azerbaijani ties were complex, and though Russia was (and continues to be) the largest supplier of military hardware to the country, there is lingering resentment stemming from Russia's support for Armenia, Azerbaijan's primary geopolitical foe.

The extent of Russian assistance to Armenia in the first Nagorno-Karabakh War in the 1990s has been debated, and while there is a perception from many in Baku that Russian support proved to be consequential to Armenia's victory, Moscow played both sides.

Russian peacekeepers move along the road towards Agdam, Azerbaijan, from their checkpoint outside Askeran on Nov. 20, 2020. (Karen Minasyan/AFP via Getty Images)

In the years that followed the signing of the 1994 peace treaty, Russia deployed "peacekeepers" in Nagorno-Karabakh, ostensibly to prevent a new outbreak of fighting. Russian troops also have a base in the Armenian city of Gyumri and, until recently, had a detachment of border guards at the Yerevan International Airport.

However, after the Russian "peacekeepers" failed to act in either the Second Karabakh War in 2020 or the Azerbaijani lightning offensive in 2023  both of which saw Azerbaijan reclaim its lost territory  Armenia's relations with its longtime ally Russia have plunged to new lows.

Armenia has openly declared its feelings of betrayal and has instead sought to forge new partnerships with the West, going as far as threatening to withdraw from the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and making moves toward joining the EU.

Having essentially ended the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, which long appeared to be a never-ending thorn in Azerbaijan's side, Baku is now in a position to redefine its position in the region  and its relationship with Moscow.

Putin's visit

Putin met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for a dinner and then held talks that the Kremlin said would focus on "international and regional problems." Aliyev later personally drove Putin around the city, among other pageantry set-pieces.

The two leaders paid their respects at Baku's Alley of Martyrs, which commemorates Azerbaijani citizens killed by Soviet troops in the "Black January" incident of 1990 and the fallen in the first Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Azerbaijani Reddit accounts noted that the Russian media outlet RT falsely identified the memorial as one that commemorates World War II and derisively remarked that it was indicative of Russia's attitude towards its former imperial peripheries. RT's post was later deleted.

The day after Putin's trip concluded, Azerbaijan formally applied to join BRICS, one of the more concrete signs that Baku is seeking to solidify its position as a bridge between East and West.

Balancing act on Ukraine

Azerbaijan has been uniquely positioned to take advantage of Russias setbacks in Ukraine and diminishing influence on the country's neighbors. Bordering both Russia and Iran, it is also an increasingly important trade hub  which carries with it allegations of sanctions evasion.

Aliyev's authoritarian regime now holds a much stronger hand, not just against Russia, but vis-a-vis the EU as well.

Flags of Ukraine and Azerbaijan stand on the table during the visit of Seymour Mardaliev, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Ukraine, to the Lviv Regional State Administration on April 5, 2024, in Lviv, Ukraine. (Stanislav Ivanov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Azerbaijan has maintained a type of strategic neutrality regarding Russia's full-scale war, reaffirming its friendly ties with Russia just days before the beginning of the invasion but also providing at least 27.8 million manat ($16.3 million) in humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

There have been unconfirmed reports of some Azerbaijani weapons surfacing in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers, but it is likely that most of these weapons were delivered before the beginning of the full-scale war.

"Military aid (to Ukraine) would be a huge thing  which I don't see the regime here in Baku wants to cross," said Ahmadzada.

Despite Putin's visit and the warm reception, Azerbaijan has also been unwilling to openly support Russia's full-scale war, and its increasing military, economic, and geopolitical strength means that it does not have to.

"The messaging that comes from Baku on Ukraine (is) very clear about (the) territorial integrity of Ukraines internationally recognized borders," said Luke Coffey, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.

"They've been very clear on this from the beginning mainly because they've experienced something similar with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh," Coffey told the Kyiv Independent.

Coffey agreed that openly providing military support to Ukraine would likely be a step that Baku does not want to take. But as with the majority of other former Soviet countries, even those with close relations with Russia, it does not feel it has to provide military support to Moscow either.

"Azerbaijan benefited hugely from Russia's setbacks in Ukraine, so it would be unwise for Baku to be supportive of Russia in this case," Ahmadzada said.

All of this delicate balancing act remains unspoken, kept behind closed doors.

Coffey said that Azerbaijani officials are "quite clear whose side they're on" in private conversations, and "there are many that are cheering on the Ukrainians" because "many see Russia as a threat."

"But they would never overtly say this publicly, and they would never publicly arm the Ukrainians," he added.

Energy

Russian gas still flows through Ukraine to Europe  transiting through Sudzha, the town in Russia's Kursk Oblast captured by Ukrainian forces during their cross-border incursion  but that contract is set to expire at the end of 2024.

Azerbaijan has suggested that it could fill the gap by transiting Azerbaijani gas, which would still go through Russia, across Ukraine, and into the EU.

Several EU countries, such as Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia, are still reliant on the gas coming from the existing pipeline from Russia and would be in "serious trouble" if they were forced to find another alternative, Aliyev said in July.

Azerbaijan is also the starting point of the multinational, consortium-owned Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline that connects oil fields in the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, which came online in 2006.

Zelensky said that he did not want to extend the gas contract with Russia and acknowledged that the Azerbaijani proposals were one of the alternatives being considered. While Russia would still get a cut as a transit fee, Azerbaijani gas would flow through the pipeline, not Russian.

It was not the first indication that Azerbaijan would likely begin playing a bigger role in the provision of energy to the EU.

Oil derricks on the outskirts of Baku on Oct. 5, 2023. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images)

Shortly after the beginning of the full-scale war, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen signed a deal with Aliyev "to deliver at least 20 billion cubic meters to the EU annually by 2027."

Azerbaijan is "a key partner in our efforts to move away from Russian fossil fuels," she said at the time.

In a statement that coincided with Putin's visit, the Russian state-run energy giant Gazprom announced on Aug. 20 "the expansion of multifaceted strategic partnership" with Azerbaijan's state-owned energy company SOCAR.

One of the chief focuses of Putin's visit was on collaborative energy projects, including new oil tankers, as part of a larger plan to increase Russia's energy exports toward the Indian Ocean  and away from Western sanctions.

"Russia's outreach to Azerbaijan, especially the first official state visit in six years, is very much part of efforts to evade sanctions," said Ben Dubow, a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), in comments to the Kyiv Independent.

What Russia wants

While Russia appears to have its hands full in Ukraine, it is also unwilling to abandon what it sees as long-term interests and influence in the South Caucasus.

"It is clear, and everyone is aware, that Russia is also facing crises, including and above all in the Ukrainian direction," Putin said in Baku.

"Russia's historical involvement in the situation in the South Caucasus over the past few years dictates the need for us to participate in these events, of course, to the extent that this is required by the parties," he added.

Statements by Putin and Aliyev at a joint press conference were full of typical pleasantries. Azerbaijan and Russia "act as allies, friends, close partners, and neighbors," said Aliyev, a sentiment echoed by Putin.

In turn, Putin noted that the Russian language is "widely and freely used in Azerbaijan" and thanked Aliyev for his "attention" to the language issue. Both presidents extolled the economic partnership between their respective countries.

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev (R) and his wife Mehriban Aliyeva (C) meet with Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) at their home in Baku on Aug. 18, 2024. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Yet, subtle differences in the way that the two leaders talked about the conclusion of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh shed some light on the transformed nature of Russia's role in the region since February 2022.

While Putin said that "Russia will continue to do everything possible to promote the normalization of Azerbaijani-Armenian cooperation" based on trilateral treaties reached in 2020-2022, he did not mention the effective culmination of the conflict in 2023.

In contrast, Aliyev said: "After September of last year, a completely new situation arose in the region  Azerbaijan completely restored its sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"The stability and security of the entire South Caucasus region largely depend on close cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan," he added.

While Russia will certainly continue to play a role as a regional power and economic partner, the rules have changed.

"There have always been three Russia's for Azerbaijan: neighbor, hegemon, and mediator. Azerbaijan's relations with Moscow have always been about navigating between different Russias," said Ahmadzada.

But after both the full-scale war in Ukraine and Azerbaijans recapture of Nagorno-Karabakh, "this Mediator Russia has become no more for Azerbaijan."

Despite years of effort, Russian (and international) attempts at mediation failed, and the conflict was ultimately resolved by force, so it is unclear what more Russia can offer.

"Azerbaijan has accomplished pretty much everything it wanted to accomplish" by reclaiming its internationally recognized territories, Coffey said.

The victory did not occur in a vacuum but rather was the direct result of Baku's likely reasoning that Russia, weakened by setbacks in Ukraine, would be unable or unwilling to do anything to stop it.

Having "tested Russia's resolve to enforce the peace Moscow helped to broker after the 2020 conflict," Azerbaijan "reasoned that Russia had no will or capacity to protect its treaty ally (Armenia)," CEPA analyst Dubow told the Kyiv Independent.

Read also: US wants to invite Armenia, Azerbaijan to upcoming NATO summit, sources tell Azerbaijani media

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Retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster in a new memoir describes the way Russian President Vladimir Putin influenced former President Donald Trump during his time in office. McMaster, who was national security adviser to Trump from 2017 to 2018, writes that Putin took advantage of Trumps ego.

The memoir, At War with Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House, comes out next week. The Guardian obtained a copy, and on Wednesday outlined McMasters account of the relationship between Putin and Trump. Putin, a ruthless former KGB operator, played to Trumps ego and insecurities with flattery, McMaster writes.

Putin had described Trump as a very outstanding person, talented, without any doubt, McMaster continues, and Trump had revealed his vulnerability to this approach, his affinity for strongmen, and his belief that he alone could forge a good relationship with Putin.

Like his predecessors George W. Bush and Barack Obama, McMaster continues, Trump was overconfident in his ability to improve relations with the dictator in the Kremlin. The fact that most foreign policy experts in Washington advocated for a tough approach to the Kremlin seemed only to drive the president to the opposite approach.

McMaster describes a moment in March 2018 where politicians were reacting to an assassination attempt on former Russian intelligence officer and double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. Meanwhile, Trump was focused on a New York Post headline: Putin Heaps Praise on Trump, Pans U.S. Politics.

Trump apparently wrote a note on the article and asked McMaster to send it to Putin. I was certain that Putin would use Trumps annotated clipping to embarrass him and provide cover for the attack, McMaster wrote. He told the White House office of the staff secretary not to send it.

[Putin] knew really what Trumps predilections were, McMaster recently told CBS News. One of my roles was to alert him to that  to say, Mr. President, you know, this guy is the best liar in the world.

McMaster was fired that same month after ongoing conversations between the two, an unnamed official told NPR.

I am very thankful for the service of General H.R. McMaster who has done an outstanding job & will always remain my friend, Trump posted on X, formerly Twitter.

McMasters replacement as Trumps national security adviser, John Bolton, has also turned on Trump and regularly speaks about his unfitness for office. McMaster and Bolton are two of several former Trump administration figures to have since publicly disparaged the former president. Stephanie Grisham, one of Trumps press secretaries, spoke at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, detailing how Trump mocks his supporters.

McMasters memoir is not the first time he has spoken negatively about Trump. In 202o, he spoke out about Trumps refusal to assure a peaceful transition of power.

This is very disappointing and really this is something that our founders feared, McMaster told CNN. We have to demand that our leaders restore confidence in our democratic principles and institutions and processes.

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Putin makes surprise visit to Chechnya for first time in 13 years

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to the Chechen Republic on Aug. 21 to inspect Chechen troops readying to deploy to Ukraine's front line - marking his first visit to the region in 13 years.

Putin, alongside Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov, toured the Russian Special Forces University in Chechnya, as troops prepare to deploy to Ukraine's front line, Russian state media reported. Putin's visit to the majority Muslim republic comes as Ukraine continues its unprecedented incursion into Kursk Oblast - with Moscow reportedly deploying troops into the region.

"As long as we have men like you, we are absolutely, absolutely invincible," Putin reportedly told troops in Chechnya, according to Russian state media.

At the beginning of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Russian conscripts will not be involved in the combat. As all-out war entered its third year, Putin signed a decree meant to conscript 150,000 citizens as part of the regularly occurring spring conscription campaign.

According to multiple reports, a number of conscripts were sent to Kursk Oblast and some 250 of them were captured by Ukrainian forces, the Washington Post reported on Aug. 16, citing an unnamed head of a prison where they were held.

Mothers of conscripts called on Putin to withdraw them from Kursk Oblast, the Moscow Times wrote on Aug. 12. The petition reportedly collected more than 5,000 signatures.

Apti Alaudinov, the commander of the Chechen Akhmat Regiment fighting for Russia, said on Aug. 19 that Russian conscripts should go to the front, and those who will be killed in Kursk Oblast "will go to heaven."

Earlier on Aug. 20, Russia's Defense Ministry announced that it will establish troop groups in Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk oblasts to defend settlements along the Ukrainian border amid the incursion.

Russia's casualty count reportedly surpassed 600,000 troops on Aug. 19, according to Ukrainian estimates.

Read also: Chechen commander says Russian conscripts must fight in Kursk Oblast, promises heaven for killed

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Premier Li Qiang shake hands during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (Alexey Filippov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

MOSCOW (AP)  Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese premier Li Qiang Wednesday, hailing growing trade relations as Moscow becomes increasingly dependent on Beijing for political and economic support.

Our trade relations are developing, developing successfully ... The attention that the governments of the two countries on both sides are paying to trade and economic ties is yielding results, Putin said at the meeting in the Kremlin.

He also said that Russia and China have developed large-scale plans for economic and other projects.

Chinese-Russian relations are at an unprecedentedly high level," said Li, who earlier had met with his Russian counterpart, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

The meeting took place as Russia struggled to push back a Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region now in its third week. And overnight, Moscow experienced one of the largest waves of drone attacks on the Russian capital since the start of the Ukraine conflict.

Russian news reports did not indicate whether Putin and Li discussed Ukraine.

China has tried to position itself as neutral in the Ukraine conflict, but it shares with Russia high animosity toward the West.

After Western countries imposed heavy sanctions on Russian oil in response to Russia sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022, China strongly stepped up its purchase of Russian oil, increasing its influence in Russia. Putin underlined the importance of China by meeting in Beijing with Chinese leader Xi Jinping soon after being inaugurated for a fifth term in the Kremlin.

A U.S. intelligence assessment released this year indicates that China has significantly increased sales to Russia of machine tools, microelectronics and other technology Moscow uses to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weaponry.
Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the close ties between Moscow and Beijing at a Wednesday meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang that was preceded by the signing of bilateral agreements in the energy sector.

"Our countries have worked out long-term joint plans, both in the economic and humanitarian spheres," Putin was quoted as saying by the state agency TASS.

"Our trade relations are developing successfully," Putin also said, according to the Interfax agency. "The attention that both governments pay to economic and trade relations shows their results."

Prior to meeting with Putin, Li held talks with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. Putin said Mishustin and Li "signed a series of bilateral agreements aimed at improving our cooperation" with the main focus on energy.

Mishustin said Russia was already China's largest oil supplier and "in the near future, we will also take first place for natural gas."

Putin last visited China in May. The two countries share an antagonism towards the West and have grown closer in recent years and declared a strategic partnership.

Nevertheless, many observers believe that the economic superpower China has the upper hand in this alliance, leaving Russia with the role of raw materials supplier and junior partner.
Putin's slow response to the Kursk attack could test the patience of some of his backers in Russia

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during an event to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Kursk in World War II at a memorial in the village of Ponyri, near Kursk, Russia, on Aug. 23, 2023. (Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

A year ago this week, President Vladmir Putin strode onto a stage in the Kursk region to commemorate the 80th anniversary of one of the Soviet army's proudest moments in World War II.

Addressing a rapt audience that included soldiers fresh from fighting in Ukraine, Putin called the decisive victory in the Battle of Kursk one of the great feats of our people.

Now, as Russia prepares to celebrate the 81st anniversary of that 1943 battle on Friday, Kursk is again in the news  but for a very different reason.

On Aug. 6, Ukrainian forces made a lightning push into the region, seizing villages, taking hundreds of prisoners and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians. Russia was caught unprepared by the offensive and reportedly is drafting conscripts to repel some of Ukraine's most battle-hardened units.

Putin has a history of responding slowly to various crises in his tenure, and he has so far played down the attack. But 2 1/2 years after launching a war in Ukraine to remove what he called a threat to Russia, it is his own country that seems more turbulent.

He appeared uneasy at an Aug. 12 televised meeting of security heads about Kursk, cutting off the acting regional governor who had started listing the settlements seized by Ukraine. The president and his officials referred to the events in the Kursk region" as a situation, or provocation.

State media fell into line, showing evacuees queueing for aid or donating blood, as if the events in Kursk were a humanitarian disaster and not the largest attack on Russia since World War II.

In his 24 years in power, Putin has portrayed himself as the only person who can guarantee Russia's security and stability, but that image has suffered since the war began.

Russian cities repeatedly have come under shelling and drone attacks  including dozens of drones reported downed Wednesday. Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin launched a brief uprising last year to try to oust his military leaders. Gunmen stormed a Moscow concert hall and killed 145 people in March.

The Kremlin has given tacit approval to a wide-ranging purge of Defense Ministry officials, with many facing corruption charges. Lower-level officers also are being arrested on fraud charges, including Lt. Col. Konstantin Frolov, a decorated airborne brigade commander. I would rather be in Kursk ... than here, he said while being marched in handcuffs into a Moscow police station.

In another reminder that fortunes in Russia can change quickly, authorities started criminal cases against other officials and are seeking to confiscate land from some of the country's wealthiest people in a posh area outside Moscow near a Putin residence.

While state TV drives the still-strong support for Putin despite setbacks like the Kursk incursion, its harder to gauge the opinions of his key constituency  Russias elites.

Putin is dependent on their acquiescence, said Ekaterina Schulmann, a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin.

The calculation thats going on in their heads 24/7 is whether the status quo is to their advantage or not, she said.

Since the war began, life for those elites  Putins inner circle, top bureaucrats, security and military officials, and business leaders  has gotten worse, not better. While many have been enriched by the war, they have fewer places to spend their money because of Western sanctions.

The question they are asking themselves about Putin, Schulmann said, is whether the old man is still an asset or already a liability.

Russia's elites could be described as being in a state of unhappy compliance," said Nigel Gould-Davies, senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. They are discontented with the status quo, he said, but fearful about who would win if there were to be a leadership struggle.

They could be hoping, the analysts said, that Putin's reaction to the events in Kursk fits a pattern in which he is initially slow to respond to a crisis before eventually managing to prevail.

It's something seen since his earliest days in power  starting with the sinking 24 years ago of a nuclear submarine that was named for the Battle of Kursk.

On Aug. 19, 2000, less than a year after Putin became president, the Kursk sank in the Barents Sea after one of its torpedoes exploded, killing all 118 sailors aboard. Putin stayed on vacation early in the crisis  setting off widespread criticism  and waited five days before accepting Western offers of help that might have saved some sailors who initially survived the explosion.

Putin also appeared sluggish in responding to the June 2023 uprising by Wagner chief Prigozhin in what became the most serious challenge to his authority yet.

After the mutiny fizzled, Prigozhin initially was allowed to remain free, but Schulmann said Putin eventually got the last laugh when the mercenary leader was killed a month later in a still-mysterious crash on his private plane.

As the Ukrainian offensive enters its third week, Putin sought to keep to his schedule and even embarked on a two-day trip to Azerbaijan, without mentioning the crisis. On Tuesday he briefly referred to it, promising to fight those who commit crimes in the Kursk region.

With domestic dissent stifled and with the media firmly under his control, Putin can afford to make the absolutely cynical decision to ignore what is happening in the Kursk region, Schulmann said.

Still, Putins hold on power is unlikely to be weakened as a result of this humiliation, wrote Eugene Rumer, senior fellow and the director of the Carnegie Russia and Eurasia Program, in a commentary. The entire Russian political and military establishment is complicit in his war and responsible for this disaster.

The longer the Ukrainian offensive goes on, however, the more military and political challenges it presents.

Russia appears to be struggling to find suitable forces to repel the Ukrainian assault. Despite promising that conscripts wouldn't be sent to the front, Russia is deploying them to the Kursk region with not enough training, according to a human rights group that helps draftees.

Analysts say reserves also are being called up, so that Russia can avoid pulling troops from Ukraine's Donbas region, where Moscow's forces are making slow progress.

The manpower shortage has seen authorities trying to entice Russians to serve by offering large salaries, drafting convicted criminals from prisons and recruiting foreigners inside the country.

As Ukraine presses its offensive, it could become difficult for the Kremlin to ignore the many consequences of the war. A key question, Gould-Davies said, is what happens if Russias elites conclude that the conflict is unwinnable or if ... it will never end while Putin is in power.

In Sudzha, a Russian town in the Kursk region now controlled by Ukrainian troops, the suffering of residents was clear. AP reporters on a Ukrainian government-organized trip last week saw shelled buildings, a damaged natural gas pumping station, and elderly residents huddled in basements with their belongings and food  images similar to what's been seen in Ukraine for the past 29 months.

It's unclear for now whether the second battle of Kursk, like the first one, will become a turning point in the war that Putin launched.

But, Schulmann said, as one of a series of unfortunate events, it adds up to the impression that things are not going well."
VR Systems, the company responsible for the glitches that kept the public from seeing primary election returns in many Fla. counties on Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2024, is pictured here on Wednesday, Aug. 21, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Brendan Farrington)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  An elections technology company is taking full responsibility for glitches that kept many Florida county elections officials from immediately posting primary results Tuesday night.

While the problem didn't affect voters or ballot counting, there were still unanswered questions Wednesday.

Tallahassee-based VR Systems issued a brief statement but refused to answer questions on how widespread the problem was, why it wasn't prepared for websites that slowed or crashed, and how it's going to fix a problem that popped up during a low-turnout primary when it deals with a much larger demand for information during a hotly contested presidential election in less than three months.

The problem didn't affect how counties reported the primary vote to the state, nor did it affect the state's ability to provide election updates. But people checking local election websites Tuesday night couldn't access results as they came in.

We share everyones sense of urgency to identify why people may have experienced problems accessing our customers websites," the company said in a brief statement. First and foremost, the election night reporting of the unofficial results was not impacted, and there is no indication of malicious activity.

The company said an increase in website traffic contributed to the problem.

VR Systems didn't return emails and phone calls from The Associated Press seeking more details on the glitch. A reporter went to its office to ask for additional information in person and was told anyone authorized to speak on the issue was too busy. The reporter was also told to visit the company's website for a statement and that the company was unable to print a copy of that statement at its corporate headquarters.

While the issue didn't affect the process of casting, tabulating and reporting votes, it did cause a headache for the counties that use VR Systems, including some of the state's largest.

This had no impact on our ability to report our unofficial results. We did so without any delays at all," said Gerri Kramer, a spokesperson for the supervisor of elections in Hillsborough County, which encompasses Tampa and many of its suburbs. Our unofficial results were uploaded to the state, and shared publicly via social media and in our public Canvassing Board meeting. Additionally, we made sure media knew where to find the results so that they could report them, as well.
A Kansas City woman has filed suit against a property management company, saying that poor maintenance at her rented apartment caused several raccoons to fall through her ceiling and onto her head while she slept.

Amanda Howery, 49, was living in a property on E. 82nd Street in Kansas City, managed by Sage Door Property Management, when the alleged wildlife incident happened in 2023, according to the lawsuit filed Aug. 16.

Howery was asleep in bed on Feb. 14, 2023, when the raccoons fell through her ceiling, the lawsuit states.

Howery said she was attacked by the the raccoons and reporting multiple injuries for which she was hospitalized, according to the lawsuit.

Howery said she was aware her ceiling had been damaged before the incident, the lawsuit states, and that she had informed her landlords about the damage.

Based in Blue Springs, Sage Door Property Management oversees multiple rental properties in the Kansas City metropolitan area, focused mainly on standalone houses.

The building where Howery lived during the attack is owned by SC REI LLC, a Colorado investment corporation also named in the lawsuit.

Representatives for Safe Door, SC REI and Howery were not immediately available for comment Tuesday.
Johnston County courthouse. Photo: North Carolina Judicial Branch website.

SMITHFIELD  Closing arguments took place Wednesday in a Johnston County court proceeding with significant implications for more than 120 people on North Carolinas death row.

As NC Newsline reported at length earlier this year, the case involves Hasson Bacote, a Black man who was sentenced to death in Johnston County in 2009.

Bacote and his attorneys are challenging his death sentence under the Racial Justice Act  a North Carolina law enacted in 2009 and repealed in 2013, that allowed capital defendants to argue that race was the basis for their sentence. The law specified that individuals who successfully showed that race had been a significant factor in the decision to seek or impose the death penalty could be resentenced to life in prison.

Though the 2013 repeal sought to nullify claims filed during the laws time on the state statute books, a 2020 state Supreme Court ruling invalidated that provision  thus reinstating numerous pending RJA claims, like Bacotes.

Bacote is one of eight Black men tried capitally in Johnston County since the 1970s. Each of these men received the death penalty, while only about half of white capital defendants received death sentences. He is also one of only 11 people in North Carolina who was sentenced to death without any evidence that he intended or planned the killing. All 11 of these individuals are people of color, and nine are Black.

During several days of testimony in February and March, Bacotes attorney put on extensive evidence in an effort to show that race was a significant factor in his death sentence. They built their case around 680,000 documents turned over in discovery, which an attorney called the most comprehensive discovery provided by the state on jury selection issues in North Carolina.

They also questioned Assistant District Attorney Gregory Butler, who prosecuted Bacote, about his closing arguments in two cases where he called Black defendants thugs and predators on the African plain. And they presented evidence showing that Black prospective jurors were more than 2.5 times more likely to be struck from a jury pool statewide, four times more likely to be struck from a jury pool in Johnston County and 10 times more likely to be struck in cases tried by Butler.

On Wednesday, Bacotes lawyers summarized and reiterated their case. Race is a significant factor in determining death sentences in Johnston County, said Ashley Burrell, senior counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

The evidence is very clear that the modern death penalty is still directly tied to our states history of racial terror, and that it continues to produce biased outcomes, Gretchen M. Engel, executive director of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation, wrote in a statement.

In the courtroom on Wednesday, Jonathan P. Babb, special deputy attorney general with the North Carolina Department of Justice, rejected that argument and said Bacotes sentence was not a byproduct of racial discrimination.

He noted that the racial composition of the jury in Bacotes case  nine jurors were white, two were Black, and one was Asian  reflected census data for the county at the time in which 76.3 percent of Johnston Countys population was white alone.

The jury selection was representative of Johnston County, Babb said.

Bacotes case is widely viewed as a test case and the ruling is expected to set a precedent for how other judges deal with roughly 120 other pending Racial Justice Act claims.

On Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Wayland J. Sermons, Jr. said he will review the closing arguments from the respective parties and issue a ruling, but did not specify when that would be.
After removing 50,000 dump truck loads of contaminated soil, the U.S. Department of Energy and its cleanup contractor can finish transferring the land that once supported the K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant during the Manhattan Project from federal to local hands.

Leaders from the DOE's Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and contractor United Cleanup Oak Ridge were joined by elected officials and private sector representatives to celebrate the milestone during an Aug. 21 ceremony at the East Tennessee Technology Park.

Today is a significant and meaningful step toward completing our ultimate mission at the East Tennessee Technology Park, OREM Manager Jay Mullis said in a news release. Our progress has transformed the site from an unusable liability into an economic asset for the Oak Ridge community.

The land once held the largest building in the world, though all of K-25's uranium enrichment facilities were decommissioned in 1985 and demolished by 2020. The major cleanup involved tearing down more than 500 buildings with a combined footprint equal to 225 football fields.

Once they were gone, crews moved on to removing foundation slabs and radioactive soil.

Much of the land was already transferred to the city and is home to private companies developing the next generation of nuclear technology, like Kairos Power. The California-based company began construction in July on its Hermes test reactor, cooled by a molten fluoride salt rather than water.

OREM has transferred more than 1,700 acres to the community for economic development and will transfer hundreds more in the next year. Twenty-five private companies that have located or announced plans to build on the former federal land have brought in $1.35 billion in investments and expect to create around 1,400 jobs, most in the high-paying nuclear sector.

TRISO-X, an advanced nuclear fuel manufacturer, ceremonially broke ground for its $300 million production facility on former federal land in 2022. NANO Nuclear Energy announced Aug. 20 it had purchased land and a building on the former K-25 site for its nuclear technology headquarters.

An aerial view shows the East Tennessee Technology Park in August 2024 following the completion of all demolition and soil remediation projects at the former uranium enrichment complex by DOEs Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and contractor UCOR.

U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, chairman of the House subcommittee on energy and water appropriations, pledged to continue directing funds to nuclear cleanup.

In July, the DOE and the state of Tennessee signed a deal that puts $42 million into a state account to fund restoration projects in Oak Ridge apart from nuclear cleanup, such as building public trails and creating native habitats.

Oak Ridge cleanup included in EPA Superfund award

Environmental work in Oak Ridge is part of the DOE's larger mission to undo its radioactive legacy from the Manhattan Project and the Cold War. While Oak Ridge is not the largest cleanup site, it has been credited as one of the most successful and efficient.

We are not only helping to restore the environment while reducing site risks, but we are also facilitating continued regional economic and recreational development," UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter said.

The East Tennessee Technology Park is a multiuse industrial park, which also includes parts of the National Manhattan Project Historical Park, conservation areas and the K-25 History Center. The museum hosted around 650 former K-25 workers for their first annual reunion in April.

OREM and UCOR completed all soil remediation projects at the East Tennessee Technology Park this summer. Crews excavated nearly 50,000 dump truck loads of soil from the site to complete this phase of cleanup.

The cleanup work at the site earned this year's Superfund National Priorities List Award as part of the Environmental Protection Agencys annual National Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Awards. The awards highlight the accomplishments of federal agencies, states, tribes, local partners, communities and developers in restoring and reusing formerly contaminated federal land.

Caroline Freeman, director of EPAs Superfund and Emergency Management Division in Region 4, highlighted the unique nature of the K-25 site evolution.

This is a remarkable achievement and the first uranium enrichment complex in the world to be deactivated, demolished, and have soils remediated for reuse of the property," Freeman said.

Daniel Dassow is a growth and development reporter focused on technology and energy. Phone 423-637-0878. Email daniel.dassow@knoxnews.com.

Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Department of Energy finishes soil cleanup at K-25 Oak Ridge site
CHICAGO  An unsanctioned demonstration began outside the Israeli Consulate on Tuesday evening and quickly escalated into a standoff between police and protesters.

Hundreds chanted Long live the intifada as they headed toward the consulate, which is located in the Accenture Building on Madison Street. In context of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, the term "intifada" has historically referred to an uprising against Israel using both violent and nonviolent means.

Chicago police officers lined the street in front of the consulate, with several others visible inside. Police Supt. Larry Snelling and other members of the CPD command staff stood outside the building monitoring demonstrators stopped marching to hold a rally.

Shortly before 7:30 p.m.  about 30 minutes after the protest had begun  dozens of additional Chicago cops outfitted with robins egg blue riot helmets formed an additional barrier between the rally and building.

Tribune reporters witnessed at least two protesters taken into custody.

The consulate demonstration took place after a mostly peaceful pro-Palestine march Monday, in which a small group of protesters broke through a security fence near the United Center and had brief standoff with police. About 13 people were arrested during the protest, law enforcement officials said.

The group behind the consulate demonstration, Behind Enemy Lines, derided Mondays event in a series of social media posts, blaming its lower-than-expected turnout on organizers cooperation with police and city officials.

The back-to-back high-profile protests  which have included chants and signs the Anti-Defamation League has labeled antisemitic  have put many in Chicagos Jewish community on edge this week, said Dan Goldwin, executive director of public affairs at the Jewish United Fund. The calls for an intifada have been particularly disturbing, he sad.

It wouldnt take much for the organized Palestinian leadership community to come out and say, no, no, no, thats not what were here for. But there has been none of that, absolutely none of that, Goldwin said. And yet the rhetoric (Monday), when they are proudly carrying signs that I saw in the protests, globalize the Intifada, that means bringing violence to our front doorstep.

The tensions have made it difficult to fully embrace the citys role in the national spotlight, Goldwin said. Organizers of Jewish events at the DNC have made efforts not to announce locations ahead of time for safety reasons and to avoid disruptions like the one at the The Agudath Israel of America event Tuesday, in which a few masked protesters interrupted the event and chanted shame on you! at the attendees.

Its this emotion of lets show great pride in our city, but were really scared and nervous about whos coming and why theyre coming and what theyre gonna do, Goldwin said. So its tough for people like me who love everything about this city, that we want brag about it and show it off, but were also spending so much time looking over our shoulder.

Behind Enemy Lines made headlines in March when Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th Ward, spoke at their City Hall demonstration in front of a scorched American flag set ablaze by a veteran.

And the organization  more radical than other pro-Palestinian protest groups  plans to continue to demonstrate aggressively at the DNC. Organizer Michael Boyte previously referred to the planned, but unsanctioned protest as a DIY version of other permitted marches.

No permits, no cooperation with the city, people are going to come ready to rock, he told the Tribune.

The groups website promises to shut down the DNC and make it great like 68. It also shirks the idea of working with police to keep protesters safe at its nighttime demonstration. The group does not plan to engage in violence or vandalism, but also does not believe it should need a thumbs up from the city to protest, Boyte said.

My Pillow CEO and conservative political activist Michael James Lindell also made a brief appearance at the protest, voicing his support for Israel.

How do you sleep at night? one protester asked.

What do you sleep on? Lindell responded. Do you sleep on a My Pillow?

Lindell and former New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani also showed up at Park 578 Tuesday afternoon and began speaking to a small crowd about alleged election fraud, arguing for a switch to paper ballots.

_____
Ramaswamy says he talked to Trump about substantial role in possible administration

Former Republican presidential candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy said he has spoken to former President Trump about a substantial role in his possible administration.

Ramaswamy joined OutKicks Maintaining with Tyrus for an interview to discuss his political future, more than six months after he suspended his presidential bid and endorsed Trump.

He has been floated as a possible gubernatorial candidate in his home state of Ohio, and he says hes been considered as a replacement for Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (Ohio) in the Senate, should Trump and Vance win the White House.

Governor is something that people are pushing me for a lot in Ohio, and how could I not consider it? Ramaswamy said. But also, theres JD Vance, a Senate seat thats now open in my home state in Ohio, and I think thats something that a lot of people have really pushed me to consider.

And President Trump and I have had great conversations about doing something substantial, not small, but maybe a couple roles that could be really big roles in the Cabinet of the new administration, he continued.

Ramaswamy said there are pros and cons to each job, and he is weighing his options.

No matter what he chooses, itll be something that has high impact, he said in the interview which is set to air Sunday.

After Vance was named Trumps running mate, Ramaswamy said he would strongly consider filling the vacant Senate seat if the election goes in Republicans favor.

Ramaswamy said he talks regularly with Trump, and they discussed the possibility of his future in a Cabinet position should Trump win the election.

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Credit: National University of Trujillo

Archaeologists have unearthed the skeletal remains of four people who were buried in Peru's Viru Valley about 3,800 years ago, millennia before the Incas flourished in the region.

The burials of two children, a teenager and an adult were found in the remains of what is likely a temple, the archaeologists said in a translated statement . All four individuals were found lying on their sides and appear to face a mountain, the statement said. The remains of funerary goods, such as stone pendants and snail shells, were found with the deceased.

The burials date back to when people in Peru were constructing large buildings, including early pyramids, and using ceramics on a large scale. The new findings are only the latest unearthed at the archaeological site of Queneto in northern Peru, as archaeologists have been excavating there for more than 50 years. The site dates to the Early Formative period (circa 1800 to 900 B.C.) and predates the Inca Empire , which flourished in the Andean region of South America and lasted from about 1200 to the 1530s.

The temple containing the burials was built with cobblestone walls that were held together by clay plaster. The temple's walls have curved corners, and pottery fragments have been found at the site. It's possible that the temple had a cult associated with water, the statement said.

Related: 3,000-year-old tomb of shaman who may have mediated 'between spiritual and earthly worlds' found in Peru

Jason Nesbitt , an associate professor of anthropology at Tulane University who is not involved with the excavations, praised the team's work. "I am highly impressed by this project and these investigations further demonstrate the importance of this valley during the early second millennium [B.C.]," Nesbitt told Live Science in an email.

A group of archaeologists standing in the desert

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"At present, there are relatively few burials from this period," Nesbitt said, adding that these four burials "will aid archaeologists in examining social differentiation based on status, age, and gender."

Nesbitt noted that he is "also intrigued by the notion that these burials were facing the mountains. Mountains have symbolic significance in Andean cosmology and were also the source of water for irrigation in an otherwise desert landscape."

The team was led by Feren Castillo Lujan and Christian Gonzalez, both archaeologists at the National University of Trujillo. Live Science reached out to the team but did not hear back by the time of publication.
Really bad: Severe storms are new normal, New York leaders say

Really bad: Severe storms are new normal, New York leaders say

STONY BROOK, Long Island (PIX11)  As Long Island residents and work crews spent Tuesday cleaning up after last weekends flood damage, officials said they now have to assume that major storm events like it will be more frequent.

Suffolk County leaders laid out basic guidelines on Tuesday for making local infrastructure more resilient to climate change-fueled severe weather. Meanwhile, some county residents said that anything that can help spare them from the damage theyve suffered is more than welcome.

More Long Island News

One of those residents is Chris Nemeth. She, her entire family, and some close friends were at her home in Stony Brook trying to salvage items in her finished basement, which the family uses as a walk-in closet.

Everything was waterlogged after flood waters had risen to the ceiling last Sunday night into Monday morning.

Living like this is really bad, Nemeth said while she packed clothes into boxes for removal. Who can live like this? Its terrible.

The months worth of rain  nine inches  that fell in 24 hours left her paddling a kayak to get out of her home on Monday. On Tuesday, her homegrown work crew was busy pumping water and removing mildewing items.

It was a similar scene at the home next door on Martingale Court. There, George Echeverria talked about the overnight inundation Sunday into Monday, as a group of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity brothers whom he mentors helped him to continue pumping out his property.

It was a river, Echeverria said, a river like whitewater rafting strength, how the water was just shooting down.

Both he and the Nemeths, next door, said that the severe weather was made worse because of a problematic drainage basin, called a sump, on the other side of their property line.

More Local News

It needs to be fixed, said Nemeth. Its been fixed, [then] its not fixed. It bursts and floods our house.

Issues like the overwhelmed sump were the focus of the countys official efforts on Tuesday.

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine led a news conference late Tuesday morning with state and county legislators and county agency leaders.

It was held at the docks of what had been Stump Pond, a body of water in a park in Smithtown created in the early 1800s when a dam was built on the site. The intense water pressure from Sunday nights storm caused the dam, which had last been upgraded 100 years ago, to breach, leaving the pond completely drained.

The old rule of thumb regarding the amount of water that can be handled, said Romaine, is out the window.

He said that he was referring to water catchment facilities county-wide. Were facing a new challenge with climate change, he said.

Romaine called on Gov. Kathy Hochul to declare a state of emergency at the state level. He and other officials at the event said that doing so would help make parts of Suffolk County eligible for federal infrastructure funds that can go toward building new facilities that can handle more frequent, severe storms.

A state-level state of emergency should also help individual homeowners and renters, the county executive said.

Were gonna see if we can qualify you for federal, state assistance, said Romaine.

NYC forecast and PIX11s Weather Center

Echeverria, whose home was flooded, said that its vital that that assistance come through.

Without any help, he said, we dont have a home.

A representative of Hochul at the countys news conference said that the governors office intends to do all it can. Meanwhile, Echeverria said hes relying on a GoFundMe effort that a relative set up to help him and his family defray the costs of dealing with the damage.

He and his next-door neighbors, the Nemeths, said that Stony Brook University Medical Center, which is located very close to their property lines, owns the overflowing sump near their property.

In a statement, Stony Brook University said that it is reviewing the situation.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
With the school year just getting started, parents across Frisco, Texas are wondering what led to a 12-year-old boy being hospitalized. The answer, they fear, could be any parents worst nightmare.

According to CBS News, Tristian Weekley left his school minutes before the dismissal bell rang. Security footage shows Weekley walking through the schools cafeteria. He put his backpack down and then began running in one direction before changing course and running in another direction away from the school, per CBS.

Eventually, Weekley was found unresponsive, about a 20-minute walk away from school and in the opposite direction of his home, according to police reports. Weekleys mother, Chandra, said her son was rushed to the intensive care unit (ICU) where he remains.

During an interview with Smash da Topic, Chandra said they are still trying to piece together the events that led to Weekleys collapse. She did, however, reveal her son told her he was approached by a woman inside his school who offered him some type of ice cream.

My son stated that a women approached him by the bathroom inside of the school, Chandra said. According to her, when Weekley declined her offer, the suspected woman forced the ice cream in his face.



Police are investigating the matter, but in a statement obtained by CBS News, Frisco police say they have no evidence yet to support anything criminal in this matter.

But Weekleys mother thinks differently.

A toxicologist determined Weekley ingested a large amount of acetone, the chemical used in paint thinner and nail polish remover. He has been in ICU since the incident occurred August 15.



When ingested by humans, the chemical can cause headaches, confusion, nausea, racing pulse, changes in the size and amount of blood cells, unconsciousness (passing out), or coma, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

Chandra remains vigilant in trying to get answers about why Weekley was out of class in the first place and what exactly led to his alleged interaction with the suspected woman. In another interview, she said all I can say is that the truth will come out. She continued, My attorney is on it.

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo.  The American Red Cross of Southern Missouri is in need of disaster response volunteers and is hosting a training course in August.

A press release from the Red Cross says the training is scheduled for Aug. 28 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Southern Missouri Chapter (1545 N. West Bypass, Springfield). Pre-registration is required and can be done by emailing jenny.solomon@redcross.org.

Ozark man killed in motorcycle crash north of Branson

The Disaster Action Team (DAT) serves as the first on-scene Red Cross contact at a disaster site, the release said, and provides comfort and direct assistance to those affected by a disaster.

Training for the DAT is for anyone who wants to help locally respond to disasters like house fires, floods, and tornadoes.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOLR - OzarksFirst.com.
By Farkhod Tolipov

August 21, 2024

During a state visit of Russias President Vladimir Putin to Uzbekistan in May 2024, after his re-election, it was officially announced that the long-anticipated construction of a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) received a green light. A corresponding agreement was signed between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Uzbekistan. This decision caused wide public debate about the NPP, regarding its expediency, the environmental and security risks, as well as the geopolitical consequences associated with it. At the same time, the project signifies Uzbekistans growing dependence on Russia and a more pro-Russian drift in Tashkents foreign policy.





BACKGROUND: The first signals of the possible construction of an NPP in Uzbekistan appeared several years ago. It was then stipulated and justified with reference to the lack of sufficient gas reserves in the country. This pretext surprised many economic experts, political analysts as well as the public since Uzbekistan has for a long time, even during the Soviet period, occupied the highest positions in international rankings of gas reserves and gas production.

The issue of dwindling gas reserves is a big and ambiguous question because neither the government nor specialists have provided convincing explanations for the exhaustion of gas fields in Uzbekistan. Meanwhile, frequent blackouts have become a normal phenomenon during last two-three years  roughly corresponding to the period during which the NPP project has been officially promoted. Sudden and frequent blackouts taking place across the country have created the suspicion that they are not so much caused by the inability of existing energy infrastructure to satisfy the countrys growing energy needs and a lack of gas reserves, but are man-made and deliberate in order to convince people that there is no alternative to an NPP.

However, the overall agreements between Uzbekistan and Russia regarding the NPP, including the costs of the plant, environmental aspects, the disposal and utilization of nuclear waste, and many other concomitant questions of interest to the public and media remain opaque and secretive. It was in this context that Putin and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev announced the official start of the NPP construction project.

Initially, the NPP project was intended to consist of 2 large reactors of 1.2 Gigawatt each, at a cost estimated to US$ 11 billion. However, it has now been decided that the NPP will be a small plant consisting of 6 small reactors of 55 Megawatt each. Overall, the electricity that will be produced by the NPP is supposed to constitute about 15 percent of the total energy produced in the country. The NPP is supposed to become operational in 2033.

IMPLICATIONS: Proponents of the NPP construction argue that nuclear energy is widely used in the world, pointing to France, Germany, Japan, the U.S. and others. According to them, constructing the NPP is in Uzbekistans strategic interests and an instrument of sustainable development, since it will positively affect both economic growth and the populations living standards. Moreover, they say that nuclear power is the only source of energy generation that meets all three pillars of the so-called energy trilemma established by the International Energy Agency  reliability of energy infrastructure; availability of energy for the population and industry; and no harmful effect on the environment.

While these assertions seem aimed to calm the excited public opinion, they do not withstand critical counterarguments. Numerous physicists, environmentalists, energy experts, political scientists and public activists have raised their voices against the NPP. In particular, according to estimates, it will be more expensive to produce electric energy in small reactors than large ones. Uzbekistan will face a large financial burden that will be carried by consumers. Also, according to estimates, Uzbekistans renewable energy sources can fully satisfy the countrys energy needs even without the NPP.

Meanwhile, multiple questions related to the construction and operation of the NPP as well as its geopolitical implications have not been addressed and no transparent calculations of key aspects of the NPPs operation have been provided. These include the enrichment of Uranium from U to U; the system for cooling the reactor; the utilization of nuclear waste; the overall cost of the project; security aspects; as well as the increased reliance on a Russia that wages a war of aggression against Ukraine and threatens other former Soviet republics with its neo-imperial policy. In addition, the digitalization of the NPP operation raises questions regarding possible cyber-security aspects of the plant, which will definitely be exposed to such threats.

Importantly, this type of small NPP does not exist even in Russia itself, which uses small reactors only for icebreaker engines. Thus, the NPP in Uzbekistan will in fact constitute a first experiment with a number of risks attached.

When journalists and pundits began to inquire about the details of the NPP project and requested relevant information from governmental agencies, they received no response. To the contrary, media organizations were told by authorities that they should refrain from highlighting topics relating to the NPP. Despite the reluctance of government agencies to communicate information on the NPP and attempts to curtail media coverage, social networks and independent experts do discuss the issue and seek to keep it on the public agenda. A special group was even created on Facebook titled Uzbekistanis are against the NPP. Simultaneously, a similar NPP project is being discussed in Kazakhstan. In contrast to Tashkent, Astana has officially made it clear that a referendum will be held on NPP construction. However, in Uzbekistan, the decision comes before its justification.

The social and political drama related to the NPP has created the impression that the project corresponds to Russias interests rather than those of Uzbekistan. The enthusiasm with which Russia promotes this project cannot be considered and understood independently from the context of Russias war in Ukraine. Indeed, the NPP will serve triple objectives for Moscow. First, it will constitute political leverage for exerting pressure upon Uzbekistan. Second, it will provide one among very few instruments for mitigating economic decline and crisis in Russia due to international economic and financial sanctions. Third, it will help creating a false image that Russia is not isolated in world politics and has partners and allies. Given the establishment of a partnership in nuclear energy, Uzbekistan will hardly vote against Russia at future UNGA sessions.

It should be recalled that since 1997, Central Asia is proclaimed a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (NWFZ). The NWFZ by its nature and essence is a broad concept; its ultimate goal is to safeguard the region against any form of nuclear threat. The question therefore arises whether the NPP can be considered a dual-purpose object, which could in certain circumstances be transformed into a weapon? After Russias attack on Ukraines Zaporizhzhia NPP, this question cannot be ignored and obscured.

Instead, Uzbekistans government seems to reiterate Napoleons saying: One jumps into the fray, then figures out what to do next, or You commit yourself, then you see.

CONCLUSIONS: While a number of countries utilize NPPs to produce electricity, most countries resolve their electricity needs by developing alternative energy sources such as solar, wind and hydro. Many countries are also cancelling their nuclear energy programs in favor of renewable sources. The straightforward and very simplistic attempts by proponents of Uzbekistans NPP to propagate for the project, in combination with the secrecy displayed by Uzbek authorities, are not only unconvincing but also raise suspicions that Tashkent engages in a mutual geopolitical gamble with Moscow.

The agreement signed between Tashkent and Moscow on the NPP lacks due scientific elaboration and national debates concerning all aspects and risks involved in the deal. Many experts, media as well members of the public are now raising their voices against the project, claiming that Uzbekistan is losing its sovereignty and independence and falling into dependence on Russia.

Indeed, this issue is far from routine and conventional, just like a nuclear weapon is considered a non-conventional weapon. Accordingly, policy in this special area also should be unconventional, taking into account the vital national interests of the country.

AUTHOR'S BIO: Dr. Farkhod Tolipov holds a PhD in Political Science and is Director of the Research Institution Knowledge Caravan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own.
Refugees learn everything Erie has to offer at new arrivals orientation

Refugees who recently legally arrived in Erie were given the lay of the land on Wednesday.

Catholic Charities hosted an orientation for about 20 people who fled war-torn countries, including Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Pittsburgh nonprofit working to cut Eries energy costs by 2030

They were welcomed by Mayor Joe Schember and members of the Erie police department.

A man who fled the Congo and spent 31 years in a refugee camp said hes relieved to hear police are not to be feared here.

Blasco Library may see changes in staffing pending Erie Co. Council vote

Having the police around, it is very encouraging in that we are trying to adjust to life in the US so that they are trying all they can in order to help us adjust so we may not be fearful, said Chilumba Mulumba, just arrived in Erie from Zambia.

Catholic Charities is also providing English lessons for the new arrivals and connecting them with other support services while they adjust to life in Erie.

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Its Regalado vs. Lerner in November as one Miami-Dade commissioner falls short on votes

Former Pinecrest mayor Cindy Lerner on Tuesday night pushed Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado into a runoff election this fall after battering the incumbent for votes on the environment and development.

With all of District 7s precincts reporting results shortly before 10 p.m., Regalado held just 49% of the vote, ahead of Lerners 42% but just shy of the majority vote needed to end the District 7 election and avoid facing voters again in November.

A third candidate, school-system police officer Richard Praschnik, held 9% of the vote in a district that covers the southern parts of Miami, as well as Key Biscayne, Pinecrest and South Miami.

Im happy to take her to November. Im happy for the opportunity to clear up all the lies, Regalado said in a telephone interview Tuesday night. She predicted she would fare better with a larger group of voters in November. In August, you have to get people to turn out. In November, everybody turns out.

Lerner, 71, a former Democratic member of the Florida House, ran as an environmentalist while trying to cast Regalado, a Republican, as too pro-development for voters. She criticized Regalado for her 2022 vote to expand Miami-Dades Urban Development Boundary to include farmland where developers want to build a warehouse complex in South Miami-Dade, a move environmental groups opposed.

Lerner said she plans on amplifying the message shes been using on the campaign trail, including casting Regalado as not acting on what constituents want.

She doesnt listen. She doesnt incorporate any of the desires of the people in this district, Lerner said. Im going to keep doing grassroots campaigning and knocking on doors.

Richard Praschnik debates Miami-Dade County Commissioner Raquel Regalado (far right) and Cindy Lerner, a former Pinecrest mayor, in a District 7 forum held by the Kendall Federation of Homeowners Associations, on Thursday, June 27, 2024. On Tuesday, Praschnik finished third in the voting while Regalado and Lerner are advancing to a fall runoff in the County Commission election.

Regalado, 50, cast herself as helping reduce Biscayne Bay pollution by changing Miami-Dade laws to make it easier to reduce the number of leaky septic tanks across the county and for expanding the acreage of environmental lands under government protection.

Regalado raised about $1.6 million since 2020, dwarfing the roughly $250,000 Lerner reported raising for her campaign and political committee.

This was a rematch for the two candidates, with Regalado narrowly beating Lerner in the fall of 2020 for the commission seat.

Two other incumbent commissioners, Keon Hardemon representing the Miami areas District 3 and Roberto Gonzalez representing the western suburbs in District 11, won their races outright.

This was the first commission election for Gonzalez, 37, a lawyer and former Florida House candidate who was appointed to his seat in 2022 by Gov. Ron DeSantis after the suspension of District 11s commissioner, Joe Martinez, after Martinezs arrest on corruption charges.

Tuesdays results left Regalado the exception in an election cycle that left intact the power of incumbency for the 13-member County Commission. Four other commissioners  Eileen Higgins, Rene Garcia, Oliver Gilbert and Kionne McGhee  automatically won reelection to four-year terms in June when they were the only candidates in their races.

Hardemon, a former Miami commissioner, and Regalado, a former school board member, won their seats in 2020 after term limits forced the retirement of their predecessors: Audrey Edmonson in Hardemons District 3 seat and Xavier Suarez in Regalados District 7 seat.

County races are nonpartisan, with all candidates for a district seat competing in the same August election.

A candidate can win outright with more than 50% of the vote.

Hardemon took more than 60% of the vote with all of District 3s precincts reporting. Edmonson challenged him for her old District 3 seat and held 30% of the vote. Gonzalez won with about 57% of the vote with all of District 11s precincts reporting, over the 26% won by second-place finisher Bryan Paz-Hernandez, a teacher.

As an appointed incumbent, Gonzalez could run again in 2028. Term limits would require Hardemon to leave office that year after he finishes his second term.

In 2012, Miami-Dade voters changed the county charter to require commissioners to leave office after two consecutive terms, which meant mandated retirements after eight years for commission members like Edmonson and Suarez who were in office at the time.

The District 7 runoff will coincide with the presidential election in a district that Joe Biden won by seven points in 2020 over Donald Trump. While Lerner and Regalado wont have their party affiliations printed on the ballot, Lerners campaign consultant said he expected party affinity to play a role in November.

I think it certainly helps that these races have become more partisan in recent years, Ben Pollara said of county elections. Particularly in District 7.

Who won in the Hardemon vs. Edmonson race in Miami-Dades District 3?

Audrey Edmonson, left, a former District 3 commissioner for Miami-Dade, ran for the District 3 seat currently held by Commissioner Keon Hardemon, center. Hardemon faced a third challenger in Marion Brown, right. Hardemon was reelected Tuesday night.

Hardemon faced two challengers: Edmonson, 71, and Marion Brown, 59, the owner of a construction firm. Edmonsons campaign tried to paint Hardemon as less responsive to constituents than she was during her 15 years as the District 3 commissioner. Hardemon portrayed himself as bringing new energy to the post and portrayed a vote for Edmonson as a vote for the past.

Brown campaigned as a fresh voice for the district, which reaches from downtown Miami north into Miami Shores and includes the predominantly Black neighborhoods of Brownsville, Liberty City and Overtown. After 9 p.m., Brown had about 10% of the District 3 vote.

Who won in the Gonzalez vs. Paz-Hernandez race in Miami-Dades District 11?

Left to right: Miami-Dade District 11 Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez, candidate Claudia Rainville and candidate Bryan Paz-Hernandez faced off in a County Commission election on Tuesday. Gonzalez was elected to full four-year term.

Paz-Hernandez, 29, sought to portray Gonzalez as too partisan for the nonpartisan County Commission. A Democrat-turned-independent, Paz-Hernandez knocked Gonzalez for public support of former President Donald Trump after his conviction in the New York hush-money case.

Gonzalez cast himself as a practical voice on the commission focused on infrastructure and county services for a district that has no municipalities. That leaves District 11 neighborhoods, including Country Walk and the Hammocks, to rely on Miami-Dade for municipal services.

The third candidate in the race, teacher Claudia Rainville, 43, received about 18% of the vote.
The Army is leaning heavily on SpaceXs Starlink satellite network for advanced command and control, but service officials say they want to keep their options open as new commercial megaconstellations materialize.

Mark Kitz, the Armys program executive officer for tactical command, control and communications, said Wednesday that the importance of proliferated low Earth orbit satellite networks was on display at the services most recent Project Convergence Capstone event, where the Army experiments with multi-domain connectivity concepts.

I dont think you could take 10 steps without tripping over a Starshield terminal, Kitz said at AFCEAs TechNet conference in Augusta, Georgia. I would say the Army is very committed to pLEO and Starshield.

Starshield is SpaceXs military business unit, which provides access to the companys Starlink constellation, a fleet of more than 6,000 satellites in LEO, about 1,200 miles above Earths surface. The growing network of spacecraft provides internet service for private consumers as well as militaries around the world.

The company has expanded its military space footprint in recent years, providing launch services through its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets and receiving its first military satellite production contract in 2021 from the Space Development Agency.

The Ukrainian military has relied heavily on Starlink in its war with Russia, and last year the U.S. Space Force awarded the company a contract for the satellite service. Starshield is also building a classified constellation of hundreds of spy satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office, Reuters reported earlier this year.

While Starlink is the dominant player providing space-based communications services, several other companies have plans to join them. Amazon is designing a 3,000-satellite network called Project Kuiper, with its first operational spacecraft slated to launch late this year. U.K.-based OneWeb and Luxembourgs Intelsat are also developing large SATCOM constellations with slightly different market focuses than SpaceX.

Speaking with Kitz at TechNet, Director of the Armys Network Cross-Functional Team Maj. Gen. Patrick Ellis said that as these constellations come online, the Army wants to ensure its units have access to multiple connectivity options.

What were really looking for is that diversification of transport, and that is one of the tools were looking to give commanders, Ellis said.

One way the Army is looking to give commanders access to more satellite services is through its Next-Generation Tactical Terminal. The program is designing a capability to leverage constellations based in multiple orbits and frequency bands through a single terminal by building an agnostic radio frequency receiver.

We want to get out of bringing a new antenna every time we want to change providers, Kitz said. If a unit deploys and they want to leverage a Ka-band Kuiper, they have that RF front end. If they want to be leveraging Starshield, we swap modems and we go.
Who would religious Americans vote for if the 2024 election were held today?

Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, right, and Christopher Burch with his daughter Sophia Burch, 4, left, vote at their polling place, the New LIFE Worship Center Church of God, in Fayetteville, Pa., Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. | Carolyn Kaster

Former President Donald Trump has long had strong support from evangelical voters, but that doesnt mean hes running away with the Christian vote in the 2024 election.

Two new national surveys show that some of the countrys largest faith groups actually express somewhat similar levels of support for Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

A Deseret News/HarrisX national poll found that, if the 2024 presidential election were held today, 51% of Christians would vote for Trump, while 41% would vote for Harris.

That gap does widen if you zoom in on responses from evangelical Protestants (68% for Trump vs. 30% for Harris), but Harris is a more popular choice among non-evangelical Protestants (37% for Trump vs. 55% for Harris).

Additionally, the HarrisX research showed that Catholics are split between the two candidates, with 46% saying theyd vote for Trump if the election were held today and 46% saying theyd vote for Harris.

The new HarrisX poll was fielded from Aug. 2-3 among 1,011 registered voters. The margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, and its higher when you break out individual faith groups.

A new Washington Post-ABC-Ipsos poll identified similar trends, showing that Trump outperforms Harris among white Christians but not among Black or Hispanic Christians.

Seventy-eight percent of white evangelical Protestants in that poll said they would vote for Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, if the 2024 presidential election were held today, but that figure falls to 54% if you look at white mainline Protestants.

Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are much more popular than Trump and Vance among Black Protestants (89% vs. 9%) and slightly more popular than them among Hispanic Catholics (50% vs. 47%), according to the survey.

The Post-ABC-Ipsos poll was conducted from Aug. 9-13 among 1,975 registered voters. The margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

Christians x 2024 election

(Aug 9-13, WaPo ABC Ipsos poll)



White evangelicals:

Harris 15%

Trump 78%



White mainline Protestants:

Harris 41%

Trump 54%



White Catholics:

Harris 37%

Trump 56%



Black Protestants:

Harris 89%

Trump 9%



Hispanic Catholic:

Harris 50%

Trump 47%  Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons (@GuthrieGF) August 20, 2024

What religion is Donald Trump?

Trump grew up Presbyterian, which is one of many mainline Protestant denominations, but began identifying as a nondenominational Christian while in the White House, as the Deseret News previously reported.

However, multiple surveys have shown that Christian support for Trump doesnt primarily stem from him being seen as devout.

Instead, hes been embraced because hes seen as a defender of faith, someone who will use his power to protect religious institutions.

What religion is Kamala Harris?

Fewer polls have been done about the faith-related appeal of Harris, since she only became the Democratic nominee for president within the past month.

She identifies as a Baptist, but she grew up attending Hindu temples in addition to Christian churches and married a Jewish man, Douglas Emhoff, as an adult, as the Deseret News previously reported.
Before joining Congress in 1997, Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. served seven years as Paterson's mayor and nine years as a member of the General Assembly. (Danielle Richards for New Jersey Monitor)

Rep. Bill Pascrell, a Passaic County Democrat who spent more than a quarter century representing New Jersey in Congress, died Wednesday following a prolonged hospitalization. He was 87.

It is with a deep sadness that we announce that Bill Pascrell Jr., our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away this morning. As our United States Representative, Bill fought to his last breath to return to the job he cherished and to the people he loved, the congressmans family said in a statement.

The congressmans death comes a little more than a month after he was hospitalized with a fever in mid-July. The congressman then required breathing assistance but was discharged following a three-week hospital stay before returning to St. Josephs hospital in Paterson days later.

Before joining Congress in 1997, Pascrell served seven years as Patersons mayor and nine years as a member of the General Assembly. In D.C. he represented the 9th Congressional District, which covers parts of Passaic, Bergen, and Hudson counties.

Bill lived his entire life in Paterson and had an unwavering love for the city that he grew up in and served. He is now at peace after a lifetime devoted to our great nation, his family said.

A former school teacher who served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserves, Pascrell was one of the oldest members of Congress. He is survived by his wife, Elsie, three children, and five grandchildren.

I had the honor of serving alongside Bill for 27 years. I will deeply miss my friend and partner. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Elsie, their children, and grandchildren, who supported him through a life of public service and generously shared him with all of us. I also want to recognize his dedicated staff, who he considered his extended family, and who guided him through a distinguished career on Capitol Hill, said Rep. Frank Pallone (D-06).

Pascrell was a longtime co-chair of the congressional law enforcement caucus and an ardent opponent of former President Donald Trump. The congressman railed against the former presidents tax policy and repeatedly sought to undo a $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions that disproportionately affected residents in high-tax states like New Jersey.

He repeatedly called for criminal investigations into Trump and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy over policy changes at the United States Postal Service in 2020 and sought to block the swearings-in of congresspeople who joined Trumps efforts to overturn President Joe Bidens election.

Pascrell was an advocate for first responders and veterans. He championed legislation extending grants to local fire departments to hire additional personnel, purchase equipment, and fund fire prevention programs.

Today, we mourn the loss of a great friend and colleague, Congressman Bill Pascrell. Bill was a dedicated public servant, a tireless advocate for his constituents, and a passionate supporter of firefighters. We worked closely together on many issues. My deepest condolences go out to his family during this difficult time. Bill will be dearly missed, said Rep. Tom Kean (R-07), who cosponsored a recent bill with Pascrell reauthorizing grants for firefighters.

Pascrells death will create a vacancy on Novembers ballot. Democratic county committee people from the 9th District are tasked with tapping a candidate to replace him in November.

They dont have much time to decide. The deadline to fill primary nominee vacancies for the ballot is Aug. 29. Democrats pick will face off against Republican Billy Prempeh in November.

Though the 9th District grew more competitive after its boundary lines were redrawn in late 2021, Democrats are still heavily favored to win there. Because Pascrells death came within six months of the general election, Gov. Phil Murphy is not required by law to call a special election.

Pascrells death comes months after the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr., who died in April after a heart attack left him hospitalized in a coma.

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As the Democratic National Convention is underway, one congressman is making his rounds outside of Chicago. Representative Eric Sorensen visited Martin Equipment Tuesday in order to see what issues the company wants him to relay back to Congress. One concern is the lack of interest in trade jobs.

As a member of congress, understanding that we are swiftly going to, over the next few years, appropriate new construction projects, said Rep. Eric Sorensen the Centennial bridge, the I-80 bridge, these are big projects we are going to need skilled labor. If we dont have the workforce needed in the next ten, twenty years to complete these projects, we may not get them done. What happens to the economy, what happens to our region if we dont make that investment in people.

Martin Equipment also wants to address concerns regarding the Right to Repair act, which would allow access for consumers to any repair instructions and tools that are normally held exclusively by the manufacturer.

The concept of Right to Repair for people that need to be able to fix their equipment, for sure, but if theres things inside of that bill that us as a dealer wont be able to have our full contract in selling parts and other big parts companies could sell it, and get the parts at cost, I mean that would be catastrophic for us, said Bobby Martin III, a co-owner of Martin Equipment. Weve spent tens of millions of dollars, weve had our contract with Deere since 1926, and so we just have a lot invested, we have a lot of employees and resources invested in that, a lot of employees that are trained, its a big part of our business.

The Right to Repair act remains in limbo in congress. Five states have passed a version of the act.

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State Rep. Shawn Thierry, D-Houston, speaks to a group of her constituents on Feb. 15, 2024 at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Houston. Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune

Months after she was ousted from the Texas House for opposing gender-transitioning care for children, Democratic Houston Rep. Shawn Thierry has a new job  with an international anti-trans policy group.

Thierry, who served four terms before losing her primary this year, was announced earlier this week as the director of political strategy for the U.S. wing of Genspect. Founded in 2021 by Irish psychotherapist Stella OMalley, Genspect is part of a broader network of organizations that oppose gender-transitioning care for minors, and its members have testified in favor of bills across the world that would ban or limit the practice.

Genspect has also been accused by medical experts and organizations of relying on junk science to support their stance. OMalley, for instance, has falsely claimed that there are links between peer pressure, pornography and gender dysphoria. Genspect has also partnered with groups such as the right-wing Alliance Defending Freedom, and argues that no one under the age of 25 should be allowed to transition because their brains havent yet fully matured.

At least one Genspect official has also privately said that they oppose gender transition for people of all ages, but focus on children as part of a broader strategy to court lawmakers.

None of us would ever recommend transition for anyone, Genspects vice director, Alasdair Gunn, reportedly wrote on a private server that was leaked to the Daily Dot in 2023. On those over 25 we say little, because its not in YOUR interests to mention this. We have to break through to the policymakers who are left of center, and the way to do that is to focus relentlessly on the problem of transition for under 25s.

Thierry and Genspect did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. The company also recently hired Dr. Eithan Haim, a Dallas-area doctor who is currently charged with illegally obtaining information about patients at Texas Children's Hospital who were not in his care. Haim then allegedly leaked the information, and has framed himself as a "whistleblower."

Thierry was a reliable supporter of most Democratic policies in the Legislature, but broke with her party and supported three Republican bills opposed by LGBTQ+ groups during the 2023 legislative session  including Senate Bill 14, which banned gender-transition care for children. After the bill passed, it's author, Rep. Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress, thanked Genspect and others for supporting the legislation.

This debate  was never about erasing trans children, Thierry said in a tearful 12-minute speech. For me, this discussion is about how to best protect and care for these children as they navigate through the challenging journey of finding the best version of themselves.

In their announcement, Genspect cited Thierrys key role in passing SB14 and the powerful speech she gave from the House floor in support of her position.

Thierrys votes immediately drew the ire of the Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus and other aligned groups or lawmakers, who mobilized against her reelection. In May, she lost in a runoff to Lauren Ashley Simmons, a 36-year-old labor organizer.

Since losing her seat, Thierry has remained critical of gender-transition care. On X, formerly known as Twitter, she recently shared a post in which Elon Musk praised Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling for her outspoken anti-trans stances. Thierry also reposted a video shared by Libs Of TikTok that highlighted a Minnesota lawmakers support for putting menstrual products in boys bathrooms at schools. Libs Of TikTok is an extreme anti-LGBTQ+ account that has been linked to numerous bomb threats against schools or hospitals.

Asked about Thierrys new job, the Houston LGBTQ+ Caucus said Wednesday that they look forward to working with Simmons to champion legislation for the LGBTQ+ community, including repealing SB14.

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TribFest Keynotes Announced! Be there when Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin take the keynote stage at The Texas Tribune Festival! Whitmer will talk with Texas Tribune co-founder Evan Smith about her memoir, her key victories in Michigan and the importance of every vote. Youngkin and Smith will close out TribFest with a conversation about his record, the state of his party and a conservative policy agenda for America. Explore the full program of 300+ speakers and 100+ events. Get tickets today.
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN)  Police were working to identify two children seen on surveillance video trying to break windows at a local PK-8 school and then proceeding to steal and eat several ice cream sandwiches.

Read next: Cement truck overturns onto dump truck, driver pinned inside

Police said the boy and girl, possibly related and between the ages of 5 and 10, were shown on surveillance video crawling under a back gate at Willard School on Willard Avenue SE around 1 p.m. Sunday. Police were notified by the schools principal the next day.

According to a police report, the children were seen playing on the swing sets and then using a metal pole for the gate to try to break windows at the school. The children also threw rocks at the windows but were unsuccessful in breaking them, according to the report.

Before they left, they stole at least 10 to 12 ice cream sandwiches and popsicles from an outside freezer and proceeded to eat as many as they could before leaving, the report stated. The two scattered empty wrappers and boxes all over the back of the school.

Police said the two children do not attend Warren City Schools, but investigators were attempting to identify them, believing they may attend a local charter school.

Charges are pending.

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Students on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Kearney. (Courtesy of the University of Nebraska)

LINCOLN  Nebraska college graduates who grew up in the state are about twice as likely to stay and work here compared to their out-of-state peers, according to new research on what keeps talent in Cornhusker territory.

Key findings also show that having social and economic ties to the state, as well as previous work experience in Nebraska, go hand in hand with higher retention rates.

Yet substantial differences exist in talent retention rates across various degree fields. For example, agriculture students are among those most likely to flee, while manufacturing has been more of a magnet.

Such highlights are included in the new report from the Nebraska Statewide Workforce & Educational Reporting System, which focuses on factors influencing talent retention, or staying and working in Nebraska after graduation from college. The analysis tapped data from local sources including public high schools, public postsecondary institutions and the Nebraska Labor Department generally from 2013 to 2023.

Maximizing NEs investment

What is NSWERS?

The Nebraska Statewide Workforce & Educational Reporting System, or NSWERS, is rooted in legislation dating to 2010. A law signed by Gov. Dave Heineman directed governing boards of educational institutions across the state to adopt a policy to share student data.

In 2019, the partners went further to legally form NSWERS as a joining public entity for mutual advantage regarding data initiatives.

The following year, legislation also directed the Nebraska Department of Labor to engage with workforce data.

In 2022, legislation signed by Gov. Pete Ricketts required an annual report and overview of the entitys research.

In short, NSWERS is a data system intended to promote a strong economy, good jobs, business growth and thriving communities. It is unique, says its website, in that it is the only state resource that integrates education and workforce data over time, from preschool into the workforce  creating a holistic view of the learning and earning journey.

The information is considered momentous, said NSWERS executive director Matt Hastings, because state policymakers, legislators and business leaders have not previously had this level of targeted data to help solve burning questions of the day: How can Nebraska stop brain drain? Where are critical workforce gaps? How can Nebraska maximize the return on state investment in higher education?

Historically speaking, we have not really had the data in Nebraska to really drill in on these questions, said Hastings.

He said state officials mostly have relied on U.S. Census data, which is vital and useful in tracking general flows in and out of the state. But the research led by David Nguyen offers more specifics on, for instance, what types of students are staying and leaving.

This really represents one of the first public products  to begin to really inform those kinds of discussions, said Hastings.

Overall, a goal of NSWERS is to create an information source that creates a better understanding of how Nebraskas education system is supporting workforce development.

The latest research, to be shared with state policymakers, notes that Nebraska invests heavily in higher education and that a payoff is realized if alumni remain employed in the state. However, since the 1970s, Nebraska has consistently faced brain drain  the exodus of highly trained or educated individuals.

Nguyen said such out-migration has accelerated in recent years, and that can lead to economic stagnation.

The hope is that the newly reported insights help state leaders develop policies and strategies to expand Nebraskas workforce and position the state for economic growth, he and Hastings said.

Among highlights

Among the reports highlights:

The talent retention rate among four-year college graduates is 78% for in-state graduates (those who originated in or went to high school in Nebraska) vs. 38% for those who came to Nebraska to attend college. That suggests that to grow an additional 100 college-educated workers, Nebraska four-year public colleges would need to graduate, on average, an additional 130 in-state graduates or an additional 265 out-of-state graduates.

For two-year colleges, the retention rate is 84% for in-state graduates and 37% for out-of-state graduates. So to grow an additional 100 college-educated workers, Nebraska two-year public colleges would need to graduate, on average, an additional 120 in-state graduates or an additional 275 out-of-state graduates.

Given the higher talent retention rates among in-state students, the reports author said, it would be more efficient to grow Nebraskas labor force by producing college-educated workers from within the state.

However, Nguyen said, that does not mean Nebraska colleges should pay less attention to students from outside the state. He said in the report that to encourage that population to stay and work in Nebraska, additional support could be provided  such as increasing work opportunities in the state during the college years.

Indeed, the analysis showed that internships and part-time jobs during the two years leading up to college graduation are crucial for retaining talent in Nebraska.

People who earn more wages while theyre going to college seem to be more likely to stay and work in Nebraska, Nguyen said.

According to his research, graduates who earned the equivalent of one to two summer internships of wages in Nebraska are about 5-10 percentage points more likely to stay and work in Nebraska compared to those with no earnings.

Talent retention rates differed, the report said, depending on a graduates degree field.

The three degree areas with the highest talent retention rates from 2015 to 2020 were: manufacturing (79%); transportation, distribution and logistics (74%); and architecture and construction (74%).

The theee with the lowest rates were: science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, at 50%; government and public administration at 53%; and agriculture, food & natural resources at 59%.

Notably, said Nguyen, two degree areas designated as high importance to Nebraska, STEM and agriculture, have graduates with the lowest rates of talent retention. Another high-priority field, manufacturing, boasts the highest retention rate.

Differences may be due to varying demands in Nebraskas labor market, Nguyen said.

Hastings said next steps would be for policymakers to refine goals and use the new information to determine where investment or change can make programs more effective.

If we do that better than other states around us, thats a competitive advantage, he said.

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Rumors had been circulating for days that Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may join forces with the Trump team. According to a brief statement, his upcoming remarks on Friday will center on the present historical moment" and the former Democrat's "path forward." File Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI

Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Current Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will reportedly drop out of the race for president this week and possibly could endorse the Republican nominee, according to several news sources.

Kennedy is slated to hold a campaign event on Friday in Phoenix, the same day former President Donald Trump will hold his own rally at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Ariz., just outside of Phoenix.

According to a brief statement, Kennedy's remarks will center on the "present historical moment and his path forward."

Rumors had been circulating for days that Kennedy may "join forces" with the Trump team.

Kennedy, according to ABC News sources, is leaning in the direction of endorsing Trump. However, a different source expressed caution that a decision is not yet final and subject to change, with another saying Kennedy's desire, in part, is to reverse political momentum fueled by the ongoing Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Rumors had been circulating for days that Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may join forces with the Trump team. According to a brief statement, his upcoming remarks on Friday will center on the present historical moment" and the former Democrat's "path forward." File Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI

"As always, I am willing to talk with leaders of any political party to further the goals I have served for 40 years in my career and in this campaign," Kennedy posted Tuesday on X

On Tuesday, Kennedy's running mate Nicole Shanahan, of California, confirmed during an interview that their options are actively being weighed.

"There's two options that we're looking at and one is staying in, forming that new party, but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump," Shanahan told the Impact Theory podcast.

"Or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump and we explain to our base why we're making this decision," she added. "Not an easy decision."

Initially, Kennedy launched his long-shot bid for the White House to challenge President Joe Biden for the Democrat's nomination despite denouncements by several in the Kennedy clan, and a family endorsement for Biden before former President John F. Kennedy's nephew then bucked long-standing family tradition by announcing his departure from the Democratic Party to run as an independent candidate.

The reports arrived the day before Vice President Kamala Harris is set to accept the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday in Chicago.

But extra fuel was added to the speculation Wednesday by Trump's vice presidential pick, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, who told NBC that "a lot" of communication has taken place between Trump's and Kennedy's campaign, who Vance says has not dropped out "yet."

"Look, our argument to RFK, and I'll make it right now, because, of course, he hasn't dropped out yet, is, look: If you want a Democratic Party that protected American workers and stood for strong borders, maybe disagreed with Republicans on things like tax policy, that party doesn't exist anymore," Vance said.

And on Tuesday the day before Vance's interview, Trump told CNN that he would be open to Kennedy joining his administration if elected. Asked if he'd consider putting him in the administration if Kennedy backed him and he won, Trump said, "I probably would. He added, "I like him a lot. I respect him a lot."

The struggling Kennedy organization has, in addition, faced financial woes. According to recent finance reports, Kennedy's campaign closed July more than $3 million in debt. It also shows that Shanahan, a multi-millionaire who many say was picked largely because of her wealth and ability to help finance the campaign, received a $1 million refund last month.

"I did not put tens of millions of dollars to be a spoiler candidate," she said Tuesday during the podcast. "I put in tens of millions of dollars to win, to fix this country, to do the right thing."

Moreover, the Kennedy/Shanahan ticket has in recent months faced a series of challenges for ballot access in all 50 state not unlike other third-party candidates, sinking poll numbers and no recent public events for the campaign on top of it all.

He recently had been disqualified from the New York ballot after Judge Christina Ryba ruled that Kennedy's listed New York home was not a legitimate place of residence, calling it a "sham" address.
A an attendee wears a "Abortion" pin on the first day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 19, 2024. Credit - ROBYN BECK/AFP Getty Images

From a van offering free emergency contraception to emotional speeches, reproductive rights have taken center stage at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) this week, as Democrats hope the issue will mobilize voters in the fall.

Speakers at the convention, like former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have talked about abortion rights while throwing their support to Vice President Kamala Harris bid for the 2024 presidential election. Several women have shared personal stories of how they have been affected by state abortion restrictions, including Kate Cox, who had to leave her home state of Texas to receive an abortion after doctors said her fetus had a fatal condition.

Trump didnt care, and because of his abortion bans, I had to flee my home, Cox said during the DNCs delegate roll call on Tuesday. Theres nothing pro-family about abortion bans. Theres nothing pro-life about letting women suffer and even die.

Reproductive-rights organizations have also capitalized on the attention on the convention this week. On Monday and Tuesday, Planned Parenthood Great Rivers ran a mobile health clinic that offered free vasectomies, medication abortion, and emergency contraception just blocks away from the conventiona decision the organization said demonstrates what is possible when policies truly support accessible reproductive health care. Americans for Contraception set up an 18-foot-tall inflatable intrauterine device (IUD) near the United Center, one the venues for the DNC.

Read More: How Kate Cox Became a Reluctant Face of the Abortion-Rights Movement

Basil Smikle, a political analyst and former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party, says that highlighting reproductive rights is a strong strategy for the Democratic Party.

Weve already seen in multiple states how when reproductive rights is on the ballot, it has become an extremely important mobilizing force in individual states, Smikle says. I think its something that Democrats feel, based on a significant amount of evidence, is going to drive voters to the polls in November.

National polling data shows that most Americans support abortion rights. An Associated Press/NORC poll conducted in June found that about 61% of adults believe their state should allow a person to get a legal abortion for any reasonup from the 49% of people who said the same in June 2021, before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In most states where abortion has been on the ballot in the past two years, Americans have voted in favor of abortion rights, including in high-profile votes in Kentucky and Michigan.

Former President Donald Trump, Harris opponent in the 2024 election, appointed three of the Supreme Court Justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022 with the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization ruling. As he campaigns for a second term, he has said he would leave abortion rights up to the states. Harris has said she would fight to protect abortion rights. Her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, has supported abortion rights and has been outspoken about his and his wifes journey to conceive through fertility treatment.

Among the women who have shared their stories to advocate for reproductive rights at the convention so far is Louisiana resident Kaitlyn Joshua, who was turned away from two emergency rooms while experiencing a miscarriage. She blames the states near-total abortion ban for her inability to receive care. I was in pain, bleeding so much my husband feared for my life, she said at the convention on Monday. No woman should experience what I endured, but too many have.

Hadley Duvall also spoke at the DNC on Monday. Duvall is from Kentucky, which has banned abortion in almost all circumstances. While she wasnt directly affected by Kentuckys abortion restrictions, she has spoken about how her experience has made her an advocate for reproductive rightsDuvall became pregnant when she was 12 years old after she was raped by her stepfather. She later experienced a miscarriage. I cant imagine not having a choice. But today, thats the reality for many women and girls across the country because of Donald Trumps abortion bans, Duvall said.

More from TIME

Reproductive rights have become a particular focus at the DNC this year, experts say, because it is the first convention since Roe v. Wade was overturned. Republicans largely avoided discussing the issue at their own convention earlier this summer. Politically, abortion has been a losing issue for Republicans and a winning one for Democrats, says Alexandra LaManna, former White House spokesperson for reproductive rights in the Biden Administration and a Democratic strategist. The freedom of being able to make your own choice has been taken away from people and so making it front and center now is not only importantits imperative.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP)  Republican Lawmakers are calling on Acting Governor William Galvin to address their concerns regarding the migrant crisis.

Republican lawmakers believe that the Healey-Driscoll administration has allegedly concealed details of the billion-dollar migrant crisis spending and that they have not addressed the safety concerns associated with it.

The GOP believes that migrant families have been housed in facilities that are on track to cost taxpayers over 1 billion dollars. Adding that the commonwealth has not divulged the identities of the vendors involved and the amounts they are being paid.

Governor Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll are currently away at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, so the GOP took it upon themselves to get answers from the Secretary and acting Governor.

I think its inappropriate for me during the short period of time that I have the responsibility to make sure nothing bad happens while the governor and lieutenant governor are away to intervene, said Galvin. The process is underway based on our past records and based on what weve done before very often we try to work with the agencies there in question and the request to get what they want if its in fact a public record.

Galvin said that this issue has already been the subject of an appeal at his office. and that it is currently being processed. He said that if the if the respondent is unhappy with the end result they have a right to re-appeal it.

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A Republican state House candidate from the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation was indicted this month and arrested last week on multiple federal counts of sexual abuse and attempted sexual abuse on allegations dating back more than a decade.

Dean Allen D.A. Wallowing Bull, 45, faces two counts of sexual abuse and one count of attempted sexual abuse, according to the grand jury indictment filed on Aug. 7 and unsealed following his arrest on Aug. 13 in Billings. The U.S. Attorneys Office said he is from Crow Agency, while his candidate filings said he is from Lame Deer.

Following his arrest last Tuesday in Billings, Wallowing Bill appeared in court last Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to the three charges. The U.S. Attorneys Office asked for him to be held pending his next hearings, and he was remanded into federal custody.

According to a redacted indictment, Wallowing Bull in December 2013 and January 2021 engaged in sexual acts with two separate people in Lame Deer while knowing they were physically incapable of declining participation in, or communicating willingness to engage in, the sexual act.

Additionally, the indictment says he attempted physical sexual conduct without consent with another person in either 2008 or 2009 in Lame Deer. The redacted indictment does not elaborate on any of the three instances, which involved three different people. The Montana State News Bureau first reported news of Wallowing Bulls indictment on Tuesday.

If he is convicted, each count carries potential life in prison and fines up to $250,000.

Wallowing Bull ran unopposed in the House District 41 Republican primary and won 425 votes. He is set to face Democrat Jade Sooktis, who received 386 votes in her primary and also ran unopposed, in November. The deadline for candidates to remove themselves from the November ballot was Aug. 12, and Thursday is the deadline for the Secretary of State to certify the candidates and issues that will appear on Novembers ballot.

Through June, Wallowing Bull had only reported raising $15 for his campaign, according to state campaign finance data.

HD 41 is on the Northern Cheyenne reservation and parts of the Crow Reservation in southeastern Montana and covers municipalities including Lame Deer, Busby, Kirby and Decker.

Wallowing Bull was one of dozens of Republican legislative candidates Gov. Greg Gianforte endorsed in April ahead of the June primary, in a news release calling the 58 candidates strong, conservative leaders who share my commitment to make our state the best place to live, work, and raise a family.

Gianfortes campaign did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Montanan on Tuesday morning regarding the governors thoughts on Wallowing Bulls indictment and if he had rescinded the endorsement. The Montana State News Bureau reported a spokesperson for the campaign said Gianforte had pulled his endorsement after learning of the indictment.

The governor is shocked by these disturbing charges and rescinds his endorsement, spokesperson Anna Marian Block told the Montana State News Bureau.

Court records show a trial in the case is currently set for Oct. 21 at the James F. Battin Courthouse in Billings.
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  While Democrats are at their convention this week, Republicans are working on implementing a strategy to stop the momentum of the Harris campaign and get Donald Trump back in the White House.

Vice President Kamala Harris is in the spotlight this week as Democrats cheer her on at the convention.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley says its what comes next that counts.

When the voters start paying attention that this is going to settle back into a very very tight race, a very competitive race that were in a great position to win, Whatley said.

The latest national voter polling from Emerson College shows Harris with a slight lead over former President Trump. Chairman Whatley says Republicans have a strategy to gain that ground back.

Its really talking directly to every American family and every American voter and talking to them about the issues that they care about, Whatley said.

Former President Trump is taking his message straight to voters in battleground states. In a visit to Michigan on Tuesday, he put the emphasis on public safety.

I will deliver law, order, safety, and peace. And I will protect those who protect us, Trump said.

Chairman Whatley says hes confident that Republican policies will win over voters.

The solutions that were putting on the table are going to be better for them and for their communities than what the Vice President and the Democrats are putting on the table right now, Whatley said.

Its a shame whats happened in our country, but were going to turn it around. Were going to win big and were going to turn it around, Trump said.

Former President Trump plans to continue campaigning across the country this week, with events coming up in North Carolina and Arizona.

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Sens. Barry Usher (left) and Jason Ellsworth (right) address the Senate Select Committee on Judicial Oversight and Reform on Monday, April 29, 2024. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)

Sens. Barry Usher (left) and Jason Ellsworth (right) address the Senate Select Committee on Judicial Oversight and Reform on Monday, April 29, 2024. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)

Senate Republicans on the Select Committee on Judicial Oversight and Reform voted Tuesday to require witnesses to testify under the threat of perjury and to subpoena any elected officials and their subordinates they wish to call, saying they want to ensure testimony is factual and that people they want to testify show up without delay.

Both amendments were brought by Senate President Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton and the chairman of the committee, which he formed this summer after the Montana Supreme Court and several district courts made decisions in cases that either struck down as unconstitutional laws the Republican-led legislature had passed during the past three years or did not side with their preferred outcome.

The committee also discussed having its staff draft multiple bills in response to those decisions that it will vote on to decide whether to bring them forward during next years session. Democrats were invited to participate on the committee, but declined calling it a waste of time and resources.

These motions are not to be egregious; theyre just to get our work done and be able to make sure that the citizens work is complete, that when we come back into session this next session, we actually have answers, and that were productive. And thats what the citizens demand of us, so I think thats what were doing at the end of the day, Ellsworth said. If people want to turn this into political theater  which some might  Id be highly disappointed, because thats not what this is about.

Ellsworth said another select committee he has formed to investigate why up to 1,000 ballots for the June primary in Butte-Silver Bow County might have been counted twice would likely adopt similar rules.

That recount is taking place Tuesday, and Ellsworth said both the Republicans and Democrats on that select committee had reported Monday everything was going smoothly and above board with preparation, but also that he still had real concerns about the timing of the discovery.

In my opinion, today, again, waiting on facts. But how it got to this point in this far down the road is very concerning, Ellsworth said.

Oaths for witnesses

Exactly what led Ellsworth to require an oath of sorts for witnesses and the subpoena requirement for elected officials to testify at the committee was not as clear, but Ellsworth and Sen. Barry Usher, R-Billings, hinted at instances that may have led to the decision. A Senate Republicans spokesperson said they did not want to name names at the hearing.

Ellsworth noted that one committee member at a July 15 meeting had asked Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Mike Menahan to swear under oath before he answered questions, which is not typical for legislative hearings, and which Menahan declined to do.

The committee proceeded to grill Menahan for more than two hours about his past as a Democratic lawmaker and on why judges get reassigned from cases and why some recuse themselves from others.

I dont see the purpose, Menahan told the committee at the time, as the Montana State News Bureau reported. Moreover, I was asked to come to this committee, which I initially declined to do so because I was concerned with this committee, because they hadnt articulated any policy objectives, was summoning me here for the sole purpose of asking questions about cases that are pending before my court.

Ellsworth said Tuesday that it was the legislatures tradition not to ask witnesses to swear under oath that they will tell the truth when testifying. The Senate and the select committee do have subpoena powers so long as they meet certain standards.

Certainly, this is not to catch anyone doing anything wrong. So, what it is to do is just to make sure that people, when they come here, think about the whole truth and then give us all the information thats necessary for us to make good decisions for the public, Ellsworth said.

Sens. Chris Friedel, R-Billings, and Wendy McKamey, R-Great Falls, both asked what the oath looks like since people can have different opinions of the truth and facts and what the ramifications would be if the committee believed a witness was not being truthful.

Ellsworth said hed expect people to tell the truth during testimony and that people would not willfully lie. But if they did, he said the committee would present evidence to the Lewis and Clark County attorney, which potentially could lead to perjury charges if the prosecutor wishes to pursue a charge.

He said he felt the special select committee needs special rules to get to the bottom of its investigation into what it claims to be malfeasance by members of Montanas judicial system.

The courts have been weaponized politically, and they have been on a national level and on a state level, Ellsworth said. Our people dont want this. I dont care if youre a Democrat or youre a Republican, what you want and what the court is obligated to do is to be fair, impartial. And theyre a separate branch of government, and theyre co-equal, and we all want that. But we dont want politics in the judiciary. Thats all were here to do.

Ellsworth said the plan was to have language on sign-in sheets for in-person and online witnesses that will note they are testifying under oath. Sen. Daniel Emrich, R-Great Falls, questioned whether that would be sufficient for a perjury charge if no one was formally swearing a witness in under oath.

Ellsworth responded by saying citizens testifying during public comment wouldnt be affected when giving their opinions, but an oath would be beneficial trying to press the witnesses for more information. At times during the committees hearings this summer, witnesses have said they could not answer certain questions or discuss certain topics because of Montana Bar rules or because they involved ongoing litigation.

It would be disingenuous of us if we did this to try to entrap somebody, and that is not the intent, Ellsworth said. Its just we have work to do here, and Ive got another committee thats very vital, and they have work to do. And weve got to make sure that we get all the information as the information is available; its accurate, and to be able to make decisions. Its nothing more complicated than that.

The oath motion was approved by six of the Republicans on the committee, but Emrich, Friedel, and Sen. Tom McGillvray, R-Billings, voted against it.

Subpoenas required for witnesses moving forward

Ellsworth told the committee he believed the committee needed subpoenas. He said there had been a witness the committee wanted to call who said they were not available to speak when they actually were. He did not name names. McGillvray asked if there had been any specific people who had delayed an appearance or drug their feet, and why the committee could not just subpoena them since it has those powers.

Usher said there was a time when the committee requested someones presence but was denied twice before they were threatened with a possible subpoena, then agreed to appear.

Ellsworth explained to the committee that by issuing subpoenas to any potential witness, it would force someone to make a decision to attend the committee hearing if they had a competing meeting.

I think if we just treat everybody the same, then there are no confrontations that need to happen, and then theres no political aspect of it, Ellsworth said. I dont want to turn this into a political theater; I just want people just to attend that need to attend so that we can get to the answers that we need to get to.

The committee voted unanimously to approve Ellsworths motion. To round out their two-day meeting, the committee floated ideas for bills that staff will help craft for the 2025 session if the committee approves them for the session. The committee may work through December if it so chooses, Senate Republican spokesperson Kyle Schmauch said.

A staffer is already drafting a bill on creating a judicial performance evaluation commission, but the committee agreed to start the process on drafting a few more, including some that come directly in response to court cases that went against their favor. They include:

A bill or bills that would consider creating appellate or constitutional courts, the latter of which would be appointed by the governor to decide constitutional issues

A bill, similar to the 2023 Senate Bill 302 that failed in a 16-34 Senate floor vote, that would allow judges to run on a partisan basis

A bill to limit the Montana Supreme Courts original jurisdiction to writs of habeas corpus

A bill that would open up Supreme Court proceedings and treat the documents generated during those proceedings as public records once the case is finalized

A bill that would allow the legislature, for instance, to ignore a court writ directing it to produce documents it does not possess

A bill analyzing how attorneys fees are awarded in court cases and making possible changes

A bill to tweak statutory language to require all ballot initiatives to come before a legislative committee before going out for signature gathering

A bill removing the requirement that Montana attorneys be members of the State Bar

A bill requiring courts give the legislature and executive branches deference when a bill or law is challenged by another party

A bill to prohibit retired judges from hearing cases involving constitutional challenges

Consider sending complaints to the Judicial Standards Committee and attorney discipline board regarding comments made by members of the Bar at an event earlier this year

Consider sending the Judicial Standards Commission a letter it hasnt been following the law when reporting to the legislature
Republicans promote baseless theory about Tim Walzs China visits  and claim he was groomed as double-agent

Republicans and right-wing media are escalating a baseless conspiracy theory that Tim Walz is covertly working for China, twisting his teaching experience in the country and his subsequent visits as alleged evidence of a Chinese effort to groom him to have a foothold in the US government.

After launching flailing investigations into Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, House Republicans have suggested opening yet another probe to target Harriss running mate.

Donald Trumps campaign, his Republican allies and right-wing media outlets have sought to undermine Walzs military service and the fertility treatments that his wife used to become pregnant with their children.

Now, GOP lawmakers are pressing federal authorities for documents and testimony as media figures drum up baseless speculation about Walzs career in education to attack Harriss campaign.

James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, wrote to FBI director Chriostopher Wray alleging Walzs longstanding connections to the Chinese Communist Party that make him susceptible to the Partys strategy of elite capture, which seeks to co-opt influential figures in elite political, cultural, and academic circles to influence the United States to the benefit of the communist regime and the detriment of Americans.

Tim Walz and his wife Gwen Walz attend the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 19. (AFP via Getty Images)

If you look at Walzs background, and you look at the things he talked about  this is a guy who has really embraced Chinas view of the world, the Chinese ideology, which is communism, Comer told Fox News on Monday.

Its very possible that China would be grooming an up and coming rising star in the political process to try to have a foothold in our government, Comer said.

Senator Ron Johnson, who was described by The New York Times as the GOPs foremost amplifier of conspiracy theories and disinformation in 2021, baselessly asserted that Walz has deep connections to China.

The House is going to investigate it now, he told Fox News this week. Its very strange. He got married on the anniversary of Tiananmen Square. Hes gone to China. Hes taught in China. Hes got deep connections to China.

Walz taught English and American history in China through Harvard Universitys WorldTeach program in the late 1980s when he was 25. He later started a program called Educational Travel Adventures with his wife Gwen Walz, who is also a teacher, to organize summer trips to China for American high school students.

Walz was one of the first government sanctioned groups of American educators in China after the country opened its doors to the world in the 1980s.

He was in China during pro-democracy protests in Beijings Tiananmen Square in June 1989.

It was my belief at that time that diplomacy was going to happen on many levels, certainly people to people, Walz said during a congressional hearing commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen protests in 2014. The opportunity to be in a Chinese high school at that critical time seemed to me to be really important.

He did marry Gwen Walz on the Tiananmen Square anniversary on June 4, 1994, and he spent their honeymoon in China with 60 students as part of a class trip.

Before he was elected to Congress in 2006, Walz was a global geography teacher at Mankato West High School in Minnesota, where his students encouraged him to campaign for a seat in the House of Representatives.

House Oversight Committee chair James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, has launched several investigations into Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and now her running mate Tim Walz. (AFP via Getty Images)

While in Congress, Walz served on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and his time in and out of office has largely sided with human rights issues and political moves in opposition to President Xi Jinpings regime.

In 2010, Walz co-sponsored a House motion condemning the arrest of activist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Liu Xiaobo and activist Huang Qi. He also supported the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which demanded an end to human rights abuses in the former British colony.

Walz also met the Dalai Lama and has supported calls for religious freedoms in Tibet, condemned Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, and blasted Chinas allied relationship with Russia in its war in Ukraine.

Throughout his career, Governor Walz has stood up to the CCP, fought for human rights rights and democracy, and always put American jobs and manufacturing first, according to a statement from Walz spokesperson Teddy Tschann.

Republicans are twisting basic facts and desperately lying to distract from the Trump-Vance agenda: praising dictators, and sending American jobs to China, he added. Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will ensure we win the competition with China, and will always stand up for our values and interests in the face of Chinas threats.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have blasted Comers latest comments as nothing more than a political stunt.

For the umpteenth time, Chairman Comer shows the American people that his only real priority in Congress is doing Donald Trumps bidding, a spokesperson said.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE)  A restitution hearing has been scheduled in the case of former Roswell Escrow Services, Inc. owner Christopher Adam Jensen-Tanner. Jensen-Tanner was sentenced to 46 months in prison for wire fraud in July 2024.

The Top 100 Pizza Spots in the Midwest, according to Yelp

The restitution hearing will be September 18, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. at the U.S. Courthouse at 100 N. Church Street, Las Cruces. The hearing allows all parties to determine restitution amounts owed in the case. Jensen-Tanner defrauded clients through false representations while owning and operating Roswell Escrow Services, Inc. Roswell Escrow Services, Inc. appeared to help customers make real estate purchases, according to an indictment filed in court. But Jensen-Tanner re-directed funds for personal use, according to his plea.

Any victim interested in attending the restitution hearing should contact Victim Specialist Jacquie Gutierrez at (575) 522-2304 before the hearing.

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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  A U.S. Army veteran and church youth group leader was arrested in Hillsborough County over a decade after sexually assaulting a teenager, the sheriffs office said in a news release.

A person came forward earlier this month and accused Derek Zitko, 52, of lewd or lascivious battery and molestation in 2013, according to HCSO.

Attorney Bryant Camareno, who is not affiliated with this case, explains how timing and reporting work in a case like this.

Typically, the statute of limitations is cool until the victim turns 18 or after they report it to the police, whichever comes sooner. So, in other words, if its reported to the police, then the clock starts ticking, Camareno said.

Detectives said the incidents happened after Zitko befriended the victims family when they were 13 to 14 years old and he was 40 to 41 years old. He turned himself in to HCSO on Tuesday.

Derek Zitko (Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office)

Our determination to seek justice does not diminish over time, and no one is above the law, regardless of their position or past, Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. I commend the bravery of this survivor for coming forward and sharing their story, which has been instrumental in holding this vile offender accountable. We will always stand with victims and work tirelessly to ensure that those responsible face consequences.

Camareno said Zitko will go before a judge and if they ask for a pretrial detention, Zitko may not get out on bond.

So if hes stuck in jail, hell be stuck in jail until the case is resolved, which, for this type of case, could last anywhere from a year to two years, on an average. But Ive seen cases last longer, Camareno said.

Zitko retired from the Army in 2015 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He has been active at the Chapel at Fishhawk for about seven years and was a small group leader and youth volunteer from 2018 to 2022, according to HCSO.

People living near the church shared how it makes them feel hearing about the arrest.

Unsafe. Sure, I mean, Ive got five young kids. We live a block away. Itd be naive to say anything different, Nathan Warner said.

The sheriffs office said detectives believe there may be additional victims and urges anyone with information to contact them at 813-247-8200.

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RFK Jr arrives too late to testify after Democrats court challenge to keep him off Pennsylvania ballot

Robert F Kennedy Jr was too late to testify in court against a challenge from Democrats attempting to block him from the ballot in Pennsylvania.

Attorneys for two Democratic activists challenging Kennedys spot on the ballot said in a Harrisburg courtroom on Tuesday that Kennedys candidacy paperwork has a fake home address. Similar allegations are being heard in other state courts.

They also argued that the third-party candidate hasnt gathered the required number of signatures.

Citing a canceled flight from Boston to Philadelphia the evening before, Kennedy showed up an hour and 40 minutes late. Commonwealth Court Judge Lori Dumas had earlier decided to continue without his testimony.

Just after his arrival, the hearing was adjourned without the judge indicating when she would rule on the matter.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., leaves the Pennsylvania Judicial Center on August 20 in Harrisburg, Pa. He arrived too late to testify in the case challenging his presence on the Pennsylvania ballot (AP)

Kennedy could snag votes from Vice President Kamala Harris or former president Donald Trump if he were to appear on the ballot in Pennsylvania, a critical battleground with 19 electoral votes. Trump won the state in 2016 but President Joe Biden won it back in 2020.

The attorney for Kennedy slammed the judges move to continue without the candidates testimony. Kennedy claimed that the Democrats are trying to block the rights of tens of millions of voters.

To me, its a sad devolution of this party that the only way that they can win elections is to keep its opponents off the debating stage, off the ballots, and use lawfare to try to win elections rather than campaigning, he said outside the courthouse.

Ill be on the ballot in every state, he added.

The Kennedy campaign has called the challenge frivolous and Kennedy lawyer Paul Rossi said that a state shouldnt be in the business of banning a candidate from its ballot because of a residency argument.

He said that it would lead to a patchwork of state court rulings removing some candidates from ballots, citing the March Supreme Court ruling to reinstate Trump on primary ballots following state attempts to use the 14th Amendment to have him removed.

Rossi added that a federal court ruling from 2016 which ordered a lowering of the signature requirements for candidates from smaller parties should also be used in Kennedys case.

One of the attorneys for the activists challenging Kennedys presence on the ballot, Tim Ford, said that Kennedy had filed petitions that violated state law and that his late appearance shows a total disregard for our process here in Pennsylvania and a disrespect for the voters who have to make the decision of who theyre going to vote for for president.

Ford argued that Kennedy hasnt shown that the signature ruling should apply in this case and that the patchwork argument references a federal constitutional case and cannot be used in a case where the state of Pennsylvania is setting the rules governing who can appear on its ballots.

Kennedy is battling challenges in other states as well, including Georgia and New York.

Last week, a New York judge rejected his nominating petitions because the listed address was a sham. Kennedy is appealing the decision.

Kennedy has listed his address as being in the Empire State, but those challenging his presence on the ballot say that he really lives in Los Angeles, California.

Rossi argued that Kennedy partly pointed to the New York address to adhere to the 12th Amendment which states that a president and vice president shouldnt be from the same state  Kennedys running mate Nicole Shanahan is a Californian.

The attorney said that Kennedy is registered to vote in New York and that hes set to return to live in the state.

The Kennedy campaign has claimed to have collected the required signatures to appear on the ballots in all 50 states and that hes currently officially on the ballot in 22 of them, including key states like North Carolina and Michigan.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is in talks with the Trump campaign about a possible endorsement of the former president, according to four people familiar with the conversations granted anonymity to discuss the ongoing conversations.

The discussions between the two sides have been going on for months and accelerated before the Republican National Convention in July, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions. Donald Trump Jr., conservative media personality Tucker Carlson and Trump donor Omeed Malik have been key players in facilitating the conversations, the person said.

Donald Trump Jr. has been particularly concerned about the prospect that Kennedy could siphon off votes that would otherwise go to the former president, and has viewed an Kennedy endorsement as valuable.

I have no comment, Kennedy said in an interview.



Kennedy has so far been the strongest third-party candidate in the race, and if he drops out it could dramatically reshape the electoral landscape in a tight election.

Kennedys running mate, tech attorney and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan, said on a podcast interview on Tuesday that there were two paths that the campaign was considering: staying in the race with the goal of receiving 5 percent of the vote to qualify for federal matching funds for the next election or joining forces with GOP nominee Donald Trump.

In an email sent to campaign staff on Wednesday, campaign manager Amaryllis Fox Kennedy told staff to "hold tight" as the candidate considered his next move. The email did not mention Shanahan by name but asked the campaign team to keep your patience, your prayer, and your faith with Kennedy.

There are several potential paths forward  not only two, Fox Kennedy said. So please, hold tight until you hear directly from him.

Supporters will have that opportunity on Friday in Phoenix, where Kennedy announced later Wednesday that he will address the present historical moment and his path forward.

Kennedys campaign has been struggling to gain traction for months as his poll numbers have dipped, fundraising dollars have dried up and obstacles to campaigning have kept him off the trail for months. But some Kennedy supporters see the Trump endorsement as a way to keep the legacy of the campaign alive.

Kennedy supporters on the campaign and super PAC are divided about paths forward. Some supporters, including the core volunteer base, are open to working with Trump. But others are following the lead of political consultant Larry Sharpe, who is working with the PAC, to force a contingent election, a situation in which no presidential candidate gets 270 electoral college votes.

Kennedy supporters, I mean, they're bright people. You know, they look at the polls, and I think they realize, said Jeff Hutt, Kennedy campaigns former national field director. Ive talked to campaign staff, and nearly everybody would love to see Bobby do something like [Health and Human Services] secretary in the Trump [administration] or something. And that a lot of those folks in the campaign would be willing to move over to the Trump campaign and work for it given the chance to help them.

Hutt, who worked for the campaign for more than a year and keeps in contact with field staff and volunteers, said the core of Kennedys support comes from Covid warriors, people who opposed government-mandated vaccines and closures as the result of the pandemic. Many of those backers are new to politics, but also believe theres no room for them in the Democratic Party. Kennedy failing to qualify for the debate stage in late June was a blow to morale, he said.

I think if [Trump] brings in Bobby that that could be an amazing combination, said Mark Gorton, co-founder and donor to a super PAC that is backing Kennedy, in an interview. You mainstream the entire Bobby movement into the Republican Party and really supercharge the part of it that was about cleaning up the corrupt system.

Gorton, who has donated $1 million to the super PAC supporting RFK, American Values 2024, is dismissive of Sharpes ideas to force a contingent election. But his co-founder, Tony Lyons, has been talking about a contingent election as a viable path for Kennedy to reach the White House since last December. And Fox Kennedy brought up the idea in a recent interview with the New Yorker.

Sharpe has said Kennedy could have a path forward by focusing on five states: Nevada, Arizona, New Hampshire, Utah and Alaska. He most recently shared his plan in a YouTube interview with Kim Iversen, a conservative-leaning political commentator, which Shanahan also shared on X.

The strategy will work best, Sharpe has said, if the Kennedy campaign focuses on states that Democrats and Republicans typically dont spend money in.

If he wins just one state, Sharpe, who is a Libertarian, said in an interview, if he wins just Utah, then that, by default, means that you have a purple splotch on that map, and that tells the entire country third parties can win. That's the symbol we have for the next four years.

Daniel Lippman contributed to this report.
A source close to the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. campaign told ABC News on Wednesday that they will not confirm or deny rumors that he intends to drop out and endorse former President Donald Trump at a rally in Arizona on Friday.

The Daily Beast reached out to both the Kennedy Jr. and Trump campaigns for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publishing.

Amid the rumors, Kennedy Jr. announced on Wednesday that he will address the nation from a rally in Phoenix, Arizona, on Fridaythe same day and some 30 minutes out from where Trump will hold a rally in Glendale.

A potential plan is for Kennedy Jr. to come out with Trump during his Phoenix rally, reported ABC News.

Amaryllis Fox, Kennedy Jr.s campaign manager, sent a staff-wide email on Wednesday thanking them and writing, There are a couple potential paths forward, not only two, and I can bear witness to the care, examination that Bobby has invested in the consideration of each, according to a source familiar with the situation.

A press release for Kennedy Jr.s address was thin, reading Independent Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will address the nation live on Friday about the present historical moment and his path forward.

The event will start at 2 p.m. while Trumps address to the Turning Points PAC will start two hours later at 4 p.m.

Kennedy Jrs veep, Nicole Shanahan, seemed to confirm that there were ready to suspend their campaign on Tuesday when she told the Impact Theory podcast: We run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Walz presidency because we draw more votes from Trump. She added that they could walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump.

Shanahans comments absolutely killed fundraising, according to Kennedy booster Jeff Hays, and have cornered the struggling campaign into dropping out, according to Politico.

During Shanahans appearance on the podcast, she said that Trumps Achilles heel during his presidency was big Pharma, adding, What were hearing from the Trump camp (now) is very positive.

Kennedys son, Bobby III, leaked a video on July 16 of Kennedy talking with former President Trump, reiterating vaccine-related conspiracy theories.

I agree with you, man. Somethings wrong with that whole system, and its the doctors you find. Remember I said, I want to do small doses. Small doses, Trump told Kennedy.

Kennedy gave few remarks during the call, adding yup every so often. Toward then end, Trump can be heard saying, But you and I talked about that a long time ago. Anyway, I would love you to do something and I think it would be so good for you, and so big for you.

On Tuesday, Trump told CNN that he would love if Kennedy Jr. endorsed him, adding that he probably would give him a cabinet position.

Kennedy Jr campaigner Kyle Kemper, who drives the RFK Jr. RV around the country, has advised Kennedy Jr. not to sell his soul to Trump.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s flirtation with Donald Trump is intensifying as the independent candidate searches for ways to stay in the election, with speculation growing that he might endorse the former president.

Multiple Kennedy insiders are convening over the phone Wednesday evening to discuss campaign developments, The Hill has learned. ABC News reported Kennedy could drop out of the race by the end of the week and is considering backing Trump. The report noted that no decision has been made just yet.

The report follows an announcement by the Kennedy campaign that the third-party candidate will deliver special remarks Friday in Arizona, the same day Trump will be in the Grand Canyon State.

My gut is telling me Bobby will drop out and endorse [Trump] together at an event in Phoenix, a source with knowledge of Kennedys operation told The Hill.

One Trump ally said theres nothing definitive on an endorsement but tea leaves are pointing in that direction.

The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Kennedys camp made headlines during the week of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago after his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, said outwardly that Kennedy was considering suspending his campaign to endorse Trump.

As Kennedys own prospects of winning the White House dwindle, he is trying to shore up a political future with the Republican nominee, leaving Democrats in suspense as they look to diffuse another third-party surprise.

The Kennedy campaign was built on lies from day one, said Doug Gordon, a Democratic consultant closely tracking Kennedys movements. A lie that he could win. A lie that he was an independent and not a stalking horse for Trump. A lie that this was a movement and not always just about Kennedys ego.

These last few days have exposed every one of those lies, he said.

Shanahans comments came while discussing the campaigns strategy on a podcast.

Theres two options that were looking at, and one is staying in, forming that new party, but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and [Tim] Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump, Shanahan said on Tom Bilyeus program, Impact Theory. Or, we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump.

I need to focus on a vision that goes beyond November, Shanahan added.

Democrats seized on the remarks as they seek to paint Kennedy as a MAGA-style Republican in an independent candidates clothing.

RFK is desperate and voters will sniff this out and reject him regardless of who he aligns with, said one Democratic election strategist. Kennedy, the strategist said, is looking for relevancy instead of pushing a substantive conversation about policy.

Kennedy, 70, has struggled to maintain traction in the race. Although his polling has been in the double digits during his best moments, he has dipped to low single digits in the race that is now between Trump and Vice President Harris, the Democratic nominee. His national elevation in polling is even less clear at the state level, where just a handful of battlegrounds determine a candidates fate.

Moreover, while Kennedy has locked in nearly two dozen state ballots, many others have not yet been certified.

Adding to his headaches are his campaigns financial woes. New Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show Kennedy bleeding money, with nearly $3.5 million in debt. That sum would not necessarily raise alarms on its own, as its common for candidates to carry some debt as the cycle fluctuates. But the more concerning figure is that he has less than $4 million cash on hand, FEC records show, which is a meager figure for a legitimate presidential contender just a few months out from the general election.

Kennedy supporters arent blind to these problems. Some believe, given the financial and ballot realities, it would be logical to join with Trump at just the right moment. That could be soon, as Democrats are ginning up enthusiasm during their Chicago convention, or in the coming weeks when the spotlight is spread out more evenly between both parties.

Positioning Kennedy as a useful ally to Trump is likely going to be easier now thanks to Shanahans comments.

Id cut a deal, said the source knowledgeable with Kennedys operation. Then hit the road and do arena-rock-style Kennedy [and] Trump rallies.

Some Republicans, including Trump himself, seem amenable to the idea of having Kennedy in their corner as they look to expand their supporter base beyond what they had in 2020. An RFK endorsement of Trump would give the usual suspects in the GOP establishment some heartburn, said Matt Wolking, who served as deputy director of communications for Trumps 2020 campaign.

But Trump is attempting to build a broad coalition, and support from most anyone, especially an outsider against the establishment like RFK, would likely be welcomed by most Trump supporters, even if RFK is very liberal on some issues, Wolking said.

Kennedy has sought to tamp down any lingering fondness for the left, including seriously distancing himself from his Democratic brand and his familys long standing within the party. It has so far worked well for Trump, who gave him kudos as he learned about Shanahans comments.

Trump told CNN on Tuesday that he would think about offering Kennedy a spot in his administration, saying hes a brilliant guy.

The sentiment from the top trickled down to Trumps vice presidential pick, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, who made what looked like an attempt to court his voters and bring them over to the Republican ticket.

Ive never talked to RFK about this, but my pitch to him and to a lot of his voters would be, the Democratic Party of my grandparents that supported his uncle, John F. Kennedy, for president has been completely abandoned by the modern leadership of the Democratic Party, Vance said during an appearance on Fox News.

RFK dropping out clearly helps Trump in the key state of Michigan, said Scott Tranter of Decision Desk HQ.

Similar trends in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, but the caveat is RFK has not qualified for the ballot in those states so [it] doesnt really matter, he said.

Republicans have been far less acrimonious toward Kennedy and more intrigued by his candidacy than Democrats.

After Shanahan said she could see a world in which the independent ticket links up with Trump, Democrats remarked that it was a predictable and unsophisticated move from both sides. Some strategists said they envision Kennedy further alienating supporters, particularly as they allege that he has already shape-shifted several times.

The con he ran on his supporters is likely to leave a lot of them feeling burned, Gordon said. Throwing his support behind Trump is likely not going to alter the race much. But it does expose what a fraud he and the entire campaign was from day one.

Democrats see more potential upside to Kennedy leaving the race than staying in it, regardless of any impending endorsement. Its unknown whether Kennedy helps Trump or Harris, with polling showing an imperfect and changing snapshot. But many are in agreement that without Kennedy as a consideration in the fall, Harriss campaign can have some relief.

RFK not being in the race is a plus for Kamala. Full stop, said another Democratic operative whos tracking Kennedys movements. The only presidential races Democrats have lost in the past 30 years, third-party candidates were a decisive factor. The operative noted examples of Ralph Nader in New Hampshire in 2000 and Jill Stein in 2016 in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Anyone who thinks that the 43-47 percent of the electorate that has backed Donald Trump through Access Hollywood, very fine people with tiki torches, Jan. 6, the 30-plus criminal convictions, hundred of thousands of American deaths from COVID, etc., but are going to be swayed away from him by RFK Jr. and Shanahan are deluding themselves, the operative added.

Brett Samuels contributed.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a scion of the Kennedy political dynasty whose independent presidential bid was bankrolled by his running mate and dogged by humiliating personal revelations, will drop out of the race and endorse Donald Trump for president, NBC News reports.

Two sources familiar with the plans told NBC News that talks between the two campaigns are underway. Kennedy announced earlier that he will hold a news conference in Phoenix on Friday. Trump is scheduled to hold a rally outside Phoenix the same day.

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance told NBC News on Wednesday that there has been a lot of communication back and forth between Kennedy and the GOP campaign.

The end of Kennedys bid for president, culminating in an endorsement for Trump, is not entirely unexpected. His running mate, Nicole Shanahan, said in a podcast interview released Tuesday that their campaign was considering exiting the race to help Trump. Later that day, Trump said he would be open to offering Kennedy a role in his administration, though Vance separately suggested that a potential Cabinet position would not be contingent on Kennedy backing the former president.

Despite his long odds from the outset, Kennedy had worked hard to be seen as a serious contender. He fought to get his name on state ballots (though his methods have drawn scrutiny) and to appear onstage at the June debate. To voters unhappy with the major-party options, he pitched himself as a leader who would reject corporate influence on politics, a position buttressed by his conspiratorial view of the world.

Yet his campaign never really took off. He consistently flailed in the polls and struggled to raise money, relying heavily on Shanahan, a philanthropist and former Silicon Valley lawyer, to fund his campaign. His political agenda also had little impact: As a third-party contender, he put forward a platform that was too haphazard for him to be a movement candidate, and his campaign was too weak for him to be a spoiler.

What Kennedys candidacy did do was raise his national profile  and deeply damage his already questionable reputation in the public eye. His conspiracy beliefs gained intense scrutiny, and he was publicly snubbed by other Kennedys, with 15 of his family members  including six of his 10 siblings  publicly endorsing Joe Biden before the president dropped out.

There were also a series of disturbing disclosures from his past. Kennedy told The New York Times that he had bounced back from the cognitive effects of a parasitic worm eating part of his brain. After a woman who used to babysit his children accused him of sexual assault, saying he had groped her and touched her inappropriately on separate occasions, Kennedy said in response: I am who I am. Asked by The Boston Globe whether more women would come forward with sexual misconduct allegations, he said: Well see what happens.

Kennedy also had to deny to Vanity Fair that he once ate a dog and, most recently, revealed that he once dumped a dead bear cub in Central Park as a bizarre joke.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
RFK Jr.s Running Mate Suggests They May Drop Out To Help Donald Trump Win

The running mate of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said they are considering ending their campaign and endorsing Donald Trump in a new interview released Tuesday.

Nicole Shanahan told Tom Bilyeus Impact Theory podcast that they are in a tough spot at the moment and are mulling the future of their White House bid, which is less than three months out of the election.

Their campaign has struggled financially and has failed to garner much traction. Kennedys support stands at 4.9%, according to an average of national presidential polls compiled by FiveThirtyEight. Meanwhile, a judge last week ruled that Kennedy shouldnt appear on ballots in New York over falsely claiming he lived in the state in nominating petitions. He has appealed the decision.

Shanahan said that while they technically still have a chance at winning the election, the main question theyre asking themselves is whether the risk of a win for Vice President Kamala Harris is worth them staying in the race.

Shanahan explained that they are currently exploring their options, which include possibly dropping out and backing Trump.

One is staying in, forming that new party but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and [Tim] Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump or we draw somehow more votes from Trump, she said. Or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump, and we walk away from that, and we explain to our base why were making this decision.

In an interview with CNNs Kristen Holmes following his appearance at a campaign event in Michigan, Trump said he would love Kennedys endorsement, adding that hes always liked him.

Asked if he would consider asking Kennedy to serve in his administration, Trump signaled he would be open to the possibility if Kennedy were to drop out and back his presidential bid.

Youre asking me a very unusual question, Trump said. I like him a lot, I respect him a lot. I probably would if something like that would happen.

Trump also dismissed the possibility of Republicans balking at the prospect of Kennedy getting a Cabinet position given his past support for progressive policies.

I like smart people, and Republicans like me, Trump said.

Kennedy spoke to Trump about potentially endorsing him in exchange for a role in his administration focused on health and medical issues last month, but the two didnt immediately reach a deal, The Washington Post reported.

Kennedy tried to secure a similar meeting with Harris but the vice presidents team didnt express interest in his offer, according to the Post.

Shanahan denied the reports about reaching out to Harris as fake news.

Related...
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will speak Friday about the present historical moment and his path forward, his campaign announced Wednesday, fueling growing speculation that Kennedy could drop out and support Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Kennedys running mate openly discussed the possibility on a podcast this week, saying the campaign was considering a move to join forces with Trump to limit the election chance of Kamala Harris, whose Democratic convention winds up Thursday night in Chicago.

The move would have once seemed unthinkable for Kennedy, a Democrat for most of his life and  as the nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of Robert F. Kennedy  a member of a beloved Democratic dynasty.

Last month, during the Republican National Convention, Kennedys son posted and then quickly deleted a video showing a phone call between Kennedy and Trump, in which the former president appeared to try to talk Kennedy into siding with him.

Kennedy will give a speech in Phoenix, hours before Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in neighboring Glendale. A spokesperson for Kennedy, Stefanie Spear, declined to say whether he planned to drop out or why he chose Arizona for his speech.

After leaving the Democratic primary to run as an independent, Kennedy built an unusually strong base of support for someone running without the backing of a major party. It was unclear exactly where his support was coming from, which worried Republicans and Democrats alike.

But since President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign and Democrats coalesced around Vice President Harris as their nominee, Kennedys rise has been stunted. It looks increasingly unlikely that he will be able to make the debate stage when Trump and Harris face off next month, a moment Kennedy counted on for momentum and legitimacy. His campaign finances have also been strained.

The news comes a little over a week since a New York judge ruled that Kennedy should not appear on the ballot in the state because he listed a sham address on nominating petitions. Kennedy has appealed, but has faced several similar challenges around the country.

On Wednesday, he was in a courtroom in the suburbs of New York City waiting to testify in response to another ballot suit in the state, this one backed by the Democratic National Committee, that challenges the signatures collected by his campaign.

Hes also facing a likely legal challenge in Arizona, where last week he submitted signatures that may have been collected by a super PAC that supports him, which Kennedys critics say is illegal coordination between a candidate and an independent political group.
(KTLA)  Richard Simmons brother said the death of the legendary fitness figure has been ruled an accident.

Simmons death was accidental due to complications from recent falls and heart disease as a contributing factor, Lenny Simmons, Richards brother, told People through his attorney.

Lenny Simmons said he was informed on a call from the Los Angeles County medical examiner Wednesday morning.

Richard Simmons, a fitness guru who mixed laughs and sweat, dies at 76

There were no illicit drugs in Simmons system at the time of his death, the statement added.

The toxicology report was negative other than medication Richard had been prescribed, the statement said. The Family wishes to thank everyone for their outpouring of love and support during this time of great loss.

Simmons died last month at the age of 76. He celebrated his birthday just before his death, and thanked his fans for the well wishes.

Thank youI never got so many messages about my birthday in my life! I am sitting here writing emails. Have a most beautiful rest of your Friday, Simmons wrote.

Born and raised in Louisiana, Simmons moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s. There, he began to pursue his career as a fitness instructor. He opened a fitness studio, SLIMMONS, in Beverly Hills and later starred in the nationally syndicated The Richard Simmons Show where he gave fitness instructions to viewers at home.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
The brother of Richard Simmons has revealed the cause of death of the legendary fitness figure.

Simmons death was accidental due to complications from recent falls and heart disease as a contributing factor, Lenny Simmons, Richards brother, told People through his attorney.

Lenny Simmons said he was informed on a call from the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner Wednesday morning.

Richard Simmons, a fitness guru who mixed laughs and sweat, dies at 76

There also were no illicit drugs in Simmons system, the statement added.

The toxicology report was negative other than medication Richard had been prescribed, the statement said. The Family wishes to thank everyone for their outpouring of love and support during this time of great loss.

Simmons died last month at the age of 76.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott says if reelected, he intends to run for Senate president. Scott addressed an audience of about 700 people at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach on Sunday, July 21, 2024.

Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott easily fended off a pair of primary challengers Tuesday, clearing the way for a general election contest with former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who also coasted to victory in the Democratic primary.

With 96% of precincts reporting statewide, Scott, who is seeking his second term as senator, took 84% of the vote, while attorney Keith Gross garnered 9% and former Walt Disney World performer and actor John Columbus received 6%.

"Thank you Florida! Looking forward to a big win in November," Scott posted on X, the social media site formerly named Twitter, shortly after the early and mail votes were posted.

Gross raised and spent $2.5 million as of July 31, a tab which included ads on X. The ads bashed Scott for voting to approve budgets that increased the deficit. He also criticized Scott for signing a bill into law in 2018 while Scott was Governor that included gun control measures following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre.

Scott, though, vastly outspent Gross, dropping $27.7 million on the race. Columbus raised and spent $25,000.

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, is seen at a Tallahassee appearance, July 8, 2024.

In the Democratic contest, Mucarsel-Powell received 69% of votes, while Stanley Campbell finished second with 19%. Two others, Brian Rush and Rod Joseph, garnered 7% and 5%, respectively.

"Florida, thank you so much for this honor. For the last year, we have fought day in and day out to make the case for our campaign," Mucarsel-Powell said in a released statement. "This victory isn't just mine  it belongs to so many who have stepped up to say that we deserve better here in Florida."

Mucarsel-Powell was born in Ecuador and emigrated to the U.S., later becoming an administrator at Florida International University. She has had a mixed electoral record, losing a state Senate race in 2016 before winning a U.S. House seat in 2018. But she served just one term before being defeated by U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Miami.

The Democratic establishment supported Mucarsel-Powell, which chagrined Campbell, a Black former U.S. Navy pilot who had the support of the Democratic Black caucus of Florida. Campbell spent nearly $1 million on the primary, but experienced turmoil when campaign manager Millie Raphael quit in July.

So far, Mucarsel-Powell has spent $10 million and has $3.3 million cash on hand heading into the general election. Scott also has $3.3 million in his campaign war chest.

The primary winners wasted no time attacking each other following their victories Tuesday evening, giving a preview of the general election. Scott slammed Mucarsel-Powell's immigration policies and called her a socialist.

"Debbie Mucarsel-Powell has supported an open border, allowing criminals and drugs to flood our communities. She wants to give them amnesty and citizenship and let them vote in our elections," Scott said in a released statement. "Her record is clear, she is a socialist through and through."

Mucarsel-Powell dubbed Scott an extremist who is "robbing us of these very freedoms and opportunities. Rick Scott tried to end Social Security and Medicare as we know them, supports a national ban on abortion, and wants to raise taxes on the middle class."

Scott is focusing on more than just the challenge from Mucarsel-Powell. Hes also vying to lead Senate Republicans if he wins in November and needs to win support within the GOP caucus. In that contest hes facing U.S. Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and John Thune of South Dakota.

Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Rick Scott, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell win, set up US Senate showdown
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott says if reelected, he intends to run for Senate president. Scott addressed an audience of about 700 people at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach on Sunday, July 21, 2024.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., easily fended off a pair of primary challengers Tuesday, clearing the way for a general election contest with former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-Fla., who also coasted to victory in the Democratic primary.

Scott, who is seeking his second term as senator, took 84% of the vote in early returns according to state data, while attorney Keith Gross garnered 9% and former Walt Disney World performer and actor John Columbus received 6%.

"Thank you Florida! Looking forward to a big win in November," Scott posted on X, he social media site formerly named Twitter, shortly after the early and mail votes were posted.

Gross raised and spent $2.5 million as of July 31, a tab which included ads on X. The ads bashed Scott for voting to approve budgets that increased the deficit. He also criticized Scott for signing a bill into law in 2018 while Scott was Governor that included gun control measures following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre.

Scott, though, vastly outspent Gross, dropping $27.7 million on the race. Columbus raised and spent $25,000.

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, is seen at a Tallahassee appearance, July 8, 2024.

In the Democratic contest, Mucarsel-Powell received 69% of votes, while Stanley Campbell finished second with 19%. Two others, Brian Rush and Rod Joseph, garnered 7% and 5%, respectively.

"Florida, thank you so much for this honor. For the last year, we have fought day in and day out to make the case for our campaign," Mucarsel-Powell said in a released statement. "This victory isn't just mine  it belongs to so many who have stepped up to say that we deserve better here in Florida."

Mucarsel-Powell was born in Ecuador and emigrated to the U.S., later becoming an administrator at Florida International University. She has had a mixed electoral record, losing a state Senate race in 2016 before winning a U.S. House seat in 2018. But she served just one term before being defeated by U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Miami.

The Democratic establishment supported Mucarsel-Powell, which chagrined Campbell, a Black former U.S. Navy pilot who had the support of the Democratic Black caucus of Florida. Campbell spent nearly $1 million on the primary, but experienced turmoil when campaign manager Millie Raphael quit in July.

So far, Mucarsel-Powell has spent $10 million and has $3.3 million cash on hand heading into the general election. Scott also has $3.3 million in his campaign war chest.

The primary winners wasted no time attacking each other following their victories Tuesday evening, giving a preview of the general election. Scott slammed Mucarsel-Powell's immigration policies and called her a socialist.

"Debbie Mucarsel-Powell has supported an open border, allowing criminals and drugs to flood our communities. She wants to give them amnesty and citizenship and let them vote in our elections," Scott said in a released statement. "Her record is clear, she is a socialist through and through."

Mucarsel-Powell dubbed Scott an extremist who is "robbing us of these very freedoms and opportunities. Rick Scott tried to end Social Security and Medicare as we know them, supports a national ban on abortion, and wants to raise taxes on the middle class."

Scott is focusing on more than just the challenge from Mucarsel-Powell. Hes also vying to lead Senate Republicans if he wins in November and needs to win support within the GOP caucus. In that contest hes facing U.S. Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and John Thune of South Dakota.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Rick Scott, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell win, set up Senate showdown
Rick Scott will face Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in November election for US Senate, AP projects

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  Incumbent Sen. Rick Scott will face off against Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in November, the Associated Press projected.

The AP called both races at 8 p.m., right as polls closed in the Panhandle.

Scott was a heavy favorite. Scott also had his partys backing, and has spent millions of his own personal money on his reelection.

Mucarsel-Powell, who in 2018 became the first Ecuadorian American and first South American born woman elected to Congress, has the backing of party leaders and has raised $12 million for the race.

This November, Scott has to first win a second term in the U.S. senate before reaching his larger goal  winning Senate leadership, after retiring U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell steps down.

In a post on X, Scott thanked his voters.

Looking forward to a BIG win in November, Scott said.

Mucarsel-Powell  who ran a campaign for the past year focused on abortion rights, gun safety and Latin American policy  said in a statement that shes grateful for her primary victory.

This victory isnt just mine  it belongs to so many people who have stepped up to say that we deserve better here in Florida, Mucarsel-Powell said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
CORAL GABLES, Florida  Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a former House member, will face off against Republican Sen. Rick Scott in November, in a race Democrats are hoping to put on the map as they scramble to keep control of the chamber.

Mucarsel-Powell and Scott both easily defeated lesser-known challengers in Tuesdays primary. Scott is not only hoping voters will reelect him to a second term in November, but afterward intends to run for GOP leader to try to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who is stepping down from conference leadership.

Scott won previous gubernatorial elections by narrow margins, and only beat then-Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson by just 10,000 votes to win his first term in 2018 following a recount. But the dynamics on the ground has shifted since then: Florida now has 1 million more active GOP voters than Democrats, giving statewide Republicans an edge. But the ascension of Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the Democratic ticket could shake up the race, especially if Democratic groups or the presidential campaign begin significant spending in Florida  which they have yet to do in a state thats notoriously expensive to campaign in.



Mucarsel-Powell said she welcomed Harris coming to Florida to "talk about the issues that we care about."

"We need to show that it's competitive," she told POLITICO of Florida during her victory night party. "But I'm going to tell you something: Whether they invest or not, the country will see what we are going to do in November."

People are "fired up" on the ground about a possible change in leadership, she added, saying she was aiming to build a coalition of supporters that included independent and GOP voters.

Mucarsel-Powell was the wire-to-wire leader of the Democratic primary, outraising her opponents and scoring major state and national endorsements, including getting the backing of President Joe Biden. Her race has focused on health care policies, abortion rights and promises to protect Medicare and Social Security. She also released a list of bills to address affordability that she planned to support if elected.

Mucarsel-Powell, who is Ecuadorian American, would be the second Latina elected to the Senate if she wins in November. She won her House seat in the 2018 blue wave, but lost the seat two years later to now-GOP Rep. Carlos Gimenez.

On Latin American policy, she has differed with the Biden administration on its decision to remove Cuba from the list of countries that dont cooperate fully against terrorism, and after the tainted elections in Venezuela she called for denunciations of authoritarianism on both the left and right.

Scott has long worked to court Floridas Hispanic voters, a key constituency thatll be influential in deciding the outcome of the Senate race. He has blasted Biden  and now Harris  for how the administration is handling the election in Venezuela and recently had a phone call with the opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.

Scott released a statement after his race was called that accused Harris, running mate Tim Walz and Mucarsel-Powell of being the most radical socialist ticket of my lifetime that seeks to fundamentally destroy the promise of freedom in America for generations to come.



Scott also has high name recognition in Florida as a former two-term governor and health care executive, and is an ally to former President Donald Trump. Just this week, he was in Chicago during the Democratic convention to offer up counterprogramming to Harris on behalf of the Trump campaign.

He chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee last cycle, where his Rescue America plan was used to pillory GOP candidates across the country. After disappointing results for the party in 2022, Scott unsuccessfully challenged McConnell for his party leadership post, and is arguably McConnells biggest intraparty rival in the Senate.

Most of his campaign messaging has centered on cutting taxes and regulations, which he says will help more people access employment. Scott, who grew up in poverty, is also the wealthiest member of Congress, giving him the power to self-finance his campaign  something he has done routinely since first running for office in 2010.
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, a Republican, will face Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in November.

Rick Scott and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell easily defeated their primary opponents in Tuesdays elections and now will face each other in the general election for U.S. Senate in November.

Scott, running for re-election to his Senate seat, received 84% of the GOP vote in beating his two opponents, attorney Keith Gross and actor John Columbus.

Thank you to the great voters of Florida in every corner of our state who turned out to resoundingly deliver us a win and showed the country that Florida is RED!, Scott said in a statement. We have received more votes than every Democrat candidate combined and are ready to deliver a big win in November.

Mucarsel-Powell, a one-term member of Congress representing South Florida (2019-2021), defeated tech entrepreneur Stanley Campbell, 69%-20%.

Democrats have expressed hope that Scott would be vulnerable this year. Its the first time hes ever been on the ballot in Florida at the same time that theres a presidential race at the top of the ballot, traditionally when more individuals cast ballots.

However, this is also the first time that Scott is running in a year where Republicans lead Democrats in voter registration  by nearly 1 million people. In 2018, when Scott narrowly defeated then-Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson by just over 10,000 votes out of more than 8.1 million votes cast, Democrats led Republicans in voter registration by more than 257,000 votes.

Polls released throughout the year have shown Scott with a consistent lead over Mucarsel-Powell. The two most recent polls published last week had Scott up by 4 points in one survey and up 10 points in another.

Florida Democrats are ready to get to work to elect Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and send Rick Scott packing once and for all, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said in a written statement.

Meanwhile, Republican Party of Florida Chairman Evan Power issued a statement boasting about how Republicans crushed Democrats in turning out for their voters on Tuesday, with the GOP up 14% over Democrats in terms of voter participation.

If Democrats are joyful about their prospects, their voters would have shown up to vote. Florida got Trumped, he proclaimed. What is clear is that our voters are fired up and eager to vote in support of our great Republican candidates who promote commonsense policies that work. With that support, Florida will continue to lead and succeed.

Congress

There were several high profile congressional primary elections throughout the state.

In the Republican party primary in Congressional District 1, incumbent Matt Gaetz crushed Aaron Dimmock by more than 45 points, 73%-27%.

This was no surprise, as the Panhandle district (which encompasses all of Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton counties) was always expected to approve Gaetz in his GOP primary against retired Navy pilot Dimmock.

So why are we even mentioning it?

Its because the race drew national attention as part of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthys revenge tour, through which he has backed opponents to the eight members of Congress who voted to oust him from the speakers position last year. A super PAC connected to McCarthy called Florida Patriots PAC spent more than $3 million in running nasty ads against Gaetz, who is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee regarding allegations that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.

But allies of McCarthy told ABC News earlier this week that McCarthy doesnt think the money was spent in vain, believing the ads may have harmed Gaetz chances for success if he were to run for governor of Florida in 2026.

Gaetz will take on gun safety activist Gay Valimont in November. Republicans out-register Democrats in the district by 34%, 55%-21%.

13th District

In Floridas 13th Congressional District, which encompasses the eastern and northern parts of Pinellas County (the district was redrawn in a map favored by Gov. Ron DeSantis that moved the more Democratic-leaning parts of St. Petersburg into Hillsborough County Democrat Kathy Castors district), former Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority communications director Whitney Fox declared victory just about 10 minutes after the polls closed.

I am deeply grateful and humbled by the trust voters have placed in me to be their Democratic nominee for Congress, she said. This victory isnt mine  it belongs to every parent struggling with rising costs, every senior worried about their health care, and every young person fighting for a better future.

Quickly after she declared her candidacy, Fox became the Democratic Party establishment favorite, winning endorsements from several members of the Democratic congressional delegation like Kathy Castor, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Lois Frankel, and she raised more than twice as more than twice as much money as any other Democrat in the contest.

Fox will face incumbent Anna Paulina Luna in the general election, just completing her first term in office.

Anna Paulina Lunas extreme agenda puts partisan politics over people and threatens to take away our freedoms, Fox said. Luna tells struggling families to just move if they dont like her cruel policies. Well, I say its time for to move Luna out of office!

Fox referred to a comment Luna made recorded on video by Forbes in March when asked about Democrats pushing for a federal law to protect abortion access. Federally, we shouldnt be voting on that, Luna said. That should be up to the states to decide. And, frankly, if you dont like it, move out of your state. Move somewhere else.

Fox finished well ahead of Sabrina Bousbar, a 27-year-old Gen Z Democrat who formerly worked in the Biden administration as a senior adviser in the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.

Luna was unopposed in the primary. She released a statement thanking the residents of Pinellas and boasting that I have successfully fulfilled ALL my campaign promises.

Luna won the district by 8 points in 2022 over Democrat Eric Lynn, and the district has only become redder over the past two years. There are nearly 55,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats, and they now hold an 11% lead in voter registration (41%-30%, with NPAs at 27%).

9th District

There is only one congressional seat held by a Florida Democrat that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has targeted as a possible pick-up this year: Its in Floridas 9th Congressional District held by Darren Soto that encompasses Osceola County and parts of Orange and Polk Counties in Central Florida.

Sotos GOP opponent will be former Osceola County School Board member and retired U.S. Army Col. Thomas Chalifoux, who defeated two other opponents  former Florida House member John Quinones (2002-2007) and Jose Castillo, who has worked in management for the Walt Disney Co. in Orlando for more than a decade, according to his website.

Soto, Chalifoux, and NPA candidate Marcus Carter bump heads on Nov. 5.

The district is Democratic leaning, with 37% of all voters registered as Democratic; NPAs make up 34% of the district, with Republicans at 26%.

27th District

In Floridas 27th Congressional District encompassing Miami and its southern suburbs, Republican Maria Elvira Salazar easily defeated Royland Lara and will run in November against Miami-Dade County School Board member Lucia Baez-Geller in November, after Baez-Geller defeated Biscayne Mayor Mike Davey 54%-46%, Tuesday night in the Democratic primary.

Donald Trump won the district by less than one percentage point in 2020. The voter registration is broken down as: 36% Republican, 32% NPA, and 30% Democratic.
Ridgeway man leads deputies on car chase into NC at speeds over 100mph, sheriff says

Ridgeway man leads deputies on car chase into NC at speeds over 100mph, sheriff says

HENRY COUNTY, Va. (WFXR)  The Henry County Sheriff says a man who led deputies on two vehicle chases ended with a P.I.T. maneuver in North Carolina on August 21.

According to the sheriff, around 12:48 a.m. on Wednesday, a call regarding a reckless driver near the 15000 block of A.L. Philpott Hwy was received by the Martinsville/Henry County Communication Center.

The caller claimed a man, later identified as 21-year-old Ashton Blaze Wright from Ridgeway, was driving a black Ford Mustang and allegedly doing burnouts and speeding close to his home.

The caller continued to say that he followed Wrights car down A.L Philpott Hwy, then off the Greensboro Road exit, and into the City of Martinsville. During this time, Wright allegedly continued to drive recklessly.

Man wanted by 4 agencies arrested in Henry County, hiding under trap door

It was around this time that Martinsville Police Officers arrived and moved behind the car for a traffic stop. However, the sheriff says that Wright allegedly ignored the officers, and increased his speed, which started a vehicle chase.

The chase began down Memorial Blvd towards Walmart, then onto Virginia Ave, before turning left on Koehler Road. The pursuit ended when officers then lost sight of Wright near the intersection of Koehler Road and Appalachian Drive.

During the course of investigating, it was learned the Ford Mustang Wright was driving was registered to another individual and also identified an address on Ford Camp Road in Ridgeway. Henry County Sheriffs Deputies then went to the home in an attempt to locate Wright and the vehicle. When they arrived, the Ford Mustang was found parked in the driveway still running.

When deputies approached the driveway, the car allegedly fled a second time, driving through the yard.

Amherst County Sheriff confirms Elsie Wiggingtons body recovered during search

Deputies chased Wright down Lee Ford Camp Road towards Greensboro Road while he again allegedly drove in a very reckless and dangerous manner.

At speeds allegedly well over 100mph, Wright led officers across Greensboro Road, down Church Street, and eventually making a right turn onto Route 87.

The chase finally ended after entering North Carolina on West Meadow Road when Henry County Deputies performed a Precision Immobilization Technique (P.I.T) maneuver, causing the Mustang to lose traction and slide into an embankment.

Wright was then taken into custody without further incident.

Ashton Blaze Wright has been arrested and charged with the following:

Felony Eluding Police-Henry County Felony

Eluding Police-Martinsville City

Reckless Driving- Eden NC

He is currently being held in Rockingham County Adult Detention Center awaiting extradition.

This investigation is ongoing, if you have any information regarding this incident, please call the Henry County Sheriffs Office at 276-638-8751. You can also call Crimestoppers at 63-CRIME (632-7463). The Crimestoppers Program offers rewards up to $2500.00 for information related to a crime. The nature of the crime and the substance of the information determine the amount of reward paid.

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BOSSIER PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS)  Bossier Sheriff Julian Whittington says a 55-year-old Ringgold man drowned near Lake Bistineau Damn was recovered Wednesday morning.

According to investigators, it happened around 1:00 p.m. Tuesday as Kenneth Gibson and his nephew were fishing.

More: Local News

They say the men tried to cross a rock shelf, slipped, and fell into swift waters. The nephew could swim to the bank and get out of the water. Gibson was swept into a canal with swirling water and never resurfaced.

His body was found about 250 yards from the dam; his family was notified of the recovery and his body was brought to the Bossier Parish Coroners Office.

During the search efforts, bossier deputies worked with South Bossier Fire District, Bienville Fire District, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agents, the Bienville Parish Sheriffs Office, and other agencies.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com.
Ukraines bold military incursion into Russia has caught President Vladimir Putin off guard and impressed NATO countries, but U.S. officials are concerned that if the operation continues, Kyivs forces could be stretched too thin.

Russia, so far, has struggled to organize an effective response to the Aug. 6 surprise Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region, which has forced it to divert some troops from Ukraine to shore up its defenses inside Russia itself, according to three U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter.

But the number of troops that Russia has had to withdraw from Ukraine is not significant, said one of the U.S. officials, and it remains unclear if the Russian military will be forced to scale back its presence along front lines near Kharkiv or elsewhere. So far, Russia has yet to mobilize enough combat power to retake the territory captured by Ukraine.

U.S. officials and military analysts warn that there is a risk that Ukraines supply lines could be overextended as it tries to sustain troops fighting inside Russia as well as fend off Russian assaults across eastern Ukraine.

Its a concern, said one U.S. official.

As Ukrainian troops push forward inside Russia, including attacks on key bridges leading into the area, Moscows forces are advancing in eastern Ukraine, near the city of Pokrovsk.

U.S. officials say the precise objectives of the Ukrainian offensive inside Russia remain unclear, including whether Kyiv intends to hold on to captured territory indefinitely to use as a bargaining chip in potential peace negotiations, or pull back into Ukraine.

Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters on Tuesday that the Ukrainians clearly have compelled the Russians to struggle in their response.

It has certainly demonstrated the creativity and the battlefield prowess of the Ukrainians, Ryder said. But when it comes to what their longer-term objectives are, thats something that were still discussing with them.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, on Monday about battlefield dynamics, Ukraines ongoing operations, and Ukrainian reconstitution and training efforts, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Soldiers at the Ukraine-Russia border checkpoint in Sudzha, Russia, on Aug. 16.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that the offensive is aimed at creating a buffer zone along Ukraine's border to protect it from Russian aerial bombardment and wear down Russias military. In a speech, Zelenskyy said the offensive has shown that Russias threats of retaliation amount to bluster and that Ukraines supporters should ease restrictions on the use of Western-made weapons.

We are witnessing a significant ideological shift  the naive, illusory concept of so-called red lines regarding Russia, which dominated the assessment of the war by some partners, has crumbled these days somewhere near Sudzha, Zelenskyy said, referring to a town in western Russia now occupied by Ukrainian troops.

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had seized more than 480 square miles and 92 settlements in Russias Kursk region. But it is unclear whether they can hold the territory for an extended period.

Matthew Savill, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute, a U.K.-based think tank, said that if Ukraine tries to retain control of the captured area inside Russia, its troops would soon be vulnerable to heavy Russian air and ground attacks.

The challenge is that it looks like the Ukrainians might be about to consolidate and dig in, Savill said. Once they do that, and their rate of advance has slowed, they will become a target. And so the question for them is, how long are they planning to endure?

If Ukraine tries to hold on to territory around Kursk for several months, that is going to be tough just to logistically supply that in the face of Russian air attack, added Savill, a former senior official in the U.K. ministry of defense.

But Savill said there was a chance that Ukraines assault in the Kursk region could force Russia to bolster its ranks and pull out large numbers of troops north of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, which has been under intense pressure from Russian forces for months.

Savill, other former officials and analysts have said Ukraines incursion was designed to change perceptions of the war in the Kremlin, inside Ukraine and among Western allies.

They have shown that they go on the attack. They can pose a threat, he said. They have probably changed calculations in Moscow about the extent to which it needs to defend more effectively along the whole line.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Riviera Beach has added more of what cities throughout Palm Beach County have been desperate to get  affordable housing.

The city recently celebrated the grand opening of Berkeley Landing, a 112-unit project at 3100 Broadway that was built for people who earn 30% to 80% of the area median income, which, according to Housing and Urban Development estimates, is $104,000. Based on that figure, 30% of area median income would be $31,200 while 80% would be $83,200.

Bank of America provided $48 million in debt and equity funding for project, which took 28 months to build.

Berkeley Landing has 110 affordable units and two market-rate units. The apartments range from one to three bedrooms and include energy-saving appliances. Complex amenities include a clubhouse, a pool and cabana, a fitness center, cyber lounge, a covered pavilion, a playground and a dog walking area.

The Berkeley Landing development is an important addition to the Riviera Beach community as the shortage of quality affordable housing remains a pressing issue, said Coraly Rodriguez, a partner at Pinnacle, which developed the project along with Wendover Housing. Our goal with this development is to address the growing demand for affordable housing while also contributing to the citys successful efforts to revitalize the Broadway corridor.

Berkeley Landing has 110 affordable units and two market-rate units. The new Riviera Beach apartments range from one to three bedrooms and include energy-saving appliances.

Broadway has long been a trouble spot for Riviera Beach, but the city has recently made it the focus of revitalization efforts.

The board of the Riviera Beach Community Redevelopment Agency has advanced a massive, 25-story, $500 million project that would transform the Broadway corridor.

On July 24, CRA board members unanimously accepted a staff recommendation that the Oculina project be considered for approval by the City Council. Given that the CRA board members are also members of the City Council, the unanimous vote was a strong indicator of the project's prospects.

Oculina has been on the drawing board for at least three years as staff members of the CRA, which uses taxpayer money to revitalize distressed parts of the city, vetted it. The project, located on the southeast corner of Broadway and Silver Beach Road, where a closed grocery store now sits, would include 399 residential units, 9,680 square feet of retail space, 17,120 square feet of restaurant space and 11,000 square feet of office space.

The affordable housing issue: How much are average rent prices in Palm Beach County?

In Riviera Beach, as in other parts of Palm Beach County, rents have skyrocketed in recent years. Three years ago, average rents were less than $1,600 per month. Now, they are approaching $2,000 per month, according to figures from RentCafe.com, which tracks rental rates and market conditions.

We developed Berkeley Landing to alleviate some of this pressure," said Ryan von Weller, chief operating officer at Wendover Housing Partners. "With spacious units, high-quality amenities, and most of all, affordable prices, Berkeley Landing will provide residents with peace of mind and a comfortable place to call home.

MORE: Palm Beach Post covers the migration of wealth to our area: Boon for some, bust for others

MORE: Why Riviera Beach could be a gem of a place to live in the future despite past struggles

Riviera Beach Mayor Ronnie Felder said he is glad lending and development partners came together so the city could add much-needed affordable housing to its stock.

"It truly takes a community and dedicated partners with shared interests to bring affordable, quality housing to our residents," Felder said. "This collaboration shows our commitment to improving the lives of our citizens and building a stronger, more inclusive, and revitalized Riviera Beach. Berkeley Landing is a welcome initiative to continue to uplift and empower our community."

Wayne Washington is a journalist covering West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and race relations for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Riviera Beach continues revitalization with affordable housing
The News

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is expected to suspend his campaign on Friday in Phoenix where he plans to address the nation.

ABC News first reported that Kennedy plans to drop out. A person familiar with the situation confirmed to Semafor that he plans to suspend his campaign on Friday.

The expected suspension  and potential endorsement of Trump  is in part the result of a quiet, months-long effort from Don Jr., donor Omeed Malik, and Tucker Carlson to coax him over to Trumps corner. The three have worked to facilitate conversations with the former president and Kennedy in recent months.

I havent spoken to RFK personally, but I know theres been a lot of communication back and forth between RFK, between the campaign, between this campaign, Trumps running mate JD Vance, who also has a close relationship with the trio responsible for Kennedys likely endorsement, told NBC News on Wednesday.

Rumors that Kennedy could leave the race have gained steam this week ever since the independent candidates running mate Nicole Shanahan suggested he might do it to help Donald Trump.

In an interview with podcaster Tom Bilyeu, posted Tuesday morning, Shanahan said that the changing race gave her and Kennedy two options. They could run through November, and run the risk of a Kamala Harris and [Tim] Walz presidency  or, they could drop out and join forces with Trump to consolidate their vote.

Shanahan doubled down on the remarks during an interview with Fox News today, attacking the Democratic Party for obstructing their efforts at ballot access and saying she would fully support Kennedy taking a role in a second Trump administration. Hours later, the Kennedy campaign scheduled a Friday afternoon speech in Phoenix about the present historical moment and his path forward.

Trump is notably scheduled to host an event in Phoenix the same day, though its not yet clear if they will join each other.

The former presidents allies celebrated Shanahans comments and the sudden speech announcement.

It definitely doesnt hurt, one campaign advisor said of a potential endorsement.

The Kennedy campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment about his upcoming plans.

Know More

Democrats and the Trump campaign had both kept an eye on Kennedy as a potential spoiler after he abandoned his campaign for the Democratic nomination and re-launched as an independent.

In October, internal Trump polling showed that Kennedy could take more votes from Trump than Joe Biden. That was Trumps cue to remind voters of his very liberal views, one Trumpworld source told Semafor at the time. By May, Trump was personally posting that Kennedy was a Democrat Plant and Radical Left Liberal.

Those fears among Republicans faded as Biden struggled in polls. They reappeared this month, after Harris replaced Biden as the nominee and consolidated Democratic-leaning voters who had been considering Kennedy  a trend that showed up instantly in polling and focus groups.

Trumps tone also shifted in that time. In a video leaked by one of Kennedys children, one week before Biden quit the race, Trump talked sympathetically about Kennedys skepticism about childhood vaccines, and said cryptically that he would love you to do something.

This week, Trump openly said hed entertain giving Kennedy a position. Hes a brilliant guy. Hes a very smart guy. Ive known him for a very long time, Trump told CNN. I didnt know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly Id be open to it.

David's and Shelby's View

How would this move the needle in the presidential race? Trump and his allies would love to take Kennedy off the board, confident that most of his remaining voters wont support Harris. If that happened, it could make a difference in a race thats effectively tied as of now.

Kennedy, part of the Democratic Partys most storied dynasty, had laid out countless reasons why he couldnt support Trump. Could a life-long environmental lawyer support a candidate who wanted to dismantle environmental regulation? Could he spend a year attacking the establishment and asking people to declare independence, then tell them to get behind a former Republican president?

The candidate would have credibility issues right away. As he tumbled to low single digits in polling this month, he shopped around a potential endorsement to both Trump and Kamala Harris campaign in an effort to snag himself a position in an upcoming administration.

Democrats offered him nothing. They viewed the candidate with contempt, and operated an anti-Kennedy DNC team and a super PAC designed to drive his numbers down and block him from state ballots. While Republicans believe that anti-establishment, non-white voters who now support Kennedy could move to Trump, Democrats already saw him as a stalking horse for GOP donors to drag down their party. A Republican super PAC sent mail to swing state Democrats, insisting that Kennedy was a pro-choice progressive, for example.

Notable

As Semafor reported, RFK Jr. also briefly shopped himself back around to Democrats as a Biden replacement in July. Im the only presidential candidate who can beat Donald Trump, he told reporters.

Its been quite the month for Kennedy, who admitted to picking up a dead bear on the side of the road in 2014, driving it into Manhattan, then deciding to abandon it in Central Park while trying to make it look like it died in a bike accident.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the campaign trail in October. Miami Herald via Getty Images

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. intends to end his campaign for president, several outlets reported Wednesday, citing unnamed sources familiar with Kennedys plans  spelling a likely end for the anti-vaccine activist and Kennedy family scions longshot bid for the White House.

Kennedys campaign said in an email Wednesday afternoon that he would address the nation live on Friday about the present historical moment and his path forward. The campaign did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment on several reports that Kennedy would be dropping out.

ABC News reported that Kennedy would end his presidential bid by the end of the week, citing unnamed sources familiar with the decision. Within a couple of hours, other outlets had matched the report: CNN reported Kennedy would suspend his campaign at an event in Arizona on Friday, citing a source familiar, and NBC News similarly reported he intended to end his campaign, citing two sources familiar with the plans.

The stories differed slightly on whether Kennedy plans to endorse Donald Trump; multiple reports said an endorsement was likely, but stressed that talks between the campaigns were ongoing.

Kennedys running mate, Nicole Shanahan, previously expressed concern about running the risk of a Kamala Harris and [Tim] Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump. Trump, the 2024 Republican nominee, has for weeks been making apparent overtures toward Kennedy, perhaps wary of the independent candidates impact on his own chances in November, and Kennedy has reportedly spoken with Trump about endorsing him and potentially joining a second Trump administration.

Kennedys outreach to Vice President Kamala Harris presidential campaign this month, on the other hand, was met with indifference, according to Kennedy.

For years, Kennedy  son of the late senator, attorney general and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy  has parlayed his family name and his credentials as an environmental lawyer into a successful career as an anti-vaccine activist.

Though he has sought to downplay his anti-vaccine views during his presidential bid, Kennedy nonetheless acknowledged the role those views played in his popularity.

Im proud to say that my supporters include both pro-lifers and pro-choicers, they include climate activists and climate skeptics, they include vaccinated and unvaccinated, he said last year, announcing that he would be leaving the Democratic presidential primary field and running as an independent.

The unvaccinated constituency has formed a key pillar of Kennedys base, highlighting the impact of some (mostly conservative) politicians embrace of conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 vaccine. Kennedy spent much of his time on the campaign trail gabbing with media figures like Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson on their podcasts.

We need to start taking care of our own health and stop relying on the pharmaceutical paradigm, said Kennedy, sitting alongside his wife, actor Cheryl Hines, on Russell Brands show last year.



Slipping Polls



Kennedy started his bid for the White House as a Democrat, filing paperwork to challenge President Joe Biden for the partys nomination in April 2023. He switched to an independent bid sixmonths later, telling a rally of supporters at Philadelphias Independence Mall: What really terrifies the elites, though, is not me, its what I represent  a populist movement that defies left-right divisions.



Though surveys months before Election Day are not predictive, early polls showed meaningful interest in Kennedy , who endorsed the spoiler label that both Democrats and Republicans applied to his campaign. A Quinnipiac poll in late October 2023 showed him at 22% support as an independent candidate running against Biden and Trump  more than Ross Perot received in his 1992 independent presidential bid.



This summer, polls showed support for Kennedy in the low double digits, but he did not qualify to appear on the debate stage alongside Biden and Trump, having fallen short of CNNs threshold for polling and ballot access in enough states to plausibly win the presidency. Both issues  lack of popular support and lack of ballot access across several states  remained key obstacles for Kennedy until the end of his candidacy.



Even before Biden dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Harris for the top of the Democratic ticket, Kennedys numbers were trending in the wrong direction. But Bidens withdrawal was a serious blow to the Kennedy campaign, which had initially been buoyed by double-hater voters who dreaded what had appeared to be an upcoming rematch between two elderly men vying for another term in the Oval Office. One New York Times poll, conducted around the same time as the Quinnipiac poll, found that a fifth of voters in battleground states held unfavorable views of both Biden and Trump.



With Harris, Democrats experienced a jolt of enthusiasm, and the appetite for Kennedy appeared to drop. On Aug. 14, Pew Research Center reported that in addition to holding on to the support of those who backed Biden in July, Harris bump has largely come from those who had previously said they supported or leaned toward Kennedy.



The drop in support likely wasnt helped by Kennedys non-denials in response to allegations of sexual assault  or by his bizarre admission that he once dumped a bear carcass in New York Citys Central Park.



Mixed Appeal



The implications of Kennedy likely dropping out of the race arent immediately clear, particularly in potentially election-deciding swing states where results could be determined by just a few thousand votes.

Part of the confusion comes from Kennedys political coalition. Though he started out as a Democrat, many of his early cheerleaders were Republicans, and several of Kennedys deepest-pocketed donors supported both his and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis presidential bids, Axios reported. DeSantis once commented that, if elected president, he would sic Kennedy on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Food and Drug Administration.

Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, in particular, spent years promoting Kennedys views, and believed Kennedys presidential bid could be both a useful chaos agent in [the] 2024 race and a big name who could help stoke anti-vax sentiment around the country, CBS News Robert Costa reported in April.



To further muddy the waters, most of Kennedys significant financial supporters are difficult to profile. In March, Politico found that, of roughly 21,000 donors whod given Kennedys campaign at least $200 since he switched to an independent candidacy, 74 percent of them did not make any political donations during the 2020 cycle.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a campaign event, soliciting signatures in support of getting his name on the ballot for the 2024 general election on Nov. 14 in Columbia, South Carolina. Meg Kinnard via Associated Press

As a candidate for president, Kennedy has pledged to stop the National Institutes of Healths work on infectious diseases. Other policy priorities arent so clear. Kennedy said he personally favored a Medicare for All health care model, for example, but argued that actually pursuing that policy would be too much of a heavy lift. In August, Kennedy said he would support a nationwide abortion ban after the first three months of pregnancy  only to walk back the position the same day. The flip-flops are part of a pattern for the candidate.

Kennedys remarks have often been inflammatory. In 2022, months before launching his presidential bid, Kennedy criticized vaccine mandates by saying that even in Hitlers Germany you could cross the Alps into Switzerland, you could hide in an attic like Anne Frank did. (He later apologized for the remark.)

In July 2023, Kennedy falselysaid of COVID-19: There is an argument that it is ethnically targeted. COVID-19 attacks certain races disproportionately ... COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese. (Kennedy said the New York Post, which first reported his remarks, was mistaken, and that he never believed the virus was deliberately engineered to target certain ethnicities. Still, he said, it serves as a kind of proof of concept for ethnically targeted bioweapons.)

Members of Kennedys family have denounced his campaign due to his anti-vaccine work. Several of his siblings wrote on social media that they believed his candidacy was perilous for our country. (Theres a lot of members of my family who are working for the Biden administration and they have their own opinions about issues, Kennedy said of the denunciation.)

An Anti-Vaccine Candidate

Decades ago, Kennedy began promoting faulty research that claimed, falsely, to show a link between autism and the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. (Before HuffPost shuttered its unpaid contributor platform in 2017, Kennedy wrote several blog entries denigrating vaccines. Those posts, along with others spreading misinformation about vaccines, have since been removed from the site.)

Kennedys modern place atop a crowded community of anti-vaccine activists began with the publication of his piece Deadly Immunity in Rolling Stone and Salon in 2005. The article falsely suggested a link between a former vaccine preservative and autism, and accused the scientific community of conspiring to bury evidence of that supposed connection. Rolling Stone eventually removed the piece from its website and Salon issued a lengthy retraction, but the article made Kennedy a hero to the anti-vaccine movement. (Kennedy has stood by the piece through the years. Last June, he called it my award-winning article in a note to National Review.)

When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, Kennedy switched gears, falsely referring to the COVID-19 jab as the deadliest vaccine ever made. Meanwhile, Childrens Health Defense, the anti-vaccine group he founded, doubled its revenue to nearly $7 million in 2020, according to The Associated Press. Kennedy reported a $516,000 income from the group, part of millions in overall income, in the year before he entered the presidential race.

Kennedys impact on American public life will likely long outlast his presidential campaign. Last November, the CDC reported that a record-high 3% of children entering kindergarten had received a vaccine exemption from their state.

Related...
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reportedly on the verge of quitting the race. (Matt Slocum / Associated Press)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears on the verge of dropping his bid for the presidency, a long-shot candidacy that became even more difficult to pursue given the burst of enthusiasm for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.

Kennedy has called a news conference Friday in Phoenix, with a news release saying the onetime Democrat and scion of one of the nations great political dynasties will address the nation  about the present historical moment and his path forward.

The announcement came as news outlets reported Kennedy would leave the race and following interviews in which his vice presidential running mate, Nicole Shanahan, speculated about an end to their race for the White House.

Shanahan said in an interview with a YouTube personality that the duo might withdraw from the race, with Kennedy potentially endorsing former President Trump, the Republican nominee.

Read more: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. struggles for relevance as presidential campaign is remade

The Bay Area tech lawyer also said that the independent ticket might stay in the race in hopes of creating a viable political movement for a future White House run. She added: But we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and [Minnesota Gov. Tim] Walz presidency, as we draw votes from Trump  we draw somehow more votes from Trump.

In a separate interview with Fox News, Shanahan said that while Kennedy would make the decision, she was supportive of the idea of Kennedy, the son of former senator and attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, withdrawing and taking a job in a future Trump administration.

We have the worst chronic health crisis in the world right now; over 50% of children are diagnosed with some chronic disease, said Shanahan, whose daughter is autistic. This is unconscionable, and we are willing to work with anyone who is sincere in their endeavor to fix and address this issue."

Asked by Fox host Trace Gallagher whether she saw a home for Kennedy  who has advanced debunked theories about vaccines  in a Trump White House, perhaps in the Department of Health and Human Services, Shanahan said she did.

I would fully support it. I would fully support a strong partnership dedicated to this issue, she said. A lot of  people comment that in his first term, he didn't accomplish many of the things that mothers really were hoping he would do. [He] made some big mistakes around the pandemic. However, I think that he is sincere.

In an interview Tuesday with CNN, Trump said of Kennedy: I like him a lot. I respect him a lot. I didnt know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly Id be open to" appointing him to an administration position.

Trump told Fox Business on Wednesday that he knew of no plan for Kennedy to endorse him but, I mean, if he endorsed me, would I be honored by that? Absolutely."

Kennedy, a 70-year-old Los Angeles resident, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The longtime environmental attorney and his 38-year-old running mate have been complaining for months about the Democratic Party, which has contested efforts by Kennedy and Shanahan to qualify for the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Kennedy, who dropped out of the Democratic primary race in October, accused the party of not supporting open elections, which he says his father and uncle, President John F. Kennedy, once did.

My father and my uncle were members of a Democratic Party that was at the forefront of making sure that every American could vote for the candidate they wanted to, Kennedy posted on the social media platform X this week. Todays Democratic Party is doing the opposite.

Read more: Judge rules against RFK Jr. in fight to be on New York ballot, says he falsely claimed residence

Kennedy talked to Trump for about 90 minutes last month, sparking speculation then that Kennedy might consider backing the Republican.

Harris entry into the presidential race has drawn the lions share of media attention for the last month and pushed Kennedy further to the periphery. Lagging in the polls, he did not meet the requirements to make the debate stage alongside Trump and President Biden in June. He held an alternative session, which streamed online, but it drew a tiny audience.

When he has attracted coverage, it has sometimes been unfavorable. That included a revelation from the New Yorker magazine this month that Kennedy once drove the carcass of a dead bear cub from the woods into New York City, where he left the bloodied corpse in Central Park as a "prank."

Federal election reports show that the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket has been able to raise $57 million, substantial for an independent candidacy but less than one-fourth of the amount raised by the Harris campaign. Kennedy had just $3.9 million in cash on hand Wednesday, Federal Election Commission data showed.

Kennedy had hoped that Americans disappointment with the two major party candidates  Trump and, for months, Biden  would give him a lane to create a nonpartisan unity government.

Now, he appears closer to unifying with the Republican nominee and spurning the party that his father and uncle once led.

On Friday, a few hours after Kennedy's planned speech in Phoenix, Trump will attend a rally in suburban Phoenix.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor, released his public safety plan in Statesville on Wednesday. Robinson pledged if elected he would stand with law enforcement, reject efforts to defund the police, and reinstate the death penalty for those convicted of killing police and corrections officers.

Robinson said that he would work with the legislature to pass a bill that requires law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and honor Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers.

Different versions of legislation requiring North Carolinas sheriffs to work with federal immigration officials have passed both the state House and Senate, but final votes have stalled because Republican lawmakers have not agreed on details. Gov. Roy Cooper has twice vetoed similar measures.

Advocates for North Carolinas immigrant have also argued that forced cooperation makes immigrants less likely to report crimes or work with law enforcement.

In an effort to crackdown on violent crime, Robinson said that he would appoint judges that would follow the law and stop letting violent criminals out on the street with a slap on the wrist.

The Robinson campaign charges that the policies of Kamala Harris and Josh Stein have led to a rise in human trafficking and drug smuggling.

Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough, who is backing Josh Stein, called the Robinson press conference is too little, too late.

He may talk the talk when it comes to public safety, but he has yet to answer for his long history of promoting division and making law enforcement jobs more difficult  he cant be trusted to lead our state, said Kimbrough in a statement.

Steins campaign notes that as attorney general, Stein has helped clear the backlog of rape kits and lead efforts to address the rise in fentanyl trafficking and overdose deaths.

As part of a bi-partisan group of state Attorneys General, Stein helped secure $1.5 billion in funds for North Carolina against the drug companies that fueled a wave of opioid addition.

Robinson said in a 2023 speech that the attorney general should go after real dope gangs rather than focus on the drug companies.

Wednesdays press event by the Robinson campaign comes as former President Donald Trump and running mate, Sen. JD Vance, are set to deliver remarks on national security in Asheboro.

Recent polls show Stein with a lead in North Carolinas gubernatorial race over Robinson.
Are Rock Hill region grads ready to work after high school? Some more than others

What kinds of jobs will local high school students find once they get diplomas? A lot depends on where they live, and what schools they attend.

The South Carolina Department of Education released new information this month on career readiness. The state tested high school students in math, reading, data assessment and soft skills to see how their abilities stack up with some of the most common workforce needs.

Students in the Fort Mill and Clover school districts scored high marks across the board. Districts like Rock Hill, York and Lancaster County had high spots, including how their students ranked by minority status or proficiency in English.

Some local scores also showed students unprepared for most types of work beyond a high school degree.

Here are four takeaways from the state data. For a more in-depth look and explanations, scroll through the graphic below to compare state, district and school results.

What do career readiness scores mean?

The state tests 11th graders in four subjects to measure skills employers look for, according to the education department. Math, reading and data are scored one through five. Soft skills are either pass or fail.

Level one scores project to jobs that may or may not require a diploma. Workers typically wouldnt need previous work-related skills or knowledge.

Anything above a Level one score earns a state credential.

Level two means jobs require a diploma and months of job training or an apprenticeship. Some work-related skill is usually needed. Level three aligns with jobs that need vocational school or an associates degree.

Level four scores mean jobs require a four-year college degree.

Level five jobs take graduate school or higher education.

The state doesnt give examples of jobs that fit into each category.

Fort Mill and Clover producing work-ready graduates

No traditional public school districts rank higher than Fort Mill and Clover for producing job-ready graduates (levels two through five). Fort Mill also ranks highest for having the most advanced job skills.

Fort Mill had 91.4% of its test-takers earned some credential level. Only two Governors School districts, both with 99% or more, scored higher. Clover came in right behind Fort Mill at 84.2%, or 12% higher than state mark.

Fort Mill also had the highest percentage of students score a four or five among traditional districts.

Scores by demographics

Fort Mill finished in a class of its own, but other area districts saw bright spots among results for minority, poor, limited-English-speaking and other students.

Of 40 test categories broken down by demographics and subject, Fort Mill led the state 19 times in students scoring level two or higher. Fort Mill finished second 11 more times, and never worse than No. 9 among traditional school districts in any category.

Clover finished in the top 10 in 15 categories. Reading scores for limited-English learners were second best in the state. Clover was third best in girls math, limited-English data and reading scores for boys, girls and Black students.

Lancaster County had five top 10 spots. Math for students of two or more races was No. 4 statewide. Math for students with disabilities and data for limited-English learners each ranked No. 5.

Rock Hill fared best among Asian (No. 4), limited-English (No. 5) and Hispanic (No. 5) scores in soft skills testing. The district also was No. 4 in reading for Asian students.

Hispanic students in York finished No. 8 in math.

The smaller group rankings tended to favor larger districts since data wasnt included for smaller ones when there werent enough students tested in some demographic groups.

How results changed in a year

Students who scored in levels two through five, increased 0.6% statewide from last years testing to the new data this year. But math, reading and data rates all dropped between 0.3% and 0.7%. The increase came in soft skills, where pass rate increased 1.6%.

Among area districts, Fort Mill and Rock Hill scored better this year than last.

Fort Mill credential rates rose 5.8%, including jumps between 3.4% and 3.9% in math, reading and data analysis. Rock Hill upped its credential rate 3% on an increase of 8.4% for soft skills. Math (-3.8%) and data (-2.7%) dropped, while reading went up 1.2%.

Despite is high overall rankings, the credential rate in Clover dropped 2.4% year-to-year. York dropped 3.1% despite small gains in reading, and Lancaster County went down 4.2% overall despite a soft skills uptick.

Chester County scored an overall credential rate of 57.1%, down 9.9% in a year. Math was down 16%, data 10.4%, reading 6.3% and soft skills 8.7%. About one in every three Chester County students scored a level one in math.
Rockford homeowners inch closer to being able to keep gravel driveways

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO)  Certain Rockford homeowners are one step closer to being able to keep their gravel driveways after aldermen approved a motion to re-word a 50-year-old ordinance.

The ordinance will require new driveways to be made of asphalt or gravel but would exempt single-family homes.

Third Ward Alderman Chad Tunenberg said they still need to review arguments both for and against before making a final decision.

For some individuals, paving their driveway is extremely cost-inefficient for what their property may be worth, he said. That is part of the discussion. But, if you are someone who has become compliant in the past with paving your driveway, and all of a sudden the ordinance changes [to] where you dont have to pave your driveway, that could upset some people.

City Council will vote on the changes after administrators change the wording of the ordinance.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyStateline | WTVO News, Weather and Sports.
School bus cameras snag cars illegally passing. But some fight tickets. Did you get one?

NEW CITY - With the start of the 2024-25 school year just a couple weeks away, Rockland County Executive Ed Day warned Tuesday that passing a stopped school bus will bring hefty fines.

Rockland County school districts have joined a public-private partnership, coordinated by the county, that installs cameras on school buses. The cameras track vehicles that pass a bus when the lights are flashing and the safety arm and stop sign are out, signs that the bus is in the process of letting off students. Then the information is packaged for law enforcement to review and issue violations.

"A moment of impatience is never worth the risk to a child's life," Day said outside Clarkstown North High School.

Rockland last year announced its School Bus Safety Initiative that partners with BusPatrol, a private company that operates the cameras. The Rockland County Sheriff's Department handles the ticketing. Day said that 100% of districts have joined; all buses that contract with districts are being retrofitted with the camera systems.

How big is the problem?

Stopped school buses are passed by drivers about 50,000 times each year in New York, according to the New York Association for Pupil Transportation.

Rockland officials estimated 17,000 violations had been issued throughout the county since some districts phased in the program last school year.

Suffolk, Nassau, Dutchess and other counties around the state have similar programs. Westchester County has passed the required law to implement the program and plans a launch this school year. The city of Yonkers has its own program that's fully operational.

More: How do school bus cameras catch scofflaws? What we saw on a Yonkers bus ride along

What's the law for passing school buses?

New York law mandates that when a school bus is stopped and its red lights flashing, drivers must stop their vehicles in both directions at least 20 feet from the bus. That's on any roadway, from a two-lane residential street to a divided highway.

New York adopted rules in 2019 and extended them this year to allow municipalities to issue tickets for passing a stopped bus using data from cameras, paving the way for vendor-municipal partnerships like the one in Rockland.

But the program is not without controversy.

Can the camera system make mistakes?

New York has long had laws mandating that vehicles stop for a bus letting off kids.

But some drivers  and a couple judges  around the state have said the automated system is flawed.

In Suffolk County, nearly 90% of contested tickets were dismissed after a state Appellate Court in November 2023 ruled in favor of a driver's challenge, WABC reported.

A judge in Colonie, near Albany, similarly dismissed a week's worth of tickets in March.

The state Legislature in April added language to the statutes that makes clear that motorists have to prove they didn't pass the bus when kids were disembarking.

The ticket goes to the vehicle's owner, since there's no way to determine who is driving.

License plate readers mounted on the side of a Clarkstown School District bus at Clarkstown North High School in New City on Tuesday, August 20, 2024. The systems installed by Bus Partol capture video and photos of vehicles if they pass the bus while the stop sign is out and red lights are on.

Jed Furphy of Clarkstown said he is concerned about people passing buses that are discharging students, and he's called Clarkstown police to watch bus stops where it's been a problem. But he said the automated system seems to be capturing drivers who are passing buses that may have lights on but aren't stopping or letting off children.

"For a ticket to be issued seems a little bit of a stretch if you can't challenge it," Furphy said. He's heard of cases where someone was ticketed even though the bus had yellow lights on, didn't switch to red, or didn't ever fully stop and discharge passengers.

How is the information checked?

Ryan Monell, BusPatrol senior vice president, said the system employs AI to weed violators from drivers who are just close by. He said two people review the images. The ones that are determined to be violations are then sent to law enforcement.

In Rockland, the sheriff's department then reviews the footage and determines if a citation is warranted.

Day said that about 40% of the possible violations forwarded by BusPatrol to the Rockland County Sheriff's Department aren't sent out because deputies who review the data decide against it.

Monell said that he believes none of the Rockland County violations have been dismissed in court.

What are the fines?

A first violation for passing a stopped school bus is $250; a second fine within 18 months is $275. A third fine could hit $300.

The fine, similar to a red-light camera fine, carries no points, since the cameras can't document who was actually driving.

If a driver gets ticketed for the same thing by a police officer, the fine could range from $250 up to $1,000 for a repeat offense. Police-issued violations also could bring up to 5 points on a license  11 points in 18 months can lead to a a driver's license suspension, and points can push insurance costs up.

Where do the fines go?

BusPatrol gets 55% of the revenue from citations within Rockland and the county keeps the other 45%.

Rockland County Sheriff's Department Chief Ted Brovarski said the Sheriff's Patrol has hired a couple more deputies since the BusPatrol system was onboarded. But all officers are trained to review the footage and determine if a ticket is warranted.

"We're not interested in the revenue," Brovarski said. "It's about keeping the students safe ... and educating the public."

Monell said that BusPatrol provides all the equipment, including the cameras, and the programs that help sort out violations.

School districts don't financially benefit from the cameras.

Monell said in some places like Nassau and Suffolk counties, which have operated the programs longer, the number of violations have been decreasing month after month. He attributes that to people learning to change their behavior.

He said that pattern has not yet emerged in Rockland.

Day said that's a goal, noting that he's heard people call the program a "money grab" and dismissed that. "I'd be very happy is we had no violations ever."

Staff writers Asher Stockler and Peter D. Kramer contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Rockland school bus cameras video drivers who don't stop for students
Andrew Tate put under house arrest in Romania over new allegations

Andrew Tate, a self-proclaimed misogynist influencer, has been placed under house arrest by a Romanian judge, his representative said Thursday.

The judges decision comes a day after Romanian police raided the home of Tate and his brother Tristan over new allegations against the pair involving human trafficking and sexual intercourse with a minor.

Tristan Tate has also been placed under judicial control.

The Tate brothers firmly deny all allegations leveled against them, their representative, Mateea Petrescu, said in a statement. The new restrictions will last for at least 30 days, he said.

The two men were taken in for questioning by Romanias anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, CNN affiliate Antena 3 reported Wednesday.

Romanian police said in a statement they had launched four home search warrants, in Bucharest, and nearby Ilfov county.

Police said they were investigating allegations of human trafficking, sexual intercourse with a minor, organizing a criminal group, influencing statements and money laundering.

Andrew Tate has described the situation as a stitch-up, speaking to reporters outside the court where his hearing took place.

Romanian gendarmes from the Special Intervention Brigade escort Tristan Tate outside the Tate brothers' residence in Pipera, Ilfov, near Bucharest on August 21, 2024. - Octav Ganea/Inquam Photos/Reuters

The latest allegations are understood to be in addition to charges already facing Tate, a controversial internet personality and former kickboxer.

He, Tristan and two Romanian citizens were arrested in late 2022 and indicted in mid-2023 on charges of human trafficking, rape and setting up a criminal gang to sexually exploit women  allegations they have denied.

Police said hearings in relation to the latest allegations would be held at DIICOT headquarters, but did not say when.

We make it clear that, during the entire criminal process, the investigated persons benefit from the procedural rights and guarantees provided by the Code of Criminal Procedure, as well as the presumption of innocence, Romanian police said in a statement.

Escorted by police as the brothers left their home earlier on Wednesday, Andrew Tate told reporters that two years, no victims, no pictures of victims, the case falls apart and this all happens again.

What Ive done wrong, who knows? Its certainly not human trafficking, Tate said, according to Antena 3.

CNNs Caitlin Danaher contributed reporting.

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Romanian Gendarmes escort Andrew and Tristan Tate, outside the Tate brothers' residence in Pipera

Romanian Gendarmes escort Andrew and Tristan Tate, outside the Tate brothers' residence in Pipera

By Octav Ganea

BUCHAREST (Reuters) -Internet personality Andrew Tate's home near Bucharest was raided by law enforcement on Wednesday, a Reuters witness said, as Romanian police launched four searches in an investigation into crimes including human trafficking and sex with a minor.

A self-described misogynist, social media influencer Tate has gained millions of fans by promoting an ultra-masculine lifestyle that critics say denigrates women.

He was already indicted in mid-2023 along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian female suspects for human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, allegations they denied.

A photographer working for Reuters who was outside Tate's home said about a dozen masked law enforcement officers had entered the property, before escorting Tate out of the house to a car.

"Anything to put me in jail except to give me a trial. No trial, no judge, this country is crazy," Tate told reporters as he was taken to the car. He was not wearing handcuffs.

Romania's anti-organised crime prosecuting unit DIICOT said it had conducted four home searches within Ilfov county and the Bucharest municipality.

It said the investigation concerned "a criminal case regarding the commission of the crimes of setting up an organised criminal group, trafficking of minors, human trafficking, sexual intercourse with a minor, influencing statements and money laundering".

Tate's representatives confirmed the raid on his home and said the brothers' legal team would "ensure all formalities are carried out correctly".

In July, a Romanian court of appeal overturned a previous ruling which allowed Tate free movement within the European Union while awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking.

(Reporting by Octav Ganea and Stoyan Nenov; Writing by Pawel Florkiewicz, Alan Charlish and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk; Editing by Bernadette Baum, Shounak Dasgupta and Helen Popper)
ROME, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY)  Rome Health Hospital has announced that traffic to their emergency room will be a bit different beginning on Wednesday, August 21.

Starting at noon on Wednesday, the traffic circle will be taken out of service until November. The hospital has said this closure is intended to help contractors complete grading and site work for the hospitals new addition to the Intensive Care Unit and surgical center.

Contractors have constructed a temporary ramp adjacent to the ambulance bay that can be used as a drop-off zone for patients. A temporary walkway will also be constructed across from the ambulance bay for visitors to access the Emergency Room entrance.

Ambulances will also be required to use a temporary exit. When ambulances arrive at the hospital, they may pull into the ambulance bay as normal. However, when they leave the hospital, they will be asked to back out of the bay and take the emergency exit.

There is a great deal of signage posted around the Emergency Department. If you are entering or leaving through the Emergency Department entrance, please be sure to read the signs and follow them. This will make it so everyone can enter and exit easily. Allen Hurd, Director of Plant Operations at Rome Health, said in a statement.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WUTR/WFXV - CNYhomepage.com.
By Ryan Woo, Ethan Wang

BEIJING (Reuters) -Rising unemployment in China is pushing millions of college graduates into a tough bargain, with some forced to accept low-paying work or even subsist on their parents' pensions, a plight that has created a new working class of "rotten-tail kids".

The phrase has become a social media buzzword this year, drawing parallels to the catchword "rotten-tail buildings" for the tens of millions of unfinished homes that have plagued China's economy since 2021.

A record number of college graduates this year are hunting for jobs in a labour market depressed by COVID-19-induced disruptions as well as regulatory crack-downs on the country's finance, tech and education sectors.

The jobless rate for the roughly 100 million Chinese youth aged 16-24 crept above 20% for the first time in April last year. When it hit an all-time high of 21.3% in June 2023, officials abruptly suspended the data series to reassess how numbers were compiled.

One year on, youth unemployment remains a headache, with the reconfigured jobless rate spiking to a 2024 high of 17.1% in July, as 11.79 million college students graduated this summer in an economy still weighed down by its real estate crisis.

President Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed that finding jobs for young people remains a top priority. The government has called for more channels for the youth to access potential employers, such as job fairs, and has rolled out supportive business policies to help boost hiring.

"For many Chinese college graduates, better job prospects, upward social mobility, a sunnier life outlook - all things once promised by a college degree - have increasingly become elusive," said Yun Zhou, assistant professor of sociology, University of Michigan.

Some jobless young people have returned to their hometown to be "full-time children", relying on their parents' retirement pensions and savings.

Even those with post-graduate degrees haven't been spared.

After spending years climbing China's ultra-competitive academic ladder, "rotten-tail kids" are discovering that their qualifications are failing to secure them jobs in a bleak economy.

Their options are limited. Either they cut their expectations for top-paying jobs or find any job to make ends meet. Some have also turned to crime.

Zephyr Cao obtained a master's degree from the prestigious China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing last year.

Now 27, and back in his home province of Hebei, Cao has stopped seeking full-time work after lower-than-expected wages made him question the value of his education.

"If I worked for three or four years after my undergraduate studies, my salary would probably be similar to what I get now with a master's degree," Cao said.

Cao said he was considering pursuing a PhD in hopes his prospects would improve in a few years.

Amada Chen, a recent graduate from Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, quit her sales job at a state-owned enterprise last week after just one month.

She blamed her decision on the toxic work culture and her boss's unrealistic expectations. For the first 15 days of her probation, she was also getting just 60 yuan ($8.40) a day despite having to work 12 hours daily.

"I cried every day for a week," she said.

Chen had wanted to become a quality inspector or a researcher, jobs she thought would match her skills as a traditional Chinese medicine major.

But over 130 job application letters later, she was offered mostly sales or e-commerce related positions.

Chen said she was reconsidering her career path altogether and might turn to modelling.

UNCERTAIN OUTLOOK

Joblessness among college graduates is not without precedent.

In 1999, China dramatically expanded the enrolment capacity of universities in a bid to produce a better educated workforce to drive its fast-growing economy.

But the supply of graduates had kept exceeding jobs, with authorities expressing concern in 2007 over job availability, an issue that receded but never fully faded as more youth armed with degrees entered the market.

The outlook is uncertain even when a student's major aligns with market needs.

Shou Chen finished her third year at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications this year majoring in artificial intelligence.

However, Chen has yet to secure an internship after more than a dozen applications, and remains pessimistic about the job market.

"It may be worse," she said. "After all, there will be more and more people (in this field)."

Supply of tertiary students will exceed demand from 2024 through 2037, after which the effects of falling fertility rates will kick in and sharply narrow the gap, according to a study published in June by China Higher Education Research, a journal under the education ministry.

New college graduates will likely peak at around 18 million in 2034, it said.

($1 = 7.1436 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Ryan Woo and Ethan Wang; Additional reporting by Qiaoyi Li and Laurie ChenEditing by Shri Navaratnam)
Roy man who abused and killed 2-year-old sentenced to life in prison without parole

CONTENT WARNING: The content in this story involves child abuse and may be disturbing to readers. Reader discretion is advised.

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  The northern Utah man who pleaded guilty to abusing and killing a 2-year-old and severely injuring the toddlers twin sister in Roy was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Wednesday.

Jonathan Allen Dunn, 37, pleaded guilty to aggravated murder, two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, and aggravated child abuse earlier this month, according to court documents. In exchange, the prosecution agreed to take the death penalty off the table.

ORIGINAL STORY: Convicted child abuser arrested in toddlers death in Roy

On Wednesday, Aug. 21, the judge sentenced Dunn to life in prison without parole for his Dec. 2023 crimes, saying this way he will not be in a position to hurt anyone else. Dunn was previously convicted of another child abuse case in 2017 after breaking a childs arm.

Dunn spoke at the sentencing hearing and said he was sorry for what he did, adding, I hope that my family can forgive me for what Ive done.

In December, the Roy Police Department said Dunn called 911 and said a toddler he was babysitting fell off a couch and was not breathing. Police said they found the boy unresponsive with dozens of significant bruises to his face, head, genitals, and the rest of his body.

The toddler was taken to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. His twin sister was also taken to the hospital with a brain bleed but has since recovered, according to her mother.

Following his arrest, Dunn allegedly told police in an interview that he was playing a game with the children when he began beating them, saying he hit them harder than he should have, according to the probable cause statement.

READ NEXT: Driver found dead in truck 5 hours after overnight Kaysville crash

During the hearing, prosecutors argued that his crimes show extreme cruelty and depravity, pointing to disturbing facts in the case, such as the allegations that Dunn would make his own children watch as he physically abused the 2-year-olds or that he played wack-a-mole with a foam malet using the children as targets.

The defense spoke to Dunns troubled childhood as he was sexually abused by his stepfather and was developmentally behind for many milestones, such as walking and speaking or education.

They also mentioned potential mental health issues, a claim the judge refuted by saying Dunn had not been diagnosed with any serious mental illnesses.

Prior to announcing the sentence, Judge Noel S. Hyde cautioned family members and victims against blaming themselves for what happened.

Please know that you share no part of the responsibility for that loss. The victims were absolutely innocent, and the family is absolutely innocent. Do not take on yourself any part of responsibility for the conduct thats been undertaken by a depraved criminal, Hyde said.

For the aggravated murder charge, Dunn was given a sentence of life in prison without parole. He was also handed two sentences of 15 years to life and one sentence of 1 to 15 years for his sexual abuse and child abuse charges.

I wish there was more that the court can do for the families, in this case, the loss is incalculable, Hyde said.

Dunn will serve his sentence in the Utah State 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 ABC4 Utah.
The exterior of the Louisiana Supreme Court building in New Orleans' French Quarter

Louisiana Supreme Court building in New Orleans (Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)

The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that two candidates for its District 2 seat failed to meet the standards to qualify for the race, leaving just one person in the Nov. 5 election.

Chief Judge John Michael Guidry of the First Circuit Court of Appeal in Baton Rouge is the apparent winner after justices ruled that neither of his opponents provided the needed documentation to show they have filed their income tax returns over the past five years.

Judge John Michael Guidry

The decision removes Leslie Chambers, chief of staff for the Louisiana Housing Corp., and Judge Marcus Hunter of the Second Circuit Court of Appeal in Monroe from the ballot.

While I, of course, respect the state high courts final judgment, Ill be conferring with counsel this evening to assess the full impact of these decisions, including whether there is judicial relief beyond this venue, Chambers said in a statement through her campaign.

Hunter has yet to comment on the decision.

A lawsuit from Baton Rouge voter Elisa Knowles Collins challenged the candidacies of Chambers and Hunter. At the initial trial before the 19th Judicial District Court, it was acknowledged Collins daughter works in the First Circuit as an attorney for Guidry. Collins has not identified who has footed the bill for the team of attorneys behind her lawsuit. Lead lawyer David Bievenu has refused to provide such information.

District Judge Donald Johnson ruled all three candidates could remain on the ballot, leading Collins to appeal the decision to the states Fourth Circuit in New Orleans. That appeal would have typically gone to the First District, but Guidrys presence on the court forced the case to be reassigned.

The Fourth Circuits decision removed Chambers from the race, in a 9-3 vote from judges. The prevailing opinion found that Chambers didnt adequately prove that she had filed her tax return for the year in question, although her attorney noted at trial that she was owed a refund.

Chambers appealed her removal to the Louisiana Supreme Court, and attorneys for Collins appealed the Fourth Circuit decision to keep Hunter on the ballot.

Justices reversed the lower court rulings in a 5-2 decision, with Associate Justices Piper Griffin and Jefferson Hughes dissenting. The prevailing opinion found that Hunter never provided solid proof that he had filed his tax returns before the July candidate qualifying period. They also upheld the appellate courts reasoning for removing Chambers.

I interpret filed to require transmission of a properly executed tax return plus some

indicia of delivery. That was not proven here, Associate Justice William Crain said regarding Hunters arguments in a concurring opinion.

In his dissent, Hughes said the state Supreme Court merely substitutes its own judgment for that of the trial court, in contravention of established law.

The issue is not, in hindsight, whether taxes have been filed, mailed, transmitted, received, and/or rejected, Hughes wrote. There is an obvious difference between a candidate who has done nothing, and knows it, and one who in good faith believes his taxes have been filed when he or she so certifies.

The seat Guidry would hold is the newly created majority-Black district on the high court, giving minorities a chance to hold two of its seven positions.
Indiana Supreme Court Justice Loretta Rush talks to a reporter after she was tapped for a third term as chief justice. (Niki Kelly/Indiana Capital Chronicle)

Indianas Judicial Nominating Commission took only minutes to confer before unanimously selecting Indiana Supreme Court Justice Loretta Rush to continue in her role as chief justice.

We have to have a strong judiciary. You have to have a judiciary that people trust, because thats our currency, she said. I love Indiana courts. You know, Ive professionally been in them all. Ive seen a lot of great changes and improvements. And it motivates me to see what can we do better.

Rush has been on the states highest court since 2012 after being appointed by then-Gov. Mitch Daniels.

The commission named Rush Indianas first female chief justice in August 2014, the same year voters retained her as a supreme court judge. She was last reappointed to the chief justice role in 2019. Voters will choose whether to retain her as a judge Nov. 5.

All four of Rushs counterparts on the court supported her reappointment.

The most important qualities that the chief justice demonstrates  just, in spades  it all begins with integrity, Supreme Court Justice Derek Molter said. Vision is incredibly important: vision in all directions, understanding our history and seeing a vision of where we are going, innovation.

He compared Rush to Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers.

Its impressive what she can do on her own but what transcends, whats incredibly impactful, is the way in which she brings the team up around her, Molter said.

As chief justice, Rush is responsible for supervising Indianas judicial branch. The role involves working with the state legislature to secure funding and allocate resources, as well as overseeing a multi-agency central administrative office that handles everything from caseload measures and technology updates to the admission and discipline of lawyers.

She told the commission before the vote that one of her core beliefs is in the transparency and openness. Rush said she seeks to bring the type of stability and longevity that former Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard brought.

She acknowledged that people have lost trust in courts  like all public institutions. She said people have focused too much on who appointed justices and their political views. All five of Indianas justices were appointed by Republicans.

We are not unanimous. Were probably at 65% unanimity rate, Rush said.

She added that she thinks Indianas courts have done a good job of staying out of the political fray.

Prior to her appointment, Rush spent 15 years at a Lafayette law firm and was elected three times to serve as Tippecanoe Superior Court 3 judge. She earned her undergraduate degree from Purdue University and her law degree from Indiana University Maurer School of Law, both with honors. She is married to Jim Rush; they have four children and five grandchildren.

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Russia appears to be using wired, unjammable fiber-optic drones that could fix a big problem its operators have faced in this war

Russia's newest drones appear to be guided by fiber-optic cables to prevent jamming and electronic warfare.

The technology solves one of the war's more prevalent problems, but it's got downsides.

Various drone companies have been working on fiber-optic drones.

Some of Russia's newer drones appear to feature a modification that could help solve a pressing problem for operators in this war.

The drones look to be guided by fiber-optic cables that make the unmanned systems immune to jamming. The introduction of these drones into combat would mark the next stage in the drone arms race, which has both sides rushing to adapt to new challenges.

Evidence that Russia is using fiber-optic drones first appeared back in March when Ukraine captured a single prototype. But it wasn't until this month that videos showing systems supposedly wired with fiber-optic cables in use began to show up.

Some combat footage, reported to be showing attacks involving these drones on Ukrainian forces, was shared via open-source intelligence accounts on social media.

How the Russian FPV drones "Knyas Vandal of Novgorod" (KVN) deal with the invaders in the Kursk area. This is only for yesterday and the day before yesterday. pic.twitter.com/BYpZsrdVUF  nofm_geopolitics (@nofmgeopolitics) August 13, 2024

One of the clearest examples showed a drone attack on a Ukrainian BTR-4 reconnaissance vehicle in Giri, a village in Kursk.

The Russian military Telegram channel Siberian Army shared a video last week, too, writing that first-person-view drones featuring a fiber-optic cable had been used in the Kursk region amid Ukraine's ongoing invasion. The account wrote that the drone seen in the footage was "controlled via a fiber-optic cable, which ensures its high accuracy and resistance to electronic warfare."

And United24, a Ukrainian government-run program that crowdfunds to develop and build drones for the war, said Wednesday in a media report that Russia had begun using drones guided by fiber optics in Kursk, marking "the first known use of such weapons in combat."

Business Insider was unable to independently verify the footage or claims that these tethered drones with fiber-optic cables are in use.

Exploding drones ready to be shipped to the battlefield in the Kyiv region of Ukraine. Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

The appeal of using fiber optics to guide unmanned aerial vehicles is directly related to the problems they purportedly solve; with the widespread use of electronic warfare and radio signal jamming on the battlefield, the need to maintain a stable connection with the operator is key to ensuring the drone reaches its target.

As the FPV drone soars away from its launcher, it deploys a fiber-optic cable.

Samuel Bennett, an expert in drones and Russian military weapons development, said the advantage is that the fiber-optic wire preserves a stable connection, making a drone impervious to electronic warfare, such as the radio jammers found on many of Ukraine and Russia's military vehicles. The result is a high-quality video transmission and resistance to EW.

Such an adaptation could have profound effects, but it wouldn't come without issues. It remains unclear how or whether fiber-optic drones would reach mass production, though some foreign companies have been hard at work on drones with fiber-optic-cable reels.

A Ukrainian soldier of the 71st Jaeger Brigade preparing FPV drones at the front line near Avdiivka in Ukraine's Donetsk region. AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky

The biggest problem is most likely how the cables could prohibit the mobility of the drones, possibly restricting their use to certain types of missions and locations to prevent collisions or the wires getting tangled or broken.

Likewise, the range from the target to the operator would need to be considered, as the wire limits how far the drone can fly.

That said, fiber-optic drones could be useful in specific situations, such as in environments with intense radio jamming, and may complement the use of radio-dependent unmanned systems.

Regardless, the introduction of this new technology represents yet another shift in how Russia and Ukraine are developing and employing drones on the battlefield. Both sides have been engaged in a drone arms race, adapting their unmanned systems to respond to various problems and copying changes made by the enemy in order to gain an edge or at least maintain parity.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Russia closes two airports in fear of drone strikes

Drone strikes hit Moscow overnight in what was described "one of the largest" carried out by Ukraine

Russian authorities have closed airports in two cities in Russias Far North amid fears of further Ukrainian drone strikes.

All flights were cancelled and the airspace restricted over Murmansk, which hosts a military airbase, and Apatity. Both Arctic cities have been largely untouched by the war so far.

Such measures are usually taken by Moscow in the event of expected or incoming Ukrainian drone attacks.

It comes after Kyiv launched what Moscows mayor described as one of the largest aerial attacks against the Russian capital since war broke out in February 2022.

Some 45 Ukrainian drones were downed overnight, and 11 destroyed over the Moscow region, Russias ministry of defence claimed.

03:34 PM BST

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Thank you for following todays live coverage of the war in Ukraine.

Well be back soon with more updates and analysis from the conflict.

03:28 PM BST

Russian soldier blows up military base before defecting to Ukraine

A Russian soldier blew up his assault units headquarters before escaping and defecting to Ukraine, Kyiv has revealed.

The soldier, an FPV drone pilot identified only by his call-sign Silver, said the operation was meticulously planned with Ukraines military intelligence and the Freedom of Russia Legion, a pro-Kyiv Russian partisan group.

Footage showed the moment Silver threw a grenade into a basement where his commander and fellow officers were sleeping, before he disappeared amidst the confusion.

The defecting soldier then crossed the frontline and surrendered to Kyivs forces.

Kyiv claimed on Tuesday that the former Russian soldier has provided valuable intelligence on Moscows positions and offensive plans.

Silver said he had become disillusioned with Russias war in Ukraine and other crimes carried out by his command, including extrajudicial executions, beatings and extortion against both civilians and soldiers within his unit.

Russian soldier blows up military base before defecting to Ukraine

03:17 PM BST

Modi arrives in Poland ahead of Ukraine trip

Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, has arrived in Warsaw, Poland, ahead of his trip to Ukraine later this week.

Mr Modi will hold talks Thursday in Warsaw with Polands prime minister Donald Tusk and president Andrzej Duda, which are expected to focus on security and the war in Ukraine.

Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, during a news conference with Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's prime minister on Tuesday - Bloomberg

02:39 PM BST

Six children in hospital after Russian strike on eastern village

Six children were left in hospital after a Russian attack on a village in eastern Ukraine.

A childrens cafe was reportedly hit in the strike, which occurred in the village of Malokaterynivka, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, on Tuesday.

Yurii Borzenko, chief physician of Zaporizhzhia Childrens Hospital, told Radio Liberty: Three children are in hospital with concussion of moderate severity without blast injuries.

One girl is here with mine-blast damage to the soft tissues of her left shoulder. She had a surgery today, she is conscious and talking now. And one more child has neurosurgery and is in the operating room now.

The aftermath of the Russian attack on a children's cafe in the settlement of Malokaterynivka - National Police in Zaporizhzhia

02:16 PM BST

The Kremlin is sending teenage cannon-fodder to Kursk

If the Kursk incursion was intended to draw Russian troops away from the battle front in Ukraine, it has failed  so far, writes David Axe.

As a strong Ukrainian force including some or all of at least half a dozen brigades pushes deeper into Kursk on the 15th day of the invasion on August 21, its apparent the Kremlin is resisting the urge to redeploy a lot of big regular formations to the oblast to meet the Ukrainian advance.

Instead, its sending conscripts: young draftees with only cursory training, little heavy weaponry and dubious leadership.

These conscripts arent lasting long in combat.

Read the full story here.

Russian President Vladimir Putin talks to troops during his visit to the Chechen Republic - Shutterstock

02:04 PM BST

Pictured: Russian helicopter fires towards Ukrainians in Kursk

Russian Mi-35M helicopter fires towards Ukrainian positions at an undisclosed location in border region - Rusian Defense Ministry Press Service

01:37 PM BST

Russia and Ukraine heading for stalemate, says Pentagon

Neither Russia nor Ukraine have the resources to mount major offensives in the next six months, the US Defense Intelligence Agency said in a new report.

The report, which covered the three months up until June 30, suggested Ukraine is only able to hold defensive positions. The assessment was made prior to Kyivs daring invasion into Russias Kursk region two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, US intelligence said it believed Russia does not have adequate resources to threaten a deeper advance into Ukrainian-held territory, such as Kharkiv city.

Ukrainian troops fire a "Giatsint-S" 152mm self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions in Donetsk region - Ukrainian 24th Mechanised Brigade

01:10 PM BST

Russia experiences mass disruption on Telegram and WhatsApp

Russia has recorded mass disruptions on Telegram and WhatsApp, its state telecommunications monitoring service said on Wednesday.

The cause of the mass disruption is not yet known.

Russian media report outages of Telegram, WhatsApp messengers, as well as problems with access to Wikipedia, Skype and other apps and websites.



Earlier, Russian authorities slowed down YouTube and reportedly tested completely blocking its work in Russia. pic.twitter.com/7oWmMDZS2O  Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 21, 2024

12:59 PM BST

Kursk pontoon bridge destroyed using US-made rocket systems, says Kyiv

Ukrainian forces destroyed pontoon bridges and engineering equipment using US-made Himars rocket systems in Russias Kursk border region, Kyiv said on Wednesday.

It is the first official recognition by Ukraine that Western weapons have been used as part of its invasion.

At least three bridges were damaged or destroyed along the River Seym since Kyivs unprecedented invasion was launched two weeks ago.

Where do Russian pontoon bridges disappear in the Kursk region? Operators...accurately destroy them, Ukraines Special Operations Forces said on Telegram messenger.

This satellite photo shows a pontoon bridge across the Seim River between the town of Glushkovo - Planet Labs PBC

12:41 PM BST

Ukraine launches largest drone attack on Moscow

Ukraine targeted Moscow in one of the largest drone strikes ever launched by Kyiv against the capital, Russian officials said on Wednesday.

Eleven drones were destroyed over the Russian capital and its surrounding areas overnight, the defence ministry said.

This is one of the largest ever attempts to attack Moscow with drones, Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, said.

Mr Sobyanin confirmed no damage or casualties had been reported.

Kyiv rarely targets Moscow with drones, with Russia last claiming to have defended a strike back in May.

It comes as Ukraine continues its daring invasion into Russias Kursk border region, where it claims to have captured up to 35 km of land across more than 90 settlements.

12:37 PM BST

Kursk invasion exposing Russian personnel shortages, says MoD

Ukraines Kursk invasion has exposed Russian personnel shortages, the UK Ministry of Defence suggested on Wednesday.

Its latest intelligence update stated that Russian troops have been pulled out of high priority areas.

Not only that, specialists have been used in infantry roles, which the MoD said makes it more difficult to retake territory in Kursk.

The high casualty rates that result mean that Russia needs to continuously replenish front line infantry personnel, which will almost certainly continue to limit Russias ability to generate higher capability units, the update read.

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 21 August 2024.



Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/RuyUBJmVx3#StandWithUkraine  pic.twitter.com/gpmQHF0fEe  Ministry of Defence  (@DefenceHQ) August 21, 2024

12:12 PM BST

Watch: Military footage shows Ukrainian forces fighting in Kursk region

New footage released by Ukraines military on Tuesday showed its forced fighting in Russias Kursk region.

In a video briefing to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraines Army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, reported fighting in the area of Malaya Loknya, about 11.5 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.

He added that he hoped the fighting there would allow Kyivs military to capture many prisoners.

Click here to view this content.

12:05 PM BST

Russia says captured another village in east Ukraine

Russias army have captured another village in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region, where it is advancing even as Kyiv mounts a major counterattack into Russian territory, it said Wednesday.

In a daily briefing, Russias defence ministry said its troops had captured the village of Zhelanne, which lies between the frontline cities of Donetsk and Pokrovsk.

It comes amid claims by Russia that it had captured a string of towns and villages in the Donetsk region in recent weeks.

10:47 AM BST

Ukraine parliament votes to join International Criminal Court

Ukraines parliament will join the International Criminal Court which prosecutes serious crimes including genocide and crimes against humanity, it voted on Wednesday.



Parliament adopted the ratification of the Rome Statute, opposition lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak said on Telegram, referring to the courts founding treaty.

10:26 AM BST

Watch: Ukraine destroys bridge over the Seym River in Kursk

Ukrainian forces have destroyed three permanent bridges over the Seym River in Kursk over the past six days, as well as an unknown number of pontoon crossings built by the Russians to replace the bridges.

Russian troops south of the Seym in Kursk, to the west of Ukrainian forces in the Russian region, are reliant on these bridges and crossings for vital supplies.

It comes as Ukraines incursion into western Russias Kursk region entered its third week yesterday.

The move could potentially trap Russian forces between the river, the Ukrainian advance and the Ukrainian border.

Satellite photos by Planet Labs analysed by the Associated Press confirmed a bridge in the town of Glushkovo had been destroyed.

A Russian military investigator said Ukraine had totally destroyed one bridge and damaged two others in the area.

Russian military bloggers and several high-profile pro-war Telegram channels in Russia claimed the third bridge had been targeted and damaged, according to the Associated Press.

Ukrainian SOF in concert with Defense forces successfully destroyed pontoon crossings in Kursk region.



Moreover, russian field ammunition depot, EW vehicle as well as 152 mm howitzer were damaged. pic.twitter.com/VjMzIdLFvr  SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES OF UKRAINE (@SOF_UKR) August 21, 2024

10:08 AM BST

Moscow comes under one of largest Ukrainian drone attacks yet, Russia says

Moscow has suffered of the largest barrages yet by Ukrainian drones yet, Russia has said, adding that it destroyed all of them.

Some 45 Ukrainian drones were downed overnight, Russias ministry of defence said.

It said 11 were destroyed over the Moscow region, 23 over the Bryansk region, six over Belgorod, three over Kaluga and two over Kursk.

This was one of the biggest attempts of all time to attack Moscow using drones, Moscows mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on Telegram.

Mr Sobyanin said all the drones were destroyed because strong defences had been created around the capital.



The governor of the Bryansk region, Alexander Bogomaz, said there was a mass attack on his region but 23 drones were destroyed.

Firefighters work at a site of an infrastructure facility hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine - REUTERS

A burning children's cafe hit by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the village of Malokaterynivka, Zaporizhzhia region - REUTERS

09:47 AM BST

Ukraine downs 50 out of 69 Russian drones overnight

Ukrainian forces destroyed 50 out of 69 attack drones launched by Russia during an overnight strike, Kyivs military said on Wednesday.

The air force said another 16 drones were likely downed by electronic warfare during the attack, which also included two ballistic missiles and one cruise missile - saying it shot down only the latter.

One drone entered Ukraine from Belarus and another had returned to Russia, the military added.

09:19 AM BST

Kremlin believes Kursk invasion will last months - report

Moscow believes Kyivs assault on Kursk will last for months, officials have reportedly told Russia media.

Officials interviewed by Meduza, a Russian outlet based in Latvia, said the estimate is quite optimistic  if everything goes well.

The Kremlin has also reportedly readopted measures used during the Covid-19 pandemic, in which citizens were told to prepare for a new normal.

People walk near a banner with an advertising poster calling for military conscription in Moscow - Shutterstock

08:58 AM BST

Kyiv strikes S-300 missile system in Russias Rostov region

Ukraine claimed on Wednesday that it struck an S-300 anti-aircraft missile system in Russias southern Rostov region overnight.

The attack took place near Novoshakhtinsk, according to Kyivs General Staff, who said the system had been used to attack civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

Explosions were observed at specified targeting points, the General Staff said on Wednesday. The accuracy of the strike is being assessed.

08:45 AM BST

Pictured: Fires in Kursk region along River Seym

Fires have been seen burning along the River Seym in the Kursk region just days after Kyivs forces bombed three crucial bridges.

The satellite image, captured on Tuesday, shows fires near the village of Krasnooktyabrskoe, which is just outside the area Ukraine claims to control in Kursk.

Fires near the village of Krasnooktyabrskoe in Russia's Kursk region - Planet Labs PBC

08:30 AM BST

Kyiv continues to make advances in Kursk

Ukrainian forces have continued to make advances in Kursk over the last few days, military analysts have suggested.

Kyiv has also focused on destroying pontoon bridges over the River Seym after three crucial crossings were destroyed by Ukraine over the weekend.

At least one pontoon bridge has been destroyed, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

NEW: Ukrainian forces continued attacking throughout the Ukrainian salient in Kursk Oblast on August 20 and recently made additional advances.



Kursk Tactical Updates (1/11) pic.twitter.com/b0KC6HZrL0  Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) August 21, 2024

08:13 AM BST

Nato countries failing to fulfill pledges to Ukraine - report

Several Nato countries have failed to fulfill pledges reportedly made to Ukraine at last months Washington summit, according to US media.

At least five air defence systems that were promised have not been delivered to Kyiv, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

It comes after Volodymyr Zelensky called out the UK, US and France over their slowing support.

There are no vacations in war, the Ukrainian president said on Sunday, adding: Decisions are needed, as is timely logistics for the announced aid packages.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, attends a meeting with manufacturers in the framework of the Made in Ukraine - AFP

07:50 AM BST

Pictured: Putin inspects Nato weapons

Vladimir Putin has been pictured inspecting what Russia describes as Nato military trophies captured in battle.

Vladimir Putin, accompanied by head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, inspects Nato weapons captured in the battles in Ukraine - Pool Sputnik Kremlin

07:43 AM BST

No peace negotiations until complete defeat of Ukraine, says Russia

Ukraines invasion into Kursk means there will be no peace talks until Moscow completely defeats Kyiv, the deputy head of Russias security council said on Wednesday.

Dmitry Medvedev wrote on Telegram: The empty chatter of intermediaries that no one had appointed about the wonderful peace is over. Everyone understands everything now, even though they do not say it out loud.

He added: There will be NO MORE NEGOTIATIONS UNTIL THE COMPLETE DEFEAT OF THE ENEMY!

A Ukrainian serviceman patrols an area in the controlled by Ukrainian army town of Sudzha, Kursk region - REUTERS

07:30 AM BST

Moscow airports back to normal after drone strike

Moscow airports returned to normal operations on Wednesday after temporary restrictions were in place overnight at three of the citys airports.

Temporary restrictions were in place at the Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports from 2.31am Moscow time (11.31pm UK time) until 6.30am, the aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said.

There were no restrictions at the major Sheremetevo airport.

07:26 AM BST

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Were bringing you the latest updates from the Ukraine war.

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Russia downs drones in 'one of the largest' drone attacks on Moscow Oblast, mayor claims

Russian air defenses allegedly downed 10 Ukrainian attack drones overnight on Aug. 21 near Moscow in "one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow with drones to date," Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed.

Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that the drones were allegedly downed in Moscow Oblast as they were heading towards the capital.

Photos and videos of explosions posted on social media purportedly show drones being downed overnight in Moscow Oblast.

The Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify the claims nor the authenticity of videos posted on social media. Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the alleged attack.

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No information was immediately available as to any damage or casualties as a result of the alleged attack.

Ukrainian forces regularly conduct drone strikes and sabotage acts on Russian territory, targeting military bases, oil refineries, and industrial facilities.

Ukraine has previously targeted Moscow with drone attacks.

Kyiv does not always claim official responsibility for reported attacks on Russian soil.

Read also: Ukraines buffer zone in Kursk Oblast  heres what you need to know





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Russian aircraft have dropped 27 guided aerial bombs on settlements in embattled Kursk Oblast, Ukraine's General Staff said in its latest update on Aug. 21.

Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that Kyiv had advanced between 28-35 kilometers (18-21 miles) into Russia's Kursk Oblast as the unprecedented incursion entered its third week. According to Syrskyi, Ukraine has captured 1,263 square kilometers (488 square miles) of Russian territory and 93 settlements.

Russian forces have conducted at least 17 airstrikes against Kursk Oblast, using guided aerial bombs, Ukraine's military said on Aug. 21.

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Moscow launched a total of 750 guided aerial bombs on Ukrainian cities and villages last week.

Guided aerial bombs, while having a shorter range than missiles, are cheaper to produce and are launched from aircraft within Russian territory or Russian-occupied territories, beyond the reach of Ukrainian air defense.

Russia also continues shelling border settlements in Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, which borders Russia's Kursk Oblast, including the villages of Porozok and Poznia. Ukrainian authorities are planning to evacuate a total of 45,000 residents from the region amid intensified Russian attacks.

Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk published a video on Aug. 21 purporting to show Ukrainian pilots' attacks on Russian troops who are "actively occupying civilian facilities" in Kursk Oblast.

"We see everything, we know everything. Our precision bombs will get you everywhere," Oleshchuk said.

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Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Aug. 14 that Ukraines military is creating a "security zone" on Russian territory to protect Ukrainian border areas. Vereshchuk said that Ukraine would be conducting humanitarian operations in the area, including creating safe corridors for civilians to evacuate  both toward Ukraine and to other parts of Russia.

International humanitarian organizations will also be allowed to enter the area to support the civilian population and monitor the situation, she added.

Read also: Ukraines buffer zone in Kursk Oblast  heres what you need to know

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Russia loses 1,210 soldiers and 60 artillery systems in one day

Ukrainian soldiers. Stock photo: General Staff of the Armed Forces of UKraine on Facebook

Russia has lost 1,210 soldiers killed and wounded, 4 tanks, 21 armoured combat vehicles and 60 artillery systems over the past day.

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 21 August 2024 are estimated to be as follows [figures in parentheses represent the latest losses  ed.]:

approximately 603,010 (+1,210) military personnel;

8,522 (+4) tanks;

16,542 (+21) armoured combat vehicles;

17,216 (+60) artillery systems;

1,166 (+0) multiple-launch rocket systems;

928 (+2) air defence systems;

367 (+0) fixed-wing aircraft;

328 (+0) helicopters;

13,902 (+38) strategic and tactical UAVs;

2,442 (+4) cruise missiles;

28 (+0) ships and boats;

1 (+0) submarines;

23,221 (+79) vehicles and tankers;

2,887 (+2) special vehicles and other equipment.

The information is being confirmed.

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Russia is planning to respond to Ukraine's operation in Kursk Oblast, Vadym Skibitsky, the deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency, said during an event in Kyiv on Aug. 21, Lb.ua media outlet reported.

Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that Kyiv had advanced between 28-35 kilometers (18-21 miles) into Russia's Kursk Oblast as the unprecedented incursion entered its third week.

According to Syrskyi, Ukraine has captured 1,263 square kilometers (488 square miles) of Russian territory and 93 settlements.

"The operation is ongoing. Russia is planning a response. There are plans, we know about them. Our government and military leadership know about them so they can continue it (the operation) and disrupt the (Russian) plans," Skibitsky said.

The experience gained during the Kherson and Kharkiv counteroffensives in 2022 helped Kyiv launch the Kursk operation, Skibitsky said.

"This is the next operation (in Kursk Oblast), which allows us to gain real combat experience in conducting offensive operations. This is very positive because this experience is necessary for the liberation of our territories," the major general added.

A map of claimed Ukrainian advance in Russia's Kursk Oblast as of Aug. 20, 2024. The reportedly damaged stationary bridges were located in the settlements of Glushkovo, Zvannoe, and Karyzh. Source: Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. (Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent)

According to Skibitsky, Kyiv's incursion into Kursk Oblast will "change a lot" in the world's attitude towards Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine would not need to launch the incursion into Kursk Oblast if partners had allowed Kyiv to use Western-supplied long-range weapons against targets on Russian soil.

Ukraine did not disclose preparations for an operation to the country's allies because the world might consider it crossing Russia's "strictest of all red lines," he said.

Kyiv said that rather than capturing Russian territory, the incursion aims to protect Ukrainian lives by preventing cross-border attacks and diverting Russian reinforcements.

Read also: Ukraines buffer zone in Kursk Oblast  heres what you need to know

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Russias Central Election Commission has decided to postpone local elections in seven districts of Kursk Oblast indefinitely due to a lack of security guarantees.

Source: the Central Election Commission of Russia on Telegram; the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta Europe

Details: Reportedly, elections will not take place in the border districts of Belovsky, Bolshesoldatsky, Glushkovsky, Korenovskiy, Sudzhansky and Khomutovsky, or in the city of Lgov.

It is not clear how long the municipal elections have been postponed for.

The Russians say the process of preparing for and conducting the elections "will resume once full security guarantees for voters are in place".

At the same time, the head of the regional election commission, Tatyana Malakhova, stated that the gubernatorial elections scheduled for September will proceed as planned. Early voting is set to take place from 28 August to 5 September, with the main voting occurring on 6, 7 and 8 September.

Previously: The Ukrainian army entered Russias Kursk Oblast on 6 August. Since then, fighting has continued in the area. Ukrainian authorities say that Ukraines defence forces control nearly a hundred settlements, including the district centre of Sudzha.

Background: On 20 August, an early gubernatorial election was announced in Kursk Oblast  it will start on 29 August instead of being held on 6-9 September.

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Russia is planning new disinformation campaigns against Ukrainian refugees in Europe, Vadym Skibitskyi, the deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR), said during an event in Kyiv on Aug. 21.

Around 4.2 million Ukrainian refugees reside in the European Union under temporary protection status, of which almost 1 million took shelter in Poland.

There have been multiple Russian disinformation operations in the West, but alarms have been raised with particular concern in recent months.

The goal of Russia's new operations is to convince people who left Ukraine because of the war not to return, according to Skibitskyi.

The Russian government is implementing measures, particularly by bringing to Italy "so-called journalists" from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory for them to "justify the genocidal war against Ukraine," Skibitskyi said.

Disinformation activities include presentations of fiction and documentary books about alleged Ukraine's crimes in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, according to HUR.

"This is a very powerful work that the Russians have started, such as the creation of various communities, 'education' of children, and the church  all of which are used to make Ukrainians lose their identity and even more so to never return to us," Skibitskyi said.

Bloomberg reported in June that a Russian intelligence operative already identified as heading a Kremlin disinformation campaign in Africa had been courting European journalists to spread Moscow's false narratives across the continent.

According to documents and comments from government officials obtained by the news outlet, a Russian operative covered travel costs for some journalists to visit Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.

Read also: Media: Special unit of GRU recruiting saboteurs through social media

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Statistics of Russian targets destroyed on the night of 20-21 August. Photo: Ukraine's Air Force

Russian forces attacked Ukraine with ballistic missiles, a cruise missile and 69 loitering munitions on the night of 20-21 August. Ukrainian air defence units successfully destroyed a guided missile and 50 Shahed UAVs, with an additional 16 drones likely downed by electronic warfare systems.

Source: Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of Ukraine's Air Force

Details: Russian forces reportedly targeted Ukraine with two Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles from Voronezh Oblast, a Kh-59/Kh-69 air-to-ground missile from Kursk Oblast, and 69 Shahed-type loitering munitions launched from Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Yeysk, and Kursk in the Russian Federation.

Ukrainian air surveillance troops detected and tracked 72 aerial targets.

Aircraft, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare units of Ukraine's Air Force and mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian defence forces were involved in repelling the Russian aerial attack.

A total of 51 aerial targets were shot down during the air defence operation: one Kh-59/Kh-69 air-to-ground missile and 50 Shahed-131/136 loitering munitions in Khmelnytskyi, Poltava, Cherkasy, Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kherson, Donetsk, Kirovohrad, Sumy and Chernihiv oblasts.

A further 16 Russian UAVs were likely impacted by electronic countermeasures. The information is being updated.

One Russian UAV was detected in the airspace in Cherkasy Oblast as of 11:15. Combat operations are ongoing.

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Russia and Ukraine Cant Mount Major Offensives Against Each Other, US Says

(Bloomberg) -- Ukraine and Russia both lack the military assets to mount major offensives against each other, the Pentagons intelligence agency said in new assessments that suggests the two sides are headed toward stalemate.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The Defense Intelligence Agency assessments conclude that Ukraine still doesnt have the munitions to match Russias ability to fire some 10,000 artillery rounds a day, even after the US Congress unlocked fresh military aid in April. Ukrainian forces remain capable of defensive operations but wont be able to launch large-scale counteroffensives for at least six months.

Russia, on the other hand, has adopted a strategy of exhausting Ukraine and will be able to maintain a buffer zone its troops captured  but doesnt have enough strength to threaten a deeper advance into Ukrainian-held territory, such as Kharkiv city, said DIA in one observation.

The Defense Intelligence Agencys conclusions are included in the latest quarterly report on US assistance to Ukraine issued by the Pentagons inspector general, Robert Storch. They echo public statements by senior US officials including Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that the conflict was about to become deadlocked.

The inspector general report covers the three-month period ending June 30, after Congress passed the latest $61 billion assistance package for Ukraine. Since then, Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into Russias Kursk region and has started to fly allied-provided F-16 fighters.

Earlier: Kyiv Waits for Allies to Deliver on Pledges, Officials Say

The report highlighted Ukraines successful use of the US-provided Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, beyond previously disclosed attacks on Russian ammunition storage areas and parked helicopters at two locations inside Ukraine.

A Ukrainian ATACMS missile strike on Sevastopol on May 18 sank a corvette. Ukraine also used the system to strike Russian air defenses in Crimea, destroying several of the most advanced S-400 missile systems, the report noted.

The ATACMS strikes required Russian forces to reinforce Crimea air-defense systems with their most advanced system, the S-500, to protect the Kerch Strait Bridge, for example, according to DIA.

The S-500 system has not yet been demonstrated to be fully operational in Ukraine, which DIA views as an indication of Russias struggle to provide adequate air defense of Crimea, according to the report.

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Russian army kills 65-year-old man in Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast  photos

Russian forces struck the city of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast on the evening of 21 August, killing a man.

Source: Vadym Filashkin, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration

Quote: "Today in the evening the enemy struck the city from tube artillery, killing a 65-year-old man.

Three private houses, three residential buildings, three administrative buildings, two production premises, three power lines, a gas pipe and three cars have been damaged."

Photo: social media of Filashkin

Photo: social media of Filashkin

Details: Filashkin reminded locals that they should evacuate from settlements in Donetsk Oblast due to constant Russian attacks.

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Russian attack on children's cafe in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on 20 August: 6 children in hospital, 2 in serious condition

The aftermath of the Russian attack on a childrens cafe in the settlement of Malokaterynivka. Photo: National Police in Zaporizhzhia Oblast

Six children aged 11-17 who were injured in the Russian attack on the village of Malokaterynivka (Zaporizhzhia Oblast) on 20 August are in hospital.

Source: Yurii Borzenko, Chief Physician of Zaporizhzhia Children's Hospital, in a comment to Radio Liberty

Quote: "Three children are in hospital with concussion of moderate severity without blast injuries. One girl is here with mine-blast damage to the soft tissues of her left shoulder. She had a surgery today, she is conscious and talking now. And one more child has neurosurgery and is in the operating room now."

Details: Borzenko said that the two boys were in serious condition, as there was a suspicion of spinal cord damage.

"We can't say now whether it is spinal cord damage or a bruise. The fragments were removed and only time will tell how the spinal cord functions," Borzenko explained.

Background:

On 20 August, Russian forces bombarded a children's cafe in Malokaterynivka, Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

The head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration said that a 14-year-old boy was killed, and six other children were injured  boys aged 17, 16, 15 and 14, and girls aged 10 and 11. Three adults, aged 18, 28 and 45, also sustained injuries.

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Russian attacks in Ukraine killed five people and wounded 31 over the last day, regional authorities said on Aug. 21. The casualty count of a previously reported Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia Oblast also increased.

Ukrainian air defenses downed 50 out of the 69 Shahed-type "kamikaze" drones launched by Russia overnight, as well as one Kh-59/69 cruise missile, the Air Force said. Another 16 Russian drones were were lost, likely due to electronic anti-drone countermeasures, the Air Force added.

In Donetsk Oblast, Russian attacks killed a resident of the city of Kostiantynivka, Governor Vadym Filashkin said. He did not give more information about the deceased or the details of the attack. Another four civilians were wounded across the oblast, Filashkin added.

In the village of Kozacha Lopan, Kharkiv Oblast, a Russian drone struck a civilian car, killing its 65-year-old driver and wounding a 61-year-old man, said Governor Oleh Syniehubov.

Elsewhere in the oblast, a 59-year-old woman was wounded as a result of Russian shelling of the town of Kupiansk.

Russian attacks also caused damage to civilian infrastructure in multiple other locations in Kharkiv Oblast.

In Sumy Oblast, Russian guided bomb strikes killed a resident of the Yunakivska community and wounded another, the oblast's military administration reported.

Dozens of Russian strikes were reported elsewhere in the oblast, causing damage but no casualties.

In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the number of casualties in a previously reported Russian strike on children's cafe in the village of Malokaterynivka rose to one killed  a 14-year-old boy  and nine injured, six of whom were children. Previously, the number of casualties stood at one killed and four injured.

Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Ivan Fedorov said that Russian strikes had damaged 12 other towns and villages across the oblast, causing damage but no casualties.

In Kherson Oblast, Russian attacks killed one person and injured 15 more, four of whom were children, said Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.

Educational and medical institutions, restaurants, apartments, houses, and energy infrastructure were among the sites damaged by Russian attacks, Prokudin said.

Attacks were also reported in Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Vinnytsia oblasts, causing damage but no casualties.

Read also: Ukraines buffer zone in Kursk Oblast  heres what you need to know

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Russian authorities are urging citizens in the Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod regions of Russia  areas where Ukraine has been attacking  to stop using video cameras, social media and dating sites.

The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs issued the memo Tuesday, saying the "enemy," referring to Ukraine, is using video cameras and social media to gather information.

"The enemy massively identifies IP ranges in our territories and connects to unprotected video surveillance cameras remotely, viewing everything from private courtyards to roads and highways of strategic importance. In this regard, if there is no urgent need, then it is better not to use video surveillance cameras," Ministry of Internal Affairs officials told Interfax, a Russian news service.

Russian authorities told citizens not to use online dating services, as such resources are used to collect information. Russian servicemen were advised not to open links coming from strangers and to try not to use a phone with a lot of official and personal information.

PHOTO: Ukrainian tank crew take a break while operating a Soviet-made T-72 tank in the Sumy region, near the border with Russia, on Aug. 12, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images)

"It is necessary to control and moderate chats, as well as promptly delete from them the accounts of persons captured by the enemy, as well as the accounts of persons to whose phones the enemy has gained access," the Russian interior ministry said.

The Russian agency asked citizens not to post DVR recordings on social networks and messengers, not to conduct live broadcasts, close their personal data and remove all geotags and photo bindings on social networks.

PHOTO: A view of military operations in Malaya Loknya, Kursk Region, Russia in this screen grab obtained from a handout video released on Aug. 20, 2024. (95th Air Assault Brigade via Reuters)

More than 30 people have died and more than 140 people have been injured in Russia's Kursk region since Ukrainian forces started their incursion in the region two weeks ago, the Russian news agency TASS reported Wednesday, citing unnamed medical personnel.

Hundreds of thousands of Russians have been ordered to evacuate the Kursk region since Ukraine's attacks began, according to Russian news outlets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is seeking to create a "buffer zone on the aggressor's territory."

Russian authorities urge citizens to avoid social media, dating sites in areas where Ukraine is attacking originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A Russian general dismantled a council charged with overseeing security in Russia's Kursk Oblast in the spring, weakening border defenses before Ukraine's unprecedented incursion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Aug. 21.

Citing an official in the Russian security services, the outlet said Colonel General Alexander Lapin claimed the Kremlin's military could effectively defend the border on its own.

As a result, he dissolved an interagency council consisting of military officers and local and regional security officials which would have been tasked with helping Moscow form a coherent response to an incursion by Ukraine.

The report stresses that Russia would likely still have struggled to respond to the events which have since unfolded in Kursk Oblast, but it added to the confusion and disorganization on show as Moscow has tried to oust Ukraine's army from Russian soil.

The Ukrainian military's unprecedented operation, ongoing for nearly two weeks, has led to the capture of the town of Sudzha in Kursk Oblast and the alleged destruction of all three bridges over the Seim River near the border with Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces have advanced 28-35 kilometers (18-21 miles) into Kursk Oblast and taken control of 93 settlements so far, according to Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced only on Aug. 20 that it would establish troop groups in Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk oblasts to defend settlements along the Ukrainian border.

It took four days for the Russian government to announce a "counter-terrorist operation" in Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod oblasts, which border Ukraine.

Kyivs ongoing operation aims to establish a "buffer zone" on Russian territory, prevent cross-border strikes, and divert Russian reinforcements from Ukraine's east, according to Ukrainian officials.

Read also: Ukraines buffer zone in Kursk Oblast  heres what you need to know

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A Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group attempted to enter the Klimovsky district of Russia's Bryansk Oblast on Aug. 21, Governor Alexander Bogomaz claimed.

Earlier in the day, Russian Telegram channels spread contradicting information about alleged clashes near the border of Bryansk Oblast. The pro-Kremlin Mash Telegram channel claimed that the group consisted of about 200 Ukrainian soldiers, which could not be independently confirmed.

Bryansk Oblast lies west of embattled Kursk Oblast, north of Ukraine's Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts, and east of the Belarusian border.

According to Bogomaz, Russian forces "prevented" the attack on the region and "inflicted a military defeat" on Ukrainian soldiers.

The Russian governor claims that the situation in Bryansk Oblast was "stabilized" and is "under control."

The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims. The Ukrainian military did not comment on the reports.

As Kyiv's incursion in Kursk Oblast entered its third week, Moscow announced on Aug. 20 that it would establish troop groups in Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk oblasts to defend settlements along the Ukrainian border.

Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that Ukraine had advanced between 28-35 kilometers (18-21 miles) into Kursk Oblast since the start of the operation on Aug. 6. According to the general, Ukraine has captured 1,263 square kilometers (488 square miles) of Russian territory and 93 settlements.

The Economist reported, citing military sources, that Syrskyi was considering an attack against Russia's Bryansk Oblast as an alternative to the Kursk incursion.

Read also: Kursk incursion breaks Russias attempts to dictate peace terms, boosts Ukraines leverage

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Russian prosecutors seek up to 24 years in prison for 23 Ukrainians who served in Azov Brigade

The Russian Prosecutor's Office requested up to 24 years in prison for 23 Ukrainians who had served in the Azov Brigade, Russian independent media outlet Mediazona reported on Aug. 21.

As of June, there were 620 Ukrainian citizens in Russian captivity, against whom Russia has opened criminal cases, according to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs).

Criminal cases into the alleged crimes of Ukrainian citizens are regularly initiated in Russia or Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, particularly in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

The Russian Prosecutor's Office claimed that all 23 prisoners who served in the Azov expressed "negative attitudes toward the Russian-speaking population" and supported "pro-Ukrainian radical views," according to Mediazona.

The defendants are accused of allegedly committing crimes by a group of people by prior conspiracy, training to carry out terrorist activities, and attempting to take the life of a state or public figure, among other accusations.

The prosecutors requested that nine women and 14 men be sentenced to 16 to 24 years in prison. The most severe punishment, 24 years in jail, is demanded for Oleh Tyshkul, a 55-year-old lieutenant and former Azov instructor.

Two former prisoners, Davyd Kasatkin and Dmytro Labynskyi, who have already been exchanged, are being tried in absentia. The prosecutors asked to sentence them to 24 and 23 years in prison, respectively.

The case against Azov Brigade soldier Oleksandr Ishchenko, who died in Russian captivity due to blunt force trauma to his chest, was closed.

Some of the defendants took part in the defense of Mariupol, while some others had already completed military service when being taken prisoner, according to Mediazona. Most of the female defendants in the case were cooks.

The Azov Brigade, part of Ukraine's National Guard, became a symbol of Ukraine's resistance during their heroic defense of the Azovstal steel plant during the siege of Mariupol in the first three months of the full-scale war. Russian forces eventually occupied Mariupol in May 2022, capturing the remaining defenders.

The brigade has also sparked controversy over its alleged association with far-right groups, a narrative often exploited in Russian propaganda campaigns.

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Russians bombard their own villages in Kursk Oblast, 27 guided aerial bombs dropped in a day  Ukraine's General Staff

Russian soldiers are actively using aviation in Kursk Oblast. Since the start of the day, they have launched 17 airstrikes on their own settlements with 27 guided aircraft bombs.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 16:00 on 21 August

Details: Russia is also using artillery to shell Ukrainian border settlements, specifically Porozok and Pozhnia in Sumy Oblast.

According to the General Staff, the total number of clashes along the front line had reached 54 by this point. Currently, the Pokrovsk front is the most intense area of the frontline.

Since the start of the day, four combat clashes have been recorded on the Kharkiv front near Liptsy and Vovchansk, two of which are still ongoing.

On the Kupiansk front, Russian troops assaulted Ukrainian positions nine times, specifically near Petropavlivka, Synkivka, Stelmakhivka, Berestove and Andriivka. The situation is intense near Stelmakhivka, where four Russian attacks are currently taking place.

On the Lyman front, the Russians targeted Torske, Novoserhiivka, Makiivka, Hrekivka and Serhiivka. In total, nine combat clashes have occurred on this front since the beginning of the day, with two still ongoing. The situation is under control.

On the Siversk front, the Russians did not cease attempts to break through Ukrainian soldiers' defences, suffering a significant rebuke from the Ukrainian forces. The Russians carried out one unsuccessful attack near Spirne.

Since the start of the day, Russian troops have attempted five times to oust Ukrainian soldiers from their positions on the Kramatorsk front. The Ukrainian army withstood all assaults around Hryhorika, Chasiv Yar and Predtechyne.

The Russians attacked Ukrainian troops' positions five times on the Toretsk front, using assault and bomber aircraft as support. Currently, one combat clash is ongoing near Toretsk, on which they have dropped 11 guided aerial bombs.

On the Pokrovsk front, the situation is still intense. Ukrainian defences successfully withstood 11 attacks in Panteleimonivka, Vozdvyzhenka, Zelene Pole, Myroliubivka, Hrodivka, Mykolaivka, Novohrodivka, Mykhailivka and Ptyche. Fighting continues in four other sites.

On the Kurakhove front, since the beginning of the day, the Russians have launched five attacks on Ukrainian units. They attempted to advance on to move towards Heorhiivka, Kostiantynivka and Pobieda.

The Russians have not conducted active operations on the Vremivka, Orikhiv, and Prydniprovske fronts, although they are launching airstrikes. Piatykhatky in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, as well as Olhivka and Burhunka in Kherson Oblast, were targeted with unguided missiles, while unguided aerial bombs were dropped on Shliakhove and Shylova Balka.

Quote: "The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine takes the necessary measures to deter the enemy's offensive and stabilise the situation."

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Russians strike Kozacha Lopan in Kharkiv Oblast: people being searched for under rubble of village council building

Russian forces have launched an artillery strike on the village of Kozacha Lopan in Kharkiv Oblast, damaging the premises of the village council, where people are likely to be trapped under the rubble.

Source: Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration; Viacheslav Zadorenko, Head of Derhachi City Military Administration, on Telegram

Quote: "The invaders struck the village of Kozacha Lopan in Derhachi hromada at about 12:25. [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories  ed.]

The attack damaged the premises of the village council. Three people are thought to be trapped under the rubble. All relevant services are working at the scene.

There is a risk of double-tap strikes!"

Details: Zadorenko said the Russians used artillery for the attack on the village.

Update: According to updates provided by Zadorenko, the Russians carried out two attacks at the Kozacha Lopan district administration building between 12:30 and 13:00. As a result, the building partially collapsed, including the basement, which at the time sheltered the chief of the administration, Liudmyla Vakulenko, her staff, and local people.

Three women are currently trapped beneath the rubble, Zadorenko reported. Their condition is currently unclear. Rescuers from the State Emergency Service are striving to extract the people from under the rubble as soon as possible, but search and rescue efforts are hampered by hostile drone activity and the threat of double-tap strikes.

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FILE - Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov, left, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, center, and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov attend the reception to mark the Day of the Heroes, at the Moscow's Kremlin, Russia, on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019. Former Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Dmitry Bulgakov was detained in Moscow and ordered held in custody pending an investigation and trial, Russia's Investigative Committee said Friday, July 26, 2024, without giving further details. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

MOSCOW (AP)  A former Russian defense official was ordered held in pretrial detention on corruption charges after a court rejected an appeal against his arrest, state media reported Wednesday.

Former Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Dmitry Bulgakov was detained in Moscow last month pending an investigation and trial, Russias Investigative Committee said in a statement. He is part of several recent high-profile military arrests.

The court examined the appeal of Bulgakovs defense and decided to leave the appeal unsatisfied and the decision of the first instance unchanged, state news agency Tass reported, citing the judges decision.

According to Tass, Bulgakov is charged with large-scale embezzlement. He reportedly oversaw the creation of a system to supply low-quality food rations to Russian troops at inflated prices. If found guilty, Bulgakov faces up to 10 years in prison.

Bulgakov was deputy defense minister from 2008 to September 2022, when he was dismissed. He was in charge of logistics at the time, and while the ministry had said that he was taking another job, the move was seen as punishment for flaws in supporting operations in Ukraine.

His ouster came shortly after Kyiv made swift territorial gains during a counteroffensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

Seven top military figures have been arrested on charges of fraud, bribery or abuse of office in recent months, including Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, who was arrested for bribery in April and later dismissed from his position.

Lower-level officers also have been arrested on fraud charges, including Lt. Col. Konstantin Frolov, a decorated airborne brigade commander, last week.
SAC CITY, Iowa (KCAU)  This November, Sac County residents will be voting on whether or not to replace the second-oldest jail in the state of Iowa.

According to a release, the countys board of supervisors approved Tuesday a resolution to put a proposition on the Nov. 5 general election ballot. Residents will vote yes or no on a $10.9 million bond to replace the jail, which first received bids for construction back in 1939, as well as an addition to the current law enforcement center.

If the bond is passed, the new jail would first be built across the street from the old one. The old jail would then be demolished and the new jail would be connected with the existing law enforcement center.

To pay for the construction of a new jail, Sac County residents would be taxed $.0569983 per $1,000 of their taxable valuation. For example, a person with a home worth $200,000 would pay an extra $4.29 per month.

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The Sac County Sheriffs Office is arguing in favor of the proposition. They noted that the oldest jail in Iowa, located in Pocahontas County, is already in the process of being replaced.

Currently, [Sac Countys] jail does not meet standards, the sheriffs office wrote in part in a statement. The state jail inspectors yearly reports state that our jail, however well maintained, is a security and safety risk to inmates, staff, and the public.

Until Oct. 15, the sheriffs office plans to hold town halls, tours of the current jail, and have discussions with residents to convince them to vote yes.

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SACRAMENTO COUNTY -- A Sacramento County hospital is accused of misplacing a woman's body. The woman's mother told CBS13 that for a year, she had no idea her daughter had died.



Jessie Peterson was admitted to Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael in April 2023. According to her mother, Ginger Congi, it was not uncommon for her daughter to receive medical treatment for Type 1 diabetes. She was diagnosed when she was a teenager, Congi said, and although it was difficult, Peterson "just carried on."



"She loved to run. She loved sports. She loved dance. She played the guitar," Congi said.



Last April, Peterson called her mother asking to be picked up from the hospital. Congi said her daughter wanted to leave. Congi told her she was in the safest place, admitted for treatment after a diabetic episode. This would be the last time the two spoke.



The day of their call was April 8, 2023, according to the family's lawsuit filed in Sacramento County against Mercy San Juan Medical Center and Dignity Health.



Congi said she attempted to contact Peterson's room three days later and was told that Peterson had been discharged against medical advice. The truth, Congi said she learned a year later, is that her daughter died two hours after their phone call in April 2023.



"We didn't lose hope. At that point in time, we thought, you know, maybe she's just, she's just gone silent for a little while. Then, you know, she would resurface again," Congi said.



The family set out to find Peterson and reported her missing, officially. They put up flyers with her photo and the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office contact information.

"Members went in the area and handed out pictures, contacted local security guards to see if maybe they'd seen her. So the search was extensive. I was even looking at looking along the levees down in Sacramento, you know, going on bicycle rides and seeing if maybe I might come across through there. I was even looking in places when I was driving to work," Congi said.



Answers came on April 12, 2024, when a detective with the sheriff's office contacted Peterson's family that she was found dead at Mercy San Juan hospital.



"At this point, Jessie's body was so decomposed that an open casket funeral was not feasible, and Jessie's fingerprints were not even obtainable for any keepsake," as described in a line within the family's lawsuit.



Peterson's body was moved to an off-site cold storage facility, according to the lawsuit.



"They just totally discarded her. It wasn't even 24 hours after she died that they shipped her off to some storage facility and in a freezer up on a shelf, you know, and just didn't have a care in the world for her or for us," Congi said.



In a statement to CBS13, a spokesperson for Dignity Health said they could not comment due to pending litigation.

"We extend our deepest sympathies to the family during this difficult time. We are unable to comment on pending litigation."

Congi said she wants accountability and is moving forward with legal action to prevent this situation from happening to other families.



The family alleges negligent infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and negligent handling of a corpse as the cause of action in the lawsuit for a total of $5 million in actual and statutory damages.

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Sacramento County reports third death from this years heat wave. Citrus Heights woman was 53

A Citrus Heights woman died earlier this month of heatstroke, Sacramento County officials said Tuesday, marking the countys third confirmed heat-related death this year.

The Sacramento County Coroners Office identified the woman as 53-year-old Stephanie Baker, who died Aug. 4 at Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael, according to a county news release.

The Coroners Office did not conduct an examination of Baker, the news release said, because she was hospitalized at the time of her death. Baker was admitted to the hospital Aug. 3, county spokeswoman Kim Nava said. The county said Baker was not unhoused.

The Sacramento region broke records during an extended heat wave last month that killed at least two county residents. The city then reached triple-digit temperatures six of the first seven days of August, hitting 105 degrees Aug. 3, National Weather Service records show.

Albert G. Edadiz, a 77-year-old Sacramento resident, died of heatstroke July 12 at UC Davis Medical Center after being hospitalized for heat-related symptoms July 3, county officials said last month. Sacramento hit 108 degrees July 3, according to the weather service.

Kevin Gerhardt, 58, died of multiorgan failure due to heatstroke July 7, at his trailer in a North Sacramento trailer park. A friend said he could not afford to fix the trailers air conditioning.
After months of threatening to do so, the city of Sacramento plans to shut down a tight-knit North Sacramento homeless camp Monday.

Since 2022, about 50 people have been living at Camp Resolution in city-issued trailers at a city-owned vacant lot at Colfax Street and Arden Way.

The residents, many of whom are seniors, are used to hearing threats that the city is closing the camp. But the city has taken the action of posting a notice to vacate on the property.

The citys notice orders all residents to leave by 12 a.m. Monday. The residents were in violation of a state law against trespassing, the notices states.

If you remain on the property after Aug. 26, further enforcement action will be taken, the notices state. Shelter space has been reserved for you.

Although the city has a growing waitlist of over 2,600 people waiting for a shelter bed, it has set aside 50 beds for Camp Resolution residents to avoid them going back on the streets. Those beds are located in trailers and tiny homes at a Roseville Road shelter as well as an indoor facility on Auburn Boulevard.

The city says those shelters are safer for the residents than Camp Resolution, where the generators that guests have attached to the trailers are causing a fire hazard. The city also says the other shelters are better because the residents can get signed up for housing waitlists  something the city claims organizers at Camp Resolution have blocked them from doing.

But the Roseville Road and Auburn Boulevard city shelters present issues for several residents. They both only usually allow guests to bring one dog, said city spokesman Tim Swanson. All but one of the Camp Resolution residents have more pets than that, said Crystal Sanchez of the Sacramento Homeless Union.

The pets are more than pets, Sanchez said. They are family. People will not leave without their pets.

In addition, the trailers and tiny homes at the Roseville Road shelter do not have electricity or allow guests to hook up generators, even if they need it for their oxygen machines and other medical devices.

Camp Resolution resident Shonn Adams, 55, struggles to breathe as she exits her travel trailer with the help of resident Steven Goble earlier this month. Adams has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and uses a portable oxygen machine. We have generators out here running electricity for us, and I have to have it for my oxygen because I have to be on it all the time or I die, said Adams.

Those options present several problems for Shonn Adams, 55, who lives at Camp Resolution.

Adams, who is in a wheelchair, uses an oxygen machine powered through a generator hooked up to her trailer at Camp Resolution. She has two cats and a dog.

I have to be on (oxygen) all the time or I die, said Adams earlier this month, through tears. Sacramento wants to throw us back in the street again. What am I gonna do? I dont know ... I got laid off and lost everything, Ive been homeless ever since.

How we got here

Camp Resolution came to be after The Sacramento Bee reported the city had payed $617,0000 to pave and fence a city lot for a homeless shelter that never opened. A handful of homeless women broke in and started camping on the lot. Instead of clearing them off the property, as the city had in the past, the city got on board.

It signed a lease with Safe Ground Sacramento, a nonprofit run by civil rights attorney Mark Merin, which was running a Safe Ground at 12th and C streets. It even dropped off trailers from the state that had been sitting empty, for guests to use. Unlike other shelters, which cost several million dollars a year to run, the site did not cost the city anything other than the donation of the trailers.

At first, things went smoothly. The fence was covered in artwork, including a large banner that read, COME MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS. Community groups and volunteers would drop off food, there were big cook outs, poetry and music nights, and residents from the surrounding neighborhood would pop by.

But things got more complicated as the Sacramento Homeless Union, a different organization than the lease holder, told camp leaders not to allow staff from the citys Department of Community Response through the gate.

Sacramento Homeless Union president Crystal Sanchez said DCR was not allowed in because they only sign people up for shelter waitlists, while the lease promises permanent housing. For permanent housing, there is a different system. Sanchez says she placed all the residents and their necessary documents in it months ago, but city officials say they are not properly entered.

As a result, when the residents have to leave Monday, the only likely options for them will be shelters or the streets.

The saga has also played out in court. The Sacramento Homeless Union in May sued the city over its plans to close the camp. Then in July, Merin submitted a letter to the city stating the lease would end Aug. 10 but said that did not mean the city had to close the camp. On Aug. 10, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Jill H. Talley ruled the city was allowed to close the camp.

According to the notices, it appears the city has decided to close it. If all residents arent off the property by Monday, its unclear if police will remove them, or will issue criminal citations for hundreds of dollars, as they have increasingly been doing.

We made history with Camp Resolution  the entire world knows about it, Anthony Prince, an attorney for the Sacramento Homeless Union, said during a Wednesday news conference. And nobody can ever take that away.

With its messy and public ending, some are calling Camp Resolution a failed experiment.

But with the city facing a $77 million projected deficit for the fiscal year that starts July 1, its sill the cheapest option to get people some basic necessities  locking doors, water, food and bathrooms  as they wait years on affordable housing wait lists.

I dont want people to think the model doesnt work because weve seen it work at 12th and C, and around the country, said Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela, who represents the central city. I dont want the message to be that this broad concept has failed because it doesnt need to be this way. We can learn what we have learned and make it better. I dont want the other message to come out of this is we are just kicking them back out on the curb. Weve been holding spaces for them. I hope as many residents as possible accept that, I really do.

The Bees Renee Byer contributed to this story.
As the owners of Capital Public Radio, Sacramento State and its leadership are some of the most important news managers in town. Yet as they refuse to release virtually any detailed information about a recent audit that has ensnared unnamed executives and board members, Sac State is behaving like a secretive corporation in crisis communications mode.

Rather than giving CapRadio listeners as much information as legally possible, Sacramento State is opting to do precisely the opposite. Capital Public Radio depends on listeners and their donations to exist, but Sacramento State is keeping that loyal audience in the dark about hundreds of thousands of questionable credit card expenses along with board members potential financial conflicts of interest.

At issue is what was supposed to be the definitive, deep-dive audit into what went wrong with CapRadios finances in recent years as expensive plans to move the station to downtown offices fizzled in a fiscal implosion. The scant information that the university has released creates more questions than answers. Instead of putting this unfortunate chapter behind it, Sacramento States ill-advised pursuit of secrecy threatens to keep a dark cloud over this vital news outlet indefinitely.

Opinion

An initial review of the station last year by auditors of the California State University system found the station in financial shambles and unable to meet its financial obligations. That prompted the university to take direct control of station operations and finances  and spurred a mass resignation from CapRadios board of directors.

As part of its effort to right the ship, Sacramento State commissioned this deeper, forensic audit to thoroughly review finances and compliance with spending procedures. The station and listeners have been waiting months to learn what actually happened and why. But the wait continues.

The audit by CliftonLarsonAllen identified nearly $770,000 in credit card spending  including at least $460,800 linked to an individual  without supporting documents or evidence of expense reports and/or receipts. It also found the radio station bought $22,000 in furniture from a board members furniture company and leased downtown office space partly owned by another board members spouse.

But when it came to the identity of the board members and specifics about hundreds of thousands of dollars in questionable spending, the audit was utterly silent. All key attachments were stripped from the public version of the audit.

The Sacramento Bee promptly requested what are normally public records  public spending by a public entity with public funds. In response, Sacramento State refused to provide a single page from credit card statements or the identity of any manager or board member mentioned anonymously in the inquiry.

According to Sacramento State, CapRadio listeners are not entitled to know the identity of a board member who may have had a financial conflict of interest with the station. Why? The individual right of privacy under Article 1, Section 1 of the California Constitution, Sacramento State said in its response. Never mind the California Public Records Act or the listeners right to know. The board members right to remain unidentified is more important.

What kind of news executive would ever possibly think like that?

In refusing to provide details about the questionable credit card spending, the university cited an exemption for pending law enforcement investigations. But this excuse, frankly, doesnt hold water.

The Bee had already figured out who the board members in question were. And CapRadio had defied its parent, the university, and revealed the identity of the employee in question. Its former general manager Jun Reina. The audit had already shown that the unnamed Reina was intimately familiar with all the credit card expenses in question in the audit. The interests of justice are in no way advanced by the universitys misguided attempt at keeping listeners and the public in the dark.

Sometimes government officials wish there were a way to hide information from the public simply because it is embarrassing. But there is no legal reason to withhold such information. The governments duty is precisely the opposite.

For a new university president who expends tremendous effort presenting a positive public face, Luke Woods behavior here is out of character. Shrouding CapRadios financial mess in secrecy is decreasing public confidence in the universitys management of the station. And it is increasing suspicion of what Sacramento State is trying to hide, and why.

Pretending that board members have a right to privacy when they screw up is beyond the pale. And so is refusing to provide any specifics about dubious spending.

This audit, as they say in the news business, should have been a one-day story, complete with all the information Sacramento State could legally disclose about CapRadio. Now the story is not about CapRadio. It is about Luke Wood and Sacramento State and their secretive management of a public radio station. The story isnt going away until listeners know everything that happened. Sacramento State is making a mockery of its own radio stations actual mission.
SAINT PARIS, Ohio (WDTN)  The police chief of Saint Paris was due in court Tuesday to face two charges after being arrested at the Champaign County Fair.

Eric Smith was arrested for openly carrying his gun and refusing to return it to his vehicle. Smith was placed on administrative leave on Aug. 5.

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His charges include obstructing official business and criminal trespassing. He was arraigned in Champaign County Municipal Court and led not guilty to both charges.

Susan Prince, the mayor of the village of Saint Paris says there is an active internal investigation into the situation with the arrest. Prince adds that it would ultimately be her decision to terminate Smith from his role as police chief.

City leaders say there is no timeline on when the internal investigation will conclude.

Smith is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on Aug. 30.

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Former First Lady Michelle Obama mentioned Donald Trump by name only once during her remarks at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night.

But the target of her blistering prime-time speech, which lasted about 20 minutes, was clear from the outset.

Its his same old con: doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make peoples lives better, Obama said of Trump.

Time and again, the former first lady lit into the president who succeeded her husband.

She noted the personal attacks that she and President Obama endured during his two terms, saying that Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us because he felt threatened by two successful Black individuals.

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Whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs? she said of Trump, referencing controversial comments that the Republican presidential candidate has made during the campaign about immigrants taking Black jobs.

The line sent the United Center crowd into a frenzy, but it wasnt Obamas only zinger.

Discussing the virtues of hard-working Americans, she noted, If we see a mountain standing before us, we dont expect there to be an escalator to take us to the top, an apparent reference to the infamous June 2015 event in Manhattan that launched Trumps first presidential campaign. It saw him ride a golden Trump Tower escalator down to a gathering where he warned that Mexico was sending rapists and other criminals across the border into the U.S.

Obama began her remarks by explaining that she hadnt been sure if she could give the speech  because she was still mourning the loss of her mother, Marian Robinson, who died May 31 at 86. There were other revealing touches: Obama said that shed become a mother through IVF in a darker portion of the speech that focused on the prospect of Trump regaining the presidency and "taking away our freedom to control our bodies."

But she said she also felt buoyed by "a familiar feeling"  the "contagious power of hope, referencing the word long linked to her husbands political messaging.

"America, hope is making a comeback, she said.

Notably, though, she did not mention President Biden. Instead, Obama trained her praise on Kamala Harris, saying that she and the vice president had built their lives on the same "foundational values" of hard work, determination and sacrifice.

Kamala Harris is more than ready for this moment, Obama said. She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency, and she is one of the most dignified.

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Seven fluffy white Chilean flamingo chicks are on display at a zoo in southwest England for the first time since 2018  and one is particularly notable for the way it made its entrance. Two male flamingos named Arthur and Curtis successfully hatched an egg together  a first for the Paignton Zoo.

The zoo has had several all-male pairings during past breeding seasons, so the same-sex couple is not an unexpected turn of events, said Pete Smallbones, the zoos curator of birds. But the zoo is not sure exactly how the couple acquired the egg.

Its likely that this egg became available  unprotected, kind of just left (in a nest)  and then theyve taken the opportunity, said Pete Smallbones, the zoos curator of birds. As a bird department, were more than aware of how its a known thing for flamingos, penguins and other species to have same sex pairings. So, it wasnt a shock  I suppose it was a slight surprise, just because it wasnt quite the expected (male and female pairing).

During breeding season, the couples usually spend more time together and follow each other around the enclosure, but a pairing is confirmed when two birds pick a nest to share, where they will take turns sitting on the mud mound with or without an egg. This year, however, a same-sex pair had an egg to sit on. While two male birds hatching an egg together is notably rare, it has happened a handful of times at other zoos.

The successful hatching between two males highlights the social birds innate parental instincts and flexibility, experts say. It also underscores the need for conversation about the near-threatened Chilean flamingos that are declining in the wild and their native home of South America, according to the zoos news release. And experts have some theories as to how and why their pairing came to be.

The zoo has had several all-male pairings during past breeding seasons. This year, however, a same-sex couple had an egg to sit on. - Wild Planet Trust

Birds of a feather

Chilean flamingos can be finicky when it comes to breeding. In the wild, observations have shown the species to avoid breeding for up to nine years as the birds wait for weather and environmental conditions to be just right, Smallbones said. But even at the zoo, which provides their preferred mud nests, they often dont breed every year.

One year at the Paignton Zoo, flamingo eggs laid several weeks too late had to be taken away as the chicks would likely not have thrived in the colder weather conditions, Smallbones said. Avian influenza concerns disrupted another prior breeding season, since the birds were removed from their enclosure as a safety precaution, he added.

Curtis and Arthurs chick, which does not have a name yet, is almost a month old and appears to be thriving, Smallbones said. The parents are obviously doing a great job. The chick has been observed exploring the exhibit with another chick roughly the same age but will still return to Curtis and Arthur for food.

While the two males are the only same-sex pairing the zoo is aware of this breeding season, the zoo could potentially welcome more chicks this year as several eggs are still incubating, according to the news release.

Curtis and Arthurs chick, which does not have a name yet, is almost a month old and appears to be thriving, according to the Paignton Zoo. - Wild Planet Trust

Urge to nest

A number of other zoos have observed same-sex pairings among certain bird species. There are even several egg-hatching success stories, such as in 2007 when the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in Gloucestershire entrusted an abandoned egg to two male flamingos, and in 2018 when two male penguins at Sydneys Sea Life Aquarium also became adopted parents to a chick.

Being in a same sex pair is a relatively common occurrence in captive flamingos, because of small flock sizes, said Paul Rose, a biologist and senior lecturer on animal behavior at the University of Exeter. Actually hatching an egg is more unusual. These two male flamingos were likely very keen to nest but could not attract a female partner and so the same urge to nest brought them together.

Sometimes, same-sex flamingo pairs have been observed disrupting other nests  as Chilean flamingos nest as a flock  in an attempt to obtain eggs of their own, Rose said.

In the wild, Chilean flamingo flock sizes can be in the hundreds during breeding season, according to Rose. The Paignton Zoo currently has 26 female flamingos and 25 male flamingos in the exhibit, which suggests there are enough females for the males to pair with, Smallbones said. While more research is needed to determine why same-sex bird pairings occur, it is possible that Arthur and Curtis found an egg from a male and female couple that wasnt being cared for and jumped at the opportunity to tend to it, or they took over another couples nest, Smallbones said.

It takes two

Flamingos often have non-breeding partnerships that consist of same-sex associations, according to a June 2020 study led by Rose. The birds tend to be very particular in who they like to spend their time with, and will actively seek out some birds in a flock and avoid others, Rose added in an email. I am not surprised that two male flamingos are successful in raising a chick because of their social flexibility, but I dont believe it would have been their first choice of breeding partner.

While same-sex bird couples are recorded more in captivity than in the wild, according to Rose, a number of albatross species  types of seabirds  have more females than males in the population, and occasionally, females will pair together to raise one egg, or both will lay eggs and care for them together, said Kevin McGowan, an ornithologist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Similar to flamingos, hatching an egg and taking care of an albatross chick requires two dedicated parents, as egg incubation takes as long as 60 days  about 28 days for flamingos  and both parents need to provide food for the chick.

You cant do it on your own. So, these birds have figured out how to make it work. Its in their instincts to want to take care of an egg, however the circumstances, McGowan said. For Arthur and Curtis, the strong natural instinct to breed was likely the driver for the same-sex pairing. There is a grand desire to have kids, and these two guys (Arthur and Curtis) figured out how to do it, McGowan added.

Research on the occurrence of same-sex pairing in the wild could provide more information on the possible adaptive benefits of the behavior, such as if a wild flamingo lost its partner but had an egg to look after, Rose said. This demonstrates how resourceful animals can be when they are driven to do something a specific time of the year or season.

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When Vice President Kamala Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee for President in July after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, nearly the entire party quickly came together to endorse her campaign. But the Vermont independent senator who caucuses with the Democrats, Bernie Sanders, said at the time that he was not ready to do so.

Sanders told NBC last month that he wanted to hear more specific policies from her on how she planned to help the working class before he could offer his official endorsement. A few days later, it seemed Sanders must have gotten what commitments he was looking for, as he endorsed her during a rally in Maine.

And on Tuesday night in Chicago, the 82-year-old self-described democratic socialist and former 2020 primary rival of Biden and Harris reiterated his full support and encouraged his supporters to vote for the Democratic ticket.

On November 5th, let us select Kamala Harris as our President, and let us go forward to create the nation we know we can become, Sanders said during his primetime speech on the second night of the Democratic National Convention.

Read More: Why This DNC Is Different: A New Generation Is Steering, Finally

Sanders, who has supported the Biden Administration and stood by Biden as others had urged him to drop out of his reelection bid, praised the government of the last four years, saying it has accomplished more than any government since FDR.

He lauded the government response to the COVID-19 pandemic and initiatives like unemployment benefits, rent relief, emergency assistance to businesses, and mortgage assistance, that he said were necessary after an economic downturn that coincided with then-President Donald Trumps last year in office.

That was the reality the Biden-Harris Administration faced as they entered the Oval Office: a nation suffering, a nation frightened, and people looking to their government for support, he said, adding that, within two months of taking office, our government did respond.

But Sanders also didnt forgo the opportunity to call for more progressive policies in the next Administration. He said the Biden Administration illustrated how when the political will is there, government can effectively deliver for the people of our country, before outlining what he said the Harris Administration would go on to try to do: expand Medicare, tax the rich, increase social security benefits for struggling seniors, and take on price gouging.

Read More: Kamala Harris Rolled Out An Ambitious Economic Plan. Heres Whats In It

Let me tell you what else we must do, Sanders said, before rattling off a progressive agenda that included guaranteeing healthcare as a human right, raising the minimum wage to a living wage, passing the pro-labor PRO Act, making sure every American regardless of income receives the higher education they need, and taking on Big Pharma to cut prescription drug costs. I look forward to working with Kamala and Tim [Walz] to pass this agenda, he said.

Sanderswho is Jewish and whose speaking slot immediately followed that of Sen. Chuck Schumer, who spoke about antisemitismalso took the opportunity to call for an end to the violence in the Middle East that has divided the Democratic Party, echoing a similar call made by fellow progressive lawmaker Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez the previous day at the convention.

We must summon the courage to stand up to wealth and power and deliver justice for people at home and abroad, Sanders said. Abroad, we must end this horrific war in Gaza, bring home the hostages, and demand an immediate ceasefire.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE)  Sandia National Labs offers a number of outreach programs designed to cultivate the next generation of scientists and engineers. Kylie Grenier is a third-year undergraduate at the University of Texas in Austin studying Geophysics.

Ive always really liked physics and Ive always like no, I didnt want to do just physics, but something kind of adjacent to it, says Grenier. While attending a job fair, she heard about an internship program at Sandia National Labs in Albuquerque.

The successful application brought the budding physicist to the high deserts of Albuquerque as part of Sandias FORCEE program. FORCEE stands for Future of Research for Climate, Earth, and Energy  an internship program co-developed by Kyle Jones, manager of the geophysics department at Sandia.

Sandia Labs submerges computer parts in fluid to help keep data centers cool

I was hoping to inspire them to want to be a part of Sandia and do the research that they do for a longer period of time, says Jones.

According to Sandia, the program hosts around 75 in-person interns, and 75 remote participants in a comprehensive and immersive dive into the work happening at Sandia, an opportunity most folks dont have topics related to earth science, climate change, and other topics related to the field.

Some students participate during the summer. Some of those are year-round students that work with us all the time, but half are brand new first-year summer interns, says Jones.

As a national lab, Sandia is interested in bringing students from all across the country, and all walks of life, to the table. According to Jones this summer, saw nearly 50 students from UNM, six from New Mexico Tech, six from NMSU, with the remaining 80-plus interns from across the country and Puerto Rico.

Scientist describes levels of plutonium near Los Alamos alarmingly high

Ive got to see a lot of things that Ive never seen before, and Ive gotten to meet a lot of new people that do a lot of different things that I do, to learn about all different kinds of research, says Grenier.

FORCEEs goal, according to Jones, is to reach students like Kylie before they make decisions about their path after graduation. The hope is that their talents and passion for their work will find a home at Sandia.

I think more importantly than anything else, our students are the most important part of the future of this institution, [the] future of the research for this country. And the earlier that we get them started and hooked on the work that we do here, I believe the longer theyre going to wind up staying, Jones says.

Jones will soon be departing the program for a new leadership role but FORCEE will continue with a trio of new managers and mentors for the 2025 cohort.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
From the Boiling Frogs on The Dispatch

Barack Obamas return to the national stage on Tuesday night will mark 16 years of messianic politics in the United States. It didnt used to be that way.

America has had many charismatic presidents, but in my lifetime the only one before 2008 who attained a degree of national savior stature among his supporters was Ronald Reagan. And Reagan himself was less the key to salvation within his movement than Reaganism was. The Gipper was an ideologue who believed smaller government, more so than his personal leadership, was the cure for what ailed America. As if to illustrate the point, his running mate became the only vice president in the past century to immediately succeed a two-term president by winning a term of his own. The Reagan revolution outlasted the Reagan administration.

A healthy country doesnt need saving by messiahs. Messiahs are quick-fix solutions to serious problems; in lieu of the hard work of compromise and creative policymaking, all voters need to do is hand them power and watch the magic happen. The fact that each party has turned to one in the last 16 years is as ominous a symptom of Americas poor civic health as any other.

Historians will treat the rise of Obama in 2008 and then Donald Trump in 2016 as attempts by both sides to reorient an America they felt had been radically destabilized. After 9/11, the Iraq war, and the financial crisis, an exasperated left wanted dramatic change and didnt see it in Hillary Clinton, a dreary technocrat and quintessential establishmentarian. To rescue the country from big, historic problems, they needed a big, historic figure.

They got that in the person of the first black president, a man with enough charisma and rhetorical skill to pack stadiums. Obama was the one. Like Reagan, he was an ideologue. Unlike Reagan he believed that the key to his appeal was his persona. I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views, he wrote, famously.

The roots of Trumps messianism are less clear, but the essence of the Flight 93 logic that sent him to victory in 2016 was that America was so close to irreparable disaster that only a radical rescue attempt could prevent it. Charitably, his support was driven by voters from deindustrialized flyover country desperate to find a savior whod put a stop to bipartisan globalism. When Trump told them I alone can fix it, they believed him. Why wouldnt they? No one else seemed interested in doing so.

Less charitably, his support was driven by Republicans sense that the country was getting away from them demographically. Theyd lost the popular vote in every presidential election since 1992 save one; theyd watched leftists celebrate an emerging Democratic majority; theyd just spent eight years being governed by a black man and were facing the prospect of four more being governed by a woman. The Democratic Party was steadily moving left on illegal immigration too, which promised to accelerate the demographic upheaval.

Trump, the candidate of white identity politics, seemed willing to put a stop to all of that, unapologetically. He would restabilize America by reasserting the traditional majoritys right to rule.

As would-be national saviors, he and Obama were phenomenally popular among their respective admirers. Yet both were a total disaster for their parties down ballot.

It turns out that messianic personality cults arent great for actually winning elections.

What Obama and Trump have in common.

The problem with having your party led by a national savior is that national saviors tend to be parties unto themselves.

In addition to enjoying the usual support from rank-and-file partisans, they have their own separate following among low-propensity voters who have been captivated by them specifically. The first group will loyally show up for elections regardless of whether the savior is on the ballot, but the second will notand no wonder. If youve elected a messiah in the belief that hell fix everything, why would you need to vote in a midterm?

The most striking commonality between Obama and Trump is how each drove high turnout for their parties when they were on the ballot yet couldnt replicate that turnout in off-year elections when they werent. The second group simply didnt show up. With Obama leading the ticket, Democrats routed Republicans in 2008 and 2012. With Trump atop the ballot, Republicans won total control of government in 2016 and came shockingly close to winning it again in 2020.

But both men failed catastrophically in midterms. Trumps party was crushed in House races in 2018 and managed the worst off-year performance in 20 years in 2022. Obamas party saw historic House losses in 2010, endured a Senate disaster in 2014, then watched his handpicked presidential successor lose a supposedly unlosable race to Trump in 2016. Obamas record in state legislative races was even more gruesome. The whole Democratic Party is now a smoking pile of rubble, Matt Yglesias marveled in his 2016 election postmortem.

For all the adulation they enjoy, national saviors also tend to inspire strong feelings of fear and envy in their enemies, which keeps the oppositions motivation to vote high. Modern American politics runs on negative partisanship, and hatred of the other sides savior is rocket fuel for it. Because the savior represents a form of radical change, he occupies an outsized amount of mental real estate in his opponents collective imagination. Those opponents turn out in midterms even if those captivated low-propensity voters I mentioned earlier do not.

Given Obamas midterm record, is it any wonder that Democrats turned to old hands like Clinton and Joe Biden to succeed him as their nominees for president? Years of defeat down ballot extinguished many promising young liberals careers, leaving the party with no bench. Its taken two terms removed from his presidency for Democrats to rebuild a promising farm team.

And theyve done so partly thanks to Trump, whose own messianic influence on the right has helped some Democratic up-and-comers to easy midterm victories in races that should have been tight. Josh Shapiro and John Fetterman might not be the two most powerful politicians in Pennsylvania today had Trump and his movement not rallied behind Doug Mastriano and Mehmet Oz, respectively, in 2022. With a few notable exceptions like J.D. Vance and Ron DeSantis, its the GOP that now doesnt have much of a bench with national potential.

One wonders, in fact, how much of the electoral volatility of this era might have been avoided if only the parties had chosen leaders who are less likely to threaten the other side with their charisma. Like, for instance, Joe Biden.

Biden is the least charismatic leader since the first George Bush, which Ive always suspected was a secret ingredient of why Democrats overperformed in the 2022 midterms. When a party is led by a messianic personality like Obama or Trump, its inevitable that a voters antipathy to them will trickle down to their partys candidates down ballot. Both men have strong political brands; if you ran for office under their banner, you carried that brand for better or worse.

Joe Biden has no brand. He doesnt define his party the way Obama and Trump have. Hes barely even present anymore. One might judge Obama a socialist or Trump a fascist and presume that any candidates they endorse share those sympathies, but Bidens problem has never been ideological. Its that hes too old. And being old and incompetent isnt something that can be held against younger Democrats.

Biden isnt a savior. He doesnt represent any sort of radical break with tradition (quite the contrary), and so he doesnt threatenor motivateeither side. That was a problem for him this fall, with the messianic Trump on the ballot, but an advantage to his party in 2022. I doubt its a coincidence, either, that Biden was unusually accomplished for having served just four years in office. The less charismatic the president is, the more political space there is for members of his party to get creative with bipartisan legislative compromises. Ask Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema about that.

If you think American government would benefit from Congress reclaiming its policymaking power from the presidentand since youre a Dispatch subscriber, you probably dothen you should not want national saviors in the Oval Office. Yet thats all weve had since 2009, and we might have another four years of it yet.

Where Obama and Trump differ.

Although the two produced similar electoral results, its unfair to Obama to compare his messianism to Trumps and unfair to Trump to compare his messianism to Obamas. Trump is a more consequential figureand a much more pernicious one.

Hes remade his party in his image to a vastly greater degree than Obama did. Obama turned out to be the same sort of neoliberal that the left disdained Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden for being, enough so to have chosen Biden as his vice president and Clinton as his secretary of state. His great accomplishment in office was a reform to health insurance access that bore a suspicious resemblance to Mitt Romneys program as governor of Massachusetts. Nothing in Kamala Harris agendato the extent such a thing existsrepresents a dramatic break with the pre-Obama Democratic agenda.

Trump has turned the GOP upside down by comparison. Its become a protectionist, quasi-isolationist, authoritarian party, unrecognizable from a decade ago. Its not even pro-life anymore at the federal level. Hes less a blank screen onto which voters can project their desires than someone whos turned the Republican Party into a blank screen onto which he can project his own. In that sense, Trump has taken his stature as a would-be national savior much further than Obama did: If you trust me to save America, hes said to the right, you must support my policy instincts unquestioningly.

There was also no sense from Obama in 2008 that he hoped to replace longtime Democratic voters with those low-propensity voters who were enchanted by him specifically. He wanted to add that latter group to the Democratic coalition, but his messianism wasnt so toxic that he preferred a smaller party that was more loyal to him to a larger one more capable of winning national elections.

Trump does prefer it. His political project is as much a matter of subtraction as addition, chasing away Republicans who prioritize the GOPs political interests over his own and replacing them with those who wont question his hold on power. Strategist James Carville described Trumps habit of making war on members of his own party like Brian Kemp this way to Politico: If a Democrat said, I dont want Bernie Sanders voters, even moderate Democrats would say Youre out of your fing mind.

Here again, Trump exploits his stature as national savior in a way Obama did not. I cant save America without complete obedience from the Republican Party, he means to imply. Right now in Arizona, Democrat Ruben Gallego is favored to win a Senate race because he gets to face Kari Lake instead of former Gov. Doug Ducey, whos persona non grata in the GOP after refusing to meddle in the 2020 election on Trumps behalf. Imagine Obama gifting the other party a Senate seat out of pure spite, something Trump has done repeatedly.

In fact, imagine how Obama would have handled losing the 2008 Democratic primary to Hillary Clinton. Is there any doubt he would have endorsed her for the sake of party unity ahead of the general election? Is there any doubt Trump would not have endorsed Ron DeSantis had DeSantis prevailed narrowly this year?

Of the two messiahs, hes by far the more earnest radical. Obama was a creature of Democratic politics who shot to fame at the 2004 convention insisting that there are no red states or blue states, only the United States. His credibility as a national savior derived chiefly from his biography and the unusual mood of national instability in which he was elected, the right man at the right moment. His pretensions as a radical break with the past were largely superficial.

Trump, on the other hand, came to the GOP as an outsider in 2016 and executed the equivalent of a hostile takeover. His pitch to voters has always been combative and exclusionary in ways that traditional politicians wouldnt be comfortable with, from promising a total ban on Muslims from entering the United States in 2016 to vowing retribution on his enemies this year if hes elected. He represents a new mode of politics in a way that Obama does not, which may explain why there are so many young Republicans who sound like him when attacking their enemies: petty, personal, gratuitously insulting.

There are no Democrats who sound like Obama by comparison. Well, almost none.

A national savior is irreplaceable, by definition. While no Democrat has quite captured the magic of Obamamania circa 2008, both Clinton and Biden won the popular vote and Harris is on track to do so again. If she wins the Electoral College, the party will be two for three in presidential races since Obama retired. And if she doesnt, they have a talented young crop of governors ready to go in 2028. Obama isnt irreplaceable.

But Trump is. Hes redesigned his party to ensure it. Hes won the nomination three consecutive times; he has no obvious successor, with apologies to the underwhelming J.D. Vance; and hell likely persevere as leader of the GOP for as long as he lives, regardless of the outcome of this election. If he had his way, I suspect hed prefer to see the party dissolve upon his death than to pick up and go forward with some lackluster successor, like a pharaoh demanding that his servant be killed and buried with him.

He could, as he once said, shoot someone on Fifth Avenue without losing any votes. His party functionally stands for nothing now except defending him. The cult of personality around Obama was never as twisted or monarchical as that.

Id go as far as to say that Obama was ultimately a moderating influence on the disaffected voters on his side while Trump has been a radicalizing one. Leftist anger after the Bush years could have taken more toxic forms and perhaps would have if an older establishment Democrat like Clinton had ended up leading the party. With Obama in charge, it was channeled into sunny hopey-changey pabulum and a more or less traditional Democratic agenda instead.

Trumps messianic success, on the other hand, has normalized postliberalism on the right so completely that major figures in his orbit who once had genuine political potential have descended in their fervor into outright madness. Hes a deranging influence.

National saviors usually are.

Harris opportunity.

Kamala Harris secret advantage in this campaign might be voter fatigue with messianic politicians.

The era of national saviors was supposed to have ended in 2020, when Biden slayed the dragon and Trump went insane after the election. Republican primary voters decided that it shouldnt.

But theres a solid chance itll end this fall. Recently the economist Noah Smith speculated that Harris and Tim Walz have taken to calling Republicans weird for strategic reasons, to show voters that they want to move America past the unrest of the last decade. Weird is a conspicuously low-stakes, normal insult for a person to use, a total departure from the two parties habit over the last 16 years of accusing the other sides messiah of wanting to destroy America.

That time is ending, Harris means to say. With Trump approaching his 80s and potentially a prison sentence, a victory for her would move us past the era of national saviors and into the era of lower-stakes politicsI think.

She may be trying to re-create the enthusiasm of Obamamania, but theres no pretense that shes some messiah herself. How could she be, having become her partys nominee only by accident after Joe Biden couldnt get through a sentence at a presidential debate? She doesnt even have a policy agenda. All she can offer as president is complete sentences and a semblance of politics the way it used to be.

Maybe thats enough after 16 exhausting years. Tonights convention speech by Barack Obama probably wont be the last of his life, but it might be his last of the savior era. The future is here, Hillary Clinton (of all people) said on Monday.

Heres hoping.

Read more at The Dispatch

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SC boat owner may face prison for catching too many fish, then concealing it, feds say

A South Carolina fisherman has been indicted by a federal grand jury after authorities say he exceeded the number of fish he was legally allowed to catch, then attempted to conceal his actions.

One count in the indictment charges Don Michael Rynn with submitting a trip report with a lower number of fish than he actually caught to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Southeast Fisheries Science Center.

Another count charges him with lying to a federal agent, falsely telling the agent that various fish he caught were contaminated with oil and he disposed of them by putting them in a dumpster.

The fish were snowy grouper and tilefish, according to the indictment. Both fish are regarded as tasty and good to eat.

But there are limits on how many of these fish that commercial anglers are allowed to catch, and authorities want to prevent overfishing. Enforcement of fishing laws is considered vital to protecting species from being depleted.

The indictment did not say how many fish Rynn allegedly caught, and how many he was allowed to catch.

Winston Holliday, an assistant U.S. attorney in Columbia who is assigned to the case as a prosecutor, said he could not comment.

The penalty for violating the law in this case is a maximum $10,000 fine or five-year prison sentence, or both.

A third count charges him with falsifying records in a federal investigation. Maximum punishment in this case is a fine up to $250,000 and 20 years in prison.

An initial hearing in the case has been set for Aug. 27 at 10 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Gordon Baker.

Rynn, who has operated a fishing vessel out of McClellanville north of Charleston, is a member of the McClellanville Watermen organization, a group of commercial fisherman. Rynn does not have an attorney yet, the U.S. Attorneys office said. Efforts to reach Rynn were not immediately successful.

McClellanville is a tiny village in a rural area between Georgetown and Charleston that is known for fishing, supplying many fish and shrimp that people buy in coastal markets.

Tilefish and snowy grouper, fish that live near reefs, are relatively long-lived species whose populations can take years to recover if they are overfished.

Federal Judge Richard Gergel is handling the case.
A former Florence County Sheriffs deputy accused of fatally shooting a speeding driver and whose police dog mauled an innocent civilian has been charged with manslaughter, according to the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division.

Florence County deputy Treyvon Jonathan Sellers, 29, was charged Wednesday with voluntary manslaughter, assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, and misconduct in office, according to a SLED press release, affidavits and warrants in the case.

Information was not available on whether Sellers is in custody or if he has an attorney.

The events that led to Wednesdays charges took place on May 26 and began with a high speed pursuit several miles east of Florence by Sellers of a fleeing driver identified as Dewayne Rankin, according to SLED.

After four minutes, Rankins vehicle struck a tree in front of a residence. Rankin jumped out and ran inside, followed quickly by Sellers and his unleashed police dog, Ikar. The dog quickly apprehended the homeowner and began actively mauling him, according to warrants.

Then, Sellers encountered Rankin, who was unarmed and lying on a couch... (and) discharged his department-issued handgun five times, unlawfully killing Rankin..., a warrant charging Sellers with voluntary manslaughter said.

Another warrant, charging Sellers with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, said the deputy took Ikar off his leash without knowing who might be in the house and gave him the apprehend command with reckless disregard to .... the risk of great bodily injury to another person.

Sellers gave K9 Ikar incorrect commands and did not use available resources to remove K9 Ikar, the warrant said, adding the dog mauled the homeowner for 87 seconds. The homeowner sustained permanent disfigurement to his left arm and left shoulder, the warrant said. The entire incident was recorded on video, the warrant said.

The case will be prosecuted by the S.C. Attorney Generals office, a SLED press release said.

This is a breaking news story and may be updated.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  It took 42 hours after a federal jury acquitted the suspended Marlboro County Sheriff for the governor to restore Lemons power as the top law enforcer in the county.

Lemons spent the past two years and nine months suspended from office.

Whereas, on August 19, 2024, following a trial before the United States District Court for the District of South Carolinathe jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty, S.C. Governor Henry McMaster wrote in an executive order rescinding Lemons suspension from office.

Marlboro County Sheriff Charles Lemon and his defense team leave the federal courthouse in Florence, S.C. during a break in his trial on a civil rights violation. The jury acquitted Lemon following 70 minutes of deliberations on August 19, 2024. (WJZY Photo/Jody Barr)

Now, therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Governor of the State of South Carolina and pursuant to the Constitution and Laws of this State and the powers conferred to me therein, I hereby rescind the suspensionand resinatate Charles B. Lemon as Sheriff of Marlboro County. McMasters order continued.

Federal grand jury indicts former Marlboro County Sheriff, deputy in 2020 jailhouse assault

This Order is effective immediately.

But Lemon wont be able to enforce the law even if he were to walk back into work today. His law enforcement certification is still suspended and hed have to go back before the S.C. Law Enforcement Training Council, a decision-making body that oversees the states law enforcement credentialing.

The LETC would have to lift Lemons suspension, which could happen as soon as next months meeting, according to Major Florence McCants with the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy.

As of the posting of this article, Lemon has not arrived at the sheriffs office and the governors office has not informed Interim Sheriff Larry McNeil of the reinstatement. We do not know whether Lemon will take his office back and the governors order appears to be a technical return to power, but may not mean Lemon will take his job back.

Lemons defense attorney, Morgan Martin, cast doubt on Lemon returning to finish the remaining four months and 10 days of his unexpired term, It may well be that he would be entitled to retake the office of sheriff, but I know he has not made a determination to do that. Its within several months of a new term for sheriff and he didnt run in either the primaries to be in the general election, Martin said in an interview with our sister station WBTW in Myrtle Beach on Tuesday.

However in a call with Queen City News Chief Investigative Reporter Jody Barr on Wednesday, Martin said Lemon is considering his next move, The truthful answer is hes thinking about that, Martin said, We had not reached out to the governors office to do this. They did that on their own, automatically, Martin said.

Lemon is now the sheriff, and it is a matter of him going back in, Martin explained by phone, He is considering his next steps and how to handle this situation and within the next day or so well have an announcement about that.

Even if Lemon decides to take the sheriffs office back, his name still will not appear on the November ballot since he missed the state-mandated filing deadlines in March. Lemons only hope to win re-election in November would come from a write-in campaign, but the sheriff has not disclosed his plans to continue as sheriff.

Suspended Marlboro County sheriff wont have state trial; charges to be handled in federal court

Lemon had not answered a text message Barr sent to his cell phone following notice of the governors order on Wednesday.

Lemon and former Deputy Andrew Cook were both suspended on Dec. 14, 2021, when the Marlboro County grand jury indicted the men based on a cell phone recording of Cooks body camera video. Cooks body camera captured the use of force against Jarrel Johnson, an inmate the lawmen were trying to get into a holding cell on May 3, 2020.

The Cook body camera video disappeared from the sheriffs office evidence repository sometime after the May 3, 2020, incident. The video remained missing until the fall of 2021 when the head of Lemons investigative unit provided a copy of the cell phone recording to both the S.C. Law Enforcement Division and to Barr.

Within weeks of the video resurfacing, Lemon and Cook were indicted, each on misconduct in office and felony assault charges. Lemon was not arrested on the charges on Dec. 14, 2021, and we video-recorded SLED agents helping Lemon move his personal belongings out of the sheriffs office before an agent gave Lemon a ride home in a SLED pickup truck.

An unidentified South Carolina Law Enforcement Division agent opens a door of a state-owned truck for suspended Marlboro County Sheriff Charles Lemon after the sheriff was indicted on Dec. 14, 2021. Lemon was suspended immediately upon his indictment. (WJZY Photo/Jody Barr)

On Dec. 21, 2021, Lemon and Cook showed up for an arraignment hearing and bond setting before Circuit Court Judge Michael Nettles. Nettles set bond on the lawmen, then had them arrested inside the courtroom before they were driven back to the Marlboro County Detention Center to be booked and have their mugshots taken.

The S.C. Attorney Generals Office led the prosecution of Lemon and Cook on the state charges.

A Florence County Sheriffs Deputy handcuffs suspended Marlboro County Sheriff Charles Lemon following a Dec. 21, 2021 arraignment at the Florence County Justice Center. (WJZY Photo/Brian Christiansen)

Between Dec. 21, 2021, and Jan. 25, 2024, nothing happened in the AGs prosecution. Court records show not even a single hearing was held.

On Jan. 24, 2024, the U.S. Attorneys Office in Florence, S.C. announced that a federal grand jury handed up an indictment against both Lemon and Cook, charging them with violating the Civil Rights Act for their use of a Taser against Johnson from the May 3, 2020 jailhouse video recording QCN obtained.

On March 5, 2024, the S.C. Attorney Generals Office dropped its state charges against both Lemon and Cook through whats known as nolle prosequi, which means the courts treat the misconduct in office and the felony assault charges as if they never existed, according to McMasters August 21, 2024, executive order.

Although Attorney General Alan Wilsons office abandoned the state charges and allowed the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute Lemon and Cook on the civil rights charge, the AGs office could reinstate the December 2021 state indictments against the lawmen. The AG could also re-indict the men.

Wilsons office will not confirm to QCN what it plans to do with the 2021 indictments, but the March 2024 dismissal notes the AGs offices dismissal wasnt the end of the states prosecution, noting nolle process with leave to restore, the dismissal records filed in Marlboro County show.

As of this report, the state charges have not been restored.

Lemon is also the subject of an active SLED and AG investigation into warrant shredding allegations. The allegations were the subject of our Shredded Justice investigative series published in August 2023. The attorney generals office could have a decision on whether to file charges next month.

Well continue to follow any updates involving Marlboro County Sheriff Charles Lemon.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
University of Miami pediatrician Judith L. Schaechter, M.D. (L) gives an HPV vaccination to a 13-year-old girl in her office at the Miller School of Medicine on September 21, 2011 in Miami, Florida. The vaccine for human papillomavirus, or HPV, is given to prevent a sexually transmitted infection that can cause cancer. (File/Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

COLUMBIA  South Carolinas public health agency is encouraging parents to protect their children from half a dozen types of cancer with a vaccine that lawmakers spent a decade debating before agreeing to even allow its promotion.

To mark National Immunization Awareness Month, state health officials are focusing on the lifesaving capabilities of the HPV vaccine, which prevents 90% of cancers associated with the virus, primarily cervical cancer.

Nearly everyone will get HPV at some point in their lives, Dr. Edward Simmer, interim director of the Department of Public Health, said about the virus that causes more than 9 of every 10 cases of cervical cancer.

Dr. Edward Simmer, interim director of the Department of Public Health, speaks during a news conference on the importance of vaccinations at Prisma Health Childrens Hospital-Midlands on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (Abraham Kenmore/SC Daily Gazette)

Starting the vaccination series today will help protect your child from the cancers caused by HPV later in their lives, he continued. Vaccines protect your child before they are exposed to an infection. Thats why we give HPV vaccination earlier rather than later, to protect them long before they are ever exposed.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the two-shot full dose for 11- and 12-year-olds. Those over 15 need three shots for a full dose. Vaccination is not generally recommended for adults over 26, though it may be beneficial to some older patients, as determined by their doctor.

Just 54% of South Carolinians between ages 13 and 17 are fully vaccinated against HPV, according to the state health agency. Nationally, the percentage is 64%.

The virus is usually transmitted through sex or other skin-to-skin contact and is very common. Among people who are not vaccinated, the vast majority of people will contract it by age 45, Simmer said.

Most people never know they have the infection, and the body gets rid of it naturally. But it can turn to cancer if the immune system lets the infection linger and cells become abnormal, according to the CDC.

The most recent data for South Carolina shows 881 cases of cancer associated with the virus in 2021, and 291 deaths from those cancers.

The ability of public health officials to promote the vaccine in South Carolina has been controversial.

In 2007, a bill that would have mandated girls in seventh grade receive the HPV vaccine brought heavy criticism, particularly from faith-based groups who argued it would encourage promiscuity. It was eventually defeated unanimously in the House after its sponsor, Columbia-area GOP Rep. Joan Brady, moved to kill her own bill as the floor debate dragged on.

Five years later, the Legislature passed a bipartisan bill to promote the vaccine without mandating it.

The proposal would have allowed the state health agency to offer the vaccine and authorized school districts to distribute educational brochures to parents of sixth graders. But it was vetoed by then-Gov. Nikki Haley, and the House failed to muster the supermajority vote needed to override it.

At the time, Haley said the government should not be involved in recommending a vaccine and did not want parents thinking it was mandatory.

In 2016, however, a very similar bill passed the General Assembly, and Haley signed it.

There were some changes. It included more requirements for the brochure, such as listing side effects. And it banned the state health department from contracting with any health care provider to distribute the vaccine if the provider also performed abortions  basically, an anti-Planned Parenthood provision.

Rep. Beth Bernstein, D-Columbia, was the chief sponsor of the 2016 law. She ousted Brady in 2012, after the last proposal on HPV vaccines failed. It was her first bill to become law, she told the SC Daily Gazette.

Bernstein said she worked with Republicans to pass it and collaborated with outside groups like the state Academy of Pediatrics Association. Both chambers passed it overwhelmingly. But it continued to have opposition.

We had conservative members who also thought it would encourage teens to have sex, Bernstein wrote to the Gazette.

Haley signed the bill but didnt celebrate it with a public, ceremonial signing  likely because of the controversy, Bernstein said.

That 2016 law is still what authorizes the Department of Public Health to distribute the vaccine, according to an agency spokesperson.

Children and teens can get the HPV vaccine from their medical provider.

It is among vaccines covered by Medicaid. Its also provided for free through federal and state programs to those without insurance or with insurance that does not cover vaccines. The programs provide the shots at public health offices, rural health clinics and private providers.

The Medical University of South Carolina also has a mobile van that travels the state to make HPV vaccinations easily accessible.
Savage Craft Ale Works, once a fire station and city hall, in West Columbia on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (Skylar Laird/SC Daily Gazette)

WEST COLUMBIA  Long before it was a bar and taproom, Savage Craft Ale Works was a fire station and a jail house.

When Andrew Baumgartner was looking to open a bar in 2017, he thought the buildings were perfect. Not only were they just across the river from the states capital city, but they had a lot of character, he said. At the same time, though, he knew refurbishing them would be expensive.

The numbers simply didnt work, especially for a project of this scope, Baumgartner said Wednesday.

That was, until the Legislature extended its tax credit for abandoned buildings in 2018. Using close to the $500,000 maximum for each of the three buildings on the property, Baumgartner was able to open Savage Craft in 2021.

On Wednesday, at Savage Craft, Gov. Henry McMaster celebrated a law that again extended how long the credit is available, this time until 2035. The law, which actually took effect in May, also increased how much a developer can collect in reimbursements per property. And it added railroads as structures that can qualify.

Expanding the program will pave the way for more people to revitalize old buildings for their businesses, the same way the tax credits allowed Baumgartner to turn the historic buildings into a bustling bar, officials said Wednesday.

The original tax credit law went into effect in 2013. Between July of 2013 and June of 2023, the state gave more than 2,200 properties over $96 million in tax breaks, according to the Department of Revenues latest data available.

That included Savage Craft. In 2019, Baumgartner bought the 94-year-old fire station, which also served as city hall for what was once the New Brookland area, and the 111-year-old jail. Without help from the tax credits, though, turning those buildings into a bar would never have been feasible, he said.

Under the tax credit, developers can get reimbursed for up to 25% of the cost of rehabilitating a structure. The new law increases the maximum amount for each property from $500,000 to $700,000, paid out between three and five years. Only a few people and companies typically claim the maximum amount available each year, the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office noted in an analysis of the new law.

If legislators had not agreed to extend the tax credit, it would have ended in 2025.

In some cases, developers were reconsidering projects because of how much they would cost without help from the state program, said Sen. Tom Davis, the primary sponsor of the new law. Extending the timeline and increasing the amount will allow for more and bigger projects, which can in turn boost an areas tax revenue in the long-term, the Beaufort Republican said.

It may be cheaper to simply bulldoze an old building and ruin the character and what it gave the community in the past, but there is a value in rehabilitating it, Davis said.

Savage Craft, for instance, has brought in more revenue over the past three years since its opening than it used in tax credits, Baumgartner said.

Thats all gravy for the state, county and city, Baumgartner said.

Abandoned buildings can also become a safety hazard as they deteriorate, said Rep. Micah Caskey, R-West Columbia. As foundations crumble, the structures can not only become an eyesore but also draw vandalism and crime to the area, he said.

But fixing up one building can encourage people to invest in the surrounding area, he said.

When we see what was once an abandoned building transformed into a thriving business, a community center or affordable housing, we are reminded of the potential within each of our communities, Caskey said.

Supporting the preservation of old buildings is especially important in a state like South Carolina, which is rife with history, McMaster said.

From Native American tribes to European settlers to soldiers in the Revolutionary War and Civil War, the state has played a large historical role, and its buildings reflect that, he said.

McMaster pointed across the river for an example of what can happen without a push to preserve a building. On Senate Street in Columbia, a plaque commemorates the last home of former Gov. Wade Hampton, who was a Confederate general and served as governor from 1879-1891. Where the home once stood is now an apartment building.

Thats a nice apartment building, but wouldnt it have been nice to have been able to have saved that home? McMaster said.
YANKTON, S.D. (KELO)  The Yankton Police Department is reminding community members to be vigilant with the rise of scams involving the names of people in the community.

In a post on Facebook, Yankton Police warned community members to be vigilant of scams that involve soliciting ads for community magnets.

A unanimous no: Harrisburg votes on prison sewer proposal

The Yankton Library received one of these calls. In the attempted scam, the scammer used the names of real library employees to ask for sponsorships. The library staff noted that the phone call was from an out-of-state number in Texas. The staff wants to remind community members that library staff will never contact patrons with requests to wire money, cash, cryptocurrency or gift cards and will not ask for payment over the phone.

If you suspect that you are the victim of a scam call, you are encouraged to call local law enforcement. Never pay the caller and take note of the number calling you.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com.
The Scene Outside the DNC in Chicago Is a Little Shocking. I Dont Mean the Protesters.

Trumps Third Attempt to Remove His New York Judge Fails

The fear of violence was far-reaching. Many local businesses have preemptively boarded up their stores, and some Democratic lawmakers who expressed concern over their safety were told by law enforcement to avoid certain areas or otherwise expect violence, and to book hotels under false names. Worry about the potential for a climactic clash involving pro-Palestine protests was punctuated by a $75 million grant from the Department of Justice to bolster security.

Inside the park, however, as the March on the DNC rally was underway, it began to feel like it was all much ado about nothing. The main protesters decried the Biden administrations continued funding and political cover for Israels nearly yearlong assault in Gaza; some, who see no change in Kamala Harris potential role, held signs about Killer Kamala. But also inside the park was a contingent of Christian Zionists waving enormous Israeli flags. They were barricaded into a corner at the opposite end of the rally stage by police officers, with about two cops and reporters per counterprotesterbut pro-Palestine protesters clad in kaffiyeh were still permitted to weave inside the counterprotest to engage in dialogue. The Christian Zionists I spoke to mostly said they are aligned with peace, and hadnt faced any aggressive confrontations from pro-Palestine protesters.

Aymann Ismail

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Maia Sandu, President of the Republic of Moldova, hold a joint press conference. The topics of the visit are bilateral relations, security policy issues, the impact of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine on the Republic of Moldova and the country's accession to the EU. Kay Nietfeld/dpa

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday assured Ukraine and its small neighbour Moldova of Berlin's continued support despite debates about further cuts to the German budget.

"Germany will not let up in its support for Ukraine," the chancellor said during a short visit to Chisinau, the capital of Moldova.

"We will support Ukraine for as long as it is necessary and we will be the biggest national supporter of Ukraine in Europe," Scholz added.

The Chancellor emphasized that only the United States was doing more as a major world power and added: "In this respect, this is something that everyone in Ukraine can rely on."

Scholz held talks with Moldovan President Maia Sandu and Prime Minister Dorin Recean on Wednesday which focused primarily on the impact of Russia's war against Ukraine on Moldova with its 2.6 million inhabitants.

The government of Moldova, which is seeking membership in the European Union, accuses Russia of deliberate disinformation and destabilization. Russian soldiers have been stationed in the breakaway region of Transnistria, a narrow strip of land in the east of the republic, since the 1990s.

Scholz promised Moldova assistance on its path to the European Union.

"Germany stands closely by Moldova's side. We will support the Republic of Moldova to the best of our ability," Scholz told reporters in Chisinau after his meeting with the Moldovan president.

The former Soviet republic was demonstrating a "remarkable will to reform," Scholz said further.

This is why Germany was in favour of EU candidate status for Moldova and the start of accession talks this summer.

Moldova applied for EU membership in March 2022 and was granted EU candidate status in June 2022, according to the EU Council. In December 2023, EU leaders decided to open accession negotiations with Moldova as well as Ukraine.

Scholz visited Moldova last year for a European summit. However, his current trip is the first bilateral visit by a German chancellor in 12 years.

Germany has supported Moldova with more than 41 million ($45.6 million) for the security sector since 2018 and, according to the German government, is the fifth largest donor to the country, one of the poorest in Europe.

Moldovan voters go to the polls in a presidential election on October 20, at which time they will also be asked to vote on a referendum on whether EU accession should be enshrined as a goal in the constitution.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz holds a press conference during his visit to the Republic of Moldova. The topics of the visit are bilateral relations, security policy issues, the impact of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine on the Republic of Moldova and the country's accession to the EU. Kay Nietfeld/dpa
Scholz believes Ukrainian troops are unlikely to stay in Russia's Kursk Oblast for long

Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany, believes that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are unlikely to stay in Kursk Oblast in Russia for long.

Source: Sholz during a visit to Moldova on 21 August, as European Pravda reported with reference to DPA

Details: Scholz believes that the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk Oblast "is an operation that is very limited in space and time". He specified that he does not know for sure but "it is impossible to comment on it so far".

Scholz believes that Ukrainian forces are unlikely to stay in the territory of Russia for a long time after their offensive in Kursk Oblast.

He stressed that Ukraine was preparing the operation "very discreetly and without feedback" from its Western partners.

At the same time, Scholz left unanswered the question about his attitude towards deploying German equipment in the operation.

The German government quite cautiously commented on the actions by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the territory of Russia but did not object against the deployment of the armament provided by Berlin.

Earlier, the Bundeswehr noted the success of the Ukrainian operation in Kursk Oblast, although it pointed out the risks it entails.

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(Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germanys support for Ukraine wont let up as he sought to blunt concerns that budget tightening within his coalition will halt funding to the war-battered nation.

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We will continue to support Ukraine as long as necessary, Scholz told reporters during a trip to Moldova on Wednesday. Everybody can depend on us.

Scholzs government this week sought to tamp down a debate about Ukraine funding following a report in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper that spending constraints meant that no new additional funds would be earmarked for Ukrainian military aid.

The German leader said that his government remained the European Unions biggest financial supporter of Ukraine.

Scholz cited 4 billion ($4.5 billion) earmarked in Germanys budget next year and pointed to a Group of Seven agreement this year to provide some $50 billion in new aid backed by the profits generated by frozen Russian central bank assets.

Generating the central bank funds is technically difficult but clarified politically, Scholz said.

Moldovas EU Ambitions

The chancellors coalition has been mired in bickering for months over budget spending thats affected by strict constitutional debt limits. The parties sealed a final agreement on next years spending plan only after weeks of squabbling over limited funds.

Standing alongside Moldovan President Maia Sandu after talks in the capital Chisinau, Scholz reinforced Germanys support for Moldovas bid to join the European Union, which is in the interests of the bloc, Germany as well as Moldova, he said.

The former Soviet republic, wedged between war-battered Ukraine and EU-member state Romania, plans to hold a referendum on joining the 27-member bloc on Oct. 20, in parallel with a presidential election that Sandu is slated to win for a second term.

Sandu, first elected on 2020 on a wave of pro-European support, has sought to root out corruption and cement a Western-style democracy even as shes raised the alarm of persistent Russian campaigns of destabilization and disinformation.

Fully reliant on Russia for its gas imports before the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moldova faces a steep challenge in shifting its energy system to the West. The government in Chisinau put its gas sector on alert earlier this month over fears that Ukraines shock incursion into Russian territory may disrupt the Kremlins gas supplies that still transit Ukraine.

--With assistance from Irina Vilcu and Andra Timu.

(Updates with coalition tension, Moldovas ambitions from seventh paragraph.)

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By Andreas Rinke and Alexander Tanas

CHISINAU (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday Ukraine had not consulted Berlin about its Aug. 6 shock incursion into Russia and that he expected that military operation to be limited in time and territory.

Speaking at a press conference after talks with Moldovan President Maia Sandu in Chisinau, Scholz said Berlin was monitoring further developments around the incursion closely.

Ukrainian leaders have cast the attack as proof that their military can still succeed in offensive operations, and still surprise. Russia has vowed to repel the incursion.

"Ukraine has prepared its military operation in the Kursk region very secretly and without feedback, which is certainly due to the situation," Scholz said. "This is a very limited operation in terms of space and probably also in terms of time."

Separately Scholz said Germany would continue to be what he said was Ukraine's biggest supporter in Europe after controversy in recent days over what some have called wavering German support for Kyiv over domestic politicking.

Scholz's awkward three-way coalition, which has struggled to reach a deal on its budget, plans to halve its aid next year, betting the shortfall will be made up by a G7 plan to loan Ukraine $50 billion.

Scholz said the G7 plan to use proceeds from frozen Russian assets to give the loans was "technically demanding, but politically clarified" and would give Ukraine a considerable increase in support.

"With the $50 billion together with the funds made available nationally, this will be more than what has been available to Ukraine in terms of support to date," he said.

Scholz reiterated his support for Moldova over what he called Russian destabilization efforts.

(Reporting by Andreas Rinke, Alexander Tanas and Yuliia Dysa, writing by Andrey Sychev and Sarah Marsh, editing by Timothy Heritage and Angus MacSwan)
Making school meals free for all students in Minnesota is one of Tim Walzs signature achievements as governor.

Its a program that Kristine Black, the principal of Hidden Valley Elementary School in Savage, Minnesota, says has positively impacted every student at her school.

We know the financial part is helpful for families, so that relieves stress, said Black, whose school has carved out 15 minutes at the beginning of the day for students to eat breakfast in their classrooms.

Knowing theyre going to have a strong, solid breakfast is great as well, Black said. Knowing theyre going into their classroom and theyre going to be supervised, it builds our home and school connection.

When he takes the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday evening, Walz  tapped only weeks ago by Vice President Kamala Harris to be her running mate in her quest to succeed President Joe Biden in the White House  will be introducing himself to the nation and cementing his status as one of the Democratic Partys standard-bearers.

As Minnesotas governor since 2019, Walz is known for overseeing an ambitious progressive policy agenda that includes 12 weeks of paid family leave, free public college tuition for low- and middle-income families, and the ability for anyone to buy into Medicaid, to name just a few of the measures that established Walz as a champion of progressive reforms in a state where Democrats came into full power only two years ago.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz gets a huge hug from students at Webster Elementary in Minneapolis after he signed into law a bill that guarantees free school meals for every student in Minnesota's public and charter schools. Star Tribune via Getty Images via Getty Images

Even among those policy victories, school lunch stands out. A voter survey published Wednesday by the Democratic polling firm Blueprint found free school lunch is the only one of Walzs most popular accomplishments surveyed that more than 40% of voters have heard about. And its a major reason Walz is the only member of either presidential ticket whose favorability isnt underwater.

But the Walz Minnesota Miracle reforms are unlikely to happen again on a national scale, barring  a miracle.

Neither Harris nor Walz has made the type of reforms Walz backed in Minnesota a focus of the campaign. In fact, Walzs record of backing progressive policymaking was initially seen as a possible liability for a party hoping not to seem too liberal for moderate swing voters who might be turned off, for instance, by Walzs support for a bill extending drivers licenses to all residents regardless of their immigration status.

School lunch might be Walzs best-known achievement because its the simplest and because its about feeding kids, a concept even Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance has praised. On top of that, school lunch reflects Walzs biography  the governor and former congressman previously worked as a schoolteacher occasionally tasked with tracking which kids paid for lunch, a process that exposed less fortunate kids to lunch shaming.

Kids knew who had the other-colored lunch ticket, Walz told reporters last year. And all of a sudden, youve created this situation of who didnt have it, and weve created tensions of inequities in our very place where kids who need that lunch are.

It would likely take total Democratic control of Washington to enact Minnesotas Democratic agenda on a national scale, and thats a long shot given Democrats tough position in the Senate map. Even the recent push for free school meals in Minnesota and other states resulted from a burst of bipartisanship in Washington, D.C., brought about by nothing less than a global pandemic.

Congress enacted a slew of bold policies in 2020 to mitigate the economic harm of business and school shutdowns, including a massive experimental layoff protection program and an unprecedented increase in unemployment insurance. Part of the package made school lunch free for all students for two years.

After Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law in 2021, the era of massive social policy experimentation in Washington seemingly ended, and incremental progress returned.

Minnesota was one of eight states that stepped up to make school meals universally available after the pandemic expansion expired, according to the Food Research and Action Center, an influential nutrition advocacy group.

This bill puts us one step closer to making Minnesota the best state for kids to grow up, and I am grateful to all of the legislators and advocates for making it happen, Walz said in March 2023 when he signed the bill into law.

Feeding children isnt exactly a radical idea. The National School Lunch Program came about in 1946 and today reaches more than 30 million kids in all 50 states. Its been gradually expanded to include breakfast, snacks and summer meal distribution. But most states still make schools sort out which kids are deserving enough for a discount, rather than making the program available to all.

The idea of offering free school meals to all students is not new. This has been something that people have been pushing for decades, Alexis Bylander, interim director of child nutrition programs & policy at the Food Research and Action Center, said in an interview.

A lot of states realized that they didnt want to go back to a system of kids paying different prices for the same meal, Bylander said, adding that the temporary pandemic policy really served as a trial run for what a nationwide healthy school meals for all policy could look like.

A step toward universal school lunch came in 2010 with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, a law championed by then-first lady Michelle Obama that boosted nutrition standards and gave states the option to give free meals to whole schools if just 40% of kids were poor enough to qualify. The Biden administration lowered the threshold to 25%, but a more meaningful step toward universal free lunch would require an act of Congress.

No Republican has co-sponsored a universal lunch bill, but Vance said a nice thing about the idea in response to a reporters question earlier this month, telling Semafor we dont want kids starving in school and that Walz, like any politician, isnt wrong on 100% of issues.

A spokesperson for Vance declined to elaborate on his school lunch views.

The right-wing blueprint for a second Trump presidency known as Project 2025, meanwhile, says free school lunch should only be for poor kids and Congress should unwind the various expansions that have served rich and poor alike. And most Republicans in the House backed a budget plan that would do so.

Federal school meals should be focused on children in need, and any efforts to expand student eligibility for federal school meals to include all K-12 students should be soundly rejected, the Project 2025 document says.

Minnesotas universal school lunch and breakfast program, meanwhile, not only guarantees that students will be fed when theyre at school, supporters say it eliminates the stigma associated with qualifying for free or reduced meals, and allows students to begin their day on a level playing field. As Walz might say, the policy helps kids mind their own business about which families dont have as much money.

Everyone has breakfast, everyone has lunch. No one has to worry about it, said Black, the Minnesota principal. No one talks about that as an identifier for kids.
Tourists visit the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, March 16, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Zhimin)

The 2024 International Forum on Cave Temple Conservation, organized by the National Cultural Heritage Administration, kicked off on Monday in Dunhuang, Gansu province.



Under the theme of "promoting Silk Road cultural exchanges, building the dream of the Belt and Road Initiative", several hundred experts from 16 countries and regions have gathered to discuss the study, protection and management of cave temples.

Cave temples refer to grottoes and sculptures carved into cliffs or mountains, as well as the remains of temple sites, and cliffside statues. They possess significant cultural, historical and artistic value.

Dunhuang is known for the Mogao Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with hundreds of Buddhist caves dating from the 4th to the 14th centuries that are known for their exquisite murals and statues.

According to Guan Qiang, deputy director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, China's cave temples, as represented by Mogao, not only vividly demonstrate the spread of Buddhism in China, but are also testimony to Chinese civilization.

After more than 70 years of effort, the main risks to the country's most important cave temples have been largely eliminated. That means the exploration and practice of protecting and repairing cave temples, reinforcing their structure, and improving environmental management, as well as digital preservation and monitoring, have been very effective in China, Guan says.

Professor Shahbaz Khan, director of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, said the protection of cave temples faces increasing challenge from climate change and environmental degradation across the world. As a result, international cooperation has an important role to play in the field.

Over the course of two days, scholars will exchange ideas on the subject of cave temples.
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT)  As school is set to begin across Eastern North Carolina, WNCT is checking in on what school districts are doing to prepare.

Pitt County Schools are back in class this year with something new. Our theme this year is rewriting our story, Wahl-Coates Elementary School of the Arts Principal Tracy Davenport said. Like I said, this is the beginning of my fifth year here and things have changed so I want hear what teachers have to say and what their hopes and dreams and wishes are. As educators, they give so much.



Several school leaders are also focusing on challenges for the new year. People are going to get sick, we understand those things. But being able to get kids here every day, they are physically able to be here is important, Farmville Central High School Principal Brad Johnston said. You know, being in class makes a difference.

But to model that, were also going to be tracking attendance for our staff because the children go off of what we give, Davenport said. And so if were not here and not modeling how important it is to be here every day, then our children, you know, they feed off of that.

Goals for the schools include improving academics and preparing graduates, but the people are a big key to the success. And I have to brag on the fact that I think we have some of the most amazing teachers in the state of North Carolina because they come to work every day and they give all they can to ensure that our students are having the best education possible, Johnston said.

Weve really worked hard to build a team that wants to be here and is committed to our children, Davenport said. They gain this confidence, this independence. They are also able to tap into their own personal identity and realize that its okay to like the violin and its okay not to like the violin. You know, a lot of children now feel that peer pressure to do what everyone else is doing and what I see through the arts is theyre really, they get that independence in that its okay to be who they are.

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School districts across the country received the largest infusion of federal cash ever to pull themselves out of the throes of the pandemic. But now that money is set to expire and districts are slashing jobs, increasing class sizes and cutting programs to keep their schools afloat.

Congress designed the aid  roughly $190 billion altogether  as a one-time distribution of cash primarily to tackle pandemic crises like learning loss, chronic absenteeism and worsening mental health. Thats more than one fifth of total U.S. K-12 education spending in 2022. Now, the last $122 billion runs out at the end of September.

The funding boost has helped schools make progress in addressing the Covid fallout by adding high-intensity tutoring and after school activities, key programs districts are struggling to fund just as students return to school.

When you look at the tally sheet, youve got a billion less dollars then youre going to have a billion less services, said Alabama State Superintendent Eric Mackey, who lauded the pandemic dollars for giving states the chance to test programs that officials wouldnt have otherwise been able to afford.



High-poverty schools and urban districts, which generally received larger amounts of relief money, will feel the harshest effects of the disappearing dollars, forcing them to shrink staff and slash programs to balance their budgets. And districts that spent their one-time relief dollars on ongoing expenses like pay raises, more staff and new programs  even though they knew these funds were going to disappear  are now having to cut back. In some states, like Massachusetts and Washington, school districts have added thousands of workers they can no longer afford.

A lot of districts thought that once money comes from the federal government, it comes forever  like we just get it year after year after year, said Marguerite Roza, director of Georgetown Universitys Edunomics Lab, which has tracked how school districts used the federal pandemic aid. Districts are going to have to be more adaptive in this situation.

Tough budget calls

A growing body of research reveals a correlation between the federal Covid-19 aid, known as the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund, and improved test scores. One study shows high-poverty districts that received larger ESSER allocations per student had larger gains in math and reading scores in 2023 compared to similar districts that got fewer dollars. And preliminary research from the University of Chicagos Education Lab found that the use of pandemic aid on high-intensity tutoring during the school day resulted in bumps in math and reading scores in Chicago Public Schools and schools in Fulton County, Georgia.

It does signal to us that keeping high-dosage tutoring, at the expense of other kinds of efforts even, seems really important if we care about student learning, Monica Bhatt, senior research director at the University of Chicago Education Lab, said.



The financial challenges facing Saddle Mountain Unified School District, a growing rural district of around 3,300 students about 50 miles outside of Phoenix, Arizona, underscores the difficult choices districts are facing. Saddle Mountain used its federal pandemic aid to buy new Chromebooks and give teachers one-time bonuses. But it was the decision to hire a new psychologist, a counselor and a psychology intern with the one-time federal dollars thats exacerbating existing staffing problems in the district this fall.

Superintendent Michael Winters said the additional hires were necessary in order to have a counselor at all five of the district's schools, a staffing demand for the 20 percent of students across the district that require special education services.

The district folded the cost of the new mental health professionals into its maintenance and operations budget with the end of the federal aid. But to keep on the added staff  an annual expense of around $200,000  the district will not give out raises to cover the cost. That lack of raises is contributing to an exodus of teachers, according to Winters.

One teacher quit a week before the new school year started on Aug. 1, securing a job in a neighboring district that paid more. That fifth-grade science class is now being taught by a paraprofessional who stepped up but needs additional training from the district. And by the end of the first day of school, another three teachers threatened to quit, Winters said.

That highlights a larger challenge with the federal pandemic aid: Schools were told to address academic recovery and the lingering effects of the pandemic  long-term problems that arent going to be fixed with a one-time check.

What we really need to do is either give people raises to attract and retain people in the profession or hire additional staff. If that funding is not what you call ongoing funding, you really cant do much with it, Winters said.

But despite that sentiment, the district knowingly used money with an expiration date for the added mental health professionals.

The workload without those people, from the people we did have, was just unbearable  you just couldnt physically do it, Winters said.

State lawmakers and district leaders across the nation are having to make decisions like the ones Saddle Mountain is making, reshaping what classrooms look like for the upcoming academic year.

In Alabama, state lawmakers are picking up the tab for statewide summer reading and math camps that were funded using $18 million in pandemic aid. But theyre eliminating other programs. Chilton County Schools, which serves roughly 8,000 children, for example, discontinued its free after-school program funded with Covid-19 money for the new year. Thats because it would have cost 30 percent of the districts entire budget to maintain  money it cant spend without slashing essential programs.

It gave us one-time money to do some of the innovative new things that states have been talking about doing, Mackey, Alabamas education chief, said of the federal funding. Theres never money to actually run experiments and to try something new and different.

Minneapolis leaders had to close a $110 million funding gap for the upcoming school year with the last $90 million in pandemic money spent during the previous school year. The district is scaling back the number of associate teachers, who provide extra help to students with math and literacy issues. In addition, vacant positions will remain unfilled and the districts magnet schools  specialized schools for subjects like art and STEM  are getting reduced funds.

The White House has been making the case for a new $8 billion grant program to keep some academic recovery efforts going, a plan unlikely to get approval on Capitol Hill. States are facing their own financial problems with other buckets of federal pandemic cash drying up and budget surpluses turning to deficits.



President Joe Bidens education chief recently repeated a message Education Department officials have been telling governors, state education leaders and district heads for some time: Difficult financial choices are coming even as academic recovery is ongoing.

Right now states and districts are having to make some very tough decisions, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said at a May gathering at the White House complex on chronic absenteeism. They're tired of unfunded mandates and demand from others to do yet another thing in education without more resources or support.

Cardona told a group of reporters in February he doesnt use the word cliff when describing the end of the federal pandemic aid. Were passing the baton back to states and we want them to match the presidents urgency on education funding, he said.
CHICAGO  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) departed from his usual stump speech Tuesday evening to talk about his personal stakes in the election as the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in American history by accusing former President Trump of peddling antisemitic stereotypes.

Let me close on a personal note. As the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in American history, I want my grandkids  and all grandkids  to never, never face discrimination because of who they are. But Donald Trump  this is a guy who peddles antisemitic stereotypes, Schumer told the packed arena at the United Center during the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday.

Schumer then pointed out that Trump hosted Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes along with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in 2022.

The Washington Post reported at the time that Trump had a long history of trafficking in antisemitic tropes.

Trump criticized American Jews in 2022 for not appreciating his record of helping Israel.

Wonderful Evangelicals are far more appreciative of [Trumps record on Israel] than the people of the Jewish faith, especially those living in the U.S., Trump posted on Truth Social at the time.

Schumer said Tuesday that Trumps prejudice goes in all directions.

He fuels Islamophobia and issued a Muslim ban as president. Tonight, folks, I am wearing this blue square to stand up to antisemitism, to stand up to all hate, he said, pointing to a blue lapel pin.

Our children, our grandchildren  no matter their race or creed or gender or family  deserve better than Donald Trumps American carnage, Schumer continued.

Schumer also talked about his personal relationship with Harris, noting their work on neighborhood and school safety and building an opportunity economy that gives everyone a shot at the American dream.

Schumer earlier in the day told reporters about his previous efforts to get a rules waiver to allow Harris, Californias former attorney general, to serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Then-Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) was serving on the Judiciary panel at the time, and Senate rules dont allow two senators from the same state to serve on a top-tier committee.

She will lead America forward into a brighter future. But, she cant do it alone. She needs a Democratic majority in the Senate, he said, reiterating his bold prediction that Democrats could actually pick up Senate seats this election cycle.

Two years ago, the naysayers said Senate Democrats stood no chance in the midterms. I told them: Just you wait! Were going to keep the Senate  and maybe pick up a seat. Thats exactly what happened.

Well, I am telling all of you now: This year, we are going to hold the Senate again  and are poised to pick up seats, he said.

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Scientists plan to use 'waterless barrier' to prevent droves of invasive animals from reaching vulnerable habitat: 'We've got this amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stop them'

Australia has been figuratively battling a plague of biblical proportions but one alliance hopes to stop an invasive amphibian from spreading.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the Toad Containment Zone is a partnership between aboriginal tribes, conservationists, pastoralists, and university researchers to prevent cane toads from invading the Pilbara, one of just 15 biodiversity hotspots in the country.

The organization plans to implement a "waterless barrier" in a 25-mile-by-250-mile corridor between Broome and Port Hedland that would be impossible for the toads to cross if not for the cattle stations that dot the area.

"What we're proposing is essentially that we manage that water in a way that  the cattle can still get to it but the toads cannot," Curtin University professor Ben Phillips told ABC. "If we do that, during the dry season, those toads will have to have no water."

"We've got this amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stop them," Phillips added.

Cane toads can rely on fresh water in troughs and dams at the stations to survive the dry season. A study found that without rehydrating, they would only make it about 3.3 miles across five days before dying. However, the toad colonization would be irreversible if it made it to the Pilbara because of the habitat's relative abundance of water.

Therefore, crews want to toad-proof 150 water points by fixing and improving leaky troughs and eliminating open water sources like turkey nest dams and old artesian wells, the ABC reported. Additional measures to obstruct the toad's progress include fences, specialized tadpole traps, and culling events.

Authorities project that cane toads will reach Broome, the start of the natural bottleneck separating the Great Sandy Desert and the Indian Ocean, by the 2026-27 wet season, giving TCZ three years to prepare the water infrastructure.

Officials brought toads from Hawaii in 1935 to control pests on plantations. They've since migrated over 1,200 miles from their original location in northern Queensland.

If the toads make it to the Pilbara, they could take over an additional 67 million acres and potentially cause nine mammals and reptiles to get added to Australia's threatened species list, per the news report. Thirteen other species potentially find themselves in a similar situation, while the northern quoll and ghost bat could get uplisted from endangered to critically endangered with the introduction of cane toads.

"Toads are predators of other frogs that have a role in our culture and ecosystem," Karajarri Traditional Lands Association chief executive Martin Bin Rashid said in the ABC report. "They [toads] tend to wipe out other frog species that are important to both the coastal and desert areas on Karajarri country."

They have already contributed to the nation's biodiversity crisis and threaten many native and keystone species that are culturally and environmentally significant. That makes the eradication of them  and all invasive species, like carp in the Mississippi River or Japanese beetles in Minnesota  crucial to protect an ecosystem.

The cane toad project is estimated to cost 12 million Australian dollars (about $8 million) over seven years, and the Western Australia government has contributed AU$337,000 ($227,000) in seed money. It's unclear where the rest of the funds will come from, but Phillips is hopeful that state and federal governments and potentially affected industries will contribute, per ABC.

"This is a nationally significant conservation initiative. And so $12 million is actually very cheap," Phillips said. "We just need an injection of funds and a bit of time to get it done before the toads arrive."

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A recent expedition into the forests of Madagascar found 21 examples of species that had been considered lost to science, including the first documented sighting of an approximately 10-inch-long millipede in 126 years, Popular Science reported.

The expedition into Makira Forest, which took place last September, turned up many long-lost species  at least to scientists, though local communities may not have considered them lost, per the news report. Yet perhaps none of the species were more long-lost than the 10-inch millipede.

"I personally was most surprised and pleased by the fact that the giant millipede Spirostreptus sculptus, not uncommon in Makira Forest, appeared to be another lost species known only from the type specimen described in 1897," Dmitry Telnov, an entomologist for Biodiversity Inventory for Conservation, said in a statement.

"The longest specimen of this species we observed in Makira was a really gigantic female measuring 27.5 centimeters [10.8 inches] long."

Other species that hadn't been spotted in decades (except, probably, by locals) included two examples of ant-like flower beetles, 17 different spider species considered new to science, and three fish, including the Makira rainbow fish.

The discovery of all of these creatures shows how important it is to preserve the natural environment, and how vulnerable so many plants and animals are to human activities. The fact that these species are still in existence is thanks to the fact that Makira Forest, the largest rainforest in Madagascar, is virtually untouched and legally protected.

Other parts of rainforests throughout the world have not been nearly as lucky, with large swaths wiped out by human development or depleted by the lumber industry, resulting in the endangerment and extinction of numerous species  and the loss of a massive amount of biodiversity.

Researchers recently found that expanding the amount of protected land to cover just 1.2% more of the Earth's land surface could save thousands of species from extinction over the next five years. The more biodiversity that is erased from our planet, the more important it becomes to preserve what we have left.

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Emma Ramsay was the former head girl of her high school in Hamilton, Lanarkshire - UNPIXS

A Scottish law student has died on holiday in Ibiza after reportedly falling from a hotel balcony.

Emma Ramsay, 19, is said to have died at about 3am on Tuesday at the Hotel Vibra District in the resort of San Antonio.

The third-year Strathclyde University student had earlier been enjoying a night out with friends at a nightclub, social media posts showed.

A newspaper in Ibiza reported that ambulances, local police and the Spanish civil guard were called to the hotel, but paramedics could not save Ms Ramsay and she was declared dead at the scene.

The head teacher of the teenagers former school, St John Ogilvie High in Hamilton, led tributes to her on Wednesday.

Lorna Lawson said: We are shocked and saddened at the heartbreaking news of the sudden passing of our former head girl, Emma Ramsay.

Emma was an incredibly kind, hard-working, bright and talented pupil who contributed a great deal to our school community.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Emmas family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. Emma will be missed and will forever hold a special place in our school.

Head teacher: Emma was a lovely girl

A spokesman for Strathclyde University said: Emma was a much-loved member of our student community and we are shocked and saddened by her death.

Everyone at the university offers our deepest condolences to Emmas family and all those affected by this terrible incident.

Colette Watson, the head teacher at St Marks Primary in Hamilton, also paid tribute to her former pupil.

She said: Emma was a lovely girl, caring and considerate, and many of our staff have truly fond memories of her time with us.

This is terribly sad news, and our thoughts, prayers and profound sympathies go out to Emmas family and friends.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities.

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Hundreds of sea lions lay at the San Carlos beach in Monterey on Tuesday. (Tayfun Coskun / Getty Images)

It isn't bacteria-tainted water or a sewage leak that's forced the closure of one of Monterey's beaches in the middle of its summer tourist season.

It's a huge colony of sea lions, who have decided to occupy a stretch of San Carlos Beach on busy Cannery Row instead of their normal rocky sanctuary a short distance away.

And by the looks of it, the pinnipeds won't be leaving anytime soon.

The group of mostly male sea lions travels every year from the Channel Islands to rest and feed and they usually stay along adjacent beaches but this time, they decided to call San Carlos Beach their home, city spokesperson Laurie Huelga said.

City officials don't know when the sea lions, who've already been at the beach for two weeks, will leave but they usually stay between three and four weeks, Huelga said. The city's parks staff has been working with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to monitor the animals.

"We want residents and visitors to be safe while visiting the coastline, and remind you to enjoy and watch the sea lions from a distance of at least 50 yards," city officials said in a Monday news release. "Please remember, we humans are sharing this space with other species."

Sea lions and other marine mammals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which means anyone who feeds, harasses, captures or kills them could face fines or jail time, according to the release.

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An Anderson County jury returned Aug. 21 with the sentence for Sean Shannon Finnegan in the killing of Jennifer Gail Paxton of Knoxville: death by lethal injection.

On Aug. 19, the same 12 jurors found Finnegan, who had lived on Fairview Road in Oak Ridge for several years, guilty of:

Two counts of first-degree murder

Criminally negligent homicide (instead of another count of first-degree murder charge)

Attempted aggravated rape

Aggravated rape

Aggravated kidnapping

Especially aggravated kidnapping

Conspiracy to commit aggravated rape

Conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping

Abuse of a corpse

Tampering with evidence

He was found not guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and another count of aggravated rape.

A hearing will be held Nov. 7 to decide upon sentencing for the lesser charges - anything other than the murder charges - on which Finnegan was convicted.

Assistant District Attorneys Sarah Winningham Keith and Kevin Allen said Paxton's body had been kept for about eight months in a freezer in the bedroom, but was moved quickly by Finnegan to a place under his bed before police arrived to search for the body, which was found in early August 2020. They believe she was strangled to death in December 2019. Finnegan's girlfriend or fiancee, 26-year-old Rebecca Dishman, told officers that Finnegan killed Paxton, strangling her with string over a lengthy period of time, taking breaks, and stopping to smoke.

Dishman reached a plea agreement with the district attorney general's office last year, pleading guilty to first-degree murder and agreeing to testify against Finnegan in return for a life sentence. She testified against him last week.

The sentencing hearing for Finnegan began Aug. 20, with attorneys for both sides making opening and closing statements, allowing Paxton's relatives to read statements on how her death had negatively impacted their family, and bringing in two character witnesses for Finnegan: a co-worker and his former sister-in-law, who painted a dark picture of his childhood.

Finnegan is never going to be free again, attorney Forrest Wallace assured Anderson County jurors on Aug. 20 at the beginning of the sentencing hearing. He said the minimum sentence they could give him for the first-degree murder of Jennifer Gail Paxton is 51 years. Finnegan turns 57 next month.

"Do the math," he said.

Arguing for the death sentence, Anderson County Assistant District Attorney General Kevin Allen said, "Sean Finnegan must be given the same amount of mercy they (he and Rebecca Dishman) gave Jennifer Paxton."

Sean Finnegan during his trial in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton, Tenn., on Tuesday, August 13, 2024.

The early life of Sean Finnegan

Wallace brought two witnesses before the jurors, which he described as showing Finnegan's humanity. The first was the manager who had worked with him at the bar in Knoxville, who testified during the trial he worked most of the time and was reliable.

His former sister-in-law painted a darker picture of Finnegan's early life.

Roxanne Mundy of Indiana testified about his home life when she married into the family. Finnegan was in his early to middle teen years. He had two younger brothers and a sister, and two older brothers, including John Finnegan Jr., who Mundy married. They are now divorced.

"I was terrified of the man," she said of her former father-in-law, Sean's father. She described the man known as John Sr. or "Big John" as an abusive alcoholic and gambler who frequently abused his wife, Sean's mother, both verbally and physically, including at least once "beyond recognition," and causing the children to run for their rooms when he came home. The violence continued to the point that she got the wife to get an order of protection against him, she said, which he violated. She said she and John Jr. helped her get an apartment in their building for her, Sean and his younger brother and sister, the older brothers having moved out of the home in Florida by that time.

Mundy said before she met her husband, the family had fled Ohio, leaving behind their home and belongings, and were living in a car parked in a rest area in Florida until they had enough money for a home. Sean and one of the brothers were sent to live with uncles. She said she didn't know if they were actually relatives or not. The younger siblings stayed with their mother in the car.

The subject of the uncles came up later. She said when a truancy officer showed up at the Finnegan home to report that Sean Finnegan and a brother weren't coming to school, it was discovered that the uncles were picking them up. She recalled Sean coming home one day in a "hot mess," very upset, and revealing he was being sexually and physically abused by the uncles and others.

As Mundy testified, Finnegan wiped tears from his eyes.

She said when the father found out Sean had been missing that much school, he beat him so bad that he was unable to go to school for about a week because of the bruises. Attorney Williams presented school records that he said indicated Sean essentially only went to school through the eighth grade.

The former sister-in-law jumped forward in the timeline to tell of an adult Sean Finnegan getting a job at a restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, where he was the master chef and general manager, enjoying the job that included dressing in a white coat and chef's hat and mingling with the guests and food critics.

"He was a great cook," she said.

That restaurant would eventually close and he'd go to another, she said. He moved to East Tennessee when the restaurant wanted to expand to Knoxville. When his siblings couldn't take care of his mother, she said, he offered to allow her to come stay with him. During the trial it came out that she had been in hospice at the time the offenses occurred and has since died.

Mundy said she hadn't seen him in about 34 years, but she had known the adult Sean Finnegan to be someone that no one would guess was different, with a beautiful wife, pet dogs he loved, nice homes and clothes, and cordial to people. In response to questions, she said she knew he drank alcohol at night and smoke pot, getting drunk a lot.

On the state's side, Paxton's cousins gave statements previously reported on about how her death had impacted their lives. A new statement was given from Paxton's grandmother, who relatives said she called her mom. It was read on the stand by Paxton's cousin Brittany Payne. In the printed statement, the grandmother said, "Losing her destroyed my heart. She was my everything." She added that the nightmares she had on earth would never end and that she knew she'd be with her granddaughter again in Heaven.

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.

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This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Sean Finnegan gets death penalty for murder of Jennifer Gail Paxton
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE)  Sean Finnegan, the man convicted in Jennifer Paxtons gruesome murder in late 2019, was sentenced to death Wednesday morning.

After deliberations in the sentencing began on Tuesday, the jury reached a verdict Wednesday morning. The jury had to return the sentencing documents to the judge three times as there were errors in the first two forms that were filled out.

LIVE BLOG: Verdict reached in death penalty trial of Oak Ridge man accused of murder, torture of woman

Around 11:15 a.m., the jury delivered its verdict to the judge sentencing Sean Finnegan to death. The judge read the sentencing, explaining that the jury found several aggravating factors that led them to give the death penalty, including:

The murder was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel

It involved serious torture or abuse beyond what was needed to produce death

The murder was knowingly committed, solicited directed or aided by the defendant, while the defendant had a substantial role in committing any rape or kidnapping

The defendant knowingly mutilated the body of the victim after death

As the judge read the sentencing, he explained that Finnegan would be transferred to the state penitentiary in Nashville, where he would be executed by lethal injection.

Following the verdict, Paxtons family were seen crying in the courtroom. Finnegan also shook his attorneys hands, thanking for the work they did in the case, after everyone had been dismissed.

Family remembers Jennifer Paxton as Oak Ridge murder trial continues

District Attorney General Dave Clark released a statement following the sentencing, reflecting on the weight of the decision to sentence someone to death, and sharing compassion for Paxtons family who have listened to this trial.

Most particularly, our thoughts and prayers are with the surviving family members of Jennifer Paxton who have suffered through this horrific process and who have had to hear the details of Jennifers last days of captivity, torture and murder. They have been strong, courageous and supportive throughout, Clark wrote in part. It is hoped that with the jurys verdict and the conclusion of this case that there can be some closure and healing for Jennifers family from this nightmare.

Read the full statement from Clark below.

DA-Statement-Finnegan-Found-GuiltyDownload

Throughout the case, Finnegan did not show any emotion until the sentencing. The first time he showed emotion was when his brothers ex-wife Roxanne Mundy testified about the abuse Finnegan suffered as a child.

Sean Finnegan Trial: Lawyer explains what constitutes a death penalty case

Finnegan was convicted on 11 counts on Monday, including criminally negligent homicide, first-degree felony murder during the perpetration of/attempt to perpetrate aggravated rape, abuse of a corpse, and conspiracy to commit aggravated rape. An additional hearing has been scheduled for Finnegan for this non-capital convictions for November 7.

Ahead of Finnegans sentencing, there were 45 people on Death Row in Tennessee, however, Governor Bill Lee paused executions in June 2022 when he ordered an independent investigation of the states lethal injection methods.

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HOMER, Ak. (FOX 44)  Search efforts for the Maynard family have ended, according to the Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team.

The Recovery Team said on its Facebook page that if something is found or possibly found in the future, it will respond to assess what is found if requested by the states Department of Public Safety.

Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the survivors, their family, friends, and community.  Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team

This comes after the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed the identities of the Troy family missing earlier this month, when a small boat they were on capsized in the waters off Alaska.

PREVIOUS STORY: Coast Guard has identified Troy family missing off Alaska

CPO Travis Magee of Coast Guard District 17 Public Affairs said those missing were David and Mary Maynard, and children Colton and Brantley Maynard.

CPO Magee said the Coast Guard received a report about 7 p.m. on August 3 that a 28-foot aluminum vessel with eight people aboard was taking on water about 16 miles west of Homer, Alaska. The Coast Guard issued a radio broadcast to notify area vessels of the situation. The vessel Salty Sea arrived on the scene and rescued four people from a life raft.

The Coast Guard directed the launch of multiple assets to search for the other four missing people, including two 29-foot Response Boats, the Coast Guard Cutter Naushon, along with a Jayhawk helicopter and a C-130J from Coast Guard Air Station in Kodiak, Alaska.

Coast Guard reported that Alaska State Troopers and several Good Samaritan vessels assisted with the search efforts. However, after searching nearly 24 hours, the search was suspended pending the development of new information.

The Coast Guard issued the statement below:

The decision to suspend a search is never easy and involves the careful consideration of many factors including environmental conditions and search operations.

Our deepest condolences go out to the family, friends, and loved ones of the missing people during this unimaginably difficult time.

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The underwater search of the 180-foot Bayesian removed six bodies from the interior of the yacht, following its sudden sinking near the Sicilian port of Porticello. The yachts owner Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah as well as Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, and his wife, Judy Bloomer; and attorney Christopher J. Morvillo and his wife, Neda Morvillo, have all been identified.

Local prosecutors have vowed to launch in-depth investigations into the tragedy, with Sky News reporting that manslaughter charges could be filed at some point.

More from Robb Report

The boats rapid sinking happened at about 4 a.m. local time on Monday, after a waterspout, or a small, localized tornado on the water, caused the vessel to heel over and eventually capsize, sending it about 165 feet to the bottom of the Mediterranean. Fifteen people were rescued by a nearby vessel. Authorities identified the body of Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian Antiguan, who worked as the sailing yachts chef.

The celebratory trip aboard Bayesian took place shortly after Lynch was acquitted of fraud charges in the U.S. in a long-running legal battle against accusations that he had defrauded Hewlett-Packard after he sold Hewlett his company, Autonomy, for $11 billion.

The 180-foot-long Bayesian had one of the longest masts of any sailing superyacht.

Boat International has quoted a crew member as saying that the boat was struck by a freak weather event, which caused it to heel 20 degrees on its right side. It continued to heel until it began to take on water and sank in just 12 minutes. We just didnt see it coming, Capt. James Calfield told Italian media.

A number of experts have speculated that water entering through the top via open hatches could have caused the sinking. Some witnesses have said that the mast snapped before the boat sank, but divers report the vessel is intact on the sea bottom.

Dario Boote, a ship structures and naval architecture professor at the University of Genoa, told paper that he expects a series of lawsuits to determine responsibility. Clearly, only once the wreck is raised will we know more, he told the

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BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB)  On Monday, we told you about some possible demolition of the Sears building at the Panama City mall. Workers were seen taking down the awnings over one of the store entrances.

Seritage SRC Finance took over Sears after the retail chain declared bankruptcy in 2018. That was just a few days after Hurricane Michael destroyed the mall.

Since then, nothing has happened.

Bay County offers discounted Uber rides to transportation disadvantaged residents

City officials said Seritage is staging equipment to demolish both the main Sears building and the detached automotive center, once they get the proper city permits.

When you have four different owners as well as the city thats going to be taking through eminent domain and purchasing some of the property around the building for the expansion of traffic and raised roadways and flyovers. You know, I think the real long-term status and path forward for that property is really unknown at this time, City manager Jonathan Hayes said.

Hayes said he expects the demolition to begin in the next few days and the Sears properties to be gone in the next couple of weeks.

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Indiana education officials will soon seek additional feedback from Hoosiers as they continue to craft and finalize a plan to overhaul the state's high school diploma options and graduation requirements. (Getty Images)

A revamped high school diploma model proposed by Indiana education officials appears to have earned approval from the states higher education institutions and several school advocacy groups, but others around the state  including parents, teachers, business owners and lawmakers  say they still have questions about the plan.

Many said their support hinges on unreleased  or uncertain  details about post-graduation outcomes, financial impact, and the feasibility of widespread work-based learning.

While parts of the proposal appear to be a step in the right direction, this updated diploma proposal remains a major change that high school students, educators and counselors must adjust to, said Rep. Cherrish Pryor, D-Indianapolis, in a Tuesday statement.

There are still many unanswered questions about the work-based learning requirements, Pryor continued. For example, who will pay for student transportation? How will school counselors handle the increase in workload in the midst of a counselor shortage? At the end of the day, this is an unfunded mandate that will unfairly burden our chronically underfunded public schools.

Under a law passed by Indiana legislators in 2023, the state must adopt new diploma requirements by December.

Schools could choose to opt in and start offering the new diplomas as early as the 2025-26 academic year. The new diplomas will take effect for all Hoosier students beginning with the Class of 2029, who are entering eighth grade this fall.

Paramount to the new plan, according to state officials, is maximized flexibility for students to personalize learning pathways and experiences, including with college courses taken while still in high school, as well as the ability to count internships, apprenticeships, military experience and other work-based learning toward their graduation requirements.

What we know

While the plan answers repeated calls for the states curriculum to better prepare students for post-high school employment and boost the states declining college-going rate, the drafting process has garnered criticisms  although some concerns have since been reversed  and a mounting pool of questions.

In the first draft of the diploma redesign  released earlier this year  high school students in public and private schools across Indiana would have earned a GPS Diploma or GPS Diploma Plus.

That plan was scrapped, however, following waves of criticism from Hoosier teachers, parents and students who worried that the model would broadly exclude certain course requirements, like those in history, foreign language and fine arts.

The second diploma structure, unveiled during a State Board of Education meeting last week, includes a baseline diploma, with minimum requirements for all students.

The baseline differs slightly from the current Core 40 diploma, requiring 42 credits instead of 40. Students would then have flexibility to choose classes above that to earn readiness seals for enrollment, employment or enlistment that correspond with their future path of continued higher education, workforce or military service.

Depending on the type of schedule a student is on  traditional seven periods or blocks  they can earn between 56 and 64 credits.

Although officials at multiple Indiana colleges and universities had warned that the previously proposed high school diplomas would not meet university admission requirements, the new model now has support from leadership at Ball State, Indiana, Indiana State and Purdue universities, as well as Ivy Tech Community College.

The state education board also received letters of support from the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, the Indiana Association of School Principals and the Indiana School Counselor Association.

The (proposed) diploma requirements  not only meet the academic rigor that we expect from our Indiana high schools, but go beyond that rigor and include individualized flexibility, said Bob Taylor, executive director of the Indiana Association of Public Schools, which represents over 290 public school superintendents.

Todd Bess, executive director of the Indiana Association of School Principals, said hes additionally pleased with the new proposal.

Im confident in our principals and all of our school leaders to implement, and, Ill say it again, innovate with this, Bess said. We will lead in this space.

Looming questions

Keith Gambill, president of the Indiana State Teachers Association, said the states largest teachers union is pleased that education officials addressed educators concerns about the earlier plan, but he emphasized there is still room for improvement.

ISTA is encouraged by the positive changes reflected in the Indiana State Board of Educations revised draft of the high school redesign and diploma requirements, Gambill said in the statement. The incorporation of educator input into this new draft is a significant step forward, demonstrating that the voices of educators and community members have been heard and valued.

Legislators  mostly Democrats  have also cautioned that some pending degree requirements pose more questions than answers.

The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus, for example, specifically raised questions about how students are expected to accrue outside work hours on top of their coursework, and whether transportation will be provided for students from school to apprenticeships.

They asked, too, who will be tasked with facilitating connections between businesses and students, pointing to recent data showing that Indiana has a dismal 694 to 1 student-to-counselor ratio. Will counselors still be expected to take on this role irrespective of this shortage? the caucus asked earlier this summer.

And while numerous Hoosier employers said they welcome the opportunity for work-based learning, some lawmakers, education advocates and business leaders are calling on the state education board to hash out specific details.

Still unclear is whether Indiana has enough businesses with open positions to accommodate all interested high school students, as well as possible liability issues that come with employing minors.

Additionally, Hoosiers from rural regions in the state said they want to see better incentives  and increased safety protocols in place  for businesses that hire students.

Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said certain diploma plan details  especially regarding work-based learning  are still being developed by the Indiana Department of Education and a variety of stakeholders.

Even so, the diploma overhaul will have to be approved before state lawmakers reconvene for the 2025 session. Any state-sponsored funding decisions or incentives for businesses will have to determined by the General Assembly.

Rep. Chris Campbell, D-West Lafayette, said shes still a little bit concerned that foreign language, fine arts and world history are not necessarily required, and pointed out that the current proposed degree plan could still put burden on our counselors in making sure that kids are on the right track.

Im going to continue to talk to teachers in my community, families and parents that I know are very, very concerned about what the future holds for their kids, and want to make sure that we dont have a one-size-fits-all, she Campbell said.

Bartell Berg, a professor of German at the University of Southern Indiana and vice president of the Indianas chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German, echoed those concerns, saying he worries that students will be pigeon-holed into just one readiness seal.

It is part of the beauty of our public education system that I took history and languages with friends who became firefighters and engineers, teachers, pastors, manufacturers and entrepreneurs, Berg said. Its my fear that the new pathways  that de-emphasize languages, world geography, and to some extent, even higher-level math skills  will leave my children and their peers unprepared to compete and excel in a 21st century economy. We need citizens, soldiers and workers that have greater intercultural competence, not less.

State education officials have not yet published the diploma plan in the state register. Once that happens, another 30-day public comment period will open, during which the state education board is expected to hold several in-person hearings and accept feedback online.

Changes can still be made after the comment period and before final adoption by the board, but the final rule on the new diploma must be adopted by Dec. 31.

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Police say the secret life of an alleged serial rapist known as the Boston Strip Mall Rapist, who spent more than three decades on the run, started to unravel when he was spotted on a yacht in Los Angeles earlier this year.

Stephen Paul Gale, 71, who realized he was being watched, attempted to flee, leading officers with the Los Angeles Police Department on a 90-minute pursuit that ultimately ended with his arrest.

Authorities from Los Angeles and Boston were seen in Wilmington serving a search warrant on a large yacht named Dior in the marina, which was reportedly owned by Gale.

The 71-year-old had been identified and charged in connection with the kidnapping, armed robbery and rape of two women in a Framingham, Mass. store in 1989.

Authorities with the United States Marshals Service publicly named Gale as the suspect in May of this year.

He sexually assaulted both women while holding the gun to their heads, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan told the WFXT Boston 25 News at the time.

A yacht in the Wilmington Harbor called Dior, reportedly owned by Stephen Paul Gale. (KTLA)

Authorities in Los Angeles seen on Dior, a yacht reportedly owned by Stephen Paul Gale, on Aug. 20, 2024. (KTLA)

Stephen Paul Gale, 71. (WFXT Boston 25 News)

Stephen Paul Gale, 71, seen leading L.A. police in pursuit on Aug. 8, 2024. (KTLA)

Stephen Paul Gale, 71, seen in custody of LAPD after a pursuit that lasted more than an hour on Aug. 8, 2024. (KTLA)

Stephen Paul Gale, 71. (WFXT Boston 25 News)

Stephen Paul Gale, 71. (U.S. Marshals Service)

Stephen Paul Gale, 71. (U.S. Marshals Service)

Evidence left behind at the scene led to the creation of a DNA profile in 2001, though there were no positive matches to the profile in law enforcement databases. It wasnt until later, when investigators used forensic genetic genealogy, that Gale was identified as the suspected rapist.

The 71-year-old is also wanted for questioning in a series of similar violent sexual assaults in the greater Boston area between 1989 and 1990, the U.S. Marshals Service said.

He is believed to have lived in several different states, including in Las Vegas, Nevada, using different aliases that included Stephen Pisarcik, John Rossi and Paul Costa.

Are you kidding me? Don Smollett, a resident of the same marina, said when he learned about Gales history. Well, Ive talked to him. I dont know a lot about him, but Ive talked to him many, many times. Hes been here. He remodeled that boat. He brought it here.

Gale reportedly told some people that he was connected to the famous fashion company his yacht was named after.

According to the guy that was working on the boat, he said he was involved in Dior, perfume or [something], Smollett told KTLA.

Dashcam captures teen suspect open fire near Southern California school

Authorities say that the 71-year-old has been known to embezzle money from people and has a criminal record in Southern California dating back to 1984. There are also reports that he may have previously had connections with organized crime.

The longtime fugitive, who is being held on $2 million bail, appeared in a Los Angeles court on Tuesday for a decades-old check-forging case in L.A. County.

It is unknown when authorities plan to extradite Gale to the Boston area.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
See inside the NYC-sized area of Russia that Ukraine seized in its lightning offensive

See inside the NYC-sized area of Russia that Ukraine seized in its lightning offensive

Ukraine launched a surprise offensive into Russia's Kursk region, catching enemy forces off guard.

The shock invasion allowed Ukrainian forces to capture about 488 square miles of Russian territory.

Despite the wreckage left, Ukraine is making a point of helping civilians in occupied territories.

Ukrainian forces launched a bold offensive into Russian territory earlier this month, catching Russian forces off guard.

On August 6, Ukraine's military advanced into Russia's western Kursk region in a cross-border incursion that has put Russian forces on the back foot in an effort to force them to redeploy soldiers from the grinding battles in Ukraine's east.

The Kremlin downplayed the offensive at first

A journalist wearing protective gear photographs the burned wreckage of vehicles and damaged buildings in Sudzha, Russia. Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

The Kremlin initially downplayed Kyiv's ongoing offensive, saying it was the work of a "sabotage and reconnaissance group."

But more than 100,000 Russian citizens have fled the region, and over 100 Russian soldiers surrendered or were captured since the lightning offensive began, a Ukrainian official said.

And Ukraine hasn't shown signs of backtracking in the face of reinforcements.

Occupying territory as large as New York City

The remains of a destroyed Russian tank sits in a field near the Russian town of Sudzha. Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy said the defensive operation is meant to create a "buffer zone" to protect Ukraine, taking out key bridges to isolate Russian forces in Kursk.

As of Tuesday, Ukrainian forces have captured nearly 100 settlements in the Kursk region and control at least 1,263 square kilometers  roughly 488 square miles  of Russian territory since the shock invasion began.

By comparison, the area of New York City measures about 469 square miles, including both land and water, and the city of Los Angeles covers a total area of just over 500 square miles.

A seemingly 'unrealistic' offensive

Rubble lies at the base of a destroyed building in the Russian town of Sudzha. Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

Plans for the Kursk offensive were largely kept under wraps, taking allied nations like the US and even some Ukrainian troops by surprise once the operation began.

Zelenskyy said the clandestine nature of the offensive was intentional, saying allies would have called the invasion "unrealistic."

On Tuesday, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces have captured more Russian territory in last two weeks than Russia has seized from Ukraine in all of 2024 so far.

The Ukrainian assault marks the largest attack by a foreign enemy on Russian soil since World War II. The Kursk region was the scene of one of history's largest battles where the Soviet Red Army turned the tide against the Nazis at huge cost, a conflict Russians remember as the Great Patriotic War.

Capturing Sudzha

A damaged statue of Soviet Union founder Vladimir Lenin in the Russian town of Sudzha. Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

On August 15, Zelenskyy announced that Ukrainian forces seized control of Sudzha, a key Russian administrative center located near a gas terminal that supplies gas from Russia to the rest of Europe via Ukraine. The capture could give Ukraine an opening to undermine Russia's economy by curtailing gas exports.

Sudzha covers nearly 1,000 square kilometers, or 385 square miles, making it the largest town in Russia that Kyiv has appeared to capture thus far.

Providing aid instead of terror

Local residents shelter from shelling from the Russian side in Sudzha, Russia. Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images

While harrowing images of the Kursk region show the destructive aftermath during the incursion, Ukrainian officials said forces on the ground are making a point to provide aid and relief to Russian residents in the occupied territory, rather than dismantling infrastructure and targeting civilians, Russia has been accused of doing so in captured areas of Ukraine.

Ukrainian soldiers have given civilians water, canned goods, and other humanitarian aid, according to local reports. Ukrainian armed forces are also working in tandem with international humanitarian organizations to support the evacuation of civilians, according to a Ukrainian official.

Putin accuses the West of 'waging war against us using Ukrainians'

A Ukrainian soldier climbs into an armored car marked with a white triangle on the door, representing the Ukrainian Armed Forces unit. KIRILL CHUBOTIN/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images

As the Kremlin races to send reinforcements to Kursk in response to the surprise offensive, Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the West for "waging war against us using Ukrainians," saying Kyiv has refused "proposals to return to the plan for peaceful settlement."

"But what kind of negotiations can we even talk about with people who indiscriminately strike civilians, civilian infrastructure or try to create threats to nuclear power facilities," Putin said in remarks last week. "What can we even talk about with them?"

Putin has demanded that Kyiv cede more land beyond what his troops have seized in over two years and abandon its NATO bid, with some hardliners going much further to demand that Ukraine surrender without conditions.

'He can just get the hell out of Ukraine'

A person wearing protective gear kneels near a shell crater on a road in Sudzha, Russia. Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

A US State Department spokesperson disputed claims that the US coordinated the assault with Ukrainian forces, saying "it's a little bit rich" for Russia to criticize Ukraine's ambitious offensive, given its own violation of "Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty."

"Ultimately, the decisions about how Ukraine conducts its military operations are decisions that Ukraine makes," spokesperson Matthew Miller said. "Nothing has changed about our policy with respect to strikes across the border."

John Kirby, the US's national security communications advisor, had stronger words for the Russian president's complaints about the incursion: "There's an easy solution: He can just get the hell out of Ukraine and call it a day."

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(NEXSTAR)  The Mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota Melvin Carter provided insight into what Minnesota Gov. Tim Walzs speech might sound like at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday night. Carter told Nexstar that hearing from Walz will feel like youre having coffee with a buddy and described Walz as a relaxed guy.

What you see is what you get, Carter said. I think well see somebody who has a really optimistic view of the country: who loves people in this country, who loves Americans. [Someone] who will make a strong case that theres a set of investments, a set of policies, that we can make that can make it really clear that the best America is right in front of us, and we can go get it together.

Walz will introduce himself to voters as a headliner on day three of the DNC on Wednesday where he is also expected to accept the partys nomination for vice president. The 60-year-old governor was a teacher and served in the military before joining politics.

I think this election is going to be close, and I think what that means is that the tiebreaker is gonna go to people who are talking about the real issues that people deal with every day, Carter said.

The mayor of St. Paul highlighted the importance of creating policies that make peoples lives easier, pointing to things like affordable housing and helping families put food on the table.

I think at the core we have to show people that democracy can work, he said.

Carter also called for making Election Day a federal holiday.

Were Minnesota so were excited because we always lead the country in voter turnout, Carter said. We ought to take Election Day as a holiday and say were going to take Election Day off and make sure that every single person has the opportunity to have their voice heard this Election Day.

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Update: McCarthy was located safe around 4:30 Wednesday.

A Silver Alert continued Wednesday as Lees Summit police searched for a 74-year-old woman with Alzheimers disease who hadnt been seen since Tuesday.

Patricia Ann McCarthy was last seen leaving her home on Bayview Drive in Lees Summit around 4 p.m. Tuesday.

McCarthy, who is Black, is around 51 and weighs about 120 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes. She may be driving a brown 2012 Kia Sportage with the Colorado license plate DPAX64.

A debit card registered to McCarthy was used in Overland Park and Lenexa on Wednesday, according to police. In the past, she has traveled to western Kansas, as well as to Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol has also been tasked with helping locate McCarthy.

Residents who see McCarthy or have information on her whereabouts are asked to contact the Lees Summit Police Department at 816-969-7390, extension 7.
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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.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV)  Savannah native Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) is one of many Georgians at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week, where Vice President Kamala Harris will accept the partys nomination.

In an interview with WSAVs parent company, Nexstar, Warnock made his case for why the Peach State will help take Harris to the White House.

First off, he argued that President Donald Trump is helping Democrats.

We have a popular Republican governor who was trash-talked by the person whos running to be president on their side, Warnock said. Donald Trump cant help himself.

At a recent campaign rally in Atlanta, for roughly 10 minutes Trump tore into Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, blaming him for his loss to President Joe Biden.

We can win Georgia because weve got a better message because of our record, the senator continued. But Donald Trump is helping.

Live coverage: Walz, Bill Clinton to headline night 3 of DNC

Warnock says Republicans are running scared when it comes to Georgia.

On Monday, the states Republican-controlled election board approved a new rule that supporters say is necessary to ensure that votes are properly counted.

Meanwhile, critics like Warnock argue it could be used to cause chaos as election results are being finalized.

Thats why the Republicans are so engaged, MAGA Republicans are so engaged in the shenanigans that were witnessing right now with our state election board. With them basically trying to set the terms for not having to certify an election whose results they dont like.

He added: Why else would they be doing this except that theyre running scared? They know that theyre on the wrong side of history.

Warnock said this will be a tight race, but one that Democrats will win.

Kamala Harris is the nominee, and as I move across Georgia, he said, Im telling you, you cant contain the excitement and the enthusiasm.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSAV-TV.
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY)  On Wednesday, Sen. Mark Warner and Sen. Tim Kaine announced more than $400,000 in funding for the restoration of the west steps of the Sir Christopher Wren Building at William & Mary in Williamsburg.

The funding was awarded through the National Park Services Save Americas Treasures Grants as part of the Historic Preservation Fund, which uses revenue from federal offshore oil and gas leases to fund preservation projects.

As the oldest college building still standing in the United States, the Wren Building at William & Mary has served countless generations of students, faculty, and community members, said the senators. Were glad to see this funding, which will help restore and preserve this National Historic Landmark, headed to Williamsburg.

Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.

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Before Setting House on Fire, Wash. Man Accused of Killing Wife, 2 Teens. Now, Police Are Trying to Find Him

Jason M. Birman, 49, is wanted on three counts of second-degree murder

Mount Vernon Police Department Jason M. Birman.

When Matthew Van Boven heard sirens on the morning of Aug. 9, he didn't know that emergency responders were rushing to the scene of a fatal house fire where his daughter was trapped inside with her boyfriend and the boyfriend's mother.

I just tried to call her and her phone was dead, Van Boven told Kiro 7. I tried calling her boyfriend, Taylor, and his phone was dead, but you just dont think its going to happen to you.

It took days for authorities to recover the bodies of his 18-year-old daughter, Jillian Van Boven, her boyfriend, Taylor Dawson, 19, and his mother, Erin Birman, 52, who were each shot inside the two-story Concrete, Wash. home, which was later engulfed in flames, according to the Associated Press, citing the Skagit County Coroners Office.

GoFundMe Jillian Van Boven, celebrating her high school graduation in 2024.

Now, nearly two weeks after the Aug. 9 fire, police are still looking for Erins husband, Jason M. Birman, 49, who lived with her at the residence.

Jason is wanted on three counts of second-degree murder, per the AP. The Bellingham Herald also confirmed that police have a warrant out for Jason's arrest. PEOPLE reached out to the Mount Vernon Police Department to confirm, but did not immediately receive a response.

The recovery of Van Bowman, Dawson and Erin's bodies was made difficult, by the extensive damage to the residence, surrounding buildings and vehicles, according to an early press release from Mount Vernon police.

Skagit County Search and Rescue scoured 4.5 acres of heavily wooded area in the days-long investigation, per police, who noted in the press release that the additional aid of the U. S. Customs and Border Patrols aviation branch was used in order to conduct aerial reconnaissance of the greater area.

Earlier this month, police released photographs of the fire excavation and recovery, which included heavy machinery used to plough through the charred home.

Investigators ultimately determined that there was a fourth individual at the residence in the time leading up to the fire, per police, who noted that Jason's blue 1994 Chevrolet pickup truck is unaccounted for from the scene of the fatality fire.



According to police, the 49-year-old  an avid four-wheeler  is known to frequent both Whatcom and neighboring Skagit counties, the latter of which includes the town of Concrete, which is just under 100 miles outside of Seattle.

Van Bovens dog, Bridget, escaped the fire, a family friend wrote on a GoFundMe set up to cover the costs of her memorial service next month.

Known as Jilly, the teen was planning to start college in the fall, according to a set of fundraisers on behalf of her mother and father, who are divorced and with whom she split her time.

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The teen was described by loved ones on the campaign pages as a lively, strong-willed, resilient, colorful, and bright spirit with a deep love for animals, whose childhood was spent swimming across the Skagit river.

Van Boven had recently graduated high school, her father told Kiro 7.

Recalling her graduation party, he told the local outlet that it felt bizarrely like a memorial, with loved ones sharing favorite memories with her.

Two weeks before this happened, he recalled that she had thanked her mother for adopting her. She told her, Thank you for giving me the best childhood I could have ever imagined,' " he told Kiro 7. It does bring me peace honestly.



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FILE - People detained by national police are transported to a detention center, in Soyapango, El Salvador, Oct. 7, 2022, during the state of the emergency declared to battle street gangs. Several nongovernmental organizations on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, launched a registry of disappeared persons in El Salvador, a tool meant to help families with relatives who disappeared during the country's extended state of emergency. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo, File)

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP)  Several nongovernmental organizations on Wednesday launched a registry of disappeared persons in El Salvador, a tool meant to help families with relatives who disappeared during the country's extended state of emergency that was declared to battle street gangs.

Under the state of emergency, originally declared in 2022 and still in effect, the government of President Nayib Bukele has rounded up more than 81,000 suspected gang members in sweeps that rights groups say are often arbitrary and based on a persons appearance or where they live.

Authorities have had to release about 7,000 people because of a lack of evidence.

While the government is accused of committing mass human rights abuses in the crackdown, Bukele remains highly popular in El Salvador because homicide rates sharply dropped following the detentions. The Central American nation went from being one of the most dangerous countries in the world to having the lowest homicide rate in the region.

Bukele rode that popularity to reelection in February, despite the countrys constitution prohibiting second terms for presidents.

Last month, a human rights organization said that at least 261 people have died in prisons in El Salvador during the 2 1/2-year-old crackdown on street gangs.

Among the eight NGOs supporting the registry is the Institute of Human Rights of the Catholic University of Jose Simeon Canas. The organization said it hopes the registry will compile data to support the creation of policy and prevention programs, treatment and mitigation of social issues, and assist in the search for victims of forced disappearances.

Family members of the disappeared persons can fill out a registry online with their relative's details, creating a unique record that will help in the search for the missing family members.

El Salvador has not had a single registry for disappeared persons that allows the standardization of data reported by the National Police, the Attorney Generals Office, the Institute of Forensic Medicine and other government agencies.

This is an initial effort to standardize the data and records of the cases, said Silvia Elizondo, spokesperson for the NGOs.

Data presented by the NGOs showed that between January and September 2023, the number of missing persons reported increased by 9.9%, compared to the same period in 2022. In their last report, the Attorney Generals Office reported 366 crimes of persons deprived of their liberty between June 1, 2023 and May 31, 2024, without giving any details about the circumstances.

According to the most recent report from the Foundation of Law Enforcement Studies, a non-profit based in El Salvador, during the first three years of Bukeles administration  he first took power on June 1, 2019  the group registered approximately 6,443 reports of disappeared persons. More than one-third of those people have not been found.

Moreover, the report also said that human rights organizations documented 327 reports of forced disappearances since March 27, 2022, when Bukele launched his crackdown on gangs.

Rights groups have expressed concerns about abuses inside El Salvadors prisons, and say that innocent people are being caught up in sweeps targeting the notorious violent street gangs.

___

Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
An investigation is underway after one person was killed in a two-car wreck on a busy road in Stoughton on Wednesday morning, authorities said.

Officers responding to a report of a crash in the area of 1463 Turnpike Street around 6:15 a.m. found a black Cadillac that had collided with a Toyota Highlander, according to the Stoughton Police Department.

The driver of the Cadillac, who police identified as 59-year-old Michael Unman, of North Carolina, was rushed to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. A passenger in his car, also from Pennsylvania, suffered serious injuries.

The driver of the Toyota, a Quincy woman who regained consciousness at the scene, told paramedics that she was heading home from working an overnight shift at an area hotel at the time of the crash, according to police.

Both cars have since been towed away but the area near the crash remained closed Wednesday afternoon due to wires in the road and a damaged telephone pole.

The downed wires have since been cleared and Route 139 is back open to traffic after several hours.

The investigation remains ongoing with no charges or citations at this time, police said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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CADDO PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS)  The number of sexually transmitted infections is rising in the parish. The Caddo Commission is looking to intervene with a new funding measure. Commissioners will discuss providing at-home tests for families at the Harbor of Shreveport

as a way to combat the ongoing spread of STIs.

Public health leaders said Louisiana continues to top the countrys list of sexually transmitted infections.

When I started, we had 36 cases of Congenital Syphilis cases in Caddo Parishthe highest number in the country. We had gotten that down to two right before Covid. We had 50 last year, said Dr. Martha Whyte, Regional Medical Director Louisiana Dept. of Health.

Dr. Whyte refers to Congenital Syphilis, which occurs when a mother passes the infection to her babydata from 2022 shows 36,000 cases of Chlamydia statewide, with 2,000 in Caddo Parish.

Fifteen thousand cases of Gonorrhea, with 1,000 in Caddo Parish.

Infections can lead to infertility and life-threatening diseases.

These are insidious germs. They live, and they survive in our community because theyre transmitted from person to person. They are now what Ive started to call gateway bugs because if you have Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, or Trichomoniasis, you are more susceptible to getting infected by HVI if you are exposed, said Dr. John Vanchiere, MD, PhD Ochsner LSU Health.

Dr. Vanchiere said LSU Health has ramped up its testing measures, including at-home tests that provide broader access to the community. However, more is needed to bring down the numbers.

The Harbor  a one stop shop for local families in crisis

We need to do at least 20 to 30 times more testing than we are now, Dr. Vanchiere said.

There is so much Gonorrhea and Chlamydia there is not enough people to do case management on the number of cases there are, Dr. Whyte said.

The commission will analyze a funding measure to provide at-home tests for youth at the Harbor, a juvenile diversion center that partners with the Volunteers of Youth Justice.

Its not just the Harbor. But the harbor sees so many people. It is a reasonable place to start, Dr. Whyte said.

The doctors said the at-home tests can help a young person find out if they have an infection and seek treatment immediately.

The commission will meet this Thursday to discuss this measure. Dr. Vanchiere said Medicaid can help provide additional funding.

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The new bipartisan budget signed by Governor Josh Shapiro about a month ago increases tourism spending by $15 million.

Thats why officials from the Shapiro administration traveled to Erie County to speak on the importance of tourism to both the local and state economies.

Pittsburgh nonprofit working to cut Eries energy costs by 2030

Across the state, tourism is responsible for $77 billion per year and hundreds of thousands of jobs, making places like Presque Isle State Park major contributors to the economy.

Pennsylvanias Secretary of Community and Economic Development Rick Siger said that this makes it important for the states new tourism brand  The Great American Getaway  to market to potential tourists from neighboring states and convince them to check out places like Presque Isle.

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We know that a huge percentage of tourists for Pennsylvania drive here, so as we launched our new brand The Great American Getaway, were focused on marketing and really deploying these funds to market to those states that border us, states like New York, Ohio and markets in New York City, Washington, Maryland, Virginia. Thats where folks are going to come here. theyre going to spend dollars, learn more about Pennsylvania. And we know Pennsylvania has so much to offer. If you visit once, youre almost sure to visit again, said Siger.

John Oliver, CEO of VisitErie, said that when people come to visit beautiful beaches, like at Presque Isle, its important that they spend their money elsewhere around town at local businesses.

Residents struggle to relocate after mobile home park repurposed for overflow parking

Thats really what were trying to drive is encouraging them and letting them know theres so much to do that they really need to stay overnight or come back again. We recognize a lot of people come up just for the beach for the day, but we want them when they come here to say, Wow, we need to come back and spend a weekend. We need to come back and do wine tasting or some of the other tours that we have,' said Oliver.

Oliver added that over time, Erie has become more of a four-season destination with tourists visiting in the colder months as well rather than just in the summer.

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SHARON, Conn. (WTNH)  A Sharon man accused of sexually assaulting a minor was arrested this week, according to Connecticut State Police officials.

27-year-old Kevin Brathwaite was charged with second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a child.

Ex-Yale student sues womens groups for defamation in rape case

The charges stem from the summer of 2023, when Brathwaite is accused of engaging in sexual intercourse with a then 15-year-old female after first meeting her when she was 13.

Brathwaite was held on a $100,000 bond and is scheduled for arraignment at Torrington Superior Court on Aug. 20.

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TOPEKA (KSNT)  Sheriffs deputies arrested a 24-year-old man following a vehicle pursuit in Shawnee County over the weekend.

The Shawnee County Sheriffs Office posted to social media about the pursuit. Law enforcement was called around 2 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18 about a disturbance at a business in the 5300 block of Southwest Topeka Boulevard.

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Deputies arriving at the business learned a man made threats against staff with a weapon before leaving the area. The mans vehicle was later spotted near 53rd Street and SE Adams Street. A deputy attempted to pull the vehicle over and a pursuit was started.

Card skimmer found at Topeka grocery store: TPD

The driver later drove through a privacy fence and hit a swimming pool in the 7000 block of SW Greenview Drive. Pursuing deputies arrested the man, later finding four guns in his vehicle. He was arrested on the following charges:

Flee or attempt to elude.

Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Possession of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Criminal damage to property.

Speeding.

Failure to stop at a stop sign.

Unsafe turning or stopping.

Improper driving on a laned roadway.

For more crime news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  The Mecklenburg County law enforcement community, along with hundreds of motorcycle riders, have begun to plan a memorial ride for a man killed in a weekend crash in north Charlotte.

Dennis Koch, and his wife Crystal Ashe, were hit when a driver allegedly drove through a stop sign near the intersection of Sunset Road and Old Statesville Road on Sunday.

Mental health of suspect questioned as poltergeists, Illuminati, and Donald Trump mentioned in Charlotte murder trial

Koch died at the scene, while his wife has remained in the hospital since with a long road ahead of her, explained those with knowledge of her status.

The couple has organized multiple A Ride to Remember events through the Carolinas. These rides have honored fallen soldiers and law enforcement officers, while helping raise money for their families.

Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden told Queen City News Kochs death is a true loss.

A memorial has been placed near the spot where Dennis Koch was killed.

He spoke by phone from Chicago, where he will play a role at the Democratic National Convention.

Though hes in Illinois, his heart is in Charlotte with the Ashe family.

Oh, Ill tell you, were not good. Were not good, he explained.

The last memorial ride was on May 30, where McFadden said 125 bikers rode more than 280 miles with one mission in mind.

On Tuesday, after he learned of Ashes death, a spokesperson for the sheriffs office posted:

MCSO would like to offer its condolences to the family of Crystal Ashe. Crystals husband, Dennis Koch, passed away after a car ran into their motorcycle near Sunset Road on Sunday. If you recall, year after year, Sheriff McFadden has always supported the Ashes family Memorial Day Ride to Remember, which honors fallen soldiers and remembers their sacrifices. This past May, the sheriff escorted hundreds of motorcycle riders through several counties across the Charlotte region and the Triad that spans at least 250 miles. Crystal is currently in the hospital recovering from her injuries. I lost a brother and Im praying for my sisters recovery. I pray for her boys. I cant even fathom, said Sheriff McFadden. I have lost somebody who I have grown to love and admire. Mecklenburg County Sheriffs Office

CMS superintendent discusses, previews upcoming school year

Though McFadden said details have not been fully hammered out, there will be a memorial ride for Dennis sometime on Sunday at the intersection where he died.

A cross now sits at the spot, along with a sign that asks motorists to be aware of motorcycles when they drive.

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Sheriffs office to hold fundraiser for East Texas teen who lost part of arm in ATV wreck

NACOGDOCHES COUNTY, Texas (KETK)  After an East Texas teen lost part of her arm in an ATV wreck earlier this month, a local sheriffs office is hosting a fundraiser to support her recovery.

East Texas girl donates $1K raised through lemonade to nonprofit

The teen was injured in a crash in the 1900 block of CR 414 in Nacogdoches County on Aug. 6. She was flown to the hospital for treatment and lost part of her arm. As her recovery continues, she is travelling to Shreveport for treatment.

To help raise money for her, Nacogdoches County Sheriffs Office employees are volunteering to serve chopped beef sandwich plates on Sept. 6 from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Nacogdoches County Exposition and Civic Center. Plates include a sandwich, chips, dessert and a drink and cost $12. Orders of 10 plates or more can be delivered.

As a community, we want to support her and her family, said Sheriff Jason Bridges, who is personally sponsoring the fundraiser. I know shell have a long, happy life ahead of her, and were going to help make sure that happens.

Koe Wetzel donates $15k to his alma mater Pittsburg ISD

The sheriffs office said the girl, identified as AJ Green, is upbeat and has a positive attitude as she continues her recovery. All proceeds from the fundraiser will go to her family.

Place a pre-order by emailing sknight@nac-sheriff.com or kwilliams@nac-sheriff.com.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)A global shipping container provider announced a new headquarters in Charleston, which will allow the company to expand operations and create new jobs in the area.

Eveon Containers, founded in the Netherlands, is expanding its North American operations, moving into the US and Canada.

The new office is located in the Cigar Factory at 701 East Bay Street and houses marketing and customer care teams targeting growing Eveons online platform. Expansion is expected to create 25 new jobs in the next five years.

During our tour of various cities, Charleston distinguished itself through the strategic significance of its port, the emerging digital corridor, and its distinctive charm. These factors were pivotal in establishing our foundation and launching our headquarters here. As part of our expansion, we relocated our customer service team from the Northeast to Charleston to ensure the southern hospitality organic to the Lowcountry was conveyed to our customers nationwide, said Eveon CEO Aad Storm.

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JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV)  Jackson police are investigating after shots were fired into a home and a vehicle.

The incident occurred on Palm Street at Ridgeland Drive in South Jackson on Tuesday, August 20.

Captain William Kendrick, with the Jackson Police Department (JPD), said officers arrived at the scene around 8:00 p.m. However, no one was found inside the vehicle, which was a dark-colored Hyundai. Kendrick said multiple shots were fired into the vehicle.

Escaped Mississippi inmate taken into custody after hourslong standoff in Chicago

Jeanette Dee, a neighbor, said her home was also shot into.

I was laying on the love seat in the den, and two bullet holes came past my head. And I almost got struck by those two bullets, Dee said.

Police are working to determine if there were any victims inside the vehicle, and theyre also searching for the suspects.

Anyone with information about the shooting can contact JPD at 601-960-1234 or Crime Stoppers at 601-355-TIPS (8477).

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJTV.
Originally appeared on E! Online

Theres been a heartbreaking update in the Sicily yacht tragedy.

After a superyacht sank off the coast of Palermo, Italy, during a violent storm Aug. 19, divers have discovered four bodies among the ships wreckage, a source familiar with the rescue operations told NBC News.

The identities of the recovered bodies have not yet been determined, but the discovery comes shortly after the names of the six missing passengers were shared.

British tech mogul Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife have yet to be accounted for, the Director of Sicilys Civil Protection Agency Salvatore Cocina told NBC News.

Per the outlet, Morvillo and Bloomers employers later identified their missing wives as Judy Bloomer and Neda Morvillo.

It is believed the passengers were located in the ships hull, which remains over 150 feet underwater. Divers continue to search among the wreckage, but the depth, along with other obstructions and narrow passageways have made it an ordeal.

More from E! Online

While the aforementioned six people remain unaccounted for, Lynchs wife Angela Bacares, the ships cook Ricardo Thomas as well as nine other crew members and two other passengers were recovered from the shipwreck. Eight of those rescued were brought to a hospital, while the rest were brought to a nearby hotel. Despite being rescued, Thomas later died, NBC News reported.

ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images

Among the other extricated passengers, Charlotte Golunski Emsley recounted her and husband James Emsleys saga of survival, along with their 12-month-old Sophie after they were woken up by the stormwhich could have included a waterborne tornado known as a waterspout, meteorologists told NBC News.

Golunski described the familys search for a lifeboat, which later safely stowed themselves and 11 other passengers, as the end of the world.

It was all dark, she recalled to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, per the BBC. In the water I couldnt keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.

(E! News and NBC News are both a part of the NBCUniversal family.)

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
The head of Ukrainian intelligence told The War Zone that his agency carried out drone attacks on a signals intelligence center and airport near Moscow and a Russian airbase in the Rostov region. In addition, video emerged on social media showing an unsuccessful drone strike near the Olenya Air Base in Murmansk, home of Russian strategic bombers in the Arctic Circle about 1,200 miles from Ukraine.

We conducted a couple of drone operations today, Lt. Gen. Kyrulo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR), told The War Zone.

In addition to the attack on the signals intelligence center, GUR also conducted drone strikes on the Ostafyevo airport in Moscow as well as the Millerovo air base in the Rostov region. In total, about 50 drones were used, Budanov said.

Ukraine has launched a massive kamikaze drone attack tonight on multiple locations in Russia, including Moscow, Rostov, Bryansk, and Belgorod pic.twitter.com/KxYh0NBliL  Ukraine Battle Map (@ukraine_map) August 21, 2024

Last night Ukrainian drones were recorded in an attack on Moscow. Russian authorities report 11 were allegedly shot down over Podolsk, app 20 miles south of the Russian capital. No further details on an damage etc pic.twitter.com/XyyuIz4sUo  raging545 (@raging545) August 21, 2024

The extent of the damage, if any, at the target locations is unclear at the moment.

We are checking now, Budanov told us.

Ostafyevo airport serves multiple purposes for the Russian MoD, but in 2018 a pair of massive circular antenna arrays were constructed there giving the installation an overt strategic signals and/or communications mission. Its also possible another signals intelligence center at or near the airport, or in the Moscow region overall, was hit instead.

The huge circular antenna arrays were installed in 2018. (Bing Maps)

The latest data collected by NASAs Fire Information for Resource Management System shows no fires at either Ostafyevo or Millerovo. Budanov did not specify where the signals intelligence center is located.

Russian officials say they shot down all the drones heading to Moscow as well as other regions in the country.

Over the past night, during an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using unmanned aerial vehicles on targets in the territory of the Russian Federation, 45 aircraft-type UAVs were destroyed by air defense systems on duty, the Russian Defense Ministry (MoD) said on Telegram. The MoD added that 11 UAVs were destroyed over the territory of the Moscow region, another 23 UAVs were destroyed over the Bryansk region, six UAVs were destroyed over the territory of the Belgorod region, three over the Kaluga region and two over the Kursk region.

This was one of the largest drone attacks on Moscow, said the citys mayor.

The layered defense of Moscow against enemy UAVs that was created has allowed us to successfully repel all attacks, Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram. The Defense Ministrys air defense forces shot down 10 of them tonight. This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow with drones ever. We continue to monitor the situation.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reports that all ten Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow were intercepted, marking the most massive drone attack in the city's history. He says all of the drones were shot down while approaching the capital, neutralized by the city's layered defense pic.twitter.com/SSahnjWQxy  Tymofiy Mylovanov (@Mylovanov) August 21, 2024

Budanov also told us that a previous Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian airfield resulted in the destruction of a MiG-31 Foxhound interceptor and two Ilyushin Il-76 Candid transport aircraft in an attack on the Savasleika Air Base about 400 miles northeast of Ukraine on Aug. 16. At the time, we reported that the base had been hit by around 10 drones. Video showed a drones fiery impact, seemingly close to the flight line (evidenced by the distinctive tail of a Candid).

Savasleyka is a Long-Range Aviation base, with a primary offensive mission, using Foxhounds adapted to carry the Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missile, a weapon that has seen sporadic use in the war in Ukraine.

All the target areas attacked overnight have been attacked before.

Moscow has been targeted by Ukrainian drones, including an attack on the Kremlin in May 2023.

The Millerovo Air Base was most recently attacked in July.

Satellite imagery obtained by The War Zone from that attack showed some damage was inflicted, though the extent was unclear.

The airfield, located less than 20 miles from the border with Ukraine, is home to Su-30SM Flanker multi-role fighter of the 31st Fighter Aviation Regiment as well as Su-35 Flanker-E fighters. The base has come under attack before, beginning just after the start of the all-out invasion.

Ostafyevo airport in Moscow was attacked in April. At the time, the GUR published footage claiming to show a Russian Ka-32 helicopter being set on fire at Ostafyevo. The Ka-32 is not operated by the Russian military, but examples are flown by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and other state organizations.

According to GUR, the Ka-32 was targeted while it sat at the airfield of Ostafyevo. The spy agency claimed that the airfield is jointly operated by the Russian Ministry of Defense and Gazpromavia, the airline of the Gazprom company.

In addition to the drone attacks mentioned by Budanov and the Russian MoD, a drone was shot down near the Olenya Air Base in Murmansk. Its home to Tu-22M Backfire bombers and serves as a staging location for Tupolev Tu-95MS Bear-H bombers, which have been launching long-range missiles against Ukraine since the beginning of the all-out war.

An aerial threat of drone use has been detected in the Murmansk region, Murmansk Gov. Andrei Chibis said on Telegram. All necessary measures to improve security have been taken.

The drone appears to be a converted light aircraft, something you can read more about here. It was shot down over Vysokii (Olenegorsk-2), a small military town located next to Olenya, according to the Barents Observer. The video below shows it flying low over the area, drawing massive fire until it explodes in a ball of flames.

Ukrainian drone shot down in the vicinity of the Olenya strategic bomber base in the Murmansk region in the Russian Arctic, more than a thousand miles from the border. This is the home of the planes that launch cruise and ballistic missiles at Ukraine. Source: pic.twitter.com/pfSglnS5BC  Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) August 21, 2024

Olenya was previously attacked last month. GUR reportedly damaged a Backfire bomber there, according to Ukrainian Pravda. The extreme distance involved with such an attack underlines Ukraines suicide drones growing reach.

Update 3:19 PM 

Budanov offered more details about the drone strikes on Moscow.

Ostafyevo was a deceptive target, he said. Its an airfield for transport aviation.

The signals intelligence center is located in the Podolsk District of Moscow, he explained, which is about five miles south of the airfield.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
UPDATE: Lees Summit police say Patricia McCarthy was found safe and has been reunited with her family.

LEES SUMMIT, Mo.  The Lees Summit Police Department has issued a Silver Alert for a missing 74-year-old woman.

Patricia McCarthy, a Black female, was last seen on Tuesday, August 20 around 8 p.m. Her last clothing description is unknown.

She has also been diagnosed with Alzheimers disease.

See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri

She is driving a brown Kia Sportage with Colorado license plates that read DPAX64. Her vehicle registered on a license plate camera in Blue Springs at 5:55 p.m.

If you have any information, you are asked to contact the LSPD at 816-969-7390 (7 for dispatch) or call 911.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Silver Alert Program established in July is still not up-and-running; kupuna continue to go missing

HONOLULU (KHON2)  More than a month after a Silver Alert program was established by the state, its still not up and running.

Yet vulnerable kupuna continue to go missing.

Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news

The Silver Alert Program is meant to help find vulnerable kupuna 65 and older, who go missing.

Seven weeks after it was established, it still hasnt issued an alert despite the disappearance of at least two elderly in the state.

KHON2 reached out to the Department of Law Enforcement (DLE) handling the program to find out why.

In a statement, the DLE director Jordan Lowe said, We are still trying to integrate our technology solutions to setup the program and to hire an administrator to oversee the project.

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Senator Brandon Elefante, who authored the bill, said it may not happen until late September.

Theyre about a month away from launching this program, Elefante explained. Theyre still waiting for release of $250,000 to basically fund this program. Currently, now its my understanding that theyre working through the issues of testing and seeing what they could do on their safer watch application and website.

The Alzheimers Association is hoping they can expedite the process.

I hope the months will come sooner, because we have heard of many cases, even since the bill has been signed in July, where kupuna did go missing. Alzheimers Association Executive Director LJ Duenas said.

According to Honolulu police, 67-year-old Aliivaa Jeff Letuli was officially reported missing Tuesday, August 20. He was last seen August 9 around 1 p.m. walking along Farrington Highway in Maili.

KHON2 spoke to Letulis brother. He declined an interview but said they are very concerned.

The Silver Alert, modeled after the Maile Amber Alert system, would immediately broadcast information, increasing the chances of locating the missing person quickly.

While many who disappear are found, some are not including 85-year-old Francisco Pangelinan. Pangelinan was last seen in Kapolei on May 15, ,2023. KHON spoke to his daughter Patricia Arde about the Silver Alert Program on the anniversary of his disappearance. She is hoping it will make a difference.

In the future, people in similar situations may be able to find their missing loved ones very quickly and they wont have to go through what weve gone through the past year, Arde said.

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Rushing water from a nearby stream destroyed the Connecticut home Randi Marcucio shared with her son on Sunday, Aug. 18

gofundme Marcucio family home destroyed by flooding

A single mom from Connecticut was able to save a very important item from her home before it was destroyed by floodwaters over the weekend.

I got my sons teddy bear, but we didnt go too hard grabbing everything because we didnt think it would come to this, homeowner Randi Marcucio told ABC affiliate WTNH.

Marcucio, an ER nurse, bought the home on East Hill Road in Oxford two years ago, per the outlet.

But, according to a GoFundMe set up to help the single parent, in an instant, "the normally idyllic stream next to her house rose to completely demolish the base of their home, washing away all of their possessions."

Related: 2 Women Dead in Connecticut After Being Swept Away by Floodwaters During Tri-State Area Storms

The Connecticut flash flooding resulted in the deaths of two women, 65-year-old Ethelyn Joiner and 71-year-old Audrey Rostkowski, who were swept away by rising water in the area on Sunday, Aug. 18, NBC affiliate WVIT and CBS affiliate WFSB reported.

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Nearly a foot of rain fell in some parts of the Tri-State area as severe thunderstorms moved through the area, according to NBC News.

gofundme The family's destroyed home

Marcucio told WTNH that her 3-year-old son Riley didnt know the extent of what they lost  and that she is still struggling to wrap her head around the loss of what was supposed to be "our forever home."

"I dont know how to tell him," she said.

Related: Mass. Father, 60, Missing After He Was Seen Leaving Family's Vacation Rental Barefoot on Ring Camera

As of Wednesday, Aug. 21, the family's GoFundMe page has raised over $150,000 in donations.



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SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU)  Students across Siouxland continue their migration back to the classroom this week, including here in Sioux City, where school starts on Friday.

Students at Bryant Elementary School met up with their new teachers and visited their classrooms for the first time Tuesday. One teacher told KCAU 9 that she cant wait for the school year to start and for all of the students to be back in her classroom.

Tonight, were having back to school night, so all the families can come and they can meet their teachers, music teacher Emily Cole said. They can get to experience the school a little bit and find out what theyre going to experience on Friday. My advice for the parents would be to send your students off to school with a smile and a hug and wish them a great day.

Teachers throughout the school embraced their previous students with big hugs and welcomed their new students with big smiles. Like the teachers, the parents are looking forward to kids being back to school.

Siouxland school awarded with new grant for therapeutic classrooms

Be ready for tired and crabby kids, parent Megan Fey said. To start the year right, get them to bed early, starting tonight maybe.

The goal of Tuesdays event was to help kids get adjusted and more comfortable at the school for their big first day.

Im so excited to welcome all of our bears back for another awesome school year, Cole said. Before anyone coming to Bryant for the first time: this is a wonderful community. We have a lot of fun here at Bryant and theyre going to have an awesome year.

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO)  After years of talking about a pool on the southside of Sioux Falls, action is finally being taken, with the city council having its second reading on a supplemental budget to move plans forward.

The Sioux Falls City council is looking to set aside half of a million dollars to start planning for a new pool on the southside of Sioux Falls.

So its not going to be the total project, its not going to be all of the design, but getting started so we can get a plan in place to make sure that we can say to the residents, say within the next five years were going have a pool here on the southside, Sioux Falls City Council vice chair, Rich Merkouris said.

The money would also help find and purchase land for the pool.

Reynolds announces $7.2M to build new homes for disaster victims

This is the whole point of getting this task force together is to have them have the ability to go out and start looking for land, have some money to maybe purchase said if its a really good deal that pops up, Sioux Falls City Council, Richard Thomason said.

Councilors have talked about putting a pool on the southside of Sioux Falls for 12 years. Currently there is no pool south of Laurel Oaks on 49th street.

So when you start kind of looking at whats happened with the growth everywhere in the city, the Southside has maybe had a couple of things that havent gone out there. There are some parks out there, maybe not as much as there are some other areas of town, Thomason said.

As Sioux Falls continues to expand south to maybe provide a little more freedom at the 49th Street pool that we currently have moved, some of those individuals further south, but also to provide a neighborhood pool in that area as well, Merkouris said.

The committee hopes to have more information for the council by early December.

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Siouxland school awarded with new grant for therapeutic classrooms

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCAU)  A Siouxland school has been awarded a grant to make classrooms a safer and healthier learning environments for some students.

The Sergeant Bluff-Luton Community School District was one of ten school districts in Iowa given a grant to fund therapeutic classrooms for students with social, emotional, or behavioral needs.

Le Mars teenager gives kids A Chance to Dance

The Iowa Department of Education awarded over $2.8 million in competitive grants for the project, with the therapeutic classrooms focusing on skill building, stress and trauma coping, mental health treatment, and crisis prevention and intervention.

Grants will be distributed this fall during the 2024-25 school year.

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Iowa (KCAU)  Some schools are petitioning to leave the Lakes Conference, according to a joint statement from Storm Lake and Spencer schools.

Spirit Lake, Estherville Lincoln Central, and Cherokee community school districts are petitioning to leave the Lakes Conference, the statement reads.

Storm Lake and Spencer state that they are disappointed to hear the development and are searching for a solution.

The release states that the Lakes Conference currently consists of five member schools which has caused a significant impact in scheduling and competition for the schools.

One solution to these problems some Lakes Conference schools have looked into in recent years is consolidating with the Siouxland Conference, though the release states this has been unsuccessful.

Ponca native Carter Kingsbury earns scholarship with Iowa Hawkeyes mens basketball team

You can read the full joint statement below.

This week, the Storm Lake Community School District and Spencer Community School Distict learned that the Spirit Lake, Estherville Lincoln Central, and Cherokee community school districts are petitioning to leave the Lakes Conference and join other conferences.



While we are disappointed by this development, we want to assure our students, families, and communities that we are committed to finding a solution that serves their best interests. Currently, the Lakes Conference has only five member schools, which has significantly impacted scheduling and competition for our schools.



In response to these challenges, we have been exploring potential solutions to address the evolving needs of our districts. This effort has been underway for several years. For example, in 2021, our conference reached out to the multiple northwest Iowa schools to invite them into our conference. Additionally, our member schools have sought to consolidate with the Siouxland Conference in recent years, but these efforts were unsuccessful.



We will continue to explore all available options to ensure that our students receive the opportunities they deserve. We appreciate your understanding and support as we navigate this transition. Statement from Storm Lake Community School District and Spencer Community School District

KCAU 9 has reached out to the schools that are allegedly petitioning to leave for comment and further confirmation.

We have several reasons why a five-team conference is not viable. Everybody in our conference would agree to that. Theres no bad blood, theres nothing like that. Its just not the best opportunity and the best environment for the kids, which at the end of the day, its our job to provide those student-athletes with the best opportunities available. Spirit Lake Athletic Director Rachel Fisher said.

We are excited about the potential benefits of seeking a new conference, Cherokee Superintendent Tom Ryherd said in a statement. This transition could significantly enhance our athletes experiences, increase community engagement, and foster closer competition with schools that share our dedication to excellence. We believe this move will have a positive impact on our programs and our entire district.

This is a developing story. KCAU 9 will continue to update this story as we learn more.

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Updated August 23

Oklahoma school districts got some shocking, but welcome news this month when the state released results of student tests from last school year.

Student performance, especially in English language arts, appeared to have skyrocketed. A highlight: An impressive 51% of third graders scored proficient or better, compared to 29% last year. The reported jump came a full eight years before the majority of Oklahoma students are expected to reach proficiency under the states plan to meet federal accountability laws.

But elation quickly turned to disbelief as local officials took a closer look at the data.

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Nobody makes jumps of that size, said an assessment director from a school system near Oklahoma City. The official asked not to be named because she does not want to put a target on her district.

To put the outsized gains in perspective, The 74 asked Andrew Ho, a leading testing expert at Harvard University, to review the results.

Related

Ryan Walters: How a Beloved Teacher Became Oklahomas Top Culture Warrior

Math progress in Oklahoma, where student performance has long trailed the national average, was two to 10 times that of states with the strongest growth, depending on grade level, he said. In reading, gains were 10 to 20 times greater.

If this is true,  the average fourth grader will be reading and writing like last years average sixth grader, said Ho, a former member of the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for the federal test widely known as the nations report card.

As Ho surmised, Oklahomas purported gains are largely illusory.

Interviews with those familiar with the states testing process, as well as emails and other documents shared with The 74, reveal that the scores dont reflect true growth, but a decision by the state, under the auspices of Superintendent Ryan Walters, to lower the bar for proficiency.

Last year, you needed to know more to get proficient, said a source familiar with the work of a Technical Advisory Committee the state convened this summer to examine proficiency targets. But the source, who asked not to be named because of ongoing work with the state, said this year, using the same items, you didnt need to know as much and youre still considered proficient.

An internal email shows how a member of a Technical Advisory Committee on state testing urged the state to communicate the changes in the assessment system to the public in May.

It is not uncommon for states to massage results of large-scale assessments, particularly after they institute new standards. This past spring was the first time Oklahoma students took tests reflecting a 2021 update to language arts standards and 2022 math overhaul. But states often accompany such complex shifts with attempts to communicate, first to districts, and then to parents, how they were made and what they mean.

Historically, I understand that [the department] has handled these types of changes with media events where the department has invited news organizations to help support the communication of changes to the system, a member of the Technical Advisory Committee wrote in May to Catherine Boomer, the departments assessment director, according to an email shared with The 74.

Boomer referred questions to the department. As of Wednesday evening, a spokesman for the department had not responded to calls or emails from The 74.

In a press conference following Thursdays monthly state Board of Education meeting, Walters denied the results had been released, despite the fact that the state posted scores on its website Aug. 1. He called media reports gaslighting and fan fiction. He said his office had yet to make a big announcement about the new scores because staff was still working with districts to make sure the context is there.

But districts say the state has offered no communication about how to interpret the results. A statement from the Tulsa Public Schools, the states largest school district, said the department has not yet issued guidance on how to compare the data to previous years, a technical guide on the scoring changes or any indication of how the results will affect low-performing schools.

An email dated Aug. 14 showed the department was moving in that direction. Julie DiBona, the vice president of program management at Cognia, the states testing vendor, told the technical panel that education department officials were asking for a meeting to discuss scores. On the agenda: How to lead public discourse around comparing the results of the new tests with the old tests. 

A spokesman at Cognia declined to comment.

But that meeting hasnt happened. In fact, Walters recently praised early results in Tulsa but made no mention of the internal machinations over scoring. The district demonstrated a remarkable 16 percentage point increase in students scoring proficient or advanced in grades 3 through 5.

The numbers are tremendous, Walters said at a state Board of Education meeting last month.

The disconnect has left many local officials at a loss.

I am not alone in believing that the gains demonstrated on [the state test] would be nearly, if not completely, statistically impossible in a normal year, Stacey Woolley, the Tulsa districts board president, told The 74.

In the Moore Public Schools, for example, almost two-thirds of third graders scored proficient or advanced in reading, compared to 38% last year. In Stillwater, about an hour north, the percentage of fourth graders in those top tiers jumped 21 points.

Related

Ryan Walters Urges Oklahoma House to Start His Impeachment Immediately

Some put the blame for the communication breakdown on Walters, who has spent the summer mired in messy political brawls and controversial academic initiatives. In June, Walters drew national scrutiny by requiring all public schools to teach the Bible. Last week, citing a lack of transparency and failure to distribute funds to districts, at least two dozen Republicans said theyd be seeking an impeachment investigation against him. And on Tuesday, a federal audit by the U.S. Department of Education said his department needs to improve financial management, and called it out of compliance in areas such as testing and handling Title I funds. Walters blamed the previous administration for some of the concerns.

There are red flags all over the place, said Erika Wright, leader of the Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition, who called the lack of communication from the state part of the superintendents dismal track record on honesty and transparency.

Moving the goalpost

Parents rely on testing data to understand what their children are learning, and the resulting proficiency rates help establish school grades in the state accountability system. Officials use those figures to determine which students and schools get extra academic support.

Thats one reason why calibrations like the one in Oklahoma are common.

In May, Clare Halloran, a researcher at Brown University, confirmed the updates to the states standards with Alyssa Tyra, who oversees English language arts at the Oklahoma education department. Halloran works on a project tracking state assessment data.

They confirmed that 2024 is a new baseline and not comparable to prior years, Halloran said. When states change standards, a lot of times youll either see a big drop or a larger increase than normal. Its essentially because theyre moving the goalpost a little.

Teachers analyzed test items and recommended how much content students needed to learn to place in each of the four performance ranges, from below basic to advanced. On a 200-400 scale, 300 is the cut point for proficiency. Emails show the advisory committee was uneasy about leaving the scale as is, but the state decided not only to keep 300 as the proficiency cut off but that students didnt need to get as many correct items to reach that level.

The highlighted figures show percentages of students that would reach proficiency if the prior years expectations were applied to this years data.

The official with the Oklahoma City-area district said the data has left her wondering how much progress students actually made.

It would have been nice to celebrate that we made gains, instead of just feeling that this is not accurate, she said. Its not representative of the hard work weve been doing.
FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW)  The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has charged a former Florence County deputy who fatally shot an unarmed man in May with voluntary manslaughter, authorities said on Wednesday.

Treyvon Sellers was also charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and misconduct in office.

Sellers, 29, was fired July 26 after a domestic violence arrest in Darlington County. Sellers was on administrative leave at the time for his role in the killing of William Dwayne Rankin on May 26.

Sellers shot Rankin after following him into a National Cemetery Road residence following a vehicle pursuit. Rankin died a short time later while another man, Johnny Cooper, was bitten by Sellers K9.

Sellers allegedly entered the residence with his K9, who was off the leash, without announcing his or the K9s presence, according to an affidavit from SLED. Rankin was unarmed and laying on the couch in close proximity to the K9, which was actively mauling Cooper.

According to the affidavit, Sellers gave the K9 incorrect commands and did not use available resources to remove K9 Ikar from Cooper, which resulted in him being mauled for approximately 87 seconds.

Sellers then shot Rankin five times, according to the affidavit.

Cooper had no affiliation with Rankin and underwent extensive emergency surgery for his injuries. Cooper also suffered permanent disfigurement and impairment to his left arm and left shoulder.

I have personally met with the families of Mr. Rankin and Mr. Cooper where I have been as candid and transparent as I know how, and I have expressed my deep regret and sorrow over this incident, Sheriff TJ Joye said in an Aug. 21 statement. This incident is not indicative of our values, our mission or our training.

While on administrative leave, Sellers was arrested by the Darlington County Sheriffs Office and SLED.

Sellers on or about July 25 climbed onto a vehicle, reaching inside of it and swinging his arm in an attempt to hit the victim, an arrest warrant shows. After that, Sellers then shouted obscenities in close proximity to a public road and in full view of other residences.

* * *

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.

* * *

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.

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The former first lady Michelle Obama speaks on the second day of the Democratic national convention in Chicago on Tuesday night.

The former first lady Michelle Obama speaks on the second day of the Democratic national convention in Chicago on Tuesday night. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Michelle Obama is being widely applauded for delivering a devastating takedown of Donald Trump in a speech at the Democratic national convention.

The former first lady artfully lampooned Trump and belittled his exploitation of race for political gain in a 20-minute speech that was greeted ecstatically by Democratic delegates in Chicago, her home town.

For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. His limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black, Obama told the gathering, referring to Trumps well-known hostility to the presidency of her husband, Barack Obama, including promoting a false conspiracy theory that he was born outside the US.

Trump also recently used the expression Black jobs in a televised debate with Joe Biden in June to describe the economic threat he claimed was being posed to African Americans by illegal migrants.

I want to know, whos going to tell him? asked Michelle Obama in her speech. Whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?  a response that provoked prolonged cheering at the convention, and praise on social media.

It was far from her only stinging jibe at Trump. She also turned the tables on him by using the term affirmative action  a phrase normally applied to government-mandated racial quota schemes, much criticised by rightwing Republicans  to allude to the former presidents inherited wealth as the son of a successful property magnate.

Praising Harris, she said: She understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth.

In another delicate sideswipe, she appeared to parody the former presidents famous descent down a golden escalator in Trump Tower in 2015 to launch an earlier presidential campaign, by referring to the obstacles many Black and other Americans encounter in their everyday lives.

If we see a mountain in front of us, we dont expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top, Obama said.

She even gave a passing nod to her own previous we go high statement  made in a speech at the 2016 Democratic convention  by casting Trump as insignificant and suggesting his approach was to go small.

Going small is never the answer, she said. Small is petty, its unhealthy and, quite frankly, its unpresidential.

Related: Michelle Obama lauds Kamala Harris and takes swipe at Trump

The New York Times described Obamas change of tack as moving from When they go low, we go high to when they go low, we call it out, while Rachel Maddow on MSNBC praised her for one of the best convention speeches Ive ever seen by anybody in any circumstance  because it was subtle and deep and thought-provoking and surprising  Just a stunning speech.

Commentators also noted Obamas deployment of mockery and put-down humour in an apparent effort to demystify the Republican candidate  an approach seemingly consistent with that of Tim Walz, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, who has branded Trump and his fellow Maga Republicans as weird.

The term has been picked up by pro-Harris campaigners and has gradually superseded the Democrats earlier message of fear over what a second Trump presidency would do to the countrys democratic institutions.

Politico characterised her approach to Trump  and Barack Obamas in a speech immediately following hers, where he appeared to make an anatomical allusion to Trumps obsession with crowd size  as make him small. Bidens campaign, by contrast, had long attempted to cast the Republican as such a powerful figure who could be a threat to democracy itself.

Barack Obama picked up on his wifes theme of disdain with his own fusillade of putdowns of a political opponent whom he memorably antagonised by mocking at a 2011 White House correspondents dinner, an occasion often credited with energising Trump to run for president.

This is a 78-year-old billionaire who hasnt stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago, the former president said.

On the prospect of a second Trump administration, he said: We dont need four more years of bluster and bubbling and chaos; we have seen that movie before  and we all know that the sequels usually worse.

Trump, in this telling, is less a diabolical genius than an irritating, grievance-obsessed buffoon, John Harris wrote in Politico.

Democratic convention highlights:
SMITHFIELD, R.I. (WPRI)  No one has rung Jeff Mansis doorbell in nearly two years.

I forgot I even had a doorbell, the Smithfield resident said. I mean, I live in the woods.

So when he heard it ring Sunday morning, he was curious to see who was stopping by for a visit.

He never expected to come face-to-face with an 80-year-old woman begging for help.

There was an old woman at my door, Mansi recalled. I opened it up and she told me the whole story.

The woman explained that she had woken up in the middle of the woods after being strangled and abducted by a man shed met at a fast-food restaurant the day prior.

She was in the woods for six hours, she said, Mansi said. She somehow made it to my doorstep.

For what she went through, she held it together very well, he continued. I dont think I couldve done that.

RELATED: Man accused of strangling, kidnapping woman to steal her car

Mansi said his home is roughly a third of a mile away from where the woman was left for dead by 53-year-old Steven Henning. Henning was arrested following a high-speed pursuit and charged with kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, first-degree robbery, and assault on a person over 60 resulting in serious bodily injury and burglary.

I can walk out of these woods backwards with my eyes closed, Mansi said. But [I cant imagine] how scared somebody would be that didnt know these woods and was stuck in there.

She mustve had some really good instincts, he explained.

Jeff Mansi recounts the moment an elderly woman showed up on his doorstep begging for help. (Ryan Welch/WPRI-TV)

Mansi said he grabbed the woman a cup of water and sat with her on his front porch while waiting for officers to arrive.

The woman, who was rushed to the hospital to be treated for significant injuries, is expected to survive the horrific ordeal.

Mansi told 12 News hes relieved to hear that the woman will eventually be OK.

Shes a little lady, probably like this tall and had to weigh about 100 pounds, Mansi recalled, raising his hand near his stomach. What a trooper.

Investigators believe Henning met and had a brief conversation with the woman at a Wendys hours prior to ambushing her at her Coventry home.

He was able to learn from this woman that she was living alone, Detective Paul Pacheco previously told 12 News.

Henning followed the woman home and, after confirming she was alone, made his way inside. Prosecutors said Henning then choked her unconscious and threw her in the trunk of her car before driving to Smithfield, where he strangled her with a belt. He then covered her body and left her in the woods.

Investigators believe Henning returned to the woods the next day with a shovel to bury the womans body, but she was gone. He took off upon realizing officers were in the woods investigating, but not before he was spotted driving the womans stolen car.

Smithfield officers chased Henning into Providence, where he was taken into custody at the home of a woman hed met online.

MORE: Victim in attempted murder expected to survive

This was only part of Hennings overarching plot to kill his girlfriend, according to prosecutors.

Henning was reportedly in Ohio several weeks ago upon learning that his girlfriend had taken an insurance claim out on him. He assaulted her before taking off in a family members car, which prosecutors revealed that he later abandoned in Woonsocket.

Steven Henning (Courtesy: Coventry Police Department)

He then met up with the Providence woman hed met online, who drove him to a bar in Burrillville. It was there that Henning stole another car so he could drive back to Ohio to murder his girlfriend without being detected, prosecutors added.

But prosecutors said Henning knew that the vehicle would quickly be reported stolen, so he abandoned it and hatched another plan, which was to find an easy victim.

Henning is also facing charges out of Smithfield, which include assault on a person over the age of 60 resulting in serious bodily injury, possession of a stolen vehicle and eluding law enforcement in a high-speed pursuit.

Then in Burrillville, Henning is charged with breaking and entering, larceny of more than $1,500 and less than $5,000, driving a vehicle without the owners consent, tampering with a vehicle and vandalism.

Henning is also expected to face charges out of Providence and Woonsocket as well. He is currently being held without bail pending his next court date, which is slated for November.

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(Bloomberg) -- South Korean prosecutors are set to clear the wife of President Yoon Suk Yeol of any criminal charge over her receiving a luxury handbag under questionable circumstances, a report said, winding up a probe into a case that has rocked politics.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office has concluded there is no direct link between Yoons duties and first lady Kim Keon Hee receiving the bag that was purchased for 3 million won ($2,250). They found no evidence favors were offered in return to the individual, a pastor, who gave her the bag, Yonhap News reported, citing sources it did not identify.

The Seoul prosecutors office did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment. The office typically does not offer public statements on its investigations. The probe team is expected to report its investigation results to the top prosecutor in the coming days, Yonhap said.

The investigation opened in May after a secretly recorded video of Kim being gifted the bag surfaced. The handbag encounter in late 2022 touched off a political firestorm when the video came to light early this year, with Yoons political opponents accusing Kim of corruption.

Kim was questioned for about 12 hours in July, putting a spotlight back on the incident that had dented support for the government. It was also the first time a sitting first lady had been summoned for questioning as part of a probe into her conduct.

Yoon and Kim have denied any wrongdoing and the president apologized in May for causing concern to the public for his wifes unwise behavior.

The opposition Democratic Party criticized the prosecution. We need to reveal the truth with a special counsel probe, party lawmaker Jo Seounglae said in a statement.

The bag appears set to become part of national property, with it either being auctioned off for cash that will go to the treasury or being stored as a part of the presidential records for the Yoon government, according to the JoongAng newspaper.

--With assistance from Shinhye Kang.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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Daviell McKinley, left, and Charlotte Arnold were among residents at 5700 S. Hoover St. who used buckets and pots to collect and heat water. They were photographed on July 5, 2024. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

A South Los Angeles building where residents had complained of slum-like conditions, including not having hot water for months, was largely empty this week, after the housing department issued an order to vacate and the owner offered residents relocation money in exchange for an agreement waiving legal claims.

For the residents of 5700 S. Hoover St., it was a predicament similar to one often faced by tenants across the city who are offered cash to leave their homes and must grapple with whether to take the money and go, or try and assert their legal rights and face the uncertainty of how things will play out in the end.

They had sought help for months as they faced deteriorating conditions in the complex of more than 30 units, which is owned by an entity affiliated with the temporary housing provider Soul Housing. The building, where most residents used shared facilities, had only two working communal bathrooms and two communal showers; there was mold in the bathrooms and bedrooms, and rats and cockroaches infested the shared kitchen.

Read more: South L.A. tenants living with mold, rats and roaches say history is happening again

In late July, the Los Angeles Housing Department issued an order to vacate because of the conditions in the building and ordered the owner to pay the residents relocation fees, but the owner appealed the order to pay.

Last week, residents said, they were told they had to leave by Aug. 19.

Some residents told The Times they felt pressured to sign the agreements out of fear that they would be forced to leave and would not get money to help with the immediate need of finding a place to live. They said they were unsure where they would go.

"I was like, 'I don't know what else to do, because, if I don't sign, are they going to give me my money? What's going to happen?'" said resident Daviell McKinley. "I didn't want to wait until Monday to find out."

David Smith, director of litigation for the nonprofit Inner City Law Center, which has been representing several residents in recent weeks, said he believes it was illegal for the owner to attach conditions in order to pay relocation benefits because the payments are required by law.

"The tenants, including our clients, ultimately signed this, what we consider to be an illegal and unenforceable release, because that was the only way the owner was going to give them their money," Smith said.

Some tenants said they were given $14,000. The city requires landlords to pay relocation fees of at least $13,500 to tenants who have lived in a rent-controlled building for three or more years when they face a no-fault eviction. Others said they received less than that amount.

Davon Monroe, who said he's lived in the building since 2018, said he was paid $5,000. A motel that was offered temporarily to residents is too far from his neighborhood, so he declined and rented a room for the time being. He's unsure where he'll go next.

"Sadly I just have to figure it out."

Eric Schames, chief operating officer of Soul Housing, said the offers went above and beyond to help the residents start over. Schames said he also offered residents 14 days at a motel.

"Every single person that was there was thanking us, was appreciative," he said.

A small number of residents were offered less than the required amount because they were not identified as residents by the housing department and did not have proof of tenancy, he said.

Schames has said he bought the building from its previous owner in a bankruptcy sale believing there were nine squatters living there and unaware that there were actually dozens of residents.

"As an affiliate of Soul Housing, whose entire purpose and mission is to provide supportive housing and care to homeless individuals, the owner is trying to help these people get out of this building, which has been deemed not up to code, and to find new housing and the owner is helping them do that by paying them more money than theyre entitled to," said Alexander Safyan, an attorney for the owner.

Sharon Sandow, a spokesperson for the housing department, said that legal waivers such as the one residents were asked to sign are neither required nor prohibited by the city and that the department did not get involved in the agreement.

"We are solely focused on ensuring the tenants receive the relocation funding they are entitled to receive," she said.

The Times wrote about the complex and its condition in early July. Many residents said it was housing of last resort  a way to keep a roof over their heads when they had few other options.

A decade ago, the city vacated tenants from the building amid similar complaints that it had become squalid and unlivable.

Read more: South L.A. tenants forced to vacate building on short notice

The most recent owner bought the building in November. Residents said that it had been in decline for some time but that it deteriorated significantly in recent months.

When a reporter visited in July, residents said they were boiling water on the stove in order to take baths. There were several children and babies living in the complex.

After a reporter asked about the conditions, Schames told The Times he had agreed to provide residents with relocation fees totaling about $500,000 so they could permanently leave the building.

Later that month, the Los Angeles Housing Department issued an order to vacate, saying code violations were so extensive that the immediate health and safety of the tenants is endangered. The order required the owner to pay the relocation fees.

Then, this month, Schames appealed the ruling.

Last week, residents were offered the checks to leave in exchange for signing paperwork releasing the owner "from any and all claims."

A 57-year-old resident who asked to not be identified told The Times he also turned down the motel because it is too far from the community where he feels comfortable.

He is renting a room for now but has no idea where he will go next, he said.

"Im kind of depressed. Im homeless now," he said. "They shouldn't have done people like that. I thought it was unlawful to do that but I guess its not."

McKinley, who has lived in the building since 2021, said she was disappointed with the way things were handled.

"This was our home," she said. "Even though the landlord treated it the way they did, it was a home, it's what we could afford. And they took advantage."

On Monday, three tenants remained in the building. One, a woman in her 70s who asked to not be identified, told The Times she hoped to stay until she finds another place to live.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Space missions are getting more complex  lessons from Amazon and FedEx can inform satellite and spacecraft management in orbit

Most space mission systems historically have used one spacecraft designed to complete an entire mission independently. Whether it was a weather satellite or a human-crewed module like Apollo, nearly every spacecraft was deployed and performed its one-off mission completely on its own.

But today, space industry organizations are exploring missions with many satellites working together. For example, SpaceXs Starlink constellations include thousands of satellites. And new spacecraft could soon have the capabilities to link up or engage with other satellites in orbit for repairs or refueling.

Some of these spacecraft are already operating and serving customers, such as Northrop Grummans mission extension vehicle. This orbiting craft has extended the lives of multiple communications satellites.

These new design options and in-orbit capabilities make space missions look more like large logistics operations on Earth.

Were researchers who have studied the space industry for years. Weve studied how the space sector could learn lessons from companies like Amazon or FedEx about managing complex fleets and coordinating operations.

Lessons from the ground transportation network

Space mission designers plan their routes in order to deliver their payloads to the Moon or Mars, or orbit efficiently within a set of cost, timeline and capacity constraints. But when they need to coordinate multiple space vehicles working together, route planning can get complicated.

Logistics companies on the ground solve similar problems every day and transport goods and commodities across the globe. So, researchers can study how these companies manage their logistics to help space companies and agencies figure out how to successfully plan their mission operations.

One NASA-funded study in the early 2000s had an idea for simulating space logistics operations. These researchers viewed orbits or planets as cities and the trajectories connecting them as routes. They also viewed the payload, consumables, fuel and other items to transport as commodities.

This approach helped them reframe the space mission problem as a commodity flow problem  a type of question that ground logistics companies work on all the time.

Lessons from ground logistics infrastructure

New capabilities for refueling and repairing spacecraft in orbit create new opportunities as well as challenges.

Namely, space operators dont usually know which satellite will be the next one to fail or when that will happen. For these new technologies to be useful, space mission designers would need to come up with an infrastructure system. That could look like a fleet of service vehicles and depots in space that quickly respond to any unpredictable events.

Fortunately, space mission designers can learn from operations on the ground. City planners and emergency response organizations think through these types of challenges while determining where to locate hospitals or fire departments. They also consider these facilities capacities to respond to unpredictable calls.

We can draw an analogy between a ground logistics system design and an in-space servicing system design. This way, researchers can leverage theories developed for ground logistics to improve the space mission design practice.

One study published in November 2020 developed a framework for servicing spacecraft on orbit using what logistics experts call spatial queuing theory. Researchers most commonly use this modeling theory to analyze the performance of a ground logistics system.

Lessons from ground warehouse management

In the past, individual spacecraft carried out their missions independently, so if a satellite failed, its mission engineers had to develop and send a replacement.

Now, for missions with multiple satellites, such as the Iridium satellite constellation, operators often maintain one or more spares on orbit.

This becomes complicated for constellations made up of hundreds or thousands of spacecraft. Mission designers want to ensure they have enough spare satellites in orbit so they dont have to interrupt the mission if one breaks. But sending too many spare satellites gets expensive.

When dealing with these types of large constellations, mission designers can learn from the methods Amazon and other ground companies use to manage their warehouses. Amazon puts these warehouses in specific places and stocks them with certain items to make sure the deliveries are handled efficiently.

Supply chain managers on the ground deal with some of the same questions that mission designers in the space industry are starting to tackle, like how to manage their inventory. Suriyapong Thongsawang/Moment via Getty Images

Inventory management theories on the ground can help inform how space companies tackle these challenges.

A study published in November 2019 developed an approach that space companies could use to manage their spare strategies. This approach can help them decide where in orbit to allocate their spare satellites to meet their needs while minimizing any service interruptions.

International dimensions

Spacecraft operate in a complex and rapidly changing environment. Operators need to know where other missions are operating and what rules they should follow when refueling or repairing in space. In space, however, nobody has defined these rules yet.

Ships, aircraft and ground vehicles all have clear rules of the road to follow when interacting with other vehicles. For example, civilian ships and aircraft have to share their location with other vehicles and officials to help manage traffic.

Some researchers are examining what similar rules could look like for space. One study examined how developing rules based on a spacecrafts size, age or other attributes might help future space operations run more smoothly. For example, one rule might be that the spacecraft that launched most recently should take responsibility for maneuvering when theres another craft in its path.

With more satellites and spacecraft launching now than ever, companies and government agencies will need new technologies and policies to coordinate them. As space activity becomes more complex, researchers can continue to apply what theyve learned on the ground to new missions in space.

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: Koki Ho, Georgia Institute of Technology and Mariel Borowitz, Georgia Institute of Technology

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Koki Ho receives funding from NASA, AFRL, NSF, and industry. He is affiliated with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the Consortium for Space Mobility and In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing Capabilities (COSMIC).

Mariel Borowitz has received funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Defense. In addition to her work at Georgia Tech, she is currently affiliated with the U.S. Office of Space Commerce. However, the views presented here are her own and do not represent any organization.
SpaceX is launching 4 people on a risky mission to fly through radiation belts and do the first commercial spacewalk

SpaceX is launching 4 people on a risky mission to fly through radiation belts and do the first commercial spacewalk

SpaceX is about to launch a risky mission of four private citizens who aren't professional astronauts.

The billionaire-backed Polaris Dawn mission aims to attempt a first-of-its-kind commercial spacewalk.

New spacesuits and flying through a radiation belt could also help advance Elon Musk's Mars dreams.

SpaceX is launching its most daring mission yet as soon as Wednesday morning.

Four private citizens  none of them professional astronauts  plan to climb aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship and roar into orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket.

Their mission, called Polaris Dawn, was drawn up and funded by the billionaire Jared Isaacman, who is acting as the mission's commander.

SpaceX is also taking the opportunity to advance Elon Musk's greatest ambition: sending people to Mars.

This isn't the space-tourist joyride you might imagine. The Polaris Dawn crew plans to conduct experiments and test technologies for Mars, including performing the first-ever commercial spacewalk.

"We're really starting to push frontiers with the private sector and learning new things that we would not be able to learn by staying in the risk-free environment here on Earth," Bill Gerstenmaier, who is SpaceX's vice president of build and flight reliability, said in a briefing on August 19.

"It's time to go out, it's time to explore, it's time to do these big things and move forward," Gerstenmaier added.

Polaris Dawn plans to fly through a radiation belt

Along with Isaacman, the crew includes a former US Air Force pilot named Scott Poteet and two SpaceX engineers, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon.

The Polaris Dawn crew tries out their new spacesuits. SpaceX

They're scheduled to spend about five days in space, soaring further from Earth than anybody has gone since the Apollo era more than 50 years ago.

As they travel up to 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from Earth's surface, they should pass through the Van Allen radiation belts, which are two donuts of intense radiation surrounding Earth.

This will expose them to higher levels of radiation than astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

An artist's concept of the Van Allen belts with a cutaway section of the two giant donuts of radiation. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Scientific Visualization Studio

They plan to study how that environment affects their bodies since future missions to Mars would expose passengers to immense amounts of space radiation for months.

A first-of-its-kind spacewalk plan

On day three, if everything goes according to plan, they'll do a spacewalk. About 700 kilometers (435 miles) above Earth, the crew plans to don a set of new spacesuits, open the Crew Dragon's hatch, and send Isaacman and Gillis into space on umbilical cables, each of them keeping contact with handholds on the spaceship.

Because Dragon has no airlock, this will depressurize the spacecraft's cabin and expose its entire interior to the void.

The Polaris Dawn crew will have to open Dragon's nosecone with no airlock to keep its cabin pressurized. Polaris via X

A Dragon spaceship has never been opened up to the vacuum of space like that.

"You are taking on a lot of risk at that point," Isaacman said, adding that he thought SpaceX had mitigated the risks well through testing and spaceship upgrades.

He said the spacewalk was the main focus of the mission preparations, almost to the point that he worried about being "way too focused" on it. SpaceX also subjected every part of the mission to "paranoia reviews," starting over to double-check everything, he said.

When astronauts conduct spacewalks from the ISS, they do a "pre-breathe" process: They breathe pure oxygen for a few hours to pull nitrogen out of their bloodstream. Otherwise, the decrease in air pressure from the spacewalk could cause the nitrogen to form bubbles in their blood and give them a dangerous condition called the "bends."

Polaris Dawn also plans to do a pre-breathe, but stretch it over 48 hours as they slowly depressurize the cabin. They've already practiced this in a two-day simulation on the ground.

Polaris Dawn crew members train for depressurization and changing oxygen levels. Polaris Program / John Kraus

"I like the plan," Abhi Tripathi, a former Dragon mission director at SpaceX, who now directs mission operations at UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory, told BI in an email. "It's a rational and incremental step, partially paid for by a private individual."

He added that Crew Dragon was designed "from the beginning" to withstand unplanned depressurization events and that he doesn't see "any special risks."

New SpaceX spacesuits

A major goal of the spacewalk is to test out SpaceX's first extravehicular spacesuits, which use new textiles and joint designs for increased mobility. The suits also feature a "heads-up" display in the mask, which shows the wearer real-time information about the suit's internal pressure, temperature, and humidity.

"You're throwing away all the safety of your vehicle," Isaacman said of the spacewalk.

"Your suit becomes your spaceship," he added.

Crew Dragon has a strong spaceflight record, except for the toilet

Dragon spaceships have flown eight crews of astronauts to and from the ISS for NASA, as well as four private missions.

The vehicle's first private mission  which was also the world's first all-tourist spaceflight  was also sponsored and led by Isaacman. That flight, called Inspiration4, carried its four passengers through Earth's orbit for three days.

It went smoothly, except for a toilet malfunction aboard Dragon. A tube carrying urine broke loose in a compartment beneath the spaceship's cabin floor.

The pee didn't make it into the cabin where the passengers were living. Other than fixing a toilet system fan that set off an alarm, the crew said they didn't notice the contamination until they'd landed.

Isaacman and his new Polaris Dawn crew are flying on that same spaceship.

Isaacman's Polaris program plans to fly the first people on Starship

This is just the first mission of SpaceX's and Isaacman's Polaris program. The project has not yet announced details for its second mission.

The program's third mission, however, is set to be the first crewed flight of SpaceX's gargantuan Starship. That's the workhorse rocketship that Musk plans to one day use to ferry a million people to Mars.

SpaceX's Starship lifts off from the company's facilites in Boca Chica, Texas. PATRICK T. FALLON/Getty Images

Starship, which stands taller than the Statue of Liberty, flew to space and returned in one piece for the first time in June. It has many more test flights ahead before SpaceX plans to put a Polaris crew on board.

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Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission successfully launched American billionaire Jared Isaacman and three others into orbit on Sept. 10 on a five-day flight to attempt the world's first private spacewalk. The mission is the first of three Polaris Program spaceflights with SpaceX, and the second personally financed by Isaacman. The spacewalk occurred on Thursday, Sept. 12.

The historic mission launched on a Falcon 9 rocket and the Crew Dragon capsule Resilience, making its third flight. Isaacman is mission commander; with US Air Force Lt. Col (retired) Scott "Kidd" Poteet as pilot; Sarah Gillis, SpaceX lead space operations engineer for astronaut training, as mission specialist; and Anna Menon, SpaceX lead operations engineer for crew operations development, as mission specialist and medical officer.

Spacewalk Replay!| Meet the Crew | Polaris Dawn | Polaris Program |

Polaris Dawn crew 1 week from launch

Four people in dark jumpsuits stand in a row in front of a jet.

The four private astronauts of SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission are a week away from launch after two years of training for a mission that, they hope, will include the world's first private spacewalk.

American billionaire Jared Isaacman, who previously backed his private Inspiration4 spaceflight with SpaceX, will command the Polaris Dawn mission, the first of three new spaceflights he's purchased from SpaceX.

Isaacman, pilot Scott "Kidd" Poteet, and mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, both Lead Space Operations Engineers at SpaceX, arrived at their launch site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Aug. 19. Liftoff is set for Aug. 26 at 3:38 a.m. EDT (0738 GMT).

The mission, announced in 2022, will test new spacesuits for SpaceX during a planned 2-hour spacewalk during the five-day mission. On Aug. 19, the crew spoke with reporters about their upcoming mission.

Read all about it in our wrap story here from Space.com's Josh Dinner.

Doritos heads to space with Polaris Dawn

Polaris Dawn crew members with Doritos Cool Ranch Zero Gravity canisters. From left to right: commander Jared Isaacman, mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon and pilot Scott

The Polaris Dawn will have some brand new snacks in space when they launch on SpaceX's Crew Dragon Resilience on Aug. 26.

Doritos is flying a brand-new type of safe-for-space Zero Gravity Cool Ranch Doritos chips during the private spaceflight. The limited-edition flavor is available for sale online and contains an oil-based coating to keep Doritos' classic powdered topping from floating away in weightlessness.

"The limitless possibilities of space inspired us to push the boundaries of what's possible," said Chris Bellinger, chief creative officer of PepsiCo Foods North America, in a statement. "This mission is a testament to our commitment to delivering bold experiences and flavors, even in the most unexpected places."

You can read more about the new space Doritos in our full story by Robert Pearlman of collectSPACE.com.

The Doritos chips flying on Polaris Dawn are packaged in special tins that are among the patches, pins and other prizes that will be awarded to those who donate to St. Jude's.

Polaris Dawn raises millions for St. Jude

Polars Dawn commander Jared Isaacman meets with a St. Jude Family at the Sun 'n' Fun Aerospace Expo in April 2024.

As the Polaris Dawn crew prepares for their private launch to space on Aug. 26 with SpaceX, the mission's fundraising arm is in full swing for its chosen nonprofit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which studies and treats cancer in children.

Polaris Dawn commander Jared Isaacman said his first spaceflight, 2021's Inspiration4, "raised over $250 million for them. We've raised millions since with Polaris Dawn, and will continue to do so throughout the duration of the Polaris program."

In conjunction with the efforts of Isaacman and the Polaris Dawn crew, the mission has found partners to help raise more funds for St. Jude.

Doritos has crafted a new Zero Gravity Cool Ranch chip designed for safe snacking in weightlessness and offering the chips and space-flown tins a s prizes as part of its fundraising project, which you can find at https://doritos.experience.stjude.org/. So far, the project has raised more than $538,000 and is nearing its goal of $585,000.

Meanwhile, luxury watch maker IWC Schaffhausen has donated a Pilots Watch Chronograph Edition "Polaris Dawn" watch, which will be worn on the flight and be auctioned off to benefit St. Jude after the flight.

Kisses from Space by Anna Menon, Keri Vesak, $19.99 now $15.99 at Amazon.

SpaceX lead operations engineer Anna Menon's Kisses From Space, published by Random House, will fly to space with Menon on the Polaris Dawn mission. Proceeds from the book will help support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.View Deal

Mission specialist Anna Menon also wrote a children's book, called "Kisses from Space," that she'll read during the flight, with proceeds from the book's sale going to St. Jude.

New launch date: Aug. 27

Four private astronauts of Polaris Dawn pose for photos in front of jet plane

The Polaris Dawn mission is now scheduled to launch on Aug. 27, a day later than originally planned.

"The new date allows additional time for teams to complete preflight checkouts ahead of next weeks launch," SpaceX wrote in a post on X.

"We will happily take an extra day to ensure readiness," mission commander Jared Isaacman wrote in a post on X.

SpaceX delays Polaris Dawn launch to Aug. 27

The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule for the private Polaris Dawn mission arrives at its rocket hangar.

SpaceX has delayed the launch of the private Polaris Dawn spaceflight by at least 24 hours to allow more time for final preflight checks. The launch of Polaris Dawn, a private mission backed by American billionaire Jared Isaacman, is now scheduled to launch no earlier than Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 3:38 a.m. EDT (0738 GMT).

"Targeting Tuesday, August 27 for launch of Polaris Dawn, the first of the Polaris Program's three human spaceflight missions designed to advance the future of spaceflight," SpaceX wrote in an update on X (formerly Twitter) late Aug. 21. "The new date allows additional time for teams to complete preflight checkouts ahead of next weeks launch."

SpaceX's new glimpse at Polaris Dawn spacewalk

SpaceX has released a new computer animation of what the Polaris Dawn private spacwalk will look like next week when Jared Isaacman opens the Dragon capsule hatch.

The rendering shows what appears to be handrails extending out from the Dragon hatch, which Isaacman can use to help stand up with most of his body outside of the spacecraft. The depiction shows the Dragon crewmember with their feet still inside the capsule, likely strapped into a stabilization or mobility aid, which SpaceX and the Polaris Dawn crew have worked to develop over the last two years. You can see the rendering here:

"The rendering gives a solid sense of what itll be like," Isaacman wrote on X (formerly Twitter. "Dragons forward hatch should generally point towards Earth. The Dracos near the forward bulkhead will be disabled & as we cycle crew members between EV1/EV2, well have opportunities to correct attitude or null rotation."

SpaceX 'GO' for Polaris Dawn launch

The four astronauts of SpaceX's Polaris Dawn private mission pose in black and white spacesuits inside their Dragon capsule.

SpaceX has given the "GO" for its private Polaris Dawn astronaut launch and spacewalk mission for Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 3:38 a.m. EDT (0738 GMT).

Over the weekend, SpaceX rolled its Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon Resilience out to Pad 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The four-person Polaris Dawn crew performed full launch day dress rehearsal, with SpaceX capping the weekend with a successful static fire test of the Falcon 9 rocket's nine first-stage engines, a typical prelaunch test for the company.

"The Polaris Program mission readiness review just finished and we are currently go for launch in just over 24 hours," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "Crew safety is absolutely paramount and this mission carries more risk than usual, as it will be the furthest humans have traveled from Earth since Apollo and the first commercial spacewalk! If any concerns arise, the launch will be postponed until those concerns are addressed."

A white and black SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket test fires its engines on the launch pad for Polaris Dawn.

Polaris Dawn launch delayed to Aug. 28

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule for the Polaris Dawn astronaut mission on the pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The launch of SpaceX's Polaris Dawn astronaut mission has been delayed by at least 24 hours, to no earlier than 3:38 a.m. EDT (0738 GMT) on Wednesday (Aug. 28). SpaceX wants more time to study a helium leak associated with a "quick disconnect umbilical," an interface connecting the mission's Falcon 9 rocket to the launch tower.

Read more in our delay story.

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in launch position

A black and white SpaceX Dragon and Falcon 9 rocket on the launch pad in twilight for the Polaris Dawn mission.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is once again upright and in launch position atop Pad 39A for the planned Aug. 28 launch of the private Polaris Dawn spacewalk mission. Liftoff is on track for for 3:38 a.m. EDT (0738 GMT) after two days of delay this week.

"Falcon 9 and Dragon are vertical on pad 39A ahead of flight. Weather is 85% favorable for liftoff and teams are keeping an eye on recovery weather," SpaceX wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

SpaceX's livestream on X will begin at about 12 a.m. EDT (0400 GMT) and be simulcast on Space.com.

Polaris launch delayed again due to weather at Dargon recovery zone

A large black industrial tower stands on the left with a white arm extended to a white capsule atop a white rocket. A bird flies in the distance on the right.

Polaris Dawn will have to wait a few more days at least before launching on the program's pioneering mission. Liftoff had been set for early Wednesday morning, Aug. 28, at 3:38 a.m. EDT (0738 GMT), but late in the evening Tuesday, SpaceX posted on X, formerly Twitter, that weather conditions at Dragon's recovery zones were unfavorable enough to delay the mission.

"Due to unfavorable weather forecasted in Dragons splashdown areas off the coast of Florida, we are now standing down from tonight and tomorrows Falcon 9 launch opportunities of Polaris Dawn. Teams will continue to monitor weather for favorable launch and return conditions," the post reads.

In a repost, Polaris Dawn commander Jared Isaacman added some clarification, and stressed safety in moving forward with their mssion, "With no ISS rendezvous and limited life support consumables, we must be absolutely sure of reentry weather before launching. As of now, conditions are not favorable tonight or tomorrow, so well assess day by day."

Polaris Dawn crew takes delays in stride

The four astronauts of SpaceX's private Polaris Dawn mission financed by American billionaire Jared Isaacman are taking delays to their launch well as they await launch. The mission was initially slated to launch Aug. 26, but was delayed two days to Aug. 28 due to technical issues, and then postponed to no earlier than Friday, Aug. 30, due to splashdown weather concerns for the end of the mission.

"Our launch criteria are heavily constrained by forecasted splashdown weather conditions. With no ISS rendezvous and limited life support consumables, we must be absolutely sure of reentry weather before launching. As of now, conditions are not favorable tonight or tomorrow, so we'll assess day by day," Isaacman wrote on X late Tuesday (Aug. 27). "Sometimes, the hardest journeys require the most patience, and were ready to wait for the right moment. We know many have traveled to see the launch, and were grateful for your support."

"Great summary of where were at, weather is going to be a challenge given launch and return requirements," Polaris Dawn mission specialist Sarah Gillis added. "Scrubbing for the next few launch opportunities, but ready to go once a weather window opens!"

"It can be challenging at times when youre building up to game day, but we proceed with cautious paranoia to ensure we mitigate risk," Polaris Dawn pilot Scott "Kidd" Poteet added. "In the big scheme of things, mission success will be that much sweeter for the entire Polaris Program [and] SpaceX team."

Even SpaceX CEO Elon Musk weighed in, given the audacious goals of Polaris Dawn to attempt the world's first private spacewalk and the highest human spaceflight since NASA's Apollo missions.

"An incredible amount of work has gone into this historic mission by an amazing team," Musk wrote on Aug. 26 after the earlier delays. "We are triple-checking everything to make sure there is nothing more we can do to improve crew safety."

Polaris Dawn launch on hold pending weather

SpaceX says it is currently in a holding pattern due to weather for the launch of the private Polaris Dawn mission.

"Latest forecasts continue to show unfavorable weather conditions in the areas along Floridas coast where Dragon would splash down upon returning from space," SpaceX wrote on X Thursday night (Aug. 29). "Once teams identify the next best opportunity for launch and return of the Polaris Dawn mission, well provide an update. Falcon 9 and Dragon remain healthy and vertical on the pad at 39A."

Meanwhile, the FAA is investigating the landing failure of a different Falcon 9 rocket launch launched a set of Starlink satellites into orbit. That booster, which originally launched Polaris Dawn commander Jared Isaacman and a crew of 3 others to space in 2021's Inspiration4 mission, caught fire and toppled over while landing on a drone ship at sea on Aug. 28.

SpaceX targets Sept. 10 for Polaris Dawn launch

a white rocket standing upright on a launch pad at night

SpaceX is now targeting an early morning launch on Sept. 10 for the historic Polaris Dawn mission.

The company will attempt to launch Polaris Dawn early on Tuesday (Sept. 10) during a four-hour launch window that opens at at 3:38 a.m. ET (0738 GMT). Backup launch times are set for 5:23 a.m. ET (0923 GMT) and 7:09 a.m. ET (1109 GMT). Additional launch opportunities are available on Wednesday (Sept. 11) at the same times, according to SpaceX, should weather become an issue as it has with previous launch attempts.

"Weather is currently 40% favorable for liftoff, and conditions at the possible splashdown sites for Dragon's return to Earth remain a watch item," SpaceX posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Read more: SpaceX to launch private Polaris Dawn spacewalk mission tonight on farthest human spaceflight since Apollo

SpaceX watching weather for Polaris Dawn launch

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Polaris Dawn Dragon capsule stands atop its Florida launch pad for launch with think clouds behind.

SpaceX is officially "go" to attempt tonight's planned launch of the private Polaris Dawn mission, but weather is a constant concern.

Currently, there is a 60% change of bad weather that could prevent tonight's Dragon launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Liftoff is scheduled for 3:38 a.m. EDT (0738 GMT). SpaceX is also watching the weather forecasts for landing day, about five days from now, to ensure the weather in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico is calm enough for spacecraft splashdown and recovery.

A live SpaceX webcast will begin at 12:05 a.m. EDT (0405 GMT). You can watch the Polaris Dawn launch live on our YouTube channel, courtesy of SpaceX, which is airing the launch on X.

"Launch is currently go for early tomorrow morning," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on X.

SpaceX launch webcast live, astronauts suiting up

SpaceX's Polaris Dawn Dragon spacecraft on its Falcon 9 rocket at night, with pad crews nearby on access arm.

SpaceX's livestream for the Polaris Dawn launch is live on X and you can watch it in the video feed at the top of this page.

The four Polaris Dawn astronauts are currently suiting up in their SpaceX spacesuits and will soon walk out to the waiting Tesla cars that will drive them to their launch site at NASA's Pad 39A at the nearby Kennedy Space Center.

John Insprucker, SpaceX's Falcon 9 principal integration engineer, says the Falcon 9 and Dragon are ready to go, but weather is still 60% No-Go for launch conditions, as well as for splashdown conditions.

SpaceX has a four-hour launch window for today's launch, with opportunities to liftoff at 3:38 a.m. EDT, 5:23 a.m. EDT or 7:09 a.m. EDT.

Polaris Dawn astronauts walk out to launch pad

SpaceX's Polaris Dawn astronauts wave as they head to launch pad

The four private astronauts of SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission have reached their launch pad at NASA's Pad 39A of the Kennedy Space Center after a brief walkout of the company's nearby operations building, where they showed off their new spacesuits designed for both launch and the brief spacewalk that will be attempted on this mission.

The crew is commanded by American billionaire Jared Isaacman, with pilot Kid Poteet and mission specialists Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis.

Polaris Dawn astronauts enter Dragon

SpaceX's private Polaris Dawn astronauts inside Dragon and in the White Room access arm.

The four Polaris Dawn astronauts are entering their Dragon spacecraft, called Resilience, to prepare for tonight's launch at 3:38 a.m. EDT (0738 GMT).

SpaceX operations leads Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon were the first to board the spacecraft as mission specialists, with pilot Scott "Kidd" Poteet and the commander Jared Isaacman following shortly after. Isaacman is financing the Polaris Dawn mission and is making his second spaceflight on the Dragon Resiliance after 2021's Inspiration4 mission, which he also financed.

This will be the third flight of the Crew Dragon Resilience, and the fourth flight of its Falcon 9 rocket.

SpaceX's private Polaris Dawn astronauts inside Dragon and in the White Room access arm.

Polaris Dawn astronauts in launch position

SpaceX's private Polaris Dawn astronauts inside Dragon in launch position.

The four Polaris Dawn astronauts are now in launch position, with their seats rotated back so their in a reclined position for liftoff.

SpaceX reports the Falcon 9, Dragon spacecraft and the Polaris Dawn crew are all go for launch, with only the weather posing a concern for launch tonight.

Suit leak checks are underway.

Suit checks complete for Polaris Dawn crew

SpaceX's close-out crew has completed its spacesuit checks for the Polaris Dawn astronauts and reports four good suits. The pad crew will soon close the side hatch of the Dragon capsule, sealing the Polaris Dawn astronauts inside for launch.

Two hours to Polaris Dawn launch

SpaceX's private Polaris Dawn astronauts inside Dragon.

SpaceX is now just under two hours away from the 3:38 a.m. EDT launch of the private Polaris Dawn mission, with weather still posing a concern.

So far, the launch countdown appears to have gone smoothly, though SpaceX's video livestream (which the company is streaming exclusively on X) is experiencing repeatedly buffering and stalling, interrupting live views of the launch.

SpaceX reports that the side hatch of the Crew Dragon Resilience has been closed for launch as the pad crew prepares to leave the launch site.

How SpaceX built new spacesuits for spacewalk

SpaceX has a great video look at how it developed its new spacewalk-worthy spacesuits, as well as its "Skywalker" mobility aid - sleek rail Isaacman can use to help position himself while poking out of the Dragon hatch on his spacewalk. Check it out!

T-1 hour to Polaris Dawn launch

SpaceX is now about 1 hour away from the launch of its Polaris Dawn launch at 3:38 a.m. EDT (0738 GMT).

So far, the countdown has continued to go smoothly, though SpaceX continues to watch weather conditions for its planned liftoff. The company has two other potential launch times, at 5:23 a.m. EDT and 7:09 a.m. EDT, in which to try and launch the mission.

SpaceX reports that it is tracking some rain near the launch pad and launch controllers will wait on a final decision for the weather until the T-50 minute mark.

NEW LAUNCH TIME: Polaris Dawn launch set for 5:23 am ET

SpaceX's private Polaris Dawn Dragon capsule on the launch pad

SpaceX has decided to skip the 1st launch window for tonight's Polaris Dawn launch and is now targeting a liftoff at 5:23 a.m. EDT (0923 GMT).

The company's launch weather officer decided that conditions to launch may be better at the second of the three launch windows, as the range was No-Go for weather for the 3:38 am ET attempt. SpaceX also has a 3rd launch option at 7:09 a.m. EDT (1109 GMT), if needed.

Polaris Dawn crew back in launch position

With SpaceX now aiming for a 5:23 a.m. EDT (0923 GMT) launch for Polaris Dawn, the four astronauts have been returned into launch position after getting a brief break to rest during the waive off from their first launch attempt.



SpaceX's crew seats can rotate up and down so that crews can get seated and strapped in easily, then they rotate up into a horizontal launch position for liftoff.

Weather outlook improves for Polaris Dawn launch

The weather outlook has improved for SpaceX's private Polaris Dawn launch at 5:23 a.m. ET, SpaceX's weather There is now only a 35% chance of bad weather, a marked improvement from the 60% earlier in the window.

"Things are looking a little more optimistic than they were an hour or so ago," SpaceX Falcon 9 principal integration engineer John Insprucker said.

Polaris Dawn weather GO for launch

SpaceX reports there's now only a 20% chance of weather violations, so that's an 80% chance of good weather for launch.

Polaris Dawn mission specialist Sarah Gillis cheered when she heard the news of good launch weather while pilot Scott "Kidd" Poteet appeared to move his hands in a makeshift dance while strapped into his seat to celebrate. Liftoff on track now for 5:23 a.m. ET.

SpaceX is now less than 1 hour from its next launch attempt.

Crew Access Arm retracted for launch, crew closes suit visors

SpaceX's private Polaris Dawn Falcon 9 rocket on the launch pad at night before launch.

The bridge-like Crew Access Arm has been retracted clear of the Falcon 9 rocket ahead of the Polaris Dawn astronaut launch. The four astronauts inside the Crew Dragon atop the rocket have closed and locked their spacesuit visors for launch.

SpaceX has armed the launch escape system on the Crew Dragon spacecraft, which will pull the capsule free of its rocket in case of an emergency during launch.

Fueling continues, T-16 minutes to launch

The four Polaris Dawn astronauts now in their last few minutes on Earth before launching into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

SpaceX has begun fueling the rocket's second stage with its liquid oxygen propellant as fuel loading continues.

T-5 minutes to launch: Polaris Dawn on internal power

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Polaris Dawn astronauts on the Crew Dragon Resilience is just 5 minutes from liftoff. The spacecraft is shifting to internal power for launch as fueling nears completion.

The strongback support on the Falcon 9 rocket has retracted.

LIFTOFF! SpaceX launches private Polaris Dawn astronauts

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying four private astronauts on Polaris Dawn launches into the predawn sky over NASA's Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 10, 2024

Liftoff! SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launches the private Polaris Dawn mission on a five-day trip to make the world's first commercial spacewalk.

Aboard the rocket are commander Jared Isaacman, pilot Kitt Poteet, and mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon.

It will take about 9 minutes for the rocket to reach low-Earth orbit.

Falcon 9 stage separation

The Polaris Dawn Falcon 9 rocket has separated its first stage for the return to Earth as the upper stage continues powering upward carrying the Polaris Dawn astronauts toward orbit.

This is the fourth flight of the Falcon 9 booster and third flight of the Dragon capsule.

Falcon 9 booster entry burn

The Falcon 9 rocket's first stage booster has performed its entry burn as the second stage continues its ascent into orbit with the Polaris Dawn astronauts aboard Dragon.

The Falcon 9 booster will attempt to land on SpaceX's drone ship Just Read The Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean.

Touchdown! Falcon 9 booster lands at sea, Dragon in orbit

Touchdown! SpaceX's Polaris Dawn Falcon 9 1st stage has successfully landed on the drone ship Just Read The Instructions in the Atlantic. Meanwhile, the upper stage has shut down. Dragon is in its initial orbit. The SpaceX crowd goes wild.

Spacecraft Separation! Polaris Dawn is in orbit

The Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon Resilience floats into space to begin its five-day mission on Sept. 10, 2024.

The Polaris Dawn crew's Dragon spacecraft has separated from its Falcon 9 second stage. The crew is now in orbit. Read our wrap story on the launch with amazing video.

"We wouldn't be on this journey without all 14,000 of you back home and everyone else cheering us on," the mission's billionaire commander Jared Isaacman radioed to SpaceX's mission control center. "We appreciate it. We're gonna get to work now."

Isaacman and his crew now begin a five-day mission that will attempt the world's first private spacewalk on Thursday, Sept. 12. It will also attempt to fly on the highest human spaceflight since Apollo 17 in 1972 and make the highest orbit with a space capsule, something not done since NASA's Gemini era.

Near the end of the mission, Polaris Dawn will attempt to demonstrate space-to-space Starlink internet on their Dragon capsule. They will also perform a series of experiments for researchers on Earth. The mission is also raising funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to find treatments for pediatric cancers.

Flying with Isaacman on the mission are pilot Scott "Kidd" Poteet, and mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, both SpaceX employees and now the company's first astronauts.

SpaceX's webcast has ended for now. We'll post daily updates on the mission here as available, including information on Thursday's spacewalk attempt.

Polaris Dawn: Day One

a white rocket lifts off at night above a plume of fire and smoke

SpaceX's private Polaris Dawn mission is underway.

After a stunning predawn launch, the four crewmembers of Polaris Dawn are preparing for their historic first all-civilian spacewalk. "Dragon will initiate a two-day pre-breathe process to prepare the crew for their upcoming spacewalk on Thursday, Sept. 12" SpaceX posted on X (formerly Twitter).

According to the European Space Agency, this procedure involves astronauts breathing in specific gas mixtures, usually pure oxygen, to remove nitrogen from their bloodstreams in order to lower the risk of decompression sicknesses.

Polaris Dawn spacewalk set for Thursday Sept. 12

a person in a white spacesuit crawls out of a white cone-shaped spacecraft flying above earth

The world's first all-civilian spacewalk is only two days away.

Polaris Dawn will attempt its historic spacewalk on Thursday (Sept. 12) at 2:23 a.m. ET (0623 GMT), SpaceX wrote in a mission description on its website.

During the spacewalk (also known as an extravehicular activity, or EVA), Polaris Dawn crewmembers Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis will exit their fully depressurized Crew Dragon spacecraft in specially-designed SpaceX spacesuits.

It will be the first-ever spacewalk by private astronauts. You can watch it live here when the time comes, courtesy of SpaceX.

Read more: How SpaceX's historic Polaris Dawn private spacewalk will work

Polaris Dawn reaches record-high orbit, 1st since Gemini 11

The top of a white space capsule pokes up from the bottom, and open dark circle at its center, with handrails arcing upward. In the background, a large curve of the earth against black space.

Kisses from Space by Anna Menon, Keri Vesak, $19.99 now $15.99 at Amazon.

SpaceX lead operations engineer Anna Menon's Kisses From Space, published by Random House, will fly to space with Menon on the Polaris Dawn mission. Proceeds from the book will help support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.View Deal

Flight Day 2 of SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission is here and the private spaceflight backed by billionaire Jared Isaacman has already set a new record.

On Tuesday, Sept. 10, the crew's Dragon capsule Resilience reached the highest orbital altitude of the flight, a distance of about 870 miles (1,400.7 kilometers). The distance is the farthest from Earth humans have flown since NASA's Apollo 17 moon landing mission in 1972, and the highest Earth orbit by a crewed spacecraft since NASA's Gemini 11 mission in 1966.

That was on day one of the mission. Today, the crew will continue its 48-hour pre-breathing work ahead of a historic first private spacewalk on Thursday (Sept. 12).

Polaris Dawn mission specialist Anna Menon, a SpaceX lead operations engineer , is expected to read her children's book "Kisses from Space" from Dragon today as part of a fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Inside SpaceX's Polaris Dawn spacesuit, science + orbit

SpaceX reports that its Polaris Dawn Dragon spacecraft has successfully lowered its orbit today, executing a series of four thruster maneuvers to reach an orbit that ranges between 121 miles (195 kilometers) at its lowest point and 458 miles (737 km) at its highest point. This is the orbit the Polaris Dawn crew will use during its highly anticipated private spacewalk on Thursday.

In anticipation of that historic first private spacewalk, SpaceX has released an excellent video on how it built its new spacewalk spacesuit and you can check it our in our story.



NASA has also detailed the science experiments it has aboard Polaris Dawn as part of the crew's science mission.

How to watch SpaceX's Polaris Dawn spacewalk

Illustration of a Polaris Dawn crewmember conducting the first-ever private spacewalk.

SpaceX is just hours away from attempting the world's first private spacewalk with the Polaris Dawn.

The spacewalk, which will be conducted by Polaris Dawn commander Jared Isaacman and mission specialist Sarah Gillis, is scheduled to begin at 2:23 a.m. EDT (0623 GMT) on Thursday, Sept. 12, which is tomorrow! You can watch the spacewalk live online via SpaceX's X account, and it will be simulcast at the top of this page and on the Space.com YouTube Channel. The livestream will begin about one hour before the spacewalk begins.

The entire spacewalk should last about two hours, with all four Polaris Dawn astronauts donning their SpaceX spacesuits. During that time, the crew will depressurize their Dragon capsule so Isaacman and Gillis can perch themselves halfway outside Dragon's hatch on a "mobility aid" SpaceX calls its Skywalker. They are expected to spent about 15 minutes actually positioned partially outside the hatch.

Tune in on Thursday! As SpaceX says, "Excitement guaranteed!"

Polaris Dawn spacewalk beginning Thursday morning

a white spacesuit with the reflection of earth on the visor

SpaceX has updated the time of the Polaris Dawn spacewalk to Thursday, September 12 at 5:58 a.m. ET. If needed, a backup opportunity is available on Friday, September 13.

The spacewalk, which will be conducted by Polaris Dawn commander Jared Isaacman and mission specialist Sarah Gillis, You can watch the spacewalk live online via SpaceX's X account, and it will be simulcast at the top of this page and on the Space.com YouTube Channel. The livestream will begin about one hour before the spacewalk begins.

The entire spacewalk should last about two hours, with all four Polaris Dawn astronauts donning their SpaceX spacesuits. During that time, the crew will depressurize their Dragon capsule so Isaacman and Gillis can perch themselves halfway outside Dragon's hatch on a "mobility aid" SpaceX calls its Skywalker. They are expected to spent about 15 minutes actually positioned partially outside the hatch.

Polaris Dawn spacewalk livestream has begun

a screenshot that says spacex

(Image credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX has begun the livestream of the Polaris Dawn spacewalk. The activity is scheduled to begin at 5:58 a.m. ET. You can watch the spacewalk live online via SpaceX's X account, and it will be simulcast at the top of this page and on the Space.com YouTube Channel.

The spacewalk, which will be see Polaris Dawn commander Jared Isaacman and mission specialist Sarah Gillis both exit the Dragon spacecraft. The entire procedure, from decompression of the cabin to represurization is expected to take about two hours.

Crew begins donning their spacesuits

The Polaris Dawn crew prior to launch on Sept. 10, 2024

Following an extended prebreathe procedure, the Polaris Dawn crew has begun donning their suits in preparation of switching to a full oxygen flow before a "go," "no-go" poll for leak checks and the opening of Dragon's forward hatch.

Dragon will reposition itself so its trunk is facing the sun in order to regulate temperatures and communications during the spacewalk, during which mission commander Jared Isaacman and mission specialist Sarah Gillis will take turns exiting Dragon to test the mobility of the SpaceX extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuit.

The livestream is available at the top of this page, SpaceX's X account, or simulcast on the Space.com YouTube Channel.

Oxygen flow initiated - Polaris Dawn EVA underway

Astronauts in white spacesuits float about a white spacecraft cabin.

"SpaceX is go for EVA operations."

"EV1 is go."

"EV2 is go."

"Support 1 is go."

"Support 2 is go."

The Polaris Dawn spacwalk has begun at 3:12 a.m. PDT.

The crew has completed their suit checks, confirmed seals, heads-up display functionality, and a undergone a seat rotation to allow for increased mobility during the extravehicular activity (EVA). With their suits switched to a flow of pure oxygen, the EVA has officially begun. Shortly, Isaacman and Gillis will exit Dragon in series to complete the function and mobility tests of SpaceX's new spacesuits.

This is the first commercial spacewalk ever performed, and the first time as many as four astronauts have donned spacesuits and all been simultaneously exposed to the vacuum of space.

The livestream is available at the top of this page, SpaceX's X account, or simulcast on the Space.com YouTube Channel.

Crew Dragon Resilience hatch is open

Dragon capsule hatch opens

With their suits fully pressurized and the Crew Dragon cabin vented down to vacuum, the Polaris Dawn crew was given the green light top open the forward hatch of their spacecraft.

Presently, mission commander Jared Isaacman, refferred to during the EVA as "EV1," followed by mission specialist Sarah Gillish, "EV2," will take turn egressing the spacecraft, utilizing SpaceX's novel "Skywalker" mobility aide to exit Dragon's forward hatch.

Unlike the extravehicular activity (EVA) suits used on the International Space Station (ISS), SpaceX's EVA suits lack the life support systems needed to operate without an umbilical. As such, Isaacman and Gillis are securred with a 12-foot tether, which provides a steady flow of oxygen, communications lines and a safety link securing them to the spacecraft as they perform EVA operations.

The livestream of this morning's spacwalk is available at the top of this page, SpaceX's X account, or simulcast on the Space.com YouTube Channel.

Polaris Dawn Mission Commander Jared Isaacman egresses Dragon

Issacman emerges from the SpaceX capsule for historic spacewalk

With the Polaris Dawn EVA underway, mission commander Jared Isaacman has exited the spacecraft, using SpaceX's Skywalker mobility platform to secure himself as he floats in the vacuum of space.

Polaris Dawn Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis exits Crew Dragon

A spacewoman pops out of a spacecraft above earth

With mission commander Jared Isaacman safely back inside the Crew Dragon Resilience and the spacecraft's atitude adjusted slightly, mission specialist Sarah Gillis, reffered to during the extravehicular activity (EVA) as "EV2" moved for her turn to egress the spacecraft. As Isaacman did, Gillis will test out specific movements and functionalilities of SpaceX's EVA suit.

Prior to exiting, Gillis noted some "buldging" in some of the Dragon hatch seals, remarked as "expected" by SpaceX commentators.

The livestream of this morning's spacwalk is available at the top of this page, SpaceX's X account, or simulcast on the Space.com YouTube Channel.

Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis heads back inside Dragon as Spacewalk nears copmletion

a person in a white spacesuit exits a white cone-shaped capsule into the blackness of space

After several minutes of utilizing Dragon's Skywalker handrail aide to test the mobility of SpaceX's new extravehicular activity (EVA) suit, Polaris Dawn mission specialist Sarah Gillis is back inside the spacecraft to prepare to close the hatch and conclude the team's EVA.

EVA hatch closed - repressurization begun

Issacman cranks Dargon capsule hatch open

With the Polaris Dawn crew secured back inside their Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft, the forward hatch has been closed and repressurization of the spacecraft begun. The full repressurization of Dragon will take place in two stages, with varying rates of the addition of nitrogen to raise initial pressures, followed by a mixture of oxygen to complete the spacecraft's interior atmosphere. The process is expected to take about 50 minutes.

Cabin repressurization complete - Polaris Dawn EVA concluded

Blue screens aboard a spacecraft are seen as the arms of two astronauts reach out.

"EVA operations complete."

Following a series of leak checks inside the Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon Resilience, the repressurization of the spacecraft is complete. With full pressure restored to the cabin, the Polaris Dawn extravehicular activity (EVA) is concluded.

According to metrics from astronomer and space activity tracker Jonathan McDowell, the total "spacewalk time," today was 33min 25s. "The spacewalk time using my 5kPa rule was 33min 25s. The hatch open/close time was about 26m 40s. Isaacman was outside hatch for 7 min 56m; Gillis for about 7m15s," he wrote in a post on X.

From the beginning of depressurization of Dragon's cabin to the "operations copmlete" call ending the EVA, total ellapsed time was 1 hour and 46 minutes, ending at 7:58 am ET.

Read more: SpaceX Polaris Dawn astronauts perform historic 1st private spacewalk in orbit (video)

Polaris Dawn beams photos, music video from space

Polaris Dawn released a new music video from space this morning, hours after beaming home photos from orbit using Starlink satellites.

Polaris Dawn, a five-day private mission, continues to notch milestones under its belt. After breaking an altitude record set in 1966 for highest orbital crewed flight and helping break the record for most humans in orbit, the Polaris Dawn astronauts conducted the world's first commercial spacewalk on Thursday (Sept. 12).

Later that day, the quartet beamed home photos using laser connections with SpaceX's Starlink satellites. And this morning (Sept. 13,) the crew released a music video from space that featured Polaris Dawn astronaut Sarah Gillis playing violin from inside the mission's Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Read more: Polaris Dawn astronaut plays 'Star Wars' song in music video beamed from space (video)

Polaris Dawn crew tackle space science

Today is Flight Day 5 for SpaceX's private Polaris Dawn astronauts and is expected to be their final full day in orbit as the historic space mission nears its end.

On Friday, Sept. 14, the astronauts spent their Flight Day 4 performing science experiments in partnership with the 31 different institutions around the world the mission has teamed with for their flight, groups that include NASA.

The astronauts will continue their science experiment work today, and will also conduct more space internet tests using SpaceX's new space-to-space Starlink internet system, which is being debuted on this flight.

The Polaris Dawn astronauts are expected to land in the early predawn hours of Sunday, Sept. 15, but SpaceX has not yet announced a specific landing time or target splashdown site. The company can return its Dragon capsules to Earth off the coast of Florida in both the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, weather permitting.

We expect to get word from SpaceX later today for its landing plans.

The four private Polaris Dawn astronauts wave during a video downlink from their SpaceX Dragon capsule on Sept. 13, 2024.

Polaris Dawn astronauts land early Sunday

SpaceX's private Polaris Dawn astronauts will return to Earth early Sunday, Sept. 15, at 3:36 a.m. EDT (0736 GMT), and you'll be able to watch it live on SpaceX's X account and mission webpage, beginning about one hour before splashdown. That live webcast will begin at 2:36 a.m. EDT (0636 GMT), if SpaceX's schedule holds.

The four Polaris Dawn astronauts will splash down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Dry Tortugas, Florida, SpaceX said in a mission update.

Returning to Earth on the Polaris Dawn Dragon capsule will be the mission's billionaire commander Jared Isaacman, pilot Scott "Kidd" Poteet, and mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, who are both SpaceX employees and now the agency's first company astronauts. Their splashdown will wrap up a five-day space mission that made history on several accounts.

Isaacman and Gillis performed the world's first private spacewalk on Thursday, Sept. 12, and the mission set a new record for orbital spaceflight when it reached an orbital altitude of a 1,408.1 kilometers, the highest-ever orbit by a crewed spacecraft.

Tune in to this page for complete landing coverage during the Polaris Dawn crew's return to Earth.

Today, to mark their final full day in space, the crew continued to perform a series of science experiments and used a new SpaceX Starlink plaser link connection on their Dragon to speak directly with people at the company's Hawthorne, California headquarters in a 40-minute video call, during which time the Dragon capsule fired its thrusters 16 different times.

SpaceX Polaris Dawn begins heading back to Earth

four astronauts in white space suits inside a cramped capsule cockpit

SpaceX's historic Polaris Dawn mission is coming to an end.

At 2:34 a.m. ET (0634 GMT), Polaris Dawn began deorbiting procedures to bring it back down to Earth for a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. A few minutes later, the capsule jettisoned its "trunk," or service module, to expose its heatshield ahead of atmospheric reentry and began firing its thrusters to put it on a reentry trajectory.

The mission's Crew Dragon Resilience capsule will land in a new splashdown location for SpaceX, the Dry Tortugas, a series of islands off the southwest coast of Florida. Splashdown is expected to occur at 3:36 a.m. ET (0736 GMT).

Read more: SpaceX Polaris Dawn astronaut plays 'Star Wars' song in music video beamed from space (video)

SpaceX Polaris Dawn completes deorbit burn

a view of earth from space. the nose cone of a spacecraft can be seen

At 2:50 a.m. EDT (0650 GMT), SpaceX announced that Polaris Dawn's Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft completed its deorbit burn, a series of thruster firings that put the capsule on its final trajectory ahead of a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean.

Cameras on the capsule captured a view of Earth as the spacecraft passed over Australia. Splashdown is still expected around 3:36 a.m. EDT (0736 GMT).

The capsule's nose cone was then closed to protect the "Skywalker" mobility aid added to this particular Dragon capsule that was used by the crew during its historic 1st commercial spacewalk on Sept. 12.

a metal disc seen up close as it comes into contact with a large metal ring of the same diameter

Visors down as Dragon crew head home

At 3:15 a.m. EDT (0715 GMT), Polaris Dawn's Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft captain Jared Isaacman reported back to SpaceX ground control that the crew had lowered their visors.

This seals the team's space suits and is a significant step ibn the preperation for the "active phase" of reentry. The Dragon capsule is set to splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico shortly. Around 5 minutes after visors are lowered the capsule and crew will briefly lose contact with Earth.

This happens every time a Dragon capsule reenters Earth's atmosphere, with the planned blackout estimated to last for around 7 minutes. Ground control won't be able to control the spacecraft at this time, but that is okay as Dragon is built to steer itself during this period.

Polaris Dawn mission specialist Sarah Gillis is seen ascending the

First ground view of returning Dragon capsule!

a bright white dot on a grey background

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it's Dragon!



At 3:27 am EDT 7:27 UTC Earth caught its first view of the returning Dragon capsule is it heads for splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. The view was captured by the SpaceX recovery ship. The next steps for the return are the restoration of comms after a brief planned blackout and the deployment of drogue parachuettes.

The capsule and its crew have spent 5 days in space performing the first commercial spacewalk and setting a record for the number of humans exposed to the near vaccuum of space.

a bright streak of light on a black background

Polaris Dawn splashdown!

The Polaris Dawn capsule splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico at 3:37 am EDT on Sept. 15

"Welcome back to Earth, Polaris Dawn!"



At 3:37 am EDT (0737 UTC), after the successful deployment of the Polaris Dawn's four drogue parachutes, the Polaris Dawn capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico.



Carrying the four crew members led by Jared Isaacman, the return of the capsule was met with cheers of jubilation by the ground control team. Just minutes after splashdown, and ahead of the arrival of the SpaceX recovery vessel, fast boats reached the capsule.



They will check that the capsule is safe to approach and will search for its parachutes.

The recovery team check the Polaris Dawn Capsule

"Polaris Dawn we are mission complete!" said Isaacman on splashdown. "Thanks for the big help pulling this mission together."

Polaris Dawn in recovery!

a white capsule floats in the ocean surrounded by boats

After the splashdown of the Polaris Dawn capsule at 3:37 am EDT (0737 UTC), the SpaceX recovery team arrived at the spacecraft to ensure it was safe to be hoisted from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico by the SpaceX recovery vessel.

A recovery team member mounts the Dragon Polaris Dawn Capsule capsule

The recovery team are also communicating with the crew in the capsule to assess their health after reentry.

A stunning overhead view of the SpaceX recovery ship as it heads to the site of the Dragon capsule Polaris Dawn to hoist it from the Gulf of Mexico

Recovery ship greets Polaris Dawn mission

The recovery ship approaches the Dragon Capsule after Polaris Dawn splashdown

At around 4:00am (0800 UTC) a SpaceX recovery ship rendevouzed with the returned SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying the Polaris Dawn mission crew.

a white cone-shaped capsule is lifted onto a boat

The capsule was lifted from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico at 4;08 am EDT (0808 UTC). The Dragon capsule will now be moved to an egress platform where it can be opened and the crew members can breathe their first fresh air for five days.

a white cone-shaped capsule is lifted onto a boat by a crane

Polaris Dawn mission hatch opens

The Polaris Dawn crew is Jubliant after the Dragon capsule hatch is opened

At 4:20 am Edt (0820 UTC) the SpaceX recovery crew cracked open the hatch of the Dragon capsule to give the Polaris Dawn crew their first breathe of fresh air for five days.

Dragon capsule hatch opens after splashdown and recovery on Sept.15

Following hatch opening a surgeon entered the capsule to check the health of the crew.

Polaris Dawn crew happy to be home after historic mission

The Polaris Dawn crew exit the Dragon Capsule

The Polaris Dawn crew exited the Dragon capsule after splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, Sept. 15 at 3:37 am EDT (0837 UTC). First to exit the craft was American engineer and SpaceX lead space operations and mission director Anna Menon.

Next to disembark was Sarah Gillis, SpaceX senior space operations engineer, who performed the second spacewalk of the historic Polaris Dawn mission.

The Polaris Dawn crew exit the Dragon Capsule

Third to exit the capsule was capsule pilot Scott Poteet, who busted out some smooth dance moves to celebrate his return to terra firma.

The Polaris Dawn crew exit the Dragon Capsule

Last but not least to disembark was mission commander Jared Isaacman, who has become a "frequent flyer" on SpaceX Dargon capsule missions. During the Polaris Dawn operation, Isaacman made history by becoming the first civilian to perform a spacewalk or "Extravehicular Activity (EVA)."
From the Boiling Frogs on The Dispatch

One might think a party convention would supply endless inspiration for a political columnist, but not so. It all depends.

The Republican National Convention made for good copy because the GOP is a party in ideological flux, which is inherently interesting. When Donald Trump named J.D. Vance as his running mate, he made a decisive break from conservatism and turned toward nationalism as the future of the right. Theres a lot to say about that. None of it is good, but stilla lot to say.

Trump reliably makes for good copy too as he struggles to impose order on his disordered mind. His convention speech was noteworthy for just that reason: He started strong, working off a tight script that aimed to convince America the attempt on his life had left him a changed man  before wandering off into his own stream of consciousness for an hour, proving that it hadnt.

Conflict, within the party or within its leaders own tortured psychology, makes for interesting political coverage. Theres been practically zero conflict at the Democratic National Convention over its first two days.

So what is there to say about it? Great speech, Michelle?

The prospect of mass protests outside the convention a la 1968 promised real conflict, possibly of the hand-to-hand variety involving Chicago P.D., but even thats up in smoke. The Atlantics correspondent estimated there were no more than 5,000 demonstrators on Monday and possibly as few as 2,000. Organizers were expecting 50,000. Attendees were thoroughly fringe too, with author Michael Powell claiming to have encountered socialists, communists, Trotskyites, North Korean sympathizers(!), and two men carrying the flag of Kurdish anarchists for some reason. Piles of signs created for protesters to carry went untouched when a larger crowd failed to show.

Outside the convention, youd be forgiven for thinking the far left is a spent force politically. Inside the convention, youd be forgiven for thinking the same.

Not only have there been few hardline progressive speakers (Bernie Sanders got camera time but not a raucous reception), one of the more interesting bits of news to come out of Chicago was Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez meeting with the father of Israeli American hostage Itay Chen on the sidelines. The two even posed together for a photo while holding a poster with Chens picture, which felt more significanteven transgressivethan it should have.

It shouldnt be remarkable that a member of Congress would express sympathy for an American held by Hamas, but Ocasio-Cortez is the most prominent member of the Squad, the faction of young, nonwhite far-left Democrats who have entered Congress since 2018. Theyre the bleeding edge of progressivism and the beating heart of the free Palestine movement in the House. Watching AOC, of all people, associate herself with the Israeli effort to recover its hostages was so striking that one observer treated it as a de facto ideological surrender.

We are seeing the end of the Squad in real time, he wrote. [Jamaal] Bowman is gone, [Cori] Bush is gone, and AOC has come over to our side. An absolute victory. The Dems have cleaned house. We eagerly wait for the GOP to do the same.

Is that true?

The taming of the Squad.

Its certainly true that the Squad aint what it used to be.

Thats not just a matter of Bowman and Bush getting ousted in primaries this year either. When Ocasio-Cortez addressed the Democratic convention on Monday, her message was wildly different in emphasis than it was four years ago.

In 2020, Yair Rosenberg notes, she sounded like a woke grad student vowing to recognize and repair the wounds of racial injustice, colonization, misogyny, and homophobia, and to propose and build reimagined systems of immigration and foreign policy that turn away from the violence and xenophobia of our past. On Monday, he went on to say, she sounded like the bartender she used to be when she slammed Trump as a two-bit union buster and touted Kamala Harris as a champion of the American worker by comparison.

The Squad, I suspect, has learnedthe hard waythat cultural leftism will not a majority make. If theyre going to gain power in the party, leftist economic populism is a better bet.

One way they learned that was after the 2020 election, when some of their fellow Democrats blamed defund the police agitprop for the partys poor performance in House races. They learned it again this year when Bowman and Bush made enemies of pro-Israel liberals and were bounced by center-left primary challengers.

It must be equal parts dispiriting and terrifying for Ocasio-Cortez and her progressive colleagues to read reports of working-class nonwhite voters drifting toward Trump. That cohort should be the bread and butter of a racially diverse populist faction like the Squad. If theyre losing some of those voters to a right-wing authoritarian, their approach urgently needs adjusting. So AOC has adjusted.

I suspect she and her allies have also adjusted their expectations of how much, and how quickly, the ranks of young progressive populists might grow in Congress after a wave of figures like her, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib first won House seats. Young radicals always believe theyre on the cusp of displacing a stodgy establishment, but after watching Bowman and Bush lose and Bernie Sanders twice be defeated in national primaries by lackluster establishmentarians, the Squad has had to face the fact that they simply wont have the numbers to take over their party anytime soon.

Their revolution has failed, so theyre doing what failed revolutionaries usually do to maximize their influence. Theyre working within the system to try to gain political influence that way.

Its weird, but not coincidental, that some of Joe Bidens staunchest supporters after his disastrous debate with Trump were members of the Squad. AOC, Omar, Bush, and Ayanna Pressley all resisted demands for the president to stand aside for a new nominee afterward, which was surprising for a group of leftists but sensible as a strategic matter. They knew Biden would be grateful and owe them if he hung on, which seemed plausible. They sacrificed some of their progressive purity by backing him in exchange for greater policy influence in a second term.

In fact, members of the Squad have rarely antagonized Democratic leaders despite their ideological differences with them. Their partys House majority was small enough in 2021 and 2022 that they could have easily blocked the Democratic agenda had they wished to do so, as populist Republicans now routinely do. They didnt. Perhaps thats due to the iron hand of Nancy Pelosi, or to the fact that Democratic primary voters, unlike Republicans, dont view obstruction of the partys own leadership as something to reward. But whatever the reason, AOC et al. have shown restraint procedurally. Theyre on the team.

Theyre stuck in a party that isnt as radical as theyd hoped and isnt apt to embrace radicalism in the near term, so theyre playing the inside game to gain power. Formerly a factional leader against the Democratic establishment, she has positioned herself as a bridge between the partys mainstream and progressive wings, Rosenberg wrote of Ocasio-Cortez, perceptively. Meeting with Itay Chens father helps with that positioning. Losing the endorsement of the Democratic Socialists of America wont cost AOC her seat, but it will earn her some credibility with the mainstream establishment that she can cash in later toward progressive ends.

Its also possible the Squad, or at least some of its members, has found itself inching toward the center instinctively as it recoils from the uglier elements of both parties bases.

Never Trumpers can relate to that. As much as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez might prefer a far-left agenda, shes not going to dig in on it and risk fracturing her party with Trump a coin-flip election away from putting his retribution plans for American government into motion. Ideological differences with mainstream Democrats arent important enough at this moment to wreck the anti-Trump coalition over them: If I feel that way, why wouldnt the Squad?

I wouldnt rule out the possibility either that AOC is sincerely alarmed by the antisemitism shes seen from some of her free Palestine comrades and feels morally obliged to counterprogram it with gestures like her Chen photo op. Thats a hard argument to make since it assumes shes naive about the nature of her own allies, but Never Trumpers should be able to relate to that as well. Is there a single anti-Trump conservative anywhere who hasnt had a distressing awakening since 2015 about what too many of their Republican friends are willing to condone?

For Ocasio-Cortez and her Squad colleagues, theres simply nothing to be gained right now by leaning into hard-leftism, especially as their partys nominee urgently pivots away from it. I dont think theyve surrendered to the Democratic Party so much as theyve agreed to a tactical truce. In time, maybe political circumstances will change enough for them to make a second attempt at revolution viable. But for now, working with the Democratic establishment instead of trying to supplant it is the quickest path to power.

Whereas, for Republicans, the opposite is true.

The un-taming of the right.

The difference between the Squad and MAGA is the difference between a revolution that failed and one that succeeded. Thats why its wrong to say, The Dems have cleaned house. We eagerly wait for the GOP to do the same.

The GOP has cleaned house too, even more so than Democrats havethe house just now belongs to Trumps populist movement. Theyre the ones doing the cleaning, and the people being cleanedor eradicated, if you preferare Reaganite conservatives.

There are no Bowmans or Bushes losing Republican primaries to centrist challengers, certainly not if they carry Trumps endorsement. The most obnoxious populists in the House GOP conference, like Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, easily won their races this year. The closest thing to a MAGA defeat came when Bob Good, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, was oustedbut his opponent was backed by Trump, who held a grudge against Good for supporting Ron DeSantis in the presidential primary.

Why the populist rights revolution succeeded and the lefts failed is a complicated question with lots of moving parts. One is that the Democratic coalition is more diverse than Republicans: White progressives thrilled with the idea of a Bernie Sanders presidency in 2020 ran into a buzzsaw of black support for Joe Biden in that years primaries. There are no longer discrete power blocs like that on the right.

The pre-Trump Republican establishment also might have been meaningfully more out of touch with its own base than the Democratic establishment was. A party that relies heavily on cultural conservatives from deindustrialized rural areas will struggle to sustain their allegiance with an agenda of free trade, easy immigration, tax cuts for the upper crust, and big spending on American allies.

Trumps demagogic skills might simply have been superior to any Democratic populists, helping him to build a base of loyal popular support that no leftist upstart could match. He was ruthless about consolidating that base too, purging critics, rewarding allies, and exploiting a right-wing media industry designed to convince Republican voters to trust only information thats been vetted by ideological allies.

In the end, maybe its as simple as success breeding success. Trump prevailed in his first primary run (and second, and third) while Sanders fell short. Had it worked out the other way, perhaps the Squads politics would be in ascendance on the left and the right would have reverted to traditional conservatism. Party members tend to embrace what works, and Trumpism worked in 2016. Bernie-ism didnt.

I wonder, though, if its in the nature of the two modern parties for the right to be more easily radicalized than the left, giving its sides populists an important advantage over the others.

Republicans dont have much of a policy agenda. Apart from immigration enforcement, I suspect much of the Trumpist program is take-it-or-leave-it stuff for many GOP voters. The essence of Trumps political power is revanchism: Having lost battle after battle in the culture warsgay marriage, drug liberalization, transgender acceptance, DEI and woke indoctrination, declining church attendancethe right is keen to reclaim that lost ground.

Tearing up the other partys gains by the roots is an easy thing to unite around. (Look no further than how effective undoing abortion bans has been as a political pitch for the left.) Trump, the great wrecking ball, was a natural fit for a Republican base that was spoiling to do so. Converting the GOP into a personality cult was easy given the rights weak moorings in policy.

Democrats, however, do have an ambitious policy agenda, and the further left you go the more ambitious it becomes. Disagreements over its direction inevitably cause divisions within the partys factions, which impedes radicalism. Those disagreements also condition them to compromise, which impedes it further. If youre an arch-progressive hoping to pass a massive public spending bill, youll settle for what Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema give you because thats what having an agenda means. You make what progress you can.

For Sanders and the Squad to prevail among Democrats, they had to persuade a diverse coalition of interests that their agenda was wise, popular, and feasible. For Trump and MAGA to prevail among Republicans, they had to persuade culturally disenfranchised conservatives that they would be more ruthless than Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan in making war on the left. Which was easier?

The two sides different postures toward demographic change also matter here.

It occurs to me that one reason Ocasio-Cortez and other members of the Squad seem to be relatively clear-eyed about their unpopularity is that people like them have always understood themselves to be in an uphill fight. If youre nonwhite and/or a woman, you dont expect to dominate American politics or, perhaps, to have your agenda enacted the way a white man might. When you lose a policy debate or an election, its all too easy to accept that the people werent on your side.

Trump and his voters do expect to dominate politics, having dominated it for ages. The thought of power being durably wrested from them by a diverse racial coalition led by nonwhite leftists like Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, and Ocasio-Cortez is inevitably radicalizing to them. Michelle Obama was stark about it in her speech on Tuesday night, accusing Trump of feeling threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be black.

If you imagine yourself as representing the traditional and therefore legitimate majority, youll struggle to believe that you lost an election by being outvoted rather than cheated. Go figure that when Trump started filing lawsuits after the 2020 race, hoping to invalidate some of Bidens votes as fraudulent, he targeted cities with large black populations.

So, no, there will be no house-cleaning of populists on the right. Republican voters dont want one. Nor will there be an attempt, a la the Squad, by Republican populists in Congress to work with their partys establishment. They are the establishment. Or rather, Trump is the establishment; so long as they work with him, theyre free to obstruct and antagonize any lesser Republican leader they wish.

Its AOCs misfortune to be part of the revolution that failed, not the one that succeeded, but hope springs eternal. Trumps first term had a radicalizing effect on the left, as demonstrated by the protests/riots of 2020 and ensuing defund the police nonsensenot to mention the election of far-left progressives like AOC herself. If he wins this fall, discrediting Harris pivot toward the center as a winning tactic, the far left might get another look from frightened Democrats. And this time, when it does, it wont be led by an ancient white guy like Bernie Sanders. Ocasio-Cortez and the Squad, or whats left of it, are waiting.

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MOAB, Utah (ABC4)  A woman died while hiking on a famous southern Utah trail in Arches National Park.

Officials said the woman, identified as a 58-year-old St. George resident, was hiking the Delicate Arch Trail in the National Park when she reportedly had a medical issue late Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 20.

Personnel from the Grand County Sheriffs Department, Grand County EMS, and Classic Air Medical responded and provided CPR and resuscitation efforts, however, they were unsuccessful. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Grand County Sheriffs Office and the National Park Service are investigating the incident and no additional information was made available at the time.

Central Utah prison floods after water main break

The Delicate Arch Trail is one of Utahs most popular and famous hikes. The iconic arch at the end of the trail serves as a symbol for Utahs red rock landscapes. According to the National Park Service, people come from all over the world to see the geological feature.

The short trail is three miles roundtrip, but it should not be underestimated. The first leg of the trail goes steadily uphill and climbs nearly 500 feet before reaching the arch.

The National Park Service said hikers should carefully consider weather conditions as well as their own health and fitness before setting off to see Delicate Arch. Rangers reportedly frequently rescue people who underestimate the trails difficulty.

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St. Johnsbury, VT- A police officer is facing a felony charge in connection to an arrest made in May that sent the man arrested to the hospital.

George Johnson, 44, from Lunenburg, an officer with the St. Johnsbury Police Department, is scheduled to be in court on Sept. 9 for an aggravated assault charge. The arrest that led to the charge was made on May 10 in St. Johnsbury.

Police say Johnson didnt have sufficient cause to stop a 35-year-old homeless man walking near the Honking Bridge on Bay Street. According to investigators, Johnson used excessive force during an altercation with the 35-year-old man, and the man was hospitalized with significant injuries, and later released from the hospital.

In a press release, Johnson says the man jaywalked in front of him, lied about his name, and tried to run away before Johnson grabbed him. According to Johnson, he pepper sprayed the man, who then wiped it off his face and gouged Johnson in the eye. Johnson says he tased the man before he grabbed Johnsons taser and fired it at him, hitting him in the legs. Another officer reported that when they arrived, the man was trying to wrench Johnsons gun away from him.

The man arrested was originally facing charges for the incident, but they were later dismissed by the Caledonia County States Attorneys Office after the police body cam video was reviewed. States Attorney Jessica Zaleski notified the St. Johnsbury Police Chief about the use of force, and the chief asked the Vermont State Police for an independent, external investigation.

The Caledonia County States Attorneys Office requested the Grand Isle County States Attorney Doug Disabito to review the case. Johnsons arraignment will take place in St. Johnsbury.

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ST. LOUIS  Some St. Louis-area residents are scratching their heads over an obscure mail mystery: Why do some local packages take an unexpected cross-country journey before they eventually make their way back to St. Louis?

Over the last year, several Reddit users shipping or expecting to receive their mail in St. Louis have shared their experience of their packages heading somewhere unexpected before they reach their intended destination, according to tracking number data from USPS.

One Reddit user claims their package departed a St. Louis distribution center to eventually move through distribution centers in Champaign and Springfield, Illinois, before returning to St. Louis.

Another user in Illinois claims their package first departed a St. Louis distribution center and moved through a Peoria, Illinois distribution center, only to return to St. Louis. Then the package made its way to a Springfield, Missouri distribution center before returning to St. Louis.

Another user from St. Louis claims their package was shipped out of the St. Louis area, then processed at a St. Louis distribution center, later to receive an update that the package was In transit to the next facility of an unknown destination, then to arrive back at the St. Louis distribution center.

This month, FOX 2 also learned of an order that was first shipped out of Utah for a St. Louis-area recipient, processed by the St. Louis distribution center, then processed through a distribution site in Queens, New York before returning to St. Louis.

Missouri changes gender ID rules following incident at area gym

So what gives? FOX 2 reached out to Tara Jarrett, a Missouri communications specialist on behalf the United States Postal Service, and received this reply on the recent package reported to FOX 2:

Upon reviewing the tracking information, it appears this package was misdirected to New York in error. When mail service issues occur, we take steps to quickly resolve customer concerns. We gladly work to address any specific issue from the community when brought to our attention and we encourage customers to reach out to their local postal station.

USPS did not immediately provide information on how often packages are misdirected in the St. Louis area.

However, the agency released an audit in February 2021 on misrouted mail. It found that USPS misrouted almost 73 million misrouted First-Class letters from March 1 through September 30, 2020, which officials say was around 0.15% of total First-Class letter volume, or less than 1%, processed during that time.

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If your package appears to be misrouted, USPS encourages you to take the following steps to inform them:

Visit the Contact Us or Email Us section of the USPS website and follow instructions accordingly.

Tag or DM @USPSHelp on social media platform X.

Send a message to USPS on Facebook.

The USPS statement to FOX 2 also said, The Postal Service will diligently continue to investigate customers concerns and correct deficiencies to improve service to our communities. Mail delivery is now current, and we are making every effort to service all customers. We apologize for any inconvenience to our customers and thank them for their patience.

USPS adds that every email will be carefully documented and appropriate action taken to strengthen service.

As for mail in the St. Louis-area, Missouri officials Cori Bush and Josh Hawley have both pushed the U.S. Postal Service Inspector General for answers to regional disruptions. Some residents have informed them that theyre not receiving essential documents, like utility bills and social security checks, in the mail or did not receive them weeks after key due dates. There were also some staffing shortages for St. Louis-area operations earlier this year.

Its unclear whether any of these trends are connected to misrouted mail in the region.

To track the status of your package from USPS with a tracking number, CLICK HERE.

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New Stanislaus State president reveals three major goals for new year. Heres what they are

New Stanislaus State University President Britt Rios-Ellis declared three major goals in her inaugural Fall Welcome Address this week: increased enrollment and retention, better equity and diversity, and improved community engagement.

She made the address at the Turlock university on Monday, two days before the start of the fall semester. As we face ongoing enrollment challenges, we must remain observant, Rios-Ellis said. In fall 2023, we saw a decrease in both first-year and transfer applicants. We responded nimbly by accepting more students, achieving the second-highest acceptance and the fourth-highest yield in the CSU. Our transfer acceptance rate and enrollment yield increased as well.

Only 5,500 first-year students applied to the university for fall 2023. That was a 13.6% decrease from the previous year and the second lowest in all universities in the California State University system. Around 95% were admitted into the university and 20% of those students enrolled. According to admissions data, in 2022, the university had an undergraduate acceptance rate of 91%, which was lower than the 2021 rate of 93%.

As for transfers, around 3,400 students applied  an 11.6% decrease from the previous year and second lowest in CSU. Around 91% were admitted and 41% enrolled.

Most transfers last year came from Modesto Junior College. Around 1700 students from the community college transferred in fall 2023.

Fall 2024 acceptance and enrollment numbers arent out yet.

Britt Rios-Ellis, whose experience includes positions at the CSU Long Beach and Monterey Bay campuses, is the new president of Stanislaus State.

Rios-Ellis said she will continue to build relationships with MJC and area high schools to continue to appeal to graduates.

She said she wants to work with the community college to ensure the entire community has access to affordable education. So Ive already met with Brian Sanders multiple times, their president, Rios-Ellis said. Were looking at how we can align services. Were looking at how we can co-locate programs because they have some resources we dont have and we have some resources they dont have.

Knowing most students come from a first-generation college students and are more likely to work in their households, Rios-Ellis said she wants to help mitigate basic need challenges students face.

For these reasons, we will be working more with the families of our students, in both English y en espanol, to ensure that they not only understand what is needed to support a college student but also how to help their children navigate expectations, she said.

The new president said the university has contributed $5.2 million annually to the local economy in the Central Valley.

The California State University Board of Trustees appointed Rios-Ellis to the presidency of Stanislaus State in June. She is the 13th president of the university after replacing interim President Susan Borrego.

Prior to this position, she worked as provost and executive vice president of academic affairs at Oakland University, a public research university in Rochester, Michigan. She also served as the founding dean of the College of Health Sciences and Human Services at California State University, Monterey Bay, from 2014-2020.

When we thrive, the Central Valley thrives, she said.
SEATTLE (WMBD)  The Seattle-based coffee company is launching its highly-anticipated nationwide fall-themed coffee drink campaign this week.

The fall menu will return to United States Starbucks locations on Aug. 22, which is an indicator that the fall season has unofficially begun.

In addition to the Pumpkin Spice latte, the company said in a press release on its website, that the new iced Apple Crisp Nondiary Cream Chai will be available. The drink will be available for a limited time while supplies last.

The beverage that started the pumpkin spice phenomenon more than 20 years ago is back at Starbucks. Since its debut in 2003 the Pumpkin Spice Latte continues to be Starbucks most popular seasonal beverage and is enjoyed by customers around the world, the company said in the press release. Made with real pumpkin, the handcrafted beverage combines Starbucks Signature Espresso and steamed milk with the celebrated flavor combination of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. Topped with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spices, the beverage is available hot, iced or blended.

Starbucks changed one of its coffee recipes months ago. Some people are just noticing

Other options include the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai.

The new Iced Apple Crisp Nondiary Cream Chai originated from a popular customer customization that the company has made a fall staple for everyone to enjoy.

  features warming spice flavors of chai combined with creamy oatmilk and topped with nondairy apple crisp cold foam, for a seasonal sip that is reminiscent of homemade apple pie often enjoyed at fall gatherings , the company said in the press release.

Alternative apple-flavored fall drinks include Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato and Iced Apple Crisp Oatmilk Shaken Espresso.

Heres a list of Peoria-area Starbucks locations where you can enjoy the fall roll-out of Pumpkin Spice and Apple Crisp drinks:

5036 North Big Hollow Road.

4820 North University Street.

1605 Knoxville Avenue.

1200 West Main Street.

3706 North Prospect Road.

5001 North Big Hollow Road.

4125 North Sheridan Road.

707 West Pioneer Parkway.

7501 North Grand Prairie Drive.

501 Main Street.

210 North Main Street.

9219 North Lindbergh Drive.

480 West Washington Street.

7610 North Orange Prairie Road.

There are about 14 stores located throughout the region including in West Peoria, Peoria Heights, Mossvile, East Peoria, Downtown Peoria and Central Peoria.

For a list of Starbucks Pumpkin Spice martini options, click here.

Did we miss a Starbucks location in the central Illinois region? Email us at news@wmbd.com and we will update this list.

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STATE FAIRGROUNDS, N.Y. (WSYR-TV)  The highly-anticipated baby goat snuggling exhibit is leaving the New York State Fair before ever opening.

The 100 baby goats were seen being carried out of the exhibit inside the Horticulture Building as a line of people waited to see them.

Latest local news

A spokesperson for the State Fair initially confirmed to NewsChannel 9 the exhibit was temporarily shut down out of an abundance of caution after one goat was observed to have symptoms of illness. An illness was not yet diagnosed or confirmed positive, the spokesperson said when asked.

Monday afternoon, the Fair confirmed the exhibit would not open during the Fairs 13-day run.

A Fair spokesperson wrote:

Prior to the Cuddling with a Baby Goat exhibits opening to fairgoers, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets veterinarians, who were conducting their routine animal health checks, identified a health concern with one of the baby goats at the exhibit, which was exhibiting signs of a viral disease that could potentially be transmitted to the other goats in the exhibit. Out of an abundance of caution for the other animals throughout the Fairgrounds, the exhibit has been closed and will not return for the 2024 State Fair.

Fair animals are frequently examined by veterinarians from the State Department of Agriculture and Markets to avoid illnesses from spreading between animals.

The Fair spokesperson says no fairgoer was allowed to interact with the goats because the veterinarian visit happened before the Fair opened.

The exhibit was operated by Steinmetz Family Farm out of Allentown, Pennsylvania.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)  A group of Lowcountry lawmakers are seeking answers from the Charleston County Housing and Redevelopment Authority after the embattled agency reportedly decided to sell 30 houses.

It seems like the more questions we ask, the more concerned we become, said state Rep. Mark Smith (R-Berkeley).

Smith said he learned the housing authority was looking to sell off dozens of single-family homes with an Aug. 18 offer deadline and no buyer restrictions after it was reported by the Post and Courier.

The single-story homes, many of which Smith said have been neglected or vacant for several years, range in listing price from $175,000 to $425,000. Together, the sale is valued at roughly $7.75 million.

The houses are listed by Karen Gorham, a realtor who worked for the housing authority for 17 years including four years as CEO.

Smith and four other lawmakers  Reps. Tom Hartnett (R-Charleston), Joe Bustos (R-Charleston), Joe Jefferson (D-Berkeley), and Gary Brewer (R-Charleston)  now want an investigation, saying the proposed sale raises concerns about transparency and impact on the community.

On multiple levels, its concerning that we would be giving up and losing 30 units from our affordable, attainable housing that have actually gone empty as Im understanding, Smith said. Why in the world would we want to eliminate any of that inventory from the books?

Charleston City Council passes first measure to turn Union Pier into tax increment financing district

As part of its mission, the housing authority provides quality affordable housing and assists in improving economic opportunities for low-income citizens of Charleston County. It currently operates 143 single-family homes and 256 elderly residences, according to its website.

However, lawmakers are questioning whether the authority is committed to that mission and whether the move is merely a short-term financial fix at the expense of long-term needs, especially amid the ongoing housing crisis.

We all are very aware of the significant housing crisis that were in across the country, here in South Carolina, and especially here in the Lowcountry area, Smith said.

The proposed sale comes at a time when the housing authority has faced criticism over deplorable conditions at some of the agencys facilities, including Joseph Floyd Manor, where reports of bed bugs, roaches, and rodents began surfacing in 2020.

In 2023  the same year current CEO Angela Childers took over  the authority was designated as troubled by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It remained under that status as of Aug. 21, according to a HUD spokesperson.

Multiple attempts to reach Childers for comment were unsuccessful. News 2 was waiting to hear back from Gorham.

Smith told News 2 that he spoke with Childers and Commissioner Travis Bedson on Wednesday afternoon and they plan to meet soon.

We will prioritize that meeting ASAP and look forward to all items of concern being addressed and will respond accordingly afterward, Smith said. We are very encouraged by their response.

The housing authority is separate from the Charleston County Government. The county council does, however, appoint the authoritys board.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCBD News 2.
Our state shares the values of Kamala Harris: Gov. Green during ceremonial roll call at DNC

HONOLULU (KHON2)  Vice President Kamala Harris secured the Democratic presidential nomination weeks ago, but her candidacy was solidified Tuesday during a ceremonial roll call at the Democratic National Convention.

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America thank you all for loving Hawaii, the spirit of aloha means acting with love and kindness, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said. Our state shares the values of Kamala Harris, and we cast six votes present and 23 votes for Kamala Harris, first woman president.

What Hawaii needs to know about Japans megaquake

On Tuesday, former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama were the main speakers.

Harris is scheduled to deliver her speech on Thursday.

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The Georgia Supreme Court heard arguments Aug. 20 in case over a legal battle between Georgia Power, Walton EMC and Nestle Purina over the right to choose an electricity provider at a manufacturing facility. John McCosh/Georgia Recorder

The Georgia Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in a dispute over a large manufacturers decision to choose Walton Electric Membership Corp. as its electricity supplier over Georgia Power.

The states highest court is expected to rule in the coming months on the case that centers around Georgia Power claiming that it had grandfather rights under the Georgia Territorial Electric Service Act to continue providing electricity to the refurbished Hartwell Nestle Purina PetCare Co. that makes cat food.

The state Supreme Court agreed to take up the case to reconsider decisions the Fulton County Superior Court and the Court of Appeals of Georgia issued against the Georgia Public Service Commissions decision to deny Georgia Powers request to block Walton EMC from providing electricity to the Hartwell Nestle Purina facility.

The Georgia Territorial Electric Service Act in 1973 introduced some retail competition in a market dominated by Georgia Power that enables certain sized manufacturing or commercial businesses customers a one-time choice in their electric supplier.

The Georgia PSC regulates investor-owned Georgia Power, which supplies 2.7 million customers. The five-member state commission has limited regulatory authority over more than 90 EMCs and municipally-owned electric systems.

Nestle informed Walton in 2019 that the company would use its electrical services and in April 2019 Georgia Power filed a complaint with the PSC alleging that Walton violated the Territorial Act by serving the same premises that had been served by Georgia Power since 1991.

According to Walton EMCs attorney, David Cook, the companys conversion of a former towel manufacturers facility into a cat food factory was more than enough to satisfy the states customer choice provision for utility service. Cook said the rule has been appropriately applied by the PSC for several decades.

The Territorial Acts customer choice provision applies to pre-existing ones that are reconstructed, not in substantial kind, Cook said. We also request this court to hold that to satisfy that customer choice provision, a large load customer need not completely demolish the premises because the satisfaction of the customer choice provision is a matter of degree.

Justices Carla Wong McMillian and Charles J. Bethel questioned Georgia Power attorney Thomas Reilly about why he disagreed with the PSCs findings that Nestle companys several hundred million investment into refurbishing the facility shouldnt be considered a new premises.

According to Reilly, the lower courts properly gave Georgia Power the chance to exercise its right to continue providing electricity to the same location where it had previously done so for years prior.

The lower court should be affirmed because the Public Service Commission improperly divested Georgia Power of its exclusive right to continue serving the Hartwell premise in violation of terms of the Territorial Act, Reilly said.

Reilly was peppered by Bethel with a line of questions about the substantial modifications made to the building under Nestle Purina.

So Georgia Powers contention is that the cat food manufacturing facility was reconstructed in substantial kind with the predecessor towel manufacturing facility, Bethel said.Are the looms that the towel manufacturer presumably used to weave towels still in operation?

No sir, Reilly said.

Are the boilers that fed the presumable bleaching and dying operations, still in operation? Bethel asked.

They are not, Reilly said.

What about the cutting and stitching machines that a towel manufacturer would have to have, Bethel asked.

No, answered Reilly.

If something is gutted, like wiped out, all of the old equipment that used your power is taken out of the facility and new equipment that makes a totally different product I get your argument but I dont understand how we think that matches up with the in-substantial kind (investment). Bethel said.

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Will he stay or will he go? RFK to address his political future Friday

As the November general election gets closer, one of the looming questions is whether independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will stay in the race. Kennedys campaign has said he will address this question, and the nation, on Friday from Phoenix.

If he does drop out, what effect will that have? Reports seem to indicate he may drop out and endorse former President Donald Trump.

On Tuesday, Kennedys running mate Nicole Shanahan gave her thoughts on their situation.

Two options

1. Stay in the race

On the Impact Theory podcast with host Tom Bilyeu, Shanahan told Bilyeu their campaign had two options they were considering.

The first was to stay in the race and try to get enough votes to establish themselves as a party. This would set them up for future elections as a legitimate third option in addition to the Republican and Democratic parties. This would save them money in the campaign process and answer a want of many Americans.

71% of Americans want a strong third party, Shanahan claimed.

Gallup reported this number at 63% in 2023. Another 2023 report from Pew Research Center said that 68% of U.S. adults agreed with the statement, I wish there were more political parties to choose from.

2. Join forces with Trump

The second option Shanahan discussed is to drop out and join forces with the Trump campaign.

But she said that doing so would depend on several factors, including deciding if they can trust Trump to act in ways they align with.

Do we trust Trump and his personal sincerity to really do the right thing for our country, end chronic disease, balance the budget, end these forever wars? Shanahan said. Is he somebody thats going to continue to invite people like Bobby and I into the conversation, or is he going to fall victim again to the things he fell victim to in his first administration?

Their main consideration, Shanahan told Bilyeu, is taking into account what they think will be best overall.

We want whats best for this country, first and foremost.

Not in talks with Democrats

Speaking about rumors that RFK Jr. had been in talks with the Democratic Party about potentially joining them or seeking a cabinet position, Shanahan clarified that they are Definitely not in talks with Harris.

She called reports that said they had been or are fake news.

Drawing votes from Trump

Another consideration Shanahan said their campaign needed to make was the effect of staying in the race on voter numbers.

If the RFK Jr. campaign does stay in the race we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Walz presidency, because we draw votes from Trump, Shanahan said.

A recent report from The Washington Post pulled numbers from six different polls and saw that RFK Jr. is in fact taking more voters from Trump than from Harris.

Kennedy takes just 3 percent of both Democrats and Republicans in the poll, while taking 13 percent of independents, the Post wrote in its analysis. But the independents he takes come at Trumps expense: Kennedy wins 8 percent of Democratic-leaning independents, compared with 23 percent of Republican-leaning independents.

Low on funds

Yet another factor that could come into play for the RFK campaign is funding. A Federal Election Commission report filed on Monday showed that RFK only had $3.9 million left to use while also owing $3.5 million in debt.

This is compared with the Trump campaign and Harris campaign, who have $128 million and $95 million, respectively, in cash on hand, according to Open Secrets.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN)  Its one of the most closely watched political showdowns in the country  the race for North Carolinas next governor. Democratic state Attorney General Josh Stein faces current Republican Lt. Governor Mark Robinson.

A new Cook Political Report and BSG survey, released Thursday morning, gives Stein a lead well outside the margin of error (+/- 1.83%) at 43 percent, versus 36 percent who say they will vote for Mark Robinson. Stein gains another point when voters were asked which way they lean. The attorney general jumps from a seven-point advantage to an eight-point advantage at 48 percent vs 40 percent, respectively. Cooks polling in the month of May had the race tied.

I think Robinson has a problem with Independent voters. Weve seen shifts in Independent voters, weve seen shifts in women in college, educated women towards Stein. A lot of his ads are just video of Robinson saying things. We knew that he sort of had this history of controversial comments. Weve seen Republicans spending and Robinson spending as they try to tell his own story about growing up in poverty, working in furniture factories and sort of a pull yourself up by your bootstrap story, said Jessica Taylor, Cook Political Reports senate and governors editor. But hes also had to go on defense on issues like his most recent ad with his wife talking about the abortion that they had before they were married. Theres just a litany of hits that Democrats have against Robinson, and Democrats have the money right now to prosecute that case against him. I think were seeing in this polling that its having an impact. I think Robinson needs to find a way to change the narrative in the race. But right now, Stein has the money to set the tone.

Part of whats also boosting Steins lead may be who is now at the top of the ticket. In the same batch of polling Vice President Kamala Harris sits at 46 percent in North Carolina, Trump sits at 44 percent, and RFK Jr. and Cornell West get four percent each.

When I was talking with Democrats in the state about this race, voters and core Democratic voters, particularly younger voters and voters of color, would not turn out particularly. They were not enthused by Biden, Taylor said. They did not believe that Biden could win North Carolina or even win the presidency. And they needed those voters to come out in a very important gubernatorial race. So, I think were seeing those voters reengage.

The question now is whether Kamala Harris can sustain the momentum.

Trump has been leading in the state. I still think its a very competitive race, Taylor said. But with Democrats, particularly younger voters, voters of color more engaged in the race, if Harris is getting those, this makes it a newly competitive race. Truly, and I think Trump has to fight for those Independent voters, fight for women voters and suburban women in particular.

Third party candidates are also showing their effect.

There are voters that really didnt like either candidate, so some of these voters are taking a second look at Harris as a new candidate, said Taylor. I do think there is a threat that Kennedy could now pull more voters from Trump, and as of now there are only two swing states where Kennedy is on the ballot, and its in North Carolina and Michigan. Weve seen how close races have been in these states and in North Carolina and just by a couple of percentage points.

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Stephanie Grisham, a former Trump administration official with ties to Arizona, threw her support behind Kamala Harris on Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention.

I love my country more than my party, Grisham said in Chicago. Kamala Harris tells the truth, she respects the American people and she has my vote.

Before she became a White House official in former President Donald Trumps administration, Grisham got her start in Arizona politics. Grisham served as White House press secretary under Trump and as former first lady Melania Trumps chief of staff. Before that, Grisham worked for Arizona Republicans, including then-Attorney General Tom Horne and the Republican caucus for the Arizona House of Representatives. She joined the Trump campaign in 2015.

Grisham also faced legal troubles in Arizona while working for Horne and shortly after she joined the Trump campaign. She pleaded guilty to drunken-driving charges in 2014 and 2016.

During her speech at the DNC, Grisham detailed her close relationship with the Trump family and explained her decision to resign from the White House in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

I wasnt just a Trump supporter. I was a true believer, Grisham said.

Grisham displayed a text message on a large screen behind her, and told the crowd that she sent it to Melania Trump, asking the first lady to denounce violence on social media after Trump supporters stormed the building. Melania Trump replied no, according to Grisham.

I became the first senior staffer to resign that day. I couldnt be part of the insanity any longer, Grisham said.

More on Democratic National Convention: Tucson Mayor Regina Romero talks up Harris-Walz ticket at DNC

Grisham also took aim at Trumps behavior behind closed doors. Trump mocks his supporters in private and calls them basement dwellers, Grisham said, claiming that her former boss has no fidelity to the truth.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Stephanie Grisham, ex-Trump official with Arizona ties, speaks at DNC
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was interrupted by protesterstwicewhen she stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Tuesday to talk about the Democratic National Convention. Pelosi was just a few minutes into the interview and was discussing the rumors of her role in President Joe Bidens decision to withdraw from the 2024 race when things took a surprise turn and a woman could be heard screaming from the audience.

It was immediately unclear what the protesters were screaming, but Colbert took charge of the situation as soon as it began to unfold. Hold on, young lady, I can hear you, Colbert said during the live broadcast. He told the viewers at home, Theres a protest going on right now. Were actually at a commercial break, but the subject is on Israel and Palestine.

To the protestors, Colbert said, And if youll have a seat, we have to go to the commercial break. When we come back, I will ask the next question I had on that subject, if you will listen, OK?

A Gaza protester interrupts Colbert's interview with Pelosi, and he handles it perfectly "The subject is on Israel and Palestine and if you have a seat, we have to go to commercial break. When we come back, I'll ask the next question I had on that subject if you will listen, ok." pic.twitter.com/YsSDZlnxIo  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) August 21, 2024

Sure enough, after the commercial break, Colbert asked Pelosi, There is a political protester here. There is a political invention in town, you are politicians and protests are natural. People are protesting, even within the Democratic Party, there is dissension over what is the proper use of American power, especially protected power overseas, firm and soft power. If the goal is the peaceful and prosperous future for both Israelis and Palestinians, what role does the United States play?

Pelosi answered, Well, let me just say this was a role that President Biden played very well. For years, he was chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. He was a senator a long time, vice president, and president. So his experience globally has been huge.

Pelosi brought up President John F. Kennedys famous speech where he said, Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.

Pelosi explained, That very next sentence that he says in the speech is, To the countries of the world, ask not what America can do for you, but what we can do working together for the freedom of mankind. And that is our mission, and that is what Joe Biden is all about.

We want the hostages freed, but we dont want children killed in Gaza, she said. And so we have to come up with a solution. And right now, we just got word earlier today that Israel had agreed to the ceasefire agreement. Were hoping that Hamas will too. But it takes me to the point of saying to you: War has no role in a civilized society.

After ad break on the live show, Stephen Colbert empowered the protesters shouting at Nancy Pelosi: As you can see from the continuing protest out here, that answer is unsatisfying to some people...Would you like to respond to what theyre saying? @colbertlateshow #Colbert pic.twitter.com/9A9gf8aHnu  Brent Baker   (@BrentHBaker) August 21, 2024

Pelosi continued, although the conversation was interrupted after more protesters interjected, leaving Pelosi raising her voice as she talked. We have to learn more about trust and peace, and learning about each other, rather than to have conflict resolved by war.

Well, as you can see from the continued protest out here, that answer is unsatisfying to some people, Colbert said, as the protesters continued shouting. Colbert turned to the protesters and asked if they would listen to her response. Theyre saying that the United States should not have any role in supplying Israel arms to kill the people of Gaza, he added to Pelosi.

Israel has a right to defend itself, and the hostages should be returned, Pelosi replied. But the other part of it, that has been so major for all of us for many years, is that there must be a two-state solution.

Protesters gather outside tapping of Stephen Colberts The Late Show in Chicago, with guest Rep. Nancy Pelosi pic.twitter.com/Cz6OVYA01m  The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 21, 2024

Pelosi continued, You cannot have peace unless you have a two-state solution. Israel, a secure Jewish democratic state in the region, and the Palestinians, having their own secure country there as well. Unless you have a two-state solution, well not have a resolution of this.

As the protesters began again, Cobert told the protesters, Please dont interrupt my guests.

Colbert wrapped the interview and begged her to please come again.

It is unclear who is responsible for the protests, though The Hollywood Reporter noted groups of protesters were gathered outside of the venue.

According to Variety, citing insiders, the protesters left on their own accord, and the matter was handled peacefully.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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RICHMOND HILL, Ga. (WSAV)  A Richmond Hill mother says on Tuesday, her 16-year-old son found a loaded gun on Brisbon Road while walking home from school.

Thank God he called me and did not pick it up, she wrote in a post on a community Facebook page.

Police were called to the scene and, according to the mother, they found that there was a bullet in the chamber and the safety was not on.

Body found on Seaside Road in Saint Helena Wednesday

Photo provided by Shannon Dickson

So scary! Im so relieved that a curious younger child did not come across this. I am so proud of him!!! she added.

Capt. Brad Sykes of the Richmond Hill Police Department told News 3 that the gun was reported stolen out of Brunswick.

Officer Sykes says the department is currently testing to see if it has been used in any crimes.

The weapon is currently still in the hands of the RHPD.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSAV-TV.
After storm damage, one PPS school reopens, another not ready

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  As the 2024-25 school year nears its start, one Portland public school is ready to reopen following damage from the January winter storm, but another is still not quite ready.

When the winter storm hit the area, parents of students at Robert Gray Middle School and Markham Elementary were told it would take about a month to repair the damage to pipes, floors, ceilings, walls and furniture. That stretched much longer than a month.

Robert Gray Middle School in Portland, Oregon. February 21, 2024 (KOIN).

Burst pipes caused extensive damage at Robert Gray Middle School in Portland. The school will likely be closed until mid-February. Photo released January 23, 2024, PPS

Burst pipes caused extensive damage at Robert Gray Middle School in Portland. The school will likely be closed until mid-February. Photo released January 23, 2024, PPS



Burst pipes caused extensive damage at Robert Gray Middle School in Portland. The school will likely be closed until mid-February. Photo released January 23, 2024, PPS

Robert Gray Middle School in Portrland, January 22, 2024 (KOIN)

Markham Elementary School in Portland, March 2024 (KOIN)

Damage can be seen a month after an ice storm at Markham Elementary School. February 15, 2024 (courtesy Portland Public Schools).

Pipes were damaged at Markham Elementary in Portland during the winter storm. The school will likely be closed until mid-February. Photo released January 23, 2024, PPS

Now, Robert Gray Middle School is set to reopen, but Markham Elementary remains closed.

It was really clear that we werent going to be going back on time, Gray Principal Lisa Newlyn said, not as clear how long it would take. That was a surprise.

They took the opportunity to do additional upgrades to the building while the school was closed, she said.

On a tour of the refurbished school, Newlyn talked about the most damaged classroom. The ceiling totally blown out, insulation on the floor, puddles of water, everything that was on the walls was wet.

Newlyn said the first time she saw the damage was a really hard day.

It was hard to really understand the magnitude of what I was seeing and what that equated to, what our long term was going to be, she said.

Lisa Newlyn, the principal of Robert Gray Middle School in Portland, August 20, 2024 (KOIN)

The building was open because teachers and students werent here, and crawl spaces were available where we want to put infrastructure, Newlyn told KOIN 6 News. Weve got the start of what will be our tech upgrades. So teachers have the hardware that they need to do the instructional pieces that they need  microphones and speakers  for making sure all students can hear short-throw projectors.

During the last school year, Gray Middle shared space with Jackson Middle School.

Walking through the school now and seeing snowflake decorations, she said, is like being in a time capsule.

We became the largest middle school in Oregon for about six months. We call ourselves Jay Gray, Newlyn said. Im forever in debt to Principal Ferraro and the staff at Jackson for welcoming us in.

A welcome back sign hangs inside Robert Gray Middle School in Portland, August 20, 2024 (KOIN)

But now that Gray has re-opened, the Markham students will share space at Jackson Middle School.

The goal, officials said, is to have Markham students back at Markham Elementary after winter break.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
HONOLULU (KHON2)  There are currently two low pressure systems east of the Hawaiian islands. They are expected to merge Tuesday night and when they do a tropical depression or tropical storm will form the next day.

Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You

Once the system develops into a tropical cyclone, the NWS will have a better idea of its track.

The storm is expected to strengthen as it moves into the central Pacific.

There is a possibility for strong winds and heavy rain when the storm approaches the islands during the weekend.

What Hawaii needs to know about Japans megaquake

It is expected to impact Hawaii Island as it passes south Saturday afternoon and potentially impact Maui County Sunday, with impacts to Oahu starting on Monday. What is left of it will make its way over Kauai on Tuesday.

Hurricane Hunters: What they do when flying through storms

Current modeling shows the track shifting a bit north from what was reported yesterday.

Hurricane hunters in NOAAs Gulfstream could be deployed Thursday, with the Air Force C-130s possibly flying through the system on Friday.

The storm has the potential to be named Hector if it develops into a tropical storm and east of 140W, and it would be named Hone if it forms west of 140W.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2.
Student-loan borrowers are waiting for answers on the fate of repayments and debt relief programs.

A GAO report found less than half of borrowers with monthly bills greater than $0 are current as of January.

Legal challenges and the end of the on-ramp period could change the repayment landscape once again.

The past year has been filled with uncertainty for student-loan borrowers, and that's unlikely to change anytime soon.

As millions of federal borrowers emerged from the pandemic, President Joe Biden's administration installed a range of measures  some temporary and some intended to be permanent  to ease the repayment process.

Starting with the over-three-year pause on student-loan payments that ended last fall and continuing with various debt relief efforts, millions of borrowers have made progress or received loan forgiveness. But that doesn't mean borrowers have been left without any financial challenges.

According to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office, 40% of borrowers with scheduled payments greater than $0 were current on their payments as of January 31, 2024, and 29% were past-due. Other borrowers were either in forbearance or deferment or were current on their $0 payments.

The high delinquency rates could be due to borrowers taking advantage of the Education Department's on-ramp period ending in October, during which missed payments will not be reported to credit agencies.

Jason Delisle, a senior fellow at the nonprofit thinktank Urban Institute, told Business Insider that many delinquent borrowers could be taking advantage of the on-ramp, along with holding out for some form of debt relief.

"There's also a chance that you'll have your loans forgiven, which the Biden administration has very much so kept front and center for folks," Delisle said. "Even if it's not going to happen, they've definitely led people to believe that it probably is."

The Supreme Court struck down Biden's first attempt at broad student-loan forgiveness, and the Education Department is crafting a new plan under a different law, set to go into effect this fall. However, legal challenges will likely hit that effort, and with borrowers already facing lawsuits on other targeted relief efforts  and some temporary relief set to end  uncertainty looms.

The relief roller coaster

Many borrowers are continuing to hold out for relief. According to a NerdWallet survey conducted in July of over 2,000 adults  more than 600 of which have student loans  31% of borrowers slowed repayment in the hopes Biden would reduce or forgive their balances, and 23% of them stopped paying altogether for the same reason.

With the on-ramp period set to end soon, many borrowers will likely be looking for other forms of relief to avoid being reported to credit agencies should they fall behind. The Education Department plans to implement its broader relief  expected to benefit over 30 million borrowers  in October, which would come right as the on-ramp ends.

However, it's likely the plan could be halted or blocked due to legal challenges. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey wrote on X on Monday that his team is "preparing a multistate lawsuit to halt" the relief once it's finalized.

Bailey led an effort to block Biden's new SAVE income-driven repayment plan, intended to lower borrowers' monthly payments and give them a shorter timeline for relief. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals recently blocked the plan pending a final decision, and the scope of the block has concerned some advocates and the Education Department for preventing forgiveness through other unrelated programs, like Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

For example, the court order could appear to mean that a borrower enrolled in SAVE is prohibited from receiving forgiveness through any other program, even if it's not being challenged. The department asked the 8th Circuit to clarify the ruling, and the court refused in an August 19 order  adding to the uncertainty looming for borrowers unsure of what their payments will look like in the months to come.

Borrowers on SAVE are currently on forbearance, with interest paused, but they are not getting credit toward loan forgiveness on repayment plans during this time. They're also awaiting Biden's broader relief plan to be finalized.

"What's going to happen with the SAVE plan is big. What will the next administration do, if anything, in response, to create another plan that might be able to clear the legal hurdles?" Delisle said. "And then the Biden administration's next mass loan forgiveness plan, the one that hasn't been finalized yet, will be looking to see if that plan can also pass legal muster."

Read the original article on Business Insider
EMPORIA (KSNT)  University students are back in Emporia as classes are back in session.

The influx of college students means big business for local stores and organizations. Some of those businesses depend on student workers to fill their job openings.

We spoke with Jess Buchholz with Emporia Main Street about how they are trying to bridge the gap between those open jobs and students.

Weve created a community jobs board, Buchholz said. And so on our website, our local businesses and organizations can post openings that they have, and then we promote that website out to the student body.

Block party and vendor market kicks-off as students return to Emporia

Emporia Main Street also hosts events and activities downtown to encourage students to get involved in the community.

For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN)  Summer is nearing an end, and Youngstown State University is preparing for the upcoming academic year.

Wednesday was move-in day for new YSU Penguins.



Many of the new students are looking forward to new beginnings.

The opportunity, the programs and stuff are really good. I was a little nervous at first with the class load and everything like that, but Im really excited about living on my own and be a little more independent, said Emmy Jones, a freshman pre-med major.

The first day of classes for YSU is Monday.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com.
Less than a month ago, Justice Elena Kagan suggested the Supreme Court consider dialing back its review of significant cases on its controversial emergency docket.

Our summers used to be actually summers, Kagan told a group of judges in California, lamenting the relentless filing of emergency appeals. Weve gotten into a pattern where were doing too many of them.

Since then, the Supreme Courts emergency caseload has exploded.

Thursday, the court declined to revive parts of a Republican-backed Arizona law that could have barred thousands of voters from casting a ballot in the November presidential contest or voting by mail. In the coming days, the high court is also expected to tackle short-fuse challenges to President Joe Bidens latest effort to reduce student debt and to cut planet-warming pollution by limiting power plant emissions. Also pending is a fight over Bidens requirement that family planning clinics that receive federal public health funding provide referrals for abortions for patients who request it.

The courts emergency docket  the shadow docket, to critics  is where the justices deal with questions that need resolution faster than the months it can take to submit briefs, hear oral arguments and draft formal opinions on its regular docket.

The cases usually deal with the narrow question of what will happen as that underlying legal process plays out. But the orders can have significant and immediate real-world consequences.

Theres just no disputing that this has been a busier summer for emergency applications, both by volume and by significance, than any summer weve seen in a long time  if ever, said Steve Vladeck, a CNN Supreme Court analyst and professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, who says the court is essentially inviting these cases by issuing emergency rulings with more impact.

It seems pretty clear that theres a disconnect between the justices public comments expressing concern and their behavior when these applications reach them, said Vladeck, who wrote a book on the issue, The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic.

Given that the court continues to grant emergency relief in contexts in which it didnt until recently  and given that theres virtually no downside to seeking emergency relief  its effectively open season for aggressive lawyers, he said.

Court rejects transgender protections

In all, there are 18 emergency cases waiting for an answer from the high court  though 13 of those raise three substantially similar legal questions.

Even if no additional emergency applications land this summer, Vladeck says, the court is already on track to exceed its caseload of the past several summers  including in 2020, when the justices juggled a string of controversial Covid-19-related cases.

The courts latest emergency order landed Friday, when the justices blocked a Biden administration proposal to shore up civil rights protections for transgender and pregnant students. The new rule, challenged by 10 conservative states, would bar discrimination on the basis of a students gender identity.

Combined with a series of lower court decisions, the rule is now on hold in about half the country.

A brief, unsigned order issued by the Supreme Court explained some of the rationale for that decision  the court couldnt separate the controversial provisions from others that werent directly challenged. But critics said the breezy, three-page opinion would likely only sow further confusion.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the courts senior liberal, slammed the overly broad ruling, writing in a partial dissent joined by three others that the outcome deprived residents in the states that sued guidance related to their rights.

The court appeared to send the opposite signal just four months ago. In a case dealing with Idahos strict ban on gender-affirming care, the court allowed the state to temporarily enforce the law. Three conservative justices complained that lower courts had imposed a far more sweeping order than necessary  the exact argument the court found unpersuasive in the case of Bidens rule.

Perhaps underscoring the thorny and often politically heated questions in play on the emergency docket this month, the court has at times been slow to resolve the disputes.

Since mid-2023, the court has needed about 20 days, on average, to resolve significant emergency cases  not including those involving capital punishment  according to a CNN analysis. But it took the justices 25 days to resolve a recent emergency challenge over Bidens transgender rule.

Its been 29 days since West Virginia filed the first of several appeals seeking to halt Bidens power plant rules.

In that case, Republican states and industry groups are challenging an Environmental Protection Agency rule that would compel existing coal and new natural gas power plants to either cut or capture 90% of their climate pollution by 2032. A decision in that case could come as soon as this week.

Bidens student debt plan in jeopardy  again

The Department of Education, meanwhile, has asked the justices to lift a court order blocking a Biden plan to slash monthly student loan payments and quicken the path to forgiveness  a central promise of his 2020 presidential campaign. A decision in that case could also come within days.

And in a case likely to be resolved in coming days, the Republican Party has asked the high court to allow Arizona to enforce a requirement that residents registering to vote for president to document their US citizenship. The case is likely to be one of many election matters to make its way to the Supreme Court amid a historic presidential election. Former President Donald Trump and other Republicans have falsely claimed widespread voting by immigrants in the country illegally.

Its possible the Supreme Court will move some of the pending disputes to its regular, merits docket when the court reconvenes in October for a new nine-month term, scheduling arguments and handing down formal opinions.

In recent years, some of the courts biggest cases originated on the emergency docket.

In June, for instance, the court handed down a 5-4 decision halting a Biden environmental rule intended to reduce smog and air pollution in a case that arrived on the shadow docket.

But while the practice of moving the emergency cases to the regular docket has picked up in recent years  and is widely seen as a response to criticism  it can have drawbacks.

Speaking at a judicial conference in Sacramento in late July, Kagan suggested that the court may have acted too hastily when it took up a request from Idaho to allow it to enforce a Biden administration rule requiring emergency rooms to perform abortions when the health of the pregnant woman is at stake. By the time it reached the Supreme Court for argument the facts of the case  usually developed by lower courts  were unclear.

In late June, the court handed the issue back to lower courts, punting for now on a review of the underlying legal questions raised.

Although some of the justices may be hesitant to resolve the emergency cases before the questions involved have been fully figured out, there are times when it must, Kagan said. Thats especially true in situations in which a lower court has blocked a law or policy nationwide.

Its a very difficult question as to how exactly we should approach these ever-increasing number of emergency petitions, she said. But more and more its not only the argued cases, but that work that is the Supreme Courts docket.

CNNs Ella Nilsen contributed to this report.

This story has been updated following the courts ruling on the Arizona voting law.

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The man accused of raping two female workers at a Framingham store in 1989 was held on two million dollars bail in California on Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorneys office.

Stephen Gale, 71, a 71-year-old once known as the Boston Strip Mall Rapist was charged with one felony count of grand theft of personal property and two felony counts of check forgery before being held on bail of $2 million in Van Nuys District Court, the LA County DAs office told Boston 25.

Gale was arrested following a car chase through the streets of Los Angeles earlier this month. Gale had been in a hospital since.

Authorities announced in May they had identified Gale as a suspect using new DNA evidence 35 years after he allegedly raped two Framingham store employees.

Authorities searching for man accused of raping 2 workers at gunpoint inside Framingham store

Gale entered the Hit or Miss store on Route 9 on the morning of Dec. 27, 1989, displayed a .357 magnum, and forced two female employees to the back of the store at gunpoint, authorities said in a press conference. He then allegedly ordered one victim to empty money from a locked safe and the second to lock the doors to the store before sexually assaulting them while holding the firearm to their heads.

Evidence collected at the scene ultimately helped investigators obtain Gales DNA.

A DNA profile was developed for the suspect and uploaded to the Combined DNA Index System in 2001 but there were never any hits identifying the suspect. In 2022, Middlesex prosecutors and the Framingham police contracted with Parabon Nanolabs to conduct an investigative genetic genealogy to develop new leads that could help identify the suspect.

Investigators developed probable cause to identify Stephen Paul Gale and issue an arrest warrant after assessing the results provided by Parabon Nanolabs and additional DNA sampling of his family members, according to Ryan and Baker.

Boston 25 Reporter Bob Ward spoke with both the Framingham victims, who did not want to be identified, about the relief these new details bring to the case.

None of this has ever left our lives. This has always been a part of us. And it is time that this guy gets brought to justice and taken off the streets, said Victim 2.

Gale was wanted on charges including four counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of armed robbery. He has not been arraigned on those charges yet.

Gale will be formally arraigned in October and will be extradited to Massachusetts at a later date.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  An Abilene man accused of killing one teen and injuring another in a shooting has been sentenced to 45 years in prison.

Aashaud McVea was found guilty of Murder in connection to the death of Isaiah Arrellano, 19, Tuesday after a trial that lasted more than a week. He then received his 45 year prison sentence the next day.

Arellano died at the hospital following the shooting at a home on the 400 block of S. La Salle Drive the early morning hours of March 29.

Officers were called to the home after homeowners reported hearing several gunshots, and when they arrived on scene, they found Arellano and a 16-year-old victim had been shot outside the home.

The 16-year-old victim sustained critical injuries.

During the investigation, McVea was identified as a possible suspect, and when interviewed by police, court documents state he, eventually admitted to having shot the two victims while inside and outside of their vehicle.



He claimed that this was after an altercation during a potential narcotics transaction and/or sale of a firearm.

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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A Vancouver man suspected of trying to kidnap an 11-year-old girl from a park on Sunday afternoon was arrested Tuesday afternoon.

Michael McGlothlin, who was taken into custody for attempted kidnapping by the US Marshals Service and Vancouver police, was picked up near NE 18th and NE 148th, police said. He was taken to the Clark County Jail and was booked for unlawful Imprisonment and 4th-degree assault. Police said Tuesday night the charge of attempted kidnapping was not included.

Get away from me!: Woman stops would-be Vancouver kidnapper

The incident at Lieser Crest Park happened around 3:40 p.m. Sunday and police released surveillance video of the moments immediately before and after the attempted abduction. In that video, a man is seen getting out of a parked SUV, possibly a Jeep, and walks into the park. He is then seen running back to the SUV and driving away quickly, headed north on Fredericksburg Way.

Surveillance video shows an attempted kidnapping suspect running back to a dark SUV moments after the attempt at Lieser Crest Park in Vancouver, August 18, 2024 (VPD)

On Monday, detectives with the Digital Evidence Cybercrimes Unit identified McGlothlin as the suspect. The 2024 Jeep Cherokee he was seen driving was a rental car, but he was not the listed renter.

Investigators learned McGlothlin was likely in that northeast area of Vancouver. He was walking at that intersection when he was arrested.

No further details are available. KOIN 6 News will continue to follow this story.

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The Mountain Home Police Department spent Tuesday responding to a bank robbery, pursuing a suspect both eastbound and westbound on Interstate 84, and releasing the original getaway driver  who had no knowledge of the alleged crime, according to a news release.

There also was a bomb scare at the bank that was robbed.

In the end, the man police say was responsible was apprehended on I-84 and taken into custody.

The strange story started after the Chase Bank in Mountain Home reported that it had been robbed just after 9 a.m., police said. Employees told police they saw the alleged robber in a car on American Legion Boulevard. That vehicle was stopped by law enforcement and the driver surrendered, according to police.

His passenger, the described suspect, climbed into the drivers seat and drove away from the stop at a high rate of speed, a news release said.

Both the Mountain Home Police Department and the Elmore County Sheriffs Office pursued the man eastbound on I-84. The chase was too fast to let officers safely close the distance to do a Pursuit Intervention Technique to stop the vehicle, the release said.

Shortly after that, the vehicle jumped the center median near mile marker 117 and the suspect drove back toward Mountain Home westbound on I-84.

At mile marker 104, deputies were able to perform the PIT stop, halting the driver on the right shoulder of the freeway, police said. The vehicle sustained minor damage, police said, but the patrol cars were fine.

The robbery suspect was taken into custody and the money he allegedly took from the bank was recovered, police said.

Bank employees told police that the man had left a backpack and said there was an explosive device inside. Air Force bomb disposal units were called to assist, police said, and they discovered that the backpack contained several water bottles and some clothing.

The man who was first driving and surrendered at the initial traffic stop told police that he had no idea about the robbery, according to the release. The man who allegedly robbed the bank confirmed this, police said, and the first driver was released.
Sutter Health unveils plan for $380 million cancer center at Modesto hospital. What to know

Sutter Health said Wednesday it will build a $380 million cancer center at Memorial Medical Center in Modesto.

The major investment by the Sacramento-based nonprofit health system aims to meet the demand for health services as the population grows in the Central Valley, Sutter officials said in a news release.

The four-story, 165,000-square-foot cancer center will be built on the Memorial Medical Center campus, at Briggsmore Avenue and Coffee Road. The center is expected to open in 2028 or 2029.

Artist rendering of the future Modesto Cancer Center.

This new cancer center will significantly accelerate our ability to provide advanced cancer care locally for Central Valley residents, Gino Patrizio, president of Sutter Healths Greater Central Valley area, said in the news release. This investment reaffirms our commitment to providing exceptional care and strengthens our position as a leading health care system in the region.

Sutter said the regional center will serve patients from Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Merced and other counties. Features of the diagnostic and treatment center were outlined in the release.

To make room for the four-story cancer center, a demolition crew will take down the existing building at 1800 Coffee Road, at the northeast corner of Coffee and Spanos Court, a Sutter spokeswoman said.

The first two floors of the complex will be designed for clinic visits, laboratory, imaging, infusion, radiation therapy and pharmacy services. Some patients may choose to add Sutters complementary therapies, such as support groups, art, music and movement therapy, as a way to manage symptoms and side effects.

An ambulatory surgery center on the third floor will including operating rooms, four procedure rooms and extra space for expansion.

More than 25 clinicians will see patients in outpatient clinics on the fourth floor, where 50 examination rooms are planned.

The center will also feature greater access to clinical trials, the news release said. By centralizing all services, patients can access all their care in one place, closer to home.

The Modesto center also may connect patients with advanced Sutter cancer specialists in the Bay Area and Sacramento.

The eight counties of the San Joaquin Valley are projected to add 4.7 million residents in the next 35 years, according to the state Department of Finance. Cancer diagnoses are expected to increase proportionately.

Stanislaus Countys cancer mortality rate was 157.1 per 100,000 residents in a public health report released in late 2022, which was well above the statewide rate of 131.4.

Sutter Gould Medical Foundation has plans to recruit 56 clinicians for the cancer center at Memorial. The large majority will practice in the cancer center and outpatient surgery. About 30% of the recruited practitioners will work in the outpatient clinics.

This cancer center will bring together different cancer care specialists to perform advanced diagnostic testing and treatments, including molecular testing, specialized surgeries, radiation treatment, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy and other advanced cancer therapies, said Dr. Allen Li, the section chief of oncology for Sutter Gould.

Modesto Mayor Sue Zwahlen also weighed in with a comment. Sutters latest investment toward better health care access is significant, she said in the news release. As an elected representative of this city, I understand how robust health care services can transform a community and make it more dynamic.

Sutter Health operates two dozen hospitals and more than 200 clinics in Northern California in the Bay Area, Sacramento region and Northern San Joaquin Valley.

The Modesto project is part of a Sutter expansion plan to add 27 ambulatory care centers by 2027 and 160 hospital beds by 2025.

Sutters Memorial Medical Center recently received national accreditation for an internal medicine residency and a training program for family practice physicians. The hospital will serve as a training site for 26 resident physicians in the internal medicine program starting in June 2025. A family medicine residency with 13 doctors-in-training will also begin next June.
GEORGIA  A Swainsboro man, who is a former Soperton Police Department Officer, was arrested by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in relation to Aggravated Assault charges.

According to the GBI, the Soperton Police Department asked GBI to investigate an incident that happed on July 26th while former officer Kenneth Bishop, 60, was employed by the department, and the investigation indicated that Bishop responded to a call about an assault and stopped a car occupied by three people who were relatives and friends of the assault victim.

GBI states that the investigation further indicated that Bishop and the people in an argument, and when the incident escalated, Bishop pulled out his gun from his holster, pointed it at the people in the car, and threatened to shoot the car while beating on the windows.

According to GBI, Bishop is being charged with three counts of Aggravated Assault and one count of Terroristic Threats and Acts and was booked into the Treutlen County Jail on August 19th.

GBI states that if there is anyone with information in regards to this case, please contact the GBI regional investigative office in Eastman at 478-374-6988. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

This investigation is active and 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 WJBF.
Syrskyi reveals statistics: over 9,000 missiles and 14,000 drones fired by Russia since invasion began

On August 20, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, over 9,600 missiles and nearly 14,000 attack drones have been used against Ukraine.



5,197 of the launched missiles were aimed at civilian targets.



During a meeting of local and regional authorities, Syrskyi revealed that Ukrainian air defense has successfully destroyed more than 2,400 missiles and 9,200 drones.



Syrskyi published statistics about the missile attacks and numbers, and he pointed out the various missile types used by Russian forces, including Kalibr, Dagger, and S-300/S-400 missiles.



Ukraine was primarily targeted with S-300/S-400 missiles, totaling 3,008 strikes. The second most frequently used weapons were Kh-555/Kh-101 cruise missiles, with 1,846 recorded attacks.



North Korea has long been shaping up as Russia's leading weapons supplier, reportedly providing Moscow with extensive military packages, including ballistic missiles and over 3 million artillery shells.



Ukraine has air- and ground-launched missiles provided by the U.S., U.K., and France that can reach almost 200 miles from the launch point, but restrictions on the use of missiles against Russian territory remain in place.



The U.S. and at least nine other NATO allies have agreed to send "dozens" of air defense systems in the coming months to Ukraine, including at least four Patriot batteries, according to a joint agreement issued on July 9.

Read also: Next Ramstein-format meeting to be held on Sept. 6, RFE/RL reports

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
City officials cited a major increase in crime, drug use, and homelessness this summer in the Boston Common.

We cant ignore it, said Boston City Councilman Ed Flynn. Drug transactions taking place, crime, and we also know there is human trafficking taking place.

Flynn represents the Boston Common area, telling Boston 25 News hes seen the change downtown over the past three years.

He continued, Weve seen significant activity here since the tents on Atkinson Street near Mass and Cass were taken down To downplay the incidents on the Boston Common is not doing anyone any service. Its not helping the situation.

One of the most recent incidents occurred earlier this week.

Police arrested 51-year-old John Madej of South Boston Tuesday afternoon. He appeared at Boston Municipal Court Wednesday for charges including aggravated assault and carrying a dangerous weapon.

Madej is accused of chasing people near Boylston Street and Charles Street with a machete in his hand. When officers approached, he allegedly took a fighting stance before he was apprehended.

He was removed from the courtroom twice by the judge after multiple outbursts. Counselors told the judge he was suffering from mental health issues.

He will reappear in court on September 10 after a stay at Bridgewater State Hospital.

Flynn told Boston 25 News Wednesday he plans to meet with concerned residents and businesses this week.

One of the businesses in attendance will be Black Seed Halal Grill on Tremont Street.

They get really aggressive, said manager Bassam Shaeira. We should do more business but because of the location they definitely affect our business.

Flynn plans to fight for more law enforcement in the area, and stricter sentences for those charged with violent crimes.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
AT&T workers on strike, more A/C issues at Mobile County schools, and Primary Election Day in Florida | Aug. 20, 2024

Editors Note: News 5 Now streams live Monday through Friday at 5:30 p.m. Watch the video above.

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG)  Welcome to WKRG.coms new streaming show, News 5 Now, where we discuss the days 5 big stories and interact with you, our viewers.

Top 5 Stories

Its time to count down the Big Stories were following for you.

5. Italy Waterspout

A waterspout in Greece, just after sunrise this morning caused chaos.

The wicked weather tore things up. Lashing wind and rain throwing stuff into the sky. And people were running for cover.

People watching say the aqua-twister whipped up and just kept growing for about 10 minutes before it spun out.

The waterspout left behind some minor damage and wide eyes from those lightning strikes.

(News 5 photo)

4. AT&T Strike Affecting Lower Alabama

A strike of a different kind on the streets of lower Alabama.

200 AT&T employees on the picket lines in Mobile and Daphne.

They joined more than 17,000 workers who walked off the job Friday.

The union and AT&T are hashing out a new contract.

Union members accused the company of not bargaining in good faith. AT&T disagrees.

(News 5 photo)

3. More School Air Conditioning Problems

LeFlore High School students were sent home early Monday because classes were too hot.

There have been A/C headaches at Hankins Middle School and Theodore High School.

Those three systems have been fixed.

But, some parents are still steaming about ongoing H-VAC issues.

A school board member also toured Theodore High School and said he saw mold and mildew caused by the faulty cooling unit at the school.

A school system spokesperson said, The mildew and mold at Theodore was removed and ceiling tiles were replaced before school started and, when AC units have problems, they work to make repairs quickly.

2. Carey Graysons Execution Set

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced the execution window for death row inmate Carey Grayson.

He is set to be put to death between midnight on Nov. 20 and 6 a.m. on Nov. 22.

In 1994, Grayson and three other teens beat a 37-year-old hitchhiker to death in Jefferson County.

Only Grayson was sentenced to death.

Escambia County preparing to vote in local elections on Tuesday. (News 5 photo)

1. Florida Primary Election Day

WKRG is Your Local Election Headquarters.

Today, Tuesday, Aug. 20, voters in Florida are heading to the polls for the states primary election.

Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Robert Bender said things are going well at the countys more than 70 voting locations.

The polls opened at 7 this morning, and Bender said in-person voting turnout has been low so far.

According to recent numbers, more than 40,000 people have cast their vote so far.

Of those ballots so far, almost 39% of people voted by mail, 33% of people participated in early voting and 28% of people participated on election day.

One of the biggest races is the Republican 1st congressional district primary.

The 1st congressional district covers all of northwest Florida. Matt Gaetz is seeking a fifth term.

His challenger is retired Naval officer Aaron Dimmock.

The winner tonight will take on Democratic candidate Gay Valimont in November.

If youre still making your way out to the polls, Bender is reminding people that they must have a valid and acceptable form of photo and signature ID, and voters must cast their ballot at their assigned polling locations.

Question of the Day

Mars, whose brands include M&Ms, Snickers and Skittles, is buying food company Kellanova in a deal worth nearly $30 billion. We asked, Whats your go-to snack?

Here are your responses.

Poll of the Day

The Democratic National Convention is taking place this week in Chicago. So we asked, Are you watching the Democratic National Convention this week?

Here are your responses.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
KABUL (Reuters) -The Taliban have barred United Nations-appointed special rapporteur Richard Bennett from entering Afghanistan, the administration's spokesperson told local broadcaster Tolo, accusing the human rights watchdog of "spreading propaganda".

Bennett was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2022 to monitor Afghanistan's human rights situation after the Taliban took over the previous year.

Bennett, who has previously said the Taliban's treatment of women and girls could amounts to a crime against humanity, is based outside Afghanistan but has visited several times to research the situation.

Bennett in a statement urged the Taliban to reverse their decision and said he would continue to engage with Afghans inside and out the country.

The Taliban administration's foreign ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi told Reuters Bennett "had been unable to acquire a travel visa to Afghanistan".

"Even after repeatedly requesting Mr. Bennett to adhere to professionalism during work ... it was decided that ... his reports are based on prejudices and anecdotes detrimental to (the) interests of Afghanistan and the Afghan people," Balkhi said.

Taliban administration spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has previously said the Taliban respect women's rights in accordance with its interpretation of Islamic law and local customs. He told Tolo that Bennett would not be allowed to come to Afghanistan, a rare public barring of an individual foreign official.

"Mr. Bennett's travel to Afghanistan has been prohibited because he was assigned to spread propaganda in Afghanistan ... He used to exaggerate minor issues and propagate them," Mujahid said, according to Tolo.

HIGHEST STANDARDS

Bennett said he took his responsibilities as a U.N.-appointed expert seriously.

"This includes always acting in an independent capacity, offering an impartial assessment of facts based on internationally recognised human rights standards and methodologies, and upholding the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity," he said.

Three years into their rule after foreign forces withdrew, the Taliban have not been formally recognised by any foreign government.

Foreign officials, including Washington, have said the path towards recognition is stuck until the Taliban changes course on women's rights, having barred most girls over the age of 12 from schools and universities, banning women from parks, and stopping most long-distance travel by women without a male guardian.

Afghanistan's central bank assets have been frozen and many senior Taliban officials are subject to U.N. travel restrictions that require them to seek exemptions to enter other countries.

The U.N. has been trying to find a unified international approach to dealing with the Taliban. In June, top U.N. officials and envoys from up to 25 countries met the Taliban in Qatar, receiving criticism from human rights groups for not including Afghan women and civil society representatives at the meeting.

The U.N. mission to Afghanistan also operates from Kabul and monitors and reports on human rights issues.

(Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar in Kabul and Charlotte Greenfield in Islamabad; Editing by Christopher Cushing and David Holmes)
The Taliban has prohibited barbers in several provinces in Afghanistan from shaving or trimming beards - Majority World/Universal Images Group Editorial

The Taliban has sacked hundreds of men from Afghanistans security forces because they are unable to grow beards.

Thousands of musical instruments had also been destroyed by the militant group in the past year, the notorious ministry for the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice said in its annual update.

Click here to view this content.

Mohibullah Mokhlis, the director of planning and legislation at the ministry, told a press conference in Kabul that 281 beardless officers were identified, confirmed and dismissed from the countrys security services in the past 12 months.

The hairstyles of 450 military mujahideen were corrected to comply with Sharia law, he added. And some who repeated the [hairstyle] violation were sent to military courts.

The Taliban has prohibited barbers in several provinces from shaving or trimming beards, claiming that the edict aligns with Sharia law.

It is mandatory for Muslim men to have a beard that is at least the length of a fist, according to Islamic law, which is strictly upheld by the Taliban.

In accordance with Islamic law, Muslim men must have a beard that is at least the 'length of a fist' - WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP

Trimming ones beard shorter than fist length or shaving it entirely is considered haram in Afghanistan, where the beard is considered a distinctive feature given to men to set them apart from women by the divine wisdom of God.

Former Taliban security forces told The Telegraph that they had been dismissed for shaving their faces or not being able to grow a sufficient beard.

I cannot grow a beard, and they constantly called and harassed me, said one officer who was recently sacked. Around three months ago, the commander told me that I could no longer stay in the unit because of my beard.

I joined them for financial reasons, but throughout my year with them, I faced lots of harassment over my inability to grow a beard. They would say I wasnt a true Muslim, he said.

About 10 other people were also told that day not to return, he added. Some of them were middle-aged men with lots of experience, but they were dismissed simply because they did not have beards, I mean they cannot have one.

Experienced men were among those who were dismissed by the Taliban for their inability to grow facial hair - AFP

Separately, the Talibans regime disclosed that 21,328 musical instruments had been destroyed in the past year.

Jalil Ahmad, a former guitar teacher in the western city of Herat, recounted how morality forces had stormed his home earlier this year and beaten him for owning several musical instruments.

They knocked on the door, and I saw them through the window. I told my family not to open it, but one of them climbed over the gate and jumped into the yard. He unlocked the door and five more officers stormed into the house, he said.

The police ransacked his house and discovered five guitars and several other instruments.

The 31-year-old was then taken to a police station, where he said he had been severely beaten.

The devils instruments

They were saying, The foreigners are gone and you cannot live with the devils instruments any more, he said.

They flogged me and repeatedly punched me in the face, he explained. They accused me of holding classes, but I had stopped teaching a year ago.

Officials said on Tuesday that more than 13,000 Afghans had been detained for immoral acts over the past year, with half of those having been released after 24 hours.

The ministry did not break down the types of the alleged offences or gender of the detainees.

Restrictions on women

The morality ministry, which took over the disbanded womens ministry premises in Kabul after the Taliban came to rule in 2021, has been criticised by human rights organisations and the United Nations for restrictions on women and inhibiting freedom of expression.

It has banned females from working with aid agencies, closed beauty salons, prohibited women from entering parks and restricted travel without a male guardian. Girls over the age of 12 have been excluded from education since the Talibans return to power.

For many Western governments, the education ban remains a major obstacle to formal recognition of the Taliban administration.

The ministry said that a new plan was being worked on to ensure its Islamic dress rules would be followed, overseen by Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader.

Based on the guidance of the supreme leader, the draft plan for observing womens hijab [Islamic dress] has been formulated and approved, Mokhlis said.

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Election supervisor websites crashed in multiple Florida counties on Tuesday after the company that supports the sites said they suffered "extraordinary stress."

"We believe the logging that was enabled as a security measure was at the root of the issues that our customers experienced," VR Systems, the Tallahassee-based elections software company, said on Tuesday evening.

Logging means the automatic recording of everything that happens on a website, such as who's using it and how, including which pages are viewed and what information is downloaded.

"Late in the day, (the logging) began to grow exponentially due to the increase in traffic to the websites," the company added.

Even before the first polls closed at 7 p.m., many Floridians were forced to bypass their county election supervisors' websites on Tuesday night and find results elsewhere.

Election supervisor websites crashed in multiple Florida counties on Tuesday, due to what VR Systems called "extraordinary stress on the system."

Leon, Palm Beach, Manatee, Sarasota and Broward and other counties' websites were experiencing technical issues, could not be accessed or were timing out. Almost an hour after polls closed, Lake and Palm Beach still did not have results pages.

In an updated statement released Wednesday afternoon, VR Systems said the glitches affected every clients' website that they host, and they "take full responsibility." It is not yet known how many Florida counties were affected and what time all the issues were resolved.

In a press briefing Tuesday evening, Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd made clear there were no problems with the data or vote tallies being transmitted to the Department of State. He said it was a county-level issue, and there was "no evidence at this juncture" that the technical difficulties were due to a cyber attack.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday said he was "not familiar" and "wasn't necessarily aware" of the website issues that happened and directed questions to Byrd.

"I know Cord will press the issue because one of the things that Florida stands apart from the rest of this country is you actually have the results by like 9 o'clock on election night," DeSantis said. "That's good, that's confidence inspiring. There's no time for tomfoolery."

He said the state would make sure the system was working for the general election in November.

A machine is used to identify votes that were casted in 100 vote-by-mail ballots at the Leon County Supervisor of Elections during the primary election Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024.

VR Systems said the glitches weren't a sign of malicious activity like hacking and said the websites had been fully restored: "We have begun working with external technical experts to assist us with further analyzing and optimizing our system to ensure this doesnt happen again."

In 2016, VR Systems was also the victim of cyberattack attempts by Russia to influence the U.S. presidential election, according to published reports and local election officials.

Hackers with the Russian military sent phishing emails posing as VR Systems employees to local government organizations, according to leaked National Security Agency documents. Phishing refers to hackers luring people into opening harmless looking email attachments that contain malicious programs.

As previously reported in June of 2017, information taken in the attack  perhaps including email contacts of VR Systems clients  was likely used to launch a subsequent hacking operation in the fall. Russian hackers reportedly sent a malicious email from an account called vr.elections@gmail.com to up to 122 local government offices.

At the time, Mindy Perkins, CEO of VR Systems, said in a statement there was no sign the intended victims were compromised.

Ana Goni-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network  Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: VR Systems Florida: 'Full responsibility' for elections sites crash
Was this Catholic school in Tampa built on more than 700 graves?

TAMPA  Two marked gravesites are on the property that is home to the shuttered Sacred Heart Academy, a reminder of that lands previous decades as St. Marys Cemetery.

When the burial ground, also known as the Catholic Cemetery, was relocated in the 1920s, the Arguelles and Ficarrotta-Ferlita family mausoleums were too expensive to move, so they remain along the fence line of the 9-acre property at 3515 N. Florida Ave.

But there is evidence that the school, which opened in 1931 and closed in 2012, may have been built on top of more than 700 unmarked graves.

Cemetery advocates are now demanding action from the Diocese of St. Petersburg, which owns the property, and Sacred Heart Catholic Church, which operated the school.

I want ground-penetrating radar to search for any graves there, said Aileen Henderson, who advocates for Tampa Bays erased, lost and endangered burial grounds through The Cemetery Society, which she founded two years ago.

The mystery behind St. Marys Cemetery is personal for Henderson. Her maternal great-grandmother had two babies buried there, and they are among the missing.

I want it recognized that their souls are resting there, and should be in peace, she said. I want answers  I want the truth.

It is not shocking that early 20th century Tampa Bay graves might have been built over.

Over the past five years, archaeologists have confirmed that six sites throughout the region are home to erased graves. Another five sites have been identified as likely locations but have not yet been surveyed. Each of the discoveries came after the Times in 2019 discovered that Zion Cemetery was under public housing, warehouses and a tow lot located one block from Sacred Heart Academy.

Those 11 sites were primarily home to graves for pioneering Black residents and erased in the Jim Crow era when the families had no power to stop it. St. Marys Cemetery was multicultural, with records for white, Latin and Black residents.

Henderson wonders if there is a common factor between those buried in the erased Black graves and those possibly at the former site of St. Marys Cemetery, at least for her family.

They didnt have money, she said. They didnt have power. They likely didnt have a voice either.

According to property records, the land that would become St. Marys Cemetery was purchased in 1889 by Rev. John Quinlan of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, when it was known as St. Louis Parish.

Burials began in 1896, according to death records gathered by Ray Reed, a researcher whose work has been vital in identifying the locations of erased graves throughout Tampa Bay.

In 1925, the church decided to close St. Marys Cemetery to make way for Sacred Heart Academy.

Graves were to be moved to Myrtle Hill Cemetery, according to news archives. The reason for the change, one article reported, is due to the impossibility of keeping the old cemetery in good condition. It is pointed out that, in the new grounds, graves will be continuously cared for.

Newspapers reported that 400 people were buried in St. Marys Cemetery at that time.

But Reed said he has 929 death records listing St. Marys Cemetery. Of those, he found reburial records for around 200. Three-fourths of those were in Myrtle Hill Cemetery, with the others located in Oaklawn, Woodlawn and the Italian Club cemeteries.

Where are the rest?

Thats what we need answered, Henderson said.

In an email to the Tampa Bay Times addressing Hendersons ancestors, a Diocese of St. Petersburg spokesperson said: We believe her familys remains were removed by private undertakers.

The spokesperson also wrote that St. Marys Cemetery records do not include information on graves moved by undertakers hired by families. Theirs only include those relocated by the church.

When asked via email why that provides them certainty that the graves were moved, the spokesperson wrote back: The facts as presented to us from the operators of the former St. Marys Catholic Cemetery are clear and well-documented ... The prayers and rituals of the Catholic funeral rites affirm the Churchs reverence for its deceased members. The Catholic Church teaches that the earthly remains of the deceased are to be reverently buried in a cemetery where families may visit and pray for their loved ones.

The spokesperson eventually added: The Diocese was not involved with the removals/transfers of the graves, which were handled by the previous operators of the former cemetery, so we cannot answer that question.

When the cemetery was to be moved, the Diocese of St. Augustine oversaw Tampa Bay.

We do sincerely believe that those removals/transfers from St. Marys Cemetery were managed properly, the email continued. We have nothing else to add.

Henderson is unsatisfied.

Thats speculation, she said. I am not just taking their word for it.

The Diocese of St. Petersburg attempted to help Henderson find her great-grandmothers babies  a girl known as the infant of Manuel Quintana who was stillborn in 1913 and Renaldo Quintana who died at a few months old in 1915, according to their death certificates, which list St. Marys Cemetery as the place of burial.

A diocese spokesperson told Henderson via an email shared with the Times that their St. Marys Cemetery records do not include anyone with the last name Quintana. But some removals were impossible to identify ... It appears that 14 graves were marked unknown with one notation I found that read: unknown  Infant buried in Space 3, Lot 218, Section 35 of Myrtle Hill Cemetery.

That doesnt prove her ancestors are there, nor does it account for the more than 700 missing, Henderson said.

There are no current plans to develop the unused school grounds. The acreage has a market value of $5.8 million, according to the Hillsborough County Property Appraisers website.

But because the land was once a cemetery and it cannot be proven that all graves were moved, the property cannot be built on until there is an archaeological survey.

I realize this is something the church may not want to relive, Henderson said. I think sometimes we get hung up on the bad or ugly. ... What we can do though is seek the truth, hope we find it and make things right.
Texas highest ranking criminal appellate court will review the ruling that overturned the conviction of a North Texas woman accused of voting illegally.

Crystal Mason, who is from Rendon, was cleared of an illegal voting conviction in March 2024, seemingly putting an end to a years-long legal battle. But soon after the Texas 2nd Court of Appeals in Fort Worth overturned the conviction, the decision was appealed by the Tarrant County District Attorneys Office, led by District Attorney Phil Sorrells.

The Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday agreed to review the case. The case has previously come before the court, which, at the time, ordered the lower court to revisit the case.

While I am ready for this case to be over and for my acquittal to stand, I will continue to maintain my faith that justice will be done, Mason said in a statement, shared in a ACLU of Texas news release.

Mason was accused of illegally voting with a provisional ballot in 2016 in Tarrant County while on supervised release for a 2012 tax fraud conviction. The vote was never counted, and her attorneys have argued that Mason did not know she was inelgible to vote.

The 2nd Court of Appeals found that Mason did not have actual knowledge that she couldnt vote, and thus there wasnt enough evidence to support her conviction.

The trial courts original guilty verdict should be upheld and Masons acquittal reversed, the District Attorneys Office argued in a April 25 court filing and news release.

The next step will be for the parties to file briefs with the Court of Criminal Appeals addressing the appropriate standard of review and whether Masons conviction is supported by sufficient evidence, the district attorneys office said in a statement.

In its April news release, the office argued that Mason was convicted based on testimony from the election judge and poll clerk that she read the provisional voter affidavit, affirmed that she provided accurate information, signed the affidavit, and testified that the affidavit language was clearly understandable to mean that a convicted felon, such as herself, was ineligible to vote.

The 2nd Court of Appeals failed to give proper deference to the trial courts guilty verdict and reweighed the evidence in favor of Mason, the office said at the time.

Masons legal team was confident that Masons acquittal will ultimately be upheld.

We respect the Court of Criminal Appeals decision to further review this case, said Tommy Buser-Clancy, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Texas, in a statement. We remain confident that the court of appeals made the right decision in vacating Ms. Masons conviction and rendering an acquittal. We look forward to briefing our position to the court.
TARRANT, Ala. (WIAT)  The legal process for the impeachment of Mayor Wayman Newton has begun following public outcry.

At a press conference Tuesday, Mayor Newton said the petition for impeachment against him was plagiarized and unverified.

This is nothing new. The beautiful thing about it is that they actually have someone that has the legal knowledge and the know-how to fight back and thats exactly what Im doing, Newton said. Im fighting back. Im fighting back for everybody that theyve done this to in the past that were afraid to fight back. Im fighting back for everybody that wanted to fight back but had a job and were afraid they were going to lose their job.

The petition was signed by five Tarrant residents and filed by attorney Scott Morro on Monday. Newton says that lawsuit is nearly verbatim a lawsuit from 2019 filed in Tuscaloosa County against former Lakeview Mayor Paul Calhoun. Morro filed an amended petition for impeachment Tuesday afternoon.

Birmingham AT&T employees join regional strike

Newton released a statement about the amended petition saying:

The amended petition filed against me remains a blatant example of dishonesty and political manipulation, as it continues to plagiarize the 2019 petition filed against another Alabama mayor. These repeated tactics, rooted in misinformation and copy-paste accusations, show the lengths to which certain individuals will go to undermine my administration. My commitment to the people of Tarrant has never been stronger, and I will continue to defend the truth and our city against these baseless and recycled allegations. Tarrant Mayor Wayman Newton

Newton has filed a bar complaint against Morro with the Alabama State Bar Association. Newton says that because the lawsuit is copied, there are many inaccuracies.

Thats just their MO is to try to take your feet out from under you and stop you from exposing and bringing light to their wrongdoing and Im not worried about it, Morro said. The truth is an absolute defense.

Newton says the residents who signed the petition are supporters of the city council, with whom he has a strained relationship. Newton says his goal as mayor has always been to move the city forward.

I want to let the citizens of this city know that the employees, the staff that we have, that theyre fed up with it too. And not only are they fed up with the antics, theyre fed up with the fact that they have all of the skills and capabilities that are necessary to move this city forward but theyre being prevented from doing such by the council, Newton said. Citizens are actually paying attention to everything that we do. They know everything thats going on, they know individual council members, they know the antics of the individual council members, they know everything.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall working to curb illegal gaming

In the bar complaint, Newton says several of the allegations made in the petition for impeachment are not applicable to Tarrant and not supported by facts.

A lot of stuff in there we dont really know for sure because we have to get the evidence and you get that through filing something in court and doing discovery, Morro said. So, lets see what he presents. Maybe he has a defense for the way he acts, I dont know.

This was a political stunt and once again, they did not do everything they were supposed to do and it makes the city look bad, Newton said. Not only does it make the city look bad, it makes them look bad, it makes their supporters look bad.

Some Tarrant residents say through all of the political drama, its the people of the city who are hurting the most.

Weve spent more time bickering, spent more time paying out taxpayer dollars, spent more time fighting, then we cant grow the city, Tarrant resident Angela Page said.

[The mayor and council] should be able to work together for the community and for the people, Tarrant resident Andrea Woods said.

Morro says hes not concerned about the bar complaint from Newton and fully stands behind the amended petition for impeachment.

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Employees and residents were set to speak about Youth Advocate Programs Inc. during Wednesdays Tarrant County Juvenile Board meeting, but judges walked out during the meeting, forcing it to end because of a lack of a quorum.

The Juvenile Board voted July 17 to not renew four contracts with Youth Advocate Programs and Sante Fe Youth Services, a division of Youth Advocate Programs. The nonpartisan group, based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, provides counseling, mentors and community service in an effort to reduce repeat youth offenders.

Board members at the time questioned language on Youth Advocate Programs website, such as policy and advocacy, diversity initiatives, and systemic racism.

Kimberly Brandon, the vice president of Youth Advocate Programs Inc. West Region, had just begun her speech Wednesday when the meeting abruptly ended. She was stunned she wasnt able to continue her comments.

Judge routinely leave during Juvenile Board meetings.

Brandon said after the meeting she had wanted to convey that the program provides safe and effective community-based services as an alternative to incarceration and to clarify how D.E.I. initiatives were never mentioned on the Youth Advocate Programs website.

She says Youth Advocate Programs will continue to be relentless in reinstating their contract.

Were going to continue to fight the good fight in the most appropriate way, because we care about youth and families, Brandon said. I dont know if I can say it any better, we care about our youth and families, we want them to do well, we want services to be provided and we want to be able to partner with other organizations to continue to do this work.

Thomas Foster, a retired Kansas district court judge and board member of Youth Advocate Programs, was also prepared to participate in public comments.

Foster and Kansas Juvenile Services had used group homes for youth offenders but learned through studies and experts there was a high recidivism among those who stay in them. Foster learned about Youth Advocate Programs Inc. and visited Fort Worth in 2016. He brought the program to Kansas in 2018 and closed the group homes.

Kansas officials are still gathering data but Foster wanted to share at the meeting how great the program has been in helping the community, increasing public safety and helping to reduce public costs.

Theres so many kids in crisis that its hard for them to take the first step or the second step and the YAP (Youth Advocate Programs) teaches them and it also addresses family issues, Foster said.

Nearly 70% of children under supervision in Tarrant County Juvenile Services receive services from Youth Advocate Programs Inc., according to Bennie Medlin, the departments director and chief juvenile probation officer.

Between October 2022 to June 2024, 90% of participants Youth Advocate Programs services were not adjudicated or convicted of a new charge while enrolled and 100% stayed enrolled in school, graduated, or earned a GED, according to Youth Advocate Programs.

Services from Youth Advocate Programs and Sante Fe Youth cost $311 and $440 weekly for each youth served, compared to a weekly detention cost of $2,207, according to Youth Advocate Programs.
A Taunton man with a violent criminal history is accused of selling over a kilogram of counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine to an undercover officer.

Shavon Gurley, a/k/a Soo Soo, 29, was charged with distribution and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. Acting U.S. Attorney Josh Levy said in a statement on Wednesday.

Gurley was arrested Tuesday in connection with an ongoing investigation of the manufacturing of counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine, authorities said. He previously served a lengthy state prison term for a brutal beating and assault with a firearm.

Gurley, who appeared in federal court following his arrest, was detained pending a hearing on Aug. 27.

According to the charging documents, authorities identified Gurley as being involved in trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine in connection with a Brockton-based drug trafficking organization.

As part of the investigation, between Aug. 2-5, undercover law enforcement allegedly communicated with Gurley about purchasing methamphetamine pills, authorities said.

On Aug. 5, Gurley allegedly sold 6,000 counterfeit Adderall pills containing methamphetamine, weighing over a kilogram, to an undercover officer, authorities said.

During the interaction, Gurley allegedly stated that he would drop the price per pill if the undercover officer were to buy 10,000 or 20,000 pills, authorities said. Gurley allegedly continued to discuss his drug operation with the undercover officer and boasted about selling kilograms of fentanyl that his customers then go on to sell in Maine.

During the controlled purchase with the undercover officer, Gurley allegedly stated that he sells kilograms of fentanyl for $30,000, and that the fentanyl is such high quality that it can be adulterated with cutting agents into 10 kilograms, authorities said.

Gurley allegedly then said he also sells a higher quality and purity fentanyl for $50,000, which can be adulterated into 50 kilograms.

Gurley also allegedly boasted about property he has already acquired through selling narcotics and that he intends to reach $600,000 in profits, the U.S. Attorneys office said.

Gurley also allegedly complimented the undercover officers aura and promised to do business with the officer in the future, authorities said. At the time of the sale, Gurley was allegedly on pretrial release for a domestic violence offense.

While executing search warrants at Gurleys home and vehicle on Tuesday, investigators recovered a loaded black firearm, two posters depicting cherubim  with captions that read, I Only Fear the Feds, and Rats Dont Make it To Heaven,  a bag containing an amount of controlled substances believed to be fentanyl, as well as a number of plastic bags containing approximately 10,000 counterfeit Adderall pills believed to contain methamphetamine.

According to the charging documents, Gurley has a lengthy juvenile record and criminal history that includes a number of prior firearm and violent offenses.

In 2012, Gurley was convicted of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon for attacking a man with a pistol and pointing the firearm at the victims head, for which he served a six to 10 year term in state prison.

The charge of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, five years and up to lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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A group of retired Teamsters took the stage at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night, in a move that both signaled their support for Kamala Harris and a subtle snub to their leader, who had backed Donald Trump last month.

Senator Gary Peters from Michigan initially appeared on stage, but he was just the opening act.

On the other hand, we have Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, Peters said, comparing the Republican ticket to Harris and Tim Walz. And lets be clear. If they win, if they win, working people like my friends here from the Teamsters will pay the price.

As he spoke, more than two dozen Teamsters entered on stage, standing on either side of him.

Their Project 2025 agenda is the same old same old. Gut overtime pay. Cut health care programs. And give billions in tax breaks to billionaires! Peters said.

We, we cannot let that happen. And we will not let that happen!

amazing -- after Sean O'Brien wasn't invited to speak at the DNC, Gary Peters invited a bunch of rank and file Teamsters to join him on stage pic.twitter.com/ds0BC92tPi  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 20, 2024

Peters turned over the stage to Kenneth Stribling, a retired Teamster and president of the National United Committee to Protect Pensions. Stribling spoke about learning that his monthly pension would be reduced in half in 2025, and organizing with other retirees to make it right.

Finally, we had a breakthrough. After 50 days in office, the Biden-Harris administration passed the American Rescue Plan, including the Butch Lewis Act. They got it done without one single Republican vote in Congress. They saved over one million pensions, including 33,000 from my state Wisconsin. 52,000 from Pennsylvania. 61,000 from Michigan, Stribling said.

As president, I know Kamala Harris will have our backs. She will fight for our retirement, social security, and Medicare.

Last month, Sean OBrien, the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, became the first union leader to speak at the Republican National Convention, during which he painted Trump as an ally for the working class. A month or so later, Trump praised Elon Musk for firing striking workers, and OBrien condemned the comment, calling it economic terrorism.

OBrien reportedly did not hear back from the DNC about his request to speak.

As of Tuesday, two local Teamsters unions and a regional council on the West Coast had announced that they had endorsed Harris, despite the fact that Teamsters International has not endorsed hera clear sign of dissension with OBrien.
(KRON)  A 19-year-old Petaluma resident died Tuesday morning after a head-on crash in the San Geronimo Valley area of Marin County, according to the Marin County Sheriffs Office.

At 8:09 a.m., emergency services received a 9-1-1 report of a head-on vehicle collision on the 440 block of Nicasio Valley Road near Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. A Honda Civic was reportedly traveling southbound at a high rate of speed when it crossed into oncoming traffic at a curve in the roadway, the sheriffs office said. The Honda struck a Ford Expedition that was traveling northbound, causing significant damage to both vehicles.

The driver of the Honda, identified as Carlos Enrique Verdugo-Cruz, 19, of Petaluma, was found unconscious in cardiopulmonary arrest inside his vehicle by first responders, authorities said. Verdugo-Cruz was pronounced dead at 8:23 a.m.

Bystanders detain suspected drunk driver after fatal crash in Oakland

The driver of the Ford was extricated from their vehicle by first responders and transported to an area hospital for unknown injuries.

Investigators are searching for answers as to why the Honda crossed over the double yellow lines in the roadway. The sheriffs office said a forensic postmortem examination with toxicology testing is scheduled for this week.

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DENVER (KDVR)  A teen suffered serious injuries after he was shot in Aurora, according to police.

On Tuesday at around 11:10 p.m., the Aurora Police Department said a 17-year-old was driving in the area of South Peoria Street and East Louisiana Avenue, west of Peoria Hills Park.

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The teen told police that he noticed two people on a motorcycle who appeared to be following him. The teen said one of the riders then shot him.

Man shot by Thornton police after allegedly pulling out a handgun

Aurora police said the teen was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries.

Police do not believe the victim and the suspects knew each other. Detectives are working on leads, but no arrests have been made at this time. Anyone who may have witnessed the shooting or has information is asked to call the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and still be eligible for a cash reward.

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Rose Lehane Tureen is one busy teenager.

The 16-year-old is class president, an Irish step dance champion, singer, cross-country runner and straight-A student at her high school in Maine.

Her accomplishments belie the reality that she suffers from a debilitating headache that has lasted for more than four years, one of the several long COVID symptoms she's endured since an infection in March 2020.

At the beginning of her illness, Rose went to the emergency room half a dozen times and was hospitalized twice with dizziness and blinding head pain. She also had red and swollen fingers, toes and ears; peeling skin; joint pain; problems controlling her temperature and terrible dreams.

Rose Lehane Tureen, 16, outside Boston Children's Hospital after an appointment with a neurologist on Aug. 20, 2024, where the Maine teen makes regular visits for the constant headache that began three years ago when she first contracted COVID. When Rose Lehane Tureen got sick at the start of the pandemic, doctors told her kids couldn't get COVID. Today, she still has long-haul symptoms.

She lost years of her life to long COVID and is trying to make up for it.

I had to decide if I wanted to wither away on the couch in the dark or push through and do things that made me happy, she said. "I'm reclaiming what it's taken and trying to live my life."

Rose is one of the estimated 5.8 million children in the U.S. with long COVID, many of whom have not been diagnosed because doctors, parents and patients fail to recognize the constellation of symptoms, experts say. A new study funded by the National Institutes of Health aims to arm families with information, identifying the most common long COVID symptoms in school-age children and teenagers.

Children arent just little adults, said Dr. Melissa Stockwell, the study's coauthor and division chief of child and adolescent health at Columbia University. The more providers understand how long COVID impacts people at different ages, the easier it will be to diagnose children and provide prompt care.

Long COVID kids: Most get better. Doctors worry about those who dont.

Long COVID symptoms in kids, teens

The study included 5,300 younger school-age children and teens from more than 60 health care facilities across the U.S. between March 2022 and December 2023.

Researchers found teenagers between 12 and 17 were more likely to report fatigue, pain and changes in taste and smell, whereas, younger schoolchildren between 6 and 11 were more likely to have difficulty focusing, sleep problems and stomach issues, according to the report published Wednesday in JAMA.

Long COVID symptoms affected almost every organ system, and most patients reported symptoms that affected more than one part of their body.

In the report, younger schoolchildren and teens commonly reported back or neck pain, headaches, lightheadedness or dizziness and trouble with memory or focus. The study authors were also surprised to find that shared symptoms among the younger children included phobias, specifically the fear of crowded or enclosed spaces, and refusal to go to school.

The symptoms that showed up in younger children were less likely to overlap with symptoms experienced by adults with long COVID. The authors said this underscored the importance of age-based research.

Rose Lehane Tureen, 16, center, with her mother Erin Lehane, left, and neurologist Dr. Molly Wilson-Murphy outside Boston Children's Hospital after an appointment on Aug. 20, 2024, where the Maine teen makes regular visits for the constant headache that began more than four years ago when she first contracted COVID. When Rose Lehane Tureen got sick at the start of the pandemic, doctors told her kids couldn't get COVID. Today, she still has long-haul symptoms.

The symptoms that make up the research index are not the only symptoms a child may have and theyre not the most severe, but they are most predictive in determining who may have long COVID, said Dr. Rachel Gross, the study's lead author and associate professor of pediatrics and population health at New York University Grossman School of Medicine.

Rose could have benefited from this research in 2020. It took more than a year to find doctors who would take her cluster of symptoms seriously. She eventually found that team at Boston Children's Hospital.

I went from running a junior Olympic qualifier to being unable to walk, Rose said. It was dramatic and confusing.

Missing 'whole boat' of data

Despite the new research, health experts say a great deal is still unknown about long COVID.

For example, most of the data from the study comes from patients who were infected with earlier COVID-19 variants, not the latest version of omicron, said Dr. Alexandra Yonts, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and director of the post-COVID program at Childrens National Hospital in Washington, D.C.

The study suggests kids infected with omicron are less likely to develop long COVID, however, Yonts argues there isn't enough data to support that theory since omicron hasn't been on the scene long enough to allow for robust long COVID data.

"If were looking at kids that have been newly infected (and) what is their risk of becoming long COVID patients?" she said. "Were missing that whole boat."

Authors of the JAMA study say their next research will be long COVID symptoms in children 5 and younger. Yonts said the most urgent need for these patients is access to post-COVID clinics that specialize in identifying and treating lingering symptoms from a COVID-19 infection. She said these types of efforts are beginning to close down across the country because of a lack of funding and support.

"These are such complex patients," Yonts said. "It's hard to find a multidisciplinary team that can define those symptoms and support them."

That's why Rose, a California native, eventually moved with her family to southern Maine so they could be driving distance from Boston Children's Hospital, where she visits the long COVID clinic at least once a month. In addition to doctors at the hospital's specialized COVID clinic, she's seen nearly a dozen specialists including a sleep neurologist, acupuncturist, gastroenterologist, endocrinologist, rheumatologist and cardiologist, among others.

Rose is disheartened that post-COVID clinics are shutting down for patients like her, but not completely surprised. She sees the world moving on from the pandemic, but she's still in pain. She hopes the JAMA study brings renewed attention to the condition.

Rose Lehane Tureen, 16, with her mother Erin Lehane outside Boston Children's Hospital after an appointment on Aug. 20, 2024, where the Maine teen makes regular visits for the constant headache that began when she first contracted COVID in 2020. When Rose Lehane Tureen got sick at the start of the pandemic, doctors told her kids couldn't get COVID.

"Theres this illusion now that lockdown is over, that COVID is gone," she said. "Its really, really difficult and invalidating for all the people with long COVID  especially children."

Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Surprising new long COVID symptoms show up in kids and teens
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET)  The Tehachapi Police Department is set to host a meeting regarding theft and crime prevention for Tehachapi businesses.

The Retail Business Meeting is set for Aug. 27 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Tehachapi Police Department Community Room located at 220 West C Street.

Sen. Melissa Hurtado pushes bills on Central Valley issues that arent often talked about

Tehachapi city officials say business owners will have the opportunity to meet Chief Richard Standridge and discuss theft prevention, suspicious activity and reporting a crime.

Standridge reminds the community to report emergencies by calling 911 and nonemergencies by calling the Tehachapi Police Department at 661-822-2222.

In a news release, Standridge emphasized If you see something, say something.

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The telecommunications company that transmitted robocalls using artificial intelligence (AI) to mimic President Bidens voice will pay a $1 million fine, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced Wednesday.

Lingo Telecom carried the calls that targeted New Hampshire voters ahead of the Granite States primary in January, using an audio recording of the presidents cloned voice to tell people not to vote.

In addition to the fine, the voice service provider has also agreed to implement a compliance plan, which requires strict adherence to the FCCs framework for caller ID authentication, according to an agency press release.

Every one of us deserves to know that the voice on the line is exactly who they claim to be, FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. If AI is being used, that should be made clear to any consumer, citizen, and voter who encounters it. The FCC will act when trust in our communications networks is on the line.

Steve Kramer, the veteran Democratic operative who admitted to directing the robocalls, separately faces a $6 million proposed fine from the FCC. He was also indicted on 26 felony and misdemeanor charges in New Hampshire for voter suppression and impersonation of a candidate.

This settlement is a major victory for the integrity of elections, especially for New Hampshire and its voters who were targeted, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said in a statement.

By holding Lingo Telecom accountable for its role in transmitting the spoofed robocalls carrying AI-generated messages, the FCC is sending a strong message that election interference and deceptive technology will not be tolerated, he added.

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Russian users on Aug. 21 reported widespread outages of Telegram and WhatsApp messengers, the VKontakte social network, and many other websites and apps.

Although Russian authorities linked the problems to a cyberattack, the news follows the Russian government restricting the Signal messaging app and  reportedly  YouTube.

The most recent outages also affected Wikipedia, Yandex, the Steam video game distribution service, the Twitch streaming service, Skype, the Discord social network, mobile operators and providers, government websites, and more.

The Downdecetor service recorded a spike in outages on Aug. 21, though the number of complaints for sites like Telegram and WhatsApp has dropped as of 3:30 p.m. local time.

Roskomnadzor, the Russian federal censorship agency, blamed the problems on a large-scale DDoS attack and claimed that it had been repelled as of 3 p.m.

According to the Kyiv Independent's sources, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) has launched a number of DDoS attacks against Russia, most recently in late July. The agency has not claimed responsibility for the most recent outages in Russia.

Telegram and WhatsApp were the first services to encounter problems on Aug. 21.

According to comments on the Downdetector website, Telegram also experienced outages in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Problems with WhatsApp were recorded only by Russian users. Some said that the services become accessible when using a virtual private network (VPN).

Read also: Russia blocks Signal messaging app, reportedly plans to block WhatsApp

Mikhail Klimarev, director of the anti-censorship NGO Internet Protection Society, commented that a DDoS attack on "all operators in Russia" would not be possible.

"And how can we explain that messengers and several other services crashed, while the rest (including VPN, by the way) remained operational?" Klimarev asked.

Instead, the expert suggested that Russian authorities are attempting to block the messeging apps. He explained the outages in Central Asian states by pointing out that network transit to these countries goes through Russia.

Telegram was founded by Russian-born businessman Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai, but the company is headquartered in the United Arab Emirates. WhatsApp, co-founded by Ukrainian entrepreneur Jan Koum, is owned by Meta.

These services are among the remaining platforms for Russian citizens to avoid government censorship amid an increasingly harsh crackdown on information space.

The efforts to suppress the freedom of speech, particularly regarding information that contradicts its narratives about the full-scale war, has intensified since 2022.

After Roskomnadzor moved to block Signal due to alleged "violations of Russian law," rumors emerged about plans to block WhatsApp as well.

Meanwhile, YouTube has begun experiencing massive outages following reports that the Russian government is planning to block the site completely in September.

Read also: Russian phishing campaign targets Kremlins enemies at home and abroad

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
You are here: China

Direct passenger flights between Xi'an, the capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) resumed on Tuesday.

The resumption of the service completes Xi'an's network of air routes to major cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Operated by China Eastern Airlines, the round-trip flights will run twice weekly and are scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays, according to the Xi'an Xianyang International Airport.

Outbound flights will leave Xi'an at 9:05 a.m. and arrive in Macao SAR at noon, and return flights will depart from Macao SAR at 1 p.m. and land in Xi'an at 4:05 p.m.

The resumption of these flights enhances the route network between Xi'an and the Greater Bay Area, fostering deeper economic, cultural and tourism cooperation.

Xi'an already offers flights to Hong Kong SAR, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai. The Xi'an-Macao SAR route expands travel options for tourism and business activities between the two regions.
A 40-year-old Lincoln man has been sentenced to 9 years in federal prison for selling drugs that led to an overdose death of a woman in 2020.

Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter Jr. sentenced Joe Shultz Friday in federal court in Omaha to the prison term, plus three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Shultz pleaded guilty.

There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Susan Lehr said on April 27, 2020, Shultz delivered fentanyl to a woman, which contributed to her overdosing.

She said Lincoln police contacted Shultz after the woman's death, and he admitted he had sold her two fentanyl pills hours before her death. She died of buprenorphine and fentanyl toxicity after taking one of the pills.

Top Journal Star photos for August 2024
As Tennessee grows, more digging may lead to utility damage. Here's how to prevent that

In 2023, Tennessee became the fourth fastest-growing state in the nation  with 95% of its counties experiencing spikes in population.

As the state works to provide essential services to growing communities, it will be crucial that infrastructure improvements are made to keep pace with the influx of new residents.

Most infrastructure projects, regardless of scale or scope, share a common denominator: They include digging. When digging takes place, there are important steps that must be taken to mitigate risks underground utilities face during expansion.

Here is the solution to preventing damage to utilities

In 2023, there were 8,638 reported damages to utilities in Tennessee, many of which could have been prevented. As the population expands and additional utility, broadband, and infrastructure projects begin, collaboration is paramount so the lights stay on, the internet remains connected, residents have access to essential utilities, and workers and members of our community are safe during digging projects.

No matter the size of the project, keep utilities safe by contacting 811 before digging.

On Aug. 11  also known as 8/11 Day  Common Ground Alliance (CGA) and Tennessee 811 joined forces to emphasize the importance of safe digging practices across the state. It's crucial to recognize that every ground-breaking project, no matter how small, should begin with one essential step  contacting 8-1-1.

Whether a homeowner is installing a mailbox, or a construction company is developing a new large-scale project, contacting Tennessee 811 is an essential step to preventing dig-ins to buried utilities that can result in millions of dollars in property damage and possible injury.

In fact, Tennessees Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act requires that everyone who digs contact Tennessee 811 at least three days before starting a project.

More: East Bank development deal advances toward final Nashville Council consideration

To ensure safe, sustainable infrastructure growth in Tennessee, we ask everyone to contact 811 before digging to protect the utilities that keep our lives running smoothly on a daily basis.

Reducing utilities damage by 50% will go a long way

We must all recognize that no single industry is responsible for damages to utilities. Utility companies, contractors, state and local governments and homeowners are all a part of the damage prevention process and must be accountable for their role in protecting access to services our communities rely on daily.

Sarah Magruder Lyle

We continue to make progress in this work across Tennessee, and we commend our states leadership for their focus on damage prevention. We are grateful for the dedication of Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act sponsors Sen. Page Walley, R-Savannah, and Rep. Pat Marsh, R-Shelbyville, in pushing forward and improving the states damage prevention law every year.

To highlight the importance of protecting our underground utilities, last year, CGA challenged the industry to reduce damage to buried infrastructure by 50% in five years. This is a goal that Tennessee can champion by supporting safe digging practices in tandem with increased growth and investment in state infrastructure.

More: Fire department: Construction work across city prompts increase in natural gas line breaks

Tennessee 811 will continue to serve as a resource across the state. The team processed more than one million incoming locate requests in 2023 and answered incoming calls within 21.5 seconds. Together, we invite you to partner with us by supporting safe digging practices and legislation like the states Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act that will help protect our communities for today and tomorrow.

Bill Turner

Sarah Magruder Lyle is president and CEO of the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), and Bill Turner is president of Tennessee 811.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Protect Tennessee infrastructure by preventing utilities damage
A Tennessee lawmakers challenge to his election loss threatens to nullify citizens votes and further suppress voter turnout in a state that already ranks at the bottom.

Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, lost the state House District 33 Aug. 1 primary election to challenger Rick Scarbrough by only 258 votes. The Tennessee Secretary of States office reported 2,963 votes for Scarbrough to 2,705 for Ragan.

Ragan does not contest that he received fewer votes than his opponent, but he alleges that many of those ballots cast came from people who are not bona fide members of the Republican Party  or in the lawmakers estimation, Democrats who crossed party lines.

Tennessee has open primaries, which means people do not have to declare a party affiliation and may choose to vote Republican in one primary election and Democratic in another one. However, there is a vague unenforced state law that requires primary voters to be bona fide members of their political party.

In its bylaws, the Tennessee GOP considers a bona fide Republican someone who is loyal to the party.

The Tennessee Democratic Party in its bylaws uses the word faithful to define bona fide but makes exceptions in the spirit of an inclusive and a growing Party.

Regardless of how the parties define it, citizens in an open-primary state should reasonably expect freedom to choose how to vote.

If several hundred votes are wiped away to tip the scale for a defeated incumbent, that is a travesty of democracy.

Gerrymandering and letters to naturalized citizens deter voters

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Elections Performance Index ranked Tennessee as 51st in voter turnout for the 2022 election among all the other states and the District of Columbia.

Tennessee Rep. John Ragan, a Republican from Oak Ridge, speaks at a July 9 political forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. On his right is GOP challenger Rick Scarbrough of Clinton, and Anne Backus, left, an Oak Ridger seeking the Democratic nomination in the race. District 33 includes all of Oak Ridge and most of Anderson County.

Voter turnout in the Aug. 1 primary election was 14%  the lowest it has been in decades.

This should horrify elected officials and move them to action to reverse course.

The state that was sued into fighting for one-man, one-vote (Baker v. Carr Supreme Court decision) should uphold a high civic standard.

Instead, in recent years, citizens have felt further disenfranchised.

The gerrymander of 2022 that split majority Democratic Nashville into three Republican-leaning districts diluted the vote for 700,000 residents.

No wonder some Democrats voted in Republican primaries.

Then, there was the Secretary of States decision over the summer to send 14,375 naturalized citizens official letters requesting proof of citizenship.

They were told they could face a felony conviction including two years in prison and a $5,000 fine if they voted unlawfully.

This amounted to intimidation.

Surely, there was a better way than the government sending threatening letters to ordinary citizens who already took one of the most patriotic steps imaginable in this country: Becoming a U.S. citizen.

Candidates should follow party rules, but let the voters make their own choices

Republicans dominate Tennessee state politics  the governors mansion and the super majority in the General Assembly.

However, Democrats have both employed gerrymandering and enforced party "bona fide" rules to benefit their political aspirations across the nation and in Tennessee.

The Tennessean reported that state Sen. Rosalind Kurita, a Democrat in District 22, was stripped of her 2008 primary win by the TNDP because her opponent, eventual Sen. Tim Barnes, alleged Republicans crossed over to vote for her.

Sen. Rosalind Kurita, I-Clarksville

Kurita did not succeed in a court challenge to retain her seat.

Requiring loyalty or faithfulness from the candidates themselves makes sense for political parties. However, voters should retain the choice to make a decision that best suits their interests.

In the marketplace of ideas, the best candidate would win regardless of party label. Perhaps, that is wishful thinking.

Scarbrough, Representative Ragans opponent, is right that when said: I do fear the dangers this path may pose for our Party, our focus, and the faith all voters have in our election process.

Whoever is the ultimate winner faces Democratic nominee Anne Backus, who was unopposed in the Aug. 1 Democratic primary but earned 2,381 votes  582 fewer votes than Scarbrough and 324 votes fewer than Ragan received.

Election integrity is as much about the ensuring the process is right as much as it is about voters having faith in the system.

Candidates sometimes win and sometimes they lose. That is the democratic process.

Ragan should drop his challenge and accept his loss, and lawmakers should respect the intelligence of Tennessee voters to make good decisions at the ballot box.

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: Josh Ragan election challenge is voter intimidation, suppression
When do the Tennessee Three speak at the DNC? Meet the Volunteer State lawmakers

Three politicians that came in prominence in the wake of gun control protest in 2023 are set to speak at the 2024 Democratic National Convention this week.

Tennessee state Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were dubbed the Tennessee Three after Republicans sought to expel them from their seats in the Tennessee House of Representatives following a gun control protest last year in the wake of the deadly Covenant School shooting that killed six people, including three children.

The three are in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention and are expected to take the stage this week ahead of Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Tennessee Three are state Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson. The three democrats gained names for themselves for standing together and supporting gun control after the Covenant School shooting.

All three House Democrats approached the podium between bills in 2023 without being recognized to speak and led protestors in the galleries in several chants calling for gun reform. This led to Republicans to call for their dismissal due to "disorderly behavior."

When are the Tennessee Three expected to speak at the DNC this week?

Jones, Johnson and Pearson are expected to take the national convention stage on Thursday, Aug. 22. The time they will speak has not been announced at this time.

Where can I watch, stream the DNC?

The convention will air live on its website, between 5:15 p.m. to 10 p.m. CT Thursday.

USA TODAY will provide livestream coverage on YouTube each night of the DNC. You can also watch it below.

What will the Tennessee Three be speaking about at the DNC?

Jones, who represents Nashville, told CNN the trio will address gun violence in the country.

"Last year we were expelled for fighting for common sense gun laws, and the next day Vice President Kamala Harris came to Tennessee, sat in solidarity with us in our fight for democracy, in our fight to protect kids, not guns. That's why I'm here," Jones said.

Who is Gloria Johnson?

Johnson currently represents District 90 in Knoxville and is running against U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, for the incumbent's U.S. Senate seat along with her Tennessee House of Representative seat.

She was first elected to the legislature in 2012 for District 13. Johnson lost her reelection bid in 2014 and again in 2016 by fewer than 200 votes each time to Republican Eddie Smith, but she became the comeback kid and won the seat back in the 2018 and in 2022 won reelection in the newly created District 90.

Johnson is a retired teacher. Born in Colorado, she moved to Knoxville as a child, graduated from Farragut High School and earned a bachelor of arts degree in education from the University of Tennessee Knoxville.

Who is Justin Pearson?

Pearson became widely known in Memphis when he co-founded a grassroots organization called Memphis Community Against the Pipeline. The group was against a planned crude oil pipeline that was expected to cut through backyards in South Memphis, particularly in the Boxtown neighborhood.

He translated that leadership to a seat in the Tennessee legislature as one of the youngest representatives after the death of educator and state Rep. Barbara Cooper, who died in 2022.

A native Memphian, Pearson attended Mitchell High School, where he advocated for textbook access for students. He is also a graduate of Bowdoin College in Maine, where he majored in government and legal and education studies.

Who is Justin Jones?

Jones is also one of the youngest members of the Tennessee legislature as the House District 52 representative for part of Nashville in November 2022.

Before coming to the Tennessee Capitol, Jones was (and still is) a vocal advocate for free speech, voting access, Medicaid expansion and representation of working class and minority residents, and a critic of the Republican supermajority. He also led sit-ins and protests in 2019 calling for the removal of a bust of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest from the second floor of the Capitol. His advocacy and protest activity has led to his arrest several times as the Capitol that he now sits in helping to make legislation.

Originally from Oakland, California, Jones made his way to Nashville as a student at Fisk University in 2013 where he was a policy and activism fellow at the John Lewis Center for Social Justice. Activism has always been part of Jones's life before coming to Tennessee and he continued that since coming to the state.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Three to speak at 2024 DNC: When and who they are
Texas AG investigates if noncitizens are being registered to vote, including outside DPS offices

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened an investigation into claims of nonprofit organizations registering noncitizens to vote in the state.

Texans are deeply troubled by the possibility that organizations purporting to assist with voter registration are illegally registering noncitizens to vote in our elections, Paxton said in a press release on Wednesday. If eligible citizens can legally register to vote when conducting their business at a DPS office, why would they need a second opportunity to register with a booth outside?

The announcement follows a report of a massive line of immigrants being registered to vote outside a DMV office in Weatherford by Fox News personality Maria Bartiromo, who posted the claim on X on Sunday morning and later repeated it on television.

The AGs press release does not mention Bartiromos post.

The source for Bartiromos report appears to be the wife of a friend of a friend.

The Star-Telegram followed up on the claim on Monday, visiting the Driver License office in Weatherford  which is run by the Department of Public Safety, not Motor Vehicles  and observed no such registration activities taking place.

A Fox News spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A DPS spokesperson told the Star-Telegram that the story was not true and that the assumption that nonwhite people waiting in line to get driver licenses was kind of racist.

He confirmed that a group was registering people to vote outside a DPS office in Lake Worth the previous week, but not at the other sites mentioned in Bartiromos post.

The spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the AGs investigation.

Brady Gray, Republican party chair in Parker County, said in a post on X Monday evening that the party had spent the last 24 hours investigating the claims and could not verify them.

But on Wednesday Gray said in a post on X that people trying to apply his statement to Texas as a whole were zealots.

He told the Star-Telegram that his partys investigation only applied to Parker County and that the Texas AGs Office has far more resources than his organization.

To make a leap from that to suggest that that somehow refutes any claims anywhere in the state is a pretty ridiculous and frankly irresponsible thing for anybody to do, he said.

Gray said he believes Paxton had more to go on when opening the investigation than a friends friends wifes story.

I have no information on that, but I would not assume out of the gate that the only thing the Attorney General has is a claim from a Fox News host, he said.

Paxtons office has already confirmed that various nonprofit organizations have been engaging in this activity, the press release states.

The AGs office did not immediately respond to an inquiry into which organizations it had identified and how many such cases had been confirmed.

Paxtons comment that a voter registration tent outside a DPS office would be unnecessary is not entirely accurate, according to Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas, which works to expand voting rights in the state.

DPS is not a well-oiled machine known for doing their job really, really well in Texas, he said, adding that one of those things is asking people if they want to register to vote.

The idea that organizations doing voter registration outside DPS are doing something wrong is just faulty on its face, Gutierrez said. Theyre just registering people to vote where they think people are who may not be registered.

What safeguards are in place?

A person from an organization registering people to vote would be a volunteer deputy registrar who is not allowed to determine if the applicant is actually qualified to register to vote, according to the Texas Secretary of States website.

The Star-Telegram contacted the Secretary of State to ask about the feasibility of noncitizens registering to vote in Texas.

A spokesperson directed the paper to an Aug. 12 press release in which Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson said, The State of Texas uses safeguards and checks against noncitizen voting, which is illegal under state law.

A bill that Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law last year makes noncitizen voting a second-degree felony, and another he signed in 2021 created additional election integrity measures including ongoing citizenship checks of Texas voter rolls and ID requirements for mail-in ballots.

The SOS regularly checks voter registration lists with DPS information on noncitizens and also compares them to lists of people who have been barred from jury duty for lack of citizenship, according to the press release, which is titled, Texas Leads the Way Against Noncitizen Voting.

Texans can challenge a persons voter registration based on citizenship, leading to a hearing and cancellation of the registration if the person is not a citizen. And another law Abbott signed in 2021 allows the SOS to withhold funds from counties that do not remove noncitizens from its voting rolls..

Texans must also present a valid ID at a polling station in order to vote on election day, according to another SOS website.

Tarrant County formed an Election Integrity Task Force in February 2023. The unit comprised of sheriffs office investigators and district attorney prosecutors has investigated 12 cases since then. It has prosecuted zero.
Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that Audrey Louiss district does not include Bexar County.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons (R) office executed search warrants in one of the states largest urban counties  and biggest Democratic strongholds  where it alleges vote tampering.

On Tuesday, the attorney generals office searched offices in Bexar County, the states fourth most populous county and the home of San Antonio.

The office said the searches followed a two-year investigation and that secure elections are the cornerstone of our republic.

The searches came amid a broader push by Paxton to prosecute election fraud  a campaign that in 2023 spent $2.3 million to prosecute just four cases, according to the Houston Chronicle.

We are completely committed to protecting the security of the ballot box and the integrity of every legal vote. This means ensuring accountability for anyone committing election crimes, Paxton said in a statement.

The office said the case was referred by state District Attorney Audrey Louis, a conservative Republican whose district abuts Bexar.

Louis made that referral in 2022, after a unanimous 2021 ruling by the Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA). Appellate court judges found that Paxton could not unilaterally investigate election crimes and required him to only prosecute such cases in conjunction with a local DA  a ruling that drove Paxton to urge supporters to flood the court with calls.

The CCAs shameful decision means local DAs with radical liberal views have the sole power to prosecute election fraud in TXwhich they will never do, Paxton wrote at the time.

Louis unseated Democratic incumbent Rene Pena  her former boss  in 2016. Pena fired her hours after she announced her candidacy.

While the less populous nearby Frio and Atascosa counties are in her jurisdiction, Bexar County is not.

The attorney generals office has declined to give further details on the ongoing investigation, which is playing out amid narrower-than-expected national races for both president and Congress in Texas and in the aftermath of Paxtons efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

While polling shows Republican presidential nominee and Paxton ally former President Trump continuing to lead in Texas, Democrats appear to be narrowing the gap. A recent poll from ActiVote found Vice President Harris behind by 6.6 points  a tighter margin than the one Trump defeated Joe Biden by in 2020.

That margin is roughly the same as the one in the Senate race between Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R), according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQs polling tracker, though that race polled as close as 3 points in a July survey by two Texas universities.

In 2020, Biden took 2-million-voter-strong Bexar County by an 18-point margin, while Trump took rural Atascosa and Frio counties  the latter as a result of a 21-point shift toward Republicans that is part of a broader movement of some Texas Latino voters toward the GOP.

Paxton was at the forefront of GOP efforts to overturn Bidens victory and has spent years promoting false claims that the president stole the election. In December 2020, he sued four battleground states that Biden had won, saying at the time that their failure to abide by the rule of law casts a dark shadow of doubt over the outcome of the entire election.

The conservative-majority Supreme Court threw that suit out three days after Paxton filed it, and the Texas State Bar has sought to discipline the attorney general for what a Bar disciplinary community called a dishonest suit.

Over Paxtons protests, a state appellate court found in April that the Bar could discipline him for the suit  leading Paxton to appeal in June to the state Supreme Court to investigate the appellate court for its politically motivated lawfare against him for the finding.

In that filing, Paxton asked the states high court to intervene to prevent the State Bars continued abuse of the legal system.

 Updated at 3:21 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.
This article was originally published in The Texas Tribune.

English-learning students scores on a state test designed to measure their mastery of the language fell sharply and have stayed low since 2018  a drop that bilingual educators say might have less to do with students skills and more with sweeping design changes and the automated computer scoring system that were introduced that year.

English learners who used to speak to a teacher at their school as part of the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System now sit in front of a computer and respond to prompts through a microphone. The Texas Education Agency uses software programmed to recognize and evaluate students speech.

Students scores dropped after the new test was introduced, a Texas Tribune analysis shows. In the previous four years, about half of all students in grades 4-12 who took the test got the highest score on the tests speaking portion, which was required to be considered fully fluent in English. Since 2018, only about 10% of test takers have gotten the top score in speaking each year.

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Passing TELPAS is not a graduation requirement, but the test scores can impact students. Bilingual educators say students who dont test out of TELPAS often have to remain longer in remedial English courses, which might limit their elective options and keep their teachers from recommending them for advanced courses that would help make them better candidates when they apply for college.

The way the state education agency currently tests English learners skills frustrates some educators who say many of their students are already fully capable of communicating in English but might be getting low marks in the test because of the design changes.

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Youre putting [students] in an artificial environment, which already reduces the ability of students to give you natural language, said Jennifer Phillips, an educator with two decades of experience teaching bilingual students in Texas. Its a flawed system.

TELPAS scores also account for 3% of the grades the TEA gives school districts and campuses in its A-F accountability rating system. Though they only represent a small portion of their rating, TELPAS scores might be more significant for school districts at a time when they have grown increasingly worried about how the state evaluates their performance. Several districts have sued TEA to block the release of the last two years of ratings, arguing that recent changes to the metrics made it harder to get a good rating and could make them more susceptible to state intervention.

TEAs use of an automated scoring engine to score portions of TELPAS has also come under scrutiny after the agency used the same tool to evaluate short-answer and essay questions in this years State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, the states standardized test that all students in grades 4-12 take to measure their understanding of core subjects. Educators are weary of using an automated system to score STAAR and list it as one of their complaints in the districts latest lawsuit against the state.

Testing English learners skills

When students enter a public school in Texas, they are classified as emergent bilingual if they indicate they speak a language other than English at home and fail a preliminary English assessment. About a quarter of Texas students have that designation.

Federal law requires Texas to assess English learners progress regularly. Texas is one of only a handful of states that developed its own test instead of using the exam used in other parts of the country.

Each spring, about a million emergent bilingual students in Texas public schools take the TELPAS exam, which consists of four parts: listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Before 2018, teachers with TELPAS training would administer the test at students schools. Listening and reading evaluations were, and still remain, multiple-choice sections measuring student comprehension. For writing, teachers would gather and assess a sample of students work in the classroom throughout the school year. For speaking, teachers would talk to students in one-on-one evaluations or fill out a rubric based on their observations of students English fluency throughout the year.

When the TEA moved the test online, it changed the testing environment and scoring method. The change sought to standardize the test and make the results more reliable, an agency spokesperson said. The automated scoring technology helped deliver speaking assessment results more quickly. Last year, the automated scoring system started evaluating students written responses.

In each of the four assessment categories, students get a score of beginner, intermediate, advanced or advanced high. Students have to continue taking the test each year until they score advanced high in at least three categories; they may score advanced in the other one and still pass. Before this year, students had to score advanced high in every domain.

Several bilingual educators the Tribune spoke with for this story said the low test scores students have received since the test was changed do not reflect their actual performance in the classroom, adding that many English learners communicate better than their scores suggest. While English-learning students scores have improved on the STAAR test since 2021, the TELPAS scores  particularly in speaking  have remained low since the test was changed.

It is a little disheartening, said Ericka Dillon, director of bilingual education and English as a Second Language courses at Northside ISD in the San Antonio area. The district has about 14,500 emergent bilingual students, a significant number of whom are proficient in English but struggle to reach advanced high on the TELPAS assessment, she said.

Theyre doing the best that they can, but they still wont be able to meet that criteria, Dillon said.

In response to a Tribune data analysis showing that the average number of passing TELPAS scores in speaking dropped after TEA redesigned the test and introduced the automated scoring system, an agency spokesperson said, Its not uncommon to see performance adjustments when student performance is evaluated in a standardized manner across the state. The spokesperson also noted that speaking and writing are by nature more challenging than listening and reading.

The TEA has vigorously defended its automated scoring engine, rejecting comparisons of the technology to artificial intelligence. The agency has said humans oversee and train the system as well as monitor its results. The TEA said a technical advisory council has approved the technology, and when the program encounters a student response that its training does not know how to handle, it directs it to a human to score.

This year, the TEA said that at least 25% of the TELPAS writing and speaking assessments were re-routed to a human scorer to check the programs work. That number oscillated between 17% and 23% in the previous six years, according to public records obtained by the Tribune.

Score changes after human reviews

One of the reasons educators are skeptical of TELPAS automated system is how scores sometimes change when they ask for a review. Humans rescore speaking and writing assessments.

Last year, 9% of the TELPAS speaking assessments that TEA reviewed got a higher score; that number was 13% the year before. The automated system initially scored more than 95% of the assessments that improved after a second look, public records show.

Spring Branch ISD officials said the percentage of assessments that improved after requesting a rescore was even higher at their district. They sent more than 800 speaking assessments for rescoring in 2022, and more than a third got a better score after they were reviewed. The next year, about half of their submissions improved after rescoring, officials said.

If the evidence from our rescoring submissions is any indication, the system leaves a lot to be desired for its accuracy, said Keith Haffey, executive director of assessment and compliance at Spring Branch ISD.

Its unclear how many assessments would lead to a better grade after a second look since most results go unchallenged. The number of rescored assessments each year is less than 1% of the total TELPAS tests administered. Educators say they have to weigh costs and time constraints when deciding whether to request a rescore. Reviews are free if they result in a better score; if they dont, schools have to pay $50 per rescoring request.

In addition, educators say its not easy to decide which results to challenge because they havent had access to students audio responses. This contrasts with STAAR results: Written student responses are readily available online to districts.

If we cant hear how they did on TELPAS, we cant say if this is where they really are or not, Dillon said.

The TEA says district testing coordinators can request listening sessions, but some educators said the agencys director of student assessments told them only parents can request the files. A TEA spokesperson said that person misspoke.

In response to district feedback, the TEA spokesperson said districts and parents will have easier access to all TELPAS responses starting in the 2024-25 school year.

Not an accurate reflection

Edith Trevino, known affectionately as Dr. ET, used to be the ESL specialist for the TEAs education service center in Edinburg. Now she runs a private consulting practice helping students pass TELPAS.

Trevino said she worries that the automated scoring system penalizes students who are fluent in English but speak with an accent, mix in a few words from their native tongue or stray from using academic language.

Children are not supposed to answer like regular people, according to TELPAS, she said.

To score advanced high in the tests speaking portion, students must respond to each prompt with answers that last 45 to 90 seconds. They have two chances to record a response and they need to use academic language fitting their grade level.

But Trevino said the prompts are often simple and do not require long answers. In a recent TikTok video, she said some questions were like asking students to identify an orange.

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California Celebrates Its Linguistic Diversity While Shortchanging Bilingual Ed

Because passing TELPAS is not a graduation requirement and scores only account for a small portion of campus and district accountability ratings, some schools do not prioritize helping students prepare for the test. But the results can affect students educational journey.

Many school districts enroll English-learning students in ESL courses, which can prevent them from taking certain electives and advanced courses because of scheduling conflicts. Teachers or staff might also hesitate to recommend a student to advanced courses if they are still taking ESL courses, Phillips said. Those advanced courses, especially at the high school level, are crucial to being competitive in college admissions.

She said any school policies that keep English learners from participating in advanced courses would amount to language-based discrimination. Nevertheless, she said its a common practice shes observed in her career as an educator and while studying for her doctorate in education.

Its not in the law, but its in practice, Phillips said.

Not being able to test out of TELPAS can also impact students experience in school. Kids failing to pass the test could internalize the failure, which in turn makes them vulnerable to further academic struggles, Phillips said.

What this does to childrens self-esteem is horrible, Trevino said, particularly for students who can speak English well but have test results that tell them they are not proficient.

Carlene Thomas, the former ESL coordinator for the TEA who now is the CEO of an education consulting company, said she would like to see the TEA use more sophisticated tools that enable more conversational student responses to ensure TELPAS is meaningful in how students interact socially and with content material.

She added that educators should also help students by giving them more opportunities to practice speaking English during class, relying less on direct translation and ensuring they understand the stakes and structure of the test.

But as of now, she said, TELPAS is not giving us an accurate reflection of where our students are.

The full program is now LIVE for the 2024 Texas Tribune Festival, happening Sept. 57 in downtown Austin. Explore the program featuring more than 100 unforgettable conversations on topics covering education, the economy, Texas and national politics, criminal justice, the border, the 2024 elections and so much more. See the full program.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/13/texas-telpas-bilingual-students-test-scores/. The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.
NORTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Clint Clifford Sicking, 40, from Muenster, Texas, is the second person charged in connection to a $780,000 scheme involving the theft of livestock, according to the United States Attorneys Office.

On Aug. 2, 25-year-old William Dalton Edwards pled guilty for his participation in the scheme.

MORE: Mount Airy man pleads guilty to conspiracy after alleged $1M cattle theft scheme: DOJ

Sicking and Edwards are accused of conspiring with another person to steal from livestock markets and sale barns in Iredell County, Cleveland County, Texas, Oklahoma and Virginia between April 2018 and October 2022.

Authorities say Sicking and Edwards knowingly wrote false checks as payment for cattle. The livestock would then be taken out of state to sell in Texas and Oklahoma.

According to court documents, the duo fraudulently obtained more than 900 head of cattle which caused more than $780,000 in losses to barns in North Carolina. Despite the supposed fraud, the family-owned livestock markets in North Carolina still had to pay the farmers and ranchers.

Sicking is charged with conspiring to defraud the United States and to violate the laws of the United States. Officials say hes also charged with:

Bank fraud

Theft of livestock

2 counts of interstate transportation of stolen livestock

2 counts of sale receipt of stolen livestock

The maximum sentence for selling livestock is five years in prison. Meanwhile, the maximum sentence for brand fraud is 30 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 Queen City News.
As parts of Texas continue seeing record heat with more in the forecast, folks are cranking up their air conditioning and setting up fans to seek relief. State workers are now reporting the power grid has reached record demand.

What's the status of the Texas power grid, and what is expected for the rest of August? Here's what to know.

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ERCOT reports record-high power demand, as predicted by June report

The demand on the Texas power grid reached a record high on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas told the Dallas Morning News. With a large portion of the state under an excessive heat warning, demand peaked at 85,559 megawatts late in the afternoon  breaking the record of 85,508 megawatts set last August.

While outside temperatures directly influence demand, other factors include the Lone Star State's growing population and expansion of users on the industrial scale, such as data centers and cryptocurrency mining. Texas is also the only state in the contiguous U.S. to operate its own power grid to avoid federal regulation.

Though power throughout the state remained largely unaffected by the strain as of midday Wednesday, Harris County reported around 8,500 customers were experiencing outages.

The Texas A&M Forest Service inspects burned grass near power lines in February after the Grape Vine Creek Fire in the Texas Panhandle.

In June, ERCOT predicted challenges for August, such as an increased likelihood of an emergency alert during certain parts of the day. While midnight through 4 p.m. shows a low probability of an emergency alert, chances rise between 4 and 7 p.m. before jumping over 16% at 8 p.m. and dropping to 5% for the next hour. Changes of ordering controlled outages also spike around 9 p.m.

"Reserve shortage risks are the highest during the evening hours...when daily loads are typically near their highest levels and solar production is ramping down," the report from June says.

Walt Baum, the CEO of the newly formed electric energy advocacy group Powering Texans, said the report reinforces the need for Texas to aggressively develop additional power generation capacity.

Its important to note that ERCOTs recent monthly outlook for August is intended to help prepare for all possible scenarios, including a worst-case scenario that would see demand peak for a limited amount of time," said Baum, whose organization's member companies are seeking to add 5,000 megawatts to the Texas grid.

It turns out ERCOT's predictions for August were accurate. Tuesday's peak in demand, along with Harris County outages, comes amid news of Houston securing a new battery energy storage system.

Houston to get battery energy storage system

A handful of Harris County residents may be experiencing power outages now, but energy company Jupiter Power is looking to change that. The same day power demand peaked in Texas, Jupiter announced the completion of its 400 megawatt hours (MWh) dispatchable power facility.

The Callisto I battery energy storage system (BESS) aims to contribute to the city's supply of reliable zero-emissions power. The location, a former fossil fuel power plant, sits in central Houston near the Medical Center and the Houston ship channel. According to the announcement, the plant will be capable of supporting an additional 400MW/800MWh of battery storage generation.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas power grid status: Demand peaks amid excessive heat, ERCOT says
A Texas-based telecommunications company is being ordered to pay a $1 million penalty following robocalls that used an AI-generated recording of President Joe Bidens voice to discourage people from voting in the New Hampshire primary election, violating state election laws, according to a news release from the Federal Communications Commission.

The calls, transmitted by Lingo Telecom, were directed by political consultant Steve Kramer in an attempt to interfere with the primary election, the release says.

The civil settlement comes after Walter Monk, of Arlington, and Texas-based Life Corp were served with a cease and desist order issued in February by New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella. They were identified as the source of the deepfake calls, according to the FCC.

Lingo Telecom, identified as the voice provider, stopped providing services to Life Corp when it learned of the investigations being conducted by the New Hampshire Department of Justice, the FCC said in a February news release.

The robocalls were issued two days before the Jan. 23 primary, spoofing caller IDs to make it appear that they were coming from a former Democratic committee chair, according to the FCC.

In the calls, registered Democratic voters were told, Your vote makes a difference in November, not this Tuesday, the February news release said.

In addition to the civil penalty, Lingo Telecom is ordered to implement a historic compliance plan, requiring adherence to the FCCs caller ID authentication rules. The company is also to abide by Know Your Customer and Know Your Upstream Provider principles, allowing phone carriers to monitor call traffic and ensure authentication, the release states.

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Every one of us deserves to know that the voice on the line is exactly who they claim to be, said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in the release. If AI is being used, that should be made clear to any consumer, citizen, and voter who encounters it. The FCC will act when trust in our communications networks is on the line.

In May, the FCC issued a separate enforcement action against Kramer, fining him $6 million for the deepfake robocalls.

He was indicted on 26 state charges, 13 counts of voter suppression and 13 counts of impersonation of a candidate, Formella announced May 23.

The veteran consultant had a six-figure contract with the campaign of Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., according to a report by NBC. Phillips dropped out of the presidential race after the New Hampshire primary, NBC reported.

Voter intimidation... can stand as a real barrier for voters seeking to exercise their voice in our democracy, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division said in a statement. Every voter has the fundamental right to cast their ballot free from unlawful intimidation, coercion and disinformation schemes.

This settlement is a major victory for the integrity of elections, especially for New Hampshire and its voters who were targeted. By holding Lingo Telecom accountable for its role in transmitting the spoofed robocalls carrying AI-generated messages, the FCC is sending a strong message that election interference and deceptive technology will not be tolerated, Formella said.

The settlement is the latest in the FCCs series of actions taken to protect consumers from AI-generated scams that mislead and misinform the public, the release says.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  A federal jury has convicted two members of a violent criminal organization based in Columbus, who conspired to traffic more than 2,000 pounds of marijuana.

According to the United States Attorneys Office, Southern District of Ohio, Klegewerges Abate and Abubakarr Savage, both of Columbus, were found guilty on all charges after a jury deliberated for less than six hours in federal court.

Abate, also known as Bells, Robell, and Sosa, was convicted on conspiring to traffic at least 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, firearms offenses and wire fraud related to illegally obtaining COVID-19 pandemic relief funds. Savage, or Sav or Savdripp, was convicted of conspiring to distribute at least 1,000 kilograms of marijuana.

Man arrested tied to shooting near Ohio State Fair and Cold Brew Coffee heist

While Ohio legalized recreational cannabis in 2023 and recently launched sales, there remains a prohibition at the federal level, where the pair were prosecuted. The amount investigators found them holding also vastly exceeds the legal possession limit set in state law.

The two are members of the Third World Mob, according to court documents. Members associated with the gang brought hundreds of pounds of marijuana from across the country to sell in central Ohio. Conspirators used U-Haul trucks and rental cars to move drugs and used stash or trap houses, owned or leased in other individuals names to facilitate drug trafficking and cash storage.

Authorities state that in Aug. 2019 Abate and others possessed a suitcase with approximately $940,000 in cash at a house on Phlox Avenue in Blacklick. During a search of another Blacklick home, on Chapel Stone Road, officials found two co-conspirators and seized more than 700 kilograms of marijuana and three firearms.

Hype isnt dying around Ohio recreational marijuana, sales data shows

Surveillance video shown at Abates trial showed him shooting a man at a restaurant in Columbus and the jury heard testimony of other examples of violence, including shootings and pistol-whipping.

In total, the United States Attorneys Office states that seven members of the Third World Mob have been charged federally since 2021, including Menelik Solomon, who was sentenced to over 15 years in prison. Teddy Asefa pleaded guilty to similar charges that Abate faced.

Sentencing hearing information was not made available in the release.

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Thousands of Russian troops are likely trapped in a pocket of Kursk Oblast after Ukraine destroyed three bridges over the Seim River.

Thousands of Russian troops are bogged down on the south side of the Seim River in Russias Kursk Oblast because Ukraine blew up the three bridges crossing it, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told The War Zone on Tuesday, the 15th day of the invasion.

There are about 3,000 Russian troops there, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss operational details. The Russians have little room to maneuver because the Seim River snakes around that part of Kursk Oblast to the Ukrainian border and Ukrainian troops are pushing to the west toward Glushkovo. As we mentioned yesterday, it is part of an effort to create a border buffer zone.

They will not fight, the source said of the Russian forces there outside of the border village of Tetkino. Most of them are inexperienced and demotivated.

Ukraine is also attempting to push eastward through that part of Kursk by taking Tetkino, the source added. The goal is to trap Russian troops in a pincer. Though under constant bombardment, Tetkino remains in Russian hands.

Russian troops are trapped between the villages of Tetkino and Glushkovo south of the Seim River. (Google Earth image)

His estimate on Russian troop levels there aligns with earlier reporting by Germanys Bild news outlet on Telegram Tuesday.

Ukrainian troops are 5 km away from the Seim River and the cauldron closure, Bild wrote. According to Ukrainian data, between 2,000 and 3,000 Russian soldiers remain inside the cauldron.

The state border between Russia and Ukraine in the south and west of the cauldron is prepared for defense, BILD open data analysis expert Julian Ropke explained. But it will be difficult for the Russians to defend themselves if the Ukrainian Armed Forces attack from the east. In addition, in the west, the Ukrainians have already crossed the border and taken control of a small area of Russian territory of 15 square kilometers up to the Seim River. The Otruba farm is located there.

Russian forces now have a simple choice: either fight and defend this territory or retreat, Ropke added. Apparently, both options are fatal for them. But it must be said frankly that this battle is not decisive. Because we do not know how much strength Ukraine has left.

Retreating forces could conceivably try to cross by boat or swim, but they would have to leave behind their vehicles and equipment. In addition, they would be doing so without cover, in small numbers, and under threat of attacks by Ukrainian aviation, artillery and drones.

Up to 3,000 soldiers of the Russian army may end up in a cauldron in the Kursk region,  BILD.



There are 5 km left to the Seim River and the closure of the boiler of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/8DoJyJJzZ3  MilitaryNewsUA (@front_ukrainian) August 20, 2024

Yesterday, we wrote about how Ukraine is playing whack-a-mole with pontoon bridges Russia is building over the Seim River to avoid encirclement after Ukraine blew up the existing spans. Today, visual evidence emerged in the form of drone video showing Ukraine targeting those make-shift crossings.

Kursk, day 15



As expected, Ukrainians targeted the pontoons across the Seym river with FPV drones



It was an obvious area of interest for the birds because Ukrainians knew Russian logistics had to go through it. A bunch of ammo got destroyed, the Russians ammo starved pic.twitter.com/aRxH5mToyS  PS01  (@PStyle0ne1) August 20, 2024

Russia, meanwhile, continues to build pontoon bridges.

River Seym-Glushkovsky District



A pontoon reappeared on the Seym ~835m upstream from where it was located on 18 Aug and near the burning vehicle on 19 Aug



h/t @DefMon3 who spotted the pontoon parallel to the shoreline



@planet from 20 August 2024 08:49 UTC/Z https://t.co/XZUDC0YwnUpic.twitter.com/tAF2da0gzv  MT Anderson (@MT_Anderson) August 20, 2024

The Russian Defense Ministry (MoD) has yet to comment on the Seim River situation but continues to claim it is pushing back Ukrainian advances in Kursk.

Units of the Sever Group of Forces supported by Army Aviation and artillery thwarted the attempts of the enemys assault detachments to launch attacks near Borki, Korenevo, Kremyanoye, and Russkaya Kanapelka, it claimed Tuesday on Telegram. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue reconnaissance and search operations to locate and eliminate the enemys small sabotage and reconnaissance groups in forest belts attempting to get to the depth of the Russian territory.

Army Aviation, artillery, and ground troops inflicted losses on manpower and hardware clusters of the AFU 22nd, 115th Mechanized brigades, 80th, and 82nd Air Assault Brigades near Apanasovka, Borki, Viktorovka, Kositsa, Lyubimovka, Plekhovo, Tolsty Lug, and west of Bogdanovka.

Interesting footage of Russian strikes on Ukrainian Army convoy that broke through to Korenevo, Kursk region.



Moving targets were hit, indicating use of laser-guided munitions. pic.twitter.com/cRUJluILKT  Clash Report (@clashreport) August 20, 2024

To better handle the invasion, Russia is creating new battle groups.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced the creation of three new troop groups  Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk, the independent, U.S.-funded Ukrainian Radio Liberty news outlet reported on Tuesday. The new groups were created after the successful offensive of the Ukrainian army in the Russian Kursk region. Border raids took place in both the Bryansk and Belgorod regions.

Previously, separate troop groups of the Russian army operated only in the territory of Ukraine, the outlet explained.

The actions of the army groups will be managed by the Coordination Council for Military Security of Border Territories, the launch of which was announced on Tuesday by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Radio Liberty wrote. It includes deputy ministers, regional leaders, and representatives of the General Staff. It must meet at least once a week.

Russian MoD announced the creation of the "Belgorod", "Bryansk" and "Kursk" military groups.  MAKS 24 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) August 20, 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his troops to retake Kursk by Oct. 1 while not withdrawing from key areas in Donbas, the RBCUkraine news outlet reported.

The job of recapturing Kursk should not involve withdrawing forces from key areas where Russia is conducting an offensive in Donbas. This primarily concerns from the Pokrovsk and Toretsk directions. Currently, the occupiers offensive in these directions has not slowed down  instead, it has only intensified.

The Russians are now trying to deploy a mix of units to the Kursk region from all fronts except Pokrovsk and Toretsk, the publication added. This, in turn, indicates that the enemy currently has very few free forces and reserves. Secondly, it shows that the limited successes in Pokrovsk and Toretsk weigh more on the Kremlins scales than regaining control over the Kursk region.

Putin gave the order to push AFU out of the Kursk region by October 1,  RBC



Moreover, this must be done in such a way as not to remove forces from key areas where Russia is conducting an offensive in Pokrovsk and Toretsk directions.  MAKS 24 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) August 20, 2024

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered further insights into his goals for the Kursk invasion.

This operation has become our largest investment in the process of liberating Ukrainians from Russian captivity  we have already captured the largest number of Russian prisoners in a single operation, and this is a significant result, this is one of our goals, and our actions, he said in a speech during the Meeting of Heads of Ukraines Foreign Diplomatic Missions. At present, the Russian border area opposite our Sumy region has been mostly cleared of Russian military presence. And this is also one of our operations goals, tactical goals.

As of today, our forces control over 1,250 square kilometers of the enemys territory and 92 settlements, he claimed. The strengthening of our positions, the stabilization of designated areas, and the replenishment of the exchange fund for Ukraine are ongoing. In general, And of course, we cannot yet speak publicly about the units involved in the designated areas of the Kursk region.

Zelensky also chided the international community for worrying about threats from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Just a few months ago, many people around the world, if they had heard that we were planning such an operation like the one in the Kursk region, would have said that it was impossible and that it would cross the strictest of all the red lines that Russia has, he explained.

Once again, he beseeched his international supporters for permission to use donated long-range weapons inside Russia.

If our partners lifted all the current restrictions on the use of weapons on Russian territory, we would not need to physically enter particularly the Kursk region to protect our Ukrainian citizens in the border communities and eliminate Russias potential for aggression, he said.

President Zelenskyy:



"If our partners had lifted the restrictions on long-range weapons, we would not have gone to Kursk and cleared military facilities there."



A few more quotes from Zelensky's speech: pic.twitter.com/p7QtkKSypk  Meanwhile in Ukraine (@MeanwhileInUA) August 19, 2024

As Russian troops press closer to Pokrovsk and Toretsk, a controversial member of the Ukrainian parliaments National Security, Defense and Intelligence Committee blasted what she said is the governments decision to leave Donetsk Oblast vulnerable.

We had a rather successful meeting of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine today, but I cant think about anything else, except what is happening in the Donetsk region, Mariana Bezuhla said Tuesday on Telegram. Our units are withdrawn from there, leaving entire front lines to their own devices, ammunition is not added, the Russians pass through empty fortifications.

As a result, the occupation of Pokrovsk is a matter of the near future, and Toretsk is ending its last days. It looks as if we are handing over the Donetsk region, the theater of hostilities for the 11th year of the war, the land on which thousands of Ukrainians laid down their lives for Ukraine. But after Pokrovsk, there is a direct road to Pavlograd, where there are no fortifications at all, and then there is the Dnipro. Behind Toretsk is the Kramatorsk agglomeration, and then Kharkiv oblast.

Im in a state of shock, sorry, she added. Syrsky brings the war to some new level of maneuvers of the Second World War, where the bets are on the loss or acquisition of entire regions, but what is the price and what are the prospects? I am sure that he does not have clear answers either. A game of miss or miss. The surprises are not over. The maneuvers of the Ukrainian Zhukov continue.

Bezuhla gained notoriety earlier this year for quitting Zelenskys Servant of the People Party and constant criticism of former Ukrainian Armed Forces commander-in-chief Valeri Zaluzhyi, according to a profile in the Ukrainian Babel news outlet.

#Ukraine has begun to evacuate the region of #Donetsk, close to where Russian troops have made advances.



The #Russians are now close to taking the city of #Pokrovsk, an important strategic hub for Ukraine.



FRANCE24s @ofarry has the most recent on the conflict pic.twitter.com/NioAA3F2iI  FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) August 20, 2024

A Ukrainian brigade commander provided an assessment of the situation that matched Bezhulas.

One Ukrainian artillery brigade commander in eastern Ukraine told the Financial Times that part of the reason for the Russian advance was Kyiv moving its scarce resources north, the publication reported. His troops were back to rationing shells for their canons  the first time since U.S. aid to Ukraine was held up by Congress  because ammunition had been reallocated for the incursion into Russias Kursk region.

,

"One Ukrainian artillery brigade commander in eastern Ukraine told the Financial Times that part of the reason for the Russian advance was Kyiv moving its scarce resources north.

His troops were back to rationing shells for their canons  the first time since US aid to Ukraine pic.twitter.com/0bDlC6PFmH  Rob Lee (@RALee85) August 20, 2024

Some Russian milbloggers are suggesting that as Moscow is moving troops to defend Kursk, Ukraine is preparing to launch a new counteroffensive in Zaporizhizhia Oblast.

Having waited for the transfer of our forces to the Kursk direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces began an offensive in the area, the Romanov Light Telegram channel stated on Tuesday.

It then took a swipe at Valery Gerasimov, chief of staff of the Russian Army.

Gerasimov, are you sleeping? Romanov chided.

Boris Rozhin, writing under the Colonelcassad Telegram channel, surmised that Ukraine is preparing to attack the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which Russia has held since the early days of the full-on war.

In addition to active operations in the Kursk region and potential auxiliary strikes on the border of the Belgorod and Bryansk regions, the enemy is taking certain measures to concentrate forces for a potential strike on the Zaporizhzhya NPP, Rozhin wrote. The strike may be a combined operation.

According to Romanov and other Russian sources, Ukrainian forces have started offensive operations and became more active in Zaporizhzia near Polohy. Waiting for further confirmation.



New thread in the making? pic.twitter.com/a7PDEv4YZ6  NOELREPORTS (@NOELreports) August 20, 2024

Ukrainian troops are still about 20 miles southwest of the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in Kurchatov, and officials in Kyiv say they have no plans on capturing it. But that does not appear to be stopping Russian troops from digging trenches there. A review of imagery from Aug. 19 provided by Planet Labs aligns with what is depicted in the photo below.

Russian forces are starting the dig trenches around the nuclear power plant of Kursk near Kurchatov in Russia. Yes, the Russian 3-day war has reached this point. If this is not absolute confidence I dont what it is.



Source: Telegram / Donbas Operativnyi pic.twitter.com/QYIsmMo6nK  (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) August 20, 2024

One of Ukraines MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters was seen in a video released by the Ukrainian Air Force employing French-made AASM-250 Hammer precision-guided bombs.

Ukrainian Air Force aviation aviation strikes enemy targets in the Kursk direction every day, Ukrainian Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleschuk claimed on Telegram. In the video, a Ukrainian fighter jet de-Nazifies an underground enemy control center with an AASM Hammer guided aerial bomb.



MiG-29 UAF & AASM Hammer

pic.twitter.com/X3ybfYRMQx  Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) August 20, 2024

Ukraines Airborne Assault Troops released video of a German-donated Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicle belonging to the 95th Separate Assault Poliska Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacking a Russian position in the Kursk village of Mala Loknya.

Quite well-equipped firing points and fighting positions of the Russians came under a powerful blow of the Poliska paratroopers, the Airborne Assault Troops Telegram channel proclaimed. The enemy suffered significant losses in manpower, equipment and other material resources.

Work of the Marder IFV of the 95th Brigade of Ukraine in Kursk region. https://t.co/cBGSjg1PiB pic.twitter.com/1KKInr1vwS  Special Kherson Cat (@bayraktar_1love) August 20, 2024

It appears that Ukraine captured another Russian T-90M tank in Kursk. Ukrainian forces reportedly took control of the tank near the town of Snagost, which is on the western edge of the advance.

GeoConfirmed UKR.



A captured Russian T-90M tank is being towed by other Ukrainian tank.



Location of the towing tank in minute 0:18, foreground  51.304579, 34.976431

8X3G+RHM Liubimovka, Kursk Oblast, Russia



Location of the captured tank being towed in minute 0:18, https://t.co/rnJ0fEtTxt  GeoConfirmed (@GeoConfirmed) August 20, 2024

A massive fire at a Russian oil depot in Proletarsk, Rostov region, has grown significantly, now covering 10,000 square meters (107,640 square feet), Proletarsks district head Valery Gornich told the state-run TASS news agency, adding that 520 firefighters and four aircraft were deployed to contain the blaze.

The fire broke out early Sunday after Russian air defense systems shot down Ukrainian drones in the town of Proletarsk, according to the Moscow Times. Ukraines military said that its drones targeted the Kavkaz oil and petroleum storage facility.

This is how, step by step, the war enters the enemys territory, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereschuck said Tuesday on Telegram. This is the Rostov region of the Russian Federation.

Russian authorities struggled Tuesday to put out a massive fire in the southern Rostov region for a third consecutive day.

The fire at the depot in the town of Proletarsk burned across an area of 10,000 sq mt. There are 500 firefighters involved in the operation, and 41 of them pic.twitter.com/lcxEOR1g7K  ajit golatkar (@ajit4g) August 20, 2024

After visits from aspiring Ukrainian drones 3 days ago, the fires at the Proletarsk oil storage complex in Russia's Rostov region continue to spread, with 22 out of the 70 tanks destroyed. pic.twitter.com/z4gnj0GKFb  KyivPost (@KyivPost) August 20, 2024

Some Ukrainian troops are apparently turning to Escoprt BTS410 semi-automatic bullpup shotguns as a way of defending against Russian drones. The weapon fires .410 caliber shells.

BRM-1K from Ukrainian 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade during a firing mission, August 2024. Interestingly, one of the crewmen is on the lookout for FPV drones with an Escort BTS410 semi-automatic shotgun. pic.twitter.com/PeoUv88V9I  B-AREV (@trip_to_valkiri) August 19, 2024

In a move as old as military occupation, Ukrainian troops in the Kursk city of Sudzha took down a monument of one of the enemys historic figures, In this case, it was dedicated to Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin.

Ukrainian soldiers destroyed Lenin monument in Sudzha, Kursk region of Russia. pic.twitter.com/V4D7dw5gyy  Clash Report (@clashreport) August 20, 2024

After running over a dog, a Ukrainian truck towing an armored vehicle was hit by a Russian Lancet drone in the Kursk village of Rubanina. The video below shows that encounter, ending up with the vehicles in flames.

A Ukrainian truck hit a dog in the village of Rubanina in Kursk region and was immediately destroyed by a "Lancet" drone along with the towed armored vehicle. pic.twitter.com/DgMfNC8F4W  King Chelsea Ug (@ug_chelsea) August 19, 2024

It turns out that a Russian unit bragging about downing a Ukraining drone was mistaken. The drone instead reportedly was a Russian Zala surveillance drone.

The guys are awesome! the Russian Military Hub Telegram channel said sarcastically. Not only did they lose their copter, but they also shot down our FOOL, oh, excuse me, our ZALA. I would call this act Imbecility and Courage. But its better to just say: Imbecility.

Russian Telegrams are posting the following screenshot from a Russian unit "bragging" about what turned out to be a friendly fire incident when they used their DJI Mavic to down a Zala ISR drone thinking it was a Ukrainian UAV. https://t.co/C3XSxHBTMX pic.twitter.com/OF6tAwTUCg  Samuel Bendett (@sambendett) August 19, 2024

Ukrainian soldiers going through the belongings of a Russian soldier captured in Kursk claim they found an unusual item in his bag  a leather bondage mask complete with a zipper over the mouth.

Ukrainian servicemen discovered the most curious find among personal belongings of a Russian border guard. pic.twitter.com/z5OmqMl55R  WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) August 20, 2024

Thats it for now.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
Three shot, one critically, in Chicagos Grand Crossing neighborhood

Three shot, one critically, in Chicagos Grand Crossing neighborhood

CHICAGO  Three people were shot, one critically, in Chicagos Grand Crossing neighborhood early Tuesday evening.

Just before 5:15 p.m., police responded to a shots-fired call in the 300 block of W. 75th Street. Police located three victims at the scene.

A 19-year-old victim was rushed to the University of Chicago Hospital in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head. Two other shooting victims, ages 20 and 18, were hospitalized in good condition.

According to police, the victims saw a light-colored Charger fleeing from the scene.

Police say those involved in the shooting did not cooperate with authorities, resulting in no arrests.

Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines

An investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with additional information may leave an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
SOUTH DAKOTA (KELO)  Senator John Thune continues his quest to be the top Republican in the Senate. Right now, he is the number two Senate Republican, referred to as the Whip. Two other senators are challenging Thune for the leadership role now held by Senator Mitch McConnel. Senator John Cornyn of Texas and Senator Rick Scott of Florida are also vying for the powerful position. Right now, fundraising and helping Republican Senate candidates in other states are two priorities for all three candidates running for leadership.

You just want to make the argument, good argument as you possibly can, ultimately its up to the Republican Senators to make the decision about who they want to lead them, but I think we are giving them hopefully what is a very persuasive argument, said Thune.

Thune says his style of leadership is different from McConnells, and he would represent a new generation of Senate Republicans.

Ambulance hardship waiver needs some requirements

I think I can bring a style of leadership at a time in our country and a time in the United States Senate where that style is going to be important to getting accomplishments, said Thune.

Tom- What is your style of leadership compared to McConnells?

You know Senator McConnell leaves very big shoes to fill. He is a more kind of a hold-it-close-to-your-vest silent type, said Thune. Im somebody who likes to attack problems early and tries to maintain relationships and hear people out. I think democratizing the Senate a bit, empowering individual senators and committee chairs.

Thune says bringing people together to solve problems is important, especially now in what he calls challenging times.

McConnell, who has served as the Republican partys leader for 18 years, will step down in November. Thune says he is doing all he can to be the person to fill that position. Republican Senators will vote a week after the general election in November.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com.
Here are Thurston County food safety scores for Aug. 21

Comments are taken directly from the latest Thurston County Public Health and Social Services (PHSS) inspection reports, which are available for each food establishment, at the Thurston County Environmental Health Office and their website. For questions concerning these reports, contact the health office at 360-867-2667.

Report restaurant, grocery store, deli or bakery complaints online via the complaint form here: https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/phss/Pages/eh-problem.aspx.

Reading inspection scores:

Attention should be given to the type of violation (red versus blue) and whether the establishment has a history of red violations or repeat violations.

Red violations are those most likely to cause food-borne illness and must be corrected immediately if feasible or according to a compliance schedule established by the health officer. Example: not keeping food at the right temperature.

Blue violations relate to the overall cleanliness and condition of operation and must be corrected according to a compliance schedule established by the health officer. Example: a worn floor that needs replacing.

If red points exceed 45, the county will require a reinspection within 10 business days. A reinspection also is required if total red and blue points exceed 65.

If red points exceed 100 and theres a lack of managerial control, the county will shut down the establishment for at least 72 hours. The establishment may reopen after management and employees complete retraining and demonstrate corrective action during a reinspection.

Some common abbreviations: PHF/TCS is potentially hazardous food/time control for safety; RTE is ready to eat; PIC is person in charge; FWC is food worker card; CDI is corrected during inspection.

Little Caesars

805 College St. SE, Lacey

Aug. 16: 30 red points; 5 blue points.

Comments:

The person-in-charge and food workers did not demonstrate basic knowledge of food safety.

Food workers did not properly wash their hands.

A can opener had evidence of food debris build up.

Miss Moffetts Mystical Cupcakes

8765 Tallon Lane NE, Lacey

Aug. 9: 35 red points; 5 blue points.

Comments:

Untested TCS products were held at room temperature.

Items in the front cold-hold display were 50 degrees rather than at or below 41 degrees as required.

Grab and go items were not properly labeled as grab and go items.

Northwest Grind

9241 Burnett Road SE, Yelm

Coffee Shop

Aug. 9: 30 red points; 8 blue points.

Comments:

The shop was cited for improper use of time as a public health control.

TCS foods in under-counter units were warmer than 41 degrees.

The shop was cited for potential contamination during storage, refrigeration and food wares.

In-use utensils were improperly stored. Scoop handles touched food products.

Cafe Elite

706 Yelm Ave. E., Yelm

Coffee Shop

Aug. 9: 25 red points; 17 blue points.

Comments:

The person-in-charge did not demonstrate active managerial control while performing duties.

A hand-wash sink was used as a dump sink and for ware washing.

Food in back stock units were cold held at above 41 degrees.

Food contact surfaces were improperly constructed and an ice machine was improperly repaired. Cardboard was used as an inadequate surface.

Sanitizer test strips were unavailable.

Plumbing appeared to be leaking.

Ware washing facilities were improperly installed and wood shelving was not smooth and absorbent.

Rivers Edge

4611 Tumwater Valley Drive SE, Tumwater

Aug. 14: 25 red points; 15 blue points.

Comments:

The person-in-charge and food workers did not demonstrate basic knowledge of food safety, including cold and hot holding temperatures, danger zones and sanitizer concentration ranges.

TCS foods pulled out from the freezer were not properly date marked.

Cold-held shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, blue cheese and cooked pulled chicken measured above 41 degrees.

A cooler needed to be repaired or replaced.

A ware washer did not dispense chlorine during a rinse/sanitizing cycle.

An ice machine had evidence of a biofilm of slime.

Olympia Seafood

4242 Capitol Blvd. SE, Tumwater

Food Service Establishment

Aug. 14: 25 red points; 0 blue points.

Comments:

Clam chowder soup and pasta lobsters were found cooling in covered containers. TCS foods must be cooled in uncovered, shallow containers.

Domina Dairy and Creamery

700 Capitol Way N., Olympia

Olympia Farmers Market Booth

Aug. 10: 20 red points; 0 blue points.

Comments:

No food worker cards were available on-site.

All products measured warmer than 41 degrees.

No thermometers were present.

Gravity Coffee

3520 Pacific Ave. SE, Olympia

Aug. 9: 15 red points; 5 blue points.

Comments:

Some food worker cards were expired.

A sanitizer chlorine solution was too strong as prepared.

Chlorine bleach test strips were not available during the inspection.

Olympic Crest Coffee Roasters

4211 Pacific Ave. SE, Lacey

Food Service Establishment

Aug. 14: 15 red points; 0 blue points.

Comments:

A food worker card was expired.

The counter around a mop sink needed to be replaced. The floor in front of the preparation area needed to be replaced as well.

Chehalis Valley Farm

700 Capitol Way N., Olympia

Olympia Farmers Market Booth

Aug. 10: 10 red points; 0 blue points.

Comments:

No valid food worker cards were present.

No thermometer was present.

Sea Blossom Seafoods

700 Capitol Way N., Olympia

Olympia Farmers Market Booth

Aug. 10: 10 red points; 0 blue points.

Comments:

The booth was cited for inadequate hand-washing facilities.

Jersey Mikes Subs

1309 Cooper Point Road SW, Olympia

Aug. 14: 10 red points; 0 blue points.

Comments:

Cold-held sliced tomatoes were measured between 45-51 degrees rather than at or below 41 degrees as required.

Papa Johns

408 Cleveland Ave. SE, Olympia

Aug. 15: 0 red points; 10 blue points.

Comments:

Test strips were not provided to verify the concentration of sanitizer solutions.

A can opener had evidence of food debris build up.

Bastard Pies

4520 Intelco Loop SE, Building 4, Lacey (Commissary)

Mobile Food Unit

Aug. 9: 5 red points; 0 blue points.

Comments:

A sanitizing solution was too strong as prepared.

Pit Stop

1734 Boulevard Road SE, Olympia.

Grocery Stores and Confectioneries

Aug. 15: 5 red points; 0 blue points.

Comments:

The refrigerator that stores TCS food items did not have an ambient thermometer.

Jays Farm Stand

4315 Harrison Ave NW, Olympia

Aug. 16: 0 red points; 5 blue points.

Comments:

The walk-in cooler had an opening along the bottom frame.

Rite Aid

905 Yelm Ave. E., Yelm

Grocery Stores and Confectioneries

Aug. 12: 0 red points; 2 blue points.

Comments:

The facility lacked proper shelving. Some foods were stored on the floor.

Dollar Tree

906 Yelm Ave. E., Yelm

Grocery Stores and Confectioneries

Aug. 12: 0 red points; 2 blue points.

Comments:

The facility lacked proper shelving. Some foods were stored on the floor.

No violations

Chipotle Mexican Grill . 5116 Yelm Highway SE, Lacey.

Walgreens. 8333 Martin Way E., Lacey. Grocery Stores and Confectioneries.

Espresso Stop Yelm, LLC . 1008 Yelm Ave. E., Yelm. Coffee Shop.

Haggen. 1313 Cooper Point Road SW, Olympia. Deli.

Bittersweet Chocolates LLC . 210 State Ave. NW, Olympia. Grocery Stores and Confectioneries.

McDonalds. 1325 Marvin Road NE, Lacey.

Nocturnal Hound, LLC. 324 Custer Way SW, Tumwater.

MiSo. 2539 Marvin Road NE, Lacey.

Ay-Chihuahua Dawgs. 625 Black Lake Blvd. SW, Olympia. Mobile Food Unit (Cart).
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (MyValleyTributes)  Tilden Lamar Johnson, 47, was called home on Friday, August 16, 2024, in the comfort of his home with his wife and two youngest children by his side.

Tilden was born on March 3, 1977, in Youngstown, Ohio, the only son of Janice and Rudolph Johnson Jr. He lived in Virginia and New Mexico before returning to Ohio in 1990.

Find obituaries from your high school

Tilden attended South High School and Job Corps, where he received a certificate in culinary arts.

He worked at Southern Park Mall for many years before finishing his career at Dynasol Plastics.

Tilden married the love of his life, Doniecia Evans, on September 5, 2015. Together, they welcomed two beautiful children, adding to the legacy he cherished. As a family, they enjoyed traveling, discovering new restaurants, and embarking on various adventures.

When he wasnt spending time with his wife and kids, Tilden could be found enjoying nature, playing his drums, and indulging in his favorite chocolate chip cookies. He had a deep appreciation for the soothing sounds of Bob Marley and loved attending concerts to see his favorite music artists, including Metallica and Guns N Roses. A die-hard Green Bay Packers and Michigan fan, Tilden would playfully engage in friendly rivalry with his older sister, Shawnette, an Ohio State fan, especially when their teams faced off.

Tilden leaves to briefly mourn his passing, but to forever celebrate his life and legacy, his loving wife, Doniecia Johnson of Youngstown; his six children, Ayona Nichouls of Cleveland, Ohio, Taylar Wilson of Austintown, Ohio, Tilden Johnson Jr. of Youngstown, Ohio, Zyria Washington of Youngstown, Ohio, Xavier and Xandra Johnson of Youngstown, Ohio and four grandchildren. He is also survived by his sisters, Shawnette (Derrick Sr.) Oliver and RuDee Johnson of Orlando, Florida; his grandmother, Johny Hayes of Youngstown, Ohio and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and lifelong friends.

Meeting him at Heavens gates are his parents, Janice and Rudolph Johnson, Jr. and his paternal grandparents; Rudolph Sr. and Catherine Johnson.

Tildens warmth, humor, and love will be profoundly missed by all who knew him.

A homegoing celebration service will be held 12:00 p.m. Friday, August 23, 2024 at Christ Centered Church. The family will receive visitors for viewing from

11:00 a.m.  12:00 p.m. before the service.

F. D. Mason Memorial Funeral Home Inc. was given the honor to serve the family during this time of bereavement. Thank you allowing our staff to serve your family as we would be served since 1963.

A television tribute will air Thursday, August 22, at the following approximate times: 6:47 a.m. on WYTV, 9:43 a.m. on WKBN, 10:58 a.m. on FOX and 8:12 p.m. on MyYTV. Video will be posted here the day of airing.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Tennessee House State Representative Justin J. Pearson delivered remarks at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, highlighting his stance on gun violence not only in West Tennessee but nationally.

As a Democratic Representative of Memphis and District 86, and a Tennessee delegate representing Shelby County, Pearson spoke on gun violence affecting the community, and the state of Tennessee as a whole.

Pearson noted the 2023 mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville that killed six people and prompted more than 7,000 adults and children to march at the Tennessee state capitol.

Gun violence is something that is real for District 86 and our community, said Pearson. We have a lot to do to end this epidemic because no one should live in fear of being killed. We dont have to live this way.

Rep. Pearson also showed his strong support for Vice President Kamala Harris, who is expected to accept the partys nomination for president.

Rep. Justin J. Pearson to speak at Democratic National Convention

She really cares about dealing with issues that we know are plaguing our community. And the energy we are getting from millennials and Gen Z, its not going away. Its not dissipating because we understand that we can have a leader who really addresses and listens to the problems that we have, and who is really interested in showing up on our behalf, he said.

Pearson has been fighting for change locally with talk regarding a ban on assault weapons and a need for national extreme risk protection orders. He stated that too many states are refusing to pass red flag laws, which would allow law enforcement officers to take weapons away from someone if they are a danger to themselves or others.

 See more breaking news, local news and weather from WREG.com for Memphis and the Mid-South.

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In the interview, Pearson also noted his thoughts on universal background checks when purchasing a firearm.

So that anybody who is purchasing a firearm has to go through an FBI database and a local database before they are ever able to purchase or access a weapon of war or a firearm in general, he said.

In a poll conducted by the AP-NORC in August 2023, six in 10 independent voters said they support stricter gun laws. One-third of Republicans wanted more gun regulation, and around nine in 10 Democrats were in support of stricter laws.

In May of this year, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump spoke at the annual National Rifle Association meeting, where he pledged to continue defending the Second Amendment, which he says is under siege.

The former president does not mention in his 16-page 2024 GOP Platform how he plans to curb gun violence if reelected.

But, in a section titled Rebuild Our Cities and Restore Law and Order, he claims that Republicans will restore safety in our neighborhoods by replenishing Police Departments, restoring Common Sense Policing, and protecting Officers from frivolous lawsuits. We will stand up to Marxist Prosecutors, vigorously defend the Right of every American to live in peace, and we will compassionately address homelessness to restore order to our streets.

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Former attorney Tom Girardi heads to court in downtown L.A. during his criminal trial. Others in his former law firm received "target letters," a federal agent testified. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Federal prosecutors have warned at least four lawyers who worked for years alongside the now-disgraced former attorney Tom Girardi at his Los Angeles law firm that they, too, could face criminal charges as part of an ongoing investigation.

The revelation came this week in the trial of Girardi, 85, who is defending against four counts of wire fraud and is accused of perpetrating a decade-long scheme to swindle his clients out of more than $15 million in settlement funds.

While being cross-examined by Girardi's federal public defender, IRS special agent Ryan Roberson testified Monday that the government had sent letters notifying four attorneys who once worked at Girardi Keese that they were targets in the criminal fraud investigation: Christopher Aumais, Robert Finnerty, Keith Griffin and David Lira.

Although prosecutors objected to the release of the men's names, U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton ruled that questions asked earlier by a prosecutor had opened the door to Girardi's defense team pressing for details.

Read more: Tom Girardi's fraud trial begins: A liar who stole millions? Or the victim of a thieving CFO?

The IRS agent did not disclose when the four men received their so-called "target letters," and representatives of the IRS and the U.S. attorney's office in L.A. declined comment. Aumais, Finnerty and Lira did not respond to emails; defense attorneys for Griffin and Lira declined to comment.

The testimony marked the first public confirmation that prosecutors in L.A. have an active investigation of additional lawyers at Girardi's once legendary, now ignominious Wilshire Boulevard law firm. Further, in designating the men as targets, prosecutors have determined there is substantial evidence that each is involved in committing a crime, according to Department of Justice policy.

Legal experts said the issuance of target letters signifies the breadth of the criminal inquiry into Girardi Keese and elevates the likelihood of another wave of charges against those allegedly involved.

"A target letter is a big deal. The prosecutor is telling a person or their lawyer that he thinks the individual committed a crime, he thinks he can prove they committed a crime and is considering charging them with a crime," said Julian Andre, a former federal prosecutor who handled fraud cases in the U.S. attorney's office, including that of ex-attorney Michael Avenatti, and is now a partner at McDermott, Will & Emery.

Read more: The legal titan and the 'Real Housewife': The rise and fall of Tom Girardi and Erika Jayne

But, Andre cautioned, "It doesn't necessarily mean there will in fact be charges or that charges are imminent."

Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor in San Diego who is now a civil attorney in L.A., said that with a high-profile defendant like Girardi  who had more power and wealth than the lawyers under him  prosecutors may have wanted to go after him first to send a message to the public.

"Generally, you want to go to trial against the main target of your investigation and not try everyone together because you end up having multiple defense lawyers, all cross-examining each witness. It can slow down your case, cause a lot of confusion and cause finger pointing," Rahmani said. "You want to keep it clean in a case like this. I think if and when Girardi is convicted, I wouldn't be surprised if other individuals are indicted or they work out plea deals."

Lira  Girardi's son-in-law  has been indicted separately in Chicago. He, Girardi and the law firm's former chief financial officer, Chris Kamon, are accused of misappropriating $3 million from settlements belonging to widows and orphans of a Boeing 737-Max crash in Indonesia.

Although Girardi is the sole defendant now on trial, the names of these other lawyers  Aumais, Lira, Finnerty and Griffin  have come up repeatedly in testimony and other evidence in recent days.

Prosecutors, for example, pointed to an April 2019 email in which Finnerty highlighted the extent of the "disturbing" issues inside Girardi Keese and the pervasive delay of payments to clients.

"Your irrational outbursts and refusal to deal with client payments cannot continue," Finnerty wrote. "You have created an intolerable working situation wherein we are confronted each day with requests for payment by clients, referring attorneys and vendors. There is much more to discuss and your running away from your obligations does not help."

Finnerty ultimately left Girardi Keese, joined a new law firm, and represented Joseph Ruigomez in an effort to sue Girardi and collect on millions of dollars of settlement money.

The Ruigomez family turned around and sued Finnerty and his new firm, Abir Cohen Treyzon and Salo, in 2022 and accused them of failing to disclose conflicts of interest, among other allegations.

Christopher Aumais, left, and David Lira in 2014. Both worked for Girardi Keese and have been informed they are targets of an ongoing criminal investigation. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)

Girardi's defense has sought to shift the blame away from their client, who suffers from dementia, and onto others at the firm. A team of deputy federal public defenders have pointed to indicators that others, like the CFO, held power over money and that lawyers knew of Girardi's long-running mental decline and exploited it.

Jurors were shown an email in which Girardi instructed his accountant to remove Lira's name from a bank account in the summer of 2020  emphasizing that not just Girardi held signature authority over firm money.

Girardi's defense has also emphasized how other lawyers under him handled day-to-day duties on thousands of cases. Most clients rarely, if ever, interfaced with Girardi.

Erika Saldana, whose toddler was severely injured in a car crash caused by a drunk driver in 2015, testified that she worked closely with Aumais to sue the manufacturer of the car seat and the driver who caused the collision.

Read more: Tom Girardi declared competent to stand trial

Girardi got involved at the end, when in 2019 the firm secured a $17.5-million settlement, she said.

Although Girardi's firm was to transmit her settlement within 60 days, she waited and waited for her full amount. In February 2020, Aumais told her via email that it was in Girardi's hands because he was owner of the firm.

Saldana emailed Aumais again two months later, explaining that she had "lost so many opportunities to buy a house," because they hadn't received the full amount of money.

Aumais replied: "As head of the firm Tom has sole control of the settlement funds. He is the one who distributes and signs off on checks."

Saldana said that she and her husband never got the outstanding $1 million they were owed.

Former Girardi Keese attorney Alexa Galloway testified that she repeatedly asked her supervising attorney, Griffin, about unpaid money owed to Judy Selberg, whose husband died in a 2018 boating accident.

Galloway testified that she went to the firm's partners every day asking if the settlement had been paid. Griffin informed her that he'd talk to Girardi. Galloway also emailed Aumais in October 2020, telling him that she'd sent Girardi weekly memos about the case. Aumais told her to keep sending emails, adding, "Maybe print the memo and talk to him today?"

Galloway said her efforts to alert partners and senior lawyers at the firm  like Aumais, Griffin and Girardi's brother, Jack Girardi  left her frustrated and disappointed.

"As partners ... I trusted all of them," Galloway testified. "I also trusted Tom."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Several elite brigades have now certainly been deployed, but Zelensky and military leaders waited a week before commenting, and still havent disclosed the operations true goals. This strategic ambiguity is crucial in the information war, discouraging premature predictions.

However, its likely that the Ukrainian offensive aims to force, at least in part, Russia to divert troops from its ongoing Donbas assault to counter the threat in Kursk.

But so far Russia hasnt taken the bait. While Ukraine advances in Kursk, Russia grinds forward in Donetsk, where their losses have been severe. Nonetheless, they continue to press what appears to be Ukraines weakest front. Ukrainian forces, undermanned and stretched thin, are only able to slow  rather than stop  Russian advances. Key cities like Nui York, Toretsk, Chasiv Yar, and Pokrovsk, critical for holding the remaining Donetsk region, have seen intensified battles and heavy artillery fire since the Ukrainian offensive began. There are now reports Nui York may have fallen entirely.

In recent days, Russian air attacks have also increased on major cities in the region. Kramatorsk had not seen a major air attack since April 2022, but on August 9, missiles struck a supermarket and postal service in Kostyantynivka, marking a grim continuation of July 2024, which was the deadliest month for civilians since October 2022.

These bombardments could be part of a broader Russian strategy by Russian forces in Donetsk. As such, Ukrainian units express concern that diverting manpower to Kursk in favour of Kharkiv and Donetsk could jeopardise their current defensive operations. Cities like Chasiv Yar remain active battlegrounds, with no relief in sight. In Toretsk and Pokrovsk, Ukrainian troops report an increase in Russian sorties, sometimes up to 10 a day.

Servicemen of the 24th Mechanised Brigade fire a "Giatsint-S" towards Russian positions near Chasiv Yar town - Ukrainian 24th Mechanised Brigade

Ukrainian forces in Pokrovsk are struggling with manpower shortages, making defensive operations difficult and counterattacks nearly impossible. The settlements proximity to the front lines and within range of Russian artillery poses a significant threat, as its fall could lead to a Russian envelopment of Kostyantynivka, Kramatorsk, and Slovyansk.

So despite the surprise nature of the Ukrainian attack, and its ample rewards politically, it is hardly a rosy picture in Ukraine itself. Russian command remains focused on its Donetsk offensive, utilising infantry, armor, and airpower. It could pay off.

What Ukraine is relying upon is that eventually, to counter the Ukrainian advance in Kursk, troops might need to be redeployed from other occupied territories in Ukraine. U.S. officials suggest that Russian forces have already been pulled from Crimea, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia and may be redirected through occupied Donetsk and Luhansk to address the Kursk incursion. Ukrainian sources also indicate that Russian forces may have been withdrawn from the Kharkiv front.

But, crucially, there are no signs of Russian withdrawal in the Donbas. If true, that would signal Moscows determination to prioritise that offensive, even as Ukrainian forces continue to press their advantage in Kursk. Despite high casualties, Russias continued success in Donbas has emboldened them.

Yet several factors could still undermine Moscows resolve.

First, if Ukraine continues to succeed in Kursk, Russia may have to pull more forces from occupied territories, potentially weakening their defensive positions. This could expand the range of Ukrainian drone strikes, further eroding Russias long-range attack capabilities.

Second, Ukrainian brigades currently in training could be deployed to reinforce either Kursk or Donetsk, depending on where Russian forces show signs of weakness. This flexibility could allow Kyiv to mount counteroffensives in 2025, rather than just another thrust at occupied Donbas.

Finally, theres the ongoing Crimean offensive. Ukraines destruction of the Black Sea Fleet and the accelerated dismantling of Russias air defense network in Crimea have put Russian forces on the peninsula on the defensive. Partisan attacks are increasing, and Ukrainian intelligence suggests that Crimea will be the next target, with the Kerch Bridge  already at frequent target of Ukrainian sabotage  likely to be destroyed soon. While a conventional offensive to retake Crimea seems ambitious, the displacement of Russian forces to reinforce Donbas and Kursk could open the door to increased covert Ukrainian operations on the peninsula.

The success of the Kursk incursion may not hinge on drawing off Russian forces, but if it continues to embarrass Moscow and disrupts supply lines, Russian troops will be forced to respond, ultimately undermining their operations in Donbas. However, this wont happen overnight, and Ukraine may still need to reinforce its southeastern front.

It remains a very fluid situation.

Michael C. DiCianna is a visiting fellow at the Transatlantic Dialogue Center and a research assistant at the Yorktown Institute. Dyveke Undertun Aarhus is a freelance journalist reporting in Ukraine

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PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD)  In light of the abrupt closure of various KFC fast-food restaurants in the Peoria area, wing lovers may be in search of other alternatives.

Heres a list of the top 10 best fried chicken places near Peoria this year, according to Yelp.com, an official online resource for local restaurant reviews, photos and recommendations.

#10. SLE Seasoned Little Eatery

The restaurant is located at 1112 West Pioneer Parkway in Peoria, Illinois. It offers breakfast and brunch items on its menu. It is open Wednesday- Saturday from 11 a.m.-7 p.m., and on Sunday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Click here to visit its website.

#9. Midway Duck Inn

The location in Lowpoint, Illinois, in Woodford County, provides chicken soup and other seafood options. The restaurant is located at 2112 Route 26. Visit its website here or call 309-246-8441.

#8. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

The Popeyes location in Peoria at 2245 West Glen Avenue offers chicken wings and other side dishes. The store is open weekdays from 10 a.m.-11 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-midnight.

#7. Haddads West Peoria Market

The location at 2407 West Rohman Avenue in West Peoria offers several options including a variety of fresh poultry items. The market is ranked seventh on the list of best chicken places in Peoria, with about nine reviews. For more information, click here.

#6. Gils Supper Club

Some who reviewed the location said the fried chicken is the main attraction, according to Yelp.com. The restaurant is located at 12703 West Farmington Road in Hanna City, Illinois, in Peoria County. For more details on its menu, click here.

#5. Owls Nest

The bar offers several local food options, including fried chicken and pizza. The location is at 2128 West Callender Avenue in Peoria. Its open Monday-Sunday from 11 a.m.-2 a.m. For photos of its menu and more, click here.

#4. Big Jjs Fish and Chicken

The location has fried gizzards, bone-in fried chicken and wings. Find the restaurant at 3126 North University Street in Peoria. Its open Monday-Thursday from 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m., Friday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m.-2 a.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. It offers a delivery option. Click here for more information.

#3. Donnellys Irish Pub

The pub received more than 100 reviews on Yelp.com. The location is at 4501 North Rockwood Drive in Peoria. For more information, click here.

#2. Harolds Fish & Chicken

The Chicago-style fried chicken franchise made second on the list of best chicken locations in Peoria. With just one review on Yelp.com, the location at 841 West Main Street in Peoria has some of the best fish and chicken wings. For the full menu, click here.

#1. Ricks Crispy Chicken

The location at 10516 North State Street in Mossville, Illinois, in Peoria County, offers several options as a local chicken shop. The location has crispy chicken, chicken livers and corn fritters. The restaurant is open Wednesday-Sunday from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Its closed on Monday and Tuesday. For more information, visit its website here.

Did we miss a chicken location in the Peoria area? Email us at news@wmbd.com and we will update this list.

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Top SC wildlife official leaving after five years as agency director. Heres what we know

Robert Boyles, praised for his steady, professional touch as director of South Carolinas wildlife agency, is stepping down after three decades of government service and five years as department chief.

The Department of Natural Resources made the announcement late Tuesday afternoon in a news release. Boyles wont leave the DNR until January 2025 and the agency said it will soon begin a search for his replacement.

Boyles, 56, declined an interview request to explain why he was retiring, but in the DNRs release, he thanked department officials, state lawmakers and Gov. Henry McMaster for their support.

Serving as SC DNR director has been the honor of my professional life, and I recognize that any success I have enjoyed is the result of the passion, vision and commitment that our staff and our partners bring to the realm of natural resources stewardship every day, Boyles said. Id like to offer my profound thanks to Gov. McMaster, the SC DNR Board, the members of the S.C. General Assembly, and our conservation partners throughout South Carolina for their devotion to natural resources conservation throughout our wonderful state.

DNR board chairman Norman Pulliam told The State that Boyles is not leaving because of any problems within the agency, but he said the pressure of the job is substantial and Boyles felt it was time to retire.

Its a stressful job, it really is, Pulliam said. It will wear you out.

The DNR board recently met with Boyles for an annual review. Pulliam said that is a routine meeting held each year.

One of the toughest parts of running the DNR, say those familiar with the agency, is working with the Legislature on hunting and fishing rules changes. Unlike many states, the South Carolina Legislature approves bag limits for game species, and lawmakers have many opinions on what those limits should be.

Both Pulliam and McMaster praised Boyles leadership at the agency. Boyles, a soft-spoken Mt. Pleasant resident, became director in 2019. His salary is $187,000, according to the DNR.

Director Boyles has been a consummate professional and key member of my cabinet, providing steady leadership throughout his tenure, according to a statement from McMaster. Under his direction, DNR has thrived, making significant progress in protecting our states wildlife and natural resources. 

But Boyles department has been involved in a number of contentious issues that drew criticism. Among those was the agencys oversight of the coastal horseshoe crab harvest, which critics said was too loose for such an important wildlife species.

The agency also raised eyebrows when staff members questioned the environmental impact of the high-profile Scout Motors project near Blythewood, as well as their support for a proposal to offset the wetlands loss. Staff questions about the project came at a time when state and local economic development officials were pushing hard to get the project going. The agency staffs questions stirred discussion in a 2023 DNR board meeting, when the politically appointed board said it supported the Scout project.

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources is South Carolinas primary agency overseeing hunting and fishing. It also has a marine resources division in Charleston and a climate section in the Columbia office, as well as a law enforcement division. The agency has 1,119 employees and operates on a total budget of $172 million, including state and federal sources.

Some of Boyles biggest accomplishments were helping to make sure major land acquisitions took place. The DNR has focused efforts for years on acquiring habitat for wildlife, as well as natural areas for the public to visit. During his tenure, the department was involved in 37 land conservation projects, according to the state Conservation Bank.

One recent project involving the DNR, the Conservation Bank and non-profit natural resource organizations is an effort to protect the 7,600-acre Snows Island and surrounding land along the Great Pee Dee River. The agency also was involved in the substantial expansion of the Congaree Creek preserve in Cayce during Boyles time at the DNR.

Boyles began working at the DNR as an hourly employee in 1992 and rose through the ranks, eventually taking the top job at the agency. For 16 years, he served as the departments marine resources director. He took over as director following the retirement of the affable Alvin Taylor, a former agency law enforcement director, who was sometimes criticized for being too conciliatory.

Pulliam told The State the next DNR director must, like Boyles, be able to navigate pressure from the Legislature.

SCDNR is a well-managed organization, and director Boyles has laid impressive groundwork to ensure it remains a premier state agency for years to come, Pulliam said in the news release. As we begin the process for selecting a new director, Im sure he will be available any way he can to help us choose another capable leader.
Topeka mom sentenced to life in prison after 4-year-old daughter is shot and killed

Topeka mom sentenced to life in prison after 4-year-old daughter is shot and killed

TOPEKA (KSNT)  A Shawnee County court sentenced a woman to life in prison following the death of a child in October last year.

Katie Garceran with the Shawnee County District Attorneys Office said in a press release that 24-year-old Mariann Belair was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole until having served 25 years for her murder conviction. She received six months imprisonment for aggravated endangering of a child.

Belairs jury trial began on May, 28, 2024 and lasted a total of four days. The jury took almost an hour-and-a-half to deliver their verdict. Belair was found guilty of first degree murder and aggravated endangering of a child.

Shawnee County deputies arrest man after vehicle pursuit ends with crash into swimming pool

The charges stem from a 911 call received by the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center on Oct. 14, 2023 for a house in the 400 block of NE Grattan. Topeka police arriving at the scene found a four-year-old child, identified as Lawrencia Perez-Belair, suffering from a gunshot wound.

The child was later declared dead. This was the 30th homicide for the City of Topeka in 2023.

Garceran said police investigating the crime scene found Belairs children were in the living room of the home with their mother prior to the shooting. Belair initially told police she retrieved a Sig Sauer semi-automatic handgun from upstairs and moved it to the couch downstairs.

While Belair was taking a photo with her daughter, her son took out the gun and shot it. Belair then moved the gun from the couch to a center-dresser drawer in another room before police arrived. Officers later found the gun along with a bag of methamphetamine and paraphernalia in a drawer during a search.

Card skimmer found at Topeka grocery store: TPD

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TOPEKA (KSNT)  Topeka police are launching a new homicide investigation following the death of a local man after a police chase.

The Topeka Police Department (TPD) announced in a press release on Wednesday, Aug. 21 that Kyle E. Higgins, 37, of Topeka died as the result of injuries sustained during a recent incident. His death is being investigated as the citys 13th homicide for Topeka.

Topeka police were called around 4:15 a.m. on Aug. 20 in regards to an aggravated robbery of a vehicle near the intersection of Southwest 29th Street and MacVicar Avenue. Police arriving at the scene were told a vehicle was stolen by people known to the vehicle owner and a child was still inside. Law enforcement later found the child in the 3200 block of Southwest Central Park.

Police located the vehicle a short time later near SE 35th and Indiana. The driver refused to stop for pursuing officers and a chase began, eventually ending when the vehicle hit a pole near Southeast 29th Street and Minnesota. Two people inside the vehicle ran away before officers took them into custody, taking them to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Topeka mom sentenced to life in prison after 4-year-old daughter is shot and killed

Law enforcement received a report around 8:30 a.m. of an unresponsive man in the 2200 block of Southwest 29th Street. Officers arriving at the scene found the man, identified as Higgins, and took him to a local hospital for treatment of life-threatening wounds.

The two suspects arrested following the chase are believed to be connected to Higgins death. Lorenzo A. Pattmon III, 21, and Rammelo H. Boatwright, 24, both of Topeka, were booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on charges including:

Attempted first degree murder.

Aggravated robbery.

Aggravated kidnapping.

Aggravated battery.

Aggravated child endangerment.

Felony interference.

If you have any information regarding this situation, you are encouraged to share it with the TPD by calling 785-368-9400 or by sending an email to telltpd@topeka.org. You can make anonymous tips to Shawnee County Crime Stoppers by calling 785-234-0007 or by clicking here.

Shawnee County deputies arrest man after vehicle pursuit ends with crash into swimming pool

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TOPEKA (KSNT)  The Topeka Police Department (TPD) is investigating after reports were made Tuesday of gunfire hitting a school bus.

Rosie Nichols with the City of Topeka told 27 News in a written statement that police were notified of the possible shooting around 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 21. The shooting occurred on Tuesday, Aug. 20 in the 200 block of SE 21st Street.

Police investigating the situation learned a Kansas Central School Bus was shot with a pellet gun near SE 19th and Hudson Street around 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 20. Only one person was on the bus, not including the driver and no injuries were reported.

The bus company informed us that while driving through the community yesterday afternoon, a bus was impacted by an object that is being investigated. This happened off school property and one student was on the bus and was not injured, however, we are informing families to ensure you are aware as safety is our top priority. We appreciate the bus companys efforts to investigate and ensure buses can travel safely through the community. Please contact our school administrators if you have any questions. Kari Ritter, Whitson Elementary principal

I-70 closure brings nearly 50-mile detour for Topeka drivers

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Traffic stop in St. Lawrence Co. sees four arrested and drugs seized

OGDENSBURG, N.Y. (WWTI)  Four people were arrested on drug possession charges after a Monday traffic stop in the City of Ogdensburg.

New York State Police stopped a vehicle on New York Avenue arrested 33-year-old Nathaniel Picardi from Greene.

St. Lawrence Co. man charged with drug possession after Monday traffic stop

Authorities allege that Picardi was in possession of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, a scale and plastic baggies.

Here is the list of charges that Picardi is facing

Two counts of felony second-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance

Two counts of felony third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance

Seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance

Second-degree criminal possession of drug paraphenelia

Resisting arrest

Obstruction of government administration

Picardi was arraigned in town of Canton Court and remanded without bail to the St. Lawrence County Correctional Facility.

Three other people in the vehicle were charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Naomi Greene, 41 years old, Elizaville

Miranda Graham, 37, Hillsdale

Emily Dziamba, 36, Hudson

All three were given appearance tickets and released. Ogdensburg City Police assisted State Troopers in the investigation.

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Train crashes into traffic in Egypt and kills 2, official says

This is a locator map for Egypt with its capital, Cairo. (AP Photo)

CAIRO (AP)  A train on Egypt's northern coast crashed into traffic on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring two others, the local governor's office said.

The crash, in the city of Borg el Arab located to the west of Alexandria, was due to a truck being on the tracks when they were meant to be closed for the transit of a passenger train, the statement from the Alexandria governor's office said.

The train, coming from the town of El-Dabaa, was derailed by the collision.

Train derailments and crashes are common in Egypt, where an aging railway system has also been plagued by mismanagement. In recent years, the government announced initiatives to improve its railways.

In 2018, President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said some 250 billion Egyptian pounds, or $8.13 billion, would be needed to properly overhaul the North African countrys neglected rail network.

In 2021, two trains collided in the southern Egyptian city of Tahta, killing 32 people. Later that year, a train derailed in Qalyubia province, killing 11 people.

Egypts deadliest train crash was in 2002, when more than 300 people were killed after a fire broke out on an overnight train journeying from Cairo to southern Egypt.
Reginald Mathalone/NurPhoto via AP

The state of Texas has enacted a policy that bars transgender people from changing the sex listed on their drivers licenses.

According to The Texas Newsroom, Texans will be unable to change the sex on their license unless they are doing so to correct a clerical error, a policy change that was rolled out this week. Investigative reporter Lauren McGaughy, who broke the story, said in a Wednesday post on X that the change was instituted, quietly, yesterday and is in effect. McGaughy confirmed the policy change with Sheri Gipson, the chief of the Driver License Division at the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The Texas Newsroom additionally obtained an email from an unnamed agency employee, which stated, Effective immediately, August 20, 2024, the Department will not accept court orders or amended birth certificates issued that change the sex when it differs from documentation already on file.

According to the Texas Newsroom, the email also stated that if division employees receive requests for sex marker updates, they should forward copies of those requests to an email address with the subject line Sex Change Court Order.

Its not clear why Texas enacted the policy now. Per The Texas Newsroom, Texans were previously able to change the sex listed on their drivers license by presenting a court order or an amended birth certificate. Even though there was previously no policy in the state against changing ones sex marker, that bureaucratic process has been exploited for potentially sinister ends.

Trans Floridians Can No Longer Update the Gender on Their Driver's Licenses: Leaked Memo

The memo also stated that gender is a synonym for sex, which is determined by innate and immutable biological characteristics.

In 2022, the Washington Post reported that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had requested that the Texas Department of Public Safety compile a list of the total number of changes from male to female and female to male for the last 24 months on their drivers licenses. The Texas DPS did not provide that data to Paxtons office, stating that there was no way to separate the correction of clerical errors from data on trans people.

That same year, Paxton released an opinion claiming that gender-affirming care for minors can legally constitute child abuse. Governor Greg Abbott then used that opinion to direct state agencies to investigate families of trans children for child abuse. As of March 30, that order was blocked by an appeals court.

Brad Pritchett, the interim CEO of Equality Texas, pointed out in a press release that there are 92,000 trans adults in Texas.

Just like people who change their names after marriage want their correct name on their license, trans Texans want their drivers license to reflect their gender, Pritchett said. We use our IDs to navigate all areas of life, driving, voting, employment. Having an ID that reflects who you are is a basic form of dignity that many take for granted.

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Originally Appeared on them.
Transgender Texans will no longer be able to change the designated sex on their driver's licenses after a recent policy change at the Texas Department of Public Safety, made public Wednesday, instructs employees to no longer accept court orders or amended birth certificates from people seeking to change the gender listed on the document.

The internal department memo by Driver License Division Chief Sheri Gipson emailed to staff members Tuesday indicated that people who have previously changed their sex designations on their driver's licenses will not be affected by the policy change unless there was a clerical error.

Gipson and DPS officials did not respond to American-Statesman requests for comment Wednesday.

Previously, a section of the Texas DPS website detailing the process for changing information on a driver's license included the necessary steps a person would need to take to change the sex listed on their ID.

More: Texans face monthslong delays for ID needed to vote. But there's another way. | Grumet

"If you want to change your gender, you must bring an original certified court order or an amended birth certificate verifying the change," an archived version of the webpage read. On Wednesday, however, the section marked "gender change" on the DPS website was no longer publicly available.

"There are 92,900 trans adults in Texas," Brad Pritchett, deputy director of Equality Texas, said in a statement Wednesday after KUT first reported the policy change. "Just like people who change their names after marriage want their correct name on their license, trans Texans want their drivers license to reflect their gender."

Hundreds of people rally March 27, 2023, in the Capitol's open-air rotunda to protest legislation on gender-affirming care for minors.

According to the Texas State Law Library, there is not an exact law pertaining to changing one's gender marker, making the process "largely undefined" and "confusing and uncertain."

However, those changes are typically handled by judges at the county level, where an individual may submit a petition to change their gender marker and may do so if the application is approved. The process varies by county and does not automatically translate to alterations on all state documents, like a driver's license, which must be handled individually, according to the law library.

"Some counties may reject any such applications, while others accept them regardless of where you live," reads the library's resource page. "An attorney or legal aid services may help you determine where to file."

Last year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sought information on people requesting to change the gender on their state-issued documents, seeking driver's license data on transgender Texans.

More: 'TuesGayz,' festivals and parades: Celebrate Austin Pride with these events across city

Arguing that there is no legitimate or practical reason for the government to collect and store that data, Pritchett said the move by the DPS is a hit to the taken-for-granted right and "dignity" of having an accurate ID.

"Now DPS has created a system to log every request for a gender marker change," Pritchett said. "Texans will now be subject to involuntary surveillance for simply trying to update a government document."

Paxton has consistently pushed back against pro-LGBTQ+ policies at the local, state and federal levels, including last week in an announcement that his office would fight against a Biden administration rule pertaining to gender protections for state and private employees, which came after he vowed to fight against new Title IX interpretations that "grants favored status to 'sexual orientation' or 'gender identity.'"

Paxton's office did not respond to an American-Statesman request for comment.

More: Kate Cox speaks on reproductive rights at 2024 DNC, announces pregnancy during roll call

During the regular 2023 legislative session, state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, authored a bill to prohibit changing the gender marked on a birth certificate, which would make alterations to other state documents more difficult. But after passing along party lines in the Senate, the bill went unheard in the House and died when the Legislature wrapped up.

Other Republican-controlled states have previously taken steps to limit a person's ability to change the gender marked on state-issued driver's licenses including in Arkansas, Kansas, Tennessee, Montana and Florida.

In Oklahoma, a 2021 executive order by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt to prohibit that state's Health Department from issuing nonbinary or gender-neutral birth certificates, or making those changes to existing documents, has bounced around federal appellate courts over concerns the ban violates the First Amendment.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Transgender Texans cannot change sex on driver's license, DPS says
The jury trial for the men accused of causing a deadly school van crash in Dravosburg last year has been postponed.

The trial was supposed to take place Wednesday but was postponed.

William Soliday and Andrew Voight are charged for the fiery crash that killed Sierra Catholic student Samantha Kalkbrenner.

Police said Soliday was behind the wheel and doing more than 100 miles per hour on Richland Avenue when he slammed into the van.

According to police, he was racing Voight at the time of the crash.

Five other students were taken to the hospital.

The rescheduled date for the trial has not been announced at this time.

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A flair of tropical activity over the eastern Pacific Ocean has Hawaii on alert with at least two systems heading in the direction of the islands, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.

The first system is a budding tropical rainstorm located about 1,000 miles to the southeast of Hilo, Hawaii.

"This system seems to be on the verge of evolving to a full-fledged tropical depression or storm," AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said.

The rainstorm is near the border of the "eastern Pacific" and "central Pacific" basins. If it becomes a tropical storm while over the eastern Pacific, it would be named Hector.

Should it cross into the central Pacific before strengthening, it would be called Hone, which is on the list of tropical names in the Hawaiian language.

Earlier in the week, AccuWeather highlighted the feature as a tropical rainstorm to begin close tracking and raise public awareness.

"Because this system is rather far to the south, it may stay to the south of the island as it closes in this weekend to early next week," DaSilva said, "However, it is in a zone of warmer water and may be more likely to continue as a tropical storm or hurricane, as it gets close."

"Flooding rainfall could be a big issue if the system holds together and remains fairly strong," DaSilva explained.

Because of the extensive drought, the islands need moisture.

"If the storm loses organization and some of the rain bands fall apart, the lee sides of the mountains may get very little or no rain and may get a lot of wind instead, which could increase the wildfire danger," DaSilva said.

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Even with a distant passing storm or a weaker storm approaching the islands from the southeast, breezes and seas will build across the islands this weekend, regardless of shower and thunderstorm activity.

Meanwhile, an already-named hurricane is over the eastern Pacific, hundreds of miles to the east of the tropical rainstorm that AccuWeather meteorologists continue to track.

Hurricane Gilma was a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale as of Wednesday midday and is forecast to become a major hurricane of at least Category 3 intensity before the end of the week while continuing to travel toward the west-northwest.

"Should this system hold together, it would not be until around the end of the month before it would become a concern for Hawaii," DaSilva said, "It will have to fight for survival in several days. While it will be taking a more direct path toward the islands, it will also be entering waters too cool to allow tropical systems to thrive."

Still, in a weakened state, Gilma could bring its own surge of showers, thunderstorms, gusty winds and rough seas to the islands late in the month.

Direct hits by tropical storms and hurricanes are rare in Hawaii, including tropical cyclones approaching from the east as most do. This is because waters are often too cool at Hawaii's latitude and storms that travel farther to the south tend to keep sliding by to the west.

The Big Island and its mountains, which extend to nearly 14,000 feet above sea level, also tend to act as a giant wall or buffer from potent storms coming in from the east that might affect the rest of the String of Pearls.

Olivia was the last tropical storm to make landfall in Hawaii in September 2018. Before reaching Hawaii as a weakening tropical storm, Olivia had reached Category 4 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale for hurricanes. The hardest hit by flooding, rain and wind from Olivia was Maui. Olivia was the first tropical cyclone to make landfall on Maui and Lanai in recorded history.

During the prior month in 2018, Hawaii had a close encounter with a Category 5 hurricane named Lane. Fortunately, Lane weakened substantially and never made landfall in the islands.

Huge waves slam the cliffs near the Halona Blowhole, Friday, Aug. 24, 2018, in Waimanalo, Hawaii. As Hurricane Lane approaches Oahu. Large ocean swells impacted the coastline. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Before Hawaii's greatest natural disaster, which Dora contributed to last August, Iniki from September 1992 was the costliest hurricane. As a Category 4 hurricane, Iniki caused $3.1 billion in damage (1992 USD) as it struck the island of Kauai.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
PATERSON  Bill Pascrell Jr. did more than just represent Paterson in Congress. In many ways, he personified the city where he spent his 87 years.

As news spread about Pascrells death on Wednesday morning, people in the citys firehouses, schools, health care facilities, social service agencies and police cars reacted as if they had lost a close friend.

This is an incredibly sad day, said Bob Guarasci of the New Jersey Community Development Corporation nonprofit group. We have lost a giant. Congressman Pascrell was Paterson, and Paterson was him.

"He loved this city and its people with all his heart," Guarasci said. "He fought for the people of Paterson, and for all our nations middle class, right to the end. Its going to be hard to imagine the landscape without him, and we should all be motivated to honor him and his life through service to others.

Story continues below photo gallery.

State Sen. Nellie Pou called Pascrell the consummate public servant.

The congressman was truly someone who never forgot where he came from, Pou said. He was Paterson through and through. He knew its streets, its barbershops, its restaurants and its parks. He also knew its people, and knew their needs.

Patersons police officers, firefighters and teachers knew Pascrell as a man they felt was always in their corner.

More: NJ political world lauds Rep. Bill Pascrell after news of his death Wednesday

Congressman Pascrell was not only a great Patersonian and humanitarian, but also a champion to the Fire Service, said Alex Alicea, the citys fire chief. His unwavering dedication to public safety will be greatly missed.

A statement issued by the Paterson Police Department called Pascrell a true son of Paterson and an incredible partner in public safety who always supported the department and its officers.

The flag at the Robert A. Roe Federal Building is shown at half-staff, hours after Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. died, on Wednesday, August 21 2024, in Paterson. Pascrell, who was a congressman for 28 years, had his Paterson office in the federal building.

Angel Jimenez, president of the Paterson Policemen's Benevolent Association, saluted Pascrells advocacy for law enforcement. He has always fought for the things that we needed, the union leader said. That will always be his legacy.

People from other municipalities praised his dedication to Paterson.

A man who wore his hometown on his sleeve, Bill gave his all for his beloved Paterson, first as mayor and then as its congressman for 28 years, said Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco, who noted that Pascrell worked as a teacher at Paramus High School for 12 years. I had the distinct honor of working closely with Bill throughout his decades of service.

Hector Lora, the mayor of the city of Passaic, said the Pascrell name has become synonymous with service and representation for the people in our district.

He was a true fighter, unafraid to stand up for what and who he believed in. He believed in America and in the people he represented, Lora added. His loss will be felt from here to Washington and throughout our nation.

Voice of reason, advocate

Pascrells congressional district included parts of Passaic, Bergen and Hudson counties. The three county Democratic Party chairmen  Paul Juliano from Bergen, John Currie from Passaic and Craig Guy from Hudson  issued a joint statement on his death.

Congressman Pascrell was more than just a public servant  he was a pillar of our community, a voice of reason, and a tireless advocate for the people he passionately represented, the party leaders said.

John Elsea, Building Engineer at the Robert A. Roe Federal Building, lowers the flag to half-staff, hours after Congressman Bill Pascrell Jr. died, Wednesday, August 21 2024, in Paterson. Pascrell, who was congressman for approximately 28 years had his Paterson office in the federal building.

New Jersey environmentalist Jeff Tittel noted Pascrells work to create the national park at the Great Falls and his efforts to preserve open space. He was an environmental champion with a great voting record," Tittel said. He fought for clean air, clean water and to clean up toxic sites.

Paul Brubaker served as Pascrells communications director from 2009 to 2012.

It was so easy to see the many different parts of what made him who he was, Brubaker said of his former boss. He was a tireless public servant who fought for anyone who needed his help.

"He was certainly a proud Italian American and Patersonian who sought to build bridges among people," Brubaker added. "He was a devoted husband and a dedicated father, who relished every moment he could spend with his family. He was a patriotic veteran, a caring teacher and a hard-driving boss.

Related: A look at Bill Pascrell's life from growing up in Paterson to decades in Congress

'A true son of Paterson'

Three political figures widely considered as Pascrells possible successors in Congress  Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh and state Assembly members Shavonda Sumter and Benjie Wimberly  all issued statements praising him.

On a personal level, he was a mentor and friend, said Sayegh. Both times that I was elected mayor, he swore me in. Congressman Pascrell's legacy will positively impact the lives of future generations and he will be sorely missed."

Sumter called Pascrell a true son of Paterson, saying his unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and the betterment of our community defined his storied career and made a significant difference in the lives of many.

Wimberly talked about Pascrells work to secure federal funding for his district. His efforts were directed towards reducing disparities within marginalized communities and supporting key institutions that benefited the middle class, notably labor unions, he said.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ laments death of Rep. Bill Pascrell at age 87
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN)  In an unexpected blow to 740 workers at Trumbull Regional Medical Center and 168 at Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital, Steward Health Care announced Wednesday that they are beginning the process of closing both facilities.

Several local Steward Health satellite facilities are also set to close.

According to bankruptcy court documents, six satellite locations are included in the closure and will follow the same timeline as Hillside and TRMC.

Austintown Imaging

Austintown Rehabilitation Services

Center for Radiology

Elm Road Rehabilitation Services

Trumbull Regional Medical Center for Surgery

Trumbull Regional Medical Center Sleep Lab.

In a notice sent to WKBN 27 First News, Steward representatives said while they were actively seeking a buyer for the hospitals, those efforts failed.

However, despite every effort made to attract qualified buyers, there have been no actionable offers received for Trumbull Regional or Hillside. Therefore, due to our significant cash constraints, we are now in the regrettable but unavoidable situation where the process of closing the facilities must begin. the statement read.

Closing procedures will commence on September 19.

Although neither location is closing for 30 days, Ohio Nurses Association President Rick Lucas says neither location will admit patients beginning Thursday.

The amount of beds that are going to be available for patients in their community is going to be immediately impacted starting tomorrow, Lucas said.

Steward officials said they will work with patients and families to help them find alternative care.

This is a challenging and unfortunate situation, but we will continue to keep patient safety and care at the forefront of everything we do. Further updates will be provided as additional information becomes available, Steward officials wrote. We remain hopeful we can find an alternative solution that would keep the hospitals open and preserve the jobs of our dedicated team members.

Dr. Mazen Mahjoub spoke with WKBN Thursday about the impact that this may have. He talked about how he saved a womans life. She was suffering from heart complications and couldnt go to Saint Elizabeth Health Center.

There were talks about sending her to Cleveland Clinic, but Dr. Mahjoub made the call to bring her to Trumbull Regional. He says if she didnt receive care when she did, she would have died.

The Ohio Nurses Association, which represents 22 nurses at Hillside Rehabilitation Center, issued a statement following the announcement saying workers at the Howland facility were blindsided when they were told the facility was closing.

The closure of Hillside is a tragic result of greed-driven hospital executives, backed by private equity, who prioritize their yachts and private jets over patient care, Lucas said. This decision leaves our community without crucial rehabilitation services and forces our dedicated team of nurses and health professionals into unemployment due to Stewards unchecked greed.

Hes concerned itll have an immediate bottleneck effect on the remaining healthcare systems in the Valley.

It really should be a fundamental right and something that we expect here in the State of Ohio, that somebody wouldnt have to drive 30, 60, 90 or more minutes to receive care and, you know, potentially have a bad outcome and not be able to receive emergency care, maternity care, cardiac care, Lucas said.

The union is calling on elected officials to step in and take immediate action to keep the hospital open.

Ohio Representative Nick Santucci, R-64th district, issued a statement saying he has been in contact with Ohio Attorney General David Yosts office to try and find a way to support the hospital and its patients. He said he plans to work with economic development partners to support displaced workers with the goal of finding an alternative hospital system to serve the area.

I am disappointed in the mismanagement of Steward Health Systems and am heartbroken to hear of Trumbull Memorial & Hillside Hospitals closing. This departure will leave a void in Trumbull County that we will need to fill to ensure our residents have access to healthcare, Santucci said.

Mercy Health released a statement indicating their hospital system is preparing for the closure.

In light of Steward Health Care Systems difficult decision to close Trumbull Regional Medical Center and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital, Mercy Health is prepared and stands ready to help offer a smooth transition for patients during this time of change, the statement said.

Warren City Hospital officials also released a statement saying they are still optimistic about saving and upgrading the hospital.

Trumbull Regional has a strong staff of doctors and employees. We are eager to work with them and the operating specialists who are looking to manage the hospital. It is still our intent to get the job done, the statement read.

While employees at both facilities were notified of the closures on Wednesday, court filings mandate that unions associated with both facilities, the Ohio Attorney General, municipality leaders for both facilities and regulatory authorities must also be notified.

The closures come on the heels of the health systems financial breakdown and Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in May. The system recently closed hospitals in Massachusetts and another was taken over the state.

Steward operates, or once operated, more than 30 hospitals across Arizona, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Texas and Massachusetts.

Shianna Gibbons 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 WKBN.com.
Former President Trump is facing backlash after criticizing Vice President Harris for attending the historically Black sorority Sigma Gamma Rho boule.

In an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump called the boule, when a sororitys entire membership over the years assembles together, a party.

She went actually, to a party, Trump said. And you know that she went to a sorority, sorority party and a very unimportant one. They have them numerous times during the year. Its a shame.

Harris, a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) sorority, attended both AKAs and Sigma Gamma Rhos boules in July. The two sororities are among the Divine Nine group, which are nine historically Black fraternities and sororities.

In her remarks at the Sigma Gamma Rho boule, Harris said she was looking out at a family that shares the same vision for the future of the nation that she holds.

In this moment, we face a choice between two very different visions for our nation: one focused on the future, the other focused on the past. And we in this room are fighting for the future, Harris said.

We are working to build up  to build up, not tear down  and to build up Americas families and Americas middle class, because we know when our middle class is strong, America is strong, she added.

Divine Nine boules hold a deep sense of significance for members. The events often include keynote speakers, workshops and networking events. Theyre often described as a way to strengthen the bonds of sisterhood among the sororities.

Antjuan Seawright, a democratic strategist, said Trumps comments indicate he is unaware of the history and meaning of not just the boules, but of the Divine Nine.

This is not the first time that we bear witness to Donald Trumps racism not having boundaries, Seawright said.

Clearly, he has no acknowledgement of the history the Divine Nine has played to not only shaping the African American community, but shaping his country, and certainly the blatant continued disrespect of Black women shows his disconnect with the realities of what this country is all about.

According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Black Greek-letter organizations were established on the principles of personal excellence, racial uplift, community service, civic action and kinship.

The founding of the organizations collided with the rise of Jim Crow laws and widespread racial violence and prejudice. The organizations were also formed during a time when Greek life at predominantly white institutions barred Black students from participation.

Quite frankly, when you criticize one, you criticize all, said Seawright, and I dont think he understands the historical power that comes along with the designer.

Some of the most prominent Black leaders in American history were members of a Divine Nine.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Thurgood Marshall were members of Alpha Phi Alpha. Like Harris, Coretta Scott King was also an AKA.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson is a member of Omega Psi Phi. Former Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) is a member of Iota Phi Theta. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) is an active a member of Sigma Gamma Rho.

Im not surprised by Trumps inaccurate comment, Kelly told The Hill.

As a proud member of the Divine Nine, Sigma Gamma Rho instilled in me the values of leadership and public service  both of which Trump severely lacks. Trump should really stop blundering his campaign because he just gave Black women yet another reason to defeat him in November and elect our sister Kamala Harris.

Journalist Roland Martin is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha. After Trumps remarks, he took to the social platform X, calling for all Sigma Gamma Rho and Divine 9 members to please vote accordingly.

Neither the Trump nor Harris campaigns immediately responded to a request 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.
CHICAGO  Former President Donald Trumps campaign spent Tuesday trying to convince voters they are unsafe in America. Starting with a press conference in Chicago to counter-program the Democratic National Convention, followed by vice presidential nominee JD Vances appearance with police officers in Wisconsin, and Trump himself appearing in suburban Michigan, the campaign was trying to push a single message about how Vice President Kamala Harris would make voters worlds more dangerous.

Its a message Trump has consistently focused on since he entered the electoral arena, from calling for a xenophobicban on Muslim immigration in the 2016 GOP primary to withering attacks on defund the police in 2020. A few words from Trump on Tuesday, however, showcased how his extremist tendencies and chaotic behavior, covering everything from his racism to inciting an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, frequently undermine what should be one of his strongest electoral messages.

Her father is, as you know, a Marxist professor, Trump said of Harris before mocking her appearance. You see her now with the smile  shes gotten rid of the laugh in recent days  they told her dont laugh.

He also couldnt help but complain again about President Joe Biden leaving the 2024 race after pressure from within his party: That was a coup. Im no fan of his, but it started with the debate, it was a vicious, violent overthrow of the president of the United States.

Trump also failed to fully deliver the intended message. His campaign released snippets of his speech to reporters, suggesting he would call for child rapists and child traffickers to be eligible for the death penalty. The 78-year-old never said as much in his speech, and his campaign later claimed he decided not to reveal such important policies when they would be overshadowed by the Democratic convention.

A Cook Political Report survey of battleground states released last week shows the problem Trump is facing: Americans might not trust Democrats on public safety, but they also dont trust Donald Trump. While voters trust him more than Harris on a trio of issues  the border and immigration, crime and violence, and dealing with foreign crises and wars  he and Harris are essentially tied on the actual question of who makes voters feel safe, with 46% saying Harris and 45% saying Trump.

I think that really speaks to voters memories of how erratic his temperament is, concerns about his penchant for retribution and extremism, GOP pollster Greg Strimple, whose firm GS Strategy Group helped conduct the survey, told reporters last week. As a result, Trump is not able, currently at least, to leverage an advantage on issues that should be working in his favor.

Even the location of Tuesdays speech highlights why some Americans might not trust Trump to keep them safe. Trump spoke in Howell, Michigan, a town with a long history of right-wing extremism, including a march earlier this year in which white supremacists chanted about their love of Hitler and Trump.

And you didnt hear Donald Trump try to distance himself from that at all whatsoever, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said on a call with reporters organized by the Harris campaign before Trumps visit. Its outrageous to me that he would not be denouncing that kind of behavior and that kind of language.

There are, of course, factual problems with Trumps message. Immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans, and preliminary data indicates the COVID-era spike in violent crime is over and may even be reversing. But polling consistently shows voters trust Trump more on both issues, which is why his campaign keeps hammering them.

Democrats are holding their convention in Chicago in order to showcase it, and yet, as you know, over Fourth of July weekend, 117 people were shot and 17 were killed, Trump said Tuesday while reading off prepared remarks. 40 were shot last weekend. Thats a war zone, thats worse than Afghanistan.

Speaking of Afghanistan, he added, in another aside, it was the worst and most embarrassing day in our country, in my opinion. We left people behind, we left $85 billion of equipment behind.

At the Democratic National Convention, however, Democratic-aligned military leaders were warning about the threat of Trump deploying the U.S. military to deal with domestic problems like crime and immigration, insisting it would endanger both troops and American citizens.

It starts with him about who he is, the person, because he doesnt even listen to his own advisers, retired Major General Randy Manner told HuffPost. Under Trump, we should be, quite frankly, very afraid for our sons and daughters and husbands and wives that are in our military, let alone our citizens.

And on the airwaves, both Democratic and Republican groups have been airing ads trying to define Harris on issues of crime and safety, with Democrats focusing on her record as a prosecutor and emphasizing that she hails from a border state. Republicans are trying to poke holes in her record and calling her dangerously liberal.
Trump Campaign Tries to Steal Beyonces Freedom From Kamala Harris

Donald Trumps spokesperson, Steven Cheung, posted a clip of the GOP candidate landing in Michigan on Tuesday. And in what appears to be an attempt  and lets be real, somewhat pathetic attempt  to troll the Kamala Harris campaign, the clip was edited to include Beyonces song Freedom. Cool, bro.

Harris was granted use of the song by the pop superstar less than a day after she entered the race, and the song is now indelibly linked to her historic campaign.

TheWrap has reached out to Beyonces reps for comment.

Trumps camp has a history of using songs without the artists permission, including, most recently, the Isaac Hayes-penned hit Hold on Im Coming. The estate for the late R&B star has sued Trump for $3 million for the unlicensed use of the song, which they estimate has been used 100 times by the GOP campaign.

The suit, which was filed in Georgia federal court, also names the Republican National Committee and conservative group Turning Point USA.

In addition to the $150,000 fee per each use of the song, Hayes family also wants a disclaimer that they have not authorized, endorsed, or permitted use of the Isaac Hayes Enterprises property at any point, now or in perpetuity throughout the universe for the candidate.

Previous musicians who have objected to Trumps use of their songs include Bruce Springsteen, Adele, Celine Dion, Elton John, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, the estate of George Harrison, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Earth Wind & Fire.

X users were quick to point out the folly of trying to co-opt Beyonce and her song:

Anna Maltese wrote, Oh, look, youre trying to copy Kamala Harris, thats cute! Of course, Beyonce might feel differently.

Portland, Oregon-based Badd Company responded with, And now you will be sued, again, for Copyright Infringement. You, folks, are destroying yourselves, good job!

@ZephyrRN1701G said, Holy stOH NO HE DIDNT. OMG

Beyonce, sue him!

The Daily Beast first reported this story.

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Former President Trump and his allies are continuing their attacks on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's account of his military service. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

The Trump campaign Wednesday released a letter signed by 50 Republican lawmakers who are military veterans that criticizes vice presidential candidate Tim Walz for what they called egregious misrepresentations of his time in uniform.

To be blunt, when you falsely claim military service that did not happen and abandon your post, you diminish the real sacrifices made by veterans who did serve in combat, reads the letter, whose signatories include Florida Rep. Brian Mast, chairman of the Veterans and Military Families for Trump coalition.

The letter is part of a sustained attack by the Trump campaign  spearheaded by Sen. JD Vance, the vice presidential nominee and a Marine Corps veteran  on the military service record of Walz, who served 24 years in the Army National Guard before retiring to run for Congress. Republicans have lambasted Walz for retiring in May 2005, two months before his unit received orders to deploy to Iraq.

The letter accuses Walz of abandoning the men and women under your leadership just as they were getting ready to deploy, calling his decision to leave the service not honorable.

Read more: In Tim Walz's rural hometown, his Democratic politics are an awkward fit

When America asked you to lead your troops into War, you turned your back on your troops, it says. You have violated the trust of our brothers and sisters in arms. ... Until you admit you lied to them, there is no way you can be trusted to serve as Vice President.

The letter also highlights Walzs characterization of his military rank, which critics say he exaggerated.

The Minnesota governor achieved the rank of command sergeant major, one of the Armys highest enlisted ranks, but retired as a master sergeant because he did not complete the required coursework required to keep the higher title. His governors biography website calls him Command Sergeant Major Walz, and his and Vice President Kamala Harris campaign site note that he rose to that rank.

The letter writers include Rep. Darrell Issa, who represents portions of San Diego and Riverside counties; Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, Florida Sen. Rick Scott, and Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, who served as secretary of the Interior under Trump.

On Wednesday evening, the Harris campaign, in an email to The Times, shared a statement by VoteVets, a progressive political action committee composed of military veterans and their families, claiming many of the signatories misrepresented their own service.

"If you're looking for a textbook example of Stolen Valor, look no further than Donald Trump's campaign and the 50 Veterans who signed this letter," the statement reads.

The "most egregious example," it reads, is Texas Congressman Ronny Jackson, whose U.S. Navy retirement rank was reduced from rear admiral to captain after a Pentagon investigation found he had behaved inappropriately while serving as White House physician.

"Despite the demotion, Jackson has continued to refer to himself as a retired rear admiral, including in statements released since the Navy reclassified him as a retired captain," the Washington Post reported.

Vance, who has repeatedly accused Walz of stolen valor, repeated his attacks in a speech this week in a Philadelphia in which he joked, Before the end of the campaign, Tim Walz is going to be talking about how he was carrying an M16 through the jungles of Vietnam.

The closest Tim Walz has ever come to combat ... is when he let rioters burn Minneapolis to the ground after the police murder of George Floyd, said Vance, who was deployed to Iraq for six months in 2005 and did not see combat.

Walz addressed the scrutiny of his service during a speech to union workers in Los Angeles last week.

I am damn proud of my service to this country, Walz said, and I firmly believe that you should never denigrate another persons service record. For anyone who put on that uniform for our great country, including my opponent, I just have a few simple words: Thank you for your service and sacrifice.

The military service of the vice presidential candidates  as well as Trumps lack of it  has been a frequent theme during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week.

Read more: Will the attacks on Walz's military service stick like they did to Kerry 20 years ago?

Trump never served in the military, and a string of deferments enabled him to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War. After graduating high school from the New York Military Academy in 1964, he received four education deferments to attend college.

In 1968, at age 22, he got a medical deferment for having bone spurs in his heels.

In a speech at the Democratic convention Tuesday night, Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, an Army veteran who lost both her legs while serving in Iraq, called Trump old Cadet Bone Spurs.

I went to war to protect Americas rights and freedoms, so I take it personally when a five-time draft dodging coward like Donald Trump tries to take away my rights and freedoms in return, Duckworth said.

Trump in recent days has been criticized for saying the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor, is  much better than the Medal of Honor, the nations highest military decoration, because the recipients of the latter are either in very bad shape because theyve been hit so many times by bullets or theyre dead.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks on crime and safety during a campaign event at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Howell, Mich. | Evan Vucci

The Department of Labor announced Wednesday it was revising down its initial assessment of how many jobs were added in 2023 by 818,000 jobs. Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump called the changes fraudulent while he was speaking at a campaign event in Michigan to talk about crime.

An estimated 2 million jobs were added in the U.S. in 2023, not 2.9 million as initially reported. The numbers wont be finalized until February, and could be revised again.

It is normal for the Labor Department to revise its numbers after a fiscal year ends, but 818,000 is a larger drop than is typical.

This years revision was unusually large, The New York Times reported. Over the previous decade, the annual updates had added or subtracted an average of about 173,000 jobs to each years total.

At his campaign event, Trump spoke about the big drop, accusing the Biden administration of inflating the numbers on purpose. There has been a report that the job numbers over the last period of time were fraudulent, he claimed.

The numbers show the biggest revisions were made in the professional and business services sector, with 358,000 fewer jobs than earlier reported, followed by drops in the leisure and hospitality, retail and manufacturing sectors.

The markets did not react strongly to news of the revision, as the economy added fewer than expected jobs in July and the unemployment rate bumped up to 4.3%, higher than expected.

The Wall Street Journal reported, Investors had already been anticipating a downward adjustment for the period in question. More broadly, many havent quite believed that the labor market was as strong as payroll figures have suggested because other data points. such as a rising unemployment rate  have told a less rosy story.

Voters negative about the economy

After a rough transition when Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race, Trump has been trying to turn the focus back to issues like immigration and the economy, where he feels he has strength.

A recent Deseret News/HarrisX poll showed 61% of U.S. voters think the economy is on the wrong track, compared to 30% of voters who say its on the right track.

At the Democratic National Convention this week, speakers are working to frame Harris as a fresh choice, rather than tie her to the record of the Biden administration. Trump, meanwhile, is traveling to swing states this week, trying to push the opposite narrative.
Donald Trumps former White House press secretary took the stage at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night and shared the brutal one-word message from Melania in the wake of the January 6 insurrection that caused her to quit.

Stephanie Grisham, who held the role from July 2019 to April 2020 before becoming the first ladys communications director and chief of staff, is one of several Republican figures invited to the convention in Chicago to denounce the extremism of the former president and his campaign.

On Tuesday night, as she endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris for president, Grisham shared the brief text exchange, which finally convinced her to leave the post as she couldnt be part of the insanity any longer.

On Jan. 6, I asked Melania if we can at least tweet that while peaceful protest is the right of every American, theres no place for lawlessness or violence, Grisham, with the apparent text shown on screens behind her, said.

Melania simply responds: no.

Former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham speaks on stage in front of an apparent text message with former first lady Melania Trump (Getty Images)

During her remarks, she told attendees that the former president mocks his supporters behind closed doors, calling them basement dwellers.

She also told a story about Trump during a hospital visit when people were dying in the ICU, he was mad that the cameras were not watching him. He has no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth.

He used to tell me, it doesn't matter what you say, Stephanie, say it enough and people will believe you, the former press secretary said.

She added that she resigned on January 6, 2021, because she couldn't be part of the insanity any longer.

Kamala Harris tells the truth, she respects the American people and she has my vote, she said.

Grisham told DNC attendees that Trump has no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth (Reuters)

In a statement to NBC News, Grisham said she never thought she would be speaking at a Democratic convention.But, after seeing firsthand who Donald Trump really is, and the threat he poses to our country, I feel very strongly about speaking out.

She added: While I dont agree with Vice President Harris on everything, I am proud to be supporting her because I know she will defend our freedoms and represent our nation with honesty and integrity.

Other Republicans are expected to share a similar message throughout the convention, including former Representative Adam Kinzinger, of Illinois, who is scheduled to speak Thursday.

On Monday  the first night of the convention  a video compilation of former Trump voters was played to attendees, including a longer interview with a former Trumper, Rich Logis.

Stephanie Grisham held the role of Trump press secretary from July 2019 to April 2020 and was also Melania Trumps chief of staff (AFP via Getty Images)

While Donald Trump continues to attack moderates and independents, the Harris-Walz campaign has made clear that there is a place in our coalition for voters who reject the extremism of Donald Trump and want to protect our democracy, a Harris campaign official said.

Grisham was Trumps third White House press secretary, succeeding Sarah Huckabee Sanders and was the first White House Press Secretary to hold no press conferences.

She later assumed the role of chief of staff to former first lady Melania Trump on April 7 2020. On the evening of January 6 2021, Grisham resigned from the position following the storming of the United States Capitol.

In the aftermath of the insurrection and her resignation Grisham has become a fervent critic of her former boss, warning that he would seek revenge if not reelected.

She told CNN earlier this year: He used to tell me when I was press secretary, Go out there and say this. And if it was false, he would say, It doesnt matter, Stephanie. Just say it over and over and over again, people will believe it.

He knows his base believes in him. He knows he can basically say anything and his base will believe what hes saying.

Her inclusion on the second night of the convention, which also includes remarks from Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, continues the Harris campaigns drive to recruit Republicans to their cause.

We will be putting patriotic Republicans front and center in our convention programming to explain, in their own words, why they are putting country first and supporting Vice President Harris, Austin Weatherford, the campaigns national Republican engagement director, said in a statement to NBC News.

The campaign launched its Republicans for Harris program this month to reach more moderate and independent voters who may have supported Trump in the past, specifically highlighting the controversial Project 2025 document.
Donald Trump was set to make two attention-grabbing announcements at his event in Michigan on Tuesday. But when all was said and done, the ex-president held off.

Trump spoke in Howell, Michigan flanked by members of law enforcement. His speech concentrated on crime, and he specifically hammered Vice President Kamala Harris over an imaginary surge in violent crime  despite the fact that violent crime is actually at its lowest national rate in decades.

The ex-president has sought to win over suburban voters by appealing to fears about crime and immigration. He made that explicitly clear on Tuesday as he opined to his supporters at the event that he thought polls showing women turning away from his campaign were fake.

But in his prepared remarks, Trump also planned to make two other unique appeals to voters, including his first foray into anti-transgender policy. A copy of his planned speech obtained by NOTUS revealed that Trump plans to propose making it a felony nationwide to provide gender-affirming care for minors without their parents or guardians consent, something which is already largely illegal except in a handful of states.

To protect our children from sexual mutilation, we will make it a felony for any medical professional to perform surgery on a minor without parental consent, Trump reportedly planned to say.

The second policy Trump originally was set to announce on Tuesday: a plan to seek the death penalty for persons found guilty of sexually abusing children. Its an issue which has already been blocked by the Supreme Court on the grounds of preventing incommensurate sentences for crimes, but one that is a clear nod to the groomer panic that has overtaken parts of the right, particularly on social media. Major figures on the American right wing are accused of weaponizing that panic to smear and target LGBT Americans.

I am announcing today that I will be asking for the DEATH PENALTY for child rapists and child traffickers, read Trumps planned remarks.

Donald Trump backed off from making two policy announcements in his speech in Howell, Michigan on Tuesday as Democrats hold the spotlight in Chicago amid their four-day convention (Getty Images)

But neither of those above sentences made it into the live version of the ex-presidents speech in Howell. Instead, a source with knowledge of the change indicated that Trump is holding off on making those appeals to his base until after the Democratic convention ends. The reason? His campaign doesnt want it to be lost in the tsunami of positive coverage that typically follows party conventions and which is currently playing out as the Democrats rally supporters in Chicago.

President Trump is saving those additional formal announcements until after the DNC when he can make them on a special occasion. Theyre too important to get lost in the shuffle of convention week, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Independent.

The Independent has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.

Its the first apparent recognition by the former president that he cant compete with the noise being generated by the DNC  and a sign that his bid to recapture momentum in the race will have to wait at least another week.

It comes as Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, are hosting a series of events across battleground states this week seemingly aimed at recapturing some of that attention.

Trump himself sounded somewhat hoarse and tired on Tuesday as he spoke in Michigan amid what is certainly the busiest week for his personal campaign schedule in months. The Trump campaign is hosting a number of smaller-venue events throughout the week, with the ex-president speaking each day. The week will be capped off by another economic-themed event attended by both Trump and Vance in Las Vegas.

The schedule itself may be aimed at refuting a point which has arisen since Biden dropped out of the race in July: the idea that Trump, at 78, is now by far the older candidate in the race, and therefore may also be unfit for office due to his age. Many of the Democrats who spent months battling concerns about Bidens age are now happily raising those same arguments against the Republican ticket.

Trumps campaign now finds itself in a tight spot. Harris, since entering the race in late July, has been at the center of a stunning rebound of Democratic enthusiasm which has manifested in national and swing state polling, as well as a surge in donations and volunteer support in swing states around the country.

Harriss campaign announced on Tuesday that it had raised more than a half billion dollars since she entered the race just under one month ago. Trump, by comparison, raised less than a quarter million in July  less than Kamala Harris raised in one week after she entered the race as the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.
Former President Trump on Wednesday held his first outdoor campaign event since he was grazed by a bullet in an assassination attempt, standing behind bulletproof glass as he addressed supporters in North Carolina.

The former president and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), spoke in Asheboro, as part of a weeklong swing through battleground states to counter the Democratic convention.

The Trump campaign declined to comment on specific added security measures.

The stage was flanked by panes of bulletproof glass. Storage containers were stacked up near the stage to block lines of sight from a distance.

At one point, Trump wandered off the stage to check on an attendee in the stands who had a medical issue.

Wednesdays event was billed as focused on national security, but like Trumps other policy-focused events this week, he delivered at-times-meandering remarks in which he complained about the revision of jobs numbers and attacked President Biden and the Obamas over their convention speeches.

He did forcefully attack Biden and Vice President Harris over the disastrous withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in 2021, during which 13 American soldiers were killed.

Trump said he would ask for the resignations of every single senior military official who touched the Afghanistan disaster.

And he repeated his assertion that he could single-handedly end raging conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Starting the moment I lift my hand from the Bible after taking the oath of office, I will move to restore America to maximum strength and return the world to peace, Trump said. Were going to return the world to peace. And mostly I can do it with a telephone call.

It was the first time Trump held an outdoor rally since July 13, when he was hit in the ear by a bullet while speaking at an event in Butler, Pa. The assassin and one rally attendee were killed, and Trump wore a bandage over his ear for weeks after the shooting as it healed.

Lawmakers have set up a bipartisan task force to probe the security lapses around the assassination attempt.

Trump has said he intends to return to Butler for another rally.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Former President Donald Trump said he would consider appointing independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to a Cabinet position if he were to drop out and endorse the Republicana move his vice presidential candidate said the ticket was considering the same day.

Hes a brilliant guy. Hes a very smart guy. Ive known him for a very long time, Trump told CNN, adding that he would be honored by the endorsement. I didnt know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly Id be open to it, Trump said.

The former president said he probably would consider Kennedy for a Cabinet positionsomething the independent campaign seems to be angling for in recent weeks.

Reporter: Would you consider putting RFK Jr in your administration?



Trump: I probably would pic.twitter.com/Sgsnq1vKeI  Acyn (@Acyn) August 20, 2024

Earlier the same day, Kennedys vice presidential nominee Nicole Shanahan sat down for an interview with the podcast Impact Theory, where she said the campaign was considering endorsing the Republican.

In the interview, Shanahan denied a report in The Washington Post last week that Kennedy was trying to meet with the Democratic nominee to discus an endorsement or a possible cabinet position. Kennedy, the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, was a registered Democrat until 2023.

Definitely not in talks with Harris, Shanahan said during the podcast, calling the reports fake news.

Kennedy also met with Trump to discuss a possible cabinet position shortly before the Republican National Convention in July, the Post confirmed. A video clip of the meeting was briefly shared by Kennedys son on social media.

In the podcast interview on Monday, Shanahan was vocally more supportive of the Republican ticket, as well as controversial backer Peter Thiel, and said they were considering a unity party ticket with the former president.

If were splitting hairs, I would say I trust the future of this country more under the leadership of the Trumps and the Thiels and the JD Vances than I do under the leadership of the Harrises and the Reid Hoffmans, Shanahan said.

The independent vice presidential candidate said that Kennedy was weighing the option of staying in and forming a new political partybut said they were concerned about drawing votes away from Trump in the general election. Or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump, Shanahan told the host.

Trump has taken genuine, sincere interest in our policies around chronic disease, Shanahan said. He takes it seriously. For that reason, I think it behooves us to sit and see if we can actually make some real change.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Trump posted a fake Taylor Swift image. AI and deepfakes are only going to get worse this election cycle

Former President Trump amplified a fake image on his social media platform that falsely suggested pop superstar Taylor Swift had endorsed him. (John Minchillo / Associated Press)

A patriotic image shows megastar Taylor Swift dressed up like Uncle Sam, falsely suggesting she endorses Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

"Taylor Wants You To Vote For Donald Trump," the image, which appears to be generated by artificial intelligence, says.

Over the weekend, Trump amplified the lie when he shared the image along with others depicting support from Swift fans to his 7.6 million followers on his social network Truth Social.

Deception has long played a part in politics, but the rise of artificial intelligence tools that allow people to rapidly generate fake images or videos by typing out a phrase adds another complex layer to a familiar problem on social media. Known as deepfakes, these digitally altered images and videos can make it appear someone is saying or doing something they arent.

As the race between Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris intensifies, disinformation experts are sounding the alarm about generative AIs risks.

I'm worried as we move closer to the election, this is going to explode, said Emilio Ferrara, a computer science professor at USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Its going to get much worse than it is now.

Platforms such as Facebook and X have rules against manipulated images, audio and videos, but theyve struggled to enforce these policies as AI-generated content floods the internet. Faced with accusations theyre censoring political speech, theyve focused more on labeling content and fact checking, rather than pulling posts down. And there are exceptions to the rules, such as satire, that allow people to create and share fake images online.

We have all the problems of the past, all the myths and disagreements and general stupidity, that we've been dealing with for 10 years, said Hany Farid, a UC Berkeley professor who focuses on misinformation and digital forensics. Now we have it being supercharged with generative AI and we are really, really partisan.

Read more: This controversial California AI bill was amended to quell Silicon Valley fears. Heres what changed

Amid the surging interest in OpenAI, the maker of popular generative AI tool ChatGPT, tech companies are encouraging people to use new AI tools that can generate text, images and videos.

Farid, who analyzed the Swift images that Trump shared, said they appear to be a mix of both real and fake images, a devious way to push out misleading content.

People share fake images for various reasons. They might be doing it to just go viral on social media or troll others. Visual imagery is a powerful part of propaganda, warping peoples views on politics including about the legitimacy of the 2024 presidential election, he said.

On X, images that appear to be AI-generated depict Swift hugging Trump, holding his hand or singing a duet as the Republican strums a guitar. Social media users have also used other methods to falsely claim Swift endorsed Trump.

X labeled one video that falsely claimed Swift endorsed Trump as manipulated media. The video, posted in February, uses footage of Swift at the 2024 Grammys and makes it appear as if shes holding a sign that says, Trump Won. Democrats Cheated!

Read more: Hollywood celebs are scared of deepfakes. This talent agency will use AI to fight them

Political campaigns have been bracing for AI's impact on the election.

Vice President Harris' campaign has an interdepartmental team "to prepare for the potential effects of AI this election, including the threat of malicious deepfakes," said spokeswoman Mia Ehrenberg in a statement. The campaign only authorizes the use of AI for productivity tools such as data analysis, she added.

Trumps campaign didnt respond to a request for comment.

Part of the challenge in curbing fake or manipulated video is that the federal law that guides social media operations doesnt specifically address deepfakes. The Communications Decency Act of 1996 does not hold social media companies liable for hosting content, as long as they do not aid or control those who posted it.

But over the years, tech companies have come under fire for what's appeared on their platforms and many social media companies have established content moderation guidelines to address this such as prohibiting hate speech.

It's really walking this tightrope for social media companies and online operators, said Joanna Rosen Forster, a partner at law firm Crowell & Moring.

Read more: California lawmakers are trying to regulate AI before it's too late. Here's how

Legislators are working to address this problem by proposing bills that would require social media companies to take down unauthorized deepfakes.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said in July that he supports legislation that would make altering a persons voice with the use of AI in a campaign ad illegal. The remarks were a response to a video billionaire Elon Musk, who owns X, shared that uses AI to clone Harris voice. Musk, who has endorsed Trump, later clarified that the video he shared was parody.

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is one of the groups advocating for laws addressing deepfakes.

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA's national executive director and chief negotiator, said social media companies are not doing enough to address the problem.

"Misinformation and outright lies spread by deepfakes can never really be rolled back," Crabtree-Ireland said. "Especially with elections being decided in many cases by narrow margins and through complex, arcane systems like the electoral college, these deepfake-fueled lies can have devastating real world consequences."

Crabtree-Ireland has experienced the problem firsthand. Last year, he was the subject of a deepfake video circulating on Instagram during a contract ratification campaign. The video, which showed false imagery of Crabtree-Ireland urging members to vote against a contract he negotiated, got tens of thousands of views. And while it had a caption that said "deepfake," he received dozens of messages from union members asking him about it.

It took several days before Instagram took the deepfake video down, he said.

"It was, I felt, very abusive," Crabtree-Ireland said. "They shouldn't steal my voice and face to make a case that I don't agree with."

With a tight race between Harris and Trump, its not surprising both candidates are leaning on celebrities to appeal to voters. Harris campaign embraced pop star Charli XCXs depiction of the candidate as brat and has used popular tunes such as Beyonces Freedom and Chappell Roans Femininomenon to promote the Democratic Black and Asian American female presidential nominee. Musicians Kid Rock , Jason Aldean and Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, have voiced their support for Trump, who was the target of an assassination attempt in July.

Swift, who has been the target of deepfakes before, hasnt publicly endorsed a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, but shes criticized Trump in the past. In the 2020 documentary Miss Americana, Swift says in a tearful conversation with her parents and team that she regrets not speaking out against Trump during the 2016 election and slams Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn, who was running for U.S. Senate at the time, as Trump in a wig.

Read more: The 7 biggest revelations from Netflix's Taylor Swift documentary 'Miss Americana'

Swift's publicist, Tree Paine, did not respond to a request for comment.

AI-powered chatbots from platforms such as Meta, X and OpenAI make it easy for people to create fictitious images. While news outlets have found that X's AI chatbot Grok can generate election fraud images , other chatbots are more restrictive.

Meta AIs chatbot declined to create images of Swift endorsing Trump after an attempt by a reporter.

I cant generate images that could be used to spread misinformation or create the impression that a public figure has endorsed a particular political candidate, Meta AIs chatbot replied.

Meta and TikTok cited their efforts to label AI-generated content and partner with fact checkers. For example, TikTok said an AI-generated video falsely depicting a political endorsement of a public figure by an individual or group is not allowed. X didnt respond to a request for comment.

When asked how Truth Social moderates AI-generated content, the platforms parent company Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. accused journalists of demanding more censorship. Truth Socials community guidelines has rules against posting fraud and spam but doesnt spell out how it handles AI-generated content.

With social media platforms facing threats of regulation and lawsuits, some misinformation experts are skeptical that social networks want to properly moderate misleading content.

Social networks make most of their money from ads so keeping users on the platforms for a longer time is good for business, Farid said.

What engages people is the absolute, most conspiratorial, hateful, salacious, angry content, he said. That's who we are as human beings.

Its a harsh reality that even Swifties wont be able to shake off.

Staff writer Mikael Wood contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Trump pulls out of interview after paper questions his dubious claims about crime rate

Donald Trump backed out of an interview after a local paper asked him for data to back up his continued baseless claims that crime is on the rise under President Joe Biden.

The Detroit News reported that Trumps campaign had agreed to an interview with the former president on Tuesday after a campaign speech. However, the campaign suddenly claimed Trump no longer had time for the interview after a reporter began probing them on crime data.

The Trump campaign had initially agreed that Trump would participate in an interview with The Detroit News on Tuesday, state politics reporter Craig Mauger wrote. But after the newspaper began asking about the Michigan crime data before the event, a campaign aide said the presidential candidate no longer had time for an interview after the speech.

At the Howell, Michigan campaign event, Trump claimed there is a crime wave going on at levels nobody has ever seen before.

The amount of crime that we have is unbelievable, Trump said, later labeling this perceived rise the Kamala crime wave.

Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in Howell, Michigan on Tuesday. There, he claimed the crime rate is on the rise  despite federal data showing otherwise (AFP via Getty Images)

Trump has made a similar claim countless times  including in April in the same state, when he claimed the crime rate is only going up.

As The Detroit News and other outlets have pointed out, national violent and property crime rates have fallen since Trump left office.

The Detroit News cited data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation which showed the national violent crime rate dropped in 2021 and 2022 under Biden.

The Trump campaign responded by claiming the data is totally unreliable at the present time because the FBI used estimated crime numbers for law enforcement agencies that didnt report numbers, The Detroit News reports.

The murder rate also spiked by 30 percent during the last year of Trumps presidency, the largest one-year rise on record, CNN reports.

Trumps implication that the crime rate is only going up is false, Anna Harvey, a political science professor and director of the Public Safety Lab at New York University, told CNN earlier this year.

Trump has repeatedly spread a similar baseless claim that countries are sending people from mental health institutions and prisons to illegally enter the United States.

The Washington Post estimated that during his presidency, Trump made more than 30,000 false or misleading statements.

The Independent has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.
Former president and Republican nominee Donald Trump offered some rare praise for his White House predecessor ahead of Barack Obama's speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention. He may have spoken too soon.

Just ahead of Michelle and Barack Obama's speeches at the national convention, Trump, a harsh critic of Obama and his time in office, actually offered some rare praise for his predecessor while speaking to reporters Tuesday. That praise? Trump referred to the 44th president as a nice gentleman whom he happens to like and respect, in an interview with CNN.

I thought he was a terrible president. He didnt do the job. He let people take advantage of us on trade, Trump said while on the campaign trail in Michigan. Especially tradehe was very weak on trade. But I happen to like him. I respect him and his wife.

On Wednesday, after the Obamas' primetime speeches, Trump was taking a different tone. Here's what happened:

Michelle Obama says 'Do something' and takes jab at Trump

The Obamas took to the convention stage on Wednesday night and the former president and first lady had a couple of things to say, especially about Trump and some of his campaign rhetoric. Michelle Obama praised Vice President Kamala Harris and encouraged party members to "do something."

Whos going to tell him that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those 'Black jobs?' Michelle Obama said in her speech, taking a dig at Trump's Republican National Conventions speech when he spoke of undocumented immigrants "taking Black jobs".

Trump argued that the millions of people he's (Bidens) allowed to come in through the border, they're taking Black jobs.

Barack Obama thanks Joe Biden, supports Harris, condemns Trump campaign

Barack Obama took the time to thank his former vice president and current President Joe Biden, while he blasted his White House successor Trump and the campaign he is running after Harris took over the mantle of Democratic presidential nominee.

It has been a constant stream of gripes and grievances thats actually been getting worse now that hes afraid of losing to Kamala, Barack Obama told the convention crowd. Theres the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes. It just goes on and on and on.

The former president then took aim at Trump's rhetoric around immigration and women's reproductive rights.

The other day, I heard someone compare Trump to the neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day, Barack Obama said. Now from a neighbor, thats exhausting. From a president, its just dangerous.

Trump backtracks on Obama 'praise' at North Carolina rally

Trump was not too thrilled with Barack and Michelle Obama's comments at the national convention.

"Did you see Barack Hussein Obama last night take shots? He was taking shots at your president," Trump said at a rally in Asheboro, North Carolina on Wednesday the day after the Obamas spoke at the Democratic National Convention.

The use of Obama's full name harkens back to Trump's promotion of the birther conspiracy, a false claim about Obamas birthplace that Trump eventually walked back in 2016.

"He was very nasty last night. I try to be nice to people you know, but it gets a little tough when they get personal" Trump continued.

Trump mentioned that his campaign advisors tried to keep him from getting "personal" and to stick with policy talk. He asked the crowd if he should follow that advice or get personal... the crowd responded wanting him to get personal.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Trump responds to Obamas' DNC speeches, backtracks on earlier praise
The Georgia state elections board is making changes to its voter certification process, and the Republican National Committee is in full support.



On Monday, the Georgia board approved a new rule by a 32 vote to allow local officials to investigate vote totals after Election Day, opening the door for new obstacles in certifying election results. Now, any member on a countys board of elections can examine all election related documentation created during the conduct of elections prior to certification of results, which could create chaos after an election.



The Republican National Committees co-chair, Michael Whatley, praised the measure in a statement, saying, These steps by the State Election board are critical to securing the election in Georgia and correcting its long history of chaos.

Twitter screenshot: Sam Levine @srl: RNC chair Michael Whatley praises recent changes from Georgia state elections board that empower local county boards to investigate election results before certification. Background https://theguardian.com/us-news/articl (with screenshot of Whatley's statement)

Three Republicans on the board have been praised by Donald Trump, who lost the state in 2020 and famously told Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find him 11,780 votes to overturn the results. Those same three members were hit with an ethics complaint last week by a former chair of the Fulton County Board of Elections, Cathy Woolard, who accused them of breaking the law in their efforts to help Trump disrupt the coming election.



Since 2020, Georgia has had the highest number of certification refusals anywhere in the countryand remains the likely epicenter for Trumps claims of election fraud in 2024. Trump still faces charges for allegedly trying to overturn his 2020 election results in the state, but the case is currently in limbo over efforts to oust Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis.



The RNC is totally under Trumps control, having backed Whatley and his daughter-in-law Lara Trump to serve as the committees co-chairs. The RNCs support of Georgias new rule means that the former president and convicted felon is also applauding the move.



The RNC is sparing no effort to lock up Georgia in the GOPs favor, also backing the states Republicans in a federal lawsuit over the alleged removal of nearly 1,000 voters from the rolls. With elections less than three months away, Democrats should be keeping a close eye on the GOPs legally questionable efforts in Georgia.


Trump says loyalty can be hit and miss as ex-staffers show up at Democratic convention

Former President Trump said Wednesday that it can be difficult to tell whether an individual is going to be loyal after hiring them as he opined on potential staff for a second term and as two former administration officials spoke at the Democratic convention.

Trump was asked on conservative radio host Hugh Hewitts show about whom he might hire in national security roles if he is reelected in November. The former president did not divulge any names but suggested he was better equipped to staff a second administration having gone through it once before.

I spent four years. I know people better than anybody in the history of Washington, Trump said in the interview. I know the good, the bad, the dumb, the smart. I know the weak, I know the loyal.

The loyal is interesting, because loyal, you never really know until certain times, until certain events happen. Loyalty is very interesting, he continued. Thats something you never really know, but learn about. And thats a little bit of a hit and miss, frankly. A little bit of a hit and miss.

Trump has long put a premium on loyalty, excoriating former staff and Cabinet officials who have spoken out against him since leaving his administration or since the end of his first term.

His remarks to Hewitt come as Democrats put several Republican critics of the former president on stage at the partys convention in Chicago this week.

Stephanie Grisham, who served as Trumps White House press secretary and as a senior aide to former first lady Melania Trump, addressed the crowd Tuesday night.

Behind closed doors, Trump mocks his supporters. He calls them basement dwellers, Grisham said. He has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth.

Other Republicans slated to speak this week include former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.); Olivia Troye, a former homeland security aide to former Vice President Mike Pence; and former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan.

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Trump says its pretty sad for Democrats to focus on him at convention

Trump says its pretty sad for Democrats to focus on him at convention

Former President Trump said it is pretty sad for Democrats to focus on him at their convention taking place this week in Chicago.

During an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on The Hugh Hewitt Show, Trump criticized Democrats for being out of control.

Several speakers at the Democratic National Convention, including former President Obama, took aim at Trump during their speeches Tuesday night.

Trump made the remarks after Hewitt asked whether rhetoric directed against Trump could have been a factor in the assassination attempt against him in July.

Well, it could. You know, I was mentioned at the Democrats little party that they have going on in Chicago, and its pretty sad, Trump said.

Trump then argued that crime and the economy should have been a bigger focus for the Democrats speaking at the convention, saying Democrats did not discuss killings in Chicago but I was mentioned, I think, almost 200 times.

And they mentioned the economy about five times, he continued. They mentioned the border maybe none. They mentioned crime almost none. So I mean, theyre out of control. These people are out of control. And theyre ruining our nation. Our nation is going to hell.

The economy and the border have both come up at various points during the Democratic convention, but from the perspective of Democrats hailing the Biden administration for its handling of those issues and criticizing Trump.

During his fiery speech, Obama took direct aim at Trump for complaining about crowd sizes and his whining about his problems. Michelle Obama, the former first lady, also went after Trump, but without naming him directly.

Most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward, she said, adding we cant rely on an escalator waiting to take us to the top, a reference to the escalator Trump came down from in New York to declare his first White House run.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance are touring vital swing states this week as they try to blunt the momentum of the Democratic convention.

Trump and Vance were in Asheboro, North Carolina on Wednesday afternoon, the former presidents first outdoor event since he survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania last month.

Behind bulletproof glass, Trump railed against his rival Kamala Harriss national security policy then, as he often does, wandered off course and attacked President Joe Biden, former president Barack Obama, and former First Lady Michelle Obama following their speeches at the DNC in Chicago.

On Thursday, Trump is scheduled to speak about border issues in Arizona, and Vance is set to campaign in Georgia, two competitive states important for his path to the White House in November.

The former president is set to visit the border in Cochise County at 11.30am local time on Thursday. The Trump campaign announced the visit on Sunday, saying that theres no end in sight for Kamala Harris border crisis.

Donald Trump and JD Vance shake hands during a campaign rally in Asheboro, North Carolina on August 21. The former president is set to visit Nevada and Arizona later this week (REUTERS)

Trump will host an event in Nevada on Friday morning before returning to Arizona that afternoon to rally in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale at 4pm. Trump will speak at the Desert Diamond Arena, where Kamala Harris rallied supporters earlier this month. Trump also appeared at a Phoenix rally in June.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr will also speak in the Phoenix area on Friday about the path forward for his campaign. There have been reports that hes set to end his campaign and possibly endorse Trump.

The former president will speak at a Las Vegas restaurant on Friday about his no taxes on tips policy in a state with a high share of restaurant and hospitality workers.

Trump is set to appear at the Italian-Mexican fusion restaurant, Il Toro E La Capra, at 12pm local time, according to KLAS.

Trump and Vance have been on a campaign swing through battleground states all week. Trump visited an equipment manufacturer in York, Pennsylvania on Monday while Vance spoke in North Philadelphia. The events have been taking place during the day to avoid clashing with the DNC programming in primetime.

On Tuesday, Trump visited Howell, Michigan, a town with historic links to white extremism, where he attacked Vice President Kamala Harriss record on crime and safety.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
Trump seems to think he has an airtight defense for visiting a KKK hotbed in Michigan

Donald Trumps appearance in Howell, Michigan, on Tuesday sparked controversy before he even arrived. Thats because the visit continued his notable tradition of scheduling campaign stops in locations known as hotbeds for racist extremism.

Just last month, a group of white supremacists marched in Howell and expressed their support for Trump and Adolf Hitler. As journalist Jon King wrote for the Michigan Advance, the event evoked memories of Howells racist  and in some cases, fairly recent  history of public bigotry and the Ku Klux Klan.

So this was certainly a peculiar location for Trump to host a rally  especially when you consider that he has said nothing about the white supremacist gathering there in July and that he has a history of similar scheduling controversies. Last year, for example, he held a rally in Waco, Texas, shortly after the 30th anniversary of the deadly standoff between Branch Davidians (aka cultists) and law enforcement. Trumps speech at that rally, in which he vowed I am your retribution, definitely gave off David Koresh vibes.

And in 2020, Trump reversed course and rescheduled a planned Juneteenth rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where in 1921 white mobs waged one of the deadliest race riots in history  killing as many as 300 Black people.

As a matter of fact, Trump is set to speak Wednesday in Asheboro, North Carolina, where members of a pro-Trump chapter of the KKK sought to hold a cross-burning in 2017.

But Trump seems to think he found an airtight defense for his Michigan visit. When a reporter on Tuesday asked about his response to criticism over his visit, he responded with a question of his own: Who was here in 2021? The answer he was fishing for  and received  was Joe Biden.

Of course, the big difference is that the president wasnt visiting right after racists praised him and Hitler simultaneously.

In a statement, the Harris-Walz campaign slammed Trump for his refusal to condemn the white supremacists who marched in his name.

Today, Donald Trump and Mike Rogers are campaigning in my congressional district in Howell. Across Michigan and around the country, Americans are desperate for leaders who will bring us together around a hopeful vision of the future. That goes for the community in Howell, which  Elissa Slotkin (@ElissaSlotkin) August 20, 2024

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat whose district includes Howell, was critical as well, writing on X that Trump didnt come to Howell today to bring people together, to call out that hateful behavior, or to offer any kind of hopeful vision for the future.

She said the visit risks reopening old wounds and added: Real leaders should take the opportunity to condemn the hatred that has been on display.

Ill note that one simple way for Trump to dissociate from the racists in Howell might have been for him to avoid doing anything that suggests he shares the same bigoted ideology. But unfortunately for him, at one point Tuesday he seemed to openly fantasize about deploying the police at election time, harkening back to periods of unfettered displays of white supremacy in the U.S.

Methinks the Howell visit might not be entirely coincidental.

Donald Trump seems to encourage police to intimidate voters in Detroit this fall. There's nothing he won't do for power.



"I'd love to have them working there during the election." pic.twitter.com/3QCXTU0jhw  American Bridge 21st Century (@American_Bridge) August 20, 2024

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Trump speaks from behind bulletproof glass at first outdoor rally since his attempted assassination

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at North Carolina Aviation Museum, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Asheboro, N.C. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

ASHEBORO, N.C. (AP)  At his first outdoor rally since last months attempted assassination, Donald Trump spoke from behind bulletproof glass Wednesday in North Carolina at an event focused on national security. On politics, he called his predecessor Barack Obama nasty for his comments the night before at the Democratic National Convention.

Trump blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the deadly Afghanistan withdrawal and for wars in Ukraine and the Middle East while returning repeatedly in his remarks to the Democratic gathering in Chicago, where speaker after speaker has assailed Trump as a threat to the country should he return to the White House.

The former president, now the GOP nominee, asked the crowd gathered at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame whether they had seen the speeches given Tuesday by former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.

He was taking shots at your president. And so was Michelle. You know, they always say, Sir, please stick to policy. Dont get personal. And yet theyre getting personal all night long, these people, he said, asking: Do I still have to stick to policy?

Trump, who is facing Harris in the November election after Biden stepped aside, spoke from behind a podium surrounded by panes of bulletproof glass that formed a protective wall across the stage  part of ramped-up security measures aimed at keeping him safe after the attack by a Pennsylvania gunman on July 13.

Storage containers were stacked around the perimeter to create additional walls and block sight lines. Snipers were positioned on roofs at the venue, where old aircraft were sitting behind the podium and a large American flag was suspended from cranes.

The event, billed as focused on national security issues, was part of Trump's weeklong series of counterprogramming to the Democratic National Convention, which is underway in Chicago. Allies have been urging him to focus on policy instead of personal attacks against Harris as he struggles to adjust to Biden's departure from the race.

The second night of the Democrats' convention Tuesday was a highly energized affair that featured speeches from both Obamas, who went after Trump in particularly biting terms.

His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black, Michelle Obama said.

Barack Obama mocked Trump's obsession with his crowd sizes and called Trump a 78-year-old billionaire who hasnt stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.

Its been a constant stream of gripes and grievances thats actually gotten worse now that hes afraid of losing to Kamala, the former president said.

After mentioning the Obamas early on in his speech, Trump came back around to the former president's comments.

He was very nasty last night," Trump said. "I try and be nice to people, you know. But its a little tough when they get personal.

He then polled the crowd on whether he should listen to advisers who he said have told him, Please, sir, don't get personal. Talk about policy.

Should I get personal or should I not get personal? he asked. The crowd overwhelmingly chose the former.

Trump also mocked the convention and its frequent references to him, calling it a charade."

In his remarks, Trump derided Harris as the most radical left person ever to run for high political office in our country," and said the woman he now calls Comrade Kamala" will destroy the country if she is elected to the White House.

While Trump has acknowledged the race is closer than before Biden dropped out, his aides believe that Harris remains relatively unknown and that efforts to highlight her past statements and the positions she took in previous races will turn off swing voters after her honeymoon period ends.

He repeatedly referenced the Biden administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan, and said that, if he wins, he will ask for the resignation of every senior military official who was involved.

He pledged to get critical race theory and transgender insanity the hell out of our U.S. armed forces." During his administration, he instituted a Pentagon policy that largely barred transgender individuals from serving in the military, which Biden reversed.

Our warriors should be focused on defeating America's enemies, not figuring out their genders, he said. If you want to have a sex change or a social justice seminar, then you can do it somewhere else, but youre not going to do it in the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, Space Force or the United States Marines.

He also pledged major investments in the armed forces and said he would launch the largest peace-time recruitment drive in the nation's history.

Were going to make it so hot that Im going to want to resign and join the military," said Trump, who received a series of deferments, including one attained with a physicians letter stating that he suffered from bone spurs in his feet.

Trump was joined Wednesday by his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, who cast Harris as a candidate selected by power brokers instead of voters and lambasted her vice presidential pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, before Trump took the stage.

That included continuing to accuse Walz of mischaracterizing his service record as an Army National Guard member, as well as criticizing him for retiring from service before his units deployment to Iraq.

What wont Stolen Valor Tim Walz lie about? Vance, who served four years as a Marine, asked the crowd.

Trump has spent the week visiting political battleground states in his busiest week of campaigning since the Republican primaries.

Reflecting the importance of North Carolina in this year's election, the trip was Trump's second to the state in just the past week. Last Wednesday, he appeared in Asheville, North Carolina, for a speech on the economy.

Trump won North Carolina by a comfortable margin in 2016. The state delivered the former president his closest statewide margin of victory four years ago and is once again considered a key battleground in 2024.

Before Trump landed in Asheboro, his plane did a flyover of the rally site. The crowd erupted into cheers.

Edna Ryan, a 68-year-old retired flight attendant and private pilot, said she was bullish on the Republicans chances, but said: We need to be strong because otherwise were going to be very sorry.

Lisa Watts, a retired business owner from Hickory, North Carolina, who was attending her fifth Trump rally, said shes feeling very positive about the race against Harris.

"I dont think that her record proves that she is ready to run this country," Watts said.

Watts said she doesnt think Trumps chances of winning are much different now from when Biden was the Democratic nominee.

I think the Democrats are going to try to do everything they can to keep her up on that pedestal, she said, predicting the hype around Harris will fade.

___

Colvin reported from New York.
Former President Donald Trump responded Wednesday to the Obamas heated criticism of him at the Democratic National Convention, casting their personal attacks as reason to justify his own behavior.

Did you see Barack Hussein Obama last night taking little shots? He was taking shots at your president and so was Michelle, Trump said at a campaign rally in Asheboro, North Carolina. You know, they always say, Sir, please stick to policy, dont get personal, but theyre getting personal all night, these people.

Later at the rally, Trump polled the crowd: Should I get personal, or should I not get personal? The former won by cheer volume.

Trump was responding to former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obamas speeches Tuesday night at the DNC, where they abandoned their 2016 call for their party to go high above inflammatory insults and animated the convention with a venomous rebuke of the former president.

Going small is petty, its unhealthy, and, quite frankly, its unpresidential, Michelle Obama said to the raucous crowd. Its his same old con: doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make peoples lives better.

And in one split-second moment that made the audience go wild, Barack Obama went low  suggesting Trumps size anxiety didnt just extend to crowd sizes, while looking down at his hands.

Thats been a growing trend among Democrats, who started to stray from their political politesse after Trump won in 2016 and appear to have deserted it entirely this cycle as the Harris campaign issues snarky press releases, digs against its weird competitors and couch jokes aimed at taunting Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance.

Trump, meanwhile, has had almost no filter making vicious personal attacks against both Democratic and Republican political rivals, hitting them with a slew of nicknames and falsehoods  including, recently, that Comrade Kamala Harris is a Marxist.

Trumps comments about the Obamas Wednesday flicked to a conspiracy he has frequently perpetuated about his predecessor over the years, using Obamas middle name Hussein as a dogwhistle to suggest he is secretly Muslim.

And Trumps personal attacks didnt just extend to the Obamas. He slammed President Joe Biden, who said Trump puts himself first and America last during his own DNC speech Monday, for vacationing in Southern California: People dont want to see you in a bathing suit.
Former President Trump ripped into New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) on Wednesday, calling her the nastiest speaker at this weeks Democratic National Convention in Chicago, after she slammed him as a fraud in her speech Monday.

Kathy Hochul, the very unpopular Governor of New York, was the nastiest speaker on Monday evening (at the Democrat National Convention) as it pertains to your favorite President, me, Trump wrote on Truth Social. Her total hatred, and statements made about me, had no bounds.

The former president appeared to be responding to Hochuls remark from the speech when she said the GOP nominee was born a New Yorker, but ended up a fraud, a philanderer and a felon.

He wasnt raised with the New York values that I know. He never had to worry about child care costs, or groceries, or rent, the governor said in her address to Democrats. He never had to worry about anything  or anyone  but himself.

Trump added that he was amazed by her remarks, and touted his work in New York, while acknowledging his tumultuous relationship with the New York judicial system.

Number one, I did a GREAT job in New York, employed thousands of people, built some of the most beautiful and successful buildings, and paid billions of dollars in taxes, he wrote online Wednesday. Number two is that, on the very distinct possibility I will win the Presidency, wouldnt it be better for the people of New York State to have a Governor who got along with the President? Adversarial relationships are not good in politics!

Unfairly, he said, I am before a very biased and hateful New York Judicial System that is appointed and largely controlled by the Governor.

Trump faced two major legal cases in the Empire State this year. His business empire was dealt a blow in February when a judge ordered him to pay more than $355 million for conspiring to alter his net worth to receive tax and insurance benefits.

Shortly after the ruling, Trump lashed out at presiding Judge Arthur Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), who brought forth the civil case, in a series of online posts alleging the case was a witch hunt.

Months later, the former president was convicted in a criminal hush money case in New York, which he also claimed was politically motivated, given his presidential campaign.

With the vitriol displayed by her [Hochul] on Monday night, it is no wonder that the Judges have treated me so badly, he posted on Truth Social. The whole system is RIGGED, and companies are leaving because of it!!!

The Hill reached out to Hochuls office for further comment.

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Trump Sure Seems Pissed Off Over The Obamas' DNC Jabs

Donald Trump seems to be having a little trouble processing the brutal takedowns both Barack Obama and Michelle Obama dealt him Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention.

The former Democratic president mocked Trumps obsession with crowd sizes and made a gesture suggesting the Republican was concerned with the size of other things as well.

Meanwhile, the former first lady shaded Trump by asking the crowd, Whos gonna tell [Trump] that the job hes currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?

During a rally on Wednesday in Asheboro, North Carolina, Trump, seeming a tad miffed, asked his supporters if they had watched the Obamas speeches.

Did you see Barack Hussein Obama last night? Taking little shots, he was taking shots at your president. And so is Michelle, Trump complained.

They always say, sure, please stick to policy, dont get personal, he continued, apparently referencing fellow Republicans who want Trump to dial back personal insults on the campaign trail. And yet theyre getting personal all night long, these people. Do I still have to stick to policy?

Trump: Did you see Barack Hussein Obama last night? He was taking shots at your president. And so is Michelle. They always say, please stick to policy, don't get personal. Yet they are getting personal all night long, these people. Do I still have to stick to policy? pic.twitter.com/sEJHgUOWtf  Acyn (@Acyn) August 21, 2024

Trump also polled his fans about whether he should make personal attacks on Obama, derisively including the former presidents middle name, Hussein, as a xenophobic dog whistle to his base.

Trump does a "free poll" with his fans about whether he should make personal attack on "Barack Hussein Obama." They overwhelmingly want him to. Trump then pivots to talking about how he could've thrown Hillary Clinton in jail.



This is supposed to be a national security speech pic.twitter.com/1xh16ccNJe  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 21, 2024

Trump also admitted that he is still looking for a super-insulting way to refer to Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, but conceded, I really didnt find one with her.

"I really didn't find one with her" -- Trump admits that he's struggling to come up with an insult for Kamala Harris pic.twitter.com/533Lvuua1k  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 21, 2024

Trump had actually praised the Obamas on CNN just a few hours prior to their speeches.

I like him, I think hes a nice gentleman, Trump said of the former president, whose U.S. citizenship he baselessly questioned for years. He later said, I respect him, and I respect his wife.

Folks on X, formerly Twitter, enjoyed seeing Trump so salty after the Obamas remarks.

"Your president"? Obama was attacking Biden? I must've missed that part. Or Donald's bestbrain is glitching again.  Autarkh (@Autarkh) August 21, 2024

He dishes it out but can't take it.  WarMonitor  (@TheWarMonitor) August 21, 2024

He's so salty and I love it.   Art Candee  (@ArtCandee) August 21, 2024

Ive always kept my criticisms of Obama to policy, like when I emphasize and disparage his foreign-sounding middle name or questioned his citizenship.  Smitallica (@smitallica) August 21, 2024

This is how you know how good @BarackObama's and @MichelleObama's speeches were. They got under his thin orange skin. pic.twitter.com/B0GQM2baEl   (@ChidiNwatu) August 21, 2024

Hell never be as liked as Obama and hes never gonna get over that  ZubacSZN (@213clipset) August 21, 2024

I believe hes putting the cart before the horse. People react to a nonstop barrage against them. DJT Im sure will continue to behave as he always has. Those people who advised him to stick to policy are telling him his habit of painting America ugly is hurting his support.  Armand Hamouth (@AreMond2) August 21, 2024

With all the energy and excitement from the DNC in mind, Trump appears more boring than ever, if that's possible.  Laura Michelle (@8k_rmz) August 21, 2024

Some people were amused by Trumps suggestion he is capable of sticking to policy.

In what parallel universe did Trump ever stick to policy?  Milenka~ (@MilenaAmit) August 21, 2024

What policies? He talks about Hannibal Lecter and getting electrocuted and eaten by sharks. Maybe he can talk about the promises he made and broke, like building a wall or creating a new healthcare plan or improving infrastructure.  Space Cat  (@raderje) August 21, 2024

No need to worry about policy.... Focus on the size of your hands instead.  Andy's Not Going Back  (@mountainmoon95) August 21, 2024

One person predicted Trump would make things worse for himself by going after the Obamas.

Here we go again. Donald Trump is only going to alienate more people by going after Barack and Michelle Obama, who at this point transcend politics and have turned into pop culture figures. Especially Michelle. Going after them personally is going to open up Pandoras box. pic.twitter.com/PpZo0xYBVR  Russell Drew (@RussOnPolitics) August 21, 2024

Related...
Trump Surprised by Who Hurt His Feelings the Most at the DNC

Donald Trump has apparently been stewing on a speech given at the Democratic National Convention by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The former president on Wednesday singled her out in a Truth Social post as the nastiest speaker on Monday evening as it pertains to your favorite President, me. He added: Her total hatred, and statements made about me, had no bounds.

Outrageous DNC Video Mocks Trump and Vance for Being Weird

On the first night of the convention, Hochul spoke in her five-minute speech about growing up with the same values as Kamala Harris: Grit, determination, compassion.

Those values have always defined the people of my state, Hochul said. Well, most of us anyway. Donald Trump was born a New Yorker, but ended up a fraud, a philanderer, and a felon.

Trust me, America, she continued. If you think youre tired of Donald Trump, talk to a New Yorker. Weve had to deal with him for 78 long yearsthe fraud, the tax-dodging, the sham university, the shady charities.

Weve seen him stiff contractors, rip off workers, Hochul said. He abuses women, brags about it, and then takes away their rights. And New Yorkers are sick of it. Its no wonder he had to flee to Mar-a-Lagosorry about that, Florida, sorry about that. Trump hasnt spent much time in New York lately. Except, that is, to get convicted of 34 felonies.

If you think youre tired of Donald Trump, talk to a New Yorker. Weve had to deal with him for 78 long years, NY Gov. Kathy Hochul says at the DNC.



Its no wonder he had to flee to Mar-a-Lago  sorry about that Florida! https://t.co/GjfuEwMVb1 pic.twitter.com/KFB3SBlJZb  ABC News (@ABC) August 20, 2024

In his post Wednesday, Trump said hed been amazed by what Hochul said for two reasons.

Number one, I did a GREAT job in New York, employed thousands of people, built some of the most beautiful and successful buildings, and paid billions of dollars in taxes, he wrote.

Number two is that, on the very distinct possibility I will win the Presidency, wouldnt it be better for the people of New York State to have a Governor who got along with the President? Adversarial relationships are not good in politics!

Trump also mentioned his legal woes, returning to his hobbyhorse about being persecuted by the New York judicial system.

With the vitriol displayed by her on Monday night, it is no wonder that the Judges have treated me so badly, Trump wrote. The whole system is RIGGED, and companies are leaving because of it!!!

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The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has pushed back its start date for a controversial set of new care provider reporting changes. And that's a good thing.

The changes might have been well intended  to come into compliance with federal regulations and in response to a state audit  but in their current form, they create complications for families already navigating complicated lives.

Under the changes, which were to have taken effect last week, a provider  even a live-in provider like a parent  would need to use the electronic visit verification system, which employs a GPS device to ensure a provider is at a certain place at a certain time providing care and requires the signature of a care recipient or his or her legal representative during the visit.

It's easy to see how this system could thwart fraud. It's also easy to see how parents providing care in the home could see this new system as punitive and painful.

We hope that in the ensuing months, the system can be tweaked to account for parents who are care providers and to make the system as seamless as possible. Providing care to some of our most vulnerable Nebraskans is important and noble work. HHS needs to ensure the work is really getting done, but it now has time to make sure the system works for the state and families.

Seeking answers in Florida

Ben Sasse says he welcomes an audit. Floridians certainly will welcome an audit. And Nebraskans have more than a passing interest in these Gainesville goings-on.

The recently resigned president of the University of Florida, former Nebraska senator and one-time president of Midland University in Fremont has come under fire for hiring a number of his former Senate staffers into university jobs at much higher salaries than their predecessors.

Under Sasse, according to The Independent Florida Alligator, the university's student newspaper, the budget for the president's office ballooned from $5.6 million to $17.3 million in his first year in charge.

When he was elected to the Senate in Nebraska in 2014, he was seen as a rising Republican star. He drew the ire of Republicans in denouncing Donald Trump, though he often ended up supporting Trump policies. And he sounded relieved when, in 2022, he announced his resignation from the Senate to return to higher education.

All along the way, he's touted his Midwest upbringing and values. In resigning the presidency at the University of Florida, he cited the need to take care of his family and his wife's worsening health, certainly an admirable reason to step down.

An audit may shed light on Sasse's brief tenure. Subsequent reporting by The Alligator hints at tensions between Sasse and the chairman of the UF board of trustees.

What's not in dispute is that Sasse remains a complex figure, and his departure as president was as abrupt and surprising as his resignation from the Senate.
ASHEBORO, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Former President Donald Trump will be in Asheboro Wednesday afternoon.

Multiple news outlets are reporting this is his first outdoor rally since the assassination attempt on his life when he was grazed in the ear by a bullet on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Secret Service director resigns after assassination attempt against former President Trump

Bulletproof glass is up surrounding the stage where Trump is set to speak. This is his second trip to North Carolina in a week.

Last week, the former President was in Asheville focusing on the economy.

Trump is set to take the stage at 2 p.m. Wednesday after his running mate JD Vance speaks to the crowd in Asheboro. Trump is expected to speak out against his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, criticizing her and President Joe Biden on border security with Mexico, the U.S.s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, and the Israel-Hamas war.

North Carolina Democrats are sticking to the issue of the economy ahead of Trumps visit, saying his plan would raise taxes for working families and benefit the wealthy.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Trump, Vance to speak on national security in North Carolina as Democrats rally at convention

VANDALIA, OHIO - NOVEMBER 07: Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate JD Vance greet supporters during the rally at the Dayton International Airport on November 7, 2022 in Vandalia, Ohio. Trump campaigned at the rally for Ohio Republican candidates including Republican candidate for U.S. Senate JD Vance, who is running in a tight race against Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH). (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The Republican presidential ticket will visit North Carolina on Wednesday to speak about national security, returning to the battleground Tar Heel State as Vice President Kamala Harris rallies Democrats and accepts the party nomination in Chicago this week.

Former President Donald Trump and his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, are set to deliver remarks in Asheboro.

It marks Trumps second visit to the state in a week, and Vances first North Carolina stop since his selection. A prior planned visit was cancelled due to Tropical Storm Debby).

Harris, who set out her economic agenda in Raleigh last week, is in Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention.

For Trump, the subject of national security is likely to focus heavily on immigration through the southern border and Americas place on the global stage.

At a Tuesday event in Michigan, Trump told reporters he was doing well among suburban women.

I keep the suburbs safe. I stopped low-income towers from rising right alongside of their house. Im keeping the illegal aliens away from the suburbs.

The former president has repeatedly gone after Harris and the Biden administration for their handling of immigration policy and international affairs. He has pledged a mass deportation operation across the U.S. if elected to a second term, and declared the he would have prevented conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

President Trump and Senator Vance know that America cannot take another four years of weak leadership and a careless approach to our national security, the campaign said in a news release announcing the Asheboro event.

The Harris-Walz campaign has sought to hone in on Trumps domestic and economic agenda, highlighting the conservative policy blueprint Project 2025 and arguing that a second Trump term would sow chaos abroad.

Harris will officially accept the Democratic nomination this week in Chicago.

Read full coverage of the Trump/Vance appearance in Asheboro here.


Donald Trump has said that if he returns to the White House, his administration will push for the deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants. Kamala Harris has called for stronger border security but has encouraged undocumented immigrants to pursue a pathway to citizenship.

Immigrant advocates and politicians in New Jersey are watching closely. The Garden State may be a long way from America's southern border, but New Jersey, in various ways, is an immigrant state.

According to the U.S. census, immigrants make up almost 24% of the state's population, the second-largest share in the country behind California. The American Immigration Council, a Washington, D.C.-based group, says the largest immigrant groups in New Jersey trace their roots to India (12.4%), followed by the Dominican Republic (9.8%), Mexico (5.2%), Ecuador (4.8%) and Colombia (4.4%). The council also found that 1.2 million immigrants were eligible to vote.

Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, a Democrat who saw the state's capital become one of the transit stops for buses bringing migrants from Texas and Louisiana earlier this year, said a Trump administration "may prioritize stricter border enforcement and immigration controls, yet leave cities on their own to deal with the influx of migrants." He said Harris will focus on "humane policies, increasing border patrols and immigration judges while protecting the rights of immigrants, and offering pathways to citizenship."

German Cadenas, an associate professor at Rutgers University-New Brunswick who studies the psychology of immigration, was an undocumented immigrant at age 15 who migrated with his family in 2002 from Venezuela. Cadenas said whoever becomes the next president needs to craft immigration policies that take into consideration the psychological well-being of those affected. He also serves on an American Psychological Association task force that looks at immigration and health.

"There's quite a bit of science that shows that anti-immigration policies are harmful to people's well-being," Cadenas said. "I found that undocumented immigrant status is linked to greater anxiety, greater distress, greater depression."

Where Harris stands on immigration: Backing the border bill

During Kamala Harris' time as vice president, the Biden administration implemented immigration measures that were both hailed and reviled. On Monday, the administration launched the Parole-in-Place program (also known as Keep Families Together), which will allow undocumented spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens to apply for permanent residency if they meet certain criteria, with an eventual path to citizenship. Last year, the administration tightened restrictions on asylum seekers, allowing the government to reject them unless they make an appointment for an hearing.

Harris, while campaigning, has mentioned some of the immigration policies she would pursue if she became president, although she has not officially unveiled her policy agenda. She has promised to push for the passage of a bipartisan bill in Congress that would shut down the processing of asylum applications if numbers rise above certain levels and to increase funding for border agents to catch migrant traffickers and fentanyl smugglers. The bill nearly passed Congress last spring, but Trump convinced fellow Republicans to block it.

Demonstrators gathered outside the immigrant detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on July 2, 2019, to protest Donald Trump's policies.

At rallies this month in Nevada and Arizona, Harris has called for an "earned pathway to citizenship" for undocumented immigrants, though she has not given more details.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded more than 8.4 million migrant encounters at the southwest border during the Biden administration through June  a record for any presidential administration  and that has fueled Republican criticisms of an "open-border" policy. The numbers have declined sharply this year, a change that analysts credit to a crackdown in Mexico, under pressure from the U.S., and President Joe Biden's recent restrictions on asylum.

Trump promises 'mass deportations' of immigrants

Trump, during his time in office, was adamantly anti-immigration. The former president pushed to get a wall built along the southern border, though it was never completed. He imposed a temporary ban on new green cards during the COVID pandemic and sought to end the Temporary Protected Status program for immigrants from countries that suffered war or major natural disasters. He also attempted to shut down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for "Dreamers" brought to the U.S. as children, but was blocked by the Supreme Court.

Trump's 2024 immigration platform, based on the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 and his own campaign's Agenda 47, includes his signing an executive order on the first day of his presidency to end automatic citizenship for children of those described as "illegal aliens" and restarting the construction of the border wall. He also would again move to repeal Temporary Protected Status designations.

Trump has promised to deploy the U.S. military to shut down crossings at the southern border. He hasn't provided details of how he plans to pull off the "mass deportations" of immigrants already living in the U.S.

The former president has sought to distance himself from Project 2025, though the blueprint was written by political allies and former Trump administration employees.

More: Border politics heat up in White House race: Where does Harris stand on immigration?

NJ advocates wary of Harris, down on Trump

Charlene Walker is the executive director of Faith in New Jersey, a multiracial network of faith leaders and communities that works with immigrants across the state. Walker said the immigrants involved with the network are "hopeful for a Harris presidency" because they see her being more receptive to their issues, despite some of the Biden administration's more restrictive actions on asylum. When Trump was president, they lived in fear, she said.Although Biden did extend Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants, he also drew criticism in 2021 for deporting thousands of Haitians who came to the southern border fleeing civil and humanitarian unrest in the Caribbean nation.

"The Biden administration hasn't been the best for immigrants. It can go much further in transforming our immigration system, and the mass deportations of Haitian immigrants during a time of great crisis in their country is one of the worse things they could have done," Walker said.

Walker said the faith leaders in her network want the next president to make the following commitments:

A pathway to citizenship for everyone undocumented in the United States.

Honoring the right to asylum without detention.

Ending immigration detention.

Hundreds of migrants sleep in line early on Aug. 1, 2023, outside New York City's Roosevelt Hotel, which has been turned into a migrant reception center, to try to secure temporary housing.

A Harris endorsement but no 'love letter'

Kat Phan, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, also called for major reforms.

"Regardless of who ultimately occupies the White House, its more apparent than ever that our immigration system requires a dramatic overhaul, not tweaks to the status quo or a return to the incredibly regressive 'security-first' rhetoric that results in failed immigration reform and countless deaths and human rights violations at our borders," she said in a statement. "Instead of using New Jerseys immigrant communities as political pawns, the people we elect to office should be focusing on restoring asylum and creating additional pathways to citizenship."

Sara Cullinane, director of Make the Road New Jersey, another immigrant advocacy group, said members of an affiliated nonprofit, Make the Road Action, have endorsed Harris. Cullinane said that move was not a "love letter," but rather a reflection of which candidate they feel they can push to implement policies beneficial to immigrants.

What we did," she said, "is really pick a person that if she became president that we would want to push. Our members were very clear that they didnt want to go back to the horrors of the Trump administration. They want to look forward to an administration where theres an opportunity to advance the pro-immigrant policies we need for our families.

Ricardo Kaulessar covers race, immigration, and culture for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com

X/Twitter: @ricardokaul

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ immigrants talk Harris, Trump amid talk of deportations
Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary under Donald Trump, delivered a stinging rebuke of the former president Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention, saying during a primetime speech that he has no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth.

Grisham told viewers that while she was once a true believer in the then-president, it was Trumps behavior when the cameras were off that changed her mind.

Behind closed doors, Trump mocks his supporters. He calls them basement dwellers, Grisham said during her brief yet to-the-point remarks. On a hospital visit one time when people were dying in the ICU, he was mad that the cameras were not watching him. He has no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth.

He used to tell me: It doesnt matter what you say, Stephanie. Say it enough, and people will believe you, continued Grisham. But it does matter. What you say matters. And what you dont say matters.

Grisham then described one revealing interaction with Trumps wife, Melania, on Jan. 6, 2021, as Trumps supporters were breaking into the Capitol.

White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham (L) listens to U.S. President Donald Trump talk to reporters before he boards Marine One and departing the White House November 08, 2019 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

I asked Melania if we could at least tweet that, While peaceful protest is the right of every American, theres no place for lawlessness or violence, said Grisham, who at that point in time was the first ladys chief of staff and press secretary. She replied with one word: No.

Grisham, who resigned later that day, explained why she never held a press briefing in the nine months she was White House press secretary.

Unlike my boss, I never wanted to stand at that podium and lie. Now here I am, behind a podium, advocating for a Democrat, she said. And thats because I love my country more than my party. Kamala Harris tells the truth. She respects the American people. And she has my vote.

Grisham isnt the only former Trump White House staffer to have a speaking slot at the DNC. Former national security official Olivia Troye is scheduled to deliver remarks later this week.

Former GOP congressman Adam Kinzinger will also throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris in Chicago. Before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, Bidens campaign hired Kinzingers former chief of staff to help with outreach to disaffected Republican voters.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Donald Trump wrote a flattering note to Vladimir Putin after an ex-Russian intelligence officer and his daughter were poisoned by a deadly nerve agent in the UK in 2018, a former Trump advisor wrote in his upcoming memoir.

Former National Security Advisor HR McMaster detailed Trumps relationship with the Russian President during his year-plus stint in the post in his book At War With Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House, obtained by The Guardian. The books release date is August 27.

Sergei Skripal, a British citizen and former Russian intelligence officer, and his daughter Yulia, were exposed to novichok, a lethal nerve agent, in Salisbury, England in March 2018. The pair were hospitalized for weeks but ultimately survived.

President Donald Trump with US Army Lieutenant General HR McMaster at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, in February 2017 (AFP/Getty Images)

Three days after the attack, as world leaders in the west scrambled to respond to the near-death incident, Trump sat in the White House admiring a March 7 article in the New York Post titled Putin heaps praise on Trump, pans US politics, the now-retired general wrote.

The then-president grabbed a black sharpie to pen an appreciative note on the article, the Guardian reported. Trump then asked McMaster to get the clipping to Putin.

I was certain that Putin would use Trumps annotated clipping to embarrass him and provide cover for the attack, the former national security advisor wrote in his memoir.

Military personnel in protective gear investigating the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, England, in 2018 (Getty Images)

McMaster recalled giving the note to the White House office of the staff secretary: Later, as evidence mounted that the Kremlin, and very likely Putin himself had ordered the nerve agent attack on Skripal, I told them not to send it.

The praise captured by the Post article was part of an effort by Putin to alienate Trump from his advisors who urged him to take a tougher approach to the Kremlin, McMaster reportedly wrote.

Putin, a ruthless former KGB operator, played to Trumps ego and insecurities with flattery, McMaster noted.

The note at the time of the nerve agent attack is far from the first time Trump has expressed admiration for Putin. He hailed the autocratic leader as a genius, called him savvy, and even sided with him over US intelligence, disregarding their assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 election. The then-president said at a joint press conference alongside Putin in July 2018: I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.

Sergei Skripal in court in Russia in 2006 (AP)

It didnt take long for laboratories around the world to conclude that the attack against Skripal was conducted by Russians. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in April 2018 said in stark terms: There is no plausible alternative explanation. Police in the UK determined that Skripal had been targeted specifically.

Reports later indicated that Trump had privately doubted Russias role in the poisoning incident.

While speaking to then-Prime Minister Theresa May months after the attack, Trump disputed her intelligence communitys conclusion that Putins government had orchestrated the attempted murder of Skripal, the Washington Post reported in October 2019.

Police in the UK also connected the March 2018 attack to another poisoning in June, when British national Dawn Sturgess and her partner were exposed to Novichok in nearby Amesbury, England after coming into contact with a perfume bottle contaminated with novichok. She died the following month. Two Russian intelligence officers were charged in absentia with conspiracy to murder, attempted murder and use of the novichok nerve agent.

Trump and Putin at a joint press conference in Helsinki, Finland in 2018 (Getty)

It was the second high-profile poisoning of a Russian defector in Britain to be blamed on Putin. In November 2006 former FSB agent and whistleblower Alexander Litvinenko died weeks after being poisoned with polonium-210, a radioactive isotope smuggled into the UK by two Russians who then met with Litvinenko at a London hotel and apparently put the poison in his tea.

After over a year in this job, I cannot understand Putins hold on Trump, McMaster is quoted as saying. Weeks after the nerve agent attack, Trump announced that he was fired by tweet but praised him for doing an outstanding job and reassured that he would always consider McMaster a friend.
Stephanie Grisham speaks at the Democratic National Convention in front of a screenshot of a text she said she sent to Melania Trump. Andrew Harnik via Getty Images

Stephanie Grisham, Trumps former White House press secretary, came out strongly against former President Donald Trump on Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention.

Grisham started her short speech by saying that not only was she a Trump supporter, she was also a true believer and one of his closest advisers, and that Trumps family was her family.

I saw him when the cameras were off, Grisham said. Behind closed doors, Trump mocks his supporters. He calls them basement-dwellers.

She said that one time while Trump was at a hospital visit to see dying patients, he was upset that the camera wasnt on him.

He has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth, she said. He used to tell me, It doesnt matter what you say, Stephanie, say it enough and people will believe you.

An apparent screenshot of text messages between Grisham and first lady Melania Trump appeared on a large screen as Grisham spoke. The messages show Grisham asking Melania Trump on Jan. 6, 2021, if the first lady wanted to tweet that there is no place for lawlessness and violence.

Grisham said Melania Trump simply responded, No.

Grisham said she was the first senior staffer to resign that day, as the DNC crowd applauded.

I couldnt be a part of the insanity any longer, she said.

Grisham never held a typical White House briefing while Trumps press secretary. On Tuesday, she said that shed never wanted to stand at the podium and lie, unlike Trump.

Now here I am behind a podium advocating for a Democrat and thats because I love my country more than my party, she said. Kamala Harris tells the truth, she respects the American people, and she has my vote.

Grisham told CNN Tuesday night that it had been surreal to speak onstage at the DNC.

But I had to tell the truth. It was terrifying, Im not going to lie, Grisham said.

Last week, while on CNN, Grisham offered her insight on Trumps campaign. Though Trumps team has reportedly advised him to hold smaller events and mini-rallies, she said she doubts the candidate will listen to them.

They want him to be a fake version of himself, Grisham said. Donald Trump is a bombastic narcissist, and he loves attention.

Related...
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero represented the southern Arizona city at the 2024 Democratic National Convention Monday in Chicago, speaking to attendees in Spanish and English and praising the party's national platform.

Romero was one of the early speakers on the first night of the four-day convention. Buenas noches, Democratas, Romero said to the cacophony of claps and hollering from the crowd.

Romero and former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Platform Committee co-chairs, presented the Democrat national platform, which was recommended for approval by the platform committee on July 16, before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

Delegates at the convention voted to pass the platform, one day after the DNC publicly released the final Democratic Party Platform.

Romero praised Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for their agenda that works for everyone, and slammed former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, for his extreme agenda.

He is fighting for big oil, big pharma, big banks, but most of all ... he is fighting for himself, she said about Trump.

Romero reiterated the extensive engagement and countless conversations with community leaders and grassroots Democrats, as well as hours of testimonies and hearings that went into developing the party's platform.

She ended her speech in Spanish saying, cuando luchamos, ganamos, when we fight, we win.

Romero spoke to The Arizona Republic Tuesday and noted the happy, energetic and joyful feeling in the room.

"It was very exciting. And it was a complete honor to represent Tucson and Arizona on the stage yesterday, Romero said. It's just incredible that I am part of such a historic convention, for Democrats.

After the convention, and until Election Day, Romero said, Arizona Democrats will conduct community outreach, highlighting to voters the difference between Trump and Harris, and reminding people to vote.

"We want to make sure that Arizonans and Latinos throughout the country, and every voter in this country understand that a Harris-Walz presidency will fortify our economy, will help working families, will secure Medicare Social Security, will make sure that public education is funded versus everything against that with Donald Trump, she said.

At the convention, Arizona will also be represented by Mesa Mayor John Giles, who was set to speak Tuesday and make his case to Republican voters as to why Harris deserves their support.

Republic reporter Rafael Carranza contributed to this story.

Reach the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com. The Republics coverage of southern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. Support Arizona news coverage with a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tucson Mayor Regina Romero talks up Harris-Walz ticket at DNC
As incidents of in-flight turbulence continue to rise, another airplane has had to divert after a sudden bout injured those onboard.

EasyJet flight 8210 from Corfu to London Gatwick on August 19 was forced to divert to Rome, when turbulence over Italian airspace injured two crew members.

Another plane was sent to collect the distressed passengers, who eventually arrived in the UK the same day.

The seatbelt signs are believed to have been on when the plane encountered turbulence, and no passengers were injured.

A spokesperson for EasyJet said in a statement: Flight EZY8120 from Corfu to London Gatwick on 19 August experienced turbulence which unfortunately resulted in two cabin crew members being injured. As a result the Captain took the decision to divert to Rome where the crew members were met by medical services.

The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is easyJets highest priority and our pilots are trained to manage incidences of turbulence.

The flight landed normally in Rome where customers were supported in the terminal and a replacement crew and aircraft were arranged to continue the flight to London Gatwick.

The spokesperson declined to say whether the injured crew members were able to return to Gatwick alongside the passengers.

The aircraft was returning to the UK from Corfu, where many passengers had spent their summer vaation. - KONTROLAB/LightRocket/KONTROLAB/LightRocket via Getty

The Airbus A320 reached speeds of 500 knots (575mph) and altitudes of 31,000 feet during the abortive 75-minute flight.

Italys national aviation safety agency, the Agenzia Nazionale per la Sicurezza del Volo, said in a statement that the flight had hit the turbulence as it entered Italian airspace.

Given the type and severity of the injuries sustained ANSV has ordered the opening of a safety investigation classifying the event as an accident, it said.

Southern Italy has been hit by stormy weather this week. Hours before the plane made its diversion, the Bayesian yacht sank in Sicily, after a waterspout  a kind of tornado  is thought to have hit it. Six passengers are still missing.

Acrording to data from flight tracker website Flight Radar 24, the aircraft has remained at Romes Fiumicino airport and has not yet re-entered service.

In nonfatal accidents, turbulence is the leading cause of injuries to flight attendants and passengers, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, and its one of the most common airline accident types today, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board. It costs US airlines  due to injuries, delays and damages  up to $500 million per year, according to the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Singapore Airlines flight SG321 diverted to Bangkok after turbulence killed one passenger and injured over 70 more in May. - Reuters

Turbulence is due to get worse as the climate crisis progresses, warn experts.

Already this year, turbulence has caused injury and even death to passengers.

In July, 30 passengers were injured during turbulence on an Air Europa flight from Madrid to Montevideo, Uruguay.

It followed the tragic events in May, when a British man died and over 70 passengers were injured when a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore hit severe turbulence. It made an emergency landing in Bangkok.

Experts suggest that the best way to avoid injury is by keeping your seatbelt fastened at all times  something the lucky passengers on EasyJets flight 8210 will be relieved they did.

Additional reporting by Jacopo Prisco

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Two cabin crew injured during turbulence on easyJet flight that forced plane into emergency landing

Two cabin crew members were injured 20 minutes into an easyJet flight when the plane was hit with strong turbulence, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Rome.

On the flight from Corfu to London on Monday, the crew members were in the middle of serving food to the 181 passengers on board when they were injured.

They were thrown against the sides of the plane during the turbulence, the Mail Online reported, although extent of the injuries sustained is unknown.

The cabin crew members recieived immediate medical attention after touching down in Rome (Simon Calder)

The aircraft was shaken by the turbulence only 20 minutes into the flight while it was travelling at around 485mph at an altitude of 28,000 feet.

The Airbus A320 had departed Corfu at around 12.45pm local time, intending to fly to London Gatwick, but the flight was cut short with the plane landing at Romes Leonardo da VinciFiumicino Airport just over an hour later, data from FlightRadar24 shows.

Passengers were met by easyJet crew and airport staff to provide immediate assistance.

While the injured flight attendants received medical attention, a replacement crew was arranged to allow passengers to continue to London Gatwick. The aircraft remained parked in Rome the day after for safety checks.

An easyJet spokeswoman told the Mail Online that the flight on August 19 experienced turbulence which unfortunately injured two cabin crew members.

As a result, the captain decided to divert the flight to Rome, where the flight attendants received medical assistance, she continued. The safety and well-being of our customers and crew are easyJets top priority, and our pilots are trained to manage turbulence.

Italys Civil Aviation Safety Investigation Authority (ANSV) said they are investigating the incident as the flight encountered turbulence in Italian airspace.

Due to the type and severity of the injuries suffered and International Civil Aviation Organization and EU regulations, the ANSV said they ordered the opening of a safety investigation classifying the event as an accident.

There have been several turbulence-related incidents this year. A British man died and dozens of passengers were injured on a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 flight in May when sudden turbulence hit the aircraft while flying over Myanmar.

The plane dropped around 6,000 feet in three minutes, with passengers sustaining head injuries after making impact with the ceiling. Geoffrey Kitchen, 73, suffered suspected heart attack as a result of the incident.

A week later 12 passengers were injured when a flight from Doha to Dublin encountered turbulence.

More recently, an Air Europa flight travelling to Uruguay had to make an emergency landing in Brazil after being hit with strong turbulence, leaving dozens with head, neck and chest injuries.

The Independent has contacted easyJet for comment.

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calders podcast
Two dead and buildings aflame after small plane crashes into Texas town

Two people are dead and multiple buildings are on fire after a plane crashed in western Texas.

A Cessna Citation business jet crashed early Monday morning in Odessa, Texas, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The plane was taking off from the Odessa-Schlemeyer Field Airport but struggled to gain altitude, Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis said.

Two people who were on board the plane are dead, Griffis said. Officials have yet to release further details on the passengers.

A small plane crashed in Odessa, Texas, killing two people and sparking a fire that scorched several buildings and homes (City of Odessa)

Several buildings including mobile homes, storage facilities and a restaurant, burst into flames following the crash. The fire, which impacted an entire block, was contained within hours, Griffis said.

One woman was injured after her mobile home caught on fire. She was rescued and taken to the local hospital. Her condition is unknown.

A small plane crash in Odessa, Texas set several buildings on fire, including the restaurant Deweys. Two people are dead and one woman has been hospitalized after her home caught on fire (City of Odessa)

There was a large fire after some explosions, witnesses have said that they saw the plane struggling to get altitude, clipped power lines...ultimately crashed in the alleyway, Griffis said.

Its obvious the pilot attempted to avoid the houses, he continued.

Photos of the crash site shared by city officials showed burning vehicles, charred signs and damaged power lines. However, just 22 energy customers are without power in Ector County, according to PowerOutage.us.

Firefighters contained the fire sparked by the plane crash within hours, a local official said (City of Odessa)

We spoke to an individual that was working just adjacent west of the crash, and he advised that he observed the plane struggling to gain altitude, Griffis added.

He noticed it, and then he said, upon impact and the explosion, they felt the heat wave over there at their job site, and then there was another subsequent explosion, he continued.

The Red Cross has also established a local shelter for those whose homes were damaged by the crash.

Odessa is a city of 110,000 people in western Texas near the New Mexico border. The town is a roughly five-hour drive from both San Antonio and Austin.
2 killed in L.A. smoke shop shooting; gunmen on the loose

Two men are dead, and two suspects are on the loose after gunfire erupted at a smoke shop in the Vermont Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles overnight.

Officers responded to an assault with a deadly weapon call in the 8600 block of South Figueroa Street shortly before 10 p.m.

Two victims, a 39-year-old man and a 28-year-old man, were found inside the store with multiple gunshot wounds, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson said.

Vermont Vista smoke shop shooting

Both victims, whose identities have not been released, were pronounced dead at the scene. It was unclear if they were customers or employees of the store.

Investigators learned that two male suspects, believed to be in their 20s, walked into the Figueroa Mini-Market smoke shop and fired multiple rounds at the victims.

The gunmen fled in a vehicle and remain on the loose, police said.

No description of the suspects or their vehicle has been released.

Anyone with additional information is urged to contact detectives at 323-786-5100. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247). Call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or through lacrimestoppers.org to report information anonymously.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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A strong turnout among Republican voters helped the GOP secure two of its candidates on the Duval County School Board Tuesday night (Aug. 20), celebrating its victory at a watch party in St. Nicholas.

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While the school board candidates are non-partisan, there were several backed by the Duval County Republican party and Governor Ron DeSantis.

What parents can expect from me immediately is as soon as I take office I wanna work to improve transparency, Duval Scool Board Elect for District 7 Melody Bolduc said.

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Bolduc won her race for District 7, promising to work towards more communication between parents and the board.

By making sure that we have some kind of either website social media outlet that parents can come to see whats being voted on, how each of their school members have voted so that they just have an idea of whats happening, Bolduc said.

Tony Ricardo, also backed by the Republicans, took home a win for the District 1 seat and Reggie Blount will head to a run-off election. He took 41 percent of the vote, while Hank Rogers took 40 percent.

Were really looking forward to how that new school board is going to interact with the new superintendent, Steve Adams, Vice Chair of the Republican Party in Duval County said.

Senator Rick Scott and Congressman John Rutherford -- both incumbents -- won their primary races.

We see a good turnout in November to deliver President Trump a great victory in Florida, Adams said.

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CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Two men have been sentenced for possession of a firearm by a felon from a 2022 shootout in Steele Creek that killed an innocent man, according to the United States Attorneys Office.

Everette Josiah Phifer, 30, and Marcus Alexander Allen, 29, were both sentenced to seven years in prison. Phifer will serve three years of supervised release following his sentence, and Allen will also serve a supervised release but the length wasnt specified.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man charged with murder of popular Charlotte DJ, father of 2: CMPD

Court documents show Phifer was convicted in 2016 of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and served a prison sentence. As a result, he is prohibited from possessing firearms.

Six years later, between Feb. 7, 2022, and March 5, 2022, Phifer illegally possessed a firearm. Specifically, on March 5, 2022, officers responded to a shootout near the 10000 block of Hilgrove Lane in the Steele Creek area.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Man killed by stray bullet during shootout between two groups in Steele Creek parking lot, police say

When Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers arrived, they found at least 79 shots had been fired in the area from several guns.

Tragically, 48-year-old James Freiberg was in his apartment when he was struck and killed by a stray bullet. The investigation revealed Phifer and Allen were part of this incident.

James Freiberg, courtesy of family, Queen City News

Officials said witnesses told law enforcement about a particular apartment within the complex believed to be connected to the shooting. Authorities used a search warrant and found Phifer inside with fentanyl pills and several firearms including an SKS rifle and a loaded Glock handgun, with a laser attachment and ammo, hidden inside a toilet tank. Pictures of the two guns in Phifers apartment were found on his phone.

Meanwhile, officers found a Glock .40 caliber firearm in the parking lot of the shooting. Forensic testing of the gun positively determined Allens DNA was on the grip and magazine. Officials said the gun was a match to 19 discharged cartridge cases recovered at the scene, but this was not the weapon that fired the bullet that killed Freiberg.

Surveillance following the shooting (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police)

According to court documents, a search warrant was used for Allens residence. Law enforcement officers found an SKS rifle, an American Tactical .300 caliber Omni Hybrid with a 30-round magazine, fentanyl pills, and an ID from New Jersey with Allens face but another persons name. Officials said he has a prior federal conviction for aggravated identity theft and he is not permitted to possess a firearm or ammunition.

3-year-old girl succumbs to injuries; Salisbury murder suspect still on the loose

Allen pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon on Aug. 16, 2023. He was sentenced on Jan. 9, 2024.

Phifer pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on June 23, 2023. He was sentenced on Aug. 21, 2024, and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
U.S. 2 in Sultan is getting $16.5 million in improvement funds

U.S. 2 in Sultan is about to undergo a transformation and it will cost $16.5 million.

Construction will begin next spring on a new roundabout at Old Owen Road, featuring crosswalks and new curbs. Ten other locations along U.S. 2 between Monroe and Gold Bar will also be improved, according to the Everett Herald.

This state project is funded by the 2015 Connecting Washington package from the state Legislature, primarily supported by an 11.9-cent gas tax. Connecting Washington funding is distributed to projects that help preserve the states highway system and reduce congestion in the central Puget Sound area.

Chokepoints: Counting down to Montlake Lid opening on SR 520

We are supportive of this important project to improve safety and mobility through the City of Sultan, Sultan Mayor Russell Wiita wrote in an email to MyNorthwest. It is important that the state continue to invest in the U.S. 2 corridor as one of only two year-round routes for crossing the Cascade Mountains from Puget Sound.

Sultan often experiences traffic bottlenecks, sometimes as long as 15 miles. Weather frequently plays a role, including winter storms and wildfires.

As the population in the Greater Puget Sound region continues to grow at rapid rates, these needs will continue to grow, Wiita said.

The summer months bring a surge of tourists to U.S. 2. The two-lane highway is one of only two year-round routes through the upper Cascades, along with Interstate 90. The North Cascades Highway, another major route, is closed in the winter and often shuts down in the summer due to wildfires.

MyNorthwest News: What happens to a Washington ferry after its retired?

The city is also considering a roundabout at the intersection of the highway and Main Street.

Sultan relies on grants and external funding for roadwork. During construction, a temporary road will be built to maintain traffic flow, though some highway closures are expected.

According to the citys website, Sultan has several ongoing and upcoming transportation projects aimed at improving infrastructure and traffic flow.

One is the US-2 Alternatives Analysis. This project involves a comprehensive study of the U.S. 2 corridor within Sultan to address current and future traffic conditions. The preferred alternative includes expanding the highway to four lanes with multi-lane roundabout intersections.

Another is the East West Connector. This project aims to create a new road to improve east-west connectivity within the city, helping to alleviate congestion on U.S. 2. There is also the Public Right-of-Way ADA Self Evaluation and Access Plan. This initiative focuses on evaluating and improving ADA accessibility throughout the citys public right-of-ways.

Another is the proposed Park in Sultan Basin Area. While not strictly a transportation project, this new park will include improved access roads and parking facilities.

There is also the Wastewater and Water Treatment Plant Upgrades. These upgrades will include improvements to access roads and infrastructure around the treatment plants. Finally, there are safety improvements in the works on U.S. 2. This includes curb ramps, pedestrian crossing markings, reflectors, rumble strips and truck aprons between Gold Bar and Monroe.

Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here.
U.S Congressman Bill Pascrell gestures to the media at the hotel where the seventh round of NAFTA talks takes place, in Mexico City

By Moira Warburton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Representative Bill Pascrell has died at age 87, his family said on social media on Wednesday.

Pascrell, a Democrat representing a northern New Jersey district in the House of Representatives, was repeatedly hospitalized this summer with a respiratory illness.

"As our United States Representative, Bill fought to his last breath to return to the job he cherished and to the people he loved," his family said in a message posted to Pascrell's congressional social media account. "He is now at peace after a lifetime devoted to our great nation America."

Pascrell served in the House since 1997 and was running for reelection in the Nov. 5 U.S. general election. Had he won, he would have been the oldest serving member of the House.

As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Pascrell led the fight for access to former Republican President Donald Trump's tax returns while he was in office.

Prior to his House tenure, Pascrell served as mayor of his hometown of Paterson, New Jersey, and as a state lawmaker before that. He worked as a high school teacher and college professor before getting into politics.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said in a statement that he was deeply saddened by Pascrell's death, calling him "a unifier in every sense of the word."

Pascrell's district is considered a safe seat for Democrats. According to state law, county party leaders will choose a nominee to replace him before an Aug. 29 deadline.

(Reporting by Moira Warburton in Washington, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Rod Nickel)
Jacqueline Charles, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Emmy Award-winning Haiti and Caribbean correspondent for the Miami Herald, has been awarded the 2024 Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award for Courage in Journalism from Colby College.

The award follows her honor Saturday at the 2024 Sunshine State Awards in Hollywood. The Society for Professional Journalism presented Charles with the National Association of Black Journalists South Florida Diversity Award for a collection of her recent work.

We are the first drafters of history, and today I am able to write part of Haitis modern-day history, in particular. Its nuanced, its complicated and its messy. But its also a story about promise, resistance and hope, Charles said of her role documenting Haiti.

Colby, a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine, founded in 1813, honored the veteran reporter for her extensive reporting on Haiti that has included covering the nations natural disasters, its political turmoil and healthcare crises. The school has presented the Lovejoy since 1952.

With courage and compassion, Jacqueline Charles ensures that the turmoil in Haiti and its effects on the people of that country remain visible to the world, said Colby President David Greene in a statement. Ms. Charles has spent her career revealing injustice and threats to humanity, just as Elijah Parish Lovejoy did.

READ MORE: Seeing Haitians as human beings. Heralds Jacqueline Charles shares her experiences

Who was Lovejoy?

Martin Kaiser, chairman of the Lovejoy Advisory Board, said that Charles journalism represented the best of the ideals of its namesake, the 1826 valedictorian at Colby and a crusading abolitionist editor. Lovejoy, 34, was murdered by a mob in 1837 for his anti-slavery editorials. John Quincy Adams, the second U.S. president, called Lovejoy Americas first martyr to freedom of the press.

When 54 Miles author Leonard Pitts Jr., the retired Miami Herald columnist, won the Lovejoy award from Colby in 2021, he was gratified. Elijah was a 19th Century bad-ass in terms of publishing. This guy would refuse to stop publishing anti-slavery editorials in the paper he had in Alton, Illinois, Pitts said at the time.

Of Charles, Kaiser said: Her courage and fearless commitment to the truth has produced unequaled coverage of Haiti and the Caribbean. The committee was impressed with her relentless ground-breaking reporting through the perils of political unrest, human rights battles and natural disasters. She is the journalistic authority in one of the most difficult places in the world to do reporting.

Covering Haitis earthquake

Jacqueline Charles, the Miami Heralds Haiti and Caribbean correspondent, is the 2024 Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award recipient from Colby College.

Charles was the first foreign reporter to land in Haiti after the earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010  she had Haitian President Rene Prevals cellphone number and got his permission for a plane from the U.S. to land on the devastated island.

She spent 18 months on the ground documenting the 7.0 magnitude quake in 2010 and its aftermath. She traced the painful recovery and the arduous reconstruction. She was named a 2011 Pulitzer Prize finalist and Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Black Journalists for that work.

READ MORE: Haitis 2010 Earthquake killed hundreds of thousands. The next one could be worse.

What sets Jacquie apart is her deep-rooted commitment to the truth and her relentless pursuit of stories that matter. She has covered Haiti through some of its most challenging times, from political upheavals and natural disasters to human rights issues. Her reporting is not only thorough and insightful but also profoundly empathetic, giving a human face to the struggles and triumphs of the Haitian people, said Alex Mena, executive editor for the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.

Owns the Caribbean beat

Dana Banker, the Miami Heralds senior managing editor praises Charles relentless, resourceful traits as a reporter and her indefatigable nature.

She owns the Caribbean beat like no other, and is consistently breaking news, forcing the pack to follow and holding global leaders accountable, Banker said. She cares deeply about our newsroom and good journalism, and despite her staggering work ethic, she finds time to mentor younger reporters, rarely declines a speaking engagement, and is quick to jump in whenever the team or the community needs her. It is ... nearly impossible to keep up with her.

In 2011, Charles earned her regional Emmy for co-producing the Miami Heralds feature-length documentary film Nou Bouke: Haitis Past, Present and Future for national broadcast on PBS. Nou Bouke offered a comprehensive look at Haiti after the earthquake.

Charles Miami Herald beginnings

Jacqueline Charles, Haiti/Caribbean Correspondent for the Miami Herald, right, speaks to the community during an interview with Jay Weaver, Miami Herald editor, about Haitis past and future during An Evening with Jacqueline Charles on May 30, 2024, at African Heritage Cultural Arts in Miami.

Charles, who moved with her Haitian mother and Cuban-American stepfather to Miamis Overtown neighborhood at age 7 from the Turks and Caicos, earned her first byline as an intern in the Herald for compiling the School Scene column in the Neighbors section in 1987. She was still a teenager studying at Miami Jackson High School.

Charles, who speaks English, Creole and Spanish, joined the Herald full time in 1994 after graduating with a bachelors in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and initially covered Broward schools and government, and later the Florida Legislature, social services and immigration. She quickly came to the attention of local readers and world leaders.

Motivated by journalism

I am first and foremost a journalist, and I am still excited about this profession, Charles said. I am driven by what this requires: the research, documentation, exploration, reporting and writing. When I am confronted with a story, its like being handed a puzzle and I have to figure it out.

Charles and Miami Herald photojournalist Jose A. Iglesias published a four-part series in 2018, Cancer in Haiti, that chronicled the lack of cancer care on the island. The project won the June L. Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism from the American Association of Cancer Research in 2019.

Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille (center, white shirt) toured the site of the countrys largest public hospital on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, alongside Haiti National Police Chief Rameau Normil, left. The visit occurred a day after Normil announced police had taken back control of the site of the Hospital of the State University of Haiti, also known as the General Hospital, from armed gangs after months of attacks in the area. Normil made the announcement during the first joint press conference he held with the head of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission, Godfrey Otunge.

This August alone Charles covered Haitis struggles to elect a new president following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise to a string of jail breaks that included prisoners indicted for the Moise assassination.

KNOW MORE: Inmates escape from Haiti prison north of the capital in the third jail break in months

The Haiti National Police is increasingly being outmatched by rival armed gangs that have expanded their reach beyond Port-au-Prince, the capital.

This process still excites me: uncovering the facts, convincing someone who doesnt know me to not only talk to me but to trust me based solely on my word, following a lead and getting the story. I love being the first to break a story, everyone knows I love a good scoop, Charles said.

One of Charles first foreign-desk assignments as a full-time Herald reporter was covering the return of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide at the urging of U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1994.

When youve tackled a difficult story, there is a sense of pride and accomplishment when you get to the finish line, Charles said. Either you are proud of the reporting that went into the article or the creative process of pulling it together in a compelling narrative that moves people  and at times, moves governments.

Like one particular head of government.

Charles and Bill Clinton

In this file photo from Jan. 18, 2010, Bill Clinton, the former U.S. president, speaks to the press during a tour of the general hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, a week after the devastating 2010 earthquake.

Clinton, who is known to still ring Charles from his limo for a chat while tooling around South Florida on his visits, referred to Charles as Haitis ambassador to the world in a widely reported comment.

This description happened right after the 2010 earthquake Charles said. She still has a recording of it somewhere, she said.

President Clinton was in the courtyard of the State University Hospital or General Hospital, which had nearly completely collapsed and he was surrounded by reporters. I saw him, was pushing my way through the crowd to get closer to what he was saying, and he spotted me, stopped mid-way sentence and said, Theres Jacquie. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Haitis ambassador to the world.

He has always been an avid reader, and appreciates my work. While others have written all kinds of untruths, I was following and writing about his involvement in Haiti from day one. And he cares from the heart, Charles said.

When is the presentation?

Jacqueline Charles, Haiti and Caribbean correspondent for the Miami Herald, right, speaks to the community during an interview with Jay Weaver, Miami Herald editor, left, about Haitis past and future during An Evening with Jacqueline Charles on May 30, 2024, at African Heritage Cultural Arts in Miami.

The public presentation of the Lovejoy Award will include a discussion between Charles and New York Times Investigative Correspondent Matt Apuzzo, a member of the Lovejoy Selection Committee in the Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts on Colbys campus on Sept. 20.
U.S. Senate Democrats vow to battle for majority with Harris-Walz ticket

The Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 20, 2024. (Ariana Figueroa | States Newsroom)

CHICAGO  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer Tuesday said that hes determined to give Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris a Senate held by Democrats should she win the White House this November.

She will lead America forward but she needs a Democratic majority in the Senate, he said in a speech during the second night of the Democratic National Convention.

Schumer told delegates that he was confident Democrats would expand their slim majority in the Senate because of the kind of candidates that are running, such as U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego in Arizona and Angela Alsobrooks in Maryland.

Folks, listen to this, Schumer told the packed United Center. More than half of our candidates are candidates of color. Were making the Senate look like America.

Schumer touted Harris work in the Senate, representing California, and most recently as the tiebreaker vote for Senate Democrats in her role as vice president.

I saw a leader who was fearless, he said of Harris time in the Senate.

Because Senate Democrats have a slim majority in the upper chamber, Harris has often been the deciding vote on legislation as well as judicial nominations. Last year, she broke the record for tiebreaking votes.

She has been the best partner Senate Democrats can ever ask for, he said.

And, in a show of unity, independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is sometimes at odds with Democrats, spoke after Schumer.

Were laying the groundwork for Kamala Harris to become our next president, Sanders said.

Sanders has a core working-class base and in 2016, hundreds of his supporters protested the Democratic presidential nomination of Hillary Clinton during the DNC in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Let us go forward to create the nation we know we can become, Sanders said.

During his speech, Sanders commended the Biden-Harris administration for addressing the coronavirus crisis and passing critical legislation that helped local states and governments recover through funding provided by the American Rescue Plan Act.

Sanders said that he is looking forward to working with Harris on a myriad of issues such as strengthening public education, raising the minimum wage, passing legislation to give workers the right to unionize, raising teacher salaries and taking on corporate giants like pharmacy, tech and agriculture.

Too many of our fellow Americans are struggling every day to just get by, Sanders said.

He also urged an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, where more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, according to Palestinian health authorities.

We must end this horrific war in Gaza, he said, which received a standing ovation from the crowd.

Senate control

Michigan Sen. Gary Peters appeared earlier in the night before delegates and noted that Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have middle-class roots and an upbringing similar to that of many Americans.

Peters, who is the leader of Democrats U.S. Senate campaign arm, had said Monday that not only is he confident Harris can win the presidency, but that the Senate will remain under Democratic control.

In the upcoming Senate races, Democrats have no room for error, especially after the retirement of West Virginia independent Joe Manchin III. Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio have particularly tough reelection races in states that Trump carried in 2020.

But Schumer in his remarks expressed confidence in Senate incumbents like Brown, Tester and Nevadas Jacky Rosen.

Our candidates are implementing all the great things we did in 2021, 2022, he said.

Schumer also criticized former President Donald Trumps 2024 running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, and his tenure in the Senate. Schumer criticized Vance for not showing up to vote on expanding the child tax credit.

The second night of the DNC included a ceremonial roll call for the nomination of Harris and Walz, and appearances from top Democrats such as former President Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama and performances by Patti LaBelle and Common.

A surprise performance came from rapper Lil Jon during the ceremonial roll call when delegates from the state of Georgia voted. The official roll call happened earlier this month.

Harris, who campaigned Tuesday in Wisconsin, had some of her remarks there patched into the United Center stadium. She thanked the delegates for their ceremonial roll call and told them she would see them Thursday, for her acceptance speech.

This is a people-powered campaign, she said. Together we will chart a new way forward, a future for freedom.

Illinois senator discusses IVF

Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth told delegates that she takes access to reproductive health personally, noting that the only reason her daughters were born was due to access to in vitro fertilization.

She warned that Republicans will not stop when it comes to limiting access to abortion, but that the GOP will come for IVF next.

Since the conservative Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade two years ago, Democrats have campaigned on restoring reproductive rights.

Harris has promised if elected, she would restore the constitutional right to an abortion, but passing that kind of legislation would be an uphill battle. Democrats would need to control the House, but also would have to have 60 votes to overcome the Senate filibuster threshold.

Regardless, Schumer told reporters after his speech that restoring abortion access is a key issue for Democrats.

Republicans know its a loser issue for them, he said. And when we get the majority in the House, have it in the Senate and the presidency, were going to explore, you know, were going to explore how we can keep a womans right to choose and keep reproductive freedom.

Jacob Fischler contributed to this story.

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U.S. Soldier In Custody After His Pregnant Wife Vanishes From Barracks

A U.S. Army soldier stationed in Hawaii was taken into custody on Monday in connection with the disappearance of his 19-year-old pregnant wife.

Mischa Johnson, 19, was last seen on July 31 at the couples home on Schofield Barracks, a U.S. Army installation on Oahu, according to the Armys Criminal Investigation Division. She was reported missing the following day and was six months pregnant at the time of her disappearance.

The 25th Infantry Division announced on Monday that Johnsons husband, 28-year-old Private 1st Class Dewayne Arthur Johnson II, was taken into military pretrial confinement in Hawaii.

Its unclear whether Dewayne Johnson has been charged with a crime and whether he has an attorney representing him. The Army did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment.

Mischa Johnson was last seen on July 31. U.S Army Criminal Investigation Division

On Tuesday, Mischa Johnsons mother said on Facebook that Dewayne Johnson no longer is cooperating in the search for her daughter and asked anyone with information to call the Criminal Investigation Division.

Marianna Tapiz, Mischa Johnsons sister, said in an Instagram post that all of Johnsons belongings, including her phone and wallet, were left at home when she disappeared. There was no doorbell camera footage that could help with the investigation, she added.

Tapiz also told local news station KITV that her sister was excited about being pregnant and planned to name her daughter Armani Kitana. She said the couple got married in November and had no marital strife as far as she knew.

They were very affectionate towards each other. PDA levels like through the roof, Tapiz told the outlet. I mean, they were all over each other. Its very concerning that hes the prime suspect.

Mischa Johnsons family didnt immediately respond to questions from HuffPost.

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FILE - Afghan Taliban Envoy to the United Arab Emirates Badruddin Haqqani, far right, walks through an Emirates A380's business class on display at the Dubai Air Show in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell, file)

ISLAMABAD (AP)  The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday accepted the credentials of the Talibans ambassador to the oil-rich Gulf Arab state, the biggest diplomatic coup for Afghanistans rulers who are not officially recognized as the countrys legitimate government.

The development, the first Taliban ambassador since one was appointed to China last December, underscored the international divide over how to deal with the government now in Kabul.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul confirmed the news about Badruddin Haqqani in a post on the social media platform X. The ministry did not respond to requests for information about Haqqani, who was previously the Taliban's envoy to the UAE.

Haqqani is not related to the Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who in June met the UAE leader, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, but he is from his team.

Sirajuddin Haqqani is the current leader of the powerful Haqqani network, a militant movement allied with the Taliban, and a designated global terrorist. He is wanted by the United States for his involvement in deadly attacks and is also on several sanctions lists.

Even though the Taliban remain isolated from the West, they have pursued bilateral ties with major regional powers. Last week, Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov arrived in Afghanistan in the highest-level visit by a foreign official since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan three years ago.

The United Nations says that official recognition of the Taliban-run Afghanistan is nearly impossible while restrictions on women and girls are in place.

In a separate development Wednesday, a U.N.-appointed rights expert decried the Taliban's decision to bar him from Afghanistan. The special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan Richard Bennett has frequently criticized the Taliban's treatment of women and girls.

Bennett said the Taliban's announcement that they would no longer grant him access to Afghanistan was a step backwards and sends a concerning signal about their engagement with the U.N. and the international community on human rights.

I urge the Taliban to reverse their decision and reiterate my willingness and availability to travel to Afghanistan, Bennett said.

A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Kabul warned that Bennetts activities were detrimental to the interests of Afghanistan and the Afghan people.

It was deemed appropriate that Bennett continue his unprofessional conduct from the comfort of his office instead of tiring himself with needless travels, the spokesperson, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, told The Associated Press in a message.
UAW president Shawn Fain speaks to reporters during a roundtable discussion during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Ariana Figueroa/States Newsroom)

CHICAGO  United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain told reporters Tuesday that working-class people can see themselves in the new Democratic presidential ticket.

Theres a very distinct difference in these two people and where they stand with working-class people, Fain said of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Fain, who spoke to the Democratic National Convention on its first night on Monday and is often critical of former President Donald Trump, called him a con artist.

He didnt do a damn thing for autoworkers when he was president, Fain said, noting that Trump appointed Peter Robb as general counsel to the National Labor Relations Board, who Fain called a union buster.

The meeting with the press followed Fains remarks on the first night of the convention. The labor leader wore a jacket that he dramatically discarded to reveal a red shirt that read Trump is a scab, a term that refers to people who cross the picket lines and dont support striking workers.

Fain told the crowd at the United Center that Harris would support unions and working-class people.

Unions, a traditionally strong Democratic constituency, have a major presence at the convention.

Kamala Harris stands shoulder to shoulder with workers when theyre on strike, he said Monday.

Polling among members

There are more than 400,000 active UAW members, and more than 600 local unions, according to the organization. The union also has nearly 600,000 retired members.

The UAW has already endorsed Harris, as has another major union, the American Federation of Teachers, which represents about 1.8 million members.

Fain said that UAW member polling has been relatively consistent at 56% support for Democrats and about 32% for Republicans, but he thinks there will be bigger support for the Harris-Walz ticket come November.

I believe our members will be overwhelming behind Kamala Harris, because she brings a new energy to this, he said.

Fain added that Walz also has strong labor ties.

Adding Tim Walz as her running mate was a home run, he said. Hes a teacher. Hes one of us.

In Walzs first solo campaign rally in Michigan, he told a union-heavy crowd that he would prioritize worker-friendly policies. He was a union member as a public school teacher in southern Minnesota before he won a U.S. House seat in 2006.

Fain said if Harris and Walz win the White House, and Democrats take control of both chambers in Congress, he hopes they would attempt passage of worker-friendly policies such as H.R. 20, known as the PRO Act.

However, Fain noted that even if there is a possibility of Democrats controlling both the White House and Congress, there would need to be 60 votes in the Senate to pass the PRO Act, which supports workers rights to unionize.

As far as the filibuster goes, I dont know where that goes right now, Fain said of passage of the PRO Act. I would say we hope so.

Having the support of unions will help aid Harris in battleground states that boast high union membership such as Pennsylvania and Nevada.

A new Emerson College Polling/RealClearPennsylvania poll found Trump with 49% support in Pennsylvania and Harris down by 1 percentage point.

Pennsylvania likely voters in unions break for Harris by 15 points, 57% to 42%, while those not in a union and without union members in the household break for Trump, 50% to 48%, Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a statement. Those with union members in the household break from Trump, 50% to 42%.

Before President Joe Biden suspended his reelection bid, he often touted himself as the most pro-union president. Biden is also the first president to have walked a picket line with members, when he did so last year.

Fain said that Harris also has strong union ties, noting that she walked the picket line with UAW in 2019.

I mean, it wasnt a publicity stunt, wasnt for the hell of it, he said. Its because thats who she is.

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UAW president Shawn Fain speaks to reporters during a roundtable discussion during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Ariana Figueroa/States Newsroom)

CHICAGO  United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain told reporters Tuesday that working-class people can see themselves in the new Democratic presidential ticket.

Theres a very distinct difference in these two people and where they stand with working-class people, Fain said of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Fain, who spoke to the Democratic National Convention on its first night on Monday and is often critical of former President Donald Trump, called him a con artist.

He didnt do a damn thing for autoworkers when he was president, Fain said, noting that Trump appointed Peter Robb as general counsel to the National Labor Relations Board, who Fain called a union buster.

The meeting with the press followed Fains remarks on the first night of the convention. The labor leader wore a jacket that he dramatically discarded to reveal a red shirt that read Trump is a scab, a term that refers to people who cross the picket lines and dont support striking workers.

Fain told the crowd at the United Center that Harris would support unions and working-class people.

Unions, a traditionally strong Democratic constituency, have a major presence at the convention.

Kamala Harris stands shoulder to shoulder with workers when theyre on strike, he said Monday.

Polling among members

There are more than 400,000 active UAW members and more than 600 local unions, according to the organization. The union has nearly 600,000 retired members.

The UAW has already endorsed Harris, as has another major union, the American Federation of Teachers, which represents about 1.8 million members.

Fain said that UAW member polling has been relatively consistent at 56% support for Democrats and about 32% for Republicans, but he thinks there will be bigger support for the Harris-Walz ticket come November.

I believe our members will be overwhelming behind Kamala Harris, because she brings a new energy to this, he said.

Fain added that Walz also has strong labor ties.

Adding Tim Walz as her running mate was a home run, he said. Hes a teacher. Hes one of us.

In Walzs first solo campaign rally in Michigan, he told a union-heavy crowd that he would prioritize worker-friendly policies. He was a union member as a public-school teacher in southern Minnesota before he won a U.S. House seat in 2006.

Fain said that if Harris and Walz win the White House, and Democrats take control of both chambers in Congress, he hopes they would attempt passage of worker-friendly policies such as H.R. 20, known as the PRO Act.

However, Fain noted that even if there is a possibility of Democrats controlling both the White House and Congress, there would need to be 60 votes in the Senate to pass the PRO Act, which supports workers rights to unionize.

As far as the filibuster goes, I dont know where that goes right now, Fain said of passage of the PRO Act. I would say we hope so.

Having the support of unions will help aid Harris in battleground states that boast high union membership such as Pennsylvania and Nevada.

A new Emerson College Polling/RealClearPennsylvania poll found Trump with 49% support in Pennsylvania and Harris down by 1 percentage point.

Pennsylvania likely voters in unions break for Harris by 15 points, 57% to 42%, while those not in a union and without union members in the household break for Trump, 50% to 48%, Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a statement. Those with union members in the household break from Trump, 50% to 42%.

Before President Joe Biden suspended his reelection bid, he often touted himself as the most pro-union president. Biden is the first president to have walked a picket line with members, when he did so last year.

Fain said that Harris also has strong union ties, noting that she walked the picket line with UAW in 2019.

I mean, it wasnt a publicity stunt, wasnt for the hell of it, he said. Its because thats who she is.
UAW's Shawn Fain at the DNC: 'I'm not going to be shy' about going after Trump

CHICAGO  UAW President Shawn Fain has become a central fixture of the 2024 presidential race, a key surrogate for Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, and a verbal sparring partner of Republican former President Donald Trump's, who Fain labeled a "liar" and a "scab" at this week's Democratic National Convention.

For the record, he has no intention of stopping.

"He's a scab and we're going to call him out for what he is and continue to do it," Fain told a group of reporters in an informal sit-down this week after his Monday night speech to the convention. "And I think it's imperative we do it. We need to expose him for the fraud that he is and speak truth to that. And so long as he's a candidate, I'm not going to be shy about it. I'm not going to be quiet about it. I feel that's my obligation to working class people in our membership."

That membership  with some 400,000 active members and hundreds of thousands more retirees  is of no small consequence in this year's election or other recent ones. In 2016, It was widely believed that Trump, saying he would bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., did better than most other recent Republican presidential nominees among union households, especially in the Upper Midwest, though some studies have suggested the effect of that support was overrated. What is clear is that nationally and in the key industrial Midwest states where unions like the UAW are particularly strong, including the swing battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, President Joe Biden, on a strong union message, outperformed Trump among union households in 2020, relative to 2016.

The question is whether Fain, while throwing his enthusiastic support behind Harris  and showering his unmitigated contempt on Trump  can deliver. But he thinks he can.

Shawn Fain, President of the United Automobile Workers speaks during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center.

Not least as a reason, he said, is Harris herself, who the union endorsed after she secured the support of enough delegates to become the Democratic nominee when Biden stepped aside as nominee last month. Crediting Biden as the first president to ever walk a picket line when he joined striking UAW workers outside an auto plant in Michigan last September, Fain  a strapping worker, with short hair, wire-rimmed glasses and a bellowing tone he employs when he feels called upon to use it  said Harris stood "shoulder to shoulder" with workers when she walked the line with the union during a 40-day strike in 2019, when she was still a U.S. senator from California.

DNC Day 3 live updates: Tim Walz set to deliver acceptance speech in Chicago

She also leaned into taking a vice presidential nominee who the union wanted, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a former teacher and a union member himself.

But most of all, Fain said, while not taking anything away from Biden, is Harris' support for stronger union protections combined with the energy and the enthusiasm she has generated on the campaign trail. "I'll give you a prime example," he said. "We had a rally in Detroit with Joe Biden a little over a month ago and there was 2, 3,000 people there. There was roughly 15,000 people a few weeks ago for Kamala Harris."

"It's a new day, it's new energy," he said.

Fain said that energy, along with outreach efforts by the UAW and other unions, is having an effect. Trump, for one, went so far as to falsely claim Harris' Detroit crowd was manufactured in photos by artificial intelligence, after dwelling on the smaller sizes of Biden's crowds compared to those for Harris, who has become the first Black woman and first South Asian-American woman to become a major party's nominee for president. Trump also has denied Harris' jump in the polls.

Most other labor unions have also come out for Harris as well: This week, the leaders of the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Service Employees International Union all spoke briefly, before Fain, on the convention mainstage.

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One that hasn't appeared are Teamsters leaders. The union stunned others when its president, Sean O'Brien, spoke to the Republican convention last month, not to endorse Trump but to argue for bipartisan support for workers' rights. On Tuesday night at the Democratic convention, there was something of an answer to that as U.S. Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan introduced Kenneth Stribling, a retired Teamster from Milwaukee and president of the National United Committee to Protect Pensions, noting it was Biden and Harris  and not Trump  that announced $36 billion in aid to prop up a pension plan benefitting Teamsters workers and retirees.

"They got it done without one single Republican vote in Congress," Stribling said, surrounded by other retired Teamsters.

It left little doubt just how crucial the Democrats believe the union vote is for their side in this election.

More: UAW's Fain blasts Trump, praises Harris, quotes Nelly at Democratic convention

Fain said he understands why O'Brien would do what he did, that there are Trump supporters in the Teamsters, just as there are in the UAW and he agrees that politicians shouldn't expect an automatic endorsement based on party affiliation. Unions can't be complacent in their demands, he said, a belief he showed dramatically by calling the historic strike against all Detroit Three automakers at the same time last year, a fight his predecessors studiously avoided. The UAW held back its own endorsements longer than some other labor unions, including those for Biden and Harris.

But Fain also said he hasn't seen any movement among Republicans to embrace labor rights "so I don't know why I'd go stand in the Republican convention and speak to that when they have no interest in it."

And that sentiment, he has repeatedly said, goes for Trump as well, despite his populist message, claiming the former president has never taken a step to help workers organize to demand better benefits and job protections and instead has talked about companies moving jobs from better-paying states to worse-paying ones to improve profits. And while Trump did renegotiate what was the North American Free Trade Agreement to try to keep more jobs in the U.S., Fain argued Trump never took steps like the Biden administration has to spur growth in the auto industry, including by providing breaks to electric vehicle plants that domestic automakers believe play a large part in the future.

"Donald Trump's a liar," he said. "That's what he is. He's a con artist and it's time we start calling this con for what he is. You know, he talks a big game, but he doesn't deliver."

Fain said that typically, the UAW's polling shows its membership supports Democrats about 65% of the time and Republicans 30%-32%. That's been pretty consistent, he said. But he believes in this election the gap will be bigger for Harris. The reason, he said, is simply comparing the "body of work" of the two presidential candidates and where they stand on issues affecting workers.

"I have immense respect for her. I mean, her whole walk, her whole career, where she came from, what she's aspired to, and she's an amazing woman," he said. "I think people underestimate her, and I think it's a huge mistake."

While the union makes endorsements, Fain noted that it doesn't presume to tell members how to vote, only emphasizing whether in the union's estimation a candidate does or does not stand for workers' rights. "With the messaging we're doing already," Fain said, "they know people that were voting for Trump that are not going to vote for him now.  a lot of our members are persuadable."

Far from taking Fain's attacks without comment, Trump in many ways instigated them. For years, he attacked UAW brass, even before Fain was president, saying they were selling out rank-and-file workers. He continued to make that attack at a non-union plant during the strike last September, claiming that a push to sell electric vehicles would decimate the American auto industry. Once the UAW successfully settled the strike against the Detroit Three automakers for better benefits and job protections, Trump called Fain a "weapon of mass destruction" and promised a "bloodbath" if something wasn't done to save the auto industry.

But that didn't stop Trump from gratefully accepting an endorsement from Elon Musk, who owns electric vehicle maker Tesla, which operates no union plants, and later in a social media interview with Musk praising some company  who the UAW claims in a complaint filed with a federal board was Musk  with threatening employees looking to unionize with termination, a violation of federal law.

In his speech Monday at the Democratic National Convention, Fain laid into Trump, saying that despite his false claims to the contrary, the former president didn't revitalize the auto industry as he promised to do in his first term and that plants closed  including GM's massive plant in Lordstown, Ohio  under Trump's watch without his doing enough to stop it. Auto jobs declined in Michigan during Trump's time in office, even before the COVID-19 shutdowns hit.

"In a world where Donald Trump does nothing but put out his alternative facts, or what we all call lies, I believe it's important that we call them on his lies and that we expose him for what he really is. He's a fraud," Fain said.

Considering that Fain only burst on the national scene with his election as union president 18 months ago, it's remarkable how much of a factor he has become in politics. But he doesn't find it surprising at all.

"It's just indicative of where this nation is right now, where people who are working class ... they've been left behind," he said. "They're looking, they're looking for leadership. They're looking for something better."

Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@tsspangler.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: UAW's Shawn Fain 'not going to be shy' about going after Trump
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON)  The fate of former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is now in the hands of a Santa Clara County judge.

Last week, Velasquez gave up his right to a jury trial when he pleaded no contest to attempted murder and eight additional charges. Prosecutors said the mixed martial arts fighter went on a vigilante shooting spree when he tried to kill a suspected child molester in 2022.

Judge Arthur Bocanegra has wide discretion when he decides Velasquezs punishment and hands down a sentence in October.

Cain Velasquez addresses the fans during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in on February 16, 2019 in the Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Roach /Zuffa via Getty Images)

Velasquez signed a plea form obtained by KRON4 on Tuesday. The form states, I understand the maximum sentence for the charges I am pleading guilty or no contest to is a state prison term of 40 years (and) 4 months to life.

The judge could sentence the UFC star with the maximum punishment, or Bocanegra could let Velasquez go with zero prison time.

Prosecutor Aaron French told KRON4, The judge could grant him probation with no additional custodial time as the minimum.

The district attorneys office did not make any deals with Velasquez setting parameters for how severe the sentence will be. On August 16, Velasquez was convicted of attempted murder, shooting at an occupied vehicle, assault with a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon, and willful discharge of a gun from a vehicle.

Cain Velasquez, left, fights in a UFC mixed martial arts match in Anaheim, Calif., on Oct. 23, 2010. Velasquez won by TKO in the first round. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Investigators said Velasquez was seeking vigilante justice when he fired a gun at a suspected pedophile, Harry Goularte, in Morgan Hill on Feb. 28, 2022. Prosecutors said Velasquez missed his target and Goularte was uninjured. Goulartes father-in-law, Paul Bender, was struck by bullets and survived.

Just days before the shooting, one of Velasquezs children reported being molested by Goularte inside a San Martin daycare, court documents show. Goularte was arrested, but he was quickly released from jail.

Cain Velasquez appears in court at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice on March 2, 2022, in San Jose, Calif. (Aric Crabb / Bay Area News Group)

A defense attorney wrote that Velasquez felt severely provoked by seeing Goularte freely out in the community to continue to abuse other children.

District Attorney Jeff Rosen said, This defendant decided to become judge, jury, and executioner. His actions endangered innocent bystanders. Rosen said Velasquez should have allowed the criminal justice system to do its job.

Velasquez will remain out of custody on bail as he awaits his sentencing hearing. He is scheduled to be sentenced at 9 a.m. on October 18 in the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice, according to court records.

Cain Velasquez is seen in the corner on February 19, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa / via Getty Images)

Goularte, 43, of San Martin, is facing child molestation charges. He is scheduled to appear in court on November 13 to set a date for his jury trial. Goularte has pleaded not guilty.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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UFC veteran Casey Kenney arrested on kidnapping, five other charges in Arizona

UFC bantamweight [autotag]Casey Kenney[/autotag] has been arrested and charged after an alleged kidnapping incident on July 21.

Phoenix Police arrested Kenney on Friday. He faces two felony charges: one for kidnapping and one for aggravated assault (strangulation); as well as four misdemeanors: three for assault, one for disorderly conduct.

Kenney, 33, made his initial court appearance Saturday and is due back in Maricopa County (Ariz.) court Thursday for a status conference. He also has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Monday.

According to a statement MMA Junkie obtained Wednesday from Phoenix Police Department spokesperson Brian Bower, police responded to a domestic violence call. Paramedics treated the woman for injuries on scene.

"On July 22, 2024, around 12:15 p.m., officers responded to an unknown [sic] trouble call in the area of [address redacted]. Officers located an adult female victim with some visible abrasions reporting a domestic violence assault. The female was treated by paramedics and interviewed by investigators. No contact was made with the suspect at that time. This case is still active."

The Scrap first reported Kenney's arrest with details provided in a statement of probable cause first provided by MMA Fighting.

The statement says Kenney repeatedly struck, slapped, bit, head-butted, and choked a woman over the course of 13 hours while not allowing her to leave his residence. Kenney also allegedly threatened the woman and said if anyone showed up for her, he'd kill them.

A woman who identifies herself as the alleged victim's mother has posted updates about the situation on Instagram in recent weeks.

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Once a rising bantamweight contender in the UFC, Kenney competed eight times in the promotion from 2019 to 2021 and appeared on Dana White's Contender Series twice in 2017. Kenney has not competed since an August 2021 loss to Song Yadong.

In recent years, Kenney has remained out of the spotlight and has not posted on social media. He has yet to comment on the matter publicly. He's currently listed on the UFC roster as "not fighting."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC veteran Casey Kenney arrested on kidnapping, five other charges in Arizona
PARIS  Britains Ministry of Defence plans to build a hangar-sized isolated chamber big enough for F-35 jets and Chinook transport helicopters to test its military assets against GPS jamming and other types of electronic warfare.

U.K. firm QinetiQ will build the silent hangar at the ministrys Boscombe Down site in south-west England under a 20-million (US$ 26 million) contract, the ministry said in a statement Wednesday. The anechoic hangar is due to open in 2026 and will be one of the biggest in Europe, far bigger than existing facilities in Britain, the ministry said.

Electronic warfare has become a near-constant feature of the war in Ukraine, where Russia jams GPS frequencies to disrupt the accuracy of Western-supplied guided missiles, and both sides use jamming to down drones. Meanwhile, Russian jamming of GPS signals around the Baltic Sea has been a regular source of disruption for civilian aviation there.

Hostile threats jamming GPS to disorientate military equipment has become increasingly common, Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry Maria Eagle said in the statement. This cutting-edge test facility will help us eliminate vulnerabilities from our platforms.

The hangar will be used to test the integrity of U.K. military equipment without the testing affecting other users such as emergency services and air-traffic control, the ministry said.

The chamber will be big enough to fit equipment including the F-35 jet, Chinook helicopter and the MQ-9B Protector drones operated by the U.K., according to the ministry. The F-35 has a length of 15.7 meters, the Protector has a 24m wingspan, while the Chinook stands 5.68m tall.

Not only will this be one of the largest such chambers in Europe, but it will also be one of the most up-to-date and high-tech in the world, where hostile environments can be safely recreated to put military equipment, such as fighter jets and drones, through testing, said Richard Bloomfield, the head of Electronic Warfare Space at the UKs Defence Equipment and Support.

The isolated hangar will reduce reflections and the escape of radio-frequency waves, while GPS simulators and threat emulators in the chamber will be able to create various hostile environments to test how well equipment can withstand jamming and other threats, the ministry said.

With GPS jamming well documented, the new facility will be vital to help keep U.K. armed forces safe, Broomfield said.

The war in Ukraine and Chinas military modernization have renewed interest in high-end electronic warfare, and there is catching up to do , International Institute for Strategic Studies editor Robert Wall wrote in August last year. The U.S. Army has said observations from the Russia-Ukraine war are driving its development of jammers, and the service is again prioritizing electronic warfare after decades of neglect.
(Bloomberg) -- Keir Starmers government pledged to increase deportations of people with no legal right to stay in the UK to the highest rate in five years, an effort to show it is responding to Britons concerns about rising immigration.

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The Home Office said Wednesday it will recruit as many as 100 intelligence officers at the National Crime Agency to help dismantle organized crime groups operating small boat crossings by asylum-seekers across the English Channel. It also said it would increase migrant detention capacity and crack down on firms hiring illegal workers, as the new Labour administration grapples with an issue that undermined the Conservatives under former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The measures are part of Home Secretary Yvette Coopers plan to lift the removal rate  including of asylum-seekers whose claims were rejected  to the highest level since 2018 over the next six months, according to the statement. The Home Office said that effectively means removing over 14,389 people.

By increasing enforcement capabilities and returns, we will establish a system that is better controlled and managed, in place of the chaos that has blighted the system for far too long, Cooper said.

Immigration was a major theme in Julys general election, which Labour won in a landslide, and has continued to dominate political discourse following the outbreak of far-right, anti-immigration riots across the country this month. The disorder was triggered by misinformation about the alleged perpetrator of a deadly knife attack on a young girls at a dance class in northern England.

During the election, Starmer promised to tackle the gangs organizing crossings by asylum-seekers, and soon after taking office he scrapped Sunaks policy to deport migrants to Rwanda  a plan that the Tories in any case never put into action. Labours calculation was that Sunak had failed in his key promise to stop the boats and that voters were open to a new approach.

But theres a risk for Labour if it doesnt show progress quickly enough. Nigel Farages Reform UK party, which drove the Conservatives to distraction in the run-up to the election, is determined now to make life difficult for Starmer on immigration  especially on the small boat crossings.

A total of 827 people have crossed the channel in the past week, though Labour said arrivals are lower since it took office compared to the same period last year. It also said there have been nine returns flights in the past six weeks.

Coopers plans were dealt an early blow following reports that her top pick to lead a new Border Security Command turned the job down. The government confirmed on Monday the recruitment process is still underway.

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Ukraines bold cross-border advance in Russia has seen troops continue to take out key bridges in the western part of the country, while on Wednesday Moscows mayor accused Kyiv of attempting to launch one of the largest ever drone attacks on the capital.

Since the Ukrainian incursion began nearly two weeks ago, its forces are inching forward in Kursk and destroying key bridges in an effort to cripple Moscows logistical capabilities and disrupt supply routes.

At least two bridges were taken out of action over the Seym River in Kursk last week. Ukraine said it had used precision airstrikes for one, and Russia claimed Kyiv had utilized Western rockets for the other.

Afterward, Russia built at least three pontoon bridges  temporary floating ones often used in emergency or wartime situations  across the river, according to satellite imagery from Planet Labs and BlackSky.

Since then, a Ukrainian drone has targeted one of the pontoons, according to a video obtained and geolocated by CNN.

This satellite image shows the aftermath of a Ukrainian suicide drone attack an a new Russian pontoon bridge in the Kursk Oblast, Russia on August 20, 2024. - BlackSky

The type of drone used was designed to crash into a target and explode, detonating its warheads and destroying the drone in the process. Compared to traditional, larger military drones that return to base after dropping missiles, these ones are smaller and harder to detect, and can be fired from a distance.

The video shows the drone hitting one of the vehicles used to set up and move the pontoon bridge. Though its not clear if the drone destroyed the vehicle, BlackSky satellite imagery on Tuesday showed that the bridge was gone  with large burn scars in the area where it was.

On another section of the river nearby, a new pontoon bridge can be seen stretching across the water in satellite images. A third pontoon bridge was also seen in satellite imagery from the European Space Agency and Planet Labs.

The Kursk offensive has left Russia struggling to shore up its own territory. On Tuesday, Ukrainian military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said its troops had advanced up to 35 kilometers (21.7 miles) through Russian defenses since the start of their surprise assault, capturing 93 settlements.

Russian forces in the area are battling hard against Kyivs shock incursion, a Ukrainian commander fighting in Russias Kursk region told CNN Wednesday, while claiming his own countrys troops are still making gains.

Ukrainian troops are still advancing as they used to. We are cleaning up the ground. We are now faced with the fact that enemy subversive groups are trying to ambush us and try to stop us, Dmytro Kholod, the commander of Ukraines Nightingale battalion, told CNN in a phone call.

They no longer surrender by the hundreds. They are trying to shoot and fight back, but they still surrender when we attack them.

The commander added that Russia has brought in more artillery and is using it much more than before, but said Russian forces are failing to hit targets precisely. They just shell forest belts and settlements where our troops are likely to be concentrated, Kholod said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the incursion aims to create a buffer zone to prevent cross-border attacks by Moscows forces, to disrupt Russias economy and to destroy as much Russian war potential as possible.

On the same day, US Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said Russia has so far really struggled to respond, and you continue to see some Ukrainian advances in that regard  even as Moscow moves a small number of forces into the Kursk region.

It has certainly demonstrated the creativity and the battlefield prowess of the Ukrainians, but when it comes to what their longer-term objectives are here, thats something that were still discussing with them, he said.

Ryder would not say where the US is seeing the Russian forces being moved from.

CNN reported last week that Russia had diverted several thousand troops from occupied territory in Ukraine to Kursk.

This satellite image shows the aftermath of a Ukrainian drone attack on a bridge in Glushkovo, Russia, on August 17, 2024. - Planet Labs

Russian authorities have also urged residents in the embattled border regions, as well as military and other personnel there, not to use dating apps or social media to prevent Ukrainian forces from gathering intelligence.

The use of online dating services is strongly discouraged. The enemy actively uses such resources for information gathering, Russias Interior Ministry said in a Telegram post, as part of an advisory issued to residents and troops in the Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod border regions.

It included a long list of recommendations  including not opening hyperlinks in messages from strangers, not streaming videos on roads with military vehicles and removing geotagging on their social media.

Moscow drone attack

Russian authorities also claimed Wednesday that their air defense systems had destroyed 45 Ukrainian drones overnight: including 11 over Moscow, two over the Belgorod border region and two in Kursk.

This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow with drones of all time, Moscows Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a Telegram post Wednesday.

Some of the drones were destroyed over the city of Podolsk, about 38 kilometers (24 miles) south of the Kremlin, Reuters quoted Sobyanin as saying.

Preliminary information so far shows no injuries or damage, Sobyanin was quoted as saying. Reuters could not independently verify his remarks, and there was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Ukraine has launched drone attacks on the Russian capital before  notably in July 2023 when drones struck two non-residential buildings, including one near the Ministry of Defense headquarters. There was no serious damage or casualties at the time, Sobyanin said afterward.

And in November, Russia said it had foiled more than 20 Ukrainian drone attacks, including on Moscow  which came shortly after Russia launched its largest drone attack against the Ukrainian capital since the full-scale invasion began.

CNNs Michael Conte and Oren Liebermann contributed reporting.

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Ukraine air defense pledges from some NATO countries not being fulfilled, Bloomberg reports

Several NATO countries are failing to fulfill pledges to provide Ukraine with air defense systems, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 20, citing undisclosed sources.

At least five systems pledged at last month's NATO Summit in Washington D.C. have failed to materialize so far, the outlet said.

Though it does not mention the specific countries behind the air defense pledges, President Volodymyr Zelensky on Aug. 18 singled out the U.S., U.K., and France during his evening address in which he called on allies to speed up deliveries of promised weapons systems.

"There are no vacations in war," he said, adding: "Decisions are needed, as is timely logistics for the announced aid packages."

Ukraine has been increasingly calling on its allies to bolster its sky shield amid unceasing Russian aerial strikes against population centers and infrastructure sites that are expected to increase as winter approaches.

At last month's NATO Summit, it was announced that the U.S., Germany, and Romania would "rapidly" provide Ukraine with additional Patriot batteries, while the Netherlands would provide components to operate one other Patriot battery.

None have yet been delivered, with the last Patriot system to arrive in Ukraine coming from Germany a few days before the summit began.

Berlin also said this week that it had provided Ukraine with a new short-range IRIS-T system and would provide four additional systems of different ranges by the end of the year.

Spain said it will provide Ukraine with another Hawk air defense battery in September.

Read also: Swedens Pansarbandvagn 302 approved by Ukraine  but is it any good?

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Ukraine's attack on the Savasleyka airbase in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast on Aug. 16 destroyed three Russian planes and damaged around five others, a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent on Aug. 21.

Russian warplanes based at the Savasleyka airfield include MiG-31K aircraft, a carrier of Kinzhal ballistic missiles that Russia uses to attack Ukraine.

According to the source, the kamikaze drones operated by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) destroyed a Russian MiG-31K/I and two Il-76 aircraft and damaged about five aircraft, possibly including one more MiG-31K/I.

The previous strike on the Savasleyka airbase, carried out by HUR on Aug. 13, hit a Russian fuel and lubricants warehouse and damaged a MiG-31K/I plane, the source told the Kyiv Independent.

Explosions were also reported at the Borisoglebsk and Baltimore airbases in Voronezh Oblast overnight on Aug. 14. Ukraine's General Staff confirmed the attack, saying that Su-34 fighter-bombers, Su-35 fighters, and other aircraft were based on the three said airfields.

Eleven MIG-31K/I aircraft, an Il-76, five Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters were stationed at the Savasleyka at the time of the strike, the source said, citing the agency's satellite images.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.

Ukraine has carried out a number of strikes against airbases in an effort to weaken the more powerful Russian Air Force. An attack against an airbase in Lipetsk Oblast on Aug. 9 destroyed more than 700 bombs, a Ukrainian intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent.

Read also: Ukraine downs Russian Su-34 aircraft over Kursk Oblast, military says

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Ukraine hit Moscow on Wednesday in what Russia described as one of its largest drone attacks in the war, though Russia claimed all of the explosive unmanned vehicles were shot down.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said that overnight into Wednesday, its forces destroyed a total of 45 drones launched into Russia.

Eleven of those drones were taken out by air defenses over the region of Moscow, and three of them around the neighboring province of Kaluga Oblast, according to Russia.

The rest were downed by air defenses in regions that border Ukraine, including Kursk, where Ukraine is pushing forward in a major offensive that began Aug. 6.

Ukraine has targeted Moscow with long-range drones before, and Russia accused Ukraine of being behind an attack on the Kremlin last year that came amid a Ukrainian campaign to damage Russias war efforts.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said in a Telegram post that Wednesdays operation was one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow with drones ever.

Ukrainian officials have not publicly commented on the drone attack and have typically refrained from mentioning strikes on Russian territory.

Ukraines armed forces said Wednesday that Russia launched a wave of drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian territory that were shot down.

The attack around Moscow comes as Ukraine is advancing into Kursk, taking close to 500 square miles of territory and more than 90 settlements in the Russian region.

Russia is also making its own advances in eastern Ukraine, putting pressure on the towns of Toretsk and Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said a Ukrainian drone strike was "one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow using drones of all time" as Kyiv launched 45 drones including 11 targeting the Russian capital. File Photo by Alexei Druzhinin/Ria Novosti/Kremlin Pool/EPA-EFE

Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Ukraine targeted Russia with at least 45 attack drones overnight, a quarter of them at Moscow in one of largest strikes against the Russian capital of the war, according to Russian authorities.

Russia's Ministry of Defense said its air defenses shot down all 45 drones, 11 of them over Moscow. The others were mostly destroyed over the Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod border provinces amid a Ukrainian counter-offensive push into those regions that began Aug. 6.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said there had been no casualties and no damage from falling debris or ordnance -- the greatest danger from downed drones.

"This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow using drones of all time," said Sobyanin who credited what he called the "layered defenses of Moscow from enemy UAVs" for successfully repelling the attack.

Flight restrictions briefly imposed at airports in the Moscow region overnight were lifted Wednesday morning.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was 1,150 miles away from the Kremlin in the North Caucasus inspecting Chechnyian army units and volunteers preparing to ship out to the Ukraine battlefront, his first visit to the troubled Russian republic in 13 years.

Russia's military launched its own drone, missile and glide-bomb strikes overnight killing five people and injuring 31 despite the Ukraine Air Force saying its air defenses had shot down 50 of 69 the "Shahed" Iranian-type drones and one Kh-59/69 cruise missile over the country's eastern Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Kyiv has attacked Russian oil and gas facilities and military targets, many deep inside Russian territory in what it says is "fair" payback for repeated Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure.

About 500 firefighters were battling a blaze at an oil storage facility in Proletarsk in Russia's southern Rostov region on Tuesday, two days after the plant was struck by Ukrainian drones on Sunday.
Ukraine attacks Moscow in one of largest ever drone strikes on Russian capital

By Guy Faulconbridge and Lidia Kelly

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Ukraine attacked Moscow on Wednesday with at least 11 drones that were shot down by air defences in what Russian officials called one of the biggest drone strikes on the capital since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022.

The war, largely a grinding artillery and drone battle across the fields, forests and villages of eastern Ukraine, escalated on Aug. 6 when Ukraine sent thousands of soldiers over the border into Russia's western Kursk region.

For months, Ukraine has also fought an increasingly damaging drone war against the refineries and airfields of Russia, the world's second largest oil exporter, though major drone attacks on the Moscow region - with a population of over 21 million - have been rarer.

Russia's defence ministry said its air defences destroyed a total of 45 drones over Russian territory, including 11 over the Moscow region, 23 over the border region of Bryansk, six over the Belgorod region, three over the Kaluga region and two over the Kursk region.

Some of the drones were shot down over the city of Podolsk, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. The city in the Moscow region is some 38 km (24 miles) south of the Kremlin.

"This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow using drones ever," Sobyanin said on the Telegram messaging app in the early hours of Wednesday. "The layered defence of Moscow that was created made it possible to successfully repel all the attacks from the enemy UAVs."

Along Moscow's boulevards, the cafes, restaurants and shops of the capital - which has been carefully insulated from the war - were crowded with little sign of concern, while President Vladimir Putin met Chinese premier Li Qiang in the Kremlin.

Two Russian citizens who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity said the foiled drone attack simply showed how well defended Moscow now was, and that Ukraine was "playing with fire" by attacking Russia both in Kursk and in Moscow.

Russia meanwhile is advancing in eastern Ukraine, where it controls about 18% of the territory, and battling to repel Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region, the biggest foreign attack on Russian territory since World War Two.

Russian media showed unverified footage of drones whirring over the dawn sky of the Moscow region and then being shot down in a ball of flame by air defences.

Moscow's airports, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky, limited flights for four hours but restarted normal operations from 0330 GMT, Russia's aviation watchdog said.

Sobyanin said that according to preliminary information, there were no injuries or damage reported in the aftermath of the attacks. There were also no casualties or damage reported following the attack on Bryansk in Russia's southwest, the governor of the region, Alexander Bogomaz, wrote on Telegram.

Russia's RIA state news agency reported that two drones were destroyed over the Tula region, which borders the Moscow region to its north. Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region in Russia's southwest, said air defence forces destroyed a Ukraine-launched missile over the region, with no injuries reported.

The Russian defence ministry did not mention either Tula or Rostov in its statement listing destroyed Ukrainian air weapons. Ukraine's military said on Wednesday it overnight struck an S-300 anti-aircraft missile system based in the Rostov region.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

The drone attack on Moscow was on a par with a May 2023 attack when at least eight drones were destroyed over the capital, a strike Putin said was a Ukrainian attempt to scare and provoke Russia.

In Kursk, Russian war bloggers said intense battles were ongoing along the front in the region where Ukraine has carved out at least 450 square km (175 square miles) of Russian territory.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne and Guy Faulconbridge in Moscow; editing by Michael Perry and Mark Heinrich)
Ukraine launched its largest drone strike on Moscow early on Wednesday, prompting Russia to temporarily close airports more than 1,000 miles away over fears of further attacks.

All flights were cancelled and the airspace restricted over the Arctic cities of Murmansk, which hosts a military airbase, and Apatity.

There were unverified reports that an unmanned aircraft had been shot down in the area, which would mark the furthest a Ukrainian drone had flown into Russian territory so far.

Andrei Chibis, Murmansks regional governor, warned of a drone threat detected in the region on Telegram, writing that the necessary security measures were being taken.

Rosaviatsia, Russias aviation watchdog, confirmed the closures, saying that flight safety is the priority. Later, it announced the threat had passed and the airports had resumed operations.

Downed drones light up the suburbs of Moscow

It comes after Kyiv launched what Sergey Sobyanin, Moscows mayor, described as one of the largest aerial attacks against the Russian capital since war broke out in February 2022.

About 45 Ukrainian drones were downed, including 11 destroyed over the Moscow region, Russias ministry of defence claimed.

Russian media shared unverified videos of the attack, but Ukraines military is yet to claim responsibility for the air strikes. Temporary restrictions were put in place at Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports.

Ukrainian forces regularly carry out drone strikes and sabotage acts on Russian territory, focusing on strategic targets such as military bases, oil refineries and industrial facilities.

An oil refinery in Russias Rostov region has been burning for four days following a Ukrainian drone strike on Sunday, with more than 500 firefighters continuing to battle the blaze.

Separately, Ukraines air force claims it struck the position of a Russian S-300 air defence system in Rostov, with local authorities also reporting the downing of a missile.

The scaling up of attacks on Russia comes during Ukraines surprise incursion into the Kursk region on Aug 6. Kyiv claims it has seized control of 93 settlements and about 480 sq miles of enemy territory.

According to Ukraine, its troops continue to advance in the Kursk region and have destroyed a number of bridges and pontoons.

Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraines top commander, said on Wednesday that his forces have reached between 18 and 22 miles into Kursk.

Andrei Belousov, Russias defence minister, said the army had finished forming three new military groupings to bolster security in regions bordering Ukraine.

Yurko, a Ukrainian soldier fighting in Russia who did not want to use his full name, told The Telegraph: Ukraine confidently controls the territories in the Kursk region. Russian attempts to counter-attack are not successful.

The Kursk operation is the biggest foreign attack on Russias territory since the Second World War and has been seen as a huge boost for flagging morale among Ukraines tired troops, as well as a strategic gain for the country.

Moscow has used state media and propaganda to tell Russian citizens that the presence of Ukrainian forces on its soil is the new normal, repurposing messaging used during the pandemic.

Kremlin officials reportedly said they believed Kyivs invasion of Kursk will last for several months.

They have retaliated with heavy shelling of the Ukrainian city of Sumy, which is over the border from Kursk, forcing people to flee the area, with the authorities saying 45,000 must leave.

Local media reported that Russian citizens who had fled Kursk were also being treated in Sumy.

However, Russia is continuing its grinding advance in Ukraines east.

The Donbas city of Pokrovsk, a defensive stronghold and logistical hub, is under the biggest threat, with about a third of Tuesdays clashes taking place in front-line areas nearby.

Local authorities have ordered an evacuation of the city, warning tens of thousands of residents they have two weeks to flee encroaching Russian troops.

The capture of Pokrovsk would compromise Ukraines defensive abilities and supply routes. It would also bring Russia closer to capturing the entire Donetsk region, where it currently occupies 18 per cent of Ukraines territory.

Russia claimed on Wednesday that it had control of the village of Zhelanne in the Pokrovsk area, the latest in a string of small settlements taken by Moscows forces in recent days.

Analysts believe Russia wants to defeat the incursion and exploit the resulting depletion of Ukraines resources by pushing forward with its assault on Pokrovsk.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, Ukraines parliament voted to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), as Kyiv seeks to bring Russia to justice over alleged war crimes committed throughout the invasion.

Ukraine signed the Rome Statute that founded the court in 2000, but had not ratified it, as some political and military figures expressed fears Ukrainian soldiers could face prosecution.

Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraines foreign minister, called the move historic after a long journey full of challenges, myths and fears, adding: Ukraine joining the ICC is a key requirement for the country to eventually join the European Union.

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Updated Aug 21, 2024, 7:59am EDT Europe

The News

Ukraine on Wednesday mounted its biggest drone attack on Moscow since Russias 2022 invasion.

The Kremlin said all of the aircraft fired upon the capital were destroyed, citing the capitals layered defense, but the scale of the assault which Ukraine did not itself confirm  points to Kyivs increasing willingness to target territory far beyond the two countries border.

SIGNALS

Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories.

Major attacks by either side are unlikely as supplies dip

Sources: Institute for the Study of War, Bloomberg, Financial Times

Ukraine has made additional advances three weeks into its Kursk operation, an Institute for the Study of War report noted, but both Kyiv and Moscow lack the materiel to mount major further attacks, according to a US Pentagon intelligence assessment reported by Bloomberg. One Ukrainian artillery brigade commander in eastern Ukraine told the Financial Times that his troops had been forced to ration shells for the first time since military aid was held up by the US Congress. Russia, meanwhile, hasnt yet transferred its troops en masse from Donetsk to defend Kursk, and continues to creep closer to Pokrosk, a linchpin for Ukraines defense of the region, the outlet noted.

Russia dismisses negotiation prospects

Sources: Reuters, Al Jazeera, The Washington Post

The Kremlin appears to have ramped up its rhetoric following Ukraines incursion, which it claims the US-led NATO alliance helped Kyiv to plan. Sergei Chemezov  a close ally of Putin  warned of global war if the West and the US continued to provoke Ukraine into attacking Russian territory, according to Reuters, and the deputy head of Russias security council vowed that there would be no negotiations until the complete defeat of the enemy in a Telegram post Wednesday. Both countries were set to send delegates to Doha this month for negotiations on energy and power infrastructure strikes, but Russia postponed its meeting with Qatari mediators after Ukraine launched its counteroffensive into Kursk, officials told The Washington Post.
The Ukrainian advance into Russias Kursk region has put renewed pressure on the U.S. to lift a policy that restricts Kyiv from using American-made weapons to strike deep into Russian territory.

The restriction, if lifted, could help Ukraine advance further into Kursk and hold the territory that troops have gained by using long-range artillery like the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to hit airfields and logistical hubs.

The Kursk advance has also shattered a Kremlin message  that advancing and attacking inside of Russia is a red line and an escalation  threats that have long held the U.S. back from approving long-range strike capabilities.

Russia has not responded to the Kursk attack with any new escalation of its own, leading Ukrainians to push for the lifting of the long-range strike restriction.

Steven Horrell, a nonresident senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, said one potential objective of the Kursk attack is to prove there are no more red lines in the war. He argued the U.S. should lift the restriction.

The fact that weve put handcuffs on Ukraines use of the capabilities weve given to them has been just a product of us being overly cautious, he said. We say as long as it takes [but] we just sort of trickle capabilities to them. OK, well let you defend yourselves. Well save a few lives, but were afraid [of escalation]. Its very much intertwined with this excessive fear of escalation.

Surprise offensive

The push into Kursk is part of a wide-ranging surprise offensive intended to divert Russian troops from the front lines of eastern Ukraine, create a buffer zone to protect against border attacks and to destroy military assets, while taking prisoners and territory for potential exchanges.

Ukrainian troops caught Russia by surprise in the lightning Aug. 6 attack, and they continue to advance, taking some 500 square miles of territory and capturing 92 settlements, including the key town of Sudzha, last week. They have also destroyed at least three bridges over the Seym River that will cripple Russian efforts to resupply and reinforce.

But Ukrainian forces struggle against Russias precision-guided glide bombs, and officials argue it is vital to lift all restrictions on the use of weapons to protect troops from air attacks. Lifting the restrictions could also prevent Russian reserve forces from reinforcing positions in Kursk.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Monday speech that long-range strikes were also instrumental in beating back Russian advances across a 600-mile front, most recently around the towns of Pokrovsk and Toretsk in the Donetsk region.

We need sufficient range to defend Ukraine from Russian missiles and guided aerial bombs, to prevent the transfer of Russian troops, and to counter the occupiers pressure on key front lines, he said. Ukraine is separated from halting the advance of the Russian army on the front by only one decision we await from our partners: the decision on long-range capabilities.

Zelensky also said if the restriction were lifted, his troops might not even need to advance into Russia to establish a buffer zone free of Russian weapons that can attack into Ukraine.

Maksym Skrypchenko, president of the Transatlantic Dialogue Center think tank, which advises Kyiv, said Ukraine needs the ability to protect against glide bombs and secure artillery units with ATACMS, which can target fighter jets and ballistic missile launch areas.

The fact that they are advancing [in Kursk] doesnt mean that they are not being bombed like every minute, he said. We need, again, to push the Russian aviation and missiles away from the Ukrainian troops there.

Skrypchenko said ATACMS hitting deeper into Russia could also eliminate problems for the civilian population in Ukraine by taking out Russian capabilities.

The U.S. has not budged. Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder reiterated Tuesday that the policy stands.

Conducting counterfire, defensive operations across the border is permitted, and Ill just leave it at that, Ryder said.

On Capitol Hill, however, some lawmakers are also renewing a push to get the U.S. to reverse the policy.

Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), chair of the House Intelligence Committee, said lifting the restriction was important to counter Russias advantage with mass on the battlefield, such as with artillery.

Ukraine is finally in a position where they can hold Russia accountable, he told CBS on Sunday, and lifting restrictions can change the dynamic on the ground.

Changed tunes

The Biden administration has changed tunes on several policies before, including providing Ukraine with weapons like ATACMS that were previously viewed as escalatory.

In May, after Russia launched a major offensive in Ukraines northeastern Kharkiv province, Washington gave Kyiv permission to strike into Russian territory so long as the move related to a crossborder attack.

But the U.S. is hesitant to allow Ukraine to strike deeper into Russia, which would ostensibly give Kyiv the ability to hit Moscow.

Robert Murrett, a retired U.S. vice admiral, said Ukraine almost exclusively goes after military targets rather than political ones.

As long as youre going after legitimate military targets, theres kind of a recognition that those are not viewed as escalatory, said Murrett, now a professor at Syracuse University.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has laid out multiple red lines that have already been crossed, and its unlikely he can escalate the war any further on the battlefield outside of nuclear weapons, which carry enormous political risk for Moscow if deployed.

Zelensky said Monday that Putin has no options left to escalate and the Kursk offensive has proved there is no single rational reason to deny us true power, true long-range capabilities.

We are now witnessing a significant ideological shift, he said, namely, the whole naive, illusory concept of so-called red lines regarding Russia, which dominated the assessment of the war by some partners, has crumbled these days somewhere near Sudzha.

Dmytro Zhmailo, executive director of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center, said the threat of escalation has actually no basis, and that view has been reinforced by Ukrainian military intelligence.

Zhmailo added that the U.S. would likely lift the restriction eventually but potentially far too late for Kyivs hopes.

We dont have time because every day we pay a big price for this war, he said. We, of course, want to see it sooner than later.

Ukraine has already hit Moscow, and attacked the Kremlin, with drones. Some of its long-range drones have been employed with savvy use, hitting targets like oil depots hundreds of miles within Russia.

But ATACMS are much more powerful and precise, said Emil Kastehelmi, an analyst at the Finnish-based Black Bird Group.

Drones arent really a substitute for the missile, he said. Its more difficult  for the Russian air defense to actually do anything about these missiles.

Even if the restriction were lifted, some of Ukraines larger goals rely on other factors.

Kastehelmi explained Ukraine is unlikely to advance much deeper into Kursk without a larger force, and Russia likely wont divert enough troops from the front lines to make a difference.

Theres no single weapon system that could decisively shift the battlefield, he said.

The U.S., the de facto leader of a group of some 50 nations supporting Ukraine, appears to have also influenced other nations from not allowing Ukraine to use their weapons systems to strike deep into Russia.

British newspapers reported that the U.K. was waiting for approval from the U.S. before allowing its long-range Storm Shadow missiles to be fired deeper into Russia.

Other nations such as Germany and France are also holding back, though Berlin has yet to even provide its long-range Taurus missiles.

The U.S. has paved the way for other nations to lift restrictions before, including when it provided Abrams tanks to Ukraine in early 2023, which gave Germany the green light to send its Leopards.

Horrell, of the Center for European Policy Analysis, said Western leaders are looking at U.S. hesitancy and feeding their own hesitancy.

The U.S. restrictions absolutely feed into other nations moving slowly or half-stepping or matching our restrictions with their own, he said. U.S. restrictions, U.S. hesitancy, U.S. excessive fear of escalation, is contagious within NATO.

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By Tom Balmforth and Yuliia Dysa

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine said on Wednesday it had destroyed Russian pontoon bridges with U.S.-made weapons to defend its incursion into Russia's Kursk region, while Moscow said its forces had halted Kyiv's advance there and gained ground in eastern Ukraine.

Kyiv has announced a string of battlefield successes since it crossed unexpectedly into Kursk region on Aug. 6. Moscow has steadily inched forward in eastern Ukraine, pressuring troops worn down by 2-1/2 years of fighting.

Zelenskiy said Ukraine's military was responding to the Russian push by strengthening its forces around Pokrovsk, the focus of Russian advances in eastern Ukraine.

Speaking in one of his regular televised addresses, he also urged Kyiv's allies to honour commitments to send munitions for use by the Ukrainian armed forces. "This is fundamental for defence," he said.

Olaf Scholz, chancellor of Ukraine's close ally Germany, said he expected Kyiv's push in Kursk region to be a "very limited operation in terms of space and probably also in terms of time", adding Berlin had not been consulted in advance.

Ukraine has closely guarded its overarching aims in Kursk region, but said it has carved out a buffer zone from an area Russia has used to pound targets in Ukraine with cross-border strikes.

A video posted by Ukrainian special forces showed strikes on several pontoon crossings in Kursk region, where Russia has reported that Ukraine has destroyed at least three bridges over the Seym river as it seeks to hold the captured land.

"Where do Russian pontoon bridges 'disappear' in the Kursk region? Operators ... accurately destroy them," Ukraine's Special Operations Forces said on Telegram messenger.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has said Kyiv has made bigger territorial gains in the Kursk region than Moscow has made in Ukraine this year. Russia has called the incursion an escalation.

Ukraine smashed through the Russian border in the Kursk region on Aug. 6 in an attempt to force Moscow to divert troops from the rest of the front, though Russian forces have continued to advance in recent days.

Russia took the settlement of Zhelanne, which lies less than 20 km (12 miles) to the east of the transport hub Pokrovsk, according to the Russian defence ministry.

Both sides reported being targeted by major drone attacks. Ukraine said it intercepted 50 of 69 drones launched by Russia; Moscow said its air defences destroyed 45 drones over Russian territory, including 11 over the Moscow region.

Reporting back to Moscow, Major General Apti Alaudinov, commander of Chechnya's Akhmat special forces and the deputy head of the defence ministry's military-political department, said Russia had stalled the Ukrainian incursion.

"We halted them and started pushing them back," Alaudinov told Rossiya state television. He said Ukrainian forces were regrouping and could soon launch a new attack, though he gave no further details.

Russia has repeatedly said the Ukrainian offensive has been halted. Ukraine has kept touting gains, saying it has captured 92 settlements over an area of more than 1,250 square km.

The Ukrainian military, which has not made significant gains on its own soil since late 2022, has gotten a much needed morale boost from the incursion.

Roman Kostenko, secretary of the Ukrainian parliament's national defence committee, said Russia's priority remained to capture the Donetsk region despite the incursion and that it was not pulling forces from near Pokrovsk to act as reinforcements.

"The enemy indeed began to transfer some troops... But they have a principal position - not to withdraw troops from the Pokrovsk direction," he was quoted as saying by Espreso.TV media.

STRIKES ON LOGISTICS

Mykola Bielieskov, a research fellow at the Ukrainian National Institute for Strategic Studies, a think-tank in Kyiv, said attacks on bridges and pontoons would help Ukraine build a defensive line along the river.

"This is an opportunity to make it more stable, systemic, ready to repel Russian attacks," he said in remarks on national television.

Reuters confirmed that all the strike locations of pontoon bridges shown in the video were located on or next to the Seym river in the Kursk region.

The video also showed drone strikes on military trucks and other locations described as a Russian munitions warehouse and an electronic warfare complex in the region. Other locations or the date when the video was filmed could not be independently verified.

Separately, Reuters was able to verify that at least one pontoon crossing was apparently destroyed.

It was likely set up between Aug. 14 and Aug. 17 between the Russian settlements of Zvannoe and Glushkovo after two bridges were destroyed or damaged earlier.

The crossing, some 14 km (8.7 miles) from the border, was gone by Aug. 19, satellite imagery showed. Smoke was also visible in images from the area that day.

The Ukrainian statement said U.S.-manufactured HIMARS rocket systems had been used as part of operations to disrupt Russian logistics in the Kursk region, Kyiv's first official statement acknowledging its use of the weapon during its incursion.

Washington has not commented directly on the use of U.S.-made weapons in Kursk region, while saying U.S. policies have not changed and Ukraine was defending itself from Russia's ongoing all-out invasion.

While allies have barred Ukraine from conducting long-range strikes with Western weapons inside Russia, they have allowed Kyiv to use them to hit border areas since Russia's new offensive on Kharkiv region this spring.

(Reporting by Tom Balmforth, Yuliia Dysa, Milan Pavicic; editing by Philippa Fletcher and David Gregorio)
Ukrainian forces struck the position of a Russian S-300 air defense system near Novoshakhtinsk in Russia's Rostov Oblast overnight on Aug. 21, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported.

"Explosions were observed at targeted areas. The accuracy of the strike is being determined," the General Staff said in its report, providing no further details on the consequences.

The news comes shortly after authorities in Rostov Oblast reported the downing of a Ukrainian missile in the western part of the region.

Novoshakhtinsk lies in the northwestern part of Rostov Oblast, roughly 60 kilometers (35 miles) north of Rostov-on-Don, around 15 kilometers (9 miles) east of the Ukrainian border, and less than 200 kilometers (roughly 120 miles) from the front line.

"According to preliminary data, there were no casualties or damage as a result of fallen debris," Governor Vasily Golubev said on his Telegram channel.

Russia does not usually comment on its military losses following Ukrainian strikes.

The S-300 is a Soviet-era surface-to-air missile system designed primarily for long-range interception of aerial targets.

"It should be noted that Russian forces also use S-300 systems for attacks on peaceful Ukrainian cities, destroying residential buildings, and terrorizing the civilian population," the General Staff said.

The attack was a joint operation by the Navy with other departments of Ukraine's Defense Forces. The General Staff did not specify what weaponry was used.

Local Telegram channels shared what they purported to be videos of drone attacks over Rostov Oblast.

The same night, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed that the Russian capital came under "one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow with drones to date," with 10 drones allegedly shot down.

Previously, the Ukrainian military reported a successful hit against another S-300 system in Donetsk Oblast overnight on July 16.

Read also: Russia downs drones in one of the largest drone attacks on Moscow Oblast, mayor claims

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Key developments on Aug. 21:

Ukraine destroys 3, damages around 5 Russian aircraft in recent attack, source says

Russia has dropped 27 guided bombs on Kursk Oblast, Ukraine's military claims

Russia plans to respond to Ukraine's Kursk Oblast incursion, military intelligence says

Kremlin trying to convince the public that Ukrainian troops on Russian soil is 'new normal,' Meduza reports

Both Ukraine and Russia unable to launch major offensives, Pentagon report says

Ukraine's attack on the Savasleyka airbase in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast on Aug. 16 destroyed three Russian planes and damaged around five others, a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent on Aug. 21.

Russian warplanes based at the Savasleyka airfield include MiG-31K aircraft, a carrier of Kinzhalballistic missiles that Russia uses to attack Ukraine.

According to the source, the kamikaze drones operated by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) destroyed a Russian MiG-31K/I and two Il-76 aircraft and damaged about five aircraft, possibly including one more MiG-31K/I.

The previous strike on the Savasleyka airbase, carried out by HUR on Aug. 13, hit a Russian fuel and lubricants warehouse and damaged a MiG-31K/I plane, the source told the Kyiv Independent.

Explosions were also reported at the Borisoglebsk and Baltimore airbases in Voronezh Oblast overnight on Aug. 14. Ukraine's General Staff confirmed the attack, saying that Su-34 fighter-bombers, Su-35 fighters, and other aircraft were based on the three said airfields.

Eleven MIG-31K/I aircraft, an Il-76, five Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters were stationed at the Savasleyka at the time of the strike, the source said, citing the agency's satellite images.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.

Ukraine has carried out a number of strikes against airbases in an effort to weaken the more powerful Russian Air Force. An attack against an airbase in Lipetsk Oblast on Aug. 9 destroyed more than 700 bombs, a Ukrainian intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent.

Russia has dropped 27 guided bombs on Kursk Oblast, Ukraine's military claims

Russian aircraft have dropped 27 guided aerial bombs on settlements in embattled Kursk Oblast, Ukraine's General Staff said in its latest update on Aug. 21.

Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that Kyiv had advanced between 28-35 kilometers (18-21 miles) into Russia's Kursk Oblast as the unprecedented incursion entered its third week. According to Syrskyi, Ukraine has captured 1,263 square kilometers (488 square miles) of Russian territory and 93 settlements.

Russian forces have conducted at least 17 airstrikes against Kursk Oblast, using guided aerial bombs, Ukraine's military said on Aug. 21.

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Moscow launched a total of 750 guided aerial bombs on Ukrainian cities and villages last week.

Guided aerial bombs, while having a shorter range than missiles, are cheaper to produce and are launched from aircraft within Russian territory or Russian-occupied territories, beyond the reach of Ukrainian air defense.

Russia also continues shelling border settlements in Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, which borders Russia's Kursk Oblast, including the villages of Porozok and Poznia. Ukrainian authorities are planning to evacuate a total of 45,000 residents from the region amid intensified Russian attacks.

Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk published a video on Aug. 21 purporting to show Ukrainian pilots' attacks on Russian troops who are "actively occupying civilian facilities" in Kursk Oblast.

"We see everything, we know everything. Our precision bombs will get you everywhere," Oleshchuk said.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Aug. 14 that Ukraines military is creating a "security zone" on Russian territory to protect Ukrainian border areas. Vereshchuk said that Ukraine would be conducting humanitarian operations in the area, including creating safe corridors for civilians to evacuate  both toward Ukraine and to other parts of Russia.

International humanitarian organizations will also be allowed to enter the area to support the civilian population and monitor the situation, she added.

Read also: Ukraines buffer zone in Kursk Oblast  heres what you need to know

Russia plans to respond to Ukraine's Kursk Oblast incursion, military intelligence says

Russia is planning to respond to Ukraine's operation in Kursk Oblast, Vadym Skibitsky, the deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency, said during an event in Kyiv on Aug. 21, Lb.ua media outlet reported.

"The operation is ongoing. Russia is planning a response. There are plans, we know about them. Our government and military leadership know about them so they can continue it (the operation) and disrupt the (Russian) plans," Skibitsky said.

A map of claimed Ukrainian advance in Russia's Kursk Oblast as of Aug. 20, 2024. The reportedly damaged stationary bridges were located in the settlements of Glushkovo, Zvannoe, and Karyzh. Source: Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. (Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent)

According to Skibitsky, Kyiv's incursion into Kursk Oblast will "change a lot" in the world's attitude towards Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine would not need to launch the incursion into Kursk Oblast if partners had allowed Kyiv to use Western-supplied long-range weapons against targets on Russian soil.

Ukraine did not disclose preparations for an operation to the country's allies because the world might consider it crossing Russia's "strictest of all red lines," he said.

Kyiv said that rather than capturing Russian territory, the incursion aims to protect Ukrainian lives by preventing cross-border attacks and diverting Russian reinforcements.

Read also: Kursk incursion deals blow to Putins prestige marking first ground invasion of Russia since World War II

Kremlin trying to convince public that Ukrainian troops on Russian soil is 'new normal,' Meduza reports

The Kremlin is using state media and propaganda to convince the Russian public that Ukrainian troops on its soil are the "new normal" as it comes to terms with the idea it may not be able to push Kyiv's forces out in the immediate future, Meduza reported on Aug. 21.

Citing sources close to the government, the outlet says three narrative lines have been drawn up and being pushed out  an acknowledgment that Ukraine did indeed cross the border into Kursk Oblast, that they will inevitably be defeated, but that this will take time and the Russian public needs to be patient.

Two sources close to the Russian presidential administration said that inside the Kremlin, the initial shock at the incursion has now passed, and people have since "got used to it."

The Kremlin expects a "quite optimistic" scenario of several months of fighting to regain the territory, and efforts now are aimed at placating the Russian population and getting them used to this timeline.

"During a shock, and this was certainly a shock, there are always jumps (in public alarm), then people get used to it, and everything settles down," one of the sources said.

"What happened during (Wagner boss Yevgeny) Prigozhin's mutiny, mobilization, and at the beginning of the war? But everything settled down."

Russia's normally slick propaganda machine has struggled to cope with the Kursk incursion.

When Ukrainian forces crossed the Russian border on Aug. 6, Russia's immediate response was to downplay the incursion, and state media shows were filled with mixed and sometimes contradictory messaging.

Read also: Opinion: 6 ways Ukraines Kursk incursion is changing the tide of war

Both Ukraine and Russia unable to launch major offensives, Pentagon report says

Ukraine and Russia both lack the means to mount major offensives, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency said in a quarterly report covering the three-month period ending June 30, quoted by Bloomberg on Aug. 21.

Suggesting the war is headed for a stalemate, the report says that despite the stalled U.S. aid package passed earlier this year, Ukraine is only capable of defensive operations.

In turn, Russia does not have the resources to "threaten a deeper advance into Ukrainian-held territory, such as Kharkiv city," according to the report.

Since the end of the period covered by the report, Ukraine has launched a surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast and now reportedly holds 1,263 square kilometers (488 square miles) of Russian territory.

The report echoes sentiments aired by U.S. officials in public.

Mark Milley, the former Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on June 21 that negotiations are needed to stop Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but Russian President Vladimir Putin "cannot be trusted."

In a talk at Princeton University, Milley said that from a military perspective, the war was now at a stalemate, with Russia unable to achieve its original goals.

"It is unlikely that anyone will be able to achieve a political solution through military means," he said in the comments reported by Voice of America.

"Therefore, both sides should recognize this and achieve an alternative method to solve their political problem, and that would be a negotiation."

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Detectives of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine have completed a pre-trial investigation against oligarch and businessman Ihor Kolomoiskyi.

Source: press services of the Bureau of Economic Security and the Prosecutor General's Office

Details: The defence has been provided with the pre-trial investigation materials for review.

According to the report, detectives have separated the pre-trial investigation materials against the well-known oligarch into a separate criminal case, where they announced the completion of the investigation under four articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

At the same time, the investigation into other members of the group organised and led by Kolomoiskyi is ongoing.

This refers to illegal actions with bank documents during Kolomoiskyi's failure to actually deposit 5.8 billion hryvnias (about US$139.5 million) into the bank's cash desk, as well as the misappropriation of more than 5.3 billion hryvnias (US$127.5 million), which was later legalised.

"Some of the money unjustifiably credited to the oligarch's personal accounts was formed at the expense of loans from a bank under Kolomoiskyis control. In particular, it is more than 2 billion hryvnias (US$48.1 million)," the Bureau of Economic Security said in a statement.

The Bureau added that detectives had also proved that the businessman arranged the seizure of more than 3.3 billion hryvnias (US$79.4 million) from Ukrnafta, Ukraines state-owned oil company, and participants in joint investment agreements.

In particular, during the pre-trial investigation, it was established that Kolomoiskyi was behind the misappropriation of the company's funds by entering into fictitious contracts for work that were not actually performed.

Kolomoiskyi subsequently legalised more than 4 billion hryvnias (US$96.2 million) he had obtained illegally.

The Prosecutor General's Office reported that the investigation against Kolomoiskyi and the bank's former CEO has been completed.

Background:

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), the Bureau of Economic Security and the Office of the Prosecutor General served Kolomoiskyi with notice of suspicion under Articles 190 and 209 of the Criminal Code: fraud and legalisation (laundering) of property obtained by criminal means. Subsequently, Kolomoiskyi was served with two more notices of suspicion: about the withdrawal of a total of UAH 15 billion (about US$377.36 million) from PrivatBank.

Kolomoiskyi was given a preventive measure in the form of detention for a period of 60 days with the possibility of bail in the amount of almost UAH 510 million (about US$12.83 million). Subsequently, the amount of collateral was increased to UAH 3.89 billion (about US$97.86 million).

Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskyi was served with a notice of suspicion of organising the contract murder of a law firm director.

The Bureau of Economic Security changed the qualification of suspicion to Ihor Kolomoiskyi in August 2024, adding more articles to it.

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Ukraine's Bureau of Economic Security reported on Aug. 21 that it had concluded a pre-trial investigation against Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky.

Kolomoisky, one of Ukraine's most infamous business tycoons, was arrested on Sept. 2, 2023, for alleged fraud, illegal acquisition of property, and money laundering related to his oil and gas holdings. He is the wealthiest businessman to have landed behind bars in Ukraine's independent history.

Kolomoisky's defense now has access to the pre-trial investigation materials for review, the Bureau of Economic Security said. Meanwhile, the investigation against other members of the group allegedly organized and managed by the oligarch is ongoing, according to the statement.

The completed investigation concerns the alleged illegal actions with bank documents when the suspect failed to deposit Hr 5.8 billion (around $140 million) into the bank's cash desk and the embezzlement of over Hr 5.3 billion (around $129 million).

The prosecutors said that part of the money Kolomoisky allegedly embezzled and transferred to his account, some Hr 2 billion ($48 million), was obtained at the expense of loans from PrivatBank, a Ukrainian bank formerly owned by Kolomoisky.

The bureau also said its detectives proved that Kolomoisky had organized the illegal seizure of more than Hr 3.3 billion ($ 80 million) from Ukrnafta, Ukraine's largest oil producer previously affiliated with the oligarch.

The Prosecutor General's Office announced on May 8 that Kolomoisky was also suspected of ordering the murder of the head of a law firm more than 20 years ago in Crimea.

Kolomoisky, together with five associates, was charged by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) with embezzling Hr 9.2 billion ($223 million) from PrivatBank, the NABU announced on Sept. 7, 2024.

In 2016, the Ukrainian government nationalized PrivatBank, the country's largest bank - when Kolomoisky co-owned it, the bank's fraudulent activities left a $5.5 billion hole in its ledger.

Read also: Oligarch Kolomoisky is behind bars. How did he get there and can he find a way out?

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Ukraine's foreign minister on ratification of Rome Statute: Ukraine took another significant step toward joining EU

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba believes that Ukraine has taken an essential step towards European Union membership by ratifying the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Source: European Pravda, citing Kuleba on X (Twitter)

Quote: "Ukraine has become the 125th member of the International Criminal Court. This has been a long journey full of challenges, myths, and fears. None of them have been true. And today, we are finally there...

By taking this step, Ukraine demonstrates its unwavering commitment to strengthening international justice."

Details: Kuleba also stressed that Ukraine had been effectively cooperating with the International Criminal Court to ensure comprehensive accountability for Russian atrocities committed during the Russian aggression.

"This work will now be even more effective. With the ratification of the Rome Statute, Ukraine also took another significant step toward joining the EU," the foreign minister concluded.

The obligation to ratify the Rome Statute is outlined in the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. Ratification of the statute is also a requirement for all EU member states.

Background:

On 21 August, the Ukrainian parliament supported the ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Ukraine signed the Rome Statute in 2000 but has not ratified it since then, even though a decision of the National Security and Defence Council in 2015 recognised the need for ratification. One reason given was the fear that the ICC could prosecute Ukrainian citizens.

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Ukraine's Kursk operation may be 'very limited' in terms of time, Scholz says

Ukraine's operation in Russia's Kursk Oblast is likely to be "very limited" in terms of time, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said during a visit to Moldova on Aug. 21, Tagesspiegel reported.

Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that Kyiv had advanced between 28-35 kilometers (18-21 miles) into Russia's Kursk Oblast as the unprecedented incursion entered its third week. According to Syrskyi, Ukraine has captured 1,263 square kilometers (488 square miles) of Russian territory and 93 settlements.

According to Scholz, Ukraine prepared its operation "very secretly" and "without any feedback."

Ukraine did not disclose preparations for an operation to the country's allies because the world might consider it crossing Russia's "strictest of all red lines," President Volodymyr Zelensky had said earlier.

He also said that Ukraine would not have needed to launch the incursion into Kursk Oblast if partners had allowed Kyiv to use Western-supplied long-range weapons against targets on Russian soil.

Berlin has long opposed lifting the ban on Ukraine's use of Western weapons to target Russia but reversed course in late May amid growing calls to lift the restrictions.

The Bundestag's Defense Committee Chair Marcus Faber said that German-supplied equipment may be used in Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast.

Scholz did not answer whether weapons provided by Berlin could have been used in Kyiv's operation, the newspaper reported.

"This is a very limited operation in terms of space and probably also in terms of time. But at this moment, any further comments are out of the question. We will certainly be able to assess all of this as more time passes," Scholz said.

Kyiv said that rather than capturing Russian territory, the incursion aims to protect Ukrainian lives by preventing cross-border attacks and diverting Russian reinforcements.

Read also: Ukraines buffer zone in Kursk Oblast  heres what you need to know

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Ukraine's parliament ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Aug. 21, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said.

The ratification was supported by 281 lawmakers, with one voting against. President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted a package of bills on the ratification of the statute earlier in August.

It will come into force 60 days after being received by the U.N. secretary general.

The ratification was adopted with a caveat that Ukraine would not recognize the court's jurisdiction over Ukrainian citizens in the case of war crimes for seven years following its official adoption.

"By taking this step, Ukraine demonstrates its unwavering commitment to strengthening international justice," said Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

"With the ratification of the Rome Statute, Ukraine also took another significant step toward joining the EU."

Ukraine signed the Rome Statute in 2000 but has not ratified it since then. In 2015, Ukraine emphasized the ultimate necessity of ratification through a decision made by the National Security and Defense Council.

Following the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, authorities considered ratifying the Rome Statute, but only after the end of the war.

The Ukrainian government has not yet commented on how the ratification will be applied. At the same time, Ukraine has already allowed the ICC to investigate crimes committed in its territory, which de facto recognizes the body's jurisdiction.

The Rome Statute is the first international criminal law that recognizes forms of sexual violence like rape, sexual slavery, and enforced sterilization as distinct war crimes.

The document has been ratified by 124 states. Russia signed the statute  as did the U.S.  but later withdrew its signature.

In March 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, as the Russian official allegedly overseeing the forced deportations of at least tens of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia and Russian-occupied territories.

The ICC also issued arrest warrants for Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia's Security Council (who formerly served as Defense Minister), and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian army, for war crimes against Ukraine.

Read also: Mexico denies Ukraines request to detain Putin during visit

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The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) supported the ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday.

Source: MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak on Telegram, as reported by European Pravda

Details: 281 MPs voted in favour of this decision.

Before the vote, the MPs received letters of support from the General Staff and Kyrylo Budanov, Ukrainian Defence Intelligence chief.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted a package of bills to the Verkhovna Rada to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court on Thursday, 15 August.

Ukraine's ratification of the Rome Statute of the ICC will mean Ukraine's full accession to the International Criminal Court.

Ukraine is ratifying the Rome Statute with a separate declaration, under which, for seven years after the entry into force of the ratification law, "Ukraine does not recognise the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court over its nationals for crimes under Article 8 of the Rome Statute". It is not yet clear how this provision will work, given that Ukraine has already granted the ICC the right to investigate crimes committed on its territory.

It is worth noting that Ukraine plans to accede to the updated version of the ICC Statute, which also includes Article 8 bis, which appeared as a result of the so-called Kampala Amendments of 2010 and provides for liability for the crime of aggression. However, the ratification is retrospective (i.e. not retroactive), and liability does not apply to countries that have not ratified the Kampala Amendments (including Russia, which is not a member of the ICC).

Therefore, to bring the Russian leadership to justice for the aggression in 2022, Ukraine will continue to work on the creation of a special tribunal.

The Office of the President explained that the ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court would give Ukraine more tools to bring Russian war criminals to justice.

Ukraine signed the Rome Statute in 2000 but has not ratified it since then, even though a decision of the National Security and Defence Council in 2015 recognised the need for ratification. One reason given was the fear that the ICC could prosecute Ukrainian citizens.

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BERLIN (Reuters) - The United Nation's International Organisation for Migration (IOM) appealed on Wednesday for $18.5 million in assistance to provide health care services to people impacted by the mpox outbreak in East and Southern Africa, according to a statement.

"The spread of mpox across East, Horn, and Southern Africa is a grave concern, especially for the vulnerable migrant, highly mobile populations and displaced communities often overlooked in such crises," said IOM Director General Amy Pope.

"We must act swiftly to protect those at the highest risk and to mitigate the impact of this outbreak on the region," Pope said in the statement.

(Writing by Rachel More, Editing by Miranda Murray)
HARRISBURG S.D. (KELO)  A proposed mens prison in Lincoln county has run into a slight road block. The state sought to connect the facilitys wastewater to Harrisburgs sewage plant.

People living in the Harrisburg area packed the gym at Liberty Elementary School tonight to voice their concerns, including members of a group called, NOPE, Neighbors Opposing Prison Expansion.

Although seven million dollars is a sizeable amount of money, its pennies to what it could cost this community in the foreseeable feature, Sam Eiesland said.

Inmates will flush anything and everything. That will end up in the Harrisburg sewage system. Drugs, tattoo ink, needles, guns, paper bags, sheets, their clothes, aluminum cans, and packaging from the commissary. You name it, and if they have access, and if they want to flush it, they will, Michelle Jensen said.

Then, Ryan Brunner with Governor Kristi Noems office made his case.

I believe the current location is going to stay where it is. Others might disagree with that, but if you dont agree with the current location, I believe you should still want the city of Harrisburg to enter into this agreement, Brunner said.

But ultimately, the city council voted unanimously to not allow sewage to go from the proposed prison to Harrisburg.

State officials have say that a wastewater lagoon system could be built for the prison near the site as a backup plan.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com.
UNC Asheville is cutting programs key to its liberal arts mission. What happens next?

When Rodger Payne saw a job posting 17 years ago that sought someone who could start a religious studies department at UNC Asheville, he was drawn to the possibilities it presented.

Payne, a native of Western North Carolina, at the time was the chair of the philosophy and religious studies department at Louisiana State University  a huge university, in Paynes words, that enrolled a total of nearly 30,000 students in 2007.

He felt that UNC Asheville, which has historically been designated as the UNC Systems liberal arts university and has enrolled just a few thousand students each year, would offer him a better experience.

I really thought I would be much happier in a place that was focused on undergraduate teaching in the liberal arts, Payne told The News & Observer.

He got the job and joined UNCA in the fall of 2007. Over two years, he developed the curriculum and hired a second faculty member for the new department. By the fall of 2009, the universitys Department of Religious Studies was off and running. A year later, Payne recalled, more than three dozen students had selected religious studies as their major.

Soon, though, there were signs of decline. During and after the Great Recession, students nationwide became less likely to pursue majors in the liberal arts and humanities, often opting instead for STEM  science, technology, engineering and math  subjects and other professional degrees perceived to lead to higher paying jobs. About a decade later, the COVID-19 pandemic hit us very hard and further impacted the departments enrollment, Payne said, which was unfortunate in its timing.

Thats because it coincided with significant enrollment declines across the university, with the total student count dropping by about 25% over the past six years. The decline was a major factor in a $6 million budget shortfall the university faced in the 2023-24 fiscal year, which in turn led Chancellor Kimberly van Noort to pursue a variety of cost-cutting and cost-saving measures this spring.

Those measures included an academic portfolio review that resulted in four academic departments being cut from the universitys offerings and a fifth being reduced. It was not the first review of its kind in the UNC System last academic year, with UNC Greensboro in February cutting 20 programs amid its own budget issues. The UNC System Board of Governors approved both sets of cuts at its July meeting.

But at UNC Asheville, the cuts notably included Paynes religious studies department, plus philosophy and ancient Mediterranean studies, or classics  all generally considered key elements of the humanities, which are central to a liberal arts education. (Drama is the fourth program being cut. Two concentrations  French and German  will be eliminated from the universitys languages and literatures department, but Spanish will remain.)

Van Noort, in an interview with The N&O, indicated the university is not abandoning its liberal arts traditions. They will remain an underlying base for all students, regardless of their major, she said.

I think the best way to describe the direction that were moving is really to, kind of, modernize the curriculum while still holding very strongly those things that are very important, van Noort said.

Still, the move has caused some within the university community, as well as some outside of it, to question where the university goes next  and whether UNC Asheville can still be the champion of the humanities and liberal arts that it was historically intended to be.

Rodger Payne is a religious studies professor at UNC-Asheville. His department is one of four programs being eliminated at the liberal arts university.

My thoughts are that the elimination of these four programs, Payne said, will make a mockery of our claim to be a liberal arts institution.

Period of decline for the liberal arts

Generally, a liberal arts education includes a variety of subjects within the natural and social sciences, math, arts and the humanities. Instead of training for a specific job or career path and taking courses solely in that area, students learn how to think critically, collaborate and solve problems using the skills they learn across disciplines, usually in smaller class settings.

Proponents of such education say the liberal arts help students establish a foundation of valuable skills that arent just useful right out of college, but continue to serve students throughout their life.

Liberal arts offer students ways to learn more about themselves and the world that they live in. They learn about our history and what makes us all human, said Jenna Robinson, president of the North Carolina-based James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, a conservative education think tank.

But nationwide, fewer students are now completing degrees in the liberal arts  and specifically, the humanities, which has seen a consistent decrease in majors since at least 2012, according to the Hechinger Report. That dynamic seemingly came to a head within the past academic year, as universities around the country  notably, West Virginia University  cut liberal arts programs to address financial pressures.

The financial pressures at both UNC Asheville and UNC Greensboro stemmed from years-long periods of enrollment declines at the universities. After a 2022 policy change by the UNC System Board of Governors, campuses in the public university system are funded largely based on their performance, instead of enrollment growth  but they still receive funding partially based on student credit hours, which can be impacted by overall enrollment numbers.

A handful of other universities in the system are also facing enrollment and budget issues, including Winston-Salem State University, where the interim chancellor in May eliminated 55 positions to help deal with a more than $3 million deficit. In addition to the portfolio review, van Noort pursued other measures to address UNC Ashevilles deficit, including eliminating a dozen administrative positions.

Under a revised policy, approved by the Board of Governors in May, all campuses in the UNC System will now be required to undertake academic portfolio reviews every seven years. But the systems chief academic officer described the policy to The N&O as forward-looking, and anticipated that it would not necessarily yield major cuts like those at UNCA and UNCG.

About 60 of UNC Ashevilles roughly 2,900 students are affected by the four programs and two language concentrations being eliminated. Put another way, the eliminated programs made up 20% of the universitys academic departments, but enrolled less than 3% of the students overall, van Noort said.

The overall decline in humanities and liberal arts enrollments  not just at UNCA, but more broadly  could be tied to students concerns about securing their first job post-graduation, particularly in an era defined by high levels of student debt.

A 2022 paper by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Pragya Systems, an organization dedicated to improving the relevance of higher education, posited that students are concerned about the return-on-investment of a liberal arts education.

Prospective students may now struggle to see liberal arts colleges  often viewed as steeped in tradition rather than in technology  as a worthy investment to help prepare them for careers upon graduation, the paper stated.

But the paper argued that liberal arts colleges may be some of the best-positioned schools to teach students human skills, such as critical thinking, creativity and collaboration, which employers are increasingly seeking and cannot be directly replicated by todays technology.

Students walk on UNC-Ashevilles campus on Friday, Aug. 15, 2024. Four departments are being eliminated from the liberal arts universitys curriculum.

Finding value in the liberal arts

UNC Asheville serves as the headquarters of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC), a decades-old cohort of schools across 28 states and one Canadian province that champions the benefits of liberal arts education at public universities.

COPLAC president Cole Woodcox told The N&O he believes students interest in the liberal arts has not necessarily decreased, but some colleges could do a better job of showing students the value such an education can hold.

I dont think theres less interest in it, Woodcox said. I think theres less awareness of what it has to offer.

Van Noort, contending that UNCA will continue to honor its liberal arts history and mission, noted that the liberal arts can be hard to define or understand. But in her eyes, they are more than a group of subjects and majors.

Is it the courses? Is it the titles of the departments that we have? Or is it the outcomes? she said. And I like to think that its the outcomes.

Van Noort said the university will continue to emphasize super strong critical thinking skills, communication and synthetic skills, the ability to collaborate and to work in an interdisciplinary manner to students.

But there is a need to modernize the curriculum and appeal to new skills that students seek for their careers, van Noort said. She pointed to private Furman University, in South Carolina, as a leading example of a liberal arts college that has adapted its curriculum to include professional programs, such as public health, while continuing to hold strong to its liberal arts core.

We need to think about, sort of, how do we preserve and nurture that liberal arts foundation, while also responding to student desire to [meet] the increasing requirements of careers, van Noort said.

A mural recreating Raphaels School of Athens overlooks a food court at UNC-Ashevilles Highsmith University Union.

A public liberal arts college

Prior to this springs academic portfolio review, UNCA had already made efforts to expand its brand, changing its mission statement in 2022 to indicate as much. Previously known as the UNC Systems designated public liberal arts university, UNCA is now the systems designated public liberal arts and sciences university.

Van Noort said the change was meant to signal to prospective students and the public that the university offers degrees in the sciences and to remind people that the sciences are part of the liberal arts. It also aligned with the number of students majoring in the natural and social sciences eclipsing the number majoring in the humanities, she said.

But the change raised questions for Robinson, of the Martin Center, who wrote in a July article that adding sciences to the universitys mission statement makes it less distinct, not more so  potentially cutting against van Noorts vision for the university.

If UNCA wants to survive as an institution, it must find ways to attract students  ways to distinguish itself amongst its competitors and peers. Its current plan is a tacit acceptance of decline that merely stanches the bleeding, Robinson wrote. Its not too late for UNC Asheville to reverse course  to lean in as the only dedicated liberal-arts institution in the state. It should do so.

Speaking to The N&O, Robinson said a lessened focus on the liberal arts at UNCA would be a detriment to the UNC System.

I think a liberal arts education can be for everybody and should be available to North Carolinians, she said, adding that while the liberal arts are available at other schools, such as UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC Asheville has been somewhat unique in its specific focus on the subjects.

Students walk on UNC-Ashevilles campus on Friday, Aug. 15, 2024. Four departments are being eliminated from the liberal arts universitys curriculum.

Payne, of the religious studies department, echoed that sentiment. One of the great things about the UNC System, he said, is that all 17 of its campuses have their own special missions.

And if ours is undergraduate liberal arts, and were cutting out the heart of the liberal arts, then we cant claim that title anymore, Payne said.

While some may think of the liberal arts as synonymous with small, private, elite colleges, UNC Asheville and other public liberal arts universities are able to provide such education at a much more affordable price tag.

Duane Davis, a philosophy professor at UNC Asheville who has taught at the university for more than 25 years, worries that cuts to the liberal arts at public universities like UNCA will make them less accessible.

The only places that are going to offer the kind of rich educational environment that we were providing are going to be very expensive, private institutions, Davis said. And thats whats really, really sad.

Which programs were cut, and which were spared

UNC Ashevilles general education requirements, which all students are required to complete, will continue to include each of the core areas of the broader liberal arts.

But of the four majors van Noort chose to eliminate, three are part of the humanities  calling into question the universitys future plans for the discipline that it describes as the cornerstone of its liberal arts curriculum.

The four eliminated programs  religious studies, philosophy, ancient Mediterranean studies and drama  were identified during the portfolio review by an outside consultant, First Tryon Advisors, as either unsustainable or in low demand, or both. Other programs, including math, chemistry and physics, were identified as too expensive or in low demand, or both, but were spared by van Noorts decision.

Van Noort told The N&O some of the spared programs, such as math, will be crucial as the university moves to emphasize subjects such as statistics, data science and engineering.

The eliminated majors, van Noort said, enrolled and graduated very, very small numbers of students. Payne took issue with that reasoning leading to the elimination of religious studies and other departments, saying it seems to diminish, or even dismiss totally, what we bring to students who may be majoring in the social sciences, the natural sciences, or other areas of the humanities.

At the July UNC System Board of Governors meeting, in which the board approved the proposed cuts, van Noort said the decision would eliminate the majors offered by the departments, but would not mark the end of teaching the subjects at the university.

Many of these areas are vital to our curriculum, she told the board. We will continue to offer coursework and content in those areas.

For example, religious studies, which has fewer than a dozen students enrolled as majors, is anticipated to continue as a minor after the major is eliminated. Department chair Kate Zubko said in an email to The N&O the minor will create an ongoing pathway for students to study this important topic at the university.

French and German, the two concentrations that were eliminated as majors with the curtailment of the languages department, can also be declared as minors, UNCA spokesperson Michael Strysick told The N&O. The other affected programs may retain courses that contribute to our core curriculum and other complementary programs within the University, Strysick said.

A separate humanities program and humanities minor will also continue, as will a handful of other humanities-centric departments, including English and history, a department that was also identified by First Tryon for possible elimination but spared by van Noort.

An aerial view of UNC-Ashevilles campus on Friday, Aug. 15, 2024.

Impacts to faculty, students

Still, the cuts will come at a personal and professional cost for faculty like Payne and Davis.

Tenured and tenure-track faculty set to lose their jobs as a result of the cuts will be given six- to 12-months notice, while other affected faculty will receive notice or severance in accordance with UNC System policy. Van Noort said she does not anticipate making personnel decisions related to the cuts until the middle of the fall semester.

Its pretty devastating to me, emotionally and financially, Davis told The N&O, adding that he did not have plans, prior to the program review, to retire anytime soon.

Aside from the impacts the cuts will have on faculty, Davis worries about how the reduction in dedicated liberal arts departments at the university will impact future students.

Thats what the crisis is, Davis said. Thats what really hurts, not just for me, but for what were going to be doing to all the next generation of kids.

Van Noort, at the July Board of Governors meeting, praised faculty in the affected departments, but explained she did not think it was feasible to keep many of them on given the low numbers of majors the departments produced. For example, the philosophy department, with six tenured faculty members, averaged fewer than five graduates in each academic year over the past five years, she said.

Those faculty members are valued members of our community, do not get me wrong. They contribute greatly in all areas of our curriculum, she said. However, the cost of providing the upper-division courses needed for those majors is not tenable at the university.

Students who declared their majors in the affected programs prior to them being identified for elimination will be able to complete their degrees, while new students will not be accepted into the programs. But some students are still unhappy with the universitys decision, and one student majoring in ancient Mediterranean studies told The N&O she decided to transfer away from UNCA after the program was cut.

It will likely take at least two or three years for the students in the eliminated majors to complete their studies and graduate.

Payne, who had entered phased retirement prior to the cuts, said he plans to teach two courses this fall: a first-year seminar and an upper-level class for existing religious studies majors. He also plans to teach a course in the spring.

Rodger Payne is a religious studies professor at UNC-Asheville. His department is one of four programs being eliminated at the liberal arts university.

We have been told that were going to be able to guarantee our students that they will be able to graduate with a degree in religious studies, Payne said. And certainly Im going to do everything I can to help with that, even if it means postponing retirement for a semester or two.

In announcing the program eliminations in June, van Noort said that a sustainable enrollment for the university would be between 3,800 and 4,000 students by 2030, compared to the 2,925 students enrolled last fall.

Van Noort hopes the cuts, along with other cost-cutting measures, such as 12 administrative positions that were eliminated this spring, will put the university on better budgetary footing going forward  and avoid similar cuts in the future.

The right-sizing of the universitys budget, coupled with new efforts to recruit additional students, will pave the way for the exciting new things at the university, van Noort said. That includes emphasizing areas of study at the university with high interest from students.

The chancellors vision for the university is one of evolution, she told the Board of Governors in July.

I firmly believe that liberal arts is evolving, and it will evolve, van Noort said. It must evolve.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will allocate $30 million to support Ukraine's front-line areas during this winter, the Reintegration Ministry said on Aug. 21.

The funds are part of a large aid package worth $100 million announced by UNHCR Filippo Grandi in July.

Ukraine's Ministry of Reintegration and the UNHCR signed on Aug. 21 a memorandum of support for front-line Ukrainian communities during this winter.

According to the document, some residents of Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, Luhansk, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Chernihiv oblasts will receive one-time payments of Hr 21,000 ($508) to buy solid fuel. The money will be devoted to households located within 10 kilometers of the contact line or the border with Russia, the ministry said.

"For UNHCR, the priority is to support people who remain in the front-line regions during the winter months, which are likely to be particularly difficult this year given the targeted attacks on energy infrastructure," said Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR representative in Ukraine.

"These people are in an incredibly vulnerable socio-economic situation and therefore most in need of humanitarian aid to survive and maintain their resilience."

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.

The UNHCR warned in late May that humanitarian aid for Ukraine is falling as its needs only increase. The U.N. has a humanitarian plan for Ukraine that requires $3.1 billion this year, including $599 million for the UNHCR.

Read also: Thousands of Ukrainian IDPs are struggling to adapt amid housing, employment crises

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A woman accused of practicing plastic surgery while unlicensed in Citrus Heights was arrested this week on suspicion of homicide after she allegedly injected a mans buttocks with silicone, which led to medical complications that killed him more than a decade ago, police said.

In 2013, Diego Lopez received silicone injections in his buttocks, Citrus Heights police officers said on social media, and he suffered fatal complications. Similar procedures are often informally known as Brazilian butt lifts.

The 49-year-old woman accused of administering the procedure, Alejandra Aguilera-Ortega, fled to Mexico after Lopez died, police said.

She returned recently to Citrus Heights, where police arrested her Monday on suspicion of homicide at an apartment complex, police said.

Aguilera-Ortega is being held without bail at the downtown Sacramento County Main Jail. She is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.
UNO takes steps to rightsize budget, but more cuts could be needed

The University of New Orleans sign sits in front of the University Center on Dec. 15, 2022.

The University of New Orleans sign sits in front of the University Center on Dec. 15, 2022. (Matthew Perschall for Louisiana Illuminator)

NEW ORLEANS  The University of New Orleans announced cuts totaling 15% of its budget before classes started this month, but the states impending fiscal crisis could spell more trouble for the school.

The immediate spending cuts at UNO were in response to nearly two decades of declining enrollment and were made to rightsize the schools budget, university President Kathy Johnson told the Illuminator. The reductions are not part of the $250 million in cuts colleges and universities across the state have been asked to prepare for.

My focus has been on the immediate concern, Johnson said. We are doing our due diligence and planning as the system asks us to plan.

Lawmakers are expected to allow a temporary 0.45% sales tax to expire next year, which will lead to a revenue loss for the state of between $338.9 million and $558.8 million, state budget officials have predicted.

Because of this expected shortfall, Gov. Jeff Landrys administration has asked higher education leaders to prepare for around $250 million in cuts. Higher education and health care are the only two large portions of the budget that arent protected under the Louisiana Constitution or state law, meaning they are the first to get axed when necessary.

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UNO, one of two public universities in New Orleans alongside the historically Black Southern University of New Orleans, never saw its enrollment recover after the failure of federal levees after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005. The school had an enrollment of around 17,000 before Katrina, with an immediate drop to around 6,000 in the immediate aftermath. For the fall 2023 semester, its enrollment was 6,601.

[Whats happening at UNO is] what probably should have been done over the course of the last, you know, 20 years, University of Louisiana System President Rick Gallot said in an interview. UNO is one of nine schools in the UL System.

A variety of factors have led to the New Orleans schools decline.

UNOs student retention rate has lagged behind its peers. Johnson said UNOs retention rate is around 70%. LSUs, for comparison, is around 84%.

LSUs shift to test-optional admissions, which allowed more students to seek enrollment at the flagship, lured away enrollment that might have otherwise gone to other state schools

Issues with the rollout of a new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) also did not help the issue, Johnson said.

These issues are not unique to UNO. Across the nation, the number of high school graduates choosing to attend college has declined, with the possibility of another enrollment cliff on the horizon.

Making matters worse is Louisianas shrinking population and its declining birth rate.

According to Carleton College professor Nathan Grawe, who researches demographics, Louisiana is projected to experience a 7.5% to 15% decline in college-going students by 2029.

For faculty, UNOs latest cuts  and the prospect of more  just compounds the pain of a university still reeling from the last round of serious higher education budget bloodletting.

UNO Faculty Senate President Andrea Mosterman said many departments on campus are still recovering from cuts during Gov. Bobby Jindals administration, spanning 2008-16.

Those years were also very stressful, Mosterman said in an interview.

The Jindal era was a constantly evolving, chaotic period in Louisiana higher education. The state was in a self-inflicted fiscal crisis, with the governor choosing to use single-year surpluses to fund ongoing state government expenses. Higher education was on the chopping block annually to balance the budget.

The worst of the budget crisis, exacerbated by large corporate tax cuts and industry subsidies, happened between 2012-2016.

State aid to higher education was reduced more than 55%, leaving a hole in the budget that had to be mended with increased tuition and fees that climbed at some campuses more than 100%.

Mosterman said UNO faculty are worried about what will happen to the university if another budget crisis happens.

Having gone through the Jindal years, we know what that means if the governor or the state Legislature is not supportive of higher ed, Mosterman said. We know what the consequences might be.

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United Parcel Service is upping service to Pittsburgh International Airport, with a bigger-capacity aircraft and at least one more scheduled cargo flight per week.

UPS (NYSE: UPS) in April was awarded a lucrative five-year contract to carry United States Postal Service mail, which has already borne fruit in Pittsburgh by turning positive growth in cargo service at the airport.

The cargo carrier already is one of the major users of Pittsburgh International Airport, with four-day-a-week daytime flights to and from the UPS hub in Louisville, Kentucky. Now that will end up being five days a week during the daytime in addition to the regular predawn flights from Louisville, according to the Allegheny County Airport Authority.

Click here to read more from the Pittsburgh Business Times.

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By Joseph Ax

(Reuters) - A Missouri inmate convicted of fatally stabbing a woman in 1998 will avoid the death penalty and instead be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, prosecutors said on Wednesday, after DNA testing of the murder weapon did not match him.

Marcellus Williams, 55, who had been scheduled to be put to death next month, will enter what is known as an "Alford plea" to a first-degree murder charge on Thursday as part of a deal with prosecutors that vacates his original conviction.

The plea allows Williams to continue to maintain his innocence, as he has done since the murder, while forgoing a new trial and accepting the recommended sentence.

In an order, Judge Bruce Hilton in St. Louis County Circuit Court said that the St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney's office conceded there were "constitutional errors" during the trial that "undermine confidence" in the verdict. He also noted that the family of the victim, Felicia "Lisha" Gayle, did not wish for Williams to be executed.

Gayle was stabbed 43 times in her suburban home, and Williams was convicted in 2001 largely on the testimony of two witnesses whom prosecutors have now described in court papers as "unreliable."

Prosecutors had initially concluded that DNA tests excluded Williams. Additional testing, however, found the lead investigator's DNA on the knife, which suggested the weapon had been mishandled and contaminated at the time but did not definitively exclude Williams.

Williams' attorney, Tricia Rojo Bushnell, said in a statement that no reliable evidence has ever connected her client to the crime.

"Marcellus Williams is an innocent man, and nothing about today's plea agreement changes that fact," she said in a statement. "By agreeing to an Alford plea, the parties will bring a measure of finality to Felicia Gayle's family, while ensuring that Mr. Williams will remain alive as we continue to pursue new evidence to prove, once and for all, that he is innocent."

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey opposed the court's decision, arguing that the evidence used to convict Williams remained undisturbed. A spokesperson for the St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney said the office expects Bailey to appeal Wednesday's decision.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Josie Kao)
The Regeneron Pharmaceuticals company logo is seen on a building at the company's Westchester campus in Tarrytown

(Reuters) -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has declined to approve Regeneron's therapy for a common form of blood cancer, the company said on Tuesday.

Regeneron was seeking regulatory approval of its therapy, linvoseltamab, in patients with multiple myeloma whose cancer has returned or worsened after at least three prior lines of treatment.

The FDA, in a so-called "complete response letter", said the sole issue identified for approval is related to findings from a pre-approval inspection at a third-party manufacturer, the company said.

Regeneron said it is committed to working closely with the third-party manufacturer and the health regulator to bring linvoseltamab to patients, without giving any other details.

Regeneron said in early August that the FDA's concerns about a third-party manufacturer will cause a delay in the regulatory decision for linvoseltamab, even though the issues were resolved and unrelated to the drug's production.

(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija, Sneha S K and Nilutpal Timsina in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
The United States Justice Department (DOJ) has opened an investigation into U.S. citizens working with Russian state news outlets, the New York Times (NYT) reported on Aug. 21, citing officials briefed on the investigation.

The investigation aims to mitigate the Kremlin's interference in the November presidential election, according to the NYT.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) this month searched the homes of two prominent commentators, Scott Ritter, a former U.N. weapons inspector, and Dimitri Simes, an adviser to former President Donald Trump. Prosecutors have not brought charges against either party.

The officials told the NYT that more FBI raids are expected, and that criminal charges are possible.

U.S. intelligence officials issued a warning on July 9 that Russia has plans to wage information campaigns against U.S. voters during the presidential election.

Russia has been accused of using social media disinformation, bot farms, and other means to back Donald Trump against his Democratic opponents  Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden  during the 2016 and 2020 elections.

Trump is running for president a third time, and will face off against Vice President Kamala Harris in November. U.S. intelligence officials said they "have not observed a shift in Russia's preferences for the presidential race from past elections."

Ritter, whose home was raided by the FBI but who was not arrested, is a contributing writer for the Russian state news outlet RT. He also traveled to Russia and Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine in January.

The DOJ in 2017 required RT to register as a foreign agent, not a news organization, due to the Russian government's control over the agency. Ritter claimed that the warrant to search his home referenced the Foreign Agent Registration Act.

Ritter is a vocal proponent of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Simes, a U.S. citizen who immigrated from the Soviet Union in 1973, has advised former U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon and Trump, and advocated for improved relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Since October 2022, Simes has lived in Russia, where he hosts a weekly talk show on state television. He is reportedly under investigation for possible violations of U.S. sanctions against Russia.

Read also: US announces moves against Russia-linked bot farm aimed at spreading disinformation

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US Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who struggled with infertility, says IVF in danger if Donald Trump is elected

CHICAGO  Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth called for in-vitro fertilization protections during a brief speech at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night.

Trumps anti-woman crusade has put other Americans right to have their own families at risk, she said.  'Cause if they win, Republicans will not stop at banning abortion. They will come for IVF next. Theyll prosecute doctors. Theyll shame and spy on women.

The crowd erupted into cheers as Duckworth told Trump to stay out of our doctors offices ... and out of the Oval Office, too.

Duckworth didnt stop at lambasting Trump, however.

How dare JD Vance criticize childless women on TV news, then vote against legislation that would actually help Americans to start families, she said.

Duckworth, of Illinois, made her comments as abortion has taken center stage at the convention. IVF also has become the latest front in the political battle over reproductive rights, especially after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled embryos are children under the law, threatening access to IVF in the state.

The issue is also key for Duckworth, who had her two children with the assistance of IVF. She has introduced legislation to establish federal protections for IVF and other forms of assisted reproductive technology, but the measure was blocked by Senate Republicans.

Every American deserves the right to be called Mommy or Daddy without being treated like a criminal, she said.

A combat veteran who lost both legs in the Iraq War, Duckworth was the first disabled woman elected to Congress and became the first sitting senator to give birth.

She was first elected to Congress in 2012 when she defeated a Republican incumbent, then-U.S. Rep Joe Walsh. Four years later she won her seat in the Senate, defeating Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, where she has served since.

Considered a rising star within the Democratic Party, Duckworth was once shortlisted by President Joe Biden for vice president.

Calling out her time in the military, Duckworth called Trump a five-time draft-dodging coward and said he was trying to take away rights and freedoms.

Let me say to every would-be parent: I see you, she said. Im with you.

_____
1. Yes. They look better and require less maintenance. Most high-end housing areas have them.

2. Yes. Wood fences can weather and look unsightly, plus masonry walls help to block sound.

3. No. Residents should have a choice of what kind of barriers are put up near their homes.

4. No. Allowing a variety of materials will be better for aesthetics, and costs may be lower.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say. Masonry walls may be sturdier, but mandating them is problematic.

Vote

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The University of Southern Mississippi has removed the word diverse from its mission statement and inclusiveness from its vision statement, surprising many faculty who did not know an update was in the works until it was approved without public discussion by the universitys governing board last week.

The changes have nothing to do with the political headwinds facing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in higher education, a university spokesperson told Mississippi Today.

Instead, the administration made the updates as part of the universitys new strategic plan ahead of re-accreditation, making USM the only public university in Mississippi to not include the word diverse in its mission or vision statements, according to a review of strategic plans for all eight institutions.

The vision and mission statements had not been updated since 2015 and 2017, respectively, and much has changed at Southern Miss since that time, Nicole Ruhnke, the universitys chief communications officer, wrote in an email.

USM, which has called its student body the most diverse in Mississippi, will still count the following among its updated strategic values: An inclusive community that embraces the diversity of people and ideas.

While the administration did take into account a report from a faculty-led strategic planning steering committee, it did not seek campus feedback before submitting the changes to the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees, the governing board of Mississippis eight universities.

The steering committee did not know the administration was working on changes to the universitys mission and vision statements when it wrote the report, according to its co-chair, Eric Powell, a professor in the School of Ocean Science and Engineering.

We had absolutely nothing to do with that, Powell said. It was not part of our mandate, and we did not make any recommendations to the president with respect to it.

Whatever happened subsequently after they had our report, thats the administrations business, he added. They get to use our report in whatever way they wish.

Jeremy Scott, a physics and astronomy professor who leads USMs chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said the changes did not seem substantive, though he was concerned about the university becoming a tool for political grandstanding.

More troubling, Scott said, was the process.

It was an affront to shared governance, he said, referencing the idea in higher education that faculty and the administration collaborate on significant decisions. I have to say that as the AAUP president.

Scott pointed out that the university has agreed to as much in the faculty handbook, which states: The University recognizes that the faculty should be consulted and with respect to such matters as long-range plans for the institution, the allocation and use of fiscal and physical resources, and the selection of academic officers.

As of Wednesday, the faculty senate executive committee was still working to learn more about the changes, according to a statement provided by its president, creative writing professor Josh Bernstein.

The Faculty Senate does maintain that diversity must remain a core value of USM and that any decisions about changes in the mission, vision or values of USM need to be made with faculty, rather than for them, as the traditions and norms of shared governance require, the statement reads.

Its rare for faculty to complain about issues like the administration failing to seek feedback on a change to the university mission statement, signaling it doesnt happen very often, said Mark Criley, a senior program officer in the AAUPs department of academic freedom, tenure and governance.

When youre dealing with an organization that has so many different parts, and people who have different and distinct responsibilities, it just doesnt lead to good management when any one part of an institution makes decisions without substantially involving the other, Criley said.

Universities across the state, including USM, have renamed and revamped their DEI offerings over the last year, Mississippi Today has reported. Earlier this summer, USM renamed its diversity office the Office of Community and Belonging.

USMs new mission statement reads: The University of Southern Mississippi engages students at all levels in the exploration and creation of knowledge. Our hallmark is a fully engaged lifelong learning approach integrating inspired teaching, collaborative research, creative activity, and service to society. Southern Miss produces graduates who are ready for life; ready to succeed professionally and as responsible citizens in a pluralistic society.

The final sentence used to state: The University nurtures student success by providing distinctive and competitive educational programs embedded in a welcoming environment, preparing a diverse student population to embark on meaningful life endeavors.

The vision statement, which previously described USM as a community distinguished by inclusiveness, now reads: The University of Southern Mississippi is distinctive among national research universities in adding value to our students experience, uniquely preparing them to be ready for life.
A sign marks the gathering spot for Utah's delegates at the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (Photo by Ariana Figueroa/States Newsroom)

After the first day at the Democratic National Convention, in the midst of a tumultuous campaign, with a late change of plans for the presidential nomination, Utah delegates feel energized and hopeful.

On Monday, the Utah delegation sat near Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic candidates for the top ticket. Throughout the night, which included a speech from President Joe Biden, passing the torch to Harris, the energy was electric, delegates told Utah News Dispatch on Tuesday.

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The 34 Utah delegates had already unanimously pledged their support to Harris soon after Biden dropped out of the race. They kept their stance throughout an initial virtual roll call and during the ceremonial nomination on Tuesday night.

Utah, home of eight tribal nations, the crossroads of the west, the Beehive State, the host of the 2034 Winter Olympics, the youngest and fastest-growing state in the nation, and the next battleground state. Mr. secretary, we proudly cast 34 votes for Vice-President Kamala Harris, said Utah Democratic Party chair Diane Lewis during the roll call.

Alejandro Puy, a Democratic delegate and Salt Lake City Council member, was among those listening to the remarks live in Chicago. He witnessed Harris and Walzs candor and emotion from just a few feet away, he said.

I think that this is an incredible moment in our history where we can heal our differences, Puy said. Ultimately, were all Americans. Me, as a new American, I share the same concerns that many in my neighborhood share.

Puy is feeling good after Bidens exit from the race. Now Democrats can finally start talking about policy, he said, praising actions from the Biden administration, including lowering the cost of prescription drugs and passing a bipartisan infrastructure bill in a divided congress.

Each day at the convention starts with a 7 a.m. breakfast and announcements, followed by caucus meetings and later the big convention events late into the night. Other notable Utah Democratic candidates, such as state Rep. Brian King, who is running for Utah Governor, and adventurer and influencer Caroline Gleich, a nominee for U.S. Senate, also attended the convention.

Though Ben Peck, a delegate who is also the vice president of the Young Democrats of Utah, doesnt typically enjoy massive events like this, he said he was pleasantly surprised by how fun the experience has been so far, sharing a big room with people who share his political views.

The vibes are great. Everybodys happy, Peck said. If we end up having to wait for a while or wait in line, everybodys super friendly, just getting to talk and meet with people from all over the country and talk about how were all so excited to get to work.

Harris is the right candidate at this moment, Puy said, listing her experience as a prosecutor and as a lawmaker. His hope is that her administration brings more healing and unity to the country.

This is the party that doesnt demonize me and doesnt demonize my skin color or my accent. So Im looking forward to more of that, Puy said.

Catherine Voutaz, another delegate, who is also running for Utah State Auditor, is also excited about Harris candidacy. While she was surprised by the change to the ticket, she said everyone quickly got on board.

We are a resilient set of people and we can overcome anything. And I think that message is going to resonate, especially in the swing states, and were going to see a lot of changes happening, Voutaz said. Were hopeful for a landslide, but we know that its a tight race, and we need to work really hard to get everybody to come out and vote.

In Utah, Republican nominee Donald Trump received over 58% of votes in 2020, while Biden got about 38%. The state has historically voted red. However, Puy said, synergy from Utah is important to change some minds and some hearts in local elections.

We are not going to flip any of the chambers in our state, but we hope that we can bring some balance, Puy said. I think the Republican Party is better when they are balanced, when there are balances of ideas and healthy debate, and that is important.

Utah Democrats can also help neighboring states with either their funding, or their time, he added.

Peck, who has been working on Utah elections for six years, said hes not under any delusions about what will happen to Utah this year. However, hes more optimistic about the prospects for other races in the state.

Those are the kind of races that I think that Democrats in Utah should really be focusing on, and that we have the chance to make a real difference on, because those local offices are where we can have a tremendous impact, Peck said.

After the official roll call, Lewis, the chair of the Utah Democratic Party, called Utahns to get involved in the movement.

Whether you are a Republican, a Democrat, or unaffiliated from any party, all Utahns have a common set of values. We care about our family, we care about our community, and we care about our state, Lewis said in a statement. I know that Utahns will join us in electing local candidates that share Kamala Harris commitment to freedom: people like Representative Brian King, Caroline Gleich, and Mayor Jenny Wilson.

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Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks at a press conference announcing a lawsuit from the state seeking to take control of to 18.5 million acres of federally managed land in Utah. (Kyle Dunphey/Utah News Dispatch)

Utah is suing the federal government over how it manages public land in the state, again.

But unlike past legal challenges, which target specific national monuments or policies, the scope of the lawsuit filed with the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday is massive, questioning whether the Bureau of Land Managements claim to 18.5 million acres of land  about 34% of the entire state  is legitimate.

State politicians call it historic. Environmental and public land advocacy groups say its a land grab. Regardless, the lawsuit has the potential to upend how the Bureau of Land Management operates in Utah and possibly the Western U.S.

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The lawsuit targets unappropriated public land. That doesnt include Utahs five national parks, or any of the states national monuments, national forests, or recreation or wilderness areas, which represent about half of the federal public land in the state.

The other half, which is about 34% of the entire state, according to officials, is unappropriated land that the U.S. government is simply holding on to, without properly reserving it for any designated purpose, Attorney General Sean Reyes said on Tuesday.

That deprives Utah of its sovereignty, Reyes said, by holding land regardless of how it impacts residents or state business.

Utah cannot manage, police or care for more than two thirds of its own territory because its controlled by people who dont live in Utah, who arent elected by Utah citizens and not responsive to our local needs, Reyes said.

That means the state cant impose taxes on that land, or impose eminent domain to build critical infrastructure like public roads or communication systems, Reyes said. Nor can the state exercise legislative authority over how to use the land.

The 90-plus page complaint asks the U.S. Supreme Court whether its constitutional for the federal government to hold unappropriated land in the state indefinitely.

This is a question we and many Western states have had for decades, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said on Tuesday, speaking to a room packed full of lawmakers, bureaucrats, county-level politicians and reporters. Reyes, as well as Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, and House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, also spoke.

There are only a handful of entities allowed to petition directly to the U.S. Supreme Court, including states that have a dispute with the federal government. Even though it could be a more streamlined process than filing with a lower court, the process could still take years. And thats assuming the high court agrees to hear the case.

If the Supreme Court declines to take up the case, Cox said the state will go back and file a complaint with a federal district court.

Whether its the Supreme Court or a lower district, the legal challenge will cost taxpayers money. The legislature appropriated about $20 million to fight the legal challenge, Reyes said, though he believes it wont cost nearly that much.

What weve spent currently or plan to spend is, I dont have an exact number, but its a fraction, Reyes said, telling reporters the state will save money by filing the lawsuit with the Supreme Court because it wont have to litigate in federal district courts.

In an email Tuesday, University of Utah law professor John Ruple agreed with some of the governors sentiment, telling Utah News Dispatch there is room for improvement when it comes to how federal land is managed.

However, the U.S. Constitution is clear that Congress, not the individual states, makes decisions about our federal public lands, said Ruple, a research professor of law at the universitys S.J. Quinney College of Law, and director of the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environments Law and Policy Program.

To rule in Utahs favor, Ruple said the Supreme Court would have to reinterpret longstanding constitutional provisions, upsetting 150 years of settled Supreme Court law and destabilizing land ownership throughout the West.

Thats a big lift. I cant help but wonder whether a less adversarial approach would have been more effective, he said.

What if Utah wins?

If Utahs lawsuit is successful, setting forth a process where 18.5 million acres is placed under state control, it would unravel the current, decadesold structure of federal land management.

But its something state officials have anticipated for years, passing a bill in 2017 that creates the prospective Utah Department of Land Management, which would essentially become Utahs version of the BLM.

Let us know what you think...

Much of that unappropriated land is offered up as parcels for grazing, oil and gas production, mining or recreation  those leases would instead be managed by the Department of Land Management.

Redge Johnson, director of the states Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office, said Utah would honor all existing leases, but instead of the BLM, lease holders would meet with state employees. Johnson, acknowledging that its very much still a hypothetical scenario, said the state would likely hire many BLM employees.

Theyre great people, we have a lot of good people at the local level that we work with. Its the decisions that come out of (Washington) D.C. that we find problematic, he said.

Other federal entities, like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which doesnt necessarily own unappropriated land but does work on it, would likely be able to operate as it did previously.

The state has long had grievances with the federal governments hold on land. It has filed lawsuits looking to repeal the Biden administrations re-designation of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, a travel plan in Grand County that closed a number of rugged dirt roads near wilderness areas, and a recent rule allowing parcels of Bureau of Land Management land to be leased for conservation.

Those policies were all cited Tuesday as examples of federal overreach.

For the entire time that weve existed as a state, Utahs public lands have been a treasured heritage for all of us. For many years, decades even, the question of how to best manage Utahs lands has been at the forefront of our states critical issues, Cox said. The crazy thing is that all this time, we have not had control of nearly 70% of our land. I want you to think about that for just a second. Utah does not have the ability to manage over two thirds of our state.

This lawsuit isnt worth the paper its printed on: Environmental groups respond

A number of environmental groups responded to the announcement on Tuesday, calling Utahs lawsuit an attempted land grab and accusing the state of wasting taxpayer money, while threatening some of the states most iconic landscapes.

The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, a litigious nonprofit that has previously intervened in several lawsuits in opposition to Utah, called Tuesdays announcement another example of Utah being the most anti-public lands state in the country.

Utahns and visitors travel to our state to experience stunning redrock canyons, spires, and mesas; public lands that are owned by all Americans and managed on their behalf by the federal government and its expert agencies, said the groups legal director, Steve Bloch. All of that is at risk with Utahs saber rattling and insistence that many of these remarkable landscapes are instead state lands that should be developed and ultimately destroyed by short-sighted state politicians.

The Center For Western Priorities, a public lands advocacy group, said Utahs legal argument was likely to fail, telling Utah News Dispatch it isnt worth the paper its printed on.

One hundred and thirty years ago, the people of Utah agreed to forever disclaim all right and title to national public lands when Utah became a state. What part of forever isnt clear to you, governor? The property clause of the Constitution gives Congress, and only Congress, authority to transfer or dispose of federal lands. Thats the beginning, middle, and end of this lawsuit, said the groups deputy director, Aaron Weiss, who urged the governor and other state leaders to abandon the suit before they waste millions of taxpayer dollars enriching out-of-state lawyers on this pointless lawsuit.

And the Wilderness Society said the lawsuit was another example of Utah trying to undermine federal land management, pointing to the states other lawsuits.

In a statement, the groups senior legal director Alison Flint called the lawsuit a brazen and undemocratic attempt to force the handover of millions of acres of Americans public lands to the state  and ultimately to private companies planning to develop them.

The courts should reject these cynical, outrageous attempts to undermine and take control of Americas public lands, Flint said.

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Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks at a press conference announcing a lawsuit from the state seeking to take control of to 18.5 million acres of federally managed land in Utah. (Kyle Dunphey/Utah News Dispatch

Utah is suing the federal government over how it manages public land in the state, again.

But unlike past legal challenges, which target specific national monuments or policies, the scope of the lawsuit filed with the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday is massive, questioning whether the Bureau of Land Managements claim to 18.5 million acres of land  about 34% of the entire state  is legitimate.

State politicians call it historic. Environmental and public land advocacy groups say its a land grab. Regardless, the lawsuit has the potential to upend how the Bureau of Land Management operates in Utah and possibly the Western U.S.

The lawsuit targets unappropriated public land. That doesnt include Utahs five national parks, or any of the states national monuments, national forests, or recreation or wilderness areas, which represent about half of the federal public land in the state.

The other half, which is about 34% of the entire state, according to officials, is unappropriated land that the U.S. government is simply holding on to, without properly reserving it for any designated purpose, Attorney General Sean Reyes said on Tuesday.

That deprives Utah of its sovereignty, Reyes said, by holding land regardless of how it impacts residents or state business.

Utah cannot manage, police or care for more than two thirds of its own territory because its controlled by people who dont live in Utah, who arent elected by Utah citizens and not responsive to our local needs, Reyes said.

That means the state cant impose taxes on that land, or impose eminent domain to build critical infrastructure like public roads or communication systems, Reyes said. Nor can the state exercise legislative authority over how to use the land.

The 90-plus page complaint asks the U.S. Supreme Court whether its constitutional for the federal government to hold unappropriated land in the state indefinitely.

This is a question we and many Western states have had for decades, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said on Tuesday, speaking to a room packed full of lawmakers, bureaucrats, county-level politicians and reporters. Reyes, as well as Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, and House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, also spoke.

There are only a handful of entities allowed to petition directly to the U.S. Supreme Court, including states that have a dispute with the federal government. Even though it could be a more streamlined process than filing with a lower court, the process could still take years. And thats assuming the high court agrees to hear the case.

If the Supreme Court declines to take up the case, Cox said the state will go back and file a complaint with a federal district court.

Whether its the Supreme Court or a lower district, the legal challenge will cost taxpayers money. The legislature appropriated about $20 million to fight the legal challenge, Reyes said, though he believes it wont cost nearly that much.

What weve spent currently or plan to spend is, I dont have an exact number, but its a fraction, Reyes said, telling reporters the state will save money by filing the lawsuit with the Supreme Court because it wont have to litigate in federal district courts.

In an email Tuesday, University of Utah law professor John Ruple agreed with some of the governors sentiment, telling Utah News Dispatch there is room for improvement when it comes to how federal land is managed.

However, the U.S. Constitution is clear that Congress, not the individual states, makes decisions about our federal public lands, said Ruple, a research professor of law at the universitys S.J. Quinney College of Law, and director of the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environments Law and Policy Program.

To rule in Utahs favor, Ruple said the Supreme Court would have to reinterpret longstanding constitutional provisions, upsetting 150 years of settled Supreme Court law and destabilizing land ownership throughout the West.

Thats a big lift. I cant help but wonder whether a less adversarial approach would have been more effective, he said.

What if Utah wins?

If Utahs lawsuit is successful, setting forth a process where 18.5 million acres is placed under state control, it would unravel the current, decades-old structure of federal land management.

But its something state officials have anticipated for years, passing a bill in 2017 that creates the prospective Utah Department of Land Management, which would essentially become Utahs version of the BLM.

Much of that unappropriated land is offered up as parcels for grazing, oil and gas production, mining or recreation  those leases would instead be managed by the Department of Land Management.

Redge Johnson, director of the states Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office, said Utah would honor all existing leases, but instead of the BLM, lease holders would meet with state employees. Johnson, acknowledging that its very much still a hypothetical scenario, said the state would likely hire many BLM employees.

Theyre great people, we have a lot of good people at the local level that we work with. Its the decisions that come out of (Washington) D.C. that we find problematic, he said.

Other federal entities, like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which doesnt necessarily own unappropriated land but does work on it, would likely be able to operate as it did previously.

The state has long had grievances with the federal governments hold on land. It has filed lawsuits looking to repeal the Biden administrations re-designation of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, a travel plan in Grand County that closed a number of rugged dirt roads near wilderness areas, and a recent rule allowing parcels of Bureau of Land Management land to be leased for conservation.

Those policies were all cited Tuesday as examples of federal overreach.

For the entire time that weve existed as a state, Utahs public lands have been a treasured heritage for all of us. For many years, decades even, the question of how to best manage Utahs lands has been at the forefront of our states critical issues, Cox said. The crazy thing is that all this time, we have not had control of nearly 70% of our land. I want you to think about that for just a second. Utah does not have the ability to manage over two thirds of our state.

This lawsuit isnt worth the paper its printed on: Environmental groups respond

A number of environmental groups responded to the announcement on Tuesday, calling Utahs lawsuit an attempted land grab and accusing the state of wasting taxpayer money, while threatening some of the states most iconic landscapes.

The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, a litigious nonprofit that has previously intervened in several lawsuits in opposition to Utah, called Tuesdays announcement another example of Utah being the most anti-public lands state in the country.

Utahns and visitors travel to our state to experience stunning redrock canyons, spires, and mesas; public lands that are owned by all Americans and managed on their behalf by the federal government and its expert agencies, said the groups legal director, Steve Bloch. All of that is at risk with Utahs saber rattling and insistence that many of these remarkable landscapes are instead state lands that should be developed and ultimately destroyed by short-sighted state politicians.

The Center For Western Priorities, a public lands advocacy group, said Utahs legal argument was likely to fail, telling Utah News Dispatch it isnt worth the paper its printed on.

One hundred and thirty years ago, the people of Utah agreed to forever disclaim all right and title to national public lands when Utah became a state. What part of forever isnt clear to you, governor? The property clause of the Constitution gives Congress, and only Congress, authority to transfer or dispose of federal lands. Thats the beginning, middle, and end of this lawsuit, said the groups deputy director, Aaron Weiss, who urged the governor and other state leaders to abandon the suit before they waste millions of taxpayer dollars enriching out-of-state lawyers on this pointless lawsuit.

And the Wilderness Society said the lawsuit was another example of Utah trying to undermine federal land management, pointing to the states other lawsuits.

In a statement, the groups senior legal director Alison Flint called the lawsuit a brazen and undemocratic attempt to force the handover of millions of acres of Americans public lands to the state  and ultimately to private companies planning to develop them.

The courts should reject these cynical, outrageous attempts to undermine and take control of Americas public lands, Flint said.

This story was originally produced by the Utah News Dispatch which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network, including the Daily Montanan, supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
Utah lawmakers want voters to give them the power to change ballot measures once they've passed

The Utah House of Representatives convenes in a special session to consider a constitutional amendment at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (Scott G Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  Utahs Republican-controlled Legislature will ask voters in November to relinquish some of their rights to lawmakers who want the ability to change state ballot measures after theyve passed.

Frustrated by a recent state Supreme Court ruling, lawmakers called a special session Wednesday in which both chambers swiftly approved an amendment to Utahs constitution that would grant them greater power over citizen initiatives. The Legislature used its broadly worded emergency powers to hold the session.

If a majority of Utah voters approves the amendment this fall, it would give lawmakers constitutional authority to significantly rewrite voter-approved ballot measures or repeal them entirely.

Democrats decried the decision as a power grab, while Republicans argued it would be dangerous to have certain laws on the books that cannot be substantially changed. The proposal would let lawmakers apply their new power to initiatives from past election cycles.

Were asking our constituents to turn over more power to us, said state Sen. Nate Blouin, a Millcreek Democrat. We are patronizing our constituents. Were telling them that we know better while feeding them a spoonful of sugar to make it go down easier.

He pointed to how Republicans are trying to sweeten the deal for voters by tying the amendment's success to other election reforms. For example, deadline extensions that might make it easier to place a voter referendum on the ballot will only pass if the amendment does, too.

State Sen. Kirk Cullimore, a Draper Republican and a sponsor of the proposal, said during floor debate that a recent state Supreme Court ruling in a redistricting case has effectively turned ballot initiatives into super laws that are not subject to the same revisions as laws passed by the Legislature.

Utah voters approved a ballot measure in 2018 that created an independent commission to redraw voting districts each decade and send recommendations to the Legislature, which could approve those maps or draw their own. The measure also prohibited drawing district lines to protect incumbents or to favor a political party  language the Legislature tried to strip out and replace with looser provisions in 2020.

Voting rights groups sued after lawmakers ignored a congressional map drawn by the commission and passed one of their own that split liberal Salt Lake County among four congressional districts, which have all since elected Republicans by wide margins.

Last month, all five Republican-appointed state Supreme Court justices sided with plaintiffs who argued the GOP supermajority had overstepped its authority and undermined voters when it altered the ballot initiative that banned partisan gerrymandering. The court found that lawmakers do not currently have the authority to change laws approved through citizen initiatives except to reinforce them without impairing them, or to advance a compelling government interest.

Now, the Legislature is attempting to circumvent that ruling by expanding its constitutional authority over voters  but voters themselves will have the final say.

Utah isnt the only place where lawmakers have sought the power to undo certain ballot measures. Changes to the political mapmaking process have been the impetus for such efforts in multiple states.

Missouri voters approved a redistricting process in 2018 intended to create partisan fairness" in voting districts. Lawmakers promptly placed a new amendment on the ballot to undo some of the key elements, and voters agreed to the new version in 2020.

In 2022, Arizona lawmakers placed on the ballot a proposal that would allow them to amend or repeal entire voter-approved measures if any portion of them is found unconstitutional or illegal by the state or federal Supreme Court. Voters defeated it.

This year, an advocacy group has won a spot on the ballot in Ohio for a measure that would appoint a new commission to draw legislative and congressional maps. State Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican, objected twice to the ballot measure language.

A lower court in Utah also will revisit the process for redrawing the states congressional districts following the Supreme Court ruling, but the current boundaries will remain for this election cycle.
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  UTEP President Dr. Heather Wilson will present a proposed campus master plan at the University of Texas System Board of Regents meeting Wednesday and Thursday, Aug 21-22 in Austin.

The master plan will support UTEPs programs based on analysis of projected space needs and building conditions, according to the meeting agenda material.

The master plan will also include UTEPs 2030 Strategic Plan, enrollment plans, campus space studies and other studies, according to the agenda material.

While new facilities are anticipated in the plan, emphasis was placed on evaluating all buildings to assess their condition and functional use, on determining alignment with current and future needs, and on improving the facilities condition through cost-effective maintenance and removal of some infrastructure beyond its useful life, according to the agenda.

The proposed master plan establishes a road map for the next 10 years, detailing how the campus can address short-term and long-term needs, the agenda said.



The plan is arranged into three different phases to address near-term, long-term, and priority building needs, according to the agenda.

Short-term projects that are currently underway include a Manufacturing & Aerospace Center and Texas Western Hall, according to the agenda. Planning has also begun on the construction of new student housing, a Student Success Center, and the replacement and

renovation of the Union Complex.



The plan reinforces the natural and architectural beauty of the campus as a Bhutanese-inspired

oasis surrounded by the Franklin Mountains and the cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, the agenda said.

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Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) on Wednesday suggested Democrats should pump the brakes on the rhetoric surrounding former President Trump for the sake of safety.

Vance, speaking with reporters in North Carolina, pointed to the speeches at the Democratic National Convention this week, saying Democrats are possibly starting to ramp up the rhetoric.

So, I hope that they remember when you tell the American people that this guy must be stopped at all costs, most people are going to respond to that reasonably, some people are going to take crazy actions and take matters into their own hands, Vance said. I encourage my Democratic friends to maybe pump the brakes a little bit on the apocalyptic rhetoric around Donald Trump.

Vance noted that he believes Democrats recognize that when you say that the guy is an existential threat to American democracy, sometimes that means crazy people are going to take actions into their own hands, and that they toned it down following the assassination attempt on Trump at a campaign rally last month.

The convention speakers, however, suggest they may no longer be toning the political rhetoric down, Vance argued.

Various speakers so far at the Democratic National Convention, including former President Obama, have taken aim at Trump during their speeches this week.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), during his speech Monday night, told Vance that GOP voters tried to kill your predecessor in reference to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Raskin, who served on the Jan. 6 select committee investigating the Capitol attack, noted former Vice President Mike Pence was the target of many rioters during the insurrection as they looked to him as a last option in preventing the transfer of power to President Biden.

The Trump campaign responded to Raskin, stating the Maryland Democrat was willing to politicize talking about assassinations just one month after a gunman fired shots at the former president in Butler, Pa.

Vance said the toned down rhetoric is in part because of Donald Trumps leadership.

I mean, he had every right to stand up after he was shot in the ear and get really pissed off and blame the Democrats, and what he instead did, was call for national calm and national unity, Vance said. I think to the extent the temperatures been dropped at all, its because of Donald Trump, and again, people [accused] him of being a cowboy but he responded to that moment with a remarkable amount of clarity and calm.

Shortly after the shooting, Trump pushed for national unity, though those calls lasted less than a week following Bidens withdrawal from the presidential race. Trump has since waged a series of personal attacks on Vice President Harris, who is now the Democratic presidential nominee.

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Vance and Walz are still relatively unknown, but the governor is better liked, an AP-NORC poll finds

WASHINGTON (AP)  Tim Walz and JD Vance have vaulted themselves out of national obscurity as they hustle to introduce themselves to the country, but the senator from Ohio has had a rockier start than the Minnesota governor.

A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that Walz had a smoother launch as a running mate to Vice President Kamala Harris than Vance did for former President Donald Trump. About one-third of U.S. adults (36%) have a favorable view of Walz, who will introduce himself to his party when he speaks at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday. About one-quarter (27%) have a positive opinion of Vance. Significantly more adults also have an unfavorable view of Vance than Walz, 44% to 25%.

Both are well-liked so far within their own parties, while independents are slightly more likely to have a positive view of Walz than Vance, but most dont know enough about either one yet.

Both VP candidates still need to work to become better known  about 4 in 10 Americans dont know enough about Walz to have an opinion about him, and roughly 3 in 10 dont know enough about Vance. Still, both are much better known than they were before they were selected as vice presidential nominees.

Democrats like Walz, but many key groups dont know enough

As Walz prepares to speak at the convention, about 6 in 10 Democrats said they have a favorable opinion of him, including about 4 in 10 whose opinions are very favorable. Roughly 3 in 10 dont know him well enough to have an opinion. This is the first measure of Walzs favorability in an AP-NORC poll, but other polls showed he was virtually unknown nationally before he was chosen.

Many key Democratic coalitions still dont know much about Walz. About 4 in 10 women dont know enough to have an opinion of him, and about 4 in 10 young adults under age 45 say the same. About half of Black adults and roughly 4 in 10 Hispanic adults dont know enough to say whether they like him, either. Many lower-income adults and those without college degrees also dont have a view of Walz.

Data from AP VoteCast shows that when he ran for governor in 2022, Walz won with the support of women, young voters, union households, those living in the suburbs, and people in urban areas. He split the support of white voters and men  two groups where the Harris-Walz team will try to undercut Trumps advantage. He lost rural voters in the state, as well as households with military veterans.

Samantha Phillis, a 33-year-old home care nurse and mother of four from Mankato, Minnesota, has known Walz for years. She attended Mankato West High School when Walz was a teacher there, and she was in the Gay-Straight Alliance when he was the faculty adviser. Since he became governor, she said, his policies have been tremendous for three of her children with disabilities. As a parent, she appreciated his program to provide free school meals for children.

He was a great asset to Mankato West, and we are huge fans of him. As far as Minnesota goes, hes done great things for my family, Phillis said. Im really encouraged to see what he could help Kamala Harris do as her vice president.

Phillis said she was always planning to vote for the Democratic candidate but has been thrilled by the energy and momentum Walz added to the campaign.

Now that Gov. Walz is on the ticket, Im all in.

Vances favorability has risen among Republicans

The new AP-NORC polling shows that in the weeks since Vance was selected as Trumps running mate, Republicans have gotten to know him better and have developed a generally positive view. About 6 in 10 Republicans now have a very or somewhat favorable opinion of Vance, a sharp rise since a mid-July poll conducted before the Ohio senator was announced as Trump's running mate. In that poll, only about 3 in 10 had a favorable view of him, and about 6 in 10 Republicans said they didnt know enough about Vance to have an opinion.

In the most recent poll, about 2 in 10 Republicans have an unfavorable view of Vance, and about one-quarter say they dont know enough about him to have an opinion.

Adults older than 45 are somewhat more likely than younger ones to have a positive opinion of Vance, 32% to 22%.

Data from AP VoteCast shows that when Vance ran for Senate in Ohio in 2022, he earned the support of many groups that have become the bedrock of Trumps political base. About 6 in 10 male voters in the state supported Vance, as well as voters age 45 and over. He also outperformed with young men compared to Republicans nationally. About 6 in 10 male voters under 30 voted for Vance in Ohio, compared to about half for Republican candidates nationwide.

Mary Lynch, a 62-year-old Republican from Marquette, Michigan, said shes followed Vance through TV interviews since before he ran for Senate. She said her positive view of him has only grown the more she learns about him. She appreciates his support for family-related policies, like anti-abortion measures and school choice.

Lynch supported Republican Nikki Haley during the GOP primaries, but she plans to vote for Trump in November. She likes Trumps policies, but she struggles with his personality. She sees Vance as a strong future leader for the Republican Party.

I like (Vances) personality a lot. He says things nicer. He doesnt use hyperbole, Lynch said. If Trump wins with JD Vance, I look forward to having JD Vance run for president next.

___

The poll of 1,164 adults was conducted August 8-12, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY)  The Virginia Beach Human Rights Commission, or VBHRC, is accepting nominations for the 29th Annual Human Rights Awards.

The awards committee will evaluate nominees based on community involvement, initiatives and humanitarianism, a release states. Eligible nominees are people living or working in Virginia Beach or anyone who has contributed to the promotion of human rights to benefit Virginia Beach residents.

Nominations must be completed along with at least two references to support the nomination. Click here for more information, and to download the form.

Entries must be received by 5 p.m. on Sept. 25 via email, mail or hand-delivery.

Email: hrc@vbgov.com

Mail or Hand-Deliver to:

City of Virginia Beach/Department of Human Resources

ATTENTION: HRC Awards Program

2424 Courthouse Drive, Building 18, Rm. 106

Virginia Beach, VA 23456

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Vehicle, motorized scooter collide in Warren, leading to serious injury

WARREN, Ohio (WKBN)  Police are investigating a crash between a vehicle and a motorized scooter.

The crash happened just after 6 p.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Genesee Avenue NE and Beechwood Street NE. According to the Warren Police Department, a Grand Cherokee traveling northbound collided with a motorized scooter traveling southbound.

Police say the driver of the motorized scooter failed to control the vehicle, leading to the crash.

The crash is still under investigation.

Police did not release the names of the victims or their conditions but said a serious injury was involved.

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As Nicolas Maduro bans X and Signal, the role of technology in Venezuela becomes undeniable. Now more than ever, people's freedom lies in their ability to communicate and access information with privacy and security. This is true not only in Venezuela but also in the United States.

Maduro's Repression

"I feel like a Jew in Nazi Germany. The regime's security forces are going door by door, arresting human rights activists," a 21-year-old activist from Barquisimeto in northwest Venezuela, who asked to remain anonymous, told me.

His words reflect the terrifying reality for many Venezuelans today. About 2,000 activists have been detained by the government in the aftermath of the country's July 28 presidential electionan election marred by Maduro's blatant manipulation to secure his grip on power.

Just as the Soviets once did, Maduro is encouraging people to report citizens who sympathize with the opposition. But unlike before, Venezuelans can use an app called VenApp. Launched by Maduro, the app was originally designed to receive public complaints, such as power outage reports.

In the past two weeks, security forces have been systematically stopping citizens to inspect their phones, including photos, social media profiles, and WhatsApp conversations. Detainees are often held based on content uncovered during these searches, such as images or conversations related to protests or anti-government expressions.

This shows Maduro's willingness to crack down on dissent. It also shows the crucial role of technology in this fight for freedom. We use privacy messaging apps like Signal to communicate sensitive information. We rely on X and Nostr to share public information with the Venezuelan people. And we use bitcoin to overcome Maduro's financial surveillance.

Regimes know this, which is why the Maduro government has been updating its surveillance system. They are doing this in cooperation with other autocratic regimes. For example, the Chinese company ZTE has been supplying Maduro with advanced surveillance technology, according to nongovernmental organizations.

This is also why Maduro banned X and Signal for 10 days across Venezuela, claiming his opponents were using these platforms to incite political unrest. This unprecedented measure in the Western hemisphere sets a dangerous precedent in the region. It also shows how regimes can restrict essential technologies, including their privacy tools and communication platforms.

Building a Tech-Based Strategy

In today's digital age, privacy technology is not just a tool; it's a critical battleground in the fight against authoritarianism and a vital means of defending human rights. To protect our freedomswhether in information, communication, or financewe must develop and implement a comprehensive strategy based on privacy technology that empowers individuals living under repressive regimes.

Central to this strategy is the promotion and protection of freedom technologies. This includes the development and investment in the decentralized ecosystem of bitcoin and Nostr, as well as private communication platforms like X and SimpleX. These privacy tools are lifelines to activists and ordinary citizens, enabling them to bypass censorship, protect their financial autonomy, and organize without fear of surveillance.

A close collaboration between activists and technologists would also help ensure that new freedom tech tools and platforms are developed with the specific needs of those under repression in mind. We need more initiatives that unite software developers, youth leaders, freedom activists, and nonprofit organizations to create solutions that protect privacy, facilitate secure communication, and enable digital organizing.

But perhaps more importantly, we should challenge democratic governments to stop enacting policies that undermine freedom and privacy. Laws that erode our digital privacy are not only incompatible with a free society, but they also empower dictators. When democracies undermine people's privacy, they give dictators the legitimacy to do the same.

In the financial sector, for example, governments have enormous power over citizens' bank accounts. Global regulations meant to tackle financial crimes allow governments to arbitrarily block people's bank accounts, freeze their assets, and access their banking data, among other measures. This means that the financial data of any American can be attacked by states and competitors all over the world, including Chinese firms. Most Americans are shocked when I talk to them about this.

Unfortunately, financial laws are being misused by regimes to oppress their dissidents at home and in exile. For example, in 2022, the Canadian government froze the bank accounts of the truck drivers protesting the cross-border vaccine mandate between Canada and the U.S. This issue must be urgently addressed. It's a global reform process that my organization, the Economic Inclusion Group, started back in 2023.

A similar situation occurs in the bitcoin space. Around the world, activists in autocratic countries use bitcoin to circumvent regime surveillance and repression. Without bitcoin, they would struggle to receive donations, distribute funds, and maintain a semblance of normalcy in their lives. For them, bitcoin has become a powerful tool against autocracy.

For this reason, policymakers in the West should be promoting and celebrating the use of bitcoin worldwide, especially since this freedom technology was created and is developing in Western democracies. Instead, they remain fixated on concerns that bitcoin's privacy features might enable criminal activity and money laundering. While this allegation was disproved by institutions like the U.S. Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), these concerns continue to be propagated by lawmakers such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (DMass.).

Ultimately, the situation in Venezuela illustrates the importance of freedom technologies in safeguarding liberty. China and other authoritarian regimes recognize the value of these digital freedoms and have responded by cracking down on them. Protecting privacy tools is not just a matter of personal freedom; it is a national security issue and essential for the future of democracy globally. American policymakers must lead on this front to ensure that democracy prevails during this difficult time in history. Whether in Venezuela or the West, the fight for freedom will be determined in the technological arena. It's a fight we cannot afford to lose.

The post In Venezuela, Digital Freedom Is a Threat to Dictators appeared first on Reason.com.
Montpelier, VT- Following Vermonts Primary Election last week, results have officially been certified for federal and statewide races.

Secretary of State Sarah Copeland-Hanzas held the Canvas Committee Meeting Wednesday morning, alongside the three major party chairs and other election officials. The meeting was originally scheduled for this past Tuesday but was postponed due to, an issue with the election management systems report-generation function, according to the Secretary of States office.

Staff caught the malfunction while testing the system, and were able to work to resolve the issue. To be clear, the report-generating process is not related to the official counting and certification of ballots.

Champlain Valley Expo eyes $1 million upgrade to add live music dates

On Wednesday, Copeland-Hanzas said, We talked with town and city clerks where we were having trouble generating these reportsweve verified and confirmed that the data count/vote counts in the system have been reported accurately.

Copeland-Hanzas also acknowledged that this has been an issue in past elections, and says theyre in the process of creating a new election management system, with plans to implement it in 2025.

77,373 Vermonters voted in last weeks election, a total of 15%. Gov. Phil Scott expressed disappointment in that number at a news conference last week and said its nothing to be proud of.

Sen. Bernie Sanders secured the Democratic nomination for Senator and will run against Republican Nominee Gerald Malloy. Several other candidates are running as independents or as members of minor parties, including, Mark Stewart Greenstein (Epic Party), Justin Schoville (Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party of Vermont), Matthew Hill (Libertarian), and Steve Berry (Independent).

See the full 2024 Vermont Primary Results here

For the U.S House, incumbent Becca Balint will be challenged by Republican Mark Coester, Jessica Diamondstone (Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party of Vermont), and Adam Ortiz (Independent).

In the Gubernatorial Election, Gov. Phil Scott secured the Republican nomination and will run against Esther Charlestin (Democrat), Marielle Blais (Progressive), June Goodband (Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party of Vermont), Kevin Hoyt (Independent), and Poa Mutino (Independent).

Democrat Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman will be up against Progressive Zoraya Hightower, John Rodgers (Republican), and Ian Diamondstone (Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party of Vermont).

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WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  DC gym chain VIDA Fitness is responding to member concerns over cameras installed in mens locker room areas at its U Street and Logan Circle locations.

DC News Now reported these concerns Tuesday with members sharing photos of cameras pointed at sinks and positioned near lockers and showers.

In response to DC News Nows request for comment, VIDA owner David von Storch said in part, The way we rolled out this initiative was, to be blunt, terrible. We are starting over at Logan Circle by sharing information about the problem, the solutions propose and to solicit member feedback prior to installing cameras at the Logan Circle location.

Cameras installed in mens locker rooms at some DC VIDA Fitness locations

Although our approach is both legal and proven to catch and deter theft, the bottom line is you are uncomfortable with it, said von Storch. We will not have video surveillance of the sink area and walk way of the Mens Locker Room. We will still have security cameras at the entrance to the locker rooms, but nothing that captures anything in the locker room itself.

Members who spoke with DC News Now on Tuesday threatened to cancel their memberships if the cameras stayed up where they were.

Members also questioned how the footage would be used and stored.

VIDA says the cameras wont be monitored in real-time and footage will be erased monthly.

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KNOX COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)  A local fire department has a new piece of sonar equipment that will help them locate a person underwater more quickly.

The Vincennes Township Fire Department recently purchased an AQUAEYE handheld sonar device.

Fire Chief Tim Smith said it uses new technology that will help them determine when theyve located a person in the water, rather than an object.

He said while their boats already have sonar equipment, this new handheld device is faster for them to deploy.

Its basically designed for victims that may be close to shore, that maybe were swimming or doing some recreational activity, but theres a general idea of where theyre located, and the first arriving crews can immediately deploy that, said Smith.

Smith added the department had a loaner unit of this device before purchasing one, so their crews were able to practice and get familiar with it.

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It's no secret that social media can be used as a force for good or ... well, not-so-good. There are plenty of viral TikTok videos that claim to be game-changing or introduce a fun new activity. Sometimes, it's both, and sometimes, it's great. The viral jalapeno dust trick made us wish we'd thought of it first, but not all trends are as helpful as grating frozen peppers over your meal. In fact, some trends are downright dangerous, and medical professionals warn about the hazards of one seemingly harmless TikTok trend that's sent multiple people to the hospital.

At a glance, the idea seems like it would be pretty fun. It's based on a traditional Chinese street food called Tanghulu, which is fruit served on a skewer and covered in a hard candy shell. If you're a fan of hard candy apples, the idea isn't dissimilar, but Tanghulu is typically made from things like strawberries, hawthorn berries, cherries, or pineapple. It's commonly served as a part of Chinese New Year celebrations, and it's been around since the Song Dynasty, which dates from 960 to 1279.

The TikTok video shares how easy it is to make Tanghulu at home, and it's done by dipping various fruits into melted sugar syrup. The problem is that the melted syrup is causing major burns, and medical experts are warning that they have seen multiple patients  adults and children  admitted to hospital with severe burns.

Read more: 11 Of The Best Cooking Tips From Bobby Flay

What Makes The Tanghulu TikTok Trend So Dangerous?

child stirring pot on stove - Imgorthand/Getty Images

There are many cooking-related viral videos that hit social media, like the TikTok lasagna soup that became a must-try sensation. There weren't news reports about people getting hurt making this particular dish, so what's different here? For starters, there's the temperature of the melted sugar. Water, remember, boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas standard table sugar melts at 367 degrees Fahrenheit. Sure, that's hot, but there's even more to it than that.

According to a press release issued by Shriners Children's, the burns from melted sugar  or the melted Jolly Ranchers that some people are using  are worse than burns from water. Dr. Colleen Ryan, M.D., explained, "When sugar is melted in the microwave like this, it has a high heat capacity, meaning it stores the heat energy. If spilled, it can create a severe scald burn, much like spilling hot soup, but it can cause a much deeper burn because of sugar's properties."

The burns can be so bad that they potentially cause permanent nerve damage  especially considering that when the super-heated sugar spills and begins to cool, it hardens on the burn where it continues burning. Christina Blackstone and her son, 9-year-old Caidan, discovered that first-hand when Caidan spilled some on his hand while trying to make the candy. Blackstone told CBS News, "My instinct was, 'Just pull it off, Christina.' So I just grabbed him, and I was yanking it off. I think I was tearing skin."

Safety Should Always Be Paramount In The Kitchen

first aid kit on table - Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock

If Christina Blackstone's experience of tearing hardening, still-burning sugar off of her son's hand sounds awful, it should. However, she told CBS News that doctors confirmed that was exactly what the best course of action was: If she hadn't, she said, "It would have resulted in a third-degree burn, and it would have gone into his nerves. He wouldn't have feelings in his hands at that point."

As it was, Blackstone's son ended up needing physical therapy and losing a few fingernails which will grow back. Furthermore, medical professionals stress that the other burns they've seen are in the most vulnerable parts of the body  specifically, the hands and face.

Incidents like this have prompted warnings about the potential for serious injury. It's also worth noting that your first instincts might not always be right. For example, the Mayo Clinic warns that burns should never be iced and that you should apply cool (not cold) water for 10 minutes instead. That will help stop the burn from penetrating deeper. And if you're wondering whether or not to seek emergency care, you should if the burn covers an area greater than 3 inches, overlaps a major joint, or starts swelling quickly. If there's no pain, that's a bad sign and could indicate nerve damage. Accidents can always happen, but some common kitchen injuries can be avoided with a little know-how.

Read the original article on The Daily Meal.
TechCrunch

TikTok is growing fast as a destination for news, but news and politics accounts make up less than one percent of accounts followed by U.S. adults, the Pew Research Center says. Around half of all TikTok accounts followed by U.S. adults are influencers and creators, the study shows. Plus, content related to news and politics is considered rare, with only about 10% of the followed accounts that showed up in the study posting about these topics.
Virginia man pulled from ocean in North Myrtle Beach, SC, after seen floating in surf

A man saved from nearly drowning in the ocean happened during a day of high risk rip currents due to Hurricane Ernesto, according to North Myrtle Beach Police.

Police responded to a call about 6 p.m. Aug. 16 at the beach near 27th Avenue South about a man who had been pulled out of the ocean and was alive.

A bystander said he watched the man dive under waves and after one dive, did not see him come back up for around a minute. He then saw the man floating in the water so he got in and pulled the man to shore.

North Myrtle Beach EMTs put the Virginia man on a board and carried him to their truck to bring him to the ambulance at the closest beach access. He was brought to the hospital where he survived the potential drowning.

 A high risk of rip currents is in effect for the ENTIRE Southeast coastline today due to swells from Hurricane #Ernesto, which arrived early this morning. Please stay out of the water this weekend. #beachsafety https://t.co/vJX9FPYkn0 pic.twitter.com/EqqJwSq6RM  NWS Wilmington, NC (@NWSWilmingtonNC) August 16, 2024

Hurricane season, which the South Carolina DNR said lasts from June through November, has made the surf more dangerous in the Myrtle Beach area this August.

When the man was pulled out of the ocean in North Myrtle Beach on Friday, the Atlantic coast from Florida to Raleigh had a high rip current risks from Hurricane Ernesto, the National Weather Service posted on X, formerly Twitter. Ernesto started in the Caribbean before moving into the Atlantic Ocean, according to the National Weather Service.

The risks for rip currents were high all weekend and started to go down on Monday.

The area also had high rip currents during the first week of the month when Tropical Storm Debby hit the Myrtle Beach area. When swimming, its important to check for rip current risks with the National Weather Service or follow the flags at the lifeguard stands.

A yellow flag means light surf or currents, a red flag means rough and dangerous conditions and a double red flag means the water is closed to public use.
Visitor dies after rescue from Lawai Beach in Kauai

LIHUE, Hawaii (KHON2)  A visitor from Japan died Monday night after being rescued from the waters off Lawai Beach on August 14.

At around 12:35 p.m. that day, reports came in of an unresponsive swimmer. Bystanders administered CPR until medics arrived and continued advanced resuscitation efforts.

The 66-year-old man was then transported to Wilcox Medical Center.

Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news

The Kauai Police Department has ruled out foul play, though the cause of death is still under investigation.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2.
From the G-File on The Dispatch

Idiots of the West! Rally to me!

This is the TL;DR of Vladimir Putins big decree this week. Formally titled, On the provision of humanitarian support to persons sharing traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, Putin proclaimed that he would be streamlining the paperwork and requirements for refugees. You dont need to know Russian history or the Russian languageall you gotta do is write a letter explaining how you wanna move to Russia to own the libs. Or I should say, own the neo-libs.

But thats the gist. Write a letter explaining how youre fleeing the destructive neoliberal ideological attitudes of the West and Russia will be a safe haven for you in a country where traditional values reign supreme.

You know that feeling when you have more stuff than one piece of luggage can handle and you convince yourself that if you just pack things differentlyshoes like this, jackets like that, the head of Alfredo Garcia, just soit will all fit, like one of those woodblock puzzles? Thats how I feel about this newsletter, which is why Ive spent the last hour moving paragraphs and sections around as if the word count will get shorter if I just rearrange things.

Rather than continue to break the fourth wall, let me forgo the satisfaction of seamless narrative flow and just get this point out there. Lots of the people who like and admire Russia and Vladimir Putin very much believe that immigrationparticularly migrants who claim refugee statusare destroying our country. Never mind that the refugees coming here are often Christians from places where traditional values are stronger and more widely held than in the United States. Putin fans think America should turn them all away. Whatever you think of that position on the merits, its remarkable that many who subscribe to it are celebrating Putins new policy as a game changer or some kind of brilliant ploy. Just for defecations and guffaws, lets imagine the United States adopted a policy like Putins. Would they support it?

While youre noodling that, lets get back to Putins attempt to supplant the old claim of Russia being a workers paradise with the claim that its now a Trad Shangri-La. As you might expect, this announcement went out across the globe. It was like a frequency that most just heard and dismissed like an annoying TV jingle or neighborhood leaf blower. But for some, it was like an activation signal. They werent sleeper agents, aliens, or Treadstone operatives, but they wereand arewhat experts in the field call idiots.

But not any or all idiots. Putin isnt looking for conventional fools who run with scissors or put hardwood floors in their rented apartments. Hes not even looking for people who do not like wokeness, gender ideology, or neoliberalism. Nor is he actually much interested in inviting devotees of traditional values.

All of that stuff is just the sizzle not the steak.

Putins idiot-bait is really designed to select people who take Vladimir Putin and his propaganda seriously. You know: the folks who think Putin is a man of peace, that his invasion of Ukraine was justified and is going perfectly according to plan, that Russia is the worlds guardian of traditional values. Most important, he wants people so unimaginably stupid (or venal) as to willingly spout this stuff uncritically in Western countries. In fact, I think thats the real point. I doubt Putin thinks very many people will take him up on his offer. What he wants is people to broadcast the offer in Western democracies as a way to undermine them. If he gets a few dozen or few hundred actual refugees from Wokeness, thats great for him (it will almost surely suck for them). Every family getting off a plane in Moscow provides more content for the propaganda mills in the West.

In short, he wants useful idiots. Like, you know, this guy:

BREAKING: PUTIN JUST DROPPED A BOMBSHELL DECREEINVITING PEOPLE FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE WHO ARE FED UP WITH THE GLOBALIST, NEOLIBERAL NIGHTMARE TO SEEK SANCTUARY IN TRADITIONAL RUSSIA!



This new decree blows the lid off the establishment's agenda, letting freedom-loving folks pic.twitter.com/lVPHeKWRIC  Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) August 19, 2024

Now, we have a rule around here. Actually, we have a lot of rules. But somewhere after do not take a bath with a toaster and dont buy bitcoin from a guy in a van and before dont start a conversation with Steve about Spanish wine is do not take Alex Jones seriously. And Im going to stick to that rule.

The problem is a lot of, well, idiots, dont. If you read the replies to his post, youll see what I mean.

Traditional values.

I do think its worth discussing the ideas and arguments that Putin and his useful idiots are leveraging for propaganda purposes.

Now the devil is in the details, and much depends on the eye of the beholder, but as a general statement, Im a fan of traditional values.

But traditional values is a funny phrase because it generally refers to second- or third-order values in the moral hierarchy. In other words, what people usually mean by traditional values are things like the sanctity of marriage and primacy of family, modesty, hard work, good manners, thrift, sexual restraint, etc. I should note that the louder and more shrill one gets about traditional values, the more likely it is that the speakeror shoutermeans things like rejecting homosexuality or trans ideology and embracing some very politicized version of Christianity, etc. I usually walk away from those conversations.

My only point is that most of the stuff captured by traditional values refers to how to live decently, honorably, and happily. That kind of thing. Its important.

You can fall short of adhering to traditional values without being a criminal or, well, evil.

I am open to good faith correction from orthodox adherents of almost any faith or school of moral teaching. But, Im pretty sure that murder is considered to be at the top of the list of what most people call bad things. And Vladimir Putin is a murderer. Nay, hes a mass murderer. I dont know whether hes killed many people with his bare hands, but theres no honest or serious student of Vladimir Putin who disagrees that hes ordered the murder of a great number of people, and this doesnt even count the mass slaughter of Ukrainians, Chechens, Syrians, et al. But thats relevant too because hes a warmonger. Hes also a thief, a torturer, philanderer, and a dictator. Hes also, not surprisingly, a very bad Christian, if he is one at all. Hes made the Russian Orthodox Church a party to war and a vassal of the state. Hes also a racist, who values ethnic Russian life over the more disposable ethnicities of his empire. A disproportionate share of the meat hes fed to the grinder in Ukraine is not of pure Russian stock. He prefers to march his duskier subjects to the machine gun nests.

Thats sort of what I am getting at when I say that traditional valuesas important as they arerank lower than some other values. Now, I understand that theres a rich theological debate about some of this. Im not going down that rabbit hole. But I will say that wherever you come out on these questions, odds are very strong that as a matter of law and commonsense, youre with me that murder, torture, even theft, are usually worse than, say, infidelity, adultery, or some other violation of traditional values. Or at least, you recognize the obvious role of government to police crimes while being a bit more laissez-faire, or at least lenient, about policing sinsnever mind bad manners.

Most people think murderers should go to jail or death row. Few, even among the loudest proponents of traditional values, think adulterers or liars should (which would not bode well for Donald Trump). Heck, I think theres a case for criminal punishmentsi.e. finesfor deadbeat dads, but I dont know anyone who thinks the penalty for abandoning your kids should be the same as for murder.

So even if you idiotically think Putin is sincere in his support of traditional values, your moral compass is broken if you let him off the hook for being an evil guy.

Liberalism, again.

This may seem like a bit of a digression, but Ill try to explain its relevance. Free societies operate more or less on what is frequently called the harm principle. Youre free to do pretty much what you want so long as you dont harm someone else. We canand do, constantlydebate the edge cases. But pretty much everybody subscribes to this view to one extent or another, at least with regard to their own freedom. Right-wingers occasionally want to curtail the freedom of left-wingers to be offensive, and vice versahence the bipartisan asininity of cancel culturebut you almost never hear people demand that their speech be censored, their freedom be denied, their lifestyletraditional or otherwisebe circumscribed. Americans, regardless of ideology, tend to be jealous guardians of their own civil and cultural liberties.

Liberties, by the way, is just the plural of the word liberty, which is another word for free. So when I referred earlier to free societies I could have used the phrase liberal societies without changing any of the meaning.

I do apologize for writing in a tone that sounds like I should be using simple flashcards and hand puppets, or explaining to Billy Ray Valentine that you can find bacon in a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, but I think its necessary because people like to make this stuff more complicated than it needs to be.

Which brings me to the term neoliberal, which is a word people use to make liberalismnot progressivism, but free society equals liberal society liberalismsound sinister and dangerous. I am aware that most of the people who use neoliberalism have a specific economic definition in mind. Suffice it to say that when you hear someone condemning neoliberal policies, nine times out of 10 they mean they dont like capitalism, free trade, or, occasionally, stuff like meritocracy.

But thats not what Putin means when he declares hes opening his doors to refugees from neoliberalism. He means people fleeing gender ideology, or otherwise morally decadent culture. Thats kind of funny, because on the far left the people who whine about neoliberalism think its a homophobic, Christian thing. It just goes to show you that when people start from the premise that capitalism is bad, theyll hang everything else they think is bad on it as well.

Still, the more mainstream take on neoliberalism from its enemies on the left, and increasingly on the right, is that it is an economic doctrine that fosters inequality and alienation, rewarding the haves over the have-nots.

Well, if your problem is with that stuff, Russia is one of the last places in the world you should want to live. Relative to the size of its economy, Russia has more billionaires than any other country. Of course America has a lot more billionaires (in 2023 we had 735 while Russia had 105), but the amount of national wealth owned by billionaires in Russia was greater. And while some studies claim that America has more economic inequality than Russia, this obscures the more practical point: Poor Americans are a lot richer than poor Russians. Household annual income in Russia is just shy of $8,000. Median household income in Mississippi, Americas poorest state, is just shy of $45,000.

Donald Trump is fond of saying America is a nation in decline. Indeed, he thinks he coined the term and everyone who says it is copying him. For what its worth, people have, usually wrongly, been describing America as a nation in decline since the Adams administration. Regardless, the tangible arguments that America is in decline often rest on things like deaths of despair. This is often linked to more atmospheric cultural and economic nostrums. Whatever you make of those arguments, its at least worth noting that Russias suicide rate is markedly higher than ours (and thats if you trust that Russia isnt underreporting). Its rate of deaths from alcohol is nearly 300 percent higher than ours.

Oh and by the way, Russia is shrinking. Supposedly family-friendly Russias birth rate is lower than ours. And ethnic Russians are bringing the fertility rate down, which is one reason Putin is feeding as many Muslim and non-Russian soldiers into the war machine. Russia is also shrinking because many of the most talented Russians are fleeing the country in droves. Its almost as if the advantages of rhetorical support of anti-wokeness and traditional values doesnt outweigh the hardships of a corrupt regime, tyranny, and a barbaric and unjust war.

We hear a lot about Americas corrupt elites. Not all of those arguments are without merit. But our corruption is more metaphorical. Its measured in our failure to live up to our ideals and liberal principles. Russias corruption is endemic because the regime is literally based on conventional corruption. You dont become a billionaire in Russia by being the better businessman, you become a billionaire by being an adept supplicant of Vladimir Putin who, by the way, some have said may be the worlds richest man. Thats impressive for a lifetime public servant.

The yacht "Graceful," which belongs to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is mooored at the port of Sochi, Russia, in 2015. (Photo by Marcus Brandt/picture alliance via Getty Images)

And say what you will about Hunter Biden, but hes being prosecuted for at least some of his crimes. But in Russia, the rule of law isnt a thing. Heres how one expert in 2005 described how judges reach their verdicts:

Judicial decisions are typically made according to one of three formulas: the judge makes a decision based on the merits of the case, but then seeks bribes to issue the appropriate ruling; the judge seeks bribes from both sides and rules in favor of the highest bidder; or the judge issues a ruling based on the dictates of state officials or organized crime.

Last year, Russian political scientist Dmitry Evstafiev explained on Russian state TV that the West is trying to seduce Russians with promises of Nutella, paved roads, and indoor toilets, a toilet bowl for every region! No one on the show burst into laughter because in Russia this seems plausible. You know why? Well, for starters, because Russia is a backward country where the elites traffic in deranged paranoia and insecurity. But, more tangibly, because more than 1 in 5 Russian households do not have indoor plumbing. America has roughly 131.5 million households, and I found a report that almost 500,000 households lack indoor plumbing. Thats bad. But that works out to something like one out of 263 households with no indoor plumbing. So if you think being able to crap in your own home (in a functioning toilet) is desirableand I certainly doRussia is not the place Id want to flee to.

Man does not live by indoor toilets alone.

Now, I suspect that a large share of those Americans without indoor plumbing are immigrants. Theyre living in substandard places because thats all they can afford and because, at least some of them, are not here legally and have little recourse to complain about their conditions. Poor immigrants have always flocked to urban tenements, historically the first rung in the ladder out of poverty. Thats a real public policy problem and always has been. But one of the reasons weve always had such problems is that millions upon millions of people desperately want to live in America. Im the first to admit we cant take them all, or even a large fraction of them.

But why do they want to come to America? Well, to put it bluntly, for the neoliberalism. I doubt many would put it that way. But they certainly want to live in a country where if you work hard, you can get ahead. Where you can get a fair shake in a court. Where you can reap the rewards that come with living in accordance with traditional values. Sure, many just want to live in a rich country. But you know what makes America rich? The frickn liberalism, whether you call it neoliberalism, paleoliberalism, or just plain capitalism.

As I wrote in Suicide of the West, the biggest problem with so-called neoliberalism is that it makes us so rich that some people take prosperity for granted. Some become untethered from traditional values that make liberal democratic capitalism work. They latch onto false faiths that they believe will fill the holes in their souls, and these false faiths blame the system for their adherents own failings. Since the French Revolution, radicals and revolutionaries have been drawn from the ranks not of the poor but of the arrivistes, the prosperous, ambitious, overeducated, and bitter zealots who think they have a better way than the one offered by a system that doesnt confer on them the status they think they deserve. Such people were Lenins useful idiots (though theres little evidence he actually used that precise phrase).

Some of the people celebrating Putins bold overture are, similarly, his useful idiots. But others are more morally and intellectually perverted. They have no desire to move to Russia. They simply want to monetize or politically exploit the idiocy of people who dont know better by making the twisted and rotted timber of Russia into a yardstick to judge America by. Say what you will about the old left that constantly bleated about how much better Scandinavian countries are than Americaat least those countries were pretty nice places to live, thanks in part to their neoliberalism. But Russia as it exists today is in every meaningful sense a craptacular country. Spare me the but what about Russian literature!? retorts. Russian literature is great because it turns out that oppression, misery, and brutal weather are great muses for dour prose.

If you envy real, existing Putinism, you envy corruption, authoritarianism, fanatical militarism, and pristine anti-Americanism. If you apologize for it, you are confessing either your ignorance or your villainy. Im not an America: Love it or leave it guy. But by all means if you love Russia as it is, vote with your feet and go there. You wont be missed.

Read more at The Dispatch

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SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C.(WSPA)  Voters approved on Tuesday a plan to increase taxes in order to better fund a volunteer fire department.

On Tuesday, 681 people cast ballots for or against a ballot measure for a property tax increase for those serviced by Glendale Area Fire District in order to pay for operational costs of the fire district.

Slightly more than 75% of voters voted in favor of the measure.

According to Jonathan Wells, chief of Glendale Area Fire District, with the passage of the referendum, the district will be able to hire three new firefighters, bringing its total staff to 12.

Wells said the district will be able to offer better pay and benefits to its firefighters, making the district more competitive with other area departments. Glendale will also add an EMT program.

Wells said the maximum millage increase allowed by the referendum would cost an extra $40 a year for a $100,000 home, but the district plans to hold at a lower rate for now.

Glendale Fire District covers 16.5 square miles on the east side of Spartanburg and has a population of about 7,600.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
The Palm Beach Post is providing up-to-date voting results here.

*

The reporting of results from Tuesday's primary elections got off to a rocky start with the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections website offline just after the polls closed because of issues with its website vendor.

The problem became apparent at 7:10 p.m., just after polls closed, according to elections officials. Attempts to view results were greeted by an error message similar to the one that comes up when a website hits an error trying to fetch information from a database.

The outage also initially affected 64 out of 67 counties' elections offices, all that use the company VR Systems, said Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link. As the outage became apparent, Link said her office decided to publish on Channel 20's site, with the idea that would be the way to reach more people.

"They do not have an answer yet as to why," Link said, responding to the question of whether the website outage was a hack. "We have results but we're just having trouble getting them on the website."

VR Systems was still trying to figure out how it happened just after 8:30 p.m., Link said.

State officials, however, told the Associated Press the problem was not related to a cybersecurity attack.

A woman drops off a ballot at the official ballot dropbox located at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office in unincorporated Palm Beach County on Tuesday, March 9, 2021.

Link said she was unable to say when her office's regular site would be live again, but a back-up site, votepalmbeach.com, went up with results about an hour later.

Discussions about what this means for November's election haven't started yet, Link said. But they will be happening.

"This is all very, very new," Link said just before 9 p.m. "If anything, we were pleased to know that our backup plan that we had put in place worked for us."

The Palm Beach Post has updated state results. Go here.

Broward County elections officials acknowledged the problem and said it was a statewide disruption. In Manatee County, a former city official was critical of the technical problem, and blamed Gov. Ron DeSantis. The state Division of Elections is led by Secretary of State Cord Byrd, a DeSantis appointee.

In my decades of service as an elected official I have never seen the election website unavailable on election night. Thanks @GovDeSantis for this incompetent appointment of yours in #ManateeCounty #Florida #Bradenton #Palmetto #LWR  pic.twitter.com/mWU7X76oSy  Harold E. Byrd, Jr. (@Councilman_Byrd) August 20, 2024

A fifth of Palm Beach County voters cast ballots, half by mail

On Tuesday evening, the county elections department reported that the unofficial turnout for Tuesday's primary was 22.25% of the electorate  191,789 out of 862,008 active eligible voters. The voter breakdown included 96,524 who voted with mailed-in ballots, 32,121 who cast ballots during early voting and 63,144 who made their choices on Tuesday.

Link said the actual voting went smoothly.

Tuesday's primary election presented some milestones for voting in Palm Beach County.

Its the first time the Supervisor of Elections has occupied its new facility located at 4301 Cherry Road.

And its the first presidential election year since the state Legislature started overhauling election laws in the wake of the 2020 election when baseless allegations of widespread irregularities roiled the country. Gov. Ron DeSantis had praised the seamlessness of Florida's voting operation in that election, but later backed efforts to change mail-in voting, registration procedures and the use of ballot drop boxes that critics said was an effort to suppress voting.

Most notably, as of Jan. 1, 2023, all vote-by-mail requests expired and voting by mail requests were not automatically renewed as happened in the past. The changes required residents to specifically request a mail-in ballot.

Citizens and poll workers engage in voting activities at Sunlight Community Church on August 20, 2024, in Lake Worth Beach, Fla. The church at 1325 North A Street serves precincts 4601, 4602 and 4603. An election deputy patrols the poll entrance this morning.

All the state's supervisors of elections were starting from zero mail-in requests as 2023 began. The new law requires voters to renew their mail-in ballot request after every general election cycle.

The rolls of mail-in voters have plummeted across the state and Palm Beach County is no exception.

The Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office had about 186,000 requests for mail-in ballots, as of Tuesday. That compares to the 344,261 ballots that were mailed out in 2020, the last pre-presidential primary election. Unofficial results show that mail-in voting remains the most popular method to vote in Palm Beach County  half of those votes in Tuesday's primary were cast that way.

Anne Geggis is the insurance reporter at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at ageggis@gannett.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: PBC elections: Website outage delays results; voting goes smoothly
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. (Photo by Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original story.)

The Brennan Center for Justice and the Ohio Organizing Collaborative have been pushing Ohios Secretary of State since July to confirm voters arent being improperly removed from the rolls after updating their address. Now, theyre preparing to file suit against Sec. Frank LaRose if his office doesnt respond by the end of the day today, Wednesday.

They argue Ohios procedures seem as though they violate federal law, and new state provisions seem to confirm those concerns.

Where statutes disagree

The watchdogs concerns center on provisions in the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, known colloquially as the Motor Voter law. In addition to requiring state motor vehicle agencies to provide voter registration forms, it sets out guidelines for what happens when a resident updates their address.

Section 5 requires that whenever someone updates their address with the BMV, that change must also serve as notification to update their voter registration. This change is supposed to happen automatically unless the person affirmatively opts out of the process.

In other words, the organizations wrote to the Secretary in July, the NVRA puts the onus on state officials to update the voters registration record.

In the same letter they cite correspondence between the Secretarys office and state Rep. Elliot Forhan, D-South Euclid, in which LaRose indicated at least some of the individuals getting flagged had moved and updated their drivers license but failed to update their registration.

The Brennan Center and Ohio Organizing Collaborative argue thats a fundamental misreading of state agency responsibilities under the Motor Voter law.

Ohio cannot require registered voters who report a change of address at the BMV to take any additional steps to update their registration, such as filling out additional forms or cancelling the registration at their old address, their letter insists.

One notable problem, Brennan Center attorney Patrick Berry argued, is Ohios DATA Act. The measure was a priority for LaRose early in the current legislative term and it was included as a budget rider last summer. Its primary purpose was to get Ohios 88 boards of elections on the same page when it comes to maintaining their voter rolls, but it also carries a provision that could hamper updates under the NVRA.

The statute states registration updates can only happen if a voter files a name or address change, but it also prohibits information obtained from state agencies in the normal course of business from being used to update a voters registration address.

Berry worries that presents a conundrum. Is a change of address form getting shared between agencies to keep records up to date as the Motor Voter law requires? Or is it treated as the information collected in the normal course of business that cant be used to update registrations?

With state law potentially at cross purposes, the organizations warned the Secretary that removal on the ground that (voters) failed to cancel their registration at their old address would violate the NVRA.

Additionally, Berry expressed concerns about the BMV change of address form. While it notifies applicants that the information they share will be used for voter registration purposes, its presented more like a warning than a service. By signing this form, it states, you are consenting to the release of the information provided.

We think that that language could be confusing and subject to different interpretations, Berry argued.

Following that notification, the form includes a box for applicants to opt out of sharing their information, but it also includes a second signature box. In a follow up letter to the Secretary on Monday, the organizations criticized that framing as facially deceptive because it seemingly presents the information sharing as something to which a voter must opt in.

Are the right people getting flagged?

After an initial review of the voters included in the removal process, Berry noted they found a handful who received letters to verify their address well before state officials can actually remove them. Thats not necessarily a problem, but he explained the Motor Voter law established the procedures for removing a voter after theyve moved.

Specifically, he said, an election official cant remove a voter based on a change of address unless the voter confirms themselves in writing that theyve moved, or the voter fails to respond to the notice thats sent to them and then fails to vote in the next two federal general elections.

Berry described finding voters in Cuyahoga County scheduled for removal who received confirmation letters in 2021, 2022 or 2024  too recent to remove them unless the voter responds confirming their move.

After the removals went forward at the end of July, Berry explained one of the voters they identified was removed but the remainder were still on the rolls. The voter who was removed may have returned a confirmation notice, but its not clear.

And we just want to make sure that you know that one voter who was removed was removed properly and in accordance with the National Voter Registration Act, Berry said.

He noted they also want to know if similarly situated voters are being protected as well.

As the chief election official, Berry explained, Secretary LaRose is required to ensure that the relevant state agencies and election officials, including the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and county boards of elections, are complying with the National Voter Registration Act.

And we hope that he responds to our letter by tomorrow, with assurances that they are, he added. But if we dont hear from the Secretary, we wont hesitate to seek court intervention to protect the rights of Ohio voters.

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), tapped earlier this month as Vice President Harriss running mate, is better liked than his Republican counterpart, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), according to a poll released Wednesday.

The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Research Center found that 36 percent of Americans have a favorable view of Walz, outpacing Vances 27 percent.

Both vice presidential hopefuls are still fairly unknown to a portion of the American electorate, however. The poll found that around 4 in 10 Americans do not know enough about the Minnesota governor, and 3 in 10 said the same about the first-term Ohio senator.

A higher number of adults have an unfavorable view of former President Trumps running mate. The survey found that 44 percent of adults had an unfavorable view of Vance, much higher than the 25 percent that said the same about Walz.

As Walz is slated to address the party at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday evening, he will have an opportunity to boost his name ID as some portions of the partys voters are unfamiliar with him.

Around 4 in 10 women and young adults under the age of 45 said they do not know enough to form an opinion about the governor, the poll found. Roughly half of Black adults and around 4 in 10 Hispanic adults said they were not familiar enough with Walz to say whether they have a positive view.

Vance, who was picked as Trumps running mate in mid-July, is generally well-liked within the Republican ranks. Around 6 in 10 GOP voters said they had a somewhat or very favorable view of the Ohio lawmaker; roughly 2 in 10 Republicans said they had an unfavorable view of Vance, while one-quarter stated they do not know enough about him, the poll found.

Walzs higher favorability among respondents follows a recent ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos survey that found 39 percent of respondents had a strongly or somewhat positive view of the Minnesota governor. Around 32 percent said the same about Vance.

The AP-NORC poll was conducted Aug. 8-12 among 1,164 adults and has a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points.

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MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. (WHNT)  A couple wanted on several warrants was arrested Wednesday after they tried to run from the police in a stolen car.

On Wednesday, August 21, around 9:31 a.m., the Muscle Shoals Police Department (MSPD) said officers arrested 21-year-old Koren Eric Allen McLaughlin from Hartselle and 28-year-old Joslynn Sierra Winston from Athens.

LIVEBLOG: Day 2 testimony begins in Seven Deadly Sins capital murder trial

Winston and McLaughlin were wanted by several agencies prior to the chase. Their arrest comes after the Limestone County Sheriffs Office asked the public for information on the couple on August 16.

MSPD said the chase started in Sheffield on Tuesday. The two began to run on foot after they tried to drive the stolen car through a heavily wooded area near Second Street in Muscle Shoals.

Early Wednesday morning, the department said officers set up a perimeter around the wooded area where the two were reportedly last seen.

Shortly after the perimeter was set up, MSPD officers said they found Winston and McLaughlin walking in the woods along a creek.

Limestone County man charged with child sex crimes, torture

Winston and McLaughlin were arrested by MSPD officers and were taken to the Sheffield Police Department on pending charges.

Both Winston and McLaughlin have multiple arrest warrants with several agencies across North Alabama.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com.
Wanted man arrested in Columbus on two counts of sexual assault by teacher

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL)  A man wanted on sexual assault charges was arrested by the Muscogee County Sheriffs Office and the United States Marshals Services on Tuesday.

According to MCSO, Jeffrey Crowder was taken into custody on felony bench warrants for first-degree cruelty to children and two counts of sexual assault by a teacher.

Crowder was taken to Muscogee County Jail. He is awaiting extradition back to Bulloch County, Georgia.

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DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM)  A wanted Pennsylvania man is in jail after police were alerted about someone setting off fireworks in a Hershey hotel parking lot, court documents show.

According to the charges filed by Derry Township Police, Justan Grube, 40, of Allentown, was scaring the guests at the Sunrise Inn, located at 1733 E Chocolate Avenue, by setting off the fireworks in the parking lot just before 10 p.m. on Friday.

After police arrived, they were pointed in the direction of a room that a man named Jae, later identified as Grube, was staying in, and he had allegedly told other guests that he had warrants, police said in the criminal complaint.

Florida man arrested in connection to skimming devices in Cumberland County fuel pumps

Grube allegedly gave police a false name when speaking with them, and then tried to push them out of the way and get in his vehicle.

According to the complaint, there was a struggle between officers and Grube, which ended in him getting Tased, and the officers suffered some scrapes. During the struggle, police said Grube grabbed an officers neck from behind, making it difficult for them to breathe. Police said it took three officers to take him into custody.

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It was discovered that Grube had six different misdemeanor and felony warrants out for his arrest after he gave police his ID, the charges show.

Grube faces three felony charges of aggravated assault and misdemeanor charges of strangulation, resisting arrest and false identification to law enforcement officer.

Grub is locked up in Dauphin County Prison with his bail denied and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 3.

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WARREN, Ohio (WKBN)  A Warren man pleaded guilty Wednesday to rape charges involving two girls.

According to the Trumbull County Prosecutors Office, Jestin W. Peterson, 42, pleaded guilty to rape, a first-degree felony, and gross sexual imposition, a third-degree felony, in connection to the sexual assaults of two girls who were 10 and 11 years old at the time.

Prosecutors say the crimes happened in Petersons home in the summer of 2020.

Peterson will be sentenced following a presentence investigation. At sentencing, he will be labeled a Tier III sexual offender and will have to register with the local sheriffs office four times a year for the rest of his life.

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WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI)  An investigation is underway after a 52-year-old man was found dead inside a Warwick home Wednesday.

Officers were called to the Spofford Avenue home for a well-being check on the man, who was believed to be armed.

Police said the man, who has not been identified, was wanted in connection with a domestic situation, which possibly involved him violating a no-contact order.

The man wasnt there when officers first pulled up to the home, according to police. Officers searched for the man a couple of hours before learning he had returned to the house after abandoning his car at a nearby Walmart.

Neighbors were evacuated out of an abundance of caution as officers prepared to enter the home. Police said the officers discovered the mans body once inside.

The circumstances surrounding the mans death are unknown at this time.

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WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI)  Dozens of Warwick school bus drivers picketed Wednesday morning, voicing their concerns during ongoing negotiations with First Student.

Gathering outside the bus yard on Strawberry Field Road, drivers held signs reading, We demand a fair contract, Speed up negotiations, and Value us.

Walter Melillo is the president and business agent of ATU Local 618 and represents the drivers. He told 12 News they are seeking better wages and benefits.

Wages and benefits are always an issue. Today everything is so expensive and  everybody needs a wage increase to support their families, he said.

First Student spokesperson Frank McMahon said the school bus company has been negotiating in good faith with ATU 618.

First Student proposed a competitive opening contract to which ATU 618 provided a counteroffer, which McMahon said they are currently reviewing with the same diligence and respect for the negotiation process.

We are prepared to stay at the bargaining table for as long as it takes to reach a mutually beneficial resolution, McMahon said in a statement.

ALSO READ: District fires driver, monitors who left North Kingstown student alone on school bus

He said the companys priority is ensuring safe and reliable transportation for Warwick students.

First Student is confident that we will reach an agreement that is fair to both parties as quickly as possible, ensuring that our school bus operations continue to serve the community effectively, McMahon added.

12 News asked about the possibility of a strike.

Its something I really cant forecast, Melillo said. If negotiations break down, we will take the proper measures to figure things out.

Three years ago, drivers held a similar protest in the same location, demanding better working conditions from First Student. The action halted transportation services for students.

They ultimately agreed on a new contract that extended through 2024, which included generous pay raises, increased 401(k) contributions, and other benefit improvements for our valued, hardworking Warwick school bus drivers.

BACKGROUND: Union, First Student strike deal on new contract for Warwick bus drivers

They provide a central service to our community. They get our kids from home to school safely and they want to be appreciated for that, Melillo said.



Warwick school bus drivers picket for better treatment outside bus yard, 8-21-24





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While her mission on board the International Space Station is taking a bit longer than anticipated, NASA astronaut Suni Williams is staying busy.

On Sunday, the Needham native took part in the 7-mile Falmouth Road Race, roughly 250 miles above Earth.

Dawning the 416 bib, video shows Williams strapping herself onto a treadmill shell use to virtually run the race.

This race is amazing, it raises so much money for the local community, Williams said. That race is tough. Theres a lot of twists, a lot of turns, a lot of up and downhill...but its gonna be great, its gonna be awesome.

Williams also gave the starting command for the elite womens group.

Earlier this month, NASA announced that Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore may not be able to return to Earth until February 2025 due to safety concerns with Boeings Starliner spacecraft.

The duo launched into space on June 5 and have now been on board the International Space Station for 76 days.

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ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colorado (KMID/KPEJ)  The Arapahoe County Sheriffs Office made an explosive discovery on Monday: an inactive World War Two era bomb.

On August 19, the Arapahoe County Sheriffs Office responded to investigate a military ordnance found by a construction company in the 4600 block of South Robertsdale Way. The area was formerly Lowry Bombing and Gunnery Range.

WATCH: Firefighters rescue baby deer from drainage ditch

The Aurora Police Department requested assistance after the device was excavated out of the ground. Once bomb technicians arrived, they x-rayed the device, and it turned out to be inert. It was determined to be a World War II Mark 23 Mod One training round.

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RAPID CITY, South Dakota (KMID/KPEJ)  Firefighters rescued a baby deer from a drainage ditch in western South Dakota on Thursday.

Footage posted to the Rapid City Fire Department social media showed four first responders surrounding the trapped mule deer fawn and carefully approaching. One firefighter can be seen catching the frightened animal and returning it to the ground above, where it is reunited with its waiting mother.

WATCH: DC firefighters rescue dogs, puppies from fire

The citys drains periodically trap deer, as seen in video from the fire department posted last September.

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The German navy has made its presence known in London by blaring out the Darth Vader theme as one of its warships advanced up the River Thames.

Londoners looked on as the German warship was towed slowly past Butlers Wharf on the South Bank near Tower Bridge.

The Braunschweig F260 ship played the Imperial March track from the Star Wars saga as it floated by.

In footage of the arrival, sailors can be seen on deck dressed in light blue shirts, dark trousers and navy blue life jackets.

A German navy spokesman told The Telegraph: The commander can choose the music freely. The choice of music has no deeper message.

The Braunschweig F260 is the lead ship of the German navys latest Class K130 corvette fleet. Tower Bridge opened to allow the warship through and go alongside the HMS Belfast on Friday.

The ship, which was commissioned in 2008, has since left London and was moored in Plymouth on Wednesday morning.

A spokesman for the German Embassy in London said: The commander of the corvette FGS Braunschweig is a big Star Wars fan and an admirer of the legendary musical scores of John Williams.

He chooses a different Williams tune whenever his ship is visiting a foreign harbour.

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HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT)  Illinois Governor JB Pritzker spoke during the second night of the Democratic National Convention in support of Kamala Harris.

During the speech, Pritzker attacked former President Donald Trumps 2017 tax plan and said it was time for a White House that leads with kindness.

You can view the full speech from Governor Pritzker in the video player above.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW).
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Hezbollah damaged several Israeli homes after firing a barrage of 50 rockets towards the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Wednesday morning.

Israeli doctors treated a man in his 30s for shrapnel wounds, while one home was engulfed in flames following a direct hit from a rocket.

Uri Kellner, the head of the Golan Regional Council, called on Israel to find a way to stop the near daily cross-border attacks, which have left 60,000 people internally displaced, and restore security to the residents.

Hezbollah said the attack was in response to an Israeli strike deep into Lebanon on Tuesday night, in which one person was killed and 19 injured.

Israel attacked Hezbollah targets deep inside Lebanon again overnight, striking a number of military structures and weapons storage facilities in the area of the Beqaa Valley.

The Israel Defense Forces said secondary explosions were identified following the airstrikes, indicating the presence of large amounts of weapons in the facilities. One member of Hezbollah was killed in southern Lebanon, it said.

The fresh strikes come as ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel are said to be on the brink of collapse, with no clear alternative in sight, sources told Politico.

The deal on the table, presented by Washington following a two-day summit in Doha last week, is the strongest form of the deal to date because it includes terms that are tailored to the demands of both Hamas and Israel, two US and two Israeli officials said.

We dont know if [the Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar wants this deal. But if we dont get the deal theres a chance that Iran attacks and this escalates into a full-blown confrontation, said one official familiar with Israels stance on negotiations.

While the talks are set to resume in Cairo on Thursday and Friday, an Israeli official told The Telegraph that might be postponed to next week.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels prime minister, is facing internal criticism for issuing public statements about sensitive issues still being negotiated on, such as his insistence that Israel continue to control the Philadelphi Corridor, which separates Egypt and Gaza.

Maximalist statements like this are not constructive to getting a ceasefire deal across the finish line, a US official told Axios.

Hamas has so far rejected the American ceasefire proposal outright, claiming it adds Israeli demands that were not included in the outline first presented by Joe Biden, the US president, in May.

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The Democratic National Convention kicked off Day 2 with a roll call that had each state announcing their delegate votes to send Kamala Harris to the White House as President of the United States.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear represented the state, casting the delegate votes in support fo Harris.

Andy Beshear on J.D. Vance: Kentucky governor's comments about JD Vance's abortion stance create viral controversy

What you need to know:

Watch Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear cast delegate votes at 2024 DNC in Chicago

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear cast 56 votes for the state of Kentucky in favor of sending Kamala Harris to the White House as the next President of the United States.

The Bluegrass State is ready to send Vice President Harris to the White House!



See our very own Gov. @AndyBeshearKY cast Kentucky Democrats votes for the next President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/PYM63R0PrM  Kentucky Democrats (@KyDems) August 21, 2024

Watch 2024 DNC Day 2 live tonight

2024 DNC stream live from Chicago

The Democratic National Convention can be viewed via live stream at these locations:

Full 2024 DNC schedule for Wednesday, August 21

Here's a look at the full schedule for the 2024 DNC for Wednesday, Aug. 21. All times are in Central Time.

7 a.m.-9:30 a.m. : Delegation breakfasts

9 a.m.-10 a.m.: Morning press briefing

9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: Black Caucus meeting

9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: Hispanic Caucus meeting

9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: AAPI Caucus meeting

9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: Native American Caucus meeting

9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: Ethnic Caucus meeting

12 p.m.-1:30 p.m.: Labor Caucus meeting

12 p.m.-1:30 p.m.: LGBTQ+ Council meeting

12 p.m.-1:30 p.m.: Small Business Council meeting

1:45 p.m.-3:15 p.m.: Environmental & Climate Crisis Council meeting

1:45 p.m.-3:15 p.m.: Senior Council meeting

5:30 p.m.-10 p.m.: Main programming

DNC roll call: Here's which song represented Kentucky

Chris Sims is a digital content producer at Midwest Connect Gannett. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisFSims.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: 2024 DNC roll call: Watch Ky. Gov. Andy Beshear cast delegate votes
WATCH: Lil Jon lights up the DNC helping Georgia cast their votes for Kamala Harris during roll call

In what is likely a Democratic National Convention first, the ceremonial roll call during the event was done with the help of a DJ.

And of course, Georgia went above and beyond to outdo all the other states with a little help from Lil Jon.

The Atlanta-based rapper hyped the crowd during the roll call of state delegations, chanting, Were not going back. The delegation proclaimed, The Souths got something to say!

RELATED STORIES:

His hit song Get Low has became sort of rallying cry for the Harris-Walz campaign in the last few weeks.

During the roll call, state Democratic Party Chair, U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, spoke and even paid tribute to former President Jimmy Carter.

When we send Kamala Harris to the White House, shell fight for our freedom to vote, our reproductive freedom, and out freedom to thrive. In the spirit of good trouble, Georgia casts 123 votes for the next president of the United States, Kamala Harris, Williams said.

Former President Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff are expected to speak later on in the evening.

RELATED NEWS:
CLEVELAND, Ohio (KMID/KPEJ)  A woman called Cleveland Police to report a driver pulling a gun in road rage. But a 9-1-1 recording showed a dispatcher who lost his temper.

Im asking you what happened? What do you mean what happened?

What happened? I already have the *bleep* license plate. What happened?

The caller said she drove on the Jennings Freeway in June, when she saw another driver get mad at her changing lanes. Then, downtown, the other driver flashed a gun.

The caller lost patience trying to give the license plate of the man with the gun. The call taker also blew up.

What is going on? Did you get the bleep license plate number? This man just pulled

Im asking you what happened? What do you mean what happened? What happened? I already have the *bleep* license plate.

WATCH: Two-year-old boy accidentally shoots mothers boyfriend

The caller said the dispatcher then hung up on her. Another recording showed the woman then called back to 9-1-1. That time, someone else answered and tried to send help.

Now, an internal investigation is underway as Cleveland Police investigate the call with the dispatcher using foul language.

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Pro-Palestine demonstrators burn a US-Israel flag during a protest as the Democratic National Convention takes place in Chicago - MATTHEW HATCHER/AFP

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Pro-Palestinian protesters set fire to an American flag as hundreds of demonstrators clashed with police on the second night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

At least 72 people were arrested after around 200 pro-Palestinian protesters  many dressed in black, with their faces covered  tried to break through a police line outside the citys Israeli consulate.

Two American flags were burned during the demonstration. Witnesses claimed one flag was the Stars and Stripes and another was an American flag with the Star of David.

As Michelle and Barack Obama addressed delegates at the citys United Center, officers, equipped with face shields and batons, tried to restore order.

The Obamas both delivered powerful speeches on Tuesday night - MICHAEL REYNOLDS/SHUTTERSTOCK

A protester burns a US-Israel flag as others watch on - MATTHEW HATCHER/AFP

Larry Snelling, the police superintendent, said: We have people who showed up here to commit acts of violence. They wanted chaos.

Mr Snelling said his officers had shown restraint when no one else did and did an excellent job responding to violence and vandalism.

A group called Behind Enemy Lines, a Leftist group with militant leanings, organised the rally, which had not been permitted by the citys authorities.

Another group called Samidoun, which Germany and Israel have banned over allegations that it has ties to terrorist groups, was also behind the rally, according to NBC News.

Writing on Instagram after the protests, Behind Emily Lines said dozens of people had been brutally arrested outside the Israeli consulate by Brandon Johnsons thugs defending the genocidal criminals inside the DNC, referring to the mayor of Chicago.

The group wrote: Protesters gathered in front of the Zionist Israeli consulate to denounce the US-Israel genocide on Gaza. While the criminals orchestrating that genocide were gathered less than two miles away, the CPD [Chicago Police Department] waged a ferocious assault on free speech.

Demonstrators clash with police near the Israeli consulate - NOAH BERGER/AP

Protesters staged an unauthorised rally outside the consulate - Dave Decker/Shutterstock

Tuesday night was the second day protesters clashed with police. Thousands of protesters showed up for the Coalition to March on Monday, the first day of the DNC.

Pro-Palestinian leaders representing Mondays mostly peaceful march on the Democratic convention said they were not associated with Tuesdays rally.

A small group of pro-Israel demonstrators also gathered on Tuesday.

Elan Carr, the chief executive of the Israeli-American Council, condemned the pro-Palestinian protesters, calling them fringe crazies and demanding that US leaders stand unequivocally with the state of Israel.

The protest began outside the Israeli consulate, which was barricaded and protected by police on bicycles, at around 7pm.

The group later marched into a line of police down the road, with protesters reportedly throwing signs and physically clashing with the officers.

These are the enemy of the people, and we must move on these m-----------, the leader of the protest is understood to have said.

The Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest said it was appalled to see violence during the protest in front of our offices. This is anything but peaceful and completely contradictory to the spirit of the DNC. This vocal minority does not represent the vast bipartisan majority of Americans who stand strong in support of Israel.

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Watch: Runaway goat found after two days on the loose in Massachusetts

Aug. 21 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts sanctuary said an escaped goat is safely back at the facility after two days on the loose.

The Sowa Goat Sanctuary in Harvard, which had offered a $5,000 reward for the safe return of missing goat Caleb, said the animal was found about .4 miles from the sanctuary.

The sanctuary said on social media that a man named Derek had found Caleb under a lean-to behind his tractor and immediately rushed to alert sanctuary personnel.

Caleb was loaded into a truck and transported back to the sanctuary to be reunited with his brother, Joey.

"They IMMEDIATELY started nuzzling and could not be happier to be back together in the safety of the sanctuary," the post said.

The sanctuary had earlier revealed that Caleb ran off when he was spooked Sunday, sparking a days-long search that involved local police and thermal drones.

The post said Caleb was "shaken" but uninjured.

Officials had offered a $5,000 reward for the goat's safe return, but it was unclear whether Derek had collected the money.
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A Russian soldier blew up his units headquarters before escaping and defecting to Ukraine, Kyiv has revealed.

The soldier, an FPV (first person view) drone pilot known by his call-sign Silver, said on Wednesday that he was driven to switch sides after witnessing atrocities committed by his Storm-Z assault unit.

Ukraines military intelligence, HUR, revealed the secret operation and his defection had been meticulously planned for months with the help of the Freedom of Russia Legion (FRL), a Russian partisan group fighting for Ukraine.

In secretly recorded footage from inside the basement of the headquarters, officers in the Storm-Z unit, which are usually made up of ex-convicts or former mercenaries, are seen talking and cleaning their guns.

Once the unit commander and officers go to bed, a huge explosion erupts inside the room.

Battalion commander seriously wounded

There were about 15 people in the basement, Silver said at a press conference in Kyiv on Wednesday.

There was a pipe directly above the bed where they were sleeping that went into the street next to the entrance, and we decided to throw two grenades into this pipe so that they would explode next to them, he added.

The blast severely wounded the battalion commander, according to reports.

The soldier then reportedly left anti-infantry mines on the road, before taking a pre-arranged route across the front line into Ukrainian territory and surrendering to Kyivs forces.

Silver said he had become disillusioned with Russias war in Ukraine and the other crimes carried out by his command, including extrajudicial executions, beatings and extortion against both civilians and soldiers.

I didnt want to die for Putin

I wanted to serve in the army, I gave an oath to protect my motherland. My motherland is there [in Russia] and no one attacked it I didnt want to die for Putin, he said, explaining that he contacted FRL early this year.

A spokesman for HUR, Ukrainian military intelligence directorate, claimed that Silver had provided valuable intelligence on Russian military positions and offensive plans over several months.

A commander in the FRL, whose call sign is Caesar, told The Telegraph: This operation shows the people of Russia that resistance can be successful, that motivated, clever, brave people can work to overthrow Putins regime.

Caesar added that Silver has now become a FRL recruit and very soon he will join us on the front line to fight Putins forces and defend Ukraine.

The defection marks a fresh political coup for Ukraines intelligence forces, which have been focused on luring disgruntled Russian soldiers to their cause as part of their I Want To Live project.

The most high-profile case so far was when Maxim Kuzminov, a Russian pilot, flew his Mi8 attack helicopter to Ukraine in the summer of 2023. In February, his body was found riddled with bullets in a car park in Alicante province, Spain.

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Watch: Thai MP slaps reporter after she asked question he didnt like

Prawit Wongsuwon strikes a reporter

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An influential Thai politician was filmed slapping a female reporter after she asked him a question, sparking a formal investigation into his conduct.

Prawit Wongsuwon, a 79-year-old MP and former army chief, struck the woman several times as she was surrounded by other journalists last week.

This behaviour is physical harassment, said Tewarit Maneechai, a senator, who added that he had requested a parliamentary investigation into Mr Prawits conduct. It is also disrespectful to a journalist who was doing her work.

The incident happened on Aug 16, moments after Paetongtarn Shinawatra, of the Pheu Thai Party, won a vote in parliament to become prime minister.

Ms Paetongtarn, 37, will be Thailands youngest ever premier and the third from the billionaire Shinawatra family, with whom Mr Prawit has a bitter history.

What are you asking?

Mr Prawit, who leads the Palang Pracharat Party and did not attend the vote, was asked his thoughts on the victory by the female TV journalist.

He barked back: What are you asking? What are you asking? and then hit her several times on the head, TV footage showed.

Piya Tavichai, a spokesman for the Palang Pracharat Party, said Mr Prawit knew the reporter well and had apologised, adding that he would clarify the facts in any parliamentary process.

He was teasing her as someone who he is close to, he said. Because he was a soldier, the teasing could appear to be violent, but those close to him know that he teases like this all the time.

The incident sparked widespread condemnation from Thailands media community. ThaiPBS, the countrys public broadcaster, asked Mr Prawit to take responsibility for his actions.

Mr Prawit is a political dealmaker and central figure in Thailands two decades of political strife. He was deputy prime minister for nine years after a 2014 coup in which he took part.

Senator Tewarit said he had requested an ethics investigation into Mr Prawit through the Senate to be conveyed to the lower house of parliament, which will have 30 days to respond. He said he was unsure what penalty Mr Prawit could face if found guilty.

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA)  The University of Illinois Homecoming parade grand marshal will be a familiar face for WCIA 3 viewers this year.

The university announced Wednesday morning that our very own evening news anchor Jennifer Roscoe, class of 93 alumna, will do the honors.

100 years at Memorial: What you can expect to see this season at Illini Football games from the band to amenities

I watched the Homecoming parade as a student and have done live shots next to it as a reporter, Roscoe said in a release. Being asked to lead the parade as the grand marshal is a huge honor. Im already practicing my wave.

Although she was born in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Roscoe has been local to Central Illinois for more than 30 years and is a longtime presence at WCIA where she first started her career as an intern. Before anchoring your evening news, she also worked as a reporter. Roscoe is an Emmy-nominated journalist  a title she earned for her special Angels Among Us  Where are They Now?

The parade will start at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13, beginning at the corner of Fourth Street and Kirby Avenue, turning at Gregory Drive, and continuing west to First Street where it heads south toward Grange Grove at Memorial Stadium. A pep rally will follow the parade.

The full list of Homecoming Week events for students and the community alike during Sept. 8-14 is available 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 WCIA.com.
Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said on Wednesday that his vulnerable Democratic colleagues are doing the right thing by skipping the party convention this week, if they think that will help them win reelection in November.

I think the right move for them is to do whatever is required for them to win that race, Welch told MSNBCs Ana Cabrera and Jose Diaz-Balart, when asked about Democrats in tough races choosing to skip the Chicago convention.

Cabrera pointed to Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) as examples of Democratic senators absent in Chicago this week.

Each of us represents a state. So, you mentioned Brown and Tester. They come from two tough states. They are very popular senators, but they are doing everything that they can  as they do throughout their entire six-year term  to make it clear they put Montana first, they put Ohio first, Welch, a freshman senator, said in the interview.

So, any of us who are in a contested race have to make decisions on the basis of, How are we going to win? And Tester and Sherrod Brown are doing that, Jacky Rosen. So, yes, I think they are doing the right thing, he continued.

Thousands of Democrats descended on Chicago this week to rally behind their partys presidential ticket ahead of the November election. Some elected Democrats  including senators and House members  opted instead to stay home and focus on campaigning for their own reelection efforts.

Tester is facing what is likely his biggest reelection challenge yet in what is otherwise a solidly Republican state. He is also one of the relatively few Democrats in Congress who has not thrown his support behind Harriss bid.

The campaigns press secretary told the Montana Free Press that the senator will spend his August farming and meeting directly with Montanans. The three-term incumbent will hold a fundraiser Wednesday with a member of the rock band Pearl Jam, according to the outlet.

Browns campaign said the Ohio senator had been planning to skip the convention this year to spend more time in Ohio and noted that the senator has endorsed Harris.

Weve been planning to be in Ohio for months and Sherrod is looking forward to hearing from Ohioans in Youngstown, Toledo, Cleveland, Chillicothe, and Sandusky this week to discuss his record fighting for the Dignity of Work, campaign spokesperson Eliza Green said.

Brown is up for reelection in a state that has increasingly been voting Republican.

Rosen faces Republican Sam Brown in what may be one of the closest Senate contests this year. Rosen told the New York Times in an interview that its important that Im home and that its the best place I can be.

She has not attended Democratic conventions in the past, however, and held a rally in Las Vegas with Harris and vice presidential nominee Tim Walz last Saturday.

Senator Rosen supports the Harris-Walz ticket and was glad to join them on the campaign trail in Las Vegas this past weekend, a campaign spokesperson said. She is also focused on her own reelection and will be talking with Nevada voters during the week of the convention.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who is not up for reelection this year, is also not attending the convention, saying, Ive got three young kids, and theyre out of school, in an interview with The Free Press. Thats four days I can spend with my children.

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), who also isnt making the trip to Chicago, is up for reelection in a state that is more comfortably blue than some of the others skipping the convention, but he has become more of a target for Republican this cycle.

Senator Heinrich is excited to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as the next President & Vice President of the United States. He has other commitments during the time of the convention, a spokesperson told Scripps News.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
No matter what former President Donald Trump says, almost all economists see tariffs  charges on imported goods that must be paid for them to enter the country  as a tax, usually paid by the consumer.

That hasnt stopped Trump from saying it is instead paid by the countries producing the goods. Its a tax on a country thats ripping us off and stealing our jobs, Trump said Saturday at a campaign rally at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

A day later, his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, was asked how she would pay for a raft of proposals she had made only days before that one budget group estimated would cost about $1.7 trillion over 10 years.

Speaking about two of her proposals, more generous child and earned income tax credits and payments to make housing more affordable, she insisted that the return on investment would mean it ultimately paid for itself.

When you are strengthening neighborhoods, strengthening communities and in particular the economies of those communities and investing in a broad-based economy, everybody benefits and it pays for itself in that way, Harris told reporters.

Admittedly, questions about the long-run value of the tax credits and trying to stir the housing market with government-subsidized down payments have no clear-cut answer. But the kind of accounting talked about by Harris  in which the value of the investment is its own return  is not recognized on Capitol Hill as a legit way to offset costs.

The episodes highlighted what many economists and Washington wonks fear is a further slide toward the ascendance of vibes-based campaigns where nitty-gritty, number-laden policy debate is irrelevant, at least in terms of economics.

Im old enough to remember when candidates were actually on the campaign trail mostly talking about their policies and we would be having a substantive kind of debate about these policies. Theres none of that happening right now, said Veronique de Rugy, senior research fellow at the libertarian-leaning Mercatus Center.

Harris speech Friday was her first big foray into economic policy since becoming the party nominee. Ordinarily, campaigns can spend months drawing up their sets of policies and internally weighing which to advocate for publicly, but Harris has had only weeks to pull together ideas, many of which echo existing Biden proposals.

Trump attempted twice to talk about the economy in mid-August, once at an Aug. 15 news conference at his New Jersey club and at a speech the day before. Both tries, though, were marred by Trump wandering off topic. Still, Trump has consistently said he wants to extend and expand the 2017 tax cuts, boost energy exploration and spend more on the military.

Marc Goldwein, senior vice president for the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the group that pegged Harris first bunch of policies as costing $1.7 trillion, was less dour than de Rugy but admitted the early stages of the campaigns have not been promising.

My best answer right now is its late, he said. There is less overall substance, I think thats true. But Im not sure that by the end there will be less overall substance, because weve probably seen more substance in the last month than we did in the entirety of the campaign until that point.

While its true there have been more policy proposals touting what candidates want to do, they have often been light on how they would do those things  notably including how they would be paid for, in an election where the economy is already a focal point. The Harris campaign, though, has provided more detail than Trumps.

For example, Harris moved quickly Monday to provide a concrete pay-for for last weeks proposals by saying she supported raising the corporate income tax to 28%, and she has been reported to support the revenue-raising proposals in President Joe Bidens latest budget.

But when candidates have not been light on details, they have been touting ideas many economists would say are at best minimally helpful and at worst simply pandering.

The idea of making tipped income exempt from income taxes has been pushed on both sides this election cycle, starting with Trump as he courted service industry workers in the swing state of Nevada. But he has provided no way to pay for it. The CRFB estimated his idea would cost between $150 billion to $200 billion over 10 years.

Harris then adopted the idea, though she would narrow it somewhat to hospitality workers only. Her changes would shave the cost of it by about $50 billion over 10 years, according to Goldweins group.

Neither the Trump or Harris campaigns returned requests for comment on their policy details across the board.

The problem, economists say, is no tax on tips, as Trump dubbed it, would probably not help many of the food servers that voters think of when they hear the idea.

I dont think it will change things in any meaningful way, in large part because many of the people who get tips dont pay taxes. They dont make enough money to pay [income] taxes, said Mark Zandi, chief economist with Moodys Analytics, an economic research and financial modeling organization.

Harris also proposed a $6,000 child tax credit for newborns younger than 1, after GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance floated a $5,000 credit.

Zandi, who was an economic adviser for the 2008 presidential campaign of GOP candidate John McCain, said those kinds of moves did not worry him.

Its more telling the voter where their intentions lie and how theyre thinking about the world and how they think about equity, he said. Thats just standard operating procedure.

Trumps idea to exempt Social Security payments from income taxes is also arguably a pander with potentially unexpected side effects: The CRFB estimated removing that income stream, estimated to be $1.6 trillion to $1.8 trillion, from the national budget would hasten the date by which Social Security could not pay out full benefits by more than one year. The failure of the part of Medicare that pays for hospital, nursing home and hospice care would also be moved up by six years.

Despite this, Trump has also said he will not cut benefits or raise the eligibility age for Social Security and Medicare.

According to Dean Baker, senior economist with the liberal Center for Economic and Policy Research, the plan would not only speed up the insolvency of the two programs, it would also be a windfall for rich retirees, such as people who continue to work after taking Social Security.

A retiree with the maximum annual Social Security payout, in the top tax bracket, could save an extra $20,000 annually from the exemption, he said.

This is like an incredibly regressive tax cut, he said.

One thing that united the economists, no matter their ideological leanings, was the view that Trump was wrong when he said Americans would not be affected by his proposed tariff plan, which would include a 10% tariff on most imported goods and higher tariffs for some countries.

Economists have done plenty of research on it and in most cases, not all cases obviously but most cases, the vast majority is paid in the importing country. The idea that China paid tariffs, thats just nonsense, Baker said.

De Rugy agreed, citing research on the tariffs Trump imposed on Chinese goods in his administration.

Theres been study after study after the China tariffs and most of them  I shouldnt say all but really most of them  have concluded that the vast majority of the burden of the tariffs was shouldered by domestic consumers [in the U.S.], she said.

The evidence is pretty clear that, by and large, the tariff is effectively borne by the buyer, not the seller, Goldwein said.

The lesson, Goldwein said, is voters should be skeptical, especially if a candidate of either party says something will pay for itself. Very few policies, he said, actually do that.

Zandi and Baker said it was not right to compare Harris campaign with Trumps in its approach to showing its policy homework to voters. Both felt Harris approach was more substantive, even if some details had not been filled in yet.

If Harris did indeed support all of the revenue raisers in Bidens last budget, it would mean she had a few trillion dollars of deficit reduction to use for her own spending and tax ideas, Zandi said.

But Zandi also said the days of presidential campaigns keeping a detailed ledger of what they promised and how they might pay for it may have actually died some time ago.

President Trump has changed the level of transparency around economic policy quite significantly, he said. Going back to John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, he said, candidates provided great detail about their plans.

With President Trump, that all came to an end.

De Rugy echoed Zandis view.

The last maybe eight years or the last three [presidential] campaigns have not been about policy, it seems to me, de Rugy said. Trump, by focusing on things like deporting undocumented immigrants and other hot-button issues, broke the system to some extent, she said.

I think he broke a lot of norms, she said.
A retired Army colonel and former Osceola School Board member with deep pockets won his primary on Tuesday night, setting the stage for a clash with the Democratic incumbent in a district where Republicans have made significant gains in recent years.

Thomas Chalifoux, who emerged from a three-way primary, is slated to vie in November against Democrat Darren Soto, a four-term congressman whose margin of victory in District 9 has shrunk during the past two elections.

We feel like the countrys going in the wrong direction, Chalifoux said Tuesday night. Were going to put 110% into this race, and were going to win.

In other Central Florida congressional primaries, incumbents Maxwell Frost, Cory Mills and Daniel Webster carried the day, winning easily over their challengers.

The November contest between Soto and Chalifoux is expected to be among the areas most competitive. Chalifoux has invested heavily in the race, loaning his campaign more than $2 million since March, and most of that money is still in the bank, federal campaign finance records show, while Soto has raised more than $1.4 million.

The GOP primary field in District 9 also included Jose Castillo, a manager at Walt Disney World, and John Quinones, a former state representative and Osceola County commissioner who made a bid for Congress in 2012. Chalifoux won just over half of the vote, while Castillo and Quinones split the remaining half almost evenly.

Soto has been a target of the national GOP since he was elected in 2016. Though the district, which includes southern Orange County and all of Osceola County, has traditionally been a Democratic stronghold, Republicans have made inroads. He had no primary opponent.

But he could face a tough contest in the general election. Osceola County saw one of the biggest swings in the country toward then-President Donald Trump in 2020, with Trump gaining 10 percentage points over 2016. Sotos margin of victory shrunk from 12 percentage points in 2020 to 7 percentage points in 2022.

District 7

In District 7, Republican Mills fended off a primary challenge on Tuesday, winning more than 80% of the vote over Mike Johnson, who served in the Army Security Agency and the Department of Defense.

Mills, who previously served in the Army 82nd Airborne, is seeking his second term in Congress representing the right-leaning district that includes Seminole County and southern Volusia County.

Hell face Democrat Jennifer Adams in the general election, who also easily won her primary, winning more than 60% of the vote over two other candidates. Adams is the executive director for the Florida Community Partnership and the former board director and legislative chair for the League of Women Voters of Florida.

District 11

Longtime Congressman Daniel Webster rolled past GOP challenger John McCloy, a simulation consultant with the U.S. Army and a former geophysicist in the oil industry, winning more than 75% of the vote. Republican-heavy District 11 includes parts of Lake, Orange, Polk and Sumter counties.

Webster is seeking his eighth term in Congress. He held off right-wing activist Laura Loomer in the 2022 GOP primary and was expected to have a tough race against former state Rep. Anthony Sabatini. But then former President Donald Trump endorsed Webster, and less than an hour later, Sabatini dropped out of the race.

Webster is set to face Democrat Barbie Harden Hall, who was unopposed in her primary, in November.

District 10

Democrat Frost, the first Gen Z member elected to Congress, also easily won his primary, defeating challengers Vibert Issa White and Darius Wade with more than 80% of the vote. The district, which includes Orlando, Maitland and Winter Park, leans heavily left.

Frost is to meet Republican Willie Montague, an entrepreneur and pastor, in the November general election. Montague defeated Tuan Le in Tuesdays primary, winning a little more than 53% of the vote.

_____
Ghost Park (Photo courtesy of Hapcheon-gun)

In Korea, summer is spooky season. Horror-themed events are meant to provide chills and scare away the summer heat.

Lumina Horror Night

Lumina Horror Night (Photo courtesy of Gyeongju Expo Grand Park)

Gyeongju Expo Grand Park hosts the longest outdoor horror experience program in Korea, lasting over 40 minutes. This program is famous for its thrilling experience. Participants must pass through 14 points while navigating the lair of evil spirits in the mountain at night. The dark and spooky forest makes it unpredictable when ghosts might pop out, and participants are allowed to scream as much as they want since its an outdoor program. At the entrance, theres a horror photo zone, horror blood drinks, face painting, and tarot reading. Ticket is available on site at Gyeongju Expo Park.

Address: 130 Cheongun-dong Gyeongju-si Gyeongsangbuk-do (Gyeongju Expo Grand Park)

Date: Aug. 1  31

Hours: 8 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Ticket: 10,000 won (50% discount for Gyeongju Expo Park visitors)

Website

Haunted Prison in Joseon Dynasty

Haunted Prison (Photo courtesy of Korean Folk Village)

If you want to see Korean-style ghosts, then you should visit the Korean Folk Village this season! The Folk Village runs two traditional haunted houses where visitors can experience true Korean-style horror and the atmosphere from Kingdom, a famous Netflix show. You can encounter various Korean-style ghosts and enjoy spooky ambiance, especially during the outdoor experience held in the dark of night. You can make reservations on Naver or purchase tickets on-site. It is recommended to book in advance as on-site ticket availability may be limited.

Address: 90 Folkchon-ro, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, Naver

Date: Through Nov. 10

Hours: 1:30  9:30 (Fri. to Sun.)

Ticket: 13,000 won (Naver or advance booking on site)

Ghost Park Awake

Ghost Park (Photo courtesy of Hapcheon-gun)

The Ghost Park is held at the Hapcheon Film Theme Park, where various movies and dramas are filmed. This spooky ghost park offers various horror attractions where visitors can encounter scary zombies while completing missions. Visitors can also enjoy horror events, performances, booths and flea markets.

Address: 256-5 Gaho-ri Yongju-myeon Gyeongsangnam-do (Hapcheon Film Theme Park)

Date: July 29 to Aug. 18

Hours: 6 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.

Ticket: 21,000 won (online) / 30,000 won (on-site)

Website (Only Korean)
Wellness Wednesday: How to pick a pair of shoes

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB)  News 13 brings you a segment focused on health and fitness on News 13 Midday every Wednesday called Wellness Wednesday.

This week, Personal Trainer, Traycee Green, from Pure Platinum was in the studio with News 13s Chris Marchand explaining how to pick a pair of shoes for different purposes.

A pair of shoes should provide the proper support for the intended exercise, such as running, training, and walking.

Your feet are your foundation, Green said.

Green suggests to shoe shop later in the day.

The purpose that you want to try them on later in the day is because after a while of the day, your feet are swollen, and so youre gonna get a more accurate fit, Green said.

Green also mentioned shoes should be comfortable when trying them on.

You should not have to fit them in, your shoes should fit good from the beginning, Green said.

Green also suggests getting a new pair of shoes about every 6 months when worn daily.

For more information, watch the interview 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 mypanhandle.com.
It was a quiet first day at the Democratic National Convention on the hot-button issue of IsraelPalestine. The tens of thousands of pro-Palestine protesters that organizers had anticipated ended up numbering in just the four digits. There was only one real skirmish with police outside the convention. Inside the United Center, it was largely quiet as well, with few mentions of the conflict from speakers, little in the way of Israeli or Palestinian flags, and merely one dustup between delegates.

And it was an especially quiet night at the launch party of Zioness Action Fund, the brand-new, unabashedly progressive, unapologetically Zionist, excitedly pro-Kamala and pro-Democrats political arm of the pro-Israel nonprofit, despite a star-studded lineup featuring members of Congress and an RSVP list that was oversubscribed. Event is SOLD OUT!!!!! We are over capacity, read an email sent out by the organizers.

Promised attendees included congresswomen Shontel Brown, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Kathy Manning, and Marilyn Strickland; congressmen Dan Goldman, Jared Moskowitz, and Adriano Espaillat; and Sens. John Fetterman and Cory Booker.

When I arrived at the event, on the third floor of a swanky downtown Chicago venue, there were about three dozen people present, facing a small stage in the middle of a dark, cavernous, and mostly empty room. A pile of T-shirts that read Zioness AF, available in black and blue, sat unattended on a long table out front. CNN political commentator Van Jones was at the dais, finishing a speech that linked the struggle of the Black community to that of the Jewish community (and taking a weird potshot at Puerto Ricans in the process).

Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images

The lineup of speakers was chock-full of the Democratic Partys most loyal supporters of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and top recipients of its financial support. No one said a critical word about the organization all night.

AIPAC, the lobbying group closely allied with right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, has been the largest and most influential outside spender in Democratic elections in 2024, via its United Democracy Project super PAC. It is, critically, not a loyal Democratic operation. In 2022 AIPAC endorsed 109 of the 147 Republican members of Congress who had voted to overturn the 2020 election for the benefit of Donald Trump; the United Democracy Project is funded in large part by Republican megadonors. If Zioness Action Fund was meant to be a counterweight to that, there was little evidence of this. Based on the lineup, and the content of the speeches, it seemed more like a spinoff.

It was after midnightthe first night of speeches at the DNC had, famously, run long; Biden had just finished upand things at the party were struggling to get going. Grindset impresario and assiduous podcast guest Scott Galloway loitered by the back bar.

Before the event even began, its attendees were already dropping like flies. Fetterman, the junior senator from Pennsylvania, announced Sunday that he would be skipping the DNC altogether, a shocking move for an elected Democrat at any level. He claimed he was skipping the event to spend time with his kids, a justification that has raised a number of eyebrows at the convention.

I scanned the room. I didnt see Booker anywhere either.

The first elected official I finally saw take the stage was Wasserman Schultz, the Florida congresswoman, whose speaking slot at Monday nights DNC had been unceremoniously scotched at the last second for time. For Wasserman Schultz, a onetime chair of the DNC herself, this party becoming her biggest stage of the night seemed not much of a consolation prize. She told the crowd that she was pushing to form a Jewish caucus in Congress. If were not at the table, were on the menu, she said. Thank God we had Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the White House who understood that. The verb tense of that last sentence felt notable. After her brief remarks, she made a beeline for the exit.

Next came Ilan Goldenberg, the Harris campaigns Jewish liaison, whose hiring had been announced all of a week ago. He tried to assure the attendees of Harris record on Israel.

Then Amanda Berman, founder of Zioness, got on the mic and apologetically announced that both Strickland and Moskowitz had left before addressing the crowd. Manning hadnt even shown up, I was told, though I was informed that her spouse had been in attendance. The number of partygoers unaffiliated with the organization or its official program was low, and dropping. There was not an A-list or a B-list or a C-list celebrity to be found.

In fact, the only other member of Congress who delivered remarks was a surprise politician who hadnt even been named on the invite: Illinois Rep. Brad Schneider. It was his birthday. He repeated again and again his support for the Jewish democratic state of Israel.

After he spoke, I went up to him to chat. I didnt realize there was press here, he said warily. Earlier that day, Michigan Sen. Gary Peters had told Politicos Jonathan Martin that Bidens policy on Gazathe unconditional and massive military support for Netanyahu and a bombing campaign that has killed at least 40,000 Palestinianswas not Kamala Harris policy on Gaza.

I think she has differences, said Peters, insisting that Harris should go public with those differences and distinguish herself as much as possible from the current White House stance, which is deeply unpopular with Democrats and independents. Though the official party platform shows scant evidence of it, Harris has been known to more readily criticize Netanyahu and seems genuinely attuned to the politics of the issue, especially for youth voters.

Schneider was eager to talk. Did he worry that the ground was shifting within the party on Israel with Biden on the way out and a more vocally critical Harris taking over? No, he saidHarris rhetoric was less important than her actions, which he thought wouldnt change. Listen to what she says, but watch what she does, he told me with a knowing look. I asked if he was worried that Netanyahu, who clearly would prefer Trump to win, was hurting Joe Biden and Democrats on this issue. Im gonna give an indirect answer because its my job, he responded. Im not gonna defend everything Israel has done.

Rep. Mondaire Jones at Zioness Action Funds DNC kickoff party on Monday in Chicago. Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images

Finally, I went over to Mondaire Jones, who had served as the nights big finisher. Jones is a former member of Congresshe left in 2023. During his one term, he was best known as a left-wing advocate for court reform; now, as he tries to get back in, he has rebranded himself as a vocal supporter of Israel, staking out a position on the far right of the Democratic caucus. (His Republican opponent is a top AIPAC affiliate.)

Jones was not eager to talk. Im surprised youre here, he said, rebuffing my first attempt. He antagonizes me on Twitter, he said to a bystander, in an attempt to pass me off a second time.

I waited him out. As we walked to the elevator together, I asked him what he thought about a potential shift in the Democratic Partys stance toward Israel. That there was a need for this event at allProgressive, Pro-Israel, Pro-Kamalaseemed to indicate some uncertainty. He really did not want to answer. I asked him if hed seen Bidens speech, resoundingly cheered by all Democrats in attendance, during which the president had said: Those protesters out in the street, they have a point.

In his own speech, Jones had railed against those pro-Palestinian activists, pejoratively referring to them as so-called protesters. For a brief moment, Jones seemed genuinely surprised. Did he really? he asked.

I pressed him for more. Some of the protesters and uncommitted delegates Id spoken with felt as if the party had barely moved an inch on Gaza, despite evidence of widespread famine and reports of sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli military detention. But attendees at this party, now scattered on the sidewalk, seemed concerned that a perceptible shift was already underway. I asked Jones if he was surprised how much money AIPAC had spentthe most ever in a congressional race by an outside groupto knock his old neighbor and fellow freshman Jamaal Bowman out of Congress. Was that a sign of weakness or strength? He laughed, shut the door of his cab, and rode off.
BAMAKO (Reuters) -The military juntas of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have written to the U.N. Security Council to denounce what they said was Ukraine's support for rebel groups in West Africa's Sahel region, Mali's foreign ministry said.

Mali cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine in early August over comments by a spokesperson for Ukraine's military intelligence agency, Andriy Yusov, about fighting in Mali's north that killed Malian soldiers and mercenaries from the Russian Wagner group in late July. The military government of Niger followed suit days later in solidarity with its neighbour.

Yusov had said Malian "rebels" had received necessary information "to conduct a successful military operation".

Mali and Niger interpreted Yusov's comments as an admission of Ukraine's direct involvement in the conflict, and accused it of supporting international terrorism as a result.

Ukraine has repeatedly called the allegations groundless and untrue. Its foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. The country is still locked in heavy fighting with Russia more than two years after Moscow's invasion.

A Tuareg rebel alliance has also said it did not receive any Ukrainian support.

Both ethnic Tuareg separatists and jihadist insurgents operate in north Mali. The Tuareg said they had killed at least 84 Wagner mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers over days of fierce fighting in July.

An al Qaeda affiliate separately said it had killed 50 Wagner mercenaries and 10 Malian soldiers in an ambush on one of those days.

In their letter to the Security Council, the foreign ministers of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso asked it to "take responsibility" for Ukraine's actions and to prevent "subversive acts" that threaten regional and continental stability.

The letter's text was posted on the Malian foreign ministry's social media account. Diplomats said it was circulated to the 15-member Security Council on Tuesday evening.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have turned their backs on traditional Western and regional allies in favour of Russia since their juntas took power over the past four years.

The July attacks, which took place in Mali's northern Kidal region near the border with Algeria, are potentially Wagner's heaviest defeat since it stepped in two years ago to help the junta fight jihadist insurgents.

The ethnic Tuareg are a separate group who inhabit the Sahara region, including parts of northern Mali. Tuareg-led separatists launched a rebellion in 2012 that was pushed back into Mali's arid north and later hijacked by Islamist militant groups.

(Reporting by Fadimata Kontao and Tiemoko Diallo, Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols in New York and Thomas Balmforth in Kyiv, Writing by Sofia Christensen, Editing by Alexander Winning and Angus MacSwan)
The West Palm Beach City Commission voted unanimously Monday night to donate $12.8 million worth of city land to Vanderbilt University, which plans to build a downtown campus in the same spot where the University of Florida had hoped to construct a satellite campus.

That UF plan fell apart two years ago amid disagreements between the university and Jeff Greene, the billionaire developer who was to contribute some of his downtown land in exchange for naming rights. The collapse of that much-heralded deal was "probably the greatest economic development loss that I've seen in my 30-plus years of doing this," according to Kelly Smallridge, president of the Business Development Board, the business recruiting arm of Palm Beach County.

Vanderbilt, a private university based in Nashville, Tennessee., has swooped in with its own plans for a 300,000-square foot downtown graduate campus, one it claims will generate $7.1 billion in economic activity over the next quarter century and create 5,600 one-time construction jobs.

Graphic shows jobs expected to be created by a Vanderbilt University business school in West Palm Beach

Like UF's plan, Vanderbilt's hinges on the donation of downtown land owned by the city of West Palm Beach and Palm Beach County.

The City Commission vote, the first of two needed before the roughly two acres of city land can be donated, will be followed by another vote sometime in October from the County Commission, which is considering donating five acres as part of Vanderbilt's graduate campus plan. Vanderbilt presented a detailed plan to the county on Tuesday.

Why give away $12.8 million worth of valuable downtown land?

West Palm Beach's land had a 2023 market value of roughly $12.8 million, according to Property Appraiser's Office summaries provided to The Palm Beach Post by the city.

The prospect of parting with such valuable tracts, seven in total, did not appear to worry Mayor Keith James or any City Commission member. They all praised the possible deal with Vanderbilt as a potential boon to the city, a "no brainer" in the description of Commissioner Cathleen Ward.

Nathan Green, Vanderbilt's vice chancellor for government and community engagement, told city officials the university was poised to work with Florida Atlantic University, Palm Beach State College and Palm Beach Atlantic University to boost literacy, economic development and job creation.

"We're the long bet," Green said. "We're the ones you can partner with. We're the ones that are reliable and capable. We're the ones that, as jobs become obsolete  which happens to every community and technology is driving this  we're the one who can help you mitigate that. We think we can be a wonderful additive to this community."

City officials were buying what Green was selling.

Land in the 700 and 800 block of Datura Street, left and Everina Street, right, in West Palm Beach, Florida.

"This is an exciting moment in time," James said.

City officials have crafted its land donation plan in a way to keep it from being a one-way giveaway. The land would be limited to campus and complementary campus use, and construction must commence within five years of the date of the deed. Vanderbilt would not be permitted to take the parcels  located on South Tamarind Avenue and Evernia Street  and flip them.

Green said that's not what Vanderbilt has planned.

REAL ESTATE NEWS: Vanderbilt University wants to build campus in West Palm Beach, and Banyan Cay is rebranded, again

Instead, it plans to build a business graduate school that will be home to 1,000 students and 100 to 125 faculty members.

"This is not a satellite campus," Green said. "This is a second campus."

The City Commission plans to take up the issue again on Sept. 3.

RELATED: Vanderbilt rolls out detailed plan, economic impact for its West Palm business school

"I think it's really exciting having such a top-notch university interested in coming to our city," Commissioner Jo Peduzzi said. "Certainly, we were disappointed that the prior one, that that fell through. But maybe this will be an opportunity for something even better. We're all hoping for that."

Wayne Washington is a journalist covering West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and race relations for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: West Palm Beach steps closer to donating land to Vanderbilt University
Editors Note: An earlier video that had been attached to this article has been removed because of an error.

WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL)  Early this morning, a house across from Loch Lomond Park caught fire. Sadly, five animals did not make it out.

The Wichita Falls Fire Department responded to a call about a structure fire in the 200 block of Loch Lomond Drive at 3:50 a.m. on August 21.

Three adults and one juvenile were in the home, but they were all able to get out with no injuries. WFFD also reported no injuries.

The home sustained significant damage, and the Red Cross was requested to assist the occupants.

The fire marshall believes the fire began in the front bedroom around a window air conditioning unit, but the cause is still under investigation.

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What's next for Alaska, Hawaiian Airlines merger, how it could impact future flights

Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines are one step closer to closing a $1.9 billion deal that would mark the largest consolidation of any U.S. carrier since 2016.

The deadline for regulatory review by the Department of Justice expired earlier this week without any interference, meaning the two companies have cleared the first major hurdle for their merger plans, which were first announced last December.

In order for the deal to move forward, it will need to pass scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Transportation -- a customary closing condition -- which includes an interim exemption application.

The Justice Department has already been skeptical of airline partnerships and most recently blocked the proposed merger of JetBlue and Spirit.

While it's not immediately clear how long the approvals process could take, experts have said it can take years for the behind-the-scenes logistics to settle into place.

Pending the remaining approvals, this acquisition would be the second for Alaska Airlines within the past decade, after it beat out JetBlue in a bidding war for Virgin America.

Under the proposed Hawaiian-Alaska merger, both airlines would remain intact and continue to operate under their current names.

Alaska Airlines statement on next steps for Hawaiian merger

PHOTO: In this Jan. 24, 2022 file photo, an Alaska Airlines aircraft flies past the tail of a United Airlines aircraft as it lands at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters, FILE)

"This is a significant milestone in the process to join our airlines," the SeaTac, Washington-based carrier announced in a statement this week. "During the HSR [HartScottRodino Antitrust Improvements Act] time period, Alaska worked closely with the Hawai'i Attorney General to reinforce and expand upon our commitments for the future of Hawaiian Airlines and to Hawai'i consumers. These include plans to maintain the Hawaiian Airlines brand and local jobs and continue providing strong service between, to, and from the Islands."

The airline also said that following the potential next steps, "we will complete work to close the transaction, and proceed with integrating the two companies, welcoming Hawaiian Airlines guests and employees into Alaska Air Group, and expanding benefits and choice for consumers throughout Hawai'i, the Asia-Pacific region, continental United States and globally."

Governor of Hawaii comments on possible airline merger

PHOTO: A Hawaiian Airlines airplane takes off near an Alaska Airlines airplane at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Dec. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE)

After the latest details on the merger were released, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said in a statement that he and his staff have worked with Alaska Airlines leadership over the past few months "to carefully review the potential impacts of a consolidation, and we insisted that any changes expand travel options for our residents and preserve union jobs."

"Alaska has reinforced commitments to our state and will maintain the Hawaiian Airlines brand, preserve and grow union jobs in our Hawai'i, as well as continue to provide crucial passenger and air cargo service to, from, and within the islands," he said. "The merger will vastly expand the number of destinations throughout North America for Hawai'i residents that can be reached nonstop or one-stop from the islands, and HawaiianMiles members will retain the value of their miles while gaining access to more destinations around the world."

Green added that he's "confident" this merger would "offer more travel options for Hawai'i residents and local businesses" and "enhance competition across the U.S. airline industry."

What a merger of Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines means for travelers

PHOTO: In this April 28, 2020 file photo, Hawaiian Airlines airplanes sit idle on the runway at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu. (Marco Garcia/Reuters, FILE)

The travel experts at Going.com -- formerly Scott's Cheap Flights -- weighed in on the possible deal and what it could potentially mean for customers.

"Competition between airlines is the single biggest cause of cheap flights. A merger between two airlines -- whose route maps have a portion of flights that overlap -- would result not in more cheap flights for consumers but, to some extent, fewer," Katy Nastro, a spokesperson for Going, told ABC News.

Additionally, the team of experts believe that certain markets may be affected worse than others.

"The Justice Department did not require concessions, meaning that Alaska could eventually make some cuts on routes that consistently underperform, such as the inter-island routes," she explained.

There has been no official statement from the airline about when or where any possible changes to routes would take place.

What's next for Alaska, Hawaiian Airlines merger, how it could impact future flights originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
Where to find the best spumoni in Honolulu

HONOLULU (KHON2)  Spumoni is a special kind of Italian ice cream thats celebrated every August 21 on National Spumoni Day. This tasty treat is different from regular ice cream because its made with three different flavors.

Usually, these flavors are chocolate, cherry, and pistachio. The ice cream is layered in a colorful and delicious way, so every bite has a mix of flavors. Sometimes, spumoni even has nuts or fruit mixed in for extra flavor!

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National Spumoni Day is a perfect time to try this fun ice cream. Its a sweet way to enjoy summer and learn about Italian desserts.

Whether you like chocolate, cherry, or pistachio, spumoni brings a mix of flavors that make it a unique and exciting treat. So, grab a scoop and celebrate this special day with a tasty bite of spumoni!

Spumoni is popular in Hawaii for a few reasons.

First, Hawaiis diverse cultural landscape has led to a love for a variety of foods, including Italian treats like spumoni.

Second, the colorful and refreshing nature of spumoni makes it a hit in Hawaiis warm climate. The ice creams layers of chocolate, cherry, and pistachio offer a delightful contrast to the tropical heat.

Additionally, spumonis popularity in Hawaii might be linked to the strong Italian heritage found on the islands. Italian restaurants and bakeries have been part of the local food scene for many years, bringing delicious dishes like spumoni to the forefront.

So, where can you find the best spumoni in Honolulu? For this, we relied on your ratings from Yelp. So, here they are.

Get news on the go with KHON 2GO, KHONs morning podcast, every morning at 8

So, as you celebrate National Spumoni Day, remember that Italy has a long history with the Kingdom of Hawaii.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
(Stanford University graphic)

The desire for artificial intelligence skills in new hires has exploded over the last five years, and continues to be a priority for hiring managers across nearly every industry, data from Stanford Universitys annual AI Index Report found.

In 2023, 1.6% of all United States-based jobs required AI skills, a slight dip from the 2% posted in 2022. The decrease comes after many years of growing interest in artificial intelligence, and is likely attributed to hiring slowdowns, freezes or layoffs at major tech companies like Amazon, Deloitte and Capital One in 2023, the report said.

The numbers are still greatly up from just a few years ago, and in 2023, thousands of jobs across every industry required AI skills.

What do those AI jobs look like? And where are they based, exactly?

Generative AI skills, or the ability to build algorithms that produce text, images or other data when prompted, were sought after most, with nearly 60% of AI-related jobs requiring those skills. Large language modeling, or building technology that can generate and translate text, was second in demand, with 18% of AI jobs citing the need for those skills.

Those skills were followed by ChatGPT knowledge, prompt engineering, or training AI, and two other specific machine learning skills.

The industries that require these skills run the gamut  the information industry ranked first with 4.63% of jobs while professional, scientific and technical services came in second with 3.33%. The financial and insurance industries followed with 2.94%, and manufacturing came in fourth with 2.48%.

Public administration jobs, education jobs, management and utilities jobs all sought AI skills in 1- 2% of their open roles, while agriculture, mining, wholesale trade, real estate, transportation, warehousing, retail trade and waste management sought AI skills in 0.4-0.85% of their jobs.

Though AI jobs are concentrated in some areas of the country, nearly every U.S. state had thousands of AI-specific jobs in 2023, the report found.

California  home to Silicon Valley  had 15.3%, or 70,630 of the countrys AI-related jobs posted in 2023. It was followed by Texas at 7.9%, or 36,413 jobs. Virginia was third, with 5.3%, or 24,417 of AI jobs.

Based on population, Washington state had the highest percentage of people in AI jobs, with California in second, and New York in third.

Montana, Wyoming and West Virginia were the only states with fewer than 1,000 open roles requiring AI, but because of population sizes, AI jobs still made up 0.75%, 0.95% and 0.46% of all of the states open roles last year.

Though the number of jobs dipped from 2022 to 2023, the adoption of AI technologies across business operations has not. In 2017, 20% of businesses reported that they had begun using AI for at least one function of their work. In 2022, 50% of businesses said they had, and that number reached 55% in 2023.

For those that have incorporated AI tools into their businesses, its making their workers more productive, the report found. The report said studies have shown that AI tools have allowed workers to complete tasks more quickly and have improved the quality of their work. The research suggested that AI could be also capable of upskilling workers, the report found.

The report acknowledges that with all the technological advances that the AI industry has seen in the last five years, there are still many unknowns. The U.S. is still awaiting federal AI legislation, while states make their own regulations and laws.

The Stanford report predicts two futures for the trajectory of the technology  one in which the technology continues to develop and increase productivity, but theres a possibility that its used for good and bad uses. In another future, without proper research and development, the adoption of AI technologies could be constrained, researchers said.

They are stepping in to encourage the upside, the report said of government bodies. Such as funding university R&D and incentivizing private investment. Governments are also aiming to manage the potential downsides, such as impacts on employment, privacy concerns, misinformation, and intellectual property rights.
Rhode Island can't compete with Massachusetts and trails Connecticut when it comes to job postings requiring AI skills. But the Ocean State is performing better than Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. (Stanford University graphic)

The desire for artificial intelligence skills in new hires has exploded over the last five years, and continues to be a priority for hiring managers across nearly every industry, data from Stanford Universitys annual AI Index Report found.

In 2023, 1.6% of all United States-based jobs required AI skills, a slight dip from the 2% posted in 2022. The decrease comes after many years of growing interest in artificial intelligence, and is likely attributed to hiring slowdowns, freezes or layoffs at major tech companies like Amazon, Deloitte and Capital One in 2023, the report said.

The numbers are still greatly up from just a few years ago, and in 2023, thousands of jobs across every industry required AI skills.

What do those AI jobs look like? And where are they based, exactly?

Generative AI skills, or the ability to build algorithms that produce text, images or other data when prompted, were sought after most, with nearly 60% of AI-related jobs requiring those skills. Large language modeling, or building technology that can generate and translate text, was second in demand, with 18% of AI jobs citing the need for those skills.

Those skills were followed by ChatGPT knowledge, prompt engineering, or training AI, and two other specific machine learning skills.

The industries that require these skills run the gamut  the information industry ranked first with 4.63% of jobs while professional, scientific and technical services came in second with 3.33%. The financial and insurance industries followed with 2.94%, and manufacturing came in fourth with 2.48%.

Public administration jobs, education jobs, management and utilities jobs all sought AI skills in 1- 2% of their open roles, while agriculture, mining, wholesale trade, real estate, transportation, warehousing, retail trade and waste management sought AI skills in 0.4-0.85% of their jobs.

Though AI jobs are concentrated in some areas of the country, nearly every U.S. state had thousands of AI-specific jobs in 2023, the report found.

California  home to Silicon Valley  had 15.3%, or 70,630 of the countrys AI-related jobs posted in 2023. It was followed by Texas at 7.9%, or 36,413 jobs. Virginia was third, with 5.3%, or 24,417 of AI jobs.

Based on population, Washington state had the highest percentage of people in AI jobs, with California in second, and New York in third.

Montana, Wyoming and West Virginia were the only states with fewer than 1,000 open roles requiring AI, but because of population sizes, AI jobs still made up 0.75%, 0.95% and 0.46% of all of the states open roles last year.

Though the number of jobs dipped from 2022 to 2023, the adoption of AI technologies across business operations has not. In 2017, 20% of businesses reported that they had begun using AI for at least one function of their work. In 2022, 50% of businesses said they had, and that number reached 55% in 2023.

For those that have incorporated AI tools into their businesses, its making their workers more productive, the report found. The report said studies have shown that AI tools have allowed workers to complete tasks more quickly and have improved the quality of their work. The research suggested that AI could be also capable of upskilling workers, the report found.

The report acknowledges that with all the technological advances that the AI industry has seen in the last five years, there are still many unknowns. The U.S. is still awaiting federal AI legislation, while states make their own regulations and laws.

The Stanford report predicts two futures for the trajectory of the technology  one in which the technology continues to develop and increase productivity, but theres a possibility that its used for good and bad uses. In another future, without proper research and development, the adoption of AI technologies could be constrained, researchers said.

They are stepping in to encourage the upside, the report said of government bodies. Such as funding university R&D and incentivizing private investment. Governments are also aiming to manage the potential downsides, such as impacts on employment, privacy concerns, misinformation, and intellectual property rights.

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(Stanford University graphic)

The desire for artificial intelligence skills in new hires has exploded over the last five years, and continues to be a priority for hiring managers across nearly every industry, data from Stanford Universitys annual AI Index Report found.

In 2023, 1.6% of all United States-based jobs required AI skills, a slight dip from the 2% posted in 2022. The decrease comes after many years of growing interest in artificial intelligence, and is likely attributed to hiring slowdowns, freezes or layoffs at major tech companies like Amazon, Deloitte and Capital One in 2023, the report said.

The numbers are still greatly up from just a few years ago, and in 2023, thousands of jobs across every industry required AI skills.

What do those AI jobs look like? And where are they based, exactly?

Generative AI skills, or the ability to build algorithms that produce text, images or other data when prompted, were sought after most, with nearly 60% of AI-related jobs requiring those skills. Large language modeling, or building technology that can generate and translate text, was second in demand, with 18% of AI jobs citing the need for those skills.

SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

Those skills were followed by ChatGPT knowledge, prompt engineering, or training AI, and two other specific machine learning skills.

The industries that require these skills run the gamut  the information industry ranked first with 4.63% of jobs while professional, scientific and technical services came in second with 3.33%. The financial and insurance industries followed with 2.94%, and manufacturing came in fourth with 2.48%.

Public administration jobs, education jobs, management and utilities jobs all sought AI skills in 1- 2% of their open roles, while agriculture, mining, wholesale trade, real estate, transportation, warehousing, retail trade and waste management sought AI skills in 0.4-0.85% of their jobs.

Though AI jobs are concentrated in some areas of the country, nearly every U.S. state had thousands of AI-specific jobs in 2023, the report found.

California  home to Silicon Valley  had 15.3%, or 70,630 of the countrys AI-related jobs posted in 2023. It was followed by Texas at 7.9%, or 36,413 jobs. Virginia was third, with 5.3%, or 24,417 of AI jobs.

Based on population, Washington state had the highest percentage of people in AI jobs, with California in second, and New York in third.

Montana, Wyoming and West Virginia were the only states with fewer than 1,000 open roles requiring AI, but because of population sizes, AI jobs still made up 0.75%, 0.95% and 0.46% of all of the states open roles last year.

Though the number of jobs dipped from 2022 to 2023, the adoption of AI technologies across business operations has not. In 2017, 20% of businesses reported that they had begun using AI for at least one function of their work. In 2022, 50% of businesses said they had, and that number reached 55% in 2023.

For those that have incorporated AI tools into their businesses, its making their workers more productive, the report found. The report said studies have shown that AI tools have allowed workers to complete tasks more quickly and have improved the quality of their work. The research suggested that AI could be also capable of upskilling workers, the report found.

The report acknowledges that with all the technological advances that the AI industry has seen in the last five years, there are still many unknowns. The U.S. is still awaiting federal AI legislation, while states make their own regulations and laws.

The Stanford report predicts two futures for the trajectory of the technology  one in which the technology continues to develop and increase productivity, but theres a possibility that its used for good and bad uses. In another future, without proper research and development, the adoption of AI technologies could be constrained, researchers said.

They are stepping in to encourage the upside, the report said of government bodies. Such as funding university R&D and incentivizing private investment. Governments are also aiming to manage the potential downsides, such as impacts on employment, privacy concerns, misinformation, and intellectual property rights.

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A White House aide reportedly called Michelle Obamas speech at the Democratic National Convention an implicit rebuke to President Joe Bidens term, perpetuating rumors that there is a rift between the president and his former boss Barack Obama.

The former first lady delivered a powerful speech on the second night of the DNC. She anticipated that a Kamala Harris presidency would bring a long-dormant sense of hope back to the country, reminding the nation of the enthusiasm felt during the Obama years  while glossing over President Bidens term.

Something wonderfully magical is in the air, isnt it? Michelle Obama began. Not just here in this arena but spreading all across this country we love a familiar feeling thats been buried too deep for too long.

Hope is making a comeback! the former first lady said.

While the focus of her speech was on the promise of a brighter future with Harris at the helm, a White House aide believed her words could have served as a slight to Biden.

It was an implicit rebuke of the Biden era, the source told Politico, claiming that the former first lady seemed to be blending together the Trump and Biden presidencies into one dreary era in US history.

The aides comment furthers swirling theories that there is some continuing tension between Obama and Biden.

Last week, sources told Politico that Biden will not stay in Chicago to hear Obamas speech because he harbors resentment toward his former boss for not directly calling him to voice his concerns about his re-election chances.

Months ago, following the Trump-Biden debate in June, Obama did not offer public support for Biden to stay in the 2024 race while a chorus of Democratic donors, voters and party leaders loudly called for him to step aside.

Michelle Obama speaking at the Democratic National Convention. A White House aide argued that her speech, though widely praised, was an implicit rebuke to Bidens presidency (AP)

Since Bidens fumbled debate performance, Obama allegedly privately expressed concern about the 81-year-old presidents re-election bid. Obama was also reportedly given an advance warning about George Clooneys an op-ed in the New York Times, in which he called for Biden to step aside, and did not object to it.

Some had remarked that the Illinois Democrats lack of vocal support for Biden was actually saying a lot.

Obamas silence is deafening, Democratic congressman Mike Quigley, toldVanity Fair in July. If President Obama was all in, he would be all in.

The former first lady made no explicit comment about Biden  good or bad  but she did underscore the damage of Donald Trumps presidency, calling him a racist and misogynist.

In his speech, Barack Obama also signaled that the nation would welcome a change, without distinguishing between Trump and his former vice president: America is ready for a new chapter. Americas ready for a better story.

However, the former president spoke of Biden fondly numerous times throughout his speech, telling the crowd: History will remember Joe Biden as a president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger. I am proud to call him my president, but even prouder to call him my friend. He also hailed Biden s hard-earned resiliency and his unshakable belief that came when America needed them most.

He hailed Biden for being selfless enough to do the rarest thing there is in politics: putting his own ambition aside for the sake of the country.
A former local government official has won the Democratic nomination for the House seat representing Floridas 13th Congressional District, setting up a match-up with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Decision Desk HQ projects.

Whitney Fox, the former director of communications and marketing for the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority in Pinellas County, defeated a few other opponents for the nomination. She had the support of several top House Democrats, including Rep. Eric Swalwell (Calif.) and Florida Reps. Kathy Castor, Lois Frankel and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Democrats will hope she can oust Luna, who was first elected to the House in 2022, flipping the district from blue to red. Former Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.) had previously represented the district, but he declined to run for reelection two years ago for an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid, and the district became more conservative following Floridas redistricting process.

Luna is a close ally of former President Trump and a member of the House Freedom Caucus.

The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates the race as likely Republican.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Why a Centre Region township changed its open records policy, and why others may follow

If you intend on submitting a Right-to-Know Law request in College Township, you had better put your name on it, or it can now be denied.

On Thursday, College Townships open records policy was amended to provide the township with the ability to refuse anonymous or unnamed RTKL requests.

This policy amendment reflects the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records recent decision in the Frank Curry and FOIA Buddy vs. South Western School District case, with the OOR stating that entities subject to the RTKL, which was enacted in Pennsylvania in 2008, have the right to deny requests if they are made by an anonymous person or a person with a fake name. Entities just have to make sure they amend their policies to reflect that.

The impetus for the case occurred in May when South Western School District received 10 RTKL requests from a man supposedly named Frank Curry using FOIA Buddy, a website that helps craft RTKL requests and allows people to submit them anonymously.

After an investigation, it was determined that the name Frank Curry was generated by AI to be used as a proxy name, or alias, and South Western was given permission to deny the requests by the OOR.

Despite the OORs decision in the case, the office wrote in a website update that FOIA Buddy, along with those who created and run the software, can be trusted.

FOIA Buddy is operated by people who have a stated goal of efficiently promoting government transparency and accountability in a cost-effective manner for all involved, the update reads. There is no indication that FOIA Buddy is part of any phishing, scraping, or scamming activities.

The update also recommended that all agencies able to receive RTKL requests review their open records policies, stating that if an agency wishes to be able to deny anonymous requests, the updated policy should be posted on the agencys website.

Other entities across the state have recently received anonymous requests, including College Township.

We automatically knew that everyone was getting them, Assistant Township Secretary Jennifer Snyder said. We got five (RTKL requests) in one day actually.

Though the College Township council revised the townships policy to reflect the cases ruling, there still may be a challenge when identifying fake names on a RTKL request.

When you look at the Frank Curry request, it really does look like a real name; it isnt anonymous and there isnt anything indicating that it isnt a real person, Snyder said. However, whenever you research the name Frank Curry, there isnt a whole lot that comes up. It can be tricky to identify those fake names, but a quick Google search should be able to help with that determination.

Councilwoman Susan Trainor agreed, saying that in the future, another policy amendment may be necessary due to the rapid growth of AI, and its ability to mimic RTKL requests submitted by real people.

Melissa Melewsky  media law counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, of which the Centre Daily Times is a member  said that regardless of the agency, its open records policy and whether the RTKL request is named or anonymous, each agency still much do its best to satisfy the request unless there are noticeable issues with it.

All RTKL requests must be evaluated as promptly as possible under the circumstances, as required by the statute, and if there are issues with it, there is a duty to notify the requester and allow those deficiencies to be corrected, Melewsky wrote in an email. Ultimately, if AI is used to submit anonymous requests, the agency can take steps to verify the requesters identity.

Other entities in Pennsylvania to revise their RTKL policies to address anonymous submissions include Connoquenessing Township and West Cocalico Township.

College Townships new open records policy amendment was passed unanimously by the council, and the townships next meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on Sept. 5.
CHICAGO  Its time to take the big dog off the porch and let him run.

Bill Clinton should return to the campaign trail this fall and do what he does best: articulate to Americans why they should vote for Democrats.

It's what Clinton plans to do in his remarks Wednesday night, same as he has at every Democratic convention for over three decades. And its how he could best help the party going into November.

Running whats effectively a snap election with a ticket that, between them, has competed in a single, Covid-shaped national campaign, the party has an incentive to summon every possible asset to fend off Donald Trump.

As buoyant as so many at the convention are about their sudden change of fate after a summer from hell, its not hard to detect an underlying measure of concern about whether the moment can last. It's not quite fatalism, but, as at the end of the late-night parties here, theres a creeping sense that the alarm bell is going to go off in a couple of hours.

And few Democrats know that its not just joy that cometh in the morning than those who have been on the ballot.



Just this week, I had two Pennsylvania Democratic officeholders separately raise with me how much they wanted Bill Clinton in their oh-so-competitive state to help deliver it for Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

President Clinton has been one of our party's most effective messengers, and he needs to get back out there to explain why the Harris-Walz ticket's economic policies will be better for working-class families across Pennsylvania, said Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, who suggested Clinton take a bus through the states mid-sized cities and towns where Democrats must break even or mitigate Trumps margin.

Davis, a former state lawmaker from near Pittsburgh, said Clinton has a unique ability to reach old-school, yellow dog Democratic voters, especially in communities like Erie, Sharon and Uniontown."

Across the state, Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), a Philadelphian, was just as emphatic.

Bill Clinton is one of the greatest political talents in the history of the Democratic Party, Boyle told me. In an election that is existential for our democracy, we need all hands on deck, including Bubbas.

Boyles plea is particularly notable because he knows well what its like to go up against the Clintons: He won the 2014 primary for his House seat by beating former Rep. Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, Chelsea Clintons mother-in-law.

Yes, Clinton just turned 78. Mavis Staples helped serenade him at a birthday party here.

The former president does not have the capacity to stump like he did in all those small towns for Hillary Clinton in 2008, and he may not be as adept as the Secretary of Explaining Stuff, as Barack Obama dubbed him in 2012, as when Clinton used Obamas renominating convention to deliver a tour de force.

And all the Democrats I spoke to are aware of the risks. That Clinton could show rust on his return to the campaign trail. That it would be insensitive to female voters given Clintons history of allegations of mistreatment of women. And that he'd finger-wag to reporters on the rope line when confronted with topics like, say, Hillary Clintons 2016 campaign.

Those who have seen Clinton up close this year say he has aged noticeably and may not be able to sustain a robust schedule. The master communicator, some fear, is not what he once was.

But the urgency, bordering on desperation, to stop Trump has many Democrats saying without hesitation that its worth the risk to Free Willie.

Hes the master at connecting with voters, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told me. Not just the Democratic base, but he has the crossover appeal to talk to independents, guys in VFW halls, firemen.

Especially with the sort of older voters, who remember an earlier politics that didnt cause people to hate their neighbors and boycott a family thanksgiving, Hochul said Clinton could remind them of a pre-Trump era that she called a relative golden age of politics.

As for Clintons transgressions, Hochul dismissed them in light of Trumps misconduct and various charges.

Pointing to Hillary Clintons well-turned convention speech Monday, Hochul added, "Do not underestimate the power of Hillary, suggesting the former secretary of State could also be an effective surrogate when deployed wisely.



Harris is grateful for the Clintons early support  she talked to both of them the Sunday last month that President Joe Biden dropped out and both endorsed her within hours  and I think would (strategically) welcome their help.

Mitch Landrieu, the former New Orleans mayor who got to know Harris working as the White Houses infrastructure czar, said it was a no-brainer.

Hes the best retail politician in America, said Landrieu. Whenever or however, as far as Im concerned.

Its an irony of history that theres a growing nostalgia for the Clinton era. And its not just coming from Democrats. Ive heard from Republicans in recent years tell me how much they pine for the centrist policies and relatively tame politics of the 1990s. That Clinton was the first president to be impeached since Andrew Johnson is conveniently airbrushed out of these recollections.

I asked somebody quite familiar with this period about such rose-tinted recollections.

We were on recess from history, former Speaker Newt Gingrich told me. The Cold War was over. We thought we were a hegemon. We had an economy that was clearly the most powerful in the world and a military nobody could compete with.

So, WWND  What Would Newt Do (if he was running the Democratic campaign)?

He didnt hesitate.

Had Al Gore allowed Clinton to campaign the way he could have, Al Gore would have won the presidency, said Gingrich, reminding Democrats of all those if-only-Bubba-had-been-unleashed-in Arkansas what-ifs from 2000.

Unable to resist the temptation to play strategist, he continued.

If I was them, and if they want to penetrate working- class voters, I cant think of anybody they have with greater potential than Bill Clinton, said Gingrich.
Why this faith-based group endorses Nashville's transit plan, recommends recommends no grocery tax

A coalition of churches, faith communities, nonprofits and labor unions this week announced its endorsement of Mayor Freddie O'Connell's multi-modal transit plan, up for referendum in November.

Representatives of Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH) on Tuesday afternoon said the transit plan benefits workers in Nashville by expanding WeGo service and reducing traffic caused by mismanaged traffic signals. If approved by voters, the transit plan would implement a half-cent sales tax increase for expansion of WeGo bus service, 86 miles of sidewalk construction, 600 upgraded traffic signals and more. The measure would increase Davidson County residents' total sales tax rate of 9.25% to 9.75%. Downtown Nashville businesses already pay 9.75%.

Terry O'Neill, who spoke on behalf of NOAH's integrated voter engagement task force, also introduced the organization's platform for increased equity in the transit plan:

Elimination of the sales tax on grocery items in Nashville and Davidson County

Prioritization of improvements on bus routes servicing historically marginalized communities, particularly Clarksville Highway, Nolensville Road and Dickerson Road

Prioritizing the placement of transit shelters in historically marginalized communities

Increasing the size of the Access Ride fleet and the number of operators

Expansion of the numbers of citizens receiving free or reduced fares

Increasing multilingual signage along routes, including in Spanish, Arabic and other languages

Extending the life of the Community Advisory Board

Go deeper: How Nashville might pay for a transit overhaul, and what it means for your wallet

Corey Jenkins, co-chair of NOAH's economic equity task force, said many of these proposals are already viewed favorably by the mayor's office, and that NOAH will be advocating for the policy changes as they work to promote the transit plan in the next several weeks.

"We have to do better," he said. "Now is the time."

O'Neill noted the regressive nature of the sales tax increase, saying that it disproportionally impacts lower income individuals and families. She said the equity platform, including eliminating the sales tax on groceries in Nashville, can help outweigh the potentially disadvantageous funding model.

Reporter Molly Davis covers growth and development in Nashville. Reach her at mdavis2@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NOAH endorses Nashville transit plan but seeks no grocery tax, changes
A jury found a 50-year-old Wichita man guilty of 27 counts, including searching obituaries online and robbing the deceased persons homes during the funerals.

Gary Steven Garrett will be sentenced Oct. 24. He has been in Sedgwick County Jail since Nov. 9.

Garrett has a long criminal history, with crimes similar to those he was found guilty of by a jury on Monday after a six-day trial.

The 27 counts include three residential burglaries, one attempted residential burglary, one business burglary and multiple counts of theft, forgery and identity theft, Sedgwick County District Attorneys Office spokesperson Dan Dillon said in a news release Wednesday.

The charges included using the Walmart Visa card of a deceased couple, according to court documents.

Victims reported losing financial documents, guns and electronics in the residential burglaries, some of which occurred while the families were at the funeral services for their deceased family members, Dillon said.

A Wichita police detective testified that Garretts phone showed online searches of obituaries that corresponded to the burglary locations across the city from July to November of 2023, according to the news release.

Garrett also was convicted of using fake IDs to rent and purchase several vehicles during the same time frame, the news release says. One of the vehicles rented by Garrett had a GPS location device that placed the vehicle at the scene of several of the burglaries, according to testimony in the trial.

Garrett has 22 previous convictions in Kansas, with 17 of those in Sedgwick County, according to Kansas Department of Corrections records. The convictions range from 1994 to 2011 and include aggravated indecent liberties with a child, arson, six counts of making a false writing, six counts of forgery, five counts of theft and two counts of identify theft.

He has 51 disciplinary reports from his time in prison, with 17 of those being contraband, KDOC records show. He was last released from prison in 2012.
After watching the Republican National Convention and the first half of the Democratic one, voters may be asking themselves: Fellas, is it liberal to love your wife?

Many of the men speaking at the DNC have married well and they know itand they sure arent shy about saying it. On Tuesday night, second gentleman Doug Emhoff spoke after a touching video narrated by his son, Cole, introduced him to the country. Much of his speech was, of course, about his wife, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. He talked about her in glowing terms: Whenever shes needed, however shes needed, Kamala rises to the occasion, he said. He described her as a fighter, a person who cannot stand bullies or injustice, and a warm presence who has helped blend both their families and their faiths. And while Emhoff was charmingly self-deprecating, particularly when he recounted his awkward initial efforts to ask Harris on a date, the introduction from his son emphasized his fruitful legal career and his accomplishments as the first (!) second gentleman. The overarching picture was of a successful, ambitious man who is a great fatherand who centers and backs his wife without hesitation.

After Emhoff, convention-watchers heard from Michelle and Barack Obama, a couple whose political life is more traditional than the HarrisEmhoffshe ran for office and eventually won the White House; she served as first ladybut has nevertheless been a decadeslong model of mutual respect (and mutual talent, although Michelles often go underrated). Michelle Obamas speech was, in my opinion, the best of the convention so far, and when Barack took the stage, he rightly noted that she is not an easy act to follow. Luckily, hes a once-in-a-generation political talent himself and one of the greatest orators in modern life. Whats particularly stunning, though, is that his wifes rhetorical talents are on par with hisand that both Obamas clearly admire the other and constantly talk them up.

And it wasnt just the politically famous men who showed up with and for their wives at the DNC. On Monday, Amanda Zurawski walked onstage with her husband, Josh, to talk about how Texas strict abortion ban had nearly killed her after she miscarried their daughter, Willow. It was Josh who spoke poignantly about not just the pain of losing his child but the fear of almost losing his wife. On Tuesday, a montage played of various families who have had children thanks to in vitro fertilization, and again, the men were as central as the women, with their dreams of fatherhood put on par with their partners desires to become mothers.

Braying about the greatness of your spouse is not exactly political novelty. Its how these Democratic men talk about their wives that is unusual, especially compared with the way prominent Republicans too often treat the women in their lives. Donald Trump, for example, offered his wife, Melania, only a passing mention in his convention speech. The UFC CEOs wife got more glowing praise from the former president, who commended her for (he claimed) encouraging her husband to speak at the RNC even though it meant canceling a rare vacation she had been promised. Thats a good wife, Trump said. Her husband, Dana White, was caught on camera slapping her across the face last year.

Trumps own wife not only did not speak but was pointedly absent from the convention until the last night, when she came onstage to briefly wave for the crowds. Melania has been largely out of the public eye since departing the White Houseshe also did not attend Trumps criminal trial, which centered on a payoff to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who says she had an affair with Trump not long after Melania gave birth to their son.

That affairwhich Trump denies, despite his three marriages and long record of violating his marital vowsis in many ways a distraction from the real differences between how Trump and many prominent Republicans talk about their partnerships compared with how Democrats talk about theirs. (Marriages, after all, are ideally long relationships between two fallible humans, and the existence of an affair at some point is not the sole determinant of whether a partnership is a good one.) It seems like a stretch to call the Trump marriage a partnership at all. In many ways it looks more traditional: a mutually beneficial arrangement in which one partner brings youth, beauty, and fertility, and the other, money and power. Its tough to imagine Donald sitting down with Melania over dinner and asking her thoughts about a tough business deal, or taking on her opinion about a vexing foreign policy question, or having a back-and-forth about politics or even ideas. He has been clear that the two have distinct and defined rolesshe is the child-bearer and child-rearer, and he is the patriarch and breadwinner. Lets just be honest: Can you picture Donald Trump happily stepping into the role of first gentleman or being Melanias No. 2 in anything?

By contrast, its not hard to picture Harris and Emhoff not merely talking to each other but challenging, engaging with, and mutually supporting each other. The same is true of the Obamas. And while Tim and Gwen Walz are new characters for the American public, a quick scan of her biography paints a picture of a couple that have spent much of their lives operating in professional tandem. She too was a public school teacher; when she was the first lady of Minnesota, she got her own office in the Capitol, where she oversaw a policy portfolio of meaty issues, including gun control and voting rights for people convicted of felonies. And when Tim Walz talks about their family, he positions himself as invested equally in its well-being and its formation. He speaks often about the fertility treatments that brought their children into being. The traditional separation of sphereswoman at home with the kids, husband out in the world making moneyis not the Walz family story. And it is not the story of most American families anymore either.

Interestingly, the old-fashioned family structure is also not the Vance family story, as much as Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance loves to opine on the importance of traditional gender roles and backs legislation that would make it far more difficult for women to succeed as his wife has. Usha Vance is an ambitious, successful woman who is by the looks of it smarter than he is: She seems to have outperformed him in law school and has multiple degrees, and she took on a series of prestigious clerkships, including at the Supreme Court. Vance has in the past talked about her brilliance and strength; he clearly admires her. But when hes playing for a conservative crowd, that vocal admiration gets tamped down and Usha becomes the cliche of my beautiful wife. Her own political opinions are kept largely under wraps. She is brought out instead to help clean up her husbands messes with womenlike when he smears those without children as cat ladies uninvested in the future of the nation. Usha is not a prototypical Republican wife. But she is learning to play one on TV.

The Democratic Wife Guys dont just think their wives are beautiful or great mothers; they admire their intelligence, and they support their ambition. And perhaps most importantly, they are willing to make personal sacrifices for their wives aspirations, something particularly true of Emhoff. They seem to understand this as the natural push-pull of a long egalitarian partnership, not a source of emasculation. In this vision of marriage, spouses dont occupy separate gender-based spheres; they intertwine their lives, each working to strengthen the scaffolding that supports the other. Men have historically not been asked to do what women routinely do, which is put their careers or preferences or dreams second so that their spouse might thriveor even consider their spouses ambitions to be as important as their own, and behave in a way that reflects that.

But the American family has changed. Women have changed faster and more dramatically, but men are changing too. The very fact that Kamala Harris is running for president is a testament to how far women have come. She is the first major-party nominee for the presidency to have a different last name from her spouse, because shes a woman who retained her name and identity when she marriedand thats gone largely unnoticed, or at least unremarked-upon. If she wins, Doug Emhoff will be the first first gentleman. And its a role he seems not only happy to play but eager to brag about.
YELL COUNTY, Ark.  An investigation has led to the wife of the Yell County sheriff facing charges of felony theft after funds were found missing from department accounts.

According to court records, 49-year-old Chasity Ann Gault was arrested after $39,982 was found missing after an investigation and state audit & is facing charges of felony property theft. Gault is the wife of Yell County Sheriff Nick Gault.

Some Yell County residents still without power after Sunday storms

The investigators report said the loss was primarily from three department accounts: Virtual Justice, Restitution and Paper Service. After a review by Arkansas Legislative Audit, the auditor found that Gault handled collections and deposits of funds into these accounts from Jan. 1, 2023, to March 8, 2024.

The auditor also found that Gault wrote $9,374 in checks from the Restitution to the Virtual Justice accounts, the exact amount missing from that account, in an apparent attempt to conceal the cash that she had stole. The audit also found that thefts from the Paper Services account stopped in February 2024, the same month the chief deputy took over responsibility for that account from Gault.

Working 4 You: Van Buren Co. Chief Deputy Derek Adams resigns for personal reasons

The documents state Gault admitted to the investigator that she had taken cash payments made at her office and used them for personal purchases such as groceries and medication for her daughter, adding that she estimated she had taken $4,000.

The investigator continued that Gault said she did not take any money from the Paper Services account, where the auditor found $26,643 missing. The investigator confirmed that Gault had control over that account from Jan. 1, 2023, to February 2024.

Some Yell County residents still without power after Sunday storms

Officials with the Arkansas State Police said Gault was arrested Wednesday. Judge Randy Wright allowed Gault to bond on her own recognizance.

Yell County Judge Jeff Gilkey posted a statement to social media shortly after the news of Gaults arrest.

I am deeply troubled to learn of todays arrest, Gilkey wrote. The defrauding of the people of Yell County is unacceptable and those who choose to do so have no business in government.

Gilkey continued that the accounts were under the exclusive control of the Yell County sheriff, which is normal across the state. He said county officials do not review the accounts, which the state officials audit yearly.

The judge said the legal system must be allowed to do its job, and whatever outcome will be accepted.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN)  Williamson County is starting another year of the YMCA Teen Court program this weekend.

The Twin Lakes YMCA is hosting the annual Teen Court Orientation this Saturday. Teenagers between the ages of 13-17 are invited to attend. Theyll be taught the roles of attorney, judge, juror and bailiff.

The orientation will be in the Magee Dining hall located at 204 E. Little Elm Trail, Cedar Park, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Judge Angela Williams, Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace, and Judge Edna Staudt, founder of the Williamson County YMCA Teen Court, will be joined by volunteer attorneys to lead the orientation. Lunch, drinks and t-shirts will be provided by the YMCA. The dress code is casual but modest.

Parents are required to complete registration forms before they leave the site. Anyone with questions or who need further details and registration forms can contact Katie Carrillo, Juvenile Case Manager for Judge Angela Williams, at (512) 260-4210.

The YMCA Teen Court Program is an annual program in which student volunteers hear and judge actual juvenile misdemeanor sentencing trials and fill all the roles in the courtroom from judge to jury, according to Williamson Countys website.

The program gives teens the opportunity to contribute to their community and experience the practice of law firsthand. Along the way they learn valuable listening and public speaking skills and practice courtroom etiquette, which helps grow them into leaders among their peers, the website said.

The Teen Court was established in 1996 by Edna Staudt. Williams took the program over when she took the bench in 2023.

According to the Williamson County website, the Williamson County YMCA Teen Court is a partnership between Justice Court Precinct 2 and the Twin Lakes Family YMCA. The YMCA provides additional staffing and resources such as pizza, t-shirts, training manuals and a facility for the fall orientation among other things. The program depends heavily on the support of volunteer parents, attorneys and law enforcement officers who volunteer their time and expertise.

Those interested can read more about the program online. The Teen Court Program schedule is detailed below.

Teen Court Sessions

Date : Training sessions and Court are held twice monthly (calendar below).

Time : All Court and training sessions will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Staff should arrive between 6 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. on court nights.

Location : The Justice Court Courtroom of the Williamson County Annex located at 350 Discovery Boulevard, Ste. 204, in Cedar Park.

For More Information: Please contact Program Director Katie 512-260-4238.

Teen Court Orientation

Saturday, Aug. 24

9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Dining Hall (Magee Family Lodge) 204 E Little Elm Trail, Cedar Park, TX 78613

Lunch will be served.

Fall Schedule

August 24, 2024: Orientation at YMCA

September 9, 2024: Training/auditions

September 30, 2024: Court

October 7, 2024: Training

October 21, 2024: Court

November 4, 2024: Court

November 18, 2024: Court

December 2, 2024: Court

December 9, 2024: Court

From 6:30 pm to 8:45 pm at:

Williamson County Annex JP2 Courtroom at 350 Discovery Blvd., Cedar Park, TX 78613

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
WINNEBAGO, Ill. (WTVO)  The Winnebago Police Department and the school district have partnered once again to provide a School Resource Officer (SRO) on campus for students, faculty and staff for the 2024-2025 school year.

Officer Jeff Spelman is the officer in this role, chosen by Police Chief Jeff White. Chief White said that because of Officer Spelmans experience and passion, he is perfect for the role.

He has the experience as the officer who was on the street for many years, Chief White said. Kids have emotional issues and I dont blame them with the pandemic and being at home all that time. Jeff uses kid gloves with them, and he takes them aside, he speaks to them, and he tells them, If you need anybody to talk to, Im here.'

Officer Spelman is a Winnebago High School graduate and has brought over twenty years of law enforcement experience to the role. He said he dedicates himself to developing a strong environment to be in.

It begins with ensuring a safe and secure environment, Officer Spelman said. That component will always be paramount. With me, Im their protector. Im always going to be watching over. Im always going to be checking doors. I dont think theyll ever take that away from me.

Officer Spelman is also a trained emergency medical technician and acts as a mentor, educator and first responder for the district. District superintendent Dr. John Schwuchow said the presence of an officer has helped diminish violence and bullying in schools and that Officer Spelman has developed strong relationships with the students and staff.

There are occasions where our students and staff are just comfortable talking about certain situations with Jeff, Dr. Schwuchow said. To that level, its just a huge plus for our students, staff and school district.

Dr. Schwuchow said the district signed a three-year contract with the police department, so Officer Spelman will be around for next school year as well, something he said he is thrilled about.

The excitement is palpable, Officer Spelman said. You can see it. You can feel it. Everybodys joyous. Everybody seems to be glad to be back, and Im glad to be back.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyStateline | WTVO News, Weather and Sports.
WINNEBAGO, Neb. (KCAU)  Officials are asking for the publics help in locating a missing Winnebago woman.

According to a missing persons report, Sadie Jefferson Littlethunder, 25, has been missing since June 27. She was last seen in Sioux City, Iowa.

Norfolk house fire turns into arson investigation, arrest

A report from the Nebraska State Patrol describes her as Native American with brown eyes and brown hair. She is 55 and weighs around 195 pounds.

Additional identifiable features include a 10-inch scar behind her upper left arm and a small mole on the right side of her nose.

Anyone who might have information is asked to contact the Winnebago Police Department at 402-878-2245 or the Nebraska Missing Persons Clearinghouse at 1-877-441-LOST (5678).

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO)  Its Wednesday, August 21. Take a look at our top stories in news and weather with KELOLAND On The GO First@4.

An Alcester woman was sentenced to two years in federal prison Monday for wire fraud, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Alcester woman sentenced 2 years for wire fraud

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its preliminary report on the deadly plane crash in Yankton County.

NTSB: Prelim report shows no engine issues in Yankton plane crash

A mans name has been released in a fatal motorcycle crash near Hurons city limits on Saturday.

Name released in Beadle Co. fatal motorcycle crash

Residents of Davison, Lincoln, Turner and Union Counties can get personal disaster application assistance from FEMA starting this week.

FEMA helping SD residents with disaster assistance starting this week

Scattered storms will develop in western South Dakota by this evening and move into central KELOLAND tonight. Some of the storms will contain locally heavy rainfall.

Scattered Rain Through Friday

Download the KELOLAND News app to find the latest headlines while on the go.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com.
BRIDGETON, N.J. (PIX11)  Police in New Jersey are searching for a woman caught on camera climbing over a fence to pet a tiger at the Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton.

The woman was seen enticing the tiger by sticking her hand through a wired fence before the animal jumped at her, a video posted by the Bridgeton Police Department showed. The tiger then rapidly paced back and forth as the woman stepped away to climb back over a wooden fence.

Bridgeton police are working to identify the woman in the video. Its against city law to climb over any fence, the police department wrote on Facebook.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Patrolman Cusano at 856-451-0033 extension 0. You can also go to BPD.TIPS if youre on your phone, tablet or computer.

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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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  Authorities are investigating after a woman was found dead inside a burning car in Florida Tuesday afternoon.

The Orange County Sheriffs Office said deputies were called to the 5000 block of Glasgow Avenue around 2:20 p.m. regarding a vehicle fire.

Thats where deputies found a woman in her 30s unresponsive inside the fully engulfed vehicle.

Family of teen killed in Pinellas boat crash sues teen operators parents

Orange County Fire Rescue pronounced the woman dead at the scene. The sheriffs office has not yet identified the woman.

The state fire marshals office is investigating the incident. No other details were made available.

This is a developing story. Stay up to date on the latest from News Channel 8 on-air and on the go with the free WFLA News Channel 8 mobile app.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
Woman nearly bitten by tiger after hopping fence at New Jersey zoo, video shows

Woman nearly bitten by tiger after hopping fence at New Jersey zoo, video shows

Police are seeking a woman who hopped a fence surrounding a tiger enclosure at a New Jersey zoo.

Video of the incident showed the unidentified woman reaching through the enclosure's fence at the Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton.

PHOTO: In this photo released by the Bridgeton Police Department, a woman is shown on video 'enticing' a tiger after illegally climbing into an enclosure in at the Bridgeton Park and Zoo in New Jersey. (Bridgeton Police Department)

MORE: Man attacked by tiger at Florida Everglades attraction, authorities say

The woman can be seen attempting to pet the animal, then jumping back when it appears to momentarily become aggressive.

"A female at the Cohanzick Zoo went over the wooden fence at the tiger enclosure and began enticing the tiger almost getting bit by putting her hand through the wire enclosure," police said.

It was not immediately clear when the incident took place, but police released the footage Tuesday.

PHOTO: In this photo released by the Bridgeton Police Department, a sign is shown outside the tiger enclosure at the Bridgeton Park and Zoo in New Jersey. (Bridgeton Police Department)

MORE: Criminal charges possible for man attacked by tiger after reaching into enclosure at Florida zoo

At the end of the video, the woman is seen turning and hopping back over the wooden fence and walking away.

They also shared a photo of a sign in the area of the enclosure, which warned visitors not to climb over the fence.

Police are asking anyone who recognizes the woman in the video to contact them at 856-451-0033.

Woman nearly bitten by tiger after hopping fence at New Jersey zoo, video shows originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  A woman who was a recruiter for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel was recently sentenced in El Paso to 20 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office from the Western District of Texas.

The U.S. Attorneys Office says Karla Adriana Votta-Cardenas, 43, from Ciudad Juarez, worked for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, primarily trafficking methamphetamine.

Votta-Cardenas served as a large-scale recruiter for the cartel, recruiting drivers through help wanted ads on social media. She recruited more than 20 drivers using this method and did not disclose that they would be trafficking drugs, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Votta-Cardenas was arrested by Mexican authorities and extradited to the U.S. from Mexico on Nov. 1, 2023.

Treasury to freeze US assets of Jalisco cartel leaders

The U.S. Attorneys Office says the drug trafficking organization was led by Jorge Sanchez-Morales, who oversaw the operation on behalf of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

The U.S. Attorneys Office says the organization imported liquid methamphetamine from Juarez into El Paso, and then transported the substance to Atlanta concealed in the fuel tanks of semi-tractors.

El Escorpion extradited to face drug charges in US

In Atlanta, the liquid methamphetamine was converted to a crystalline form and then distributed.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
TRAVELERS REST, S.C. (WSPA)  One woman was shot Wednesday morning at an apartment complex in Travelers Rest.

The Travelers Rest Police Department said the shooting happened around 10:30 a.m. at the Raintree apartments on McElhaney Road.

Chief Ben Ford said the shooting stemmed from a disagreement between two neighbors.

The victim was taken to the hospital with an injury which is not believed to be life-threatening.

A suspect was taken into custody and is being interviewed at the police department, police said.

We will update this story as more information becomes available.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS.
WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  D.C. police are investigating a shooting in Southeast that left a woman hurt Tuesday night.

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said a woman was shot in the 200 block of 37th Place.

DC Fire and EMS remember 5 crew members killed in the line of duty in 1896

MPD said the woman was still conscious and breathing when she was found. She was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Anyone with information was asked to call (202) 727-9099 or text the departments tip line at 50411.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Woman turns down 20-year deal for drug charges, gets 99 years instead

UPSHUR COUNTY, Texas (KETK)  A Texas woman was sentenced to 99 years in prison after pleading guilty to drug charges in Upshur County.

Felisha Diane Williams, 39, pleaded guilty on January 13th to possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver. In her plea, she declined the states offer of 20 years and opted for a jury to decide her punishment.

Due to previous felonies, Williams faced an enhanced punishment range of 15 years to life rather than the normal punishment range of 5-99 years or life in prison.

Williams was arrested on May 26, 2018. According to court records, she was a passenger in a car stopped in Gilmer for displaying multiple registration and mismatched license plates. Police said one of the cars passengers originally gave police a false name. Once police found out the real name, they also found warrants against that name and requested permission to search the car, which the driver granted.

In the search, officers found several baggies and methamphetamine. During her transport to the county jail, Williams indicated she had more meth concealed on her person.

At the jail, staff found about 7 grams of meth and 16 more small baggies, which authorities say are commonly used in drug trafficking.

Williams had four previous felony convictions on her record and was on parole at the time of her arrest.



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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
Atlanta Police Department is asking for your help to find the pictured suspect.

Police said on July 30, officers responded to Martin Luther King Junior Drive Southwest about a residential burglary.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Police arrived at the scene and spoke with the resident who told police that while she was asleep, a woman came into her apartment and stole a 32-inch TCL television.

Then, she left.

Surveillance video from the resident shows a woman wearing a hoodie (which has a Harlem 1993 logo) with shorts, Nike high-top sneakers, and a ball cap.

TRENDING STORIES:

Anyone with information on this case can submit a tip anonymously to the Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line at 404-577-8477, online, or by texting CSA and the tip to CRIMES (274637).

You do not have to give your name or any identifying information to be eligible for the reward of up to $2,000.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
China's commerce ministry slams unfair EU tariffs on EVs

Xinhua) 08:44, August 21, 2024

BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- China opposes the European Commission's plan to slap import duties of up to 36.3 percent on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), and will take all necessary measures to defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, a spokesperson with the Ministry of Commerce said Tuesday.

Last month, the commission imposed provisional additional tariffs of up to 37.6 percent on Chinese EV makers, after it launched an anti-subsidy probe on Chinese EVs in October 2023.

On Tuesday, the commission published a draft plan to make those tariffs definitive, at slightly revised rates, subject to approval by EU member states.

The commission's anti-subsidy investigation process on Chinese EVs did not comply with the rules of the World Trade Organization and was an act of "unfair competition" under the guise of "fair competition," according to the spokesperson.

During the investigation process, the Chinese government and EV industry have provided hefty legal documents and evidence materials through various means such as questionnaires, written comments, and statements at hearings. They have comprehensively and thoroughly defended against the unreasonable and non-compliant practices of the European side, the spokesperson said.

The commission's wrong practice will disrupt the stability of the global automotive supply chain and harm the interests of European consumers, said the spokesman, adding that it will also undermine the EU's green transformation and global cooperation in addressing climate change.

Noting that the two sides have conducted more than 10 rounds of technical consultations on this case since the end of June, the spokesperson called on the EU to take practical measures to prevent the escalation of trade disputes.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
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Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka, who is on an official visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka in Beijing on Tuesday.

Xi congratulated Fiji's Men's Rugby Sevens team on winning the silver medal at the Paris Olympic Games.

Noting that Fiji was the first Pacific island country to establish diplomatic relations with China and that next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, Xi said that for nearly half a century, the two countries have always supported and helped each other, setting a good example of equal treatment and friendly cooperation between countries large and small.

China attaches great importance to China-Fiji relations and is willing to continue to provide assistance to the best of its ability for Fiji's economic and social development, and work with Fiji to grasp the general direction of bilateral relations and promote the building of a China-Fiji community with a shared future to better benefit the two peoples, Xi said.

Xi briefed Rabuka, who had visited Yunnan, Fujian and Zhejiang provinces prior to the meeting, on China's practices and experience in poverty alleviation. The completion of the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects for more than 1.4 billion people is a historic achievement the Chinese people have made under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and a historic contribution China has made to the cause of poverty reduction and the development of humanity, he stressed.

"In this process, we have left no ethnic group, region or individual behind, fully demonstrating the socialist system's political advantage in concentrating resources on major undertakings. We have won the heartfelt support of the people of all 56 ethnic groups in China," Xi said.

China is endeavoring to build itself into a stronger country and rejuvenate the Chinese nation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization that adheres to a path of peaceful development, Xi said.

Noting that China and Fiji both belong to the Global South, Xi said China is ready to help Fiji and other Pacific island countries cope with climate change, and strengthen development cooperation with them to make the Pacific Ocean an ocean of peace, friendship and cooperation.

Rabuka congratulated the Chinese Olympic delegation on its excellent performance at the Paris Olympics. He said he visited China 30 years ago as prime minister, and through his Yunnan, Fujian and Zhejiang tours this time, he witnessed the tremendous achievements China has made in poverty eradication and development under the leadership of President Xi.

Fiji is willing to learn from China's experience, and strengthen cooperation with China in poverty reduction, infrastructure and connectivity, he said.

Fiji appreciates China's adherence to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, supports the global initiatives proposed by President Xi, and is willing to continue the Belt and Road cooperation with China, promote the development of relations between Pacific island countries and China, and make the Pacific Ocean a peaceful ocean, Rabuka said.

He noted that Fiji fully understands China's position on the Taiwan question and will continue to firmly pursue the one-China policy.

A joint statement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Fiji was issued.
Hadley Duvall, a sexual assault survivor, speaks onstage during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on Monday, Aug. 19, in Chicago. She appeared alongside reproductive rights advocates from states with post-Roe abortion restrictions. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Most major party leaders who took the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, mentioned that Vice President Kamala Harris would work to restore federal abortion rights if elected president.

But the most poignant remarks about the issue on the DNCs first day came from Southern women who had traumatic pregnancies and spoke about the erosion of abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade more than two years ago.

Kaitlyn Joshua of Louisiana, Amanda Zurawski of Texas and Hadley Duvall of Kentucky spoke at the convention on Monday night. Joshua and Zurawski were denied care for pregnancy complications in 2022. Duvall, a 22-year-old who became pregnant as a child after she was raped by her stepfather, has called for exceptions to Kentuckys abortion ban for sexual assault survivors.

At age 12, I took my first pregnancy test, and it was positive, Duvall told the DNC crowd. That was the first time I was ever told, You have options. I cant imagine not having a choice, but today, thats the reality for many women and girls across the country because of Donald Trumps abortion bans.

Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, nominated three of the Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade during his first term as president.

Joshua spoke about being denied miscarriage treatment when she was pregnant with her second child. Two emergency rooms sent me away. Because of Louisianas abortion ban, no one would confirm that I was miscarrying, she said.

Appearing alongside her husband, Zurawski said delayed pregnancy care threatened her life. Every time I share our story, my heart breaks for the baby girl we wanted so desperately, for the doctors and nurses who couldnt help me deliver safely, for Josh who feared hed lose me too, she said.

All three women have campaigned in battleground states such as Florida, Michigan and Wisconsin this year for Harris, the Democratic Partys presidential nominee, and President Joe Biden before he suspended his reelection bid. Like Biden, Harris has pledged to sign legislation codifying the federal right to an abortion if shes elected and if Congress passes such a bill.

Our daughters deserve better. America deserves better, Joshua said.

During a campaign stop in Florida last week, she told the story of how she was 11 weeks pregnant when she drove herself to an emergency room in Baton Rouge after experiencing heavy bleeding, Florida Phoenix reported. Providers said her fetus stopped growing but sent her home and said they would pray for her. Joshua went to a different hospital after her bleeding worsened, but she was told to go home again until her pregnancy passed.

I no longer feel safe being pregnant in Louisiana, Joshua wrote in an opinion piece for Louisiana Illuminator this spring. Not as a Black woman who received inadequate and delayed medical care while enduring a painful miscarriage because of my home states abortion ban.

When Zurawski learned her state enacted its trigger law after the Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization ruling in June 2022, she was in the intensive care unit of a hospital dealing with septic shock, according to Texas Tribune. Days earlier, she found out she had premature prelabor rupture of the membranes at 18 weeks of pregnancy. Zurawski was initially denied an abortion  her fetus had cardiac activity  until she went into sepsis.

What I went through was nothing short of barbaric, and it did not need to happen, Zurawski said in May while campaigning for Biden in Madison, Wisconsin. It was completely avoidable. It was preventable.

Zurawski is one of the plaintiffs who sued Texas last year asking for clarity on what type of medical emergency warrants abortion under the states bans. The state Supreme Court rejected the challenge in May, ruling that medical exceptions in the law were broad enough, the Tribune reported.

While Joshua and Zurawski have often traveled together in swing states to share their stories of denied care in a post-Roe United States, Duvall rose to prominence after she appeared in an ad for Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshears reelection campaign last year.

Duvall, who miscarried a pregnancy resulting from assault, criticized Beshears opponent and former Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron for his lack of support for adding rape and incest exceptions to the states ban, Kentucky Lantern reported. To tell a 12-year-old girl she must have the baby of her stepfather who raped her is unthinkable, she said.

She has since become a reproductive rights advocate and hit the campaign trail for national Democrats, appearing alongside Harris on MSNBC in June and in an ad for Biden last month.

There are other survivors out there who have no options, Duvall said Monday before introducing Beshears DNC speech. And I want you to know that we see you. We hear you.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU)  The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors spoke out about Summit Carbon Solutions proposed CO2 pipeline.

The supervisors told the public that the county, along with seven other counties, are in a coalition that has sought to argue with the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC). The coalition believes that Summits CO2 pipeline should not be granted for different safety and legal reasons, including the use of eminent domain for a private project. The coalition says they have decided to seek judicial review at the state level.

Sen. Grassley visits Siouxland to complete 99-county tour

So this is essentially saying we want a judge to look at the work that the IUCs done, and say we presented a brief that argued there were several factual deficiencies and different problems with the permit and we wanted a legal determination, as opposed to some opinions in a room where IUC members meet, board chairman Matthew Ung said.

The supervisors also voted to reallocate more than $173,000 of unspent American Rescue Plan Act money to projects that need the funds.

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The American-born Spaniard was announced as the world's oldest person in 2023

Maria Branyas/twitter Maria Branyas Morera celebrating her 115th birthday

The world's oldest person, Maria Branyas Morera, has died at the age of 117.

On Tuesday, Aug. 20, her family announced on X (formerly known as Twitter) that Morera had died peacefully in her sleep.

"Maria Branyas has left us. She has died as she wanted: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain, they wrote in Catalan. A few days ago she told us: One day I will leave here. I will not try coffee again, nor eat yogurt, nor caress the Fairy..., I will also leave my memories, my reflections 

Morera also told the family I will cease to exist in this body," they stated in a follow-up post. "One day I don't know, but it's very close, this long journey will be over," she continued. "Death will find me worn out from having lived so long, but I want it to find me smiling, free and satisfied.

"We will always remember her for her advice and kindness," her family added in a post translated from Catalan.

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Maria Branyas/twitter Maria Branyas Morera pictured here with her father Josep in 1924

Related: Woman Believed to Be the Oldest Person in the U.S. Dead at 115

In January 2023, the Guinness World Records confirmed Morera as the planet's oldest person living following the death of 118-year-old Lucile Randon of France.

According to the organization, Morera was born in San Francisco on March 4, 1907  the same year as the late Katherine Hepburn and John Wayne.

This came a year after her parents emigrated to the United States. However, after eight years, the family returned to Spain and settled in Catalonia.

Related: World's Oldest Person, Kane Tanaka of Japan, Dies at 119  Here's a Look Back at Her Incredible Life

During the journey to Spain, Moreras father died from pulmonary tuberculosis on the transatlantic voyage.



According to The New York Times, Morera was married to a doctor for 40 years in Girona, Spain. The couple shared three children together and later welcomed over a dozen grandchildren.

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Morera went on to reside in a nursing home, Residencia Santa Maria del Tura in Olot, Spain for over 20 years.

Her daughter would often help her post photos and words of wisdom on X.

"Life is not eternal for anyone," she wrote in January 2023. "At my age, a new year is a gift, a humble celebration, a new adventure, a beautiful journey, a moment of happiness. Let's enjoy life together."

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Should you be worried about mpox in SC? Heres what state health officials say

Once known as monkeypox, the virus mpox has spread outside the Democratic Republic of the Congo to other African countries, causing the World Health Organization to label it an international health concern.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has reported 1,200 deaths and 22,000 mpox cases since January 2023.

So far, there are no cases in the United States, but the South Carolina Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control are monitoring the spread closely, Casey White, spokesperson for SC Public Health said Tuesday.

The risk to the general public in South Carolina is very low, she said.

Another strain of mpox, Clade II, was found in the U.S. in 2022 and caused 58 deaths and 32,063 cases.

South Carolina had 238 cases and one death in 2023, CDC records show.

That outbreak was declared over, but 28 cases of Clade II mpox have been reported in South Carolina so far this year.

The health department and some doctors have the FDA-approved vaccine for mpox, which was critical in stemming the outbreak two years ago.

SC Public Health says there is no need for the general public to get vaccinated now.

As for Clade 1, it spreads in both humans and animals and is endemic to west and central Africa. It is spread by close contact and sometimes the environment, the CDC said.

Clade 1 was first found in the Congo in 1970. Symptoms include a rash that forms blisters, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. The illness is usually mild, and most infected individuals recover within a few weeks without treatment, the CDC said.

It is time to act decisively to prevent history from repeating itself, said Dimie Ogoina, who chairs the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee, which advises WHO.

The CDC said the risk is low in the U.S. at this time because few people travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and there are no direct commercial flights from there.

If youve had mpox or are vaccinated you are at little risk, the CDC said.

Others can protect themselves by:

Avoiding close contact with people who are sick with signs and symptoms of mpox, including those with skin lesions or genital lesions.

Avoiding contact with wild animals (alive or dead) in areas where mpox regularly occurs.

Avoiding contact with contaminated materials used by people who are sick (such as clothing, bedding, or materials used in healthcare settings) or that came into contact with wild animals.

Avoiding eating or preparing meat from wild animals (bushmeat) or using products (creams, lotions, powders) derived from wild animals.
GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN)  A man accused of murder in connection with a 16-year-olds death in December 2023 was in court Wednesday for a bond reduction hearing.

Kreli Haynes was linked by law enforcement as selling Zarek McMeekin a fentanyl-laced pill that ultimately killed the boy. A judge decided to push back the decision of reducing the $1.2 million bond until October.

The boys parents were in court, along with other parents who had lost children to the deadly drug.

RELATED: New law aiming to fight fentanyl passed

It is very painful because of what were here for. We shouldnt be here. We should be at home with our son, Martha Ledezma, the boys mother, said.

The case is one of the first in Williamson County to be prosecuted under a 2023 state law that allows fentanyl overdoses to be charged as murder.

The court appearance coincided with National Fentanyl Awareness and Prevention Day, held annually on Aug. 21.

It is the worst feeling ever. Something you will never get over, Ledezma said.

Surrounded by fellow angels, Ledezma had mothers like Carilu Bell supporting her.

RELATED: How a fentanyl dealer can get charged with murder in Texas

Its important to honor my child, Bell said. He was an adult child, but still my child. Her son was 44 years old when he died.

Its something Kathy Winters also knows all too well about.

More times than not, theyre responsible for more than one death. And getting these murderers off the street, and protecting other children, and adults, is our mission, Winters said.

Haynes remains in the Williamson County jail. He also faces charges of possession of a controlled substance and the unlawful carrying of a firearm.

RELATED: Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for young people

In a statement, Haynes attorney, Sam Bassett, said:

This is a difficult case for all involved. The new law passed regarding fentanyl is a severe measure designed to deal with a complex problem. Given that this is a new law and a serious case, it will take time to fully investigate, prepare and conduct a trial. My client is a young African American with no prior criminal record. He is likely to face a trial in Williamson County sometime in 2025. My firm is working to ensure he gets the best defense possible. Sam Bassett, Haynes attorney

Haynes is expected back in court on Oct. 23.

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NEW MEXICO (KRQE)  Xcel Energy is speaking out on what caused the company to ask eastern and southeastern New Mexico customers to reduce their energy usage Monday night. The company issued an alert on Monday asking some of its Texas and New Mexico customers in several counties to cut back on their energy usage until 9 p.m. to prevent outages.

Sandia High School gets major donation to automotive class

They asked customers to turn off lights, appliances, and air conditioning unless needed for health reasons. About 126,000 residential and industrial customers were impacted.

A spokesperson for the company said unplanned maintenance on some generating units and the hot weather caused them to issue the alert as a precautionary measure. We issued the conservation appeals knowing that at this point, if something else were to break or we had another unit offline, we would be in a load shed situation, said Spokesperson Wes Reeves.

Xcel Energy said there is a growing demand in the area as new customers are using more energy. The company said they are in the process of getting new equipment to meet the need and replace some of their generators which date back to the 1960s.

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Nearly three years after wheelchair user Beth Smith sued Kaiser for capping coverage well below the costs of many motorized chairs, the Albany resident is slated to get thousands of dollars for a new chair.

Smith, 64, was among the plaintiffs in a class-action suit against Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and the state over limits on insurance coverage of wheelchairs, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

The lawsuit said Kaiser plans either excluded or imposed a $2,000 annual limit on wheelchair coverage. Smith was enrolled in a plan with a $2,000-a-year cap, which was a fraction of the estimated cost to replace her "medically necessary power wheelchair," according to the suit.

The federal suit also targeted the California Department of Managed Health Care, which chose a Kaiser plan as a "benchmark" for what individual and small group health plans must legally cover in the state. Not including wheelchairs as an "essential health benefit" discriminated against people with disabilities, it argued.

The DMHC said the state had not illegally discriminated against people with disabilities because "wheelchairs are not a mandated benefit under California law." Kaiser also denied the claims: In a court filing, it said its plans had "reasonable coverage limits ... without regard to members' disability status."

A judge ruled that the claims against Kaiser had to go to arbitration under agreements with Kaiser members like Smith, rather than proceeding in federal court. In July, an agreement was reached through the arbitration process for Kaiser to pay $15,000 for a motorized wheelchair or more if "found medically necessary."

Read more: Wheelchair users can face hefty costs not covered by insurance

Kaiser will also allow Smith "an amount sufficient to pay for a medically necessary wheelchair every five years," as well as repair and maintenance costs, and will pay $6,400 for out-of-pocket costs for physical therapy that Smith underwent as she waited for a replacement wheelchair. Smith said in a legal declaration that she had suffered chronic pain because her wheelchair no longer fit her body well.

"This matter was resolved by a settlement in arbitration and was limited to one Kaiser Permanente member and does not involve any finding that any Kaiser Permanente health plan does not provide appropriate coverage for wheelchairs," Kaiser said in response to questions.

The insurer added that "coverage terms for wheelchairs in Kaiser Permanente's plans have always met or exceeded requirements under California law."

Smith, who has cerebral palsy, said she was relieved at the thought of getting a replacement for her aging mobility device. She does not have the physical strength to use a less costly manual wheelchair.

Her current wheelchair is more than a decade old and has been breaking down, leaving her at risk of being dangerously stranded, she said. At times, she has resorted to scrounging up used parts or using screws from the hardware store to repair it.

But Smith said a new wheelchair wasn't the chief reason she wanted to be part of the class-action lawsuit. "I wanted them to change their policy for everyone," she said.

What galls her is that "it's so often the case that a person with a disability has to make themselves indigent in order to qualify for what they need," Smith said. Getting Medi-Cal, for instance, "would involve quitting my career" as a licensed clinical social worker at a nonprofit, where she gets insurance through a Kaiser plan.

"Private insurance is largely a product for employers and designed with their unique interests in mind," wrote Valarie Blake, a professor at the West Virginia University College of Law, in an expert report for the arbitration case. "And employers traditionally employed people without disabilities."

As the claims involving Kaiser went through arbitration, the rest of the suit  targeting the state  had been proceeding in federal court. In March, however, it was put on hold as both sides agreed to "seek federal input on the dispute at hand."

The DMHC said it "has been following recent federal rules and guidance increasing state flexibility" and had reached out to a federal agency focused on insurance oversight for clarification related to wheelchair coverage by health plans and "state defrayal of benefit requirements."

Attorney Claudia Center of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, which represented Smith and other plaintiffs, said the group is still pressing for a statewide resolution of the issue, potentially through legislation.

Read more: Nearly $1 billion in funds left unspent by centers for disabled Californians

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
It's a presidential election year, which means the party conventions are a fixture on the summer schedules of every political pundit and reporter.

In the past, the big conventions were gatherings where the party faithful hashed out who would be their nominee. But in the modern primary era, the candidates have (in almost every case) already been determined by the results of primaries and caucuses, and their nomination at the convention is merely a formality. So while delegates from around the country still gather to officialize both their nominee and their parties' policy platforms, the prime-time, televised speeches are essentially campaign events.

Given the widespread media coverage, the conventions offer each party four nights in the spotlight to dominate the news cycle, and the conventional wisdom would suggest this is a prime opportunity to win over potential voters to their cause. But do voters tune in? And do these convention stump speeches manage to persuade those who watch?

Convention watchers tend to be committed partisans

When asked about their plans for watching the conventions this summer, respondents in a mid-July YouGov/The Economist poll (fielded in the days immediately before and at the start of the Republican National Convention) reported that they were most likely to only watch content from their own party's convention, if at all:

"I think there's a lot of partisan cheerleading happening alongside maybe a little bit of persuasion," said Marc Meredith, a political scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, pointing to the fact that most of these viewers are already set in their choice of whom to vote for in the fall. "We have a lot of good research and political communications that suggest that the types of people who would be most exposed to conventions are the most politically engaged people, the types of people who would probably be the most certain to vote and the most certain to vote for specific candidates."

Some convention moments are specifically designed to reach out to the skeptical, whether those within the party or those outside it. Jan Leighley, a political scientist at American University, pointed to this year's RNC speech by former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, a prominent Donald Trump critic and primary opponent, who appealed to Trump-skeptical Republicans by emphasizing that she doesn't need to agree with everything Trump does to vote for him. Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, another Republican critic of Trump, is one of a few Republicans who may perform a similar function at the Democratic National Convention this week, as they try to try to bring those same skeptics to the other side.

But when it comes to gaining support from voters in the middle, it may be a challenge to get those voters to watch. The same YouGov/The Economist poll found any type of convention viewership among self-identified independents is quite low:

Plus, the reality is that there just aren't many true swing voters these days. "Most of the people who even say they're swing voters have a pretty partisan voting record," said Leighley. Furthermore, many true undecided voters are less politically informed, and thus least likely to be paying attention to the presidential race months out from Election Day. "Even with the Democratic Convention being so late this year, it's summer. People are on vacation. Politics is negative and nasty  Even though they may fully intend [on] voting, this is not a priority for them right now."

The potential echo chamber effect of political conventions may also be amplified by today's high level of political polarization and increasingly diversified media market, in which voters can choose to get their political news from a wide variety of sources. "Back in the day, there used to be three news stations that everyone tuned into, and they all were pretty moderate, and they showed the same things largely," said Aaron Weinschenk, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay. "Now you can avoid anything you don't want, and watch anything you want, and watch it repeatedly."

Persuasion in the modern convention era

But preaching to the choir has its place as well, and conventions still serve an important purpose when it comes to getting out a party's message. "One type of person who's likely tuning into conventions are the people who are going to be out door knocking, phone calling, trying to persuade people to vote  for their candidate," Meredith said. "Part of what the speech and party conventions do more broadly is to give those individuals a sense of what the broader party brand and candidate brand is about, and give them some of the talking points that they can use when doing that political outreach."

The most viewed day of the convention, according to Nielsen reports, is consistently the final day, when the party's candidate gives their big keynote address, but TV ratings for conventions have struggled in recent years. In fact, Nielsen's ratings measuring the share of U.S. households tuning in across all days of the conventions have trended downward since the 1960s, with both 2020 conventions and last month's RNC clocking in with the lowest ratings of all:

But critically in the digital age, key moments from conventions can last much longer than the event itself, through news coverage and social media sharing. That's probably one reason that a 2012 study by Pew Research found interest in political campaigns spikes following a party's convention. Convention season remains one of the most dynamic parts of the election cycle, and while various factors may have limited their scope in recent years, the parties do still tend to experience a post-convention "bounce" in the polls as well. With this in mind, generating positive post-convention buzz and momentum can be seen as one of the parties' main goals for their conventions.

So which moments go viral? "If I had to guess, it would be the unexpected moments or the unusual moments," said Weinschenk. He pointed to a moment during the 2012 RNC when actor and director Clint Eastwood addressed an empty chair as if it were President Barack Obama  it became such a meme that people changed their Facebook profile photos to the chair afterward. Meanwhile, an enduring image from this year's RNC may be attendees wearing ear bandages in solidarity with the former president following the assassination attempt against him.

And while moments like these may or may not have lasting political impacts, other viral moments can be party-defining, like then-Illinois state Sen. Obama's own speech at the 2004 DNC nominating John Kerry, which launched the national profile that led to his presidency. "I can remember  listening to Barack Obama speak, and [saying], 'This guy's going to be president of the United States one day, right?'" said Costas Panagopoulos, a political scientist at Northeastern University. It's a story that Democrats at this week's convention may have in mind, as they hear from a roster of party stars looking to boost their own political prospects in a post-Biden party focused on generational change.

Political parties are trying to capitalize on those moments and reach wider audiences, leaning into celebrity appearances and flashy multimedia presentations. The RNC in July featured numerous celebrity appearances, including Hulk Hogan, Kid Rock and a rap video by Forgiato Blow and Amber Rose. These moments, and others, read as attempts to tap into the virality of social media that dominates many voters' lives. As for the DNC, the party is producing vertical content optimized for social media platforms, and Tuesday's ceremonial roll call vote was practically made for viral clipping, featuring DJ-curated music to introduce each state delegation and surprise appearances by celebrities like rapper Lil Jon. While the impact of these approaches is still up for debate, the Harris campaign has undoubtedly enjoyed some positive online engagement driven by viral memes from the very start of her candidacy.

Panagopoulos said those moments can't really be manufactured. "Parties anticipate that these things could happen and they create opportunities for lightning to strike, but that doesn't always mean lightning will strike," he said. "So when lightning actually strikes, it's natural and spontaneous and organic. I think that that can be a very powerful moment."

The DNC has a different job this year

Of course, this year's DNC will be different than any in recent history, after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris just last month. While Harris cinched up the party's support virtually immediately, she remains less of a known quantity to voters than either Biden or Trump, meaning the DNC will be many voters' first major exposure to her as a presidential candidate.

Lonna Atkeson, a political scientist at Florida State University, emphasized that Democrats unified support of Harris means this weeks DNC will be able to focus fully on bolstering Harriss image and standing as the partys nominee. She contrasted this to conventions like the 1992 DNC (which she attended as a delegate from Colorado), where there were still a lot of politics going on at the convention, as nominee Bill Clinton worked to appease those who had backed other primary candidates, like California Gov. Jerry Brown.

Some think the unusual circumstances around this years DNC could spur above-average viewership and even polling swings. "I think more [voters] will be tuning in than the share that would have been voting for Biden, just to get a clearer sense of what her priorities are as a candidate," Meredith said. That seems to be borne out in some of the early viewership numbers from the first two days of the convention. An estimated 20 million viewers tuned in to the first night of the DNC, which was headlined by President Joe Biden's keynote speech  about 2 million more than those for the first night of the Republican convention.

And in this fast-moving environment, Panagopoulos emphasized that undecided voters can't be entirely written off, and that in an era of close elections, even a small number who tune in to be persuaded can make a difference. "My sense is that the Democratic excitement around Kamala Harris's candidacy is genuine and palpable, and that that will come across during this convention," he said. "There is the potential that that bounce can be more pronounced if the enthusiasm coming out of a convention is genuine."

Atkeson pointed to the recent movement in the polls after Harris became the nominee, and said she'll be watching for more of that in the days after the convention. "There's obviously a lot of flexibility around some segment of the population that seems to be unusually open to change," she said.

Yes, party conventions matter originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Yes, those signature verification postcards around Las Vegas are legit

LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Postcards that Las Vegas-area voters have received to update their signatures ahead of the November election are legitimate, a Clark County spokesperson said Tuesday.

The county was sending the signature verification postcards to all active voters to update the signature on record if a voter wishes. Several viewers have emailed 8 News Now asking if the cards are authentic. Completing the card is optional.

The county uses a voters signature on record to match the one on a mail-in ballot. The signatures come from the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles or ones written in person during voter registration. Voters can update their signatures with the postcard.

When counting a mail-in ballot, a machine determines whether the voters signature matches the signature on file from multiple sources. If the machine rejects the ballot, election workers take a look. If two workers decide the signatures do not match, the voter will be contacted to cure their ballot.

Having an updated signature on file could make it easier to process a mail ballot or in-person check in at a polling place, the county advises on the card.

Voters in Clark County have until Sept. 12 to return the optional mailer.

Voters have until Sept. 6 to opt in or out of receiving a mail ballot for the November election. Early voting runs from Oct. 19 to Nov. 1.

Earlier this month, the county changed the status of 102,000 voters to inactive. Inactive voters are removed if the county registrar determines the voter is registered at a non-valid address or no longer lives in the county.

Voters can check their registration and opt in or out of receiving a mail-in ballot on Clark Countys website or with the Nevada Secretary of States Office.

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New Yorks highest court upheld a state law Tuesday permitting any registered voter to cast their ballots by mail, rejecting a Republican challenge to the law.

The 6-1 ruling, from the state Court of Appeals, agreed with a lower court that the statute is not in violation of the states constitution. It responds to a lawsuit led by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and several Republican groups seeking to tighten voting rules following the 2020 election and skepticism over voter fraud.

Stefanik and the challengers said New Yorks constitution requires most people to vote in person, The Associated Press reported.

Noting the question was difficult, Chief Judge Rowan Wilson wrote for the majority that the constitution does not include such a mandate.

The law was signed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) last September as part of a package of bills designed to expand voting access across the Empire State.

Stefanik, the House Republican Conference chair, slammed the courts decision Tuesday and urged New York residents to swamp the ballot boxes this November.

New Yorks court system is so corrupt and disgraceful that todays ruling has essentially declared that for over 150 years, New Yorks elected officials, voters, and judges misunderstood their own states Constitution, and that in-person voting was never required outside the current legal absentee process, Stefanik wrote.

Its never been clearer: the only path forward to Save New York is to get commonsense New Yorkers to swamp the ballot box and vote Republican up and down the ballot and rid ourselves of New Yorks politically corrupt Democrats, she later added.

Hochul, meanwhile, called it a victory for democracy and a loss for those seeking to disenfranchise New Yorkers.

Generations fought to secure & protect the right to vote. We have a responsibility to remove barriers that still prevent far too many from exercising that right, she wrote Tuesday on the social platform X.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic prompting mail-in ballots in the 2020 election, New York residents typically could only vote by absentee ballot if certain circumstances prevented them from in-person voting, the AP reported. This included military service, abroad travel or illness.

In the spring of 2020, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) issued an executive order permitting voters to cast mail-in ballots to prevent the spread of COVID-19. More than 1.5 million people voted by absentee ballot in that years presidential election in New York, the AP added.

Democrats tried to making in-mail voting permanent in New York with a constitutional amendment, but it was rejected after conservatives alleged it would spark voter fraud, according to the AP. Lawmakers, instead, altered the states voting rules without changing the constitution through the Early Mail Voter Act, which went into effect at the beginning of this year.

Wilson, in the ruling, said the timing between the failed amendment and new legislation was troubling.

The voters considered the proposition and voted against it. Having lost the question before the voters, the legislature then decided that no constitutional amendment was required and passed the Act, he wrote. Upholding the Act in these circumstances may be seen by some as disregarding the will of those who voted in 2021.

But our role is to determine what our Constitution requires, even when the resulting analysis leads to a conclusion that appears, or is, unpopular, he said.

Judge Michael Garcia dissented, arguing that the states constitution has been understood to restrict absentee voting for more than 200 years.

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.
Young DNC Attendees, Delegates on Kamala Harris, the 2024 Election, and Behind the Scenes of the Convention

Emily Malan

The 2024 Democratic National Convention kicked off on Monday evening at Chicago's United Center, with speeches from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), President Joe Biden, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and more. Delegates and Democratic party officials have descended on the Windy City this week to watch Vice President Kamala Harris formally accept the party's nomination.

[Emily Malan](https://www.instagram.com/emilymalan/?hl=en){: target="_blank"}

Teen Vogue also traveled to Chicago to chat with young folks at the convention  and at the protests, which are urging Harris to push for a ceasefire in Gaza. Below, hear from DNC attendees and delegates about why they came to the convention, who theyre excited to see, and how they feel about the prospect of Harris becoming president.

Editors note: These conversations have been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

[Emily Malan](https://www.instagram.com/emilymalan/?hl=en){: target="_blank"}

Katie Williams, 18 (she/her), and Maya Smith, 19 (she/her), volunteers from Chicago

Maya Smith: We're just checking people in to make sure they're in the right area.

Teen Vogue: Have you met anyone you're excited about yet?

Katie Williams: We saw a Fox News reporter, and that was kind of shocking, but I'm really excited to see AOC.

TV: How do you feel about Vice President Harris becoming the nominee?

Maya: Personally, I'm very happy with it. I think, one, she's pushing so many barriers and setting such a great path for other women to run as well. I also think with her being the nominee, it gives a better chance of winning against Trump.

Katie: I'm really excited. I feel like having her as the Democratic nominee really energizes the party, and having the opportunity  as this is my first election to vote  to be able to vote for a Black woman.

Maya: I think it really energizes Gen Z, especially. A lot of them, since she's become the nominee, have been extremely excited and coming out on social media and to events too.

TV: How do you feel about the prospect of a second Trump administration?

Maya: Absolutely terrified.

Maya: Especially as someone who's LGBTQ, it scares me so much.

Katie: And especially with Project 2025, [the roadmap the conservative Heritage Foundation put together for a future Republican presidential administration] with reproductive rights. Tomorrow I'm going to get an IUD. With the Trump administration, with Project 2025  having the possibility [of reproductive access] be thoroughly taken away is absolutely terrifying.

Maya: I'm a student in Illinois. Since I'm in a blue state, I have less to worry about abortion. But other friends are in red states. States like Iowa are doing bans after six weeks, when a lot of women don't know they're pregnant.

[Emily Malan](https://www.instagram.com/emilymalan/?hl=en){: target="_blank"}

Sisters Maeve Gundrum, 11 (she/her), and Nora Gundrum, 12 (she/her), from River Forest, IL, and their cousin Lucy Wojtowicz, 15 (she/her), from Oak Park, IL

TV: What are your thoughts on Vice President Harris becoming the nominee?

Lucy Wojtowicz: She's a woman of color, and I think that's kind of cooler to see. She's getting a lot of support. She's making history, and it's really cool to see. It's really awesome that we get to be here tonight.

[Emily Malan](https://www.instagram.com/emilymalan/?hl=en){: target="_blank"}

Rohana Joshi, 18, Jonnika Kwon, 17, and Gavin Cruz, 17, the youngest Washington State delegates

Rohana Joshi: Our role at the convention has, essentially, just been to elect Vice President Harris to be our Democratic nominee, which we excitingly and very eagerly did a couple of weeks ago. And now our job is kind of just to get the sense of what it's really like to be at the DNC, and bring this information back to other young people everywhere and really inspire them to also maybe run for a future [convention] position. Because this is honestly an amazing opportunity. Just earlier today, we got to shake hands with Tim Walz, so that was amazing too.

Gavin Cruz: Especially being a young delegate, it's very important that we stand together. We are in uniformity that Gen Z is going to be out there. We have to vote on hope.

TV: Is there anyone that you are excited to meet? Has there been anybody that you're, like...

Rohana: I'm probably most eager to meet any of the Obamas. They were my childhood president and first lady, so I would love to meet them.

TV: How do you feel about the upcoming election?

Jonnika Kwon: Super excited! I think I speak for a lot of young people in saying that we truly feel like, in Vice President Harris, we have a candidate who represents us, who understands us. And that's something really important, to have constituents, young people, all different identity groups feel like they have a representative in government  even better, the President of the United States  who truly cares about them and understands their experiences.

Rohana: This election really represents hope, rather than fear. We really do see progress on the ballot this year. The next president is [likely] going to be picking the next three to four Supreme Court justices who will be serving for, at least, probably a decade. And this really determines the course of life for generations.

Jonnika: It's not just the White House, it's the Supreme Court. It's what would Trump plus a Republican Congress look like, and that would spell a completely dystopian future, where any progress we've made would essentially be undone.

Gavin: We cannot go back. I was in fourth grade when Trump was elected in 2016. And since then, I did not feel like he was a leader that represented democracy. He poisoned the well, he poisoned democracy, and he turned America into two parties, where there's hateful rhetoric, and a party of justice and a party of freedom, like us here at the DNC.

[Emily Malan](https://www.instagram.com/emilymalan/?hl=en){: target="_blank"}

Aniyah Roberts, 17 (she/her), and Zoe Coleman, 13 (she/her), members of the Soul Children of Chicago, who performed the national anthem

Aniyah Roberts: It was very enlightening being in this arena with so many Democrats and people that want the best for our future  and just being able to sing for them was an amazing opportunity.

I was definitely excited to see Jesse Jackson, once I heard he was coming, because I know his impact, especially on the Civil Rights movement and everything. Just being able to walk past him was phenomenal. I was all shaken up.

Zoe Coleman: I agree with what Aniyah said. It was a great opportunity, and I feel like there was no hostility. It's been very, very positive since I've been here, and I'm really enjoying it.

I'm hoping that they bring out Kamala Harris, because I feel like that would be a really great experience for me, because a lot of people in general, but especially people my age, don't get to experience things like that.

I also feel like it's a great inspiration for young females to have a female role model to look up to, especially in America, because children are kind of looked down upon  especially in Chicago, and that it's being held here in Chicago is a great inspiration for young minds.

Editor's note: Maya and Katie's replies were switched in the initial version of this piece.

Stay up-to-date with the politics team. Sign up for the Teen Vogue Take

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue

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Dorset Police said officers were called to an address in Glider Close, Christchurch, at 5.45pm on Tuesday - Bournemouth Echo/BNPS

Two people have been arrested after a young girl was stabbed in Dorset.

The girl, reported to be eight years old, was taken to hospital. Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Dorset Police said officers were called to an address in Glider Close, Christchurch, at 5.45pm on Tuesday.

The force said a man in his 20s, from Christchurch, was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.

A local woman in her 50s was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. Both remain in police custody.

There are police everywhere

A neighbour told the Bournemouth Daily Echo on Tuesday: There are police everywhere  the helicopter has been up, there are four ambulances. I then saw police detain somebody and take them away. Its awful  the girl is only eight.

Chief Supt Stewart Dipple said: There is an increased policing presence in the area as officers conduct inquiries at the scene.

I am appealing to anyone who was in the area and saw what happened or has information to assist our investigation to please come forward. Our inquiries are in the early stages, and we would ask the public not to speculate at this time about the circumstances of the incident.

I understand this will cause concern, and we will have members of the neighbourhood policing team out on patrol over the coming days who can be approached by the public.

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Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

GEN Z LACKS TRUST IN GOVERNMENT, NEWS

Via Gillian Brassil ...

Half of voting-age members of Generation Z have very little trust in the federal government, according to a new study by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation released around midnight Eastern Time.

Fifty-one percent of voting-age Gen Z respondents said they had very little trust in the presidency, up 4 percentage points from a 2023 Gen Z poll on the same subject. Just 14% said they had a great deal or quite a lot of trust in the White House.

They had less trust in Congress: 53% of voting-age respondents said they had very little trust in the legislative body, and only 8% had a great deal or quite a lot. Of the Supreme Court, 44% said they had very little trust; a fifth said they had a great deal or quite a lot.

Gen Z respondents of all ages were skeptical of the news: 43% said they had very little trust while 15% had a great deal or quite a lot. A quarter of Gen Z respondents expressed very little trust for information found on the Internet, while 17% said they had either a great deal or quite a lot of trust in online information.

Among Gen Z youth in school, 59% responded that they had either a great deal or quite a lotof trust in their teachers and other adults at their academic institution. Only 6% of these middle school, high school and college students said they had very little trust in their teachers.

The survey, conducted online April 26 to May 9, had 4,157 respondents aged 12 to 27 from across the U.S. The margin of sampling error is plus-or-minus 2.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

Gallup is an analytics and advisory company known for conducting public opinion polls. Walton Family Foundation is a philanthropic organization that has partnered with Gallup to study Gen Zs experiences.

SHOULD JAN. 6 BE A DAY OF REFLECTION?

Should Jan. 6  the anniversary of the failed 2021 U.S. Capitol insurrection that sought to overturn the 2020 election results and keep then-President Donald Trump in office  become a day of remembrance and reflection?

Assemblyman Evan Low, D-San Jose, thinks so.

Hes introduced a resolution calling for Californians to reflect on the principles of democracy, the rule of law, and the importance of civic engagement in safeguarding the freedoms and rights that define the United States of America.

On January 6, 2021, the world witnessed then-President Donald J. Trump organize and order a mob of his MAGA supporters to the United States Capitol to engage in an unprecedented insurrection and violence to derail the peaceful transfer of power, which has been a cornerstone of American democracy since the founding of the United States of America, Low, who is running for Congress, said in a statement announcing HR 127.

He went on to say that it is critical that we as Americans stay engaged and not allow the law enforcement casualties and deaths resulting from the insurrection on January 6, 2021, to be in vain, and that we recommit ourselves collectively to democracy and the rule of law.

Like pretty much everything else, the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection has become a partisan bickering point, with Democrats using it as a rallying cry to try and keep Trump out of office and Republicans downplaying or denying the former presidents role in that days events.

HR 127 will be sent to the Assembly Rules Committee, before heading to the Assembly floor for consideration and a vote.

SENATE GOP RINGS ALARM BELLS ABOUT AB 2441

Senate Republicans are warning that AB 2441, a bill intended to curb over-policing in California schools, will instead lead to both students and school staff being less safe.

The bill, by Assemblyman Ash Kalra, D-San Jose, is aimed at decreasing law enforcements involvement in K-12 schools and is intended to cut down the school-to-prison pipeline that sees many young people, including a disproportionate number of people of color, ending up in the criminal justice system.

The bill eliminates the requirement that schools notify the police regarding instances of drug possession so long as there is no firearm involved. It also removes the requirement that schools inform law enforcement if a school employee is attacked, assaulted or physically threatened by a student. Instead, schools would only be required to do so if a staff member was physically harmed and required medical attention.

ACLU California Action is a co-sponsor of the bill.

The Senate Republican Caucus on Tuesday took the rare step of releasing their own analysis of the bill, which cites Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper as saying, This bill will have a negative impact on the safety and security of students in California. Specifically, AB 2441 will result in a concerning reduction in options available to School Resource Officers (SROs) to protect schools throughout the state of California.

Cooper and a number of other law enforcement officials and organizations have opposed the bill.

Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, R-Yucaipa, who is vice chair of the Senate Education Committee, called the bill a lose-lose for students, teachers, parents and law enforcement, making it harder to ensure the safety and well-being of our children.

Reached for comment, Kalra told The Bee in an email statement that its worrisome to see my colleagues on the other side of the aisle resort to fearmongering and misinformation tactics.

He said that AB 2441 does not bar teachers or administrators from calling the police for any matter.

It simply narrows when law enforcement must be called, which allows teachers to address student misbehavior in a manner that is more appropriate than handcuffs, such as a meeting in the principals office or parent-teacher conference, or connecting the student to social services or mental health services, Kalra said.

The assemblyman added that we need to trust and empower our teachers and administrators to make the decisions that they believe are best for the students success and the safety of the classroom environment.

The bill is set to be heard sometime soon on the Senate floor.

QUOTES OF THE DAY

Look at San Francisco and tell me you want San Francisco politicians running the nation.

- Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, via X.

You mean the San Francisco thats led the nation on:

-Tech innovation

-LGBTQ equality

-Paid parental leave

-Higher minimum wage

-Paid sick leave for workers

That San Francisco? Yeah I want SF politicians running our country, James, not the 2 weirdos who lead your partys ticket.

- Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, responding to Gallagher, via X.

Best of The Bee:

California wanted state workers back in the office. Heres how many have returned, via William Melhado .

Did Sacramento-area hospital misplace womans body? Suit says family was never told of death, via Hannah Poukish.
Young voters take a new look at Harris, but some are waiting instead of committing

Young voters take a new look at Harris, but some are waiting instead of committing

MADISON, Wis.  For months, Evan McKenzie warned that Democrats were in serious trouble with voters like him.

The 23-year-old union organizer living in Wisconsin's progressive stronghold of Madison told NBC News in December that his anger at President Joe Bidens support for Israel in its war in Gaza  which is targeting Hamas but causing significant civilian casualties  was forcing him and many of his friends to turn away from the candidate they supported in 2020.

He is allowing this war to happen and is funding this war, McKenzie said in an interview that month. I dont know what will happen if I dont vote for him, but I know it wont be me supporting that.

But now, with Biden out of the presidential race and Vice President Kamala Harris leading the Democratic ticket, McKenzie says he is relieved and feels a new sense of hope.

Im much more excited about the candidate now than I was about Biden, he said. Right now, Im leaning towards voting for Kamala Harris, but theres many months to go and I need to see actual policy progress in order to feel confident in that vote.

McKenzie is part of a noticeable shift reflected in public polling over the past few months. Back in June, a New York Times/Siena poll showed President Joe Biden leading Donald Trump by just 6 percentage points among registered voters younger than 30 nationwide, a number far short of his 24-point margin among 2020 voters in exit polls. But by late July, Harris lead among the group in Times/Siena polling had grown to 18 points.

From snappy social media videos swiping at the Trump-Vance ticket, to embracing the lime green brat ascetic on the campaigns X page after pop star Charli XCXs apparent endorsement, the Harris campaign has been leaning into renewed interest from a demographic that was a key part of the 2020 winning coalition. And Madison  a booming city built around the biggest public university in Wisconsin  will be at the center of the fight for young voters in the battleground state.

Nada Elmikashfi, a 28-year-old climate activist and legislative staffer in Madison, told NBC News in December that she didnt know if she could vote for Biden again, saying it would be a decision made in the voting booth.

On climate, on Covid responses, you can tell he and his administration were doing great work, but I think after Oct. 7, the question became a matter of human rights, Elmikashfi said.

This month, she told NBC News she is watching the new Democratic candidate closely, saying, It was exciting, it was terrifying, it was so many different emotions that I felt when Joe Biden stepped down and endorsed Kamala Harris.

Elmikashfi says she feels Harris talks about Palestinians in a more empathetic way, though she was troubled by Harris initial response to pro-Palestinian protesters in Detroit, when Harris told a group interrupting her event, If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that.

That response turned Elmikashfi off. It came off condescending, it came off out of touch, she said, I want to vote for Kamala, but that depends on her policy change in terms of Gaza.

NBC News spoke with Elmikashfi and McKenzie along with Jared Morningstar, 28, a Madison voter who said hes been dissatisfied with the Democratic Party for years, going back to his 2016 vote for Libertarian Gary Johnson over Hillary Clinton.

In December, he told NBC News that he would likely vote for Biden as the lesser of two evils, but that he wanted to watch the primary process play out because he was considering sitting out of the presidential race altogether or supporting a third-party candidate.

He now says hes really a bit torn about his decision this year, but is less likely to consider voting third-party, partially because of the weight of living in a critical swing state. Trump won Wisconsin by less than 23,000 votes in 2016. Biden won Wisconsin by less than 21,000 votes in 2020.

Im trying to vote very strategically, but at the same time, I do want to ensure that theres going to be a little more follow-through with some of these progressive visions than there was with the Biden administration in his first term.

He also called Harris a more effective messenger of progressive priorities, and added, I think regardless of some of the ways that Ive been dissatisfied with the Democratic Party, I absolutely think a Trump presidency would be a significantly worse outcome for this country.

The shifting perspectives present a new opportunity for Harris, but this group warned their support is far from locked in.

The organizers are more energetic about Kamala, the young people are more energetic about Kamala, McKenzie said  before cautioning the campaign: That can change really quickly. Its a two-way street.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
You're Not Imagining It: Thinking Can Actually Be Painful, Study Finds

A new review of past research backs up a feeling many of us will have had when trying to figure out a math problem, weigh up the pros and cons of a decision, or work out what's happened in a complicated time travel movie.

It really does hurt to think.

Researchers from Radboud University in The Netherlands say their meta-study's results provide strong evidence that even when we choose to do something that's mentally taxing, it's probably not because we find the effort itself enjoyable.

"Managers often encourage employees, and teachers often encourage students, to exert mental effort. On the surface, this seems to work well: employees and students do often opt for mentally challenging activities," says psychologist Erik Bijleveld.

"From this, you may be tempted to conclude that employees and students tend to enjoy thinking hard. Our results suggest that this conclusion would be false: in general, people really dislike mental effort."

The team analyzed 170 previous studies published across 2019 and 2020, covering 4,670 participants engaging in 358 different cognitive tasks. While there was plenty of variety in the studies, they all used a standard called the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) to assess mental workload.

The analysis identified a strong, consistent link between mental effort and unpleasant feelings. As per the NASA-TLX, those feelings can include insecurity, discouragement, irritation, stress, and annoyance.

This association held across different types of task, from conducting a robot-assisted surgery to navigating a virtual train station. It was also evident among different kinds of people, from college students to those in the military.

The greater the mental effort, the greater the unpleasantness. Curiously, the relationship wasn't as strong Asian countries, possibly as a result of longer school hours early in life helping students tolerate mental exertion.

"Our findings show that mental effort feels unpleasant across a wide range of populations and tasks," says Bijleveld.

"This is important for professionals, such as engineers and educators, to keep in mind when designing tasks, tools, interfaces, apps, materials or instructions."

The findings of the study fit in with earlier research, which has shown that difficult mental tasks can cause a sort of brain drain, and that intense concentration for long periods of time can even lead to toxicity in the brain.

So why do people deliberately engage in mentally challenging activities, like chess? The researchers think that it may be because some kind of reward is involved  winning a game, socializing with others, or earning money, for example.

"When people choose to pursue mentally effortful activities, this should not be taken as an indication that they enjoy mental effort per se," says Bijleveld.

"Perhaps people choose mentally effortful activities despite the effort, not because of it."

The research has been published in Psychological Bulletin.

Related News
Stanislaus County supervisors unanimously approved the expansion of a center near Turlock for foster youth who need the highest level of care.

The Hope Forward Campus has been a trouble spot for law enforcement calls, but supervisors were satisfied Tuesday evening that the expansion will include safety measures to minimize calls and ensure a safe environment for the centers young residents. The 10.6-acre campus is on Youngstown Road between South Golden State Boulevard and Highway 99.

Aspiranet, a nonprofit social services agency, provides residential care at the center, along with behavioral health services, life training and other services for 16 males in foster care who range in age from 12 to 18.

With the new services, the Aspiranet center will include a psychiatric health facility, crisis stabilization and crisis residential services for minors. The 40,410 square feet of new facilities also will feature a multipurpose building for vocational and recreational activities and a visitation center for family members and guardians of the young residents.

Aspiranet is applying for state licensing to increase the centers capacity from 16 to 31 foster care youth. The center serves as a resource for Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Merced counties and is licensed through the California Department of Social Services, the state Department of Health Care Services and Stanislaus County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services.

In an unusual decision, the Board of Supervisors gave Sheriff Jeff Dirkse the authority to return the project to the Planning Commission for review if the expanded center causes impacts on the community.

Dirkse told supervisors theres a definite need for the psychiatric services for youth, but hes concerned about the large number of law enforcement calls generated by the campus in previous years.

In 2019, the Aspiranet center generated almost 200 calls for sheriffs deputies, and 219 calls were recorded in 2020. That was 10 times higher than any other location in the county, the sheriff said.

The incidents ranged from assault with a deadly to young people leaving the center for illicit activity at the nearby rest stop off Highway 99. Deputies responded to one call in which a young person caused $20,000 in damage at the center.

Turlock police also received complaints about runaways going into town, where they stole items from stores and committed other violations. Dirkse was concerned the expansion would generate more calls for assistance.

Dirkse told supervisors he met with Aspiranet officials in early 2021 about the strain on resources, but setting up the meeting took some prodding. Aspiranet was able to mitigate many of the issues and the calls dropped to nine that year. The calls for assistance crept back to 35 in 2022 and 37 last year.

Turlock Police Chief Jason Hedden and the Merced County Sheriffs Office supported giving Dirkse the ability to trigger a project review if necessary and ask the Planning Commission to add development standards. Turlock police and Merced deputies have responded with mutual aid to some incidents at the Aspiranet center.

County attorney asked for his opinion

County Counsel Thomas Boze said there was no legal basis for giving the authority to the sheriff and added the county planning director has the know-how for bringing land-use matters to the Planning Commission.

Supervisor Vito Chiesa agreed with keeping the authority with the planning director, who could work in consultation with the sheriff. But Chairman Mani Grewal and Supervisors Terry Withrow, Buck Condit and Channce Condit favored giving the authority to the planning director or the sheriff.

I dont think its setting a major precedent, Withrow said.

John Mataka, a retired staff member for county BHRS, suggested that Aspirnet use private security guards to improve safety.

Vernon Brown, chief executive officer for Aspiranet, said the Turlock center was mostly serving youth in juvenile probation when the large number of incidents occurred. The young people now coming to the center are primarily referred by child welfare agencies.

Brown said the safety plan and improvements should mitigate the issues raised by law enforcement. The law enforcement officials have reached a temporary agreement with Aspiranet over safety measures at the Turlock campus so the expansion can be built.

The measures include a 10-foot-high wall around the campus, deescalation areas, increased staffing, and cameras and communication equipment for better monitoring.

Grant was one of the largest in state

In 2022, Aspiranet received a $33.4 million award through Gov. Gavin Newsoms mental health plan for kids, which poured $480.5 million into projects to expand Californias behavioral health infrastructure and crisis services for youth.

The grant for Aspiranet was one of the largest awarded by the state because mental health facilities for youth dont exist in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. Of the seven psychiatric health facilities that care for minors in California, the closest is in Fresno.

The crisis services will allow for housing foster youth with severe mental health symptoms at the Turlock center instead of in hotel rooms or having them wait in hospital emergency departments, a county staff report said.

Tony Vartan, the countys BHRS director, has said the new resources will keep minors from being sent outside the county, far away from their families or guardians.

Aspiranet plans to build the expansion by July 2026 to meet funding deadlines.
Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, pictured at a press conference at the Ukraine Conference. Kay Nietfeld/dpa

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine hopes that that billions of dollars that have been earmarked for the war effort will materialize.

Some of the funds in question are to be financed from the proceeds of frozen Russian state assets.

There have been many political declarations from Kiev's partners and many more are to be expected, Zelensky said in his evening video address on Wednesday. "But we need a real mechanism," he insisted.

Ukraine needs the proceeds from the frozen Russian assets for its defence against Russia, the aggressor in the more than two-year-old armed conflict.

"The relevant discussions have been going on for far too long and we finally need decisions," Zelensky asserted.

The seven major Western industrialized nations (G7) agreed on new financial aid for Kiev at their summit in June. A generous loan totalling $50 billion is to be secured by interest income from frozen Russian assets.
Smartphone with google app icon is seen in front of the displayed Australian flag in this illustration taken

By Byron Kaye

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Google and Australia's national science agency will join hands to develop digital tools that automatically detect and fix software vulnerabilities for operators of critical infrastructure, seeking to combat a surge in cyberattacks.

The software for organisations such as hospitals, defence bodies and energy suppliers will be customised to be in line with Australia's regulatory environment.

"Software supply chain vulnerabilities are a global issue, and Australia has led the way in legislative measures to control and combat the risks," said Stefan Avgoustakis, head of security practice for Google Cloud in Australia and New Zealand.

The Australian government has been imposing tougher requirements on critical infrastructure operators to report and prevent cyberattacks after a spate of breaches in the past two years left the personal information of half the country's 26 million population exposed.

The research partnership will pair up Google's existing open source vulnerability database and artificial intelligence services with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation's (CSIRO) research methods, the parties said in a statement.

Google said the plan was part of a five-year commitment it made in 2021 to spend A$1 billion ($675 million) in Australia at a time when the country's push for tougher regulation of global tech firms had cooled relations with the U.S. firm.

Google also supplies cybersecurity services to the U.S. as part of a $9 billion contract between the U.S. Department of Defense and a number of large tech firms.

CSIRO's project lead Ejaz Ahmed said locally developed cybersecurity software would "be better aligned with local regulations, promoting greater compliance and trustworthiness."

The project's findings will be made public to provide operators of critical infrastructure easy access to the information.

($1 = 1.4826 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
Eisenhower High School students walk off the bus and into school for the first during the 2023-2024 school year on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023 in Yakima, Wash.
The Yuma County School Superintendent's Office and Education Service Agency gave locals the chance to attend a Mental Health Morning session at the Main Library this past weekend. The first hour was centered on adult well-being, with emphasis being placed on educators' and school staff members' mental health. Arizona Dept. of Education employees Dr. Autumn White and Rebecca Astorga shared various insights to set up systems of support for staff wellness. The second hour focused on student wellness, with licensed clinical social worker Troy Love delivering a presentation on how to address children's "attachment wounds" and empower them to learn. Attendees also had the chance to sign up to receive other resources discussed at the sessions.

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According to documents obtained by Atlatszo by order of a Hungarian court, requests made by the Sovereignty Protection Office to several institutions appear to exceed the legal mandate of the organization.

The SPO has sent several letters to state or state-regulated bodies asking that they collect information for them on an ongoing basis. Other SPO requests seem to violate financial privacy, attorney-client privilege, and auditor confidentiality rules.



Heads of several key Hungarian state institutions responded positively to requests from the Sovereignty Protection Office asking them to have their respective organizations collect data on threats to sovereignty, Atlatszo reported based on copies of written exchanges obtained under a court order.



The central bank, the data protection authority, and the media authority have all sent replies welcoming the requests of the Sovereignty Protection Office (SPO). The tax authority informed Atlatszo that development of their cooperation with the SPO is currently underway.



Many requests appear to go beyond the legal mandate of the SPO, which obliges public bodies to provide information to the office only in the case of specific investigations. In several letters, the SPO asked other state bodies to collect information on activities violating or endangering sovereignty on an ongoing basis and to pass it on to the SPO.



Some requests pertain to data that are otherwise protected by laws which the SPO has no dispensation to overrule. This includes information protected under financial privacy, attorney-client privilege, and auditor confidentiality rules.



Some SPO requests to the National Bank of Hungary (NBH) were aimed at obtaining reports construed from the perspective of the law on protecting national sovereignty on money transfers to bank accounts of individuals and companies.



After Atlatszos initial reporting on the matter, the central bank wrote in an email that currently there is no cooperation agreement between the NBH and the SPO. In the email, the NBH also reiterated its commitment to financial privacy.



The Hungarian Bar Association refused complying with requests aiming to breach attorney-client privilege. The Hungarian Chamber of Auditors informed Atlatszo that it does not plan to comply with the SPOs requests.



Written exchanges between the SPO and other organizations were obtained by Atlatszo under a court order, after successfully suing to overturn a denied freedom of information request.



Six institutions, four replies

At the end of March this year, Tamas Lanczi, president of the SPO  which has been established by February  sent a letter to the heads of six state institutions and other organizations governed by law. In each message, Lanczi made specific requests to the recipients. In several cases, the requests included ongoing information gathering on sovereignty protection matters and handing the collected data over to the SPO.



The six requests, as well as the replies of four organizations, have been obtained by Atlatszo. Atlatszo sent questions to the other two organizations asking about their replies to Lanczis letter. Of the six requests for cooperation, only the correspondence with the president of the Hungarian Bar Association (HBA) has so far been publicly known.



Four of the public bodies contacted  the NBH, the National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (NAIH), the National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV) and the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH)  have either responded in the main positively to the request, have started to develop a framework for cooperation, or both.



The HBA and the Hungarian Chamber of Auditors (HCA) have essentially refused the requests, citing respectively the confidentiality obligations of lawyers and auditors under the law.



Central bank: information on private accounts

Lanczi has made four requests to the National Bank of Hungary, which in addition to its central bank function also performs a role supervising the commercial banking sector. First, that the way in which they will receive future SPO requests are adapted to specific IT infrastructure and procedures of commercial banks.



Second, a way to extracting data on transfers made to bank accounts held at commercial banks. Thirdly, that based on this data, SPO is provided with reporting with respect to project companies and individuals in an ad hoc manner and construed from the perspective of the law on protecting national sovereignty.



The fourth request was asking that artificial intelligence is employed to detect patterns and hidden correlations in the banking data.



In his reply at the end of April, central bank governor Gyorgy Matolcsy expressed his thanks over the request and referred the SPO to Akos Farkas, director of supervisory coordination at the NBH, to work out the concrete elements of working together.



In his reply letter, the NBH governor indicated that a cooperation agreement would be concluded between the two institutions. Atlatszo sent questions to Farkas and the central bank asking about the specifics of the cooperation, which went unanswered until after Atlatszos story on the SPOs requests ran on Monday.



In its reply to Atlatszo, the NBH wrote that currently there is no cooperation agreement between them and the SPO and that any such agreement in the future would be published on their website. In the email, the central bank reiterated its commitment to rules protecting financial privacy.



Data protection authority: data collection

Lanczi has addressed three requests to Attila Peterfalvi, the president of the data protection authority NAIH. First, that any reports received by the NAIH of activities that infringe or threaten its sovereignty should be forwarded to the office without delay. Secondly, that the NAIH informs the Office of the investigations it has launched when requested.



The third request was for the NAIH to appoint a contact person responsible for collecting and passing on information pertaining to the protection of sovereignty.



In his reply, Peterfalvi expressed his thanks for the letter and agreed to all three requests  adding that personal data would be anonymized in the submissions sent to the office.



In the spirit of cooperation, Peterfalvi also called Lanczis attention to two petition sites of an international background but operating in Hungarian, and in a manner that raises privacy concerns: peticiok.com, which is operated by the Finnish Petitions24 Oy, and US-based Action Network, whose set of campaigning appliances include a petitioning tool. Action Networks tools are used by several players in the Hungarian opposition, and the website is already in the crosshairs of the Fidesz-allied media.



Peterfalvis letter notably omitted mentioning petition website CitizenGO, which also has a non-Hungarian background and whose data management practices have also raised questions in the past. CitizenGOs launch was reportedly backed by a substantial donation from Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev, while the Hungarian team of the multilingual petition platform has links to Hungarian governing party Fidesz.



Tax authority: intelligence for sovereignty protection

Lanczi has asked the tax authority  which is empowered to run investigations, including covert ones, into financial crime  that it documents information relating to activities that violate or threaten sovereignty detected during its intelligence analysis and assessment activities and immediately passes it on to counterparts.



Atlatszo does not know the contents of the reply letter. In an email replying to Atlatszos questions, NAV replied that development of the design of the cooperation initiated by the SPO is currently underway.



Media authority: analyses, consumer reports

Lanczi asked Andras Koltay, who chairs the media authority, that NMHHs broadcast monitoring and analysis department carries out analyses on the appearance of content that violates national sovereignty, and that the authority sets up a system to receive reports from the public on such content. These analyses and reports are to be sent to the SPO without delay.



Lanczi also called for the NMHH to designate someone for the collecting and passing on sovereigntyrelated information, and that the authority comes up with new professional and disciplinary rules enhancing sovereignty protection to be added to its regulations.



Auditors: requests not supported

Lanczi asked the Hungarian Chamber of Auditors to notify the SPO whenever auditors witness conduct violating the law on protecting sovereignty.



Another request was that the Chamber issue guidance to auditors on the reporting of information, that the SPO add new rules to its regulations on duties and responsibilities of auditors pertaining to sovereignty protection and that the SPO is given a direct contact person in each of the Chambers county branches.



These requests are the same as those sent by Lanczi to the Hungarian Bar Association, most of which were rejected by the HBA on the grounds of attorney-client privilege.



Atlatszo does not know the contents of the reply letter. Replying to Atlatszos question, the HCA wrote that the law imposes on auditors an absolute obligation of confidentiality, to which any possible addition  related to sovereignty protection  (which is, incidentally, not supported by the HCA) requires the consent of the finance ministry.



In view of the circumspect and general nature of the SPOs request and the fact that no response has been received to the Chambers reply letter sent at the end of April 2024, we did not consider it timely to inform the Chambers membership/public in the absence of concrete information, the Chamber wrote.



Deliberately imprecise concepts

The requests made in Tamas Lanczis letters seem to go beyond the legal mandate of the SPO, which on the one hand obliges public bodies to provide information in the case of specific investigations, and on the other hand gives the SPO the possibility to conclude agreements with other public bodies and non-public bodies in order to provide the information necessary for the performance of its tasks.



The law does not provide that public bodies should collect information on an ongoing basis precisely in accordance with the requests of the SPO. Nor does it empower the SPO to overrule laws protecting financial privacy, attorney-client privilege, and auditor confidentiality.



Replies by the HCA and the HBA show that at least these two organizations believed that they cannot legally comply with most of Lanczis requests



The SPO was established by the law on protecting sovereignty, which in turn was adopted in December 2023 by Fideszs parliamentary supermajority in order to protect constitutional self-identity. SPO president Tamas Lanczi  a political analyst who in the past had worked for the Fidesz parliamentary group  was appointed by PM Viktor Orban.



The law was criticized by Hungarian NGOs before and after its adoption. According to the Hungarian Civic Liberties Union, the text of the law is deliberately imprecise and full of broadly interpretable, partisan concepts, which the new office can use to obtain and copy any sensitive data.



In February, the European Commission launched an infringement procedure against the Orban government, claiming that the law on protecting sovereignty violates fundamental EU rights.



Documents obtained under court order

In May, after the HBA rebuffed Lanczis requests, the SPO wrote in a public statement that it had approached several other state or state-regulated institutions with requests of cooperation. The SPO added that they had received positive responses from and already started cooperating with all of the contacted organizations.



In a freedom of information request submitted on the same day, Atlatszo asked for SPOs correspondence seeking cooperation and for (any) agreements and contracts concluded.



After the SPO refused to comply with the request, Atlatszo  successfully  sued the SPO for the documents created before. The documents released under the order of the court include some correspondence and contracts unrelated to the requests for cooperation.



The set of documents released to Atlatszo are likely to be incomplete on at least one count. While the court ordered the release of all documents created before 17 May, released documents did not include the HCAs reply letter, which was posted at the end of April according to the Chamber.



Atlatszo therefore has no confident knowledge on whether any written agreements on cooperation have been concluded and what their contents might be.



The full text of the documents we have obtained is available here (PDFs)



Atlatszo investigated after suing over FOI

Transparency International Hungary and Atlatszo are the first ever targets of individual and comprehensive investigations by the SPO, both of which are currently ongoing. The SPO informed Atlatszo of its investigation in a letter sent after it was sued by Atlatszo over its refused freedom of information request.



SPOs letter included several intrusive requests for Atlatszos confidential information. Atlatszo has refuted that it had obligation to hand over such data, arguing that it does not engage in political campaigning, the legal equivalent of activity aimed at influencing the will of voters, which is the reason SPO gave for its investigation.



Following our response letter, SPO sent a follow-up to Atlatszo stating that our legal reasoning was based on an erroneous legal reference and an erroneous conclusion. In any event, we stand by the statement and will continue to not cooperate with the Sovereignty Protection Office.



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The opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) has criticised the 15 billion forints (EUR 37.9m) earmarked by the government to be spent on the August 20 firework display - you can see a video of the fireworks display in Budapest below in this article.





The fireworks show is an important tradition and a good holiday programme for families, but spending this much on it is an irresponsible waste of money, the partys spokesman said.







Balazs Barkoczi told an online press conference that he agreed that the August 20 celebrations of the foundation of the Hungarian state were one of the most important events for the country this amount of money cannot be spent when the state is otherwise defunct in practically all areas of life.



He pointed out inadequate air conditioning in hospitals causing postponement of surgeries, financial difficulties of thousands of families with the school-start for their children and cuts in the central budget affecting the financing of public transport.



Barkoczi said that part of the 15 billion forints should be spent to remedy those problems.



August 20 - Flag Raised at Parliament Under Military Honours

Hungarys national flag was raised under military honours at an event attended by President Tamas Sulyok at Parliament to mark the August 20 national holiday.



Defence Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky told the event that some forces today expect to gain profits and power from war but Hungarians want peace and our generation gets its share of the efforts to defend the country.



No country and nation can neglect this, the most important duty to itself, because any country and nation can only exist if it defends its borders, citizens, faith, language and culture, he added.



The event was also attended by House Speaker Laszlo Kover, government members and representatives of state and military organisations. An air parade was held by the Hungarian military over the river Danube after the event.







Meanwhile: Hungary's History Proof That 'War Is Against Our Interest', Says Gulyas

Hungarys thousand-year history has proven that war is against our interest, and it is not its conquests that Hungary is proud of but its wars of independence, the head of the Prime Ministers Office said on Tuesday.



Gergely Gulyas told an event including an awards ceremony marking the August 20 national holiday that during a thousand years, Hungarians had witnessed centuries of peace, wars and internecine wars, and the second half of the millennium was dedicated to the Hungarian states fight for survival.



Hungarys heydays were not linked to colonialism but to the periods of independence and freedom, he said, adding that it was a firm foundation and immovable goal ever since King Saint Stephen that Hungarys fate must be decided in Hungary.



We are proud that a thousand years ago, Saint Stephen placed the Hungarian state on a firm foundation and made it a part of Christian Europe, Gulyas said.



Kovacs: Hundreds of Thousands Attend National Holiday Programmes in Budapest

Several hundred thousand people attended programmes of the August 20 national holiday and watched the evening fireworks show in Budapest, state secretary Zoltan Kovacs, who heads the operative staff coordinating the events, said on Facebook.



Kovacs noted that the evening show had been postponed by one hour due to the weather, and thanked spectators for their patience.



He added that all programmes had been completed without major disturbances. He noted the inconvenience and the delays caused by rain but said that there had been no accidents during the programmes.



Until 11pm on Tuesday, the police had secured 324 programmes nationwide, Kovacs said, and thanked the authorities and programme organisers for their efforts to make the events safe and successful.



Blinken Marks Hungary Natl Holiday

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday greeted Hungary, marking the countrys national holiday. In a statement issued by the US Department of State, Blinken congratulated Hungarians commemorating more than a millennium of your nations rich history.



On this day of celebration, it is my hope that we can work towards a closer relationship between the United States and Hungary, rooted in democratic values, shared security, and prosperity. That is what the deep friendship between our peoples, and the rich history between our nations deserves, the statement said.



Noting that Hungary became a NATO member 25 years ago, Blinken said Hungary was welcomed into NATO because of its commitment to a democratic future. That commitment, like the deep bonds between our people, should be protected and form the bedrock of Hungary-United States relations.



MTI Stock Photo - for illustrative purposes only



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The Association of Hungarian Dog Breeds (HUKOSZ) has announced that the Sinka has been recognized as the tenth Hungarian dog breed by the WCHSA (World Cynologic-Hunting-Sports Alliance), an international federation specializing in this breed. The Sika is categorized in Breed Group 1, among shepherd dogs.

Telex reports that the Hungarian Pumi Club, which manages the nine existing Hungarian breeds, along with the International Cynological Federation (FCI), have not officially accepted the Sinka as an independent breed. There are several scientific and practical reasons for this lack of acceptance.



HUKOSZ describes the recognition as a significant milestone, believing that the breeds original purpose can be reinforced through an internationally coordinated breeding program.



Sinkas are intelligent, hardworking dogs, the breed combines traits from boxers, German shepherds, and bull-type dogs. Adapted to the sparse watering holes in the Hortobagy (Great Plain Region), the Sinka can work all day with minimal water.



The name Sinka comes from the Hungarian word for smooth-haired, reflecting its appearance. The Sinka has a graceful, muscular build suited for herding and can be used for herding grey cattle and sheep from as early as five months old.



Currently, nine Hungarian dog breeds are officially recognized: the Puli, Pumi, Mudi, Komondor, Kuvasz, Hungarian Greyhound, Transylvanian Hound, and the short- and wire-haired Vizsla. The Sinka is now added to this list.



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New Delhi: After a triumphant theatrical run, the horror-comedy sensation Munjya, featuring Abhay Verma and Sharvari Wagh, is set to make its much-anticipated debut on television. The film, which has already grossed over 130 crores worldwide, will air its Worldwide TV First Premiere on Star Gold on Saturday, August 24, 2024, at 8 PM.

Munjya has captivated audiences with its unique blend of horror, comedy, and folklore, establishing itself as one of the year's biggest hits. The films success has been bolstered by a compelling narrative that intertwines spooky folklore with humour, making it a standout in 2024's cinematic landscape.

In the lead-up to the TV premiere, lead actor Abhay Verma embarked on a special promotional campaign titled the Hunt for Munjya. Verma took to the streets of Mumbai, exploring the citys haunted locales that inspired the films eerie atmosphere. His journey through Mumbai's supernatural hotspots added an authentic touch to the films chilling yet humorous narrative.

Reflecting on the experience, Verma expressed his excitement for the TV debut, stating, "Munjya holds a special place in my heart, and Im thrilled for audiences to experience it on TV. The film was like uncovering hidden treasures with captivating stories, and exploring real-life folklore added a fascinating layer to our cinematic journey."

Set against a backdrop of haunted peepal trees and forbidden romance, Munjya follows Bittu, portrayed by Verma, who finds himself entangled in a mysterious tale that bridges the past and present. Sharvari Wagh stars as Bela, providing both charm and wit as the duo navigates this thrilling narrative of chills and laughter.

Worldwide TV First Premiere of Munjya will be on Star Gold this Saturday, August 24, 2024, at 8:00 PM.
New Delhi: Employees at Edtech firm Think and Learn, the company behind Byju's have not received their July salaries. According to CEO Byju Raveendran, the delay occurred because the company was temporarily unable to access its accounts due to a Supreme Court stay on a recent decision by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on August 2 approved Byjus settlement of Rs 158.9 crore in dues with the BCCI and dismissed the insolvency proceedings against the company. On August 14, the Supreme Court put a hold on this decision, followed by a plea from US-based creditor Glas Trust Company LLC, effectively reinstating the insolvency case against the ed-tech giant.

In an email to employees, Byju Raveendran expressed that each legal hurdle has prolonged the companys journey toward recovery and stated, I want to address the matter of utmost concern to you - and to me as well. Your salary for July 2024 has not been credited yet."

He further added, "Our company recently faced a serious challenge that pushed us into insolvency due to a dispute with the BCCI. We settled the case and were on the brink of regaining control of our finances after the NCLAT ruled in our favour. The apex court has issued a temporary stay on the NCLAT's decision, which means the control of the company's accounts has not yet been restored to us."

He mentioned that some foreign lenders have been challenging the company in court and have appealed the NCLAT ruling to the Supreme Court.
New Delhi: American short-seller firm Hindenburg recently released a sensational report targeting SEBI Chief Madhabi Puri Buch. In its revelations, Hindenburg levelled serious allegations against Buch, accusing her of favouring Adani's companies for personal gain. Now, another serious accusation has surfaced, raising significant questions about a potential conflict of interest involving SEBI Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch.

New Revelation About Madhabi Buch

According to a Reuters report, it was revealed that during her seven-year tenure, Madhabi Buch continued to receive income from a consultancy firm. Reuters published its report after reviewing public documents. It has now been claimed in a report that the address of the consultancy firm established by Buch is the same as that of the auditor firm responsible for auditing it.

In other words, the auditors who reviewed the firm's finances are registered at the same address as Buch's consultancy. This revelation comes from documents filed with the Registrar of Companies. According to the report, Buch's firm's audit was handled by Shah and Savla LLP, and the address is the same as that of Buch's firm, both located in the Ghatkopar area of Mumbai.

SEBI Chief Under Scrutiny Again

The documents referenced in the report are registered with the Registrar of Companies. These include the 2023-2024 balance sheet for Agora Advisory Private Limited, which lists an address in the Ghatkopar area of Mumbai. Interestingly, when the address of the auditing firm, Shah and Savla LLP, was checked, it was found to be the same. Both addresses are in Ghatkopar and mention office number 201. The report also notes that other firms established by Madhabi Buch have the same address listed.

Husband Managing Firms After Buch's SEBI Appointment

Before joining SEBI in 2017, Madhabi Buch had already distanced herself from these firms. Currently, her husband, Dhawal, holds director positions in these companies. However, recent financial disclosures related to these firms have raised serious questions. For context, Madhabi Buch joined SEBI in 2017 and became its chairperson in 2022.
As doctors across the nation continue their strike, demanding justice for the 31-year-old trainee doctor who was brutally raped and killed at RG Kar Hospital, a provocative question from Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh has ignited fresh debate on social media. Ghosh questioned how the medicos would react if soldiers, still awaiting justice for the 2019 Pulwama attack, were to abandon the border in protest.

The Trinamool leader's comments come as the Mamata Banerjee-led party faces criticism for its handling of the horrible sexual assault and murder case. Last Tuesday, the Calcutta High Court handed the case over to the Central Bureau of Investigation, pointing out that the Kolkata Police had made little progress in the investigation. However, the West Bengal Mamata Banerjees party has countered the allegations by questioning the progress of the CBI so far.

"A request to end the doctors' strike, along with a question: Justice has still not been served for the Pulwama incident. So, if the jawans abandon the border and sit in protest, saying 'we want justice,' how would you view that?" Kunal Ghosh, a senior Trinamool leader and spokesperson for the party in the wake of the rape-murder tragedy, expressed his views in a post on X.

On February 14, a vehicle packed with explosives rammed into a convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama, killing 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. Less than two weeks later, the Indian Air Force jets launched airstrikes in Pakistan's Balakot, targeting a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp.

For the past 10 days, doctors from across the country have been demonstrating and asking for speedy justice in the matter. In response, the Supreme Court yesterday established a 10-member National Task Force to propose measures for preventing violence against healthcare workers and ensuring their safety at work. The court noted that unrestricted access within healthcare institutions has left doctors, nurses, and paramedics vulnerable to violence, despite their round-the-clock dedication.
The fears of Jharkhand's Chief Minister Hemant Soren have materialized. Senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Champai Soren, who had been hinting at rebellion, has officially announced the formation of a new political party. Although he has yet to reveal the party's name, Soren mentioned that he will soon complete the formalities. This development, just weeks before the assembly elections, has caused a significant stir in the political landscape.

Loyalist To Challenger

Champai Soren has been one of the founding members of JMM, often referred to as the trusted lieutenant of party president Shibu Soren. Shibu Soren had such faith in Champai that he often relied on him more than his own family members. Earlier this year, when Hemant Soren had to step down as CM due to a money laundering case, Shibu Soren nominated Champai Soren as the state's new chief minister over his daughters-in-law, Sita Soren and Kalpana Soren. Now, with Champai Soren's decision to form a new party, questions are being raised about whether this move could disrupt JMMs chances in the upcoming assembly elections.

Impact On Polls

After returning from a visit to Delhi, Champai Soren announced his new party in Hata, Jharkhand. He stated, "As I mentioned earlier, I had three options: retire, form a new organization, or find new allies. I have decided not to retire. I will form a new party and strengthen it. If I find good allies along the way, I will bring them on board."

The Jharkhand Assembly has a total of 82 seats, with 81 elected and one nominated member. Out of these, 28 seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes and 9 for Scheduled Castes. In the 2019 elections, JMM won 47 seats, Congress secured 18, CPI(ML) and RJD won one seat each, forming a coalition government. Meanwhile, the opposition BJP won 30 seats, AJSU secured 3, NCP won 1, and independents took 2 seats, with 4 seats remaining vacant for various reasons.

Consequences for JMM

To form a government in Jharkhand, a party needs to secure 42 out of 81 seats. In the last election, JMM won 47 seats, including 14 from the Kolhan region, a stronghold that Champai Soren had diligently built for the party. He has been deeply involved in various movements in this area, and his influence here is considered even greater than Hemant Soren's. With Champai Soren's new party, a significant portion of votes from this region may shift towards him, potentially leading to a narrow defeat for JMM at the hands of BJP. How Hemant and Shibu Soren will navigate this crisis remains to be seen, but for now, Champai has made his move.
ATCHUTAPURAM: A fire accident at a pharma unit here on Wednesday left 13 persons dead and 33 injured, and the damage could have been worse but for the lunch break that saw fewer workers in the plant when the blaze erupted. Harrowing scenes unfolded at the SEZ where the fire ripped through the pharma company. Injured workers with torn clothes and bleeding injuries were seen being shifted to hospitals in ambulances.

The fire broke out at 2:15 pm at Escientia Advanced Science Pvt Ltd at Atchutapuram in Anakapalli district. The company, which manufactures intermediate chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) commenced production in April 2019 with an investment of Rs 200 crore. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to use air ambulance services, if needed, to shift the injured persons for better treatment from the accident spot.

The CM, who is scheduled to visit the multi-product special economic zone (SEZ) where the accident occurred, observed that air ambulance services could be used to shift patients either to Visakhapatnam or Hyderabad for better medical care. "The CM instructed officials to use air ambulance services to shift the injured persons, if needed. He also directed the health secretary to immediately visit the accident spot," said an official press release.

The CM will visit the accident site on Thursday to call on the families of the deceased persons and also meet those who were seriously injured. Further, he ordered a high level enquiry into the incident, promising stringent action against the management if its negligence was found to have caused the tragic incident.

Naidu spoke multiple times with Anakapalli district collector Vijaya Krishnan over the incident and issued instructions to extend better services for the affected people. Earlier, the collector told PTI that the factory operates with 381 employees in two shifts.

"The fire occurred during lunch time. Therefore, staff presence was less," she said. The official added the fire was suspected to be electricity-related. As many as 33 injured people were shifted to different hospitals in Anakapalli and Atchutapuram while the Fire Department is engaged in rescue operations, deploying six fire tenders.

Further, 13 people trapped in the unit were rescued using ladder vehicles, Krishnan said. Naidu expressed grief over the loss of lives and assured that the government will stand by the families of the workers who died. Wailing relatives of the deceased persons complained that authorities were not keeping them informed about the developments and also whereabouts of their affected kin.

The company is located in a 40-acre campus in the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation's (APIIC) multi-product special economic zone (SEZ) at Atchutapuram cluster.
Resident doctors staged a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Wednesday, marking the 10th day of their indefinite strike over the alleged rape and murder of a medic in a Kolkata hospital."It's very important to understand that we are fighting for better working conditions in our own workplace," one of the protesting doctors said.

Elective services in several government hospitals across the city have remained suspended due to the protests.Resident doctors arrived at Jantar Mantar at 11 am for the protest, marking their second gathering there after Saturday.

#WATCH | Doctors in Kolkata hold a protest demanding justice in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/JD4Id6n28a  ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2024

Slogans such as, 'Doshi ko saza do' and 'Shauk nahin, majboori hai; ye hadtal zaroori hai' echoed at the protest site as major resident doctor associations gathered to demonstrate."Not just as a doctor, but as a woman, I often feel unsafe while working. I have to be extra careful during work and constantly think about my own safety, often carrying a key or something for protection," Radhika Sharma, a doctor from Lady Hardinge Medical college, said.

"The situation is beyond us... It's a mass movement and we need protection," Sharma said, adding that this fight is very important for the doctors as they are fighting for better working conditions at their workplaces.

Another protesting doctor said, "We are thankful to the Supreme Court for recognising this as a national issue, but we are continuing the strike because we want this issue to reach a conclusion as soon as possible".

"Safety should not just be an assurance; we want a protection act, and we want it from the central government," the doctor said.

AIIMS, GTB, Lady Hardinge Medical College & Associated Hospitals, Maulana Azad Medical College and its associated hospitals have released individual statements urging participation in the silent protest.

Members of Resident Doctors' Association from major hospitals in Delhi, along with the Federation of Resident Doctors' Associations (FORDA) and the Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA), have been on an indefinite strike.

On Tuesday, after conducting a meeting with the RDA members, both the bodies representing the resident doctors released a statement saying they will continue with the strike until the Health Ministry takes concrete action on the issue of CPA.

On August 9, the body of the postgraduate trainee doctor was found in the seminar hall of state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. A civic volunteer was arrested in connection with the crime the next day. Later, the Calcutta High Court handed over the case to the CBI.
Dalit and Adivasi groups have announced a 'Bharat Bandh' for Wednesday, demanding stronger representation and safeguards for marginalized communities. The National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR) has voiced opposition to a recent Supreme Court verdict delivered by a seven-judge bench. They assert that this verdict contradicts a prior decision by a nine-judge bench in the pivotal Indira Sawhney case, which set the precedent for reservation policies in India.

NACDAOR is calling on the government to overturn this ruling, claiming it endangers the constitutional entitlements of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).

Typically, on such days, public transportation and private businesses do not operate, but emergency services like ambulances remain active.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress, and Rashtriya Janata Dal declared their support for the Bharat Bandh on Tuesday, with Left parties also endorsing the strike.

JMM has directed all its leaders, district presidents, secretaries, and coordinators to take an active role in the 14-hour nationwide shutdown and to lend their support.
In a crucial development ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, accompanied by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, has arrived in Srinagar to negotiate potential alliances with regional parties. Their visit comes amid increased political activity as parties prepare for the elections scheduled for next month.

Upon arrival at Srinagar airport, Gandhi was met with tight security as he proceeded to a private hotel with views of the scenic Dal Lake. He briefly acknowledged the media present, underscoring the significance of this visit.

During their stay, Gandhi and Kharge are expected to conduct several meetings with senior Congress leaders. Notably, Gandhi is set to meet with district delegates at the Radisson Hotel in Rajbagh at 10:30 AM tomorrow to strategize for the upcoming elections.

Sources within the Congress party have revealed that talks are underway for a one-on-one meeting between Rahul Gandhi and National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah. The discussions are focused on forming an alliance between the Congress and the National Conference to counter the BJP in the polls. Preliminary talks about collaboration have already taken place.

Congress Jammu and Kashmir unit president Tariq Hamid Qarra stated, "We are open to any party that opposes the BJP and wishes to join us in this electoral endeavor."

However, there are concerns regarding the National Conference's hesitations about including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which could complicate efforts to create a united opposition front.

Sources have indicated that the Congress and National Conference committees have completed their discussions and are awaiting final approval from their high commands. The alliance with the National Conference has been finalized, with the seat-sharing formula based on candidate suitability and their chances of winning. Both parties are advocating for a fifty-fifty seat-sharing arrangement across Jammu and Kashmir.

Gandhi is scheduled to meet with Congress district delegates at 10:30 AM and will address the media at 11:30 AM tomorrow. He will travel to Jammu in the afternoon before returning to Delhi later in the evening.
The brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor on duty at a Kolkata's RGK hospital has shocked the nation, sparking widespread protests and demands for a swift trial of all those involved. Amid the outrage, a heartwarming yet peculiar video is circulating on social media. The video features a woman from Kolkata's Sonagachi red-light area, leaving netizens both moved and intrigued by the contrast between the tragedy and the unexpected message of hope.

"If you have so much lust for a woman, come to us. Please don't ruin the lives of women. Don't destroy their lives by resorting to rape," she said in the clip.

Her statements have gone viral, turning her into an online sensation. Social media users praised her as a hero and urged 'rapists' to learn basic humanity from her.

"We have a huge red-light area here where women work for as little as Rs 20-50. If you feel the need, come here instead. But please, dont target women who are simply trying to earn a living. It's time we change this mentality," she added.

A social media user shared, "Most of the rapists share some common characteristics like lack of empathy or remorse, impulsivity, grandiosity, narcissism, lust for power and women's body."

One of the users wrote, "It's not about lust it's about havaniyat and darindigi also people who justify prostitution please tell me if a monster do all this to a prostitute then is it ok?? Is she not a human being? "Heartbreaking words. Red light area women doing better than inhumans," shared another user.

While another said, Welcoming this statement can be seen as a way of avoiding the harder work of changing attitudes, behaviors, and systems that perpetuate sexual violence. This approach can unintentionally reinforce harmful norms rather than challenging and transforming them.

For the past 10 days, doctors from across the country have been demonstrating and asking for speedy justice in the matter. In response, the Supreme Court yesterday established a 10-member National Task Force to propose measures for preventing violence against healthcare workers and ensuring their safety at work. The court noted that unrestricted access within healthcare institutions has left doctors, nurses, and paramedics vulnerable to violence, despite their round-the-clock dedication.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today addressed a gathering of the Indian diaspora in Warsaw where he recalled the decades-old ties of India and Poland. Addressing the gathering, PM Modi said that today's India wants to connect with all, and wants development of all. Prime Minister Modi said that India followed the principle of humanity first to help the world in times of crisis like Covid-19. Whenever the world faces any crisis, India comes to the front as a first responder, said Modi.

PM Modi said that for decades, India's policy was to maintain equal distance from all, today India's policy is to become closer to all countries. "Today's India wants to connect with everyone...Today's India talks about development for everyone...Today's India is with everyone and thinks about everyone's welfare," said PM Modi. PM Modi said that even today in Poland, everyone knows Jam Saheb (am Sahib Digvijaysinhji Jadeja of the then princely state of Nawanagar, now Jamnagar) by the name of Dobre i.e. Good Maharaja.

"Digvijaysinhji provided shelter to Polish refugee including women and children during World War II when they were unable to find a safe place," said Modi while adding that India doesn't believe in peace and is of the opinion that this is not the era of war. Citing the Russia-Ukraine war, PM Modi said that India advocates for peace in the region.

PM Modi said that the world today knows Indian for their efforts, excellence and empathy.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi paid homage at two memorials. "Humanity and compassion are vital foundations of a just and peaceful world. The Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw highlights the humanitarian contribution of Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, who ensured shelter as well as care to Polish children left homeless due to the Second World War. Jam Saheb is fondly remembered in Poland as Dobry Maharaja. Paid homage at the Memorial. Here are some glimpses," said PM Modi.

Paid homage at the Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw. This Memorial is a tribute to the great Royal Family of Kolhapur. This Royal Family was at the forefront of giving shelter to Polish women and children displaced due to the horrors of World War II. Inspired by the ideals of pic.twitter.com/Nhb9flvqmH  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 21, 2024

Later in the day, he paid homage at the Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw. "Paid homage at the Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw. This Memorial is a tribute to the great Royal Family of Kolhapur. This Royal Family was at the forefront of giving shelter to Polish women and children displaced due to the horrors of World War II. Inspired by the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the great Royal Family of Kolhapur put humanity above everything else and ensured a life of dignity for the Polish women and children. This act of compassion will keep inspiring generations," said PM Modi.
Ahead of his significant visit to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his anticipation on Wednesday to exchange views with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. Before embarking on his journey to Poland and Ukraine, the Prime Minister shared these remarks. Modi will spend the initial part of his trip in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, on August 21 and 22.

On August 23, Modi is scheduled to spend approximately seven hours in Kyiv, marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine since its independence in 1991.

In his statement before departure, Modi mentioned the conflict in Ukraine, emphasizing India's role as a "friend and partner" and its desire for the swift restoration of peace and stability in the area. "From Poland, I will be visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine," he said.

Modi expressed eagerness to further the discussions with President Zelenskyy to enhance bilateral ties and deliberate on a peaceful end to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. "I look forward to the opportunity to build upon earlier conversations with President Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict," he said.

He reiterated India's position as a friend and partner, advocating for the prompt return of peace and stability to the region. "As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region," he added.

Modi also conveyed his confidence that his visits to Warsaw and Kyiv would naturally extend the extensive interactions with both nations and lay the groundwork for stronger, more dynamic relations in the future.

The Prime Minister will undertake a journey from Poland to Kyiv aboard the 'Rail Force One' train, a trip expected to last around 10 hours, with the return journey being of similar length.

Following the Russian incursion into Ukraine, several global leaders, including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, have traveled to Kyiv by train.

Modi's trip to Kyiv occurs nearly six weeks after his notable visit to Moscow, which sparked criticism.
WARSAW: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid homage at the Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw, Poland. In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, that the memorial is a tribute to the great Royal Family of Kolhapur, who was at the forefront of giving shelter to Polish women and children displaced due to the horrors of World War II.

"Paid homage at the Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw. This Memorial is a tribute to the great Royal Family of Kolhapur. This Royal Family was at the forefront of giving shelter to Polish women and children displaced due to the horrors of World War II," wrote PM Modi on X. "Inspired by the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the great Royal Family of Kolhapur put humanity above everything else and ensured a life of dignity for the Polish women and children. This act of compassion will keep inspiring generations," his post added.

Paid homage at the Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw. This Memorial is a tribute to the great Royal Family of Kolhapur. This Royal Family was at the forefront of giving shelter to Polish women and children displaced due to the horrors of World War II. Inspired by the ideals of pic.twitter.com/Nhb9flvqmH  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 21, 2024

Meanwhile, in a post on X, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal said, "PM narendramodi paid tribute at the Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw today. The monument honours the generosity of the state of Kolhapur in Maharashtra that had given shelter to Polish women and children during World War-II. It continues to illuminate the deep and enduring friendship & togetherness between India and Poland."

Earlier in the day, PM Modi also visited the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial. In a post on X, he said, "Humanity and compassion are vital foundations of a just and peaceful world. The Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw highlights the humanitarian contribution of Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, who ensured shelter as well as care to Polish children left homeless due to the Second World War. Jam Saheb is fondly remembered in Poland as Dobry Maharaja. Paid homage at the Memorial. Here are some glimpses."

Taking to X, Jaiswal said, "PM @narendramodi paid solemn homage at the Monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino in Warsaw. PM honoured the brave soldiers who fought in World War-II. Indian and Polish troops fought side by side in this historic battle. Our shared history and enduring ties continue to inspire."

Notably, Prime Minister Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to pay his respects at Good Maharaja Square, Monte Cassino Memorial and at Memorial to Kolhapur Family. Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday arrived in Poland on the first leg of his two-nation visit.
A video of the Independence Day celebration in Chhattisgarh's Mungeli district, showing a pigeon released by a police officer failing to fly off, has gone viral, prompting the officer to demand action against those responsible. Some social media users promptly noticed that a similar situation unfolds in season 3 of popular web series 'Panchayat'.

During the function, BJP MLA and former minister Punnulal Mohle who was the chief guest, Mungeli Collector Rahul Deo, and Superintendent of Police Girija Shankar Jaiswal were handed pigeons to release, signifying peace and freedom. The birds released by the MLA and the collector successfully flew off. However, when the SP released the pigeon, it fell to the ground.

Social media user Sachin Gupta shared the video on his 'X' handle and wrote, "Panchayat-3 was repeated in Chhattisgarh. SP sahab released pigeons on Independence Day. His pigeon fell down instead of flying. Watch the video." Official sources on Tuesday said the SP wrote a letter to the collector, seeking disciplinary action.

"During a major national festival like Independence Day, the incident of a pigeon falling to the ground was prominently broadcast on social media and other media. This situation was created as a result of presenting a sick pigeon for flying in the main district-level programme. Had it happened at the hands of the chief guest of the function and honourable MLA, then the situation would have been more unpleasant," the SP wrote in the letter.

"Certainly, the officer responsible for this work has not discharged his responsibility properly," it said. The bird is stated to be alive.
In a bizarre case that has raised eyebrows, a woman has demanded a staggering Rs 6 lakh per month in maintenance from her husband, citing her need for branded clothes, luxury dinners, and high-end personal expenses. This unusual request has brought attention to the potential misuse of provisions under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, which is meant to provide financial support to dependent spouses during ongoing legal disputes.

Under Section 24 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, either spouse can request financial assistance during legal proceedings, typically to cover necessary living expenses. However, this case has sparked controversy due to the nature of the womans demands.

Responding to the woman's demand, "Please don't tell the court that this is all a person requires. Rs 6,16,300 per month. Does anybody spend this much? A single lady for herself. If you want to spend, let her earn, not on the husband....You have no other responsibilities to the family. You don't have to take care of the children. You want it for yourself. That is not the purpose of Section 24. It's not a punishment for the husband that he is having a dispute with his wife, and he will have to pay Rs 6,16,000. You should be reasonable in telling it."

The judge then asked the woman to come with actual expenses.



Wife ask for 6,16,300 per month as #Maintenance



And her advocate is trying to justify.



Judge-"If she want to spend this much, let her earn, not on the husband"pic.twitter.com/XexRGe5hUb August 21, 2024

According to reports, the woman justified her demand with a detailed breakdown of her monthly expenses, which included Rs 50,000 for watches, sandals, and other accessories, and an astounding Rs 4 lakh for cosmetics and medical expenses. Her claim did not involve the welfare of any children but focused solely on maintaining her luxurious lifestyle.

Marriage disputes and court cases related to such issues have become increasingly common in recent years. While the Hindu Marriage Act provides essential legal remedies, cases like this one highlight concerns over the potential misuse of the law, where financial demands may be made for reasons beyond basic necessities.

Legal experts have noted that while the Act is designed to protect dependent spouses, it also underscores the need for careful consideration in ensuring that the provisions are not exploited for undue financial gain.
Search Operation For Missing Aircraft In Jamshedpur: A NDRF team on Wednesday joined the search operation in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharswan district to trace a two-seater aircraft that went missing after it took off from an aerodrome here, an official said. A six-member NDRF joined the search operation in Chandil dam this morning but nothing was found as yet, Deputy Commissioner of Seraikela-Kharswan, Ravi Shankar Shukla said.

Asked about the identity of the missing pilot and trainee pilot, the deputy commissioner said it would be available with the concerned aviation company. When contacted, a senior official of the aviation company "Alchemist Aviation" named one missing person as Subrodeep.

A massive search operation is being conducted in Chandil dam in Seraikela-Kharswan district after locals claimed that they saw the debris of the aircraft in the reservoir, Superintendent of Police (Seraikela-Kharswan) Mukesh Kumar Lunayat said.

Earlier, East Singhbhum district Deputy Commissioner Ananya Mittal said that the last location of the aircraft, which belonged to Alchemist Aviation company, was detected near Nimdih under Chandil sub-division of Seraikela-Kharswan district, by the Air Traffic Control at Sonari Aerodrome.

The administrations of the East Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharswan districts, police and the Forest Department were searching for the aircraft, he said. Besides the areas near Nimdih, searches were also being conducted in adjoining Purulia district of West Bengal, he added.

The aircraft, reported to be a Cessna 152 owned by flying school Alchemist Aviation, took off from the Sonari aerodrome in Jamshedpur around 11 am on Tuesday with a pilot and trainee on board, they said.
New Delhi: Nawazuddin Siddiqui has proudly shared a new milestone in his life: his daughter Shora's debut on the West End stage. The celebrated actor took to social media to celebrate this special moment, posting a heartwarming picture of Shora after her performance at London's historic "His Majesty's Theatre" in the musical "Beauty and the Beast."

In his post, Siddiqui expressed his joy with the caption: "Shora after performing in "his majesty's theatre "of west end stage 's play "beauty and the beast" the musical." The snapshot captured Shora beaming with pride and accomplishment, reflecting her father's heartfelt admiration.

Shora Siddiqui's involvement in acting has been a source of immense pride for her father, who has consistently highlighted her dedication and determination. Nawazuddin has previously shared insights into her journey, including her proactive steps to enroll in her schools performing arts department and her participation in an acting workshop in London.

The actor also made sure to enrich Shora's experience by taking her to visit Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London, underscoring the importance of cultural and theatrical heritage in her budding career.
Los Angeles: An old image of veteran Bollywood actors like Vinod Khanna, Raj Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor and others has surfaced on social media which shows them spending time with French-Polish director Roman Polanski.

What makes the picture disturbing is that though Polanski is a celebrated director and producer, he is a convicted sex offender who fled the USA in 1978.

In 1977, Polanski was arrested for drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl. Polanski was indicted on six counts of criminal behaviour, including rape. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful sex with a minor in exchange for a probation-only sentence.

The night before his sentencing hearing in 1978, he learned that the judge would likely reject the proffered plea bargain, so he fled the US and settled in Europe, where he continued his career. He remains a fugitive from the US justice system.

On September 26, 2009, he was arrested while in Switzerland. Polanski was defended by many prominent individuals, including Hollywood celebrities and European artists and politicians, who called for his release. He was later jailed near Zurich for two months, then put under house arrest at his home in Gstaad while awaiting the results of his extradition appeals.

However, on July 12, 2010, the Swiss authorities rejected the United States' request and declared him a "free man" and released him from custody.

On 3 May 2018, Polanski was removed from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, with the decision referencing the case.
New Delhi: Abhishek Banerjee, one of today's most talented actors, is enjoying the love and praise for his recent performances in 'Stree 2' and 'Vedaa,' where he portrayed completely different characters. Abhishek is on cloud nine after the success of his recent horror-comedy, co-starring Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, and others.

Every set has its stories, and Abhishek Banerjee shared one in a recent interview. He recalled a humorous incident that happened to him on the set of 'Bhediya,' offering a glimpse into the lighter moments behind the scenes.

In a recent interview with Pinkvilla, Abhishek Banerjee recalled a humorous incident from the set of Bhediya. The actor said, In the middle of the shoot, Varun Dhawan asked me about my celebrity crush, and I instantly revealed that I like Kiara Advani.

The actor concluded, saying, "Varun Dhawan called Kiara at the same moment and shared the things with her on the call."

The sudden call left Abhishek both shocked and surprised. While Kiara's reaction to the crush update is still a secret, this interesting story left all of us laughing out loud!

Before embarking on his acting career, Abhishek Banerjee worked as a voiceover artist and appeared in Doordarshan television serials. He has come a long way since then and recently earned praise for his impressive performance as Jana in 'Bhediya.'
Bharat Bandh: As we know, the Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti has called for a Bharat Bandh today, August 21, 2024, in response to the recent Supreme Court verdict on SC/ST reservations. Amid the potential nationwide impact of the protest, there is uncertainty about whether banks and post offices are open today.

It is important to note that bank branches and post offices are open today, August 21, 2024, across the country. Banks will be closed for a total of 13 days in August, including the second and fourth Saturdays.

As per RBI guidelines, bank holidays are categorised under three groups: 'Negotiable Instruments Act', 'Negotiable Instruments Act and Real Time Gross Settlement Holiday', and 'Banks Closing of Accounts'.

List of Bank Holidays In August:

August 20: Banks will be closed in Kerala for Sree Narayana Guru Jayanthi.

August 24: Nationwide bank closure for the fourth Saturday of the month.

August 25: All banks will be closed for the weekend.

August 26: 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.

Post Office Holiday In August:

On the other hand, the Post offices in India are closed on 15th August in observance of Independence Day, a national holiday celebrating the country's freedom. Adding further, on 26th August 2024, post offices will remain closed for Janmashtami, a significant Hindu festival commemorating the birth of Lord Krishna.

According to news reports, government offices, schools, and colleges will remain open. Adding further, essential services such as ambulance services, emergency services, hospitals, and medical facilities will continue to operate without interruption. Pharmacies will also remain open, and police services will stay active to ensure public safety.

The Bharat Bandh has garnered support from various social and political organisations across the country. SC/ST groups in Rajasthan have been particularly vocal, and their participation is expected to be significant. The protest has also found backing from political leaders who have expressed concern over the potential long-term implications of the Supreme Courts ruling.
New Delhi: If youre an Indian consumer and searching for a prepaid plan that comes with a Netflix subscription, your choices are limited. Three telecom giantsReliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi)stand out by offering plans that include Netflix's Basic plan. With this plan, usually valued at Rs 199 per month you can stream shows and movies in 720p HD on a single screen.

Reliance Jio: Ideal for Heavy Users and 5G Enthusiasts

Jio offers two standout plans:

- Rs 1,299 Plan: With this plan you can enjoy 2GB of daily data for 84 days (168GB total) with unlimited voice calls, 100 SMS per day, and unlimited 5G data.

- Rs 1,799 Plan: Get 3GB of daily data for 84 days (252 GB total), plus the same unlimited benefits as the Rs 1,299 plan.

Both plans are designed for heavy data users, especially those in 5G-enabled areas. With unlimited 5G access, users can enjoy high-speed connectivity without worrying about data limits.

Vodafone Idea (Vi) Prepaid Plans: Free Netflix

Vodafone Idea offers two prepaid plans with free Netflix, both costing over Rs 1,000. These plans are slightly cheaper than Jios comparable options.

- Rs 1,198 Plan: This plan provides 2GB of daily data for a total of 70 days, which amounts to 140GB. In addition to the ample data, you get unlimited voice calls and 100 SMS per day.

- Rs 1,599 Plan: With this plan, you receive 2.5GB of daily data for 84 days, totaling 210GB. It also includes unlimited voice calls and SMS.

However, Vodafone Idea's absence of 5G services might be a drawback for those looking for faster connectivity.

Bharti Airtels Prepaid Plan: Free Netflix and Unlimited 5G Data

Bharti Airtel has a single prepaid plan with a free Netflix subscription:

- Rs 1,798 Plan: This plan offers 3GB of daily data for 84 days, adding up to 252 GB in total. It also includes unlimited voice calls, 100 SMS per day, and unlimited 5G data. Its similar to Jios Rs 1,799 plan.
Iran's hard-line parliament on Wednesday approved all members of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian's Cabinet, the first time in over two decades a leader has been able to get all of his officials through the body.

The approval marks an early win for Pezeshkian, a longtime lawmaker who found himself catapulted into the presidency after a helicopter crash in May killed his hard-line predecessor.

Getting his officials approved shows Pezeshkian picked a Cabinet of consensus with names palatable to all of the power centres within Iran's theocracy, as opposed to going for controversial choices as well.

Former Foreign Minister Mohamamad Javad Zarif, who campaigned for Pezeshkian in his election, later resigned as a vice president for the new leader over the Cabinet selections.

Underlining that point, Pezeshkian immediately posted an image online with him standing next to Iran's judiciary chief, a Shiite cleric, and the country's parliament speaker, a hard-liner he once faced in the election.

Consensus for Iran, he wrote in the caption.

Among those in Pezeshkian's new Cabinet is Abbas Araghchi, 61, a career diplomat who will be Iran's new foreign minister.

Araghchi was a member of the Iranian negotiating team that reached a nuclear deal with world powers in 2015 that capped Tehran's nuclear programme in return for the lifting of sanctions.

In 2018, then-President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the deal and imposed more sanctions on Iran. Pezeshkian said during his presidential campaign that he would try to revive the nuclear deal.

The candidate who received the most support from lawmakers was the country's new defence minister, Aziz Nasirzadeh, who received 281 votes out of 288 present lawmakers. The chamber has 290 seats.

Nasirzadeh was chief of the Iranian air force from 2018 to 2021.

Health Minister Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi received the lowest number of votes with 163.

The only female minister proposed, Housing and Road Minister Farzaneh Sadegh, a 47-year-old architect, received 231 votes. She is the first female minister in Iran in more than a decade.

The parliament also approved Pezeshkian's proposed Intelligence Minister Ismail Khatib, as well as Justice Minister Amin Hossein Rahimi, both of whom served under the late President Ebrahim Raisi. Pezeshkian also put Raisi's minister of industries, Abbas Aliabadi, in the post of energy minister.

Dropping proposed ministers has been a tradition in Iran's parliament, making Pezeshkian's success that much more striking. Former reformist President Mohammad Khatami was the only president who received vote of confidence for all of his proposed ministers in both 1997 and 2001.
Ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas are on the verge of collapse due to Israel's insistence on maintaining control over two strategic corridors in Gaza. The Philadelphi corridor, a narrow buffer zone along the Gaza-Egypt border, and the Netzarim corridor, which cuts off northern Gaza from the south, are crucial for Israel's security, reports AP.

Israel wants to maintain a military presence in these areas to prevent Hamas from replenishing its arsenal through smuggling tunnels and to ensure that militants cannot return to the north. However, Hamas has rejected these demands, viewing them as a form of military occupation. Egypt, a key mediator in the talks, also opposes an Israeli presence on its border with Gaza.

The Philadelphi corridor is a sensitive area, with Israel claiming that Hamas used tunnels beneath the border to import arms, leading to the October 7 attack that sparked the war. Egypt rejects these allegations, saying it destroyed hundreds of tunnels on its side of the border years ago.

The Netzarim corridor is also a point of contention, with Hamas demanding that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled the north be allowed to return to their homes. Israel has agreed to their return but wants to ensure they are not armed.

Hamas views Israel's demands as a prelude to a lasting military occupation and the return of Jewish settlements. Egypt warns that Israel's operations along the border threaten their 1979 peace treaty.

The US has called on Hamas to accept a proposal to break the impasse, but it's unclear if Israeli control of the corridors is included. Failure to reach a ceasefire deal would prolong the war, putting thousands of lives at risk and potentially sparking a wider conflict.
A legal loophole is allowing sperm donated in the UK to be exported to other countries, potentially leading to the creation of large numbers of donor-conceived children worldwide. This practice violates the UK's strict 10-family limit that applies within its fertility clinics, as there are no restrictions on exporting sperm or eggs abroad. Experts warn that this could result in donor-conceived children having dozens of biological half-siblings across Europe and beyond. They are urging the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to tighten regulations to prevent this from happening.

As per The Guardian, "If you believe that it's necessary to enforce the 10-family limit in the modern world then logically that should apply wherever the sperm are from," said Prof Jackson Kirkman-Brown, chair of the Association for Reproductive and Clinical Scientists (ARCS). "There is data showing that some of the children who find the really big families struggle with that," he added.

"Once you've frozen sperm it doesn't get any older," said Mr Kirkman-Brown. This means that a donor sperm could continue to be used for years or decades. "You can end up with donor siblings older than your parents, which is not somewhere we've been yet," he added.

Prof Nicky Hudson, a medical sociologist at De Montford University, said, Donations are "presented to donors as a beautiful gift to help someone create a family, not as, 'We're going to maximise the number of births from your gametes and make as much money as we can from that.

The 10-family limit across licensed clinics is enforced by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). According to the regulatory body, this limit reflects the number that people feel comfortable with regarding the potential number of donor-conceived children, half-siblings, and families that could be created.

"As the HFEA has no remit over donation outside of HFEA licensed clinics, there would be no monitoring of how many times a donor is used in these circumstances," said Rachel Cutting, director of compliance and information at the HFEA.

According to the reports by The Guardian,Until five years ago, the United Kingdom primarily imported sperm, mainly from the US and Denmark. However, between 2019 and 2021, the UK exported 7,542 sperm straws. Additionally, the world's largest sperm and egg bank, Cryos, opened a facility in Manchester this April. As per the reports,The European Sperm Bank, which accounted for 90% of exports, applies a worldwide limit of 75 families a donor and estimates that its donors help on average 25 families.

"The concept of a father with many children is already ingrained in our cultural imagination. However, we don't have a similar concept for women," observed Prof. Nicky Hudson, adding that it's not something women are encouraged to consider.
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Families and supporters of hostages taken by Hamas, take part in a march from Kibbutz Re'im to Jerusalem as they call for the release of all hostages, in Re'im, Israel, on Feb. 28, 2024. [Photo/Tomer Neuberg/JINI via Xinhua]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told hostage families on Tuesday that he is uncertain whether a deal with Hamas will be reached, emphasizing that Israel will not relinquish control of two corridors in the Gaza Strip, a key demand by Hamas, state-owned media reported.

"Israel will not withdraw under any circumstances from the Philadelphi Corridor and the Netzarim Corridor, despite enormous pressure to do so," Netanyahu told Gvura Forum and Tikva Forum, two groups representing families of hostages, as reported by Kan TV news.

The Philadelphi Corridor is a border area between Egypt and Gaza, while the Netzarim Corridor divides the enclave into northern and southern zones. Israeli forces currently control both, but Hamas has insisted on Israel's withdrawal as part of a ceasefire agreement.

Netanyahu's office did not deny the comments reportedly made during his meeting with the hostage families. In a statement, Netanyahu pledged to "preserve our strategic security assets despite significant pressures."

Israeli officials involved in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations accused Netanyahu of attempting to sabotage efforts to reach a deal after a new bridging proposal was presented in Qatar over the weekend.

"Netanyahu's remarks were intended to derail the negotiations," officials told Kan TV. "The prime minister knows we are at a critical juncture, working on solutions for the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors ahead of the next summit. He is aware of the progress made, yet his statements contradict what was agreed upon with mediators."

The remarks came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, after meeting with Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Monday, said Israel had accepted the bridging deal proposal. The proposal, advanced by Qatari, Egyptian, and U.S. mediators, was described by Blinken as a last-ditch effort to reach an agreement, which aims at securing a ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas has demanded that the deal include a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire.

Outside the Kirya base in Tel Aviv, the Israeli military's headquarters, dozens of hostage families and supporters rallied on Tuesday, urging the government to sign a deal. Similar demonstrations took place across the country.

The rallies were triggered by the retrieval of six hostages' bodies from a tunnel in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis during a military operation. They were kidnapped by Hamas fighters on Oct. 7, 2023, during their assault on Israeli communities.

Netanyahu praised the operation, stating, "Israel will continue to make every effort to bring our hostages back."

However, military spokesman Daniel Hagari said at a press conference that "there are currently 109 hostages held by Hamas," and added, "We won't be able to rescue all of them through military operations." He added that the National Institute of Forensic Medicine is still determining the cause of their death.

Meanwhile, Israel's Channel 13 TV reported that officials from the Israeli delegation expressed doubt over the resumption of talks in Cairo this week. Major General Nitzan Alon, representing the Israeli military in the delegation, may not attend due to Netanyahu's refusal to compromise on the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors. "If there is no compromise on the main issues, what is the point of going to Egypt?" officials told the channel.

Hamas fighters took about 250 hostages during their Oct. 7, 2023 assault on southern Israeli communities. While dozens have since been released in deals, Israeli security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said only about 60 hostages are believed to be alive.

Israel's response to the attack has resulted in a massive onslaught, killing more than 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly civilians, and causing widespread destruction across the enclave, according to health authorities in Gaza.
Chinas government has proposed a new law that would make it easier to register marriages, but more difficult to get a divorce.

Chinas Ministry of Civil Affairs recently released a new version of the law. The ministry said people will be able to provide their opinions on the proposal through September 11.

The agency said the proposed measure aims to help build a family friendly society in the country. The new law is being presented as Chinese officials struggle to find ways to get young couples to marry and have children.

Official government records showed Chinas population decreased during the past two years. The population dropped by 2.08 million last year, and decreased by 850,000 in 2022.

The proposed law would establish a 30-day cooling off period in case either party has second thoughts about a divorce. This would permit individuals to withdraw official divorce requests during this period if they change their minds.

The proposed law drew wide attention on social media, Reuters news agency reported. One user of the countrys Weibo social media service wrote, "It's easy to get married, but hard to divorce, What a stupid rule. The statement drew tens of thousands of likes from other users.

The proposed change aims to promote "the importance of marriage and family," said Jiang Quanbao. He is a professor at the Institute for Population and Development Studies at Jiaotong University in Xi'an. Jiang spoke to the state-backed Global Times newspaper.

The measure is also meant to reduce impulsive divorces, Jiang added. He said it also aims to support social systems and better protect the rights of the parties involved.

Official data showed the number of Chinese couples who married in the first half of 2024 fell by 498,000 compared to a year earlier. It marked the lowest marriage numbers since 2013.

In China, marriage is generally considered a requirement for having children because of widespread government policies covering families. One policy, for example, requires parents to present proof of marriage before they can register a baby and receive government assistance.

Many young Chinese are choosing to stay single or put off getting married because of worries over job security and other economic concerns.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Reuters reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English.

_____________________________________________

Words in This Story

promote  adj. to encourage something to happen

impulsive  adj. doing things without thinking much about it beforehand
Schools in Haiti are operating without enough chairs, blackboards, and even bathrooms.

Violent criminal groups limit basic government services and deepen poverty while the state education system faces a $23 million deficit.

Yasmine Sherif is the executive director of the U.N. organization Education Cannot Wait. The country needs help, Sherif said during her three-day visit to the Caribbean country in July.

Sherif said the organization provided $2.5 million to help nearly 75,000 children in Haiti with money, food and other programs. And she asked the European Union and other countries, including France and the U.S., to help close the educational deficit.

"My main concern is security," she said, noting the effect that violence has had on education.

Criminal groups, called gangs, killed or injured more than 2,500 people in the first three months of the year. Violence has seriously affected life in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and elsewhere.

At least 919 schools remain closed in Port-au-Prince and in the central area of Artibonite because of gang violence. The U.N. says that school closures have affected more than 150,000 students.

"Education is part of the solution," Sherif said. "That would end extreme poverty, extreme violence and create political stability and create a reliable workforce."

Gang violence impacts

Gang violence also has left some 580,000 people homeless across Haiti, with many crowding into temporary shelters or taking over schools, causing them to close. Schools that remain open are increasingly forced to take students from others that have closed.

The Jean Marie Vincent School in central Port-au-Prince, for example, has accepted students from 12 other schools.

Charles Luckerno is the head of the Vincent School. He said, "We're not the only ones" facing such serious problems. Luckerno said that when classes end for the day, people left homeless by gang violence enter the school and sleep on its ground.

Although that creates health problems, Luckerno still lets them stay. He said, "We are human. We cannot throw them out."

Not enough chairs

Williamson Bissainthe is a 22-year-old high school student who is preparing to take his final exam to graduate. He described the sad state of some schools.

"A lot of schools are missing benches or chairs. Teachers do not show up on time. The hardest part of this is that there are no bathrooms," he said.

Bissainthe added, "I hope that the generation that comes after me doesn't have to go through the same suffering.

Private schools are out of reach for many in Haiti, a country of more than 11 million people. More than 60 percent of the population earns less than $2 a day.

Homeless students

Among those who have been forced to flee their homes is 20-year-old Megane Dumorcy. She would like to study agriculture, but completing her education has been difficult.

"The insecurity has had a huge impact on my life," she said, noting that some students have been forced to leave their backpacks behind as they flee gangs. "The state should find a solution for that. We shouldn't be living in a country where our movement is limited."

She said her school is only half-built and lacks a library, a computer room, a blackboard and chairs. She does research on her phone when needed.

Another blow to Haitian schools came in late 2022. That was the time the U.S. started a program permitting Haitians and people from other countries to enter the country on humanitarian grounds.

"A lot of teachers left," said Frantz Erine, an official at the Jean Marie Vincent School.

Im Jill Robbins.

Evens Sanon reported this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English.

Quiz - UN: Violence Is Harming Haitis Schools Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

______________________________________________

Words in This Story

bathroom  n. a room with a sink and toilet and sometimes a bathtub or shower

gang  n. a group of criminals

graduate  v. to earn a degree or diploma from a school, college, or university

impact  n. a powerful or major influence or effect

What do you think of this story? Write to us in the Comments Section.
In Zimbabwe, increased wildlife activity near people has put children in rural areas at greater risk of animal attacks while walking to school.

Officials and some parents hope a campaign to teach children how to identify danger could reduce risks.

No deaths have been reported, but student Esther Bote and her friends remain careful.

We usually walk in groups to feel safer, said the fourteen-year-old. The five-kilometer walk to school includes travel through thick forest.

Save Valley Conservancy, a private group, and Zimbabwes parks agency run the program for school-age children. It teaches them how to recognize danger signs and how to coexist with wildlife.

Many students, like Esther, are now able to identify the footprints of animals and the sounds they make. They also know how to read the direction of the wind and when and where to seek shelter.

Dingani Masuku of Save Valley Conservancy said wildlife affects children more than other people. He said children walk to school and often do household jobs like getting water and firewood. Such activity means they are outside often.

Masaku said, Thats why we are targeting schools so that they can know how animals behave, what to do with the animals.

He added that the campaign is trying to teach children a sense of ownership, so they dont see the animal as an adversary, but they see it as something beneficial to the community, something which should be respected.

Education efforts

Recently at Chiyambiro Secondary School, a young woman was teaching children about the dangers of wild animals. The 18-year-old recently left school to become part of a group of young woman rangers.

Dont approach an animal. If its a lion, its looking for food. Thats why its in the community. It is looking for cheap, easy prey, and you could be the easy prey.

Some of the children said they travel up to 15 kilometers to get to school. They said they have to start walking to school before the sun rises when animals such as hyenas are still awake and active.

An official from the national parks agency spoke to the children about why wildlife is important to the community. He said wildlife supports the countrys tourism industry and leads to job creation, such as the new ranger positions.

Alphonce Chimangaisu is the chair of the school development committee at the Chiyambiro Secondary School. He said parents hope the information campaign will make children safer.

Some parents have stopped their children from going to school because they dont know what might happen, he said.

School officials in affected rural areas often must delay the start of the days classes and end them early. The president of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, Obert Masaraure, said school officials are trying to let children walk to and from school during daylight hours. That is when wild animals are less likely to be around.

We have reports of learners who have completely withdrawn from school fearing for their lives, Masaraure said. He also noted that teachers who live far from schools are increasingly missing work. He said all these problems are making it more difficult for rural learners to get a quality education.

Tinashe Farawo is a Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority official. He said wild animals are going into communities for food and water because of dry weather conditions, also called drought. The official said the parks agency is pushing for animal behavior and conservation training at schools around the country.

Farawo also said children teach their parents what they have learned. He said the agency has established environmental clubs at many schools to bring attention to the issue.

The official noted that conflicts had gotten worse because of drought. He said the parks agency had received between 3,000 and 4,000 emergency calls from communities battling wildlife in three years. In 2018, there were only 900 calls.

Im Caty Weaver. And I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.

Farai Mutsaka reported this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter, Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English.

________________________________________________

Words in This Story

adversary n. an enemy

beneficial adj. something that has a good effect or that provides something useful

ranger n. a person who helps to supervise a forest area

approach v. to move closer to something; to near

cheap adj. at a low cost; easy to get

prey n. an animal that is the object of a hunt

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday [Macau time] that Israel has accepted a proposal to bridge differences holding up a cease-fire and hostage release in Gaza, and he called on Hamas to do the same, without saying whether concerns cited by the militant group had been addressed.

The high-stakes negotiations have gained urgency in recent days as diplomats hope an agreement will deter Iran and Lebanons Hezbollah from avenging the targeted killings of two top militants that were blamed on Israel. The escalating tensions have raised fears of an even more destructive regional war.

Blinken spoke after holding a 2 1/2 hour meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the day, and will travel to Egypt and Qatar for further negotiations. The three mediators have spent months trying to end the war in Gaza, with the talks repeatedly stalling.

In a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, he confirmed to me that Israel supports the bridging proposal, Blinken told reporters, without saying what the proposal entails. The next important step is for Hamas to say yes.

He added, however, that even if Hamas accepts the proposal, negotiators will spend the coming days working on clear understandings on implementing the agreement. He said there are still complex issues requiring hard decisions by the leaders, without offering specifics.

Hamas has said it is losing faith in the U.S. as a mediator, accusing American negotiators of siding with Israel as it makes new demands that the militant group rejects. Blinken did not say whether the proposal addressed Israels demand for control over two strategic corridors inside Gaza  which Hamas has said is a nonstarter  or other issues that have long bedeviled the negotiations.

Netanyahu said that he had a good and important meeting with Blinken and appreciated the understanding that the United States has shown to our vital security interests, along with our shared efforts to release our hostages. He added that efforts are being made to release the maximum number of hostages in the first stage of a the cease-fire deal.

Blinkens ninth mission to the Middle East since the conflict began came days after mediators, including the United States, expressed renewed optimism that a deal was near. But Hamas has expressed deep dissatisfaction with the latest proposal, and Israel has said there were points on which it was unwilling to compromise.

Earlier, Blinken said it was a decisive moment, and maybe the last opportunity to free the hostages and secure a cease-fire.

Its also time to make sure that no one takes any steps that could derail this process, he said in a veiled reference to Iran. And so were working to make sure that there is no escalation, that there are no provocations, that there are no actions that in any way move us away from getting this deal over the line, or for that matter, escalating the conflict to other places and to greater intensity.

Mediators will meet again this week to try to cement a cease-fire. Blinken will travel Tuesday to Egypt and Qatar, where Hamas maintains a political office.

The war began on Oct. 7 when thousands of Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250 others. Of those, about 110 are still believed to be in Gaza, though Israeli authorities say around a third are dead. More than 100 hostages were released in November during a weeklong cease-fire.

Dozens of Israelis demonstrated outside of the Tel Aviv hotel where Blinken was staying, holding photos of the hostages and demanding an immediate cease-fire.

We know that only with vast help of the American administration a deal will come, said Yehuda Cohen, whose 20-year-old son, Nimrod, is being held hostage in Gaza. We are here to say it out loud: Blinken, Antony Blinken, please push Netanyahu for a deal at any price because I want my son to be free.

Israels counterattack in Gaza has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, and devastated much of the territory. The war has plunged the territory of 2.3 million people into a humanitarian catastrophe, with aid groups now fearing an outbreak of polio.

Blinken said the United States shares those concerns and is working on a plan with Israel to ensure vaccines are made available in the coming weeks, saying it is urgent, it is vital.

Late last week, the three countries mediating the proposed cease-fire  Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. reported progress on a deal under which Israel would halt most military operations in Gaza and release a number of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of hostages.

The evolving proposal calls for a three-phase process in which Hamas would release all hostages abducted during its Oct. 7 attack. In exchange, Israel would withdraw its forces from Gaza and release Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas accuses Israel of adding new demands that it maintain a military presence along the Gaza-Egypt border to prevent arms smuggling and along a line bisecting the territory so it can search Palestinians returning to their homes in the north to prevent militants from slipping in. Israel said those werent new demands, but clarifications of a previous proposal.

Late Sunday, Hamas said in a statement that Netanyahu has continued to set obstacles to a deal by demanding new conditions, accusing him of wanting to prolong the war. It said the mediators latest offer was a capitulation to Israel.

The new proposal responds to Netanyahus conditions, Hamas said. MDT/AP
Approvals for new coal-fired power plants in China dropped sharply in the first half of this year, according to an analysis released yesterday, after a flurry of permits in the previous two years raised concern about the governments commitment to limiting climate change.

A review of project documents by Greenpeace East Asia found that 14 new coal plants were approved from January to June with a total capacity of 10.3 gigawatts, down 80% from 50.4 gigawatts in the first half of last year.

Chinese authorities approved 90.7 gigawatts in 2022 and 106.4 gigawatts in 2023, a surge that raised alarm among climate experts.

China leads the world in solar and wind power installations but the government has said that coal plants are still needed for periods of peak demand because wind and solar power are less reliable. While Chinas grid gives priority to greener sources of energy, experts worry that it wont be easy for China to wean itself off coal once the new capacity is built.

We may now be seeing a turning point, Gao Yuhe, the project lead for Greenpeace East Asia, said in a statement. One question remains here. Are Chinese provinces slowing down coal approvals because theyve already approved so many coal projects? Or are these the last gasps of coal power in an energy transition that has seen coal become increasingly impractical? Only time can tell.

Greenpeace released the analysis with the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, a government-affiliated think tank.

The government has issued a slew of documents in recent months on reducing carbon emissions and accelerating the shift to renewable energy.

The National Energy Administration unveiled a three-year plan in June to retrofit existing coal power units and equip newly built ones with low-carbon technologies. Another government plan released this month to accelerate the construction of a new power system took aim at bottlenecks and other challenges, including how to expand transmission of renewable energy.

China is also looking to nuclear power as it seeks to meet its carbon reduction targets. The State Council, Chinas Cabinet, greenlighted five nuclear power projects on Monday with 11 units and a total cost of 200 billion yuan ($28 billion). KEN MORITSUGU, BEIJING, MDT/AP
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The Shiite militia group "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a drone attack on a site in Eilat, Israel's southern port city.

In an online statement, the militia said its fighters carried out the attack on Tuesday evening on a "vital site" in Eilat, adding that the attack was conducted "in solidarity with the people of Gaza" and vowed to continue targeting "the enemy's strongholds."

The statement did not provide details about the targeted site or casualties, and Israeli authorities have not commented on the alleged attack.

Since the Israeli-Palestinian conflict began on Oct. 7, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has launched multiple attacks on Israeli targets and U.S. bases in the region to show their support for Palestinians in Gaza.
The Macau Portuguese School (EPM) has announced it is seeking to hire five more teachers in preparation for the upcoming school year.

The hiring announcement on EPMs website comes just several days after the Portuguese government concluded an inquiry into the dismissal of several teachers from the school, which led to the renewal of the affected staffs special licenses for another year.

In a recruitment notice signed by director Acacio de Brito, who will be part of the selection panel, the teaching positions include two mathematics teachers and one teacher each for physics/chemistry, computer science, and French. Candidates will teach high school students. Applications are being accepted until Aug. 26.

The hiring announcement comes after a controversy earlier this year in which four EPM teachers and a psychologist had their contracts unexpectedly terminated by de Brito.

However, Portugals Ministry of Education later overturned the dismissals, finding de Britos decision lacked objective and transparent reasoning.

For the current openings, 40% of the selection criteria will be based on candidates international teaching experience outside of Portugal. Qualifications will account for 30%, and subject-specific experience will make up the remaining 30%.

Throughout the dismissal dispute, de Brito and the EPM Foundation president denied any wrongdoing, saying 10 new teachers had already been secured for the 2024-25 year. The Ministry of Education also mandated that instruction in Portuguese language remain unchanged. Victoria Chan
Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng has announced that he will not run for re-election due to health issues. This decision comes just a month after the governments extension of his leave, which began on June 21.

This leave marks his first significant break since he took office on December 20, 2019.

In a statement from the Government Information Bureau today (Wednesday), Ho clarified that his health has not been fully restored and expressed his gratitude for the support he has received throughout his term.

I have profound feelings for Macau and have done my utmost for Macaus development but due to the fact that my health has not been fully restored, for the sake of Macaus long-term development and from the perspective of the overall situation, I have decided not to participate in the election for the sixth-term Chief Executive, he said.

As the term of office of the fifth Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region is coming to an end, I, Ho Iat Seng, sincerely thank the Central Government, all sectors of Macau society, and our residents for their full trust and steadfast support over the past five years. I would also like to thank all the civil servants for their close collaboration and coordination, he added.

Ho is the first Chief Executive to serve only one term.

In May, following a visit from Xia Baolong, the top official for Hong Kong and Macau affairs, questions arose about Hos potential re-election.

However, Ho clarified that no discussions regarding his replacement took place during Xias inspection of the SAR.
India and Malaysia will seek to expand economic ties and strengthen cooperation on defense and security, the leaders of the two countries said yesterday.

This came during Malaysian Prime Minster Anwar Ibrahims visit to India, his first since he took office in 2022, where he met with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

Recently, Anwar has sought to move closer to China, with whom New Delhi has been locked in a long-running border dispute. A key part of Modis foreign policy has been to deepen trade and ties with other Asian countries, including Malaysia, to push back against growing Chinese influence in the region.

Both heads of state addressed reporters after signing a slew of new agreements, including digital technologies, tourism and traditional medicine. Anwar said the two countries have enjoyed good relations for years, adding that we realized this must be strengthened in a multitude of areas, including construction, agriculture and military collaborations to safeguard both nations borders.

Modi said the two had discussed cooperation in the defense sector, and that trade and investment between the two countries should grow while they collaborate on new industries like the production of semiconductors. He also stressed how the partnership between the two countries had grown, taking on new momentum and energy over the years.

Earlier yesterday, the Malaysian prime minister received a ceremonial welcome at Indias presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan before paying his respects to Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi at the Rajghat memorial site in New Delhi.

Bilateral trade between the two countries is strong at $20 billion. Malaysia is Indias 16th largest trading partner, while India is among the top ten largest trading partners for Malaysia. There are around 70 Malaysian companies operating in India and more than 150 Indian ones in Malaysia, where Indians comprise about 7% of the countrys population. MDT/AP
Indonesia and Australia yesterday finalized a new bilateral defense treaty that will enhance the neighboring nations ability to operate their militaries in each others territory.

The agreement was reached as Indonesian president-elect Prabowo Subianto, who also serves as defense minister, met with Australian officials at the countrys Parliament earlier Tuesday.

The bilateral relationship is becoming increasingly important to Australians in face of growing tensions with China. New Australian prime ministers typically make Jakarta one of their first overseas destinations.

The pact will be signed within days, when Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles visits Jakarta.

Marles said the successful conclusion of negotiations after two years was significant for both countries national security.

What this agreement will do is provide for much greater interoperability between our defense forces, it will provide for much more exercises between our defense forces, it will see us working together the global commons to support the rules-based order and, importantly, it will allow us to operate from each others countries, Marles told reporters.

And in that sense, this agreement will be the deepest, the most significant agreement that our two countries have ever made, Marles added.

Subianto described the agreement as ironing out some legalistic details and said that it achieved great progress in the two countries defense cooperation.

Euan Graham, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank, questioned the pacts strategic value to Australia.

Subianto made clear that Indonesia would remain non-aligned under his leadership, Graham said. This means Indonesia will remain among a group of countries that dont want to be officially aligned with or against any major power bloc such as the United States.

The issue is that Indonesia doesnt share the same threat perception as Australia towards China, he added.

With around 275 million people, Indonesia has 10 times the population of Australia, which has fewer than 27 million people.

Subiantos overnight Canberra visit was his first to Australia since he was elected president in February. MDT/AP
Lawmaker Nick Lei expressed serious concern over the governments responsiveness to public needs during the legislative year.

In a Legislative Assembly work review session of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Macau, Lei raised a disconnect between government officials and the community they serve.

Lei criticized government leaders for their lack of communication and self-satisfied governance, which he argues hinder effective administration.

He said many public departments remain detached from the realities faced by citizens, delaying necessary improvements in governance.

Lei highlighted several pressing issues, including outdated regulations on consumer rights that complicate the enhancement of legal protections.

He also raised concerns about the unresolved problem of brick dumping in commercial buildings, which poses significant safety risks to residents.

He condemned the authorities for their passive approach, stating that they have allowed these issues to escalate without taking proactive measures.

The lawmaker emphasized the necessity of comprehensive public housing inspections, so as to identify and mitigate potential hazards.

He advocated for a regular maintenance system to ensure residents safety.

While the Macau New Neighborhood initiative offers community services such as shuttle buses between there and Hengqin, along with customs clearance, Lei noted there are still significant gaps in medical and educational facilities that require urgent attention.

Moreover, Lei criticized government officials for their inadequate response to public concerns and ineffective communication channels, which obstruct the understanding of community needs.

He called for greater accountability among public officials and urged the government to enhance transparency and administrative practices.

During the session, the alliance reported receiving 5,637 requests for assistance, primarily related to labor, transportation and essential services.

Of these, 3,962 cases were followed up, while 1,293 consultations were completed, highlighting a need for government engagement on these matters.

Alliance chairman Si Ka Lon stressed the importance of addressing critical areas such as employment, housing and healthcare.

He called for expedited reforms in public administration to promote economic diversification and strengthen legal protections for local industries. Nadia Shaw
In a recent LinkedIn post, Andrew MacDonald, the chief casino officer of Resorts World Sentosa, revealed he has been banned from entering the premises of Marina Bay Sands (MBS) in Singapore.

According to MacDonalds post, MBS issued a persona non grata notice July 31, effectively prohibiting him indefinitely from accessing any of the propertys facilities.

Previously, MacDonald worked for Las Vegas Sands, the parent company of MBS, for nearly 12 years before stepping down at the end of 2021, during which he made monthly visits to the Sands properties in Macau.

Gaming media outlet Inside Asian Gaming (IAG) reported the ban was issued due to concerns MacDonald may have been trying to poach customers and employees during a series of visits to the MBS property in late July, just before the ban was implemented.

MacDonald has denied these allegations, stating that his visits were purely social and that he was accompanied by a close friend, Mike Sugrue, a former executive at Crown Melbourne.

He acknowledged he did interact with two high-value players during these visits, but claimed it was purely by coincidence.

MacDonald and Surge also said he encountered some MBS executives to help assist with their restaurant reservations but said the situation was nothing more than that.

In response to the incident, an MBS spokesperson clarified to the media outlet that the decision to restrict access to the property was not made lightly and that the resort has stringent protocols in place to help guide it through such actions.

The sudden ban on the former global chief casino officer has raised eyebrows in the industry, as it is relatively uncommon for such high-profile executives to be barred from competing properties. Victoria Chan
MGM recently collaborated with local government bodies to host the New Greater Bay Area Youth Exchange Program in Hengqin. This initiative aimed to support the citys economic diversification and encourage youth engagement in regional cooperation, according to a statement issued by the gaming operator.

Over two days, participants explored Hengqins industrial, infrastructural, and cultural advancements, inspiring them to contribute to future development.

The program featured an opening ceremony and a campfire gathering where successful entrepreneurs shared insights on business opportunities in Hengqin. This initiative highlights the importance of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as a national strategy, providing a vital platform for local youth.

Participants visited key sites, including the underground utility tunnel and the Hengqin Culture & Art Complex, deepening their understanding of Hengqins strategic role.
The Philippines has agreed to a request by the United States to temporarily host a U.S. immigrant visa processing center for a limited number of Afghan nationals aspiring to resettle in America, the treaty allies announced yesterday.

The Philippine governments approval of the request, which initially faced local concerns over potential security and legal issues, reflects how relations between Manila and Washington have deepened under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office in 2022.

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said the agreement was undergoing final domestic procedures and needs to be finally ratified by Marcos before it takes effect. It did not provide other details, including how many Afghans would be allowed to temporarily stay in the Philippines at any time while their special immigrant visas for resettlement to the U.S. are being completed.

A senior Philippine official, however, told The Associated Press that only 150 to 300 applicants would be accommodated in the Philippines under the one-time deal. The official who had knowledge of the negotiations agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to speak publicly.

Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Assistant Secretary Teresita Daza said Afghan nationals should secure a visa to enter the Philippines and would be subjected to full security vetting. Each visa applicant can stay not more than 59 days.

The U.S. government will shoulder the costs for the stay of the Afghan nationals, including food, housing, security and medical and transportation expenses, Daza said. She added that the U.S. government and the International Organization for Migration as manager of the unspecified facility where the Afghan visa applicants would be billeted, would ensure they have adequate social, educational, religious and other support.

The U.S. thanked the Philippines in a statement by the State Department for supporting Afghan allies of the United States and added that it appreciates its long and positive history of bilateral cooperation with the Philippines.

The Afghan nationals to be considered for resettlement primarily worked for the U.S. government in Afghanistan or were deemed eligible for U.S. special immigrant visas but were left behind when Washington withdrew from the country as Taliban militants took back power in a chaotic period in 2021.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken first relayed the request to his Philippine counterpart in 2022, and President Joe Biden discussed the request when Marcos visited the United States last year, Philippine officials said.

Marcos said last year that he was told by American officials that a maximum of 1,000 Afghan nationals would be allowed to stay in the Philippines at any one time while their special immigrant visas are being processed.

He said at the time there were difficult legal and logistical issues to address for the program to run as hoped.

Some Filipino officials have expressed fears the Afghan nationals could become targets of attacks while in the Philippines. Others raised legal questions about an arrangement where U.S. authorities would have a say in vetting who could enter the Philippines.

One prospective problem is what to do with Afghan nationals whose U.S. special visa immigrant application is indefinitely stalled or rejected, Marcos said and expressed concern that thousands of Afghan nationals could be stranded in the country while awaiting relocation to the U.S.

Marcos has rekindled relations with the U.S. since winning the presidency with a landslide margin two years ago. JIM GOMEZ, MANILA, MDT/AP
Taiwans military launched surface-to-air missiles in live-fire drills conducted yesterday in response to growing military pressure from China.

The exercises took place at the Jiupeng Military Base in a remote area in southern Taiwan. Among the missiles launched were Taiwans domestically made Sky Bow III anti-ballistic missiles along with the U.S.-made Patriot PAC II and surface-to-air Standard missiles.

Self-ruled Taiwan is Chinas territory to be brought under Beijings control by force if necessary.

Beijing in particular dislikes Taiwans new President Lai Ching-te, who took office earlier this year and whom Beijing has called a separatist.

Taipei has boosted its deterrence capabilities in response. Missiles, both domestically built and U.S.-made, are key to its defense strategy.

Government spokesperson Sun Li-fang said all the missiles launched yesterday hit their targets.

This shows our training is very strict and solid, he said.

Beijing did not immediately react to Taiwans drill. China sends military jets and vessels near Taiwan frequently in what critics call an intimidation tactic.

Taiwans Defense Ministry said early yesterday it spotted five Chinese military jets and 11 ships close to its shores over the previous 24 hours. One aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial demarcation zone between the two sides.

While its military is dwarfed by Chinas, Taiwan has bought high-tech weaponry from the United States, revitalized its domestic arms industry and extended the length of mandatory military service from four months to one year.

The U.S. is bound by its own laws to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself and considers all threats to the island as a matter of great concern. MDT/AP
* Back on track

 Inbound visitors surge in July, nearing pre-pandemic levels

* Gaming | Premium mass demand remains strong despite crackdown: Citibank

* Olympic visit | Macau to welcome Chinas medalists amid top security

* Lawmaker Nick Lei expressed serious concern over the governments responsiveness to public needs during the legislative year

* Singapores Marina Bay Sands bans former executive from property

* China is backing off coal power plant approvals after a 2022-23 surge

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Wednesday, August 21, 2024  edition no. 4550
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The United States and certain other countries should stop provoking confrontation in the South China Sea and cease actions that undermine regional stability and exacerbate tensions, the Chinese embassy in the Philippines urged Tuesday.

In a statement issued Tuesday regarding the Xianbin Jiao collision, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the Philippines said that the United States and certain countries are not parties to the South China Sea issue and have no right to interfere in maritime matters between China and the Philippines.

On Monday, two Philippine coast guard vessels, without permission from the Chinese government, intruded into the adjacent waters of Xianbin Jiao of China's Nansha Qundao and, in disregard of China Coast Guard's dissuasion and warning, acted dangerously by deliberately ramming the China Coast Guard vessel that was carrying out law enforcement operation.

"On the day of the collision, the U.S. State Department issued a statement, and Embassies of the United States and some of its allies in the Philippines also wasted no time in taking sides and making inflammatory statements, which raises questions about their underlying motives," the spokesperson said.

The Chinese diplomat noted that spokespersons of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Coast Guard have issued statements on this incident, on-site video footages have been released, and the facts are clear and the truth is evident.

"If they genuinely care about peace and stability in the South China Sea, why do they persist in sowing discord and fueling tensions?" the spokesperson said.

The statement said that China is committed to handling maritime disputes with the Philippines properly through dialogue and consultation. "We hope the Philippines will honor its commitment, earnestly observe the understandings and arrangement reached with China, refrain from taking actions that may complicate the situation, and work with China to get the situation at sea under control."
The worlds oldest person, U.S.-born Maria Branyas Morera, has died at the age of 117, her family announced on social media.

Guinness World Records (GWR) also released a statement confirming her death at the age of 117 years 168 days, making her the eighth-oldest person with a verifiable age in history.

Maria passed away peacefully at the nursing home in Catalonia, Spain, where she resided for the past two decades, read the GWR statement, which added that she died on Monday.

On Tuesday, Moreras family published a post on her X account announcing her death.

She has gone the way she wanted: in her sleep, at peace, and without pain, reads the post.

Her family added that Morera told them shortly before her death: I dont know when, but very soon this long journey will come to an end. Death will find me worn down from having lived so much, but I want it to find me smiling, free, and satisfied.

Morera was named the worlds oldest living person by GWR in January 2023 after the death of French nun Sister Andre at the age of 118.

She told GWR that she had lived such a long life thanks to order, tranquility, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity, and staying away from toxic people.

I think longevity is also about being lucky. Luck and good genetics, she added.

Her birth on March 4, 1907 came less than four years after the Wright Brothers launched the first ever power driven flight and two years before construction had even begun on the ill-fated Titanic.

Morera was born a year after her parents emigrated to the U.S. from Spain. Eight years later, the family moved back, arriving in Barcelona during World War I. Moreras life has also spanned the Spanish Civil War and World War II.

She spent the last decades of her life in a nursing home in Catalonia, where, despite her advancing years, Morera used X  with a little help from her daughter  to communicate with her thousands of followers.

I am old, very old, but not an idiot, her bio reads on the social media platform.

Morera is believed to be among the oldest people to have recovered from COVID-19, having tested positive for the virus in May 2020.

According to the Gerontology Research Group, a scientific non-profit which validates the ages of people aged at least 110, the oldest living person is now a 116-year-old Japanese woman named Tomiko Itooka.

The title of the oldest person ever recorded belongs to Jeanne Louise Calment. Born on Feb. 21, 1875, her life spanned 122 years and 164 days, according to GWR.

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Photos: Notable deaths in 2024 Glynis Johns Adan Canto Bud Harrelson Dejan Milojevic Jack Burke Mary Weiss Norman Jewison Charles Osgood Melanie Safka Chita Rivera Carl Weathers Wayne Kramer Ian Lavender Toby Keith Henry Fambrough Bob Edwards Don Gullett Lefty Driesell Andreas Brehme Golden Richards Richard Lewis Nikolai Ryzhkov Brian Mulroney Akira Toriyama Iris Apfel Andy Russell Ed Ott Chris Mortensen Steve Lawrence Naomi Barber King Paul Alexander Thomas P. Stafford Chris Simon M. Emmet Walsh Laurent de Brunhoff Peter Angelos Joe Lieberman Louis Gossett Jr. Joe Flaherty John Sinclair Larry Lucchino Christopher Durang Jerry Grote Schappell Twins Peter Higgs Ralph Puckett Jr. O.J. Simpson Eleanor Coppola Robert MacNeil Faith Ringgold Steve Sloan Ken Holtzman Carl Erskine Whitey Herzog Bob Graham Dickey Betts Mandisa David Pryor Roman Gabriel Andrew Davis Terry Anderson Bill Gladden Duane Eddy Paul Auster Dick Rutan Steve Albini Jimmy Johnson Sean Burroughs Roger Corman A.J. Smith David Sanborn Alice Munro Dabney Coleman Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi Jim Otto Ivan Boesky Jan. A.P. Kaczmarek Carlie Colin Morgan Spurlock Richard M. Sherman Bill Walton Albert Ruddy Larry Allen Janis Paige Parnelli Jones Chet Walker The Rev. James Lawson Jr. Jerry West Ron Simons Bob Schul Willie Mays Donald Sutherland Bill Cobbs Kinky Friedman Martin Mull Robert Towne Vic Seixas James Inhofe Joe Bonsall Shelley Duvall Dr. Ruth Westheimer Richard Simmons Jacoby Jones Shannen Doherty James Sikking Pat Williams Lou Dobbs Bob Newhart Cheng Pei-Pei Abdul 'Duke' Fakir Bernice Johnson Reagon John Mayall Erica Ash Jack Russell Chi Chi Rodriguez Frank Selvy Wally Amos Gena Rowlands Peter Marshall Alain Delon Phil Donahue Al Attles James Darren James Earl Jones Frankie Beverly Joe Schmidt Chad McQueen Tito Jackson JD Souther Dan Evans Mercury Morris
A 35-year-old Jerome man is facing charges that he had multiple sexual encounters with an underage girl.

Colton Shane Hoffman was charged in July with lewd conduct with a minor under 16, rape involving a victim under 16, sexual battery of a child, along with a separate count of domestic battery involving a Jerome woman, court records say.

He is being held on a $250,000 bond.

Even though the crimes are alleged to have taken place in Jerome, the Twin Falls Police Department was asked to conduct the investigation because Hoffman is a firefighter for the Jerome Fire Department, records say.

City Administrator Mike Williams told the Times-News on Tuesday that Hoffman is on administrative leave without pay.

Charges against Hoffman allege the encounters with the girl began as early as October, and she said she had sex at least 10 times with Hoffman at a house, as well as multiple times on trips.

In June, records say, Hoffman and the girl engaged in oral sex at the Jerome Fire Station.

Investigators said Hoffman admitted in June to sleeping in the same bed as the girl but said he did so to support her emotionally.

As evidence began to build and he was interviewed again on July 10, Hoffman commented he didnt know what to say, the police affidavit says.

The count of domestic battery relates a separate incident said to have occurred on June 3 in which Hoffman is accused of engaging in a fight with a woman. Records say Hoffman confirmed to investigators that the altercation happened, but both he and the woman were fighting.

Hoffmans preliminary hearing was held Aug. 15, court records say, and his next court date has not been determined.
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Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin agreed Wednesday that China and Russia have complementary advantages and huge potential for practical cooperation, and the two sides should advance cooperation in both traditional and emerging areas.

They made the remarks at the 29th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government, saying that China and Russia should steadily advance cooperation in traditional areas such as economy and trade, investment, agriculture and energy, and expand cooperation in emerging areas including digital economy, biomedicine and green development.
Anyone near Twin Falls City Park on Saturday evening could hear calm drumming in the distance. Looking around the circle, a group of people looked content as they tapped their hands against colorful djembes.

Last weekend offered an opportunity for the community to de-stress, connect with others, and commune with nature during the community drum circle, hosted by Cosmic Pulse, an organization based in Boise.

Organizer Shane Kipper discovered his passion last year while working in the marketing industry. After joining a spiritual community in Boise and participating in a ceremony, he had a vision of a drum. Then, he wasnt sure what his vision meant, but he bought a drum and began playing with his friends.

Suddenly, it hit him.

Kipper realized he could use his marketing skills to bring people together and share his love for drumming with the community. He created Cosmic Pulse in June of 2023, and now, he leads community drum circles across Idaho and in Utah.

Its taken off since then, Kipper said. Its really added a lot of power and healing not only for myself but for the community to come together and express themselves in ways they havent before.

Community drumming allows participants to express themselves and add their energy to the collective group of drummers. Each circle brings new groups of people together.

Kipper said that although some people worry they have no rhythm, they should participate in the circle anyway and try to get out of their heads. Once they let go, they can truly enjoy themselves.

Its a very therapeutic thing, especially in that environment when youre playing with other people, he said. When youre playing by yourself, you can get in your head and not play for long enough to get into that zen state. Its like a meditation, right?

Once you really relax into the experience and allow the music to play through you, it (creates) a very deep meditation.

The meditative state was achieved over the weekend at both drum sessions, one on Saturday, and the other on Sunday. As participants began to lean into the drumming, they began to relax and experience the benefits meditative drumming can offer.

As Cosmic Pulse continues to grow, Kipper wants to host more drum circles for the Twin Falls community. In the meantime, learn more and join the organization by visiting https://www.facebook.com/the.cosmic.pulse.

Your news on your smartphone Your story lives in the Magic Valley, and our new mobile app is designed to make sure you dont miss breaking news, the latest scores, the weather forecast and more. From easy navigation with the swipe of a finger to personalized content based on your preferences to customized text sizes, the Times-News app is built for you and your life. Dont have the app? Download it today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
A Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) official has appealed to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Lebanon to return home for their safety amid escalating tensions between Hezbollah and Israel.

Bishop Rupert Santos of Stella Maris Philippines made the call after the Philippine government urged Filipinos in Lebanon to heed the governments call to repatriate with arrangements for their safe return to the country.

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For your safety, please continue to follow the directives of the Philippine government, Santos, who is also the bishop of Antipolo, said.

Stay strong and keep faith. Your resilience is an inspiration to us all, and soon, you will be reunited with your families, where you can find peace and security once more, he added.

The Philippine Embassy in Lebanon earlier called on Filipinos to evacuate the country due to rising tensions while the airport remains operational. Despite an urgent advisory for all 11,000 Filipinos in Lebanon to leave, only about 1,000 have expressed willingness to return, according to the Foreign Affairs Department.

The bishop has since assured the OFWs in Lebanon as well as their families of his prayers, reminding them they are not alone.

The entire nation stands with you, praying for your safety and swift return home, Santos said.
President Marcos directed the Department of Health (DOH) and other concerned government agencies to enhance the monitoring of areas and demographic groups that are at higher risk of Mpox virus transmission.

During a meeting in Malacanang, Mr. Marcos told Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa and other officials to continue surveillance, especially on areas and people most vulnerable to the disease.

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The health secretary assured the chief executive that Mpox is not a public emergency, citing its low case count and non-airborne transmission.

Mpox, caused by the monkeypox virus, spreads through close physical contact, unlike the airborne COVID-19 virus, he added.

The DOH has recorded 10 Mpox patients in the country since 2023, all of whom have recovered.

In an earlier interview, Herbosa said the first Mpox case reported by the Philippines in 2024 is infected with a mild variant and not the deadly strain.

Its the old variant, he said of the virus that struck a 33-year-old Filipino male, referring to the milder Clade 2 variant.

Its not as alarming as the Clade 1b, Herbosa told Agence France Presse

The secretary assured that the DOH remains prepared to manage any new Mpox cases that may arise.

As this developed, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said on Wednesday that the 33-year-old man who became the countrys first Mpox victim this year has visited a derma clinic and an illegal spa, where he had an intimate encounter with a masseuse.

At a news conference, she clarified the Mpox patient was not from the city but had close contact with 41 persons, including the spas masseuse and several clients.

Of the 41 close contacts, 28 of them, who were identified through contact tracing, are now under self-quarantine and are being closely monitored by the citys health department, Belmonte told reporters.

At least 15 percent of the patients 41 close contacts were from Quezon City and were immediately given the proper treatment.

Every day, we call them up for monitoring (of their health condition), City Epidemiology and Surveillance Division chief Dr. Rolando dela Cruz said. (with AFP)

Meanwhile, Belmonte said she ordered the temporary closure of the AED Infinity Wellness Spa Inc. located along E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue due to a lack of a business permit, sanitary permit, environmental clearance, and fire inspection certificate.

She added that the patient, who has no travel history outside of the Philippines, frequented similar spas in other cities within the same period.

The doctors response to the patient was good and prompt so the further spread of the virus was avoided. At the same time, we will continue to strengthen our system in controlling and responding to Mpox, the city mayor assured.

Editors Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline Marcos orders close monitoring of mpox in Philippines
SENATOR Pia Cayetano bats for the passage of a bill seeking the full development of the countrys natural gas industry.

With domestic gas, Cayetano said the Philippines will not be heavily dependent on foreign suppliers who may suddenly pull out to sell their gas to richer buyers elsewhere.

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The senator expressed confidence that Filipino gas will provide the country energy security and sovereignty underpinning national economic development.

In a sponsorship speech on Tuesday, Cayetano urged her colleagues to act swiftly on Senate Bill No. 2793, or the proposed Philippine Natural Gas Development Act.

The measure mandates the priority dispatch of the countrys indigenous natural gas.

Cayetano also said the bill seeks to revitalize indigenous gas exploration and develop natural gas infrastructure.

This bill provides for the prioritization of indigenous gas over other imported LNG (liquefied natural gas) and other conventional fuels in terms of use and the production of power, said Cayetano.

The natural gas as baseload source, she emphasized, is less harmful to the environment and less volatile to international conflicts.

She stressed that the proposed law would also boost investor confidence in the Philippine economy as it would spur government commitment to industries that require heavy investments, like natural gas.

The bill would provide a market for indigenous gas by giving priority to its procurement and use for power generation, a policy already enshrined in the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) and successive issuances from EPIRAs chief implementing agency, the Department of Energy (DOE).

This would assure investors of a market for the production of more wells, as the senator noted that the Philippines ranks lowest compared with other Southeast Asian countries in terms of natural gas discoveries.

Malampaya was supposed to be the first of many producing gas fields in the Philippines, but it turned out to be the only one. It has grown old, and may become depleted as early as 2027. This poses a dilemma. To support the DOEs long-term energy plan, the country needs more Malampayas; we barely have one left, Cayetano said.

Malampaya provides stable-cost gas to power much of Luzons energy requirements for more than 20 years. It is the countrys first and only natural gas field, discovered in 1989.

Citing DOE policy, Cayetano also pointed out that natural gas would serve as a transition fuel during the Philippines shift to full renewable energy use.

While the renewable energy industry is developing, natural gas can help decrease our dependence on imported coal and oil, Cayetano said.

Besides Cayetano, 16 other senators backed the enactment of SB 2793. They are Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, Grace Poe, Mark Villar, Joseph Victor Ejercito, Ronald dela Rosa, Cynthia Villar, Christopher Go, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Joel Villanueva, Raffy Tulfo, Robinhood Padilla, Alan Peter Cayetano, Revilla Jr., and Manuelito Lapid.
Manila and Washingtons National Security Advisers raised grave concerns over escalating tensions in the West Philippine Sea as Beijing steps up efforts to push its claims in the region.

Philippine NSA Eduardo Ano and US NSA Jake Sullivan exchanged information on the current maritime security situation in the region in a phone conversation Tuesday.

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Both security officials described Beijings recent acts as illegal, aggressive, and dangerous.

Over the past days, Chinas Peoples Liberation Army  Air Force (PLAAF) dropped flares against a Philippine Air Force aircraft conducting a routine maritime security operation over Bajo de Masinloc.

Chinese Coast Guard vessels also rammed two Philippine Coast Guard ships while en route to Patag Island and Lawak Island in the West Philippine Sea.

China, for its part, warned the United States it has no right to intervene in its maritime disputes with the Philippines.

Washington earlier condemned the dangerous actions against lawful Philippine maritime operations after the latest coast guard clash.

These actions are the latest examples of (China) using dangerous and escalatory measures to enforce its expansive and unlawful South China Sea maritime claims, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said.

Asked about Patels remarks, his Chinese counterpart Mao Ning defended Beijings legal measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.

The US is not a party in the South China Sea and has no right to intervene in maritime disputes between China and the Philippines, Mao told a regular briefing.

The US should stop provoking confrontation in the South China Sea, not disrupt regional stability and not escalate tensions, Mao said.

China and the Philippines have had repeated confrontations in the waters over the past year, including around the BRP Sierra Madre grounded in 1999 by Manila on Ayungin Shoal, which hosts a garrison.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea despite an international tribunal ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

Analysts have said Beijings aim is to push eastwards from Ayungin Shoal toward the neighboring Escoda (Sabina) Shoal in the Spratly Islands, encroaching on Manilas exclusive economic zone and normalizing Chinese control of the area.

The confrontations have echoes of 2012 when Beijing took control of Scarborough Shoal, another strategic feature in the South China Sea closest to the Philippines.

Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, for his part, renewed his call for the government to convene the National Security Council and to demand compensation from China for the damages sustained by the two PCG patrol vessels.

What happened in Escoda Shoal is unacceptableWe can get the opinion of the Coast Guard, Philippine Navy, and DFA. This [incident involves] one of the highest forms of aggravated maritime intentional allision and collision, Tolentino said.

The OSG and DOJ should create a specialized team of maritime lawyers to handle these cases. The ramming incident in Escoda wont be the last. We cannot assign this task to fiscals, because these cases involve specialized aspects of international law and maritime law, he added. With AFP
With all law enforcement agencies looking for her, she slipped away so easily which proves once again how inept our investigative agencies are

WELL folks, Alice Guo is no more.

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The Bureau of Immigration has confirmed the former mayor has executed with the obvious help of some people what could only be described as a great escape and is now in Indonesia.

From what could be deduced from the media and other sources, she seems to have left by charter flight first to Malaysia then Singapore and then by ferry to Indonesia.

She also left using her Philippine-issued passport which should have been canceled together with that of her family long ago but was only done two days ago.

With all law enforcement agencies looking for her, she slipped away so easily which proves once again how inept our investigative agencies are.

One of the first things that should have been done when the Alice Guo investigation started was to cancel or make her surrender her Philippine passport so she could not use it to leave the country.

With her gone, another zarzuela will now be added to the unfinished business of investigating all the cases that have been filed against her.

The BI and the DFA have now a lot of explaining to do.

Her escape, however, should not really be so difficult to investigate if the government really wants it.

This is because charter flights must have flight plans submitted together with the name of pilot and passengers.

In the end, all the actors in this drama will eventually be known and, perhaps, heads will really roll.

But it was really amazing how easily she was able to leave, given that all law enforcement agencies were supposedly looking for her with the BI closely monitoring all exit points.

That she had help from certain government officials seems to be a given.

Whether the government will be able to identify them and have the political will to take action is another matter.

The trouble with our system is in this investigation, it has been the Senate that has been taking the lead instead of our regular law enforcement agencies which tells us a lot about how this Alice Guo issue is being handled.

Maybe POGO has something to do with all these.

POGO tentacles and influence appears to have been able to penetrate every level of government that normal government processes has been thrown into disarray perhaps due to corruption.

This Alice Guo investigation has become so convoluted that it is hard to see what the government end game will be.

Kudos however, must really go to Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Risa Hontiveros whose dogged persistence led to the President abolishing POGO.

But as the public is seeing the war against POGO is not yet really over.

The government must still guard against those silent forces who are still working to try to save POGO or some parts of it for reasons we can only guess.

With regard to Alice Guo, however, what happens now that she is gone?

Will the government try to extradite her from Indonesia?

Perhaps it is better to simply just leave things as they are now.

Extraditing her from Indonesia or any other country depending on where she decides to stay longer would only prolong the already complicated situation.

The cancellation of her Philippine passport might be the better option because by doing that, Alice Guo will revert to using her Chinese passport which she still apparently holds and let China deal with her.

Depending on how she will be treated by China we can more or less figure out whether she is indeed a sleeper as some people here have been suggesting or will be charged because of her involvement in POGO which the Chinese government is against.

But if the government will simply wash its hands on Alice Guo now that she is gone, we will never find out the extent of what she really did here and the extent of the damage she has inflicted on the country.

We owe it to ourselves to dig deeper to try to find out the whole extent of POGO operation in this country and the people who benefitted from it since it started in 2017.
A man has been arrested as part of an investigation into the discovery of 17 human skulls in July 2024 at a shrine in central Uganda. The owner of the site, who has since been sought, is now in custody, according to a police spokesman declaration on August 20.

The grim discovery was made by children foraging for wood outside the village of Kabanga, some 40 km west of Kampala, Ugandas capital. 17 skulls were found inside metal boxes in an underground chamber on a hillside. Authorities then proceeded to examine the remains to determine the age and sex of the remains, as well as the date on which they may have been buried.

During the search, police also found childrens clothes, hair extensions, household items, as well as remains of bones and animal skins. According to local media, residents reported that people had gathered at the site to pray.

Lujja Bbosa Tabula, the owner of the premises, was on the run even before the skulls were discovered. Since he was implicated in another murder of a prominent traditional chief. He was finally apprehended on August 19 and is now in custody, according to a police spokesman.
ExxonMobil has allocated $90 million for seismic exploration in Egypt, focusing on a 15 km area within its concession north of Marakia in the Western Mediterranean. The company plans to expedite drilling efforts once the drilling team arrives in October 2024.

This strategic decision followed a meeting with Karim Badawi, the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, and ExxonMobil Egypts delegation led by Chairman and Managing Director Amr Abu Aita.

Minister Badawi highlighted the governments dedication to leveraging these developments to boost production and enhance Egypts role as a regional energy hub. He also noted Egypts ongoing collaboration with Cyprus to strengthen the Egyptian-Cypriot agreement.

In response, Abu Aita reaffirmed ExxonMobils commitment to success through well-planned operational strategies and specialized studies tailored to their operational zones.
In Somalia, dozens of shopkeepers demonstrated on Monday August 19 for the second day running in the capital Mogadishus main market against the application of a flat-rate VAT of 5% on electronic means of payment, notably by cell phone.

According to the government, Sundays introduction of the tax is intended to generate revenue to fund infrastructure and security in the country, which has been battling the radical Islamist Shebab insurgency for over 15 years.

Tradesmen are denouncing a new burden on top of the customs duties they pay to import goods and the informal taxes they have to pay to conduct their business.

Were not against the tax, but we need a proper system and to stop the illegal extortion of money from traders before submitting to government instructions, Suleyman Adan, one of the Bakara market traders, told said.

This anger was echoed in parliament, where elected representatives debated the subject on Monday.

Tradesmen are already heavily taxed, imposing more taxes without any guidelines is not fair, said MP Yusuf Gamadid.

The Minister of Finance, Bihi Amin Ige, pleaded incomprehension over this transparent tax, based on a text dating back to 1984.

The protests follow earlier ones last week by tuk-tuk drivers in the capital, who clashed with security forces after a proposed increase in license fees.
Ruslan Obiang Nsue, son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, is being prosecuted for selling a plane that belonged to the government airline, and the prosecution is asking for an 18-year prison sentence. A fine of 500 million CFA francs ($850,000) is also demanded by the judges.

Following the suspected loss of an ATR 72-500 aircraft from Ceiba Intercontinental that had been missing since 2018 while in Spain, the investigation got underway in November 2022. Former airline deputy managing director Nsue acknowledged in court that he hired a Spanish company to handle the deal, but he insisted he only got 125,000 euros ($138,000) out of the 250,000 euros that were promised.

The 49-year-old, who was also a former secretary of state for sports, was charged with embezzlement, abuse of office, and misusing public funds after being taken into custody in January 2023 and put under house arrest. There is no scheduled date for a decision and the trial has been suspended.

The 82-year-old president Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has been governing the tiny West African country for more than 45 years. In 2021, a French court sentenced Vice President Teodorin Nguema Obiang Mangue, his eldest son, to three years of suspended jail time and a fine of thirty million euros for embezzling public funds.
Theres no age for love, and no age for marriage. In Kenya, a couple of nonagenarians recently proved this truth by officially sealing their union after 64 years of love. Ibrahim Mbogo, 95, and Tabitha Wangui, 90, exchanged their vows on Sunday, August 18, in a religious ceremony in the church of Mukurweini, a town some 120 kilometers north of Nairobi.

Already married according to Kikuyu custom for decades, the couple felt the need to make their union official before God. As we are also Christians, we discussed and decided that it would be a good idea to celebrate an official wedding, explained Ibrahim Mbogo to the Kenyan media waiting for them as they left the church.

Dressed in sumptuous black and white suits, the visibly healthy couple shared the secret of their long relationship: mutual respect and the ability to forgive mistakes.

The ceremony, widely covered by the Kenyan media, attracted many guests, including local MP John Kaguchia. He was full of praise for the couple. This union demonstrates the beauty of love: living, loving and staying together forever, he said. He also emphasized that this family unit is what makes a nation prosper, urging people to follow the example of these unusual newlyweds.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: Maksim Goncharenok from Pexels

As COVID-19 settles into a permanent presence in our lives, annual vaccinations are becoming the norm.

Earlier this month, an official from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared COVID-19 "endemic," indicating that the virus is here to stay. As of the Aug. 13 update, COVID-19 cases are on the rise in 25 states, according to the CDC's latest report.

On Aug. 10, the percentage of positive COVID cases in the U.S. reached its highest level since January 2022. However, the number of people dying of COVID in the United States are currently in the low hundreds compared to January and February 2022, when more than 10,000 people were dying of COVID every week

COVID is still the 10th-highest cause of death in the U.S., down from third in March 2020, as the pandemic was starting.

Paul Offit, an internationally recognized pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases, said these low number of deaths despite high percentage of positive cases is the goal with vaccination.

"The goal of this vaccine is to keep people out of the hospital, out of the intensive care unit, and out of the morgue," said Offit, who is director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

"Because antibody responses are relatively short-lived, four to six months, it's possible you're going to get COVID again. Most people you know have probably had COVID more than once, but they're still alive because of vaccines and immunological memory."

This year, the CDC advised vaccine manufacturers to develop vaccines that target the KP.2 strain of COVID-19, a subvariant of JN.1-lineage strains, including KP.3.1.1, KP.3, and KP.2 variants, which are now responsible for most infections in the U.S., according to the CDC.

KP.3.1.1 is now the predominant COVID-19 variant.

When will fall COVID-19 vaccines be available?

Typically updated vaccines are approved and made available by September each year, Offit said.

mRNA vaccines, such as those from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, have a three-month production timeline that necessitates that manufacturers and the CDC meet in June each year to have vaccines produced by the fall. The Novavax vaccine takes longer to produce.

"In theory, both the mRNA and Novavax vaccine should be available shortly," Offit said. "The FDA is likely sitting down this week and next week deciding whether they're going to authorize the use of these vaccines."

Who should get updated COVID-19 vaccines in 2024?

Once the vaccines are approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older receive the updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine, including those who have previously been vaccinated.

Current COVID-19 guidelines

Many of the CDC guidelines people got used to years ago are no longer in place. The CDC now generally recommends staying up-to-date on vaccinations, staying home when sick, and seeking health care if you are at risk for severe illness.

Prevention of COVID-19:

Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines. Practice good hygiene and cleanliness practices. Supplying indoor spaces with cleaner and fresher air.

Treatment of COVID-19:

When you're sick:

Stay home and away from others if you have respiratory symptoms (fever, chills, fatigue, cough, runny nose, and headache, among others). Get tested for COVID-19. Seek health care if you have risk factors for severe illness, like obesity, diabetes, heart and respiratory conditions

When you can go back to normal activities:

Your symptoms are getting better and you have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication) for at least 24 hours. Wear a mask, physically distance yourselves from others, and test for COVID-19 during the first five days when returning from sickness. People can still spread the virus even if they are feeling better.

2024 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Credit: Sora Shimazaki from Pexels

Each year, 100,000 people visit their doctor with abdominal pain, with approximately 30,000 of them diagnosed with gallstones. The standard treatment for these patients is a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Since the 1990s, the number of surgeries has increased exponentially, despite the lack of clear international criteria.

As a result, gallbladder removal is one of the most common surgeries in the Netherlands, yet it is not always effective against pain: about one-third of patients continue to experience abdominal pain after cholecystectomy. The procedure has long been an example of inappropriate care, but this is now changing.

In a 2019 study conducted by Radboud university medical center, patients with abdominal pain due to gallstones were divided into two groups. One group received the standard treatment of cholecystectomy, while the other group received a restrictive selection strategy, with surgery considered only after evaluating various pain symptoms. The number of surgeries in the restrictive strategy group decreased, but one year later, one-third of patients in both groups still had abdominal pain.

Based on this study, researchers recommended caution with cholecystectomy in patients with gallstones and abdominal pain.

Five-year follow-up

The researchers re-evaluated the patients five years later. The results of this study conducted in 24 Dutch hospitals are now published in JAMA Surgery. Daan Comes, physician-researcher and lead author, explained, "We wanted to investigate the long-term effects of a restrictive strategy to this surgery in this group of patients. Therefore, we contacted over a thousand patients by phone. They completed questionnaires, and we reviewed their medical records."

What did they find? The number of patients with pain had not decreased over the years: still, only two-thirds of the patients were pain-free. However, the restrictive strategy approach led to fewer unnecessary cholecystectomies.

"In the restrictive selection group, we did not observe more complications from gallstones or surgery than in the other group. It seems that a restrictive selection strategy is feasible, but only for the right patients," Comes added.

Restrictive Strategy vs Usual Care for Cholecystectomy in Patients With Abdominal Pain and Gallstones. Credit: JAMA Surgery (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamasurg.2024.3080

Better selection criteria

For better insight into identifying the right patient group, Radboudumc developed a decision rule in 2021 based on scientific research and patient data. Surgeon and principal investigator Philip de Reuver stated, "It was found that intense, episodic pain is a strong indication for surgery. Additionally, a previous abdominal surgery or the presence of other symptoms, such as bloating, heartburn, and persistent pain, are reasons to be cautious about surgery."

With this knowledge, doctors and patients can make better-informed decisions. "Patients with recurrent biliary colic certainly benefit from this surgery. However, more than a third of patients with gallstones also have symptoms of dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome. In those cases, this surgery is not helpful. We should really rule out these conditions before proceeding with a cholecystectomy," said de Reuver.

Therefore, De Reuver is starting a follow-up study on the effect of a lifestyle intervention in patients with abdominal pain and gallstones, where the decision rule indicates that surgery would have limited benefits. He expects the lifestyle intervention to improve patients' health, quality of life, and reduce pain.

"In the Netherlands, about 65 patients undergo gallbladder surgery every day. That's a bus full. If we can reduce that number, we save costs and capacity while maintaining the quality of life. That's fantastic," said De Reuver.
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A health worker attends to a mpox patient, at a treatment centre in Munigi, eastern Congo, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. Congo will receive the first vaccine doses to address its mpox outbreak next week from the United States, the country's health minister said Monday, days after the World Health Organization declared mpox outbreaks in Africa a global emergency. Credit: AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa

Congo reported more than 1,000 new mpox cases in the last week up to Tuesday as African health authorities asked for desperately needed vaccines to help fight its "growing" threat on the continent. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreaks in Africa a global emergency.

Mpox belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox but causes milder symptoms like fever, chills and body aches, and mostly spreads through close skin-to-skin contact, including sexual intercourse. People with more serious cases can develop lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals.

While mpox has been reported in 12 of Africa's 54 countries during these outbreaks, the vast central African nation of Congo has recorded by far the most cases this year. Out of a total of 18,910 cases in 2024, 94%or 17,794were in Congo, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, with 535 of the 541 deaths reported.

The figures are likely an underestimate, as only about one in five suspected cases in Congo are being tested for mpox. Africa CDC director-general Dr. Jean Kaseya said many affected African countries had limited testing and surveillance capabilities.

Over the last seven days, Congo recorded 1,030 of the 1,405 new cases in Africa according to statistics provided late Tuesday by the Africa CDC. Only 16% of the cases have been confirmed by virus tests, but the infections meet the agency's definition of the disease.

A young girl suffering from mpox waits for treatment at a clinic in Munigi, eastern Congo, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. Congo will receive the first vaccine doses to address its mpox outbreak next week from the United States, the country's health minister said Monday, days after the World Health Organization declared mpox outbreaks in Africa a global emergency. Credit: AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa

The rising mpox case count in Africa and a new form of the virus identified in Congo that might be more easily transmitted led the WHO to declare it a global health emergency last week. Some hope this will encourage donors to share vaccines and other help to curtail the outbreaks in Africa before cases spread internationally as Sweden recorded a case of the new mpox variant first seen in eastern Congo.

The WHO has previously said its past efforts to raise donations for mpox failed to elicit even a single donor dollar.

Africa CDC's Kaseya said that his organization had received a pledge of 215,000 mpox vaccines from the European Union and the vaccine maker, Bavarian Nordic, which were due to arrive in the next few days. The United States' aid agency said it had donated 50,000 other doses of the same vaccine to Congo. Japan has also donated some doses to Congo.

But Africa likely needs much more. Congo's health minister said his country alone needed 3 million vaccine doses to end the outbreaks there, which have spilled into at least four nearby African countries.

A 2022 global mpox outbreak in more than 70 countries was shut down in the space of months with vaccines and treatments made available in rich nations, but hardly any doses reached Africa. It had been spreading largely unnoticed for years in Nigeria and elsewhere before it sparked international concern. Since then, the virus has continued to steadily sicken people in Congo, with few effective containment efforts.

Vials of single doses of the Jynneos vaccine for monkeypox are seen from a cooler at a vaccinations site on Aug. 29, 2022, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. African health officials said mpox cases have spiked by 160% in the last year, warning the risk of further spread is high given the lack of effective treatments or vaccines on the continent. Credit: AP Photo/Jeenah Moon, File

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa criticized the global response to the 2022 outbreak, calling it unfair as treatments and vaccines were made available to rich Western nations while Africa was given little support. In a statement, he urged the international community to guarantee "equitable access" to mpox diagnostics and vaccines this time.

Ramaphosa's comments evoked memories of Africa's anger at largely being shut out of vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, Africa received doses much later than richer countries and had to pay more in some cases.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control recommended last week that travelers to mpox-affected areas see if they might be eligible to get vaccinated, in a move that could increase pressure to secure mpox shots.

Kaseya said mpox was now "growing and spreading" while countries waited for doses. While Congo was clearly the country causing the most concern, he said it was noticeable that cases in nearby Burundi had more than doubled to 572 in a week.

Kaseya also asked for "solidarity" from the international community in dealing with mpox and specifically urged against any COVID-like travel bans being placed on African countries that would isolate them as the disease is not as easily transmissible.

A health worker attends to a mpox patient, at a treatment centre in Munigi, eastern Congo, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. Congo will receive the first vaccine doses to address its mpox outbreak next week from the United States, the country's health minister said Monday, days after the World Health Organization declared mpox outbreaks in Africa a global emergency. Credit: AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa

"Don't punish Africa," he said. "We need you to provide appropriate support. This vaccine is expensive."

 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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ATP12A upregulation in the small airways of postcoronavirus disease (COVID-19) pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and idiopathic PF (IPF) is associated with increased small airway mucus accumulation. Credit: American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology (2024). DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2023-0419LE

Researchers from Michigan State University and Corewell Health, in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic, have made a significant breakthrough in understanding post-COVID-19 lung complications.

The study, by Xiaopeng Li of MSU, Reda Girgis of Corewell Health and Kun Li of Cleveland Clinic's Florida Research and Innovation Center, was published in the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology and highlights the role of a gene called ATP12A in promoting lung damage and excessive mucus production following COVID-19 infection.

COVID-19 infection activates this gene in the lungs, initiating progressive lung scarring that can eventually require a lung transplant. The collaboration investigated the biology behind climbing lung transplant rates among patients with post-COVID pulmonary fibrosis. Almost 10% of all lung transplants in the United States now go to COVID-19 patients, according to data from the United Network for Organ Sharing, or UNOS.

"Understanding how and why some individuals develop severe lifelong complications is critical to developing more effective post-COVID lung damage treatment," said Xiaopeng Li, associate professor in the MSU College of Human Medicine's Department of Pediatrics and Human Development.

Collaborating with Kun Li, Xiaopeng Li investigated ATP12A expression in lung samples from individuals undergoing lung transplantation. Clinical samples provided by Reda Girgis, medical director of Corewell Health's lung transplant program and a professor at MSU, confirmed elevated ATP12A levels in individuals with post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis, akin to fibrosis unrelated to COVID-19.

"At Cleveland Clinic, we confirmed COVID-19 infection directly caused ATP12A levels to increase and contributed to pulmonary fibrosis," noted Kun Li.

This discovery lays the groundwork for potential therapeutic interventions, aiming to benefit all pulmonary fibrosis patients, irrespective of their condition's origin. The next step for the researchers is to unravel how infection elevates ATP12A levels and its contribution to pulmonary fibrosis, paving the way for improved treatments in the future.

More information: Mohamed Abdelgied et al, Increased Expression of ATP12A in Small Airway Epithelia of PostCOVID-19 Pulmonary Fibrosis, American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology (2024). DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2023-0419LE Journal information: American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology
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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Neuroticism may moderate the relationship between certain personality traits and self-control, and the interaction effects appear to differ by the type of self-control, according to a study published August 21, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Fredrik Nilsen from the University of Oslo and the Norwegian Defense University, Norway, and colleagues.

Self-control is important for mental and physical health, and certain personality traits are linked to the trait. Previous studies suggest that conscientiousness and extraversion enhance self-control, whereas neuroticism hampers it.

However, the link between personality and self-control has mostly been studied using a narrow conceptualization of self-control, and no previous studies examined whether and how personality traits interact with one another to increase, or reduce, self-control.

To fill this knowledge gap, Nilsen and colleagues collected data from 480 military cadets to examine the relationship between the Big Five personality traits (openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) and self-control dimensions (general, inhibitory, and initiatory self-control).

Inhibitory self-control reflects the ability to resist temptation, whereas initiatory self-control is the ability to initiate proactive actions to achieve long-term goals. The authors also investigated how neuroticism might moderate the relationship between other personality traits and self-control.

Participants scoring highly for neuroticism tended to score lower for general and inhibitory self-control, after controlling for the effect of other variablesa negative correlation.

A positive correlation was seen for extraversion and conscientiousness, with participants scoring highly on these traits being more likely to also score highly on self-control dimensions. Openness and agreeableness traits did not consistently link with self-control after controlling for other variables.

The researchers found that neuroticism negatively moderated the relationship between extraversion and both general and inhibitory self-control, and the relationship between conscientiousness and both general and initiatory self-control, such that extroverted or conscientious participants scored less highly than otherwise expected for these types of self-control if they were also highly neurotic.

According to the authors, one take-home message from the study is that it is important to differentiate between the types of self-control when studying their relationship with personality traitsin particular, we should distinguish between inhibitory self-control and initiatory self-control.

The study may have practical implications, since self-control can be a valuable resource for good health, success, and proper conduct.

For example, knowledge about strengths and weaknesses of personality profiles and their accompanying self-control qualities might help select individuals for professions that require high self-control. In clinical and personal growth settings, the development and training of self-control may benefit from an increased understanding of the relationship between personality profiles and self-control patterns.

The authors add, "Our research reveals a more complicated relationship between personality traits and self-control than is previously found. First, there are two different types of self-controlthe ability to inhibit impulses, and the ability to initiate proactive actionsand personality traits are differently related to these two ways of exhibiting self-control.

"Second, the level of neuroticism can significantly alter the relationship between personality traits like conscientiousness and extraversion, and self-control. Understanding the nuanced interplay between personality and self-control can help to find more effective ways to select individuals for roles that demand high levels of self-control, and to design interventions for developing self-control."
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The glycolytic enzyme PGK1 is distributed throughout neurons. This image of an isolated hippocampal neuron from a rat shows that PGK1 is found out at nerve terminals (small varicosities) where it helps power synapses. Credit: Ryan lab

An enzyme called PGK1 has an unexpectedly critical role in the production of chemical energy in brain cells, according to a preclinical study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. The investigators found that boosting its activity may help the brain resist the energy deficits that can lead to Parkinson's disease.

The study, published Aug. 21 in Science Advances, presented evidence that PGK1 is a "rate-limiting" enzyme in energy production in the output-signaling branches, or axons, of the dopamine neurons that are affected in Parkinson's disease.

This means that even a modest boost to PGK1 activity can have an outsized effect on restoring the neuronal energy supply in low-fuel conditionsand the researchers showed that this could prevent the axon dysfunction and degeneration normally seen in an animal model of Parkinson's disease.

"Our findings show that PGK1 can really make a big difference in Parkinson's disease, in ways we didn't anticipate," said study senior author Dr. Timothy Ryan, the Tri-Institutional Professor of Biochemistry at Weill Cornell Medicine. "I'm very optimistic that this line of research has the potential to generate new Parkinson's treatments."

The study's first author was Dr. Alexandros Kokotos, a postdoctoral researcher in the Ryan Laboratory.

Parkinson's afflicts about one million Americans and is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's. The disease hits key populations of dopamine-producing neurons, initially weakening their synapses, or connection points to other neurons, and ultimately killing them. The resulting signs and symptoms of the disease include movement impairments, sleep problems and eventually dementia. Current treatments address symptoms but do not stop the disease course.

For decades, studies of various kinds have pointed to a failure of neuronal energy supply as a factor in Parkinson'sa disease that affects neurons with very high energy requirements. Even so, researchers have lacked a good energy-related target for disease treatments.

The new focus on PGK1 originated from recent studies showing that the Food and Drug Administration-approved drug terazosin, which is used to treat prostate enlargement, also happens to enhance PGK1's energy-production activity and has beneficial effects in multiple animal models of Parkinson's.

In these studies, however, terazosin's ability to boost PGK1 activity was quite weak, leaving uncertainty over its mechanism of action. Further evidence of the drug's proposed role in boosting neural protection came from a retrospective study in humans showing that terazosin significantly reduced the risk of developing Parkinson's.

"Pharma companies have been skeptical that this weak enhancement of PGK1 can explain these benefits in Parkinson's models," said Dr. Ryan, who is also a professor of biochemistry in anesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medicine.

In the new study, Dr. Ryan's team helped resolve this issue with sensitive assays that elucidated PGK1's role as an energy producer in neurons. This role, the researchers showed, is so important that even a small boost to PGK1 activity, such as terazosin provides, is enough to keep axons functioning when levels of glucose, which PGK1 helps convert to basic units of chemical energy, are low. The experiments included low-glucose situations caused by known Parkinson's-linked gene mutations.

The team also made a surprising discovery concerning a protein called DJ-1, whose impairment through mutation is another known genetic cause of Parkinson's. DJ-1 is a "chaperone" that is thought to protect neurons by preventing harmful protein aggregation. However, the team found that DJ-1 works in an unexpected energy-supplying role as a close partner of PGK1and indeed is necessary for the benefits of PGK1 enhancement.

To Dr. Ryan, the results add weight to the theory that an energy supply deficit in the most vulnerable dopamine neuronsdue to aging, genetic and environmental factorsis a general early driver of Parkinson's, and that moderately enhancing the activity of just one enzyme, PGK1, may be enough to reverse this deficit and block the disease process.

"Now I can say I'm confident that this enzyme is what should be targeted," Dr. Ryan said. "Given the positive impact of terazosin in protecting against Parkinson's in humans, and the fact that this drug was never optimized for PGK1 enhancement, it is exciting to consider the possible clinical impact of new drugs that, compared with terazosin, can enhance PGK1 activity more potently and selectively."

More information: Alexandros Kokotos et al, Phosphoglycerate kinase is a central leverage point in Parkinson's Disease driven neuronal metabolic deficits, Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn6016. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adn6016 Journal information: Science Advances
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Ronnie Gardiner method practiced by a group in the Netherlands comprising people suffering from MS, stroke or Parkinson's disease. Credit: Tore Marklund

Music-based movement therapy, known as the Ronnie Gardiner method, has the potential to contribute to rehabilitation after a stroke and in other brain disorders. These are the results of a scoping review from the University of Gothenburg.

The Ronnie Gardiner method was developed by and named after the popular Swedish-American jazz drummer Ronald "Ronnie" Gardiner, born in 1932. The method is used in rehabilitation in Sweden and internationally, but there has not been a comprehensive scientific overview of any functional improvements when the method is applied, and how instructors and participants perceive it.

The current review, published in the journal Disability and Rehabilitation, compiles the purposes for which the Ronnie Gardiner method is used within health care. The study also explores the potential benefits of the method.

"There is no doubt that in practice the method brings joy to participants in an often challenging life situation with long-term rehabilitation needs," says Petra Pohl, physiotherapist and assistant professor at Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, and responsible for the study.

Complement to regular rehab

Pohl has been studying the method for more than 15 years and has previously evaluated it for people with Parkinson's disease and stroke. The previous studies showed that the method is appreciated exactly for its playfulness and pleasant setting with uplifting music, and social context in a group.

"This is a fun and engaging approach, and something out of the ordinary. It challenges both cognition and motor skills at the same time," says Pohl.

The method is based on rhythm and movements, such as hand clapping and foot stomping, based on a two-color note system where the left half of the body follows red notes and the right half blue notes while the mouth is forming rhythmic sounds. Many things are put to the test at the same time: motor skills, sense of rhythm, dual-task, coordination, memory, endurance and more.

What emerges from the current review study, which aims to provide an overview of the results of previous publications within the field, both quantitative and qualitative studies, is that the Ronnie Gardiner method could serve as a valuable addition to traditional neurological rehabilitation.

Method on the rise

The potential benefits of stroke rehabilitation are the best documented, while the results from other conditions are more inconclusive. Of the 23 studies included in the review, the majority were not peer-reviewed, and are therefore not given the same weight.

From the qualitative studies included, it appears that the Ronnie Gardiner method is perceived as challenging, motivating and enjoyable by participants, and many experienced improved recovery and quality of life.

"The method has reached an international arena, and many things suggest that it will be used more in rehabilitation contexts in the future. It is therefore important that it is studied, especially in controlled trials, for better validation," says Pohl.

More information: Laura Harjunen et al, Scoping review of the music-based movement therapy Ronnie Gardiner Method, Disability and Rehabilitation (2024). DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2024.2392037
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Credit: Pavel Danilyuk from Pexels

Suicide rates among doctors have declined over time, but are still significantly higher for female doctors compared with the general population, finds an analysis of evidence from 20 countries published by The BMJ today.

The researchers acknowledge that physician suicide risk varies across different countries and regions, but say the results highlight the ongoing need for continued research and prevention efforts, particularly among female physicians.

According to some estimates, one doctor dies by suicide every day in the US, and around one every 10 days in the UK, but evidence on suicide rates for physicians is inconsistent across countries.

To address this, researchers analyzed the results of observational studies published between 1960 and 31 March 2024 that compared suicide rates among physicians with the general population.

A total of 39 studies from 20 countries (mainly Europe, the U.S., and Australasia) were included. Together, they reported 3,303 male and 587 female suicides over two observation periods (19352020 and 19602020).

Across all studies, the researchers found no overall increase in suicide risk for male doctors compared with the general population. For female doctors, however, suicide risk was significantly higher (76%) than the general population.

Analysis of the 10 most recent studies versus older studies showed a decline in suicide rates for both male and female physicians over time, although the rate for female physicians remained significantly elevated (24% higher) compared with the general population.

The exact causes of this decline are unknown, but more mental health awareness and workplace support for physicians in recent years might have played a role, say the authors.

The high level of variation (heterogeneity) between studies also suggests that physician suicide risk is not consistent across different populations, they add. This is likely to be due to training and work environments across health care systems and varying attitudes and stigma regarding mental health and suicide.

Additional analysis showed a significant (81%) higher suicide rate among male physicians compared with other professional groups of similar social and economic status. Results appeared similar for female physicians, but the number of eligible studies was too low to draw any firm conclusions.

The researchers acknowledge several limitations, including scarcity of studies from outside Europe, the US, and Australasia and likely underreporting of suicide as a cause of death because of stigma. Nevertheless, their analysis was based on a complete assessment of the available evidence and explored a range of factors as potential causes for the variation.

As such, the researchers call for continued efforts in research and prevention of physician deaths by suicide, particularly among female physicians, and say future research is also needed to assess any COVID-19-related effects on suicide rates among physicians around the world.

In a linked editorial, Dr. Clare Gerada and colleagues explain that while doctors share risk factors with their non-medical peers, they face additional risks such as burnout and barriers to accessing timely help for poor mental health.

Selection for the medical profession also favors personality traits such as perfectionism, obsessiveness, and competitiveness, which in highly stressful work environments can result in a triad of guilt, low self-esteem, and a persistent sense of failure. Doctors also have access to potentially dangerous drugs.

Some studies have also reported links between mental illness and suicide and being the subject of a complaint or regulatory processes.

They argue that measures to reduce mental distress and suicide risk among doctors, particularly women, mean addressing longstanding systemic issues that create distress, such as tackling poor work and regulatory cultures, allowing doctors a sensible worklife balance, and paying attention to the basic emotional and psychological needs of all staff.

Finally, they say all doctors must have access to early intervention and confidential treatment services so that they do not suffer in silence.

More information: Suicide rates among physicians compared with the general population in studies from 20 countries: gender stratified systematic review and meta-analysis, The BMJ (2024). DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-078964 Journal information: British Medical Journal (BMJ)
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Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, head of Thailand's Department of Disease Control, speaks during a press conference following the suspected first case of the new more dangerous strain of mpox in Bangkok.

Thailand on Thursday confirmed Asia's first known case of a new, deadlier strain of mpox in a patient who had travelled to the kingdom from Africa.

The patient landed in Bangkok on August 14 and was sent to hospital with mpox symptoms.

The Department of Disease Control said laboratory tests on the 66-year-old European confirmed he was infected with mpox Clade 1b.

"Thailand's Department of Disease Control wishes to confirm the lab test result which shows mpox Clade 1b in a European patient," the department said in a statement, adding that the World Health Organization (WHO) would be informed of the development.

"We have monitored 43 people who have been in close contact with the patient and so far they have shown no symptoms, but we must continue monitoring for a total of 21 days."

Anyone travelling to Thailand from 42 "risk countries" must register and undergo testing on arrival, the department said.

Mpox cases and deaths are surging in Africa, where outbreaks have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda since July.

The World Health Organization has declared a global public health emergency over the new variant of mpox, urging manufacturers to ramp up production of vaccines.

The diseasecaused by a virus transmitted by infected animals but passed from human to human through close physical contactcauses fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions.

While mpox has been known for decades, a new deadlier and more transmissible strainknown as Clade 1bhas driven the recent surge in cases.

Clade 1b causes death in about 3.6 percent of cases, with children more at risk, according to the WHO.

Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, head of the Thai Department of Disease Control, said that mpox was much less likely to spread rapidly than COVID-19 because of the close contact needed to catch it.

 2024 AFP
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Should you get an mpox vaccine? The World Health Organization this month declared a global health emergency for mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, as scientists monitor a more contagious form of the virus that is spreading across Africa, with at least one reported case in Sweden.

While mpox cases have been reported in Florida and other parts of the country, none of the confirmed cases are linked to the type of mpoxclade Ithat's endemic in Central Africa and has officials on alert, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The U.S. cases stem from clade II, a type of mpox that tends to cause less severe infections, and the country's risk for clade I infections is low, according to the CDC.

Public health experts are still recommending people considered to be most at risk for severe infection, such as those with conditions that make them immunocompromised, speak with their doctor about possible precautions.

And unlike COVID-19, when the world had to wait for a vaccine to be made, a vaccine for mpox, called Jynneos, already exists and has predominantly been used in the country since a 2022 outbreak, according to the CDC.

Another vaccine, ACAM2000, is an older vaccine that was designed to prevent smallpox but can also be used to prevent mpox, which is in the same virus family. But this vaccine tends to cause more side effects and has not been used for the mpox outbreak that began in 2022, according to the CDC.

So, who can get Jynneos? Here's what to know:

Who should get the mpox vaccine?

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a rare disease similar to smallpox, although usually milder and less fatal. It can spread through intimate contact, such as kissing and sex, by direct contact with rash and body fluids, or by touching contaminated objects, such as clothing and bedding.

This is the second time in two years that the World Health Organization has declared a global public health emergency for mpox.

While anyone can get mpox, public health experts are recommending people who were exposed to someone with the virus or are at high risk of exposure to get vaccinated. The CDC's most recent vaccination recommendations, which were updated in April 2024, states that you should consider vaccination if:

Exposed or potentially exposed to someone with mpox

Have more than one sex partner

Had a sex partner in the past two weeks who was diagnosed with mpox

Your job may expose you to the disease, such as certain health care and laboratory workers

In the past six months you had sex at "commercial sex venue" such as a sex club or bathhouse or had sex during a large event or in an area where mpox transmission was known to be occurring.

You are gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, gender-diverse or are a man who has sex with men and in the past six months had more then one sex partner or had a new diagnosis of one or more sexually transmitted infections.

The CDC also recommends getting vaccinated if you expect to experience any of the above scenarios or have a sex partner with any of the above risks. While anyone can get mpox, some people are more at risk then others for severe illness, including people diagnosed with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, or other medical conditions that severely weakens their immune system. Speak with your doctor about your risk level and whether you should get vaccinated.

Is the mpox vaccine covered by insurance?

The Jynneos vaccine is covered under Medicare and Medicaid and may be covered by some health insurance plans, according to the CDC. Health departments, community health centers and other health providers may offer free shots to eligible patients.

How to find an mpox vaccine site near you

The CDC has an online portal you can use to find an mpox vaccine site near you by ZIP Code and whether appointments are needed. To search for a vaccine sit near you, visit mpoxvaccine.cdc.gov

What is the Jynneos vaccine?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Jynneos vaccine in 2019 to help prevent mpox and smallpox in people 18 and older who are considered to be at high risk for infection.

The shots can also be given to kids under 18 that are considered to be high risk for mpox exposure under an emergency use authorization the FDA granted in August 2022. Some health departments may have stricter or more specific eligibility guidelines on who can get the vaccine.

Jynneos requires two shots, given four weeks apart. People are considered fully vaccinated about two weeks after their second shot.

Jynneos is made with a non-replicating live virus, which makes it a better option for people with weaker immune systems, who are pregnant or have other health conditions, according to the CDC. It's also safe for people with HIV and atopic dermatitis, CDC said.

How effective is the mpox vaccine? What are the common side effects?

"Recent studies of the 2022 US mpox outbreak have estimated that the effectiveness of the Jynneos vaccine in preventing mpox disease was 35% to 75% after one dose and 66% to 85% after two doses," according to a 2023 patient page by JAMA.

"Therefore, although one dose provides some protection against mpox, two doses of vaccine are recommended. In addition, if mpox infection develops after vaccination, the symptoms may be less severe than without vaccination."

Common side effects include redness or irritation in the injection site, fatigue, headache and body aches, according to JAMA.

"Patients with a history of severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) to gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, and chicken or egg should discuss with their clinician whether they can safely receive the vaccine," the website states. "Individuals who have a severe allergic reaction to the first dose should not get another dose of Jynneous vaccine."

If you have questions about the vaccine, including eligibility, speak with your doctor. And remember, if you do get vaccinated, there are still preventive steps you should take to reduce your risk of falling ill with mpox.

2024 Miami Herald. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Missoula's County Commissioners agreed to nix a $1.7 million tax levy to increase the county's infrastructure budget Tuesday, deciding to wait for potential property tax changes from the state Legislature next spring.

Commissioner Josh Slotnick said the Legislature could significantly change the local government tax system, with the hopes of freeing up more money for infrastructure that doesn't burden home and business owners.

"What I would like to recommend is that we give the Legislature a chance to do what they say they are going to do, which is real property tax reform," Slotnick said. "And if they don't, then we revisit this. The need still absolutely exists, and if they don't fix things in the property tax world that make space for us to tend to our roads and bridges, then we will have to use this as the final option."

The commissioners placed the levy on the November ballot on Aug. 8, telling the public that more money was needed to supplement the county's road and bridge fund.

The levy would have cost $6.75 per $100,000 of home value, which would first hit tax bills in fall 2025 (technically fiscal year 2026).

Several bridges that the county maintains need to be fixed or replaced, including the Boy Scout Bridge in Seeley Lake and the Lolo Street Bridge in the upper Rattlesnake neighborhood.

County officials previously said its Public Works Department has a $600,000 budget for capital improvements, but needs roughly $4 million to sustain all the infrastructure maintenance.

By pulling the levy, Slotnick said the county can wait to see if the Legislature changes the tax system to either fund more infrastructure statewide, or limit the share of taxes that homeowners and businesses have to pay.

Slotnick railed on "centrally assessed" businesses, which are larger companies like NorthWestern Energy that pay taxes based on a holistic value of the company, rather than for each parcel of land or equipment they own.

"What I would like to see is (a shift) away from homeowners and renters and onto the other property tax classes, which will make a real difference in what you pay," Slotnick said.

Last week, Gov. Greg Gianforte's property tax task force unveiled several recommendations to curb increases for homeowners. One proposal would create a "homestead exemption" for someone's primary home or for long-term rentals.

The commissioners said they can still consider the tax increase vote sometime in 2025, after the Legislature has finished its session.

The commissioners agreed to remove the levy, but must also formally vote to remove the levy at its next public meeting.

The county proposed keeping taxes for fiscal year 2025 under 3.4%, and will finalize its budget on Sept. 5.
The Burke County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday night to bring the health department and the department of social services under its control.

The commissioners voted 4-1 to make the move after a stream of people pleaded for the board to give the decision more consideration. It was Commissioner Johnnie Carswell who voted against the measure after a standing-room-only crowd packed the commissioners meeting room in Morganton to make a case for delaying or against the decision.

Under the new structure, the board of directors of both departments will become advisory boards to the county commissioners. The two departments were independent and had administrative boards of directors that oversaw the director and helped direct policy and compile a budget.

In addition to asking for more time, those who spoke emphasized the importance of maintaining independent boards, particularly the board of health, to ensure evidence-based, nonpartisan health policies.

Isaac Crouch, who was chairman of the health department board, said after the meeting that both boards passed resolutions asking for more time. Both department directors, Danny Scalise with the health department and Korey Fisher-Wellman with social services, asked the board to delay the decision as well, Crouch said.

Not a single person has advocated in favor of this publicly. Except the county manager, Crouch said. Yet, the commissioners took all this into account and spent two minutes to say, Thanks but no thanks, and voted it through anyway. We still dont know why because not one commissioner felt the need to respond before casting their vote.

Before the vote, Burke County Manager Brian Epley made a presentation to commissioners on the proposal to change the oversight of the two departments. He said he met with Scalise and Fisher-Wellman in June to discuss various operational updates, including the oversight change.

Epley said the county should be in a state of continuous improvement, challenging traditional performance and asking if there are ways to increase efficiency and effectiveness. Part of that, he said, is what the commissioners have asked him to evaluate, which is organizational restructuring.

The health department and social services make up 30% of the countys workforce and around 30% to 35% of its budget, Epley said. The county is legally responsible for both departments, he said.

He told commissioners about structure options for the two departments that state leaders created in 2012. The one county commissioners approved Tuesday means the county manager would have day-to-day management of the directors and departments, but only the commissioners can hire or fire the directors. Both directors will maintain their full authority and responsibility, and there will be no impact on employees, Epley said.

The boards of both departments will become advisory boards to the board of commissioners, the same way the planning board and other boards advise commissioners, he said.

Some who spoke against the change asked commissioners: If its not broken, why fix it?

Crouch asked commissioners why the two boards were not consulted if there were problems within the two departments. He said the board of health has shown that it is very interested in collaboration and communication.

Dr. Anthony Frank, who is the vice chairman of the board of health, also questioned what problems the commissioners were trying to solve through the change. He said the department has been free from political influence of medical and health decisions. He said making the change would cause commissioners to balance the communitys health decisions with the influence of their reelection.

Pastor Paul Carlson with Calvary Lutheran Church in Morganton said partisan politics has no business in public health, and it needs to stay free of political oversight. He said he doesnt want a political party making decisions about his health, his familys health or his communitys health.

We should all be able to see how quickly that can go wrong, Carlson said. Ive heard politicians say some really weird things. We need our board of health to stay outside of politics.

Dr. Jonathan Brisson told commissioners that as a physician, his primary responsibility is to the health and well-being of his patients by providing evidence-based care that is rooted in science. The same should guide public-health decisions, Brisson said.

An independent board of health is essential for making informed, unbiased decisions that prioritize the health and safety of our community, Brisson said.

Commissioner Carswell, who voted against the change, addressed the board after the vote.

This didnt have to come to where it is today, Carswell said.

He said it bothers him that people condemn the board of commissioners and that the decision is not political. He said he has tried to do whats right for the people in the county.

Crouch said after the meeting that he questions the commissioners leadership, saying the commissioners have work to do to regain the trust that was lost with the decision.
LONDON  A superyacht that sank Monday off the Sicilian coast during a storm left at least six people dead and one passenger missing. Among that list is British tech kingpin Mike Lynch and some of his inner circle, who were gathered to celebrate his victory in a long-running legal trial.

Lynch was acquitted in June in a U.S. fraud case and was apparently aboard the Bayesian with some of the people who stood by him throughout the ordeal. Another member of Lynch's legal team who wasn't aboard, Reid Weingarten, said the outing was intended in part as a celebration of the acquittal.

Here's a look at the people who are dead or missing, as well as details on the recent death of an associate of Lynch who was not on the yacht.

Mike Lynch

Software entrepreneur Mike Lynch, along with his daughter, Hannah, are among those that police divers are searching for after the yacht was struck by a waterspout off of Porticello, near Palermo.

A spokesperson for Lynch said there were no updates Tuesday.

Lynch had been trying to move past a Silicon Valley debacle that had tarnished his legacy as an icon of British ingenuity.

A Cambridge-educated mathematician, Lynch made his mark with Autonomy, which made a search engine that could pore through emails and other internal business documents to help companies find vital information more quickly. Autonomy's steady growth in its first decade resulted in Lynch being dubbed Britain's Bill Gates and earning him one of the U.K's highest honors, the Office of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2006.

Lynch, 59, sold Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion in 2011. But the deal quickly turned sour after he was accused of cooking the books to make the sale.

The fraud allegations resulting in Lynch being fired by HP's then-CEO Meg Whitman and a decade-long legal battle. It culminated with him being extradited from the U.K. to face criminal charges of masterminding a multibillion-dollar fraud.

Lynch steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, asserting that he was being made a scapegoat for HP's own bungling  a position he maintained while testifying before a jury during a 2 1/2 month trial in San Francisco earlier this year. U.S. Justice Department prosecutors called more than 30 witnesses in an attempt to prove their allegations against Lynch.

Lynch was vindicated at trial in June after being cleared of all charges. Lynch pledged to return to the U.K. and explore new ways to innovate.

Although he avoided a possible prison sentence, Lynch still faced a potentially huge bill stemming from a civil cased in London that HP mostly won in 2022. Damages haven't been determined in that case, but HP is seeking $4 billion. Lynch made more than $800 million from the Autonomy sale.

Lynch later went on to set up technology investment firm Invoke Capital.

Christopher Morvillo

One of Lynch's U.S. lawyers, Christopher Morvillo of the firm Clifford Chance, and his wife Neda were also on the yacht and are among those unaccounted for.

Morvillo is regarded as an elite defense attorney specializing in fraud and corruption cases. He was previously a federal prosecutor in New York who worked on the criminal investigation of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. His father, Robert Morvillo, was also a lawyer who represented high-profile clients, including Martha Stewart.

In a LinkedIn post soon after Lynch's acquittal, Morvillo paid tribute to the team of lawyers who worked on the case and also his wife and two daughters.

"None of this would have been possible without your love and support. I am so glad to be home," he wrote. The post ended with the words: "And they all lived happily ever after."

In a legal podcast released last week, Morvillo recounted his involvement with Lynch's case, starting from when his firm was hired in November 2012.

He flew to London to meet Lynch on Thanksgiving weekend that year and assumed he would be gone for a week, Morvillo told the For the Defense podcast. Instead, Morvillo said he "spent a significant portion of the rest of my life bouncing back and forth between London and New York."

The case has "covered one third of my career," he said. "It has been a constant presence in my life for the last 12 years."

Clifford Chance said it was "in shock and deeply saddened by this tragic incident" and that its thoughts are with Morvillo and his wife. "Our utmost priority is providing support to the family," the firm said.

Jonathan Bloomer

The chairman of Morgan Stanley's London-based investment banking subsidiary, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife, Judy, were also among the yacht's missing.

Bloomer is non-executive chairman of both Morgan Stanley International, which covers markets outside the U.S., and the Hiscox Group, an insurer that does business on the Lloyd's of London insurance marketplace.

Lynch appointed Bloomer to Autonomy's board of directors in 2010, where he served as chairman of the audit committee at the time of the HP deal. Bloomer testified for the defense at Lynch's trial.

Both Morgan Stanley and Hiscox said they were "deeply shocked and saddened" by the tragedy.

"Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular the Bloomer family, as we all wait for further news from this terrible situation," the bank said.

Aki Hussain, the group chief executive of Hiscox, said "our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular our chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among the missing, and with their family as they await further news from this terrible situation."

Stephen Chamberlain

In a strange coincidence, another former Autonomy executive who was acquitted alongside Lynch of the fraud charges died days before the sinking of the Bayesian.

Stephen Chamberlain "was fatally struck by a car on Saturday while out running," his lawyer Gary Lincenberg said in a statement.

Chamberlain, formerly a vice-president of finance at the company, was accused of artificially inflating Autonomy's revenues and making false and misleading statements to auditors, analysts and regulators.

He stood trial with Lynch, and was also found not guilty.

"He was a courageous man with unparalleled integrity. We deeply miss him," Lincenberg said. "Steve fought successfully to clear his good name at trial earlier this year, and his good name now lives on through his wonderful family."

Chamberlain "was a much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend," his family said in statement released through Cambridgeshire Police. "He was an amazing individual whose only goal in life was to help others in any way possible."

Police said the driver, a 49-year-old woman, remained at the scene in the village of Stretham, England, and was assisting with the investigation.

Recaldo Thomas

The chef with Antiguan roots was the first confirmed death from the accident. Cooking for Lynch was supposed to be one of his last jobs before retiring, his cousin, David Isaac, told The Associated Press.

Thomas was born in Canada but he would visit his parents' homeland of Antigua as a child, moving permanently to the tiny eastern Caribbean island in his early 20s.

"He was a free spirit," Isaac recalled. "Nothing rattled him. I've never seen him upset."

Upon moving to Antigua, Thomas, best known as "Rick," started working as a bartender in Jolly Harbor so he could be close to the sea, his second love after cooking, Isaac said.

Thomas also picked up jobs on small boats and eventually went to culinary school and started working on bigger ships.

Isaac recalled how Thomas would be gone for several months at a time and then unexpectedly show up in Antigua between jobs.

"This particular incident was hard," Isaac said. "He was just ready to tie up the end of his journey in his career."

Isaac recalled Thomas' "big, infectious" laugh and said he found some solace in that "Rick did exactly what he was meant to do and what he loved doing."

___

AP writers Eric Tucker in Washington and Anika Kentish in St. John's, Antigua, contributed to this report.

___
Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has announced a crackdown on rogue employment agencies.

In a statement on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, CS Mutua revealed that the operation will target agencies mistreating workers, especially those seeking jobs abroad. He stressed that the crackdown will also expose agencies violating contract agreements.

We will weed out rogue agencies that are mistreating our workers and going against the agreements, Mutua declared.

CS Mutua made this announcement after meeting with Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli. He stated that he would convene an urgent meeting on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, to address these issues.

During their discussion, Mutua informed Atwoli about 452,000 job opportunities available in various countries and assured that the government is committed to helping Kenyans take advantage of these opportunities.

The minimum wage increment was another crucial topic. CS Mutua assured Atwoli that the government remains dedicated to implementing the planned wage increase. Although the country has yet to implement a six percent wage rise, which has impacted several economic sectors, Mutua reassured workers that they will receive their increased pay.

I am seized of the matter, and progress is good. The gazettement should happen soon, the CS added.
A former employee of the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), has received a severe penalty for forging academic certificates and providing false information to secure his job.

The Anti-Corruption Court in Nairobi has fined Zinje Juma Mwadama Kes. 5 million or sentenced him to eight years in prison for his fraudulent activities.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) announced the courts decision on Tuesday, August 20, 2024. The court convicted Mwadama of fraudulent acquisition of academic certificates and falsifying information to a public entity.

The ODPPs statement highlighted, The Anti-Corruption Court has fined former KEPHIS employee Zinje Juma Mwadama Ksh 5 million or imposed an 8-year imprisonment term in default for his fraudulent acquisition of academic certificates and providing false information to a public entity.

In addition to the primary fine, Mwadama must pay a Kes. 100,000 fine or face 12 months in prison. He also faces a mandatory fine of Kes. 4.7 million, which matches the total salary he earned while employed at KEPHIS. If he fails to pay this amount, he will serve an additional five years in prison.

Mwadamas fraudulent activities occurred between June 26, 2013, and April 24, 2021, during his tenure as an Assistant Inspector II at KEPHIS. Prosecuting Counsel Susan Keli demonstrated that Mwadama fraudulently acquired Kes. 4.7 million in salary payments during this period.

Chief Magistrate Thomas Nzyoki imposed an additional fine of Kes. 200,000 or two years in prison for two counts of providing false information to a public entity. This sentence aligns with Section 46(1)(d) and Section 46(2) of the Leadership and Integrity Act, 2012, Laws of Kenya.

On February 8, 2013, Mwadama falsely claimed to hold a Diploma in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development from Baraka Agricultural College and a Certificate in Agriculture with Distinction from Kilifi Institute of Agriculture on his employment application. These qualifications were later proven to be fraudulent.

Magistrate Nzyoki ruled that all sentences would run consecutively from the date of judgment, July 30, 2024.
The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has announced 131 job openings, inviting qualified Kenyans to apply for various positions across its head office and branches nationwide. The fund is seeking to recruit motivated and suitably qualified individuals for roles in different departments, offering opportunities to contribute to the organizations mission.

Among the advertised positions are ICT Officer II roles, Compliance Officer II positions, Fingerprints Officer II roles, and a Human Resource Officer II position. These roles are critical in supporting the funds operations and ensuring that it continues to meet its objectives effectively.

NSSF plans to hire three ICT Officers for its head office. Applicants must possess a bachelors degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field from a recognized institution. In addition to their academic qualifications, candidates should be proficient in computer applications, which are essential for the role.

The fund has also opened 41 positions for Compliance Officers. To qualify, candidates must hold a bachelors degree in Social Sciences, Business Administration, Law, Public Relations, Marketing, or a related field from a recognized institution. These roles will play a crucial part in ensuring that the fund adheres to regulatory standards and maintains its integrity.

For those with a background in forensic science, NSSF is offering 14 Fingerprint Officer II positions. Applicants must have a bachelors degree in Forensic Science or a related field from a recognized institution. These roles are vital for the funds security and identification processes.

The fund is also looking to fill two positions for Assistant Records Management Officers III, one position for a Human Resource Manager, and one for a Security Officer. The Security Officer role requires a bachelors degree in Criminology or a security-related field.

Meanwhile, there are 35 Office Administrator II positions available, providing administrative support across the organization.

In addition to these roles, NSSF is recruiting 23 Drivers to serve at both its head office and field offices. To be considered, candidates must have a minimum KCSE grade of D (Plain) or its equivalent, a valid driving license, and at least two years of driving experience.

They must also have completed a first aid certificate course, possess a valid certificate of good conduct, and have passed a practical driving test conducted by the ministry responsible for transport.

Individuals with a KCSE grade of D- are encouraged to apply for the 11 vacant Office Assistant positions.

Interested candidates can find more details about these vacancies and the application procedures on the NSSF website. Applications must be submitted by Monday, September 9, 2024, no later than 5:00 p.m. (EAT). Candidates are required to submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, certified copies of certificates and testimonials, and a certified copy of their National ID Card.

Applications can be sent by post or delivered by hand in an envelope clearly marked with the position applied for. Hand-delivered applications should be submitted to the Mail Registry, Ground Floor, Block A  Western Wing, Social Security House, Bishops Road.

If applying for multiple positions, candidates must submit separate applications for each role, with each envelope clearly indicating the specific position. All application letters should be addressed to:

The Managing Trustee/CEO

National Social Security Fund (NSSF)

P.O. Box 30599  00100

NAIROBI.
Napa Valley visitors are getting younger, more diverse, spending more  and increasing in number.

So reported Visit Napa Valley, the countys official destination management and marketing organization.

The results, released Wednesday morning, come from the groups 2023 Visitor Profile and Economic Impact Study.

From 2018 to 2023, the number of Black visitors to the valley tripled, Latino and LGBTQ visitors doubled, and the average visitor age decreased by six years.

Domestic travelers increased by 180,000 people and direct spending grew by $300 million, reported Visit Napa Valley.

In total, visitors in 2023 brought $2.5 billion into the local economy.

The report finds that visitor spending and related tax revenues have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, highlighting the Napa Valley's positive trajectory in tourism recovery following the devastating global COVID-19 pandemic and California wildfires, Visit Napa Valley said in a statement.

Key findings in the report include:

 3.7 million people visited Napa Valley in 2023.

 The number of domestic travelers increased by 180,000 since 2018.

 The average visitor age in Napa Valley decreased from 46 in 2018 to 40 in 2023.

 The share of Black visitors has tripled, increasing from 4% in 2018 to 11% in 2023.

 The share of Latino/Hispanic visitors has almost doubled, increasing from 10% in 2018 to 17% in 2023.

 The share of LGBTQ visitors has doubled, increasing from 4% in 2018 to 8% in 2023.

 Visitors brought more than $2.5 billion into the local economy in 2023, a 13% increase from 2018.

 Tourism generated more than $107.5 million in tax revenue  a 26% increase over 2018.

 The tourism industry employs 20% of Napa Valley with an estimated 16,000 jobs.

One of the many positive benefits of these strong economic results is how they directly impact Napa Valley residents quality of life, said Emma Swain, chair of the board of directors for Visit Napa Valley and CEO of St. Supery Estate Vineyards & Winery.

For example, visitors to the Napa Valley pay a Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) on every overnight hotel stay. These dollars go directly to our local governments general funds to help pay for public safety, libraries, parks and recreation, road repair and more to support a high quality of life for locals.

Bed taxes collected from overnight hotel guests in Napa County in 2023 totaled $69 million, which was $14 million more than what was collected in 2019, prior to the pandemic, reported Visit Napa Valley.

The visitor-paid TOT accounts for 75% of Calistogas general fund budget, 65% of Yountvilles, 25% of the city of Napas, 20% of St. Helenas, 6% of American Canyons and 6% of unincorporated Napa Countys general fund budget, the organization said.

Additionally, since 2019, an incremental 1% of room tax revenue collected in Calistoga, St. Helena, Yountville, the city of Napa, and unincorporated Napa County has raised $23 million in taxes paid by hotel guests to help address affordable housing scarcity throughout Napa Valley, reported the agency.

The influx of visitors to Napa Valley is not just about boosting our economy but also  about investing in the future of our community, wrote Napa Mayor Scott Sedgley. TOT revenue from tourism directly funds essential public services from parks and open spaces to road repairs and public safety, ensuring that Napa remains a great place to live and visit."

Tourisms positive impact on Napa Valley cannot be overstated, according to George Goeggel, managing partner of Auberge du Soleil near Rutherford.

The diversity of visitors we now welcome not only enriches our local culture but also brings substantial economic benefits," said Goeggel. "This ensures that Napa Valley remains a vibrant place to live and work."

Tourism is a lifeline for small businesses in Napa Valley, providing crucial revenue that helps us thrive and sustain the local community, said Michael Basayne, adviser at the Solano Napa Small Business Development Center. The diverse and generous spending of our visitors is vital for maintaining the vibrant quality of life we all enjoy here.

Tourism continues to be a cornerstone of Napa Valleys economy, providing growth and supplying essential funding for local services, said Jill Techel, former mayor of the city of Napa. The contributions from visitors help us maintain the quality of life that our residents value.

I am endlessly grateful for the diligence of the Visit Napa Valley team and our valued partners in highlighting the region as a dynamic place to visit, live and work, said Linsey Gallagher, president and CEO of Visit Napa Valley.

Looking ahead, we are honored to continue our proactive efforts to promote, protect and enhance the Napa Valley, and to drive destination stewardship initiatives that preserve it for generations to come.

Visit Napa Valley is currently developing a Sustainable Tourism Strategic Plan that sets a road map for sustainability and destination stewardship to support the long-term viability of its visitor economy, according to Gallagher.

Additionally, Visit Napa Valley announced it will launch a Green Lodging certification program in partnership with Napa County, local city governments and utility partners, she said.

In other Napa Valley visitor news, according to the data service STR, Napa County lodging occupancy rates rose 1.3% for the first seven months of 2024. The average daily room rate from January to July saw a slight decrease to $405.61. Hotel revenue totaled $277.5 million for the year to date, a 2.2% decrease year over year.
Duckhorn Vineyards' plans for substantial growth at its Lodi Lane winery north of St. Helena won support from the Napa County Board of Supervisors, despite neighbors' concerns.

The matter came before supervisors because opponents appealed the winery plan's approval by the county Planning Commission. But on Tuesday, supervisors unanimously agreed to deny the appeal, with a final vote to come Nov. 12, once a resolution is prepared.

Board chair Joelle Gallagher expressed appreciation that Duckhorn voluntarily waived some of the rights it has held since before Napa County passed the winery definition ordinance. The winery will have all of its wine made from at least 75% Napa grapes and all visitation by-appointment only.

"I think it shows great leadership in the industry. ... It shows a real commitment to Napa Valley and Napa Valley fruits and Napa Valley wine," Gallagher said.

Supervisor Anne Cottrell said the board is guided by zoning and laws. This project is in the county's agricultural preserve on the Napa Valley floor and isn't on a dead-end road.

Some have suggested wine production on this scale should be in an industrial area. That idea can be discussed, according to Cottrell.

"But that is a policy question. We don't have that policy in place now," she said.

The Planning Commission approved a winery expansion in May 2023. Duckhorn could build a new winery west of the Napa River, expand its Estate House east of the river, nearly double its annual maximum wine production to 300,000 gallons, and raise annual visitation from 37,552 to 88,566 guests.

A bigger winery would allow Duckhorn to process more Napa Valley grapes. No longer would it have to haul up 1,000 tons or more annually to Hopland in Mendocino County, Duckhorn officials said.

Preserve Lodi Lane and Water Audit California filed appeals to the Board of Supervisors. Duckhorn subsequently cut the proposed size of its new winery from 58,042 to 52,237 square feet, while reducing the maximum number of daily guests from 219 to 197, among other revisions.

Preserve Lodi Lane focused on such issues as traffic. Its appeal characterized the Duckhorn expansion as a "transformation from a charming rural winery into (an) industrial monument to the wine industry."

The neighborhood group depicted Lodi Lane as bookended by growth threats  Duckhorn near Silverado Trail and the proposed Freemark Abbey hotel near Highway 29/128. Together, they have placed residents "under siege," the appeal said.

Nancy and Dave Yewell asked supervisors to cut the proposed wine production and visitation growth in half, or, better yet, reject them altogether.

"Lodi Lane is exactly that: a lane, just wide enough for two-way traffic  except for the decades-old bridge over the Napa River on the east side of the lane where a sign on the bridge clearly states its a one-lane bridge," they wrote to the county.

Lodi Lane resident John Murphy said Duckhorn tanker trucks and semitrailers would dominate a narrow road used by pedestrians and cyclists. He also expressed concern about the T-intersection at Silverado Trail near a curve.

Murphy called Lodi Lane "a treasured, historical rural county road located in the ag preserve."

A Duckhorn neighbor told supervisors the project is "out of scale" for a narrow part of the Napa Valley.

The appeal by Water Audit California focused on how the use of well water might affect the adjacent Napa River. It questioned whether the county had required the proper groundwater studies.

Water Audit California and the Duckhorn winery reached a settlement before the meeting, leaving the Board of Supervisors to deal with the Preserve Lodi Lane appeal.

Consultant Rob Anglin, speaking on behalf of Duckhorn, said the Planning Commission wasn't "asleep at the switch" and considered the issues raised in the two appeals.

"Duckhorn's project is the natural 50-year progression of an agricultural processing facility that has been rooted in this part of Napa County for decades," Anglin wrote to the county.

Duckhorn's executive vice president Zach Rasmussen said many of the buildings don't meet current standards. For example, forklifts and other labor-saving devices can't be used in them, requiring the stacking of barrels by hand.

"The winemaking facility needs to be updated and modernized," he told supervisors.

PHOTOS: Students move into Napa Valley College's new housing
9 killed by Israeli airstrike at school in Gaza City

Xinhua) 08:58, August 21, 2024

People search for victims among the rubble of a school building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike at the al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, on Aug. 20, 2024. At least nine Palestinians were killed, and others were wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, Palestinian security and medical sources said Tuesday. (Photo by Mahmoud Zaki/Xinhua)

GAZA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- At least nine Palestinians were killed, and others were wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, Palestinian security and medical sources said Tuesday.

The Israeli army targeted the Mustafa Hafez school in the al-Rimal neighborhood, which is sheltering hundreds of displaced families, killing and injuring some of its residents, according to the Gaza-based Palestinian Civil Defense.

"So far, we have recovered nine bodies, while others remain trapped under the rubble," Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the civil defense, told Xinhua.

"The Israeli army continues to target civilians in Gaza City, disregarding the lives of children, women, and the elderly," Basal added.

He noted that civil defense crews are facing significant challenges in reaching the victims due to limited logistical capabilities and fuel shortages.

Also on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that the Israeli Air Force carried out a precise strike on "terrorists" operating within a Hamas command and control center.

The IDF added that multiple steps were taken prior to the strike to minimize the risk to civilians.

Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage.

Over the past 24 hours, the Israeli military has killed 34 people and wounded 114 others, bringing the total death toll in the enclave to 40,173, with 92,857 injured since the start of the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Tuesday.

People search for victims among the rubble of a school building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike at the al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, on Aug. 20, 2024. At least nine Palestinians were killed, and others were wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, Palestinian security and medical sources said Tuesday. (Photo by Mahmoud Zaki/Xinhua)

People remove a victim from a school building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike at the al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, on Aug. 20, 2024. At least nine Palestinians were killed, and others were wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, Palestinian security and medical sources said Tuesday. (Photo by Mahmoud Zaki/Xinhua)

People search for victims among the rubble of a school building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike at the al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, on Aug. 20, 2024. At least nine Palestinians were killed, and others were wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, Palestinian security and medical sources said Tuesday. (Photo by Mahmoud Zaki/Xinhua)

People stand in front of a school building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike at the al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, on Aug. 20, 2024. At least nine Palestinians were killed, and others were wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, Palestinian security and medical sources said Tuesday. (Photo by Mahmoud Zaki/Xinhua)

People remove a victim from a school building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike at the al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, on Aug. 20, 2024. At least nine Palestinians were killed, and others were wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, Palestinian security and medical sources said Tuesday. (Photo by Mahmoud Zaki/Xinhua)

People search for victims among the rubble of a school building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike at the al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, on Aug. 20, 2024. At least nine Palestinians were killed, and others were wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, Palestinian security and medical sources said Tuesday. (Photo by Mahmoud Zaki/Xinhua)

People search for victims among the rubble of a school building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike at the al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, on Aug. 20, 2024. At least nine Palestinians were killed, and others were wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, Palestinian security and medical sources said Tuesday. (Photo by Mahmoud Zaki/Xinhua)

People search for victims among the rubble of a school building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike at the al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, on Aug. 20, 2024. At least nine Palestinians were killed, and others were wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, Palestinian security and medical sources said Tuesday. (Photo by Mahmoud Zaki/Xinhua)

People remove a victim from a school building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike at the al-Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City, on Aug. 20, 2024. At least nine Palestinians were killed, and others were wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, Palestinian security and medical sources said Tuesday. (Photo by Mahmoud Zaki/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
MANILA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Wednesday said it approved a grant of 17.5 million U.S. dollars to help improve women's agricultural skills and boost food security in Tajikistan.

The Resilient Livelihoods and Empowerment of Rural Women Project aims to improve the productivity of women-led farms, strengthen agriculture processing and storage facilities, and enhance support to vulnerable women in Khatlon, the country's most populous province and biggest agricultural producer, the bank said in its news release.

The ADB said that Tajikistan's agriculture-based economy highly depends on female labor. However, the country lacks access to climate-resilient agricultural practices vital to enhancing productivity, as it is highly vulnerable to climate change such as drought and heat stress.

Under the project, female farmers will get various agricultural inputs, such as drying facilities, greenhouses, and water-saving irrigation technologies. They will also be trained in financial management and production technologies, including nature-based solutions and integrated pest management.

The project will also support small-scale post-harvest processing and storage hubs to improve the quality of products, leading to higher value in local and export markets, the Manila-based bank said. 
Story Highlights 25% to 54% of Gen Z K-12 students are lacking engaging school experiences

Engagement is particularly low among non-college-bound students

Students are most excited to learn when teachers make it interesting

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As parents and children prepare for the start of a new school year, a survey from the Walton Family Foundation and Gallup finds that the experiences young people in the U.S. have in their middle and high school classrooms are closely tied to their confidence and optimism about their future -- but many schools are struggling to engage their students.

The online survey was conducted April 26-May 9, 2024, with 4,157 12- to 27-year-old children and young adults, including 2,317 who are enrolled in a K-12 school, using the probability-based Gallup Panel. This is the latest in the Voices of Gen Z study, a multiyear research effort to understand the educational and life experiences of this generation.

Between 25% and 54% of students say they are not having eight engaging experiences in school, such as feeling that what they are learning is important or interesting. Less than half of students say their schoolwork positively challenges them (49%) or aligns with what they do best (46%).

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One-third or less of students strongly agree they are having each of these engaging experiences, and nearly half (46%) do not strongly agree they are having any of them.

The extent to which Gen Z K-12 students feel engaged in the classroom is an important factor in their overall wellbeing and outlook for the future. The 25% of students who report the highest ratings on these engagement items are more than twice as likely as students who report the lowest 25% of ratings to be thriving in their lives (76% vs. 32%, respectively) and are more than four times as likely to strongly agree they have a great future ahead of them (61% vs. 15%).

Students who do not plan to pursue a degree after high school are also notably less likely than college-bound students to feel motivated by, interested in or excited about what they are learning in school. They are also significantly less likely to feel their schoolwork gives them the opportunity to do what they do best.

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What would it take to get Gen Z more engaged in the classroom? According to the students themselves, the teacher plays a big role: Six in 10 say that when they are most excited about or interested in what they are learning, it is because their teacher made the material interesting and exciting for them. The same percentage mention that the subject matter was something they wanted to learn more about. Nearly half of Gen Z K-12 students (46%) also say opportunities to engage with the material in a hands-on way drive their interest, and about one in three (35%) most enjoy what they are learning when they can connect it to the real world.

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Gen Z Feels Optimistic About the Future -- but Not Prepared for It

One of the key findings from the first year of the Voices of Gen Z study was the contrast between the optimism young people had for the future and the relatively low levels of confidence they expressed about their readiness for it. One year later, the gap remains: While nearly eight in 10 Gen Zers (79%) agree they have a great future ahead of them, about half (51%) agree that they feel prepared for that future.

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Optimism is largely consistent across age and gender. Black Gen Zers are more likely than their peers to feel they have a great future ahead of them; however, this group remains among the least likely segments of Gen Z to feel prepared for the future. Meanwhile, though not uniquely optimistic, 25- to 27-year-olds, Asian and White Gen Zers, and Gen Z men and boys are most likely to feel prepared for the future.

Gen Z students who do not plan to pursue a degree after high school are less likely than their college-bound peers to agree they feel optimistic about the future. About two-thirds of those who do not plan to attend college (68%) believe they have a great future ahead of them, compared with more than eight in 10 students planning to pursue an associate (81%) or bachelors degree (86%). These non-college-bound students are also less likely to agree they feel prepared for their future (40%) than those hoping to earn an associate degree (45%) or bachelors degree (54%).

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Due to the relationship between school engagement and Gen Zs future outlook, the dampened optimism non-college-bound students feel may be a reflection of the consistently lower levels of engagement they report at school, as well as a belief that what they are learning may not be relevant to their postgraduation lives.

Bottom Line

The extent to which Gen Z K-12 students feel hopeful about and prepared for their future is linked to how engaged they feel in the classroom. Unfortunately, fewer than two in 10 students strongly agree that what they are learning in class feels important, interesting, challenging or aligned with their natural talents. This disconnect is especially high among students who do not want to attend college, and previous Gallup research finds that engagement declines as students advance along their K-12 journeys.

Gen Z students suggest several strategies teachers and schools could use that might help increase their engagement: Learning from teachers who are themselves highly engaged with the material and finding opportunities to apply what they are learning in a hands-on, relevant way are two such strategies. Finding ways to implement these and other strategies for all students, including those who do not plan to pursue further education after high school, might not only increase student engagement in the present but also better prepare those students for success in adulthood.

Learn more about how the Walton Family Foundation Voices of Gen Z survey works.

To stay up to date with the latest Gallup News insights and updates, follow us on X @Gallup.

Learn more about how the Gallup Panel works.

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BusinessWire India New Delhi [India], August 21: Haier Appliances India has been Great Place To Work Certified in India from July, 2024 to July, 2025! Haier Appliances India has earned the Great Place to Work Certification, reflecting its commitment to fostering a supportive and innovative workplace. Driven by the mission and vision of "More Creation, More Possibilities," Haier India emphasizes a customer-centric approach that guides product innovation and services. The company prioritizes a culture of excellence and collaboration, empowering its team to think creatively, take risks, and continuously strive for improvement. This environment encourages employees to innovate and excel, establishing Haier India as a leader in the industry.Haier strongly believes that innovation can come from anyone within the organization. To support this, the company empowers employees to take ownership of their ideas, providing training, workshops, and resources on creative problem-solving. Successful innovations are celebrated through recognition programs, awards, and internal communications, reinforcing the importance of innovation and inspiring others. By nurturing a culture where every employee feels valued and encouraged to contribute, Haier Appliances India drives forward-thinking solutions and maintains its industry leadership.Commenting on the recognition, NS Satish, President at Haier Appliances India said, "We are extremely proud of this achievement. Earning the Great Place To Work Certification is a significant milestone that highlights our success in uniting as a cohesive team. This Certification is not just a badge of honor but a testament to our unwavering commitment to fostering a positive and inclusive work culture. It reflects our dedication to creating an environment where every employee feels valued and empowered.At Haier India, we prioritize the well-being of our employees, communities, and customers, integrating these values into our holistic approach to business. This recognition underscores our efforts to build a workplace that encourages collaboration, innovation, and excellence. By emphasizing these principles, we continue to lead by example, showcasing how a strong, united team can achieve remarkable success and drive positive change within the industry."Great Place To Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Their mission is to help every place become a great place to work for all. Their recognition is the most coveted and respected in the world for elevating employer brands to attract the right people. Their proprietary methodology and platform enable organizations to truly capture, analyze, and understand the experience of all employees. Our groundbreaking research empowers organizations to build cultures that retain talent and unlock the potential of every employee. Since 1992, their Certification, Best Workplaces Lists, and global benchmarks have become the industry standard, built on data from more than 100 million employees in 150 countries around the world.Learn more at https://www.greatplacetowork.in/ and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. (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], August 21: In the modern era of plenty of Finch solutions, businesses need smarter payment solutions that are efficient and innovative. Traditional banks often fail to meet the dynamic needs of modern businesses as businesses grow and digital transactions become commonplace. To tackle this, Wegofin is here--a super app aimed at revolutionizing the payment gateway industry with its AI-powered UPI processing as well as other cutting-edge fintech functionalities. This is indeed the perfect blend of technology and convenience for Indian B2B businesses seeking to stay ahead financially. Increasing Adoption of AI by Payment Gateways Artificial intelligence (AI) has invaded almost every sector, including the fintech sector, which is no different from other industries. Through this incorporation in various forms of payment gateways, AI has enabled less complicated transactions; faster processing times, and heightened safety from fraudsters, among others. An example is Wegofin's AI Payment Gateway which facilitates easier online purchase expectations with precision that has never been seen before or felt by any person who uses it today. Maximizing Transaction Success with AI The AI-powered UPI switch is one of Wegofin's most prominent features, making transactions accurate with zero errors. Quick payments without mistakes can transform a company when every second matters. This way, Wegofin's machine learning system for transactions tracks routing route adjustments in real time. It provides errorless transactions at any time. Besides improving efficiency, such accuracy ensures better customer satisfaction by companies that promise and practise optimized payments with only a few disruptions. Wegofin: An Innovative Payment Solution Wegofin is a powerful AI Payment Gateway. It offers a complete fintech solution that meets varied requirements for today's enterprises. On the other hand, Wegofin focusses on its integration into other systems by offering a single platform for managing their financial activities to make them easier and smarter as well. Seamless Integration with Existing Systems Wegofin has a unique capability to integrate with a variety of business systems, like smarter payment solutions, accounting tools, and customer relationship management platforms. This integrated mechanism ensures that all finance activities in businesses are managed from one platform, reducing the number of systems needed and speeding operations. Wegofin therefore creates an uncomplicated method of processing that improves efficiency in all businesses by linking their smarter Payment Solutions or synchronizing them with accounting software. Improving Customer Payment Options Considering the rivalry in the present-day market, it is important to have several different and new options for payments to keep customers and outmanoeuvre other competitors. Wegofin uses artificial intelligence to provide smarter payment solutions that improve the client experience in different businesses. It is feasible for any company associated with quirks like QR code payments or UPI, etc., to use Wegofin, as this will make transactions proper due to its flexibility in allowing custom-made transactions. Furthermore, an AI-oriented platform facilitates faster processing of these payments while upholding a high degree of security. which is key in ensuring client satisfaction and staying loyal to your brand." Speed and Security in Business Payments Speed and security are the essence of business. That is why Wegofin has addressed this by providing a payment platform that allows transaction processing at a three-times faster rate than conventional approaches. It gives users the utmost protection through high-level secure features to safeguard sensitive financial data. Fast and Secure Payments In today's world, everything from the production line to the retail store checkout counter runs at break-neck speed. Wegofin makes paying faster for businesses via its AI-supported UPI and QR-based modes of payment. These systems can handle massive volumes of transactions without compromising their safety, thereby allowing companies to clear off their debt as swiftly as they should. Thus, these two attributes lead to enhanced customer satisfaction, as the simple payment methods offered by businesses make life easier. Error-Free Transactions with API Banking Wegofin's API banking solution strives for undefinable transactions every time. The platform integrates directly with banks, allowing companies to conduct banking functions with comfort, reducing the chances of making mistakes or experiencing delays. Wegofin's API banking ensures accurate and prompt processing of transactions, regardless of whether it comes to disbursing payrolls, managing vendor payments, or handling TDS payments. This is very useful for businesses dealing with a large volume of payments. Because it reduces the chances of errors done manually and makes the whole process simpler. AI-Driven Accounting and Financial Management Wegofin has also designed a variety of artificial intelligence-powered tools that make accounting and finance easier, in addition to its capacity for processing payments. Through these tools, businesses can find one-stop-shop solutions for everything concerning their finances, including expense tracking, invoice generation and paying taxes. Automating Accounting Processes The AI accounting function of Wegofin automates all processes from bookkeeping to creating invoices; this enables companies to concentrate on their main business without worrying too much about financial management. By automating these procedures, businesses can guarantee accuracy, lower the chance of errors, and save time on human data entry. Even executives who are constantly on the go will find the platform useful because it offers advanced reporting features that provide insight into financial performance and enable businesses to make decisions based on up-to-date data. Efficient Tax Management Any business faces numerous challenges when it comes to managing taxes well, but Wegofin has come up with a solution that is simple due to its combination of integrated tax payment functionalities within one software system. Not only that, there are automated reminder systems for GST and TDS payments, which make sure that businesses adhere to tax regulations. Furthermore, Wegofin's secure online portals support paper-free tax filing and record-keeping, thereby easing the burden of manual tasks associated with managing business taxes. The Best AI Payment Gateway for Modern Businesses The super app from Wegofin is built to serve the different requirements of modern businesses by offering an assorted range of payment and financial management solutions. For instance, if you are starting a new firm with ambitions to grow quickly and need an effective method or gateway for your payment processing or if you are an established business seeking integrated financial control systems, then Wegofin is the right place for you. Different payment methods Wegofin allows firms to accept secure payments on their websites or apps and a variety of methods, including UPI, QRcode, debit cards, credit cards, and prepaid ones. The platform provides additional features like payment links to help in collecting money from customers easily; bulk payments that entail managing several transactions at the same time; and invoice generation meant for compliant billing under GST rules. With these features, Wegofin would be the most appropriate choice for any company intending to make its processing seamless and improve its liquidity position. Business Banking and API Solutions Apart from payment processing, Wegofin provides several business banking services, such as the management of current accounts, APIs for banking systems, and integration with accounting packages. This empowers firms to handle all monetary aspects from one point, saving time and removing confusion from monetary upkeep. For example, Wegofin's App Programming Interface option allows corporations to link directly to banks, which helps reduce transaction mistakes when accessing banking functions. The bottom line Based on the information given above, we can conclude that Wegofin offers a wider-angle solution that includes artificial intelligence (AI), seamless system connectivity, and advanced safety features, making it easier for companies to thrive. The new era of fintech systems is being redefined in terms of the AI Payment Gateway and more intelligent payment options offered by Wegofin. This allows businesses to experience their financial dreams in this digital world. If you want to reduce chaos in payment systems, enhance the customer experience, or do your accounting better, Wegofin is the answer you have been seeking. Sign up now for Wegofin. (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 Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 21: The 7th Edition of the Fire & Security India Expo (FSIE) is all set to kick start from August 22nd to 24th at the extravagant Jio World Convention Centre. This three-day event promises to be a pivotal gathering for professionals and businesses in the fire, safety, and security industry. Being one of the industry's most anticipated expos, FSIE 2024 offers a comprehensive platform showcasing the latest advancements in Fire & Security Industry. Companies including Edwards, Honeywell, Naffco, Bosch, AAAG India, New Age Fire Fighting, CP Plus, Cavitak and many more will be on display at the exhibition, presenting their cutting-edge solutions to industry challenges. The Exhibitor Profile include Active Fire Systems, Passive Fire Systems, Life Safety Systems, Building Automation, Emergency & Rescue Systems and Security & Surveillance Systems. With more than 170 outstanding brands participating, FSIE 2024 provides a unique opportunity for networking, learning, and exploring innovative products. The expo caters to a diverse range of sectors including construction, industrial safety, emergency management, and building automation. Under the leadership of FSAI President Srinivas Valluri, the nonprofit is co-hosting the Expo with NOVA Exhibitions and Conferences, owned by Siddharth Saraf. Together, they aim to deliver a minutely curated event for all participants. The Expo is anticipated to draw over 12,000 visitors. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with industry leaders, explore cutting-edge technologies, and participate in a series of comprehensive conferences designed to share knowledge and insights on the latest fire safety and security trends. The event also serves as a prime platform for businesses to showcase their offerings, build brand visibility, and forge valuable partnerships. The expo is supported by varied government organisations, wherein Director Generals, Fire Officers, Security Personnels, Bureaucrats, Consultants, and other Industry stakeholders from across the country, including global representatives, will be an integral part of the expo. Representatives from over 20 states will convene for a special roundtable discussion on creating a safer India. In a pioneering move to bolster building safety and security, the Fire and Safety Association of India (FSAI) has introduced the Surakshit Bharat Index. This index will assess buildings, particularly high-rises, hospitals, and hotels, on their fire safety and security measures. Complementing the nation's focus on sustainability, as underscored by the National Building Council's mandates, the index aligns with green building certifications by prioritizing energy efficiency and water conservation. The FSAI is at the forefront of this initiative, training and certifying professionals as fire consultants. Thousands of these experts will be essential in achieving a truly Surakshit Bharat. Led by FSAI Presidential member Pankaj Dharkar, this index marks a significant stride towards ensuring the safety of India's buildings. In India, fire safety is still an important concern due to the country's fast industrialization and urbanization, which has increased fire dangers. The number of fire incidents, which are frequently caused by insufficient safety precautions or a disregard for the law, emphasizes the necessity of strong fire safety procedures and systems. For both individuals and organizations to successfully manage fire risks and guarantee a quick and safe reaction in the case of a fire, education and training on fire prevention and response are essential. Be a part of the forum where industry leaders will gather. Register now on WWW.FSIE.IN For more details and to book your space for the next edition, contact the event organizers: info@fsienova.com | sales02@fsienova.com Bhaskar Dhawan - +91 9953993295 | Bhavik Thakur - +91 8652631928 (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)
The 19th CII India-Africa Business Conclave in New Delhi witnessed a powerful call for enhanced collaboration between India and Africa, with distinguished addresses by Vice Presidents Muhammad Bs Jallow of Gambia, Jeremiah Kpan Koung of Liberia, and CGDN Chiwenge of Zimbabwe. In his address, Gambia's Vice President Muhammad Bs Jallow extended warm congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on securing another term in office. "I want to congratulate Prime Minister Modi for another term in office," Jallow stated, acknowledging the significance of stable leadership in driving forward the India-Africa partnership. Jallow highlighted the formidable challenges faced by the global community, ranging from climate change to technological disruption and the need for inclusive development. He stressed that collaboration and strategic partnerships are key to harnessing collective strength to address these challenges. He said, "Our world faces formidable challenges from climate change and technological disruption to imperatives of inclusive development. It is through collaboration, knowledge sharing and strategic partnership that we can harness our collective strength to address these challenges." He added, "We envisage to deepen and strengthen the already existing ties between India and Gambia by further exploring several key initiatives and collaborations between the Gambia and India through this conclave." He further expressed Gambia's commitment to deepening and strengthening the already existing ties between the two nations. Jallow outlined his vision for exploring key initiatives and collaborations between Gambia and India through the conclave, emphasizing the potential for innovative solutions that drive growth and create lasting impact. Jallow said, "We can develop innovative solutions that drive growth and create lasting impact. This will be through economic partnerships, promoting trade opportunities by establishing more trade agreements that are facilitated by lack of investments." India has revolutionized industries from healthcare to finance, creating solutions that are not only efficient but also scalable. The African continent too is witnessing a surge in innovation, with young entrepreneurs leading the change in areas like FinTech, agritech and renewable energy," he added. Additionally, he expressed Gambia's openness to launching collaborative projects aimed at youth empowerment, helping young entrepreneurs and innovators gain access to necessary resources. "Also, the partnership between India and the Gambia in the technology sector is focused on bridging the digital divide and ensuring that both countries can harness the power of the digital economy. Additionally, we are open to launching collaborative projects in youth empowerment that focus and empowering young entrepreneurs and innovators, helping them gain access to resources," Jallow said. Liberia's Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung, in his address, lauded India's rich history and its meaningful contributions to global politics, economy, and security. He said, "African- countries have worked very hard to improve intra-Africa trade. I have come here to make India's case. India has a rich history. India continues playing meaningful roles in the world politics, economy and security." He added, "Today, I am proud of the long-standing diplomatic relationship that continues to exist between India and Liberia over six decades. Our two nations have been deeply engaged in international trade and commerce in the last decades." Vice President of Zimbabwe, CGDN Chiwenge, called for collaboration, solidarity, and a shared vision for the natural development of economies at the conclave. He emphasized that this moment demands collective action to address critical areas that are vital for strengthening India-Africa cooperation. Chiwenge said, "This is a moment that calls for collaboration, solidarity, and the shared vision for the natural development of our economies. This conclave will tackle issues of cooperation and modalities for financing, growth, infrastructure development, agricultural and industrial innovation, harnessing of critical minerals, security, advancement of information, communication technology, medical and economic integration." He added, "These are critical areas which call for collective attention to strengthen India-Africa cooperation to achieve a shared and a shared sustainable economic development for the betterment of our people." Chiwenge outlined the key issues the conclave would tackle, including cooperation modalities for financing, growth, infrastructure development, agricultural and industrial innovation, harnessing critical minerals, security, and the advancement of information and communication technology. He said, "Zimbabwe is open for business and presents opportunities in mining, manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, information, communication, technology and infrastructure development, among others, we are interested more in investment that can value to our agricultural programs and investment and expands, economic growth and improvement opportunities, as well as facilitate technology transfer." (ANI)
NewsVoir Udaipur (Rajasthan) [India], August 21: Marwari Catalysts (MCats), a leading startup accelerator based in Jodhpur, and TiE Udaipur Society, a prominent entrepreneurial network, have formalised a strategic alliance through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This partnership is designed to significantly bolster the startup ecosystem in Udaipur, Rajasthan by providing comprehensive support to early-stage ventures. The MoU, signed by Sushil Sharma, Director of Marwari Catalysts, and Sandeep Bapna, Managing Director at Mewar Polytex, President of TiE Udaipur Society, marks the beginning of a collaborative effort to drive innovation and economic growth within the region. As part of this strategic alliance, MCats will serve as the exclusive advisor and facilitator for TiE Udaipur. Prominent members of Tie Udaipur include Vinay Rathi, a Board Member at TiE Udaipur, and the Director of Tempsens, a leading manufacturer of temperature sensors. Another key figure is Rishabh Verdia, a Partner at Azad Jain & Co., who also serves on the Board of TiE Udaipur; and Manish Godha, the Director of Advaiya Solutions Pvt Ltd, is an integral part of the Board at TiE Udaipur. Key Aspects of the Partnership: Tie Udaipur Nurture Accelerator * The collaboration between TiE Udaipur and MCats will establish a comprehensive six-month initiative aimed at advancing startup growth and enhancing entrepreneurial capabilities within the region. * This program will integrate a rigorous three-month on-site incubation phase with an additional three months of targeted follow-up support, providing startups with continuous mentorship and hands-on assistance. * Concurrently, an on-site cohort program will be implemented, featuring weekend mentorship workshops designed to deliver structured guidance from leading industry experts. * MCats will facilitate specialized training and orientation programs tailored to startup founders, equipping them with critical skills and insights to excel in their ventures. Sushil Sharma, Director of Marwari Catalysts, remarked, "Our partnership with TiE Udaipur is a strategic step towards creating a robust startup ecosystem in Rajasthan. By combining our resources and expertise, we aim to cultivate a dynamic environment where startups of tier 2-3 cities can thrive and achieve substantial growth." Sandeep Bapna, President of TiE Udaipur and Managing Director at Mewar Polytex, added, "We are thrilled about this transformative initiative. Together, we are committed to offering startups the necessary resources, guidance, and support to navigate the entrepreneurial landscape and unlock their full potential." This MoU reflects a shared dedication to empowering Rajasthan Startup Ecosystem and contributing to socio-economic development. By fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, this partnership aspires to position Rajasthan as a premier hub for startups in India. Marwari Catalysts is a startup accelerator based in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, dedicated to advancing startups through tailored acceleration programs. With a strong network of mentors and resources, MCats is committed to driving innovation and economic growth in India. TiE Udaipur Society, registered under the Rajasthan Societies Registration Act, 1958, is focused on nurturing entrepreneurship through mentorship, networking, and resource support. As part of the global TiE network, TiE Udaipur is dedicated to supporting startups and entrepreneurs in Udaipur and beyond. To register for the TiE Udaipur Nurture Accelerator, please visit the following link events.tie.org/TiEUdaipurNurtureAccelerator. (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)
SMPL Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 21: Tanishq, India's largest jewelry retail brand from the house of Tata, has teamed up with Flam, a prominent mixed-reality platform, to create the brand's first-ever mixed reality (MR) print advertisement led by Tanishq's digital partner, Hiveminds Innovative Market Solutions, the Digital specialist unit of Madison World. This innovative campaign is centered around the celebrating special moments of Raksha Bandhan with their Festival of Diamonds campaign, and was brought to life with a collaboration between Tanishq, Flam, and Hiveminds. Readers can scan the QR code on the newspaper ad with their smartphones, bringing the static visual to life with dynamic video content. This unique experience allows viewers to delve into an immersive video experience with a heartwarming message, and seamlessly navigate Tanishq's online store to explore their wide variety of diamond jewelry. Beyond showcasing the products, this approach dictates a narrative that forges emotionally connected with the audience. Today's consumer seeks to immerse themselves in interactive experiences when it comes to buying jewelry. Recognizing this need, Flam has leveraged mixed reality technology, to transform a traditional print ad into a dynamic and immersive visual that resonates with both tech-savvy younger generations and those who value time-honored traditions. "Launching this mixed reality campaign with Tanishq was a dream come true for us," said Shourya Agarwal, Founder and CEO of Flam. "We've always believed in the power of Mixed Reality to revolutionize brand-consumer interactions. And this collaboration between Tanishq and us demonstrates how mixed reality can breathe new life into traditional advertising. This will open up endless possibilities for storytelling and customer engagement." Flam's contribution to this project goes beyond just technological implementation. Pelki Tshering the CMO Tanishq commented on the initiative, saying, "This innovative blend of print and mixed reality shifts traditional media to mobile-first content, transforming how people engage with brands. By creating immersive experiences using mixed reality, we enable consumers to interact with and explore our campaigns and products seamlessly, while bridging the gap between traditional and digital worlds." Aparna Thakur, Senior Vice President, Client Success, HiveMinds, added, "It has always been our endeavor at HiveMinds to bring the latest ad formats and technologies to our clients through the right partners, while keeping the brand and the consumer at the core of the media strategy. This collaboration on a mixed reality initiative was the perfect gateway to marry digital and traditional media experiences seamlessly for Tanishq, adding to our list of innovative and category-first media opportunities explored together." Through this unique initiative, Tanishq, Flam, and Hiveminds are not only ushering in a new era of festive celebrations but also establishing a new standard for innovative and engaging advertising in the digital landscape. As more brands begin to appreciate the possibilities offered by mixed reality, we can anticipate an increase in interactive and immersive campaigns that merge physical and digital experiences, thereby transforming the landscape of print advertising and marketing. (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)
New Delhi [India], August 21: Ahead of Independence Day, Gujarat Bhavan organized a program under the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign. Union Minister of State Nimu Ben Bambhaniya led the event proudly by waving the national flag.

The atmosphere at Gujarat Bhavan during the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign was charged with patriotism. Every person present was enthusiastically chanting praises for Mother India. The employees of Gujarat Bhavan participated wholeheartedly in the campaign.

Nimu Ben Bambhaniya, the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution in the Modi government, extended her Independence Day greetings to all employees of Gujarat Bhavan. She expressed her hope that the Tiranga Yatra would be successful and encouraged every citizen to take part and elevate their patriotic spirit.

Prime Minister's Appeal Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called on the citizens of India to join the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign on Independence Day, August 15. In the 112th edition of 'Mann Ki Baat' on July 28, the Prime Minister urged all Indians to celebrate Independence Day by participating in the campaign.

The 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign is part of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' initiative, launched in 2021 to encourage people to bring the national flag into their homes and hoist it in celebration of India's 75th year of independence. The initiative aims to ignite a sense of patriotism and raise awareness about the Indian national flag.

(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)
COLOMBO, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Maldives has welcomed over 1.3 million tourists so far this year, according to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Tourism.

As of Aug. 19, a total of 1,304,236 tourists have visited the Maldives, marking a 10.4-percent increase compared to the same period last year, the ministry said.

China remains the Maldives' leading tourism market, contributing 184,000 tourists, followed by Russia with 139,000 and Britain with 112,000, according to the ministry.

In August alone, the Maldives welcomed 121,179 tourists, the data showed.

The ministry said that there are currently 1,220 tourism establishments operating in the Maldives, including 174 resorts, 879 guesthouses, 153 safari vessels and 14 hotels.

In 2023, the Maldives recorded 1,878,543 tourist arrivals. 
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, emphasized the deep bonds and evolving partnership between India and Africa at the 19th CII India-Africa Business Conclave held in New Delhi on Wednesday. Goyal said, "It is wonderful to see the Brotherhood, the friendship between the people of India, the people of Africa... growing from strength to strength, sharing very deep bonds, looking at ways and means to expand our cooperation." He echoed the sentiments of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, affirming that "Just like Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said, and I quote, India's engagement with Africa will continue to be guided by 10 principles. The first and foremost principle is Africa will be at the top of our priority." Goyal elaborated on various initiatives led by Prime Minister Modi, including efforts to bring the African Union into the G20 as a permanent member, and India's role in raising issues of common interest at multilateral forums like the WTO. Goyal said, " Our effort to raise issues of common interest at various multilateral forums like the WTO, protecting the interests of the Global South, of less developed countries and developing countries in Africa, the various forms of assistance that we have been able to give from India through the lines of credits aggregating over USD 12 million to over 40 countries." He added, "All of these are only the beginning. We have a long way to go. I see tremendous potential in this beautiful relationship. And I'm very confident. Let's take to my colleagues, my friends from different parts of Africa." Underlining the importance of investments, Goyal said, "We are all looking to attract a greater degree of investments to bring for our people. We had a very good trade record last year, the year 2023 where we clocked nearly USD 100 billion our overall investments in Africa are about USD 47 billion but again... I think there's so much more we can do together." Goyal mentioned certain areas for taking forward the India-Africa relationship. He said, "First, can we look at doubling our trade? And set a benchmark to double this trade number from 100 billion to 200 billion between Africa and India. We should look at doing that in the next seven years so that we can increase the target at 10 per cent growth. Driving deeper technology penetration in Africa. I'm sure a technology-driven partnership will further strengthen the bonds between Africa and India." He added, "Mineral-rich Africa can complement our increasing needs for critical minerals, particularly for the great thrust India is giving to the electric vehicle sector. India would have several offerings for the African countries. "Likewise, we have good demand for oil seeds, for pulses, lentils, and similarly, other products which we import, in large measure, cotton, rubber and African countries, if they are already producing to be a source for India, or we could help you in your plantation sector to develop newer products for export to India. The MSME sector plays a critical role, and increasingly important role, both in Africa and in India," he further added. Malawi's Minister of Trade and Industry, Sosten Gwengwe, offered a perspective on Africa's economic trajectory. He underscored the growing trade relations between Malawi and India, saying, "Malawi has a growing trade and investment relations. India is one of Malawi's major export destinations where many commodities including pigeon peas, soybean, mangoes, macadamia nuts, chillies, ground nuts and peas have found their way to the Indian market." Rui Miguens de Oliveira, Minister of Industry & Commerce, Republic of Angola said that India is a crucial partner for African countries. "India has emerged as a crucial partner for African countries, especially Angola. Bilateral and multilateral relations with India are especially important, given the current global conditions and technological requirements. Africa must leverage the opportunities offered by trade initiatives such as the Duty-Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) Scheme offered by India." (ANI)
NewsVoir Gurugram (Haryana) [India], August 21: Nu Republic, the trailblazing Indian lifestyle technology brand acclaimed for its innovative "wear-tech" products, proudly announces the launch of Cybotron Spin - India's first Wireless power bank in a unique form factor of a fidget spinner. The Nu Republic Cybotron Spin Powerbank is a compact 10,000 mAh fast charging power bank that offers 22.5W fast-charging, dedicated ports for Type C (Input/Output), Type L (Input) and USB-A(Output), a bright LED display and wireless charging capability for smartphones. The Cybotron Spin Power Bank also supports quick recharge - plug in a fast charger and recharge your Powerbank in 60 minutes This power bank is designed for convenience and safety, making it a versatile choice for keeping your devices powered on the go. With its slim form factor in an attractive metallic design, and a fidget spinner integrated on the case, the Nu Republic Cybotron Spinoffers a one-of-a-kind experience that keeps users engaged and entertained at the same time. Ujjwal Sarin, Founder - Nu Republic, expressed his excitement about the launch, "We are thrilled to introduce the Cybotron Spin 10000mAh Power Bank to fans of Nu Republic across the world. With its restless fidget design, head-turning style, powerful output and compact size, the Nu Republic Cybotron Spin is set to revolutionize charging accessories like never before." Speaking on the launch, Anish Shrivastava, category and revenue lead, Blinkit shared his excitement, "Elated to exclusively aid the launch of Nu Republic's Cybotron Spin Power Bank as it redefines the form & function of power banks." Cybotron Spin 10000 mAh Powerbank is available at a best buy price of INR 2499/- exclusively on blinkit & www.nurepublic.co Standout Features: 10000mAh | Dual Charge | Fast Charge (PD) & Recharge | Compact Size | Travel Friendly | Wireless Charging Compatibility | Overcharge protection | Universal Compatibility | LED Display Key Features: * Power Bank with Fidget Spinner Design: Integrates a state-of-the-art power bank with a fidget spinner, providing a unique and engaging way to stay charged on the go. * Superfast Charge & Recharge : Delivers superfast charging speeds to charge up your devices real quick. Use a 65W charger and power up the powerbank within an hour * 10000mAh Capacity: Powerful enough to provide multiple charges, keeping your devices powered throughout the day. * Wireless Charging Compatible: Effortlessly attaches to your iPhone and other Wireless Charging Compatible devices, ensuring a secure and hassle-free charge without cords. * LED Display: Real-time battery level and charging status at a glance, adding convenience to your charging experience. * Dual Charging Capability: Charge two devices simultaneously, perfect for managing multiple gadgets efficiently. * Compact and Portable: Lightweight and travel-friendly design that easily fits into your bag or pocket, making it an ideal travel companion. * Universal Compatibility: * Type-C Port: (Input/Output) Charges Type C compatible devices as well as charging input for Power Bank * Type L Port: (Input) Provides charging input for power bank * USB-A Port: (Output) Charges devices providing universal compatibility * Wireless Charging : Compatible with wireless charging devices The Cybotron Spin 10000 mAh Powerbank is a revolutionary accessory that combines fun and functionality, ensuring your devices are always charged and ready for action. Watch now - youtu.be/WbT9iwj0nNgNu Republic, is a trailblazing Indian lifestyle technology brand renowned for its disruptive "wear-tech" products - wireless earbuds, watches, powerbank and speakers, and innovative charging solutions. Backed by our product disruptions, we have firmly planted our flag at the intersection of electronics, music, and fashion. Through our fashion-first design philosophy. We've successfully redefined the playing field by making high-style attainable, and high-tech affordable. Nu Republic counts dynamic power couple Farhan Akhtar and Shibani Akhtar as its brand endorsers. Nu Republic today is a global brand bringing in the style and pushing boundaries far and wide. We are committed to disruption, counter-culture and self-expression. We continue to partner with influencers, pioneers, and brands who embody our values and forge their own path. Nu Republic is promoted by NuWorld Retail Private Limited - privately held company based in Gurgaon, Haryana. Our products are available through a variety of distribution channels globally The company's website can be found at www.nurepublic.co. (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)
SMPL Dhaka [Bangladesh], August 21: Bangladesh is currently experiencing political instability, which has created challenges across various sectors, including healthcare. Despite these difficulties, it is important to highlight the strong and enduring relationship between Bangladesh and India. Both countries share economic ties that span multiple sectors, including trade, medical tourism, and corporate expansion. The political unrest in Bangladesh has had some impact on the flow of medical tourism to India, creating immediate challenges for both patients and healthcare providers who rely on this vital cross-border connection. However, it is essential to approach this situation with a focus on resilience and cooperation. India has always been a preferred destination for Bangladeshi patients seeking advanced medical treatments, and this bond will only strengthen as the situation stabilizes. Impact on Medical Tourism: Challenges for Bangladeshi Patients Traveling to IndiaThe resignation of Sheikh Hasina has plunged Bangladesh into a period of uncertainty, impacting international medical tourism significantly. The interim government, led by President Mohammed Shahabuddin, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus sworn-in as chief advisor of Bangladesh and Bir Protik Faruk E Azam sworn-in as advisor, is working to stabilize the situation. Muhammad Yunus, Head of Bangladesh Interim Government, said on Tuesday that the interim government's primary objective is to ensure human rights and freedom of speech for all citizens. As a result of these political changes, some patients have had to reschedule or delay their trips, because the Indian Embassy in Dhaka has temporarily stopped issuing visas. This temporary setback is expected to be short-lived, and both countries are working together to ensure that patients receive the care they need. Business Impact: The Ripple Effect of Instability The instability in Bangladesh is also causing significant disruptions in businesses connected to medical tourism. The revenue generated from Bangladeshi medical tourism is estimated to account for 3-7% of the consolidated revenue for many Indian hospitals. This ripple effect is not limited to healthcare institutions; it extends to a broad spectrum of businesses that are part of the medical tourism ecosystem including guest houses, hotels, and travel companies that cater to these patients and their families. Moreover, the uncertainty has led to operational challenges for hospitals and clinics that typically serve a high volume of Bangladeshi patients. Patient Suffering: The Inability to Access Timely Treatment Patients requiring non-elective surgeries are among the most affected by the current situation. These patients, who cannot afford to delay their treatment, are now facing the harsh reality of being unable to travel to India for surgery or other critical treatments. The Internet shutdown in Bangladesh, affecting a large number of people, has further complicated matters, making it difficult for doctors to maintain communication with patients who need major medical interventions. The inability to travel has posed challenges, but Indian healthcare providers are committed to exploring alternative solutions to ensure continuity of care. Expert Insights and On-the-Ground Realities Despite the challenges, industry experts remain optimistic about the future of medical tourism between Bangladesh and India. Dr. Rahul Bhargava, principal director & chief hematology,- Fortis Memorial Research Institute, provided his perspective on the broader impact. "While the current situation has led to some realignment and rescheduling of travel plans, we remain hopeful that this downtime will be temporary. The medical tourism sector is resilient, and we are confident that the industry will recover soon." Renu Vij, Head of International Sales (Group) - Fortis Healthcare, Gurgaon , shared on-the-ground realities: "Bangladesh's political instability has significant ramifications on India's medical tourism sector and has certainly led to a disruption in the flow of medical tourists from the country. Bangladesh alone contributes around 8-10% of the total revenue generated from international business at all major Indian hospital chains. Hospitals in Kolkata and other Indian cities have witnessed a sharp decline in Bangladeshi patients due to the halt in visa approvals and cancellation of cross-border transport services. Pankaj Chandna, Co-Founder of Vaidam Health, remains optimistic about the future. "This is a challenging time for the medical tourism industry, but we will bounce back," he stated, reflecting the industry's resilience. His words echo the sentiments of many experts who believe that the strong foundation of India-Bangladesh relations will help navigate these challenges. He further explained, "Our focus has always been on patient care, and even in these tough times, we are exploring alternative ways to ensure that those in need of urgent medical attention are not left stranded. We're working closely with hospitals and local authorities to find viable solutions." Chandna also highlighted "Keeping our patients informed and reassured is our top priority. We are providing constant updates and exploring telemedicine options to bridge the gap caused by travel restrictions." Sonima Dutta, a case manager who handles patients from Bangladesh, highlighted the communication difficulties, saying, "It's almost impossible to maintain consistent communication with patients amidst this chaos. They are desperate for information and assistance, but the situation makes it extremely difficult to provide timely support." Despite these challenges, she expressed confidence in the eventual recovery: "We are doing everything we can to stay connected with our patients, and I believe that once the situation improves, we will quickly return to normal operations." Despite these challenges, the long-term outlook remains optimistic considering the mutual trust and strength in the India-Bangladesh medical tourism relationship. A Final Call for Government Intervention As the situation in Bangladesh evolves, It is crucial for both governments to work closely together to restore stability and continue supporting the people who rely on these cross-border healthcare services. If the unrest continues unchecked, the consequences will become increasingly severe, impacting the health and well-being of Bangladeshi citizens and straining economic ties with neighboring countries like India. As Bangladesh experiences a period of political change and unrest, there is a strong focus on ensuring that essential services, including healthcare, continue to function smoothly. The recent resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the establishment of an interim government led by President Mohammed Shahabuddin have brought about a transition phase. While there are challenges, but the strong relationship between India and Bangladesh will be the key to overcoming these challenges and ensuring a brighter future for all involved. (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)
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued an advisory warning citizens of fraudulent calls claiming to be from TRAI. Scammers are using pre-recorded messages to threaten individuals, stating their mobile numbers will be blocked soon, and asking for personal information. TRAI clarified that it does not initiate communication with customers regarding mobile number disconnection through messages or otherwise. The regulator has not authorized any third-party agency to contact customers for such purposes. "It has been brought to the notice of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) that a lot of pre-recorded calls are being made to the citizens claiming to be from TRAI. Citizens are being threatened that their numbers will be blocked soon, and they are asked to give certain personal information by fraudsters," read the advisory. In an advisory put out on Wednesday by the telecom regulator, TRAI said it does not initiate communication with customers regarding mobile number disconnection through messages or otherwise. "Therefore, any form of communication (call, message, or notice) claiming to be from TRAI and threatening mobile number disconnection should be considered a potential fraudulent attempt and must not be entertained." The disconnection of any mobile number due to billing, KYC, or misuse if any, is done by the respective Telecom Service Provider (TSP), TRAI cautioned. Citizens are advised to be vigilant and not panic about falling prey to suspected fraudsters. People are further advised to cross-verify such calls by contacting the authorized call centres or customer service centres of the respective telecom operators. To prevent the misuse of telecom resources for cybercrime and financial fraud, citizens are encouraged to report suspected fraudulent communications through the Chakshu facility on the Department of Telecommunications' Sanchar Saathi platform. This platform can be accessed at https://sancharsaathi.gov.in/sfc/. For confirmed instances of cybercrime, victims should report the incident at the designated cybercrime helpline number '1930' or through the official website at https://cybercrime.gov.in/. (ANI)
India on Wednesday signed a loan package of USD 500 million with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to improve access to quality and affordable tertiary health care and medical education in Maharashtra. The signatories to the loan agreement for the Maharashtra Tertiary Care and Medical Education Sector Development Program were 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. Dinesh Waghmare, Principal Secretary Medical Education and Drugs Department, Government of Maharashtra, signed the agreement on behalf of the state government. After signing the loan agreement, Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, who signed for the Government of India, stated that key policy reforms supported by the program will help strengthen the state's tertiary health care and medical education and expand these facilities to provide modern medical services in under-served areas in the state. "ADB's decade-long support to India's health sector development has helped shape this Program to help Maharashtra achieve its vision of providing affordable and accessible tertiary health care to all by 2030 and strengthen a cadre of quality and professional medical practitioners," Mio Oka, Country Director of ADB's India Resident Mission, who signed the agreement for ADB, said. The loan will help establish four medical colleges attached to tertiary care teaching hospitals incorporating climate- and disaster-resilient, gender-responsive, and socially inclusive features in under-served districts. It will increase bed capacity in government tertiary care hospitals and hire at least 500 new doctors for four new governmental medical colleges. It also aims to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure through better availability of quality drugs; support efficient management of assets and their sustainability through a first-of-its-kind policy in the Indian health sector on climate-resilient asset planning, management, and sustainability; and develop healthy competition among medical colleges through the performance management system. (ANI)
In a move towards bolstering India's defense capabilities and advancing the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, BEML Ltd., the nation's leading defence and heavy engineering manufacturer, has entered into a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Directorate of Marine Engineering, Indian Navy. According to BEML, the MoU was signed today at the Naval Headquarters in Delhi by Ajit Kumar Srivastav, Director of Defence at BEML, and Rear Admiral K Srinivas, ACOM (D&R) of the Indian Navy, in the presence of BEML's Chairman & Managing Director, Shantanu Roy, along with top Defence dignitaries. This agreement marks a pivotal step in enhancing collaboration between BEML and the Indian Navy for the Indigenous Design, Development, Manufacture, Testing, and Product Support of critical marine equipment and systems. The partnership is aligned with the Government of India's Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, which aims to strengthen self-reliance in defence production and minimize dependence on foreign imports. Under the terms of the MoU, BEML will leverage its extensive expertise in heavy engineering, structural fabrication, hydraulics, diesel engines, manufacturing, testing, and R&D to develop state-of-the-art marine equipment for the Indian Navy. The collaboration is set to significantly enhance indigenous marine engineering capabilities, ensuring that both current and future naval projects are equipped with cutting-edge, domestically produced technology. Shantanu Roy, Chairman & Managing Director at BEML Ltd., emphasized the importance of this partnership, stating, "This MoU signifies a historic partnership that will not only strengthen India's maritime defence capabilities but also make a substantial contribution to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. BEML is committed to delivering advanced, cost-effective, and reliable solutions to the Indian Navy. We are confident that our combined efforts will lead to significant advancements in indigenous marine technology." The collaboration between BEML and the Indian Navy is not just about meeting immediate operational requirements; it also aims to fortify long-term defence infrastructure, laying a strong foundation for a more resilient and robust maritime defence sector. BEML will generate detailed design and manufacturing blueprints for the program and its components, ensuring timely delivery as per the agreed schedule. BEML will lead the manufacturing efforts for the program's equipment, utilizing its advanced engineering and production capabilities. BEML will conduct rigorous testing and trials of the developed systems to meet the stringent standards of the Indian Navy. BEML will oversee the installation and commissioning of the equipment on naval vessels, providing full-spectrum support throughout the process. This MoU is part of BEML's broader strategy to strengthen its presence in the maritime sector. The company recently established 11 strategic business units, including one specifically dedicated to the "Maritime" domain, focusing on product development and services within the sector. BEML's involvement in major initiatives such as the Naval Indigenization Plan 2015-2030, the 5th Positive Indigenization List, Swavalamban 2.0, Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, Maritime Indian Vision 2030, Sagarmala Project, and Jal Marg Vikas Projects positions it to make meaningful contributions to India's maritime sector. (ANI)
From working in 'Naam Shabana', 'Baby', 'Mission Mangal' to the latest release 'Khel Khel Mein', Taapsee Pannu opened up about her experience working with Khiladi of Bollywood Akshay Kumar and what things she has learned from him in this journey. Speaking with ANI, Taapsee shared, "Things that I learnt from him. First, when I started doing the first film, the ease with which you need to approach action. I went and saw his action sequences even when I was not there, when I was shooting for Naam Shabana actually. Because he just had like an extended cameo of sorts in that film and I had the title role. So, there was certain fight sequences that I just went on set to see how with ease this man does and how invested he is in the whole preparation I had to do for my action. He actually is the one who assigned trainers for my action training. So the ease of action is what I learned from him." She also revealed how his calmness in adverse things inspired her. Taapsee stated, "Another thing that I really learned from that man was how to be calm in adverse of things. I've never seen him get angry. Never. He never raises his voice. Never gets riled up. Never gets worked up. Very calm. Don't get angry and I have not seen that man bad-mouthing anybody." Further revealing how she loves working with good actors. Taapsee said, "I enjoy working with good actors. I really love sharing screens with them. I love Vidya Balan. I've been telling to her on her face every time I meet her, I just love her." Taapsee worked with Vidya Balan in the film 'Mission Mangal' which also starred Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, Kirti Kulhari, Nithya Menon, and Sharman Joshi. She made her Bollywood debut with 'Chashme Baddoor' in 2013 and gained a lot of prominence with her movies such as 'Baby' and 'Pink'. Currently, she is receiving praise for her performances in 'Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba' and 'Khel Khel Mein'. (ANI)
Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader, Champai Soren, was warmly welcomed by supporters as he returned to his hometown of Seraikela Kharsawan on Tuesday night. Soren's arrival from Delhi has intensified speculation that he may join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) This speculation follows a series of statements made by Soren expressing his dissatisfaction with the JMM and the coalition government. On Sunday, Soren took to social media to voice his grievances, stating that he had been "insulted" during his tenure as Chief Minister and that all options remained open ahead of the forthcoming Jharkhand Assembly elections. Speaking on his return, Soren remarked, "I went to Delhi for personal reasons, during which I made that post. The whole country saw my thoughts, and I stand by them. There are three choices ahead of me: one is to retire, the second is to form a new party, and the third is to work with a good companion if I find one. I am firm in my decision--my new chapter is about to begin. I considered retiring, but the overwhelming support from my followers has made me rethink. I have had no communication with anyone from the JMM." State Congress Chief, Keshav Mahto Kamlesh, addressing the media on Monday after a Congress Screening Committee meeting in Delhi, responded to the speculation by asserting that the coalition had always shown respect to Soren. Kamlesh highlighted that Soren had been made an MLA, a minister, and even the Chief Minister by the JMM, suggesting there was no cause for dissatisfaction. Nevertheless, Soren's social media post detailed occasions where he felt marginalised, including being asked to resign abruptly and being denied the opportunity to convene a legislative party meeting. He mentioned three potential paths for his political future: retiring from politics, forming a separate organisation, or continuing his journey with a new partner. In response to Soren's statements, BJP State President Babulal Marandi acknowledged Soren's evident distress but declined to comment on whether he would join the BJP. Meanwhile, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren indirectly accused the BJP of attempting to poach MLAs and destabilise the state government. He claimed that the BJP's tactics were aimed at dividing families and communities in Jharkhand. State Minister Banna Gupta echoed these concerns, accusing the BJP of trying to turn Jharkhand's democracy into a "laboratory" and expressing confidence that their attempts to lure Champai Soren would not succeed. As the political climate in Jharkhand intensifies, all eyes are on Champai Soren and his next move, with significant implications for the upcoming state elections. (ANI)
The deceased has been identified as Sachin and was found dead in his rented apartment in the Dabri area in Dwarka.

According to the police, a preliminary investigation suggested that Sachin was the victim of alleged domestic violence that may have led to his death. As per the police, the crime may have taken place on the intervening night of August 17 and 18.

The landlord informed the police after a foul smell started emerging from the room, they said. The police have apprehended Sachin's wife, Kavya for suspected murder.

The police have launched an investigation into the matter. More details awaited. (ANI)
After the central government withdrew the lateral entry advertisement on Tuesday, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal dubbed it as a "harsh lesson" for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-RSS regime. In a post on X, Venugopal accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using the lateral entry system as a means to undermine reservation policies. He highlighted that for six years, numerous voices have raised concerns about how the lateral entry system threatens to dismantle reservation provisions in the bureaucracy. "Let this lateral entry incident serve as a harsh lesson for PM Modi and the BJP-RSS regime to never tamper with the Constitution. The lateral entry system was introduced in 2018. For 6 years, countless voices exposed how lateral entry in the bureaucracy is a ploy to destroy reservations," the Congress leader said. "Under INC President Mallikarjun Kharge and LOP Rahul Gandhi's leadership, we will be the staunchest guardians of our Constitution and reservations. No attempt to dilute representation and fundamental rights of SC, ST, OBCs will be allowed," he added. The Congress leader also praised National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies who stood up "to the injustice being plotted by their ally BJP." "The Union should put the lateral entry mechanism to rest and take urgent steps to ensure there is adequate representation for marginalised communities in the senior bureaucracy," he urged. Earlier, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh also attacked the central government over the later entry withdrawal amid uproar. In a post on X, Ramesh highlighted that lateral entry was advocated strongly in 2017 by the NITI Aayog and was actually announced a year later as a big reform measure that would transform the civil service. "Since 2019, there have been 63 appointments through lateral entry. A further 45 were planned this year but these have just been cancelled," he added. He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was trying to do "damage control". "The non-biological PM is now trying to do much damage control. His drumbeaters are trying to shift responsibility, while the plain and simple truth is that it was hailed as one of Modi's transformational initiatives when it was launched," he said. The UPSC recently released a notification for recruiting Joint Secretaries, Directors, and Deputy Secretaries through lateral entry. Following criticism, Department of Personnel and Training wrote to UPSC asking to cancel the advertisement. (ANI)
Three girls illegally detained by their employers were forced to testify that they had converted to Islam and wished to return to their captors, but a judge in Pakistan returned them to their Christian parents, sources said.

Justice Shakil Ahmed of the Lahore High Court on Thursday (Aug. 15), allowed the sisters, ages 9, 13 and 16, to retract their forced claims and gave custody of them back to their parents, Naveed Masih and wife Mina Naveed, brick kiln workers in Kasur District, Punjab Province, said Katherine Sapna, executive director of legal advocacy group Christians True Spirit.

The couple had sent their daughters to a Muslim woman, Haleema Bibi, in September 2023 for placement as domestic workers, but soon Bibi told them that employers were demanding 300,000 rupees (1,077 USD) as a security deposit to return their oldest daughter, Sapna said.

Sapna and the parents were allowed to speak with their daughters after they testified that they wished to return to their Muslim captors.

When the girls felt a bit relaxed, they told us that Haleema and their employers had forced them to tell the court that they had converted willfully and wanted to return to their newfound Muslim families, Sapna told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.

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Sapna said that the girls told them that all three employers had used the same strategy to thwart the parents efforts to recover them.

Its quite possible that Haleema gave this idea to the employers, Sapna said. This trend of using religious conversion as a tool for bonded labor is increasing, particularly in the brick kiln industry in Punjab.

Poverty had forced the parents to send their daughters, 16-year-old Hina Naveed, 13-year-old Neha Naveed and 9-year-old Mehru Naveed, to Bibi, said their mother, Mina Naveed. She said Bibi had found employment for several Christian children of New Abadi, Chak No. 68 village in Pattok Tehsil. Bibi works on commission and acts as a contact between the families and the employers.

Haleema assured us that they would be placed in good homes, and we believed her, Mina Naveed said. Most of the kiln workers send their children to work in homes to supplement their income. Only then can one manage to feed the family, especially if its a big one.

Her youngest daughter, 5, fell ill in July, so she called Bibi to return their oldest daughter to care for her as it was very difficult for them to obtain days off from the kiln, she said. Mina Naveed asked Bibi to request Hinas employers to give her a 10-day leave so that she could take care of her ill sister.

After a couple of days, Haleema told us that Hinas employers were demanding 300,000 rupees as a security deposit to return the girl, she said. We were shocked to hear this absurd demand and refused to accept it. When we insisted on Hinas unconditional return, Haleema started threatening us with legal consequences.

Mina Naveed said that after seeing Bibis attitude, she demanded that all three of her daughters be returned to her immediately.

But she bluntly refused to do so, saying that all three girls had converted to Islam and could not be given to their Christian parents, she said.

With help from CTS, the couple filed a petition in the Lahore High Court for the recovery of their daughters from illegal detention.

The entire courtroom was shocked when the girls said that they were Muslims and didnt want to go with their parents, Sapna said. It was a sensitive case, and we laud Justice Ahmed for making the right decision. He gave the parents sufficient time to talk to the children, and they [the parents] succeeded in convincing them [to retract their statements].

The oldest daughter, Hina, said that her Muslim employer, Madiha Sameer, had told her that converting to Islam was the only way to save herself from her family.

She brain-washed me into believing that my father would do horrible things to me if I went back, Hina told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. She said he would send me to Dubai as a sex worker or could even sell my body organs for money.

Hina said that Sameer mistreated her during her employment at her home.

Baji [Madiha Sameer] used to beat me also, and the entire time I was there she made me sit on the floor to have my meals, she said.

Her younger sisters had similar experiences.

My employer, Uzma Faisal, pressured me to tell the court that I had accepted Islam and wanted to live with her, Neha told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. She too portrayed a very negative image of my parents.

Mehru, the youngest daughter, said she was very happy to be back with her family.

Sapna said CTS is helping the girls to rebuild their lives.

The court refrained from ordering legal action against Bibi and the three Muslim families for attempting to forcibly convert the girls to Islam. According to the court order, the judge disposed of the petition after the girls expressed their desire to join their father/petitioner.

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.
Amid ongoing protests and heightened public concern, Maharashtra Minister Deepak Kesarkar assured action on the alleged sexual assault of two minor girls at a school in Badlapur. Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, Minister Kesarkar detailed the steps taken by authorities in response to the incident. "I spoke with the school management, as well as with NGOs that initiated action. I was about to announce the action before the protestors, but meanwhile, at the protest site, someone threw a bottle and a lathi charge was launched. So, I could not speak with them," he said. Kesarkar said that many of the protesters were politically motivated, which he claimed complicated the situation. He reassured the public that genuine protesters would be heard. "I will speak to the genuine protestors--a lot of them were political," he said. Addressing concerns about the management's delay in responding to the incident, Kesarkar announced that an administrator would be deployed to address the issue. "The girl's parents were not in the condition to speak today. I can't meet them publicly as it would reveal their identity. If they are fine tomorrow, I will try to meet them," he added. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) earlier took suo motu cognizance of the reported sexual assault on two minor girl students and has called for a detailed report within two weeks from the authorities concerned. "The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report carried on August 18, 2024, that two minor girl students were allegedly sexually abused by a staff member of a school in Thane," an NHRC release said. "Reportedly, the parents have raised questions about why a female staff member was not deputed to clean the girls' washroom. Allegedly, the registration of the FIR was delayed almost 12 hours after they complained to the police about the matter," it added. (ANI)
The incident came to light after schoolgirls filed a complaint about the teacher who has been identified as Pramod Manohar Sardar. Police have recorded the statements of the victim girls.

The accused was arrested on Tuesday evening.

Superintendent of Police Akolka Bachchan Singh told ANI, "Akola Police received a complaint of molestation of six school girls by Pramod Manohar Sardar, a teacher of the Zilla Parishad School in Kajikhed. Police immediately arrested the accused teacher and recorded the statements of the victim girls."

"Cases under sections 74 and 75 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita and POCSO Act were registered," SP Singh added.

Further investigation into the case is underway, he said.

The incident comes amid nationwide protests over the murder and alleged sexual assault of a female trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in West Bengal City of Kolkata on August 9.

The assault of a doctor has sent shockwaves across the country.

Doctors have protested in many states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, demanding justice and better security laws for healthcare professionals.

The case has been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation from the state police following an order from the Calcutta High Court.

On August 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed that "perpetrators should be awarded strict punishment at the earliest."

The incident has triggered a blame game with the opposition BJP in West Bengal demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Tuesday constituted a 10-member National Task Force to make recommendations on the prevention of violence and safe working conditions for medical professionals.

On August 9, a postgraduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered while on duty at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, sparking nationwide strikes and protests by the medical community.

On August 14, the protest site and the hospital campus at RG Kar were vandalized by a mob, prompting security personnel to disperse the crowd.

To maintain law and order, section 163 is in place around the Medical College and Hospital for seven days, effective from August 18 to August 24. (ANI)
The National Commission for Women (NCW), has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that 13 girls were allegedly sexually assaulted at a fake NCC camp in Tamil Nadu's Krishnigiri. The body has directed the Director General of police to ensure a time-bound investigation and sought a detailed action report from the state police and state government within three days. https://x.com/NCWIndia/status/1826101874954584139 The NCW said in a post on X on August 21, "National Commission for Women has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report titled "13 girls sexually abused at fake NCC camp" from Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu. The commission has directed DGP Chennai to ensure a fair, time-bound investigation, booking the accused under relevant laws. A detailed action taken report has been sought from the police and the state govt within 3 days." Following the report, NCC stated on August 19, clarifying, that the personnel involved in the alleged incident have no connection with the National Cadet Corps. "On 19 August, an incident of alleged sexual harassment of school girls attending a fake NCC camp by fake NCC persons in Bargur, Krishnagiri district Tamil Nadu was reported in the media. The reported incident does not pertain to any of the institutions registered/enrolled with the NCC. The personnel involved in the alleged incident have no connection with NCC. Also, no NCC camp was conducted in Krishnagiri District. This News is an unequivocal misinformation and obscuration of facts with a potential to be misconstrued as involvement of NCC personnel," the statement said. This comes amid nationwide protests over the murder and alleged sexual assault of a female trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in West Bengal City of Kolkata on August 9. The assault of a doctor has sent shockwaves across the country. Doctors have protested in many states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, demanding justice and better security laws for healthcare professionals. The case has been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation from the state police following an order from the Calcutta High Court. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Tuesday constituted a 10-member National Task Force to make recommendations on the prevention of violence and safe working conditions for medical professionals. (ANI)
Admiral Marcos Sampaio Olsen, Commander of the Brazilian Navy called on Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, the Chief of the Naval Staff, on August 21 at New Delhi and held discussions on various aspects encompassing operational engagements, technical cooperation, training etc. He was received with a ceremonial Guard of Honour at the South Block Lawns. Admiral Marcos Sampaio Olsen, Commander of the Brazilian Navy is on an official visit to India from August 19 to 24. The visit aims to enhance maritime cooperation between the two countries. Admiral Olsen joined the Navy in 1979 and was declared Guard of the Navy in 1982. Olsen acted as commander of minesweeper NV Atalaia (M-17) and submarine S Tapajo and as chief mate of submarine S Tamoio and aircraft carrier NAe Sao Paulo. Admiral Olsen's visit showcases the commitment of like-minded navies to collaborate and cooperate on shared challenges in maritime security. Indian Navy cooperates with the Brazilian Navy through various initiatives, which include operational interactions, training cooperation and other maritime avenues. The two navies have also been interacting in multilateral forums like MILAN and IBSAMAR. Bilateral Defence Cooperation between the two countries is conducted through the Joint Defence Committee, steered by respective Ministries of Defence As part of his official engagements, the Commander of the Brazilian Navy is also scheduled to meet the Defence Secretary, the National Maritime Security Coordinator, and the Vice Chief of Army Staff, in Delhi. During this visit, Admiral Marcos Sampaio Olsen will also visit IFC-IOR at Gurugram and will interact with various Defence Industry representatives In addition to New Delhi, the Commander of the Brazilian Navy would also visit Mumbai, where he would be interacting with the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, as well as visit Indigenous warships & submarines; Naval Dockyard; and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited. (ANI)
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday slammed Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government over the alleged sexual assault of two minor girls in Maharashtra's Badlapur. He said instead of giving protection to that girl, you file criminal cases against those who have come out on the streets to demand justice. "What else can happen in Maharashtra? If there is a public cry against rape, there are children who do not understand what a heinous crime has been committed against them and instead of giving protection to that girl, you file criminal cases against those who have come out on the streets to demand justice.The first thing is (to find out) why did this happen? In which institution did it happen? Whose institution is this...?," Raut told reporters. "If this institution had been linked with Shiv Sena (UBT) or Congress, then Devendra Fadnavis along with Mahila Mahamandal would have gone there and staged a 24-hour protest," he further said, questioning, "Where is everyone, now?" "Police were not lodging the FIR. They were under pressure but under whose pressure?," he asked. Maharashtra Police has arrested more than 40 people and registered FIR against 300 people following the massive protest over the incident leading to stone-pelting, disruption of train services and lathi-charge on Tuesday. The arrested people will be presented in court on Wednesday. Maharashtra police have also heightened the security at the railway station as police personnel have been deployed to ensure no repetition of Tuesday's outbreak. Internet services have been shut down in Badlapur and shops have been ordered to remain closed. DCP, GRP of Railway Police Manoj Patil said that the situation is normal now. "The situation is normal now. railway movement is also normal.No section has been imposed. Internet services will be suspended for a few days so that rumours do not spread." Manoj Patil said. On Tuesday, police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the protestors gathered at the Badlapur railway station after the demonstrators blocked the railway track, causing a halt in local trains. As protestors blocked the track, 12 mail express trains were diverted and 30 local trains were partially cancelled. The alleged sexual assault of two fourth-grade girls in Badlapur, Maharashtra by a school attendant has sparked outrage. On August 17 police arrested an attendant for allegedly abusing the girls. Earlier, a massive protest was held at Badlapur Railway Station in response to the alleged sexual assault of two minor girls at a school in Badlapur. Protesters also pelted stones at police during the protest. Heavy security has been deployed to control the crowd protesting against the incident. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ordered a high level probe into the incident and said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the case. (ANI)
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar called on all the countries to collectively focus their efforts on combating climate change which he described as the greatest threat to humanity. Addressing the inaugural session of the 19th CII India Africa Business Conclave in New Delhi on Wednesday, V-P Dhankhar said, " I'm confident that deliberations will... It is critical for all countries to collectively focus their efforts on combating the greatest threat to humanity- climate change." "This conclave is an opportunity for us to come together to deliberate on contemporaneously relevant things and synergize our efforts towards creating a common future for the well-being of all," V-P Dhankhar said. He also said that the theme of this India-Africa, business conclave, creating one future is deeply embedded in our civilization ethos and amplified in the motto of India's G20 presidency, which stands For "One Earth, One Family, One Future.' He also spoke about the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member of G20. "The inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member of G20 which was already there during our presidency in 2023 is a matter of great pride and a very significant geopolitical development, To further provide a voice to Africa in the UN, we also completely stand behind African Union," Dhankhar said in his address. In his address, V-P Dhankhar said, "Imagine a scenario, resurging Africa and rising India can give a strong impetus to South-South cooperation. Africa will be at the top of our priorities. We look forward to a mutually beneficial and mutually respectful relationship. Our partnership and this partnership, which is structured deeply into history has the potential to be a global change for the better of humanity." Recalling the India and Africa relations, he said, "The deep-rooted ties between India and Africa fostered by shared histories, common struggles and mutual aspirations for a just a progressive future, and equitable world order, making this partnership unnatural and stronger forever." He further said that the past decade, with massive digitization and technological advancements, offers numerous avenues for cooperation and presents opportunities for mutual benefit and shared success. Organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, the event is set to be a landmark moment in the strengthening of India-Africa relations. (ANI)
Delhi High Court on Wednesday extended the interim protection from arrest for suspended trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar. The extension remains in effect till August 29. Former trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar is accused of falsifying and misrepresenting facts in her application to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The court had instructed the investigation agency not to arrest her while the matter is under consideration, noting that immediate arrest is not deemed necessary. Justice Subramonium Prasad of the Delhi High Court has deferred the hearing on suspended IAS officer Pooja Khedkar's anticipatory bail plea to August 29, 2024. The deferral was due to the Delhi Police's reply not being filed on record yet. Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing Khedkar, also requested additional time to review the UPSC's response, which opposes the anticipatory bail plea. On last date of hearing, the Delhi High Court had issued notices to the Delhi Police and Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) regarding the anticipatory bail plea of suspended IAS officer Puja Khedkar. The Delhi High Court earlier observed that the trial court's order denying bail for Puja Khedkar lacks substantial discussion, with only a brief mention of the Public Prosecutor's claim about the involvement of others. The High Court has instructed the police not to arrest Khedkar until Friday, pending further proceedings. UPSC had argued that Puja Khedkar is a "mastermind" and that her actions would not have been possible without the assistance of others. This argument supports their position that custodial interrogation is necessary. Puja Khedkar plea in Delhi High Court follows the dismissal of her plea by Delhi's Patiala House Court last week, which found the allegations against her--related to falsifying identity for extra attempts in the civil services examination--to be serious and in need of thorough investigation. The trial court Judge said, custodial interrogation of the accused is required to unearth the whole conspiracy and to establish involvement of the other persons involved in conspiracy. "In the present facts and circumstances, I am of the considered opinion that it is not a fit case to exercise discretionary powers of anticipatory bail in favour of the accused," Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala said. Court noted that in the present case the applicant/accused has been charged for commission of offence punishable under Section 420/468/471/120B IPC and 66D IT Act and 89/91 Rights of Persons with Disability Act, 2016. The applicant/accused has cheated the complainant by misrepresentation. The complainant/UPSC in order to attain the mis representation has got prepared various documents to support her claim. The conspiracy has been hatched in a pre planned manner. The conspiracy was executed by the applicant/accused in many years, said the court The applicant/accused alone could not have executed the conspiracy without the assistance of some outsider or insider. It is also contended by lawyer for Delhi Police that the OBC (non creamy layer) status and person with multiple benchmark disability is also under scrutiny and investigation, noted the Court. The court futher said, the complainant/UPSC being a Constitutional body, is conducting the exams for the prestigious posts to which the aspirants from the whole country are applying. Therefore, the complainant is required to maintain highest degree of transparency and fairness in its standard operating procedure. It is an admitted case of the complainant also that its standard operating procedure(SOP) has been breached by the applicant/accused,therefore, the complainant should introspect because its scrutiny system hasfails to curb the breach. The present case may be only tip of the iceberg because if the applicant/accused can breach the scrutiny system of the complainant, why not others. Therefore, in order to maintain reputation,fairness, sanctity and faith of aspirants and general public, there is need on the part of the complainant to strengthen its SOP to ensure that such an event does not occur in future. The complainant also needs to relook its recommendations made in the recent past to find out the candidates (a) who have illegally availed the attempts beyond permissible limits; (b) who have obtained the OBC(non creamy layer) benefit despite not being entitled; (c) who had obtained the benefits of persons with benchmark disability, despite being not entitled, said the court. The investigating agency also needs to widen its scope of investigation. Hence the investigating agency is directed to conduct its investigation in all fairness to find out the candidates recommended in recent past (a) Who have illegally availed the attempts beyond permissible limits;(b) who have obtained the OBC(non creamy layer) benefit, despite not being entitled; (c) Who had obtained the benefits of persons with benchmark disability, despite being not entitled and (d) the investigating agency shall also find out whether some insider from the complainant side has also helped the applicant to attain her illegal goals, stated the court. Recently Delhi High Court has granted liberty to Former probationary IAS Puja Khedkar to approach the appropriate forum to challenge the cancellation of her candidature. (ANI)
Rashid, who recently won the Baramulla seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by defeating former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, was arrested in connection with a 2017 Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case.

The Addional Sessions Judge Chanderjit Singh on Tuesday issued notice to the NIA and fixed August 28 for arguements on his bail plea.

Engineer Rashid has submitted a second regular bail application in Delhi's Patiala House court.

Earlier, the same court had granted Rashid, a two-hour custody parole on July 5 to allow him to take the oath as a Member of Parliament.

In 2005, Engineer Rashid was arrested by the Special Operations Group (SOG) in Srinagar for allegedly supporting militants and was held for three months and 17 days. He faced charges of anti-national activities and was incarcerated in Cargo, Humhama, and Raj Bagh prisons. However, the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Srinagar later dropped all charges against him on humanitarian grounds.

In August 2019, Rashid was again arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). During his incarceration, he filed his nomination for the 2024 parliamentary elections from jail and won by a margin of 204,000 votes, defeating former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. (ANI)
A tight police arrangements have been made in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior district ahead of a protest rally called by Bahujan Samaj Party and Bhim Sena amid the ongoing protest against the Supreme Court's recent judgement on reservations. The Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti announced Bharat Bandh on August 21. The district administration and police are on alert mode, police personnel are taking rounds, barricades have been put up and drone cameras are active for the security arrangement in the district. Gwalior Superintendent of Police (SP) Dharmaveer Singh told ANI, "In view of the call for 'Bharat Bandh' by various organisations, Gwalior police are continuously patrolling here since 6 am on Wednesday. Over 150 fixed barricades were put up for the security and all the police officials, including CSP and Additional SP are taking rounds." "Here the call for the protest is majorly by Bahujan Samaj Party and Bhim Sena. We have continuous communication with all the senior and junior workers of these organisations. The program will be held according to the plans discussed in the meeting. Those whoever tried to create nuisance, we have made proper arrangements to take strict action against them," the officer said. The main call of these organisations is to submit a memorandum here and markets will be opened as usual. There isn't any call for market 'bandh'. If anyone forcibly tries to close the market then arrangements have been made to take action for that, SP Singh further said. "We are in communication with the office-bearers of these organisations and permission granted to them which they sought. We will cooperate with their pre-decided programs. We are monitoring their move with drone cameras. The anti-social elements are under our surveillance," the officer said. Additionally, cyber police and social media teams are continuously monitoring their activities on digital platforms. Notices being issued that if anyone tries to share a post which disturbs social harmony, then FIR will be lodged against the person concerned, he added. Notably, the 'Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti' are observing a day-long Bharat Bandh on Wednesday to protest against the Supreme Court ruling that permits sub-classification within reservation categories for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The apex in a landmark ruling on August 1, ruled that states have the power to sub-classify SCs and STs and said that the authority concerned, while deciding if the class is adequately represented, must calculate adequacy based on effective and not quantitative representation. (ANI)
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav paid a floral tribute to former CM of the state late Babulal Gaur on his death anniversary at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state office in Bhopal on Wednesday. In a post on X, CM Yadav wrote, "Today, I paid tribute to late Babulal Gaur ji, former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, by garlanding his picture on his death anniversary at the Bharatiya Janata Party office in Bhopal." He further wrote that the former CM's dedication to the public service and states' progress would always inspire them. "Your life dedicated to public service and the progress of the state will always inspire us," CM wrote. State BJP Chief VD Sharma also paid floral tribute to former CM Gaur at the party office. "I paid tribute to former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and senior BJP leader Babulal Gaur ji by offering flowers to his picture at the state office on his death anniversary," Sharma wrote in a post on X. Notably, Babulal Gaur served as the 16th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh from August 2004 to November 2005. He covered a long way from 'mazdoor' to CM. He was a leader who rose through the ranks. Born in 1930 in Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh, Baburam Yadav worked at Bhopal Textiles Mill and emerged as a 'mazdoor' leader after heading several movements and later went on to become the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. Yadav, who later earned name and fame as Babulal Gaur, died on August 21, 2019 at a private hospital in Bhopal after a cardiac arrest. A record 10-time member of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Gaur was initially associated with left struggle movement and also worked for a brief period with Indian National Trade Union Congress but finally joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1946 and became a founder member of Rashtriya Mazdoor Sangh. Gaur, who was detained for 19 months during the Emergency period, participated in a number of national-level movements including Goa independence. He contested his first political battle unsuccessfully in 1971 from Bhopal South constituency but never looked back after winning the seat in a by-election in 1974. Gaur fought elections from Govindpura constituency in 1977 and retained the seat till he was asked to hang his boots by the top BJP leadership in 2018 paving the way for his daughter-in-law Krishna Gaur, who is currently serving as a minister in the state (Independent Charge). Gaur was an exceptional leader, who worked as Cabinet minister after serving as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh from August 2004 to November 2005. Gaur's promotion as chief minister was short of accidental in state politics as he was elected for the post after a dramatic turn of events when the then chief minister Uma Bharti had to step down from office following an arrest warrant issued against her in a case related to 1994 Hubli riots. Bharti had led BJP to sweep Assembly elections in the state in 2003. Gaur, a confidant of Bharti, was made the chief minister as a stopgap arrangement till she was cleared of the case. In November 2005, Gaur had to resign at the behest of the BJP high command which pointed Chouhan as the BJP legislative party leader capping hectic political activity and dealing a blow to Bharti's efforts to stage a comeback. (ANI)
The Colombian Bible Society has unveiled the first complete translation of the Bible into an indigenous language: Wayuunaiki, which will serve two indigenous ethnic groups in Colombia. The Wayu ethnic community constitutes 20% of the indigenous population. The Nasa people, another native group, represent approximately 12.8%, according to data from the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) in 2019.

"We work hand in hand with indigenous communities in Colombia with two main purposes: to preserve their native language and to speak the language of their heart through the Word of God. For this reason, together with the Wayu and Nasa communities, we are translating the Bible into Wayuunaiki and Nasa Yuwe, while strengthening ties with the population," the Colombian Bible Society says.

This marks the first time a complete Bible translation has been achieved in a native language within the country. The project required the expertise of biblical scholars, native translators, and language specialists to ensure that the meaning and interpretation of the sacred text remained intact. "Those of us who cannot read in Spanish found it difficult to complete the translation, but now, with this resource available in all our churches, we can advance not only in urban areas but also in rural communities," said Deinles Epieyu, a Wayu Christian leader, in an interview with Caracol News.

The translation, which took about 13 years to complete, is being celebrated as it will aid thousands of people who struggle with the Spanish language. The indigenous communities hope it will provide significant spiritual support and further enhance community relations.

"For us, the Bible translation signifies development and progress for the Wayu people. It advances both the linguistic development and grammar of our Wayuunaiki language as well as spiritual growth," said Ramon Uriana Epieyu, a member of the Wayu community.

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Alexander Gomez, head of the Colombian Bible Society, said, "It is a great satisfaction because we know there will be transformations at personal, community, and socio-cultural levels. Each Wayu brother and sister who hears the Word of God in their native language will experience the love that God expresses to us."

During the presentation to the Wayu community, the organization distributed 1,600 Wayuunaiki Bibles free of charge. The goal is to provide at least 10,000 copies this year. The translation project cost 4.5 billion Colombian pesos (approximately 1.12 million US dollars) and was supported by donations from around the world.

The Wayu are indigenous people from the Guajira Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea, primarily residing in the northern part of Colombia's La Guajira department and the northern region of Venezuela's Zulia state.

While 97% of the Wayu population speaks their traditional language, Wayuunaiki, and 32% speak Spanish, 66% have not received formal education. Despite efforts to integrate the Spanish alphabet, the Wayu maintain a strong oral tradition and prioritize collective values over individual ones in their social interactions.

Originally published by Diario Cristiano, Christian Daily International's Spanish edition.
Indian Institute of Management Raipur (IIM Raipur) and Birmingham City University (BCU) announced a new partnership aimed at enhancing collaboration in academic and research endeavours on Wednesday The MOU was signed by Prof. Ram Kumar Kakani, Director, IIM Raipur, and Prof. Eileen McAuliffe, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean, Birmingham City University. In a statement, IIM Raipur emphasised the importance of this new partnership, "This collaboration will focus on a series of initiatives designed to enhance both teaching and research capabilities across both institutions, benefiting faculty, students, and the broader academic community. Under this agreement, the partnership between IIM Raipur and Birmingham City University will foster dynamic academic exchanges, including faculty and staff collaborations to enhance research, teaching methods, and professional development." the press release said. The statement further said, "This collaboration will focus on a series of initiatives designed to enhance both teaching and research capabilities across both institutions, benefiting faculty, students, and the broader academic community. Under this agreement, the partnership between IIM Raipur and Birmingham City University will foster dynamic academic exchanges, including faculty and staff collaborations to enhance research, teaching methods, and professional development." Professor Ram Kumar Kakani, Director, of IIM Raipur, said, "This collaboration between IIM Raipur and Birmingham City University marks a dynamic step forward, building on our vibrant and emerging legacy. With this partnership, we are creating powerful opportunities for our students and faculty, enhancing our global presence, and unlocking a future filled with innovation and success. The exchange programs will enrich our community, enabling us to forge a strong interconnected network that will drive our growth and excellence in the years to come." Dr. Shishank Shishank, Associate Professor at Birmingham City University, stated, "This partnership represents a significant step forward in our mission to foster global collaboration in academia. By working closely with IIM Raipur, we aim to create new opportunities for research, teaching, and student engagement that will benefit both our institutions and the wider academic community." Dr. Mrunal Chavda, Assistant Professor at IIM Raipur, added, "We are thrilled to collaborate with Birmingham City University in this initiative. This partnership will not only enhance our academic programs but also contribute to the global exchange of knowledge and ideas, which is essential for addressing the complex challenges of our time." Students will benefit from exchange programs and study abroad opportunities, gaining international exposure that broadens their perspectives and skills. Joint research initiatives will address global challenges, leveraging the strengths of both institutions to drive innovation. Additionally, the partnership will include organizing lectures, seminars, and conferences to promote interdisciplinary collaboration. The institutions will also share academic resources and develop joint curricula, further enriching educational offerings and exploring broader academic cooperation in areas of mutual interest. Prof. Navneet Bhatnagar, Chairperson of International Relations, IIM Raipur, said, "On behalf of the International Relations Office of IIM Raipur, I am delighted about IIM Raipur signing the MoU for academic collaboration and exchange with Birmingham City University, UK. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the commitment of IIM Raipur to global business education, promising enriched opportunities for our students and faculty through shared research, exchange programmes, and innovative academic initiatives." Professor Satyasiba Das, Dean External, IIM Raipur, said, "International collaboration is a critical strategic intent of IIM Raipur. With a new international partner line-up, we are steadily progressing towards an institute of excellence with international accreditation and recognition from both industry and the academic community." (ANI)
Doctors continue their protest in Kolkata over the rape and murder of a junior doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital. Doctors from the National Institute of Homeopathy could be seen holding banners and hollering slogans, demanding justice for the second-year PG graduate who was raped and murdered in the seminar hall of the college on August 9. On Wednesday morning, After the Supreme Court constituted a National Task Force that will make recommendations on the prevention of violence and safe working conditions for medical professionals, the Resident Doctors' Association of AIIMS, New Delhi, extended its sincere gratitude to the apex court. In a press release, the Resident Doctors' Association of AIIMS, New Delhi said that they will provide OPD services from Jantar Mantar to demonstrate their unwavering commitment to patient care "The Resident Doctors' Association of AIIMS, New Delhi, extends its sincere gratitude to the Supreme Court for its Suo Motu Cognizance and recent verdict concerning RG Kar MC&H and related issues. We appreciate the Court's attention to the pressing issues affecting our healthcare professionals," the release said. The top court on Tuesday constituted a 10-member National Task Force to make recommendations on the prevention of violence and safe working conditions for medical professionals. The top court also directed all social media platforms and electronic media to remove the name of the deceased in the RG Kar Hospital case, photographs, and video clips forthwith. A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud also comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra noted that the identity of the victim was published on various platforms. The top court said that it is constrained to issue an injunctive order since social and electronic media have proceeded to publish the identity of the deceased and photographs of the dead body after the recovery of the body. (ANI)
By Pradeep Sheokand Chandigarh [India], August 21: The doctors of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh continued their demonstration on Wednesday against the alleged sexual assault and murder of a resident doctor in Kolkata. The doctor's demonstration has continued for over ten days with the doctors saying that the demonstration will continue until their demands are met. The main demands put forward are to ensure justice for the trainee doctor in Kolkata and the enforcement of the Central Protection Act. The alleged sexual assault and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical and Hospital in Kolkata has garnered a wave of outrage from doctors and the general public across the country. The protesting doctors said that they were aware of both their rights and duties. "This movement will continue until justice is served", said one doctor. The doctors have opened up an 'Open OPD', where they treat patients on the demonstration site itself. The PGIMER doctors also said that they are trying to fulfil their responsibility to treat the patients. The doctors have decided to treat the patients on the spot of the demonstration, to ensure that those who come from far away and other serious patients with ailments do not have to face any trouble. Some patients have also expressed that having the OPD has benefitted them. "We come from far away, and if the doctors don't treat us then we face a lot of difficulties, so this is a good step by the doctors", one patient revealed. Other patients also expressed their support of the demonstration by doctors, saying that the government should fulfil the demands of doctors at the earliest. The Supreme Court on Tuesday constituted a 10-member National Task Force to make recommendations on the prevention of violence and safe working conditions for medical professionals. The task force includes Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, among others. The trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9. (ANI)
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wondered whether the Karnataka governor Thawar Chand Gehlot has not discriminated against him after granting immediate permission to prosecute him in the alleged MUDA 'scam' while following a delaying approach in the case of HD Kumaraswamy. "Has the governor not discriminated by giving immediate permission for prosecution against me? In the case of former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, the Governor has been following a delay policy but he has permitted the prosecution without relying on any investigation report against me. Is this not discrimination?", CM told reporters in Koppal on Wednesday. https://x.com/siddaramaiah/status/1826175760823980217 In a post on X, the Karnataka CM said that the Lokayukta Special Investigation Team sought permission for prosecution against the Janata Dal (Secular) leader in the alleged illegal mining case but the governor did not take any action. Karnataka CM added, " In HD Kumarawamy's case, the Governor is following a delaying approach, but he has allowed prosecution against me alone any investigation report. What else is this but discrimination?" "Kumaraswamy is already scared. They are worried that the governor may allow an investigation into the illegal mining case. Lokayukta SIT submitted an investigation report against him and sought permission for prosecution, but as no action was taken by the Governor, SIT applied again," CM added. The CM was speaking in the context of the SIT seeking the Governor's nod to file a chargesheet against HD Kumaraswamy over an alleged 'illegal' mining lease. H.D.Kumarswamy in-turn accused the Congress of vendetta politics and said that the Congress wanted to malign him using a dead case. "They started the enquiry in 2011 and several findings have come out. There is no exchequer loss. Till now no mining area is not allowed to anyone. Now it's 2024, the SIT hasn't completed the investigation yet. Two to three times they went to the Supreme Court but only filed the status report. Now after Cong coming to power in 2023. They went to the governor in November requesting sanction to file a chargesheet against me. Let's see what happens. I have no role in the case. This government wants to malign me. But this is a dead case." The Karnataka High Court on Monday asked the trial court concerned not to take any precipitative action against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah based on the Governor's sanction in the MUDA 'scam', till the next date of hearing before the High Court. Earlier, a complaint was filed by social activist Snehamayi Krishna against the Karnataka CM and nine others for allegedly forging documents to claim compensation from the Mysuru Urban Development Authority. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled for a two-day visit to Chhattisgarh from August 24, where he will assess anti-Naxal operations alongside the police chiefs and chief secretaries from neighbouring states affected by Naxal insurgency. The annual engagement is aimed at evaluating and enhancing strategies to tackle the challenges related to Naxal activities. In the meeting, which is expected to be held in Chhattisgarh's capital, Raipur, the Home Minister will assess both the measures taken against Naxal insurgency and the advancement of infrastructure projects in regions known as Red corridors within nine states troubled by Left Wing Extremism (LWE).Shah will arrive in Raipur on August 23 night and commence a series of meetings beginning on August 24. These meetings will feature an interstate coordination engagement with chief secretaries and director generals of police from neighbouring states, as well as a security and development meeting on LWE-affected areas of Chhattisgarh. The meeting is learnt to be attended by the police chiefs of Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and West Bengal--the states where Naxalism has been constricted, as per the latest data collated by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Besides, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and Director Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Chief Anish Dayal Singh are also expected to attend these two meetings. On August 25, the Home Minister will inaugurate Raipur Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) office following a review meeting in the morning. The Home Minister will also chair a meeting on the expansion of Cooperation in Chhattisgarh on August 24. The anti-Naxal meeting is significant at a time when, as per the Home Ministry's latest data, the geographical spread of LWE violence has substantially fallen with a reduction of LWE-affected districts from 126 across 10 states in 2013 to only 38 districts in 2024 (with effect from April-2024) across nine states: Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and West Bengal. MHA's data reveals that maximum of 15 districts from Chhattisgarh--Bijapur, Bastar, Dantewada, Dhamtari, Gariyaband, Kanker, Kondagaon, Mahasamund, Narayanpur, Rajnandgaon, Mohalla-Manpur- Ambagarh chowki, Khairgarh- ChhuikhadanGandai, Sukma, Kabirdham and Mungeli--are now affected with Naxaism menace, followed by seven districts of Odisha namely Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Bolangir, Malkangiri, Nabrangpur, Nuapada and Rayagada. As per the data, naxalism is only restricted to five districts (Giridih, Gumla, Latehar, Lohardaga and West Singhbhum) of Jharkhand as well as three districts (Balaghat, Mandla and Dindori) of Madhya Pradesh. The LWE regions are limited to just two districts in Kerala (Wayanad and Kannur), two districts in Maharashtra (Gadchiroli and Gondia), and two districts in Telangana (Bhadradri-Kothagudem and Mulugu). Additionally, the naxal-affected areas in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal are restricted to just one district each in Alluri Sitaramraju and Jhargram, respectively. The MHA data was shared by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai in Parliament in the recently concluded Budget Session, informing that the credit for the significant achievement goes to the central government's national policy and action plan approved in 2015 to address the LWE menace. The LWE violence incidents have reduced by 73 per cent from the high level of LWE violence incidents in 2010, the MoS had said, adding "the resultant deaths (security forces and civilians) have reduced by 86 per cent from the all-time high of 1,005 in 2010 to 138 in 2023. "In the current year 2024 (up to June 30, 2024), there has been a sharp reduction of 32 per cent in LWE perpetrated incidents and 17 per cent in the resultant deaths of civilians and security force personnel in comparison to the figures for the corresponding period of 2023." He further said that the number of police stations reporting LWE-related violence has significantly reduced from 465 police stations in 96 districts in 2010 to 171 police stations across 42 districts in 2023. In 2024 (up to June 2024), LWE violence was reported from 89 police stations across 30 districts, the MoS had added. During the last 10 years since 2014-15, Rs 6,908 crore have been released for capacity building in the LWE-affected states under the Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS), Security Related Expenditure (SRE) and Special Central Assistance (SCA) schemes. Further, Rs 1000 crore has been given to Central Agencies for helicopters and addressing critical infrastructure in security camps in LWE-affected areas, under the Assistance to Central Agencies for LWE Management (ACALWEM) Scheme. On the development front, apart from flagship schemes, the central government has taken several specific initiatives in LWE-affected states, with a special thrust on the expansion of road network, improving telecom connectivity, skill development and financial inclusion. (ANI)
Over the past two days, heavy rainfall across various districts in Tripura has led to severe flooding in several parts of the state. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said that the administration is giving top priority to relief and rescue operations, working tirelessly to manage the situation. The state government is regularly updating the central government on the evolving flood conditions, Saha said. Initial reports indicate that the flooding has caused significant damage to homes, livestock, roads, electricity infrastructure, and agricultural crops. Joint efforts by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local administration are in full swing to rescue citizens stranded by the rising waters. Taking to X, CM Manik Saha shared, "In the last two days, heavy rains have caused flooding in various districts of the state. The administration is engaged in relief and rescue operations with the highest priority. The state government is regularly informing the central government about the flood situation. It was initially reported that apart from the destruction of houses, livestock, roads, electricity and agricultural crops were also damaged." He said that the joint initiative of NDRF, SDRF and local administration is in full swing to rescue the citizens at various places. "Citizens are being rushed to safe shelters from vulnerable areas, especially along the river banks. The administration is fully on the side of the people, I appeal to the people not to listen to unnecessary rumours. I earnestly request the people of State to exercise utmost caution and help the administration. We need patience and courage to stand next to the affected people. Let's pray to the almighty for everyone's well-being," he added. CM Manik Saha said that this kind of situation was unprecedented and this much rainfall never happened in the past. He said that in the South district the amount of rainfall recorded was 375 mm. CM Saha said, "Spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and briefed him on the current situation arising out of severe flood situation. I also requested to dispatch additional NDRF teams to support our response efforts. The Home Minister assured me of all possible support during this crisis. I am grateful to him for providing all possible support to us at this hour." CM Manik Saha gave an update on the current situation. "All the officials of the district administration of various districts, NDRF (National Disaster Response Force), SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) and local authorities are on high alert and have been working together to provide assistance and support to the people in the flood-affected areas," Saha posted in social media. He urged all the social organizations, NGOs and citizens to remain vigilant and provide their all-out support during this crisis. "Your every iota of contribution can make a significant difference to the response and relief efforts," he further added. Earlier three members of the family were killed and one was injured after a landslide triggered by incessant rain in Devipur ADC village in Tripura on Tuesday. The victims include Trisankar Chakma, his wife Ranjani Chakma (41 years) and their 12-year-old daughter, Mita Chakma. Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha promptly convened a review meeting to assess the flood situation in the state. The discussions focused on evaluating the current situation and implementing measures to manage and mitigate the impact of the floods on the affected areas. He asked the officials concerned to leave no stone unturned in ensuring timely support and relief to the affected people. Meanwhile, heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected to continue over Tripura for the next two days, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). (ANI)
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is on a three-day state visit to India.

Vijay Chauthaiwale, the BJP's overseas in-charge, mentioned that the meeting between BJP President JP Nadda and the Prime Minister of Malaysia is part of the "Know BJP" initiative to enhance interaction between the ruling party of Malaysia and the BJP.

Chauthaiwale told ANI, "Meeting of BJP President Shri JP Nadda ji with visiting PM of Malaysia is yet another step under "Know BJP" to enhance interaction between ruling party of Malaysia and BJP."

Nadda said during the meeting they exchanged valuable insights to strengthen party-to-party relations and deepen our mutual understanding.

In a post on X, Nadda said, "Honored to meet and engage with HE Dato' Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia, in New Delhi as part of the 'Know BJP' initiative. We exchanged valuable insights to strengthen party-to-party relations and deepen our mutual understanding. Our discussions on bolstering India-Malaysia ties reflect our shared vision for a stronger partnership that fosters mutual growth and cooperation."

Their meeting centred on fostering stronger party-to-party connections through delegation exchanges aimed at fortifying the bilateral relationship between India and Malaysia, BJP said in a post on X.

During the meeting, the leaders reflected on the significant progress in bilateral relations between India and Malaysia over the past decade.

They discussed the potential for further collaboration, particularly in the areas of education, employment, and Ayurveda. Both leaders agreed to strengthen party-to-party relations by facilitating exchanges between Bharatiya Janata Party and People's Justice Party, thereby fostering a deeper partnership and mutual understanding.

Nadda was accompanied by BJP Foreign Affairs Department In-Charge Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale during the meeting.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is on his maiden state visit to India as Prime Minister of Malaysia at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party's Rajya Sabha by-election candidate from Rajasthan Ravneet Singh Bittu on Wednesday filed the nominations and excuded confidence in winning the by-polls and said that his 'karmabhoomi' will be Punjab and Rajasthan. "I will be elected to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. This is also right that other parties had not fielded any candidate, so this is a very big victory for the BJP here. It is a matter of great happiness for Rajasthan because just a few days ago, our Chandigarh Administrator and our Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, who has been an MLA for more than 8 times, took charge... So Rajasthan and Punjab, from where I come, both are always ready for the protection of the country, for the pride of the country, for the turban of the country... Now my karmabhoomi will be Punjab and Rajasthan," the Union Minister Bittu told reporters on Wednesday. He further asserted that in 2027 Assembly polls, the BJP would form the government in Punjab. "I can say with confidence that all the workers and leaders of Punjab are confident that they will bring a BJP government in Punjab in 2027...MSP on every crop is there in Punjab and Haryana," he added. Earlier today, Bittu filed his nomination in Jaipur, he was accompained by Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, Deputy CMs Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa, and State Minister Jogaram Patel. After filing the nomination, Rajasthan CM, Deputy CMs Diya Kumari and Premchand Bairwa, Union Minister and Rajya Sabha candidate Ravneet Singh Bittu along with other BJP MLAs and ministers of the state government attended a meeting held in the Legislative Assembly, in Jaipur. Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday announced nine candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha by-elections. Bittu lost the Lok Sabha polls from Ludhiana but is presently the Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries. Bittu is the Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries. He lost the Lok Sabha polls from Ludhiana. The by-elections to 12 Rajya Sabha seats are scheduled to be held on September 3. Most of these seats were vacated after sitting MPs were elected to the lower house. The BJP-led NDA is hoping for a majority in the Rajya Sabha after the bypolls. (ANI)
Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole on Wednesday slammed Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government for doing "politics" over the alleged sexual assault of two minor girls in Maharashtra's Badlapur incident and said that Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has called for a Maharashtra Bandh on August 24. "The government itself is doing politics in this (Badlapur incident). The biggest state where crime against children takes place is Maharashtra. 21,000 such incidents have happened in the state and the government is hiding them. On August 24 we have called for Maharashtra Bandh," Patole told reporters. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam assured the people that Maharashtra government condemn the incident and the accused would be punished soon. "We are here after the agitation that erupted yesterday...We are here to assure the people that our government stand in support of them and we condemn this incident... SIT has been formed to investigate the matter and we are also trying to get the accused punished as soon as possible," Nirupam said. The alleged sexual assault of two fourth-grade girls in Badlapur, Maharashtra by a school attendant has sparked outrage. On August 17 police arrested an attendant for allegedly abusing the girls. This incident has created massive outrage among the people in Badlapur. On August 17, police arrested an attendant for allegedly abusing the girls. Internet services have been shut down in Badlapur and shops have been ordered to remain closed. Earlier, a massive protest was held at Badlapur Railway Station in response to the alleged sexual assault of two minor girls. Protesters also pelted stones at police during the protest. Heavy security has been deployed to control the crowd protesting against the incident. Maharashtra Police has arrested more than 40 people and registered an FIR against 300 people following the massive protest over the incident that led to stone-pelting, disruption of train services and lathi charges on Tuesday. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ordered a high-level probe into the incident and said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the case. (ANI)
President Droupadi Murmu attended the 5th convocation of the JC Bose University of Science and Technology in Faridabad on Wednesday. Speaking on the occasion, Murmu said that the whole world was in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and India was also ready to face the challenges of this revolution and take advantage of its opportunities. Murmu noted that this university had entered into agreements with many industrial and academic institutions over the past few years and many multinational companies had also established Centres of Excellence on the campus of this university to train students. She further expressed hope that all these efforts would yield positive results. The President further stated that many avenues of progress had opened up due to the development of technology. She further illustrated that access to the internet in remote areas "has created many online employment opportunities. But we should remember that technology should be used for proper and sustainable development and public interest. Its wrong use can be disastrous." The President further applauded JC Bose University for playing an important role in making the youth skilled and self-reliant and noted that this university had an impressive list of alumni who had been doing remarkable work in many fields in the country and abroad. She further advised the university administration to take steps to make the contribution of the Alumni Association more effective. The President also said that the university is named after the great scientist and pioneer of modern science, Jagadish Chandra Bose, who was probably the first scientist in the world who proved scientifically that even trees and plants have feelings and his revolutionary discovery changed the way we look at the botanical world. She also urged the students to take inspiration from JC Bose's life and works and bring positive change to society through technology. The President said that India's rich heritage always made us proud and the youth "are a part of this rich heritage and they have to become its flagbearers." She lastly advised the students to trust their abilities and capabilities and move forward with self-confidence to achieve their goals. (ANI)
A Christian dance group in Barbados remains disqualified due to its biblically based performance on gender identity despite an arbiter rescinding his decision to uphold the ban, according to reports.

The National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) in October disqualified the Praise Academy of Dance Barbados from a national competition, accusing it of exceeding the bounds of good taste and making defamatory claims, according to rights group Christian Concern.

Attorney Gregory Nicholls, a Labour Party senator in the island countrys Upper House, had upheld the decision as an arbiter for the dispute on Nov. 17, but he rescinded his ruling in a recent letter to Praise Academy of Dance Barbados.

I accept...that a fair-minded informed observer would conclude that there was a real possibility of bias in the present matter, Nichols wrote. I have therefore decided to rescind my arbitral decision of November 17th, 2023, in the interest of fairness to all parties concerned.

In a press statement, Christian Concern noted that lawful arbitration must involve impartiality on legal matters, and any perceived bias means a decision should be set aside.

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Despite Nicholls revoking his decision, NIFCA judges refuse to rescind the ban. Praise Academy of Dance Barbados is consulting with the Christian Legal Centre in the U.K. for advice on a legal response, including a potential investigation into alleged actions by Nicholls.

Attorney Davida Maynard-Holligan, representing Praise Academy of Dance Barbados for the Christian Legal Centre, said justice had been delayed while the original ruling remained in place.

If we had not challenged and exposed what had happened to the group, there is no way that Sen. Nicholls would have withdrawn his ruling, Maynard-Holligan said. What he did therefore remains a highly concerning precedent which must never happen again on this island.

Maynard-Holligan added that the ruling presented a chilling message to all Christians living in Barbados, a former British colony in the Caribbean region, and especially young students refusing to conform to gender identity ideology and extremist teaching.

Senator Nicholls judgment, issued publicly, amounted to an LGBTQ takeover of our legal rights and freedoms in Barbados and cannot go unchallenged, Maynard-Holligan said. We will continue to seek full justice in this matter and believe an impartial investigation should be conducted into Sen. Nicholls actions and what led to them.

Praise Academy of Dance Barbados, based at Sifa House in Upper Collymore Rock in St. Michael, produced a performance called Speak Life, which presented Christian views that there are only two genders, alongside the biblical perspective on sexual orientation. Performed by teenage students, Speak Life told the story of a 15-year-old girl struggling with her gender identity who finds peace and her true identity in a relationship with God.

The plot promoted parental rights and freedoms for Christian parents to rear children within biblical norms, rather than LGBT ideology, according to the academy.

A banner on stage includes the biblical verse Gen. 1:27, So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

After widespread viewing of a video of the performance online, NIFCA disqualified the group from the national competition. The academy appealed to an arbiter for the National Cultural Foundation (NCF), arguing that the decision was illegal and unconstitutional, and that there was no clarity about what broke the rules or had been deemed bad taste.

Praise Academy of Dance Barbados uses dance, drama, gymnastics and music to convey a gospel-centric message about Christ that the nation and nations may recognize and appreciate the relevance of God to their everyday lives, according to the arts schools website.

The academy focuses on supporting youths with the intent of equipping and encouraging them to lead a godly and productive life.

Praise Academy of Dance Barbados is affiliated with schools in Jamaica and Trinidad and has addressed various social issues in arts performances over the past 20 years. The group has never before been disqualified because of their Christian beliefs, according to Christian Concern.

Marcia Weekes, founder and artistic director of Praise Academy of Dance Barbados, has led the school in a number of previous appearances at NIFCA. The academy has also been utilized at various government, corporate and church events.

Marcias love for God is borne out in the poignant, relevant and inspirational dances the Academy produces, the group states on its website. She believes that she exists to be salt and light in any environment in which she is placed.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday inaugurated 19 projects worth Rs 17,616 crores and laid the foundation stone for 28 projects worth 51,157 crores. State Industry Minister TRB Raja believes with today's inauguration of projects job opportunities would be created for 64,968 people. Chief Minister MK Stalin stressed that entrepreneurs got confidence in Tamil Nadu that they can run businesses here peacefully and proved that in the last three years, Tamil Nadu has seen many industries. Stalin inaugurated the 'Tamil Nadu investment conclave 2024' in a private hotel in Chennai. During the event, he inaugurated 19 projects, laid the foundation stone for 28 projects and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between the companies and the Tamil Nadu government. There is also one big investment from a Singapore-based company 'Semcorp' which has invested around Rs 36,000 crores. "Tamil Nadu to be Green Hydrogen Capital. The first green hydrogen molecule to start from Tamil Nadu in India. Today this is big, this is the outcome of the MoU between Japan - Singapore and us. In Thoothukudi this is going to coming up" TRB Raja said in a press brief. Notably, the MoU was signed between the Tamil Nadu Government and Greenko Company to start three closed-loop pump storage facilities in the State will bring an investment of Rs 20.114 crores and create jobs for 1500 people. The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone for 'TN ENGINE' which is a joint initiative of Tata Technologies & Tamil Nadu Engineering & Innovation Centre to set up an advanced common engineering facility centre for 9 emerging technologies for Rs 400 crores in Anna University campus, Coimbatore. For the first phase, CM today laid the foundation stone for initial works worth Rs 166.88 crores. While addressing the gathering Chief Minister MK Stalin said, "In last 3 years we have attracted 9 lakhs 74 thousand crores to create direct & indirect job opportunity for 31 lakhs people. With opportunities, families also developed and lived well. Everyone knows that investors usually prefer better law and order and a peaceful state. Entrepreneurs have confidence in Tamil Nadu that they can run businesses here peacefully proving that in the last three years, Tamil Nadu has seen many industries". Chief Minister also mentioned, "Over 1 lakh jobs are going to be created. And the maximum would be for women. This government is focusing on the development of women and that's what we will continue to do. Since these projects are being established in different districts, the socio-economic development of the districts is getting multifold. Stalin also emphasized that Tamil Nadu is a state which has an abundance of skill. "The highest number of women workforce. Women are safe in Tamil Nadu which the entire world knows. Infrastructure is getting better and making life easier for all. This is what we cos under our duty. Over 130, Fortune 500 industries have chosen Tamil Nadu and this is the proof. The youth of Tamil Nadu have the maximum skill and are successful everywhere. We are requesting the industries to make use of our youth. We will always highly support and help in improving the standards of our people," he said. Speaking to ANI, State Industry Minister TRB Raja said that Tamil Nadu is going towards a trillion-dollar economy which is the Chief Minister's goal. "A trillion dollar economy, that is his (the CM) focus and to get there we will need a vibrant Tamil Nadu. For this, every corner of Tamil Nadu needs to see economic growth. Every investment that comes in Tamil Nadu is focused on giving jobs. Today, you see Rs 68,773 crores worth of inaugurations and foundation stone laying are happening and this will give employment to over 1.6 lakh people across the state. This will rejuvenate the entire local economy and help us in achieving our one trillion-dollar economy goal," he said. (ANI)
The Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA) on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court and filed an urgent application for intervention and directions regarding the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata. According to the FAIMA press release, the association appreciated the Chief Justice of India for his kind consideration of the working environment of resident doctors and his assurance that the Supreme Court is looking into improving our working conditions and security. This tragic incident has led to nationwide protests and raised serious concerns about the safety of healthcare workers across the country. FAIMA's petition highlighted the dire need for enhanced security and better working conditions for doctors, especially women, who face constant threats in their line of duty. "The key interventions and directions requested by FAIMA included, the immediate Security Measures: Installation of CCTV cameras in sensitive hospital areas and ensuring compliance with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013, including a 24x7 distress call facility," the release stated. It further mentioned national task force inclusion in which representation of resident doctors in the National Task Force to address real-time safety issues and formulate comprehensive guidelines. "Interim Measures: Implementation of urgent measures such as equal bed-to-doctor ratios and secure resting areas until the National Task Force's recommendations are fully enacted. Timeline for Implementation: FAIMA seeks a stipulated timeline for the enforcement of the National Task Force's recommendations, ensuring that doctors can work in a safe and dignified environment," it added. The FAIMA said that these directions are crucial for safeguarding the lives and dignity of medical professionals, who continue to work under perilous conditions. "FAIMA remains hopeful that the Supreme Court's intervention will lead to swift and effective action, bringing much-needed security to the healthcare sector," it added. The alleged sexual assault and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical and Hospital in Kolkata has garnered a wave of outrage from doctors and the general public across the country. The Supreme Court on Tuesday constituted a 10-member National Task Force to make recommendations on the prevention of violence and safe working conditions for medical professionals. The task force includes Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, among others. The trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9. (ANI)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday said that the state has attracted investments worth over Rs 9 lakhs and created 31 lakh new jobs. He was speaking after inaugurating the 'Tamil Nadu Investment Conclave 2024' here. "In the last 3 years, we have attracted Rs 9 lakhs and 74 thousand crores to create direct and indirect job opportunities for 31 lakhs of people. Everyone knows that investors usually prefer better law and order and a peaceful state. Entrepreneurs are confident in Tamil Nadu that they can run businesses here peacefully," Stalin said. Stalin inaugurated 19 projects worth Rs 17,616 crore during the investment conclave. The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone for 28 projects worth Rs 51,157 crore. State Industry Minister TRB Raja said that the inaugurated projects would create 64,968 jobs in the state. Notably, a MoU was signed between the Tamil Nadu government and Greenko Company to start 3 closed-loop pump storage facilities in the state, bringing an investment of Rs 20.114 crore and creating jobs for 1,500 people. The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone for 'TN ENGINE', which is a joint initiative of Tata Technologies and Tamil Nadu Engineering & Innovation Centre, to set up an advanced common engineering facility centre for 9 emerging technologies at a cost of Rs 400 crores on the Anna University campus, Coimbatore. For the first phase, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for initial works worth Rs 166.88 crore today. Tamil Nadu Industry Minister TRB Raja told ANI that the main focus of the state government in attracting investment is generating job opportunities for the people. "A trillion-dollar economy is his (the CM's) focus and to get there, we will need a vibrant Tamil Nadu. For this, every corner of Tamil Nadu needs to see economic growth. Every investment that comes to Tamil Nadu is focused on creating jobs," Raja said. "Today, you see that Rs 68,773 crores worth of inaugurations and foundation stone laying are happening and this will give employment to over 1.6 lakh people across the state. This will rejuvenate the entire local economy and help us achieve our one trillion-dollar economy goal. The world over, Tamil Nadu is the number one destination for investors who come to India. The world investors who come into India look for a place safe for women, infrastructure, a governance model, a government in place and others, this is what Tamil Nadu excels in," he added. (ANI)
Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) wrote a letter to the Chief Secretary of West Bengal on Wednesday on the deployment of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in response to the rising protests following the rape and murder incident of a postgraduate trainee doctor of the institution. The MHA's letter, addressed to the Chief Secretary of West Bengal, outlines the need for increased security measures to manage the situation effectively. The deployment aims to support local law enforcement in handling the surge in protests and ensuring a stable environment for doctors. The step was taken a day after the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked to hand over the security of Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital to the CISF as it heard the suo motu case of the rape and murder of the trainee doctor there. This move comes as West Bengal faces a period of heightened agitation, with protesters voicing various grievances. The CISF's intervention is expected to bolster security efforts and help mitigate any potential threats to public peace. The decision to deploy CISF personnel comes amid growing unrest and demonstrations that have prompted concerns about maintaining public order and safety. The CISF personnel will be deployed at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, as well as, the hostel in Kolkata, said the sources privy to the development. The move comes amid junior doctors from various medical colleges and hospitals across West Bengal on Wednesday staged a rally to protest the rape-murder case at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and demanded increased security in their workplaces. The doctors called for a swift probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has taken over the case from Kolkata Police as directed by the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday, August 13. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party MP, Manoj Tiwari on Wednesday alleged that the sexual assault and murder of a female doctor in West Bengal's Hospital was carried out in a very coordinated manner as some had tried to erase the evidence of the incident that happened on August 9. Tiwari also appealed to the protesting doctors to return to their work. He said, "There is no doubt that in society, every person and artist living is extremely sad it cannot be expressed in words. I will request all the doctors that whoever is on strike should return to work. The culprit will be identified because there is not just one culprit in this but it is a whole gang." "This incident has been carried out in a very coordinated manner. Its strings go very far; the way some people have tried to erase the evidence of this incident. A crowd of about 6000 to 7000 entered the hospital and tried to break and destroy the hospital and the evidence. The hospital chief tried to term the incident as a suicide and his supporters attacked the hospital. This is not a normal incident. The accused in the murder and rape of the female doctor working at RG Kar will be found out. It is our prayer that no one should be spared. But we also pray that the doctor should come to his work," the BJP MP said. The Supreme Court on Tuesday constituted a 10-member National Task Force to make recommendations on the prevention of violence and safe working conditions for medical professionals. The task force includes Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, among others. Days after the rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata sparked nationwide protests, the apex court suo motu took up the case and directed the task force to submit an interim report within three weeks and a final report within two months. The top court also asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a status report on the status of the investigation in the rape case. The court asked the West Bengal government to file a status report on the mob attack incident in the RG Kar hospital on August 15. On August 9, a postgraduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered while on duty at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, sparking nationwide strikes and protests by the medical community. Further, speaking over the alleged sexual assault of two minor girls in Maharashtra's Badlapur, Manoj Tiwari said that no one will be spared in the case as the government has visited the spot. "The Chief Minister of the government have gone to the spot and no one will be spared in this. All these incidents are disturbing. There is an NDA coalition government in Maharashtra, so I want to assure you that the culprit cannot escape, whoever has done this will get the harshest punishment," Manoj Tiwari said. (ANI)
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday said that a meeting was held over the BJP manifesto for upcoming assembly elections, adding that the party will flag off 'Sankalp Patra Van' that will take suggestions for manifesto from people. "Today our first meeting of Sankalp Patra has taken place and the entire plan has been made in it. Today we are going to send the Sankalp Patra Van from here. This van will go among the public, and collect suggestions from the public. Starting from Panchkula, a 15-member committee will go in all 22 districts to take suggestions from people," CM Saini said. "In the last 10 years, our government has fulfilled what was promised in the earlier manifesto. People should also suggest the solution to the problems. We will also inform about our work," he added. The elections to the 90 assembly constituencies in Haryana will be held in a single phase on October 1 and the counting of votes will take place on October 4. In Haryana, there are a total of 2.01 crore voters in Haryana, of which 1.06 crore are males, 0.95 crores are females, 4.52 lakhs are first-time voters and 40.95 lakhs are young voters. The last day to file the nominations of Haryana will be September 12. The date of scrutiny of the nominations is September 13. The last date for the withdrawal of candidatures will be September 16. The term of the current government in Haryana will end on November 3, 2024, and elections will take in 90 legislative assembly constituencies in the state. After the 2019 elections, the BJP, with 40 seats in the 90-member assembly, formed a coalition government with the JJP. The JJP had won 10 seats, while the Congress had won 31 seats. The BJP-JJP alliance broke earlier this year. In 2024, Haryana is likely to see a four-way contest between the BJP, the Congress, the JJP, and the AAP. (ANI)
Congress leader Sachin Pilot has exuded confidence in the INDIA alliance's victory in all 10 seats in the by-elections for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. During his visit to Lucknow on Wednesday, Sachin Pilot said, "There are by-elections on 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh and the INDIA alliance will win in all 10 seats." He further stated that after the Lok Sabha election results, "the atmosphere in the whole country changed" and their claim of "400 paar failed." He further said that the central government had "to take a U-turn on its many decisions now" and the people had been raising their doubts about the "government's decision-making ability now." "A reflection of this will be visible in the by-election also. Our alliance is very strong," he added. The by-polls are scheduled to take place after nine MLAs were elected as MPs in this year's Lok Sabha elections and the MLA of Sishamau was disqualified after he was convicted of a criminal case. However, polling dates have not been announced yet. In the 2022 Assembly polls, out of 493 seats, the BJP won 255 seats, with the Samajwadi Party winning 111 and the Congress with two seats. However, of the 10 Assembly seats bound for the upcoming bypolls, five were won by the SP, three by the BJP and one each by its NDA allies, the NISHAD party and Rashtriya Lok Dal, in the 2022 assembly elections. In the Lok Sabha elections, out of the 80 parliamentary seats in the state, the BJP won 33, with its allies RLD and Apna Dal (Soneylal) getting two and one, respectively. On the other hand, the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP bagged 37 seats, with its INDIA partner Congress winning six. (ANI)
Nearly 66 lakh students failed to clear their Class X and XII board exams in 2023, according to a report from the Ministry of Education. The Ministry's review of the 2023 Secondary and Higher Secondary Boards also pointed to a substantial performance gap between students from central and state boards. Central board students had a failure rate of six per cent in Class X and 12 per cent in Class XII. In contrast, state board students experienced significantly higher failure rates, with 16 per cent failing Class X and 18 per cent failing Class XII. According to the report, approximately 33.5 lakh students failed to advance from Class X to Class XI, either due to non-appearance or failing the exams. In XII, 32.4 lakh students failed to complete their higher secondary education. The report covered an analysis of 59 examination boards, including three national-level and 56 state-level boards. Of these, 41 boards oversee both secondary and higher secondary exams, while 18 manage only one level. As per the report, the overall performance of students in classes X and XII in 2023 has declined in comparison to 2022. "This may be due to examination on larger syllabus than the previous one," the report said. The analysis provided insights into student performance across different boards, mediums, and streams, exposing both progress and ongoing challenges in India's educational landscape. One of the distinctive features of India's examination system is the variation in syllabi across different boards. While most adhere to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) syllabus, some states, including Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal, continue to follow their curricula, reflecting ongoing debates about standardizing education across the country. Exam duration also varied significantly, with Class X exams ranging from eight days in Bihar to 34 days under the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). For Class XII, the duration was even broader, ranging from 10 days in Bihar to 63 days in Punjab, indicating differences in how educational boards structure and organize exams. The report also revealed that language choice played a crucial role in exam performance. Hindi and English were the most popular mediums, with over 6.6 million and 6.7 million students, respectively. Marathi, Punjabi, and Bengali-speaking students achieved the highest pass rates, with 87.4 per cent, 87.4 per cent, and 84.5 per cent, respectively. There has been a notable improvement in the pass rates for students from socio-economically disadvantaged groups (SEDGs), including girls, SC, and ST students, in both exams. In government schools, around 33 lakh girls registered for the 10th class exams, surpassing the 32 lakh boys who enrolled. However, the trend reverses in private schools, where 38.2 lakh boys registered for the 10th exam, significantly outnumbering the 29.2 lakh girls. "The number of girls taking X and XII exams is higher in government-managed schools, while private schools see a significantly higher number of boys, indicating a gender gap in private institutions despite girls outperforming boys overall," the report said. The distribution of students across different streams reveals that 43 per cent opted for Science, 39 per cent chose Arts, 13 per cent selected Commerce, and three per cent were enrolled in vocational and other streams in 2023. Notably, girls were more represented in the Arts stream, while boys dominated the Science stream. Despite these differences, the overall pass percentage was higher among girls. There is a significant disparity in student performance between the 10th and 12th board examinations within the same state, highlighting the need for a unified board system and consistent curriculum and assessment standards. In Odisha and West Bengal, the gap between 10th and 12th board results has widened, while in Kerala, it has remained stable. On the other hand, the performance gap between the 10th and 12th boards has decreased in Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Manipur. (ANI)
Akhtar Ali, ex-Deputy Superintendent at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, on Wednesday filed a case against ex-principal Sandip Ghosh in the Calcutta High Court, alleging a massive nexus involving various scams. Akhtar Ali told ANI that Sandip Ghosh is allegedly involved in scams like biomedical waste, illegally handling dead bodies, failing students and demanding bribes, awarding unnecessary tenders and operating illegal stall kiosks. He said, "Today I have filed a case in the High Court, a criminal case, that case has been registered and its admission hearing is tomorrow. I have also appealed to the High Court for my safety and security because I am also getting threats. And this is a very big scam. Sandip Ghosh has a very big nexus which I want to expose." "There are many scams like biomedical waste, dead bodies, failing students, taking money from them and giving illegal stall kiosks, unnecessary tenders etc. So there are many such regulations and dead body is also one of them. So I want its inquiry should be done at a high level and he should be punished and this racket should be exposed. Some dead bodies without the consent of the patient party, without the will and consent of forensic medicine HoD, he gave them in the workshop," he added. He also alleged that Ghosh was previously accused, but no action was taken. "So there was an inquiry committee against this, a complaint was also made in the National Commission, PIL was also done in the High Court but no action was taken against him. He was transferred twice but after being transferred, he sat on the post again," he said. Akhat Ali, further said that he was transferred because he had exposed Sandip Ghosh and requested the CBI and ED to intervene. "He is a corrupt man and he is like a mafia. When I saw the accused (arrested in the case) photos on TV, it suddenly came to my mind that this man used to work under Sandip Ghosh. So, I don't know if he knew him. But I had seen him with Dr Sandip Ghosh. I have asked CBI and ED to intervene because Sandip Ghosh is running a huge nexus. It is important to break it and expose it," he added. Sandip Ghosh resigned from the position of principal at RG Kar Medical College alleging that he was being defamed on social media platforms following the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the hospital premises. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Tuesday constituted a 10-member National Task Force to make recommendations on the prevention of violence and safe working conditions for medical professionals. The task force includes Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, among others. On August 9, a postgraduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered while on duty at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, sparking nationwide strikes and protests by the medical community. (ANI)
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Wednesday accused the opposition of spreading misinformation about the Supreme Court's recent judgement on sub-classification within reservation categories for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and on Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) lateral entry advertisements. Speaking about the Bharat Bandh called in response to the Supreme Court's recent ruling on reservations, Meghwal told ANI, "Opposition parties are spreading misinformation. They have also created controversy over the creamy layer issue and lateral entry." Meghwal praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to withdraw UPSC lateral entry advertisements, stating that it reflects the PM continuous efforts for the interests of SC, ST, and OBC communities. "The advertisement for lateral entry was withdrawn till input of social justice comes. This means that Modi ji is continuously working for the interests of SC, ST, and OBC communities and will continue to do so in the future," Meghwal told ANI. A nationwide strike, known as "Bharat Bandh," was held across the country in response to a recent Supreme Court ruling on SC/ST reservations. The Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti announced the Bharat Bandh as a mark of protest against the SC's ruling on SC/ST reservations. The apex court in a landmark ruling on August 1 ruled that states have the power to sub-classify SCs and STs and said that the authority concerned, while deciding if the class is adequately represented, must calculate adequacy based on effective and not quantitative representation. The Supreme Court ruled by a majority judgement of 6:1, that sub-classification within the SCs and STs reservation is permissible. As many as six separate opinions were delivered in the case. The UPSC recently released a notification for recruiting Joint Secretaries, Directors, and Deputy Secretaries through lateral entry. Following criticism, Department of Personnel and Training wrote to UPSC asking to cancel the advertisement. (ANI)
In the sandy streets of Khartoum, new graffiti scrawled messages of freedom, peace, and liberty, an echo of the dreams of the Sudanese youth in 2019. Back then, amidst the arid landscape of this bustling capital, hope blossomed in the desert. A peoples revolt backed by the military ousted President Omar Hassan al-Bashir who had been in power for three decades.

But a breakdown of a fragile transitional civilian-military government and cracks within the armed forces threw Sudan into a full blown war in April 2023. The conflict pits the Sudanese Army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by former al-Burhan deputy, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Both factions are locked in a fierce struggle for power and control over the countrys resources, including its gold and oil.

The human cost has been staggering. Tens of thousands of Sudanese have lost their lives, and according to the United Nations, nearly 11 million people have been displaced. More than two million have fled the country. The war has left Sudanese civilians without essential food, healthcare, or any semblance of peace.

Peace talks organized by the United States that began on 16 August 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland kicked off with mixed results. While RSF representatives attended the talks, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) boycotted the peace initiative.

A joint statement from envoys representing the UN, the African Union, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Switzerland commended RSF for attending the talks and urged the paramilitary force to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure such as hospitals and churches.

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Among the priority issues raised at yesterdays meeting was the need to allow safe and unhindered passage of humanitarian aid and workers in and through all areas of RSF control, read the statement.

The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs however said the peace talks would be futile if RSF is allowed to get away with crimes against humanity for the sake of peace. SAF also accused RSF of bombing residential areas in Kordofan and Khartoum, and two schools in Al-Obeid city as well as a hospital in Al-Thawra, Karrari, just days to the talks. The Geneva delegation, however, committed to meet SAF as soon as they arrive or contact them in any way they choose.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an evangelical pastor in Sudan told Christian Daily International that the situation is getting worse by the day. He said that there are displaced people walking for up to 600 kilometers to escape volatile areas and to find food and shelter only to end up in the middle of nowhere.

People are suffering because there are new attacks (both from SAF and RSF) in new places. We are losing many more because of lack of food and medication, said the pastor. While the warring parties continue pulling in different directions, time is running out for what is left of Sudans crumbling civilian infrastructure.

Christian Daily International talked to Christians who lived in Khartoum for many years. One of them, Youssef (name changed for security reasons), led a now closed clinic in the city.

We cant talk about health organizations, because there are none, Youssef laments. Many doctors, pharmacists and highly educated people, including himself, have fled the country.

Before the war, there were three doctors for every 10,000 people, that was already disastrous. Now, there is almost no doctor left in town, he adds.

The war has not only destroyed critical healthcare facilities, it also made it very complicated for Christians to meet in their churches in Kharthoum. Some of the churches have been bombed and the danger of new attacks is vivid. In mid-August 2024, the citys Christian community attempted to gather in small congregations, Rani tells. However, this too proved difficult.

One church managed to organize a meeting, cleaned the church and collected the people from their homes with a bus to avoid the danger of the streets, Youssef recounts. The first meeting was a success, but on the second attempt, the bus was halted by the Sudanese Army.

They sent the people home, saying it was too dangerous to hold a congregation, Youssef explains. He adds that the incident is an example of how efforts to rebuild life are swiftly undone and brief moments of normality are quickly crushed.

Despite the dire situation, Youssef doesnt let hope be shattered. His greatest worry is the suffering of people already on the brink of starvation. The United Nations' World Food Program warns that approximately 8.5 million people are facing extreme food shortages, with the risk of famine looming if the conflict escalates further. The war has claimed nearly 16,000 lives, displaced millions, and triggered a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

Youssef continues to pay his clinic staff's salaries and remains in touch with those still in Khartoum. He observes that the prices for basic goods have skyrocketed alongside the destruction wrought by the RSF. Fruits are now a luxury, he says, noting that sugar is a rare commodity for many. The infrastructure, painstakingly built over decades, lies in ruins, and with scant support for reconstruction, recovery will be a long and arduous process.

What troubles Youssef most, however, is the deafening silence surrounding this devastation. A joint report by 21 Christian humanitarian organizations listed Sudan as one of the six crisis-hit African countries that have been neglected by the international community.

What really kills me is that despite all this suffering, nobody talks about it, wonders Youssef. He believes that the conflict has spiraled beyond human control. It really needs Gods hand, Gods mercy. Prayer is the only thing that will change this, he asserts. He places his faith in divine intervention over NGO projects or peace talks, hoping for a resolution that seems increasingly distant.
YSRCP President and Andhra Pradesh former Chief Minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday expressed profound shock and grief over the tragic reactor explosion at Atchutapuram SEZ in Anakapalli district. He extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the incident. The YSRCP Chief has urged the government to ensure that the injured receive the best possible medical treatment in hospitals. He also called upon the authorities to take immediate steps to prevent such incidents in the future. In addition, he demanded that the state government provide adequate support to the families of the deceased. He emphasized the need for stringent measures to prevent fire accidents and urged the government to focus on comprehensive safety protocols to ensure the security and well-being of workers in factories. Rewrite in good English Three people lost their lives and 17 others were injured in a reactor explosion incident at a company in Atchutapuram SEZ. Additional SP Ankapalle, Deva Prasad said, "Treatment of the injured is going on in the hospital. The situation at the spot is peaceful." Speaking on the incident, Vasamsetti Subhash, Andhra Pradesh Labour, Factories, Boilers & Insurance Medical Services Minister said that rescue teams are working and further updates will be provided soon. "A reactor explosion took place at a private company in Achutapuram in Anakapalli district. Three people were killed and 17 injured in the incident. The injured have been admitted to two private hospitals. Rescue teams are currently unable to enter the premises due to dense smoke and rescue operations are underway. It is not clear how many people may still be trapped inside the company. Rescue teams are working to reach there as soon as possible and further updates will be provided soon," he said. (ANI)
Andhra Pradesh Governor S Abdul Nazeer on Wednesday expressed sadness over the loss of life and injuries caused by an explosion at a factory in Anakapalle district. He also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured workers and offered his heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. "Governor of Andhra Pradesh S Abdul Nazeer has expressed anguish and profound grief over the loss of life of several workers and injuries to others in the explosion in reactor in a chemical factory in the Atchutapuram Special Economic Zone in Rambilli of Anakapalle district on Wednesday. Governor Abdul Nazeer wished for quick recovery of the injured workers undergoing treatment in the nearby hospital and expressed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members," as per a press release from the Andhra Pradesh Raj Bhavan. Three people died and seventeen were injured in a reactor explosion incident at a company in Atchutapuram SEZ in Anakapalli district. Those who were injured in a reactor explosion incident at a company in Atchutapuram SEZ have been brought to a hospital for treatment. "A reactor explosion took place at a private company in Achutapuram in Anakapalli district. Three people were killed and 17 injured in the incident. The injured have been admitted to two private hospitals. Rescue teams are currently unable to enter the premises due to dense smoke and rescue operations are underway. It is not clear how many people may still be trapped inside the company. Rescue teams are working to reach there as soon as possible and further updates will be provided soon," Vasamsetti Subhash, Andhra Pradesh Labour, Factories, Boilers & Insurance Medical Services Minister. Further information is awaited. (ANI)
One hardcore woman Maoist cadre on Wednesday surrendered before Gadchiroli Police and the Central Reserve Police Force, the police said. The Maoist cadre was identified as Sangita Pusu Podadi (40) and she carried a bounty of Rs six lakh for various crimes registered against her. The police said that Podadi was directly involved in seven encounters with the security forces. The police also said that she was accused in three murder cases. In 2008, she was directly involved in the arson of tractors and JCB vehicles on a road construction site on Krushnar-Sonpur road, Narayanpur, the police said. The police said that senior Maoist cadres don't pay attention to medical problems of party members and that was one of the reasons for her to surrender. Discrimination against women cadres and senior Maoists exploiting the poor tribal youths only for their own benefit are other reasons for the surrender. She told the police that tribals were killed based solely on suspicion of being police informers and that during encounters, male Maoists ran away, leaving women Maoists to fend for themselves and often getting killed. She also told the police that married party members could not live an independent married life. These all disenchanted her and caused her to surrender before the police and the CRPF, said the police. "Disillusioned by the hollow claims of Maoism and frustrated by their mindless violence against civilians, a large number of members of the banned CPI (Maoist) are attracted to the Surrender cum Rehabilitation Policy implemented by the Government of Maharashtra since 2005. Thanks to the effective implementation of this Policy, a total of 672 active Maoists till date have surrendered before the Gadchiroli Police," said the police. (ANI)
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has directed social media platforms in India to comply with the Supreme Court order to remove the identity of the deceased victim of Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College rape and murder incident from all platforms and electronic media. "The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has asked the social media platforms operating in India to comply with a recent Supreme Court order dated August 20, 2024, in the matter titled Kinnori Ghosh @ Anr. versus Union of India & Ors- Re: Circulation of name and photographs of deceased in RG Kar Medical college incident," as per a The Supreme Court of India vide an injunctive order has directed that all references to the name of the deceased, along with any photographs and video clips depicting the deceased, be promptly removed from all social media platforms and electronic media. This directive follows concerns regarding the dissemination of sensitive material related to the incident in question. "This Court is constrained to issue an injunctive order since the social and electronic media have proceeded to publish the identity of the deceased and photographs of the dead body after the recovery of the body," Supreme Court said in its order. "We accordingly direct that all references to the name of the deceased in the above incident, photographs and video clips shall forthwith be removed from all social media platforms and electronic media in compliance with this order," it added. In light of this order, MeitY hereby emphasises the importance of adhering to the Court's directive to safeguard the privacy and dignity of individuals involved and therefore social media platforms are required to take immediate action to ensure compliance with this order. The Ministry of Electronics and IT urges all social media companies to ensure that such sensitive information is not further disseminated. Failure to comply with the Supreme Court's order may result in legal consequences and further regulatory action. The Ministry of Electronics and IT urges all social media companies to ensure that such sensitive information is not further disseminated. Failure to comply with the Supreme Court's order may result in legal consequences and further regulatory action. (ANI)
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge expressed concern over the heavy rain and severe floods that claimed many lives and caused much distress in several districts in Tripura on Wednesday. Taking to social media site X, Kharge said, "Deeply concerned about the flood situation caused by heavy rainfall in Tripura, where many people have lost their lives and about 5600 families have sought refuge in relief camps." "Our deepest condolences to the families of the bereaved. They must be provided compensation at the earliest. The Centre and State Governments must put in place immediate relief and rehabilitation measures. More NDRF and SDRF teams must be deployed in the flood-affected areas. Food and medical help must be urgently provided," he added. He further urged the Congress leaders and workers "to provide all possible assistance to the people in distress." Over the past two days, heavy rainfall in Tripura has led to severe flooding in several parts of the state. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said that the administration is giving top priority to relief and rescue operations, working tirelessly to manage the situation. The state government is regularly updating the central government on the evolving flood conditions, Saha said. Initial reports indicate that the flooding had caused significant damage to homes, livestock, roads, electricity infrastructure, and crops. Joint efforts by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local administration are in full swing to rescue citizens stranded by the rising waters. Saha said that this kind of situation was unprecedented and this much rainfall never happened in the past. He said that in the South district, the amount of rainfall recorded was 375 mm. Saha said, "Spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and briefed him on the current situation arising out of severe flood situation. I also requested to dispatch additional NDRF teams to support our response efforts. The Home Minister assured me of all possible support during this crisis. I am grateful to him for providing all possible support to us at this hour." "All the officials of the district administration of various districts, NDRF (National Disaster Response Force), SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) and local authorities are on high alert and have been working together to provide assistance and support to the people in the flood-affected areas," Saha posted in social media. He urged all the social organisations, NGOs and citizens to remain vigilant and provide their all-out support during this crisis. "Your every iota of contribution can make a significant difference to the response and relief efforts," he further added. Earlier, seven people lost their lives due to landslides triggered by incessant rain, excluding two untraced persons. Chief Minister Manik Saha promptly convened a review meeting to assess the flood situation in the state on Tuesday. The discussions focused on evaluating the current situation and implementing measures to manage and mitigate the impact of the floods on the affected areas. He asked the officials concerned to leave no stone unturned in ensuring timely support and relief to the affected people. Meanwhile, heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected to continue over Tripura for the next two days, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). (ANI)
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Kumar Pathak has moved the Delhi High Court against the prison authority's refusal to allow him a meeting with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in jail. After hearing part arguments from both sides, Justice Neena Bansal Krishna has scheduled the case for further proceedings on Thursday. The jail authorities had previously allowed Sandeep Kumar Pathak to meet Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal twice in April. However, they recently denied further meetings, arguing that Pathak's subsequent statements to the media violated prison rules and appeared politically motivated. In response to Pathak's plea, the authorities contended that his actions demonstrated a deliberate breach of prison conduct, leading them to oppose granting him further meetings based on his past behaviour. In response to the court's inquiry about whether anyone else was allowed to meet Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, senior advocate Rahul Mehra, representing Pathak, stated that three people had been permitted to visit Kejriwal, with two currently meeting him. The court also directed the jail authorities to provide a formal order explaining the decision to prevent Pathak from meeting Kejriwal. In his plea, Sandeep Kumar Pathak requested that the jail authorities be directed to allow him physical visitation and interviews with Kejriwal. Pathak contended that he had not violated any rule of the Delhi Prisons Rules, which limits conversations during inmate interviews to private and domestic matters, excluding topics related to prison administration, discipline, other prisoners, or politics. The jail authorities had previously allowed Pathak to meet Kejriwal but subsequently restricted this access, citing statements he made after the meetings that allegedly breached prison rules. Statements attributed to Pathak included comments about Kejriwal continuing as CM from jail and meeting ministers regularly. Pathak's plea challenged the application of Rule 587, arguing that its scope is limited to conversations during the interview itself and does not extend to statements made afterwards. He contended that denying him political discussions infringes on democratic principles and constitutional rights, as political speech is integral to democracy and should not be restricted unless explicitly prohibited by law or constitutional provisions. (ANI)
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Wednesday said the Congress was "destroying" the Constitution. "Congress President Mallikarjun Kahrge talks about saving the Constitution but it's Congress that has destroyed the Constitution. They have disrespected the Constitution and BR Ambedkar. They want to come into power in Maharashtra, but here, the Mahayuti government will be formed again," Athawale told ANI. On Tuesday, while addressing a public gathering in Mumbai on the occasion of the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Kharge said, "Saving the Constitution is still our top priority." Highlighting the role of state governments and elected representatives, the Congres chief said, "To save the Constitution, we need MLAs and state governments. If we have a majority in states and in the Rajya Sabha, then nobody will speak about changing the Constitution. If we don't have our governments in states and MLAs are not elected, how will they get elected to the Rajya Sabha?" Kharge also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's controversial advertisement for lateral entry into government posts which was subsequently withdrawn. The advertisement, aimed at recruiting individuals from the private sector into high-ranking government roles, was met with opposition from various quarters. The central government withdrew the advertisement, a move Kharge attributed to the strong reaction from Congress and public and political pressure. "The Modi government withdrew this decision because you are strong. If the Modi government had been in majority, it would have placed RSS people on those posts without giving reservations to anyone," Kharge said. The UPSC recently released a notification for recruiting Joint Secretaries, Directors, and Deputy Secretaries through lateral entry. Following criticism, Department of Personnel and Training wrote to UPSC asking to cancel the advertisement. (ANI)
Union Minister and Telangana BJP President G. Kishan Reddy on Wednesday slammed the Congress government in the state for not fulfilling the pre-poll promise of farmers' loan waiver. "Today farmers are protesting across Telangana. I demand from the Congress government that whatever promises they made to Telangana farmers, none of the promises were fulfilled after coming to power," Reddy told ANI. "I demand on behalf of Telangana farmers that farmers' loans should be waived. Farmers are not going to sit peacefully until the loan waiver happens," he added. The Congress had promised a complete loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh for farmers as part of its 'Warangal Rythu Declaration', ahead of the Assembly elections. The party had said that if they came to power, it would waive off farmers' loans of Rs 2 lakh per acre. However, after coming to power, the government split the waiver scheme into three installments, which irked the farmers in dismay. Meanwhile, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working President KTR announced that the party will hold protests in all Mandal and Constituency centres on August 22, demanding an unconditional loan waiver for all farmers in the state. In a press release by KTR, he said that while the Chief Minister claims that loans up to two lakh rupees have been waived for everyone but the ministers are giving contradictory statements, saying the loan waiver process is not yet complete. "Large number of farmers across the state are agitating because they have not benefited from the Congress party's loan waiver scheme", added KTR. Mentioning the promises of the Congress party before the elections, KTR highlighted Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's statement that Rs40,000 crores would be required for the loan waiver. However, it was noted that only Rs18,000 crores have been spent by the state government till now. He also reminded that before the elections, the Congress party clearly promised to implement a loan waiver of up to two lakh rupees for all farmers. KTR criticised the state Congress leadership, saying that instead of supporting the distressed farmers who are protesting the lack of a proper loan waiver, ministers and Congress leaders are making statements that only add to the confusion. He claimed that there is ground-level information that not even 40% of farmers have benefited from the loan waiver. "Due to the Congress government's stance, lakhs of farmers are being forced to visit government offices repeatedly", mentioned the BRS leader. Additionally, it was demanded that the state government immediately announce a loan waiver of up to two lakh rupees for every farmer. (ANI)
Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tribute to Jamsaheb of Nawanagar during his two-day visit to Poland on Wednesday, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said that Gujarat had a special role in furthering India-Poland relations that remains etched in history. Taking to social media site X, Patel said, "Gujarat's special role in furthering India-Poland relations remains etched in history. During World War II, Maharaja Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji of Jamnagar sheltered over 600 Polish refugee children in Gujarat--an act of kindness still remembered in Poland today." "As a tribute to his kind gesture, Warsaw has honoured Jam Saheb with the Good Maharaja Square and other key memorials. During his visit to Poland, Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to Jam Saheb, strengthening the enduring bond between our nations," he said. Upon his visit to the European nation, PM Modi laid a wreath at the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw today. The memorial is dedicated to Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji, a former Maharaja of Nawanagar (now Jamnagar). In 1942, the Maharaja established the Polish Children's Camp in Jamnagar for refugee Polish children who were brought out of the USSR during World War II. On the same note, Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said, "Wherever the successful Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendrabhai Modiji, has gone in the world, he has always promoted Indian culture and heritage, and in this way, he is realising his mantra of "development as well as heritage" through different platforms." "Today, on 21st August, the Honourable Prime Minister visited the memorial "Square of Good Maharaja" built in the memory of Jamsaheb Shri Digvijay Singh Ranjitsinhji Jadeja of Navanagar, Gujarat, in the Akota district of Warsaw, Poland, and once again gave global recognition to the dignity of a great royal family of Gujarat as well as the entire country," Rushikesh Patel added. He further noted that he felt proud to say that Jamsaheb presented "an excellent example of Indian culture and humanity, gave shelter to more than 600 Polish children in his state between the years 1942 and 1946, and arranged food, clothing and medical treatment for all the children." Patel also stated that during those four years, the guest house at Balachadi Palace was "used as a school so that these children could learn to read and write and also, a special library with Polish books was set up so that these children do not forget their mother tongue and they could study in their mother tongue." He also stated that one of those children, known as Mr. Wizlaw, grew up and wrote a book that was translated into English as "At the 'Polish' Maharaja's," where he realistically described his four years spent in India. "Many such human welfare works done by our great Maharajas have set many excellent examples of India's spirit of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' which our Hon'ble Prime Minister is spreading to every corner of the world," Patel added. Prime Minister Modi is in Poland for a two-day visit and it is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Poland in the past 45 years. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said that PM Modi will pay tribute at Good Maharaja Square, Monte Cassino Memorial and at Memorial to Kolhapur Family. He will be the first prime minister to pay his respects at all these three memorials. (ANI)
Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia on Wednesday said that the party is receiving a lot of love during the 'padyatra' and hoped that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will return from the jail soon. "We are receiving a lot of love during the padyatra. We are hopeful that CM Arvind Kejriwal will also return soon. As soon as he returns all the pending works of the people will be done soon," Sisodia told ANI. Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in connection with a money laundering probe relating to alleged irregularities in the now-cancelled Delhi excise policy 2021-22. Last week, Manish Sisodia began his 'padyatra', reconnecting with the masses after 17 months of imprisonment. In February 2023, Sisodia was arrested by the CBI for alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of now-scrapped Delhi's new excise policy. The policy was withdrawn amid allegations of foul play by the opposition. According to the CBI, Sisodia had played the most vital role in the criminal conspiracy and he had been deeply involved in the formulation as well as the implementation of the said policy. Assembly polls in Delhi are expected to be held in early 2025. Congress could not win a single seat in the Delhi assembly polls held in 2020. While the AAP won 62 out of the 70 seats, the BJP secured eighth seats in the last assembly polls. (ANI)
I have noted previously that Christians need to learn to tell their own spiritual autobiographies more effectively. I wrote, Less and less people want to listen to religious lectures or church sermons, but theyll listen to stories from your spiritual autobiography if you can tell them in a compelling way. Well, theres a second story I think we need to get better at telling and thats the story of God. Here Im referring to the grand biblical story of how God has revealed himself to humankind and how he has redeemed us from fear and death and has planned a future for the whole cosmos. It is a monumental story of love and brokenness, fear and hope, truth and lies, and the unending resolve of our loving God and his intention to save all that he has created.

We used to boil this story down to just giving people information about how to go to heaven when they die. We reduced the majestic, beautiful story of Gods love to a story about usour sin, our death, our punishment. Maybe you learned it as a spiel like the "Bridge to Life"tract:

I dont like this presentation, not so much for what it says as for what it doesntsay. The "Bridge to Life"emphasizes individual sin, individual responsibility and individual salvation. You must choose to cross the bridge (Jesus) from earth to heaven without any mention of God coming to earth or even having a plan for the redemption of the planet.

It sounds like a sales pitch

This version overlooks most of the gospels, ignoring the significance of Jesus ministry and the Kingdom of God, truncating the gospel message to Jesus came to die for you.

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That story doesnt even sound like a story. It sounds like a sales pitch.

But this is not the way the writers of the New Testament tell the story. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John do not begin and end their stories with Jesus dying for our sins. They tell a much more substantial story than that. And every detail in all four gospels is essential to the story. Even in the letters of Paul, when he intentionally refers to the good news he either alludes to or tells a grander story than Jesus came to die.

In the opening to his letter to the Romans, Paul presents a Readers Digest condensed version of the story, as if to remind the Roman Christians of the story they already knew:

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God  the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his names sake. And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. (Rom 1:1-6)

There is no mention of Jesus death in that gospel summary other than by inference when he refers to Jesus resurrection. Pauls gospel includes (a) Jesus messianic credentials, (b) his physical descent from David, (c) his vindication/validation by the Spirit of God, and (d) his resurrection from the dead. The line thats left ringing in our ears is Jesus Christ our Lord (king). Its a storythe marvelous, mysterious story of God in Christ, the king who was promised, the one who defeated death and rose in power.

When Paul gets to expand on the story of God in Christ we see him filling in all the details, like in his sermon at Antioch (in Pisidia) in Acts 13:16-39. I wont copy-and-paste the whole sermon. You can read it for yourself. But the whole focus is on the eventsof Jesus life. Not only the four summary points from the Romans 1 passage above, but Israels rescue from Egypt, the rise of King David, the birth of Christ, the ministry of John the Baptist, Jesus superiority to King David, his rejection by religious leaders, his death at the hands of Pontius Pilate, and his burial, resurrection, and post-resurrection ministry. Paul concludes his sermon with:

Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38-39)

Note how this conclusion matches the Pauline doctrine of justification by faith, but see also how Paul anchors it explicitly in the historical events of Jesus messianic rule, life, death and resurrection. The good news then is the whole story of Jesus, including what led up to his appearance and what he has been doing since.

The core message of the gospel, then, includes the story of Jesus birth (and how it reveals his claim to the eternal throne promised to King David), his miracles (which point to the presence of Gods kingdom and Jesus as our king), his teaching (which sounds the invitation of the kingdom and lays down its demands), his death (which atones for the sins of all), and his resurrection (which clearly establishes him as the Son whom God has appointed judge of the world and Lord of the coming kingdom). Weve got to learn to tell these stories better.

But, what if we tinker with the old "Bridge to Life" illustration so it looks like this:

Here I have mashed the work of Geoff Holsclaw and Daniel Erlander together to create a new bridge illustration (sorry for the cheesy hand-drawn picture).

That is us in the top left corner crying out, Help! We are born into the order of sin and death. Sin isnt something that just describes our heart, as though we only carry sin as our individual condition. It infects everything. It leads to alienation from God and alienation from each other. As you can see under the heading Order of Death, that includes the crushing of little people in the gears of life, hoarding resources, dominating nature, excessive consumption, injustice, inequality, self-righteousness, and trust in woefully inadequate human power.

God comes to us from the Order of Life. In his order, there is reconciliation. We are partners. We share our resources. We strive for unity with creation. We are recipients of Gods abundance, mercy and blessing. Here, we find a new family, a new redeemed society in Christ. We love each other for their good, not for our own advantage. This is good news for the poor and powerless because we trust in Gods reliable power.

He crosses the divide to bring the Order of Life to us.

Like the Bridge to Life illustration, Jesus is the bridge between these two orders. But its not just his death that bridges the divide, its his life (birth, miracles, teaching) as well as his death and resurrection. The good news is the whole story of Jesus the king and his kingdom (or Order of Life).

And the impetus isnt on us. Its on Jesus. He crosses the divide to bring the Order of Life to us suffering in the Order of Death.

Telling the story of God involves showing how Jesus birth, miracles, teaching, death, and resurrection reveal the Order of Life. It involves knowing the facts of Jesus life (including his family history) and showing how they point to this new way of being human, a way only made possible by Jesus.

In his book, "The Suburban Captivity of the Church", Tim Foster says theres a distinction between a punitive gospel and the telic gospel. A punitive gospel is one that reduces the story of God down to instructions on how to avoid punishment in the afterlife. But the New Testament presents us with what Foster calls a telic gospel. Telos is the ancient Greek word for a purpose, fulfillment, completion. The way Foster uses it, the telic gospel is the story of how we rediscover our intended purpose in Christ. If I paraphrase Foster, he might explain the good news this way:

God created the world according to his good purposes. He intended us to live with him under the Order of Life. But human sin opens the door for evil, undermining Gods purposes. We became trapped in the Order of Death. But this was never Gods intended purpose for us. He intended us to flourish in relationship with him and each other. So Jesus bridged the divide. He brought with him the Order of Life into the poisoned soil of the Order of Death. He brought healing, joy, and forgiveness. He drove out demons. He confronted corrupt officials. He fed the hungry. He conquered evil and defeated death. In his resurrection there will be a new social and political order according to Gods purposes. We live in the light of the future in the power of the Spirit.

As Dallas Willard once said, The gospel is less about how to get into the kingdom of heaven after you die, and more about how to live in the kingdom of heaven before you die.

Sharing the good news shouldnt be focused solely on appealing to peoples sense of self-preservation. It should be about retelling the story of Jesus our king, and his incredible Order of Life. So here are a few things to bear in mind when sharing your faith:FOCUS ON JESUS: Dont just tell the story of Jesus death, but the whole story about his royal birth, the way his miracles and his teaching reveals the Order of Life, his atoning death, and his glorious resurrection.

USE THE GOSPELS: This might seem obvious, but use the gospels as your source. Its fine to talk about Jesus as your best friend or the wind beneath your wings, but you need to leave people with the clear impression that the story of Jesus is an historical drama attested to by witnesses. Learn the gospels. Memorize the stories in the gospels or at least become so familiar with them you can recount them accurately. Show people how Jesus life and ministry points to the Order of Life he ushers in.

This might seem obvious, but use the gospels as your source. Its fine to talk about Jesus as your best friend or the wind beneath your wings, but you need to leave people with the clear impression that the story of Jesus is an historical drama attested to by witnesses. Learn the gospels. Memorize the stories in the gospels or at least become so familiar with them you can recount them accurately. Show people how Jesus life and ministry points to the Order of Life he ushers in. AVOID SYSTEMATIZATION: You dont have to tell the whole story of Jesus in one conversation. And you dont have to systematize it into a schema like the "Bridge to Life"or the "Four Spiritual Laws" or "Two Ways to Live". Just know the whole gospel story so that when someone youre talking to raises the topic of, say, fear or sickness, or injustice or corruption, or whatever, you can share a story about how Jesus addresses sickness, fear, injustice etc by bringing the Order of Life to the Order of Death.

You dont have to tell the whole story of Jesus in one conversation. And you dont have to systematize it into a schema like the "Bridge to Life"or the "Four Spiritual Laws" or "Two Ways to Live". Just know the whole gospel story so that when someone youre talking to raises the topic of, say, fear or sickness, or injustice or corruption, or whatever, you can share a story about how Jesus addresses sickness, fear, injustice etc by bringing the Order of Life to the Order of Death. EMPHASIZE THE PASSION NARRATIVE: One-fifth of the gospels focuses on the suffering and death of Jesus, beginning with his agony and arrest in Gethsemane and concluding with his burial. I know I mentioned earlier the gospel isnt only about Jesus death, but that doesnt mean that I suggest you ignore it. If the gospel writers thought it was that important, so should we.

One-fifth of the gospels focuses on the suffering and death of Jesus, beginning with his agony and arrest in Gethsemane and concluding with his burial. I know I mentioned earlier the gospel isnt only about Jesus death, but that doesnt mean that I suggest you ignore it. If the gospel writers thought it was that important, so should we. CELEBRATE JESUS MESSIANIC RULE: Messianic rule is a fancy way of saying Jesus lordship or kingship. In 2 Timothy 2:8 Paul gives his shortest summary of the gospel when he writes, Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel. Thats as brief as he can get it and see how it focuses on his kingship (Christ means anointed one, and his descent from King David implies his royalty). Let people know Jesus isnt just your guru. He is your ruler.

Messianic rule is a fancy way of saying Jesus lordship or kingship. In 2 Timothy 2:8 Paul gives his shortest summary of the gospel when he writes, Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel. Thats as brief as he can get it and see how it focuses on his kingship (Christ means anointed one, and his descent from King David implies his royalty). Let people know Jesus isnt just your guru. He is your ruler. BE THEOCENTRIC: So many gospel talks are so human-centered. They focus on our sin, our predicament, our need for salvation. Jesus rides in at the end to save us. But I suggest you reverse that. Talk more about God and less about us.

So many gospel talks are so human-centered. They focus on our sin, our predicament, our need for salvation. Jesus rides in at the end to save us. But I suggest you reverse that. Talk more about God and less about us. AIM FOR PERSONAL ALLEGIANCE: Jesus told his disciples to announce to others that the Kingdom of God (Order of Life) is here!He also regularly asked people, Come, follow me. When we tell the story of Jesus were not just sharing the biography of our favorite historical character like someone else might talk about Abraham Lincoln or Winston Churchill. And were not just suggesting we read what Christ said and try to carry it out as someone may read what Plato or Marx said and try to carry it out. Our story should culminate with the resurrected, living Christ demanding our allegiance, entering into our minds and hearts and transforming us in alignment with his Order of Life.

Originally published on Mike Frost's blog. Republished with permission.

Michael (Mike) Frost is an internationally recognized Australian missiologist and one of the leading voices in the missional church movement. His books are required reading in colleges and seminaries around the world and he is much sought after as an international conference speaker. Since 1999, Dr Frost has been the founding director of the Tinsley Institute, a mission study centre located at Morling College in Sydney, Australia. He has also been an adjunct lecturer at various seminaries in the United States. He is the author or editor of nineteen theological books, the best known of which include, The Shaping of Things to Come (2003), Exiles (2006), and most recently Mission Is The Shape of Water (2023). Frosts work has been translated into German, Korean, Swedish, Portuguese and Spanish.
The erstwhile Maharaja Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, Shatrusalyasinhji Digvijaysinhji Jadeja, on Wednesday shared his joy on learning that Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with his extended family in Poland and paid homage at Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw. The erstwhile Maharaja praised PM's thoughtful gesture that embodies the spirit and humanity that mirror the "Good Maharaja", Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage at Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw, Poland today. The statue of Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, the erstwhile Maharaja of Nawanagar, was built in recognition of his decision to provide hundreds of Polish children refuge during World War II. In a written message, Shatrusalyasinhji Digvijaysinhji Jadeja, the erstwhile Maharaja Jamsaheb of Nawanagar discussed the deep reverence of the unimaginable trials and enduring hardships that were endured by the Polish people. The erstwhile Maharaja also requested the Prime Minister to consider setting up a youth, student and cultural exchange between the two countries to build on the legacy and further strengthen the historical connection between the people of India and Poland. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister went to the memorial soon after he arrived in Poland, on a two-day visit. Prime Minister was earlier greeted by members of the Indian diaspora in Poland. This is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Poland in the past 45 years. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that PM Modi will pay tribute at Good Maharaja Square, Monte Cassino Memorial and at Memorial to Kolhapur Family. He will be the first prime minister to pay his respects at all these three memorials. "He will shortly be visiting three memorials, paying tribute at Good Maharaja Square, Monte Cassino Memorial and at Memorial to Kolhapur Family. The history behind these memorials connects Poland and India in a very special way, the people of India and Poland in a very special way," he added. During the Second World War, Maharaja Jam Saheb of Nawanagar - now in Gujarat - not only saved the lives of several Jewish children by bringing them to India from Poland but also took care of them as a guardian. The Maharaja of Nawanagar opened his summer palace to displaced children. (ANI)
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday that his government would introduce a new law that will require compulsory security clearance for the opening of universities in the state. "Some institutions from Kerala are keen to open universities in the Muslim-majority areas of Assam. Congress had a policy of easily allowing any rich institution to open a university. A new act will come up in the state cabinet that will make it compulsory to get security clearance for opening nursing colleges, medical colleges, and dental colleges," Sarma told reporters here. "There was no security clearance in our system and the acts were formed by Congress, but there was no provision for getting security clearance. We will bring this clause to Assam also and it will take 2-3 months to bring it," he added.The Chief Minister said that some universities in Kerala are now trying to open universities in Barak Valley and Barpeta and when checking their backgrounds, it was found that they were suspicious. "But there is no provision for checking in Assam. That's why we will bring security clearance provision," Sarma said. On the other hand, talking about the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM), the Assam Chief Minister said, "Interestingly, the Meghalaya government has made it clear that they will not defend USTM University, which is located in their state. However, Assam Congress leaders have come out all guns blazing to defend this entity, which is contributing to flash floods in Guwahati." (ANI)
The individuals had reportedly entered India illegally from Bangladesh and were planning to travel further by train to another state, said the police.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Helal Hossain (25) from Lalmonirhat, Beauty Khatun (22) from Lalmonirhat, who was accompanied by her 15-month-old child Byjit, and Repan Barua (32) from Chattogram.

A case has been registered at the Agartala GRP police station, and the accused will be presented before the court tomorrow, said the police.

On Monday, Assam Police apprehended three Bangladeshi nationals who entered India from the Tripura side. The three individuals were later pushed back to the Bangladesh side. (ANI)
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that 13 girl students were sexually assaulted in an alleged fake National Cadet Corps (NCC) camp at a private school in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu during August 5th-9th. According to an official release, 41 students including 17 girls attended the camp. Allegedly, a political leader convinced the private school authorities that he would get them a unit of the NCC if they could organize a students' camp. Four other schools in the district also had organized such camps. The NHRC has also issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Government of Tamil Nadu calling for a detailed report within two weeks. "The Commission has observed the contents of the news report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of the human rights of the victims. The victim girls were subjected to abuse by the perpetrator due to the negligence of the school authorities. Accordingly, it has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu calling for a detailed report within two weeks. It is expected to include the status of the FIR and the status of the victim's health and their counselling," the release from NHRC said. The Commission has also asked the State authorities to reach out to the students who attended similar camps organized by the same person in the four other schools of the district and find out if anyone was subjected to abuse or ill-treatment. The report should also mention the steps taken/ proposed to ensure that such incidents do not recur. As per the release, according to the media report, carried on August 20, the matter came to light when one of the victims informed the Principal of the school about the incident during the camp but the staff reportedly tried to hush up the matter till she told her mother who approached the police. (ANI)
Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Wednesday slammed Rahul Gandhi for criticising Kashmir on the global stage but seeking votes from the region, labelling this behaviour as Gandhi's "double face." The criticism comes amid talks of a potential alliance between the Congress party and the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir. Rahul Gandhi, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah are expected to finalise a seat-sharing agreement as part of this alliance. Gandhi is currently visiting Jammu and Kashmir. Singh alleged that Gandhi had been at the forefront of efforts to divide the country and incite conflict between Hindus and Muslims. He also accused Gandhi of failing to address severe issues in West Bengal, such as the recent gang-rape and murder of a female doctor in Kolkata. "Whether it is to divide the country or spread confusion in the country, fight between Hindus and Muslims or make them backwards and forward, Rahul Gandhi is at the forefront in these works. But when a daughter is gang-raped in Bengal, Rahul Gandhi scolds the journalists. He will not go to Bengal but will go to Hapur in Uttar Pradesh. He will abuse Kashmir all over the world. Today he is going to ask for votes from the people of Kashmir, this is the double face of Rahul Gandhi," he said. Singh criticized the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata. He stated that her government had protected the criminal and called for her resignation. "A female doctor has been raped and later murdered in West Bengal. On the basis of morality, Mamata Banerjee should resign from her post. Whether such incidents have happened in Maharashtra or Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, the criminals have been caught there, but Mamata Banerjee's government has protected the criminals, and that is why Mamata Banerjee should resign from her post. Mamata Banerjee should be ashamed of being a woman leader and she should resign from her post," he said. Further criticising Gandhi, Singh suggested that while Gandhi is focused on electoral gains, Prime Minister Modi prioritises the development, peace, and tranquility of Jammu and Kashmir. "Mehbooba Mufti cannot see in Jammu and Kashmir, she will have to change her glasses. Mehboob Mufti and Farooq Abdullah will not see the development of Jammu and Kashmir.. Rahul Gandhi has gone to Jammu and Kashmir, he will make an alliance there and contest elections, elections are paramount for him. Development, peace and tranquility of Jammu Kashmir are important for Prime Minister Modi. Mufti had said that the tricolour is not hoisted in Kashmir. If the tricolour is hoisted, then there will be no one left to hoist the tricolour," he said. (ANI)
Following heavy and unprecedented rainfall in Tripura for the past two days, which has created a severe flood and displaced as many as 30,000 people in the affected areas, the state government has set up 321 relief camps to tackle this situation in the state. Tripura has been experiencing extremely heavy rainfall for the past couple of days, mainly in the southern districts, with rainfall recorded at 375 mm and 350 mm in other areas. Schools, colleges and even universities had been closed amid the increasable rainfall and as many as seven people have lost their lives due to landslides that occurred in a few places. Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said, "This kind of torrential rain is because of a sudden depression that happened in the Bay of Bengal and because of this, the South and almost every district got affected. I monitored the situation and was in contact with the officials on how to control the situation. I had a review meeting on the situation and I found out that in the south there was 375 mm of rain... I have never witnessed such heavy rain in Tripura. Because of this, there were many landslides and the river had also gone above the danger level." He further stated that a relief team has been deployed from their side and more help is on the way from other states to tackle the situation. "From our side, NDRF, SDRF, BSF, police, volunteers, DMs, SDMs and BDOs, everyone is involved in the operations... We have set up 321 relief camps and more than 30,000 people are there. Everything is taken care of, such as their food, water and hygiene... I also talked with the Union Home Minister about sending more NDRF teams... As per my knowledge, one team from Assam has landed here and four NDRF teams are also on the way from Arunachal Pradesh. With their help, we can control the situation and save many lives." "According to the news, it is expected that rain might continue for 25-26 and it would be very difficult for us. So let the rain settle first, then only we can estimate the damages, especially in agricultural and horticulture sectors... But I never imagined such a kind of condition to happen in Tripura," he added. Earlier, Saha visited those relief camps at Ramthakur Higher Secondary Girls School and Swami Vivekananda School in Ward No. 33 of Town Baradowali Centre and enquired about the management there as well as handed over the relief materials in the camp. He also assessed the flood situation at Agartala through the Integrated Command & Control Centre at IT Bhavan to prioritise relief efforts by the administration. (ANI)
President Droupadi Murmu offered condolences on the loss of lives in the reactor blast at a pharma company in Andhra Pradesh's Anakapalli on Wednesday. The President expressed anguish over the deaths and also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured. At least three people died and around 17 others were injured in the major fire that broke out after the reactor blast at Atchutapuram in Anakapalli on Wednesday. "Deeply anguished to know about the loss of lives in an explosion at a pharma company in Anakapalli district of Andhra Pradesh. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," the President mentioned in a post on X. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences and said that he was "pained" by the loss of lives in the mishap. The Prime Minister has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased, as per the PMO. "Pained by the loss of lives due to a mishap at a factory in Anakapalle. Condolences to those who lost their near and dear ones. May the injured recover soon. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000," PMO mentioned in a post on X. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu earlier ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident. The Chief Minister is expected to visit the families of the deceased and injured on Thursday. Andhra Minister Vasamsetti Subhash earlier informed that rescue operations were still underway at the incident site as several people are feared trapped inside the company. "Rescue teams are currently unable to enter the premises due to dense smoke and rescue operations are underway. It is not clear how many people may still be trapped inside the company. Rescue teams are working to reach there as soon as possible and further updates will be provided soon," the Minister said. (ANI)
European Parliament member Dariusz Jonski called Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Poland "very important" due to politics and business. He noted that the Indian PM is visiting Poland after 45 years. PM Modi will be making official visits to Poland and Ukraine from August 21-23, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday. His visit will be the first visit by an Indian PM to Poland in 45 years. The visit comes as New Delhi and Warsaw mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2024. Speaking to ANI, he said that Poland would like to talk about healthcare as it requires 25,000 doctors and specialists. He stated that Poland would like to discuss IT sector and would like to collaborate with Indian companies. He stressed that PM Modi's visit will bring two nations closer. On PM Modi's upcoming visit to India stated, "Prime Minister Modi is coming to Poland after 45 years, I was born 79. So it's very important this visit for us and today I would like to thank for this visit. It's very important for us because of politics and business. Yes, we have lot a lot of Indian company in the center of Poland, our region, my region,...it's about 5,000 people from India are living here. So we would like to talk about flight direction because it's only once a day Poland-India and India-Poland." "We would like to talk about health care because we right now need about 25,000 doctors and specialists. So if some doctors and specialists would like to learn a Polish language and pass the exams. We would would like to talk about Poland and work here. We would like to talk about IT sector because Poland is the top five and would like to cooperate with Indian companies. So there's a lot of issues to cooperate and I think that this visiting closer and we will be do the business and politics the best and together, he added. Asked whether they will be relaxation in visas for doctors, he responded, "We have a lot of school in Poland. If somebody wants to come here to learn Polish languages and pass the exams doctors and nurses and specialists in healthcare, it's absolutely positive and absolutely can do it. So, a lot of people from all the world were coming to Poland and and learn our Polish language and get a job here. But, language is very important for us in the health care." PM Modi will be visiting Poland on August 21-22 at the invitation of his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk. MEA Secretary (West) Tanmaya Lal called this a "landmark visit" as it is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Poland after 45 years. While addressing a special briefing on Monday, Tanmaya Lal said, "PM Narendra Modi will be undertaking an official visit to Poland this week on 21st and 22nd August on the invitation of PM Donald Tusk. This is a landmark visit as the PM of Indian is visiting Poland after 45 years. This visit takes place as we also mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations." "This historic visit in a landmark year for India and Polish relations will provide an opportunity to our leaders to review the bilateral relationship and offer guidance on enhancing this relationship in diverse areas and also discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest," he added. He recalled the age-old ties between India and Poland, highlighting how Poland assisted India in evacuating its students from Ukraine after conflict broke out in 2022. He also spoke about the episode from the 1940s, when over 6000 Polish women and children were given refuge in princely states: Jamnagar and Kolhapur. "Indian community in Poland estimated at around 25,000. This includes around 5,000 students. The government and people of Poland had offered valuable assistance during 'Operation Ganga' for the evacuation of Indian students from Ukraine. More than 4,000 Indian students were evacuated via Poland in 2022. One of the unique bonds between our countries relates to the time in the 1940s during World War 2 when more than 6,000 Polish women and children found refuge in two princely states in India - Jamnagar and Kolhapur," Tanmaya Lal said. The MEA Secretary stated that PM Modi, during his visit, will hold meetings with his Polish counterpart, President and will also interact with the Indian community there. He will also be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Warsaw. After concluding his visit to Poland, PM Modi will travel to Ukraine. India and Poland share long-standing friendly relations, marked by high-level political contacts and vibrant economic engagement. The bilateral relations are wide-ranging and mutually beneficial. Poland is India's key economic partner in Central Europe. The two nations established diplomatic relations in 1954, leading to the opening of the Indian Embassy in Warsaw in 1957 and the Polish Embassy in New Delhi in 1954. (ANI)
During the call, the two officials discussed regional developments in the Middle East and their humanitarian repercussions on civilians in the Gaza Strip.

They also reviewed bilateral relations and aspects of cooperation across all sectors, especially economic, trade, and investment.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan praised the growing relations between the UAE and Australia, as well as their mutual keenness to develop the framework of bilateral cooperation in various fields, in a way that supports the two countries' efforts to achieve sustainable economic development. (ANI/WAM)
Thailand's Ambassador to India, Pattarat Hongtong, has visited the UNESCO World Heritage Site Charaideo Maidam in Assam's Sivasagar. Upon arrival, Hongtong was welcomed by Director Deepirekha Kuli on behalf of the Assam State Directorate of Archaeology, as well as Member of Assam Legislative Assembly Dharmeshwar Konwar. Following this, the Thai envoy toured the Maidam area and the Museum. She was seen taking pictures as she toured the site. Subsequently, Pattarat Hongtong visited the Ahom Royal Moon Dun Chun Kham Buddhist Vihar located in Lakuwa Charmuthia and then travelled to Shyam village in Chalapatha, where she interacted with the villagers of Tai Khamyang. Speaking to reporters, the Thai envoy said, "It was a great opportunity to be able to visit here and learn about the culture and heritage passed down till now." The maidams situated in Charaideo makes the district an attractive tourist destination. Comparable to the pyramids of Egypt, the maidams are actually burial grounds of Ahom Kings and Queens. They are substances of wonder seen-through the brilliant architecture and expertise of the artsmen and masons of Assam of the medieval era, according to Assam government's official website. Amidst the ruins of the ancient Nalanda University in Bihar, several ambassadors including Haymandoyal Dillum from Mauritius, Simon Wong from Singapore, and Pattarat Hongtong from Thailand gathered to witness the inauguration of the new campus by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 19. Pattarat Hongtong emphasised the cultural ties between India and Southeast Asia. "I think today we have a complete picture of the civilisations that have been spread over to Southeast Asia and also to Thailand since we have visited the Nalanda University, the new one and also the old one, which is also the temple. For Thai people, we got the ruin of Nalanda temples as a part of the Buddhist circuit," he said. The diplomats' visit underscored the enduring legacy of Nalanda University as a hub of ancient knowledge and its modern significance as a symbol of cultural exchange and historical preservation. On June 19, PM Modi unveiled a plaque at the new campus of Nalanda University in Bihar's Rajgir as he inaugurated the campus. (ANI)
Even if you have kids in private educationor no kids at allyou can be the hands and feet of Christ on campus.

Illustration by Elizabeth Kaye / Source Images: Getty / Pexels / Wikimedia Commons

Recent years have seen a large shift away from public education in America. Beyond private school options, charter schools are popping up across the country, and homeschool curriculum options are expanding. As a public school teacher and a Christian, Ive empathized with friends as they pray and toil over the weighty, complex question of how to educate their kids.

I believe we can honor God in any schooling choice. Are you loving Christ? Are you caring for your neighbor as yourself? Are you discipling your children? Parents living within these biblical guardrails have much freedom to discern Gods specific will for their circumstances, including where they send their kids to school.

But its important to realize that our individual choices have communal consequences. As enrollment drops across public school districts, what students remain, and what happens to their education? How does our absence affect the most vulnerable within the neighborhood? Christians can and should support public schools even if we have kids enrolled elsewhereor no kids at all.

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As Christians, were called to seek the welfare of our cities (Jer. 29:7), and partnering with a neighborhood public school is a uniquely effectual way to do this. Where do children in poverty congregate daily en masse? Where do orphans build healthy attachments? Where do homeless kids get clean clothes? Where do students with disabilities learn fundamental life skills? In much of America, the answer is: At your local public school, every Monday through Friday.

The variety and number of needs in a public school classroom can be overwhelming. Its far too great a load for the shoulders of one teacher. If you know an educator, a great start would be to periodically ask, Is there anything your students need this week?

I speak from personal experience. In fact, I sometimes wonder whether Id still be in education without the consistent and abundant support of the local church. Im certain my students and I wouldnt be flourishing to the degree that we are.

Over the last seven years, singly and in official church programs, Christians have donated school supplies, snacks, uniforms, and meals for students of mine who dont have enough to eat over the weekends. Christians have tutored, mentored, volunteered for career day, and decorated classrooms. Theyve read us books and thrown class parties and chaperoned field trips. Theyve provided us with dental hygiene kits, brought clothes when houses have burned down, donated stuffed animals to students facing homelessness, and delivered groceries when primary caregivers have been incarcerated. Theyve even brought their sometimes-tired teacher friend a coffee, a lunch, or some flowers.

This past May, when my fourth graders met their national academic growth goals, I asked them to type up suggestions for what theyd want for their hard-earned reward. Most students asked for something realistic: a pizza party, Takis, or fidget spinners. But one kid skipped the typing and immediately blurted, An Xbox!

I smirked at him from across the room and joked, What do you think I am, made of money?

Hey, thats an idiom! He smiled. But also, you could probably ask some of your friends. You know, put your money all together.

The earnestness in his demeanor caught me by surprise. Of course, I couldnt help but giggle at the audacity of a nine-year-old. But secretly, I wondered if this meant hed noticed how his Christian teachers friends had spent that school year generously giving of their time and their money. Maybe, just maybe, this kid was starting to recognize that these people shared all things, and that among them there was no need (Acts 2:4445).

My hope is that hell someday know our God because of our love (John 13:3435). And I hope that other kids in other schools will make the same connection after experiencing the same generosity. Here are a few practical ways to support your neighborhood school:

If you have school-aged children who dont go to public school, search online for a district school supply list for their grade level, go shopping with your kids, and drop the items off in the office of the closest public school. You might even leave your contact information with the guidance counselor and ask them to reach out as needs come up throughout the year.

If you work a 95, give one lunch break a week to being a mentor or reading buddy at the public school closest to your work. You can go to that schools website and email the guidance counselor, and they can plug you in to help meet a students need on campus.

Seek to know the truth behind whats happening within your local public schools, especially if theyve become controversial in your circles. False rumors too easily circulate, and misinformation could damage imperfect but ultimately beneficial institutions serving the most vulnerable children in your area. Though there are undoubtedly exceptions to be found, its very likely that the good at your neighborhood school far outweighs the bad, so work to speak about it fairly and graciously.

Finally, if your family is debating a school choice, dont prematurely rule out your neighborhood school. Ask to take a tour of the campus, meet with an administrator, and look up data online. Ask an educator friend to help you interpret the nuances behind the information you find. Pray throughout the process. It might just be that your child could thrive right down the block from you, and opting into public school could bless your community as well as your family.

However you choose to support public schools, I implore you to do so. May we not mollify our consciences by pretending our personal decisions have no wider effects. May we refuse the path of apathy toward the flourishing of our neighborhoods. May we know these are little children whom Jesus deeply loves, and as we work to share his love with them, may they come to know him too.

Courtney Vineyard is a teacher and neighbor in Fort Worth.
The lineup of speakers remains strong on day two of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, with US Senator Bernie Sanders vowing support for the Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris as US Presidential Polls draw close . Independent senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders used the achievements of the Biden administration to explain why he thought Kamala Harris's election was significant. During his speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Sanders discussed the COVID-19 outbreak and the steps taken by the government to assist the nation in resolving the situation. "That was the reality the Biden-Harris administration faced as they entered the Oval Office: A nation suffering, a nation frightened and people looking to their government for support," he said, reported CNN. He further stated that "within two months of taking office, our government did respond." "When the political will is there, government can effectively deliver for the people of our country," Sanders added. He demanded more agenda items for the ensuing four years, such as taxing the wealthy and opposing price gouging, which Harris had already declared as part of her proposed economic policies, reported CNN. Sanders said that he also wanted to see increases in teacher wages and the minimum wage. "Bottom line, we need an economy that works for all of us, not just the billionaire class," he said, adding that these are things that "the American people want from their government." "I look forward to working with Kamala and Tim (Walz) to pass this agenda," Sanders further stated. The second night of the DNC will feature remarks from former US President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama and other key Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, CNN reported. In her first remarks at the Democratic National Convention that kicked off on Monday night (local time) in Chicago, Vice President and Democratic nominee for the upcoming US Presidential Polls, Kamala Harris thanked President Joe Biden for his leadership to the nation. "I want to kick us off by celebrating our incredible President Joe Biden," Harris said during brief surprise remarks at the DNC in Chicago. "Thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation and for all you will continue to do. We are forever grateful to you," Harris further said. It is important to note that a video played Monday at the Democratic National Convention also highlighted Harris' Californian roots and the critical role her mother Shyamala Gopalan, an Indian, played in her upbringing. Some of the snippets from Harris's childhood flat in California's East Bay were included in the video. Harris is the daughter of Jamaican-born Donald Harris, an 85-year-old retired Stanford University economist, and Indian-born Shyamala Gopalan, a breast cancer researcher who passed away in 2009. Harris is the first Asian American woman and woman of colour to head a significant party ticket. After Biden withdrew from the contest and backed her, the party came together in support of her. Earlier last month, a virtual vote officially recognised the vice president as the Democratic party nominee. (ANI)
Former US President Barack Obama has said that the upcoming Presidential elections in the country will be a "tight race" as he urged the voters to "fight for the America they believe in." "For all the incredible energy we've been able to generate over the last few weeks, for all the rallies and the memes -- this will still be a tight race in a closely divided country," Obama said, addressing the crowd on the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. He also urged the voters to stand up for the America they cherish. Barack Obama stated that Donald Trump "is not losing sleep over that question" as Americans assess which candidate is considering their future, reported CNN. "Here's a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. It has been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that's actually been getting worse now that he's afraid of losing to Kamala," Obama said at the United Center in Chicago on Tuesday night (local time). Obama began his speech by praising his former vice president, Kamala Harris, and stated that "the torch has been passed." "The torch has been passed," he said, adding "Now it is up to all of us to fight for the America we believe in -- and make no mistake -- it will be a fight." The 44th President of the US expressed his "hope" to the Democratic National Convention attendees, citing Vice President Kamala Harris's readiness to assume the presidency. Obama said as cited by CNN, "This convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible...we have a chance to elect someone who has spent her entire life trying to give people the same chances America gave her" "I don't know about you, but I'm feeling fired up. I'm feeling ready to go," he added. The upcoming US presidential election on November 5 will see Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, following Biden's endorsement. Harris has garnered substantial support within the party and secured enough delegates for the nomination. Obama said, "This convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible...we have a chance to elect someone who has spent her entire life trying to give people the same chances America gave her." "I don't know about you, but I'm feeling fired up. I'm feeling ready to go," he added. The upcoming US presidential election on November 5 will see Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, following Biden's endorsement. Harris has garnered substantial support within the party and secured enough delegates for the nomination. (ANI)
New information has surfaced about a deadly confrontation between two factions of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP), which resulted in the deaths of five militants in the DI Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, reported The Express Tribune, According to sources cited by The Express Tribune, the clash occurred between the Gandapur and Marwat groups of the TTP. The violence led to the deaths of two members of the Gandapur faction and three members of the Marwat faction. The conflict erupted over disagreements concerning the division of money obtained from bank heists. These two TTP factions had been involved in robbing bank vans along the Dera-Peshawar Road, Tank-Dera Road, and Daraban-Dera Road, as well as in the Daraban and Kulachi areas. What began as a dispute over the distribution of the stolen cash escalated into an armed clash. Among the casualties was Sifat, also known as Ghazi Ashna, the commander of the Marwat group, along with his associate Naveed, alias Khanzala Ghaznikhel, and another companion. The Gandapur group also lost two members. Reports indicate that the bodies of the deceased militants were buried at the scene by their comrades. Sifat, Naveed, and their associates were sought by police in Dera Ismail Khan and Tank for various terrorism-related offences. A significant incident involving these TTP groups occurred earlier this month when militants seized an armoured vehicle carrying bank cash and five security guards at the DI Khan-Tank border, reported the Tribune. The vehicle, which was transporting Pakistani Rs 50 million, lost contact with its headquarters, leading to its hijacking. Although a TTP social media page claimed responsibility and announced the release of the guards, the police could not confirm this due to a lack of information on the vehicle's location and the status of the cash and guards. It's also worth noting that a similar incident occurred a month ago when another cash-carrying van and its staff were taken from the Daraban area. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday, embarked on a visit to Poland and Ukraine. Ahead of emplaning from New Delhi for his key visits to the two countries, Prime Minister Modi said that he looks forward to help create the foundation for stronger and more vibrant relations with the two countries in the years ahead. The Prime Minister said that his visit to comes as both the countries mark 70 years of diplomatic relations. "My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe. Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship. I look forward to meeting my friend Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda to further advance our partnership," PM Modi said in a statement, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. "I will also engage with the members of the vibrant Indian community in Poland," he said. He will travel to Ukraine following his Poland visit, at the invitation of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It will be the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine. "I look forward to the opportunity to build upon earlier conversations with President Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict. As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region," the Prime Minister said in his departure statement "I am confident that the visit will serve as a natural continuation of extensive contacts with the two countries and help create the foundation for stronger and more vibrant relations in the years ahead," he further added. PM Modi will be visiting Poland on August 21-22 at the invitation of his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk. During his visit, PM Modi will hold meetings with his Polish counterpart and the President, and will also engage with the Indian community. He will be accorded a ceremonial welcome in Warsaw. After concluding his visit to Poland, PM Modi will travel to Ukraine, where he will also share perspectives on the peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict, with the Ukrainian leadership. "PM @narendramodi emplanes for Warsaw, the first destination of his 2-Nation visit to Poland and Ukraine," Official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal posted on X, as PM Modi emplaned for his key visits. "A rich agenda involving substantive discussions with Polish leadership and interactions with Indian community, business leaders and prominent Polish personalities awaits," Jaiswal said. (ANI)
Former US president Barack Obama took centre stage at a Democratic National Convention keynote speech urging Americans to back Kamala Harris in her presidential bid against Republican candidate Donald Trump. Speaking after his wife Michelle Obama on Tuesday (local time), the former US president recalled that Harris in her capacity as the attorney general of California had stood up for children who had been victims of sexual abuse. "Kamala Harris is ready for the job," Obama said noting that she fought big banks and for-profit colleges, "securing billions of dollars for the people they have scammed". Taking a swipe at Donald Trump Obama said that the US didn't "need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos." "Here's a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped talking about his problems since he rode down on his golden escalator nine years ago" Obama said of Trump. "We have seen that movie before, and we all know that the sequel is usually worse," Obama said adding that "America is ready for a new chapter. America is ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris." In his speech, Obama also praised Joe Biden and said that choosing the latter his as his vice president in 2008 was one of the best "big" decisions he made during his candidacy. "Joe and I come from different backgrounds, but we became brothers, and as we worked together for eight, sometimes pretty tough years, what I came to admire most about Joe wasn't just his smarts, his experience -- it was his empathy and his decency and his hard earned resilience; his unshakable belief that everyone in this country deserves a fair shot," said Obama. Meanwhile, Michelle Obama who captivated the crowd with her rousing speech also went tough against Donald Trump, while only rarely naming him as per a commentary in The Hill. "Hope is making a comeback," the former first lady said early in her speech, drawing a direct line between her husband's historic 2008 presidential campaign and Harris's quest this year, the US publication noted. In her fiery speech Michelle said that of the two major candidates in this race, "only Kamala Harris truly understands the unseen labour and unwavering commitment that has always made America great." "For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us," Michelle said. "By the way -- Who's going to tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those "Black jobs?'" she said to audience applause. (ANI)
During his visit, Singh will hold bilateral talks with his US counterpart, Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin.

He will meet the US Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Jake Sullivan as well.

"Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh will be undertaking an official visit to the US from August 23 to 26, 2024, on the invitation of the US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin. During the visit, the Raksha Mantri will hold a bilateral meeting with his US counterpart Secretary Austin. He will also meet the US Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Mr Jake Sullivan," the Ministry of Defence said in an official release.

The visit comes in the backdrop of the growing momentum in India-US relations and defence engagements at multiple levels.

"The visit is expected to further deepen and broaden the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership," the release read.

"Shri Rajnath Singh will also chair a high-level roundtable meeting with the US defence industry on the ongoing and future defence collaborations. He will also interact with the Indian community during the visit," it added. (ANI)
The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Xinjiang province of China, has drawn criticism from global human rights advocates as both the Democratic and Republican platforms for the 2024 US elections fail to address the Uyghur genocide. Salih Hudayar, the Foreign Affairs & Security Minister of the East Turkistan Government in Exile and leader of the East Turkistan National Movement expressed deep disappointment over the omission, calling it a "grave disservice to those suffering under China's brutal genocidal regime." In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Hudayar emphasised the importance of moving beyond mere recognition of the genocide. "Acknowledging genocide is not enough; it demands decisive action," he asserted. Hudayar urged both parties to commit to meaningful actions to end the atrocities and support the Uyghur people's right to self-determination and freedom. The Uyghur genocide, recognised by both the Trump and Biden administrations, involves the systematic persecution of Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Reports from various human rights organisations have documented widespread human rights abuses, including mass detentions, forced labour, forced sterilizations, and destruction of Uyghur cultural heritage. Despite international condemnation and the US government's recognition of the genocide, the lack of concrete actions in recent years has raised concerns among advocates. The omission of this crisis from the 2024 platforms of both major US political parties signals a troubling shift in priorities, according to Hudayar. "Both parties have a moral duty to lead the global fight against genocide and uphold the principles of human rights and freedom," Hudayar stated. He called on the US to take a stronger stance against China's actions in Xinjiang and to support the people of East Turkistan in their pursuit of freedom. As the world watches the US election unfold, the absence of a firm commitment to addressing the Uyghur genocide in the party platforms has sparked a renewed debate on the country's role in global human rights advocacy. (ANI)
"Our new Deputy Chief of Mission Jorgan Andrews has arrived in India! Please join me in welcoming him to the vibrant community in New Delhi and to the Mission India family," Garcetti said in a post on social media platform X.

The arrival of Andrews comes at a pivotal time in the India-US relationship, following a series of high-profile visits and appointments that underscore the growing partnership betwen the two countries.

Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an important visit to the United States, where discussions with US President Joe Biden focused on expanding cooperation in defence, technology, and trade. This visit marked a new chapter in bilateral relations, with both nations committing to a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Ambassador Garcetti, who took up his role in May 2023, has been a vocal advocate for closer India-US collaboration. His efforts over the past year have focused on enhancing economic cooperation, security partnerships, and cultural exchanges.

Garcetti's tenure has been marked by a commitment to advancing the shared values and strategic interests of both nations.

Andrews, as the second-highest-ranking official at the US Embassy in India, will assist Garcetti in managing the embassy's operations and overseeing diplomatic engagements.

This appointment comes shortly after the announcement that Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra will soon take up the position of India's Ambassador to the United States. Kwatra's appointment is seen as another significant step in bolstering the already strong ties between the two countries. (ANI)
In the tragic crash which took place in the central province of Yazd on Tuesday, 23 people sustained injuries as well.

Notably, there were 53 passengers on the bus when it crashed en route to the holy city of Karbala in Iraq.

"Unfortunately, 11 women and 17 men lost their lives in this accident. Seven of the injured people are in critical condition and six injured people have now left the hospital," Ali Malekzadeh, the crisis management director general of Yazd, told state TV, according to Al Jazeera.

He stated that out of the 23 people injured, six have been discharged while seven are in critical condition at present.

The 40th day of mourning for Imam Hussein, the grandson of Imam Ali and the Prophet Muhammad, who was slain in 680 AD on the Karbala plains, is observed on the Arbaeen commemoration.

From Imam Ali's grave in the nearby city of Najaf, pilgrims often choose to walk the 80km (50 miles) to Karbala, reported Al Jazeera.

About 22 million pilgrims came to Karbala for the commemoration last year.

Iran has one of the worst records for traffic safety in the world, with around 17,000 fatalities each year, reported Al Jazeera. The high mortality toll is attributed to drivers who disobey traffic regulations, hazardous cars, and insufficient emergency services in the region's large rural areas. (ANI)
The Baloch National Movement (BNM) has issued a call for international intervention following the enforced disappearance of Ustad Wahid Kambar, a leading figure in the Baloch liberation movement.

Ustad Wahid Kambar, also known as Ustad Wahid Bakhsh, was reportedly abducted by Pakistani intelligence agencies on July 19, 2024, while he was in neighbouring Iran, claims BNM spokesperson Qazi Dad Mohammad Rehan in his statement.

Since his abduction, there has been no confirmed information regarding his whereabouts, according to a statement from a BNM spokesperson.

Rehan condemned Kambar's abduction, emphasising his lifelong commitment to resisting Pakistan's occupation and advocating for Balochistan's liberation. The BNM has called for his immediate recovery and the restoration of his legal rights.

The BNM has urged the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to recognise Kambar as a prisoner of war and to take action to raise awareness of his case.

They have also called for international support to ensure his rights are upheld under international laws pertaining to freedom movements and anti-colonial struggles.

Kambar, a veteran leader of the Baloch National Movement, has previously endured extrajudicial arrest, torture, and imprisonment on false charges by Pakistani authorities. After his release, he resumed his leadership role in advocating for the freedom of Balochistan.

The BNM highlighted that Baloch individuals who have fled Pakistani oppression are also targeted by inhumane policies.

Notable recent incidents include the targeted killings of prominent Baloch figures such as former BSO-Azad chairperson Karima Baloch in Canada, journalist Sajid Hussain in Sweden, and Balach Marri, Ustad Aslam Baloch, Chunka Mir Abdul Nabi Bagulzai, and Engineer Abdul Raziq Baloch in Afghanistan.

"These events underscore ongoing violence against Baloch leaders and refugees," a BNM statement said.

Furthermore, Pakistani intelligence forces have been implicated in attacks against Baloch individuals in neighbouring Iran, including a missile strike on the home of BNM leader Dosta Baloch in Sham Sar, which resulted in civilian casualties, said BNM in the statement. (ANI)
US President Joe Biden earlier this year approved a document directing the armed forces to prepare for possible "coordinated nuclear confrontations with Russia, China and North Korea," according to a report in the New York Times. In its August 20 datelined article, the US publication states that Biden had in March this year, approved a revised strategy titled the "Nuclear Employment Guidance." This was done amid North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats, China's rapid expansion of its nuclear arsenal and Russia's perceived nuclear threats. As per NYT, the confidential nuclear employment guidance document is updated every four years or so and only a small number of hard copies are distributed to a few security officials and Pentagon commanders. However, the publication stated that during a forum hosted by the Arms Control Association this June, Pranay Vaddi, senior director for arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation on the National Security Council mentioned that Biden had issued an updated nuclear weapons employment guidance. Vaddi, the NYT report said, warned that Pyongyang, Beijing and Moscow were expanding and diversifying their nuclear weapons stockpiles at a "breakneck" speed. The official was cited as saying that the US will need to adjust its posture and capabilities to ensure its ability to deter growing threats. He also talked about the US' ongoing efforts to adapt to what he called the realities of a "new" nuclear era. The NYT also quoted Vipin Narang, the former acting assistant Secretary of Defence for space policy as saying "The president recently issued updated nuclear-weapons employment guidance to account for multiple nuclear-armed adversaries." "And in particular," he added, the weapons guidance accounted for "the significant increase in the size and diversity" of China's nuclear arsenal. Russia and North Korea during President Vladimir Putin visit to Pyongyang this June signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty. Similarly, Russia and China in their summit in Beijing this May reaffirmed their "no limits" partnership. Washington has several times in the past denounced Beijing for its support for Russia's military industrial base. (ANI)
Amid growing military tensions with Beijing, the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Canberra, a key academic partner for the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA), has moved to restrict research collaborations with China, including ending visits from Chinese academics to its Canberra campus, ABC News reported. An internal message sent to UNSW Canberra's academic schools advises that the university will no longer take the lead for projects involving Chinese universities. Several postgraduate courses offered at UNSW Canberra are linked to the ADF, including the Master of Explosive Ordnance, taught to defence staff at Australia's new Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise. In recent weeks, UNSW Canberra informed its staff that "collaborative research projects involving academics affiliated with Chinese universities will not be supported." However, UNSW Sydney is not affected by this decision, reported ABC News. ABC News reported that the university, which remains one of the ADF's primary tertiary education providers, still offers lucrative PhD scholarships to Dongguan University in Guangdong province. Since the 1980s, UNSW has provided academic education to officer and midshipman cadets at ADFA in Canberra, as well as, postgraduate programs for Defence civilians and other students. Until recently, a significant portion of the international students at UNSW Canberra were from China, ABC News reported. In a statement to the ABC, UNSW Canberra emphasised that any university-level collaborations with countries or institutions considered high-risk are "thoroughly risk-managed" through various government agencies. The university stressed its commitment to security and compliance, noting that UNSW Canberra's unique position within the Australian Defence Force Academy necessitates stringent oversight, ABC News reported. Moreover, ABC News report said that shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson welcomed UNSW Canberra's recent decision but urged the institution to further scrutinise its staff. Paterson called for the removal of any academics with ties to the Chinese government, particularly those with access to the next generation of ADF officers, ABC News reported. "Three years on from the intelligence committee's inquiry into national security risks in higher education, we still have much more work to do," ABC News quoted Senator Paterson. "Of all our universities, UNSW's campus at ADFA should be the most secure -- it's where our future defence force leaders are trained. No academic with ties to the Chinese government should be employed there with access to the next generation of ADF officers," ABC News quoted Senator Paterson. This move follows concerns raised last year by Australian universities regarding the relaxation of defence export rules for AUKUS partner nations, ABC News stated. The changes warned of strict new penalties for unauthorized collaborations with researchers outside the US or UK, further complicating international academic relations, ABC News stated. (ANI)
Members of the Indian community in Warsaw expressed their excitement over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Poland, the first by an Indian PM in 45 years. They expressed joy and admiration for PM Modi's contributions to India's development. Speaking to ANI, a member of the diaspora, said, "There is a vibrant Indian diaspora in Poland. All festivals including Holi and Diwali are celebrated. Indians are waiting for the visit of the Prime Minister." Another member of the Indian diaspora in Warsaw, Rajpal Sabnani said, "It is a matter of excitement for us that our Prime Minister is coming to Poland. This is an important visit which will improve India-Poland relations. This will help bring investments to India from Poland." A member of the diaspora, JJ Singh said that around 200 people will welcome the PM today. "The Indian community is very happy. Polish people connected with India are also excited that an Indian PM is coming to their country after 45 years. Around 200 people will welcome the PM here today. There will be a 'Garba' performance on his arrival here and also interaction. A larger group of people will join the PM's community interaction program later today," he said. An Indian artist preparing to perform at PM Narendra Modi's visit, says, "We are lucky and feeling grateful. Earlier we represented our country in France and now we have got this opportunity and we are excited about it. PM Modi's official visits to Poland and Ukraine from August 21-23 coincide with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between New Delhi and Warsaw. The visit is expected to further strengthen ties between the two nations. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday, arrived in Warsaw Poland on what is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister in 45 years. PM was recieved by Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski of Poland. During his visit, PM Modi will hold meetings with his Polish counterpart and the President, and will also engage with the Indian community. Later today the Prime Minister will first lay a wreath at the memorial of the Jam Saheh of Nawanagr. The memorial is dedicated to Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji, a former Maharaja of Nawanagar (now Jamnagar). In 1942, the Maharaja established the Polish Children's Camp in Jamnagar for refugee Polish children who were brought out of the USSR during World War II. He will also visit the monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino. The monument commemorates the victory of the soldiers of the Second Polish Corps at the Battle of Monte Cassino during the Second World War in 1944. The Second Polish Corps conquered the hill and the monastery on it. More than 900 Polish soldiers were killed in this battle. The PM will also visit the Kolhapur Memorial adjacent to this monument. This has been set up in memory of the village in Kolhapur that hosted the Polish children whom the Jam Saheb of Nawangar had granted refuge. The children were moved to Valivade in Kolhapur in 1945. Ahead of emplaning from New Delhi for his key visits to the two countries, Prime Minister Modi said that he looks forward to helping create the foundation for stronger and more vibrant relations with the two countries in the years ahead. The Prime Minister said that his visit comes as both the countries mark 70 years of diplomatic relations. "My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe. Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship. I look forward to meeting my friend Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda to further advance our partnership," PM Modi said in a statement. Earlier speaking to ANI, India's Ambassador to Poland Nagma Mallick said, "We have a very good and growing bilateral trade turnover of about USD 6 billion, and the balance of trade is very much in India's favour, we have good Indian investments here of around USD 3 billion and Polish investors have also invested in India of just under a billion dollars," the Indian Ambassador said. After he visits Poland, PM Modi will travel to Ukraine at the invitation of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It will be the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine. (ANI)
In Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB), the Awami Action Committee held a protest at Taus Chowk on the Gilgit-Yasin main highway, blocking traffic to express their dissatisfaction with several pressing issues, Pamir Times reported. The demonstration was in response to the imposition of new taxes, a reduction in the wheat quota for July, and a failure to supply wheat for the past two months. The region has faced similar protests in the past, with the Awami Action Committee previously advocating for reductions in wheat prices. Currently, residents of Gilgit-Baltistan are also dealing with additional challenges, including flash floods and increasing electricity tariffs, Pamir Times stated. One protester expressed frustration, stating, "Our youth need to understand the current situation. They are not concerned about having enough to eat, which is very disheartening. Our youth should be more involved in addressing the issues faced by their families instead of being preoccupied with social media. We must teach our children to stand up for their rights, or we will face severe consequences." The protester further criticised local authorities, claiming, "The authorities and those in government are not fulfilling their duties properly." Earlier, Awami Action Committee representatives in the Taus region also protested against sharply rising electricity bills, Pamir Times reported. Protesters voiced their frustration by chanting slogans against the local administration for neglecting residents' issues. A leader of the Awami Action Committee said, "We are calling on the government of Gilgit-Baltistan to revoke their recent decisions. Otherwise, we will organise a large-scale protest throughout the valley. If these issues are not addressed now, taxes and rents will continue to rise unchecked. I urge all residents of Gilgit-Baltistan to join the protest because it is our fundamental right." The region has long faced difficulties since its occupation by Pakistan, with residents frequently denied their rights. Persistent issues such as power shortages, inadequate education, and high unemployment continue to fuel widespread discontent, Pamir Times reported. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday arrived in Poland on the first leg of his two-nation visit and was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Warsaw airport. PM Modi said he looked forward to the various programmes in Poland and his visit will add momentum to bilateral friendship and benefit people of two countries.. "Landed in Poland. Looking forward to the various programmes here. This visit will add momentum to the India-Poland friendship and benefit the people of our nations," PM Modi said in a post on X. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the visit holds special significance as India and Poland are commemorating 70 years of diplomatic relations "PM @narendramodi sets foot in the historic city of Warsaw. Accorded a ceremonial welcome at the airport. This visit holds special significance as India and Poland are commemorating 70 years of diplomatic relations this year," Jaiswal said in a post on X. During his visit, PM Modi will hold meetings with his Polish counterpart and the President, and will also engage with the Indian community. Later today the Prime Minister will first lay a wreath at the memorial of the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar. The memorial is dedicated to Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji, a former Maharaja of Nawanagar (now Jamnagar). In 1942, the Maharaja established the Polish Children's Camp in Jamnagar for refugee Polish children who were brought out of the USSR during World War II. He will also visit the monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino. The monument commemorates the victory of the soldiers of the Second Polish Corps at the Battle of Monte Cassino during the Second World War in 1944. The Second Polish Corps conquered the hill and the monastery on it. More than 900 Polish soldiers were killed in this battle. The PM will also visit the Kolhapur Memorial adjacent to this monument. This has been set up in memory of the village in Kolhapur that hosted the Polish children whom the Jam Saheb of Nawangar had granted refuge. The children were moved to Valivade in Kolhapur in 1945. (ANI)
In a landmark move to bolster India's diplomatic presence in Europe, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today arrived in Poland. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal said that PM Modi will first visit to pay his homage to the three memorials. He will be the first prime minister to pay his respects at all these three memorials. "He will shortly be visiting three memorials, paying tribute at Good Maharaja Square, Monte Cassino Memorial and at Memorial to Kolhapur Family. The history behind these memorials connects Poland and India in a very special way. The people of India and Poland in a very special way," he added. Let's look into the historical significance of these three memorials, the selfless rescue of the Jewish children as India struggled for its own independence. During the Second World War, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar - now in Gujarat - not only saved the lives of several Jewish children by bringing them to India from Poland but also took care of them as a guardian. The Maharaja of Nawanagar opened his summer palace to displaced children. Warsaw's 'Good Maharaja Square' pays tribute to Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji. A group of about 1,000 Polish children departed for India in 1942 from Siberia, where, lost and orphaned amid death and destruction caused by WWII, they had been shifted after the 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland. The children were welcomed by their benefactor, the Jam Sahib, but only after a tortuous journey. The ships carrying Polish refugees from the former Soviet Union, including a large number of children aged two through 17, were denied entry when they called on ports while sailing through Iran to Bombay (Mumbai), then under British colonial rule. When the Maharaja, who was a member of the Imperial War Council, was made aware of the plight of the children in the gulags, he became concerned and established a camp in Balachadi, about 25 km (15 miles) from the capital city Jamnagar, for the Polish arrivals. PM Modi is also set to visit the Monte Cassino Memorial. The monument commemorates the victory of the soldiers of the Second Polish Corps at the Battle of Monte Cassino during the Second World War in 1944. The Second Polish Corps conquered the hill and the monastery on it. More than 900 Polish soldiers were killed in this battle. The PM will also visit the Kolhapur Memorial adjacent to this monument. This has been set up in memory of the village in Kolhapur that hosted the Polish children whom the Jam Saheb of Nawangar had granted refuge. The children were moved to Valivade in Kolhapur in 1945. Valivade was chosen due to its favourable climate, located about 500 km south of Mumbai. It was expected to provide a better living environment compared to harsh conditions in other regions. After Polish refugees departed this place, its significance was preserved via various memorials. There is a cemetery in Kolhapur, which was restored in 2014 and honours the Polish individuals who died while they were in India. Jaiswal also highlighted that PM Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to land in Poland in over 45 years. Morarji Desai was the last Indian Prime Minister to visit Poland in 1979. India and Poland are celebrating the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations. "Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has arrived in Warsaw. This visit is special because it happens to be the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Poland and India. This visit is also historic because the visit by the Indian Prime Minister is happening after 45 years," said the MEA spokesperson. During his stay, PM Modi is set to engage in discussions with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda to explore avenues for deepening bilateral relations. He will also connect with the Indian community in Poland, acknowledging their vital contributions to the cultural and economic ties between the two nations. Speaking about tomorrow's schedule, he said, "PM Modi has bilateral meetings with Prime Minister of Poland His Excellency Mr Donald Tusk. He also will be meeting the President of Poland, Duda and thereafter he will meet business leaders from Poland to strengthen India and Poland business relations. The Prime Minister will also be meeting some Kabaddi players to see what is there that attracts India and Poland at the people-to-people level together." Ahead of his departure, PM Modi highlighted the 70-year milestone in India's diplomatic relations with Poland. He underscored Poland's pivotal role as an economic partner in Central Europe and the shared values of democracy and pluralism that unite the two nations. "My visit to Poland coincides with the 70th anniversary of our diplomatic ties. Poland remains a key economic partner in Central Europe, and our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism strengthens our relationship further," said PM Modi. Following his visit to Poland, PM Modi will proceed to Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine. Amid ongoing conflict with Russia, PM Modi aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on achieving a peaceful resolution. "As friends and partners, we hope for the early return of peace and stability in the region," PM Modi stated, expressing confidence that this visit will lay the groundwork for stronger relations with Poland and Ukraine in the years ahead. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday laid a wreath at Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw, a place that commemorates shared history between India and Poland. The Prime Minister went to the memorial soon after his arrival in Poland, on a two-day visit. The memorial is dedicated to Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji, a former Maharaja of Nawanagar (now Jamnagar). In 1942, the Maharaja established the Polish Children's Camp in Jamnagar for refugee Polish children who were brought out of the USSR during World War II. Prime Minister was earlier greeted by members of Indian diaspora in Poland. This is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Poland in the past 45 years. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal said that PM Modi will pay tributse at Good Maharaja Square, Monte Cassino Memorial and at Memorial to Kolhapur Family. He will be the first prime minister to pay his respects at all these three memorials. "He will shortly be visiting three memorials, paying tribute at Good Maharaja Square, Monte Cassino Memorial and at Memorial to Kolhapur Family. The history behind these memorials connects Poland and India in a very special way. The people of India and Poland in a very special way," he added. During the Second World War, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar - now in Gujarat - not only saved the lives of several Jewish children by bringing them to India from Poland but also took care of them as a guardian. The Maharaja of Nawanagar opened his summer palace to displaced children. Warsaw's 'Good Maharaja Square' pays tribute to Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji. A group of about 1,000 Polish children departed for India in 1942 from Siberia, where, lost and orphaned amid death and destruction caused by WWII, they had been shifted after the 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland. The children were welcomed by their benefactor, the Jam Sahib, but only after a tortuous journey. The ships carrying Polish refugees from the former Soviet Union, including a large number of children aged two through 17, were denied entry when they called on ports while sailing through Iran to Bombay (Mumbai), then under British colonial rule. When the Maharaja, who was a member of the Imperial War Council, was made aware of the plight of the children in the gulags, he became concerned and established a camp in Balachadi, about 25 km (15 miles) from the capital city Jamnagar, for the Polish arrivals.PM Modi is also set to visit the Monte Cassino Memorial. The monument commemorates the victory of the soldiers of the Second Polish Corps at the Battle of Monte Cassino during the Second World War in 1944. The Second Polish Corps conquered the hill and the monastery on it. More than 900 Polish soldiers were killed in this battle. (ANI)
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday emphasised the significance of India-Africa cooperation at the 19th CII India Africa Business Conclave, organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce & Industry. Dhankhar stated that a resurgent Africa and a rising India can strengthen South-South Cooperation in areas like clean technology, climate-resilient agriculture, maritime security, connectivity, and green economy. He noted that the India-Africa growth partnership contributes to global rebalancing, leading to greater peace and harmony. Dhankar said the India-Africa growth partnership is contributing to the global rebalancing that leads to greater global peace and harmony. He reiterated that Africa is always a top priority for India and that the bilateral partnership is designed to be mutually beneficial in the true spirit of India being a 'Vishwabandhu'. https://x.com/VPIndia/status/1826186299600249223 He highlighted Africa's natural resources and demographic advantages, making it an attractive destination for investments and partnerships. Referring to Africa's rich natural resources endowment and its demographic advantage, Dhankhar stated that the region is emerging as a highly attractive destination for investments and partnerships. In this regard, India will stay committed to partnering Africa in its quest for value addition in its industrial sectors through innovative solutions. https://x.com/VPIndia/status/1826179809065758877 Highlighting India's progress in the realm of digital infrastructure in the delivery of public services, Dhankhar said the Indian experience and expertise in this area would be of great relevance to Africa. https://x.com/VPIndia/status/1826180456259395918 Prosper Bazombanza, Vice President of the Republic of Burundi said India-Africa partnerships in areas like pharmaceuticals, science and technology, ICT, and renewable energy sector have helped African countries to improve their participation in the global value chains. He welcomed Indian investments in Burundi. https://x.com/VPIndia/status/1826178987305087283 Muhammad BS Jallow, the Vice-President of Republic of The Gambia highlighted the potential for joint ventures between India and The Gambia in sectors like agriculture, healthcare, technology, and renewable energy. https://x.com/VPIndia/status/1826176502616240496 Jeremiah Kpan Koung, the Vice President of the Republic of Liberia, said the trade agreement signed between India and Liberia helped bilateral trade to grow to the level of USD 325 million. Hailing India's progress in the agriculture sector, he sought assistance in helping Liberia in skills and technological advancements to enhance local production. https://x.com/VPIndia/status/1826165528324432080 Marie Cyril Eddy Boissezon, the Vice President of the Republic of Mauritius, underscored the "time-tested relationship" between India and Mauritius and added that the trade agreement signed between the two countries on April 1, 2021 has helped augment bilateral trade and investments. Mauritius is the first country in Africa to have adopted UPI for financial transactions. Gen (Retd) CGDN Chiwenga, the Vice-President of the Republic of Zimbabwe said the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the growing African regional economy are creating business opportunities for Indian companies. He said that Zimbabwe seeks investments from Indian industry in areas like manufacturing, agriculture and agro-processing, tourism development, infotech, among others. Sanjiv Puri, President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) proposed deeper India-Africa collaboration in agro-processing, healthcare, infrastructure, and education, while leveraging the AfCFTA to enhance the partnership. Noel Tata, the Chairman of the CII Africa Committee and Chairman Tata International Ltd, spoke of CII's focus on fostering partnerships between SMEs from both regions and bridging gaps in the banking and finance sectors through solutions like rupee trade. Chandrajit Banerjee, the Director General of CII in his opening remarks said the Conclave has drawn overwhelming participation from India and Africa, with over 1,000 delegates from Africa and over 800 delegates from India. Forty senior ministers from 20 African countries have participated in the Conclave, and over 850 business-to-business meetings have been arranged. (ANI)
The World Health Organization on Wednesday called on countries in the Southeast Asia region to accelerate action to protect all children with life-saving vaccines being offered under the childhood immunization programme, focusing on those who have missed all or some vaccine doses and protecting all adolescent girls from cervical cancer. "We should aim for a 'big catch-up' to vaccinate all zero dose and partially vaccinated children, and restore immunization progress lost during the pandemic; protect all adolescent girls from cervical cancer and accelerate efforts to eliminate Measles and Rubella from WHO South-East Asia by 2026," said Saima Wazed, Regional Director WHO South-East Asia, in her inaugural address to the 15th Meeting of the WHO South-East Asia Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group (SEAR-ITAG) said. The Regional Director acknowledged and thanked all experts, national programme managers, immunization champions, partners including the vaccinators and community workers, and the communities themselves, on the expanded immunization programme completing 50 years this year. "We can proudly say, in the last 50 years, together, immunization programmes have helped hundreds of millions of people in our Region live healthier, longer, more productive, and prosperous lives," the Regional Director said. "Today, the South-East Asia Region continues to be free of wild poliovirus transmission and has maintained the elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus as a public health problem. Five countries have eliminated measles and rubella, and six have controlled hepatitis B through immunization. Seven countries consistently reach over 90 per cent of children with three doses of diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus (DTP3) vaccines," she said. However, the region missed the target to eliminate measles and rubella by 2023. The WHO/UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage data released last month shows slow progress and no meaningful change in childhood immunization coverage last year compared to 2022, and coverage is yet to be restored to the pre-pandemic 2019 levels. "Nearly 2.7 million children in our Region did not get any vaccine and another 0.6 million children were partially vaccinated in 2023. We need to understand where and why these children were missed and prioritize reaching them as soon as possible. No child should ever fall sick or die of any vaccine-preventable disease when safe and effective vaccines exist to protect them," Wazed said. She further added that the stagnation in post-pandemic recovery highlights the need to innovate. "We need to find locally impactful approaches, and most critically, enhance the political and social leadership that are the basis for intensified actions needed to meet our Regional targets," she said. One of the priorities in the Regional Director's Regional Roadmap for Results and Resilience is 'reaffirming investment in women, girls, adolescents and vulnerable populations', the WHO statement said. "Against this, we must ensure all adolescent girls in our Region are protected and get at least one dose of HPV vaccine to protect from cervical cancer", Wazed said. The statement said that revitalizing immunization programmes, strengthening community-centred health systems, ensuring vaccine supply, and boosting demand through community engagement are critical components of success. Policy and resources should urgently prioritize routine immunization, particularly for measles, and focus on reducing zero-dose and partially vaccinated children. "The focus must be on tailored approaches, identified in consultation with the affected communities. No matter how challenging or remote the setting is, we will need to find new ways to reach the children most at risk of life-threatening diseases and protect them with vaccines," the Regional Director said. Being held in New Delhi from 20-23 August, the SEAR-ITAG guides setting regional priorities for immunization and offers technical support for strengthening routine immunization services to Member States. Experts, national immunization programme managers, surveillance focal points and partner agencies review progress on immunization coverage, surveillance, and programme issues at this annual meeting, as per the statement. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid homage at the Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw, Poland. In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, that the memorial is a tribute to the great Royal Family of Kolhapur, who was at the forefront of giving shelter to Polish women and children displaced due to the horrors of World War II. "Paid homage at the Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw. This Memorial is a tribute to the great Royal Family of Kolhapur. This Royal Family was at the forefront of giving shelter to Polish women and children displaced due to the horrors of World War II," wrote PM Modi on X. "Inspired by the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the great Royal Family of Kolhapur put humanity above everything else and ensured a life of dignity for the Polish women and children. This act of compassion will keep inspiring generations," his post added. https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1826296390621811039 Meanwhile, in a post on X, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal said, "PM narendramodi paid tribute at the Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw today. The monument honours the generosity of the state of Kolhapur in Maharashtra that had given shelter to Polish women and children during World War-II. It continues to illuminate the deep and enduring friendship & togetherness between India and Poland." https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1826296112095043628 Earlier in the day, PM Modi also visited the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial. In a post on X, he said, "Humanity and compassion are vital foundations of a just and peaceful world. The Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw highlights the humanitarian contribution of Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, who ensured shelter as well as care to Polish children left homeless due to the Second World War. Jam Saheb is fondly remembered in Poland as Dobry Maharaja. Paid homage at the Memorial. Here are some glimpses." https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1826296023322415519 Taking to X, Jaiswal said, "PM @narendramodi paid solemn homage at the Monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino in Warsaw. PM honoured the brave soldiers who fought in World War-II. Indian and Polish troops fought side by side in this historic battle. Our shared history and enduring ties continue to inspire." https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1826296512399233482 Notably, Prime Minister Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to pay his respects at Good Maharaja Square, Monte Cassino Memorial and at Memorial to Kolhapur Family. Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday arrived in Poland on the first leg of his two-nation visit. (ANI)
Airlines like Qatar and Turkish are upgrading their business seats as competition for the best premium cabin heats up

Airlines continue to upgrade business class at travelers demand more luxury at the front of the jet.

Korean Air and Turkish Airlines are bringing their planes up to standard with sliding doors.

Qatar's new QSuite NextGen builds upon what is already considered the world's best business class.

New business-class seats seemingly pop up every few months.

Air India introduced new suite-like seats in January, Cathay Pacific Airways unveiled an upgraded "Aria" business class in March, and Lufthansa welcomed its versatile Allegris product in April.

Big players Korean Air, Qatar Airways, and Turkish Airlines are also following the trend to strengthen their position in the premium long-haul market. All three unveiled new business-class seats at the Farnborough International Airshow in July.

These global airlines are responding to the growing demand for more space and privacy at the front of the plane, which is where carriers make their money. This is especially important as post-pandemic business demand further rebounds and airline operating costs remain higher than ever.

The more recent announcements show Qatar is still leagues ahead of its rivals, but its clear doorless cabins and middle seats are largely becoming a thing of the past in business class.

Qatar Airways has set the bar for business class.

Qatar Airways QSuite on a Boeing 777. David Slotnick/Business Insider

Qatar has won the title from Skytrax nine times since 2014, setting the bar with the QSuite's first-of-its-kind double bed and spacious quad seating.

Qatar has equipped all of its Airbus A350-1000s, some of its Airbus A350-900s, and most of its Boeing 777s with the QSuite.

The airline is one-upping itself with the QSuite NextGen.

Amenities, pamphlets, and a wireless charging port. Pete Syme/Business Insider

Business Insider toured the new cabin during its world debut at the airshow. It is expected to be fitted onto Qatar's future Boeing 777X planes, which it has ordered 94 of.

The airline told BI it expects the first 777X, which is already five years behind schedule, in early 2026.

A key new feature is the face-to-face window seating.

The face-to-face window seats can be separated with the television. Pete Syme/Business Insider

Qatar's original QSuite has sets of four seats that can face each other by dropping the wall, creating a large space for dining or chatting.

Qatar has added the option to its window seats. This means people traveling together can face each other and enjoy the view.

The 22-inch television can be used as a privacy divider to turn them into solo seats.

The NextGen seat has bigger double beds and wider seats.

The QSuite Next Gen quad configuration. Pete Syme/Business Insider

Qatar maintained its quad-seating and double bed design in its 2.0 version, but the bed is now four and a half inches wider and one inch longer.

The seats are two inches wider.

Turkish and Korean Air's business classes are getting more significant upgrades.

Turkish (pictured) and Korean have upgraded not only the seat's comfort and perks but also the colors and aesthetic. Pete Syme/Business Insider

Turkish was recently named the world's 10th-best airline for business class by Skytrax, thanks to its Boeing 787 and A350 cabins. But the airline's dated Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 cabins are still behind the times. The former will be replaced with the new "Crystal" business class.

Meanwhile, Korean Air's old long-haul "Apex Suite" is famous for its insanely spacious window seats, but privacy for the aisle was lacking. Its newly announced "Prestige Suites 2.0" will introduce modern upgrades.

Turkish will no longer have a middle seat in business class.

Turkish Airlines' old 777 business class has middle seats. Turkish Airlines

Turkish's existing Boeing 777s feature a 2  3  2 layout, meaning the middle and window seat passengers don't have direct aisle access. Air India is one of the few airlines still sporting the dated design.

However, Turkish's new seats are configured in the standard 1  2  1 layout.

Every lie-flat Crystal seat will have a sliding door.

Turkish Airlines business class. Pete Syme/Business Insider

Sliding doors have become the expectation rather than the exception in business class, with carriers including Lufthansa, Air India, British Airways, and American Airlines announcing new door-equipped seats in recent years.

Turkish's new door-equipped seat will be installed on its 777 planes and its newly delivered A350-1000s, which are expected in 2026. It's unclear if the new Crystal product will replace Turkish's existing Boeing 787 or A350-900 business class.

Pairs can enjoy the 'honeymoon' seats and wireless charging.

An overhead view of the Crystal display. Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images

A divider can divide or combine every other set of seats in the center section, meaning people traveling together can essentially sleep, dine, or watch television side-by-side.

It's not quite as close as Qatar's double bed, but it's likely to attract customers.

Other perks include the 22-inch television, wireless charging, marble-style tables, and power ports.

Korean Air's Prestige Suite 2.0 is a night-and-day different from its old Apex Suite.

Korean Air's old (top) and new (bottom) business class. Taylor Rains/Business Insider, Korean Air

The Apex Suite is Korean Air's standard long-haul cabin. It is known for its unique 2  2  2 layout, which provides direct aisle access via a unique walkway and nearly endless space for the window seat.

BI found it almost like flying on a private jet if you were on the Boeing 747's upper deck.

However, the configuration is not the most efficient, and the aisle seat didn't get the same privacy or space as the window. The new cabin, which will debut on Korean Air's upcoming Boeing 787-10s and eventually its Boeing 777-300ERs, appears more balanced with its 1  2  1 layout.

The suites resemble competitor planes, complete with sliding doors and honeymoon seats.

The honeymoon seats are common airlines and are good for parties traveling together. Korean Air

The announcement was quieter than Qatar and Turkish, the latter two bringing mockups to the airshow to show off to the media.

Korean Air opted for just a press release announcing its July launch, accompanied by a photo kit.

The airline has expectedly added doors that stand 52 inches high and designed its center section seats to be flexible for solo travelers, families, or couples.

Korean Air has ditched its staple light blue color scheme.

The cushions on Apex Suites are tealish blue. Taylor Rains/Insider

Korean Air's planes have historically featured pastel blue cushions, which complemented the same color scheme worn by flight attendants and painted across the fuselage.

However, the Prestige Suites 2.0 boasts browns, tans, and beiges, suggesting a move away from the airline's traditional color patterns.

Neither Korean nor Turkish jumped on the 'business-class-plus' bandwagon.

JetBlue Airways Airbus A321neo's Mint Studio. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider

Airlines like Qatar, Virgin Atlantic Airways, JetBlue Airways, and Condor have contributed to the premium trend known as "business-class-plus." This takes advantage of the extra space in the front row of the plane by adding a companion seat by the bulkhead.

This allows people traveling together to dine, chat, or meet in the same seat.

Most airlines offer it for a fee in addition to the regular business class fare, while others, like Singapore Airlines and Air France, reserve it as a loyalty perk.

Qatar was already the best of the best, but Korean and Turkish are catching up.

A Qatar Airways flight attendant and a QSuite configured as a double bed. Pete Syme/Business Insider

Business class is among the biggest money-makers for airlines. The Motley Fool reported in December the lucrative cabin could represent 75% of a flight's profits, though just 12% of an airline's passengers book business class.

Further, post-pandemic business demand is continuing to rebound.

It's no surprise these modern, min-hotel-like cabins are on the rise as airlines vie for a piece of the market  though Qatar's fan-favorite QSuite will be hard to beat.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A Connecticut man pleaded guilty Monday to attacking police officers in the U.S. Capitol riot in support of Donald Trump on Jan. 6, 2021.

Richard Markey, 38, copped to one felony count of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, the Justice Department said. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 6.

Markey drove from his home in Wolcott to Washington, D.C., one day before the riot, according to the feds. He followed the crowd of thousands of rioters to the Capitol the following day.

At the Capitol, Markey climbed on top of other Trump supporters and began attacking cops from his elevated position, the feds said. He struck officers with a baton and attempted to punch them with his fists before stomping on a police shield, according to investigators.

Markey then grabbed a pole from the officers and struck them seven different times with it, with such force that it broke on the seventh strike, according to the Justice Department.

At the scene, Markey shouted, Oath breaker! Oath breaker! Youre not doing your fing job, the feds said.

More than two years after the riot, Markey was arrested in Wolcott on July 17, 2023. He was initially charged with assaulting a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon, obstructing law enforcement during civil disorder, and disorderly or disruptive conduct, along with other crimes. Various charges were dropped as part of his plea deal.

More than 1,400 people have been arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 riot in support of Trump. Theyve been handed sentences ranging from probation to 22 years. In interviews ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Trump has said he would pardon a large number of Jan. 6 rioters if he is re-elected.
Alexcia Cox and Sam Stern appeared headed for victory Tuesday night in their primary races for Palm Beach County state attorney, taking strong leads after hard-fought campaigns involving five candidates.

In the race for the Democratic nomination, Cox was winning with 64% of the vote to 19% for Gregg Lerman and 17% for Craig Williams, with 89% of precincts reporting.

Thank you, Palm Beach County! Cox said in a written statement. Tonights victory isnt just mine; its ours  and I am deeply grateful to every single person who leant their support to help us get here. My commitment to Palm Beach County is unwavering. This is my home  the place where I was born and raised  and I am determined to make it a stronger, safer place for all who live here.

In the fight for the Republican nomination, Stern was ahead with 63% of the vote to 37% for Forrest Freedman with 89% of precincts reporting.

Im proud to be the Republican nominee, Stern said, and to be able to offer the people of Palm Beach County a State Attorney who will actually put criminals behind bars.

The winner of each partys nomination will compete in the Nov. 5 general election to replace Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, who is leaving the job after 12 years in office.

Cox, 44, is deputy chief assistant state attorney overseeing the offices domestic violence unit, conviction review unit and county court (misdemeanor) unit, as well as the north and south county satellite offices.

She has prosecuted hundreds of cases, including first-degree murders, domestic violence, elder abuse and child abuse, according to her campaign biography. A Palm Beach County native, she received the endorsement of dozens of local Democratic elected officials, as well as the AFL-CIO of Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast, Florida Fraternal Order of Police, Emilys List and several other groups.

Stern, 43, a lawyer in private practice, is a former state and federal prosecutor who has served in the Palm Beach County State Attorneys Office. He teaches trial advocacy at the University of Miami and University of Virginia law schools and is the author of the book The Absolute Beginners Guide to Cross-Examination.

Now a partner in the Palm Beach Gardens office of the law firm of Stern, Kilcullen & Rufolo LLC, he teaches trial advocacy at the University of Miami and University of Virginia law schools and is the author of the book The Absolute Beginners Guide to Cross-Examination. As a candidate, he pointed to his broad experience as a prosecutor, teacher and defense lawyer in complex cases, saying he could best protect the community and the rights of victims.

The office, which is in charge of prosecuting most crimes in Palm Beach County, has about 115 prosecutors and 180 staff in five offices throughout the county. The job pays $218,939.

In the coming general election, the Democratic candidate will start with a built-in advantage in a county in which Democrats outnumber Republicans by 37% to 32%, with 31% other, according to statistics from the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections. But Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis won the county in 2022, and the level of each partys voter enthusiasm in the presidential election is likely to affect the results in down-ballot races such as the State Attorneys Office.

Williams, 59, is chief assistant state attorney in charge of several sections of the office, including the felony trial unit, intake unit, organized crime, white collar, traffic homicide and mental health, as well as the Gun Club Road and Belle Glade offices. Lerman, 64, of West Palm Beach, is a criminal defense lawyer who ran as an outsider who claimed he could bring fresher ideas to the office than his opponents, who both held high positions under Aronberg.

Freedman, 63, is a lawyer in private practice and a former Boston prosecutor who has served as adjunct professor of business law at Nova Southeastern University.
Fox News host Jesse Watters resurrected conspiracy theories falsely accusing Barack Obama of not being born in the US just hours before the former presidents speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Its been 16 years since baseless, racist rumors surrounding Obamas heritage first swirled  which were proven unequivocally false.

The birther movement, better known as birtherism, emerged when false rumors spread that Obamas birth certificate was forged and that his birthplace was in Kenya or Indonesia, not Honolulu, Hawaii.

Despite the widely disproven theory, according to the loose description in the constitution, only a natural-born citizen who is at least 35 years old and has been a resident of the US for 14 years or more can be president.

On Tuesdays live episode of The Five, Watters took a stab at Obama hours before the former presidents electrifying DNC speech where he slammed Donald Trump, praised Joe Biden for his service and threw his support behind Kamala Harris.

Hes definitely going to interfere in this election, the Fox News host claimed, pulling rhetoric often used by Trump.

Jesse Watters launched into an attack hours before Obama made his DNC speech during a live episode of The Five (Fox News/YouTube)

Thats why well be sending Johnny [producer on The Five] to Hawaii to get the truth about the birth certificate, Watters told viewers. This time we will dig deep and find out what really happened.

Co-host Greg Gutfeld intervened saying that the producer must get his passport, before Watters retorted: To go to Kenya.

I meant to Hawaii, just to see him do it. Ask him what the exchange rate is for the Hawaiian dollar, Gutfield sniggered.

Today, some conspiracy theorists still subscribe to birtherism, despite the release of Obamas birth documents and confirmation of his birth by the Hawaii Department of Health before the 2008 election.

Barack Obama and his wife Michelle stand on stage after she introduced him at evening two of the DNC (AFP via Getty Images)

They go hand-in-hand with a slew of other baseless claims that Obama secretly practices Islam, with others attesting hes the antichrist.

By 2010, approximately one in four Americans doubted Obama was born in the US, according to a CNN poll.

By March 2011, Donald Trump began casting so-called real doubts about whether Obama had a US birth certificate. Days later, he claimed that he sent a team of investigators to Hawaii and said hed donate $5m to charity if anyone could convince him Obama was born in the US.

After the release of Obamas long-form official certificate of live birth in April 2011, just over one in 10 Americans believed in the birther movement, according to a Gallup poll.

In 2012, Trump continued to peddle the conspiracy theory and wrote on X, then Twitter, that an extremely credible source told him the certificate was a fraud.

Trump has spearheaded the birtherism theory surrounding Obama for more than a decade (AFP via Getty Images)

After years of attacking Obama, in 2020 Trump took aim at another political heavyweights heritage: the new vice president Harris. Yet again, this was proved completely false.

I just heard it today that she doesnt meet the requirements, Trump said at a press conference in August 2020, before adding: But thats very serious, youre saying that, theyre saying that she doesnt qualify because she wasnt born in this country.

Trump did admit at the time that he didnt know for sure if that was right  before doubling down that theyre saying Harris doesnt fit the criteria to be president.

Last month, Trump launched into another attack on Harriss ethnic background while speaking at the National Association of Black Journalists  claiming that the vice president had only recently happened to turn Black and she only previously leveraged her Indian heritage.

Harris, who is both of Jamaican and Indian heritage, has regularly  and proudly  talked about her Black heritage in public, including during a 2006 panel of emerging Black leaders.
Katie Rolston Howe, director of workforce development for the North Dakota Department of Commerce, delivers remarks Aug. 21, 2024, during a Global Talent Summit at the Heritage Center that focused on workforce issues. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

North Dakota workforce needs and the capabilities of immigrant and refugee labor took center stage during the inaugural Global Talent Summit hosted by the state Office of Legal Immigration at the Heritage Center on Wednesday.

More than 13,000 job openings were posted online for the state in July, which Katie Rolston Howe, director of the workforce division for the Department of Commerce, said she believes immigrants and refugees can help fill some of the positions.

The Office of Legal Immigration, created by the North Dakota Legislature in 2023, has become a hub for information for employers and communities looking for resources to recruit immigrants, Rolston Howe said.

Were a great place to start, whether youve used immigration as a workforce guide in the past, or you are just looking to get started, she said.

Tuesdays event featured presentations to help employers connect with immigrant communities overseas and in the U.S. to draw more potential employees to the state.

Aswar Rahman, CEO of Victoria Street, a Twin Cities-based immigrant and refugee resettlement organization, said immigrant communities are aware of the political climate in the U.S. surrounding immigration and he tells them to think more locally instead of nationally.

One of the phrases we share with everyone who comes is at least in a place like Minnesota, and Im going to say North Dakota, too, everybody wants you to succeed, Rahman said during the event. Even the person who doesnt like you would still want you to be successful, so who cares what they think. Instead, build the life you want.

He also commended North Dakotas messaging to communities outside the state as a wonderful place to live, raise a family and build a life.

Thats what my people want, he said.

During a panel discussion, Rebekah Smith, executive director for Washington, D.C.-based Labor and Mobility Partnerships, said she sees a forever labor shortage in developed countries that will not be able to keep up with the demand for workers unless it becomes easier to draw from the international labor market.

There is not enough of any kind of worker, Smith said. Previous labor shortages, she said, were grouped into types of workers, like engineers or agricultural workers, but that isnt the case anymore. Labor shortages have become a threat to sustaining the U.S. economy, she said.

She added high-income countries are aging too quickly and not replacing their workforce due to a decreasing number of native-born births.

We estimate by 2050, well need 400 million new workers in high-income countries just to maintain the current structure of our economies. Thats not talking about growth, thats not talking about innovation, thats just to maintain our societies as they currently are, Smith said.

Remote workers can alleviate some of the shortages, she said, but, especially in health care positions, it will take an actual person to fill that role, which is why immigrant labor and resettlement has become a valuable resource.

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RICHMOND, Ind.  For the first time since 2018, a teacher from Richmond Community Schools has been selected as an individual top 10 finalist for Indiana Teacher of the Year.

Shelly Swain, a K-4 interventionist at Starr Elementary School, was named a finalist for the 2025 award by the Indiana Department of Education in a news release.

The award, which has been given since at least 1997, aims to "recognize outstanding teachers from across the state."

The next phase of the selection process are interviews with the state selection committee that began on Monday. From there, three finalists will undergo surprise classroom visits by committee members, who will then select the 2025 Teacher of the Year.

Shelly Swain, a K-4 interventionist at Starr Elementary School, teaches students in her classroom. Swain was named a Top 10 Finalist for 2025 Indiana Teacher of the Year.

So why did Swain decide to become a teacher and what is her advice to those wishing to become one? Here is what Swain has to say.

What made you interested in becoming a teacher?

Swain said that her journey to becoming a teacher is a long story and that she "started late, but started early."

When Swain was 12 years old, there was a deaf woman at a library she visited and learned that nobody could communicate with her, so she grabbed an encyclopedia off a shelf and communicated with her through the alphabet.

From there, Swain wanted to learn as much as she could about sign language through the library and worked towards getting her school principal to sign. She eventually went into the Deaf community as an interpreter and tried to enter the Deaf Education program at Ball State University, but she was not accepted and instead entered the field of business.

It all eventually worked out for Swain, as she earned her general education degree from Indiana University East before taking an accelerated licensure program to get her special education license and earning her Master's in special education with an autism concentration at Ball State.

What brought her back into education was a chance encounter with the interpreter of one of her son's schoolmates.

"This little girl's interpreter had to use the restroom and it was her time to take pictures, so I signed to her," Swain said. "The interpreter saw me and said there was a position at Richmond Community Schools for me to interpret for six weeks, which I did, and then I decided at that point to go back into education."

What do you think is the key to being a great teacher?

For Minogue, the practice of teacher is an art, one that requires a lot of innovation and creativity. But one of her biggest secrets to success, she said, is not being afraid to make a mistake.

"I think you have to love learning, and love kids, obviously, but I think when kids are with you for six hours a day at the elementary level, you are such a model for what the future holds," Minogue said. "You need to be able to get down on their level and learn with them, but most importantly have fun while you're doing it."

Did you have a teacher who inspired you?

Swain did not take long to think about a teacher who inspired her to become who she is today.

"Mr. Beaty, my sixth grade teacher," she said. "He inspired me by really helping me become a critical thinker. He made his kids rise to higher expectations, and we owned our education, but on top of that, he made learning so much fun that I aspired to be him. He was my role model to look at what I wanted to be as a teacher."

What is the key to being a successful student?

For Swain, the success of a student falls on the positive impact that a teacher has on them in their lives, something she holds herself in high regard of doing.

She said that it's important in her role to "see the whole child and student" and to keep the belief that every child can learn and become empowered in that they can eventually become productive members of their communities.

"To become problem solvers and be curious and open-minded and accept diversity, that's what I try to do in my learning experiences," she said. "That's what I aspire and challenge my students to do, and they challenge me equally."

Swain added that she is equally as impacted by her students as they are by her, resulting in her aspiring to provide the best instruction as possible to them to ensure a positive student-teacher relationship.

"I guess some kids found out there and when I got to school, they said, 'Mrs. Swain, Mrs. Swain, congratulations!' and I told them 'I couldn't have done this without you, because you make me a teacher. If you don't come to school, I can't be a teacher,' so they were going through the school saying they made Mrs. Swain a teacher. It's that mutual respect with each other and seeing that whole child."

What advice would you give to those interested in becoming teachers?

Shelly Swain, a teacher at Starr Elementary School, was recently announced as a Top 10 Finalist for 2025 Indiana Teacher of the Year by the Indiana Department of Education.

"Go! It's a wonderful profession," Swain said for students thinking about becoming a teacher. "It is so fulfilling. Yes, it's hard work and yes, we endure. Every teacher that I've ever known, regardless of their role, aspires to help their students grow, and they will do the same."

Swain made an offer to help anybody wishing to enter the field, adding that she is an adjunct professor at Indiana University East where she teaches pre-service teachers.

"Come to my classroom and student teach, do field experience," she said. "It is so empowering to know that you have the privilege to cross that student's path and their educational journey. It's a privilege and an honor. Their families and their parents, guardians or whoever, they give us their greatest gift every day, and I would help them."

Evan Weaver is a news and sports reporter at The Palladium-Item. Contact him on X (@evan_weaver7) or email at eweaver@gannett.com. Lafayette Journal & Courier's Jillian Ellison contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Starr Elementary teacher a finalist for Indiana Teacher of the Year
TOKYO, Aug 21 (News On Japan) - Japan's trade balance swung back into deficit in July for the first time in two months, with the deficit amount exceeding last year's figure by more than tenfold. The sharp increase is attributed to the depreciation of the yen, which led to substantial growth in both exports and imports.

According to preliminary trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance, the trade deficit in July stood at 621.8 billion yen. Both exports and imports saw significant increases of over 10% compared to the same period last year.

Exports reached a record high for the month of July at 9.6192 trillion yen. This surge was largely driven by a substantial increase in semiconductor-related exports to Taiwan.

Imports also hit a record high for July, totaling 10.2410 trillion yen. The growth was propelled by a rise in imports of high-priced pharmaceuticals from the United States and smartphones from China.

Source: ANN
Conference on promoting China's peaceful reunification held in Hong Kong

Xinhua) 09:02, August 21, 2024

HONG KONG, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- The 2024 Overseas Chinese World Conference for Promoting Peaceful Reunification of China was held Tuesday in Hong Kong.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, sent a congratulatory letter to the conference.

Wang said in the letter that compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan as well as overseas Chinese have long been opposing "independence" and promoting reunification. They have contributed to fostering exchanges across the Taiwan Strait in various fields, deepening the international community's commitment to the one-China principle and working toward China's peaceful reunification.

Wang encouraged compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan as well as overseas Chinese to keep pace with the trends of history, safeguard the overall interests of the Chinese nation and join hands in opposing "Taiwan independence" and promoting reunification.

Shi Taifeng, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the event, stressing that the conference, gathering compatriots at home and abroad, will help advance the cause of opposing "independence" and promoting reunification.

Themed "Unswervingly promoting China's peaceful reunification and striving to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," the conference was hosted by the Hong Kong Association for Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China and attended by over 1,200 representatives.

The conference adopted the 2024 Hong Kong Declaration.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
April Bailey, regional president in San Antonio of Amegy Bank, and David McGee, Amegys CEO for the Central Texas region, are overseeing the banks growth in South Texas, including a move to downtown and a bigger space. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer

At a time local businesses such as USAA have been withdrawing from downtown offices, Amegy Bank is doing the opposite.

In May, the Houston-based bank announced plans to lease the 21st and 22nd floors in the office tower at 300 Convent St., formerly known as Bank of America Plaza, to be its new hub for the Central Texas region. The bank currently has its local office in a mid-rise building off U.S. 281 near San Antonio International Airport.

Part of the reason for the move is to accommodate the banks growth in the region, with the new space having about 40,000 square feet, up from about 26,000 square feet in the current office. Last year, the bank appointed April Bailey, formerly an executive vice president in its Houston office, as regional president in San Antonio to help oversee the growth.

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April Bailey, regional president in San Antonio of Amegy Bank, and David McGee, Amegys CEO for the Central Texas region, are overseeing the banks growth in South Texas, including a move to downtown and a bigger space. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer

Were so excited about moving downtown. Two beautiful floors; its got an internal staircase and thats important to us because we both manage by walking around a lot, said David McGee, the banks CEO for the Central Texas region, said of himself and Bailey. Nothing says that youre committed to a community more than having your name on top of one of the tallest buildings in downtown. We want to be a part of that. We want to make a statement, and we want to be a part of whats happening downtown.

Renovation of the new space will begin soon and is expected to take seven or eight months, with employees moving in by March, McGee said.

Amegy will join other banks with prominent offices in the downtown area, including PNC Bank and Jefferson Bank.

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Founded in 1990, Amegy has had a presence in San Antonio since 2007, when it acquired a small community bank named Intercon Bank that was then worth $50 million, McGee said. Its Central Texas region includes Austin and New Braunfels, where the bank has one branch each.

Our strategy is to be the most relevant bank in the Texas Triangle, McGee said. Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio  well just continue to fill that in in a natural, organic way. If there are opportunities to team up with people who have done a great job in the community, wed love to be a part of that conversation.

Bailey and McGee recently sat to discuss Amegys move to downtown, the trend toward consolidation in the banking industry and opportunities for growth they see in this region. The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.

April Bailey, regional president in San Antonio of Amegy Bank, and David McGee, Amegys CEO for the Central Texas region, are overseeing the banks growth in South Texas, including a move to downtown and a bigger space. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer

Q: Youre going to be occupying more space downtown than you are in your current offices. So the move is partly driven by your growth, right?

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McGee: Yeah. This has been a great location for us, and served our initial growth just fine, but were just out of space. The other thing is that if you look at how people have changed their work habits post-COVID, we need a different type of space. The level of collaboration that we need, the ability to have more of a hybrid meeting environment, thats part of what were doing. Much more open-concept  lots of conference rooms and meeting spaces where people can have a video call with a group of people. Thats really important to us.

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The other thing is that I think today, what youre competing against to get people back in the office is whether its a better environment to be in the office or at home. Were trying to raise the bar in terms of the amenities and just the look, the feel, in our new space.

Bailey: It gives us an opportunity to completely design a space that would be conducive to hosting organizations and clients. Well have a beautiful boardroom overlooking the city. Strategically, to be in the geographic center of San Antonio, where there hopefully will be economic expansion, customer proximity, were just really excited about that. The walkability factor as well  we dont really have that where were at today.

McGee: I would add that theres 1,300 businesses in close proximity to that location that were going to go after. Our bankers are very active.

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Q: Could you give me a sense of how much the banks local presence has grown lately?

McGee: The size of the bank and our financial footprint in the San Antonio market has doubled over the last five years. Were very active recruiters in terms of bringing young talent in through our training program. I would say 70% of our employees have come through our own training program, and were going to continue to recruit talent. We are a barometer of the growth thats happening in this community. We are a very stable economic community  becoming a more diversified economy over the past 10 and 15 years. I think thats very attractive to growing talent.

Bailey: San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth  theyre all considered our growth markets. So a lot of resources are going into those markets. Were trying to build and establish our brand, whereas in Houston were very well established, very well known. Personally, I wouldnt have moved my whole family if it wasnt for the possibility of expansion here and in Austin.

April Bailey, regional president in San Antonio of Amegy Bank, and David McGee, Amegys CEO for the Central Texas region, are overseeing the banks growth in South Texas, including a move to downtown and a bigger space. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer

Q: You entered the local market in 2007  right before the financial crisis.

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McGee: The funny thing about the great financial crisis is that our bank actually grew during that time. We had just entered the market; you had some of the larger money center banks that were trying to get a handle on their derivative exposure and what it meant for their global markets. We were open for business. I think thats probably the first example of where I would say Amegy Bank is built for a different level of resilience than some of the other banks. We call ourselves a Goldilocks bank: Were not too big, not too small. We have that sort of big bankability with the community bank agility. That also rang true during COVID, where 38% of our loans that we made during the PPP program (Paycheck Protection Program) were to nonbank customers, just because they couldnt get access to the programs in other places.

Q: What growth opportunities do you see in San Antonio, compared with other cities?

Bailey: We do offer foreign exchange. We have an actual trading desk in Houston. Just given the proximity to Mexico and foreign companies that have their U.S. headquarters here, we can offer foreign exchange. Thats something that were really proud of.

McGee: I think were one of the only banks in this region that actually has an international department thats local. Mexico is very important as a trading partner, but you look at some of the businesses that have come to San Antonio from Asia and from Europe over the past three or four years  and now we have direct flights to Frankfurt (Germany). Were seeing a need more and more as San Antonio becomes more of an international city, to have that expertise.

April Bailey, regional president in San Antonio of Amegy Bank, and David McGee, Amegys CEO for the Central Texas region, are overseeing the banks growth in South Texas, including a move to downtown and a bigger space. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer

Q: April, was the role of regional president created when you came to the local office? And what are your duties?

Bailey: There hasnt really been one before. One area that we are really focused on is the business banking segment, which is small business with revenues $20 million and below. We feel like thats just a great fit in this market. Just making sure that we have the talent in place. We have a great team already, but we train from our training program, so Im very involved. Also commercial/industrial, which is $20 million to $500 million in revenues. We just made a great hire, Clay Jett, that came to us to manage that group. So were also looking to expand our commercial footprint.

Q: Is it difficult to find talent these days? How do you attract employees?

Bailey: We had four spots this year for our training program just in San Antonio, and we interviewed 10 candidates from all different universities. And we were blown away by every single one. We only could pick four. A lot of them are not from San Antonio. Theyre from Austin or Houston. It was really encouraging that they wanted to come to San Antonio. I would ask them, Why San Antonio? And they just said the quality of life. They just felt like it would be a good, clean start. From that aspect, we can find talent there. It probably is a little bit more challenging when we look externally, because we do such a great job of homegrowing our talent. Every now and then, we do need to find someone external that has more experience, and thats probably a little bit more challenging. Its competitive. Everyones looking for good talent.

April Bailey, regional president in San Antonio of Amegy Bank, and David McGee, Amegys CEO for the Central Texas region, are overseeing the banks growth in South Texas, including a move to downtown and a bigger space. Christopher Lee / Staff Photographer

Q: The banking industry is undergoing consolidation, right? Has Amegy taken part in that?
HOKKAIDO, Aug 21 (News On Japan) - Hakodate's famed 'Million Dollar Night View' has been obscured by overwhelming crowds, leaving both tourists and locals frustrated.

As the sun begins to set, crowds already gather at the observation deck on Mount Hakodate, with security personnel urging them to keep moving.

Despite the breathtaking scenery, many visitors seem more focused on their smartphones than the view itself. The ropeway to the summit is packed like a commuter train, and as night falls, the crowd jostles to capture the view on their devices.

One visitor from Iwate remarked, "I couldnt see the view at all because of the crowd. I never imagined it would be this packed. I thought Id be able to enjoy it more leisurely."

A tourist from Tokyo expressed surprise at the situation, saying, "I was shocked. You cant stay long here."

Another from Yamaguchi said simply, "Im exhausted. Its beyond what I imagined."

Even as the night deepens, the line for the ropeway extends far outside the building, with less than an hour left until closing time.

The overcrowding isnt limited to the ropeway. At the bus stop leading to Mount Hakodate, long lines of people wait, with the buses unable to keep up with the demand. Last year, Hakodate saw approximately 5.3 million visitors, more than 22 times its population of 240,000.

One Hakodate resident noted, "Sometimes, I cant even get on the bus because of the tourists."

The problem is not just for the locals. A visitor from Aomori, accompanied by small children, expressed concern, saying, "I want to ride, but its so crowded. Im not sure if we can manage with a stroller."

Overtourism is proving problematic for tourists as well, leading the city to take action. A new initiative called "Relaxed Night Views and Night Tours" aims to guide visitors to other historical sites during the peak congestion hours before 8 p.m.

Hakodate Mayor Jun Oizumi stated, "We want to broaden tourists' options and optimize the experience to avoid excessive concentration, ensuring it doesnt negatively impact residents lives."

Source: ANN
KOBE, Aug 22 (News On Japan) - Kobe City has implemented a policy that effectively bans the construction of new tower mansions in the city center. This decision was made to prevent potential urban imbalances that could arise from a population shift from the suburbs to the city center, which would accelerate suburban decline.

Kobe City has a history of extensive urban development, but in an era of declining population, there are concerns that new developments could lead to an increase in vacant properties.

The city aims to focus on maintaining and utilizing existing assets rather than constructing new buildings that may eventually become abandoned. Additionally, the policy considers the challenges of managing high-rise buildings as their populations age, and the risks posed by future disasters, given Kobe's history with major earthquakes.

The goal is to create a sustainable city that remains attractive and functional even as the population decreases.

Source: TBS
BEIJING, Aug 22 (News On Japan) - Japanese sushi chain Sushiro has opened its first store in Beijing, China. Despite the Chinese government's ongoing ban on importing Japanese seafood, Sushiro is accelerating its expansion into the Chinese market, capitalizing on its reputation for affordability.

The new store, located in a central Beijing shopping mall, opened Wednesday to long lines, with many customers eager to try the offerings. Prices start at around 200 yen per plate, making it cheaper than dining at local Japanese restaurants, and the store offers a menu of 220 items, more than what is available in Japan.

One customer commented, The sushi is very fresh and delicious. The cost-performance is great.

The Beijing location is also the first in mainland China to offer private dining rooms, catering to families and other groups.

Source: BIZ
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has said that he is still a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The governor made the reaffirmation when a delegation of the Board of Trustees (BoTs) of the PDP, led by the Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, visited him at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

According to him: I want to thank the Chairman and members of the Board of Trustees. Honestly speaking, if I was having any doubt about my membership first, of this great party, I think today, I have gotten a reconfirmation that I am still, not minding the drama around, a member of this party.

And, I want to thank you for taking all the troubles to come to Rivers State to see the Governor and the supporters of the party, genuinely. I need to use that word, genuinely, because we, that are here, are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), undiluted.

Governor Fubara noted that, for once, I am happy to see the leaders, among whom are some founding fathers of the PDP, like Chief Bode George, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, joining the delegation here to talk about the unity of the party.
By Innocent Anaba

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, Tuesday, overturned the decision of a Kogi State High Court, which restrained the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, from prosecuting former Kogi State governor Mr. Yahaya Bello on an N80 billion money laundering charge.

The three-man panel of the appellate court, in a unanimous decision read by Justice I. Amadi, held that the decision of the judge of the lower court, Justice Isah Jamil, which set Bello free despite seeing the charge filed by the EFCC, was a scandal.

The Justices, Justice H. Barka, Justice S. Bola and Justice I. Amadi ordered Bello to obey the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, and present himself for arraignment.

The court allowed the appeal filed by Chief J. Okutepa, SAN, on behalf of the EFCC against the judgment of Justice Jamil in a fundamental right case filed by Bello in February 2024.

Bello is scheduled for arraignment before Justice Emeka Nwite on nine counts of money laundering involving over N80 billion, which he allegedly diverted from the Kogi State governments treasury.

However, since filing the charges, the EFCC has not been able to bring him to court.

Bello went into hiding and snubbed five court sessions scheduled for his arraignment on April 18, 23, May 10, June 13, and 27, by mostly filing several applications challenging, among others, the EFCC and the courts power to arraign him.

He also filed appeals challenging the courts orders, insisting on his arraignment, but the justices held among others that Bellos preliminary objection to the charge was not sustainable.

During the proceedings, the court adopted the two issues raised by the respondent.

It held that the learned trial judge had the charge in FRN vs. Alh. Bello & Anor, FHC/ABJ/CR/550/2022 in his hand, but still set the respondent free, under the guise of enforcing his fundamental rights. This is very scandalous.

Justice Amadi added that it was very clear that the purpose of the case instituted at the trial court was to shield the respondent, Yahaya Bello from his criminal trial.

The court relied on its earlier decision per Oyewole JCA in EFCC vs. Alh. Yahaya Bello, CA/ABJ/CV/413/2024 to reiterate that no vourt has the power to preclude a law enforcement agency from performing its statutory functions

In effect, the court agreed with the submissions of the appellant.

On the whole, the court held that the appeal is meritorious and is therefore allowed.

It further held, In view of the provision of Section 396(2) of ACJA, the respondent in this appeal; Alh Yahaya Bello is hereby ordered to appear for his arraignment in charge No.: FHC/ABJ/CR/550/2022, FRN VS Ali Bello & Anor, before taking any other step in this matter.

The second appeal was similarly decided with the court deciding in the EFCCs favour, the appeal against the ruling of the lower court that no application of the appellant would be entertained until he presented himself for arraignment.

On the preliminary objection, the court was of the view that grounds 5 and 6 of the notice of appeal contained issues of law hence, no leave was required.

The preliminary objection was thus discountenanced.

The court in addressing the main appeal, held that in view of section 396(2) of ACJA, no objection to the validity of the charge shall be entertained until arraignment of the defendant.

The appeal was consequently dismissed.
Britains Prime Minister Keir Starmer. (Photo by Ben Birchall / POOL / AFP)

The British government on Wednesday announced new measures to crack down on high numbers of asylum seekers arriving illegally on small boats from France.

It said 100 new specialist intelligence and investigation officers would be recruited to the National Crime Agency (NCA) to help dismantle smuggling gangs that run the dangerous crossings.

The interior ministry added that the government aims over the next six months to achieve the highest rate of deportations of failed asylum seekers for five years.

The Labour government, which won an election last month, intends to increase detention capacity at removal centres and sanction employers who hire people with no right to work in the UK, the Home Office said.

We are taking strong and clear steps to boost our border security and ensure the rules are respected and enforced, interior minister Yvette Cooper said in a statement.

Stopping the small boat arrivals was a key issue in the July 4 election, in which Labour won a thumping majority.

Within days of taking power, Prime Minister Keir Starmer scrapped a controversial scheme to deport illegal migrants to Rwanda, which had been a flagship policy of the last Conservative government.

Starmer has instead pledged to dismantle the people-smuggling gangs who organise the crossings and are paid thousands of euros by each migrant.

The Home Office is recruiting a so-called Border Security Commander who will work with European countries against the people-smuggling gangs.

Starmer has also pledged with French President Emmanuel Macron to strengthen cooperation in handling the surge in undocumented migrant numbers.

More than 200 people crossed the Channel in three boats on Monday, taking the provisional total for the year so far to 19,294, according to Home Office figures.

This is a 10 percent increase on the number recorded last year, which was 17,620, but down on the 21,344 crossings recorded in the same period of 2022.

The Home Office said the NCA is pursuing about 70 investigations against criminal networks involved in people trafficking.

It said the government would issue financial penalty notices, business closure orders and bring possible prosecutions against anyone employing illegal workers.

The department also said it was adding 290 beds to two removal centres and redeploying staff to try to remove failed asylum seekers at the highest rate since 2018. The ministry did not give figures on the numbers involved.
A Council Bluffs woman was sentenced Aug. 13 to 122 months  more than 10 years  in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

According to public court documents, Demi Lynn Jahn, 33, conspired with other individuals to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine in the Council Bluffs metro area between March and June 2023.

Jahn conspired with others including Leonires Perez, also known as Flaco, who was sentenced in May 2024 in the District of Nebraska to 248 months for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, and Virgil McIntosh, who was sentenced in April 2024 to 240 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm.

After completing her term of imprisonment, Jahn will be required to serve five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was investigated by the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, Council Bluffs Police Department, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and Pottawattamie County Sheriffs Office.
An employee of Iowas state-run Civil Commitment Unit for Sex Offenders is suing the state, alleging sexual improprieties by the staff, including the former clinical director.

It is the second time a clinical director of the unit  which provides treatment for criminally convicted sexual offenders  has been accused of sexual improprieties.

Keisha Mammen, a treatment program supervisor in the unit, is suing the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, which runs the unit, and her supervisor, Matthew Boothby, in Polk County District Court. Mammen is accusing DHHS and Boothby of sex discrimination, sexual harassment and unequal pay.

In a separate complaint Mammen filed in January with the Iowa Civil Service Commission, Mamman listed some of the misconduct she has allegedly witnessed while working in the unit and stated that she has retained text messages and videos to support her claims.

Among the alleged incidents in the unit in Cherokee:

 Nude video: A supervisor, Jordan Frahm, sent Mammen a video of himself completely nude, jumping off a roof into a pool, Mammen alleged. Frahm sent her the video, Mammen alleged, while the two were participating in training on how to investigate employee misconduct. Frahm allegedly followed up the video with a text message that stated, Discipline this, DAS  an apparent reference to the Department of Administrative Services, which handles employee disciplinary matters for the state.

Mammen alleges she reported the matter to Boothby who questioned whether Frahm had merely forwarded to her an internet meme. I replied, No, it is Jordan Frahm completely naked,' Mammen wrote in her complaint.

 Clinical director: Clint Frederiksen, the clinical director of the Civil Commitment Unit for Sex Offenders, was forced to resign last year, Mammen alleged, due to sexually inappropriate conduct with employees. Frederiksen had made sexual advances toward her, Mammen wrote in her complaint, by calling her on the phone and encouraging a sexual relationship and promises of advancement with his support.

Mammen also wrote: I did have a sexual affair on two occasions outside of work with Clint and almost ruined my marriage. Clint advised me to never report it as it would cost me my job.

Frederiksen resigned in October 2023. According to the Cherokee Chronicle Times, he agreed to quit in lieu being fired after DHHS concluded he had violated state policies on sexual harassment.

 Complaint ruled unfounded: In the summer of 2022, a staff member did something to a patient that was against policy, Mammen alleged without elaborating. She stated that she reported the matter and archived security footage that confirmed what had transpired.

She alleged that a colleague, Tony Henderson, then berated her for her actions and told her, There are other ways to gain respect than ruining a mans 13-year career. Mammen alleged the patients family reported the incident to the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, which investigated the matter and subsequently determined the familys complaint was unfounded.

 Patient boundary issues: In late 2022, Mammen alleged, a colleague reported that a female employee in the unit seemed to have boundary issues with a particular patient. Mammen said she reviewed security camera footage and noticed the female employee was taking a break from her assigned duties to play cards with the patient.

Mammen alleged Henderson then approached her and told her she needed to quit accusing the staff of misconduct or hed have her assigned to the day shift under his supervision. Later, Mammen alleged, the female employee was found to be engaged in an inappropriate relationship with the patient, was placed on administrative leave and then resigned.

 Harassment complaint: After an employee made a sexual harassment complaint, Mamman alleged, she asked Boothby what she should do about the matter. Henderson, who was in the room, allegedly spoke up and said, Nothing. It was months ago and youre not doing (expletive) with it. Boothby allegedly told Mammen, Im sorry, Im not going to make you sweep that under the rug. You need to file a complaint on behalf of the employee.

When contacted by the Iowa Capital Dispatch, Boothby referred questions on the allegations to Brad Whitrock, the units assistant superintendent. Whitrock and Frahm referred all question to a DHHS spokesperson who declined to comment. Henderson did not immediately return messages seeking comment, and Frederiksen could not be reached for comment.

State records indicate Frederiksen replaced Shannon Sanders as the clinical director of the Civil Commitment Unit for Sex Offenders. According to civil court filings, Sanders had been fired by the state for failing to file reports as required.

However, the Associated Press obtained a copy of Sanders separation letter with the state and reported that the letter indicates Sanders was fired due to boundary violations she committed with a patient and that she had performed special favors for the man, lied to protect him and failed to report that he had personal feelings for her.

The patient in question, Jeff Goodwin, sued the state, alleging Sanders allowed him to masturbate in front of her and that the two watched pornography together and shared details of their sexual histories  allegations the state denied. Goodwins lawsuit was dismissed earlier this year when a judge ruled that his attorneys had failed to file a certificate of merit based on an experts opinion that the accepted standards of care had been breached. The dismissal has been appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court.

According to her lawsuit, Mammen was hired by DHHS in July 2020 to work as a psychiatric security specialist in the Cherokee facility. In May 2021, she was promoted to treatment program supervisor, the position she still holds.

She alleges that in October 2023, she applied for a position as a public service supervisor and was denied an interview despite a work history that included awards for exemplary service and no disciplinary action.
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
On the occasion of Youth Day, celebrated this Wednesday August 21 in Morocco, King Mohammed VI has granted pardon to 708 individuals convicted by various courts of the Kingdom, the Ministry of Justice announced in a statement.

The Ministry of Justice, which unveiled the list of the beneficiaries of the royal pardon, said these include inmates who were granted pardon over their remaining jail terms, convicts who had their prison terms reduced, and prisoners who saw their sentences commuted from life imprisonment to fixed jail terms.

Some convicts benefited from pardon over their imprisonment terms but their fines were maintained. Other convicts saw their fines canceled, while others benefited from both a pardon over their prison terms and fines.

The King usually grants free pardon to inmates and convicts on religious and national holidays.
A boat cruises by a CPS Energy power plant on Braunig Lake on Saturday, August 9, 2014. The lake is replenished by the recycled water used at the CPS Energy power plant. The lake is frequented by fishermen and boaters. (Kin Man Hui/San Antonio Express-News) Kin Man Hui/San Antonio Express-News Rick Urrutia, left, the interim vice president of generation operations at CPS Energy, stands Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022 with Shane Bemis, CPS EnergyOs Braunig Power Station plant director, next to some temporary insulating structures at one of the power generation units at CPSOs Braunig Power Station. Though CPS has used temporary insulation for portions of their generation plants for many years, the city-owned utility has increased the number of those insulating structures after last yearOs power grid collapse, according to Urrutia. William Luther

The state grid operator is moving ahead with costly plans to shut down the biggest of three aging generating units at CPS Energys Braunig Power Station for an early inspection to determine whether it could keep running after its scheduled retirement.

If not, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas will be facing new challenges finding generating capacity it needs to keep the grid reliable through 2026, it told its board Tuesday.

Its the latest chapter in a saga that began when CPS told ERCOT in March it planned to shut down the unit and two others next year as it transitions from fossil fuel-powered plants to more wind and solar generation. The Braunig plants are nearing the end of their life span, it said, and keeping them going could cost about $200 million. If ERCOT moves forward, those costs would ultimately be passed on to utility customers statewide.

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It may not have a choice. ERCOT staff told board members Tuesday its hunt for alternative sources of generation is coming up short.

This is really the first time that this board has dealt with this process, and there are some unique issues related to this scenario, ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas said. Specifically, there are considerations around the inspection and potential early repair of some of the units prior to their retirement dates that may be prudent to do  in order to be able to ensure continued operations of these resources.

The board is facing the issue of spending millions to assess the situation at just one of the three units it wants to keep running to ensure it has enough capacity to meet the states growing demand until 2027. The expense could be fruitless, ERCOT staff said.

There could be a situation where the inspector comes in and says its lower (costs) and quicker to get back to service, said ERCOT General Counsel Chad Seely. Or it could be a situation where its a lot more costly and could take 18 months to do. And thats information that we need to know as far as making the overall risk assessment.



Still, he warned: Moving forward with Unit 3 could be a sunk cost  an expense that cant be recovered.

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Costs disputed

ERCOT says the information from the inspection process will be vital as the board has a bigger  and more expensive  decision to make later this year on whether to keep all three of the Braunig units, built between 1966 and 1970, cranking.

For now, Seely said ERCOT staff will be filing a proposal with its oversight body, the Public Utility Commission, regarding a contract with CPS to pay millions of dollars to take Unit 3 offline this fall. ERCOT has yet to agree to a cost, but CPS has estimated upward of $21 million in expenses related to inspection and repairs.

We will be explaining to the commission that we are using our authority to maintain the adequacy of the system to move forward, Seely said.

The inspection  if finalized  would take the 412-megawatt unit offline for up to 60 days.

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CPS estimates inspection costs  from opening up the unit and taking it apart to analyze the condition of its parts  would cost $10.9 million and repairs another $4.5 million. But there are other costs associated with the shutdown. CPS told ERCOT itd lose $6.5 million in revenue for what Unit 3 would return if its able to run through its March 31 retirement date as planned.

The lost opportunity cost drew the ire of board members who asked ERCOT to look closely at CPS methodology. Staffers said ERCOT had not finalized any figures and was still examining the utilitys estimates. It will also seek feedback from its independent market monitor on cost calculations.

I just want to make sure, whatever we do, its fair to the consumers of Texas. Because on surface it doesnt feel that way to me, board member Robert Flexon said.

ERCOTs concerns

ERCOT is concerned the potential loss of the three Braunig units, which produce up to 849 megawatts of power, will further strain a system already grappling with an exodus of fossil fuel generation.

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The grid has repeatedly seen tight supply in the past year as extreme weather and surging demand strain its infrastructure. Because of the crunch, regulators pushed through incentives  which were approved by voters in November  to keep existing fossil fuel plants open and to spur investment in new gas plants.

Beyond that, ERCOTs analysis of CPS Energys proposal determined losing the units has a material impact on transmission facilities in South Texas and could put the grid at greater risk for cascading outages from a known San Antonio circuit choke point. Though CPS is adding transmission capacity to ease the bottleneck, it wont be complete until 2027.

ERCOT also has to consider if alternative power sources to replace Braunigs capacity is the less-expensive option. It is seeking contracts to fill the gap. The outcome of that request for proposals could lead to a mixed solution: keeping some of the units open and using replacement sources to make up the difference.

We had the ability for participants to offer questions, Seely said of the request for proposals. We only got less than 10 questions, which is not a good sign as far as the industry being engaged potentially to try to respond to this reliability situation.

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In response to the low level of interest, ERCOT is extending the deadline for proposal to the second week of October.

But Doug Lewin, a grid expert and the president of consulting firm Stoic Energy, said the deadline may not be the problem. He pointed out that ERCOTs application seeks from 11 to 12 hours of generating availability during peak seasons in the winter and summer, a resource few generators can provide. Shorter time spans would be more realistic.

Weve seen the last few days as were at or near record (demand) territory that theres a lot of available capacity, Lewin said, pointing out that its unnecessary to expect assets to be online for such long periods. Theyre really only needed after sunset, he said, when the states surplus of solar energy drops off.

Lewin said if ERCOT determined the large span of hours is needed, it will need to get really creative to reach its goal.

For its part, Seely said ERCOT is looking for cost-effective alternative generation that would be competitive with the costs of repairing and running the Brauing units.
Production in the Sharara oil field has increased to approximately 85,000 barrels per day (bpd) to support the Al-Zawiya oil refinery.

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) had previously declared force majeure on the Sharara oil field after its shutdown on August 7. The NOC informed foreign partners and customers that this force majeure would not affect oil production loading and unloading operations.

The NOC stated it will provide an update on the return to normal operations once the issues prompting the force majeure are resolved. Earlier, the NOC had announced a partial production reduction from Sharara due to force majeure conditions related to protests by the Fezzan movement, and called for support to stabilize and boost production.

Sources have revealed that Saddam, son of Khalifa Haftar, ordered the closure of the Sharara oil field, which is operated by the Spanish company Repsol. This decision followed his return to Libya from Rome, where Italian authorities had reportedly informed him of an arrest warrant issued against him by Spanish authorities. The warrant was related to his alleged involvement in smuggling a shipment of weapons, intercepted months earlier by Spanish police.
The Spanish Government has agreed that Mauritanian nationals holding an ordinary passport will require an airport transit visa to transit through the international zones of Spanish airports.

This preventive measure, covered by article 3, paragraph 2, of the European Unions Schengen visa Code, has been taken in response to recent events at airports throughout Spain, and is aimed at correcting the increase in irregular migratory flows.

The new airport transit visa will come into force on August 28.

From this date onwards, Mauritanian nationals holding an ordinary passport and wishing to take a connecting flight from Spain to a country outside the Schengen area will need to be in possession of an airport transit visa in order to transit through the international zones of these airports.

The measure is reversible and may be reviewed if the situation improves. The new transit visa does not affect Mauritanian citizens who hold a residence visa, or another type of visa, or a residence permit allowing them to enter the Schengen area.
Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, greets delegates during the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago. Photo: Mark Peterson

The decision by Kamala Harris to choose Minnesota governor Tim Walz over Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro to be her running mate arrived like a political thunderbolt earlier this month. He seemed like a lock  the overwhelmingly popular governor of the most important swing state  so speculation swirled over why he was snubbed. Was it because he was Jewish and skipping him spared the outrage of anti-Israel activists on the left? Was it because he was too moderate on charter schools? Or was it simply because he just did not vibe with Harris the way Walz did?

Shapiro wasnt dwelling on it in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention, but reporters were. On Tuesday morning, a gaggle of journalists surrounding him with television cameras and audio recorders asked yet again about why he wasnt the vice presidential nominee. Was his religion a factor in him not being chosen as vice president? asked one. Shapiro quickly insisted he was proud of his faith and that this was untrue. Instead, he said it was being injected into the conversation by Donald Trump who is the real racist and the real anti-Semite.

Though this was a well-practiced answer on national cable TV news, it would now appear on local news in California whose delegation he addressed on the second day of the convention as he made the rounds to impress Democrats he may need for a future campaign.

For all of the attention on the United Center in prime time, there are sort of mini-conventions at hotels across the city hosting each states delegation every morning. After shaking off a hangover or short nights sleep, attendees cram into a conference room to eat buffet-style scrambled eggs and bacon and listen to even more speeches. For the South Carolina delegation, that meant Shapiro followed Pete Buttigieg, and Cory Booker, both of whom had run for president in 2020 and campaigned extensively in the first-in-the-South primary.

Booker in particular was a tough act to follow. Halfway through his remarks, he abandoned the podium and delivered the rest of his speech on a chair in the middle of the conference room. He captivated the crowd so much that not a single forkful of honeydew was consumed as he talked about the emotional impact of watching Ketanji Brown Jackson become the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.

Shapiro stepped up to the podium and, in his most Obamaesque cadence, joked that my rabbi always tells me I spend more time in Baptist churches than I do in synagogue. He gets a little mad at me. He followed with what has become a staple of his speeches: Greetings from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a state with a lot of letters in it but where I focus on three letters every day G-S-D, getting stuff done. Afterwards, he took selfies with the inevitable crowd that lined up around him. One offered Shapiro condolences over losing out to be vice president. I was rooting for you, he said as his iPhones camera flashed. Its all good, Shapiro responded, looking unphased. Really good.

He had given well received stump speeches to two different state delegations and hopefully a few potential voters in a future primary had been impressed. On Wednesday, Shapiro will address the entire convention in prime time. He wont be in the feature slot dedicated to the vice presidential nominee, but there will still be plenty of potential future voters watching.
Photo: Liam Kennedy/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The long, strange trip of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s presidential campaign is about to come to an end: ABC News reports that he will drop out of the presidential race by the end of this week. He began as a dissident Democrat with eccentric views challenging Joe Biden. Then he became a high-profile independent battling to secure ballot access and steadily losing steam. And he could wind up in the MAGA camp of Donald Trump; several outlets reported that hell endorse the former president, but, Kennedy told ABC, I will not confirm or deny that. All we know for sure is that Kennedy is currently scheduled to be in the same city as Trump (Phoenix) on Friday, July 23, and that earlier this week his running mate (and the chief funding source for Kennedys campaign), Nicole Shanahan, spoke openly of joining forces with Donald Trump as an option going forward.

A suspension of Kennedys campaign might marginally help Trump against Kamala Harris. Recent polling shows Harris doing better in polls when non-major-party candidates are included. This is pretty logical, insofar as RFK Jr. was initially drawing support from a lot of the Democratic-leaning segments of the electorate (notably young and Latino voters) that appear to be returning to the Democratic column now that Harris is the nominee rather than Joe Biden.

On the other hand, Kennedys support has been dropping fast; hes at 4.9 percent nationally in the FiveThirtyEight polling averages, after hitting over 10 percent as recently as late May. He is also on the ballot in only three of the seven key battleground states (Georgia, Michigan, and North Carolina). His favorability numbers have deteriorated steadily even as Harriss and even Trumps have improved: in those same polling averages, his favorable-unfavorable ratio went underwater in mid-May, and now stands at 34.1 percent favorable and 40.7 percent unfavorable.

Meanwhile, Harris is now steadily leading Trump nationally in head-to-head races without Kennedy or others (by 2.9 percent, per FiveThirtyEight), and all seven battleground states are very close. So while a Kennedy withdrawal might worry Democrats a bit, it shouldnt really change the dynamics of the major-party contest other than on the very margins.

A Kennedy endorsement of Trump is a different proposition. It might dominate the news and step on any sort of post-convention bounce in the polls that Harris might have expected (though the expectations of that happening were relatively low). But its much less clear how much benefit Trump would get from the doughty conspiracy theorist going forward. Its been pretty clear all along that a significant part of Kennedys support was based on having the most famous name in U.S. politics and was centered on low-information (and low-propensity-to-vote) folks who knew he was an alternative to Biden and Trump, but didnt know much about his record or agenda. If RFK Jr. endorses Trump, he will be (and will be perceived as) just another noisy voice in the MAGA chorus. The Trump campaign may even need to marginalize him as someone with inconvenient views on issues ranging from abortion to climate change to Big Pharma.

For now, Trump seems cautiously positive about potential Kennedy support, per The Hill:

Ive known him for a long time. Hes, as you know, hes a little different kind of a guy. Very smart guy. Very good person, Trump said of Kennedy during a phone call with Fox & Friends.

The bottom line is that its unclear whether Kennedy has a significant base of support to deliver, and if he can in fact deliver it to Trump. But if nothing else, RFK Jr. moving into his camp, or even moving out of the way, will give the former president a moment of positive news to talk about after a post-RNC drought marked by bitter and erratic Trump commentary from the sidelines.
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Put simply, most snoring can be traced to our airways. When we sleep in certain positions  especially on our backs  the upper airway is susceptible to collapse, explains Dr. Paul Schalch Lepe, board-certified ENT and sleep medicine specialist at UC San Diego Health. The partially blocked airflow through our nose and throat triggers that vibration sound we know all too well.

This is where a cleverly designed pillow can be crucial, helping you break the habit of lying supine and encouraging you to instead sleep on your side, or at an angle that does not obstruct airflow and also minimizes pressure on your back. Called positional therapy, according to Dr. Schlach Lepe, this approach can help prevent or mitigate airway collapse and, by extension, reduce snoring.

Fortunately, the anti-snoring pillow market is less niche than it once was, and its now relatively easy (and affordable) to find them in a variety of shapes, sizes, and angles that nudge the body toward more optimal positions in bed. We talked to various sleep doctors and other experts in the field to round up your best options.

Best anti-snoring wedge pillow

Best (less expensive) anti-snoring wedge pillow

Best anti-snoring pillow for back-sleeping (that isnt a wedge)

Layla Adjustable Fill Kapok Pillow From $109 From $109 If you prefer a traditionally shaped pillow to the wedge, an extra-lofty profile can help ensure your head and neck are lifted. Most standard pillows are approximately four to six inches in height, which may not be enough for people who snore. Riccio recommends the seven-inch-high Layla Kapok pillow, which also does a great job of maintaining its shape. Just be sure to also place it under your shoulders, if needed, so that your head is aligned with your spine and you dont wrench your neck out of whack. From $109 at Amazon Buy From $109 at Layla Sleep Buy

Best anti-snoring pillows for side-sleeping

MedCline Shoulder Relief System From $270 From $270 Doctors agree that sleeping on your side is the best way to prevent snoring, but some find it difficult for reasons like neck pain. For those people, Dr. Anthony Izzo, Sleep Center medical director at Community Neuroscience Services, recommends this MedCline pillow with a unique built-in wedge and space to put your bottom arm through the pillow system. It creates a comfortable space for the shoulder and arm to rest in, without bending the upper spine or the neck, he explains. Another fan, dentist and snoring expert Jay Khorsandi, deems the MedCline the Rolls-Royce of side-sleeping pillows because it puts you in a beautiful side-sleeping position with little pressure on your hand so it wont go numb, and nice shoulder and neck support. From $270 at Amazon Buy $250 at MedCline Buy

EnduriMed CPAP Pillow $70 Although this pillow style is built to accommodate the mouthpiece of a CPAP machine (a wearable device that treats sleep apnea), Khorsandi says its a good choice even for those who dont use one. He likes that these pillows have a cutout on the side, so your nose and your mouth are more free and open, which will help with breathing. Theyre just more ergonomic. $70 at Amazon Buy $70 at Amazon Buy

Pillow Cube Side Cube $70 $70 Made by the makers of the classic Pillow Cube, this viral pillow for side sleepers is designed to fill that pesky gap between your shoulder and neck that a traditional pillow wont support, giving you a more comfortable nights rest and, hopefully, mitigating snoring as youre able to remain on your side longer. An ideal positional pillow will nudge the patient to sleep on their side without causing them to wake up or have any discomfort that might disrupt sleep, says Dr. Shclach Lape. $70 at Amazon Buy $70 at Pillow Cube Buy

Best adjustable anti-snoring pillows

AllSett Health Adjustable Bed Wedge Pillow $40 $60 now 33% off $40 Dr. Kevin Lees, Director of Chiropractic Operations of The Joint Chiropractic, reminds patients that even wedge pillows should be purchased for the specific body of the person using them. If the angle is too steep, that, too, may cause back or neck pain, he says. This wedge pillow lets you customize the angle anywhere between 30 and 60 degrees, thanks to a clever folding mechanism. The versatile design also enables you to use this pillow for your legs and back. $40 at Amazon Buy $40 at Amazon Buy

Best anti-snoring pillow device

Smart Nora $500 $500 If you want to go further (and splurgier) than the pillow itself, the Smart Nora device is designed to be placed underneath your pillow: If the sensor detects snoring sounds, it will trigger the pad to inflate, changing your position and  ideally  stopping your snoring. You can adjust its sensitivity to both sound detection and movement, and unlike with other sleep apnea systems, you do not need any oral appliances, says Dr. Neomi Shah, the Associate Division Chief for Academic Affairs in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She recommends it as a non-invasive option for people who dont have obstructive sleep apnea and dont require more in-depth monitoring from a medical professional. $500 at Smart Nora Buy

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Wine buckets and chillers are helpful to have, especially when youre hosting during warm-weather months. The best wine chillers and buckets function both outside and indoors and keep your wine at the right temperature for hours. Before using a wine bucket or chiller, plan ahead: It can take whites and Champagnes up to 30 minutes to chill.

When shopping for a wine chiller or bucket, look for materials and features that can cool your wine effectively. Stainless steel is durable, has the best insulation, and is easy to clean but retains fingerprints. Ceramic can look stylish but may be heavy and fragile, while plastic is lightweight and inexpensive but varies in quality. Marble is naturally cool to the touch and retains cold temperatures easily.

I spoke with event planners, restaurant workers, sommeliers, and avid hosts about the wine bags, sleeves, chillers, and buckets they recommend. If youre looking for other paraphernalia to chill your wine, we also have a guide to the best wine coolers and refrigerators.

Best wine bags

Uashmama Wine Bag & Cooler $46 $46 This stylish bag comes recommended by Chloe Grigri, owner of the Good King Tavern in Philadelphia, who uses it for BYOB outings. It fits on small tables and is easily transportable. You see these everywhere in France because they arent too cumbersome and they dont sweat too badly, she says. Grigri advises adding ice to the bag to keep the wine extra cold, but warns, The wine should be gone before the ice is. $46 at Food52 Buy

Coldchill Ice Wine Bag, Wine Chiller $7 $10 now 30% off $7 Matt Whitney, wine director at Sunnys in Miami, has a specific method when it comes to using this wine bag. Put the bottle in first, then a bunch of ice and a bit of water, he says. Otherwise, you get stuck with a bottle sitting on top of hard ice that gets unstable and wont stay cold. He likes this cooling system for informal events: We have beautiful wine buckets for the dining room at Sunnys, but when Im hanging out with friends, this option is simple, portable, and easy to clean. $7 at Amazon Buy $7 at Amazon Buy

Outus 4 Pcs Ice Wine Bag $15 now 7% off $14 for 4 These plastic wine bags are not only economical, theyre lightweight, space-saving, and transport-friendly (they flatten easily), and their gel-lined caddy keeps bottles chilled. William Eccleston, wine director at Panorama Wine Bar, says he saw these fun and casual chiller bags on tables in cafes and luxury resorts filled with ice and bottles of premium dry rose while vacationing in St. Martin. Eccleston loved them so much he re-created a Panorama-branded ice wine bag that saves space on guests tables. He keeps these gel-lined caddies in the freezer, then puts a bottle of red in to bring it down gently from room temperature to cellar temperature (in about 20 minutes) for service. $14 for 4 at Amazon Buy $14 for 4 at Amazon Buy

Vacu Vin Active Cooler Wine Chiller - Reusable, Flexible Wine Bottle Cooler $25 $25 If you find yourself an impromptu host and need wine chilled quickly, this Vacu Vin sleeve chills a bottle in 15 minutes, no messy ice bath needed. Just keep the sleeve in the freezer ahead of time for at least six hours, then take it out and put the wine bottle in it. CEO of The Hue Society and frequent traveling sommelier Tahiirah Habibi says the wine chiller sleeve has revolutionized her on-the-go wine experience: Its portability, freezing speed, and elegant bottle look changed the game. Habibi was originally drawn to its minimalist design and appreciates how well it adapted to her work style. $25 at Amazon Buy $25 at Amazon Buy

Best marble wine chillers

CB2 Brix Grey Levanto Marble Wine Chiller $50 $50 This CB2 Levanto marble wine chiller is a dramatic display piece. Nicole Cole, CEO and principal designer at Vestige Home, constantly seeks out unique accessories and natural materials and recommends this one because the footed base on this particular chiller is a real standout feature. I love that it adds height to your tablescape and a more casual, earthy element through the perfectly imperfect stone, Cole says. DOnna Stubblefield also loves this chiller, which fits in just as well at Bloomsday in Philadelphia, where she is a beverage director, as in her home. Ive used my chiller for other items like fresh-cut flowers or to store kitchen utensils, she says. Even when Im not chilling my wine, it still makes for a very beautiful addition to my kitchen. $50 at CB2 Buy

Crate & Barrel French Kitchen Marble Wine Cooler $35 This Crate & Barrel wine chiller has a classic look and feel that can work with any kitchen style. Like Stubblefield, Wine Convo Generator author Chasity Cooper also uses her marble wine chiller as a vase and even a utensil holder. Cooper likes wine chillers that are functional and ornamental and wont break the bank. This one doesnt take up a lot of space and prevents pesky bottle rings that chilled bottles can leave behind on a table, and it blends in well with other appliances and decor. $35 at Crate and Barrel Buy

Tablecraft White Marble Wine Cooler $22 $22 Tablecrafts heavy-duty marble wine chiller eliminates the need for ice, chills very quickly, and stays cold for a long time. General manager Lawrence Gardner uses this at The Prime Rib in Philadelphia to give guests an elegant fine-dining experience. Guests want to feel like they are dining in luxury, so marble is an important material to have throughout the restaurant, countertops, tables, bar tops, and, in this case, our wine cooler, says Gardner. $22 at Webstaurant Store Buy

Best steel ice bucket

Wine Enthusiast Table-Mounted Wine Bottle Chiller $60 $60 Jordanne Pascual-Cancel, wine and service manager at New York restaurant Principe, likes this Wine Enthusiast bucket because its durable and easy to clean. It also comes with a table attachment so that the wine bucket stays secure, doesnt clutter coveted table space, and prevents condensation from leaking onto the table. She recommends fully submerging a wine bottle in a bucket of ice and cold water after opening it. The added water cools the wine more evenly than ice alone and prevents the bottle from tipping over, says Pascual-Cancel. $60 at Wine Enthusiast Buy

Best plastic wine buckets

Mr Ice Bucket Classic Ice Bucket $49 $49 Cookbook author and restaurant consultant Nicole A. Taylor uses this plastic and vinyl yellow bucket for small gatherings because theres no need to run back and forth to the mini-fridge or open the sliding door again. It keeps her booze chilled and has a secure top. It also has a metal knob and handle, double-wall insulation, and a sweat-free surface, and it keeps up to three quarts of ice cold for three to five hours. Its pop of color and design fit perfectly with the whimsy in my vacation house in Athens, Georgia. I have a similar one in my Bed-Stuy apartment too, Taylor says. $49 at MoMA Design Store Buy

Crate and Barrel Naya White Resin Beverage Tub $80 $80 This is a sleek, high-quality option made from a hand-poured and shatterproof resin material thats meant to look like alabaster. It has cutout handles and fits up to eight bottles. Mural City Cellars co-owner Francesca Galarus uses the lightweight tub to serve hundreds of guests a night, changing bottles out frequently but only changing the ice once per shift. Its a beautiful pearly white with subtle swirls and holds lots of wine, she says. She puts these beverage tubs out for private-event tastings and at farmers markets. $80 at Crate and Barrel Buy

Best stainless steel wine chillers

Yeti Rambler Wine Chiller $70 $70 This Yeti wine chiller isnt just practical for outdoor enthusiasts; wine experts also like its extra-durable features. The stainless-steel double-wall insulation keeps the wine at a consistent temperature, the sides are nearly indestructible, and the non-slip silicone means you can place this wine chiller on a variety of surfaces (rocks, sand, dirt, grass, etc.) without it easily tipping over. It holds temperature better than any other on the market that I have seen, says Terence Lewis, beverage director at Safran Turney Hospitality. This will hold a slightly chilled red as opposed to a cooler with ice that will actively chill the red further. Yeti products are known for their durability, which is why they have dedicated fans like Liz Einhorn, founder and CEO of Experience Threee, whos been a Yeti customer for over a decade. This wine chiller has become her go-to for BYOB dining in Philadelphia  she even chooses wines based on how well they fit in this chiller. It doesnt take up too much room, is sturdy enough to stand on its own, and doesnt leak. I also love to give it as a gift. You can customize the exterior, and its something people will actually use and appreciate, says Einhorn. $70 at Amazon Buy $70 at YETI Buy

BruMate Togosa 2-in-1 Wine Chiller Bucket $70 $70 Event producer Tini Cochran of Tini Inc. recommends the Togosa, which not only keeps wine and cocktails cold but can also make your tablescapes more fun or help with service by allowing guests easy access to their wine. She frequently uses this two-in-one wine chiller and pitcher in Texas and New Orleans, where she learned it keeps the drinks cold and my stuff dry, even in brutal heat waves and despite the condensation that forms in those conditions. The Togosa is triple-insulated, acting like a thermos to retain temperatures for up to 48 hours (just pre-chill your bottle ahead of time), has a screw-lock lid to hold a wine bottle in place while you pour glasses, and includes a leakproof strainer attachment for to-go drinks that can hold up to 49 ounces of liquid. The fun colors look great with different decor styles, but its my secret weapon for keeping the wine ice cold before serving in glasses at my park dinners or beach visits instead of a bulky cooler. $70 at Amazon Buy $70 at BruMate Buy

Society6 Retro Liquid Swirl Abstract Wine Chiller $65 $65 This stainless-steel Society6 wine chiller is Citrine Tablescapes founder and creative director Alex Cahanaps favorite because it serves a dual purpose as wine chiller and decor at her BYOB dinner parties and events. She likes the unique wraparound designs by independent artists and the chillers ability to keep wine cool for hours (she puts the wine chiller in the freezer for about 30 minutes before use). They are the epitome of marrying practicality with a splash of artistic flair, she says. $65 at Society6 Buy

Couzon Boheme Champagne Cooler $236 $236 This Champagne cooler from Couzon offers a sleeker high-class tableside option for frequent entertainers and makes a great special-occasion gift. It has plenty of space for your widest Champagne bottles, white wine bottles, and ice. Rebecca Hopkins, a wine marketer and founder of A Balanced Glass, first saw this cooler at a house party where magnums of wine were poured. Hopkins says the 18/10 stainless-steel material and double-wall insulation are evidence of high-quality construction and provide for excellent temperature retention and less condensation at the table. And for what residual moisture there is, she says, Place a service napkin or a felt coaster under the bucket to catch condensation and protect the table surface. $236 at Gracious Style Buy

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The Wedding Planner (2001)

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He's leaning into his heritage.

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Wasn't Blake and Ryan's wedding on an actual plantation?

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Okay so I don't see anything wrong with them getting married in a house that he owns other than his tragic lack of taste in architecture.

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Yeah, this isn't actually a plantation, so I'm not sure it's comparable.

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We can hardly call them getting married here an active slight against Black people, but I think the fact that plantation-style homes exist are evidence of just how careless people are with Black people's experiences. Like, oh, those Negroes hate how much fun and pleasure it gives us to get married in the literal places their ancestors were tortured, so let's just erect some replicas for the aesthetic! J. Lo's past appropriative engagement with Black culture and Ben Affleck being the descendent of slaveowners (not his fault) and trying to hide this fact (uh, yeah...his fault!) makes this especially side-eye worthy.

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Taking wedding ideas from Blake & Ryan.

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Meh, they were married for years, people have been calling them out on it and they decided to time the apology for the George Floyd protests and make it about them. I just remember it rubbing me the wrong way.

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this looks cramped like shit

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Remember that time when Ben Affleck was supposed to be in that show that investigates your ancestry and they found out that his great-great-great grandfather was a slave owner? And Ben tried to hide it? So this doesn't surprise me at all.

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yes because i just read it in the post above lmao

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Lmao sorry, it was just my first thought as I saw the title.

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hey, some of us forgot by the time we got down to the comments

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lol same

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I can understand being embarrassed and/or appalled at finding that out. But trying to pretend like it never happened is nagl. Lets be real, most any white person is going to find their ancestors did horrible shit, and it should be acknowledged.

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Question: Whats worse than an event venue that proudly advertises itself as a former plantation? Answer: An event venue that is trying to seem like a former plantation.

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I am so tired of the romanticization of the Antebellum South. Seriously, what tf do you think you're romanticizing? It was a time when black people could be sold like cattle and were beaten, raped, maimed, killed, etc. Seriously, fuck anyone who does shit.

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Uhhhh... but big skirts and ..horse drawn carriages?

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Such ugly aesthetics tbh.

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There was a post a few years ago on Reddit from a guy whose boss suggested a work retreat at a plantation with "period appropriate" costumes. As the only black guy at the company he turned up dressed as a slave  Bare feet and all.

The guy's wife managed to catch his boss's reaction on camera and you can literally see the "I've made a huge mistake" realization on her face 



Edited at 2022-08-21 12:36 am (UTC)

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Do they ever stop getting married.

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Maybe they really like wedding gifts?

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Jlo can afford her own kitchen maid, not like me because those things are like 800

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lol now i'm picturing them having a bed bath and beyond registry of hand towels and a kitchenaid mixer

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When real estate porn Instagram account historical homes of America posts listings for former plantations available for purchase it always turns off the comments. pic.twitter.com/jdsmAlM23N  Erin Box 13A Ryan (@morninggloria) August 13, 2022 i don't understand how anyone could look at a plantation (or, excuse me, "imitation plantation") knowing what kind of shit happened there and STILL think, "ah, so romantic!"

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How much was this structure built on blood?

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Didn't they already get married? Edit: nevermind I actually read the damn post and saw they are getting married again lol.



Edited at 2022-08-20 07:26 pm (UTC)

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Second chances, several weddings.

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The more weddings you have the more real, legitimate and ever lasting the marriage

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Questionable taste aside, it's not an actual plantation so what's the problem?

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So they are getting married at an ethically sourced plantation?

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Aesthetic without the moral toll 

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Plantation style anything is questionable, even if it's not an actual plantation. Not as bad as Blake and Ryan's wedding though. Did those two ever answer for that?

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i recall that they did and donated some money somewhere...?

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Yeah, now that I think about it, I remember them apologizing somewhat recently. A little google and it looks like they donated 200k to the NAACP. I guess it couldn't be ignored anymore. Still terrible that these plantations are even being offered as wedding venues to begin with

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The thumbs down reactions are odd...Are they pro Plantation style or are they defending Blake and Ryan?

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So. Not an actual plantation, just a big ugly mansion he had built?



Meh. The world is way too fucked for me to blink at shit taste in architecture



Edited at 2022-08-20 07:32 pm (UTC)

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Customers at H-E-Bs Central Market store in San Antonio can now use digital wallets and tap-to-pay cards when checking out. Jenny Kane/AP Customers at H-E-Bs Central Market store in San Antonio can now use digital wallets and tap-to-pay cards when checking out. HUM Images/HUM Images/Universal Images Grou

H-E-B has begun accepting tap-to-pay options at its sole Central Market store in San Antonio  and employees say its coming to the companys namesake stores soon, too.

Shoppers now can pay with digital wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay and tap-to-pay cards at all of the San Antonio-based companys Central Market stores, including its location at 4821 Broadway. Visa, Discover, Mastercard and American Express cards, as well as Central Markets Visa signature card, can be used.

Employees said H-E-B also plans to begin offering the options at its namesake stores later this year, joining the ranks of many of its competitors that accept contactless payment options. A spokesman for the company declined to confirm the date H-E-B will be rolling out the payment options at other stores, though.

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Theres no official timeline, the spokesman said.

The move comes after H-E-B launched a pilot program to test the payment options at its Central Market store at 5750 E. Lovers Lane in Dallas this summer. Until then, the company had declined to accept digital wallets and tap-to-pay cards, as had Walmart, its chief rival in the San Antonio area.

Customers have been clamoring for the options, which they say are fast, convenient and secure. But both companies have remained mum on their reasoning for holding back, and Walmart has not added them. Competitors such as Target, Kroger, Trader Joes, Aldi, Costco and Whole Foods Market accept contactless payment methods.

Retail experts have some ideas why H-E-B and Walmart have been slower. One factor could be privacy concerns. Some retailers want to offer their own payment methods, avoiding Apple, Google and Samsung and using the information gathered about customers to tailor product recommendations and coupons.

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Walmart has Walmart Pay, a mobile app in which customers save their credit, debit or gift cards and scan a QR code at the register to pay when checking out. H-E-B also has a self-checkout app that customers can use to scan product barcodes and pay by scanning a QR code, but its only available at certain stores. The company has rolled out its own debit and credit cards.

Another factor is that many companies may not want to pay fees associated with accepting tap-to-pay. Apple, Google and Samsung dont charge businesses fees for customers to use their digital wallets, but businesses still have to pay processing fees just as they do with any card payment. Stores also must have hardware thats compatible with a technology called near field communication, or NFC, which enables payments between digital wallets and tap-to-pay cards and payment terminals.
Crude oil prices moved higher today after the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a decline in inventories for the week to August 16.

Those shed 4.6 million barrels over the period, compared with a build of 1.4 million barrels that surprised traders last week.

On Tuesday, the American Petroleum Institute reported another unexpected inventory increase, but a moderate one, at 347,000 barrels.

In fuels, the EIA also estimated draws in inventories.

Gasoline inventories fell by 1.6 million barrels over the week to August 16, which compared with a draw of 2.9 million barrels for the previous week.

Gasoline production averaged 9.8 million barrels daily last week, which compared with 9.7 million barrels daily for the previous week.

In middle distillates, the authority reported an inventory draw of 3.3 million barrels for the week to August 16, which compared with a draw of 1.7 million barrels for the previous week.

Middle distillate production last week averaged 4.9 million barrels daily, which compared with 4.8 million barrels daily for the previous week.

Oil prices meanwhile remain depressed, with APIs inventory report becoming the latest contributing factor despite the modest size of the estimated build. In addition to that, hopes of a ceasefire in the Middle East also weighed on oil prices as they reduced the risk of a supply disruption, and the perception of weak Chinese demand remained stable.

While weaker Chinese demand has been well reported, refinery margins around the globe have been under pressure for much of August, suggesting that these demand concerns are not isolated to just China, ING analysts said, as quoted by Reuters, suggesting there could be more pain for oil bulls ahead.

On the other hand, We think any fall in oil prices tied to a Gaza truce will likely be short

lived, Commonwealth Bank of Australia analyst Vivek Dhar told Bloomberg, adding that this was because the actual chances of a ceasefire being signed by Israel and Hamas were slim.

By Irina Slav for Oilpice.com

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A reduction in Canadian heavy crude supply could lead to higher prices, operational challenges, and potential fuel shortages in the U.S.

This could significantly impact U.S. refineries, many of which are specifically equipped to process heavy Canadian crude.

Gasoline prices in the United States have recently dipped, with diesel prices falling to their lowest in 900 days. While this offers temporary relief for consumers, a looming change in Canada's oil policy could disrupt the supply chain, particularly for U.S. refineries dependent on heavy crude oil imports.

Canada's Emissions Cap Proposal

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has proposed a cap on emissions for the oil and gas industry to align Canada's environmental policies with its climate commitments. This cap is anticipated to limit production and raise operational costs for Canadian oil producers. A Deloitte report, commissioned by Alberta, suggests that without a cap, Canadian oil production could continue to rise, but the cap may stall or reduce output, affecting the overall supply.

U.S. Refining Capacity

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), pegs total U.S. oil refining capacity at 18.4 million barrels per day. The U.S. is the world's largest refiner, and Canadian crude oil accounted for 24% of all its refinery throughput in last year, and is essential for U.S. energy security.

U.S. Dependence on Canadian Crude

Canada plays a crucial role in supplying crude oil to the United States, especially for refineries in the Rocky Mountain and Midwest regions. In fact, many U.S. refineries are specifically tooled to process the heavy oil found in Canada's oil sands. The refineries in these specific regions, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), continue to process heavier grades of crude oil, which are becoming less prevalent in other regions due to the trend toward lighter crude oil processing. This reliance is evident in the crude oil import data, where Canada consistently tops the list of U.S. suppliers, providing over 3.8 million barrels per day according to annual EIA data.

Global Heavy Crude Oil Sources

Apart from Canada, other significant heavy crude oil suppliers include Venezuela, Brazil, and Iraq. However, geopolitical and logistical challenges make these sources less reliable. Venezuela faces sanctions and infrastructural challenges, while Brazil and Iraq have fluctuating production rates and export capabilities. Thus, Canada's stable and politically secure oil supply is critical for U.S. refineries.

Venezuela, Russia, and Iraqall producers of heavy oilpose logistical, security, and optical challenges for the United States. In Venezuela's case, sanctions, industry mismanagement, and corruption have impeded its ability to produce and export its heavy crude. Russia's crude oil exports are limited by a Western-imposed price cap. Iraq's oil industry is still wildly unstable.

Implications of Reduced Heavy Crude Supply

A reduction in Canadian heavy crude supply could lead to increased competition for heavy crude from other sources, driving up prices and impacting refinery margins. This might lead to higher gasoline and diesel prices in the U.S. market. A shortage could also compel refineries to adapt their operations or invest in infrastructure to process lighter crude, which could be costly and less efficient.

Heavy crude oil is essential for producing a range of refined products, including gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, as well as lubricants and petrochemicals. Processing heavy crude requires specialized equipment and expertise, which many U.S. refineries have invested in over time. These upgrades provide a competitive advantage but also come with significant costs.

The potential curtailment of Canadian oil production poses not only an economic threat but also raises environmental concerns. A decrease in heavy crude oil supply could lead to an increased reliance on lighter crude, which may not align with current refinery setups. Going lighter would also result in lower profitability as lighter crude comes with a higher price tag.

Moreover, this shift could affect the global oil market, influencing pricing and supply dynamics. The U.S. refineries' need to secure heavy crude oil could lead to heightened geopolitical tensions as they vie for resources in a tightening market.

The resulting high refiner costs would then trickle down to industry.

Canada's proposed emissions cap on the oil and gas sector presents a complex challenge for U.S. refineries and the broader oil market. As Canadian production potentially dwindles, U.S. refineries must prepare for a shift in supply dynamics that could disrupt operations and affect the national economy.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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The EU has expressed its willingness to negotiate an alternative solution with Beijing that complies with WTO rules.

Other Chinese EV makers, including SAIC Motor Corp., Geely, and BYD Co., face tariffs ranging from 17% to 36.3%.

The European Commission has announced the final results of its anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles, with Tesla receiving a reduced tariff rate of 9%.

The European Commission announced this AM that, in its ongoing findings of an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese imports of battery electric vehicles, all Tesla vehicles imported from China will be subject to a 9% tariff. Proposed tariffs on other EV companies were revised slightly ahead of what could become EU trade policy later this year.

Of all the proposed duties on Chinese EVs imported to the EU, Tesla appears to be the big winner and will pay the lowest rate of 9%. Reuters noted the EU "set a new reduced rate of 9% for Tesla, lower than the 20.8% it had indicated in July."

As for MG maker SAIC Motor Corp., Volvo Car AB parent Geely, and BYD Co., each of these companies face duties of 36.3%, 19.3%, and 17%, respectively.

Other cooperating companies would be subject to a 21.3% tariff, while non-cooperating companies would be slapped with a 36.3% rate. These rates would be added to the current 10% duty faced by Chinese exporters.

EU officials explained that Beijing's apparent lack of subsidies for foreign-owned companies was one factor in the tariff calculation.

The revised draft tariff decision burdens companies that make EVs in China and export them to Europe. The current duty is around 10%.

The duties are part of an anti-subsidy investigation launched earlier this year. About 100 firms were investigated. The big finding included market-distorting subsidies across China's entire EV supply chain.

The Commission said EV companies subjected to proposed tariffs have ten days until Aug. 30 to provide comments and request hearings. If a qualified EU majority votes in favor of the final regulation, the tariffs could become law by Oct. 30 and remain in effect for five years, with the option extensions upon review.

Meanwhile, Brussels and Beijing have been locked in technical talks to find an alternative solution. Any solution would need to comply with the World Trade Organization.

"The EU is open to reaching an alternative solution on the position of the duties that would be effective and WTO [World Trade Organization] compatible. It would align with WTO rules and provide a solution to the problems we find," a senior EU official told the South China Morning Post.

SCMP noted, "In other words: the ball is in Beijing's court to come up with something that would have the same desired effect as the duties."

Beijing has claimed that the proposed duties are protectionist and has threatened trade retaliations. They've threatened to impose duties on EU imports of luxury vehicles, engines, pork, and spirits. Beijing is also challenging the proposed tariffs at the WTO.

Tesla is the big winner, with the lowest tariff rate.

By Zerohedge.com

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Dart predicts that European natural gas storage levels will reach a comfortable 95% by the end of October, easing concerns about winter supply shortages.

Goldman Sachs analyst Samantha Dart identifies three key reasons why the recent spike in European natural gas prices is overdone and unsustainable.

Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region earlier this month rattled the European natural gas market, pushing prices above 40 euros per megawatt-hour amid concerns that Russian natural gas supplies to the EU might be severed. However, prices have since receded, with Goldman's Samantha Dart telling clients Monday that the price rally is mostly "overdone."

Last week, Ukraines president claimed that troops have control over the Russian town of Sudzha, about six miles inside Russian territory. Within the town is a critical gas measuring station where NatGas flows from West Siberian gas fields through pipelines that pass through Sudzha and cross into Ukraine and then into utilities in Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary.

Despite the fierce fighting and alleged Ukrainian control of Sudzha and the metering station, Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom recently said NatGas flows into Ukraine from Sudzha have not been disrupted. Network operators in Austria and Hungary have also confirmed no disruptions.

Given this, Goldman's Dart believes the price rally that surged from 30-35 EUR/MW to the 40 EUR/MW level on the pipeline supply fears has largely run its course.

"In our view this gas price rally is overdone for three main reasons," she told clients.

Here are the three main reasons:

First, since Russian gas has continued to flow through the Ukraine, there has been no actual physical tightening of the balance, and we maintain our view that these flows will only halt from Jan25, when the existing Ukraine gas transit agreement with Russia expires.

Second, while there has been no loss of pipeline supply, the longer these higher European gas prices are sustained relative to European coal and Asia LNG prices (Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 2), the lower the gas demand (owing to gas-to-coal switching) and the higher (potentially) European LNG imports, especially if the ongoing heat wave in Northeast Asia ebbs, helping soften the forward balance outlook for European gas.

Third, even if the current Ukraine flows were interrupted, we would not expect that to translate into a 1:1 tightening of the NW European balance. This is because other suppliers can step in to help offset the lost gas, such as higher Algeria flows to Italy, as we have seen during a previous interruption to the region, and higher gas flows to Hungary via Turkey, consistent with a gas trade deal announced earlier this year. From Jan25, when the Russian gas transit deal through the Ukraine expires, we expect German pipeline exports to Central/Eastern Europe to rise by 16 mcm/d on average as a result, which is already embedded in our balances.

Looking ahead, Dart forecasts Europes NatGas storage will be at a "comfortable 95% full" by the end of October.

She concluded:

That said, the TTF rally illustrates how sensitive the market remains to any tightening risks into this winter, and we agree that winter TTF price risks remain skewed to the upside relative to our 35 EUR/MWh forecast.

Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia still import NatGas from the Russian pipeline. The looming threat is if war persists and Moscow weaponizes energy flows to Europe in the dead of winter.

By Zerohedge.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
The Communist Party of China is officially atheist but Chinas premier, Li Qiang, recently had a come to Jesus meeting with Pakistans prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif.

China is frustrated by Pakistans inability to protect Chinese workers on the $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key part of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Aside from killing Chinese citizens, the violence has contributed to CPECs slow rollout in a country that needs more electricity, more clean water, more good roads, and, well, more everything, but is out of friends and out of money, according to The Economist.

In response to Chinas scolding, Pakistan unveiled an anti-terrorism campaign to suppress the Pakistani Taliban, the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an ally of the Afghan Taliban and responsible for 700 attacks that killed 1000 people in 2023. The TTP operates partly from Afghan territory so Pakistan will have to attack TTP hideouts on Afghan soil at a time when relations are smarting from Islamabads 2023 expulsion of over 540,000 Afghan refugees. (The next phase of the plan may see 800,000 Afghans deported.)

While in China, Sharif met Dr. Wu Fulin, chairman of the Export-Import Bank of China, and promised action to improve governance, increase tax revenue, and ensure ease of doing business to attract foreign direct investment.

In July, Pakistans government moved to ban former Prime Minister Imran Khan's political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, and file treason charges against Khan one day after he and his wife were acquitted of the charge of unlawful marriage and ordered released. The flurry of action against Khan came the same day Reuters reported Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund reached agreement on a $7 billion, 37-month loan program that will require the government to take unpopular measures, such as raising farm income taxes

The establishments panicked actions to silence Khan may be meant to signal the situation is under control, but Chinas leaders cant help but observe Islamabads preference for public infighting and political payback over good governance and economic development. Khan sought a reset of CPEC in 2018. China and Pakistans successfully military pushed back against Khan, but Beijing must be disconcerted by the manic persecution of Khan by Pakistans establishment and its hope China will look favorably on the crackdown as a precursor to stability.

Can Pakistan convince the Taliban leadership, split between factions in Kabul and Kandahar, to quell or expel the TTP? Can it offer positive incentives or just threats and attacks that the Taliban will use as justification for counter attacks?

If China slows or pauses its investments with Pakistan until the TTP is less of a threat, what can the neighbors - the Central Asian republics, Afghanistan, and Iran - do to reduce risk to trade and connectivity?

In Central Asia, a key regional initiative is the trans-Afghan railway to connect Central Asia to Pakistan on a route from Termez, Uzbekistan to Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, thence to Karachi, Pakistan, the UAP railway. The railway will also facilitate the exploitation of Afghanistans mineral resources, believed to be worth $1 trillion. The $6.9 billion project will face engineering challenges but a bigger risk is unresolved Taliban-Pakistan tensions. But if Pakistan and the Taliban cant resolve their dispute, Central Asia has Plan B, the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a 7200 km multimodal transportation network that links the Indian Ocean to Russia and Northern Europe. In June 2023 the Uzbek and Iranian presidents agreed to increase economic cooperation and trade using Irans ports of ports of Chabahar and Bandar Abbas.

The republics can take advantage of the Middle Corridor (AKA Trans-Caspian International Transport Route) which is promoted by the U.S. as a way to isolate Russia, and the newly-commissioned China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway, but North-South trade corridors are still necessary and they require involvement by two of Washingtons worst enemies, the Islamic Republic and the Islamic Emirate. The Central Asian republics can also avoid unrest in Pakistan by using the INSTC leg hosted by Iran if the UAP railway stalls.

Related: Texas Faces Growing Electricity Needs

Andrew Korybko notes that partial completion of the UAP railway may still benefit the republics if they can backhaul Afghanistans minerals for processing in the republics or in Russia or China. The republics may be able to secure investment for local, sustainable processing of the minerals (with off-take agreements) if Washington and Brussels think that will keep the stuff out of Russian and Chinese hands.

Mineral processing powered by natural gas from Turkmenistan will help Ashgabat diversify away from its reliance on China as an export market as it strengthens the region by helping it climb the value chain.

Trade relations between Uzbekistan and Pakistan have been growing steadily in recent years. In 2022, Pakistan exported goods worth $153 million (M) to Uzbekistan, with the main products being agricultural products and packaged medicaments. Pakistan's exports to Uzbekistan increased at an annualized rate of 44.5%, from $24.3M in 2017 to $153M in 2022.

Uzbekistan exported goods worth $134 million to Pakistan in 2022, the primary products being mostly agricultural products and cotton yarn. Uzbekistan's exports to Pakistan grew at an annualized rate of 69.7%, from $9.53M in 2017 to $134M in 2022.

Both countries are working to further strengthen economic ties, with Pakistan aiming to facilitate Central Asian states' access to the Arabian Sea via the port of Karachi via the 760-kilometer UAP railway. The countries plan cooperation beyond trade to include fields such as tourism, education, health care, and energy projects.

In February 2023, Kazakhstan and Pakistan signed a transit trade agreement and the sides are considering an agreement between the State Bank of Pakistan and the National Bank of Kazakhstan to encourage cooperation in the banking sector. In June 2024, Kazakhstan invited Pakistan to join the first North-South Transport Corridor forum in Aktau.

Trade between the countries has grown significantly in recent years. In 2022, Pakistan exported $95.5M to Kazakhstan, mostly agricultural products. Over five years Pakistans exports to Kazakhstan increased at an annualized rate of 12.7%, from $52.5M in 2017 to $95.5M in 2022.

Kazakhstan exported $45.9M to Pakistan in 2022. The main exports were iron products and fertilizer. Over five years the exports of Kazakhstan to Pakistan grew at an annualized rate of 43.3% from $7.59M in 2017 to $45.9M in 2022.

Since July 2023, a direct air corridor has been established between Pakistan and Kazakhstan, and in August 2024 the countries announced the Trans-Afghan Multimodal Transport Corridor, from Kazakhstan via Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and onward by sea to the port of Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, a journey of 20-25 days.

Trade between Pakistan and Turkmenistan is negligible. In 2022, Pakistan exported $1.27M to Turkmenistan, the major item being soap. Over five years the exports of Pakistan to Turkmenistan decreased at an annualized rate of 17%, from $3.23M in 2017 to $1.27M in 2022.

Exports from Turkmenistan were slightly better at $8.77 million in 2022, mostly sheep hides and cotton products. Over five years the exports of Turkmenistan to Pakistan dropped at an annualized rate of 11.5%, from $16.2M in 2017 to $8.77M in 2022.

Despite that low base, the countries want to trade more, and in April 2024 they announced a transit trade agreement and possible export of electricity from Turkmenistan and cooperation in the energy field. In July 2024, in the third round of bilateral political consultations, the sides agreed to liberalize visa policies for businessmen, and to implement projects such as the much-delayed TurkmenistanAfghanistanPakistanIndia (TAPI) natural gas pipeline (which may compete with the Iran-Pakistan natural gas pipeline which is also stalled, though due to U.S. sanctions), power transmission lines, information technology, and fiber-optic communications. Pakistan offered use of the Gwadar and Karachi seaports for onward shipment of goods.

Related: U.S. Crude Oil Exports To Peak In 2024

Trade relations between Iran and Pakistan have been evolving positively. During Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's April 2024 visit to Pakistan, both countries agreed to soon finalize a Free Trade Agreement to strengthen economic cooperation and boost their bilateral trade to $10 billion over the next five years. Additionally, both sides agreed to facilitate the regular exchange of economic and technical experts and delegations from Chambers of Commerce to boost economic cooperation.

In 2022, Iran exported $762M to Pakistan. The main products were petroleum gas, electricity, and petroleum coke. Over five years the exports of Iran to Pakistan decreased at an annualized rate of 2.12%, from $848M in 2017 to $762M in 2022.

Pakistans exports to Iran are negligible, amounting to $22, 300 to Iran, the main products being iron pipes, medical instruments, and utility meters. Over five years exports of Pakistan to Iran decreased sharply at an annualized rate of 83.1%, from $162M in 2017 to $22.3k in 2022. It remains to be seen how bilateral trade will reach $10 billion when Pakistans exports are currently equal to the price of a used automobile.

Trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan has remained healthy despite Islamabads dismay that the Taliban are no longer taking direction, especially regarding suppressing cross-border attacks by the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan which has sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

In 2022, Pakistan exported $975M to Afghanistan, the main products being rice, packaged medicaments, and vegetable oils. Over 5 years exports of Pakistan to Afghanistan decreased at an annualized rate of 13.4%, from $2B in 2017 to $975M in 2022.

Conversely, Afghanistan exported $847M to Pakistan, the main products being coal briquettes, raw cotton, and grapes. Over 5 years exports of Afghanistan to Pakistan increased at an annualized rate of 11.5%, from $440M in 2017 to $847M in 2022.

Despite the cross-border tensions which havent abated after the departure of U.S. troops in August 2021, Afghanistan reopened the Torkham border crossing in February 2023, and in May 2023 the respective foreign ministers pledged further cooperation in bilateral trade and cross-border security.

As Pakistan is scrambling to set things right with China, Russia may be moving to normalize relations with the Taliban. In June, a Taliban delegation attended the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, and in July Russias envoy to the United Nations hinted Moscow could drop sanctions on the Taliban.

China is also edging up to normalized relations with the Taliban: In December 2023, Beijing accepted the credentials of the Taliban ambassador, and Chinas ambassador to the Islamic Emirate reported for duty in September 2023. And while it is definitely a stretch goal, in October 2023 the Taliban announced it wants Afghanistan to join Chinas BRI.

Perhaps anticipating Moscows action, in May the Taliban announced a logistics and energy trading hub at Herat in the countrys northwest to facilitate oil sales from Russia to South Asia. The project will be in cooperation with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, which highlights the republics approach to Kabul: Kazakhstan removed the Taliban from its terrorist list in December 2023, and Uzbekistan never declared the Taliban an extremist group and in 2018 publicly encouraged the Taliban to start negotiations with the Islamic Republic. Turkmenistan was mum on the topic of the Taliban in line with its policy of permanent neutrality.

Irans new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, published My message to the new world to explain his policies that include championing the establishment of a strong region to include not just the states that border Iran but also Turkiye and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. Pezeshkians policy is a continuation Tehrans 2005 Look East policy that formalized increasingly close ties to Beijing and Moscow and was formulated before the China-brokered rapprochement with Saudi Arabia.

Pezeshkian also noted the importance of working with the neighbors on water management, counter-smuggling, and transport corridors. Iran is a big country in terms of geography and population, but Pezeshkian apparently wants to be a good neighbor and to stand in contrast to Pakistan where corruption and political retribution preoccupy the ruling class and thus stifle economic growth.

Pezeshkians letter noted the Iran-China 25-year roadmap that would see up to $400 billion of Chinese investments in Irans infrastructure, energy, science, and technology projects. Iran recently inked a 20-year agreement with Russia, largely for cooperation in the defense and energy sectors. Notably, the agreement gives Russia the right of first extraction in the Iranian section of the Caspian Sea and Irans major oil and gas fields in the provinces bordering Iraq.

Though Iran is not officially in CPEC it can attract more Chinese interest by being not Pakistan and allowing China to come to the obvious conclusion. More Chinese participation in Iran will give Beijing another avenue into Afghanistan and Central Asia.

When China planned a westbound land corridor to counter American plans to isolate it in the event of a conflict over Taiwan, it had no choice of routes: Afghanistan was at war, and occupied by NATO troops; the Central Asian republics were heavily influenced by the U.S. which used the region as a platform for its attempted pacification of Afghanistan; and, a Russian route would pose unacceptable risk if relations soured or the Americans were able to drive a wedge between Moscow and Beijing.

Pakistan yearns to be recognized as a leader in the region and can earn it by making the painful (for the ruling class, that is) changes China demands. The countrys leaders have focused on rent-seeking during the Cold War, the Soviet war in Afghanistan, and the 2001-2021 U.S.-NATO occupation of Afghanistan, and failed to leverage the countrys strategic location for development and future advantage as was done by the leaders in Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.

If Pakistan doesnt improve governance, as Prime Minister Sharif promised Dr. Wu in June, the hoped-for economic growth wont materialize. And while Pakistans neighbors have alternate transport routes to world markets via the INSTC and the Middle Corridor, the loss of local trade will erode Islamabads position as Moscow (friendly with India) and Beijing (getting friendlier with India) secure additional economic opportunities on its border.
The EU has officially launched a visa liberalization dialogue with Armenia, which could eventually allow Armenians visa-free travel to most EU countries.

The EU is considering either open-ended immobilization of Russian assets or extending sanctions by up to 36 months to provide legal certainty for the plan.

The EU and G7 are exploring ways to use frozen Russian assets to financially support Ukraine, potentially through a $50 billion loan backed by these assets.

The European Union and the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized nations are slowly gearing up new legislation that will allow a $50 billion loan to go to Ukraine by the end of the year.

The political decision for that loan was already agreed when the G7 met in Italy for its annual summit on June 13-15. In the communique from the meeting, it was stated that we decided to make available approximately $50 billion leveraging the extraordinary revenues of the immobilized Russian sovereign assets, sending an unmistakable signal to President Putin.

There are roughly $282 billion worth of Russian frozen assets in G7 countries after these resources were targeted by sanctions in early 2022, mostly in the EU. And while no one is keen yet to face the legal consequences of actually confiscating the money -- as fears persist it could dissuade other countries from investing in the eurozone and thus undermine the euro -- there is momentum now to get creative in using the funds to financially support Kyiv.

The G7 declaration stated as much by noting that Russia must end its illegal war of aggression and pay for the damage it has caused to Ukraine. These damages now exceed $486 billion, according to the World Bank. It is not right for Russia to decide if or when it will pay for the damage it has caused in Ukraine. Russias obligations under international law to pay for the damage it is causing are clear, and so we are continuing to consider all possible lawful avenues by which Russia is made to meet those obligations.

Deep Background: Most Russian money located in the EU, the onus is on Brussels. EU leaders, including more Ukraine-skeptic nations such as Hungary and Slovakia, endorsed the G7 outcome at a summit in Brussels just a week after. They unanimously agreed on conclusions that urged the European Commission to take the work forward on this and added, Subject to EU law, Russias assets should remain immobilized until Russia ceases its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates it for the damage caused by this war.

It should be recalled that the bloc already has a mechanism in place to send the annual windfall profits from the frozen Russian assets to Ukraine. This is estimated to generate some 3 billion euros a year ($3.2 billion), with 90 percent of it going to military equipment and the rest for reconstruction.

The first tranche of this money was disbursed over the summer.

This new G7 initiative, however, goes a step further, bringing the interest proceeds from frozen assets via a loan that is guaranteed by the G7 countries.

The preliminary division is that the EU and the United States will back this up with $20 billion each, and Japan and the United Kingdom will guarantee the remaining $10 billion between them. But a lot of nitty-gritty legal groundwork is still needed.

Drilling Down

The item was discussed for the first time by EU ambassadors at the end of July with the European Commission providing a one-page outline, seen by RFE/RL, of what the options are. The idea is that the commission will present a fully fleshed-out legal proposal at the end of August with EU ambassadors discussing the text on September 4. But from the one-pager it is already clear that there are essentially just two avenues available to take.

The main issues to ensure are legal certainty and predictability. And that means that Russian assets remain frozen for a longer period. Brussels is looking to either agree on an open-ended immobilization of Russian assets or prolong this sanction by a longer period of up to 36 months. Its worth noting that all types of economic sanctions against Russia that Brussels has imposed currently are rolled over via consensus by the 27 member states every six months, with the latest prolongation confirmed on July 22.

According to diplomats familiar with the initial discussion, the overwhelming majority favor an open-ended immobilization. The option paper says this option will still be reviewed by the Council at regular intervals (e.g. 12 months), on the basis of clear predefined criteria (i.e. the end of the war of aggression and assurances of nonrepetition, the payment of compensation by Russia, etc. as set out by the EUCO  European Council).

It also adds that ending the immobilization of the CBR (Central Bank of Russia) assets would require a new Council act, based on a report by the High Representative (EU foreign policy chief)/Commission assessing that the criteria for lifting are fulfilled.

The question is, however, whether Hungary has the appetite to agree on this. So far, EU leaders have never threatened not to roll over the sanctions but at the same time they havent been militantly against moving away from an extension beyond the six months mark. Budapest might go against both options outlined in the paper, and that would mean there isnt much of the legal certainty and predictability that the EU seeks.

If the EU can ensure this, the question is whether the United States, in the middle of its election period, is ready to give a green light. The U.S. Congress needs to approve this loan, and if there are any fears that Hungary (or any other EU member states, for that matter) might threaten to block the renewal a couple of times a year, the whole scheme risks unraveling.

Thats why the United States initially wanted the EU to guarantee most, if not all, of the $50 billion and why most member states would prefer an open-ended immobilization. The diplomatic wrangling on this is likely to continue throughout the autumn.

Briefing #2: Armenia's Long Road To Visa Liberalization

What You Need To Know: EU foreign ministers officially gave the green light to the European Commission to commence visa liberalization dialogue with Armenia on July 22. The move came the same day as the bloc also rubber-stamped a 10-million-euro ($11 million) package of nonlethal military aid for Yerevan under the European Peace Facility (EFP) -- the first time ever that the South Caucasus republic got such support from Brussels.

EU diplomats I have spoken to have noted that the two decisions signal closer cooperation with Armenia as the country appears to loosen its political and economic dependence on Russia.

Of the two deals, the start of the visa liberalization dialogue is the bigger prize -- at least down the road. It would, if concluded positively in the future, allow Armenians with biometric passports to travel to all EU countries except Ireland plus non-EU Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland for 90 days in any 180-day period without any need for a visa.

Ask any official from Georgia, Moldova, or Ukraine and you will get the answer that they have all benefited greatly from visa-free travel to the bloc. It is, however, worth noting that the recent green light given by EU member states only represents the first baby steps of a process that will take years.

Deep Background: How long will it take? That's ultimately a political decision, of course. But I understand that the European Commission, which now is the EU body in charge of the matter, wants to launch the visa dialogue as early as this autumn.

This is significant as the European Commission is on its last leg of its current five-year mandate. In December, a new commission should be sworn in if all goes well with hearings of the new commissioners (26 of them; President Ursula Von der Leyen already passed a vote in July) scheduled in relevant European Parliament committees in September and October.

That means no time should be lost by waiting for a new team to take over in Brussels. After the dialogue is launched, the commission will work on a Visa Liberalization Action Plan (VLAP), which is a sort of guiding document for what Armenia needs to do to get a visa-free regime.

Its worth comparing the timelines for Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. Kyiv went from launching the visa dialogue to getting a VLAP within a month -- largely because it had a big civil service that could expedite these things quickly. For Georgia and Moldova, it took around six months to go from one to the other, and it is likely to be something similar for Armenia.

What will the VLAP contain? Essentially, it will follow the same format as with the three other Eastern partners that secured visa-free travel to the EU, even though it is expected from diplomats I have spoken to that there could be issues that are tailor-made for Yerevan though these are yet to be determined.

Armenia will essentially have to undergo reforms in four areas: firstly, document security, including a fully functional system of providing biometric passports and a unified and secure electronic population registry.

The second bloc of reforms is perhaps the trickiest to complete as it concerns migration management and asylum. Armenia will have to ensure strict rules when it comes to readmitting Armenian citizens that sought asylum in the bloc but failed to get it, preventing migration from happening in the first place, and increasing capacity for receiving and accommodating asylum seekers.

The third area is called public order and security but essentially contains measures to fight corruption, terrorism and organized crime.

The fourth and final issue is about fundamental rights -- essentially ensuring that everyone has the right to have access to official Armenian travel documents.

Drilling Down

After the VLAP is presented, the European Commission will issue progress reports on how Armenia is faring in the various fields every six to eight month or so. For Ukraine, for example, the VLAP was presented in November 2010 and the first report came in September the following year.

The sixth and final report from the Commission on Ukraine was published in December 2015 and in the spring of 2016 it recommended visa liberalization for Ukrainian citizens. So, all in all a process lasting nearly six years.

For Georgia, on the other hand, it went faster. The VLAP was presented in February 2013 and only four reports were needed, from the period November 2013 to December 2015. The commission then recommended a visa-free regime in March 2016. So pretty much three years.

But there is a catch. As mentioned above, this is politics, after all. Even if the European Commission, sometime in the future, assesses that Armenia has fulfilled all conditions, it doesnt mean Yerevan will get a visa regime right away.

The move has to be agreed by both the European Parliament and all EU member states. And while the former rarely causes any problems when it comes to granting visa-free status, it can be hard to find consensus among EU member states.

It took a year from the European Commissions recommendations to member states finally agreeing on granting Georgia and Ukraine visa liberalization -- both eventually got it in 2017.

Its likely some member states will have reservations about Armenia going forward. In the discussion about starting visa liberalization dialogue with Yerevan, some fears were aired.

France, which has a sizable Armenian diaspora, noted that it could not rule out that visa liberalization could lead to increased asylum claims. The Czech Republic worried that Russians could use it as an avenue into the EU as some have dual Armenian-Russian citizenship.

Germany and Sweden aired concerns that visa liberalization for Georgia meant an increase in Georgian criminal gangs operating in their countries and the Netherlands and Austria, both with governments pushing for stricter European immigration policies in general, are cautious about potential visa liberalization being misused for that purpose.

Looking Ahead

The EU and NATO are still on the beach this week, but look out for two interesting visits on August 21. First German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is due in Chisinau in what is a symbolic show of solidarity from the EUs most powerful member state to Moldova, which will hold a crucial presidential vote later this autumn and a referendum on whether the country should aim to join the EU.

That same day Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due in Warsaw and will travel to Kyiv from there. The West has attempted to woo India for a long time and is hoping the country will be more vocal and practical in its support for Ukraine and opposition to Russias invasion.

By RFE/RL

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Its clear following Russian President Vladimir Putins two-day visit to Azerbaijan that he wants to remain a powerbroker in the Caucasus. Whether he has the means to do so, however, remains an open question.

Putins August 18-19 trip to Baku occurred against a backdrop of the collapse in Russias strategic partnership with Armenia, the result of which has seen Yerevan enhance its political and security ties with the West, and an ongoing Ukrainian offensive in Russias Kursk region. Despite this, Putin maintained a business-as-usual demeanor throughout his stay in Azerbaijan, mainly touting the economic benefits of a Declaration of Alliance signed between Russia and Azerbaijan in 2022, just days before the start of Russias unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

Here we can talk not only about energy, but also about industrial cooperation, transport, logistics, light industry. We have many areas for joint work, Putin told Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in prepared remarks made before a one-on-one meeting. Aliyev, meanwhile, pointed out Azerbaijans commitment to preserving and teaching the Russian language, saying more than 300 Russian schools in the country had over 160,000 students enrolled.

Aliyev went on to note Russias peacekeeping role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Given Russias strained relations with Armenia, a question on many minds during the visit was, can Moscow do anything to bring about a peace agreement between Baku and Yerevan?

Putin certainly seems to want to give it a shot. At one point, he told Aliyev that he would be happy to facilitate efforts to delimit and demarcate the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, as well as broker the signing of a peace deal. He definitely doesnt want to find himself, or Russia, on the sidelines of peace negotiations.

Russia's historical involvement in the situation in the South Caucasus, even over the past few years, dictates a need for us to participate in these events [the peace process  of course, to the extent that it is required by the parties  this is without a doubt, a statement issued by the Azerbaijani presidential press office quoted Putin as saying.

Armenian officials, who accuse Moscow of not fulfilling security guarantees during the Second Karabakh War, seem far from open to the idea of further Russian involvement in the peace process. On August 19, an Armenian Foreign Ministry representative accused Russian diplomats of making clearly biased, often disrespectful comments about Armenia, and questioned Russias commitment to fostering constructive engagement between Armenian and Azerbaijani officials.

By Eurasianet.org

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About a quarter of British households are so worried about their electricity bills they are considering spending next heating season without heat or hot water, a survey by Citizens Advice has suggested.

The concern follows plans by the national electricity market regulator to raise the cap on bills by another 9.2%, equal to 150 pounds or $195.

The Citizens Advice report said the percentage of those worried about the affordability of their electricity was substantially higher among households with children, where the percentage was 31%, and low-income households, where 39% were worried about the coming heating season.

The consumer advocacy group also reported that 48% of respondents in its survey had said they would have to turn down the heat or turn it off to survive winter financially. Another 34% said it would be difficult for them to afford food, mortgage payments, or childcare this winter because of higher electricity prices.

Citizens Advice called on the authorities to find a way out of this situation, saying that While plans to focus the energy market on renewables could reduce energy bills in the long term, households in desperate need cant afford to wait until then.

The specific move that the Keir Starmer government could make, according to the organization, was to increase the amount of state help for energy bills to low-income households.

Earlier this year, energy consultancy Cornwall Insight forecast that electricity costs in Britain this year will come in at an average 113 pounds per MWhdouble the historical average, City AM reported in January.

This week, the BBC reported that Ofgem, the market regulator, was likely to raise the energy bill cap by 9%, citing Cornwall Insight as the source of the forecast as electricity suppliers wholesale costs rose by 20% over the last few months. Ofgem will decide on the cap in October.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Australia has approved an ambitious project to export solar power to Singapore via a subsea cable spanning over 4,300 kilometers.

The project has an estimated price tag of some $13.5 billion, Reuters reported, and the final investment decision on it is slated for 2027, with electricity set to start flowing along the cable in 2030.

The capacity of the project will be a maximum of 6 GW, part of which will be delivered to the capital of Australias Northern Territory, Darwin, with the rest going to Singapore.

The original idea for the cable belongs to two billionaires: Mike Cannon-Brookes, the co-founder and co-chief executive of software company Atlassian, and Andrew Forrester, the mining magnate. The two set up a company named Sun Cable to build a massive solar farm in the Northern Territory with a capacity of 10 GW, later raised to 20 GW, which would make it the largest solar farm in the world.

However, the original cost of $13 billion kept rising, setting the two leaders of the project at odds with each other. Last year, the differences apparently proved irreconcilable and Sun Cable went into voluntary administration.

The costs of the Australia-Asia PowerLink Project just kept rising by 10%, 50%, 100%, Fortescue Metals Andrew Forrest told CNN at the time, adding That isnt sustainable. Thats what I would expect with inexperienced management and a board of directors who have never done large projects.

Cannon-Brookes, however, kept believing in the project and said he would bring in external investors. It seems those investors are the Australian government.

SunCable will now focus its efforts on the next stage of planning to advance the project towards a final investment decision targeted by 2027, the company said following the governments green light, although as Reuters reported, no details were provided on how the construction work will be financed.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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A Greek-flagged oil tanker is on fire and drifting crewless in the Red Sea after coming under attack by Yemens pro-Iranian Houthis, in a sign of escalation after a brief pause on activities in the run-up to the latest round of Gaza ceasefire talks.

According to the Associated Press, citing British maritime authorities, the oil tanker is no longer under anyones command, and came under attack by armed groups traveling on small vessels some 90 miles from the Yemeni port city of Hodeida. The vessel was also reportedly struck by missiles or drones.

The vessel reports being not under command, the UKMTO said, likely meaning it lost all power. No casualties reported.

The Houthis have not claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Greek-flagged oil tanker, the Sounion, had 25 crew members and was traveling from Iraq to Cyprus, AP reported.

The Houthis have launched attacks on an estimated 80 vessels since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.



The Houthi campaign is prompting shippers to avoid the Red Sea and Suez Canal and take the longer route around the Horn of Africa, which is set to add an additional 500,000 bpd of fuel consumption for 2024.



A potential restart of the Houthis Red Sea campaign coincides with failing Gaza ceasefire talks currently underway in Doha, Qatar.

U.S. President Joe Biden has accused Hamas of backing away from a ceasefire deal over hostage swap elements, while Hamas accuses Biden of making misleading statements. Following the Democratic National Convention, Biden said a ceasefire deal was still in play, but you cant predict, adding that "Israel says they can work it out... Hamas is now backing away," according to Israeli media.

In a Tuesday statement, Hamas said that Bidens claims "do not reflect the true position of the movement, which is keen to reach a cessation of aggression", Xinhua news agency reported.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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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.
Iran has appointed a new oil minister, Mohsen Paknejad, following a vote of confidence in parliament on Wednesday, Azerbaijans Trend news agency reported.

Paknejad, an oil ministry veteran who previously held the position of deputy oil minister from 2018 to 2021, took the podium on Wednesday to bemoan the state of affairs in Irans oil industry.

The new oil minister called on Tehran to boost production, warning that fossil fuel reserves will remain limited over the next two decades, without significant development efforts.

As things stand now, Iran is expected to see its oil output rise by 400,000 barrels by the end of next year, according to Trend AZ.

Paknejad said the ministry would work to balance production and consumption to stabilize the industry.

In July, according to OPEC figures, Iran saw a month-on-month increase of 20% in crude oil production, hitting 3,271,000 barrels.

The countrys total fossil fuel reserves are set at 1.2 trillion barrels, according to Trend. However, Iran needs help getting fossil fuels out of the ground, with the Azerbaijani news agency indicating that some 70% of its gas reserves remains trapped underground due to technological insufficiencies.

Iran has a total of 74 oilfields and 22 gas fields in operation.

While production and development remain an issue, sanctions continue to bite in terms of exports and revenues.

Iran, however, appears to have rounded up new buyers of its sanctioned crude, including Oman and Bangladesh, Reuters reports.

Irans oil production has been recently estimated to have hit its highest level since 2018 as Tehran looks to boost output and exports, and export revenues with these, despite the U.S. sanctions.

Last month, Irans Petroleum Minister Javad Owji claimed that Tehran is currently exporting its oil to as many as 17 countries.

Washington is still considering ways of squeezing Iranian oil exports amid heightened Middle East tension following Tehrans vow to avenge the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Iranian soil.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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The situation in Libya has deteriorated over the past two months and it could get worse still unless the warring factions manage to agree on a unified government. This is according to the UNs special envoy for Libya, Stephanie Khoury, who spoke at the Security Council this week.

Unilateral acts by Libyan political, military and security actors have increased tension, further entrenched institutional and political divisions, and complicated efforts for a negotiated political solution, the official said, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

The tension that the UN envoy mentioned recently led to yet another declaration of force majeure at Libyas largest oil field, Sharara. The field has a capacity of producing up to 300,000 barrels of crude daily but production was suspended amid protests of locals against the economic crisis in the country.

The government that the West recognizes blamed its rival government in Eastern Libya for the protests, calling them a blackmail.

In the absence of renewed political talks leading to a unified government and elections you see where this is heading - greater financial and security instability, entrenched political and territorial divisions, and greater domestic and regional instability, Khoury also told the Security Council.

The political situation in the country is making its plans to boost its crude oil production rather challenging. Those plans, as detailed by the national Oil Corporation, envisage raising the daily total from around 1 million barrels to 1.5 million barrels in 2025, ramping this up further to 2 million barrels over the two years to 2027.

Unless the infighting continues and the economic situation of the locals does not change for the better, chances are that the chaos will continue, with Libyas biggest export revenue earner under constant threat of outages as various groups see the oil fields as a bargaining chip in disputes with government entities or other groups.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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U.S. crude oil exports are set to grow this year by the smallest margin after a decade of rapid growth.

Crude exports from U.S. ports have averaged 4.2 million barrels per day so far this year, up a mere 3.5% Y/Y compared to a robust 13.5% growth in 2023. This years growth clip is the lowest since 2015, when the country lifted a 40-year federal ban on the export of domestic crude.

U.S. crude exports are plateauing due to a combination of slowing supply growth and easing demand  particularly from Asia this year, Matt Smith, an analyst at energy data firm Kpler, has told Reuters.

U.S. crude exports to Europe have declined 1% as buyers have preferred cheaper regional and West African oil. Interestingly, Nigerias Dangote refinery has been the only major new market for U.S. crude since its start-up early this year.

Dangote is an outlier when it comes to new refining capacity, in that it is running on predominantly light sweet crude  from Nigeria or the U.S., Kplers Smith said. New refining capacity is being built predominantly in OPEC+ countries or Asia, two regions where light and medium sour barrels are more prevalent, Smith added.

Meanwhile, U.S. oil production is set to grow just 2.3% in the current year as shale producers stick to production discipline and returning capital to shareholders. High decline rates for shale wells usually set in soon after commissioning, meaning extra well completions are required to offset declines from existing wells if output is to be maintained. Unfortunately, StanChart has reported that the horizontal rig count started to decline sharply in early 2023 and is currently 20% below its post-pandemic peak after flatlining for the past six months. The analysts point out that whereas the completion of previously drilled wells and technical change provide an offset, a significant fall in activity, more often than not, leads to a lagged decline in growth.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

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In the past several years, a veritable gold rush has kicked off around the world to shore up supply chains of rare earth elements central to the manufacturing processes of clean energy and other tech components from electric vehicle batteries and solar panels to smartphones. While the 17 elements on the periodic table known as rare earths are the subject of much dealmaking and anxious market speculation, rare is a bit of a misnomer. Most of these elements are actually quite abundant in nature, although the extraction and processing infrastructure around their use has, in some cases, lagged behind demand as new clean energy manufacturing sectors come roaring onto the market.

China, in particular, has been busily snapping up rare earth reserves and contracts in emerging markets for years now and now has a solid chokehold on global supply chains. Beijing alone is responsible for 70% of the worlds rare earth ore extraction and 90% of rare earth ore processing, according to a June 2023 report by the Oxford Institute of Energy Studies. On top of that, China remains the only large-scale producer of heavy rare earth ores on the planet, not because China itself is home to rich deposits of them, but rather thanks to decades of state investment, export controls, cheap labour and low environmental standards, Oxford asserts in the report on Chinas rare earths dominance and policy responses.

China may have gotten ahead of itself, however, as rare earth element prices have taken a significant and prolonged dip in 2024 thanks to lower demands and what is turning into a significant issue of oversupply. Exports of rare earths from China, the dominant producer, climbed 7.5% year-on-year in the first seven months of 2024, The Japan Times reported this week, but prices still fell during that period and are hovering near their lowest in more than three years. This year, prices for dysprosium oxide and terbium oxide have dropped by 32% and 26%, respectively, while neodymium oxide and praseodymium oxide prices have both fallen around 15%.

Prices for rare earths rose briefly in July based on speculation that China would make some significant purchases to stockpile these critical elements, but such a bulk purchase never occurred and prices quickly retreated back to a three-year low. As a result, rare earth producers are now sitting on their own stockpiles of supply in hopes that prices will recover in the short or medium term, according to analysis from Rystad Energy.

The issue of oversupply of Chinese products and materials is a larger trend that has caused no shortage of market disruptions and hand-wringing in the West. With a weakening economy, China naturally looks for exports, Brad Setser, a scholar at the Council on Foreign Relations, told the Wall Street Journal late last year. But any meaningful expansion of Chinese exports beyond current levels will crush production elsewhere. China is already under investigation for unfair trade practices related to market flooding and predatory pricing in a number of countries whose markets have been inundated with discounted Chinese exports.

Indeed, continued Chinese exports during market downturns seems to be a large part of the current price deflation for rare earth elements. During the first seven months of this year, while rare earth prices were in steady decline, exports from China nevertheless climbed by 7.5% year-on-year.

Market analysts do believe that rare earth demand  and therefore rare earth prices  will eventually recover, but it wont be an immediate correction. There is no short-term catalyst that will solve the oversupply issue, but demand is likely to pick up slowly and steadily in accordance with long-term demand growth in key energy transition sectors such as electric vehicles, thin-film solar cells and wind turbines.

By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com

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Poet Nikki Giovanni has a lot of empathy for young people.

I got invited to speak to a bunch of high school kids and started my speech with I know this is the worst period of your life,'" she said in a recent phone interview. All the kids laughed. People are always telling you that its great, but its not. It really is tough to be a teenager.

Giovanni, 81, will bring that message and more to hundreds of young women in Omaha on Aug. 27 at this years Lunch for the Girls, a fundraiser for the Omaha chapter of Girls Inc.

She joins an impressive list of featured speakers for the event  which started in 2002  including Desmond Tutu, Hillary Clinton, Barack and Michelle Obama and Billie Jean King.

Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Giovanni is one of the worlds most widely known Black poets. She is a seven-time winner of the NAACP Image Award and was named as one of Oprah Winfreys 25 Living Legends. As a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech, she delivered a moving chant-poem at a memorial service for victims of a mass shooting there in 2007. She retired from VT in 2022.

She said she will have some significant messages for her Omaha audience, especially young women. She believes that cultivating confidence is among the most important things they can do.

I want everybody to believe in themselves, she said. Thats the first belief. I think its important to like yourself. You cant be afraid of yourself. You cant be afraid of failure.

She believes people are misguided when they ask youths what they want to be when they grow up.

Its not when you grow up, she said. Its what you are now.

She plans to share her love for Earth and the galaxies with her young listeners, emphasizing that everyone is a citizen of the planet first and a member of a distinct race, religion or gender after that.

We all have to have the same thing: clean water, air to breathe, safety walking down the street. If someone asks you who you are, your answer should be Im an earthling, she said.

She avidly follows NASA, She said shes sure theres life beyond Earth, and its not evil aliens as portrayed in science fiction.

Giovanni said she began writing poetry at an early age. She gained prominence in the late 1960s as one of the foremost authors of the Black Arts Movement, which was influenced by the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Power Movement. Her early work has a strong and militant Black perspective, reflecting her social and racial activism. She later moved into childrens literature.

She began to write, she said, because she came from a storytelling tradition and I just didnt have anything else.

She kept going when it started to define her life.

People try to find a way to say who they are, and for me, it became poetry. For other people, its novels and for others its painting.

She said she will read some of her work in Omaha next week, hoping to inspire a new generation.

For more information on Lunch for the Girls and to purchase tickets, go to girlsincomaha.org.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of August 2024
An Omaha man who conducted an active shooter drill at Catholic Charities in 2022  terrorizing employees who were not informed the shooter was an actor  was found guilty this week of multiple felonies in connection with the drill.

John Channels, 29, accepted plea deals this week in two Douglas County cases. First, on Tuesday, he pleaded no contest to four counts of terroristic threats in connection with the fake drill, which garnered national attention after it was first reported by The World-Herald. Prosecutors dismissed one count of use of a firearm to commit a felony.

On Wednesday, Channels pleaded no contest in an unrelated case to possession of child pornography, first-degree sexual assault and first-degree sexual assault of a child. Prosecutors dismissed 22 additional counts of possession of child pornography and sexual assault in exchange for his plea.

Between the two cases, Channels will be sentenced in October to at least 21 years and up to life in prison.

Directors of Catholic Charities hired Channels, who owned a private security company and represented himself as a "civilian police officer" at Offutt Air Force Base, to conduct the active shooter drill in May 2022.

When he showed up to the organization's office, at 9223 Bedford Ave., he was dressed in a dark hoodie and mask, and he banged on the windows before firing blanks from a prop gun into the air and at the office. As employees fled through the parking lot, they passed by a decoy body covered in fake blood.

After the employees found out the drill was fake, according to prosecutors, Channels offered to sell them firearms and training classes. Police said they were not informed of the drill ahead of time.

Though Channels attempted in early court appearances to pass the blame to the Catholic Charities officials who greenlit the drill  and planned to pay him $2,500 for his services  prosecutors and executives said Channels wanted the drill to be as "lifelike" as possible.

The organization's executive director, Denise Bartels, issued a statement to The World-Herald at the time saying Channels misrepresented himself and his qualifications.

"We deeply regret following his recommendations and selecting him for the training," Bartels said.

One Catholic Charities employee, Sandra Lopez, tried to sue the organization for physical injuries she sustained while fleeing from the fake shooting, as well as for intentional infliction of emotional distress.

She argued that, because the organization acted with a specific intent to cause emotional distress to employees, she should be able to sue in civil court for damages instead of relying on Workers' Compensation Courts.

A Douglas County judge dismissed Lopez's lawsuit, and she appealed to the Nebraska Supreme Court. The state's high court affirmed the dismissal, finding that Workers' Compensation Court is the sole remedy for mental and physical injuries sustained at work  even if the employer acted with a specific intent to cause harm.

Unbeknownst to Catholic Charities, Channels was also being investigated by the Ralston and Bellevue Police Departments at the time of the fake drill after a 16-year-old girl reported in February 2022 that she had repeatedly been sexually assaulted by Channels when they were in a "quasi-dating" relationship, according to court documents.

The "relationship" lasted for years and began when the girl was 12 and Channels was 22, according to court documents. Channels was the girl's taekwondo instructor.
An Omaha man was sentenced Wednesday to decades in prison for shooting his co-worker 21 times after a disagreement at work.

Octavian Sanderson, 28, pleaded guilty earlier this year to second-degree murder, use of a firearm to commit a felony, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and terroristic threats in connection with the June 2023 killing of 24-year-old Rodney Hart-Owens.

On Wednesday, Douglas County District Judge Molly Keane sentenced Sanderson to 77 to 108 years in prison.

According to testimony from an Omaha police detective at Sanderson's preliminary hearing, Sanderson and Hart-Owens were co-workers at All My Sons Moving & Storage. The two had a history of disagreements, and were typically not scheduled to work together after Sanderson repeatedly pulled a gun on Hart-Owens during arguments.

At about 7:30 a.m. on June 8, 2023, police received multiple calls from other employees reporting a shooting at the moving company's office near 86th and F Streets. Hart-Owens was declared dead at the scene. He had been shot 21 times in the legs, arms, neck and torso.

After a verbal disagreement between the two men in the company's office, according to the detective, Sanderson drew a handgun and shot Hart-Owens in the leg. Hart-Owens fled out the garage's back door, where Sanderson chased him and continued shooting.

Hart-Owens, who had been shot in the leg and arm as he was chased by Sanderson, tried to run eastbound around the back of the building. Sanderson reloaded his gun and chased Hart-Owens, shooting him multiple times.

Hart-Owens eventually collapsed in the strip mall's parking lot, where Sanderson stood over him and unloaded another round of bullets into his body. Medical examiners removed 14 bullets from Hart-Owens' body during his autopsy and noted 21 total bullet defects.

Sanderson fled from the scene and returned to his apartment, where he allegedly told his girlfriend he would be going to prison. When interviewed, the girlfriend admitted to purchasing two firearms for Sanderson, who was barred from gun ownership after a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction from 2018.

Police took Sanderson, who was identified by multiple co-workers as the shooter, into custody outside his apartment shortly before 8 a.m. that same morning.
Atiku Abubakar

The Federal Government has said the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has the right to challenge the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 presidential election in court.

It, however, called on the former Vice-President to allow the court to determine the merits or otherwise of his petition against the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the election.

It said it was wrong for Atiku to resort to self-help in his desire to claim victory in the election.

The government said Atiku should know that losing an election should not be seen as the end of the world.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who stated the government position at a media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, also condemned the resurgence of posters bearing the picture of Atiku, with the inscription: THE PUKKA, H.E. ATIKU ABUBAKAR, THE REAL AND THE RIGHT, which have surfaced across major streets in Abuja.

The appearance of these posters coincide with the media report that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has hired a US lobbying firm to convince the United States not to recognise the re-election of President Buhari until the Supreme Court has ruled on the suit by the PDP presidential candidate, the minister said.

He said, Yes, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has lost an election. But he will not be the first or the last person to lose an election, and he should realise that losing an election is not the end of the world.

He has challenged the result of the election in court. Thats just as well. However, he should not give the impression that he does not have confidence in the judicial process, which his resorting to self-help implies.

He should stop overheating the polity and quit trying to instigate a political crisis in Nigeria. No citizen, no matter how highly placed, is above the laws of the land. Enough is enough.

Mohammed, who was flanked at the briefing by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Mallam Garba Shehu, said the posters and the alleged hiring of the US lobbyists, had triggered questions about what Alhaji Abubakar was up to.

He said, Is he starting a fresh campaign after the elections have been won and lost? Has he rescinded his decision to challenge the results of the presidential election in court, perhaps after realising that the results he claimed to have obtained from the INEC server are cooked? Is he now going for self-help? What really is Atikus motive?

We are aware of media reports that the PDP presidential candidate on Wednesday distanced himself from the posters that are circulating in Abuja. He also reportedly denied hiring the US lobbyists, claiming tongue-in-cheek that the APC fabricated the report.

If the media reports are right, it means that the former Vice-President has suddenly realised the grave implication of his actions, hence has decided to beat a quick retreat before it is too late.

As a self-avowed democrat, he should realise that the only lawful channel for challenging the result of an election is through the courts. Resorting to self-help, as he seems to be doing now, is an act of desperation and the consequences are dire.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has the right to do whatever is lawful to challenge the outcome of that election. But he cannot get through the back door what he couldnt get through the front door. That will be a pipe dream.

Mohammed however said that there was no doubt that Atiku was equally thinking of replicating the Venezuelas model in the country.

He said, There is no doubt that the PDP presidential candidate, out of desperation, is thinking of replicating the Venezuelan model right here in Nigeria. But he should realise that Nigeria is not Venezuela, and that the situations in both countries are not the same.

President Muhammadu Buhari won the February 23, 2019 presidential election fair and square, with a margin of 3,928,869 million votes.The elections credibility was attested to by local and foreign observers.

APC, Presidency plotting to set up Atiku, says PDP

However, the National Working Committee of the PDP on Thursday accused the APC and the Presidency of engaging in plots to set up Atiku.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement stated that no amount of fabrications, attempt at set-up as well as veiled and open threats allegedly by the APC-led Federal Government would stop Atiku from reclaiming his mandate at the tribunal.

He said, The party notes that a series of orchestration against Atiku and the PDP by agents of the Federal Government, officials of the Presidency and the Buhari Media Organisation expose a well-coordinated plot, which includes a resort to unfounded claims of links with a foreign lobby group, to attempt to frame Atiku, cause tension and ultimately derail the recovery of the stolen mandate at the presidential election petitions tribunal.

Such orchestration is also targeted at instilling fear, causing apprehension in the citizenry and creating opening to further suppress genuine public opinion and the course of justice in the quest by Atiku Abubakar and the PDP to restore the will of the people.

He added, Part of the motive is to use lies, fabrications, threats and sponsoring of Atiku campaign posters to portray Atiku Abubakar and the PDP as being desperate and ready to subvert the rules in the pursuit of our mandate; and by so doing discredit our candidate in the eyes of the judiciary and the public in general.



This explains why the agents of the APC-led government fabricated and pushed into the public space, bogus and laughable claims that Atiku Abubakar paid $30,000 to a US lobby group to assist in the quest to reclaim our mandate only for the Federal Government and the Presidency to turn around to feast on the fabrications with threats against Atiku Abubakar.

He called on Nigerians to take note of the alleged threats by the Presidency through the Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, to jail Atiku based on trumped-up charges, while describing him as one who is lucky to be walking free.
Nicosi is a multicourse dessert bar that opened in June at Pullman Market at Pearl in San Antonio. A dish from the "acidic" course included pan con tomato-inspired trio of sourdough crackers finished with, from left: jellied pomodoro sauce and tomato "air;" citrus butter and a viola flower; and green tomato jam with crispy heirloom tomato skin. Mike Sutter/Staff

In the mixed metaphor arts, Nicosi is the MMA champion. Its Willy Wonka, its the Wizard of Oz, its the Food Network Live. Its the multicourse dessert bar that opened in June at Pullman Market at Pearl.

Its an experiment conducted in real time, with real money and no phones allowed, an experiment in the places dessert can take us, and our willingness to follow a pastry chef down the yellow brick road to get there.

Nicosi  

221 Newell Ave. at Pullman Market at Pearl, 210-759-0088, nicosisatx.com Quick bite: Fixed-price multicourse dessert bar with a no-photo policy from the Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group at the Pullman Market at Pearl Hours: By reservation only. Seatings at 5:30 and 8 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. Price range: $100 for the fixed-price experience with non-alcoholic drink pairings, $120 with alcoholic drink pairings, plus tax and automatic 20% gratuity Alcohol: Pre-selected pairings available  Excellent  Good  Fair  Poor  Bad Express-News critics pay for all meals.

And Nicosi is that chefs middle name.

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Its a name tethered not to any one country or region or style. Its a name guided by ideas, the ideas of Tavel Bristol-Joseph, ideas born in Guyana, informed by the Caribbean and shaped by a career arc that led him to the lightning-in-a-bottle success of Canje in Austin, with two James Beard Award nominations for Best Chef: Texas.

And now his story is part of the San Antonio story of Pullman Market, the ambitious project from Canjes parent company Emmer & Rye Hospitality that debuted in April, filling 40,000 square feet at Pearl with four restaurants, a grocery store and a food-hall ecosystem.

A dish from the "bitter" course included a ring of flourless chocolate cake with chocolate and avocado mousse topped with caramelized cacao nibs and Pop Rocks. Inside the ring is burned milk infused with dried mauby bark and peach leaf oil. It's resting on a glass disk filled with dried flowers. Mike Sutter/Staff

Bristol-Josephs story was told by his second-in-command on my nights at Nicosi. In her introduction, chef de cuisine Karla Espinosa called the Nicosi experience a blind date. Id call it a psychosomatic exercise in the power of suggestion, the ability of the staff to make you believe that what theyre saying is what youre tasting.

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Nicosi is a lot like faith: You gotta believe to receive.

And you gotta follow the rules. That means prepaid reservations for $120 with alcohol pairings, $100 without. It means an automatic 20% gratuity. It means no menus. And it means no photos, enforced by a black static sticker that folds over your phones cameras. Be present, it says.

Being present has its rewards, with eight courses divided into four main flavor profiles: acidic, bitter, sweet and the elusive idea of umami, a kind of catch-all for the alchemy of savory elements. Were leaving out salty, I suppose for obvious reasons. We combine that into umami, Espinosa said.

A dish from the "sweet" course included sugar cane sorbet, white chocolate rocks, coconut tapioca, coconut foam, mascarpone-and-mango cake, mango chutney and helium bubbles flavored with lemongrass and lime. Mike Sutter/Staff

Students of the five basic human tastes will note that acidic isnt one of them. Those are sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. Acid is a sharpener. Were missing a whole category and its corresponding possibilities by leaving out sour from the Nicosi experience. And in this city of escabeche, chamoy and piccadilly raspas, we say bring it on.

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If that all sounds like semantics, I get it. Flavor isnt one thing, or five things. Its all the vowels, the a-e-i-o-u and sometimes y. Nicosi takes liberties. And freedom tastes good.

During a pair of Nicosi visits that took just over 90 minutes each, Espinosa and her staff pulled out all the tricks: the foam, the smoke, the gold flake, the freeze-drying, the nitrogen, the helium, the dehydration, even the hand-squeezed pecan milk.

Without a camera or a menu, I employed mnemonic devices to etch the food in my mind: Ants on a log, wash basin, ring of fire, Lollapalooza, Marge Simpsons hair. Four categories, with a small bite and main dish for each one, with a couple intermezzos. A lot to remember. And some to forget.

Nicosi is a multicourse dessert bar that opened in June at Pullman Market at Pearl in San Antonio. Mike Sutter/Staff

The experience began with the acidic category, with those ants on a log: a green art-glass tube, cut in half with three canapes on top, meant to evoke Spanish pan con tomate. Sourdough crackers, tomato jam, crispy tomato skin, citrus butter, jellied pomodoro sauce, tomato air. I tasted tomato. My brain filled in the blanks.

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With a sound like a sawmill in a shoebox, the staff started rasping frozen heirloom tomatoes over a base of star-fruit curd and freeze-dried, crispy passion-fruit rocks. In the mix of textures, temperatures and tastes, I found something to believe in with this tomato raspa.

Moving to the umami course, Espinosa presented what she called Liquid (Lick-wid?) Smoke, a ceramic abalone shell that breathed cigar smoke when it opened. The top half was drizzled with miso caramel and Texas pecan butter for an awkward exercise in licking. The bottom held the eye-rolling notion of Texas pecan milk squeezed by hand. But you know what? It was the perfect level of richness for vegan caviar made from the umami building blocks of seaweed, mushrooms and truffle.

The umami main dish held my deepest reservations about the Nicosi ride-along. I called it the wash basin. Espinosa described it as our take on ramen, with black garlic ice cream, caramelized onions, egg yolk and torn and twisted pieces of crunchy, dehydrated black garlic sponge cake. Was it the bowl, maybe? Or the garlic? I never got to ramen. What I did get to was a dishwasher funk on my first visit that left a souring wet washcloth smell on the wash basin and left traces on the wine, cocktail and water glasses and a few of the other white serving dishes. On my second night, the smell lingered only on the water glass.

Nicosi is a multicourse dessert bar that opened in June at Pullman Market at Pearl in San Antonio. Karla Espinosa is the chef de cuisine and Tavel Bristol-Joseph is the executive chef and a partner in Emmer & Rye Hospitality, the Austin-based company that owns and operates Pullman Market and Nicosi. Paul Stephen/Staff

The course devoted to bitter flavors leaned on coffee and chocolate, first with fried bunuelos covered in chocolate ganache that used both the cacao fruit and the cacao bean that captured a floral bouquet like Ethiopian coffee. Finished with beef jelly, cold-brew gel and burnt tortilla powder, the dish rested on cracked cacao nibs for a fully immersive chocolate odyssey.

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Bitter was my sweetest moment at Nicosi, on a dish I called ring of fire. Served on a glass disk filled with dried flowers, it incorporated a ring of flourless chocolate cake with chocolate and avocado mousse animated by caramelized cacao nibs and Pop Rocks. Inside the ring lay a pool of burned milk infused with dried Caribbean mauby bark. Think of root beer, but more bitter. Think of chocolate cake and a glass of milk. Think of Pop Rocks. Think of being a kid again.

The full Nicosi experience played out with a bite of caramelized Basque cheesecake, a frozen lollipop like Dippin' Dots on a stick and that Marge Simpson dish with sugar cane sorbet, white chocolate rocks, coconut tapioca, mascarpone-and-mango cake and helium bubbles flavored with lemongrass and lime. The bubbles rose in a curly white column from a gas lab rig, and a few of them got away and floated into the lights. They really melt in your mind was my favorite Freudian slip of the night. Willy Wonkas Fizzy Lifting Drink, come to life.

And it played out with smart drink pairings that included Queen Margheritas favorite vermouth, a crisp sauvignon blanc, a smoky play on a dirty martini with tequila and black garlic and a non-alcoholic version infused with smoky lapsang souchong tea. Less compelling was a Carrot Colada that looked and tasted like a party clown crashed your dinner party.

MORE EMMER & RYE: Mike Sutters review of Ladino at Pearl

Nicosi is a multicourse dessert bar that opened in June at Pullman Market at Pearl in San Antonio. Heavy green drapes cover three of the four walls from floor to ceiling, creating a quiet dining room with no light intrusion from outside. Paul Stephen/Staff

The whole production was a grand display of dinner theater, set in a room built exactly for that, with floor-to-ceiling velvet drapes. The scene pulsed with techno music, the kind that usually comes with bottle service and sparklers. There were occasional lapses in the theater, some splinters in the fourth wall, with botched lighting queues and music bouncing up and down like a noisy upstairs neighbor, interrupting and stepping on the chefs monologue.

But behind the broad black counter with room for 20 people, the team glowed up under the lights framing the prep kitchen, performing the tweezered ballet of setting up the next plates as Espinosa played the role of deft emcee, engaging the audience with modest self-deprecation even as she presented food with master-level technique.

When the lights came up at the end like closing time at the club, the question arose: Whats next for Nicosi? My purely conjectural theory is that there are a set number of people in San Antonio who would be fully engaged with this $120 experience. But once those people have that experience, whos left? On the other hand, weve seen it work here before. The progressive Mexican restaurant Mixtli started with the same premise  communal seating with multiple small courses, orchestrated like theater  and look how that turned out.

The no photos thing? As much as I like the be present ethos, I think it has more to do with preserving the element of surprise, the mystery for a menu that changes only once every three months. Halfway through the current menu cycle, this review is either a spoiler or a tease to the next menu, coming toward the end of September or early October.

Mystery is Nicosis silent partner. And mystery, like faith, calls for a suspension of disbelief. Do you believe?
Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose has won his polling unit for the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The result from Afao Ekiti, Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government polling unit where Fayose voted showed that PDP polled 225 as against 82 polled by APC.

Meanwhile the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) Lagos Command has confirmed arrest of four persons in connection with the disruption of voting and destruction of voting materials in Okota, Okota in Oshodi/Isolo council area of Lagos State.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Zubairu Muazu, made the disclosure during a visit to the affected polling units.

Muazu was in company with an Assistant Inspector-General of Police monitoring elections in Lagos State, Mr David Folawiyo.

He said that the suspects would soon be charged with disrupting elections and damage to election materials.
Former Vice President of Nigeria and Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has express with great displeasure as to the turn of events in a sovereign country like Ethiopia.

He has condemned the military action taken by the Ethiopian elite forces and the elimination of the countrys army chief and other officials.

In his words; The coup attempt against the democratically elected government of Office of the Prime Minister-Ethiopia stands condemned. Democracy has come to stay in Africa and we must accept this wind of change from the Cape to the desert. As a democrat, my right hand of fellowship is offered to the people of Ethiopia. You are not alone. Long live democracy in Africa
The State Security Service (SSS) on Sunday confirmed that its operatives took Omoyele Sowore into custody.

KanyiDaily had reported Mr. Sowore, a social critic and publisher of Sahara Reporters, was violently arrested at his Lagos resident in the early hours of Saturday.

He was taken into custody because he called for a revolution in Nigeria, SSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, told reporters in Abuja Sunday afternoon.

Mr Afunanya was unable to say whether or not the SSS has any credible intelligence that confirmed Mr Sowore has the capacity to execute a takeover of government in Nigeria.

The spokesperson, however, said the secret police was aware that Mr Sowore had been in touch with foreign actors to destabilise Nigeria.

The comments marked the first time the SSS will brief Nigerians since Mr Sowore was arrested.

The police have already deemed the planned protest an act of terrorism and threatened a clampdown on participants.

Mr Sowore and other organisers of RevolutionNow movement have condemned federal authorities for lying against them that the protest, scheduled to begin on August 5, would be violent.

They have vowed to carry on with the demonstration across 21 Nigerian cities despite the arrest of its leader.

The SSS declined to say where Mr Sowore was being kept and when he would be arraigned in court.
For allegedly raping underage children of his members, a prophet Elisa Ayoluwa alias White has been arrested by the police in Lagos.

Ayoluwa, the founder of Zion Prayer and Deliverance Mission in Ikotun, was alleged to have aborted several pregnancies from one of his victims, a 15-year-old girl, with the help of a woman known as Iya Titi.

It was gathered that the man was arrested on Friday morning after a woman whose six-year-old daughter (names withheld) refused pleas from church elders that the matter be swept under carpets.

The Nation gathered that it was the woman who took the case to a Childs Right Advocate Mrs. Precious Ndukwu who notified the police at Ikotun.

The mother, who spoke to our correspondent on phone, said that the prophet offered her N5, 000 to keep quiet on the incident, adding that other parents accepted the money.

According to the woman, she usually took her child to the church premises to stay with other kids whenever she was going to work.

She said: I used to have a job that kept me busy. I will leave home early and wont return till about 11pm.

So, I usually took her to the prophets place and would go and pick her at night. Other children used to come there too to play.

But along the line, I noticed that whenever I wanted to take her there, she would cry and say she does not want to go.

I did not know anything was happening to her until one Sunday in church, a member called me aside and she told me to go and check my daughter.

By this time, rumour has been going round that the prophet was sexually molesting children and teenagers.

So, I took my daughter to a nurse and she examined her and said she has been penetrated.

That was how I started asking her questions and she said it was the prophet that he usually molested her and that the day he raped her, he used clothe to clean the blood. She said he even told her not to tell anyone.

According to Mrs. Ndukwu, the kid was taken to Mirabel Centre at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) after her mothers complaint and it was established that she has been violated.

She said her findings also revealed that the prophets alleged rape of minors was common knowledge in the neighbourhood, wondering why the other parents chose to remain silent about it.

Upon investigation we discovered that he has a particular woman known as Iya Titi that helps him abort for a particular child any time she is pregnant. The church members are aware of his behaviour and he has been going round begging each of the childs parents.

He has given N5, 000 to the mother of the child that he committed abortion for and she accepted to let peace reign. He remarried recently and so, I dont know if his new wife was aware before now.

The parents of the other victims refused to follow us to the police station to make their statement but the mother who refused the money did and the prophet was arrested.

We expect the police to compel the other parents to come forward and state what they know.

They need to be made to understand that keep quiet in this matter was a crime and they could be charged as accomplices, she said.

Police spokesman Bala Elkana confirmed the suspects arrest, adding that he denied the allegation.

The parents of the victim took her to the pastors house to be there temporarily when they went out for a programme.

The act was suspected to have happened during that time. The pastor denied the allegation. We await medical report, Elkana said.
Farooq Kperogi

At last, the highly self-assertive Farooq Kperogi failed in his wild goose chase to stop President Muhammadu Buharis second term election. Farooq as a social media influencer had exposed all his grammatical know-how against President Buhari, but yet failed to stop his re-election.

As an avid follower of Farooq Kperogi in both print and online media outlets, I can vividly recall that haunting for President Buharis shortcomings was one of Kperogis biggest past time.

Farooq, as it was known by many, had frequently defied objectivity. While one needs to be objective when speaking to public, as they are at liberty to make their respective arguments. To be blunt, this is why at times, I laughed at Kperogis plane-load barrage of criticisms.

It fell short of civil and subjective-free analysis. He didnt fact-check, verify before spreading. More appalling was, if found to be false, he wouldnt retract and apologize. Interestingly, Buharis popularity shredded Kperogis projections into pieces. Remember, he projected Atiku as winner of the presidential election. Thats why, his outright, biased remarks cost him his space in Daily Trust Newspaper.

Because he failed to live up to Media Trusts standard. All in his terrier chase to scuttle Buharis second term ambition, Kperogi caught on many occasions spreading lies and fake news. These consist of spreading poor conditioned, wretched Hausa Kannywood actors images to portray them as troops fighting Boko Haram in Maiduguri. You cant expect a media magnet like Farooq Kperogi to base his assertions on unverified social media gossips. In a nutshell, whenever you come across Kprerogis outbursts, you must say that decency and decorum is at its lowest ebb.

His remarks were always marked by extreme indecency. Therefore, this raises questions about his commitments to the ideals and doctrines of his media credentials. The best Kperogi can do when you caution him, or more so, drawn his attention to its falsity is to block you from gaining access to his social media handles.

Kperogi is good at spewing whatever gibberish to Buharis government, but so amazing indeed, he didnt like people to express their suggestions, viewpoints in his social media blogs. Unless if you will concur with his opinion. But to argue, is where you will part ways with Kperogi.

In sum, you must go with whatever he agrees with if you want to keep a space in his media accounts. To be frank, I can boldly testify to this fact for being a victim of Farooq Kperogis blocking spree. I was blocked by him when I urged him to exercise restraint. Sadly, Kperogi created for himself a reputation of know all. And based on what the wise men said: He who does not know and claims to know is a fool.

Abbas Datti, Kano.

Source: DailyTrust
A former New Braunfels police officer is fighting to get his job back after an internal investigation found he violated policies on body camera use and intimidation. Liz Teitz

The New Braunfels Police Department is defending its decision to fire an officer for allegedly violating body camera policies and standards of conduct.

Ruben Coronado is fighting for reinstatement with back pay. Hes appealing an indefinite suspension stemming from an incident in August 2023.

As a police chief, I cannot tolerate this type of behavior, Police Chief Keith Lane said during Coronados appeal hearing Tuesday. We do not drive 6 miles out of our jurisdiction, claim we have authority over something that we dont, (and) mistreat the individual that were interacting with.

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READ MORE: Officials say it was right call to fire cop who arrested motorist who flipped him off

While on the force, Coronado was assigned to provide security for the city-owned New Braunfels Utilities, which provides water, power and sewer services in the area. In the 2023 incident, a subcontractor crew working for NBU reported an altercation with a homeowner who had a transformer on his property. The homeowner had placed a large rock next to the equipment, blocking access to it.

NBU Electric Supervisor Todd Kelley called the Comal County Sheriffs Office and said the workers were pretty much threatened, according to a recording of the call played during the hearing. Kelley said the homeowner told the crew that if they returned, he would be prepared.

Coronado and two sheriffs deputies went to the house, which is outside New Braunfels city limits. Coronado told the man he had a week to move the rock, according to a deputys body camera footage. Coronado did not activate his own body-worn camera during the interaction.

Im telling you, do not touch the goddamn rock, the man said as the conversation escalated. That is located on private property, end of discussion.

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The homeowner later filed a complaint with the police department, saying Coronado was rude and kept his hand on his firearm throughout the encounter, according to documents produced during the hearing.

HILL COUNTRY HEADLINES: Top stories from the booming region

New Braunfels police Lt. James Bell said his internal affairs investigation found Coronado used intimidation for unlawful reasons and failed to activate his camera, both violations of department policy.

Bell testified that Coronado also violated policies on willful misuse of authority and responsibility to know laws and procedures.

Coronados lawyer, Robert McCabe, argued that the indefinite suspension imposed on his client was not an appropriate punishment by any stretch of the imagination.

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Coronado has admitted to violating the body camera policy, and in a letter of apology to the homeowner, he acknowledged his behavior was out of line.

I deeply regret my actions and the verbal argument that ensued, Coronado wrote. I should not have been at your home in the first place.

Still, McCabe showed city documents he said indicated that Coronados job responsibilities applied to the utilitys entire service territory, which extends beyond city limits.

McCabe also presented photos showing Coronado in other situations with his hand on his holster, in an effort to show that his conduct during the August 2023 incident was not intentional intimidation. The lawyer further noted that in 2020 Coronado was involved in delivering a criminal trespass warrant outside city limits without repercussions.

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It could be two to three months before arbitrator Ruben Armendariz rules on Coronados appeal. Both sides must file briefs by Sept. 20, which Armendariz will consider before making a decision.
In a determined drive to ensure the timely and quality completion of key infrastructure projects, Hon. Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, the Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, embarked on an intensive two-day inspection tour of project sites across the Western and Central Regions.



These projects, executed under the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Program (GSCSP), are pivotal to the government's broader agenda of fortifying secondary cities as engines of socio-economic growth.



During his tour, the Minister visited several Municipal and District Assemblies, including Ahanta West, Effia Kwesimintsim, Mfantseman, Assin Fosu, Agona West, and Awutu Senya East, scrutinizing the progress of roads, drains, markets, lockable stores, lorry parks, and terminalsall at various stages of completion.



Hon. Adjei-Mensah Korsah was unreserved in his praise where progress aligned with set timelines, commending the Assemblies for their dedication to these critical projects.



However, his message was unequivocal to those lagging: There will be no room for delays or requests for contract extensions.



"We will not entertain any requests for extension in contract duration," the Minister declared.



"These projects are essential to our nations development, and any delays undermine our goals for economic growth and community wellbeing."



This firm stance reflects the governments commitment to delivering on its promises within stipulated timelines, ensuring that infrastructure serves its intended purpose without unnecessary delays.



The Minister emphasized the importance of adhering to project timelines, warning contractors that failure to meet deadlines could lead to contractual breaches and the possible cancellation of contracts.



In addition to insisting on timeliness, the Minister called for a heightened focus on quality. He urged District Assemblies to reinforce their supervisory roles, ensuring that all projects meet the highest standards of durability and efficiency.



"The quality of these projects will determine their longevity and their value to our communities. We cannot compromise on this," he stressed.



The GSCSP is more than just an infrastructure initiative; it is a vital component of Ghana's strategy to build resilient, self-sustaining secondary cities capable of driving regional development. By providing District Assemblies with the necessary funding and capacity-building resources, the program aims to enhance service delivery and foster local economic growth.



As Hon. Adjei-Mensah Korsah concluded his tour, his directive was clear: The successful completion of these projects is non-negotiable. The urgency and quality of the work being done today will define the future of Ghanas secondary cities, ensuring they become vibrant, sustainable centers of development.



The Ministers unwavering commitment to this vision sends a strong signal to all stakeholders: There is no room for complacency; the stakes are too high, and the timeline too critical for anything less than excellence.









Source: Prince Baffour Asamoah









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 Volta Regional Minister, Hon. Dr. Yao Archibald Letsa, has commissioned road construction equipment for the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) to enhance road networks across the region.



This nationwide initiative aims to improve all road networks in Ghana.



At the Ho Jubilee Park, where all the road equipment has been parked and will be dispatched to all districts in the region, the minister indicated that the region has been divided into three zones (Northern, Central, and Southern Zones) to help undertake effective monitoring of the equipment.



He revealed that there are mobile maintenance teams comprised of Chinese and Ghanaian technicians that will be deployed to undertake routine maintenance of the equipment. "We have made arrangements for fuel depots also to fuel all the machines to undertake the needed roads in the districts", he added.



Dr. Letsa expressed gratitude to the President of Ghana, the Ministry of Roads and Highways, the Ministry of Local Government, the Ministry of Finance, and the Administrator of Common Fund for their partnership in implementing a successful road improvement programme.



The Technical Manager of J.A Plant Pool, Mr. Eric Anobaah, Limited, in his statement indicated that J.A Plant Pool and their Chinese partners (LiuGonG) are providing technical support to the DRIP project. "There are arrangements for knowledge transfers where Ghanaian technicians including students of technical institutions will be trained in proper handling of these machines", he indicated.



The equipment commissioned include backhoes, payloaders, water tankers, wheel loaders, rollers, graders, among others.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Flagbearer of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has expressed strong commitment to improve prison infrastructure and welfare of prisoners under his reign as President.



Speaking during his campaign tour of Akim Oda in the Eastern Region directly following the launch of the NPP 2024 manifesto, Dr. Bawumia, who is noted for his benevolence to the Prisons Service, said his government will prioritize the expansion of prison facilities into a life-changing rehabilitation center.



"My government will improve prison infrastructure to enhance rehabilitation of prisoners, Dr. Bawumia said.



On welfare of prisoners, he announced that his government will significantly increase allowances paid to prisoners currently pegged at GHS 1.80 cedis per day which he views as inadequate.



Dr. Bawumia's announcement may not be a surprise to many considering his special love for supporting them through his personal interventions.



He personally undertook the rewiring of the Ashanti Regional Central Prisons a few years ago after the Service made a direct appeal to him.



He also supported the Prisons Service through the construction of a portable water system in many prison facilities to serve both inmates and officers.



Following his personal interventions, the Prisons Service, through its Ashanti Regional Directorate presented a plaque to Dr. Bawumia in appreciation of his support.



His decision to prioritize expansion of their infrastructure and welfare of inmates therefore comes as a big relief.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The Ghana Police Service has stated claims that the service is training some militiamen at Bawku in the Upper East Region is untrue.



A statement from the police said an investigation was launched into the claims but no evidence was found.



We wish to state that our investigation has found no evidence of such training in the area or its environs, the statement said.



Adding that: This is the second of such false publications within a week by some unpatriotic individuals intended to create unnecessary alarm and panic among the public.:



The Police are working to bring the perpetrators to book and the public should be assured that we will get them.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman/Peacefmonline.com









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George Mireku Duker, the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources responsible for Mines, has re-echoed government's commitment to resolving the dispute between the chiefs and people of Tontokrom in the Amansie South District and Asanko Gold Ghana. He stated that it will be one of the legacies of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led government in the mining sector.



The stand-off between the community and the company over the exploitation of gold resources in the area is well documented, with one person losing his life this year following clashes between irate youth of the community and security personnel on duty at the company.



Following a series of meetings held at the Ministry, Hon. Mireku Duker, on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, embarked on a working visit to the area to have face-to-face interactions with the company and community leaders as part of efforts to bring finality to the protracted matter impeding the success of the company and development in the township.



Hon. Duker first made a stop ovver at the office of Asanko Gold Ghana Company, where he acquainted himself with the issues from the companys perspective and proposed some steps the company must take to improve their relationship with the community.



The Deputy Minister re-emphasized the need for a harmonious relationship between the company and the community, stating that unity is the principal ingredient for mutual success for both the company and the community.



Responding to a request by the company for an immediate resolution of the deadlock, He stated that the government, through the Ministry, has been engaging the community to allow the company to operate without conflict and will continue to activate the necessary dialogue and security measures to bring finality to the matter.



He stated that while the community has a responsibility to allow the company to operate in a violence-free environment conducive to their success, it is also imperative that the company is transparent, engaging, and accountable to the communities.



He appealed to the company to take steps to build trust with the community by being open and accountable to them and executing life-changing CSR projects in the area.



Its very critical and important for companies and the communities around these mining companies to co-exist because you cannot, in any way, operate in isolation. It is, therefore, very important to wear kid gloves to have a win-win situation. Just recently, as the VP of Asanko alluded to, Goldfields built a $60 million stadium for the people of Tarkwa because of the cordial relationship between them and the community".



Theyve also constructed about a 30-kilometer stretch of road for their mine. In terms of corporate social responsibilities, I will say they are doing their best. How do they do this? And how have they been able to sit with the people? I think we should synergize and learn from each other, irrespective of what we have, in terms of strategy in dealing with communities.



So once the media is here, I will also use their medium to appeal to the communities to find a way of peacefully sitting down with the various mining companies. There must be that understanding that you are not just here to take our gold away as they perceive you.



So its not a matter of just mining and taking the gold as being speculated out there. The perception is that the companies just take the gold and leave, and that is not true. They pay their royalties. All the tax components are paid. And we also commit them to do corporate social responsibilities. And if we give them that peace of mind, they will be able to do these projects to support their communities, he said.



Dr. Charles Amoah, Executive Vice President of Asanko Gold Ghana, commended the Deputy Minister for the assurance and indicated the willingness of the company to dialogue with the community elders to settle the matter.



He also thanked him for promising to work on the companys request to have the Bank of Ghana grant them special dispensation for the importation of some equipment that will aid their operations.



Hon. Duker later visited Tontokrom where he engaged the chiefs and elders at a durbar in the town.



He stated that the Ministry will give strong consideration to the request for a Community Mining Scheme by the residents.





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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It is with profound sadness that the Melcom Group of Companies announces the passing of our esteemed Communications Director, Godwin Avenorgbo, affectionately known as the "Grandmaster," who departed this life on Monday, August 19, 2024.



The late Godwin Avenorgbo joined the Melcom Group in 2013 and quickly became an exemplary leader whose visionary approach to communication left an indelible mark on the organization. Throughout his tenure, the Grandmaster demonstrated unparalleled dedication to directing both internal and external communication affairs. His industrious nature and non-negotiable leadership style set a high standard within the company, earning him admiration and respect from all levels of the organization.



One of his most significant achievements was serving as Chairman of the Melcom Education Scholarship. Under his guidance, the scheme was transformed, earning numerous recommendations and greatly benefiting its recipients.



Beyond his contributions to Melcom, Godwin Avenorgbo was an astute journalist and broadcaster with a distinguished career before joining our company. He was a pivotal member of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and was recently appointed as Chairman of the Planning Committee for the GJA's 75th Anniversary Celebrations.



His influence in the media landscape was profound; he pioneered morning shows on GBC's platforms, a format that has since been adopted by numerous media houses across the country.



Godwin Avenorgbo's legacy extends beyond his professional achievements. He was a mentor, a visionary, and a leader who believed in the power of ethical communication. His contributions to both Melcom and the broader community will be remembered and cherished by all who had the privilege of knowing him.



The Melcom Group of Companies extends its deepest condolences to Godwin Avenorgbo's family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.



Further details regarding memorial services will be shared in due course.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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There was drama at an Accra Circuit Court when two out of three accused persons admitted stealing goats at Teshie Camp Two area in Accra.



Emmanuel Agyei, aka Obama, a fisherman and David Agyei, a borehole driller, pleaded guilty to the charges of conspiracy and stealing.



According to the accused persons, it was true that they had been stealing goats and that on August 8, 2024, they stole locally bred goats within the vicinity.



The Police is holding them for allegedly stealing nine foreign goats from Germany valued at $13,500 belonging to one Seidu Yakubu, the complainant in the case.



Emmanuel Agyei told the court that: The goat I stole doesnt belong to the complainant. I have not seen the kind of goats the police are talking about. I have shown the complainant and the places where I stole the goats. I dont know anything about the kind of goats the police are talking about in the pictures taken.



In the case of David Agyei, he told the court that, We did not steal from the complainant, the goats we stole were African breed. We are not the group of people who sell to the buyer.



The court, after listening to the accused persons, convicted them but deferred their sentence to September 2, 2024.



Baba Musah, aka Baba Talatu, a butcher, who pleaded not guilty to the charge of dishonestly receiving, has also been remanded into police custody.



The police said three accomplices, whose names were given as Nat, Aapah, Boola Gee, were at large.



The prosecution, led by Superintendent of Police Augustine Yirenkyi, said the police were searching for other accomplices on the run.



The prosecution said the complainant, Yakubu Seidu, was a driver and an animal farmer at Teshie Camp 2.



The court heard that on Sunday, August 11, 2024, at about 0400 hours, the complainant woke up and detected the theft of nine of his foreign-breed goats.



On the same day, the prosecution said the Police Intelligence Directorate (PID) received intelligence about a syndicate that snatched victims' cars and used them to steal goats, and hide at Teshie and James Town.



The prosecution said the PID mounted surveillance and arrested Emmanuel Agyei, David Agyei and Baba Musah, but the other accomplices managed to escape.



During interrogation, Emmanuel and David admitted the offence and told the Police that they used to steal and sell.



Emmanuel and David led the Police to Boola Gees house at James Town, where four sheep and two goats were found in a blue-black 2002 model Honda CRV with registration number GN 438-14 and a blue-black Nissan Altima with registration number GT3107-18.



Emmanuel and David admitted to the Police that they stole with one Nathaniel and Aapah and sold the livestock to Boola Gee.



The court was told that Baba Musah admitted having bought five goats from Emmanuel, David and Nathaniel at GH2,500.



On August 12, 2024, the prosecution said the complainant came to the Directorate and identified two goats as his.

Source: GNA









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A Ghanaian pastor in the U.K who was stabbed by his son is dead.



Joshua Obinim, 64, his wife Angela Obinim, 43, and their 17-year-old daughter were all stabbed in a fit of homicidal rage by their 22-year-old son.



Angela died following the stabbing attack but Joshua and the teen girl survived and were rushed to hospital in critical condition.



Tragically, he did not make it as he has now been reported dead.



According to Ghanaian leaders in the Manchester community where the attack occurred, Joshua Obinim died in Hospital Tuesday morning.



The only surviving victim from the attack now is the 17-year-old girl who is in hospital. Meanwhile, the perpetrator of the attack has been arrested and faces a lengthy stay in prison for his crimes.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by @Ghanafuonsem1 (@ghanafuonsem1)













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Nancy M. Preyor-Johnson is the Deputy Metro Editor. She can be reached at nancy.preyor-johnson@express-news.net.

She previously worked as the deputy editor on the Express-News Editorial Board. The award-winning journalist and former teacher holds a master's degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies. A native of the South Texas town of Mathis, she has a bachelors degree in communications from Texas A&M University-Kingsville. She serves on the executive board of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions on Tuesday, August 20, against former Haitian President Michel Martelly for his involvement in drug trafficking, including cocaine, destined for the United States.



Martelly, who served as president of Haiti from 2011 to 2016 and was previously a popular musician, has been accused of abusing his political influence to facilitate the trafficking of dangerous drugs. According to the U.S. Treasury, Martelly also engaged in the laundering of illicit drug proceeds and collaborated with local drug traffickers, while supporting multiple gangs based in Haiti.



This action by the U.S. mirrors similar sanctions imposed by the Canadian government in 2022 against Martelly and two former Haitian prime ministers, who were accused of benefiting from the activities of armed gangs. The sanctions reflect a growing international concern over the role of political elites in Haiti's ongoing crisis.



Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has been plagued by escalating gang violence, particularly in the capital, Port-au-Prince, where criminal groups now control approximately 80% of the city. Residents have reported widespread violence, including threats of murder, rape, and kidnapping for ransom, as the country grapples with severe political, social, and economic instability.



The situation in Haiti deteriorated further in February, leading to the resignation of then-Prime Minister Ariel Henry under pressure from armed groups. In response to the escalating crisis, hundreds of police officers from Kenya have been deployed to Haiti as part of an international effort to restore stability.



Todays action against Martelly emphasizes the significant and destabilizing role he and other corrupt political elites have played in perpetuating the ongoing crisis in Haiti, said Bradley Smith, the Treasurys acting under-secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. He added that the sanctions highlight the U.S. governments commitment to holding accountable those who contribute to gang violence and the destabilization of Haiti's political environment.



U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel reinforced this stance, stating that the sanctions demonstrate the U.S.s unwavering resolve to promote accountability for all individuals whose activities contribute to gang violence and destabilize the political environment in Haiti, regardless of their rank or stature.









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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Thomas Lane, one of the four former Minneapolis police officers convicted in connection with the killing of George Floyd, has been released from federal prison. He was released on Tuesday, August 21.



Lane, 41, was found guilty in 2022 of violating Floyds civil rights when he was fatally restrained by officers on May 25, 2020. Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was handcuffed and restrained while lying on his stomach for more than nine minutes, even as he told the officers I cant breathe.



The police officer held down Floyds legs during the arrest, while his colleague Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyds neck and back, and another officer, J. Alexander Kueng, restrained Floyds torso. The fourth officer, Tou Thao, stood nearby and kept back a crowd of upset bystanders.



Lane was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison in July 2022.



Later that year, he was sentenced to three years in prison for a separate state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in Floyds death to which he pleaded guilty.



Lane had initially faced a charge of aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder, which prosecutors agreed to dismiss as part of a plea agreement, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellisons office said at the time.



Lanes sentences were served concurrently at the Englewood prison in Colorado, a low-security federal correctional facility outside Denver that houses roughly 1,000 inmates, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.



He has a two-year term of supervision imposed through the District of Minnesota, Randilee Giamusso, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, told CNN in an email Tuesday.



All four of the former Minneapolis police officers were convicted on state and federal charges in connection with Floyds death.



Chauvin was found guilty in April 2021 of state charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter and sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison. The US Supreme Court rejected Chauvins appeal of that conviction in November 2023.



Chauvin later pleaded guilty to federal charges of violating Floyds civil rights and was sentenced to 21 years in prison to run concurrently with his state sentence.













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Justin Frimpong Koduah, the General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has thrown a challenge to Ex-President John Mahama and the National Democratic Congress to compare their track record with Dr. Mahamudu Bawumias to ascertain their performances in government.



In an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FMs flagship programme 'Kokrokoo' on Tuesday, August 20, Justin Frimpong Koduah touched on the partys 2024 manifesto which their flagbearer launched during a ceremony held at GSTS in Takoradi, Western Region.



He highlighted some major policies that the New Patriotic Party(NPP) under the leadership of Dr. Bawumia would do to better the lives of Ghanaians if given power to lead the nation in 2025.



Among the many things that Dr. Bawumia will do which include tax reforms, business incentives, reforms in the licensing regime for the small-scale mining sector, reduction of the Minerals Export Tax to 1% to discourage gold smuggling and a credit score system, the NPP General Secretary believed Vice President Bawumia stands tall so far as the track records of Vice Presidents in Ghana are concerned.



This notwithstanding, he acknowledged the current economic state of Ghanaians saying, we admit both the good and bad because we cant accept only the good and leave the bad. Dr. Bawumia is a part of this government. We wont separate him, but, he stressed, when you weigh the good and bad of Mr. Mahama and Dr. Bawumia, still Dr. Bawumia stands tall.



Justin Koduah touted some achievements of Dr. Bawumia as Vice President, listing his Mobile Money Interoperability initiative and other social interventions, hence he has no doubts the Vice President is a very competent leader and will be a great President for Ghana.



Even as Vice President, when we talk about digitalization today, digital address system, Bawumias name will be mentioned. We can also talk of the medical drone system which delivers medicines across the nation and, currently, 2400 hospital facilities benefit from it, he emphasized.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Nana Bafour Owusu, the Omanhene of the Domeabra Traditional Area has disclosed that the NPP governments flagship Free SHS policy has significantly alleviated the financial burdens on chiefs regarding the payment of school fees and the provision of other forms of financial assistance to support the education of their subjects.



According to the Chief, prior to the introduction of the Free SHS policy, chiefs and community leaders were often burdened with supporting members of their respective traditional areas and communities with tuition, library, computer and school fees to support their secondary education. He noted with delight that, these challenges, which had overwhelmed them in the past, have now become a thing of the past following the implementation of the policy.



The Chief, therefore, commended the government and in particular, Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, who, as Minister of Education, spearheaded the successful implementation of the Free SHS policy. The policy, he said, has not only provided relief to many but has also created opportunities for children from underprivileged homes and communities to access education, thereby securing their future.



Nana Baffour Owusu made these remarks when the former Education Minister and now, Running Mate the NPP Presidential Candidate, Hon. Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, paid a courtesy call on him on at his palace on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, as part of his campaign tour in the Asante Akyem North constituency of the Ashanti Region.



Napo, as he is affectionately called, used the occasion to assure the chiefs that the next NPP government under H.E Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will prioritize working with traditional leaders to advance the cause of the national development. As part of his tour of the constituency, Napo also visited the Juansa and Agogo Palaces, after which he proceeded to the Presbyterian College of Education, Agogo, where he addressed students.



The NPP Vice Presidential Candidate also addressed a mammoth rally at the forecourt of the NPP Constituency Office in Agogo where he formally introduced the partys Parliamentary Candidate, Hon. Andy Appiah Kubi, and called on the people to vote for him and Dr. Bawumia, the Presidential Candidate. Napos entourage included Danquah Smith (1st National Vice Chairman), Henry Nana Boakye (National Organizer) and Chairman Wontumi (Ashanti Regional Chairman).

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Bernard Allotey Jacobs has eulogized Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia over his manifesto for Ghanaians prior to the December elections.



The New Patriotic Party led by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as their flagbearer, on Sunday, August 18, held their 2024 Manifesto Launch at GSTS in Takoradi, Western Region.



The manifesto covered various sectors of the economy with Dr. Bawumia promising tax reforms, business incentives, credit score system and other riveting policies aimed at developing Ghana and improving the lives of the citizenry.



The manifesto which was themed To Lead Is To Solve has become a topical issue with Ghanaians expressing mixed feelings about whether or not it is realistic and achievable.



Contributing to Peace FMs 'Kokrokoo' show, Allotey Jacobs, a former member of the opposition National Democratic Congress, expressed absolute confidence in Dr. Bawumia to deliver on his promises.



He strongly believed this manifesto is the engine of growth for the nation.



That manifesto is not a political document. For the first time, we are having a technocrat, so when you look at his manifesto, it is very technical and the engine that can move the progress of this countryIts a powerful engine of growth, he said.



He, therefore, implored the populace to believe him (Bawumia) if we want to do well for this country.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The Minority in Parliament has raised concerns over COCOBOD's financial health, claiming that international banks have rejected the organisation's request for a loan to purchase cocoa for the 2024/2025 crop season.



According to the Minority, this development is a significant indicator of the declining confidence that global financial institutions have in COCOBOD under its current management.



The Minority argued that the refusal of the loan request highlights the mismanagement and poor financial decisions that have plagued COCOBOD in recent years.



They noted that COCOBOD has traditionally relied on offshore syndicated loans to finance the purchase of cocoa beans, but the rejection by international banks this time around points to a loss of trust in the organisations ability to manage its finances effectively.



The Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, Joseph Boahen Aidoo recently announced that, for the first time in three decades, the organisation will not secure offshore syndicated loans to finance the purchase of cocoa beans for the 2024/2025 crop season.



Targeting the purchase of around 650,000 metric tonnes of cocoa beans, COCOBOD stated that it plans to finance the procurement entirely from its internal operations.



However, the NDC MPs in their statement, the Minority emphasised that this situation could have serious repercussions for the cocoa sector, which is a crucial part of Ghanas economy.



They warned that without the necessary funding, COCOBOD might struggle to meet its cocoa purchasing targets for the upcoming season, potentially leading to a negative impact on cocoa farmers and the broader economy.



The Minority called on the government to address the underlying issues that have led to this loss of confidence in COCOBOD.



They urged for a review of the current management practices and for measures to be put in place to restore the organisations credibility with international financial institutions, ensuring that the cocoa sector remains strong and stable.



"For the first time in 32 years, International Banks have rejected Ghana Cocoa Boards (COCOBOD) request for a prepayment loan to finance the purchase of cocoa."



"In June 2024, COCOBOD issued a Request for Proposal of $1.5 billion loan to purchase up to 650,000 metric tonnes of cocoa for the 2024/2025 crop year. But this request did not attract any interest from the international banks due to the poor health of COCOBOD and the collapse of the cocoa sector under its present management."



"From a production level of 969,000 metric tonnes inherited from the NDC in the 2016/2017 crop year, cocoa production has declined to just a little over 400,000 metric tonnes for the 2023/2024 cocoa season. The significant decline in cocoa production in the last eight years and the mismanagement of the cocoa sector have impacted COCOBODs ability to meet its contractual obligations," an excerpt of the statement said.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Vice Presidential Candidate of the governing New Patriotic Party, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as NAPO, has taken a swipe at NDC flagbearer, former President John Dramani Mahama for saying "if Nkrumah had a ghost, he would have knocked down NAPO".



At a campaign interaction in Adugyama in the Ahafo Ano South East constituency in the Ashanti Region, Dr. Prempeh in response to the above statement from John Mahama said if Mills had a ghost, John Mahama would be in jail by now to a rapturous applause from the gathering.



Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh who is currently touring every nook and cranny of the Ashanti Region with the NPP's message of "Selfless Leadership and Bold Solutions for the Future" has been reminding the people of the abysmal performance of the John Mahama administration.



"We have a President John Mahama under whose watch Ghanaians slept in darkness for 4 years but thinks Ghanaians have forgotten about this record", he said.



He further argued that the best pair of hands to safeguard the gains made in policies like the Free Senior High School is Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.



Dr. Opoku Prempeh is expected to take his campaign tour to all the 47 constituencies of the Ashanti Region as the party seeks to energize its stronghold for massive turnout on the election day.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Actress Mercy Asiedu is not ready to campaign for any political party. She made this clear during an interview with B Ice on Kumasi-based Agyenkwa FM.



The popular Kumawood actress was asked if she would accept to campaign for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP). Answering the host, she stated that she wouldnt get the time.



Mercy Asiedu stressed that she is a very busy person, so time wont be on her side to join NPPs campaign trails.



This was after she complained about the Creative Arts sector being ignored by politicians. Oheneyere Asiedu said she is not thinking about her selfish interest but that of future generations.



An improvement in the sector, according to her, would help create jobs for the youth.



While Ghanaians will be going to the polls in a few months, Mercy Asiedu has pleaded with authorities not to neglect the Creative Arts sector.

Source: zionfelix.com









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Layan Verde, a premium residential project in Phuket developed by VillaCarte Group, is set to be highlighted at the upcoming Megaprojects ASEAN Summit, scheduled for October 2-3 in Bangkok. This event is a forum for discussing infrastructure development in the region, particularly in the face of the challenges posed by rapid urbanization.

At the 5th session of the MEGAPROJECTS ASEAN SUMMIT, Mr. Freek Jansen, Branch Manager for South East Asia, Dewan Architects + Engineers, will unveil Layan Verde  a groundbreaking and innovative luxury residential property project in Phuket. In his presentation, he will highlight the following key features:

Underground Infrastructure

Leveraging the natural slope of the land and prioritizing ocean views for all buildings, Dewan Architects has created a truly unique design by elevating the structures and utilizing the space beneath for guest amenities and back-of-house services. This approach results in a vehicle-free green space between buildings, offering residents the feeling of living in a park or a jungle.

Unique Arrival Experience

The arrival experience is like going to a dense jungle, where the abundant greenery shields visitors from direct sunlight. When approaching the drop off for the hotels or residential areas, there are skylights where the green fall down from the ground floor level, illuminating the double-height lobbies and enhancing the connection with nature. The private spaces on the upper levels offer a unique connection with nature, immersing residents in the branches of the jungle. From the high floors, the panorama extends further, revealing breathtaking views of the ocean beyond the lush landscape.

Connection with Nature

Every aspect of Layan Verde is designed to connect residents with nature. From green facades and skylights cascading with greenery to the unobstructed views and the vehicle-free park space, the project ensures a harmonious blend with its natural surroundings. Dewan Architects vision for Layan Verde is to create a private sanctuary where residents can enjoy the ocean and lush greenery without sacrificing privacy or exclusivity.

The Megaprojects ASEAN Summit is a key event addressing the critical needs of the regions infrastructure development amidst a rapidly growing urban population. The summit focuses on bridging the gap between ambitious infrastructure commitments, such as those under Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, and the challenges of project implementation. With $77 billion pledged to 24 megaprojects, yet $52 billion remaining unfulfilled. The summit provides a platform to discuss solutions for overcoming these obstacles.

We are thrilled to announce the presentation of the Layan Verde at the Megaprojects ASEAN Summit. Layan Verde is a high-tech, eco-friendly project that offers more than just living space. It is a place where people can feel comfortable and enjoy both their residences and the vibrant environment around them. This project represents a new kind of concept, where cutting-edge technology meets eco-friendly design, offering a top-quality living experience for our clients, said Vadym Bukhkalov, VillaCarte Group co-CEO, resort real estate developer (Layan Verde, Layan Green Park, La Vista Villas).

With Dewan Architects we had the opportunity to freely design something truly unique, due to the original state of the land conditions. We see this location has the potential to let you live in a national park in Phuket and that is what we are creating. From the arrival experience to your own living space, you will be connected with nature.

Our intention with Layan Verde is to see, but not to be seen. You will be in your private space connected with the greenery around you and have stunning views towards the ocean, and at the same time protected to be seen through the green. When no building is visible in this project, you are in Layan Verde. , added Freek Jansen, Branch Manager for South East Asia, Dewan Architects + Engineers.
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African youth, most notably those of South Sudanese heritage, are over-represented in the criminal justice system in Victoria. In 2024, African youth account for about 50% of young people in custody in Victoria, up from 4% in 2012.

After introducing a 1,000-page Youth Justice Bill into parliament in June, Victoria was set to become the first state in Australia to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 12 (2024), and then 14 (2027).

However, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has retreated from an earlier commitment to raise the age to 14. Victoria Police are backing the premier's decision. The government will keep its promise to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 12.

The Youth Justice Bill includes an amendment to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12. The bill has passed the Victorian parliament's upper house. It will be discussed in the lower house later this month before becoming law.

The reforms include a new crime of committing a serious offense while on bail. Police have been given greater power to revoke bail, especially for repeat offenders.

Critics say the decision not to raise the age to 14 is politically motivated. The decision is seen as allowing Labor to portray itself as "tough on crime" leading into the next state election.

Raising the age of criminal responsibility will affect African Australian youth involved in the justice system. While there is outrage about the decision not to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14, the absence of evidence-based and culturally responsive services would leave African youth at risk of exploitation by criminal and youth gangs.

Subsequently, this change means there will be a greater need for culturally responsive services and supports to prevent engagement in the criminal justice system.

African youth, the justice system, and challenges.

Australian studies have found that African youth and their families experience high levels of acculturation stress. The post-settlement challenges some African youth experience include underemployment and unemployment, disrupted schooling leading to poor education outcomes, family disconnection and neglect, peer-group delinquency, mental health issues and alcohol and substance abuse.

The decision not to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14 has received backlash from youth justice advocates, Indigenous and legal groups. The state government should not have abandoned plans to raise the age to 14, but rather considered a delayed and revised approach.

Any changes in the age of criminal responsibility require alternative evidence-based, culturally responsive, early intervention services, which are yet to be developed. Within these services we need to ensure vulnerable cohorts receive appropriate support.

How will raising the age affect African Australian youth?

Why are culturally responsive programs so important? They look at the culturally specific reasons young people are getting into trouble with the law, and what might be done to prevent it.

Risk factors noted above will not disappear without the provision of culturally responsive programs that address the factors leading to increasing over-representation within Victoria's youth justice centers.

So, what does such a program look like?

Black Rhinos: An example of primary prevention

We examined how a culturally responsive, sport-based, youth development program assisted African-Australian young people (aged 814) and their families to connect with services that support physical and mental health and well-being. In the process, they deter young people from youth crime.

The Junior Rhinos program is designed in conjunction with the African community in Melbourne's south-east, not-for-profit organization Afri-Aus Care and RMIT University researchers. VicHealth funds the program.

Some African youth lack pro-social role models, experience low parental monitoring and limited parental support with school. We found mentors from a similar background can support young people's ability to engage in pro-social activities and deter them from crime. These findings are evident in our impact data, and echoed by staff, teachers, mentors and students.

The study highlighted the importance of having mentors for young people at the ages of 8-14 to support their positive social development.

Our study found culturally responsive, early intervention programs that provide wraparound support for African Australian young people are essential for ensuring they can live pro-social lives.

Such programs lead to increased engagement, better school education outcomes, improved physical health and mental well-being, and reduced likelihood of anti-social behaviors.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Tirso Sigg, owner of Cheesy Jane's, discovered the food truck had been stolen on Tuesday morning. It was later found damaged and gutted. Tirso Sigg

Cheesy Janes, a 20-year-old restaurant known for its burgers and milkshakes, located in the heart of the Broadway corridor at 4200 Broadway at Hildebrand, also operates two food trucks  until recently. One of the restaurant's food trucks was stolen, San Antonio police say.

Owner Tirso Sigg told police that when he arrived at Cheesy Jane's Tuesday morning, his restaurant's food truck was gone.

"I came this morning and the truck was gone," Sigg said.

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The food truck was later recovered on the city's South Side. But all of its equipment had been gutted from the inside. Everything was gone. The fryer, griddles, refrigerator, freezer, milkshake maker, the truck's AC unit and more.

This image shows the inside of the Cheesy Jane's food truck. It was stolen and recovered, but it had been gutted. Tirso Sigg

This image shows the inside of the Cheesy Jane's food truck. It was stolen and recovered, but it had been gutted. Tirso Sigg

This image shows the inside of the Cheesy Jane's food truck. It was stolen and recovered, but it had been gutted. Tirso Sigg

Sigg, the owner of Cheesy Jane's since 2020, said the truck was stolen between Sunday night and Tuesday morning.

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He estimates that the theft will cost him up to $70,000 in damages. Even worse, losing the food truck would cost him one-third of his total profit.
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Researchers at Stanford and Colorado State University have developed a rapid, low-cost approach for studying how individual extreme weather events have been affected by global warming. Their method, detailed on Aug. 21 in Science Advances, uses machine learning to determine how much global warming has contributed to heat waves in the U.S. and elsewhere in recent years.

The approach proved highly accurate and could change how scientists study and predict the impact of climate change on a range of extreme weather events. The results can also help to guide climate adaptation strategies and are relevant for lawsuits that seek to collect compensation for damages caused by climate change.

"We've seen the impacts that extreme weather events can have on human health, infrastructure, and ecosystems," said study lead author Jared Trok, a Ph.D. student in Earth system science at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. "To design effective solutions, we need to better understand the extent to which global warming drives changes in these extreme events."

Trok and his co-authors trained AI models to predict daily maximum temperatures based on the regional weather conditions and the global mean temperature. For training the AI models, they used data from a large database of climate model simulations extending from 1850 to 2100.

But once the AI models were trained and verified, the researchers used the actual weather conditions from specific real-world heat waves to predict how hot the heat waves would have been if the exact same weather conditions occurred but at different levels of global warming.

They then compared these predictions at different global warming levels to estimate how climate change influenced the frequency and severity of historical weather events.

Case studies and beyond

The researchers first put their AI method to work analyzing the 2023 Texas heat wave, which contributed to a record number of heat-related deaths in the state that year. The team found that global warming made the historic heat wave 1.18 to 1.42 degrees Celsius (2.12 to 2.56 F) hotter than it would have been without climate change.

The researchers also found that their new technique accurately predicted the magnitude of record-setting heat waves in other parts of the world, and that the results were consistent with previously published studies of those events.

Based on this, the researchers used the AI to predict how severe heat waves could become if the same weather patterns that caused previous record-breaking heat waves instead occurred under higher levels of global warming.

They found that events equal to some of the worst heat waves in Europe, Russia, and India over the past 45 years could happen multiple times per decade if global temperatures reach 2.0 C above pre-industrial levels. Global warming is currently approaching 1.3 C above pre-industrial levels.

"Machine learning creates a powerful new bridge between the actual meteorological conditions that cause a specific extreme weather event and the climate models that enable us to run more generalized virtual experiments on the Earth system," said study senior author Noah Diffenbaugh, the Kara J Foundation Professor and professor of Earth system science in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.

"AI hasn't solved all the scientific challenges, but this new method is a really exciting advance that I think will get adopted for a lot of different applications."

The new AI method addresses some limitations of existing approachesincluding those previously developed at Stanfordby using actual historical weather data when predicting the effect of global warming on extreme events. It does not require expensive new climate model simulations because the AI can be trained using existing simulations.

Together, these innovations will enable accurate, low-cost analyses of extreme events in more parts of the world, which is crucial for developing effective climate adaptation strategies. It also opens up new possibilities for fast, real-time analysis of the contribution of global warming to extreme weather.

The team plans to apply their method to a wider range of extreme weather events and refine the AI networks to improve their predictions, including using new approaches to quantify the full range of uncertainty in the AI predictions.

"We've shown that machine learning is a powerful and efficient new tool for studying the impact of global warming on historical weather events," said Trok.

"We hope that this study helps promote future research into using AI to improve our understanding of how human emissions influence extreme weather, helping us better prepare for future extreme events."
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While distinct languages and dialects are common to human societies, most people are unaware that other species may similarly have culturally significant dialects. New research conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and New Mexico State University has revealed the dialects of the yellow-naped amazon parrot in its natural range in Costa Rica over a 22-year span.

The study titled "Widespread cultural change in declining populations of Amazon parrots" can be found in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

The research was completed by Dr. Christine Dahlin of Pitt-Johnstown, and Dr. Timothy Wright, Grace Smith-Vidaurre, and Molly K. Genes of New Mexico State University.

Audio captured by researchers of the yellow-naped amazon parrot's original call in the North region. Credit: Christine Dahlin, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown

Yellow-naped amazons are large parrots that form long-term pair bonds, roost in large flocks at night, and forage in smaller groups during the day. They use a variety of calls that they learn from each other, of which contact calls are the most common. It is these calls that show the distinct geographic differences characteristic of dialects.

The researchers' initial surveys, conducted in 1994, showed three acoustically distinct contact types, North, South and Nicaraguan, that were each used in a particular area. In 2005, the team resurveyed these areas and found both the acoustic structure and the dialect boundaries to be essentially unchanged.

Audio captured by researchers of the yellow-naped amazon parrots' original call in the South region. Credit: Christine Dahlin, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown

In contrast, their third survey in 2016 showed a very different picture. In this most recent 11-year span of time, they observed distinct cultural changes. The boundary between the North and South dialects shifted, and new call variants appeared within the area that had formerly only used the South dialect.

In the North dialect, they observed many more bilingual birds using North and South dialects. This period was also one of great disruption for the species. As the population declined, clearing of intensive agriculture increased and the IUCN uplisted the species' status to critically endangered. The observed cultural changes may represent adaptive responses to changing group sizes and patterns of social association.

Audio captured by researchers of the yellow-naped amazon parrot's new dialect in the South region. Credit: Christine Dahlin, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown

While further work would be necessary to directly attribute the cultural changes they observed in learned vocalizations to the demographic disruption experienced by this species, this data does emphasize the importance of long-term studies for understanding how culture evolves, and what forces drive this evolution. In addition, their work showcases how the vocal learning ability of parrots may serve an adaptive role in the wild.
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In this image made from a video shot and provided by Gary Shattuck, a Canada lynx, an endangered species in Vermont, was spotted walking along a rural road, Aug. 17, 2024, in Shrewsbury, Vt. Credit: Gary Shattuck via AP

A Canada lynx, an endangered species in Vermont, has been confirmed in the state for the first time since 2018, and farther south than the last confirmed sighting.

A Shrewsbury man was driving home on Saturday evening when he saw the large cat walking along the side of a rural road. He went home to get his cell phone, returned and took video of the animal, he said on Wednesday.

"This newest sighting is especially exciting because the cat was spotted in Rutland County, far south of most confirmed lynx reports in Vermont," said Brehan Furfey, wildlife biologist and furbearer project leader with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.

Canada lynx are endangered in Vermont and threatened nationally, she said in a statement Wednesday. "That makes any verifiable lynx sighting in our state important."

There are resident breeding populations in northern Maine and northern New Hampshire, northeastern Minnesota, northwestern Montana and northern Idaho, north-central Washington and western Colorado, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They are similar looking to bobcats but have long black ear tufts and short, black-tipped tails, the service said. They also have large paws and long hind legs making them highly adapted to hunting snowshoe hare in snow, the service said.

Vermont is on the southernmost edge of the Canada lynx's range and most confirmed sightings are in northeastern Vermont, which has the best climate, habitat and food sources for lynx in the state, the department said. Canada lynx are adapted to hunt snowshoe hares and "both species need young forest habitats and reliable snowpack to thrive," Furfey said.

Furfey suspects this was a male lynx moving through the region looking to establish its own territory, the department said. The behavior is called "dispersing" in which lynx can move quickly over long distances, according to the department.

The department has received more than 160 reports of lynx since 2016 with only seven of those confirmed. It said the most credible one was from Jericho in 2018.

 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Canada was recently criticized by Tomoya Obokata, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, in relation to the shortcomings of the temporary foreign worker program.

However, this was not the Special Rapporteur's only criticism. The working conditions of persons with intellectual disabilities also drew his attention.

As a researcher on issues related to the financial security and employment of persons with disabilities, and as someone who works in the field of public policy, I would like to shed some light on a controversial practice that is still widespread in Canada: sheltered work programs.

What are sheltered work programs?

Relatively unknown to the general public, sheltered work programs are a historical legacy of the longstanding segregation and exploitation persons with intellectual disabilities have experienced throughout North America. Unlike institutionalization, which has been in relative decline, sheltered work programs are still thriving, despite repeated calls to end them in both Canada and in Quebec.

Sheltered work programs are generally described as programs in which:

individuals with a disability (particularly those with an intellectual disability) are brought together, without being mixed with people who do not have a disability;

people provide a form of work without being paid, or they receive a stipend (a few dollars a day);

different labor laws and standards do not apply, including minimum wage standards.

Historically, the primary aim of these programs was first and foremost, to offer a supportive environment in which to train people considered unemployable. The reasoning was that if these people were made to perform repetitive tasks in a non-competitive environment where they were "protected" from the rest of society, they would be able to develop work skills and eventually enter the regular job market.

However, far from fostering inclusion in the workplace, the on-the-job training that starts out as temporary often becomes permanent. This raises ethical, political and social questions about the practice itself.

Programs used across Canada

In a research report published in 2022, the Institute for Research and Development on Inclusion and Society outlined the situation regarding sheltered work programs in Canada. All the provinces studied (Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Quebec and the Northwest Territories) had sheltered work programs in which people provided work without receiving fair compensation.

Worse still, in many cases the participation of these people in sheltered work programs could be counted in years, or even decades. Far from being a temporary measure, sheltered work programs have become both a source of funding for organizations that receive government subsidies and a form of respite for families faced with a cruel shortage of services.

It is very difficult, if not impossible, to know exactly how many persons with an intellectual disability participate in sheltered work programs in Canada (statistics are hard to find, or simply non-existent). However, since Quebec publishes up-to-date financial and demographic data, it is possible to study the case of this province.

The case of Quebec

Quebec has divided its employability programs for people with disabilities between the Ministere de l'Emploi et de la Solidarite sociale (Ministry of employment and social solidarity, MESS) and the Ministere de la Sante et des Services sociaux (Ministry of health and social services, MSSS). In theory, the MSSS looks after people with disabilities deemed to be "further away from the labor market," while the MESS looks after people who are more job-ready.

However, in reality, what community organizations in the field are reporting and what current research seems to be revealing is that a significant number of people who should be using MESS services end up in sheltered work programs, instead. The Auditor General of Quebec's report on the employability of young people with disabilities amply demonstrates this situation.

Ultimately, Quebec's Ministry of health and social services indirectly and significantly acts as a central driver of the province's disability employment strategy for individuals with intellectual disabilities via sheltered work programs.

Between 20132014 and 20222023, no less than $187 million of public funds have been invested in these programs.

Another reason that may explain the prevalence of sheltered work programs in Quebec is the fact that recipients of the Social Solidarity Program are not allowed to work for more than $200 a month.

The fact that the social assistance check is reduced dollar for dollar after this limit is, itself, often cited as a justification for not paying people who participate in sheltered work programs.

Possible avenues for the future of sheltered work programs in Canada

Although sheltered work programs can sometimes help reduce isolation and provide respite for parents, several organizations are calling for better oversight of sheltered work programs.

A first step would be to have clear training objectives and time-limited participation, to ensure that these programs truly are meeting a person's needs with respect to bettering their social and professional skills.

In addition, provincial and territorial legislation should be updated to guarantee that all persons with disabilities enjoy the same rights as the rest of the population in all situations, including in employment.

As well, over time, governments should redirect public funds used for sheltered work programs toward inclusive hiring programs (as has been done in New Brunswick, for example) and stimulating activities for adults with disabilities across Canada. Community organizations that provide respite for families and create these spaces to socialize and learn should also receive fair funding, so as not to generate more pressure for organizations that are already largely underfunded.

Other measures are crucial, such as ensuring that social assistance programs allow recipients to work, even if only part-time. The new Basic Income Program that came into force in Quebec in 2023 is a good example of positive change in this area, as it allows recipients to work part-time. Other provinces, such as British Columbia and Ontario, have also started to make the rules of their programs more flexible, but there is still a long way to go.

Another important point is to ensure that there is a real, planned transition between school and working life for young adults with disabilities. Provinces that have worked on this, such as New Brunswick, have shown that a well-executed transition can be of great benefit to the whole population. And although Quebec has its own transition from school to active life program (TSAL), the program is still limited to "guides" whose implementation is largely left to the goodwill of school principals, notably for lack of a "clearly defined interdepartmental structure" and clear obligations.

Canada must respect its international obligations

The situation is such that a growing number of organizations in Canada (including Inclusion Canada and People First of Canada, the two largest organizations representing people with intellectual disabilities in the country) are describing the participation of people with intellectual disabilities in sheltered work programs as "exploitation."

According to the various human rights organizations, Canada is therefore in breach of its international obligations. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities explicitly prohibits the exploitation of people with disabilities (article 16), and instead promotes the right to employment and work on an equal basis with other workers (article 27).

It is high time that the term "work" was no longer synonymous with "exploitation" for persons with intellectual disabilities across the country.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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A chalk-based coating attaches to various commercially available textiles, including cotton and synthetic fiber, to create cooling fabrics, such as the treated synthetic material (right) that's brighter than the untreated fabric (left). Credit: Evan D. Patamia

In the scorching heat of summer, anyone who spends time outsideathletes, landscapers, kids at the park or beachgoerscould benefit from a cooling fabric. While there are some textiles that reflect the sun's rays or transfer heat away from the body, current options require boutique fibers or complex manufacturing processes. But now, researchers report a durable chalk-based coating that cools the air underneath treated fabric by up to 8 degrees Fahrenheit.

Evan D. Patamia, a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, will present their team's results at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Fall 2024 is a hybrid meeting being held virtually and in person from Aug. 1822; it features about 10,000 presentations on a range of science topics.

"If you walk out into the sunlight, you will get increasingly hot because your body and clothing are absorbing ultraviolet (UV) and near-infrared (near-IR) light from the sun," says Trisha L. Andrew, a chemist and materials scientist working with Patamia. "And as long as you're alive, your body is generating heat, which can be thought of as light, too."

To make people more comfortable outside, scientists have been developing textiles that simultaneously deflect the sun's rays and push out natural body heata process known as radiative cooling. Some of those materials have light-refracting synthetic particles, such as titanium dioxide or aluminum oxide, embedded into spun fibers. Others use organic polymers, such as polyvinylidene difluoride, which require perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS or forever chemicals, in their production processes to create light-reflective textiles.

But scaling the manufacturing of these materials for commercialization isn't sustainable, according to Andrew. So, she posed the question to research team members Patamia and Megan K. Yee, "Can we develop a textile coating that does the same thing using natural or environmentally benign materials?"

Previously, Andrew and colleagues created a simple technique to apply durable polymer coatings on fabric called chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The method combines synthesis and deposition into the same step: grafting a thin polymer layer onto commercial textiles with fewer steps and less environmental impact than other ways to attach coatings.

So, inspired by the crushed limestone-based plasters used historically to keep houses cool in extremely sunny places, Patamia and Yee worked on innovating a process to integrate calcium carbonatethe main component in limestone and chalkas well as bio-compatible barium sulfate onto the polymer applied by CVD. Small particles of calcium carbonate are good at reflecting visible and near-IR wavelengths, and barium sulfate particles reflect UV light.

Treating small squares of fabric, the researchers applied a 5-micrometer-thick poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) layer and repeatedly dipped the polymer-treated squares into solutions containing calcium or barium ions and solutions containing carbonate or sulfate ions.

With each dip, the crystals become larger and more uniform, and the fabric develops a chalky, matte finish. Patamia says that by changing the number of dipping cycles, the particles can be tuned to reach the ideal size distribution (between 1 and 10 micrometers in diameter) for reflecting both UV and near-IR light.

The researchers tested the cooling abilities of treated and untreated fabrics outside on a sunny day when the temperature measured more than 90 F. They observed air temperatures underneath the treated fabric that registered 8 F cooler than the ambient temperature in the middle of the afternoon. The difference was even greater, a maximum of 15 F, between treated and untreated fabric, which heated the air underneath the sample.

"We see a true cooling effect," says Patamia. "What is underneath the sample feels colder than standing in the shade."

As a final evaluation of the mineral-polymer coating, Yee simulated the friction and impact of laundry detergent in a washing machine. She found that the coating didn't rub away and the material retained its cooling ability.

"So far in our processes, we've been limited by the size of our laboratory equipment," says Andrew. But she's part of a startup company that's scaling the CVD process for bolts of fabric, which are about 5 feet wide and 100 yards long. Andrew explains that this venture could provide a way to translate Patamia and Yee's innovations into pilot-scale production.

"What makes our technique unique is that we can do this on nearly any commercially available fabric and turn it into something that can keep people cool," concludes Patamia. "Without any power input, we're able to reduce how hot a person feels, which could be a valuable resource where people are struggling to stay cool in extremely hot environments."
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The Endho dam is sometimes described as Mexico's 'toilet bowl' for receiving the wastewater of around 22 million people in the capital as well as runoff from a thermoelectric plant, a refinery and other industries that surround it.

On the banks of a wastewater dam in central Mexico, under a dense cloud of mosquitoes, Yury Uribe is finally seeing hope after spending decades in "environmental hell."

The 43-year-old lives next to the Endho dam, sometimes described as Mexico's "toilet bowl" for receiving the wastewater of around 22 million people in the capital as well as runoff from a thermoelectric plant, a refinery and other industries that surround it.

Even corpses have been found in its reservoir's murky waters.

Twenty years ago, Uribe and fellow residents of the town of Tepetitlan launched a campaign to rehabilitate the dam, whose waters contaminate drinking wells and are blamed by the community for cancer and other diseases.

Now, their efforts are just weeks from starting to bear fruit, with the government on the verge of passing a decree to restore Endho and the surrounding reservoir.

"We hope the day will come that the soil recovers and not everything we touch will be dead," Uribe, a dressmaker in the town, told AFP.

She is a co-founder of the Social Movement for the Earth, established in 2004 to highlight the disaster affecting an area covering almost 25,000 hectares (some 61,780 acres) and described by the government in 2019 as an "environmental hell."

These are areas "sacrificed so that Mexico City can function well," its wastewater and rainfall overflow discharged heresome 70 miles (110 kilometers) awayso as not to flood, said Uribe.

'There is no life'

The community's struggle has been a long one.

Studies show that water from wells near Mexico's Endho dam is not suitable for consumption due to high levels of heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury.

After repeatedly occupying the offices of the environment ministry and the National Water Commission (Conagua) in recent years, they got the government to conduct an environmental study in June.

Now, the government is preparing to issue a decree next month to "restore" the dam by reducing wastewater discharge and improving water treatment.

It will likely be the first step in a long process.

The dam's reservoir is surrounded by trees and fields that are sometimes reflected in its surface, projecting an idyllic image although in those waters "there is no life," one resident commented.

When AFP visited, a human corpse floated among the lilies and garbagethe third to appear in a month, according to locals.

The stink is the least of the problems. In Tepetitlan, the conversation invariably revolves around cancer.

For the inhabitants, there is no doubt the pollution is the cause.

"This is because of what we eat, what we breathe, the environment," said Irma Gonzalez, a 47-year-old breast cancer patient.

"Many of us already have cancer," added her neighbor Blanca Santos, 64, whose lungs are affected.

Conagua studies show that water from wells near the dam is not suitable for consumption due to high levels of heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury.

These pollutants come from industries that discharge their water into the Tula River and other tributaries that flow into the reservoir.

Farms in Mexico's Mezquital Valley have long been using water from the Endho dam to irrigate their crops.

'Chromosomal alterations'

Authorities have promised to investigate a possible relationship between pollution and disease.

Oncologist Eduardo Amieva told AFP that heavy metals can "start to accumulate in organs" such as the kidney, liver, skin or bladder.

This, in turn, can lead to "chromosomal alterations and eventually cancer," he said.

Farms in the Mezquital Valley have long used water from the dam to irrigate their crops.

Products from there, such as corn, chili, beans or alfalfa are sold in Mexico City and other states of the country.

"This water has brought us benefits" but also "harm," said Victor Angeles, a corn farmer whose family includes several cancer patients.

Government regulations state that tall crops such as maize can be irrigated with wastewater, but not those in direct contact with the land, said Edith Garcia, a water management specialist.

 2024 AFP
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Sehgal and Sehgal examined the net worth of members of the U.S. Congress and its relationship with being a descendant of slave owners. Legislators whose ancestors enslaved 16 or more individuals had $3.93 million higher net worth compared to legislators whose ancestors were not slave owners, a five-fold increase. Credit: Anne-Lise Paris, (www.in-graphidi.com), PLOS, CC-BY 4.0

According to a new study, as of April 2021, US Congress members whose ancestors enslaved 16 or more people had a net worth that was five times higher than that of legislators whose ancestors did not have slaves. Neil Sehgal of the University of Pennsylvania, US, and Ashwini Sehgal of Case Western Reserve University, US present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on August 21, 2024.

Prior research has linked slavery's intergenerational effects to contemporary inequality, poverty, education, voting behavior, and life expectancy in the US However, the extent to which past slavery in the US contributes to today's social and economic conditions remains unclear.

In 2023, Reuters released an investigative series that captured information on slaveholder ancestry for all 535 individuals who were US Congress members as of April 15, 2021. To boost understanding of US slavery's potential contemporary effects, Sehgal and Sehgal cross-referenced information from that report with legislators' self-disclosed finances.

Statistical analysis of the data revealed that the net worth of US Congress members whose ancestors had 16 or more slaves was about five times higher than that of legislators whose ancestors did not have slaveseven after accounting for demographic factors that could also be linked to net worth, including age, sex, race, ethnicity, and education.

The researchers note that legislators are not personally responsible for their ancestors' actions. Nonetheless, the findings provide new evidence suggesting the possibility that past slaveholding practices in the US may continue to affect people today.

The authors outline a number of limitations of their study. For instance, the findings do not point to any specific mechanism by which slave ownership by ancestors might affect contemporary legislators' wealth.

In addition, the dataset is small, does not account for ancestors' history of slavery prior to the founding of the U.S. in 1776, and may lack certain financial assets and information that legislators are not required to disclose. And because US Congress members tend to be wealthier, the findings cannot be extrapolated to other US politicians or the general public.

Additional research in these areas could help clarify links between slaveholder ancestry and current wealth, which may aid efforts to address contemporary social and economic disparities.

The authors add, "Members of Congress hold significant power to shape policies and set national agendas. Understanding the wealth disparities within this influential group can drive conversations about economic equity and motivate legislators to support policies addressing historical injustices."
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Tree by tree land clearing for housing, Springfield, Queensland. Credit: Dr. Martin Taylor

Australia's environmental laws are failing to stop high rates of tree clearing to make way for agriculture, development and mining, according to University of Queensland research.

Ph.D. candidate Hannah Thomas from UQ's School of the Environment led a team which used satellite mapping and land clearing data to analyze vegetation loss across northern Australia, including Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. The research was published in Conservation Biology.

"We mapped clearing greater than 20 hectares and then investigated which national or state and territory laws were likely to apply," Ms. Thomas said.

"Of the 1.5 million hectares of land clearing we examined, 65% was potentially non-compliant with at least one law.

"And only 19% of compliant clearing had been formally assessed and approved, with the remainder cleared under specific exemptions."

The researchers found the clearing deemed potentially non-compliant and most likely required assessment under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999, but this did not occur.

Ms. Thomas said exemptions, where clearing was allowed to proceed without assessment, were mainly the result of state laws.

Rainbow bee eater, Wynnum, Queensland, 2021. Credit: Dr. Martin Taylor

"Queensland had by far the highest rates of deforestation with 75% of cases exempt from assessment under the state's main vegetation management law," Ms. Thomas said.

"In contrast, most clearing in the Northern Territory was assessed, although approval was almost always the outcome.

"In those cases, development of the agricultural and mining sectors across northern Australia was driving the clearing, and particularly linked to pasture development for beef cattle."

Professor Martine Maron said reducing tree clearing rates was critical considering Australia agreed at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030, and prevent further extinctions.

"There is an urgent need to reduce land clearing rates in northern Australia if we are to meet our international commitments," Professor Maron said.

Clearing for urban development, Swanbank. Credit: Dr. Martin Taylor

"The cumulative impacts are severe and worsening, especially combined with the numerous smaller impacts that our study's conservative 20-hectare threshold didn't capture.

"Australia must ensure existing laws are applied, and support land managers to keep and care for forest and woodland on their properties."
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Staff at the plant nursery in Kurdistan, northern Iraq are prioritising drought and heat-resistant species to mitigate against climate change.

In a plant nursery in northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, hundreds of pine, eucalyptus, olive and pomegranate saplings grow under awnings protecting them from the fierce summer sun.

The nursery in Sarchinar in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah is part of efforts to battle the destructive effects of deforestation in the region.

"Almost 50 percent of forests have been lost in Kurdistan in 70 years," said Nyaz Ibrahim of the UN's World Food Programme (WFP).

She attributed the loss to "water scarcity, rising temperatures, irregular decreasing rainfall and also fire incidents".

The loss is catastrophic, as the Kurdistan region is home to 90 percent of forests in Iraq, which has been among the hardest hit globally by climate change and desertification.

Much of this comes down to illegal tree felling and forest firesintensified by summer droughtsas well as military operations on Iraq's northern border.

In the nurserythe oldest in Iraqworkers are busy unloading young saplings from a trailer which they then line up on a patch of land.

Here, some 40 varieties are developed to later be planted in forests or given to farmers, among them pines, cypresses, junipers and oaksthe emblematic tree of the Kurdish forest.

"Climate change has an impact on the development of plants," said agricultural engineer Rawa Abdulqader. "So we prioritize trees that can withstand high temperatures and which consume less water."

Property development and and construction are among the threats to the forest in northern Iraq's Kurdistan region.

'Negligence'

With support from the WFP, micro-mesh nets were installed in the nursery to protect the trees from the sun, accelerating growth and minimizing evaporation.

Other greenhouses have been equipped with hanging sprinklers, which are more water-efficient.

The project has helped Sarchinar's annual production grow from 250,000 sprouts before it began in late 2022, to 1.5 million in 2024.

Over five years, the WFP intends to support authorities and local actors to plant 38 million trees over more than 61,000 hectares in Kurdistan, and work to preserve 65,000 forested hectares.

According to two official studies, between 1957 and 2015, more than 600,000 hectares were lost.

Over the last 14 years, some 290,000 hectares have been hit by fires, said Halkawt Ismail, director of the forestry office in Kurdistan's agriculture ministry.

These fires "break out mainly during the summer drought... and above all because of the negligence of citizens", he said.

He added that illegal logging in the 1990s by locals using the wood to warm their homes during an economic crisis had significantly contributed to the shrinking of forests.

Micro-mesh nets and hanging sprinklers are among the new equipment helping the nursery to massively increase its output in just two years.

Conflict and displacement

Elsewhere in Kurdistan, forests have been the collateral damage of fighting between the Turkish army and militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

This summer, Kurdish media and organizations said Ankara's bombardment of the PKK triggered several forest fires.

In late June, the Turkish defense ministry accused the PKK of lighting fires to reduce visibility and conceal its positions.

"Turkey has established over 40 military outposts and bases" in Iraqi Kurdistan, "logged many dozens of kilometers of roads through forested areas, and cleared forest around their bases," Wim Zwijnenburg, a researcher with the Dutch peace-building group PAX, told AFP.

"This practice has increased sharply since 2020," he said.

A decrease in forest supervision resulting from conflict and displacement, and rising temperatures and drought "provide fertile ground for forest fires".

These can either be the result of "natural causes, or of bombing and fighting from the Turkey-PKK conflicts", he added.

The Sarchinar tree nursery in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah provides some 40 varieties of trees to be planted in forests or given to farmers.

"With limited or absent forest management, these fires can affect larger areas and lead to forest loss," Zwijnenburg said.

Kamaran Osman, human rights officer from the Community Peacemaker Teams organization, meanwhile noted that when areas are bombed, "people cannot go to... extinguish the fire, because they fear being bombed as well."

1 million oaks

Authorities are working to cultivate new forests and to increase nursery production, though they lack sufficient human and financial resources.

Civil society has also got involved. In Sulaimaniyah, which is encircled by hills, activists are fighting bulldozers and excavators eating away at the slopes of Mount Goizha for a real estate project.

On the edges of the city, luxury housing complexes and shiny glass towers are already rising on the hillside.

In the regional capital of Arbil, a campaign launched by local organizations aims to plant 1 million oak trees.

Since 2021, 300,000 trees have been planted, said Gashbin Idrees Ali, the project manager.

The semi-autonomous Kurdistan region is home to around 90 percent of Iraq's forests, but the region has still lost almost half of them in the last 70 years.

"Climate change is happening and we cannot stop it. But we should adapt to it," he said.

Oak trees were chosen because they "need less water", he said.

"We supervise the tree's growth for four to five years and after... it can survive for hundreds of years."

 2024 AFP
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De novo genome assembly of Prunus pseudocerasus. Credit: Horticulture Research

A significant milestone in horticultural genomics has been reached with the successful decoding of the tetraploid Chinese cherry genome. A recent study provides essential insights into the genetic factors that influence fruit firmness, a critical trait for enhancing the cherry's market appeal and transportation durability. By unraveling the genetic intricacies of Prunus pseudocerasus, the research paves the way for targeted breeding strategies that could improve fruit quality and expand the commercial potential of this economically important crop.

Chinese cherry (Prunus pseudocerasus) is highly valued for its economic and nutritional benefits, yet its soft fruit texture poses a challenge for marketability. Traditional breeding approaches have struggled to enhance this trait due to the species' complex tetraploid genome and high genetic heterozygosity.

With fruit firmness being a key quality factor, understanding its genetic basis has become a priority for breeders. These challenges highlight the need for in-depth research into the genetic mechanisms that govern fruit firmness in Chinese cherry.

A research team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University has successfully assembled the first chromosome-level, haplotype-resolved genome of the Chinese cherry cultivar "Zhuji Duanbing," as published in Horticulture Research on July 8, 2024.

Using advanced sequencing technologies like PacBio HiFi, Oxford Nanopore, and Hi-C, the study decoded the highly heterozygous genome of this tetraploid species. The findings provide crucial insights into the genetic determinants of fruit firmness, offering a valuable resource for breeding programs aimed at improving the commercial traits of Chinese cherry.

The study tackled the challenges posed by the tetraploid nature of the Chinese cherry genome, achieving a high-quality genome assembly through the use of state-of-the-art sequencing technologies. By comparing the soft-fleshed "Zhuji Duanbing" with the firmer "Heizhenzhu" sweet cherry, the research highlighted the critical role of pectin, cellulose, and hemicellulose in determining fruit texture.

The softer texture of "Zhuji Duanbing" was linked to accelerated cell wall degradation during ripening, particularly within the pectin matrix. Two genes, GalAK-like and Stv1, were identified as key regulators of this process, showing significant expression differences between the two varieties. These genes, involved in pectin biosynthesis and modification, are promising targets for future genetic improvements.

The study deepens our understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind fruit firmness in Chinese cherry, providing a foundation for selective breeding aimed at enhancing this important trait.

Dr. Caixi Zhang, the study's senior author, says, "The assembly of a haplotype-resolved genome for Chinese cherry is a major advancement in horticultural genomics. Identifying the genetic factors that influence fruit firmness allows us to adopt targeted breeding strategies, essential for increasing the commercial appeal of Chinese cherry. This research not only enriches our knowledge of cherry genetics but also offers a critical tool for breeders aiming to develop firmer, more marketable varieties."

The findings from this study have significant implications for the future of Chinese cherry cultivation. By utilizing the newly identified genetic markers for fruit firmness, breeders can develop cultivars with enhanced texture, suitable for long-distance transport and global distribution.

This research lays the foundation for precision breeding in Chinese cherry, potentially boosting the crop's commercial value and ensuring its competitiveness in both domestic and international markets. The techniques and insights from this study can also be applied to other fruit crops, aiding in the genetic improvement of firmness and other quality traits.

More information: Haplotype-resolved genome assembly for tetraploid Chinese cherry (Prunus pseudocerasus) offers insights into fruit firmness, Horticulture Research (2024). DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhae142 Journal information: Horticulture Research
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Through the book club with Ohio prisoner Keith LaMar, then-high school teacher Rachel McMillian strove to teach her students that those who are imprisoned have valuable life lessons to share. LaMar and McMillian also published a scholarly paper about prison abolitionist literacy initiatives in elementary education. Credit: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when young people across the U.S. were struggling with the isolation, disruptions and frustrations imposed by shuttered schools, online learning and the dearth of social activities, the students in then-high school teacher Rachel McMillian's social studies class participated in a unique book clubwhich she co-led with a man who is on Death Row.

Now a professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, McMillian documented the experience in a new paper, published in the journal Urban Education.

When the book club began in January 2021, Keith LaMar"Mr. Keith" to McMillian's studentshad spent about 30 years in solitary confinement after being convicted of murdering five other prisoners during a 1993 riot at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville.

McMillian taught in public school for 10 years prior to joining the faculty at Illinois. Because mass incarceration affected her own lifeand many of her students' livesshe was a longtime volunteer with the Ohio Innocence Project, and she frequently invited people who had experienced imprisonment into her social studies classes.

After reading an article LaMar had written that described how solitary confinement had forced him to confront himself and compelled him to learn to read and write so he could advocate for justice on his own behalf, McMillian wrote to him, inviting LaMar to share his journey of self-education and his perspectives on life with her students.

LaMar responded and suggested they form a book club, with the first selection being Zora Neale Hurston's novel "Their Eyes were Watching God." Published in 1937, Hurston's story explores a young woman's search for identity and love amidst racism, violence and loss.

"I believed that this would not only be an opportunity for the students to slow down under the extreme stressors of the pandemic, but that the book club could also become a place of healing for all of us as we built a community with Keith across (and in spite of) anti-Black boundaries and borders," McMillian wrote.

McMillian stated that her purpose in writing the paper was "to document the complexity of Black life and Black joy'the beautiful/ugly experiences that are so much a part of the texture of human development and social relationships,'" a quotation from Harvard University scholar Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot's study about identity and portraiture.

McMillian said she hoped that the students' weekly discussions with LaMarfacilitated through 30-minute phone calls with the prisonand the parallels drawn between his experiences and the novel's themes would ease the stigma associated with incarceration that some students felt and enable those in her class to better understand the perspectives of people who have been imprisoned.

"These are people who have been oppressed in some of the most brutal ways, yet have found ways to live, love, build families and survive in the midst of that," McMillian said. "So, it's extremely important to bring those voices into the classroom, and we shouldn't hide from those stories or steer children away from them."

High school curricula that included the voices of those who experienced incarceration were nonexistent at that time, McMillian said, although in rare instances students might be assigned to read "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" or the work of scholar and political activist Angela Davis.

Today's young people are named the "Trayvon generation" by one scholar because their worldviews are shaped by repeated acts of anti-Black violence such as the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old Florida youth killed in 2017, McMillian wrote in the study.

As teachers, "How do we attend to both pain and joy in our classroom  and access the sources of strength that transcend this American nightmare of racism and racist violence?" she asked.

To shed light on injustice, as well as on the social and systemic problems that lead to prison, McMillian suggests that teachers cultivate the traditions of Black storytelling and critical race testimonydefined in the study as "the act of bearing witness from a critical perspective to the trauma/s of racism as it is socially reproduced, institutionalized and structured."

While it may not be possible in every school to bring in people who are or have been incarcerated as she did with LaMar and the book club, McMillian suggested that the perspectives and stories of this important population can be introduced through "prison abolitionist literacies"narratives and teaching practices that raise awareness of the injustices of mass incarceration and use literacy to strive for abolition, emancipation and freedom.

In the context of discussing Hurston's novel, LaMar shared his personal stories of resilience, perseverance and healing. Naturally, the students were curious about LaMar's life, including his ability to create a meaningful existence despite decades in solitary confinement and how he endured the looming specter of his execution date, then scheduled for November 16, 2023. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine later issued a reprieve, and LaMar's execution is currently set for January 13, 2027, according to a media release on the state of Ohio's website.

While the book club discussions centered on the themes in Hurston's novel, they also encompassed self-education, Black history, music and culture. Following the "extrajudicial murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others, our conversations began to center around anti-Blackness and the issue of Black death," McMillian wrote in the study.

"It really grounded us in those moments when we were experiencing a lot of anger and fear and frustration," she said. "The book club allowed us to just be together, enjoy each other's company and not really focus so much on everything that was happening around us. It enabled us to just love on each other and experience a freedom that we weren't really experiencing outside of that space."

One student later wrote that her experiences with the group enabled her to build a relationship with her father, who was incarcerated during that time, McMillian said.

The students in the book club were in a teacher-preparation program, and McMillian wanted them to learn that it is okay to be in community with people who are incarcerated, a philosophy she also applies in training preservice teachers at Illinois.

"They'll be faced with issues of incarceration, either through their students or their families, and I want them to start to understand those it impacts when they are young," she said. "Bringing those voices into the classroom allows people to learn from their stories."

More information: Rachel McMillian et al, Our Eyes are Watching God: Bearing Witness to Black Life and the Complexities of Black Joy on Death Row. Urban Education (2024). DOI: 10.1177/00420859241227949 Journal information: Urban Education
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Irene Onyango, operations and quality control assistant for Nairobi-based company Keep It Cool, lifting a large Nile perch in Mbita Town, a landing site near Homa Bay, Kenya. Women fisherfolk on the shores of Lake Victoria have embraced digital technologies in their trade. Credit: Joseph Davis Weddi / SciDev.Net

Along the shores of East Africa's Lake Victoria, in Kenya, women fisherfolk including those known for being victims of sexual exploitation, are harnessing the Internet of Things (IoT) to help them counter their abusers while enhancing their incomes, writes Joseph Davis Weddi.

Fish trader and farmer Milly told SciDev.Net how she used to offer her body to fishermen to obtain fish stocks at an affordable price to take to the market to sell, but she now breeds the tilapia herself and, thanks to digital technologies, she can bypass processes that expose her to bargaining with unscrupulous fishermen. (Note: SciDev.Net has changed the names of selected women to protect their identities.)

Along with other women who once traded their bodies to obtain fish, Milly co-owns floating cages in a digitally monitored fish farm on Lake Victoria.

Using their smart phones, the women can access information and receive notifications about the health of the fish they are rearing in the cagesand at the same time gain financial independence.

Not only are they countering the sexual exploitation, but they are working towards eradicating poverty in their homesand improving food securityby taking direct ownership of the fish production process.

Fishermen catching wild fish on Lake Victoria have long exploited women fish traders.

"It was very difficult for me to get fish from the lake, because we have what is called: sex for fish," says Milly, who used to sell silver fish at local markets.

"For you to get fish, without what we call 'Jaboya' [meaning customer], you can't get the fish  you have to sell your body to get the fish  That is the big challenge."

Kenya's Rise to Shine Education Foundation says this degrading practice started due to dwindling fish populations on the lake resulting from overfishing and other environmental challenges which left businesses scrambling to get their catch. Vulnerable women and young girls, often under coercion, ended up agreeing to sex with the fishermen in order to secure their supply of fish to sell in local markets, according to the foundation.

Linah Velma, an official at Kisumu-based startup AquaRech Limited, which specializes in aquaculture technology and empowering women, explains, "Because of less fish stock in the lake  this puts our women fish traders in a very awkward position where they are forced to have sex [with the fishermen] to get fish."

According to Velma, because AquaRech operates business-to-business and business-to-consumer models and offers fish farmers a buy now, pay later solution for fish feed, women fisherfolk who have joined them have taken full advantage as they benefit from the free training and precision agriculture tools, such as digital technologies that help fish farmers learn about best practices and improve incomes.

In a focus group discussion organized by SciDev.Net, at Rasira beach in Homa bay county, women fisherfolk from various beaches in Migori said that owning fish cages, and using the internet to manage their fish farms, has freed them from Jaboya and poverty.

"We have seen that we are going to eradicate poverty because, when you have something at hand, you can go beyond," said Angela Errie*, a discussion participant, noting that before starting fish farming they relied on men as they, the women, lacked economic means. "The men used to have control of everything, even at home.

"Since we started the project, we have  [learned] everything. After harvesting we shall continue and keep the money at the bank, without them [men] knowing what we have," Errie added, and drew smiles and laughter from other women in the discussion.

"You can know the condition of the fish only through the machine that has just been introduced for measuring water temperature and seeing whether the water is fit for the fish to survive, says another discussant who did not want her name published.

These women have each opened multiple bank accounts which they access on their smart phones. They have been trained on how to use aquaculture technology, with IoT sensors to monitor the fish they are breeding in the cages on the lake, led by Rio Fish Limiteda social enterprise dedicated to empowering women and creating better environmental outcomes while connecting fish farmers to markets.

"We are going to do away with poverty within our community because now, we are about to harvest our fish, so we will have something in our hands. No one will take it away," says another group member.

"Rio Fish introduced us to fish cage technology. Initially, we did not know anything about that. Women never went to the lake to fish, it was the role played by men," Quinta Habil, said with a wide smile, and concurred with the rest that they can now stand on their own economically.

Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake, and the world's largest tropical lake with a surface area of almost 60,000 square kilometers. It is shared by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Every year, fisherfolk on the lake harvest 1 million tons of fish valued at US$300 million, according to Edward Rukuunya, a director at Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization in Jinja, Uganda.

Credit: SciDev.net

Cage fish farming is a highly significant development in aquaculture in East Africa according to the organization, which recognizes the multiple challenges affecting fisheries production and the livelihoods of the lake communities that depend on it.

As well as COVID-19 and flooding, the industry has been beset among the fisher communities along the value chain, as well as HIV/AIDS and waterborne diseases such as bilharzia, according to its fisheries management plan.

Rukuunya says about 200,000 people are directly engaged in fishing across the Lake Victoria basin, while 700,000 are engaged in the fisheries value chain.

However, women play a big role in the post-harvest handling of fish, known as artisanal fish processing, where they constitute more than 60% of those employed.

"Women are the backbone within the fishing communities," says Rukuunya.

"They labor a lot to get fish to feed the children, hence improving nutrition. They labor a lot through their earnings to pay [children's school] fees with the little earnings, they manage to pay hospital bills.

"Overall, they contribute to reducing poverty, improving health of the children and people within the fishing communities, hence contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals," he adds.

Lake Victoria's fishing industry has traditionally been controlled by men who owned the tools needed to catch wild fish. However, with the introduction of IoT and related digital technologies, notably mobile apps, the tables are starting to turn in favor of women in the fisheries value chain. More women are practicing cage fish farming as opposed to the labor-intensive wild fish catch on the lake.

Digitalization in the fisheries value chain around Lake Victoria starts with a sensor that is placed in fish ponds or fish cages. The technology provides information and alerts that empower women fish traders to by-pass likely exploiters.

In Homa Bay, Kenya, where Milly and her fellow women fisher folk operate, the sensors used in their fish cages provide information on lake water temperature, which is sent to a central platform and results in recommendations including when to feed the caged fish or when to restock stores of fish feed. Fish feed suppliers also receive notifications telling them which fish farmers will soon need to be supplied.

Fish farmers also input information on the growth of their fish which can be monitored by traders to inform them which farm is ready to harvest and the average size of the fish.

On the Kenyan side of Lake Victoria, beach management unit leaders in Mbita and Ogal beaches are encouraging more cage fish farming among local communities.

"Women are now very involved in cage fish farming," says Moses Owino, who manages the fisheries on Ogal beach. "For them to own a cage does not require anything. They just come to the BMU [beach management unit], apply, and automatically we will give them a chance. So, they are very much involved as opposed to our normal fishing which needs a lot of manpower."

He says there are more than 60 women practicing cage fish farming from the Ogal beach and using sensors to monitor their fish.

As a result, the Jaboya practice has diminished in his area, says Owino.

When harvest is due, fish traders use the app to place orders for fish and ice used to preserve it before and during transportation to market.

In Mbita town, a popular landing site for the wild fish catch, Irene Onyango, the operations assistant for Nairobi-based company Keep It Cool, explains that women fish traders have some challenges competing with their male counterparts and are hampered by a lack of funds.

But women are beginning to overcome these difficulties, according to Morris Muma, chairman of Mbita beach management unit, which has more than 60 women fish farmers.

"We have seen great changes in women," he says. "We have seen them having groups. They have bought their own vehicles. They have bought some farms using proceeds from fish farming. They have built homes."

He says the practice of Jaboya has been expunged.

Credit: SciDev.net

Muma acknowledges that this transition has not been without its problems, however, including fish perishing in the cages. He believes that women fish farmers need more education on how to use the IoT technology.

According to a survey by Dalberg, by November 2020, 98% of Kenyans over the age of 15 owned a mobile phone SIM, 65% had access to the internet, and 52% owned a smartphone, while mobile money had achieved 94% adoption.

This means women fisherfolk are able to make full use of available digital technologies.

Various organizations and social enterprises have taken interest in empowering women fisherfolk along the shores of Lake Victoria and have come up with technology solutions to support them. Two of the most widely used apps that have been developed are the Rio Fish App and the AquaRech app.

"We are training [women] on the best aquaculture practices, we are training them on stocking capacity where they are told the number of fish they are supposed to put in their cages, how they are supposed to manage things throughout the production cycle, which should take a maximum of eight months," says Velma of AquaRech.

At harvest, the farmers supported by AquaRech can sell their fish to the company, which then completes the rest of the value chain including delivery of the fish to markets, hotels and street food vendors.

Aquarech had to replace all their equipment used on the lake following reports that the sensors were not working, and that fish were dying.

However, Velma, who helped apply the new sensors, says everything is now working and the farmers have undergone refresher training.

Through its app, AquaRech has seen an increase of fish traders from 250 to 3,859, among whom are 1,326 women. The company achieved this after receiving a grant to test and scale a pilot project of IoT devices for fish farmers in 2022.

They also raised US$1.7 million in equity funding to hire talent, acquire more feed and set up infrastructure to support integration of the IoT technology. In the past two months, they have received further funding toward the work they are doing around Lake Victoria.

Ben Roberts, chief technology officer at Liquid Intelligent Technologies, says his company is helping in designing the technology behind the IoT sensors and these are fully built in Kenya.

On Lake Victoria, fluctuating water temperatures due to climate change make it difficult for fish farmers to know when and how much to feed their stock. According to Aquarech, fish are sensitive to water temperature and only eat when the temperature is within a certain range. For that reason, the IoT sensors are deployed to help gather data that will be used to advise when best to feed the fish and even when best to harvest.

Roberts says Liquid Intelligent Technologies partners with startups in the space of agriculture and aquaculture technology, including AquaRech, who are championing cage fish farming.

"A lot of these people doing fishing [from the cages] are women and they have had trouble with access to markets," he says.

"By using digital technology, mobile apps, [this] is helping them get access to markets. The IoT technology is helping them improve their yields."

In the city of Kisumu, Josephine Odongo manages AquaRech's new Fish Deli (kiosk) that is changing the way customers order fried fish. Equipped with a commercial air fryer for preparing the fish, Odongo's kiosk also has access to the AquaRech app through which she regularly orders fresh fish to restock her deep freezer.

She takes orders via her smartphone and enters her accounts into an online system, taking payments via a local mobile phone payment platform, mPesa.

She says she feels empowered by these technologies, and that no one can just "walk over her."

"I have my money. I take care of myself  I look after my five kids. I can buy food in the house. I help my partner with some bills and he is happy," she explains, adding that it all starts with cage fish farming where IoT sensors are being used to monitor the growing fish.

Provided by SciDev.net
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Soil pollution from an old incinerator in the Swiss city of Lausanne has not resulted in increased health risks to the local population, a study concluded Wednesday.

A waste incineration plant in Switzerland's fourth-biggest cityclosed in 2005was blamed for traces of dioxin uncovered in 2021.

Dioxins, which belong to the so-called 'dirty dozen' of chemicals known as persistent organic pollutants, have the potential to be highly toxic to several organs and systems.

But a study found that people who had been exposed had similar levels of dioxins in the blood as the rest of the population or in other European countries.

"Data analysis did not reveal any significant differences between the exposed group, i.e. consuming food from contaminated soil, and the control group," the Vaud regional authority said in a statement.

The Vallon plant opened in 1958 and was initially welcomed as a way of dealing with the city's garbage.

The dioxin pollution dates from before 1982, when the filters were upgraded.

After the problem was discovered, the Vaud cantonal authorities issued recommendations to restrict the consumption of eggs, vegetables and fruit from the affected areas.

Concentric rings of pollution

The problem was discovered by sheer chance in 2021, causing shock in wealthy Switzerland, which prides itself on its pristine mountains, lakes and pastures.

For years, pollution monitoring had focused on air and water; dioxins were never previously found because nobody had been looking for them.

Soil tests across the city showed the affected zone stretched 5.25 kilometres (3.2 miles) inland and measured around 3.6 kilometres across.

The concentric circles of increasing pollution led to only one source.

Following the health study, the Vaud cantonal medical authorities said the public health recommendations in place were sufficient and did not need to be strengthened.

 2024 AFP
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Researchers from the University of Adelaide advise that more caution should be exercised for the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in educational contexts. This comes after a new study highlights key differences between modern technology and important ancient philosophy in education.

While AI is being introduced in schools, including the trialing of a generative AI chatbot to support teachers across Australia, new research raises concerns regarding its limitations in thought provocation and its misalignment with deep, philosophical learning.

Large language models (LLMs) are a type of AI language service that has become popular in recent years, including tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and CoPilot.

"Students are currently using LLMs for a range of applications; however, it is particularly popular as a tool for grammar and writing assistance," says Dr. Steven Stolz from the University of Adelaide's School of Education, who conducted the research with Law and Classics honors student Ali Lucas Winterburn and Professor Edward Palmer.

"For teachers, some applications are being used to plan lessons, set homework tasks, conduct assessments, and so on. Somewhat ironically, despite the warnings, Australian schools appear to be heading down the path of using AI, indicating the relevance of this research."

The study, published in the journal Educational Philosophy and Theory, suggests that LLMs are likely to continue having issues in their ability to successfully pass on knowledge to students. This is according to Platonic epistemologythe study of knowledge and understanding based on the ideas of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato.

In simple terms, Platonic epistemology suggests that true knowledge involves understanding unchanging, perfect concepts or "forms" that exist beyond our physical world. According to Plato, what we perceive with our senses in the physical world is just a reflection or imitation of these perfect forms, and real knowledge comes from grasping these forms with our mind.

"In our research project, we concluded that, in addition to the well-known factual unreliability of LLMs, they are also unsuited for meeting the standards of Platonic epistemology," Dr. Stolz says.

"Notably, Plato requires knowledge to derive from insight into the forms and advocates for a specific teaching approach that draws this understanding from the student. LLMs have their own method of dealing with forms, which diverges from the Platonic model."

The research team was surprised to find that LLMs are particularly unsuitable for implementing the Socratic method, which involves teaching through open dialogue and thought-provoking questions.

"Plato requires the teacher to have a strong foundation of knowledge to perform the Socratic method properly," Dr. Stolz explains.

"Furthermore, this method relies on understanding the student's thought processes and anticipating the course of their reasoningsomething current LLMs struggle with."

The research was conducted through reviewing and comparing strong philosophical understanding of ancient philosophy to AI literature. Dr. Stolz says the research is novel and provides a new perspective on learning and teaching.

"We believe an investigation into LLMs from the perspective of Platonic epistemology is significant, given the recent proliferation of LLMs capable of accurately approximating human language," Dr. Stolz explains.

"Although there are many practical questions regarding LLMs, there are also important philosophical questions that arise concerning the epistemic capacity of these new non-human agents.

"Given the historical importance of Plato's philosophy, we believe it is especially significant to evaluate LLMs within his epistemological framework. This framework has stood the test of time and should be given due consideration when it comes to learning and teaching."

Dr. Stolz raises concerns about the future of generative AI and suggests that more philosophical thinking and engagement with AI are required.

"We should be cautious about the use of generative AI in educational contexts. Greater thought needs to be given to its usage and what that looks like from an educational point of view," Dr. Stolz says.

"We shouldn't lose sight of the fact that AI can lead to an outsourcing of our thinking. This is deeply problematic from an educational standpoint, as it diminishes an essential part of the educational enterprise: the cultivation of intelligent thinkers.

"We require more philosophical thinking and engagement with AI, particularly in relation to its application in educational contexts."

More information: Is learning with ChatGPT really learning? Educational Philosophy and Theory. DOI: 10.1080/00131857.2024.2376641 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/1  0131857.2024.2376641
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Modern disaster risk reduction strategies must incorporate Indigenous knowledge and local cultural practices to be adoptable and sustainable, according to a descriptive phenomenological study carried out in Kenya by researchers from the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Rwanda and published in the Journal of Disaster Risk Studies.

The deleterious effects of climate change, such as increasing droughts, are becoming a pervasive global health burden. The heaviest health burden leans on the remote Indigenous agro-pastoral communities, living in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) that are severely affected by climate change and often already suffering from extreme poverty and lower life expectancy.

Ongoing research at the Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition of the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) revolves around the Indigenous resilience capabilities amidst the challenges exacerbated by climate change. "Indigenous communities' traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) involves coping strategies and survival tactics that have helped them to survive for thousands of years."

"Their traditional ecological knowledge could also help us to contextualize our public health adaptation strategies, ensuring that science-driven health interventions are tailored as 'strengthened home-grown solutions' to their local problems," says Sohaib Khan, University Lecturer of International Health at the University of Eastern Finland

Growing scientific evidence underscores that climate change can be effectively tackled only by sustainable, culturally inclusive risk reduction and adaptation strategies.

In the present study, Doctoral Researcher Christian Muragijimana and Dr. Khan explored the contextual application of Indigenous knowledge (IK) for culturally relevant and sustainable disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies for the nomadic agro-pastoral communities in Lopur, Turkana, Kenya. Data for the study were collected in focus group discussions involving key community influencers.

The study revealed a growing vulnerability as a result of the disconnect between modern interventions, Indigenous knowledge and the newly adopted, environmentally degrading coping tactics. Policy-wise, the findings portrayed the necessity for cultural integration and incorporation of Indigenous knowledge-based strategies for reinforced information dissemination, accessibility and acceptability for climate change adaptation, and specifically drought preparedness and response.

The authors call for research on the already existing Indigenous knowledge-based solutions that could improve resilience in the face of food and water insecurity in vulnerable communities in the ASALs. In their own research they continue to seek a holistic understanding of fostered, culturally inclusive climate change adaptation strategies.

"The ultimate goal is to contribute to alleviating the global health burden on the vulnerable populations, systems and regions that are disproportionately affected by climate change."

More information: Christian Muragijimana et al, Climate change, culture and health: Indigenous resilience, a study from Turkana County, Kenya', Jamba, Journal of Disaster Risk Studies (2024). DOI: 10.4102/jamba.v16i1.1647
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MeerKAT continuum images of Kyklos (J18023353) in UHF (left) and L-band (right), at reference frequencies of 815 and 1283 MHz. Credit: Bordiu et al, 2024

An international team of astronomers reports a serendipitous discovery of a new radio ring toward the Galactic center. The newfound object is relatively faint and its true nature is yet unknown. The finding was reported in a research paper forthcoming in the Astronomy & Astrophysics journal.

Recent wide area radio continuum surveys have revealed the presence of low surface brightness ring-like radio sources, often associated with the late phases of stellar evolution. These so-called odd radio circles (ORCs) are in general mysterious gigantic rings of radio waves and their origin is still unexplained.

Now, a new source of this type, which resembles an ORC, has been found by a group of astronomers led by Cristobal Bordiu of the Catania Observatory in Italy. The source, designated J18023353 and dubbed Kyklos (meaning "circle" in Greek), was detected with the MeerKAT radio telescope.

"We present the serendipitous discovery of a new radio-continuum ring-like object nicknamed Kyklos (J18023353), with MeerKAT UHF and L-band observations," the researchers wrote in the paper.

Kyklos was identified by Bordiu's team about 6.0 degrees from the Galactic plane and close (in projection) to the Galactic center. The object has a diameter of approximately 80 arcseconds and a thickness of about six arcseconds.

In MeerKAT total intensity maps, Kyklos appears as a faint ring-like structure, clumpy and nearly circular. The ring's appearance resembles a limb-brightened shell, with the interior devoid of detectable emissions.

Morphologically, Kyklos resembles an odd radio circle. However, it is located at a much lower Galactic latitude than the known ORCs. Moreover, it is also one order of magnitude fainter at 1.0 GHz and has a much flatter spectral index when compared to the population of detected ORCs.

Therefore, the astronomers take into account several other hypotheses that could explain the nature of Kyklos: a Galactic supernova remnant, a planetary nebula, a nova remnant, and a circumstellar shell around an evolved massive star.

Based on the analysis of collected data, the authors of the paper concluded that Kyklos being a circumstellar shell around, possibly, a Wolf-Rayet (WR) star, is the most plausible scenario.

"Based on the limited data currently available, the morphological and spectral characteristics of Kyklos appear more consistent with those of a WR shell. This interpretation is further supported by the absence of a detectable central point source in the L-band image," the scientists explained.

Follow-up multiwavelength observations are required in order to fully characterize Kyklos and to identify a possible central source, which could confirm the WR shell hypothesis.

 2024 Science X Network
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The COVID-19 pandemic brought an increase in crime to New York City's subways and buses. The transit system's employeesespecially female workershave frequently been on the receiving end of attacks, according to a new study published in the Journal of Urban Health.

The study, led by researchers at the NYU School of Global Public Health, found that 89% of public-facing transit workers in New York City experienced harassment or violence on the job during the pandemic (20202023).

"Transit workers are our city's unsung heroesthey kept New York City functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it came at a cost to these frontline workers," said Robyn Gershon, clinical professor of epidemiology at the NYU School of Global Public Health and the study's senior author.

"They not only experienced high rates of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and even death, but throughout the pandemic they have experienced very high rates of victimization. We hope that providing evidence of the harassment and violence that workers face can lead to better data on transit worker safety and improved policies protecting this vital workforce."

Since the start of the pandemic, frequent news reports have shed light on the violence against New York's subway and bus workers, but there is little data on the rates at which these incidents occur. Moreover, while crime on the subways has substantially decreased this yeardue to efforts by the state, city, and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)attacks against bus drivers and subway workers persist.

Since 2020, Gershon and her research team have been collaborating with the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100 to study the impact of COVID-19 among New York City's transit workers. As part of this research, Gershon and her colleagues surveyed 1,297 public-facing New York City bus and subway workers in late 2023 and early 2024 about their work experiences during the pandemic.

Given the spike in crime on mass transit during this period, they asked workers whether they had dealt with harassment or violence on the job. Specifically, workers were surveyed about their experiences with verbal harassment or intimidation (e.g., offensive language, insults, threats), physical assault (e.g., punching, hitting, spitting, pushing), sexual assault (e.g., groping), sexual harassment (e.g., catcalling), or having something stolen from them.

Nearly nine in 10 transit workers89 percentreported experiencing some form of victimization on the job. Almost half of all workers surveyed reported verbal harassment or intimidation (48.7 percent) or physical assault (48.6 percent). One in five (20.6 percent) had experienced theft, while 6.3 percent reported sexual assault or harassment.

"The proportion of public-facing transit workers who have experienced violence or harassment is remarkably high, and far exceeds the rates of attacks against other workers. For example, health care workers are often subject to similar threats of violence, but by comparison, 58 percent of this workforce reports experiencing it," said Gershon.

Notably, female transit workers experienced a higher prevalence of physical assault, intimidation, and sexual assault or harassment than did their male counterparts. Physical assault was more frequently reported by female bus workers, while sexual assault or harassment was more often reported by female subway workers.

"Our findings point to the need for greater attention to recording and reporting victimization against workers in both buses and subways," said David Vlahov, professor at the Yale School of Nursing and the study's first author. "We need to better understand the frequency and risk factors related to this violence and harassment, especially for female workers."

The researchers note that the survey results may be influenced by volunteer biasmeaning those who have experienced harassment or assault may have been more likely to complete the surveywhich could have led to a higher rate of incidents than would be found across the overall transit workforce.

In addition, the survey captured workers' experience during the pandemic, when rates of violence on New York City's mass transit were higher than they currently are.

In response to the increased crime, the state, city, and MTA took steps to improve safety and support the workforce, including increasing the police presence, deploying the National Guard to support bag checks, tougher criminal charges for those who assault workers, and adding cameras focused on conductor cabins on subways to protect workers.

In addition to advocating for safer work conditions for its members, TWU Local 100 introduced relaxation and yoga classes in an effort to support the mental health of workers.

"Despite important strides being made to protect the health and safety of this vital workforce, much more work remains to ensure the safest possible workplace for these dedicated and essential workers," said Gershon.

In addition to Gershon and Vlahov, study authors include Daniel Hagen, Michael Cziner, and Alexis Merdjanoff of the NYU School of Global Public Health, as well as Martin Sherman of Loyola University.

More information: Association of Victimization by Sex among Public Facing Bus and Subway Transit Workers, New York City, Journal of Urban Health (2024). DOI: 10.1007/s11524-024-00912-5 Journal information: Journal of Urban Health
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Overview map of North West African Margin showing the pathway of the event and its erosional marks on the seafloor. Credit: University of Liverpool

New research by the University of Liverpool has revealed how an underwater avalanche grew more than 100 times in size, causing a huge trail of destruction as it traveled 2,000km across the Atlantic Ocean seafloor off the North West coast of Africa.

In a study, titled "Extreme erosion and bulking in a giant submarine gravity low" and published in the journal Science Advances, researchers provide an unprecedented insight into the scale, force and impact of one of nature's mysterious phenomena, underwater avalanches.

Dr. Chris Stevenson, a sedimentologist from the University of Liverpool's School of Environmental Sciences, co-led the team that for the first time has mapped a giant underwater avalanche from head to toe, which took place nearly 60,000 years ago in the Agadir Canyon.

Their analysis reveals the event, which started as a small seafloor landslide about 1.5 km in volume, grew over 100 times in size, picking up boulders, gravel, sand and mud as it traveled through one of the largest submarine canyons in the world before traveling a further 1,600 km across the Atlantic Sea floor.

The avalanche was so powerful that it eroded the entire 400 km length of the canyon and several hundred meters up the sidesabout 4,500 km in totaland was so strong it carried cobbles more than 130 m up the side of the canyon.

Unlike a landslide or snow avalanche, underwater avalanches are impossible to see and extremely difficult to measure. However, they are the primary mechanism for moving material such as sediments, nutrients and pollutants across the surface of the earth and present a significant geohazard to the seafloor infrastructure such as internet cables.

The research team analyzed more than 300 core samples from the area taken during research cruises over the last 40 years. This, alongside seismic and bathymetry data, enabled them to map out the giant avalanche.

3D image of giant underwater avalanche which took place nearly 60,000 years ago in the Agadir Canyon. Credit: Dr. Christoph Bottner, Aarhus University

Dr. Stevenson said, "This is the first time anyone has managed to map out an entire individual underwater avalanche of this size and calculate its growth factor."

"What is so interesting is how the event grew from a relatively small start into a huge and devastating submarine avalanche reaching heights of 200 meters as it moved at a speed of about 15 m/s ripping out the sea floor and tearing everything out in its way.

"To put it in perspective: that's an avalanche the size of a skyscraper, moving at more than 40 mph from Liverpool to London, which digs out a trench 30 m deep and 15 km wide destroying everything in its path. Then it spreads across an area larger than the UK, burying it under about a meter of sand and mud."

Dr. Christoph Bottner, a Marie-Curie research fellow at Aarhus University in Denmark, who co-led the team, said, "We calculate the growth factor to be at least 100, which is much larger compared to snow avalanches or debris flows which only grow by about four to eight times. We have also seen this extreme growth in smaller submarine avalanches measured elsewhere, so we think this might be a specific behavior associated with underwater avalanches and is something we plan to investigate further."

Professor Sebastian Krastel, head of Marine Geophysics at Kiel University and chief scientist aboard the cruises that mapped the canyon, added, "Our new insight fundamentally challenges how we view these events. Before this study, we thought that big avalanches only came from big slope failures. But now, we know that they can start small and grow into extremely powerful and extensive giant events.

"These findings are of enormous importance for how we try and assess their potential geohazard risk to seafloor infrastructure like internet cables that carry almost all global internet traffic, which are critical to all aspects of our modern societies."

The most recent cruises mapping the Agadir Canyon were led by the Institute of Geosciences, Kiel University, Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research and GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research, Germany.

A suite of archive core data was analyzed from the British Ocean Sediment Core Repository at NOCS Southampton, which was collected aboard NERC ships over the past 40 years.

More information: Christoph Bottner et al, Extreme erosion and bulking in a giant submarine gravity flow, Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adp2584. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adp2584 Journal information: Science Advances
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What a shark left of this red snapper for the angler who hooked it. David Hay Jones, CC BY-ND

Fishermen across the Gulf of Mexico are reporting that something is eating fish off their lines. What's to blame? Many recreational anglers point a finger at sharks.

This conflict has caught politicians' attention. Congress has directed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which regulates fishing in U.S. waters, to review shark and dolphin interactions with fisheries, and the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the SHARKED Act, which would create a task force to address the problem.

I've studied this conflict, which is formally called depredation, for the past decade. While some shark populations in the Gulf of Mexico, such as bull sharks, are increasing, my colleagues and I have found evidence that human perceptions are also an important factor.

Sharky waters

The Gulf of Mexico is home to more than 70 species of sharksand those are just the ones that scientists know about. The field of shark research has grown dramatically in recent decades, and new species are still being discovered.

For example, the American pocket shark, which is literally pocket-size, wasn't discovered until 2019. This tiny shark lives in deep water far from shore and secretes a glowing blue fluid from small "pocket" glands near its front fins, for a purpose scientists have yet to determine.

Many other species, including bull sharks and sandbar sharks, are found in coastal waters. This creates the potential for conflict with anglers.

Shark predation on captured fish isn't new. In Ernest Hemingway's 1952 Pulitzer Prize-winning novella "The Old Man and the Sea," an aging Cuban fisherman struggles to catch a giant marlin, only to see it eaten by sharks on his voyage home.

Hemingway himself contended with shark depredation as he attempted to land bluefin tuna in Bimini, the Bahamas. Kip Farrington, a longtime Field & Stream magazine editor and Hemingway confidante, noted that "none of these magnificent fish have ever been boated near Bimini unmarked by sharks." Today, anglers often refer to sharks as "the tax man."

Humans preying on sharks

Sharks have been harvested commercially in the Gulf since the 1930s. Catches increased during World War II, partly because shark livers were used in the production of Vitamin A, and declined after 1950 with the development of synthetic vitamins.

Shark catches surged again in the 1980s, encouraged by federal regulators, who saw sharks as an "underutilized resource." Yet within a decade, scientists determined that several stocks of Gulf sharks were overfished, including sandbar sharks and dusky sharks.

In 1993, NOAA issued the first federal fishery management plan for sharks in U.S. waters of the Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico. These regulations created a pathway to rebuild stocks by requiring permits and establishing recreational trip limits and commercial catch quotas.

Today, many of the Gulf's overfished shark stocks are recovering. As evidence grows that sharks are an important component of healthy oceans, this is a conservation success story. However, many anglers blame increases in depredation on regulations enacted to rebuild shark populations.

Shark fishing in federal waters of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico is regulated. There are 20 species that anglers are barred from taking and are required to release immediately if hooked, without removing them from the water, in a way that maximizes their chances of survival.

Shifting baselines

Experts agree that there are more sharks in the Gulf of Mexico today than there were 30 years ago. But how do these populations compare with levels before 1989, when commercial shark fishing spiked?

Over time, this question becomes increasingly difficult to answer as people gradually accept environmental decline. Marine biologist Daniel Pauly calls this habituation "shifting baseline syndrome." For fisheries, each new generation of fishermen accepts the current, often reduced, status of a fish population as the baseline and forgets that there was a time when these species were much more abundant.

In this case, modern anglers are comparing increased numbers of sharks in the Gulf of Mexico to the past 30 yearsa time when many shark populations were overfished.

Lifting baselines

The recovery of populations that were once overfished can create an opposite situation, known as lifting baselines, with conservation and management efforts leading to population increases.

Instances where populations have been overfished and then rebuilt can create a perception of overabundance. When the species that's recovering is a predator, that can lead to human-wildlife conflict.

For example, recovering populations of California sea lions now compete with fishermen for their catch along the Pacific coast. Off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the same thing happens with gray and harbor seals. The seals, in turn, are attracting white sharks.

The call to cull

Sportfishing is a popular and lucrative year-round industry across the Gulf of Mexico. As reports of depredation increase, so do calls for culling shark populations.

Similar action has been proposed elsewhere for other marine predators, including sea lions in California and goliath groupers in Florida.

Sportfishing in the Gulf of Mexico contributes billions of dollars yearly to the regional economy. It takes place in both state waters, extending 9 nautical miles from shore, and federal waters farther offshore. Credit: NOAA

Studies show, however, that predator removal is rarely an effective strategy. It's particularly ineffective for species such as sharks that move around a lot and will readily recolonize areas that have been culled. Predator culls also pit people with different values, such as fishing boat operators and conservationists, against each other.

Paying the tax man

Unfortunately, there is no silver-bullet solution for shark depredation. The Gulf's sportfishing industry has grown, and it's likely that sharks learn to associate the presence of boats with an easy meal.

Shark deterrents are available, and new versions are continually being developed. Some fishermen are changing their practices to avoid sharksfor example, shifting locations frequently and never anchoring or fishing farther offshore to avoid coastal species such as bull sharks.

NOAA-funded research has identified sandbar sharks and bull sharks as the species that prey most often on catch. The agency is analyzing ways to better measure depredation and assess stocks of these two species to understand their population trends.

In my view, measures like these, along with better data about which sharks are taxing fishermen and where, are the most promising ways to help anglers coexist with sharks in the Gulf.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Workers from the Loggerhead Marinelife Center carry Willow, a subadult loggerhead sea turtle, past a crowd of onlookers to the beach to be released back into the ocean after having been treated at the center, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Juno Beach, Fla. Credit: AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

A rehabilitated sea turtle was released back into the Atlantic Ocean from a Florida beach Wednesday morning.

Willow, a subadult loggerhead, was set free in the area behind the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, officials said.

"The best part of my job is to actually come down here on the beach and see these very valuable animals being returned back into the population," Loggerhead Marinelife Center chief science officer Dr. Heather Barron said.

Willow was brought to the center on June 25 after Inwater Research Group found the injured sea turtle in nearby Jensen Beach. Veterinarians diagnosed Willow with debilitated turtle syndrome, a condition that causes sea turtles to be malnourished, fatigued and encrusted in barnacles.

"So we got her on antibiotics, pain medications, iron and nutritional supplements and have corrected her anemia," Barron said. "And now she's feeling very feisty."

Loggerhead Marinelife Center was established in 1983 as a sea turtle research, rehabilitation, education and conservation center. The center promotes conservation of ocean ecosystems with a focus on threatened and endangered sea turtles.

A crowd of onlookers watch as Willow, a subadult loggerhead sea turtle, makes her way past the crowd, back into the ocean after being treated at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Juno Beach, Fla. Credit: AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

Willow, a subadult loggerhead sea turtle, makes her way past a crowd of onlookers, back into the ocean after being treated at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Juno Beach, Fla. Credit: AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

Willow, a subadult loggerhead sea turtle, makes her way back into the ocean after being treated at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Juno Beach, Fla. Credit: AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Workers demolish three burned buildings at Iconic Village Apartments in San Marcos in January 2019, six months after a fire there killed five people. Express-News file photo Jacobe De Leon O Shea Ferguson, 30, of Austin, is charged with arson causing bodily injury or death in connection with a catastrophic fire that killed five young adults at the Iconic Village Apartments in San Marcos in July 2018. Courtesy photo / Hays County court records

The man accused of setting the 2018 fire that killed five people at the Iconic Village Apartments in San Marcos has asked a judge to ease his bail conditions, saying that living under an 8 p.m. curfew and wearing an ankle monitor for nearly a year has damaged his mental health.

Jacobe De Leon O Shea Ferguson, 31, of Austin, was arrested in July 2023 and charged with arson causing death or bodily injury. Authorities maintained that he lit a mattress ablaze in a breezeway at Iconic Village because he was angry at a woman who lived there and was depressed about his life circumstances. The complex is located several blocks from Texas State University.

Nearly three months after the arrest, Hays County prosecutors said they were not prepared to present the case to a grand jury, and that more investigation was needed. Under Texas law, a felony defendant cannot be held for more than 90 days without a grand jury indictment.

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By joint motion of the prosecution and defense, Ferguson was released on a personal bond in late September, but was required to wear a GPS monitor and remain at home from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily. A magistrate set bail at $250,000, which was later raised to $400,000.

Nearly a year later, the case against Ferguson has not budged. Prosecutors have given no indication when they will seek an indictment or when Ferguson might be brought to trial.

In a motion filed Aug. 9, his attorney, Kristin Dow, said it was time her client got some relief from what she called "unreasonable" bail conditions. She asked for an end to the nightly curfew and the GPS monitoring and for a reduction in bail.

A hearing on the motion is expected to be held next week in state district court in Hays County.

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"Applicant has now been on the GPS monitor and curfew for almost 11 months," Dow wrote. "Additionally, it is more than one year since the arrest date, and more than six years since (the fire). During such time, there have been no GPS violations, no curfew violations ... and indictment still has not been presented."

'I live in continuous fear'

Ferguson has lived in Texas his entire life, has never traveled outside the U.S., and does not have a passport, a car or even a driver's license, Dow wrote. He has no prior criminal record, she added.

"Mr. Ferguson is not a flight risk, nor is he a danger to any victims, witnesses, law enforcement, the community at large, or himself," Dow wrote.

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In an attached affidavit, Ferguson said the conditions of release "have severely limited my ability to function on a daily basis and are causing me mental health issues." He said he had been forced to take a warehouse job "that does not use my degree" and was making "significantly less money" than before his arrest.

"Immediately after work, I go straight home so as not to violate my curfew," he wrote. "On the weekends, the most I do outside of the house is go grocery shopping ... I live in continuous fear due to the pendancy of this case."

Dru Estes, 20, of San Antonio, was one of five people killed in the July 2018 blaze at Iconic Village Apartments in San Marcos. He had just completed his sophomore year at Texas State University. City of San Marcos

The Iconic Village fire was set shortly before 4:30 a.m. on July 20, 2018. Most of the residents were asleep at the time. They awoke to screams, the sound of breaking glass and the smell of smoke.

The blaze quickly spread around all four sides of Building 500, trapping and killing five victims  Dru Estes, 20, of San Antonio; Belinda Moats, 21, of Big Wells; James Phillip Miranda, 23, of Mount Pleasant; and roommates Haley Michele Frizzell, 19, of San Angelo, and David Angel Ortiz, 21, of Pasadena.

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RELATED: Burn victim returns to scene of deadly San Marcos apartment fire

Zachary Sutterfield, of San Angelo, jumped from the second story of the building to escape the inferno. He suffered third-degree burns over 68 % of his body, as well as a traumatic brain injury.

The San Marcos fire marshal brought in the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Texas State Fire Marshals Office to assist with the investigation. The ATF alone sent 50 agents to San Marcos for 10 days.

In December 2018, the federal agencys Fire Research Laboratory determined that the blaze began when someone set fire to a discarded mattress in the defined area of origin  a breezeway next to Building 500.

Authorities offered a reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible. Initially $10,000, the reward was later increased to $110,000.

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'Super-hot'

For several years, the search for the culprit seemed to have hit a dead end, and the victims' families began to despair that the arsonist would ever be brought to justice.

Then in the fall of 2022, authorities created a task force of local, state and federal agencies, including the Texas Rangers Cold Case Unit, to revitalize the investigation.

Ferguson, a former resident of the Iconic Village Apartments, had been on investigators' radar from the beginning.

A former resident of the complex told investigators in 2018 that on the day after the fire, he and Ferguson discussed ways it could have started, and Ferguson talked about the flammability of a mattress that had been left behind at Iconic Village, according to court records.

When investigators interviewed Ferguson four days after the fire, he denied knowing anything about a mattress, the affidavit supporting his arrest states. But authorities knew that another resident of the complex had left a mattress for Ferguson when she moved out and had attached to it a card bearing his name.

Zachary Sutterfield playfully wrestles with his mother, Deona Jo DJ Sutterfield, in their San Angelo home. Zach suffered a traumatic brain injury and third-degree burns over 68% of his body in the July 2018 fire at Iconic Village Apartments in San Marcos. Lisa Krantz, Staff / Staff photographer

Confronted with this information, Ferguson admitted that hed lied, according to the arrest affidavit. Still, investigators didnt think they had enough evidence to make an arrest. Then they reinterviewed some witnesses and gleaned additional details.

The former resident who had described a conversation with Ferguson the day after the fire elaborated on his account from 2018. He told investigators that Ferguson suggested the fire could have started with a stray spark or someone intentionally setting fire to this mattress, the affidavit states.

The witness said Ferguson later admitted that he lit the mattress on fire and that Ferguson described how the fire spread super-fast and became super-hot, according to the affidavit.

The man also told investigators that Ferguson was "frustrated" because a woman who lived in Building 500 had "rejected" him after they went on a date.

On the morning of July 5, 2023, agents of the U.S. Marshals Service took Ferguson by surprise at an Austin convenience store and brought him into custody.

Ferguson, who is originally from Tyler, earned a degree from Texas State and lived for a time in Building 500 at Iconic Village, though he later moved to another part of the complex. He was working as a cook at the Tap Room in San Marcos at the time of the tragedy.

His arrest sparked jubilation among the victims families and survivors of the blaze. Their hopes for closure were dashed, however, when Hays County District Attorney Kelly Higgins said prosecutors were not ready to seek an indictment.

Prosecutors have been tightlipped about why. But the evidence described in the arrest affidavit appears to be circumstantial or second-hand. To judge from that document, authorities have not found a witness who saw Ferguson actually start the fire. If they have physical evidence implicating him in the act, they have not disclosed it.
MIDDLE TOWNSHIP  There should be some wetlands near the Wetlands Institute, Executive Director Lenore Tedesco told the Township Committee on Monday.

But seas are rising faster than the marshes can keep up, she said, essentially drowning one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world.

Tedesco attended the committees workshop meeting to outline a project to use material dredged from the nearby channel to rebuild the marsh. There have been previous projects completed, in cooperation with the state Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The next project will start in late September or early October, part of the Army Corps effort to maintain the intracoastal waterway, a boating highway that runs between New Jerseys barrier islands and the mainland.

Typically, the silt dredged from the channel would be stored in nearby sites to dry and later be shipped overland for disposal, an expensive process that Tedesco said is also hard on local roads.

In 2019, the Philadelphia District of the Army Corps joined with the DEP, the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife and the Wetlands Institute to form the Seven Mile Island Innovation Lab to work on a potential solution.

Can we take that sediment from dredging and use it in ways that benefit marshes and coastal communities? Tedesco said. How can we build resilience?

The Army Corps describes it as a beneficial use of dredged material, rebuilding marshes and creating islands if the material is demonstrated to be clean. It can be used to create habitat and improve flood protections. Similar efforts have taken place historically, according to the Army Corps, but they have gained attention since Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

Marshes have not always gotten much respect; filled in for development or ignored. Founded in the 1960s, the Wetlands Institute sought to change those attitudes, through education and a better understanding of the wetland ecosystem.

Tedesco described marshes as a cradle. A significant number of the regions most commercially important shellfish must spend part of their life cycle in marshes, and they are vital habit for multiple bird species and sea life.

For those unmoved by those concerns, marshes also help protect communities from flooding, absorbing rainwater and blunting the impacts of tidal flooding during major storms. She told the committee the marshes around Ocean City reduce tidal flooding by about 20% each year.

Stone Harbor kindergarteners assist in terrapin release at Wetlands Institute Kindergarten students from Stone Harbor Elementary School saw a years worth of wildlife education and science lessons pay off as they helped release diamondback terrapins raised at Stockton University back into the wild Wednesday at the Wetlands Institute.

So we really need to keep our marshes out there, but unfortunately were losing marshes, she said. About 80,000 acres of coastal wetlands each year are being lost, and sea level rise is starting to be a big component of that.

Melting glaciers and ice caps are adding water to the oceans, and warm water takes up more space than cool water because of expansion. Sea level rise affects coastal communities around the world, but because of a variety of factors, New Jersey is seeing the water rise twice as fast as the global average, Tedesco said.

She showed a chart detailing sea level rise over the past century, and the speed of that increase jumping in the past 15 years, up about a quarter of an inch a year.

Marshes survive at about sea level, advancing and retreating for eons, and building up with the growth of salt-tolerant grasses and other plants. But they cant keep up with this rate of rising water. The marshes are drowning, she said.

And were starting to see the impact of it, Tedesco said. Marshes will be underwater.

In other discussions at the same meeting, Middle officials acknowledged that flooding is more common throughout the municipality than it used to be. The township had expressed reservations about a DEP plan to expand flood zones and toughen building codes in response to climate change, but Mayor Chris Leusner said Monday that does not mean local officials do not recognize that the problem is real.

After the Wetlands Institute opened its building on Stone Harbor Boulevard 50 years ago, a trail in the salt marsh did not flood once until 1986. Now, it floods multiple times a year.

There is concern now for coastal resiliency, Tedesco said.

The next project aims to add several feet to the marshes just south of Stone Harbor Boulevard, with the silt and mud dredged from the waterway sprayed onto the marsh. At first, it wont look very good, Tedesco admitted, just a muddy expanse.

But the marsh plants will quickly return, and be back to their current appearance in about five years. At one point, the Wetlands Institute tried planting the marsh, but it did nothing to improve the erosion.

The process is expensive, but not as expensive as other means of dealing with the dredge spoils cleared from waterways. Funding will come from the Army Corps for the work itself, but multiple donors are helping fund the research that will help the Wetlands Institute understand the impacts of the project.

Plans call for adding about 25,000 cubic yards of material to roughly 10 acres of marsh, to raise it by close to two feet in an area called Scotch Bonnet Island.

The material will have the winter to settle before wildlife returns in the spring.

While the work done in the marshes behind Stone Harbor is just a start, Tedesco pointed out that the intracoastal waterway runs the length of the East Coast and dredging projects are routinely done in coastal areas.

Marshes, and the life that relies on them, evolved with frequent immersion from tidal water.

Tidal marshes flourish on the brink  daily to intermittent flooding brings life; repetitive deep flooding systematically destroys life, Tedesco wrote in an outline of the project. If you spend much time at the shore, you must have seen it for yourself  our marshes are inundated more frequently and to greater depths than ever before and its taking a toll.
Scott County authorities allege a woman injured a Davenport police officer early Monday when she hit his police vehicle while driving intoxicated.

The officer suffered injuries to his face as well as a possible concussion, according to county court records. A passenger in Loniecka Hodges vehicle also suffered injuries to his face that authorities considered significant. Officers sent both men to an area hospital.

The officer received treatment, then the hospital released him, the Davenport Police Department said Tuesday evening.

The collision happened at 12:15 a.m. on Monday at the intersection of 3rd and Gaines streets, court records state.

Authorities think Hodge, 37, Rock Island, had just entered Davenport via the Talbot Memorial Bridge and was driving north on Gaines in a 2014 Chevrolet Traverse when the crash occurred.

She failed to navigate a curve in the roadway, authorities allege. The Traverse then hit the raised median and traveled into the southbound lanes.

The Traverse then struck the occupied squad, a Chevrolet Tahoe, in the front passenger side, causing it to spin 90 degrees, court records state. As a result, all of the squads airbags deployed.

The Iowa State Patrol handled the initial investigation, records state.

The Davenport Police said the patrol did so at its request.

The trooper who went to the scene spoke with Hodge, according to records.

She smelled of alcohol; had impaired balance; slurred speech; and bloodshot, watery eyes, the trooper reported.

During the interview, Hodge admitted to drinking earlier at the club, according to court records.

The trooper conducted some field sobriety tests with Hodge and said she showed signs of being impaired.

Hodge refused other tests and she also twice refused to give a breath sample, records state.

As a result of these allegations, authorities have charged Hodge with serious injury by vehicle and operating while under the influence  first offense, records state. They have also cited her with failure to provide proof of financial liability and failure to maintain control.

Scott County Jail records show Hodge free as of Tuesday after posting $6,600 bond.

She made her first appearance Tuesday morning and her next hearing has been set for Sept. 6.

Historic photos: Davenport seawall and intercepting sewer
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the swiftly anointed running mate for Kamala Harris, has taken to calling Republicans weird. As Walz projects a weak description onto people who disagree with him, lets look at his priorities for Minnesota.

Illegal Immigration

Iowa has taken a hard stance against those who enter our country illegally. Over the past few years Iowa has banned sanctuary cities, required law enforcement to cooperate with ICE, and made it easier for law enforcement to stop criminal illegal aliens from finding sanctuary in our communities. In contrast, Tim Walz and Minnesota Democrats prefer open borders, going so far as to grant illegal immigrants driver's licenses in the state. He also signed legislation to give illegal immigrants tuition free college and state funded health care. All these costs are strapped to the backs of hardworking Minnesota families.

Protecting Children

Doctors in Iowa cannot provide children with hormone therapy, puberty blockers or surgery to mutilate their bodies. In 2023, Iowa became one of several states to ban these dangerous practices on minors. These procedures can result in multiple, serious physical harms, including sterility, growth challenges, heart problems, and other life-threatening issues. While children are still early in their adolescence, making dramatic, life altering changes at a young age are not in their best interest.

On the other hand, Governor Walz signed a law to give children access to puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and permanent life-altering gender surgery. The law even allows children in other states to be carted off to Minnesota, potentially against a parent's wishes, given puberty blockers, hormone therapy, or gender surgery, and judges could be prohibited from stopping the action or returning the child to their home state.

In Minnesota, children cannot go to a tanning salon, get a tattoo, stay out past midnight in many cities, or sign a contract. However, Governor Walz believes that these children are old enough to make life altering changes to their bodies. To me, thats just weird.

The Second Amendment

In 2022, Iowans supported a state constitutional amendment that ensured law-abiding citizens would have the right to keep and bear arms and that any challenges to firearms rights would face a high legal standard. Iowans have overwhelmingly supported removing burdensome regulations and allowing law-abiding people to protect themselves and their families. In Iowa, you dont have to jump through countless hoops to practice your constitutional right. A quick federal background check is all thats needed.

On the other hand, Minnesota doesnt believe in your constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Minnesota law requires a substantial number of steps before a person can legally purchase or carry a firearm. This includes shooting tests, waiting periods, multiple permits, and gives discretion to Sheriffs to determine if a person can carry a firearm or not.

The Second Amendment is designed to ensure law abiding Americans have the right to keep and bear arms. Governor Walz treats law-abiding Minnesotans like criminals and requires burdensome steps for those who just seek to protect themselves.

Illegal immigrants in Minnesota are rewarded for breaking the law, given free healthcare and drivers licenses while hard working Minnesotans pay the price. Walz signed a law enticing children to come to his state so they can take dangerous pharmaceuticals or have a dramatic life-threatening surgery without parental consent, but legal adults arent responsible enough to own firearms without the blessing of the state.

Right before our eyes were seeing a pair of politicians who cant confront the fact that their policies are out of touch, their narrative doesnt resonate, all while they let their cities burn. So their solution is to subject those who disagree with them to a weak descriptor, as if were the ones who are supposed to hop on board.

- Representative Taylor Collins
Editor's note: This is Part 1 of a 10-part series, "The Last Rung," that tells the stories of people in the Quad-Cities living in the margins. Part 2, "They're shooting for the moon," will be published Thursday.

Kayla Slusser had long dark hair and eyes that looked into you.

She was petite, pretty and down for fishing, hiking and camping with the guys. She loved the sun, and one of her favorite weekend getaways was swimming and tubing the rivers of western Illinois and eastern Iowa.

"Kayla really loved, like, those three-day music festivals where you camp out the whole time," Joshua Wessels said. "We went to a few of those. She loved it. Loved being outdoors. Loved sleeping in a tent."

Wessels dated Slusser for five years. He struggles to talk about her, feeling grief return when he tries to think about their time together and the things he most loved about her.

Their relationship, he admitted, had a dark side. They did drugs together. When they started using opioids like fentanyl and heroin, he said their relationship was "destroyed."

Opioids destroyed Slusser's life, too.

She overdosed Oct. 17, 2023, on a bed in a Bettendorf hotel and died days later in a hospital when she was removed from life support. She was one of many Quad-City residents who didn't survive drug use last year.

Opioids, new synthetic drugs, drive deadly numbers

A total of 56 people died of overdoses across the Quad-Cities in 2023  32 in Scott County and 24 in Rock Island County.

Not all the overdoses were caused by opioids like heroin or fentanyl, but a look inside last year's numbers from Rock Island County show fentanyl was the agent that caused fatal overdoses in 15 of the 24 cases.

When paramedics responded to Slusser's overdose, she was given multiple doses of Narcan, the commercial form of a powerful drug called naloxone that can reverse an opioid overdose. In 2023, Scott County EMS administered Narcan 366 times in the attempt to revive people in the throes of an overdose.

Slusser, however, did not respond to the Narcan. And she did not die from heroin or fentanyl. The heroin she used was laced with a synthetic product called etonitazene that is believed to have contributed to her death.

What killed Slusser was not confirmed for months because it had to be determined by toxicology tests. But the results added more evidence of a trend emergency responders and health workers are seeing across the Quad-Cities.

Ibrahim Tarawneh is the Naloxone Grant Coordinator at UnityPoint Health's Robert Young Center. He said synthetic forms of fentanyl and other opioids are one of the "drivers" of overdoses.

"Synthetic opioids present responders with a real problem," Tarawneh said. "The overdose looks like a heroin or fentanyl or other opioid overdoses, but we are seeing synthetics that do not respond to naloxone."

Chuck Gipson is the quality and compliance manager for Scott County EMS and has been an emergency medical technician for 30 years. He said the rise of synthetic opioids is driven by users looking for "better highs."

"The desire to make heroin more potent led to mixing fentanyl into heroin," he said. "And that same desire has led to dealers, or producers, using synthetic opioids to enhance the high of heroin.

"Synthetic opioids are opioids where compounds have been changed. So not only does Narcan not always work in overdose situations, we don't even know how the naloxone will interact with the synthetics."

Room No. 17: Narcan didn't save her

Wessels said Slusser "loved heroin."

A probable-cause warrant provided stark details of the morning Slusser was found "unconscious and not breathing" on a bed inside room No. 17 of City Center Hotel.

Bettendorf police were called to the room at 1:45 a.m. on Oct. 14, 2023. A man, who was with Slusser at the time of her overdose, told police he gave three doses of Narcan to Slusser, but she did not respond. The officers then started CPR in the desperate attempt to save her life.

Slusser was given two more doses of Narcan and the officers continued CPR until she arrived at Genesis East Hospital. Three days later, the young woman who loved the sun and floating on a river was dead.

Slusser had done some time in rehabilitation but had resumed using in the fall of 2023.

Wessels said he and Slusser "broke up about two months before" her death. They used opioids throughout their relationship and he said talking about what she might have been going through in her final days "just makes me really sad."

"We got bad on those fake Perc 30s going around," he said. "And then it became heroin."

The "fake Perc 30s" he referred to were, in fact, fentanyl pressed into to pill form. Some users took to social media, claiming they looked like 30-miligram Percocet pills. The nickname took off and, for a time, so did use of those pills.

In an application for a search warrant written after Slusser's death, Bettendorf police investigator Wyatt Flickinger said the young woman was a known "narcotics user" and he had "conducted a previous investigation involving the sale of fake M-30 pills containing fentanyl in which Kayla (Slusser) was involved."

Flickinger also noted a "fellow detective had received information in early September of 2023 that Kayla was trying to acquire drugs."

A deal for 'bad' drugs?

Two people were charged and later pleaded guilty in connection with Slusser's overdose: Lucas Mathew Seitz, 33, of LeClaire, and Nicole Danielle Tucker, 34, of Davenport.

They each played a role in Slusser's acquisition of the drugs that killed her.

Seitz and a man who said he was Slusser's boyfriend were at City Center Hotel when Slusser overdosed. That man was named in search warrant applications and is not Wessels. He is not identified in this story because he was not charged.

The boyfriend told police that Slusser wanted drugs, and he contacted Seitz to get either heroin or fentanyl, according to the affidavits.

The boyfriend arranged for an Uber driver to take Seitz from the motel to meet with his drug supplier.

Seitz was interviewed several times during the investigation and said the boyfriend contacted him looking for heroin for his girlfriend, whom Seitz had not met. He contacted his main supplier who put him in touch with Tucker, the affidavits state. Tucker agreed to sell Seitz drugs.

Seitz got a ride to the City Center Motel where the boyfriend gave him $100 to buy heroin or fentanyl and to pay an Uber driver.

Seitz bought what he believed to be heroin or fentanyl from Tucker for $40, according to affidavits. When he returned to the motel, he gave the drugs to the boyfriend.

The boyfriend gave the drugs to Slusser. He told police Slusser then appeared to be under the influence of opiates based on her demeanor. He saw Slusser stop breathing and turn blue.

The boyfriend told police he attempted to save Slusser by giving her multiple doses of Narcan and performing chest compressions.

Tucker told police Seitz had contacted her looking to buy drugs. Tucker had two bad batches of drugs, possibly fake dope. She said she bought these for herself, and they did not have the desired effect, so she re-sold them to Seitz in exchange for $40 to re-coup some of what she spent on the drugs.

She met with Seitz at about 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 13, 2023, near West 31st Street and Western Avenue in Davenport, according to the affidavits.

Text messages and phone calls between Seitz, Tucker and the boyfriend confirmed the transaction between Seitz and Tucker occurring on Oct. 13 at about 11 p.m. Seitz texted the boyfriend's phone, Were good to go on our way back. See u in a bit brother.

The aftermath and charges

Tucker will spend time in prison, while Seitz has asked for probation in a plea agreement.

Both were charged in Scott County District Court with one count each of involuntary manslaughter and delivery of a controlled substance - fentanyl.

Tucker pleaded guilty to each of the charges during a hearing May 30 in district court.

During a hearing in July in Scott County District Court, Judge Stuart Werling sentenced Tucker to five years in prison on a charge of involuntary manslaughter and a consecutive term of 10 years in prison on a charge of delivery of a controlled substance-fentanyl.

Seitz pleaded guilty to one count each of involuntary manslaughter and delivery of a controlled substance-fentanyl during a hearing July 16 in District Court. He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 8. The plea agreement Seitz tendered in court calls for him to spend five years on supervised probation. It will be up to the sentencing judge to determine Seitzs sentence.

Tucker and Seitz also will be responsible for $150,000 in victim restitution for the death of Slusser.

The morning of the overdose, officers performed a consent search of Room 16, the room next to Slusser's room. Officers seized six-tenths of a gram of meth, 0.55 grams of foil with burnt liquid sludge of fentanyl, a hypodermic syringe with a liquid mixture of methamphetamine, fentanyl and n-pyrrolidino etonitazene.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice website, the latter drug, n-pyrrolidino etonitazene, is a high-potency synthetic opioid that has been linked to overdoses across the United States.

Officers also seized a spoon with burn marks, a cotton swab that contained the same mixture of drugs as the liquid mixture and drug pipes.

All of those items were removed from Slussers room after she overdosed and taken to No. 16 next door, according to investigators.

The toxicology panel showed Slusser had methamphetamine, amphetamine and phenylpropanolamine in her system. The initial toxicology screen did not test for fentanyl or heroin.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, phenylpropanolamine was at one time used in over-the-counter and prescription cough and cold medications as a decongestant and in over-the-counter weight loss products. It has been banned for use in the U.S. due to an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke.

Answers, but no closure

When Wessels agreed to talk about his life with Slusser, he still didn't know what caused her death.

"I really want to know how she died," he said. "It's not going to make anything better for anyone, but at least we will have that."

Wessels said he tries to think of all the good things about Slusser.

"She really was a good person, you know?" he said. "The way she dies, people will think she's just some addict. Please make sure to tell people she was a really, really good person.

"She really did the best she could."

When informed of Slusser's toxicology results, Wessels answered with just one line:

"Thank you."

Slusser's parents and family members were contacted and after considering the prospect of talking about their daughter, politely declined.

In her obituary, the family recalled a young woman filled with "kindness and genuine concern for others.

"She was always listening to music and dancing."